So, some real game changers in Act 3 of WiH's story. Specifically in the final mission. Heavy spoilers from here on.
While the final dream mission told us much about the Shivan and Vishnan involvement in the cosmos, the UEF/GTVA war and some glimpses of their ultimate goal. I wanted to clarify some points with other fans.
I'm still uncertain why Capella was destroyed. As Bosch said, it was part warning, part show of force and... something else. From the crazy Shivan dialogue it seemed like they were distracted by something in another part of the galaxy, and that the Neo-Terran front alone wasn't enough to trigger a "full" purge. What seems odd about that, is the Shivans seemed perfectly willing to hit Earth and Vasuda Prime as far back as Freespace 1. Only the destruction of the Lucifer and the collapse of the Delta Serpentis jump node, and later Capella's nodes, resulted in any kind of a "victory" if you want to call it that.
The initial reason for the Shivan attack at Ross 128 seems clear enough. A pre-calculated intervention to cull two warring races, something the Shivans have done possibly thousands of times.
Shivan war doctrine I found fascinating, demonstrating the full horror of their capabilities. They are so impossibly vast, they can afford to sacrifice fighters, cruisers, destroyers, even juggernauts to gauge their opposition. They are obsessed with taking the 'long view' in any strategic situation. They're also apparently older than the Vishnans, and even Brahmans.
It's also clear whatever truce they had with the other great powers of the galaxy to prevent another apocalyptic war... it's failing. Both on their end and the Vishnans. I got the sense for their dialogue they no longer care about maintaining balance, and seem poised to break their own rules about who gets culled and who doesn't. The Vishnans are likewise revealed to be manipulating the human race for their own ends, being the real power behind all of UEF culture and philosophy. I don't know which is more terrifying. It seems the GTVA's paranoia was completely justified. How can anyone conscience humanity to being the shaped tools of an alien race? Bei is shown to be quite possibly a puppet of the Vishnans in the same way the Elders are.
And, again, *seemingly* the only way out of this disaster is for Laporte to take up Bosch's "deal", whatever that turns out to be.
Regardless, this isn't going to be pretty. Humans and Vasudans are like Vatican city wedged between NATO and the Warsaw Pact... and the DEFCON level is nearing 1.
Is there anyway out of this mess without becoming slaves or another bloodstain on the boot of these two powers? Is there anyway to resist a force that has ruled the galaxy for billions of years? Prior Freespace games provided endings that, while pyrrhic, were at least somewhat hopeful. Earth was saved at the end of the Great War, and the Shivans were contained in Capella at great cost. Is there any such chance here? That's what I look forward to finding out.