X-COM II: The Earth's Revenge (The Final Encounter)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part I)

Greenland, 0958 hours

The Avenger hovers above the massive glacier. Inside the bay, the 18 men check and recheck their equipment, then check that of the man beside them. When everything is ready, they strap themselves in tightly for the massive vertical thrust that will launch the craft out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Once everyone is strapped in and all loose equipment is fixed down, Kodos gives the word to Sachmo IV:

“Ready back.”

Ten seconds later, the nose of the Avenger II slowly lifts until it is pointed for the stars. It sits there, pointed at the heavens, for what seems like an eternity. Then with a deafening roar, the engines engage and the craft rockets upward. Ten seconds later, it is a faint orange streak in the distant night sky.

Inside the craft, the men are hit with over 6 Gs of force when the thrust engines engage. Agents grunt against the downward force. Even for these veterans, the force almost brings up some breakfasts. The craft rattles and shakes, but everything holds together. Then suddenly the Gs stop: the Avenger II has left the Earth’s atmosphere.

Sachmo IV’s voice drifts into the bay. “Prepare for the Hyper Drive. We’ll be at Mars in 14 minutes, but they tell me that all we’ll feel is a slight disorientation—no sense of time whatsoever. Essentially, for us in the Avenger II, the battle will be starting in less than a minute. That means that once I engage the drive, the next thing you’ll hear is me telling you how many seconds we’ve got to landing. We’ll have artificial gravity and plenty of oxygen on the way in, but make damn sure you get your helmets on now, because they also tell me that we’ll most likely get shot at on the way in and that could mean some wild evasive action. Don’t unlock your straps until I tell you to.”

The men put on their helmets, combat gloves, check that everything has clicked tightly into place. They set their oxygen flow rates and check for suit vacuum stability. After a moment everyone gives a thumbs up.

Kodos: “Sealed tight. Good to go”

Sachmo again. “Godzilla asked me to have a moment of silence before we go. To remember all our comrades that have fallen in battle, and to remember the civilians of Moscow and Chicago.”

Floating in space above the earth, the Avenger II falls perfectly silent. Each man takes a moment to reflect, to prepare, to pray. After a brief interval, someone in the back starts with a whisper over the helmetcom and a simultaneous light tap of their weapon on the Avenger floor…

X-COM…X-COM…X-COM. Other men join in. The beat gets louder. X-COM…X-COM…X-COM. Shortly, everyone in the bay is pounding the butts of their weapons into the Avenger floor, smiling wildly and shouting X-COM…X-COM…X-COM! through their helmetcoms.

Sachmo IV hits the Hyper Drive. The Avenger tears forward in a flash and vanishes.

(To be continued)

[Fonzie]

Good luck gents!

[Kodos]

Men, to quote Roddy Piper: "I came to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum. Let's go fry us a giant-ass alien brain."

[RealDeal]

I'm dedicating my first kill to every X-Com agent going to Mars or staying at home, past or present, dead or alive...except Kerlinni, who killed my grandfather.

My second kill will be dedicated to Kerlinni, who killed my grandfather, roasting in a particularly hot hellfire.

I'm ready to go Rambo on some alien scum! Today is a wonderful day to die!

[3ric]

And don't spend too much time dallying around on the surface. Find that darn entrance and make it snappy.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Weapon Assingments

As our Avenger II travels to Mars, this might be a good time to fill you in on weapon assignments...

All of our troops are equipped with Flying Suits. The bay of the Avenger is barely able to fit all of our men and tanks (the game only lets you bring 80 things in a vehicle bay, scattering these over 18 agents means that we're limited as to what each agent can carry), so we can't load up on our usual stockpile of extra weaponry. The decoys--Real Deal III, Coffee Warlord II, and Tasan II--are carrying the bulk of our nine electro flares, as they'll be the first men out of the Avenger II. Nine agents have Medi-Kits. Every agent with a heavy plasma is carrying a grenade. Each of our Blaster Launcher agents have either five or six missiles. If we need more ammo or weaponry, we'll need to grab it from either our own dead men or fallen aliens.

1. Commander Kodos (Heavy Plasma)
2. Colonel Wade Moore (Heavy Plasma)
3. Captain Revrew (Blaster Launcher)
4. Captain Jeff Nights II (Blaster Launcher, PSI Amp)
5. Captain AStott (Blaster Launcher)
6. Captain Qwikshot II (Heavy Plasma)
7. Sergeant Fat Football II (Blaster Launcher)
8. Sergeant Thomkal II (Heavy Plasma)
9. Sergeant Achilles (Heavy Plasma)
10. Sergeant Swaggs (Heavy Plasma, PSI Amp)
11. Sergeant Coffee Warlord II (Unarmed)
12. Segeant Jeeber D (Heavy Plasma)
13. Sergeant Wolfpack (Heavy Plasma)
14. Squaddie Raven Hawk II (Heavy Plasma)
15. Squaddie Illinifan V (Heavy Plasma)
16. Squaddie Ardent Enthusiast (Heavy Plasma)
17. Squaddie Real Deal III (Unarmed)
18. Rookie Tasan II (Unarmed)

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part II)

Above the Surface of Mars, 1014 hours

Sachmo’s voice is the next thing that all the men hear. “80 seconds to Mars! We’re pointed nose to the surface, but that’ll change quickly just before we land, so get ready, men!” Surprised, the men realize that they have all somehow stopped chanting and pounding their weapons on the floor. They felt just a slight dizziness, yet 14 minutes must have passed. They can sense incredible speed, yet the gravity in the Avenger is normal.

Sachmo IV: “Tracers from the surface. I’m moving! Hang on!”

The Avenger lurches violently left, jerking all the men’s heads with it. A Medi-kit snaps loose from a wall brace and starts bouncing around the inside of the craft.

Sachmo IV: “Holy shit. They ain’t happy to see us. Hang on!”

The craft spins, drops, and twists like a bottle rocket gone mad. The men inside are wrenched violently in all directions. Tasan II vomits in his helmet. The internal air vacuum quickly sucks it away, but his face is as white as the glacier we left behind. Illinifan V cracks his head hard against a sidebar and nearly blacks out.

Suddenly there is a huge bang and the craft is slammed up and right. More equipment snaps free and there is a noticeable wobble in the craft. The smell of smoke filles the bay.

Sachmo IV: “Shit. They got us. Vacuum’s tight, we’re still good. Should be under the anti-air in about ten seconds, then it’ll get better.”

The craft lurches madly down towards its original flight line, but continues it’s wild, evasive maneuvers. The men in the bay are pulled in all directions. The smoke gets more acrid. And then suddenly the Avenger straightens out.

Sachmo IV: “We’re through! 30 seconds to landing. Get ready to pitch, on five. Five…four…three…two...pitching…now!”

The nose of the craft spins 90 degrees up. The men inside have their equilibrium spun about, and immediately try to rework “up” and “down” in their heads.

Sachmo IV: “Fifteen seconds to flare. Unlock straps and stand.”

The men hit the unlock buttons on their straps, jump upright from their seats, face the ramp, then brace for the flare.

Sachmo IV: “Flare!”

The Avengers’ reverse thrusters kick in, dropping the speed of the craft to nearly zero in less than five seconds. The men crouch with the brutal change of force, then quickly stand upright again.

Sachmo IV: “Surface in five…four…three… two…one! We’re here!”

The Avenger touches softly down on the surface of Mars. The ramp unlocks with a soft click and then the vacuum jets blow it out and down with a loud pop. It slams into the surface of Mars and sends up a spray of dust that quickly becomes a cloud in front of the Avenger exit…

(To be continued)


Cutaway view of X-COM Forces just after touchdown on the surface of Mars. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part III)

Surface of Mars, 1016 hours

The silence of space is all that greets us.

Kodos: “Go! Go! Go!”

Our first Hovertank shoots out of the Avenger, spins…

No aliens. The dark brown, cratered surface of Mars spreads out in all directions. We can tell now from the pyramidal shadows looming in the darkness to our south that the alien compound lies in that direction, up by the nose of the Avenger. The area immediately in front of our exit is secure.

Our Hovertank goes vertical, loops over the Avenger, and starts south to search for aliens. Our men inside the Avenger take a moment to scan the battlefield through the tiny portholes in the sides of the craft.

Wade Moore: “Kodos, you see that pyramid on the left of our exit?”

There is a large pyramid looming in the darkness to the immediate left of our exit, up by the nose of the craft.

Kodos: “Got it. Second Hovertank out and hit it.”

The second Hovertank darts out of the exit bay, turns, and launches a fusion ball that tears around the Avenger and slams into the metal door of pyramid. A huge explosion follows…

Revrew: “No damage sir! It didn’t even dent the friggin’ door!”

Kodos: “Keep an eye on it. Real, Coffee, get out and get us some light!”

Real Deal III and Coffee Warlord II, two of our three unarmed decoy agents, are the first men on Mars. Real breaks right and quickly tosses two electro-flares into the darkness to the right of our exit. Coffee exits on the left and tosses a flare up into the darkness at the nose of the Avenger.

Real: “Sectoid! Three o’clock. 40 meters and closing fast! God damn that Blitz, not giving me a weapon! Someone help me!”

Kodos: “Jeeber D, Illinifan V, hit it! Move!”

As a plasma blast goes flying by our Avenger, Jeeber D and Illinifan bolt out of the Avenger, break right, spot the Sectoid, and open fire. Dust puffs up around the alien as it darts toward us, firing from the hip. Just as it closes to 30 meters, a burst from Jeeber slams into its stomach. Gore splashes out and floats away into the low gravity. The alien tumbles to the ground, dead.

Jeeber D: “Hot damn! I got one! Splash number one!” X-COM 1, Aliens 0.


X-COM forces deploy on Mars. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

An instant later, on the other side of our Avenger…

Coffee: “With the light, I can see a pyramid pillbox, with firing slits, about 30 meters past the nose of the Avenger!”

Kodos: “Jeff, say hello!”

Jeff Nights II moves quickly to the door of the Avenger, plots a firing course with the Blaster Launcher, and pulls the trigger. The missile darts out of the Avenger, swings around the left side of the Avenger, closes the gap between our craft and the pyramid in a flash, and crashes into the front firing slit! The explosion blows a huge chunk of the structure outward. We hear a death wail cut across the Martian landscape.

Coffee: “Yes! Nice shot! Got at least one! I can see a body!” X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

Kodos: “Ok, men. Let’s get the hell out of this box! Start deployment. Secure immediate area.”

Qwikshot II and AStott exit the Avenger. Qwikshot breaks left, and sets up a firing position at our landing gear that looks out at the pyramid to our left. AStott breaks left, away from our Avenger, and starts to set up with the Blaster Launcher. Illinifan V drops to the right landing gear.

(to be continued)

[jfbbis]

Good Luck, all! Wish I was with you

[Kodos]

It's go time, men. Look sharp!

[jerk3616]

"Every time a bell rings, a Sectoid gets his nuts shot off..."

(Shakes bell furiously)

Go agents! We here on base are rooting for you!

[Coffee Warlord]

Wow do I need a gun!

[Kodos]

So far, so good.

[sachmo71]

Sweet! That was fun flying!

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Weapon Assingments

As our Avenger II travels to Mars, this might be a good time to fill you in on weapon assignments...

11. Sergeant Coffee Warlord II (Unarmed)

16. Squaddie Ardent Enthusiast (Heavy Plasma)

That's all I got out of this post.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part IV)

Surface of Mars, 1019 hours

Suddenly, incoming plasma slams into Hovertank one.

Coffee: “Hovertank One’s hit. Fire’s coming from right near me, from the door of that pyramid to the left of our exit!”

Kodos: “You got visual?”

Coffee: “Negative! It must be around the corner.”

Kodos: “Jeff, try again! Aim to the right of the door.”

Jeff Nights II pulls the trigger on the blaster launcher. A missile roars out of the Skyranger bay, circles around the craft, turns the corner behind the pyramid, and slams into the far side of the small pyramid. A massive explosion follows. We hear the wail of a dying Sectoid!


X-COM forces advance past a knocked-out pyramid. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Coffee: “Got ‘em! That blast gutted the first floor. That’s one pyramid that won’t bother us anymore.” X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

Kodos: “Coffee! We got a blind spot to the south-east of you. Light it up!”

Coffee throws his second electro-flare off into the distance. It pops with a soft orange glow, illuminating the Martian landscape.

Coffee: “Holy shit! Nice call, Kodos! A Sectoid and a Cyberdisc bearing in on us, 40 meters. Some help, please!”

Kodos: “AStott! Fire!”

AStott pulls the trigger on his blaster launcher. A missile flies over the Avenger, then slams down on top of the Cyberdisc. A massive explosion rips the thing apart and blows the Sectoid to pieces. X-COM 5, Aliens 0.

Coffee: “Thank you!”

Kodos: “Ok, men. Let’s fan out. Quickly now. Find that damn base entrance!”

(to be continued)

[Coffee Warlord]

Next flare gets shot at AE!

[Kodos]

Can't we just set AE on fire or something?

[Coffee Warlord]

Whaddya think my flare gun is trying to do?

[Poli]

You're a lousy shot.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part V)

Surface of Mars, 1022 hours

Our men move out. Our last decoy, Tasan II, exits the Avenger with his electro-flares and breaks east. Real Deal heads south-east. Coffee starts south. Our two Hovertanks start sweeping along with them. Wolfpack exits the Avenger next, breaks right and joins Illinifan and Jeeber D as they fan to our east and south-east, slightly behind our decoys. Thomkal II is next off. He goes up under the Avenger, joins Qwikshot. Together the two of them head south, behind Coffee. Jeff Nights drifts out of the exit bay and moves away from the Avenger. He reloads his Blaster Launcher and waits for more targets of opportunity. The rest of our men move toward the exits.


Overhead view of the surface of Mars. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Real: “Got a pyramid to the south-east, about 40 meters.” A fraction of a second passes. “Sectoids! Two of ‘em! Coming out the door on the right!”

Kodos: “Swaggs, zap one of them! Wolfpack, Jeeber D, fire at will. Careful of Real, though: his kid’ll sue you if you kill him by mistake!”

In the Avenger, Swaggs sees the aliens pop up on his HUD. He targets the left Sectoid with his PSI-Amp and pulls the trigger twice. A wave of PSI energy rolls toward the pyramid. Swaggs PSI energy washes through the Sectoid with no effect. An instant later, Jeeber D and Wolfpack twist, aim, and open up on the Sectoids on full-auto. Plasma flies by Real and tears up the area around the base of the pyramid. Jeeber D hits first as he blows a chunk of one Sectoid’s chest away with a plasma blast. An instant later, Wolfpack blows the left leg off the second Sectoid. Both of them topple to the ground, screaming. Within seconds, they are dead.

Wolfpack: “Scratch Two! Got ‘em! Hell, yeah!” X-COM 7, Aliens 0.

Real: “There’s a green glow coming from under the door of that pyramid. I’m moving in. Stick with me. Keep that damn Hovertank in front of me, Kodos. I’ve got no weapon, in case you forgot.”

(to be continued)

[Raven Hawk]

Way to go Jeeber! Let's fry us up some more alien!

[SirFozzie]

Nice! Xcom doin the deed!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part VI)

Surface of Mars, 1025 hours

Hovertank Two and Real move towards the door on the east side of this new pyramid. Wolfpack and Jeeber D hurry to close the gap.

Suddenly, incoming fire races towards our Hovertank. It takes two glancing hits that leave dings in the side. Real dives for the dirt.


Dead Sectoids on Mars. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Real: “Kodos, got another pyramid, south of this one by 30 meters. Hard to tell what’s firing at us in the dark. Wait! Cyberdisc, coming at us, 20 meters away! Artillery, help!”

The enemy positions light up on our HUDs.

Kodos: “AStott, the disc! Jeff, the pyramid! Now!”

Two blaster missiles scream away from our Avenger, race past Real and our Hovertank, and slam into the enemy position. The Cyberdisc goes up in a mighty fireball. The base of the pyramid disintegrates a second later as Jeff’s missile slams into it. We hear the death wails of a Sectoid right as the explosion quiets down. X-COM 9, Aliens 0.

Real: “Got at least two! Can’t tell if there’s more, but I’m closing for the green door! Get me some help, here, dammit.”

Tasan II, Wolfpack, and Jeeber D close on Real’s pyramid. Our Hovertank drifts past it to keep an eye out for more aliens.

As Real was closing on his pyramid, to the west of that position, our first Hovertank lead Coffee, Thomkal, Illinifan, and Qwikshot south of our position. Just as the explosions to the east die down, a blast of plasma comes flying up from the darkness further south and goes screaming past our Hovertank.

Kodos: “Coffee, light it up, man! We can’t see shit! Use the electro near you on the ground!”

Coffee drops to the surface, picks up an electro flare nearby, and hurls it into the darkness south.

Coffee: “There! Sectoid! 30 meters south of me! Digging in behind an outcropping of rock!”

Illinifan and Thomkal II open fire instantly. Plasma slams into the rocks in front of the alien. Just as it sets to return fire, Illinifan sneaks a shot over the rock that catches the alien in the top of the skull. A splash of green drifts up behind the alien and it tumbles backwards with a scream.

Thomkal: “Nice shot, Illinifan. You got him!” X-COM 10, Aliens 0.


An X-COM agents advances on a knocked-out pillbox. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Kodos: “Let’s keep moving, people. Don’t get complacent. Second wave, out!”

Raven Hawk II, Wade Moore, Ardent Enthusiast, Revrew, and Achilles all exit the Avenger and begin fanning out behind our front lines.

(to be continued)

[RealDeal]

I would get to be one of the bitch no-weapon agents. Could have at least given me a psi-amp, since I got pretty good psi attack skills .

Nonetheless, at least I get to be in the front where the action is. I'm just happy to be here with the ultimate X-Com team. We're kicking ass so far.

[Raven Hawk]

Originally Posted by RealDeal

I would get to be one of the bitch no-weapon agents. Could have at least given me a psi-amp, since I got pretty good psi attack skills .

Nonetheless, at least I get to be in the front where the action is. I'm just happy to be here with the ultimate X-Com team. We're kicking ass so far.

Real Deal III and CW II just have a heavy set of stones, man.

[Poli]

You unarmed guys are doing great! I definitely thought I'd be one of those guys!

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

You unarmed guys are doing great! I definitely thought I'd be one of those guys!

I'm sure you'll be relieved of your arms soon enough.

[Coffee Warlord]

I'm hoping we pull off a massacre of the aliens, and us unarmed guys pick up a gore covered plasma rifle, and deliver the killing blow to the brain.

But being at the forefront is the shit. We walk in the dark places that no one else will enter. We stand on the bridge, and no one may pass.

Fear the X-Com Flare Platoon.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part VII)

Surface of Mars, 1028 hours

Real closes in on the glowing door of the pyramid, rips open the door, and stares inside: grav-lift down!

Real: “Jackpot! Got it! Activating purple HUD light now.”

A small pulsing glow appears on every agents HUD display.

Kodos: “Let’s move people! Converge on that grav-lift! Jeeber D, Wolfpack, cover our approach! Shoot anything that moves to the south. Real, don’t be a hero. Wait for your friends.”


X-COM troops close in on the entrance to the alien base. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Our men begin a quick approach on the grav-lift. Wolfpack and Jeeber D keep an eye on the darkness beyond for signs of movement, but there is none. Within five minutes, our entire force except Wolfpack and Jeeber D is standing stationed on the massive, green grav-lift floor.

Kodos: “Holy shit. We all made it? Anyone hurt?”

All voices answer to the negative.

Kodos: “Unbelievable. Jeeber, Wolfpack. Good job. Get in here.”

Wolfpack and Jeeber D hurry into the pyramid and onto the grav-lift.

Kodos: “Hell of a job, men. Remember, men, the next fight will be close quarters, and they’ll have their A-team waiting. Blow the friggin’ place apart as you go. Just level everything. Whoever finds the command center, activate the purple flasher. Once you see that, converge quickly on that spot. Everything dies when we kill the brain, so we don’t have to kill everything else first. Get the brain and it’s over. Ok, let’s do it. Achilles, hit that button.”

Achilles pushes the grav-lift control button. The massive lift begins to drop to the dark bowels of the enemy base…

(to be continued)

[Coffee Warlord]

Holy SHIT did you get off easy up top.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Fonzie

I'm sure you'll be relieved of your arms soon enough.

Arms, or weapons?

[Poli]

Rock.

On.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Arms, or weapons?

Yes.

[Fonzie]

Dola -

Damn. I'm refreshing this so often that I am getting no work done.

[Coffee Warlord]

Apparently, it was the right day to have noone in the office but me. I can watch this as it unfolds!

[Poli]

I need to study for my advancement exam. Screw it. I'm here.

[jerk3616]

Decreased productivity = increased alien killing. Today is a good day to die and/or slack off.

[kingfc22]

Way to go X-Com.

Hopefully, when I get back home, I'll see that CW gets the final blow to the brain.

[Swaggs]

This is the best thing I have read in years.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part VIII)

Inside the Alien Base, Mars, 1037 hours

Our men drop down the grav-lift into the alien base. Within a few minutes, we find ourselves standing in a large room with a grav-lift at each end.

Kodos: “Let’s take a quick look. Jeff, you and I will take the south grav-lift to the main floor. Revrew, you and Achilles take the north one. Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

(Note: the game places extra men onto the main floor during the setup. I had no control over Kodos, Jeff, Revrew, and Achilles being on the main floor to start the base assault).

The four men head down to the main floor.

Achilles: “Shit! Jelly-thing! Right beside me!”

Achilles twists and opens fire on full-auto from point blank range, just as the jelly-thing closes in on him. The pulsating purple pile of jelly disintegrates in a gooey explosion at Achilles’ feet. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.


X-COM forces fighting at close quarters in the alien base December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

The four men look around. We’re apparently somewhere along the southern edge of the base, as there are no corridors leading away from the room Kodos and Jeff are in. To their east, a long white corridor runs off into the distance. To the west, an exit opens onto a room filled with purple fungus. The exit north opens onto the room that Revrew and Achilles are in.

In their room, there are exits in all directions. One to the west opens onto a large empty room with a purple floor. To the north, the exit opens onto a corridor running east-west. The exit to the east opens on a large laboratory filled with fuel canisters. Revrew points his blaster launcher into the laboratory and fires. The missile slams into a fuel canister 5 meters inside the room and sets off a rumbling chain of explosions that flatten everything in the room. There are no alien screams that follow.

Kodos: “Ok, people, let’s get some men down here and start to fan out. Raven Hawk, Tasan, Qwikshot, Coffee, help us out.”

The four men drop to the main floor. Raven Hawk, Tasan, and Coffee come through the north lift; Qwikshot takes the south one. Once on the main floor, Raven Hawk heads north, Tasan heads east into the room Revrew just leveled, and Coffee heads west, into the room with the purple floor. In the south room, Qwikshot heads west, into the fungus room while Kodos heads east, down the long corridor.


X-COM agents advance through the alien base. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Raven Hawk: “Got another purple-jelly, down a corridor to the north!”

Raven Hawk drops to a knee and opens fire. Plasma screams down at the alien. Most of Raven’s shots slam off intervening walls, but one takes a chunk out of the wavering mass. A second later, Jeff pulls the trigger on his blaster launcher and sends a missile through our position and down the narrow corridor. Three-quarters of the way to the purple thing the missile hits the base wall, but the explosion splashes fire and debris down the hall, and there was enough force left in the explosion that we hear the purple thing let out a ear-piercing screech. X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

(to be continued)

[Poli]

Get 'em RH!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part IX)

Inside the Alien Base, Mars, 1041 hours

We begin to spread out. Our two Hovertanks drop to the floor of the base and move west, toward a maze of corridors on that side of the base. Qwikshot, Thomkal, and Ardent are next down; the three of them trail our tanks by a few meters. As our lead tank spins to glance down a long corridor, it picks up a pulsing purple mass far down the hallway.

Kodos: “Slime down there! Revrew, take it out!

Revrew fires a blaster missile that winds down the base’s corridors and plows into the jelly-like substance. The thing vanishes in the massive explosion that follows. X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

To our tank’s east, Raven Hawk starts working down a long corridor that runs north, while Tasan breaks away from him and starts heading east. Real Deal moves east, into the laboratory that Revrew blew apart. To his south, Kodos continues down a long corridor that runs to the east edge of the base.

Behind him, Coffee steps back as Jeff Nights fires his last blaster missile into the dark room with the purple fungus. The blast blows apart the mass of fungus and clears the room. Coffee waits for Wade Moore to drop to the base floor, then the two of them head into that room. Jeff drops his now useless Blaster Launcher and takes out his PSI Amp.

We split our tanks up. One heads west toward a series of long corridors. The other breaks north. Qwikshot follows the north tank. Ardent and Thomkal hurry to catch the west one. As Qwikshot and our tank move north, they spot yet another purple mass of jelly down well down the corridor in front of them. Qwikshot opens fire and blows a chunk of goo out of the thing; a second later our tank hits it with a fusion ball that blows the thing apart. X-COM 4, Aliens 0.


X-COM Hovertanks in action in the alien base. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Wade: “Kodos, check out the shape of those corridors near our west tank. They run in a huge square around some kind of a central area.”

Kodos glances on his HUD scan, and switches to the tank view.

Kodos: “Not sure, but if I were a betting man, I’d have to say that would be a perfect place to put a command center. Let’s take that bet. Ok, men, listen up. We’re going for it!”

Just then, two massive waves of PSI-energy wash over our troops…

(to be continued)

[sterlingice]

Always with the PSI-energy...

SI

[Raven Hawk]

Doh! Big bucks! Big bucks! No possession . . . and . . . STOP!

Wahh wahhh wahhh

(cue whammy)

[JeeberD]

Hell yeah, I got the first kill on Mars! If I die today at least I have that for my family to be proud of!

X-Com kicking ass and taking names. Hope that incoming PSI attack doesn't screw things up...

[Alf]

Shit, the PSI wave...

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by Alf

Shit, the PSI wave...

Translated:

*sigh*

The shit wave...

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mission 110: Mars (Part X)

Inside the Alien Base, Mars, 1044 hours

The PSI-energy washes over and through our men. They grit down, holding their reserve…no one even flinches! Well done, men!

Kodos: “Ok, listen up good, because I’m only going to say this once. We think our tank has located the command center, and we’re going for it. These are you orders. First, we’ll need everyone in the action, so get down to the main floor if you haven’t already. Real, Tasan, Coffee: get your asses toward that command center now. We’re going to get a lot more PSI-hits as we draw near that place, and I want you guys in front. Jeeber D and Achilles: you fill in for Real and Tasan along our east perimeter. Wolfpack: you get down here and replace me along the perimeter as well. I’m heading for the command center. Ardent, Thomkal, Qwikshot, and Raven Hawk: you use that Hovertank on our north to help you cover our north flank. Expand aggressively, don’t let the aliens get the initiative. Wade, Swaggs, Illinfan, AStott, and Jeff: hightail it for the command center. Use the left, south corridor. Our tank’s got that one pretty much clear. Revrew, and Fat Football: you guys start firing blaster missiles just beyond our north flank. There’s got to be more aliens on that side of the base, and I don’t want them surprising us as we hit the command center. Everyone on the perimeters: keep your heads up! Once we close on the command center, everything else in this base is going to try and converge on us, so anything out there will try to get through you. Don’t let it. Let’s go, men! This is the moment we were born for!”


X-COM penetration into the alien base at 1044 hours. December, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

(to be continued this evening)

[Kodos]

So far, the mission is a stellar success. Keep dotting your I's and crossing your T's, men! No slipups!