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This plot is only available to the Terran Commander and Aldrin Adventurer starting scenarios. The plot begins as soon as the Fight Rank of Professional (14) is reached under the condition that the player has the Race Rank of +1 (Local Councillor/Outer System Access) with the Terran/ATF.
Chapters
Special Assignment (confirmation needed?)
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Find the owner of the X-perimental Shuttle
The Kidnap Mahi Ma
Weaken the Argon and Boron war efforts
Obtain information about the Boron encryption algorithm
Find Information about the Unfocussed Jumpdrive
Find information about the Multifunctional ship equipment function
Special Assignment
Objective: Dock at the Military base Orbital Defence Station in The Moon
Time Limit: N/A
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Commentary: The player will eventually reach the needed fight rank through killing Xenon and Pirates or Fight missions. The fastest way to get the fight rank is to use salvaged missiles from the war sectors on Argon ships although this will also slowly reduce Boron Race Rank as well. As the Argon already hate the Terran Commander starting scenario there is no further Argon rep loss from fighting in the war sectors and the starting Katana can use Wraith Missiles that can easily take down single capital ships. Once reaching the needed requirements the player will be asked by Admiral Chianna Giorno to dock at the Military Base Orbital Defence Station in The Moon. Unlike X3:Terran Conflict where the ATF would open fire if the player lacked the correct system access the player can visit any Terran sector in X3: Albion Prelude as long as the Terrans/ATF are ≤-1 Race Rank. Once docked there will be several messages in the log book about stolen Terran technology (the stuff the player stole in the plots of X3: Terran Conflict) that needs to be retrieved along with the names and locations of agents that are on the case. Unfortunately the plot is linear so there is no choice as to which mission to do first.
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Find the owner of the X-perimental Shuttle
Objective: Dock at the Pirate Base in Brennan's Triumph
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Commentary: If the player is the Terran Commander starting scenario, getting out of the Terran sectors can be a challenge. The only two exits from the Terran sectors to the rest of the X-universe are via Omicron Lyrae which can easily have over 15 capital ships guarding it and over 20 M6s or going via the Xenon core sectors which may or may not also be painful depending on spawns. If trying to flee via Omicron Lyrae it is recommended to set all turrets to missile defence and reallocate one EMPC to the unoccupied turret. Take a large loop in each sector avoiding the 30km detection zone of hostile ships on the way to any waygates and actively shoot down any heavier missiles. The problem with the Katana however is it has a squint making it shoot to the sides of most small targets so it is not the easiest starting ship for direct combat (still has Wraith Missile compatibility). Alternatively buy a Valkyrie, max the Engine Tunings and fly to a safe sector before using the Jump Drive to get your M6 to a safer sector (Scale Plate Green or Sacred Relic) or trade in the Katana for a far faster Springblossom in Aldrin 1 (may regret that option later when you need a more durable ship).
If the Terran Commander starting scenario it might be advisable to get the Argon Neutral just to avoid all the RR Minotaurs from making life difficult. Fastest way to get Argon neutral is to kill the Xenon in Getsu Fune by the North Gate. Until the player is -4 3 Argon Race Rank there will be problems with RR ships jumping in to spoil the party so kill whatever Xenon ships possible and try later when the RR ships have left (always have spare jump fuel brought in the Boron sectors). Since Elena's Fortune has a military base, a lot of military patrols will come from it heading to other sectors including the mission Pirate Base right in the middle of the trade lanes of Brennan's Triumph! This means having a Docking Computer will be very useful to avoid getting killed by the constant heavy missile barrages the station is constantly under (if it was not invincible it would have died numerous times before docking). On entering Brennan's Triumph the player will see the blue plot mission icon over the Pirate Base. Comm the station and the player will be asked to dock after some dialog.
Once docked the agent Lt. Patricia Heywood gives a cryptic message which means Gunne's Crusade. Once in the sector there will be a Teladi Pirate/Playboy Wegoras Hoaeos Deridos VII joyriding in the X-perimental Shuttle. Hail the X-perimental Shuttle to see what he is willing to trade it for. After hailing the X-perimental Shuttle loses the bail prevention flag and can be bailed by attacking it. Else five friendly pirates can be hired for 15 million credits (fastest option) to make the pilot bail. Alternatively the player can complete the three Generic Delivery missions needed to trade for the X-perimental Shuttle. Forcing the pilot to bail has a repercussion after scanning the Headquarters later in the plot and the Generic Delivery missions, although time consuming, can be highly profitable. Like all pirates wanting a good time he needs 250x Space Fuel, 200x Space Weed and 100x SQUASH Mines. All are illegal goods in Commonwealth sectors except the Space Weed which is legal in Teladi space. It is advisable to build the necessary factories as those will pay off in the long term especially with the cash return per unit from all the delivery missions. Good sectors to build illegal goods complexes are Hatikvah's Faith and Savage Spur. Alternatively purchase the goods from various Pirate Bases and the Mixed Food Production Facilities in the Aldrin sectors. After completing the Generic Delivery missions or making the "punk" go for a space walk the X-perimental Shuttle will be in the hands of the player.
It is advisable to either use a TM/M7C/TL/M2 to carry the ship to Terran space or to give it a Jump Drive (can be brought nearby if not hostile to the Argon). The X-perimental Shuttle is like an Aamon Prototype in many ways so is no loss when it is handed over to the Saturn Research Station. After more dialog the player is tasked with contacting the Terran agent in Great Trench.
Kidnap Mahi Ma
Objective: Meet with Ensign Val Jorwan
Dock at Ore Mine M (beta?) in Great Trench
Deliver Argon M3
Enter the delivered Argon M3
Join Mahi Ma's convoy
Protect Mahi Ma
Destroy all the escort ships
Escort Mahi Ma to the extraction point
Time Limit: ?
Loss Conditions: failing to join Mahi Ma's escort after entering the M3
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Head to Great Trench where there will be a plot mission icon over one of the ore mines. Comm the station to talk to Ensign Val Jorwan and like before after some dialog (talk about a fanboy) the player will be asked to dock at the station. Seems the Terran Conflict is escalating and the Terrans are worried the Boron will join the war and ally with the Argon giving them access to the Xenon HUB which could tip the war against the Terrans. To prevent the Argons and Boron gaining access to the gate manipulating powers of the HUB, the Terrans plan on kidnapping the Boron scientist Mahi Ma (a declaration of war if ever there was one). To do this a Terran agent will pose as an Argon agent and join the escort of Mahi Ma with the plan of boarding the transport carrying Mahi Ma in MooKye's Revenge. Ensign Val Jorwan already has all the forged documents so all that is needed is an Argon ship for the agent to use.
The player is now tasked with delivering an Argon M3 to the ore mine. What is not mentioned is that the player will be the Terran agent joining the escort so obtaining a good M3+ is recommended. The Eclipse and Notus Hauler are probably the best ships for the task. If hostile to the Argon the player will need to force an NPC ship to bail (weapon dealers are probably the easiest option). If the player is neutral to the Argon the ship can just be purchased at an Argon Shipyard. Before docking the M3 at the ore mine in Great Trench it is recommended to fully equip it (PBGs recommended) and to stock up on as many Thunderbolt Missiles as possible (forget energy cells since those will not be needed for this mission). Once the ship is docked at the ore mine Ensign Val Jorwan finally informs the player that they will be the one to fly the M3. The player is then tasked with changing ship into the M3. The moment the player is onboard the M3 a timer for joining the escort begins. Failure to meet up with the escort in due time results in mission failure and an inability to continue the plot so only change ship when absolutely ready. It is advisable to establish an Advanced Satellite network between LooManckStrat's Legacy and Desecrated Skies if the player has not done so already to be able to observe any fleet movements through the sectors (doing this mission with a Boron or Argon Military fleet in the way makes the next part infinitely harder). Clearing the sectors of any pirate capital ships with a heavier ship is also recommended. As the next mission causes up to 48% Race Rank loss from +10 Boron Race Rank it is recommended that the player does missions for the Boron until at least 16% of +10 Race Rank to avoid the Boron going hostile on the player.
Once aboard the M3 the player is tasked with meeting up with Mahi Ma's escort in LooManckStrat's Legacy. Mahi Ma is in an Angel (TP) and is guarded by 2-3 Barracudas (M3) and 2-3 Skates (M3+). Comm the Skate with the plot mission icon and join the escort. If starting the mission was timed right there should be no or minimal hostile ships making it a task of just following Mahi Ma within 15km. Along the route to MooKye's Revenge there is some dialog (the Boron even offer to give the player some cake when they arrive at their final destination just to make the player feel guilty about the upcoming betrayal) however fall back near the gate to MooKye's Revenge as the Boron will turn hostile as soon as the sector is entered and going through the gate too close behind the TP will result in the escort fighters appearing behind the player ship giving them a clean shot for heavy shield damage.
In MooKye's Revenge the player will have the Boron set to enemy and the escort ships will attack the player ship. Lt. Heywood comes to help the player in an invincible Aamon Prototype however 5-10 more Boron M3+-M5 ships spawn 5km away from the player ship. To progress all escort ships need to be killed which is an easy task using a combination of PBGs (as fighting starts right near the gate most hostile ships already start in range and are clustered) and Thunderbolt Missiles (1-2 hit kill any M3 or lower ships). Once all escort ships are dead Ensign Val Jorwan uses a Transporter Device to get aboard the TP and gain control of it. The TP then heads to an extraction point in Desecrated Skies. Again if timed correctly there should be no Argon or Boron military ships to offer resistance. The TP is invincible so the player does not have to worry about it being killed. In Desecrated Skies the TP will head towards a Kyoto parked in the northeast of the sector which will jump out as soon as the TP is docked. The player is informed that Ensign Val Jorwan has received a promotion and is tasked with helping the player retrieve the Multifunctional Ship Equipment and the Boron have declared war on the Terrans (wonder why...). If Boron Race Rank was high enough at the start of the mission the Boron will still be friendly to the player despite having declared war. It is advisable to do missions to regain Boron Race Rank. Boron Megalodons and Threshers start appearing in war sectors more frequently but do not seem to participate in the fighting.
Weaken the Argon and Boron war efforts
Objective: Destroy the Argon Jump Beacon in Nyana's Hideout
Destroy the Argon Jump Beacon in Black Hole Sun
Destroy the Argon Jump Beacon in Interworlds
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: With the Boron joining the fun the player is tasked with weakening the Argon and boron war effort. Both races are using Jump Beacons (a stolen Terran technology) to keep their militaries supplied so the player has to destroy them. Jump Beacons only have 1MJ shielding and 1MJ hull so any long range missile can easily kill them or even ramming the player ship through them however as each Jump Beacon is worth 280,751,952 credits the Argon get understandable annoyed by such acts of petty vandalism costing a lot of Argon Race rank. Killing a Jump Beacon causes as much Race Rank loss as boarding an M1/M2/TL and can set the player down to +4 from +10 Race Rank. This means that if the player is friendly with the Argon there is a need to do numerous missions to max Race Rank before destroying each Jump Beacon to prevent the Argon going hostile. If already hostile to the Argon use a fast ship like a Springblossom or Spitfyre to fly in close kill the beacon and then jump out before any RR ships appear or snipe the beacons using a long range missile. After destroying the Jump Beacon in Nyana's Hideout one appears in Black Hole Sun which when destroyed creates a final one in Interworlds.
Obtain information about the Boron encryption algorithm
Alternatively purchase the goods from various Pirate Bases and the Mixed
Objective: Fly to: Faded Dreams
Scan Boron Pleco (TM)
Destroy Boron Pleco (TM)
Collect Data Storage Module
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: The Terrans want to find what the Boron know about the missing Multifunctional Ship Equipment technology so need to crack the encryption algorithm of the Boron scientists. They have identified transmissions between Argon scientists in Black Hole Sun and Faded Dreams and hope the Boron ship will have information in the database to help crack the encryption algorithm. Fly to Faded Dreams where the player will be tasked with scanning a Pleco (TM). Unable to remotely access the data the player is ordered to destroy the ship. As engaging will cause any docked fighters to also join in it is recommended to ram the TM to death if the Boron are friendly with the player. If hostile to the Boron use a Wraith Missile. On death the ship drops a Data Storage Module which needs to be picked up.
Find Information about the Unfocussed Jumpdrive
Objective: Meet with Captain Robert Pearle aboard the Orbital Defence Station in Heretics End
Dock at the Goner Temple in Elysium of Light
Access the Goner database
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Fly to the Orbital Defence Station in Heretics End and comm the station. If the Argon are friendly towards the player then this is an easy task. If the Argon are hostile follow the war reports and avoid entering the system when the Argon have invaded. After some dialog Captain Pearle gives the player an access code for the database in the Goner Temple in Elysium of Light. Head to the Goner Temple in Elysium of Light again this is easy if the Argon are not hostile otherwise use a fast ship with a Docking Computer. Once docked comm the station and talk to the database which will require a password reset. To reset the password the player needs to show they are a Goner by answering four questions. Giving the wrong answer sends the player back to the first question. For players that have not read the bulletin board in previous games the answers are:
Martinus Sandas
Truth About Earth Foundation
The Book of Truth
Cloudbase South West
After getting all questions right the data is downloaded.
Find information about the Multifunctional ship equipment function
Objective: Talk to: Lt. Kile Kellar in Ghinn's Escape
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary:
Objective: -
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary:
Alternatively purchase the goods from various Pirate Bases and the Mixed
Alternatively purchase the goods from various Pirate Bases and the Mixed Food Production Facilities in the Aldrin sectors.