ArcElite missions

Notes for Mission 1: The Genesis Mission

When you have more than 550 kills and more than 1200CR you are requested by GalFam to go to Razaar (GalFam headquarters, check the Data on System). Here they tell you to pick up a Genesis capsule from Ordima (a tricky journey). At Ordima you are told that GalFam fell short on the payment for the capsule and are deducted 150CR. The Genesis capsule is placed in your hold and is the last object to be jettisoned if a jettison is requested - which means that you have to either empty your cargo hold (probably at a loss, unless you've been huntin' and scoopin') or ditch your cargo before saving Xeaan.

From Ordima you travel to Xeaan ("A hopeless starving planet" on the system information screen) where you drop the capsule from a very low height directly toward the planet. Xeaan is now "A starving planet with a glimmer of hope" on the system information screen. Awww.

Along the way you get chit chat from other people...

"If you're going to trade with Xeaan, forget it, it's on its way out"

"Slave Traders : we are no longer prepared to accept specimens from Xeaan"

"I hear you are helping Xeaan with GalFam, nice one!"

And so on.

The mission fails if: You destroy the capsule; you fire it at the wrong planet; you fire it in the wrong direction; you fire it from too high. Note on firing height: "Too high" is considered to be any height above the planet where you're not in clear danger of failing shields and being broadsided by the planet. It can be tricky to get the height correct, and I advise making use of the save facility while docked.

Reward: 500CR, as they are a poor planet.

Notes for Mission 2: Zartid III Mission

When you have more than 1450 kills and 4000CR you are told about Zartid III. He is running plans to the Thargoids and must be destroyed. He runs under the cover of a respectable MTA (Member of the TriAlliance) but has been found out. He travels with a five-ship Mamba convoy and can call lots of extra Mambas to his rescue if you take too long in killing him.

You are told to go to a planet (planet 116, whichever galaxy you are in), where you receive a message saying he has just left that station. If you fly out of the space station zone and jump around you will find him. He travels in a winged non-convex object and has five Mambas with him. They instantly attack you. If you take a long time over this, more Mambas are created.

Zartid has very powerful shields and it takes a lots hits to kill him, to enhance the battle; so, if Zartid's shields are low, he will turn and run, but will fire out of his back window if you chase him. If he gets away, his shields are regenerated the next time you meet him and he has another convoy. This can turn out to be a really good battle.

If Zartid runs into you or you him, then you die as his shields are much larger.

If you dock more than 15 times whilst trying to kill Zartid, Zartid is deemed to have succeeded with his mission and you receive a failure message.

There is also chit-chat along the way as you dock.

Reward: Yaw boosters.

Notes for Mission 3: Zurid Pino Mission

Upon reaching 2600 kills you are told that a top secret ship has been stolen by the son of a pirate you have killed (Rantan Pino's son Zurid, see. You can read a story based around this in Jason Togneri's ArcElite story, Vendetta)

This ship is a red-and-brown coloured Cobra III, with large shields, a Misloc system (this has no real effect, but is slightly justified by giving him 8 missiles) and a cloaking device (he is not plotted on the scanner).

This is a tricky one as the authors have tried to make it so that he looks as though he's hunting you down. This is achieved by sending lots of thru-space messages from him, such as "I'm on your tail", and so forth. You receive another message at the slightly curious stage of reaching 2650 kills and a planet number which MOD 5 is 1, this is just to make it appear random, but fixed. The message says he's just been here causing havoc.

You hear more chit-chat along the way and finally you will meet him in any system with a government type less than 3 (Multi-Government and below). The fight scene is pretty much as in the Zartid one except his ship is more manouverable. He runs on low shields but will fire hods of missiles at you from his rear view as he runs. It is quite a difficult kill.

Reward: Galcop just give you a Misloc system for being good.

All mission text:

"Commander, a pirate has just stolen Lance & Ferman's new MisLoc system and stealth device. ¤¤He left a note at our research centre implying that you were responsible for killing Rantan Pino, his father. Commander Pino was a ruthless pirate from the old school. His son is equally menacing and is out for revenge. Be on your guard at all times."

"Commander, a strange looking ship has just left, flown by a fiery young man. He was ranting about a Cobra with markings similar to yours. He is very bad tempered and we threw him out of the station for kicking young Groigans around. Take care my friend!"

"I am on your tail Commander. Z. Pino"

"Commander, the end is nigh. Z. Pino"

"Revenge is sweet. Z. Pino"

"My father was a good man. You will pay. Z. Pino"

"Killer, your death will come soon. Z. Pino"

"Your death will be painful. Z. Pino"

"I am saving one MisLoc missile for you, <COMMANDER>. Z. Pino"

"I have just had <COMMANDER> inscribed on all my missiles. Z. Pino"

"My aim is your pain. Z. Pino"

"My friends tell me everything. I'll know where you're going. Z. Pino"

"I am one hyperspace away. Z. Pino"

"Nice one Commander! Zurid Pino was becoming a pain with that new fangled stealth thingy. Our policy is to reward worthy pilots with goods rather than money. Here's a MisLoc. GalCop"

Notes for Mission 4: The Medicine Mission

This mission is designed to be quite late on, there is no CAD involved and is as such purely a text mission. Upon killing 4600 ships, being less than fugitive, being at a planet number MOD 3=1, you are given the mission request.

The idea is that the Groigans carry a disease and you have to get the constituent parts of a cure together. The twist is that it has been split up and sent to several planets. You are not told where they all are at first and have to piece together a sort of search tree. The problem is when Paredon (a very volatile substance) is stored in the hold with any other Zeenogenic compound (the others) then it becomes unstable, but not uncontrollable. If you can avoid conflict, or more to the point, if you can avoid letting your shields become critical and jolting the ship, then you can store any you like.

If you are shot to the point that you are only on energy banks then the compound may be considered to be jolted, which starts a reaction in the hold. This reaction is signified by a message next to the compund in the hold (REACTING) which is displayed on your cargo minifest screen, and a message and siren saying 'THERMAL REACTION IN HOLD!' (as per Energy low). The cabin temperature increases and there is nothing you can do about it. You die! Actually there is one solution which works; if at any point you use your escape capsule, you can escape, losing all of your cargo but retaining the compounds. Hyperspacing also sometimes damps the reaction enough for you to recover, but beware of hyperspacing into a war zone or Thargoid-infested Witchspace locations.

Anyway, the problem is this: as we do not know by this late stage which galaxy they may be in, the mission must be assigned by planet number alone. The mission takes place at planets 170-174. This could be spread anywhere in the Galaxy, but what the hell else were they going to do with their time anyway? One of these planets is the dropping off point.

Reward: Innoculation! and 2000CR.

The planets are Zadiqu, Beored, Orria, Vebereti, and the mixing station is Vereinat.