View source for Venturing inside the Tomb

{{SRArticle}}

{{Mission|next=Doomtrains of Salem|previous=Chasing Megalodon|campaign=Series Resurrecta Campaigns Walkthrough}}

'''[[Shadows of the Great War]] - [[Gehenna's Gate]] Mission 4: Venturing Inside the Tomb'''

'''Player squadron:''' [[Series Resurrecta Squadrons#144th Ghost Dolphins|144th Ghost Dolphins]]

'''System:''' [[Ross 128]]

'''Description:''' A contingent from the Ghost Dolphins, using Loki-class fighters, is ordered to patrol a sector of the system which is seriously affected by jamming...

'''Created:''' August 31st, 2009

'''Released:''' October 16th, 2020

----
==Background==
*'''Fiction:''' [[Series Resurrecta Fictions#February 18th, 2320 Excerpt from "An introduction to subspace, the great physical wonder"|February 18th, 2320 - Excerpt from "An introduction to subspace, the great physical wonder"]] <br>
*'''Preload quote:''' "Justice incited my sublime Creator" <br>

[[Delta Serpentis]] has been secured, more or less, so the Alliance is now moving towards [[Ross 128]]. Encouraging reports from Terran and Vasudan system show a sharp decline in [[Hammer of Light]] ideologies and activities, no doubt due to the progressive defeat of the [[Shivans]] in all theaters of operations. The Alliance is also on the verge of securing [[Ikeya]] as well, on a parallel battlefront where the enemy has not deployed any of the new ship classes faced in the Delta Serpentis - Ross 128 front. In addition to this, contact has been restored with survivors from [[Laramis]], a branch of the Terran fleet led by the [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#GTD Nereid|GTD ''Nereid'']] which got cut off but still managed to survive; said survivors are expected to rally with the main fleets in Ross 128, and provide significant help in the effort of securing the system. Before a final assault on the Shivans is launched, the extent and disposition of their forces in Ross 128 has to be determined. However, it turns out that jamming fields of unknown origins are interfering with detections and transmissions, and their source has to be determined.

==Walkthrough==
We'll be designated ''Tau 1'' during this mission, and we'll be flying the new [[Loki]]-class fighter, with the purpose of investigating a jamming field located by [[Vasudan]] scouts. The introduction cutscene reinforces the idea that communications are going to be difficult, but we'll carry on with the mission objectives anyway. We'll get to hear some chatter as we move through several waypoints marked by navigation buoys, and as we approach them, the jamming field will become more intense, scrambling communications, navigation data and resulting in a number of apparently nonsensical warnings on the HUD. Patience is the key to victory, so we'll keep following the buoys until we make visual contact with a [[Demon]]-class destroyer and four smaller ships. We'll also see something strange, and very irregular in shape, warping out, and the moment it clears the area, jamming effects stop.

Once sensors and communications are back online, we'll be able to target all hostile units left in the area and come into full sensor contact with a new class of Shivan fighter, designated the [[SF Serpent]]. Our wingmates, who are far away due to their navigation patterns, will come in to assist us, as will ''Omega'' and ''Upsilon'' wings. The Shivan battlegroup will begin to withdraw, and we're apparently asked to pull out of the fight and regroup with our wingmates - the mission can be accomplished without firing a single shot, but you're strongly encouraged to achieve a few kills, capitalizing on the [[Phoenix V]] and clearing out enemy fighters from a safe distance. Achieving a few kills will save you from serious trouble later. Once the area is clear, a [[PVF Seshat|Seshat]] scout designated ''Eta 2'' will appear on scope about twenty clicks away, ignoring all hails and warping out. We'll be able to return to base after the message exchange, effectively ending the mission.

==Notable ships present==
*Shivans
**[[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#Kharon Convoy|SFr ''Kharon 07'']] (untargetable)
**[[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SC Blinura|SC ''Blinura'']]
**[[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SC Buel|SC ''Buel'']]
**[[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SC Skylla|SC ''Skylla'']]
**[[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SCv Daturon|SCv ''Daturon'']]
**[[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SD Secleth|SD ''Secleth'']]

==Outcome==
The operation has tremendous consequences: the first is that the [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SD Secleth|SD ''Secleth'']], a [[Demon]]-class destroyer, and several other warships have been confirmed to be in system and ready to strike; the second is that the jamming field, generated by a ship of unknown specifications, has begun to increase in intensity and power, crippling communications and hiding a huge chunk of the system from sensor scanning. Retaking the system from the [[Shivans]] will be much more difficult than expected, as both discoveries have the potential of stopping the Allied advances. As if these discoveries were not enough, the [[PVN]] reports that many scouts have gone M.I.A., either destroyed by Shivan units or gone rogue, as evidenced by encounters like that experienced by the [[Series Resurrecta Squadrons#144th Ghost Dolphins|144th Ghost Dolphins]] with ''Eta 2.'' The [[Ross 128]] theater of operations is growing more unpredictable and complicated by the day.

==Notes==
The mission title is a reference to [https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VIII Final Fantasy VIII] and the exploration of the [https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknown_King Tomb of the Unknown King], a labyrinth where the player meets [https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Brothers Sacred and Minotaur] (Seclet and [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SD Minotaurus|Minotaurus]] in the Italian version of the game). [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SC Buel|''Buel'']] and [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SC Blinura|''Blinura'']] are the names of common monsters met in said labyrinth, with the latter being specific to the Italian version of the game and its English version being [https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Blobra_(Final_Fantasy_VIII) ''Blobra'']. A cruiser named [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#SC Blobhra|SC ''Blobhra'']] is however featured in [[The Spirit of Ptah]].

The mysterious ship seen before the jamming field dissipates is an [[Iksura]] freighter carrying ten [[SAC 4]] units, [[Series Resurrecta Ship Database#Kharon Convoy|''Kharon 07'']]. It's escorted by six [[SF Gorgon|Gorgon]]-class fighters. None of these ships are targetable; ''Kharon 07'' will be faced again in [[Doomtrains of Salem]], while the Gorgons will remain unknown to the Alliance until [[Lasciate ogne speranza...]].

This mission will result in a significant handicap in [[...Voi ch'intrate]] should the player complete it with zero or a mere handful of confirmed kills. [[Gehenna's Gate#Notes|The variable]] that keeps track of secondary and minor objectives throughout the campaign, meant to influence the final ending of the campaign itself, boosts a malus if that condition is met.

''Eta 2'' is a recent addition to the mission, meant to enforce, plot-wise, [[Hammer of Light]] interferences to Allied operations in the system.

[[Category: Series Resurrecta]]