- "I've got an intelligence-gathering vessel in my fleet, the Andromeda, that's capable of intercepting all forms of communications.[sic] Recently, it picked up a secret message transmitted in Belkan."
- ― Captain Nicholas A. Andersen[1]
The OFS Andromeda was an intelligence-gathering warship of the Osean Maritime Defense Force's 3rd Osean Naval Fleet. The Andromeda was a retrofitted landing ship equipped with an array of transceivers and antennae; she was capable of intercepting transmissions over a wide range of frequencies.
History[]
Circum-Pacific War[]
As a vessel of the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet, the Andromeda was under the command of the OFS Kestrel. The Andromeda presumably accompanied and supported the Kestrel on various combat operations along the western front by intercepting Yuktobanian communiques. After the carrier was relegated to reserve status, the Andromeda stationed itself at Kirwin Island.[1]
Razgriz operations[]
Sometime in either late November or early December 2010, the Andromeda intercepted a mysterious transmission encoded in Belkan.[1] After the fugitive Wardog pilots were brought aboard the Kestrel on December 7, 2nd Lt. Peter N. Beagle ("Pops") helped the Andromeda's intelligence officers decipher the message, which revealed that Osean President Vincent Harling was being held captive in southern Belka.[2]
Over the coming weeks, the Andromeda began receiving coded messages—sent by Captain Jack Bartlett—that helped Razgriz Squadron thwart the Grey Men's attempt to initiate nuclear war between Osea and Yuktobania.[3] On or before December 19, the Andromeda intercepted another Belkan transmission that allowed the Razgriz to halt the Arkbird's attempted nuclear attack on Okchabursk.[4]
On December 22, President Harling used the Andromeda's transmitter to broadcast his voice to the Osean people, in an attempt to expose the truth behind the war. After the Yuktobanian Prime Minister was rescued from captivity on December 23, the Andromeda's intelligence officers set about decrypting and analyzing the data Major Nastasya Vasilievna Obertas had obtained on the Belkans' mass retaliation weapon.[5]
On December 29, the Andromeda survived the heated engagement with Yuktobanian and hostile Osean warships in the Ceres Ocean.[6] The Andromeda then isolated the origin of Schenze's transmissions to the Arkbird, giving the Razgriz an opportunity to finally end the war. When the Kestrel was sunk on December 30, the Andromeda helped rescue the carrier's crewmen; Pops was subsequently brought aboard the Andromeda, from which he relayed tactical data to AWACS Oka Nieba.[7][8]
What became of the vessel after the conclusion of the war remains unknown.
Trivia[]
- The Andromeda shares its name with the Greek mythological figure Andromeda.
- During landing sequences following "Final Option", the Andromeda can be seen stationed at port in Kirwin Island, alongside the Kestrel.
- The Andromeda is based on the USS La Salle, a Raleigh-class amphibious landing ship that was converted into a command ship. The La Salle was decommissioned several months after AC5's release.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cutscene 20, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Briefing, Ancient Walls, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 21, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Briefing, White Bird (Part II), Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 23, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Sea of Chaos, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ ACES, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ The Unsung War, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.