Description
A Faustus science vessel carrying a new kind of translator (designed to be used to help Terran-Vasudan communication,) and also secret weapon prototypes, is captured by the Shivans in an attempt to increase their already great power. You must either re-capture or destroy the Faustus.

Storyline:
In an effort to streamline Terran-Vasudan communication, a new translator is developed that can decipher almost any language. However, Shivans have captured the vessel working on the new translator and we need to get it back. The plot makes some sense, since the GTA is looking to improve combat effectiveness by facilitating communication between Terrans and their Vasudan counterparts. <p> The briefing is well done and fairly polished, and explains everything you need to know. On the down side, why have the Shivans saved the science vessel? The Shivans destroy and nothing else - They have bad attitudes, don't talk much, and smell funny. So why did they save the ship? Either way, it makes for an interesting story and mission.

Balance:
You can only choose from the Ulysess and Hercules fighters and a small handful of weapons. The briefing states that GTA forces in that system are short on supplies, so at least the absence of ships and weapons is excused. <p> CYRTIE isn't that difficult of a mission, even with the Dragons. The toughest thing you'll be going up against is the wing of Basilisks that show up late in the mission, so you may want to tune up the skill level before you dive in. All in all, it's a balanced mission if not a little on the easy side.

Design:
No complaints here except a little nit picking. The big one is the fact that the Shivans get a speaking role in the mission. Although the fact that the new translators will work on anything that so much as burps, it's still a little bit non sequitor for the Freespace universe. <p> You'll also notice that after you destroy the Faustus ship, Shivan wings continue to keep coming until they're all dead. A few added Sextep statements could fix that so no more wings will arrive if the science vessel is wiped out. There are also a few minor spelling errors, but if I rant anymore on something that small I'll probably loose my job.

Gameplay:
The action in CYRTIE is fast-paced, but a little easy. You'll be wading around in the galactic kiddy pool with a good number of bad guys, but in a Ulysess you can easily zig and zag around them and in a Hercules you can basically just crush them. Even after the science vessel gets it, the enemy doesn't fade away, expect a good solid fight through the whole mission.

Other Thoughts:
The sound files are just...Well, I'll say they're odd for lack of a better word. Imagine your wingmen sounding like Mickey Mouse, Tiny Tim, and their squeaky-voiced relatives. Additionally, the person recording the sounds used their own voice for static. Result: Sounds like the microphone is being spit on something terrible. I also found the Shivans particular messages rather amusing to listen to, as they sound less like powerful aliens and more like Killer Smurfs from Hell.