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

[Godzilla Blitz]

Just to remind everyone where we left off...

Previously on X-COM II...

October 31

Less than 36 hours after we knock out three UFOs in a bloody day of fighting, the European night sky is alight with more UFOs. A small UFO touches down in Northern Africa. A medium-size Muton UFO lands near the British alien base. A large battleship dances over the continent. We launch the ASIA COM Skyranger for the African UFO, and the EU COM Skyranger for the Muton UFO that has landed in Britain.

We're racing the dark with the ASIA COM Skyranger, and it becomes apparent that we’re not going to make it. With Superman on route to knock down the UFO as soon as it takes off, we send the ASIA COM Skyranger back home. However, the EU COM Skyranger will have plenty of light, and makes it to its target in plenty of time. In we go again…

On board:
Kodos, Wolfpack, Swaggs, Vince, ShaefIlllini, Real Deal III, Tucker II, The Time, Revrew, and Chuck U Farley.

I lost the flash drive that had the photos for next couple of missions. Until I find it, we'll just have to go with the typed report. That drive is around here somewhere, so should be able to post them eventually.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Everyone: Glad to see that a lot of us are still around! Thanks for the welcome back.

Eric: Thanks. Right now I'd prefer not to talk about it, but I most likely will in a few months.

Gi: Welcome aboard. Sometime next week I'll post an updated roster list. We'll get you in line. I hope you'll be able to get in some action.

I should have our next mission up in an hour or so!

[tucker342]

Woot! The first mission for Tucker II! Bring on those Sectoids!

[Godzilla Blitz]

89th Mission: More Mutons in Britain

One day after suffering 50% casualties in a ferocious firefight with tenacious Sectoids, the men of EU COM are once again heading into battle aboard the EU COM Skyranger. The war goes on, and new men step up to fill the void of the fallen. We’ve got three scared rookies on board for their first mission, and you can tell that even our vets’ confidence is a bit shaken after losing six men in one day yesterday.

We can take some consolation that we’re up against a medium-size Muton UFO today. The Mutons do not have PSI powers, and that should make our job a bit easier. Still, Mutons are tough bastards; it usually takes a few hits to take them down.

Giving our confidence another boost is a shiny new Hovertank that replaces the Cannon Tank we lost yesterday. This $900,000 piece of machinery is much tougher than a regular tank, and fires a high explosive fusion bomb capable of doing extensive damage. New toys for the boys.

Kodos will lead our men today.

The Skyranger begins its gradual descent to the sunlit battlefield below. Into the mix again…

Our men:

Left Side:
1. Kodos (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Vince (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Real Deal III (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. Swaggs (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Chuck U Farley (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Revrew (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Wolfpack (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. The Time (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Tucker II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. ShaefIllini (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger drops through the unusually clear British skies to the battle field. We’re about 50 miles from the alien base, and the land below us is typical British countryside. We see no sign of the UFO, but we can see a two-story structure immediately to the left of where the Skyranger will touch down. Straight out from our exit, our view will be unimpeded right up to a large hedgewall, about 40 yards out. At the nose of the Skyranger there’ll be a small grove. We’re coming down on the east side of the battle zone, so the area to the right of our exit is clear. The bulk of our fighting should be to the left of the Skyranger.

The Skyranger touches gently down. The ramp falls away. Thump…

Nothing.

We send our Hovertank out and—doh! I just realized why they’re called “Hover” tanks: they can fly! Cool! Our tank glides out the exit, then up over our Skyranger to scout the landscape from above. It makes a quick scan of the area, but sees no aliens.

We shuffle our exit order to get our less experienced agents out the door first. After a moment, Tucker II and Vince are first out. The two rookies set up by the Skyranger landing gear and try to peer into the farmhouse that lies about 5 yards to our left. They see no movement, but we hear UFO doors opening in the distance. The enemy is out there.

Our tank begins to sweep a wide arc around our position, and spots our first Muton hiding towards the back of the small grove that lies at the nose of our Skyranger, about 35 yards away! Tucker II rolls away from the landing gear, comes up on one knee facing the nose of our craft, and has a perfect line of fire on this Muton. He takes quick aim, pulls the trigger. A plasma blast tears into the grove and disintegrates the alien’s skull. Wow! What a start for Tucker II! One shot: one kill! X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Our tank continues its airborne sweep. Just as it clears the roof of the house on the left side of the structure, a plasma blast comes racing up at it, missing it by inches! Muton! Sneaking up alongside the left side of the house! We’ve got no one close enough to take a shot. Blaster Time. Back in the Skyranger bay, Kodos and Wolfpack jump out of the way as Real Deal III plots a quick firing course with the Blaster Launcher and pulls the trigger. The rocket tears out of the exit, goes up over the Skyranger, and drops down at a sharp angle behind the house. Kabooom! The left side of the house goes up in a huge explosion that kicks wood and brick 30 feet into the sky. Inside the roaring fireball, we can hear the Muton death wail! Sneak up on us, will you? Not with Hovertank over your head! Boo yaa! X-COM 2, Aliens 0.

We begin to deploy in force. Tucker II and Vince are joined by Chuck U Farley. The three of them start toward the left side of the house. They’ll start a sweep west of our position on that side of the structure. ShaefIllini, Wolfpack, and Kodos will go up the right side of the house and work this side of the structure. Swaggs, The Time, and Revrew will head straight out from out exit to clear the other side of the hedgewall that lies in front of our exit. Once they do that, they can break left and help our general westward sweep. Real Deal III will set up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher at the Skyranger. Our tank will sweep over the battle field and spot for us.

We move out.

We get only a few seconds into our deployment when our Hovertank spots another Muton, about 50 yards away, advancing on our position through a small grove on the back side of the now shattered farm house. Vince shuffles to the left of the remains of the farmhouse, drops to a knee, picks up the Muton on his HUD, and opens fire. His first two shots slam into intervening obstacles, but his third shot cracks into the Muton’s torso. It screams and topples to the ground! Nice shot, Vince! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

Less than a minute later, our Hovertank spots the UFO, in the middle of a field about 60 yards west of our position. It’s a large, square two-story craft. There are two exits. One faces us; the other lies on the left side of the craft as we see it. Standing just in front of UFO is an unsuspecting Muton. Our lines of fire are completely blocked by intervening hedgewalls, trees, and stone walls, but these are no obstacles to a Blaster Launcher. Once again Real fires a missile out the back end of the Skyranger. Three seconds later, the Muton and a huge chunk of the field he was standing in go up in a massive fireball. X-COM 4, Aliens 0.

We continue moving out, but change plans a bit. Tucker, Vince, and Chuck continue up the left side of the farmhouse. Instead of sending a squad of men to search the backside of the hedgewall, we decide to send our Hovertank over to check it out. By doing that, we can send everyone straight for the UFO. As our tank cuts over, Wolfpack and ShaefIllini lead the way through a small grove to the right of the farmhouse. The Time and Swaggs are close behind. Real’s got two kills now, so we have him trade weapons with Revrew, who was still waiting in the Skyranger for the exit to clear, along with Kodos.

As our Hovertank slices through the air towards the far side of the hedgewall, it spots two more Mutons! One is in a field just in front and to the left of the UFO, about 40 yards away from our advancing troops; the other is in front of one of the two exits on the UFO, about 50 yards away from our men. Wolfpack has a shot at the left-most alien, and quickly uses his HUD to line up the target. He pulls the trigger on full-auto. Plasma streaks across the intervening fields. Two quick hits slam into the unsuspecting Muton. It twists and starts to run back towards the UFO, but Wolfpack catches it with a third hit that sends it sprawling to the ground, dead! The second Muton, now alerted, begins to advance on our position. A section of hedge blocks the line-of-sight to our men, so we let Revrew do the honors. He plots a course with the Blaster Launcher and pulls the trigger. The rocket screams out of the Skyranger. Seconds later, the front of the UFO goes up in a fireball that kills the Muton instantly. Revrew tosses the Blaster Launcher to Kodos. Let’s all get in on the fun. X-COM 6, Aliens 0.

Our Hovertank makes it past the far hedgewall: no aliens there. It begins to cut back towards the UFO. All our men continue advancing. Suddenly, we hear ferocious wailing near the UFO. Three Mutons are charging through the field toward us, all about 40 yards away! Two are in the field to the left of the UFO; one is coming through the field right in front of it. Everyone with a shot—Vince, Wolfpack, ShaefIllini, and Swaggs—prepares to fire. The Time—whose shot is blocked by a hedge—preps a grenade and throws it in the Mutons’ path. Chuck and Tucker scramble to get in position to fire.

When the aliens get to 30 yards out, Kodos orders, “Open fire!” and the men let her rip. A hail of plasma streaks towards the aliens as they close on us. ShaefIllini drills the alien on the right with two hits, and then Swaggs catches it in the head to drop it for the kill. Wolfpack nails the first alien on the left with three quick hits that sends it sprawling to the ground. Vince catches the other alien on the left with two hits that drops it to the ground. This last alien emits no telltale death wail, so we’re pretty sure he’s alive. A second later The Time’s grenade goes off and the question is moot: the blast obliterates the two bodies in the field. Wow! Impressive firing, men! X-COM 9, Aliens 0.

Things go quiet for a bit, except for the whirring of internal UFO doors. Our Hovertank keeps sweeping the area, and our men move forward to set up firing positions on the two UFO exits. After a few minutes, we get Vince, Tucker II, Chuck Farley, and The Time in a wide arc about 30 yards away from left exit, and Wolfpack, Swaggs, and ShaefIllini in similar arc facing the right exit. Real Deal and Revrew stay back in reserve. Kodos exits the Skyranger and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher.

Then we wait.

And wait.

Muton! A Muton steps out of the right exit! ShaefIllini and Wolfpack open fire at the same time. Plasma screams towards the alien. One shot catches it in the groin. The Muton screams, crumbles to the ground, and dies! Nice going, men! X-COM 10, Aliens 0.

We wait some more, then decide to assault. The Time and ShaefIllini fall in behind our Hovertank and begin a cautious advance towards the left UFO door. Chuck follows a bit off to the left of this advance. We’ll send these three men inside the left door first.

As the men approach the craft, the left exit opens! A missile comes sailing out of the dark interior of the UFO and flies right for Vince! Aaargh! The missile…

Just goes over Vince’s head and sails off into the distance, where it explodes with a resounding boom, sending a massive fireball into the sky. Whew. Close call.

Our three men and our tank continue advancing. Suddenly, a Muton steps out of the left exit again! Chuck reacts instantly as the Muton turns to throw a grenade at our tank. Just as the Muton makes the throw, Chuck catches it with a plasma blast that twists the creature around. It falls screaming to the ground. And then another Muton comes out on this one’s heels! It gets off two quick shots at our tank, both of which miss by inches, then ducks back into the UFO interior. The Time and ShaefIllini drop to the ground behind our tank as the first Muton’s grenade goes off. Kaboom! Smoke and dirt fill the air around our tank. Shaef and The Time lose their hearing and get their senses rattled by the blast. The Time looks at his thigh, and notices a three-inch piece of shrapnel sticking out of his armor. He grabs the piece of metal, pulls it out, and winces as a trickle of blood starts oozing down his armor. He stands quickly though, and we resume our advance on the UFO. X-COM 11, Aliens 0.

The men reach the UFO without incident. We pull our tank away, and get ready to enter. The Time will lead the way, followed by ShaefIllini and then Chuck. On three…

One…two…three…

The Time stands, pops open the door, and comes face-to-face with a Muton! The Time jams his heavy plasma into the Muton’s stomach and pulls the trigger. The blast cuts the creature in two pieces with a fantastic splash of purple. The two chunks of Muton drop to the ground. Oh crap! There’s another Muton behind this one, about ten yards away, near a grav-lift shaft! It opens fire on full-auto! Plasma blasts slam into The Time. One shot catches him in the chest, putting a big dent in his armor and sending a stream of blood out of his mouth. His vision goes black and he starts to fall, but second shot catches him in the shoulder, rips a chuck of armor and flesh off, and sends a spray of blood back into the field. The last blast spins The Time around like a rag doll. He topples to the ground. ShaefIllini—right behind The Time—steps on The Time’s back, twists to see the alien inside the UFO, and opens fire. One blast nails the Muton in the forearm, wounding it slightly, but the rest fly wide. Suddenly, Kodos—still back at the Skyranger—yells, “Clear!” and opens fire with the Blaster Launcher. ShaefIllini jumps to the side of the entrance. Together Chuck and he yank The Time’s body away from doorway. A split second later Kodos’ missile disappears through the open door. A massive explosion shakes the UFO and sends a stream of raging fire out the exit. Inside we hear the death screams of at least one Muton. X-COM 13, Aliens 0.

That does it! Our threat sensors turn green! That was the last alien!

Chuck and Shaef look at The Time. His chest plate is caved in, he’s got blood dripping out of his thigh, there’s a chunk of his left shoulder missing, and the inside of his helmet is drenched with blood. Somehow, his heart is still beating. The two men stick on Medi-patches on the wounds, and then carefully carry The Time back to the Skyranger. He should make it, but we won’t be seeing him in action for a long while.

Kills: Kodos, 1; Revrew, 1; The Time, 1; Real Deal III, 2; Wolfpack, 2; Swaggs, 1; Chuck U. Farley, 2; Vince, 1; Tucker II, 1; ShaefIllini, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: The Time (22 days).
Attribute Improvements: Everyone!
Final score: 477. Solid score.
Mission Notes:
The Time got beat up bad. Ouch. Three wounds in one battle. Lucky to be alive.

This was a close to a perfect mission as we have come. Everyone had a kill and everyone got attribute improvements. Only blemish is the fact that The Time almost died. Overall, though, a solid mission. Nice to get all three of our rookies a kill on their first mission.

Hovertanks rock. They change the dynamic of the game completely. We can use these things as tough, armor-plated spotters, and then kill with our Blaster Launcher from distance. The aliens never even see us. I think we’ll add a second Blaster Launcher to each big mission now. We’ll need to crank up missile production, but we should be ok there, until we need to shift engineering over to the Ultimate Spacecraft. For the trip to Mars. Yeah, Mars. I love the sound of that word.

[Barkeep49]

So good to see this back. What a great return mission!

[kingfc22]

Man I love a good X-Com report!

[3ric]

Hovertanks really are the shizznit for advance recon! Nice shooting, it was just an overwhelming display of firepower...

[hoopsguy]

Very nice mission, GB. Welcome back.

[thealmighty]

I love reading this, and I'm not even in it.

How do I get on board?

[RealDeal]

WOOOT

[fantastic flying froggies]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Chuck and Shaef look at The Time.

Can I get an X-Com watch too ?

Sorry, couldn't help myself...

I'm glad he pulled through though... Some serious alien butt-kicking took place in that mission !

[Poli]

GB, tell SI to give you a better report for your new toys.

[Thomkal]

Great start to the "rebirth" of the dynasty GB, way to go guys!

[The Afoci]

Nice to see you back.

[Fonzie]

Rock on.

[Breeze]

Nice to have a mission without a fatality.

[Blade]

Awesome job!!!

[Sublime]

Oh Boy...Haven't read an X-Com report in some time!

[Wolfpack]

Two kills and a near-kill! I rule! *throws fist into the air*

[Kodos]

Great return mission, and I finally got to play with the blaster launcher. Excellent!

[AStott]

Excellent...

[Vince]

Hell yeah...a kill and a near-kill already. And a little bit of luck with a miss on that missile. It's good to be back in action, finally (referring, of course, to my soldier's extended absence from the field).

[gi]

Because I was unable to read the first couple parts of this dynasty, was there a high number of deaths for X-Com during the begining of the Alien assault?

[Lokugh]

Originally Posted by gi

Because I was unable to read the first couple parts of this dynasty, was there a high number of deaths for X-Com during the begining of the Alien assault?

Well, first, there is a reason why this is X-COM II...X-COM I ended with all agents dead.

As for the this current thread...when an agent dies, his child usually joins up. My grandson is currently in training and I got in late. There are some here who are on their fifth or sixth generation

We'd have even more deaths, but a bug about a quarter way in caused GB to have to back up a few months, which is why Kodos is still alive...he survived by a technicality. Unfortunately for those of us in training (on the waiting list), GB has gotten really good at this game, so people don't die so much.

Lokugh

[gi]

After reading all the remaining AAR's, Kodos is my favorite, if only because he has lasted this long

I just started playing this again and noticed that without armor, you see a ton of deaths early game.

I need to brush up my skills...

[tucker342]

Yes! A kill in my first mission!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Glad to see that so many people are back! It feels good to get this going again.

I hope to put up our next mission this weekend, and will most likely write a lead-in for it in a couple of days.

Unfortunately, I was trying to change a stuck light bulb in a desk lamp tonight and the bulb shattered in my hand. Overall I was pretty lucky, but I did slice the tip of my left pinky pretty badly, and I'm having trouble typing now. I'm not sure getting blood in your keyboard is a good idea either. I'm going to have to let this heal before I'll be back. I imagine it'll only take a day or two at the most.

Gi: Yeah, we got beat up pretty badly in our first base assault. At some point I'll try to post the threads from the old board. I've got some webspace I can dump it on.

thealmighty: Consider yourself on the waiting list. I'll add your name at the next update. Welcome. If you come close to living up to your name, we'll be grateful.

Oh yeah, I found the flash drive with the photos on it, so I'll probably add those sometime soon as well.

[klayman]

Purple Heart for GB!

[3ric]

Blood in the keyboard? Dang it, GB, your write-ups of the missions are getting WAY to realistic... no need to resort to cheap special effects!

Just kidding, of course. Take care of that finger.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 1

The eleventh month of our war begins just as the tenth ended, with UFOs dancing across our radar screens. Before the month sees its first dawn, the USA Interceptor has knocked out a small, Snakeman UFO over Siberia, and the EU COM Interceptor forces an Ethereal UFO down in Ohio. ASIA COM launches for the Siberian UFO. USA COM prepares to launch for the Ohio UFO, but will wait for dawn to work its way west.

Sometime during the day on the 1st, we’ll get our monthly evaluation from the UN, and more importantly, we’ll see the results of our first month of PSI-training! That’s right, men, the fortunate dozen or so of you that were in PSI-training and survived October will finally get to see how you rate psychologically. Needless to say, this will be a big day for many of you, and it could make the difference between watching the Martian attack on tv or being in the actual attack.

However, before that happens, ASIA COM will fight Snakemen, so we’ll have a combat first, report cards later.

On board the ASIA COM Skyranger:
Glengoyne, Fat Football II, Qwikshot II, Calis, Sir Fozzie II, Thomkal II, 3ric IV, Illinifan V, PsychoCop II, Hoops Guy

Yikes. Quite a few rookies here.

Also, one more unimportant detail…

Um, you don’t have a tank. We lost it on the last ASIA COM mission; the new one’s not in yet.

Who needs tanks anyway, right? Tanks are for the wimps over in EU COM, right? Right?

Go get ‘em, men! Rookies out the door first!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Klayman: Actually, I was fixing the light so I could read a map, so it wasn't in the line of duty. I don't think I get a Purple Heart, right?

Eric: All better, now. Except for a bandaid on my pinky and a sticky red "A" key, that is.

[Calis]

Somehow your prelude into the next mission is not making me feel very comfortable.

Hopefully I don't have to wax any teammates this go round.

[hoopsguy]

I'm hoping the same thing, Calis.

[Tellistto]

Snakemen...pfft. No worries about anyone being taken over, just have to watch out for getting ate.

Tell

P.S. Oh yeah...you can sign me up too, maybe I'll get in before the end mission. If not, life goes on. I've been reading this since the first one that ended in disaster, excellent writing GB. I also liked your report on MOHAA, had me rolling in that one.

[klayman]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Klayman: Actually, I was fixing the light so I could read a map, so it wasn't in the line of duty. I don't think I get a Purple Heart, right?

It was a map of the battlefield so that's in the line of duty. Being a man and all, you couldn't possibly be reading a map for any other purpose, right?

[wade moore]

Wow... I have been so busy I haven't been in the dynasty thread in months.. Had no idea this was still going and that I was still truckin'... good work men! I will start keeping up and try to play catch up!

[Godzilla Blitz]

90th Mission: Snakemen in Siberia

The ASIA COM Skyranger is northbound for the forests of Siberia. This will be the base’s first mission since losing four men in a rough fight at the end of October. The mood inside the craft is tense. We’ve got a handful of rookies on board, we’re without a tank (knocked out last mission), and we’re going up against Snakemen—always a tough fight.

To our advantage, we’ll be touching down in mid-afternoon on a bright, sunny day. Also, CapnMorgan’s Interceptor report said the UFO was a small scout, so we shouldn’t have a lot of opposition on the ground.

Qwikshot II will command our attack.

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

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Glengoyne (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Fat Football II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Qwikshot II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Calis (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Sir Fozzie II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

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

The Skyranger drops to the sunlit forests below. The men scan the landscape. We can see rolling forests spreading out in all directions. To the right of our where we’ll exit, we can see a thin stream of grey smoke floating up out of the woods: our UFO. It looks like it will lie on the other side of a patch of thick woods, about 40 yards to the right of our UFO exit bay. We’re coming down on the west side of the active zone today. Just in front of the exit of our Skyranger is a small clearing. To its right is a large hill. The area to the left of the Skyranger is secure ground. Elsewhere, we can only see woods.

The Skyranger touches down with a soft thump. The ramp falls away. Cool fall air rolls into the Skyranger bay.

Silence.

Glengoyne takes a deep breath and exits the Skyranger…

Nothing. He scrambles down the ramp, scans in all directions…

Nothing. 3ric IV is out next. The two men take up firing positions at the landing gear as the men inside the Skyranger shuffle around. PsychoCop II exits next. Slowly the three men work their way away from the Skyranger. Glengoyne heads towards the nose of the Skyranger. PsychoCop heads straight right. 3ric IV heads towards into the clearing in front of our exit, then breaks slightly right to head up the large hill.

Suddenly, we hear a plasma rifle go off! Huh? We see nothing. Crap. Something must be nearby. There! Glengoyne picks up a flash of gold, about 25 yards away, in the thick woods that lie beside our Skyranger: Snakeman! Just as quickly Glengoyne loses sight of the thing. Glen and PsychoCop advance into the woods…

There! Behind a tree, about 20 yards away! Glen and Psycho both have shots. The two men drop to a knee and open up. Plasma blasts slam into intervening trees, but Glengoyne slips one shot through the dense foliage and catches the Snakemen in the chest. The thing screams and drops to the ground! Nice shot! X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Things go quiet again. We take advantage and deploy in force. Since this will most likely be a short mission and Glen has a kill, he turns and heads back to the Skyranger. Calis exits and joins 3ric. Together the two men head up the hill off to the right of our exit. PsychoCop—whose shots at the first alien missed horribly wide—heads into the woods towards the UFO. Sir Fozzie II and Hoops Guy exit the Skyranger and head up towards the nose of the craft. Once there, they break into the woods to the right of our Skyranger. They’ll advance to where we think the UFO is and try to set up a firing position on the door.

Things stay distressingly quiet for the next ten minutes or so. 3ric and Calis sweep up over the hill. PsychoCop waits for Thomkal to join him, and then the two of them advance to the UFO. It’s a tiny scout that usually holds 3-5 aliens. The door lies on the far side of the craft. The two men sweep the left side of the UFO. Hoops Guy and Sir Fozzie arrive at the UFO soon thereafter, and set up a firing position about 15 yards from the exit. Qwikshot exits the Skyranger and jogs to join these two men in case they need help. Illinifan V exits the Skyranger and sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher. Fat Football and Glengoyne start a game “paper-rock-scissors” in the back of the Skyranger.

The men complete their sweeps without incident. There is only one place left: the inside of the UFO. Time to go in. We’ll hit the door with a Blaster missile, follow it with another, and then bust in to the inside to clean up whatever is left. We bring PsychoCop and Thomkal to one side of the tiny craft, and pull Qwikshot, Sir Fozzie, and Hoops Guy to the opposite side. Once they are in position, Illinifan lets rip with the Blaster Launcher. The missile arcs over the woods, comes down, then twists into the alien door. A massive explosion blows the door apart and tears up the ground for 30 yards in front of the door.

Hoops Guy and Sir Fozzie start for the edge of the door as Illinifan stuffs another missile in the Blaster Launcher and fires. The second missile flies over the battle field, twists down, and disappears inside the UFO. A massive explosion inside sends a rush of flame and debris out of the UFO. Inside we can hear the death wails of Snakemen dying! Hoops Guy and Sir Fozzie are inside the UFO right on the tails of the explosion: three mutilated Snakemen corpses litter the floor of the ravaged craft.

Mission over.

Kills: GlenGoyne, 1; Illinifan, 3.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None.
Attribute Improvements: GlenGoyne, Illinifan.
Final score: 77
Mission Notes:
On second thought, I might have waited a bit for aliens to exit the UFO, but we had been there so long and nothing happened that I thought they were never going to come out. Would have been nice to spread those kills and experience out a bit, but a mission with no casualties is always a good mission.

Another day, more dead aliens. Gotta love it.

[Poli]

Woot!

[Thomkal]

whew glad to have survived another one, especially when psi ratings were about to be revealed. Way to go squad!

[Godzilla Blitz]

Should have a new stat update out this week, with psi ratings for those that made it through. Aiming for another mission this weekend. We've got those Ethereals for USA COM to handle.

Wade: Welcome back! It's good to hear from you! Your leadership has been missed, but it'll be good to have you back for the push towards the final mission.

Tellistto: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it. Welcome, and I'll add you to the on-call list.

Klayman: Hey, that's right! It was a map of Earth, and Earth is where our game takes place, so sure, that was in the line of duty! I get a Purple Heart! Yipee!

[PsychoCop]

PSYCHOCOP II ROCKS!

[RealDeal]

X COMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[Godzilla Blitz]

Report Cards!

A dozen or so men made it through a month of grueling PSI-training, and the results are in! A word of explanation for those who don't know the game that well. PSI Defense is your ability to withstand PSI attacks without suffering adverse effects. It cannot change. PSI Strength is your PSI attack ability. It increases with training.

Big winners on the PSI report cards are Revrew and Jeff Nights II, who score at the top of the chart in the all important PSI defense rating. Unfortunately, Condors II has the PSI strength of 2-year-old. Dont' stand in front of him if you're up against Ethereals.

Without further ado...

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 90)

USA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
14.  Wade Moore        Active     Colonel   24     22     
43.  Achilles          Active     Sergeant  18     14     
46.  Patman II         Active     Captain   20     11     
55.  Sublime II        Active     Squaddie  16     10     
61.  Rawisdan          Active     Squaddie  15      7     
73.  CTHomer           Active     Squaddie  11      6     
74.  AStott            Active     Captain   14     18     
75.  Alf III           Active     Squaddie   7      4     
92.  Jeeber D          Active     Squaddie   8      5     
98.  MrBug IV          Active     Squaddie   8      3     
112. Airhog II         Active     Squaddie   2      1     
113. Anxiety II        Active     Squaddie   2      1     
114. Blade6119 IV      Active     Squaddie   2      0     
115. Klayman III       Active     Squaddie   2      2     
 

EU COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
2.   jfbbis            Active     Colonel   21     20     
10.  Kodos             Active     Commander 25     24     
19.  Revrew            Active     Captain   23     19     
37.  The Time          WND (22)   Sergeant  21     10     
70.  Naiwf             WND (6)    Sergeant  14     10     
89.  RealDeal III      Active     Squaddie  11      6     
90.  Coffee Warlord II Active     Sergeant  11      9     
101. Wolfpack          Active     Squaddie   7      7     
102. Japherwaki II     WND (16)   Squaddie   9      7     
105. Swaggs            Active     Sergeant   9      7     
110. Breeze            Active     Squaddie   3      7     
116. Chuck U Farley    Active     Squaddie   3      4     
119. Tucker II         Active     Squaddie   1      1      
120. Sachmo III        WND (16)   Squaddie   3      1     
123. Vince             Active     Squaddie   1      1      
128. ShaefIllini       Active     Squaddie   1      1

ASIA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
35.  Jeff Nights II    Active     Captain   23     11     
39.  Thomkal II        Active     Sergeant  18     15     
41.  Fat Football II   Active     Sergeant  16      8     
45.  Danny VanHalen    Active     Sergeant  18     13     
52.  Qwikshot II       Active     Captain   18     11     
76.  Fonzie II         Active     Squaddie  11     11     
84.  Split Pers III    Active     Squaddie   7      8     
93.  Afoci             Active     Squaddie   7      4     
96.  Illinifan V       Active     Squaddie   7      6     
103. Condors II        Active     Sergeant   7      9     
109. Glengoyne         Active     Squaddie   4      3     
111. 3ric IV           Active     Squaddie   4      1     
117. Psycho Cop II     Active     Rookie     1      0      
118. Calis             Active     Squaddie   3      1     
124. Sir Fozzie II     Active     Rookie     1      0      
127. Hoops Guy         Active     Rookie     1      0

 

SAM COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
71.  Wignasty          Active     Squaddie   7      3     
121. Katon II          Active     Rookie     0      0      
122. Mike Vic          To EU      Rookie     0      0      

 

AFRICA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
59.  Daimyo II         Active     Squaddie   9      5     
94.  Data King III     Active     Squaddie   5      2     
125. Chief Rum IV      Active     Rookie     0      0      
126. The Herd          To ???     Rookie     0      0
 

X-COM II Troop Attributes

      
     Name              TUs  Sta  Hlt  Brv  Rea  Fir  Thw  Str  PsD  PsS
2.   jfbbis            76   82   61   30   35   84   58   58
10.  Kodos             80   90   58   50   62   81   73   61   75   20
14.  Wade Moore        79   81   56   30   59   91   72   67
19.  Revrew            77   71   55   30   37   66   60   62   91   24
35.  Jeff Nights II    69   76   55   60   32   65   61   54   97   17
37.  The Time          76   84   57   50   63   55   59   54
39.  Thomkal II        70   92   60   30   56   50   61   49   60   20
41.  Fat Football II   71   72   43   50   38   69   73   52
43.  Achilles          73   74   57   10   46   79   79   53
45.  Danny VanHalen    77   82   50   10   42   63   79   51   28   21
46.  Patman II         76   69   53   60   47   52   79   55
52.  Qwikshot II       73   81   45   10   58   77   65   52   75   22
55.  Sublime II        74   76   44   10   40   73   77   58
59.  Daimyo II         65   60   48   30   47   70   64   43
61.  RawisDan          68   50   37   60   37   67   74   48
70.  Naiwf             76   72   53   50   40   63   69   49   26   16
71.  Wignasty          64   45   37   20   38   61   72   44
73.  CTHomer           68   67   38   10   58   45   62   46
74.  AStott            76   60   54   50   55   73   62   58
75.  Alf III           62   57   36   40   52   50   55   46
76.  Fonzie II         71   76   53   20   46   65   79   48   37   17
84.  Split Pers III    69   71   45   30   41   64   67   42
89.  RealDeal III      74   74   39   60   47   68   68   56   48   24
90.  Coffee Warlord II 75   82   48   60   38   72   69   46   25   24
92.  Jeeber D          61   58   41   20   30   60   77   37
93.  Afoci             62   59   37   30   40   45   54   47
94.  Data King III     63   52   31   50   36   52   58   35
96.  Illinifan V       57   54   47   50   56   54   66   45
98.  Mr. Bug IV        61   64   45   10   34   69   66   34
101. Wolfpack          67   73   37   40   36   65   59   40
102. Japherwaki II     67   78   43   20   32   52   53   49
103. Condors II        65   70   41   60   51   68   66   54   13   20
105. Swaggs            69   75   45   60   51   74   69   48   83   24
109. Glengoyne         67   68   45   30   34   68   53   45
110. Breeze            64   49   37   60   31   71   54   42
111. 3ric IV           52   61   31   30   45   50   56   25
112. Airhog II         56   67   30   60   56   44   54   29
113. Anxiety II        55   66   37   30   57   64   67   40
114. Blade6119 IV      55   47   41   10   37   72   60   27
115. Klaymn III        62   75   41   30   34   70   58   32
116. Chuck U Farley    57   67   35   40   54   67   76   37
117. Psycho Cop II     50   61   28   10   60   67   50   37
118. Calis             58   57   26   50   39   55   73   35
119. Tucker II         60   64   27   60   53   55   64   29
120. Sachmo III        56   57   36   50   47   57   57   38
121. Katon II          50   49   28   40   55   67   54   37
122. Mike Vic          59   41   38   10   32   44   52   34
123. Vince             56   65   27   10   45   65   57   43
124. Sir Fozzie II     60   65   27   10   31   67   50   25
125. Chief Rum IV      55   46   25   30   50   52   63   38
126. The Herd          51   66   37   40   58   50   77   40
127. Hoops Guy         52   49   36   40   41   59   65   24
128. ShaefIllini       58   49   40   10   60   59   64   33

Key: TUs = Time Units; Sta = Stamina; Hlt = Health; Brv = Bravery; Rea = Reactions
     Fir = Firing; Thw = Throwing; Str = Strength; PsD = PSI Defense; PsS = PSI Skill

Support Personnel

Head of Research: Craptacular
(Current researching focus: Ultimate Space Craft, Fusion Missile)
Head of Engineering: Sterling Ice II 
(Current manufacturing focus: Power Suits, Fusion Ball Bombs, Hover Tank, Firestorm Fighter)
US Interceptor Pilot: CapnMorgan (10 Kills)
EU Interceptor Pilot: Superman   (11 Kills)
AS Interceptor Pilot: Toddiec IV ( 9 Kills)

Attribute Leaders (After Mission 90)

Time Units:   (80) Kodos
Stamina:      (92) Thomkal II
Health:       (61) Jfbbis
Bravery:      (60) (Ten tied)
Reactions:    (63) The Time
Firing:       (91) Wade Moore
Throwing:     (79) (Four tied)
Strength:     (67) Wade Moore
PSI Defense:  (97) Jeff Nights II
PSI Strength: (24) (Four tied)
 

Attribute Doggies (After Mission 90)

Time Units:   (50) PsychoCop II, Katon II
Stamina:      (41) Mike Vic
Health:       (25) Chief Rum IV
Bravery:      (10) (Eleven tied)
Reactions:    (30) Jeeber D
Firing:       (44) Airhog II, Mike Vic
Throwing:     (50) Sir Fozzie II, Psycho Cop II
Strength:     (24) Hoops Guy
PSI Defense:  (13) Condors II
PSI Strength: (16) Naiwf
 

Top Ten Kills Leaders

1.  Kodos                24
2.  Wade Moore           22
3.  Jfbbis               20
4.  Revrew               19
5.  Klayman (KIA)        18
5.  Astott               18
7.  Shorty (KIA)         16
8.  Thomkal II           15
9.  Achilles             14
9.  Rich (KIA)           14

Waiting List

ID   Name              Base         Status     Rank     LBrvOK?  OptUp?
129. Ardent Enthusiast  -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      Yes
130. Peregrine          -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
131. Raven Hawk II      -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
132. Northwood DK       -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
133. Lokugh III         -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
134. BYU II             -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
135. Kingfc             -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
136. Barkeep            -           In Transit Rookie   Yes      No
137. Shorty II          -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
138. Fantastic Froggies -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
139. Blade IV           -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
140. Tasan II           -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
141. Rich II            -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
142. Travis IV          -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
143. Render III         -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
144. Zippy III          -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
145. Gi                 -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
146. The Almighty       -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
147. Tellistto          -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
 

The Hall of Heroes

ID   Name                 Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills 
1.   Cam Edwards          KIA        Rookie     1      0    
3.   Patman               KIA        Captain    5      1    
4.   Fat Football         KIA        Sergeant   3      3    
5.   Sublime              KIA        Sergeant   6      3    
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    
11.  Toddiec              KIA        Squaddie   3      1    
12.  Illinifan            KIA        Squaddie   4      2    
13.  MrBug                KIA        Rookie     1      0    
15.  Rich 1033            KIA        Squaddie  20     14     
16.  Thomkal              KIA        Squaddie   2      5    
17.  Shorty               KIA        Captain   16     16    
18.  Klayman              KIA        Captain   13     18    
20.  Travis               KIA        Squaddie  10      6    
21.  Schmidty             KIA        Rookie     3      1    
22.  Al Hill              KIA        Squaddie   7      3    
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    
27.  Daimyo               KIA        Squaddie   3      0    
28.  3ric                 KIA        Squaddie   2      1    
29.  Raven Hawk           KIA        Captain   15     11    
30.  Sterling Ice         KIA        Rookie     1      0    
31.  BYU 14               KIA        Captain   20     12     
32.  Chief Rum            KIA        Squaddie   4      3    
33.  Qwikshot             KIA        Rookie     1      0    
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    
44.  Airhog               KIA        Squaddie  11      7    
47.  Illinifan II         KIA        Squaddie   4      2    
48.  Fonzie               KIA        Squaddie   4      5    
49.  Lokugh               KIA        Sergeant   9      8    
50.  Sachmo II            KIA        Sergeant  19     12    
51.  Kerillini II         KIA        Squaddie   8      3    
53.  Alf II               KIA        Rookie     1      2    
54.  Blade 6119 III       KIA        Squaddie  11     13    
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    
66.  Tasan                KIA        Squaddie  15      7     
67.  Chief Rum II         KIA        Sergeant  13      9    
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    
78.  Render II            KIA        Sergeant  12      8     
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    
83.  Travis II            KIA        Squaddie   4      3    
85.  Cam Edwards III      KIA        Squaddie   2      4    
86.  Klayman II           KIA        Squaddie   6      3    
87.  3ric III             KIA        Squaddie   5      6    
88.  Anxiety              KIA        Squaddie   2      2    
91.  Tucker               KIA        Squaddie   3      1    
95.  Katon                KIA        Squaddie   2      2    
97.  Blade III            KIA        Squaddie   6      6     
99.  Lokugh II            KIA        Squaddie   5      3     
100. Sir Fozzie           KIA        Squaddie   4      5    
104. Marmel               KIA        Squaddie   3      4    
106. Travis III           KIA        Squaddie   7      4     
107. Chief Rum III        KIA        Squaddie   3      1    
108. Zippy II             KIA        Squaddie   5      3     
 

[Coffee Warlord]

What I lack in psi power, I make up for in insanity!

[Poli]

When am I ever going to get off this blasted waiting list???

[Coffee Warlord]

Heh. Since my Psionic Defense pretty much sucks...I volunteer to be part of the experimental psionic attacker committee! I understand the weakness of the mind better than almost anyone, and must develop my gift to attack weak minded aliens!

Must...find...way to get on ship to Mars.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

November 1

At dawn Central Standard Time, the USA COM Skyranger launches to investigate the remains of a large, Ethereal UFO that was downed over eastern Ohio.

Inside are the following ten men:
CTHomer, Sublime II, Rawisdan, AStott, Blade6119 IV, Patman II, Anxiety II, Jeeber D, Mr. Bug IV, Klayman III.

Good luck. Ethereals are always so much fun at parties.

(Should be posting this mission sometime during this week. Got a bit busy over the weekend.)

Also coming up: This month's PSI trainees.

Ardent: We've had a lot of missions in a short time span (game-wise). It takes about four days to get into base, so it shouldn't be long now. Maybe after this next mission we should be able to see what all of our new recruits will look like.

Coffee: All may not be lost. I have a couple of weird ideas I may try on the final mission, should we ever get there.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Coffee: All may not be lost. I have a couple of weird ideas...

Warlord, don't fall for the Okee Doke! Don't do it!

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Update
Coffee: All may not be lost. I have a couple of weird ideas I may try on the final mission, should we ever get there.

Don't worry, weird ideas are the only things that work on the final mission anyway.

[JeeberD]

Woohoo! Glad to see that I'm getting in on a mission...