[Fang_Taichou]

Kappa wing most likely encountered the Sathanas.  Kappa 3 wouldn't have screamed: "there's no way we can beat them this time!" if all they saw was a Ravana, which is nothing to the Colossus.

[karajorma]

The Colossus that Kappa 3 wouldn't have known anything about?

I tend to think that he was on about the Sathanas but it isn't the only possible explanation. It could easily be the Ravana too. Here's the timeline.

1) Kappa Wing vanish during Mystery of the Trinity
2) Kappa 3 encounters the Ravana, gets scared and runs away.
3) The GTVA encounter and eventually destroy the Ravana
4) Kappa 3 reappears and warns about the Ravana

Where's the plot hole? That's all completely consistent with what happened in the game. At some point between 1 and 4 the rest of the wing gets killed.

[Fang_Taichou]

The Colossus that Kappa 3 wouldn't have known anything about?

I tend to think that he was on about the Sathanas but it isn't the only possible explanation. It could easily be the Ravana too. Here's the timeline.

1) Kappa Wing vanish during Mystery of the Trinity
2) Kappa 3 encounters the Ravana, gets scared and runs away.
3) The GTVA encounter and eventually destroy the Ravana
4) Kappa 3 reappears and warns about the Ravana

Where's the plot hole? That's all completely consistent with what happened in the game. At some point between 1 and 4 the rest of the wing gets killed.

Why would that pilot think the GTVA couldn't beat back a single Ravana when the thing is approximately the size of a Demon-class destroyer, something which GTA/PVN forces destroyed during the 1st Great War 32 years ago?  The only thing that makes sense would be them sighting the massive Sathanas, since supposedly the GTVA warships have the beam weaponry to take down a Lucifer superdestroyer, which is tougher than a Ravana.

You are right about the pilots not knowing about the Colossus yet, but I still can't believe a Shivan destroyer would scare Kappa wing that much considering they know all about the SD Lucifer and the SD Demon.

[NGTM-1R]

The Ravana blew up his wing?

[Grizzly]

The Colossus that Kappa 3 wouldn't have known anything about?

I tend to think that he was on about the Sathanas but it isn't the only possible explanation. It could easily be the Ravana too. Here's the timeline.

1) Kappa Wing vanish during Mystery of the Trinity
2) Kappa 3 encounters the Ravana, gets scared and runs away.
3) The GTVA encounter and eventually destroy the Ravana
4) Kappa 3 reappears and warns about the Ravana

Where's the plot hole? That's all completely consistent with what happened in the game. At some point between 1 and 4 the rest of the wing gets killed.

1) Kappa Wing vanish during Mystery of the Trinity
2) The GTVA encounter and eventually destroy the Ravana
3) Alpha 1 is off to fight the Epsilon Pegasi rebellion.
4) Kappa wing (Number of ships unknown) encounters the Sathanas, the source of the intensifying shivan activity in the nebulae since the destruction of the Ravana.
5) Kappa 3 finally finds GTVA forces, but is destroyed...

[Kie99]

The Colossus that Kappa 3 wouldn't have known anything about?

I tend to think that he was on about the Sathanas but it isn't the only possible explanation. It could easily be the Ravana too. Here's the timeline.

1) Kappa Wing vanish during Mystery of the Trinity
2) Kappa 3 encounters the Ravana, gets scared and runs away.
3) The GTVA encounter and eventually destroy the Ravana
4) Kappa 3 reappears and warns about the Ravana

Where's the plot hole? That's all completely consistent with what happened in the game. At some point between 1 and 4 the rest of the wing gets killed.

The plot hole is the panic in his voice.  "There's no way we can stop them this time!"  He wouldn't get like that over a mere destroyer.  You only appreciate the Ravana's power when its up against Cruiser+ sized ships.  It would be just another destroyer to smaller ships.

[Mars]

He encountered Chuck Norris

I think it's pretty clear the writer had the Sathanas in mind

[Jeff Vader]

He encountered Chuck Norris

Now there's a prime example on why one should express his or her thoughts so that others might understand them. Kappa 3 said that 'there's something out there'. The result: Command probably tries to arrange Kappa 3 to have an appointment with a shrink. Now, had Kappa 3 said 'Chuck Norris is out there', all the GTVA forces would have surely evacuated the nebula and demolished the Knossos, using all available Meson bombs for one decisive strike. Hmm, imagine what High Noon might have been, had the Colossus been facing Chuck Norris... not pretty.

But to stay on topic, yes, Kappa 3 must have seen the Sathanas. The Ravana was a new class of Shivan destroyer to be encountered, but it couldn't have been that intimidating. It's just a destroyer, like the Demon. A destroyer might raise thoughts like "Oh bum grapes, that might cause problems", but it takes a Sathanas to really give the "Oh noes! Now we're totally screwed." feeling.

[Mars]

Command certainly took the loss of the Lysander in stride

[Hades]

Who is Chuck Norris?

[Jeff Vader]

Please consult this site.

[S-99]

It seems to me perhaps that when kappa wing went, that the shivans saw an opportunity to get a virus onto the computers of kappa wing's herc 2's. While the virus is rewriting the software and taking over systems on the herc 2's, it becomes self aware. All of the herc 2's become self aware. Just like sky-net in terminator
And then the herc 2's now have artificial intelligence with the pilots trying to regain control, but they can't.  So the herc 2's just lock out the pilots from their systems. And with the herc 2's being self aware, they realize they are the only of their kind, so now they had the need to reproduce. Kappa3 on the other hand remembered to pull the power cable and plug it back in his fighter while all the rest of kappa wing are in an orgy of some serious hull abrasions in which the rest of kappa wing exploded from too much bumping into each other. Then kappa 3 escapes, and without an awacs with bad sensors in the nebula. Well the rest is history

EDIT:Some new realization came over me.

KAPPA WING WENT BANKRUPT!!!

[wdarkk]

It seems to me perhaps that when kappa wing went, that the shivans saw an opportunity to get a virus onto the computers of kappa wing's herc 2's. While the virus is rewriting the software and taking over systems on the herc 2's, it becomes self aware. All of the herc 2's become self aware. Just like sky-net in terminator
And then the herc 2's now have artificial intelligence with the pilots trying to regain control, but they can't.  So the herc 2's just lock out the pilots from their systems. And with the herc 2's being self aware, they realize they are the only of their kind, so now they had the need to reproduce. Kappa3 on the other hand remembered to pull the power cable and plug it back in his fighter while all the rest of kappa wing are in an orgy of some serious hull abrasions in which the rest of kappa wing exploded from too much bumping into each other. Then kappa 3 escapes, and without an awacs with bad sensors in the nebula. Well the rest is history

EDIT:Some new realization came over me.

KAPPA WING WENT BANKRUPT!!!

ROFL. That's great.

[CP5670]

"There's something out there, Command! Please!"

SEC investigators, in other words.

[jediben20]

I have my own theory, although unorthodox.

I think there are many things that we are assuming about the Nebula missions, such as

1st: the second knossos was always active (did anyone activate it and when? e.g., the trinity, bosch)
2nd: the trinity was just going sightseeing and perhaps bait for shivans (what was the trinity's mission in the nebula?)
3rd: was bosch aware of the other knossos devices, if not how was he aware of the one in gamma draconis?
4th: kappa wing got blown up or lost (we don't know what their relationship is with the NTF, GTVI)

I suspect that kappa wing was in fact allied with the NTF. 

[karajorma]

Actually the real question, which no one is asking, is how could Command lose contact with Kappa wing when it's obvious that every fighter in FS2 has a FTL communication device?

It's doubtful that they all broke at the same time so were they sabotaged? Were they jammed by the Shivans?

[Kie99]

Actually the real question, which no one is asking, is how could Command lose contact with Kappa wing when it's obvious that every fighter in FS2 has a FTL communication device?

It's doubtful that they all broke at the same time so were they sabotaged? Were they jammed by the Shivans?

Got lost in an EMP storm?

[jediben20]

Or did they deliberately cease transmitting.

[Mustang19]

Actually the real question, which no one is asking, is how could Command lose contact with Kappa wing when it's obvious that every fighter in FS2 has a FTL communication device?

  The first time I played that mission I followed Kappa Wing anyway out of curiosity (and to hear Zeta 1 yell at me). So I got to see them "hump" each other trying to reach the same waypoint at once.

I don't think that V had much plans for Kappa Wing other than for atmosphere, but it would make perfect sense if they were NTF/GTVI agents like Jediben says.

[karajorma]

If you wait long enough they just simply vanish.