Lasciate ogne speranza...

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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 7: Lasciate ogne speranza...

Player squadron: 144th Ghost Dolphins

Description: Scout wings comprised of PVF Seshat fighters launched from the Imhotep have detected the first known Shivan installation, designated Gehenna. A vast scale operation to eliminate the outpost and all remaining Shivan forces in Ross 128 is employed...

Created: September 1st, 2009

Released: October 16th, 2020

Background

Terrans and Vasudans fooled certain extinction by eliminating the Lucifer, and are now on the verge of facing a new threat to the safety and security of their star systems: the SI Gehenna. Even though all information concerning the Shivans points them out as a flexible and mobile species, storming system after system without caring about settling anywhere, a Shivan installation has been detected for the first time ever, and its exact purpose is unknown. Its location is not random: it seems to be guarding a jump node leading to an uncharted system, and is assisted by the SD Minotaurus, a second Demon destroyer, and several smaller ships. Both the GTA and PVN agree that this threat must be destroyed in order to secure Ross 128 and lead the Great War to an end. Meanwhile, Allied forces in Ikeya have secured the system, defeating all of the remaining Shivan forces. Victory is at hand.

Walkthrough

We'll be leading the squadron as Alpha 1, and as per SerRes traditions, this means that things are getting serious. Beta, Gamma and Delta will be with us since the very beginning. Our first task is to eliminate Kharon 02, a Doomtrain convoy survivor that is still causing residual jamming and is heading towards the Gehenna. The freighter is defended by a wing of Manticores you should be able to dispatch quite easily. Try to eliminate these threats as quickly as possible, and you'll soon understand why it's important. Once they're cleared, two navigation point markers will indicate where the Allied cruisers Shinryu and Hawker will jump in; said markers will also provide information on how the squadron will be split into two and form up escort on the Fenris cruisers. The player's wing is assigned to the Shinryu. Head towards the marker and form up a fighter screen: the Shivans will redirect a wing of Shaitan bombers from a position elsewhere in the system with the specific purpose of assaulting the cruiser you've been assigned to protect. Eliminate the bombers quickly.

The cruisers will approach the enemy station and gather data for the GTI, it seems; more Shivan wings will come in to interfere with the operation, including a bomber wing comprised of the newly encountered Ojas. The Minotaurus will move to attack the cruisers, and our allies will withdraw from the area once the destroyer gets close enough to threaten them. A third navigation marker indicating the estimated arrival point of Epsilon and Eta bomber wings will show up, and it may be a good idea to head towards it. You may come under attack by Chimera stealth fighters in this phase of the operation, and if you don't, be advised it will happen in minutes. Our bombers will move to strike the Demon, which will reply by deploying escort fighters - attack them and you'll ensure a safe bombing run for the Ursae. If things go as planned, the Men-Nefer will jump in several clicks away moments before the destruction of the Minotaurus. Congratulations, we have officially cleared Terran and Vasudan space from all Shivan destroyers!

Our wings have to pull back to the Men-Nefer and provide cover. The Alecto, a powerful Lilith-class cruiser, will move to strike the Atum destroyer, and it may be a good idea to disarm its Malchidael plasma cannon. In addition to this, Seraphim bombers equipped with Mandragora subspace torpedoes will launch from the Gehenna and head towards the Vasudan destroyer. You should know the drill by now, destroy them as quickly as possible and watch for their salvos with unpredictable patterns. Even if all immediate threats to the Men-Nefer are cleared, we are supposed to stick with the Atum and don't go kamikaze on the installation, which is still guarded by several warships. The Nereid will finally reunite with Allied forces at this point, and move in to strike the Shivan stronghold from the other side of the battlefield; both the Orion and the Gehenna will deploy wings after wings of fighters and bombers, and most warships in the area will prioritize the Nereid, ignoring the Men-Nefer even though it's way closer. The first encounter with Gorgon-class fighters occurs at this point. Two enemy cruisers will jump in from the unchartered system and head towards the Nereid. Then, the unexpected happens: a mutiny of Hammer of Light fanatics takes control of the Men-Nefer, driving the destroyer off its course and endangering the entire operation. In the consequent chaos, we have to destroy traitor Vasudan fighters, while all warships in the area will jump out and converge on a not-so-classified rendezvous point. Allied Command doesn't give up, and orders us to rearm, approach the installation and clear its sentry guns perimeter as a new strategy is planned. Rearming and repairing damaged subsystems on your craft is pivotal at this point; when you feel safe enough, move to attack the sentries. As you get closer and closer to the installation, two HoL cruisers will jump in to interfere, but they'll be too far from you to pose a threat; A unique destroyer will jump in, too. A colossal warp will engulf all units close enough to the installations to be caught, and your wings will be dragged into subspace by the Gehenna, towards the uncharted system.

Notable ships present

Outcome

The only positive result of the operation is the destruction of the Minotaurus, while everything else doesn't quite go according to plan. The Hammer of Light has captured an Atum destroyer, the Men-Nefer, and used classified information to pursue the Nereid as it regroups following the shift in strategies. The battle can still be won, but the final assault to secure Ross 128 has completely stalled, as the wings sent to clear the sentry gun perimeter around the Gehenna have been caught in a colossal warp, dragged into subspace to the uncharted system. Could this finally mark the end of the Great War?

Notes

The mission title is the original quote from the final line of the inscription on the Gates of Hell according to Dante Alighieri's Inferno Canto III, and literally means "Abandon all hope...", referred to a multitude of individuals. The title is a further tribute to Dante, and serves as a culmination for all quotes seen in the preloading screen of this campaign. The phrase is completed in the next and final mission, ...Voi ch'intrate ("...you that enter here").

In the original version of the mission, PVD Men-Nefer was a Bastet class destroyer. However, due to the low quality of the model, team member Nyctaeus proposed to change it to the more versatile Atum class. The PVC Bastet, an Aten-class cruiser that is mentioned during this mission but does not appear ingame, was added as a tribute to the old destroyer class.

The upgraded version of the Arachnas, created by Nyctaeus, was a very late addition to the modpack, as it was added only a few days prior to the release of Shadows of the Great War.

Failing to provide an efficient escort to the GTC Shinryu and the GTC Hawker will result in the SD Beast jumping in and causing the entire operation to fail. This is the only way in SotGW to get the Beast to show up in a mission that is not the last mission of a SotGW campaign.

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