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Escape Velocity Nova: Tutorial Side Missions

Barry Fletcher is a retired starship captain who takes the player on a tutorial that ends with the player ferrying him to the planet Dunroamin.

Head to Sol[]

Offer
As you wander around a spaceport for the first time as a fully fledged ship's captain, a weather-beaten man, in his early fifties by the look of him, comes over.

"You look a little lost, {G"m'boy" "lass"}," he drawls in a gravelly voice, "you look like I did when I had just taken my first flight as a ship captain. Mind you, that was nearly thirty years ago, but I never forgot that day. 'Tis a grand feeling being a captain of a starship, and that first landfall is something you'll never forget."

You smile and admit that you have indeed just made your maiden voyage, and he slaps you on the shoulder with a wide grin.

"Congratulations, {G"son" "m'dear"}," he says, shaking your hand with genuine regard before stepping back and looking at you with an almost calculating look on his face. "When I first made landfall, I remember running into a guy by the name of Gary, and he was just looking to settle down after plying the spaceways for a few decades. In exchange for passage he showed me the ropes, and how to get started in this crazy universe of ours.

"Well, I guess what comes around goes around," he smiles, nodding at you, "so I guess I'll make the same offer to you. What do you say?"

Briefing
"It'll be good to pass on some of the things I learned," he smiles, a distant look in his eyes, "and I think old Gary, bless his heart, will be smiling, wherever he is."

"Well," he continues after a short moment of reverie, "enough living in the past, it's the future we need to look at. Eventually I want to head over to Dunroamin in the Journey's End system, but I tell you what, let's head to Earth in the Sol system, and we'll take it from there.

"To do that," he explains with a warm smile, "just click the 'Okay' button below and then on the 'Leave' button in the main spaceport. Once you are back out in space, if you have kept the factory settings for your keys (if not, use the key settings you decided on), hit the 'M' key to bring up the map, and start plotting a course towards Sol (the system with the red arrow pointing at it). To help you out with this, I'll enter in the Sol coordinates from my pocket-comp.

"When you're ready," he concludes quietly, "accelerate out to a safe distance from the center of the system and hit the 'J' key to make the jump into hyperspace. Repeat this as often as you have to. If you find yourself in a system that doesn't link in a direction you want, just backtrack a little, and if you run out of energy, just land somewhere and refuel."

Refusal
"I guess that some things are best learned first hand," he grins knowingly before reaching out and shaking your hand again. "Well, regardless {G"m'boy" "m'dear"}, I wish you all the best in your travels. Somehow I get the feeling that you will do something that will shake the universe."

With a wink he heads off to find another ship.

Mission Log Entry
Head to Earth in the Sol system with Barry so that he can 'show you the ropes'.
Completion
As soon as you land, Barry gives you a hand to shut down your ship, telling stories about the times that he didn't complete his post-flight routine, and about all the troubles he had because of it.

"Well, maybe we should make a start," he mumbles, rubbing his chin. "How about we head over to the trade center (click on the 'Trade Center' button after you click the 'Okay' button below) and we'll begin your tutorial, I guess."

Trade between Earth and Port Kane[]

Offer
"This is the lifeblood of our civilization," drawls Barry as you walk around the warehouse. "It is here that most fortunes are made, and more than a few are lost. It's not very exciting, but it can be lucrative if you stick to it for long enough.

"You see," he explains in his gravelly voice, "some places have high prices for certain things, and others have low values for them. Different places have different values. You make money by buying low and selling high. Sometimes you can even buy medium and sell high, or buy low and sell medium, but, obviously, the profit margins will be lower. Over time you will start to identify trade runs.

"To give you a head start," he continues with a quiet dry smile, "I'll show you a couple of easy runs that should get you started, what do you say?"

Briefing
"Okay then," he drawls, "in the spirit of buying low and selling high, looking at the prices offered on Earth, you can see that the price of medical supplies is low. So a good start would be to buy as much of those as you could carry.

"Now normally," he explains, shrugging, "you would then look around for a while to find a place to sell the goods you have bought, but I just happen to know that Port Kane has a pretty high demand for medical supplies at the minute. So I reckon we should head there, and once there I'll show you how to make a little money on the way back. If you want to make a little money in the mean time, you could try buying some medical supplies."

Refusal
"I understand," Barry nods, smiling quietly, "you want to get out there and do this all on your own without some old fogey hanging off your back. Still, I'm holding you to the original agreement of a lift to Dunroamin in the Journey's End system."
Mission Log Entry
Travel to <RST> in the <RSY> system to learn more about trading.
Completion
After helping you through your post-flight routine, Barry points the way towards the Port Kane Trade Center.

"Let's head over there," he drawls quietly. "It'll be easier to explain what I need to from there."

Trade between Port Kane and New England[]

Offer
"Okay then," Barry drawls quietly, "first of all, if you bought any medical supplies at Earth, you would sell them here. Now obviously you would want to maximize your profits, so you always want to make a return journey that's profitable. Now, there is nothing on Port Kane that you can sell for much of a profit on Earth, however, you can make some money by buying the lowly priced equipment here and selling it on the planet of New England in the Wolf 359 System, which is just one jump away from the Sol system.

"What do you say," he grins slightly mischievously," we take a trip to New England?"

Briefing
"Okay then," he drawls with that dry smile of his, "help yourself to as much of the equipment as you can, and you can try selling it when you land on <RST>. However, make sure you sell off whatever medical supplies you bought on Earth first. Once you've done that, we'll probably head back to Earth where I'll show you some more stuff."
Refusal
"I understand," Barry nods, smiling quietly, "you want to get out there and do this all on your own without some old fogey hanging off your back. Still, I'm holding you to the original agreement of a lift to Dunroamin in the Journey's End system."
Mission Log Entry
Travel to <RST> in the <RSY> system to complete the trade route.
Completion
After watching approvingly as you go through your post-flight routine, Barry starts walking with you towards the New England Trade Center.

"Let's face it," he comments in his easy drawl, "you probably want to start learning about far more exciting stuff than moving commodities around, but let's get the nuts and bolts out of the way first."

Head Back to Earth[]

Offer
"Okay then," he says dismissively, "familiarize yourself with this place, and remember it. There will be times you will want to make some quick credits, so the trade route I just showed you will be useful to you, but it certainly isn't the only one. Also keep your eyes out for special items that are often bought and sold in various trade centers, and you'll see them listed below the bottom of the regular commodities. To those of us who have been around for a while, they're known as 'junks'. It's just a little lingo we use. Some of these junks can make you a fair bit of cash in a single trade, others are just novelty items. Keep an eye out for them, they can make you rich if you're a little lucky.

"Now then," he concludes with a lazy grin, "how about we head back to Earth and I can start you on some of the good stuff? What do you think?"

Refusal
"I understand," Barry nods, smiling quietly, "you want to get out there and do this all on your own without some old fogey hanging off your back. Still, I'm holding you to the original agreement of a lift to Dunroamin in the Journey's End system."
Mission Log Entry
Head back to <RST> in the <RSY> system to continue your tutorial.
Completion
After completing your post-flight routine, you and Barry head into the spaceport.

"Let's head over to the outfitters," he grins. "It's always good to have a look at some of the ways you can improve your ship."

Head to Rauther[]

Offer
"As you can see from the crowd," Barry smiles, indicating the many 'old-salts' wandering around perusing the various wares on offer, "this is almost a home away from home for most ship captains. The universe can be a harsh place, and anything that gives your ship an edge is a 'must have'.

"For starters," he continues, waving towards the outfits, "you should certainly consider buying a map of the local systems; knowing where you're going saves you a lot of hassles of back-tracking and stuffing around. Other outfits that are often 'must-haves' are the battery pack and the solar panels, as you can never have enough stored energy, and when you run out of energy, your solar panels quickly become a life-saver.

"Many pilots," he adds, indicating some software upgrades being hawked off to your left, "also find modifying their sensor software very helpful, especially the 'Gravimetric Sensors', 'IFF Decoder' and 'Auto Recharger' upgrades. The first allows you to gain a better picture of the size of ships around you, the second will show you whether or not surrounding ships, planets and stations are friendly towards you or not and the last means you don't have to remember to refuel, it automatically does it for you.

"As for the rest," he gestures dismissively, "have a look around and see what you like, and what you can afford. Be aware that the Federation government restricts a lot of outfits, either by requiring you to buy a license to get them, or by slapping a military ban on them.

"Incidentally," he finishes quietly, "don't think that this list of outfits is the be-all and end-all. Earth and the Kane Band do offer a fair range of services, but they certainly don't offer you everything. If you're willing, I could show you another planet that offers you a fair number of different outfits. What do you say?"

Briefing
"Well," he drawls quietly, "let's head over to <RST> in the <RSY> system, and have a look at what they have there. It's the home of the Rauther Power Industries corporation, and they specialize in all sorts of upgrades.

"Of course," Barry continues with a wry grin, "most of them will be way beyond your current price range, but they won't always be, and it never hurts to know what's out there.

"Just as a side note," Barry adds more seriously, "if you can't quite remember what it was you had to do at any time you're on a mission, if you haven't changed the configuration of your keyboard, just press the 'I' key to get a short reminder of your mission goals. You'll find the feature to be especially useful when you have a couple of missions on the go at once."

Refusal
"I understand," Barry nods, smiling quietly, "you want to get out there and do this all on your own without some old fogey hanging off your back. Still, I'm holding you to the original agreement of a lift to Dunroamin in the Journey's End system."
Mission Log Entry
Head over to <RST> in the <RSY> system to have a look at the different outfitting options.
Completion
You step out of your hatch after completing your post-flight routine, and you immediately start heading towards the outfitters, only stopping when Barry calls after you.

"You go on ahead young'un," he smiles warmly. "I've been here more times than I can count, and you're starting to get the idea. When you're finished looking and dreaming about all the upgrades they have here, I'll be in the bar. Meet me there."

You feel strangely lonely watching him as he walks towards the spaceport bar.

Shoot down Derelict[]

Offer
You walk into this establishment a little nervously and look around uncertainly until you spot Barry having a drink up the far end of the bar chatting to a man wearing dirty overalls.

"Hey there {G"m'boy" "lass"}," Barry greets you jovially after the other guy stands up and leaves, smiling and nodding at you as he passes. "How did things go in the outfitters?"

You shrug, trying to look casual, and Barry chuckles.

"You're getting the hang of this starship captain business pretty quickly," he smiles. "Well, this is the spaceport bar. There's one in just about every port throughout the universe. A lot of back-room business comes through here, and you'll find that a lot of people looking for a ship captain to help them out will tend to come here, so it isn't a bad idea to drop into one every time you land. You can also check up on the news, and if you want to hire an escort to boost your profits on trade runs, this is the place to be. If you're into gambling, you can do that too, but myself personally, I've never put much stock in it. Let's face it, if the establishment wasn't making money from the gambling setup they have, they wouldn't be trying to get people to put their money into it.

"Anyway," he concludes dryly, "I can't show you much more here. The more you visit, the more you'll learn. So instead of having you just ferrying me around the place, how about we get you into the combat stuff?"

Briefing
"Okay then," he grins broadly. "You might have noticed the guy I was talking to when you walked in? Well, he's a local scrap merchant. He buys ships that have been all but destroyed and pulls them apart and sells everything he can. I paid him to leave a small derelict Viper in orbit so you can use it as target practice.

"So why don't you head up there," he smiles, slapping you on the shoulder, "and have a bit of fun. Once again, if you haven't changed the configurations of your keys, the 'Space-bar' should be the key that fires your primary weapons. And do try to avoid hitting any other ships, even accidentally, as we really don't want to have to spend our time avoiding angry ships, and especially avoid hitting any Federation ships, as I can guarantee you that you probably won't survive long if you try to take them on.

"If you want to," he adds, grinning mischievously, "you could try boarding the disabled Viper in orbit. Just come to a full stop over the top of it, and, if you haven't change the configuration of your keypad, press the 'B' key to board it. I'm sure you'll figure out what to do from there...

"When you're done," he finishes, becoming more serious, "head down to <RST> in the <RSY> system, and I can almost guarantee you that we will see a little bit of serious combat action going on. Be prepared to keep out of the way."

Refusal
"I understand," Barry nods, smiling quietly, "you want to get out there and do this all on your own without some old fogey hanging off your back. Still, I'm holding you to the original agreement of a lift to Dunroamin in the Journey's End system."
Mission Log Entry
Destroy the derelict viper in the Rautherion system before heading down to <RST> in the <RSY> system to see some real combat action.
Dropping Cargo
Your ears are still ringing from the firepower you just witnessed on the way in.

"That's the reality of the front-lines between the Federation and the Auroran Empire," Barry grimaces. "It's been this bad or worse for as long as I've been travelling the spaceways. This is one of the systems where they clash. You see, south of this system you are in Auroran space, and they are a completely different people to us Federation folk. I don't completely buy into the propaganda you hear about them from the government, but they are definitely a savage race. They seem to delight in battle, and they seem to spend at least as much time fighting amongst themselves as they do fighting against us up here in the Federation. I personally haven't spent too much time in Auroran space, I didn't like the attitude I got from their 'warriors'. They treated me like I was a second-class citizen because I wasn't one of them. Still, if you deal fair with them, they seem to be prepared to deal fairly in return.

"Some distance to the east of the Kania system," he continues quietly, "you then have the Polaris. Don't know much about them, but then nobody does. They don't seem to want to mix with us, and they seem hell-bent on not allowing us to mix with them. And let's face it, when they are centuries ahead of us technologically, if they want to be left alone, then I'm all for leaving them alone, it saves everyone a whole bucket-load of hassles."

Completion
"To the north," he continues warningly, "things get a little unstable. You'll only meet pirates up there, although recently I've heard rumors that a new group has taken residence up there, but I have no idea who they are. While I'm on the subject of pirates, watch out for those damned Marauders. While most pirates are affiliated to the Associated Guild of Free Traders, the Marauders are beholden to no-one. They will attack you anywhere at any time. The only good thing about them is that they are disliked by just about everybody, including other pirates, so you'll rarely be without help when fighting them.

"Anyway," he grumbles, "enough of the geography and political lessons already. I've just about reached the end of my tether on how much information I can pass on to you. It won't be too long before you know as much as I can teach you and you're ready to head out on your own.

"Still," he asks quietly, "how about we drop in on the shipyard to get a look at what's on offer? Let's face it, ships can only be upgraded so far. After a while, every pilot wants to get ahold of a better and more capable ship. Before long you'll be dead sick of the ship you're currently flying around in, and when you do you'll want to drop into the shipyards to see what's available. Drop in and I'll explain some of it to you."

Return to Earth[]

Offer
"Well, this is the shipyard," comments Barry quietly. "It doesn't get as much foot-traffic as the outfitters, but most ship captains wish they could spend their money here more often.

"On the surface," he explains quietly, "it looks simple. If you want a better ship, you go and buy it, but it isn't always so straightforward. You see, ships aren't always available, what with shipping delays, and all that. So sometimes the ship you're looking for might not be around. And then you have the second-hand ships that other captains are trying to sell to you. Be very careful of any cheap second-hand ships, as they tend to be nowhere near as good as those that are brand new. Having said that, there are some very good second-hand deals out there, ships that due to careful maintenance, and clever upgrades, are far more capable than anything you would buy 'off the shelf' so to speak, so don't discount second-hand ships altogether.

"A good place to start," he comments a little tiredly, "is by upgrading from the Shuttle to the Heavy Shuttle. It's nearly as capable in space, and it carries more energy, which allows you to jump further, and also a fair bit more cargo and weapon space.

"Again," he continues off-handedly, "like the outfits, the Federation puts certain limits on the availability of various ships. Some require you get ahold of a license, others are only available with individual military approval. Regardless, before you buy any ship, make sure you check out all the information on every ship you are looking at before you make your decision."

Briefing
"With the shipyard out of the way," murmurs Barry in something of an undertone, "I only have one thing left to show you before I think you have it all under control, but I need to head back to Earth to pick up a few things before I head off to my final destination, so I'll get you to head over there, and we'll take it from there."
Mission Log Entry
Head back to <RST> with Barry so that he can pick up a few things and finish tutoring you.
Completion
Almost before you land you are going through your post-flight routine almost without thinking, and Barry nods approvingly.

"It's just about time for me to head off home," he says gruffly, "but I want to do it in a way that shows you how to get ahold of the most common missions around.

"I've been in contact with the relevant authorities, and I want you to check on the local Mission BBS, and it should be obvious what I'm talking about."

Ferry Barry to Dunroamin[]

Offer
To: <PN>

From: Barry Fletcher

As you know, I'm looking for passage to <RST> in the <RSY> system, and I thought I would do it in a way that would show you how the Mission BBS works.

Briefing
As soon as you accept Barry's mission, an audio clipping starts playing.

"I'm glad to see that you were prepared to take me on for one more journey," the recording says, and you can tell by the tone of his gravelly voice that he was smiling, "I thought you might be sick of me by now.

"Anyway," he continues more seriously, "I've pretty much passed on to you just about everything you need to survive. There's a whole lot more that you'll find out as you go, but I think I've given you enough to make sure you keep out of trouble.

"I'll see you back on board your ship for this one last hurrah."

Mission Log Entry
Take Barry to <RST> in the <RSY> system so that he can finally settle down.
Completion
After completing your post-flight routine you stand at your hatch to say your final good-bye to the man who has done so much for you.

"Ah, you're a good kid," he says gruffly, "and I think you'll grow into a fine ship's captain. Just try to stay out of too much trouble, and try to remember some of the things I've said. Maybe one day we'll meet again. Maybe one day when you're ready to give it all away, you'll meet some young up-and-comer who needs a bit of a helping hand.

"I wish you well {G"son" "lass"}," he says, trying not to show his emotion as he shakes your hand, "I'm sure you'll do fine."

...and with that he turns and leaves, soon disappearing into the spaceport, leaving you feeling a little lonely, but more than a little proud. After all, in the judgement of an experienced spacer you have now reached the stage where you are ready to take on the role of ship captain, all alone.

Still, you will miss the kind old man.

Take Barry to Dunroamin[]

Offer
Template:Nova desc 4630
Mission Log Entry
Take Barry to <RST> in the <RSY> system so that he can settle down.
Completion
"I wish you well {G"son" "lass"}," Barry says in his gravelly voice, "I'm sure you'll do fine."

...and with that he turns and leaves, soon disappearing into the spaceport, leaving you alone and ready to take on the universe.

Nova Civilians
Civilians Civilian Ships: Cargo Drone (v) (i) 2k as escort only, Shuttle (v) (i) 10k, Heavy Shuttle (v) (i) 17.5k, Viper (v) (i) 80k, Asteroid Miner (i) 150k, Terrapin (v) (i) 150k, Lightning (WG) (v) (i) 250k, Thunderhead (v) (i) 300k, Valkyrie (v) (i) 350k, Star Liner (v) (i) 500k, Starbridge (v) (i) 600k (Modified (v) (i) 750k), IDA Frigate (v) (i) 750k, Pegasus (v) (i) 2M, Leviathan (v) (i) 12M
Civilian OutfitsCivilian WeaponsFederation Licenses
Side Missions Cunjo HuntEscort BandGLi-Tech (Missions) • Launch ProbeSigma Shipyards (Main MissionsRepeatable Missions) • Temmin ShardTerraformingTutorialUnited Shipping (Main MissionsRepeatable Missions)
Other Missions DerelictsDuelsRevengePunishmentBlow Stuff Up
Bounty Hunters Bounty Hunters Storyline (Minor StorylineHeraan LinkRebel Link)
Wild Geese Wild Geese Storyline (PreambleIntro MissionsPath 1Path 2Heraan LinkAssociation Link)
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