Slaying Ravana

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ACT 1, MISSION 7

Fighter squadron: 107th Ravens

Description: The 107th assists Allied warships in destroying the Ravana.


Background

The GTVA is losing ground against skirmishes with the new Shivan destroyer, the SD Ravana, in the nebula. The GTD Delacroix and GTC Champion have been destroyed in the attacks, while the remaining warships are damaged. Alpha wing of the 107th Ravens is sortied to destroy the Ravana.

Walkthrough

This is, canonically, the first mission in the main campaign that will test your skill in bombing runs against warships. You may encounter problems the first time playing this mission, so watch what you are doing.

A recommended loadout is the GTB Medusa armed with three banks of Cyclops torpedoes.

When you start the mission, you will have the Ravana, as well as the Khenmu, a Sobek-class corvette, on your escort list. Hit your afterburners, but do not attack the Ravana right at the beginning. There are some Basilisk-class fighters near you. Take them out with your guns. Once they are destroyed, attack the Ravana.

Order your wingmen to disarm her. Target one of the closest subsystems of the Ravana. Select the first bank of Cyclops torpedoes, wait until your computer acquires a lock, then fire your bombs. If the Ravana hits you with an anti-fighter beam, press R and hopefully, the attacking turret will be targeted. Approach it and fire another salvo of GTM Cyclops at it. Switch missile banks as soon as you fired a pair of bombs from that bank. This allows you to fire another bomb salvo immediately, without having to wait for the current missile bank to reload.

While this is very unlikely, the Khenmu will be replaced by either the GTC Heisenberg, GVC Somtus, or GTCv Yakiba should it be destroyed. In turn, one of the remaining two warships will jump in when the Khenmu's replacement is destroyed. This continues until all four warships are destroyed.

Once the Ravana is destroyed, or if the four Allied warships are destroyed, you will be ordered to return to base.

Tips

  • The Khenmu parks itself at one of the Ravana's weak spots. If you desire, you can provide bomber cover for the corvette while it batters the Ravana to destruction with its frontal beams.
  • The Ravana has weak spots at the front and the rear, the front because it is guarded only by a few laser turrets, and the rear because it is guarded by a single anti-fighter beam and flak cannon.
  • Destroying the Weapons subsystem of the Ravana makes its turrets fire much less accurately.

Notes

  • The Ravana model has a glitch in that some of its turrets can fire through the destroyer, hitting you even if you are supposedly protected by a portion of the Ravana's hull.
  • The destruction of the Champion is mentioned only during a failed debrief, not during the mission brief. This is probably a FREDding oversight.

Total number of forces

Forces involved

Belligerents
Ships
Spacecraft
  • 8 SF Basilisk
    • Libra (2)
    • Taurus (2)
    • Leo (2)
    • Aquarius (1)
    • Sagittarius (1)
Casualties



  • 0-8 SF Basilisk
    • Libra (2)
    • Taurus (2)
    • Leo (2)
    • Aquarius (1)
    • Sagittarius (1)

(*) Those warships may arrive only if the GVCv Khenmu is destroyed, which is unlikely to happen during the mission

(**) It is possible to use the GTB Medusa and/or the GTB Ursa instead

New equipment

Technical information

Slaying Ravana
File name: SM1-07.fs2
File size: 50.0 KB
Author: Brad Johnson
Total number of objects: 33 (+3 waypoints)
Total number of wings: 11
Number of mission events: 45
Number of messages: 161
Event music: 2: Exodus
Briefing music: Brief7


Notes

1 This is the lowest number of messages in the main FreeSpace 2 campaign.