Part 12: Mission #12: 12 May 2654, Kurasawa system
Mission #12: 12 May 2654, Kurasawa systemPreviously on Wing Commander: We are very much on the offensive now, pushing ever deeper into the Kilrathi territory. Tiger's Claw just jumped into the Kurasawa system.
Angel and Maniac is a bit of an odd combination as I can't imagine that she would be able to suffer him for very long!
So here we are, in Kurasawa. Kilrathi call it Warach Tha, they say. Empire's s'posed to have several bases on an' 'round the fourth planet... so I guess you boys'll be seein' some serious action soon. Still, we're not the first Terran ship here... I heard the Kilrathi in system are already half beat. 
I'm going insane listening to Angel talk about fuel-to-acceleration ratios. Heard that we're about to raid some fuzzball bases. That'd be great! I haven't shot at anything in a week... and I'm starting to get restless. On the bases front, no, not just yet. The rest... is just pure Maniac. It is so awesome that we do not have to fly with him ever during WC1! Let's talk to Angel instead.
The Colonel has directed our crew chiefs to prepare our Rapiers for battle. I had hoped we would have flown them more before now. C'est la vie. Should you get the chance, let me know how they fly. It is tres important.
Well. Considering this is Angel, that was a surprisingly relaxed conversation--not a single statistic to be heard... I wonder if this is a sign of things to come? That goodbye at the end sounds a bit odd, but don't worry, she's not going anywhere.
Mission Time!
The conversations were a bit shorter than usual this time around, so nothing left but to get flying!
All right, boys and girls. Let's get to work.
Our successes there were crucial to recent developments in the war effort. The Kilrathi advance has been halted... and now the Confederation is on the offensive. Now we're moving on the Kilrathi bases in the Kurasawa System. These bases are vital to Kilrathi command and communication in the sector. The Empire is currently trying to ferry troops and supplies to these bases... in a frantic attempt to defend them. 
Computer, display Theta Wing...
One Dorkir-class transport has already jumped in here, at Nav 1a. You'll intercept and destroy it, then move on to Nav 2... where another squadron of Kilrathi fighters awaits an incoming 'sport. When you've taken care of any 'sports that appear at Nav 2, return to the Tiger's Claw via Nav 1b, in case there are any late arrivals. 
...but that first Dorkir is especially well guarded. It must be something -- or someone -- the hairballs don't want to lose. If that's all the questions, then let's get into space. 
As always, new system means new wingman, this time it's Bossman. It wasn't said as such in the mission briefing, but yes, we finally get to fly a Rapier for real. And guess what, it's exactly the kind of mission it's been made to do, a strike run. Again, maybe it wasn't 100% obvious from the briefing, but this mission is very very similar to the previous; there is a bunch of transports, each with its own fighter escort, that we need to destroy. The main difference is that we are flying Rapier instead of Raptor. So let's see how we do.
Not sure what you think, but I thought that was easier than last time (enemy configurations are relatively comparable although 3 Krants are probably a bit weaker than 2 Jalthi, but the rest was pretty even compared to last mission). Unfortunately in the next mission we get to fly a Rapier in a mission where Raptor would, in my opinion, have been more suitable (although you could say that nothing is suitable for THAT mission--yes finally we've come to it!).
No possibility for a medal, but they aren't going to give it to us twice for the same thing, are they?
World domination finally achieved on the killboard thanks to yet another mission with a large number of enemies.
Bonus
In 1994, another port of Wing Commander I was released, this time for the Sega CD platform. Unlike Super Wing Commander, it didn't feature 'enhanced' graphics, but it did feature full speech! And to make it more interesting, it's NOT the same one used for Super Wing Commander! The performances are completely different and I suspect at least some of the 'actors' are not the same either. But the good news is, the voice acting in this version is not anywhere near the level of atrocity committed in SWC, it's actually almost OK considering when this was made! Unlike SWC, it's almost possible to listen to Angel's accent without having to cover your ears immediately. And colonel Halcyon doesn't sound like he's going to fall asleep this very moment!
So I have recorded first few minutes of gameplay including the start of first mission, to give you an idea what it's like:
Oh yeah, oddly enough, the music all seems to have been changed from the original. No idea why that is as the new stuff doesn't sound nearly as good.
Next time on Wing Commander
Save the Ralari, save the world... or not?