Kestrel Cruiser A, Run 2 is an achievement hunt. "We're going to try actually to get some more achievements on this first vessel," Basket says, and the one in sight needs a crew of many different races. The Kestrel launches on Normal with Advanced Edition content enabled, three crew (Valeriya, Layla and Alex) and two weapons, a Burst Laser II and an Artemis. The run earns two Kestrel achievements, unlocks the Kestrel Cruiser Type B and the Stealth Cruiser, and reaches Sector 8, where a Rebel Disruptor destroys the Kestrel.
Part 1: Shopping for crew
Sector 1 is a Civilian Sector. After the first fight, one crew member from the ship the Kestrel saved, Caris, offers to join. Then a well-armed pirate ship demands one crew member. Basket refuses to hand anyone to the slavers, wins, and gets another Human, Scoops, "which doesn't help us out with the achievement." At the first store Basket spends the scrap on a Rockman, Aki, instead of gear.
Hacking ships come next. The first locks the Kestrel's weapons ("it's obnoxious"). Then an Auto-Hacker waits beside a burning sun, with a Danger warning on screen. "He's gonna not only hack us, but this planet causes fire damage," Basket says, but the Kestrel gets through both. In Sector 2, another Civilian Sector, a store offers Drone Control with a Defense Drone or one more crew member. "I guess we'll do the crew. Even though I wouldn't usually do that, but that's my goal for this thing." Olofsson joins. Basket ends the part by counting races: "So we need six different ones. So we have one, two, three, four right now."
Part 2: The United Federation
In Sector 3, a third Civilian Sector, a crew member named Rafn joins for free and takes over the pilot seat ("He's actually better than my captain"). Boarders come and go, and Basket keeps saying the ship needs upgrades: "I really need more shields, otherwise I'm just not going to survive."
Sector 4 is the Slug Home Nebula. "Slug homeworld sounds like a disaster," Basket says, "although a slug would be another type of crew member." A Slug Interceptor knocks out the doors and sensors and then the weapons before the Kestrel wins. At the next store, Basket dismisses Valeriya and Scoops on the crew screen and hires a Slug, Luaan Ti. The game shows "The United Federation." "So now we've accomplished our goal, so even if we die, we're okay." The next one is about systems, and Basket starts on it: a Drone Control with a System Repair Drone, a Breach Bomb Mark II from some wreckage, and a Crew Teleporter. The part ends at the exit beacon.
Part 3: Full Arsenal, and a surprise
Sector 5 is an Engi Controlled Sector. A space dock under Rebel attack asks for help, and the Kestrel takes on a Rebel Rigger, sending crew over with the new teleporter and bombing the inside. The Rigger is destroyed, and the outpost pays 46 scrap and repairs 5 hull points. At its store Basket buys Mind Control, sells the Breach Bomb Mark II, and buys a Backup Battery to fill the last system slot. The game shows "Full Arsenal" ("Have 11 systems installed on the Kestrel Cruiser at one time"), then "Kestrel Cruiser Type B." "I like that crew teleporting thing," the commentary says, and a later fight, with Mind Control on an enemy crew member and boarders sent across, ends in "Oh! We won!"
Sector 6 is the Engi Homeworlds. Basket buys a Clone Bay, which replaces the Medbay. A quest beacon leads to a fight with a Mantis ship, and after it the event text reads "The Engi secret tech has been delivered to the hangar. The stealth ship has been unlocked!" The reward includes a Titanium System Casing augment and 10 hull points repaired. "That was not expected," the commentary says.
Part 4: The Last Stand
"I'm not anticipating that we'll actually survive all the way to the end, but we can try," Basket says. Sector 7 is another Engi Controlled Sector. The Kestrel escorts a ship for 1 fuel, takes a bribe from pirates, and gives up on a Rebel ship with four shields ("Let's go ahead and just get out of here"). "We unlock two ships in this run. So that's pretty good." A Glaive Beam joins the weapons before the jump to Sector 8, The Last Stand, where the game shows "Federation Base in Range." "Achievement get!" The Glaive Beam takes apart an Auto-Scout.
The next ship is a Rebel Disruptor with three shields, drones and hacking. It knocks out the oxygen, then the Clone Bay goes down. "Oh no, it's down! Oh, we're really screwed now." Aki and Olofsson drop off the crew list. "I can't get through their shields," Basket says.
How it ended
The Kestrel breaks apart, and the game-over screen reads "One last explosion marks your fate as your ship is torn apart," with a score of 3692 and "New High Score!" The top scores list the Kestrel's new best as Sector 8 on Normal. "Well I tried, I did get into the last section," Basket says, then shows the two new ships in the hangar, the Kestrel's Type B and the Stealth Cruiser.
