Description
Downunder Station launches a surprise attack into Delta Serpentis in an effort to draw pressure off of the GTC Victory, which is in danger of being destroyed by Shivan forces. The target, a Shivan supply depot.

Storyline:
Continuing the saga of "The Word Goes Out" (reviewed here), Downunder Station plans to relieve the pressure on the GTC Victory after the GTD Bastion is lost in Delta Serpentis. Alpha will participate in a strike on a Shivan supply depot and find that, sometimes, the Shivans do take prisoners.

The command briefing is excellently done, as it not only describes a reason for the mission but also ties neatly into the Great War campaign. The main briefing simply describes the attack on the cargo depot, with a good amount of movement shown onscreen. The new version of this file corrects a few nitpicky items: icon names and offscreen icons.

The storyline translates nicely into the mission where an unexpected "supply" is found on a Shivan transport. It is amusing to hear the pilots' reaction to the command to rescue and protect the "supply" as Shivan reinforcements begin to arrive. A nice touch.

Balance:
Well balanced. Ship selection is limited to the ships in the station at the time: Ulysses, Apollos, Hercules, and Athenas. There is a reasonable selection of missiles and cannons as well, just barely enough to outfit your team effectively in any combination of ships.

Shivans arrive in limited waves, but come at a steady pace. Attacking the cargo depot is easy, but the later waves will make it challenging. The mission isn't impossible if you follow orders, but the trigger happy can fail the mission by getting distracted.

Design:
The inflight messages in this mission are not only informative, but often times hysterically funny. My favorite is the comment about being expected to fight the Shivans with "sticks" when reinforcements are denied. The updated version of this mission contains even more sounds for your pleasure.

Most of the mission runs smoothly, and your wingmen will decimate the supply depot on the standard AI settings. Perhaps the only AI complaint I have is that a Shivan cap ship doesn't put up much of a fight. Then again, it does have an excellent fighter cover, so it isn't a major issue.

The current version of this mission corrects a major flaw by preventing Alpha from accidentally destroying the crucial "supplies." The transport is also further from the action, so you are more likely to hear all of the orders before dealing with the transport. This change prevents the mission from being broken if you accidentally destroy the "supplies." It's great to see this was corrected so soon after it was pointed out in our review.

I am glad to see this bug fixed, as it was otherwise well designed.

Gameplay:
Extremely enjoyable, especially now that it is no longer so difficult to rescue the critical "supplies." There are enough Shivan fighters to keep anyone busy, but not overwhelmed. The Shivan bombers provide a great threat that must be defeated. The suprise of the "supplies" was a nice trick, especially if you're not expecting it (and I'm no longer letting the cat out of the bag). Perhaps the only real gameplay complaint could be that the Shivan cargo depot is destroyed a little too quickly to join in the fun.

Other Thoughts:
This review has been updated and the strategy tips have been removed, since they're no longer necessary.

A final note: this mission is also contained in Silent Threat.