North Point (ノースポイント)[1] is an island nation and the name of its capital city located off the northeastern coast of the Usean continent, due east of Saint Ark. It served as the location of the Independent State Allied Forces' second General Headquarters following its evacuation of the mainland during the Continental War.
History[]
Early history[]
Information regarding the country's early history, founding, and system of government remains unknown. Despite this, North Point is known to have supported a well regarded military force.[2] Throughout its history, however, North Point has pursued a policy of isolationism and maintained a neutral stance on most world affairs.
Neutrality (pre-1997)[]
For reasons that remain unknown, North Point constructed the Fortress Intolerance missile-launch facility at some point in the late 20th century. North Point's motivations for creating the weapon are currently unknown. Nevertheless, the national government eventually scheduled the facility's decommissioning and dismantlement for sometime in the late 1990s.
When news of the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid's approach was made public in 1996, the nations of Usea set to work devising various ways of defending themselves. The Federation of Central Usea's support of a National Missile Defense (NMD) system[3] compelled North Point to postpone the decommissioning of Fortress Intolerance until after the predicted planetfall in 1999.[4][5]
Usean coup d'état (1998)[]
During the first continental war, North Point was one of many nations to fall under the control of the coup d'état forces. A little more than a week after the lost of their first HQ in Saint Ark, the rebels retreated to Fortress Intolerance and commandeered the missile-launch facility. The rebels then attempted to launch an ICBM at Yuktobania in order to start an international war and slip away in the ensuing chaos. The Usean Allied Forces responded by dispatching Scarface Squadron, which destroyed the facility and prevented the launch, putting an end to both the rebellion and the war.[4][5]
Ulysses aftermath (1999–2002)[]
When the Ulysses asteroid made planetfall on July 3, 1999, North Point was well outside Stonehenge's effective range.[6] Although nearby Newfield Island stands as a testament to Ulysses's destructive power, the extent of the damage inflicted on North Point remains unknown.[7]
In the aftermath, North Point and the other nations of the Central Usea Treaty Organization (UTO) admitted and sheltered thousands of refugees. When Erusea initiated the Usean refugee crisis in April 2003, North Point was among the Usean nations that boycotted Erusean exports, further escalating tensions with Erusea.[8] Following Erusea's invasion of San Salvacion and Stonehenge in August of that year, North Point allied itself with the other UTO nations to form the Independent State Allied Forces (ISAF). It is unknown what military forces, if any, North Point contributed to the ISAF's coalition.
Continental War (2003–2005)[]
At the war's onset, the Erusean offensive (bolstered by the use of Stonehenge as an anti-aircraft weapon) forced the ISAF to abandon its general headquarters (GHQ) at Los Canas and other strategic positions throughout the mainland. It soon became apparent that the ISAF needed to withdraw and regroup its forces if it stood a chance of defeating Erusea. North Point was subsequently chosen to serve as the site of ISAF's new GHQ.[9] The transfer of its GHQ to North Point is regarded as the ISAF's largest and most strategic move of the war up until that point.[10]
Once reestablished at North Point, the ISAF began to regroup its troops and set up defenses around the island nation to guard against the many Erusean attempts to destroy the ISAF's GHQ. From mid-2004 to early 2005, ISAF command would coordinate several strategic missions along the eastern seaboard in preparation for a counteroffensive. Despite later establishing a new field HQ to spearhead the push into the Usean mainland,[11] the ISAF's GHQ remained at North Point until the war officially ended on September 19, 2005.[12] It is unknown whether ISAF's GHQ remained at North Point following the armistice.
Circum-Pacific War (2010)[]
In 2010, during the Circum-Pacific War, secret peace talks were scheduled between the Osean President and Yuktobanian Prime Minister in North Point. The nation's neutrality, remote location, and peaceful history made it an ideal site to host the peace negotiations.[13] However, the two leaders were kidnapped and imprisoned by warmongers before they could arrive at the conference.[14][15]
Lighthouse War (2019)[]
During the Lighthouse War, North Point once again remained neutral throughout the conflict. However, several command personnel of the Osean 444th Air Base, including Colonel D. McKinsey, moved to a base stationed in North Point.[16]
Postwar (2020–)[]
In January 2020, a mutual nonaggression pact was signed in North Point, further reducing hostilities between Osea and Erusea which was still lingering due to the Lighthouse War.[17]
Gallery[]
North Point as it appears in Ace Combat 2
One of North Point's islands in Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
North Point's countryside as it appears in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
Trivia[]
- There is an urban area in Hong Kong's Eastern District called North Point.
- In Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, the country is incorrectly spelled "Noth Point" on the briefing map.
- The Color of the World Society (publisher of The Graphic Colors of the World magazine - the Strangereal equivalent of the National Geographic Society (headquartered in Washington D.C.) - is headquartered in "North Point D.C.". [citation needed]
References[]
- ↑ Hasegawa 1/72 "Su-33 Flanker D ACE COMBAT Yellow 13" (plastic model) description.
- ↑ Briefing, Fighter's Honor, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.
- ↑ "Secretary Of State Expresses Support For NMD Proposal", Usea Today: Asteroid on Collision Course With Earth! Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fighter's Honor, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fighter's Honor, Ace Combat 2.
- ↑ Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Sitting Duck, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ "Friction Comes to the Surface of the Refugee Problem", GAZE: War? Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ↑ Interlude 01, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Briefing, Invincible Fleet, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Tango Line, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Siege of Farbanti, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- ↑ Handful of Hope, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 21, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 23, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ "Transfer Orders", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ Aces At War: A History 2019, page 126.