Ernesto Hess Task Force

Overview

The MegaMech Cometh
Contact	Ernesto Hess
Zone	Striga Isle
Suggested Team Size	6 players
Coordinates	(-6555.5, 79, 283)
Level Range	25-30
Merits	19
Badge	Burkholder's Bane
Enemy Groups	Council

The Ernesto Hess Task Force is a hero Task Force that is part of the Striga Isle storyline. The Task Force is started off by Ernesto Hess. All of the missions take place in Striga Isle.

Merit Rewards: This activity awards 19 Reward Merits.

Editor's Note:

This task force will be unlocked by a Hero, Vigilante, or Rogue who has finished Lars Hansen's story line, and cannot be started by someone who has not done so. The story arc can only be done while of Hero or Vigilante alignments, but will remain unlocked if the character changes alignments afterward. The character does not need to be within the level range to start the task force, as long as it has been unlocked.

Missions

Souvenir

Ernesto Hess' Council insignia

The Council mole Ernesto Hess gave you his uniform insignia in recognition of your efforts. A strange spider scratched into the back side is your only clue to the mysteries that lie beyond the mission you've come to think of as:

The Mech Man Cometh

Agree to form a task force

Briefing

If you think you can handle it, I can put you onto the biggest action Striga Isle has ever seen. I don't have the whole story yet, but I've learned that the upper echelons of the Council are planning a massive assault on Paragon City. If you're willing to work with me, I think I can help you stop it.

The first thing I need is for you to get to Archon Burkholder's robot factory and scout around for clues. I don't know what all we're dealing with yet, and we need more information.

Mission Objective(s)

You hear a squeal of pressurized steam.

• Defeat all villains in factory
  • 2 schematics to find

You learned about Burkholder's plans.

Enemies

Council

Notable NPCs

• Archon Neville (Penumbra Cor Leonis Archon) (Boss)

Archon Neville dialogue

Before Combat: I want production increased! I will not disappoint Burkholder!
Combat Start: The new Zenith Mech Man will be completed on schedule, despite your pesky interference!

Council Lieutenant dialogue

Council Lieutenant: This robot is a mess.
UNIT 1.0.1.0: Malfunction: Unit operating below accepted parameters.

Schematics

This blueprint details the inner workings of a Zenith Mech Man's joints.

Schematics

This blueprint contains many equations regarding the balance and movement of an enormous Zenith Mech Man. On the back is scribbled a desperate note:

'Help me, please! The Council will never let me go!'

Debriefing

These blueprints you found are quite disturbing. According to these, Archon Burkholder is working on a Zenith Mech Man of massive proportions! And he's forcing someone else to work on it, too!

Rescue the scientist

Briefing

If that note is to be believed, Archon Burkholder is holding some scientist in the facility I'm sending you to. It seems he needed a little help to bring his giant Zenith Mech Man to life. I need you to go in and extract that scientist. Not just because it's the right thing to do. But also because they should have valuable information about the state of Burkholder's progress.

Sure, I feel for that scientist, but my objectives here are very clear. I'll break a few eggs if I must in order to keep the Council down.

Council factory

Mission Objective(s)

• Rescue the scientist
  • Save the scientist! 6 generators to destroy

Enemies

Council

Notable NPCs

• Archon Worthing (Penumbra Cor Leonis Archon) (Boss)
• Dr. Faber (NPC Hostage)

Archon Worthing Dialogue

Before combat: The prisoner will be punished for her truculence!
Combat start: Guard the prisoner! She must not escape!

Dr. Kay Faber Dialogue

Once free: Archon Burkholder is mad!

Dr. Faber's story

When you rescued Dr. Faber from the Council, she told you:

'Archon Burkholder is mad! He forced me to help him build an enormous Zenith Mech Man! You won't believe the size of it. And he plans to loose it on the city! You've got to stop him, heroes. Please! Or I'll never forgive myself!

A word of warning: don't trust that Ernesto Hess too far. He was on guard duty here a few nights ago. He didn't tell you that? I didn't think so. There's something sneaky about him.

Debriefing

We need more details on this giant Zenith Mech Man. The Council's robots are already a significant threat in their own right! If they're getting bigger and better, we need to find out how!

I got to admit, you're made of stronger stuff than most heroes. You may beat the Council yet! I'd like to know everything that's happening; please call me regularly.

Take out the radar stations

Eliminate 1st radar station

Briefing

I'm about to send you into the Council's most secret stronghold, but first I want to improve our communications. The Council's radar stations are preventing me from contacting you by cell phone. If we're going to continue, I need you to take out those radar stations. I want to be able to keep tabs on you.

There are four stations to eliminate. Phone me when you're finished.

Council radar station

Mission Objective(s)

Taking out these stations should disrupt the Council's communications as well as improving your own.

• Eliminate 1st radar station

You disabled the radar station.

Enemies

Council

Salvaged cipher data

While taking out the first radar station, you recovered this data on Council ciphers.

Eliminate 2nd radar station

Mission Objective(s)

Without these radar stations, the Council will have a hard time gettng orders to its troops in Paragon City.

• Eliminate 2nd radar station
  • Destroy the computer!

You disabled the radar station.

Enemies

Council

Salvaged troop data

While taking out the second radar station, you recovered this data on recent troop movements.

Eliminate 3rd radar station

Mission Objective(s)

The Council's communications network is notorious for its complexity and redundancy.

• Eliminate 3rd radar station
  • Destroy the computer!

You disabled the radar station.

Enemies

Council

Salvaged base data

While taking out the third radar station, you recovered this data on the locations of Council bases.

Eliminate the last radar station

Mission Objective(s)

This is the last of the Council's radar stations.

• Eliminate last radar station
  • Destroy the computer!

You disabled the radar station.

Enemies

Council

Salvaged ordnance data

While taking out the fourth radar station, you recovered this data on the specifications of the Council's weapons.

Debriefing

Good work, kids. Now I can contact you wherever you are. And the Council will be scrambling to get their communications network up again; that ought to keep them out of our hair.

Some people I know would be very interested in all this info you collected along the way. Dont' wory, I'll make sure it gets to the appropriate individuals.

I won't forget your valour. I'll remember each and every one of you.

Infiltrate the base

Briefing

All right, the scientists have given us the location of Archon Burkholder's giant robot factory. It's within Mt. Richardson itself. You're going to have to infiltrate it. Now listen up: I need the location of the pending attack. And I also need you to take out the base's main generator, to buy us some time.

Once we have that information, we'll know how to respond.

Mission Objective(s)

You slip into the Council base unnoticed.

• Find info on robot attack
  • 2 computers to hack at once
  • Ruin generator!

You have information on the robots' planned attack.

Enemies

Council

Notable NPCs

• Archon Gavin (Penumbra Cor Leonis Archon) (Boss)

Archon Gavin dialogue

Before combat: Bring the power online!
Combat start: Stop Character!

Attack orders

According to these orders, Archon Burkholder plans to unleash his giant Zenith Mech Man on Atlas Park itself!

Debriefing

Well done, well done. Now that we know where the attack is planned, I can get a response team to work. Of course, that doesn't mean your job's over. Not by a long shot. Uh uh, you're going to have to go back.

Find intel on the Mech Man

Mount Richardson's secret

Briefing

We need more intel on this Zenith Mech man, heroes. You've got to go back to that factory and see what you can dig up. We need a weakness, something we can exploit. Otherwise Archon Burkholder's plan may come to fruition!

Mission Acceptance

Anything you can do to weaken the Council will help.

Unnecessary Solicitation

I need more intel, heroes. My superiors - that is, I can't wait.

Mission Objective(s)

This base is full of activity. It seems your repeated incursions have not gone unnoticed.

• Defeat all villains in sector

You defeated the villains and learned the weakness of the giant Zenith Mech Man.

Editor's Note:

This is not a defeat all. Defeating the enemies in the last room are the only ones required.

Enemies

Council

Notable NPCs

• Archon Sanders (Penumbra Cor Leonis Archon) (Boss)

Archon Sanders dialogue

Before Combat:

Archon Sanders: Increase security. We have intruders!

Council soldier: Right away, sir!

Combat Start:

Archon Sanders: Stop Task Force Name!

Debriefing

So, the giant Mech Man can be piloted only by Archon Burkholder. I should have guessed. Burkholder's the key, then. We take him down, we take down his entire brilliant plot!

Take out Archon Burkholder

Briefing

If the intel you got out of Sanders can be believed, Archon Burkholder is the only person who knowns how to pilot the giant Zenith Mech Man. I guess that doesn't surprise me. The word around the base is that he's obsessed with robotics. He even volunteered for Maestro's crazy medical experiments, with the condition that he be given a robotic arm.

What this means for us is simple: if you take out Burkholder, you take down his entire scheme.

I'm counting on you to end this, heroes. You'd be surprised to know what's riding on this one.

Archon Burkholder

Mission Objective(s)

In the presence of the giant Mech Man, even a hero such as you is awed.

• Defeat Archon Burkholder

You defeated Archon Burkholder and stopped the launch of the giant Zenith Mech Man.

Enemies

Council

Notable NPCs

• Archon Burkholder (Archvillain)

Archon Burkholder Dialogue

Before combat: I believe Hess is working against us. Could he be the Arachnos mole we were warned of?
Combat start: You won't catch me!

Key to the side door

This key will get you out the side door before the Robot self-destructs.

Badge

Completion of this mission earns a hero the Burkholder's Bane Badge.

Burkholder's Bane

You have stopped the Council from launching their giant robot against Paragon City.

Debriefing

You stopped Archon Burkholder. Good work. I'll call in some friends to begin dismantling the giant Mech Man. I'm sure we can learn a lot from it. Thank you, Task Force. Thank you. Your service has been invaluable to me and my associates. You've kept the Council from growing too strong at a time when we could not afford it.

Who are my associates? Well, that's a story best left for another time. But rest assured, they can spin a tangled web.