Description
A pair of Vasudan freighters have been attacked and are stranded in a remote asteroid field. Alpha and Kappa wings have been deployed to assist the GVCv Amenemhet in a recovery operation, but the situation looks precarious. Somewhere in the system lurks an NTF force . . .

Storyline:
The storyline to this mission involves a battle with the NTF after the destruction of the main fleet and the collapsing of the Capella jump nodes. Thankfully, this is explained. The briefing and debrief are well done with no noticeable spelling errors. Alpha wingÂ’s icon doesnÂ’t match their Erinyes fighters, and some debriefing sections are repeated for no apparent reason. The mission is a little light on messages, but they do enough. It would have been nice to hear chatter about the NTF by your wingmen.

Balance:
The loadout for this mission is far too varied and powerful, but thatÂ’s mainly because the default loadout for this mission is dual Kaysers, Tornados and Harpoons! However, you will need the firepower as the NTF arrive in force. This mission is almost impossible unless you equip yourself with some Trebuchets, which are tops at taking out beam turrets. If you do this itÂ’s much easier. Shooting down bombs is another essential task. The first part of the mission is by far the hardest, as the Bannockburn doesnÂ’t last long at all.

Design:
Design for this mission is above average at least. Ships arrive and depart at appropriate times and all of the directives work properly, even if they do have the wrong text. Waypoints are also used and beam weapons are all activated. There are a couple of things wrong with the mission (such as a message appearing reporting the destruction of both cruisers when only one is down). ThereÂ’s not much background, but the asteroid field offsets this somewhat. Overall though, design is pretty solid.

Gameplay:
Gameplay in this mission is standard defence really – shooting down bombs and taking out capital ship beam weapons is the major component. It’s still reasonable fun though. You will have to watch out for NTF fighters going for the Omicron transport, but they don’t pose a severe threat. One nice touch is that the author provided a readme with future plans and a walkthrough in it, which might be useful if you’re stuck.

Other Thoughts:
The author intends to make a revision of this mission based on any feedback he receives, and to add voice to the messages. I’d like to see some more ‘ambient’ messages in there too.