General Resource Limited

"General Group, here for your life. General Group, together with the times. General Group, imagining and realizing with you the future. Joined today...with you certain tomorrow."

― General Resource promo reel^[2]

General Resource Limited,^[a] also known as simply General Resource, General Group, or GR Group,^[1] is a multinational corporation based in Usea with enormous financial capital. The company has leading developments in many industries, particularly military technology. The company's headquarters on Earth is located in Port Edwards.^[3] It also owns multiple subsidiaries, including GR Trading, GR Phonetech, GR Guardian Mercenaries, and GR Marine & Ships.^[1]

General Resource, along with its rival competitor Neucom Incorporated, functions outside of the framework of nations. The company has territorial holdings across the Usean continent and has sold many aircraft designs to the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization's Special Armed Response Force.^[4]

General Resource was one of the four factions the player could join in Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere. The company also appeared in Ace Combat Advance, made a cameo appearance in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, and most recently appeared in the DLC missions for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

History

Early history

During a period of reconstruction following the Continental War, General Resource vessels carrying supplies were attacked by pirates. This led to the company creating GR Guardian Mercenaries in the 2010s, with the purpose of escorting the conglomerate's vessels.^[1]

In April 2012, GR Phonetech launched a new state-of-the-art smartphone.^[1]

On December 20, GAZE reported that the Kingdom of Erusea purchased the Alicorn as scrap metal from Yuktobania via GR Trading,^[5] a trading company owned by General Resource Limited.^[1] GAZE also reported on the submarine being escorted by General Resource vessels during its delivery to Erusea.^[6] By this time, all major ports in Usea were at least somewhat influenced by the company.^[1]

General Resource containers being delivered to Estovakian forces at Gracemeria

By the 2010s, General Resource Limited began selling weapons to Estovakia. During the Emmeria-Estovakia War, General Group continued supplying the Estovakian military while they were occupying Emmerian territory.^[7] In March 2016, numerous General Resource Limited containers, alongside those from North Osea Gründer Industries, were being delivered to Estovakian forces at Ragno Fortress and Gracemeria.^[8]^[9]

In 2019, the Mimic Squadron mercenary unit belonging to GR Guardian Mercenaries, the PMC company owned by General Resource Limited,^[1] was hired by Osean Brigadier General Howard Clemens.^[10] The squadron was tasked with assassinating Trigger and attempted to complete their contract during both Operation Sighthound^[5] and Operation Domino. During the latter deployment, both members of Mimic were killed by Trigger.^[10]

Growth

In the early 21st century, the global financial market continued developing capitalist principles, resulting in large corporate mergers and takeovers. In the process, prominent assets in many countries were consolidated into a single company, which became General Resource.^[11] One example was the In-sa-net Telegraph and Telephone Communication, which General Resource bought out in 2024.^[12]

Within years of its formation, General Resource would grow to become one of the largest conglomerate companies on the planet,^[13] nearly monopolizing various industries including broadcasting, publication, food, medical care, construction,^[14] heavy industry, military technology, and urban development.^[15] It was said that since General Resource owned everything necessary to live, it was necessary to live by following General Resource.^[14]

Due to its massive influence, General Resource transcended the borders of nations. Laws became meaningless, since governments lacked the capability to regulate a company as large as General Resource, and lawmakers themselves supported General Resource and would not want to cross the company.^[14]

Early armed conflicts

General Resource created two private military forces: the General Resource Defense Force (GRDF) and the Air Strike Force (ASF), to take out perceived threats against General Resource.^[16] The GRDF, in particular, acquired Abyssal Dision as one of their pilots.^[4]

In 2026, a terrorist organization was discovered operating on the Usean continent. Due to Usea's governments losing their individual power, they called on General Resource for help. The GRDF successfully destroyed the terrorist forces.^[17]

However, by the 2030s, General Resource's influence on Usea grew to the point where some countries saw the company as a threat. General Resource continued using the ASF to enforce its massive power. In 2032, an alliance of countries created the United Air Defense, an international squadron whose aim was to weaken General Resource and destroy the ASF. After fierce fighting, the ASF was destroyed and General Resource's hold on Usea considerably weakened.^[17]

Darkness of Enigma

In 2028, General Resource started Darkness of Enigma, a project to create a fighter plane well beyond the capabilities of even the latest aircraft, the X-49 Night Raven. In 2030, after the prodiguous child pilot Rena Hirose had joined the GRDF, she was subjected to opto-neural experimentation in order to allow her to interface with the X-49 to fly it. While the experiment was successful and Rena flew the X-49 for the first time on July 21, 2032,^[18] General Resource's upper management disapproved of both the X-49 itself and using Rena as its pilot, and ended Darkness of Enigma in 2033.^[19] All the scientists and engineers from DOE defected to Neucom Incorporated, leaving General Resource with only its conservative faction. DOE, the X-49 and Rena's opto-neural surgery all remained top secret even after the end of the program.

Escalations prior to the Nemo simulation

Apprehensive of Neucom's sudden, rapid rise to a level of power that was already rivaling them, General Resource began sanctioning Neucom in earnest starting from 2036. Using their own and UPEO-affiliated mass media, they impressed upon the public the notion that Neucom was evil, which fell upon the people easily due to the already prevailing opinion that Neucom was a group of inhumane mad scientists. Neucom paid no heed to General Resource's sanctions, continuing to develop uninhibited and eventually growing into a true rival of General.^[20]

Dision took advantage of the prevailing unease to trigger the Payton Dispute, wherein an ICBM, supposedly General Resource's, nearly struck Neucom's Space Development Base in the Comona Islands, leading to Neucom retaliating against General in the Payton region where General held influence. General Resource denied ever having launched the ICBM, and Dision was never caught.^[21]

Nemo simulation

In 2040, the Faith Park Dispute occurred, wherein Neucom threatened violent retaliation against General Resource in response to the latter group placing even more oppressive sanctions upon the former.^[22] The Neo-United Nations stepped in and talks were held. The conflict was settled immediately after this, with each group being assigned areas in which they would be allowed to operate in on the Usean continent.

Weeks later, Neucom began to expand its business into General Resource territory despite their agreements. General Resource proceeded to ask the Neo-United Nations (NUN) to step in. As the NUN talked to Neucom officials, General Resource dispatched the GRDF to patrol the new Neucom facilities at all times. Tension was building and Neucom soon began to plan to form its own 'Response Team' to match the GRDF.

The NUN called in the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization (UPEO) to reinforce all Neo-United Nations sanctions on the continent. However, as UPEO arrived, Neucom deliberately began dispatching transport flights escorted by their own fighter planes over major General-controlled cities. This led to a large aerial battle over Expo City in the first combat deployement of Nemo, wherein Nemo and its squadron quickly destroyed a Neucom transport detail on General Resource's demands.^[23]

Neucom continued undeterred. In the midst of a joint air combat training session between Dision, Keith Bryan and Nemo, Neucom sent another transport detail to dispatch containers over General-held land. While the three destroyed all the Neucom assets present,^[24] General Resource was not satisfied and ordered a direct attack upon Megafloat, Neucom's floating city. Nemo and UPEO assisted Dision and GRDF in the assault on Megafloat, after which Dision offered Nemo the chance to work for him.^[25]