Mission 4

Mission 4 of Battle at Procyon's campaign involves Jim Hawkins attempting to find the missing ships of Admiral J. Nelson's fleet, which were blown of course by the same Solar Storm that crippled Hawkins' ships in Mission 3. While Hawkins is uniquely qualified for this job due to possessing Captain Grange's map scanner, the surge of the McCullough Current will only last for a few more hours. Mission 4 is non-linear, as the player may decide which order to rescue the ships in.

Characters[]

Captain Hawkins
Mr. Onyx
Vice Admiral Jeff Nelson
Penfold Tangent
Rachel Crickett
Spinel
Turnik
Rutiger Quray
Jeff Connar
Alexander Godfrey
Abraham Kempton
Morse Dolliver
Frances Mary
Pat McKelly
James Newcomb
Thomas Brinley
Olivia Flaversham
Crib Zibbinz

Details[]

***SPOILERS AHEAD FOR TREASURE PLANET: BATTLE AT PROCYON***

Briefing[]

Hawkins: 'Ahoy RLS Dauntless! What happened? Why aren't you up-current with the rest of the fleet?'

Nelson: 'Ahoy! This is Vice Admiral Nelson. We were hit by a solar storm! It blew half the fleet off the Etherium Current.'

Hawkins: 'I think we got caught in the same storm, Sir.'

Nelson: 'Really? You must be quite the sailor, Lieutenant Hawkins, if you made it through that storm in one piece. Our entire squadron was thrown out of the current and scattered across this forsaken quadrant. I've been organising rescue and recovery up to this point, but well, there are still a number of missing ships out there.'

Hawkins: 'But Sir, the Etherium surge is just about over. If we don't get back into the current soon, we'll never make it to the frontier in time to help fight the Ironclads.'

Nelson: 'I know, lad. But what choice do I have? I'll not leave my crews lost and in danger!'

Mr. Onyx: 'Sir, with our scanning map we're uniquely qualified to do this job.'

Hawkins: 'I know, but if we stay, we'll never get to help fight the Ironclads!'

Mr. Onyx: 'I mean no disrespect, Sir, but there is glory, and then there is duty.'

Hawkins: 'You're right... Admiral Nelson! You should move back into the current with the fleet. We have special tracking equipment aboard. We'll find the missing ships and make sure they all get back to Crescentia safely.'

Nelson: 'Are you sure, Lieutenant?'

Hawkins: 'Yes, Sir! We can do the job. I give you my word as an officer and a gentleman... we'll bring those crews home!'

Nelson: 'Very well, Captain Hawkins. Consider this a field promotion! I'll leave a Frigate and Tender here as a rally point for you while I take on the rest of the fleet. My navigator has marked the map with the last known positions of the missing ships. Well, good luck, Captain!'

Hawkins: 'Thank you, Admiral Nelson. And good hunting to you!'

Gathering the Lost[]

The player starts near the McCullough Current. After the mission briefing, Admiral Nelson will leave the Frigate, RLS Defiance, the Tender, RLS Nightingale and the Torpedo Boat, RLS Sleekshot, to act as a rally point for where the missing ships will be sent to after being rescued. There are five objectives, however the player may complete them in any order. These five objectives are:

- towing RLS Yorkshire from the Crown Isle,
- guiding RLS Swiftsure out of the Crow Nebula,
- helping RLS Manchester escort RLS Redoubt out of an Asteroid Belt,
- rescuing RLS Bachanalia from Pirates
- towing RLS Indomitable and RLS St. Christopher out of the pull of the Vanov Black Hole.

Saving Captain Tangent[]

North of the rally point is RLS Yorkshire, a Warsloop stranded on the beach of the Crown Isle after being blown off course by the solar storm. The player simply has to tow RLS Yorkshire off the beach to complete this objective. After freeing RLS Yorkshire, its captain, Penfold Tangent will thank Captain Hawkins, declining Hawkins' offer to escort them to the rally point.

A Compass that Doesn't Point North[]

East of the rally point is the last known location of the Cutter, RLS Swiftsure. While investigating, Mr. Onyx will note that there is no sign of the RLS Swiftsure near the Crow Nebula, Hawkins, noting that their map scanner cannot detect what is inside nebulae, infers that RLS Swiftsure must have entered the nebula. The player must then search for RLS Swiftsure within the nebula. When the player finds RLS Swiftsure, its captain, Rachel Crickett, will explain that they were blown into the nebula by the solar storm, which also destroyed their compass, making it difficult to find their way out. Hawkins then tells Crickett to follow his path, which will lead them out of the nebula. RLS Swiftsure will temporarily join the player's fleet for the remainder of this objective. When RLS Swiftsure moves far enough away from the nebula, it will leave the player's fleet and travel to the rally point on its own.

Asteroid Run[]

After travelling south of the rally point, Mr. Onyx will notice gunfire in a nearby asteroid belt. After investigating, Captain Hawkins will notice that the Cutter, RLS Manchester, is trying to tow the damaged Frigate, RLS Redoubt, out of the asteroid belt. Hawkins then orders his gunners to fire at incoming asteroids. When RLS Manchester and Redoubt reach the rally point, Redoubt's captain, Spinal will thank Hawkins.

Note: While the player is encouraged to fire any incoming asteroids and escort RLS Manchester and RLS Redoubt to the rally point, they will often escape the asteroid belt without the player's assistance.

The Great Tender Robbery[]

The Tender, RLS Bachanalia's last known location is north-east of the rally point. When travelling to this location, Mr. Onyx will notice that the Pirate Assault Cutter, Dark Night, is trying to tow the damaged RLS Bachanalia to its base in the direction of the Calyan Frontier. The player is then required to sink Dark Night. While the Assault Cutter is more heavily armed and armoured than the Warsloop, it moves slowly and does not try to evade fire, making it easy to hit. After travelling far enough, three Pirate Sloops will attack Hawkins' Squadron. After sinking Dark Night, the player is required to tow RLS Bachanalia to the rally point. The Sloops will pursue the player while this happens, provided they did not sink earlier. The Sloops will deploy Longboats when sank, granting the player additional Victory Points if they are recovered.

The Vanov Black Hole[]

Beyond the asteroid belt, further east, is the Vanov Black Hole. When approaching the Vanov Black Hole, Mr. Onyx will recommend caution and that they keep their distance. However, Hawkins decides to investigate, in case there are damaged ships in that area. On the eastern side of the black hole, Mr. Onyx will spot the Tender, RLS St. Christopher and the Man-o-War, RLS Indomitable, within the pull of the black hole. The player will then be required to two both ships out. A crew member on RLS Indomitable, Turnik, will thank Hawkins when rescued.

Epilogue[]

Hawkins: 'We did well today. We saved vessels and men the Navy needs more than ever. Unfortunately, we missed the surge in the McCullough Current and with it, any chance we had of joining the fight on the frontier. The Admiralty has dubbed these new raiders 'Ironclads'. Reports coming in say their thick, armoured hulls deflect all but the heaviest laserballs and their engines apparently don't use solar power, as no one has spotted sails on any of them. We don't even know if this is a new enemy or an old one who's developed some new weapons technology. Every attempt to capture an Ironclad has met with dismal failure. Even when the Navy has been able to concentrate their fire enough to disable one of these monsters, some sort of self-destruct mechanism activates and then nothing remains of the Ironclad or its crew that can tell us anything. And while all this goes on and battles are won and lost, my crew and I patrol the home territories. Mister Onyx has noticed my disappointment and takes great pains to remind me that 'They also serve who only stand and wait'. I know these tasks need doing, but that doesn't make me feel any better about being left behind while our friends and former classmates risk life and limb on the frontier.'

Ships[]

Hawkins[]

Warsloops[]

RLS Endurance

Torpedo Boats[]

RLS Comet

Imperial[]

Men-o-War[]

	RLS Dauntless
	RLS Indomitable

Frigates[]

	RLS Defiance
	RLS Venture
	RLS Reliant
	RLS Redoubt

Tenders[]

	RLS Nightingale
	RLS Bachanalia
	RLS St. Christopher

Fast Frigates[]

	RLS Star Shrike
	RLS Starfury

Cutters[]

	RLS Manchester
	RLS Swiftsure

Warsloops[]

RLS Yorkshire

Torpedo Boats[]

RLS Sleekshot

Longboats[]

	Lifeboat 1
	Longboat	2
	Longboat	3

Pirate[]

Assault Cutters[]

Dark Night

Sloops[]

	Falstaf
	Coin of Chance
	Ruthless Fortune

Geography[]

Mission 4 features a fairly large map, that the player is required to explore most of. The player starts east of the northern section of the McCullough Current, which is also where the rally point is located. Five areas on the map are marked, showing where the objectives are, these areas are: the Crown Isle to the north, the area before the Calyan Frontier to the north-east, the Crow Nebula to the east, the Asteroid Belt to the south and the Vanov Black Hole to the south-east. Throughout the course of the mission, the player will explore most of the map, except for the Calyan Frontier, a volcanic area which is rarely seen by players due to no objectives taking place there.

Trivia[]

Contrary to popular belief, Mission 4 does not feature the largest map in the game, Mission 3 does. However, due to the player being required to explore more of Mission 4's map, it seems larger.

Gallery[]

Battle at Procyon Levels