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Mission 10: Super Nova Research Station
Fleet Construction
Forget your Strike craft. The supernova radiation will fry anything smaller
than a Frigate--even in the shielded veins of space dust. Plus, some real
heavyweights lurk near the research outpost, including a Taiidan Heavy Cruiser.
You'd better pump out a few big boys of your own.
To attempt the Strong Fleet option discussed in the Mission Strategy section,
you'll need a Battle Group with at least three Destroyers and two Missile
Destroyers, and a healthy contingent of Ion Cannon Frigates--10 or more,
if possible. The Missile Destroyers are particularly good against the Strike
craft swarms and minefields you'll encounter on the central path to the Research
Station. If you don't have at least one Missile Destroyer in your attack
group, opt for the Midsized Fleet option.
Mission Strategy
Before you do anything else, send your resource collection team out to harvest
that thick cluster of asteroids off to the left of your Mothership. Your
Collectors suffer some radiation damage en route, but once they reach the
asteroids, the big rocks shield them as they harvest.
Next, array your Battle Group. Order all your Capital Ships into a single
Wall formation. This way, your Missile Destroyers can blast enemy Strike
craft and minefields but still receive support from the rest of the group.
It's time to move. Important: Do not go directly toward the Research Station's
yellow ping on the Sensors Manager! That route runs below the dust vein,
leaving your group unshielded. Instead, move the Battle Group forward and
up to the first red dot. Note that the dust vein runs "uphill" from your
starting point through the red dots on the way to the Research Station.
The first red dot turns out to be an 'X' of 12 Interceptors accompanied by
seven Heavy Corvettes in front of a wall of mines. Target them immediately;
your Missile Destroyers should make short work of them. When the Fighters
and Corvettes are dead, move the Battle Group forward and "force attack"
the mines ahead; that is, hold down "CTRL"+"SHIFT" and drag a selection box
around the entire minefield.
Minesweeping is no picnic. Even with a pair of Missile Destroyers, your Battle
Group will miss a number of the mines that swarm and seek your ships (which
is why you should use three Missile Destroyers, if you can). Once your fleet
fire sweeps the minefield clean, move the entire group forward again. Soon
you hit another minefield, this one surrounding the dastardly Minelaying
Corvette responsible for all the nasty little floaters. Again, force attack
the mines to clear the way.
Continue this force attack tactic to clear several more minefields and another
Minelaying Corvette on the upward path along the dust vein. Keep working
from red dot to red dot on the Sensors Manager. As your fleet nears the Research
Station, a Heavy Cruiser and two Destroyers rear their ugly heads. Destroy
them!
Now it's downhill (literally), about 40 kilometers to the research outpost.
Of course, it isn't unprotected. When you reach the station, direct your
full Battle Group to attack the Taiidan Carrier; if it gets away, you lose!
As the ion cannons roar, select your Missile Destroyers individually and
order them to attack the enemy Strike craft harassing your Battle Group.
The moment the Carrier blows, turn your Battle Group's attention to the enemy
Frigates hovering near the station--but keep your Missile Destroyers hitting
the enemy Strike craft. Wipe out the entire defense force, down to the last
Fighter.
Finally, lay into the Research Station itself with everything you've got.
As you do, keep your eye out for the two groups of five Assault Frigates
returning from guard duty in the dust paths. After you destroy the station
and any returning Frigates, let your Battle Group hang while you direct your
harvesting efforts. As always, suck the region dry of resources before you
go. Then build a few more Super Capital Ships for your Battle Group. In fact,
if you can, max out the number of Destroyers and Missile Destroyers you own.
Mission 11: Tenhauser Gate
Fleet Construction
If most of your fleet survived Mission 10, you should be in good shape without
adding many new ships. Three small groups of Scouts can draw Taiidan fire
from the Bentusi vessel quickly. Then, of course, you need a stout Battle
Group--10 to 12 Ion Cannon Frigates, three to five Destroyers, two or three
Missile Destroyers--to eliminate the eight Taiidan Capital Ships efficiently.
If you try the "bonus move" (described later), you'd better have six to eight
Salvage Corvettes. It takes four to drag in a Heavy Cruiser, and you're sure
to lose a few during the attempt.
Mission Strategy
Here's a good, old-fashioned, slug-it-out sort of mission. Enemies confronting
you--one Heavy Cruiser, three Destroyers, four Ion Cannon Frigates, all grouped
by class, all attacking the Bentusi as the scenario begins.
Your first goal is to draw all Taiidan fire away from the traders' Mothership.
Easy enough. When you shoot any ship in one of the class groups, all the
ships in that group will stop attacking the Bentusi and attack you. In other
words, if you attack one Taiidan Frigate, it and all three of its sister
Frigates will turn from the Bentusi to meet your challenge.
So attack three Taiidan ships immediately--one Destroyer, one Ion Cannon
Frigate, and the Heavy Cruiser. Send small groups of Scouts or Interceptors
to get there quickly as you put your primary Battle Group in Wall formation.
Even the pecking fire of a single Scout will draw the full attention of each
class of ship. Of course, now you're under the gun. But that's the price
you pay for being a hero.
The rest of the battle is straightforward. When your Battle Group finally
lumbers into range, concentrate its fire on each Taiidan ship, from biggest
to smallest--Heavy Cruiser first, then Destroyers, then Frigates. Or, if
you're very skilled with your Salvage Corvettes, you can try to grab the
Heavy Cruiser--a juicy prize, indeed. It takes four Salvage Corvettes to
capture one, and its swiveling guns make it hard to approach from any direction.
But it might be worth the effort.
After you rescue the Bentusi, they repay you with the best currency known
to man--self-knowledge. In the wars of the "First Time," the vicious Taiidan
exiled your ancestors from your homeworld. The Guidestone, you learn, is
the only artifact of your true legacy that survived the perilous odyssey.
But the Bentusi note how many cultures have prophesied your return.
Their final words: "Reach your homeworld. Establish your claim. We will summon
the Council."
Now your Resource Collectors can harvest all resources in the area. Meanwhile,
open your Launch Manager and click the Remain Docked button under the Mothership
icon. When the area is harvested down to pebbles, jump to hyperspace.
Mission 12: Galactic Core
Fleet Construction
The Taiidan try to sneak some cloaked ships at you. Counter with Proximity
Sensors! They're cheap but vulnerable, so build a bunch; five or six is good.
You face many waves of enemy Strike craft, so be sure you have at least two
Missile Destroyers in your Battle Group. Don't stock up on your own Strike
craft, though. Enemy Grav Well Generators will render them useless.
Mission Strategy
Yes, another trap! You emerge from hyperspace surrounded by three Grav Well
Generators (each with two Support Frigates), which will immobilize any Strike
craft you launch. Then two Taiidan Assault Frigates and a Missile Destroyer
pounce on your frozen little ships. Of course, if you took our advice at
the end of Mission 11 and clicked the Remain Docked button in the Launch
Manager before your hyperspace jump, your Strike craft are nestled safely
in the womb of your Mothership.
Whatever the case, your Battle Group should make short work of the enemy's
opening gambit. But two Taiidan Carrier groups and a small Taiidan Battle
Group with a full escort of support ships lurk out there in the asteroids
and dust clouds. Soon the Carriers launch waves of Fighters and Corvettes
at you. Important: Stay at home! If you chase stragglers or hunt the Carrier
groups, you can run into deadly minefields and, worse, engage in unnecessary
combat.
Early waves feature wings of Scouts; Interceptors; Attack Bombers; a few
Heavy Corvettes; various combinations of the foregoing ships; a deadly trio
of Minelayer Corvettes (who lay a wall of mines, and then try to lure you
there), and a cloaked Ion Cannon Frigate with a Cloak Generator. If you have
your full allotment of three Missile Destroyers and a few Proximity Sensors,
none of these waves should present major trouble. Again, the key--stay at
home!
Eventually, the main attack begins--a Taiidan Heavy Cruiser with an escort
of 20 Defenders, five Heavy Corvettes, and four Ion Frigates. This is no
trifling assault, but your full Battle Group should handle it expeditiously.
As always, focus on the big ship first, although you can split off your Missile
Destroyers to pop all those annoying Strike craft.
As soon as you've destroyed the Taiidan Cruiser, a defector named Captain
Elson suddenly hyperspaces in.
Bring up your Sensors Manager to view his position. Captain Elson's badly
wounded Destroyer (the yellow ping) is speeding toward your Mothership from
the front-left, pursued by eight Interceptors (with a Support Frigate), two
Assault Frigates, and two Ion Frigates. Polish off any remaining escorts
of the now-dead Heavy Cruiser with your Battle Group, but split off a contingent
to hustle toward Elson's Destroyer. You can launch a few of the Strike craft
docked in your Mothership to help Elson, as well.
Once the defector is safely aboard the Mothership and you get the go-ahead
to make a hyperspace jump, do it! In previous missions, you've hung around
to harvest an area dry. And a glance at your Sensors Manager reveals plentiful
resources being harvested by Taiidan collectors. So you'll be tempted to
run out and compete for rocks.
Fight that temptation this time. The Taiidan Carriers pose no threat unless
you go looking for trouble. And Minelayer Corvettes spitting out minefields
will cost you more than you're likely to gain in a fight for the area's
resources.
Mission 13: The Karos Graveyard
Fleet Construction
For this mission you need only a handful of Strike craft and a couple of
Missile Destroyers.
Mission Strategy
The Karos ship graveyard is pretty spooky and presents some serious challenges.
Dozens of Autoguns--small, self-contained, automated firing systems--litter
the yard. These guns are immobile, but quite deadly. And although you'll
soon have both Cloaked Fighter and Cloak Generator technology, the junkyard's
numerous Proximity Sensors complicate the cloaking option.
The worse menace is the Junkyard Dog, a nearly indestructible ship snatcher
that makes the average Salvage Corvette seem like a Tonka toy. This vicious
robotic vessel is programmed to target any Capital Ship that wanders into
Karos and haul off trespassers to the various hyperspace gates scattered
throughout the junkyard. Once any ship--even a Destroyer--is in the Dog's
grasp, there's no escape.
Thus, any direct push through the graveyard will cost you some ships. But
the Autoguns and Junkyard Dog both have upper and lower limits to their range.
To sneak through virtually undetected, create a contact group of Missile
Destroyers and a strong wing of Strike craft (any kind will do). In the Sensors
Manager, send this group vertically straight up to the top (or straight down
to the bottom) of the map.
Then move it horizontally until it's directly above (or below) the Relay
Station (the yellow ping on your Sensors Manager map). Order the Strike craft
group to guard your Missile Destroyers; you want the big boats in front when
you finally descend (or ascend) to the station.
Keep an eye on the Junkyard Dog, the only moving red dot on your Sensors
Manager. When it wanders to the front of the yard (the fringe nearest your
Mothership), send your contact group straight down (or up) to the Relay Station.
As you approach, a vicious pack of Autoguns will open fire. Take them out
with your Missile Destroyers. Then select your Strike craft group and click
on the Relay Station. One of your Fighters or Corvettes will dock and establish
the communications link.
After you establish the communications link, jump to hyperspace and use the
Quick Docking option to get your Missile Destroyers out of the junkyard before
the Dog bites.
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