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

[NAIWF]

I'm shocked, 2 kills, an improvement and I survived. Maybe the hiatus was a good thing for me

[RealDeal]

I don't think you should count the tank as a kill for the aliens. It confuses me as to the number of agents we lose. We don't really care of a tank gets blown up, but if one of our brave agents eats it, it's a tragedy.

BTW: git mee sum axtion!

[tucker342]

YES! I got a kill

[tucker342]

dola-

to bad we lost Cam

[JeeberD]

So now that tucker has gotten into battle (nice kill tuck!!!), does that mean that I'll be involved in the next European battle? I surely hope my assumption is true...

[Fonzie]

Originally posted by tucker342
dola-

to bad we lost Cam

Yes, a sad day indeed. A noble soldier who gave his life fighting the good fight. This is a difficult day for those who knew him, but we can take solace knowing that a little bit of Cam will live on inside all of us.

As for me, I'll always carry a little bit of Cam with me wherever I go. Sewn to my hand, in fact.

This marks the first time in my life that I've appreciated anyone giving me the finger. Thanks Cam! May you rest in peace!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally posted by RealDeal
I don't think you should count the tank as a kill for the aliens. It confuses me as to the number of agents we lose. We don't really care of a tank gets blown up, but if one of our brave agents eats it, it's a tragedy.

I don't know. Tanks have feelings too. But you have a good point, and I'll change that from now on. I just hope the self esteem of our tanks isn't hurt, though.

As for action, I think you are "on the plane" to Europe, which means that you probably won't get to the base there in time for any more fights today. If you're lucky, you'll make it in in time if the EU COM Skyranger launches once more today, which it most likely will. I don't know your ETA off hand though.

Jeeber: Don't have the game handy now, but you should be on the next launch from your base (USA?).

I'll update the game in the next couple of days, but I think the most likely scenario is that the ASIA COM Skyranger, which is inbound for Europe, will reach one of the remaining large UFOs. Another possibility is that EU COM launches to catch something in western Europe, and reaches that UFO before ASIA COM reaches their's, in which case ASIA COM would follow that assault.

But then again, this is war, so you just never know.

[Blade]

Good mission, guys! Cam III, you will be missed...

[Thomkal]

:::shudder::: Searching barns again....:::shudder:::

Amazingly Thomkal survived the barn searches-and with that sixth sense he exhibited, I think he should be first in line for psionics training.

[Kodos]

I guess Cam was an organ donor then? But does a finger really count as an organ?

Good mission, men! Regrets to the Edwards family - time to send in the great grandson...

[DataKing]

DataKing III is ready to sacrifice his puny (21 strength) and cowardly (10 bravery) self for the betterment of his comrades.

BTW, what ever happened to opting out and waiting for better bravery ratings? Are we not doing that any more? Just curious.

Anyway, excellent stuff as always, GB. Glad to see X-Com back in action once more.

[revrew]

Thanks for the great mission, GB. I'll take those 3 kills.

But what the bloody hell is the idea sending me in alone 3 times like that?? You tryin' to get the veteran dusted? Jeez, man, I haven't crapped my pants that many times in a 10-minute span since my parents flew me to the U.S. for the first time and I left a nasty trail down the concourse at JFK aiport. :o woops, maybe that was too much info...

[tucker342]

Originally posted by Fonzie
Yes, a sad day indeed. A noble soldier who gave his life fighting the good fight. This is a difficult day for those who knew him, but we can take solace knowing that a little bit of Cam will live on inside all of us.

Does that mean that Cam has been sleeping around again?

[Craptacular]

Great job guys! Find me something or someone cool to research ... or torture.

[Tasan]

Since when did all the aliens quit hanging out in the barns?? ;- )

Anyway, glad to see I'm still alive, but I want in on the killin'

[Patman]

So does this mean Cam gets .05% of Fonzie's kills from now on?

[Lokugh]

All I can say is that at least Cam III lasted longer than his grandfather. Doesn't he have a medal named after him?

Lokugh

[Godzilla Blitz]

Tucker. Patman: LOL! Very funny!

revrew: You were a star! Yeah, three rushes to the UFO was a bit risky, but as I used to ask the men at Gettysburg, "You want to live forever?" Plus, you were much better at it than Cam III was, who, well, tended to lose his head in spots like that.

Lokugh: I think the medal name got switched to the Coffee Warlord Award, because Coffee Senior managed to get himself killed even faster than Cam Senior did.

Thomkal, Tasan: Yeah, you two and JeffNights had a cakewalk, even though I thought I was sending you off into some tough action. The aliens seemed to concentrate in the UFO on this last mission.

Crappy: We need you to sew Cam's finger onto Fonzie.

DataKing: Yes, you can still opt out of low bravery. Sorry about the confusion, I had been having trouble keeping track of everything and so now I make the default "no" for "opt up" when I add someone back on the waiting list, but you can always change it. Would you like to? Also, since you haven't been in any action, I could switch you to the top of the waiting list, and someone else could take your position, if they want to opt up. Priority would go in order of one's position on the waiting list. Let me know what you'd like to do.

___________

I should have an update about this Sunday's mission posted tomorrow, and Sunday looks fine again.

Just as a quick comment, I realize the pace is a lot slower, but this "Sunday mission" pace is working really well for me now, and is pretty manageable. I'm thinking that we might occasionally do a special "Thursday Night Edition" too, but for the most part, I think I can keep up this pace indefinitely.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz

Lokugh: I think the medal name got switched to the Coffee Warlord Award, because Coffee Senior managed to get himself killed even faster than Cam Senior did.

Yeah, the world was about to implode when Cam Jr and Coffee Jr were on the same Skyranger. A pity one half of such an illustrious family name had to die.

And, Lokugh...CW Sr died without ever stepping off the skyranger platform. A defining moment in X-Com history.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz
DataKing: Yes, you can still opt out of low bravery. Sorry about the confusion, I had been having trouble keeping track of everything and so now I make the default "no" for "opt up" when I add someone back on the waiting list, but you can always change it. Would you like to? Also, since you haven't been in any action, I could switch you to the top of the waiting list, and someone else could take your position, if they want to opt up. Priority would go in order of one's position on the waiting list. Let me know what you'd like to do.

I don't want to cause any confusion or a lot of work on your part, but if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to opt out of my current "incarnation" and wait for someone decent. I'm just tired of all of my kin stinking up the joint.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally posted by DataKing
I don't want to cause any confusion or a lot of work on your part, but if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to opt out of my current "incarnation" and wait for someone decent. I'm just tired of all of my kin stinking up the joint.

Not a problem at all! So...

Who wants to take DK's place? Right now Anxiety is first in line that wants to opt up, but he's last on the waiting list, so if you're on the waiting list and want in right away, let me know. Just post here (let's say by Friday night, 12PM, CST?), and you'll be in the thick of things (and very scared too, judging by your bravery) fairly soon.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz
Not a problem at all! So...

Who wants to take DK's place? Right now Anxiety is first in line that wants to opt up, but he's last on the waiting list, so if you're on the waiting list and want in right away, let me know. Just post here (let's say by Friday night, 12PM, CST?), and you'll be in the thick of things (and very scared too, judging by your bravery) fairly soon.

Of course, I want in. But if someone higher does also, I have no problems with that. I can be very patient.

-Anxiety

[Lokugh]

Originally posted by Anxiety
Of course, I want in. But if someone higher does also, I have no problems with that. I can be very patient.

-Anxiety

Actually, I'm on the Opt up list as well (or should be), but if Anxiety wants it, I will let him have it.

Lokugh

[Chief Rum]

thinking deep thoughts...

...Will Cam pick his nose with Fonzie's finger?

CR

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

As the EU COM Skyranger refuels and the USA Skyranger heads back across the Atlantic, the ASIA COM Skyranger continues to rocket towards Europe. Within an hour, they get word that two large alien supply ships have touched down just outside the English UFO base. The Skyranger veers northwest and heads for England...

On board are the following men: Jfbbis, Blade6119 III, BYU, Danny Van Halen, Qwikshot II, Travis II, Wade Moore, Airhog, Patman II, and Sublime II.

Good luck!!

Mission should be up this Sunday evening!

[DeToxRox]

That's right boys and girls! You bet your ass we got some Faster Pussycat playin' right now!

[The Afoci]

I want to shoot some aliens or just die. If it is anything like DK's WWII dynasty, I should last all of 15 secs. Hopefully I don't take anyone with me, but I make no promises.

[RealDeal]

I thought I was on the Asia Skyranger heading to Europe? But I'm not on my way to the fight.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Anxiety, Lokugh: Since Lokugh is ok with not opting up this time, it's your's! Lokugh, I'll make sure to switch you to "opt up" for the next one, so you can get in the action quickly.

Chief Rum: Deep nose, deep thoughts.

DVH: It's been a while since you've been controlled by aliens, hasn't it? Or maybe, they have never left you?

The Afoci: Your crawfish will protect you.

Al: Sorry for the confusion. You are being "transferred" to Europe. The transfers use commercial airliners, which seem to take forever to get anywhere. You should land at EU COM sometime in the next day or two (game time). My guess is that you will be on the next EU COM mission if your plane gets there in time, or definitely the one after that. It was just unfortunate timing that the UFOs hit after I started all the transfers (I figured we were safe because we had a massive wave strike us just a couple of days earlier). In any case, Europe seems to be where the action is, so you should get a good share of fighting in the coming battles. If you live through them, that is.

The next mission is still looking good for Sunday night. I'm about 3/4 done with it, and have a big chunk of time to play tomorrow night.

[DeToxRox]

Bringing up those pesky aliens controlling me again. If I've said once, I've said it a thousand times, aliens have never controlled me, so stop bringing up my East German wife...er..

[Alf]

GB : you mentionned I was on SAM-Com. Does that mean I am injured and being healed ?

[Godzilla Blitz]

Alf: Yes. We're still on the same game day as when this particular thread started, so you've got 20+ days of healing left to do. I'm sending badly hurt people down to South America so that they will be safe if we lose a base due to attack. I'm pretty sure the aliens attack active bases, and since SAM COM is new, the chances of it getting attacked are slim.

But I might be wrong.

[Alf]

Thanks

[Blade]

Good luck again, guys...

I will make sure your women are defended on the homefront...

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

Whoops!

Looks like we're going to need some fresh bodies...

Ring ring, ring ring!

Calling The Havok, Ronnie Dobbs, Erik Flamebeard, Bishop MVP, and Katon.

Ring ring!

Your planet needs you.

(To be called up to the active list, please respond in this thread!)

_________

Barring unforseen technical difficulties, Mission 56 goes up tomorrow! I just finished it this evening, and only have a quick spell-check and edit left to do.

P.S. I checked to see where all our transfers stand. I know some people were wondering...

Anxiety, CTHomer, and Al Hill III have arrived at the EU COM base, and will be on the next mission that goes out from that base. Jeeber and The Afoci are 48 hours away (game time). Things appear to be quieting down on the radar screen, so this shouldn't be too much longer of a wait. Havok apparently missed his flight. We're calling him again.

I'll be making a big update to our stat chart after this coming mission.

[Swaggs]

I am ready to go active when I am called.

[Kodos]

Who keeps stealing Blitz's stars?

[illinifan999]

The newest incarnation of illinifan is almost active. Almost.

[Blade6119]

oh god....three dead?...now im worried...think happy thoughts!

[Blade6119]

oh crap...misread...4???? AHHHHH!!!!!

and all he can say is whoops?!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Illinifan: I have a feeling that quite a few of the people on the waiting list were ones that were here a few months ago, but don't regularly visit much now. I'm guessing that about half won't be answering their phone calls, which means the people that are on the waiting lists and checking in regularly should move right up the line.

Swaggs: Got it. Just to clarify, you only have to confirm when you get "the phone call" to be activated. The reason I do that is that occasionally people come by once, read the dynasty, sign up, then never come back. The "phone call" system to become active when your name gets to the top of the waiting list lets me know that the person is still reading. Since half the fun is the supporting posts that everyone makes, this helps insure that we get active readers as agents.

Originally posted by Kodos
Who keeps stealing Blitz's stars?

Kodos: Someone is definitely trying to tell me something, eh? I don't pay much attention to the ratings, but it's impossible not to notice: 2 posters came by and gave this a "1", the worst rating. I sure seem to have made some enemies somehow.

Blade6119: Well, it's been a while, you know? I'm a bit rusty, and I forgot about the "don't bunch up because of enemy blaster launchers" thingie. Really, it's nothing too get upset about. It was just one teeeny mistake. Well, maybe not a teeny mistake. Maybe it's more of a really big mistake, but anyway, think of all the people on the waiting list that are happy that they are getting called up.

Then again, maybe USA COM just has lots of extra cell phone minutes that they needed to use up, and maybe no one gets killed at all. I could always give a quick call to the Skyranger. They'll clear everything right up, I'm sure.

[Blade6119]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz
Blade6119: Well, it's been a while, you know? I'm a bit rusty, and I forgot about the "don't bunch up because of enemy blaster launchers" thingie. Really, it's nothing too get upset about. It was just one teeeny mistake. Well, maybe not a teeny mistake. Maybe it's more of a really big mistake, but anyway, think of all the people on the waiting list that are happy that they are getting called up.

Then again, maybe USA COM just has lots of extra cell phone minutes that they needed to use up, and maybe no one gets killed at all. I could always give a quick call to the Skyranger. They'll clear everything right up, I'm sure.

That always works...since our pilots are soooo clear....but a call might not be a bad thing before the mission comes up...oh...and if yu feel like keeping me alive so i can fight with my boy achilles nex time asia goes out feel free

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz
Kodos: Someone is definitely trying to tell me something, eh? I don't pay much attention to the ratings, but it's impossible not to notice: 2 posters came by and gave this a "1", the worst rating. I sure seem to have made some enemies somehow.

Maybe the missing Illinifan who went to the aliens has something to do with this?

[Godzilla Blitz]

56th Mission: British Supply Ship Assault

It is late afternoon as the ASIA COM Skyranger starts its descent to northern tip of Great Britain, where it will attempt to take on one of the two alien supply ships that have landed near the British base.

Suddenly, alarms blare inside the Skyranger! Alert! Enemy UFO in the air! The supply ship has taken off! The Skyranger pilot begins violent evasive maneuvering, which tosses about the equipment in the Skyranger bay. Fortunately, the men were strapped in for the final descent, so no one gets hurt in the five minutes of rough flying that follows. The large UFO supply ships are not made for dog fighting, so it isn’t long before the Skyranger can loop around and make an attempt to assault the one remaining supply ship still on the ground. This time things go smoothly, and a few minutes later, the shaken—but not stirred—crew gets its first glimpse of the battlefield.

Colonel Wade Moore is in charge of the following men:

Left Side:
1. Jfbbis (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Blade6119 III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. BYU (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Danny Van Halen (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Qwikshot II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side
1. Travis II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Wade Moore (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Airhog (Blaster Launcher, Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Patman II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Sublime II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The tip of Britain apparently has had a bit of a cold spell lately, as there is a light dusting of snow covering most of the dry grass on the barren, rocky plain below, even though it is only early September. Freak storm, or perhaps the effects of alien climate change? In any case, the men should be plenty comfortable in the Crappy Power Suits they are wearing. We’ll be landing on the west side of the battlefield, and it’s easy to see the large supply UFO. The left end of it sits just at the tip of our Skyranger; the rest of its bulk stretches out to the east. It is of typical design: it is three-floors high, and has two large octagonal ends connected by a thinner corridor. Otherwise, there looks to be no signs of human habitation out here; all we can see are rocks, snow, and dry grass. The landscape is hardly flat, though: there are numerous small hills, and jagged rock outcroppings that cut up the landscape. It’ll be hard to travel in a straight line today; sight lines will be short as we make our way through the battlefield. We can see three such obstacles just to the right of the Skyranger exit; there is an unclimable rock butte on either side of a small mound that sits directly adjacent to our Skyranger exit. To the rear of the Skyranger, we see another hill. The area to the left of the Skyranger is secure.

The Skyranger touches down on the snow and dry grass. The ramp falls out…

Silence! Our tank rolls onto the ramp. Incoming plasma fire comes from the front of the Skyranger and slams into the weak rear armor of our tank, almost ripping the turret right off. Somehow, our tank manages to make it to the bottom of the ramp, where it spins and sees a Muton standing in front of the UFO, about 40 yards away! Jfbbis and Travis II bound out of the Skyranger. Jfbbis cuts left; Travis II cuts right. Both men jump off the ramp, roll back toward the front of the Skyranger, and come up behind the landing gear, where they open fire on the Muton. Jfbbis is the second-best shot in X-COM, and he proves his mettle here: his first plasma blast hits the Muton in the face, which blows up in a sickening, sticky, explosion that sends purple goo everywhere. The creature then falls forward to plop dead in the thin layer of snow. Nice shooting, Jfbbis! X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

We move out. We’ll split up into two groups. One group will sweep right, clear the area behind the UFO, and then come around the far corner of the craft. The other group will head up alongside our Skyranger, go around the near corner of the UFO, and set up a firing position on the near door. This UFO should have two exits, one on each of the octagonal sections of the craft, about 50 yards apart from each other, and on the other side of the craft as we face it. The group that sweeps the back of the UFO will assault the far door; the group that comes up alongside the Skyranger will handle the assault on the near door. We put our plan into action.

Travis II breaks right, for the path that runs to the left of the small mound directly beside our Skyranger. He makes it only ten yards, when he sees a Muton, about 40 yards away, trying to sneak up on our position from around the hill. He drops to a knee and whispers to the other men. Blade6119 and Wade Moore come charging onto the Skyranger ramp, locate the Muton on their HUD’s, and open fire from 50 yards away. Blade6119 blows apart one of the creature’s hands with a plasma blast, and then Wade takes a chunk of the thing’s stomach out, but still the creature stays up, and starts to try to lift its weapon with its one remaining hand. Travis II pops up from behind the hill though, and nails the Muton for a third and final time with a perfectly aimed plasma blast that removes the top half of its skull. The creature wails and falls! We swing our tank around to this side of the Skyranger to give our now exposed team some cover. Airhog exits the Skyranger, and makes a dash for the small hill to the rear of the craft. Beyond this hill is secure ground, and the hill looks to be both clear of aliens and to be an excellent spot from which to fire the Blaster Launcher. The rest of the agents move up to the Skyranger exit. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

Again! More movement! This time Travis II spots a Muton to the right side of the small mound, about 40 yards away and cutting behind the jagged mound of rock that lies near the nose of the Skyranger. Just as quickly as it appears, it disappears though. Damn. We push our tank forward to try and locate this alien. It heads for the narrow trail to the right of the small mound and to the left of the jagged pile of rocks. There! The Muton is just past the rock mound, about 40 yards from our tank! All at the same time, Wade shuffles right to get the rock pile out of his way, our tank turns to get out of his way, and the Muton opens fire on our badly damaged tank. The Muton tears up dirt and snow near the tank’s treads, but doesn’t score a hit. Wade however, shows why he is the best shot in X-COM: his first plasma blast, from 50 yards away, hits the Muton square in the chest. It falls backwards with a thud. However, it doesn’t scream, and even from this distance Wade can see the bulky humanoid’s chest heaving. It’s unconscious, but not dead.

Things grow quiet for the moment, and we deploy in force. We split up into two squads. Qwikshot II, Sublime II, Jfbbis, and Patman II (Squad One) will go around the near corner and assault the near door. Wade Moore, Danny Van Halen, Blade6119 III, BYU, and Travis II (Squad Two) will sweep the rocky plain and come around the far side of the UFO. We’ll send our tank with Squad Two for a few minutes, then bring it back to lead Squad One around the always active near corner.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Squad One gets into position at the front of the Skyranger, then waits for the tank to finish helping Squad Two get started on their search. The landscape beyond the initial set of hills and outcroppings next to the Skyranger is much more jagged and rough than it appeared from the Skyranger. The troops are faced with a maze of small buttes and hills that extends well past the far end of the UFO. Blade 6119 III and Travis II advance behind the tank to the far corner of the UFO—right before the still breathing, but downed Muton—and wait for Wade, DVH, and BYU to sweep the rocky landscape. The remaining three men are forced at times to split up and each take a different path through the narrow walls of the maze. It is a harrowing and dangerous search, fit only for the crazy. Fortunately, we have DVH with us today, and he is at his best here. At one point, the men come upon a long, winding, two-foot wide fissure that cuts through one of the buttes. DVH volunteers to check it out, and heads down the fissure while Wade and BYU continue to sweep the outside. As DVH makes his way down the narrow, dark fissure, he walks by another smaller fissure that comes into the current one from behind him. DVH turns to look back up this alternate path, and sees a Muton standing calmly five feet away with his back turned to him! DVH quietly raises his heavy plasma and pulls the trigger: the blast slams the Muton against the rock wall, where it slumps to the ground stunned! DVH quickly runs to the Muton, grabs its grenades and heavy plasma, pulls the pin on one of the grenades, drops it at the alien’s feet, and runs back around the corner. Ka Booom! When DVH turns back around to check out his handiwork, there is no more Muton, but the walls of the fissure are painted a pretty shade of purple. DVH continues down the fissure, happily whistling—of course—Purple Rain. X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

Our tank turns away from Blade 6119 III and Travis II, and heads for Squad One at the near corner of the UFO. It arrives shortly, and Qwikshot II and Sublime II jump in behind it. With Jfbbis and Patman II following a ways behind, the tank leads the Squad cautiously around the corner. It makes the corner without incident, turns to face the UFO door, and waits for aliens to exit. Qwikshot II and Sublime II are right behind the tank. Patman II and Jfbbis are against the outer wall of the UFO as a reserve force.

Meanwhile, at the other corner of the UFO, Blade 6119 follows DVH’s strategy, and strips the weapons and grenades off the fallen Muton that Wade hit, then trots back to his position behind a rock outcropping overlooking the corner of the UFO. After a couple of minutes the dazed Muton stands, a mere five feet in front of Travis II and Blade 6119. Neither one of the two men has stun weaponry, so there is little choice here. Blade6119 nods to Travis II, who pulls the trigger on his heavy plasma and blows the Muton into eternity. X-COM 4, Aliens 0.

Back at the near corner, where our tank, Qwikshot, and Sublime wait, the door whirs and a Muton steps out, right in front of our men! The Muton is fast, and manages to get off a shot that nearly knocks our tank out of action, but Qwikshot II and Sublime II are quick to return fire, and Qwikshot II blows a hole in the Muton’s stomach that quickly sends it to the ground wailing. Within seconds it is dead! X-COM 5, Aliens 0.

Back in the rocky wasteland, DVH, BYU, and Wade continue their search. DVH clears the first narrow fissure, but comes out the end of it only face another one that runs through the next large butte. The three men have now secured the area that runs past the UFO, and they break south, to begin a wide turn through the rocky landscape that should bring them around the far corner of the craft when they complete it. Blade 6119 and Travis II anchor this turn by slowing moving along the UFO’s outer wall as the other three men sweep the arc through the maze.

Lest we forget, Airhog is still sitting atop the small hill, Heavy Blaster in hand. He passes time by counting the clouds in the late afternoon sky.

Back at the near-side UFO exit, Patman II switches places with Qwikshot II in order for everyone to try to get some experience, and within seconds of setting up at the tank, gets his wish: a Muton steps out of the exit, and Patman II blows his head off with a heavy plasma blast from ten feet away. The alien drops like a sack of potatoes to the soft snow. X-COM 6, Aliens 0.

This is no time to wait though, as right on its heels another Muton pops out the door. This one gets off two quick shots that shatter our tank’s turret and take it completely out of action. Patman II and Sublime II return fire, hitting the Muton numerous times, but the alien doesn’t fall. It darts back inside the UFO and the door whirs shut. With little cover left, Patman II and Sublime II run back towards the corner of the UFO, and call to Airhog for support. Airhog fires the Blaster Launcher up over the UFO, brings the missile down to ground level, and then slams in into the UFO door. The explosion spews flame and smoke inside the UFO, melts the snow for 50 feet in all directions around the spot where the UFO door used to be, and sets the remaining grass aflame. As this happens Qwikshot II starts to jog back to switch weapons with Airhog, to give him a chance to get in on some up-close fighting. Patman II, Sublime II, and Jfbbis peer through the smoke and fire near the corner of the UFO, and spot a Muton, ten feet away, stumbling through the flames! Sublime II quickly takes aim and drills the creature in the chest. It howls and falls face first into the burning grass. Airhog quickly loads then fires the Blaster Launcher again, this time aiming to send the missile through the hole that used to be the UFO door. The missile disappears inside, and a tremendous explosion shakes the UFO—a much larger explosion than that of just the blaster missile. Muton screams fill the air. Outer wall panels come popping off and crash to the snow with loud thuds. Smoke and flames are everywhere. Our men, by the near corner, luckily appear safe, but the panels next to them have been blown apart, and through these they can look inside at the remains of the interior of this end of the first floor. The entire area is gutted, black smoke and flames fill the interior of the craft. There are no interior walls standing, but in humorous irony the interior door at this end of the craft is still standing, with no walls left around it. Apparently Airhog must have hit one of the fuel components with that shot. X-COM 8, Aliens 0.

Back at the other end of the UFO, Squad Two completes it search of the crevices and corridors of the area around the far corner of the UFO, and all five men begin to close on the UFO door. With much of the interior at the other end of the UFO destroyed, Squad One may be able to spot any movement down this end of the UFO, but there is still plenty of angles and corners that could hide movement, and the far interior wall is intact, so Squad Two will have to approach carefully.

As Squad Two closes on the door at the far end of the craft, Jfbbis and Sublime cut through one of the holes in the side of the UFO and make their way cautiously towards the far door from inside the craft. We’ll come at the aliens from two sides.

As they do this, Qwikshot II switches weapons with Airhog, who starts to jog towards Patman II, who is covering the advance of the men inside the UFO.

As BYU and Travis II cluster around the UFO door, Jfbbis sneaks up on it from the inside of the UFO. The door sits on the octagonal far end of the craft, and Jfbbis doesn’t have a good view into the room from the remains of the narrow corridor where he stands. We do a one-two here: Jfbbis preps a grenade and tosses it down the corridor towards the exit door. The grenade rolls to a stop about five feet from where the door should be, and goes off with a crash. At the sound of the explosion, BYU stands, mashes the opening pad on the outside of the craft, and barges into the smoky entry room: nothing! It’s empty! He quickly works his way right, and turns a corner to check another section of the outer corridor: nothing again.

The first floor of these supply ships have a long outer corridor that surrounds one large inner room. The inner walls are destroyed at the near end of this craft, but the men still have to make their way around them at the far end of the craft. While Jfbbis was working towards the exit door, Sublime II worked his way to the far wall and started toward the grav-lift that leads up to the command control area on the third floor. In past missions, this is where the alien commanders have been, and we always seem to run into fighting when we hit the grav-lifts. As Sublime works his way down the far corridor, he reaches a point 10-feet from the grav-lift, and can now see into the back room that makes up this section of the outer corridor: nothing here as well. The first floor of the UFO is officially clear.

We prepare for our assault up towards the third floor. Patman II and Airhog take up covering positions on the grav-lift that leads up to the second floor. Sublime II and Jfbbis take up covering positions on the grav-lift up to the dangerous third floor. Squad Two enters the UFO in force; they’ll be the assault force up the grav-lift. BYU will lead the way. The invincible Danny Van Halen will follow. Wade Moore, armed now with the stun gun, will go third. Blade 6119 and Travis II will follow as needed.

On three. One, two, three…

BYU sprints around the final corner and heads right for the grav-lift, with Danny right on his heels. Into the lift they go, BYU first…

Nothing there! BYU looks up…

All clear! BYU activates the lift and heads right up to the tiny room that makes up the top of the lift on the third floor. Once there, he takes up a firing position on the door right in front of him, and signals Danny. Danny signals Wade, and then heads up to the third floor. Once there he trains his weapon on the ominous exit door. Wade follows quickly into the grav-lift.

Suddenly, the grav-lift door on the third floor opens, and a huge, snarling Muton lunges right for BYU. BYU and DVH pull their triggers out our sheer reflex, and two streams of plasma slam into the Muton just as it crashes into BYU. BYU is driven backwards and down, and man and alien fall to the floor of the tiny room in a tangled heap. However, only one of them is still moving. The Muton’s body has been cut in two from the ferocious plasma blasts: it is dead. BYU frantically scrambles up from the floor as DVH switches his aim to the grav-lift door to await more aliens, but there is none. That was the last alien! X-COM 9, Aliens 0!

DVH pops up the visor on his helmet, and reaches out to wipe off some of the purple goo that is all over BYU’s armor. He then sticks a sticky finger covered with goo into his mouth, and gulps down the lumpy substance. Humm, this is better than my East German wife’s tapioca, he thinks. He pulls out a water bottle, pours out the contents onto the floor, and then busily starts to refill it with the tasty treat: Muton Purple Goo!

Wrap-up

Promotions: None.
Kills: Jfbbis, 1; BYU, 1; Airhog, 1; Patman II, 1; Qwikshot II, 1; Sublime II, 1; Travis II, 2.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: Everybody!
Final score: 376. Nice job!
Mission Notes:
Excellent mission! No casualties!

Airhog’s Blaster rocket that hit the UFO power source and subsequently trashed the near end of the UFO took out quite a bit of the valuable supplies that were on board as well. Usually we get a load of stuff to take back with us, but this time, we get less than half of our usual booty. And even though we racked up nine kills, we were only able to recover four Muton bodies. The rest were devoured by the flames, or blown apart in the explosion. We’ll have to remember that trick if we need to make our way into a particularly tough supply ship. We could eliminate everything on the first floor with hits on both power sources.

Danny Van Halen didn’t get credit for a kill. The only thing I can think of is that the grenade he picked up and dropped must have been a proximity grenade, and the game doesn’t give kills for those. Bummer.

Go FOF X-COM!

[tucker342]

Great job

[Travis]

Excellent mission GB, show those invaders a thing or two about tactics!

[DeToxRox]

The invincible Danny Van Halen, it's true.

It's oh, so true.

[Kodos]

DVH has finally been Unchained. Great job, boys!

[DeToxRox]

Yes, I have been unchained, haven't I. THE SHACKLES ARE FREE!

And you know what that mean's..

It's time to get kind'a rowdy..

[Insert Best of Skid Row CD.. Youth Gone Wild]

This is what it's all about!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Travis, Tucker: Thanks!

DVH: You were a force today!

Here are the updated stats:

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 56)

USA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  Medals
15.  Rich 1033         Active     Squaddie  14     12     K-1Y
19.  Revrew            Active     Sergeant  16     13     -
35.  Jeff Nights II    Active     Captain   14      7     -
39.  Thomkal II        Active     Sergeant  13     12     -
41.  Fat Football II   Active     Sergeant  12      6     -
59.  Daimyo II         WND (26)   Squaddie   5      5     -
66.  Tasan             Active     Squaddie   7      3     -
70.  Naiwf             Active     Squaddie   8      4     -
71.  Wignasty          WND (15)   Squaddie   4      3     - (currently at SAM COM)
75   Alf III           WND (21)   Squaddie   4      2     - (currently at SAM COM)
76.  Fonzie II         WND (1)    Squaddie   4      5     -
90.  Coffee Warlord II Active     Squaddie   2      3     -
91.  Tucker            Active     Squaddie   1      1     -
 

EU COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  Medals
10.  Kodos             Active     Commander 15     17     D-1S;H-1
37.  The Time          Active     Sergeant  13      3     -
50.  Sachmo II         Active     Squaddie  13      9     -
61.  Rawisdan          Active     Squaddie   8      5     -
67.  Chief Rum II      Active     Sergeant  10      9     -
73.  CTHomer           Active     Squaddie   4      4     -
74.  AStott            Active     Captain    8     13     -
78.  Render II         Active     Squaddie   5      5     -
86.  Klayman II        Active     Squaddie   3      2     -
87.  3ric III          Active     Squaddie   3      5     -
88.  Anxiety           Active     Rookie     0      0     -
89.  Al Hill III       Active     Rookie     1      0     -
 

ASIA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  Medals
2.   jfbbis            Active     Captain   16     13     D-2B;G-1
14.  Wade Moore        Active     Colonel   17     20     D-2B; F-1B; G-1
31.  BYU 14            Active     Sergeant  14      8     -
43.  Achilles          Active     Squaddie  10      9     -
44.  Airhog            Active     Squaddie  10      7     -
45.  Danny VanHalen    Active     Squaddie  11      6     -
46.  Patman II         Active     Sergeant  14      8     -
52.  Qwikshot II       Active     Squaddie  11      5     -
54.  Blade 6119 III    Active     Squaddie  10     10     -
55.  Sublime II        Active     Squaddie   9      5     -
83.  Travis II         Active     Squaddie   3      2     -
84.  Split Pers III    Active     Squaddie   1      2     -

Medals Key: Medals listed by letter code then number of times received.
            A = Order of Mega Mighty Mojo; B = Order of Mighty Mojo;
            C = Order of Mojo; D = Star of Terra;
            E = Badge of Kahunas; F = Angel Wings;
            G = Purple Heart; H = Kodos Doh Award;
            J = Cam Edwards Pin; K = Pin of Cowardice.
Following Number: G = Gold; S = Silver; B = Bronze; Y = Yellow; Bl = Black

X-COM II Troop Attributes

      
     Name              TU’s  Stam  Hlth  Brav  Reac  Fire  Thrw  Str.
2.   jfbbis            72    74    55    30    35    79    56    51
10.  Kodos             74    86    56    50    61    77    72    49
14.  Wade Moore        76    78    55    30    59    86    67    65
15.  Rich 1033         74    67    41    20    55    53    70    60
19.  Revrew            73    60    51    30    36    62    59    55
31.  BYU 14            63    74    48    50    44    53    55    44
35.  Jeff Nights II    63    68    48    60    31    63    58    47
37.  The Time          68    72    47    40    62    49    56    47
39.  Thomkal II        67    87    57    30    54    49    61    44
41.  Fat Football II   69    68    41    50    38    68    73    50
43.  Achilles          64    65    49    10    44    77    79    47
44.  Airhog            69    67    44    50    53    44    54    54
45.  Danny VanHalen    70    71    38    10    40    59    78    44
46.  Patman II         73    66    48    60    47    49    79    51
50.  Sachmo II         62    57    41    50    40    49    83    46
52.  Qwikshot II       63    75    40    10    54    73    65    44
54.  Blade 6119 III    65    74    39    40    35    60    60    45
55.  Sublime II        64    65    36    10    38    70    75    47
59.  Daimyo II         61    60    43    30    47    69    64    42
61.  RawisDan          65    47    31    60    36    66    74    44
66.  Tasan             58    52    39    50    39    59    56    45
67.  Chief Rum II      59    70    39    50    39    79    64    41
70.  Naiwf             68    67    46    50    40    59    68    41
71.  Wignasty          64    45    37    20    38    61    72    44
73.  CTHomer           67    66    35    10    55    44    62    46
74.  AStott            71    53    46    50    55    68    62    53
75.  Alf III           58    47    34    40    52    48    55    42
76.  Fonzie II         62    71    46    20    39    60    79    41
78.  Render II         66    52    40    50    57    69    67    36
83.  Travis II         56    67    31    20    55    57    53    24
84.  Split Pers III    57    54    34    30    38    63    67    34
86.  Klayman II        61    61    42    20    33    50    81    47
87.  3ric III          57    50    38    20    49    54    59    32
88.  Anxiety           52    52    38    10    45    65    78    21
89.  Al Hill III       56    66    26    60    44    44    61    35
90.  Coffee Warlord II 64    68    39    50    37    70    69    29
91.  Tucker            54    42    26    20    35    53    75    30
 
Key: Tu's = Time Units; Stam = Stamina; Hlth = Health; Brav = Bravery
     Reac = Reactions; Fire = Firing; Thrw = Throwing; Str. = Strength

Support Personnel

Head of Research: Craptacular (Current researching focus: Alien Origins)
Head of Engineering: Sterling Ice II (Current manufacturing focus: Power Suits, Blaster Missiles, Stun Bombs)
US Interceptor Pilot: Superman   (0 kills)
EU Interceptor Pilot: CapnMorgan (7 Kills)
AS Interceptor Pilot: Toddiec IV (5 Kills)

Attribute Leaders (After Mission 56)

Time Units: (76) Wade Moore
Stamina:    (87) Thomkal II
Health:     (57) Thomkal II
Bravery:    (60) Jeff Knights II, Patman II, Rawisdan, and Al Hill III
Reactions:  (62) The Time
Firing:     (86) Wade Moore
Throwing:   (83) Sachmo II
Strength:   (65) Wade Moore

Attribute Doggies (After Mission 56)

Time Units: (52) Anxiety
Stamina:    (42) Tucker
Health:     (26) All Hill III, Tucker
Bravery:    (10) (Six tied)
Reactions:  (31) Jeff Nights II
Firing:     (44) CTHomer, Airhog, and Al Hill III
Throwing:   (53) Travis II
Strength:   (21) Anxiety

Top Ten Kills Leaders

1.  Wade Moore        20
2.  Klayman (KIA)     18
3.  Kodos             17
4.  Shorty (KIA)      16
5.  Astott            13
6.  Jfbbis            13
6.  Revrew            13
8.  Rich1033          12
8.  Thomkal II        12
10. Raven Hawk (KIA)  11

Waiting List

ID   Name              Base         Status     Rank     LBrvOK?  OptUp?
92.  Jeeber D           -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
93.  Afoci              -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
94.  Data King III      -           In Transit Rookie   No       No
95.  Illinifan V        -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
96.  Neuqua             -           Called     Rookie   Yes      No
97.  Blade III          -           Called     Rookie   Yes      No
98.  Shorty II          -           Called     Rookie   Yes      No
99.  Havok              -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
100. Ronnie Dobbs       -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
101. Erik Flamebeard    -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
102. Bishop MVP         -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
103. Katon              -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
104. Mr. Bug IV         -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
105. Lokugh II          -           On Call    Rookie   Yes     Yes
106. Aesyrqwe           -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
107. Sir Fozzie         -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
108. Wolfpack           -           On Call    Rookie   No       No
109. Breeze             -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
110. Japherwaki II      -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
111. Ravenhawk II       -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
112. Condors II         -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
113. Zippy II           -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
114. Marmel             -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
115. Swaggs             -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
116. Cam Edwards IV     -           CONFIRM?   Rookie   Yes      No

The Hall of Heroes

ID  Name                 Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills   Medals
1.   Cam Edwards          KIA        Rookie     1      0      J-1
3.   Patman               KIA        Captain    5      1      
4.   Fat Football         KIA        Sergeant   3      3      F-2B
5.   Sublime              KIA        Sergeant   6      3      K-2Y
6.   Blade 6119           KIA        Rookie     1      1      
7.   Jeff Nights          KIA        Rookie     1      0      
8.   Render               KIA        Sergeant  12      9      
9.   Kerillini            KIA        Sergeant   6      5      D-1B
11.  Toddiec              KIA        Squaddie   3      1      
12.  Illinifan            KIA        Squaddie   4      2      
13.  MrBug                KIA        Rookie     1      0      E-1B
16.  Thomkal              KIA        Squaddie   2      5      D-1B
17.  Shorty               KIA        Captain   16     16      D-1B; G-1; H-1
18.  Klayman              KIA        Captain   13     18      G-1; K-1Y
20.  Travis               KIA        Squaddie  10      6      
21.  Schmidty             KIA        Rookie     3      1      
22.  Al Hill              KIA        Squaddie   6      2      H-1
23.  Sachmo               KIA        Squaddie   3      3      
24.  Data King            KIA        Sergeant   6      4      
25.  Alf                  KIA        Rookie     1      2      
26.  Mr. Bug II           KIA        Squaddie   5      1      K-1Y
27.  Daimyo               KIA        Squaddie   3      0      
28.  3ric                 KIA        Squaddie   2      1      H-1; K-1Y
29.  Raven Hawk           KIA        Captain   15     11      -
30.  Sterling Ice         KIA        Rookie     1      0      
32.  Chief Rum            KIA        Squaddie   4      3      
33.  Qwikshot             KIA        Rookie     1      0      E-1G; F-1S
34.  Cam Edwards II       KIA        Squaddie   7      7      -
36.  Blade 6119 II        KIA        Rookie     1      0      
38.  Split Personality    KIA        Rookie     1      0      
40.  Toddiec II           KIA        Squaddie   4      3      
42.  Blade                KIA        Sergeant   5      4      
47.  Illinifan II         KIA        Squaddie   4      2      
48.  Fonzie               KIA        Squaddie   4      5      
49.  Lokugh               KIA        Sergeant   9      8     -
51.  Kerillini II         KIA        Squaddie   8      3     -
53.  Alf II               KIA        Rookie     1      2      
56.  Schmidty II          KIA        Rookie     1      0      
57.  Split Pers. II       KIA        Sergeant   4      4      
58.  3ric II              KIA        Squaddie   5      1     -
60.  Illinifan III        MIA        Squaddie   2      0      
62.  Data King II         KIA        Squaddie   3      2     -
63.  Mr. Bug III          KIA        Squaddie   5      3     -
64.  Japherwaki           KIA        Rookie     3      0     -
65.  Al Hill II           KIA        Sergeant   3      2     -
68.  Toddiec III          KIA        Rookie     3      0     -
69.  Zippy                KIA        Squaddie   9      5     -
72.  Coffee Warlord       KIA        Rookie     1      1      
77.  PsychoCop            KIA        Rookie     2      0     -
79.  Blade II             KIA        Rookie     3      0     -
80.  Illinifan IV         KIA        Rookie     3      0     -
81.  Andone               KIA        Rookie     3      1     -
82.  Condors              KIA        Squaddie   6      3     -
85.  Cam Edwards III      KIA        Squaddie   2      4     -