Walkthrough

Microsoft Game Studios - Freelancer

PC cjm’s walkthrough and guide, Version 1.0, Copyright 2004

Tips

• All mounted weapons are numbered; you can fire a single weapon by pressing the corresponding number key. If you have multiple missile launchers of different types mounted (for example, a homing missile and an EMP missile), you probably don’t want to fire them both, which pressing the ‘fire missile’ key would do. So, make sure you mount your missile launchers in the lowest numbered ports, which you can easily reach from the directional keys. I also find it easier to launch a torpedo in the middle of a fight by pressing its number key, rather than holding 'shift’ and pressing ‘Q’, which is rather cumbersome.
• If you don’t want to fire all your weapons when you press the right mouse button (for example, if you need to conserve power and don’t want to fire your shield disrupter weapons after an enemy’s shields are down) then you can activate and deactivate weapons simply by clicking on the weapon’s name in the HUD in the lower right of the screen. By default, all gun type weapons are activated, and all missiles, mines, etc. are deactivated. You can fire any weapon, activated or deactivated, by pressing its number key.
• The afterburner is vital. Not only can a sudden and drastic burst of speed save your life in a dogfight, or be of great assistance in tailing a tricky enemy, but its very handy when you need to travel, say, from one trade lane to another and don’t want to activate your cruise engines. I’d recommend buying the best one as soon as you can afford it, it will burn for far longer without needing to recharge.
• The ‘kill engine’ feature can be very helpful when you’re mobbed by enemies too powerful for you. Use your afterburner to reach maximum speed, then press the ‘kill engine’ key. Your engines will die, and you will continue to fly forward in a straight line at a very slowly diminishing speed; you can face backwards and fire at pursuers while still fleeing. You can still use your afterburner while the engines are cut if you need to change direction or regain speed. This feature also comes in handy when you’re attacking a stationary target, such as a battleship or shield generator. After you make your bombing run on the target, cut your engines, turn, and continue firing as you regain enough distance to attack again. Of course, you won’t be able to dodge incoming fire very well while moving in a straight line. To re-engage your engine, just press the ‘kill engine’ key again.
• To tractor in a single item of loot, select the item in the HUD in the lower left corner of the screen and press the electricity-type icon above it.
• I’m not going to go into detail on the best ships, shields, weapons, etc. here (maybe in another guide). Just to let you know, though, my preference is an Eagle Very Heavy Fighter, with one homing missile and one EMP missile mounted, both the best I can find; and on the remaining hardpoints, the best laser cannons I can find with a refire rate of 8.33.

Default Controls

• Flight

  
  

  • Ship movement -- Hold left mouse and drag (toggle automatic mouse control with spacebar)
  • Accelerate -- ‘W’ or mouse wheel forward
  • Decelerate -- ‘S’ or mouse wheel backward
  • Afterburner -- ‘Tab’
  • Strafe Left -- ‘A’
  • Strafe Right -- ‘D’
  • Brake and Reverse -- ‘X’
  • Kill Engine -- ‘Z’
  • Activate/Deactivate Cruise Engine --Hold ‘Shift’, press ‘W’
    
• HUD/Windows
  • Pause Game -- ‘F1’
  • Minimize HUD -- ‘Backspace’
  • Trade Request (Multiplayer) -- ‘U’
  • Group Invite (Multiplayer) -- ‘I’
  • Turret View -- ‘H’
  • Rear View -- Hold ‘V’
  • Toggle 1st/3rd Person View -- Hold ‘Control’, press ‘V’
• Combat/Targeting
  • Select Object -- Left-click
  • Target Closest Enemy -- ‘R’
  • Next Target -- ‘T’
  • Fire All Active Weapons -- Right-click
  • Fire All Missiles -- ‘Q’
  • Fire Torpedo -- Hold ‘Shift’, press ‘Q’
  • Drop Mine -- ‘E’
  • Drop Countermeasure -- ‘C’
  • Tractor all loot in range -- ‘B’
  • Activate Shield Batteries -- ‘F’
  • Activate Nanobots -- ‘G’
    
• Autopilot Maneuvers
  • Dock -- ‘F3’
  • Go To -- ‘F2’
  • Join Formation -- ‘F4’
  • Return to Manual Flight -- ‘ESC’

Mission 01

• Manhattan, New York
  When you first start a new game, you will watch a several-minute movie, then will be told to look for a job in the bar. Another movie will play when you do. Now talk to Jun’ko Zane and watch another movie. She’ll tell you to meet you in the equipment room, where (guess what) another movie will play. Accept the mission she offers you, it’s your only option right now. She’ll provide you with a ship as a sign-on bonus. Of course, it’s the crummiest ship in the entire Sirius Sector, but it’ll have to do for now. Juni will now order you to launch to space. You don’t have enough credits to make any improvements to your ship, but you can afford to pick up a couple more shield batteries before you launch.
• Avenge the Donau
  After Michael King briefs in space you on the mission, you’ll see the Rheinland diplomat’s ship blown up by unidentified attackers. King directs you to help take them out. Finally, some action! This is basically a tutorial; you’ve got plenty of allies, and your enemies (apparently not thinking you worth bothering with) will concentrate on them and ignore you. Once all hostiles have been destroyed, tractor in the loot, fly to King’s waypoint on his order, and dock with the trade lane.
• Join the Convoy
  The convoy you are to escort is awaiting you at the other end of the trade lane; enter formation with it, and you’ll automatically enter the correct trade lane. Halfway through it, it will be disrupted and you’ll come under attack by a group of pirates, none too tough, though. When you eliminate all of them, you’ll pick up an incoming second wave of pirates on your scanner, and King will order you to reenter formation with the convoy and run. If you stay behind and take on the pirates, he and the convoy will leave, telling you to meet them off Planet Pittsburgh. If you shoot down at least three of these new pirates, you’ll get a nice little bonus, in addition to your pay (but if you take too long about it, you’ll lose). Once you reach the planet, King directs you to dock.
• Pittsburgh, New York
  After your little chat with King, take his advice and check out the equipment dealer. I’d recommend exchanging your Class 1 Justice Mk I’s for the Class 2 Starbeam’s and add a Javelin missile launcher, with as much ammo as you can afford. Launch back to space once you’re ready, and enter formation with Epsilon 1 when ordered. Your search will be interrupted by a call for help from the nearby XT-19 prison ship, which is under attack. Break formation as you approach it, and engage the pirates. You’ll have to defeat two separate waves.
• Continue the Search Pattern
  You and King must now continue the search for the Rogue base alone. Head towards the waypoint, but you’ll be interrupted again, this time by Beta 4, a damaged police fighter tailed by Rogues. Help him fight them off.
• Beta 4 Reports
  Fly to Beta 4’s waypoint; you’ll be briefly attacked by Rogue fighters on the way. They’ll quickly flee into the particle cloud, which hides the Rogue base. Your job is to destroy the two weapons platforms to clear the way for the torpedo bombers. A few Javelin missiles apiece will take care of them. Defend yourselves against the many fighters while you await the torpedo run.
• Criminal Base Destroyed
  Once the base has been destroyed, clean up any remaining Rogue fighters, then head for the waypoint at Pittsburgh on King’s command. He’ll have to leave on the way. Juni will congratulate you, and tell you to keep yourself busy for a while.

You need to advance to level 3 before she’ll contact you again, and you advance by raising your net worth (basically, earning money and improving your equipment); in this case, to $15,936. The fastest way to earn money is to loot wrecks, if you can find them. Or, you can take missions from the job board or NPC’s at bars; or buy cargo cheap and sell it high at another planet or on another base; or mine asteroid and scrap metal fields; or hunt down pirates and sell their loot; or become a pirate yourself and prey on unsuspecting traders; or a combination of all of the above.

Mission 02

• Manhattan, New York
  After you level up, Juni will tell you to meet her and King in the bar on Manhattan. If you have eight or ten thousand credits, you should have plenty to trade in your ship for a better, the Patriot, and thoroughly outfit it. After Juni briefs you on your next mission, King will tell you to meet him in space. Make any purchases and repairs you need, then head to the launch pad. Another cutscene will play, then you’ll be able to launch.
• Outside Manhattan
  Dock with the trade lane to Fort Bush, then the one to the Colorado Jump Gate. After King’s exchange with the battleship Unity, take the jump gate to the Colorado System. In Colorado, King will order you to fly to his waypoint, near the trade lane, then to cut your engines and begin scanning passing ships to find the smuggler, Sean Ashcroft. Before long, the ship you’re awaiting appears (it’s the only one that shows up in the ‘important’ filter on your HUD, and it’s marked ‘unknown’). King notices it, and tells you to scan; once you do, he’ll order the pilot to surrender. The pilot doesn’t, until you’ve nearly destroyed his hull; but when he finally gives up, you find out he’s the wrong smuggler. Juni contacts you with the news that Ashcroft broke through the dragnet at Pueblo Station, and she’s lost contact with the station.
• Head to Pueblo Station
  Dock with the trade lane leading to Pueblo, and prepare for a fight. The station is under attack by a whole swarm of Rogue fighters, and their guns are stronger than those of the pirates you fought in New York.
• Hunt Down Ashcroft
  After you shoot down the last of the Rogue fighters, Pueblo Station will upload a waypoint marking one of the ships in Ashcroft’s convoy. Head there with King, into another nest of Rogues. Fortunately, backup arrives soon. After the pirates have been dispatched, King spots Ashcroft making a run for it; and tries to stop him; but his cruise disrupter misses. Fly to the waypoint marking Ashcroft’s course; he joins up with some buddies and turns to fight. Concentrate your fire on him, and tractor in his life-pod once you destroy his ship.
• Return Ashcroft
  Once you have Ashcroft safely in your hold, head for the New York jump gate King marks. He’ll share some interesting information on the way. Once you reach New York, dock with the trade lane back to Fort Bush, where you’ll be ambushed by some of Ashcroft’s gang. It won’t be too tough of a fight, though, with the assistance from the fort. Dock with the trade lane to the battleship Missouri once the coast is clear, then dock with the battleship. Juni will give you your reward, a bonus, and the access codes for the jump gates to the other Liberty systems (Texas and California). After that, you’re on your own until you reach level 5 (the net worth requirement is $58,307). You can now purchase the Liberty heavy fighter, the Defender, if you can afford it; it’s for sale on the Missouri.

Once you level up, Juni will tell you to meet her on Manhattan. A cutscene will play when you land of another conversation with Lonnigan, then a chat with the bartender. He’ll give you a message from Juni, to meet her on California Minor, in the California System. Before you leave New York, try to earn the credits to buy the Defender, if you haven’t already. If the Junkers don’t hate you, you can buy some good equipment from their Rochester Base directly north of Manhattan, near the north end of the border between Sector 3C and 3D.

Mission 03

• Cal. Minor, California
  A cutscene will play once you exit the jump gate in into the California system. Head to California Minor once it’s over for your meeting with Juni. Make any repairs and purchases necessary, then launch back to space. Dock with the trade lane to San Diego, then lead the way to the convoy on Juni’s order. Enter formation with one of the transports when you reach them.
• Entrance to the Barrera Passage
  Stay in formation as you reach the first and second buoys. You’ll be attacked as you reach the third buoy, make sure both transports survive with as little damage as possible. Several backup ships will arrive shortly. Reenter formation once the last of the pirates is destroyed. The rest of the trip will be uneventful; dock with Research Station Willard when you reach it. Launch back to space after repairing and reequipping, and head to Juni’s waypoint. Halfway there you’ll be attacked by three Rheinland fighters, of all things. Their weapons do quite a bit of damage, so dodge their fire as much as possible. Continue to the waypoint after shooting them down, and meet Juni and Walker in the bar on California Minor; launch back to space after talking with them. Fly to the waypoint marking the location of Walker’s cruisers.
• Respond to Station Willard
  Sounds like Station Willard’s in trouble; you’ll see just how much trouble once you reach the waypoint. Looks like a small Rheinland navy! Concentrate on the two gunboats, but dodge as much fire as possible. A few minutes into the fight, Walker will spot three bombers on his scanners; try to intercept them before they reach the cruisers. If any of the cruisers are destroyed, your reward for this mission will drop. Once the battle’s over, you’re on your own until you level up.

Mission 04

• Manhattan, New York
  Head back to Manhattan once Juni contacts you , but make any necessary purchases somewhere else first. A very interesting cutscene plays automatically once you land. Follow Juni back into space.
  
  Wow, things sure have changed since you landed. You’re hopelessly outnumbered by Liberty Navy pilots intent on blowing you to smithereens and there’s a battleship blocking your escape route! Stay alive and conserve your shield batteries and nanobots as much as you can. A few minutes later, King and Walker will show up and help you destroy the battleship. Dock with the West Point trade lane, fast; then immediately dock with the Ithaca Station trade lane. On Juni’s order, lead the way to her waypoint. Dock with Benford Station once you reach it.
• After Meeting Van Pelt
  Well, doesn’t look like the plan to hide out at Benford worked out. You will launch automatically after the cutscene; defend yourselves. In a few minutes, Benford Station will be blown up by a couple of cruisers. There’s nothing you can do to help Van Pelt, so run for the waypoint and dock with the Magellan Jump Gate.
  
  Head for the waypoint marking Freeport 4. You’ll be stopped by a swarm of bounty hunters after your heads. Before long, a group of Lane Hackers will jump into the fight on your side. Once you’re safe, they’ll escort you to Mactan Base, their secret hideout. Dock, repair, and rearm, then launch back to space. You’ll be attacked by several Rheinland fighters, but they’ll be a piece of cake with all your allies. Juni tells you to head for Leeds alone, and marks the jump hole with a waypoint. Fly for Planet Leeds once you’re in the system and meet with your old friend Tobias at the Leeds equipment dealer. He’ll tell you to buy a new ship to throw the bounty hunters off your tail and he’ll make a contribution of $25,000 credits! He says to go to New London, but there’s actually a better ship, the Crusader heavy fighter, available right here in Leeds -- from the battleship York, which orbits Planet Waterford in Sector 3E.

You’re now on your own until you reach level 9.

Mission 05

• Cambridge, Cambridge
  After you level up, Juni tells you to meet her in the bar on Planet Cambridge. After the cutscene, launch as soon as you’re ready, there’s a pretty tough fight ahead so make sure you’re well armed and equipped. Head to the Omega-3 System with Juni; take the trade lane to Freeport 1.
• Route to Sprague
  Fly towards the waypoint marking Planet Sprague. You’ll be attacked by four Rheinland fighters that mysteriously decloak above the planet; dock after you’ve shot them down.
• Flee from Sprague
  You’ll automatically launch back to space, into the middle of a Rheinland attack on the planet. Sinclair will upload a waypoint marking a secluded spot in the ice cloud where you can hide & run! Once you reach the waypoint, she’ll lead you to Baxter Research Station.
  
  You’ll be found within a few minutes, but you can repair and rearm your ship before launching. You’ll have to stand and fight this time, watch out for the gunboat. Once you’re in the clear, you’ll have to try to get back to Leeds. Sinclair marks the location of a jump hole to Cambridge.
  
  Head towards the trade lane once you reach Cambridge, but you won’t get far. A pair of Rheinland turncoats offers to lead you to a Leeds jump hole. Fly for the new waypoint.
• Route to Leeds
  As you approach the jump hole, you see that it’s guarded by a Rheinland battleship. The two defectors tell you to wait for them to cloak and make a torpedo run on it. After that, help clean up the Rheinland fighters; then dock with the jump hole. Fly for the trade lane to Planet Leeds, and dock with the planet once you reach it. OK, you’re free until you level up.
  
  Now Juni wants you to find somebody by the name of Dexter Hovis in the Dublin System, just follow the waypoints, and dock with his base, the old battleship Hood, when you reach it. Talk with Hovis in the bar; he’ll only give you information about Quintane if you beat him in a race, so agree, then launch.
• Hood, Dublin
  Activate your cruise engines immediately after the countdown ends. As long as you don’t miss any of the course rings, the next one you need to fly through will be marked with a waypoint, you should be fine. As you near the end of the race, Hovis will lose speed and fall behind, and the weapons platforms will open fire on you. Just ignore them; most of the shots will miss. If you lose the first race, Hovis will give you another chance; if you lose that one, you’ll have to reload your game. If you just can’t manage to get through the rings fast enough, you can buy the Cavalier light fighter, available on the Hood. It’s more manoeuvrable than your heavy fighter; but you’ll get into one whale of a fight soon, before you have a chance to buy another heavy fighter. Dock with the Hood after you’ve won.

Mission 06

• Hovis Lost
  Launch after you’re talk with Hovis; make sure your ship is well equipped. Follow the waypoints to Station Glorious. You’ll find it under attack by quite a few Rheinlanders, including a gunship. Help the station fight them off. Once the last of the fighters is down, you’ll be given permission to land.
• Quintane Found
  After Quintane agrees to come with you to meet Sinclair, repair and rearm your ship, then launch. You’ll be attacked by more Rheinlanders before you reach the jump hole. Quintane’s slow ship is vulnerable, so protect him from as much fire as possible, and concentrate on the gunboat. Fly to the waypoint when the coast is clear; fight your way through three more fighters, and jump back to the Leeds system. Take the trade lane to Planet Leeds, and land.

Mission 07

• Leeds, Leeds
  Apparently, it’s not safe for Quintane and Sinclair on Leeds anymore; you have to try to get them to the base of the mysterious ‘Colonel Kress’. Take my advise, and before you launch, buy as many shields batteries and nanobots as your ship allows, and plenty of ammo, you’re gonna need it.
  
  The two Rheinland agents will reappear and open fire in front of the trade lane; when you destroy one, the other flees. Dock with the trade lane.
• Escape from Leeds
  You’ll be attacked again as you pass Stokes Mining Station. Two of the Rheinland ships cloak and escape when their wingmen have been destroyed.
• Outside Stokes Mining Station
  Take the trade lane to the Tau-31 Jump Gate; it’s blocked by a cruiser and a whole bunch of fighters. Tobias and a few of his friends show up to help. Concentrate your fire on the cruiser, use torpedoes and mines, if you have them. Once it’s down, clean up the fighters, then jump to Tau-31. Take the trade lane to Holman Outpost, then fly for the trade lane to the Tau-29 gate. A battleship and lots of fighters decloak in front of it; don’t deactivate your cruise engines, just run for the trade lane and dock.
• Fleeing to Tau-23
  Head for Tobias’s waypoint, and dock with the trade lane. It’ll be disrupted halfway through; you and Tobias will have to occupy the two gunboats while the others escape. Shortly after you destroy the first one, Tobias will tell you that the others have escaped and that you two can follow them. Once you catch up, take the jump hole to Tau-29. Fly towards the waypoint marking Shinkaku Station.
• Shinkaku Station
  Dock with the station and repair and rearm your ship while Quintane talks to the bartender. Stock up again, there’s an even tougher fight ahead. The Sunfury 1’s are pretty nice, if you want to upgrade your guns. Launch when you’re ready, and fly towards the waypoint.
• Engage the Rheinland Fleet
  As you exit the asteroid field, a huge Rheinland fleet decloaks in the open area: battleships, cruisers, gunboats, fighters. At the same time, a friendly wing of fighters from Kress reaches you. They upload a waypoint for Sinclair and Quintane to escape, while the rest of you take on the fleet. Piece of cake! Concentrate on the capital ships first; dodge and weave, hover near their tails, and hit them with everything you’ve got. Hide in the edge of the asteroid field to let your shield regenerate if necessary.
  
  A tough fight, but very exciting. Fill your hold with H-Fuel from the gunboats to help cover your expenses, and head for the waypoint to meet back up with Quintane and Sinclair. Then, go to the Tau-23 jump hole and dock. In Tau-23, fly to Cali Base, and dock. Seems you’ve still got work to do, so launch when you’re ready. Head for the Kyushu jump hole; fly to the trade lane on the other side, and take it to Planet Kyushu. After a brief conversation with Lord Hakkera in the bar, you’ll be on your own again until you level up. By the way, you can buy the ‘Barracuda’, the bounty hunter heavy fighter, here on Kyushu; it’s a beauty, and the most agile of the heavy fighters.

Mission 08

• Shinagawa, New Tokyo
  Next, Juni wants you to meet her in the Shinagawa Station bar, in the New Tokyo system. She’ll introduce you to Lieutenant Ozu, who will help you recover the Proteus Tome if you help him and his fellow Blood Dragons eliminate Governor Tekagi, the traitor. After your discussion, ready your ship, and launch. A large stock of missiles, mines, and torpedoes will be very helpful on this mission.
  
  Follow the waypoints to the Honshu jump hole. On the other side, fly for the waypoint marking Tekagi’s transport. Blow up the two weapons platforms first, then the fighters. When the transport launches, enter formation with it and fly back into the nebula. You’ll be attacked by several tough Kusari fighters as you approach the jump hole; deal with them, then reenter formation with the transport. Take the jump hole to the Chugoku System when you reach it, the fly to Kyoto Base. Dock, and talk with Ozu. Apparently, Tekagi and the Tome got wind of your attack, and weren’t on the transport. You’re on your own until you level up while Ozu plans your next move.

Mission 09

• Kyoto, Chugoku
  Head back to Kyoto when Ozu contacts you. He’ll fill you in on his plan to assault Tekagi’s fortified base, a suicide mission, basically. Repair your ship, buy a bunch of torpedoes and mines, and launch. Head to the Tohoku System. Fly to Ryuku Base to pick up reinforcements; then, towards Tekagi’s Arch.
• Attacking Tekagi’s Fortress
  Before you reach the Arch, you’ll be attacked by an advance wing of Tekagi’s fighters. Continue to the arch once they’re destroyed. Your job is to destroy the four shield generators protecting the entrance to the arch with a battleship hovering over your head. Use missiles, mines, and torpedoes, as fast as you can. When the shield is down, select the Arch and dock.
• Return the Proteus Tome
  Wow , as Tekagi said, you are dealing with much more than you realized here. You’ll relaunch automatically; head for Hakkera’s waypoint. You’ll be intercepted by a swarm of Tekagi’s Rheinland and Kusari thugs, but Juni will arrive with reinforcements. Now’s your chance to avenge Ozu’s murder.
  
  When the fight is over, head for the jump hole. Hakkera will explain quite a bit during the flight. Head back to Kyoto Base once you’re in the Chugoku System.

Mission 10

• Kyoto, Chugoku
  After several conversations on the base, relaunch; your new mission is to rescue an Order agent by the name of Von Claussen from Rheinland itself.
  
  Take the jump hole to Sigma-13, then fly towards the waypoint. You’ll come under attack by a small Rheinland fleet on the way. Concentrate on the fighters; when they’re all down, Hakkera will order you to run for the jump hole. Dock with it to reach the New Berlin system. Take the trade lane to Planet New Berlin, and land.
  
  Apparently, Von Claussen’s not there. When you launch back to space, a friend of his will contact you and lead you to Planet Holstein, in the Frankfurt system, where he’s hiding out; just follow the waypoints. Land on the planet when you reach it, and speak with Von Claussen.
• After Meeting Von Claussen
  After you relaunch, Von Claussen will say something about unfinished business and tell you to accompany him to Bruchsal Base. It’s under heavy attack, so you’ll need to shoot down all the enemy fighters before docking.
  
  OK, so you, Von Claussen, and a wing of rebel fighters are going to try to destroy a secret Rheinland experimental shipyard. Move slowly through the minefield, following the waypoints exactly so your ship avoids as much damage as possible. The whole area is radioactive, so keep an eye on your hull integrity and use nanobots as necessary. Once you’re through the minefield, hit the nearest experimental battleship with everything you’ve got, and let the others engage the fighters. After the first battleship is destroyed, Van Claussen will order you to retreat, but Botzler will sacrifice himself to finish the job. Take the waypoints back through the minefield, and dock with the Hamburg jump hole.
• After the Experimental Ship Yard
  Once you reach the Hamburg System, you’ll be attacked by a massive Rheinland battleship. The mysterious battleship Osiris decloaks nearby, and engages it; Hakkera orders you to dock.
  
  Looks like the gang’s all here. You’ll learn a lot more of the plot in the following cutscenes. Quite a mission you’ve got now, only rescuing the president. Make sure your ship is well armed before launching. If you want, you can buy the ‘Anubis’, the Order heavy fighter, for only $1,100; it’s a little bit more powerful than the ‘Barracuda’, but not as agile.

Mission 11

• Osiris, Texas
  Launch, fly to the waypoint, and jump back to the New York System. You’ll be ambushed by a wing of Liberty navy fighters; once they’re down, fly to Buffalo Base.
• Buffalo Base
  After a quick chat on Buffalo with Marcus Walker, rearm your ship and launch. Take the jump hole to the other side of the New York system. Your goal is to destroy a nearby navy satellite, so the Osiris will be able to operate undetected in the New York system. When you reach the waypoint, ignore the satellite and weapons platforms at first; the navy fighters are armed with extremely powerful weapons that can drop your shields in just a few hits.
  
  After the satellite has been destroyed, head for the waypoint meet back up with Walker.
• Route to Zone 21
  Head straight for the waypoint, through a narrow passage through the minefield. As you reach the jump gate, you’ll be attacked by a large wave of fighters armed with the prototype guns. When they’re destroyed, a second wave will hit you, but within a few minutes, Juni will activate the gate, allowing you to escape through it.
  
  Dock with the prison station marked by the waypoint. Once the fireworks are over, relaunch to space with the president in tow.
• Flee from Prison
  Well, the Alaska System is a lot less deserted now, isn’t it Run for the jump gate, then turn to bay once you reach the waypoint. For the first time, you’ll be faced with Nomad fighters, the creators of those super-powerful weapons. Keep your distance from the two battleships blocking the jump gate; basically, your goal is to survive until Walker realizes the fight is hopeless and sacrifices himself to clear a path for you and the rest of the group to get the president to safety. As soon as the cutscene ends, dock with the jump gate.
  
  When you’re back in New York, activate your cruise engines and run for Buffalo Base, ignoring the incoming hostiles. You’ll be blocked again at the waypoint; again, survival will be much easier if you avoid the battleships. Within a few minutes, the Osiris will decloak nearby; dock with it, and hurry.

Mission 12

• Osiris, Omicron Beta
  This next job is another suicide mission, so arm your ship as heavily as possible. Your goal is to retrieve a Nomad power cell from an old Nomad base. Trust me, whatever Orillion says, it won’t be abandoned. And to top it all off, the rapidly destabilizing jump hole means you have a 10-minute time limit! Let’s go.
  
  Head for the waypoint marking the structure; you’ll be mobbed a minute later. Once you receive the order at the top of your screen, attack the nearest shield generator with everything you’ve got. You’ll have to blow up two more after that to drop the shield blocking the entrance to the structure. Once the shield’s down, fly to King’s waypoint at the top the structure, then fly down into it. Tractor in the power cell and keep going to the waypoint to exit the structure’s other side. Activate your cruise engines, and run for the jump hole.
• After Entering the Nomad Lair
  On the other side of the jump hole, you’ll have to destroy a sizeable Nomad fleet before you can continue; Van Claussen will turn up again to help out. Head for the waypoint marking Planet Toledo once the coast is clear, and dock.

Mission 13

• Toledo, Omicron Alpha
  Well, we’re nearing the climax, that’s for sure. You’ll have to hold off the attacking nomads while the Order evacuates Planet Toledo. After the battle has gone on for several minutes, a nomad battleship will decloak nearby. Destroy it, then attack the fighters again. Within a few minutes, another battleship will decloak, but before you can attack it, Orillion will order you to land on Toledo to pick up the artifact, which apparently is now ready for activation.
  
  You’ll relaunch automatically; immediately activate your cruise engines and head for the waypoint. If you’re quick enough, you should be out of range before the freighter carrying Quintane and Sinclair is destroyed.
• Land on Battleship Osiris
  Dock with the battleship once you reach it. Here it is: the final mission. Need I remind you to buy all the nanobots and shield batteries your ship can hold, and missiles, mines, and torpedoes by the dozen Torpedoes, especially, will be extremely useful.
  
  Relaunch, and head for the waypoint marking the entrance to the nomad world. A small nomad fleet decloaks as you reach it. Once it’s been destroyed, head through the alien jump gate.
  
  Fly towards the huge structure below; you’ll be mobbed by nomad fighters on the way, and the other wings will break formation and intercept. You and your wing must continue to the structure and destroy the four shield generators, while dodging fire from the turrets and stray fighters. Once the fourth generator is down, you'll be able to enter the structure (the entrance will be marked by a waypoint). A few moments after you enter, King will upload a waypoint marking the core; Orillion and most of the Order fighters will stay behind to keep off the nomads, while you, King, and Juni head for the core. You'll have to destroy two of the power generators to gain access to the base itself. After the second generator blows, the final cutscenes will activate. When they are over you'll be back where you started, a freelancer on Manhattan. Well, at least you've got a ship now and a whole galaxy to be explore, and a fortune to make in it!