| Mission | Walkthrough | Gallery | Changelog |
| “ | Using a distraction to split the Allied forces, Yuri launched a surprise attack at the London Fortress, forcing the Allies to evacuate. Because of the Paradox Project's premature launch, the fleeing survivors have to change their route and regroup at the Isles of Scilly. | ” |
| —Mission description |
Operation: Bottleneck is the fifth Allied Act Two campaign mission.
Briefing[]
Things could not be worse, Commander. While you were away on the mission, Yuri's army launched an attack on London. His forces managed to infiltrate the Fortress from the inside, and at that point we had no choice but to prematurely activate the Paradox Project. While it was initially going to make its maiden voyage for Moscow to end the Soviet regime, with the collapse of their dominion at PsiCorps' hands, it's unlikely that making our way there would bear any fruit, and for the time being we have no idea where Yuri's primary headquarters is, or what he's planning for the Russian capital. For now, all we can do is move to open waters where we'll have a better chance of survival, thanks to the new advanced technology we now possess.
While a significant bulk of our army is now part of the expedition force, the remainder of it is still holding their own in the defense of England, but they won't last much longer. Once the defense falls, the expedition force will be all that is left of the army. Assuming that Yuri is the one currently holding the MIDAS, it's very likely once the Gladius System collapses, Yuri will fire the missile at either the remainder of the London Fortress, or the expedition force itself. If that happens, we're doomed, but we must push forward. The Paradox Engine will be crossing the Isles of Scilly soon, and Yuri has an anti-air blockade set up to take it down. A group of elite commandos, the "Chrono Legion", will be arriving there. Make use of them to secure the islands before the Engine arrives.
Objective 1: Secure the islands before the London survivors arrive.
Objective 2: Defend the convoy until it leaves the area.
Objective 3: Destroy the PsiCorps forces chasing after the convoy.
Events[]
The Chrono Legion arrives[]
Shortly after overlooking the Isles of Scilly, the 'Chrono Legion', consisting of Chrono Legionnaires, arrives on the isles. As the London survivors draw near, the Legionnaires dispersed to simultaneously take down the heavy anti-aircraft defenses in the isles, particularly the Gehenna Platforms that will specifically target the Paradox Engine once it has arrived. However, they are protected by patrolling Epsilon forces, so the operation was not taken lightly.
The Paradox Engine arrives[]
Moments after clearing the Isles of hostile Gehenna's, the Paradox Engine arrives, being escorted by a third of the Allied Navy. A squadron of Harriers scouted the way ahead, revealing the positions of the Epsilon navy. Additional aerial reinforcements including Warhawks and Rocketeers arrived from the north and south of the Paradox Engine's position to engage with the rest of the enemy forces. Although they arrived in groups after groups, the Allied Destroyers and Dolphins made quick work of enemy Piranhas while the Aegis cruisers, Battleships and Aircraft carriers escorted the Engine from a closer range.
Destroying enemy forces[]
After the Paradox Engine made its way away from the Isles of Scilly, it initiated a time freeze, which helped the Allied navy clear the Isles of enemy forces that may have followed and destroyed the Engine. The rest of the Allied forces were able to catch up with the Paradox Engine shortly after securing the Isles.
Aftermath[]
| “ | We were able to get out from this dangerous situation with the Paradox Engine intact and fully operational. This won't last long however, as the device has not been fully charged because of the emergency take-off. We must plan our course carefully. | ” |
| —Mission debriefing |
The Allies had managed to successfully defend the Paradox Engine as it escaped from the United Kingdom. However, not all is well. Because of the premature launch, and having to use the time stop twice in order to destroy Epsilon forces, the battery was nearly drained.
Power levels all throughout the ship were beginning to drop. Their first priority was to locate a good source of power to help the Engine to recover. After some searching, they managed to find a suitable place that was guarded by an Epsilon base...
Difficulty changes[]
Casual[]
- Chrono Legionnaire is able to self-heal.
- Removed large amount of patrolling Piranha Minisubs and all patrolling Invaders.
- More defensive units are removed than on Normal difficulty. Most Russian units will also be removed, such as the Terror Drones highlighted in the opening introduction, and most of the standby units chasing the Paradox Engine, including all Wolfhounds.
- After a while, 4 extra Chrono Legionnaires will appear in the starting position.
- The map has the least number of troops stationed and those who chase the Paradox Engine.
- Additional naval formation consisting of Horizon Destroyers and Dolphins will be given.
Normal[]
- Part of defensive units will be removed. There are a small number of Epsilon Elites stationed on the map.
- The number of patrolling Piranha Minisubs is moderate; Some Invaders will patrol part of regions.
- After a while, 2 extra Chrono Legionnaires will appear in the starting position.
- The number of stationed troops is more than Casual, and the number of troops who will chase the Paradox Engine has increased significantly.
Mental[]
- The number of patrolling Piranha Minisubs is the largest, and most of Gehenna Platform-located areas are patrolled by Invaders.
- Numerous Epsilon Elites are stationed on the map, and there is an additional Epsilon Elite in the south of the map.
- With the most troops stationed on the map, the number of troops chasing the Paradox Engine is roughly the same as on Normal difficulty.
Easter egg[]
| “ | What are you doing Commander, wasting your time on totem gods? | ” |
| —Allied intel after finding the easter egg |
A Totem can be found directly north of the starting area. If destroyed, a nearby area will be revealed that contains a firepower and armor upgrade crate, along with a controllable elite Kuznetsov Dreadnought. In addition, Allied intel will respond with the quote above.
Trivia[]
- The music used in the later stages of gameplay is Stranded in Space (Alternative link) by XJMatt.
- The quote "Many Harrier pilots died to bring us this information" after a Harrier squadron scouted the path ahead for the London survivors is a reference to a similar quote in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
