The Devil's Own Day

The following information has not been confirmed by Volition and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe.

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Chanticleer SOC Loop C
Location: Artemis Station, Europa

Background

The GTD Phoenicia has emerged from subspace off-course, and Ned and the remnants of the Phoenicia's air wing have to cover it until reinforcements arrive.

Walkthrough

Your default ship is the Perseus, but the GTF Aurora and GTF Kulas also both work well. You'll be flying intercept, so pick appropriate weapons. You want something fast.

You launch from the Phoenicia's hangar bay. In a little while the Elysium-class transport Petra jumps in with an escort of three Myrmidon fighters. Captain Asakawa is suspicious and asks you to scan the Petra. The Petra is not, in fact, the repair transport. It's carrying a bomb, and the escorts are being flown by Federal pilots. Get clear of the transport and shoot down the escorts quickly. Stay away from the Petra - when it blows, the blast is large enough to destroy your fighter.

In the meantime, the UEF jumps in a wing of Uriels, a wing of Uhlans, and two UEC Custos cruisers, attempting to disable the Phoenicia's engines before it can reach Artemis Station. Prioritize the gunships. They're carrying Paveways and pose the largest threat to the Phoenicia. Once the strike force has taken heavy losses, they warp out.

You earn the SOC Unit Crest at the completion of the mission. If you successfully defend the Phoenicia, you unlock the Pegasus stealth fighter for the rest of the campaign. (It is less of a useful tool and more of a fun toy for the last two missions.) You can proceed to the next mission even if the Phoenicia is disabled, but you get a different debriefing.

Notes

• If you fly an Aurora, you'll get scans of the Petra from ~1000m away from the transport, so you don't start the dogfight on top of the UEF Myrmidons.
• The mission's name references a quotation from General W.T. Sherman, after the disastrous first day of the Battle of Shiloh.