Fenn Vs X-COM

[Old Harry]

Except those lily-livered Brits have gone over to the enemy! I swear they did this the last time summer too.

Fixed that for you. (And I'll bet that Farage is an alien - anyone got a detector?)

[Fenn]

You might be on to something there...

Will try to get an update out tonight, but I'm going to be busy for the next couple of weeks so the pace may slow down.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Sweet. I'm a cowardly sharpshooter. Decent amount of kills too!

Can you perhaps 'convince' the UK to rejoin the programme? The addage of 'we can't always protect you from them but they definitely cannot protect you from us'? Flatten Slough perhaps, do the UK a favour too?

[Mardoc]

Does that all make sense?

Well, I don't quite understannd why they they chose that particular scheme, but your explanation is very clear. Thanks!

[Fenn]

Can you perhaps 'convince' the UK to rejoin the programme? The addage of 'we can't always protect you from them but they definitely cannot protect you from us'? Flatten Slough perhaps, do the UK a favour too?

Nope - once a funding nation's been infiltrated, that's it for them. Presumably the aliens proceed to control the government from the shadows.

Part 16.1 - A New Threat

Canada finally gets the Interceptor they've been asking for. It carries a Laser Cannon for general destruction, and an Avalanche launcher for roughing up bigger UFOs or those that try to escape quickly.


With the lack of success in capturing alien Commanders, this new technology might make the difference.


More days pass. Proceeds from Paris fund expansion of the Antarctic base, and soon all of X-COM's scientists will be housed here in security and (dis)comfort.


Research on Elerium-115 completes - no immediate applications, but it's necessary for some advanced technology.


More pertinent is that of Plasma Rifles. This the overall most accurate weapon in the game, and its damage is a cut above that of Laser Rifles too. Ammunition is somewhat limited, so for now only a couple of agents will carry these on missions.


Researching a Plasma weapon unlocks Plasma Cannons, the ultimate in aircraft weaponry. We'll go after those sometime later.

At about the 23rd of May, one Large and two Small UFOs are shot down over Europe; the RB team goes out to recover the Large one, which turns out to be another Floater ship.


It was a very by-the-books mission: see alien, shoot alien, repeat. I won't be going in to the details.

More exciting was this:

A Large ship appeared over Russia, paused over Siberia, and then made a turn towards Novosibirsk - another Terror attack perhaps? Whatever the case, before it could get there the Interceptors shot it down, possibly sparing the civilians another visit from the aliens and X-COM.


Why don't we take a look?


The Skyranger touches down in a wooded area, a nice change from all the farmland X-COM is used to dealing with. As always the tank rolls out to scout.


Hello, what's this?


A Snakeman! Good on him for surviving a rocket blast too.

Those of you that have played X-COM will know what seeing Snakemen here means.


We've still got to kill the guy, so Lewwyn drops a smoke grenade and becomes the first in a procession of agents to run out of the Skyranger, fail to shoot the Snakeman, and step aside for the next one to have their go.


Lewwyn, El Grillo, REM, Dp101, haphazard, Bobchillingworth and RefSteel all fire aimlessly before AdrienIer, newly out of the medbay, finally manages to land a shot. If every Snakeman takes eight attempts to kill this mission will be quick to fail.


During the aliens' turn, a strange black figure peeks around the corner of the UFO, then retreats. What could that be?


There it is again. Adrien manages to hit it twice, but the creature stays standing.


REM gets him with an Aimed plasma shot.


Turn 3: No more activity from the aliens this time. The tank moves up to the front of the UFO but can't find anything...


Over to the aliens then.


Out of nowhere, the tank is struck by a series of blows from an unseen foe, and collapses on the spot!


Mardoc finds the culprit - another of these black creatures. He hits it twice with an auto shot.


Dp101 fires four auto shots at the creature, but only hits once or twice - see one of his shots missing by a mile.


After Whosit misses with a rocket, haphazard runs up to the alien, fires four times...and misses four times. If Bobchillingworth doesn't manage to kill this thing, all of you are dead meat.


Bob draws his laser pistol and fires two bursts - on the very last hit, the creature collapses, down but not dead. Congratulations on saving your squad from a messy death, Bob.

Then on the alien turn:

Mardoc, look out! It's coming right for you!

Closer...

Closer...


...It stops dead in its tracks right in front of him. Mardoc miraculously escapes death.


He kills the 'Chryssalid' in a single shot. Clearly this was the runt of the litter....or maybe Whosit's rocket last turn damaged it?


Meanwhile, the south squad has a Chryssalid of their own to handle.


Fortunately REM is on point and zaps it with a single burst of plasma.


The eastern group is going wide around the corner of the UFO. Very wide.


During the Alien Turn 5, disaster strikes - Mardoc is torn apart by something in the mist.

Maybe smoke grenades were a terrible idea this time.


haphazard fires blindly into the smoke and seems to hit something just by the edge of the UFO.


Whosit sends in a rocket, but hears no death cry.


There's nothing else to do but huddle in the trees and hope nothing notices them...


The southern squad has a problem of its own to deal with - a long, narrow corridor between the UFO and the edge of the map. The other side of it is perfect for an ambush against them. For now they line up at the near end, preparing to shoot anything that moves.


To both squads' relief - and nervousness - the turn passes without any sign of the aliens. Except:


Bobchillingworth spots a hunched figure among the trees approaching and raises the alarm: "Oh my God, that's Mardoc! What happened to him?"

"He's turned into a zombie!", Whosit shouts.

"Ghfraaaaghl", Mardoc clarifies.


"Oh, and there's a Snakeman over here too."


Bob guns down the Snakeman and the rest of the squad retreats as far back as they can to wait until Mardoc gets closer. Maybe he just wants to say hi.


By the southern side, RefSteel finds nothing more than a lone Snakeman. Not enough TUs to do anything about it though, so he goes back around the corner and the rest of the squad edges forward.


Mardoc lurches forward, accompanied by the Chryssalid that killed him - it runs at haphazard until a laser blast from Dp101 gives it pause.


haphazard tries again for a close-range kill with his Plasma Rifle and eventually manages to knock the Chryssalid unconscious. Bob goes for Mardoc, but even three hits with a Laser Pistol make no apparent impression on his bloated form.


Whosit fires a rocket directly at him. But when the smoke clears, in Mardoc's place stands a newborn Chryssalid.


Dp101 throws his High Explosive at the creature, and shoots it twice with his Laser Pistol. He'd better hope that's enough damage.


It wasn't.


I'm very, very sorry, Dp101.


The Chryssalid rips him apart...


...And slices up Whosit while it's in the area.


haphazard and Bobchillingworth now have to face two zombies and a Chryssalid all by themselves. haphazard shoots the Chryssalid.


Then they turn and run as far as their legs can take them.

[Fenn]

Part 16.2 - Bug Chasing

The south squad is having a grand old time taking potshots at the Snakeman.


After a few of his mates miss, El Grillo claims the kill.


Next turn, Bob keeps running, hoping to link up with the southern squad. The zombie of Whosit wanders around where Bob used to be, apparently unaware of him.


In a small valley, another Snakeman lurks. Not much that Lewwyn and the others can do about him, so they take cover and wait a turn.


Next turn, Bob has a clear angle but can't quite make the shot.


Instead, El Grillo lobs a High Explosive over the hill and under the Snakeman's tail.


haphazard turns around for a moment and finds himself still menaced by the shambling corpses of his friends. He keeps running.


A couple turns later, one of them - Whosit perhaps - appears by the east side of the UFO.


The squad holds back, waiting for it to get closer so they can shoot the Chryssalid when it emerges.

At this time Bobchillingworth and haphazard reunite with the south squad and each other.


A few turns pass as the squad waits for the zombie to approach, but it's smarter than it looks and keeps its distance. Nothing for it but to attack.


Bob and Adrien blast it, and after a few shots a Chryssalid bursts from the ruined corpse.


haphazard shoots it before it can do anything.

Time to enter the UFO and brave whatever skulks in its hallways. The other zombie out there can do what it likes.


haphazard enters the eastern chamber and spots two Snakemen; no way he can shoot them all, so he runs back out.


REM throws down a proximity grenade to bloc off that entrance.


Alien Turn 20 begins; a multitude of doors open.


Suddenly, a Chryssalid appears before haphazard and slays him.


REM's in a bad spot here. He manages to knock out the original Chryssalid, but against haphazard only succeeds in birthing the one hidden inside. He runs back into the entrance hall to let the others take care of it.


Sadly, when RefSteel tries to fire his Laser Pistol, he accidentally shoots REM in the back of the head, killing him instantly.


Everybody else tries to shoot at the Chryssalid but can't bring it down; accordingly El Grillo steps in and throws some High Explosive at it.


That does it.


Lewwyn steps into the north chamber an sees one living Snakeman nearby; he shoots it and retreats into the entrance hallway. Everybody else lines up just in case anything follows him.


A Chryssalid sprints through the southern chamber, shrugs off the proximity grenade, and lunges for the squad. A flurry of laser shots follow, and their combined firepower brings down the Chryssalid before it can infest anyone.


Why look, that must be Dp101 over for a visit.


The squad gives the customary gifts of laser death, but their aim's a little off.


El Grillo sets things to rights on our turn.


Next turn, a panicked Snakeman slithers up and begs for mercy. AdrienIer has the appropriate response.


Turn 25: Sitting in this smoke is starting to take its toll, so we'd better get out of here.


There's another panicking Snakeman; El Grillo sees him off.


During the alien turn, Bob exchanges fire with this rifle-snake. He shoots it a couple more times but its scaly hide holds up, so back to the entrance hall it is.


AdrienIer hits it again the next turn, but again it refuses to die.


That unarmed Snakeman has migrated to the north chamber, but the armed one is still up and about. It's too risky to stun the nearby one, so Bob just shoots him instead.

During the alien turn, the action hero of a Snakeman finally bleeds out from his six or seven gunshot wounds.


While this has been going on, the squad could hear some Snakemen berserking outside of the UFO; Lewwyn spots one here.


Next turn, it's in range for RefSteel to run up and stun.


Bobchillingworth follows the sound of more plasma shots and finds a third Snakeman out here. He tries to follow it from a distance without being seen as it wanders northeast.


Meanwhile the unarmed Snakeman has been leading AdrienIer and RefSteel on a merry chase, but catch up with it in the end.


The last Snakeman shows himself up north; Adrien throws Lewwyn hist Stun Rod, who zaps the alien for the victory.


That was a marathon 35 turn mission; sadly it turns out that all of the captured Snakemen were mere soldiers.


For their courage and perserverance, all the survivors receive promotions.

Except for RefSteel, he did shoot REM after all.


This might be the largest bloodletting of first-generation soldiers since the original Novosibirsk terror. Dp101's been around since the very beginning, but here his first life ends.

[Mardoc]

Holy cow!  They don't let you get complacent, do they?

Ah well, at least I got to be a daddy

[Dreylin]

Yipes, glad to have been on the bench for that one boss!

[RefSteel]

I ... I thought he was a zombie! I thought...

...

Oh, who am I kidding? I may be a colonel, but my aim is still atrocious. I'm sorry REM!

[Dp101]

Well, at least I can get new stats now.