Dominic Zaitsev

## Appearances

*Project Wingman*

*"This is the ever-lovely Airborne Warning and Control Systems aircraft Galaxy. Hitman Team, get on the clock."*
― Dominic
**AWACS Galaxy** is the callsign of Sicario's AWACS. Its operator is **Dominic Zaitsev**, Sicario's second-in-command. Notably, a mercenary AWACS is a rarity, even among smaller regular militaries, and he lacks the usual prior military training that AWACS operators usually undergo.

He is one of the four main characters of *Project Wingman* and the player's main AWACS operator and gameplay radio callout in place of Robin "Prez" Kuo.

## Biography

### Early life and Sicario service

Dominic Zaitsev was born and raised in the Pacific Federation capital. At some point, he became a radio engineer and started a popular variety radio show, where he would oftentimes clash with listeners. His station was shut down by authorities, however, after a sting operation exposed its gambling activities, and he fled for his own safety. Following numerous other bad decisions, he became a mercenary after being acquired by Sicario Commander Arnold Frenken and was given a binding contract as his second-in-command and AWACS operator.

Some years before AC 432, Sicario, or at least Dominic and Peter Kennedy, was involved in a number of raids in the East Periphery, and were made to speak a script to prevent a conflict from spreading out to another country.

### Cascadian Conflict

#### Pre-war

Dominic took part in a contract with the Creole Republic on December 9, AC 431. A month later, he supervised Operation Red Current, where he got Robin Kuo on record joking about wanting to leave the mission for more vacation time. When the operation got to the point of securing volatile cordium cargo from the *Meilynx*, he called up the Federation contact, who ordered Sicario to dispose of the confidential cargo. The AWACS then ordered Ronin to exfil and directed Monarch to airstrike the cargo. Though slightly shaken by the ensuing giant explosion, he uncoiled and told Hitman Team to return to base. However, Master Goose Squadron arrived, and he warned them to identify themselves or else they were fired upon. After the formerly Burlok Privateers-aligned mercenaries assured them they were on contract with the Cascadian Independence Force, Dominic let them be.

#### Another day and contract

*"Is our targeting system updated to lock onto Federation signatures?"
"I've had them programmed long before we thought about coming this way."*
― Eve and Dominic on their preparations for the war
Dominic took the contract along with most of Sicario. Over the Fresnon Range, he directed Hitman and Gunsel Squadron to defend the main convoy, assuring them their IFF targeting was programmed for Federation tags long ago. He also oversaw the taking of Rowsdower Air Force Base; during that time, he noted to Frenken about how much of Sicario was willing to take on a superpower, especially as they've been avoiding the likes of them until then. He was impressed with Hitman's performance being top-notch enough they had first pick for hangars and bunks.

Dominic participated in Operation Water Stable, first noticing that he cannot track anything beyond his AO, which Morgan Elizabeth explained as coming from the Solana Communications Array. He complimented Evelyn London's steady kill pace in the mission and asked if she wanted to lead Hitman like him. Once the Federation was pushed back, Dominic broadcasted cessation of military actions, and informed Hitman other mercenaries are pulling their weight outside Salvemini Vineyards. During the evacuation of Presidia, he positioned Hitman as their "busybodies" in dealing with CIF distress calls and advised them to not engage the 1st Naval Battlegroup. He asserted to Peter he'd get their IFFs clear enough to avoid collateral damage. He communicated with Elizabeth again about stranded units in downtown, to which the General regrettably ordered him to tell them to disperse and evacuate on their own.

While Sicario and their allies split up to conduct their raid on Federation resource facilities, Dominic was present with Hitman during their strike on the Apodock Fracture. He informed Hitman that they were the most successful of the raids, and was teased over their "arrangement" of having the best performer buy dinner, though quipped Monarch would be buying tonight. Crimson Team arrived at the fracture, and Dominic warned that these were Federation Peacekeepers, which led to an impromptu withdrawal.

* Crimson escaped from
* Crimson driven off

The mercenaries decided to all flee the airspace with the Federation's top aces at their backs, and once they succeeded in surviving, Dominic stated he and Frenken would speak to J. Griffiths on the matter.

Though most of the mercenaries decided to flee as soon as Crimson Team arrived, Monarch decided to stay behind and cover the retreat, somehow managing to severely damage a Peacekeeper aircraft. This surprised Dominic as much as the others, and he ordered Monarch to follow the others unless he planned on getting himself killed by them.

#### Taking command

*"You know he’s gunning for the boss’ spot once he buys the farm. Gotta get the practice commanding in."*
― Eve on Dominic's command authority
While rescuing the stolen battleship *Eminent Domain*, Dominic explained to Eve that the Federation Navy was sending all they had available because of the sensitivity of losing a major asset. Once contact with the battleship was made, Dominic distributed a rendezvous vector to the CCS *Court* for rendezvous, and then quipped to Hitman about Woodward's courtesy. He then directed them to intercept Kiiyo cruise missiles launched from ashore before they hit the *Eminent Domain*.

Dominic oversaw the intercept of the Federation air train, instructing his forces to avoid civilian casualties, and later (for Hitman) to engage the Federation Intercept Specialists and retreat before further Federation forces show up. He also flew overwatch for Monarch as he launched a sole night raid on the Chaohord Defense Region, expressing an eyeroll with Robin sharing the night with him as well. During that time, he questioned Hitman's endgame for their lives, citing their backgrounds, supposed reasons, and fortunes, as they seemed to have nothing else to do with their lives, but declined getting Monarch to answer. When Monarch's wingmen sent their message to him, he noticed their usual banter and asked if they treated each other as friends, to which Robin confirmed.

Dominic played a part in commanding Operation Blackout, Eve noting he unusually issued a lot of orders with the main facility assault owing to his sights on leading Sicario and being informed by Independence Force HQ to secure as much intel as possible. When Peter complained about feeling underpaid compared to the Circus troops, he quipped he was "as cheap as Comic's booze", making him irate. During the Bering Strait furball, however, he was forced to command all allied aircraft in the area after finding out all other AWACS had disengaged or were shot down, simply ordering them to maintain contact and survive. He assured Robin he could keep the IFF connection stable in the chaos of hundreds of aircraft, which he proved even with more incoming Federation reinforcements. Once the battle was over, Dominic was astonished by Monarch's immense kill count that day and openly celebrated with drink.

The following mission, Dominic ordered Hitman to maintain radio silence as they approached Harkema Industrial Park. Once they attracted heat from the facility defenses, he notified them of incredibly intense cordium readings, simultaneously working with Ronin in finding crucial intel by uploading keywords and searching deep. He reported activity from the main rig and directed Hitman there, which led to a dogfight as HQ ordered them to shoot down the SP-34R. After cracking relevant files, Dominic divulged the aircraft's names and lack of fly-by-wire system, instructing them to tire the pilot out. He acquired the pilot bio from Ronin and expressed concern at her identity.

Dominic and Frenken led a mercenary raid on Wai Mami Port to sink Task Force 1 in port. He had Sicario's elements take the lead and ordered all aircraft to minimize collateral damage; when Frenken reported that Sawaiiki military personnel were moving into defensive positions, he made Peter convince the Sawaiiki personnel to stand down rather than widen the conflict, remembering the script they used for a prior Periphery operation. Once the raid finished, the mercenaries headed out of the airport to refuel with tankers. Dominic tried to get the Cascadian Firefighting Corps to work in tandem with the CIF and the mercenaries defending them; however, Eve stated they wanted to hunt down the retreating Federation units even if the water was dropped on top of them. He cleared all Federation evacuation transports as "open season" for friendlies.

#### Friends in need

*"I'll switch your IFF to hostile real quick, flyboy, don't test me."*
― Dominic threatening Griffiths

By the late stages of the Prospero liberation battle, Dominic panicked when a large swarm of cruise missiles were launched on the trade city. As they contained cordium, he frantically ordered all fighters to intercept as many as they could, for his pilot to get his plane out of the area ASAP, and for ground troops to evacuate or shelter in place. His sensors blew out as the Cascadian Calamity Event erupted, and was only successful at raising Hitman afterwards, getting them to regroup with him and return to base. He then pondered that the entire country "had went insane" and had undergone a new Calamity. On their way back, he found out that no bases on record were able to respond to him, not even Rowsdower strangely, and explained to a concerned Hitman that even if they were running out of fuel, they should be caring enough for their fellow mercenaries. Upon getting closer, he transmitted to the airbase, only to receive no response. He feared the others couldn't make it or suffocated to death by the smog when bounty hunters (the traitorous Master Goose Squadron) led by Klara Rask arrived to shoot Hitman down.

Hitman eventually took care of them, and soon after, Frenken transmitted a recognizable pattern for Dominic to intercept, the AWACS realizing he and the others imposed radio silence in case any intruders like the bounty hunters breached the airspace. Though relieved, Griffiths joined up and reminded them of their contract, which Sicario was no longer intent on continuing on because of its severe casualties. Because of this, he threatened to mark Griffiths as hostile for Hitman, causing him to plead for them to listen to him. After a tense discussion which led to Hitman and Frenken striking a deal with the CIF liaison, and with Frenken being ordered alone to head to the Periphery, he complained to Frenken telling him to stay in-country, but his boss reminded him of his place and that he would serve the war effort well.

#### Final operations

*"[laughs] It's a fair fight now! We've got mercenary IFF signatures inbound hot!"*
― Dominic on the reinforcements
Two months later at Highway 34, Dominic received airmail detailing Operation Blue Shelter, a raid on the Federation-held Brite Fortress. As usual, he went up with Hitman and other forces to Audrerie Valley. He warned them of the land battleships the Federation began to employ, and had a brief, awkward wording on "returning to highway" or the usual "RTB" before settling on succinct words. He was also there at the second attempt to retake Prospero, or now what's left of it. After clearing out the local patrols, Crimson Team arrived for one last engagement with Hitman Team. It was during the furball that Peter, after hearing enough of Crimson 1's rant against Hitman, smashed his radio transceiver in a fit of rage, which he noted. He cleared Griffiths and his convoy into the city once Crimson was downed for good.

Dominic oversaw the final battles of the conflict; in the Pacific Ocean, he had Hitman Team target the 1st Battlegroup's larger ships and defenseless convoys, and was surprised by Frenken returning with his cavalry, helping the CIF sink the battlegroup. Once the operation was over, he welcomed Frenken back as the rebel fleet began the blockade. In the last moments of the Presidia invasion, he was about to call the killing blow on the Federation holdouts when the Cascadian Conflict Ceasefire came into effect, much to his surprise and reluctantly changing IFF signatures to non-hostile. He was supervising the ceasefire enforcement when Crimson 1 attacked and destroyed the capital and indiscriminately fired on all military units in the AO.

He was able to land somewhere safe near the now-burning capital, complimenting his pilot's landing skills; with communications down due to cordium interference, he ordered radios and wreckage be sorted out to locate as many survivors as they could.

### Post-Cascadian Conflict

Dominic's further actions after the conflict are unknown; with Frenken implied to have moved on to the Cascadian Foreign Legions, he may have achieved his dream of leading Sicario.

## Personality, traits, and relationships

*"...we're mercenaries, not heartless. We have to go see if the boss and the rest of Sicario is okay."*
― Dominic after the Second Calamity
Old habits die hard and the same applies to Dominic, as even as a professional radio operator, he still inherits his old, fiery radio DJ self, and compared to many other members of Sicario, has a much more outspoken, loud, proud, and carefree personality, effectively making him a foil to Frenken's bombastic charisma. He even keeps champagne bottles in his aircraft's fire extinguisher box in case of celebrations. These traits, however, do not affect him from doing his job efficiently or taking things seriously when the situation becomes grim, and though grating at first for ex-military like some of Sicario is, his battlefield updates are to the point and colorful, keeping his allies ahead of the enemy.

Despite being stuck with Frenken rather than vice versa, and with some believing that he has a life goal of taking command of Sicario proper, he personally finds the current arrangement very comfortable, and in fact, cared a lot for his fellow mercenaries' safety, especially after the Second Calamity erupted. In fact, he repeatedly gives orders to allied forces in major deployments, knowing Frenken wouldn't be leading Sicario forever and he had to be up for the task when the time came.

Dominic has a habit of making quips and jabs at his fellow Sicario members, most notably Hitman Team (especially Robin with her flying). However, he never makes fun of Monarch or his boss, at worst complaining and at best in thought about their goals (or Hitman's apparent lack thereof in contrast to his own) and capabilities. This can be attributed about his word-of-mouth knowledge of Hitman's reasons for becoming mercenaries.

## Etymology

"Zaitsev" is an Ukrainian patronymic surname which means "hare," but "Dominic" is a predominantly West African/American first name derived from the Latin dominicus ("of the Lord/Sunday"), suggesting a mixed predominantly Eastern European origin and parentage. In turn, this indicates the Federation capital is located somewhere in a Slavic part of Eurasia.

His TAC name stands out in Sicario as the only one that doesn't refer to a title or a job.

## Trivia

Galaxy, along with Robin Kuo and Gunsel 1, are the only three known Federation natives in Sicario.

## References

1. ↑ Sector D2 Limited. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Credits: Voice Actor
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 01: "Black Flag."
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sector D2 Limited. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Files Archive → Pilot Entries: Dominic Zaitsev
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sector D2 Limited. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Files Archive → Pilot Entries: AWACS | Galaxy
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 13: "Valkyrie's Call."
6. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 02: "Frontiers."
7. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 03: "Homestead."
8. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 04: "Uphill, Every Way."
9. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 05: "Sirens of Defeat."
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 06: "Machine of the Mantle."
11. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 07: "Eminent Domain."
12. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 08: "Clear Skies."
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 09: "Stepping Stone."
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 10: "Pillars of Communications."
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 11: "Cold War."
16. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 12: "Midnight Light."
17. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 14: "Open Season."
18. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 15: "Consequence of Power."
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 16: "Wayback."
20. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 17: "No Respite."
21. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 18: "Return."
22. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 19: "Red Sea."
23. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 20: "Presidia."
24. ↑ Sector D2. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Mission 21: "Kings."
25. ↑ Sector D2 Limited. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Post-Cascadian Conflict
26. ↑ I'm tempted to share character art All things WIP and not official of course Main characters -Discord statement by Matthew Nguyen August 9, 2017 3:55AM