Ouch, I think I would have given up on that one. Some really good writing here Tasan.

that was just brutal...

MrBug basically wrapped that mission up all by himself and gets a well-deserved promotion.

I thought it was over when the bomb hit. Abe was outside getting hammered in the head, Sirfozzie was basically paralyzed with fear from the aliens, I knew it was only a matter of time til they got barkeep and law because they just kept hammering away at themd. I couldn't believe it when I say MrBug tucked safely in the corner of the elevator room, no damage at all. He became my one man mop, although barkeep was real handy to have when he quit freaking out, because the aliens were obviously trying to flank MrBug at the end. We got extremely lucky folks.

Geez, I was a killing machine, before, you know, being killed.

Sign the clone up :)

Everytime I get a kill, I die. I just can't win.

Holy crap. I sure hope we have a little time to go recruiting between now and the next mission. It seems like they have been one after another, without much time to develop better equipment, recruit new troops, etc.

Great job by MrBug II. If we win this war his exploits today will be the stuff of legends.

I'm not sure this word means what you think it means.

Nice ;- )

As far as the missions real close together, yeah, we've had one a day for the last 3 days. We had been going stretches where we had no action for almost 2 weeks at a time. Now March has started, and as anyone who's played X-COM knows, you always get visitors at the first of a month, and we ain't talkin' Aunt Flo.

God, my clone's first mission is gonna be a terror attack.

Damn, I had been hoping I was strong against psi.

path 2 into the breach.

Path: Are we the only ones down this corridor?

Kerchee: Yeah, I think the rest of the team took the other one. Wh

Pop! Pop!

Sign up my clone.

Hope this one can shoot straight

*Edit...new mission soon to follow, when I can get it written up. I was just flying through taking notes this time, because, well, I'll let the story bring you there.

BOO!! Big thumbs down to Chief Rum II sitting out two straight missions. Hope I am at least on the "mission of your life" here, Tasan! ;)

Interlude 10

The Triton pilot invites MrBug708 II and BYU 14 to sit up with him. The passenger compartment was an empty place with only two troops. When the craft docks at Atlantic, the engineers meet the ship and start unloading, a task usually left to the returning troops. Chief Rum II, on crutches, greets the two returning aquanauts and brings them back to the infirmary to be checked out. Nobody says much of anything. BYU 14 is probably the hardest hit. hoopsguy, chesapeake, and him were the last ones left from the original squad. Considering the fact he was ordered to stay aboard the Triton after flipping out, their deaths weigh heavy on his mind.

The 'Cuda we sent out to intercept the small sub encountered before the last mission could not reach its target before running out of fuel. The sub was tracked to a landing site, but with only two healthy aquanauts, we can't possibly launch to investigate.

The haul from the last alien vessel was substantial. We sell off all unnecessary items for right at $4.5 million. With this new money, we order another living quarters and workshop for Atlantic, and another living quarters and lab for South China Sea. We also request 10 more aquanauts beyond our last order for Atlantic and 9 technicians. The hope was that once South China Sea came online, we could split up a lot of our experience between the two bases. With our losses, there isn't much to split anymore, so we'll probably just use who we have at each base.

At this point, X-COM is basically out of operations for 18 hours, waiting on new recruits. My hotline rings, and we get the worst news we could possibly hope for. Aliens have been spotted on the island of Midway in the Pacific Ocean. They are terrorizing a resort there. If we do nothing and let it happen, we face Pacific area nations pulling out of the UN and taking their funding with them. If we send our two lone troopers, we risk losing them, the Triton, and the funding. If we somehow pull it off, we save our butts quite a bit of grief.

I decide talk with MrBug708 II about the gamble. He's ready to go without hesitation. BYU 14 didn't even have to be asked. As the last of the originals, he feels its his duty to avenge their loss any way he can. If we lose the Triton, we can replace her easy enough. We'll send it in on remote so the pilot doesn't have to worry. With much trepidation, I give the order. The Triton is unloaded save for the equipment two men will need. I hope this one isn't one way.

You got wounded a few missions back and are out of action for a few more weeks. Sorry bud!

I'm on crutches? Howdathappen? :)

Sheesh, last time I was on a mission, you said I was "knocked out" when I hit an engine and it exploded. Didn't realize I had hurt my legs in that.

We call it the "terpkristin syndrome".

Aw man, I'll go even on crutches! No way you send the two lone guys out without me!

Good luck gentlemen. Many of us are certainly there with you in spirit, and in some cases, spirits ;)

Still looking to be added to the roster. Looks like you missed me.

Thanks.

You're going on a terror raid with 2 soldiers?

You got some balls. :)

You're 2nd on the waiting list, and will be added in the new batch of 36 or so troops incoming.

Just a note to all my loyal readers, if you think I'm missing you on the roster or skipping you on missions, just let me know! I've probably got a reason, but I am also forgetful and need reminders here and there. If you're concerned about your character, you can always check the first page of this thread which has the current roster, the waiting list, and the hall of heros (or zeros, as the case may be)

You guys might want to get some friends in here too, because I'm not sure I have 36 readers yet.

Or completely stupid. We'll see how it goes.

I think I know how this mission ends. BYU turns his gun on MrBug and gets the first kill of his X-Com career to put the coup de grace on our fighting team.

I don't see myself on the waiting list, so here's a reminder to put me there. :D

Added!

Thanks for the reminder, and thanks for reading. I'm enjoying your Bengals dynasty, by the way.

Mission 10
March 3, 2040

The Triton is pushed to its max. The island is clear on the other side of the world from Base Atlantic, the only base ready for operations. On board, two aquanauts mentally prepare themselves for battle. MrBug708 II is wearing the first ever Aqua Plastics Armor, or APA as the engineers call it.

The roster:
MrBug708 II
BYU 14

Each troop is loaded with a Sonic Rifle, 2 clips, 4 Pulsers, a medikit and 4 chem flares, as the sun is setting as we land.

MrBug708 II is first out. He heads towards the nose of the Triton, and tosses a chem flare. In the new light, he spots a Gill Man near a house. He fires and hits, kill the green alien. BYU 14 runs out and tosses a chem flare towards the hotel to the west. He spots movement there, a spitter, or Deep One as the eggheads say. BYU 14 doesn't want to mess around at all, so he tosses a Pulser at its feet. It explodes and blasts the creature several feet in the air, and it comes back down with a resounding splat.

They move out. MrBug708 II heads south along the eastern edge that the Triton landed near. BYU 14 heads west towards the hotel. MrBug708 II nears the small house he killed the first Gill Man at, and spots another one. He drops to a knee and fires again, hitting it in the head. It staggers briefly, then falls to the ground dead. He continues south, searching the house and finding it empty. Behind the house to the south is a storage building built into a hill. He moves towards it to investigate.

Back at the hotel, BYU 14 decides against going in the front door and instead scouts around the outside first. He makes it to the far side of the building and tosses a flare in the corner of the grid. Nothing there. He turns to move along the western side of the building and spots a Gill Man on the roof. He quickly ducks back behind the corner. Taking deep breaths, he leans out and takes a shot, but misses wildly. He pulls out a grenade and primes it, but can't figure out a way to get it on the roof. The alien turns around and sees him, taking a shot. It misses. BYU 14 stuffs the grenade back into his belt and takes aim once again. He fires, and for the first time since joining X-COM, finds his target. The Gill Man falls over the rail and down the side of the building, landing with a resounding thud.

At the storage building, MrBug708 II cautiously approaches the entrance. Inside he can see a Gill Man, and he looks unarmed. MrBug708 II drops to his knee and takes a shot, but misses, hitting the wall next to the alien. It shuffles its feet, but doesn't attack. Behind it, MrBug708 sees a Deep One move in from a hall. Deciding quick action is needed, MrBug708 II pulls out a Pulser and tosses it at the Gill Man's webbed feet. He takes cover as the grenade explodes. The blast slams the Deep One into the wall, killing it, and makes green goo of the Gill Man. A fire starts in the store room, making further exploration impossible right now. He'll come back to it later if need be.

MrBug708 II heads up a ridge line near the entrance of the storage room. Once at the top, he heads west along it, searching for aliens. He spots a Gill Man on top of a small house. He snaps off a quick shot, but it sails wildly into the side of the house. The Gill Man returns fire, but only hits the ridge. MrBug708 II takes his time for the next shot, and drills the Gill Man in the chest. It collapses dead on the roof.

At the back of the hotel, BYU 14 decides to make his entrance. He goes in through the rear service entrance, then into the dining area. Everything looks clear. He searches a pantry and again comes up empty. He heads out into the lobby, looking for the stairs up.

On the ridge, MrBug708 II advances. He spots two Deep Ones in the distance. He takes aim on the farther one and hits it dead on. The closer one sees the shot and tries to take cover. MrBug708 II shoots at it, but misses. It dances around again, but this time MrBug708 II's aim is true and he kills it with a shot from his rifle. He advances again and spots yet another Deep One, standing in a grove of trees near a house. MrBug708 II fires once again, and once again drops an alien. As he starts to move down the slope, he spots a Gill Man near a small hill. It doesn't see him, so he takes aim and fires, kill it.

In the lobby of the hotel, BYU 14 finds the stairs up. He carefully climbs them, poking his head around the top bannister. He turns down the hallway to search the rooms, but sees a Gill Man about to enter one. He considers throwing his grenade, but the area is tight and he's not sure of the blast radius. He fires instead, but his shooting luck appears to have only extended to one shot. His blast misses and blows a hole in the wall next to the alien. It spins and fires instinctively, and it's shot slams into BYU 14, killing him. As he hits the floor, the primed Pulser on his belt falls out and explodes, engulfing the second floor in flames and smoke.

MrBug708 II hears the explosion and turns toward the hotel. He wants to move quickly, but without a team to provide area security, he must check every corner, every dark spot. He makes it to the front door of the building and pushes it open. In the lobby behind the desk is a Gill Man, looking almost like it's checking the registrar. MrBug708 II takes a shot at him but misses. He drops and rolls back out the door, taking cover from any return shots. His ammo gauge reads 0, so he slams in his last clip. He waits a second then looks back through the doorway. He pulls his rifle up quickly, as the alien is looking right his way. He gets off his shot first and slams the Gill Man into the wall, ending its life.

MrBug708 II makes his way to the staircase. Smoke is billowing down now, and he can feel the heat from the fire. He makes his way up stairs. As he clears the top, a shot slams into the burning wall behind him. He spins and spots another Gill Man. Reacting quickly, he shoots and drops the big green creature. More movement, down the hallway this time. Its the alien that killed BYU 14. MrBug708 II shoots and scores another hit.

The fire has spread to the stair case, and he's not sure he can make it back down. He knocks one of the guest rooms door open and blasts out a wall with his rifle. He hops to the ground, with the APA taking most of the fall. He heads back towards the corner where he saw so may Deep Ones to see if any remain. He doesn't get two steps before he spots a Deep One in the distance. He brings up his rifle and lets the shot fly. It hits the Deep One center mass, blowing a large hole out the back of the beast.

Its the last shot he fires that day. A very cautious sweep reveals no more aliens. BYU 14 has joined his original squad mates in the Hall of Heros. The aliens get 15 more to add to their dead. Exhausted, MrBug708 II loads up the Triton, signals Atlantic with the all clear, hits the pre-programmed takeoff switch, and passes out in a jump seat for a well deserved sleep.

After the mission, Chief Rum II and RealDeal II are promoted to Lieutenant. For his outstanding duty against incredible odds, MrBug708 II is made Commander of X-COM field forces.

Legend.

Yes, Chief Rum is a legend for getting promoted without lifting a finger.

Bring my clone back but no promotion this time please, clearly Lieutenants are doomed to die.

Y'know, I don't have any idea what impact this actually has in gameplay (I'm kind of guessing that rank is mostly if not entirely cosmetic) but it's a good storyline for the career non-com who always turns down promotions.

That is LMAO awesome. :D

Un

fracking


real



just nuts.

Wow, my first hit and then I die and two comrades get promoted for sitting back at the base and watching season 1 of The Wire!!

Dola, hoping my clone has better marksmanship.

That's Lieutenant to you, Private Dead Guy.

Here's the really funny thing about Chief Rum and RealDeal getting the promotions. Roberto has been sitting right there with them in the hospital wing recovering, and he hasn't gotten squat. Of course, the other 2 did something before they got shot, but still...

MrBug II is my hero

MrBug II is Chuck Norris.

MrBug II is Chuck Norris on 'roids.

I'm enlisting if there every becomes an unfortunate need for a warm body.

There's a big need. You're on the list!

Can I make a special guest nomination for a trainee: Godzilla Blitz.


I think it would only be fitting.

Hrm...I'd really hesitate to put in GB without him actually saying so. I feel like I'm stepping on his toes enough already just doing this.

Nevermind. I thought he had been inactive for a much longer period of time.

When it is raining, it is because MrBug is sad.

Even MrBug's parrot's advice is insightful.

If there were an interesting gland, MrBug's would be larger than most men's entire lower intestines.

MrBug's shirts never wrinkle.

MrBug is left-handed. And right-handed.

Even if MrBug forgets to put postage on his mail, it gets there.

MrBug once knew a call was a wrong number, even though the person on the other end wouldn't admit it.

You can see MrBug's charisma from space.

The police often question him, just because they find MrBug interesting.

MrBug once punched a magician. That's right. You heard me.

When MrBug orders a salad, he gets the dressing right there on top of the salad, where it belongs...where there is no turning back.

If a monument was built in MrBug's honor, Mt. Rushmore would close, due to poor attendance.

It is said the sun comes up later on the 6th, in case MrBug's Cinco parties run long.

The Mayans prophecized MrBug's birth.

Even lucha libres remove their masks in MrBug's presence.

MrBug once taught a German Shepard to bark in Spanish.

MrBug serves sizzling fajita platters barehanded.

Bulls flat-out refuse to fight MrBug.

MrBug once buried a time capsule full of things that haven't happened yet.

MrBug has been pronounced dead 7 times...make that 8.

MrBug's bear hugs are actually hugs he gives to bears.

MrBug can't be bought, but his beard clippings have been know to show up on auction.

MrBug has never lost a sock.

If MrBug disagrees with you, it is because you are wrong.

People hang on his every word, even the prepositions.

He can speak French...in Russian.

He can disarm you with his looks or his hands. Either way.

His personality is so magnetic he is unable to carry credit cards.

Even his enemies list him as their emergency contact number.

He never says something tastes like chicken. Not even chicken.

He taught a horse to read his email to him.

When he's in Seattle it never rains.

Getting caught up now. Looks like I got my first kill and went crazy in Mission 7, so I'd like to apologize to everyone for having to clean up the crap in my aquasuit. Sometimes shit happens.

Mission 8 - Ah that sucks, I want more mission time = rar! Anyone can crap their pants... I swear.

Sometimes you feel like a Kodos. Sometimes you don't.