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So I take this current trend of increased Exalt operations as a clue that we will be increasing our efforts against them? Perhaps some additional improvements to side arms and such would be wise, considering the nature of the task the covert ops has to preform?

OPERATION SWIFT ENGINE. 6 June 2015. Harbin, China

"Who knows how the aliens find their targets. Maybe they've seen XCOM's pivot to Asia and are trying to decisively knock out a Council member before Asia is too heavily fortified. With Russia falling into chaos, maybe it's only natural for the violence to spill over into northern China. Maybe it is our increased presence that allowed us to detect an already on going operation in the first place. Regardless, XCOM would respond."
-Dr. Shen's personal log



1st Squad, 2nd Platoon is now almost fully manned. Although still short on experience, 2nd platoon will shape up to be a deadly shock assault unit. As the only squad that boasts two infantry soldiers and a gunner, 2nd platoon put out more firepower on a per-soldier basis than any squad in XCOM. Legion support consists of a scout and a rocketeer to fill out gaps in 2nd's roster.



2nd Platoon scrambles out of the Skyranger at the start of Swift Engine


"We had contact as soon as we got off the 'ranger. Lots of contact. I'd seen video on those Mutons, but you don't realize just how big they are until you're staring them in the face..."
--Squall018 on his first encounter with Mutons.

Two mutons and two floaters makes this the toughest pod XCOM has yet encountered.


'Priority one targets are the mutons, I don't want them getting shots off. Floaters are secondary, but take a shot at them if you've got it."
--Kamikaze Canuck issues his orders to his squad.
Flaming Killamajig softens up the mutons with a disappointing AP grenade


The tactical situation develops. 2nd Platoon set up a base of fire and charges in response to the close ambush.


Unknown Legionnaire flash bangs tow muton warriors in an attempt to temporarily take them out of the fight.


LCPL Hordini seriously wounds a floater, but crucially fails to kill him. Kamikaze hopes that Hordini's renowned close combat specialist abilities will prove sufficient to save him.


Kamikaze Canuck shoots a Muton through his right eye -- apparently a vulnerable spot.


LCPL Bromsy suppresses the threatening floater.


Here we see the alien's standard threat response. When faced with flanking situations. They choose to supress the flanker and move to cover and overwatch.


It's too late for the forward floater though. LCPL Bromsy destroys the already wounded alien with a well placed shot.


More aliens enter the fray


Flaming Killamajig continues his streak of wounding but not killing aliens


Squall018 scores his first kill as a member of 2nd platoon


Kamikaze Canuck disorients the remaining Muton.


The Squad moves to take the bank.


Flaming Killamajig takes a grave wound as alien plasma fire rains down 2nd squad. The Sectoids are now in danger of flanking our positions.


"Sectoids apparently learned how to shoot over the last couple of months when we haven't seen them. Squall018 was hit by a sectoid who had been hiding. Luckily, Squall would survive the wound."


Blurry image of Flaming Killamajig injuring another sectoid. What was it about these sectoids that was making them SO hard to kill?


Hordini finishes off a wounded sectoid


Squall guns down another Sectoid


LCPL Bromsy suppresses another sectoid in the hopes of keeping his pinned


"I sent half the squad around the to the right to deal with the sectoids. I had faith in Hordini and Bromsy and the new kid Squall018 seemed to be a pretty steady sort. While 1st squad moved right, I would shepherd the legionnaires around the left to deal with this fething Muton. Maybe I shouldn't have done that... I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time."
--LCPL Canuck on the burdens of command and the fog of war.

A legionnaire takes a nasty wound from the heavily entrenched Muton.


The stalemate is finally broken as a Legionnaire makes a (poorly aimed) shot at the Muton, depriving him of cover.


Kamikaze Canuck unloads her laser rifle into the stubborn Muton - scoring her second muton kill of the mission.


Flaming Killamajig once again fails to kill a sectoid at point blank range. Perhaps his laser weapon is defective?


Squall018 cleans up another sectoid kill with his pistol


"Strike 1, this is Skyranger, you've got sectoid's closing in from the west."
"Roger Skyranger, break. Bromsy, move your team up to take their left flank, over."
"We've got to patch up and reload, over."
"Okay, Hordini, take the roof. You're the flanking element. Bromsy, move your team when ready."
"Roger."

"Okay, Legionnaires, that means we're the target practice for a while. Grab some cover and hunker down! For God's sake, aim your rocket launcher legionnaire.... swear I gotta do everything myself..."
--Kamikaze issues hasty orders as more aliens enter the fray.

Flaming Killamajig uses his only medkit to stabilize Squall018.

Hordini takes the roof

The sectoids once again prove that they've been training hard. A Legionnaire takes another heavy hit

Perhaps because of the wound, but more likely due to nerves, Legion 14's shredder rocket flies well left and long of her aimed spot... some of the aliens escape serious injury.

Sectoids tank more explosive damage. What is with these aliens?


Bromsy, Flaming, and Squall activate a 4th pod. 2 thin men and a Seeker join the fight.


"The aliens seemed to be having a hard time maneuvering. It was a stalemate. We were pretty much out of explosives at this point and our options for an assault were limited. I could have pulled back and tried to regroup for a roof top assault, but with the pods already aware of us, they might just follow us up into the killing ground. They had better cover than we did and they had more of it. I was nursing 4 badly wounded soldiers and I needed this fight to end quickly. I don't know what I should have done differently..I don't know..
--LCPL Canuck on the debrief of Swift Engine

"I've never seen fire like that before... our guys and the aliens were just pounding the hell out of each other. Everyone's calling this war, but 90% of XCOM's actions are short, sharp, breach and clears. This was the first open warfare I'd seen between the two sides. From up in the ranger, it looked almost pretty... green blobs and red beams criss-crossing the parking lot. It sounded like hell on the squad channel. There was almost the continual thump of explosions and the constant chatter of squad members calling out targets. One of guys was pretty clearly in shock - I think that was Squall, but he kept firing. Another guy, that would be the medic Flaming Killamajig, kept trying to talk one of the Legionnaires through applying first aid to keep himself from bleeding out... At least in a blackhawk you can provide some cover fire, but the skyranger is built for speed..."
--Jihadin, Crew Chief and systems operator on Skyranger 1

What follows is a pictorial representation of one enemy turn at the height of Swift Engine






A bad shot of Squall018 finishing his kill of the thin man he wounded with his covering fire


"Things were grave... yes.. but I felt that they were under control. 2nd platoon would be out of action for a while, but the dominoes were in place finally and Hordini was about to knock 'em down. 2nd platoon had the least amount of experience and were facing some very heavy opposition. Bromsy's fire team would turn the flank and it would be all over... we didn't know Seekers could fire when cloaked..."
--COL. Bradford (ret.) recounts Swift Engine

"We had suppressed most of their cover fire and so I ordered the advance. Flaming Killamajig just got up and rushed to his next spot.. should have been easy..."
--LCPL Bromsy


Okay, I call BS. That seeker was cloaked and he can overwatch? I was being very careful about rushing my shot up squad around under overwatch fire. I don't know if this is a bug or a feature, but I guess in war you learn hard lessons at the cost of good soldier's lives.

The news of Killamajig going down quieted the net, but only for a second. There was no panic. It made sense in a twisted sort of way. The mission seemed be building up to something happening. There would be time for grief later, but Canuck, to her credit took command before things got out of hand.
"Okay. Okay people....[short pause]... Bromsy advance and take out that dammed Seeker. Squall, cover her. Hordini make your assault. I want Killamajig protected until we can arrange an evac. Let's kill these fethers and go home."
Bromsy exacts swift vengeance

Hordini drops down in the midst of the enemy and begins the slaughter

More aliens die as Canuck pours on the fire


"In a way, you have a better view of the war from the skyranger than the guys on ground. Swift Engine was an incredible sight - maybe especially after Killamajig went down. Men and women who should have been in a coma were reloading and firing with one hand and advancing on the enemy. One of the legionnaires somehow managed to continue to fight even though he was gut shot. Hordini wove through the aliens like an avenging angel leaving pulped alien meat in his wake. You know, I don't know if humanity stands a chance against the alien and I don't know what they think (if they think). I do know that whatever happens to XCOM, the aliens will know they had a hell of a fight when it's all over."
--Jihadin, Skyranger crew chief

Legion 14 takes down the last sectoid with his last grenade

LCPL Bromsy finishes off the last alien even as the skyranger swoops in to evac Flaming Killamjig


"We red-lined the engines all the way back to Nigeria as we worked on LCPL Killamajig. It was too late and the damage was just to great. He died somewhere over the Indian Ocean."
--Jihadin



"We face intergalactic invaders and naturally this brings to mind many questions and open many doors for scientific advancement. We fight a new war with weapons thought impossible, but war... war never changes. We spend young men and women as currency in exchange for bodies and graves."
--Dr. Shen's personal journal.

The Chinese are happy and panic has decreased. Swift Engine is a "success."


Kamikaze is promoted to Corporal. She is now an opportunist

Hordini is promoted to Corporal. Recommendations for the Medal of Terra are placed in his file. Hordini is quickly specializing in brutal aggressive assault tactics.


Man, nothing would go right for me this mission. it was a hard slog all the way through, but I'm proud of 2nd platoon. Losing Flaming Killamajig was hard, and I was momentarily very pissed off about the way he died (invisible seeker overwatch) but I suppose it's a tough lesson learned. I really do appreciate the continuing interest in this thread by everyone! I especially like the little anecdotes I get from the various Dakka Corps members. It really helps to build up the character of XCOM.

The Commander walked through the infirmary, trying to stay out of the way of the doctors. Blood covered the floors... so much blood. Finally, he came up to the body of Flaming Killamajig.... silently the Commander hung his head and after a few moments pinned corporal stripes on Killamajigs' collar. With that done, she (he?) turned and walked out.

"Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

That was a helluva a first mission to be on. 35 days in the medibay is a long time. Sad to see the company's loss, but it looks like they put up a good fight.

"I didn't know what to expect on my first mission with Xcom. But after we got home, I knew what lay ahead of me. Hell."

-From Squall's personal journal.

Those who are off duty tonight shall have to raise a glass for their fallen comrade.

"You heard?"

"Yeah, of course I did, even the tech's were watching that fight."

"I don't know man, I'm all about a good fight, but invisible robots that can shoot you? Hardly seems like a fair fight."

"Fair fight? Dude, they've come from who knows where across the galaxy, abducting civvies, burning cities just because, and you're worried about fair? Come off it."

Frankenberry listened to the two men talk, their fear's evident, anger clearly displayed at the death of one of their comrades. He hadn't known the agent who'd died, only that they had gone down fighting, which is all any agent could ask for now.

He twirled a rifle round between his fingers as the two men parted ways, leaving him alone in the hallway. On the round the name 'Killamajig' freshly carved into the brass, one more dead, one more to avenge.

That's awesome Frakenberry. You'll be in action here soon as 2nd squad takes the field

Silver never watched the missions live - she hated the feeling of seeing things and not being able to do anything about them. She had heard the news while she had been visiting her injured squadmates, joking about how they should have ducked left instead of right, or they should have hugged the wall a second longer before dashing out of cover. Several medical orderlies had run through the recovery ward and hastily answered the queries from the wounded that Killamajig had taken a bad hit and was being rushed back to base as the suegeons talked the aircrew through stabilising vitals.

Of course in the end it had amounted to nothing and he had passed away for the final time over the ocean. Along with the others she had passed on heartfelt sympathies to 2.1. Some had smiled, some cried, others not responded at all. She had watched the tapes just like everyone else, seen a stream of plasma shoot out of nothing and engulf Killamajig, burning away armour, flesh and bone.

Damn those bastards.

Silver was drenched in sweat and blood, and covered in bruises as she pounded away at the rapidly fraying punch bag in the unlit gym. The dull thump of punches, kicks, blocks and moves taken from half a dozen martial arts made a grim counterpoint to her ragged breathing as the bag swung wildly through the darkness.

With a final punch a seam split, spilling sand and sawdust over the floor where it mingled with droplets of blood and sweat. And as Silver slumped sobbing against the punchbag and wrapped her arms around it to hold her upright, they mixed with something else too... tears.

Trondheim stood silent and felt himself enter a trance of some sort. He was no stranger to loosing comrades in arms, but it never got any easier to deal with the shock and anger that followed. In fact it seemed only to get worse for each time it happend.
Watching the feed of the mission had provided noting but a sense of helplessnes and despair as the situatuion became worse and worse.
He swore most foul in Norwegian and spat on the cold concret floor and took a long and hard sip from the cup that he held in one hand, the other closed and opend. Almost as if seeking a grip to pause his decent into grief and rage.
There was a debt to be paid to the foul invanders, and a shining star snuffed out at it prime to remember.
" Save a seat for me in Vallhalla brother!" he mutterd and looked skywards while gripping the hammer shaped pendant he always wore beneath his cloths and armour

In the dim light of the medbay Eddie Azrael lay quietly, pondering his own mortality, and that of his fallen comrade.....

Bromsy hadn't had a drink in months, not since the war started. Still covered in the blood of a fallen brother, he pulls a half empty bottle out of a backpack in the bottom of his locker. Hands shaking, he takes a long pull and leans his head against the wall. What could he have done better?

"Hehe....(Flaming laughed a bloody laugh) You know i never got to tell Cthulu i loved her. I suppose that's one night we won't be 'spending together' (coughs up more blood and grabs bromsy's hand). This invasion just seems so stupid now. Just promise me one thing. Send as many of them to hell with me as you can. I'd like some new 'friends' to play with (Flaming smiles an evil grin). See you....on the....other side....(Flaming's eyes darken and his body goes limp with silence filling the crew and hordini stabbing a knife through the interior of the skyranger and punching his fist into the wall)"

--------

I died....lame. Oh well it figures. My impossible ironman game is going rather well actually.

Make me a sassy black woman next (if possible). I think it'd be hilarious.

--------

@bromsy: Aren't you female in this ;P? You shouldn't be a 'he' unless something happened in between missions.

Invisible Seeker overwatch!? I've never heard of or seen that. I wouldn't doubt it some kind of weird Long War glitch.

Great write-up Scruffy. It was very suspenseful and I especially like the part about the bird's eye view of the battle from the pilot and how he could see us soldiering on despite everything.

RIP Killamajig

Can't believe I'm the first guy to lose A Dakkanaut under my command

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Invisible Seeker overwatch!? I've never heard of or seen that. I wouldn't doubt it some kind of weird Long War glitch.

Great write-up Scruffy. It was very suspenseful and I especially like the part about the bird's eye view of the battle from the pilot and how he could see us soldiering on despite everything.

RIP Killamajig

Can't believe I'm the first guy to lose A Dakkanaut under my command

Yeah well i'm the first one dead. Somehow i had a feeling it was me when i saw it the whole 'death in the family' bit.

Not sure how long war goes but normally assaults and supports are the first to bite it with more experienced snipers out-living everybody.

Inner rage building

When is the Ramp Ceremony?
We need someone from Scotland to be playing on Bagpipes


Since I never played the new XCOM.....does the new one have the guided missile?

 flamingkillamajig wrote:
"Hehe....(Flaming laughed a bloody laugh) You know i never got to tell Cthulu i loved her. I suppose that's one night we won't be 'spending together' (coughs up more blood and grabs bromsy's hand). This invasion just seems so stupid now. Just promise me one thing. Send as many of them to hell with me as you can. I'd like some new 'friends' to play with (Flaming smiles an evil grin). See you....on the....other side....(Flaming's eyes darken and his body goes limp with silence filling the crew and hordini stabbing a knife through the interior of the skyranger and punching his fist into the wall)"

--------

I died....lame. Oh well it figures. My impossible ironman game is going rather well actually.

Make me a sassy black woman next (if possible). I think it'd be hilarious.

--------

@bromsy: Aren't you female in this ;P? You shouldn't be a 'he' unless something happened in between missions.

I consider gender rather... fluid. Consider me ... transitioning. Regardless, I'll send you as many playmates as I can.

"Fall in squad." keep your voice even, keep cool. you're their leader.
"By now you've probably all heard Corporal Killamajig was killed in action today. He was a good soldier; kept lance corporal Squall018 from bleeding out." shock on 23's face, he didn't know. keep it cool.
"He will be honored. He will be remembered. We're likely up next, lots of you will want revenge." damnit 3, don't nod.
"If you plan to avenge him by killing some aliens, I suggest you stow that crap. If you can't, I don't want you with us." 23's pissed, talk to him after. keep it cool.
"We will avenge him and ALL the fallen, now and going forward, by winning this damn war. Killing a few aliens doesn't do squat if we don't complete missions." Talizar's in. Good.
"No matter what, we win. We remember the dead. We fight for the living. Now fall out." wait for it, wait for it. they're almost at the door, handle going ... and...

"Oh, and first one of you bags a seeker? Drinks are on me for a month. Now go get dressed for the ceremony."

Thanks for the great response! Doing this write up just makes XCOM even more fun. I have to restrict myself to one mission a day in order to get any work done. It's exciting for me find out what happens to the Dakka Corps and I'm glad it's exciting for you guys as well.

I am considering a reorganization of the squads. Experience largely is derived from number of missions survived and because some squads (1st, 3rd, and 4th) have done relatively well, they have gone on a lot more missions than 2nd platoon and 2nd squad. So far, the experience gap isn't too dramatic, but it bears watching.

I have considered disbanding 2nd platoon and using the members to fill the other 4 squads....


No decisions have been made yet. June is just starting and it's shaping up to be a busy SOB. We're short on NCOs (still) and I'm behind on my plans for... well, everything. Killamajig is dead, but the war goes on.

Lol i wanted to make my death as awkward as i could for cthulu since he's actually a dude but a girl in the game.

@bromsy: Are you genetically modified yet? That might explain the fluid sexuality lol.

Disbandment of 2nd Platoon?! Dang, I'm sure killamajig wouldn't have wanted his death to cause the dissolution of a whole platoon! Of course, he can't speak for himself now....being dead and all.

The song that plays as i die is this one.

Doctadeth curled around the second squad cat, If only she had been in the second platoon when killamajig had been there, she would have saved him.

She gazed up at her brother and sister, and sighed. They wouldn't have wanted her to die, but they wouldn't have wanted her to give her life needlessly. The mission comes first, her brother always said, as he had got back from the Military.

She picked herself up, gave Millicent one last stroke, and began brushing up on her training again, reading another one of those damn officer training manuals.

*bang*
high
*bang*
high left again
*bang*
still higher left
*bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang*
Most of the shots went wide but one had found its mark on the center of the target. Chaos took another swig from the bottle of vodka and slammed it down on the bench before loading another magazine into the rifle.

Drinking at the gunnery range was strictly forbidden like many of the "extracurricular" activities that she partook in, but few ever dared challenge the former Spetsnaz operator on any of them, fewer still would dare do so while she was drinking, and even fewer still while she had a firearm in her hands, but after the loss of killamajig, coupled with the news that X-COM was abandoning Russia, HER RUSSIA, none would even acknowledge her presence out of fear that they might suffer her wrath. In truth, she knew better than to mix alcohol and a loaded gun, but at this late hour it was unlikely that anyone else would enter the range anyway, so she would only he a danger to herself.

She shouldered the rifle again and peered down its sights.
*bang*
low left
*bang*
5 millimeters to the right
*bang*
high right
*bang*
just high
*bang*
she couldnt see where the round hit
*bang*
still nothing, had she missed?
*bang*
again, nothing...
*bang bang bang*
one round clipped the corner of the target, her aim was very off
*bangbangbangbangbangbamgclickclickclickclickclick*
She screamed in frustration as she emptied another magazine and slammed the rifle down on the bench. She again grabbed the bottle of vodka and put it to her lips.

Empty.

She shouted in frustration and threw the emtpy bottle at the target and slumped down in defeat as it shattered.

Bullseye.

Things werent supposed to be this way. She had always been a prodigious soldier, all the way back to her time as a cadet at the academy. She had graduated at the top of her class and served with some of Russias most elite units, including the 45th Guards and Vympel. She had fought in some of the most hellish warzones on earth, seen women and children murdered in the street. She MURDERED women and children without mercy, without hesitation, if they stood in the way of completing her mission. When obstacles of any sort stood in the way of her advancement she overcame them with ruthless efficiency and a calculating coldness. Her superiors believed she was destined for greatness, her peers feared her, and her subordinates looked up to her.

But all that changed at X-COM. She was an outsider here, surrounded by many of those she would have once called her enemy. While many of her peers still feared her - and with good reason - she wasn't living up to the expectations set for her by others or herself. Her injury early on in her X-COM career had shattered the illusion of her own immortality and bruised her ego. She had come close to losing her nerve, but that so many of her fellow Dakka Corps operatives had survived similarly threatening injuries had given her hope, she had convinced herself that they were truly earths most elite, and that they were largely untouchable. She had come close to being able to laugh death in the face, but the loss of killamajig instead provided a cold harsh slap of reality, bringing her once more face to face with her own mortality.

Worse still, she was forced to watch her beloved homeland slowly fall to pieces under the repeated blows of alien assault, shattering her patriotic resolve as the mighty Russian Bear was humiliated on the world stage. She was powerless to help, and felt betrayed by the Commander. How dare he (she?) ask her to continue to defend less worthy nations as she (he?) turned his (or was it her?) back on her people, leaving them to suffer and die? And yet, Chaos could not find any protest to the decision within her, as angry as she was, she somehow felt the Commander was right. Perhaps that cognitive dissonance within her was the source of her present frustration and angst.

She gathered her resolve to herself once more as she unsteadily stood back up, grabbing the bench to steady herself as her vision swam.

She placed her service revolver on the bench and loaded a round in.

She was Russian. Her people had stood before greater trials and emerged victorious, and they would do so again. She would carry on the fight, and make sure that what aliens she did encounter would know cold Russian fury. And when the time came, she would return to her homeland and reclaim the pride of her people.

One round. Six chambers. She had been a first year cadet when she was first made to play roullette by the upperclassmen. There hadn't been a live round in the revolver then, it was a prank, a hazing ritual to scare the new students. She played it, and she carried on the tradition of hazing the new students when she too was an upperclassman. In the Spetsnaz however, it was no game, the round was live, and death - although thankfully rare - was not out of the question. It was a matter of hubris, to risk ones own life by chancing death in such a reckless manner and emerge unscathed, and something that most operators with even a modicum of sense avoided... but every now and again, it became a brazenly stupid display of ones stubborn fearlessness - a reminder to themselves and others that Spetsnaz were as cold as winter and as hard as steel.

She put the barrel to the roof of her mouth, cocked the hammer, and held her breath.
*click*
she exhaled.
*clickclickclickclick*
she stood silently for a moment.
and then she laughed. and then she smiled.

Yes, she was Russian. And she was Spetsnaz. And she looked death in the face and laughed.

What is it to die?<running, pant>
To stop is to die.<dodge, fire, dive>
When the invisible can shoot you, we must never stop.<fire, jump, roll, fire, re-load while running>
I have to get better, faster reactions, expect the unexpected, practice at the course. <sprint no-man's land>
Best memorial I can give Killamajig is to live by the lesson he learned for us.<run to wall, kick-in door, flash-bang, roll to cover>

We now can never be sure if the enemy is there.

We will be ready when they are and make sure they die in our stead.

"Legio Patria Nostra. Just like in the Foreign Legion, an attack on one is an attack on us all." Vulture thought. Over the first months of the Long War, he'd gotten so used to being in the Legion (or as he called it, "the other Legion") that he'd started to think of himself as Vulture even when not in the field.

He'd done battle across three continents with the Legion before joining the other Legion, laid in wait for days upon days wating for the perfect moment to pounce on his target. This was was... different. In, kill everything that moves that isn't human (and even then, some humans too!) and then get out again ASAP. Exactly the sort of thing he'd been hoping to avoid by signing up as a sniper in the first place. And now one of their own had fallen.

This would not do at all.

“Out. Now.” it was a dead voice, completely devoid of any emotion. Even I somehow recognized that. Probably sounded terribly offputting, but I couldn't really find it in my heart to care at the moment. The junior electronics tech looked up at me and stammered “b-but sir, you know operatives aren't allowed outside the base unless on mission. It could compromise security and...” he stopped talking and backed out of the room. Good.

I entered the security code I “borrowed” during my time hobknobbing with the eggheads. I had stored that piece of information away for a just in case situation. Why did it have to be this one? The freight elevator door opened silently and I stepped inside.

The highlands of Nigeria, sunset. No-one around, not even lights from a nearby city. Stars were coming out. I started walking. I used to enjoy hiking back in the Carpathians. I don't know how long I walked or in what direction but eventually I found myself in a canyon with a small waterfall spilling down over one of the slopes. It was fully dark now. Fully dark isn't all that dark though. People get surprised just how bright the stars and moon can be.

Why am I standing under a waterfall in the middle of nowhere, Nigeria? I don't even know exactly where the hell I am. I guess that's fine really. Describes a lot about me lately come to think of it. I didn't even join on to this organization as a soldier; it just turned out that way. What am I supposed to do now? I always knew some of us might not make it out of this war but I never seriously thought about it before...

Humans have been killing each other since the first cavemen learned how to bash each others brains out with rocks. Killing is what we do. Kill to eat, kill to stop others eating us. Kill for other reasons. When will it stop? Can it? Now these aliens show up and things get worse. Apparently they're just as bad as us out there in the universe. I don't know what I think about that. First contact for humanity with other sentient species, the single most momentous occasion in the history of humanity, and what do we get? More killing. Is there any way out of this that leads humanity forwards? Can something I do somehow convince us that all this killing can stop?

Maybe. Maybe not. All I know now is that the only way to reach that future is for me to kill, and kill, and kill again, and don't stop killing until these aliens are defeated. I just pray that once the job is done there's enough left of me to care.

Time to head back. I should be able to make it to base before sunrise. Hopefully nobody even notices I was gone. Probably going to catch hell for this... what`cha gonna do?

OPERATION First Chant: 8 June, 2015. South Africa

"First Squad will do the mission. It's a shot down scout UFO! It's the perfect time to send some of the new guys." Lt. Silver was pacing in front of Bradford's desk.
"First squad still has two members in the hospital. CPL Elemental and Eddie Azrael are still recovering from your last outing. Second squad gets the mission."
"Sir, with all due respect to second squad..."
"What were you saying about second squad?" Lt. Dead Meat walked into the room..
"Ah, Lt. Meat, how quickly can you get your squad ready? Bradford tried and failed to suppress a smirk.
"Are you kiddin?, Chaos, Docta Deth, and the rest of the boys have been practically living in their armor since Killamajig ... passed away. Evan Sgt_Scruffy is ready to go..."
"You've got the mission then. Air wing splashed a scout UFO in South Africa and you've got clean up."
"Sir! You can't just skip 1st Squad!" Silver was furious.
"Relax, LT...." Bradford let the silence drag on for a while. "I understand everyone is eager to get out there and even up the body count, but 1st squad is in no shape to move. You are not being skipped, you are being re-positioned in the squad rotation. Once Eddie Azrael is back in action you will get your mission. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sir."
"Oh, and LT.."
"Sir?"
"Don't come storming in here again."
--Bradford's office, early morning of 8 June 2015.

"So this is the new armor Shen's been promising for months?" CPL Scruffy didn't look too impressed.
"It's a modest improvement, but this phalanx armor is actually pretty light as well. It's not as heavy as TAC armor, but provides more protection. The tac vest is light true, but that'll never stop a plasma round." The armorer looked intimidated by the gruff Mrs. Scruffy.
"Okay give it to me and set out 6 other sets for the rest of the squad. Get me the scatter gun too."
"Uh... we only have two sets."
"you'll have to repeat that. It sounded like you said you only had two sets and I know that whatever idiot is running this organization wouldn't order ONLY TWO SETS OF FRICKING ARMOR!"
"Ma'am! This stuff is expsensi..."
"WHY THE FETH ARE THERE ONLY TWO SETS OF ARMOR. PEOPLE ARE DYING OUT THERE!"
"Ma'am... you're hurting me.....!"
--Exchange between Mrs. Scruffy and the armory supply clerk.




So you see, Chaos and Mrs. Scruffy got the armor. They are most likely to engage in close combat and they could use the speed boost. Frankenberry has somehow become a woman.... I'm not sure what happened to his original model, I think I may have accidentally renamed him Orlanth. Have to talk to Dr. Vahlen about all the gender... fluidity around here. I suspect her hand in this.

The Squad storms down the ramp as the skyranger sets down.


"I remember everyone was being careful on that mission. No mission seemed like a cakewalk anymore. Of course, I never see missions as cakewalks."
--Sgt_Scruffy


The squad slowly advances.


"They're going too slow, Major Bradford." Dr. Vahlen was pissed.
"Ma'am, they're being cautious. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast."
"They will not capture the valuable meld if we do not hurry... I understand that the men..." Bradford tuned her out. Until her science team actually came up with something to do with the meld it was all talk.

The squad advances towards meld... slowly. No Swift Engines here.


"We have contact people. Docta Deth, Mrs. Scruffy, and Chaos, you're closest. Deal with them."


It's a medium to long range engagement. Dead Meat, Sgt_Scruffy, and Frankenberry along with our legionnaire are off to the left of the engagement (they were setting up to breach the UFO from that side). Chaos, Docta Deth, and Mrs. Scruffy will have to take these four aliens largely alone... for now.
Chaos wastes no time deploying grenades. 2nd squad doesn't take chances. Not anymore.


Docta Deth moves up and finishes off an alien of her own with her pistol. Docta Deth is proving to be one of the better shots in 2nd squad.


Mrs. Scruffy flashbangs the two other aliens.


Docta Deth has the presence of mind to grab the meld even while in combat. Her calm under fire is noted for possible future advancement.


As the small fire team advance on the sectoids, the Outsider activates. Unfortunately, the rest of 2nd squad is out of position to engage him this turn.

The rest of second squad, their surprise ambush of the Outsider ruined, decide to advance quickly into full cover.

Chaos takes no chances and grenades another alien.

Mrs. Scruffy finishes off the last of the sectoids.


The Outsider is worried that he'll be flanked (as he should be). Therefore, he redeploys to cover and goes on overwatch (thank god).
The Legionnaire flashbangs the Outsider.

Sgt_Scruffy, the least lethal operative in XCOM wounds the outsider but doesn't kill him.

It's up to Frankenberry to finish the job seen here moments after dispatching the final alien (I love this screenshot)


2nd Squad finishes a mission by the numbers. A rarity these days in XCOM. Chaos, Sgt_Scruffy, and Docta Deth all earn promotions.

The ever-lethal Chaos 0xomega becomes quite adept at using explosives. Robotic aliens are especially vulnerable.

Sgt_Scruffy is sent to the psychiatrists to help her with her tendency to panic. After some... experimental treatments courtesy of Dr. Vahlen, she is much more steadfast. The drooling will only last a few days we are assured.

Docta Deth, takes a break from her medical studies in order to better defend the squad. Preventative care, she calls it.


Quite the haul of alien goods comes in.


Finally, a nice mission that goes more or less according to plan. The lieutenants are really helping with their fatigue reduction. I will need to see about making all squad leaders lieutenants. This may reduce the need for additional squads. Not the most exciting mission, but that's a relief after the last few.

"Listen up people." Bradford had assembled the entire strike force - a rarity. "I understand that everyone is mourning CPL Killamajig and that's okay. This isn't the military you're used to and none of you are green recruits -even if you are new to this organization. You may mourn in the ways you, your culture, or your religion see fit." Bradford looked almost sympathetic -almost. "Make no mistake though. Killamajig may have been the first of the Dakka Corps to die, but he will not be the last. This is a war and we few are all that stand between Earth and absolute destruction... or subjugation. I need you all clear-headed when you face the alien. Dr. Vahlen's medical staff has several behavioral health counselors on board - utiliize them if you need to. No one will judge you for it." Bradford's face grew stern "You will 100% focused on your missions when you go on them so take your time if you have it and do what you have to. When you come up on rotation you will be ready... is that clear?" Heads nodded. "Good." Bradford turned to leave.... "Oh, and one more thing. The wake is at 1600 local and the Commander just opened the bar. Drinks on her. 1st Squad, lay off the booze - Eddie just got out of the infirmary - you're next up on rotation. Dismissed."

What does one need to participate in this thread?
Because i have beening playing alot lately. To bat because i prioritized weapons over sattalites and hanger, im about to loose the game

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
What does one need to participate in this thread?
Because i have beening playing alot lately. To bat because i prioritized weapons over sattalites and hanger, im about to loose the game

Captain Wilmot couldn't quite believe his luck. It was tough recruiting men and women away from the most elite militaries on Earth. Most of them thought they were already among the best of the best. XCOM didn't exactly offer private military contractor level pay and the details were sparse. He had access to all the council member militaries' best and brightest it was just hard getting them to join. Always a pleasure when one of them seemed to come seeking him out.

"Certainly soldier, you said your name was?"
"Hotsauceman1, sir."
"You understand you'll be incommunicado with your family if you have one for the foreseeable future?"
"Yes, sir. I still want to join up."
"Great. Step this way."

Captain Wilmot just might make his quota this month.

/story mode

Welcome aboard, hotsauceman1! I will have to see what's available right now, but a position did just open up in 2nd platoon...

So we just report?
like tell our game stories?
ok. Cool.
although I'm on 360........

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
So we just report?
like tell our game stories?
ok. Cool.
although I'm on 360........

Well, this is really an AAR of my game. What happens is that I fill in the names of all my XCOM troopers with the names of Dakka Board members. I then report on my campaign using a mix of straight AARs, screenshots, and made up fiction that follows the actual in game events. I'll track the progress (or eventual death) of each member of the Dakka Corps as I call them and report back on their accomplishments, failures, enhancements, and perhaps untimely death. So really it's just an excuse to bore you all with how my XCOM game is going but with the added interest of their being some danger of your digital self being killed off.