Cover art
Prelude: Bellum Omnium[]
Prologue: The Eschaton
It is most fortunate for us, a generation of post-Tribulation historians and military experts that we have a lot of resources explaining our coming generations how the Great Tribulation period came about. Most surprising, certainly, considering how much damage was inflicted by all those occult-like displays of power that destroyed the environment several times over, the unprecedented mass-deployment of nuclear and other assorted types of superweaponry, and overall, the death of close to one third of mankind [1] over the entire period, mainly the last three and a half years.
There was a huge upsurge in faith and relief in other beliefs, ironically, throughout this horrific period. The Four Horsemen prophesied in eschatology [2] had virtually come to judge the world, namely through the incineration of one third of worldwide greenery [3] through the orbital bombardments in the Second Circum-Pacific War and the Usean-Anean War, the irradiation and bloodening of the Eusian Ocean, and the spike in global cooling and warming at the same time, numerous times worse than the Seven Pillars of Belka event in 1995 [4].
Obviously, there is nothing in those eschatological texts saying the world would literally explode at the end of that period. In fact, so many countries survived, and yet so many more did not. Yuktobania – at least the old one – was practically annihilated by 2028, followed by half of Anea and southern Verusa not long after. The Kingdom of Nordennavic, though neutral, suffered a refugee crisis and, as expected from such a cold nation with low natural resources [5], was quickly overrun by nuclear winter and refugees fleeing in from its two neighbors. The Osean Federation, although surviving, sustained heavy damage in the fourth and seventh years of the Tribulation, and therefore lost its superpower status. War veterans and survivors from the IUN/NUN and IF contributed much to filling in the blanks of the period of time.
There is much scholarly debate as to whether the entire period should be split into a dispensationalist-like era. The Second Circum-Pacific War and the subsequent chaos in the Verusan continent took away from us approximately two billion lives, while the Usean-Anean War killed 170 million, and with such a terminally high loss of life never before seen since the last century or time immemorial, virtually every conflict in the past pales in contrast. The Osean War [6] allowed man to fight in the heavens but rather unremarkable on the grand scale of things. The legendary prop plane skirmishes of the ’40s [7] ramped it up a bit. But things began to change by the climax of the last century; the Belkan War woke up the world to the horrors of the nuclear weapons it so coveted and developed in the dozens of thousands since the early-mid 20th, and though more disarmaments have been made than you can count on one hand, they were still insufficient until over ten years before today. [8] The Usean coup in 1997 opened up the eyes of the world to the dark side of Osean imperialism, but was rather unremarkable and pretty much forgotten for multiple decades. The Continental War showed just how out-of-control levels of large can conflicts quickly spiral into, hence the consistent omission of the demonym “Usean” from the war’s name. The Circum-Pacific War was basically conspiracy theorists’ wet dreams come to life in the worst way imaginable, and the amount of desire for revenge must’ve been splendid big for those occul- I mean, Gray Men folks to stir up only for their last gasp over a decade later. The E.E. War of the mid-tens showed what would happen if we helped people the wrong way and refused to own up to our own failings while pointing out and worsening the other one’s own. And at last, the Lighthouse and Aurelian Wars – both of which began before the Tribulation – were, respectively, a combination of legitimate fears and jadedness from forgotten past lessons and an intimacy with uncontrolled technology (nowadays much more accepted), and…well, simple greed.
Whether or not the corporate world we’re in now would’ve never manifested if it were not for the Great Tribulation happening is up to people, especially since the volatile geopolitics made it look like things were on a crash course to this much death and destruction that borders as we know it aren’t as borderly as back in the ‘90s. Maybe there could have been another way, maybe this had to happen as part of “teen maturity pains” for us humans to (kinda) get together at last, but that’s besides the point.
Meanwhile, at the center of it all is one most ambitious, charming woman. Coming up next is…
-Excerpt from a lecture by Kvasir [9], teacher PIG [10], 2045, Data Swallow 4.0.5/Sphere Broadcast Network: “The Seven Years: A Chronicle of the Old World’s Strange, Real Final Days”)
Author’s Notes, Citations, & Religious/Mythological References[]
[1] Revelation 9:18
[2] First referenced in GAZE’s Last Christmas: Refugees Scattered Across the World issue [https://www.acecombat.jp/ace6 >> Story >> World News: GAZE January 1, 1999]
[3] Revelation 8:7
[4] Named in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. Constantly shown in other installments.
[5] [http://www.acecombat.jp/ace6 >> Story >> Glossary: Kingdom of Nordennavic]
[6] [Aces at War: A History 2019 Section #01 “The Belkan War”, p. 12] [http://acecombat.jp/ace-zero/ >> World >> World News #22]
[7] Alluded to in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Assault Records: No. 028
[8] [Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere Search >> The war]. The “Search” feature is essentially a lore tab for the game. Key excerpt: “As a result of the General Resource Group surpassing the framework of the state and expanding its influence on a global scale, conflicts between states became virtually impossible, although small-scale wars such as terrorism and regional conflicts still broke out repeatedly.
Consequently, the military industry, which had been forced to downsize, became a monopoly market for General Resource, but there was little development of new weapons, especially in terms of recognizable costs, and only improvements to existing models, and no innovative research and development has been carried out.” [I propose that there was a lot of upset, to put it mildly, in the 2020s that General Resource was able to take power and enforce a form of corporate peace.]
[9] Ace Combat Infinity Canon Immigrant
[10] Acronym from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere: “programmed intelligence”.
[Extra] Will be busy in a week or two finishing up on Ace Combat 6 and 7 and their timelines, very likely, so in the meantime, enjoy this tease.
Two Pairs on the Horizon of Assault[]
Marriage Certificate, Osean Federation
District/Prefecture of Gurnard, City of Apito
An invitation to relatives, friends, and family
Henceforth, you are invited cordially to attend and celebrate the sanctified, holy unification of flesh into one:
Kei Nagase Jr. [1], age 24, and Kazuya Akagi [2], age 27
In accordance to the will of the Heavenly Father and the Constitution of the Osean Federation. This, hereby, shall be Your Legal Earthly License for so doing. Under special circumstances given, you are hereby also required to keep this License unto you for the rest of your lives until such time conditions free the publicity. [X]
Signed by hand of self and seal as of the fourth of January, two thousand and eleven.
(Marriage Licensor, Gurnard District)
CERTIFICATE
That Kei Nagase Jr. and Kazuya Akagi were joined in Matrimony in accordance with above exactions.
Recorded January 7, 2011
In the presence of witnesses:
Reiko Nagase [3]
Ai Fukami [4]
Kei Nagase Sr.
Hans Grimm
Marcus Snow
Alvin H. Davenport [5]
Certificate of Inseminated Birth
Osean Federation Department of Health
Certificate No: 777
Name of Newborn: Kye Akagi
Date of Birth: November 15, 2011 Hour of Birth 0330
Sex: Female
Place of Birth: Kono Hospital
County of Birth: Alba
Name of Parents: Mrs. Kei Nagase Jr. & Mrs. Kazuya Akagi
Date Filed by Registrar: November 17, 2011
This copy serves as evidence of birth in any and all legal proceedings. Note that ANY AND ALL ALTERATIONS INVALIDATE THIS CERTIFICATE.
Marriage Certificate, Union of Yuktobanian Republics
Glubina Region
An invitation to relatives, friends, and family
Henceforth, you are invited cordially to attend and celebrate the sanctified, holy unification of flesh into one:
Andrei Markov, age 21, and Krista Yoslav, age 19 [6]
In accordance to the will of the Heavenly Father and the Constitution of the Yuktobanian Union. This, hereby, shall be Your Legal Earthly License for so doing. Under special circumstances given, you are hereby also required to keep this License unto you for the rest of your lives until such time conditions free the publicity.
Signed by hand of self and seal as of the fifteenth of September, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five.
(Marriage Licensor, Glubina Region)
CERTIFICATE
That Andrei Markov. and Krista Yoslav were joined in Matrimony in accordance with above exactions.
Recorded September 17, 1995
In the presence of witnesses:
Ivan Stagleishov [6]
Yakov Saifullin [7]
Ruslan Tolstoy [7]
Yuri Dashkov [7]
Viktor Metlev [7]
Sergei Enoch Illich [6]
Medals
Bureau of Soldier Affairs
For certification that the Bureau Commissar has awarded
THE HERO OF THE YUKTOBANIAN UNION MEDAL
TO: CAPTAIN ANDREI DRAGOVICH MARKOV
YUKTOBANIAN AIR FORCE 91ST SQUADRON “WISNA” [8]
FOR
CONDUCT OF MERIT IN BELKAN WAR DURING OPERATIONS ADSKIY, DINAMO-THETA, BOYEVOY TOPOR, SOBACHIY UKUS, FAKEL, AND TYUKOGNYA.
ON
24 IYUNYA 1995 G.
PERPETUAL ORDER R101
LIEUTENANT COLONEL IVAN STAGLEISHOV
CO
Obituaries
PROTEY FUNERAL HOME
OBITUARY FOR IVAN MARKOV
Ivan Markov was born to Mr. Andrei Markov and Mrs. Krista Yoslav-Markov on September 22, 1996. He was among the casualties of the November 2, 2010 attack on the Dresdene Engineering College.
He attended Igla River Elementary School at age 6. He was the brother of sister Annabet Markov, born November 11, 1997. On November 2, 2010, he and his classmates were on a field trip to Dresdene Engineering College when suspected Osean fighters attacked the institution, and he was among the thirty-two casualties of the barbaric attack. The school he was in were reassured that Harling-era Osean military policy meant that no civilian infrastructure is to be attacked indiscriminately.
He is survived by parents and sister.
PROTEY FUNERAL HOME
OBITUARY FOR MRS. KRISTA YOSLAV-MARKOV
Krista Yoslav-Markov was born March 15, 1986 in a homestead in Virjunui, southeastern Yuktobania. On November 29, 2010 [9], almost four weeks after the death of her only son, she was killed in an Osean bombing raid that went off-course from the intended target of Okchabursk. The raid in question was diverted by Yuktobanian fighters.
Her education consisted of elementary at Raduga at age 8 and mining college at Svetlyak at age 17.
She married Andrei Markov in 1995 following the end of the Belkan War. They both spent their time together raising two children; as her home was in the eastern parts of Yuktobania, she often spent long days to weeks mining ore at the Poyavleniye Ravine [10].
She is survived by daughter Annabet and widowed husband Andrei.
Author’s Notes, Citations, & References[]
[1] There are two Kei Nagases in-universe; the Usean one appears in Ace Combat 2-4 (as well as Assault Horizon Legacy) while the Osean one is in 5 and 7. I propose that she is the niece of the family.
[2] Female version of Blaze, the main silent player character of Ace Combat 5.
[3] Established to be the Usean Nagase’s sister in the magazine Computer and Video Games #189 p. 93
[4] Ridge Racer race queen as of Ridge Racer V.
[5] Survived November City; his canonical death is derided as “spectacularly dumb” by a vocal portion of the fanbase, so I proposed that he is spared for the time being.
[6] Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Canon Immigrants
[7] Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Assault Records
[8] Appeared in Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War; Aces at War: A History Section #04 “Man of War”, p. 9 reveals their full designation.
[9] The day Chopper should’ve died. You can consider she died in his stead, paving the way for SR-Markov’s descent into villainy in this fic.
[10] From Above, Summer 2009. http://www.acecombat.jp/ace5/top.htm >> WORLD >> World News: From Above Summer, 2009
[X] Considering Wardog/Razgriz faked their deaths and that they’ve retired, this reception/ceremony must be a secret.
P. S. Try to translate all that Russ-I mean, Yuktobanian.
Come and Behold[]
To trace the main cause of the Great Tribulation period, better known as the Seven Years of Hell, one has to trace things all the way back to the Lighthouse War. Although, one can argue that it goes all the way back to the 1950s, when the Osean Federation started making deals with Usean countries such as the United Regions of Acteum with the land sale of Zapland. [1] Concurrently, over the decades of the middle of the coming of the new millennium, the Kingdom of Erusea was like a horse bearing a white rose, using its given crown to go forth overcoming and conquering all opposition [2] that stood in its way, most notably Shilage and Voslage.
Of course, it did not last long, however, as they white horse was overthrown in a revolution and by sheer pressure. The King of Erusea abdicated, and his offspring lived and died in a nation [3] where no single person – or man, as the oppressive patriarchy (before the benevolent one) decided - could rule over the earth. [4]
Therefore, the main object of blame is Osea itself. No, definitely not Belka this time. I mean, look at history. The Belkan Knights have, according to tradition, upheld an important code of knighthood, protection, and a strong sense of justice and honor. Compared to the warlords of Emmeria that laid waste to cities like its precious Gracemeria in the 15th century, the knights exercised much responsibility with their strength and influence over politics and economics. Although they used to begin caring nothing about militarism by the 20th, [5] by the time of the Tribulation in the ‘20s, they were mobilized back up and unified under the House of Heinick [6] to stave off the evil one (at least, that’s how we’ll refer to her now).
This is not to say that they were merciful or generous in their battles, [7] for it was the Osean Federation itself that took away peace from the earth and made the people take to the sky and slay one another through its great sword [8] of expansion for the sake of expansion. We historians do not call it “the Osean War” for the hell of anti-Oseanism, but because it is completely justified. [9]
Dwelling on the 2010s, those who are alive can see that the whole Earth was bitterly and undeniably divided over whether the International Space Elevator’s existence was valid and justified in the name of Osean altruism or if it was more muscle flexing in the name of Pax Osea, and sadly stayed that way even after the Lighthouse War ended and even after our dearly departed, God rest her soul (or is she? Been reading those conspiracy sites), Queen Cossette (then Princess at the time) pronounced that the world shall be cooperating together in the name of peace. [10] But there’s one thing I can say for certain: Our Kingdom of Erusea, influenced by a certain group of young Erusean officers, decided that war had to be waged against the Osean Federation.
Some may ask, “Isn’t war precisely what the NUN (or should we say the IUN, or even back further, the AN [11]) stands against? Why attack all of them and not just Osea instead” Well, we have to understand that back before the Tribulation or the Lighthouse War, the IUN was basically Osea wearing a globalist mask and pretending that it was truly working with other nations when in reality, it was going along all on its own. You see, at the end of the Continental War, it was not ISAF, but the IUN, that brokered the peace treaty to end the thing. The IUN, again, was half comprised of Osean forces before the end of the Lighthouse War, and even during the Harling administration, it was particularly hawkish in trying to maintain peace in the world, sending troops after troops even with its reduced arms all across the world. The hatred for their excessive presence is justified; in fact, by 2019, they practically occupied the south half of Usea, not that Erusea’s temper tantrum through starting a machine war was any better. [12]
It was Osea that got a majority of the technology Erusea once had. It was they who reformed the South Belka Munitions Factory into Gründer Industries, which in turn fueled the proverbial fire to the drone development that almost killed us all. It was they who chose to keep the company going for ten more years before realizing the error of its ways and shut it down with extreme prejudice. Although, one has to point out the credit goes not to Osea, but the Usean-populated IUN itself, and that the shutdown order was with great and remorseful reluctance [13] under the POTOF at the time, the mildly militarist David Hamilton. [14] But most of all, it was they who indirectly caused Belka’s economic crisis through its petty Cold War with Yuktobania and exploited the financial suffering of its already troubled little neighbor and encouraged separatism over nationalism. [15] Come the Belkan War and it has been recorded that although casualties from the Seven Pillars event were rather low (a dozen thousand), the overall death toll, combined with the casualties from all the past border skirmishes, were one fourth of the pre-1987 Belkan population in the 1980s, in part due to the many war crimes committed against civilians and subsequent tribunals following the war. [16] Indeed, A World With No Boundaries, frustrated and disillusioned with the state of affairs and saddened by the loss of so many souls who were slain giving their testimony for goodness in a war-torn world, cried out with terror and death, impatient awaiting a judgement of all the Earth through trying to take vengeance upon those who dwelled on it. They and their ambitions and ideals would be put to rest for a long while. [17]
Not long after, Ulysses happened and, like a sackcloth of hair, caused asteroid winters in many places despite Stonehenge’s best efforts. Great earthquakes happened, whole mountains and islands were reduced to rubble (Fort Grays, Newfield Island, Mount Shezna, etc.), and the peoples of the world were forced to hide underneath shelters, as if they were being judged by the heavens and begging to the mountains to hide from the Creator’s wrath. At least, that’s what the testimony of an Estovakian refugee on Emmeria News 24 is saying in a melodramatic fashion, dated January 21, 2000. [18] Of course, Osea along with many others fled this seal of judgement relatively unscathed.
-The Blue Dragon, 2043, Lucille Couffaine [19]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lucille Couffaine
Lucille Couffaine is an acclaimed Erusean political writer both famous and infamous for her pro-Erusean and anti-Osean slant in her writings. She was born on February 11th, 2014. Her father, Marino Couffaine, was a former actor who became a florist after an ISAF bombing during the Continental War claimed the life of Lucille’s eldest brother Alix, while her mother, Catherine Césaire, was a fellow actor who was hideously burned in the same air raid and was claimed by death on May 15, 2019 during the Osean Federation’s initial attack on Farbanti. [20] Her father followed his wife’s fate during the Usean-Anean War in 2029 when Farbanti was destroyed in a parasite bombing raid.
She currently lives in the Usean Federated Zone of San Salvacion, near San Profetta Airport, with wife Mathilde Lahiffe. [22] The two are currently participating in the War Orphans Fund [23], whose operations have greatly expanded during the Great Tribulation period.
Lucille earned her diploma from Francois Dupain High School in Farbanti, the Erusean capital, and then went to and graduated Chopinburg University cum laude. [24]
You can find her upcoming works on the Data Swallow Electrosphere system, and this book is entirely in electronic form as sponsored by Global Way.
Author’s Notes, Citations, & Religious/Mythological References[]
[1] Aces at War: A History 2019 Section #05 “Lighthouse War”, p. 98
[2] Revelation 6:1-2.
[3] Aces at War: A History 2019 Short Story: “Rose”, p. 128
[4] Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Cutscene 16
[5] [10] http://acecombat.jp/ace-zero/ >> World >> World News #12
[6] The surname Heinick frequently occurs in the UGSF installments, starting with Star Luster and then Star Ixiom and New Space Order. An official developer tweet complied here togetter . com / li / 910769 even establishes that a Heinick became President of the United Galaxy, and a short story established that the UG capital is named Capital Heinick. Therefore, they must be a bloodline of extremely high influence.
[7] Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Cutscene 12K
[8] Revelation 6:3-4.
[9] Aces at War: A History 2019 Section #01 “The Belkan War”, p. 12
[11] Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Campaign Mission 10
[12] Aces at War: A History 2019 Section #05: “Lighthouse War”, p. 76
[13] http://ace7.acecombat.jp >> Column >> #6 “GAZE” Topic
[14] POTUS from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Another canon immigrant. This Hamilton is the uncle that Allen C. mentioned in Ace Combat 5, who was a soldier.
[15] Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War – Perfect Guide Chapter 5: Secret p. 248; http://www.acecombat.jp/ace5/top.htm >> WORLD >> World News: New Submarine September, 1991; Revelation 6:5-6.
[16] Revelation 6:7-8. (some literal translations like Young’s also translate “earth (no capitals)” into “land”
[17] Revelation 6:9-11.
[18] Revelation 6:12-17. The date is the same date as a real-life total lunar eclipse (blood moon).
[19] [22] Aces at War: A History 2019 p. 1; Short Story: “Rose”
[20] Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Cutscene 1
[23] Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Assault Records: No. 097
[24] Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere Search >> Cynthia Fitzgerald
[EX] Guess how many Miraculous Ladybug references I put here.