Nuclear Operative

Congratulations! You have been chosen to be a member of [insert random organisation here]. You, brave agent, must move the nuclear weapon we've provided you with to the main station and activate it. Did we mention this was a suicide mission? No? Whoops!

Red Mean Syndicate Machine

You and your fellow operatives spawn on the Syndicate shuttle. Here, you have a load of gear to help you kill everyone. Noteworthy starting gear:

• A revolver and some ammunition
• A teleporter remote
• A poison pill
• An agent card
• Your very own uplink disguised as a station bounced radio.
• You are also implanted with a microbomb.

Now what?

Take off your helmet and body armor and put on one of the red spacesuits from the lockers. Also take a jetpack and breath mask, and make sure you turn on your jetpack's air supply. From another locker, you should get a pinpointer and turn it on. An arrow will appear on it, pointing in the general direction of the nuclear bomb. There's also a station bounced radio in your pocket that will let you request a limited selection of Syndicate gear to help you or your teammates.

You've also got a secure radio channel for speaking to your comrades. To use it, simply type:

• say :h I'm about to activate the nuke in security. Let's do this, boys!

Toys for big boys

In addition to the standard revolvers and red spacesuits, Syndicate operatives also have access to other free goodies:

• One set of command armor
• Several rocket launchers. Will absolutely ruin someone's day if used correctly. If you can see what you're shooting at, you're inside the blast zone.
• A fully-loaded Syndicate pod. It's heavily armored, seats 2, and can be upgraded with twin-linked shotgun cannons and the S.E.E.D. Can be locked with a 4 digit keycode.
• Two Syndicate miniputs. They seat one, are armored fairly well and can be equipped with the same upgrades. Can be locked with a 4 digit keycode.
• One pair of thermals
• A box of Syndicate donk pockets
• A box of flashbangs
• A crate of gas grenades. Filled with sarin gas and very lethal. Try not to let one go off in your hand or immediate vicinity. Sarin poisoning can be cured by an injection of atropine.
• Several breaching charges
• A PDA with a built-in Detomatrix cartridge
• A couple of fanny packs
• Miscellaneous supplies, such as insulated gloves and regular tools

The listening post

Grab the audio log in the bottom left corner of your shuttle. Play it. It will tell you where to move to nuke to. There's no need to rush, though! Teamplay is key in this game mode! Discuss the mission ahead with your comrades and come up with a solid plan before anybody heads out.

All set? To exit the shuttle, stand on the teleporter pad and use your teleporter remote. This will take you to the listening post. You return to the shuttle in the same way. The station is to the north-west of the listening post. Fly left until you're clear of the asteroids, and then fly north. This should take you close to escape wing.

The listening post is your only safe-zone on the station z-level. Only people with an agent card can access it. Make sure you have everything in order the way you like it before leaving. It has some spare clothing and supplies in case you forgot something on the shuttle, but there's no real weaponry to speak of there.

Don't leave the listening post without the teleporter remote and agent card, or you won't be able to get back in. Also bring a pinpointer for locating the nuke when necessary. The crew might steal the pod it's loaded in or the bomb itself, you never know!

Going in hot

Eliminate all hostiles and secure the target area. How you accomplish this is up to you and your team - a coordinated infiltration can work just as well as the Rambo approach. Either way, security and the crew in general will be all over your asses as soon as they hear about red spacesuits, so be quick and strike true. Work together with your allies, since a lone operative will be very hard-pressed to fend off an armed, angry mob for any period of time.

Trigger the nuke

Your side has the upper hand? Great! Now trigger the nuke:

• Load the nuke into one of your pods and drop it off near the station.
• Move the nuke to the designated area. If you haven't done so already, play the audio log on the Syndicate shuttle or use the notes command, which contains the same information.
• Click on the nuke with an empty hand to activate it. That will prompt a station-wide red alert, stating your exact location. Needless to say, stealth is no longer an option at this point.
• Defend the nuke for 5 long minutes. It's all or nothing!
• Gloat over the radio and vanish in a cloud of radioactive fire!

Sound Syndicate strategies

• All Syndicate pods come equipped with a hatch locking mechanism. Make use of it!
• Don't set a name on your agent card until you are already on the station. If you are spotted in your approach and the AI catches your fake name, your cover is busted and you don't get another chance to change it.
• Feeling unsubtle? Consider buying extra ammo for your revolver. You'll be glad you did!
• It is always a good idea to grab a donk pocket or two in case things go south. There's a whole box of them next to the microwave on your shuttle.
• Need more inventory space? If the fanny pack isn't sufficient to store all of your gear, consider stealth containers. They can hold as many items as a regular box, yet are small enough to fit in jumpsuit pockets. Remember to use drag and drop (its icon onto yourself) to quickly access the goodies inside!
• Riot storage lockers, located in the armory, contain handy shotguns and flashbangs. I bet you could access them from space somehow!
• Consider turning the AI to your side, if you have the time and ability to do so.
• Feel like going undercover? Consider ordering a voice changer, chameleon suit and DNA scrambler. Use the scrambler and make the agent card match your new identity. Try to keep a low profile. A greyshirt walking around with a jetpack and insulated gloves tends to catch the attention of any competent security officer.
• Consider where the best places to use the RPG might be. Suggested locations include the bridge, security, the cloner, and the AI.
• Beware of security or vigilantes in space suits or pods! They can really ruin your day.

Sound crew strategies

Please be aware of the special guidelines regarding Syndicate facilities.

• If possible, try to get into a group to increase your odds of fending off the Syndicates. Their guns aren't very useful if you have enough bodies to soak up the ammo!
• Watch out for suspicious behaviour or items. That greyshirt wearing insulated gloves and a gas mask might be an operative in disguise if they appear to be scouting the perimeter.
• Don't wear Syndicate clothing, like red space suits and tactical turtlenecks, as doing so will likely get you killed.
• Try everything in your power to destroy that nuke. Best case, the Syndicates should be unable to even get the bomb onto the main station - engage enemy pods on sight, as the nuke might be in one of their cargo holds.
• If the weapons has already been deployed, eliminate all redsuits defending it or at least drive them away. Get someone with screwdriver to loosen the bomb's floor bolts, which will trigger a motion alert and drop the countdown to 60 seconds. Move the nuke off the main z-level or destroy it (e.g. with the crusher) as soon as possible to avert certain death.
• The bomb can be destroyed by brute force alone, but it takes a lot of effort and high-powered gear (such as explosives or multiple laser guns) to do so.

Supplementary Video

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