Mission 19 takes place on November 5, 2161 and is part of the Battle of Titan campaign.
Briefing
We've just received some good news, people. Klaus Steiner, believed to have been killed in action is alive. He is being held on a Coalition prison ship, the Saladin, which is currently en route to Europa. We're going to make sure she doesn't make it
High Command wants their best on this job and has chosen us. Using the new prototype stealth fighters, we intend to rescue Steiner, along with all the other POWs in that hellhole, The Tigers will take out the Saladin's fighter escort, the Scorpions, followed by the Saladin's defense turrets. The Saladin must then be immobilized by destroying its engines, followed by its gravity drive to stop it rotating
Once these objectives are achieved, boarding ships with Special Forces units will evacuate Steiner and the other prisoners. The final task for the Tigers is to escort the boarding ships back to Fort Bear.
Let's make sure this one goes nice and smooth, ladies and gentlemen. Prepare your ships, Tigers!
Recommended loadout
- Not much of a choice here. You can only pick the Shroud. Outfit it with a number of Hawk and Solomon missiles to have an easier time completing the bonus objective.
Walkthrough
- Launch from the Yamato and listen to the conversation. It turns out Bandit was sent to the academy for further training as squadron leader, with Diceman taking over in his stead. The plan is to use the Shrouds piloted by the Tigers to spook the defenders, while Ronin wing escorts the boarding ships. Once the in-flight movie, err, briefing ends, jump out. The nav point will be clear initially, but soon seven Haidars will jump in. The heavy fighters are unwieldy and slow compared to the agile Shroud, so wipe them out. Preserve your missiles.
- The Ronin and the boarding ships will jump in shortly, escorting boarding ship Delta 9. They will hold, while you jump out ahead to engage the enemy fighter cover. You will come up on the Saladin as it's in the midst of transferring prisoners, making her a sitting duck. Alpha 5 will make a scan of the opposition. Cloak up when prompted, then move in closely to your position at the gravity drive. Once Diceman gives the signal, attack the gravity drives, then switch to the two Kurgens, and ten fighters roaming around - plus the Scarab. The fighters are half Sabre, half Lagg, so the Shroud should have no problems.
- Once the turrets and the cover is gone, the boarding ship will move in, with special forces under commander Mason ready to take the Saladin, however, shortly after the ship arrives, another wing of enemy fighters, eight Haidars, jumps in to crash the party. You know the drill.
- As you fight them, Mason and his crew will start sweeping through the Saladin, encountering heavy resistance. However, the Coalition will not give up Steiner easily and as soon as the Haidars are gone, a wing of six Salins and another two Kurgens will enter the area. The Kurgens carry 20 Alliance prisoners used as human shields. After a while, Diceman will order their destruction (you can focus on the Salins and let the rest of the wing go after the Kurgens, but this will result in some damage to the boarding ship). Although you can shave the turrets off, Kurgens have integral engines and a ramming bow, meaning they can remain dangerous even without laser turrets.
- Then it's a matter of time as the boarding ship exits with Steiner on board. The boarding ship will disengage, report they have Steiner and need to pull out due to marine casualties. As they pull out, alpha 5 reports another signature incoming. thankfully, it's the ANS Churchill escorted by six Crusaders from 605th Pirates. You are cleared to jump out.
- Return to the Yamato. Shortly after you alive, the Scorpions throw in their last ace in the hole: Kariq Madiz and his wing of fighters. The entire wing comprises seven Haidars and warps in close to the Yamato. You want to take Kariq down, so load up the missiles you saved up and let loose. Once he's down and the rest of the wing is gone, land on the Yamato to bask in your well-earned glory.
Outcomes
- Success+: Steiner rescued and Madiz killed.
- Success: Steiner rescued.
- Failure plus kickout: Any other outcome.