Operation Devil's Fog
Bangalore, India
March 1, 2015
Received reports of alien abductions in India and dispatched a fire team. They discovered a group of bug eyed monsters they've dubbed 'sectoids', wielding some kind of energy weapon. One soldier was lost when two of these beings joined minds to improve their combat abilities. Fortunately, Humberto was able to get a shot at the more passive of the two, which severed the link and killed them both.
Rk. Jack White Kills 0/0
Rk. Anna Visser Kills 0/0 KIA
Rk. Humberto Pena Kills 2/2 (promoted to Sq./Heavy)
Rk. Martina Braun Kills 2/2 (promoted to Sq./Sniper)
The Council has worries about the intent of these beings and their long term plans. More space is being excavated under the base, and we're transferring Raven-2 to Europe to protect the Council nations there. More continents will be protected if and when more Interceptors become necessary/available. We've also begun stockpiling emergency medical supplies in case relationships remain hostile.
Meanwhile, the lab is investigating the aliens' biology.
We've received reports of more abductions. The fire team is being dispatched to Moscow, on the promise of gaining more scientific talent, and because of the proximity to X-COM's Asian base.
Operation Brutal Moon
Moscow, Russia
March 8, 2015
Rookie Jack White was assigned to carry the new medikit, which came in handy when he was immediately flanked by a mind-linked sectoid. Still, he patched himself up and stayed in the fight. His proficiency with the medikit has led to his assignment to the Support Corps.
Squaddie Pena laid down lots of fire with his new machine gun, but ended up taking more than he landed. Martina Braun was the heroine of the mission, calmly picking off aliens through her high-powered scope, ignoring the plasma bolts flying around her.
Rookie Wright, meanwhile charged through an empty restaurant, kicked out the back door, discovered a sectoid without cover, and promptly nailed it to a tractor-trailer with a hail of bullets. Unsurprisingly, he is being promoted into the Assault Corps.
Rk. Jack White Kills 1/1 (Wounded, 8 days, Promoted to Sq./Support)
Sq. Humberto Pena Kills 0/2 (Wounded, 8 days)
Sq. Martina Braun Kills 4/6 (Promoted to Cpl.)
Rk. Adam Wright Kills 1/1 (Promoted to Sq./Assault)
In thanks, Russia seconded the X-COM project four of her best military scientists, but half a world away, panic increased across the Americas. A new laboratory is under construction to house the additional talent, while excavation continues.
The aliens are clearly not going away. We're launching an additional satellite over Russia to provide cover for Raven-2, which is now stationed in western Europe. That will be the limit of our Up-link capability until we can bring in more engineers to monitor the feed.
Nice!
Hurrah! Will you be naming troops after forumites? :)
lol! Ross, these are great!
Hurrah! Will you be naming troops after forumites? :)
I wasn't planning on it. I'm playing on a tablet, which makes changing the names slightly more hassle, but mostly I don't have to feel like I'm playing favorites.
Doctor Vahlen reported that the aliens have a roughly similar nervous system to humans, which means they should be incapacitated by electrical discharges. She strongly recommends the live capture of a specimen for further research. Doctor Shen agrees, though he seems to have more hopes for communication that she does.
The research labs, therefore, are working to develop an electrical device with which to capture one of these creatures, while the engineering and facilities staff are excavating a cavern to build a proper containment facility in.
Before this work can come to fruition, though, our satellite over Japan spotted an alien craft before it could land to abduct more people. The high-speed interceptor, Raven-1 (originally designed to shoot down ICBMs during the Cold War) was scrambled to intercept. A brief dogfight ensued, and the alien craft was disabled, while Raven-1 returned to base, having taken light damage ("Nothing that won't buff out." was the pilot's report.)
Our celebration was short-lived, as satellite data confirmed that the craft crash-landed mostly intact, despite being apparently disabled by the barrage of Avalanche missiles. The Skyranger was prepped and our best available troops sent out to secure the crash site and investigate possible survivors.
Operation First Giant
Crash Site, Japan
March 11, 2015
Cpl. Martina Braun Kills 5/11 (Promoted to Sgt. Earned nickname 'Claymore')
Sq. Adam Wright Kills 0/1
Rk. Kalee Pillai Kills 0/0
Rk. Jan Meer Kills 0/0
With Sq. Pena and Sq. White still in the infirmary, two new troopers were assigned for their first field mission. As they approached the UFO, a new creature manifested from a blob of light. It was carrying a larger version of the sectoids' plasma blasters, and was deemed to be hostile. Rookie Meer denies allegations that he opened fire before determining the new creature's hostile status. Cpl. Braun lined up a shot based on her teammates' radio reports and took the creature out before it could do more than take cover. It left no remains, and the energy-creature's (now dubbed 'The Outsider' by Rk. Meer) plasma weapon disintegrated into fragments in the same manner as the smaller weapons utilized by the sectoids.
The sounds of gunfire brought four more sectoids out from the other side of the craft (confirming our suspicion that the craft was related to the apparent invasion, and not a second, unrelated alien entity. The rookies and Sq. Wright engaged with shotguns and automatic weapons fire, while Cpl. Braun waited for the creatures to link minds to kill them in pairs, killing a total of five alien creatures with three shots. After the mission, she was overheard telling the other troopers that they were bringing the average down. Her superb kill-count has earned her the nickname 'Claymore', after a recruit compared her accomplishments to setting off one of the battlefield-clearing explosive devices.
The site secured, the alien craft was scoured for useful artifacts. The salvage crews did returned with a machine we believe to be a navigation computer, as well as a wrecked version of the same, and a slightly radioactive device we believe may have been a power source of some kind, before an Avalanche missile destroyed it and left the craft free-falling. From within the wreck of the power source, we've recovered a few shards of a previously unknown element that Dr. Shen has called 'elerium'. Its extreme density leads Dr. Vahlen's staff to speculate that it represents a previously unknown 'Island of Stability' among superheavy elements. How the aliens gained such a large quantity of such an extraordinary material is open for speculation.
The hull of the craft was also salvaged for a supply of the super-hard alloys that allowed it to survive the crash. These had previously been observed in minute quantities in the weapon fragments, but this is the first time any real quantity has been available for study. ADDENDUM: Doctor Shen insisted I amend this report to indicate his staff also has high hopes for use of this material as well.
Our satellite over Russia has been launched, and plans for the 'arc thrower' (theoretically) non-lethal electrical sidearm completed. Dr. Vahlen's staff is currently seeking to reverse-engineer the alien weapon fragments.
The destroyed alien machines and a few sectoid corpses were sold to various Council governments and research agencies to garner sufficient budget to build the Alien Containment Facility on the necessary timeline. (As CO Bradford pointed out, "This isn't highway construction. This is an alien invasion!") Analysts are currently going over X-COM's budget allocations to find the money to fabricate prototypes of the arc thrower, so that the new containment facility can be put to use.
We're receiving more reports of abductions in Bangalore, Paris, and Vancouver. Despite rising panic in the Americas, we're going into Paris. The French government has promised a cash reward that should help alleviate the projects budgetary problems.
Operation Shattered Skull
Paris, France
March 18, 2015
Sgt. Martina Braun Kills 3/14
Sq. Adam Wright Kills 1/2 (Gravely wounded/8 days. Promoted to Cpl.)
Sq. Humberto Pena Kills 1/3 (Promoted to Cpl.)
Sq. Jack White Kills 1/2
With Sq. Pena and Sq. White healed up from their plasma burns, it's time for them to get back in the field. The Op occurred in a shipping yard, making covered positions with good visibility few and far between. Our troops advanced with extreme caution, finally making visual contact down a line of train cars.
Martina set back and picked them off, getting one of her special 2-for-1 deals, but took two shots to finish off a third sectoid, and even missed a shot or two! Assault specialist Sq. Wright took fire (getting patched up by Sq. White's medikit), while emptying his shells into the scenery. Magazine empty, (and having taken yet more fire) he boldly bolted forward to finish off the last hostile with his pistol. (Sq. White would like me to record that he 'softened it up' first with a burst from his assault rifle.)
After France's check cleared, we immediately fabricated two arc throwers, as well as beginning construction on a new power generator to feed the growing base. We also hired in some training cadre from elite forces around the world to give a crash course in squad command and control, allowing us to effectively field a larger fire team of five members.
The new laboratory is also scheduled to open today.
We're getting an urgent message from the Council. An abductee has escaped, and the Council has promised us a larger budget and more dedicated scientific staff in return for her successful extraction. They also believe a successful recovery operation will help them control panic in their own nations.
Operation Stone Crown
Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 19, 2015
Sgt. Martina 'Claymore' Braun Kills 2/16 (Promoted to Lt.)
Cpl. Humberto Pena Kills 3/6 (Promoted to Sgt. Earned nickname 'Doomsday')
Sq. Jack White Kills 0/0 (Promoted to Cpl.)
Rk. Kalee Pillai Kills 0/0 (Promoted to Sq./Sniper)
Rk. Jan Meer Kills 1/1 (Promoted to Sq./Sniper)
With Cpl. Wright newly in the infirmary and operational squad size now five members large, Rks. Pillai and Meer are back on the roster, while Sgt. Braun, Cpl. Pena, and Sq. White have just enough time to grab a shower and a fresh uniform before being sent out on a new mission.
As the team entered the Op area, they spotted a strange creature - something like a human without proper bones. It was carrying a plasma weapon. Rk. Meer says it looked the same as the weapon wielded by the Outsider. He has dubbed this creature 'the Thin Man.' For lack of a better vocabulary, the research team has continued using his designations. Cpl. Pena ventilated the creature, releasing some kind of malodorous fog. (Subsequent lab tests on the residue confirm it is distinctly toxic, though the inhalation hazard seems to be short lived.)
Collecting the VIP (one Ms. Anna Sing) encountered three sectoids, two of which were taken out by Cpl. Pena's light machine gun, along with the cars they were hiding behind. (Rk. Meer has dubbed him 'Doomsday' and seems to be getting a kick out of naming things.) The third was killed by Rk. Meer, though Sq. White and Rk. Pillai also provided covering fire. (Fraulein Braun's impeccable aim failed her here, though, as the aliens evaded her shots or they thumped harmlessly into the sheltering vehicles.)
The VIP was instructed to proceed to the Skyranger at best possible speed. As she fled, two more 'Thin Men' appeared seemingly from nowhere. Sgt. Braun seemed to regain her battle calm, and picked them off before they could become a true threat. Of note, though, they still emitted a great toxic fog when punctured by a single high-power round and not a hail of machine gun fire, like a pricked balloon.
In light of their field experience, promotions are being distributed all around. Rks. Meer and Pillai have opted to join the Sniper Corps, out of respect for their commanding officer. CO Braddock called them brown-nosers.
The research team has concluded their initial findings on the alien weapon fragments. They have produced schematics for a targeting module based on some of the alien designs, but have advised that deeper research into reverse-engineering alien technology, and more importantly adapting it to our own use will require a new scientific paradigm, which they have dubbed 'experimental warfare'. That is, a system of research protocols that enable them to build machines or incorporate parts and materials of alien origin without fully understanding them first. A junior researcher attempted to explain: "We're like a young boy trying to make a go-cart out of a lawnmower engine. We don't know how the engine works, but we know it makes a gear spin, and we have to build outward from there."
By focusing on that groundwork first, they expect to be able to accelerate the 'development' part of R&D.
heheh. You should do like Pirate Rob and change the names to chat/board denizens to get them killed off in horrible memorable ways.
;)
The Alien Containment Facility is complete, and the research team has completed their research protocols. As their first proof-of-concept, they have used miniaturization techniques devised from the alien weapon fragments to produce designs for a new rotary cannon for our interceptors, which they have dubbed the 'Phoenix cannon'. It has a much shorter operational range than the Avalanche missile system, but damage output is expected to be much higher, and the success of Raven-1's first mission demonstrates that our interceptors have the ability to close and track with the alien craft, if only for short periods.
They have also worked with the engineering staff to design machines capable of shaping the alien alloys and employing their new miniaturization techniques as an improvement over our current engineering bay equipment. Dr. Shen has designed a new workspace around these machines which he calls 'the Foundry' and hopes to install it as soon as possible beneath the new Laborary as soon as the new generator is online. Until then, his staff has started work on a new satellite, anticipating construction of new up-link capacity.
While the engineering team catches up with the new designs, the research staff has turned their minds back to biology, and has begun conducting autopsies of the aliens so far recovered. Dr. Vahlen hopes the information from these detailed anatomic investigations will be useful when she obtains some live specimens.
Doctor Vahlen's exo- and xeno-biologists have completed their autopsy of the sectoid specimens that were not sold off to the Council nations, under the codename 'Project Roswell', after the rumors of the US Government capturing similar creature more than half a century ago. They've confirmed that all sectoids we have encountered thus far are genetic duplicates, and the arrangement of organs suggests genetic manipulation. The working hypothesis is that they are genetically engineered clones. However, a natural origin cannot be ruled out: hive species like bees exhibit high degrees of genetic similarity, as do more conventional species that have limited gene pools, like cheetahs. Likewise, we have no other data for what represents a normal organ arrangement for alien species. We could be leaping to conclusions regarding genetic manipulation.
No immediate explanation could be found for the species apparent telepathic ability.
A much more interesting development was the discovery of a network of cybernetic implants within the specimens. Doctor Vahlen hypothesized that the implants enhanced the sectoids' combat or sensory abilities, which Doctor Shen confirmed by interlinking the implants with some (carefully isolated) computer equipment. Based on this data, he has devised a method to use the implants to process telemetry from the X-COM monitoring satellites and feed it back to the targeting computers aboard the Raven Interceptors. He suspects that this process will burn out the implants, requiring harvesting more from fallen sectoids if we want to keep using them.
The autopsy of the 'Thin Man' specimens has been completed. It's seemingly boneless appearance is the result of its limbs being segmented like vertebra, rather than properly jointed. This combined with its reptilian eyes gives the impression that it is a bundle of snakes. This appearance has led to this file being marked "Project Viperus".
Its nearly-human appearance again suggests genetic manipulation: though its imperfect design would imply limits to the alien's abilities. Alternatively, if the alien invaders are a coalition of species (we have encountered three apparent varieties so far), they may have selected the 'most human' member for infiltration duty.
The bulk of the creature's body cavity is filled with glands that secrete and store the volatile toxic substance our soldiers reported. Venom ducts were discovered that suggest that the Thin Men can project this fluid as a natural weapon or defense of some kind, like a spitting cobra or a bombardier beetle.
Some of the compounds within the toxin hold promise as an antiseptic. Doctor Shen's chemical engineers are hoping to integrate it into our medikits, but proper developments will have to wait until the Foundry is online - but we have not yet broken ground.
The research team is now studying the alien alloys, with hope of improving the armor of our troopers. The current armor was designed to repel small arms fire and shrapnel, not star-hot plasma bolts.
Project Looking Glass
Analyzing the alien alloys revealed that their strength is a result not only of their composition, but a careful structural arrangement of the atoms within. Doctor Shen points out they are more accurately called a composite than an alloy.
We are still attempting to produce tools capable of shaping the alien alloys without destroying the structure (it cannot simply be melted down and recast, for instance), nor can we produce the alloy on our own. Doctor Shen believes the materials must have been fabricated in a microgravity environment, so we may be restricted to captured supplies for the time being.
Some success has been had, however. The engineering workshops have been able to produce a carbon-nanotube based material that uses a similar structure to the alien composites, with a higher tensile strength per weight than any other human-made material. An armor-supplement vest using this material has been tested, but the additional bulk of the item makes waist-stowed items like grenades or medical kits difficult to use, at best.
The research team is now focusing on the design of a armor suit employing plates of the alien alloy, pending proper manufacturing facilities.
EDIT: Holy crap, I didn't realize X-COM assigned codenames to research projects as well. Here are the ones I can no longer edit into posts:
Xeno-biology: Mobius
Arc Thrower: Spark
Weapon Fragments: Sagaris
Experimental Warfare: Skunk Works
X-COM Project Monthly Report, March 2015
Activity:
Council Missions Completed: 1
UFOs Shot Down: 1
Abductions Stopped: 2
Satellites Launched: 1
Research Projects Completed: 7
UFOs Raided: 1
Monthly Reward: 425 credits, 2 scientists, 2 engineers
Grade: A
Areas of Concern: Panic is very high in North America and Brazil. Immediate attention should be paid to alien activity in the Western Hemisphere.
The Project has used this month's funding to break ground on the construction of the Foundry, adjacent to the Alien Containment Facility, as well as to continue excavations under the facility. An order was put out to the Council nations, requesting a trained soldier to replace the late Anna Visser on the Project's roster.
The Egyptian government has requested prototypes of the S.C.O.P.E. targeting module based on the alien weapon fragments. In exchange, they will add three engineers to our staff. Doctor Shen said he needed bodies and minds more than a few credits in the budget, and eagerly fabricated two prototypes, which were shipped off. The new engineers arrive tomorrow. With more engineers to monitor the data feeds, Shen has ordered construction of a new satellite up-link facility.
Turns out that even with the new generator, there is not enough power to provide more up-link capacity. A second generator is under construction.
Meanwhile, we've received more reports of alien abductions in France, Australia, and South Africa. The team is being to dispatched to South Africa, as they have promised the largest cash reward, and the Project continues to be strapped for cash.
Operation Frozen Calm
Durban, South Africa
April 4, 2015
Lt. Martina 'Claymore' Braun Kills 1/17
Sgt. Humberto 'Doomsday' Pena Kills 1/7
Cpl. Jack White Kills 0/2
Cpl. Adam Wright Kills 2/4 (Wounded, 9 days)
Sq. Jan Meer Kills 2/3 (Promoted to Cpl.)
Cpl. White complained for the whole outbound flight that Australia was not being responded too. "My Mum's in Melbourne.", he said. Sq. Meer just gave him dirty looks.
The op was fairly straightforward, with the snipers grabbing high ground only to find that all the targets were inside, requiring street-level firing positions. Cpl. Wright encountered a melded pair of sectoids, and opened up his stitches again, but kept his calm and gunned down the second sectoid, killing both.
Sq. Meer also shot a pair of sectoids (one at a time) inside an empty video store. The commanding officers took care of a pair of thin men who attempted to flee to high ground.
Project Thorax Research Report
The research team has completed plans for a suit of armor plates constructed from the alien alloys. Dubbed 'Carapace' armor for its exoskeleton-like properties, a prototype suit has been fabricated from the alloys on hand. More alloy will need to be captured before additional suits can be produced.
The research team is currently investigating integrating insights from the alien weapon fragments into our weapon designs. In particular, they are hoping to solve some of the heat and weight problems discovered in shelved Cold War-era projects that aimed to produce man-portable laser weapons.
With the second power station online, ground has been broken on an additional satellite up-link facility. With power an ongoing concern, a devoted effort is now being made toward excavating to reach a geo-thermal heat pocket located at the furthest reaches under the base, to install a thermal generator, which should supply an excess of power without the fuel costs.
Project Sunray Research Report
By utilizing alien-inspired heat-sinks which recycle waste heat into usable power, both the dissipation and power-supply issues of man-sized laser weapons have been reduced. As a result, the engineering team now feels capable of manufacturing laser-based pistols, as well as a larger weapon that should be able to take the place of an assault rifle. However, further refinements will be necessary to produce weapons with the effective range, power, or room-clearing capabilities of the soldier specialties. Given the large number of Sniper specialists on the roster, the research team is currently following up these developments.
Dr. Shen has also been inspired to envision a cryogenic cooling system to further enhance the aim of our sidearms, but he says this will take a focused development effort by his engineers in the new Foundry facility.
Another alien craft has been spotted over Japan and successfully intercepted by the Raven-1 interceptor. Like the previous craft, it has impacted largely intact, and the Skyranger is currently being prepped for a raid. Time to collect those specimens Dr. Valhen has been wanting.
Since the goal is live capture of prisoners without destroying any useful technology (for instance, Dr. Vahlen wants a second navigation computer so that it and the first captured model can be compared, and the engineers want to get a look at a working version of the alien power supply), troops are being equipped with Arc Throwers instead of grenades when possible: Cpl. Wright and Sgt. Pena will be carrying them. Given Cpl. Wright's risky position as the Assault trooper, he is being equipped with the prototype of the carapace armor as well.
Operation Rotting Future
Crash Site 2, Japan
April 14, 2015
Lt. Martina 'Claymore' Braun Kills 1/18 (Promoted to Cpt./Wound 8 days)
Sgt. Humberto 'Doomsday' Pena Kills 0/7
Cpl. Jack White Kills 1/3 (Promoted to Sgt./Earned nickname 'Skinner')
Cpl. Adam Wright Kills 0/4 Captures 1/1 (Promoted to Sgt./Earned nickname 'Werewolf'/Wounded 9 days)
Cpl. Jan Meer Kills 2/5 (Promoted to Sgt./Earned nickname 'Cyclops')
Upon arriving in the drop zone and checking operation status, Central determined that some kind of mixup in the armory resulted in Sgt. Pena taking a grenade instead of an arc thrower. Cpl. Wright was therefore told to redouble his efforts at capture.
As the team approached the alien craft, they were approached by some type of cyborg-ized alien creatures fitted with a propulsion unit in place of legs. As they were clearly armed, the team opened fire without waiting for proof of hostile intent. Lt. Braun took one out, while Cpl. White struck another. Cpl. Wright charged forward to disable the wounded alien, but it took flight (literally), leading Cpl. Meer to fire upon it with his sidearm, killing it. Cpl. Meer has since dubbed these creatures 'Floaters', due to their bobbing movement.
A second pair of these creatures was soon encountered. Central re-iterated that the purpose of this Op is live capture, so the team lashed out with pistol fire to weaken the creatures with less risk of immediate fatalities. Cpl. Wright was once again wounded attempting to get into position for a capture. Sgt. Pena, not equipped in a sidearm, trapped the offending creature in a cage of heavy fire, allowing Cpl. Wright to subject it to the arc thrower's electrical discharge. The creature collapsed, twitching, and with its cybernetics apparently overloaded. Of note her is the fact that its weapon did not self-destruct in the manner of the others encountered. The destruction is apparently linked to the bearer's death. Disabling these aliens just became much more appealing to the research teams, as it also means more intact alien devices to study.
The other alien of this pair used its propulsion unit to leap across the battlefield, possibly to flank our snipers or to escape. Cpl. White bravely rushed back to defend the snipers on high ground - he brought down the creature.
With the immediate area secured, the team reached the alien craft. They also paused to allow Cpl. White to treat Cpl. Wright's wounds, leading Cpl. Meer to point out that White is always putting Wright's skin back on. Since the Operation, this has become the name 'Skinner'.
As Lt. Braun took position outside the alien craft, another of the 'Outsider' creatures manifested from an orange crystal. The team pinned it down with fire, but it was still able to wound the Lieutenant. When Cpl. Wright discharged the arc thrower on it, it had no noticeable effect. With the arc thrower ineffective (and now out of charge anyway), the creature was now merely an expendable threat. Cpl. Meer put a bullet through the crystal at its heart, killing or destroying the creature.
Lt. Braun and Cpl. Wright were brought back to the first aid facilities aboard the Skyranger, while the rest of the team dragged the Floater into the cargo hold, attaching a sedative drip for the flight back to base. Sgt. Pena also stayed in the cargo compartment, ready to open fire should it awaken. The creature's weapon was stowed separately.
On the flight back, Cpl. Meer told Cpl. Wright he was to be called 'Werewolf'. "Why? Because I'm an assault trooper? Because I'm a Londoner?", "Because you're always on and off the wounded list, its like you only come out once a month."
Back at the barracks, the rest of the troops decided that if Cpl. Meer was to go about naming everything, they should stick him with a nickname of his own: dubbing him 'Cyclops' after his sniper's scope.
The salvage teams responded later, recovering more of the alien composites and elerium, as well as more computer systems. The power source was once again ruined, however.
The research teams are excited to examine the new alien creature and its weaponry.
Upon arriving in the drop zone and checking operation status, Central determined that some kind of mixup in the armory resulted in Sgt. Pena taking a grenade instead of an arc thrower.
LOL - including lines like this crack me up, Ross. Your write-ups are a blast to read!
LOL - including lines like this crack me up, Ross. Your write-ups are a blast to read!
Upon arriving in the drop zone and checking operation status, Central determined that some kind of mixup in the armory resulted in Sgt. Pena taking a grenade instead of an arc thrower.
Thanks!
What really happened is I apparently launched the mission after assigning Cpl. Wright's gear, and took several turns before I realized Pena was still equipped with a grenade. Fortunately I realized before hostiles appeared, but since I'm in Ironman mode I couldn't just go back to the barracks and restart.
The research teams have been pulled off working on laser weapons to pull as much data out of the captured Floater as possible. They are unsure how long they can keep it in captivity.
Project Goalpost Research Report
AMENDMENT: I had believed this project name was selected to reflect the accomplishment of capturing a live alien specimen. However, I have since learned that an American physicist decided that the 'Floater' specimen resembled something he called a 'linebacker'. He has been temporarily reassigned to cleaning the laboratory equipment.
- Dr. Vahlen
The mechanical/biological hybrid specimens now being called 'Floaters' appear to be semi-living weapons: the specimen we captured seemed to have very little mind beyond rage and an impulse for destruction. It was refused or was unable to complete mental tests put before it, and made no attempts to escape beyond striking at the walls of the containment module. This is in stark contrast to the purposeful activity our troops have observed of sectoids in the field.
Some...prodding was required to manipulate the creature's activity, but forcing it into a controlled flight allowed our engineers to derive a good deal of information about the articulation of its mechanical parts, as well as its power flow and energy management abilities. They are envisioning a semi-powered, articulated armor exosuit based on this information.
Following these investigations, Dr. Vahlen began to work on the creature's brain, finding a highly simplified visual cortex that interfaced with the alien's cybernetic senses. Due to this mechanical interlink, she was able to pull data directly from the data processors in the creature's 'eyes'. She recovered images of an imposing sectoid, similar to the creature encountered by German special forces before the activation of the X-COM project. Closely associated with this image was the image of the 'Outsider' encountered aboard the alien crafts we have shot down.
Based on this data, Dr. Vahlen believes it is even more crucial to capture one of these Outsiders, as a possible link to the ultimate motivations of this invasion. She and Dr. Shen are collaborating to modify the arc throwers, based on the assumption that the Outsider armor is related to the floater's mechanisms, to make them more effective in future encounters with the Outsider species.
Autopsy and dissection of the Floater specimens is underway, but has been interrupted by a series of alien raids and bombings of major metropolitan centers across the world. The working hypothesis is that these attacks are reprisals for bringing down the alien craft. Or, given the timing, the aliens are somehow aware of what we have been doing to the captive creature, and they do not approve. Still, they clearly have the means to strike with more force more often, and likely to communicate if they were so inclined. Why are they doing this? What do they want from us?
COMMANDER'S EYES ONLY: Several junior researchers have described Dr. Vahlen's treatment of the captive as 'horrifying' and 'inhuman'. Her response has only been that 'These creatures are not human. They are alien invaders. They do not have rights, and we do not have the time, nor I the inclination, to be patient with them.'
The Skyranger is being mustered to help repel the alien raids, which appear to be oriented around terrorizing the populace, rather than accomplishing a more immediate objective.
Operation Frozen Stranger
Ottowa, Canada
April 18, 2015
Sgt. Humberto 'Doomsday' Pena Kills 2/9 Captures 1/1 (Promoted to Lt.)
Sgt. Jack 'Skinner' White Kills 3/6 (Promoted to Lt.)
Sgt. Jan 'Cyclops' Meer Kills 1/6 (KIA)
Sq. Kalee Pillai Kills 0/0 (Promoted to Cpl.)
Rk. Esperanza Suarez Kills 0/0 (KIA)
Civilians saved: 8/18
Immediately after landing, the fire team encountered a pair of horrifying centaur-like creatures with jutting bone spikes for legs, insectile mandibles, and clawed hands. A thick carapace protected them from our fire: unlike the other aliens so far encountered, they would not succumb to a single blast of automatic weapon fire. Combined fire did manage to bring down both specimens, but not before one struck and killed a civilian. Our troops moved forward, directing additional non-combatants to safety. Then, to their horror, the dead civilian arose again as a bloated, green monster. Dr. Vahlen even went so far as to call it a 'zombie'. The mutated creature immediately struck and killed Rk. Suarez. The rest of the team opened fire, but the creature managed to strike Sgt. Meer before it was brought down. Meer survived the initial strike, but seems to have been injected with some sort of toxin or other pathogen, as he rapidly became delirious, dying before any type of action could be taken. His blood tests are pending. Some type of fetal alien was found inside the civilian 'zombie'.
After-action analysis indicates that damage to the once-human part of the creature was largely ignored: the creature was slain only when the fetal creature was shot. It used the body of its host as a fleshy suit of armor, in addition to a source of nutrition.
The surviving members of the X-COM team continued to advance, discovering a quartet of Floaters and a worrying number of plasma-burned corpses. In the words of Sgt. White, "At least those mechanical wankers had the common decency to die when you shoot them."
The final floater was damaged with pistol fire, then disabled with an arc thrower discharge. More grist for Dr. Vahlen's mill, and another intact plasma weapon for study.
Out of curiosity, are you having any problems with the game crashing? I abandoned my second playthrough on reaching the final ship because I couldn't stand having to restart my tablet every other fight.
Out of curiosity, are you having any problems with the game crashing? I abandoned my second playthrough on reaching the final ship because I couldn't stand having to restart my tablet every other fight.
Not really, but there have been several stability patches since I've been playing (this is my second playthough on the iPad). So if you were trying months ago, you may want to give it another go.
I did have a lot of problems with it crashing once when I was in airplane mode: after every mission, it seemed. I can only guess it was having trouble talking to iCloud or Game Center and that took it down.
But I basically never actually restart my tablet. If I get the 'Please restart' message, I either ignore it, or I just close some other running apps.
The thing that bothers me about the iPad version, actually, isn't crashing, but that some cutscenes are missing, even if they're rendered in-engine on the PC and shouldn't actually require more space.
Project Crimson Cape Research Report
The autopsy of the Floater specimens has been completed, confirming much of what we learned from the live specimen. This species has been surgically modified on a substantial level: very few organ systems actually remain, the vast majority being replaced by mechanical surrogates. While the benefits of the propulsion unit, armor plating, and musculo-skeletal augmentation seem to be clear enough, the team has been unable to find a sound justification for the wholesale replacement of the digestive or endocrine systems.
One new discovery, however, has been the brain implants responsible for giving the 'floaters' their uncanny ability to dodge incoming fire. These implants seem directly connected to the propulsion system, bypassing any delay caused by the 'wetware'. Like the targeting implants from the sectoids, Dr. Shen believes he can tie these modules into out satellite network, granting our interceptors better defensive capabilities, at the cost of the likely destruction of the implants.
Project Ridley Research Report
The insectile specimen and the fetal creature extracted from its human victim have been analyzed. The creature has an exoskeleton of remarkable strength, rivaling even the alien composites. In particular, it is actually less brittle under impact stress. Dr. Shen remarked that it is a shame that the alien weapons thus far do not rely on impact instead of heat, or the exoskeletal material would make for an excellent defensive armor for our troops.
As for the creature's biology, it is exceedingly simple. Terrifyingly so. Its nervous system is distributed and straightforward, especially for a creature of such size. It is unlikely that the arc throwers could ever be effective against such a creature.
These are not sentient creatures by any stretch of the imagination. They are rapid beasts of war. It is unclear how the aliens avoid 'friendly fire' from these creatures.
It seems to reproduce by implanting an embryo into a host via its bite: we found several such eggs in a gland at the base of the mandibles. Judging by the damage inflicted on the civilian victim, this attack is likely to kill the victim outright, for which they should probably be thankful. After implantation, the embryo begins growing at a ferocious rate (the creature we found had already assimilated 20% of the host's body mass, and our troopers' cameras confirmed that the total time between implantation and the creatures death due to...they wrote here 'acute, systemic hot lead poisoning and bodily perforation' was no more than 30 seconds.) With the brain dead, the embryo appears to be able to hijack the hosts motor functions to attack potential threats or predators in the area with berserk strength, while secreting enough toxins to make the hosts flesh poisonous. Our xenobiologists speculate that this may be an attempt to keep other predators or parasites from consuming the host body before the fetal alien is done with it. They are also horrified to imagine what kind of world or ecosystem could force the evolution of such an aggressive, virulent reproductive cycle.
This metamorphic life cycle has led to the designation of 'Crysallid'.
We have issued instructions to military units around the world that these creatures should be terminated with extreme prejudice. We cannot permit them to escape and breed.
The new satellite uplink facility has been completed, and the completed satellite has been scheduled for launch over the United States, which so far has had the deepest pockets for protection of its citizens.
We are now receiving reports of alien activity and abductions in Germany, Mexico, and Argentina. The Mexican government has threatened to withdraw from the council if X-Com does not demonstrate some willingness to assist the Mexican people. Looks like the Skyranger's next stop is Guadalajara.
Operation Crimson Knife
Guadalajara, Mexico
April 24, 2015
Cpt. Martina 'Claymore' Braun Kills 2/20
Lt. Humberto 'Doomsday' Pena Kills 0/9 Captures 0/1 (KIA)
Lt. Jack 'Skinner' White Kills 2/8 (Wounded 5 days)
Sgt. Adam 'Werewolf' Wright Kills 2/6 Captures 2/3 (Wounded 9 days)
Cpl. Kalee Pillai Kills 2/2 (Wounded 8 days)
Sgt. Wright got his carapace armor back from Lt. Pena for this mission. The two of them carried arc throwers, hoping for more live specimens of different species.
This was a hectic firefight across an active construction site. The team more or less immediately encountered a pair of floaters with an entourage of thin men. When all three thin men, as well as one of the floaters, took cover behind a truck cab, Lt. Pena saw an opportunity to end the battle quickly with the rocket launcher he had been carrying for several missions, but had yet to use, while the rest of the team gunned down a floater than was taking cover behind a pallet of construction supplies.
Unfortunately, his over-excitement at finally getting to use the weapon got the best of him, and the rocket instead shattered the attached trailer instead of the cab and the four X-rays.
Subsequently, the aliens spread out and exchanged fire. The remaining floater and two of the thin men were killed, in exchange a toxic attack on Sgt. Wright. Fortunately, however, he was able to stun the third, before also encountered a trio of sectoids and two more floaters.
Our snipers were helpful during this engagement, but their effectiveness was limited by the tendency of the alien plasma weapons to ignite the vehicles behind which they were sheltering. They repeatedly had to move to find fresh cover.
As Lt. Pena moved forward to engage the new group of enemies, he took shelter behind a heavy concrete barrier. Unknown to him, a black sedan had crashed into the other side of the barrier, and had just caught fire. (In fact, Cpl. Pillai had just fled the vicinity of the same vehicle.) The sedan's gas tank subsequently exploded, shattering the barrier and toppling the rubble atop Lt. Pena. It is believed he died instantly.
The floaters were killed without excess difficulty, but this allowed the sectoids to maneuver to inflict wounds on several X-Com personnel. The last remaining of these creatures was disabled by the last of the charge in Sgt. Wright's arc thrower. His bravery is to be commended: he took an additional strike from the creature's plasma blaster when trying to approach close enough to disable it. Command's tactical advice at this time was to simply blast the creature with his shotgun.
Like the floaters' weapons, the Thin Man's 'rifle' and the sectoid's wrist blaster seem to remain intact if the bearer is taken alive (though the sectoid's weapon still required surgical removal from the wrist.) To all outward appearances, the Thin Men and Floaters are equipped with identical weaponry.
Hopefully, the information Dr. Vahlen can gain from these captives is worth it.
Following the receipt of a cash reward from Mexico, the X-COM engineers announced that they have found a way to use redundant hardware split between the two uplink facilities to track an additional satellite. As a result, the bulk of the money was spent arranging for the construction and launch of two new tracking satellites. If all goes according to plan, these will be launched over Mexico and Canada: both combating the rising unrest in the North American continent and to earn goodwill with the American aerospace contractors that can produce and arm more Interceptor craft.
Due to a continued need for more engineering staff, we also produced two more S.C.O.P.E. modules, which were transferred to the United States in exchange for more engineering expertise. This immediately paid off, as one of the new engineers is a industrial/fabrication specialist who was able to reduce the production costs of the alien-composite Carapace armor enough that a second suit could be produced with the funds remaining in the budget.
This suit was fabricated just in time for our satellite over Russia to pick up a bogey: larger than the contacts we have had over Japan. Raven-2 was scrambled for her first combat mission, and brought down the alien craft. Raven-2 suffered heavy damage, but the mechanics in the European hangar expect it should just take some time and elbow grease to get her back in the air.
Enhanced radar images confirm this craft to be of similar design to the smaller crafts shot down over Japan.
Operation Severed Pyre
Crash Site 3, Siberia, Russia
April 26, 2015
With most of our experienced troopers in the infirmary or the morgue, Cpt. Braun is leading out some rookies this trip, to get them some combat experience. Rk. O'Brian and Rk. Zhou have been equipped with arc throwers and the suits of carapace armor to (hopefully) enable them to get close enough to use them. Their mission is to bring in the Outsider, should one manifest at this wreck in the same manner as the Japanese crafts.
Cpt. Martina 'Claymore' Braun Kills 4/24
Rk. Rosalia Gonzales Kills 1/1 (Promoted to Sq./Support)
Rk. Dylan O'Brien Kills 1/1 (Promoted to Sq./Heavy, Gravely Wounded 16 days)
Rk. Liang Zhou Kills 1/1 (Promoted to Sq./Assault, Wounded 6 days)
Rk. Brittany Willis Kills 0/0
After Big Sky touched down, our team hardly had time to run for cover before encountering one of the 'Outsider' aliens with an entourage of six sectoids. The rookies made a great account of themselves, shooting down sectoids, while Rk. Willis used the medkit to patch up Rk. O'Brien after he caught fire from two attackers. The Outsider remained elusive, igniting the trees behind which Dylan was covering, and nearly taking off Rk. Zhou's arm as he attempted to approach to stun range.
It is almost as if the aliens knew the goals of our team, as their most effective fire was concentrated on the team members carrying arc throwers. Central has also raised the possibility that the two suits of carapace armor are so distinctive that they warn the aliens of what troops we consider most valuable.
The Outsider, encountered outside of the alien craft for the first time, was impossible to corner, while its relative fragility meant it could not be effectively engaged. Seeing Rk. Zhou attempt to close with the creature, while it was still fully able to return fire, Cpt. Braun made a decision to protect her command and fired on the Outsider, destroying it.
Dr. Vahlen is understandably disappointed, but Cpt. Braun brought all the rookies back alive, which was some needed good news after the last few missions.
The team then secured the craft, finding it vacant. The salvage team bought back more elerium and alien alloys, as well as alien computer systems. The most exciting find, however, was an intact alien power system: one was wrecked by Raven-2's Avalanche missiles, as expected, but this larger craft seems to be equipped with two.
Project Lightwire Research Report
The science team has completed their design for a narrow-focus laser weapon. It discharges in a two-pulse mode to allow the second, damaging beam to avoid distortion due to atmospheric heating, making it very accurate and giving it an extended effective range compared to the laser rifle already designed.
As a side effect of this development (based on an effect discovered accidentally when a prototype lens shattered) is a 'scatter laser' that discharges several small laser pulses (similar to the air-pre-heating pulse in the sniper form) in succession in a wider cone. The result is a weapon with a less discriminate, shorter ranged effect, somewhat like a shotgun.
There is hope that these designs, once fabricated, will provide X-COM response teams with the additional firepower needed to take down creatures like the crysallid and its spawn, or to kill the other alien species more reliably.
Russia has also requested prototypes of the laser pistols previously developed.
The research teams are now turning their attention to the live aliens captured in Operation Crimson Knife, before they expire of other causes.
~grin~ This has been a fun read. Keep up the good work, Ross.
~grin~ This has been a fun read. Keep up the good work, Ross.
Thanks!
Eager to fabricate some of the new laser weapons, the Project has sold several pieces of wrecked alien equipment on the gray market. Those funds were used to create samples of the new laser designs, as well as several pistols. The pistols were in turn sent to the Russian government, which hopes to reverse engineer them, finding a way to produce similar weapons without such a heavy reliance on alien materials.
The funds from the Russians were used to begin construction of an additional power plant (our engineers are finding it prohibitively expensive to continue digging for the geothermal pocket), obtain the requisite training for Cpt. Braun to lead a squad of six troopers, and build enough carapace armor to equip said squad in its entirety.
Meanwhile, the research team completed their research into the live sectoid specimen, under the name Project Roanoake. Due to the language barrier, the team resorted to the expedient of probing the subject's brain, using knowledge of the sectoid implants gleaned from previous autopsies and lessons learned from the Floater previously analyzed. The team came away with a great deal of information, including insights that they claim would have expedited our previous research into laser weaponry. They are beginning work on the Thin Man creature.
X-COM Project Monthly Report, April 2015
Activity:
UFOs Shot Down: 2
Terror Missions Stopped: 1
Abductions Stopped: 2
Satellites Launched: 1
Research Projects Completed: 7
UFOs Raided: 2
Monthly Reward: 605 credits, 3 scientists, 3 engineers
Grade: A
Areas of Concern: Panic is high in Asia, Europe, and South America. We will have to be careful in our deployments and satellite launches to avoid losing nations from the Council. Our access to the North American aerospace industrial complex will no doubt be delayed.
X-COM has already allocated most of this month's funds: building a new Workshop for the growing engineering staff, requesting replacement troops from the Council nations, more training for our troops to allow them to learn more from their combat experience, and ordering the refitting of another Cold War missile interceptor to serve as Raven-3 over North America.
Project Masquerade Research Report
Interrogation of the Thin Man was shockingly fruitful, as it spoke several Earthly languages in its role as an infiltrator. Though it was unwilling or unable to reveal the alien's ultimate goals, this species apparently serves as some sort of technical or navigation specialist as well. We've gleaned a good deal about the operation of the alien systems, which should serve well in our upcoming studies of the technology salvaged from the alien craft.
Following this interrogation session, Dr. Vahlen tested the creature to destruction to determine its exact physical abilities.
Project Lighthouse and Project Waterfall Research Report
An initial analysis of the alien computer and power systems has been completed. Our ability to access either system can hardly described as much more than 'jerry-rigged', but progress is being made in breaking the alien encryption. For the time being, we've mapped enough of the system's inputs and outputs to use the alien computers to interface with our satellites much more efficiently than our existing uplink facilities, while Dr. Shen believes he can hide our satellites among the alien's com signals with a little bit of further research.
The alien power system was interesting, confirming that the substance we've labelled elerium is responsible for its massive power output and possibly it's anti-gravity powers as well. The engineers believe the can adapt such a unit to provide power to the X-COM facility, solving our power shortage.
We're receiving reports of alien activity in Cairo, Manchester, and Acupulco. A response team is outbound to Manchester, lest we lose the support of Western Europe. Time to put the new laser weapons to the test. Cpt. Braun is also being equipped with a newly manufactured S.C.O.P.E. module.
Operation Brutal Stallion
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
May 10, 2015
Cpt. Martina 'Claymore' Braun Kills 2/26 (Promoted to Maj.)
Lt. Jack 'Skinner' White Kills 2/10 (Promoted to Cpt., Wounded 6 days)
Sgt. Adam 'Werewolf' Wright Kills 3/9 (Promoted to Lt., Gravely wounded 18 days)
Sq. Rosalia Gonzales Kills 3/4
Sq. Liang Zhou Kills 0/1 (KIA)
Rk. Brittany Willis Kills 0/0 (KIA)
The Skyranger touched down at an empty petrol station, immediately encountering five 'Floaters' and two 'Thin Men'.
The new laser weapons proved themselves admirably, but the number of foes ensured that some fire was taken in exchange, wounding the assault troopers and Lt. White, while Rk. Willis was killed by a Floater.
At this point, three huge alien creatures lept down from the roof. These brutes were clearly built or bred for combat, as they appear to have a great deal of strength and durability, and demonstrated what Lt. White described as 'scary fast reflexes' in dodging incoming fire. Sgt. Wright managed to put one down at point blank range with his scatter laser, but they remained difficult to pin down at range. Sq. Gonzales decided to give up on 'aim', using a grenade to detonate the gas pump behind which one was taking cover. The resulting explosion was sizable, and managed to kill the creature. Lt. White took more fire during this exchange, patching himself up with his medkit when his laser's power cell ran empty.
Sq. Zhou was killed and Sgt. Wright critically wounded attempting to approach the remaining creature for a kill or capture. Fortunately, the Captain was able to shoot it while it was distracted by the assault troopers, saving Sgt. Wright's life.
Another bloody mission, but we're keeping people across the world safer. We've requested two more replacement troops.
A yet larger alien craft was spotted over Russia, and Raven-2 scrambled to intercept.
Unfortunately, our interceptor was unable to bring down the alien craft (a larger, retangular shape, in contrast to the 'saucers' so far encountered) before being shot down by the craft's return fire. The pilot was not recovered.
The remaining operational budget has been spent on commisioning a replacement interceptor craft. Engineering is being asked to prioritize heavier armament for our fleet.
Project E-115 Research Report
We've completed our analysis of the alien fuel/catalyst, dubbed elerium. It produces incredible amounts of energy when bombarded with certain types of particles. With our greater understanding of the alien power sources' operation, we believe we can start work on miniaturized power cells for powered armor or upgrading our arc throwers.
Project Nero Research Report
We've autopsied the alien creature that the troops are now calling a 'Muton', after Lt. Wright called them 'mutants' with his accent.
The creatures are clearly genetically modified as pure combatants: they have incredible muscle mass, no excess fatty tissue, mineralized bones and possibly limited neural capacity.
They have certain physical and genetic similarities to the Floaters: our conjecture is that they are of the same species, or are genetically modified from the same original stock. The Mutons are likely closer to the ancestral form than the Floaters: not only do they lack the cybernetic...enhancements, but we've also found signs of tattoos and scarification, indicating that the Mutons may have their own culture.
The heavy armor suits worn by the Mutons also appears to bolster their combat ability. Besides providing protection, it contains mechanisms like powered automatic weapon loaders. The Foundry is excited to get access to a few more of these armor suits to reverse engineer.
Since our stocks of alien alloy are depleted after fabricating new armor for our response team, the Research department is trying to reverse engineer the plasma weapons we've brought in with our live captives.
The two new satellites have been completed. They have been launched over Germany and Canada, to manage panic.
Operation Soaring Priest
Landing Site, California, United States
May 18, 2015
Maj. Martina 'Claymore' Bruan Kills 2/28
Cpt. Jack 'Skinner' White Kills 1/11 (Wounded 19 days)
Cpl. Kalee Pillai Kills 3/5 (Promoted to Sgt./Earned Nickname 'Hex')
Sq. Rosalia Gonzales Kills 2/6 (Promoted to Cpl./Gravely Wounded 18 days)
Sq. Dylan O'Brien Kills 1/2
Rk. Richard Wilson Kills 0/0 Captures 1/1
An alien craft was detected landing near the US-Mexican border. We scrambled the Skyranger before it could take off again.
The response team engaged several floaters while approaching the craft, taking some fire. Once inside, things got much hairier, as the tight confines made it difficult to find cover with a good field of fire and denied availability of our excellent sniper cover. Sq. Gonzales was nearly killed when she entered a room believed to be empty, but was instead trapped inside with two floaters. Subsequently, she destroyed the Outsider of this craft when it manifested unexpectedly and rushed her position.
At the rear of the craft, a trio of sectoids was encountered that were surprisingly difficult to dislodge. One was captured, along with its wrist-mounted plasma weapon.
The salvage teams recovered more alien hardware and materials. With more resources to work with, the research team is shifting their priorities away from the alien plasma weapons to building scaled-up versions of our lasers for our interceptor craft, which desperately need more firepower.
With the help of data...extracted from the captured sectoid, our researchers were able to complete two new laser designs, in record time.
The researcher's first attempt was to upscale our current rifle designs by incorporating them into a Gatling-style design that emitted a more continuous stream of fire, but it was found unsuitable for use in our interceptors due to insufficient penetration and inadequate cooling under sustained fire. However, a more modestly sized device has been approved for use by our heavy weapon specialists, as a substitute for their current light machine guns.
The subsequent attempt instead focused on cryogenically cooling a single, massive laser cannon. A single-barrel design provides it with the stability needed for such a heavy in-flight weapon, and the punch needed to penetrate the aliens' armor and shields.
They are now beginning work on the combat exoskeleton, based on the floaters' armor and cybernetics.
We've received alerts of alien abductions in Johannesburg, Cologne, and San Salvador. Germany has offered us an experienced, elite soldier, and the operation's proximity to France may help quell tensions there, so they were selected for our response. (Also, there were suggestions that Maj. Braun may have mutinied the Skyranger if dispatched elsewhere.)
Operation Cryptic Shield
Cologne, Germany
May 21, 2015
Maj. Martina 'Claymore' Bruan Kills 3/31
Sgt. Kalee 'Hex' Pillai Kills 3/8 (Promoted to Lt.)
Sq. Dylan O'Brien Kills 0/2 (KIA)
Rk. Richard Wilson Kills 0/0 (Gravely wounded, 23 days)
Rk. Tristan Bernard Kills 1/1 (Gravely wounds, 18 days, Promoted to Sq./Heavy)
Rk. Victor Garcia Kills 1/1 (Promoted to Sq./Sniper)
Our troops encountered a pair of the 'mutons' in an empty store, the snipers landing a few pot-shots with pistols as everyone ran for cover. The mutons' uncanny reflexes allowed them to evade all heavier fire. Rk. Wilson and Sq. O'Brien approached the building and prepared to breach the door. At this time, one of the aliens threw a small device at them. The recording of the audio feed indicates they realized it was an explosive, but were unable to react in time. Rk. Wilson was badly burned, and O'Brien was killed immediately, crushed into a half-collapsed wall like a rag-doll. Maj. Braun was able, at this time, to fire upon the exposed head of the alien, killing it.
Rk. Wilson was then rendered unconscious when he moved toward the surviving muton, intent on kill or capture.
Soon, two floaters entered the rear of the building, covering the muton's withdraw. Sgt. Pillai and Rk. Garcia were able to kill the Floaters, while Rk. Bernard retreated from being shot at by two secoids coming up the right flank. While the Major covered him, shooting one of the sectoids, he used his medikit to stabilize Rk. Wilson, saving his life. With the area secured and Wilson temporarily safe, the team moved toward the restaurant next door, where the second muton had been seen to retreat, encountering it and two thin men inside. Sgt. Pillai proved her worth here, shooting the remaining sectoid and one of the thin men with her pistol, while Maj. Braun took care of the muton. Rk. Bernard entered the rear, flanking and dispatching the last thin man.
In gratitude, Germany has transferred Cpt. Claudia Wolf to the X-COM project. Cpt. Wolf is a (now former) member of the Kommando Spezialkräfte, a veteran of the wars in Afgahnistan and last year's 'Crimean intervention', and a heavy weapons specialist.