You are part of the 39th Heavy Fighter Squadron, a Vasudan unit flying Taruets (Vasudan-focused campaign! W00t!) off of the Vega Installation, the main fleet base in Vega. Despite three months of active duty, you've seen almost no action. Things are pretty quiet, it's been six months since Capella.
Mission #1: Whoops
You're flying a patrol mission at a civilian Arcadia. Lots of civvie traffic about, maybe you do some scanning but don't really find anything wrong.
The 3rd Independant Cruiser Squadron (4-6 cruisers of mixed lineage.) stops by as part of their routine system patrol.
So does a pirate Deimos going by the name of Manhunter. The Manhunter turns to flee seeing an array of cruisers coming at it, and the classic "Alpha, stop that ship!" scenario ensues. Manhunter is disabled, disarmed, refuses to surrender, and dies.
The debriefing mentions that the Manhunter was lasted sighted in Ross 128, and it would have had to transit several nodes under direct observation by GTVA installations and ships to get to Vega. The GTVI is looking into it.
Mission #2: Domestic Disturbance
Your wing is scrambled to assist the Vega III shipyards. They called for reinforcements only a few minutes ago. Details are sketchy, but the attackers are apparently Terran.
You arrive to find a huge battle going on about five klicks out. Friendly fighter wings are protecting the main shipyard station, an Arcadia, from multiple hostile wings of Terran bombers and fighters. Multiple hostile Terran cruisers (3 is probably a good number) are engaging the defending capital ships, (a Sobek, a Leviathan, and the Aeolus-class GTC Typhoon) while fighter wings from both sides defend and attack the capital ships.
Off in the distance, friendly fighters are trying to protect the uncompleted Hecate-class GTD Agincourt from an enemy bomber wing and escorting fighters. Strangely, however, the other destroyer under construction here, the completed but uncrewed GTD Kurita, is being left alone.
None of this, however, is your problem. Your problem is defending the repair and refitting docking ring right next to you, as well as the various freighters, transports, and misc. craft housed therein where they are undergoing refitting. Several bomber wings and escort arrive to keep you busy. As you fend off the second wave or so of attackers, the GTD Aquitane and two friendly corvettes arrive, responding to the station's distress call.
Several things happen at once. The docking ring holding the GTD Kurita self-destructs, and the Kurita warps out. The remaining hostiles warp out as well. And you get a mission complete, RTB message.
While the shipyards sustained minimal damage, and the GTD Agincourt will be completed on-schedule in two weeks, Command is worried. The attackers were too numerous and too sophisicated for pirates, and now they've made off with an Orion-class destroyer. More forces, including the GVD Memphis and her battlegroup, are being dispatched to Vega.
Mission 3: Cruisin'
Things haven't gotten any better in Vega. The hijacked Kurita has destroyed several civilian installations and cargo depots, and other enemy forces have struck targets in the system. All attempts at communication have ended in violence, and the GTVI hasn't got a clue as to who they are or where they're coming from.
The attacks on civilian targets bring you to the purpose of this mission: your wing and the GTC Typhoon (Aeolus-class) will cover the evacuation of a civilian cargo facility.
It all looks pretty simple: you just have to fly around looking tough while civilian freighters recover the cargo. Then, of course, things change. A Leviathan jumps in. It's a friendly, but it's suffered some damage, not too much, and reports beating off a wing of hostile fighters. So, now you have to protect the Leviathan too.
And then, of course, the baddies show up in the form of multiple hostile Fenris-class cruisers with fighter escort. You have to beat them off, while protecting the Tornado and the Leviathan. In the background, the civvies continue evacutating the depot. When they're done, regardless of the number of remain hostiles, you're ordered to warp out.
Mission 4: Panic Attack
Your wing and the GTC Typhoon (get used to that Aeolus, you're gonna be working with it a lot) are to escort a convoy carrying supplies for both your squadron and the 3rd Independant Cruiser Squadron.
Simple escort mission, the most that bothers you is a few wings of hostile fighters. You're pretty much off in the middle of nowhere, waiting while the convoy recharges its jump drives.
...Or not. A science ship in the convoy detects an uncharted subspace node...out of which emerges none other then the GTD Kurita, which fries a random convoy ship with its beams and then launches bombers to finish the job.
You protect the convoy as it flees through the node and then flee after them yourself. Red Alert to next mission.
Mission 5: Sprint to First
You come out of subspace in an uncharted system and are confronted with a hostile Leviathan, several fighter wings, and a bunch of sentry guns. You have to defend the GTC Typhoon and convoy while the Typhoon makes a quick scan of the area for an intrasystem jump.
Once the Typhoon finds a good place to run to a few minutes later, it and the convoy warp out. You follow. Red Alert to next mission.
Mission 6: Steal Second
Apparently somebody else thought this asteroid field made a good spot to hide too, because you are attacked by several wings of older-model Vasudan fighters and an Aten cruiser. The Typhoon fries the Aten without apparent effort, and you deal with the fighters. The convoy eases into the asteroids and hides out.
Mission 7: Rounding Third
The GTC Typhoon suffered damage to its intersystem jump drive, but fortunately the parts to repair it could be found in the convoy cargo. The same is true of its hull damage. Since the convoy was carrying parts for your fighters as well, repairs on them could be done, and there are some primary weapons you can switch out for if you want. The only missiles available were Tornados, though.
Your wing will make a diversionary strike on an Arcadia that the Typhoon detected when making its scan earlier. Your task is simple: wreak as much havoc as you can so that the Arcadia will call for reinforcements, hopefully drawing off some of the defenders at the jump node. Don't attack the Arcadia, though, it's defenses are apparently much better then those of a normal installation. (Translation: all those Terran Turrets? AAAf beams.)
There are a lot targets: cargo containers, two understrength fighter wings, freighters, transports, a Fenris-class cruiser. After you've destroyed enough stuff, two Deimos corvettes show up, and it's time to go.
Mission 8: The Run for Home
Escort the Typhoon and the convoy as they make a run for the node back to GTVA space. The same amounts and types of weapons are available to you as the in last mission
Simple stuff: Alpha 1 must survive to make the node and jump, so must the Typhoon. Depending on your performance, however, you ought to get some hefty rewards for bringing back more of the convoy. (If you get every convoy ship back alive, I'd say a GTVA Legion of Honor and a promotion, at least.)
There is plenty of stuff to oppose you. Multiple fighter and bomber wings, at least two cruisers, a bunch of normal sentry guns, and four Elysium transports fitted out as SGreen RBCs. This mission should be, at the least, VERY challenging. Don't go easy on the player.
Mission 9: Curtain Call
Now that the secret is out, the GTVA has moved decisively to deal with these renegades, whoever they are. Your wing will join the GVD Memphis and her battlegroup for the final assault. The Memphis' fighters and bombers will handle her defense, your task is to destroy enemy ship's beam cannons.
The GVD Memphis, two Sobeks, a Mentu, thirty-some fighters, and your four Taurets against an armada of Terran cruisers, corvettes, and two Orion destroyers, one of which is the Kurita. Make up a name for the other one. Oh, and that all-Terran-Turret-changed-to-AAAf Arcadia too.
You just have to go kill beam cannons. Unfortunately, it seems that these guys are anti-cap beamhappy, and have converted all their Terran Huge Turrets to SGreen beams. They're also all pretty close together, so a bunch of them will be able to shoot at you as you make your runs. And you don't get any Maxims to do this mission with.
Have fun.
