Mission 01 - Operation Broad Jump

## 01 - Operation Broad Jump

The UFN Pacific arrives to an undiscovered land, and all the dangers dwelling it...

## Battle Information

### Location

EIRA Expeditionary Station, Hathor-4 System

### Aftermath

EIRA Relief Force Victory* EIRA Institute's missing expedition found and relieved.

## Belligerents

* EIRA Relief Force

* Unknown Aliens

## Commanders

* Anton Vargas
* Jacques Boyer

* Unknown

## Forces

* Orca corvettes
* Trinity-class frigate
* Joseon support vessel
* Pasteur support vessel
* UFN Pacific

* Basic Drone vessels, including Spears and Twinblades
* Assault Drones including Glooms, Caldrons and Arsons
* Automated defenses including Aegises and Pillboxes

## Objectives

* Reach and relief the missing EIRA expedition.

* Eliminate all enemy forces.

## Casualties and losses

Minimal
Minimal

## Involved Characters

* Anton Vargas
* Jacques Boyer

*Operation Broad Jump* is the first mission in Prelude - Calm Before the Storm in the Five Nations campaign. While, in the game order, this mission and the Prelude are unlocked by completing Chapter 01 - Hostile Visitors, chronologically this is the first mission of Five Nations.

## Setting

Following the conclusion of the Martian Independence War, with the United Federation victorious and Mars reintegrated, a discovery was found in the aftermath which was concealed from the public, that the now defunct Democracy of Mars (DEMA) had utilized an alien technology capable of opening an artificial Einsten-Rosen bridge, a wormhole, that made DEMA forces (especially it's leadership) capable of evading the choking Federation Navy blockades and scatter into the fringe regions beyond the Sol System, following the Battle of Phobos. The Federation was capable to acquire and secure the alien instrument before it was completely sabotaged by DEMA and, to study this technology, it founded the Extraterrestrial Intelligence Research Administration (EIRA).

Admiral Anton Vargas, a veteran of the DEMA war, was summoned to the Tereshkova Station where he was briefed by AIDA, a whole new advanced tactical and strategic Digital Advisor model developed by EIRA, which Vargas was now assigned to along with his ship, the UFN Pacific. Vargas and his crew would fall into command of the upcoming operation's Chief Operating Officer, Agent Jacques Boyer, until the operation was concluded with an official report.

Upon contacting Vargas (along with exposing some knowledge of his personal life, including a cadet daughter), Boyer elaborates Vargas on the background of the operation, depicting the discovery and capture of the alien technology used by DEMA and how the EIRA scientists managed to made it function months later, opening a wormhole. EIRA, since then, had been performing multiple test jumps to various systems which they identified odd interferences as potential extraterrestrial activity, but were all discovered to be barren, uninhabited worlds with a large gas giant producing radiation that was wrongly identified as a communication sign.

All except one. On the Hathor-4 System, EIRA had discovered ships and stations from a fully developed alien civilization. Before attempting contact, EIRA launched two expeditions to study and examine the alien species, of which the second were overdue their return by over two months. Fearing the worst, EIRA had assembled a third expedition with Vargas at the helm, which he quickly resumed it as a rescue expedition. The expedition would be launched at the following day.

## The Undiscovered Country

The UFN Pacific arrived at the Hathor-4 System with a small complement of escort vessels (Amongst them a Joseon support vessel), with the experimental AIDA informing of no apparent personnel loss or material damage to the relief force during the wormhole transit. AIDA had also located the EIRA expeditionary station and informed it could be easily reached through a local asteroid field.

> - "Boyer! Haven’t you just said that these aliens do not behave in a hostile manner? Well, it doesn’t seem to me that they have a welcoming attitude to us!"
> - "The intelligence service and the previous expeditions haven’t reported any atrocity. This conduct of behaviour is new."
>
> - Exchange between Anton Vargas and Jacques Boyer

As the fleet ventured further into the asteroid field, they eventually came into contact with a patrol force of the supposed alien vessels, of a clear sleek design. However, the vessels started firing at the approaching relief force, an apparently new conduct of behavior to both Vargas and Boyer, forcing them into defending themselves. Realizing what probably happened to the second EIRA expedition, Vargas ordered the relief force into the base and to return fire at any hostile alien vessels. The relief force eventually did come across some blockades of the aliens' supposed defenses, including some sort of artillery platform, as well as some manufacturing stations.

Eventually, the relief force, despite sustaining damage, did reach the EIRA Command Station, which was still standing despite the attacks.

## Walkthrough

The player starts commanding the UFN Pacific, four Orcas, a Trinity frigate, a Joseon and a Pasteur. The player should group the forces properly for a better micromanagement and then head eastward, with the Pacific taking point for it's large shield and hull count, eventually coming across a first patrol of Twinblades. The Joseon's EMP Missile ability can be useful here to minimize damage to the Pacific, as well as losses. The player should watch especially for the Pasteur, as it will be the sole source of repair and shield recharge throughout the mission.

During the mission, the purple Sylon player will be building Twinblades and sending them against the player from a facility on the northwest of the first encounter with the Sylons. Destroying this facility will stop the Twinblades being sent, but will offer no straight path to the EIRA facility, either. The player should head further north, where there will be an Aegis behind a couple of Support Centers. The player should use the Pacific's weapons to deplete shields and then move in the Orcas to quickly destroy the defenses. Moving further northward, they will come across a lone Plasmoid, and very soon a couple of Caldrons escorted by Spears which will pass close to it. The player, if timed correctly, can detonate this Plasmoid to assist in destroying the incoming enemy units, but should also have the Joseon in hand to neutralize the threats before they get out of hand.

Further north the player should find a couple of defending Pillboxes. The player should use the Trinity's drones to distract the Pillboxes as the Pacific and the Orcas move in to attack. Eventually the player should come across a stellar cloud, which, on the other side, there is a guarding Arson (as well as a couple of Glooms on Hard difficulty). The player can use the Joseon's Camouflage ability coupled with activating the UFN Pacific's warp drive to rapidly cross the stellar cloud and move past the defenders to the EIRA station. The Pacific can also use the Recall ability after reaching safety to teleport the rest of the friendly units afterwards and towards the EIRA station. Note that, shortly after arriving to the perimeter of the station, the player will be attacked on Hard from a spawned wave of Spears and Twinblades to the north. Also note that using the Pacific's warp drive will deprive it of shields, and thus will be vulnerable to enemy fire.

When the player brings the UFN Pacific to the EIRA Command Station, the mission is finished.

## Notes

This is the sole micromanagement mission, aside from *Congregation* in Chapter 03 - Cataclysm, on which an enemy base is actively working and producing units to send against the player, something that does not happen on *The Bargain* in Chapter 01 - Hostile Visitors or *False Flag* in Chapter 02 - Ascension.

There is a notorious error from the AIDA dialogue at the beginning of the mission in which she declares the system as 'Hathor-2', when the correct denomination is the Hathor-4 System.