I'm glad you approve of "The Gauntlet" being just that.

And it's Missions 1~7 -- I'm tightening the screws on Stage 7 (Nexus Base in the south) as we speak, and it really caps off the whole idea of making it one LONG mission. Why build up nearly the
entire zone and not need to defend the base? I always wanted a mission where the AI brought the fight
to you.
I've got the maps up to M12 ALL the way done now. You guys are gonna like M9. It's an actual mission instead of the flyover idea from before. I got to thinking (as I played thru the old Campaign) that maybe it would be a good idea to see the base that destroyed Alpha AND Beta bases... so that's M9.
M11 is the OLD half of M1 that I threw away. I figured we could do something with it. It's the "Beer Run" mission -- but we're picking up technology that is VITAL for M12's success.
M12 is gonna be a good one -- another Gauntlet, but not as long. I've designed the map for five stages -- and no, it won't take six hours to finish.

Then again, it might -- after all, you're dealing with Nexus in HIS backyard (southeast Texas) and the resistance you'll be facing is nothing short of brutal. Several surprises await the player there, and maybe even an answer to "why".