Chapter 11

Pin the taser on a Sectoid's back...




March 11th, a small UFO was spotted shambling about western Africa.  It did not abandon its flight pattern when approached by XCOM interceptors, and true to their name, the jets blasted the oblivious UFO to bits.  Whatever scraps of debris fell to Earth wasn't even worth a trip in the Skyranger to gather.

Fast forward to Marth 15th.  A familiarly sized blob appears at the edge of XCOM's radar range.

XCOM immediately launches both interceptors.  The large but speedy contact tacks south-east, and the interceptors are forced into a tail chase.  They lose radar contact with the UFO as it passes to the west of the southern tip of India.  Both interceptors proceed to the UFO's last known position, and sure enough, they spot the craft just to the north-east, overland now, flying much lower and at decreased speed.  It takes them some time to catch up, but catch up they do, and the pair engage the UFO just as it streaks north over India's border with China.  Visual sighting confirms the craft is of the same configuration as the last large UFO they encountered.

Will they have enough firepower to bring it down?  Both fighters begin launching pairs of Avalanche Torpedoes.

The 9th and 10th missiles to slam into the UFO's bulk provide the answer.  Trailing debris, the UFO slides out of the sky.  The interceptors relay the location of the downed craft in western China to Sector 1 and turn their noses westward in chase of the retreating sun, their mission over for the night.

The engineers are happy to report that the 14th set of personal armor rolled off the assembly line only hours earlier, meaning nobody on the Skyranger will be left wearing XCOM's clearing inadequate BDUs.  avianchild is put back on the mission team in light of the seriousness of their target, and dreamowd has finally recovered from his wounds and returns to active service.  They bump Rookies TheAppleFreak and Snickie back off the team.  avianchild and and Atlas will tote the rockets.

The Skyranger is launched at the proper time to ensure it arrives just after sunrise.  Hello there, Mr. Cyberdisc!

Gemini is unfazed by a an incoming plasma bolt and blasts through the Cyberdisc's armor with a stream of laser fire.

Peace Keeper 2014 spots a second Cyberdisc perched atop a sand dune, just past the smoking crater of the first automaton.  Atlas nails the second Cyberdisc with a rocket, but although it obliterates the sand dune, the Cyberdisc remains intact.

The squad peppers the damaged Cyberdisc with laser fire until it explodes.  MooterZolo-Kira's aim is true despite the alien plasma racing towards him, and is credited with the kill.

The team dismounts and forms a staggered wall facing to the rear of the Skyranger, barrels aimed at the double door set into one of the craft's side sponsons.  Gemini's mind is assaulted by a psionic, likely hiding somewhere inside the UFO. Although he shakes off the influence, everyone is less than enthused to be up against such a foe again.

AeonFrodo leads the way towards the far-side sponson.  She spots a Sectoid peering from the crevice between the craft's sponson and main body.  Although her shots go wide, LaserArrow bails her out with a perfectly placed headshot.

Sure enough, as the team approaches the nearest entrance, a surprised Sectoid exits the craft into their overwhelming field of fire.  drpdrp97 pins the alien in place with a barrage of laser fire, and Immudelki dashes forward and tags it with his stun rod.

dreamowd runs forward and pokes his head into the craft to take a peek inside.  The sponson is empty.  Remembering the last time XCOM troopers entered a UFO without backup, he withdraws.  Everyone stacks up outside for a proper breach.

Meanwhile, LaserArrow spots another Cyberdisc farther into the sand dunes to the Skyranger's left.  Atlas reloads and once again nails the Cyberdisc, and as before the automaton isn't destroyed outright.  And also as before, a single laser beam from MooterZolo-Kira scores the kill, prompting the Cyberdisc's typical self-destruct.

At the near-side sponson, fate is determined to prove XCOM is damned if they do, damned if they don't.  A Sectoid exits the door - apparently passing through the sponson from further inside - and shoots McTrooper fatally in the chest.

A second shot from the interior of the UFO aimed at Immudelki glances off an interior wall.

A Sectoid even further back among the dunes sends an alien grenade sailing over the hot sand towards the advancing troops.  A Cyberdisc hovers up from behind a dune to join it, and another Cyberdisc emerges from the far-side sponson door.  The grenade catches the leading edge of the XCOM advance, killing LaserArrow despite her armor and badly wounding Peace Keeper 2014 and Gemini.

Although it doesn't deserve it, they can't pass up the opportunity.  Immudelki stuns McTrooper's killer.

Immudelki reopens the UFO door and spots a Cyberdisc and two Sectoids barring his way.  Luckily for him, jacbobeahm is on his toes.  He primes a high explosive, and tosses it under the Cyberdisc.

jacobbeahm and Immudelki hastily vacate the chamber and cycle the entrance shut.  Two explosions rattle around the UFO interior.  Meanwhile, in the dunes, avianchild fires her rocket launcher from close range at the Cyberdisc from inside the UFO.

Smoke pours from a rent in the Cyberdisc's side and it thuds into the loose sand, intact but inert.  Through all the thick smoke from the explosions, XCOM looses sight of the alien and the other automaton in the far dunes.  MooterZolo-Kira resights the Cyberdisc, though not the Sectoid, and directs Atlas to open fire.  For a third time he nails the target, and for a third time the Cyberdisc stays operational.  A a consolation prize, they hear an unseen Sectoid cry out in pain.

MooterZolo-Kira goes for the third follow-up kill, but his hit on the Cyberdisc does not destroy it.  Twio kneels in the sand and gets the finishing blow instead.  The immediate threat gone, they take a moment to patch their own wounded.  Gemini and Peace Keeper 2014 are both equipped with medi-kits and patch each other up.  There is nothing they can do for LaserArrow.

Immudelki re-enters the UFO.  The two original Sectoids lie dead, but it turns out the second explosion was not the Cyberdisc, which survived and pulled back.  A third, new Sectoid has its back turned to him.  Again, the opportunity is too good to pass up.  Immudelki tags it with his stun baton.

Dealing with a Cyberdisc in the close quarters of the UFO is more problematic.  SearchingLyoko enters and engages in a shooting match with the Cyberdisc, and nearly all his lasers strike home, while the reciprocal plasma bolts etch bubbling scorch marks on the UFO interior hull behind him.  dreamowd adds his own firepower to the mix, and the Cyberdisc detonates.  Bits of shrapnel fly about the UFO interior, but thanks to their armor neither trooper is injured.

Outside in the dunes, yet another Cyberdisc appears, just barely seen over the top of a dune.  avianchild's rocket hits the ridge of the sand dune, scoring only a glancing blow.  MooterZolo-Kira, who is nearest, primes a high explosive and chucks it over the sand dune.  The delivery lands with a thud on top of the hovercraft and blows it to pieces.

Everyone still outside continues towards the second sponson.  AeonFrodo reaches it first and enters, finding yet another Cyberdisc waiting for her.  She backs out, and Twio gives the Cyberdisc an alternative playmate: another high explosive.

avianchild, knowing her rocket launcher will be more hindrance than help inside, reaches to draw her laser pistol, but thinks better of it.  Instead, she goes to LaserArrow's fallen form.  She hesitates for a moment, then stows her launcher and takes LaserArrow's rifle.  It's what she would have wanted.  She also accepts her medi-kit and explosives.

As this is happening, the team already inside presses into the UFO's interior from the opposite direction, finding it more intact than the last they invaded.  Everyone but drpdrp97 takes the right-hand passage, which leads to a door allowing access to the central chamber.

The Cyberdisc's new playmate goes off with a muffled WHOOMP.  Unfortunately, Gemini enters and finds the Cyberdisc still functional.  Perhaps they should have checked with the team at the other sponson regarding their results with high explosives.  AeonFrodo enters and finishes the retreating Cyberdisc, and her armor deflects a few pieces of debris from the resulting blast.  Gemini hugged the wall and is unharmed.

Atlas, who wasn't quite strong enough to bear a launcher, three spare rockets, and a sidearm without issues, and thus forewent the last, could also use a new weapon.  avianchild tosses her laser pistol his way, and though it falls a bit short, he gratefully snatches it from the sand.

He also recalls the engineers saying it would take a lot more than a bit of sand to cause a misfire, and silently sends thanks to XCOM's non-combat personnel as well.  Although not as apparent, their work to help defeat the invaders is no less crucial.

jacobbeahm is the first inside the UFO's inner chamber.  A dead Sectoid lies inside, and two of the ship's four power sources remain intact.  The commander will be pleased.

Everyone else in the corridor enters and surrounds some kind of lift that will presumably lead to the ship's upper level.  Immudelki steps into the lift, and on command he rises from the floor and up to the next deck.  He finds himself inside a small room.  After ensuring it is clear, he triggers the next door to open and finds two unarmed Sectoids.  It is too perfect, but Immudelki has issues reaching the stun rod in his pack in the tight corridor.  jacobbeahm, already alighting on the second level, draws his stun rod and tags the more distant of the unarmed greys.  dreamowd follows him up and stuns the other.

The first team to breach all make their way to the upper deck and begin to secure it.

The second team hurries to join them.

A Sectoid runs headlong around the corner near jacbobeahm, sights him with a fright, and tries to run away.  jacobbeahm happily bags himself another Sectoid with a satisfying electric jolt from his stun rod.  The corridor is filled with unconscious grey aliens.  They don't look so threatening now.

The sqaud moves to secure all the chambers on the upper level of the UFO.  No more aliens - or their automatons - are found.

Their job seemingly done, XCOM heads for the Skyranger, anticipating a long ride back home.

avianchild is the first back outside, and she is thoroughly surprised to find a Sectoid waiting for her.

Unused to using a laser rifle, her shots go wide.  Peace Keeper 2014 shoots the Sectoid, wounding it in the arm.  It drops its weapon and crumples, but upon further inspection the alien is still alive.  They hog-tie yet another captive and take the lot of them back to Sector 1.

---

Mission Recap and Debriefing

Immudelki: 3 captures
jacbobeahm: 2 captures, 2 kills
dreamowd: 1 capture, 1 kill
Peace Keeper 2014: 1 capture
MooterZolo-Kira: 3 kills
Gemini: 1 kill
avianchild: 1 kill
LaserArrow: 1 kill
Atlas: 1 kill
AeonFrodo: 1 kill
Twio: 1 kill

No Promotions

MrTrooper: Squaddie, KIA on his 5th mission with 1 kill
LaserArrow: Squaddie, KIA on her 6th mission with 4 kills



I guess the squad heard me complaining about the lack of captures. o_o It absolutely rained captives this mission, including a rare capture via wound.  Kudos to Immudelki and jacobbeahm in particular.  The mission was magnitudes easier than our last exclusion against this type of UFO, despite the psionic alien (who stopped assaulting us after only a few turns, odd...), and the Cyberdiscs. which are generally more of a threat than Reapers.  The new weapons and body armor obviously also helped. (Cyberdiscs are virtually immune to rifles) Gemini and Peace Keeper 2014's lives were undoubtably saved by the armor, and it probably also prevented some minor wounds when destroying the Cyberdiscs in the sponsons. (if you don't know that word, now's a good time to learn =P ) Two more power sources are a definite plus.

Those paying close attention to the debrief screen will notice that we somehow only got 11 kills, and I wrote about 12.  I did some checking and the discrepancy is with MooterZolo-Kira - for some reason the game didn't credit him with one of his kills. =/ Sometimes "kills" don't count as kills, for example if you kill a Cyberdisc with a laser rifle and its death explosion takes out a Sectoid, but that isn't the case here.  Anyway, I'll be reflecting the "true" total in my story - also, in the situation described above, I would credit the firer with 2 kills.

Also, I noticed this was our first mission with no Rookies.  We're coming along!  We'll have a couple along for the next mission, and that'll be far from the last either, but it's still a big milestone.  It wasn't the only milestone, either.  Searching is now XCOM's first official sharpshooter.  Congrats!