Victor Voychek[edit]
Voiced by Paul St. Peter in the US, Voychek is the commander of the Estovakian Air Force's famed "Strigon Team" and a highly respected fighter pilot. He appears soon after the Nimbus' midair impact that destroys the already-atrophied Emmerian Air Forces and Navy, and proceeds to attack. He has the full respect of his team and is known to have suffered leg injuries during the conquest of Gracemeria (even if the PC shoots down Voychek's plane, it is revealed via radio communication between the various members of Strigon that he managed to recover in his badly damaged plane and limp back to base) that prevented him from flying again. He is then reassigned to intelligence duty with the Estovakian Air Force, having the blueprints for the Estovakian Rail Gun, the Chandelier, stored in his laptop. It is shown that he mentored both Toscha Mijasik and Ilya Pasternak before "losing his wings" during the conflict, and is greatly respected by both. During the war, Voychek comes across Matilda and a group of war orphans, and begins to have a change of heart about the war. After he reveals Estovakia's plan to destroy Gracemeria with the Chandelier, Voychek hands the blueprints over to the Emmerian armed forces, allowing Talisman and Shamrock to find the weapon's weaknesses and destroy it. Voychek then spends the rest of the war in an Emmerian prisoner of war camp and is the best man at Toscha and Ludmila's wedding.
Voychek is an anomaly in the Estovakian ranks, as while the two names that are recognizable in the Estovakian side (his and Toscha's) are Slavic, he alone has a Russian/Slavic accent, whereas the majority of the Estovakians (including all the rankers without exception and everyone else in Strigon team) speak in American-accented English, like their Emmerian opponents.
Ilya Pasternak[edit]
Ilya Pasternak was a member of the Estovakian Central Forces Precinct Air Force 370th Aviation Regiment, 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron, also known as Strigon Team. His voice actor in the US is Steve Van Wormer. He gained fame and popularity during the Estovakian Civil War that eventually brought the country under military rule. Ilya Pasternak was Victor Voychek's most promising student and he has great faith in him, as evidenced by him saying upon his arrival at Central Station 2 in Gracemeria that "he'd be sure to be a thorn in the side of the Emmerian military" with him as the new Strigon lead. Pasternak is gifted with a cool, confident and calm demeanor even when facing insurmountable opposition, and is an incredibly talented pilot.
He holds a burning sense of rivalry with the Garuda Team, one that makes Voychek regret that he cannot join in the fight with him. Toscha Mijasik had also noticed that he preferred to listen to the pirated Emmerian radio broadcast, and upon asking whether or not he had a girl waiting for him Pasternak replied that he didn't. He also replied that he could get any woman he wanted, if he tried, which Toscha amusingly agrees upon. Pasternak flew the CFA-44 Nosferatu alone against the combined might of the Emmerian forces during their liberation of Gracemeria, so as to save the rest of his comrades from death. Using the Nosferatu's incredible speed and agility he proved to be well enough a match for the forces by himself, on top of the plane's advanced All Direction Multi-Purpose Missile (ADMM) system, reinforcement UCAVs, and its stealth capabilities. He was eventually shot down by Garuda 1 Talisman, glad that his comrades had made it out of the battle alive, and dies when the plane explodes.
Toscha Mijasik[edit]
At just 26 years old, Mijasik, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in the US, is the youngest member of the Strigon Team. His flying skills, however, are of such quality that he is even praised by his flight leader, Victor Voychek, during the invasion of Gracemeria. Before the war, he was still in high school, and also had a relationship with a woman called Ludmila Tolstoya. He prefers the brotherly nature of his new flight lead, Ilya Pasternak, to Voychek's reign, going so far as to refer to the latter as a 'pushy authority figure'. He also appears to be triskaidekaphobic; although being the 13th member of his squadron, he sticks with the callsign 'Strigon 12'. When the squad returns from a patrol mission only to find that Gracemeria had been lost, he feels a sense of guilt, inside his heart begging for Ludmila's forgiveness. However, Pasternak urges his wingmen to return to Estovakia and defend their country's future while he sacrificed himself. Instead of joining in the defense of the Chandelier railgun, he surrenders as his love for Ludmila is too great, and marries her in the game's epilogue (in a prison). It is implied that out of all the Strigon Team members, he is the sole survivor (besides Voychek).
Lorenz Riedel[edit]
Lorenz Riedel, callsign, Feniks; was born in Belka and eventually joined the Air Force before the outbreak of the Belkan War in 1995. Lorenz was assigned to the Belkan Air Force's 18th Air Division, 5th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Gault". His position being Gault Seven; the squadron was sent to the front lines in January of 1995. Being led by Anton Kupchenko, the Gault Squadron was active until March of that same year, when all members suddenly disappeared without a trace. The Belkan Air Force pronounced them as killed in action, with no new information or reason for their disappearance.
During this time, it is believed that the Anton Kupchenko had founded "A World With No Boundaries", a multi-national group of military personnel which aligned itself with no nation(s). On December 31st, 1995, A World With No Boundaries planned to use the Belkan-made V-2 rocket to strike multiple capital cities around the world to achieve their plan of a conflict-free world. As the 66th AFU Galm of the Ustian Air Force's 6th Air Division flew towards Avalon Dam, the V2 launch facility, the Gault intercepted the Galm Team. During the battle, the unit was shot down. However, his body was not found at his aircraft's crash site.
After the war, in 1996, reports of Lorenz Riedel being sighted began to arise. He was believed to have been seen in Oured, the capital city of the Osean Federation. Osean Special Operations began to investigate, however, his whereabouts were never confirmed.
Lorenz had managed to evade Osean Special Operations and escape from the Osean Continent, making his way to the Anean Continent. He arrived in the Federal Republic of Estovakia, during the nation's long lasting civil war. During this time, Lorenz became a key part of the Estovakian Military. Riedel, like other defectors, brought technology from their homeland, and this technology became the deciding factor in the outcome of the Estovakian Civil War. Details on this technology remains undetermined as of 2015. Lorenz Riedel provided information on the XB-0 'Hresvelgr' and other support which lead to the construction of the P-1112 Aigaion 'Aerial Aircraft Carrier and Heavy Command Cruiser' and later, the P-1114 Gyges 'Fire Support System' and P-1113 Kotos 'Electronic Warfare Platform'. These P-111X models would become the Estovakian Aerial Fleet.
After "The Generals" took power in Estovakia and with the outbreak of the Estovakian-Emmerian War ("the Anean Continental War"), the P-111X models were deployed into combat. During the war Lorenz was leading the Estovakian Central Forces Precinct Air Force 6th Aviation Regiment 5th Tactical Fighter Squadron. During the Emmerian counterattack, the Estovakian Aerial Fleet was ambushed by multiple Emmerian Aircraft, most notably of which was the by-then legendary pilot Garuda 1. During the battle, the P-1112 Aigaion lost many of its engines, and it was at that time that Lorenz Riedel launched from the Aigaion in an Su-33 'Flanker-D' and attempted to defend the massive aircraft. However, in the end he was shot down by the Emmerian Air Force's 28th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Garuda". His current status is unknown.