Description
Destroy the sole surviving carrier from the Shivan carrier group Onyx before it can flee Ikeya.

Storyline:
We have an uncomplicated storyline that is more than adequate background this type of mission. After a large Terran assault, the Shivan destroyer group Onyx has been decimated. All that remains of it is a single destroyer, the Ramayana, and her escorts. Naturally, your job is to get in there and finish her off before she can escape and rejoin the main Shivan fleet. You will have the assistance of the GTC Foundation and two wings of ships from the GTI, as well as beta wing. Not especially interesting (I was really expecting the GTI ships to turn on me in mid-mission, too.), but it gets the job done. Briefing and debriefing are well done, with only a few spelling errors. One thing that I have to mention (because I've been seeing it a lot) is that the word "moral," as it is used in most missions, should be spelled "morale." They are two completely different things, go look them up. Okay, that's it for the mini-rant. Overall, the story serves it purpose, but it could have been spiced up some, espcially when you have GTI ships in the mission.

Balance:
This mission is very well balanced, especially considering the additional 50% hull strength of the Ramayana (Which is adequately explained). Giving proper orders will ensure a quick victory, but you can't let your guard down, or you will be quickly destroyed by the swarms of enemy fighters. Loadouts are adequate for just about anything you want, although there are a few shortages of some hardware, most notably the fact that there are no Ursas available. Nonetheless, you should still be able to take pretty much whatever you want, and you will find that four wings of fighters can take a Demon down much quicker than you'd expect. Overall, balance is right down the center line, not too easy (Unless you play multi and you know the dirty little secret of the Demon) and not too hard.

Design:
Very good design all around here. Ships are properly named and make good use of all 3 axes. Events fire off properly, the author makes good use of directives and the escort list, and this mission should run fine on even the most mediocre of machines. I can't think of anything to complain about other than the minor loadout issues and the occasional spelling error.

Gameplay:
Unfortunately, this mission falls pretty flat in the gameplay department. We've all played this mission before (Well, not this EXACT mission, but you know what I mean), and there's no real pizzaz to it. It's straightforward, and frankly kind of boring. It really needs some sort of plot twist or something. A little spice, a little mojo, what the french call a certain....I don't know what (Sorry, I had to do it). There's nothing technically wrong with the mission, it's just a little too cut-and-dry bland, and it really drags it down into mediocrity.

Other Thoughts:
Working 40 hours in 4 days has a way of taking it out of you. At least I'm being paid well for it...