Transcript:Dark Blue

Dark Blue
Game Order
Previous	Admiral Andersen
Next	The New System
Historical Info
Date	November 1, 2019
Time	0700
Location	Gunther Bay

This page includes a transcript of "Dark Blue", the twentieth and final campaign mission of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

Briefing

Jaeger: Trigger, everyone, listen up. The operation was a success. Erusean defense forces have been neutralized and all Arsenal Birds are down. However, those two new drones buzzing around have royally screwed up our plans. The Osean and Erusean coalition's air forces are in a sorry state thanks to them. We might not even have any viable aircraft left. According to the Scrap Queen, the drones are trying to use the space elevator's transmission capabilities... ...to send their data to drone manufacturing plants across the continent. They're trying to strengthen their numbers. What's worse, their data contains a depth of war experience. Newer aircraft will be more tactically advanced. If that's the case, this war will never end. We need to take both drones down no matter what it takes. We'll do it so we have homes to go back to. Well, the Scrap Queen's on our side. She says she can make any aircraft fly. This is our final mission. Trigger, let's go! We've got a goddamn war to end!

Mission Script

Opening Cutscene

• Scrap Queen: Can I use this? Hey, can you hear me? That craft is in peak condition.
• Scrap Queen: I even buffed up the canopy for a nice shine, so you can really see the sky.
• Scrap Queen: Take care, Trigger. When you get back, let me know what you saw.

Takeoff

• Lanza: Lemme see that. Trigger, wish I could've flown with you.
• Fencer: A dinged up plane and an injured pilot would only slow you down. I feel for him though.

After takeoff

• Aircraft Carrier Crew: Take care!
• Aircraft Carrier Crew: Whatever happens, it ends here. The outcome's mostly up to him.

After climbout

• Aircraft Carrier Crew: So, this is the guy?
• Aircraft Carrier Crew: Oh yeah. He's the one who took off just now.

Mission Start

• Strider 2 Count: We've got quite a few Eruseans with us.
• Sol 3: Oseans are sticking around too.
• Erusean Fighter: I don't care what country anyone's from. What counts is knowing who the real enemy is. Right guys?
• AWACS Long Caster: Affirmative. And I think everybody knows the score. We all know who to follow.
• AWACS Long Caster: Commence mission. All aircraft, follow Trigger!
• Strider 2 Count: Roger that.
• Strider 3 Jaeger: Understood.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Alright.
• Sol 2: Understood.
• Copy that.
• Sol 3: Wilco.
• Roger.
• AWACS Long Caster: The space elevator is able to broadcast and communicate. With the information infrastructure down, it's the only place capable of wide-area data transmission. The drones are waiting for it to power up again.
• Strider 2 Count: Clever little bastards.

When the player approaches the ADF-11Fs

• Erusean Fighter: Skoll leader to Long Caster. UAVs confirmed in direction of travel.
• Erusean Fighter: Engaging two bandits.
• AWACS Long Caster: All aircraft, converge on Skoll Squadron. Surround and shoot 'em down!
• Strider 3 Jaeger: Strider 3, copy. Let's do it, Húxiān!
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Wilco.
• AWACS Long Caster: UAV reacting. Damn they're fast. All aircraft, stay sharp! Intercept now!

• AWACS Long Caster: The UAVs are equipped with laser weaponry! Watch where their nose is pointing!

• Osean Fighter: No! I've lost control! Ejec-- [static]
• Erusean Fighter: Skoll 2, get out of there!
• Erusean Fighter: This is Skoll 2. I'm hit! I'm hit! My engine... [static]
• AWACS Long Caster: Salamander 3, Skoll 2 lost! Damn it, that was quick!
• Osean Fighter: I've never seen anyone fly this fast. Provide support! [static]
• AWACS Long Caster: Friendly lost! Another confirmed down.
• Strider 2 Count: Damn it!

• AWACS Long Caster: Friendly lost! A Salamander?

• AWACS Long Caster: Rigel 3 has been shot down! We lost another one!
• Osean Fighter: Get distance from bandit!

If the engagement is moved to the north of the space elevator

• AWACS Long Caster: The combat zone is moving over to Selatapura, but the mission is still a go.

When Hugin takes one missile worth of damage

• Strider 2 Count: Trigger scored a hit! We can do it. Aim well and shoot 'em down!
• AWACS Long Caster: Good! The enemy is still flying normally though. Keep pushing. The damage has to be adding up.

When Munin takes one missile worth of damage

• Strider 4 Húxiān: Missile hit on UAV! Outstanding work, Trigger!
• AWACS Long Caster: You've bruised it! Don't stop now!

When a TGT is hit

• Sol 3: Hugin and Munin move just like Mihaly!
• Sol 2: They're like complete copies of Mihaly or have received some serious upgrades.
• Sol 2: Seymour, we'll separate Hugin and Munin.

When Hugin takes two missiles worth of damage

• Sol 3: Another hit! He's the only one getting anywhere out here!

When Munin takes two missiles worth of damage

• Erusean Fighter: Enemy hit! Strider 1 got him!

When a TGT takes two missiles worth of damage

• AWACS Long Caster: Attention, all aircraft. Launch detected from UAV! They're small drones!
• Strider 4 Húxiān: These guys have quite the bag of tricks.

If the player's missiles are shot down by lasers

• Osean Fighter: You're kidding me! They're shooting down missiles with their lasers!
• Osean Fighter: Just how are we supposed to bring it down?!

• Osean Fighter: My missiles aren't hitting. The UAVs are shooting them down!

If a Weapon UAV is shot down

• AWACS Long Caster: One small drone is down! Strider 1 got it.

If all Weapon UAVs are shot down

• AWACS Long Caster: All small drones are down. Well done. Time to focus on the prize.

When Hugin takes three missiles worth of damage

• AWACS Long Caster: Target hit! Target hit! Damage confirmed, but those suckers are tough!

When Munin takes three missiles worth of damage

• AWACS Long Caster: Strider 1, you scored a hit!
• Erusean Fighter: It's gotta be damaged! Don't let up now!

When one ADF-11F is shot down

• AWACS Long Caster: There we go! One down! One down! Target is losing altitude rapidly!
• Erusean Fighter: The downed enemy has black smoke billowing from it. I saw it myself.
• Osean Fighter: Three Strikes is the real deal! One plane left!

If the second ADF-11F has not been shot down by this point

• Strider 4 Huxian: Sol 2! Evade, evade!
• Sol 2: Perfect movement. Just like Mihaly's. [static] [OFFLINE]
• AWACS Long Caster: Sol 2 lost! He was a good one, too!
• Sol 3: Wit! Damn it!
• Strider 2 Count: Damn it!

When both ADF-11Fs are shot down

• Strider 3 Jaeger: Trigger's missile hit! That one looks like it hurt!
• Strider 2 Count: Trigger has scored a kill! Hell yeah! You finally did it!
• Strider 3 Jaeger: Way to shoot, ace!

Random

• Osean Fighter: Salamander 4, above you! Two hostiles.

• Osean Fighter: Watch your tails. It can get behind you in no time.

• Osean Fighter: How did he get back there?!

• Osean Fighter: A hell of a formation for a bunch of machines.
• Erusean Fighter: Our only hope is for all of us to surround it!

• Osean Fighter: UAVs are always so damn fast. We'll both move in to attack.

• Erusean Fighter: Ignore the IFF. There are only two enemy aircraft.

• Erusean Fighter: This is bad! I'm gonna be an easy target. [grunt]
• Strider 3 Jaeger: All right, everyone. Regroup quickly while Trigger draws the drones away.

• Erusean Fighter: Strider 1, you have a UAV on your ass!

• Erusean Fighter: Rigel 2, do not try to follow the drone. Stick with Strider's lead plane.

• Erusean Fighter: Where are Erusea's aces? Is all this crap thanks to drone development?
• Erusean Fighter: God damn it!

• AWACS Long Caster: Both drones are in attack position. Break! Break, now!
• Erusean Fighter: Damn it!

• AWACS Long Caster: It's a furball. All aircraft, watch for escape lanes!

• AWACS Long Caster: We're going to need some teamwork. Eruseans, take point. Oseans, provide cover. Break those UAVs up!
• Erusean Fighter: Roger.

• AWACS Long Caster: All aircraft, watch your six! Stay sharp. They'll creep up on you!

• Strider 2 Count: Don't let up, people!

• Strider 2 Count: If you need help, say so. I'm here for you.

• Strider 2 Count: Damn it! I'll grab their attention! We can't let Trigger do all the fighting!

• Strider 2 Count: Oseans and Eruseans, let's fly home!

• Strider 3 Jaeger: Count, I owe you! You saved me!
• Strider 2 Count: Righto.

• Strider 3 Jaeger: Stay calm. Avoid friendly fire.

• Strider 4 Húxiān: I'm gonna open this guy up!

Random after one ADF-11F is shot down

• Strider 3 Jaeger: I'm on it! Húxiān, assist Count!
• Strider 4 Húxiān: [grunt] Wilco.

• Strider 2 Count: Strider 3, can you take care of him for me?
• Strider 3 Jaeger: Ah.

• Strider 4 Húxiān: It's not moving like a machine, but, no human could fly like that either.

• Strider 2 Count: If you're lost, just follow Trigger! Copy?

• Strider 3 Jaeger: Latch on, and don't let go. An opening will come!

• Strider 3 Jaeger: We've broken the UAVs' formation! This could be our chance.
• Erusean Fighter: Wilco.

• AWACS Long Caster: One bandit left. C'mon, someone just get rid of it!

• Sol 3: The way he flew into the sun... That's Mihaly's maneuver.

• Erusean Fighter: I can't let you do that. The Erusean Air Force should be the ones to finish this.

• Erusean Fighter: Skoll and Rigel Squadron. Show them what the Erusean--no, what fighter pilots are made of!

• Erusean Fighter: The Osean aces will give us a way through the enemy. Keep your eyes peeled.

• Erusean Fighter: Don't get carried away. We just need to keep them surrounded.

• Osean Fighter: If Trigger can shoot them down, that means we can too.

• Osean Fighter: [grunt] Even just one drone ain't no picnic.

• Osean Fighter: Get into formation. We have the numbers.

After both ADF-11Fs are shot down

• Strider 2 Count: Look! It discarded its wings! What the... It's just like the UAV that Trigger shot down at Bulgudarest. Is that the prototype that Wiseman was talking about?
• Pilgrim 1: ...Control, this is Pilgrim One.... ...our way back from... ...to the asteroid...

If Wit is still alive

• Sol 3: Wit and I will take care of that one.
• Sol 2: Understood.

If Wit was shot down

• Sol 3: Let me avenge Wit.

• Strider 3 Jaeger: Hold on a sec. Is it just me, or is that thing trying to read Trigger's reactions?
• Sol 3: It's observing Strider 1. It's like it's trying to learn from him.

• Strider 2 Count: If they learn to fly like Trigger, who's gonna shoot 'em down?
• Sol 3: Not to mention they can manufacture a whole lot of them, too.

When the ADF-11 is damaged

• Erusean Fighter: Direct hit! It was Strider 1's missile!
• Strider 2 Count: It's still flying, but it can't keep this up forever! Finish it off, Trigger!

When the ADF-11 is shot down

• AWACS Long Caster: UAV is down! Radar signal is lost!
• Erusean Fighter: [panting] Our top ace! Showing us how it's done!
• Strider 3 Jaeger: That was definitely the most intense thing I've ever been in. Can't wait to tell my son about it.
• AWACS Long Caster: The space elevator has just powered up. Looks like we made it in just the nick of time. Fortunately, you've prevented data that may have included Trigger's flying style from leaking.
• AWACS Long Caster: I've got a special bottle o' wine for occasions like this. What do you say we open it?
• Cossette: Can you hear me? There's still one drone left!
• Strider 2 Count: Who the hell is that? More importantly, I thought Trigger destroyed all the drones.
• Cossette: It's thrown away its wings... Yet it's still flying! Can anyone hear me? That aircraft needs to be taken care of!
• AWACS Long Caster: She's right. I see something on the radar! The UAV is alive and kickin'!

Random

• Erusean Fighter: It's ascending from low altitude to evade missiles.

• Erusean Fighter: We've gotten too reliant on technology.

• Erusean Fighter: Look at it go! Getting rid of the shell must've made it lighter.

• Osean Fighter: The UAV has stepped it up a notch.

• Strider 3 Jaeger: One target left. We can do this!

• Strider 3 Jaeger: When I get home, I'm bragging to my son about living through this mission. What a day.

• AWACS Long Caster: Unable to acquire status updates from Erusean aircraft via data link. All aircraft, rely on visual confirmation.
• Erusean Fighter: No sweat. That's how it used to be done.

Mid-Mission Cutscene

• AWACS Long Caster: The UAV went into the undersea tunnel! That tunnel leads to the space elevator.

Checkpoint 20-1

• ! AWACS Long Caster !: Trigger, you're gonna have to fly into the tunnel after the UAV!
• Osean Fighter: Where's the escape vector?
• AWACS Long Caster: There's enough space for him to turn beneath the elevator.
• Osean Fighter: That's a suicide mission!
• Strider 3 Jaeger: Count, where are you going?!
• Strider 2 Count: We rely on Trigger too much. He's gonna need help.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: You can't be serious, Count!
• Strider 2 Count: Yeah, well, you had no problem with Trigger doing the same thing.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Trigger's different.
• Strider 2 Count: We'll see.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: You damn fool!
• Strider 2 Count: Don't worry. I learned something from my last squadron. "Stick with Trigger and you'll make it."

When the player flies into the tunnel

• AWACS Long Caster: Count, give me your status.
• Strider 2 Count: Alive.
• AWACS Long Caster: Excellent. So you're both okay?
• Strider 2 Count: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What makes you think that?
• AWACS Long Caster: No time to explain. The radio will cut out soon. It'll take a short time for the drone to send over the data. You need to destroy it as fast as you can.

When the player passes the first gate

• Strider 2 Count: There it is! UAV spotted! We finally found it.

When the player reaches the second gate

• Strider 2 Count: I heard some static when the gate closed. Do you think the UAV is operating the gates?

When the player passes the second gate

• Strider 2 Count: Well, there goes our only way out. I thought we were gonna pull this off after making it through that maze.
• Strider 2 Count: Don't worry, I'll think of something. I'll find us a way out.
• Strider 2 Count: They're waiting for you outside. I'm not gonna let you drop here.
• Strider 2 Count: No sign of the drone. Did it take another path? It doesn't matter. We know where it's going. We can catch it.

When the player reaches the fourth gate

• Strider 2 Count: Drone on your tail!
• Strider 2 Count: Damn it! It got me! I'm hit. Shit! My wings seem fine, but I'm losing thrust. Is it my engine? Definitely feels like it's my engine. I'm fine. I can still fly.
• Strider 2 Count: My rudder's acting up. It's hard to keep level.

• Strider 2 Count: I'm not getting much thrust, but I'll be okay.

• Strider 2 Count: Uh oh. That's quite the problem. Appears I can't get anymore thrust.

Checkpoint 20-2

• Strider 2 Count: Drone is turning! It'll send its payload. Shoot it down, Trigger!

If time runs out and the drone is still flying

• Strider 2 Count: Did it self-destruct?! Oh, I get it! Once the data is sent, it doesn't need a body anymore. Damn it!

MISSION FAILED

If time runs out after the drone has been shot down

• Strider 2 Count: What?! Oh, I get it! Damn it!

MISSION FAILED

When the drone is shot down

• Strider 2 Count: It's down!

When all TGTs are destroyed

• Strider 2 Count: Yeah baby!
• Strider 2 Count: Hey, I'm being serious here! That's right, we're going home. I thought of a way out of here. The space elevator. The windbreak is hollow, and there's no ceiling all the way up.
• Strider 2 Count: Not sure if my bird can handle it, though.
• Strider 2 Count: Fly! I know you can make it! I'll attempt a belly landing. Get out of here! Everyone's waiting for you!

When the player enters the windbreak

• Strider 2 Count: I wanted to wait until I had less fuel, but I have no choice. Attempting to land. I don't think my plane will make it. Anyway, here goes.
• Strider 2 Count: Come on, baby. Stay with me. Just a bit more... [static]
• Strider 2 Count: Easy. [crash] [OFFLINE]

When the player passes 5,500m altitude

• Osean Fighter: Did Trigger and Count make it out?
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Should we send in an evac team?
• Strider 3 Jaeger: We can't give up. We have to wait.

When the player passes 8,500m altitude

• Cossette: Can you hear me?
• Cossette: We're all waiting. A world of darkness needs a light to shine.

When the player passes 10,800m altitude

• Cossette: We're waiting for that
• Cossette: beacon of light!

Ending Cutscene

• AWACS Long Caster: Look, it's Trigger! Strider 1 has returned to radar.
• Yeah!
• They did it!
• That's our Trigger!
• He's a damn hero!
• Haha!
• No doubt. You're better than me.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Where's Strider 2? Damn it. Does anyone have eyes on Count?
• Strider 2 Count: I wish you all could've seen that.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: You damn fool! What's your position?
• Strider 2 Count: Watching Trigger climb. I guess it's my fate to watch from down below.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Yeah. Well, we're all in the same boat there.
• Strider 2 Count: Yeah. Well, I guess we are.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: We're sending help. Give us your coordinates.
• Strider 2 Count: Directly under the space elevator. Elevation is minus 500 meters.
• Strider 4 Húxiān: Minus?!
• Scrap Queen: Hey, Trigger, you dumbass. Tell me something. What color's the sky up there?
• Pilgrim 1: We're on our way back from our seven year mission to the asteroid belt. I can't tell you how proud I am to be the first to land at this spaceport.
• AWACS Long Caster: ...Wait, what was that transmission?
• Pilgrim 1: This is Captain Kei Nagase... of the spaceship Pilgrim One. The ocean of stars in our galaxy is finally within our reach. To the pilot who generously gave this spaceship a place to dock, we are forever grateful. The universe lies ahead of us, waiting to be discovered. And now, at last, we have a gateway to ascend to it. Over and over again.
• AWACS Long Caster: It's all coming together for me. Today was the day; the moment of her return.
• Pilgrim 1: I salute the pilot, who gave us all a future.

• Scrap Queen: To Skies Unknown... The path to mankind's vast future remains standing, Granddad.

Enemy units marked as TGT usually must be destroyed to advance the mission. The TGT text is always in red, except if the player changes this in Ace Combat 7.

Enemy units marked as TGT usually must be destroyed to advance the mission. The TGT text is always in red, except if the player changes this in Ace Combat 7.