Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation/Emmeria characters

Talisman
Talisman is the player-controlled character of Ace Combat 6, and his callsign is Garuda 1. Nothing else is known about him, except that he was assigned to Gracemeria Air Force Base in 2013 and has been mentioned in the game as being a "him". Talisman was last seen in the evacuation of the Emmerian military from their capital of Gracemeria in the face of overwhelming Estovakian numbers. During the uprising of Emmerian forces against Estovakian rule, he becomes a pillar of hope and the backbone of their push back to Gracemeria, and a symbol of fear to Estovakian opposition. During the liberation of Gracemeria he and Garuda 2 "Shamrock", along with other Emmerian squadrons, did battle against the new leader of the Estovakian Strigon aces, Ilya Pasternak in his CFA-44 Nosferatu.

After a tough battle against the agile and deadly aircraft, Talisman managed to shoot down and kill him, finally liberating Gracemeria in the process. On the night after the city's liberation, he joins the rest of the Emmerian squadrons in patrolling the area, even if they believe hostilities have ceased. During the sudden surprise attack on the city by long range cruise missiles, he successfully shoots them down and defends the city once again. The next day, he and the other squadrons set off to attack Estovakia's long range rail cannon system, the Chandelier, responsible for the missile attack. Using exceptional piloting skills he destroys the weapon's cooling units and the primary core inside the cannon itself, destroying it and bringing the war to a close.

Marcus "Shamrock" Lampert
Voiced by Sam Riegel in the US and Rikiya Koyama in Japan, Shamrock is shown in the introduction of Ace Combat 6, being attached to the nascent Garuda team as Garuda 2. As Talisman's wingman, the player can give him commands. He has a wife and a daughter who reside in Gracemeria, and he is shown to be concerned about them by saying to himself "Please be safe" due to the ruthless tactics used by the Estovakians in their offensive (bombing of civilians, destroying infrastructure, etc.). He joins the rest of the Emmerian forces in the evacuation Gracemeria, though not without promising to be back soon. He proves to be a valuable asset to Garuda 1/Talisman as his wingman, and they complete many missions together. During the game it is shown that Shamrock would do anything to get back to Gracemeria and free his people, including disobeying a direct cease-fire and continuing to dogfight several members of the Strigon team while being pressured to retreat, ending in Garuda Team's suspension from active duty until the mission "Weapons of Mass Destruction".

After the liberation of the city of Gracemeria he learns that his wife and daughter died during the conflict. Cursing himself for being unable to protect them, he vows to "turn in his wings". However, due to the threat of the Estovakian-controlled Chandelier railgun, Shamrock remains on active duty. During the strike on the Chandelier, he single-handedly flies through the trench loading the cruise missiles and then into the weapon itself, while under heavy fire, to give AWACS Ghost Eye the position of the internal Cooling Unit. His plane is severely damaged in the recon flight, though he ejects offscreen before his aircraft is destroyed. The injuries that he sustains during his ejection temporarily confine him to a wheelchair forcing his retirement from the Emmerian Air Force. He is shown in the ending cinematic enjoying a meal with Melissa and the children in full view of the King's Bridge, which is undergoing repairs.

Louis McKnight
A sergeant in one of Emmeria's tank battalions, McKnight is voiced by Kirk Thornton in the US, and is first seen guarding a bridge and directing Emmerian refugees across it. However, McKnight and his tank unit are ambushed and annihilated by Estovakian planes, with McKnight and two other sergeants being the only survivors. He manages to link up with the rest of the Emmerian forces and becomes the unofficial captain of his tank after drawing straws. Shortly before the Emmerian landing operation on the mainland, McKnight and his crew devise a plan to loot the Gracemerian central bank, believing that the Estovakians haven't been able to open the vault yet and because one of the crew, Donnie, insists that he had dug a tunnel to the vault. They desert their unit in the midst of one of the battles and make their way to Gracmeria. On the way, they come across and pick up Melissa and Ludmila and kindly give them a ride to the outskirts of Gracemeria before going their separate ways. During the liberation of Gracemeria, McKnight and his crew attempt to break into the vault, but end up inadvertently rescuing Voychek, Matilda, and the statue of the Golden King. Instead of stealing it, McKnight and his crew strap the statue to their tank and parade it around Gracemeria as a symbol of liberation. As a tribute to their country, the tank is left in the town square.

Melissa Herman
The wife of an Emmerian fighter pilot and Matilda's mother, Melissa is voiced by Cindy Robinson in the US, and finds herself caught in the middle of the war when the Estovakians attack Gracemeria. Believing that Matilda was killed in the attack, Melissa leaves the city along with other refugees, where she then comes across the remains of her husband's crashed plane, showing that he was killed in battle. Later, at a refugee camp, Melissa hears Matilda's voice on the radio and realizes that she had survived. Determined to reunite with Matilda, Melissa makes her way back to Gracemeria. On the way, she meets an Estovakian named Ludmila who is looking for her lover, who is turn out to be Toscha Majasik of the Strigon squadron, and the two women begin to form a bond of friendship as they travel to Gracemeria. When they reach the city, Melissa manages to find Matilda, who introduces her to Voychek. After the cruise missile attack on Gracemeria, Voychek gives Melissa the blueprints to the Chandelier and she transmits the information to Emmerian forces conducting an airstrike on the cannon. After the war, Melissa moves back to her old home and is seen caring for war orphans.

Matilda Herman
Voiced by Erin Fitzgerald in the US, Matilda is separated from her mother after going on a field trip to see the statue of the Golden King on the first day of the war. When the Estovakians attack, Matilda hides out in the basement of the city's old palace along with a group of war orphans and helps them protect the statue of the Golden King. During this time, she is welcomed to speak over an Estovakian radio broadcast. She does not take very kindly to this and confronts the broadcaster to "Dance with the angels", which soon becomes a morale-boosting catchphrase among her fellow Emmerians. When Voychek discovers the group and is trapped with them after a booby trap is inadvertently set off, Matilda quickly befriends him. After she is rescued by McKnight and his tank crew, Matilda reunites with her mother and is seen playing with her friends after the war.