Gracemeria

Gracemeria
Gracemeria's central district, Novusmeria
Type	Capital city
Location	Southeastern Emmeria, Anea
Coordinates	48°18'35" N, 95°53'43" E
Events	Ulysses Impact Event Invasion of Gracemeria King & Balloon Operations Operation Free Gracemeria Gracemeria cruise missile attack Second cruise missile attack
Appearances
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Ace Combat: Northern Wings

Gracemeria is the capital city of the Republic of Emmeria, located on the southern coast of the Anean continent. It became the nation's capital following its transition from a monarchy to a republic.

Gracemeria is one of the most highly developed metropolises within Emmeria and on the entire Anean continent. The citizens living in the city enjoy prosperity and follow peaceful everyday lives.

Gracemeria was a key component in the Emmeria-Estovakia War. It was the first city Estovakia's military invaded, and the last-known city Emmerian forces liberated prior to the war's conclusion.

Description

Gracemeria sunrise

Gracemeria is a port city with a large bay known as King's Bay connected to the Fuscum Sea to the south. King's Bay is divided from the sea by the King's Bridge, which connects the two major districts of the city: Chester City to the west, and Novusmeria to the east.

Chester City, also known as Old Town, is home to Gracemeria Castle and believed to be hundreds of years old. The castle is surrounded by medieval streets and sits on top of ancient underground catacombs. Gracemeria Air Force Base was constructed in the vicinity of Chester City.

Novusmeria, also known as New Town or New Gracemeria, was developed in modern times. Novusmeria features modern residential zones, skyscrapers, Emmeria's Capitol building, and the radio station Zed Waters works at.

Gracemeria Police Department provides police services within the city. Gracemeria PD police officers are well-coordinated and equipped to deal with crises.

History

Medieval period

During medieval times, the Gracemeria region was a key transport hub and featured very fertile soil. Due to this, the region saw fighting amongst Emmerian lords and vassals vying for control of the city. The conflicts often saw the city devolve into lawlessness, allowing for foreign invasions of Emmeria and sowing chaos throughout the entire country.

In the 15th century, King Aurelius II rose to power amidst the turmoil and vowed to stop to the continuous conflicts and invasions. He successfully unified the Emmerian lords and vassals and brought an end to foreign invasions. Historians cite this as the moment the Emmerian realm reformed into a republic, with Aurelius II at the helm. The capital of the republic was then moved to Gracemeria. Following the conflicts, Emmeria began to prosper, and structures such as Gracemeria Castle were constructed.

Ulysses Impact Event

The Ulysses meteor shower as seen from Gracemeria

Following the news of the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid's increased impact radius, the Emmerian government–under the suggestion of Alberto Lawrence–constructed a network of underground shelters in and around Gracemeria in preparation for the Ulysses Impact Event. A total of 16 underground shelters were constructed across the city, capable of collectively shielding 200,000 refugees.

By January 1999, Gracemeria had received the second largest amount of Anean and Usean refugees, second only to Oured, the capital of the Osean Federation.

Reconstruction summit

In late 2013, Estovakian Foreign Minister Isaac Arensky appealed to foreign governments to help Estovakia recover from Ulysess and the recently concluded Estovakian Civil War. In response, Emmeria invited Arensky for a summit in Gracemeria to discuss a potential aid program. However, he was attacked by an unknown group while traveling to Zaurek International Airport and later died in December. The summit was later held on February 4, 2014, after an attack in the Estovakian city of Vistoc claimed Emmerian lives.

Emmeria-Estovakia War

Emmerian F-2As witness Nimbus missile impacts above Gracemeria

"Air defense command has ordered an evacuation. You've been ordered to give up Gracemeria."

― AWACS Ghost Eye to all Emmerian pilots

On August 30, 2015, Estovakia launched a surprise attack on Gracemeria as the country simultaneously declared war on Emmeria, destroying the King's Bridge and the runway at Gracemeria Air Force Base. Initially, the Emmerian military was almost successful in pushing back the invaders. However, Nimbus missiles soon after destroyed a substantial amount of Emmerian air squadrons. With the subsequent arrival of the Strigon Team, the Emmerian military abandoned the city.

Following the loss of Gracemeria, the Emmerian military launched multiple King & Balloon Operations in an effort to recapture the city. A total of four strikes were carried out, each attack was repelled by an umbrella defensive network comprised of the P-1112 Aigaion, Strigon Team, and South Sea Fleet. Following the fourth battle, the Emmerian military retreated west. After the Aerial Fleet was shot down in February 2016, Strigon Team was reassigned to Gracemeria Air Force Base.

The fortified Gracemeria

In the following months, the Estovakian military fortified the city in preparation for a possible Emmerian counterattack. On March 31, the Emmerian military launched Operation Free Gracemeria to liberate the city. After the battle, the city was once again under Emmerian control. Shortly afterward, Ilya Pasternak, alongside numerous UAV-45s, entered the airspace and engaged Emmerian forces. Following an extended dogfight, Talisman shot down Pasternak, killing him and ending the battle. With the war essentially won, the Emmerian government made arrangements with the Estovakian leaders to sign a ceasefire agreement.

The following night, Estovakian rebel forces opposing the treaty with Emmeria utilized the Chandelier to launch a retaliatory strike against Gracemeria. Multiple waves of cruise missiles converged on the city. Emmerian squadrons would intercept both the missiles and their escort fighters. The next day, Emmerian squadrons were deployed to the Razgriz Straits to locate and destroy the weapon.

A building under reconstruction

Postwar

Following the Emmeria-Estovakia War, Gracemeria had undergone considerable reconstruction. Areas including Gracemeria Plaza were still undergoing repairs, while the more famous landmarks such as the King's Bridge had been fully restored by May 2016.

Gallery

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Trivia

• Gracemeria features a number of buildings and landmarks from the real world. These include...
  • ... the old Bandai Namco headquarters building;
  • ... the Big Ben clock tower from London;
  • ... the Brooklyn Bridge from New York City;
  • ... an extended Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
• Canonically, Gracemeria was involved in a total of eight battles during the Emmeria-Estovakia War. These were...
  • ... the Invasion of Gracemeria;
  • ... the four King & Balloon Operations;
  • ... Operation Free Gracemeria;
  • ... the Gracemeria cruise missile attack;
  • ... and the assault on the Chandelier (cruise missiles are fired at Gracemeria).
• The Gracemeria region is depicted and described as green and fertile in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and Aces At War: A History 2019, but the briefing map in the mission "Demons of Razgriz" from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War depicts the region as a desert.