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Version Log Version 1.0- Started the walkthrough, duh! Updated ASCII art from original walkthrough and completed the Mission Walkthrough through The Pursuit Version 1.1- Updated the mission by mission walkthrough through the mission Ghosts Version 1.2- Updated the walkthrough through Secret Recovery and updated email and rank Version Final- Finished the walkthrough, and I'm done with the guide! Look for a guide on how to assault capital ships soon! ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Introduction Silent Threat is an expansion to Descent Freespace: the Great War. The story is set after the destruction of the Lucifer at the very end of the Great War and the collapse of the Sol jump node. If you have not yet completed the Freespace campaign, I recommend you do so before attempting this one. This campaign features four new weapons and four new ship types. As an extra bonus, you get more multiplayer missions for Descent Freespace. These new missions are very impressive, with more co-op and team missions, like Powerball Arena, where you have to shoot an invincible crate of Harbinger bombs into the center hub of the other team's Arcadia base with your Flail guns. These new expansions make this game very much worth your ten dollars. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ 4. New Ships and Weapons in Silent Threat B Seraph Ships SB Seraphim- The new Seraphim class bomber is the Shivan's latest threat. It is three times larger than a Nephilim, and carries a massive payload at least 150% the size of the Nephilim. With strong hulls and almost impenetrable shield system, the Seraphim is easily the most dangerous bomber we have yet encountered. The Seraphim has been designated a Class A threat to GTA destroyers and cruisers. In unpopulated systems, it is to be considered a Class B threat. GTF Loki- Designed by GTI engineers, the Loki is undoubtedly the best reconnaissance craft in Terran or Vasudan service. Originally designed as a stealth fighter, a minor design flaw has rendered its stealth technology useless. Even though the Loki is considered a failed experiment, it has been put into production as a recon/scout craft. Its hull shape and shielded reactor chamber lends itself to providing a low sensor profile, and is yet capable of very high speed maneuvers B Zeus GTB Zeus- Another product of GTI R&D, the Zeus strike bomber is a worthy successor to the Athena. Its balanced design and increased reactor capacity give it remarkable speed for a bomber, yet still remains capable of carrying the powerful Tsunami bombs. These features will make the Zeus a versatile and effective weapon against capital ships. GTD Hades- Covert project being designed by Terran Intelligence. Little is known of its purpose or specifications. Weapons Leech Cannon- The Leech Cannon depletes the power supply of enemy fighters. Use it to disable afterburners, energy weapons, and shields. No subsystems targeting is required, just point and shoot. The leech cannon is specifically designed to drain energy from fighter and bomber class ships. It is useless against larger ships. Shield Breaker- The shield breaker is a weapon solely designed to deplete shields. It is best paired with an anti-hull cannon, such as an Avenger or Prometheus. It has maximum compatibility among fighters. Cluster Bomb- A second-generation synaptic bomb, this GTI-developed cluster warhead has been designed for attacks against entire wings of enemy ships. Upon reaching its target, the primary warhead fragments into multiple secondary warheads that explode within a split second. The detonations produce a large field of blast, making this weapon most effective against fighter formations. EM Pulse- Upon impact, the EM Pulse missile temporarily disables the electronics systems of the target ship. This renders the target unable to track targets, manage communications, or gain aspect missile lock. This has numerous tactical applications. For example, a direct hit with an EM Pulse missile will prevent bombers from launching aspect-locking warheads for several seconds. Once the EMP field has worn off, the target must also re-acquire a missile lock, buying you valuable time to destroy them. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Mission by Mission Walkthrough ********************************************** *SPOILERS AHEAD!!! READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK!* ********************************************** And now, finally, the part you've been waiting for... the Walkthrough!!!! Silence All Voices Difficulty Rating: 3 of 10 Command Briefing Welcome to the GTI Congratulations, pilot. You have been selected for the Special Operations branch of Galactic Terran Intelligence. You passed GTI's rigorous medical and psychological examinations, and your record of service with Admiral Po and the GTD Intrepid is exemplary. You are now assigned to the GTI's Special Ops destroyer, the Krios. The primary mission of the GTI is to provide Terran Command with accurate and comprehensive information regarding the tactics, technologies, activities, and strategic objectives of our enemies, specifically the Shivans and the Vasudan insurgency, Hammer of Light. As a pilot for Special Ops, your missions will involve intelligence gathering and containment. These assignments are covert and classified. Violation of classification protocol will result in court-martial and possible execution under the Counter-Intelligence and Espionage act. Sol All efforts to restore contact with Earth have failed. As you know, the Sol jump node in Delta Serpentis collapsed shortly after allied forces tracked and destroyed the Lucifer during its subspace jump. We believe the explosion of the Lucifer's five reactors created a subspace cataclysm that closed the node, perhaps permanently. We have no word on what became of the Terran pilots that destroyed the Lucifer, or how much of the attack force remains stranded on the Earth side of the node. As Terran scientists work toward reestablishing contact with Earth and the GTA HQ, an interim GTA Command center has been set up in the Delta Serpentis system. State of the Treaty Cultural and political difference have threatened to undermine the Terran-Vasudan treaty since its inception. After fourteen years of warfare, the GTA and the PVN has been plagued with mutual distrust, misunderstanding, and a failure to comply with the treaty's mandate of full cooperation. Furthermore, incidents of violence between Terran and Vasudan military personnel have compounded an already precarious situation. Overzealous Pilots The GTA and the PVN are conducting joint operations in the Vega system. Though hostilities between allied forces in Vega have been confined to isolated episodes, tensions have now escalated to an all-out confrontation. During a recent Shivan attack, Terran pilots fired upon Vasudan ships with intent to kill. Terran Command fears that if the PVN learns of this incident, the treaty and our hopes of defeating the Shivans will soon collapse. Mission Classified This mission is classified at the highest level. If you should be killed or captured while fulfilling your objectives, GTI will disavow any knowledge of you or your actions. New Technology: Leech Cannon The secondary mission of the GTI is the research and development of cutting edge technologies. As a Special Ops officer, you will have access to advanced weapons and warship prototypes not yet available to GTA pilots. These systems have undergone extensive lab and field testing and should function as designed. The Leech Cannon drains the power supply of enemy fighters. Use the Leech Cannon to disable afterburners, energy weapons, and shields. No subsystem is required, just point and shoot. The Leech Cannon is an anti-fighter weapon with minimal effect on large vessels. Briefing At approximately 1500 hours, Terran and Vasudan fighters repelled a Shivan assault on Outpost Fermi. During the skirmish, Terran pilots fired upon our Vasudan allies with intent to kill. The motives of the pilots are unclear. We do not believe their actions represent a large scale insurrection within Terran ranks, but the situation must be contained. Hostilities have escalated to an all out confrontation between Terran and Vasudan forces in the area. A GTI Communications terminal in the sector transmitted an encoded message advising command of the situation, which threatens to jeopardize our treaty with the Vasudans. Your objective will be to sanitize the area. Destroy everything but the GTI communications terminal. All voices must be silenced to preserve the Terran-Vasudan Alliance. This mission has an operation window of 5 minutes. Get in. Do your job. Get out. Good luck, pilot. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules, Athena, Medusa Primary Weapons: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, Leech Secondary Weapons: Mx-50, Disruptor, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V Recommended Ship: Hercules Recommended Primary Weapons: Prometheus, Flail Recommended Secondary Weapons: Interceptor, Phoenix V Primary Objective *Clear area of witnesses Directives Destroy all witnesses [22] Strategy Now that you're done reading all that, now it's time for some strategy. First thing is tell your wingmen to ignore Aries 2. Also tell them to ignore Aries 3. Aries 2 will always escape, the sentries around the comm station will take out Aries 3. You should use Phoenix V's to take out Aries 1. Then proceed to take down freighters, and finally fighters. By the time you are done with the freighters, your wingmen will probably have taken care of the fighters. Nice warm up mission. Debriefing Well done, Pilot. You executed a clean sweep of the area and contained a volatile incident. A single Vasudan ship escaped, but the GTI will soon liquidate this threat. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ The Pursuit Difficulty Rating: 5 of 10 Briefing A Vasudan ship, designated Aries 2, escaped our containment operation. GTI has traced the vessel to a Vasudan controlled supply zone. Aries 2 has communicated our objectives to Vasudan forces in that sector. We are jamming all local transmissions, but we must achieve absolute containment. Your mission will be to destroy all vessels in the supply zone. Ignore the cargo. Preliminary recon. Indicates a garrison of two Aten cruisers with fighter escort. The loss of innocent lives is regrettable but necessary to preserve the Terran-Vasudan alliance and defeat the Shivans. You must not fail. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules, Athena, Medusa, Ursa Primaries: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, Leech Secondaries: Mx-50, Disruptor, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Tsunami Recommended Ship: Hercules Recommended Primaries: Prometheus, Banshee Recommended Secondaries: Phoenix V, Hornet Primary Objective *Eliminate all vessels in area Directives: Destroy all Enemies [20] Strategy There will be four Atens when you jump. Order your wingmen to ignore all four cruisers, you can take them out. Position yourself directly behind the engines of the Aten and fire away till it is destroyed. Then RUN! Repeat the process to take out the others. By this time your wingmen will have taken the fighters out and possibly the sentries. Also by now, a Faustus will have arrived, designated Einstein. Tell your wingmen to destroy it, and you should loiter around killing sentries and cargo until your wingmen have finished the job. The explosion will be massive, which is why it is not recommended to kill it yourself. The shockwave will kill you if you are closer that 3,000 units to the Einstein. Then jump out. Debriefing Excellent work. You defeated superior forces that intelligence failed to anticipate. The science vessel's escape pods survived the assault, but GTI will track and eliminate them. Analysis indicates that you had no choice but to avoid the shockwave of the blast. You exercised good judgment under fire, pilot. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Ghosts Difficulty Rating: 1 of 10 Briefing GTI has located the Einstein's escape pods in the Beta Aquilae sector. Command has issued a new directive. Your mission will be to secure the area and guard the pods. A retrieval ship will recover the survivors for interrogation. We will deploy the retrieval ship as soon as possible. Defend those pods until you are relieved of duty. You will receive further orders in Beta Aquilae. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules, Athena, Medusa, Ursa Primary Weapons: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, Leech Secondary Weapons: Mx-50, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V Recommended Ship: Valkyrie Recommended Primary Weapons: Prometheus, Flail Recommended Secondary Weapons: Interceptor Mission Objectives Primary Objective *Escort Escape Pods Until Retrieval Directives Escort Einstein Vessels Strategy This one is soooooooooo easy. You will first face four Manticores (Krishna) and three Seraphims (Kali). These are easy to dispatch, they don't even seem intent on attacking the pods. Next your sensors will "malfunction". Actually it's a new type of fighter, that your sensors can't read (for now). They will protect the pods. Eight Manticores will challenge you (Rama and Bheema), use your wingmen and dispatch them. The GTD (lame name LOL) will retrieve one pod, however it has no clearance but you do not know this. Next the GTD Myrmidon will arrive (cruiser!?! I think not...) and pick up the other pod. However, during this time, a wing of the new fighters you encountered (Lokis) will attack. Destroy all six of them using your radar to locate them and your primaries to blast them to bits. Your aspect missiles won't work, but the Lokis are wimps anyway, you won't have much trouble. A total of twenty-one ships in this mission to fight. You could go to sleep and beat it. Just make sure that you are not in front of the Orion when it departs or you'll become splattered and have to do the mission ALL over. Debriefing The incident at Beta Aquilae has us puzzled. Command acknowledges you had no means of confirming the authorization status of the destroyer. Under these circumstances, you did an excellent job ensuring the recovery of an escape pod. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ On the Run Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10 Command Briefing A preliminary analysis of the incident at Beta Aquilae suggests that the fighters you engaged had advanced stealth technologies. The origin and intent of this force remains unknown, and Terran Command has ordered a full investigation. You will be informed of the progress of this inquiry on a need-to-know basis. Until further notice, you have been assigned to other GTI operations. New Technology: Zeus Bomber GTI Research and Development has completed field testing of the Zeus- class Strike Bomber. Like the Athena, its predecessor, it offers excellent speed and maneuverability. However, more efficient design allows the Zeus to carry Tsunami Space Bombs in its arsenal. These features will make the Zeus a versatile and effective weapon against Shivan capital ships. New Technology: Cluster Bomb A second generation Synaptic bomb, GTI's cluster warhead has been designed for attacks on groups or wings of enemy ships. Upon reaching its target, the primary warhead explodes into a series of multiple secondary warheads that explode within a split second. The field produces a series of energy blasts, making the Cluster Bomb most effective against fighter formations. Briefing A Shivan offensive has decimated our forces in the Ikeya system. The enemy has annihilated our installations and eighty percent of the forces garrisoned in that sector. The survivors are now retreating to secure Terran positions. Fortunately, the science cruiser Ratna survived the engagement. Scientists onboard this vessel are spearheading the Eumendies Project, and have developed cutting-edge weapon prototypes vital to the war effort. The Shivans disabled the Ratna, so the vessel has neither propulsion nor warp capability. We must retrieve our ship, its scientists, and its prototypes. Command anticipates that Shivan reinforcements will soon resume their offensive. Under these circumstances, we must perform a high risk maneuver to recover the Ratna. Vasudan transport Gemini will dock with the vessel and tow it away from the Shivan attack point. The docking seal may not hold, but we have no other viable options. Command will deploy additional Terran transports to evacuate the scientists. We cannot extract the prototypes from the Ratna, so the science cruiser must be recovered. Your mission: protect the Ratna. Destroy any Shivan attack so the repair crews can get the engines back on line. The future of this war is in your hands, pilot. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules, Zeus P. Weapons: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, Leech S. Weapons: Mx-50, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Cluster Bomb Recommended Loadout (to shorten my typing): Valkyrie, 2 Prom, Hornet Primary Objectives *Scientists Successfully Escaped *Ratna Successfully Escaped Directives Escort Ratna Oversee Scientist Evacuation Strategy This one is pretty tame. At first, you'll see the Ratna, a Faustus, and the Gemini transport, a Satis. Soon into the mission three Manticores (Krishna) will decide to drop in, so dispatch them. Following Krishna will be two Basilisks and Shaitans, so be wary. When the three Seraphim enter, you should know that you are almost done. Vasudan reinforcements will arrive... but they turn out to be Hammer of Light, so destroy them as well. When the Ratna leaves, do the same. Debriefing You held off the enemy so our transports could evacuate the scientists. We need their expertise to win this war, pilot. Good work. Because of your outstanding performance, we recovered the Ratna and its prototypes. You should be very proud, pilot. You save not only the Eumendies project, but possibly the lives of millions. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Hellfire Difficulty: 5 Briefing Reconnaissance has observed a small Shivan cruiser group, designated Hellfire, en route to the Delta Serpentis jump node. If Hellfire reaches its destination, it will be united with the primary Shivan fleet. Hellfire consists of four cruisers, both Cain and Lilith class, with a fighter escort of ten to fifteen ships. Your squad will intercept and destroy as much of the Shivan force as possible. Beta and Delta wings will engage the cruisers. Alpha and Gamma will defend the bomber wings and neutralize the fighters. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Hercules, Zeus P.Weapons: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, Leech S.Weapons: Mx-50, Dis., Fury, Hornet, Int., Pho. V, Synaptic, Tsunami, Cluster Recommended Loadout: Zeus, 2 Prometheus, Tsunami, and Hornet Primary Objective *Destroy Hellfire Secondary Objective *Destroy all enemy fighters There are no directives for this mission Strategy This is a basic strike mission. To be truthful, just go in there and blow everything up. Use strategies for attacking cruisers and fighters that you have learned in previous missions. If the cruisers escape, try again and aim your Tsunamis at the engines. A quick tip for attacking Cain's and Lilith's that I learned in multiplayer, take out the third turret that you select with [k]. I think it is the third, but it might be the second. It's on the back of the arm that goes vertically, not horizontally. Once you have knocked that out, feel free to match speed and stay just behind the back of the cruiser. You'll be safe from turret fire and you can just plow it down with primaries. Be careful aiming secondaries from there or you may kill yourself with the blast radius. Debriefing Well done, pilot. Because the Shivan cruisers failed to reach the Delta Serpentis jump node, we anticipate a decisive victory for our forces in that sector. You successfully destroyed Hellfire's fighter escort. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Secret Recovery Difficulty Rating: 6 Briefing Hammer of Light commandos have seized the Giordano, a science station located in the Deneb system. Sensitive GTI data will be compromised if we fail to recapture the Giordano immediately. Intelligence indicates the Vasudan destroyer Ptah now guards the science station. Your objective will be to protect transport Epsilon 1. The transport will dock with the Giordano and warp to a secure position. Delta wing will escort Epsilon 1 into the Deneb system and assist you with your mission. Should Epsilon fail to accomplish its objective, we will deploy Epsilon 2. If neither transport succeeds in recovering the Giordano, your orders are to destroy the station and return to base. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules P. Weapons: Ml-16, Dis., Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Leech S. Weapons: Mx-50, Dis., Fury, Hornet, Phoenix V, Cluster Bomb Recommended Loadout: Valkyrie, 2 Prometheus, Hornet, Phoenix V Primary Objective *Retrieve the science station Bonus Objective *Destroy Vasudan Destroyer There are no directives in this mission Strategy This one is tough, but not impossible. You have three wings to deal with: five Thoths, another wing of five Thoths, and another wing. Cancer and Pisces wing will respawn infinitely so keep them away from the station. The goal is simple, destroy all the fighters. Now after the Giordano is safe comes the hard part. For your bonus objective, you must destroy the Ptah. However, the two wings of five Thoths each continue to respawn. You must single-handedly destroy the Typhon while avoiding/fighting TEN Thoths!!! And to make it worse, they respawn infinitely. YIKES! Good luck :) Debriefing Excellent work. We recovered the Giordano and its data with only minimal losses. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Cloak and Dagger Difficulty Rating: 5 Command Briefing Unknown Fighters During your recovery of the Einstein's escape pods in Beta Aquilae, unidentified fighters attacked you and your wing. The results of our inquiry are puzzling - the vessels are Loki-class fighters, GTI design and manufacture. GTI Research and Development created the Loki-class fighter at a top- secret installation, location undisclosed. The prototype of a stealth fighter project, the Loki is designed to elude detection by all known sensor arrays. Analysis of the Beta Aquilae attack has enabled our engineers to exploit a structural weakness in the Loki, thus rendering it's stealth useless. We have shared this information with out Vasudan allies, and we also expect the Shivans to have the expertise to uncloak the fighters. The incident does signal an even more disturbing development, however: the emergence of a rogue element within the GTI. We suspect an insurgent cell has appropriated the Loki for unknown purposes However the secrecy surrounding the stealth project has impeded further inquiry. The Einstein The appearance of the Einstein in the Vega system is also troubling. According to service logs, the Einstein was destroyed during the initial Shivan encounter of Ross 128, in which the enemy annihilated all Terran ships and installations. The Einstein had entered the system to conduct a routine geological survey three days prior to the attacks. Obviously, the Einstein's presence in Vega during our recent operation contradicts the official report. Ross 128 Furthermore, evidence suggests that the Einstein my have been a rogue GTI ship. A high-ranking GTI operative, captain Ezra Tycho, commanded the science vessel. Though its official duties were limited to low- level planetary studies, the Einstein may have been involved in covert operations and weapons research. Analyzing the data we have gathered so far, we believe rogue elements of the GTI may have known about the existence of the Shivan threat prior to the attack on Ross 128. Rogue Elements Therefore, we suspect the Loki-class fighters were engaged in a GTI cover up. The attack on your wing in the Beta Aquilae system may have been a botched attempt to cover up the Einstein's existence. The extent of the cover-up and the objectives of the conspiracy remain unknown. You are advised to exercise extreme caution during your next sortie. New Technology: Loki Fighter The latest prototype developed by the GTI stealth project, the Loki features high maximum velocity and excellent maneuverability. Because of a minor structural weakness, the Loki's stealth capability has been compromised nevertheless, the Loki is the most versatile fighter (yeah right ^^;;) in our arsenal. New Technology: Shield Breaker Developed as an anti-Shivan weapon, the Shield Breaker inflicts massive damage to enemy defensive systems. This weapon causes no structural damage, but coupling it with an anti-hull cannon will be effective against larger Shivan bombers such as the Seraphim. Use it well. Briefing (finally ~_~) Pirates have attacked the Talus mining facility. Because this installation processes materials critical to our warhead production, control of Talus is of the utmost strategic importance. The facilities garrison repelled the pirate attack but sustained ninety percent casualties. Certain volatile materials breached containment during the engagement, and the resulting explosion annihilated the pirate force. However, the blast also severely compromised the structural integrity of the installation. Your primary objective will be to escort our transports while they recover the remaining warhead materials. Be advised the explosion released an ionized gas that will render small ships invisible to sensors. This will make missile target lock impossible on targets within the ionized zone. Once the operation has commenced, the facility will begin its evacuation. However, the cargo must be your first priority. Only after the materials have been recovered should you protect the escape pods. We regret any casualties that may result, but the strategic value of the warhead materials necessitates this decision. Command will deploy bombers to destroy the facility after all materials and survivors have been recovered. Because of heavy subspace activity in this area, we should anticipate a Shivan attack against our operation (hint hint). Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Zeus, Loki, Hercules P. Weapons: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, Leech S. Weapons: Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V Recommended Loadout: Valkyrie, Prometheus and Avenger, Hornet Primary Objectives *Protect the cargo containers *Protect the transports Secondary Objective *Stop the Pirate Iota 7 Bonus Objective *Protect the Escape Pods Directives Destroy Bheema Destroy Rama Destroy Pirate Zen Destroy GTFR Pandarus Destroy Rama Destroy Pirate Ryu Strategy This mission is quite unique. You start in an asteroid field, unable to target most anything. Go to the jump node. Freighters will start to jump in, keep scrolling through them until you select the GTFR Pandarus. Go within 200 meters and scan it. It's IFF status will turn hostile, nail the turret on the front top part of it and proceed to blast the sucker to hell. By this time, Bheema will certainly have jumped in, and Rama and Pirate Zen wings will likely be in the battlefield also. Bheema is Seraphim, and there are 3, and 3 wings total. This makes a total of 9 fighters of Bheema, once you destroy 3, 3 more come in. Let Bheema take priority over the other wings. If you want to ignore fighters completely, that's okay too, as your wingmen will do a fine job blasting them to bits. Once the first round of freighters departs with cargo, a second batch will enter. Stay on the lookout for the GTFR Aegis and Dionysys. There are two of these freighters under the same name, just scan to find out which are the fakes, and blow them away. Then, mop up any remaining fighters, and sit around until your precious cargo leaves. No ship attacks the escape pod so unless one gets attacked by a fluke, they will make it away safely. After all the freighters are gone, the Talus will turn hostile so you can destroy it. Tell all fighters to depart so you can get the kill for some more points toward a promotion. Depart once you trash the Talus. Debriefing Well done, pilot. You ensured the retrieval of all warhead materials and saved the lives of facility personnel. You skillfully thwarted the pirate assault. You did well to monitor the status of the transports to prevent materials from falling into enemy hands. Analysis suggest the pirates no longer pose a viable threat to our military ships or installations. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Field of Destruction Difficulty Rating: 3 Briefing Iota wing is en route to a GTI safe zone, located within an asteroid field. We have positioned watchdog sentries near the zone to neutralize incoming projectiles. Iota's cargo is classified at the highest level, as are the coordinates of the safe zone. Your orders are to rendezvous with Iota and follow them to their destination. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules, Loki, Athena, Medusa, Ursa P. Weapons: Ml-16, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Shield Breaker, Leech S. Weapons: Disruptor, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Cluster Bomb Recommended Loadout: Valkyrie, Prometheus, Shield Breaker, Hornet Primary Objective *Escort Iota through the asteroid field Directives Destroy Arjuna Destroy Krishna Destroy Indra Strategy As you can see from the number of directives, this mission is pretty tame. The layout is similar to the original Freespace campaign where you had to protect the Galatea while she made her way through an asteroid field. This one is just like that, except you have Fenris and two Chronos transports to protect. Along the way, you'll be hit with various Shivan fighters, dispatch them as needed and destroy all asteroids with the white brackets around them. Once the convoy is inside the ring of sentry guns, the objective will turn true and you are free to jump out. Debriefing Well done, Iota wing arrived at the safe zone and sustained minimal casualties. You accomplished a mission of the utmost importance to GTI security. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Exodus Difficulty Rating: 8 Briefing Incoming Transmission... GTI fighters have disabled the Krios! Vital systems going critical! Return to base pronto! Loadout (preset): Valkyrie, 2 Prometheus, Hornet Primary Objectives *Protect the Destroyer *Protect the escape pods Directives Destroy Bragi Destroy Hrid Destroy Buri Destroy Geri Destroy Scald Strategy You enter the mission with the Krios at 10%, and 8 escape pods out. Hurry and destroy Bragi, Hrid, and Buri before they can hurt the escape pods. The Krios will be destroyed no matter what you do, so it doesn't matter, don't worry about it. Once those wings are knocked out, order your wingmen to protect the escape pod that is closest to the jump node. Head near the jump node yourself. Sooner or later (the pods will be about a minute from the node) more enemies will jump in, four fighters and a Leviathan cruiser. Order your wings to engage the enemy and nail those fighters quickly before they can hurt the pods. It is not necessary to get every pod to the node, but it is better. Once the fighters are down, just concentrate on the Vidar, and you'll draw fire and the pods will escape. Debriefing Well done. The evacuation could have been a massacre, but you got those pods to the jump node safely. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ The Return to Ross 128 Difficulty Rating: 2 Command Briefing The Fate of the Krios To obliterate data gathered about its activities in the Ross 128 system, Galactic Terran Intelligence destroyed the Krios. Effective immediately, all surviving personnel are to be reassigned to the GTD Soyakaze. The GTI The conspiracy is not confined to a rogue element within the GTI, but involves officers in the highest echelon of the intelligence directorate. Although their objectives remain unclear, command believes the conspirators intend to overthrow the GTA government and dissolve the GTA treaty. Galactic Terran Intelligence - its ships, installations, and personnel - are now hostile targets. Because of the technology and sensitive information within its grasp, the GTI poses a significant threat to the stability and security of the GTA, the PVN, and all allied worlds. Our actions must be swift and decisive. Ross 128 The Soyakaze has set course for the Ross 128 system. Information recovered from the Krios indicates GTI operations are concentrated around the site of the initial Shivan attack. Our first task will be to investigate this activity. Admiral Scott I will now take this opportunity to honor the late Admiral Scott, commander of the GTD Krios, who died in the line of duty. Admiral Scott devoted many years of service to the GTI and dedicated himself to its mission: to provide the GTA and its allies with accurate and comprehensive information regarding the tactics, technologies, activities, and strategic objectives of its enemies. His superiors, to whom he had given his trust and loyalty, betrayed Admiral Scott when they abandoned that mission to pursue their corrupt ambitions and designs. GTI is now the enemy. Let us never forget the integrity and sacrifice of this fine officer. New Technology: EM Pulse Missile Without the technology and expertise of GTI's research and development branch, we will lack our enemy's cutting edge weapon systems and ship prototypes. However, we do have a new addition to our arsenal, the EM Pulse missile. Upon impact, the EM Pulse disables the electronics systems of the target ship. The weapon has numerous tactical applications. For example, a direct hit with an EM Pulse missile will prevent bombers from launching aspect-seeking warheads for several seconds. Once the EMP field has worn off, they must also reacquire their target's signature lock. Briefing We have set course for Ross 128, site of the first Shivan contact. GTI operatives have been active in this system, and we must investigate. Your mission will be to inspect the wreckage from the original Shivan assault. Ross 128 is currently under Shivan control. There are no other Terran forces in this system (yeah right). You will need to complete your mission quickly. Scan the wreckage and return to base. Ships: Apollo, Ulysses, Valkyrie, Hercules, Athena, Medusa, Ursa P. Weapons: Ml-16, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, S. Breaker, Leech S. Weapons: Mx-50, Disruptor, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Cluster Bomb, EMP Missile Primary Objectives *Inspect remaining wreckage *Destroy the GTI craft Secondary Objective *Destroy all remaining Shivans Directives Destroy Scald Destroy Bragi Destroy Hrid Destroy Geri Destroy Rama Destroy Vishnu Destroy Arjuna Strategy As you jump in, you'll find 7 wings of fighters, 2 Leviathans, and 1 Lilith in a heated battle. Don't let all those wings make this mission harder than it needs to be. Tell all your wingmen to form on your wing, make sure that you are stopped, and sit there. The Shivans and the GTI will fight, with the GTI ultimately winning. However, the Lilith will knock out a lot of GTI fighters, and by the time that the Lilith is gone, the GTI will have no more than 6 fighters left. Then just raid the remaining fighters and pound on the severely weakened cruisers to complete the mission. Debriefing Your wing annihilated all GTI vessels. Fine work. We suspect the GTI already salvaged the wreckage at Ross 128. Their objectives in this sector remain unknown. We made no strategic gains at Ross 128, but your assault decimated the Shivan garrison. Nice work. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ The Wait Difficulty Rating: 6 Briefing Reconnaissance reports heavy Shivan traffic through the Beta Aquilae jump node. Our mission: Shut them down. Your wing will patrol this area and engage any hostiles. Seek and destroy. Ships: Ulysses, Valkyrie, Hercules P. Weapons: Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, S. Breaker, Leech S. Weapons: Disruptor, Flail, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Cluster Bomb, EMP Missile Primary Objectives *Patrol Area for Shivan activity *Retrieve the Shivan cargo Secondary Objective *Destroy all Shivan forces Directives Destroy Asura Destroy Rama Destroy Arjuna Strategy At first, all is quiet. Then, all of a sudden, a bunch of Shivan ships jump in. Four freighters, a Cain, and eight Manticores make up the convoy. Tell your wingmen to engage enemy and head out there. Take out the Manticores as fast as you can. This will take about two to three minutes, but try to be as fast as possible. Once all of the fighters are down, tell all your wingmen to take out the Cain. While they do this, target the freighters, being careful not to hit the cargo they hold, but only hitting the freighter's hull. Be careful, because once your wingmen are done trashing the Cain, they will go crazy on the freighters, and likely blowing up the cargo. To avoid this, just depart them after the Cain is toast. Proceed to take out all four transports, while protecting the three cargo pods and you'll win. Be sure to wait for your freighters to come in and take the cargo before you jump out. Debriefing Our freighters retrieved the Shivan cargo. Well done. Intelligence has begun its analysis, and we hope to learn much about Shivan strategy in this sector. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ Secrets Revealed Difficulty Rating: 10 Command Briefing GTI Headquarters We have located the GTI's base of operations - the Jotunheim installation in the Beta Aquilae system. The full extent of their activities in Beta Aquilae remain unknown. However we believe the GTI has been studying Shivan culture and technology at Jotunheim since the massacre at Ross 128. GTI Plans Reconnaissance also has evidence of a large-scale prototype construction involving Shivan technology, but no data regarding the configuration and capability of this vessel could be gathered. GTI Technology GTI forces have access to Shivan armaments as well as the systems created by its research and development branch, so be advised your foe will possess superior technology. You will have to fly smarter and fight harder to win this battle Command suspects the GTI may also have Shivan captives at Jotunheim for the purposes of biological research and the development of viral weapons. Hades Terran Command intercepted a GTI transmission and technical readout relating to a Jotunheim operation with the codename Project Hades. Cryptographers are in the process of deciphering the transmission, and engineers are analyzing the technical readout. Although we have nothing conclusive, we must act now. Our Mission The rogue Galactic Terran Intelligence group must be crushed. These traitors threaten the security of the GTA, the stability of the Terran- Vasudan Alliance, and our future victory over the Shivans. Report to your mission briefing, pilot. Briefing Reconnaissance has uncovered the location of GTI's primary base of operations, the Jotunheim. Details concerning the strength of the garrison remain sketchy. GTA will launch an immediate, all-out offensive and deploy reinforcements as soon as possible. Failure is not an option. The GTI conducts weapon research on the Jotunheim, so be prepared to engage exotic prototypes with unknown capabilities. Ships: Ulysses, Apollo, Valkyrie, Hercules, Athena, Medusa, Ursa P. Weapons: Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Banshee, S. Breaker, Leech S. Weapons: Mx-50, Disruptor, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Tsunami, Harbinger, Cluster Bombs, EMP Missile Recommended: Ursa (you heard me), 2 Prometheus, Hornet, 2 Harbingers Primary Objectives *Destroy GTI Installation *Destroy Unknown Vessel Directives Destroy Jotunheim Destroy Scald Destroy Hrid Destroy Bragi Destroy Unknown Destroy Indra Strategy This is probably the hardest mission in all of Freespace. You begin the mission with the Jotunheim and a few wings of fighters. Slowly move your way up (you're in an Ursa, right?), until you reach the Jotunheim. I would not recommend trying to dogfight in an Ursa. Go into the middle area of the Arcadia, where there is a hole in the middle. Lock on to something, and let your Harbingers rip. If you run out, reload and get some more. When the Jotunheim is at about 16%, a MASSIVE ship will jump in. Ignore it for now, and destroy the Jotunheim. Once the Jotunheim is down, you can focus your attention to the Unknown vessel, Hades. The Hades is the strongest ship in the game, next to the Lucifer. It is the Terran version of the Lucifer, for that matter. It takes literally FOREVER to kill (ever tried to get the Lucifer's hull to 0?), and you're faced with an unlimited respawning wing of Lokis. Sound fun? Fortunately, there's a trick. Not a good one, but it works... sorta. Firstly, you need to disable the Hades. Not too tough, two Harbingers should do it. Now, in the back of the Hades, it has these four big thins rise out of the back, as boosters. There is a "safe spot" near there, where turrets can't hit you and the AI is stupid enough to not "detect" you. The big arm reaches out of the Hades, and then it goes forward, as the booster. There is the place where the booster and the arm meets, it forms a backwards 7. You must go, as close as you can, to that junction. Here's a diagram for those who are lost (everyone). /| | Imaginary / | | Glow --> | | Booster | Stuff \ | | \|__________________________| \ \YOU<-----Hide here \ \ \ \ \ Arm \ \ \ \ \ \ \ If you did it right, the fighters will ignore you and you can shoot off Harbingers till the cows come home. Once the Hades is dead, run like hell because if you're killed in the explosion I guarantee you'll smash the computer so hard there won't be any computer left. Once the primary is true, return to base. CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING SILENT THREAT!!! ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ 6. Thanks to... Legal Junk You don't have to tell me! I know this is a cut and paste from my other walkthrough. It doesn't matter. Legal JUNK remember! If you want to see your name here, e-mail me and give me information about something that I have missed or challenged you to do. If you have any questions that are not covered in this walkthrough please feel free to e-mail me. If I add something because of you, your name will go here. I want to give credit to Volition, Parallax, and Interplay for making Descent Freespace. I also want to thank myself for writing this FAQ/Walkthrough. It was rigorous. I would also want to thank anyone who sent me information that I added to the FAQ. I mostly want to thank the fool who sold this game used to a store so that I could buy it for $6.00. Thanks to azstraph@yahoo.com being the first to tell me about the alternate missions. Thanks to Game FAQs for posting my guide and keeping my updates intact! Thanks to anyone who asks me if they can put this guide on their site. LEGAL JUNK This guide is Copyright 2001-2002 Chris Dodge. All rights reserved. If you want to use any of this document, you must ask me first. If I give you permission to use it on your site, make sure the document is kept in its original text. If you post this on your site without my permission or alter this document in any way, I have the power to sue you. So don't. DESCENT: FREESPACE THE GREAT WAR COPYRIGHT 1998 VOLITION INC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DESCENT: FREESPACE THE GREAT WAR AND INTERPLAY ARE TRADEMARKS OF INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PARALLAX IS A TRADEMARK OF PARALLAX SOFTWARE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This document Copyright 2001-2002 Chris Dodge. All rights reserved. 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