compiled by Underdogs from original CD documentation for Home of the Underdogs,

http://www.theunderdogs.org/

INSTALL GUIDE, PLAYGUIDE

AND REFERENCE CARD

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copy Protection Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . 2

Install and Additional Reference Guide . . . . . . . 3-18

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
On-Line Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Quick Install. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Optimizing Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
ORIGIN Product Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Additions and Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15
Gauntlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Tactical Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Playguide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-63
Detailed Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Starting the Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
Game Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24
Camera Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25
Wildcat Base. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-31
Cockpit instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-39
Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-41
How to Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43
Air Combat Tactics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-49
Practice Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50-52
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53-62
Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Reference Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, Back Cover

Strike Commander Copy Protection Questions and Answers
0. What is the name of the tower (Turm) in the Beyoglu section of Istanbul (p. 23)?
Galata
1. What is the last name of the author of “Sell and Scramble” (p. 12)?
Duhm
2. What is the last name of the Senior Writer (Serien, Ecrivian) (p. 1)?
Austin
3. What is the last name of the man interviewed on page 36?
Prideaux
4. Who wrote the first letter to the editor in this issue of “Sudden Death” (p. 4)?
Beto
5. What squadron was destroyed when it attacked Clairborne Aerospace (p. 25)?
Claws
6. In what province did Janet “Vixen” Page grow up (p. 9)?
Quebec
7. In 2002, what country owned over 20% of the CIS (CEI, GUS) (p. 42)?
Japan
8. What company issues the Gold Card (carte Gold) (p. 17)?
Maxima
9. What high school (lycee) did Tex attend in Amarillo (p. 10)?
Jackson
10. What company advertises blasting material on page 11?
Concorde
11. Who do the Wildcats find at 1113 hours (p. 20)?
Guillaume
12. What is the first word in the title of the game advertised on page 38?
Strike
13. What former state of the U. S. advertises on page 44?
Hawaii
14. What is the first name of the man who wrote the Wildcat article on page 6?
Virgil
15. In 2001, what state was the first to secede from the U. S. (p. 41)?
Texas
16. In 2005, who is president (p. 42)?
Guerrero
17. What is the last book listed in the Bibliography (at the middle of the manual)?
Wings
18. What is the first word (besides Strike Commander) in the Option Screen pictured on page
48?
Configuration
19. What is the last weapon described in the Reference section (p. 81; Fr. p. 82; Gr. p. 85)?
Durandal

2
STRIKE COMMANDER CD
INSTALL AND ADDITIONAL
REFERENCE GUIDE
See p.18 for Contents.

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Strike Commander on CD. This guide tells you how to install your new game.
If you have any difficulties, see Troubleshooting (pp. 10-13). To avoid compatibility or
memory problems, please take a moment to make sure that your system meets the
system requirements.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Computer. This game calls for an Intel486 or 100% compatible system.
Video Card. IBM VGA or compatible video card.
Free RAM. You must have at least 640K of base RAM (memory) to play Strike
Commander. Of that 640K, at least 557K (571,000 bytes) of base memory must be
available at the DOS prompt to run the minimum game configuration. You must also
have at least 2700K (2,765,000 bytes) high memory:
If your CONFIG.SYS contains an EMS driver, you must have 2700K (2,765,000
bytes) of EMS memory available.
If your CONFIG.SYS does not have an EMS driver, you must have 2700K
(2,765,000 bytes) of XMS memory available.
Strike Commander won’t run with less than that. See Memory Requirements (p. 6) for
more information.
Hard Disk. You must have a minimum of 2 megabytes free on your hard disk to install
and play Strike Commander CD.
CD-ROM. MS-DOS CD-ROM extensions 2.1 or higher are required; a CD drive with
350ms or faster seek time is recommended.

ON-LINE HELP
Press 1 for on-line help during installation.

Q U I C K I N S TA L L
1. Insert the CD-ROM (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Change to your CD-ROM drive.
3. Type INSTALL.
4. Follow the instructions at each prompt.

3
 I N S TA L L AT I O N
When presented with a menu, press W and Z to move through the list, then press e
to accept the highlighted selection. You may abort the installation process by pressing
q or selecting the ABORT menu option.

1. Insert the CD-ROM (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive. Some drives may
require that you put the disk into a CD caddy before inserting it in the drive.
2. Change to your CD-ROM drive by typing the letter of the drive and a colon, then
pressing e.
3. Type INSTALL.
4. The program prompts you for the letter of the hard drive to which you want your
system configuration data and saved games written. Press the letter on your keyboard
corresponding to a hard disk with adequate space. If you specify an invalid drive, the
program will prompt you again.
5. You are prompted for the sound card you are going to use for music. If you do not
have a sound card, you can select NOTHING. Your choices are:
NOTHING
AD LIB
ROLAND / LAPC-1
GENERAL MIDI
ANY SOUND BLASTER
WAVE BLASTER
PRO AUDIO SPECTRUM
ABORT INSTALLATION

6. You are asked for the sound card to use for digital effects. If you do not have a
sound card, you can select NOTHING. Your choices are:
NOTHING
SOUND BLASTER
SOUND BLASTER PRO
PRO AUDIO SPECTRUM
ABORT INSTALLATION

7. If you select any of the Blaster cards (SOUND BLASTER, WAVE BLASTER, etc.), you are
prompted for the Base I/O and IRQ settings of the card. The install program will initially
highlight the default values for these; if you have changed either your cards I/O or its
IRQ, select the correct value(s) and press e. Note that older Sound Blaster cards
have a default IRQ of 7 (rather than 5). Use W and Z to highlight each appropriate
selection, then press e.
8. You are asked if your system is equipped with a local bus video card. If it is, choose
this option for a slight improvement in performance. (If you do not have a local bus
video card, choosing this option slows performance.)
9. You are given several installation options at this point. You must always install the
primary executable and the current game map, so this is not given as an option. These
basic files take less than 2 megs of hard drive space.

4
In addition, you may copy two more sets of files from the CD to your hard drive.
Generally, the more files you can store on your hard drive, the faster the game will run.
The drawback is that you use more space on your hard drive. Select the installation
method that works best for you. The two sets of additional files, along with how much
space they would occupy on your hard drive and which systems we recommend them for
are:

OPTION HARD DRIVE SPACE OPTIMAL FOR

COPY ADDITIONAL EXECUTABLES 2 MEGS SINGLE SPEED CD DRIVES
COPY TREE 9 MEGS 4 MEGS RAM

Players using double speed CD drives and who have at least 8 megs of RAM might
notice slight improvement in performance by copying these additional files to their hard
drives.

Of course, it is possible to transfer both sets of additional files. This combination

(including basic files) occupies less than 12 megs on your hard drive and is
recommended for players with single speed CD drives and only 4 megs of RAM.

Note: It is possible to transfer all files from the CD to your hard drive, but this is not
given as an option because doing so fills over 150 megs on your hard drive. If that is
really how you want to play the game, install the basic executables using any option
given above. Then go to you CD drive prompt, and type:
XCOPY *.* C:\(Strike directory)

This will take quite a while, and we definitely do not recommend it.
10. The install program copies files to your hard drive.
11. When the installation is complete and you are ready to play, go to the Strike
directory on your hard drive. (If you accepted our default suggestion, this directory is
SC.) Type SCCD to get a menu of games, and select the game you want to play (STRIKE
COMMANDER or TACTICAL OPERATIONS) from this menu.

C H A N G I N G Y O U R C O N F I G U R AT I O N
If you ever add a sound card or change from one card to another, simply re-run the
installation program from your hard drive. (You would re-run the install program from
the CD only if you were totally replacing the game.)

R E - I N S TA L L I N G
Should you find it necessary to re-install Strike Commander, we recommend that you
first delete all the files in the Strike Commander directory except any files with the .SAV
or .TO1 extensions (these are your Strike Commander and Tactical Operations saved
games, respectively). The install process will not write over them.

5
 OPTIMIZING YOUR SYSTEM

MEMORY REQUIREMENTS
We have tried to minimize the amount of time you spend configuring the memory in
your system, but Strike Commander is the most memory-intensive game in ORIGIN’s
history, and adjustments to your memory configuration may be needed.

There are three types of RAM referred to in this manual: DOS (conventional base
RAM), extended and expanded. Strike Commander has specific minimum requirements
for each of these types of memory. If you are unsure about these different types of
memory, consult your DOS manual.

To find out how much DOS, extended and expanded memory your computer has
available, type MEM at the DOS prompt. When the memory information is printed on the
screen, look for the following listings:
LARGEST EXECUTABLE PROGRAM SIZE
LARGEST AVAILABLE UPPER MEMORY BLOCK
TOTAL EXTENDED OR XMS
BYTES FREE OF XMS
BYTES AVAILABLE XMS
BYTES FREE OF EMS
FREE EXPANDED (EMS)

The Largest Executable Program Size should be at least 557K. (Actually, it can be as
small as 527K, if the Largest Available Upper Memory Block is at least 30K.)

You will have only one of the last five listings — Total Extended or XMS / Bytes Free
of XMS / Bytes available XMS / Bytes Free of EMS / Free Expanded (EMS) —
partially depending on whether or not you have an EMS driver. Regardless of which
listing you have, it should show at least 2700K available.

If you are experiencing problems installing or running Strike Commander, it might help
to create a separate boot disk or decrease the number of memory-resident programs
(TSRs) you have loaded with the suggested configurations listed below.

Do not delete your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files completely, or alter

them on your hard drive — without them, your computer will not function.

6
C R E AT I N G A B O O T D I S K
Before you proceed, you should print out the contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files. If you do not have a printer, copy the contents by hand or make
backups of the files that you can look at later. To print, at the DOS prompt, type:
TYPE CONFIG.SYS

Use G to generate a printout of this startup file. Next (while still at the DOS
prompt), type:
TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT

Use G to generate a printout of this startup file, also.

To create a separate boot disk:
1. Insert a blank high density disk in your A: drive. From the DOS C: prompt, type:
FORMAT A: /S e

2. When the DOS prompt returns and the format is complete, type:
EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS e

When the new screen appears, type the commands shown below. This configuration is
generic and may require additional drivers. Consult your CD-ROM manual for more
information.

CONFIG.SYS using EMM386.EXE (EMS with DOS 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, Windows 3.1)
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 3072 RAM FRAME=E000 /I=B000-B7FF
Use the previous line only for 4-meg systems.
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 7168 RAM FRAME=E000 /I=B000-B7FF
Use the previous line only for 8-meg (or larger) systems.
Do not include NOEMS in either of the two previous lines.
DOS=UMB
DOS=HIGH
FILES=25
BUFFERS=25
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P
DEVICEHIGH=C:\(drivers)
Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your
original hard drive CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
You may need to adjust the path in the previous line, depending on the location of
your mouse driver.
DEVICE=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE
Include the previous line only if you are using DoubleSpace with DOS 6.0 or 6.2.

Exit and save this file by typing:

aF
X
Y

If you are running under EMM386, you can load other device drivers into high memory
with the DEVICEHIGH command.

7
 CONFIG.SYS using QEMM 6.0, 6.02 or 7.0 (EMS)
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM
DOS=HIGH
FILES=25
BUFFERS=25
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE
Include the previous line only if you are using DoubleSpace with DOS 6.0 or 6.2.
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\(drivers)
Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your
original hard drive CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
You may need to adjust the path in the previous line, depending on the location of
your mouse driver.
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /D

Exit and save this file by typing:

aF
X
Y

If you are using QEMM, you can also use the Optimize program to optimize your system
setup. See your QEMM documentation for more information.

CONFIG.SYS using HIMEM.SYS (XMS with DOS 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, Windows 3.1)
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH
FILES=25
BUFFERS=25
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P
DEVICE=C:\(drivers)
Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your
original hard drive CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
You may need to adjust the path in the previous line, depending on the location of
your mouse driver.

Exit and save this file by typing:

aF
X
Y

Note that an XMS boot disk needs only 527K base RAM free to run Strike Commander
CD, rather than 557K. However, if you’re using DoubleSpace, you may not be able to
free enough base RAM to play. Note that the XMS CONFIG.SYS we recommend does
not use DoubleSpace.

AUTOEXEC.BAT
You will also need an AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your boot disk. To create one, type:
EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT e

8
When the new screen appears, type:
PROMPT $P$G
PATH=C:\DOS
C:
C:\(path)\MSCDEX.EXE (all parameters from the original AUTOEXEC.BAT)
If you do not have 557 base RAM free, try changing /M:## to /M:5 in the
previous line.
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM
Your mouse driver may need to be loaded differently. For example, if it is loaded
in your CONFIG.SYS, do not include this line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. Refer to
the printout of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT to see if it is normally loaded there.

Exit and save this file by typing:

aF
X
Y

Supporting Your Peripherals

You may need to add lines to the basic boot disk CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
for Strike Commander to support certain sound cards, game cards and other hardware.
Consult your documentation for these products.

USING YOUR BOOT DISK

1. Turn your computer off, insert your new boot disk in your A: drive and turn the
computer back on. (If your CD drive is external, turn it on.)
2. Insert the CD-ROM disk (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive. (Some drives
may require that you put the disk into a CD caddy before inserting it in the drive itself.)
3a. If you haven’t yet installed the game, change to your CD-ROM drive by typing its
drive letter followed by a colon (e.g., d:) and pressing e, then continue from Step 3
in Installation (p. 4).
3b. If you’ve already installed the game and you are ready to play, go to the game
directory on your hard drive. (If you accepted our default suggestion, this directory is
SC.) Type SCCD to get a menu of games, and select the game you want to play (STRIKE
COMMANDER or TACTICAL OPERATIONS) from this menu.

CACHING
Strike Commander uses all available memory for its own internal disk caching. Adding
SmartDrive or any other caching utility may actually slow disk access.

I/O AND IRQ

If the install program reports difficulty finding your sound card, check to make sure
you’ve selected the correct I/O and IRQ. Consult your sound card documentation if you
continue to have difficulties.

9
 TROUBLESHOOTING
Occasionally, something will go wrong with the installation process. Common error
messages are given below, along with some solutions.

Online Help. Some of this information is included in the install program’s on-line help
feature, which can be accessed at any point during installation by pressing 1.

M E S S A G E S D U R I N G I N S TA L L AT I O N
The version of DOS on your machine is too old to run Strike Commander.
You need DOS version 5.0 or higher. New versions of DOS can be purchased at almost any
computer dealership. Strike Commander has been fully tested with versions 5.0, 6.0 and 6.2.

The CPU detected on this machine is not compatible with Strike Commander. You
need an 80386 or better to install and play Strike Commander.
Strike Commander requires a computer with an 80386 or better CPU. Older CPUs do not
have the processing power required to play Strike Commander — they can not run the
game. (Some players with 386 CPUs are satisfied with Strike’s performance on their
systems, but most are not. We recommend that you use at least a 486.)

If you do not have one of these CPUs, you will need a CPU upgrade in order to play
Strike Commander. If you do have a 386 or better and receive this error message, try
installing again from the beginning. If you still receive this message there may be a
defect in your processor.

Could not copy files from the CD to the hard drive.

Although this could mean that your drive is malfunctioning, the most common cause of
this message is a read error. Check to make sure the CD is properly inserted in the drive
and that the drive is closed completely, then try installing again.

One of the configuration files either could not be located, or could not be created.
An error has been detected with an install configuration file. This usually means one of
two things has occurred:

(1) A file needed by the install program to properly determine your computer’s
configuration was not found. The file could have been damaged, deleted or moved, or
the directory structure of your machine could have been altered since the last installation.

(2) The install program was unable to write a configuration file. The hard disk could be
full or could contain undetected errors. Another possibility is that your computer has a
memory problem that is stopping the installation. See Optimizing Your System
(pp. 6-9) to remedy this situation.

Make sure you are in the directory in which Strike Commander was previously installed,
or in the directory where the install program is.

Could not find treefile.

This means that one of the files necessary to run the game was not available. There are a
number of possible causes for this error, including:
• The CD-ROM is not loaded in the drive correctly.
• The CD-ROM drivers are not installed correctly or have been incorrectly modified.

10
• The hard disk where the installed game is located could not be found.
Make sure that all game files on your hard drive are located in the game directory. If this
problem persists, attempt reinstalling Strike Commander CD-ROM. If this does not fix
the error, please contact ORIGIN Product Support (see below).

Could not create the Strike Commander directory.

A file exists with the same name as the directory, the drive may not have enough free
space, or you have attempted to install to a disk that is set to read only. The latter should
only be a problem if you are loading onto or with a network.

We do not recommend loading Strike Commander while network drivers are loaded.

T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G D U R I N G P L AY
My mouse is not working with Strike Commander CD. My mouse works with all of
my other software applications — why not with Strike Commander?
If your mouse is not working with Strike Commander, you should first check to see if
your mouse has been loaded in DOS (in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file) or onto the boot disk
you are using to play the game. Windows and many other “multi-tasking” environments
load their own built-in mouse driver. These mouse drivers will not operate outside of
their shell environment. Loading a mouse driver into the DOS environment can be as
simple as typing MOUSE e at the command prompt. For example:
C:\MOUSE e

This command can differ depending on which mouse driver software you are using.
Please consult your mouse user’s guide for further details.
You may also experience trouble running Strike Commander with a non-Microsoft (or
100% compatible) mouse driver. If you do, any of the following steps should fix the
problem:
1. Replace the mouse driver with a Microsoft mouse driver.
2. Disconnect your mouse and use your keyboard or joystick instead.
3. Remove the mouse driver and use your keyboard or joystick instead.

Why do I get the message: “Sound System Initialization Failed”?

You probably have enough memory to run the game, but not enough to load the sound
drivers you selected during installation. You will either have to increase the amount of
free DOS memory (see Optimizing Your System, pp. 6-9) or play without sound.
or If your sound card is not one of the cards listed on the box or in the installation
program, but is 100% compatible with one of the cards listed, it may need to be
configured for Sound Blaster emulation mode. Consult your sound card manual.

When I start, the music sounds very odd on my Sound Blaster Pro.
Early versions of the Sound Blaster Pro require different configurations than later
versions. To correct this, run the SET-ENV program that came with your Sound Blaster
Pro. This will automatically set the environment variable properly. If this doesn’t work,
this variable can be set manually. Consult your Sound Blaster Pro documentation or your
hardware dealer for more information.

I don’t have a digital sound card, so I selected SOUND FX (AUDIO Option Screen).
However, I can’t hear the engine. What’s wrong?
Without digital sound effects, Strike Commander cannot simultaneously run both music
and engine noise. If you want to hear the engine noise, turn MUSIC off.

11
 I am having trouble using my joystick.
• Your joystick may be set to “auto fire.” If this is the case, the buttons may not function
as you expect. To correct the problem, turn auto fire off. If your joystick doesn’t allow
you to turn auto fire off, unplug it and play with a mouse or use the keyboard controls.

• In the event that you experience any joystick calibration problems, be sure that you don’t
have more than one active gameport on your system at any time, as they will conflict with
Strike Commander’s calibration routine and will affect game performance. This includes
gameports present on sound cards, gamecards or I/O cards. You may need to consult the
documentation for your system, sound card and game card to resolve any problems.

• If you are using a multi-speed gamecard, be sure that you have performed the software
or speed dials tests for your particular gamecard. If you continue to have problems, try
adjusting the speed-dial or numeric software settings a little higher or lower than normal.
On cards like the Gravis Eliminator game card, we found settings between 4.0 and 5.5 to
be well suited for Strike Commander. For other cards, please check your game card
documentation to configure the card for different speed settings. If the problem persists,
you may have a defective joystick or gameport.

Why does my computer lock up or give me “run time” errors?

On some machines, the CD-ROM drive may be daisy-chained with several other drives
on a cable from the SCSI controller card. Because this game needs to have simultaneous
access to both the hard drive and the CD-ROM drive, it cannot run on a CD drive that is
daisy-chained with other drives. We strongly recommend that Strike be installed to a
drive that is not on the same cable as your CD-ROM drive.

I’ve got 16 (or more) megs of RAM and a digitized sound card, so I shouldn’t be
having any problems, but speech in the game is full of static.
Because direct memory access (DMA) will not work with memory addresses above 16
megabytes, the digitized speech of Strike Commander may not work correctly on
machines with large amounts of memory. If you hear static in the game when speech
would be more appropriate, then this problem could be occurring.

The best solution is to remove your memory manager and let the game supply the high
memory using its own memory manager.

See Optimizing Your System (pp. 6-9) for more details on memory configuration.

I’ve got a digital sound card, and I’ve turned on DIGITAL FX, but I still sometimes get
undigitized sound effects.
With DIGITAL FX turned on, you may run into instances where you will get non-digitized
sound effects. This will happen if a digital effect is supposed to be played at the same
time as another digital effect. The chip used by most sound cards to produce digitized
sound and effects can only play one digitized effect at a time.

When I try to start a new game, it crashes to DOS and gives me Error Code #1910
or #1941.
This is caused by a bad installation or a corrupted file on the original installation. To
determine which is the case, boot from a clean configuration that does not load other
conflicting device drivers such as a disk cache. See Optimizing Your System
(pp. 6-9) for more information on the proper configuration. Next, delete all files from the
Strike Commander directory (default: C:\SC). Finally, re-install Strike Commander and
Tactical Operations (while booted from the clean configuration).

12
S P E C I F I C H A R D WA R E A N D S O F T WA R E
DoubleSpace
Strike Commander has been fully tested with MS-DOS 6.0’s DoubleSpace disk
compression utility. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of our games with other disk
compression utilities. You might want to add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS
file to free more DOS RAM (base memory):
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE

Thrustmaster Weapon Control System

The DIP switch settings on the Weapon Control System for Strike Commander are
switches 1, 2 and 6 on. All other switches should be off.

CH GameCard III Automatic

The CH GameCard III Automatic requires a program to be run whenever the machine
boots up. This program is called CHJOY3.EXE. Please be sure that this program runs
before calibrating joysticks in Strike Commander, or unpredictable results will occur.
You may want to add the following line at the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
CHJOY3.EXE

DOS 5.0 SMARTDRV.SYS

Strike Commander does not support the SMARTDRV.SYS that comes with some versions
of DOS. It does support SMARTDRV.EXE which comes with Windows 3.0 or better.

Bus Mastering Hard Drive Users

If you’re using a bus mastering hard drive controller card (you’ll probably know if you are),
and if the game text and graphics are garbled, add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /DOUBLE_BUFFER

SB16/Wave Blaster and CH Flightstick Combination

Due to a hardware conflict between the joystick port on the Creative Labs’ SB16/Wave
Blaster combination and the CH Flightstick, General MIDI music will not be heard when
the Flightstick is connected to the SB16/Wave Blaster joystick port. Another
manufacturer’s joystick or another joystick port must be used to receive the General
MIDI music. Contact the respective manufacturers if you have any further compatibility
questions.

General MIDI
Strike Commander CD has joined the next generation of sound quality with its support of
the General MIDI standard as defined by the MPU-401 instruction set. At the time of
publishing, only a few cards support MPU-401. These cards include the Roland SCC-1
and RAP-10 and the Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 and ASP 16 (both of the latter with
the attached Wave Blaster daughterboard). Other manufacturers have already released, or
are planning to release, sound cards that use the MPU-401 instruction set. However,
sound cards that use a memory-resident program (TSR) to emulate MPU-401 may not
work with this software.

Note that some General MIDI cards offer digitized speech or sound effect capabilities.
Strike Commander CD will only use those sound cards that carry the OPL2 FM chip for
digitized speech or sound effects. As in the case of the Roland RAP-10, customers will
need to use a second sound card, such as a Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro or 100%
compatible sound card, for digitized speech and effects. Review your sound card
documentation or contact the manufacturer if you have any questions.

13
 ORIGIN PRODUCT SUPPORT
If, after reviewing Troubleshooting, you are still having a problem with this software,
please read this section and call us. We have a staff of customer service technicians ready
to help you with any problems you may encounter with the game. ORIGIN Product
Support is available at (512) 335-0440, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and noon,
and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Friday afternoon), Central time.

Today’s PCs run with millions of different hardware and software combinations. Because
of this, you may also have to refer to your computer dealer, hardware manufacturer or
software publisher in order to properly configure their product to run with our game.

When you call, if at all possible, be near your computer. If it is not possible to be near your
computer, be sure to have the following information:
• the error message displayed when the problem occurred (if any)
• The DOS version number you are currently running
• your mouse and mouse driver type
• a listing of your machine type and hardware contents
• the contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files
• your CD-ROM drive type and CD-ROM extensions version
• the contents of a CHKDSK and MEM /C statement

ADDITIONS AND CHANGES

RUDDER
Activating RUDDER (FLIGHT Option
Screen) allows you to use rudder
pedals or a second joystick to turn
your fighter, rather than the , or
. keys. Neither of these add
anything to what you can
accomplish with , or .. (A
second joystick can only affect
flight with left or right
movements.) Note that you cannot
use more than one active
gameport, but you can use a Y-
splitter.

REALISTIC FLIGHT
This option (at the FLIGHT Option Screen) is active only when you are flying an F16. (It
can be toggled on when you’re flying the F22, but it will not affect that plane’s flight.)
REALISTIC mode, as its name suggests, applies more realistic flight dynamics than in the
game’s normal mode. It decreases thrust at every level by 20%, and increases wing drag
by 20%. The result is that you cannot fly as fast, especially when pulling a turn.

FLIGHTSTICK PRO (FS PRO)

If you select the FS PRO PANNING CONTROL OPTION in the FLIGHT Option Screen, the coolie
hat on your FS Pro will control cockpit panning. Selecting FS PRO CONTROL will enable
the extra buttons on your FS Pro.

14
HAZING
In the DETAIL Option Screen, the lowest HAZING button (FAR) now produces no hazing at all.
(The default for hazing is now the second button, not this first one.) With no hazing, no
new objects are revealed, the game is not any faster, and it doesn’t look as good. However,
some players prefer to play without any hazing, so this option is now available.

INVISIBLE COCKPIT
It is possible to remove the cockpit from the screen, by pressing cI. Your HUD and
any active MFDs remain on-screen, as do any MFDs you subsequently activate. Radar
and IR warning lights also still appear.With an invisible cockpit, you can, of course, see
more of the sky in front of you, and the game’s frame rate improves slightly. This is a
toggle — pressing cI again recalls the rest of your cockpit.

P L AY E R S C O R E
The game keeps a running score of how you’re doing. You can look at it by pressing
aS between missions. To maximize your score, play the game with the ACE option
(see below).

R A D A R A N D I R WA R N I N G L I G H T S
As missiles get closer to you, the radar and IR warning lights now blink faster.

DAMAGE MFD
The Damage display has an added feature. Systems which are damaged but not destroyed
appear in yellow. Only when a system is destroyed does it appear in red.

ROOKIE, VETERAN AND ACE OPTIONS

The main Option Screen (accessed by pressing aO during flight) allows you to select
ROOKIE, VETERAN or ACE difficulty levels. ROOKIE level selects the easier option from each
of the following choices; ACE level selects the more difficult option. VETERAN level
selects the following options:
ON EASY GUN HITS, MID-AIR COLLISIONS, EASY LANDINGS, STALLS, AUTO TARGETING,
360° LOCK, SMART TARGETING, SUN GLARE, G EFFECTS.
OFF UNLIMITED AMMO, SMART RADAR, 360° RADAR, SMART RAW SCOPE.
ROOKIE level selects ROOKIE ENEMY INTELLIGENCE; VETERAN level selects VETERAN ENEMY
INTELLIGENCE; ACE level selects ACE ENEMY INTELLIGENCE.
(After selecting a particular difficulty level — ROOKIE, VETERAN or ACE — you can then
change any of the options individually.)

C L A R I F I C AT I O N S
The UNLIMITED AMMO option only applies to gun rounds while playing Strike Commander.
It will not give you unlimited missiles or bombs. The only exception are training missions,
which do give you unlimited amounts of whichever weapons you are carrying.

Saved Game Limit. Strike Commander will only recognize the first 100 saved games in the
game directory. All additional saved games are ignored and cannot be selected in the
SAVE/LOAD menu. You may delete unwanted saved games using the DOS delete command.

SHOW WEAPONS (a FLIGHT option) will only show weapons on your own plane and on planes
that are viewed through the external camera (6).

15
 GAUNTLET
A new choice has been added to
Strike Commander’s TRAINING
MISSION screen. In addition to
DOGFIGHT and SEARCH-AND-
DESTROY, you can also choose
GAUNTLET.

When you choose GAUNTLET, you

immediately find yourself in the
air against two SU-27s, two MiG-
29s and two F-4s. Anytime you
eliminate any pair of opponents,
another pair flies into action. All
pairs will be fighters, but the
fighter types will vary from pair
to pair. The gauntlet continues
until you run out of fuel, are shot
down or eject.

Your opponents are always Aces at the highest level of difficulty. You have four -9J
missiles and 1000 rounds of ammunition. Enemy fighters have only their standard
cannon ammunition rounds, except for F-4s. Each F-4 that appears has its standard
cannon ammunition, plus two -9Js. When you finally succumb to the gauntlet, your score
is displayed. Good luck!

Your score is based on how many enemies you shoot down, modified by the settings you
use (e.g., MID-AIR COLLISIONS, EASY GUN HITS). The more settings you use to make play
easier, the lower the value of each kill. The base value for each kill with a missile is 500
points. The base value for each gun kill is 750 points. Each option that you use from the
following list reduces the value of your kills:

COCKPIT G A M E P L AY
AUTO TARGETING ON -1/2% UNLIMITED AMMO ON -99.5%
360° LOCK ON -2% EASY GUN HITS ON -5%
SMART TARGETING ON -1% ENEMY INTELLIGENCE:
SUN GLARE OFF -1/2% VETERAN -5%
G EFFECTS OFF -1/2% ROOKIE -10%
SMART RADAR ON -1.5%
360° RADAR ON -1% FLIGHT
SMART RAW SCOPE ON -1% MID-AIR COLLISIONS OFF -1%
EASY LANDINGS ON -1/2%
STALLS OFF -1/2%

Note that some of these options (e.g., EASY LANDINGS) have no effect on the Gauntlet.
However, this is a close variation of the scoring system that is active during regular
gameplay, so if you have EASY LANDINGS or other similar options activated, they will
reduce your score, even though they don’t aid your performance in the Gauntlet. Be sure
to select the most difficult setting for options like this during a Gauntlet run.

16
 TA C T I C A L O P E R AT I O N S
Transferring Your Character from Strike Commander
You can transfer your character to Tactical Operations from any Strike Commander
saved game. If you select load game from the startup menu in Tactical Operations, the
saved games in white are from Strike Commander. If you select one of these games, your
character’s name, callsign and killboard stats will be transferred from the Strike
Commander game you selected to a new Tactical Operations game — the Strike
Commander game you selected is not affected. (Your Strike Commander saved games
are not available from the Tactical Operations Barracks Option Screen.)

Tactical Operations
saved games

Strike Commander
saved games

Loading Weapons on the F-22 Lightning II

In Tactical Operations, you will have opportunities to fly missions with the F-22 Lightning II.
The F-22 can carry a maximum of two AMRAAMs and two Sidewinders (either -J or -M).
No other weapons may be loaded, as this is a dedicated air interceptor. Whenever you fly a
mission with this plane, its default loadout is a full load. If you wish to adjust the loadout,
you can click on the loaded weapons on the plane, just as in Strike Commander.

Default loadouts are treated just as they are in Strike Commander. If the default weapons
are not available in your inventory, they will not be loaded. If you do not use them during
the course of your mission, they will be added back into your inventory when you return.

The weapons are loaded under the wing by the intake (see illustration).

Sidewinder
(loaded)

AMRAAM
(loaded)

Sidewinder AIM-9J

AIM-120 AMRAAM Sidewinder AIM-9M

17
 CONTENTS
System Requirements ................................................3 DOS 5.0 SMARTDRV.SYS, Bus Mastering Hard
On-Line Help.............................................................3 Drive Users, SB/16/Wave Blaster and CH Flightstick
Quick Install ..............................................................3 Combination, General MIDI
Installation..............................................................4-5 ORIGIN Product Support ........................................14
Changing Your Configuration .........................5 Additions and Changes.......................................14-15
Re-Installing ....................................................5 Rudder ...........................................................14
Optimizing Your System ........................................6-9 Realistic Flight ..............................................14
Memory Requirements ....................................6 Flightstick Pro ...............................................14
Creating a Boot Disk....................................7-9 Hazing ...........................................................15
Using Your Boot Disk .....................................9 Invisible Cockpit ...........................................15
Caching............................................................9 Player Score...................................................15
I/O and IRQ .....................................................9 Radar and IR Warning Lights........................15
Troubleshooting..................................................10-13 Damage MFD ................................................15
Messages During Installation...................10-11 Rookie, Veteran and Ace Options .................15
Troubleshooting During Play ...................11-12 Clarifications .................................................15
Specific Hardware and Software...................13 Gauntlet ...................................................................16
DoubleSpace, CH GameCard III Automatic, Tactical Operations ..................................................17

STRIKE COMMANDER CD CREDITS

P R O G R A M M I N G ..................... . Scott Biggs, PA C K A G I N G
Paul Isaac, Dr. J. E. Kalan, Peter Shelus, Guide ............................... Jerrold Harrington,
Zack Simpson, Jason Yenawine Prem Krishnan, Jason Yenawine
Editing ................................. David Ladyman
D E S I G N ............. Adam Foshko, Prem Krishnan, Graphic Design ......................... Trey Hermann
Rik Packham, Ben Potter, Jeff Shelton
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N ........... Jean-Marc Chemla,
A RT ............. Tom Evans, David Lawell, Al Perez Prem Krishnan, Joye McBurnett, Chris Roberts

A U D I O ....... Randy Buck, Britt Daniel, Jo Olivier, VOICES

John Tipton, Stretch Williams, Kirk Winterrowd A-10 Pilot..................................................Rolf Busch
Tower ........................................................Tom Byrne
QUALITY ASSURANCE C-130........................................................Keith Kelly
Lead Tester ...................................,Jerrold Harrington WC21 Leader ...........................................Chris Saver
Tester .................... Charles Angel, Evan Brandt, Surf Dude................................................Jason Tirado
Dan Orzulak, Scott Shelton, Toby Shelton MiG-29 Pilot ............................................Ricky Vega
WC21 Wingman .......................................Paul Wright

TA C T I C A L O P E R AT I O N S C R E D I T S
P R O G R A M M I N G ..... Scott Biggs, Frank Savage, PA C K A G I N G
Peter Shelus, Jason Templeman, Jason Yenawine Box cover...............................................Sean Murphy
Box design...............................................Craig Miller
A U D I O ...... Laura Barratt, Randy Buck, Jo Olivier, Installation guide ................................Prem Krishnan
John Tipton, Stretch Williams, Kirk Winterrowd Editing ..................................................Melissa Mead

A RT ....................... Chris Douglas, Tom Evans, QUALITY ASSURANCE

Craig Halverson, David Lawell, Bruce Lemons, Lead tester ...........................................Charles Angel
Sean Murphy, Jake Rogers, Paul Steed Testing ..............................Don Derouen, Forest Yule,
Russell Byrd, Jeremy Mappus
D E S I G N ................. Prem Krishnan, Ben Potter,
Tim Ray, Jeff Shelton, Peter Shelus ADDITIONAL VOICES
Ari, Maxwell........................................Michael Stuart
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N ........... Jean-Marc Chemla, Kodiak.....................................................Harry Porter
Prem Krishnan, Chris Roberts, Roswitha Shoemake Ursa-1 ................................................Celso Martinez

©Copyright 1994 ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Origin and We create worlds are registered trademarks of ®

ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Strike Commander and Tactical Operations are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, ®

Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts. All other trademarks are property of
their respective owners. An Electronic Arts® Company

18
 ®
PLAYGUIDE
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Starting the Game......................................20 Pitch, Yaw and Roll................................40
Starting a New Game.............................20 G Force .................................................41
Exiting Strike Commander .....................20 Pre-Flight Checklist...............................41
Training Missions..................................21
Air-to-Ground Missions...................21 How to Fly ..................................................42
Dogfight Missions ............................21 Flight Controls ......................................42
Object Viewer ........................................21 Mouse Control.................................42
Keyboard Control ............................42
Game Options.............................................22 Joystick Control ..............................42
Option Screens......................................22 Rudder ............................................42
Configuration ..................................22 Throttle ...........................................42
Detail...............................................22 Maneuvers ............................................42
Gameplay ........................................23 Taking Off .......................................42
Cameras ..........................................23 Climb ..............................................42
Flight...............................................23 Dive.................................................42
Cockpit............................................24 Rudder ............................................43
Audio...............................................24 Roll..................................................43
Time Burst and Time Compression .......24 Bank ...............................................43
Stall.................................................43
Camera Views.............................................24 Landing ...........................................43
Wildcat Base...............................................26 Air Combat Tactics ....................................44
Loading Your Weapons ....................27 Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM).............44
Barracks ...............................................28 Combat Geometry............................44
Loading and Saving Games .............28 Dogfight Maneuvers ..............................45
Virgil’s Office .........................................28 Break ..............................................45
Managing the Wildcats ....................28 Loop ................................................45
Strike Base............................................30 Lag Roll ...........................................46
Selim’s...................................................31 High Yo-Yo.......................................46
Low Yo-Yo ........................................46
Cockpit Instruments..................................32 Immelmann Turn ............................47
Heads-Up Display (HUD) .......................32 Air-to-Air Targeting ...............................47
HUD Flight Indicators......................32 Medium Range ................................47
HUD Weapon Modes........................34 Short Range ....................................47
Multi-Function Displays (MFDs)............37 Guns ...............................................47
Weapons Display .............................37 Air-to-Air Evasion..................................48
Damage Display ..............................37 Long Range......................................48
Gun Camera View ...........................37 Short Range ....................................48
Communication Screen ...................37 Guns ...............................................48
Air-to-Ground Radar .......................38 Air-to-Ground Combat ..........................48
Air-to-Air Radar...............................38 IR-Guided Weapons .........................48
Threat Warning Indicator Cannon and Rocket Pods.................49
(RAW Scope) ..........................................39 Bombs.............................................49
Aerial Threats..................................39 Groundfire Evasion ...............................49
Ground Threats...............................39
Radar and IR Missile Practice Missions .......................................50
Warning Lights ......................................39
Reference....................................................53
Flight ........................................................40 Weapons................................................53
Aerodynamics........................................40 Plane Specifications...............................56
Lift...................................................40
Thrust .............................................40 Credits ........................................................63
Gravity ............................................40
Drag ................................................40

19
 S TA RT I N G T H E G A M E
1. First, install Strike Commander on your hard disk. (For instructions, see the Install Guide.)
2. Select the drive on which the game is installed. (For example, if you installed the game on your
C-drive, type “C:” and hit e.)
3. Select your Strike Commander directory. (If you used the default directory, type “CD \SC” and
e.)
4. Start the game (by typing “STRIKE” and e).

After a brief animated sequence, your screen will display the startup menu.

Note: If you are starting Strike Commander for the first time, the CONTINUE GAME option will not yet be
available. If you have not saved a game, the LOAD GAME option will not yet be available.

Start New Game. To begin the full Strike Commander game, select START NEW GAME with your mouse
or joystick cursor.

Training Mission. For instant action, choose TRAINING MISSION. You can use this customizable option
to design practice missions against air or ground targets and to continue playing Strike Commander
after you have finished the preplotted game. Although practice missions will not affect your status
in the game, they are a good way to brush up on your flying and improve your combat skills while
getting to know enemy planes and vehicles.

If this is your first flight simulation game, running a few custom missions before you play the main
game is a good idea.

View Objects. Selecting VIEW OBJECTS allows you to see three-dimensional views of the planes, tanks,
trucks, weapons and other objects you will encounter in the game. Use the object viewer to
familiarize yourself with friendly and enemy equipment, or just to enjoy the artwork.

Load Game. To resume any of the games you have saved, choose LOAD GAME. When you select this
option, a list of the games you have saved will appear. Select the name of the saved game that you
want to continue, and click on the LOAD button. You will then find yourself at the point where you
saved — the barracks at the Wildcat base or the tent at the strike base.

Continue Game. To keep track of your progress, Strike Commander will automatically save your
position in the game, usually after missions or when you return to the Wildcat base. The auto-save
is a backup feature, not a regular save function, and you can not use it to return to a previous
series of missions, so be sure to use the regular save option frequently. If you exit without having
saved your game, however, selecting CONTINUE GAME from the startup menu will return you to your
most recent auto-save position. If you want to return to one of your saved games, use LOAD GAME
instead.

S TA RT I N G A N E W G A M E
After you select START NEW GAME, a “Mercenary Defense License Application” will appear on your
screen. Enter your last name, your first name, and your callsign in the spaces provided. Press e
or t to move between fields, and B to correct mistakes.

Once you’ve typed text in all three fields, press e again to start the game. Your jeep will drive up
to the Wildcat base, and your game will begin.

EXITING STRIKE COMMANDER

We recommend that you save and exit using the barracks and strike tent option screens. If,
however, you wish to quit your game immediately, press a X to exit. This function does not save
your game.

20
TRAINING MISSIONS
After you choose TRAINING MISSION from the startup screen, the dogfight background will appear, and
you will be asked to choose either a dogfight mission or an air -to-ground mission. To practice
dogfighting with enemy planes, choose DOGFIGHT. To practice ground attack runs, choose SEARCH AND
DESTROY.

If at any time you want to return to a previous option screen, select BACKUP. You can backup as far
as the first screen. If at any time you want to return to the startup menu, select CANCEL.

Air-to-Ground Missions
After you choose SEARCH AND DESTROY, you will be given a brief statement of your mission objectives
and asked to confirm your choice. Selecting ACCEPT sends you to the weapons loading screen. To
load weapons, click with the mouse on the weapon you want to add to your plane. The weapon will
appear under the wings of your plane on an appropriate hardpoint. Weapons are always loaded onto
your plane in pairs. If you click on a weapon already loaded on your plane, it will be removed and
returned to the ordnance carts. (For more information on loading weapons, see Loading Your
Weapons, p. 27.) Afterwards, select the cockpit to fly your mission or the hangar doorway to return
to the startup menu.

Dogfight Missions
After you choose DOGFIGHT, you will be given a brief statement of your mission objective. At the
bottom of your screen will be a set of numbered buttons. Choose the number of enemy planes you
want in the first group that you will face. You will then be asked to choose the types of planes in
that group.

After you choose number and type of planes, you will be given four options. If you only want to fight
one group of enemies, select ENOUGH. If you want to add more groups, select MORE and choose the
number and type of planes in the next group.

Once you’re satisfied with the selection of enemies and the mission configuration, choose the
altitude at which the engagement will begin (5,000, 15,000 or 25,000 feet). After choosing your
altitude, choose whether to engage ROOKIE, VETERAN or ACE opponents. Next, you load weapons onto
your plane. To do so, click with the mouse on the weapon you want to add to your plane. The
weapon will appear under the wings of your plane on an appropriate hardpoint. Weapons are always
loaded onto your plane in pairs. If you click on a weapon already loaded on your plane, it will be
removed and returned to the ordnance carts. (For more information on loading weapons, see
Loading Your Weapons, p. 27.) Afterwards, select the cockpit to fly your mission or the hangar
doorway to return to the startup menu.

For a walk-through of a few missions, see Practice Missions, p. 50.

OBJECT VIEWER
When the object viewer appears on your screen, you see an F-16 as it appears in the game. Initially,
the plane will be spinning. To change the direction of the spin, click on one of the ROTATE buttons
with the right mouse button. To stop the object from spinning, click on one of the ROTATE buttons
with the left mouse button. Once the motion is stopped, you can use the left mouse button to
manually rotate an object and view it from different angles. W and Z rotate the object around the
horizontal axis of the screen. A and S rotate it around the vertical axis.

To get a closer look at an object, press the ZOOM up arrow. To zoom back out, press the ZOOM down
arrow.

To view other objects from Strike Commander, select the button with the name of the object you’re
viewing. The next piece of hardware from Strike Commander will appear on your screen.

21
 GAME OPTIONS
OPTION SCREENS
Strike Commander has a comprehensive option screen interface that allows you to tailor the visual,
audio and flight characteristics of the game to suit your tastes and your hardware. Activate the
option screens from the cockpit by pressing a O.

Configuration
Option Screens Screen

The main configuration screen has the following buttons:

• ROOKIE, VETERAN and ACE. Selects the overall difficulty level of the game.
• SAVE. Saves your unique option package.
• DEFAULT. Restores the default setup.
• EXIT. Exits the option screens.
• EXIT GAME. Lets you exit Strike Commander entirely. Selecting EXIT GAME brings up a menu with
the following buttons on it:
• RESTART. Restarts the mission from the beginning.
• ABORT. Aborts your current mission and returns you to base as though the mission had
not been flown yet. This can be used to change your aircraft’s loadout or to listen to the
briefing again.
• CONTINUE. Exits the game and returns you to the base as though the mission had been
completed at that point. This could be used to exit the game when you know you have
completed the mission goals and don’t want to continue the mission to landing. This
option will allow you to exit if the mission has not been completed so be sure you mean it!
• EXIT. Returns you to the main configuration screen.

The other buttons are used to select the option screens listed below. For information on speeding
gameplay, see Troubleshooting, in the Install Guide. If a certain button is non-functional, it means
your system does not have enough memory to make it active, or that you do not have the required
hardware.

Once you have configured the options to your liking, and hit SAVE on the main configuration screen,
your game will begin with those options active until you choose to change them.

Detail
Your game automatically selects the detail settings that it considers most appropriate for your
machine. However, DETAIL gives you fine control over the detail level of the objects and terrain by
turning various textures and shadings on and off. The small window in the center of this option
screen illustrates in a rough way how your changes will affect the look of the world. The less detail
you select, the more rapid the game’s frame rate and the smoother your game will flow (up to a
maximum level). Buttons that toggle details on and off include:

22
 • TERRAIN
• GOURAUD. The smooth shading of the terrain.
• TRANSITION. The transition texture boundary anywhere terrain color changes (for example,
the transition from water to land).
• INTEREST. The small clumps of trees and rock outcroppings scattered on the terrain.
• RIVERS.
• FIELDS. The square patches of farmland.
• CITIES. The large urban areas.
• RUNWAYS. The textures on the runways.
• OBJECTS
• GOURAUD.
The smooth shading on planes and other objects.
• TEXTURE.
The texture mapping on the planes and other objects.
HI-LO. Switch the objects from the highest detail levels to the lowest detail levels. There
•
are three settings.
• HAZING. The distance at which the terrain hazes out. There are five different settings ranging
from NEAR to FAR.

Some options will affect the frame rate (i.e., your game’s smoothness) more than others, depending
on your machine. Experiment with different options to get the most desirable balance of detail and
speed.

Gameplay
GAMEPLAY changes the difficulty of the game in several specific ways through the following buttons:
• UNLIMITED AMMO. Gives you unlimited amounts of the current munitions you are carrying.
• EASY GUN HITS. Makes hitting enemy planes easier at long range with the gun.
• ENEMY INTELLIGENCE. Controls the level of the enemy artificial intelligence, with ROOKIE selecting
the easiest enemies and ACE the most difficult.

Cameras
CAMERAS gives you control over the cameras in the game with the following buttons:
• AUTO SWITCHING. Automatically switches you back to the forward cockpit view if the plane is in
danger of hitting the ground or is hit by enemy fire.
• WEAPON CAMERA. Automatically activates the weapon camera when a mission begins. It can also
turn the weapon camera on during a mission.
• VICTIM VIEW. Automatically activates the victim camera when a mission begins. It can also turn
the victim camera on during a mission.
• TERRAIN IN GUN CAMERA. Allows the gun camera to display the terrain. This reduces your frame
rate, but looks better.
• WINDOW SIZE. Allows you to pick how much of your monitor the game screen will occupy. If you
pick SMALL or MEDIUM , the screen will be reduced in size and everything on it scaled
appropriately. Note that you do not lose any field of view if you pick a smaller window. The
smaller the window the faster the frame rate.

Flight
FLIGHT lets you pick how you want to control the plane, the cockpit panning and other flight related
items. The buttons behave as follows:
• CONTROL. Selects the method you use to control your plane. Any buttons that appear flat are
not available. You may choose among KEYBOARD, MOUSE, JOYSTICK or THRUSTMASTER.
• PANNING CONTROL. Selects the method you use to control the cockpit panning. (As always, any
buttons that appear flat are not available.) You may choose among KEYBOARD, MOUSE, JOYSTICK,
SECOND JOYSTICK , THRUSTMASTER or NONE. The Thrustmaster choice controls cockpit panning
through the thumb control on the joystick. You can always pan by pressing the second button
on the joystick and moving the joystick, regardless of the control selected.
• MID-AIR COLLISIONS. Allows collisions between your plane and enemy planes if it is on.
• EASY LANDINGS. Is more forgiving to rough landings if it is on.
• SHOW WEAPONS. Shows you the weapon loads of all planes in the game if it is on. This option will
reduce the frame rate (make the game less smooth), especially if many weapons are loaded on
the planes.
• STALLS. Controls whether or not the plane can stall. If it is on, stalls are possible.

23
Cockpit
This screen lets you customize the cockpit of your plane. It can also give you tools not available in
present-day aircraft, depending upon which buttons you select:
• LADDER. Turns on and off the pitch ladder display on the HUD.
• TAPES. Turns on and off the airspeed and altitude above sea level tape displays in the HUD.
• AUTO TARGETING. If this button is on and no target is currently selected, as soon as a target
comes into range, the computer will automatically select it as a target.
• 360° LOCK. When this button is on, you will not lose your target lock, even if the target cannot
be seen by the weapon targeting it.
• SMART TARGETING. When this button is on, you will be unable to target friendly or shotdown
aircraft.
• SUN GLARE. Turns on and off the glare of the sun.
• G EFFECTS. Turns on and off the blackout and redout effects associated with pulling too many
Gs.
• SMART RADAR. When this button is on, the standard target blip on the radar is replaced by a
series of different shapes depending upon the target’s shot down status and whether or not it
is friendly, enemy or neutral. For a description of these different shapes, see Air-to-Air Radar,
p.38.
• 360° RADAR. When this button is on, the radar switches to a mode that shows you all targets
around your plane, with your plane in the center.
• SMART RAW SCOPE. When this button is on, all radar-emitting targets are shown at all times.

Audio
These buttons control the sound of the game. If a button appears flat, that sound option is not
available with the sound card(s) you have installed. The buttons operate as follows:
• MUSIC. Turns music on and off.
• SOUND FX. Turns sound effects on and off.
• SPEECH. Turns speech on and off.
• DIGITAL FX. Turns digitized sound effects on and off.

TIME BURST AND TIME COMPRESSION

t activates the Time Burst function. Time Burst accelerates time in the game so that everything
happens six times as fast. Releasing the t key takes you out of Time Burst.

s t activates 2x time compression. Everything happens twice as fast. Hitting s t again

doubles the compression again to 4x. Hitting s t a third time takes you back to normal time.

CAMERA VIEWS

In Strike Commander, you can watch cockpit action from many more camera angles than you’ve
ever had before. With a little practice, you will be using these camera angles to great advantage.

Most of the camera views use the joystick pan technique. All but one of the camera views replace
your HUD, so when using them, you’re flying without instruments. Be advised that some of the
camera views are so riveting that the development team crashed more than one plane by staying in
an external camera view too long.

Never forget where your aircraft is and where it’s going when you shift your view from the HUD to
an external camera, and remember that 1 will always snap you back to the cockpit. You will
also snap back to the cockpit automatically if you come too close to the ground, take damage or
stall, if you have auto-switching toggled on (see Option Screens: Cameras, p. 23).

24
1 Cockpit Camera. This key snaps your eyes back to the front of the cockpit. If you are already
in cockpit view, 1 zooms the HUD in and out. You can pan (look around) your cockpit in
Strike Commander using the joystick (with the #2 button pressed) or your keyboard, second
joystick, mouse or Thrustmaster thumb joystick — see Option Screens (p. 22) for instructions
on choosing your pan control.

2 Chase Camera. This is an exterior view just behind and above your aircraft.

3, 4 and 5 Left, Right and Back Cockpit Cameras, respectively.

6 External Camera. Press 6 to activate this view, then use the joystick (while the #2 button is
pressed) to pan around the exterior of your aircraft. [ and ] zoom in and out. Press 6 a
second time to see the next closest aircraft. C6 cycles your viewpoint among ground
objects in similar fashion.

7 Player to Target / Target to Player. This camera viewpoint tracks to keep you and a radar-
selected target in the field of view. The first time you press 7, you will see your selected
target from the point of view of your aircraft. Press 7 again to reverse the view, placing your
target in the foreground and your own plane in the background.

8 Gun Camera. This shows your currently selected target (for guided weapons) or a close-up of
your gunsight direction (for unguided weapons). If you have a target in the cross hairs of the
gun camera, your chances of hitting that target are excellent. It and the cockpit camera are the
only cameras you can use and still read your HUD. The gun camera is particularly useful
during combat when used in conjunction with a HUD weapons display, such as DGFT mode. It
is also useful in close air support over a contested battlefield, where enemy units are
intermingled with your own. It is only available from inside the cockpit.

9 Victim Camera. This view allows you to see the damage your weapons inflict on a selected
target, by cutting away from your cockpit to a close-up of your kill. You can preset your game
(using the Options Screens, pp. 22-24) to automatically cut away to victim camera whenever
appropriate. 9 toggles this view on and off.

0 Weapon Camera. This view follows the weapon you just launched. It is one of the more
dramatic camera views. You can preset your game (using the Option Screens, pp. 22-24) to
automatically cut away to weapon camera whenever you launch a weapon. 0 toggles this
view on and off.

Y Auto Target Tracking. If you have a target selected the first time you press Y, the camera
automatically pans to keep that target in view. Press Y again to turn this mode off. See
Option Screens (pp. 22-24) for more details on managing this camera.

This fluid camera view, more than any other, demonstrates the concept fighter pilots call
“situational awareness”— the ability to know what is happening around you at all times. The
Auto Target Tracking view lets you make fast visual assessments of the situation.

25
 W I L D C AT B A S E
The year is 2011. Your mercenary squadron, the Wildcats, is struggling to survive amidst dozens of
units who are as eager to find work as you are. Many of these groups, including the Wildcats, call
Istanbul, Turkey, home, but your job will take you around the globe.

The Wildcat base is the center of operations for your squadron. After completing a series of
missions, you will return here to purchase weapons, check the status of your squadron and talk
with fellow Wildcats. From the base, you can also travel to Selim’s, a bar in Istanbul, where fixers
wait to offer you dangerous but lucrative missions.

Hangar Option Screen Truck (to Strike base) (also, Plane, for local missions)

Jeep (to Selim’s)

To Office
(Ledger, Catalogs, To Barracks
Kill Board) (Load or Save Game)

Wildcats you can

talk with

Talking to the Wildcats. You may see other Wildcats standing around the hangar. You can talk to
them by selecting them with the cursor. Their conversations usually include mission information or
tips on flying, so it’s always wise to stop and chat.

During any conversation, you can move to the next screen by hitting e, z or the left
mouse button. You can exit the conversation entirely by hitting q.

Barracks. The door to the right leads to your barracks. The barracks are one of two locations where
you can load and save games. It’s a good idea to save as often as possible, especially after
completing difficult missions. Select the right hangar door to enter the barracks.

Office. To enter the office, select the door to the left. There, you can receive financial updates or
look at the kill board to gauge your progress relative to other Wildcat pilots.

Jeep. When the jeep is in the hangar doorway, you can select it to drive to Selim’s. At the bar, you
can obtain missions for your squadron, speak with fellow pilots and meet other interesting people.

Transport Truck. You will be flying a variety of missions. For local missions, you will take off and
land at the Wildcat base. For most missions, however, Virgil, your accountant, will make
arrangements for a staging base in the vicinity of that series of missions. (Of course, a staging base
adds to overhead costs, but it’s a necessary expense.) After you accept a foreign mission, your
transport truck will appear in the hangar entrance.

Select the truck to load the Wildcats and their equipment onto a C-130 transport plane to travel to
your strike base. From there, you will begin the missions in that series.

Fighter Plane. If you accept a local mission, you will see an F-16 instead of a truck parked in the
doorway of the hangar. Select the plane when you’re ready to fly your mission. After selecting the F-
16, you will be informed of your mission targets and flight plans. Listen carefully to any instructions
— missing a rendezvous or a target can result in lost payments, expensive fighter replacement
costs, or even the death of a fellow pilot. If the exact locations are unclear, however, don’t worry; you
will have a map in your plane’s cockpit that allows you to review current mission objectives.

26
For the first couple of missions, Stern, the commander of the Wildcats, will assign you a wingman.
As you become a more experienced pilot, you may choose your own wingman.

After the briefing is finished, the weapon loading screen will appear.

Loading Your Weapons

On the weapon loading screen, you will see your F-16 parked in the hangar (or in front of the tent, if
you’re at the strike base) and several racks of weapons. Some weapons won’t become available until
later in the game, so don’t worry if there isn’t a wide selection at first. Use this screen to customize
the loadout your plane will carry into battle.

To load weapons. Select a weapon from the rack with your left mouse button. Weapons are added
to your plane’s inventory in pairs to ensure balance.

To remove weapons. Select a weapon on the plane with either mouse button, or a weapon on the
racks with the right mouse button. As with loading, weapons are removed in pairs.

Weapon Loading
Screen
Return to Base

Cockpit
(Begin Mission)
AIM-9J
LAU-3
AIM-120
AMRAAM
GBU-15
Durandal

MK 82 AGM-65D Maverick MK.20 Rockeye AIM-9M

Loadout Limitations. Your plane has eight hardpoints for carrying weapons. Each type of
hardpoint can carry a limited number of weapons. At the tip of each wing is a rail that can carry
either a Sidewinder-9J or a Sidewinder-9M. Underneath each wing, closest to the end, is a light
hardpoint. Light hardpoints can carry only air-to-air missiles: either a Sidewinder or an AMRAAM.
In the center of each wing’s underside is a medium hardpoint. Because they are able to carry both
air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, medium hardpoints are the most versatile. They can each
hold:
• 2 AMRAAMs, • 3 Mavericks,
• 1 GBU-15E, • 3 Durandals,
• 2 rocket pods, • 6 cluster bombs (Mk20’s) or
• 1 Sidewinder (AIM-9J or -9M), • 6 Mk82’s.

The innermost hardpoints are heavy hardpoints. Heavy hardpoints can carry any of the weapons
carried by the medium hardpoints except air-to-air missiles.

Returning to the Base. If you decide after the briefing that you need to check your ledger or catalog
to purchase more weapons, or even if you just need to hear the briefing again, you can return to the
hangar by clicking along the top of the screen.

If you wish to have the briefing repeated at that point, click on the F-16 again, and you’ll go back
through the briefing and the weapons loading screen.

Flying the Mission. If you’re satisfied with your loadout and have a clear understanding of your
mission objectives, click on the cockpit of the plane to fly the mission.

27
BARRACKS
Loading and Saving Games
When you’re at the Wildcat base, you can visit the barracks to save the game in progress or to load
a previous one. The barracks can be reached from the right doorway in the hangar.

Barracks Option
Screen

Exit to Hangar

Save Game
Load Saved Game

Sleeping Pilot (Loading Games). You’ll notice another Wildcat pilot sleeping in a cot in the
barracks. Wake her up (select her) to load a previous game. A screen will appear listing your saved
games. Select the game you want to load and click on the LOAD button. If you change your mind and
decide not to load a game, click CANCEL to return to the barracks.

Note: If you are using the partial installation option, you may have to re-install portions of the game
to return to a saved game.

Empty Bed (Saving Games). It’s advisable to save your game every time you complete a mission.
Click on the empty bed to bring up the save game window.

To save the current game under a new name, select the NEW button. Type the name you want to use
for the file and press r. The only limit to the number of games you can save is your hard disk
space.

If you choose to delete a saved game for any reason, select its name on the list and click DELETE.
When the game asks you to verify, click YES to delete the saved game. Select NO to cancel the
deletion.

If you want to save using the same name as a previously saved game, select that name and click on
OVERWRITE. Once again, you will have to confirm your choice.

To return to the barracks, select RESUME. To exit your game at this point, select QUIT TO DOS.

V I R G I L’ S O F F I C E
Managing the Wildcats
Virgil is the Wildcats’ accountant and chief whiner. He may be pessimistic, but it’s not wise to ignore
him, because he may have valuable information.

In Virgil’s office at the Wildcat base, you can talk to him, check squadron finances by reading the
ledger, purchase weapons from the catalog, or view the kill board to compare your progress with
other Wildcat pilots.

Talking to Virgil. When Virgil is sitting at his desk, click on him to receive a fiscal update on the
Wildcats. Virgil will often have important information concerning the squadron’s financial well-
being, so check in with him frequently.

Ledger. View the ledger by selecting the open book on the right side of Virgil’s desk. The first page of
the ledger shows the financial status of the Wildcats, including overhead costs, fighter plane
replacement costs, recent purchases, and net worth. The statistics that are most important to you
are your current cash worth and your projected overhead costs. This will be updated when you
accept a mission. Remember that the overhead is a cost per mission.

28
 Office Option Screen Catalog

Virgil

Kill Board

Ledger

Exit to Hangar

If your projected cash is ever below zero, make sure you’re successful on your next few missions.
Otherwise, you’ll be broke, and the Wildcats will be finished.

Turn the page (by clicking on it) to see a listing of your squadron’s currently available weapons. You
won’t order weapons here, though. Check the catalog for purchases.

To return to the office after viewing the ledger, click along the top edge of the screen.

Catalog. Initially, Stern will purchase weapons for the Wildcats. As you gain experience, however,
the responsibility for purchasing weapons for the squadron will pass to you.

When it’s available, you will be able to use the catalog to make weapon purchases. View it by
selecting the book and calculator on the right side of Virgil’s desk. You’ll be purchasing weapons for
all of the Wildcats, so be sure to stock plenty of everything, especially Sidewinders and smaller
bombs.

When you select the catalog, it will open to two pages of weapons and prices. Flip through the book
by clicking on the top corners of pages.

Buying a Weapon. Click on the weapon with the left mouse button. A receipt will appear on the
screen with the weapon type and its price displayed on it. If you buy more of the same weapon, the
number on its receipt will change.

If you change your mind and decide not to purchase a weapon, click on it with the right mouse
button, or click on the receipt with either button. That item will be subtracted from the
corresponding receipt.

Some weapons are available for better prices if they’re bought in bulk. When you select one of the
four weapon packages listed in the back of the catalog, you will receive the number of weapons listed
in the package description. Weapon packages are a good way to save money and still buy enough
weapons for the entire squadron.

As you select weapons and packages, the calculator next to the catalog keeps track of the amount of
money in your account (top line), the amount you are spending (middle line) and your account
balance (bottom line). You are allowed up to one million dollars in credit to purchase weapons, but
remember that you will go bankrupt and lose the game if you return from a mission with no cash.

To return to the office, click anywhere along the top of the screen. When you do this, the weapons
you have selected will be purchased, and the correct amount of cash will be subtracted from your
account.

Returning to the Hangar. Click anywhere along the bottom of the screen to return to the Wildcat
hangar.

29
STRIKE BASE
When you fly foreign missions, you’ll need to set up a strike base. Virgil will make arrangements for
the Wildcats to use abandoned airfields or old airport facilities for these bases. It costs a bit to set
up a strike base, but it enables the Wildcats to fly missions anywhere around the globe.

Tent. The tent is the hub of activity at the strike base. Select the open flap to enter the tent, where
you can load and save games, view the kill board, check the ledger and use the catalog. All of these
functions are the same as they are at the Wildcat base. After tending to business, you may want to
talk to other Wildcat pilots who are relaxing in the tent. They will give you background information,
flight tips, and mission reports.

Office. Some of the strike bases include a small office to the right of the runway. Occasionally, you
will find Wildcats there to chat with about current missions and strategy hints. Click on the office to
talk with them. Press q if you wish to terminate the conversation.

Option Screen Exit to Strike Base Save Game

Kill Board

Load Saved Game

Ledger (Calculator)

Wildcats you can talk with Catalog

Fighter Plane. When you’re ready to begin a mission from the strike base, click on the fighter plane
to hear your briefing, load your plane with weapons, and fly your mission. This works the same as it
does at the Wildcat base.

Transport Truck. When you’ve completed your work at the strike base, the transport truck will pull
up outside the tent. Select it to pack up and head back to the Wildcat base.

30
SELIM’S
The Wildcats pay the bills (and keep Virgil happy) by hiring out their squadron to governments,
corporations and even wealthy individuals who need mercenary services. As a lieutenant
commander in the Wildcats, it is your responsibility to contract these missions. You’ll never actually
see the people you’re working for, though. They’ll hire you through fixers — go-betweens who
procure missions for mercenary squadrons and maintain anonymity for employers — for a small
fee.

Many fixers in the Istanbul area frequent Selim’s. You must visit the bar to talk to them and get
your missions. You can also visit with other members of the Wildcats who hang out there.

Bar Option Screen

Fixers

Prideaux’s Niche

Return to Bar

Bar. When you first arrive at Selim’s, you’ll find yourself at the bar. Sometimes you’ll see other
Wildcats there. They may have information about missions, so stop and talk to them whenever
possible.

Getting Missions. Go through the archway to the right to get to the main room and talk to the
fixers.

Returning to the Wildcat Base. Select the door to the left to return to the Wildcat base. Remember
that if you accept a mission and leave the bar, the fixers don’t want to see you again until that
mission is finished.

The Main Room. Just beyond the bar is the set of tables where the fixers can be found. To hear
what a fixer has to offer, select him at his table. He will present you with a general mission goal,
inform you of your payment, and ask you if you want the mission. When the fixer extends his hand
to shake on the deal, select the hand to accept the offered mission, or select anywhere else on the
screen to reject it.

Business is slow, and it’s hard to afford a good mercenary squadron, so you’ll often find only one
mission available. Sometimes, however, you’ll have a choice of several missions. Don’t be afraid to
refuse a mission and listen to the pitch again, or check what other fixers have available. These guys
are a competitive lot, though, and they won’t take rejection kindly if there are other missions
around. Refuse a fixer twice while there are other missions available, and he’ll stop offering his
mission to you.

Prideaux’s Niche. Jean-Paul Prideaux, leader of the Jackals, holds audiences in a shadowed niche
in the back of the main room. Sometimes he’s there and sometimes not, but you can visit his niche
by clicking on it with the left mouse button.

Once you’ve accepted a mission, head back to the Wildcat base and get ready to fly. With enough
skill and a little luck, you’ll be the top mercenary squadron in Istanbul.

31
 COCKPIT INSTRUMENTS
The cockpit instrumentation is designed to present the huge volume of information necessary for
you to fly and fight, in as readily understandable and instinctive a manner as possible.

H E A D S - U P D I S P L AY ( H U D )
One of the things pilots like most about the F-16 is the large Heads-Up Display, or HUD. The HUD
puts vital information in front of the pilot on a flat glass plate without obscuring his view ahead. The
HUD displays an amazing amount of information for a single screen, including: airspeed, pitch
angle, radar lock, absolute and above sea level altitude, G-force level, heading, stall warning, fuel
warnings, velocity vector and the weapon sighting displays.

HUD Flight Indicators

Because Strike Commander closely simulates reality, it is an extremely complex environment. To
complete the missions and win the game, you must be able to operate the controls smoothly.
Practice with the Training Mission environment will help.

HUD Screen
Altitude Over
Current Gs Velocity Sea Level Dash
Gear Down, Flaps Down,
Max Gs Vector Pitch Ladder Brakes On Indicators
Airspeed Dash
(T: True or
C: Calibrated) Altitude Tape

Airspeed Tape Altitude Above

Current Mach Terrain Caret

Throttle Altitude above

Terrain
Radar Lock Warning
Distance to
IR Lock Warning
Waypoint

Communications
MFD
Waypoint Caret Current Heading Tick Direction Tape

Pitch Ladder. The Pitch Ladder indicates the angle of the aircraft with respect to the horizon. As the
numbers along the ladder scroll by the Velocity Vector indicator in the center, you can see how
steeply you’re climbing or diving, measured in degrees. This is called pitch. The ladder has a zero
line with five-degree steps extending above and below, in positive and negative numbers
respectively. Note that the pitch lines become dashed at negative pitch (diving).

In addition to measuring the angle of your plane’s pitch, the ladder also measures angle of roll —
the degree of turn relative to the horizon, known as “roll angle.” If you throw the plane into a loop,
the ladder will invert at the top (90 degrees) and show your descent. To ensure your orientation, the
tips of the ladder rungs always point toward the horizon, indicated by the zero line in the middle of
the ladder. In conditions of good visibility, some pilots turn the ladder off because it clutters up the
display, but most pilots like to see graphically where they are in relation to the horizon. See Option
Screens (pp. 22-24) for details.

Velocity Vector Indicator. The Pitch Ladder is centered on the Velocity Vector indicator, a circle
with three lines projecting from it. The velocity vector shows the direction the plane is moving
through the air rather than the way it is pointing. For example, if the vector mark is toward the left
side of the HUD, you are moving left relative to the center line of the aircraft.

32
Airspeed. The Airspeed indicator, on the left side of the HUD, is a vertical strip of numbers like a
tape measure. A stationary dash points to the numbers on the strip, indicating the plane’s current
velocity in tens of knots. Each mark on the tape indicates ten knots of speed. (For example, “35” on
the airspeed tape indicates an airspeed of 350 knots.) There is a “T” above the dash if true airspeed
is displayed, or a “C” if calibrated airspeed is displayed.

Using S toggles the airspeed tape between calibrated and true readouts. True airspeed is your
speed in knots relative to the ground and is therefore a good measure of your speed relative to
stationary objects. Calibrated airspeed is based on the velocity of the air flowing past the plane,
and is thus a more accurate measure of the plane’s maneuverability from moment to moment.

Mach Readout. Just under the airspeed tape is the mach readout. It measures how fast you are
going relative to the speed of sound (Mach 1). Up to a point, the decreased air resistance at high
altitude allows faster speeds and higher Mach numbers.

Heading. The heading of the plane is displayed along the bottom of the HUD as a scrolling
horizontal tape of numbers in tens of degrees from 0 to 35. (For example, “35” indicates 350
degrees.) Each hash mark is five degrees. The caret (V) over the heading tape indicates the direction
of the next selected waypoint. The stationary tick shows your current heading. Note that headings of
0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees correspond to the directions north, east, south and west, respectively.
When heading directly for your next waypoint, the caret will be lined up over the stationary tick. If
the heading for your next waypoint is not currently on the scale, the caret will hold at the far left or
far right end of the tape.

Altitude Readouts. The HUD displays two types of altitude measurements: 1) altitude in feet above
sea level, and 2) altitude in feet above ground level (the distance between your plane and the terrain
you are currently flying over). The altitude readouts are represented by the vertical tape on the right
side of the HUD. Each mark on the tape indicates 100 feet. ”5,5” indicates 5,500 feet. There is a
caret (>) and a long dash mark along the inside of the tape. The caret shows the continuous rise and
fall of ground altitude, as determined by radar. The dash indicates altitude above sea level.

Note: Be very careful to watch ground altitude (>), especially when flying over mountains.

G Force Indicators. Look for the two G Force readouts in the upper left corner of the HUD. The
upper number is the current G force of the plane. The lower number is the maximum G the plane is
capable of. The 9G rating of a clean F-16 will be reduced by external weapon loadouts, drag due to
damage or extended landing gear.

Fuel Warning. The word “FUEL” appears in the center of the HUD when the fuel supply of the
aircraft reaches critically low levels.

Four-G Pull-Up Warning. The HUD displays an “X” and the words “PULL UP” if the aircraft needs to
pull four Gs or more to avoid the ground at any time.

Distance to Waypoint. The distance to the waypoint selected in the Nav Map display (see Pre-
Flight Checklist, p. 41) is displayed in nautical miles on the right side of the HUD just under the
altitude tape. This distance is prefixed with a “D”.

Landing Gear Down Indicator. “GEAR” appears in the upper right corner of the HUD when the
landing gear is down.

Flaps Down Indicator. “FLAPS” appears in the upper right corner when the flaps are down.

Brake Indicator. “BRAKE” appears in the upper right corner when the brakes are on. If the F-16 is
on the ground, “BRAKE” refers to the wheelbrakes. Otherwise, the Brake indicator refers to the
airbrake.

Stall Warning. “STALL” appears in the center of the HUD if the plane is in a stall condition.

Throttle. The throttle setting, ranging from MIL 1 (20% throttle) through AFT 5 (maximum
afterburner), is displayed just below the Mach readout on the left side. Select throttle settings with
the number keys (1-0; 0 is max. afterburner). To cut the engine, hit `.

33
HUD Weapon Modes
The most important function the HUD performs is weapon system management. The F-16 HUD in
Strike Commander is a very sophisticated “sight” with seven modes: three for air-to-air and four for
air-to-ground.

HUD Screen (Combat) Designated Target Box SRM Diamond

Target
Aspect Angle Circle
and Caret
In Range
Selected Weapon Mode Range to Target

Weapons Remaining Closure Rate

Selected Weapon Pitch Ladder

Friendly Target CCIP

Diamond-X symbol CCRP

Strafe Reticle
CCRP
IR Cross Hairs (after bombs are triggered)

Dogfight Sight Reticle

To cycle through the various weapon modes, use the weapon select key (W). (s W moves you
backwards through the list.) The weapon modes include:
• Dogfight (DGFT, for the 20mm cannon)
• Short Range Missile (SRM)
• Medium Range Missiles (MRM)
• Strafe mode (STRF, used for the 20mm cannon and rockets)
• Infrared mode (I-R)
• Continuously Computed Impact Point (CCIP)
• Continuously Computed Release Point (CCRP)

In addition to the weapon modes, you can use G to get into ACM (Air Combat Maneuvering) mode.
When you activate ACM, your selected weapon will change to the cannon in dogfight mode. ACM
mode restricts you to air-to-air weapons only.

Range to Target. The range to the selected target is indicated with an “R” followed by a number.
The number is the range in nautical miles. This indicator appears below and to the left of the
Distance to Waypoint indicator, on the right side of the HUD.

Closure Rate. The closure rate in knots (nautical mph) to the selected target is displayed under the
Range to Target indicator on the right side of the HUD. Closure rate is prefixed with a “C”.

34
Selected Weapon Indicator. The name of the current weapon selected with W appears in the lower
left corner of the HUD, just to the right of the Weapons Remaining indicator (see below). The
weapons are: “GBU-15,” “AGM-65D,” “AIM-9J,” “AIM-9M,” “AIM-120,” “MK82,” “MK20,”
“DURANDAL,” “VULCAN,” and “LAU3.”

Weapons Remaining Indicator. The weapons of the selected type remaining on the plane are
displayed just to the left of the Selected Weapon indicator, in the lower left corner of the HUD. Note
that the total number of rockets in all pods on the plane is displayed here, rather than the number
of rocket pods remaining.

In-Range Indicator. “IN RNG” will appear on the HUD in the lower left corner, just below the
Selected Weapon and Weapons Remaining indicators, if your target is in the effective range of the
selected weapon. If the selected weapon is a “smart” air-to-ground weapon (GBU-15 or AGM-65D)
the “IN RNG” indicator will appear only if the weapon is capable of maneuvering to hit the selected
target.

Targeting. When you designate a target (using T), a box will appear around it. (If you accidentally
cycle past a target using T, sT will reverse your order through the list.) If an “X” is drawn
through the box, the target is friendly (transmitting a friendly IFF signal). If the designated target
moves outside the field of view of the HUD, a “diamond-x” symbol will take the place of the target
box. The diamond-x will always be along the edge of the HUD closest to the target. You can turn
towards the symbol to line up the target in your sights again. If, however, the box and the diamond-
x symbol disappear, you have lost the radar lock on your target.

If you are in effective range for the weapon system selected, “IN RNG” will appear on the left side of
the HUD just below the airspeed tape.

Dogfight (DGFT). Dogfight mode allows you to target rapidly maneuvering airborne objects with the
M261 20mm Vulcan cannon. The cannon is fixed in traverse and elevation (affixed to the frame of
the plane), so to aim it you must turn the plane. The real magic is in the cannon predictor gunsight.

The predictor gunsight places the sight reticle (or pipper) on the HUD in a position such that if the
pipper were to cross the enemy plane as the cannon were firing, the shells would hit the target. To
get this calculation, you must designate the target. The predictor gunsight then reads the radar
data to compute the target’s speed and vector relative to the firing plane’s speed, vector, range and
the time of flight of the shells. Since this sight automatically computes lead, there is no need to lead
your target with it. Just put the pipper on the target, squeeze off a burst and you should hit, if your
target continues in a straight line.

The sight reticle is a circle with a dot in the middle. The broad ring around the circle shows the
range to the designated target. Each tick mark on the circle indicates 1000 feet. The Vulcan’s
effective range against aerial targets is about 1 nautical mile (6000 feet). Your closing rate should be
around 0, meaning that you are flying at the same speed as your target.

Short Range Missile (SRM). SRM mode is used to aim IR-seeking missiles, like the AIM-9J and -9M
Sidewinders. When you select SRM mode, a roving diamond appears on the HUD representing the
seeker head of the missile. A Target Aspect Angle circle appears in the center of the HUD. This circle
is centered and non-mobile in the HUD. A caret (>) rides around the circle showing the target aspect
angle. For example, if the caret is at the bottom of the circle, the target is heading straight away
from you. If it is on the right side, the target is headed across your course from right to left.

If you have a sound card installed, you should hear a tone that represents the search mode of the
seeker head. The tone will rise and become more rapid if you have a lock. When you radar-designate
a target, the diamond will drift over to it and follow it as long as the seeker head can retain lock.

35
As soon as the diamond floats inside the targeting square and begins to flash, you can fire. Getting
a lock on the frontal aspect of a target with a -9J is nearly impossible, so maneuver behind your
target before you shoot.

Medium Range Missile (MRM). MRM mode is used to lock and fire radar-guided missiles like the
AIM-120 AMRAAM. The MRM display is like the SRM display (complete with Target Aspect Angle
indicator), except that there is no diamond. If you have a radar lock on your target, the AMRAAM
has lock. The only difference between aiming a medium range and a short range missile is that the
target of a medium range missile will probably be beyond visible range (BVR).

Continuously Computed Impact Point (CCIP). Continuously-computed impact point bombing is

the way most aircraft put steel on target these days.

The CCIP is a computer in the cockpit that keeps track of where a particular type of weapon will fall,
given the altitude of the plane, its speed and the ballistics of the bomb. Located low in the HUD, the
CCIP is represented by a circle with a center dot (“death dot”). A line extends from the dot to the
velocity vector symbol (“fall line”). The “fall line” indicates the path of the weapon upon release. All
you have to do is to put the “death dot” on the target and release the bombs using the trigger,
spacebar or joystick button #1. It works great if the ground is level. The computer only reads your
current altitude above ground level (AGL), so if the target is not at the same altitude as the ground
beneath your plane, the CCIP will be inaccurate.

Continuously Computed Release Point (CCRP). CCRP bombing is like CCIP bombing, only more
accurate. With this computer, you use a radar to designate a ground target spot. The aiming circle
around the dot is a double line, to distinguish it from the CCIP. When the dot is over the target you
want to hit, release the bombs. After you trigger the bombs, you’ll see the fall line with a bar across
it, which will descend toward another bar coming up from the death dot as you approach the target.
Hold the plane steady, and when the lines meet, the bombs will release automatically. Since range
to target and target altitude are known with great accuracy, it’s hard to miss with CCRP. The
elevation of the target is taken into account by the sight.

If you are at positive pitch when the bombs release, the weapons will be “tossed” towards the target.
Note that the bars on the fall line come together faster if you climb.

Strafe Mode (STRF). Strafe mode is used to aim gunfire and rocket salvos at ground targets. It is
worth noting that gun attacks on ground targets are thought of as something of a last resort by
modern pilots. Selecting Strafe mode causes a simple ring and dot reticle to appear in the HUD. The
dot inside the ring indicates where the rockets or cannon shells will impact on the ground. There is
no radar lock for this sight.

It takes practice to get used to this mode — any pilot who can take out his ground target with
rockets and guns instead of GBUs and Mavericks has earned some bragging rights. Aerial targets
are a different matter, and any pilot who says he can splash other planes with unguided rockets is
either lying or very, very good.

Infrared Mode (I-R). Infrared mode is used to aim Mavericks and GBUs. The target of the missile is
covered by a cross hair on the HUD which moves between the ground targets as you cycle through
them by pressing T. When a missile or guided bomb locks on a target, it will retain the lock as long
as it can, subject to the plane’s maneuvers.

Since Mavericks and guided bombs are not very maneuverable, wait until an in-range message
appears on the HUD to launch your weapon. The best attack profile is to fly straight and level at
high altitude, designate the target and release the weapon. Be advised that this tactic is suicide
against modern air defense installations.

36
M U LT I - F U N C T I O N D I S P L AY S ( M F D S )
There are two multi-function display screens in the cockpit. They can both display any of several
useful types of information, including air-to-air radar, communication interface, air -to-ground
radar, damage display, target view, gun camera, and weapon hardpoint display. If you activate an
MFD by mistake, q will cancel the display.

Mode 20 mm Cannon
rounds remaining Weapons Display
The Weapons display comes up on the MFD
when you select a weapon (W). The selected
weapon will be boxed on the display. The
Type of weapon number under each hardpoint indicates the
at this hardpoint number of weapons left in that position. As
Weapons remaining weapons are used (or as hardpoints are blown
off the plane), they vanish from the MFD.
at this hardpoint
Exception: Rocket pods remain on the MFD
Flares remaining Chaff remaining unless they are jettisoned.

Damage Display
The Damage display gives you an overhead Radar
view of your F-16. Destroyed systems are Cockpit Fuel remaining
red. Always use this display to check your
landing gear for damage before attempting Gun
Landing Gear
to land. If you can’t land, point your bird Flaps
somewhere safe and eject. The fuel Engine
remaining in the plane’s tanks (measured
in kilograms) is displayed in the upper right Ailerons
corner of the MFD. Elevators Rudder

Gun Camera View

The Gun Camera View MFD (8) shows a view of
your currently selected target. It will display a close-
up view if you are within 15,000 feet (2 or 3 nm) of the
Cross Hairs
target. It is the only camera view you can use and still
read your HUD. The gun camera is particularly useful
during combat when used in conjunction with a HUD
Weapons display, such as the DGFT mode. It is also
Currently very useful in close air support over a contested
Selected Target battlefield where enemy units are intermingled with
your own.

Communication Screen
The Communication Screen MFD serve as the means of radio communication between you and the
other characters in Strike Commander. To open the communication interface, hit C. The MFD
displays a list of possible channels. One channel gets you the Wildcat base (or strike base), another
calls your wingman, and so on. Use the number keys (0-9) shown next to the channel you want to
make the call.

After you select a channel, the MFD will change to list the messages you can send on that channel.
Select the message you want to send using the number key corresponding to the number to the left
of the desired message. (Note that throttle control is not accessible while the Communication Screen
is active, because the number keys are used for both.)

37
Air-to-Ground Radar
Air -to-ground radar shows objects Magnification Mode
(including runways) on the ground, unless
they are blocked by terrain. As you get
closer to the objects shown on the screen, Large Buildings
they will get closer to the bottom of the
screen. The number at the top of this
Runway
display is the scale of the view. You can
zoom in from normal view, through 2x, 4x,
8x and 16x steps, to a 32x magnification,
using [ (larger) and ] (smaller).

Max Range (NM) Mode Air-to-Air Radar

Multiple Target Tracking Mode. The
default mode for air-to-air radar is Multiple
Target T racking mode. All targets are
Waterline displayed as square blips. The closer the
blips are to the bottom of the screen, the
Other Aircraft closer they are to you.
Current Target Targeting Mode. When you select a target,
it is designated on the Radar MFD by
brackets.

Single Target Tracking Mode (STT mode).

This mode displays more information about the Max Range Mode Target Altitude
designated target at the expense of losing all in 1,000s of feet
other contacts. The target blip changes into a
diamond, and three numbers appear in the
lower right corner of the MFD. The top number Target Heading
is the heading of the target. The middle
number is the speed of the target in knots. The Target Speed
bottom number is the target aspect angle with
respect to your plane. STT mode also allows Target Aspect Angle
you to see if an enemy is finished or not. If an
opponent is gone for good, his diamond in STT
mode will turn into an outline.

The air-to-air radar can operate in four scales: 80, 40, 20 and 10 nautical miles. Zoom in and out
using [ (larger range) and ] (smaller range). The current scale is displayed at the top of the MFD.
Across the center of the MFD is a pair of lines separated by a “W” (see diagram). These lines are
called the watermark and indicate the roll of the plane.

Enabling the “smart” radar function in the option screen interface (see Option Screens, p. 24) lets
the radar discriminate between friendly, neutral and enemy contacts. Neutral contacts appear as
circular blips, enemies are squares and friendlies are triangles. Shot-down contacts appear as
outlines of circles, squares or triangles.

The 360-degree scan mode in the option screen interface (again, see p. 24) lets the radar scan all
contacts around you. In this mode, the closer the contact is to the center of the screen, the closer it
is to your plane.

38
T H R E AT WA R N I N G I N D I C AT O R ( T W I , O R R AW S C O P E )
The TWI is located to the left of and below the HUD. It is a passive radar emission receiver composed
of an antennae network and computer-enhanced signal analysis equipment, located in the skin of
the plane. It determines the direction, intensity and type of radar waves striking your plane at all
times. It then displays this information in the form of icons. The position of the icons on the display
correlates with the hostile radar’s direction and distance from your plane. The icons will “rotate”
around the display when you turn.

If you set the RAW scope in “smart” mode using the option screens (see Option Screens, p. 24), all
radar emitters will be displayed, whether they are facing your aircraft or not.

Aerial Threats
The TWI also shows rough distance. As a rule, if you
Fixed AAA (locked) Ist Gen. Fighter
can see it on your threat display you can turn towards
it and see it on the radar. Triangles represent enemy
3rd Gen. planes. There will be one to three dots along the base of
Fighter the triangle; the number of dots indicates the
1st Gen. “generation” of the fighter whose radar is illuminating
Fighter your plane. Primitive radars, or first generation,
Missile
(locked) will have one dot. There aren’t many primitives still
flying in 2011, but you never know. Two dots in the
Mobile AAA (locked) triangle indicate a second generation radar. The
SAM (locked)
most advanced radars are represented by three dots.
Air -to-air missiles (and radar -guided SAMs) are
represented by a diamond.

Ground Threats
Ground-based missile radar is represented as a square with a number inside it. The number
denotes the numerical designation of the SAM most commonly associated with it. For example, an
SA-6 radar will show up as a little square with a “6” in it. Gun radar is represented by a circle. A dot
in the circle indicates a fixed AAA; a circle without a dot means a mobile AAA gun is down there.

Remember, while airborne radar will be located on a plane, ground-based radar can be remote from
the weapons it operates.

Regardless of the icon’s shape, if it suddenly glows brightly, the radar in question has switched from
acquisition mode to tracking mode. A bright icon means a hostile radar is tracking you!

R A D A R A N D I R M I S S I L E WA R N I N G L I G H T S
The Radar and IR Missile Warning lights are located just above the TWI (Threat Warning indicator)
in the cockpit. When a missile is tracking you, the light appropriate to the missile’s guidance system
will come on. The red (right) light indicates a radar-guided missile has locked on to you, while the
yellow (left) light denotes an IR-guided threat. (IR recognition technology was developed in 2004.)

39
 FLIGHT
AERODYNAMICS
Strike Commander accurately simulates real
Gravity
atmospheric conditions. Therefore, it will be
to your advantage to understand the physics
Drag Thrust of airplanes: those forces that produce, affect
and control flight. Don’t worry, you know a
lot more about physics than you might
think. As a pilot, you will be most concerned
Lift
with four forces: lift, thrust, gravity and
drag.

Lift
Lift is the force produced by the airflow over and under the wings. In level flight, lift opposes gravity
and takes the plane off the ground. (If the plane is flying upside down, lift pushes the plane towards
the ground!) The faster the plane is moving, the faster the airflow and the greater the lift. At high
altitudes, lift decreases because the air is thinner and less flows over the wing at any speed. Larger
wings produce more lift, but also cause more drag.

Thrust
Thrust is the force exerted by the engines of the plane. The plane’s thrust divided by its weight yields
the thrust-to-weight ratio. If thrust-to-weight is greater than 1, the aircraft can accelerate straight
up.

Gravity
Gravity is a constant force that pulls the aircraft towards the ground. It is usually countered by lift.
If you’re flying straight and level, gravity and lift are in balance.

Drag
Drag is the force that results from moving an object against the friction of the air. It is the force
opposing thrust, just as gravity is the force opposing lift. The balance between a plane’s thrust and
its drag determines its top speed. Like lift, drag decreases at high altitude because the air is thinner.
Planes with large wings and high lift tend to have more surface area and thus encounter more drag.
A large wing also produces more drag in a bank than a small one, so planes with large wing areas
tend to bleed off speed in banking turns more quickly. Air-to-ground weapons, deployed landing
gear and airbrakes all cause more drag and slow the plane down.

P I T C H , YAW A N D R O L L
Aircraft can maneuver in three different ways:
pitch, yaw and roll.

Pitch. If the plane is flying with wings parallel Yaw

Roll
to the ground, pitching means moving the nose
of the plane up or down by pushing the control
stick (joystick) forward or pulling it back. Pitch

Yaw is moving the nose side to side by using

the rudder keys ( ,, .).

Roll is spinning the plane around an

imaginary line running from nose to tail by
moving the joystick right or left.

40
G FORCE
A “G” is a measurement of pull, or force, equal to the force exerted by the Earth’s gravity on a
stationary object at sea level. If the pull on your body suddenly became twice as strong, you would
be experiencing two Gs. Fighter pilots routinely take five Gs or more in a dogfight.

G forces can be divided into two types: positive and negative. Positive Gs pull you relatively
downward, and negative Gs pull you relatively upward. When you are upside down, your relative up
is pointed toward the ground, and the Earth’s gravity is pulling you with 1 negative G.

When you experience positive Gs, you feel like you are getting heavier. This effect is caused by
banking or climbing sharply or by ejecting from the plane. At several positive Gs, the force pulls
blood away from your brain and optic nerves, causing loss of color vision (grayout) and eventually
blackout. In Strike Commander, too many positive Gs turns the screen monochrome, and then black
if you continue to add Gs.

Negative Gs have the opposite effect, making you feel lighter, and forcing blood into your head and
the capillaries of the retina in the eye. The elevated blood pressure causes your capillaries to swell
and/or burst. This results in a reddening of the vision called “redout” by pilots. In Strike
Commander, too many negative Gs turns the screen red.

An adult human can take 8 to 9 positive or 2 to 3 negative Gs for a few seconds with no permanent
damage. Five positive Gs is bearable for a couple of minutes. The ejection seat of the F-16 generates
around 30 Gs, but only for a fraction of a second. Because of the difference in tolerance between
positive and negative Gs, most pilots prefer maneuvers that induce positive Gs, like climbs and
inverted dives.

PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST
Get in the habit of always performing a pre-flight check. The more choices you make now, the fewer
you will have to deal with when the bandits are swarming.
• Verify your weapons loadout.
• Choose a weapon targeting mode on your HUD (W).
• Choose and activate your camera views.
• Flaps on. Brakes off.
• Set your air or ground radar to an appropriate range scale.
• Check your Nav Map (N). Find the target area and figure which heading will take you there.
Locate any mountain ranges you could use to screen your approach to the target. Use the
arrow keys to switch the destination of the autopilot. The current destination will appear in
white text on the map, while the other areas will be in green.
• Compute fuel for return trip. The best way to compute the amount of fuel available for a
mission is to subtract 10% from your beginning fuel load and divide the remainder by two. For
example, if you have 1000 kg of fuel at the start of a mission, subtract 100 kg (10%) and divide
the remainder (900 kg) by two, yielding 450 kg. Fix that number in your mind. Check your fuel
level periodically during the mission and turn for home when you reach the “bingo” point. The
10% emergency reserve will become critical if you miss the landing approach, or if you have to
hit the afterburner one last time to disengage from combat.
• Set up option screens (see Option Screens, pp. 22-24).

41
 H O W T O F LY
FLIGHT CONTROLS
Strike Commander can receive flight control input from a mouse, keyboard or joystick. In addition, it
supports the Thrustmaster flight control interface. See the Reference Card for more information on
the Thrustmaster. You can select the flight control device of your choice in the FLIGHT menu of the
Option Screens (p.22).

Mouse Control
Pushing the mouse away from you pitches the plane down, and pulling it toward you pulls the nose
up. Moving it left or right banks the plane left or right. The left mouse button fires the selected
weapon. If the mouse has only one button, it fires the selected weapon.

Keyboard Control
The arrow keys (either on the number pad or the main keyboard) control pitch and roll. W pitches
the plane up, and Z points the nose down. A and S roll the plane left and right.

Joystick Control
A joystick is the suggested flight control interface for Strike Commander. Pulling the stick back
(towards you) points the nose of the plane up, and pushing it forward (away from you) points it
down. Moving the stick left or right rolls the plane left or right.

Rudder
, and . control the rudder, and thus the yaw of the plane.

Throttle
The number keys control the engine throttle setting. 1 represents 20% thrust from the engine, 5 is
100% military power (full power without afterburner). 6 through 0 are afterburner settings. For
example, 6 is full military power plus 20% afterburner. Bring up the Damage MFD (D) and set the
throttle at 5. Observe the fuel readout in the upper right corner of the MFD. Now punch up full
afterburner. Note how the rate of fuel consumption goes up. If you stay on ’burner all the time,
you’ll run out of fuel before you complete your mission.

MANEUVERS
Taking Off
Put your flaps down (F), put the brakes on (B), and punch up full afterburner (0). When your
plane starts to move, release the brakes and taxi. When your speed indicates 115-125 knots, the
velocity vector on the HUD will rise above the zero pitch line. (This is called rotation.)

Now pull back slightly on the stick to get into a nice steady 15 to 25 degree pitch angle, raise the
landing gear, retract the flaps, and there you are. Don’t try to climb too fast. A stall here would be
lethal. Throttle back unless you have somewhere to go immediately; the afterburner guzzles fuel at
12 times the normal rate.

You can use the auto takeoff feature by hitting A. Relax and watch the plane leap into the air.

Climb
To climb, pull back on the stick. If you’re travelling too fast when you start
the climb, you can pull too many Gs and experience grayout. If your
airspeed is too slow and your pitch angle is too great, you can stall. In an
optimal climb, your speed should be about 450 knots and your pitch no
greater than 35 degrees.

Dive
Nosing over into a dive from level flight at combat speeds often results in
Inverted Dive
too many negative Gs and subsequent redout. Since your rate and angle of
dive are restricted by negative Gs, it is often better to do an inverted dive.
Roll your plane 180 degrees so that your cockpit is facing the ground and
pull back on the stick. This maneuver allows you to dive toward the
ground, yet pull positive Gs.

42
Rudder
The rudder is most often used when you want to keep wings level and would rather not roll into a
bank (see below). Good times to use the rudder are on final approach to landing, or to fine tune a
precision attack run.

Roll
A roll is the simplest maneuver of all; you’ll do it
without realizing it after a while. With the plane flying
straight and level, move the stick to the right or left
all the way. The plane will spin around its long axis.
Try not to depend on the ground to gauge your
position — use the HUD. Now try to roll more slowly
and stop the roll at some point, like at 90 degrees
(one wing pointed straight up, the other straight
down). Rolls are important because you can pull out Roll
of a roll in any direction, to shake an opponent.

Bank
A bank is a roll to the left or right, then pulling back
on the stick to change your heading. Most turns in a Bank
Break
dogfight are banking turns, since you can use the lift
of the wings and their larger ailerons to come around
faster than a rudder turn.

Stall
Every aircraft has a critical angle of attack. If you exceed the critical angle, your wings will no longer
produce lift (due to turbulence), and the control surfaces will not have enough airflow across them
to function. You will begin to fall. This condition is called a stall. You have no control of the attitude
of the aircraft in a stall, so in combat, stalling is tantamount to suicide. Your plane will hang there,
out of control, as the enemy blasts it apart. If you are too close to the ground, you can’t fall far
enough to get your airspeed back, and you’ll catch hill disease.

Common maneuvers that can trigger a stall include tight turns that lose too much velocity, loops
with insufficient airspeed, take offs and landings. The slower you are flying, the more likely you are
to stall.

RECOVERING FROM A STALL. If you stall too close to the ground, eject. How close is too close?
That depends on how you got into the stall and how good a pilot you are. If you decide to ride it out,
remember the controls will be sluggish from the low indicated airspeed. Once you drop below 500
feet, it’s time to think about punching out. Just don’t think too long.

If you went into the stall in a high nose-up attitude (pointing at the sky), cut the engine (`) and
wait for the nose of the plane to swing back in line with the velocity vector. This will probably point
you straight at the ground. Punch up full afterburner (0) and bring your airspeed back up to
around 120 to 150 knots. Now pull the stick back slowly to come out of the dive. If you went into
the stall pointing roughly at the ground, just keep the engine on and dive until your airspeed comes
back up, then pull out and start recovering the altitude you just lost from the stall.

Landing
The easiest way to land is to use the Auto-Landing function. Simply get back to your base area and
hit A. But that isn’t much of a challenge, and if you want the full Strike Commander experience,
you must know how to perform a manual landing you can walk away from. First, check the Damage
MFD (D ) and make sure the landing gear are intact. It’s embarrassing to line up the perfect
approach and not have any landing gear left. You have to line up with the runway in level flight and
about 2 nautical miles out. Try to be lined up when the runway just becomes visible, or target an
object at the near end of the runway to get an exact readout. Give yourself plenty of room. Now cut
back the engine power and pull back on the stick to pitch the nose up slightly. The object is to lose
altitude at a rate which will put you on the runway at the end of your glide path and not in it. As
your wheels are about to touch (the chase plane camera view is a great help to landing technique),
pull the nose up a little more, cut the throttle and hit the brakes when you touch down. It takes a
lot of practice to land safely, so don’t get discouraged. Try it in the Training Mission area until you
get it right.

43
 A I R C O M B AT TA C T I C S
BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS (BFM)
Basic Fighter Maneuvers are the fundamental moves that trade speed and altitude for relative
aircraft position. You will be flying in either a defensive mode or an offensive mode. Your offensive
goal is to maneuver behind your opponent and take a shot. Your defensive goal is to prevent him
from getting behind you and/or move out of his firing range.

Always remember the cardinal rule of air combat: Speed is Life. All maneuvers cost you either speed
or altitude, sometimes both. If you use up too much speed in a maneuver, you lose the chance to
exploit any positional advantage you gained by the maneuver, as well as the option to disengage
quickly if your opponent outguesses you.

Too much speed can be equally lethal. If your closure rate is much over 1000 knots, you will almost
never be able to turn in time to establish a pursuit situation. You will have to settle for another
head-on pass after you both get turned around. In general, faster than 500 knots is not prudent on
the initial approach unless you want to get in one fast pass and run away.

If you are closing too fast in pursuit of another fighter, you could overshoot the target. An overshoot
is very bad because it leaves you at close range with the enemy in a perfect position for a gun shot.

This section tells you how to perform the maneuvers, but perfect timing requires practice,
experience and an ability to judge relative high speed motion. The best aces develop timing by
learning to execute the maneuvers flawlessly, recognizing them quickly and by surviving ... and so
will you.

Combat Geometry Lag

Lag Pursuit, Lead Pursuit, Pure Pursuit. Air combat is most
concerned with predicting the enemy’s future position. Early in
your approach, you need to make some predictions about your
enemy and some critical decisions about how to pursue him. Pure
“Early” means just before you reach maximum weapons range.
BFM training defines pursuit as where the nose of your plane is
pointed in relation to the enemy. Pure pursuit occurs when your
plane is pointing directly at the opponent. Even though you may
be in front of the enemy, if your plane is pointing at him, you are
in pursuit. If the nose of your plane points behind the enemy, Lead
you are in lag pursuit. Use lag pursuit if you want to end up
behind your opponent. If your nose is pointing in front of the
enemy, you are in lead pursuit. Use lead pursuit for gun passes
and closing the range on your enemy.

Turn Radius. The F-16 has the best maneuverability of any plane in the game except the F-22.
Airspeed of 450 knots allows the smallest turn radius, an important advantage during dogfights.
The F-16 also loses less speed in a turn than many of the other planes in the world.

Target Aspect Angle. Target aspect angle is measured from the tip of your aircraft to the tail of
your enemy. This angle tells how many degrees you are from being lined up behind the target.

Deflection. The deflection of a shot is the amount of lead you must use to hit your target with a
dumb projectile. Deflection is usually measured in degrees. The higher the deflection angle, the
more difficult it is to hit your target.

44
By definition, all gun shots are taken from the
lead pursuit attitude. This means the nose of
your aircraft is pointing at the future position of
the target. In lag pursuit, on the other hand,
your nose is pointing behind the current
position of the target, ensuring that a gun shot Deflection
will not hit its target. If your current maneuver
depends upon holding lag pursuit, don’t use the Target Aspect
gun. Conversely, if you’re the one being fired Angle
upon, it might be time to pull a hard break
away from the enemy to give him a high
deflection shot and spoil his aim.

Required deflection angle is calculated automatically by the radar driven predictor gunsight on the
F-16, but you need to be aware of the pursuit angle changes the sight will impose when you use it.

DOGFIGHT MANEUVERS
You must enter every dogfight with the confidence that you will survive it. Your primary objective is
to position your plane directly behind your opponent and stay there long enough to blow him away.
Get to know these basic maneuvers and corresponding counter -maneuvers so well they are second
nature. Be in tune with your opponent to the extent that you can accurately guess his future
position. Choose a maneuver but be flexible, ready to modify it as your opponent tries to foil your
setup. Remember, the enemy is reacting to your moves with the same focus and skill that you are
reacting to his.

If you have trouble executing any of the dogfight maneuvers, switch to External Camera view (6 )
as you do them and practice making them look similar to the diagrams.

Break
A break is a bank away from another plane’s bank (see diagram, p. 43). If an opponent follows you
into a rolling chase, wait until his plane is rolled opposite yours and pull for all you’re worth. Now
do it again in the opposite direction as you see him follow you into the first bank. With any luck,
you can put enough distance between your aircraft and his that you can continue the last break
into a full turn and use the F-16’s superb turning characteristics to get out of his sights and onto
his tail. Just remember: Speed is life! If you have to pull more than one or two high-G breaks to get
the guy off your tail, you’ve probably used up all your speed advantage doing so. An opposition
break occurs when two planes break across each other’s courses simultaneously in order to
separate quickly.

One of the best responses to an opponent’s break is the lag roll. Alternatively, follow the break
around and set up lag pursuit. Try for a missile or gun snapshot.

Loop
The loop is a good basic maneuver to master,
because it tends to be a part of more
complicated maneuvers. It is a climb or dive
held until you circle back to where you started.
An inside loop keeps the canopy of the aircraft
on the inside of the loop, and an outside loop Loop
puts it on the outside. Since vertical loops cost
so much speed, they are rare in dogfights.
However, many maneuvers begin with partial
loops. If nothing else, mastering the loop
prepares a pilot for the disorientation and big
G forces of inverted flight at high speed.

Countering the loop is easy. Bank hard around and try for a high deflection shot as the other plane
dives for the deck. Your enemy might try to turn the loop into an Immelmann, but if he does he’ll be
going so slow at the top that he’ll be an easy kill.

45
Lag Roll
The lag roll is a maneuver best used when
2
your opponent goes into a hard break and you 1
are in danger of overshooting. It reduces
closure speed and puts your plane above and 3
slightly behind the enemy in position for a high 1 2
deflection gun or missile shot. Pull the nose up
slightly, moving away from your opponent, and
begin to roll away from the direction of the 1 2
break. As you do this you will lose sight of the
enemy momentarily. Don’t worry. When you
roll all the way over so the top of your HUD is 1 3
aligned with the enemy, pull down towards 3
him. You should have bled off enough airspeed Lag Roll
that you will no longer be in danger of
overshooting, and your inverted position above and out of the geometric plane of the target should
give you a visual fix on him. If you lose your target or can’t find him below you, roll upright and look
up. There’s only one place he can be, and odds are he will be lining up a missile or gun shot.

The proper response to the lag roll is to climb over the rolling attacker and/or loop to get a decisive
shot.

High Yo-Yo
The high yo-yo is a maneuver designed to
decrease closure rate and set up a strong
shooting position for guns or short range, rear 2
aspect missiles. It starts with both aircraft in
1
the same geometric plane, and with your enemy 2
banking hard across your course. Instead of 2
turning with the enemy, establish lag pursuit 3
and pull your nose up and out of plane in a
climbing bank in the direction of your 1 3
1
opponent’s bank. At the mid-point of the turn,
when you see you have the position, point the 3 2
nose down and dive-turn onto your opponent’s
1
tail. Since you bled airspeed with the climbing 3
bank, you should be able to turn inside your
enemy and end up above and slightly behind
him with a better angle than you started with. High Yo-Yo

A good escape from a high yo-yo attack is to reverse your bank as your attacker hits the apex of his
climbing turn. If you dive slightly as you do this you won’t lose too much airspeed, and your enemy
will be at his slowest.

Low Yo-Yo
A low yo-yo is the opposite of a high yo-yo.
2 Where the high yo-yo seeks to decrease closure
1 rate, the low increases it. Where the high is
executed at close range, the low is performed
3
further out. The target aspect is the same: about
1 90 degrees across your course. From a lead
3 pursuit position at moderate range in the plane
2 of the target, roll into his bank and dive slightly
to keep your speed. If you can establish enough
3 2 2 excess lead angle to allow it, climb back to the
1
1 Low Yo-Yo target’s geometric plane. You can get low
deflection, short range shots with this maneuver
if you time it right. The key is having sufficient
excess lead angle at the bottom of the diving
bank.

46
Countering the low yo-yo involves reversing your bank when the attacker starts his dive. If you
reverse and climb, you’ll have a huge altitude advantage in the next phase of “negotiations.”

Immelmann Turn
Immelmanns are a flashy way to reverse direc-
tion. Pull the fighter into a climb, and when you
go over the top and become inverted, roll the
aircraft upright and center the stick. You gain
altitude and reverse direction at the same time.
You will also lose many knots of airspeed. But if Immelmann
you’ve got an enemy on your tail, this move will
put you in a head-on position. The best way to
counter an Immelmann is to climb with your
target; don’t let him get too much of an altitude
advantage.

A I R - T O - A I R TA R G E T I N G
The primary objective of air combat is to shoot down your enemy with as little risk to yourself as
possible. Your weapon choices for air-to-air combat are medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAMs and
short-range AIM-9J and -9M Sidewinders. Your primary concerns when launching missiles are: the
speed you are travelling, the speed of the target and the target aspect angle. Some air-to-air
weapons are classified as “all aspect,” meaning they can engage the target no matter which way it is
headed relative to you. Guns are considered all-aspect weapons. Some weapons are rear-aspect-
only, meaning that you must fire them from behind the target. All-aspect weapons are easier to use,
and are usually more expensive.

The section below is a “how to” guide for the air-to-air weapons in Strike Commander.

Medium Range
The AIM-120 AMRAAM is the only radar -guided AAM in the Wildcat arsenal. It is highly
maneuverable, has a very accurate semi-active radar guidance system with computerized target
discrimination and a range of 2 to 40 nautical miles. The long range of the AMRAAM make it ideally
suited for BVR (beyond visual range) engagements. Using the AMRAAM is simple: Launch at the
furthest range possible (but no more than 30 or 35 nm) and climb slowly toward your target. If the
AMRAAM misses, you need to put yourself in a good position for the ensuing close range fight. You
could also launch and turn around in order to assess the effects of the weapon while keeping the
enemy at arm’s length.

Short Range
The AIM-9J and -9M Sidewinders are short ranged infrared homing missiles built for use in
dogfights. The -9J is a rear-aspect-only weapon. The seeker head has to lock on the engine heat of
the target, so you have to get the position advantage on your target in order to get a solid lock. The -
9J is also vulnerable to distraction by flares and even the sun. The -9M is an all-aspect weapon, so
you can take frontal shots with it. It will not lock on the sun (having a more sensitive seeker head)
and is less prone to mistake a flare for a plane. The problem with both missiles is that there is no
way to ensure they will go after the target they were launched at if there is another viable heat
source (another plane) in their view cone. Be advised that firing a Sidewinder close to a friendly
plane is risky.

Guns
The F-16 comes equipped with the M61A1 20mm Vulcan cannon. It will serve you well in the heat of
a chaotic dogfight. It fires 100 20mm shells every second. One in five of these rounds is a tracer, so
you can see where the fire is going. The range of this weapon is only about 4000 feet, but its
enormous rate of fire makes it lethal within that range.

47
A I R - T O - A I R E VA S I O N
No matter how good you get, eventually somebody is going to get on your six and hang there like a
rabid pit bull. The plane you fly is valuable and so are you. You have to know how to prioritize and
evade threats at all ranges. Remember: You have to be ready for anything, because you will not
know what the other guy has until he shoots it at you.

Long Range
A long-range missile such as the AMRAAM depends upon maintaining a radar lock. Therefore, your
job is to make the missile lose the lock on your plane. If you detect the launch at extreme range (35+
nm), the simplest thing to try is turning around. The missile will run out of fuel before it can catch
you. Closer in, you should try to get turned around and drop some chaff, then break hard so the
missile doesn’t just fly through the cloud and re-acquire you. Very close in you probably don’t need
to worry so much about AMRAAMs, since they will have trouble turning to hit you inside of 2
nautical miles or so.

Short Range
You have a bit less time to evade the short-range Sidewinders. The -9J is not nearly as accurate as
the -9M, and if you can draw it into the sun you can shake it. It’s pretty hopeless to try and shake
either of these missiles with maneuver. But since both are IR homing, you can try to divert them by
releasing flares, cutting the afterburner and breaking, or by flying close by another aircraft and
passing them — an enemy aircraft, unless you want to run out of friends.

Guns
Since guns work best with a small deflection angle, maintain a relative angle of greater than 45
degrees to your opponent. Try to minimize exposure to your underside and topside as you engage in
the dogfight.

A I R - T O - G R O U N D C O M B AT
Ground attack missions pose a different type of problem: target acquisition at high attack speed.
The eye can distinguish a main battle tank at around a mile in full daylight, 100% visibility. At 450
knots, an F-16 will cover that distance in ten seconds. You will be within range for everything except
bombs in six seconds. You will have that time to see the target, select it (or line up the dot if you’re
on a bombing run), maneuver and take the shot. Many attack runs are executed at greater than 450
knots to minimize exposure to enemy anti-aircraft systems, so you may have even less time.

IR-Guided Weapons
The AGM-65D Maverick and the GBU-15 are guided by an imaging infrared seeker. These are two of
the most expensive weapons you can buy, so an accurate approach and delivery technique is
critical.

Get a radar lock on your target (use T). Approach

IR Bombing
low, flying straight and level, at an approximate
altitude of 300 feet. At 1 or 2 miles from your
target, begin climbing above 500 feet while
maintaining speed. Launch when the crosshair
drifts over the target and the “IN RNG” note pops
up in the HUD. Extend into a hard break and hit
the afterburners. Check your rear hemisphere for
missiles and drop decoys if you’re being pursued.
Remember that the Maverick and the GBU-15 have
very little maneuverability and their true range is
determined by the speed and altitude you are flying
at when you launch them.

48
Cannon and Rocket Pods
Use the Strafing mode gun sight. Fly low (below 500 feet) and level. The most dangerous aspect of
cannon fire is the close range at which you can effectively hit your target. At 6000 rounds per
minute, you can deplete your ammunition quickly, so experienced pilots will shoot in short bursts,
saving the continuous “walking” fire for when you’re directly over your target and about to pull up.
Do not get fixated on your target. If you didn’t hit your target, it’ll just have to wait until your next
pass.

Rocket pods work the same way, but they have more than twice the range of the gun, so you can
open fire sooner. As always, try to avoid flying over the target. This will be nearly impossible with a
gun attack, but you might have time to break off after a rocket attack.

Bombs
You can use the CCRP or the CCIP. The CCRP is Toss Bombing
best in hilly country because it takes target
altitude into account. Many pilots prefer the
simplicity of the CCIP, and it’s a fine sight if the
ground is relatively level. After all, if you wanted
to put it through a window, you’d have used a
GBU-15, right? With a stick of 500-pound
bombs, you just have to get close.

Approach the target from as high an altitude as you can, given the air defense situation. It’s easier
to line up for a bombing run if you don’t have to worry about contracting hill disease. Usually,
around 500 feet is the bare minimum. If you have to come in lower, you may have trouble acquiring
the target in time to attack effectively. Get roughly lined up by banking and make the fine
adjustments with the rudder. Put the dot on the target and trigger the bombs. If you use the CCRP,
you’ll have to stay on target for a few more seconds until the bombs release, and you should pull up
steadily until they do, using the flight path of the plane to “toss” the bombs at the target. After
release, turn away and try to leave the target area the same way you came in. There might be SAMs
or AAA on the other side of the objective. Try not to drop your whole load on the first pass. Even the
good bombers miss every now and then. Use half and come around for another pass if you have to.
Durandals work the same way, but their natural prey is a runway or landing strip. On a Durandal
run, try to come in at a slight angle across the strip, since if you try to line up directly down it, you
will miss with everything if you are even a little off center. You have to fly over the target with
Durandals, because of the way they fall.

G R O U N D F I R E E VA S I O N
You will face two kinds of AA in Strike Commander: missiles and guns.

Missiles. Countering SAMs is almost like evading AMRAAMs. They are radar guided weapons, and
should be chaffed and/or turned away from. The best way to handle them is to kill the launcher
(Mavericks are good for this). The SAMs in the game tend to be a little slower than the AMRAAM,
but that means that even though they may not catch you quite as fast, they turn better. They also
carry huge warheads, so ditch them if at all possible.

Guns. High speed and altitude are the keys to evading AAA. If you have to stay low, kill them
outside their range with a Maverick. Failing that, try to keep hills between you and them. Failing
that, they will cut you apart quickly.

49
 PRACTICE MISSIONS
If you want to get in a little practice maneuvering, dogfighting and bombing without the added
pressure of managing a fighter squadron, here are some good practice missions to get you in the air
on your own. Soloing is a special event in a pilot’s career. It’s the first time you have the sky all to
yourself, with nobody around to blame if things go wrong and nobody looking over your shoulder.
There’s no reason to be too hard on yourself at first. Follow the advice given below and go easy.

Note that these missions all begin with you in the air, at the beginning of the engagement. If you
want to practice take offs or landings here, find a runway away from the combat.

From the startup menu, select TRAINING MISSION.

TRAINING MISSION 1
Choose a dogfight engagement. To start with, select a group of less maneuverable targets who won’t
shoot back : perhaps two or three C-130s, Lear jets, or AWACS. When you’ve chosen a small
number of one of these plane types, select ENOUGH, select an altitude — probably 25,000 feet, to give
you more maneuvering room — and continue with the weapon loading screen.

When the weapon screen comes up, load your plane with air-to-air weapons. A good practice load
would be 4 AIM-9Js and a full gun load. Click twice on the AIM-9J (to the left of your screen) with
your left mouse button. You will see the missiles appear on your wingtips and under-wing light
hardpoints. Your plane already has loaded guns, so click on the cockpit to put your plane at the
beginning of the engagement.

G Force. Practice flying past the target, then bank hard and come back at it quickly. Watch the Gs.
Pull enough to begin blacking out, then back off. Note how fast you were going and stay just below
that speed during combat. Remember, you can survive several times more positive Gs than you can
negative.

Maneuvering. Roll the plane in the direction you want to go and pull back on the stick to head that
way. Now, drop in behind the target and try to match speeds. It’s tough isn’t it? Hang in there!

Pursuit. Try using the air brakes and flaps to increase drag and dump speed. Once you have a feel
for how fast your enemy is going, you can match speeds with him and hang on his tail until he
makes a mistake.

Select Weapon. Select a Sidewinder-9J (W). Your best offense is rear -aspect missiles. After
mastering these cruder -9J missiles, using the newer, more sophisticated ones will be a breeze.

Radar Lock. Press T to get a radar lock on your target. Shoot him, then shoot him again for good
measure, since the AIM-9Js warhead is quite small and probably won’t kill a big plane in one shot.

Select New Weapon. Now switch to guns (W) and press T again to select the next target. Be sure
your target is in range before firing. Compared to other plane-mounted cannons, the Vulcan has the
highest rate of fire but only a very short range. Within 3500 feet you can expect hits, and within
2000 feet, you can expect kills. Try not to hose the gun around. It fires at 100 rounds per second,
and you only have 500 rounds on board. Winning a dogfight with guns these days is one of the most
demanding things a pilot can do.

50
TRAINING MISSION 2
Now it’s time for a one-on-one dogfight. After splashing the C-130 a few times, replace the cargo
plane targets with a single opponent. From the startup screen, choose DOGFIGHT, 1, a fighter type
(probably either a MiG-21 or Mirage 2000 to start with), and any altitude.

If you’re looking for an easy start, give yourself a pair of AMRAAMs or maybe Sidewinder -Ms
instead of -Js on your light hardpoints in addition to your wingtip Sidewinders.

Put yourself in a head-to-head engagement and blow him up, if you can. Try not to give up too
much speed or altitude as you execute some basic maneuvers. Maintain an optimal maneuverability
speed of 450 knots indicated airspeed. If you can hold that speed at all times while maneuvering
offensively and defensively, you will probably get him. The F-16 has one of the best thrust to weight
ratios of any plane in the world. Use it! You can fly straight up if you need to. You can turn with and
inside of any aircraft in the world. Look at the aircraft stats in the back of this book and be very
aware of which aircraft you can run away from. The F-16 is one of the best dogfighters in the world,
but the top speed isn’t that hot. An F-15, Su-27 or even a MiG-21 can chase you down without too
much trouble.

TRAINING MISSION 3
In this mission, you familiarize yourself with basic ground attack techniques against various
targets.

Choose SEARCH-AND-DESTROY from the training mission screen. When you are given the opportunity to
load your plane, choose a full load (4) of rocket pods on your medium hardpoints and a full load (12)
of Mk82s on your heavy hardpoints.

When you start out, bring up your nav map, select Halverston, and autopilot there. Make a quick
pass over the city, looking for a skyscraper to level. When you’ve selected a likely target, head out
about 6 to 8 nautical miles, turn around, adjust your altitude to between 1000 and 2000 feet, and
head for your target. Try setting your weapons to Mk82 in CCIP mode at first, to practice precision
bombing.

As you approach, you should be in a shallow dive — about 10 degrees. Keep your speed moderate,
(about 400 knots true) and use your rudder to make final course corrections as you approach your
target. Let the pipper line up on your target, watch for the In Range indicator to light and pull the
trigger — once. If your weapon camera is turned on, you can watch the bombs drop toward the
target and (possibly) a direct hit.

If you miss, turn around and repeat the process. To practice lining up targets, you can drop each of
your bombs on a different building.

Next, it’s time for some tougher practice, using rockets. Autopilot to Mayday Canyon and fly the
canyon. If you see enemy fire, hunt down the source and remove it before it removes you. To use
rockets on a target, line up using the rudder, as before, and wait for the In Range indicator to light.
When it’s lit and your rocket sight is on the base of the target, let ’em fly. With practice, you’ll be a
menace to any ground target. And you have plenty of rockets to practice with, so don’t worry about
wasting ammo now.

When you reach the mesa in the center of the canyon, climb to pick off some targets around the
runway located there. In later training missions, you can load up with Durandals and practice
bombing the runway, too.

For a more challenging mission, take the same loadout and try Roberts Pass. The AA defenses are a
bit more intense there, so you’ll have to be at your best to fly it safely.

When you’ve dropped all your bombs, you can try practice landings at the Strike base. Autopilot
there and try a landing by the book. (see Landing, p. 43) The key to landing, as with all aspects of
jockeying an F-16, is practice.

51
TRAINING MISSION 4
In this mission, you practice dogfighting in a one against two formation. You will be handicapped,
loaded with both air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

This time, select two enemies in a single group. Start with MiG-21s or Mirages at first, and work
your way up to MiG-29s, Su-27s, or other F-16s. To practice with your plane weighted down, pick
your normal wingtip missiles, Sidewinders or AMRAAMs on the light hardpoints, and a stack of
Mk20s or Mk82s on the medium and heavy hardpoints. If that’s just too much weight, try
Mavericks, or maybe just a pair of GBU-15s on each set of hardpoints. Once you’re loaded (and this
is as heavy as it gets), get on the runway to fight your two much more maneuverable opponents.

It’s good to practice fighting against numerically superior enemies because you are about to enter a
world in which such situations are the norm. In multiple plane furballs, you have to make kills
quickly, or be killed. Your most valuable weapons, AMRAAM missiles, should be launched one per
target, before you make visual contact. Target the planes with the highest closure rates first, since
those guys will be down your throat in a hurry.

Standard military doctrine says that if you are bounced on the way to a ground strike, you are
supposed to jettison the bombs so you can maneuver, then engage the air enemy if you think you
can win, or disengage and run if you are outmatched. The Wildcats operate under a very different
set of rules. The ordnance you are carrying is valuable and you can’t complete a given mission
without it. If you want to fly for the Wildcats, you have to be able to fight your way through the
opposition to reach your target, hit it, and get home in one piece, maximizing kills made with cheap
weapons.

Breaking Missile Lock

After you have the head-to-head attack down, let the enemy get behind you. This situation should
result in an almost immediate missile lock on your aircraft. Don’t panic. This is practice. Practice
breaking missile locks by cutting the afterburner and dropping flares, then bank sharply. Dropping
flares will not usually be enough to distract a modern IR homing missile. You have to radically
change your IR signature and maneuver. Breaking radar homing missile locks is a similar
procedure, except that they are usually fired from longer ranges and from the front in the initial
phase of the engagement. The tactics are the same: Drop decoys and turn at the last moment. Just
bear in mind that the AMRAAM and the radar guided SAMs are much faster than the IR homing
Sidewinders.

52
 REFERENCE
WEAPONS
Range. The weapon’s range in nautical miles. In some cases, the range of the weapon will depend
on the altitude and velocity of the launch platform. In other cases, the lock range (the range at
which the weapon can acquire a valid target) will be less than the true range of the weapon.
Both exceptions are noted in the description.
HUD Mode. The mode displayed in the lower left corner of the HUD, under the airspeed tape. If the
weapon can be used in more than one mode, they will be separated by a slash.
Guidance. The type of guidance system the weapon uses.
Cost. The cost of the weapon, in dollars, to the Wildcats.

AIM-9J

Range ...................6 nm
HUD Mode ............SRM
Guidance ..............IR homing
Cost ......................$30,000

The AIM-9J is an antique. It is a testament to the very solid design of the Sidewinder series that it is
still in service at all. The seeker head is of an old type and is quite prone to countermeasure
distraction (flares). These missiles have even been known to veer into the sun every now and then.
This seeker is not sensitive enough to lock onto a target from the front; the weapon must see the
rear aspect (hot tailpipe) in order to acquire the target. It does have some hidden advantages,
though. The warhead is detonated by a proximity sensor (like most AAMs), but the fuse is as
antique as the missile, and usually functions only after the missile is inside the target. This means
that while the -9J will sometimes miss its target, when it hits the results are catastrophic. It is also
very cheap, as AAMs go.

AIM-120 AMRAAM

Range ...................40 nm
HUD Mode ............MRM
Guidance ..............Semi-active
radar homing
Cost ......................$200,000

The AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile is the current last word in BVR (beyond
visual range) weaponry. It is a terminally active radar homer with inertial guidance up to the
activation point, and is capable of receiving mid course updates. What that means is the missile is
launched in the direction of a bogey (usually at a radar blip), maintains its heading with very precise
gyros and fast microprocessors, and at a set point turns on its internal radar and hunts the target
on its own. Any time during the flight, the firing platform may transmit a new heading to the missile
by radio and the missile will go off in another direction. The mid-course updating process is usually
carried out by computer. The weapon travels at a peak velocity of Mach 4.2. The warhead is
detonated by a very fast and reliable laser proximity fuse. The only bad thing about the weapon is
that it can’t turn very well, limiting its use in dogfights. But, like they say, long distance is the next
best thing to being there.

53
AGM-65D Maverick

Range ...................13 nm
HUD Mode ............IR
Guidance ..............Imaging infrared
Cost ......................$100,000

The Maverick is a true fire-and-forget weapon. You just show it the target and turn it loose, and it
homes in on the image of the target stored by the missile seeker head. In order to get a positive lock
on a target, the missile must be able to “see” the target. Visual conditions being what they are on the
battlefield, you will rarely be able to see a target beyond three miles. The warhead is heavy enough to
destroy any known ground vehicle, and will damage small ships.

AIM-9M

Range ...................10 nm
HUD Mode ............SRM
Guidance ..............IR homing
Cost ......................$60,000

The -9M is a vastly improved Sidewinder. The seeker is less prone to distraction, and can engage
targets in all aspects. The warhead is twice as large, the fusing mechanism actually works, and it
goes faster and farther than the -9J. It also maneuvers a little better. The improvements do not
come without a price tag, and this missile is twice as expensive as its older brother.

GBU-15(V)/B Smart Bomb

Range ...................4 nm
HUD Mode ............IR
Guidance ..............Imaging infrared
Cost ......................$100,000

The GBU-15 (nobody but the master ordnance chief uses the full designation of this weapon) is
essentially a 2,000-pound bomb fitted with a Maverick-like guidance sensor and two sets of fins for
lift and aerodynamic control. It homes like a Maverick. Most pilots use the -15 to destroy big targets,
like bridges and buildings. You can’t carry many of them, so pick your targets carefully.

Mk82 General Purpose Bomb

Range ...................N/A
HUD Mode ............CCIP/CCRP
Guidance ..............None
Cost ......................$10,000

The Mk. 82 is the simplest air-to-ground weapon in the Wildcats’ arsenal. The simpler a weapon is,
the more complex the delivery system and the more trained the pilot must be. The Mk. 82 is no
exception. They are very cheap compared to the other weapons. If you can fly well enough to use
iron bombs effectively, you will increase your profit margin considerably.

54
LAU-3 Rocket Pod

Range ...................2 nm
HUD Mode ............STRF
Guidance ..............None
Cost ......................$10,000

The LAU-3 represents one of the most common air-launched weapons in service today: the
unguided fin stabilized rocket. Its warhead is small, and most target vehicles can take one or two
near misses, but these weapons are launched in salvos. Two pods with nineteen rockets each will
put 38 weapons in and around the target in a matter of seconds. The F-16 can carry up to eight
pods and can fire them all at once. As an added bonus, they can be fired at planes if the target
aircraft will hold still long enough to be hit.

Mk20 Rockeye Cluster Bomb

Range ...................N/A
HUD Mode ............CCIP/CCRP
Guidance ..............None
Cost ......................$20,000

The Rockeye is a shell containing 247 pound-and-a-half bombs. These are dispersed (when the
weapon bursts at a preset distance above the ground) to cover about a 200 feet by 250 feet area
(around 50,000 square feet). The bombs detonate on impact. Rockeye bomblet detonation is strong
enough to kill most soft skinned vehicles, and a direct hit is enough to kill a tank if it gets the
engine deck.

Durandal Runway Cratering Munition

Range ...................N/A
HUD Mode ............CCRP
Guidance ..............None
Cost ......................$30,000

Durandal is designed specifically to destroy runways, taxi areas and hardened aircraft shelters. At
weapon release, the Durandal deploys a braking parachute and tips nose down. After a time delay, a
rocket motor blasts the weapon into the ground, where it explodes. Durandal can penetrate around
16 inches of concrete or asphalt ground cover before the fuse functions. The detonation creates an
underground “pocket” crater that is tough to repair. The blast radius of the weapon is very small
since the force is contained by the ground, so you have to be dead on target to use Durandal
effectively.

55
P L A N E S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

Engines. The number of engines the plane has. Unless noted otherwise, assume jet engines.
Max Range. Operational range (one way) of the aircraft in nautical miles on internal fuel assuming
a constant throttle of MIL 4 and a clean plane.
VmaxHi. Maximum speed in knots, clean, on full afterburner at 36,000 ft.
VmaxLo. Max speed clean in knots, full afterburner at sea level.
Ceiling. The maximum altitude in feet the plane can reach in stable flight.
Loadout. The standard gun loadout on the plane.
Fighter type. A rough estimation of how advanced the fighter is, based as much on the
sophistication of its radar as on any other criterion. First generation is oldest; Third is most
advanced.
Maneuv. A general agility rating based on turn radius, roll rate, wing drag and rate of climb.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

Engines.................1
Max Range............905 nm
VmaxHi .................1158 knots
VmaxLo.................791 knots
Ceiling...................49,530 feet
Loadout.................M61A1 20mm Vulcan
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Excellent

The F-16 is the plane you must master and is one of

the most versatile and maneuverable planes in the
world today. It is a “fly by wire” plane; the ailerons
and other moving surfaces are activated via electrical
impulse rather than by bulky hydraulic actuators.
The electrical signals from the pilot’s controls are fed
into a computer which determines the best way to
move the control surfaces to achieve the result the
pilot asked for. It sounds cumbersome, but the fly-
by-wire system was a quantum leap in aircraft
control technology. The electronic controls are triply
redundant, making them dependable in the most
arduous conditions.

F/A-18 Hornet

Engines................2
Max Range............950 nm
VmaxHi .................1032 knots
VmaxLo.................795 knots
Ceiling...................50,400 ft.
Loadout.................M61A1 20mm Vulcan
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Good to very good

The Hornet was designed to be a jack-of-all-trades

aircraft. Unfortunately, that made it master of none.
It has a very good radar and can carry a great deal of
ordnance, is very maneuverable, has a great roll
rate, but is a mediocre dogfighter due to the weak
engines.

56
F-15 Eagle
Engines.................2
Max Range............1881 nm
VmaxHi .................1338 knots
VmaxLo.................810 knots
Ceiling...................64,350 ft.
Loadout.................M61A1 20mm Vulcan
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Very good

The F-15 was designed to counter what was

supposed to be a Russian superfighter: the MiG-25
Foxbat. When it was discovered that the Foxbat was
a dedicated interceptor and not an air superiority
fighter at all, the F-15 was left as the premier fighter
aircraft in the world. It has impressive top speed and
turning ability for a large fighter. Be very careful
when engaging this plane.

MiG-21 Fishbed
Engines.................1
Max Range............531 nm
VmaxHi .................1204 knots
VmaxLo.................540 knots
Ceiling...................60,125 ft.
Loadout.................GSh-23 23mm cannon
Fighter type ..........First
Maneuv. ................Good

The MiG-21 is an antique in the 21st century, but its

low price and the huge numbers produced during
the cold war will keep it in service for some time to
come. In most air forces, it serves as a ground attack
aircraft, but in poorer countries and squadrons it
performs intercept and CAP missions as well.

MiG-29 Fulcrum
Engines.................2
Max Range............806 nm
VmaxHi .................1260 knots
VmaxLo.................700 knots
Ceiling...................59,800 ft.
Loadout.................30 mm cannon
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Very good to excellent

The Fulcrum is a good match for the F-16, and

indeed, both planes were designed for the same
general mission: short range air intercept and
ground attack missions. The MiG-29 is marginally
more survivable due to the twin engine design.

57
Su-27 Flanker

Engines.................2
Max Range............1000 nm
VmaxHi .................1320 knots
VmaxLo.................725 knots
Ceiling...................49,530 ft.
Loadout.................30 mm cannon
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Very good to excellent

The Sukhoi design bureau had a long history

of solid aircraft design when they produced the
Su-27, and the Flanker maintains that
standard. It is most similar to the F-15, and
has the same mission: long range air intercept
and superiority.

C-130 Hercules

Engines.................4 prop
Max Range............3,240 nm
VmaxHi .................332 knots
VmaxLo.................332 knots
Ceiling...................32,695 ft.
Loadout.................30 mm cannon
Fighter type ..........N/A
Maneuv. ................Like a pregnant yak

The C-130 is ubiquitous in the shadowy world of

the mercenary pilot. It is commonly used for
troop and supply transport worldwide.

Mirage 2000

Engines.................1
Max Range............741 nm
VmaxHi .................1262 knots
VmaxLo.................800 knots
Ceiling...................58,500 ft.
Loadout.................30 mm cannon (2)
Fighter type ..........Second
Maneuv. ................Good

The Mirage 2000 is an old but popular French-

built export fighter. The large delta wing is
lightly loaded, and produces high drag in
maneuvers, losing velocity quickly. It can
perform intercept and ground attack missions.
It is slightly better than a MiG-21 in a dogfight.

58
A-10 Thunderbolt II
Engines.................2
Max Range............1189 nm
VmaxHi .................381 knots
VmaxLo.................381 knots
Ceiling...................44,525 ft.
Loadout.................30 mm DPU
Fighter type ..........Second
Maneuv. ................Very good

The Warthog (as its pilots call it) is a dedicated

ground attack aircraft. The Warthog’s natural
prey are main battle tanks, and it carries the
most powerful cannon of any aircraft flying: the
GAU-8A Avenger seven-barreled 30mm, firing
depleted uranium slugs. The gun was meant for
ground targets, but all Warthog pilots dream of
the day when they can zap an overconfident
fighter jock.

Tornado
Engines.................2
Max Range............1691 nm
VmaxHi .................1262 knots
VmaxLo.................792 knots
Ceiling...................69,338 ft.
Loadout.................27 mm cannon (2)
Plane type.............Second
Maneuv. ................Fair

The Tornado was a joint British, German and

Italian design project completed in the mid ’80s.
The idea was to create a jet which could be
configured as a ground attack plane or as an air
superiority platform. They came very close to
doing it. The Tornado presented here is the
fighter version. If this excellent plane has a
weakness, it is the slow top speed.

Lear Jet
Engines.................2
Max Range............1080 nm
VmaxHi .................400 knots
VmaxLo.................400 knots
Ceiling...................37,375 ft.
Loadout.................N/A
Fighter type ..........N/A
Maneuv. ................Good

The Lear is the transport of choice for the

status-conscious executive in the 21st century.

59
E-3 Sentry “AWACS”
Engines.................4
Max Range............4,374 nm
VmaxHi .................460 knots
VmaxLo.................422 knots
Ceiling...................39,650 ft.
Loadout.................N/A
Fighter type ..........N/A
Maneuv. ................Poor

The E-3 is the ultimate eye-in-the-sky aircraft.

Its powerful radar can track a very large number
of air and ground contacts. Its function in an air
engagement is to spot inbound aircraft, classify
them as enemy or friendly and send flights of
fighters to intercept them. It is one of the most
valuable targets flying today.

YF-23
Engines.................2
Max Range............1,296 nm
VmaxHi .................1300 knots
VmaxLo.................790 knots
Ceiling...................60,000 ft.
Loadout.................M61A1 20mm Vulcan
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Excellent

The YF-23 was one of two competing advanced

fighter designs in the late 80s and early 90s. The
other fighter was the YF-22. The YF-23 lost the
competition, but it has been brought into limited
production by the demands of today’s
mercenary market. It is very fast, very hard to
spot, and very dangerous to engage. This plane
eats F-15s for breakfast. Its pilots call it “Black
Widow.”

F-22
Engines.................2
Max Range............1,300 nm
VmaxHi .................1330 knots
VmaxLo.................795 knots
Ceiling...................60,000 ft.
Loadout.................M61A1 20mm Vulcan
Fighter type ..........Third
Maneuv. ................Excellent

The F-22 won the US advanced fighter

competition, and was adopted as the new air
superiority fighter, replacing the aging F-15. It is
faster than the -15, harder to spot on radar and
IR, and much more maneuverable due to
partially vectored thrust.

60
TU-20
Engines.................4 Prop
Max Range............8,000 nm
VmaxHi .................500 knots
VmaxLo.................410 knots
Ceiling...................40,625 ft.
Loadout.................N/A
Fighter type ..........First
Maneuv. ................Poor

The Tu-20 (military designation: Tu-95

Bear D) was the pinnacle of prop-
driven intercontinental bomber
technology during the 1950s. It
survives today as an export plane in
the air forces of some of the more well-
off third world countries and larger
corporations. Bear’s specialty used to
be delivering free fall nuclear bombs,
but it can still cause a great deal of
damage with plenty of 500 pounders.

747 Jumbo Jet

Engines.................4
Max Range............4,374 nm
VmaxHi .................400 knots
VmaxLo.................400 knots
Ceiling...................37,650 ft.
Loadout.................N/A
Fighter type ..........N/A
Maneuv. ................Poor

The 747 is used by a long list of

civilian airlines and several
corporations. It is even more of a
sitting duck than the E-3, since it has
only a short range radar to warn of
incoming threats. It has none of the
sophisticated electronic
countermeasures or decoy systems of
a military plane.

61
 ONLINE SERVICES AND
BULLETIN BOARDS
Today’s online services open up exciting new worlds to anyone with a modem
and communications software. You can shop in electronic malls, play games,
participate in special interest forums, make flight reservations and see the latest
stock market quotes. You can view up-to-the-minute news and weather,
subscribe to an electronic mail service and access information stored in
hundreds of newspapers, magazines and other periodicals and databases. And
that just scratches the surface.

Many of the most popular online services provide access to ORIGIN company
news, product updates, release dates, technical support and game hints. In
addition, ORIGIN has established its own electronic bulletin board as a customer
service.

If you already subscribe to an online service, the following information will guide
you to the ORIGIN sections. If you’re looking for more information about online
services, phone numbers are also listed below.

America Online: You can e-mail Customer Support at ORIGINCS or Marketing

at OSI. To reach our Customer Support board in the Industry Connection, press
cK for “Go to Keyboard.“ Then type ORIGIN in the Keyword window. In
addition to reading messages, you can download files from the “Origin Software
Library.“ For membership information and a free starter kit, you can call
America Online toll-free at 1-800-827-6364.

CompuServe: To reach our Customer Support board in the Game Publishers

Forum, type GO GAMAPUB at any “!” prompt.Then select Origin Systems. In
addition to reading the messages, you can download files from the “Library
(Files)” menu. To reach our Customer Service department by e-mail, our address
is 76004,2612. For membership information and a free starter kit, you can call
CompuServe toll-free at 1-800-848-8199 and ask Representative #361 for your
free introductory membership and $15 usage credit.

ORIGIN BBS: The ORIGIN BBS is located in Austin, Texas and has a modem
support of: 300/1200/2400/9600/12000/14400 bauds with N,8,1. It is
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Internet Address: You can e-mail Origin Customer Support at

[email protected].

For ORIGIN product support, call (512) 335-0440 Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm,

Central Time
or fax, (512) 331-8559

62
 STRIKE COMMANDER CREDITS
Programming Voices
RealSpace™ system .........................Jason Templeman, The Hero...................................................Jason Tirado
Chris Roberts, Paul Isaac Stern.......................................................Richard Jones
Graphic primitives.................Paul Isaac, Chris Roberts, Tex ...........................................................Marco Perella
Miles Design Miguel....................................................Celso Martinez
Flight models ........................................Arthur DiBianica, Lyle..............................................................Tom Byrne
Jason Templeman Billy ....................................................Christian Gerard
Computer intelligence ............................Jason Yenawine, Gwen.....................................................Lucinda Hinton
Jason Templeman, Frank Savage Virgil...........................................................Don Phillips
Cockpit, HUD and MFDs ........................Frank Savage, Prideaux...........................................Jean-Marc Chemla
Jason Templeman, Bill Baldwin, Janet.....................................................Tonie Perensky
Thomas Blom, Arthur DiBianca, Walters ....................................................Joshua Blyde
Chris Roberts, Paul Isaac Mendez ......................................................Harry Porter
Weapon systems .....................................Frank Savage, Thug in alley .........................................Richard Mather
Jason Templeman Drunk..................................................Craig Halverson
Mission system ......................Paul Isaac, Frank Savage Informant.............................................Bruce Lemmons
Cameras ..................................................Chris Roberts On Board Warning System ..................Norma J. Vargas
Visual effects............................................Chris Roberts
Audio system ........................Bill Baldwin, Miles Design Artwork
RealSpace terrain editor .........................Frank Savage,
Bill Baldwin 3-D studio sets and meshes ...................Bruce Lemons,
RealSpace object editor .................................Paul Isaac Danny Garrett, Chris Douglas, Jake Rodgers
Option scenes..................Arthur DiBianca, Bill Baldwin Cinematic animations ............................Bruce Lemons,
Cinematic sequences .........................Richard Johnson, Craig Halverson, Chris Douglas,
Arthur DiBianca, Bill Baldwin Denis Loubet, Jake Rodgers
Install program ............................................Scott Biggs Backgrounds.......................................Craig Halverson,
JEMM..................................................Jason Yenawine Bruce Lemons, Denis Loubet
NIM system programming............................Scott Biggs Character animations .........................Craig Halverson,
Library code.........................Jeff Wilson, Zach Simpson, Chris Douglas, Denis Loubet, Danny Garrett
Will McBurnet, Phil Sulak, Chris Roberts, Menus and fonts .....................................Bruce Lemons
Paul Isaac, Jason Yenawine, Bill Baldwin RealSpace terrain textures ...................Craig Halverson
Additional programming .............................Eric Hyman RealSpace buildings..............Bruce Lemons, Paul Steed
Technical consultant .............................Greg Passmore RealSpace planes and vehicles .....................Paul Steed
Simulation consultants................Karl “Orca” Kuschner Documentation Graphics .............................Paul Steed
Karl “Dr. K” Heinz
Packaging
Audio Box design ...........................Craig Miller, Jennifer Davis
Flight music.......................Neno Vugrenic, Dana Glover Documentation..............................Tim Ray, Rob Irving,
Cinematic music .......................................Dana Glover, Prem Krishnan
Marc Shaefgen, Randy Buck Editing .........................David Ladyman, Carolyn Cutler
Option scene music ................................Neno Vugrenic Graphic design .......................................Jennifer Davis
Ad Lib music conversion.....................Kirk Winterrowd,
Neno Vugrenic Design
Additional music....................................Martin Galway
Original outline ...............Chris Roberts and Jeff George
Sound effects .....................Neno Vugrenic, John Tipton,
Screenplay ..................................................G. P. Austin
Kirk Winterrowd
Gameflow ..................................................Robert Irving
Digital processing software ...................Martin Galway,
Additional conversations ...........................Robert Irving
Jeff Wilson
Map design and layout.....................................Tim Ray
Digital sampling/effects.............................Randy Buck
Mission design ............................Tim Ray, G. P. Austin,
NIM system design.................................Neno Vugrenic,
Jason Templeman, Chris Roberts
Martin Galway
Mission layout.......................................Prem Krishnan,
Robert Irving, Tim Ray
Vehicle, weapon and plane data.......................Tim Ray
Associate producer ....................................Erin Roberts
Produced by.............................................Chris Roberts
Directed by ..............................................Chris Roberts
©1993, 1994 ORIGIN Systems, Inc. RealSpace is a trademark of ORIGIN Systems,
Inc. Origin, Strike Commander and We create worlds are registered trademarks of
ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts.

ORIGIN Systems, Inc. LIMITED 90 DAY WARRANTY.

ORIGIN warrants to the original purchaser of this computer software product that the recording medium on which the software programs are
recorded will be free from defects in material and workmanship for 90 days from the date of purchase.
If the recording medium is found defective within 90 days of original purchase, ORIGIN agrees to replace, free of charge, any such product upon
receipt at its Factory Service Center of the product, postage paid, with proof of date of purchase. This warranty is limited to the recording medium
containing the software program originally provided by ORIGIN. This warranty shall not be applicable and shall be void if the defect has arisen
through abuse, mistreatment or neglect. Any implied warranties applicable to this product are limited to the 90-day period described above. If failure
of the software product, in the judgment of ORIGIN, resulted from accident, abuse, mistreatment of neglect, or if the recording medium should fail
after the original 90-day warranty period has expired, you may return the software program to ORIGIN, at the address noted below, with a check or
money order for $5.00 (U.S. currency), which includes postage and handling, and ORIGIN will mail a replacement to you. To receive a replacement,
you should enclose the defective medium (including the original product label) in protective packaging accompanied by: (1) a $5.00 check (2) a brief
statement describing the defect and (3) your return address. Canada and Foreign Orders Note: Only U.S. money orders are accepted.
Except as set forth above, this warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, whether oral or written, express or implied, including any warrant of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and no other representation of claims of any nature shall be binding on or obligate ORIGIN. In no
event will ORIGIN be liable for special, incidental or consequential damage resulting from possession, use or malfunction of this product, including
damage to property and to the extent permitted by law, damages for personal injury, even if ORIGIN has been advised of the possibility for such
damages. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and/or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential
damages, so the above limitation and/or exclusion or limitation of liability may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights. You
may have other rights that vary from state to state.

63
REFERENCE CARD

OTHER FLIGHT CONTROLS

THRUSTMASTER WEAPON CONTROL SYSTEM
Main unit .....Throttle control Switch 4........Weapon select Switch 7a......AA/AG Radar
Switch 1........Flare Switch 5........Flaps Switch 7b .....(no function)
Switch 2........Chaff Switch 6........Brakes Switch 7c ......Dogfight toggle
Switch 3........Target select

THRUSTMASTER FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

Main joystick ....Flight control
Top joystick .......Pan around cockpit (if enabled at option screens)
Trigger ................Fire selected weapon
Top button .........Select weapon (if no WCS) or Return to cockpit view
Mid button.........Select target
Low button ........Return to forward cockpit view

JOYSTICK CONTROL
Joystick...............Flight control
Button 1 ..............Fire selected weapon
Button 2 ..............Pan around cockpit (move joystick while button is pressed)

FLIGHTSTICK PRO JOYSTICK CONTROL

Left button .........Select weapon Right button ............Select target
Low button ........Return to forward cockpit view Coolie hat.................Pan around cockpit

MOUSE CONTROL
Mouse .................Flight control (if no joystick active)
Left button .........Fire selected weapon
Right button ......Pan around cockpit

G A M E I N T E R FA C E
aJ Recalibrate joystick aXExit to DOS without saving
aM Music on / off (toggle) st Time compression:
1x, 2x, 4x (sustained)
aO Game options
(detail level, difficulty, etc) t Time burst 6x
(lasts while t is held)
aP Pause
AW Move the cursor
aS Sound on / off (toggle) SZ
aE Engine sound on/off toggle

64
Editor-in-Chief
David Ladyman C
O
Contributing Editor N
Carolyn Cutler T
E
Art Department N
Craig Halverson, Bruce T
S July 2011 Volume 12, Number 9
Lemons, Danny Garrett,
Jake Rodgers and Chris
Douglas (photography)
2 ......The Root of all Evil: Squadrons Fighting
Paul Steed (illustrations)
and Killing to Stay Above Water
Eric Lund (diagrams)
Editorial

Graphic Design
4 ......Mail Drop
Jennifer Davis (interior)
Craig Miller (cover) 6 ......The Wildcats: They’re Not Just a
Squadron, They’re a Smart Venture
Senior Writer, Fiction
Virgil Beetlebaum
Gilbert P. Austin
7 ......Wildcat Dossiers
Writer-Reporters
Tim Ray, Robert Irving, 12 ....Sell and Scramble:
Prem Krishnan a Typical Wildcat Mission
D. Duhm
Chief of Correspondents
Chris Roberts 22 ....Contract: Terminated!
An Enforcer Speaks Out
Special Correspondents
”Gule Gule”
Jason Templeman,
Bill Baldwin, Paul Isaac, 34 ....Investigative Report
Frank Savage ”James Stern: The Untold Story”

Foreign Correspondent 36 ....Leader of the Pack: The Jackal Speaks!

Erin Roberts An Exclusive Interview with Jean-Paul
Prideaux

40 ....Decade of Turmoil Winds to a Close

“Mission Accomplished”
Cover Photograph by D. Duhm,
44 ....Want Ads
using a Nactar 486.33. For more,
see ”Sell and Scramble — A Typical
Wildcat Mission,” on page 12 45 ....Play Guide

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

1
E
D
I
T
O
R
I
A
L

SQUADRONS FIGHTING AND KILLING

TO STAY ABOVE WATER

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

2
I was in Selim’s on a Wednesday night, destroyed than ever before. Even without
walking away from Jean-Paul Prideaux’s this new tax, squadrons would have been
usual table in the back (having just hard-pressed to survive. Now, the solven-
completed the interview with him you’ll cy of most squadrons will be tested to an
find in this issue), when I overheard the unprecedented extent.
drunken murmurs of a Turkish official This couldn’t come at a worse time for
who shall remain nameless (I protect mercs. The economic doldrums hanging
my sources, even inadvertent ones). over Istanbul these past few months have
According to this official, on 1 August led to an increase in violence across the
Ankara will unveil a new “Turkish board. Mercs turn to Wiz or RNA out of
Diplomatic Forces Windfall Profits Tax” boredom or frustration, then sanction
which will go into effect this coming fall. civilians to feed their habits. Employers,
Under the terms of the new tax, set at 28% of encouraged to daring by the chaos in the
applicable gross revenues, “windfall streets, are defaulting on payments,
profits” would include kill bonuses, instigating bloody vendettas that leave
gratuities and any profits in excess of 15% dozens of innocents dead (and all too
of monthly operating expenditures! often, the offending target isn’t among
This tax will devastate the premier them). The proposed new tax will only
industry of Turkey, hitting grunt and exacerbate this release of aggressive
flyboy with equal force. While the grunt is energy, so much of which used to be
fiscally nomadic, roaming wherever the focused along, if not peaceful, at least
money is and making less of it, his profitable lines. Mindless destruction
overhead is so minimal that putting a seems to be the order of the day, an
28% tax on profits above 15% of his irreversible downward spiral. Or is it?
overhead effectively deducts another 28% In this issue we examine the unique
from his total annual income. And though squadron bucking this bloodthirsty trend
merc squadrons regularly deal in eight — Stern’s Wildcats. Under the leadership
and nine digit figures, considering that of Commander James Stern, the Wildcats
most have overhead and maintenance accept missions based as much on morali-
costs ranging from $10 to $25 million ty as profit margin, rejecting outright
American per month, an added 28% murder even when the dollar stakes are
deducted from what little profit margin high. The questions I raise in this issue
they accrue guarantees hard times ahead include: are the Wildcats a fluke, or the
for even the high end of the industry. future? In light of the violence around
This fact becomes more apparent when them, considering the new windfall profits
you consider the escalating cost of tax, will the Wildcats sink or swim? And
insurance premiums. Recent industry will other squadrons follow?
studies reveal that, out of twenty-seven And what about the Jackals, the
Istanbul-based merc squadrons, twenty- squadron Jean-Paul Prideaux founded
four lease jets from outside agencies. when he broke away from the Wildcats
Given the risks involved to aircraft in any four years ago? Their philosophy is
merc operation, insurance never comes somewhat more traditionally mercenary,
cheap. The three squadrons who can Prideaux caring little how a mission
afford to own their own fighters don’t weighs in on the cosmic scale so long
need full coverage, but the rest are milked as it balances in the checkbook. The
dry, sometimes paying in premiums more Jackals’ annual profits are now three
than they’d pay monthly to purchase the times those of the more idealistic
planes outright (if only they could get Wildcats. What does this say about the
such credit extended to them!). The future of mercenary philosophy? We’ll
situation only worsens as the merc examine both approaches in this issue,
industry grows, and more planes are and leave the decision to you.
— GPA

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

3
 I ’ve got to correct the terrible You bastards got a lot of nerve. Last July
M injustice inflicted on fixers I laid out a hell of a lot of money to place
A by your recent article “Fixing a “Work Wanted” ad in the back of your
the Fixers” [Volume 12, Number dam [sic] magazine. Three months went
I 7, May 2011 — Ed.] Really, by, and I didn’t get no replies. This really
L gentlemen, it would be terrible if pisses me off. And I’m the wrong guy to
anyone in the merc business do that to. I spent the rent money on that
D swallowed that garbage, and not ad, hoping I’d recover the loss with the
R just for hard-working job brokers business your rag would bring me, but
like me. Sure, lots of squadron nothing came and I got throwd [sic] out
O
leaders in Istanbul would like to on the fraggin’ street. Lemme tell you,
P believe they could get along squattin’ on the ’creet has done bad
without fixers finding them work, things to my temperment [sic]. I been
but you’re not doing them any hustling up just enough money doing
favors by encouraging this unrealistic migrant snuff jobs to keep my A-10 in
thinking. Fact is, what small fee per- a hangar, and I got one final Paveway I
centage they might save by “cutting out been saving for a rainy day. All I got to
the superfluous middleman” would be say is, you refund my money, cause I
offset by the trouble, even danger, of really need it, or else I’m gonna slam
seeking out their own jobs. that Paveway right into your ****ing
Fixers don’t just sit in seedy bars, editorial offices.
chasing muffins with tequila shots and — “Dissed”
getting fat. That’s just the nice part of the
[I’d like to remind all potential advertisers
job. When we’re not in the bars, we’re
that in no way does SUDDEN DEATH
nosing around the Old Quarter, pinching
guarantee that any advertisements placed
our nostrils against the throngs of the
within our pages will achieve the desired
unwashed, stepping over bodies in filthy
result. Furthermore, “Dissed” would do
alleys to take meetings, and bribing
well to keep his Paveway to himself. The
contacts for news of work. I don’t have to
editors of SUDDEN DEATH employ their
tell you that, moving through the Istanbul
own mercenary squadron, the G-Men, to
underworld as we do, we frequently run
protect the home office. And they fly F-18
up against the business end of a shiv or
Hornets. In light of this fact, the chances
the barrel of a Smith & Wesson. Some-
K EY JUL
times you’re just in the wrong place at the
for an A-10 surviving an approach toward

UR
our airspace would be … slight. Ed.]
wrong time, and the bullet whizzing Y
T
toward your head is “nothing personal.”
Other times, a competitor is on the same
20

G iven that many mercenaries are,

L

job trail, and that same bullet comes with

through no fault of their own, generally
ANBU

11

bad intentions. Either way, you can wind

ignorant of international tax law, I just
up just as dead.
wanted to warn your readership about the
So, do everyone a favor and stop trying
screwing they can expect if they operate
to sell that sick puppy. It ain’t gonna hunt.
within United States territory.
— “Beto”
Every squadron flying out of Turkey
IST

[P. Fisch, the originator of the article, expects to pay the so-called “umbrella
responds as follows: “Although in many tax” in exchange for the TDF [Turkish
cases fixers make it easier for lazy Diplomatic Forces — Ed.] designation. It is
squadrons to find work, they are by no this designation that permits us to fly
means vital. The energetic entrepreneur offensive missions against targets in
can get as much work as any fixer. I stand foreign countries with immunity (at least
by my article.” — Ed.] on an official level), and a percentage of
our income for that protection seems

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

4
reasonable to most squadrons. But the [Actually, we’re working on a feature for
problem comes when you fly a strike next month’s issue regarding the global
against a target within “official” U.S. predations of the dreaded IRS. Everything
territory (including those states that have “Hunted” says is in fact true, even
seceded from the union — even though understated, and readers would do well
these secessions are fait accomplis, the to think twice before operating in the
U.S. government fails to recognize them). U.S. Furthermore, SUDDEN DEATH as a
Whenever a squadron conducts busi- matter of policy frowns upon squadrons
ness in the U.S., U.S. forces ignore the that shaft other squadrons. During the
incursion into their airspace, but IRS interview with Jean-Paul Prideaux of the
accountants do not, and then come Jackals presented in this issue, I referred
January or February Y you can expect to to this case and asked him how he could
J U L 2 0 1 be a notice
receive a bill in the mail. It will justify this action. He pulled a thick wad of
1
from the IRS demanding you pay taxes on twenty-dollar bills from his pocket and
✩
the profits you accrued from destroying grinned. Then he asked me where the
✩
property within U.S. borders. In other letter from “Hunted” was postmarked
words, the U.S. government will allow you U.S. POSTA ✩
from, explaining he hated to leave any job
✩
to trash the private property of U.S.
GE
unfinished. Although I withheld the
✩
WA

citizens, provided Uncle Sam gets a piece information, by the time I made it back to
✩
of the pie! my office I found that my desk had been
✩
.

H
S

29
This is extortion,
IN pure and
. simple. ransacked, and the letter was missing. ✩
Naturally, you may G Tsay, D difference
“What “Hunted” would be welladvised
O N ✩ to
does it make whether I pay or not? I change locations at the earliest possible
✩
operate in Turkey, and to hell with them. opportunity. Ed.] ✩
Let them do their worst.” That’s what I ✩
said, anyway, and boy was I wrong. At ✩
roughly 600,000 employees (including I ’m really worried that more and more
accountants, auditors and soldiers), the MNCs [Multinational Corporations — Ed.]
IRS is currently the largest terrorist are getting their own in-house squadrons.
organization in the world. Not even the What impact will standing air fleets have
strongest squadron can hope to stand on the mercenary market? Does this
against them if they decide to make an mean they’ll start flying their own inter-
example of you. They’ll either assault you corporate strikes, cutting Istanbul out of
themselves, or hire the work out. My the loop entirely?
squadron, the Trogs, was wiped out — Mark Gregory
during a nighttime raid involving two 4805 Finley Caddesi
other mercenary squadrons, the Jackals Stamboul, Istanbul, Turkey
and the Vipers, under IRS sponsorship.
[Not at all. MNCs are acquiring F-15 and
The U.S. may be broke, but the IRS is
F-16 squadrons strictly for on-premises
rolling in the green stuff, smackers they
security. The simple fact of the matter is,
are willing to part with for a little retal-
it’s more cost-efficient for MNCs to hire out
iation, bucks that sleezeballs like the
hazardous offensives to professional
Jackals are all too eager to grab for a little
squadrons. It makes sense for a
dirty work. May Prideaux rot in hell for
corporation to hire a squadron for $15 to
what he did to us.
$20 million, when that corporation might
As things stand now, I’m flat broke and
lose several $20 million jets in an
in hiding. I’m the sole survivor of that
independent action. Feel better? Ed.]
raid, and true to form, the IRS has put
out a contract on my life. But I wanted to
warn your readers: don’t let this happen
to you.
— “Hunted”

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

5
 by Virgil Beetlebaum

THE WILDCATS
THEY’RE NOT JUST A SQUADRON, THEY’RE A SMART VENTURE

Editor’s Note: Although this piece was originally slated as an overview of how the Wildcat
Squadron operates, Mr. Beetlebaum insisted on writing the article himself. SUDDEN DEATH
agreed to this stipulation in exchange for his help in coordinating interviews with the various
members of the squadron, background information, base passes and so forth. It is my opinion,
however, that Mr. Beetlebaum has turned this supposedly objective article into a shameless
plug for his squadron. For a more dispassionate view of the Wildcats, please see the article “Sell
and Scramble — A Typical Wildcat Operation” elsewhere in this issue.]

When you hear someone mention the • We get the job done! Unfortunately,
Wildcats, what do you think? many of you potential employers are
Do you think of the fact that, for six reluctant to approach us, put off by our
years, the Wildcats have provided con- reputation as a “moral” squadron. Please
sistent, professional service to those in believe me, you’d be doing yourself a
need of armed assistance both locally and terrible disservice by passing us by
world-wide? without a look at our facilities and the
Do you consider the fact that the services we offer. No mission is too big, or
Wildcats fly only the finest aircraft, a too small, and we are always willing to
squadron of top-flight F-16s, maintained listen to any business proposition. Don’t
in perfect condition at considerable walk away from us, driven by a prejudice
expense, in order to best serve you? about the kind of missions we might or
Do you realize that the Wildcats have might not take. Let us worry about that.
an operational success rate of 86%, a full As the Wildcat’s accountant, I assure you
22% above the Istanbul Mean*? we’ll bend over backwards to find a way to
Do you understand that the confid- accept even the dirtiest job!
entiality of every job we take on is 100%
guaranteed? • We care about you! We Wildcats are so
Or, when you hear someone mention confident about our ability to fulfill your
the Wildcats, do you get hung up on the mission needs, we have one of the lowest
word “morality”? EL [Extraordinary Losses — Ed.] clauses
Let’s look at the facts: of any Turkish squadron! Why should you
It’s true that of all the squadrons in pay through the nose if we screw up?
Istanbul, the Wildcats alone have a Think of it — no more holding your
reputation for turning down missions breath wondering how many of the hired
based on moral considerations. help will make it back from a sortie. When
you fly with the Wildcats, you fly with
• But that’s not all we’re about! Our pilots confidence!
are the most experienced, blood-thirsty,
savage aerial fighters in all of Istanbul! • We need you! Sadly enough, our oper-
Just one look at our kill ratios should set ational resources can only benefit you if
your mind at ease about that. Our you give us a try!
commander, James Stern, has flown
combat missions in over a dozen • You’ll be glad you did!
operational theatres. In fact, all of our
pilots must have flown campaigns in at [* Istanbul Mean is based on a questionable
least two theatres before they are survey commissioned by Mr. Beetlebaum
considered for enlistment in the Wildcats. himself — Editor]

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

6
 WILDCATS DOSSIERS
MIGUEL SCHRAEDER, “ZORRO” the kill.” He rubs at the stubble on his
chin thoughtfully. “That is just how it is.
— PRECISION PERSONIFIED
I do not even think about it anymore.
But it is peculiar, is it not?”
More peculiar is the mix of fire and ice
that forms the temperament of this
extraordinary pilot. Proud, violent eyes
peer out from Miguel’s dark face, a pale
scar across his right cheek, yet despite
this dangerous visage, his voice is
deceptively soft, even pensive.
“He’s seen too much,” says Col. Stern
“I guess I earned the name Zorro for two of Schraeder. “He’s more than paid his
reasons. One, I used to fight bulls as a dues.” Stern refused to elaborate, but it’s
teenager growing up in Barcelona. And a safe bet those dues include the 18
the other reason is, I am so accurate in months Schraeder spent in a Nicaraguan
the air. I am as adept with missiles as POW camp when his Tomcat was shot
the legendary swordsman was with a down over the dense jungles of Central
blade. Both attributes, I think, spring America. Perhaps this further explains
from the same talent. Nerves of steel.” Schraeder’s ongoing obsession with Latin
Capt. Schraeder flashes one of his rare American politics.
smiles. “But, I could be wrong.” “Yes, I am known as the Wildcat’s
His teammates are quick to assert token ‘political junkie,’ whatever that is. I
that Miguel’s claim to iron nerves is not do not see how anyone can not be inter-
simple macho exaggeration. A veteran of ested in politics, considering everything
the intense, close-quarter dogfighting is political. I have a terrible feeling the
that characterized the Central American next big hotbed of international conflict
Bloc Conflict of 2005, Miguel knows how is going to be in Central-South America.
to bring jets down quickly and efficiently. But, of course, no one is reading the
“I do not waste a lot of ammo as many signs. You watch Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru,
do, spraying it across the sky and hoping maybe Andes Mallorca — they are all
I get lucky. I know only too well I may be headed for trouble soon.” When asked if
praying for a full Vulcan when I run into that wouldn’t at least be good for
more bogies later on. Likewise, when I business, Miguel’s eyes burned angrily.
launch a missile, it is only because I “That kind of business I can do
know in my heart that it will hit. I never without.”
launch when an enemy has even a slim One can’t help but feel Miguel speaks
window of escape. When I launch, that from experience.
means one more plane is dead. I don’t
even waste time looking back to confirm

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

7
LYLE RICHARDS, “BASELINE” commitment and respect” on Richards’
part. His patriotism was called into
— MYSTERY MAN
question. Finally, when no commander
would offer him a commission on his
carrier, it looked as if his career was
over. That’s when Commander James
Stern, always a maverick, took Baseline
under his wing and offered him a place
in the fighter group based under his
command on the Shiloh. The two men
formed an undeniable bond in the years
Lyle Richards, a 38-year-old veteran of that followed, a bond that survived the
several U.S. campaigns, has a reputation destruction of the Shiloh and the
as a quiet, pensive man, so it came as no founding of the Wildcats.
surprise when he declined our request
for an interview (despite the fevered GWEN FORRESTER, “PHOENIX”
objections of the publicity-hungry Mr.
Beetlebaum). For this reason, our
— ANARCHIST
information on Lt. Col. Richards is
limited to what we could obtain from
official U.S. Navy records.
A pilot of great skill, Richards initially
honed his abilities aboard the USS
Saratoga. Early reports in his dossier
described him as “eager, enthusiastic,
intelligent — committed to a military
career — a keen interest in travel and Captain Gwen “Phoenix” Forrester
knowledge of foreign cultures — ideal earned her callsign flying evac choppers
officer material.” He attained the rank of in Nicaragua. “I was sent in to pull some
lieutenant colonel before the Shiloh wounded boys out of the jungle. Talk
disaster, after which he left the Navy, about anti-aircraft fire, I mean the sky
presumably sharing his commander’s was a solid blanket of smoke from the
disillusionment with the military estab- flak bursts. I couldn’t see where I was
lishment following the senseless loss of going, but I went down anyway and
the carrier. linked up with the survivors of the 256th
Richards’ first tactical assignment was Infantry on schedule. It was easy.” She
Operation Desert Storm in 1991, flying pauses for effect, then grins as she
easy sorties from the Saratoga against continues: “Taking off again, that took
Iraqi targets. His baptism of fire occurred guts. You couldn’t even see the fraggin’
in that same theatre, when in 1994 the sky through the smoke. But I knew it was
U.S. again occupied Saudi Arabia to there, just the same. And damned if we
destroy Iraq’s nuclear strike capability. didn’t get out without a scratch. That’s
His first taste of the bitterness of military when they started calling me Phoenix.
service was in the European theatre, Talk about rising from the flames!”
during Operation Bootstrap, when the Despite her casual attitude toward the
U.S. lent support to the Commonwealth incident, Phoenix was decorated for
of Independent States’ suppression of the bravery and promoted to captain as a
December Revolt in order to stem the result of her actions. Ironically, the same
spreading tide of global nationalism. The fierce independence and rejection of
hypocrisy of the action was apparently convention that garnered the approval of
not lost on Baseline. Psychological her superiors eventually led to her
reports at the time pointed to a “lack of “departure” from the service. “I never

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

8
really liked the way the brass pushed me openings were easy to come by. Janet
around. I’ve never been much for used her persuasive powers to secure
mindlessly following orders. After a while, some of the easier, lower paying
that whole damned headset just got to be missions, gaining experience until, in the
too much for me. I mean, here were space of three years, she had established
officers that I could fly into the ground her reputation as a pilot who would fly
giving me orders. Who the hell did they any mission, no matter how dangerous.
think they were? The whole problem is “I wasn’t afraid of getting my nose
the power principle. Give any idiot power, dirty, that’s for sure. I figured that was
and it’ll corrupt absolutely every time. the only way a woman could get their
Pretty soon they expect you to jump respect, and I was right. I ran guns into
through hoops just because they have China for awhile, punching through
some braid on their shoulders.” the NATO blockade I don’t know how
Given this attitude, one might wonder many times. That was bouncy. But it
why Capt. Forrester was given an paid very well, which is the foremost
honorable discharge, especially since consideration, right?”
scuttlebutt has it that the separation Asked about the name “Vixen,” she
was less than amicable. “Did I have rolls her eyes and frowns: “My beauty is
something on Uncle Sam?” A silvery a tool, and I use it well. Men who want to
laugh bursts forth from Forrester, con- use me generally wind up getting used. I
trasting nicely with her tough as nails didn’t pick ‘Vixen’ for myself, but that’s
demeanor. “Do I look like the kind of gal what the flyboys in Canada used to call
who’d do something like that? You’d have me, and it stuck. I could drop it now, I
to be a pretty nasty customer to be able suppose, but I guess I keep it as a
to pull that one off.” warning. Anyone attracted by my looks
With fiery red hair, steely blue eyes should know what they’re in for. One
and the unpredictability of a dedicated tough customer.”
anarchist, Capt. Forrester seems capable Tough is right. Janet is known
of pulling anything off. throughout Istanbul as an uncom-
promising pilot who will do anything to
accomplish a mission objective. “Some
JANET PAGE, “VIXEN” call it killer instinct. I just think of it in
— BEAUTIFUL AND DEADLY terms of marketability. Pilots who
regularly return from sorties without
realizing their primary objectives don’t
last long. You can’t ride on reputation
alone in this business. You’re really only
as good as your last flight. And I’ve
worked too hard, I’ve come too far, to let
anything get between me and my
ultimate goal.”
Raised around the merchant airfields of And just what is that?
Quebec, Janet Page is the only Wildcat “A girl’s got to keep some secrets,” she
pilot without a military service record. replies seriously, the glint in her eyes
She credits the fact that she became a flashing a warning not to pursue this
certified jet pilot before the age of question, or perhaps, in anger at this slip
eighteen to her icy determination, as well in her normally impenetrable armor.
as to her ability to charm the local Clearly, Janet has her future mapped out
flyboys into giving her lessons. Due to with the same precision she uses to gun
the attrition among Quebeçois mercs down opponents. But what that future
during the late nineties, mission might be, only time will tell.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

9
BILLY PARKER, “PRIME TIME” CLAYTON TRAVIS, “TEX”
— TOP GUN — RODEO COWBOY

First Lt. Billy Parker, or “Prime Time” to Travis was a senior at Jackson High in
the rest of the Wildcats, emerged after Amarillo, Texas, when he joined the USAF.
four years in the 149th Tactical Fighter “I was busting broncs back then,” he
Squadron with an unprecedented peace- recalls. “Not professionally, just for fun,
time total of 36 confirmed kills. but I was pretty good. Anyway, that year
“Hey, what can I say? Put me and a the annual Amarillo Rodeo started up,
bogie in the air, throw in a couple and a lot of low flying jets from the local
rounds of ammunition and someone’s base were throwin’ off booms, and
gonna be history.” Clearly, history is a generally spookin’ all the animals. So I
subject Parker has considered intently. get pissed, and drive on over to the base,
“The way I figure it, you’re either making to try to get ’em to cool their jets a spell.”
history, or you are history. A lotta the The 29-year-old Travis, who now only
guys in the Wildcats, unfortunately, are answers to the name of “Tex,” slaps his
pushing thirty. No doubt which they knee, laughing. “The recruiter there saw
are.” He shakes his head with mock an easy mark, all right. Told me the
sadness, then breaks into a grin. “But as rodeo wasn’t nothin’, slapped me into a
for me, well, twenty-four is prime time.” flight simulator for a spell. I couldn’t
To what does he attribute his walk for five minutes after I got out.
remarkable success? “Focus and genius. That’s when I knew where I belonged.”
My genius is for aerial combat, but that At least for a while. Like Parker, Tex
wouldn’t mean zip without a sense of opted out of the military after the
focus. Now, I always knew what I wanted mandatory four years. “I just couldn’t see
to do, which was be a top fighter pilot. getting shot at for anyone’s reasons but
So I joined the USAF as soon as I turned my own. This way, if there’s risk I get
18. By the time I was twenty I was a well paid for it. And besides, I’m not
second lieutenant in the 149th, and four much for taking crap off anyone.”
years later I left with an honorable Indeed, Tex projects the classic image
discharge in my hand and the 149th kill of a loner. Tall and lanky, with a cowboy
record under my belt. I was free and ready hat usually perched on his head, he
to do what I’d always wanted: clean up looks as if he’d be more at home on the
kicking burners on the Istanbul market.” range beside a campfire than in the
Commenting on Stern’s reputation as cockpit of an F-16.
a strong leader with his own iron brand “Yeah, I work best alone, I think. But I
of discipline, Parker admits: “Stern is don’t mind working on a team, so long as
tough, no question. But his style is I’m calling the shots.” A surprising
different from the military standard. attitude, considering the emphasis Col.
Stern is in charge, yeah, but he still lets Stern puts on teamwork in the Wildcats.
you be your own man. You’re a member On following the orders of James Stern,
of the team, but the team doesn’t absorb Tex comments: “One day I’m gonna be
you. There’s a difference, and that’s why running this outfit. But in the meantime,
I signed on with the Wildcats.” let’s just say I’m workin’ on it.”

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

10
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11
 SELL & SCRAMBLE
A Typical Wildcat Mission • by D. Duhm

[Many thanks to the CEO and Board of in torn jeans and an unbuttoned,
MAXIMA for their kind permission to western-cut shirt. Squinting against the
publicize select details regarding this blinding Istanbul sun, he glances in my
classified operation. As per agreement, direction, then makes for the coffee. “Who
certain facts (such as names, dates and the hell are you?”
other potentially compromising indicia) “I’m Duhm, the reporter. I’ve come for
have been altered; otherwise, every the SUDDEN DEATH interview.”
operational detail regarding the mission “Oh.” He sips the coffee and winces.
itself, and all portions involving the Wildcat Lyle “Baseline” Richards enters the
squadron, their actions, planning and so hangar, sees me and glances at Tex. “The
forth, are accurately represented in order magazine,” Tex mutters in explanation.
to give the reader a sense of how Wildcat Baseline’s reaction to my presence is
tactical exercises proceed. -Ed.] no more enthusiastic than his partner’s.
He just shakes his head and mutters
Day 1
1
something about “no fragging peace
Day
around here.” Within the next thirty
1000 Hours minutes most of the Wildcat pilots have
After driving through the congested stopped by the coffee pot and ignored me,
morning traffic of Uskudar, proceeding until finally at 1327 a short, balding man,
northeast past the Selimiye Barracks, I dressed in suit and tie despite the midday
finally reach the narrow dirt road that heat, sweeps into the hangar and pumps
leads to the Wildcat Base, which some of my arm profusely.
the Wildcats refer to affectionately as the “Sorry, oh so sorry to keep you waiting.
“Lair.” My jeep is greeted by a single I thought I’d made myself clear regarding
yapping malamute. The base appears the time.” I realize it is Virgil Beetlebaum,
deserted, until the dog’s barking draws an the Wildcat accountant. He has been
armed sentry from one of the rather instrumental in setting up this article,
dilapidated buildings that make up the although I’ve paid for the service many
base. He regards me with suspicion, Uzi times over, in phone bills and ear-leather.
lowered but ready in his right hand. “You said the start of the business day,
“I’m Duhm, with SUDDEN DEATH.” I didn’t you?”
offer him my press card. He studies it He nods emphatically. “Yes, but I
carefully, then waves me on. meant for you to arrive at the start of a
“You can park your jeep over there.” Wildcat workday.” I stare at him blankly.
“Where is everyone?” “I am so sorry about this. Let me fill you
“Asleep.” He looks vaguely annoyed at in over lunch, okay?”
the question. “Help yourself to coffee in He leads me by the arm out of the
the hangar. They’ll be up sooner or later.” hangar. I hear the rest of the squadron
behind me chuckle in apparent sym-
1233 Hours pathy, for what reason I’m not sure. But
A man whom I recognize from my as I listen to Virgil yammer on, I begin to
background reading as Clayton “Tex” get a pretty good idea.
Travis staggers into the hangar, dressed “When we’re between jobs, as we are

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

12
now, the Wildcat workday doesn’t really an eclectic conglomeration of high tech
begin till about 2000, when Selim’s dinginess, crumbling cement structures
opens. That’s where we go to dig up supporting sophisticated radar systems,
work. And toss back a few.” He laughs a top-flight F-16s sheltered by a rusted
little too heartily, implying that even hangar. And its history is equally curious.
accountants can get down and dirty with
the boys. I smile weakly, feeling queasy
from the six quarts of coffee I drank while
waiting around in the hangar.
Well, it sure felt like six. When mea-
suring time by coffee, the minutes can
seem like ounces.
He takes me into his office, excuses
himself profusely as he exits, and returns
panting with a loaf of bread, some
mustard and bologna. He fixes me a The Wildcats assembled
sandwich as he rattles on and on. I notice
he cuts the crust from my bread. I say The base functioned during WWII as a
nothing. private airstrip leased to the government,
“I can tell we’re going to get on and the 53rd Screaming Scorpions flew
splendidly.” Virgil straightens his tie, many successful campaigns from its
displaying his caps in a rictus that I airstrip. During the fifties it was aban-
suppose, over more appetizing fare, might doned when it ceased to be profitable, and
pass as a smile. “I certainly hope you’re allowed to deteriorate. It next fell into the
going to give us a — favorable write-up.” hands of Luis Simone, the infamous
He winks and laughs. cocaine dealer, who used it as an inter-
I force the bologna-mustard paste mediate touch point in his international
down my throat, and try to smile. smuggling network. The government
busted the ring in ’94, and seized the
base along with the rest of Simone’s
contraband. It fell into disuse again until
2004, when James Stern signed a long
term contract to purchase the property as
a base of operations for his burgeoning
squadron, Stern’s Wildcats.
Stern and Jean-Paul Prideaux jointly
initiated the high-tech retrofitting
that now characterizes the Lair as a
professional base of operation. But
staring now at the base, standing stal-
wart if damaged against the afternoon
The Wildcats’ home base, nicknamed “the Lair”
heat, at the peeling plaster revealing
the bricks of mud and straw beneath,
1510 Hours the occasional bullet holes dug into
I manage to escape Virgil, under stone (some framed by dark red stains), I
pretense of relieving my bladder. I slip out hear these buildings softly whispering
the bathroom window and prowl the to me of pirates and past glories. Since
grounds looking for some of the other no one else is talking to me at the
Wildcats. Again, all the senior pilots seem moment, I am content to pause and linger
to have disappeared. I have the feeling respectfully over the reminiscences of an
they’re hiding from me, so to kill time, I old, old soldier.
give myself a tour of the base. the Lair is

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

13
1615 Hours directing his attention once again to the
At last, someone gives me the time of repair of his precious aircraft.
day.
“1615,” says Miguel Schraeder, as he
walks away.
Encouraged by even this faint
acknowledgement, I follow him to the
hangar, where he proceeds to direct a
crew of mechanics in the maintenance of
the F-16 fleet. I am surprised to find that
“Zorro” Schraeder, a veteran of the
Central American Bloc Conflict, is the
Wildcat’s senior mechanic. Generally,
crack pilots consider the mechanics of
craft maintenance and repair beneath Miguel Schraeder and one of his charges.
them. I mention this to Schraeder and he
frowns.
“That is an elitist attitude. A mechanic 1722 Hours
serves as important a function as a I spy Billy “Prime Time” Parker and
flyboy. One is more glamorous, perhaps, Gwen “Phoenix” Forrester approaching
but if you fly for glamour’s sake, you’re in me from across the Lair’s central airstrip.
the wrong business.” He points to his Since I missed them earlier at the hangar,
ground crew. “If not for them, we’d never I am especially eager to interview them,
leave the ground.” and hurry toward them. As I approach,
Schraeder, initially distant and Billy holds out his hands expectantly,
preoccupied, grows more animated as he looking annoyed. I hesitate, then shake
warms to his favorite subject. “I liken it his right hand. He sighs.
philosophically to the problems in Latin “Yeah, yeah. Come on, dude, I haven’t
America. Every country seeks to be got all day.”
elevated from the Third World (an “What?”
obsolete term by the way, considering the “Hurry up, man.”
collapse of the U.S. economy), but these “Uh — listen, my name’s Duhm, I’m
Latin American governments still aspire from SUDDEN DEATH magazine —”
to that lost U.S. ideal. They want the “Oh. I thought you wanted an auto-
glory, but are unwilling to lay the graph.” Forrester bursts into laughter.
groundwork, a solid foundation of oppor- Parker frowns. “Well, that’s what they
tunity for the impoverished, hope for the usually want,” he grumbles. He goes on to
common man. No, the generalissimos explain that he is a local celebrity, and
prefer to gain their wealth through con- frequently gets such requests from fans of
flict with their neighbors, who are in the his occasional appearances in air shows,
same boat. This creates a constant state which most other mercs avoid. The last
of flux throughout the region. You gain, thing your average merc wants is
you lose, and no political/economic notoriety. Billy is different.
structure endures.” “Hey, if you’ve got it —” He winks at
My knowledge of Latin American politics Gwen, who shakes her head and walks
is too limited. I try to change the subject. away, scowling. Prime Time watches her a
“Tell me a little bit about James Stern. moment, frowns and then hurries away,
When will I get a chance to see him?” promising to speak to me later in Selim’s.
“When Stern appears,” Schraeder says Yeah, I find myself thinking as I eat his
sullenly. Clearly, I’ve lost his interest. dust, and the check is in the mail.
The man called Zorro dismisses me
bluntly, turning his back on me and

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

14
1902 Hours won’t take me long after that to convince
The hollow crack of gunplay fractures everyone it’s time to start making some
the deep evening stillness. I leave my serious money.”
crustless bologna and mustard sand- “You think the Wildcat commitment to
wich (provided by you-know-who) in the moral operations will disintegrate after
hanger and brush past some bored- Stern’s gone?”
looking junior pilots to see what the He nods. “And I’ll be there to pick up
commotion is about. The sky is dark the pieces.” Tex looks down at his pistol.
now, except for a last strip of red hug- “Y’know, once I was shootin’ around the
ging the horizon. I stumble over the hangar and I put a hole through one of
uneven ground, following the intermittent the fuel tanks. Everyone hit the roof,
sound, until I discover Tex standing by Stern was mad as hell, and he ordered me
the flight tower/control complex, a .45 not to shoot rats again.”
calibre Taurus in his hands and a grin on “He forbade it?”
his face. I ask what he’s doing. He explains. Tex nods, and pulls off another shot. A
“Well, see, I like to hunt. Now, there crooked grin spreads across his face. “Got
ain’t no proper game to speak of in him. Did’ja hear him squeak?”
Istanbul. But we sure do get a lot of rats.” I shake my head. “Not over the
He points them out to me, little shapes gunfire.”
skittering across the roof, silhouetted Tex shrugs.
against the sky as the sun goes down. “Kind of a acquired talent, I reckon.”
“They pretty much hide during the day,
but come dusk, man they’re all over the 2040 Hours
place. Big ugly sombitches. They come Our convoy of jeeps reaches Selim’s. I
over from Uskudar. Filthy place, I mean, still haven’t seen Stern (he evidently drove
someone needs to tell those folks it’s the on ahead alone), but the rest say I’m
twenty-first century, and that means you certain to catch up with him in the cafe.
don’t dump your shit in the streets. Do Sure enough, as the Wildcats linger in
rats eat shit?” I shrug. “They must. I the bar or merge into shadowy corners
mean, look at all of them.” He pulls off that breed questionable exchanges, I
another shot, misses. catch my first glimpse of Stern. He is
“Virgil ordered poison, but that don’t seated at a table, bargaining with an
do diddly,” he continues. “The straight-on uptight executive-type, who keeps
approach is always best. I don’t like to glancing nervously about, as if afraid of
mince around, like some people around being caught in some disgusting act. Lyle
here.” Richards is seated at a table alone,
I ask him what he means by that. several rows behind Stern. From his
“I mean, anyone who gets into the watchful, tense posture, I get the feeling
merc business and then turns down jobs he’s covering Stern, though no weapon is
because they’re dirty is a trifle confused,
if you get my meaning.”
“Then why do you stay?”
Tex rubs the back of his neck
meditatively a moment. “I respect Stern.
Don’t get me wrong. I think he’s got some
screwy ideas, but he’s also one of the
finest men I’ve ever known. I reckon one
day he’ll retire, though, and then we’re
gonna see some changes.”
“What kind of changes?”
“Listen, it’s only a matter of time before
I wind up in command of the Wildcats. It A familiar nightspot, Selim’s

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

15
in sight. Richards, even more so than his
tight-lipped teammates, has been reluc-
tant to reveal any personal information
about himself. I decide to sit with him,
and attempt to penetrate the man’s
silence. Since he brushes off personal
inquiries, I ask him instead about Stern.
“I understand that your commander
has had a very difficult career.” Lyle
grunts noncommittally, scanning the
crowd. “For instance, the loss of the
Janet Page and “Tex” Travis off-duty at Selim’s
Shiloh. That must have been a difficult
blow after such a distinguished career.”
Richards glances back at Stern.
Lyle looks at me sharply. “What do you
“Besides, some Americans don’t like
know about it?”
killing other Americans just because they
“What everyone knows,” I answer, I
want to be free. The Shiloh turned Alaska
must confess, a bit uneasily. His direct
into a flaming hell before she finally went
gaze is oddly unsettling. “During the
down —”
PetroWar of 2001, Stern launched an
“With only two survivors.”
aerial attack from the Shiloh just off the
“Yes.” Richards looks down. “Only
coast of Alaska. The carrier was to serve
two.”
point in a two-front aerial and
We hear a violent crash from Stern’s
amphibious assault against the Alaskan
direction. Richards is immediately
secessionist army. When the Shiloh went
standing, the pistol in his hand seeming
down with all hands, it essentially
to materialize from thin air. He aims,
doomed any chance the U.S. had of
every muscle tense. High-pitched scream-
keeping Alaska in the Union. That
ing echoes off the hard walls. I turn in my
disaster ended Stern’s Navy career.”
chair to see what has happened.
“Wrong,” Richards says quietly. “Stern
A waiter is on the floor, hands over his
ended Stern’s career. He retired from the
head, crouched in a puddle of water beside
Navy. Maybe you ought to do a little more
a broken pitcher, yelling frantically.
research.”
“Please, don’t shoot! Accident, don’t
“Sure, he resigned, but what choice did
shoot! don’t shoot —”
he have? He lost a nuclear carrier in a
From various strategic points in the
crucial tactical operation, and the U.S.
cafe, ten armed men gradually relax,
war effort collapsed because of it.”
lowering their guns. Stern gives Richards
Richards spins on me, taking his eyes
a nod. Richards takes his seat, slowly
off Stern for the first time since I sat
replacing his pistol in his leather jacket.
down. “Get this straight: Stern warned
Noting the look on my face, Richards
those fools in Washington that the
grins. “That’s why everyone orders finger
operation was doomed from the start.
food. You don’t want to drop a fork in
There were four other carriers at the
here.”
strike point, Canadians, Russians, OPEC
“I can see that.”
— they all wanted a piece of the action,
“Clumsy moron,” he says, the smile
bargaining with Alaska for drilling rights
fading. “He gets no tip.”
in exchange for protection. Those
Richards lapses into stony silence,
Pentagon idiots missed their opportunity
ignoring any of my further attempts at
six months earlier, before the Alaskans
conversation.
wised up and requested outside
intervention. By May it was just too damn
late. Alaska was gone.”

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

16
2237 Hours Day 2
Day 2
The evening’s business is concluded,
and excitement fills the air. Stern has 0500 Hours
closed a deal, apparently quite a lucrative Damned early. Damned, damned early.
deal. Although the details are not yet Still dark out. Tex looks at the rats on the
available, everyone can breathe easier roof of the hangar forlornly, but even he
now, at least until morning; the pressure doesn’t dare break the morning silence,
to sell themselves over, tomorrow they’ll not with all his comrades milling around
turn their attention to staying alive. But inside the hangar. He gives the rats a look
for tonight, everyone stays behind that promises deferred pain, then steps
drinking as Stern heads out the door, his inside to join his peers.
stony exterior cracking long enough for A long table supports the Wildcat
him to give his team a wink and a thumbs version of a breakfast buffet: coffee,
up. No late drinking for him, I’m aspirin, antacid, bologna, mustard, bread
disappointed to discover. I’d hoped that with the crust trimmed off … The Wildcats
he would loosen up after a few belts, but pace anxiously as they wait for Stern’s
Stern takes his responsibilities too briefing, some clutching their heads and
seriously to indulge himself. Along with complaining bitterly about hangovers as if
Richards, Stern drives back to the Lair, such things were curses leveled by God
leaving his pilots behind to blow off some against them for utterly inexplicable and
steam. vindictive reasons. There’s lots of nervous
The bill collector will be held at bay yet chatter, jovial insults flying back and
another month, and in the uncertain life forth, pilots quipping about the cuisine at
of a merc, this is cause enough for Chez Virgil, Virgil bitching in turn about
celebration. Most squadrons teeter on the the food budget —
brink of perpetual bankruptcy, but far And then Stern arrives. The room
from being just a job, the Istanbul scene grows silent. Stern speaks quietly, but his
is a way of life that hardened mercs are voice carries throughout the hangar as he
helpless to surrender. Another day, begins.
another bullet, another funeral, another “We’re going to repo a Maxima Gold
dollar. An addiction both destructive and Card.”
legal, an irresistible combination. I see it Commotion. Gwen hoots and claps.
in the way Richards drew his gun in the Billy and Tex exchange high fives.
cafe, the way Schraeder lovingly Richards appears anxious, Janet greedy,
supervised the care and feeding of his Miguel startled — the reactions vary, but
deadly pets in the hangar. You never feel no one is unaffected by the announcement.
so alive as just after you’ve looked death A Maxima Gold Card. The most
in the eye. coveted object in all the world. Available
Gwen and Billy renege on their to only the megawealthy, the most
promise to talk to me “later,” and head obscenely, decadently affluent citizens of
off for a dark corner. I’m surprised to the earth, it provides the bearer with
see Janet “Vixen” Page with one of the unlimited credit, and is what Maxima
Wildcat pilots at a secluded table, Corp terms an “electronically secure
engaged in what appears to be intimate credit line” — in other words, no one, not
conversation, and Schraeder is talking even Maxima Corp, can imprint, update,
to Virgil at the bar. Not wanting to get download or otherwise tamper with a
sucked into that particular conversation, Maxima Gold Card. Charges are noted by
I leave Selim’s and take a taxi back to computers at point of purchase, but the
the Lair. From what I understand, Maxima Gold Card is an old-fashioned
tomorrow will be quite different from “read-only” card, keyed to the user’s
today’s lazy pace. thumbprint. This feature provides the
ultimate fiscal security in an era of
hackers and electronic theft. But it is the

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

17
final feature of the Maxima Gold Card 0700 Hours
that concerns the Wildcats now. Schraeder is busy conferring with his
The Maxima Gold Card cannot be teammates about the ordnance they will
electronically revoked. Any Gold Card that carry and any peculiarities in the planes
Maxima Corp wishes to deactivate must they’ll be flying. He knows each craft
be repossessed in person by a duly inside out, its weaknesses, strengths and
authorized member of the Maxima Board eccentricities, which creaks are not a
of Directors, and then physically problem and which spell trouble. Each jet
destroyed. It is considered “a privilege of has been repaired any number of times,
membership.” and the pilots know it. They argue among
“Maxima Corp wishes to repossess the themselves, jockeying for the best planes,
Maxima Gold Card belonging to one despite Miguel’s annoyed assurances that
Claude Guillaume. It seems that Mr. every one is battle worthy.
Guillaume dropped in excess of a billion Meanwhile, Stern is discussing bud-
dollars on the market last week, which getary considerations with Virgil. Virgil
knocks him out of the Fortune 10, placing briefs Stern on how many fighters can be
him somewhere down in the Fortune sacrificed as “acceptable losses” (“None,”
20s and making him ineligible for Virgil states sharply) and how much they
continued membership. can afford to spend on ordnance. Virgil is
“Now, Mr. Guillaume owns an island in especially relieved that no strike base will
the Aegean. It is heavily defended, as be needed on this mission. Often, the
you’ll see, and that’s where we come in. Wildcats must set up makeshift bases for
“Mr. Petrie, of Maxima’s Board of overseas assignments, transporting what
Directors, has hired us to fly him onto they need in gigantic C-130 Hercules
Guillaume’s island, and then escort him transports. The expense of setting up
into Guillaume’s presence, where he will such a base is considerable, and eats into
personally repo the card.” the profits despite contractual allowances
Stern proceeds to discuss the tactical designed to cover it. Fortunately,
situation, specifically Guillaume’s Guillaume’s island is located in the
defenses. Detection of hostiles at 100 Aegean, which means they can operate
miles. Patrol boats with anti-aircraft out of the Lair, much to Virgil’s relief.
measures. A fleet of Tomcats. AMRAAM Page jokes that perhaps now they’ll be
long-range missiles, AA batteries dotting able to afford bread with crust. Virgil
the island, a small but highly skilled suggests an activity that Page can indulge
security detachment on the grounds of in alone, and in her spare time.
Guillaume’s mansion. Stern informs us
that the Wildcats will be coordinating 0723 Hours
with an assault team who will be making I finally get a few words out of Gwen.
an amphibious landing on the southern “I can’t wait to repo this bastard’s
tip of the island. It will be the assault card,” she says, pacing the Ready Room
team’s job to eliminate or severely curtail nervously. “He probably thinks he’s got
the security threat on the ground, everything under control, master of his
enabling the Wildcats to land. They will own fate and all. Money does that to
need air cover in turn for their own people. They don’t understand about
landing. freedom coming from inside, think they
“This will be a Grade One assault, can just buy it, buy anything. Fat cat
people. Our object is to locate Guillaume capitalist bastard.”
and escort Mr. Petrie to him. There I notice that Gwen sports the
should be no civilians in the waters or on anarchist’s symbol on her helmet as
the grounds, so all necessary force is Miguel walks into the room.
approved.”

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

18
 “I agree. The Maxima Card is immoral. 0930 Hours
You could feed all of Latin America with It’s been a smooth ride until now.
one of those rich man’s toys.” Parker, following his wingleader’s
All the pilots are placed on final example, descends until it seems we’re
standby. Launch is at 0800. just barely skimming the waves of the
Aegean. In this way, the Wildcats hope to
0754 Hours avoid Guillaume’s radar as long as
All the Wildcats are lined up beside possible.
their planes when Mr. Petrie is escorted
onto the strip. He glances around 0943 Hours
nervously, flashing strained smiles in all About 75 miles out from the island,
directions, turning his helmet over and we encounter the first wave of enemy
over in his hands, looking like a man on resistance. Prime Time initiates a rapid
the way to the dentist, although certainly climb, the tone that warns of a positive
this particular extraction will be much missile lock piercing the white noise of
more painful. He is shaking so badly as the cockpit. I can’t even see the damned
he climbs into the Falcon trainer (a two- thing that’s trying to kill me. I’d feel better
seater), several Wildcats stand beneath if I could. At least, I think so.
him ready to catch him if he slips.
Schraeder buckles him in, then climbs 0946 Hours
into the front cockpit. Petrie’s sweating I see it coming. I don’t feel any better.
face is engulfed by the helmet as he slips The chatter over the radio is calm. I am
it on. I imagine he’s grateful to have the anything but. The thing is radar-guided.
helmet hide his anxiety from the world. I Prime Time waits until the proper
know I am. moment, releases chaff and veers off,
I’m sitting in a second trainer, going up hitting the afterburners. I see the missile
with “Prime Time” Parker. They permit me explode harmlessly behind us —
to tag along as an observer because I’ve
had experience in offensive ground ops, 1010 Hours
and also because SUDDEN DEATH paid Dogfighting, close and personal. Long-
dearly for the privilege. I’m damn scared. range missiles are too expensive for most
I’m not a pilot, and I’ve never flown in a private squadrons, so the majority of
jet before. dogfights on the mercenary level consist
“Gonna be a bumpy ride,” says Prime of guns, Sidewinders and other short-
Time, smiling cheerfully as he climbs into range missiles. The battle around me
the cockpit in front of me. “But I’ll try not seems abstract, a jockeying for position;
to pull more than six Gs.” the soothing, even drone of white noise
“I appreciate that.” I’m going to black punctuated now and then by a message,
out. I’m going to throw up in my mask or a control tone, or the faint rattle of
and drown in my own vomit. I know it. gunfire. Every once in a while, an enemy
Prime Time knows it. That’s why he’s so
damn cheerful, the sadistic bastard. Of
course, assuming I hold on to conscious-
ness, I’ll be expected to hold my own
against Guillaume’s ground troops once
we land. And then there’s the flight out.
Yes indeed. It’s beginning to look like
one of those days.

War at sea “Wildcat style”

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

19
jet, leaving a smoking trail, crashes into
the sea without further ado. Parachutes
punctuate the sky randomly, final
exclamation points marking the end of
another phrase in the drama staged
around me. At any moment, I expect the
cockpit to tear away, to feel the incredible
thrust of the ejector jets in the seat
beneath me as a missile slams into the
engine behind me. I can’t believe I’ve
gotten this far, with so much random
The Wildcats go “feet dry”
destruction flaring around me.
windows. We dive for cover, and return
1030 Hours fire. At last I’m able to contribute
The island is in sight. Beneath us, something to this operation. With little
patrol boats are engaging the amphibious trouble, I eliminate one of the snipers.
landing craft of the assault team. Our The other retreats.
wing breaks off and begins strafing the
boats, clearing a corridor for the craft to We proceed. Petrie doesn’t look at all
land. Other wings keep the F-14 Tomcats well. I wonder how I look.
off our backs as we sink the defending A division of the assault team enters
gunboats. Likewise, they draw off the AA the mansion ahead of us. More gunfire.
fire from the island proper, giving us time Screams of agony. The aerial part of the
to do our job. I’m more amazed at the operation seemed largely abstract,
seamless harmony now than I am afraid. explosive and spectacular. Now, there are
This is coordinated, deadly beauty. only the same, sorry sounds of men
dying, in fear, in pain. Same sorry
1040 Hours adrenalin rush, the same stench in your
The assault team has made its landing. nostrils, of smoke, of death. We get the all
As the other wings continue dogfighting, clear. We go inside.
our wing moves to disable the AA
batteries along the southern beach. This 1113 Hours
accomplished, we strike against enemy We locate Guillaume.
ground positions, allowing the assault In a robe and slippers, he lounges in
team to proceed toward the mansion. his posh, Victorian-style study, nursing a
cup of coffee and perusing a Wall Street
1100 Hours Journal. He looks up at us in mild
The airfield is secured by the assault annoyance, grubby aliens in his elegant
team. Phoenix and Gill-Man initiate world, mismatched shades in an
landing. They assess the tactical otherwise impeccably coordinated color
situation, and clear us to land. We head scheme.
in and touch down smoothly. “Do wipe your feet before you come in.”
Members of the assault team initiate He gestures to the rug. “Two million
refueling of our jets as we hit the ground dollars.”
running, helping themselves to “Two million?” Forrester deliberately
Guillaume’s ample supply of fuel. puts her muddy feet on the antique
We proceed along a secured corridor Persian rug. “So what’s a fifty dollar
toward the mansion. We pass cleaning bill, more or less?”
immaculately kept grounds, swaying palm Petrie frowns at Forrester and wipes
trees, fountains and statues, keeping to a his feet before entering the room.
marble path that leads to the front steps. Guillaume folds his paper and rises,
Snipers open up on us from upstairs offering his hand to Petrie.

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

20
 “Hello, Anton. How nice to see you.” treasures. At the foot of the stairs,
Petrie smiles. “Claude. How are you?” Guillaume pauses to point out an ancient
“Fine, just fine. I’ve taken up tennis, vase on a pedestal, specially lighted,
did you know?” encased in glass.
“Oh really, we’ll have to play “Circa 816 B.C. China.” His eyes gleam
sometime.” proudly as the vase rotates in its special
“Yes, yes, we really must. So. What atmospheric envelope. “Priceless.”
brings you all the way here, Anton?” “Incredible,” Petrie whispers.
Petrie sighs, looking embarrassed. They move towards the door. We are
“This little matter of the billion dollars —” proceeding down the stairs, when
“Ahhhh —” Forrester trips. Right beside the vase.
“I hate to even mention it. You know I’d Somehow, her elbow punches through
cut you some slack, but the rest of the the glass and into the vase.
board, well —” “No!” Guillaume screams in sheer
“Quite. Quite. The vicissitudes of the horror. But it is too late. Forrester pulls
market —” her bleeding elbow out of the case, leaving
“So true.” vase and glass fragments mingled within.
“Win some, and so on. Well. I guess “Oops,” she says.
you’ll be wanting that Maxima Gold Card “You — you —” Guillaume’s face is
back?” purple with rage as he attempts to spit
“If it’s not too much trouble.” out the word: “ — bitch!”
“Not at all.” Guillaume opens a desk “Sorry about that. How clumsy of me.”
drawer and produces the credit card. “Do you realize how much that was
“Here you are.” worth?”
“Have time for coffee?” “Thought you just said it was
“Only just.” worthless.”
“Priceless!”
1125 Hours “Whatever.”
While Petrie and Guillaume share Holding her elbow, Phoenix steps out
coffee and cake in his study, Forrester the front door. We follow her.
stands at the top of the stairs, fuming. We can hear Guillaume cursing all the
Parker reaches out, trying to calm her way down to the airstrip.
down. She slaps his hand away.
“Don’t tell me to chill, damn it! Look at 1600 Hours
this!” She jerks an angry thumb at the Back at the Lair in Istanbul. Guillaume
bodies littering the stairs, the blood evidently decided to cut his losses. We
smeared on the walls, the craters and encountered no resistance on the way
destruction in the bay window beyond. out. Petrie has written the Wildcats a
“People died here, and for what? Lives check for payment in full. No craft or
sacrificed at the pleasure of the rich.” pilots were lost. It’s been a good mission.
Parker tries to reason with her. “That’s Gwen still maintains the vase was an
what we’re paid for. Every time. Where accident.
there’s money, that’s where we go —” Everyone retires to the barracks for a
“Obscene,” she mutters, staring back nap before the night’s action. Back to
at the closed door of the study. “He Selim’s, looking for another mission. Sell
doesn’t even feel it. God, I wish I could and scramble, an endless cycle.
make him feel it.” Silence again settles over the base as I
start the drive back to the SUDDEN
1200 Hours DEATH offices in Stamboul.
Petrie and Guillaume stroll down the The lone malamute barks his farewell.
stairs ahead of us, chatting amiably, I round a bend, and the base vanishes
Guillaume pointing out his various in my dust.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

21
C ONTRACT:

AN ENFORCER SPEAKS OUT

by “Gule Gule”

[After untold centuries as an exclamation of knew from the stories you never wanted to
fond farewell, “Gule, gule,” or “go cheerfully,” see it, period. Far better the pistol than the
was transformed in just five short years into knife, hence the dreaded name, an exhor-
a phrase whispered with dread, from the tation to “go cheerfully” — Gule Gule detested
darkest corners of the Stamboul quarter to cowardice. So long as none was displayed,
the gaudy, blood-stained sidewalks of Istiklal an easy dispatch with pistol was promised.
Caddesi in Beyoglu. It seems fantastic that a But God help the coward, begging for his life,
lone assassin, whose name to this day who saw that warped Nepalese blade sliding
remains unknown, had only to embrace the out oh so slowly from its sheath, whispering
innocuous phrase as his nom d’plume in of the prolonged pain to come.
order to stain it forever. I arrived in Istanbul Once seated across the table from me,
after the disappearance of Gule Gule in 2009, Gule Gule introduced himself, and briskly got
and so decided that the tales regarding his down to business. He was disturbed by some
exploits (some might call them atrocities) were recent trends he’d seen in the Istanbul
wild exaggerations, mercenary myths market. Since his disappearance four years
designed to keep potential defaulters in line. ago, employers have lapsed into old habits,
However, all my doubts were dispelled in particular defaulting on payments to
when I received a phone call at the SUDDEN mercs. Concerned that the money interests
DEATH editorial office late one August night have forgotten the name of Gule Gule, and
instructing me to cross over to Uskudar for feeling something of an obligation to the
the story of my life. mercs of Istanbul “who consider me some-
We met at a deserted warehouse near the thing of a folk hero,” Gule Gule wished his
Legionnaire Hotel, across the Bosporus in story to be told.
Uskudar. He stood, and with a courteous, “I want it known that I am not dead,” he
soft-spoken voice that belied his powerful said with a smile hinting at a weary
frame, invited me to take the seat across the sadness. “Retirement, success, these things
table from him. He wore a simple black have been mistaken for defeat. Only in
British Commando sweater, reinforced at Istanbul,” he laughed softly. Then his face
the shoulder and elbow by rugged twill grew serious again. “I want the thiefs who
patches, black cargo pocket trousers, a pair think they can cheat mercs to realize that
of knobelbecher boots and a pair of kid gloves retirement can be reversed.”
that, even from a distance, I recognized as What follows, then, is the story of Gule
powdered lead sap gloves, gentle to the fist Gule is his own words, as was told to me
and deadly to the skull. As I took my place, I that August night. I sincerely believe Gule
could see no hint of the 9mm Heckler & Koch Gule when he says that he may yet come out
P7M13 pistol I knew from reputation was of retirement if the situation does not improve.
concealed on his person. Nor did I look for the As the most infamous enforcer in Istanbul
Gurkha Kukri knife sheathed in his left boot. I history, Gule Gule would doubtless prove the
knew from the stories that you never saw it worst nightmare of any business interests
unsheathed unless it was about to be used. I who have defaulted on blood money.]

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

22
I have an anecdote for you. Two actually. The Turk was a hired killer, of course,
But one is shorter, and will do for a and death to him was an occupational
beginning. hazard. The maitre d’, on the other hand,
I had tracked M. Chevrier and his was a civilian, so I took the extra time to
personal guard to the Galata Tower in the knock him unconscious. That kindness
Beyoglu section of Istanbul, not a good almost cost me dearly — he managed to
place to be during the day if you weren’t scream before dropping to the floor.
hard, or after sundown even if you were. The Skorpion had a silencer, and I
By the time the lights flared to life in the might’ve gotten into Club Mozambique
exclusive tower nightclub, dusk had lured without fuss if I’d simply killed him. As
the first resentful it happened, one of M. Chevrier’s body-
shadows from the “I do not enjoy guards within the club glanced up,
doorways around alerted by the waiter’s girlish squeal of
being thought
me. The users alarm, and saw me.
of as a monster. I dived for the floor as the bodyguard
and the used both
scrutinized me I kill, yes. But reached inside his jacket. I felt the first
with their custom- never innocents.” bullet shatter against the floor beside my
ary interest, but left temple as I pressed the Skorpion’s
only briefly. light wire butt against my shoulder. I
I was not unknown to them. felt surprise at this bodyguard’s quick
They gave way with downcast eyes as I reaction. He was unexpectedly good. I
entered Galata Tower. allowed him to squeeze off one final shot
I took the lift to the top floor and as I centered my sights on his forehead.
walked up to the maitre d’, a smile on my His round kicked high, smashing the pot
face, my right arm concealed in the folds of a rubber tree behind me.
of my greatcoat. He was an oily man in I could not permit him another.
evening wear, perched behind his station The other bodyguards, slow to react,
at the entrance to Club Mozambique, his were only just turning around as their
pencil thin moustache twitching as his eyes friend’s head blossomed red in the garish
raked over my admittedly grubby coat. cabaret light. I felt a moment of pity for
“We have a dress code here, sir,” he M. Chevrier.
said. Then his eyes met my own. Good help was so hard to find.
He paled. I dispatched the remaining bodyguards
Covertly he pressed a button beneath without further ado, the sluggish ones,
the lip of his station. The curtain behind hands still inside their now rather
him parted, and a large Turk with an hopelessly stained white dinner jackets,
M16 gestured for me to leave. Clearly, he as they discovered
expected me to comply without fuss. He too late that their “I offer this
looked surprised when I yanked the VZ 61 guidance counselors tale from my
from my coat, until its silenced blast forever had steered them
past as an
banished any expression from his face. into a very deadly
profession. example. And
I picked up the a warning.”
Turk’s M16 and
“My disappearance four years walked over to M. Chevrier’s table. His
ago seems to have inspired a back was to me. He peered slowly over his
return to the corporate credo of shoulder, eyes wide, a strand of spaghetti
dangling from his pursed lips.
old, of employers who view “M. Chevrier?”
mercenaries as cannon fodder, The strand vanished with a slurping
expendable and cheap…” noise. “Why, no. You’ve mistaken me for
someone else.”

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

23
 I laughed. He laughed, dabbing at contract to Templer’s Tigers, a flying
some sauce at the corner of his mouth. squadron who flew an honest mission for
“M. Chevrier, we have inconvenienced the man, sustained blood losses and then
these good people enough for one night. were cheated out of their rightful pay. He
Would you please step outside with me?” knew the risk of such a default. It was
“Of course, of course,” he said, waving perhaps unfortunate for him that I was
his hand in placation as he stood up, still put on his case. But that was always a
chuckling. possibility. And notice, though it would’ve
We strolled together from the restau- been convenient
rant, and M. Chevrier held the door for to eliminate him, I “Though I was
me as we emerged from Galata Tower. I went out of my more qualified
led him to an alley, cleared it of riff-raff way not to kill the
with a few warning shots, then lit a hysterical maitre by training to
cigarette for M. Chevrier. He accepted it d’, even though kill than some
with eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise. he was a coward, of those around
“A Camel. My favorite brand.” and threatened
me with greater
“My research is always thorough.” my operation and
He nodded. “I’d expect nothing less of personal safety experience, I
Gule Gule.” He took a long drag. “I will margin. I am not was unproven
triple your pay.” a monster, but a to the powers
I shook my head. “Unlike you, merc only, and a
that channeled
Monsieur, I never go back on a contract, damned good one.
no matter the profit margin. You Another reason in human lives
understand, surely?” I relate this tale in Stamboul.”
“Of course, of course.” He looked sad to you is to com-
as his last Camel turned to ashes. “I had memorate the bravery of M. Chevrier. Up
to try.” to the last, he was courteous, pleasant
Somewhere in the streets, someone even, and rouge or not, I will always give
started screaming. He swallowed. The a brave man a fair deal. If only all my
first indication of fear I’d seen from him. targets could go so cheerfully. Which
“I hope you’re not going to beg,” I said. leads me to my second, more important
“No,” he replied, smiling. “I know anecdote.
better. And what the hell. I’ve had a rich But I’m sure you first want the
life.” explanation of why I stepped out of
I smiled back. “Another Camel?” retirement to bring you these stories. My
As he reached for the pack, I blew his disappearance four years ago seems to
brains out. have inspired a return to the corporate
The kindest killing is the one with the credo of old, of employers who view
least ado. mercenaries as cannon fodder, expend-
able and cheap, and undeserving of
honorable treatment. To those monied
“I will not go into much detail
interests who feel tempted to default on
regarding my background, for the payments for blood, I offer this tale from
obvious reason that I wish my my past as an example. And a warning.
true identity to remain unknown
It was late November of 2004, during
even today.”
the first heady days of mercenaries, only
a few months after Turkey extended
I tell you this story for several reasons. “Diplomatic Forces Immunity” to any
Firstly, I do not enjoy being thought of as mercs who chose to operate from within
a monster. I kill, yes. But never her borders. I was one of the many
innocents. M. Chevrier had reneged on a faceless hopefuls who had flocked to the

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

24
promise of the new Istanbul, one of a That opportunity came with the
thousand stalkers prowling her streets in destruction of the Claws.
search of the few jobs available at the Those who have resided in Istanbul
time. Merc employment was difficult to since 2004 are doubtless familiar with the
come by, since the market structure was circumstances surrounding the massacre
only beginning to form, and those at Clairborne Aerospace. Sampras
corporations who had engaged murderers Aerospace, a rival in aerial weapon
privately were still leery of pursuing their systems, hired the Claws to launch a
bloody vendettas in the light of govern- Grade One assault against Clairborne.
ment sanctioned respectability. The Claws were, of course, delighted to
Still, the promise was enough for us, receive such a high-dollar, high-profile
professional killers offered a haven for our assignment. They assumed they’d been
dark craft. Some of us were veterans of granted the contract because of the
dozens of wars in every imaginable superior quality of their squadron.
theatre, obviously dangerous in the Little did they know how carefully
natural, off-hand way that a savage they’d been chosen, or for what actual
animal, even slumbering, prompts you reasons.
to pass it quietly and with downcast eyes. Sampras sent the Claws in against
Others such as I, young and compar- the Clairborne facility armed with faulty
atively inexperienced, muddled through intelligence that greatly underestimated
that back alley world with jaws self- the strength of Clairborne’s defensive
consciously squared and eyes glazed with forces. The Claws were unprepared for the
a layer of icy hardness that was often ferocity of resistance they encountered.
thinner than anyone might suspect. Which is exactly what Sampras was
counting on.
“So I hung around the bars, Executing a brilliant piece of sub-
following leads, biding my time, terfuge which would later become all-too-
awaiting only an opportunity to common, Sampras had set out to hire a
powerful, though limited, squadron that
display my wares.
would serve their special needs. They
That opportunity came with the wanted a squadron strong enough to
destruction of the Claws.” wreak terrible destruction on Clairborne,
but not strong enough to survive the
I will not go into much detail regarding encounter.
my background, for the obvious reason In this way, Sampras hoped to both
that I wish my true identity to remain trash their rivals and avoid paying the
unknown even today. You need only know bill. A crippled, broken squadron would
that, although I was new to the ways of be unable to collect on a defaulted
the street merc and professional soldier, I payment, the Sampras Board of Directors
had nevertheless received extensive reasoned. Any remaining force would be
training in covert ops and crack assault too small to contend with Sampras’ own
termination techniques. How I escaped defensive wing of F-15s.
the service of my “masters” with such In this assumption the Board was
classified knowledge in my head is correct. The Claws were caught off-guard
another story, whose telling must wait. by wing after wing of Clairborne Harriers.
Though I was more qualified by training They put up a valiant fight, causing great
to kill than some of those around me with damage to the facility. And just as the
greater experience, I was unproven to the Sampras Board had hoped, the Claws lost
powers that channeled human commerce over 95% of their squadron in the process.
in Stamboul. So I hung around the bars,
following leads, biding my time, awaiting
only an opportunity to display my wares.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

25
 When Sampras defaulted, the sur- suicide four months later, I knew for a
viving Claws found themselves entirely fact that he had told me the truth.
without recourse. They could not collect There’s something horrible about a
their fee by force, since they could no sincere concession to hopelessness.
longer mount a respectable assault. They That’s what this was. Instead of using
didn’t have enough funds to secure legal his funds to rebuild
representation. Simply speaking, there “…Sampras his life, to purchase
was no way out. Their fee was forfeit. That hoped to both the clothes he obvi-
was the bottom line. trash their ously needed, or to
So they decided to turn to the black secure simple food
market enforcers, the assassins, who to rivals and and shelter, this
this day prefer to be called “contractual avoid paying man was prepared
dispute consultants.” Knowing they would the bill…” to spend his last
never collect their fee, the last Claws dollar, surrender his
were willing to settle for revenge on the final energies, in the pursuit of one last
Chairman of Sampras’ Board of Directors. orgy of destruction. I’ve seen it time and
again since. The sight never fails to chill
“Executing a brilliant piece of my blood.
subterfuge…Sampras had set out But I’ve never turned away, either.
Because the job was dangerous,
to hire a powerful, though lim-
because it was the type of operation that,
ited, squadron…strong enough to if successful, might make my reputation,
wreak terrible destruction on because I was young and eager and a bit
Clairborne, but not strong enough foolish, I took that man’s last dollar and
agreed to be his instrument of vengeance.
to survive the encounter.” (I wasn’t about to lecture him on what to
do with his last dollar — I am not, nor
For a time, it appeared that even this have I ever been, an investment broker. I
avenue of satisfaction was to be denied work for blood money, and a dollar that
them. They didn’t have enough money to comes stained with the blood of a client
attract a top-rate enforcer. Too little will spend as well as any other.)
payoff for too great a risk. Every first-rate I had a job to do. I went about doing it.
enforcer in Istanbul turned them down, I’ll admit I was intimidated. Sampras
until finally in desperation they began to Aerospace was a
shop for a youngblood, an untried, un- hell of an oppo- “When Sampras
proven killer that might work for cheap. nent for just one defaulted, the
That’s where I came in. man to challenge. surviving Claws
The squadron commander had lost a My objective was
found themselves
great deal of weight by the time he specific enough:
approached me. I hadn’t known him make an example entirely without
previously, of course, but I could tell as of the President recourse.”
much by the way his clothes hung off his and CEO, Mr.
body in wrinkled bags. His was a Dillard McDonald. How to penetrate the
melancholy face, sagging under the security net he’d cast about himself was
burden of a failed command, the leader’s the problem. Quite a thorny problem, for
shame in surviving those given over to his a young scram off the street. And after
charge. Dark smudges swept beneath his the initial rush of accepting this first
eyes as he handed me what he swore professional assignment, I had no idea
were the last monies he had in the world. how to proceed.
Judging from the haunted look on his Several weeks passed, during which I
face, I believed him then. And after his kicked around Istanbul, formulating a
plan, searching for inspiration, that first

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

26
impetus to galvanize plot into action. One speak of the man, if ever at all, quietly,
afternoon, by chance, I found myself and in the past tense.
across the street from the welfare hospital An old story. Nonetheless, a sad one. I
in Beyoglu, where the few injured Claws moved on.
still clinging to life waged their silent The other Claw I’d prefer not to speak
struggles. I decided to step inside, to see of at any length. He was located in the
first-hand the results of Sampras’ burn ward. I think the figure was 65% of
treachery. his body. I don’t like to remember that.
There were two Claws in that hospital. The horrible knowledge in the man’s eyes,
One of them couldn’t breathe without the the screams punctuating even the
help of a machine. His lungs were fine, slightest movements of those elsewhere in
but his head had been partially crushed. the ward, and always, that rank and
Part of his autonomic nervous system underlying smell.
would never function again. Hard to “This is your final That afternoon,
believe these oddly distorted lumps payment notice, when I hurried
swaddled in bandages and wires had down the hospital
Mr. McDonald.
once been a pilot, much less a human steps, I was pre-
being, a man with a family. You will remit pared. Ultimately,
His loved ones were there visiting, a the outstanding all bloodshed is
wife and young son, confident as only balance plus personal, even
religious families can be that he would when profession-
return to them one day. At least they interest to the al. I accepted that
hadn’t been saddled with the burden of surviving burden then, wil-
the man’s medical care (or, more likely, members of the lingly, and it has
the burden of signing a death waiver — served me well
squadron you
they never could’ve paid the hire of the throughout the
life support machines) since Turkish betrayed, or I years.
mercenary insurance is both expensive will kill you.” The first step in
and reliable. any operation is
Yes, the government would keep him the gathering of intelligence, research and
alive for exactly one year, despite the cost, surveillance. You use this information to
despite the fact that the man would determine the window of opportunity that
almost certainly be a vegetable if he ever exists for your action. Even without
emerged from his coma. His family had intelligence, however, it is necessary to
hope, that afternoon, that one year would begin with certain assumptions. I knew,
be enough for him to recover. Standing in for instance, that an all-out assault on
the darkened hallway, watching quietly, I One Sampras Square was out of the
had a more realistic perspective, and it question. Any idiot who hoped to storm
was clear to me how attractive his widow the building with AK-47 and grenades
really was, and how difficult it would be was kidding himself. Even if I managed to
to raise a young boy all alone in a city like kill the president, I’d never make it back
Istanbul. I also realized that sooner or out alive.
I would have to isolate my target
“Knowing they would never collect outside of his work environment; to
their fee, the last Claws were accomplish that, I would need infor-
mation on his personal life, his habits,
willing to settle for revenge on the
daily itineraries and haunts.
Chairman of the Sampras Board This presented a problem. There was
of Directors.” no publicly accessible information
regarding CEO Dillard McDonald. No
later, hospital visits would grow less phone listings, no addresses. A birth
frequent, and they would both come to certificate and a set of tiny prints in a

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

27
hospital file were the only evidence of his didn’t think it would work, and it didn’t. I
existence, other than a photo and name- got as far as McDonald’s secretary’s
plate in the lobby of One Sampras Square secretary before running up against the
depicting a man who looked more like a expected “leave a message” stumbling
1950’s sit-com father than a corporate block. I wasn’t going to get through to
monster. Even worse, there was no way I McDonald on my own. I’d need help.
could even tail the man to gather intel- The next day, I went on stakeout at
ligence on his habits without further One Sampras Square, watching the
intelligence! He entered and left the people enter and leave the building from
building by means of an underground the street, accosting a few of them for
driveway that fed into Istanbul’s streets at form’s sake, disguised as one of Istanbul’s
various locations. many beggars. So long as I stayed off the
I found only one approach open to me. Sampras steps, I wouldn’t be disturbed or
I had to bug his office. Almost as difficult noticed. Such is the state of charity in
as storming the building. Only slightly Constantinople.
better odds of success. But a definite There I waited, without any specific
starting point. plan, hoping for nothing so much as a
I began to feel optimistic. I had lucky break.
managed to secure certain high-tech aids
during my years as a covert op, aids “The first step in any operation is
which, if used properly, would serve me the gathering of intelligence,
well now. An assortment of small bugs,
research and surveillance. You
and other more advanced equipment, all
with unique assets and drawbacks. I had use this information to determine
to determine Sampras’ security precau- the window of opportunity that
tions before deciding which surveillance exists for your action.”
system would be best. Believe it or not,
that was the easiest part. That break came when a string of
Pretending to be a corporate three- limos pulled to a stop beside me. I caught
piece shopping for a security service, I a good look, between bodyguards, of well-
rang up every security agency in Istanbul. known financier Jessup Martel walking
Each security rep, eager for a new into One Sampras Square. Destined, I
contract, was only too happy to reel off a was sure, for the CEO’s suite.
list of current clients. When I finally hit I had what I needed.
upon the company Sampras used, it was The next morning, gear prepared, I
simplicity itself to elicit a sales pitch rang up Sampras Aerospace.
detailing the company’s most expensive “Let me speak with Dillard, please.”
and airtight procedures. Those would be “Your name, sir?”
the services that Sampras used. I had no “Tell him it’s Jessup Martel.”
doubt about that. “Just a moment.”
The news was not good. Sampras had This time I bypassed both his secretary’s
contracted for a very thorough, twice daily lieutenant and his secretary. His voice
building-wide sweep for particulate bugs. was strident as he picked up the line.
It was highly unlikely, given that kind of “Jessup! What’s the good word?”
intensive schedule, that any bug I I flipped the switch. Penetration was in
managed to place in his office would go the red and ongo. That was that.
undetected for long. A conventional “Vengeance, Mr. McDonald. That’s the
listening device was clearly out. good word.”
No, obviously a phone call was in There was a pause. I continued.
order. “I’m placing this call to remind you of
I tried calling Sampras Aerospace and an outstanding debt you incurred on
asking to speak to Dillard McDonald. I

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

28
behalf of Sampras Aerospace. Or have “The nerve of that street scram. Where
you forgotten the Claws?” does he get off, threatening me?”
McDonald laughed. “Is this some kind Where indeed.
of joke? Who is this?” I placed the receiver in its ampcradle,
“This is your final payment notice, Mr. set the recorder and cranked up the
McDonald. You will remit the outstanding volume. The line slicer would continue to
balance plus interest to the surviving work through a fraction of the line until I
members of the squadron you betrayed, broke the connection from my end, or
or I will kill you.” there was a power
“I see.” I heard McDonald make a surge sufficient to
“I had a job to
comment to someone else in the office, reset the circuit.
who laughed. “And who are you, then? An do. I went That was always a
Angel of Death? My worst nightmare?” He about doing it.‘ possibility, which
laughed. I laughed with him. was the reason a
“Nothing so melodramatic, I assure remote bug phys-
you. Just a working assassin hired by ically placed in an office location was a
some people you wronged to settle a safer bet for critical surveillance appli-
score. I’m not an angel, or a nightmare. cations. But so long as nothing went
Just someone who is very good with a wrong, I’d be able to overhear every call
knife, and who knows how ugly skinning received, and every word uttered, in
a man alive can be. I’d consider it a McDonald’s office.
personal favor, Mr. McDonald, if you I had penetrated his inner sanctum.
would spare me that.”
Anger edged into McDonald’s voice for The more I came to know the bastard,
the first time. “Don’t you threaten me, the more personal my outrage became.
you penny-ante son-of-a-bitch. You It was only a matter of days before I
pulled a cute trick getting through on this knew enough of McDonald’s escape
line, so consider your fee earned. We did routes from One Sampras Square to tail
one swell number on those Claw skags, him through the streets of Istanbul.
and I know for a fact they can’t be paying Surrounded by bodyguards and opulence,
you near enough to take the trouble to he wined and dined up and down
kill me. So here’s some free financial Beyoglu, from the exclusive haunts of the
advice, pal. Take the money and walk. very rich, rising above the down-at-the-
Otherwise, a skinning is the least of what heel establishments sliding down towards
I’ll spare you.” the Horn, to the gambling parlors of the
“That’s you answer then?” high-rise hotels overlooking the scenic
“That, and this.” He proceeded to suspension bridge that spans the Bosporus.
request of me a physically impossible act. The decadence that taunted me from a
“I see. In that distance was astonishing. I was never
“The more I case, have a nice admitted to any of the exclusive clubs he
came to know day, Mr. McDonald.” frequented, but I was able to observe one
the bastard, He hung up in of his meals up close. This particular
my ear. But the red night, he chose to dine at an expensive
the more
light on the line slicer restaurant which was open to the general
personal my was still glowing. public. With a bribe I wrangled a table
outrage Now he could hang next to him.
became.” up, make calls, or As I gingerly picked over the cheapest
dial long distance for item on the menu, my appetite killed by
all I cared. So long as I didn’t hang up, I the cost, I watched McDonald carelessly
had ongo. I listened, just to make sure, sample a meze, an appetizer comprising
but there was no need for concern. I 15 separate dishes — tarama, borekler,
heard McDonald loud and clear. artichoke hearts, sheep’s brains. And

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

29
then, having only tasted each expensive I finally identified my window of
delicacy, leaving the rest to waste as his opportunity.
bodyguards stoically surrounded him, After following McDonald a week, I
McDonald moved on to the main course, realized he was a disciplined and
imam bayildi (literally “The imam paranoid man, who deliberately varied
swooned” because it was so good). Turkey even the minor details of his daily routine
stuffed with currants and pine kernels, for security reasons, with one exception
bulbul yuvasi, helva, rahat lokum, all — his visits to his mistress. He was a
came in wave after overwhelming wave of married man, and as such, his
epicurean delight. opportunities
I couldn’t finish my own small meal. for romantic “McDonald leaned
The smell of the meat wafting from liaisons with
close to me, his
McDonald’s table reminded me of the this woman
burn ward. His neatly pressed collar were few and face contorted and
evoked the awkward lump of bandages disciplined. He savage. ‘Damn, but
that had once been a man, a man who took only one I’m going to make
had risked his life and his family’s hap- trusted body-
you pay.‘“
piness for less money than this bastard guard to these
might spend on a month’s luxuries, and weekly trysts,
who had sacrificed his life, as it turned to an apartment in Stamboul’s swankest
out, for nothing. quarter, where he kept his mistress in
high style. Though he varied the day and
“I moved away, past the towering time, he never varied the location or the
piles of garbage, and consoled bodyguard.
I was set. All I needed was a phone call
myself that while life in Istanbul is from McDonald’s suite, filling in the
cheap, it’s also easy to buy.” blanks. A time and a date, and he would
be dead.
That night, disgust sapped my The day arrived at last. A late meeting,
energies. I had nothing left to give. I gave McDonald told his wife, unavoidable,
up tailing him. I’d gathered enough could go on till early morning. Kiss the
information that past week to form a plan kids for me. Bye.
of action, and devoted myself to finding I smiled, and hoped she really did kiss
what small cheer I could in the city’s the kids for him. Last chance and all. Call
hamams. I watched his entourage pull me sentimental. I don’t care.
away from the restaurant and drive into Then came the inevitable call to
the night, past the wooden homes of Stephanie. All set for tonight. Ten o’clock.
Beyoglu’s poor, sagging like the backlot And wear the fuzzy pink house slippers.
sets of better days, the walls patched with McDonald was one twisted perv.
fragments of beaten tins, or bunged with I suited up. Nine millimeter Heckler
refuse, the stove-flues protruding & Koch, concealed under my left arm,
horizontally into the refuse-choked six spare mags. Spring action holster.
streets, belching soot onto the heads of Dangerous without practice. However, I
the miserable passersby. The wretched had practice. Lead sap gloves. Skorpion
buildings leaned toward the street while VZ 61, concealed in the expanded pocket
McDonald passed, as if to beg an over- of my greatcoat, again with spare mags.
riding question. Kukri knife in my left boot. Certain
The answer wasn’t worth the giving. exceptional precautions. I was ready.
I moved away, past the towering piles At six o’clock, I called for a cab to take
of garbage, and consoled myself that me to the Stamboul quarter where
while life in Istanbul is cheap, it’s also Stephanie lived. The liaison wasn’t
easy to buy. scheduled until ten, but traffic on the

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

30
cades could be horrendous, progress think I don’t know my business?”
sometimes limited to one mile per hour. I McDonald laughed. “I can afford to hire
wanted to be sure to arrive on time. I was the best. Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”
tired of this project, and anxious not to The apes behind me chortled their
miss any opportunity to bring about its assent.
successful conclusion. McDonald leaned close to me, his face
Eight o’clock found me outside the contorted and savage. “Damn, but I’m
Pera Palas, an elegant, six-story hotel going to make you pay.”
near the British Consulate. I lingered on The bell rang. Sixth floor. We stepped
the street, reading a newspaper, soliciting out.
the street vendors, generally assuming Stephanie’s apartment was tasteful in
the role of a street skag with nowhere to the same way that a whore in dim light
go. No one noticed me. can be attractive. If you didn’t look too
I waited, watching the traffic pass. closely, it was pretty nice.
At ten o’clock precisely, I saw The decor, superficially elegant,
McDonald’s limo pull up to the front of was actually quite gaudy, lots of knick-
the hotel. knacks and baubles scattered around
I gripped the Skorpion, and crossed without any underlying aesthetic or
the street. logic save expense. Stephanie herself
McDonald got out, turned and saw me. seemed like a nice enough kid, beautiful
He watched as I pulled the Skorpion from and remarkably innocent considering her
my pocket. circumstances, early twenties if even that.
That’s when I felt the machine gun She seemed a little bewildered by this
barrel thrust into my back. previously unsuspected side of her
“Easy,” an unseen voice whispered in benefactor. She gaped, casting worried
my ear. glances at McDonald, as I was ushered
I surrendered the Skorpion to whom- into the back room.
ever was behind me. McDonald smiled at “Just stay out of this, sweetheart,” I
me, and gestured for me to follow him. I heard him saying. “I’ll only be a minute.”
looked over my shoulder. Six armed men Two goons held me by my arms, the
stood at my back. rest covering me with pistols, as
McDonald stepped into the room. He
“I knew the Claws were losers, looked me over, up and down, as he
but to hire someone like you.” might a particularly loathsome insect
He looked almost sad, then he under glass, one whose sting could kill if
encountered in the wild. He shook his
shrugged. “Ah, well.” He slapped head in wonder.
my cheeks paternally. “Gule, “I knew the Claws were losers, but to
gule, my friend.” hire someone like you.” He looked almost
sad, then he shrugged. “Ah, well.” He
“Move,” one of them whispered. I slapped my cheeks paternally. “Gule,
complied. gule, my friend.”
All of us, McDonald and his seven
goons, crowded into the lift. McDonald “Where are you taking me?”
pressed 6. Stephanie’s floor. The doors
McDonald asked.
shut. He turned to me.
“So, you’re the little skag who’s going “To the office. You mentioned
to skin me alive. Is that right? Eh, you a late meeting, remember?”
fug?” As the limo pulled away, I
He backhanded me. I tasted blood.
hoped that his wife had indeed
“You stupid fug. You think I wouldn’t
detect a line splicer on my extension? You kissed the children for him.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

31
 Giving his men a nod, he left the room his wife had indeed kissed the children
and shut the door. for him.
Just what I’d been waiting for.
I hit the trigger on the inside of my left “…Just name the price and we can
wrist. all go home.”
The pressurized canister in my left
pocket discharged, filling the entire room “It’s not that simple,” I replied,
with Cyonel. focusing.
Silently, the men around me froze in “The hell it isn’t! What else is
their tracks and dropped to the floor,
involved in this transaction
hemorrhaging silently from the mouth,
eyes, ears and nostrils at the nerve toxin’s besides money?”
merest touch. I’d taken the antidote “Honor.”
before leaving my rooms, and it served me
well now. The only effect the toxin had on We entered the deserted office complex
me was a slight nausea from watching its through McDonald’s personal under-
effect on the others. ground lift, bypassing all the security
I waited ten seconds for the gas to checkpoints except one. (To guard against
dissipate before opening the door. Such a him using a code-phrase to alert the
death was too quick for CEO Dillard guard that something was wrong, I told
McDonald. All his life, he’d been McDonald exactly what to say, with the
accustomed to red carpet treatment. I understanding that if he deviated one
wasn’t about to disappoint him now. syllable I would blow his head off.)
I opened the door. No one was there. I We stepped out of the lift and into his
moved quietly through the seven-room private penthouse office suite. I threw him
suite until I discovered Stephanie down onto the carpet.
undressing for McDonald in one of the “Name any sum, and it’s yours,” he
bedrooms. She screamed and clutched at said.
a corner of a sheet, attempting to cover I looked around the swank offices. I
herself. noticed the wet bar, the stereo set in its
“If you’ll excuse me, Madame,” I said, polished onyx cabinet, the flatscreen
politely averting my eyes, “your lover and covering an entire wall and, most par-
I have unfinished business. Don’t we, ticularly, the video equipment in the
Dillard?” corner which would play so large a part in
Prostrate at Stephanie’s feet, establishing my reputation. On impulse, I
McDonald looked up from her fuzzy pink started setting it up. McDonald edged
slippers with wide eyes, speechless. I toward his desk. I edged him right back to
waited for him to close his mouth. In the center of the carpet. He swallowed.
vain. I continued: “Come on, you’re a hired killer, I know
“Now, Madame, if you’d be so good as you can be bought. Just name the price
to get dressed, I’ll tie you up, and we’ll be and we can all go home.”
on our way.” “I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” I
She dressed. I tied her securely, and replied, focusing.
disabled the phone rather permanently “The hell it isn’t! What else is involved
after having McDonald ring for his limo. in this transaction besides money?”
He and I proceeded downstairs and “Honor.”
entered the limo without incident. “Fug,” he spat angrily. “Stop drawing
“Where are you taking me?” McDonald this out, damn it. Name your price.”
asked. Everything taken care of, I started the
“To the office. You mentioned a late tape rolling.
meeting, remember?” McDonald turned pale as I drew my
As the limo pulled away, I hoped that 9mm.

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

32
 “Please, you can have anything you signal. About nine o’clock, I heard the
want —” The first hint of a whine was door to McDonald’s office swing open, a
creeping into his voice. I found it grating. woman’s scream, a thud. I listened to the
“Don’t beg. I told you this was coming, commotion, the frantic shouting, a call to
didn’t I?” I smiled. “Gule, gule. You said it the police, the rustle of a note being read,
yourself.” the click of the VCR turning on. The
I moved toward him. To my amaze- resulting screams. The sounds of people
ment, tears started rolling down his pasty retching.
cheeks. I couldn’t help but smile as I hung up
“Oh God, no — no —” He curled into a the phone.
ball, hands over his head. Unbelievable. The next day, the story ran not only in
There he was on the floor, whimpering the local papers, but in the national
and pleading for his life, this man whose media as well. Though I hadn’t intended
merest word had brought death to so it, I’d sealed my fate in that one video-
many others in the past. I was filled with taped action. I became a symbol, almost
profound loathing for this coward an icon, the unidentified enforcer com-
grovelling at my feet. mitting unspeakable acts, whispering
He deserved no mercy. None at all. “Gule, gule.” Someone used the phrase to
I holstered my gun, and pulled out my identify me in an article, and the name
Gurkha knife. held over the years, as did my trademark.
“Gule, gule,” I whispered, in response The gun for the brave man, the knife for
to his every pathetic scream. the coward. Such terrorism proved most
effective throughout my career.
“Gule, gule,” I whispered, in And now, I remain Gule Gule, retired,
response to his every pathetic but ever able to spring once again into
scream. action should the need arise. I caution
those corporations who would cheat the
I had left the videotape in the machine, mercenaries who shed blood in their
along with a note to turn it on. The next service — take care.
morning I got up early, so I wouldn’t miss The payment may be dearer than you
anything. I fixed my breakfast as I ever dreamed.
listened to the line splicer’s amplified

WE KNOW
WHO YOU ARE!
Sure, you think you’ve gotten
away with cheating on your
taxes. No one’s come around.
What the hell — right?
We at the IRS know who you
ar e. Ever y one of you. We
know where you live — and
where your kids hang out, too.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

33
 INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
“James Stern: The Untold Story”

J ames “Hawk” Stern is something of a The two men received separate

legend around Turkey. There are more assignments. Stern served aboard the
successful squadrons on the market carrier Enterprise as a naval aviator;
than the Wildcats, but surely none of Prideaux was posted to a naval base in
them fly so radically against the grain. Hawaii, and although the two men
Every year, prevailing wisdom holds would not encounter each other again
that this man’s moral scruples (some for many years, they apparently kept
call them pretensions) will drive the in touch.
Wildcats to bankruptcy, and every year Stern gained distinction in such
Stern somehow manages to prove the diverse theatres of operation as the
conventional wisdom wrong. Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico
After all this time, the question during the Texas Secession. Eventually
remains: What makes James Stern Stern rose to the rank of colonel, and
tick? No one can took command of the
say for sure except fighter group aboard
Stern himself, but the nuclear carrier
perhaps something USS Shiloh.
can be gleaned from The odd circum-
an examination of stances surrounding
the public records the loss of the Shiloh
regarding this extra- with all hands is
ordinary man. still classified, but a
James Stern, a few facts are never-
native of Muncie, theless known. Stern
Indiana, was born was ordered by the
into an upper-middle Commander-in-Chief
class family. In keep- into battle against
ing with his middle- Commander James R. Stern Alaskan forces and
America background, Stern was from Alaskan allies during the PetroWar of
his earliest school days a patriot. 2001. Alaska had lined up support
Bolstered by exceptional grades, from Canada, the Commonwealth of
consistent leadership in extracur- Independent States and OPEC, and all
ricular activities and the recommen- three blocs had a military presence in
dation of local base commanders, the area at the time. Realizing this, it
Stern was accepted into Annapolis becomes clear that any assault against
Naval Academy. It was there that he Alaska from the sea was doomed from
first met Jean-Paul Prideaux, a man the start. The questions concerning
who would be a source of both culpability for this disaster remain
friendship and grief in later life. unanswered: how much did the
Prideaux was another individual Pentagon know regarding the dis-
possessed of leadership potential and position of forces in the region? Was
intelligence. They quickly became fast Stern aware of this? And if so, was it
friends and bitter rivals. Each his choice to take the Shiloh in,
relationship fed on the other, until the regardless of the danger?
struggle came to an end after four It is unfortunate that the loss of
years — Stern graduated at the top of Stern’s command occurred during
their class; Prideaux was second. what would prove to be the decisive

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

34
 military exercise of the PetroWar. It old friend and arch-rival, Jean-Paul
has been argued that this circum- Prideaux, came back into the picture.
stance greatly magnified Stern’s guilt Prideaux, unlike Stern, had been too
in the eyes of his superiors, and of restless to settle into a military career.
history. It has been likewise argued After serving out the obligatory four-
that the Pentagon never would’ve year commission, Prideaux resigned
committed the Shiloh to a suicide from the Navy, hungry for indepen-
operation, that there must have been a dence and profit. He knocked around
winning scenario behind the decision, airfields for years, taking odd jobs for
and that Stern failed his country by airlines and merc groups, until he
failing to realize this objective. Stern finally came to Istanbul seeking out
himself has never commented publicly freelance work. It was there he linked
either way. Likewise, the Pentagon up with Stern and became the first of
maintains a top secret classification Stern’s Wildcats. The old friends were
around the incident, and the question together again.
will likely never be resolved until both The early years were rocky. Profits
versions of the story are told. were slim and jobs scarce, as the
We do know, however, that Stern new mercenary market in Istanbul
and Lyle Richards were the sole searched for its stride. Prideaux grew
survivors of the Shiloh; although it is more and more irritated with Stern’s
widely believed that Stern was the sole rejection of operations he considered
survivor, this is clearly not the case. immoral, especially when ops were so
And we can surmise from the timing hard to come by. Eventually Prideaux
that Stern’s resignation from the Navy broke away from the Wildcats, forming
and his subsequent founding of the the immensely profitable mercenary
Wildcats sprang from the loss of the squadron known as the Jackals. This
Shiloh. Might he have been driven into betrayal must have come as a terrible
the death-for-profit business by the blow to Stern during hard times, and
experience, determined to found a the Jackals’ increasing prosperity
squadron where men, if they had to during the years the Wildcats have
risk their lives, did it for their own struggled must give Stern doubts
reasons and profits, at the same time about his approach. Nevertheless, it is
finding himself repelled by the reported that the two men still com-
ruthlessness of typical mercenary municate on a regular basis.
operations? Under such circum- As to the future of the Wildcats,
stances, the Wildcats would seem to be only one thing is clear. Stern will
an inevitability, a compromise born of never compromise his commitment to
a troubled spirit. morality in an immoral world. And
For whatever reason Stern founded that, at least, is something of an
the Wildcats, it wasn’t long before his achievement.

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SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

35
 T HE PA C
K
OF
ER
PRIDEAUX: James Stern and I go all the
way back to Annapolis. Even then, he
AD
wasn’t known for his practicality. He
was as concerned with martial
philosophies as he was with martial
LE

techniques.
The Jackal Speaks!
SD: Yes, but he graduated Valedictorian,
An Exclusive Interview
didn’t he? And you were Salutatorian?
with Jean-Paul Prideaux PRIDEAUX: (pause) Yes. I’ve never denied
{In the four years since their break with Stern’s capabilities as a leader. I
the Wildcats, the Jackals have become one question his commitment to the
of the ten most successful squadrons in mercenary way of life. Especially his
Turkey. Such is the stuff of local legend. commitment to making money.
For the first time, hearing that SUDDEN SD: You’re referring to Stern’s penchant for
DEATH was preparing a special Wildcat “moral” missions. Obviously, as leader
issue, Prideaux agreed to break his policy of the Jackals, you don’t share his
of silence. He contacted us and agreed to reluctance to handle… well, just about
grant us an exclusive interview, on the any kind of mission.
condition that we’d present it in the PRIDEAUX: A job is a job. I’m not
Wildcat edition. We gladly agreed. oblivious to the philosophical aspect
“I want my side of the story to be told,” of this business. I’ve looked at the
he said over the phone. “No doubt, many issues involved. The only difference
of the Wildcats will have harsh things to is, I’ve come to a separate conclusion
say about me and my team. I wanted the from Stern.
chance to present my own point of view.”
SD: You mean, you feel you can justify
I met with Prideaux at his usual table in
taking any mission, no matter how
the back of Selim’s, and this is the
dirty it is?
conversation that transpired:]
PRIDEAUX: Absolutely. You see,
SD: I understand that this is pretty much conventional morality simply doesn’t
your exclusive table. Is that correct? apply to business concerns. Evil is a
useful enough concept for conducting
PRIDEAUX: Yes. The management of
personal affairs, but is a singularly
Selim’s reserves it for me each night.
meaningless concept when applied to
SD: Am I to understand that employers the conducting of business. In any
actually come to you here and offer profession where death plays a factor,
you jobs? ethical questions are raised. But
PRIDEAUX: You understand correctly. It’s ethical questions are the forté of the
a measure of our tremendous success philosopher and the fool, not the
over these past four years. Like most businessman. Evil is an act of free
mercs, I used to wander from table to will. Business is a function of what
table in the cafe, soliciting prospec- the market will support. If I commit
tive clients, looking for work. Now, an act under contract, it is neither
the work comes to me. good nor evil, only… profit or loss.
SD: Let’s back up a minute. Tell me about SD: Let’s go back to the split itself. Can
your break with the Wildcats. you tell us something about how it
came about?

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

36
PRIDEAUX: Well, of course, it wasn’t a PRIDEAUX: All I’m saying is, in
sudden thing. From the start, Stern mercenary operations people are
told me he was determined to reject going to die. Whether they’re targets
certain types of missions. Those or they just get in the way, the point
involving murder of civilians, for is moot.
instance. Those involving assaults SD: So you don’t mind killing civilians?
against certain types of organizations PRIDEAUX: Don’t be ridiculous. When-
— environmental, charity and so on. ever possible, I attempt to eliminate
He told me these things when I or sharply curtail civilian casualties.
decided to join the Wildcats, but I But I’m certainly not going to turn
believed then that the imprecision of hard-to-find contracts away just
the mercenary lifestyle would wear because the possibility of innocent
him down eventually. bloodshed exists. No squadron can
SD: What do you mean, imprecision? survive by turning away work.
PRIDEAUX: If you bomb, say, an SD: But the Wildcats have survived.
industrial complex, isn’t there the PRIDEAUX: (pause) A freak circumstance.
chance that civilian employees will be God protects little children and fools.
killed? How about an operation Anyone else would’ve been history. At
against a city? You may only target any rate, we argued, and I resigned
tanks in the street, but what if you from the Wildcats. Several of the
miss? What if you hit a building? You pilots agreed it was time to get
see the dilemma. serious about making money, and
SD: How did Stern reconcile these they came with me. I executed a
problems? number of quick, dirty jobs to
PRIDEAUX: Rationalization, I suppose. He secure capital, and then founded
rejected lucrative missions where the Jackals. From that point on, we
civilian casualties were a certainty. gained a reputation for ruthlessness
He’d evaluate the merits of other that appealed to the corporate head-
missions based on gut feelings. set. They don’t want to hire mercs
Pathetic, really. who entertain doubts or reservations
SD: You’re saying he’d do the best he about their work. They don’t want
could to avoid unnecessary killing, or mercs who ask, “How many people
killing of innocents? will be killed?” they want mercs who
PRIDEAUX: Yes. ask, “How many people do you want
killed?” It makes them more secure
SD: But in a strictly philosophical sense,
knowing they’re hiring a squadron
isn’t that what we all do? Select a
that likes its work.
standard of behavior and then try to
stick to it the best way we know how? SD: Let me ask you this. In the four years
since you left the Wildcats, the
Jackals have gotten more and more
successful, while the Wildcats have
basically struggled to stay afloat, like
most of the other squadrons in Istanbul.
Do you see this as a vindication of your
own philosophy? And what do you see
in the Wildcat’s future?
PRIDEAUX: There is no vindication quite
like success. The Wildcats go against
the grain, and in fact, I actually
admire them for that. You have to
Jean-Paul Prideaux admire that kind of courage, even

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

37
 when it’s foolhardy, like Don Quixote
tilting at windmills, that kind of noble
insanity. Yes, James Stern and I still
meet occasionally, and play a game of
chess on the off-days when business
is bad at Selim’s.
SD: I detect a bit of fondness in your voice.
PRIDEAUX: Well. There are no friends
quite so good as old enemies.
SD: Okay. Just the one question remains.
What are your predictions for the
Wildcats?
PRIDEAUX: They’re doomed. No question.
They’re surviving on a mission-to-
mission basis, constantly one job
away from bankruptcy. Not a good
basis for future prosperity. No, I
predict they’ll drop off the market
within the next year. And I’ll extend a
public invitation here and now to all
the Wildcats, including Stern. I
will hereby guarantee any Wildcat
who wishes it a position within my
squadron. They’re damn good pilots,
all of them.
THE ASSAULT BEGINS
SD: You’d accept them into the Jackals?
PRIDEAUX: Provided they adhere to my
CHRISTMAS 2012!
standards, naturally.
SD: Colonel Prideaux, thank you for
HONEST!
granting us this exclusive interview.
PRIDEAUX: You’re welcome.

ImNew
pr a
ov nd
ed
!

SURGEON GENERALS WARNING:

Quitting Smoking Greatly Reduces
Serious Risks to Your Health

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

38
 “WE DO IT RIGHT
– OR WRONG!”
“ONE BIG WORLD,
ONE GREAT
COMPANY”

Pulling together for

a better tomorrow is

It happens all the time. You quite a task, but with

routinely hire mercs to eliminate
business competitors, and yet you you, we can make it
have a personal problem that just
won’t go away. happen. Won’t you join
Maybe it’s a marriage gone
bad. A sick mother who’s hanging the
the TransWorld
Transworld
on a bit too long. Or maybe you’re
just ticked at the jerk who Petrochem family?
wouldn’t let you pass him on the
way to work. Great opportunities
“What can I do about it,” you
ask yourself helplessly. exist for enthusiastic
The answer is right in
front of you. pilots with combat
Jean-Paul Prideaux and
his Jackals have been training who want to
simplifying people’s lives
for over four years. work in a dynamic,
Whatever your cause, right
or wrong, the Jackals are expanding company.
here to get the job done.

“WE DON’T CARE — Contact:

WE JUST WANT THE CASH” 1-800-SIGNUPP.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

39
DECADE OF TURMOIL WINDS TO A CLOSE
lthough the decade spanning 2000 — leads to minor military skirmishes

A 2010 has been termed the “Decade of

Turmoil” in the popular media,
historians and sociologists alike are quick
throughout the CIS, as the internal
stresses of intermittent conflict along
several fronts prompt resurgence of hard-
to dispute the label. These chroniclers liner support in the government, con-
point out that the upheaval which solidation of power in a strong central
coincided with the onset of 2000 was in government and intensification of nation-
fact only the culmination of processes set alistic discontent.
into motion in the 1980s — the cata-
strophic economic policies of the United Iraq formally admits having a
States, the conflict in the Middle East,
world-wide dependence on petroleum, the
collapse of the Soviet Union and the
1994 nuclear strike capability. A
U.N. proclamation condemning
Iraq and authorizing the use of military
resultant rise of nationalism globally. force against that country is issued. The
Clearly, the events of the eighties and United States deploys its first occu-
nineties contributed in large part to pational force within Saudi Arabia since
the shift in the global power structure Operation Desert Storm, launching
that occurred during the ’nils — in that, Operation Fallout, which consists of
the academics are correct. But from the “surgical” strikes against Iraqi nuclear
layman’s point of view, the past decade targets. These raids turn out to be some-
stands alone in terms of dramatic, what less surgical than planned. A total
unprecedented flux. of twenty U.S. “smart” missiles strike
Despite official labels and debate, we at civilian populations, inflicting widespread
SUDDEN DEATH are united in pro- casualties. The resulting backlash of anti-
claiming these past ten years the “Decade U.S. sentiment coalesces into Mideastern
of the Merc.” In recognition of the un- jihad against the Western powers. Oil
precedented growth of the mercenary exports are discontinued, and Westerners
market, SUDDEN DEATH offers this in the Middle East are slaughtered.
summary of the major news stories of The U.S. retaliates with punitive
the past two decades, listing those strikes against Iraq and Iran. Meanwhile,
developments that the editorial staff feels with petroleum scarce, the U.S. gov-
contributed to the formation of the new ernment escalates oil production and
world order which greets us as we enter drilling in Alaska. Accidents occur,
the next decade. resulting in considerable environmental
damage. Alaska files a formal protest and
Encouraged by the fall of sues the U.S. government. The lawsuit is

1992 the Soviet Union and the

creation of the Commonwealth
of Independent States, minorities in
dismissed in federal court.

The European Nationalism

Eastern European states greet their
newfound freedom with a backlash of
militant nationalistic sentiment. Despite
1995 fostered in CIS satellite states
spreads to Western nations. In
Great Britain, Wales and Scotland
their central governments’ assurances of become secessionist, and terrorism flour-
perestroika and an official commitment to ishes. Shock waves are felt throughout
democratic and capitalistic ideals, the the West when the English Parliament
majority of outlying satellite states Building is destroyed by terrorist bombing
attempt to withdraw from the CIS. This during a full session on Guy Fawkes Day.

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

40
 Peace is restored in the Middle halt, and hundreds of thousands are

1997 East as the Western powers

strangle the East economically
and militarily, but at a price; a majority of
reported dead or missing. When the
federal government refuses to supply
disaster aid because of the financial
Eastern oil fields are destroyed, resulting crunch, there are riots in San Francisco
in a global oil crisis. Despite strident and Los Angeles. California threatens
protests by Alaskans, drilling is increased secession from the Union, and the U.S.
in Alaska. Additionally, a U.S. policy shift government sends in federal troops. Local
toward escalation of offshore drilling and resistance, however, proves fierce, and
promotion of nuclear energy is greeted by although the federal government readies
concerted environmental protests sufficient power to crush California,
organized by militant environmental excessive force is deemed unwise due to
groups. The incidence of eco-terrorist acts California’s valuable natural resources,
increases over that reported in 1996 by and in light of public opinion.
an estimated 700%.
As the Fed searches for solu-

1998
Alarmed by escalating ter-
rorism, and to prevent nation-
alism from further dividing an
2001 tions to this problem, Congress
levies new taxes to compensate
for the FDIC debacle. At this point,
already unstable global power structure, legislators, believing they’ve devised a
the U.S., Britain and Germany commit solution to the California question, offer
troops to the CIS in order to assist the relief to California in the form of tax
central government in putting down breaks scheduled over the next hundred
rebellion within the CIS. years. This satisfies California.
It does not, however, suit the rest of
Western forces operating on the nation.

2000 behalf of the CIS are defeated

and withdraw, leaving the CIS
alone and in chaos.
Texas is the first to secede, with-
drawing from the Union and then
splintering into three states because of
The second American economic col- infighting over debt. Then Alaska secedes,
lapse begins April 16, 2000, when an declaring itself an independent nation,
international run on oil futures, exac- shutting off the Alaskan pipeline and
erbated by a low dollar to yen exchange proclaiming their oil a national resource.
rate, precipitates “Pay Day,” the worst Congress resolves to apply military force
stock market crash since the Great against Alaska in an attempt to secure
Depression of the 1930s. Unable to lean the oil that is even more vital now, in light
upon Japanese brokers for bailout as they of the global petro-economic situation; in
had so often in the past, the three largest the mean-time, however, Canada has
financial institutions in the West — signed a mutual non-aggression pact with
FISCOMP, First Allied Bank and Trust, Alaska, recognizing Alaska’s sovereignty
and United States Commodities — close and guaranteeing aid in the event Alaska
their doors, prompting a run on all is attacked. This conflict escalates into a
domestic banks and S&Ls. The federal multilateral, international conflict known
government nears bankruptcy, trying to as the PetroWar of 2001, in which the
cover FDIC debts. U.S., Canada, Alaska, OPEC and the
Meanwhile, “The Big One” finally hits remnants of the CIS wage limited non-
California, an earthquake that destroys nuclear war over Alaskan oil rights. As a
the Oakland, San Mateo and Richmond result, the majority of Alaska’s wilderness
Bridges in San Francisco and cripples is set ablaze when oil fields ignite, and
most of the freeway systems and free- heavy losses are inflicted upon Canadian
standing structures in Los Angeles. and U.S. naval forces.
California industry virtually grinds to a

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

41
 In retaliation for the destruc- Carolina each merge into single states to

2002 tion of Alaska, environment-

alists initiate a military
occupation of Yosemite National Park.
guard against IRS predation. Regardless
of state claims to the contrary, the federal
government refuses to recognize the right
This action precipitates open warfare of states to secede, and continues its
between environmental activists and attempts to levy back taxes against the
Eastern owners of Setting Sun, Inc., a secessionist factions. In its December
foreign investment corporation that issue, Time magazine pronounces civil
operates key tourist concerns in the park. war inevitable in a controversial editorial.
This is the first time mercenaries are Meanwhile, the U.S. government draws
legally employed on American soil. criticism for diverting funding from social
Scandal rocks Congress, as leaders of and administrative programs to sustain
both parties are implicated in the ongoing military concerns.
Bloodmoney Scandal. Allegations of Following the virtual bankruptcy of the
misconduct are levelled when evidence is United States and armed attempts by the
presented that congressmen used their IRS to collect additional taxes against
contacts to allow the shedding of corporations, the major multinational
American blood on American soil at the corporations meet in Stockholm for
hands of foreign concerns. the First Multinational Corporation
On May 1, H.R. 2343 goes into effect. Summit. At this conference, the corpo-
The IRS gains 200,000 employees and rations declare their sovereignty and
initiates an intense campaign to collect unaccountability to individual nation-
backtaxes nationwide. The so-called states that engage in terrorist activities
“witch audits” prompt widespread civil (i.e., the U.S. and the IRS). This indepen-
demonstrations. Portions of downtown dence is challenged by the international
Washington are razed during the community, prompting corporations to
“Juneteenth Purge.” IRS officials are invest in their own defensive forces. As a
accused of terrorizing the population. result of this initially defensive tactic, full-
Resentment is manifested in riots that scale inter-corporation wars are com-
erupt in most major urban centers across monplace by the year 2005.
the continental U.S.
After losses in the PetroWar of 2001, Citing executive privilege to
the CIS loses its status as a superpower,
fragmented by the same forces assailing
the U.S.: bankruptcy, internal politics
2005 declare a state of national
emergency, President Guerrero
expands the IRS and grants it rights
and self-liberating provinces. The above and beyond the constitution to
government solicits Japanese investment, collect on back taxes owed by
and resource-poor Japan welcomes the corporations and states illegally declaring
opportunity, exploiting the Russians’ secession. The Director of the IRS hires a
negotiating disadvantage to invest yen at Dutch mercenary commando unit to help
high interest rates, then foreclosing on collect taxes in New York City, following a
defaults. At present, it is estimated that street war in which New Yorkers repell
Japan owns 28% of Russia and the rest of IRS auditors with automatic weapons.
the CIS. Mercenaries emerge to fill this new
market demand, fostered by the new
Following Texas’ lead, by this martial environment. Istanbul becomes

2003 year 14 of the 50 states have

declared their independence.
Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and
known as the mercenaries’ market when
Turkey grants “Turkish Diplomatic
Forces” rights and privileges to mercenary
Georgia merge into one confederation, the squadrons, in exchange for a 10% share
Southern Confederate Bloc. North and of their profits. Over a dozen sizable
South Dakota and North and South mercenary squadrons quickly emerge

July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

42
within Turkish borders, availing them- When Italy’s economy col-
selves of this safe haven for their legally
questionable activities.
Utilizing loopholes in international law
2008 lapses, Vatican City expands
its territories, declaring the
New Papal States. The preeminence of
and twisting the chaos within the new Japan as a world power stirs Western
world order to their advantage, mercenary interest in Eastern religions, converting
squadrons operating from Turkish bases large numbers of Catholics from the Holy
are considered emissaries of the Turkish Roman Church. The Pope becomes
government, and are able to operate with alarmed, and hires the media firm of
relative impunity within the borders of Golan and Schwartz to combat what, to
other countries shielded by “technically the immense relief of His Holiness, is
creative application” of the principle of revealed to be not so much a crisis of
diplomatic immunity. faith as a PR problem. Under the direction
This immunity prevents other gov- of Golan and Schwartz, exorcisms become
ernments from retaliating directly against televised regularly, birth control is
Turkish mercenary squadrons operating allowed, and the Catholic church takes
within their borders. Squadrons incurring her place alongside other commercially
the wrath of foreign nations are occa- successful cults, advertising in the
sionally targeted when the offended National Enquirer.
governments put out contracts of their The United States, in the truest spirit
own in Turkey. Far from frowning upon of capitalism and terrorism, begins taxing
such activity, the Turkish government the profits of mercenary squadrons which
considers this good for business, and destroy property within U.S. borders.
diplomatically encourages vendettas

2011-20
whenever possible. Likewise, rather than EDITORS’ PREDICTIONS.
risk their own standing defensive air Oil supplies will con-
forces, foreign governments and corpo- tinue to dwindle. The
rations begin to hire mercenaries for risky automobile will become a thing of the
offensive missions. This arrangement past for all but the ultra-elite, and
seems to benefit all concerned, encour- gasoline will be used primarily for
aging the perpetuation of the status shipping, trucking, electrical generation
quo and allowing the mercenaries to and defensive purposes. Mercenary
function freely in a manner that would be squadrons will consume a great deal of
impossible, were it not for the latitude the remaining fuel, and a good 25% of
allowed by this liberal interpretation of their fee will be going to the procurement
international law. of oil for their operations by the end of
Mercenary trade becomes Turkey’s the decade. Petrodollars will still account
number one export. for OPEC’s continued existence as a world
Meanwhile, Nicaragua, Honduras and power, and may enable the cartel to
El Salvador unite and, proclaiming challenge Japan’s position as the number
themselves a Central American Bloc, one world power, if Mideastern oil
attack Guatemala and Costa Rica in a supplies hold.
two-front war. Unrest blossoms through- Japan will rise to a pinnacle of power
out South America, as the economic entirely out of proportion to its size and
collapse in the United States allows South resources. Eventually, not one business
American countries to default on U.S. decision will be made anywhere in the
loans. Unbalanced by this unexpected world without crossing the desk of a
fiscal relief, many South American Japanese executive.
countries rediscover the luxury of war, Tourism in Turkey will be stifled as the
and begin to implement a policy of recruitment and retention of professional
invasive adventurism. killers gives the country a justly deserved
reputation for violence and death.

SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011

43
 WANT ADS
Wealthy programmer seeking female assassin to help Nervous fixer seeks therapist. Have been under
dispose of ex-girlfriend. Must enjoy mixing business considerable stress since the loss of my beloved fez.
with pleasure. No Jennifers, please. Ask for Mighty And I feel like invisible people are watching me all
Dog at Selim’s. the time — Call 555-6342. Ask for Farhad.

LIKE MUFFINS? Aging Mexican fixer seeks financial RECITAR! Writer-turned-psychotic-assassin seeks
backing for BETO’S ISTANBUL HOUSE OF work, preferably involving cutlery, common table salt
MUFFINS. High bran content, blueberries optional. and editors of any kind. Enjoys having work
Also thinking about little footprint-shaped pancakes. tampered with, being pushed downstairs, getting
Page BETO at Selim’s. Most evenings. nasal passages filled with cement, and all other
excuses to violently revenge self. Also into Star Trek
reruns. Contact GULEMAN at Selim’s.
TEST PILOT FOR HIRE: Do you believe that we
shouldn’t have stopped at Mach 5? Can we do
better? If you’ve got the plane, I’ve got the nerve. HELP! Desperately need to recover over 900MB of
Phone 555-FAST. Call days. Leave a message. lost data from network! Respond ASAP! Call
MELTDOWN. 011.49.54.21895 *** Mr Zap ***

HAWAII BIDS THE U.S.ALOHA!

And that may just mean your ship has come in! Hawaii seeks
experienced freelance fighter pilots to defend against U.S.
imperialistic retaliation. All-expense paid vacations to this island
paradise are included in the payment package. Call your local

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July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH

44
This Help file contains:
1. Install Instructions for Strike CD and the Adobe reader for on-line docu-
mentation.

2. System Requirements

3. Sample Configurations and Boot Disk Info

4. Troubleshooting/Common Error Codes

5. OSI Product Support Info

If the installation information given in the printed documentation is not working
for you, this file gives some even more basic options which should work for
most systems. If you still can’t install or play the game after reading this file,
please contact Origin Product Support.

INSTALLATION
To install the Adobe Reader for viewing of Strike Commander’s on-line docu-
mentation, simply type “INSTALLA” from “D:\”(or whatever your CD’s drive letter
is. This install will require approx. 2.5 MB of space on your hard-disk. The
Default Directory for the reader will be “C:\EA\ACROBAT”, but there is also an
option to change the install dir as well. To start the reader type “ACROBAT”, and
to read the Strike info go to the “FILE” option and “OPEN” “STRKFICT.PDF” or
“STRKTECH.PDF”.
To install Strike Commander, simply type “INSTALL” from your CD-ROM’s drive
prompt, and follow the prompts to set up the game for your machine’s specifica-
tions. Select “NO” to the “Are you Satisfied” prompt to change the default set-
tings. Installing all of the Hard Drive files will generally improve performance on
ANY machine, but they are highly recommended for users with 4 MB of RAM
and/or a single speed CD-ROM. All files installed to the HD will take up approxi-
mately 11.5 MB of space.

To Start the game type -

C:
CD SC
SCCD
***This assumes that you installed the game to the default directory “C:\SC”
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
To play Strike CD, you must have at least-
Intel 486 (TM) or 100% Compatible
CD-ROM Drive
MS-DOS v5.0 or higher
4 MB RAM (557K/571,000 bytes Free Conventional + 2700K/2,765,000
bytes Free XMS or EMS memory)
256 Color VGA Graphics Board or better
MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions version 2.1 or higher
2 MB Hard Drive Space
Mouse (Optional) - Microsoft or 100% Compatible Driver
Music (Optional) - Ad Lib (R), Sound Blaster (R), MPU-401 interface General
Midi, or 100% compatible soundboard. Users of cards such as the Roland Rap-
10 will need to have an additional board to play back digital sound effects - a
Sound Blaster (R) or 100% Compatible recommended.

SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS
— XMS —

CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30
(Add your CD-ROM drivers here)
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P
AUTOEXEC.BAT:
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\
PROMPT $P$G
(Add your MSCDEX.EXE driver here)
(Add your MOUSE driver here)
SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
C:
 — EMS —

CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 2848 RAM I=B000-B7FF
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30
(Add your CD-ROM drivers here)
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P
AUTOEXEC.BAT:
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\
PROMPT $P$G
(Add your MSCDEX.EXE driver here)
(Add your MOUSE driver here)
SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
C:
***Users with 8 MB ram or better should increase the amount of memory to
be used for EMS when using EMM386.EXE. Remember that numbers
specified should be a multiple of 256.

ex. “DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 5120 RAM I=B000-B7FF”

ex. “DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 7168 RAM I=B000-B7FF”

***Some Machines may have ROM in the E000 range, so you may need to
exclude this area when using EMM386. If you are using an SCSI adapter,
you will also need to exclude its BIOS area when using EMS as well - see
your adapter’s manual for info on finding its BIOS address.

ex. “DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 2848 RAM X=E000-EFFF I=B000-B7FF”

ex. “DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 2848 RAM X=E000-EFFF X=C800-

CBFF I=B000-B7FF”

***You may also add SMARTDRV.EXE to the above configurations to improve

system performance, but it will generally only help those with more than 8
MB of RAM. EX. “C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE 2048”. It is also recommend-
 ed that you DO NOT install the game with SMARTDRV.EXE active - put it
in afterwards! See your DOS manual or help file for more info. Users with
only 4 MB RAM should not specify more then 256K on the
SMARTDRV.EXE driver line. Bus Mastering Hard Drive Controller users
may need to load SMARTDRV.EXE’s double buffering driver in the CON-
FIG.SYS if they encounter graphic distortion.

ex.”DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE DOUBLE_BUFFER”

***Users that have more than 16 MB of RAM may have install problems due
to DMA functions only being able to access up to 16 MB. If you have a
problem, try using a large SMARTDRV.EXE cache and/or
RAMDRIVE.SYS ram drive to trick the game into thinking that you have
less memory.

***If your SOUNDCARD requires drivers, make sure to include them as well!
SB16 users should include all SB lines found in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, but
they usually will not need to load CTSB16 or CTMMSYS in the
CONFIG.SYS.
To make a BOOT DISK for the game-
1. Put a blank floppy disk in your “A” drive.
2. From the “C:\” prompt, type in “FORMAT A:/S”.( “SYS A:” may be used in
place of this command if the disk is PRE FORMATTED)
3. After the format is complete, type in “COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS A:”
4. Type in “COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT A:”
5. Type in “EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS”, then edit your file to resemble the above
configurations as closely as possible. Put “REM” in front of any line that
doesn’t seem necessary - EX. “REM C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS”.
6. Save the modified file by using the editor’s “FILE” menu to “SAVE” and
then “EXIT” - use your mouse if present.
7. Type in “EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT” and modify this file in the same man-
ner as the CONFIG.SYS.
8. Save and exit the AUTOEXEC.BAT.
9. REBOOT your system, then try to play the game!
TROUBLESHOOTING
Common Error Codes-
0203xFFFF Out of Far Memory. This should be rare, however, a boot disk
should solve this. If it doesn’t, then check for TSR’s which may
be using upper memory through the “Devicehigh” or “Loadhigh”
commands. This includes the “/e” on the MSCDEX line. Try
loading them low as memory will allow.
0303xFFFF Out of EMS Memory. This one should be more common on
machines with 4 MB of RAM and some TSR’s loading high. Be
sure to have at least 2700K EMS with some breathing room to
spare.You may want to maximize the upper memory usage by
booting with only an XMS or extended memory manager like
HIMEM.SYS from DOS.See the install guide, page 6, for a sug-
gested boot configuration using XMS memory.
1303xFFFF Out of Memory, Memory too Fragmented. This should be rare,
but possible on 4 MB machines, and nonexistent on 8+ MB
machines. Basically what is happening is that as data is de-allo-
cating memory, the blocks being left open are not sufficient to
contain a chunk of data without fragmenting it over several
blocks. Since the data must remain contiguous, and have
somewhere to go, this error is generated when either of these
conditions cannot be met. A boot disk with NO non-essential
TSR’s should head off this error code.
C016xFFFF This error occurs when a shape was not in the file cache when
the program called on it. Could be a TSR or fragmented memo-
ry causing it. Usually restricted to 4 MB machines.
1209xFFFF This error is basically a DOS read error. It means the CD ROM
drive could not be accessed, the CD is no longer in the drive, or
you selected “no” after getting a “disk error, try again? (y/n)”
message while playing the CD. Could be a bad CD, IO/IRQ
conflict, or corrupted CD-ROM drivers. Try re-installing if you
copied the games executables to the hard drive when you origi-
nally installed the game.
1910 & 1941 These are common install errors which can usually be over-
come by deleting the “SC” directory completely, then re-
 installing after booting with the recommended configs listed
above. Try a Boot disk!
***Remember that 90% of all installation problems tend to be CONFIGURA-
TION problems. If you have problems running the game, try making a
BOOT DISK FIRST, then RE-INSTALL the game (no matter how much
you know about computers)! Simple works best with our games, so leave
those unnecessary TSRs out!

Origin Product Support Information

In the event that you can’t troubleshoot a problem on your own, Origin
Customer Service is open from 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm Central Mon.
through Fri. Call (512) 335-0440.
BBS (512) 331-4446
FAX (512) 331-8559
INTERNET/FTP [email protected]
Wait! Before you contact any of the above services, make sure to have thefol-
lowing information readily available. Being as close to your machine as possible
will also help if you speak directly to a Service Rep.!
1. An EXACT copy of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT that you
INSTALLED/RAN our product with.
2. The Brand and Type of CPU that you are using.
3. Your Brand and Version of DOS
4. Your Brand and Type of Video Board(and Driver Version # if applicable)
5. Your Brand and Type of CD-ROM (and Driver Version #s)
6. A list of any Error Codes encountered.
7. A list of any other hard-ware devices present on your system (any device
settings that you can find will certainly help as well!)

Thanks for supporting Origin and EA products!

Sean Mustakas, Origin Product Support