Albert Genette

Albert Genette is a minor protagonist in the Ace Combat video game series, serving as the narrator of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception, and a mentioned character in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. He is an Osean journalist who had covered multiple conflicts around the world, including the Circum-Pacific War and the Aurelian War.
He was voiced by Matthew Mercer and Hiroaki Hirata in the English and Japanese dubs of The Unsung War respectively, and by Peter von Gomm in Skies of Deception.
== Biography ==
=== The Unsung War ===
In late September 2010, Albert Genette went to an Osean Air Defense Force base on Sand Island to learn more about Captain Jack Bartlett who served there, as he had heard of his success in training future pilots. During a training flight, the plane he and Bartlett were in came under fire from Yuktobanian aircraft, causing Albert to lose conciousness. He survived, however, and chose to stay at the base even after Osea and Yuktobania went to war with each other, as he wanted to keep monitoring the activities of Wardog Squadron, now comprised of Blaze, Edge, Archer and Chopper, Bartlett's trainees. During his time on Sand Island base, he befriended a local mechanic, Wolfgang "Pops" Buchner, who told him about his service in the Belkan War and the rumors of the "8492nd Squadron", comprised of former Belkan pilots, serving in OADF.
The Wardog Squadron, and by extension Albert Genette, were eventually branded traitors by Major Hamilton, who himself turned out to be a Grey Men associate and a former member of the fabled "8492nd Squadron", who were secretly Grabacr Squadron all along. Colonel Perrault believed his lies and attacked Genette, but failed to kill him. Pops and Wardog Squadron survivors took the reporter with them while escaping Sand Island. They were all eventually shot down by Marcus Snow and presumed dead. In reality, Snow helped them escape by convincing everyone that he had killed the "traitors".
Genette, Pops and Wardog Squadron were saved by the Sea Goblin team and hidden on the Kestrel aircraft carrier. The reporter stayed there while Wardogs, now rebranded as "Razgriz Squadron", took part in operations against the Grey Men conspirators, notably saving President Harling from their captivity. When Kestrel was attacked by enemy submarines and sunk, Genette escaped the vessel and witnessed the Razgriz Squadron leaving to confront the Grey Men one last time.
=== Skies Unknown ===
In 2016, Albert Genette wrote an article about the recent sinking of an Erusean submarine Alicorn. Later, after the conclusion of the 2019 Lighthouse War, he wrote an article detailing its aftermath.
=== Skies of Deception ===
In 2020, Albert Genette was in Leasath-occupied Aurelia, reporting on the war between the two countries. He felt no interest in doing this, having grown tired of staying in the Southern hemisphere, until he started learning more about the true nature of the war. He somehow obtained classified Leasathian documents. Having researched them, he learned that Diego Gaspar Navarro, Leasath's leader, was reponsible for much of his people's misery by having stolen humanitarian aid to buy weapons with it, and falsely blamed Aurelia for exploiting the country. Genette also discovered that much more money was spent by Leasath military than needed to construct its airborne fortress Gleipnir. He published his findings, exposing Navarro's lies.
In the game's good ending, Albert Genette's reporting, along with Gryphus 1's heroic actions, help Aurelia win the war and contribute to Navarro's fall from power. He sought audience with Gryphus 1 to interview him, only to learn that the pilot had already left. Albert then stayed in Aurelia's capital Griswall for Christmas.
== Navigation ==
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