X-COM II: The Earth’s Revenge (Part XI)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Welcome to our continuing saga of man versus alien. This thread continues the saga of our FOFC heroes as they battle against the alien horde that threatens to take over Mother Earth.

A Brief Recap
We're approaching the end of November, the eleventh month of this long and bloody war. UFO sightings and alien attacks continue at an ever increasing rate. X-COM casualties are mounting, and the aliens are killing our agents at a higher rate than that of any month except of the first month of the war. Our veterans are starting to show signs of fatigue and combat stress. Our rookies are dying as fast as we can get them into battle. More and tougher aliens seemed to be involved with every mission. England, France, and Germany remain resolutely in league with their alien allies, and continue to apply political pressure on the United Nations to cut off our funding and force the Earth to ally with the aliens. Yet we fight on.

And we make progress. World opinion is slowly swinging in our favor. We have received glowing reviews from the United Nations for our work in fighting the alien horde. Alien atrocities across the world are starting to receive more media scrutiny, despite an alien propaganda machine that paints the aliens as the world’s saviors and us as the evil reactionaries holding the Earth back from a better future. A ferocious alien terror attack on London—called “an unfortunate accident” by the aliens—has led to some discordant voices in the generally universal outcry of support for the aliens in their three-country alliance. The truth is gradually seeping out. We are gaining strength.

Most importantly, however, and unknown to the aliens, is that good old human brainpower is on the verge of giving us a trump card. In the past couple of months, X-COM researchers and engineers have discovered the exact location of the secret Martian command center, have crafted blueprints for a craft capable of making the journey to that base, and begun construction on the vehicle at our South American base. If we can fight the aliens to a stalemate on Earth for the next two months, we should be ready to send our best 18 agents on a winner-take-all mission to exterminate the alien base on Mars and destroy the alien “brain” that controls all alien forces in our system. Victory on such a mission would end the war and end the alien threat for at least the next 100 years. Defeat would cost us the human race.

As so our story continues.

We pick up the action with an X-COM assault on an alien base in Spain. The attack is currently underway. Our next report should be a Skyranger transmission letting us know of the attack’s progress.

Explanation
This "dynasty" is a participatory story using the Microprose game X-COM: UFO Defense. If you'd like to sign up, just post here to let me know. However, we are clearing drawing closer to the war’s conclusion, so I can’t guarantee that people on the waiting list will see much action. You don't need to know anything about the game to participate, basically you just read along and post comments as you like, although at times there are decisions to be made where input is requested. In almost all of those cases, you don't need to know anything about the game to make an equally bad decision as I usually do.

Past Links
A Sectoid cyber attack on our computer systems took out much of the recorded history of our fight against the aliens, but these recent links remain. Efforts to regain public access to the lost annals continue.

X-COM II (Part VI) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?threadid=8041&referrerid=217)
X-COM II (Part VII) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?threadid=11406&referrerid=217)
X-COM II (Part VIII) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=14060&page=1&pp=50)
X-COM II (Part IX) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=20850)
X-COM II (Part X) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=21971&referrerid=217)

[Godzilla Blitz]

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 97)

USA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
14. Wade Moore Active Colonel 25 23
43. Achilles Active Sergeant 19 14
46. Patman II Active Captain 22 13
55. Sublime II Active Sergeant 18 10
74. AStott Active Captain 16 18
75. Alf III Active Squaddie 8 4
92. Jeeber D Active Squaddie 10 7
98. MrBug IV Active Squaddie 9 4
112. Airhog II Active Squaddie 3 1
114. Blade6119 IV Active Squaddie 3 2
115. Klayman III Active Squaddie 3 3
121. Katon II Active Squaddie 1 1
129. Ardent Enthusiast Active Squaddie 1 1
133. Lokugh III Active Rookie 0 0


EU COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
2. jfbbis Active Colonel 22 20
10. Kodos Active Commander 26 24
19. Revrew Active Captain 24 21
37. The Time WND (4) Sergeant 21 10
70. Naiwf Active Sergeant 15 10
89. RealDeal III Active Squaddie 12 7
90. Coffee Warlord II Active Sergeant 12 9
101. Wolfpack Active Sergeant 8 9
102. Japherwaki II Active Squaddie 9 7
105. Swaggs Active Sergeant 10 8
110. Breeze Active Squaddie 5 7
116. Chuck U Farley Active Squaddie 5 5
119. Tucker II Active Squaddie 3 3
120. Sachmo III Active Squaddie 3 1
122. Mike Vic Active Squaddie 2 3
123. Vince Active Squaddie 2 3
128. ShaefIllini Active Squaddie 2 1
131. Raven Hawk II Active Squaddie 1 1


ASIA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
35. Jeff Nights II Active Captain 24 13
39. Thomkal II Active Sergeant 20 17
41. Fat Football II Active Sergeant 18 9
45. Danny VanHalen Active Sergeant 19 14
52. Qwikshot II Active Captain 20 12
84. Split Pers III Active Sergeant 8 9
93. Afoci Active Squaddie 8 6
96. Illinifan V Active Squaddie 9 7
109. Glengoyne Active Squaddie 6 4
117. Psycho Cop II Active Squaddie 2 1
118. Calis Active Squaddie 5 1
124. Sir Fozzie II Active Squaddie 3 0
127. Hoops Guy Active Squaddie 2 1
134. BYU II Active Squaddie 2 0
135. FF Froggies Active Squaddie 2 0
137. Kingfc Active Rookie 2 0



SAM COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
71. Wignasty Active Squaddie 7 3
130. Peregrine Active Rookie 0 0
132. Northwood DK Active Rookie 0 0



AFRICA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
59. Daimyo II Active Squaddie 9 5
94. Data King III Active Squaddie 5 2
125. Chief Rum IV Active Rookie 0 0
136. Barkeep Active Rookie 0 0
138. Blade IV Active Rookie 0 0
139. Tasan II Active Rookie 0 0
140. Travis IV Active Rookie 0 0
141. Render III Active Rookie 0 0
142. Almighty Active Rookie 0 0
143. Anxiety III Active Rookie 0 0


X-COM II Troop Attributes

Name TUs Sta Hlt Brv Rea Fir Thw Str PsD PsS
2. jfbbis 76 82 61 30 35 84 58 58
10. Kodos 80 92 60 50 62 82 73 63 75 20
14. Wade Moore 81 82 56 30 59 92 72 68
19. Revrew 77 71 57 30 37 67 60 64 91 24
35. Jeff Nights II 72 77 55 60 33 67 62 54 97 17
37. The Time 76 84 57 50 63 55 59 54
39. Thomkal II 74 92 60 30 56 51 61 54 60 20
41. Fat Football II 71 72 43 50 38 70 73 54
43. Achilles 73 74 57 10 46 79 79 53
45. Danny VanHalen 78 85 50 10 42 63 79 52 28 21
46. Patman II 78 71 55 60 50 52 79 57
52. Qwikshot II 75 81 47 10 58 77 65 54 75 22
55. Sublime II 76 77 45 10 40 73 78 58
59. Daimyo II 65 60 48 30 47 70 64 43
70. Naiwf 76 72 53 50 40 63 69 49 26 16
71. Wignasty 64 45 37 20 38 61 72 44
74. AStott 76 60 54 50 55 73 62 58
75. Alf III 62 57 36 40 52 50 55 46
84. Split Pers III 71 71 47 30 41 64 67 44
89. RealDeal III 75 76 40 60 47 68 68 56 48 24
90. Coffee Warlord II 75 82 48 60 38 72 69 46 25 24
92. Jeeber D 65 61 44 20 31 62 77 42
93. Afoci 63 60 37 30 40 47 55 47
94. Data King III 63 52 31 50 36 52 58 35
96. Illinifan V 57 55 47 50 56 54 66 45
98. Mr. Bug IV 64 67 47 10 34 70 66 36
101. Wolfpack 69 74 38 40 37 65 59 40
102. Japherwaki II 67 78 43 20 32 52 53 49
105. Swaggs 70 77 45 60 51 75 69 51 83 24
109. Glengoyne 70 70 45 30 34 68 53 46
110. Breeze 64 49 37 60 31 71 54 42
112. Airhog II 56 67 30 60 56 44 54 29
114. Blade6119 IV 56 47 44 10 37 74 61 33
115. Klaymn III 62 77 43 30 34 71 58 33
116. Chuck U Farley 58 69 36 40 55 68 77 39
117. Psycho Cop II 50 61 40 10 60 67 50 39
118. Calis 58 57 26 50 39 55 73 35
119. Tucker II 65 72 31 60 53 56 65 36
120. Sachmo III 56 57 36 50 47 57 57 38
121. Katon II 52 54 28 40 58 68 54 38
122. Mike Vic 64 50 44 10 32 44 53 42
123. Vince 60 69 31 10 45 66 57 43
124. Sir Fozzie II 60 65 27 10 31 67 50 25
125. Chief Rum IV 55 46 25 30 50 52 63 38
126. The Herd 51 66 37 40 58 50 77 40
127. Hoops Guy 54 54 40 40 41 59 65 27
128. ShaefIllini 62 53 43 10 60 59 64 36
129. Ardent Enthusiast 61 63 28 40 48 64 72 33
130. Peregrine 55 45 37 30 35 45 64 34
131. Raven Hawk II 57 45 30 20 30 67 66 39
132. Northwood DK 51 40 27 30 54 48 56 40
133. BYU II 52 68 30 10 53 57 61 38
134. Lokugh III 52 59 36 60 40 46 55 35
135. Kingfc 54 61 29 50 52 58 71 33
136. Barkeep 52 57 33 30 34 55 73 32
137. FF Froggies 55 51 40 10 57 44 75 36
138. Blade IV 58 42 30 30 51 40 49 23
139. Tasan II 60 50 38 10 37 54 79 20
140. Travis II 51 58 27 50 38 65 66 34
141. Render III 59 64 27 50 42 46 53 22
142. Almighty 53 40 38 40 47 46 63 24
143. Anxiety III 56 55 39 40 38 68 68 32

Key: TUs = Time Units; Sta = Stamina; Hlt = Health; Brv = Bravery; Rea = Reactions
Fir = Firing; Thw = Throwing; Str = Strength; PsD = PSI Defense; PsS = PSI Skill

Support Personnel

Head of Research: Craptacular
(Current researching focus: Gravity Shield)
Head of Engineering: Sterling Ice II
(Current manufacturing focus: Flying Suits, Hover Tank, Avenger Fighter)
US Interceptor Pilot: CapnMorgan
EU Interceptor Pilot: Superman
AS Interceptor Pilot: Toddiec IV


Attribute Leaders (After Mission 97)

Time Units: (81) Wade Moore
Stamina: (92) Thomkal II, Kodos
Health: (61) Jfbbis
Bravery: (60) (Nine tied)
Reactions: (63) The Time
Firing: (92) Wade Moore
Throwing: (79) (Three tied)
Strength: (68) Wade Moore
PSI Defense: (97) Jeff Nights II
PSI Strength: (24) (Four tied)


Attribute Doggies (After Mission 97)

Time Units: (50) PsychoCop II
Stamina: (40) Northwood DK
Health: (25) Chief Rum IV
Bravery: (10) (14 tied)
Reactions: (30) Raven Hawk II
Firing: (40) Blade IV
Throwing: (50) Sir Fozzie II, Psycho Cop II
Strength: (20) Tasan II
PSI Defense: (25) Coffee Warlord II
PSI Strength: (16) Naiwf


Top Ten Kills Leaders

1. Kodos 24
2. Wade Moore 23
3. Revrew 21
4. Jfbbis 20
5. Klayman (KIA) 18
5. Astott 18
7. Thomkal II 17
8. Shorty (KIA) 16
9. Achilles 14
9. Rich (KIA) 14
9. Danny Van Halen 14


Waiting List

ID Name Base Status Rank LBrvOK? OptUp?
144. Rich II - On Call Rookie Yes No
145. Zippy III - AWOL Rookie Yes Yes
146. Gi - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
147. Tellistto - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
148. CT Homer II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
149. Rawisdan II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
150. Gbk - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
151. The Herd II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
152. 3ric V - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
153. Fonzie III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
154. Condors III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
155. Dawgfan - On Call Rookie Yes Yes

[Godzilla Blitz]

Skyranger Transmission

This just in from the Skyranger in Spain…

Hi there. Me here, in the Skyranger. That Java dude just called me. Said it’s really important that I tell you they’re in some kind of bush. Yeah, I know, doesn’t make much sense to me, either, so I’ll just play the tape for you. Here you go.

(long pause, followed by a dull crash).

Oops. Wrong button, I guess. Damn, I hope the landing gear is ok. Let’s try that again. Humm. Which button was it, again? Can’t be the little red button. “Don’t ever press the little red button!” I remember that from training. Ummm. Maybe this one? Aha! Expresso’s voice is a bit scratchy, but you’ll probably be able to figure it out:

“Coff…ord…porting…We…plit into two squa…One walked…bush…ucking awf…whole tea…KIA. They knew we…coming...Some...tipped them off...Missi…utcom…uncer….offee…and out.”

And that’s was it. Sounds like things are going just fine down there. I’ll call you later if I hear something else. Wish they’d hurry though. I’m getting a bit hungry.

[Kodos]

Reserved for witty commentary. Coming soon. ;)


I love that pilot. He's always got a smile on his face. That guy has a great attitude. I think he'll go far in whatever he does. :cool:

[Coffee Warlord]

Reserved for ordering men to their deaths. Coming soon. :)

Hey, guess I don't need to order them to their deaths! Whoo!

And if I'm reporting, I ain't dead!

[kingfc22]

Anybody taking lunch reservations?

[Blade]

We are able to place reservations for EHM?

[thealmighty]

How about if I, just in case, become the first Spain-o-rookie to, just in case now, you understand, put in for Almighty II to be member 156.

Not that I am not confident or anything, looking at the low numbers on most of my statistics (OR, maybe low numbers are GOOD in this game). You know, just in case my luck isn't any better than it has been in the Racing Dynasty.

[Poli]

CW, can I be on your team, rather than the other team you sent wherever? :)

[sachmo71]

Looks like my clone is no longer wounded. Time to kick ass!

[Tellistto]

Looks like more recruiting to do soon...

Tell

[Godzilla Blitz]

98th Mission: Su Basa es Mi Basa or Mi Asa is Grasa? (Part I)

The EU COM Skyranger hurtles low to the ground en route to the Spanish base nestled into low hills near the Portuguese border. We’re heading into darkness, but the night sky shows a pink glow to the east. The attack should go off at dawn, which is a mere 30 minutes away.

All our agents know that production has begun on the Avenger Ultimate Spacecraft, and that once the Avenger is built, the Mars mission is a go. For the largely inexperienced men on the Skyranger today, the chance to get on that ship to Mars rests solely in dramatically standing out from the crowd over the next month and a half. This base assault is a golden opportunity—for those who survive.

But survival is a huge question mark for each and every one of them. Today’s force is the least experienced base assault team we have ever put together. The highest ranking agent is Coffee Warlord II, and he is a sergeant who has cracked numerous times in battle and has a PSI evaluation of “weak”. Only three agents—Coffee Warlord II, Daimyo II, and Mr. Bug IV—have more than three missions worth of experience. Four agents—Travis IV, Lokugh III, Anxiety III, and Almighty—have never seen combat.

Despite the likelihood of death, despite the fear, despite the high odds against success, this volunteer force answered their planet’s call. These 14 men are risking everything for the chance to become a hero.

If there is anything working in our favor today, it is that—unlike previous base assaults—there is no need to take prisoners today. We can blow everything and everyone apart. Working against us today is that we have no idea what type of enemy we’re up against. God help us if this is an Ethereal base.

Coffee Warlord II will lead our troops today:

Assault Force Alpha
1. Kingfc (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. Blade6119 IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Daimyo II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Almighty (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Vince (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
6. Tucker II (Blaster Launcher, Flying Suit)
7. Travis IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Assault Force Bravo:
1. Coffee Warlord II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Mike Vic (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Ardent Enthusiast (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. BYU II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Anxiety III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
6. Mr. Bug IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
7. Lokugh III (Blaster Launcher, Flying Suit)

The Skyranger touches down as the red sun cracks the horizon behind them. The men quickly exit the craft and jog through some low hills to the entrance of the subterranean base. From there, they use our tried and true methods for entering the base: cut the upper grating, rappel down the air shafts, split up into two teams at the bottom and move along the horizontal venting that runs over the alien base.

Within minutes the two assault teams have located gratings over supply rooms. They cut their way in and drop to the floor of the small rooms that lie above the main base. The Assault Force Bravo supply room lies somewhere in the northern portion of the complex. Assault Force Alpha’s room is about 40 meters south of Bravo’s position. We have little idea of the layout of the overall base. Both groups silently check their equipment, and head down to the main floor.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-1.jpg
Assault Force Bravo prepares to enter the main floor of the alien base. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Mike Vic leads the way for Team Bravo. He heads into the grav-lift and drops to the main floor. He looks in all directions…nothing. He can now tell that Bravo team is at the very northern edge of the alien base: hallways run west, south, and east from the square room that he is standing in, but there is solid wall to his north. Mike takes a quick look down each of the three corridors, but spots no aliens. BYU II joins Mike a few seconds later. The two men begin to set up firing positions down the corridors.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-2.jpg
X-COM forces make an initial foray into the alien base. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Now that Team Bravo has identified the northern edge of the base, we know that Team Alpha lies over the heart of the base. This could get hot fast. The men of Team Alpha take a deep breath and head into action. Travis IV and Tucker II head down the grav-lift first. (The game did this in its initial setup.) They are standing in a square room with wide corridors on each wall. Travis IV steps to look down the corridor to the east (again, the game did this in its setup). Sectoid! 20 feet away! Travis drops to a knee to open fire. The Sectoid is faster. A plasma blast tears towards Travis, but misses him by inches and sails past. Travis aims—and is drilled by a plasma blast from behind, coming from the west corridor! There’s another Sectoid behind us! The blast cuts through Travis’ weak rear armor and comes out the other side in a red explosion of gore. Travis falls forward, dead. X-COM 0, Aliens 1.

We’ve got to meet force with force. Tucker II—armed with the Blaster Launcher—holds for a second, as Kingfc and Blade6119 IV jump into the grav-lift above him and drop to the first floor. As Kingfc breaks for the west corridor, Blade6119 breaks for the east one. Almost simultaneously, the two men spot the Sectoids and open fire. Kingfc hits a Sectoid about 20 feet away with a plasma blast that blows a hole through the thing’s chest and sends it flying backwards to the floor. Right behind this Sectoid is another one, and Kingfc keeps his finger on the trigger and blows off the legs of this second attacker. Two down. As this happens, Blade6119 drops to a knee and blows away the Sectoid in the east corridor with a shot that rips off the Sectoid’s right arm and sends the creature sprawling to the floor. Payback! X-COM 3, Aliens 1.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-3.jpg
X-COM forces engaged with Sectoids in the alien base. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

At the north end of the base, Bravo Team moves out quickly. Anxiety III joins BYU II and Mike Vic on the main floor of the base. Mike Vic heads west. Anxiety heads south. BYU II heads east. As they exit the first room, none of them spots any aliens.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-4.jpg
Overhead map of X-COM assault forces initial penetration into the alien base. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back at Team Alpha, Blade6119 heads into the east corridor and comes immediately to a huge room that looks like some kind of laboratory. Everywhere there are large, cylindrical, glass vats filled with all sorts of body parts. Suddenly, a blast of plasma comes sailing at Blade6119! The shot misses him just to the left, goes flying into the room behind him, and just misses Tucker. Blade frantically scans the crowded room, but he can’t see a damn thing. He yells at Tucker for support with the Blaster Launcher, and then dives behind a vat. Tucker targets a vat near where the shot came from, and pulls the trigger on the Blaster Launcher. The missile roars by Blade6119, turns right, heads 20 feet further into the room, and slams into the vat. The spacious room is rocked with a massive blast that rips apart vats and send equipment flying in all directions. Blade6119 is covered with debris. As the roar from the explosion dies down, we hear the screams of dying Sectoids! Blade6119 looks up from under the debris and sees two Sectoids engulfed in flames and rolling on the ground. To his right, he also spots a Cyberdisc—only ten feet away—that was also knocked out in the explosion. Wow! Three kills with one shot for Tucker II! X-COM 6, Aliens 1.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-5.jpg
Assault Force Alpha fights through fierce resistance. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back in the room to Blade6119’s west, as Almighty comes down the grav-lift and starts to head south, Kingfc moves through the corridor and into the room to his west. No sign of aliens here, but this room appears to be a continuation of the massive room that Blade6119 is in. The room appears to wrap around the room we came down into. There are vats and other equipment filling this room as well. As Kingfc eyes the interior of the room, a blast of plasma comes flying towards him! Sectoid, moving towards him in the room, about 30 feet away! Kingfc swings his heavy plasma around and opens fire. A plasma blast slams into the alien and sends it howling to the ground with a shattered chest. Kingfc has got himself a hat trick! X-COM 7, Aliens 1.

And then it happens. About ten feet behind Kingfc, Tucker II lets out of fierce scream and starts screaming obscenities in Sectoid! He’s gone over to the aliens! He jams another blaster missile in his launcher, whips around, points the weapon at Kingfc, and pulls the trigger. The missile covers the ten-foot interval in a flash, slams into Kingfc’s back, and explodes.

Kingfc is engulfed in the fiery blast. Tucker is tossed backwards into the base wall and hits it with a sickening crunch. Almighty is thrown forward and shredded with shrapnel. Blade6119—still in line with the corridor of the room where the explosion took place—is driven into the glass vat beside him. The legs of the vat break from the force of the explosion and from Blade6119’s weight slamming into them. The 500-pound vat comes crashing down on top of him and shatters. The vat crushes Blade6119. Heavy glass shards rip into his armor. Daimyo II and Vince, still in the room above the carnage, are blown backwards to the floor as the concussion from the explosion wells out of the grav-lift in front of them. Smoke, fire, and debris fill the air in the center of the base. Somewhere, in the midst of all this carnage, we hear a Sectoid laughing.

(To be continued tomorrow)

[Tellistto]

Ouch...Blaster Rocket to the back from close range. Devastating Psi attack.

Tell

[Kodos]

Ummm. This may not be X-Com's finest day... :(

[MikeVic]

To Be Continued?!?! Argh!! Will tomorrow ever come?

[Coffee Warlord]

I was realllllly worried that was going to happen. Yipe.

[JeeberD]

Damn, and I was thinking that the bad sounding Skyranger transmission was just a red herring... :(

[Coffee Warlord]

Communism is just a red herring. Skyranger transmissions are not.

[Travis]

Guys................guys...............it's really dark in here...............isn't there supposed to be some light or something I'm supposed to go towards................oh hey, there you all are!

[Poli]

"Blue Leader, I don't think I copy. Did you just say you wanted fries with that?"

"Red leader, I think Blue Leader just ate the big one. Over."

[Poli]

Dola: I hope by tomorrow, he means "by 6 am EST tomorrow."

[Dawgfan1980]

Unfortunatly, Dawgfan might be moving up the list... {Sniff}

[kingfc22]

[Kingfc's intercom]...........................................................................................................................[/end transmission]


CRAP!!!!! I had 3 kills in my first bit of action too. My kid would like to avenge my death.

[Rich1033]

Did I hear people die? Ohh! Ohh! I call next.

Errr, I mean god bless the souls of those heroic men. You shall forever be remembered.

[Dawgfan1980]

Hey Rich, no shoving in the line over the dead bodies..... I mean the heroic men of our fellow X-com brothers.

[MrBug708]

Uh Oh.....

[tucker342]

crap... hopefully I didn't ruin the mission...

[Abe Sargent]

I just wanted to point out that this iteration of the Anxiety clan is really good with the weapon for a rook. I also have pretty good health for a rook, but poor reflexes. This suggests that I am best sered in either a sniper role or the guy who carries the heavy explosive weapons that you don't want fired otherwise.

(Hint, hint)

-Anxiety

[sachmo71]

Owch.

[Blade]

Oh no...

[Breeze]

That's gotta hurt.

[Godzilla Blitz]

98th Mission: Su Basa es Mi Basa or Mi Asa is Grasa? (Part II)

(Previously on X-COM II)

And then it happens. About ten feet behind Kingfc, Tucker II lets out of fierce scream and starts screaming obscenities in Sectoid! He’s gone over to the aliens! He jams another blaster missile in his launcher, whips around, points the weapon at Kingfc, and pulls the trigger. The missile covers the ten-foot interval in a flash, slams into Kingfc’s back, and explodes.

Kingfc is engulfed in the fiery blast. Tucker is tossed backwards into the base wall and hits it with a sickening crunch. Almighty is thrown forward and shredded with shrapnel. Blade6119—still in line with the corridor of the room where the explosion took place—is driven into the glass vat beside him. The legs of the vat break from the force of the explosion and from Blade6119’s weight slamming into them. The 500-pound vat comes crashing down on top of him and shatters. The vat crushes Blade6119. Heavy glass shards rip into his armor. Daimyo II and Vince, still in the room above the carnage, are blown backwards to the floor as the concussion from the explosion wells out of the grav-lift in front of them. Smoke, fire, and debris fill the air in the center of the base. Somewhere, in the midst of all this carnage, we hear a Sectoid laughing.

(Our story continues)

Back at Team Bravo, Mike Vic moves west and looks down a corridor to the south. Cyberdisc, 20 feet away, in an east-west corridor! The thing hasn’t spotted Mike yet, but Mike wastes no time nevertheless. He drops to a knee and opens fire on the disc. His first shot bounces off the craft. His second sails over it and blows a wall panel apart. His third catches the Cyberdisc right on edge. The thing explodes with a roar, sending debris tumbling down the hall toward Mike. Behind the wall panel that Mike blasted open, we can see the tell-tale orange glow of the alien base command center. The commander and the top aliens must only be a short distance away! Ardent Enthusiast enters the grav-lift, drops to the main floor, and quickly works his way forward to support Mike. X-COM 8, Aliens ?

While this goes on, BYU II moves east and comes into a pair of rooms filled with fuel canisters. Getting shot at in one of these rooms is definitely a bad idea, so BYU falls back and preps a grenade to toss inside. The grenade should set off a chain reaction to clear the room. Anxiety III heads south, out of our initial entrance room. It looks like there are about 30 meters of base between Anxiety III and whatever remains of Team Alpha.

Back at Team Alpha, things fall deathly quiet. Kingfc is more than dead. He simply doesn’t exist anymore. Almighty, however, rises to his knees. He’s alive! He’s got a two-foot long metal pipe sticking through his back and coming out his stomach. Blood is draining out his armor. He must get back up to either Daimyo or Vince immediately if he has any chance of living. Blade6119 also begins to stir. He can barely breathe—the vat has broken ribs and perhaps punctured a lung—but somehow he manages to push the remains of the vat off his crushed torso. His left knee is also twisted right, and his leg is sticking out at a bizarre angle: dislocated knee. He begins to crawl back to the grav-lift. As he does so, Almighty spots him and limps over to help. Together the two men make it back to the lift, where they take a quick look at Tucker before heading back up. Tucker’s head is twisted around 180 degrees. The two men don’t need to see any more. They head up the grav-lift. X-COM 8, Aliens 3.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-6.jpg
X-COM forces, seconds after the blaster missile hit. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Once there, Vince and Daimyo—both groggy but otherwise ok—start working on the two wounded men. Vince holds a frantic Almighty down while Daimyo pulls the metal piping out of his stomach. Pieces of intestine stick to the pipe as it slides out of his armor. Almighty almost passes out, but the pipe comes out surprisingly fast, and as soon as Vince gets some Medi-patches on both sides of the wound, Almighty starts to calm down. While Vince finishes up with Almighty, Daimyo snaps Blade6119’s knee back in place with a sharp crack, and gives him a shot of painkiller for his ribs. Blade6119’s breathing settles down as the medicine courses through his body. Fairly quickly, Blade6119 is calm. The four men then ponder what to do. They are isolated and likely surrounded in an enemy base.

The enemy gives them no time, however. A wave of PSI energy sweeps through them. Almighty turns white, starts sweating, fingers his heavy plasma, drops it, and then freezes. We are so very close to losing him to the dark side. Move away quickly! Blade6119, Daimyo II, and Vince have no choice but to head back down the grav-lift. The three of them jump into the grav-lift and head down to the main floor, leaving Almighty as a babbling wreck. The entrance room is filled with smoke, but clear of aliens. Blade6119 limps west out of the room. Daimyo heads east. Vince heads north, to see if he can link up with Team Bravo. As the three men begin to move out, they hear Almighty babbling in Sectoid in the room above them! Oh, crap. Vince turns around and sees Almighty right behind him, fumbling with a grenade! Vince opens up on full-auto and drives Almighty against the base wall with a series of three hits that rip apart his chest. Almighty is dead before he slides to the ground. The grenade falls from his hands. Clear the area! The three men race off in their respective directions, but the grenade doesn’t go off! Must not have had time to pull the pin. Whew. X-COM 8, Aliens 4.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Blade6119 hobbles into the large examination room to the west and immediately takes incoming fire. Plasma blasts slam into the wall beside him. Blade6119 drops to the ground with a painful grunt, looks off to his right, and spots a Sectoid hiding behind a vat, about ten feet away. Fighting through the pain from his ribs and knee, Blade6119 twists and opens fire. His first shot blows a hole in the creature’s groin, and sends it to screaming to the floor. Within seconds, it is dead. X-COM 9, Aliens 4.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-7.jpg
X-COM forces in close quarters combat. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

In the room behind Blade6119, Vince starts to move north towards Team Bravo. Daimyo moves east, but as he enters the large lab that lies in that direction, a single plasma blast comes tearing towards him from the interior of the lab. It drills him in the side of the stomach and rips a chunk of his hip off. Blood splashes backwards onto the debris on the base floor. Daimyo stays up, winces through the pain, and tries to spot the alien. Nothing. Damn it. It could be anywhere. He limps back to the relative safety of the corridor. Once there, he kneels, checks his wound, and keeps an eye on the interior of the lab. Crap. Where is that Sectoid? Daimyo is hurt bad, but he manages to slap a pair of Medi-patches on to stop the bleeding. Within a minute or so, he stabilizes. Team Alpha is down to three men, two of whom are badly hurt.

Back at Team Bravo, things are a bit better. BYU’s grenade goes off, ripping apart the interior of the room filled with fuel canisters. However, BYU can now see that the room beyond this has fuel canisters as well, and BYU is out of grenades. He’ll have to chance it. He moves forward.

To his west, Mike and Ardent cautiously move out. Ardent heads west, towards what we can now see is a dark, earthy room with some kind of fungus covering all the surfaces. In the center is some kind of huge fungus mound. Ardent pauses at the entrance to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, and checks for signs of movement. Mike heads south, towards the command center. Neither men spot aliens.

In a corridor to Mike’s east, Anxiety III continues south, as we try to link our two teams. As Anxiety comes to a corridor that cuts across the one he’s in, he spots a Cyberdisc ten feet away, coming right towards him! Anxiety twists and opens fire on full-auto, a fraction of a second before the Cyberdisc opens fire. From this close range, the plasma cuts through the thick upper armor on the disc. An instant later the thing explodes, driving Anxiety back against the corridor wall. He slams into the wall and drops to the ground. His head is ringing, but he manages to scramble to his feet quickly. He waits for his senses to clear. X-COM 10, Aliens 4.

In the room above the main floor, Lokugh III, Coffee Warlord II, and Mr. Bug IV finally get ready to get into action. As they do, another wave of PSI energy hits us. Mr. Bug IV turns pale…but stays with us. He’s badly shaken, though. Coffee orders him to drop his weapons until he can collect himself. Coffee then heads down to the main floor and jogs to help Anxiety. Lokugh is next down. He sets up a firing position with our other Blaster Launcher, just to the side of the grav-lift.

Time to put some pressure on the command center, where we know the Sectoids with PSI capabilities usually cluster. Mike closes from the north. Anxiety turns down the corridor to his west and closes in on the center from the east. As they do this, Lokugh plots a course and fires a Blaster missile through the hole in the command center wall that Mike blew open earlier. The missile disappears inside the complex and goes off with a roar. We can’t see the effect of the shot yet, but the base rocks with the explosion. There are no signs of aliens dying, though.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-8.jpg
X-COM forces approach the alien command center. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Slightly to the west, Ardent waits at the entrance to the fungus room, and spots a Sectoid sneaking through the room, obviously trying to get behind our position! Ardent—using the corner of the room’s entrance for cover—waits until the unsuspecting Sectoid gets to within five feet, then opens up on full-auto. Multiple hits blow the Sectoid apart. The tattered body falls to the soft fungus floor. No more Sectoid. X-COM 11, Aliens 4.

To their east, BYU heads into the room he cleared with grenades, then breaks south, down a long corridor the runs along the east side of the base. As he moves down it, he spots a Sectoid, moving in the same direction, about 50 feet in front of him. This Sectoid is also only about 20 feet away from Coffee, who could close in on it by moving east through a side corridor. BYU opens fire first, but his plasma shots are off target. The Sectoid starts to run away, but Coffee cuts into the corridor behind him, drops to a knee, and opens fire. His first shot slams into the Sectoid’s back and drives it face forward to the ground. It slides a few feet, leaving a green train of goo behind it, and comes to a stop. X-COM 12, Aliens 4.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-10.jpg
An X-COM agent, seconds before he killed the Sectoid to his front. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back at the remains of Team Alpha, Daimyo, Blade6119, and Vince abort their attempt to move out. Instead, they’ll try to hold on to their position and wait for reinforcements. With only three men left, they don’t have enough men to move out safely. Vince grabs the Blaster Launcher that Tucker dropped, and keeps an eye out to the south. Daimyo holds guard at the entrance to the lab to the east. Still no sign of the Sectoid that opened fire on Daimyo. Blade6119 does likewise to the west.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-9.jpg
Scan map shows X-COM penetration into the alien base November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back at Team Bravo, Anxiety is hit by a wave of PSI energy, goes berserk and starts firing in all directions! Plasma sails down the cross-corridor towards Coffee’s position. Coffee scrambles forward to get out of the line of fire as plasma crashes into the base wall beside him.

Fortunately, Anxiety calms down quickly and things go quiet for a moment after this, allowing Team Bravo to continue to expand our position. Coffee orders Anxiety to drop his weapons, but remain in position to search for aliens. Anxiety, Ardent, and Mike close in on the command center. Mr. Bug—now fully recovered—rearms and moves forward to help them out. Mike calls in for help from our blaster launchers. Lokugh and Vince respond with missiles that once again disappear inside the structure and explode. Once again the base rocks with massive explosions. Once again, we hear no signs of aliens dying. Damn. Suddenly, from within the bowels of the command center, there is a series of loud explosions. The continue on, one right after the other, for a good minute. In all, there must have been twenty explosions inside the center. As it ends, we hear the screams of an alien dying! Wow! What gives with that? Alien seppuku? X-COM 13, Aliens 4.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM98-11.jpg
An X-COM agent circles the command center. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

On the other side of our position, BYU swings back through the fuel canister rooms, then cuts down a long corridor that runs along the east side of the base. Coffee continues south, but meets no resistance. He reaches the north entrance to the large lab that Daimyo is watching. This creates a link between our two forces, and allows Daimyo to begin to search the lab towards the south.

Over the next few minutes, our men continue to search the base and close in on the command center. We occasionally hear the whir of an electronic door, so there is at least one alien left out there, but we don’t have much luck finding him. The men scour the remaining areas of the base. Team Bravo completes the hookup with Team Alpha. The base grows eerily quiet. Finally, Coffee enters a second-floor storage room, and spots a Sectoid cowering in fear in the corner. Coffee walks over to the creature, points the barrel of his heavy plasma at the creature’s forehead, pulls the trigger, and blows the top half of its head off. X-COM 14, Aliens 4.

Over and out. Su basa es mi basa, Senor Sectoid.

Kills: Tucker II, 3; Kingfc, 3; Coffee Warlord II, 2; Ardent Enthusiast, 1; Anxiety III, 1; Blade6119 IV, 2; Mike Vic, 1
KIA: Tucker II, Kingfc, Almighty, Travis IV.
Wounded: Daimyo II (14 days); Blade6119 IV (22 days).
Attribute Improvements: Ardent Enthusiast, Coffee Warlord II, BYU II, Blade6119 IV, Anxiety III, Mike Vic
Final score: 855. Nice score.
Mission Notes:
Tough starting position for Team Alpha. Four dead and two wounded out of seven men. Eek. Don’t know what more I could have done to keep them alive. There were at least ten aliens waiting near the grav-lift. Carnage.

Those explosions towards the end of the mission were bizarre. Never seen anything like that before. No clue what it could have been, but there were about 20 of them.

I’m glad that we took the base, but it’s a bit of a pyrrhic victory. The men who were racking up the experience and fighting heroically (Tucker II and Kingfc, 3 kills each) ended up dying on the mission, so we really didn’t gain all that much in experience for our efforts. Still, I can hardly complain. Taking out a base at a cost of four expendable casualties is a decisive strategic victory for us at this point in the war. Good job, men. Your sacrifices have not been in vain.

[Poli]

Rock on. Where's my steak dinner?

[SirFozzie]

Righteous.

More Basitude!

Let's take the rest of em! Force the slimy aliens back into the skies!

[JeeberD]

Rest in peace, brothers. Your sacrifice has made X-Com proud...

[Lokugh]

DIARY OF LOKUGH III:

Dear Diary,

Well, good news and bad news. Good news, I survived the Spanish Base mission and did not break when the Sectoids hit us with Psi Attacks. I even got to fire my Blaster Launcher, which was good. Bad news, I was at the back of the line, Guarding opur fearless leader, so I didn't manage to get into the fight until late and did not get any kills. Bummer. But, I survived and didn't screw up, so maybe I'll get another chance.

PS: Diary, remind me to post the pictures of The Almighty getting fragged in the recruit depot. Recruits need to remember what happens to them when they root for the aliens...the official report lists him as having been executed when he was taken over in a psi attack, but I saw the Skipper talking to Vince before the drop. I don't think TA was making it back to base regardless...

[Tellistto]

Nice comeback, GB.

Tell

[Coffee Warlord]

Well done, my minions!

Cigars and beer back at EU-COM!

[Japherwaki]

Those explosions towards the end of the mission were bizarre. Never seen anything like that before. No clue what it could have been, but there were about 20 of them.

There is a bunch of alien equipment along the walls of the command center. If the blaster launcher hit one of those, it usually sets off a chain reaction that blows most, if not all of the devices. I've used that to my advantage more than once to clear out an alien command center without having to go inside. Aliens usually do not suvive all of the explosions.

[SirFozzie]

either that or the alien panicked and shot randomly, hitting something that went boom and away we go :)

[Glengoyne]

Tough break for Team Alpha.

Great After Action report again GW!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 20
No rest for the weary. As the survivors of the Spanish assault force return to their bases of origin, our radar systems pick up two UFOs. Toddiec IV in the ASIA COM Interceptor downs a Snakeman scout over the forests of Siberia (again). Our new Firestorm fighter forces the second one down in the jungles of the Congo.

We immediately launch the USA COM Skyranger for the Siberian target. The ASIA COM Skyranger prepares to launch for the one in the Congo.

On a more peaceful note, Crappy's men unlock the mysteries of the alien PSI-amp weaponry, which now allows us to produce weapons to launch PSI-attacks on the aliens. We immediately allocate some of Sterling's engineers to the production of the hand-held weapons. Soon we shall be able to fight fire with fire.

On a side note, although we lost four men in the base raid, we get as many off the injured list at EU COM. Our bases are therefore still at full capacity for the moment. The only transfer we make is to bring Anxiety III to full duty at USA COM.

USA COM's mission against the Snakemen will go up either tomorrow or Friday. I might pick the pace up a bit more and try to do a mission a day for a bit.

Oh yes, almost forgot. On board the USA COM Skyranger:
Alf III, Achilles, Lokugh III, AStott, Klayman III, Airhog II, Sublime II, Jeeber D, Mr. Bug IV, Katon II

[sachmo71]

It's good to take out bases. They keep countries from defecting to the other side.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Glen: Thanks!

Japh: Aha! Thanks! I didn't know that. I don't think I hit anything in there at that time, so I'm guessing the aliens hit the weapon stocks themselves. Silly Sectoids.

Tellistto: Thanks. I actually wasn't too worried about losing the mission, despite the blaster hit. We still had our entire north team intact at that time, and had already taken out seven aliens, so I figured we were ok if we didn't get hit like that in the north. I'm glad we didn't lose more men, though.

Lokugh: Nice post! Was Almighty hoping that others died, too? I thought it was just Ardent.

[MrBug708]

Wow, it was kind of boring for me on that mission.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Wow, it was kind of boring for me on that mission.

I've got your back. ;) I've got you and Lokugh on the next Skyranger out.

Unfortunately, there wasn't too much I could do with you on that mission. Once the entry room cleared, your morale took a huge dip with a PSI attack. It took you about five minutes to recover, and by that time we were just looking for that one last alien. BYU II and Lokugh III also didn't get much fun, but at least they got a few shots off.

With 14 guys on base attacks, it seems like there's always one or two that end up walking around all by themselves, like a Sunday stroll in the park. Never get shot at. Never see anything. Then again, it's probably a good thing that we don't end up needing everyone.

[Coffee Warlord]

Btw GB, I'd like to offcially reccommend the Rectal Horseshoe for Blade IV, as he actually didn't die this time!

[JeeberD]

Woohoo, I'm in on another mission. Those Snakemen will now have to feel the wrath of JeeberD...

[Poli]

I thought it was just Ardent.

I heart X-Com. What are you talking about?

[thealmighty]

DIARY OF Almighty (found by Coffee Warlord II upon return):

Dear Diary,

Yeah, I am nervous about my first mission but I think that is to be expected. I hope I aquit myself well.

I suppose I should tell CWII about Lokugh. I mean, it's ok to be gay and all, if you leave other guys who aren't out of it. But Lokugh just won't quit. How many bars of soap do you need to drop in the shower to no end to understand nothing will ever happen. I guess it's hard on Lokugh being gay and all, but why can't he leave me out of it.

And then to threaten me, to say if I don't bend over for him he will ruin my reputation and see me dead. Come on, man, get over it. I don't trust him at all. I hope someone will watch my back (no pun intended) on the mission- and after- or Lokugh may end up with his revenge.

[MrBug708]

Thanks GB. You know if there was one Alien, I'd get killed coming outof the skyranger. On a huge assualt mission where you can fire wildly anywhere and hit an alien, I see nothing

Such is life

[thealmighty]

Originally Posted by GB
Almighty, however, rises to his knees. He’s alive! He’s got a two-foot long metal pipe sticking through his back and coming out his stomach. Blood is draining out his armor. He must get back up to either Daimyo or Vince immediately if he has any chance of living. Blade6119 also begins to stir. He can barely breathe—the vat has broken ribs and perhaps punctured a lung—but somehow he manages to push the remains of the vat off his crushed torso. His left knee is also twisted right, and his leg is sticking out at a bizarre angle: dislocated knee. He begins to crawl back to the grav-lift. As he does so, Almighty spots him and limps over to help.Does that sound like someone hoping X-Com members die? That sounds like a posthumous medal to me.

Why you hatin', Lokugh?

[Blade6119]

AWSOME! Out of all 4 of us in the blaster attack from Tucker, imthe only one that lived?...hmmm, at least i lived even if i got mauled by an inatimate object :( . Blade IV made me proud today, especially after fighting on after the accident. I hope the withstanding of the PSI attacks and his bravery might have earned him a shot at Mars, since he didnt use the blaster launcher to get his kills(looks at tucker...who killed kingfc)...How the hell did ardent survive?

[MrBug708]

Thelamighty, where is your dynasty work? Dont be slacking on me....

[Poli]

How the hell did ardent survive?


Skill and dedication to the job at hand.

[Coffee Warlord]

How the hell did ardent survive?

Sorry about that one. My bad.

[Blade6119]

Does that sound like someone hoping X-Com members die? That sounds like a posthumous medal to me.

Why you hatin', Lokugh?

As the three men begin to move out, they hear Almighty babbling in Sectoid in the room above them! Oh, crap. Vince turns around and sees Almighty right behind him, fumbling with a grenade! Vince opens up on full-auto and drives Almighty against the base wall with a series of three hits that rip apart his chest. Almighty is dead before he slides to the ground. The grenade falls from his hands. Clear the area! The three men race off in their respective directions, but the grenade doesn’t go off! Must not have had time to pull the pin. Whew.
---------------------------------------------
Medal indeed, yellow pin of cowardice if you ask me...i push a 500 lb vat off my body and crawl to safety, return to duty and kill more sectoids, dont become an alien bastard, and im a Blade6119 that lived...hmm, who deserves the medal?

[Poli]

Sorry about that one. My bad.

I heart X-Com.

[Poli]

I dont believe gays are allowed in army...we finally found out a way to get ardent the hell out of X-COM! :p

I didn't say I heart X-Com soldiers.

[thealmighty]

Who's to say you would have made it up to the medpac if Almighty hadn't helped you?

[thealmighty]

Sorry, Bug. I'll get to it shortly.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Guys...

In this dynasty, if you could hold off from "gay is bad" humor, it would be greatly appreciated. Nothing against your beliefs--which are up to you--but I'd like to avoid making anyone feel unwelcome because of their sexual preferences.

Thanks.
GB

[thealmighty]

Don't know if you refer to what I posted, but if you look, Almighty actually said it was ok to be gay.

If not, never mind.

[Blade6119]

Guys...

In this dynasty, if you could hold off from "gay is bad" humor, it would be greatly appreciated. Nothing against your beliefs--which are up to you--but I'd like to avoid making anyone feel unwelcome because of their sexual preferences.

Thanks.
GB

Wasnt at all saying gay is bad, just stating what i believe to be the Army's rule as of now...nothing about gay being good or bad(either way i deleted the message

[kingfc22]

My son would like to join the waiting list to avenge his father's much to early death.

[Kodos]

I smell a Yellow Pin of Cowardice on the way! :)

[MikeVic]

Hah! I killed that disc thing and blew a pivotal hole in the wall. Without me, this mission wouldn't have been a success. Of course I had help from other X-Com soldiers, but I feel that I was a hero on this mission!

[Poli]

I killed, something.

[Lokugh]

Lokugh: Nice post! Was Almighty hoping that others died, too? I thought it was just Ardent.

Actually, there was a time there when all of us on the waiting list were quietly hoping, right before the long layoff. But yeah, I got them confused (sorry Almighty). Still, the recruits won't know any better< g >.

Lokugh

[Abe Sargent]

I do hereby volunteer for any dangerous duty. Jumping off into a fray, base assaults, terror missions in the dark, whatever. I want a chance for glory or death, not baby-sitting scientists and engineers here at USA COM.

-Anxiety

[thealmighty]

No problem. I'll live.

Shit...no I won't. ;)

Just hope GB saw my plea to be first of the dead to be resurected. I didn't realize the extent of my precognition.

[Poli]

Actually, there was a time there when all of us on the waiting list were quietly hoping, right before the long layoff. But yeah, I got them confused (sorry Almighty). Still, the recruits won't know any better< g >.

Lokugh


I guess I could have had the honor, courage, and commitment to tell you guys, too.

Sorry. :)

[Tasan]

Woohoo, not too many deaths....oh wait I'm stuck in Af-freakin-ka. Well, you guys keep your heads down and guns reloaded. Its just a matter of statistics, no use wishing ill will on anyone ;- )

Oh and I HATE moving IRL
that and starting a job at the same time

[tucker342]

tuckerIII reporting for the waiting list. Lets hope he's not as bad as his father and grandfather....

[RealDeal]

Nice job on the Spanish base, GB. Sucks to lose guys, but that's why you brought the rookie, right?


P.S. RealDeal needs action.

P.P.S. Kerlinni has a pin of cowardice coming his way, don't forget. :)

[sterlingice]

I do hereby volunteer for any dangerous duty. Jumping off into a fray, base assaults, terror missions in the dark, whatever. I want a chance for glory or death, not baby-sitting scientists and engineers here at USA COM.

-Anxiety
But we need friends, too :(

SI

[Poli]

I can be your friend. :)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Just dropping by to say I got a bit busy, but should get us back on track on Saturday.

[Poli]

Me too. I heart X-Com.

[Blade6119]

i have to take the SATs tomorrow, and i wont have anything to console my broken heart when i return?

[Lokugh]

Good luck on the SAT Blade6119. I'm sure you will do well. Hmmm....ya know, that gets me to wondering. It's been...Dear Lord. It's been 16 years since I took the SAT. I wonder how I would do if I took it now? Maybe I'll start an SAT dynasty and take one of the practice tests.

Or not<g>. The vocabulary portion I could still handle with ease, but I suspect the math portion would kick my butt now. Been too long since I actually did a differential or integral.

[Vince]

Wow...crazy mission. I'm amazed that I survived. Condolences to those troops that are no longer with us :(

[Godzilla Blitz]

Ok, sorry for the delay. School's done, and we're back...

99th Mission: More Snakes in Siberia

The USA COM Skyranger comes up over Alaska once again and heads into Siberian airspace. The sky outside is pitch dark, but the attack is set to go off at dawn. For the second time in less than a week, USA COM agents will be going up against Snakemen in Siberia. Last time, USA COM won the battle five to nothing. Let’s hope for more of the same.

The ten agents on board prepare for battle. USA COM brings with them a mix of veterans and youth. They’ve got their Hovertank back in action, and now have four agents with flying suits. Crappy’s technological advances and Sterling Ice’s manufacturing continue to add strength to our men on the battlefield.

Captain AStott, who’s been in a mild slump of late, will lead our troops today.

Our men:

Left Side:
1. Alf III (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
2. Achilles (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Lokugh III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. AStott (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Klayman III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Airhog II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Sublime II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Jeeber D (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Mr. Bug IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Katon II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger begins its descent to the cold, sunlit, evergreen forests below. The men scan the battlefield. We’ll be coming down on the southwest corner of the active zone, so the areas to the left of our exit and at the nose of our Skyranger are secure. In front of our exit, it looks as if we’ll have a small clearing, at the back end of which lies a medium-size, wooded hill. Off from the right of our exit, we can see a flat clearing. Immediately to the right of our Skyranger, however, will be a large, wooded hill. There is no sign of the UFO.

The Skyranger lands on the hard ground. The ramp falls away with a dull thud…

Alarms blare and red warning lights flash! Hot landing! Our Hovertank picks up a Snakeman, about 40 meters away, to the left of the medium-sized hill that lies in front of our exit. Our tank roars out of the Skyranger bay, with Airhog II and Achilles right behind it. Just as it clears the edge of the Skyranger bay and drops to the ground, the Snakeman fires his weapon. A missile comes racing towards our packed Skyranger, enters the bay, and nails Airhog in the chest. The explosion blows Airhog backwards into Sublime II. Both men go sprawling to the ground. Airhog II is out cold. Stun gas!

As the men in the Skyranger bay start gagging on the gas from the explosion, Achilles continues to the edge of the ramp, where he drops to a knee and opens fire. Plasma arcs toward the Snakemen, who begins to run away. Two plasma blasts slam into the creature’s back before he can get behind cover. The second hit drops him to the ground, screaming. Seconds later, he is dead. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

As the rest of our men scramble for the exit in the smoky Skyranger bay, Sublime II pulls himself out from under Airhog, rips open a Medi-kit, and begins jacking Airhog with stimulant and pain killers to help him recover consciousness. So far, no luck.

Outside, our Hovertank reaches the ground and scans for aliens near the Skyranger exit. Nothing. We send it up above our position and then east to begin a search of the battlefield. As it moves out, we exit the Skyranger in force. Mr. Bug IV and Lokugh III head down the ramp and break for the long clearing that runs off to our right. Klayman III and Katon II exit as well. They come up under our Skyranger, then break for the large hill that lies right beside the craft. Alf III exits next and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher off to the left side of our Skyranger. Jeeber D follows him out, but then goes airborne over our position. He’ll follow a ways behind our tank and look for shots of opportunity.

As our tank moves forward, it spots a Snakeman, about 50 meters away, advancing on our position at the end of the long clearing to the right of our exit. Mr. Bug IV, at our end of the clearing, rolls out from behind a fallen tree, comes up on one knee, and opens fire at long range. Puffs of dirt shoot up around the startled Snakeman, who begins to frantically search for the source of the fire. Mr. Bug lands a head shot that snaps the creature’s skull back. It topples limply to the ground. Nice shooting Mr. Bug! X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

We continue to expand our position. As our tank clears the far side of the large hill beside our Skyranger, it spots the UFO on the other side of the hill. Almost immediately, it takes a rattling plasma hit to the side. The tank stays up, turns right, and spots a Snakeman moving back alongside the right side of the UFO. None of our team has a line of sight, but Alf III plots a quick firing course with the Blaster Launcher and pulls the trigger. The missile goes up over the intervening hill, drops to the other side, winds around the UFO, and drills the Snakeman. A massive fireball shoots into the Siberian sky. The Snakeman is no more. X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

A couple of minutes later, our tank spots another Snakeman moving through the far end of the long clearing. Lokugh III picks up the alien on his HUD and opens fire from behind a fallen log about 40 meters away. Plasma races towards the Snakeman, who starts to bolt for the woods. Lokugh first few shots miss, but just as the Snakeman reaches the edge of the woods, Lokugh catches it in the side of the head with a shot that snaps the creature’s head to the right and sends him sprawling to the ground. X-COM 4, Aliens 0.

The battlefield goes quiet. Over the next few minutes, our Hovertank weaves its way over the forest, looking for signs of alien life. Finding nothing, it closes in on the UFO. The door to the craft lies on the far side of the craft. While this goes on, Sublime II exits the Skyranger, rises up to join Jeeber D, and then the two of them float over the landscape towards the UFO. Taking a more traditional route, Klayman and Katon walk up over the large hill beside our Skyranger and start towards the UFO. Alf switches weapons with AStott. AStott, now armed with the Blaster Launcher, waits for targets of opportunity.
We bring the rest of our troops into a defensive position in and around the Skyranger, as we want to try to spread our combat experience over as many troops as possible. Airhog is still lights out, but his breathing is steady.

Klayman, Katon, Jeeber D, and Sublime close in on the UFO. We decide to try and take advantage of our flying ability, and try a new way to bust UFOs. We’ll see if AStott can blow a hole in the roof, so our flying troops can either toss grenades inside or enter from the top down. If we couple that with an assault through the front door, we might be able to overwhelm any aliens inside the UFO.

We take the next few minutes to get in position. Our tank, Sublime, and Jeeber D come down to ground level, right beside the north end of the cross-shaped, medium-sized, scout UFO. Klayman and Katon set up firing positions from the side of the UFO exit. Once they’re all ready, AStott fires a blaster missile that arches up over the woods and slams into the roof of the north end of the UFO. The explosion sends a raging fireball down into the UFO, and gets at least one alien in the process: we hear a blood-curdling death scream as the roar of the explosion fades away. X-COM 5, Aliens 0.

Following quickly on the heels of the explosion, Jeeber D and Sublime float up over the side of the UFO and sprint for the gaping hole in the roof. They quickly toss grenades inside the hole. Two quick explosions follow that send a plume of smoke up through the hole in the UFO, but we hear no signs of aliens inside. Suddenly, however, Sublime and Jeeber D catch Snakeman motion inside the UFO! There are at least two inside. Our agents can’t get any shots off before the Snakeman slide out of view. Almost as quickly, a Snakeman comes out the UFO, right in front of Katon and Klayman. Katon is first to fire, and blows a hole in the side of the Snakeman from ten feet away that knocks the creature off its feet. Purple goo drains out of the twitching body, quickly creating a purple puddle on the grass in front of the door. X-COM 6, Aliens 0.

Charge! Klayman and Katon rush the UFO door, pop it open and step inside. From the roof, Jeeber D and Sublime drop through the hole and into the UFO. Klayman is the first to spot the enemy: a Snakemen at the far side of the ravaged interior of the craft. He opens fire on full-auto. Shots slam into the wall behind the Snakeman as it raises its weapon to fire. Before it can get a shot off, Klayman hits it with a shot that sends it crashing backwards into an instrument panel. The alien collapses to the ground, dead. X-COM 7, Aliens 0.

With that, our sensors turn green. Mission accomplished. Boo yaa!

Kills: AStott, 1; Katon II, 1; Alf III, 1; Achilles, 1; Klayman III, 1; Lokugh III, 1; Mr. Bug IV, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: AStott, Alf III, Jeeber D, Katon II, Sublime II, Achilles, Klayman III, Lokugh III, Mr. Bug IV.
Final score: 188
Mission Notes:
Very happy with this mission. Seven aliens and seven different agents logged kills. Only Airhog II, who was unconscious for everything except the first ten seconds of the battle, didn’t get experience.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Random replies...

Coffee: Yeah, Blade6119 might just be up for one of those rectal horseshoe awards. Probably wouldn't qualify if he were a normal soldier, but with his family history and all, it's pretty amazing he survived that blast. He was the furthest away though. I was amazed Almighty survived the hit though. He was only a few feet away from Kingfc.

Blade6119: Not only did you fight on in great pain, you made a key kill. Had that alien gotten through, we would have been screwed.

Almighty, Blade6119: Thanks. My comments weren't aimed at any one person in particular, just the general direction things were heading. Let's move on.

Almighty: Sorry, but to be fair, everyone that dies in a mission gets put on to the waiting list in the order of their death.

Tasan: Good luck with the move and the job.

Real: Thanks. It's a tough spot now, though. I want to protect our top agents, but also want to get them in enough action to keep gaining experience. Too dangerous, they die. Too safe, they don't get better. Trying to walk the fine line.

Blade6119: Hope the SATs went well!

Everyone: Would like to get back on track again. Will try to post the lead-in for mission 100 tomorrow, and post mission 100 on Wednesday. Yikes, 100 missions. Who'd have thought it would last this long.

[Poli]

Go X COM!

[Breeze]

GB pitches a shutout.

[Tasan]

Hey someone pass the Gameboy, its getting boring in africa!


How about another suicide mission for the kiddies GB?

[Poli]

How about....no? ;)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 21

We still have the UFO crash in the Congo to clean up, and today we launch the ASIA COM Skyranger to deal with that problem. They'll arrive at the jungles just after dawn.

On board:
Split Personality III, Jeff Nights II, Danny Van Halen, Psycho Cop II, Sir Fozzie II, Thomkal II, BYU II, Afoci, Calis, Hoops Guy.

Good luck, men.

This mission will go up today or tomorrow.

[Poli]

Hoorah XCOM!

[RealDeal]

I need sum axshun

[tucker342]

isn't it kind of early to be drunk;)

[SirFozzie]

Woohoo! Historic Mission 100!

[Godzilla Blitz]

100th Mission: Congo Jungles

The ASIA COM Skyranger circles off the coast of Africa, waiting for dawn. Outside the craft the sky is dark, but a light band of pink is rising over the black ocean to the east.

The men inside the craft make their final preparations for battle. This will be our 100th engagement with the enemy. It is the 325th day of the war.

The mood in our Skyrangers lately is vastly different than that of a mere month ago. A month ago we were fighting what seemed an endless, losing campaign. A month ago we were slogging through battle after battle with little hope of winning the war. A month ago, our planet seemed doomed. But now, a month later, we’ve located the aliens’ command center on Mars. Construction is underway for an Avenger-class spacecraft capable of making the journey to that command center. Every X-COM agent is training around the clock in hopes of being one of the select few to make that journey. In short, there is a determined hope inside our Skyrangers lately. However, that hope has a dark, sharp edge: we’ll only get one shot at Mars; we’ll only be able to take 18 men; and Earth will be overrun by aliens within days should we fail on that mission. The stakes have risen, but the final confrontation is the only path to victory. It must be done.

Today’s battle will be another small step towards that final confrontation, another chance for agents to prove to X-COM command that they should be one of the souls to hang the fate of mankind on, and another chance to die.

The pilot announces that he’s taking the Skyranger in. The craft begins its descent to the steamy jungles of the Congo.

Jeff Nights II leads our men today.

Left Side:
1. Split Personality III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Jeff Nights II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Danny Van Halen (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Psycho Cop II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Sir Fozzie II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Thomkal II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. BYU II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Afoci (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. Calis (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Hoops Guy (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The men search the battlefield as the Skyranger drops through muggy, hazy skies to the jungle floor below. This one is easy, guys: we see jungle. To the east, west, north, and south, there is wet, swampy, hot, verdant jungle. As far as we can see, it’s all the same, and it’s filled with bugs, snakes, and worst of all, Floaters. However, there is one tiny irregularity in the landscape: about 30 meters to the right of where we’ll exit our Skyranger, we can make out a small plume of smoke rising above the jungle canopy. This should mark the location of the cross-shaped, medium scout that is our objective today.

The Skyranger drops through the jungle rooftop and immediately the world changes. The wide sunlight is gone. Instead, we’ve faced with a cramped, shadowy, dripping mass of vegetation. The Skyranger slams onto the uneven jungle floor. The ramp falls away…

Alarms! Red warning lights! Hot landing! Our tank’s infrared has picked up Floater sniper hiding in a tree right in front of us, about 20 feet away.

Our tank, Thomkal II, and Split Personality III race for the exit. Our tank heads down the ramp as a plasma blast comes right for our Skyranger bay and ricochets off the craft’s tail. Thomkal and Split drop to a knee and open fire at the Floater. Thomkal II hits the thing with his first shot. We see a flash of purple. The Floater screams and falls out of the tree to land with a soft thud on the jungle floor. The jungle falls quiet. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Our tank reaches the bottom of the ramp, spins…

Nothing. We move out. Psycho Cop II and Danny Van Halen head straight out the exit and begin to slowly search the jungle in front of us. BYU II exits, turns left and starts for the wall of jungle to the left of our Skyranger. Calis exits, joins our tank, and starts right, toward the smoldering UFO we can see through a thick wall of vegetation. Thomkal and Jeff Nights II exit and use their Flying Suit to go up over the battlefield. They’ll try to pick out Floaters from just under the jungle canopy. Sir Fozzie II exits and jogs to catch up to Calis. Everyone else shuffles to the edge of the Skyranger ramp.

Suddenly, Psycho Cop spots a Floater, about 20 feet away, moving in on our position through the jungle in front of our exit. Both combatants go for their weapons at the same time, but Psycho is a fraction of a second faster: he gets off a quick shot that blows apart the Floater’s chest and sends it wailing to the ground. Close call! X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

We continue to move out. As our tank, Calis, and Sir Fozzie close in on the UFO, our tank picks up motion, about 20 meters away, by the right side of the smoking craft. Floater! With all the trees and undergrowth in the way, we can’t get a line of fire on the creature. Suddenly, a blast of plasma from the Floater comes tearing through the wall of vegetation in front of us and slams into our tank’s turret. The hit jolts the turret up off the tank body a few inches. The turret then falls back into place. It can still function, but it is badly damaged. It gets off a quick shot at the source of the enemy fire, but the shot harmlessly obliterates an intervening tree. Time for some Thunder from Above!

We bring Afoci up to the edge of the Skyranger bay, and have him plot a firing course with the Blaster Launcher. He does so and pulls the trigger. The rocket tears out of the Skyranger bay with a whoosh, goes up over the intervening vegetation, then slams back to earth near the Floater’s location. There is a massive roar that sends jungle growth, smoke, and dirt flying in five directions. We can hear the screams of the burning Floater as the noise from the explosion dies down. Ha! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

We continue to move out. Thomkal and Jeff Nights II approach the UFO from above. The craft is badly damaged. It looks it got beat up badly in the crash landing. We can see a huge hole in the roof of the craft. As our tank blows a hole in the thick vegetation to allow our ground troops through, Jeff Nights takes a chance and makes a long grenade toss through the hole in the UFO roof. Seconds later the grenade goes off with a crash. We immediately hear the screams of a dying Floater! Nice throw, Jeff! X-COM 4, Aliens 0.

And that does it. The threat sensors turn green. Mission over. Short but sweet!

Kills: Jeff Nights II; Thomkal II, 1; Afoci, 1; Psycho Cop II, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Thomkal II, Jeff Nights II, Afoci, Psycho Cop II.
Final score: Forgot to write it down.
Mission Notes:
Jungle missions can be tricky because of all the vegetation. I’m glad we came out of that one intact. Hard to get everyone into the action on these short missions, though.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 22-24

Amazingly, nothing of interest happens on the 22nd. The 23rd brings us back into action however: ASIA COM responds to a radar intercept on a small UFO over China. Within minutes Toddiec IV blows the thing to pieces with a fusion ball. No survivors on that one.

On the 24th, a large UFO supply ship heads towards the British base, and go into action. Up to now in the war, we've been unable to engage the larger UFOs in the air, but now that we've got our new Firestorm fighter available, all that has changed. We launch the Firestorm immediately. As it chases the UFO towards England, we prepare our Skyranger for launch.

The UFO makes it to the base and lands safely. A few minutes later our Firestorm begins a looping holding pattern over the base. Shortly after that, the EU COM Skyranger launches with a full complement of agents.

An hour before our Skyranger arrives, the UFO takes off. Our Firestorm pounces, sending two fusion balls slamming into the craft. Smoke starts spewing out of the craft. It loses altitude quickly, and crash lands in the British countryside. We got one!

Our Skyranger continues toward the target. Supply UFOs usually contain a large complement of Sectoids, and they have officers on board, so they have PSI capabilities. We'll need our best performance to walk away from this one without major casualties.

On board today:
Kodos, Raven Hawk II, Breeze, Japherwaki II, Swaggs, Jfbbis, Revrew, Wolfpack, The Time, Sachmo III

Give 'em hell, men.

This mission should go up on Saturday. I'll try to post one of my always helpful preliminary reports sometime Friday.

[Tellistto]

Nice and easy mission in the jungle. That grenade toss was really nice. Supply ships are kinda strange...if you knock 'em down before they can supply, they tend to keep sending more until one makes it. Or...that's how it worked on my PS version of this game.


Tell

[Swaggs]

Just no more Fortune Cookies, please.

That was stressful last time...

[JeffNights]

NIce to be in on the 100th mission, but business as usual men!

Also, "Helpful preliminary reports" eh....

[Raven Hawk]

The EU Com radio operator hears an incoming transmission from the Skyranger.

Pshhhh. "EU Com, this is the skyranger reporting." Pshhhh. "Are you happy with your long distance service? Over." Pshhhh.

Pshhhh. "Ow! . . . Stop . . . the hurting . . ." Pshhhh.

Another voice: Pshhhh. "Give me that you freakin rookie!"

Click.

[RealDeal]

Ack! Finally an EU Com mission, and I get skipped. Is there another base I could be of more use? I want some action!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

USA COM 11:38PM NOV 23

Ring…ring…ring.

The phone jolts me from sleep. I glance at the clock beside my bed: 11:38PM. Dawn in England. Damn. Not a good sign. The EU COM team should be on the verge of battle, or already in it. I grab the receiver. “Yes. Go ahead.”

“Mr. Blitz?” A woman’s voice. A foreigner. Familiar, but I can’t place it.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“Mr. Blitz. I’m sorry for calling you so late, but it’s very important. You need to—”

“Who are you? I don’t know who you are.”

“I’m sorry. This is Miss Terry. You met me a few days ago. In Fargo. I read your hands.”

Yes. The nutcake. Pretty, but looney. “How did you get my number? Why are you calling me now? It’s almost midnight.”

“Mr. Blitz, please listen to me. Your men—you must get word to your men in the field.”

I press the yellow RECORD button on my phone. “How do you know about that? Who told you these things? And how did you get my number?”

“Mr. Blitz. Please trust me. There is no time. I can see things others can’t. I just know things. There is no way you would understand. But please, believe me, call your men—your officers—one of your high ranking officers is in grave danger. I can’t tell exactly who, but he is, I think, your best man. He has many bars on his uniform. He must not approach the alien flying ship. If he tries to go to the ship, he will not make it. He will be shot and fall from a great height. He will never fight again. And the world needs this man. Please—”

Normall, I would dismiss this nut immediately, but she right on the money here, too much so for this to be a coincidence. “Why should I believe you? We never interfere with commanders in the field.”

“Mr. Blitz, you have no idea what will happen in the next few weeks. You have no idea the horror that awaits the world. I saw it all when I held your hands. Your role in this is powerful, but there is no way you can change any of what is to come. It is too late. If there were, I would tell you. But somehow something is blocked from me. Something in ice. Perhaps it will not matter, and all is lost, but this man, your leader, without him—”

“Stop.” I’ve heard enough. “Miss Terry. I’ll call right away.”

“You will?”

“Yes. Thank you. Goodnight.” I hang up. I pick up the phone again, immediately press my direct line to the EU COM Skyranger. Hurry up. Hurry up. Damn these X-COM phones. In a few seconds, I’ve got a connection.

“EU COM Skyranger. Can I take your order?”

“Cut the shit, moron. Get Kodos on your radio, now. Tell him to hang in the back of the formation. Send someone else inside the UFO.”

“Who?”

Idiot! “The Commander. Kodos.” I’m yelling into the phone, now. “Tell him not to go to the UFO.”

“Tell him he’s got to go to the UFO?”

“No! Not go to the UFO! Tell him I’m ordering him to stay back. Send someone else on the UFO assault.”

“What? I can’t hear you that well. You throw a salt?”

“No! UFO assault! UFO assault. Aargh!” Where do we get these guys?

“Got it. Hang on.” I hear clanging and clattering. Static. A minute later the pilot is back on. “Hello? Mr. Sir? Kodos said he’s halfway to the UFO now. They lost men. Not enough left to send someone else. Whoa! What’s that screaming? There’s screaming something awful on Kodos' line. Someone’s hurt real bad, there. Whoa, now it stopped. That didn’t sound—”

I hang up. My hand rests on the receiver. The screaming was loud enough that I could hear it too.

No. It can’t be. Not Kodos. I bow my head, bring my palms to my face. Not now. So many dead, but we can’t lose him, not now.

Shortly, the tears begin to fall.

[JeeberD]

So I'm guessing that it's time for another "save error"?

[tucker342]

oh shit..... that can't be good.

[Japherwaki]

Crap. I wonder how many horseshoes I can pull out of my ass on this one.

[sachmo71]

I think he's alive.

I love GB.

[Poli]

Can I take your order?

[fantastic flying froggies]

You can't kill Kodos, he's the symbol of Earth resistance, the epitomy of the Human race, he stands for all the good that Mankind has ever achieved, he's...

Huh ? What do you mean "Kodos is an alien" ???

Oh....Nevermind then...

[hoopsguy]

If I were jfbbis (Colonel) or revrew (Captain) I would be seriously worried at this point.

one of your high ranking officers is in grave danger. I can’t tell exactly who, but he is, I think, your best man. He has many bars on his uniform

Kodos is fine. I don't think he qualifies under the definition of "man", technically. Or else the psychic has a different definition of best man. If that is the case, then GB never had a chance with her in the first place :)

[Kodos]

I'm sure I'll be fine, men. No need to worry. :)














**Once out of sight, Kodos takes out his lucky rabbits foot and rubs it furiously** :(

[Coffee Warlord]

I get his office.

[Kodos]

I get his office.

What you'll be getting is my steel-toed boot up your ass! :mad:








:p

[Coffee Warlord]

What you'll be getting is my steel-toed boot up your ass! :mad:

Hey now. Running around and ranting for obedience is *my* job, Sir. :D

Besides, you don't have feet, much less boots!

[Godzilla Blitz]

101st Mission: Sectoids in Britain, Yet Again. (Part I)

The EU COM Skyranger heads towards the remains of a large Sectoid supply ship that our new Firestorm fighter shot down near the British alien base. Our attack should go off shortly after dawn.

We bring one of our more experienced crews ever on this mission. Commander Kodos, Colonel Jfbbis, and Captain Revrew are all aboard. These three men alone have a total of 65 alien kills to their credit. Technologically, this will be our most advanced team as well. Every soldier has a Flying Suit, and a Hovertank will lead us out of the Skyranger. Needless to say, we’re bringing our A-Team today.

We’re also bringing a handful of our newly healed agents back into battle today. The Time, Revrew, Sachmo III, and Japherwaki II are all seeing their first action since receiving Purple Hearts.

The men get the sign from the Skyranger pilot. Quietly, efficiently, and professionally, they make final preparations for landing.

Left Side:
1. Kodos (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. Raven Hawk II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Breeze (Blaster Launcher, Flying Suit)
4. Japherwaki II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Swaggs (Blaster Launcher, Flying Suit)

Right Side:
1. Jfbbis (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. Revrew (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Wolfpack (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. The Time (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Sachmo III (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)

The Skyranger heads down to the British countryside on this partly cloudy, late November day. We can just make out the large, triple-decked UFO about 40 meters off to the left off where the Skyranger exit will end up. We can also see three two-story structures. One will lie about 20 meters in front of our exit. One will lie about 20 meters in front of the nose of our Skyranger. One lies slightly to the right of the Sectoid supply ship. We’ll come down in the middle of these buildings and the UFO. Not a good landing spot, as our enemy could rain fire on us from three sides. This could get hot fast. The area to the east of our Skyranger is secure ground, and off-limits to us. The Skyranger hits ground, bounces once, and settles. The ramp falls away. Cool autumn air drifts in. Silence greets us.

Our Hovertank glides out the Skyranger and spots a Sectoid in a field off to our left, about 30 meters away. It appears to be unaware of our presence. (Silly Sectoid! There is a large aircraft behind you!) As our tank rises to search the area around our Skyranger, Kodos and Raven Hawk II step to the edge of the Skyranger ramp, drift a bit beyond it, and open fire. Plasma streaks toward the Sectoid, who jumps in fear as the earth around him is peppered with plasma blasts. As it turns to return fire, Kodos nails it in the shoulder, blowing the creature’s arm off at the joint. The arm cartwheels to land behind the creature. A stream of green goo spews from its torso. The creature flails about with its remaining arm, then drops to the hard earth to die. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Kodos holds at the exit but Raven Hawk II moves down to take up a firing position at our landing gear. Sachmo III also exits. He drifts out, breaks right, then comes up alongside our Skyranger. He begins to advance to the nose of the craft and the building that lies past it. The rest of our men move toward the exit.

Suddenly, we catch Sectoid movement in the building—we can now tell it’s a barn—right in front of us. Shots come sailing out from a first floor window and streak toward the men in our Skyranger bay. The Time—who is standing beside Kodos—gets hit by a blast that rips through his shoulder armor and punches a deep hole in his flesh. He tries to return fire, but the jolt from the hit ruins his aim: his plasma blasts miss the window and blow holes in the outer wall of farm instead. As the men outside the Skyranger scramble for cover, Revrew pulls the The Time backwards, then jumps forward, out of the Skyranger. He rolls left off the ramp, comes up on a knee, and spots the Sectoid in the farm through one of the holes from The Time’s plasma blasts. Revrew opens fire on full-auto and sends a stream of plasma into the Sectoid. The creature’s torso explodes in a flash of green as the Sectoid is knocked backwards. Right behind this Sectoid is another one! Revrew never releases the trigger, and the next plasma blast blows apart the head of the second Sectoid. It too falls to the ground. Nice shooting Revrew! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM101-1.jpg
XCOM agents fight through Sectoid-infested rural England. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back in the Skyranger, Wolfpack sticks a Medi-patch over The Time’s wound, which is not as bad as it looks. Still, it must be frustrating for The Time, who has now been wounded four times in the last two missions.

We move out. Japherwaki II joins Revrew and Raven Hawk near the Skyranger exit, and slowly we begin to expand our position. Wolfpack exits, rises up over the battlefield, and scans for aliens. In front of our position, our Hovertank continues to sweep for aliens. As they do this, Breeze steps to the edge of the Skyranger bay and fires a Blaster missile right at the wall of the second floor of the barn in front of us, just to make sure that building is clear. The entire second floor goes up in a ball of wood, fire, and smoke. No sign of any more aliens in there. Sachmo III continues to move up toward the nose of the Skyranger, but before he gets there we are overrun by a wave of PSI energy! Sachmo III panics and freezes. Damn it. Hang on, Sachmo!

We can hear house doors clicking open and shut, and Raven Hawk spots an open door at the house that lies off the nose of our Skyranger. We clear firing lanes inside the Skyranger for Swaggs and Breeze, who quickly plot firing courses and pull the triggers on their launchers. Two missiles come roaring out of the Skyranger bay, loop around the Skyranger, and slam into the first floor of the house. The subsequent explosions blow the house apart. Pieces of wood, brick, and glass rain down on the battlefield. As the explosions die down, we hear a Sectoid screaming in agony! Yes, we got one! X-COM 4, Aliens 0.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM101-2.jpg
Satellite scan of an XCOM attack on a Sectoid supply ship. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Suddenly, two Sectoids charge our position from the right side of the UFO, between the UFO and the building that lies to its right. They are about 50 meters away and closing fast, trying to get to a stone wall for cover. As Jfbbis exits the Skyranger to help out, Raven Hawk, Japherwaki, Wolfpack open fire. Plasma blasts chew up the earth around the two Sectoids as they run. Japh gets the first hit, spinning around the Sectoid on the left with a hit to the hip. As it regains its balance, Jfbbis drills it in the chest and knocks it to the ground, dead. An instant later, Wolfpack skewers the other Sectoid with a shot to the groin. The creature doubles over and tumbles forward. Two dead Sectoids! Nice shooting, men! X-COM 6, Aliens 0.

Before we can catch our breath, another Sectoid comes at us, this one from the left side of the UFO, about 30 meters away from Raven Hawk. The Sectoid gets off a quick shot that races towards Raven Hawk, hits him in the left hand, and blows apart his armored glove. Fingers and bone go flying as his hand shatters under the force of the impact. Raven twists through the pain, tucks his weapon butt into the side of his stomach with his right hand, and returns fire. His first shot catches the alien in the foot, but the rest sail horribly wide. The alien stays up and returns fire, but its shots slam harmlessly into the dirt in front of Raven. From behind Raven, Jfbbis adds his weapon to the mix. Jfbbis’ shots clip the side of the UFO, but finally he runs one past the side of the UFO, catches the Sectoid in the torso, and blows it backwards to the ground. It wails in pain, then falls still. Another one down! X-COM 7, Aliens 0.

Raven checks out his wounded hand. He’s missing an index finger and a ring finger at the knuckle, and his middle finger is gone from the middle joint up. Blood is running down his hand and spilling onto the brown grass below him. Raven shrugs and continues on.

Things go quiet for a moment, and we take stock of the situation. We are fairly certain the two buildings near our Skyranger are clear, as there isn’t much left standing of either structure, and everything we can see is clear. Time to move put pressure on the UFO and on the building—which we can now tell is a barn—to the right of it. Raven Hawk and Revrew will head for the left side of the UFO. We know that the doors lie on that side of the craft, and Raven and Revrew should be able to set up good firing positions on the first exit. Japherwaki and Wolfpack will head for the barn to the UFO’s right. Kodos, Jfbbis, and The Time will split the difference and head for the roof the UFO. They’ll try to bust in from the top of the craft. Swaggs and Breeze will provide the artillery support with our two Blaster Launchers. Sachmo, who has yet to respond to orders and is still babbling behind the Skyranger, will be ordered back into the Skyranger once he settles down enough. With the plan in place, we resume our movement.

Before we can take one further step, Sachmo screams, then starts yelling in Sectoid! A grenade comes looping over the backside of the Skyranger and lands in the middle of our position. Kaboom! The earth shatters with the explosion. Kodos, Jfbbis, Revrew, and The Time all get their bells wrung, but the explosion was far enough away that they all appear to be ok.

Jfbbis uses his Flying Suit to go hurtling over the Skyranger as Revrew charges around the nose of the craft. The two men spot Sachmo pulling out another grenade. Jfbbis and Revrew open fire from close range. Sachmo is blasted with consecutive plasma hits that blow huge holes in his chest. He screams and drops to the ground. The grenade rolls away, pin still in place. Sachmo is dead. X-COM 7, Aliens 1.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM101-3.jpg
An XCOM agent lies dead after succumbing to an alien PSI attack November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

We try again to move out, and this time things go much better. Japherwaki and Wolfpack reach the barn on the right, search it, then head farther along the right hand side of the UFO. They’ll clear the right hand side, then go around the corner and go in the far door. Revrew and Raven Hawk advance on the nearer exit on the left side of the UFO and move in to set up firing positions. We bring our tank over to help cover their advance.

Kodos, The Time, and Jfbbis advance through the air to the roof of the UFO. Suddenly, Kodos is distracted by an emergency call on his helmetcom. As The Time and Jfbbis continue their advance, Kodos holds to take the call. The Time then Jfbbis move away from Kodos toward the UFO. A fraction of a second later, as The Time reaches the UFO, a violent wave of PSI energy rolls over us! The Time’s eyes roll up into his head and he starts twitching uncontrollably. Hang in there, The Time! No! He goes over to the aliens! With blindingly fast reactions, he turns on Kodos and Jfbbis—who are still behind him by a few feet—and opens fire. Plasma screams out of his weapon and goes straight for Jfbbis and Kodos...

(to be continued)

[Poli]

Darn you!

[sachmo71]

Dead. Again.

:)

[Kodos]

Dead. Again.

:)


You may have company shortly. :(






And I just knew this was going to be a "To Be Continued..." episode. ;)

[kingfc22]

[b]...With blindingly fast reactions, he turns on Kodos and Jfbbis—who are still behind him by a few feet—and opens fire. Plasma screams out of his weapon and goes straight for Jfbbis and Kodos...

(to be continued)


HOLY SHIT!!! :eek:

[fantastic flying froggies]

Uh oh...

[sachmo71]

Blitz, i'd like my next clone to be a pilot. Preferably the pilot of the Mars ship, but beggars can't be choosers!

[Qwikshot]

Kodos, The Time, and Jfbbis advance through the air to the roof of the UFO. Suddenly, Kodos is distracted by an emergency call on his helmetcom. As The Time and Jfbbis continue their advance, Kodos holds to take the call. The Time then Jfbbis move away from Kodos toward the UFO. A fraction of a second later, as The Time reaches the UFO, a violent wave of PSI energy rolls over us! The Time’s eyes roll up into his head and he starts twitching uncontrollably. Hang in there, The Time! No! He goes over to the aliens! With blindingly fast reactions, he turns on Kodos and Jfbbis—who are still behind him by a few feet—and opens fire. Plasma screams out of his weapon and goes straight for Jfbbis and Kodos...

(to be continued)

Why does this remind me of the sergeant in Aliens?

[illinifan999]

This should so be a movie.

[JeeberD]

RIP Sachmo, ya damn dirty traitor... ;)


So...nothing bad ever really happens in the second part of a "to be continued", does it?

[Godzilla Blitz]

101st Mission: Sectoids in Britain, Yet Again. (Part II)

(previously on X-COM)

Kodos, The Time, and Jfbbis advance through the air to the roof of the UFO. Suddenly, Kodos is distracted by an emergency call on his helmetcom. As The Time and Jfbbis continue their advance, Kodos holds to take the call. The Time then Jfbbis move away from Kodos toward the UFO. A fraction of a second later, as The Time reaches the UFO, a violent wave of PSI energy rolls over us! The Time’s eyes roll up into his head and he starts twitching uncontrollably. Hang in there, The Time! No! He goes over to the aliens! With blindingly fast reactions, he turns on Kodos and Jfbbis—who are still behind him by a few feet—and opens fire. Plasma screams out of his weapon and goes straight for Jfbbis and Kodos...

(our story continues)

The first shot blows a hole in Jfbbis’ stomach armor; the second shot guts him. A gout of blood and intestines shoots out from his stomach, and then he drops 20 feet to the ground to land face up with a sickening thud. An instant later, Kodos pulls the trigger on his Heavy Plasma and decapitates The Time with a vicious head shot. The Time falls back to the roof of the UFO, blood pouring onto the UFO from his headless neck. Kodos drops to the ground to check out a now screaming Jfbbis. A pool of blood has formed around him, and pieces of his stomach and intestines are scattered over the grass. Blood is literally draining out of this stomach. Kodos works frantically, but it takes four Medi-patches to cover the wound and stop the bleeding. A short minute later and the painkillers from all the Medi-patches kick in. After a couple of minutes, Jfbbis starts to calm down and look a bit better. Kodos gets ready to move on, but as he starts to rise, Jfbbis struggles to get to his feet. He almost falls, and is looking terribly pale, but somehow, someway, he fights through the incredible agony and makes it up. He gives Kodos a wincing smile and a thumbs up. Kodos starts to order him to stay in place, but Jfbbis grunts, “Don’t even think about it. Let’s go get some,” and is working his way back up toward the UFO roof before Kodos can reply. X-COM 8, Aliens 2.

With our UFO assault team now down to one-and-a-half men, we scratch our plans to go in the far door, and bring Wolfpack and Japherwaki up to the roof once they clear the exterior of the backside of the UFO. We now know that the remaining aliens are inside the UFO. Time to “go get some”. We’ll hit them from the top first, then send Raven Hawk and Revrew in on the ground level right after that.

Kodos, Jfbbis, Wolfpack, and Japh wait on a ledge below the roof of the UFO. Swaggs fires a blaster launcher missile over our Skyranger and slams it into the top of the UFO. The massive roar punches a hole in the craft’s tough outer armor. He follows this with another shot that disappears inside the craft, shakes the upper floors, and sends a plume of fire out the previous hole. He then fires a third missile for insurance. The UFO shakes once more, and again fire and smoke come bellowing out of the now larger hole in the roof. Up and in the men go. Kodos is first to the hole. He looks down into the top floor of the UFO, and spots a dazed Sectoid hiding behind an inner wall. Kodos aims from the hip and fires, blowing the Sectoid backwards to the ground. The Sectoid’s chest is a mass of gore. Kodos then drops down into the UFO and scans for aliens. Nothing. Japh is next in the hole, and the two men quickly take cover and get ready to move out. X-COM 9, Aliens 2.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM101-4.jpg
XCOM agents follow a Blaster Missile into the top deck of a Sectoid supply ship November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back on the first floor, Raven Hawk and Revrew move up to the first UFO door, and get ready to bust in from this angle. With most of our men inside the UFO, further fighting will be at close quarters, so our Blaster Launchers won’t be needed as much. Swaggs drops his, heads over to Sachmo’s body, grabs a Heavy Plasma, and heads up to the roof of the UFO.

Back up on the top floor of the UFO, Wolfpack and Jfbbis enter the craft. Although the blaster missiles flattened the interior walls at this end of the top floor, the far end of the floor is still intact. Kodos and Japh head through the ruins to that end of the craft. Jfbbis loops around to an outer corridor on the left hand side and starts to search there. Wolfpack guards the grav-lift that rises up from the second floor. After a few moments, Swaggs comes in through the hole in the roof and jogs to catch up to Kodos and Japh.

Back on the first floor, Raven Hawk approaches the UFO door, pops it open, and bursts inside. The first floor is totaled. Perhaps the crash-landing did this, but there are no internal walls standing, with the exception of a couple at the far end of the craft. Raven Hawk breaks that way. Revrew is next inside the UFO. He breaks for the grav-lift that leads up to the second floor. As Raven approaches the far end of the UFO, he spots a Sectoid scurrying through the ruins, about 30 meters away. Raven drops to a knee and opens fire. His first shot hits the Sectoid in the torso and sends it flying into the debris on the floor. Within seconds, it is dead. X-COM 10, Aliens 2.

Back up on the top deck, Japh and Kodos start to approach far end of the UFO. On previous missions, this is where the alien officers have tended to gather. Suddenly, a Sectoid peeks around the far corner, then ducks back before either of our two men can get a shot off. Swaggs, behind Kodos and Japh by a few feet, preps a grenade and bounces it around the corner. We hear a squeal of surprise from the alien just before the grenade goes off with a muffled boom. The alien screams in agony and then falls quiet. X-COM 11, Aliens 2.

Swaggs tries again with another grenade. Once again, we hear a Sectoid death scream following the explosion! X-COM 12, Aliens 2.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOM101-5.jpg
XCOM agents close in on the command center of a Sectoid supply ship November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Time to close in. Kodos and Japh move forwards. Jfbbis, who has been looping around from the other side of the UFO, also closes in. As he approaches the final corner, a Sectoid pops around the corner in front of him and opens fire! Jfbbis is dead to rights, but the Sectoid’s shot slams into the intervening corner, mere inches from Jfbbis’ head. The alien darts back around the corner, but runs right into Kodos coming from the other side. Kodos jams the muzzle of his heavy plasma into the Sectoid’s chest and squeezes the trigger: the shot blows a foot-wide hole in the creature’s chest and throws it back towards Jfbbis, where it lands with a thud and slides into the outer wall of the UFO. X-COM 13, Aliens 2.

Back on the first floor, Raven Hawk continues his search of the far end of the first floor, while Revrew clears the grav-lift that runs non-stop up to Wolfpack on the third floor. With this floor clear, the two men start for the second-floor grav-lift, down by Raven Hawk. As they close in, Raven Hawk catches movement in the shadows to his right: Sectoid, five feet away! Where did that one come from! The thing bolts away from Raven and towards Revrew. Revrew raises his weapon to fire, but the creature dives out of the way, gets up, then runs right back toward Raven Hawk. Raven charges the creature, raises his heavy plasma over his head, and brings it down on the creature’s skull as they two combatants come together. The Sectoid’s head explodes like a ripe watermelon and covers Raven with a wave of green goo. Before the alien can fall. Raven jerks his heavy plasma back to the left, then takes brings it forward in a hard baseball swing that ends with a sharp crack on the Sectoid’s shoulder. The Sectoid’s headless corpse cartwheels away and lands in a heap on the ground. End of Sectoid. X-COM 14, Aliens 2.

And with that, our threat sensors finally turn green.

Kodos and Swaggs help the badly battered Jfbbis back to the Skyranger, where he falls unconscious shortly after getting aboard. During the trip back his breathing becomes ragged and his face turns ghostly white. By the time the Skyranger gets back to the base, Jfbbis is in a coma.

Kills: Jfbbis, 3; Kodos, 2; Revrew, 2; Wolfpack, 1; Swaggs, 2; Breeze, 1; Raven Hawk II, 2.
KIA: The Time, Sachmo III.
Wounded: Jfbbis (?? days); Raven Hawk II (3 days), .
Attribute Improvements: All survivors.
Final score: Forgot again.
Mission Notes:
Tough to lose The Time and Sachmo III. PSI-attacks continue to be our biggest problem.

Jfbbis suffered massive internal bleeding on the return trip home which lead to the coma. After a 16-hour operation to rebuild his intestines and stomach using Sectoid and Floater parts, doctors finally stabilized his condition. However, he has yet to come out of the coma: no idea when—of if—he will return to action.

Somehow I came up with 14 kills while writing this, but the game only gave us 13 kills. Humm. Fushigi desu ne.

I expected less opposition, as there are usually fewer aliens in UFOs that we shoot down. Tough fight.

[Godzilla Blitz]

To All X-COM Agents

Subject: General Meeting

A general meeting of all X-COM agents will be held on June 14 at 23:00 hours CST.

[kingfc22]

KingfcII will be there

[Raven Hawk]

Raven checks out his wounded hand. He’s missing an index finger and a ring finger at the knuckle, and his middle finger is gone from the middle joint up. Blood is running down his hand and spilling onto the brown grass below him.

Raven Hawk II paused for a moment as he examined his missing fingers. Suddenly it all made sense to him. His father had given his life for freedom. His father had given his life so that he and his mother could live. He had given his life for his fellow warriors. Raven Hawk II then said a prayer to his ancestors, as his father had taught him when he was younger. The prayer to invoke their warrior spirits. Like a rush of adrenaline, it hit him. This was his rifle, this was his gun, this one's for fighting, this one's for fun. He looked again at his missing fingers, shrugged and moved on.

Raven drops to a knee and opens fire. His first shot hits the Sectoid in the torso and sends it flying into the debris on the floor. Within seconds, it is dead.

"That one was for grandpa."

Raven charges the creature, raises his heavy plasma over his head, and brings it down on the creature’s skull as they two combatants come together.

"AND THIS ONE!"

The Sectoid’s head explodes like a ripe watermelon and covers Raven with a wave of green goo.

"IS FOR!"

Before the alien can fall, Raven jerks his heavy plasma back to the left, then takes brings it forward in a hard baseball swing that ends with a sharp crack on the Sectoid’s shoulder.

"MY FATHER!"

The Sectoid’s headless corpse cartwheels away and lands in a heap on the ground.

"YOU BASTARD!" Raven Hawk II paused and to catch his breath, spit on the slump of alien, then turned and walked away.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Random Comments

I've got a seminar to attend this week, which may mean things slow down. Not sure, yet, as it depends on how intense the seminar is.

I'll try and post some photos of the past couple of missions soon.

Jeeber D: I hope I'm not getting predictable with the second half of missions. I'll have to keep and eye on that. I don't want to ruin all the fun.

Illinifan: Thanks!

Qwikshot: The first Aliens? I've only seen the second one, and that was a long time ago. All these references to the movies makes me think I should rent them.

Sachmo: Got it. Sorry about your death by the way, but once you started chucking grenades around, there really wasn't much of a choice. Anyway, your next of kin will get the Firestorm right away! Probably a good choice of actions at this point, but let me know if you want to change your mind after tomorrow's meeting.

Kodos: :) The Time just missed you. So very close.

Hoops Guy: Nice call!

Real: Sorry that you feel like you're not getting much action, but I think you're actually right on par with everyone else, if not a bit on the high end for missions. With 45 agents active, you should should on one in every 4.5 missions. There simply are a lot of agents now. I agree, however, that you've been on the short end of the last few big missions that EU COM has seen. I'm aware of that and will adjust it in the near future as best I can.

Occasionally, I take a look at an agent's number when making sure I'm not shafting anyone. You're number 89, and have had 12 missions, which lines up pretty well with everyone around you. I do have it in my head that there were a few missions where you didn't see much action at all, but that tends to happen to everyone at some point. Also, the computer tends to put you at the back of the Skyranger, which makes it a bit tougher to get you into action on some types of missions.

Nevertheless, If you would like to transfer somewhere, let me know. I think I can make a switch.

Raven: Good humor!

Tellistto: Interesting. I didn't know that about the supply ships. They are getting a bit expensive to take out in terms of X-COM agents, though.

[Poli]

RIP fellas. :(

[Tellistto]

It could be different in the pc version, but the playstation version was pretty much a complete port, so I wouldn't assume anything is different. The real bad thing about supply ships is that they are always sectoid ships. If I were you on those, first thing I'd do when I found the ship would be to open a hole near the command room and send missles galore to get rid of the commander :P


Tell

[Kodos]

See? I told you I'd live! :p


Sorry to have to shoot one of my own men, but sometimes there isn't much else to do. I hope jfbbis recovers in time for Mars.

[fantastic flying froggies]

We 're losing too many good agents out there... Us rooks will have to step it up !

[RealDeal]

Thanks, GB. You know me, I just want to be in the thick of things. If you think I get more action somewhere else, be my guest. If you think I'm more needed at EU Com, particularly with the losses from the last mission, then that's fine too. I just want to get another experience that I can go on the final mission.

[jfbbis]

I hope jfbbis recovers in time for Mars.
Thanks, Kodos but I'm not too hopeful. Well, I spent probably more time in an hospital bed than in active service during my career. It just continues.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 25

General Meeting

X-COM Agents Only

(Delivered live via X-COM video conferencing)

Men, I have good news and bad news.

First, the good news.

Our second production bay has come online at SAM COM, which allows us to double the number of men working on our Avenger, the spacecraft that will take us to Mars. Sterling Ice now has 100 of his best men and women working full time on the project. But that is only the precursor for the good news.

The good news is that we now have a firm completion date for the craft, and it is sooner than we anticipated.

Much sooner.

The craft will be ready in exactly 19 days and 21 hours from (looks at watch, waits…) now.

December 14, men.

D-Day is set.

In less than three weeks, we will launch our one shot, our only hope, to end this war and save the human race. That shot will consist of 2 hovertanks and 18 carefully selected agents aboard our Avenger. With them, the hope of the world and its five billion lives will lie. Every man, woman, and child of Earth will hang their fate on the shoulders of those 18 men, and we must do our best to make sure that we select those of you that give us the best chance for victory. We have not lost an encounter yet: 101 times we have answered the call to arms, and 101 times we have been victorious. All that will be rendered meaningless if we lose the last battle.

Beginning in five days, on December 1st, shortly after we get the November PSI training results, we will be begin the selection process of Strike Team Omega. We will let you know of the further details as the selection process is decided. However, a rough outline is as follows:

1. X-COM Command will select the first 12 agents.
2. Commander Kodos will then select one agent, a Commander’s Choice.
3. Two agents will then be selected by a popular vote of their peers. Details to follow.
4. X-COM will then select the final three agents (it may be based on a battlefield competition).
5. X-COM will lastly select five alternate agents, should some of the 18 become incapacitated before we launch our attack.

I should let you know, however, that we expect to encounter fiercer PSI attacks on Mars than we have encountered to date in any of out battles. Intel’s exact words: “Expect multiple PSI attacks each and every minute you’re on the surface.”

To this end, when selecting our strike force we obviously must place a high emphasis on an agent’s ability to withstand the psychological element of alien combat. Contrarily, however, we are considering selecting three agents for their obvious weakness at PSI combat and using them as unarmed decoys. Since we know that the enemy will bombard us with heavy PSI attacks, we can reasonably predict that weak agents will be the first to crack. The goal is for these three unarmed agents to crack early and keep the enemy PSI forces engaged while our strike force butchers everything in sight. If these decoy agents are unarmed, there is no way that they can hurt us. If the plan is successful, we hope to dramatically reduce the chances of an agent killing his own men, which has been the leading cause of casualties over the past month.

That is all for now regarding the good news.

The bad news is somewhat sobering. Less than two weeks ago, X-COM agent Rawisdan defected to the enemy. Whether he was under his own power or whether he was affected by brutal PSI attacks is a moot point. The important point is that Intel has picked up some significant changes in enemy activity since his time of capture. These changes give us strong reason to believe that Rawisdan has talked.

This is what we know:

Our Spanish attack, which Rawisdan knew of before he was captured, was ambushed in their attack on the alien base. More than ten aliens were waiting around one of our team’s entrances. It is shear luck that they did not expect us to split our force. If they had detected the second attack team, it is likely that none of us would have survived. Fortunately, we believe this was the only regular mission that has been compromised by Rawisdan’s capture.

Second, the aliens are buzzing about like farts in a lantern since the capture: UFO activity has nearly doubled; there has been a significant increase in activity on the surface of Mars; and South America has seen a sharp increase in scout UFOs.

This leads us to conclude the following:

1. The aliens now know about the production of our Avenger at SAM COM, and about our planned attack on their central command post. There are no indications that they are attempting to move their command post, but it is clear that they are strengthening their defenses and increasing their efforts to find SAM COM. If there is any consolation, it has to be that Rawisdan thought we would attack at the end of December at the earliest, so we still may catch the alien’s off-guard by attacking in mid-December. Nevertheless, for our 18-man attack force, the already brutal fight for Mars has just gotten tougher. For our men guarding SAM COM, expect reinforcements.

2. We are now nearly certain the aliens know the exact locations of EU COM, USA COM, and ASIA COM. It is unlikely they know where SAM COM and AFRICA COM are, but we cannot be sure. I’m aware that we have told you this before and that it has not come to pass, but expect attacks at the big three bases. If you are on guard duty at SAM COM or AFRICA COM, be on the alert. Especially, SAM COM must not fall.

3. The aliens may be getting desperate. Over the past year, we have foiled every attempt to expand their bases on Earth and extracted a terrible toll on their UFO fleet. They now know that we are coming to get them. In short, we can expect them to throw everything and anything at us over the next three weeks. We are likely to see the most brutal fighting of the war before this thing is over. Expect a frantic schedule of missions— Intel says most likely we’ll see engagements on a daily basis—over the next three weeks. There is a lot of fighting left to go. We must have total concentwation.

Lastly, before we adjourn, the information you have been given tonight, if divulged to the enemy, would likely mean the destruction of our planet. To prevent any possibility of a reoccurrence of what has happened with Rawisdan, all agents will be fixed with a small detonation pack on their armor on future missions. It is our equivalent of the “small black pill,” except for the fact that the pack can be remotely detonated from X-COM command. The pack has enough charge to blow you into enough pieces that we won’t have to worry about you talking to anyone. It would be a very good idea to avoid capture if you want to stay alive.

Meeting adjourned—

Wait! (An assistant comes running to the podium, hands a note to Godzilla Blitz, who reads it.)

Gentlemen, an X-COM Interceptor has just downed a UFO over Africa. USA COM will launch the attack.

The following men should report immediately to the Skyranger bay:
Wade Moore, Ardent Enthusiast, Patman II, Anxiety III, AStott, Airhog II, Sublime II, Jeeber D, Lokugh III, Achilles.

Back to war, men.

Dismissed.

[Poli]

Reporting for duty.

[jerk3616]

It's been a long time since I've visited this forum...I can't believe that I waited so long, much less made this my first post.

I see the attack on Mars is coming...put my name on the waiting list, although I'm pretty sure the poo will fly before ol' jerk gets in the fray. It's sort of like waiting for someone to mostly finish washing the dishes before you ask if you can help, no?

Good luck and Godspeed to X-Com!

jerk3616

P.S. Godzilla Blitz--were you the author of the ND anti-dynasty a couple of years ago? That was the first dynasty I read at this site, and I absolutely loved it.

[Poli]

yes, he was. Good luck, jerk3616.

[Raven Hawk]

In the infirmiry

"I don't have time for cybernetic fingers, Crappy! Didn't you hear what GB said? All agents need to be ready to fight. Set me up with one of them hooks!"

[Kodos]

"Commander’s Choice," eh? Interesting...

[Kodos]

P.S. Godzilla Blitz--were you the author of the ND anti-dynasty a couple of years ago? That was the first dynasty I read at this site, and I absolutely loved it.


Here it is! (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=5611)

[jerk3616]

You guys are the best. Yay X-Com! Down with ND!

:)

[Blade6119]

Blade6119 cant wait to get back into duty after the last base assualt. Depite not being entered into PSI-training, i hope my agent proved himself in the last mission by being the only one directly in the vicinity of the PSI attacks and to live. Blade6119 out.

[Abe Sargent]

Back to work gentlemen.

-Anxiety

[Wolfpack]

I just made the goofy realization that if this game did take place in 2003, then we've just passed the date when my daughter was born. Hope the wife understood why I couldn't be there just that moment. "Sorry honey, I wish I could be there, but I'm busy trying to save the planet so she won't be enslaved by the horrible things from outer space." Do you think that would fly as an excuse? :)

[JeeberD]

We must have total concentwation.


Weweese Bwian!!!! :D


Looking forward to kicking some more Alien ass, sir!

[MrBug708]

While I'd love to be part of the mission, not sure if my PSI sense are up to it....

[hoopsguy]

Bug, GB did say he needs three unarmed targets ...

On a similar note, how far out are the updates on PSI defenses for the next round of troops? Are those end of month?

[revrew]

That Rawisdan thing is nasty. Did we know this could happen? Or are you just BS'ing us to up the realism element? Counter-espionage! They can do that?

[Coffee Warlord]

I just made the goofy realization that if this game did take place in 2003, then we've just passed the date when my daughter was born. Hope the wife understood why I couldn't be there just that moment. "Sorry honey, I wish I could be there, but I'm busy trying to save the planet so she won't be enslaved by the horrible things from outer space." Do you think that would fly as an excuse? :)

I think she'd become a horrible thing from outer space if you used that line.

[jerk3616]

jerk3616 will offer his services to X-Com by standing outside the Martian base wearing assless chaps and clown makeup and attacking armed with nothing but his own feces. What can I say...I have no pride.

[kingfc22]

Jerk, if my son makes it to active status in time. He will be honored to stand there right with ya. Knowing that he helped save Earth after his father was betrayed during the Spanish base assualt would help the kingfc name to go down in history.

[Godzilla Blitz]

102nd Mission: Sectoids in Africa

The USA COM Skyranger heads over the jungles of Africa for a mid-afternoon attack on…

Our Flying Suit production is picking up; we’re adding a couple more suits a week to the remaining bases without full stores. Half our agents today are equipped with the advanced armor. We’re also getting Hovertanks into the action on a more consistent basis, and today USA COM has one of the handy vehicles aboard.

Another day, another mission.

Wade Moore will lead our troops today.

Our men:

Left Side:
1. Wade Moore (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. Ardent Enthusiast (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Patman II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Anxiety III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. AStott (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)

Right Side:
1. Airhog II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Sublime II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Jeeber D (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. Lokugh III (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Achilles (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)

The Skyranger begins its descent to the steamy jungles below. The men scan the battlefield. We’re coming down on the northwest corner of the active zone, so the areas to the left of our exit and in front of our exit are clear. To the right of our exit and up by the nose of the Skyranger we see simply the jungle rooftop stretching out to the horizon. There is no sign of the UFO. The Skyranger drops below the tree cover and sinks into the jungle. The landing gear squishes into the soft undergrowth. The ramp falls away…

Silence. Our Hovertank heads out, spins, and scans. Nothing but jungle. We send it vertical, over the lower undergrowth for a better look into the thick vegetation. Still nothing. Ardent Enthusiast and Airhog II exit the Skyranger and begin to move southeast. Our tank, overhead, heads in the same direction. Wade Moore exits the Skyranger, goes airborne in his flying suit, and follows the tank about 10 meters back. Still nothing. After a couple of minutes, our tank spots the badly damaged remains of the UFO sitting in a tangle of undergrowth, about 40 meters to the southeast of our Skyranger. The roof has a massive hole in it, and sections of the craft are scattered about. Still no sign of any aliens.

Suddenly, our tank draws some fire. A plasma blast reaches up from the forest floor and goes sailing by. Our tank turns toward the fire and advances, with Wade a few meters back. There! A Sectoid, dug into some ferns, about 20 meters away from our tank to the south. Wade picks up the creature on his HUD, aims, and fires. The Sectoid gets up to run for the UFO, but Wade drills it as soon as it gets to its feet. The Sectoid screams and tumbles to the damp jungle floor. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

We continue to move troops out of the UFO. Sublime II and Anxiety III exit the Skyranger, and head straight south from our Skyranger. Ardent waits for Lokugh III to exit and reach him, then the two men advance southeast. Airhog II waits for Patman II to reach him, then the two men head straight east. We’ve now got six men on the ground, fanning out behind our tank, which is in the air 20 meters ahead of them. Wade heads back to the Skyranger, but AStott and Achilles exit, take to the air, and set up firing positions about 10 meters back of our tank. Lastly, Jeeber D exits the Skyranger and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher.

Suddenly, as our tank waits for our men to catch up, a missile comes flying up from the jungle floor, sails by our tank, and disappears through the jungle rooftop. Our tank spins…

Sectoid cutting down a wide jungle path, about 20 meters to the south of our Skyranger! Sublime is only 20 meters away from this Sectoid. He spots the alien on his HUD, then gets a visual on it as it cuts down a jungle path in front of him. Sublime fires a single blast. The shot catches the fleeing alien in the back and sends him sprawling to the jungle floor. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

We continue moving. As our tank draws closer to the UFO, once again it takes fire. This time a plasma blast streaks up at us from inside the UFO, through the large hole in the center of the craft. The shot clangs off the hard outer armor of our tank, then ricochets up to punch a hole through the jungle rooftop. Our tank spins and scans the interior of the craft. Bingo! Sectoid, hiding behind some broken wall panels near the front door of the craft. None of our agents has a shot at the creature, so we let Jeeber have a go with the Blaster Launcher. He plots a firing course for the inside of the UFO and pulls the trigger. The missile whistles its way through the jungle, drops down inside the UFO, and goes off with a roar. Fire and smoke shoot out the hole in the roof. Inside the UFO we hear the wails of dying Sectoids. Jeeber D got him! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

And with that, our threat sensors turn green! Well done, men!

Kills: Wade Moore, 1; Sublime II, 1; Jeeber D, 2.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Wade Moore, Sublime II, Jeeber D.
Final score: 102
Mission Notes:
Jeeber D got two aliens with his Blaster Launcher shot!

Starting to feel more comfortable with the use of aerial troops and tanks.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 26

Shortly after midnight, Toddiec IV in the ASIA COM Interceptor downs a Snakemen scout near the North Pole. The UFO limps south and crashes in Siberia. Sheesh. What's with these Snakeman scouts and Siberia?

Out the door we go. ASIA COM to investigate. The following men are on board:
Split Personality III, FF Froggies, Jeff Nights II, Afoci, Sir Fozzie II, Glen Goyne, Fat Football II, Qwikshot II, Illinifan V, Hoops Guy.

D-Day Countdown: 18 days

[Poli]

Better luck next time! Thanks, GB!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Random Replies:

I'm going to try and post photos and an update tomorrow.

Mission 103 should go up on Thursday.

We'll call up guard troops once we hit December 1st, so it shouldn't be long before everyone is in the game, at least as a guard.

Ardent: No problem. Not much of a mission there.

Jerk: Welcome! Glad you've enjoyed the dynasties!

Wolfpack: That excuse never works for me whenever I try to play X-COM instead of changing a diaper.

Revrew: Poetic license. I'm just embellishing.

Kodos: Don't go picking yourself with that Commander's Choice!

Jeeber D: Yup, you got some! Good shot!

Real: No problem, I understand. I think you're better off staying at EU COM, as they tend to get the most big missions. They also die more often, too, but hey, you can't have everything.

Hoops Guy: Yup, PSI updates on December 1st. Five days away.

Raven Hawk: We can change your name to Raven Hook! Too bad we can't get you promoted to Captain!

Jfbbis: Of course, the fact that you've spent so much time in a hospital bed could be a big factor in your being the only one alive of our original eight men. ;). I thought we lost you on that one, though. You took two big hits from close range. A third shot went between you and Kodos. You'd have to think that if you took a third hit, we'd be talking to Jfbbis II right now.

FF Froggies: Yeah, I can't seem to keep everything together on the big PSI missions. We're taking a beating lately there. Losing some real good agents, too. Got to try and reduce the casualties somehow, but I'm hoping that I can identify a team of high PSI-rated agents after the next PSI results come out. PSI casualties are killing us.

Tellistto: On this mission, the command deck was at the far end, and I was thinking the aliens would trickle down to the near end of the UFO to get at us. Plus we had all those buildings near by. Still, I'd have to agree. I should have taken a couple of blaster missile shots at the command deck earlier in the mission. We ended up killing three guys in the command center in the back half of the mission. Seems like they hang out there no matter what.

[Tellistto]

Very rarely do the commanders venture down below the third deck, or even away from the door to the command room. Every single time I fought one of those things I found a sectoid standing at the door, and sometimes there was another inside that room. I never knew the blaster launcher could put a hole in a ufo, or I'd of done it myself. Anything that will stop those psi attacks is good

Tell

[JeeberD]

Wheeeeee!!!!!

I like using that Blaster Launcher thingie!

[Tellistto]

Wheeeeee!!!!!

I like using that Blaster Launcher thingie!
*Tellistto pats JeeberD on the head, smiling serenly

:D :D :D

[SirFozzie]

Ere we go again!

[Blade]

I hope I can get Blade IV some action before D-Day...I think he is getting a little too comfortable just spending his days on the base drinking beer...

[The Afoci]

I hope this alien is a pretty girl.

[Glengoyne]

Allright, Back in the saddle again.

Glengoyne looks around the Skyranger, knowing he has to make the most of any action he sees. Everyone onboard knows that they need to stand out and differentiate themselves to have any chance of making the Mars mission. The looks on the faces of his teammates confirms that many of them are thinking along the same lines, even Fat Football has his gameface on early this mission. Glen's mind flashes back to the meeting where the Mars Mission was announced. A battle field competition he said..."I wonder what that will be? Well no time to think about that now, I'm confident I won't let X-COM down though. Hell I haven't shot any of our guys yet. I got that going for me"

The Overhead lighting dims, and the Pilots voice brings their Com units to life. "Target In Sight. You all be sure to stay warm out there."

[Poli]

AE sits in the barracks after a mission in which he did nothing. He thinks about what he's been told. That this will all be over in less than 3 weeks, one way or the other.

"I wonder if I'll be selected for the 'final' mission", he says to himself.

Suddenly, he pounces up and unlocks his foot locker. He pulls out his lone personal item he was allowed to bring, his trusty Magic 8 Ball. He used the Magic 8 Ball to enlist in X-Com. He used it before missions to find out if he would die. It had never been wrong.

"Will I be on the 'final' mission, Magic 8 Ball?" he asked the ball.

"Not Likely" was the Magic 8 Ball's reply.

The Magic 8 Ball is never wrong. Angry, Ardent takes the Magic 8 Ball and throws it across the room. It shatters on impact and Ardent goes to get cleaning gear to clean the mess.

Darn Magic 8 Ball. I hate you.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Updated Stats, through mission 101...

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 101)

USA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
14. Wade Moore Active Colonel 25 23
43. Achilles Active Sergeant 20 15
46. Patman II Active Captain 22 13
55. Sublime II Active Sergeant 19 10
74. AStott Active Captain 17 19
75. Alf III Active Squaddie 9 5
92. Jeeber D Active Squaddie 11 7
98. MrBug IV Active Squaddie 11 5
112. Airhog II Active Squaddie 4 1
114. Blade6119 IV WND (16) Squaddie 4 4
115. Klayman III Active Squaddie 4 4
121. Katon II Active Squaddie 2 2
129. Ardent Enthusiast Active Squaddie 2 2
133. Lokugh III Active Squaddie 2 1
143. Anxiety III Active Squaddie 1 1


EU COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
2. jfbbis WND (Coma) Colonel 23 23
10. Kodos Active Commander 27 26
19. Revrew Active Captain 25 23
70. Naiwf Active Sergeant 15 10
89. RealDeal III Active Squaddie 12 7
90. Coffee Warlord II Active Sergeant 13 11
101. Wolfpack Active Sergeant 9 10
102. Japherwaki II Active Squaddie 10 7
105. Swaggs Active Sergeant 11 10
110. Breeze Active Squaddie 6 8
116. Chuck U Farley Active Squaddie 5 5
122. Mike Vic Active Squaddie 3 4
123. Vince Active Squaddie 3 3
128. ShaefIllini Active Squaddie 2 1
131. Raven Hawk II Active Squaddie 2 3


ASIA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
35. Jeff Nights II Active Captain 25 14
39. Thomkal II Active Sergeant 21 18
41. Fat Football II Active Sergeant 18 9
45. Danny VanHalen Active Sergeant 20 14
52. Qwikshot II Active Captain 20 12
84. Split Pers III Active Sergeant 9 9
93. Afoci Active Squaddie 9 7
96. Illinifan V Active Squaddie 9 7
109. Glengoyne Active Squaddie 6 4
117. Psycho Cop II Active Squaddie 3 2
118. Calis Active Squaddie 6 1
124. Sir Fozzie II Active Squaddie 4 0
127. Hoops Guy Active Squaddie 3 1
134. BYU II Active Squaddie 4 0
137. FF Froggies Active Squaddie 2 0



SAM COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
71. Wignasty Active Squaddie 7 3
130. Peregrine Active Rookie 0 0
132. Northwood DK Active Rookie 0 0



AFRICA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
59. Daimyo II WND (14) Squaddie 9 5
94. Data King III Active Squaddie 5 2
125. Chief Rum IV Active Rookie 0 0
136. Barkeep Active Rookie 0 0
138. Blade IV Active Rookie 0 0
139. Tasan II Active Rookie 0 0
141. Render III Active Rookie 0 0


X-COM II Troop Attributes

Name TUs Sta Hlt Brv Rea Fir Thw Str PsD PsS
2. jfbbis 78 85 61 30 35 88 58 61
10. Kodos 80 93 60 50 62 85 74 64 75 20
14. Wade Moore 81 82 56 30 59 92 72 68
19. Revrew 79 73 57 30 38 68 60 65 91 24
35. Jeff Nights II 74 80 55 60 33 67 63 54 97 17
39. Thomkal II 74 94 60 30 56 52 61 55 60 20
41. Fat Football II 71 72 43 50 38 70 73 54
43. Achilles 75 74 59 10 46 80 79 56
45. Danny VanHalen 78 85 50 10 42 63 79 52 28 21
46. Patman II 78 71 55 60 50 52 79 57
52. Qwikshot II 75 81 47 10 58 77 65 54 75 22
55. Sublime II 77 77 48 10 40 74 78 59
59. Daimyo II 65 60 48 30 47 70 64 43
70. Naiwf 76 72 53 50 40 63 69 49 26 16
71. Wignasty 64 45 37 20 38 61 72 44
74. AStott 76 62 56 50 55 73 62 59
75. Alf III 62 61 40 40 52 51 57 46
84. Split Pers III 71 71 47 30 41 64 67 44
89. RealDeal III 75 76 40 60 47 68 68 56 48 24
90. Coffee Warlord II 76 85 51 60 38 73 69 46 25 24
92. Jeeber D 65 61 44 20 31 62 78 42
93. Afoci 64 60 41 30 40 47 55 47
94. Data King III 63 52 31 50 36 52 58 35
96. Illinifan V 57 55 47 50 56 54 66 45
98. Mr. Bug IV 65 69 50 10 34 71 66 41
101. Wolfpack 72 75 41 40 38 65 59 42
102. Japherwaki II 69 81 43 20 32 53 53 50
105. Swaggs 71 77 47 60 51 78 69 51 83 24
109. Glengoyne 70 70 45 30 34 68 53 46
110. Breeze 65 51 41 60 31 72 54 42
112. Airhog II 56 67 30 60 56 44 54 29
114. Blade6119 IV 56 47 44 10 37 74 61 33
115. Klaymn III 62 80 46 30 34 72 58 36
116. Chuck U Farley 58 69 36 40 55 68 77 39
117. Psycho Cop II 53 64 40 10 60 67 50 44
118. Calis 58 57 26 50 39 55 73 35
121. Katon II 54 54 29 40 59 69 54 39
122. Mike Vic 67 50 45 10 32 44 53 43
123. Vince 60 69 31 10 45 66 57 43
124. Sir Fozzie II 60 65 27 10 31 67 50 25
125. Chief Rum IV 55 46 25 30 50 52 63 38
127. Hoops Guy 54 54 40 40 41 59 65 27
128. ShaefIllini 62 53 43 10 60 59 64 36
129. Ardent Enthusiast 64 63 31 40 48 65 72 35
130. Peregrine 55 45 37 30 35 45 64 34
131. Raven Hawk II 59 46 33 20 31 68 66 43
132. Northwood DK 51 40 27 30 54 48 56 40
133. BYU II 52 69 33 10 53 58 61 38
134. Lokugh III 54 62 39 60 40 47 55 37
136. Barkeep 52 57 33 30 34 55 73 32
137. FF Froggies 55 51 40 10 57 44 75 36
138. Blade IV 58 42 30 30 51 40 49 23
139. Tasan II 60 50 38 10 37 54 79 20
141. Render III 59 64 27 50 42 46 53 22
143. Anxiety III 56 60 42 40 38 69 68 34

Key: TUs = Time Units; Sta = Stamina; Hlt = Health; Brv = Bravery; Rea = Reactions
Fir = Firing; Thw = Throwing; Str = Strength; PsD = PSI Defense; PsS = PSI Skill

Support Personnel

Head of Research: Craptacular
(Current researching focus: Gravity Shield)
Head of Engineering: Sterling Ice II
(Current manufacturing focus: Flying Suits, Hover Tank, Avenger Fighter)
US Interceptor Pilot: CapnMorgan
EU Interceptor Pilot: Superman
AS Interceptor Pilot: Toddiec IV


Attribute Leaders (After Mission 101)

Time Units: (81) Wade Moore
Stamina: (94) Thomkal II
Health: (61) Jfbbis
Bravery: (60) (Nine tied)
Reactions: (62) Kodos
Firing: (92) Wade Moore
Throwing: (79) (Three tied)
Strength: (68) Wade Moore
PSI Defense: (97) Jeff Nights II
PSI Strength: (24) (Four tied)


Attribute Doggies (After Mission 101)

Time Units: (51) Northwood DK
Stamina: (40) Northwood DK
Health: (25) Chief Rum IV
Bravery: (10) (14 tied)
Reactions: (31) Raven Hawk II, Jeeber D
Firing: (40) Blade IV
Throwing: (50) Sir Fozzie II, Psycho Cop II
Strength: (20) Tasan II
PSI Defense: (25) Coffee Warlord II
PSI Strength: (16) Naiwf


Top Ten Kills Leaders

1. Kodos 26
2. Wade Moore 23
2. Revrew 23
2. Jfbbis 23
5. Astott 19
6. Klayman (KIA) 18
6. Thomkal II 18
8. Shorty (KIA) 16
9. Achilles 15
10. Rich (KIA) 14
10. Danny Van Halen 14
10. Jeff Nights II
14


Waiting List

ID Name Base Status Rank LBrvOK? OptUp?
144. Rich II - On Call Rookie Yes No
145. Zippy III - AWOL Rookie Yes Yes
146. Gi - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
147. Tellistto - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
148. CT Homer II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
149. Rawisdan II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
150. Gbk - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
151. The Herd II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
152. 3ric V - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
153. Fonzie III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
154. Condors III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
155. Dawgfan - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
156. Travis V - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
157. Kingfc II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
158. Tucker III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
159. Almighty II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
160. Sachmo IV - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
161. The Time II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
161. Jerk - On Call Rookie Yes Yes

[Tasan]

MARS MARS MARS!

I, Tasan II, volunteer my untested PSI self for assless-chap, feces throwing duty if so required! Heck, if you want to gamble, I'll suit up and carry a guy for you too!

Am I in any of the Psi testing this month? I can't remember if we ever got a facility built in Africa.

[Godzilla Blitz]

RING RING RING

Calling: Everybody, yes, everybody, on the waiting list!

Report to USA COM for processing. First ten men to reply to the call get sent to SAM COM for guard duty.

As incredible as this may be to believe--after who knows how many years of doing this dynasty--this has the potential to be "last call", so put some hop to it if you want in.

[jerk3616]

jerk flings poo at the Martians...or maybe it's just the phone...

I'm in.

[Coffee Warlord]

I must get me to Mars! I'm trying myself to the bulkhead if need be!

[MrBug708]

Respond to what? :D

[Godzilla Blitz]

jefk: One minute. Not bad hop there, rookie. Almost as fast as Ardent. ;)

Tasan: Nope, the PSI lab for Africa isn't done yet. Sterling Ice also forgot to start the construction in time to get the thing done by the end of the November, so training can't start there until the end of December. Unless something really gets messed up, that looks like "never". Sorry.

Tellistto: Thanks. I think a couple of times we killed the last alien on supply ships in the grav-lifts at the east end of the craft, but I don't remember if that was on missions where we torched the command center with missiles or not. A lot of times we've had to go in and get them at the command center, though. It sures seems a safe bet to blow it apart early in the mission, anyway.

Blade: Yeah, been a bit quiet down there, and with everyone coming out of the infirmary at EU COM, our bases are at full power. I really don't have a good idea for how many missions are left for us to play.

Maybe some rough math would help...

We just detected our 168th UFO, and that has generated 103 missions (although a handful of these aren't from UFO sightings). That means that roughly 61% of UFO sightings result in missions. We're detecting about 1.5 UFOs a day now. If there are another 18 days to go, we'll have, um, let's see (does math), another 16 or 17 missions? A lot can happen in that time.

One factor working against missions is that our fusion balls tend to blow apart the smaller UFOs instead of forcing them to crash land. One factor working towards more missions is that the number of UFOs we're detecting is increasing every month.

Ardent: Only time will tell.

One more thing. Photos are up for mission 101, the USA COM supply ship attack.

[kingfc22]

ME!!!! ME!!!!

USA
USA
USA

[Dawgfan1980]

Am I still on a waiting list? If I am, lemme at um!

[3ric]

Private 3ric V reporting for guard duty. Sir.

[DeToxRox]

i'll world tour .. USA can be next on my list

[Alf]

Alf reporting for this crucial mission !

[jerk3616]

I can honestly say that I just happened to look in before I left for the evening, and the 1-minute response was just coincidence. However, if I said that I just happened to be hanging out in a tree across the street from a certain X-Com commander, cell phone in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other, trying to decide if I should continue to wait for the call or leave the tree and root through his garbage...you'd buy that as coincidence too, right?

I'm also starting to realize that my body of work as a poster to this forum has now contained the words "assless chaps", "clown makeup", "feces", and a reference to being a voyeur.

I think I should take a nap. I'm starting to creep myself out. :)

[Tellistto]

Reporting in, GB.

[Wolfpack]

I can honestly say that I just happened to look in before I left for the evening, and the 1-minute response was just coincidence. However, if I said that I just happened to be hanging out in a tree across the street from a certain X-Com commander, cell phone in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other, trying to decide if I should continue to wait for the call or leave the tree and root through his garbage...you'd buy that as coincidence too, right?

I'm also starting to realize that my body of work as a poster to this forum has now contained the words "assless chaps", "clown makeup", "feces", and a reference to being a voyeur.

I think I should take a nap. I'm starting to creep myself out. :)

Dude, those are some of the most common topics on the board. You fit right in. Don't worry about it. ;)

[SplitPersonality1]

I can honestly say that I just happened to look in before I left for the evening, and the 1-minute response was just coincidence. However, if I said that I just happened to be hanging out in a tree across the street from a certain X-Com commander, cell phone in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other, trying to decide if I should continue to wait for the call or leave the tree and root through his garbage...you'd buy that as coincidence too, right?

I'm also starting to realize that my body of work as a poster to this forum has now contained the words "assless chaps", "clown makeup", "feces", and a reference to being a voyeur.

I think I should take a nap. I'm starting to creep myself out. :)

I think I like the new guy. :)


edit: And not "that" way, you freaks.....Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[Glengoyne]

So GB are you thinking that there will only be another 20 or so missions for this whole dynasty?

[Poli]

You heart the new guy?

[Godzilla Blitz]

103rd Mission: More Snakes in Siberia

The ASIA COM Skyranger heads north again, to once again take on Snakemen in the forests near the top of the world. Not sure what’s bringing all these UFOs to Africa and Siberia lately, but we’ll take the fight wherever we can.

ASIA COM seems to get the short end of the best equipment. Only three men will have Flying Suits today. They’ll have to make do with a stock issue tank as well, as they still don’t have a functional Hovertank. The glamour boys at EU COM get all the good stuff.

These short missions don’t give us much opportunity to build up our experience, but we’ll try to make the best of them.

Jeff Nights II leads our men today.

Left Side:
1. Split Personality III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. FF Froggies (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Jeff Nights II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Afoci (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Sir Fozzie II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Glen Goyne (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Fat Football II (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
3. Qwikshot II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Illinifan V (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Hoops Guy (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The men search the battlefield as the Skyranger drops through the cold, clear, northern skies. The early morning sun throws long shadows over the forests below, and we can’t spot the UFO on the way down. We’ll be coming down on the southeast corner of the battlefield, so the areas to the right of our exit and to the nose of the Skyranger are secure ground. In front of our exit is a small clearing; immediately behind it woods run as far as we can see. There is a line of lightly forested hills that lie to the immediate left of our exit and run parallel with our craft.

The Skyranger drops below the tree line and lands with a bounce on the small clearing. The ramp falls away…

Silence.

Our tank rumbles out of the Skyranger bay, hits the ground, spins, and spots nothing. Glen Goyne and FF Froggies are next out of the Skyranger. They set up firing positions at the landing gear. Our tank begins to move toward a cut in the line of hills to our left. Jeff Nights II and Illinifan V exit the Skyranger, go airborne, and scan the battlefield from above. Suddenly, our tank spots a Snakeman sneaking up on our position through the cut in the hill to our left. Illinifan and Jeff wait for the Snakeman to slither into range, then they open up on the unsuspecting enemy. Plasma blasts crack the silence of the forest and go flying toward the Snakeman. He startles, then turns to flee. Jeff hits him first and knocks him to the ground. He rights himself just as Illinifan blows a hole in his torso that drops him to the ground for good. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Things go quiet after that. We deploy our forces and move out. Split Personality III exits the Skyranger and joins Glen. The two men begin west, up over the hill to our immediate left. Sir Fozzie II exits and joins FF Froggies. The two of them move in behind our tank and follow it as it cuts through the ravine that runs through the hill on our left. Hoops Guy and Afoci exit the Skyranger and head straight north to sweep the forests in front of our exit. Fat Football II exits and sets up a position with the Blaster Launcher by the nose of our Skyranger. Lastly, Qwikshot II exits and goes airborne to join Illinifan and Jeff. The three of them then fan our behind and above our position to look for aliens from up high.

Our position expands, but we find no more aliens. The hill on our left is actually the first hill in a pair of small rolling hills that run parallel with our craft. As our tank cuts through the ravine that cuts across them, it spots the medium-size, cross-shaped UFO lying behind the second hill. We can now hear internal UFO doors opening and closing. We’re getting closer. We move in on the craft.

Our tank leaves FF and Sir Fozzie and goes directly towards the door, which faces us, and sets up just to its left. Glen comes over the second hill and then jogs to take up a firing position behind the tank. Split does likewise, but instead of stopping at the tank, he continues past it to check the left side of the UFO for aliens. FF Froggies and Sir Fozzie hold at the edge of the last hill and set up firing positions on the clearing that spreads out to the northwest. Jeff Nights and Qwikshot close in on the UFO from the air.

Elsewhere, Hoops and Afoci continue to sweep the woods in front of our exit, with Illinifan in the air behind them for support.

Suddenly, FF Froggies and Sir Fozzie spot a Snakeman approaching in the clearing to their right, about 25 meters away. Both men open fire, but Sir Fozzie is faster and more accurate. Sir Fozzie’s first shot catches the Snakeman in the head. Its entire left side is blown away in the hit. The Snakeman falls gurgling to the ground. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

Once again things fall quiet. Over the next few minutes we complete the search of the exterior of the UFO. All the remaining aliens must be inside the UFO. We close in with everyone.

We’ll try to bust the UFO from two points at once, and our men move in position to do so. At the main entrance to the UFO, Glen Goyne and Qwikshot take cover behind our tank, while Jeff Nights II sets up over the door. Afoci sets up just to the right side of the entrance. At the corner of the UFO to their right, Hoops Guy, FF Froggies, Sir Fozzie, and Split get ready as Fat sets up to blow a hole in the side of the UFO with the Blaster Launcher. Illinifan waits on top of the UFO, just above the spot where Fat will blow our hole. Fat will start us off, and then FF Froggies and Hoops Guy will lead the charge into the UFO. Once they draw attention, we’ll send Glen, Afoci, and Qwikshot in the front door.

On three. One. Two. Three!

Fat fires the Blaster Missile. It winds through the woods and slams into the square corner of the UFO. The explosion blows a hole in the side and kicks back a torrent of flame into the woods near the corner. With Hoops Guy right behind him, FF Froggies tears around the corner and into the UFO…

Three Snakemen! Holy shit! Two to his right, at the shattered command center. One to his left, right in front of the main entrance. As the stunned aliens turn to react, FF Froggies fires on full-auto at the closer alien to his right, from five feet away. FF Froggies still can’t hit shit. All his shots slam into the bulkhead to the alien’s right. This alien spins, aims at FF, and—

Is drilled by Hoops Guy in the chest! The alien screams and tumbles backwards to the floor. The other two aliens turn to open up on FF and Hoops Guy just as Glen Goyne, Qwikshot, and Afoci come pouring into the UFO through the main entrance. Glen smashes the butt of his Heavy Plasma into the back of the skull of the Snakeman near the door, then dives right as the remaining alien turns away from FF and Hoops Guy to fire on this new threat. Qwikshot, right on Glen’s heels, gets off a shot just before the alien. He blows a chunk out of the creature’s shoulder just as the Snakeman fires on full-auto. Plasma races toward the men at the front door but the Snakeman’s aim is thrown off by Qwikshot’s hit: the plasma tails up and rips into the UFO’s roof. Afoci, right behind Qwikshot, drops to the ground and fires a shot through Qwikshot’s legs that skewers the Snakeman in the stomach. The alien squeals, doubles over, and falls. Wow! Nice work, men! Now that’s the way to run a UFO assault: 30 seconds, three dead aliens. Well done, men. Except for you, FF Froggies. X-COM 5, Aliens 0.

And with that, our threat sensors fade to green.

Kills: Afoci, 1; Glen Goyne, 1; Hoops Guy, 1; Sir Fozzie II, 1; Illinifan V, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Afoci, Glen Goyne, Hoops Guy, Sir Fozzie II, Illinifan V, Jeff Nights II, Qwikshot II.
Final score: 142.
Mission Notes:
I was happy with the final assault. We brought a ton of firepower on what could have been a treacherous situation.

FF Froggies is the second worst shot I have ever seen. He has missed just about every chance we have given him to make a kill. Today’s opportunity—an unawares alien from five feet—was a Christmas present, and he still blew it. How could he miss three times from such close range? More time on the range with you, my man!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Glengoyne: It's hard to say what will happen, as one mistake could spin things badly negative, but if things go positively, I'd say we'll fall somewhere in the "10-20 missions left" range. We are definitely in the end game one way or the other.

Jerk, Kingfc, 3ric, Dawgfan, and Tellistto: You're in! You'll won't get to the base until about December 3rd, but I'll post stats when you arrive.

[gkb]

Oh man did I miss the waiting list call????

[Godzilla Blitz]

Nope. You're number six. We're still looking for four more from the waiting list.

[gkb]

WooHOO!

[Rich1033]

I need to get back in on the action. Count me in.

[Breeze]

FF Frogies can go to Mars despite his Psi rating since he can't hit anything anyway.

[fantastic flying froggies]

I don't understand why this shooting thing doesn't work... I'm doing everything they taught me in basic training...
I do have one question though. On this heavy plasma thing, which end am I supposed to point at the alien ?
And this trigger thing you keep mentionning, remind me again what it does exactly ?

Or maybe just gimme a blaster laucher ? I shoud be able to hit an alien 5 feet in front of me with that thing, shouldn't I ?

Last option, I seem to have a pretty good throwing characteristic. Maybe you should just give me some grenades and push me in the damn UFO !!!

[fantastic flying froggies]

FF Frogies can go to Mars despite his Psi rating since he can't hit anything anyway.
Damn ! Breeze has now seen through my plan to go to Mars...

[illinifan999]

I'll just *wait* up here on the UFO, you guys go ahead.

[Fonzie]

Reporting for duty sir.

[Travis]

Ready to roll whenever you need me sir. I should last longer than my last incarnation (in fact, you may be hard pressed to top that one ;) )

[Coffee Warlord]

I should last longer than my last incarnation (in fact, you may be hard pressed to top that one ;) )

Been there, done that. :)

[Glengoyne]

Whoot another mission another kill!

Not to mention this one was in Hand to Hand with a Snakeman. Something for my memoirs.

[SirFozzie]

Nice. Finally got my first kill. Need to get better quick if I want to go to Mars

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 27

For the first time in a long time, nothing happens. All is quiet.

November 28

A supply UFO touches down at the British Sectoid base. Sachmo parks his Firestorm in the airspace above it, but runs low on fuel and has to return before the thing takes off again. We send our EU COM Skyranger loaded with men, but the UFO proceeds to take off and get away. Missed opportunity.

November 29

Once again, there is no UFO activity.

Crappy's team of researchers unlock the secrets of Grav Shield Defences. These will allow our bases to remain hidden from nearby UFOs. Not sure if it matters at this point, but we begin building a facility at all five of our bases.

November 30

The month ends with a wimper. No UFO sightings, but big news: Italy becomes the fourth European country to sign a pack with the aliens. It withdraws its portion of our funding immediately. Britain, Germany, Italy, and France have alled abandoned the human cause. Traitors.

December 1

PSI reports for November are due in later today, but before that happens, the USA COM Interceptor engages in some fierce dueling over American airspace: Around 3AM it knocks out a tiny scout (I think these are the ones that look for our bases) about 200 miles from our base; ten minutes later it forces a medium Ethereal scout to crash land in Minnesota, about 100 miles from our Fargo base. Two UFOs downed in a ten-minute time span!

We prepare the USA COM Skyranger to make the short jaunt. They'll strike once the sun comes up.

On board:
Ardent Enthusiast, Airhog II, Wade Moore, AStott, Klayman III, Alf III, Achilles, Sublime II, Jeeber D, Katon II

Ethereals, men. Be careful.

[Poli]

This was why the Magic 8 Ball was against me.

[Alf]

yeah, Ethereals, take care !

[Kodos]

Remember boys. Try to be a serial Ethereal killer!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Latest news…

From the London Herald…

Italy Joins ET Alliance!

Most Major European Countries Now Stand with our Extraterrestial Friends

Criticism of X-COM Escalates

1 December 2003 – (AP, Rome) After days of deliberations, Italian officials yesterday jubilantly declared a total political, economic, and military alliance with Extraterrestial forces in our system. The pact will open the door to alien trade and economic aid that proponents claim will revolutionize the entire country. The signing makes Italy the fourth major country to sign with the ETs in recent months, and sends yet another blow against the terrorist X-COM forces that have waged an unsuccessful war against alien unification over the past year. With this signing, a significant portion of the European Union’s might swings in favor of the Extraterrestial Alliance.

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOMArt1.jpg
A Sectoid-owned French canteen. Since August, aliens have been permitted to own businesses in allied countries. AP Photo

“Without a doubt,” says retired British Commander Ben Dover, “this announcement is yet another nail in the reactionary, anti-alien forces’ attempt to discredit the alliance. With X-COM now in disarray, it looks like we may be approaching the end of the war.”

Indeed, things look dire for X-COM. They have been fighting a bloody, defensive war for 11 months, but have suffered horrendous casualties of late, and have made no progress in stemming the tide of alien cooperation with Earth. Furthermore, morale on their bases appears to be bad and getting worse. In late November, a long-standing X-COM agent defected to the aliens, bringing with him significant amounts of classified intelligence. A controversial internal investigation and trial—instigated by the disgruntled relative of an X-COM agent killed in action—has led to further division amongst the ranks. It has even been reported that rookie agents are begging for fellow agents to die so that they can get better rations on base.

Civilian complaints against X-COM are also mounting, as reports of excessive use of force have skyrocketed since X-COM began using “Blaster Missiles” against civilians. “They blew my house apart!” laments Nomoa Adobe. “I went out to get some kitty treats for Igor, my Siamese cat, and when I came back I didn’t have a house or a cat. They killed my kitten, the bastards. I hope they rot in hell!”

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOMArt3.jpg
A British manor destroyed by reactionary X-COM terrorists. AP Photo

“X-COM is a minor annoyance, but the world is quickly coming to the conclusion that it is better to live in harmony with peaceful aliens such than to fight against us merely because we are ‘different’, and the scorched earth tactics X-COM is using clearly show the world their true colors. Whether they lose militarily or politically, clearly their days are numbered,” states Sectoid Leader, the Extraterrestial ambassador to England.

Conversely, morale in allied countries is soaring. Unique foodstuffs, alien technological goods, and UFO rides have all proven wildly popular amongst the progressive allied nations.

“I love my new plasma car!” declares Betty Goez, a resident of Newcastle. “It gets 120 miles to the gallon. Not that it matters, with the Ets giving us free plasma and all.”

“I think they’re cute,” adds Dewmi Nau, a 23-year-old bartender in London. “They come into the bar sometimes and have a pint with the regulars. The gals love ‘em. We don’t get their jokes, but rumor has it that they are great in bed. I’d love to date one!”

http://home.comcast.net/~mwsmart/XCOMArt2.jpg
A British officer displays the new ETAlliance military headgear and salute. AP Photo

Even the kids love it. “For my birthday, me pop got me a ride in a UFO!” blurts 11-year-old Buddy Duznt of Cambridge. “I was a little scared when they picked up an X-COM terror ship on radar, but it was far enough away and they never came close. What a blast! And I’m really happily now that the ETs are giving away Sectoid Heroes for my PS3. I just decapitated Wade Moore on my game last night! It rocks!”

With all the benefits so obvious, it is hardly surprising that UN support for the X-COM project is fading fast. One expert even predicts the war’s end before January. “The UN isn’t going to wait so long that their member countries all defect to the aliens. Once the ball starts rolling, the UN is going to jump to unite with the ET cause. Those UN countries don’t want to fall hopelessly behind economically for the era of prosperity that will follow the war. We could have peace by New Year’s!

[Poli]

Haters.

[sachmo71]

Awesome!

[kingfc22]

Down with ITALY!!!

[Blade6119]

wow, italy surrendered...who didnt see that one coming...there right there with the french in longevity of wars...first time an enemy is seen they surrender. As long as we have lichtenstein were ok!

[JeeberD]

Give me that Blaster Launcher again, boss! Those Ethereals are going down!!!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Upcoming...

Should be posting Mission 104 tonight. I'll update stats (with the crucial PSI results!) and move the game forward on Sunday. I'll also pick our first two agents for the Mars Mission tomorrow. This is the procedure we'll use to select our 18 agents:

1-8: Command choice
9: Kodos' choice
10-11: Agents' choice (vote)
12-14: British Base Assault Challenge Winners (Command choice for the fourteen contestants)
15: Random lottery of all active agents
16-18: Command choice
19-23 (Alternates): Command choice

Also, I've been a few missions ahead the past few weeks, but from now on out I'm reporting results as I play the game, so I have as little idea as to what the future holds as you do.

Blade6119: LOL!

Sachmo: Thanks!

Travis, Fonzie, Rich, Gkb: You're in. We still need one more agent, so if you're on the waiting list, this is your chance. Maybe your last chance.

FF Froggies: I really don't know what to say about your shooting. It really is amazing. Whenever I have you fire, the shots don't just miss, they head off almost sideways. I've never seen anyone quite this bad. I hope you can break out of the slump quickly.

[Poli]

Fate, don't pee on my hands now.

[Thomkal]

ohmygod!

I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to stop laughing after reading that "article" GB! well done!

Of course Thomkal II is pissed about it...

[kingfc22]

Random agent.

YES!!! I have a chance to step foot on the Red planet.

[MrBug708]

What countries joined the alliance? France?

[Poli]

How many agents are there? I'm just trying to assess my odds.

[Chuck U Farley]

Did Chuck die? Or is he too busy playing football?

[jerk3616]

I have to apologize for FF Froggies poor shooting; we've spent too many late nights "infiltrating" the Sectoid-owned bar in the French canteen. Just do what I always do: shoot the middle one. :)

[Godzilla Blitz]

104th Mission: Ethereals in Minnesota

The USA COM Skyranger hugs the ground on its short 100-mile jaunt to western Minnesota. The men quickly go through their preparation routines for combat.

With D-Day only 14 days away, X-COM Command will be testing some of the strategies under consideration for the Martian assault. Today will be the first test of the Decoy Ducks. Klayman III, who cracked easily on a mission a few weeks ago, and Alf III, who graded out on the PSI-scale at a measly 18, are the first troops to volunteer to test the strategy. Both men will go into combat completely unarmed. They goal is to have them fall harmlessly under PSI-control.

Wade Moore will lead our men.

Our men:

Left Side:
1. Ardent Enthusiast (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. Airhog II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Wade Moore (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. AStott (Blaster Launcher, Flying Suit)
5. Klayman III (Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Alf III (Power Suit)
2. Achilles (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Sublime II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Jeeber D (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Katon II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)

The Skyranger drops to the cold, sunny Minnesota countryside. The region has been hit by an early cold snap, and temps shouldn’t go north of 10 degrees for this morning’s battle. The men scan the battlefield below. We’ll be landing on the southwest corner of the active zone, so the areas up by the nose of the Skyranger and to the left of our exit are secure. Elsewhere, we have the standard rural fare: fields, some hedgegrows, fences, etc. There is no sign of either the UFO or any buildings.

The Skyranger touches down, bounces on the hard soil, and comes to a rest. The ramp falls away with a dull thud. Alarms! Red lights! Hot landing! There is an Ethereal charging at us through the field in front of the exit. He’s about 40 meters away and closing fast. Our tank jerks forward, toward the exit. Achilles and Ardent Enthusiast follow right behind it. The Ethereal opens fire first, sending a couple of shots clanging off our Skyranger and a third one off the upper hull of our Hovertank that rips off an antenna. The Hovertank keeps going and starts to drift down to the ground. Just as it drops out of their line of fire, Achilles and Ardent open fire on the Ethereal. A hail of plasma goes tearing out of the craft. Achilles is right on the money, as he rips off the alien’s left leg at the kneecap with one hit, then blows apart its upper chest before the creature even hits the ground from the first shot. The Ethereal tumbles to the ground. Orange blood drains onto the cold, hard earth. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Our tank goes vertical to scan the battlefield. Another Ethereal! This one is about 30 meters to the right of the nose of our Skyranger. Ardent and Wade Moore come flying out of the Skyranger, turn up towards the alien, and open fire. The Ethereal goes for his weapon as a rain of plasma rips up the earth near its feet. Ardent gets dissed again, as Wade blows the alien apart with his second shot. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

We get a moment to catch our breath and get our men out of the Skyranger. Our tank goes vertical and starts fanning the battlefield in search of aliens. Alf III exits the Skyranger. He breaks right, away from our exit, and moves to the front of our position. He’ll try to draw the PSI-attacks when they come. Jeeber D is right on his heels, but goes up high over the battlefield, about 10 meters behind our tank. Wade Moore pulls back toward the edge of the Skyranger, as we’ll want to spread out the experience as much as possible, and this should be a relatively short mission. The rest of the men move toward the exit.

Our tank quickly spots two more Ethereals, about 50 meters away, and closing in on position through the air. We wait for them to get within range, and then Ardent opens up on the one on the right as Jeeber does likewise to the one on the left. The Ethereals have no chance: Ardent’s first shot guts his target; Jeeber’s first two shots send the other Ethereal toppling to the ground with a shattered chest. Boo yaa! Nice shooting, men! X-COM 4, Aliens 0!

Before those two aliens even stop twitching, our threat sensors turn green. Huh? Wow, that was quick. So nice of the aliens to make our job easier by charging the Skyranger. Surprised there were only four left; it was a medium scout.

Kills: Wade Moore, 1; Ardent Enthusiast, 1; Jeeber D, 1; Achilles, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Wade Moore, Ardent Enthusiast, Jeeber D, Achilles.
Final score: 122
Mission Notes:
Taking no casualties is always nice, but I would have liked to have met more resistance in order to be able to test our Decoy Duck strategy. A quick four-minute mission with no PSI-attacks tells us nothing.

[Tellistto]

Stupid aliens never cooperate when you want them too, the bastards!

Tell

[Poli]

Stupid Magic 8 Ball! I lived!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Random Replies...

Ardent: Not only did you live, but you got an alien as well! Nice job!

Chuck: EU COM has been quiet for a bit, but I would expect you'll be on the next mission out of there.

Ardent: There are about 60 agents now, but 14 will be already on the Mars force by the time we pick the random agent, and another handful or so won't be included because they're not around any more. I'd say an agent's chances are about 1 in 40-45 to get selected in the lottery.

Mr. Bug: England was the first country to join the aliens. France went next, I believer. Germany joined a short while later. Italy makes the fourth.

Thomkal: Thanks!

Jerk: Aha! That explains FF Froggies' shooting! Alien beer will do that every time. Stick with the Coors from now on.

Tellistto: I thought for sure we'd get hit with some PSI attacks on that mission. It ended so fast I didn't even get half the men out of the Skyranger. I'd rather have that type of a mission, though, than a mission where I have to hunt all over the map for two aliens. Those take forever to write up and there's hardly any action.

[MrBug708]

Are the Swiss staying Neutral? I hope the Dutch don't stray....

[tucker342]

Is it too late to answer your call?

[klayman]

Today will be the first test of the Decoy Ducks. Klayman III, who cracked easily on a mission a few weeks ago, and Alf III, who graded out on the PSI-scale at a measly 18, are the first troops to volunteer to test the strategy.
Volunteer!?! I gotta stop sleeping through the mission briefings.

[JeeberD]

Woot, got me another alien!!!

When do we get to see the results of the latest Psi testing, GB?

[Godzilla Blitz]

When do we get to see the results of the latest Psi testing, GB?

Right now.

Tense agents cluster around the latest stat update, posted at each of our bases. The results of perhaps our last PSI training could dramatically raise or lower the chances to get on the Avenger to Mars.

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 104)

USA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
14. Wade Moore Active Colonel 27 25
43. Achilles Active Sergeant 22 16
46. Patman II Active Captain 23 13
55. Sublime II Active Sergeant 21 11
74. AStott Active Captain 19 19
75. Alf III Active Squaddie 10 5
92. Jeeber D Active Squaddie 13 10
98. MrBug IV Active Squaddie 11 5
112. Airhog II Active Squaddie 6 1
114. Blade6119 IV WND (12) Squaddie 4 4
115. Klayman III Active Squaddie 5 4
121. Katon II Active Squaddie 3 2
129. Ardent Enthusiast Active Squaddie 4 3
133. Lokugh III Active Squaddie 3 1
143. Anxiety III Active Squaddie 2 1


EU COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
2. jfbbis WND (Coma) Colonel 23 23
10. Kodos Active Commander 27 26
19. Revrew Active Captain 25 23
70. Naiwf Active Sergeant 15 10
89. RealDeal III Active Squaddie 12 7
90. Coffee Warlord II Active Sergeant 13 11
101. Wolfpack Active Sergeant 9 10
102. Japherwaki II Active Squaddie 10 7
105. Swaggs Active Sergeant 11 10
110. Breeze Active Squaddie 6 8
116. Chuck U Farley Active Squaddie 5 5
122. Mike Vic Active Squaddie 3 4
123. Vince Active Squaddie 3 3
128. ShaefIllini Active Squaddie 2 1
131. Raven Hawk II Active Squaddie 2 3


ASIA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
35. Jeff Nights II Active Captain 26 14
39. Thomkal II Active Sergeant 21 18
41. Fat Football II Active Sergeant 19 9
45. Danny VanHalen Active Sergeant 20 14
52. Qwikshot II Active Captain 21 12
84. Split Pers III Active Sergeant 10 9
93. Afoci Active Squaddie 10 8
96. Illinifan V Active Squaddie 9 7
109. Glengoyne Active Squaddie 7 5
117. Psycho Cop II Active Squaddie 3 2
118. Calis Active Squaddie 6 1
124. Sir Fozzie II Active Squaddie 5 1
127. Hoops Guy Active Squaddie 4 2
134. BYU II Active Squaddie 4 0
137. FF Froggies Active Squaddie 3 0



SAM COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
71. Wignasty Active Squaddie 7 3
130. Peregrine Active Rookie 0 0
132. Northwood DK Active Rookie 0 0



AFRICA COM

ID Name Status Rank Miss. Kills
59. Daimyo II WND (10) Squaddie 9 5
94. Data King III Active Squaddie 5 2
125. Chief Rum IV Active Rookie 0 0
136. Barkeep Active Rookie 0 0
138. Blade IV Active Rookie 0 0
139. Tasan II Active Rookie 0 0
141. Render III Active Rookie 0 0


X-COM II Troop Attributes

Name TUs Sta Hlt Brv Rea Fir Thw Str PsD PsS
2. jfbbis 78 85 61 30 35 88 58 61 75 16
10. Kodos 80 93 60 50 62 85 74 64 75 20
14. Wade Moore 81 84 59 30 59 93 72 68 86 21
19. Revrew 79 73 57 30 38 68 60 65 91 31
35. Jeff Nights II 76 82 57 60 33 67 63 57 97 29
39. Thomkal II 74 94 60 30 56 52 61 55 60 25
41. Fat Football II 71 72 43 50 38 70 73 54 99 23
43. Achilles 75 74 59 10 46 81 79 56 72 24
45. Danny VanHalen 78 85 50 10 42 63 79 52 28 21
46. Patman II 78 71 55 60 50 52 79 57 39 20
52. Qwikshot II 76 81 49 10 58 78 65 57 75 22
55. Sublime II 77 78 50 10 40 75 78 60 59 19
59. Daimyo II 65 60 48 30 47 70 64 43
70. Naiwf 76 72 53 50 40 63 69 49 26 16
71. Wignasty 64 45 37 20 38 61 72 44
74. AStott 76 62 56 50 55 73 62 59 92 18
75. Alf III 62 61 40 40 52 51 57 46 18 22
84. Split Pers III 71 71 47 30 41 64 67 44 30 20
89. RealDeal III 75 76 40 60 47 68 68 56 48 24
90. Coffee Warlord II 76 85 51 60 38 73 69 46 25 24
92. Jeeber D 65 64 47 20 31 63 78 47 77 23
93. Afoci 65 61 42 30 40 47 55 49 79 17
94. Data King III 63 52 31 50 36 52 58 35
96. Illinifan V 57 56 50 50 56 55 66 48 88 21
98. Mr. Bug IV 65 69 50 10 34 71 66 41
101. Wolfpack 72 75 41 40 38 65 59 42 65 23
102. Japherwaki II 69 81 43 20 32 53 53 50 80 22
105. Swaggs 71 77 47 60 51 78 69 51 83 36
109. Glengoyne 72 73 48 30 34 68 53 47 3 21
110. Breeze 65 51 41 60 31 72 54 42 58 16
112. Airhog II 56 67 30 60 56 44 54 29
114. Blade6119 IV 56 47 44 10 37 74 61 33
115. Klaymn III 62 80 46 30 34 72 58 36
116. Chuck U Farley 58 69 36 40 55 68 77 39 55 18
117. Psycho Cop II 53 64 40 10 60 67 50 44 55 19
118. Calis 58 57 26 50 39 55 73 35 50 22
121. Katon II 54 54 29 40 59 69 54 39
122. Mike Vic 67 50 45 10 32 44 53 43
123. Vince 60 69 31 10 45 66 57 43
124. Sir Fozzie II 60 69 32 10 31 68 50 25 81 24
125. Chief Rum IV 55 46 25 30 50 52 63 38
127. Hoops Guy 57 54 43 40 41 59 65 28 78 21
128. ShaefIllini 62 53 43 10 60 59 64 36
129. Ardent Enthusiast 66 67 35 40 48 65 72 40
130. Peregrine 55 45 37 30 35 45 64 34
131. Raven Hawk II 59 46 33 20 31 68 66 43
132. Northwood DK 51 40 27 30 54 48 56 40
133. BYU II 52 69 33 10 53 58 61 38
134. Lokugh III 54 62 39 60 40 47 55 37
136. Barkeep 52 57 33 30 34 55 73 32
137. FF Froggies 55 51 40 10 57 44 75 36
138. Blade IV 58 42 30 30 51 40 49 23
139. Tasan II 60 50 38 10 37 54 79 20
141. Render III 59 64 27 50 42 46 53 22
143. Anxiety III 56 60 42 40 38 69 68 34

Key: TUs = Time Units; Sta = Stamina; Hlt = Health; Brv = Bravery; Rea = Reactions
Fir = Firing; Thw = Throwing; Str = Strength; PsD = PSI Defense; PsS = PSI Skill

Support Personnel

Head of Research: Craptacular
(Current researching focus: Heavy Plasma)
Head of Engineering: Sterling Ice II
(Current manufacturing focus: Flying Suits, Hover Tank, Avenger Fighter)
US Interceptor Pilot: CapnMorgan
AF Interceptor Pilot: Superman
AS Interceptor Pilot: Toddiec IV
EU Firestorm Pilot: Sachmo IV



Attribute Leaders (After Mission 104)

Time Units: (81) Wade Moore
Stamina: (94) Thomkal II
Health: (61) Jfbbis
Bravery: (60) (Nine tied)
Reactions: (62) Kodos
Firing: (93) Wade Moore
Throwing: (79) (Three tied)
Strength: (68) Wade Moore
PSI Defense: (99) Fat Football II
PSI Strength: (36) Swaggs


Attribute Doggies (After Mission 104)

Time Units: (51) Northwood DK
Stamina: (40) Northwood DK
Health: (25) Chief Rum IV
Bravery: (10) (14 tied)
Reactions: (31) (four tied)
Firing: (40) Blade IV
Throwing: (50) Sir Fozzie II, Psycho Cop II
Strength: (20) Tasan II
PSI Defense: ( 3) Glen Goyne
PSI Strength: (16) Naiwf, Breeze, Jfbbis


Top Ten Kills Leaders

1. Kodos 26
2. Wade Moore 25
2. Revrew 23
2. Jfbbis 23
5. Astott 19
6. Klayman (KIA) 18
6. Thomkal II 18
8. Shorty (KIA) 16
8. Achilles 16
10. Rich (KIA) 14
10. Danny Van Halen 14
10. Jeff Nights II 14


Waiting List

ID Name Base Status Rank LBrvOK? OptUp?
144. Rich II - In Transit Rookie Yes No
145. Zippy III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
146. Gi - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
147. Tellistto - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
148. CT Homer II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
149. Rawisdan II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
150. Gbk - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
151. The Herd II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
152. 3ric V - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
153. Fonzie III - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
154. Condors III - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
155. Dawgfan - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
156. Travis V - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
157. Kingfc II - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
158. Tucker III - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes
159. Almighty II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
160. The Time II - On Call Rookie Yes Yes
161. Jerk - In Transit Rookie Yes Yes

[JeeberD]

Hmmm...77 in psi defense. Not bad, not bad at all. But is it high enough to get me to Mars?

[Coffee Warlord]

Just remember, if I get sent to Mars as PSI-Bait, I'm taking the first gun off the first dead guy I see! :)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mars Strike Team Omega

Over the course of the next few days we'll be selecting the members of the 18-man force that will board the Avenger and attempt to destroy the alien command center on Mars. X-COM Command will choose the first eight men. We'll select two today, four tomorrow, and two on Tuesday.

Selecting the best 18 men from our 60-agent force is arguably the most crucial task of the war. The fate of the world rests on the strike team's shoulders. If we pick poorly, the battle for Mars could easily be a disaster.

In selecting the force, we are evaluating all of you on the following criteria (listed in no particular order of importance):

• Combat performance
• Combat abilities
• Rank
• PSI-defense
• Attitude and Team Spirit
• Participation
• Family History and Sacrifice
• Dedication

Without further ado, the first two selections for Strike Team Omega are:

1. Commander Kodos
This is an easy choice. Commander Kodos has an outstanding report card across all criteria. He has been with us since the beginning of the war. He has killed more aliens than any other agent. When--due to his extreme value to our cause--he was relegated to the safe back line on most missions, he accepted his role with grace and understanding. I am proud to have him lead our forces to Mars.

2. Captain Revrew
Revrew has been an active participant throughout the dynasty, has had perhaps our most consistent combat performance record, and has always risen to the occasion when things got ugly. I have no doubt that Revrew will do us proud on the mission to Mars.

Coming tomorrow morning...
Selections 3 & 4.

[Poli]

Darn, it wasn't me. :)

Congratulations, guys.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

December 2
A Sectoid scout UFO pops up on our USA COM radar early in the day. USA COM's Intercepter chases the craft to Europe, right into the waiting arms of Sachmo IV aboard the Firestorm. Ten minutes later the UFO is spewing smoke and heading for the fields of France, where it crashes and slides to a stop.

EU COM launches its Skyranger fifteen minutes later. They'll have to hurry, as the sun is setting on this part of the world. They'll strike at dusk.

On board:
Revrew, Japherwaki II, Real Deal III, Coffee Warlord II, Mike Vic, Vince, Wolfpack, Naiwf, Swaggs, Chuck U Farley

[JeffNights]

With his fellow Captain Qwikshot II standing beside him, Captain Nights addresses the men of ASIA COM that stood in ranks before him.

"Men, I couldnt be prouder of what so far we have accomplished here. This base has seen its share of good times, and bad times. The bad which include disturbing news of countries siding with our enemy the Alien scum, and also, and far worse, those daring missions in which we have lost our fellow X-Com comrades.

Captain Nights takes a moment to pause and remember those souls who have made that sacrifice..

"But today, in thier honor as well as yours, we celebrate good times. Central X-Com command sent these by special courier along with a letter of thanks. And here i'm proud to present to each of you a "100th Mission pin-ASIA COM" pin. Which you will wear with your other badges. Congratulations Men"

Captain Nights goes up the line, pinning the medal to thier uniforms and saluting each man.

[Dawgfan1980]

I hope one day GB goes into writing novels, because this is some great stuff, that I would definatly downlo... I mean, buy from my local bookstore

[sterlingice]

Hey, GB. Where are we (the support staff) stationed? I keep forgetting.

SI

[RealDeal]

I love the smell of plasma in the morning.

[SplitPersonality1]

PsD of 30 & PsS of 20.

Hmm. I think that kind of explained our...I mean my.....yes.....my erratic behavior.


SplitP-H: Think we fooled them?
SplitP-A: Not a chance.
SplitP-H: Damn. I really want to go to Mars.

[MrBug708]

I'm sitting this one out eh?

Well, someone has to entertain the wives

[klayman]

I'm sitting this one out eh?

Well, someone has to entertain the wives
Yes, with you running around naked they should be pointing and laughing all night :)

[Thomkal]

Woot a medal! Hmmm...I wonder how much I can get for it on Ebay?

[sachmo71]

I want to pilot the Avenger!

[revrew]

wOOt! Goin' to Mars! Thanks for the honor of being picked #2, GB. Now, about my signing bonus...

[Coffee Warlord]

Tune up before I go to Mars! Whoo!

[Wolfpack]

65 PsiD? Hey, I'm good for something. I won't crack, at least not without some effort. :)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mars Strike Team Omega

The next two selections for Strike Team Omega are:

1. Commander Kodos
2. Captain Revrew
3. Colonel Jfbbis
Jfbbis is a survivor. Actually, he is the only survivor from our first mission, more than 100 missions ago. Although he started with mediocre skills, he has made the best of every opportunity and has developed into a fine agent. If he recovers from his coma before we launch, he'll be on the Avenger.

4. Colonel Wade Moore
Wade is our deadliest shot, has our second highest kill total, and has had moments of incredible bravery and heroism. A crafty, experienced veteran, we would be silly to go to Mars without him.

Coming this afternoon...
Selections 5 & 6.

[RealDeal]

RealDeal III has a good, but not great PsiD, but I've never cracked in a mission before. Unlike my father, who I don't like to talk about much.

[Godzilla Blitz]

105th Mission: Sectoids Next Door

The EU COM Skyranger races for Germany and the large Sectoid scout that has crash-landed there. Outside, the sun sits low on the western horizon and throws long shadows across the fields below. We’ll need to hurry to avoid fighting in the dark. Inside, our men quickly work through last minute weapon checks.

We’ve got a new weapon on board today. Three of our agents are toting PSI Amps. In theory, these weapons should allow our troops to go on the offensive in PSI warfare: we can target enemies with the weapon and attempt to cause them to freeze, panic, or even fall under our control. How this actually works in combat is anyone’s guess.

Captain Revrew will command our troops today.

The green light goes on and the craft begins to drop to the German countryside.

Left Side:
1. Revrew (Heavy Plasma & PSI Amp, Flying Suit)
2. Japherwaki II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
3. Real Deal III (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Coffee Warlord II (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Mike Vic (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)

Right Side:
1. Vince (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
2. Wolfpack (Blaster Launcher & PSI Amp, Flying Suit)
3. Naiwf (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
4. Swaggs (PSI Amp & Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)
5. Chuck U Farley (Heavy Plasma, Flying Suit)

As the Skyranger falls, the men scan the battlefield. We can see the usual far of farms and fields, but we also can make out the large, cross-shaped UFO sitting to the right of where our exit will end up. The UFO should be in line with the nose of our craft, about 20 meters away. The door on the craft should be on the far side, but still, we should encounter the enemy quickly on this mission. Closer to our exit, on the same side, we can see a collection of small wooden shacks. There are no other distinguishing features of the battlefield that we can make out yet. The area in front of our exit should be secure ground.

The Skyranger hits the ground. The ramp falls away and thuds onto the cold, hard German soil. Silence. A quiet landing.

Our tank drifts out of the Skyranger bay, spins around, and spots a Floater (huh? I thought they were Sectoids?) running away in the field to the left of our exit, about 20 meters away. Revrew bolts out of the Skyranger, swings around the rear of the craft, drops to the ground, and opens fire on the fleeing enemy. His first shot opens up the creature’s back with a splash of purple. It wails and falls to the ground. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

As our tank goes up over the battlefield to scan for enemies, we move our men out. It quickly becomes apparent that there was only the one alien near our Skyranger, and things fall quiet for the next few minutes. Our Hovertank continues to sweep the battlefield. We deploy in force, and close in on the UFO. Japherwaki II and Revrew sweep through the area to the left of our Skyranger exit. Real Deal III and Mike Vic head out of the Skyranger, move toward the UFO, and quickly reach the side of the UFO. Naiwf and Vince exit as well, and move toward the shacks sitting just to the left of the UFO. They’ll search those buildings then sweep around and close in on the UFO door. Wolfpack exits and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher. Swaggs exits, goes up high, and gets ready with the PSI amp. Once Naiwf and Vince have moved away from the exit area, Coffee Warlord II and Chuck U Farley move out and toward the left corner of the UFO.

After a few minutes, our Hovertank and agents have cleared the battlefield. Anything left has to be inside the UFO. There are no holes in the roof, so we’ll do this the hard way. We bring all our forces to bear on the UFO. Wolfpack will blow a hole in the closer side of the UFO. Real Deal and Coffee will lead the charge in through the hole. Chuck and Mike will follow. At the UFO door, we assemble Japherwaki, Vince, and Naiwf to bust in, seconds after Real leads us in the other side. Swaggs will back up the operation with the PSI Amp. Revrew will be held in reserve.

We get ready, and Wolfpack starts us off. He pulls the trigger on the Blaster Launcher and sends a missile into the near side of the UFO. It tears a three-foot hole in the craft, and spews a ball of fire back into the nearby field. An instant after it hits, we hear wailing aliens inside the UFO! Wolfpack got one!

Real Deal gets up and leads the charge to the hole. He gets halfway there when he notices that his threat sensor has faded to green: battle over! Wolfpack got the remaining enemies with his blaster shot! Mission over!

Kills: Wolfpack 3, Revrew 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None .
Attribute Improvements: Wolfpack, Revrew.
Final score: 108.
Mission Notes:
Wolfpack took out three aliens with his blaster shot to the UFO. Usually that shot doesn’t get us any. Nice hat trick, but it would have been nice to spread the experience out more.

Man, I thought we’d get more people more experience on that mission. These short missions are catching me off guards.

[Kodos]

RealDeal: I believe I am the one who had to kill your father when he went over to the other side. In fact, I may be the leading killer of cracked soldiers, as I remember having to eliminate one of them at least twice. War can be such an ugly thing... :(

------

I am proud to be amongst those who will be charged with defending my newly adopted home planet. These bastards came to Rigel IV before they came here, and unfortunately, our resistance failed in the end. I do not intend to let the Earth suffer the same fate. :mad:


I will now give the candidates for the Commander's Choice selection a chance to plead their case. Let me know why I should select you! Oh, and ardent... I wouldn't bother in your case. ;)

[Coffee Warlord]

Long have I watched your rear tentacles, sir. I've taken men deep within enemy strongholds, and come out alive. I've felt the touch of alien psionics, and have not defected. Sectoids fear me.

And of course, a trip to Mars is what is truly necessary to avenge my father! I will go to the aliens, and say. Hello. My name is Coffee Warlord II. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

[RealDeal]

My father deserved to die, Kodos. I hold no grudge against you. My grandfather, however, was brutally murdered by Kerlinni and justice has never been served.

[Kodos]

Long have I watched your rear tentacles, sir.

I've got to admit. This first sentence creeped me out a bit... :p

[JeeberD]

I've never cracked under Psi attacks, Kodos. I have a pretty nice kills per mission ratio as well. Plus I have one of the best damn throwing arms out there. Who do you want to be throwing grenades on Mars, a real pitcher like me or some belly itcher? I think the answer is clear...

[Coffee Warlord]

I've got to admit. This first sentence creeped me out a bit... :p

As it did me when I first typed it. I decided to leave it in just for that effect. :)

[jerk3616]

I wanna go to Mars because I heard there were hot chicks there. Or maybe it was that there is extreme danger with little chance of returning home...in that case, I'm going to sign up for all the credit cards I can, max them out buying crack and hookers, and make sure I'm good and numb if I go to Mars. That way, if you don't pick me, I'll be chin deep in crack and hookers, and won't give two poos about whether I go. So I guess either way, I win.

Unless there really are hot chicks on Mars, and I'd have to stay on Earth. That would suck; no getting around that. So pick me! :)