So, uh, Home of Light raided by Paranid.. close call!

[bloodtoes]

Hello. I'm pretty new to the game, just started playing about a week or so ago. I was running an escort mission that involved protecting a convoy as it made its way to Terracorp HQ in Home of Light. So I get there and start fighting a wave of enemies when I notice a massive stream of laserbullets firing from a very large ship toward one of the stations in that system. It was a Paranid ship of some sort (a Zeus? Odysseus? I was too confused to take note), actually a couple of them, beating the hell out of the system. They destroyed one of the factories then set to work on Terracorp HQ! They got it down to 10% structure before I jumped out, terrified. Much later on I returned to the system and things seemed to have settled down. Terracorp was still at 10% structure but had regenerated most of its shields, and the Paranid ships were gone.

So, I'm kind of curious.. how did this happen? Do the rival races go on war patrols, taking out stations like this? Could they have taken out Terracorp HQ? That would've kind of screwed me over, I think.. there are other sources for Jumpdrives and other stuff they sell there, but it's much further away from my home system of Argon Prime. Did my jumping out affect the result at all? Could my escort mission, or a stray shot fired while fending off that final wave have incited it?

It was pretty exciting, I must say.

[blackfire83]

Congrats. Catching sight of those kinds of inter-racial battles is a bit rare, though it seems to happen a bit early on in games. Yes, they could've destroyed the Terracorp HQ. It would respawn eventually, but it could've broken your plot if you had started it. I doubt anything you did contributed to the destruction or the salvation of Terracorp HQ, but who knows?

[bloodtoes]

It would respawn eventually

Well that eases my anxiety a bit. I haven't started any plot quests yet so I'm good there. *phew*

How about repairing that big ol' station.. something I should bother with or can meaningfully contribute to? The NPCs don't seem very interested in doing it. I can't imagine standing out there with my laser is a very good idea, I do want to actually play the game in the next week...

[LotharHP]

In my newest game, there is a massive Kha'ak invasion of Kingdom End only 5 hours in. I wonder if everything there is destroyed yet. Oh well, I don't like Boron ships anyway.

[Lethal_Sting]

Have a Paranid Odysseus escorted by 2 Deimos wrecking Elena's Fortune right now. Already destroyed a FATS.

[Neil Depledge]

@bloodtoes : note that escorting the convoy is the first Terracorp corporation 'plot' mission. If TC had gone down so would your chance of finishing those missions and getting the bonus ships. It's happend to me in previous games.

[bloodtoes]

@bloodtoes : note that escorting the convoy is the first Terracorp corporation 'plot' mission. If TC had gone down so would your chance of finishing those missions and getting the bonus ships. It's happend to me in previous games.

Hm, I don't think this was a plot mission. Don't those have a unique icon? This was just a random "combat" mission given by a freighter pilot I found in space a couple systems away. I have been asked about an escort out in, oh I forget what system.. in Boron territory I think, and the NPC/station had a blue book icon for it. I assumed that was how plot lines start.

[Bill Huntington]

Actually, Bloodtoes, this kind of inter race warfare happens all the time. There is a corridor from Paranid Prime to Home of Light and the Argon and Paranid go back and forth all along it. A new pilot can pick up battle debris (loot !!) if so inclined. Just stay in the same sector and watch.

Once I was had just gotten some well trained marines, and the Paranid were tearing up Light of Heart. They even got the SY. Then they started for the Equipment Dock, which was my second home. I was lucky and capped an Oddy. Then blew up a few Paranid M6s. Then finally !? an Argon fleet showed up. If I had known that the Eq Dk and SY would respawn, I probably would have just watched.

The Split and Boron are usually going at it from Queen's Harbour to Patriarch's. And others.

It can be quite a show, and as stated, some opportunities. Notice that none are red to you, so you should be safe enough.

[MarvinTheMartian]

Hm, I don't think this was a plot mission. Don't those have a unique icon?

They do but Neil was referring to corporation missions given out by the HQs which appear as normal missions but with the name of the corporation next to the contact's name in the comm list. If the HQ is destroyed while you're part way through the missions (i.e. before you get the grand prize after doing dozens of escort, assassinate etc. missions) the contact never offers more missions after the HQ rebuilds.

Anyway, I was doing a convoy escort for OTAS through Light of Heart when I noticed the equipment dock was missing, then noticed a Paranid armada laying waste to the shipyard too! This is 44 days into the game so it'll keep happening.

As said, these race incursions can provide a huge bounty early in one's game. Later on when you've started the hub plot you can have fun by bringing warring races closer together

[bloodtoes]

This is a super cool aspect of the game, it makes the X-Universe feel alive. Outstanding. Anyway thanks for the help everyone. I can't wait to see what other events transpire..

[AgamemnonArgon]

It's possible to say say there may be a few more surprises yet.

ROFL.....

[breytac]

Racial skirmishes happen all the time. You just have to be lucky enough to be there when they happen. I've seen the HoL skirmish only once, and as in your game, the Paranid were attempting to turn Terracorp HQ into space debris.

[quoick]

I had to intervene in one last night. A Boron amada lead by a Ray was tearing Contorted Dominion a new one. Unfortunately, I have a heap of marines training in the MO there pluse a Sirokos and Aquilo parked there. I was sitting there watching as the Ray blew that puppy up. I had only just saved as I realised that I had gone for close to an hour without saving (and had done a ton of stuff that I didn't particularly want to repeat in that time). I had to reload, quickly undock my ships and start the whole boarding process. I have to say, that Ray gave me the biggest haul of needed booty to date. 32 IBLs, 24 IPGs, jumpdrive, heaps of energy and some others (docking etc). The only way it could have been sweeter is if it had left the shields in there.

[LotharHP]

Butting in again about my own game (my first one). Seems I messed up a tad in my choices in (one of the plots) and now have a Xenon Q roaming about. It seemed content to fly around and blast local stations down to 20% shield before moving on, but now he has another Xenon Q buddy and some smaller Xenon ships. Not sure what will happen to those stations now! (but my guess is being blasted into small metal pieces)

I don't think my little M3 and poor skills are up to the task. I do have 110M credits amassed from my 40 LT & UTs, but I dunno whether to interrupt my plotline to go build a war fleet, or just let the Xenon cause havoc and clean them up later. Part of me is tempted to try to send in a fleet of like 300 M5's...

[XanII]

I had the exact moment in my early days in TC too. Almost word for word.

Enjoy theese, they are very rare. I never catch patrols nowadays unless i start stalking them. Better luck with Split vs. Boron in the new Boron colonies, seems to me there is always a huge battlegroup of M1,M2,M7 tearing up the Boron colonies there.

[blackfire83]

I have an Equipment Dock set up in Hatikvah's Faith as a piracy "Freeport". The Paranid and Split that I'm "at odds" with frequently send patrols through that sector. Several times in the past I had to intervene to protect that station. However, in the last couple of days (perhaps due to increased combat rank?), those patrols fly right on by my Equipment Dock. I think the Split and Paranid are afraid of me, after I've stolen/destroyed so many of their ships.

[rileym65]

In my newest game, there is a massive Kha'ak invasion of Kingdom End only 5 hours in. I wonder if everything there is destroyed yet. Oh well, I don't like Boron ships anyway.

That happened to me in my current playthrough as well, also in Kingdom End. I went up their to install a triplex scanner, just after I had undocked from the military outpost, a massive wave of Kha'ak ships came into the sector and leveled the place.

[XanII]

Enjoy that too. I just wish a vanilla khaak invasion would take place. Actualy installed a script to get khaak invasions. Well i got a little more than i bargained for but hey, gotta love the bugs...

[MarvinTheMartian]

Enjoy theese, they are very rare. I never catch patrols nowadays unless i start stalking them. Better luck with Split vs. Boron in the new Boron colonies, seems to me there is always a huge battlegroup of M1,M2,M7 tearing up the Boron colonies there.

Way back in the early days of my game I watched a Boron assault force in Thyn's Abyss on it's way out after harassing the locals, except ... they decided to exit via X472
A Ray and a couple of hydras went in. 1 hydra and 2 dozen barracudas came out shortly after bringing to mind a favourite quote from one of my top 10 favourite films:

Run Away!

[XanII]

Boron dont survive long in the Xenon sectors. seen a few Rays blow up there and tons of smaller ship getting slaughtered.