XCom: Brutesquad vs. the Sectoids
Page 3
By Febuary the 25th the original squad of Kaigen, Daveman, Strummer, Bubbles, Siljanus, Bortin, D.A. Lewis and Da_Toad had been whittled down to only 4 remaining survivors. Bortin
had been the first to fall, victim of a sectoid trap. Daveman followed next, taking a plasma bolt in the chest in Norway. He was soon followed by Kaigen who was blindsided by a
floater in Lima. Then Bubbles was killed off, victim to yet another floater, this time in Ethiopia. Four men remained, now hardened battle veterans, Strummer, Siljanus, D.A.
Lewis and Da_Toad, the core of the Brutesquads NCO.'s. Replacements have entered the picture, some of them briefly, such as Misguided. Others like The Nature Boy have proven
themselves to be crack shots. However men are still dying, how much longer till the glue that holds together the team dies? (I.e. Siljanus)
The rest of the month went by quickly and 10 more engineers joined the group bringing the total to 40 engineers, 40 scientists and 12 soldiers. As well the monthly review was
made, only Australia changed its funding, which was downwards. Thus Andy proposed the idea of a new smaller base in the Australian outback. His proposal was given mixed blessings
and finally it was decided to at least build a small radar station in the country. It would be active before the end of the month.
Activity was now upbeat. Within days a Heavy Laser prototype was complete and Strummer took a liking to it. As well the main bases new living quarters and workshop were now
complete. The men worked harder than ever and by the 5th of March the squad was now fitted with a full complement of personal armor! In addition another small UFO was spotted and
shot down off France's shore.
Mere days later another UFO was picked up on long range radar near the Nigerian border, a FA-22 was sent to take it down but half way there a second UFO, the largest detected so
far was spotted over Central Africa. A choice had to be made, try and take out the Large UFO or give chase to the smaller? I chose to try and take down the larger UFO, however 6
Avalanche missiles later and it was still flying, both of the FA-22s had gone back to base to rearm and a THIRD UFO was spotted! Another large one! The men grew silent as the UFOs
began what seemed like a determined search effort.
Minutes later a fourth UFO was spotted coming out of the Red Sea, this one putting the other two large UFOs to shame. It’s size immense, any thoughts of engagement out of my
mind, it came into Egyptian airspace and a chill swept over me. Minutes past, I anxiously checked one the refueling fighters, once, twice, three times in all! Still the ships
scanned the North African landscape, still too close for comfort. But now! The huge ship had landed in the middle of the Sahara! What a break this could be! I ordered the
Skyranger filled, the men now had laser rifles, personal armor and medi-kits. It was time to see what they could do! As the fighters lifted off to try and take down the damaged
UFO over the Sudan, the Skyranger began to take its human cargo to the grim reaper’s doorstep.
By the time the men had landed in the Sahara the issue with the other UFO had been settled, having run out of Avalanche’s at base the UFO was not able to be brought down, 8
missiles hit, no kill! The second interceptor tried to close and kill it with cannons, but it was suicide. (To put it lightly)
However the men landed near the Battleship without problem. The men got off the ship quickly and soon the scouting tank was to the Battleships main lifts, a Reaper was spotted, as
well as a floater. The lead four men were already on the ground, as well new replacements Binky and Valael were ready to go into battle. Siljanus was quick to attack a floater.
It was dead by his hands in mere seconds and the recon tank advanced, taking a shot at the Reaper and injuring its leg. Meanwhile Strummer was shot, the personal armor saving his
life, the plasma only injuring his shoulder severely. More men piled out of the Skyranger, several taking shots at Strummers assailant, finally Samurai was able to kill it off and
the men could breathe easy as medical attention was given to Strummer.
By now the Reaper had retreated, a trail of acidic blood showing its trail in the loose sand of the Sahara. It was then that Strummer spotted him, he was alone still, waiting for
that medical attention to arrive. Him against it. Of course, Strummer is a horrible shot, and he missed it by a mile! Thankfully Da_Toad covered his ass and saved his life.
Again another floater and reaper exited the lift and presented the scout tank with a challenge, it was all alone, but backup was nearly there!
Captain Siljanus arrived within seconds and the floater was dead and gone in an instant. The Nature Boy fired upon the Reaper, wounding its massive frame, when another of the
fearsome beasts emerged from the craft’s belly.
Grenades and fierce laser fire soon turned the giants into masses of dead flesh, but more floaters arrived out of the ship, the tank taking more shots to its hardened exoskeleton!
The Nature Boy soon took care of the problem and himself, Siljanus and the tank provided cover while the rest of the squad approached on the blind side of the lifts. However now a
floater exited with a Blaster Launcher, seeing that the weapon looked like a beefed up rocket launcher the tank and the two men in a position to give cover fire gave it, the
floater turning tail to run, still alive! Strummer came out of cover to take it out, but ran into another floater covering his targets retreat, his wounds turned into fatal ones
and the team was down by one! Siljanus in the meantime took out the floater holding the blaster launcher, while Samurai took out Strummer’s killer.
The stage was now set for the men to get into the craft! Valael goes in first and sights three floaters around and above him, Samurai comes in and assists by killing the one on
the ground level before more men push into the lift, fighting their way up the craft. Valael and Ghoul get the other two floaters and the men begin to lift upwards to the second
floor. Soon the men are scanning the second floor and two are already on the top floor, keeping the lift secure to prevent attacks from the rear.
Soon the men swarmed through the top level killed the last remaining aliens!
Two large UFO's had by now landed in Nigeria, a third further along the coast to the west. Command deemed that these targets were too be destroyed ASAP, as their destruction was
paramount to the war effort. Because of this the Skyranger now holding all of the remaining men at the base, 10 in all arrived in Nigeria shortly before dark. The booty from the
battle ship was over $4,000,000 total, and hopefully this ship would yield similar results.
The tank spotted the floater after the ramp dropped, the dense jungle foliage near this area almost obscuring it from sight, but the robotic tanks sensors picked it up on the
infrared wavelength. The floater slightly damaged the thickly armored vehicle as it makes its way down the ramp, it spots another floater at the front of the plane and relays the
input back to the men. Binky manages to kill the first floater, his shot actually hitting, unlike half the squad. The second floater takes damage from a heavy cannon but remains
standing. D.A. Lewis is killed for that and now the original squad is down to two men! Siljanus cuts that one down, but another floater takes a shot at the tank but missing. The
LZ is still hot and return fire on the third floater results in only suppression. Da_Toad is now hit by it, but his protective suit saves him, no damage inflicted. Siljanus now
moves forward, finds the shooter and notches his second kill of the mission. Clear to move forward the tank does and sees a floater with its back turned! SuperDarkDude soon kills
it from a distance and behind cover. Floaters are now coming out of the ship, intel messed this one up, its only a medium sized one, must be the lead element for the alien
subversion forces in Nigeria! SuperDarkDude takes out the alien trying to get out and the tank continues to reconnoiter.
Soon it sees another floater in the dense foliage and Da_Toad wires a rocket there after Samurai's shots come only close.
More movement is heard from the UFO now, another one tries to force its way out and is repulsed with a large rocket, Chaz barely misses the explosion!
The men enter the UFO, but the tank, Siljanus and Binky are still locked in battle outside, another floater has been spotted and grenades, tank shells and laser blasts don't hit
it. Binky manages to kill it the next turn and the outside is now clear. Action shifts to inside the UFO, fighting is close and Samurai takes out the first of the UFO's defenders.
Soon TNB and Chaz take out the last two defenders and the UFO is ours!
As I was formulating my plan to conquer one of the two remaining large UFOs the worse thing that could happen did. Melbourne was attacked by the alien menace. The men, already
without sleep for over a day were called to make the flight to Australia and fight on. The squad now deleted, 9 men total at base, another 8 on route from bases across the world.
The night was going to be long.
Now I’ll have the men get back into the armor so they can go save Melbourne, and pity me if its a snakeman/chrysalid terror site! The men landed in early morning, having gotten
some rest on the long flight from Europe. The two large UFOs in Africa landed again, tempting me with the promise of more riches, I declined the offer politely. My stores are
completely full anyway.
Melbourne! The tank is down first, taking heavy fire, and returning it. It takes down a floater and the men advance out of the plane. Da_Toad and Siljanus engage the aliens with
haste and SuperDarkDude supports them from the Skyranger with the rocket launcher. Da_Toad hits a Reaper with his Heavy Cannon, but it keeps on coming!
Soon more men are down and the tank comes under fire again, this time from a floater in a gas station. Realizing this was a flammable situation, I had SuperDarkDude take him out,
suffice to say, the pumps were destroyed and medium to well cooked floater was now being served.
Siljanus took out that Reaper advancing on our position and notched his 9th kill. Two more floaters now came into view near TNB and he took one out with reaction fire, dodging
fire himself and then taking out the second!
Captain Siljanus was now under fire, a plasma bolt dissipating off his suit, leaving him uninjured, his attacker going back into the shadows. Ghoul took out another attacker as
well. The tank now damaged severely, it still advanced, scouting out the threats. Captain Siljanus moved forward and was knocked unconscious by a stunning shot from a floater, it
was killed by Samurai from long range. The tank also scouted more, placing another floater that Ghoul took out, his second of the mission. Chaz also managed to kill the floater
with the pistol, its body now full of holes from the lasers. Another Reaper now advanced, getting too close for comfort when Chaz killed it good.
Valael soon stimmed the Captain all up and he was ready to go. Another floater was taken out by SuperDarkDude, now out of rockets he went back to the Skyranger to grab the extra
Heavy Cannon that was brought along (D.A. Lewis's stuff had not been taken off the Skyranger yet). The men advanced further.
Siljanus now spots a floater. Chucking a grenade at it, he hears the sweet sound of the bastard’s death scream! Another one is spotted behind the dead one. Binky is shot, non-
fatally. Siljanus throws another grenade, no kill. He throws another, no kill! Finally he is passed another grenade and throws it .SUCCESS! One dead floater! The mission ends!
My word........I just realized.......no one died!