Total Annihilation/The Hydration Plant

''Making use of a second captured Core gate, the Arm commander took a step further into Core territory. Tergiverse IV was once a sparkling water world like Thalassean, but it had been drained dry. Its resources used outswear in support of the war. The Core (...) the last significant source of water, remaining on this planet - a large underground lake, more than a mile beneath the surface.''

Mission Briefing
Capture the Hydration Plant.

Priority We have withheld our air unit capabilities in our struggle against Core, until now... Core will be expecting us to attack by using our ground forces. The time has come to surprise them. Build an Aircraft Plant and use the Air units to take out their minimal Air Defense emplacements. Build an Atlas Air Transport Unit to carry you over their ground forces and capture the Hydration Plant.

Info Feed The Hydration Plant is located within fortified and patrolled territory. Your best chance of success is to fly over the Core defenses. Expect heavy Core ground forces, minimal air defense. As always, expect guards at the Gate.

END

Details
Starting units: Commander

The mission starts with the Commander under attack. Fight back and take down the Pyros, then capture the Radar Tower and Metal Extractor. Build an Aircraft Plant and a pair of Light Laser Towers (one on each of the north and south sides of the butte). While you're busy building the Towers, make sure your Aircraft Plant starts building fighters. The Towers will certainly help with defense, but you'll eventually need the fighters both to hold your ground and push back against the Core.

Once you have a few Freedom Fighters patrolling, start building Thunder bombers, followed by Shadows. Build a few more fighters for an attack group (made up of the newly built fighters and the Shadows, a dozen or so in total), and send them to the northern edge of the map. They should find a group of Core aircraft still on the ground in this area which will be easy targets. Keep building aircraft for the remaining cleanup, and build a transport plane to get your Commander on the move.

Send your commander over to the northern butte to capture the structures there, and prepare to head down to capture the Hydration Plant. You can try thinning out the ground forces, or just fly the commander down the northern side of the butte and land him right next to the hydration plant. Capturing the Plant is the only requirement to finish the mission, so just be careful not to destroy it or let the Commander take too much damage.