The Intruders are in the inner system. They take prisoners and raid our test sites, always looking for the same thing. The fleet defends in depth, with no medic to patch the hulls.
Completing the volume unlocks the Mender, flown by Sofia Romano. Read about the Mender.
Missions
5 missions, then a free play mission: Endless waves of every enemy of this volume, in a different mix every wave. How far can you get?
Mission 1: Headquarters
The Intruders have blockaded Fleet HQ on Mars. They go for command first. Break the blockade so the fleet can launch.
Target: wave 25. Enemies: Drone, Interceptor, Gunship, Sniper. Bosses: Siege cruiser.
Mission 2: The desert outpost
The Meridian test range, a remote desert site where new weapons are tested, has been seized. The Intruders are stripping it for records. Take it back and collect the data cores.
Target: wave 35. Enemies: Drone, Interceptor, Gunship, Sniper, Bomber. Bosses: Siege cruiser, Dreadnought.
Mission 3: Dark space
The convoy hid in the asteroid belt, where sensors barely work. Keep the formation tight and find out what the Intruders left behind.
Target: wave 50. Enemies: Drone, Interceptor, Sniper, Gunship, Shieldbearer. Bosses: Marksman, Dreadnought.
Mission 4: The nebula
Snipers hide in the ring haze around Saturn. Every hit stays on the hull, because the fleet has no medic. Find the convoy that moves through here.
Target: wave 60. Enemies: Drone, Interceptor, Sniper, Shieldbearer. Bosses: Marksman.
Mission 5: Mercy run
The prison convoy is heading for the jump point with the captured hospital frigate Mender. Catch it, match its speed and break it open.
Target: wave 75. Enemies: Drone, Interceptor, Gunship, Sniper, Bomber, Shieldbearer. Bosses: Siege cruiser, Marksman, Dreadnought.
Unlocks the Mender.
Enemies
Stats are for wave 1. They grow every wave, so a later wave hits harder than what you see here.
Drone
Attack 1 every 1 s (1/s) · XP 50
Interceptor
Attack 2 every 2 s (1/s) · XP 60
Gunship
Attack 3 every 3 s (1/s) · XP 100
Sniper
Attack 8 every 4.5 s (1.8/s) · XP 90
- Aims at the ship with the least hull
Bomber
Attack 5 every 3.5 s (1.4/s) · XP 120
- Its shots also hit nearby ships for 50% damage
Shieldbearer
Attack 2 every 2.2 s (0.9/s) · XP 100
Bosses
One boss on its own every fifth wave. Its stats are at wave 1 as well.
Siege cruiser Boss
Attack 6 x3 every 3 s (5.5/s) · XP 500
A bigger gunship.
Dreadnought Boss
Attack 10 every 3.5 s (2.9/s) · XP 600
A bigger bomber.
- Its shots also hit nearby ships for 50% damage
Marksman Boss
Attack 16 every 4.5 s (3.6/s) · XP 450
A bigger sniper.
- Aims at the ship with the least hull
Spoilers: what the pilots find out
Headquarters. They hit headquarters for the fleet roster, not to burn it.
The desert outpost. The Intruders took the test crews and our records. Their cannon carries a Sol calibration mark, which makes no sense.
Dark space. The Intruders refit captured Sol hulls. Every ship we lose is a ship they can use.
The nebula. The Intruders move prisoners through the ring haze in convoy. The medical frigate Mender and its crew are alive on board.
Mercy run. The guards never said what they wanted from the prisoners, only "who struck first". The Mender crew heard that phrase over and over.
Clues
- A Sol calibration mark. Their cannon carries a Sol calibration mark. It should not be possible.
- Our hulls, their ships. The heavy Intruder ships are built from captured Sol hulls, down to our armour plates.
- Who struck first?. The guards asked the prisoners one thing over and over: who struck first.