X-COM: Terror from the Deep is a go! (Mission 17 complete and posted!)

[Tasan]

This is an audience participation X-Com dynasty, using X-Com 2:Terror from the Deep. The style will be somewhat like the classic X-COM dynasties we used to run around here, although I fear I'm not gonna be able to live up to GB's very high standard.

I'm always looking for ready and able volunteers for the X-COM Corp(ses), ready to stand (and possibly your clones, future children, relatives) against the coming onslaught of the Alien horde.

**EDIT** If you want to skip being assigned a low bravery aquanaut, please post this info. I'll * your name on the waiting list to remind myself. Note that this will skip your assignment until an aquanaut with 40+ bravery comes up.

I'll also take folks signing up to be scientists, engineers, drop ship pilots, and attack sub pilots. These guys will have smaller rolls in the grand scheme, but will probably die less often.

The current roster:

TU-Time Units | STA-Stamina | HE-Health | BR-Bravery | RE-Reactions | FA-Firing Accuracy | TA-Throwing Accuracy | STR-Strength

MrBug708 II
Rank: Captain
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 7
Kills: 31

KWhit-Wounded
Rank: Commander
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 3
Kills: 4

Coffee Warlord II-Wounded
Rank: Ensign
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 2
Kills: 1

Caesar
Rank: Ensign
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 3
Kills: 0

illinifan999 III
Rank: Ensign
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 3
Kills: 4

Neon Chaos III
Rank: Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

Icy II
Rank: Lieutenant
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

PilotMan
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

wahoomac
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 1

The Jackal II
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 1

RendeR II
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

fff III
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

TonyR II
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

chesapeake II
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

Barkeep49 III
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

Abe Sargent II
Rank: Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

law90026 II
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 0

mrkilla22 II
Rank: Lieutenant
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 1
Kills: 1

gkb
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 2
Kills: 1

PurdueBrad IV
Rank: Ensign
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

Qwikshot II
Rank: Ensign
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

Travis IV
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 1
Kills: 1

path12 III
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

Greyroofoo III
Rank: Able Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 1
Kills: 2

Kodos IV
Rank: Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

DataKing III
Rank: Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

Chief Rum III
Rank: Seaman
Base: Atlantic
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

gi
Rank: Seaman
Base: South China Sea
Missions: 0
Kills: 0

Awaiting assignment: JonInMiddleGA III, SirFozzie III, BYU 14 III, JeeberD III, Roberto III, kingfc22 IV, RealDeal III, ntndeacon IV, Izulde II

Fallen heros (number of kills): Barkeep49 I (1), Travis I (1), Kodos (0), Neon Chaos (1), RealDeal (0), ntndeacon (0), Chief Rum (0), fff (1), MrBug708 (0), Poli (3), PurdueBrad (0), Kodos II (1), illinifan999 (1), TonyR (1), Greyroofoo (0), JeeberD (2), Coffee Warlord (1), Travis II (1), Neon Chaos II (2), Icy (0), JonInMiddleGA (3), The Jackal (3), RendeR (2), ntndeacon III (1), fff II (0), DataKing (4), TonyR (0), hoopsguy (11), chesapeake (5), path12 (1), Barkeep49 II (6), Abe Sargent (0), law90026 (5), mrkilla22 (4), kingfc22 (1), Kerchee (3), SirFozzie (5), illinifan999 II (1), PurdueBrad II (1), BYU 14 (2), Roberto (1), kingfc22 II (0), PurdueBrad III (2), Qwikshot (0), Greyroofoo II (0), Travis III (0), path12 II (0), Kodos III (2), Chief Rum II (4), DataKing II (0), JonInMiddleGA II (0), SirFozzie II (2), BYU 14 II (2), JeeberD II (2), Roberto II (0), kingfc22 III (0), RealDeal II (2), ntndeacon III (0), Izulde (3)


Here's the google doc with stats, ratings and ranks! Enjoy!
Welcome to Google Docs (http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AixylqxwNtgHdEFGUmExck44WldmQmR0R3pleUJKeGc&hl=en)

[hoopsguy]

In.

[Barkeep49]

I would be.

[DataKing]

Sign me up.

[ntndeacon]

sure. never had before but it sounded like a good time was had by all.

[BYU 14]

Loved being part of GB's old X-Com dynasties, definitely sign me up!!

[Travis]

In if you'll accept Canadians ;)

[chesapeake]

I loved X-Com. Sign me up. You'll need all the warm bodies you can get.

[JeeberD]

Yes, please!

[Coffee Warlord]

Helllll yes.

[path12]

Oh yeah.

[Poli]

y y

[The Jackal]

Reporting for duty.

[Tasan]

Okay guys, gimmie like a day or so to get some things ready, and then we'll go. I'll post how we'll do things and when they'll happen Thursday, July 31.

[Neon_Chaos]

In.

This better not be a tease, Tasan. You just tickled my X-Com bone. :)
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[TonyR]

If you need an extra, I'm in too.

[illinifan999]

Oh yes.

[Coffee Warlord]

Chicago Eagles
2 time ZFL champions
We're "rebuilding"

Don't ya think it might be time to change the sig? :)

[RealDeal]

An old X-Com vet reports back for duty.

[Coffee Warlord]

History. I finally bothered to register on FOFC after several months of lurking because of the original X-Com dynasty.

And it's been all downhill from there. :)

[Greyroofoo]

I'll try

[Kodos]

I don't see how it could turn out better for me this time, but what the heck. I'm in.

[Coffee Warlord]

I don't see how it could turn out better for me this time, but what the heck. I'm in.

My 2nd born did survive and made the trek to Mars...and survived.

Only problem is, GB didn't give me a gun, the bastard. I will not be a decoy this time! :)

[Tasan]

The initial write-up is just about to be posted. I'll be following it up tomorrow with our first (and hopefully not last!) combat op. Stay tuned...

[Tasan]

Welcome Aquanauts!

As many of you have heard, strange things have been happening in the oceans of the world. Ships have gone missing, port towns have been attacked, and strange seismic activity has been monitored. What most of you do not know is what is causing this.

Well folks, we believe the menace that plagued our mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents has returned. For some reason their attacks have centered on the oceans of the planet this time. We have set up Base Atlantic as our primary base of operations. Our initial job will be to protect worldwide shipping lanes and investigate the source of these attacks.

Since the worldwide peace that broke out after the removal of the first alien scum caused the majority of weapons systems across the world to be destroyed, we are going to be working a little primitive. Our primary weapon will be a high velocity jet harpoon weapon. Simple but effective both on land and under water. Our heavy weaponry will be converted underwater mining devices capable of firing a variety of deadly projectiles. In the event that we need to intercept alien submersibles, we will be using converted undersea explorer vessels equipped with recently developed torpedo launchers and larger versions of the gas cannon you'll be using.

Ladies and gentlemen, the fate of the world quite possibly lies in the hands of X-Com, once again. Do your world proud!

The initial team is as follows:

TU-Time Units | STA-Stamina | HE-Health | BR-Bravery | RE-Reactions | FA-Firing Accuracy | TA-Throwing Accuracy | STR-Strength

Hoopsguy

TU-54
STA-65
HE-37
BR-60
RE-58
FA-65
TH-73
STR-25

Barkeep

TU-56
STA-44
HE-35
BR-60
RE-57
FA-70
TH-65
STR-31

DataKing

TU-51
STA-51
HE-33
BR-40
RE-50
FA-63
TH-71
STR-25

ntndeacon

TU-51
STA-63
HE-39
BR-40
RE-35
FA-68
TH-80
STR-25

BYU 14

TU-53
STA-63
HE-29
BR-40
RE-37
FA-42
TH-52
STR-25

Travis

TU-58
STA-60
HE-35
BR-40
RE-48
FA-49
TH-74
STR-21

chesapeake

TU-50
STA-51
HE-33
BR-60
RE-50
FA-60
TH-66
STR-40

Our 8th and final initial recruit had to be kicked out the airlock after he screamed in panic when a baby spider skittered across the floor. 10 new recruits were imediately ordered. If last time is any indication, we'll need 'em.

[RendeR]

Toss me in the player queue!

[Tasan]

Interlude 1

We send in a modified request for 2 additional aquanauts, over the 10 we initially asked for. With the scrubs we get, we'll be lucky if 8 of them are combat worthy. In that request is an order for 10 scientists as well. We also request more ammo for the attack subs and general equipment for the troops. Everything from more rounds for the harpoons to extra gas cannons (big single shot heavy weapons) are ordered.

Apparently the same guys who used to design the old X-Com bases laid this one out. If we are ever attacked, this place is gonna be a deathtrap, mainly for us. We get to work ordering more berthing for the troops and eggheads, as well as storage and an alien containment/torture center. Speaking of eggheads, the lab techs get to work on a decent Med kit that can work underwater, while the engineers eagerly await those plans so they can start work. The clock ticks by as we wait for the inevitable.

[Tasan]

Toss me in the player queue!

Got it!

The player queue will be kept up top, along with the current active roster.

Feel free to post side stories and/or character plots for your guys if you want. As things progress, I'm going to try and get the storytelling side of things a bit more lively and interesting. The encounters should handle themselves, but the boring parts in between will need some sprucing up. Have fun with it!

[Coffee Warlord]

Ah, I was wondering how you got such awesome bravery on all your guys. You just shoot the weak minded ones. :)

[Tasan]

Ah, I was wondering how you got such awesome bravery on all your guys. You just shoot the weak minded ones. :)

Yeah, I decided not to be picky with the other stats, but I don't like the squeamish ones. Actually out of our starting 8 guys we got, only the one was below 40 on bravery, and he got the airlock.

You hear that incoming recruits? MAN UP!

[JeeberD]

Argh, just missed out on the initial group. Hopefully I'm brave enough to make the cut...

[Tasan]

Mission 1
January 1st, 2040

Everyone is getting settled into their bunks when the klaxons go off. "X-COM Sub teams to your ships. This is not a drill. Recon team assemble and ready at the drop ship for possible recon and recover mission. This is not a drill." The horns continue to blare as the stunned looks on the rookies' faces fade into alertness and battle ready mode. Chaos turns to order as the troops remember training, and everyone moves to their places.

Barracuda 1 is the first out. The sonor is reporting a small contact of unknown type, so this will be the only ship dispatched at this time. The USO (unidentified submersible object) is almost directly south of Base Atlantic and moving fast. After a short chase, 'Cuda 1 catches the USO and cautiously moves in to attack. 1 of the 3 torpedoes launched hits, and the USO accelerates and moves off. The 'Cuda gives chase, but the craft decides to stop just a few miles to the west. General Tasan orders the drop ship, Triton 1, to go to the landing site, recon the area, and discover what is out there.

Night chases the Triton as it makes its way west to the site. Just before landing, a very small blip appears on the sonar and 'Cuda 2 is dispatched to intercept. The tiny sub doesn't give much of a fight and 'Cuda 2 scores a kill. Not much is left either, so no mission is planned for a followup recovery. The news of the kill is send to the Triton just before touchdown, and cheers go up in the passenger section. With hearts high, the sub slides to the bottom, coming to a stop within sight of the alien vessel.

Barkeep gets a gas gun, the large, single shot mining weapon. He pops the standard load AP rounds out and with a big grin throws in the HE clip. He's only got one of each. Chesapeake gets the other heavy weapon, the auto-fire Hydro-Jet cannon. A rather disappointed look on his face lets the rest of the crew know he's only got AP rounds, but he's got quite a few to rock on full auto a bit. BYU 14 and Travis each get a few extra clips due to their poor range scores, and Travis gets a couple extra grenades to try to make himself a little more useful. Geared up, the troops make their way down the exit ramp.

We're in the top left corner of the map, for those of you following along. First out the door is hoopsguy, followed by DataKing and Barkeep. They head south and will form the first team, we'll call them Alpha. ntndeacon, Travis, BYU14 and chesapeake head west across the map and form Bravo team. Everything is clear as the head out, and the alien sub is nowhere in sight. Someone is gonna have to speak to the driver about this.

The teams fan out and begin to search. The comms stay quite until BYU 14 nervously opens a channel. "Guys, I think I see something, about 200 yards east of my position. Looks like a ship of some sort, but nothin' I've ever seen."

"Roger" tensely comes back from the rest of the squad.

"Alpha will continue the sweep south, and then join you at the ship. We wanna make sure there aren't any baddies out here lurking around before we move in position. Hold at the doorway, if you can find one." Barkeep is giving orders like he isn't just one of the privates. Someone has to take the lead, and nobody else was offering anything useful.

"Roger" comes back from everyone in Bravo, and the teams move out again, a little more careful than before.

As the squad fans out further, chesapeake sees something. A large green thing, standing upright on long, man like legs, moves from behind the far end of the sub! It ducks back behind the ship, then peaks out again. chesapeake is ready this time and lets loose a single shot, which sails wide of its target.

"Contact sighted!" he excitedly yells into his mic.

Bravo moves to take cover and get better beads on the target. chesepeake and BYU14 head to the top of the sub, where the creature was spotted. Travis and ntndeacon head to the bottom side of the sub to try to flank the target.

As Alpha continues its sweep, Barkeep notices something out of the corner of his eye.

"Movement! I have movement to the east of me!"

"Are you sure its not our target?" ntndeacon chimes in.

"Negative, this is further south. I can't get a clear look, but this isn't Nemo I'm seeing, thats for sure. Alpha adjusting a little to the east to get a better look," Barkeep informs them. The rest of his team follows.

"Son of a bitch! Get down BYU!" screams chesapeake as some kind of shot flies between him and BYU 14. The shot slams into the side of the Triton far to the rear, and the pilot adds "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!!???!"

chesapeake reacts on instinct, though, and takes a dead aim this time. His shot flies true and the alien falls to the seabed, lifeless.

"Got 'im! Contact down!" chesapeake informs the rest of the team.

"Great shot ches, but don't let your guard down yet, I saw more movement," Barkeep adds.

Bravo team starts heading towards the sub again, even more wary than before. How many can fit in this small craft? 1? 3? More?

"Contact, I have another one of those green guys, I think!" comes from Barkeep. "Same one I think from before."

"Roger that Barkeep, see if you can locate and terminate, we're continuing on to the sub. ntndeacon out."

"We gotta find a way into this thing," ntndeacon thinks to himself. So far, nothing has looked like a door. However, no one has a clear line on the far side of the sub. The teams continue to get into position for an eventual assault, while trying to keep an eye out for more "Green Guys". hoopsguy is sweeping far to the west and south, with Barkeep cutting a line directly down the middle, heading to the south in backup of hoopsguy. Dataking is shadowing Barkeep a little to the north and east.

"I see him in my sights!" reports Barkeep. "Taking a shot." Barkeeps drops to one knee and lets loose a HE round. He doesn't have time to properly aim, and snaps a shot high and wide of the target. The round flies harmlessly off into the distance, not even hitting something close to maybe catch the greenie in the explosion.

"Crap. Gonna need some backup here, it sees me!"

"On it Barkeep, keep it together man" responds DataKing and he moves into position to try to take a shot. Unfortunately, he can't get into position and the alien gets off a shot, but it sails wide. All of the sudden, another alien appears to the east of Barkeep and takes a shot as well, but it goes wide!

"Multiple contacts taking shots, I'm pinned! yells Barkeep.

"Keep your shorts on, I'm coming! I should be able to get a drop on the guy to your east, you worry about the guy further south!" Dataking breaks into action, heading east. Barkeep turns and fires, this time finding his mark dead on. The rounds sails into the chest of the creature and explodes, sending shock waves and green goo slamming into the rocks around it.

"Green guy down! Someone get a mop!" cries Barkeep, suddenly feeling a lot better about his chances.

"I have your other guy, I've got a drop on him. Taking the shot!" Dataking lets loose a full auto shot, but his three rounds can't find their mark.

"Keep your head down, Barkeep, its still out there," Dataking tells him. He drops down to get out of the line of sight.

"Hey guys, I think I see a door," reports ntndeacon. "Its over here on the backside, just like we thought. Bravo get over here and set up covering fire. Alpha, we'll take this alone, you guys have your hands full down there it sounds like."

chesapeake moves closer to position himself just to the north of the door. BYU14 decides to split and head to the south side, because Travis is falling behind to support Alpha team.

"Barkeep, he's moving again, lookin' your way!" reports Dataking.

"I see him. What the hell? He just threw something at me! Oh shit, its bee..."

A sudden shock wave hits the team.

"Barkeep! Barkeep! REPORT IN!" cries Dataking, but only static returns his request. Barkeep is gone, blown to bits by an alien device.

"Bravo team is moving into position!" replies ntndeacon, trying to keep his cool. As BYU14 moves to support, he sees something. TO the east and south, another green alien is moving to support his buddy who just killed Barkeep. If he sees Bravo team, he's in a perfect ambush position to take out the team! BYU 14 takes aim, but misses wildly. The alien turns to fire, but something floats swiftly into view. Travis has throw a grenade! It lands on the rise in front of the alien, and explodes! It doesn't appear to do any damage, but kicks up enough seafloor to cover the team momentarily.

Dataking, blind with rage after seeing his buddy blown to bits, rises and spots the alien again. This time, he has the time to take a calculated shot, and it sails true. The alien merely flinches though, and raises its weapon to return the shot. The alien can't find his target though, and the blast goes wide. Dataking again takes aim and his shot is true again, and this time the alien falls.

"Got the one that took out Barkeep! He's down! I'm going to see if I can get in position to help BYU find the other one," reports Dataking.

"Roger that DK, we're moving on the interior now. Go go go!"

On that command, ntndeacon and chesapeake crash through the doors and into the alien ship. Immediately chesapeake spots a lone alien and blasts him in the back with a full auto shot from his Hydro cannon, felling the beast. The interior is clear.

Outside, BYU 14 moves to get a clear view around the sediment that Travis kicked up. He spots the alien again and snaps off another shot. This one hits harmlessly on the hillside, but the alien appears to be running for its life and doesn't turn to fire on BYU 14. Travis moves to get in better position. On the far side of the grid, hoopsguys moves to try to get in on the action. So far, its been real quiet for him.

The alien spotted by BYU 14 comes to his senses and turns to fire. His shot hits a pillar of dirt in front of BYU 14 harmlessly. Travis primes another grenade and his throw is on the money this time, landing at the alien's flippers. It looks down for a moment, and Travis sees a look of recognition cross its gills. Seconds later the grenade explodes and bits of the alien are scattered over the ocean floor.

With that, all that's left is the cleanup. Searching the corpses, one is found still alive. Unfortunately the containment center isn't ready yet, so DataKing empties his clip into it, silencing it forever. All in all, this was a very successful mission. A fully intact alien sub carries several valuable parts to research, and the aliens were carrying strange and powerful weapons to research. Barkeep will be missed, but X-COM will move onward.

[Tasan]

Yeah, ok, they'll be shorter next time. Sheesh that turned out loooooooong.

[Neon_Chaos]

I rather enjoy long writeups. :)

Sucks for BK.

But every death moves me up the roster!
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[Chief Rum]

HOW...DID...I...MISS...THIS??!?!?!?!?!?

I am IN.

IN!

Damn you!

Or put me on the list, pretty please.

[Tasan]

Done!

You know, I almost posted about this in the FOOL forum, but I didn't want Alan to get all worried that I might leave both FOOLs over there to concentrate on this.

[Icy]

Awesome dinasty, you are making me wanting to play x-com again, my fav game ever.

[Greyroofoo]

no pics?

[Abe Sargent]

In just like the GB ones.

[BYU 14]

It's tough to stare at the berth once occupied by Barkeep. In his honor we take the last 6 pack of Miller light from his mini fridge. Toast our fallen comrade and then each pour a shot of his favorite brew on his pillow.

Hopefully his replacement will bring fresh pillow cases.

Cheers BK

[Coffee Warlord]

Our Honored Fallen
------------------
Barkeep - That wasn't a doughnut they were throwing at you.
Travis - Knock Knock!
Kodos - Alien on Alien action just isn't what it used to be.
Neon Chaos - There are ALWAYS two. You got one. You fail.
RealDeal - Plopping yourself right where the last guy just died was prolly not the best plan.

[Tasan]

no pics?

OOOOoooo didn't think about pictures. Should be real easy running it in dosbox as well. The whole dosbox setup is nice. I can play the game in a window and move back and forth to my writeup fairly easily.

[chesapeake]

First kill! Yay me.

In the narrative, it looks like I got 2 kills, but I presume that I just knocked down one? The damn AP rounds need more oomph!

[Tasan]

First kill! Yay me.

In the narrative, it looks like I got 2 kills, but I presume that I just knocked down one? The damn AP rounds need more oomph!

You know what, I need to go and double check kills. I was just guessing on those totals last night. It was late, things get wonky for me. :D

[Tasan]

Just double checked stats chesapeake, and yeah, one of your knockdowns was a kill, and the other was the "live" one we got. I'm kinda glad you didn't have the HE rounds this time though, because you would have blown everything in the ship up! I totally rush-jobbed the entrance of the sub because I was afraid we were getting out flanked, so ntndeacon didn't have time to get a shot off.

[DataKing]

A shame I couldn't take down the little alien bastard before he took down Barkeep. I will carry that weight with me for the rest of my life (which, if I recall my past X-com experiences correctly, will be all of 1 week or so :D ).

[Coffee Warlord]

What difficulty are you on?

[Tasan]

What difficulty are you on?

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I may be called a wimp. I can tell you that I'm not on Easy. That's all I'm authorized to say.


TFTD has seriously kicked my butt in the past.

[hoopsguy]

I'm surprised I was able to find my way back to the ship after reading that account of the events.

I'm also disappointed that BK had cheap beer in his locker. If we are going to be putting our lives on the line for our planet we can at least drink decent beer. Miller Light? The aliens did him a favor.

[ntndeacon]

Drinks to the memory of Barkeep..I think we need to rename this first Alien ship as Barkeep in his memory.

[Roberto]

Here to volunteer!

[PurdueBrad]

I would like to be thrown at the alien whores as well.

What, hordes, not whores?

Ah, same thing, right?

I'm in. Enjoy the write ups thus far.

[Tasan]

Good news bad news time!

Good news is I've had some free time to advance things. The bad news is that thr free time was caused by a power outage and the only way I can post right now is with my blackberry, and I'm NOT typing that book into here on this keypad!

Hopefully in the next hour or so I can post it up. Til then, keep posting! I've gotten everyone on the main list into the game finally, read into that whatever you want!

[DataKing]

We're all gonna DIE!!!

[Coffee Warlord]

We're all gonna DIE!!!

Game over man! Game over!

[hoopsguy]

I've gotten everyone on the main list into the game finally, read into that whatever you want!

Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up with current (well, future) events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!

[BYU 14]

I'm surprised I was able to find my way back to the ship after reading that account of the events.

I'm also disappointed that BK had cheap beer in his locker. If we are going to be putting our lives on the line for our planet we can at least drink decent beer. Miller Light? The aliens did him a favor.

For the record my mini fridge contains Heineken and various incarnations of Sam Adams if I bite it in battle.

I didn't want to be harsh on BK for the cheap beer with him just dying and all.

[PurdueBrad]

I just bought the series of them from Steam (never played), anyone with tips or that can even tell me what the menu buttons along the bottom do when I'm at a crash site would be greatly appreciated.

[Travis]

Awesome first recap and I like that sort of detail/length as well so long as you don't find that it weighs on you.

That said, I'm out of town for the weekend but will be trying to keep up with the reading. Here's hoping my throwing accuracy can be much more like the second throw than the first going forward!

[Coffee Warlord]

This is already tempting me to give the almighty Suicide Squad another go. (X-Com on top difficulty)

[Tasan]

For the record my mini fridge contains Heineken and various incarnations of Sam Adams if I bite it in battle.

I didn't want to be harsh on BK for the cheap beer with him just dying and all.

I'd dont know if I'd divulge that info if I were you. You might get a jet harpoon to the back of the head so everyone can have a free beer party!

On another note, I still don't have power, so there might not be any update tonight.

[Tasan]

Interlude 2


DataKing, Travis and chesapeake are all promoted to Ensign after the battle. BYU 14 becomes an Able Seaman. The mood is a mixture of somber and excitement, a strange combination indeed. Several of the guys never even had time to say "Hi" to Barkeep before the mission.


News spreads around that the base doesn't have enough equipment to fully restock the drop ship. A shipment is on its way, but until it comes, any fighting is going to be short handed and under equipped.


The eggheads are pouring over the artifacts recovered from the fight. The lab guys seem to think they can figure out how the alien weapons work, and are very interested in the alien corpses. Hopefully weaknesses can be found, and the 10 scientists currently on the way should help with the task.


Apparently alien equipment is in great demand, so we sell all but 1 of most of the artifacts we picked up to make a little cash.


Night passes into day and the first full day of X-COM operations begins in earnest. The supply shipment arrives on time. Everyone pitches in on the unloading, and the drop ship is restocked. In another day, we will be welcoming a new batch of troops. The first full day ends, and the troops settle into a routine of training, playing cards, and goofing off to pass the time, heavy on the goofing off. General Tasan turns a blind eye to it, because he knows that if this time is anything like the last, these guys need to enjoy life while they still can.


At noon on the 4^th, the new recruits show up. Eight are huddled in a small ball in the back corner of the supply sub and refuse to quit sobbing and get off. Apparently word has gotten out about what we are facing. The General shoves the 4 least frightened down the hallway, slams the supply sub's hatch shut, and kicks the airlock door closed. He storms away in frustration to send an angry email to command about the quality of troops he's getting. Still, a fighting force of 10 is a decent start. He requests 10 more troops and crosses his fingers, toes, and eyes. With an eye on his funds, he thinks he may have to start reconsidering his stringent requirements for bravery.


The new recruits:


JeeberD
TU-52
STA-43
HE-36
BR-50
RE-41
FA-51
TA-77
STR-32
Kills-0


Coffee Warlord
TU-59
STA-67
HE-37
BR-30
RE-36
FA-67
TA-72
STR-30
Kills-0


path12
TU-56
STA-65
HE-32
BR-50
RE-57
FA-49
TA-78
STR-37
Kills-0


Poli
TU-55
STA-47
HE-40
BR-50
RE-54
FA-40
TA-78
STR-21
Kills-0


This lot will be good, as long as they're not required to hit a target or anything silly like that. Plus, someone is going to have to make sure Coffee Warlord does start crying and asking for his mommy the second he sees an alien.


The 10 new scientists are immediately ordered to start researching the new alien rifle. Hopefully they can quickly figure out how to use it so we can turn these scumbags weapons back on them.


The hours turn to days and nothing happens. The guys are getting bored, so training is increased. This makes no one happy. On Wednesday, a blip appears on the sonar. Everyone is excited at the possibility of action, but that idea is squashed when the “incoming shipment” signal is received from the inbound sub. The latest batch of recruits has arrived.


This group is more together than the last bunch of sniveling idiots. Only 3 are crying their eyes out and refuse to disembark.


The next wave of aquanauts:


The Jackal
TU-58
STA-57
HE-28
BR-50
RE-41
FA-64
TA-70
STR-37
Kills-0


Neon Chaos
TU-58
STA-47
HE-38
BR-40
RE-31
FA-47
TA-55
STR-38
Kills-0


TonyR
TU-50
STA-48
HE-38
BR-30
RE-46
FA-45
TA-72
STR-22
Kills-0


illinifan999
TU-56
STA-44
HE-35
BR-30
RE-57
FA-52
TA-76
STR-32
Kills-0


RealDeal
TU-53
STA-58
HE-39
BR-60
RE-55
FA-61
TA-60
STR-40
Kills-0


Greyroofoo
TU-55
STA-60
HE-30
BR-50
RE-48
FA-47
TA-52
STR-37
Kills-0


Kodos
TU-60
STA-65
HE-25
BR-40
RE-49
FA-66
TA-51
STR-35
Kills-0


I decide at the last minute to pull the 3 sacks of crap out of the corner and throw them in the hall with the rest of the guys. We need bodies right now. I'm stunned to see that one of these guys looks a lot like Barkeep!


RendeR
TU-53
STA-54
HE-30
BR-10
RE-58
FA-64
TA-59
STR-39
Kills-0


Barkeep49 II
TU-53
STA-62
HE-26
BR-20
RE-49
FA-46
TA-55
STR-29
Kills-0


Chief Rum
TU-52
STA-41
HE-40
BR-20
RE-44
FA-58
TA-69
STR-29
Kills-0


With the influx of new aquanauts, drop ship assignments are re-assessed and handed out. I pull two vets (if you can really call them that) off the sub, and fill it up with newbies, all the way to 14. We aren't going to bring fighting submersibles along, they just get in the way. Here's the roster for the next mission, whenever it comes:


Hoopsguy
RendeR
ntndeacon
Travis
chesapeake
The Jackel
JeeberD
Coffee Warlord
Neon Chaos
illinifan999
path12
Poli
Kodos
Chief Rum


Our extra storage facility is finished. We are sitting here on our hands doing nothing for 10 days. Its getting frustrating.


Finally, on the 13^th, the sonar station reports a contact. There are no resupply subs set to arrive anytime, so this must be a solid contact. We scramble Barracuda 1 to intercept. It gives chase on the alien craft, from the west coast of Africa to the southern tip of Greenland, where it finally intercepts. A ferocious fight ensues, and our 'Cuda is damaged and the alien ship gets away. 'Cuda 1 can still go though, and continues pursuit. It intercepts the aliens again off the coast of Ireland and finally downs the small sub. Triton 1 is dispatched to the crash sight. The fight is on, boys!

[Tasan]

Sorry about the funky formatting, I've switched doc software and things went a little screwy on the cut/paste. I'll try to get it better next time.

[Coffee Warlord]

Don't....calll....me....sisssy!

ROAR!

And I may be craven, but I'm the best marksman you got!

[Tasan]

Another housekeeping note:

Sorry about the tense switching going on. I'm still trying to find my main voice for all of this. Work with me!

[Greyroofoo]

I'm ready and willing to serve as your meatbag sir.

[Tasan]

Mission 2
January 13, 2040


The Triton 1 settles into the silt and sand, and the troops begin to ready their equipment. The rookies are all taking cues from the "vets", but inside the vets really wish they had someone to take their cues from. Weapons are sorted. chesapeake and The Jackal get gas cannons. Both give big grins when handed them, and immediately load in HE clips. JeeberD and Coffee Warlord each get a Hydro Cannon. CW cringes at the thought of being anywhere near enough fighting to have to use an auto cannon, and quickly loads in an HE clip. JeeberD follows suit, but with an evil grin on his face. The rest of the squad are issued the standard Jet Harpoon, extra clips, and a grenade. Travis is given extra grenades since he's shown a knack for knowing where to toss them. With that, the door opens and they head out.

The drop ship set down in the center of the southern portion of the hostile grid. Hoopsguy is again the first out. He'll lead a team of 5 towards the eastern side of the grid. ntndeacon is next out, and will lead another team of 5 down the west side of the grid. Travis comes out next, and heads due north. Crossing the fin of the sub, he spots two greenies, or Gill Men as the men have taken to call them. Travis drops to a knee, flips the selector to auto and lets loose on the closest one. Three shots sail wide and Travis is left wondering if he's the Barkeep49, as he spots the closest alien with a grenade type device in its hand.

chesapeake dashes out of the sub and takes position next to Travis, but doesn't have a shot on the close Gill Man! He takes aim at the furthest one and scores a direct hit with an HE round, splattering the alien and kicking up silt.

Neither or JeeberD can get in a position to take a shot, and the other teams have headed out in their directions already. The alien turns and takes cover, then takes a shot! It turns out it was a pistol sized device, not a grenade, and the shot flies over everyones' heads harmlessly. RendeR takes a pot shot in return but misses as well. Travis takes aim again on full auto and misses with 3 shots again, and clears out to let another aquanaut take a shot. RendeR drops down and fires 4 shots, and one finds it mark. The alien flinches and holds his ground. chesapeake lines up another shot and lets an HE round fly. It catches the Gill Man in the head and it pops like a green bubble. Debris is everywhere to the north now, and will make the going that much tougher.

ntndeacon leads his team around the front end of the drop ship. With him is Chief Rum, Kodos, Neon Chaos, and Coffee Warlord bringing up the rear.

hoopsguy leads his team to the east under a hanging coral formation. In his team is path12, Poli, illinifan999, and The Jackal.

chesapeake's team remains clustered around the tail of the ship after the fight with the two Gill Men. In that group are Travis, RendeR, and JeeberD. Travis takes the point and heads north. Climbing a coral feature, he spots a familiar outline.

“Target spotted. I have the alien vessel in my sights,” Travis reports.

“Roger that. chesapeake, take your guys and set up an assault. hoopsguy, continue east to the edge of the grid and then sweep north to cover their flank. We'll do the same on this side,” ntndeacon instructs.

JeeberD breaks the silence of the teams moving into position. “Wait a minute guys, this thing is bigger than that other ship we saw in holding. This thing has to be twice the size, maybe more.”

“He's right, I have a better view now, and this thing is big. We may need to wait for a second team to assault. We'll get in position near this door-looking wall area and scout for other possible holes made by the 'Cuda. Travis out.”

ntndeacon reports in “We have a clear line of sight on the far western edge of the grid, it looks clear. We're sweeping north to provide assistance chesapeake. Be there in 5 minutes.”

Things are going quietly for the team as these scout the area and move into position. Nobody reports movement. Slowly and methodically, they all make their way to the ship, sweeping their assigned sectors and coming up empty. Nobody wants to leave a stone unturned though, because death could be in the next shadow.

“Movement. I see something in the ship, through one of these cracks. Not sure what though.” Travis is calm and cool in his report. The teams continue their sweep.

“Man, this is twice now. I'm stuck in a stupid back corner on the other side of the grid from the aliens.” hoopsguy isn't happy at all about his assignment. “Try to save me one this time guys!”

In a flash, the boredom is over. Travis kneels in front of the alien door, taking position to guard against anything coming out. He fumbles with his harpoon as he kneels, and in the instant he looks down to steady himself, a Gill Man opens the door and fires. Travis doesn't see his death coming. Everyone hears it though, as his mic button was pressed. JeeberD, over what's left of Travis's left shoulder, lets loose with a volley from his Hydro Cannon. The Gill Man ducks back into the darkness, but at least one scream is heard following the explosion. The teams take a more cautious approach to the door now.

JeeberD moves closer and can now see at least two dead Gill Men inside the craft. His shot seems to have blown some of the bulkhead open, and he can almost see out the other side of the craft now. ntndeacon moves in to JeeberD's right and takes a firing position on the doorway as well. chesapeake heads to the rear of the ship, which clearly shows the signs of the fight with the 'Cuda, with a whole section blown open.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission2.JPG
chesapeake looking into the rear of the alien ship. Note the two dead Gill Men, and Travis's dead body to the front of the ship.

Another Gill Man pokes his head around the corner to where the door used to be. JeeberD again snaps off a shot, but hits the bulkhead instead. The Gill Man ducks back behind the bulkhead.

“'Nother one in there guys!” JeeberD hollers.

“I'm gonna see if I can get a shot on him. Stay back, I'm flingin' HE.” chesapeake moves into the broken rear of the vessel, but can't see the creature. “Nothing. I got nothing.”

“Careful in there ches, you don't have much backup yet!” warns ntndeacon. He moves forward to get a better angle on the blown open front end of the ship, and maybe catch Jeeb's Gill Man. Chief Rum moves up into position between ntndeacon and JeeberD.

The Gill Man attempts to run from the west section of his ship to the east, but JeeberD's on the trigger again, and this time finds his mark. Green goo is splattered on the bulkhead as the HE round catches him in the legs, blowing them clear off. From there, the cleanup starts as it was the last of the aliens.

Again, we had another good mission. One of the aliens lived, but ntndeacon ended that problem. Three other corpses were recovered, along with a lot of other alien gear. The ship was pretty torn up, but the reactor was still in tact with lots of the glowing yellow stuff.

Travis was our lone causality. He will be missed, and always remembered for covering the entry team on the first mission, and ultimately bringing that mission to a close.

chesapeake gets a well deserved promotion to Lieutenant, while ntndeacon and JeeberD both make Ensign. chesapeake is officially given field command of the X-COM forces, and will lead any mission he's on.

Kills: chesapeake-1, JeeberD-2

[fantastic flying froggies]

fff reporting for duty, SIR!

[Travis]

Boo indeed. Please consider my future generations for replacement fodder in this ongoing battle ;). Hopefully the next gen version has slightly better aim!

[Tasan]

Interlude 3

The Triton makes it way back to Base Atlantic. Inside, the troops reflect on what has happened. While the mission was a success, another fellow aquanaut has died. Two missions, two down, and they say these are the small ships. What happens when larger ships are encountered? What if there are other, more deadly creatures out there.

The ship settles into the docking bay, and the troops begin unloading the bounty. The small, pistol like weapons and their ammo are immediately crated for sale to independent research firms on land along with the new corpses. The lab guys here already have one of each item, so there is no use keeping them now. The heavier rifles are kept though, because the scientists say they think they can teach us how to operate them, and they should be more powerful than their smaller counterparts. The remains of the alien sub's hull are scrapped, creating a pile of a rubbery yet extremely tough plating.

The soldiers head back to the barracks for a much needed rest. Five of them will get a break from the next mission to rotate in the six who stayed behind this time. The thought of six replacing five, and just what that means, weighs heavy.

Two days pass, and the extra living quarters are finished. This gives us fifty more bunks, so the call goes up to get another 20 scientists. Funds are tight, so some beds will remain empty for the time being.

Two more days pass, and construction wraps on the new alien containment center. Now live aliens can be brought back to the base for research and “information gathering”. This doesn't sit well with several of the guys, as the though of actually trying to keep these things alive after what they've done to their teammates is sickening.

Another day later, and the new eggheads arrive. All 20 are immediately put to work on the Medi-Kits, and the flood of new ideas gives the project good progress. Hopefully soon we'll have a way to patch up guys on the sea floor.

Finally, on the 21^st, the sonar room comes alive with a contact. Another vessel the size of the last one has been detected. Barracuda 2 is dispatched to intercept. After a brief contact south of Greenland, the chase resumes. The 'Cuda tracks the aliens to a touchdown site and calls for a team to investigate. The Triton is dispatched with its full compliment of 14 aquanauts.

[Tasan]

Mission 3
January 21, 2040

The Triton makes a gentle touchdown on the silt floor. The sub's roster is as follows:

hoopsguy
DataKing
BYU 14
chesapeake – Gas Cannon
The Jackal – Hydro Cannon
Coffee Warlord – Gas Cannon
Neon Chaos – Hydro Cannon
TonyR
RealDeal
Greyroofoo
Barkeep49 II
Poli
Kodos
Chief Rum

The Triton is in the southeast corner of the grid. hoopsguy once again is the first out. He heads out along the front end of the ship to its nose, and takes a knee while signaling the rest that all is clear and to head out. BYU 14 is next out and heads to the tail of the ship, and also gives the all clear. So far, nothing near the drop ship. Everyone starts filing out and getting into teams.

Alpha team consists of the field commander, Lieutenant chesapeake, along with Barkeep49 II, Coffee Warlord, and Poli. They will cut a diagonal across the grid. Bravo team is led by Ensign DataKing and also contains hoopsguy, Kodos, Neon Chaos, and RealDeal. They will head across the southern edge of the grid to the west. Finally, Charlie team is led by Able Seaman BYU 14 and has Chief Rum, The Jackal, TonyR and Greyroofoo. This team will head north along the eastern edge of the grid.

The teams fan out in relative quiet. Nothing is moving, not even fish. The area is eerily calm. As Kodos caps a small rise, he breaks the silence. “Ship sighted!” he excitedly reports. The alien sub lies a little to the south and to west of the center of the grid.

“Alright teams, here's the drill. Bravo, continue the sweep of the south side, but turn north to the ship at the end of your run. Charlie, continue north, then sweep the north side of the grid to find any roaming baddies. Alpha will continue to the ship. chesapeake out.”

With this, the teams have definitive purpose. Kodos takes the high side of Bravo team, and is closest to the ship. He has a clear line on the doors. The rest of his team continues sweeping more to the south. As the other teams move according to their directions, the doors to the alien vessel slide open. A small, blueish green alien with a large head comes out.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission3-1.jpg
A new badguy.

To be continued...

[Poli]

Anyone else have a problem with an alien on our own team? ;)

[Tasan]

Anyone else have a problem with an alien on our own team? ;)

He's an air breather, he should be OK.


I think.

Errrr.

[hoopsguy]

Anyone else have a problem with an alien on our own team? ;)

Ask again after this mission is fully posted :popcorn:

[Tasan]

Mission 3, Part 2

He spots Kodos silhouetted against a rock formation and fires at him! Kodos doesn't have much of a chance and the shot slams into his chest plate, vaporizing it and a large portion of his mid-section. He falls to the ground, lifeless.

Poli, about a dozen paces behind Kodos, sees his buddy fall and reports it to the rest of the squad. Tensions right as everyone else reports in all clear. Poli takes up position where he can see the door and attempts to find some cover. Neon Chaos steps over a ridge and spots the alien, still standing in front of the ship's doors. “I have him guys! This is something different, something small and squatty looking, almost like the Sectoids. Taking a shot.”

Neon Chaos dials in a three round burst and takes a knee. Three high explosive rounds slam into the front of the sub, blasting a hole in the door and taking the little alien along with it.

“Got him! He's down. We also have a line of sight into the sub now. hoops, get over here and give me some cover.”
hoopsguy is eager for the action. The last two missions, he's done nothing but check empty shadows and deserted underwater mountains. He settles in next to Neon Chaos and drops to one knee, taking aim at the doorway. The others continue making their way towards the ship, carefully watching for more movement.

Motion in the doorway again! Another small alien stands over the body of the first, sees Neon Chaos and fires! The shot smashes his visor and melts his face, killing him instantly. hoopsguy screams and returns fire, nailing the bugger square in the chest, sending it to the ground. hoopsguy moves closer to a rock formation to try to get more cover. RealDeal moves in next to him and provides covering fire. Poli moves over near the corpse of Kodos and takes aim at the entrance as well. chesapeake and Coffee Warlord both move up to provide heavy weapons on target. DataKing continues to sweep the southern edge. Charlie team moves quickly across the northern side, eager to get into the battle.

hoopsguy and RealDeal start leapfrogging. RealDeal moves up and takes hoopsguy's spot, then hoopsguy moves along a rock wall to get a straight shot at the door. Alpha team takes up station right along side the ship, out of sight of the main door. Dataking just about finishes the southern sweep. Charlie team is closing in on the northern side of the ship.

Another alien comes through the doorway. The little alien takes aim at RealDeal and fires, and again another aquanaut goes down. hoopsguy can't believe it. He had just been in the same spot RealDeal died in, seconds before. He comes around the corner of the rock wall and spots the alien, still in the doorway. He drops and takes a shot, hitting the alien. Its still standing though, and a threat. Poli reaches to his belt and grabs a grenade. He sets the primer and tosses it, the little helper engine on it churning away. It lands immediately in front of the little alien and explodes, taking the alien and the two corpses it landed on with it.

More movement in the very popular doorway. Two more aliens spotted, but they don't fire. hoopsguy takes a deep breath to calm himself and moves forward to get a better look. He spots the alien and fires, but this time misses. Chesapeake sprints over and snaps a shot at the doorway, but it goes wide and impacts on the outside of the ship. Coffee Warlord attempts the same thing, and scores a hit on an interior door. His HE round blasts the alien standing next to the door, and its dieing scream is heard over the shockwave of the explosion.

DataKing finishes his sweep and swings around towards the doorway, with a clear line of sight to provide covering fire. Poli advances to also lend fire support. Charlie team nears completion of their sweep with no enemies in sight.

DataKing advances again and forms a crescent fire line in front of the doorway with hoopsguy, Coffee Warlord, and chesapeake.
http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission3-2.jpg
http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission3-2.JPG
From left to right, DataKing, hoopsguy, Coffee Warlord, Poli, chesapeake, and Barkeep49 II prepare to assault.

“Barkeep49 II and Poli, prepare to assault the ship,” orders chesapeake.

“Roger that, boss,” replies Poli.

“On it,” responds Barkeep49 II.

Poli and Barkeep49 II move in next to the doors. Charlie team finishes up its sweep.

“GO GO GO!” chesapeake gives the order and Barkeep49 II and Poli rush inside.

Poli takes the right side, and Barkeep49 II takes the left. Poli slides a door open and an alien is right behind it. He fires on auto and takes the creature down with two hits. Barkeep49 II opens the inner door on his side and enters the room. What looks to be a control room appears to be empty, but another door is ahead, and the room bends around the corner to the left.
Charlie team finishes it sweep and everyone turns south at full speed to join the assault.

DataKing and hoopsguy enter the ship behind the first group to provide backup.

Poli's door slams shut on him before he can enter. He opens it again, and two more aliens are inside, examining the body of their fallen comrade. He holds the trigger down again and drops the far one. He rolls to the side and hoopsguy takes up position and slams all three rounds home into the other alien.

Everything goes quite. A sweep of the ship reveals no more aliens. The mission is done. Three aquanauts will not return home, though. RealDeal, Kodos, and Neon Chaos barely had time to make a mark, but they will be missed, for certain.

Six aliens were killed during the mission. None lived, so the lab guys back home don't get any living toys. An entire alien sub is recovered though, and this will give us lots to work with and sell. Still, the cost was high.

hoopsguy, Poli and Coffee Warlord all make Able Seaman rank.

[Poli]

Nevermind. :)

[hoopsguy]

Wow, that was a bloody mission. It seemed like the aliens were more opportunistic in this battle than they had been in the past encounters.

What is the process for determining which soldiers are going on battles? Have we been in "all hands on deck" mode for the encounters, or have there been enough men where people are getting rotated in and out from mission to mission?

[MrBug708]

I'd like to be put on the waiting list!

[Chief Rum]

Man, why'm I always on the team that does nothing? ;)

Can't wait to actually get some action.

[Tasan]

Wow, that was a bloody mission. It seemed like the aliens were more opportunistic in this battle than they had been in the past encounters.

What is the process for determining which soldiers are going on battles? Have we been in "all hands on deck" mode for the encounters, or have there been enough men where people are getting rotated in and out from mission to mission?

We're on a rotation right now. At one point, we had 20 guys, 14 on the ship and six in reserve. Now we're down to 16. I'm going to try and get us up to 22 or so, but that may have to wait due to the budget.m The end of the month is coming, so we should get a $$ boost soon. However, the end of the month brings other things, too.

[ntndeacon]

ouch! that mission hurt! Can we get a mission that all of us survive!?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just FWIW, for some reason I think these are among the better non-sports dynasties the forum gets. Dunno whether it's the game itself that lends to it or if it's the people who play it & write 'em up or what, but this isn't the first time I've been entertained reading an X-Com thread & I've never even seen the game.

[TonyR]

Good to get in on a mission, but no action.
Time to raid some mini-fridges.

[Tasan]

Next writeups will come tomorrow, unless I happen to get a break tonight. Feel free to add in some filler, folks!.

[hoopsguy]

Man, why'm I always on the team that does nothing? ;)

Can't wait to actually get some action.

I remember when I felt that way. But then I was on a mission where three of the five men in my group were shot down by the alien force. I saw RealDeal bleed out onto the ocean floor a couple of feet from where I stood. And that is not something that goes away, certainly not with the death of one (or two) miserable alien.

I'm not sure what the number of aliens is that is required to even things out in my mind, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is a lot higher than two.

I'm just glad that it was Data King with me on those missions. I'm not sure how many among us would have been made of stern enough stuff to hold up under those conditions. I would hate to be in the line of fire when one of our crack shots (*cough WARLORD! cough*) turn on his own when scarred by battle.

[Neon_Chaos]

Sigh. Took one out and got taken out in a matter of moments.

Neon Chaos II ready to sign up to avenge Neon Chaos' melted face.
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[Coffee Warlord]

I'm just glad that it was Data King with me on those missions. I'm not sure how many among us would have been made of stern enough stuff to hold up under those conditions. I would hate to be in the line of fire when one of our crack shots (*cough WARLORD! cough*) turn on his own when scarred by battle.

Bravery is overrated when you are a supreme marksman. The Lord of Coffee does not fear ... did you hear that?

QUARTERMASTER! I asked for my brown uniform!

[Icy]

Excellent dynasty. I'm thinking on giving the game a new go after years. I might even buy the steam version as i guess will be the most updated one.

Is it fully ready for windows? any problem with vista? can the game speed be adjusted properly to play with current processors?

[Tasan]

Excellent dynasty. I'm thinking on giving the game a new go after years. I might even buy the steam version as i guess will be the most updated one.

Is it fully ready for windows? any problem with vista? can the game speed be adjusted properly to play with current processors?

The steam version simply runs the game in a licensed version of DOSBox, so if that runs for you in Vista, you should be good to go. Includes all the normal DOSBox processor adjustment tools, but I haven't had to change any and it runs smoothly. Sound is a little wonky "out of the box", but I found changing the Steam DOSBox conf file to put the SB emulation on IRQ 5 fixed it.

[Tasan]

Icy and JoninMiddleGA, you guys want in? I have 2 more new aquanauts left to name.
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[chesapeake]

I remember when I felt that way. But then I was on a mission where three of the five men in my group were shot down by the alien force. I saw RealDeal bleed out onto the ocean floor a couple of feet from where I stood. And that is not something that goes away, certainly not with the death of one (or two) miserable alien.

I'm not sure what the number of aliens is that is required to even things out in my mind, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is a lot higher than two.

I'm just glad that it was Data King with me on those missions. I'm not sure how many among us would have been made of stern enough stuff to hold up under those conditions. I would hate to be in the line of fire when one of our crack shots (*cough WARLORD! cough*) turn on his own when scarred by battle.

Pipe down, Seaman! There's no cause for talk like this. We've all had friends die. And every man has done his duty, including Coffee Warlord, who acquitted himself with distinction on this mission.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Icy and JoninMiddleGA, you guys want in? I have 2 more new aquanauts left to name.

I reckon I can be cannon fodder ... umm, I mean a highly motivated mobile target with a short life expectancy, as well as the next recruit. Feel free to have me show up in an upcoming batch of recruits (if you reach a point of having more troops than you have fofc'ers. I don't really want to knock any of the regulars out of a slot or anything, especially not the guys who are due to get some revenge for their ancestors).

[Icy]

Sure, count on me! i thought you were full already.

[Coffee Warlord]

Sure, count on me! i thought you were full already.

The life span of an X-Com agent is approximately 5 minutes. You'll be in rapidly. :)

[Tasan]

Interlude 4

Another somber ride home for the troops. This time, three body bags draw quick glances and lowered heads. This mission was successful, but it sure didn't feel like it. The ship docks back home, and the troops disembark and begin to unload the acquired goods. The salvage team brings in the alien ship for deconstruction and scrapping. Barracuda 2 is in the repairs bay from the fight with the alien ship. It seems like everything is broken, chipped, damaged. Wearily the aquanauts hit their bunks as night falls on the ocean above.

I place a request for 10 more aquanauts. Our numbers are down to 16 from a high of 20. The sell-able salvage from the last mission brings in over a million dollars, so we order more needed supplies for the interceptors and troops.

I head down to the lab to check on our research. The scientists almost have a working Medi-Kit for us. This would be more helpful if we had armor to protect our guys with, since everyone has just died on the spot. The Sonic-Blasta Rifle, as the eggheads are calling it, is progressing. They say we'll have to study the ammo clip before we can put the weapon to use. As soon as the Medi-Kits are done we'll start work on them. I hit my bunk for some much needed downtime.

The next day goes by without any news or action, but the following day sees a report from the scientists on my desk. They've finished the Medi-Kits and have given the plans to the engineers to start work on construction. I OK the job and order the 30 scientists to split, with 15 added to the rifle and 15 starting work on the clip for it.

On the 24^th, our new aquanauts arrive.

Roberto

TU-58
STA-50
HE-39
BR-60
RE-38
FA-57
TH-71
STR-30
Kills-0

PurdueBrad

TU-56
STA-56
HE-31
BR-40
RE-44
FA-69
TH-65
STR-24
Kills-0

Travis II

TU-52
STA-63
HE-39
BR-40
RE-59
FA-55
TH-53
STR-36
Kills-0

fff (fantastic flying froggies)

TU-52
STA-53
HE-29
BR-60
RE-50
FA-61
TH-75
STR-24
Kills-0

MrBug708

TU-55
STA-53
HE-37
BR-40
RE-38
FA-70
TH-55
STR-35
Kills-0

Kodos II

TU-50
STA-45
HE-39
BR-20
RE-48
FA-66
TH-56
STR-30
Kills-0

Neon Chaos II

TU-50
STA-59
HE-39
BR-20
RE-50
FA-70
TH-67
STR-37
Kills-0

RealDeal II

TU-57
STA-60
HE-31
BR-20
RE-34
FA-65
TH-72
STR-33
Kills-0

Several faces look extremely familiar. I'm gonna have to find out why this keeps happening. I decide to send four of the eight new guys on the next mission. I'll also rotate in the remaining guys who didn't go on the last mission. Our field commander, chesapeake, will get a much needed rest as well.

On the morning of the 28^th, we pick up a sonar blip. The object stops near Base Atlantic and settles to the bottom. We dispatch the Triton to investigate.

[Abe Sargent]

How come I didn't get in? I signed up post 39, after CR.

Or did I just miss myself and you already got me?

[Tasan]

How come I didn't get in? I signed up post 39, after CR.

Or did I just miss myself and you already got me?

DOH!

Sorry Abe, I'll get you in right away!

[Coffee Warlord]

Methinks someone is going to rush headfirst into the next alien ship. :)

[Abe Sargent]

Me!

[Abe Sargent]

i'm gonna be naked and holding a BB gun and no, it's not a Red Ryder.

[Coffee Warlord]

When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled, brave brave brave brave Sir Coffee!

[JonInMiddleGA]

i'm gonna be naked and holding a BB gun and no, it's not a Red Ryder.

You'll put an eye out with that thing.

[Abe Sargent]

I certainly hope it's an alien eye!

[TonyR]

Kodos better be careful

[Tasan]

Mission 4
January 28, 2040

The Triton approaches the touchdown site. Tension is high. Three didn't return from the last mission. The troops go about the process of gearing up, and the doors slide open. The roster for the mission:

DataKing - Alpha
BYU 14 - Alpha
illinifan999 – Alpha – Hydro Jet Cannon
path12 - Alpha
Greyroofoo - Alpha
ntndeacon - Bravo
The Jackal - Bravo – Gas Cannon
fff - Bravo
MrBug708 – Bravo – Gas Cannon
JeeberD – Charlie – Hydro Jet Cannon
TonyR - Charlie
Roberto - Charlie
Chief Rum - Charlie
PurdueBrad - Charlie

The drop ship has set down in a deep part of the Atlantic, with lava flows and smoke vents. We'll have to be careful. First out the door is DataKing. He'll lead Alpha Team and be the onsite commander for the mission. He steps out and takes a look around. Everything is clear. The ship has settled in the far northwest corner of the active grid. DataKing will take his team along the western edge, heading south. Next out is ntndeacon. He will lead Bravo Team. They will cut a diagonal across the grid, from northwest to southeast. JeeberD is next, and he'll lead Charlie Team east across the northern edge of the grid.

The teams form up and spread out. DataKing spots movement. “Little guy spotted, due south!”

“Labbies are callin' 'em Aquatoids.” pipes BYU 14.

“I don't care what it is, someone take it out!” yells DataKing.

“On it!” BYU 14 drops to a knee and takes aim. His shot sails high though.

“Dammit do I have to do everything myself?” DataKing takes a knee, lines it up and hits square in its chest. It screams and falls down, lifeless. “One down team. Stay frosty ladies!”

“Someone's been staying up late watching old sci-fi” chirps path12.

The teams get distance between themselves. Strange noises reverberate through the water, like sliding panels or something else mechanical. Besides the smoke and lava flows, everything else is still.

fff is the first to spot the ship. “This thing doesn't look small at all, its bigger than what we came in!”

“Yeah I know fff, I think we're gonna crap our pants when we see something bigger,” responds The Jackal.
The teams are approaching the sub from a different angle than every time before. Instead of coming at it from the door side, everyone is positioned towards the other side of the ship. The teams will have to make their ways around it before assaulting.

“Guys, with the way this thing is positioned, we're gonna do this differently this time,” says DataKing. “Chief Rum and PurdueBrad, break from Charlie team and join Bravo. Original Bravo team will head down the west facing side of the sub, and you two head down the east facing side. When Charlie is done with their sweep they will join you. Greyroofoo, you and path12 split from our group and join Bravo as well. Out.”

With their orders, the teams regroup and begin the approach towards the alien vessel. The Jackal is the first to get eyes on the front door. He takes a firing position and waits for the rest of the squad. Greyroofoo is next on scene. When he arrives, The Jackal moves to another position on top of a ridge overlooking the doors, and Greyroofoo takes his old spot. ntndeacon joins them and takes up position next to the hull of the sub. path12 and fff meet up with them and take position as reserves.

“Southwest corner clear,” reports illinifan999. He turns and begins to move towards the sub to join the assault. DataKing and BYU 14, with their team's mission complete, turn towards the sub as well.

“Southeast corner clear now,” JeeberD reports. What's left of his team turns towards the sub as well. 14 aquanauts now descend on the alien vessel.

An alien sticks its head out the door. “Got him!” cries The Jackal and lets loose an HE round at the creature. It hits the alien on the side of the head, blasting green and grey goo all over the ship and sea floor.

“Troops, lets hold at the entryway til we can get the teams in position. Everyone cover that blasted out door and wait for my orders,” DataKing commands.

Everyone is about set. Another alien shows himself in the doorway, but quickly ducks back in before anyone can get a shot off.

The teams assemble.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission4-1.jpg
fff and ntndeacon wait on the topside next to the hull, with Chief Rum and PurdueBrad on the bottom side. The rest of the squad is providing cover fire.

DataKing gives orders again. “OK squad, this is how its going to go down. ntndeacon and Chief Rum will enter first, from their respective sides. They'll be followed by fff and PurdueBrad. path12 will enter next along with TonyR. Once they're inside, we'll form up closer to the doors and send more folks in as needed. You have your orders, go!”

MrBug708 starts moving to get a better position to cover the door. From inside the sub, two shots fly out. One hits harmlessly on the ridge below MrBug708, but the second finds its target about mid rib and splits him in two. No one has a line on the alien, and DataKing orders a halt to the plan. As he does this, the alien steps forward to find more targets and The Jackal lets loose with another HE round, finding his target and send it into a million pieces. Satisfied that it was the only one with eyes on them, DataKing orders the plan back into action.

DataKing orders the heavy weapons holders to load in AP rounds. The last thing needed now is an HE round to go off in the middle of the troops. ntndeacon and Chief Rum are in position, with fff and PurdueBrad waiting their turn. All the sudden the door directly in front of Chief Rum opens and an alien steps through, gun blazing. Chief Rum takes a shot in the chest and falls dead. fff fires over his body, hitting the alien. It doesn't drop though, so ntndeacon takes aim and puts two more rounds in it, killing it.

PurdueBrad advances in Chief Rum's place, and enters the right side interior door. The room is clear. fff passes ntndeacon, who is checking his weapon, and enters the left side interior door. An alien is in front of him, so he puts an auto shot into the thing, kill it. However, another alien was waiting around the corner, and hits fff with a shot, kill him. On news of this TonyR moves up and prepares to enter, along with path12.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission4-2.jpg
PurdueBrad checks an interior room. fff lies dead in the other one to the left, while ntndeacon kneels near the fallen Chief Rum. path12 is behind him with TonyR waiting on the other side.

As the others move into position to possibly aid the assault, Greyroofoo spots the alien that killed fff, on the far side of the room, through two doors and over the heads of two fellow aquanauts. DataKing sees this and yells “HOLD YOUR FIRE!” Greyroofoo lowers his weapon and doesn't take the shot.

Inside the ship, PurdueBrad spots another alien, but it passes him and goes through another door. It didn't spot him! He chases it to the door, throws the door open, and puts three rounds into the alien, killing it. Ntndeacon, spurred on by PurdueBrad's success, storms in through the door to the room where fff died. Unfortunately, before he can even scan the room, and shot flies out and hits the side of his helmet, vaporizing his brains.

PurdueBrad takes what little cover there is in a corner and waits. Another alien walks right past him! He again throws open the door and pumps three more rounds into this one, killing it as well.

On the other side, path12 primes a grenade and tosses it into the “room of death”. TonyR does the same. The grenades go off followed by secondary explosions, an alien screams, and all goes quiet. The rest of the ship is searched and no more aliens are found.

The mission is over. Eight aliens were killed, seven bodies recovered. Four aquanauts gave their lives. With heavy hearts, the rest of the squad collects the scattered gear and artifacts and loads into the Triton. The cost of this new war continues to rise.

hoopsguy, The Jackal, and PurdueBrad are all promoted to Ensign. DataKing becomes our second Lieutenant, and either him or chesapeake will be on each mission.

[ntndeacon]

Son of a Gun! There wasn't any beer in my locker, though there was a nice little still behind the bed.

[Tasan]

Yeah see, fff was supposed to keep that from happening to you, ntndeacon. I just forgot to clear the room before firing. I was worried about the guy in front of me taking a shot if I turned fff to look. Then, I should have just fragged the room before storming back in. Lesson learned.

[PurdueBrad]

Inside the ship, PurdueBrad spots another alien, but it passes him and goes through another door. It didn't spot him! He chases it to the door, throws the door open, and puts three rounds into the alien, killing it.

PurdueBrad takes what little cover there is in a corner and waits. Another alien walks right past him! He again throws open the door and pumps three more rounds into this one, killing it as well.


That's what I call a good day at the office.

[Tasan]

That's what I call a good day at the office.

Its what I call an extremely LUCKY day at the office. Look at the second picture. That's you in the room to the right. The first alien walked perpendicular to you to that far door and went through it, not spotting you. I get that one, he just never turned. You hit that door and he was right there, blam blam blam he's down. You were almost out of time though, and I didn't want you to stay right at that door, so with the little time left you run to that corner RIGHT THERE and turn around to face the door with your remaining time. The NEXT alien turn, another one comes out of that black area at the bottom there, WALKS RIGHT PAST YOU THROUGH THE DOOR, not shooting at you once. I just knew you were dead.

That, my friend, is a lucky day at the office.

[PurdueBrad]

That, my friend, is a lucky day at the office.

I just think it is good leadership on your part. I've been playing this for three or four days and am getting slaughtered left and right.

[Tasan]

Understand this about the X-COM games. I was a freshman in college when the original game came out, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the early 90s. I bought a computer magazine (I think PC Gamer) with a 3 1/2 demo disk of the game on it. My roommate and I probably played that ONE MISSION 100 times. It was supposed to be set up to be impossible to win. We eventually won it. The game crashed.

A couple of months later we saved up the money to buy the game, then spent a whole semester doing little other than that. You can check our grades for proof ;- )

I've played this game quite a bit I'd think, and it still kicks my butt every time I pick it back up. Its about the only game I can truthfully say this about.

[Coffee Warlord]

I've played this game quite a bit I'd think, and it still kicks my butt every time I pick it back up. Its about the only game I can truthfully say this about.

+1.

I cannot think of a game that has stood the test of time for this long, and STILL is a considerable challenge every time I pick it up.

[Tasan]

Another funny note: I once had a friend in college play X-COM instead of going to a Math class test. When he realized what he had done, he went to the quack shack (slang for the local doctor) to fake illness for a note. By the time he got there, he was actually running a fever.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Chief Rum]

Damn, dude, not even a freakin' shot out of my gun before I got killed. :(

Bring on Chief Rum II!

[Tasan]

Damn, dude, not even a freakin' shot out of my gun before I got killed. :(

Bring on Chief Rum II!

I know man, yours was almost as brutal as ntndeacon's. Point blank, pow, you're dead without a chance to even fire.

[hoopsguy]

We're gonna need a bigger boat (full of reinforcements).

[law90026]

Can't get it off Steam for some reason, sad :(

Oh and sign me up!

[JeeberD]

Great first mission for JeeberD, not so exciting second mission. On that first mission, though, didn't I get three kills, not two?

JeeberD, over what's left of Travis's left shoulder, lets loose with a volley from his Hydro Cannon. The Gill Man ducks back into the darkness, but at least one scream is heard following the explosion. The teams take a more cautious approach to the door now.

JeeberD moves closer and can now see at least two dead Gill Men inside the craft.

The Gill Man attempts to run from the west section of his ship to the east, but JeeberD's on the trigger again, and this time finds his mark. Green goo is splattered on the bulkhead as the HE round catches him in the legs, blowing them clear off.

Either way, great stuff Tasan...

[chesapeake]

The troops need armor, General. How long until the eggheads get us something we can use in the field?

And Jeeber, the HE rounds often knock out the aliens from the concussion of the blast -- unless you shred them with a direct hit. I've taken out 4 but only killed 2 (not that I'm counting :)).

[TonyR]

I second the vote for development of some type of body armor.
Seeing too many teammates take the dirt nap.
I think someone's been slipping something into the food making us think body armor is overrated.

[DataKing]

Just got caught up, and I was going to say the exact same thing as chesapeake and TonyR. We need those eggheads working on body armor ASAP. Medkits aren't going to do us a damn bit of good if we can't survive hits in the first place.

Shame about the boys we lost clearing that vessel, but close-quarters combat is nasty business. I'd recommend we start using grenades as room-clearers, assuming our supplies are good.

[Tasan]

Believe me, I've talked to the guys in the lab about some kind of armor for you. They think the key is this plasticy yet hard skin from the ships, but they haven't figured out a way to do anything with it yet. As soon as there is some kind of breakthrough, I'll make it job #1 for the engineers to make.

Oh and agreed on the grenades. I think the thinking was that since this was a ship that had landed on its own, we wanted to save as much salvage as possible, and that room was filled with goodies. However, from now on, we throw first, worry about goodies later.

[Poli]

I keep looking at this dynasty and I'm going to end up buying the games off Steam. If practiced is rained out, help me.

[fantastic flying froggies]

Oh well, at least I got a hit and a kill before biting this bullet...and that 's a lot more than poor Chief Rum can say...

Bring on the clone!

fff II reporting for duty, SIR!

[mrkilla22]

Add me to the list too!

[Tasan]

The Triton returns home and the troops offload themselves and the collected alien artifacts. A million dollars is collected from the items sold off, and that's added into our general funds. The end of the month is fast approaching, so our monthly funding should be coming shortly. Word is that our benefactors feel we've been doing a good job so far, so the check should be good.

Paperwork has cleared on the last two of the ten aquanauts that came earlier. Here's a look at the latest members of X-COM:

Abe Sargent
TU-59
STA-52
HE-25
BR-60
RE-31
FA-47
TH-58
STR-26
Kills-0

Icy
TU-53
STA-70
HE-29
BR-20
RE-35
FA-46
TH-72
STR-31
Kills-0

I hesitate to order more recruits. We stand at 22 right now, and payday is coming. Standard contract says we pay for a month no matter how many days you are active for it, so I don't want to bring on more guys now and have to foot the bill for them. We'll wait til February. I do order construction to start on a wide-array sonar. Its pricey, but with this location I feel we are letting some contacts slip by because we can't see them. It will be ready by the end of February they tell me.

Its getting flat out cramped in Base Atlantic. Everywhere you look, an alien doodad is stashed in a corner, under a desk, jammed into a closet. Next month, I think we'll look into opening a new base for storage, research, and manufacture.

The days drag on again. The end of the month arrives, and as expected everyone loves the job we're doing so far, getting an Excellent rating overall. We'll see how long that lasts. Our funding increases substantially. This should really help us expand in the coming months.

After returning from the review at the UN, I immediately order a new base to be constructed in the South China Sea. It will be 10 days til the storage facility is finished, and as soon as that's done, we'll start work on a lab, another storage facility, and a living quarters. My goal is to move most research and development to that location, but I also think we can use it as another base of operations, so I also order a sub pen to be created. We still have over 2.5 million in the bank, so I order 10 more scientists and 10 more engineers. This will max out our lab space for the scientists at the Atlantic facility.

The three days passes quickly waiting for the new techs. When they arrive, the scientists are all placed on the sonic rifle project, and the engineers are put to work assisting the manufacture of the Medi-Kits. We'll continue to make Medi-Kits to sell until we have other projects we can work on.

Time continues to creep by, and I'm beginning to wonder if we've scared the critters off. It's been a full week and a half since we last saw action. Some good news comes in a couple of days later. The eggheads have figured out the alien's Sonic Blasta Rifle. The look to be FAR more accurate and 3 times more powerful than our Jet Harpoons. I instruct all of them working on that project to move over to the clip project. One of the scientists from the the rifle project takes one look at the clip research, erases some figures and writes a couple of things down, and say “EUREKA!” The rest groan and roll their eyes, but the result is an immediate breakthrough with the clip! I order our entire stock loaded onto the Triton for immediate use, and tell the now idle scientists to start working on the alien grenade.

We settle in for a few more days of nothing. On the 9^th of February, our sonar techs hit the general alarm. A large blip, at least 3 times bigger than anything else seen so far, has been spotted. This is quite a dilemma. Our interceptor subs have been damaged going up against the small alien vessels. Can they withstand something this big? Discretion if the better part of valor, I tell myself, and I order the sonar operators to track the contact and keep me updated. Tracking reports the ship moving towards the US eastern seaboard. As it nears the coast it slows, then stops. My hotline starts ringing. The UN special council on Alien Affairs is on the line with the Mayor of Boston, who is reporting sightings of creatures coming out of the harbor and attacking civilians. I order the Triton to Boston immediately. Lets see how we fare on land.

[Greyroofoo]

Do we really need to save Boston?

[Tasan]

Mission 5
February 9, 2040

Cities. Their tall buildings and tight alleys will not make this fun at all. Boston PD has cordoned off the harbor area. They report several civilians still inside, but they didn't want to go and get them. Figures. Don't worry folks, X-COM is here to save you.

hoopsguy
RendeR – Gas Cannon
Kodos II – Gas Cannon
chesapeake
Neon Chaos II
TonyR – Jet Harpoon + grenades
illinifan999
Barkeep49 II
Poli
Abe Sargent
PurdueBrad
RealDeal II – Gas Cannon
Icy
Travis

TonyR draws a short straw and has to be the only squad member to carry a Jet Harpoon, since we didn't have enough Gas Cannons and Sonic Rifles to go around. He gets some extra grenades to try to help make up for it. Five Sonic Rifle carriers draw short straws as well, and only get 1 clip for their weapons. Everyone else gets either their Gas Cannons or Sonic Rifles, two grenades and an extra clip.

The Triton, a capable flyer as well as a submersible, finds a landing spot in a large parking lot near the harbor, near (but not on) the western edge towards the southern side of the combat grid. hoopsguy, as usual, is first off the ship. He heads towards the nose, and is fired upon from up high and from the west. He turns and spots a Gill Man at the top of a tower, along with a frightened dock worker. He snaps a quick shot off and nails the green monster square in the chest. It screams and falls to the roof, lifeless.

RendeR and Kodos II move off the ship and take positions aiming down alleyways. We want to be careful with the high explosives because of all the civilians running around. Neon Chaos II is off next, and he heads towards the tail of the ship. Positioning himself on the wing, he sweeps the rear area and spots another Gill Man climbing another tower. He manages to get a quick shot off, and hits the alien dead on. It screams and slumps over dead. These Sonic Rifles seem to be paying off already. Two hits, two dead, and good shots both. The Jet Harpoons often would require multiple shots to bring down these guys.

More of the squad moves out. This time we'll split into pairs, except for the heavy weapons and the Jet Harpoon. They will support the 5 teams of Sonic Rifles when needed, and watch the alleyways.

Two civilians cry out. chesapeake spots one human near a garage. Some kind of large grey alien spits something on the human and it dissolves the flesh off his arm. A Gill Man is also spotted moving in support of this new alien. chesapeake doesn't have a clear shot at either, though. He and hoopsguy move to investigate. As chesapeake moves along a building wall, he spots the big grey thing. He can't get a good line on him though, so he signals to hoopsguy for a grenade. hoopsguy complies, lobbing one right in front of the creature. It goes off but the alien is still standing.

illinifan999 and Poli move off as a team, peering into windows of buildings, looking for signs of aliens. Icy and Travis II move off to scout out a large warehouse near the landing sight. Neon Chaos II and PurdueBrad join up and move off from the tail of the ship. Barkeep49 II and Abe Sargent are the last to pair up, and head around the nose of the ship towards where hoopsguy killed the first alien.

Something comes sailing out of nowhere and lands at the corner of the warehouse near the Triton. Eight men drop.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission5-1.jpg
Aliens catch the X-COM forces just as they depart their drop ship.

Stay tuned for more...

[PurdueBrad]

HOLY CRAP, look at that picture!

[The Jackal]

Do we really need to save Boston?

+1

[RendeR]

Somehow I don't think I'm one of the guys standing up at this point....

[PurdueBrad]

Do we really need to save Boston?

YES, yes we do. Go Sawx!

[Coffee Warlord]

Yeoooooow.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Is it just my failing eyesight or did everyone go down in the fetal position?

[Poli]

Stop, drop, and roll brothers.

[TonyR]

This might not be happening if we had us some dang body armor!
Especially since I drew the short straw.

[Tasan]

And now the conclusion of Mission 5...

Hoopsguy, RendeR, Kodos II, Barkeep 49 II, Abe Sargent, RealDeal II, Icy, and Travis II are all knocked cold from the blast. Nobody is killed, though. This must be some kind of new stun weapon.

This is almost the worst thing that can happen. Still in the early, bunched up phase of deployment, an area effect weapon goes off. The rest of the squad reach for medi-kits to try to revive their fellow aquanauts. Before they can though, aliens are spotted. The big grey thing starts to move towards chesapeake, but TonyR hits him with a Jet Harpoon (somehow, while in the middle of everyone else passing out, he remained standing). It keeps coming though. chesapeake levels his weapon and squeezes off a shot, hitting and kill the thing. These weapons are fantastic!

Poli sees anther Gill Man, aims and fires. Another one down.

Neon Chaos II and illinifan999 both have medikits and return to the field of unconscious troops to try and help. Neon Chaos II revives Kodos II. He'll have to pick up all his stuff, but he's back in the fight. Illinifan999 attempts to revive RealDeal II, but he's really out.

PurdueBrad moves out to better secure the area, and a shot flies at him, hitting him in the head. He falls down, left hand attempting to hold in his brains. He dies there on the asphalt. Poli spins and sees his PurdueBrad's attacker. He takes two quick shots but misses with both. He's caught out in the open, with a Gill Man who has a clear line of sight to him. He ducks for cover in the shadow of a tower and prays for the best. The Gill Man fires, but not at Poli. It hits a civilian, killing him, then ducks into a building. All around them, screams of civilians can be heard.

“Guys, we need to get back up and going fast, or theres not going to be anyone left in Boston to protect!” chesapeake is concerned this mission is going tits up in a hurry. He continues to move closer to the garage where he saw a Gill Man earlier, but he doesn't want to get too far away from his fallen squaddies.

illinifan999 dumps the rest of his stimulants into RealDeal II and he gets up.

"Kodos II, don't grab your heavy weapons again. Go scavenge up a rifle and help set up the perimeter,” chesapeake instructs.

“Got it boss.” Kodos II scrambles around to where Abe Sargent lays and grabs his Sonic Rifle.

From behind a guard shack, a Gill Man leans out and fires. Its not a sonic blast though. It sails over everyone's head and explodes harmlessly a few blocks away. It must be what hit the squad earlier.

“Guys, make him a priority before he takes out the rest of us!” orders chesapeake.

TonyR primes a grenade and throws it to the corner where the alien poked around. The grenade goes off but no other sound is heard. Through the smoke, Kodos II spots it move and takes a shot, but misses.

Poli spots the Gill Man from the building earlier and takes another shot at him. His poor aim gets the better of him again, missing. The Gill Man returns fire and doesn't miss, hitting Poli mid-chest, splattering him on the ground where he crouched. illinifan999 moves near Poli's body. He spots the alien moving, shoots, but misses. It turns around but does not fire, instead choosing to seek cover.

RealDeal II heads over to where Barkeep49 II lies and picks up his Sonic Rifle. “Sorry bud, you don't really need this right now.”

Aliens are moving around everywhere. At least 2 Gill Men have been spotted along with two more of the spitting grey guys.

Kodos II steadies himself again and takes aim on the Gill Man who stunned everyone. His shot hits, killing the creature. Hopefully that type of threat is now over. Neon Chaos II moves over to support chesapeake, who is still watching the garage for that Gill Man he spotted earlier. RealDeal II comes around the nose of the ship and heads north, in an attempt to put pressure on the Gill Man who killed Poli and the others.

Through a window, TonyR spots one of the spitters. Not confident with his shot, he moves to get a better angle. While moving, he spots a Gill Man on the docks. With no line of fire on either, he decides to bide his time and wait for shots.

The Gill Man in the garage opens the door! chesapeake takes a wild shot and misses. He steadies himself, takes aim, and lays the second one center mass, just like at the range. It howls in pain, then falls to the ground dead. “I think we're finally clear down here, someone come take my position to run through the garage real quick. I have a med pack, I'll try to revive someone else.”

“Acknowledged. I'm on it LT,” replies Neon Chaos II.

illinifan999 moves forward to attempt to locate the alien wiping them out on the north side. He spots it by a heavy lifter at takes aim. His shot finally finds the target this time, killing the Gill Man instantly.

TonyR decides he's not going to get a clear shot on the alien by the docks, so he takes out a grenade, primes it for immediate detonation, and heaves it with all his might. Amazingly, it lands at the alien's webbed feet. The beast spins and fires, and with his last action nails TonyR in the throat. He collapses to the ground, clutching his gaping neck, gurgling his last words.

Kodos II inches himself forward along the warehouse by the touchdown location. He spots a spitter moving, but can't get a clean shot. It clunks around the corner, and spits on his face. He writhes in pain as the acid eats through his face, killing him slowly and painfully.

chesapeake arrives at hoopsguy's peaceful body. He pulls out his medikit and starts pumping him with stim shots. After the second shot, hoopsguy groggily rolls over. “Thanks, LT, I thought I was a goner there for a bit.”

“No problem hoops, grab your weapon, there's still a fight left.” chesapeake moves on to work on Travis II. He doesn't come to with three shots.

illinifan999 has been slowly working his way behind the spitter that got Kodos II. He finally gets in position, takes aim on the thing's back, and fire. The shot hits the building beside the creature. It spins and spits, showering illinifan999 with acidic goo. Its the last thing he ever sees.

hoopsguy collects himself mentally, then grabs his Sonic Rifle and heads down to cover chesapeake. RealDeal II clears the building to the north of the Triton, and loops back to catch up with everyone else.

chesapeake uses the last stim shot from the last medikit in a futile attempt to wake Travis II. He throws the kit down in disgust and moves to supports hoospguy.

More screams from the civilians. If we don't end this soon, its going to be a disaster. chesapeake lobs a grenade behind the building where they've been seeing a spitter, and where unknown to him, it killed illinifan999. The grenade goes off and chesapeake sees a body fall, but hears no scream. He'll have to keep an eye on this one.

Neon Chaos II enters the warehouse everyone has been going around. He spots a spitter just past the entryway and nails it with a well aimed shot. It dies with a scream. Through an open door on the far side of the building, Neon Chaos II spots another spitter. He moves to close the distance and get a shot. hoopsguy comes around the far corner of the warehouse and sees the spitter. Aiming carefully, he drops it in one shot and it dies with a scream as well.

RealDeal II sweeps along the north side of the grid, heading for an office building. Through the windows he spots yet another spitter. He moves to get a shot on it.

Without the spitter outside anymore, Neon Chaos II now begins to search the warehouse for more aliens. He doesn't get far before he spots a Gill Man on the catwalk above him. He has no shot, though, and dives to get out of the line of sight.

From far behind them, the troops hear the sound of a grenade exploding and the scream of an alien. Apparently the missed on in the tower behind them, but it tried to kill a human and instead got itself. Good thing too, because nobody was in position to take care of it.

hoopsguy moves towards the back of the warehouse to try and give support to Neon Chaos II. As he does, he spots a spitter upstairs through a window, right next to where Neon Chaos II had spotted the Gill Man. This just became a LOT harder. hoopsguy can only get off a quick shot through the window, but scores a hit on the spitter, killing it. Hopefully that will give Neon Chaos II the opportunity he needs to get a line on the Gill Man. However, right after he drops the spitter, the Gill Man runs to the window to see who did it. Not one to miss an opportunity like this, hoopsguy takes aim again, and once again fires true. The Gill Man drops to the metal floor, dead.

RealDeal II bursts into the office he had been slowly moving towards. As he does, he spots the spitter he saw earlier though the doorway on the other side of the building. He takes aim and fires, stopping the creature in its tracks. It screams in agony as it dies.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission5-2.jpg
RealDeal II is about to drop another bad guy.

“Neon Chaos II, I want you to go check out that explosion we heard earlier, make sure there aren't any more baddies back there,” orders chesapeake.

“Yes sir,” replies Neon Chaos II, but thinks to himself “Gee how lucky am I? I get to go check out the explosion, alone. Yay”

chesapeake himself enters the dock area. There are lots of dark corners in here, and small buildings for aliens to hide in. RealDeal II starts sweeping the office building while trying to keep an eye outside as well. Everyone's searches turn up empty though. The last alien is dead.

10 living civilians were found in the area, and the bodies of five more were found in the buildings and streets. In all, 14 aliens were killed, with one live alien being recovered. Five X-COM agents lost their lives in the firefight. This was the most intense battle fought yet. Only 4 aquanauts were standing in the end.

[PurdueBrad]

The horror...

...go ahead, send in v2.0 of PurdueBrad.

[hoopsguy]

Wow - very intense battle. It really felt like the tide was turning in the middle of it with the aliens taking out several soldiers in a flurry. The higher bravery scores must have paid off to not have anyone panic at that point.

hoopsguy can only get off a quick shot through the window, but scores a hit on the spitter, killing it. Hopefully that will give Neon Chaos II the opportunity he needs to get a line on the Gill Man. However, right after he drops the spitter, the Gill Man runs to the window to see who did it. Not one to miss an opportunity like this, hoopsguy takes aim again, and once again fires true. The Gill Man drops to the metal floor, dead.


If the aliens have a version of the Darwin awards I think he may be an early contender. Along with the one who blew himself up with a grenade.

[Tasan]

Wow - very intense battle. It really felt like the tide was turning in the middle of it with the aliens taking out several soldiers in a flurry. The higher bravery scores must have paid off to not have anyone panic at that point.



If the aliens have a version of the Darwin awards I think he may be an early contender. Along with the one who blew himself up with a grenade.

To be honest, I expected panic when the knockout bomb hit us. If we had already lost a 3-4 at that point, it would have been over.

[Neon_Chaos]

Hell yes. A good 2nd try for Neon Chaos II!

I was all over the place, taking names and kicking serious butt.

[Poli]

Darn Poli. Enter Kerchee.

[ntndeacon]

soon we will be on 10s at this rate

[JonInMiddleGA]

To be honest, I expected panic when the knockout bomb hit us.

That's what I was sitting here expecting & was surprised when it went in another direction.

[SirFozzie]

Ok, I'm willing to get my ass kicked, sign me up

[kingfc22]

Add me to this list.

Loved the X-Com dynasties of the past.

[Tasan]

From behind a guard shack, a Gill Man leans out and fires. Its not a sonic blast though. It sails over everyone's head and explodes harmlessly a few blocks away. It must be what hit the squad earlier.


This was the turning point, right here. If this thing hits where it looks like it was aimed, we're down to 4 guys, maybe less. The way the rest played out, it might have been chesapeake all by himself trying to revive guys. With his 60 bravery, he might not have cracked, either.

[Tasan]

Here's some info on our brave warriors:

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/aquanauts.jpg

[Icy]

Wow what a mission.
I guess my guy kept stunned the whole mission.

[Greyroofoo]

Getting that first kill is always the hardest.

[KWhit]

Great dynasty so far. Add me to the list when you can.

Thanks.

[Tasan]

We had 5 sleepers on the mission. Just didn't have enough stim shots to go around. In all, we have 5 guys who stayed out almost the entire mission, 5 guys get killed, and 4 finish actually on their feet. Those guys racked up the kills, especially hoopsguy.

[path12]

I downloaded this from Steam last night. Haven't played it in years.

[TonyR]

Well, good thing I signed that part of the contract that "volunteered" me for the cloning experiments. Send in my clone.

[Tasan]

Well, good thing I signed that part of the contract that "volunteered" me for the cloning experiments. Send in my clone.

Yes, per section MCXVIII of the standard X-COM contract, everyone has sample DNA taken at boot camp. We start quick growing multiple yous right then. Then, every night a snapshot of your brain is taken while you sleep. We don't just make multiples of you right then, though, because who really wants a bunch of stupid aquanauts like you guys running around......errrr.....rather, it just doesn't work that way.

[illinifan999]

Well hopefully my clone has better luck than the original.

[Abe Sargent]

Dang

[fantastic flying froggies]

Getting that first kill is always the hardest.

Well, actually no, surviving is the hardest.

[Abe Sargent]

And staying conscious is the second hardest!

[Coffee Warlord]

I hear New Zealand is nice this time of year.

[Tasan]

Hey, I'm not sure if you guys will get another mission tonight. I've been slacking so much that I haven't even bothered to play games today.

[Poli]

Heh, I just realized that I'm like the MVP at this point with three kills. Poli II is aka "Kerchee" please.

[hoopsguy]

Heh, I just realized that I'm like the MVP at this point with three kills. Poli II is aka "Kerchee" please.

Heh, I just realized that I'm like Jack Bauer at this point with seven kills and everyone who is near me on missions dying.

[Poli]

lol

[Travis]

Heh, I just realized that I'm like Jack Bauer at this point with seven kills and everyone who is near me on missions dying.

Just remember never to say hello, goodbye or any sort of salutation when on the phone or radio and you'll be doing a bang up impersonation ;)

[The Jackal]

3 kills, still alive, I'll be a five-star general in no time!

[Coffee Warlord]

Hey, I'm not sure if you guys will get another mission tonight. I've been slacking so much that I haven't even bothered to play games today.

C'mon man! Aliens are invading our planet, there's no time for rest!

[ntndeacon]

Death to the Aliens!

[Tasan]

Interlude 6

The Triton heads for home. On the way back, the knocked out guys eventually awaken. The rest of the survivors fill them in on what happened after the explosion, and who didn't make it back alive. A somber mood fills the air within the ship, and everyone unpacks in silence.

We sell over a millions dollars worth of recovered alien equipment. Most of this money will go to further expand the new base once the general stores there are completed. I request 7 more aquanauts. The missions don't seem to be getting any easier, and until we get armor, I fear we're going to need plenty of replacements. The guys know this too, and it doesn't help moral any.

I get our first piece of real good news. After a cursory examination of the big grey spitting alien, our scientists think its skin is somehow composed of the same stuff the hulls of their ships are. If they can unlock this secret, we may be able to make armor from this stuff. I order them to begin research on these creatures, which they're calling Deep Ones (someone down there is reading too much Lovecraft), as soon as work is done on the alien grenades. I also stop work on the medi-kits, since we have enough for now, and order the engineers to make more clips for the Sonic Rifles. We are running dangerously low on them, and I don't want to be stuck having to go back to the Jet Harpoons. The new rifles just proved too effective to have to consider that option.

I also order another standard sonar array to be built. We're just not picking up anything, but I know that these things are more active than we're seeing, they have to be. The new array will be done in 12 days, one day before the new wide band unit is done. Hopefully between the two we'll be able to “see” more.

We settle into our waiting routine again. Drills are run, bunks are cleared out for new arrivals, toilets are scrubbed, poker is played. On the 11^th, the storage facilities in Base South China Sea are ready. I order a lab, sonar, and living quarters built next. In 15 days the sub pen will be ready. If we have some successful missions with lots of salvage, we may be able to open the base for operations in the greater Pacific region by the end of the month.

The new recruits arrive the next day:

JonInMiddleGA
TU-53
STA-70
HE-32
BR-30
RE-46
FA-44
TH-62
STR-3
Kills-0

ntndeacon II
TU-52
STA-42
HE-26
BR-50
RE-36
FA-56
TH-66
STR-20
Kills-0

Chief Rum II
TU-51
STA-54
HE-34
BR-10
RE-49
FA-42
TH-57
STR-24
Kills-0

fff II
TU-58
STA-55
HE-32
BR-50
RE-33
FA-52
TH-53
STR-34
Kills-0

MrBug708 II
TU-52
STA-64
HE-30
BR-50
RE-51
FA-64
TH-64
STR-30
Kills-0

law90026
TU-58
STA-44
HE-32
BR-50
RE-46
FA-69
TH-74
STR-29
Kills-0

mrkilla22
TU-59
STA-48
HE-26
BR-50
RE-38
FA-47
TH-76
STR-32
Kills-0

While most of these guys wouldn't be fit to shine my boots, I think we'll be able to work with some of them. Note to self: DO NOT PUT BARKEEP49 II and CHIEF RUM II ON THE SAME MISSION. They'll probably just huddle in the corner and cry themselves to sleep.

Around midnight the same day, I get a call from the lab. They've finished work on the alien grenades, which they've tagged Sonic Pulsers. They do almost 2.5 times as much damage as grenades and Gas Cannon/Hydro Jet HE rounds. I order everyone to carry these and a Sonic Rifle now. No need to carry those heavy weapons anymore. The eggheads get to work on the Deep One corpse as previously ordered.

They work quickly, and on the 15^th I'm handed the report on the creature. As hypothesized, the outer shell of the Deep One is made of the same substance as the alien sub hulls. The scientists believe they have enough information to begin to figure out this material, which they are calling Aqua Plastic. A funny name, but I OK the research, telling them to put every available man on the job. We're real close to having armor for our guys, I can feel it.

On the 21^st, the additional sonar array is finished. It should boost our signal strength to help us locate more aliens. We haven't had a blip since we tracked the ship to Boston, and frankly I'm getting a little worried that things are going on, bad things, that could really put a damper on the success we've had so far. The next day the wide array is completed. We sit and wait.

February 22^nd we finally get a contact. A small alien sub has touched down off the coast of Egypt. I order the Triton to the site immediately. After no combat for over 2 weeks, I hope our razor sharp blade hasn't rusted. Its almost 2 am local time when our sub touches down near the location of the aliens.

[path12]

After no combat for over 2 weeks, I hope our razor sharp blade hasn't rusted. Its almost 2 am local time when our sub touches down near the location of the aliens.

LOL. Would that be the razor sharp blade that causes us to die so quickly?

[Coffee Warlord]

We don't die quickly. We die efficiently.

[Tasan]

Mission 6
February 22, 2040

With darkness at the wavetops, the sea bed is darker than normal. This will cut visibility down. The following troops are onboard the Triton:

DataKing
Greyroofoo
JeeberD
RendeR
path12 – Gas Cannon
Coffee Warlord
Travis II
Neon Chaos II
RealDeal II
Roberto
Abe Sargent
Icy
JonInMiddleGA
law90026

Lt. DataKing is in charge. path12 is carrying the only gas cannon on the trip. He starts out with a load of phosphorus rounds to provide light if needed. The rest of the team is carrying Sonic Rifles. Everyone has two Sonic Pulsers, the alien grenades.

RendeR is first out. The Triton is on the western edge of the grid, near the northwest corner. RendeR heads south towards the nose of the ship. Immediately he spots two Aquatoids not 100 feet away. He aims at one and drops its in its tracks. JonInMiddleGA rushes out of the ship and snaps off a shot at the second one. His shot goes wide and high. However, it strikes an underwater natural gas line in the distance, and the explosion knocks the alien flat, killing it!

Coffee Warlord heads out next, and checks the rear of the ship. Nothing there. The rest of the squad files out. We'll pair up and scout in 6 teams. path12 and RealDeal II will team up and provide support where ever needed.

RendeR and JonInMiddleGA head south along the western edge. Roberto and JeeberD head down the middle. Neon Chaos II and Travis II will shadow them, heading in a similar direction. Icy and Coffee Warlord follow the northern edge east. DataKing and Greyroofoo will head east through the middle. Abe Sargent and law90026 will head south and curve east. path12 lights up the northwest corner with a PH shot. Nothing's there, but we've saved some time by doing this.

The pairs fan out. “JonInMiddleGA reporting in, I have the alien sub in sight.”

We've landed right at the alien touchdown site. The teams will continue to fan out and search though, because the aliens have had a while to move into the area. “Abe Sargent and law90026, make a run for the doors of the ship. Everyone else continue to search the area for little guys out and about,” commands DataKing.

The going is slow for everyone. There are hills and underwater vegetation everywhere. A shot comes out of the darkness, hitting Roberto. “I'm hit!” he yells, and falls down. He passes out, but is not dead yet. “I'm going to need cover. That thing is still out there!” As JeeberD rushes to his fallen teammate's side, another shot flies out, hitting him on the side of the head. He screams his last, falling to the ground dead.

“ Anyone see it?!” cries law90026. Negative replies all around.

“Someone's got to get to Roberto, fast!” says DataKing.

“ Yeah, find that bug first, I'm not getting shot like JeeberD” replies Coffee Warlord.

Two more shots fly between law90026 and Abe Sargent, missing them both. “Where is that little shit?” law90026 yells.

RealDeal II arrives at Roberto. A medikit lies at his feet, and he grabs it. Roberto is still breathing. RealDeal II administers two shots of HealAll and Roberto stirs.

Neon Chaos II and Travis II begin to move around the side of the hill where the shots came from. Travis II spots the Aquatoid and fires. His shot kills the little alien. “I got the bastard!”

With the immediate threat gone, the teams move out once more. Roberto gets a stim shot from RealDeal II to keep from passing out again, and heads back to the ship. His wounds are pretty severe and he will be out of the game now.

Icy is almost to the eastern edge of the grid when a shot hits him in the chest. He falls to the sea floor and dies as his suit looses pressure. Travis II, Neon Chaos II and Coffee Warlord all move towards his position to try to see what got him. As they do, another shots flies over Neon Chaos II's left shoulder, hitting the hill behind him. law90026, seeing his buddies in trouble, grabs a Pulser from his belt and flings it in the direction the shot came from. The grenade goes off, but no alien scream is heard. path12 gets to the top of one of the hills and fires a PH shot in the direction as well, lighting up the area.

JonInMiddleGA and RendeR have been steadily making their way along the western side of the sub. JonInMiddleGA rounds the corner to the front and spots an alien heading the other direction. He fires, hitting the Aquatoid in the back, killing it. Another alien pokes it's head out the door and then back in. JonInMiddleGA moves to get a better line on the door, and spots yet another alien about to round the far edge of the ship, right where Abe Sargent is about to come around. He fires at the back of this alien and scores another kill. RendeR moves in to watch the front door, giving cover to JonInMiddleGA. As he does, the door opens. RendeR fires into the doorway, and hears an alien's death scream in reply!

Back at the grenade explosion, Travis II and Neon Chaos II move in to investigate. As they do, two shots fire from the darkness. Both find their targets, and Travis II and Neon Chaos II are dead.

“ CRAP! Okay guys, here's the plan. Coffee, throw a grenade back along the path of that shot. Greyroofoo, you do the same, but a little further to the south. We're gonna get this little punk,” orders DataKing. Both grenades go off, but no alien is heard. Suddenly shots fire towards Coffee Warlord! He's hit and goes down, dead in his boots.

“ Damn it! Someone find that little fucking alien!” screams DataKing. He lobs a grenade in the direction the shots came from that hit Coffee Warlord. Again no scream. law90026, DataKing, Greyroofoo, and path12 moves in towards the northeast corner, where the last shots were seen coming from.

JonInMiddleGA, RendeR, and Abe Sargent set up watch on the main door and wait for the go signal. RealDeal II breaks from path12 to join them. They set up at the main door, all weapons trained on the doors.

Greyroofoo gets caught in the open. A Pulser flies towards him and lands at his feet. It goes off in an instant, vaporizing him. RendeR hears his scream and panics. He drops his weapon and runs from the door of the alien ship. “Get back here!” cries JonInMiddleGA, but RendeR doesn't listen. “Dammit, we don't have time for this, Abe and RealDeal II, get in there!” They charge into the alien sub.

Back at the scene of the death, law90026 lobs another grenade into the carnage. As the grenade explodes, a scream is heard. “I think we got one, but there may be more. Continue the search over here,” orders DataKing.

Inside the alien sub, Abe Sargent takes the right interior door, while RealDeal II takes the left. The engine rooms are clear. Outside, RendeR gathers himself and moves back to pick up his weapon. JonInMiddleGA moves to back up Abe Sargent.

“ I'll be behind RealDeal II” RendeR says.

“ You better keep it together, or I'll shoot you next time,” JonInMiddleGA informs him.

Outside the sub, another shot comes from the northeast corner, narrowly missing DataKing. “Dammit all to hell, there's another one. path12, can you get us some light back here?” path12 complies and slams a PH round into the side of a hill in the corner. The phosphorus ignites and in the light, DataKing spots the alien. He takes aim and fires, scoring a deathblow on the creature.

“ Stay on your toes, there may be more,” says DataKing.

Inside the sub, the team advances. RealDeal II spots one going for cover at in the front of the ship. JonInMiddleGA tosses a grenade near the cubby hole the alien dove into and him and RealDeal II take cover. Unfortunately, the guys aren't familiar with the blast radius of the new grenade, and shrapnel from the explosion rips through JonInMiddleGA's dive suit, depressurizing it and killing him. RendeR freaks out again, dropping his weapon. RealDeal II rushing to the front of the ship, rounds the corner and fires, killing the alien. Further search of the ship and surrounding area turns up nothing.

This is the deadliest day in the new X-COM's short history. Seven aquanauts died in the chaotic firefight. The alien sub carried 9 Aquatoids, more than we've seen on a mission like this. Roberto is severely wounded, and will take 32 days to heal.<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> RealDeal II suffered wounds from the grenade JonInMiddleGA threw as well and will be out 34 days.

An entire alien sub was recovered, but at a very high price.

law90026 is promoted to Ensign. He was key in eliminating the aliens in the northeast corner.

[Travis]

Third copy is the charm ;)

[Coffee Warlord]

CW II locked and loaded.

[Tasan]

this spot reserved for testing out some formatting stuff.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oopsie.

And things were going quite well for me up to that point.

[Abe Sargent]

Wow. Hey, I'm just glad to come back alive from that one. Note that the Abemeister does NOT panic bitches. I'm also glad that JIMGA was on the OTHER side of the alien sub from me!

[law90026]

Great read so far.

And promotion! /flex

[Tasan]

Oopsie.

And things were going quite well for me up to that point.

Yeah, your death pissed me off. With 3 kills to that point, you were in line for a good stat bump. I thought you'd be just clear of the blast, maybe take a little hit of it. I was pretty sure that was the last alien.

[hoopsguy]

Yeah, your death pissed me off. With 3 kills to that point, you were in line for a good stat bump. I thought you'd be just clear of the blast, maybe take a little hit of it. I was pretty sure that was the last alien.

Me too - I thought I had found a wingman.

By the way, when do the stat bumps happen? Right after mission? End of month? Do you still have starting stats? I would be interested in seeing how much deviation there is between starting/current stats.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yeah, your death pissed me off.

Imagine how I felt ... err, would have felt if I hadn't died rather abruptly ;)

[Tasan]

Me too - I thought I had found a wingman.

By the way, when do the stat bumps happen? Right after mission? End of month? Do you still have starting stats? I would be interested in seeing how much deviation there is between starting/current stats.

The stats posted on the main page are your start stats. I plan on putting updated stats in ( ) next to the start stat at some point.

[JeeberD]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

JeeberD I managed to make it through the Mars mission in the GB Chronicles, but couldn't hack it underwater. JeeberD II, however, is a mean, lean, swimming machine and will kick all sorts of subterranean ass....

[Tasan]

My game is a little rusty, I'm afraid. I'm gonna try to get some of you I's to the end though, I swear.

[Neon_Chaos]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Neon Chaos III ready to sign up.

I might go up to Neon Chaos XCVIII at this rate. :p
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[Tasan]

Hey, you too can be the first to "enter the darkened room" if you get my drift!

[Icy]

Ouch, Icy II will revenge his brother's death!

[RealDeal]

Is there a way to see everyone's ranks in one place?

[Tasan]

Is there a way to see everyone's ranks in one place?

I'm going to add ranks to names here real soon. I'm also considering putting up a google doc with everyone's ratings, missions and kills, if anyone is interested. I really wish pasting in excel sheets didn't hose a thread's formatting the way it does.

[Kodos]

Well, at least Kodos II took one alien out before biting it.

Great stuff, Tasan. Keep it up!

[hoopsguy]

I'm going to add ranks to names here real soon. I'm also considering putting up a google doc with everyone's ratings, missions and kills, if anyone is interested. I really wish pasting in excel sheets didn't hose a thread's formatting the way it does.

Would definitely be interested in the google doc. Whatever work you are willing to do, and publish, I'll probably read.

Really enjoying the dynasty, if not the mortality rate around here :p:popcorn:

[Tasan]

Would definitely be interested in the google doc. Whatever work you are willing to do, and publish, I'll probably read.

Really enjoying the dynasty, if not the mortality rate around here :p:popcorn:

You're probably the luckiest bastard around here. You're usually the first guy out of the sub on missions you go on. I can't keep track of the number of guys who go out of the sub first that I've lost over the years playing this game.

[hoopsguy]

You're probably the luckiest bastard around here. You're usually the first guy out of the sub on missions you go on. I can't keep track of the number of guys who go out of the sub first that I've lost over the years playing this game.

Yep, saw that in the first mission and started thinking about what role I wanted Hoopsguy II to play in your ongoing storyline.

[Tasan]

Interlude 7

The Triton is silent on the way back to base. Heads are hung low, and no smiles can be found. Once back, the ship is unloaded and the alien vessel scrapped. We bank $1.3 million from what we sell, but we are still dangerously low on funds.

Right now, we are all hands on deck for missions. With two out due to injuries and standing orders to only send one lieutenant on a mission, only DataKing will stay in his bunk next time out. Because of this, I requisition six more aquanauts. What we really need is armor, though, so I stop by the labs to see how research is going. Unfortunately, the scientists say we're only just now getting a handle on what the Aqua Plastics are, and it will still be a while before we can figure out how to use them.

Along with the aquanauts, I order some chemical flares. On our last mission, one major problem was relying on PH rounds to be placed exactly where we needed them, when we needed them. The dark areas were just too hard to always successfully light up. From now on, we'll load the flares on the Triton whenever there may be a chance of low-light conditions.

We get word that the sonar equipment is ready at Base South China Sea. We don't have means to pursue any contacts yet, but in 3 days we'll have a sub pen, and in 4 some living quarters. By the start of next month, we should be able to load out the base for combat.

I also order the production of some Sonic Rifles. We are short handed at this base, and if we open another I want to have some to split between the bases.

On the morning of the 26^th, a scientist bursts into my room. Before I can shoot him, he tells me that they've figured out the Aqua Plastics and think they can now devise a suit of armor for the aquanauts from the alien substance. I let him live, and tell him to get back to the lab and tell the rest to start working on the plans for the suits. Hopefully by the end of the month, we can start production. Since sleep is no longer an option, I head down to the op center. When I get there, I'm informed that the new recruits have just arrived. Here's what came in:

kingfc22
TU-50
STA-42
HE-40
BR-10
RE-44
FA-40
TH-68
STR-25
Rank: Seaman
Kills-0

Kerchee
TU-58
STA-70
HE-40
BR-30
RE-38
FA-56
TH-62
STR-20
Rank: Seaman
Kills-0

SirFozzie
TU-59
STA-53
HE-36
BR-30
RE-54
FA-57
TH-55
STR-36
Rank: Seaman
Kills-0

illinifan999 II
TU-56
STA-61
HE-28
BR-10
RE-59
FA-55
TH-52
STR-20
Rank: Seaman
Kills-0

TonyR II
TU-58
STA-58
HE-28
BR-10
RE-40
FA-41
TH-79
STR-20
Rank: Seaman
Kills-0

PurdueBrad II
TU-56
STA-40
HE-34
BR-10
RE-56
FA-58
TH-59
STR-31
Rank: Seaman
Kills-0

If this is the crap I can expect from X-COM Training International (XTI), then I'm just not going to bother even asking for anyone else. I'll go round up some sharks or something. After four of them stopped crying and the other two let go of their death grips on the hand rails, I got them into their bunks and scheduled for training.

Its a busy day. Late that night, I get word that the living quarters are done at the new base. With another Triton, we can be ready to at least respond to landed alien vessels and any on-land incursions in that area. When March starts, I'll request more troops (that should go well....) and buy a Triton. Later in the month, we should be able to staff a new lab there as well.

We sit around for a few more days, but on the 28^th we detect an alien vessel on the bottom of the Med, almost exactly where the last mission was. The ship is bigger than the smallish ones we've been investigating, but not as big as the one that launched the raid on Boston. Curious as to why there's so much activity in this area, I order the Triton to take the troops and investigate.

[Poli]

Anyone got an instruction manual for the x-com games? Good lord there are a lot of buttons and no explanations on missions.

[Tasan]

Crap, just noticed a major mistake on the spreadsheet. I'm gonna have to wipe starting stats and re-enter them. Everything else looks good, though.

[hoopsguy]

Hopefully the mistake was the low bravery scores on the most recent batch of recruits? That would be nice ...

[ntndeacon]

whiney new recruits the first to go into hostile Alien territory!...

[Tasan]

Don't we all wish...Things are not going to go good if we have to send those guys out all together, because they can't really shoot, and they'll panic once all the bad guys start hitting targets.

[PilotMan]

Throw PilotMan into the mix as well.

[Abe Sargent]

Anyone got an instruction manual for the x-com games? Good lord there are a lot of buttons and no explanations on missions.

I still have the original box and booklets for UFO Defense.


Oh, and the one thing that made me give up on TFTD each time I played it was the terror sites and some missions with multiple levels and screens. Ick.

[path12]

Anyone got an instruction manual for the x-com games? Good lord there are a lot of buttons and no explanations on missions.

No, but I'm finding this useful: UFOpaedia (http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page)

[wahoomac]

Wahoomac would be willing to join up, maybe when you hire for the South China Sea base?

Great reading, been playing X-Com again (not TFTD) and having fun.

[Tasan]

Mission 7
February 28, 2040

Day breaks topside as the Triton settles in near the alien vessel on the sea floor. Everyone but mrkilla22 is carrying a Sonic Rifle. He has the lone Gas Cannon, loaded with HE to start with. In the sub:

hoopsguy
RendeR
BYU 14
ntndeacon II
chesapeake
The Jackal
law90026
Barkeep49 II
path12
Abe Sargent
MrBug708 II
mrkilla22
fff II
Chief Rum II

hoopsguy, as normal, is first out the door. The Triton landed on the eastern edge of the grid, centered north/south. hoopsguy heads south towards the nose of the Triton. BYU 14 is out next, and he heads the other way towards the tail As he makes his turn, he spots an Aquatoid on a rise. He takes aim and fires, but misses badly, hitting a rise behind the alien. BYU 14 slides over and ntndeacon II takes his spot, aim, fires, and hits the little alien in the head, killing it.

The squad splits into 3 teams. hoopsguy, RendeR, law90026, and The Jackal will head south and scout westward along the southern edge of the grid. fff II, chesapeake, BYU 14, and ntndeacon II will head north and scout westward along the northern edge of the grid. The rest will sweep the center as a large group.

The groups form up and head out. hoopsguy, with the southern team, begins to climb a small hill and spots the alien sub. “I see it. Its a massive, two story thing. I see the doors, they are on the east facing side of the craft. I'll hold here and watch the door.”

“Roger that, hoops. Center team, send three guys down with hoopsguy's team to provide cover and assist with the assault. Everyone else continue to sweep the outside area for wanderers,” orders chesapeake.

Barkeep49 II, Abe Sargent, and Chief Rum II head south from the center group to join the sub assault. Everyone else continues their sweeps. As the teams make their way west, an alien comes out from behind some coral and takes a long shot at the group. It was an accurate shot though, which slams into The Jackal, killing him instantly. Abe Sargent steps up next to his body, spots the alien, and takes a shot at it. The shot misses high and to the left. Barkeep49 II gets sights on the creature, and takes a shot as well. He also misses badly. mrkilla22 fires an HE round, hoping to at least catch a rock or something, even if he misses. His shot sails high though, and hits nothing. This is not going well. Chief Rum II joins the miss parade. MrBug708, sensing a BadThing if nobody gets this alien pulls a Pulser from his belt and lets it fly. It lands at the alien's feet and blasts the little thing's body to pieces.

Suddenly there's action everywhere. MrBug708 II spots another alien outside. He takes a shot, but hits only coral. Next, the sub doors open and an alien comes out. Before it can fire, Abe Sargent takes him down with a quick shot. From inside the ship, a shot flies out at hoopsguy and misses. He returns the favor, however his shot is on target, killing another alien inside the vessel. A grenade comes flying out the door, but it lands harmlessly right in front, blasting the doors off but hurting no one.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission7-1.jpg
Barkeep49 II, hoopsguy, and Abe Sargent take up positions outside the massive alien sub.

mrkilla22 takes aim at the alien MrBug708 II just missed. He puts an HE round square on its chest, popping it like a blue-green ballon.

“Arrrgh......chesapeake.......somethings........trying to get in my head......” strains hoopsguy.

“What??? Say again, in your head???” questions chesapeake.

hoopsguy responds, “Its gone now...I don't know, it felt like someone was moving in, but then it stopped.”

ntndeacon II spots another alien in the distance. Before he can fire, it gets off a shot. The shot hits ntndeacon II in the stomach, blasting a gaping, deadly hole. Chief Rum II spots another alien, closer to the sub. It fires on Barkeep49 II and misses. Chief Rum II steps forward, takes a knee and fires on the alien before it can shoot again. He drops it in its tracks.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!MY HEAD!!!!!!!!” cries Abe Sargent. He throws down his rifle and runs towards RendeR.

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!” screams hoopsguy.

“Squad, we need to get in this ship now, before we lose control of more troops,” says chesapeake. On that, hoopsguy moves towards the doorway and takes a knee. As he does, he spots an alien on a gangway on the second floor of the alien sub. He takes aim and fires, but misses.

The alien that killed ntndeacon II steps forward again and finds another target, fff II. It fires and scores another hit, killing fff II this time. Chesapeake takes a Pulser from his belt and heaves it in the alien's direction. The grenade goes off, taking the alien with it.

“ABGEHBLSIDURLSDIFJLID” comes from Abe Sargent's mic and he spins in circles, going berserk.

“URRRRRR....They're hitting me again, ches, but I think I'm gonna be ok. I think I can keep 'em out.” reports hoospguy. He enters the alien sub. Barkeep 49 II is right behind him.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission7-2.jpg

Barkeep49 II (left) and hoopsguys (right) enter the alien sub, while Abe Sargent (center right, weaponless) goes berserk.

Inside the sub, an explosion comes from the center. It seems something tried to launch a stun device and missed, hitting an interior wall. All of our troops inside are OK. As Abe Sargent continues to panic outside, RendeR and law90026 enter the sub behind hoopsguy and Barkeep49 II.

Suddenly hoopsguy flips out, spins around and shoots at law90026. His shot misses, but freaks everyone out. “chesapeake, hoopsguy is taking shots at us!” yells law90026.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god what did I do!!!!” sobs hoopsguy. He's still on our side, but mentally worthless now.

Barkeep49 II spots the stun launching alien. He takes a shot at it, but misses. He steadies him self, takes careful aim, and his second shot his the target, killing the alien. RendeR and law90026 scramble to get out of hoopsguy's view, fearing that he may shoot them. Chief Rum II hangs just outside the door, trying to time his entry so that hoopsguy won't take a pot shot.

An alien bursts through a door near RendeR and Barkeep49 II. It fires at RendeR, and at this distance he has no chance. The shot hits him in the side of his head, ending his life. Barkeep49 II returns the favor on the alien.

“I-I-I think I got it under control now LT,” reports hoopsguy.

“I don't care! Stow that weapon and get out of there, we're having enough problems as it is with the aliens without you lending them a hand!” yells chesapeake, obviously mad about his troops flipping out on him.

hoopsguy complies, puts his weapon in his pack and heads for the doorway. Chief Rum II passes him on the way in, but doesn't make eye contact.

The search outside is wrapping up. Those left start to head towards the alien sub to help out.

Back inside the sub, law90026 throws open the door where the alien that killed RendeR came through. Spotting nothing inside, he turns around and heads back out. Barkeep49 II goes through a matching door and has the same result, nothing. Chief Rum II moves up and takes watch on the stairs that lead up to the second floor of the ship.

Outside, mrkilla22 moves over to Abe Sargent's dropped Sonic Rifle and picks it up, dropping his Gas Cannon. path12 swings around the last dark corner of the outside of the ship. MrBug708 II, BYU 14 and chesapeake are all trying to move very quickly to join the rest of the squad at the ship.

Inside again, law90026 leads the charge up the stairs. At the top, he spins around and sees another Aquatoid. He aims and fires, killing the alien. As he does, he spots another one right at the top of the stairs on the other side! “Barkeep49 II get up here!”

Barkeep49 II scrambles to the top, spins and fires. He hits the alien dead on, killing it as well. Down below, Chief Rum II thinks he hears noise in the room that Barkeep49 II checked out earlier. He opens the door again and steps inside. Nothing. As he turns to leave, and Aquatoid comes out from behind a piece of equipment in the back! He takes a shot at Chief Rum II, but somehow misses! Chief Rum II returns fire, but the shot misses. He fires again, and hits a piece of the engine, blowing it up along with the alien. The blast knocks Chief Rum II out as well.

Further search of the ship turns up nothing. 14 aliens were killed on this mission, the most for an alien sub. Four X-COM agents lost their lives in the process, and two more are mentally strained. Something is getting into our heads, but we don't have any idea what at this point.

MrBug708 II is promoted to Ensign after the mission.

[hoopsguy]

Were the multiple instances with "something in the head" repeated attacks on my character or just ongoing issues with the one attack? Also, what attribute is associated with resisting those attacks?

Best ratio of alien kills we've had in quite some time, hope that we've done enough this month to please upper management.

[Tasan]

I think this mission will go a long way towards appeasing the Atlantic and Med based countries, but I'm a little worried about the Asian Pacific countries. Looking at the list of funding, Japan was one of only 2 countries to not increase our funding last month.

As far as the attacks, those were separate instances. The stat for resisting is currently unknown to us (its a hidden stat until we discover some tech, build a base structure, and send guys through its training).

[ntndeacon]

At least Isaw the blasted alien this time. Third time is the charm!

[Tasan]

Interlude 8

The Triton returns from the mission, the troops aboard exhausted. Four more men have died, but this time they took quite a few down in payment. Going over the equipment the aliens left behind, our scientists discover a very worrisome item. It looks like a torpedo launcher, but the rounds seem to have a very high charge. We'll look into this soon. We sell everything we don't need for over $1.5 million. With this, we order 6 more recruits. Might as well install a revolving door around here. I go to the labs and check on how the armor plans are coming. Good news! The scientists are putting the finishing touches on the plans right now and should have something for me in the next couple of days.

The troops and I settle in for the night, but early the next morning the sonar station calls with a contact. It looks about as big as the last one we went to, but this one is still moving. We dispatch both 'Cudas to intercept. The signal is lost on the ship, but then picked back up on the bottom of the Med right were the last one was! I order just about every able bodied aquanaut into the Triton and send it to the site. There's gotta be something more to this location.

[Coffee Warlord]

Were the multiple instances with "something in the head" repeated attacks on my character or just ongoing issues with the one attack? Also, what attribute is associated with resisting those attacks

Shaddap traitor. :)

[Tasan]

I need an editor something fierce. Sorry about the typos and misspellings, guys. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and don't re-read before hitting the post button.

[law90026]

I need an editor something fierce. Sorry about the typos and misspellings, guys. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and don't re-read before hitting the post button.

Don't worry too much about it imo, it's still a good read and thanks for running this.

[hoopsguy]

Shaddap traitor. :)

Eh, I don't miss when firing at aliens - just X-Com agents.

[BYU 14]

Wow, I can't shoot worth a damn, I don't think I have hit anything yet....Is there an eye chart at the base?

[Chief Rum]

Okay, I went back and counted and I am pretty sure Tasan intentionally said I was "knocked out". I just want to be sure I ain't dead again so quick.

Well, poor bravery be damned, if I survived, I acquitted myself decently well. If only I could shoot better.

[Izulde]

Izulde feels like traveling, so I'm signing up :D

[The Jackal]

It was an accurate shot though, which slams into The Jackal, killing him instantly.

:(

[Tasan]

Well, you guys get another mission this morning because I can't sleep.

[hoopsguy]

Hurray!

[Tasan]

Mission 8
February 29, 2040

The squad is anxious as they sit in the Triton on the ride to the touchdown site. Just yesterday, four of their fellow soldiers didn't return from an identical mission. Who wouldn't come back today?

The roster:

hoopsguy
DataKing
SirFozzie
BYU 14
kingfc22
Kerchee
illinifan999 II
path12
PurdueBrad II
MrBug708 II
Abe Sargent
law90026
mrkilla22
TonyR II

Everyone has a Sonic Rifle on this trip. The Triton has settled in the southwest corner of the grid. As always, hoopsguy is the first out of the boat. He takes one step and spots an Aquatoid on a high ledge right in front of the ship. He takes aim and fires. The alien, unaware of hoopsguy, takes the shot to the back of the head. Its head erupts in a grey explosion. hoopsguy ducks out of the way to let more troops out.

Next is SirFozzie. He heads towards the tail and spots another Aquatoid. As he drops to a knee to fire, the alien fires off two shots. Both wildly miss. SirFozzie lines the creature up on his sight and fires. His hand slips, though, and the shot smacks the tail of the Triton.

“Hey watch it back there, this thing's expensive!” yells the Triton driver.

DataKing moves next to SirFozzie and fires. He shows the rookie how its done, killing the Aquatoid on his first shot.

kingfc22 heads out next to the rock formation the first alien was on top of. hoopsguy follows him. As he does, he spots another alien waiting behind a column of coral, about to fire on kingfc22. He snaps off a quick shot, but there's too much in the way and the shot hits harmlessly on a piece of coral.

“kingfc22, stop! Someone get a grenade on the other side of that rock formation, we have one hiding,” requests hoopsguy.

SirFozzie takes a Pulser from his utility belt and tosses it in the general direction hoopsguy indicated. It lands behind the alien, who turns to see it land right as it goes off. The Aquatoid to blasted in half.

kingfc22 spots another alien in the distance. As he goes to report it, a cry comes through his headset. “GET IT OUT GET IT OUT GET IT OUT!” yells DataKing, as he throws down his weapon and takes off running. kingfc22 steps up to get a shot on the alien. Kneeling, he lets a round fly. It hits the little alien in the hip, and separates it cleanly from the rest of its body. It falls to the floor screaming for a moment, then stops, lifeless.

BYU 14 comes over the radio, “Listen up. Since the LT has decided to wig out, I'm taking over on this mission. Pair up and sweep the area. When you spot the ship let me know, and I'll figure out what to do from there. Get a move on!”

To drive this point home, DataKing suddenly freezes. He looks at kingfc22 with a vacant stare and over the radio a strange, alien voice speaks unknown words.

“Um, BYU 14, what should I do? DK is NOT himself, I have him in my sights and he's reaching for a Pulser!” MrBug708 II doesn't wait for the answer as DataKing is about to prime the grenade. He takes quick aim and fires off two shots, but both miss. Acting on instinct, kingfc22 adds to the fire, but also misses wildly. Kerchee steps in a puts an aimed shot in the lieutenant's faceplate, ending the threat.

Everyone is rattled. If they could get to the lieutenant, one of the most experienced X-COM agents, they could get to anyone. The troops are troubled.

law90026 moves out with SirFozzie and spots the alien sub. He calls it in to the rest of the team, and BYU 14 orders six of them to move out towards the sub. hoopsguy and Abe Sargent are told to stay away from the sub, due to their problems with the aliens on the last mission.

The team fans out and everything gets quiet. TonyR is the first to get to the other side and spot the door. mrkilla22 advances with him, and spots an Aquatoid scouting around on the front side of the ship. He fires a long distance shot and scores a bullseye, killing the alien.

TonyR II spots movement at the door. Before he can fire, the alien shoots him in the face, ending his life. mrkilla22 and BYU 14 both take shots at the attacker and miss. PurdueBrad II dives around a rock formation and sees the alien. He shoots, driving the creature to the ground dead. Another one is behind it! MrBug708 II, still on the other side of the ship, hears the firefight and tosses a grenade on the other side of the ship. It lands next to the surprised alien and blows up, disintegrating the alien and blasting the doors off the sub.

The troops move up towards the gaping entrance. mrkilla22 spots yet another alien through a blown out seam in the sub. He snaps a shot at it and scores another kill. law90026 makes it around the far side of the sub and takes up a firing position.

“OK troops, from the sound of things you've all just about finished sweeping the area. Everyone converge on the sub entrance. I want as many bodies on this as possible. Except for hoopsguy and Abe. You two just stay away.” orders BYU 14.

Aquanauts begin surrounding the entrance of the sub. PurdueBrad II moves to get a good view deep into the ship and spots an alien far in the back. He fires, but misses badly. MrBug708 II moves up. Through the doorway, he spots another alien up high on the second floor, but can't get a shot off. mrkilla22 rushes in through the door and spots the lower alien. He fires and drops it.

There's all kinds of motion on the second floor now. At least three aliens are spotted moving, but none fire on the squad. mrkilla22 stands and sees one of them up top. He fires, but misses. He moves and law90026 takes his place, firing on the same alien. law90026 scores a hit and kill. MrBug708 II joins him in the ship as PurdueBrad II follows behind them. BYU 14 shoves him in through the door and enters as well.

The five troops take up avenues of fire within the ship. There are two lower doors in the rear that lead to an engine room. Between them are stairs leading up to the second floor, where aliens have been spotted. They can't risk throwing a grenade upstairs because of the chance of it hitting a wall and bouncing back on them.

More movement up top. An alien comes to the top of the stairs and fires. The round hits, exploding and knocking BYU 14, PurdueBrad II, MrBug708 II, law90026, and mrkilla22 out cold, leaving nobody standing in the ship.

“I'm moving up guys, I don't care what BYU 14 said. They're down and need all our help now. Lets go!” says hoopsguy.

path12 and kingfc22 are the first to reach the sub. They go in and find cover, out of view of the aliens on the second floor. illinifan999 II and Kerchee are behind them. SirFozzie, hoopsguy, and Abe Sargent are all that are left outside the sub.

path12 and kingfc22 move up to cover the engine room doors, and illinifan999 II and Kerchee take up their old cover spots. As path12 gets set, an alien comes through the door. path12 shoots it in the back before it can spot the team.

“AH MY HEAD!!!!” screams kingfc22 and he drops is rifle.

Kerchee moves to the stairs and sees an alien at the top, carrying an stun launcher. He fires at the alien's back and kills it. SirFozzie bolts through the doors and locates two more aliens on the second floor through openings that look out over the first floor. He fires at one and drops it, then scrambles out of the way. Abe Sargent comes in and fires at the other, but misses. hoopsguy shoves him out of the way and takes the shot, blasting the alien against the wall, killing it.

The squad searches the rest of the sub but comes up empty. They revive the other team members inside the sub and fill them in on what happened. 14 aliens were killed, and only two aquanauts died. This is our most successful mission to date. Things may be turning our way yet.

After the mission, there are several promotions. mrkilla22, path12, and SirFozzie are all promoted to Ensign. hoopsguy and law90026 are moved to Lieutenant. chesapeake is given the rank of Commander with the death of DataKing. He is now the sole leader of the units in the field, and will make all field decisions when on missions.

[hoopsguy]

Very sad to see another one of our founding aquanauts die in the line of fire. But the newer troops really do seem to be asserting themselves. Hopefully, with the addition of body armor next month, we'll see more missions like this one where we are bagging 7 of them for every one of us.

[TonyR]

Dang, my original self got one before he went down but my clone didn't even get that. Send in copy #2.

[Neon_Chaos]

Will these be known as the "MY HEAD!" missions?

[TonyR]

Not trying to thread jack but has anyone messed around with UFO: Alien Invasion? http://ufoai.sourceforge.net/
Looks to be better graphically.

[SirFozzie]

Nice.. got one this time around :)

[Tasan]

Not trying to thread jack but has anyone messed around with UFO: Alien Invasion? UFO: Alien Invasion (http://ufoai.sourceforge.net/)
Looks to be better graphically.

I've downloaded it, but haven't installed it yet. I didn't want to get into it and get sucked away from this. From what I read, its far from complete yet, so I didn't want to just be left hanging, wanting more.

[RendeR]

Umm...


Ow?

[Tasan]

Just a correction. illinifan999 II didn't get the kill towards the end of the mission. path12 go the alien, illinifan999 II was still getting set to storm up the stairs at the time. I've edited the narrative to reflect this. Also, for those of you who don't know, grenades don't always register as kills for the trooper in-game. I'm posting in-game kill totals to make it easier to keep track of, so if you think you're short one or two, that's probably why.

[Tasan]

Interlude 9

Darkness chases the Triton back to base as the sun sets across the planet. As the troops unload, the scientists find another alien torpedo launcher. This is very concerning. If they get a chance to fire these things, we could be facing heavy casualties. Our tactics may need some revision. We sell off the unneeded items from the raid for almost $3 million. After the UN meeting tomorrow, this money will be used to stock the new base, along with the monthly funding.

On the 1^st of March I report to UN headquarters for our monthly review. This one goes better than the last, and our funding is increased by over half a million dollars. Several nations express their strong gratitude for our efforts. As I board the shuttle for the return trip, a call comes through. A very large alien sub, similar in readings to the one that attacked Boston, is spotted. They also inform me that the designs for the armor are ready. I order the lab guys to start work on the alien stun launchers, and the engineers to start making suits of armor.

I'm in constant communication with the sonar teams on the trip back. They track the alien vessel as it passes immediately over Base South China Sea. I feared an attack on that base for a while, but the sub continues past, heading for southeast Asia. I order every available aquanaut onto the Triton. None of the new teams have arrived yet, and combined with our wounded we only have 14 ready troops. If we don't get a break soon, I'll be grabbing a Sonic Rifle.

During this time, I also place orders for another sub pen, living quarters, and general stores for South China Sea.

Tracking is lost on the alien vessel in the Indian Ocean. The signal is picked up again in the Med, and the sub tracked to a landing site in the Adriatic Sea. This is a tough call. We've never faced something this big before. However, I think with the proper tactics, we can do it. I order the Triton out. Besides, we may not even make the site before the ship decides to leave. As the Triton departs from Atlantic, South China Sea's sonar picks up another contact, a small one just off the coast of Austrailia. I dispatch a 'Cuda to intercept. As it races to meet the contact, the Triton signals that it's ready to put down on the sea floor.

[illinifan999]

Just a correction. illinifan999 II didn't get the kill towards the end of the mission. path12 go the alien, illinifan999 II was still getting set to storm up the stairs at the time. I've edited the narrative to reflect this. Also, for those of you who don't know, grenades don't always register as kills for the trooper in-game. I'm posting in-game kill totals to make it easier to keep track of, so if you think you're short one or two, that's probably why.

Mean. Just plain mean.

[Tasan]

Mean. Just plain mean.

Hey, I can make sure you're the first one into the next sub. That should guarantee a kill, for one side or another. :D

[BYU 14]

I am requesting a howitzer so I can finally hit an Alien please :)

[MrBug708]

Nice to see my clone doing well

[DataKing]

Kerchee steps in a puts an aimed shot in the lieutenant's faceplate, ending the threat.

I always knew you had it in for me. :p

Hopefully DK II won't have the mental fortitude of lemming.

[chesapeake]

Now hear this! Now hear this! Commander Chesapeake has issued a standing order -- in light of recent events, there is absolutely no shooting, stabbing, or blowing up of your Commander for any reason. That is all!

[Tasan]

Mission 9
March 1, 2040

Going in, the officers are discussing tactics. The emphasis today will be on keeping spread out as much as possible. The worry is that one of the aliens will get a shot off with their fancy torpedo launchers, and it will cause havoc in our ranks. On the mission today:

hoopsguy
chesapeake
BYU 14
path12
Barkeep49II
Abe Sargent
law90026
MrBug708 II
mrkilla22
kingfc22
Kerchee
SirFozzie
illinifan999 II
PurdueBrad II

Everyone is packing Sonic Rifles and two grenades. Medikits are scattered throughout the squad.

hoopsguy sighs and hits the door release, heading out first once again. He heads towards the nose of the Triton. SirFozzie is behind him. BYU 14 and kingfc22 head towards the tail. law90026 and Kerchee step out and chesapeake closed the door behind them. We'll let them spread out a bit, then release another group of 6.

BYU 14 spots an Aquatoid, but it heads for cover out of view. He gives chase and gets off a shot, but misses well wide of the target. MrBug708 II comes out on the fin/wing of the Triton. He heaves a Pulser over towards BYU 14's alien target. It lands at the creature's feet and explodes, ripping the little alien apart. Through the smoke and silt, BYU spots the upper level of the alien sub.

Hoopsguy advances along the southern border of the combat grid. On a rock outcrop, he spots a large jellyfish looking thing. Not remembering anything naturally of this earth that looks like it, he contacts the rest of the group, then takes cover because he doesn't have a clear shot on it. BYU 14 spots the thing, and tosses a Pulser under it. The grenade goes off but the jellyfish just flinches. kingfc22 moves up to cover him and spots an Aquatoid. He fires on it, but hits a plant between him and the target. “Need some help over here!”

Kerchee responds to the call with a Pulser. He flings it at the alien, and it lands near it. The grenade explodes, killing the Aquatoid. illinifan999 II moves up to cover Kerchee and spots another jellyfish thing. He fires and hits it, but it doesn't go down. It slowly moves away from him. Kerchee gathers himself and takes a shot at it. He hits is square and this time it, well, pops.

On the other side of the grid, hoopsguy manuvers to get a shot on the other jellyfish. He finds a clear firing lane and shoots. He hits it square, and this one pops as well. SirFozzie moves from his cover nearby and spots yet another jellyfish. He fires on his and misses short of the target. law90026 has his back, though, and fires, splatting the thing.

On the east edge of the grid, illinifan999 sees some movement. Its an Aquatoid with a stun launcher. He fires on it but misses. It turns and runs. He gives chase and gets sight on it again. He drops to a knee and lets a round fly. The shot hits the alien and it dies with a scream.

We have a decent view of the ship now, and its massive. It towers three stories and takes up a large part of the action grid.

“ Continue sweeping the outside, but make your way towards the ship as soon as possible. We need to get on that thing and get this over with,” orders chesapeake.

As if to emphasis the point, hoopsguy reports that the aliens are trying to get control over him, hammering his head with attacks.

SirFozzie is the first to reach the alien vessel.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission9-1.jpg

Nobody is quite sure where the door is. law90026, path12, and BYU 14 join him at the ship's hull. BYU 14 grabs at his head and groans, then screams. He spins around, firing wildly, just barely missing PurdueBrad II. Everyone nearby moves to give him a wide berth.

As kingfc22 moves towards the hull of the ship, two shots sail by him. He spins and sees an Aquatoid in the distance. He snaps off a quick shot, but just misses his target. Barkeep49 II is nearby and moves to get a shot on it. He finds a clear path, takes a knee and fires. The shot hits the alien in the face, killing it.

hoopsguy reports in, “They're hitting me again, its real strong th.....Ph'nglui mglw'nafh R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.” hoopsguys is under the aliens' control. He fires on mrkilla22 and kills him. chesapeake is next closest. He knows what he has to do, but still doesn't feel good about it. He takes out a Pulser and throws it at hoopsguy. It lands at his feet and explodes, ripping him asunder. For two straight missions now, X-COM soldiers have had to take out their own.

“ BYU 14, toss your weapon and get back to the sub. You've already flipped out on us once, we don't need you falling under their control and being armed too,” orders chesapeake. BYU 14 complies. He tosses his rifle and heads towards the Triton, dejected and feeling alone.

law90026 and SirFozzie converge on what they think is a door to the ship. Their idea is confirmed when an alien opens it and tries to come out. SirFozzie stops it in its tracks before it can react. PurdueBrad II and path12 move towards another possible door around the corner. law90026 and SirFozzie storm through theirs. SirFozzie heads left, law90026 going right. SirFozzie spots an alien down a corridor and fires his rifle, hitting it in the back. It slumps to the floor, lifeless.

path12 and PurdueBrad II are next into the ship. they both head right, since law90026 is on their left, down a hall. Barkeep49 II and MrBug708 II come up behind them, ready to go in as well.

As SirFozzie watches a hallway for movement, the outer door opens. chesapeake comes in. He looks at SirFozzie and raises his rifle to SirFozzie's head.

To be continued...

[hoopsguy]

Gah - very, very disappointing ending there individually. I hope that the rest of the guys are able to pull this one out without too much carnage and that we can fairly quickly get to a point where we can manage the mind control stuff.

Tasan - can you write my next guy in as Head Scientist? That should keep the cloning to a minimum for my identity.

[chesapeake]

I really hope that the next thing you hear is me shouting, "Duck!"

[fantastic flying froggies]

Hmm, wonder if my next clone can survive at least one mission?

Anyway, fff 3 signing up...

[Poli]

I always knew you had it in for me. :p

Sorry, boss.

[Tasan]

Gah - very, very disappointing ending there individually. I hope that the rest of the guys are able to pull this one out without too much carnage and that we can fairly quickly get to a point where we can manage the mind control stuff.

Tasan - can you write my next guy in as Head Scientist? That should keep the cloning to a minimum for my identity.

Can do. You want him hoopsguy II or some other name?

To be honest, I hated it when your character showed signs of being weak against alien control. I was really liking the way he was racking up the kills.

[Tasan]

Oh and I was in the middle of playing this current mission when I posted the 1st half. It's taken me until now to finish the second half. Stay tuned for the writeup!

[Poli]

!!

[hoopsguy]

Can do. You want him hoopsguy II or some other name?

To be honest, I hated it when your character showed signs of being weak against alien control. I was really liking the way he was racking up the kills.

Looking at the spreadsheet, it seems like the kills are going to people that have Reactions + Firing Accuracy > 100. Really, the guys who were in the 115+ range have gotten a disproportionate amount of kills. Contrast that to BYU, who has 5 missions and 0 kills, whose combined score for those ratings is somewhere around 80.

Are you actively putting the people with the higher ratings in places to shoot the aliens? Or is it just working out that way? I guess I'm wondering if it is the ratings manifesting themselves or if you are looking to leverage your assets intelligently? The latter seems like the right way to play, but I'm sure it is challenging to recollect that type of information for each mission with an ever-changing cast.

[mrkilla22]

Add my II clone to the list.

[Tasan]

Looking at the spreadsheet, it seems like the kills are going to people that have Reactions + Firing Accuracy > 100. Really, the guys who were in the 115+ range have gotten a disproportionate amount of kills. Contrast that to BYU, who has 5 missions and 0 kills, whose combined score for those ratings is somewhere around 80.

Are you actively putting the people with the higher ratings in places to shoot the aliens? Or is it just working out that way? I guess I'm wondering if it is the ratings manifesting themselves or if you are looking to leverage your assets intelligently? The latter seems like the right way to play, but I'm sure it is challenging to recollect that type of information for each mission with an ever-changing cast.

Generally I let the guy with the shot first take the shot. I wish I had been keeping up with misses, because I know there are several who have a lot. BYU 14 stands out the most because he's been around since the start and has 0 kills. He's taken his fair share of shots though, just hasn't hit anything. There are times when I'll move a good shot over to fire on an alien, but those are mostly desperate situations. Most of the time I just let the chips fall where they may. It makes for a more involved story usually. It is a little different that how I play straight up, but not much.

[Tasan]

Over the radio, SirFozzie hears “mglw'naph wah'naghj fhtagnaph” as chesapeake's mouth moves. Instantly he raises his rifle and blasts chesapeake in the chest.

“What the hell was that!??!!!” yells law90026, who saw everything go down.

“They got to ches! I had to do it!” cries SirFozzie, obviously rattled.

“All aquanauts, report in! We've had two go under alien control, I need to know everyone else is still with us,” commands law90026, suddenly the new field leader. Everyone left reports in. law90026 counts them up. 11. BYU 14 is out of the game due to going berserk earlier. 10. Abe Sargent has shown a distinct weakness to alien interference, so he's not being allowed to come inside. 9. Nine to take down this whole, huge ship. It sure is going to be interesting.

An alien walks right past SirFozzie. He shoots and hits it, knocking it to the floor dead.

An explanation of the ship layout, at least the bottom level, is needed. The ship is laid out in an X. At each point, there are what appears to be single occupant elevators going up to the next level. In the center of the X is a four square elevator going up. It is located in a room with walls on three of its four sides. An engine room forks off of the center of the X on the right side. Right now, SirFozzie is watching the upper left elevator with no backup. path12 is watching the upper right one, and Barkeep49 II is finishing a sweep of the engine room and will join path12. PurdueBrad II and illinifan999 II are approaching the elevator on the bottom right, while law90026 and MrBug708 II are heading towards the one on the bottom left. The doors into the ship are located on the bottom intersection of the X and the left intersection

MrBug708 II is the first up to the second floor. The room is clear, but it doesn't appear to have an exit into the ship proper. The second floor looks like an X with a + laid over it. The X branches don't appear to be connected via doors to the + areas. It looks like the main assault will have to come via the center elevator. Still, each of these branches will need to be searched. MrBug708 II signals law90026 all is clear.

http://www.rusmar-solutions.com/dave/xcom/mission9-2.jpg
The second floor. The + runs corners to corners, the X side to side, top to bottom.

PurdueBrad II goes up into his branch. Again, all clear. He goes back down and signals PurdueBrad II to go assist path12 and Barkeep49 II.

Back on the other side, MrBug708 II comes back down and heads for the center elevator. SirFozzie and law90026 head towards the upper left branch of the X. path12 moves to take watch on the center elevator until everyone is ready to go up it. SirFozzie suddenly drops his rifle and grabs his head in obvious pain. law90026 moves up to check him out. He's panicked from alien tampering.

kingfc22 finally reaches the door. He enters and heads left, moving towards the center elevator where Kerchee has joined path12 in watching for movement. Barkeep49 II moves up the upper right side's elevator, finding nothing in the room above. He tells PurdueBrad II and illinifan999 II to not bother following him and to head to the center, which they do. They join MrBug708 II, path12, and Kerchee.

SirFozzie continues his panicking. law90026 stays with him, partly for comfort, partly to keep an eye on him in case he comes under alien control. The rest of the troops ready around the center elevator.

And everything goes to hell in a handbasket at once. path12 starts talking gibberish and shoots Kerchee who's standing next to him. Something flies past MrBug708 II from above, and he hits the floor and covers up. It explodes behind him, blasting a hole in the wall and killing path12, illinifan999 II, PurdueBrad II, and kingfc22. Miraculously, MrBug708 II is still alive. Over the comm, he hears Barkeep49 II sobbing, and law90026 is screaming, blasting at the floor. SirFozzie is still gibbering quietly on the floor.

MrBug708 II pulls himself up and hits the elevator button. On the second floor, he finds the reason for the explosion. Two aliens are there. He shoots the closest one and kills it, then hits the down button. Over the comm, he hears the alien language again. Abe Sargent has gone over to their control.

MrBug708 II hits the up button once again and sees the second alien. He fires at it, sending it to the floor dead.

SirFozzie gets himself together again. As he does, he hears law90026 mumble something in alien. law90026 turns and raises his rifle to SirFozzie. SirFozzie grabs his rifle from the floor and puts a round into law90026's chest, killing him. He then spins to see Abe Sargent coming at him from down the hallway. Before he can get another shot off, Abe Sargent shoots, hitting him in the face, killing him.

Upstairs, MrBug708 II is in the middle center deck of the ship. One door is on each of the four walls around him. He pickes the door on the right and opens it. An alien is standing right there, with another further down the hallway. He blasts the one in front of him into oblivion and ducks back out of the doorway, and the door closes behind him. He catches his breath and sees Barkeep49 II come up the lift. Barkeep49 II suddenly starts yelling “Kill 'em, Kill'em all!!”, blasting in every direction. MrBug708 II ducks through the door again to get out of the way, and sees the alien. He shoots him, killing the little green thing.

Barkeep49 II gets hold of himself and starts to help out on the search. Over the comm, they hear Abe Sargent begin speaking english again, although he's mumbling something about running away to Oz or something. MrBug708 II spots an elevator up at the far end of the hall. He takes it to the upper level. There is a hallway to the center of the ship, and two doors. He goes through the top door first, then the bottom. The lower room leads around the east facing side of the ship and ends at a door. He makes his way towards that. Below, Barkeep49 II goes between helpful and panic, completely unreliable. Abe Sargent flips between alien control and panic, but he's dropped all of his weapons now and is harmless.

Mrbug708 II makes his way for the far door. It suddenly opens, and an alien pops out and pops back in. MrBug708 II is unable to get a shot. He races to the door and throws it open. Two aliens are on the other side. He shoots one and dives to the floor. He gets back up, spins around, and goes through the doorway. He spots the other one and pumps a round into its chest, ending its life.

Abe Sargent comes over the comm “Guys, I think I can help some, they've laid off me. I won't get a weapon, but I'll scout.” He heads up the elevator and goes through the other door that MrBug708 II saw. An alien is on the other side and drops Abe Sargent right there, ending his life. Barkeep49 II runs to the elevator and goes up. He sees the alien before the door closes, and gets a shot off. It hits and kills the alien!

MrBug708 II decides to head back to Barkeep49 II to pair up. He spots an alien behind him, heading back to elevator area. He radios Barkeep49 II, who opens the door, rolls into the room, and fires, hitting the alien. He gets back up and heads back through the door to the elevator room, and sees another alien. He fires point blank, but unfortunately, Barkeep49 II sneezes as he fires. The shot hits harmlessly on the floor. The alien does something similar to a grin and fires, hitting Barkeep49 II in the head, killing him. MrBug708 II races to the door, throws it open and fires, catching the little alien still in his moment of glee. The shot hits the alien in the head and it falls to the floor dead. The sub falls silent. MrBug708 II makes his way through the sub very carefully by himself. Nothing else is found moving.

18 aliens were killed in the firefight. However, the cost was 12 aquanauts, a high price indeed. The massive sub is loaded with things for research and profit, but I can't help but feel that maybe I made the wrong decision sending them on this mission.

For his bravery in action, MrBug708 II is promoted to Lieutenant. He is the defacto commander in the field. Lets hope that title stays with him longer than the last 2 owners. Chief Rum II, BYU 14, and RealDeal II all are promoted to Ensign.

[Coffee Warlord]

Every time I fire up X-Com, the same statement holds true.

Alien psi attacks SUCK.

[Poli]

That mother f'er.

Sign up Caesar. I'm running out of nicknames.

[chesapeake]

Wow. That was brutal. It looks like mind control has to be the next research priority.

BTW, I'm re-enlisting. I hear that this is a job where you can advance quickly -- as long as you can keep your head!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sign up Caesar. I'm running out of nicknames.

You could go with Caesar's Ghost later if needed. I hear he might be Great :D