"Wing Commander" is TM and copyright Origin Systems, Inc., Digital Anvil,
and 20th Century Fox.
"Counterstrike" is in no way affiliated with Origin, Digital Anvil, or
20th Century Fox.

Note: This is not official Wing Commander material. This story takes
place shortly after Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger. Most of the
characters aren't my idea, but the storyline is my idea. I hope everyone
enjoys it.	

	Prologue: For about five years, the Society of Mandarins have been
making attacks against Confederation Forces. They sympathized with the
Kilrathi during the Terrran-Kilrathi war. After the war was over, the
Society of Mandarins have been angry with the Confederation for the
destruction of Kilrah. There has been much political unrest for the past
six months. Now the Galaxy's greatest hero has been called out of
retirement to return to fight off a new threat, the Mandarins, also known
as the Black squadron. What he doesn't know is that he will meet an old
enemy . . .  

	Colonel Christopher "Maverick" Blair was called into the briefing room
by Captain Eisen. His face betrayed a grim look.
	"Colonel, I have some bad news for you, I'm afraid. Today, the
Confederation has officially declared war. As you know, they have been
causing trouble for us ever since we signed the peace treaty with the
Kilrathi. However, Prince Thrakkath, who has caused you and the rest of
the Confederation so much trouble, has allied himself with the
Mandarins."
	"I thought he was dead!" Blair said in shock.
	"So did we, however, he survived and some of his loyal wingmen have
joined him. As you can see, this is a very dangerous alliance, and that's
why the Confederation has called you back. You are our best hope of
defeating this Kilrathi-Mandarin alliance. The Black Squadron, as they
call themselves, has recently attacked Loki V. Intelligence believes that
they are heading for the Blackmane system. Just one hour ago, we arrived
at the Blackmane System. Colonel, you're going to fly a patrol with
Nightshade. Report any enemy presence in this system. Give it your best,
Colonel."
	Blair saluted, and went to the Loadout Terminal. He was worried about
this whole situation. 
	"How many will die? How long will this war last? Another 40 years?"
	He pushed his thoughts aside and finished his loadout terminal, then
turned to Nightshade. Catherine "Nightshade" Deveraux was finishing her
loadout, then turned silently to the flight deck and strode down the
stairs. She reminded Blair so much of Angel. She was a Colonel who Blair
used to fly with. Angel was killed during a special operation during the
Kilrathi war. He never forgave himself for not being able to protect her.
Blair sighed and walked down the stairs to his Arrow fighter, ready and
waiting. He wondered if he would survive this war as he climbed into the
cockpit. After they had launched, Blair radioed,
	"Keep a look out for any enemy presence. If you do spot something, shoot
it down, do not wait for my order."
	"Acknowledged," Nightshade radioed back.
	After they reached Nav point two, the enemy began to attack them. Blair
immediately started opening fire, toasting a Mandarin fighter. He dropped
behind another Mandarin and fired directly into his engine. The fighter
dipped, then a violent explosion ripped through it. That was the only
opposition they faced as they completed their patrol, so they went home.
As Blair landed, he noticed an Arrow fighter in the bay, scarred from
battle with a hole in the Duraglass. As soon as he landed, he pulled up
the hood. In the craft was a rookie pilot, a blast from a Neutron gun had
been put through the Duraglass and went through his heart cleanly. It had
happened so quickly that his eyes were still open, staring blankly ahead.
He pulled the lifeless body forward. The seat was covered with blood.
Blair let the body slump. He noticed another blast had burned a hole in
his flight suit and torn the body that was inside it. The first terran
casualty was right here and the war was just beginning. Blair was shaken
by the sight and he quickly informed the physician about it. The
physician dispatched a team to retrieve the corpse. Blair went up to the
Pilot's lounge and sat down next to Vagabond and Vaquero. 
	"Colonel, you look like you've seen a ghost!" 
	"Maybe I have, Vagabond. I just saw our first casualty out there on the
flight deck. The kid didn't have a chance."
	"Yeah, well, I've heard that Confed just lost a carrier with 148 people
on it."
	Blair sighed deeply, "I can't believe we are fighting in another war. I
have a feeling it's going to be a bloody one. I hope the reinforcements
arrive soon, otherwise we won't have a chance." He turned to Vaquero, 
	"Vaquero, I thought you'd be opening your cantina by now."
	"I opened it, but I didn't have enough money to put stuff in it, so I'm
back here," Vaquero replied.
	"What did you plan to have in it?"
	"You know me, sir." His face contorted just a hair, "I'll have that in
my cantina, too."
	The three laughed as the intercom interrupted their conversation. 
	"Colonel Blair and Colonel Deveraux, please report to the briefing
room."
	"Excuse me, gentlemen."
	Blair and Nightshade got up and took the nearest lift down to the Flight
level.
	"Ah, Colonel, let's put your combat skills to the test. Those fighters
you encountered had to come from somewhere, all we want you to do is find
the carrier. It could be at any of these five Nav points. You may engage
the carrier and fighters at your discretion. Good luck and dismissed,"
Eisen said.
	Blair saluted as he walked out the door. He approached the loadout
terminal and selected the Arrow fighter again, this time with all IR
missiles. This was going to be no easy task. Blair went down to the
Flight deck, where Nightshade was waiting for him.
	"Ready?" Blair asked.
	"You bet!" she replied.
	They both jumped into their fighters and launched. The carrier was at
Nav 4. Asteroid fighters were giving cover of the carrier. 
	"Well, it doesn't look like they were unprepared." Blair thought as he
gunned the engine.
	Blair dodged the turbo-lasers and launched an attack of his own on the
asteroid fighter. Nightshade quickly lent some assistance and together
they destroyed the rock fighter. Blair rolled out and fired at the engine
core of another fighter. The fighter violently exploded from the breech
in the core. Blair decided not to engage the carrier until he had a
better fighter. He finished with the Nav points and landed on the
Victory. Another fighter was in the bay, a Thunderbolt VII. He opened the
hatch and made a chilling discovery. A pair of hollow eyes were staring
back at him, his flight suit was saturated in blood. Blood covered the
console. He continued to examine the corpse. There was no blast wound,
instead there was a knife in his back. Blood covered the back of the
seat. It was quite obvious to Blair what was happening now. This was no
accident, this was murder. This was betrayal. He pulled out his radio.
	"Captain Eisen, I've just found another rookie dead, what do you want me
to do?"
	"Continue to examine him until the physician gets there. Report anything
you find to him."
	Blair shut down the radio and continued to examine the corpse. He found
another knife wound, this one in the stomach. The knife had punctured his
lungs. Blair hoped he died quickly. Finally, the physician arrived. After
examining the corpse, he approached Blair and Eisen, who had just come up
down from the flight level. 
	"All right, here is what I can gather. The rookie was stabbed in the
lungs first. He began to choke on and cough up his own blood. The
assassin then stabbed him in the back, penetrating the heart killing him.
He or she was a professional, a very good assassin." 
	The question hit Blair, "Who was the traitor?"

	Captain Eisen assembled the whole crew into the briefing room the next
morning.
	"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a traitor on board. Two rookies were
found dead yesterday, and whoever did it was a professional. That's all
we know, so be on your guard. If any of you notice anything suspicious,
report it to me immediately. Thank you for your time, you are dismissed."
	The crowd broke up as Blair found Nightshade and went to the Pilot's
lounge. 
"You doing OK?" she asked.
	"Not bad for a guy who's been shot at for 15 years. How are you doing?"
	"I'm a little spooked by having a traitor on board, but other than that
I'm fine. I'd better get ready for our next mission, taking down that
carrier. I'll see you in the briefing room." She walked off to the lift. 
	Blair got up and went to his quarters. After an hour of studying the
preliminary specs on the Kilrathi carrier, First Claw, he went to the
Briefing room for final instructions on the mission. 
"Well, Colonel, the mission is simple, take out the carrier. You know
where all the turbo-laser turrents are located and it's weak points. We
have no further data. Good luck, Colonel."
	Blair saluted and went to the loadout terminal. He decided to go with
the Exacalibur fighter. He changed the missile loadout, though. Half IR
and half Javelin. He and Nightshade jumped into their fighters and
launched into battle. They pulled around and approached the craft from
the rear. "Stay here, I'm going to take a dangerous approach. If it
works, It will destroy the carrier easily, but if it doesn't I could be
killed." Blair radioed.
	"Be careful, Chris." Nightshade radioed back.
He quickly began his approach, locking and firing missiles on the inside
of the carrier. Finally, the metal gave way, and Blair gunned the engine.
Not a second after he pulled out of there, the carrier ripped apart.
	"Nightshade, we make a great team. Let's pack our bags and get the heck
out of here." Blair radioed to Nightshade.
	"Thanks for the compliment," She radioed back. 
	"One carrier, extra crispy," Blair radioed to the Victory as he arrived.
	"Bring it on home, Blair," Lieutenant Rollins said.
	Blair landed in the fighter bay and noticed another fighter, its hood
up. Blair landed the craft quickly and ran up to the fighter. A rookie
weakly climbed out of the cockpit, his hands covered in blood. As he
walked to Blair, a trail of blood followed him out. His lung was clearly
visible as it had been punctured by an honor blade.
	"Colonel," he said weakly, "I know who the traitor is. It's  . . . "
	His reply was cut off by a sidearm blast ripping into his chest. His
eyes went wide with pain, and he collapsed. Blair checked his pulse.
Dead, just like the rest. His corpse and the floor were covered in blood.
His heart was definitely punctured with that blast. Another sidearm was
fired, this one directed at him. Blair rolled out of the way as he heard
another sidearm blast go off. As he got to his feet he heard Nightshade
scream in pain. He turned and looked and saw the blast rip through her
stomach. The force of the blast threw her into the wall, knocking her
unconscious. He pulled out his radio.
	"Medical Emergency!" he yelled into the radio.
	Blair knelt down and checked her pulse. She was alive, but barely. A
pool of her blood was on the floor. He jumped up and went after the
hooded figure. He drew his sidearm and fired. The projectile missed
narrowly. He reholstered his sidearm and ran full speed up the steps and
through the corridor. Blair lunged at the assailant, tackling him at the
knees. Both scrambled to their feet. The assailant threw a punch, but
Blair blocked it and threw him head first into the wall. He hit him hard
in the stomach with a fist, then effortlessly picked him up and threw him
bodily into a stack of empty metal containers. The assailant got up
slowly and charged Blair again. Blair leveled him with a roundhouse kick
to the head, knocking him out. Blair knelt down and removed the hood. Who
Blair thought was a he, was actually a she. It was Flint! The lieutenant
was coming to just as security arrived and detained her. She tried to
draw her sidearm, but it was promptly knocked away by Blair. She
attempted to resist the guards, but Blair drew his sidearm and leveled it
at her. 
	"I wouldn't do that, Flint. You're in enough trouble already."
	"You would have been next, Blair! You shouldn't have stopped me when I
went after those Kilrathi without clearance. I went after them because my
youngest brother was out there and I wanted to protect him. He was shot
down and captured by the Kilrathi. After that I swore I'd get even with
you."
	"Take her to the brig," Blair said as he holstered his sidearm.
	He quickly ran down to the flight level. Medical help had still not
arrived. Blair picked up Nightshade.
	"I lost Angel, but I'm not losing you!"
	He took her to the infirmary, and laid her on the bio bed. The physician
immediately set to work on mending her wounds. Blair was needed for
another mission. He heard something on his radio. 
	"Attention, everyone. Flint has just been transported off the Victory!
Colonel Blair, report to the briefing room immediately."
	Blair quickly strode up the steps and into the briefing room.
	"Colonel, we have a major situation developing. Flint has just joined
the Kilrathi-Mandarin alliance. You've got to make an attack on the
strike force. I need you to scramble everybody."
	"Consider them nailed, sir." Blair said as he saluted and walked out the
door.
	He jumped into his Excalibur and charged the force head on. He threw
everything he had at them. Finally, after 3 hours of hard fighting, the
Kilrathi force was repelled. He turned around and landed on the Victory.
The whole crew stood up and cheered once they had heard the news. As
Blair landed, he could see through the glass that the whole crew was
cheering for him. They knew what a hard job it was to fight off 3
Super-carriers and a 20 full fighter wings. They had done it, but not
without loss. Seven pilots were killed in the scramble launch. Blair
retired to his quarters. He established an intraship link with the
Physician.
	"How is Cathrine, Doc?"
	"She is stable, but it will take a week before she is ready to do
anything. There is a possibility she will never fly again. There is no
guarentee whether she will even make it. She very well could die
tomorrow." The physician said.
	"Thank you, Doctor. Blair out." He shut down the channel.
	Blair pounded his fist on the console. He had watched his best friend,
Angel, die at the hands of Prince Thrakkath. His mind went back to that
fateful day. The Behemoth, destroyed. Angel, killed personally by Prince
Thrakkath with his Kilrathi claws. He was going to do everything he could
to save Catherine's life. He wasn't going to let her die like Angel. He
went to bed, it had been a long day. The next morning he awoke, put on
his flight suit and carried his helmet to the Briefing room. 
	"Colonel, Janet 'Spirit' Corolis is here, and I assume you two know each
other?"
	"Yes, Captain, she and I go way back. She tried to kill me in the
academy, and we've been enemies ever since."
	"Well, you and I live by the same rules. The only good Mandarin is a
dead Mandarin, and never trust a teacher, as the old academy joke goes." 
	Blair smiled, "You forgot one. Never trust your enemy, in this case a
skilled pilot and an English teacher."
	Eisen smiled, "Yes, I understand where your coming from. Betrayal was
very common when I was in the Academy. For some reason it was always the
English teachers who were the traitors. I don't have a very high opinion
of them."
	"I don't blame you. This one has been on my back for 15 years. Oh, well,
English teachers make natural enemies," Blair said half jokingly.
	"Well, onto the briefing. Your friend seems to want to destroy the
Victory, so you're going to defend her. I'm only going to give you one
piece of advice: Take the idiot down, eh?"
	Blair grinned, "With pleasure, sir." He saluted and went to the loadout
terminal. 
	Seeing that everything was correct, he went down and boarded his
Excalibur. He flew a Diamond patrol, then prepared himself for battle. He
locked a missle and fired at the Mandarin that had caused him much
trouble. "You're going home in a box!" Blair shouted into the radio. "So,
the pilot wants to play, eh? You've messed with the best, now die like
the rest!" She flipped around and fired her Tachon guns into the shields.
Blair moved before she could make a third hit. He fired a volley of his
own. "Well, you're better than I remember, Maverick." She said as she
tried to make another hit. He locked a missile and fired, blowing up the
craft. She ejected and a Kilrathi picked her up. 
	"So much for English teachers wanting to help anybody. They want to kill
you." Blair mused to himself.
	Blair pounded his console in frustration and landed his craft. The
entire crew was cheering for him. Captain Eisen clapped him on the back.
	"Well done, Colonel! You've earned your pay!"
	"Thank you, Captain." Blair said as he walked to the infirmiry. 
	"How is Cathrine, Doc?"
	"She's going to be OK, Colonel."
	"That's good news. Do you think she'll be able to fly?"
	"Yes, in about a week. Although she'll have to take it easy for a bit."
	"I understand."

One week later . . . 
	Nightshade entered the pilot's lounge in uniform.
	"Well, well, look what the solar winds blew in. How are you?"
	"I'm OK, Chris, although being on a bed for a week didn't improve my
mood any. Has Flint been captured yet?"
	"Unfortunately, no. She's around here somewhere. I just wish I knew
where. I'd hunt her down and kill her myself."
	"Yeah, well, I'm glad we got rid of the traitor. I heard you had a
run-in with 'Spirit.'
	"Yes, I did. I shot her down again, although I couldn't capture her. I
swear I'm going to die before she does."
	Nightshade laughed. "You'll get her eventually. Anyway, I've got a
patrol to run. See you later." Nightshade said and left the room. Blair
got up and went to his locker to get his flight suit and helmet. Then he
went to the briefing room.
	"Colonel, we've got a problem. Black Squadron is heading straight for
us. We're packing our bags and getting the heck out of here. What I need
you and Nightshade to do is to cover the Victory. I hate long goodbyes,
so keep the enemy off of our backs, eh? Dismissed."
	Blair saluted and went to the loadout terminal. He selected a
Thunderbolt VII, with one "Ship killer" torpedo. He and Nightshade walked
down the stairs and got in their fighters. Blair afterburned out of the
landing bay. A light flashed on his comm panel.
	"Colonel, new orders just arrived from Confed. Jump into the next system
and tell me what you can find there. Good luck, Vaquero will take over
the Ship defense mission." The comm screen shut off.
	"You heard him, Nightshade. Let's go." Blair radioed.
	"You got it, Colonel." she radioed back as she set a course for the
adjacent system.
	Blair set his engine and jumped into the next system. A few seconds
later, his systems came back on line. The jump engine was never fully
compatible with the Thunderbolts. Blair analyzed the situation and made
his decision. 
	"Nightshade, return to the Victory. Something doesn't seem right and I'm
going to check it out by myself."
	"Be careful out there, Chris." she said as she jumped back to the
Victory.
	He spotted a capital ship just arriving from the next sector. He quickly
afterburned toward it. According to Confed intelligence, the Mandarins
had developed a new type of carrier. Blair figured that he should land
his craft and find out about it first hand. He pulled his craft into the
landing bay and pulled out his sidearm. He ducked behind a stack of fuel
containers. It was time to make his presence known. He drew his sidearm
and fired once, hitting the guard. The guard was thrown to the ground.
The other guard took notice and fired at the fuel containers. Blair was
able to outrun the explosion. He rolled to his feet and shot the guard in
the head. Blair went down a corridor, sidearm ready. He saw two guards.
He took aim and squeezed the trigger. The guard's eyes shot open and he
collapsed to the floor in a heap. The second guard who took pride in his
marksmanship, fired twice. Blair was hit by both shots and he heard a
third go off. He placed his hand where the wound was. It came back
covered in blood. There was a deafening explosion 50 feet away. Blair was
thrown into the air and hit the ground hard. Before he slipped into
unconsciousness, he wondered if he would survive. Blair closed his eyes
for the last time  . . . 
	
	"Where is the Colonel?" Eisen thought to himself. 
	Nightshade stepped onto the bridge.
	"Any sign of Chris?" Nightshade asked.
	"None."
	"It seems like the Kilrathi war all over again, except this time, Chris
has been captured." 
	The silence to the bridge was interrupted by static, finally the image
cleared.
	"Greetings, Terrans." The commander said.
	"Who are you?" Captain Eisen demanded.
	"Who I am is not important, what information I bring is." She grinned
devilishly.
	A video Comm started, apparently it was taped. Colonel Blair was in the
Kilrathi throne room.
	"We're not going to stop, we're never going to give up." Blair said.
	"Your defiance has earned you this . . .  " Prince Thrakkath said.
	He stepped forward and stabbed Blair with his claws. Thrakkath lifted
him into the air, then let him drop to the ground in a pool of blood.
Blair wasn't moving, he was dead. The video ended.
	"You wouldn't face him! You took the coward's way out!" Eisen shouted.
	"Please, Captain, save your strength. Our ship will be over there in a
matter of one hour. You may surrender when I arrive." The communication
ended.
	Nightshade was visibly shaken by the communication. Captain Eisen turned
to her.
	"Colonel Deveraux, I am placing you in command of the flight group. It
seems these people want a war. If it's a war they want, then we are jolly
well going to give it to them." Eisen said. 
	He turned and left the bridge, leaving Nightshade alone on the bridge.
She had always wanted command of a flight group, but this is not how she
wanted to obtain it. Nightshade was still shaken up over the images, but
now she put them into the back of her mind. It was time for battle. She
grabbed her helmet and flight suit. Captain Eisen was scrambling
everybody in response to this threat. She went to the loadout terminal to
key in what she wanted. She was going to fly an Excalibur with IR
missiles. Nightshade took the steps down to the flight deck and put on
her helmet. The battle started immediately. Brave men dropped like flies
as they attacked the First claw. Nightshade had never seen so much
bloodshed, not even when she was in the Kilrathi war. The First claw
turned around and hit the jump point. What was left of the fighter
squadron returned to the flight bay, but Nightshade made the jump to the
next system. She had made adequate preparations for hand to hand combat.
She had packed five charges and a sidearm. Nightshade was going in, and
she was going to destroy the First claw or die trying. She landed her
craft in the launch bay. She jumped out, drew her sidearm and rushed the
guards. She caught one with a punch and another with a blast from her
sidearm. Nightshade entered a dark room. As soon as the doors had closed,
she flipped on the light switch. She saw a pilot in his flight suit lying
on the floor, four puncture wounds in his back. She rolled him over. It
was Blair! Two hollow eyes stared back at her. Prince Thrakkath had
evidently stabbed him and his claws went through his stomach and came out
his back. It was a ghastly sight. The Heart of the Tiger was lying here,
dead. Now she had no choice but to believe he was dead. She mustered her
strength and charged out the door. She headed onto the Bridge. Twenty
mandarin guards were waiting for her. She knew there was no way to win so
she dropped her weapons. Suddenly, the room was filled with intense blue
lighting. A child's voice started to talk. It was inaudible at first but
it was quickly picking up intensity.
	"Against an army, stands a dark warrior," The voice said.
	A dark figure descended from the ceiling. The guards were very surprised
when he landed. He had a black suit and flight helmet. He also had a
sidearm and spiked leather gloves. The dark warrior took advantage of the
situation, giving a lethal chop to a guard's throat. He spun and kicked
another in the gut, and killed him with a punch to the skull. He threw a
back kick, sending another sprawling to the floor. He measured a Mandarin
guard and punched him in the stomach. The man crumpled, falling to the
floor, his hands covered in blood from where he had tried to cover the
wound. The figure drew his sidearm and fired at another guard. The blast
ripped into another guard, piercing his heart. The floor was now covered
in blood and bleeding, dead corpses. Another dark figure descended to the
ground. This one was a woman and she too had spiked gloves. She took aim
and began leveling guards, taking one and smashing his head with her
spiked gloves. Nightshade began to take advantage of the situation,
leveling guards with her fists. The dark warrior threw a hard punch at
another Mandarin. The spikes hit him and he was bleeding badly. He lifted
him up bodily and threw him into the wall. The wall now had streaks of
blood on it. After 20 minutes worth of fighting, the 20 guards were dead.
The dark woman pulled off her flight helmet.
	"Angel! I thought you were killed by Thrakkath." Nightshade exclaimed,
more than a little surprised.
	"No, that tape was faked. C'mon, let's get out of here." 
	Angel ran down a corridor and jumped into her fighter. The top brass on
board the ship had evacuated already. Angel and Nightshade took aim and
fired at the Capital ship. After a few volleys, the capital ship
imploded. Nightshade averted her gaze from the screen. Blair didn't make
it. She pulled away from the wreckage and jumped back to the Victory. Out
of the implosion, a Confederation craft pulled away and followed
Nightshade into the jump. Once on the other side, he sent this ominous
message:
	"Black knight."
	"What could that mean?" Angel asked herself.
	She requested communications with this pilot, but none were granted.
Finally, another craft entered the area, this one of Mandarin origin.
Angel and the ominous figure pulled around. Angel opened fire and knocked
down the shielding, but it wasn't enough to stop Spirit from launching a
missile and destroying the ominous figure's craft. After Spirit had
launched the missile, she pulled away. A pilot launched from the Victory.
	"Time to fly the stick with a little 'tude." Maniac radioed as he
pursued Spirit.
	 She wasn't able to shake Maniac until she got to the jump point. Maniac
pulled a full 180 and returned to guard the pickup operation with Angel
and Nightshade.
	"That teacher wasn't able to handle the Maniac magic. Heck, she probably
was just some loudmouth who couldn't fly. Another victim of the Maniac."
Maniac said.
	He was cocky, but there was no denying his skill.
	"Wrong, Maniac, she was a top brass pilot, one of the most elite." Angel
said.
	"Didn't look like it. She couldn't handle the Maniac moves."
	"All right, Ace, cover me while I retrieve this pilot manually."
Catherine said.
	She opened her hatch and pulled the pilot in. Nightshade removed the
black helmet.
	"It's Chris!" She radioed, unable to hide the happiness in her voice.
	"Let's get these tin cans home," Maniac radioed. 
	All three landed in the bay. Angel placed Blair on an antigrav unit.
Blair instantly awoke and got off of it. Captain Eisen ran out and
greeted Blair.
	"Colonel! You're just the man I wanted to see."
	"Let me guess, the tape?"
	"Yeah. Good news, Colonel, we've just received word that the Mandarins
have surrendered!"
	"That is good news, Captain."
	The four left the flight deck and went to the pilot's lounge. The
celebration lasted long into the night. The next morning, Blair was
contacted by Admiral Tolywin.
	"Colonel, congratulations on your fine victory. I am offering you a
promotion to Admiral."
	"No, thank you, sir. This is where I belong, in the cockpit, not behind
a desk. This is where I do my best work. Anything less would be a waste
of your time as well as mine."
	"Please, Colonel, consider what you're turning down."
	"I'm a pilot, not a diplomat. The only way I do my talking is through a
Tachon cannon."
	"I see that you are going to be immovable on this. I'm not going to
force this on you, so I'm going to leave you alone. Tolywin out."
	Maniac walked in the room.
	"Admiral Tolywin offered you a promotion, huh? You get lucky once on
ending the war, and they make you an Admiral for it?" Maniac said, a
little annoyed.
	"Maniac, I didn't get lucky. I flew with a level head." Blair said
simply.
	"Hey, some people, like myself like to push the envelope." Maniac said,
with a touch of arrogance.
	"The only envelope I see you pushing around is the one addressed to
common sense." Blair said levelly.
	"I still say you got lucky. Me, I like to fly the stick with a little
style."
	"I'm surprised you haven't been shot out of the sky right now . . . by
friendly fire!" Blair said, jokingly.
	"Very funny, old-timer," Maniac said as he left the room.
	Blair sat back in his chair. He was glad he turned that promotion.
Catherine entered the room.
	"Well, Colonel, you did well. You brought an end to the war. I'm glad
that I was wrong."
	"Wrong? About what?"
	"Well, I thought you were dead, especially after I saw you get clawed by
Thrakkath."
	"Yeah, well, I feel very silly about Angel."
	"Really, what did you do?"
	"I decked Paladin after he told me the news. The reason? I asked him on
Vesipus about her and he told me a lie. He knew before that she was
killed."
	"Where was Angel, anyway?" Nightshade asked.
	"In a Kilrathi prison camp. She was lucky enough to escape after the war
was over. Angel was captured by the Mandarins and was facing execution. I
was able to pull her out of there. Still, I feel a bit guilty."
	"Yes, well, I'll leave you alone now."
Blair stared out the window, thinking and wondering what was going to
happen next. . . 

   	Credit, where credit is due!
Author: John Brunson
Small Background on the author: Me? I'm just a 15-year old guy who likes
Wing Commander. I really wanted to write a story on it. Finally, it's
happening. If even one person reads this and enjoys it, I'll be happy.
Thanks for taking the time to download it. Hope you liked it. If you want
to E-mail comments, mail them to me at Enterprise-E2@Juno.com
Special Thanks to:
Chris Roberts, for having the guts to make Wing Commander, and for having
the guts to make a feature film for Wing Commander.
Mrs. Waxenfelter, for giving me a hand with the editing job and for just
plain putting up with my writing. Really, it does help me a lot. I can't
critique my own material. Glad to have you help out with it. I don't know
what else to say but thanks for everything. You have helped me out with
this project more than you'll ever know.

___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]