| STAR SYSTEM | PLACES | PEOPLE |
|---|---|---|
| Karonus |
Hiathra Starbase Micon I Outpost |
Orellian, Cebok Robots, Sir Eld, Miners, Barnett |
| Gryphon | ConvecEast Mining | Omas, Old Miner |
| Arcturus |
Koth Carrier Micin II Mining |
Old Man Drak, Targon |
| Deneb |
Denebprime Starbase Ross Mining |
Princess, Duchess, Felsane Robot LUX, Dr. Farah |
| Nar'see | Lagrange Mining | Tyra (Cebok's sister) |
| Stiguere | Trochal Outpost | Omas' wife |
| Bassruti |
Bassruti Mining Free Guild Outpost |
Monster guarding NSB Gut, Cherisa, Omar |
| Zed | Micon IV Mining | Prof. Prosk |
RANDOM CHARACTERS: Robocrook, Ilricki, Wandering Spaceman, Veda the Ursellus, One-eyed Pirate, Merchant.
Your ship is really the "character" you'll develop, by equipping it with armament and other gear. Concentrate upon learning to fly the ship first, for which a joystick is essential.
Use the QUERY option to pick up messages and detect other spacecraft.
Firstly you must get yourself some decent weaponry. After docking at Hiathra go see Orellian, the Imperial Representative and take your Space Pilot's exam. The answers to this are:
If you don't have your Space Pilot's licence you can't buy any weapons, shields, etc which doesn't help matters.
Don't think about becoming a pirate or bounty hunter until you're armed to the teeth, naturally the most expensive laser is the best (the Particle Beam); they're very effective in cutting up Manchi and other baddies. Initially, buy the Sapphire.
Use the map to get through the Bassruti Mining Station. If you start wandering around the monster may sneak up and have you. It's a fairly thick monster and escape is impossible.
Talk to everyone on the base, especially VEDA (a green monster). If he sells you some CONTACT LENSES, buy them. Go to the room where CEBAK is (the girl who keeps talking about the greatest coin-op in the galaxy, HIVE!). Inspect the far right SPACE SUIT on the back wall and you should find a KEY CARD. When you have spoken to everyone, go and see the SHIP OUTFITTER. Buy 4 extra CARGO PODS off him. Then go to the Trader and buy 8 tons of either 1GB RAMS or SUPERCOMPUTERS. If they don't have any of these, don't buy anything.
Next go to the MICON I outpost. Sell the 1GB RAMS or SUPERCOMPUTERS and buy EXPLOSIVES or FORGED CREDITS. The important thing about smuggling CONTRABAND is to remember to have a different item in your last CARGO POD. That way you don't usually get caught. Go and see Sir Eld. He will ask you to do him a favour, so agree to do it. Go back to HIATHRA Starbase and deliver the Statuette to The Imperium Representatives. Sell the EXPLOSIVES or FORGED CREDITS but NOT SUPERCOMPUTERS or 1GB RAMS. Return to MICON I and talk to Sir Eld. He will give you some useful advice and give you a Stealth Box. Repeat this HIATHRA to MIACON I run until you have enough credits to buy a PARTICLE BEAM LASER. Now the fun begins!!
Here you must make a decision. Whether you will become a PIRATE or a BOUNTY HUNTER. Being a pirate means that you get more combat practice and get (most importantly) more money but this also means that every ship you come across will attack you. If you're a Bounty Hunter, at least the Merchant ships won't attack you.
The next item on the agenda is to get more ARMOUR. When you've got 500 of this and your REPUTE is FIERCE or higher, go and see DUCHESS AVENSTAR at DENEBPRIME STARBASE in the DENEB system. Talk to the STUDENT an Deneb who will tell you to go to NAR'SEE and say 'RAKBIT' to one of the ALIENS.
Do this and go back to Deneb and speak to the student. She will give you a MALIR ARTIFACT. Next go to the BASSRUTI system. Here go to the MINING STATION. You are advised to save your position before docking with the station as there are rather a few monsters running around the station with an unsociable tendency to tear you limb from limb.
When you have docked, go to the room directly down from the docking bay. A monster should enter here so be careful. You must try to get a table between the monster and yourself and then run through one of the doors. When you are sure that you have lost the monster, go to the room at the bottom left of the station (the one with the SAFE in it) and inspect the CABINET below it. You should find some NSBs. Now go back to the ship and fly to the ARCTURUS system and go to the MICON II MINING STATION. Go to the MADMAN in one of the corridors and talk to him. Select 'OTHER' and type 'NSB'. He will ask you the name of his mission, to which you should reply 'FERRET'. He will tell you to go and see GUT.
Go to the KOTH carrier and use the CARD on the LOCKED DOOR. Avoid the ALARM SQUARES and go and inspect one of the squares on the TOP WALL. You will find the TRANSMUTATION COIL as long as you have bought the CONTACT LENSES off VEDA.
Go back to the BASSRUTI system and soar through the vacuum to the FREE GUILD OUTPOST. Go to CHI-SHA and say you are a ROGUE. Select 'OTHER' and say 'LUX-23A'. Agree to help her and she will come on your ship as a repair droid. Go and see OMAR and demand to see GUT. He will tell you to go and destroy a TITAN first. This 'small' task is not too difficult as long as you have 500 ARMOUR and decent shields. When you have done this, go back and talk to GUT. Explain KOTH'S plot and he will tell you to go and see a BAAKILI FAR TRADER. Say to him 'MANCHI' and offer him the MALIR ARTIFACT. When you have received the information, go and see GUT again. He will tell you to go to TROCHAL to steal the CHIGONGER back.
First, go to the MICON IV MINING STATION in the ZED N27 system. Once at the station search behind the locked door until you find a PSIONIC SHIELD. Then, go to the TROCHAL OUTPOST in the SIGURE system and go to see VILANIE. She will ask you to remove the shield - DON'T! She will call the guards so quickly unlock the DOOR in her ROOM and inspect next to the EGG. Pick up the CHIGONGER and go back to GUT. Then go to ZED N27 and talk to PROFESSOR PROSK. Give him the TRANSMUTATION COIL and ask him for the NULL DAMPER. Explain about the EGG and enter in the CO-ORDINATES "GC 3409". Go to the NAVIGATION CONSOLE and set course for the MANCHI HOMEWORLD. Dock here, turn the disk over and look at the pretty pictures.
Forget playing Hive, which takes too long to make credits. For trading, outfit the ship with four cargo pods then load some cargo aboard. The best trade route is to/from Denebprime, Deneb and Free Trader's, Bassruti.
The cargo lists and prices change every 24 hours at each Station, generally fluctuating four to eight credits either way.
At Free Traders, buy forged CRs, Explosives and X-Rated Holos to sell at Denebprime. At Denebprime, buy Brandy, Exotic Pets, Videogames and Souvenirs to sell at Free Traders.
You can often get better prices on all items elsewhere, but these are the most efficient trade routes for making money in a hurry. To sell contraband, you need Forged Cargo Papers from Robocrook.
If planning a life of piracy, pick a Scow for your first target. Pack at least ten plasma torpedoes and three SM-1 and two Nova missiles. A particle beam laser is also handy. When firing missiles, be sure your opponent has an inactive counter measure and isn't in an elude manoeuvre.
As you make more credits invest in Turbo-thrusters, more shielding and a 75% ECM unit (By completing certain missions, you'll get more gear).
Robocrook appears randomly in bars across the quadrants. Keep offering cash, and he may sell you some useful items: Forged Cargo Papers, Keycards, the Ruby Cube. Other randomly appearing characters to seek out are Ilricki (for useful information on Black Hand and the Manchi), Wandering Spaceman, Veda the Ursellus (sells Amoebic Lenses), One-eyed Pirate, and the Merchant. Bartenders always have current information and tips, and you should talk to everyone you meet for more.
It's possible to steal from safes, but expect to pay a fine and get kicked off the base or planet if caught!
Most of these may be completed in any order, though a few require items from other missions. Each mission's starting point is noted after its name.
Talk to Sir Eld on Micon I, Karonus. He'll give you a Statuette to deliver to Orellian at Hiathra Starbase. Do so, saying it is not a bribe. Return to Eld, who'll give you some valuable information and a Stealth Box, which reduces the chances of detection by enemy ships.
This is obtained by answering multiple-choice questions when you meet Orellian on Hiathra, Karonus. Ask him for the CRC-07 Form, used to visit Koth Carrier.
Cebok tells you to find his sister on Lagrange for information on Hive. Then deliver the letter to Cebok for more tips.
See Felsane on Denebprime for a quest to find the Beam Lock, which makes it easier to target ships with your laser.
After meeting the Pirate in a bar and accepting the job, take the microchip to Chisa at Free Guild.
After finding Veda the Ursellus (who appears randomly in bars) and buying the Amoebic Lenses for 250 CR, head for the ISS Koth, Arcturus. Use a keycard to open the door to the restricted area, then go through and immediately go to the left (to avoid the hidden floor alarm). Examine the Power Generator in the back of the room and get the Transmutation Coil. Take it to Professor Prosk on Micon IV, ZED N27. Accept the Null Damper when offered.
Eventually you'll encounter a Droid named LUX 23A, who wants you to look for his Droid friend MAID. MAID is hiding at Free Trader's under the name of CHISHA. Mention LUX and she'll come with you as a Repair Droid. Return her to LUX, and you'll get no reward beyond a good conscience. Keep her and you've got a very valuable Repair Droid for your ship!
After fifteen to twenty cargo runs between Denebprime and Free Trader's, you should have enough credits to fully outfit your ship, assuming you've been adding equipment all along. You'll need at least 500 Armour, some missiles, good Shields and a Particle Beam. Before you can successfully communicate with Duchess Avenstar on Denebprime, you must prove yourself by killing a few Manchi in space. (Destroying Vultures will help. After doing so, she'll tell you about General Targon, AKA Rayson, and his mission's code name....MAKE A CAREFUL NOTE OF THIS!!)
Though you can find him here, Targon is insane and needs an injection of NSB before he can reveal anything to you. The NSB is at Bassruti Mining, guarded by a mutant monster. To get it, land at Bassruti, walk around the front of your ship to the left and down. Wait a few seconds by the southern door; the monster will be trying to get to you but will get trapped in a storage compartment. After a few more seconds, enter the door to your left. Go through the door to the lower left in the Generator Room. Keep going to the left, and you'll be in the Inner Office. Head straight for the filing cabinet in the corner and search it for the NSB. Retrace your path back to the ship. If this method fails, try again, but wait a little longer for the monster to get trapped. You have to be careful not to accidentally lure him out of the compartment. (Another way: lure the monster to the right side of the room, keeping the trash pile between him and yourself. Go through the southwest door, use the keycard on the south door, open the safe, get the NSB and return to your ship).
Now you can head for Micon II, Arcturus, and find Targon rambling around the halls. Talk to him and give him one credit. When you get an OTHER option, take it and enter NSB. Then you'll get another OTHER option, so type in the name of his mission that you should have noted earlier. He'll spill all he can before going nuts again. Take this information to the Duchess, who'll send you to find Droughton Gut, leader of the Scarlet Brotherhood at Free Trader's Outpost.
You'll need this item, which protects you from the powers of Vilinie, to complete the final mission. First talk to Omas in the back room on ConvecEast Mining Station, Gryphon. He'll ask you to rescue his wife from the Black Hand Cult. She's at the Meditation Room in Trochal, Sigure. After you talk to her, she'll tell you she's abandonded Omas. Return to him for the Shield.
Gut won't talk to you until you prove your allegiance to the Scarlet Brotherhood. To do so, attack a few Tankers or Scows, take their cargo to Free Trader's and talk to Omar. He'll grant permission to speak with Droughton. After doing so, he'll help you steal the Chi-Gonger (Manchi Egg) from Vilinie on Trochal.
Due to a diversion by the Scarlet Brotherhood, the guards will be in a state of confusion when you land. Go straight to Vilinie's room. When she stops and tells you to remove the Psionic Shield, DON'T. The guards won't respond to her summons. Go to the far right of the room and pick the lock on the door. Enter, take the Egg and get out of there!
After obtaining the Egg, return to Gut. He'll tell you to find a Baakili trader and ask him about the Manchi. The Baakili also require payment - some Dilithium Crystals from a trash pile outside the back door of the bar in the upper corner of Ross Mining Station, Deneb (keep searching until you find them). Keep searching bars until you meet Ichiki, then ask about Manchi and pay him with Gems. Write down the co-ordinates he gives you for the Manchi's home system, Ja-Karn. Return to Gut and tell him your findings. He'll direct you to Prosk, the mad scientist from Micon IV.
Prosk is working on the Warp Drive. When you tell him the situation this time, Prosk will warp you to the co-ordinates you give him; enter the ones from Ichiki. You've got to be heavily outfitted just to reach the Manchi homeworld. Plot a course for the planet, and SAVE the game frequently. This saves you the trouble of having to start all over from the far corner when you get blasted by a pack of Vultures. Once you reach the planet, land.