Yeah! Traipsing through Ohio and blowin' up countryside. I've always hated Ohio. I volunteer for the gun that will will do the most damage to Ohio!

-Anxiety

We were sent out for supplies. I was driving. We got lost.

Unfortunately you get a queer look from gas station attendants when you ask them where the X-COM base is. We'll get there eventually.

I knew I shouldn't have left my GPS at home.

Woohoo! I'm goin' to Mars!!!!!!! (If GB will keep me alive that long...)

I cannot believe how much it made my day to see that 91 next to "Revrew" under PsiD ratings. I am just waaayyy to heavily invested in this whole thing. GB, if we fail to take Mars, I'm going to need to see a therapist.

I am very happy to see this thread back in action.!!!


I'll be back later today to catch up and see if I have been killed.

Update

This just in from the Skyranger…

Skyranger Transmission

Captain AStott reporting light Ethereal resistance…Have eliminated all enemies outside the UFO…No casualties…Will just clear the inside of the UFO and be heading back...Prepare lunch for all ten of us, because we’re all coming back on this one…Good job, men...AStott, out.

Amen to that!!!

This is no doubt bad news!

Since today is my birthday, I petition to get in a mission. :)



Or something.

Whoops. Another Skyranger report just in…

Skyranger Transmission

AStott here again…Unexpected heavy resistance encountered around UFO…Um, about that lunch? Make it for nine people.

So what is the cutoff range for Psi Defense do you think GB? Thomkal II's 60 would seem to be on the borderline...

I predict that the next Skyranger transmission to look like this:

Ummm . . . AStott here . . . about that lunch . . . do you deliver? Yes? Great! We need enough food for 7. We're pretty well pinned down here.

:D

He he. Funny man, that Raven Hawk...

AStott just called in again…

Skyranger Transmission

Unexpected heavy resistance encountered inside UFO…Looks like lunch for eight.

Ya want fries with that?

RING RING RING

Calling agents...

Want to do a quick double check on the people in transit, and we need more people as well. If you're on this, you're either on your way to base or have been called. If you're marked as "AWOL" and/or "Called", drop a post here to let me know you're still around. Everyone else is ok, and will be in the game shortly.

Called/Transferring Agents

Ok, this is getting silly…

Skyranger Transmission

AStott here...Um, one more of ours seems to have disappeared…Seven lunch settings should do just fine.

RING RING RING

Calling:
Chief Rum IV, Daimyo II, Data King III, Katon II, Ardent Enthusiast, Peregrine, Raven Hawk II, Northwood DK, and Lokugh III.

First three men to respond get transferred from guard duty to active duty at USA COM.

Usually I'd call fewer people and give them more time, but we need to move quickly on this one. USA COM is undermanned.

i hate you godzilla....you always do this when im on one of the missions...Hopefully my young boy can make it out alive though

Blade6119: I can tell you that you went into the UFO first. You were a very brave agent today.

Thomkal: I don't really have a cutoff in mind yet. I'd like to take the best agents, and although PSI defense is important, I don't think it would be fair to make it the most important. Might be the smartest thing to do, but not the fairest.

Revrew: Yeah, with your stats, performance, durability, rank, and PSI defense, you'd have to think the powers that be would be hard pressed to overlook you on that mission to Mars. Providing you're still alive, of course.

Ardent: Happy Birthday. Get to your damn phone pronto and you'll be on your way to action in America.

Damn Americans don't give me a phone call. I feel like Ben Rothlisberger right now. Waiting and waiting for the phone to ring.

I REALLY hate you now...thats just not cooll...now i have absolutely nothing to look forward to, and can proceed to simply plan my agents funeral...welcome to heaven another blade

Notice the past tense Blade? Don't worry buddy, I'm sure I'm there with ya :(

To Do List
1. Get headstone for Blade6119 IV

SI

Your father, Blade6119 III, did very well inside UFOs, didn't he?

Oh, wait a second. Was he the one that got shot a half dozen times from point blank range in that supply ship?

You Blade6119s get killed so often I get all confused as to who was who.

Anyway, turn in tomorrow for...

Like father like son?

or...

How to get rid of anxiety?

or...

How not to attack UFOs 101?

or...

Some combination of all of the above.

uh oh....

Wow GB. You can be such a bastage. That post was just plain mean. :)

Ready whenever I'm needed

Hello, who is this? Have I told you about Sammy Jankis?


GET ME TO USA COM PRONTO!

Hmm, just wondering... does this mean I'm currently in the johns or something ? and everything going as planned ?
just curious...

Apart from that, pretty worried for the guys in the ongoing mission...

Great, with my 37 reactions and all....im sure i at least took a couple shots for someone who you dont actively try to kill :( ...maybe my 5th son will have some nice stats if he ever gets in with our current pace.

FYI: Inbreeding doesn't help, Blade6119.

Hey GB, I am still here...ready and waiting for Blade IV to try and bring some glory back to the Blade line...

Im not from kentucky, so you dont have to worry about stuff like that
:p

My PSI ratings aren't great, but I don't think I've ever been taken over by a psi attack. I think when you look at the whole picture, at everything I bring to the table, I definitely deserve to go to the alien base.

91st Mission: Ethereals in Ohio

The USA COM Skyranger is bound for eastern Ohio on a bright, sunny morning. They’re heading for the remains a large, Ethereal-staffed UFO scout.

The mood inside the Skyranger is one of professional caution. Ethereals are always challenging, as each of them has PSI powers. A half dozen of them can wreak havoc with a mission. We’ll need to be at our best.

AStott leads our attack.

After a short while, the green light goes on and the Skyranger begins its descent towards the farmland below.

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. CT Homer (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Sublime II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Rawisdan (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. AStott (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
5. Blade6119 IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Patman II (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
2. Anxiety II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Jeeber D (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Mr. Bug IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Klayman III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger drops quickly to the battle field below. The men look over the terrain on the way down. We’ve got the typical rural landscape: fields, groves, an occasional house. We’re coming down in the middle of the battle field. To the right of the Skyranger exit, about 30 meters away, we can see the one-story, medium-size, cross-shaped UFO. The exit to the craft is most likely on the far side, but even so, it shouldn’t take long for things to get hot on this landing. Directly in front of the exit, about 25 yards away, is a collection of one-story wooden shacks. We can see two, two-story structures—one right behind the other—about 10 yards to the left of where we’ll exit from the Skyranger. At the nose of the Skyranger are some open fields. Lots of places for aliens to hide. This could be tricky.

The Skyranger drops the final meters, flares its engines, and settles into the dry autumn soil. The gate falls away with a thud. Silence. No sign of the enemy.

We send our trusty tank down the ramp. It makes it to the bottom without incident, spins and scans…

Nothing.

Anxiety and Blade6119 are next out of the Skyranger. They quickly set up firing positions at the landing gear. Still no sign of the aliens. Our tank heads for the right side the UFO. Mr. Bug IV exits the Skyranger and joins Blade6119. The two of them make a quick dash for the back of our tank. We’ll send this team around the right side of the UFO. They can now see some more wooden shacks about 50 yards away, just past the right side of the UFO as we look at it. Mr. Bug and Blade6119 will have to keep a careful eye on those shacks as they advance.

Klayman exits the Skyranger and heads straight into the field at the rear of our exit. Anxiety II moves away to the left of our Skyranger. The rest of the men wait for the exit to clear.

Suddenly, Klayman spots movement in a small courtyard that lies between the shacks straight in front of us and the houses on our left. There! An Ethereal, about 35 yards away, in front of a house at the back side of the courtyard. Klayman drops to a knee, but the Ethereal is a bit quicker! A missile! The projectile screams towards Klayman, but the Ethereals aim is low. The missile hits the ground 10 yards in front of Klayman and goes off with a muffled pop. Stun gas—too far away to do any damage. A fraction of a second after the missile goes off, Klayman opens fire. Plasma sails into the courtyard. The Ethereal turns to run, but Klayman drills it with a shot that slams it against the wall. The Ethereal screams and drops to the ground, its upper torso a shattered mess. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

We continue to deploy, and start to search for aliens. For the next few minutes we see no more aliens, but we get hammered with three massive PSI attacks. Fortunately, our men hang tough. We can also hear the whirring of UFO doors. Mr. Bug and Blade6119 follow our tank and make it around the far side of the UFO without taking any fire from the shacks to their right. Once there, the two men set up a firing position on the side of the UFO exit from behind our tank. Patman II also exits the Skyranger and begins to work his way to these two men.

Klayman waits for Sublime II to join him, then the two of them head into the first building to our immediate left. We can now see that it is a two-story barn. While Klayman moves over to a window that overlooks the battlefield beyond, Sublime clears the second floor.

Jeeber D joins Anxiety, and the two of them search the open fields to the left of this first barn without finding any signs of aliens. They then swing right, to search the building just behind Klayman and Sublime’s barn. Rawisdan and CTHomer head straight out of the Skyranger, search the shacks in front of us, then hold their advance. We can now see that we are on the edge of a small town. There are a number of buildings just beyond these shacks and the buildings on our left, and we’ll need to clear everything in order to swing around the left side of the UFO. AStott bides his time at the Skyranger.

Suddenly, we are hit by yet another wave of PSI energy, and Klayman cracks! He drops his weapon, runs out of the barn he was in, and heads back for our Skyranger. Damn it, man! Snap out of it! Sublime II needs you!

Jeeber D and Anxiety reach the second building on our left, which we can now tell is another barn. While Anxiety keeps an eye on some shacks that lie just behind it, Jeeber D goes in for a quick search. He clears the wide open first floor, then starts up the stairs to the second floor—Ethereal at the top of the stairs! Jeeber reacts instantly and pulls the trigger on his Heavy Plasma. The blast catches the Ethereal in the chest and blows it back against a wall. The thing drops to the ground smoking. But are there more up there? Back at the Skyranger, AStott yells, “Clear the deck!” and lets rip with a Blaster Missile. As Jeeber dives off the stairs into the first floor of the barn, AStott’s missile flies out of the Skyranger, takes a wide path around the first barn, and slams into Jeeber’s barn right in the middle of the wooden wall on the second story. The blast tears through the floor, sending a massive wall of fire through the structure. Down on the first floor, Jeeber watches in horror as the wooden ceiling comes crashing down on him. Thank god for Crappy armor, as the wooden planks bounce harmlessly off him. As silence returns to the Ohio countryside, Jeeber scrambles out from under the broken planking. The entire second floor of the barn is gone. It is safe to say that there are no more aliens up there. We did not hear any screams, so we can assume that the alien Jeeber D killed was the only one up there. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

Things go quite once again. The men continue searching the rest of the battlefield. We come under no more PSI attacks, but we do hear the whirring of interior UFO doors. After a few minutes, there is only a two-story house that remains unsearched. We could send men in and do this room by room, or…

Two quick blaster missiles later, there is no more house, and we can say that the battlefield is secure. All that remains is the interior of the UFO. There are no holes in the craft, so it looks like we may have to go in and get our enemies. Over the next few minutes Mr. Bug and Blade 6119 hold their position on the UFO exit as we close in from all sides. Patman II and Sublime II move in behind Mr. Bug and Blade 6119. CT Homer, Rawisdan, Jeeber D, and Anxiety II move in from the other side. AStott holds his position in the fields. Klayman III, still shaken from the mind control, holds his position in the barn.

Suddenly, as the men on the left side of the UFO work their way around the craft, a wave of PSI energy rolls over them. Rawisdan lets out a bloodcurdling scream and starts babbling in Ethereal! Shit. Third in the line of men, he opens fire on Anxiety II, who is only a few yards in front of him. Hot plasma rips through the weak rear of Anxiety’s Crappy Armor and blows a huge hole in his lower back. Anxiety’s upper torso folds back over his legs and he crumples to the ground dead! Damn it! CT Homer—just in front of Anxiety—sprints forward, towards the UFO door and away from Rawisdan. Jeeber D—just behind Rawisdan—turns around, races away from the UFO, and dives behind a small shack. Rawisdan opens fire on Jeeber D, but the shots don’t make it through the shack. X-COM 2, Aliens 1.

Damn it. The Ethereals must be PSI-blasting us from inside the UFO. We’ll have to hurry. So much for advance planning. Charge! Our tank, Blade6119, and Mr. Bug race for the UFO door from the left. Blade6119 is the first one there. He slams his hand onto the opening panel, and steps inside…

The dark interior of the UFO is badly damaged from the crash. There is smoke and debris everywhere. Small fires provide some light, but throw dancing shadows over the wreckage and remaining interior walls. Blade6119 frantically scans the area…

There! Ethereal, 10 yards away, in some smoke at the center of the craft. Blade drops to a knee and opens fire, just as the Ethereal turns to do the same. Plasma tears through the UFO and drills the Ethereal in the chest. It howls and topples over a shattered control panel. Blade steps to the right as Mr. Bug is next into the UFO. Mr. Bug breaks right and heads for a relatively undamaged area off to that side of the craft. X-COM 3, Aliens 1.

Outside, as CT Homer head for the UFO door from the left, plasma blasts sail past him from behind! Shit. Rawisdan is closing in from behind! Homer can’t make the corner safely, so he dives back, behind the protection of another corner of the UFO, and trains his weapon towards the corner that Rawisdan is approaching. If Raw turns that corner, Homer will have him dead to rights.

On the other side of the craft, Patman II and Sublime II race for the UFO door. Suddenly, Patman II is hit by a wave of PSI energy, and he starts speaking Ethereal! An instant later he opens fire on Sublime II, who is only about ten yards in front of him. Plasma sails over Sublime’s shoulders, but he continues racing for the UFO door. As Sublime turns the corner to enter a plasma blast ricochets off his hip armor, but he dives into the UFO safely.

We’ve got to wrap this up quickly, as we’ve got two mind-controlled aliens closing in on us from behind! Inside the UFO, Mr. Bug races through a door on the right, turns left, and comes up on an Ethereal hiding behind the remains of a wall just to the right of the central area. Mr. Bug opens fire from 5 yards away, but misses! The Ethereal turns to open fire, but Mr. Bug manages to jump back through the doorway before the alien can get a shot off.

Back at the door, Blade6119 and Sublime—neither of who can spot Mr. Bug’s alien—still scan the inside the craft for other signs of movement…

Blade6119 hears something stumble on a piece of debris to his right. He turns quickly…

Ethereal, trying to sneak up on him, about five yards away. How did he get there? Mr. Bug ran right through that spot! Blade6119 has not time to ponder the answer though, as the two combatants bring their weapons to bear. Blade6119 is a fraction of a second faster, and that is all it takes. A direct hit from Blade6119’s Heavy Plasma blows the creature apart. X-COM 4, Aliens 1.

We keep up the pressure. As Sublime II preps a grenade, Mr. Bug takes a deep breath, barges through the door again, turns left, and drops to a knee to face the Ethereal taking cover behind the wall section. A plasma blast from the Ethereal cuts through the space Mr. Bug’s upper torso just vacated, and then Mr. Bug opens fire on full-auto. Plasma rips apart the interior of the UFO, but Mr. Bug does manage one hit that rips off the Ethereal’s left hand. Mr. Bug dives back through the doorway, just as Sublime tosses his grenade a couple of feet from the alien’s wall.

The grenade goes off with a deafening roar in the confined space. Shrapnel and metal fly through the interior, but there is no alien scream! Damn it.

Outside the UFO, Patman II snaps out of his alien funk and tries to clear his head. However, Rawisdan, still controlled by the aliens, comes around a corner of the UFO right in front of CT Homer! CT—who has been at the ready for the past couple of minutes—opens fire from point blank range…

and misses! Aargh! Rawisdan twists right, puts the barrel of his Heavy Plasma on CT Homer’s faceplate, and fires. CT Homer’s head explodes in a flash of red, and he drops to the ground, dead. Shit. How did CT miss that shot? X-COM 4, Aliens 2.

Back inside, Mr. Bug tries the door a third time. He barges through and spots the now dazed Ethereal. This time Mr. Bug has better luck: he lands three quick hits on the Ethereal, who screams and topples to the ground. X-COM 5, Aliens 2.

And with that, our threat sensors fade to green. It’s over. Finally.

The men exit the UFO and head for the field to the left of the craft. They gather the remains of CT Homer and Anxiety II.

Rawisdan is nowhere to be found. X-COM 5, Aliens 3.

Kills: Klayman III, 1; Jeeber D, 1; Blade6119 IV, 2; Mr. Bug IV, 1.
KIA: CT Homer, Anxiety II.
MIA: Rawisdan.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Klayman III, Jeeber D, Blade6119 IV, Mr. Bug IV, Sublime II,
Final score: 123
Mission Notes:
I think I’m really rusty. About two months ago, I had played the part up to where we clear the exterior of the UFO. I picked up playing again at the point where we approach the UFO, and promptly lose three men in less than ten minutes. I better remember how to play this game quickly, or we are in trouble.

Obvious mistakes:
1. I know aliens can PSI-blast us through UFO walls, but bunched up too much on the approach.

2. I should have blown a hole in the rear of the UFO and gone in that way. It would have been faster and more effective. Alternatively, a blaster missile into the UFO would have taken out those aliens in one turn.

3. I should have brought our tank around to provide cover for CT Homer against Rawisdan. Our tank was doing nothing.

GB, put me on the list to join please??? :)

We now have 2 traitors in our ranks. For shame!

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait? So, Blade survived. Blasphemy! ;)

SI

If I'm not too late, I am reporting for duty. Send me to USACom.

Traitors!!!! Hang em and shoot em.

Woohoo! Got me a kill!

I should have taken out Rawisdan when I had the chance, though. Cthomer might still be alive today if I had... :(

How right you are. The lesson here: When you have a chance to blast a Cowboys fan, don't hesitate.



:p

Cowboys fan on Cowboys fan violence has got to end!!! ;)

November 1-5
Amazingly, things go quiet over the first few days of November. Only two UFOs appear. Toddiec IV blows a small UFO apart over the North Pole, and Superman lets a small UFO get away over South Africa. Neither encounter leads to ground action.

Over the second and third, we get eight new recruits to our SAM COM and AFRICA COM bases. I’ll post their stats shortly.

November 5 brings outstanding news. Craptacular brings us word that the plans are complete for the Ultimate Starcraft, codenamed Avenger, and capable of flight to Mars. We have been gearing up AFRICA COM for this production job, and as soon as they complete work on the Firestorm fighter they are working on now, production will begin on the Avenger. Production is estimated at seven weeks, and we’re a week away from starting. In short: two months to Mars, if all goes well.

The silence is short-lived though, as…

November 6
Early in the morning, two immense UFO battleships pop up on EU COM radar, heading straight for Europe. We immediately prepare and launch the ASIA COM Skyranger for Europe, and put EU COM on alert. The UFOs scour the continent for a few hours, and at times come dangerously close to our EU COM base. One of them eventually lands in western Germany. We route the inbound ASIA COM Skyranger to that target. Shortly after that, the other UFO touches down in central France. With EU COM now free from the threat of attack, we scramble the EU COM Skyranger for the second UFO.

Oh boy. Two undamaged battleships filled with PSI-capable Sectoids. These gave us hell last time, and I’m rusty. Rub those juju beads for luck, because it’s time to mix it up again, and odds are some of us will be dying before the sun sets.

EU COM will reach their target first. On board:
Jfbbis, Wolfpack, Swaggs, Mike Vic, The Herd, Vince, Tucker II, Revrew, Breeze, and Chuck U Farley.

ASIA COM will reach the German UFO an hour later. On board:
TBA (Actually, I forgot)

Give ‘em hell, men. Let’s all get through this in one piece.

I’ll post a stat update, then list who’s in PSI training this month soon. Most likely post this next mission sometime over the weekend, but maybe sooner.

Random Notes...

The flash drive I found a few days ago was my wife's, but I finally found ours. I might just skip the photos on the last few missions and start with the next one.

Kodos: Now that I know that Jeeber and Rawisdan are Cowboy fans, it'll be easy to figure out who gets the point on USA COM missions.

Jeeber: Yeah, I thought we could get everyone away, and thought that there would only be one or two easily killed aliens inside the UFO. I thought we could save everyone's life. Wrong on all three counts.

Lokugh, Ardent, Katon: You've been moved up to active duty at USA COM. Welcome to the big leagues.

Gkb: Got it! Welcome! You've been added to the list.

Lastly, we need one more person off the waiting list to report for guard duty...

RING RING RING

Calling Shorty, Tasan, Rich, and Travis. First one to reply gets moved up to guard duty.

Rock on.

I'm in!

Rock On.

I lived! And killed 2 little green bastards to boot...And now Ardent will fight by my side! This is a glorious day!

I have a feeling my character might not survive his first journey...

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 91)
An asterix after your kill total indicates that you are in PSI Training for November.

USA COM

EU COM

ASIA COM

SAM COM

AFRICA COM

X-COM II Troop Attributes
Support Personnel

Attribute Leaders (After Mission 90)

Attribute Doggies (After Mission 90)

Top Ten Kills Leaders

Waiting List

Ah damn I go off and buy a house, and miss my call up maybe. I'm here I'm here! Tasan II reporting!

Where ARE your priorities, son?!? :mad:



;)

Tasan: No, you're fine. On your way to Africa right now. Congrats on the house!

Mike Vic: Outside of low bravery, the reactions of a dead hippo, and the accuracy of a drunk man peeing in the wind, you make a fine agent. Look on the bright side, your...um...let's see...humm...yikes...forget it, you really are awful.

Ok, here's a positive thought: your son will be better than you!

In all seriousness, though, you just never know. The original Klayman was a wimp when he started, but ended up having an outstanding career.

Blade6119: And to think you doubted me. Sigh.

Also...

RING RING RING
Calling Daimyo II, Data King III, Chief Rum IV, Raven Hawk II, Peregrine, and BYU II for duty in Europe. The first one to reply makes the jump to the show.

Also calling Shorty II, Rich II, Travis II, and Render III off the waiting list. First one to reply heads off for guard duty.

I'm ready to roll.

Reporting to the European Tour, sir!

Doh, just missed it!!! I am ready when needed though!!

Update
As the EU COM Skyranger races westward toward France, the men inside enjoy some hastily ordered Chinese food. As the meal begins, Jfbbis passes around the fortune cookies. Each man gets one, opens it, and reads his fortune:

Chinese Fortune Cookies
Mike Vic: Your friends will abandon you.
Wolfpack: You get a pear.
Tucker: Busy early, bored later.
Breeze: Help! I’m still a prisoner in this cookie factory.
Swaggs: Last but not least.
Chuck U Farley: Gatesville by eleven over Dallas.
Revrew: Difficult times await you.
Jfbbis: You will kill.

As Jfbbis passes the second to last cookie to The Herd, The Herd accidentally drops it. It falls to the floor of the Skyranger, where Vince—sitting beside The Herd—reaches down, picks it up, and offers it back to The Herd.
“No, you keep that one. I’ll take this one.” The Herd then takes the last cookie from Jfbbis. Vince opens the one that fell to the floor. The two men read their fortunes.

The Last Two Fortune Cookies
Vince: You will hear voices from beyond. Then you die.
The Herd: Today is your red letter day!

Humm, did they each get the correct cookie?

Ah, but they’re only silly fortune cookies anyway.

Heh.

Will revrew die today? Will CWII finally be promoted to officer status?

Travis II makes the jump to guard duty. Raven Hawk II heads off for Europe.

BYU II: No problem. Another spot just opened up. You're off to active duty!

Running up a phone bill here...

RING RING RING
Active duty call up: Peregrine, Northwood DK, Daimyo II, Data King III, Chief Rum IV, Kingfc, Barkeep, and Fantastic Froggies. First two to reply move up to active duty.

Guard duty call up: Shorty, Rich, Render, Zippy, Gi, The Almighty. First three to reply move up to guard duty.

Next mission should go up this evening.

Time to get this dynasty rolling.

Ready for duty, Sir.

Hmmm... WHO will I kill ? I'm not very good against psi attacks IRC. And, as an officer, I'm BEHIND my men....Well, * shrugs * stuff happens ;)

Keep up the good work GB :) What do we get, 10 soldiers per Psi Training session?

How much longer am I hurt?

Promotions

As the battle rages in France, X-COM command announces two promotions:

Sublime II gets promoted to Sergeant.
Fonzie II gets promoted to Sergeant.

Congratulations, men! Hope you enjoy the increase in pay.

So, reporting for duty at USACom in my vintage Randy White jersey is probably a bad idea, right?

Lokugh

The Almighty: Welcome to Africa!

Vince: 10 men per PSI-lab. We've got two PSI labs in ASIA, one in Europe, one in USA, and we're building one in Africa.

Sachmo: About ten days left. Not sure how many missions that could entail.

Lokugh: No, USA shouldn't be a problem. Just try to avoid missions where Kodos is in charge.

Can I be promoted to electronics technician, 2nd class, surface warfare? :)

Dola: With 9 ribbons, please.

Fantastic Flying Froggies reporting for duty, Sir !

Gimme a blaster, point me in the right direction and I'll do the rest !

92nd Mission: Sectoids Si Vou Plait.

The EU COM Skyranger screams through the afternoon sky en route to a rendezvous with a Sectoid-infested battleship that has touched down in France. The last time EU COM ran up against a UFO this big, we left four dead men on the battlefield. Sectoid leaders have PSI powers, their troops are often armed with Blaster Launchers, and they most likely outnumber us. This should be a good fight.

We’ve got a reasonably experienced core with us today, although the recent spate of casualties has forced us to surround them with inexperienced recruits. Six of our agents today have three or fewer missions under their belt, and two—Mike Vic and The Herd—are going into battle for the first time.

The Skyranger begins its gradual descent to the sunny countryside below.

Jfbbis will lead our men today.

Our troops:

Left Side:
1. Jfbbis (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Vince (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Wolfpack (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Swaggs (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
5. Chuck U Farley (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Revrew (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Breeze (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Tucker II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Mike Vic (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. The Herd (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger descends to the battlefield. Typical of Europe, we’ve got fields, farms, and fences galore. Immediately to the right of our exit will be a two-story farmhouse. However, dominating the landscape is the massive, three-story Sectoid battleship that lies just beyond the barn, about 30 meters from our Skyranger. From previous missions, we know that the top two floors of battleships sit on a bottom floor that consists of five landing pods, each in themselves a medium-size room capable of holding aliens. One of the five pods lies under the center of the UFO; this is where the dual exit doors are located. The interior of the central pod is a grav-lift leading up into the main body of the UFO. We’re landing on the southwest corner of the battle zone, so the areas to our left and at the nose of the Skyranger are secure ground. Elsewhere, we’ve got fields, stone walls, and fences.

We’re not getting a good landing position here, as we’ll have to take the barn before we can approach the UFO. Clearing the barn will take time, and that will allow the aliens to exit the UFO before we can pin them inside.

The Skyranger settles over the battlefield, then drops the final meters to land with a soft thunk on French soil. The ramp falls away with a clang, and we are created by a wave of cool autumn air. Silence.

We quickly send our Hovertank out the exit, then up to sky level to get a look around. It meets no resistance as it climbs above our Skyranger. Unfortunately, both the farmhouse to our right and the UFO that lie beyond it block our line of sight, and we don’t see much more of the battlefield. Our Hovertank returns to ground level and begins to work its way alongside the barn, toward the UFO.

Vince is out of the Skyranger next. He breaks to the farmhouse, blows a hole in the outer wall, and steps into a bedroom. He takes up a firing position covering the two internal doors out of this room. We hear the click of a building door open, so there could be company in here. Heads up, Vince!

Mike Vic and The Herd exit the Skyranger, and quickly move in behind the tank. Once there, they advance past the corner of the farmhouse and quickly move under the edge of the UFO. This is risky, as our flanks our uncovered, but our mission should go much easier if we can pin the bulk of the aliens in the UFO.


X-COM forces advance under a Sectoid battleship. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

At the Skyranger, Chuck U Farley heads out to join Vince in his search of the farmhouse interior. Also, Tucker exits and begins to make his way alongside the right side of the building. The rest of the men wait for the exit area to clear.

As Tucker works alongside the farmhouse, he spots the front door through a window: it’s open. The enemy is here, and he is close! Get ready, men. Breeze quickly exits the Skyranger and moves to support Tucker on this side of the house. Chuck and Vince get ready to bust out of the bedroom.

Back at the UFO, our tank, Mike Vic, and The Herd close in on the central exit pod. They get 15 meters away and set up a firing position on the exit. Almost immediately, a Sectoid comes out of the exit door right in front of them! The two rookies go for their weapons, but before they can fire, the Sectoid darts back inside the UFO. Damn rookies.

At the farmhouse, Vince and Chuck barge out of the bedroom and quickly search the remainder of the first floor: nothing. Tucker and Breeze reach the far side of the farmhouse and take up firing positions on a field and a barn that lie on the other side. Where did that Sectoid go that opened up the door? Humm. Chuck heads up to the second floor to make a quick search, and Vince takes up a firing position on the field from a first floor window.


A cutaway scan of the ground level of X-COM forces clearing a French farmhouse. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back at the Skyranger, Swaggs exits, works his way to the nose of the Skyranger, and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher. Wolfpack exits and starts forward to lend support to our men at the UFO exit.

Back at the UFO, the Sectoid exits again! Once again, neither side gets off a shot before the Sectoid darts back inside. Humm, maybe our men can’t fire over a Hovertank? We shift our tank right, and move Mike Vic and The Herd out from behind it to a position to the left of the exit. The tank should draw fire, allowing our two men to plug anything that comes out. Almost immediately after we do this, a blast of plasma comes streaking at our tank from somewhere to the left of the central pod! The shot slams into the landing pod just behind our tank. Mike Vic, peers around the corner of the landing pod he is behind, and spots a Sectoid lying on the ground, about 30 meters away, near the north side of the UFO. Mike opens up on full-auto before the Sectoid can react. Plasma tears up the earth around the Sectoid. One shot catches the Sectoid in the face, shattering it in a puff of green. The alien screams and dies. Nice shot, ex-rookie! X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Back at the farmhouse, Breeze, Vince, and Tucker catch sight of a Sectoid moving though the field towards our position. It has yet to see us. The three men wait for the alien to get closer. It gets 35 meters away, and then all three men open fire. The alien has no chance, but it is Tucker that gets the kill: his first shot decapitates the alien in a green explosion. The thing claws for its head, then topples to the ground. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.


X-COM forces advance across the French countryside. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Back at the UFO, the Sectoid in the central pod exits once more. This time The Herd gets a shot off that rips a chunk of the alien’s thigh off. The Sectoid stays up, bounces a shot off our Hovertank’s armor, then jumps back inside the UFO. Damn this guy. Suddenly, a wave of PSI energy sweeps through our forces. The Herd panics, drops his weapon, and starts sprinting back towards the Skyranger. Mike Vic gulps in fear: he is now alone at the battleship exit.


A ground level satellite scan of an X-COM assault on a Sectoid battleship. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

We’ve got to bring more firepower on the central pod. Jfbbis orders Wolfpack and Vince to try to move around the far side of the south pod and come up on central pod from another angle. Wolfpack swings away from the farmhouse and goes between the house and the south side of the UFO. Vince exits the farmhouse through the front door, breaks left, and heads for the UFO by making his way alongside the front of the house. As Vince reaches the corner, he catches sight of a Sectoid taking cover behind the east pod, off to his right. Some fences block his line of fire, but at that moment Wolfpack comes around the corner of the south pod, picks up the Sectoid on his HUD, and opens fire. Plasma slams into the east pod. The alien tries to move back, but before it can Wolfpack drills it in the chest, which explodes in a splash of green gore. The alien screams and falls backwards. Nice shooting, Wolfpack! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

A second later, at the UFO exit, that one pesky Sectoid steps out again. Mike Vic gets off a shot, hitting the thing again, but still it stays up. Once again it scurries back inside. Right after that, The Herd screams in agony, starts speaking in Sectoid, and starts running in circles near the left side of the south pod. He’s gone over to the aliens! Good thing he dropped his weapon. Let’s hope he doesn’t arm a grenade (I forgot if they’ll do that).

Revrew runs out of the Skyranger and starts a full sprint to Mike Vic’s position. Revrew is an expert at busting battleships, and it’s time to get him into the action.

Back at the farmhouse, Tucker and Breeze start to advance on the barn through the field between it and the farmhouse. Rather than do a tedious search, we let Swaggs send a pair of blaster rockets into the barn. The massive explosions send brick, wood, and debris flying in all directions. When the dust settles there is no more barn.

Back at the UFO, Wolfpack and Vince cautiously advance on the central pod from between the south and east pods. Revrew moves towards our tank and Mike Vic, who has valiantly held his position. The Herd—still babbling in Sectoid—is fumbling with his Power Suit off to their left.

Once again, that damn Sectoid in the central pod steps out. This time Mike Vice blows a hole in the thing’s stomach with a perfect plasma blast. The thing drops screaming in front of the exit. Finally! An instant later our tank, Mike Vic, and Revrew are rocked by a large explosion. Shit! The Herd tossed a grenade at us! Damn it. He can arm and throw those things while under alien control. Jfbbis, at the edge of the Skyranger bay, has a perfect line of sight on the The Herd, and makes a command decision. He opens fire from 40 meters away and drills The Herd with three consecutive shots. The Herd topples to the ground, dead. Mike Vic shakes his head to clear it, and appears ok. Revrew, however, has a six-inch metal fragment sticking out of his neck armor. Blood is pouring out of the hole and down his armor. He quickly retreats towards the Skyranger as Jfbbis exits with his Medi-Kit to help. X-COM 4, Aliens 1.


X-COM forces assault the central pod of a Sectoid battleship. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

While all this was going on, Chuck Farley finishes clearing the upper floor and roof of the house beside the Skyranger. He makes a jump from the roof to the bottom of the battleship’s south pod, then swings left to help Mike Vic, who once again has been abandoned at the UFO exit. Just as Chuck gets there, we are again hit with a crippling wave of PSI-energy. This time Mike can’t handle it. He goes berserk and opens fire in all directions. Chuck dives behind our tank for cover as the shots go flying. Fortunately, nothing important gets hit.

Back near the Skyranger, Jfbbis pulls the shrapnel from Revrew’s neck and slaps on a medi-patch. The medicine kicks in quickly, and Revrew gives Jfbbis the thumbs up. Still, Jfbbis orders him to switch weapons with Swaggs, as Revrew is not at full strength. Revrew begins to jog to Swaggs’ position.

Back at the UFO, things continue badly to the left of the south pod. Mike Vic stops shooting, but freezes instead. He sits perfectly still and mumbles, “Barney is a nice dinosaur. Barney is a nice dinosaur,” over and over. With him on the edge of going over to the aliens, Chuck can’t get out from behind the tank, and Jfbbis, who starts to move up to help, has to hold up at the rear of the south pod. Not only that, but Mike is dead meat if an alien comes out the door.

Fortunately, the men on the other side of the south pod fare better, as Wolfpack and Vince close to within 15 meters of the central pod’s exits and set up firing positions on both doors. Just as they get there, another Sectoid comes straight out of the exit and turns to fire at Mike. Mike looks over at the Sectoid, tilts his head, and asks “Barney?” just as the Sectoid pulls the trigger—the Sectoid’s head explodes in a green explosion! Vince drilled the alien just as it pulled the trigger! Wow! The alien’s shot—jarred by Vince’s hit—sails harmlessly over Mike’s head. But just then another wave of PSI-energy hits us. This time Chuck panics and freezes behind the tank. Oh no! The fearless Chuck Farley cracks! Now we’ve got both men out of action on that side of the pod. Damn it. X-COM 5, Aliens 1.

Before we can consider what to do, another Sectoid come out of the central pod, this time from the east exit. Wolfpack is lightning fast on the trigger, though, as he disembowels the thing with a perfect shot from 20 meters away. The Sectoid clutches his stomach as his entrails gush to the ground. Within seconds it is dead. X-COM 6, Aliens 1.

Elsewhere, Swaggs exchanges weapons with Revrew, and then jogs forward to help out at the central pod. Revrew sets up the Blaster Launcher and waits for orders. Breeze and Tucker complete their sweep of the barn remains, then swing north to sweep the open fields to the east of the massive UFO.

Back at the UFO, we catch a break. Both Chuck and Mike start responding to orders. Jfbbis orders both of them to drop all weapons and move back to the Skyranger. The two men clear the area immediately. Swaggs and Jfbbis quickly move up to take their place. Within seconds, the two men are positioned about 10 meters to the left of the south exit. We’ve now got four men and our tank with great shots at the central pod.

They don’t have to wait long for more action. A Sectoid comes out of the south door, right in front of our men. The Sectoid gets off one shot that blows a foot-wide hole in our tank, before Vince drops him screaming to the ground with plasma blast to the groin. A second later we hear the deadly whoosh of an alien Blaster missile, but the missile never makes it out of the UFO. Instead, the craft is rocked by an internal explosion that blows a hole in a second-story section of the craft’s south side. Silly Sectoids. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up. Revrew plots a firing course into the interior of the UFO with his Blaster Launcher, then pulls the trigger. The missile goes over the intervening farmhouse, drops down into the UFO, then shakes the craft with its second massive explosion in less than a minute. Inside the UFO we hear alien death wails! Revrew got at least one! X-COM 8, Aliens 1.

While this goes on, Breeze and Tucker quickly sweep through the fields to the east of the UFO, and swing around to clear the north side. We should be able to bring them up on the central pod from the far side of the UFO in a couple of minutes.

Revrew follows his first missile shot with another one to the interior of the UFO, and once again the UFO rumbles with a massive explosion. This time a few metal plates above our soldiers near the central pod come crashing down to the ground near our men. Looking up, we can see that the interior of the UFO’s second floor is a flaming wreck. Once again we hear the screams of aliens dying! Way to go Revrew! X-COM 9, Aliens 1.

Suddenly, another Sectoid comes racing out of the central pod. He turns towards Jfbbis and Swaggs, and pulls the trigger before either man can get a shot off. The plasma blast sails right between the two men’s’ heads and goes flying off into the distance. The Sectoid never gets a second chance though, as Swaggs sends him flying backwards with a chest shot that kills the thing before it hits the ground. Boo yaa! X-COM 10, Aliens 1.

And with that kill, our threat sensors fade to green! We’ve done it! Mission over!

Well done, men!

Kills: Revrew, 2; Wolfpack, 2; Swaggs, 1; Tucker II, 1; Vince, 2; Mike Vic, 2.
KIA: The Herd.
Wounded: Revrew (8 days).
Attribute Improvements: Revrew, Wolfpack, Swaggs, Tucker II, Vince, Mike Vic, Chuck U Farley.
Final score: 550. Good numbers.
Mission Notes:
I hate to lose anyone on a mission, but all in all a battleship fight where we only lose one rookie has to be classified as a strong success.

Despite getting wounded, Revrew racked up two kills with the Blaster Launcher to become our fourth 20-mission/20-kill agent! Congratulations!

Despite cracking later, Mike Vic has to be commended for his bravery in action. On his virgin mission, he held his position alone in front of the massive battleship’s exit and killed two Sectoids in fierce fire fights, despite losing The Herd to alien PSI-blasting and Revrew to a grenade wound. We asked too much of you, yet you answered the call.

I'm here. Hopefully not too late.

I'm pleased with my stats as well. A nice 50 rating in bravery should hopefully help avoid an embarassing moment on the battlefield.

This only means my first action should be coming soon.

Nice mission, GB.

Glad to see that I'm in Psi Training now. I think I'll do pretty well since I have yet to crack under any of the psi-attacks that I've faced. Of course, even if I do have good psi ratings undoubtedly my low reactions and my being the least brave X-Com soldier will keep me off of Mars... :(

I gotta ask, where can you pick up this game, and is this X-Com I or X-Com III?

I'm not sure if I can still make the call-up but I'm ready and willing.

RendeR III takes off his Bengals helmet, grabs the cell phone, nods, and hangs up.

"Sorry coach, I can't carry the rock for you this year, my brother and Father are dead, its my turn to go save the planet."

And with that, #34 RendeR III takes off his Uniform, and leaves the NFL as the second leading rusher of all time, to go defend our planet from maggot ridden scum.

and no, I don't mean Ravens fans.......

Sweet...more kills than Missions! Hopefully my bravery went up a bit...if I remember correctly my guy is not the bravest of our crew.

Warhammer - This is X-Com: UFO Defense (also known as Enemy Unknown, I think). It's X-Com 1.

"Back when I was in X-Com, sonny, we didn't have any of that fancy gemnocide beam stuff! No, we only had plasma guns, and blaster launchers, and WE LIKED IT! I remember the time I took a piece of Shrapnel...right there...see that scar, sonny? I had hot iron hangin' out my neck, swingin' in the breeze, flies was buzzin about my head, looking for a chance to lick up the rivers of blood I was gushin out all over my power suit...and still I picked up a blaster launcher and ripped open a three-story Sectoid battleship. Every pull of the trigger sent screams of agony through what was left of my severed jugular, but I kept firing, sonny! I kept firin', Sonny! That's how I saved France, Sonny! And don't you forget it!"

Wolfpack climbs back aboard the Skyranger and slumps in his seat, having scored two kills on the day. He picks up his fortune and looks at it again: "You get a pear." Having wondered what it meant before and not encountering a single pear tree on the battlefield, he comes to realize the traslator must've screwed up the spelling. A wry smile and a chuckle briefly ensue before he is overcome by fatigue and falls asleep.

Update

Two hours after Swaggs killed the last alien in France, the ASIA COM Skyranger begins its descent to the German countryside.

A fax got cut off en route from headquarters to ASIA COM, which resulted in the very last name getting left off the list. As a result only nine men are aboard the Skyranger today.

On board:
Split Personality III, Danny Van Halen, Afoci, Condors II, Jeff Nights II, 3ric IV, Fonzie II, PsychoCop II, Hoops Guy

Good luck, men.

YAY! I didn't die, AND I got a kill!:D

Doesn't get much better than that.

9+tank? Just asking, as that wasn't along on the last Asia mission. If I didn't know better, I would think you are handicapping yourself to try and make things more interesting between now and Mars. Actually, I don't know better ....

Hoops Guy: No, I just spaced out and only selected nine men instead of ten. Silly me.

Tucker: Two missions, two kills, and in PSI training. Your future is looking bright.

Wolfpack: You and Vince were key today. This mission could have gotten ugly fast if we lost our hold on the central pod. Well done!

Revrew: :)

Vince: Bravery only goes up rarely. You have to not break under adverse conditions (i.e., lots of agents dying) in order to see this go up. The more I play, the more I realize that bravery isn't important if you are winning, but becomes critical if you start taking lots of casualities.

Kingfc, Render: You're on your way to active duty. Do us proud!

Barkeep: Sorry, you just missed the call-up to active duty. There may be another one soon.

Jeeber D: Outside of reactions and maybe bravery, you're reasonably solid. If we can get your marksmanship up another ten points, you'd make a nice "Jfbbis-type" agent: back row, picking off aliens that others spot. The key for you will be PSI defense, though. If you perform well in battle, have solid PSI-defense, and can boost your marksmanship over the next month or so, you've got a chance to make Mars.

Lastly, we still need one more person for guard duty, so...

RING RING RING

Calling Shorty II, Rich II, Zippy III, Gi, Tellistto, Anxiety III.

First one to reply moves up to guard duty at Africa.

I'm thinking of making a push here and trying to do one mission every other day for a while, so keep your eyes peeled if you're on guard duty or on waiting lists. Aiming to put the next mission up Saturday night (tomorrow).

been too long since i killed me an alien

Update

Godzilla Blitz’s Diary…

November 6

Met Candy, Brock, and little Knute in “downtown” Fargo for dinner tonight. They were passing through on their way to visit relatives, and I thought it would help kill time while we wait for the results from the ASIA COM mission in Germany. Ate Mexican, and now my stomach is a mess. Candy’s good, and still looks hot as ever. Brock is still a brick (When his Nachos came, the waiter says, “Nachos!” and Brock, says, “They are too mine. Give ‘em to me.” Sigh. Man, I don’t know what she saw in him.) Knute is seven now, and was wearing a Notre Dame cap. I “accidentally” flung salsa on it. Old habits die hard.


Anyway, I said goodbye to them and was walking back to the X-COM Humvee to head back to base, when I pass this little shop with a sign on it that says, “Miss Terry: Fortunes Told”. I figure what the hell, so I go in. The place was empty except for this hot babe sitting behind a counter. She must have been in her twenties, with long dark hair. Perfect body, from what I can see of it. She looked Mediterranean, and she spoke with what might have been a Greek accent. Turns out she is the fortune teller and receptionist all in one, and she only wants $20 to answer any questions I have. “Pay only if you are satisfied,” she tells me. No wonder she’s working this gig in a hole like Fargo, I think.

She takes me back to a small dark room with a beat-up round table in the middle. There’s a large armchair behind the table. In the middle of the table is some kind of crystal ball. Actually it looked more like a K-Mart kiddie toy, but I just laughed to myself. I figure, she’s pretty and this is only costing me $20. It sure as hell beats watching old videos at USA COM.

I pull up a folding chair and we sit down at the table. I think about my questions. I really only have two questions that I want to ask. One: Will she go out with me? And Two: What’s gonna happen in Germany? I figure I better start with number two, judging by my luck with women lately, So I ask her vaguely, “Will our current project turn out well? How will our people do?” I figure I can always get more specific later, but why not have some fun and watch her botch up this first question. If she screws up royally maybe she’ll feel guilty and say yes when I ask her for a date. Anyway, this is where things get weird. She sits there for a minute, then she tells me to give her my hands. I hold them out. She puts her palms on them gently. Such soft hands, I think. We sit there in silence for a while. She closes her eyes and starts acting like she’s not really there, like she’s floating off to some other temporal plane, or something, but the view’s good, so I don’t complain.

Then she starts talking in a very soft voice, and I’ll be damned, but I swear the room got darker when she did this. Anyway, she starts in…

“I can see you are a man with a tortured past. You have suffered much. Yet, your current job is very important.”

Not bad, I think, but that would sum up about half the men in the world, so I’m not impressed yet. But she goes on…

“Your people—they are all men, I can see—are in a desperate struggle. There are nine of them, yes?”

I get a chill when she says this? How does she know? I nod yes. She continues...

“Or, should I say there were nine of them. I see much blood. I see friends betraying friends. I see strange creatures. I see more death. Much more death. Ah, yes, it is coming to me now.”

Right here is where it really starts getting freaky. She starts twitching like crazy. I ask her if she is ok—it doesn’t seem like she’s acting anymore—and all she does is yell “Silence!” at me. I’m thinking I should leave, but she’s grabbing my hands now, and I can’t pull away. Then before I can think of anything else she stops twitching and calms down. She starts talking again, in some kind of random babbling jibberish. For some bizarre reason I can remember it all, like it’s burned into my brain…

“An eagle…eats three dicks…and happy days…then is no more...basket man…scores with…a nutty enforcer… one who…is more than one…joins the piece-likes…a dark one…gets shot…the banned one…makes big boom…a friend of crustaceans with arms…is a hero.”

I’m glad she’s ok, but I figure this chick is nuts, and I should just pay my $20 and get out of here. But she keeps going. But now at least she starts speaking English again.

“I’m seeing past the day now…much bloodshed…much death…I see a vehicle…a distant journey…Oh, my!...I see evil…something dark…Oh, no!”

Her eyes open in stark terror. She’s sweating and looks likes she's ready to pass out. She realizes she’s still holding my hands, and releases them quickly, as if she wants nothing to do with them anymore. She looks at me with her terrified eyes and whispers sadly, “Get out! Get out of my shop.” Right about now, I’m thinking this bitch is some kind of loony and leaving sounds like a great idea. I get up. As I do, she rests her hands face down on top of each other on the table, then slowly lowers her forehead to rest on her hands. It is a gesture of complete exhaustion. I reach into my pocket to get my wallet to pay her, but without looking up she says, “No. I don’t want your money. Just leave.”

I put the $20 on the table anyway and walked out.

I never did get to ask her out on a date.

Ewww.

He was just a cherry trooper and he surely shook with fright
as he checked all his equipment and made sure his pack was tight
He had to sit and listen to the awful engines roar,
And he ain't gonna fight no more.

Gory, Gory, What a helluva way to die
Gory, Gory, What a helluva way to die
Gory, Gory, What a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna fight no more.

I need some action GB!

*On the way back from his very first mission, Mike Vic is excitedly sitting in a chair, talking to whoever will listen.*

Wow! What a rush! I was afraid to go so close to the aliens with only The Herd with me, but decided to give it a shot instead of pretending to be si-.. uhh... err..... pretending to be simply in awe! Yeah! I did pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. Two aliens down on their knees, begging for mercy. You know what I whispered to them before they died? Well, I'll tell you! I said: "I love the smell of dead alien scum in the morning." You know, I should make a movie about my first alien mission. I'm sure it would sell! What's that you say? I was attacked by a PSI? I shrugged that sucker off no problem! That was a grenade? I shrugged that thing off too! The PSI and the grenade! Now, let me tell you...

*Mike Vic continues to ramble on as the Skyranger makes its way back home...*

I hear Miss Terry might be available. :p

Blitz, sorry if sarcasm didn't translate well over the message board. Wasn't trying to give you a hard time.

At least I didn't get the "DIE!!!" fortune cookie ... the kook with the crystal ball seemed pretty non-specific. Of course, I'm sure there will be some twisted reason behind it when we count up the corpses at the end of the battle.

Wow, I've got goosebumps after that fortune teller, though not over that eating three dicks part. :)

I wonder how many will return to me and the others left behind at Asia COM?

Great job GB

Urgent Directive

X-COM Intel has just informed us that the aliens have put a new base into operation in southern Spain. We need to take it out before the end of the month.

We cannot risk our more experienced personel at this point in the war. Therefore, the attack force will come from our guard duty troops at AFRICA COM.

However, we want a sergeant or a captain from one of our main bases to lead the attack. Because of the extreme danger of leading a force of mostly rookies into the heart of an alien base, we're asking for a volunteer.

Who wants to be a hero?

That promotion to E5 hasn't gone through yet, has it?

DIBS!

Sergeant CW will lead those scrubs!

Edit: As long as I don't have to stay in that hellhole Africa base when (not if) I return. :)

Wow, I somehow missed the fortune cookie bit until just now. Crazy...I'm kind of glad I did :)

Hero, you say? I think I'll stay behind my work bench and let some of these foolhard-- I mean brave souls get in front of me ;)

SI

Where was I heading off for guard duty? This would be a nice quick throw into action...

Captain Nights is at your service to put down this new Alien scum base sir!

Ughh..this is assuming i survived the upcoming mission....

93rd Mission: Death in Deutschland

As the ASIA COM Skyranger heads for its encounter with our second battleship of the day, the men get word of the successful battle against the first battleship. The news bolsters the men’s confidence, somewhat overshadowing the concern caused by the logistics error that only selected nine men for today’s mission. Usually we need every able body on a big mission; starting out with a one-man handicap is a big disadvantage.

The Skyranger begins its initial descent. The men make a final check of weapons.

Jeff Nights will lead our men into battle today.

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Split Personality III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Danny Van Halen (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Afoci (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Condors II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. None

Right Side:
1. Jeff Nights II (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
2. 3ric IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Fonzie II (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. PsychoCop II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Hoops Guy (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The weather in France was sunny and clear, but a low pressure system has parked over Germany. The Skyranger tosses violently as it descends the final 100 meters to the battlefield. The men try to get a look at terrain through the cold rain and clouds. Looks like we’ll be coming down on the northwest corner of the battlefield. The massive, three-story battleship will lie about 40 meters away, to the left of our Skyranger exit. There is a hedgewall that runs in front of the right side of the UFO, as we look at it, but otherwise the intervening space is flat fields and small fences. The area immediately in front of the Skyranger exit and the area to the right of our exit are secure ground. At the nose of the Skyranger we’ve got open fields. This could be an interesting battle. We’ve got little cover to get to the UFO, but little terrain to search as well. The goal will be to get out fast, close on the UFO’s central pod quickly, and bottle up the aliens before they can exit en masse.

The Skyranger drops through the final few meters, flares, then lands on the waterlogged field with a sinking squish. The ramp drops away and lands with a splash. Sheets of rain hammer our Skyranger and the field in front of us, but there is no sign of alien activity.

Our tank rolls down the ramp, splashes into the waterlogged field, and turns to scan for enemies: nothing. It quickly moves left, towards the UFO. Psycho Cop and Hoops Guy are first out of the Skyranger. They rapidly take up firing positions at the Skyranger landing struts. Still nothing.

We move our tank forward to search. It gets barely five meters from our Skyranger when it spots a Sectoid to the left of the east landing pod of the UFO, about 35 meters away. Psycho Cop takes careful aim at the unsuspecting enemy and pulls the trigger on full-auto. Plasma flies through the rain. The first couple of shots miss, sending up plumes of water by the Sectoid’s feet. The Sectoid turns to return fire, but Psycho drills him with a plasma blasts then drops him backwards, screaming to the ground. The Sectoid flails on the wet field, then dies. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

We continue to move through the heavy rain. 3ric IV exits the Skyranger and joins Psycho and Hoops Guy. The three of them fan out behind our tank and begin an approach on the UFO. A few seconds into their advance, our tank spots another Sectoid, about 30 meters away, to the left of the main body of the UFO. Our men open fire as the alien advances. A hail of plasma flies toward the creature, who drops to a knee to return fire. 3ric hits it in the shoulder before it can get a shot off, though, and the thing drops screaming to the wet ground. Before we can catch our breath, two more Sectoids come into view. They are both advancing on our position. One is just to the left of the east landing pod, about 30 meters away. The other is to its right, moving towards a gap in the hedgewall that lies on that side, also about 30 meters away. 3ric, Hoops Guy, and Psycho open fire as the aliens close the distance. 3ric nails the creature on the right with his first shot, blowing the thing’s chest cavity apart with a direct hit. The Sectoid stops dead in its tracks, then crumples to the ground, dead. Hoops Guy and Psycho Cop miss badly at the alien on the left, but finally Hoops Guy sneaks a shot through some intervening fences that catches the alien in the right thigh. The muffled explosion takes the creature’s leg off and sends it spilling to the ground. It crawls a forward a few more feet, then lies still. Boo yah! Come get some! X-COM 4, Aliens 0.

The battlefield falls quiet for the moment. The rain continues to beat down. In the distance, we can see steam rising from the dead aliens. We move out in force. Psycho Cop and Hoops Guy break left, towards the nose of our Skyranger. They’ll sweep the fields to the south of our position. Condors II exits the Skyranger and follows 3ric as the two of them advance toward the hedgewall that lies on the right of the UFO. They’ll try to sweep in on the central pod from the right of the pod in front of us. Afoci and Fonzie exit the Skyranger and split the middle of our formation. They join our tank and follow it directly to the pod right in front of us. They’ll sweep around the left side of this pod and come up on the central pod from that side. The rest of the men wait for our men to clear the exit area.

We make good progress over the next few minutes, and meet no resistance. Our tank, Fonzie, and Afoci reach the side of the east pod and prepare to go around the left side. 3ric reaches the hedgewall to the right of the UFO and waits for Condors to catch up. From here 3ric can see the central pod under the massive two floors that lie above it. As he waits, the door opens! A Cyberdisc exits! 3ric buzzes Jeff Nights on the comspeak. Jeff, still in the Skyranger, plots a quick firing course with the Blaster Launcher and pulls the trigger. The rocket tears out of the Skyranger bay, arches over the intervening hedge, cuts under the top floors of the UFO, and slams into the central pod. The pod disappears in a massive fireball that spews fire and smoke around both sides of the east pod. When the smoke clears, 3ric sees the remains of the Cyberdisc on the ground in front of the exit. X-COM 5, Aliens 0.


X-COM forces advance on a Sectoid battleship. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Now that the Skyranger exit area is clear, Jeff Nights moves into a nearby field to set up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher. Danny Van Halen goes with him and brings the extra blaster missiles. Split Personality moves out and jogs forward to help out 3ric and Condors, who move out from behind the hedgewall to set up a firing position closer to the central pod.

Suddenly, a Sectoid steps out of the central pod! 3ric and Condors open fire, but their shots slam ineffectively into the sides of the central pod. The Sectoid jumps back into the pod. A wave of PSI energy rolls over us. Oh crap! Condors screams and opens fire on us! He wheels on 3ric and drills him point blank with three plasma blasts that blow a huge hole in 3ric’s stomach. Stunned, 3ric looks down as his steaming intestines pour onto the wet earth. He flops listlessly to the ground as Condors turns and opens fire on Fonzie, who is 15 meters away at the front of the east pod. Almost at the same instant, Split Personality—who is closing in on Condors—opens fire. Condors’ gets off only one shot at Fonzie before Split disintegrates his head with a stream of successive plasma hits, but Condor’s one shot cuts through Fonzie’s back armor and snaps his spine in half. Fonzie screams and falls with a splash to the ground. A fraction of a second later Condors hits the ground, dead as well. Fonzie crawls forward a couple of feet in agony, the stops. He’s dead too. Oh, shit. Three men dead in less than ten seconds, and that Sectoid is still in the central pod. Damn it damn it damn it. X-COM 5, Aliens 3.


The price of victory. November, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Jeff quickly switches weapons with Danny. Danny plots a firing course with the Blaster Launcher, and lets her rip. The missile arches over the intervening hedge, slices under the top floors of the UFO, and disappears into the central pod. A roaring fireball gushes out from under the UFO. Inside we hear the wail of dying Sectoids. Sweet revenge. X-COM 6, Aliens 3.

Things go quiet again, and we regroup. We’re down to six men, badly shaken, and most likely have many more aliens to go. We need to bring everything to bear on that central pod, but we have to clear the outside of the UFO first. Psycho and Hoops Guy pick up the pace as they search the fields to the south of our Skyranger. Over the next few minutes, they clear those fields, then swing west to start clearing the area to the left of the UFO. We pull Psycho Cop well right, though, so he’s only about 40 meters from the central pod. If we need his firepower, we should be able to get it to the central pod quickly.

Our tank and Afoci move around the left side of the east pod and set up a firing position on both exits of the central pod. Split Personality does likewise on the right side of the east pod. Jeff Nights joins him and couple of minutes later. We’ve now got our tank and three men lined up on the battered central pod, with fire support from Danny with the Blaster Launcher if needed.

As Psycho and Hoops continue their search, the men at the UFO wait for motion. Suddenly, Split and Jeff spot a Cyberdisc through a hole in the central pod. The two men open fire. Split sneaks a shot through the hole that hits the disc right at the edge of two metal plates. The Cyberdisc goes up in a ball of flames. Nice shot, Split! X-COM 7, Aliens 3.

A second later another wave of PSI energy washes over us. Split cracks. He drops his weapon and runs toward the Skyranger. An instant later, a Sectoid exits the central pod. Afoci can’t get a shot off, but with blazing reactions, Jeff gets off two quick shots, that unfortunately sail wide. The Sectoid returns fire and drills Jeff in the chest plate with a direct hit! Jeff’s vision swirls, but he stays on his feet and gets off one more shot at the Sectoid as it turns to dart back into the central pod. The shot hits the Sectoid in the hip. The Sectoid howls and falls dead inside the central pod. X-COM 8, Aliens 3.

Another Sectoid peeks out the exit. Before Afoci or Jeff can get a shot off, it ducks back inside. Afoci preps a grenade, then realizes that the second floor above him doesn’t give him enough of an angle to get the grenade inside the pod. Instead, the tank and Afoci charge the pod. Jeff closes in as well. We ram our tank against the outer wall of the pod. There! Through a hole in the wall it spots the Sectoid. Afoci still doesn’t have an angle with the grenade, so we open fire with the tank as the Sectoid turns to fire. Our tank shell blows the Sectoid back apart. Pieces splatter the inner walls of the central pod. X-COM 9, Aliens 3.

As this goes on, Split Personality sits in the adjacent field singing in Sectoid: he’s gone completely over to the aliens, but managed to drop all his weapons before doing so. Psycho and Hoops sweep through the area to the left of the UFO and start to swing up under the UFO. We need more help at the central pod.

Suddenly, through a hole in the second floor caused by the Blaster missiles, Afoci spots two Sectoids up inside the grav-lift that makes up the interior of the central pod. One is on the second floor; the other is on the third. As Jeff Nights and Psycho Cop close in, Afoci quickly tosses his grenade up to the second floor, then opens fire on the alien on the third floor. Plasma blasts scream up through the grav-lift and nail the upper alien. It screams, twists, and falls two stories to land with a thud at Afoci’s feet. A fraction of a second later, the grenade goes off and obliterates the other Sectoid. Afoci is en fuego! X-COM 11, Aliens 3.

With that kill, our threat sensors fade to green! Yes! It’s over. We survived. Well, most of us did, anyway. Split snapped out of his alien mind control just before the last alien died, so he stays with us.

Our remaining troops bag our dead and start on the long trip back to Asia.

Kills: Jeff Nights II, 2; Danny Van Halen, 1; Split Personality III, 1; Afoci, 2; 3ric IV, 2; Psycho Cop II, 1; Hoops Guy, 1.
KIA: 3ric IV, Condors II, Fonzie II.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Jeff Nights II, Danny Van Halen, Split Personality III, Afoci, Psycho Cop II, Hoops Guy.
Final score: 505. Good.
Mission Notes:
Damn it, three men dead, and Fonzie was a decorated veteran of eleven missions. I still feel very rusty, and I have to remember to use the new information regarding PSI defense. Condors II only had a 13 rating, and never should have been put in a situation where he could kill our own men. I had him slightly in front of 3ric in case he snapped, but obviously that wasn’t enough. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Matter of fact, I should save our PSI weaklings for the non-PSI aliens. We never should have had so many weak PSI agents going up against a Sectoid battleship. Asking for trouble. Which we got plenty of.

Rest in peace, men.

Alien Base Attack Update

X-COM Command has decided to open up the Spanish alien base attack force to volunteers, rather than limiting it to the guard duty troops at AFRICA COM, which actually wouldn’t have enough men to fill our Skyranger. Anyone with 3 missions or less experience and who is not currently in PSI-training may volunteer. The attack will occur later in the month, so there will most likely be a few missions before then. If you’re young and inexperienced, but want in on the fight of your life, pipe up here by posting in this thread. Don’t delay, as seats are limited! This is your chance to be a hero.

By the way, Sergeant Warlord II will lead the attack. Captain Nights II, you are too valuable to lose; your request is denied. Sorry.