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

[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]

Originally Posted by DataKing

We're all gonna DIE!!!

Game over man! Game over!

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by Tasan

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

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.


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.


A new badguy.

To be continued...

[Poli]

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

[Tasan]

Originally Posted by Poli

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]

Originally Posted by Poli

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

Ask again after this mission is fully posted

[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.


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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

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.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

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]

Originally Posted by Tasan

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]

Originally Posted by Icy

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

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

PurdueBrad

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

Travis II

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

fff (fantastic flying froggies)

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

MrBug708

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

Kodos II

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

Neon Chaos II

Spoiler

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

Kills-0

RealDeal II

Spoiler

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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.