Save Fox

 is a main plot (storyline) task very early in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha. It is given by Sidorovich and is also the first encounter that the player has with the Sin faction.

Overview

 * The mission consists of four sub-tasks.


 * 1) Try to release Fox
 * 2) Get the important info from Sidorovich
 * 3) Bring the info to Sin members
 * 4) Talk to Fox and return to Sidorovich

Try to release Fox (Orthodox Strategy)

 * The objective is marked on the player's mini-map.
 * Fox is located in the Sin House, located to the north of the Bridge Checkpoint.
 * Head out the village and up the road until just before the Bridge Checkpoint.
 * When the player gets close enough, they will be told to keep calm and try to talk their way through the checkpoint.
 * When approached, the military will tell the player to back off and turn around, leaving three routes past the checkpoint:
 * Head right and up over the hill. This route is the most pragmatic, easiest and quickest route.
 * Simply walk back a small distance away from the checkpoint, head east and then north up over the hill and across the train tracks.
 * This route also has an easily avoided soldier carrying a Sniper rifle SVDm-2, located on the right hand side of the train (looking over the edge of the railing down to the road beneath).
 * Head to the left until the Trade Route Tunnel is reached.
 * This way is a lot more dangerous due to the location being filled with Springboard, Vortex and Witches' Jelly Anomalies.
 * Additionally, there is also a group of five Zombies and one Ghost Zombie inhabiting the tunnel, and a pack of Fleshes on the other side.
 * If the player sticks to a zig-zag pattern through the anomalies, they should get through relatively easily.
 * Taking this route will 'trigger' the zombies with the result that the Eliminate Cordon zombies storyline mission will not be forthcoming from Sidorovich later on.
 * Take out all the military soldiers in the area. This is the hardest route to take as the player will be up against six relatively well-armed soldiers in total.
 * However in doing so, the player will be rewarded with not only the Sniper rifle SVDm-2 but also the unique Fort-15 pistol from the Major (standing on top of the cargo container) (In v1.4007 the Major only has a normal Fort-12, still an upgrade over your standard PM, and the sniper will have a sniper AKM. If you have the misfortune of using the PRM weapons pack the sniper will have an unscoped SKS, which is of vastly inferior capability)
 * Irrespective of the strategy used to reach the other side of the Bridge Checkpoint, the Sin House is the target destination.
 * The shack is located up the road from the checkpoint on the eastern side.
 * Head into the shack through the hole in the wall and talk to the Sin company leader, standing to the left of Fox.
 * He will inform the player that Fox isn't going anywhere until Sidorovich hands some information over to them.

Get the important info from Sidorovich

 * Run back to see Sidorovich once again.
 * He will grudgingly give the player the previously recovered Contacts flash drive with the information that the Sin members are after.

Bring the info to the Sin members

 * Return to the Sin House, hand over the information from Sidorovich and conclude the segment as Fox is released.

Talk to Fox and return to Sidorovich

 * Talk with Fox who has now been set free.
 * He will thank the player.
 * Head back to Sidorovich.
 * Once the player moves out the house, Sidorovich will contact the player asking them if they want to come back to him one or head straight to the Garbage to continue the Storyline.

Peaceful Resolution

 * Unlike in Base Game, in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha, the mission to rescue Fox can potentially be done with no risk of harm to the player.
 * The strategy for this is to first go around east side of the Bridge Checkpoint, avoiding the Trade Route Tunnel and the soldiers stationed on the road.
 * The Sin House where Fox is held prisoner, is essentially in the same location as in the Base Game, (but looks slightly different)
 * Inside, the player will find the Sin members holding him captive.
 * Two with Kalashnikovs are standing in the room with Fox kneeling in POW stance, while three others are sitting in an adjacent room speaking to each other in a strange language that is not Russian like all other stalkers' ambient talking is.
 * In order that the player completes mission peacefully, they simply must speak with the standing Sin leader on Fox's right, and follow instructions to get "that" from Sidorovich.
 * When the player takes the Contacts flash drive to the Sin company leader, he releases Fox and the player may simply follow him back to Rookie Village, where he regains his Technician status.

Violent Resolution

 * Alternatively, the player may opt for one or multiple blood-baths if they are feeling cranky, feisty, or bigoted towards the Sin faction members' awful appearance.
 * Firstly, if the player is feeling up for a killing spree, they may choose to kill soldiers under collapsed part of the bridge.
 * Whether or not the player decides to kill the Military under the Bridge Checkpoint, they also have the option to off the Sin squad holding Fox inside house.
 * Note, that although this obviously will lose points for the player with the Sin faction, killing them before even speaking with them is one of the conditions that may need to be met for the option to join Duty later on.

Notes 2

 * There are some hiccups that may be encountered in leading Fox back to his lair.
 * Just 'letting him get on with it' may result in him not arriving at his shelter.
 * This becomes inconvenient if the player wishes to modify the easily acquired Sniper rifle SVDm-2 from the Bridge Checkpoint either for early financial gain or for bragging rights with the sniper in the Garbage.
 * Also, since Fox can just as easily upgrade the (free) Akm 74/2 that is obtained later; which may easily suffice to the end of the game, getting Fox to his burrow is worth some slight aggravation.
 * Simply yomp back with him to the other side of the Bridge Checkpoint - wait while he reaches the road, and he should "Teleport" from the mini-map as he auto-relocates to his nest.
 * It's a lot of fuss but may expedite strategy enormously.
 * There appears to be a bug where if the player can obtain a grenade, then throw it into the first room with two Sin guards, the rest will not turn hostile against you. This can save you an entire trip back and forth, and yield some loot for you to pick.

Trivia

 * The ethical points concerning the retirement of the sin contingent are for the player to determine. Wiping them out yields the Joining Duty option later on which has its own downsides.
 * Mission details for any Storyline task are found in "task_manager.ltx".