[JoeLo]

Through out most of the  early missions, Command seems to be evil and dodgy, where Bosch is "good". This changes at the very end, but through out the whole thing Command is just a big black guy on a green screen.

[Shade]

Nah, none that I know of, and really Bosch was never 'good' as such... he's just one charismatic bastard and happens to be much cleverer than command (doesn't take much, though), and so makes them look like asses a lot of the time

[JoeLo]

Are you sure, because they let him get away, sabotadge the Collosus, don't collect the cargo, and the entire squad goes crazy. I thought I was going to be flying for the NTF within five missions after Command pulled the blockade. And what the hell is Command seriously? One dude isn't Command. I know, I sound like an idiot, but I have a 102 fever, bronchitus, and on multiple drugs that are messing with my system to keep fever\pain down.

[IPAndrews]

Command is really Shodan.

[Shade]

Strictly speaking command would be either 3rd fleet headquarters in Capella or the GTD Aquitane. The black dude is just some low ranking communications officer. As for Bosch getting away with so much, keep in mind that aside from being a traitor, he's also an admiral and a war hero, so he definitely has connections where it counts.

[JoeLo]

No, Command (the black dude not command as a whole) appears to have more authority than a normal officer. If anyone wants to talk on AIM about this and make me less bored I'll set up a chatroom.

[StratComm]

The roll of the actual guy running command is certainly a matter of debate, but command as a whole does have full authority over allied forces.

I thought I was going to be flying for the NTF within five missions after Command pulled the blockade.

It wasn't exactly 5, but you were flying "for" the NTF pretty close to that point.

As to why Command let Bosch escape, well there could be any number of reasons.  You could take one of several face-value reasons, like NTF forces putting up a diversionary offensive just before the Iceni slipped away thus drawing out the blockading ships or command taking Bosch up on his offer of withdrawing his forces in exchange for his safety.  The more plausible explanation is that Command wanted to know more about the NTF's secret projects, namely ETAK, and couldn't do that if Bosch, along with any deep-cover agents abord the Iceni, were killed.  Or you could come up with more exotic explanations, such as the blockading ships actually being defectors, like the Trinity, that hadn't revealed their intentions to GTVA command.

[JoeLo]

No, what I meant was I thought my squad was going to defect to the NTF. Especially because of quotes like, "That was Arthur Romeigs ship wasn't it? Never thought he'd go tratior. It seemed to be leading up to you defecting and then it killed that notion.

[StratComm]

Of course if you're going to bring Mystery of the Trinity into it, that sort of nullifies the idea that your squad is primed for defection.  The pilot chatter from Alpha and Zeta wing rules it out.  ("I joined up to fight the NTF, I never signed on for hunting Shivans" doesn't imply a sympathy to the Rebel cause).  The rebels are quite clearly painted as the "bad guys", IMHO, so the story arc of Freespace would never have Alpha 1 joining them.  Were humanity to turn on itself, it would be for at least superficially more noble reasons.

[aldo_14]

No, what I meant was I thought my squad was going to defect to the NTF. Especially because of quotes like, "That was Arthur Romeigs ship wasn't it? Never thought he'd go tratior. It seemed to be leading up to you defecting and then it killed that notion.

I'd imagine it's to hint at the later revelations that the NTF wasn't really about killing Vasudans but some grand (and sadly mysterious) plan by Bosch.  As an aside, I think there's a strong-ish possibility that elements within Command, or perhaps the GTVI, knew Bosches real plan and either directed it, influenced it, or simply saw it and aimed to let him take the risk.  If what Bosch intended was so dangerous that the GTVA would never allow, but the potential reward sufficiently great, perhaps the GTVI would take such a gargantuan gamble to achieve it, even if it only amounted to 'prodding' Bosch into rebelling.

[achtung]

Command let Bosch get as far as they did for their own benefit.  I mean, being able to communicate with the Shivans would be a great thing, and letting someone else devote their time and resources to it is even better.