Broken Promises

The following information refers to the Solaris universe and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace continuity.

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Solaris Campaign Black Sun - Mission 6: Broken Promises

System: Unknown system, Pallavian Veil

Description: Lau tries to heal Kendra. The Children of Renewal reveal their plans for a "Promised Land". The Hoshikuzu is ambushed by the Malikans.

Created: March 30th, 2020

Released: October 9th, 2021

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Background

It is three days after the events of the Kotus evacuation. The Hoshikuzu, Pollux Arrow, Hopewell and Nassau reach Vicare Station and the Alban civilians are being tended to. Kendra is housed in the Pollux Arrow's brig. Her crew are still on Nassau operating under the observance of Navo's marines. Many of the crew are mercenaries themselves who hold no particular loyalty to Kendra, but security precautions are still taken.

Kendra has been in the brig for those three days and reacts sarcastically to Katherine's presence. Katherine says she just wants to talk and resolve their issues which have been going on for years. She's distressed that Kendra tried to kill her, and that their relationship had deteriorated to this point. Kendra reacts angrily, saying that Katherine doesn't understand what it was like growing up as a screw-up. Katherine was the golden child, the one who never did anything wrong. She never had to struggle like Kendra did. Katherine reveals her own struggles, and the reason for their conflict: she was fostered into Kendra's family at a young age, and the amount of work needed for Kendra's parents to look after the orphaned Katherine took time and attention away from her cousin. Eventually, Kendra's behaviour got so bad that she was ejected from her home as a teenager. Kendra had been carrying this pain for years, and places the blame squarely on Katherine, who was only a child at the time.

Katherine realises that her attempts to reconnect with Kendra have made things worse, and she goes to leave. Kendra needs professional help, and Katherine's not the one to give it to her. On her way out, Katherine tells her cousin if she ever attacks the Hoshikuzu again, she won't hold back to defend her ship and crew.

On the Hoshikuzu, Kaur tells Ross that he's been invited to train the crew of the Hopewell in strikecraft maintenance. The logistics ship is undergoing a conversion to a light carrier. In return for Kaur's help, the master has made Hopewell's Warden heavy fighters available for Ross and Meiks to use. These fighters are similar to the ones used by Kendra Lau's mercenaries encountered at Kotus. Armed with one bank of light and heavy cannons each, they are versatile fighters. Previously, only the Federation Phantom stealth fighters had given the player the option of a mixed loadout.

Lau advises of the next mission. The Children of Renewal ship Pillar of Fire is undertaking a scouting mission in the Pallavian Veil, a large multisystem nebula in deep Fringe space. The area is sparsely mapped and requires specialist astrogational suites to safely navigate. Reverend Lightowler on the Pillar wants an escort, and the Hoshikuzu is the only ship available.

Walkthrough

Recommended Loadout: Warden-class Defender, Maxim, Gattler.

The mission takes place in a dense nebula in uncharted space. The Pillar of Fire, a huge modified installation jumps in ahead. Ross comments on its ungainly appearance on an open channel, with an embarrassed Lau chiding him. Ross is sceptical of the mission, leading Lau to ask Reverend Lightowler on the Pillar about the Children of Renewal's mission.

Lightowler is glad to indulge Lau's curiosity, and launches into a sermon about the humanitarian mission of the Children of Renewal. The mission to serve those in need is to earn the Lord's favour and inherit the "Lord's kingdom." Lau is invited to think through the implications of this, and guesses that this Kingdom is in the Veil. This is close to the real answer: for their charity, the Children of Renewal have been promised an Eden among the stars. This Promised Land was sighted by several hyperspace explorers over the decades, but the location was never confirmed and only a few survived the Veil to report on it. It was eventually dismissed as a rumour or mirage. Howver, the Children of Renewal believe it is a real place and have been trying to pin down the location for years. As the Pillar of Fire lays down the final navigation array, Lightowler reports the search is almost at an end and the pilgrimage will begin soon.

The mission is interrupted by the arrival of several Malikan warships and transports, along with a science vessel and Andri Gadaria's cutter Onyx from the Compass Rose encounter. No one knows how they found them all the way out in the Veil, but Meiks suspects someone on the Pillar of Fire gave their coordinates to Gadaria. The Pillar spools her impellers to retreat, but can't calculate a safe path out of the Veil. Lau on Hoshikuzu confirms this: the gravitational sensors are throwing up inaccurate data, spoiling the hyperspace calculations. They are trapped in the nebula with the Malikans.

The Malikans attack immediately. Swarm fighters and missile gunships launch from Stargazer platforms and engage. Two light corvettes move into weapons range of Hoshikuzu. The engagement devolves into a melee.

The player has to balance their own survival with protecting the Hoshikuzu from incoming fire. The biggest threats to the corvette are from the Anvils and their 40mm PDCs. It is more efficient to destroy both their turrets than destroy them outright. The second wave of warships are two missile gunboats. Though their AAM missiles can cause trouble for the player, be mindful of the damage they can do to the Hoshikuzu.

An explosion on Pillar of Fire makes the situation worse, as the explorer ship loses power and comes to a stop. The reactor is sabotaged, and unsalvageable. Lightowler makes the call to abandon the Pillar, with the crew moving to the auxiliary transports. The Hoshikuzu covers the ship while the evacuation takes place, while Malikan troop transports move to board the stricken ship.

Erikson identifies the source of the gravitational anomalies as coming from the science ship Vehemence. The ship's reactor is sending out randomised gravity pulses, implying a significant power source. The location of the reactor is isolated and Ross and Meiks must run the gauntlet of Malikan ships to the Vehemence to neutralise it.

Neutralising the reactor stabilises the gravity sensors of the Hoshikuzu and Renewal transports, and are now able to plot a course out. Ross and Meiks dock to the Hoshikuzu so that they can make their escape.

Leaving the stricken Renewal explorer ship behind with Gadaria's troopships, the Hoshikuzu crew escape. The mission is complete.

Notable ships present

• Hoshikuzu - Rasputin-class corvette
• Pillar of Fire - Moshe-class Explorer
  
  

• Vehemence - Albatross-class science ship
• Onyx - Orleans-class cutter
• Markab - Orleans-class cutter
• Cougar - Orleans-class cutter
• Dasher - Orleans-class cutter
• Valknut - Pompeii-class gunboat
• Fusillade - Pompeii-class gunboat
• Nekheb - Anvil-class corvette
• Stribog - Anvil-class corvette

Outcome

• Malikan victory.
• Andri Gadaria gains control of the Pillar of Fire.
• The gravity ship Vehemence is damaged.

Notes

• The Vehemence doesn't match the ship designs of usual Malikan warships, and is thought to be a Combine research vessel.
• The Pillar of Fire is a kitbash of station parts, with engine pods attached to the aft section. This is a reference to the vessel LDSS Nauvoo from The Expanse, which was a Mormon-built generation ship later converted to a military station.