Albion Prelude Main Plot
Requirements
With the exception of the Argon Peacekeeper starting scenario, where the Special Task Force mission begins immediately, all starting scenarios except the Terran Commander and Aldrin Adventurer require Argon Race Rank of ≥4 and Terran Race Rank of ≤0 to begin the Albion Prelude Main Plot. Once Special Task Force is completed the player is free to get any Argon and Terran Race Rank desired as long as Argon Race Rank is >0.
Chapters
Special Task Force
Aiding The War Effort (1)
Jonferco Eavesdrop
Highway Patrol
Aiding The War Effort (2)
Jonferco Under Attack!
Protecting the Heavy Load Transporter
Albion Defenceless
The Beryll
Plutarch Rising
Trial By Fire
Aiding The War Effort (3)
Uncovered
Albion Pride
Special Task Force
Objective: Fly within 100m of the Mission Beacon in Argon Sector 418
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: For most Starting Scenarios this is a non-issue but for those that start hostile to the Paranid or Split this can suddenly become difficult. Argon Sector 418 usually has a Split Cobra M7M which will rain Flail Barrage Missiles and Hammer Heavy Torpedoes at any hostile ships that enter the sector. There is also a Split Python M2 and several Paranid M3 fighters with PBGs. To make matters worse if the player engages with any of the Split ships, the local Argon ships will also turn hostile and join the action. If any of the previous applies, use a Teladi Kestrel with maximised upgrades, a Jump Drive and a Docking Computer so the ship can cruise near the beacon and then jump to a safer neighbouring sector for the dialog from Aron Derik. The escalations in the Terran Conflict are explained and the player is asked to help out in the war effort in any way possible. This enables the war reports and highlights Treasure Chest even though any warzone sector can be used.
Aiding The War Effort (1)
Objective: Gain 1000 War Points for the Argon
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Despite the dialog saying War Missions count there is a bug that only Fight Missions add any points and at higher Fight Ranks are the fastest way to progress. When entering the warzone sectors 3x Terran M5s will spawn within a 10-40km range of the player ship to give easy targets. Kills in the warzones have a 0.001x Race Rank modifier and a 20x War Points bonus if done in the player ship but are divided by 2000x the Max Hull of the killing ship. This means using a low max hull M4 with Thunderbolt Missiles to kill an M6/M8 will instantly progress to the next part. The player is free to do missions in Terran sectors for Terran Race Rank at any time if they do not desire to have the Terrans as enemies. After getting enough points (not shown in the game UI) the player will be asked to dock at the east Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418.
Jonferco Eavesdrop
Objective: Follow the Jonferco Command Ship (within set distances)
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: Get within 4km of the Jonferco Command Ship
Reward: Advanced Discoverer
Commentary: When docked at the Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 there is more dialog from Aron Derik about how Jonferco is suspected of leaking technology to the Terrans (which is ironic because a lot of Jonferco tech is meant to have been stolen from the Terrans in the first place). The player is ordered to spy on a meeting between the Jonferco Ceo and a Paranid Buyer that is to take place in Albion Gamma. An Advanced Discoverer with Triplex Scanner is provided for the task as a gift but any M5 with a Triplex Scanner will do so a Teladi Kestrel is also fit for purpose if Argon Sector 418 is too dangerous. Additional Advanced Discoverer ships can be obtained via bailing if needed but it is recommended to use the gifted one for reverse engineering in the Player Headquarters. When entering Albion Gamma there will be an Argon Griffon Sentinel and a Paranid Deimos. The player will be instructed to maintain a specified distance (35->5km)from the Jonferco Command Ship (Griffon Sentinel) to get some dialog between Ceo Neyl Colburn and the Paranid buyer. The actual mission settings are 7-9km for dialogs 1-4 then 5-7km for dialogs 5-7 as the optimal distance. After each piece of dialog the player will be asked to keep a closer distance despite not needing to. There is a total of 7 pieces of dialog. If the player strays too far from the target ship the sound is distorted to include worsening static while getting too close (<4km) makes the Paranid suspicious ending the meeting before all 7 dialogs are heard. There is no failure if the player ship gets too close but it skips lore. This mission is made harder if the player is hostile to the Paranid as the nearby Deimos will try to attack the player ship while the target will try to remain near the Deimos (8km) (fortunately it only has PACs so can be dodged). After succeeding or failing the player is asked to dock at the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 (again potentially painful if hostile to the Paranid or Split).
Highway Patrol
Objective: Escort the TL carrying the Prototype Highway Parts
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: Mammoth TL dies
Reward: Argon Centaur with 8 marines
Commentary: Back at the Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 there will be some dialog from Aron Derik before Neyl Colburn asks for help escorting a delivery of some Prototype Highway technology to the paranid because Jonferco has been attacked by Terran raiders. The player is tasked to head to Interworlds for the escort. The TL appears in the north of the sector near the Equipment Dock and has four M3 escorts. There is more dialog and the player is asked to escort the Mammoth TL. If the player scans the TL they will find no interesting cargo aboard (not that the TL can be boarded). Soon (15-25 seconds) a Terran attack squad of 2x M8, 4x M5 and 2x M4 will spawn at the North Gate and 2x M8 at the South Gate. If the player is lucky an NPC military convoy will be heading through the sector or a huge RR fleet will jump in and kill all Terrans but if not focus on killing the four bombers (starting at the North gate) as those are the only threat to the TL. If the wave is not destroyed 70-90 seconds later an Argon Centaur spawns at the North Gate to help. After wave 1 is cleared 60-120 seconds later 4 Argon Centaurs spawn at the North Gate to help and 2 Terran Katanas spawn at the South Gate. As RR ships usually have arrived in the sector by this time there is no priority for the player to engage the Terran ships unless they want to. Wave 3 spawns 30 seconds after wave 2 with 4x Katanas at the North Gate which will probably be blown away by the RR M7Ms. After wave 3 another 30 seconds passes before 2x Argon Cerberuses spawn at both North and South Gates followed by a Terran M1 and 5x M3s at the South Gate. If the Argon M6 escort is destroyed a beefier Paranid fleet of an M2 and 6x M3s spawns as backup from the South gate. Again player participation is optional. After watching the fireworks the TL jumps out and the player is asked to head back to the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 and asked to again aid the war effort.
Aiding The War Effort (2)
Objective: Gain 2000 War Points for the Argon
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Same as before except 3x M4s spawn at 10-12km from the player ship. Again using a low max hull ship and powerful missiles on a Terran M6/M8 is the fastest approach. After getting enough points (not shown in the game UI) the player will be asked to dock at the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 for more dialog.
Jonferco Under Attack!
Objective: Patrol Belt of Aguilar
Destroy 3 Terran Lasertowers
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Aron Derik will inform the player that the Jonferco Headquarters is under attack by the Terrans and help (the player) is required. Upon entry to the system the player will find the Jonferco Headquarters has 5-10% shield and then spontaneously detonates after 60 seconds of being in sector. There are also Terran ships (3x M3s, 3x M6s and 3x Lasertowers) and some Jonferco ships (2x M6s and 2x M3s). The player will be told to patrol the sector but the only necessary target is the 3x Lasertowers which are in deployment (10 minutes before they can start shooting back). Killing the Lasertowers has no negative impact on Terran Race Rank If lucky the collision sphere of the Jonferco Headquarters will scatter the Lasertowers when entering the sector making them easy targets for an M6 or heavier ship. Otherwise use a Firestorm Torpedo to kill the whole cluster in a single shot. If lucky some PBCs will drop. Another 4x Terran M3s will spawn which can be mopped up by RR ships. The player will then be asked to return back to the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 for more dialog.
Protecting the Heavy Load Transporter
Objective: Escort TP to west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: TP is destroyed
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Jonferco is in a bad state so needs a TS protected carrying military supplies. The TP starts in Nathan's Voyage (usually at the station closest to the West Gate) and at 10k from the gate has 5x Terran M3/M4s spawn within 15-35km (+/-5 height)followed by every 10-20 seconds having 5x Terran M3/M4s spawn at 5-30km if the previous batch is dead. As the spawned ships sit idle unless a hostile ship is nearby they are seldom a threat to the TP if left alone. If the player is lucky the Terran ships will always spawn far from the transit route of the TP and sit idle when OOS. If the TP dies the mission if failed but skips to the next part of the plot after 1-2 minutes. A Jonferco Ore and Silicon Mine are renamed to Plutarch in Albion Beta and the player is again asked to return back to the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 for dialog.
Albion Defenceless
Objective: Protect the Jonferco Research Station
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: With Jonferco weakened Plutarch has started a take over of Albion but Pirates are attacking the remaining Jonferco assets despite Plutarch patrols. This means it is up to the player deal with the Pirates. Head to the Jonferco Research Station Albion Beta to find Pirates attacking it in the form of an M6 and 3x M3s followed by 5x M3s when asked to patrol the sector. Local sector forces should be enough to handle the ships if the player is friendly with the Pirates, otherwise nothing an M6 cannot handle. The player is then ordered to check on another research station in Albion Alpha.
The Beryll
Objective: Deploy 3x Lasertowers within 12km of the Beryll Research Station
Deliver 200x Computer Components to the Beryll Research Station
Deliver 50x Microchips to the Beryll Research Station
Deliver 10x Impulse Ray Emitters to the Beryll Research Station
Deliver 1x Xenon L to the Beryll Research Station
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: 3x #deca.cefa (M3)
Commentary: After some dialog between Aron Derik and Leea Kaswin the player is asked to help the Beryll (a "sophisticated criminal organisation" who precipitated the Terran Conflict). The first task is to deploy some Lasertowers near the Beryll Research Station. By this stage of the game the player probably has 5-10 self sufficient Lasertower Factories in various complexes so three can be commandeered from a player owned storage TS+. Head to Albion Alpha and just eject the Lasertowers from the player ship when close enough (4.5-6km is ideal). There is more dialog about how the Terran Earth Torus was blown up by a Beryll designed AGI fleet (Xenon) so they are worth helping but they are out of materials. The player is then tasked with fetching 200x Computer Components, 50x Microchips and 10x Impulse Ray Emitters. Depending on the current state of the X-universe economy and how many UTs the player has this can be easy or annoying. Use the supply values of the Local Stock Exchanges (player should have Advanced Satellites in most Stock Exchange sectors by this point) to find which sectors have the desired goods. Between the Boron and Paranid Trading Stations/Docks there should be enough Computer Components and Microchips if producing stations are empty (sectors near Ocean of Fantasy are good for Computer Components). The IREs should be plentiful at most Military Outposts. After delivering the wares (can be in a single shipment) the player is then requested to deliver a Xenon L (M3) ship.
Depending on luck the player may have several spare Xenon L ships already or have none at all. Xenon fighters found in Xenon sectors or in patrols tend to have extremely high morale (90) however those spawned by Patrol or Generic Battle Ships missions have considerably less 
making them an easier source. Like all Bailing the chance of success is based on the player Fight Rank, the number of ships pummelling the target and any other ships in the target wing and the number of hits per second. This means PBEs have the highest odds for individual ships although a tactic of flying into swarms of Xenon M3s with Area of Effect weapons like PSGs or CFAs can also work on occasion. The best ships for this task are the Agamemnon and Atreus Hauler since both can be outfitted with high fire rate or splash weapons while having the shielding and speed to ignore large numbers of fighters. Having the System Override Software and Software Signature Scrambler (Duke's Haven) is optional but recommended since Xenon ships are known to jump in at close proximity within their home sectors. After finding a Xenon L, or two, send one to the Beryll Research Station for more dialog and 3x #deca.cefa M3s. As the player has the option to make friends with the Terrans, #deca.cefa ships and the superior Spitfyre can be purchased in the Aldrin sector making the quest reward able to be sacrificed if needed.
Plutarch Rising
Objective: Protect the Prototype Highways
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Seems the Pirates are back trying to loot the Jonferco Prototype Highways. The player is ordered to try and protect them. Head to the North Gate in Albion Beta to find 5x M3s hovering around and flying into the highways. If friendly to the Pirates engagement is optional. Eventually a Plutarch M6 spawns and tells the player to mind their own business in a rather rude way (engagement is still optional).
Trial By Fire
Objective: Head back to the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 (again)
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: A unique title for a rather simple task. When docked at the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 Aron Derik will ask the player to aid the war effort again. Jonferco loses another Silicon Mine to Plutarch.
Aiding The War Effort (3)
Objective: Gain 3500 War Points for the Argon
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: N/A
Commentary: Same as before except 3x M3s spawn at 10-12km from the player ship. Again using a low max hull ship and powerful missiles on a Terran M6/M8 is the fastest approach. After getting enough points (not shown in the game UI) the player will be asked to dock at the west Military Outpost in Argon Sector 418 for more dialog.
Uncovered
Objective: Meet with the Plutarch Informant in Harmony of Perpetuity
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: N/A
Reward: The Albion Pride entry in the Encyclopaedia
Commentary: Aron Derik has a breakthrough with what has been happening to Jonferco. Seems there is a Plutarch Informant with information but he wants to meet in a neutral location (Harmony of Perpetuity). Jump to the sector to watch Aron Derik jump in with a Cerberus (M7) to meet with a Teladi manager from Plutarch in an Albion Pride (M6). The meeting takes place with a lot of dialog how the Ceo Landon of Plutarch is behind the whole thing and how he sold technology to the Terrans and misinformed them that Jonferco was behind the attack on the Torus. He also has hired the Pirates as mercenaries for a final attack on the remaining Jonferco facilities. If the player has built a complex in Harmony of Perpetuity there is no impact on the events. After the conversation both ships jump to Albion Beta.
Albion Pride
Objective: Protect the Jonferco Research Station (again)
Time Limit: N/A
Loss Conditions: Jonferco Research Station is destroyed
Reward: Aamon Prototype (M3+)
Commentary: On the Pirates side there is a questionably equipped Carrack (M7) and 5 M3s while Plutarch has 5x M6s which Aron Derik orders to join the fight on the side of the player. There is also the invincible Cerberus (M7) of Aron Derik and an invincible Albion Pride (M6) also aiding the player in this battle. The Albion Pride cannot be boarded (which is a pity because it has 600MJ shielding and a build time in the Player Headquarters faster than a Nova M3) but seems to be piloted by a different actor. Boarding the Carrack is pointless as the fleet of NPC M6s will toast it within seconds of entering the system. Again if the player is friendly with the Pirates, engagement is optional. After the battle is won dialog reveals Ceo Landon of Plutarch was aboard the Carrack and an Aamon Prototype (M3) is ready for the Player at the Beryll Research Station. Considering the superior forces on the side of the player, the odds of losing this mission are very slim even without player intervention. A victory screen plays for the player and access to the Hub and Player Headquarters plots becomes unlocked. Jonferco loses yet another Silicon and Ore Mine to Plutarch.