The Place of Chariots

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ACT 1, MISSION 2

Fighter squadron: 53rd Hammerheads

Description: The 53rd are ordered to destroy an NTF depot hidden in the Deneb asteroid belt.


Background

Command has received reconnaissance information about a Neo-Terran Front cargo depot, hidden in the Deneb asteroid belt, which may hold strategically valuable material. Destroying this depot should put a dent in the NTF's offensive and research capabilities, so the 53rd Hammerheads are deployed to do so.

Walkthrough

You cannot modify the loadout of your wingmen in this mission.

Follow Alpha 2's directives: attack the enemy fighters and let Beta wing move in and scan the cargo containers. The GTF Loki is a faster and far more maneuverable opponent than the boxy GTF Hercules, but they are not as well-armed or as heavily armored. Work together with the rest of your wing. Team up on targets, and watch out for NTF fighters trying to come around on your tail.

After all the NTF fighters have been destroyed, clean up anything else that Beta wing has not already handled. There are a few sentry guns and freighters, although the latter may sometimes jump out before you can get a chance to intercept them. Note that sentry gun fire can occasionally pierce your shields, but the Myrmidon is more than capable of taking whatever damage they can throw at it. Destroy them with your guns, or ram them with your ship if their hull is going critical.

Once the depot area is clear of enemy contacts, Command will instruct you to investigate an unknown object 3000 meters from your position. Follow Command's directive and head towards the faint, flashing radar contact.

This will be revealed to be an NTF installation. As soon as your sensors are able to target it, Command announces that they are scrambling bomber wings, and order you to destroy the installation. As the Allied Medusa bombers appear, so do rebel Lokis. Command orders you to engage the fighters so that Delta wing can bombard the installation. As you engage the fighters, Admiral Bosch orders all Allied fighters to stop attacking the installation. Command tells you to disregard the transmission. A short negotiation begins in which Bosch barters the withdrawal of his troops from Deneb for his safety. Command, however, reiterates their order to destroy the installation.

Before it can be destroyed however, the installation breaks apart to reveal a warship of unknown class. Despite Command's hasty directive, you have absolutely zero chance of disabling or destroying this ship before it flees into subspace, so don't feel too bad. Once the warship is gone, clear up any remaining fighters, then jump back to base.

Objectives

(Objectives are viewable by pressing F4 and going to the Objectives tab)

  • Primary Objectives:
    • Destroy all NTF fighters
    • Destroy rebel installation
    • Destroy NTF reinforcements
  • Secondary Objectives:
    • Destroy all freighters and sentry guns
  • Bonus Objectives:
    • Destroy all cargo

Tips

  • There is a bonus objective in this mission. Destroy all the cargo containers before you return to base.

Notes

  • The cargo pods are scannable by your ship if you are facing them from a distance 150 meters or less. However, their contents are revealed as "Unable to scan".
  • While highly unlikely, this mission cannot be finished if you are facing in the direction of the NTF Installation before Command instructs you to locate it. This is caused by a scripted event in the mission file that triggers the appearance of the installation only if you are not facing it before it appears.
  • If you complete the bonus objective, an additional debriefing text makes mention of ETAK, long before its first proper mention during a non-SOC mission (Return to Babel).

Total number of forces

Forces involved
Belligerents
Ships
  • None
Strikecraft
Casualties


Technical information

The Place of Chariots
File name: SM1-02.fs2
File size: 70.3 KB
Author: Brad Johnson
Total number of objects: 39 (+5 waypoints)
Total number of wings: 8
Number of mission events: 70
Number of messages: 36
Event music: 2: Exodus
Briefing music: Brief2


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