Documenting these multiple choices is going to take some time, and there's no way I'll have the other five mission journals done tonight or tomorrow. I've added in the Confed choice missions with the Masa defection and Silenos missions.
Masa 3 – Confed choice
I see Maniac outside the briefing room, and he’s getting the cold shoulder from a fellow pilot. I ask how things went with the scientist, but before Maniac can give an answer we both hear an announcement over the intercom to clear the flight deck. Maniac wonders if even more security crackdowns will be coming in the future, and asks if I know who is arriving. Maniac’s offer of a drink at the lounge is enough for me to not take matters in my own hand to find out what’s going on. Maniac says that he’ll meet me in the lounge after he talks to Eisen in his cabin. Apparently, the personal meeting between Maniac and Eisen is to bid Maniac a fond farewell. My meeting with Maniac at the bar is quite subdued. Maniac hands me a drink, and I wonder what I’ve done to have him be so charitable to me. Maniac mumbles like he’s lost in his thoughts, and then he says to return the favor the next time. I ask him how things went with the biochemist, and he tells me that he struck out. I remind him of his saying about other nuggets being in the asteroid belt, and he says he hopes that it’s true. Maniac asks me if I liked my times farming, and I admit that it had its moments. Maniac feels that he may actually make a similar choice in the future. Something must be REALLY bugging Maniac if he’s actually talking about retirement. Before I can try to press him for possible details, he tells me that he remembered about having to do something important. I a surprise in the briefing room when Captain Paulsen tells me that Eisen has stolen a shuttle and fled the Lexington. Vagabond wonders what Eisen’s motives were, and Paulsen explains that Confed thought that Eisen was giving the Border Worlds Confed intelligence. Paulsen uses that as the reason why Eisen was relieved of command, and his hopes were to resolve the situation silently. Since that failed, we are to stop Captain Eisen from reaching his rendezvous with Border Worlds forces by ‘any means necessary’. Paulsen tells us that Maniac is piloting the shuttle. Captain Paulsen feels that additional information from Eisen to the Border Worlds will cause serious damage that may lead to war. Catscratch and Miner are assigned as my wingmen, and we take off in pursuit.
Once we sight Eisen’s shuttle, Vagabond says that he’s going along with the Captain in defection. I tell Vagabond that I’m not turning my back on Confed, and he tells me that he regrets what he is about to do. That traitor is firing on me, and I have to quickly decoy a missile away before my Hellcat is hit. I attempt to end things quickly with a multiple missile launch at Vagabond, but he proves that he still has serious skills by evading them both. Vagabond gets an opening to send a second missile my way, but it also fails to hit. My return volley is successful in forcing him to eject. I receive a communication from Paulsen on the Lexington to return to base, and that he knows where Eisen is going. The hunt is on to stop Eisen from doing more damage by his defection.
After landing my Hellcat, I see Paulsen come to congratulate me for my actions. I’ve set aside my personal feelings, and have chosen to continue with Confed. Seether is there too, and he promises that Eisen will pay.
Silenos 1 – Confed choice
I see Catscratch in the Lexington’s lounge, and he wonders why a lot of people have defected to the Border Worlds. Catscratch tells me know Maniac was helping him to learn, Captain Eisen was a role model, and Vagabond was a bond that was broadening. I express my lack of knowledge about the reasons, and Catscratch wonders about that reply since I’ve known them much longer than he has. He wonders if we made the right choice by sticking with Confed, and I explain that his confusion is part of being a rookie. I state that our survival and freedom so far have been due to Confed, and that we’ll all fall if we don’t stand together. Catscratch comments that he won’t be the rookie forever, and thought that he would have an easier time as his experience grew. He recognizes that sometimes choices get much harder, and I let him know that once he has fully accepted that he won’t be a rookie any more. I check in at the briefing room, and I’m still having troubles adapting to Paulsen and Seether running the show. Paulsen says that nothing gets him more motivated than meting justice to traitors. Paulsen points out the obvious about Captain Eisen arranging his rendezvous with the Border Worlds. For the moment, Eisen is winning in this game of cat-and-mouse but Paulsen feels that we’ll catch up to Eisen soon. To ensure that Captain Eisen won’t leave this system, I’m to go on a search and destroy sweep. I notice that a number of pilot choices here have low courage for combat capabilities. It feels like many of these new arrivals have been either drafted or personally selected as expendable assets. I happen to see a Confed pilot that does not seem to be a bad choice, and select Steel to come along.
Our first S&D encounter are multiple pirate Razor fighters, and I wonder how they managed to become targets again. Those fast light fighters are just way too fast for the lumbering Longbow I’m flying, so I feed a missile to it. The pirate dies, and I follow up with another missile to a targeted Razor. It falls to the missile too, and there are two pirate aces still around. I get in close range to one of the aces, and let him have a missile. Steel is trying to hold his own with the final pirate Razor, but he has to bail out. I’m alone with him, and let my guns go to work. Four or five hits from my Longbow pulverize the pirate. Another wave is incoming, and this time they are Arrows. I eliminate the first one with another of the Longbow’s missiles, and get behind a second. He is fried by my guns, although a friend tries to get on my tail and take me out. I shake that shadow loose, and use another missile to make it a two-on-one contest. I’ve taken some minor ship damage, but I need to make swift action on another Arrow. Another missile makes things even, and I get on the tail of the Arrow. Multiple blasts from my guns give him an everlasting encounter in the afterlife. The area is clear, so it’s time to see what I run up against next. Border Worlds Banshee fighters are here, but those lasers don’t do much against my shields. I take one Banshee down with a missile, and get behind the other one. The Banshees can certainly take a beating from guns, but it’s only a matter of time before the other Banshee is ‘ghost’. No more ships come to harass me here, so I head to the next nav point. Border Worlds Avenger bombers are around, so it’s an even contest in terms of maneuverability. I make sure that I’m quite close to one of the Avengers before using a missile. He’s dropped, and a second is trying his hardest to fill my Longbow with holes. I can’t afford to dally much due to the odds, so another missile makes short work of that bomber. I quickly get on the tail of third Avenger and even the odds with a missile hit. That last Avenger should be an easy target for my guns. The pilot tries using the turret to keep me off his tail, but I’m scooting around to not make myself an easy target. I do enough damage to destroy him, and Captain Paulsen comes on the communication channel to say that another squadron has engaged Captain Eisen’s contingent. We’ve got a fresh scent for where to concentrate our pursuit, and I’m asked to come back immediately.
Silenos 2 – Confed choice
In the lounge, I see Captain Paulsen and he tells me that there is good news. One of the Lexington’s squadrons killed a person who defected. Eisen’s not likely to have died, and Maniac is too good of a flyer to have been shot down so soon. Sounds like Vagabond did not survive very long after his defection. Paulsen invites me to join him, and he is certainly more active in making his presence felt. He tells me that he likes to hear what others are saying, and feels that isolation is what led Eisen to his actions. I admit my puzzlement over what has happened, and Paulsen pipes in that he also wonders why Eisen fell in with such a crowd of ‘sub-humans’. That kind of comment makes me wonder what he meant. Paulsen explains that the Border Worlds people are mostly barbarians, and even offer sanctuary to the Kilrathi. Last time I checked, the war with the cats was well over. Paulsen feels that Border Worlds people are mostly degenerates that are not from a pure stock. That sounds a lot like the attitude I remember reading about from Earth’s second World War for the Nazis. Many of the Nazis felt that the Aryans were superior, but the goals for a ‘master’ race as well as annihilation of all Jews were stopped. Paulsen backs off after seeing my shock and says that he meant that we’ve become a softer society after our victory over the Kilrathi. Paulsen points out that the ‘new breed’ of pilots I see at the bar are like Seether. Their attitudes are to be swift and merciless to any opposition. Paulsen feels that if a war is to happen again, people with those attitudes will be the best hope for success. I point out Paulsen’s lack of mentioning honor, and he recovers by saying it was an oversight. I’m not convinced at all after hearing those horrible opinions. I see Catscratch sitting alone at a table, and I give him some company. I remark over the significant change in personnel since Eisen’s defection, and Catscratch asks if I’ve ever flown with any of them or know their service records. I explain that they are all new to me, and Catscratch points out that none of them are from the Border Worlds. He then also tells me that Seether has taken over Eisen’s cabin. Catscratch lets me know that he feels that he thinks Seether is showing that he is ‘superior’ to all of us. This is not normal for a pilot to be using a Captain’s cabin, AND Paulsen is like an extension of Seether’s eyes and ears. I know deep down that Seether is really running the operations of the Lexington, but take the chance to learn more about him by visiting him. I see Seether quite busy, and make a little remark about him doing some spying as well. Seether explains that Eisen stole a lot of data to take to the Border Worlds, and that he is attempting to control the amount of damage from the defection. Seether explains that there is difficulty in knowing how much damage Eisen will cause with his Confed data, but I feel a need to go to Eisen’s defense by saying that Eisen had his reasons. Seether says that Eisen was weak, and that Confed is much better off without him for their long run plans. I emphasize my doubts over Seether’s choice of comments, and then point out that we’ve met before in the bar on Nephele. Seether acknowledges our encounter, and I express my distaste over his behavior. Seether says that he was dealing with this ‘riffraff’ in the only way they could understand. He feels that he should have made an example by killing the person I made my intervention on. I ask how he feels justified to be judge, jury, and executioner for every person he meets. Seether says that as pilots, we make the call every time on who lives or dies. Every creature’s place in the galaxy is weighed and measured by another entity. The strong and successful will always find themselves worthy. Every day is a test of our worthiness for survival in Seether’s opinion. I head out of the cabin in haste, and go into the briefing room. Paulsen feels that we’re closing in on the Border Worlds ship that Eisen went to. Apparently, Eisen is trying to give the Lexington the slip by using the nebula. The Border Worlds ship and its fighters are our targets, and Seether wants to see some action so he’ll be on my wing for this mission.
Longbows are the only ship choice for this mission, and apparently Seether is shunning Hellcats. Maybe he knows something I don’t about that ship. I head off to our first enemy encounter, and there are more Banshees to start things off. I quickly make my missile eliminate him, and Seether’s first missile shot is decoyed away. Seether’s second missile shot hits its mark, and that Banshee never knew what hit him. I’m going after a third Banshee, and notice that it’s taken enough damage for a missile to be overkill. It looked like Seether scored another hit with a missile, and then he adds insult to injury by finishing off the Banshee with his Longbow’s rear turret. Damn, that’s good since I never could do more than discourage fighters with the Longbow’s turret. I get on the fourth Banshee’s tail, and am doing him damage. Seether assists in finishing him off, and we head along to the next nav point. Multiple Avenger bombers are here, and I get one with my guns after Seether successfully hits it with a missile. I follow up with a missile of my own for the second Avenger, and do the same missile launch against the third. There’s just the solo Avenger left, and I ask Seether if he’s ok since my Longbow took a missile hit and other damage. Seether is without a scratch, so we go onwards while I hope I can get thru this mission in one piece. More Banshees are blocking us at the next nav point. Seether does some serious gun work against a Banshee, and it’s blown to bits. I use a missile to shoot down a second Banshee. I then gun down a Banshee as well after using a missile to soften it up, but my Longbow is almost at 100% damage. Seether is again using his guns to great effect, and I use mine to assist in taking down the Banshee.
Seether and I return to the Lexington, and I get a shock when I witness his interrogation techniques. He shoots the Border Worlds pilot, and I tell him that I’ve not seen something like that since the Kilrathi war. He tells me to notice that we are at war with the Border Worlds, and that it’s his side versus the enemy side. Seether feels that we have something to learn from the Kilrathi by not letting sentiment get in the way of winning a war at any cost. Apparently, he missed the part where the Kilrathi paid the price of their actions by losing their home world and that they were able to recant their ways. Seether says that he may have overreacted by killing the pilot, but I can’t undo what has happened. I threaten to tell Paulsen about this, but Seether lets me know that he’s the real person in charge on this ship. I leave this sight as quickly as I can, and hear Seether telling others to clean up his mess.
Silenos 3 – Confed choice
There is no interaction on the Lexington, so I head into the briefing room. Paulsen has the Border Worlds ship cornered, and wants me to help with the final blow. We’re blocking the only way out, so Eisen has been forced to bring the fight directly to us. Before I leave the briefing room, I ask Paulsen is Seether will be along for this mission also. Fortunately, Paulsen needs Seether’s talents to help him coordinate efforts in eliminating Eisen once and for all.
Catscratch is coming along to help out on this mission. Upon takeoff, I get a personal communication from Captain Eisen telling me that he has information about the recent course Confed has undertaken. He offers an invitation for me to join the Border Worlds, and explains that the Confed we fought for in the war against the Kilrathi is not the same as the Confed in control now. I agree to Eisen’s invitation since Confed is out of control, and I won’t get answers about who is controlling Confed by staying with them. Catscratch follows me in my actions, and Captain Eisen explains that I’m to help out by preventing the Lexington from keeping the Border Worlds Intrepid from jumping out of this system. There are multiple Longbows to take down, and Avenger bombers from the Intrepid are going in for torpedo runs on the Lexington. I get in range of one of the attacking Confed Longbows and make short work of it. A second Longbow falls to the fury of my Hellcat’s guns. I can see all sorts of shooting off in the distance, so I afterburn in that direction to lend a hand. There is an ace Hellcat pilot, but he’s taken serious damage by the time I finish him off. I can see that the Lexington has taken a serious torpedo hit on its forward portion, and I choose to go after another of the Longbow bombers. Before I can get in gun range, the Lexington sends a distress signal and it is destroyed. I take down my targeted Longbow with a missile and gun barrage. I see another Longbow go quickly off my scope, but I have no idea who got it. I spend a few moments trying to figure out where all of the action went, and notice some more fire towards the Intrepid’s position. I afterburn towards the ship, and notice the defense get a Longbow before I can get in range. Another Longbow falls, and I search for other targets. I accidently run into an Avenger, and come to a full stop before I die a needless and careless death. Eisen comes over the communication channel, and tells me that I’m a sight for sore eyes. I do notice on my landing approach that the Intrepid took a torpedo hit on its starboard side. Catscratch and I are given landing clearance, and we make it on the Intrepid without further issues.
After our jump out of the system, a shuttle from the shattered shell of the Lexington slips away into space. Paulsen is lamenting on how disastrous things turned out, and Seether says that his first mistake was not killing him right away. Paulsen wonders if Seether is referring to me or Captain Eisen, and Seether replies to take his pick. Paulsen wonders what’s going to happen, and Seether decides to ‘reassign’ Paulsen. He slashes the Captain’s throat in a swift stroke, and Paulsen perishes after a few lingering moments. Seether promises to carry on Confed’s plans to cause war with the Border Worlds, and adds me as a personal target for his ‘pleasures’. Seether admonishes the pilot of the shuttle, who no doubt wishes he was as far away as possible from a cold-blooded killer like Seether.
After getting out of the cockpit, I see two personnel coming to greet Catscratch and me. They identify themselves as Hawk and Panther from the Astoria system. I’ve heard of those names before during our war with the cats, and Hawk points out that Confed has been kicking their butts since Eisen arrived. I offer to assist them in their efforts, and Catscratch notices that the condition of the Intrepid has been cleaned up. He notices some areas of the stairway leading to the upper decks are scorched, and I notice it as well. I meet up with Maniac and Captain Eisen and offer my apologies for not trusting him earlier. I’m still sorry after my attempt to kill both the Captain and Vagabond, and Maniac tells me that Vagabond was lost before my arrival. Captain Eisen states that what happened to Vagabond is part of the past, but I get a remark from Maniac that he feels that if I had defected earlier it may have prevented Vagabond’s death. Eisen attempts to offer me an explanation, but I tell him that I’ve made my choice by joining the Border Worlds. Eisen hopes to stop a full war with the Border Worlds, and explains that he was also bothered by the mission assignments and sketchy info we were getting from Confed. I confirm that the Captain was playing detective and NOT being a spy by collecting mission data, coded transmissions and fleet movements. I ask the Captain if he has enough information, and he tells me that he’s missing some important pieces of the puzzle. He does have enough evidence to prove that the Border Worlds clashes with Confed are being provoked by specific elements of Confed. Since Paulsen was part of the plot, I’m forced to wonder how high this conspiracy is going and who it involves. I ask Captain Eisen why he did not tell me before he defected, and he says that he was sorry that he did not. In his defense, he tells me that he believed that his defection had a high probability of being a suicide run and he could not bring himself to ask me to also come along. He felt that I had to make the right choice when the opportunity came again. I express that I’ve made my choice, and have no regrets. Eisen is glad to hear that I’ll be helping out since if Confed approves the war with the Border Worlds, it may turn out to be much bloodier than the war with the Kilrathi.