Mission 23

Mission 23 takes place on February 16, 2162 and is part of the Final Battles campaign.

Briefing
''OK, listen up.

''This is an emergency briefing. We have found ourselves sitting about 12 clicks behind the CS Pukov, base ship of the Black Guard. Command wants us to eliminate it before the final push on the Coalition's forward command station, off Jupiter. I know many of you have scores to settle with the Black Guard, but stay in control - these guys are dangerous

''The first objective will be to eliminate the majority of the Black Guard, leaving the Pukov's turrets open to attack. With the Pukov's defenses down, the Yamato will engage. You will then provide cover against any fighter and bomber attacks on the Yamato as she moves in.

''Tigers, Klaus Steiner will be back flying with you today. He specifically requested he fly with you on this mission. We all know what happened to his unit and he knows how bad you want the Black Guard.

''This is going to be an all-out fight, people, so watch your backs. I'll be flying with you on this one, people. Select your weapons and move out!

Recommended loadout

 * This is a long, brutal slog in close combat that will require you to jump around space and focus on multiple targets. Lighter fighters might not be the best choice due to the sheer amount of firepower going around, so opt for something balanced - or a heavy fighter with generous afterburner reserves to keep flying.

Walkthrough

 * As usual, launch from the Yamato, listen to the quick last-minute chatter between Steiner and Diceman, then jump out to the Pukov's location. Immediately after you jump in, the Yamato arrives and engages Pukov in battle, slowly making her way to it. Admiral Petrov, captain of the Pukov, will contact your forces on open channel and after an exchange of taunts, it's time to get busy. Your first objective is to strip down the Pukov's Black Guard contingent. They will launch as part of a cutscene. Keep your distance from the enemy carrier, no point in losing shields to enemy turrets (unless you really want to; stripping the turrets and the capital gun will greatly reduce the amount of fire you need to put up with).
 * Once enough of the Basilisks are destroyed (note, there's also a small wing of Sabers to content with), you will be ordered to take out the Pukov's shield generator at the rear of the ship. Shortly afterwards, the Pukov will launch Kamovs. Two launch from the upper deck and if you're quick, you can take them out before they launch any of their payload. The Pukov will shortly launch another wing of Basilisks, but you should hang back near the Yamato, as four more Kamovs will uncloak and start firing their torpedoes at the Yamato at very short range, coming in from Jupiter's direction. You'll have a very narrow window of opportunity to take them out. Keep fighting enemy fighters until the Yamato is in position. Gamma wing will launch shortly, in four Hades bombers, and make an attack run on the Pukov - unsuccessfully. Despite direct hits and losing a large part of its portside armor and facilities, it's operational. At this point, you'd better have eliminated the Pukov's turrets or the next part of the mission will get dicey.
 * The Yamato will move in to follow up with torpedo strikes. It will move alongside the Pukov and keep firing volley after volley. Your goal is to prevent the Pukov from destroying the Yamato with its own. It will regularly launch volleys of four torpedoes from its midship tubes. The ideal position to destroy them is to remain at zero throttle alongside the Yamato and use blind fire to destroy the incoming torps. The Reaper's vulcan cannons are immensely useful here. Eventually, the Pukov will buckle and explode, unable to take the bombardment (otherwise, the Yamato pulls out to Fort Bear and you're kicked out).
 * Once you're done with the Pukov, the rest of the Black Guard will jump out. Ivan Petrov will make a brief appearance, only to flee again, as per tradition, once he realizes he lost his father and base carrier.

Outcomes

 * Success: Pukov destroyed. You receive the Alliance Medal of Honor.
 * Fail plus kick out: Yamato pulls out after taking four or more torpedo hits.