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

[Kodos]

Cydonia, my name is Kodos. You killed my friends. Prepare to die.

[Travis]

Ah, now mix in some Andre the Giant and the nostalgia will be complete

[Qwikshot]

I think it's more traumatic that some of our good agents may not survive to be picked...it'll be more nervewracking till the ship finally heads to Mars (I think we all know that is going to be a tough battle), it's the funny things that can happen on the trivial runs that I worry about (stray bulltet, wild richochett, improperly deployed grenade)...(chills)

[Fonzie]

Woohoo!

[fantastic flying froggies]

...yawns
...cracks an eye open
...looks at the alarm clock
...looks at it again...


"SH!T ! F*CK ! Missed the damn meeting !!! Guess I'll have to read the transcript...probably some useless info anyway from the big shots..."

[Breeze]

Sorry, I missed the meeting. Guard Duty. I want in (or course - I'm brave and stupid so why not.)

[fantastic flying froggies]

Originally Posted by fantastic flying froggies

...yawns
...cracks an eye open
...looks at the alarm clock
...looks at it again...


"SH!T ! F*CK ! Missed the damn meeting !!! Guess I'll have to read the transcript...probably some useless info anyway from the big shots..."

...some 2 hours later...

I 've read the meeting minutes...oh oh...Guess i'm in trouble now...That'll be me mopping up the toilets of USA COM forever now...

[condors]

better late than never i guess

[Blade]

Great meeting! Ooooh...chill down my spine...

I am determined to train as much as possible to try and be selected for the mission...

Now if only I can avoid dying...!

[Wolfpack]

Wolfpack departs the meeting and returns to his bunk. As he tries to sleep, a scene from The Matrix plays out in his mind...

"So, has he told you why you're here?"

"Yep."

"So...you're here to save the world. What a frickin' mind-job! I mean, what do you say to something like that?"

[Thomkal]

X-Com! X-Com!

Thomkal II volunteers to be the first to be tested for psi-ability GB and of course go on the ultimate mission should he survive until then of course.

[hoopsguy]

If/when my newly generated guy turns out to be mentally worthless then I would like to volunteer to take on a slew of missions now in an effort to protect the resources we want on the flight to Mars.

Kind of a tough choice with the good PSI-ranking guys - do you run them in a bunch of missions now to make them tougher for Mars, with the risk of losing them now or keep them under close wraps so as not to jeopardize them.

[Sectoid Leader]

Puny earthlings.

You want some?

Come get some.

We'll send you home in boxes.

[klayman]

Originally Posted by Sectoid Leader

Puny earthlings.

You want some?

Come get some.

We'll send you home in boxes.

Shouldn't you be out raping a cow?

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Sectoid Leader

Puny earthlings.

You want some?

Come get some.

We'll send you home in boxes.

We're already home, you interstellar bastards!

[Toddiec]

I would like to be the first to volunteer to fly the ship to Mars! I have been itching to get my hands on some of that crazy alien technology for a while now! I like shooting small UFO's down in a blazing inferno just as much as the next guy, but I want to fly something that can take out one of their battleships! The X-Com Air Force will be feared once more!

[klayman]

Originally Posted by Kodos

We're already home, you interstellar bastards!

I think he means from Mars, you silly alien.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by klayman

I think he means from Mars, you silly alien.

Good point.

[Qwikshot]

Originally Posted by Kodos

We're already home, you interstellar bastards!

Actually, Earth really isn't your home is it?

[RawIsDan]

I'll stay back and make sure the women are ok.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Updated Stats...

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 83)

USA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
14.  Wade Moore        Active     Colonel   23     22     
43.  Achilles          Active     Sergeant  17     13     
46.  Patman II         Active     Captain   19     10     
61.  Rawisdan          Active     Squaddie  14      7     
73.  CTHomer           Active     Squaddie  10      6     
75.  Alf III           Active     Squaddie   6      4     
92.  Jeeber D          Active     Squaddie   6      5     
93.  Afoci             Active     Squaddie   6      4     
96.  Illinifan V       Active     Squaddie   4      3     
98.  MrBug IV          Active     Squaddie   6      3     
112. Airhog II         Active     Rookie     1      0     
113. Anxiety II        Active     Squaddie   1      1     
114. Blade6119 IV      WND (9)    Squaddie   1      0     
115. Klayman III       Active     Squaddie   1      1     
 

EU COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
2.   jfbbis            Active     Colonel   20     19     
10.  Kodos             Active     Commander 23     22     
19.  Revrew            Active     Captain   21     17     
37.  The Time          Active     Sergeant  18      5     
55.  Sublime II        Active     Squaddie  14      9     
66.  Tasan             Active     Squaddie  13      6     
70.  Naiwf             Active     Sergeant  13      9     
89.  RealDeal III      Active     Squaddie   9      3     
90.  Coffee Warlord II Active     Sergeant  10      8     
97.  Blade III         Active     Squaddie   4      4     
101. Wolfpack          Active     Squaddie   5      3     
102. Japherwaki II     Active     Squaddie   7      6     
105. Swaggs            Active     Sergeant   7      5     
110. Breeze            Active     Squaddie   2      2     
116. Chuck U Farley    Active     Squaddie   1      1     
120. Sachmo III        Active     Rookie     1      0     
 

ASIA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
15.  Rich 1033         Active     Squaddie  19     13     
35.  Jeff Nights II    Active     Captain   22     10     
39.  Thomkal II        Active     Sergeant  17     15     
41.  Fat Football II   Active     Sergeant  18      8     
45.  Danny VanHalen    Active     Sergeant  17     13     
52.  Qwikshot II       Active     Captain   17     11     
76.  Fonzie II         Active     Squaddie  10      7     
78.  Render II         Active     Sergeant  11      6     
84.  Split Pers III    Active     Squaddie   6      7     
103. Condors II        Active     Sergeant   6      7     
106. Travis III        Active     Squaddie   6      4     
108. Zippy II          Active     Squaddie   4      2     
109. Glengoyne         Active     Squaddie   3      2     
111. 3ric IV           Active     Squaddie   3      1     
118. Calis             Active     Rookie     1      0     

 

SAM COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
71.  Wignasty          Active     Squaddie   7      3     
117. Psycho Cop II     Active     Rookie     0      0      
119. Tucker II         Active     Rookie     0      0      
121. Katon II          Active     Rookie     0      0      
122. Mike Vic          Active     Rookie     0      0      

 

AFRICA COM

ID   Name              Status     Rank      Miss.  Kills  
59.  Daimyo II         Active     Squaddie   9      5     
74.  AStott            WND (4)    Captain   12     16     
94.  Data King III     Active     Squaddie   5      2     
123. Vince             Active     Rookie     0      0      
124. Sir Fozzie II     Active     Rookie     0      0      
125. Chief Rum IV      Active     Rookie     0      0      
126. The Herd          Active     Rookie     0      0
127. Hoops Guy         Active     Rookie     0      0
128. ShaefIllini       Active     Rookie     0      0
 

X-COM II Troop Attributes

      
     Name              TUs  Sta  Hlt  Brv  Rea  Fir  Thw  Str  PsD  PsS
2.   jfbbis            75   82   61   30   35   82   58   56
10.  Kodos             80   90   58   50   61   79   73   57
14.  Wade Moore        79   81   56   30   59   91   72   67
15.  Rich 1033         75   68   44   20   55   54   70   62
19.  Revrew            76   67   54   30   36   65   59   58
35.  Jeff Nights II    68   75   54   60   32   64   60   52
37.  The Time          70   79   53   50   62   52   57   47
39.  Thomkal II        70   92   60   30   56   50   61   49
41.  Fat Football II   71   72   43   50   38   69   73   52
43.  Achilles          70   73   55   10   45   78   79   53
45.  Danny VanHalen    75   79   48   10   42   63   78   51
46.  Patman II         76   69   51   60   47   52   79   54
52.  Qwikshot II       73   81   45   10   58   77   65   52
55.  Sublime II        72   73   44   10   40   73   76   55
59.  Daimyo II         65   60   48   30   47   70   64   43
61.  RawisDan          68   50   37   60   37   67   74   48
66.  Tasan             65   60   46   50   39   64   58   52
70.  Naiwf             74   70   53   50   40   62   69   49
71.  Wignasty          64   45   37   20   38   61   72   44
73.  CTHomer           68   67   38   10   58   45   62   46
74.  AStott            73   55   51   50   55   71   62   55
75.  Alf III           59   52   36   40   52   50   55   46
76.  Fonzie II         68   74   52   20   42   63   79   46
78.  Render II         66   59   45   50   57   72   69   46
84.  Split Pers III    66   68   42   30   40   64   67   41
89.  RealDeal III      70   72   33   60   47   64   68   51
90.  Coffee Warlord II 73   81   46   60   38   72   69   45
92.  Jeeber D          61   57   38   20   30   59   75   36
93.  Afoci             61   59   37   30   40   45   54   44
94.  Data King III     63   52   31   50   36   52   58   35
96.  Illinifan V       57   50   44   50   56   53   66   40
97.  Blade III         64   70   46   50   60   46   62   34
98.  Mr. Bug IV        61   64   45   10   34   69   66   34
101. Wolfpack          65   72   33   40   35   61   59   32
102. Japherwaki II     67   77   42   20   32   51   52   48
103. Condors II        64   67   37   60   51   68   66   50
105. Swaggs            65   72   41   60   51   72   69   42
106. Travis III        65   61   43   30   54   69   58   35
108. Zippy II          58   71   35   40   47   69   51   35
109. Glengoyne         64   67   44   30   34   67   53   42
110. Breeze            61   49   35   60   31   67   54   41
111. 3ric IV           52   61   31   30   45   50   56   25
112. Airhog II         52   63   27   50   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. Klayman III       62   73   41   30   34   69   57   31
116. Chuck U Farley    57   63   31   40   53   65   76   32
117. Psycho Cop II     50   61   28   10   60   67   50   37
118. Calis             55   56   26   50   39   55   73   29
119. Tucker II         58   60   26   60   50   55   64   29
120. Sachmo III        54   54   32   50   46   56   57   32
121. Katon II          50   49   28   40   55   67   54   37
122. Mike Vic          59   41   38   10   32   44   52   34
123. Vince             53   65   26   10   45   64   57   39
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       55   45   40   10   59   56   64   28

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

Attribute Leaders (After Mission 83)

Time Units: (80) Kodos
Stamina:    (92) Thomkal II
Health:     (61) Jfbbis
Bravery:    (60) (Nine tied)
Reactions:  (62) The Time
Firing:     (91) Wade Moore
Throwing:   (79) Fonzie II, Achilles, Patman II
Strength:   (67) Wade Moore

Attribute Doggies (After Mission 83)

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

Top Ten Kills Leaders

1.  Wade Moore           22
1.  Kodos                22
3.  Jfbbis               19
4.  Klayman (KIA)        18
5.  Revrew               17
6.  Shorty (KIA)         16
6.  Astott               16
8.  Thomkal II           15
9.  Four tied with       13

Waiting List

ID   Name              Base         Status     Rank     LBrvOK?  OptUp?
129. Joker Ace          -           AWOL       Rookie   Yes      No
130. Ardent Enthusiast  -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
131. Peregrine          -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
132. Raven Hawk II      -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
133. Northwood DK       -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
134. Shorty II          -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
135. Lokugh III         -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
136. BYU II             -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      No
137. Kingfc             -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
138. Barkeep            -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
139. Fantastic Froggies -           On Call    Rookie   Yes      Yes
 

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Head of Engineering: Sterling Ice II
(Current manufacturing focus: Power Suits, Fusion Ball Bombs, Hover Tank, Firestorm Fighter)[/code]

Not to sound like an imcompetent boob, but what are these fusion ball bombs and firestorm fighter I'm working on?

SI

[Godzilla Blitz]

Update

October 25-27

Less, than 24 hours after the general meeting, EU COM radar picks up and tracks a large, Muton-controlled UFO over Europe. The craft touches down in Iceland, prompting us to lauch the EU COM Skyranger in hopes of catching the craft on the ground. However, the UFO takes off again before we get there, prompting us to reroute the Skyranger to base. Shortly after our Skyranger touches down, the UFO lands again, this time in northern England, less than 50 miles from the alien base. We immediately send the EU COM Skyranger out again, and this time it looks as if we'll have better luck catching the UFO on the ground. With luck, we'll beat the night and start our assault in the late afternoon on the 27th.

On board the Skyranger:
Revrew, The Time, Tasan, Real Deal III, Blade III, Wolfpack, Japherwaki II, Swaggs, Chuck U Farley, Sachmo III.

While this goes on, CapnMorgan engages and downs a UFO scout over North Dakota. USA COM prepares their Skyranger for interception and launches. They'll reach their target shortly after the EU COM Skyranger begins its engagement.

Mission 84 will go up on Friday or Saturday.

[Blade]

Ok...time to prove that I belong on the Mission to Mars...

Wasn't that a movie?

[klayman]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Not to sound like an imcompetent boob, but what are these fusion ball bombs and firestorm fighter I'm working on?

SI

Fusion balls are the next step in missle technology, while the firestorm is a fighter based on UFO technology.

I hacked the X-com servers. hehe. Dad would be proud. But shh...don't tell GB.

[sterlingice]

Well, Crappy just sends me blueprints. I don't even know what I'm building half the time.

SI

[Godzilla Blitz]

Sterling: The fusion bombs are the programmable ammo for the Hover Tanks. I think they pack a big punch, but not quite as much as the missiles from the blaster launchers. The Hover Tanks hold eight fusion bombs each. As soon as we get enough made, we'll start sending them on some missions so that we get used to fighting with them. We'll take 1-3 such tanks with us if we make it to the Mars mission.

Raw: You might rethink that. If we lose: no more booty. If we win and you're a hero: lots of booty for the rest of your life.

Toddiec: Got it. Superman might want in as well, and we'll make the decision on head pilot as the time draws near. Since the Mars craft will have a flight crew of three, you'll all be on board. We won't be using our regular Skyranger pilots, that's for sure.

Sectoid Leader: Bite me.

Qwikshot: Excellent points. The stakes'll get higher on each missions as we get closer and closer to launch. It would suck to be on the list to go and then die a week before launch.

Everyone:

* I'm assuming that everyone will want to go on the final mission.

* Don't worry about "attendance" at the meeting: everyone was there.

* The selection of troops for the final mission will be based on a bunch of factors. Although bravery is important, I'm leaning towards putting more emphasis on PSI defense, which is an unknown for everyone. Also, anyone who doesn't go to Mars should still see front-line fighting before that time.

* If you're on the waiting list, I'm guessing you'll see quite a bit of action. We're losing a little less than one agent per mission. With 40-50 missions left, you should easily make it into combat, even if our kills per mission is falling. I would even think people on the waiting list have a moderate chance of making the final mission. It depends on so many other factors, but I can think of a lot of scenarios where you'd get a chance to make it.

Coffee, Psycho: Yikes! You guys are scaring me! I had no idea the last mission would be that tough. I allowed myself to read the strategy guide section on the final mission, and they don't make it sound too bad. Then again, they don't go into much detail.

Blade6119, Anxiety: I won't be doing another full-fledged X-COM dynasty, even with the sequel. This is it. This is a blast to do, but I've got a couple of other dynasties I want to try next. I suppose at some point I may take a shot at the sequel, but not with full mission writeups and not to the same detail as this dynasty. It would be much briefer reports, etc. If anyone wants to take on the sequel, feel free. I'll sign up in a second!

[NAIWF]

GB: While it was nice seeing my name on the attribute leaders, you mixed up my reactions and firing. I don't belong on the list for the quickest reaction times

[Poli]

AE's morale went up with GB's last post.

[Poli]

Dola, I'll be gone for 4 days starting tomorrow, so if I receive a call up to active duty, by all means count me in.

I'll let out a cheer on Tuesday if it happens.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Naiwf: Thanks! Fixed it.

Ardent: No problem. Got it.

Klayman: I think the fusion balls are for the tanks, and the fusion missiles are for our new aircraft. I might be wrong though.

Sterling: I'll try to keep you filled in on what all you're making. I change it around a lot to fill emergency needs, so sometimes I have no idea what we're making either. Sometimes I'm not sure what something does either, so I'll just make one of whatever it is and then let Blade6119 try it in combat.

[Craptacular]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Sometimes I'm not sure what something does either, so I'll just make one of whatever it is and then let Blade6119 try it in combat.

Yeah, we ran out of interns after a while.

[kingfc22]

GB - just wanted to let you know that on the latest update you had my opt-in as "no" when it should be "yes" like the last update. Thanks a let's kick some martian butt.

[AStott]

Dang it! Still injured. Grrr...

I hope I go to mars... I hope I go to mars...

[Godzilla Blitz]

Skyranger Transmission

Word back in from Captain Revrew:

Encountering moderate Muton resistance. No casualties. Mission proceeding as planned. Like taking candy from a baby.

[Poli]

Oooh.

[tucker342]

Bring 'em on!

[klayman]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Klayman: I think the fusion balls are for the tanks, and the fusion missiles are for our new aircraft. I might be wrong though.

Yeah, I was thinking missle==projectile weapons. I think you are right though, it's been a long time since I played.

[Poli]

I've never played this game...nor heard of it until recently...though I recall seeing the X Com dynasty thread often enough.

CW may have to hook me up one day.

[Vince]

AE, if you've never played this game, you're missing out. Probably The Best Game Ever Made (tm).

Godzilla Blitz - keep up the good work...here's hoping for some high Psi-Power

[Coffee Warlord]

Didn't make it sound too bad? Heh.

Psi Attacks From Hell? Check.

Having to move all your troops into one location you have to find on the map, WHILE being Psi Nuked, Shot At, and generally screwed? Check.

Just getting INTO the HQ is brutal. Once you're in. Hoo boy. It's a race against time. How quickly can you find the brain before your team kills each other. Oh. And there's enemy aliens shooting at you too.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Didn't make it sound too bad? Heh.

Psi Attacks From Hell? Check.

Having to move all your troops into one location you have to find on the map, WHILE being Psi Nuked, Shot At, and generally screwed? Check.

Just getting INTO the HQ is brutal. Once you're in. Hoo boy. It's a race against time. How quickly can you find the brain before your team kills each other. Oh. And there's enemy aliens shooting at you too.

You need to stop scaring the kiddies. Let them experience the fun for themselves, Coffee!

[Lokugh]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

I've never played this game...nor heard of it until recently...though I recall seeing the X Com dynasty thread often enough.

CW may have to hook me up one day.

Ya know...you have a chance to play the new version of this game, if you want. I believe the new XCom game just came out. Played the demo...it was pretty good. Not quite the same, but good.

Lokugh

[Blade]

What? Blade III might live for another mission? It must be Friday the 13th or something...

(I know, bad joke...)

[MikeVic]

So if one has a low bravery score, can one still have a high PSI score?

[Godzilla Blitz]

MikeVic: Yes, the bravery score and the two PSI ratings are completely different. Bravery rating indicates how likely you are to panic when the mission starts going bufu. The PSI defense rating indicates how likely you are to succumb to alien PSI attacks. PSI skill refers to your ability to use PSI attacks on aliens. PSI defense does not change at all. PSI skill increases with training (and use, I think). Bravery almost never changes, but it does go up if your morale falls below 45 in a mission and you don't crack. The PSI ratings are unknown until an agent undergoes PSI training. We just began that last month, and their are about a dozen agents currently in PSI training. We'll find out their results on October 31. Next month we can train 10 at USA COM, 10 at EU COM, and 20 at ASIA COM. We don't have any PSI training rooms yet at AFRICA COM or SAM COM, and probably don't have time to build any. You've got to get to one of the three big bases to get PSI-trained. Lastly, our intelligence tells us that a low PSI defense rating would be a kiss of death on the final mission. I'm concerned about low bravery, too, but not as much.

Blade: Your guy has awesome reactions. Rumor has it that the top brass has their eye on you for the final mission. But I didn't tell you that. It's just a rumor.

Lokugh: Are you referring to UFO: Aftermath? I bought the game used, but haven't had a chance to play it yet. I've read a few threads over at Gone Gold where the majority of posters didn't like the game, though. Supposedly tactics/AI are non-existent, you can't enter buildings or blow them up, and the game balancing has problems in that the aliens bring out these turbo weapons about 2/3 of the way into that game that pretty much destroy your squads no matter what you do. Overall, it didn't sound like as much fun as the original. At some point, I'll give it a try, though, just to see what it's like. I do believe that Firaxis and Sid Meier have bought the rights to X-COM, Master of Magic, and Pirates. I know their working on a sequel to Pirates right now. If anyone could do a remake of X-COM justice, it would think it would be them. They usually "get" it.

Vince: Thanks!

Ardent: If you pick up the game, be sure to pick up the Collector's Edition. The regular version has a lot of problems on newer computers.

Astott: I think that number might be off by a day or two. You'll be back in action very soon.

Kingfc: Got it. Thanks! To be honest though, at this point it might not matter, as there is no one that is opting to refuse low bravery soldiers. Best strategy is to get into the game as quickly as possible, and don't die.

Coffee: I believe you about the final mission. The strat guide doesn't go into much detail, but the numbers and quality of enemies reads like an Alien All-Pro Team. They're bringing their A-Squad, that's for sure.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

You need to stop scaring the kiddies. Let them experience the fun for themselves, Coffee!

Have to. Our regular morale officer is on vacation.

[Blade]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Blade: Your guy has awesome reactions. Rumor has it that the top brass has their eye on you for the final mission. But I didn't tell you that. It's just a rumor.

Hooray! I need to prove my worth, then!

[Godzilla Blitz]

84th Mission: Mutons in Britain

The EU COM Skyranger slices through the mid-afternoon sky on route to the large, Muton scout in Northern England. We’ve been following this craft for two days now, and this is EU COM’s third attempt to attack the thing. We’re racing against time: the UFO has landed of its own power and we want to get to it before it takes off again.

The men inside the Skyranger today are some of our finest veterans. Kodos and Jfbbis are sitting this mission out, so Revrew gets his first command.

The green light goes on. The Skyranger begins a fast, bumpy descent to the countryside below. Looks like we made it in time. It’s party time.

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Blade III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Wolfpack (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Real Deal III (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. Tasan (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Sachmo III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Revrew (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Japherwaki II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. The Time (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Swaggs (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Chuck U Farley (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger drops quickly through the cold grey skies of northern Britain. Strong winds buffet the craft. The men try to get a glimpse of the battlefield. We appear to be coming down on the southeast corner of the zone, which as usual is typical British countryside. We can’t see the UFO or any other structures. The only distinguishing features we can make out are two small groves, one to the immediate right of our exit, and one about 20 yards off to the left rear as we exit the craft. We’ll be coming down on the southeast corner of the battlefield; most of the areas to our exit’s right and to the nose of the craft are secure ground. The action will lie dominantly in front of our exit and to its left.

The Skyranger slams hard into the ground and bounces. Everyone inside falls hard to the floor of the craft. Equipment tumbles everywhere. The craft comes down again, this time a bit softer, and then the ramp drops away. As the men pick up weapons and scramble to their feet, the red alarm flashes! Hot landing!

There is a Muton in a field off to the right rear of our Skyranger, about 30 yards away. Our tank rumbles down the ramp. Revrew and Blade race to the edge of the exit. Once there, they drop to a knee and open fire. The Muton drops to a knee to return fire, but Revrew hits it twice to send it tumbling over onto its back. We hear no scream however, and can see from here that its chest is still moving. It’s still alive.

Our tank makes it to the bottom of the ramp, where it spins and searches for more aliens: nothing. However, we can now see a line of what looks like three two-story buildings about fifty yards in front of our exit. We quickly start to deploy.

Blade and Sachmo head out of the Skyranger and go slightly right, into the small grove that lies over there. Tasan and Japherwaki II exit and head slightly left. These four men, with our tank now in front of them, form a line and start advancing on the buildings in front of us. Chuck U Farley heads out and left, to cover our left flank. Real Deal heads out and back up towards the nose of the Skyranger, where he sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher. The rest of the men wait for the exit area to clear.


X-COM troops advance across British farmland. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

As the men advance on the buildings, they can hear doors opening and closing. This is not a good situation, as we’re moving through open fields on a concealed, dug-in enemy. We need to shake things up a bit. Real Deal fires a Blaster missile up over the Skyranger and into the brick wall of the building on the right. The entire wall goes up in a mighty blast that devastates the building and sets the field in front of it aflame. Ooops. So much for that stunned alien. He’s gone up in flames too. However, we hear no screams from inside the building, and catch no sight of alien movement. The men continue to advance. The tank weaves in front of them, trying to draw fire. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Suddenly, two Mutons approach from in front of the left building and open fire on our tank. One shot clangs off the tank, damaging it slightly. The tank returns fire and nails a Muton in the side of the stomach, but the thing stays up. Our line of men all open fire at once. Plasma tracers tear across the fields. Errant shots tear up the grass near the enemy and punch large holes in the wall of the building. Sachmo catches the right Muton with two quick shots that topple it over. Immediately after that, Tasan catches the other one with a shot that rips its leg off at the knee, and then Japherwaki catches it in the head with a shot that decapitates it. The body drops to the ground. Good shooting men! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

We expand our position. The Time exits the Skyranger, heads left, and joins up with Chuck Farley. Together the two of them begin a slow advance left into the fields on that side of our Skyranger. As they do this, they spot the enemy UFO—a bulky three-story craft—concealed behind the grove to our left. From our position, the craft is about 50 yards away.

While Swaggs, Wolfpack, and Revrew wait at the exit ramp, the rest of our men resume their advance towards the buildings. On the far right, Blade catches movement through the smoke coming from the building on our right. There’s something on the roof, about 50 yards away! There it is! An enemy sniper is sneaking into position. Swaggs and Revrew, at the top of the Skyranger exit ramp, actually have good long shots at this Muton. The two men drop to a knee and let rip on full auto. Plasma blasts race across the fields. The Muton drops to a knee, but Swaggs nails him in the chest and blows him backwards to the surface of the roof. The creature howls and dies. X-COM 4, Aliens 0.


A Muton sniper waits for targets. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Just as suddenly, Chuck U Farley catches movement in the grove in front of the UFO. Chuck and The Time train their weapons on the swaying trees as Japh and Tasan—much closer on the left side of our advancing line of men—toss grenades into the shadowy trees. Just before they go off, The Time spots the Muton moving between two trees and gets off a quick shot. The single shot sails into the woods and hits the Muton in the stomach, sending it howling to the ground! Nice shot, The Time! Wow! The two grenades go off a fraction of a second later and a chunk of the grove goes up in two crashing explosions. X-COM 5, Aliens 0.

Although we hear the whirring of internal UFO doors, things go relatively quiet for the next few minutes. Chuck and The Time explore the area to our left a bit, and then swing right towards the UFO. We can now see that the UFO is a square craft, with exit doors on the east and south sides, both of which face us. Chuck and The Time set up a firing position at a low stone wall that overlooks the craft.


X-COM troops wait in ambush for aliens trapped in their UFO. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

On the east side of the UFO, we shuffle our personnel a bit. We get Wolfpack out of the Skyranger, and then send him, our tank, and Blade on a slow advance towards the east side of the UFO. They make it there without incident, and set up a firing position, using the tank for cover, about 10 yards from the east door. Japh, Sachmo, and Tasan resume an advance towards the half-destroyed right building. They make it their without incident as well, then begin to sweep through the smoky building toward the one to its immediate left. Real Deal waits in the field for targets of opportunity. Revrew and Swaggs stay in reserve in the Skyranger. After a bit, Revrew exits the Skyranger and heads for a hedge that overlooks the south UFO exit. He’ll add his firepower to that of The Time and Chuck.

After a few minutes, the east exit of the UFO pops open and a Muton steps out in front of Wolfpack and Blade. The two men open fire and tear the thing apart. The lifeless body drops to the ground in front of the exit! X-COM 6, Aliens 0.

A couple of minutes after that, our tank spots a Sectoid coming around from the back side of the UFO, about 40 yards away. The Muton twists away and heads back out of sight. This is the perfect shot for Real Deal, and he quickly plots a firing course for the open field behind the UFO and pulls the trigger on the Blaster Launcher. His rocket soars over the Skyranger, across the fields, around the UFO, and then slams into a small tree on the far side. A massive plume of smoke and fire shoots up from behind the UFO, and we can hear the screams of a dying Muton! Finally! Real got himself a kill! X-COM 7, Aliens 0.


The war-torn British countryside. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Before we can catch our breath, a Muton charges out the south exit of the UFO. Revrew opens fire and hits him in the arm, but the Muton is able to spin away and make it back inside the UFO before The Time or Chuck can get a shot off. Then another alien comes around from the backside of the UFO, this one only about 30 yards away. Our tank and Wolfpack open fire as the Muton lines up our men. A tank round rips off an arm at the elbow, and then Wolfpack hits it in the chest, killing it instantly in a puff of green. The body crumples to the ground. X-COM 8, Aliens 0.

Meanwhile, Japh, Tasan, and Sachmo work their way into the middle of the three buildings. So far, no sign of aliens over there.

Back at the UFO, “no aliens” is not a problem. As Swaggs leaves the Skyranger and jogs to add his weapon to those trained on the south exit, the alien Revrew hit springs out the exit again, and this time it knows exactly where Revrew is. It opens fire before anyone can get a shot off, and sends a plasma bolt right at Revrew. The shot blows apart the low hedge in front of him, but Revrew is ok! As the Muton twists to run back inside, Revrew returns fire, hitting the alien in the back and dropping him to the ground, dead! Almost as quickly, another alien comes out the exit! This time Chuck Farley gets off a shot, and it’s a good one. It slams into the alien’s torso and slams him back against the wall of the UFO, where the alien slides to the earth and dies gurgling in its own blood.

At the east exit, another alien exits! Once again, Blade and Wolfpack open fire from point blank range on full auto. Multiple shots rip apart the Muton, and it twists wildly as it falls and dies. X-COM 11, Aliens 0.

Things go quiet again. Japh, Tasan, and Sachmo methodically clear the last of the three buildings and quickly search the field behind the UFO. Nothing. Whatever aliens are left have to be inside the UFO. We wait for a while, and then decide to bust the UFO.

Tasan and Swaggs will lead the way in. We’ll go in through the east door and take it from there. After a few minutes the two men are in position. Tasan heads up to the door, pops it open…


X-COM agents prepare to assault a UFO. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Nothing. There is a wall in front of him and to his left, but a passageway opens onto a room to his right. He heads into the room. In the center is the mutilated corpse of a large cow sitting on some sort of an anatomy table. Ye gads. There are no signs of aliens, however. Swaggs joins Tasan inside the UFO, and together the two of them begin a search of the first floor. The room they are in wraps around the outside of the UFO, but apparently there is no access from this entrance to the rest of the craft and the grav-lifts up to the higher floors. Damn. We’ll have to send men in through the south exit.

Wolfpack and Revrew make their way to the south exit and prepare to enter. After a minute they are ready. Wolfpack takes a deep breath, pops the door…

Muton, in the corridor right in front of him! Wolfpack has the element of surprise and pulls the trigger on his heavy plasma first. Three shots slam into the Muton and it topples backwards to the floor of the UFO, dead! Whew! Way to go, Wolfpack! X-COM 12, Aliens 0.


X-COM agents come face-to-face with a Muton. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

And that’s the last alien! Well done, men! That was a tough one.

Kills: Revrew, 1; The Time, 1; Real Deal III, 1; Blade III, 2; Wolfpack, 2; Japherwaki II, 1; Swaggs, 1; Chuck U Farley, 1; Sachmo III, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None
Attribute Improvements: Everyone! Yippee!
Final score: 466.
Mission Notes:
Fun mission. Lots of aliens to kill and no PSI stuff to have to deal with. Good feeling when everyone gets experience. We still haven’t had a mission where no one dies and everyone gets a kill. The only one that came up short today was Tasan. I thought we could make it by sending him into the UFO, but alas, it was not to be. We sent him in the wrong door.

We only get credit for 11 kills. The game doesn’t count unconscious aliens killed by grenades as a kill for the soldier who throws the grenade.

Revrew is consistently racking up kills, and gradually closing in on the X-COM leaders. He’s one behind third-place Jfbbis, and only three behind Kodos and Wade Moore for first place.

[Kodos]

Nice job, Boys! Revrew is becoming a fine soldier! I was worried about that injured alien getting him...