Occurs around day 20 - 21.

NOTE: This mission requires you to fire a Tac-Nuke. The Police Moth and the Swallow cannot fire a Tac-Nuke or Big-Bob missile. You'll have to use another Moth.

This mission is the beginning of the end. You get a message from Psycho Bob with the subject *New Developments*. When you get to Bob's you find him barely alive. He tells you what's going on with the factions and aliens. He then asks for more Trigger and Matter. You get a *Reminder* message soon after leaving Bob's hangar. Now's time for the "Trigger Drop".

What triggers the next event is when you capture some Matter or Trigger with your drone. Bob's hoping you'll stir up a hornet's nest by killing gang transports to get more Trigger or Matter. You're smarter than that, though. You've got some in your hangar or will go out and buy some.

You only need one piece of either Trigger or Matter for the drop. Once you get your piece of Trigger or Matter you need to load it in your pod, fly out of your hangar and jettison it with your "J" key. Now target the Trigger or Matter you just jettisoned with the "Radar Range" function on your Navigational Menu and pick it back up with your drone. Picking up Trigger or Matter is what triggers the next event.

After your drone returns head straight to Psycho Bob's 1. You'll recieve a message from them en route. It's bad news. Bob has died. His lovely assisstant now takes over and fits a Tac Nuke to your ship. She instructs you to go into the Mines and into the tunnel leading to the Port Crater and blow away the blockage.

After you leave Bob's, immediately go somewhere to sell or drop off the Trigger or Matter in your pod. That's right, Bob's doesn't take it from you. I generally go back to my hangar and unload it as well as remove my pod and drone. This gives me extra speed which comes in handy throughout the rest of the game. You must fly the Moth with the Tac-Nuke fitted. I sometimes get an Afterburner fitted at a Breaker Maker. Get a Fusion Cell if you don't have one already.

Target the Abandoned Terminal from your saved messages. All of the messages with strange writing in them are from the Abandoned Terminal. Now take off and fly straight for the Mines and Port tunnel by the safest route for you.

When you get to the blockage in the tunnel, either target the blockage or the Abandoned Terminal and select the Tac-Nuke. Try not to "fire blind" without a target. The blockage will not be cleared. Be ready to run.

As the bomb uselessly explodes you'll recieve a message to get back to Bob's 1. Leave the tunnel and get to the Mines. Head immediately to Midway, Gamma, Downtown, and Bob's. There you'll get a message that they're going to have to spend some time making a bigger bomb. You've got a day of regular business before they call you back.

This mission puts you on Laz's Enemies List.

Tips: You don't need a pod and drone after the "Trigger Drop". You won't have much time to use them if you're following the plot. I recommend selling them. The Afterburner's up to you. It comes in handy a couple of times, but can interfere with your weapons arrangement (a big weakness in HardWar). An Afterburner isn't necessary.

NOW WHAT?

You've got a lull of a couple of days. The best way to prepare for the next mission is by targeting necessary buildings. Find, target, and lock Syd's Workshop, Lazarus Hightower, The Abandoned Terminal, and Prison Oubliette. This will save you some time and effort later on.

You might want to refit your pod and drone and sell off all of the items you've collected. I always like to see how much money I can make while following the plot as quickly as possible.

If you're planning to play forever, you don't want to sell your stuff. I recommend investing in your Moth fleet. This is a good time to break off from the plot, gain Laz amnesty, and play forever.