Driver

We’re going by our TAC names for the duration of this contract. [...] If you break it, it's on your ass. You know how bounty hunters are if they have a name. Dismissed.
This article's name is a callsign, a codename, an occupation, or a nickname. There is no known real name for the subject.

Any changes to the article's title should reflect consensus.

Driver
Tailcode	RE-19 08515FEDERATION91 HWID-8961.24.3
Biographical Information
Rank(s)/Title(s)/Occupation(s)	####### Division K-9 leader
Other Nick/Names/Aliases/Callsigns	K-9A ***********
Date/Place of Birth	Unknown
Nationality/ies	Federal Magadane
Relative(s)	Unknown
Affiliation(s)	Pacific Federation Federation Military Forces Reserve Divisions Reserve Division K Division K-9 Federation Air Force Magadan
Equipment	F/C-15 Sk.25U VX-23 Player's choice
Physical Description
Gender	Masculine
Height	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Hair Color	Unknown
Eye Color	Unknown
Skin Type	Unknown
Blood Type	Unknown
Actor(s)
Voice	Silent/Unknown
Appearances
Project Wingman: Frontline 59

"How the hell did we lose the front in less than one month?"
"Respectfully, Captain, I think we know how much a good pilot matters here."
"[groans] Don't I know it, stand by for orders."

― Captain Woodward and a CIFS Eminent Domain crewman on Driver's peculiarity

####### (may be Captain/Colonel) "Driver," designation K-9A and real name ####### #### ########, is the leader of Federation Air Reserve Division K-9. In civilian life, he has an unspecified motorized job.

He stood out during the Cascadian Conflict's Magadan Invasion as an unusually highly competent reservist, striking heavy blows to the Cascadian Independence Force and even earning the trust of Federation High Command and the Khan of Ulaanbaatar and enough repute for candidacy for the Federation Peacekeepers.

He is the player character and protagonist of Project Wingman: Frontline-59.

Biography

"I think you and Driver were born for this life, Cobb, you've both got enough fire in you to keep on fighting."

― Brick commenting on Division K-9's best members

Driver awaiting hangar opening for first-sortie takeoff

Driver, during his time in the reserves, received two speeding tickets - J-16814 and J-19234 - the former of which was late to be addressed, and received four roster change emails and underwent training schedule notice. Along with the rest of Division K-9, he was activated on April 7, AC 432 during the Cascadian Conflict.

Ten days later, he and the rest of K-9 received an emergency sortie order about an engagement standing at close proximity to their country. AWACS Vita designated K-9A as flight leader and ordered they head up, and he and Brick were the part of K-9 not to complain about the TAC name assignment, though "Driver" was given by Vita. The washup Federation pilots found themselves witnessing the messy aftermath of the furball: Scant few survivors relentlessly tailed by the CIF's mercenaries.

Driver proceeded to lead K-9 into taking down every mercenary in Magadane airspace, his particular kill tally surprising Vita. When Peacekeeper Crimson Team was reported in peril, he blew through to engaging the Thorn Rose Gang, taking out the entire group. Landing back at base, Vita commended him for his superior performance and saving the survivors and said he and K-9, whose present lineup was rated passable, would be put to work the most in defending their nations.

Driver engaging CIF landing forces

One month later, the CIF invaded Magadan. Driver was pushed headfirst to the defense of the Federation, and despite flying the slow Sk.25U, was unflinching in the face of the insurmountable odds compared to his battle-weary wingmen. When PK Steel arrived to support sinking the rebel picket fleet sent forward, they grouped up with him to complete the objective, buying time for the remaining Ground Reservists to pull out of Point Refuge.

Four days later, K-9 was deployed again to escort regular bomber squadron FA 303. By then, word spread of Driver's battle capabilities. Midway through the battle, the rest of K-9 became entangled by the thick CIF and mercenary defenses from their FOB, leaving things up to Driver; regardless, White made it to the FOB, flattening Marines as they thanked Driver for his protection.

Driver was called up for a nighttime briefing for a solo raid on a Marine command post in control of the entire invasion. In the ten days since their last sortie, K-9 had grown attached to him enough that they wished to sit through the briefing, which Vita intended for Driver alone. With HIGHCOMM seeking a plan to free up their Magadan-based regular forces for Cascadia, they selected Driver for a peculiar mission to fly through Highway 1's tunnels, blowing past the rebel frontline to strike at the Marine HQ and destabilize them with help from Federation Special Forces, who in the first place suggested the plan.

With the invasion and the war's outcome in his hands, Driver boarded a VX-23 and speeded through the natural and artificial-formation tunnels, surprising the rebel Marines. When their command staff contacted General Faust about his feat, she decided her industrial raids had to be aborted and, resigned to their fate, ordered them to cut all comms. Section 4-4, under the cover of Driver's attack, assassinated the entire Marine brass in their tent. Driver's success caused the entire rebel incursion to fold in a matter of days, with entire units lost by the clock thanks to the command chain's breaking rendering fire support insolvent.

Back at base, K-9 expressed relief at their centerpiece's survival, though Vita, busy coordinating the Federation counteroffensive, could only spare enough time to leave bullet points praising his miraculous impact. Brick told him to rest up to brace for any coming storms; three days later, K-9 was deployed with regulars in full force to where it all began, this time carrying enough reputation to put to shame regular FA pilots. Once the invasion was over, however, K-9 was ordered to remain alert due to a manhunt for Faust, who broke off from the retreat with a sizeable portion of her forces.

HIGHCOMM assigned K-9 over 48 hours later the sole task of eliminating Faust before she destroyed Base Station Zero, now Magadan's last geothermal facility. The General - now armed with the Cascadian White Fleet - taunted them for being a thorn on her side and so malleable to the Federation. Regardless, Vita let the decisive battle commence, mostly up to Driver himself, on whom the outbound rebels focused their total defensive. K-9 did succeed after an intense air battle, and were then treated to Faust's premortem speech about their perpetuating the war and the Deal and then the Cascadian Calamity Event via their HUD malfunctioning.

Driver was later put up for an in-progress evaluation at an indeterminate point, perhaps for Peacekeeper membership just as the Khan desired.

Personality, traits, and relationships

"Flying a plane is a lot less difficult than I remember!"
"Right? Look at Driver, he's a natural!"

― Brick and Bookie on Driver's talent

Driver doing his road speeding in a different, more legal way

Driver has an 11-character username and a 15-character password on his reservist computer network. He is also a speed demon on the road and was assigned the A position of K-9 for being very adaptable to air combat; these, combined with his one late speeding ticket, indicate the blocks of a maverick with little regard for the rules, yet is judged to be better-suited for regular Air Force service. His is a flying style abnormal enough for a full tunnel mission, which certain rebel elements both called "idiot[ic]" and evoked an Oceanian War veteran, even reminding those like Woodward the importance of aces like Monarch in turning the tides of battle. At some point, mercenary pilots learned of his TAC name and ridiculed him as a "glorified" Federation lapdog, making fun of his name in the process.

Driver's airmanship and persona showed virulence throughout the invasion as his wingmen found themselves sticking with him and emulating his maneuvers and iron will against superior enemy forces. Some regular Federation troops said he stood out with the already-exceptional K-9 in terms of "punching above [their] weight." Missions are often left to him when all other friendlies are preoccupied, and halfway into the invasion, K-9 and the Federation considered him significant and unique enough an asset/ally that Brick described their bond as "worker solidarity" and Federation SOF thought he was a Peacekeeper. By the invasion's end, the former also called Driver his "buddy" and later surmised Driver and Cobb share battle fervor that furnishes them for the service, though only the latter has displayed weariness.

Behind the scenes

While addressing speculation on the Ace Combat Discord server about the double meaning of Driver's callsign, Matthew Nguyen stated the computer driver connection with Eye-Tee (IT in reference to computer hardware) was coincidental and he wanted a nod to the 2011 vehicular action film Drive. He also joked Driver has lead actor Ryan Gosling's iconic jacket.

Amusingly, Driver's redacted real name almost entirely corresponds to Gosling's full name (Ryan Thomas Gosling) from a last-first-middle name format, bar two missing characters in "Thomas."