Part 132: Hyperion System, Vega Sector, Mission 1 (Story)

But of course. Well, sort of. The entire Vukar Tag/Kilrah offensive was called Operation Back Lash (brief description of this for people who don't know what I'm talking about - the Confederation realised it'd be to their advantage to run the Doolittle Raid and Midway at the same time), and the Tarawa group is Strike Force Valkyrie.

Anyway, have an update. It's my mother's birthday this weekend, so I'm doing family stuff for most of it and the video may take a while to appear.

Hyperion System, Vega Sector
TCS Victory

The Victory conducts the first test of the now-assembled Temblor Bomb. Oh, and some other stuff happens. Also, in a break from how it usually works, the jump cutscene doesn't actually play until after the mission briefing, so I guess technically we're still in Freya right now, but the mission will be in Hyperion.

Rec Room



Hmm. Flint, and Rachel, in the bar. I wonder what they might be likely to want. For those of you who can't remember back to my previous updates, or are otherwise rather slow, the dialogue goes like this if you talk to Rachel:
: Command decision-making in action. I’m impressed.
: It’s always moment-by-moment in the cockpit.
: Are we gonna expand upon that moment, are we going to kick in the afterburners here?

at which point we freeze-frame in this position (which WC3's extremely ropey video compression promptly massacres):



and like this if you talk to Flint:
: Should I read anything into this? You’re talking to me instead of your mechanic?
: I had to make a command decision, didn’t I?
: But is it a decision for the moment? Or something more lasting? Everyone can feel it… we seem to be facing more risk than ever… I think it means every moment has to count…

And we end up here, with Flint characteristically being a little less forward than Rachel (also characteristically, less pixellated. I think Jennifer McDonald must move more slowly, or something):



Yes, it's the obligatory "choose your love interest" scene (at least they play up to character during it for once, rather than going through a character derailment of love - Rachel still thinks in innuendo and Flint is still unsure of herself). The dialogue plays out differently depending on who you talk to first (basically each of the women has a line indicating surprise you turned the other one down if you don't kiss them and then talk to the other one), so to set things up here I need to know who to talk to first and then whether to kiss Rachel, Flint, or neither? (Both is not an option; if you kiss one, the other leaves. I'd say "to get drunk" except they're already in the bar, so presumably not.)

I don't think anybody who has read the LP will be under any illusions about my preferred choice here, so I figure I might as well explain my reasoning at this point. Blair isn't thinking straight at this point (if you think he is, then neither is the sane option; distractions are definitely not needed with the entire war effort in the balance), and this isn't going to be a healthy relationship in any way, it's a rebound. Flint is essentially Angel Jr., a cautious, by-the-book pilot who is primarily concerned about her chances of coming back and then about what damage can be done to the enemy. Sure, there are differences, but Blair's not going to bother seeing them (I figure Flint is probably lucky if Blair manages not to call her Jeannette at any point over the next few days...) Rachel is pretty similar to Sparks; someone to talk to and a friend, but not really a lover.

Meanwhile, here's the killboard; Flint and Maniac trade places again in the race for second (possibly in part because I was flying with Maniac and stole as many kills as I could).



Mission Briefing
Briefing Room



(If you didn't get Vagabond released before this point, Eisen will release him here, with this line:

: Ah, Colonel. I’ve ordered Vagabond’s early release. I still think what he did was wrong, but we need every good man we’ve got. Let’s get down to business, Colonel.)

: Let’s get started, Colonel.
: Yes, sir.
: Your old friend Paladin has been keeping busy. He sent us a little gift – a prototype of the Temblor bomb. We’re jumping into the Hyperion system, where Intel’s located an uninhabited and tectonically unstable world – a perfect test site for the weapon. An Excalibur’s been modified for this special payload, and Colonel, you’ve been selected to deliver it by dropping to the surface of the planet and hitting the bull’s-eye. Your timing, and your aim, have to be perfect.
: Ready to go, sir.
: I like that enthusiasm. Dismissed.



Choose your own Blair!
Ground strike mission, so only the Excalibur available and no wingman. Actually, I've already recorded this video - and by that I mean like months ago, before the hiatus and Privateer. Watching it will be something of a journey of discovery for me. While I'm doing that, you've got to choose between Flint, Rachel, and neither as romance options.