Description
A scientists cry for help sends you to a potential death trap.

Storyline:
For the most part, we're talking good to the last drop. A private organization has been providing defense for commercial craft and other independant people. In this mission you are part of that organization, so leave your GTA uniform in the drawer. For this adventure in wonderland you'll be escorting a stranded science vessel and freighter back to a jump node. You are informed that the Shivans are expected to arrive. <p> For the most part, CD does a decent job of creating a storyline. It makes sense, isn't too long, and isn't full of holes. The briefing, however, is a little far from extrodinary. There are a few spelling and grammar errors hanging around here and there, but the actual arrangment and movement of the icons will bore you to death. The distance the icons move between stages of the briefing shows about as much vitality as Al Gore.

Balance:
Weapon loadouts are the stuff dreams are made of. You get just enough of everything as far as fighters and weapons (Short of bombs). The numbers reflect the amounts you might really find on a GTA vessel - But I have to wonder what a private organization is doing with some the GTA's top weaponry. <p> Balance in enemies is tipped in favor of the players, if anything. The bad guys are rather scarce: Just Nephilims and Manticores. Also, the Manticores seem a little more interested in helping the bombers with their job rather than escorting the bombers themselves - You might have to shove a missile down one of their throats to get their attention.

Design:
Design in this mission is clean cut and without much flaw. It's obvious that some real effort went into this mission which is always good to see. However, a mission is like a young teenager working at a burger joint: as good as they may be, they all have a zit or two (Just work with me here on that analogy.). <p> The mission is fairly void of messages, but the ones that exist are used correctly and at good times. A big old nasty problem though, is one of the messages is far to large to fit on screen, so you won't get it all. Too bad that the message that got chopped is essential to understanding the activity going on in the mission. Two other little things are the single directive and lack of putting the ships you must escort on the HUD. The lone directive is rather bland and vague, and the only way to check the status of the vessels you are to escort is to target them. <p> Also, the Manticores (Which are to escort the Nephilims, I'd think) have orders to attack the freighter and escape pod, they have NO orders to protect the Shivan bombers which makes them sitting ducks. Also, all enemy units in this mission (Including the cruiser) aren't ordered to do <i>anything</i> to Alpha wing. This leads to the topic of gameplay.

Gameplay:
Gameplay simply <i>KILLS</i> this mission. I'll be honest: It's boring. The player will have to fly around two ships for several minutes. Not until you wait for the ships to get well underway does the enemy show up. Even then, they'll ignore your wing! You can go right for the bombers and turn them into scrap, and then toy with the Shivan fighters like rag dolls. The cruiser is also easily dispatched, and doesn't manage to do much damage to the vessels you have to escort provided you send a wingman or two to keep it occupied. All in all, the mission lacks excitment and is too easy.

Other Thoughts:
The debriefing introduces several more story elements that only serve to confuse, since none were mentioned in the briefing.