Operation: Condor

Combatants| Red Wood Industries (RWI) | * Warring Independent Factions
	+ IMBER Corporation
	+ Parallax Concepts
	+ Independent Contractors (INCON)
* IGC

Commanders| * Admiral Jack Roberts
* Captain Tobias Wells (early mission)

Strength| * 1 Defender-class Frigate MK.II Serenity-subtype
	+ RWI Serenity
* 1 Valkyrie-class Dropship
* 1 VH-121 Vulture-class Attack Helicopter
* Various Mining and Support craft
	+ IMBER vessels
	+ Parallax vessels
	+ INCON vessels
* IGC forces
	+ Unknown capital ship
	+ At least 9 Cepheus PX-1 "Kestrel" fighters
	+ IGC soldiers

Casualties| * All but 3 Serenity crew members
	+ Captain Wells
* 1 Valkyrie-class Dropship
* Several Support craft
* At least 9 IGC fighters
* Several IGC soldiers

**Operation: Condor** was the name of a diplomatic mission launched by Red Wood Industries (RWI) on October 5, 2733, approximately one month after the end of the Green Drone War. However, the mission went wrong and resulted in Admiral Jack Roberts of RWI being stranded on the planet Sobovis V with two other crewmen, hiding from the various hostile factions on the planet for several weeks.

## History

### Short Negotiations

A month after the Green Drone War's end, RWI began focusing on plans to rebuild and help planets affected by the war. One such plan involved reaching out to various independent factions and asking them to help fund repair efforts. The IMBER Corporation was one such faction that reached out to RWI, thus leading to Operation: Condor. On October 5, 2733, the RWI *Serenity*, a modified Defender-class Frigate MK.II, entered the Sobovis System and began orbiting the fifth planet. The ship's captain, Tobias Wells, attempted to make contact with representatives from IMBER, but no response was detected. Admiral Jack Roberts, the leader of the mission, expressed his doubts about IMBER's willingness to cooperate, and stated that he wished the meeting would take place in RWI territory, rather than IMBER's.

Suddenly, an unknown mid-sized starship appeared behind the *Serenity* and opened fire, damaging several thrusters and weapon emplacements. Roberts ordered the ship to move away from the planet, but the enemy warship attacked again, knocking out the FTL drive. At that, Captain Wells ordered Roberts to escape in the Valkyrie-class Dropship stored in the hangar bay along with Lieutenant Hamish Lovegrove, the ship's helm officer, and a few other personnel, while the *Serenity* drew the enemy away. Roberts agreed and departed as the *Serenity* fled. It hid out in a cavern in a nearby asteroid, where Captain Wells learned that the main reactor and long-range communications were also offline, meaning the Admiral's team was on their own for the time being.

### Crash-Landing

However, Roberts' dropship was attacked by two Cepheus PX-1 "Kestrel" fighters belonging to the independent faction "IGC", and crash-landed near a mountain range. Only Roberts, Lovegrove, and another officer, Lieutenant Nathan, survived. They quickly began salvaging the dropship and then made their way up a mountain, where they found an abandoned outpost. Over the next few weeks, the three men continued to hide out from the various warring factions around the planet, which included IMBER and its rival factions, Parallax Concepts and the Independent Contractors (INCON). The three factions were in some kind of conflict with one another, and continually exchanged threats and gunfire near the outpost, even outright attacking the RWI crewmen at times when they tried to sneakily take down their outposts for supplies. However, the three were able to survive and keep repairing the damage to their hideout, using other crashed ships and bases to salvage for parts and set up refineries, defensive turrets, and a few small support ships over time.

### Rescuing the Serenity

At some point in the following 2-3 weeks, the *Serenity* was found again by IGC, who were able to board and capture the ship. Captain Wells and most other crew members were killed, but a few were taken prisoner. Both the *Serenity* and the prisoners were held in an IGC base on Sobovis V. However, one prisoner, Ensign Timedoctor, secretly sent a distress signal using the *Serenity*'s beacon as a GPS point, which was detected by Admiral Roberts. He and the others set out to the base, where they encountered two scouting IGC fighters, which were shot down. The three then arrived at the IGC base, where they found Time as the sole surviving prisoner. They broke him out and made their way to the *Serenity*, which was still mostly intact, and used it to escape the base. They shot down multiple other IGC fighters and destroyed a transport on the ground before retreating back to the mountain outpost. However, they still did not know whether more RWI reinforcements were coming or not.