The Attack on Archelon Fortress

The Attack on Archaelon Fortress
- Mission 15B: End of Deception II -

DATE: December 31st, 2020
LOCATION: Danern Straits, Leasath
EVENT: The Fall of Archaelon Fortress and the Destruction of Fenrir.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
-AAF OBJECTIVES
--Destroy All Fenrir Aircraft
--Successfully support a landing force, which will destroy Microwave Facilities on Archelon Fortress, which will disable the Fenrir's Digital Optical Stealth.
-AAF UNITS INVOLVED
--Amphibious Forces
--Gryphus Squadron
--Aquila Squadron

-LAF OBJECTIVES
--Wipe out any Aurelian Forces at all costs, until the Fenrir are complete.
-LAF UNITS INVOLVED
--Remaining Leasath Air Forces
--Alect Squadron
--Archelon Air Defense Forces.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

BEFORE THE BATTLE
Aurelian Forces free their nation and go on the offensive after liberating their Capital City, Griswall. The Last of General Diego Caspar Navarro's Leasath Forces take refuge in the nearby Daren Straits and are pursued by the Aurelian Forces. Their Headquarters is confirmed to be at the Archelon Fortress, located at the end of the Daren Straits.

After Aurelian Forces destroy the High-Powered Microwave Facilities at Cobalt Cave, the final attack was prepared against the remaining Leasath Forces. The Leasath General knew this attack was coming quickly, but wanted to complete his work on the Leasath Super Aircraft, known as Fenrir; before the Aurelians destroyed them. Fortunately for Navarro, the Alect Squadron, a Leasath Ace Squadron, managed to slip past the Aurelian Forces during their attack on Cobalt Cave and join the defenses at Archelon. They would be piloting the completed Fenrir aircraft during the final battle, adding to their degree of lethality.

THE BATTLE
Seven Aurelian heroes (Aquila 1 to 6 in F-22s, as well as Gryphus 1) head to the battle of their lives over Archelon fortress. A few minutes after their approach, they engage in a dogfight with two Su-37s and one F-15S/MTD. Shortly after, four Fenrir aircraft piloted by Leasath's elite squad, the Alect squad, join the fight, while our Aces head to the north of the island to support their allied forces against the defending Leasath fleet.

Aquila 1-6 and Gryphus 1 then continue evading Fenrir's relentless Vulcan and Missile attacks, while being unable to damage these enemy aircraft thanks to Alect's skills and Fenrir's optical camouflage capabilities. A few minutes later, the ground troops enter the fortress and succeed in opening the gate to the transmitter. Gryphus 1 takes a shot at the transmitter while the rest of the squad continue to distract Fenrirs attention. In a very short period of time Gryphus 1 succeeds in destroying the generators and power down the Fenrirs optical camouflage abilities.

The dogfight goes on as more enemy F-15S/MTD reinforcements approach the fortress. After a lengthy and tiring dogfight, all four Fenrir aircraft are shot down into the ocean, however knowledge of whether the Alect squadron has survived or not is still missing.

As the Aurelian squadron are about to cheer and call it a victory, the ground units find one single operational Fenrir has already finished takeoff operations and is on its way to the exit. Gryphus 1 is then commanded to enter the fortress through the runway gates and take down the final Fenrir.

While flying through the tunnels, Gryphus 1 encounters several, parked, incomplete Fenrir aircraft marked as (???), as well as a single U-2 aircraft. After entering a series of gates, Gryphus 1 finally finds the Fenrir as it hovers its way to the runway and destroys it, while escaping from a large ceiling opening as Archelon Fortress gradually collapses over all other incomplete Fenrir planes.

AFTER THE BATTLE
The ground units manage to obtain one of the incomplete Fenrir which is later finished into the only functional Fenrir aircraft, with reduced missile load and missing technologies such as the camouflage and HPM weapon.

General Navarro and the remaining Leasath Forces retreat to Leasath and Aurelia is no longer under the threat of attack.

SOURCES:
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (the game itself)

ACCREDITATION:
thanks to Ribbon-Silver for the 'During the Battle' section and the first portion of the 'After the Battle' section.

*Original Article by Ribbon-Blue*