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ACT 2 MISSION 8

Fighter squadron:
Description:

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Background

In this mission we will be using the captured Shivan Dragon-class fighter on a scouting mission in the Deneb system.

The Shivans seem to be bringing in a large number of vessels into the Deneb system through the Vega Jump Node. We believe this is in preparation for a preliminary assault on Vasuda Prime.

Because the Shivans have tight control over the Vega-Deneb jump node, we cannot send in a Terran scout. By flying the Shivan Dragon, we believe you will be able to slip in undetected.

There are four Shivan fighters in the area, maintaining tight patrol. If you come into close contact with these fighters, they will certainly scan your ship, detect your presence, and open fire. Avoid contact with any of the Arjuna fighters.

Arjuna seems to be maintaining consistent patterns in their patrol.

On arrival, observe their flight pattern and plan your course to avoid contact.

In the event that you are engaged by Arjuna wing, return to base immediately.

Your primary objective is to conduct a close scan of all ships that pass through the Vega-Deneb Jump Node. This includes warships, freighters, and transports. Try to determine the contents of any cargo in the area, as well.

We have reason to believe that a Shivan Demon-class Destroyer, the Eva, will be passing through the area. If it does, it is imperative that you scan it. Remember that your fighter is only partially functional, and it's flight systems will behave unpredictably. Be careful. Command out.

Walkthrough

Don't shoot anything. Fly toward cargo 1 and 2. Scan them. Scan the Kali freighters that have by now warped in. Next quickly scan cargo 3 and 4. Bang! Bonus objective. More freighters. Scan them. A brief pause. Monitor Arjuna 1-3 to make sure you are far away. Last group of freighters. Scan them.
More pause. Repeat monitoring Arjuna. Warp drives die. Eva jumps in. Scan it. Pause. Repeat monitoring Arjuna. Lucifer jumps in.
Scan it. Put your shield level up. Scroll through the Lucifer's subsystems until you see Fighterbay 1. Fly by it. Don't go in it. Rama will detect you. Fly around in random directions or attack the fighters until your jump drives have come back online. Jump out fast.

Notes

Arjuna wing is not that big a threat, really. If you want to make the mission a little bit more interesting -- in its' intended form it's really, really boring -- fire your primaries or secondaries upon entry. Arjuna will home in on you immediately. Keep following directives and eliminate Arjuna whilst doing so. They're not really that hard to dispose of. With them gone, the rest of the mission can easily be played at X2 speed.

Please be adviced that this mission is dung. It is a complete mystery why it was even released in the first place. The mission doesn't require any skill, nor does it provide any entertainment. When a complete novice -- one who hasn't even played FreeSpace, ever -- FREDs for the first time, the results are better in magnitude than this substandard piece of manure. It has been long suspected that this mission was left in by mistake.

Notable ships present

• SD Eva
• SD Lucifer