Mission 03 - Inventorying

## 03 - Inventorying

The Praetor's forces reactivate shutdown drones and facilities at the Hathor-4 System.

## Battle Information

### Aftermath

Sylon Collective Victory* Sylon drones reactivated.
* Local Athrael presence eliminated.

## Belligerents

* Sylon Collective

* Athrael Theocracy

## Commanders

* Praetor (protagonist)

* Unknown Consultant

## Forces

* Spear fighter drones
* Twinblade patrol craft and Absorber support drones
* Caldron mine-layer craft and Gloom assault cruisers
* Automated defenses including Pillboxes, Aegises and Repair Stations
* Deactivated local Sylon station complex devoid of an Installation Prime
* Host Vessel

* Intruder strike craft and Lancet fighter drones
* Warpglider corvettes and Flanker Cruisers
* Clairvoyant support vessels
* Martyrprobe drones and Rector destroyers
* Defenses including Polaron Spheres

## Objectives

* Reactivate local drones and facilities.
* Secure the area and eliminate local Athrael forces.

* Destroy all Sylon forces.

## Casualties and losses

Substantial
Severe

## Involved Characters

* Praetor (protagonist)
* Cura

*Inventorying* is the third mission of Chapter 02 - Ascension in the Five Nations campaign.

## Setting

Arriving at the Hathor-4 System via warp shifting, Cura informed the Praetor of the system's background as the Sylon Collective's seventh central system, until an alliance between the Athrael Annaki Order and the United Federation had invaded and destroyed the local Sylus Core. Although the predecessor Praetor was also destroyed in this system, a percentage of it's forces (11.4%) could still be reactivated, but they'd need to be found before the Athraels could destroy them. Cura tasked the Praetor to destroy all local Athrael presence to secure the remaining drones.

## Spring Cleaning

The Praetor's forces approached a deactivated Sylon space complex, mostly devoid of forces and with few facilities left, while also reactivating a couple of Gloom assault cruisers which were on stand by as well. As Cura informed that the Athraels had become alerted to the newfound Sylon presence, the Praetor noticed the lack of an operational Installation Prime in the complex. Cura however, pointed to the Praetor that there was a functional Automation Plant that should be used to construct an Installator unit, which would deploy into the mentioned Installation Prime. The Praetor followed this advice to the letter, starting reconstruction efforts despite the interference of the local Athrael Theocracy forces.

Eventually, the Praetor would also encounter a deactivated Offensive Server which would allow the construction of further Glooms, that would become the linchpin of the assault against the local Athrael Starcity. The Praetor also applied Caldron mine-layer vessels to both defense and area denial, and assault.

The Praetor's forces gathered in enough numbers and firepower to eventually overpower the Theocracy's defenses and destroy the Starcity.

## Walkthrough

The player will start in command of the Host Vessel, a few Twinblades, a Caldron and a Hauler and the only direction to move is northward, to the rescuable Sylon base. Along the way, the player will also rescue a couple of Glooms which should be used for defense early in the mission. As the base facilities are rescued (particular attention should be given to a Pillbox and a couple of Support Centers at the leftmost southern entrance that can be easy to miss), the player will receive the objective to deploy an Installation Prime at the assigned area. This is done by building an Installator (the Sylon variant of the Federation's Kutuzov and the Athrael Gathering) at the Automation Plant, which the player will already have the resources and energy necessary to build it.

As the player establishes the Installation Prime, priority should be given to building Labors and mining Metal. The player will start with zero Labors, so there will be some delay and the player will have to defend against Athrael attacks for a while. The Athraels will be using Intruders and Warpgliders at first and then include Flankers and Lancets, so the frontal defenses will require barricaded Aegises as well as Twinblade groups to help intercept Lancets better than Pillboxes. The player should also, as soon as resources are able, to deploy a second Installation Prime close to the Helium-3 field northeast of the base to defend it with at least one Pillbox against fighters and to reduce the Hauler's travelling distance. As the player has access to Level 2 upgrades, two Transponders should be built as well as a Defensive Server to allow construction of Absorbers and Repair Stations for the ships and defenses.

The player will also receive the objective to find an Offensive Server to allow the construction of Glooms, which lies at the northeastern side of the map, but the way towards it is blocked by a blockade of Warpgliders, Flankers, Intruders and an Explorer, plus a Rector in Hard difficulty. The player should use the Host Vessel's Orbiters to take most of the fire, especially from the Flankers, as the Twinblades and Glooms shoot it down. This Offensive Server will also come with a Drone Facility, a couple of Support Centers and a Pillbox and Aegis to defend against Athrael attacks from a proxy outpost to the south of the Offensive Server's entrance, which the player should clear. The Offensive Server also gives access to a Metal and Tachyon asteroid field, so the player should deploy a Refinery and a third Installation Prime there, and both upgrades at the Offensive Server (Absorptive Plating and Gravimetric Impulse) should be researched as they will benefit both Glooms and Aegises. This Offensive Server cannot be replaced, so the player would do well to protect it.

The player should start assembling a large force to assault the main Athrael Starcity (base) to the southwest corner, particularly of Glooms - as their attacks ignore shields and attack armor directly, making them very useful against Flankers, Rectors and Polaron Spheres) - but a number of Twinblades is advised as the Athraels will deploy threatning numbers of Intruders and Lancets. The player can also construct Caldrons at the Automation Plant to both tank incoming damage and lay Leech Mines that can devastate, in enough numbers, the defending Athrael vessels, which can be surprisingly numerous. Tempting as it's regeneration ability can be, the player should leave the Host Vessel by the base, the repair duties performed by proxy Repair Stations. At least one Absorber will also do the player well for helping the Twinblade and Gloom's shields last longer. A force of over thirteen Glooms and some Twinblades should be enough to breach the enemy defenses, as well as a full swarm of Spears for fighter-to-fighter combat.

When attacking the base, the player should focus, especially with the Glooms, on the Athrael Havens and Cabals to prevent further reinforcements, as well as the spread out Polaron Spheres, which can be destroyed in a volley with enough Glooms. The Athrael base isn't spread out, so destroying it's structures shouldn't be an issue, but of numbers to do it.

When all Athrael production structures - Central Pyramid, Cabals and Havens - at the base to the southwest are destroyed, the mission ends in victory.