Hovis eyes Trent distrustfully
"Y'know, I'd love to spend all day jawin' with ya, Bretonian, but I really only talk to racers. Unless of course you are a racer and yer lookin' for a challenge, say me perhaps...in that case I'll talk to ya all day."
Dexter Hovis is a disgraced former race pilot who now races from the Battleship Hood in the Dublin system. Somehow, Hovis is affiliated with Professor Roland Quintaine, and has information on his whereabouts. This causes Trent to seek him out during Mission 6.
Racing Hovis
Important: When starting the race, use Shift+W to start your cruise engine and use mouse flight to maneuver through each gate. F2 is not very effective here and advised not to use.
Racing Hovis in Mission 6 is rather easy: simply turn on your cruise engines and race through each of the rings in turn. You will ideally want a maneuverable and agile craft for this: take a fighter, not a freighter! By far, the most agile fighter available to the player at Level 11 is the Kusari J7P-7Q Drake Light Fighter: this is also the most maneuverable craft in the game, matched only by the first ship, the Civilian CTE 750AE Starflier Light Fighter.
Hovis flies a Border Series X Dagger Light Fighter, but it is armed with weak Class 3 IMG weapons. A little past the three-quarter mark, Hovis will miss a ring and be delayed making another pass. He and a few weapons platforms will then open fire on you, trying to distract you ("Damn! Give him something to think about, boys!"). Finish the race; don't bother fighting Hovis or the platforms. After completing the race, Hovis will give you the information you've been looking for regarding Quintaine's whereabouts. Unfortunately, this is the only race you can participate in during the unmodified game; additional races are not available. Therefore, if you like the race, save the game before racing so you can come back and play it later!
Rumors
"Hovis? Yeah, I know him. He's undefeated in these races you know. In fact, that's all he does. He was exiled from Liberty for illegal gambling and for rigging a bomb on the bottom of a ship. The problem was that ship was racing him at the time and was piloted by a major senator's son. He's been here ever since. I'd watch my back around him. He's not exactly right, and as much as he loves to race, he loves winning even more -- if you get my meaning." - Essex Bartender Luke Greene
Trivia
Hovis can be killed or shot down by the player after the race is over, when the player is about to dock with the Hood. The player will aquire 2x Helios Mk II.