X-COM #3: The Apocalypse

By the time the Skyranger reaches Buenos Aires, the sun has set and the aliens are out. Terror missions are hard missions. While you don't have to storm any UFOs, you do jump out with around 5 aliens in the immediate vicinity, and that can easily waste half the team. Hopefully we will do well, but unlike last time the aliens probably match us as far as numbers. If we survive, I'm buying donuts on the way back. Well, not really. Alright, get going!

The load out on this mission is Zen Halen with the rocket launcher and everyone else with laser rifles. Apparently the exploding shells of the heavy cannon have disappeared, so no heavy cannon today. The tank disembarks and takes some fire, but no damage done. A reaper is spotted across a field, and two floaters by the buildings to the north. Tyson A. is the first one out of the Skyranger, and he takes care of both Floaters. Floaters are unlike the first mission aliens. They were Sectoids. Floaters can float, and this is the first time I've actually combated with them in all of my X-COM adventures. Reapers are basically big, dumb, dogs. The AI programming is bad, so if you're far enough away you can just shoot them while they walk back and forth. They do take a number of shots, but they don't do much else.


As the rest of the team disembarks. I think about killing the reaper, but no one has enough TUs for it this turn. No matter. I check to the south and find no floaters, but it is difficult to see in the dark. I try to toss out some electro flares to light the place up, but nothing is revealed by them.

During the alien turn they attempt to take advantage of my tightly bunched troops. A floater on the far right side of the building in front of me chucks a grenade. Had it landed on the troops, the mission probably would have been over, because likely everyone would have been dead.

However, we luck out, as the grenade bounces back into Mr. Floater's lap. With half the building destroyed to demonstrate his lack of tossing ability, Mr. Floater perishes with his grenade. And gets the "Single Handedly Saved the Team!" award! Another grenade goes off elsewhere, but I am unable to see it. Jesse explores the remains of the half-gone house, as Kevin takes some shots at the reaper. Two shots hit, but he doesn't bring it down. Neal decides to kill-steal and kills the reaper off. The meatshields disperse, moving to the west and south. Mijo tosses a flare into the street, and Courtney spies a reaper backing up traffic. Courtney hits it twice, but the behemoth is still standing. Zen pats his rocket launcher, points the laser sights at the reaper's head, and doesn't have the TUs for a shot. Good thing reapers can't shoot.

Mijo then decides it is his turn to be a n00b and blasts the reaper, taking it down. Another one is seen between two stores, and Zen nails it with a rocket. The beast swallows it whole, then lets out a large belch and laughs at our puny weapons. Courtney fries the nearby walls, Neal shoots off a long shot and hits the reaper but not enough to kill it. To the north, Brad sees a floater in a field to the west. He takes an auto and a snap shot, but misses both times. Seeing Brad left at the alien's mercy, Jesse runs up with enough for a snap shot, but fails to protect his fellow sergeant. The tank heads south and spies a sneaky floater hiding behind the shop. Kevin spots it, and takes an auto shot. The first bullet grazes the grass, the second pelts the tank, but the last one flies true, killing the floater. Nicely done. Kyle starts blasting away at an offending fence and finds a floater hiding on the other side, who he quickly disposes of. The turn ends with Brad ducking and a reaper stare-down in the southern corner.

Zen, sickened by the reapers ugly face and small skull, hits the reaper with another rocket and makes some reaper soup. Jesse guns down the fool floater, and both proceed to cover. Kyle spies another reaper, takes 3 autoshots and eventually slays the beast. Tanner looks westward down the street and reveals another reaper behind the first. Courtney hits this reaper twice, but no kill.

Kyle tries the old kill-steal, but misses all shots on the reaper. Courtney isn't going to put up with that, and, with another long shot, hits the beast and kills it. Tanner peeks around the corner and sees another floater in a shop. He can't hit it, but the champion Courtney nails it from across the map. Sweet. Brad and Jesse both move behind the fence, as Tyson moves into the large house,attempting to get an upper story view.


Then, just when all was right, a floater leaps from behind the house and pops off Kyle. The dastardly sneakly floater, getting revenge for Kyle's sneaky fence shooting, ends our valiant meat shield's life. Brad and Jesse move around the outside of the house and wait for the next turn to leap around the corner. Neal shoots through the fence, but can't see the offending floater. Mijo fires off suppressive shots, and once connects with the alien's head. Tanner hops around the corner and kills another floater, as Kevin and Zen watch the fireworks.


The aliens kill another civilian during their turn. Brad runs along the back fence, sees a floater, but has to TUs. Jesse can't shoot the floater because he'd probably kill Brad. But luckily, NealTheFerrin has an open shot, and he wastes the floater before it can blink. Brad breathes a sigh of relief, after almost dying twice today. Tyson is on the second floor but unable to see anything on the ground. Tanner spies a part destroyed building up ahead on the south side. With the holes in the walls odds are a floater is hiding in there. Courtney pulls out a grenade and gets ready to toss it on the next turn. The others move cautiously down the street. Jesse shoots through the fence, hoping to see something, but is unable to.

Courtney lobs the grenade into the half blown out building. Kevin and Neal head north along the front of the house, moving towards the warehouse. Zen Halen moves slightly to get in position for a rocket, but with nothing to shoot at everyone waits. Meanwhile, Brad and Jesse secure the houses and start peeking into the warehouse. Hopefully nothing is inside....

And apparently nothing is. Jesse calls out 'all clear' and the team looks toward Courtney's grenade.

The grenade explodes, but nothing happens. Mijo shoots through the store wall, revealing a reaper. Tanner and Mijo both move into the store, as the reaper is too fat for the tiny hole. Just as they are about to blast the defenseless creature, a civilian rushes down the stairs to stand right next to the hole. I have no faith in good accuracy. Luckily I have plenty of TUs. Mijo stands right in front of the reaper and auto-shots away, but doesn't bring it down. Tanner pushes in front and pops the reaper a few more times, to which it snorts pleasantly. Tanner moves off to the side, but the reaper is dangerously close. Courtney waltzes into the store and finishes it with a snap shot. Wow. 3 reapers and 1 floater, with a great shot too. Yay, Courtney!

That was a great mission. Only one death, which is much better than I had anticipated. And it was my first time fighting floaters, so whoop. The 3 live aliens are likely reapers, too bad we don't get points for them. Courtney gets MVP for obvious reasons, but really this mission had some great performances and I believe that everyone got a kill.

As the Skyranger takes off, February is fast approaching. I wait for the budget report and our extra monies before signing off.

Sweet. The extra dough will help a little. As soon as I get back I'll be hiring probably 10 new rookies, tossing on my facebook friends. And armor should be researched soon, so it's looking pretty good. I guess I'll see you in February.