Description
A patrol mission that turns out to be a little out of the ordinary!

Storyline:
There isn't too much of a storyline here. All you get is a single stage briefing, which basically explains that Command has decided to send you on a patrol mission. You are to engage any hostiles you find. Get it? Got it? Good.

Balance:
Your weapon loadout is fairly limited - you don't get to choose your ship or weapon. You are stuck with the default GTF Erinyes with its armament of Subach HL-7, Prometheus R cannon, Harpoon, and Hornet missiles. This is the FRED2 default loadout. At least Pirates does acknowledge the limitation, explaining that it is due to the simplicity of the mission. I would be inclined to agree, since what you've got is adequate for getting the job done here. Within the mission itself, things are nice and easy-going on Very Easy difficulty. Get it up a notch higher and you'll be pounded by the Basilisk fighters, armed with Trebuchet and Hornet missiles. Your wingmen will also die like flies.

Design:
This is a simplistic mission, demonstrating a rudimentary knowledge of FRED2. Given that it is the author's first mission, the attempt is not bad. What events exist trigger correctly. More in-game messages would have been nice, though. There is not even a message that the Shivan cruiser in this mission has been successfully destroyed! Ships, however, are placed at various heights - albeit almost all face straight ahead. This means that your foes will always emerge from subspace pointing away from you, a rather improbable situation to say the least. There also isn't any background here, so you're flying against blackness without any pretty nebulas to look at.

Gameplay:
This mission, despite its technical shortcomings, is still a fun one to play. Just chuck in a few wings of Shivan fighters, set up a couple cruisers with their beam cannons for some ambience, and there you have it. While most of it, I'm sure, comes from just the FS2 AI doing its default thing, the decent ship placement keeps things interesting. I think, though, that perhaps there should be something that would better threaten the GTC Urchin. Waves of fighters are set to attack any ship - but if some bombers (of which there are none) were to exclusively attack the Urchin, things might get a bit more interesting than the dogfight that already exists.

Other Thoughts:
What the heck is up with the Volition Bravos pirate ship at the beginning of the mission? Sure, it was done in jest... but it spoils the realism of the mission. If humor was the goal, it should have been complemented by more messages. Of course, if any of you have yet to see the Easter Egg in action, here's your chance.