Battle of the GDA Transmitter

The Battle of the GDA Transmitter was the first major battle that the Colonist Survivors (CSS) fought against the Green Drone Armada (GDA) during the Green Drone War. Led by ex-RWI Captain Jack Roberts, the CSS's goal in the battle was to hijack a GDA transmitter tower in order to send a distress signal to any Red Wood industries (RWI) forces in the system, in order to learn more about the status of the galaxy at war and gain more resources and manpower in fighting the GDA on the planet. Although the transmitter tower was destroyed by the GDA during the battle, the CSS were successful in sending their signal, which was soon received by RWI.

Prelude
At the outbreak of the Green Drone War, the CSS became stranded on a GDA-controlled Earth-like planet following the crash of their flagship, the CSS Vengeance. Captain Jack Roberts led his remaining crew to safety, as well as rescuing RWI marines Owen, Mors, and Ler and ex-DRF (Drone Reactionary Force) drone members Papple and Finchy from their respective ship crashes. They made their way through a subterranean GDA outpost where they stole a Keep-class Mobile Base, which served as their home until they stumbled upon an abandoned outpost, the Bastion, in which they set up a base of operations.

Eventually, the Colonists discovered a nearby GDA staging area taken over by survivors of the crashed RWI Malta led by Lieutenant Evan Connolly. Though the RWI forces had been eliminated by the time the CSS team arrived, Connolly managed to leave a datapad containing a voice log and coordinates to a GDA communications station with means to send a signal into orbit of the planet. Seeing that this was their chance to send out a distress signal to any other RWI forces in the area, Roberts led the CSS to the base.

Obtaining Assets
The CSS had loaded up in the Keep to travel to the base, but they still lacked the firepower needed to take a fortified GDA base. Fortunately, the team acquired two additional rovers while en route to the base. One was a small Scuttler-class Rover, which Finn found at the staging post and repaired and modified it in the Keep 's hangar while en route. The second rover was found at an abandoned garage - an MR-2 Ranger-class Rover, which had a gatling turret and doors which folded into entry ramps when opened. Castle was put in charge of the Ranger along with the RWI marines.

Securing the Base
As the sun rose on the planet again, the CSS forces arrived at the base. Behind large armored walls was the massive transmitter tower, as well as a few small radar towers, landing pads, defensive turrets, and other structures defended by a few GDA Falcon-class Fighters, sentry drones, and infantry drones. The Keep led the charge, covering the Ranger as Castle drove into the compound and deployed the marines to secure the area. Roberts and the rest of the crew made their way inside, and quickly put down the defending GDA forces.

Roberts then took Finn and Owen and climbed to the top of the tower, where Roberts recorded his distress call and began transmitting it. Meanwhile, on the ground, the rest of the team, organized by Bash, hijacked the defensive turret emplacements to defend against any GDA reinforcements. They also raided the base's buildings for supplies and ammunition for their vehicles and weaponry.

Defending the Base
Soon after the Colonists' defenses were ready, Finn spotted an incoming GDA Scourge-class Carrier hovering above a canyon. It soon deployed numerous Falcon- and Mako-class Fighters which swarmed the area and slowly chipped away at the defenses. Although many fighters were shot down, the carrier kept launching more and one by one the turrets were destroyed and the tower took more and more damage.

As the signal neared 100% broadcasted, Roberts ordered Finn and Owen to rejoin the others on the ground and for everyone to get ready to retreat back to the Bastion, while he remained atop the tower to confirm the broadcast's success. However, as the Colonists abandoned the remaining defenses, the GDA fighters encircled the tower and began firing missiles at it. The tower began to fall and, once the signal was completely sent, Roberts leapt from the balcony and jetpacked onto the ground below. The tower's supports snapped and it tumbled backward into the canyon below. The CSS got back in their vehicles and quickly retreated, evading the GDA fighters before they could pursue.

Aftermath
The distress signal was soon picked up by RWI forces. In high orbit of the planet, the RWI Intrepid, a prototype Mark 2 Defender-class Frigate, hid from the GDA fleet in silent-running mode, but the bridge crew still received the signal. The ship's XO informed the captain, Commander Sam Reed, of the signal, and once Reed confirmed that it was indeed Roberts' voice in the message, he ordered the Intrepid to power up and move in to reinforce the CSS.

The Intrepid arrived just in time to save them from the GDA, which had sent the same Scourge-class Carrier and many fighters to attack the Bastion and wipe out the CSS for good. The Colonists had been forced to take shelter in the underground garage of the Bastion when the Intrepid arrived. Reed deployed Green Squadron, the attached wing of V-203 Fighters, to engage the remaining GDA fighters while the Intrepid 's main Mk3 battleship cannon to target the GDA carrier's engine bay, damaging it and forcing it to retreat. Reed then spoke with Roberts about the status of RWI and plans to attack the GDA headquarters on the planet.

Behind-the-Scenes
The Battle of the Transmitter takes place on Episode 12 of 'Space Engineers: Colony Lost', the third series of the Colony Universe.