Basket takes out the second layout of the Mantis Cruiser for the first time. The ship is The Basilisk, on Normal with Advanced Edition content enabled. It has a crew teleporter but no weapons: the hangar shows a Boarding drone, a Defense I drone and the Mantis Pheromones augmentation. "Two guys, no weapons," Basket sums it up. The crew list shows two Mantis, Tai Yi and Cremity. Over six parts the crew grows to eight, and The Basilisk destroys the Rebel Flagship with a score of 4585.
Part 1: Boarding with no guns
Sector 1 is a Civilian Sector. With nothing to shoot, the plan is to teleport over and fight on the enemy's deck. The first pirate ship has slaves in its cargo hold, and Basket picks the Mantis ("I would like more mantis people"), so Jack joins. Another win adds Magne. "We have four mantis guys, actually." Basket likes the ship "because you can teleport four in at a time."
Automated ships are harder: "we just have to wait." A distress call on a moon brings a Human, Charlie, who becomes the pilot. A long boarding fight against a ship with a healing bay drags on, and Basket accepts its surrender "just because it's like almost like a stalemate."
In Sector 2, the Uncharted Nebula, a store sells a Clone Bay, and Basket buys it in place of the Medbay. A later win brings a free crew member, Caldwell. The part ends with "no weapon yet."
Part 2: Guns at last
Sector 3 is an Engi Controlled Sector. The first store finally sells a gun the ship can use, a Burst Laser Mark I, and the run picks up gear fast after that: a free Combat Drone Mark II, then a free Flak I. "So that's 3 damage."
Sector 4 is a Civilian Sector. A hard fight with a teleporting ship ends with another free crew member, Declan. A store adds a Hull Missile ("missiles get through stuff"), a fight drops an Anti-Ship Beam Drone, and a later win hands over an Ion Blast II. "It's very fast. It takes out the shields. I like it." A pirate who offers a deal is attacked instead and leaves behind a Glaive Beam, which "does 3 damage per room."
At the next store Basket sells the Flak and buys Cloaking for 150 scrap. The last beacon has a life sign aboard, and an Engi, Lombard, joins. Basket sets the goal: if this ship reaches the Last Stand, "we get to unlock the C series."
Part 3: The Rebel Controlled Sector
Sector 5 is a Rebel Controlled Sector. The crew sneaks past a ship and into a station undetected, and an Anti-Combat Drone comes out of it. A store sells a Burst Laser Mark II and a Chain Ion, and Basket buys both. The weapons bar now reads Chain Ion, Ion Blast II and Burst Laser II.
One boarding fight costs a crew member ("we lost the guy in the process"), and the Clone Bay brings them back. With 100 scrap Basket upgrades the shields "just in case." A ship with Mind Control takes some work, and against an automated ship Basket cloaks as it fires. The part ends at the sector exit, still short of the Last Stand.
Part 4: Pirate space
Sector 6 is a Pirate Controlled Sector. The crew beams someone off a distressed ship, and the crew screen reads "Over Capacity." Basket dismisses Lombard, and the new arrival, Emma, takes over the engines.
A store sells the Drone Recovery Arm, which brings drones back after a fight. "Then we could use those droids whenever we want." Basket sells the missile and the Glaive Beam to pay for it. Pirates with teleporters board twice, and twice the Mantis crew clears them out. Scrap goes into cloaking and weapons power. Another cargo hold full of slaves gives an Engi this time, but the ship is full, so Basket dismisses the new arrival right away. "Sorry, dude."
Part 5: Engi space before the end
For Sector 7 Basket picks the Engi Controlled Sector: "because then I'm more likely to survive it." In one fight the ship's own ion fire stuns the boarding party ("we did actually stun our guys"), but they win anyway.
The first store sells a Defense Drone Mark II, which "could shoot down lasers and missiles," and a Shield Charge Booster, and Basket buys both. A ship asks for missiles, and since "we don't use missiles," Basket hands over 15 and gets hull repairs and scrap back. The next store has a Heavy Laser II and a Chain Burst Laser, and Basket takes the Chain Burst Laser. The part ends at the Long-Range Beacon, ready for the Last Stand.
Part 6: The Last Stand
Sector 8 is The Last Stand. Basket spends scrap on weapons, cloaking and the teleporter's cooldown, fights three ships on the way, and then jumps to the Rebel Flagship.
In the first stage the crew teleports in and fights room by room. "We've gotten rid of all their humans," Basket says, though the Flagship's automated weapons repair themselves while the shields hold. In the second stage drones and boarders come in, and the crew holds with the cloak saved for the big weapon. The third stage brings Mind Control. Basket aims the Chain Ion at it, "because it's the most obnoxious thing," and the crew fights through until the Flagship breaks apart.
How it ended
The end crawl thanks The Basilisk and its crew: Tai Yi, Cremity, Jack, Magne, Charlie, Caldwell, Declan and Emma, all eight alive. The victory screen reads "Congratulations! You've defeated the Rebel Flagship and ensured the victory of the Federation!" with a score of 4585 and "New High Score!" In the hangar Basket looks over the newly unlocked Mantis Cruiser Type C, The Theseus, which Basket describes as two bombs and "no other weapon," and says the Slug Cruiser might come next.
