Eye of the Cyclone

The following information has not been confirmed by Volition and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe. Also, it may contain spoilers regarding Series Resurrecta campaigns.

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Shadows of the Great War - Gehenna's Gate Mission 3: Eye of the Cyclone

Player squadron: 144th Ghost Dolphins

System: Delta Serpentis

Description: The Ghost Dolphins are sent to obliterate a number of Shivan warships which passed through the blockade of the Ross 128 jump node...

Created: August 29th, 2009

Released: October 16th, 2020

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Background

• Fiction: March 5th, 2335 - Epitaph in a devastated Ancient settlement in Altair IV
  
• Preload quote: "Through me, the way among the people lost"
  

The strategic setting of this mission is a peculiar one. Not only have more classes of Shivan warships and spacecraft appeared, but they've also managed to force a blockade and advance deeper into Delta Serpentis, effectively postponing the securing of Ross 128. The Alliance now faces a true dichotomy here: have the Shivans reorganized their forces, or is this just a mere attempt to counter the relentless advance of their enemies? The answer to this question remains ambiguous, but what becomes clear is the fact that the blockade runners are not the only Shivan forces in Delta Serpentis.

Walkthrough

Our designation during this mission will be Zeta 1, with Theta and Iota making up the rest of our squadron's wings. The intro cutscene warns us about something... suspicious lurking around, and we get to see many Shivan units in some sort of frozen status, ready to be reactivated. We also notice that the blockade runner warships are docked to Azrael transports, too. After the cutscene, we'll have to go weapons hot on the enemy staging point, and we'll acquire sensor contact with several Dis freighters converging on that position. Surprisingly, there will be Hydra and Succubus fighters in the area as well. This stage of the mission is based on pure attrition between your wings and the enemy force; it would be advisable to destroy the Azrael transports before they undock and jump out, then focus on escort fighters. Taking down the deactivated craft before they go after you is suggested as well, due to their status of temporarily sitting ducks. Ignore the blockade runners, even though you may potentially destroy them, Molochs included: in SerRes these corvettes have the "cruiser" flag, so they'll fall to primary weapons barrages just like any cruiser. Your wingmen should be able to destroy the Cain cruiser Gyala without any issues. You'll also stumble upon the Chimera fighters, which you won't be able to target due to their stealth: these will be your new targets, because the more Chimerae are around, the worse it'll get for Allied forces.

Mission strategies will shift completely from assault to escort duties the moment Kappa, Lambda and Omicron wings from the 148th Physeters jump in. These bombers are more than capable of pulverizing all Shivan forces in the area, but they will come under attack by Chimera fighters. Rely on your eyesight more than your sensors, and destroy as many Chimerae as possible, before they interfere with the bombing run. Clearing the area of all enemy units will result in the mission being accomplished, so you'll be authorized to go back to base.

Notable ships present

• Shivans
  • SFr Bandersnatch (destroyed)
  • SFr Bilroest (destroyed)
  • SFr Naglfar (destroyed)
  • ST Kunoichi (may survive)
  • ST Unei (may survive)
  • ST Xande (may survive)
  • SC Gyala (destroyed)
  • SC Megaera (destroyed)
  • SCv Stygimoloch (destroyed)
  • SCv Triarchigos (destroyed)

Outcome

After this mission, it is implied that Delta Serpentis is now finally secure, despite the discovery of previously untracked Shivan units in the system. Command is confident that numerous scout wings will locate and destroy any leftovers of the Shivan fleet, and shifts its attention to Ross 128 in order to bring the war to an end. Once again, there are traits of overconfidence in Allied strategic plans, and this overconfidence may result in more pain later. The Alliance doesn't take seriously, either, the discovery of the Chimera, a fully stealthed fighter which can infiltrate Allied groups and inflict severe casualties to smaller units with near inpunity, and apparently ignores the casualties inflicted by the Shivans during the operation. What truly matters to them is being able to claim that Delta Serpentis has been cleared of all Shivan presence.

Notes

The Dis freighters and their respective escort fighters are a recent addition to the mission, as they were not featured in the old versions. The three Azrael transports Kunoichi, Unei and Xande were however and were generally named Taurus 1 through 3. Taurus wing is now comprised of Succubus fighters guarding the Dis freighter Bandersnatch.