The hangar shows The Vortex, the Engi Cruiser Type B, on Normal with Advanced Edition content enabled. It carries a Heavy Ion and a Heavy Laser I, an Anti-Personnel drone, two System Repair drones and the Drone Reactor Booster, and a crew of one: an Engi named Kozar. The ship reaches Sector 8, The Last Stand, and is torn apart in the third fight with the Rebel Flagship for a score of 3827.
One Engi and a lot of drones
Sector 1 is a Civilian Sector. With one crew member, the plan is to let the drones do the work: a System Repair drone puts out fires, and the oxygen gets switched off so boarders and fires suffer. An automated ship with a beam drone and a Rebel ship that hacks the doors both go down, and a stranded ship gets fuel in exchange for scrap. In an asteroid field the shields come down on one enemy and the rocks finish the job.
Sector 2 is Pirate Controlled. A mercenary is paid to scout the sector, which shows where the store is. There Basket sells a spare drone, buys a Combat Drone and hires Bigby to run the weapons. A civilian ship hands over a Laser Charger. Near the exit the commentary weighs one more beacon: "I'm doing well on this run, I feel like I should just go to the exit." The exit pays out free supplies anyway.
Engi space
Sector 3 is the Engi Controlled Sector, and the first ship there has several shield layers and a missile. The hull takes a beating and the door controls break before the Vortex gets away. At a store Caris joins, and a later beacon drops a Defense Drone.
Then a burning Engi research station offers a choice: save the Engi, or save the drone schematic. The schematic is the pick, and Kozar, the crew member the run started with, does not come back. "Oh this game is so tough." A station later in the sector gives the ship a Hermes Missile.
Sector 4 is Engi Controlled too. A damaged refueling station gives free fuel, and Matt is hired at a store. Then a civilian ship asks for help.
Bigby, the human, does the talking. The Mantis introduces itself as Robert Smith, Basket offers it a place on the ship, and Smith turns out to be very good at engines. By the Sector 4 exit Magmar has joined too, and the stream stops there with five crew aboard and the Engi Homeworlds next.
Part 2: the Drone Recovery Arm
At about 62:30 the video cuts to a second recording. "Hey everybody, Basket here, welcome to part 2 of this run of the Engi Cruiser B." It picks up the same game at the same beacon.
The Engi Homeworlds are rough on the crew. Sending a defense drone to protect a civilian earns a Flak I. An Engi ship that fears a virus costs Matt. At the next store Basket finds the augmentation the run has been asking for: "A drone recovery arm, yes, definitely." The Heavy Ion and a System Repair drone are sold to pay for it, and the ship buys Sensors.
A second burning research station goes the same way as the first. This time Bigby is lost. "I'm gonna lose everybody before this is all done." A Rebel ship leaves behind a Hull Smasher Laser.
Pirates, Rocks and a passenger
Sector 6 is Pirate Controlled. A ship with mind control, an ion storm and a slaver all go down, and the slaver's ship adds Kusy to the crew. At a store the ship buys Hacking, which goes straight onto enemy shields.
Sector 7 is Rock Controlled. A Rock captain asks the ship to carry a passenger to a waiting husband, and Basket accepts. Two cloaking ships make long fights. At a Federation outpost under attack, allied ships help against a heavily armed Rebel ship, and Ma Fan comes aboard to run the shields. At the quest beacon Basket refuses to hand the passenger over and fights instead. The passenger, Ariadne, a Rock, joins the crew. "I didn't realize that she was going to be really useful." An unknown life form at the exit costs Smith.
The Last Stand
Sector 8 is The Last Stand. Basket has saved for more power and shields, then sends everything at the Rebel Flagship.
The first fight goes badly in one way: the Flagship cloaks and hacks the drone system. "What an amazingly effective hack." Missiles, Flak I and Hacking still wear it down, and it retreats. The second form fills the space with drones and boarders. A fire burns in the doors, the oxygen fails, and the Vortex wins with very little hull left. "I can't repair." Then the Flagship moves its power to its teleporter and a super weapon for the last fight. The hull runs out.
How it ended
The Game Over box reads 3827, and the crew list at the end shows Caris, Magmar, Kusy, Ma Fan and Ariadne. "It was nearly a really good run," Basket says. "I was really hoping to get the victory on that one."