Seether

Seether, played by Robert Rusler, as seen in Wing Commander 4

Seether is one of the primary antagonists in the Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom game. He is the player's main rival in combat.

Character Background

• Name: Unknown
• Rank: Colonel
• Callsign: Seether
• Race: Human
• Gender: Male
• Birth: Unknown
• Death: 2673.231
• Planet: Unknown
• Affiliation: Terran Confederation/Black Lance
• First Appearance: Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom
• Last Appearance: Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

History

Seether comes from a very mysterious past. His real name is unknown, and so is the majority of his military career. He is a native of the Terran Confederation and is known to have been a rookie pilot near the end of the Kilrathi War. He served alongside Colonel Jacob Manley on a different vessel, and proved to be a highly lethal pilot. He then was transferred into Secret Operations where he was never seen again.

Seether was actually a subject of Confed's Genetic Enhancement Program, a top-secret program that was aimed at genetically modifying chosen human candidates in an attempt to create an army of supersoldiers who would crush their Kilrathi opponents. However, this project was canceled at the end of the War when the destruction of Kilrah rendered the project unnecessary. It was also highly controversial for its tampering with human genes. Seether was one of the few candidates to experience full genetic modification, and the War's end did not sway him from his own ambitions. Seether's genetic enhancement made him physically stronger than any other normal human, heightened his senses, and cause him to fly through the ranks in the air force in record time. By 2673, he held the rank of Colonel and was on equal terms with the most famed human pilot at the time: Colonel Christopher Blair.

Seether was a hateful man with little respect for those who were less powerful than himself. He did not hesitate to kill those who defied him, and had zero tolerance for failure. He had no fear and was always pushing himself to his limits in order to expand his piloting skills. Occasionally, he would drop mines behind his craft and speed away seconds before detonation, and then ride the shock waves. It was to test himself for fear. Few men had the courage to stand up to him, and he had no respect for the dead.

The 2673 Black Lance Conspiracy

Seether was recruited by Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn's Black Lance forces in the 2670s, and within a very short time became the head of the Black Lance. While this group was active, the Genetic Enhancement Program was revived and all Black Lance members were genetically modified. Seether led the Black Lance's efforts to initiate war between the Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds by attacking both sides' cargo ships using unmarked ships known to have been used by both factions. His signature fighter was the Dragon Heavy Fighter, a fearsome stealth fighter that he used in most of his attacks. Seether is personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of Confed and Union citizens, and the fact that his Dragon was an unmarked ship covered up his involvement. He often would use a Flash-Pak on capital ships, which burned out ships from the inside-out.

Seether first met his equivalent Colonel Christopher Blair on Nephele II while bullying men whom he had hoped to forcefully incorporate into the Black Lance. Blair stepped up for one such victim and showed no fear when Seether threatened to slit his throat. At that point, Seether and Blair became rivals, with Seether having every intention of besting the only pilot greater than himself. Later that day, when Blair was recalled to Confed service, Seether destroyed the Orlando Depot near Nephele II, killing 3,000 Confed citizens. He would later appear on the TCS Lexington alongside Captain Hugh Paulsen, where Blair was serving alongside Captain William Eisen to investigate Border Worlds activities. Seether and Paulsen had intended on arresting Eisen for secretly investigating Confed activities within the Union, but Eisen and Blair defected before they could do this. The two managed to escape to the Border Worlds after disabling the Lexington, prompting Seether to execute Paulsen and commandeer the Lexington.

Colonel Blair would develop an intense hatred for Seether during his battles with the Black Lance in the Border Worlds. However, he didn't know Seether's true allegiance as they had yet to identify the Black Lance. Seether then committed the ultimate offense on Telamon, a remote Border Worlds colony. Using unmarked Dragons, he and his flight squad dropped a series of bio-weapons on the planet's surface, killing 90% of the colonists living there. Blair and his men arrived too late to stop them, and proceeded to hunt down the killers to the Axius System. Blair, disguised as a Black Lance officer, infiltrated a secret facility there and found out that Seether was serving the Black Lance alongside Admiral Tolwyn, and that the bio-weapon he used on Telamon was the Gen-Select Bioweapon. Seether was enraged to see Colonel Blair among the crowds, and tried unsuccessfully to stop him from escaping.

Seether and Tolwyn chased Blair to the Sol System, where Blair was trying to reach Earth to stop the declaration of war against the Union of Border Worlds. Seether ran into Blair one last time and faced off with his rival in a one-on-one fight. Seether taunted his opponent and attacked him with the most improvised weapons. Ultimately, however, even Seether, the finest example of the Genetic Enhancement Program, could not best the Savior of the Confederation. Blair shot down Seether in combat on 2673.231 and moved on to stop the war between the two nations. Seether's reign of terror had finally come to its end.

Behind the Scenes

• In the FMVs, Seether is played by Robert Rusler, also known for playing Warren Keffer, a Starfury pilot, in Babylon 5.

External Links

• Wing Commander Combat Information Center