Mission 1 – Uncharted Territory A newly discovered wormhole opens the door to a new section of space. Is it safe on the other side?
Objectives:
Link up with Captain Blackwell in Tau Ceti
Scout Tau Ceti
Blackwell must survive
Captain Blackwell’s ship emerges from the wormhole into Terra. Your first orders are to select his ship.
Objective:
Select Blackwell’s ship
Click on Captain Blackwell’s ship with your mouse button to select the vessel. You can also band-select Captain Blackwell’s ship to complete the objective. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the ship order and statistics window. Captain Blackwell issues a new order: he wishes to explore the region.
Objective:
Issue a movement order to Captain Blackwell
With Captain Blackwell selected, manoeuvre his vessel toward the nearby planet. He informs you that reinforcements are on the way. Once the additional Corvettes enter through the wormhole, create a new battle group with Captain Blackwell’s vessel and the two Corvettes. Move them toward the planet and await further orders.
Captain Blackwell orders you to scout Tau Ceti for a wormhole. He mentions it may be found in the lower region of the sector. Select your battle group and move them toward the lower area of the map. Search the bottom middle and discover the new wormhole. As soon as you spot the wormhole, you receive a mission alert – hit the spacebar to immediately jump to the alert. You’ve found the wormhole.
Upon your arrival, the wormhole opens and the TNS Austin suddenly appears. Alien forces have heavily damaged the Austin. After a brief mayday and explanation, three alien Frigates appear from the wormhole and all three target the Austin.
Objective:
Destroy the alien vessels attacking the TNS Austin
Immediately order your battle group to attack the alien Frigates. You won’t be able to save the TNS Austin. It’s heavily damaged and can only sustain a few shots from the nearby Frigates. Destroy all three alien Frigates to complete the objective. Their explosions leave groups of ship debris. You can harvest these later for resources. You receive a transmission from Admiral Halsey with new orders to construct a forward base in Tau Ceti.
Objectives:
Secure the Tau Ceti system
Position a Fabricator in orbit around Tau Ceti Prime
A Fabricator and tow additional Corvettes jump in from Terra. Add these two Corvettes to your battle group. Select the Fabricator and move the vessel to the nearby planet, Tau Ceti Prime. As you approach, your receive instructions on using the Fabricator to construct a Headquarters around Tau Ceti Prime.
Objective:
Build a Headquarters
Select the Fabricator and select the build tab. There’s one visible icon – the Headquarters. Select the Headquarters and move your mouse over Tau Ceti Prime. You will spot several build-location possibilities for the Headquarters. Select one to start construction on you new HQ. Blackwell suggests exploring the remainder of the system while the HQ construction commences. Scout with a single Corvette and leave Blackwell and the remaining Corvettes below Tau Ceti Prime – alien vessels are on the way! Defeat the incoming alien ships.
Objective:
Build a Refinery
Select the Fabricator and select its build tab. Choose the Refinery icon. If you wish to bolster your planets defense, construct a second Fabricator at the Headquarters. Use the second Fabricator to build Laser Turrets on the right and lower-right side of your planet.
Objective:
Build a Marine Training Facility
Upon completion of the Refinery, use the Fabricator to construct a Marine Training Facility on the open section of Tau Ceti Prime.
Objective:
Build a Harvester
Time to start collecting resources. Select the Refinery and use its build tab to construct a Harvester. Continue to monitor the area below Tau Ceti Prime for further alien attacks.
Objectives:
Use Harvesters to collect Ore from Asteroids and Debris and Gas from Nebulas
Build a Light Shipyard
Blackwell offers further instructions once the Harvester has been built. Select the Harvester and gather any ship debris resources from around Tau Ceti Prime. Next, send the Harvester to the Asteroid Fields to the left of Tau Ceti Prime to gather Ore from the Asteroids. You can construct additional Harvesters if you wish to gather valuable resources more quickly. Use the Fabricator to construct a Light Shipyard in an empty slot around Tau Ceti Prime to complete the other objective.
TIP: Guard your Harvester with the Corvettes if you send the Harvester to the right side of the map. There are valuable Nebula resources there, but alien vessels lurk about and can destroy the Harvester quickly if left unprotected.
Objective:
Build six additional Corvettes
Select the Light Shipyard and queue six additional Corvettes for construction. As each Corvette appears, add the new vessel to your growing battle group. During construction, a large group of alien Frigates approaches from below Tau Ceti Prime. Target these alien Frigates and destroy them. Replace any destroyed Corvettes. Monitor the blue line under your Corvette’s health bar. If it’s low, your Corvette needs resupply. Send the Corvette near your HQ to resupply.
Objectives:
Retrieve the Andromeda's beacon and return it to HQ
Navigate through the wormhole into enemy space
You’re ordered to send a Harvester and a Corvette escort group into the wormhole to Alkaid that you discovered earlier in the level.
TIP: If you exhaust all your Command Points, use the Fabricator to build a Sensor Tower on an open slot around Tau Ceti Prime. You improve the sensors of the planet and your ships, and you also receive 10 additional Command Points.
Select your Corvette battle group and order them to escort and defend your Harvester. Move the Harvester to the wormhole that leads to Alkaid. Proceed through the wormhole. Once in Alkaid, note the flashing indicator below your entry position. That’s the Andromeda’s beacon. Move the Harvester toward the flashing indicator.
Objective:
Harvest the beacon
Once the Harvester reaches the beacon, harvest the device as you would any resource. Don’t explore too far beneath the beacon or you will trigger a large alien retaliation force.
Objective:
Escort the Harvester carrying the beacon back to HQ
After acquiring the beacon, select the Harvester and send it back through the wormhole to Tau Ceti. Continue to escort the Harvester as the vessel approaches Tau Ceti Prime.