A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Part 1

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, Part 1 is a story contract initiating the investigation into a series of commercial vessel disappearances. This contract becomes available shortly after completing the tutorial phase, when Commander Harken hails the player to introduce the mission.

Story

Commander Harken, the Chief of Private Security for the sector, contacts the player to investigate foul play regarding missing commercial vessels. The mission involves a multi-stage evidence retrieval operation, culminating in the analysis of the collected data.

Phase 1: Initial Investigation (UMC Interstellar Prospector)

The initial task requires the player to travel to the INTERSTELLAR PROSPECTOR system to locate the reported shipwreck of the UMC Interstellar Prospector and recover its Flight Recorder (Black Box).

The collection requires installing a Drone Bay and at least one Logistics Drone, both of which must be purchased from a Shipyard or Colony if not already owned.

Completion Requirements: Recover the Flight Recorder using a Logistics Drone, and deliver it to Commander Harken aboard the Vanguard in the CMDR HARKEN system.

Salvage Manifest (UMC Interstellar Prospector)

The wreck site yields salvageable debris and cargo:

122 × Bullets
1 × Cannon Shells
2 × Frame
1 × Copper Ingot
2 × Motor
49 × Explosives
2 × Metal Ingot
1 × Lens
1 × Railgun Slugs
120 × Scrap Metal
1 × Gas Collector
1 × Chair

Phase 2: Follow-up Investigations

After the initial Flight Recorder is delivered, Commander Harken assigns follow-up investigation objectives across three separate systems to gather more evidence.

The follow-up objectives are:

Recover the Flight Recorder from UMC Infinite Horizon in the INFINITE HORIZON system.
Recover the Flight Recorder from UMC Celestial Hauler in the CELESTIAL HAULER system.
Collect the wreckage of the UMC Stellar Horizon from the NG5 system.

The final contract completion requires returning all three pieces of evidence to Commander Harken at the CMDR HARKEN system.

Investigation Hazards and Choices

The subsequent investigations present distinct challenges:

UMC Infinite Horizon: The INFINITE HORIZON system features an intense Meteor Shower. The wreck contains a significant amount of Scrap Metal for salvage, but due to the high risk of hull damage from meteorite strikes, players must weigh the resource benefit against repair costs. Players are advised to equip robust Armour and defensive weapons (e.g., Gatling Guns). Retrieval requires a Logistics Drone.
UMC Celestial Hauler: This wreck contains salvageable Scrap Metal. Upon arrival in the CELESTIAL HAULER system, the player is confronted by a Scavenger Wraith which possesses the Flight Recorder. The Scavenger Wraith demands $20,000 credits for the device. Player Choice: The player may either pay the $20,000 ransom or destroy the Scavenger Wraith to obtain the Flight Recorder. Destruction has no known negative faction consequences and yields additional Scrap Metal.
UMC Stellar Horizon Wreckage: Located in NG5. The collection requires a Shuttle operation (not Logistics Drones) and the debris consists of 80 units of wreckage, requiring sufficient Storage capacity.

Conclusion

The A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, Part 1 contract is fully completed upon returning all collected evidence to the CMDR HARKEN system. Upon final delivery, the Vanguard docks again, and the items are transferred.

The player receives a reward of $200,000 credits.

Following the analysis, Commander Harken informs the player that the evidence points to a highly organized pirate vessel which must be tracked down and destroyed. She reveals a new sensor image of the attacker, confirms that they must be tracked down and destroyed, and advises the player to use the received funds to repair the ship hull at any Shipyard and upgrade defenses in preparation for the next mission.

The subsequent investigation to track down the pirate vessel forms the basis of the next main story contract, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, Part 2, which is initiated shortly thereafter when Commander Harken calls the player again.