Construction work continues at both XCOM bases as the end of the month approaches. The lab at Sector 1 is finished, and Sector 2 is beginning to look more like a base, now replete with a hanger, general stores, and living quarters. Meanwhile, Research makes a significant breakthrough in the interrogation of the alien in custody.
Capturing an alien of a higher rank becomes XCOM's highest priority.
February 27th a small UFO appears to the south, but the interceptor launched to shoot it down is unable to keep pace with the craft's speed. The UFO flies north-east, and its pursuit loses radar contact with the the craft over India. The interceptor searches the skies for the craft through the night, first over China, then Mongolia, and finally Russia before admitting defeat and returning to base. Despite the minor failure at the end of the month, the Council is once again pleased with XCOM's work, and approves an increase in funding.
Flush with funds from sold alien, ah, artifacts (one wonders why Mind Probes fetch such a high price from national governments...) and the cash injection, XCOM doubles its retinue of scientists from 50 to 100 and takes on an additional 10 engineers, bringing the total on-base to 30. Sector 1 is expanded again, with another living quarters and laboratory planned, and Sector 2 breaks ground on an additional workshop and living quarters. Troopers Abraxas, Karl, and MovMou join the roster of heroic XCOM troopers.
The labs come up with a way to replicate the aliens' grenades, but the workshops are still too busy making body armor to divert any manpower to the task. The 100-strong laboratory turns to the tougher challenge of reverse-engineering the alien plasma weapon technology.
March 8th, a small UFO is spotted to the south-west of Sector 1. It is downed without much trouble and crash-lands in the strip of coastal Africa known as Benin.
avianchild is taken off of the squad in order to let other aspiring rocketeers gain combat experience. TheAppleFreak and Snickie are tapped for their first mission, and the rocket launchers are entrusted to Atlas and SearchingLyoko. The workshops have fabricated nine suits of personal armor, and they are given to the squad's rocketeers and best shooters.
Peace Keeper 2014 spots a Floater hovering above its wrecked spaceship, directly ahead of the Skyranger. Gemini hits the Floater once, but no one else is able to finish the alien off. Rocketeer to the rescue! SearchingLyoko slams a rocket into the nearby two-story barn, which catches the alien in the blast.
A second low wail from inside the barn is evidence of another Floater killed by the blast. A third alien, presumably another Floater, fires back at the soldiers grouped around the Skyranger from inside the tower of smoke drifting up from the barn, hitting the grass in front of the Skyranger.
Gemini drops to a knee and shoots the third Floater, who plummets thirty feet to the ground below.
To the surprise of everyone, they find the UFO's other four occupants dead from the crash landing. Who ever said the aliens never had bad days?
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Mission Recap and Debriefing
SearchingLyoko: 2 kills
Gemini: 1 kill
New Sergeant: Atlas
No Fatalities
So, the team proves they can still function without avianchild and her rocket launcher! (as long as they're only facing three Floaters, anyway...) This was one of the fastest missions I've ever done. We didn't recover much from the UFO itself, but we got some assorted gear to sell from the bodies, including another Mind Probe. ($$$) Searching's work with the rocket also bumped him up to being the undisputed best shot in XCOM, if only by a hair. Congrats, and we'll see how long it lasts!
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