I don't think Maniac would ever knowingly distort or hide the truth over something like that. He's egotistical, but he really is a legend in his own mind. He really does believe his own press. The fact that Maniac would turn up alive (barely) after the rest of the system (including populated worlds) was scorched is just because he's, well, Maniac, and Maniac doesn't die.
Ever.
So Maniac would be recovered, and he'd probably play up his own role in what happened, but considering the caliber of the pilots and other personnel on board the Midway, the basic story that he'd tell wouldn't need embellishing (except perhaps for his role in it all), including how the Midway gallantly sacrificed herself in a risky failed attempt to use the plasma weapon.
)