Display MoreWing Commander IV shipped on an unprecedented six CD-ROMs... but there was a point in development where it seemed like it might take seven! To counter this possibility, the American CD case, a custom design, was made to include seven disc sleeves. As a result, shortly after the game was released the online community was full of players asking... am I missing a CD? On April 18, 1996, an alt.games.wing-commander user named Craig Lambert posted a reply to one of these questions with a tongue-in-cheek story about an incredible seventh disc that let you stay with the Confederation (joking about another frequent complaint about the game from online posters). We thought it would be good to archive the original post for posterity; it wouldn't do to let such a long-running joke slip into oblivion! (Though for future readers, we will note one more time that none of this was ever real; it all sprung from Mr. Lambert's fertile imagination.)
What happens, you ask, if I don't WANT to defect from Confed? Theapocryphal answer is below, in reality as virtually true as can beimagined. The legendary "7th CD" carried out this path: perhaps someonesomewhere lucky enough to have this rare disk can upload it to the netfor your retrieval: I saw it once on talk.bermuda.triangle, but myconnection went down after I'd gotten only 457 meg of the file.
Of course you must hunt down Eisen and the Intrepid. Having escaped youin Silenos, the Lexington follows the Intrepid through the jumppointinto Orestes. You must fight through Hawk and Panther, each of whomchallenges you, the "Heart of the Tiger" over the comm, then as youapproach the Intrepid Maniac switches sides again, helping you andSeether destroy the Intrepid as Eisen broadcasts desperate pleas forassistance. Back on the Lexington, Paulsen congratulates you with allhis special charm, and remarks it looks like you'll soon have thechance to finish with an old foe. Seether, meanwhile, gives Maniac athumping, coldly mocking the cringing double-turncoat for his cowardice. He tells Paulsen not to punish Maniac for his initial defection: "He'll be more useful out there as a target for the Border Worlds scum to waste their shots on" Afterwards a chastened, battered and bleeding Maniac tellsyou that as soon as he'd landed on the Intrepid with Eisen he realizedhe'd made a huge mistake. "The captain was dead, most of the crew wasbreathing vacuum, the ship was a total wreck. No way the Maniacwasn't gonna bail that scrap yard first chance!"
Your next mission brief is to fly against the Kilrathi base inPasqual: this time you get to hear Melek bitterly denouncing you for yourtreachery and inconstancy as you toast him and his furry comradesinside their exploding base, which was defended by a mix of Kilrathi Dralthiand BW fighters. Admiral Tolwyn comes aboard the Lexington, bringingyou reinforcements in the form of the new Dragon fighters, and hepraises you for your destruction of Eisen and Melek and urges you towork closely with Seether, saying 'unimaginable' rewards are availablefor loyal service. Its a bit unclear if he means service to Confed,or to him personally. He cuts short your qualms about flying in unmarkedfighters (the Dragons): clearly you have blown it once again with theprickly Admiral, who tells you to "wise up, Colonel, you only get somany chances to play for the winning team"
Next you fly in the Telamon system, defending the jumppoints fromincoming BW forces as planet FT-957 is dusted with the Gen-Selectweapon. From now on, all your missions will include an offer from BWforces for you to defect, doing so (after killing Seether & any otherwingmen) will go to the losing endgame described below.
You land amidst a scene of chaos and carnage, burning and bodies andwrecked equipment. A harried woman identifying herself as Lt. Sosagreets you. "We could have used your help, Colonel...when it wouldhave made a difference"
"The things I've seen..." you reply, "I have to stop those bastards!They don't care who they kill!"
"It's too late," Sosa replies, "We just sent out our surrender.There's no-one left to fight for."
There is a brief trial scene. You are shown nobly defending thevalues of freedom and the strength of the human spirit from the stand, vowingto "fight on until simple decency and the true honor of the warriorprevail." The final scene shows your corpse, entangled in barbedwire, dusty swirls of wind tugging at your hair as bored guards are hearddiscussing your fate, only their jackboots and the muzzles of theirrifles visible. "Another worthless mutt trying to break out...savesus the trouble of feeding his useless mouth." "A flyer from the looks ofthose clothes." "Die in the sky, die in the dirt," the first guardreplies, "the weak have to be taught their place sooner or later."
However, its still possible to win on this path. Tolwyn arrives withthe Vesuvius, announcing that the main BW fleet has been run toground, and you will lead the assault on Vice-Admiral Wilford's "pathetic"force of criminal insurgents. Its clear though that the Admiral favorsSeether over you, and you understand that Seether's job is to see thatyou carry out Tolwyn's orders to the letter. First you must open ajumppoint, destroying 3 cap ships and some 24 fighters in 6 waves.The next mission sees you through into Circe for the climactic battle,destroying the assembled BW cruisers and carriers: you fly with aloadout including two flashpaks. Afterwards, Seether orders you todestroy two fleeing transports, one of which has Sosa pleading formercy over the comm, the other transport has Pliers cursing and revilingyou. "Heart of the Tiger," he sneers, "at least the damn Pussys bothered toeat what they killed" Maniac goes crazy and begins firing wildly atall around him, shouting incoherently about murderers, and Seetherquickly flames his ship, then deliberately blasts Maniac's escape pod,laughing and telling you he'll do the same to you if you don't followhis orders. Its possible to fight Seether at this point, and evenkill him, but endless waves of fighters launch from the Vesuvius until youdie, or eject, in which case you get an abbreviated version of thelosing scenes. Should you go ahead and destroy the refugeetransports, however, you go to this path's winning ending.
A guard is reporting to you, "Commandant Blair, Re-education Camp 34detainee Transport reporting as ordered, sir. 200 prisoners died intransit, 75 prisoners are too sick to work and require "special"treatment." "Acknowledged" you reply, signing off on a profferedform. You watch the two files of dejected, slumping prisoners in torn andfilthy clothing slowly shuffle through the gates of your camp. Yousee some faces...is that Rollins? Could that woman with the hacking coughbe Rachel? Fadeout.
Oh well. At least it beats blowing up planets-full of sentientbeings.
Copyright 1996, Craig A. Lambert
All Rights reserved, revered and redundant
