Great job GB!:)

Now I'm itching for a mission :)

Are you really suprised by this? The legacy continues....

Update

October 27

As the EU COM Skyranger heads back to base, the USA COM Skyranger launches to clean up the UFO crash site in North Dakota. They should strike in mid-morning, which will give us plenty of daylight.

X-COM HyperWave Radar identified Ethereal communications from the craft before CapnMorgan shot it down. Ethereals are always such fun at parties.

On board:
Alf III, Achilles, Patman II, Illinifan V, AStott, Airhog II, Afoci, Wade Moore, Jeeber D, Mr. Bug IV.

Good luck, men!

Upcoming:
Monday (probably night): Mission 85
Tuesday: Updated Stats & Mission 86 Lead-in
Wednesday: Skyranger Transmission for Mission 86 (with our new Skyranger pilot!)
Thursday: Mission 86

Don't make me die in North Dakota please! We don't want an Illinifan VI. Maybe he'll run away like II or was it III?

lol, can't even keep them straight anymore!:D

RING RING RING

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoops.

Calling everyone on guard duty at SAM COM and AFRICA COM! Pack up your gear and report to processing for active duty assignments.

There are 12 of you down there available (2 are AWOL, though). We need eight of you, so we'll take the first eight to respond. The slowest four have to clean the whole base by themselves and miss all the fun.

117. Psycho Cop II
119. Tucker II ( in transit)
121. Katon II
122. Mike Vic (in transit)
59. Daimyo II
94. Data King III
123. Vince
124. Sir Fozzie II (in transit)
125. Chief Rum IV
126. The Herd (in transit)
127. Hoops Guy (in transit)
128. ShaefIllini (in transit)

We're not calling off the waiting list yet, but if you're on the waiting list, we'll be calling quite a few of you once we reach the first of November, game time. Saves money this way; if we call you now we have to pay you for October.

Update

Skyranger Transmission

There is no word from the USA COM Skyranger. We are unable to raise them via radio. Probably just a technical difficulty. Don't worry.

:eek:

Uhoh, my first mission in forever and it sounds like trouble...

I'm ready for an assignment

Reporting for duty. I'm sure I'll miss all the excitement here in Africa, but will do my best to cope.

Answering the call. Just don't put me in any nasty fights. I'm here for the status I'll gain as being a part of X-Com!

I am ready for anything..

... ANYTHING.. (Lip lick)

reporting for duty

dola-


That can't be good....

I was wondering why he was calling for 8 of us... I guess that answers my question...

Um, we can't lose Wade Moore. No. Nope, can't lose him. How many categories is he a leader in??

As for the EU Com mission, I was glad to wing a couple of those punks so our boys could get the kills. Just rip off alien appendages from long distance and send the youngsters in to mop up the mess. Nice mission, men. As for that shot into the hedge at my feet, you know what they say about "close" - it only counts in horshoes, hand grenades, and foreplay. Better luck next time, alien dogs.

I'm in if I'm one of the 8 ;)

Answering active duty call :)

North Dakota isn't friendly.

Nice job on our mission, GB! Glad I could contribute with a few kills...

Let's hope the US team is alright...

I can't count too well. So I'm just going to respond regardless of whether I'm in the 8 or not.

There are 5 guys with names beginning with A on this mission...this is like begging to die

The communication glitch was just that, a glitch…

(photos coming in an hour or so)

85th Mission: Ethereals in North Dakota

The USA COM Skyranger is barely airborne before it starts its descent to the North Dakota farmland. The short jaunt to the UFO crash site takes less than 30 minutes, and the men have to hurry through their equipment checks. The weather outside should be sunny and cool, a perfect day for combat.

Back in action after extended layoffs are both Illinifan V and AStott, both of whom have been out with wounds.

Wade Moore will lead us.

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Alf III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Achilles (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Patman II (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. Illinifan V (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. AStott (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Airhog II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Wade Moore II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Afoci (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Jeeber D (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Mr. Bug IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger descends through the clear skies to the North Dakota farmland. The men inside scan the battle field below. We appear to be coming down on the edge of a farm complex. We can see three two-story buildings: one sits to our exit’s immediate right; one sits about 40 yards away, off to the right rear of our exit; and the last sits straight out from our exit, about 60 yards away. We’re coming down on the southwest corner of the battle zone; the areas to the left of the exit and towards the nose of the Skyranger are secure zones. The battle today will occur to the right and rear of our craft. We can’t see the UFO, yet.

The Skyranger touches down. The ramp drops away and hits the ground with a thunk. Silence. Our tank heads down the ramp, reaches the bottom, and scans for aliens: nothing. Alf III and Airhog II exit the Skyranger and take up firing positions at the landing gear while our tank makes a more extensive search of the nearby area. We’re hemmed in by the three surrounding buildings, so we can’t see all that much, but there appears to be nothing nearby waiting to kill us. Still, these buildings are perfect hiding places for enemies; we’ll want to clear them as quickly as possible. We deploy in force.

Jeeber D and Afoci exit the Skyranger and head for the building (a barn) to our immediate right. Once there, Afoci blows a hole in the outer wall so the two men can enter and begin their search. Achilles and Airhog II follow our tank alongside a stone wall that leads up to the building (a house) off to our right rear. Once there, Airhog II blows a hole in the outer wall and the two men enter. Illinifan V and Alf III head straight out from our exit for the most distant building (another house). They reach it without incident. These two men can now see yet another two-story building just past a hedged-in grove behind and to the right of this building. Man, this is some tight quarters. While Illinifan keeps and eye out for aliens in the grove and more distant house, Alf III starts into the house the two men have just reached.


X-COM agents move in on a North Dakota village. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

While these searches are going on, Patman II exits the Skyranger and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher near the nose of the Skyranger. Our tank pulls back to a small open field that lies between the first two buildings. AStott and Mr. Bug IV exit the Skyranger and join it there. The two men follow our tank in a slow advance through the field to a low hedge at the far end. AStott and Mr. Bug can now see the UFO, a crossed-shaped scout, lying in a field about 30 yards beyond the two buildings nearest us.

The first two buildings are cleared without any sign of alien movement, but Illinifan V reports that he heard a house door close in the fourth building, and AStott and Mr. Bug can hear the whirring of UFO doors. We’re getting close. Jeeber D and Afoci take up positions on the far side of the first building, just behind a stone wall overlooking the field that sits in front of the UFO. Achilles takes up a position at a window of the second building that overlooks the UFO and intervening fields. Airhog, who has just cleared the rooftop of the building, also moves towards the edge overlooking the field and UFO. Illinifan V and Alf III continue securing the third building.

Suddenly, Achilles spots an Ethereal, about 30 yards away, approaching the second building through a field to the left of the UFO! Achilles goes to fire, but the Ethereal is too quick! A plasma blast races for the house, cuts through the window and slams into Achilles’ shoulder, badly denting the armor and sending waves of pain through his torso. Achilles gets off two quick shots before the Ethereal retreats, but they both sail badly wide. Achilles ducks out of sight to catch his breath and shake his shoulder loose. Airhog, up on the roof, moves closer to the edge to try and pick up the Ethereal, but he can’t spot anything. In the field to their right, AStott preps a grenade and makes a long toss to the location we think the Ethereal retreated towards. AStott’s grenade goes off an instant later, sending a cloud of turf and smoke skyward. Right after the explosion, we hear the frantic screams of a dying Ethereal! Nice throw AStott! Good to have you back! X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Back at the third building, Alf, who’s now on the roof, gives the all clear. While he moves close to the edge of the roof in order to try to spot movement in the fourth building, Illinifan V advances there along a hedgewall. We hear another door click open in there, so we know someone’s home. With action likely, Wade Moore exits the Skyranger and jogs forward to help. Come out and play, Mr. Ethereal!

Back at the second building, Achilles regroups and moves back to the window, just in time to see another Ethereal approaching through the same field to the left of the UFO! Before Achilles can get a shot off, the Ethereal puts a cluster of low trees between him and Achilles, and Achilles loses sight of the alien. Up on the roof, Airhog preps and tosses a grenade towards the area behind the trees, but the grenade lands well short of its target and explodes harmlessly. Eat more Wheaties, Airhog!

In the field just south of these two men, Mr. Bug IV, our tank, and AStott begin a cautious advance towards the UFO through the intervening field. They keep their eyes open left as well, in case the Ethereal, or Ethereals, draw any closer. If we can draw close enough to the UFO, we can toss some grenades into the craft through the damaged roof.

Just south of these two men, Afoci and Jeeber D start through the fields that run alongside the right side of the UFO. They’ll try to sweep around the right side of the UFO, so as to come up on the exit door, which must lie on the far side of the craft. On the way, they may be able to get some grenades in through the roof as well.

Suddenly, the Ethereal reappears in the field in front of Achilles. Once again, Achilles is slow on the draw. The Ethereal fires a rocket right at Achilles! The bomb slams into the outside wall of the house, right beside Achilles’ window, and goes off with a pop: stun bomb! A cloud of noxious gas fills the air, but not enough of it gets inside the house to affect Achilles. A fraction of a second later, our men are hammered by a ferocious wave of alien PSI-energy! Everyone stands firm, though! Way to go, men! Achilles and Airhog shake off the chills from the PSI attack and open fire on the alien in the field. It turns to take cover, but Airhog hits it in the back with a shot that drives it to the ground screaming! The alien dies a few seconds later. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

We continue our advance, but waves of PSI energy are washing over us at regular intervals now. Finally, just as Alf, Wade, and Illinifan are ready to rush to the fourth building, Alf’s will power caves in. He panics, drops his weapon, and starts running away. Wade and Illinifan are forced to move on without him.

At the second building, Achilles exits and Airhog jumps off the roof. They move forward through the field and join our tank and Mr. Bug, who have cut over from the field to the south. This unit will advance around the left side of the UFO.

Meanwhile, AStott cuts toward the right of the UFO and joins up with Afoci and Jeeber D. This unit starts tossing grenades in through the hole in the UFO roof. A number of crashes follow, but none of them bring any alien screams.

Suddenly, an Ethereal flies up over the roof of the UFO and advances on Achilles, Mr. Bug, and Airhog! It’s 30 yards away and closing fast. Crap! I forgot they can fly! The three men dive for cover as plasma blasts tear up the ground. Patman II, back at the Skyranger, snaps awake, alertly plots a quick firing course with the Blaster Launcher, and pulls the trigger. An instant later, the Ethereal looks up in horror as a Blaster missile screams down on it. The missile is a direct hit: the Ethereal is vaporized in a massive fireball. Boo yah! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

We resume our advance, but we’re still getting hit with strong PSI attacks. While Alf blubbers away in the field just short of the fourth house, Wade and Illinifan make a careful search. Strangely, they find no aliens in the building. The doors Illinifan heard opening must have come from some other location.

Back at the UFO, we close in. Our tank leads the advance around the left side, and spots a couple of semi-destroyed shacks just past it. Aha! This must have been the source of the door sounds we heard. With Mr. Bug and Achilles close behind, the tank works it way through the structures, but finds no aliens.


X-COM agents close in on an enemy UFO. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

On the other side of the UFO, AStott, Afoci, and Jeeber D expend their supply of grenades on the hole in the UFO roof, but they get no payback. Finally, grenades exhausted, they continue around the UFO.

We’ll use our tank for cover, and set up an ambush at the door with Mr. Bug and Achilles on the left side of the UFO. Airhog, who already has a kill, will stay in reserve. The two men follow our tank around the back side of the UFO, but suddenly a wave of PSI energy hits Mr. Bug, snapping his will to fight. He panics, and then goes berserk! He opens fire in random directions! Achilles and our tank scramble around a corner of the UFO to get away from the fire. Yikes! So much for that plan. We’ll use the men on the other side of the UFO.

AStott approaches the entrance alongside the wall of the UFO, while Afoci and Jeeber D set up a firing position on the UFO door from behind a low hedge. While we wait, Achilles tosses yet another grenade through the roof of the UFO. This time, the explosion gets us a horrific scream! Yes! We got one!

And that is the last alien! Finally. What a long mission just for four aliens. Ethereals are bastards.

Kills: Achilles, 1; Patman II, 1; Airhog II, 1; AStott, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None
Attribute Improvements: Achilles, Patman II, Airhog II, AStott, Alf III, Jeeber D, Afoci.
Final score: One-hundred something (forgot to write it down).
Mission Notes:
I’m happy I was patient with this mission. There were a lot of places where I was tempted to cut corners to make the mission go faster, but I stuck to doing things right. A little tedious because of the cramped terrain in those houses, but it paid off. No casualties, good experience for such a low-kill mission.

AStott is a rising star in the X-COM ranks. Among agents with more than 10 missions, his 1.31 kill/mission average (KMA) is second only to Klayman’s 1.38 all-time high. Only two other agents with ten or missions—Blade6119 III (1.18) and Shorty (1.00)—have had a KMA of 1.00 or higher. If past performance is an indicator of future gains, AStott may want to cool off. Klayman, Blade 6119 III, and Shorty are all dead.

Airhog II saw his bravery go up ten big points!

I survived!

whoa you scared me GB:D

damn...that was one bad mission for achilles...gets shot, is too slow like 10 times, get shot at by 2 rockets, has his closest squadmate turn evil(mr.bug)...that last kill was nice, but everytime something went bad achilles was their. i feel for you man, as Blade6119 is a walking target in godzilla's world.

Woohoo! I was worried that those PSI attacks were going to get me. Glad to see I was able to resist them and get some attribute improvements... :)

Whew. With that many men called up, I feared this mission would be like the movie about the "Black Sox Scandal"...

...

...you know, "Eight Men Out".

*rim shot*

I seem low against PSI attacks...

You psi weakling !!!

:p

So you finally came out from underneath your rock?

AE reporting for duty. For the waiting list, whatever. BS I'm not getting paid this month.

Silly humans. You think you own the world? You think you are safe behind your Blaster Launchers? You have no power. We toy with you.

Watch this.

Calling Mr. Tasan. Tasan. Tasan. Tasan.

This is Sectoid Leader, Tasan.

We have decided to kill you, Tasan.

You will never see November.

:eek:

EEK!

Why pick on me all the sudden?

*runs and hides under a rock*

Yes! Yes! I'm back! Sweet!

What? Me cool off? Not a chance. You underestimate my skills!

Communication

Didn't mean to scare everyone on that last mission. ;)

We still are calling up those eight agents, though, and we still need two to answer the call. Katon, PsychoCop, Vince, Daimyo, Data King, and Chief Rum, your phones are ringing.

Sectoid Leader: How bold! Calling out death! Trying to jinx us? We'll see. But I might start counting your own days left. It might be Tasan that shows up to personally rip your throat out.

Tasan: Don't let him shake you. Ain't nothing going to happen to you. (If you do want to stay out of action until next month, let me know).

AStott: Yup. I was off on those wounded days. As usual. Back in action, with another kill. You are a machine.

Ardent: Welcome back! Good trip? This thread dropped down to number 15 or so without you around to bump it up to the top. ;)

Jeeber D: Yes. Nothing phased you. Well done. And skills are up to boot!

Tucker, Blade: Thanks!

Blade6119: Yeah, Achilles is lucky to be alive. And that mission was hard as hell to keep everyone straight when I wrote it: all those "A" names! Eek. (Insert A-Team joke here).

I'll get those photos up tonight, by the way.

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 85)

USA COM

EU COM

ASIA COM

SAM COM

AFRICA COM

X-COM II Troop Attributes
Support Personnel

Attribute Leaders (After Mission 85)

Attribute Doggies (After Mission 85)

Top Ten Kills Leaders

Waiting List

My reaction attribute didn't improve... :(

Couldn't my phone be ringing, instead?

By the way, I sent that nasty Sectoid Leader a mean PM. :)

Two things to remember for the next time I drive:

1. Get a driver's license.

2. Have proof of insurance.

I'd like to thank the Illinois state trooper he helped me figure that out.

Can't believe I got off with a warning.

My license expired in 99, but I've been told for as long as I can remember that as long as I have a military id, my license is valid. Problem is, my wallet was stolen last month, along with my expired license. So now I don't even have an expired license to show people.

My proof of insurance was in the trunk, along with my groceries, books, uniforms, and my suitcase of clothes. IE, my trunk was packed. I put my insurance card (and everything else) in the trunk while my window was busted out. I just hadn't put my insurance card back in the glove box.

But yes, it was a great trip. Four day weekends rule.

oh god, lets all feel bad for ardent and his sob story...fuckin elitists ;)

AE, you've had bad luck lately haven't you?:D

Bad luck? He should have gotten at least two tickets. Sounds like great luck to me... :D

Actually, I considered not getting ticketed this time "lucky". I got a "warning" for broken head light. Nothing else. :)

why does ardent talking about his broken head lights make me think of his wife?

Update

October 28-29

UFO sightings are reaching a frantic pace. On the 28th, Superman knocks down a UFO scout in Slovakian airspace. We scramble the ASIA COM Skyranger late that day in order to begin an assault early on the 29th. As it's on its way across Russia, we pick up two large UFOs on route to Europe. They weave back and forth over the landscape, as if they are looking for something. Shortly before dawn on the 29th, both UFOs touch down in central Germany, within five miles of each other. We're in luck! The ASIA COM Skyranger is only a few hours away, and we can get the EU COM Skyranger airborne within the hour. With luck, we might be able to catch both UFOs at dawn, right before they take off.

We reroute the ASIA COM Skyranger towards Germany, scramble the EU COM Skyranger and launch for Germany, and launch the USA COM Skyranger for the downed scout in Slovakia.

Big day coming up. Three missions. Two of them biggies.

EU COM goes in first, as they reach their target at dawn on the 29th.

On board:
Jfbbis, Kodos, Japherwaki II, Tasan, Coffee Warlord II, Blade III, Breeze, The Time, Naiwf, and Sachmo III.

Good luck men.

I should also note that we've got some new Skyranger pilots with us now. These will be their first missions!

Landed large UFO? Rock! Commander Kodos and his grizzled right hand, Sergeant CW on the job!

No problems with the sectoid leader, I should have reacted better, what with my 50 bravery and all. Keep me in the game, waxing him and his kind as only I know how. (Wide left, letting someone else get a good shot and kill it)