Red Faction Diaries Part Five

This is my ongoing exploration of the Red Faction Universe. Whether you’re a newcomer or an old-goer, I hope to make this something you can read along with and enjoy. I begin with Red Faction.

With Eos suspected dead in Capek’s secret underground lab, due to its self-destruction, it was down to Parker and an unnamed miner to go on to the next objective… I suspected this newcomer would be dead in the following three minutes…

We drove down the canyon, him driving erratically and me behind the mounted gun as guards popped out here and there. At the end of the canyon the other miner said that he would guard the rear, as I went on ahead. Surprisingly, I didn’t see him die -- maybe this was a change to the status quo!

I made my way around some crumbled rocks and into the planet once more. There were a couple of small mutants and some foliage, and I went up into a ventilation shaft. It led me to an elevator and a cable car across a chasm.

I also got a new gun

Hendrix had Parker insert a disc into one of Ultor’s computers -- I have no idea where he got it -- and I left to take out the missile defence system.

Hacking: the Volition way

Unfortunately, Ultor had now called in their band of mercenaries, who were apparently taking out both miners and guards. I encountered some and made my way to the nearby tram system. I jumped into a tram and it left, pulling up at a station. As I was pinned down by enemy fire, I decided to pick them off. After only a couple of mercs down, the tram left much to my surprise. It turned out that I needed to go to the next station anyway, which the mercs tried to prevent by chasing me in another tram.

I forgot to screenshot before I capped them all...

Eos came through my comm to confirm she had the cure, and was indeed alive, before I pulled up to the next platform. I made my way to another computer, which Parker put another disc into to override the missile hatches. It started a timer, so I legged it back to the tram. Instead of being blown up, I was instead smashed into a wall as the timer reached three…

Waking up to Hendrix asking if I was okay, I went out through the window of the tram and made my way through loads of mercs. Because there was another timer going, and I had seven minutes to get to the shuttle before it left! This was made much easier due to the APC I then stole.

I loved this thing like a brother. That I drove inside of... With weapons... Nevermind

The APC took hardly any damage as guards and mercs all tried to stop me, but I reached the warehouse and boarded the shuttle. I managed to hide -- which was required for some reason -- and the shuttle took off, headed for Ultor’s orbital station above Mars.

Unlike the one in Part One - not being blown out of the sky

On the station, I spotted some wanted posters, and found that Parker was just as wanted as Eos, and for a longer list of reasons too!

"Rioting, murder... Hey, I never stole a chicken!"

I had to take out the orbital station, so headed for the security section to unlock the escape pods. No, not because I was afraid, but because I was planning my escape! There were some floating drones which fired lasers at me, but the lower gravity aided my evasion as I blasted them and subsequently some guards.

I pressed a button, then returned to the reactor. It didn’t react to weapons fire, so I went looking. I found a switch at the top and it didn’t do anything, however the switch at the very bottom of the room turned the upper switch on -- and pressing both started a two minute countdown. My third countdown in the past twenty minutes!

I ran for the escape pod and got in with seconds to spare, launching back to the relative safety of the planet below.

I felt like I was in the Millennium Falcon!

Waking once more to Hendrix’s voice, I got out of the remains of the pod. He told me that he had sent a miner to check on me, who told me to follow him. Moments later he was shot in front of me. The status quo was obviously still quo...

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