Wing Commander: Secret Operations FAQ/Walkthrough

Platform: PC
Author: Didier "FullBurst41" Vanoverbeke
E-mail: Angbandit@hotmail.com (yes, it is another address than in previous
FAQs; Spam was getting the better of me. Sorry for any inconvenience, but I
think you'll understand.)
Having said this, I must urge you not to add me to your address book. I beg
you. I am on my knees. I'm not saying that you'll attract viruses, but someone
is bound to be unlucky, and if I'm in that address book, I'm bound to get it
too. This is okay, I should be able to avoid it, but it slips up my account,
and ultimately leads to bad things, I should know. Thanks for your time.

Note on system requirements:
I wouldn't worry too much about your system not being able to run this game. I
run this game on a laptop without much in the way of 3D acceleration, and it
runs like a dream. I play with a keyboard, no joystick as none will fit into
the machine I'm running on. I should get myself one of those force feedback
joysticks one day, which will go on an USB port, but they're a little pricey
for me at the moment, and I can't pay them (bought WarCraft III and the
MechCollection this summer which left me rather dry on cash).

NOTE ON INFORMATION:
A big thanks for stats and for basically giving me lots of interesting and
helpful information about all the Wing Commander games and the universe itself
goes to the crew of the Wing Commander Combat Information Center, located at
http://www.wcnews.com. I highly recommend giving their site a look; it includes
guides to all Wing Commander games. This guide is my own work though, except
for "borrowing" their stats and specific info on ships (and some exact enemy
numbers here and there). Thanks again guys!


TABLE OF CONTENTS

-----------------
0. Version History
1. Introduction
2. Ships
2.1 Flyable Ships
2.2 Non-flyable Ships
2.2.1 Terran Confederation
2.2.2 Nephilim
3. Weaponry
3.1 Terran Confederation
3.1.1 Energy Weapons (guns)
3.1.2 Missiles
3.2 Nephilim
3.2.1 Energy Weapons
3.2.2 Missiles
4. Walkthrough
4.1 Courage System
4.2 Ella System
4.3 Talos System
4.4 Cygnus System
4.5 Leyton System
4.6 Krieger System (Success in 4.5)
4.7 Sirius System (Failure in 4.5)
4.8 Proxima System (Grand Finale)
5. Wish list
6. Final Words

0. REVISION HISTORY
-------------------
Version 0.1
- Added all flyable craft.
- Added all Confederation non-flyables.
- Added most of the Nephilim fighters, no cap ships yet.
- Completed walkthrough up to mission 3 in Courage (okay, so that's not far,
heh).
- More missions, Neph ships and the weapons are coming soon.

Version 0.2:
- Completed the Courage and Ella System walkthroughs.
- Set out 3 objectives for myself, from highest to lowest priority:
* Finish the walkthrough
* Include stats for every ship and missile in the game
* Adding game fiction
* Adding cheat codes
* Completing the Wishlist.
Let The Battle Begin...

1. INTRODUCTION
----------------

Wing Commander: Secret Ops (SO from now on) is the add-on to Wing Commander:
Prophecy (WCP), though it is standalone and therefore does not need the
original game. WCP chronicled Second Lieutenant Lance "Frosty" Casey, son of
the late ace Michael "Iceman" Casey, as he served aboard the TCS Midway, the
first Midway-class mega carrier of its type. After the end of the Kilrathi
Wars, the Terran Confederation wasn't expecting another invasion of enemy
forces, but that's exactly what they got. A new alien threat, codenamed "The
Nephilim" burst through an artificial wormhole in full force with an immense
fleet, its sole objective: to destroy any and all races in its path. The
Terrans, however, were not about to let that happen.

The Midway, being in Kilrathi space where the wormhole appeared, was cut off
from any reinforcements before they even realized what was happening. They had
a big task on their hands: to destroy the wormhole so that no more alien
vessels could push through. Through the help of such ace pilots as Lance Casey,
the Midway succeeds in destroying the wormhole, giving the desperate defenders
of humanity a chance.

The enemy fleet is eventually destroyed, the aliens sent fleeing. The war was
short but brutal, shocking the humans. The aliens were an insect-like species,
with organic-looking fighters and cap ships, and even so their fighters and
ships were very advanced and destructive. The ace pilots of the Midway are
transferred to Confed's newest toy: the TCS Cerberus, a Hades-class Quick
Strike Cruiser. This vessel was sent on a Black Operation to sweep the Sol
Sector of any remaining alien forces, and so Secret Ops begins...

SO is the last instalment of the Wing Commander series for the moment. It is a
space sim that demands skill to play, as you are pitted against enemy fighters
that often outnumber you. However, you are the best of the best, and so are
your wingmen, so it's time to show the aliens what destruction is all about.

A little bit on the game basics...
When you start out in a mission, you launch off the TCS Cerberus. Once you're
in-flight, you usually have to sweep NAV points for an objective you have to
destroy/capture, or to escort the Cerberus to a new location, whatever the
briefing states. To this end there is the autopilot, which will take you to one
nav point, where you'll have to clear out any and all enemies before you can
continue. Combat is pretty simple, though there are some basic rules.

First of all, don't waste missiles. You usually don't have nearly enough of
them, and so you'll have to be careful to waste as few as possible. For
example, a Manta can usually absorb two missiles before it explodes. However,
if you drop its shields first using guns and damage it a little, your missile
will have a much better chance of destroying the Manta, and you will have used
only one. also, save missiles for important targets, like bombers or clustered
enemies that can pose a threat to more vulnerable wingmen or a capital
ship/station you have to protect.

A second thing to remember is that you have multiple gun modes. All fighters
you'll be flying in SO have multiple types of guns. We'll go into the types
later on. However when you want a short but heavy punch to quickly bring down
enemy shield, use Full Guns (F) and fire away. This will allow you to be a lot
more efficient in combat.

And finally, don't forget you can play around with the power settings on your
ship, to boost shields, weapons or engines, this can be handy for when you are
assaulting a capship for example.

One more thing. I'm a bit of a late fan of Wing Commander, as none of the games
are sold in stores anymore. IF there is anyone who has somehow gotten tired of
Wing Commander IV or Prophecy, and is willing to sell it to me at a reasonable
price, please contact me and we'll work something out. :-)


2. SHIPS
--------
2.1 FLYABLE SHIPS
-----------------
F-110S BLACK WASP
***************
TYPE: Interceptor
Maximum Speed: 700 KPS
Max. Speed using Afterburner: 1450 KPS
SHIELDS:
Forwward shields: 280 cm
Aft Shields: 220 cm
ARMOR: 260 cm throughout
WEAPONRY:
Guns: 2X Dust Cannon, 2X Cloudburst Cannon
Missiles: 8X Swarmer Pod, 4X Image Recognizing Missile
Special Equipment: Booster.

Author's opinion:
You don't get to fly this baby often, which is too bad because those Swarmer
Pods are just too much fun. The problem with this craft, in my opinion, is its
weapons loadout. While it's okay having all these Swarmer missiles, it
obviously limits the amount of ImRecs on this bird. This means that this craft
doesn't have a lot of long-range capability. I liked the weapons loadout of the
normal Wasp better, in both gun and missile categories. The normal Wasp gets
two Atchison guns and two mass drivers, which is a very nice armament for the
interceptor it is. Couple this with 2 extra ImRecs and 2 Heat-seekers, and you
get quite a capable fighter, more capable than the black one I think. The
advantage the black Wasp has, however, is its added speed bonus, aswell as
better armor and shields. Still, I would've liked to see the weapons stay the
same...

F-109S VAMPIRE (aka: The Mother of All Fighters)
------------------------------------------------
Class: Space Superiority Fighter, Class A
Length: 18.33 m
Mass: 17 metric tonnes
Max. Normal Velocity: 610 KPS
Max. Velocity Using Afterburners: 1500 KPS
Shields:
 - Forward: 330 cm
 - Aft: 270
Armor: 350 cm throughout craft
Weapons Systems:
 Guns: 4 Tachyon Cannons (wheeee!), 2 Particle Cannons
 Missiles: 4 Tracker MIRVs, 8 FoFs, and 8 ImRecs

Author's Opinion:
This is the fighter killer. It's a shame you don't get to fly these babies
more, they're the absolute best there is against anything smaller than a
destroyer. Their gun armament is impressive, and deadly. Couple this with a
whoop-ass loadout of 20 missiles, of which four are Tracker MIRVs, and you have
one hell of a fighter.

Trackers are discussed in the third part of the FAQ, so please consult that to
see how they work.

F-108S PANTHER
--------------
Class: Class B Superiority Fighter
Length: 15.33 m
Mass: 16 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 600 KPS
Min Velocity: 180 KPS
Max Velocity using Afterburner: 1350 KPS
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Yaw/Pitch/roll: 115/60/116 Degrees/second
Weapons systems:
 Guns: 2 Cloudburst cannons, Chain Ion Cannon
 Gun Power: 500
 Max Gun Recharge: 100/s
 Missiles: 6 FoF missiles, 6 Artemis ELRIR Missiles
 Bomber Loadout: 4 Artemis missiles, 4 ELRAR missiles, 2 Light Torpedoes, 36
Mosquito  Rocket Pods
Decoys: 36
Shield Output: 480 cm
Max Shield Recharge rate: 39 cm/s
Front Shields: 250 cm
Rear shields: 230 cm
Armor: 280 cm throughout fighter
Core Strength: 200 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

Authors Opinion:
Other than the Vampire, this is probably the best fighter killer you'll get to
fly (it outclasses the Tigershark IMO.) Not only that, but this vessel could be
classified as a multi-role craft, since it can be outfitted with a quite
powerful bomber loadout (these are the times when you're sorry the older WC
features of arming your ship are gone.)

The gun loadout isn't the best out there, but it sure beats the Tigershark's
weaponry, and it is quite good at taking down shields. I am a fan of the Chain
Ion Cannons, for they have a good rate of fire, and are quite valuable. The
cloudbursts are pretty damaging too, but they do fire at a slower pace.

The Panther's shields and armor are reasonably good; they'll keep you safe for
a while. However, you'll find that sometimes in heavy dogfights, you'll have to
slip out and let your shields recharge some, and then get back into swing. The
recharge rates on the Panther aren't fantastic, but they get the job done, and
you should be able to stall the enemy for like five seconds, and then get back
into the fray (that is if you have the shield's power maxed out, so that
recharging goes faster). Use good wingman communication for this purpose (and
hope they listen to you.)

Overall, I'd say that the Panther is a good ship, and you'll be flying it
around a lot. It's not something you can kill 6 fighters with head-on, but it
is maneuverable enough that you can dance with the enemy, and kick them in the
crotch when you get your chance. Good fighter, but give me a Vamp any day.

TB-81S Shrike
-------------
Class: Class B Torpedo Bomber
Length: 28 m
Mass: 18 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 700 KPS
Max Velocity using Afterburner: 870 KPS
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 60/75/85
Weapons Systems:
 Guns: 2 Dust Cannons, 3 Pulse Particle Cannons, 1 Laser Turret
 Gun Power: 320
 Max Gun recharge rate: 65/s
 Missiles: 4 FoFs, 4 ELRIRs, 6 Light Torpedoes, 2 Heavy Torpedoes, 36
Mosquitoes, 36  Dragonflies.
Decoys: 36
Total Shield Power: 620 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 60 cm/s
Front Shields: 320 cm
Rear Shields: 300 cm
Armor: 360 cm throughout craft
Core Strength: 250 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

Author's Opinion:
Okay, I'll admit it. I don't like flying bombers, especially not here... Okay
so I hate flying bombers more in Falcon 4.0 (where one missile means you're
doomed.) Let's see. A good normal speed overall, but that afterburner... it
stinks. You won't get far with it, so hope that the enemy doesn't use it too
much himself. Your shields are, of course, stronger than on the fighters, but
when you have a lot of alien fighters boring in on you, it won't do much good.
Then there is the lackluster maneuverability. It's not terrible... but I'll
rather go fly in a Piranha than this one.

If you do get fighters on your tail, it's hard to shake them off. To help you,
you get a very convenient Tail Gun, and for crying out loud it is ridiculous.
One, single laser cannon. Consider a Moray following you, it wouldn't flinch at
killing you, perhaps it would have to break off once (and that is presuming
your tail gunner knows what he's doing, which is often not the case.) One
strange thing I've found is that when you control the lasers yourself, they
fire much faster. So, in the event of an enemy sneaking up on you, just switch
to the tail gun and blast away! This will get them off your tail far sooner.
Couple this with all possible speed and you just might make it.

On the front, the Shrike has a reasonable armament. It can force any fighters
in front of it out of the way with the Dust and Pulse Particle Cannons it's
got. And if they really don't move, shoot a couple of rocket pods and they're
bound to haul ass.

Now that we have arrived at the missile loadout... it's not very good for
defending yourself against fighters. You get four Artemis missiles, so if
you're lucky that's four fighters less, though you rarely get that lucky.
Further more you get 4 rather useless Friend-or-Foe missiles. Unless you have
Stingrays or Rays to deal with, they're pretty much last resort weapons.

The Shrike does have quite a torpedo loadout. Eight in all, of which six are
Light Torps. This will help, since the strike missions in this game usually
aren't very easy. Though you don't have any guided anti-turret weapons, you do
have 64 rocket pods... and those will come in very handy, though it will
require you to take some extra risks. Still, this gives you some breathing
room, so that you won't have to rely on the fighters to do everything for you.

Overall? Could be worse, being a bomber pilot certainly is a nerve-wrecking
affair.

Devestator
----------
Class: Class A Torpedo Bomber
Length: 36 m
Mass: 23 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 460 KPS
Max Velocity Using Afterburner: 780 KPS
Afterburner Fuel: 120
Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 65/55/90
Weapons Systems:
 Guns: Heavy Plasma Cannon, Tachyon Cannon, Laser Turret
 Gun Power: 680
 Max Gun Recharge Rate: 87/s
 Missiles: 6 FoFs, 6 ELRIRs, 8 Light Torps, 4 Heavy Torps, 90 Mosquitoes.
Decoys: 48
Total Shield Power: 850 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 3,5 cm/s
Front Shields: 450 cm
Rear Shields: 400 cm
Armor: 420 cm throughout craft
Core Strength: 300 cm
Jump Capable: Yes
Author's Opinion:
Urf! Agh! Slow! Pig! One piece of advice... stay away from the fighters as much
as you can, because they will bite you in the butt if you get anywhere near
them. Same drill as with the Shrike. If they get behind you, switch to the
Turret (F4) and blast away at them (the turret's got 5 lasers now, so that'll
be chocolate cake!), if they get in front of you, unleash the Wrath that is the
Plasma Cannon, and hope it hits. It probably won't, but if it does... Also, you
still have a Tachyon Cannon, and those are pretty powerful too, so...

If anything, the Devestator is quite well-shielded. The problem is that its
recharge rate is just... slow, even on max it replenishes a bit slower than the
Panther, which is not good, since you need those shields even more. If the
shields fail, there's plenty of armor to eat through for the enemies, but
still, I like my shields better.

Again, no ELRARs on this bird, but you do get the same anti-fighter armament as
the Panther, so that means 12 anti-fighter missiles in all (6 Artemis missiles
and 6 FoF evil-doers.) Other than that you get 90 (!) Mosquitoes, so if
anything heavy is in the way, nail it! It's also well equipped in the Torpedo
department, you've got twelve in all, so that means in theory you could kill up
to 6 capships on your own, not bad huh?

The thing about the devastator is that it's so frickin' large. I'd feel ashamed
as a fighter pilot if I missed it, and you should know this when flying the
bird yourself. You do get 12 extra decoys, and that does help since sometimes
enemy fighters will be ravaging you with FoFs (they're annoying, but not that
dangerous.) So try to finish the mission as fast as you can, and seek cover
from friendly fighters when needed, because you'll just get nailed otherwise.
Also, I think that when you're en route to your target, it's better if you're
flying in formation, close to your other Devastators. This way you can do some
concentrated damage... and spread the damage around a bit.

Oh, did I mention that the Plasma Cannon is also useful against capital ships?
Well now you know, so you can kick more capship butt than ever before!

Overall, this is the best bomber you could hope for, but with the respawning
waves in secret Ops, it's a real pain sometimes. Just stick together and only
break up when going on attack runs, and hope the friendly AI is in a good mood,
too.

2.2 Non-Flyable Craft
---------------------
In this section we'll go over the different craft you'll fight and protect.

2.2.1 Terran Confederation
--------------------------

PIRANHA
-------
Class: Light Scout Fighter
Length: 12.50 meters
Mass: 12 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 650 kps
Max Velocity using Afterburner:: 1400 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Y/P/R: 90/90/135 deg/s
Weapons Systems:
 Guns:  3 Ion Guns
 Gun Power 280
 Max Gun Recharge 45
 Missiles: 4 Heat-seekers 2 ImRec  Missiles
Decoys: 24
Shield Power: 420 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 30 cm/sec
Front Shield: 210 cm
Rear Shield: 210 cm
Front Armor: 250 cm
Rear Armor: 200 cm
Right/Left Armor: 220 cm
Core Strength: 160 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

Author's Opinion:
If you played Prophecy, you'll know that you could fly these little craft, and
using the right tools/missions you will be able to do so too in Secret Ops.
However, in the release version you won't be flying it.

To be honest, I think this is a pretty decent fighter, though it should not be
used for large engagements, don't expect them to last long. However, they are
quite good, in fact I like these better than the Tigershark (sorry, but I hate
the Shark profoundly... really.) Its gun loadout may seem light, but keep in
mind that the Tigershark only has a couple o' lasers and a chargeable mass
driver (from which its main punch comes), so I don't really think this dog is
too badly armed. Its missile armament is light, too, however at least there
aren't any FoFs. So, to make sure you get kills, get in behind the enemy (your
maneuverability should help), weaken the shields, then jam a heat-seeker or
ImRec into the enemy fighter. The problem is hat the Piranha doesn't have any
ELRIRs, the ImRecs are standard versions, and they're not that great, this
means you'll have to be close. As friendly ships they're not that great, since
the AI doesn't seem to do so well with this one. Having less decoys than most
other craft doesn't help either.

F/A-105 Tigershark
------------------

Class: Multi-Role Fighter
Length: 13.66 meters
Mass: 14 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 552 kps
Max Velocity using Afterburner: 1200 KPS
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Y/P/R: 75/75/120 deg/s
Weapon Systems:
 Guns: 4 Ion Guns
 Gun Power 275
 Max Gun Recharge: 52.5
 Missiles: 4 Heat-seekers, 2 FoFs, 2 ImRecs, 36 Dragonflies
Decoys: 24
Shield Power: 460 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 34.5 cm/sec
Front Shield: 230 cm
Rear Shield: 230 cm
Front Armor: 260 cm
Rear Armor: 220 cm
Right/Left Armor: 230 cm

Core Strength: 180 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

Author's Opinion:
this one is a little different from the Tigershark you flew during Wing
Commander: Prophecy. Gone are the Mass Drivers and Laser Cannons. Say hello to
four Ion Guns. this is a welcome change, since I didn't like the gun armament
of the Tigershark in Prophecy one tiny bit. Its lasers were punny, and the mass
driver cannon (which needed to be charged up) was only useful at certain times.
The Ion Guns certainly give you a more useful gun armament all-around.

However, its missile loadout has been kept, and that is a bad thing. The
Heat-seekers are good, but not as good as an ImRec, and certainly not as good
as an Artemis ELRIR. The Tigershark does have a couple of ImRecs, but no
Artemis missiles (miracle of not-being-able-to-load-your-fighter-yourself,
anyone?), and then you have some rocket pods to play with, good thing too.
Overall this means that your anti-fighter capabilities are seriously
compromised, and you'll have to watch yourself very carefully.

The shields aren't very heavy, though they'll take a bit of punishment, but the
fact is that this craft isn't nearly as fast and as maneuverable as the Panther
really hurts. What this all adds up to, is a bad fighter. In the SEAD role, it
is decent (which means it is more effective than most other fighters), but its
inability to take that much of a beating together with its lower top speed
makes it dangerous to fly around capships, especially since those capships will
be concentrating their turret fire on you.

But hey, no problem! You won't be flying them...

Excalibur
---------
Class: Heavy Fighter
Length: 32 meters
Mass: 18 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 650 kps
Velocity using Afterburner: 1300 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 240
Y/P/R: 70/75/70 deg/s
Weapon Systems:
 Guns: 4 Tachyon Cannons, 4 Ion Guns
 Gun Power: 400
 Max Gun Recharge: 78
 Missiles: 4 FoFs, 4 ImRecs
 Decoys: 36
Shield Power: 600 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 30 cm/sec
Front Shield: 300 cm
Rear Shield: 300 cm
Front Armor: 110 cm
Rear Armor: 110 cm
Right/Left Armor: 110 cm
Core Strength: 200 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

This one should be printed into every old Wing Commander fan out there, and I'm
not one of them... shame on me. anyway, this one has been around for a couple
of games, but now you don't get to fly it. You do however, get to fly missions
with friendly wings of Excals, and I can tell you right away that you'll be
grateful to see them.

First of all, let's go and take a look at its main disadvantage. Once you punch
through the pretty good  shielding of the Excalibur, there's not much left to
shoot at. Its armor is pretty spiffy, and this is why Excal pilots should be
very careful not to get hit by two missiles at once, or one ImRec even, since
that will affect them badly.

However, it does have a decent speed, faster than the Tigershark (can you
believe it!) And to top it all off, it has a very good gun compliment with
quite a bit of power supply. Four Tachyon and two Ion Cannons should be enough
to bring down fiery death onto those alien scumbags.

Its missiles aren't great, but better this than a Tigershark... I think. Its
FoFs allow it to get four straight Stingray kills (98% of the time), and its
ImRecs will give it a chance against other fighters, as long as they're close
enough.

So, the name of the game is this: When you get to fly with a bunch of these,
protect them, it'll be worth it. Don't and they may or may not die rather
abruptly.

F-66 Thunderbolt VII
--------------------
Class: Heavy Fighter
Length: 34 meters
Mass: 20 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 494 kps
Velocity using Afterburner: 1000 kps
Y/P/R: 50/50/50 deg/s
Weapon systems:
Rotational Acceleration 180 deg/s^2
 Guns: 4 Ion Guns, 2 Tachyon Cannons
 Gun Power: 350
 Max Gun Recharge: 79
 Missiles: 3 FoFs, 3 ImRecs, 1 Light Torpedo, 24 Dragonflies
 Bomber Missile loadout: 3 FoFs, 3 Light torpedoes, 24 Dragonflies
 Decoys: 36
Shield Power: 550 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 25 cm/sec
Front Shield: 300 cm
Rear Shield: 250 cm
Front Armor: 120 cm
Rear Armor: 120 cm
Right/Left Armor: 100 cm
Core Strength: 200 cm
Jump Capable: No

Wheeeee! Junk galore! this is absolute crap, in every aspect. Its speed is
lackluster, though you can push something out of it using afterburners. Its
shields are ... well not bad I guess. Its front shields are comparable of that
on the Excalibur, but its rear shield is actually lighter. Its armor has a
similar problem. On the front and rear it is slightly more powerful than on the
Excal, but on the sides it's actually WEAKER! Can you believe that?

Furthermore, its gun compliment is something like a reversal of what the Excal
has. You get 4 Ion and 2 Tachyon Cannons, nothing more, nothing less. Then
there are the missiles. Only 6 anti-fighter missiles, and if the Thunderbolt is
in its bomber configuration, there are only 3. A maximum of three torpedoes,
and 24 Dragonfly rocket pods round out the armament. Not very good.

I think that in any case the designers should've gone for a full bomber. The
fact is, you'll need a turret gunner to keep fighters off your tail, and you
don't have it. So what do you do, turn around, your bird is rather sluggish,
and it will take you a bit of time before you have fully turned, allowing the
enemy enough time to move away. In Secret Ops, there is just no room for the
Thunderbolt, but they're there anyway. Cannon fodder.

Hades-class Strike Cruiser (TCS Cerberus)
-----------------------------------------
Class: Quick Strike Cruiser
Length: 777 meters
Max Velocity: 350 kps

Y/P/R: 5/5/5 deg/s
 Guns: 10 Dual Tachyon Cannon Turrets, 4 Laser Turrets, Mark IV Heavy Plasma
Cannon
 Turret Strength: 800 cm
 Missiles: 2x2 ImRec Turrets, 6 Torpedo launchers
 Decoys: N/A
Front Shield: Phase Shields
Rear Shield Phase: Shields
Bridge Armor: 2800 cm
Left/Right Engine Armor: 2000 cm
Launcher Armor: 2000 cm
Hangar Armor: 2000 cm
Crew: 150
Fighter Complement: 30
Shuttle Complement: 4
Marine LC Complement: 2
Jump Capable: Yes

So here it is, the ship you'll be based on for the whole of this game. It's a
good ship, pretty fast compared to the carriers you've been based on for most
of Wing Commander history. It may not have as many turrets as the Midway, but
it sure makes up for this by having powerful weapons. There are no less than
TEN dual Tachyon Cannons, four laser turrets, and one hell of a plasma cannon.
To top it all off, there are missile turrets on that thing too, that will
increase its chances of survival, and also some torpedoes to keep the masses
happy.

You will need to protect this ship from enemy torpedoes though. I'm not a big
fan of going after torpedoes themselves, so I'd rather shoot the bombers down
before they get a chance to fire. This is not so hard. Basically you stay at
the maximum range of the cruiser's turrets, and when the bomber comes in and
starts to take fire, go after it, and try to make it move enough so that it
doesn't get a solid lock. Or, just pound away at it so that it'll have to
choose: 1) Be destroyed or 2) break away and have a slim chance of survival.
However, in large engagements this may be hard to do, since you usually only
have five other spacecraft to help you out in sticky situations.

TCS Midway
----------
Class: Mega Carrier
Length: 1830 meters
Mass: 200,000 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 80 kps
Y/P/R: 5/5/5 deg/s
Guns: 25 Laser Turrets
Missiles: 6 ImRec turrets, Capship Missile Launcher
Turret Strength: 800 cm
Decoys: N/A
Front Shield: Phase Shields
Rear Shield: Phase Shields
Bridge Armor: 2000 cm
Left/Right Engine Armor: 2000 cm
Left/Right Hangar Armor: 2000 cm
Left/Right Launcher Armor: 2000 cm
Plasma Cannon Armor: 2000 cm
Fighter Complement: 252
Jump Capable: Yes

Well, what can I say, got to love this ship. :) You won't see this vessel
often, but if you succeed in screwing up Leyten, then you'll most likely see
her in Sirius. The Midway had an amazing compliment of fighters, an immense
plasma cannon, which I haven't seen in action (reminds me, anyone have a copy
of Prophecy he'd like to sell? heh), and a lot of laser turrets. I'm not a big
fan of laser turrets, but I guess they'll have to do. The ship does have six
missile turrets though, plus Capship missiles, so it can stand its own ground
against enemy vessels.

Other than that, this is one slow pig, but then again, what do you expect? You
won't have to worry about protecting her this time around, so just enjoy the
view! Oh, and since she has so many fighters, any missions you fly with her
fighters will be a blast, since there'll be quite a few of them.

Condor
------
Class: Search & Rescue/Refuel Shuttle
Length: 48.00 meters
S&R Mass: 60,000 metric tonnes
Refuel Mass: 62,000 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 325 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 600 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 360
S&R Y/P/R: 35/20/25 deg/s
Refuel Y/P/R: 35/25/60 deg/s
Guns: N/A
Missiles: N/A
Decoys: N/A
Shield Power: 2500 cm
Default Shield Recharge: 10 cm/sec
Max Shield Recharge: 15 cm/sec
Min Shield Recharge: 1.0 cm/sec
Front Shield: 1000 cm
Rear Shield: 1500 cm
Front Armor: 100 cm
Rear Armor: 150 cm
Right/Left Armor: 125 cm
Core Strength: 300 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

These are the shuttles that come and pick up your ejection pod if possible.
Other than that they don't play a big role in the game. As you will see from
the stats above, they have quite capable shields, and they would need them too
Other than that, we can't really say much about them... just hope that when you
eject, they come to get you.

Pelican Transport
-----------------
Class: Transport
Length: *???* meters
Default Max Velocity: 75 kps
Y/P/R: 5/5/10 deg/s
Guns: 5 Laser Turrets
Turret Strength: 800 cm
Missiles: N/A
Decoys: N/A
Front Shield: Phase Shields
Rear Shield: Phase Shields
Bridge Armor: 500 cm
Left/Right Engine Armor: 500 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

I think I'm not the only one when I say "I hate convoy escort missions." And
hell, it should've gotten better with Prophecy and Secret Ops.

The good news is that these 'sports have Phase Shields, so they can withstand
normal fighter weapons fire. The bad news is that there are Stingrays in the
game. If they cluster and start bombarding it with plasma fire, they won't live
long. Add to this that the Stingray clusters fire quite fast and you will
understand that you have to be on top of them quickly. The Pelicans do have
some laser turrets, but it won't do them much good, really. Lasers are weak,
they always have been so in Wing commander, and this is no exception.

So, basically when escorting these vessels you'll have two main targets to hunt
for: Red Mantas/Skate T clusters who might attempt a torpedo run on the
'sports, and the Stingrays. Slice 'em, dice 'em, whatever, just make sure there
are no three alive to cluster up and wreak havoc on the poor transport crews.
:-)


2.2.2. NEPHILIM
---------------

Devil Ray
---------
Class: Space Superiority Fighter
Mass: 14 metric tonnes
Max Velocity: 845 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 1650 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 900
Y/P/R: 140/120/135 deg/s
Guns: 3 Heavy Gorgons, 2 Light Plasma Cannons
Gun Power: 900
Max Gun Recharge: 97.5
Missile Hardpoints: 8 ImRecs, 2 Proteus MIRVs
Decoys: 24
Shield Power: 500 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 30.5 cm/sec
Front Shield: 250 cm
Rear Shield: 250 cm
Front Armor: 520 cm
Rear Armor: 560 cm
Right/Left Armor: 560 cm
Core Strength: 500 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

This is it, every fighter pilot's worst nightmare. This fighter has an amazing
top speed, top notch maneuverability, good firepower, and is armored like a
transport capship. I suppose that its missile loadout isn't all THAT powerful,
but it's still a force to reckon with. In a one-on-one dogfight Vampire-Devil
Ray, you stand a pretty good chance, but in SO (and having played the WCP
demo... ahem... heh) you usually don't get the opportunity to fight in a fair
one-on-one with the Devil Ray.

The real weak point of this fighter is its shields. They aren't too hard to get
through. However, once you have punched through the relatively light shields,
you still have a huge amount of armor to eat through, an ELRIR missile would
really help at this point. Once the armor's gone, you still have to pummel it a
little until it blows. it also doesn't have that many decoys, but that rarely
helps you in SO. Oh, and if you have the Cerberus or any other ship along, try
luring it in the tachyon/laser fire, so that you can take some extra heat on
it.

The Devil Ray also has two MiRVs, similar to those found on the Vampire, so do
watch your six when they're around... "If you see the flash, it's already too
late."

Lamprey
-------
Class: Shield Killer
Mass: 10 metric tonnes
Default Max Velocity: 800 kps
Max Velocity: 1040 kps
Afterburner Velocity: N/A
Afterburner Fuel: N/A
Y/P/R: 360/75/125 deg/s
Guns: 1 Shield Killer Cannon
Gun Power: 400
Max Gun Recharge: 120
Missiles: N/A
Decoys: N/A
Shield Power: 200 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 22.5 cm/sec
Front Shield: 100 cm
Rear Shield: 100 cm
Front Armor: 190 cm
Rear Armor: 190 cm
Right/Left Armor: 190 cm
Core Strength: 200 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

W00t! I like these fighters myself, I think they're hellacool. Apart from that
though, they aren't that dangerous really. It's a very nimble little fighter,
very fast, but has no afterburner, no decoys, no missiles, and nothing but a
shield killer cannon, which I presume is meant to disturb the capships, haven't
really seen any of them do anything useful yet.

Shooting them down is far from easy, since they're very maneuverable, and
you'll have to use your afterburner to stay with them. Getting a missile lock
is often a bit hard, except if they're busy doing something else. An FoF
missile will work, but I prefer shooting them down manually, since you can use
your missiles on other targets instead. They will attack you too, and in that
regard they can get a little tricky. Since they drop your shields pretty
quickly, other fighters, especially Mantas, can sneak up on you and be a pain
in the butt in general. Just swerve and return fire like there's no tomorrow.

Manta
-----
Class: Heavy Fighter
Mass: 14 metric tonnes
Default Max Velocity: 500 kps
Max Velocity: 650 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 1300 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Y/P/R: 65/90/120 deg/s
Guns: 2 Gorgon Heavy Guns, 1 Light Plasma Cannon
Gun Power: 900
Max Gun Recharge: 97.5
Missile Loadout: 3 Cerberus FoFs, 1 Medusa ImRec, 2 MIRVs

Bomber Missile Loadout: 3 Cerberus FoFs, 1 Medusa ImRec, 1 Poseidon Torpedo
Wild Weasel Missile Loadout: 5 ELRARs, 1 ImRec, 1 Poseidon Torpedo
Decoys: 24
Shield Power: 420 cm
Max Shield Recharge: 25.5 cm/sec
Front Shield: 210 cm
Rear Shield: 210 cm

Front Armor: 390 cm
Rear Armor: 320 cm
Right/Left Armor: 345 cm
Core Strength: 260 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

The all-purpose Manta is pretty bad news. Their gun armament is pretty
dangerous to you, especially if you're facing two of them head-on. They have a
pretty strange missile loadout though. It has three of the pretty useless FoF
missiles (you can actually outrun them, that's the cool part), a single Image
Recognition missile, and two of the MIRVs. No big deal really. The tricky part
about the Manta is that it has three different possible purposes. First is the
basic anti-fighter role, in which it is reasonably good, but not great when
you're using Space e Superiority Fighters like the Panther or Vampire.

The second role is a bomber role, in which case a single Poseidon torpedo
replaces the MIRVs. They are actually pretty dangerous, because they are
reasonably fast on 'burners, and even without them they aren't that slow
either. However it is not as dangerous as in the third role, though you rarely
see it.

The third role in which the Manta can be used is the Wild Weasel role. Wild
Weasel means that the fighter serves as a platform for anti-AA system
destruction. What this means is that the fighter will be able to destroy
capship gun and missile turrets and shield emitters easier. It does this by
having ELRAR missiles, with which you can target these star ship components.
You must ensure that these fighters are eliminated fast, because not only do
they have ELRARs, but they also have a torpedo! So basically they can skin the
capship with missiles, then torpedo one of its components, and then another
fighter can take over. However, as I have said before, you rarely see the
Mantas with Wild Weasel loadouts, strangely.

The weak part of the Manta is its rear, and that's why it isn't that hart to
destroy it when it's on a torpedo run. Its shields are pretty thin, and the
armor is the thinnest on the aft section, so you can easily blast a missile
through the armor and destroy the fighter, as long as you wear it down enough.

Moray
-----
Class: Medium Fighter
Mass: 14 metric tonnes
Default Max Velocity: 420 kps
Max Velocity: 546 kps
Min Velocity: 126 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 1100 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Y/P/R: 80/60/100 deg/s
Guns: 2Heavy Masers
Gun Power: 300
Default Gun Recharge: 140
Max Gun Recharge: 210
Min Gun Recharge: 14
Missile Loadout: 3 Cerberus FoFs, 1 Medusa ImRec
Decoys: 5
Shield Power: 275 cm
Default Shield Recharge: 13 cm/sec
Max Shield Recharge: 19.5 cm/sec
Min Shield Recharge: 1.3 cm/sec
Front Shield: 125 cm
Rear Shield: 125 cm
Front Armor: 260 cm
Rear Armor: 300 cm
Right/Left Armor: 280 cm
Core Strength: 180 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

Oh dear, these are just pathetic fighters. If you can't take these on, say
goodbye to your Secret Ops career. Their shields are very thin, and if you take
'em head-on, you'll have less armor to worry about, so that might be a better
idea. The craft's speed is pathetic, its maneuverability is below par, and its
weapons aren't that great either.

Its armament consists of two Heavy Masers, which it can fire almost constantly.
Its missile loadout is the same crappy loadout as the Manta except for the
MIRVs. So basically, blast it to pieces and do a victory role!

Ray/Remora
----------
Class: Interceptor Cluster
Mass: 10 metric tonnes
Default Max Velocity: 420 kps
Max Velocity: 546 kps
Min Velocity: 126 kps
Afterburner Velocity: N/A
Afterburner Fuel: N/A
Y/P/R: 65/65/90 deg/s
Guns: 2 Heavy Masers
Gun Power: 600
Default Gun Recharge: 50
Max Gun Recharge: 75
Min Gun Recharge: 5.0
Missile Loadout: 3 MIRVs, 5 Mines
Decoys: 24
Shield Power: 1050 cm

Default Shield Recharge: 17 cm/sec
Max Shield Recharge: 25.5 cm/sec
Min Shield Recharge: 1.7 cm/sec
Front Shield: 600 cm
Rear Shield: 425 cm
Front Armor: 500 cm
Rear Armor: 375 cm
Right/Left Armor: 450 cm
Core Strength: 300 cm
Jump Capable: Yes

*Remora*


Class: Interceptor Drone
Default Max Velocity: 380 kps
Max Velocity: 494 kps
Min Velocity: 114 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 1100 kps
Afterburner Fuel: 360
Y/P/R: 100/100/130 deg/s
Guns: 2 Light Burst Masers
Gun Power: 100
Default Gun Recharge: 35
Max Gun Recharge: 52.5
Min Gun Recharge: 3.5
Missile Loadout: N/A
Decoys: 5
Shield Power: N/A
Default Shield Recharge: N/A
Front Armor: 8 cm
Rear Armor: 8 cm
Right/Left Armor: 8 cm
Core Strength: 10 cm
Jump Capable: No



4. WALKTHROUGH
--------------
It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and as usual, we're all outta gum.
But we have something else to chew on now, bugs! And I assure you, there are
enough of them in this game. Let's get to it.

4.1 COURAGE SYSTEM
------------------
You won't do too much in this system, but the missions can get pretty intense,
especially the third one if you failed to complete mission 1. Ready? you better
be.

Mission 1: The Capricious Carrier
Game Briefing:
The following information is classified: Your wing will provide close escort
and tactical security during Cerberus' maiden voyage. Patrol this route.
Cerberus will use your NAV system data to calibrate her jump detection
software.

Author's Notes:
This is just a "standard" patrol, and it doesn't seem like command is expecting
you to run into anything. You only have to hit two nav points, which is a
rarity in the game, so don't get comfortable just now please. your wingmen are
Zero and Maestro, and you have support from Spyder and his wing. As in a lot of
the missions, Spyder gets all the women for himself, lucky SOB. You're all
flying Panthers, so don't worry about taking too much punishment, it's really
easy compared to what you'll have to do later.

Objectives:
Patrol all NAV Points.

WALKTHROUGH:
You'll launch from the TCS Cerberus, your home for the duration of the game,
and be greeted by your fellow pilots. Time to play hero again.

Autopilot to NAV 1. It will look as if nothing's happening out here, but that
thought will only stay in your mind for a couple of seconds, as suddenly you're
swarmed by enemy fighters. Holy shit!

No sweat though, the fighters you'll be facing are only slightly outnumbering
you and you outclass them. You can use a couple of missiles but try to spare
them up because you're going to make some high-value kills later. Missiles
destroy the light fighters too easily anyway. *grin* Oh, and don't forget to
order your wingmen to break and attack (ALT+B).

Once all the bugs are smashed to pieces, there'll be some chatter from your
wingmen about what the heck is going on... well, what do you think? Now, let's
get on with it shall we? NAV 2 coming up.

Here you will encounter your first Manta Heavy fighters. I hate these... no
really I do. They're pretty tough and their guns can kick some serious ass.
However the good news is there are only four of them here, and heck, you're in
the Panther so why should you care? The important fighters to kill, however,
are the two Moray medium fighters you saw earlier in the first NAV point.
They're trying to flee from battle towards wherever they came from to tell
their friends we're here. I'd destroy them if I were you, even though the
Mantas can really demand your attention at times. Order your wingmen to go
after them if you can't do it yourself (select target and press ALT+A).

Once the Morays are dead, it's time to clean up. Slam any remaining missiles
you have up some enemy's tailpipe and enjoy their death cry. The Panther is
great isn't she? *sarcastic smile* Aaah. Anyway, back to business. The floor
should be cleaned rather quickly, so return to the Cerberus, and get a "Not too
bad" comment from the ship's comm officer...what's up with that? Ah well, just
land.

Mission 2: Scramble/Ambush
This is a scramble mission, so just launch!

Just for the record, you're flying Wasps here, and you get the usual
Zero-Maestro wing combination, while Spyder enjoys the women. Spyder and his
Bravo wing fly Panthers... I would let them handle the capships here.

Objectives:
Defend Cerberus

WALKTHROUGH:
W00t! look at that frickin' force coming for ya. Looks like the aliens brought
a few corvettes along, I like those. Just to let you know, don't worry about
the Cerberus too much, she should be able to hold her own, your primary concern
is keeping yourself and your wingmen in space to fight another day. The Wasps
are good against those slow bombers and against the enemy fighters, but if
you're swarmed, there is not a lot of hope for you. Also, don't think about
going for the 'vettes too much, deal with the fighters first. There'll be two
waves of enemies, and the Lampreys coming with both waves are a pretty rare
thing in this game, so there.

I'd go with full guns here most of the time, you're outnumbered enough as it
is. If there were a fighter I'd tell you to go after first, it'd have to be the
Mantas. Yeah, I know I'm a freak, but there are four of them, and at the start
there aren't too many fighters yet so take the opportunity to blow them to
pieces right away with help from your wing. It's very variable what the
Panthers will do. Sometimes they'll go after the Corvettes, though usually they
take on fighters first. Spyder is a pretty good pilot, he should keep things in
line on his side of the turf. There are a few Skates here, but they're nothing
compared to what... oh shit! Here they come!

Here comes another wave of bugs. They brought more lampreys, Morays and lots of
Skates. You better watch yourself. One thing you can do is lure them into range
of the Cerberus and let it wreak havoc on the enemy fighters. It works wonders.
There are quite a few Tachyon turrets on that thing, and a plasma turret, which
can really eat up enemy shields and armor. Try to do this, because otherwise if
you engage them alone you'll be in a lot of trouble.

Now, if you want to go after the 'vettes, here's the way to go. Your ship has
swarmer pods, and you're going to use them for what they're best. Get in range
and launch, keep your laser on target, and BAM! That should cause some damage.
You have eight pods, so don't be shy with them on the corvettes please. Add
some of that Chain Ion/Dust cannon goodness and they should go down pretty
easily. I'd keep the ImRecs for fighters though. Once everything is destroyed,
breathe a sigh of relief and land, you ain't seen nothing yet though, but at
least you're out of the Wasp. It's a good interceptor, but not good against
enemies that outnumber you greatly.

Mission 3: Straight on out. OR: The Long Way Out.

IMPORTANT: The course of this mission depends heavily on how you performed in
your first mission. If you failed, you'll face a shitload of enemy fighters
against Cerberus and the six of you. If you succeeded you'll only have four
fighters, but they're all under your command and there's a lot less you have to
kill to succeed, and believe me it is so much easier.

A. Success in mission 1:
Game briefing
An alien presence in this system has been confirmed. To maximize our chances of
survival, we must reach the jump to Ella system. Failure will mean being
trapped in this system by an unknown number of alien forces. Escort Cerberus to
this point. Due to Alpha wing's quick action, we should be able to take a
straight and fast path to the jump.

Author's notes:
See how doing some easy tasks in the past will sometimes save your sorry ass in
the future, same thing with this mission. The women are left at home for this
mission, so you, Maesstro, Zero and Spyder fly Panthers into the fray. The
opposition won't be too heavy, as you have quite a few Tachyon cannons on
Cerberus supporting you. It would've been nice if the Vampires came along, but
they don't so that's it.

WALKTHROUGH
Alright, let's get this show on the road. This is your first real escort
missions o let's start by giving you a few pointers.
- Whenever fighter cover isn't too heavy, especially concerning missile
carrying fighters, go straight for any bombers, they are your priority. If
fighter cover is overwhelming, try using your escort ship as protection if it
has guns. In this case, the Cerberus makes for a nice thing to find cover
under.
- To kill a bomber effectively, I like staying right on the bomber's tail,
blasting its shields to nothingness, damaging their armor some, and then
launching a missile to finish the job fast. This isn't that easy to do since
the alien pilots are pretty aggressive, but when they're on a torpedo run they
can either be destroyed or have to break off and face more of your fire aswell
as turret fire... being a bomber is a tough job, isn't it?
- The "bombers" you're hunting aren't really bombers, but more like fighters
with a bomber loadout, the Panthers can have this aswell. This has one
advantage, and that is that there's no tail gun to worry about.
- Use the Cerberus' turrets to your advantage. If you can draw fighters to the
plasma cannon range, you can really chew the enemy fighters up quickly, but
even so the turrets are quite effective, and every now and then the Cerberus
will fire an ImRec to help you out. Just make sure no bombers get a solid
torpedo lock or things might turn ugly fast.

Okay, now for the exact walkthrough...

NAV 1 is no problem, but don't use your missiles yet, you'll be able to handle
it just fine. Blast the feeble Morays and Skates to bits, and use the Cerberus
for added fire support, since the fighters can't do much to damage the cruiser.

NAV 2 is a lot tougher though. First you face about nine fighters, but try not
to be distracted. Find and eliminate the Red Mantas, then get the other two
Mantas ASAP. Then, mop up all the weak fighters, if they haven't been splashed
already. Now, the next wave jumps in. Splash the new Red Mantas using missiles
to get them faster, go for the other Mantas next. Now get the rest of the
fighters, but try to have some remaining missiles once you're done with them.
Use covering fire from Cerberus if you're taking a beating from all the
fighters. Once you're done, take a moment to breathe, then move on.

At NAV 3, you're facing about 6 Morays and another pair of Red Mantas. Show 'em
how it's done, and unload some missiles on those Mantas then finish them off.
Once they're down, it's time for a turkey shoot! Eliminate the Morays in short
order and you're done. Land on Cerberus, and rejoice that you didn't fail in
the first mission, for those who did were facing hell itself in their version
of this mission.

B. The long Way Out

This version of the 3rd mission is hard, very hard. There will be fighters,
bombers, and ... Devil Rays, lots of 'em. Strap in tight, because you're about
to go on one of the toughest rides of the game!

First of all, it is interesting to note that the fighter setup is a bit
different than in the easier version of this mission. There are now two wings
of fighters, the first is a wiing of Panthers, which you lead, the second one
is a Vampire wing, under Zero's supervision. This will help, but there's just
too much outt here to feel reassured.

It starts when you take off. A strike force of 4 Stingrays and 2 Red Mantas
will show up. Engage the Mantas first, but be on the look-out for clustering
Stingrays. Don't worry too much though, since you're not outnumbered in this
initial fight, so you should be able to win this one without a hitch.

Once you're done, and Maestro is finished venting his frustration, get ready to
move on!

Nothing harmful for Cerberus at Nav 1. Two flights of fighters, one holds
MOrays, the other Manta heavies. Use Cerberus to cover you, there's no need to
lose hull integrity in this area. If any of your wingmen is in trouble, help
them out, you'll need every single energy weapon and missile in this fight you
can have; Do your best to use Cerberus' weaponry to your advantage, and reduce
the alien fighters to pulp.

At NAV 2 you'll start facing some serious opposition. Let your wingmen engage
the Mantas as you enter the area, and engage the Devil Ray yourself. Feel free
to weaken it with an Artemis missile, but be warned that moer is on the way.
Once the Devil Ray is down (with or without help from Cerberus), finish up the
Mantas, as more fighters will start entering the area.

This second wave is easier in that the fighters accompanying the Devil Ray are
MOrays, so your wingmen shouldn't have much trouble with them. Do your best to
take out the Devil Ray, use your wingmen if you need to! The Morays won't do
too much.

Lots of fighters at NAV 3. Immediately go after the torpedo bombers. Break up
the Skate T clusters by any means necessary, so that you can high-tail it back
to Cerberus and use it as cover against the Devil Ray and all the other
individual Skates and Morays. This area can be very hazardous to your wingmen,
try to focus their attacks so as to keep them alive (as in, don't let them go
too far away, where they might fall prey to a horde of fighters). Hopefully you
will survive this one, we're not out of the woods just yet.

NAV 4 is very similar to NAV 3. AGain, go after the Skate Ts and destroy them
quickly! Watch out for the Devil Ray, don't le tit interfere with your
bomber-hunting. Once the Skate Ts are disengaged, fall backand hold off the
alien onslaught... are you feeling sad that you didn't win mission 1 yet? ;-)

Quite a few fighters here, but you can't worry about that right now. Engage
afterburners and splash the Stingrays ASAP! Use any remaining missiles you have
on them, since they don't have any decoys if you want to make it quicker
(especially handy when they have clustered). Don't fail now, you've gotten this
far! Watch out for the Mantas at this point, you're likely to have sustained
some damage, so use Cerberus as best you can... any remaining wingmen are to be
used effectively (where's the FreeSpace 2 comm system when you need it?!)

Don't worry about the Hydra in this area, I'm not exactly sure what to make of
it, just leave it there. Once you're done, stretch, clean any sweat off your
hands, and prepare for the next mission

One final note: Be very weary of missiles. Lots of fighters means lots of
missiles that may be fired at you. One alien tactic I have often encountered is
the firing of all their FoF missiles right after eachother. They don't take a
lot to confuse, you can even outrun them, but at close range they can be
dangerous. Watch your back!


Mission 3: Visit to Aunt Ella

Scramble! Scrabmle!

It's you, Maestro, Zero and Spynder, al in Vampires! Whoopee!

Objectives:
DEFEND CeRBERUS

Get ready, this is another scramble, and the aliens are bringing a bunch of
their best fighters to destroy you...

WALKTHROUG:

As you launch, you'll find yourself facing off against an advance force of
alien fighters. There's a flight of Morays, a flight of Devil Rays and a wing
of Skate B interceptor clusters. Go head to head with the Devil Rays, and let
loose with full guns, and give them a missile close-up. Spare your Trackers for
now, they'll come in handy later. Try to take out those Devil Rays quickly,
it'll make life a lot easier.

Chances are one of your wingmen has already splashed one of the Skate clusters,
so there'll be more Skates... more for the killboard! Slice 'em, dice 'em,
shoot 'em full o' holes... *cough* Right, back to the real world, alright?

Really, the first wave shouldn't be very hard once you have the Devil Rays
rounded up, use Cerberus' Tachyon and Missile fire for additional support if
need-be.

Once the advance force is on its knees, in comes the real strike package... and
no, there are no torpedo bombers in it. Instead there are 6 Stingrays, which
means two possible clusters if you don't act fast. The usual escort of Devil
Ray and Moray flights are with them, just to keep you busy. Show them how wrong
they are by lobbing some MIRVs in the direction of the Stingrays, watch the
fun, then finish up any remaining fighters. Or in any case, make sure there are
less than 3 of them when you disengage. Now, go after the Devil Rays, unleash
everything you have against them, they deserve to die. Use your wingmen for
support, the Devil Rays are the most important targets in the area, and using 4
Vampires is always handier than just one...

Once the Devil Rays are out of commission, clean out the area of any stray
Moray/Stingrays.

With that, the Cerberus will make its way to the Ella System, which ends your
mission, congratulations!



4.2 Ella System
---------------


Mission 1: Fresh Start

*insert klaxon sound here* SCRAMBLE!

What a title... Fresh Start, yeah, right. :D

There are two wings of Panthers, you lead Maestro and Zero, while Spyder takes
command of his wing with Stiletto and Amazon.

Objectives:
Escort and Defend TCS Cerberus

Don't worry, this is not "just another scramble."

WALKTHROUGH:

Here we go! It starts out with another little turkey shoot. Bore in and kill
Morays, kill them all, and laugh at their feeble attempts to outmaneuver you.
Even the fact that there are nine of them doesn't change anything, all they can
do is get killed by Cerberus if they get past you and your fighters. Do not,
under any circumstances, waste missiles. It's not worth it, believe me.

Cerberus decides that they don't want you getting your kills so easily, so they
give you new nav coordinates. AT Nav 1... guess what, another turkey shoot! And
now there are even MORE Morays... and one Manta. Just take that out first, then
go and enjoy yourself at the target range. If you start feeling sorry for
Cerberus, feel free to give her some potshots at the Morays, so that the turret
gunner son there can get some practice. Once you're done, recharge any shields
that might have gotten beaten down, then move on to the next point.

And yet another turkey shoot, though you'll have to splash some torp bombers
first, there's a pair of Red MAntas you need to take down. Don't waste any time
with them, just tail them and blow them to the 11 dimension. Then, it's time to
have some more fun with Morays. Kill, kill, kill!

The next Nav is a little more complex, there's a Red MAnta here that can damage
Cerberus, and there are Stingrays here too. I tend to send my wingmen after the
Red Manta, while I go and clean out the Stingrays. This usually goes something
like this: use full guns on one of them, FoF missile another, then destroy a
third. this will be suficient for now. Go and help out anyone in trouble, then
clean out any pockets of resistance. The Mantas might try something stupid, as
might the Stingrays, so watch your back.

Nav 4 is annoying. There's a Devil Ray that will cause as much trouble as it
possibly can, and you have two torpedo bombers to splash, so concentrate on
them, then take on the Devil Ray. RElease every bit of fury you have left on
it, missiles galore! There are also two Mantas in the area, but they shouldn't
cause too much trouble as long as you be careful. That's it! Land and rejoice!


Mission 2: Unfriendly Terms
Navpoint patrol.

Briefing:
Several patrols will be launched by the Cerberus, so we can ascertain the enemy
strength in this system. You will lead your Alpha wing, and patrol these
points, clearing it of any enemy craft. Once your patrol is completed, you will
be cleared to land.

You're flying a Panther, with Zero and Maestro as wingmen.

Objectives:
Clear all Nav points.


WALKTHROUGH:

Alright, this can actually be a tricky mission, as you'll need to watch out for
your wingmen. Let's get to it.

Nav 1 is populated by a flight of Morays and a wing of Mantas. You're
outnumbered, but the real threat is the Manta wing, so position yourself behind
one of them and blast away. Try to eliminate them quickly, and keep yyour
wingmen close. Concentrate your attacks so that you can finish the Mantas
quickly. Once you're done, it's just regular clean-up duty for you. Splash the
Morays and move on.
NOTE: You can use one or two missiles here, but try to save as many as you can,
you'll need them later on.

Nav 2 is a fun little turkey shoot, but you have to be careful with your
wingmen here. Clustered Stingrays tend to whip them good, so for their sake
break them up quickly. Then it's just obliteration duty, it shouldn't be too
difficult really, just be careful of the plasma cannons.

At Nav 3 you'll be assisted by a flight of Excaliburs, rejoice! The Excaliburs
are good company, because they have Tachyon cannons that can eat through
aliens, but you'll have to cover them. As you arrive, there's quite a
significant fighter presence in this area. It can be a little challenging to
decide what to attack first, but I say go after the Mantas, and try to use guns
only, or one or two missiles.  If you do use missiles, make sure they hit,
everys hot counts. Once you're through with the Mantas, race after the
Stingrays. Chances are one has clustered already, except if your friends have
decided to take them on themselves, in which case there might not be any left.
There's a flight of MOrays here aswell, they shouldn't pose too great a
problem.
One note on the Excal is its weak armor. If an alien punches through the
shields, it'll be very easy for him to finish the Excalibur off, so be careful.
It's imperative that you have some left to go to the fourth Nav point.

Nav 4. Bingo! The motherload! Well, not really, but there's a Devil Ray in
here, and it'll eat up the Excals if you're  not careful. Unleash your wrath
upon it, use missiles at will, bring it down ASAP. Once it's down, go after the
Stingrays, then the Morays, the usual.

Once the aliens are dead, form up and proceed back to Cerberus. Activate
autopilot landing and crack your knuckles for the next mission.

Mission 3: Deep Strike One

Yes! It's your first strike mission, let's whip it!

Briefing:
Ella starbase is within range of our coded
transmissions. Patrols from her defense squad
report a Destroyer-class alien vessel in this area.
Follow this NAV route and eliminate any capital
ships you encounter.

You're flying a  Shrike Torpedo Bomber, accompanied by Zero and Maestro. bravo
wing consists of three Panthers, piloted by Spyder and his gang.

Objectives:
Eliminated Orca-class Destroyer
Eliminate bombers en route to Ella Starbase
Destroy Triton-class transports (secondary objective, not critical)

 This can be a complex one, folks, good lck.

WALKTHROUGH:
Saddle up, we're moving out! Remember that you can use the turret manually by
pressing F4, however this means you'll lose control of the cockpit functions
(like front weaponry/missiles).

At Nav 1 you're intercepted by a group of Morays anda wing of Mantas. In this
area, I recommend staying away from the fighters, just give fire support to the
Panthers engaging the enemy. Use full guns and wear them down, but DO NOT at
any circumstances use missiles, you'll need them at Nav 2, count on it. If an
enemy pulls up behind you, switch to the turret and beat them off (or at least
try to), cry for help if you need to.

You'll be contacted by Cerberus once Nav 1 is clear. The captain will tell you
that Ella Starbase is under attack. If you encounter any bomber craft, you are
to engage and destroy them. Guess what will happen next. :)

Here comes Nav 2, the critical point to this mission. There's a pretty large
group of MOrays here, however your objective is to attack the Red Mantas.
AGain, where's the Freespace 2 comm system when you need it. :) Whip out the
Artemis missiles, activate burners and assign a target, preferably the Manta
you probably won't get to quickest. Then engage the closest Manta. Beat it up
some, finish it off with an Artemis. Rince and repeat with the second Manta,
then render any assistance with the third (a third missile will hopefully do
the job). Phew! Now, time for some MOray-blasting, if the others haven't
cleaned them outyet. Once everyone's dead, move on.

A total of FIVe capships awaits you in Nav 3, as well as two groups of
fighters. However you're not alone in this, a wing of Excaliburs and a wing of
Thunderbolt heavies joins you. Start by engaging the fighters, especially the
Mantas. There are quite a few of them. USe up your remaining missiles (you can
use rocket pods also if you feel like some neat fireworks). Once you're ready
with the Mantas, it should be safe enough to start doing some capship-hunting.
Start by looking at the corvettes. If one of them still lives, pull up behind
it and blast away, it shouldn't last long. Once both of them are out of
commission, move on to the destroyer. Chances are it's already destroyed or
nearly so, so you'll probably miss out on that one. However there are also two
Triton transports roaming about. The turret defenses on these ships are
especially good, so strafe them with gun and rocket fire to skin them of at
least some of the turrets. Then, line pu a Lance or PIke torpedo, and let
loose. Destroy both components to destroy the entire ship. Do the same with the
second transport (call in your wingmen if you need support, like when you've
run out of torpedoes due to unsuccessful launches). Once everything is
destroyed or burning, it's time to go home.
Alternatively, you could just leave those Tritons, as they're not crucial to
the success of your mission. This can be especially handy if you took a beating
along the way, and you don't feel confident about going up against heavy turret
fire. Once you're done, land on Cerberus.

If you fail this mission, your gameflow will be a little different in this
episode, I will cover this near the end of the section of the Ella System.


Mission 4: Phase Focus
It's an escort mission, brillian!

Briefing:
The TCS Tereshkova, a Plunkett-class cruiser,
and two Murphy-class destroyers will be jumping
in from the Vespus system shortly. Patrol the area
between the Cerberus and this jump point
eliminating all hostile forces encountered.
Rendezvous with the Tereshkova at the jump
point and escort her back to Cerberus.

You're flying a wing of Panthers, three Nav points. Thcruiser and destroyers
are atNav 3. Zero and Maestro are on your wing, as usual.

Objectives:
Escort and defend the cruiser and destroyers


WALKTHROUGH:
Right, this mission is pretty cool, since you're going to escort a group of
well-armed capships. They can kick serious butt, so watch closely.:)

Right, off we go to Nav1. Here we have a flight of Morays and a win gof Manta
heavies. Go for the Mantas, it shouldn't be all that hard. try to save
missiles, you'll be begging for them later!

Nav 2 is a turkey shoot. There's a group of Skates and Morays here, about ten
fighters, you shouldn't have any trouble here. Again, save your missiles, just
destroy everything with guns.

Nav 3 is the crucial point. Aftera little while, a strike force will jump in.
There are quite a few strike fighters in it too, with a horde of Red Manta torp
bombers and a flight of Stingrays. Go for the Mantas first. Beware that there
are Devil Rays in the area, and they may try to sneak up on you. Right now
you're main task is to bring down the torpedo-carrying birds as fast as you
can. Beat down the shields of one Red Manta, damage it a little, then fire a
missile up close. You've got the help of two friendly fighter groups
(Excaliburs and Tigersharks), so you shouldn't have to do it all yourself. Once
you have the Red Mantas rounded up, scan for any remaining Stingrays, and taike
care of them. Last but not least, there might be a Devil Ray remaining, so use
any remaining ordnance you have on it.

It is possible that one of the ships takes some damage, just make sure they're
not destroyed. Also, these ships can deliver some serious covering fire,
especially the plunkett-class cruiser. If you want, you can use this to your
advantage.

Once you're done, form up, you're RTB.


Mission 5.
This is where it branches off. If you failed in "Deep StrikeOne", go to the "B"
section of this mission for more info.

A. Backyard Sweep
Escort and defend...

Briefing:
Sweep this NAV route alongside Cerberus.
Protect the cruiser on approach to the Cygnus
jump point. Clear all NAV points of alien craft.

You're flying Panthers, and Bravo wing supports you, also in Panthers. you get
the usual wingman setup.

Objectives:
Escort and defend Cerberus

WALKTROUGH:
this mission can get a little tricky as the enemy will throw all sorts of
enemies at you. Good thing there are six of you.

Nav 1 is a cakewalk. Intercept the Red Mantas (it owuld be betterif you kept
your missiles for now), concentrate fire and watch them explode, there are only
two ofthem anyway. If there are any remaining Morays, add them to your kill
score.

Nav 2. This one isn't so hard either, and you don't need missiles for it.
Ignite the burners and go after the Stingrays. Obliterate them one by one, and
immediately break up any formed clusters. Try coordinating attacks with your
wingmen so as to destroy more enemies at the same time, forget thekillboard
will ya? :) Once all of the Stingrays are down, mop up any stray Morays, then
move on.

Here comes Nav 3. you'll have to make a decision here. I usually send my
wingmen after the Red Manta, while I engage the group of Stingrays.
Alternatively, you can pull up behind the Manta, heat it up then blast it apart
with a missile, then coordinate fire with your wingmen to take out the
Stingrays. You'll also get more help from Bravo, since there's only a couple of
MOrays down here. Once you're done, prepare forNav 4.

This one is crucial. We've got two possible clusters of Stingrays and two
torpedo bombers, what to do, what to do? Overall, it's better to take out the
Red Mantas first, but do it quickly! TheStingrays will be quick to act. Use
missiles freely here, and remember that one missile at a Stingray is a DEFINITE
hit, it CANNOT miss, unless energy weapon fire detonates it somehow. There's
alsoawingof Morays here that might try something stupid, so be careful. Once
you're done, you'll be cleared to land.

B. The Unwelcome

Up you go, defend Ella and get Cerberus near the Cygnus jump point.

Briefing:
Ella Starbase is under attack. You will engage anddrive off the enemy, then
escort the Cerberus to a position near the Cygnus jump point.

You're flying Panthers with a bomber loadout, and so is Bravo wing. This means
you have torpedoes, as well as rocket pods... killing fighters will be quite a
bit harder though.

Objectives:
Defend Ella Starbase
Escort and defend Cerberus

WALKTHROUGH:

Oooh... painful. This mission can be tough, so watch out!.

When you reach Nav 1, open our Nav map and have a looka t the situation.
There's a destroyer in this area, which will haveto be taken care of, however
that is not of immediate concern to you. Search out the pair of Red Mantas, and
go after them immediately. There are quite a few other fighters down here,
including a flight of Devil Rays, but then again, you're not alone. A group of
Excalibburs and a wing of Thunderbolts are also here to help, so they'll
distract the enemy long enough for you to destroy the threat to Cerberus and
Ella for the moment. Now it's time to at least partially destroy the fighter
opposition, especially the Devil Rays really neat some ass-whipping. Use
Cerberus for supportif you can, and use thos rocket pods, they can be
devestating. Some would say it is better to go for the destroyer right away, I
don't agree.
Usually it will be destroyed rather quickly, since there quite a few
torpedo-carrying carft, and if you keep the fighters away, it will make their
job so much easier. If you go at the destroyer right away, you risk being
picked upon by the Devil Rays and/or a group of Skates, which is bad. Also,
there are Red Mantas which can be threatening to both of your objectives. If
you're paranoid about the Orca firing its Capship missile batteries, stay near
it and intercept any that are launched. Speed is crucial, and when I play this
mission, I try to provide that speed to my companions. Once everyone has been
taken out, recharge your shields and weapons and engage autopilot.

Nav 2 is pretty easy. Make sure the Stingray threat is taken down suickly, then
finish off any other opposition. Moving on..

Nav 3is also pretty easy. Send your wingmen after one of the Stingrays, and
engage the Red Manta. Make liberal use of your rocket pods, you'll eliminate it
quickly. Once you're done, help out your wingmen and kick the aliens in the
crotch, hard.

Nav 4. I used the same strategy as in Nav 3 with success. Hopefully you will
still have one or two Artemis missiles left, so once you're done with the Red
Manta, quickly space out any remaining Stingrays, then mop up the Morays. Good
work, pilot, you're getting good at this game... though you ain't seen nothing
yet.

Mission 6: Path to Cygnus
Gotta move on...

Briefing:
Friendly Ships Bravo Wing (Panthers): Spyder (Wing leader),
Stiletto, Amazon
Briefing Cerberus will now attempt to jump into Cygnus.
Alien forces are in pursuit and may over-take our
position near the jump point. Escort Cerberus
along this route as quickly as possible. If
Cerberus can reach the jump point before the
majority of the alien fleet arrives, we will be able
to enter the Cygnus system undetected.

We're flying Panthers again, with the normal loadout and usual wingmen setup.
I'm getting sick of Maestro. :P

Objectives:
Escort Cerberus to the Cygnus jump point.;
Eliminateall alien craft.

WALKTHROUGH:

Once you move into Nav 1, you'll be attacked by enemy fighters, the advance
force of a strike group. It's quite a large force, but the Mantas are the only
craft of concern, so take them down, worry about the MOrays later. At some
point, a wing of Red Manta torp bombers will flood in, together with a large
MOray escort. Seek and destroy, use missiles at will. Once the second wave
hits, Cerberus will tell you that its no use, you'll have to retreat to Talos.

Once all the enemies have been obliterated, it's time to move. Head over to Nav
2.

Nav 2 is pretty easy, just clean out the Stingrays and Cerberus will be safe.
USe covering fire from Cerberus to take down the Devil Ray, then destroy any
remaining Morays who might try something. Cerberus will jump to Talos, mission
accomplished!



(More coming soon, please wait.)


6. Final Words
--------------
My thanks go out to:
- You, the reader, for checking this FAQ out.
- Origin Systems for developing this great game... and I plead for a next Wing
Commander instalment.
- CJayC for maintaining one of the best FAQ sites on the net, if not the best,
and for posting this guide of course.
- Wing Commander CIC for simply being the best resource for any Wing Commander
fan out there, thank you. I also thank them for posting exact stats on ships
and weapons in the game. Full credit for these stats go to them.
- Life, for being a nuisance in general.