Mission 17

Mission 17 takes place on August 11, 2161 and is part of the Advance to Titan campaign.

Briefing
''We are starting our push to liberate Titan; if we succeed, we will have secured a major resource and production center which will help support our fleet's needs.

''We have an advantage. Our Intelligence people have finally broken the captured ConNexus code, giving us access to planned Coalition movements. These include the imminent arrival of a high-rank ing Admiral to the Coalition frontline. This is an opportunity we can't turn down, especially after the loss of the Vampires and Captain Foster.

''We are currently tracking the Admiral's flotilla; it consists of escort fighters, gunboats, and a Berijev Command ship, most likely containing the Admiral. The Ronin and Tiger squadrons will be deployed to intercept and engage this group. We need the Admiral alive for a number of reasons, do not under any circumstances destroy the Command ship.

''Let's move it, people.

Recommended loadout

 * This is a long mission with lots of fighting. Your best bet is to pick a well-armed fighter packing plenty of firepower, like the Reaper, which is essentially a flying gunboat, coming with the immensely powerful Vulcan guns with Blind Fire. The Patriot is also a good choice, though it has fewer missile hardpoints.

Walkthrough

 * Launch from the Yamato. After the Ronin confirm they are ready, you jump out to the nav point to take out any scout ships. There's a wing of six Black Eagles in Sabres You have a sixty second limit to do so, so wipe them out quickly. Hawks are very useful here. Failing to eliminate them will cause another wing of Azan fighters to jump in when the Nanny ship arrives to capture the admiral later in the mission.
 * If you fail the time limit, they will warn the Coalition and jump out after a further 90 seconds. Taking them out is optional past this point, but it's better to restart to save you the headache.
 * Once you jump into the area, you will encounter the Berijev command ship, escorted by two Kurgen corvettes, and eight Kossac heavy fighters. The Ronin will focus on the Kossacs, while you are ordered to take out the Kurgens. Once that's done, you are ordered to take out the Berijev's shield generator, engines, and five turrets. It's actually better to start by crippling the Berijev and then fight off the fighters and Kurgens in peace.
 * Once the area is clear, the boarding ship will arrive with a detachment of marines under Colonel Carver. They will board the Berijev and fight through its decks, all the way to the command center. Once they reach it, they will report that they have not captured any admiral. Immediately, an Antonov recovery ship escorted by eight Golden Warriors and Sabers Azans will jump in. An escape pod will detach from the Berijev and set it to self-destruct, meaning your new goal is to take out the Antonov before it can make a recovery and then protect the pod against the Azans.
 * Once they're eliminated, the Nanny will arrive and collect Kulov (if you eliminated the Sabers, it will be a clean pick-up). Once you return to the Yamato, the final hurdle is a wing of six Haidars from the Scorpions. Once they're gone, initiate landing procedures to finish the mission.

Outcomes

 * Success: Capture Kulov
 * Fail plus kick out: Any other outcome.