X-COM II: The Earth's Revenge (Part VII)

[klayman]

klayman III is not on the waiting list

[Blade6119]

Originally posted by klayman
klayman III is not on the waiting list

and?...is there a point for this comment or were you just noting this?

[klayman]

Originally posted by Blade6119
and?...is there a point for this comment or were you just noting this?

Just trying to increase my post totals I guess.

[JeeberD]

Ugh, will my reaction time ever increase?

[Godzilla Blitz]

Klayman: Whoops! I'll add you right in. You should be right behind Blade 6119 in line. Sorry about that.

Jeeber D: Maybe not. The bummer about having low reactions is that you don't get too many chances to improve them either. If I put you alone guarding a UFO door, chances are that you get killed because of your slow reactions. If I pair you up with someone else, chances are they kill the alien before you get a shot off. The good get better; the weak stay the same. I think the better bet is to try to take advantage of your strengths, which are, um, let's see, um...well, maybe I can come up with a different plan.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

12 September

Throughout the day of the 12th, we begin shifting agents around to rebalance our forces.

Late in the afternoon, EU COM radar picks up a small UFO, loaded with Mutons, racing across Europe. Superman lauches in his Interceptor and gives chase. He catches the UFO over England. There, in a short dogfight, he downs the craft with a well placed missile.

We sit out the night, but early the next morning we launch our EU Skyranger with the following ten men aboard:

Tucker, Afoci, Kodos, Jeff Nights II, Sachmo II, Coffee Warlord II, Lokugh II, Sir Fozzie, and Swaggs.

It's Kodos first mission as a married man. We give him the Blaster Launcher to play with as a present.

Good luck, men!

[The Afoci]

I am ready to die.

[Glengoyne]

GB,

Just a note....can I get my name changed to Glengoyne, from Thirdandlong? It would be much appreciated, and it is what I am using from here forward.

And don't be in any rush to kill three agents, just to get my namesake activated. Not that I am counting mind you, but I noticed that three deaths result in my activation.

Don't people always die in threes?

Good Luck on your mission Fellas!

*crosses his fingers, and opens another box of Luck Charms

[Qwikshot]

On promotion to sergeant, Qwikshot II decides to quote:

Envy the country that has heroes. Pity the country that needs them.

[cthomer5000]

Damn this is a great dynasty. G.B.'s writeups are outstanding, but I think it's the commentary by everyone else that really put it on a pedastel.

I can't wait to see some more action, I've got quite a respectable missions/kills ratio.

[Superman=#54]

Thats how you do it. Take that alien byatches! VROOOMMM!!!!

LS GANGSTER STYLE!!!

Good Luck ground team, lets hope for no KIAs.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Whoa! Surprise Suprise! Special Tuesday Night Edition!

65th Mission: Muton Mess

The EU Skyranger heads towards England to clean up the remains of Superman’s first official kill: a very small Muton-filled scout ship. This should be a straightforward mission with a limited number of enemies, depending of course on the condition of the shot-down craft.

We’ve got an equal mix of youth and experience on board today. We don’t want our experienced troops to get out of shape, so they’re tagging along with some of the wave of new recruits that have filled the X-COM ranks over the past couple of weeks. Kodos will lead the mission.

The Skyranger begins its descent to the British countryside…

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Lokugh II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Sachmo II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Afoci (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Coffee Warlord II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Tasan (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side
1. Kodos (Blaster Launcher, Laser Pistol, Power Suit)
2. Jeff Nights II (Heavy Plasma, Stun Launcher, Power Suit)
3. Tucker (Heavy Plasma, Stun Blaster, Power Suit)
4. Mr. Bug IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Swaggs (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

We’ve got the standard British fare below as we come down: fields, stone walls, and fences. We can also make out the heavily damaged, still smoking, UFO remains about 40 yards to the right of where we’ll exit from our Skyranger. This craft is nearly a complete mess; I can’t imagine that there are many aliens left alive after such a disastrous landing. We’ll have to get Superman to knock these things down a bit more gently.

The battle today should occur almost exclusively to the right and rear of our Skyranger, as the areas to the left of the exit and towards the nose of the Skyranger are secure ground. We can’t make out any barns or other structures other than the UFO, but there is a hedge wall to the right of the UFO that blocks our view beyond on that side of the craft.

The Skyranger thumps into the soft British soil. The ramps drops outwards and hits with another thump. Silence greets us. The warm autumn air drifts into the Skyranger bay.

We send our tank down the ramp. It scans for alien activity but finds nothing. There is a low stone wall that offers cover just to the right of our exit. We send our tank there to cover our disembarking. Lokugh II and Afoci are first off the Skyranger. They take up firing positions at the wall as well.

Suddenly, we catch a glimpse of a Muton heading towards the UFO through the field at the left of the craft. There is a lot of smoke still oozing out of the UFO remains, and we lose sight of the creature before anyone can get a shot off. Lokugh II prepares a grenade and tosses it towards the center of the remains. It disappears into the smoke. At the same time, we nudge our tank past the stone wall and towards the UFO…

There! Muton, inside the craft! Afoci slides towards the nose of the Skyranger to get an angle around a section of the UFO wall that is still sticking up. He scuttles five feet, turns, and spots the Muton. He lifts his Heavy Plasma and fires. Streaks of green tear at the UFO, and one of them catches the Muton in the torso as it turns to return fire. Right then, Lokugh II’s grenade goes off with a crash, and suddenly there is no more Muton! Strangely, we heard no scream with the blast, but perhaps that was due to a problem with the sound amplifiers on our X-COM helmets? It’ll have to remain an unofficial kill until confirmation.

Tucker is next out of the Skyranger. He breaks rights and joins our tank and Afoci. The two of them then start following our tank on a slow advance across the field in front of the smoking UFO. We can now see that there is a small house just beyond the UFO remains.

Tasan is next out of the Skyranger. He joins Lokugh II and together they start heading straight back from the Skyranger to search the open fields that lie in that direction. Everyone else shuffles to the Skyranger exit.

Suddenly, a Muton sticks his head up from behind a battered section of the UFO wall and opens fire on our tank from about 20 yards away! Crap! The shot just misses the turret and drills Tucker, who was peering around the side. The shot punches a hole in his armor, runs through his chest, and comes out his back with a gush of red. Tucker’s body falls back into some lettuces heads, rolls over once, and comes to a rest. He was dead before he knew it. Afoci, standing beside him, immediately returns fire and catches the Muton in the head with a well-aimed shot. The Muton clutches its face, screams, and falls back into the UFO. X-COM 1, Aliens 1.

Afoci continues following our tank the rest of the way to the UFO. They cut to the right of the remains, and scan the trashed interior: nothing. Coffee Warlord II exits the Skyranger and starts to work his way across the field to reinforce their position.

Meanwhile, Lokugh II and Tasan complete a quick search of the open fields at the rear of the Skyranger, then break right to start a sweep of the fields that lie to the left of the UFO. This is a wide area, so Mr. Bug IV exits the Skyranger to help them out. We also send Swaggs out of the Skyranger. He begins a cautious, solo advance towards the hedge wall that lies to the right of the UFO. Lastly, Kodos exits and sets up a position with the Blaster Launcher in the field near the left of the exit.

Suddenly, Afoci catches movement up on the flat roof of the house just beyond the UFO! A Muton is trying to sneak up on our position! Coffee Warlord II, in the field in front of the UFO, has the best angle on the alien: he opens fire on full auto and nails the thing as it tries to take cover! It wails and drops to the roof! Nice shot! X-COM 2, Aliens 1.

We decide to bring out some artillery to help with clearing this building. Kodos plots a firing course to the second floor of the two-story house and lets fly with a missile. The rocket tears across the interval and slams into the brick structure with a roar. Brick, smoke, and debris come spewing out the side of the building, as the missile totals the upper floor. Unfortunately, we hear no alien screams.

Suddenly, back where Lokugh II, Mr. Bug IV, and Tasan are sweeping the fields to the right of the UFO, a Muton breaks out from behind a hedgewall about 30 yards in front of them and opens fire. A plasma blast arches towards Lokugh II, but slams into an intervening stone wall. The alien scurries back behind cover, just as Lokugh II ducks back behind a stone wall. Mr. Bug tosses a grenade at the hedgewall, near where the alien disappeared from view. Before the timer goes off, Tasan spots green movement by the hedgewall and stands to fire. He lays a stream of green plasma into the hedge. We hear a muffled alien grunt from behind the hedgewall, but it doesn’t appear as if the hit dropped the alien. Still, Mr. Bug’s grenade should take care of the alien. We wait for the blast…and wait for the blast…nothing?

D’oh! Mr. Bug looks a bit sheepish, as the men realize that he must have forgotten to prep the grenade before throwing it! Embarrassed, he quickly preps another grenade and tosses it at the hedge, but before it goes off, the Muton pops back through and snipes at our tank and Afoci near the UFO! Plasma blasts tear towards us, and one of them slams into our tank, badly damaging it! Finally, Mr. Bug’s grenade goes off, shattering the hedge and killing…

Huh? The Muton is still up! Damn, this guy is tough. The Muton is still standing, despite a grenade going off right at its feet! The creature is clearly dazed, though, as it is standing completely still in the open. We bring out all the stops. Time for our vets to show how things are done. Sachmo II and Jeff Nights II exit the Skyranger, zero in on the Muton using their HUDs—it’s a long, 60-yard shot from our Skyranger—and open fire on full auto. Green plasma blasts race toward the stunned Muton, who is shaking his head and trying to get his wits back. However, all our vets’ shots sail well wide. Mr. Bug and Tasan stand to try to do better. They open up on full auto, and Mr. Bug’s first shot catches the Muton in a thigh and severs a major artery; the Muton drops to the ground screaming. Within seconds it is dead!

And that’s it! Not much opposition, but they put up a damn good fight that cost us the life of Tucker.

Kills: Mr. Bug IV, 1; Coffee Warlord II, 1; Afoci, 1.
KIA: Tucker
Wounded: None
Attribute Improvements: Mr. Bug IV, Coffee Warlord II, Afoci, Lokugh II!
Final score: 38.
Mission Notes:
Note to self: Mutons can take a licking and keep on ticking.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Ring Ring Ring

Calling Breeze! Calling Breeze!

Pick up the phone! We need you! Report to USA COM for processing immediately!

[Swaggs]

RIP Tucker...

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

14 September

USA COM Directive

UN Liason Office to the X-COM Defense Force is concerned that our previous two base assaults have been too costly in terms of veteran agent KIAs. In each case, we have lost significant numbers of difficult-to-replace, highly experienced agents. The UN has approved our German base assault plans, but has ordered us to first "prep" the assault with with an initial assault by agents with two missions or less of experience. Two experienced agents will lead the assault and man the Blaster Launchers.

We have no choice but to comply.

The "qualifying" men:
Afoci, Katon, Blade III, Mr. Bug IV, Lokugh II, Sir Fozzie, Wolfpack, Japherwaki II, Condors II, Marmel, Swaggs, and Travis III.

The leaders:
Captain AStott and Sergeant Sachmo II

We launch immediately.

Good luck, men.

[Travis]

Lock and load baby. I think it's time for a double hat trick from the Canadians on this mission.

Besides, how better to show up some of those lazy vets than to steal the glory early

Bring on the gore, then bring on the whor............I mean the celebration cigars when we get back.

[Swaggs]

That which does not kill me makes me stronger.

[AStott]

Oh boy. So I'm in charge of the base assault then... hmmm.

Right. Umm... Go team... and stuff.

[Blade6119]

Originally posted by AStott
Oh boy. So I'm in charge of the base assault then... hmmm.

Right. Umm... Go team... and stuff.

you!...go right...you! go left...you! Human Shield...anyone bring the chips? its almost kickoff time

[JeeberD]

Hmmm, the German base assault should be very, very interesting...

[Coffee Warlord]

CWII is proving to be a solid agent. ROAR!

[RealDeal]

This needs a new thread badly.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Good idea on the new thread. Let's go to Part VIII.

See you there!

Thirdandlong/GlenGoyne: No problem. I'll change your name!