An Unexpected Connection

BATTLEZONE
General Combat Tips
Stars and Stripes Missions
  Red Arrival
  Eagle's Nest 1
  The Relic Discovered
  An Unexpected Connection
  Escape From Mars
  Behind Enemy Lines
  A Nasty Surprise
  Wrangling the Fleeing Herd
  The Race Is On
  Bring It Home
  Flying Solo
  Total Destruction
  The Three Beacons
  United We Fight - United We Die
  Strike at the Heart
  Tapping the Core
  The Ultimate Quake
Red Brigade Missions
For Cheaters Only

SkyEye's found an alien structure at Nav Beacon 1, and your orders are to check it out. It might sound urgent, but the best thing to do here is disobey orders (or at least take your sweet time carrying them out). A massive Soviet assault is triggered the minute you discover the structure, so it's best to take your time and build up your forces in preparation for the big battle.

The first step is to head northeast to the only spot on the map with two geysers - this gives you a chance to set up both the armory as well as the recycler and upgrade your minigun to an AT-Stabber.
 
Have the armory construct an AT-Stabber to replace your minigun as soon as possible - it'll really boost your firepower.
Build a couple of scavengers, then deploy three or four turrets in the pass between your location and the volcano. If you're not sure where it is, just watch the route the Soviet fighters take as they approach to attack your recycler, and deploy the turrets right in their path. These turrets won't stop every single fighter trying to reach your recycler, but at least they'll weaken them so much that you can defend the base on your own without the need to build tanks or light tanks to aid you. This allows you to beef up your fleet of scavengers until you've got five of them out gathering scrap.

You might be tempted to run around destroying Soviet mines to maximize your scavengers' chances of survival, but don't do it. The scavengers are rugged and can take a lot of damage, and with any luck at all you'll only lose one or two of them.

Next: An Unexpected Connection (continued)