Part 109: Loki System, Vega Sector, Mission 2 (Story)

^^^Prophecy does have cockpits, but they're fairly low-profile and generally much less obstructive than those in the earlier games. WC4 doesn't, as you say.

Loki System, Vega Sector (Mission 2)
TCS Victory

With space-based Kilrathi forces neutralised, Tolwyn takes his time over preparing the Behemoth for its first shot.

Barracks

While there's no doubt that the war is getting nastier, parts of it have always been exceptionally nasty. Cobra has an excellent reason to hate the Kilrathi:



: Sir.
: You seem awfully keyed up. I'd ease back on the throttle a little if I were you. We're a long way from Kilrah.
: Not a moment too soon, I can tell you that.
: <sigh> I don't think I've seen anyone as anxious to waste the enemy as you.
: Oh, I'd blast planet after planet if it would rid the galaxy of Kilrathi. There's no justification for their existence. And that includes your buddy Hobbes.
: Jesus, Lieutenant! It's like an endless loop with you...
: You have no clue!
: So enlighten me.
: They took me when I was 10...
: Who? The Kilrathi?
: A slave labour camp. I escaped when I was 20.
: It must have been...
: You have no idea what it "must have been". I saw things... The Psych guys spent two years trying to pry things out of my head after I escaped. But you can't wipe it all. There's a little bit of Kilrathi prowling around inside me, and I can't get it out. One day there won't be any Human left.
: We're gonna get 'em. You'll see.
: Keep telling me that, Colonel. Even if it's not true.

This is a very well done scene, and just underlines how much more could have been done with Cobra than actually was. The game does make something of an attempt to play up the similarities between Cobra and Hobbes, the war's primary victims amongst the cast (though we know that at very least Flint and Tolwyn of the rest have lost family members to the war - Blair's parents were killed before it officially started according to the movie continuity, though this screws mightily with established chronology) for purposes of dramatic irony, but it's pretty halfhearted, just a couple of scenes after successive missions where they have practically identical opinions - and one of the parallels didn't even make it into the release version of the game. Something as fundamental as this is to Cobra's character deserved a lot more exploration - I'll let you guess how much more it actually gets. There's also a problem of atmosphere inasmuch as when you play the game, you will almost certainly play this scene immediately before or after (because they're in adjoining rooms on the Victory) a Maniac scene in his traditional comic relief mode, which is rather jarring. I've shifted Maniac to the end of the update to try and lessen that.

Bridge

When forced to deal with uncomfortable issues, Blair, like many people, retreats to the familiar - getting into a argument with the Admiral, in his case. I think Tolwyn wins this one, though, if only for his first line:



: Can I speak frankly, Admiral?
: Well, I've never known you to do otherwise.
: With all due respect, sir, I don't think your assumption of command has done ship morale much good.
: I'm not really interested in public opinion polls on my tactical decisions. And, as I recall, you weren't particularly enthused about your own transfer to this vessel when it happened.
: That's before I was acquainted with its crew, sir.
: Ah, yes. A fine quality, your transfer of loyalties. Project Behemoth needs a guardian angel. I've been with it since its inception. The choice was clear-cut and indisputable. We all have just one superior, Colonel: the progress of the war.
: Yes, sir.

Gunnery Control

Tolwyn's assumption of command certainly hasn't done much for Eisen's morale, who feels rather at a loose end without a carrier to run. Blair, who has some experience of wasting away with nothing to do while the war goes on, drops in to see how he's doing:



: Colonel, you shouldn't be this far away from the fray.
: The war's everywhere, Captain. No escaping it.
: I'm not a captain anymore [long pause]. First time I've been like that since... I don't think I was even shaving when I first took the helm. What am I without a ship, Colonel?
: Captain... they can promote us, demote us, bounce us all over the galaxy, there's only one thing that matters. That first time you shaved? You could look yourself in the mirror. You can still do that now.

I'm a bit unsure about Jason Bernard's performance here...Eisen sounds more irritated than unhappy really (though his facial expression is basically , so maybe that balances out). Didn't seem quite right, anyway. The more irritating thing, though, is the absence of proof-reading in the script. Here Eisen says that he "wasn't even shaving" when he first took the helm of a ship and has been "like that" ever since, but when we first came aboard he said he was the communications officer on the Victory's maiden voyage. Now, I might be mistaken here, but I don't see Rollins doing anything that looks like watch-keeping; he seems to be an electronic-warfare specialist. Wherever communications officers are mentioned in a Wing Commander game they're always either locating Kilrathi forces by their transmissions or dealing with Terran ones. All of these games (and books) have little inconsistencies with each other and I don't really have a problem with that, but there's no real excuse for the same character contradicting themselves in the same game, that's just lazy.

Rec Room

Maniac is still Maniac. Though he does seem to have the magic ability to make somebody appear at the table behind him just by starting the conversation, since here we are before the transition to FMV:



And here we are during the cutscene:



: Looks like Tolwyn's about to steam-roller another career. I told the Captain to look out, but would he listen?
: Maniac, when have you known someone to actually take your advice?
: I just told him I speak from experience. You poisoned Tolwyn against me from the start - he's had it out for me ever since.
: I got news for you. Tolwyn had nothing to do with your lack of promotion, your flying style took care of that for you. Tolwyn doesn't even know you're alive.
: Oh, that's what you think. Everybody knows about the Maniac. Everybody. [shouts] How many people here know about the Maniac?
[silence]
: Oh, what - nobody?

Finally, there's the killboard.



Mission Briefing
Briefing Room

After a series of very wordy briefings, Tolwyn gets right to the point this time.



: This is a simple one, Colonel. Cover me while I fire the Behemoth.
: Sounds simple enough, Admiral.

Choose your own Blair!
I wonder if the writers were trying to make a point about Tolwyn's being a stickler for everything being done exactly according to the regulations by more or less removing all your choices while he was aboard the Victory? That's probably a bit too subtle for practically everyone, including me until just now. Probably more likely is that the writers were getting close to deadline and this was the last section written. Anyway, it's the same as last time - only the Arrow and the Hellcat available to fly, with any wingman except Cobra since we flew with her last time. We'll be flying on Rookie, completing the difficulty level grand tour, so no matter what you pick this will be hilariously easy. Flash and Maniac are at risk.