We set out with our best soldiers for this make or break mission. I went with the one that has a Scientist as a reward. We really do need better weapons by now and a Scientist will help us get there.
We were dropped off on the lower right corner of the map. The objective was on the higher left corner of the map. We had 8 turns to make it there AND interact with the objective.
At this point I already knew we were fucked. We could maybe make it there if we take orange moves every turn and we don't encounter any enemy pods. What are the chances?
5 turns later we are so close. We ran into no enemies on the way. I took orange moves while trying to stay in some semblance of a defense formation.
With this move, we spotted two pods. A MEC, a Stun Lancer, an Officer, a Sectoid, and a Muton.
I opted to wait another turn to get in positions. The Muton group patrolled almost close enough to get us in their sight, but missed it by a few tiles.
Dantski started the engagement with a grenade launcher shot. I had Fenn (Sharpshooter) and Haphazard1 (Grenadier) up on the roof ready with overwatch.
Megan Holmes and Jkaen I did not set on overwatch yet, as I wanted to take them inside the building once we had engaged (breaking a window would end concealment).
Haphazard hit with his shot. Fenn succumbed to her old ways and did not react.
After ending the mission, I did learn why she never shoots.. I was only in enemy range by Squadsight, and you need a perk for overwatch to trigger on Squadsighted enemies.
Unfortunately due to the sniper mishap, I couldn't afford to move back with Jkaen. I wanted to kill the Muton this turn and we needed him to frag it.
Megan Holmes then used Combat Protocal for a guaranteed 2 damage to finish off the Muton.
I kept her outside the building too because I'd rather have her be the target than Jkaen who's less likely to survive a shot.
On their turn, the Sectoid retreated and the second pod activated.
Dantski started us off by hitting 3 of them with a frag grenade.
We somehow lost vision on the far away guy. This happened once before on the VIP rescue mission.
My hypothesis is that we had vision on the cover he was using, but not on the tile the unit was standing on. Once we blew up the cover the unit was no longer connected to that tile and we couldn't see him anymore.
I moved Haphazard to full cover hoping to get a second AoE frag in, but I misjudged how far he could launch it. He could only reach the MEC from his new position.
He could do 3-4 damage with the frag and shred the last armor, or 4-6 damage with a shot IF it hits (around 70% odds). I took the guaranteed damage.
We regained vision on the unit without cover. Jkaen had about the same impression as I did when he missed.
Fenn finished off the MEC. If she had missed I still had Combat Protocol with Megan Holmes that would kill it. Instead Megan got to use it to kill the hiding Sectoid.
The officer marked AND shot at Megan. The other guy shot at Megan too but missed.
Then the objective blew up because we ran out of time. At least it damaged the Officer.
Enemy reinforcements will arrive next turn. Let's finish off these two clowns before that happens.
Fenn missed a 75% shot, Dantski didn't miss. One down, one to go.
Jkaen ran forward with a blue move and then took a coin flip. He failed. He's in a strange cover because I don't know if reinforcements will attack as soon as they appear (they'll arrive right of Jkaen).
I made a second error with Haphazard who was once again too far back. To compound on my mistakes, I shot the nade anyway hoping to clear the cover. Didn't work. Cars are probably immune to destruction after they've been blown up once, that's how it was in EU.
Megan could only get a 30% shot so instead she retreated to full cover (she has taken damage and is still marked) and used Aid Protocol on Jkaen.
Reinforcements are here. They only got a "free turn" to move to cover.
Jkaen got flanked but the shot missed. Thank you Aid Protocol.
We started off with a Dantski miss. The plan is pretty much just to take out the soldiers and hope that the MEC shoots rockets at us without killing anyone. Or maybe we'll hack it.
I was getting desperate after the miss and sent Haphazard to make up for it. He didn't miss, but I needed a crit here.
Jkaen slashed the injured guy and we managed to kill someone!
Megan came in with a second kill. Fenn moved forward on the rooftop and threw a flash grenade at the remaining Officer.
We took care of everything but the MEC. Fingers crossed..
Didn't get as lucky as in the retaliation mission. Haphazard went down hard.
Fenn panicked and ran into an overwatch.
Then she jumped down into a fire. Bless her heart.
With only 3 units active this turn, we can't kill both enemies. Megan tried to hack the MEC. She failed and only made it stronger.
Dantski was sent on the bridge for an elevation bonus. She missed a 50% shot.
Fuck it. I'll run Jkaen into close range, he MIGHT crit it and kill it in one shot. He'll also be in full cover from the MEC.
Ya'll, there was another pod cramped in there. We're super dead.
If you're going to die, do it in style.
Jkaen died and Dantski panicked up on the bridge and jumped down.
Fenn almost burned to death.
We called in Evac. The MEC was on overwatch but Fenn had to run for it, it's her only chance.
She actually did it. Fenn and Megan Holmes made it out alive.
Dantski survived miraculously after two shots on him missed.
Unfortunately for him, he was two tiles short of the evac zone. I sent him behind the bridge pillar.
Another shot missed. The MEC chose to suppress him (it's an action that reduces your aim and pins you down).
Welp, you gotta make a run for it buddy. It's your one chance!
Aaand he's dead.
We failed the mission. Megan's impression says it all.
Here are all the good people we have lost.
Can't think of a better time to give up and become alien slaves.
We have our Last Man Standing from our RB'ers: Fenn, the sniper who sat on her ass and then ran into a fire.
Might be a fun way to reintroduce myself to the game.
Definitely would love to see more.