Into the Maelstrom

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ACT 1, MISSION 9

Fighter squadron: 242nd Suicide Kings

Description: The 242nd escorts a supply convoy through a rebel-infested asteroid field as they rendezvous with the Colossus.

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Background

With the unveiling of the GTVA Colossus and its destruction of the NTCv Hawkwood in Epsilon Pegasi, the Neo-Terran Front are now avoiding direct conflict with the Allied warship and targeting its resupply convoys instead. The 242nd is ordered to protect one such convoy.

Walkthrough

You can only use the GTF Perseus for this mission. It is recommended that you load a bank of Tempest dumbfire missiles.

In this mission, you must defend a supply convoy as it travels through an asteroid field in this mission. The convoy consists of the Avila, a Zephyrus-class gas miner, the Parracombe, a Triton-class freighter, and the Jooyun, an Anuket-class gas miner. The Vasudans have also deployed Kappa wing, a flight of 4 Serapis fighters, to escort the latter. Although you do not have control over Kappa wing, you are still responsible for the Jooyun's survival, so be sure to assist the Vasudans if the Jooyun is taking a pounding.

Besides a few sentry guns scattered in the convoy's path, the NTF will also attack the convoy continuously with Medusa bombers equipped with Rebel Bombs. Successive hits from these bombs will deliver considerable amounts of damage to the vessel they hit, so you should intercept the bombers to avoid losing a single convoy ship.

Near the end of the convoy's transit through the asteroid field, a rebel Fenris-class cruiser, the NTC Maelstrom, will jump in from the nearby jump node, at which point Command will specifically order you to neutralize its forward beam turret. This does not have to be done immediately, but it is recommended that you complete this objective before the convoy gets within 2 clicks of the Maelstrom as you will either risk losing a ship to the beam or having other friendly fighters destroy it before the beam turret is taken out (which will earn you a reprimand during the debriefing, even if the entire convoy survives). When you begin your attack, switch to your Tempests (if you loaded out with them), fly ahead of the convoy, target the Maelstrom's front beam turret, and go full auto on it with both your guns and missiles until it is destroyed. Watch out for the cruiser's rear AAA beams and attack the turret from a slight angle, rather than a head-on approach, so that you reduce the risk of getting atomised by the beam if it fires. Depending on how well you have been protecting the convoy through the asteroid field, it is possible for the ships to weather one or two rounds of beam fire from the Maelstrom before things get dicey.

The Maelstrom is the final major obstacle of this mission, and once you destroy the its forward beam turret, the cruiser is hardly worth your time—pull back to the convoy and resume your escort; the cruiser will usually be set upon and destroyed by the combined firepower of your wingmen shortly afterwards.

Upon the arrival of the GTVA Colossus, you will be authorised to return to base.

Objectives

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

• Primary Objectives:
  • Protect the Parracombe, Jooyun, and Avila
• Bonus Objectives:
  • Destroy all sentry guns

Tips

• There is a bonus objective in this mission. Destroy all rebel sentry guns in the asteroid field.
• To destroy the Maelstrom's forward beam cannon quickly, load one of your banks with Rockeyes and set to double fire. Approaching the beam cannon from a good angle, a few salvos of Rockeyes will take it out swiftly.
• A good way to time when to head for the Maelstrom is using the Hercs that jump in from the direction of the node. By the time they reach within range of the convoy, it should be your cue to head for the Fenris. Leave your wingmen to defend the convoy, and there should only be 1-2 wing of bombers left by this point, not too much trouble for the escort and the convoy's own guns.

Notes

• There are two meaningless GTT Elysium transports in this mission tagging along with the convoy. According to the messages sent by the CO of the Colossus, those transports were probably supposed to take off from the Colossus itself and head to the convoy at the end of the mission.

Total number of forces

Forces involved
Belligerents
GTVA	NTF
Ships
1 GTVA Colossus Colossus 1 GTCv Deimos Parapet 1 GVG Anuket Jooyun Cargo: Fuel 1 GTG Zephyrus Avila Cargo: Fuel 1 GTFr Triton Parracombe Docked: TAC 163 Cargo Pod 1 TC-TRI Container TAC 163 Cargo Pod Cargo: Foodstuffs 2 GTT Elysium Hauler 1 Hauler 2	1 GTC Fenris Maelstrom 11 GTSG Alastor Gun1 through Gun9, Gun14, Gun17
Strikecraft
3-7 GTF Perseus Alpha (4) (*) Theta (3) 4 GVF Serapis Kappa (4)	9 GTB Medusa Libra (3) Gemini (3) Cancer (3) 12 GTF Hercules Pisces (3) Capricorn (3) Aquarius (3) Aries (3)
Casualties
0-1 GVG Anuket Jooyun 0-1 GTG Zephyrus Avila 0-1 GTFr Triton Parracombe 0-1 TC-TRI Container TAC 163 Cargo Pod 3-6 GTF Perseus Alpha (3) (*) Theta (3) 0-4 GVF Serapis Kappa (4)	1 GTC Fenris Maelstrom 0-11 GTSG Alastor Gun1 through Gun9, Gun14, Gun17 0-9 GTB Medusa Libra (3) Gemini (3) Cancer (3) 0-12 GTF Hercules Pisces (3) Capricorn (3) Aquarius (3) Aries (3)

(*) May be replaced with the GTF Ulysses and/or GTF Loki

Technical information

Into the Maelstrom
File name:	SM1-09.fs2
File size:	84.1 KB
Author:	James Agay
Total number of objects:	52 (+10 waypoints)
Total number of wings:	11
Number of mission events:	60
Number of messages:	23
Event music:	4: Numbers
Briefing music:	Brief2