Soldier: collect the package and return to Fort Baxter

Starting: Martinez, the pager and the Streetfighter

Soldier is the first story mission in a new game. Vic starts as a soldier at Fort Baxter, north of Escobar International Airport. After speaking with Sergeant Jerry Martinez, he receives a pager and permission to use Martinez’s motorcycle. No preceding side mission or purchased weapon is required. The assignment introduces driving objectives, scene transitions, swimming and your first accommodation. After the opening, wait for control of Vic and the instruction to take the bike. The large military truck from the introduction is not a vehicle you now need to locate or steal. The provided Streetfighter outside the barracks is the intended starting point.

1. Reach the V.I.P. terminal

Your destination is in the airport area on Vice City’s western side. Follow the current marker and terminal access roads rather than assuming the task is to find any boat at the port.

1. Approach the supplied Streetfighter and get on. Leave Fort Baxter through the normal gate. Brake before joining the road: clipping a fixed gatepost can throw Vic off before the journey has properly begun.
2. Ride from the base entrance toward Escobar International’s marked V.I.P. area. Terminal roads run around traffic islands and beside or beneath buildings. Check the map if the destination appears to be beyond a barrier.
3. Slow down as you approach and enter the pink destination zone. Jumping a road divider is unnecessary. A small road detour is more reliable for a first attempt than crashing during a shortcut beside the contact.
4. Let the meeting play out. The contact takes Vic to a jetty and onto a yacht during the sequence, where he receives the package. You do not need to provide a boat or search the airport apron for a loose pickup.

2. Recognise the boat-ambush transition

The boat ride comes under attack and ends with Vic jumping into the water. Losing the boat is part of the introduction. Do not measure success by whether you can save the yacht. The important new objective appears when you regain control of Vic swimming: reach the shore. First point the camera toward a nearby, accessible piece of coastline. A beach or low edge is more useful than a tall vertical quay wall. Avoid continually looking back at the attackers. A clear swimming direction creates distance here; spending longer trying to fight opponents from the water delays the escape you actually need to complete.

3. Swim, return and deliver the package

The package has already been received through the mission sequence. After the ambush, concentrate on Vic and the delivery rather than searching the wreck.

5. Swim toward the accessible shore, using the displayed fast-swimming action for the short escape. Do not assume unlimited stamina. If a wall provides no exit, move along it toward a lower edge instead of repeatedly approaching the same high section.
6. Walk ashore at shallow ground or use the climbing action at a suitable low ledge. Read Martinez’s pager message and the updated return instruction before choosing another destination.
7. Take a suitable road vehicle when one is available and return to the Fort Baxter marker. You do not have to retrieve Martinez’s original motorcycle from the airport before making this return journey.
8. Use the normal entrance to the base. Inside, follow the marker to Vic’s own accommodation. An arbitrary barracks doorway or Martinez’s office does not replace the indicated delivery point.
9. Enter your barracks target area and let the completion and save explanation finish. That completes Soldier. Make a normal save before moving on to Cleaning House or a free-roam exploration trip.

Barracks means accommodation here

The English objective mentions your barracks. This means Vic’s building at Fort Baxter, which becomes the first safehouse after Soldier. The Barracks OL vehicle seen in the introduction is different. The package does not need to be placed in the back of an army truck. The accommodation now provides saving. On PSP, permanent progress requires suitable save storage; pausing or putting the handheld into standby does not replace finishing the save process. Check your edition’s save dialogue and preserve an early slot if you do not want to replay the introduction. The first assignment also gives you a convenient opportunity to learn the base entrance and the accommodation’s position before another job sends you elsewhere.

Troubleshooting and editions

The objective sequence applies to PSP and PS2. PSP uses its single analog stick for movement, with L plus the stick for normal camera adjustment. PS2 separates the left movement stick and right camera stick. Follow displayed prompts if using another control setup.