[X3AP] Slumbering RRF and other semi-unexpected events

[jlehtone]

Twisted Skies. Big place. One Gate. Remote station did request 'very easy' protection. Perfect.

I don't do these missions often. Only for Marine training and mostly in Harmony of Perpetuity, where nobody meddles.

Me in Dragon, with Cobra (3-star crew) and Ocelot waiting twelve o'clock high, let the show start. Pirates pour in. I did check the satellite feed of neighbour sector (Xenon Hub) to see if something is cooking. Did not notice a thing.

Pirates pour in. The 'very easy' means very easy: couple fighters, one M8 and two M7. The Bomber is first priority. Surprisingly, M8 pilot bails out. Possibly first time in my game.

The Carracks are quite routine. Pound, board, return team to Cobra and collect the Pirate Marines. Next. 1-2 skilled 'new recruits' from each. The 0-star team will find a new occupation soon: slave.

Neither Carrack did reach their target Station.


Mission guidance points to one more target. A Carrack. Blue. One that hasn't even beelined towards the Station. By the time I get to it, its turrets disturb some other Station. This M7 has a Firewall too, but my boys are lucky (or skilled).

Another unexpected bonus: four PALC unscathed. I hardly ever get equipment via boarding. All praise the almighty RNG. PALC in Carrack? Well, it is ok to collect random items.


Defend Station mission villains turning blue I have heard of. (Was it the peek into the staging sector that turns them?) That they forget their original plan was news to me.


Split sector. No RRF. Granted, Pirates failed to start proper mayhem, but there was time for Split to do something. If I jump to a Terran sector with two ships, they send their entire RRF fleet for me. Is the lack of response a property of Defend Station mission, or just matter of circumstances? (No RRF in Goner sector has plausible explanation.)

[RAVEN.myst]

Surprisingly, M8 pilot bails out. Possibly first time in my game.

Off-topic: a couple of hours ago, I had 4 or 5 M8s bail on me in the space of 5 minutes in X3TC (they were plot-generated Pirate Syndicate ships, though, and I'm pretty sure they tend to have lower morale.)


As for the rest: nice going there, and yes, some fairly anomalous-sounding behaviours... I've never found PALCs on boarded ships (but then again, I don't engage in all that much boarding these days...), but I've seen them drop from just about any killed M7 (probably with the exception of Terran ones, and probably also not from M7Cs and M7Ms) once combat rank is high enough... Since I've looted PALCs from dead Carracks, I guess it stands to reason that they may be found lying around on "liberated" ones.