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By saving up 50,000,000 Cr it is possible to take advantage of a massive 40% discount offered 3 times during later during the campaign to acquire the remaining software for high value software for the Albion Skunk. Although the last discount opportunity is offered towards the end of the campaign, amassing the funds now can give access to the software earlier.
The campaign requires the construction of an unique station to progress. This requires a certain amount of wares to complete which can be more easily acquired now than when they are needed. As this station is quite useful it is recommended to fully build it which will require considerably more wares. No Reinforced Metal Plating is required since 2,799 units will be provided which is more than enough for full construction.
In order for the previously mentioned station to operate efficiently it will need 2 bulk mining ships with approximately 32 Surface Miner Mk1 drone units to supply its raw material needs. The Sequana L mine ship is a good choice as it offers a good combination of capacity, speed and toughness. Although such ships could be boarded from factions like PMC they are such low value it is more convenient to buy them off one of the 2 L shipyards. It may be possible to use only 1 Sequana with a lot of Surface Miner Mk1/2 drone units however the cost of the drones likely exceeds the cost of another Sequana.
A Metallurgist Specialist can boost the production efficiency of the station. It is recommended to get one now since most work on PMC stations so will not be available for the rest of the campaign. Since specialists permanently crew NPC stations, their skills are already determined and saved. A tool like X Rebirth Builder 2.0 can be used to easily locate specialists of the highest skill in the entire universe after loading a recent save file. Specialist crew are infinite in availability but after hiring an individual it takes a very long time for a replacement to spawn.
It is a good idea to start by acquiring some more trade assets. SS Rahanas L trade ships are the easiest to board due to their low toughness and few weapon systems and are often found as part of random pirate raids against stations. After acquiring a capital ship crew and finding a suitable target start by dispatching the escorting fighters, seen as part of the targets squad on the zone map. Once the target is alone then begin stripping all surface elements off it, beginning with the Jump Tunnel Device. If the target is near a station it is recommended to encourage it to flee for >30km away for uninterrupted boarding before destroying the Matter/Antimatter Drive elements. Some targets may be prone to suicide stations, in which case they will not be boardable and another target is required. Once stripped of all surface elements then reduce its hull until the boarding resistance is ~10 below your boarding strength before starting the boarding operation. After boarding completes assign the capital ship crew to it and recall the Marine Officer. With each boarding made the average quality of the marines will improve increasing boarding strength, allowing for more powerful ships or ships at higher hull percentage to be boarded safely.
Boarding SS owned Rahanas and Titurel ships is the easiest and quickest way to expand your fleet.
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