OPERATION PURPLE SWORD - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: SPC Constance Makhandule
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 3x Sectoids, 6x "Floaters", armed with plasma weapons and carbines
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Ward Parsons (Australia)
- PFC Constance Makhandule (South Africa)
- PFC Lieselotte Faber (Germany)
- PVT Jirina Markusova (Czech Republic)
- PVT Svetlana Petukhova (Russia)
- PVT Maurice Vos (Netherlands)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Darwin, Australia, 20 APR 2016 @ 2001 hrs, IOT disrupt alien abduction operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 1800 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 1802, and we touched ground at 2001 hrs near an observatory. SPC Parsons was squad leader, and lead the way, moving to the doors of the observatory, before directing the rest of the squad to stack on the wall for breach. We moved into the building before breaking into two teams, consisting of SPC Parsons, myself and PVT Petukhova in Team A, and PFC Faber with PVTs Vos and Markusova in Team B. Team A breached the storage room to the side, while Team B approached the door at the back of the main room.
At Parson's signal, Vos opened the door, revealing a new X-Ray. The creature appeared to be partly humanoid, but augmented with machines, and had its lower body replaced with rocket thrusters. PVT Vos' initial contact report described them as "Floaters". The floaters stayed clustered, as PVT Vos threw a frag grenade at them. While they were recoverying from the grenade blast, which appeared to do minimal damage, Team A maneuvered to firing positions, and Markusova and Parsons took shots, destroying two of the three. That was when alien reinforcements closed on our position, consisting of more of the floaters, as well as sectoids. The remaining floater fled while we were adjusting cover for the new threat.
Parsons, from his vantage on the roof, designated one of the new floaters, allowing Petrukhova, Markusova and Vos to mass fires and destroy it. The sectoids began moving into the building in an attempt to flank, while one of the floaters blasted off into the night sky, and the remainder took cover and fired on our positions.
PVT Vos tossed a grenade toward where the Sectoids were hiding inside the building, blowing the wall out and exposing the X-Rays. Markusova, Petrukhova, myself and Parsons took advantage of their immediate confusion to eliminate the floater and the two Sectoids revealed.
Suddenly, one of the floaters, presumably the one that had blasted off, came in behind PVT Petrukhova. Despite her position being under fire from the last Sectoid, she took a shot and destroyed the floater before it could take a shot at her. I attempted to expose the remaining Sectoid with a frag grenade, but wasn't able to do sufficient damage to blow out the side of the truck it was using for cover. Immediately after, the Sectoid took a shot at Parsons and managed to severely injure him, and another floater appeared and began suppressing my position as the rest of the squad advanced under fire.
Markusova came to my support and took a shot at the floater, eliminating it, which allowed me to fire a rocket at the Sectoid, destroying some of its cover and forcing it to move, which is when Faber put it down.
Parsons fell to his wounds shortly after, and had to be evacced to the Skyranger while we secured the rest of the site. I am writing this report in his stead, as he is still in surgery at this time.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- An enemy exposed is a dead one
- Fire teams and intersecting fields of fire
o Improve:
- Snipers excel with a good vantage point
- Never assume your backtrail is clear
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
Mail Call (07 APR 2016)
"Everything is in place?" Bradford paused, listening for a moment, before nodding. "Excellent. I'm sure the troops will be happy to hear it. Thank you for your efforts."
Central Officer Bradford hung up the phone, and leaned back in his chair. When the Commander gave the go-ahead at the end of March, he'd expected this to take a lot longer than it had. It turned out that the U.S. Air Force had been surprisingly willing to work with them, helping set up an APO with an obscured address. Now, the troops and technicians of XCOM could send and receive mail and packages without giving up any information about where XCOM HQ was located.
Of course, there'd still be a lot of restrictions on the mail, and privacy was basically not going to happen, but he'd argued, and the Commander had agreed, that mail privileges would strengthen morale. Right now, with only a handful of injuries and only one KIA, morale was pretty high, but Bradford knew that things wouldn't continue the way they were forever. Any enemy with the ability to fly craft between the stars must have more up their hypothetical sleeves than they'd shown so far.
Bradford pulled himself to his feet, stepping out of the small ready room and into Mission Control. As always, the Hologlobe caught his eye, and he saw the red blip signaling the UFO they'd splashed just before he'd received the call from the Peterson AFB post office. He knew that troopers were already gearing up to go out. Hopefully they'd all come home in one piece, to good news.
"Intelligence Officer Pidgeon," he said, scanning the room for the technician. He saw the Australian's head pop up as soon as he spoke, and gestured him over.
"Sir?" the man said, coming to attention as he approached. Bradford waved it off, indicating that he could relax.
"I need you to draft up a memo for the intranet message board. I've sent you an e-mail with the details, but the gist is that we're going forward with the mail service," he explained. IO Pidgeon's eyes lit up, but he remained silent as Bradford continued. "It'll be phased, starting only with letters, but once everything is up and running, we'll be able to handle packages as well. Let me know if you have any further questions, after you've read your e-mail."
"Sir, right away," Pidgeon turned and hurried back to his computer with a spring in his step. Bradford smiled slightly. The man had a wife and two daughters back in Queensland, and he was probably missing them terribly. It'd only been a month so far, but everyone knew this was going to be a long haul.
08 APR 2016
"Hey," Naomi Bowden looked up from breakfast as Lorena approached, tray in her hand. "Have you checked the message boards yet?"
"No," replied Naomi, stifling a yawn. She'd been up late, reviewing the just-published material for the Officer Training School, and had barely managed to drag herself out of her bunk this morning. "Something good?"
"I'll say it is," Lorena replied, sliding her tray across the table, and dropping heavily into the seat next to her. She grinned, and didn't say anything else.
"Well?" Naomi knew that the other woman was baiting her, but she didn't rise to it.
"Bowden!" Jared Houston waved from across the chow hall, hurrying over. "Did you hear?" he said excitedly as he slipped into the seat opposite her. "They're going to start allowing mail!" Naomi glanced at Lorena, who was scowling at Houston; Apparently, he'd scooped her announcement. Then what he'd said really hit her.
"Oh," she said. "Oh, now that's quite good." She glanced around the chow hall, and realized that the place was much more abuzz than it usually was this time of day. Apparently, she was one of the last to know. She smiled, feeling much more awake than she'd been a minute before. Oh yes, quite good indeed.
"No problem, Donohue." Parsons picked up his pen to begin writing again.
Central Officer Bradford hung up the phone, and leaned back in his chair. When the Commander gave the go-ahead at the end of March, he'd expected this to take a lot longer than it had. It turned out that the U.S. Air Force had been surprisingly willing to work with them, helping set up an APO with an obscured address. Now, the troops and technicians of XCOM could send and receive mail and packages without giving up any information about where XCOM HQ was located.
Of course, there'd still be a lot of restrictions on the mail, and privacy was basically not going to happen, but he'd argued, and the Commander had agreed, that mail privileges would strengthen morale. Right now, with only a handful of injuries and only one KIA, morale was pretty high, but Bradford knew that things wouldn't continue the way they were forever. Any enemy with the ability to fly craft between the stars must have more up their hypothetical sleeves than they'd shown so far.
Bradford pulled himself to his feet, stepping out of the small ready room and into Mission Control. As always, the Hologlobe caught his eye, and he saw the red blip signaling the UFO they'd splashed just before he'd received the call from the Peterson AFB post office. He knew that troopers were already gearing up to go out. Hopefully they'd all come home in one piece, to good news.
"Intelligence Officer Pidgeon," he said, scanning the room for the technician. He saw the Australian's head pop up as soon as he spoke, and gestured him over.
"Sir?" the man said, coming to attention as he approached. Bradford waved it off, indicating that he could relax.
"I need you to draft up a memo for the intranet message board. I've sent you an e-mail with the details, but the gist is that we're going forward with the mail service," he explained. IO Pidgeon's eyes lit up, but he remained silent as Bradford continued. "It'll be phased, starting only with letters, but once everything is up and running, we'll be able to handle packages as well. Let me know if you have any further questions, after you've read your e-mail."
"Sir, right away," Pidgeon turned and hurried back to his computer with a spring in his step. Bradford smiled slightly. The man had a wife and two daughters back in Queensland, and he was probably missing them terribly. It'd only been a month so far, but everyone knew this was going to be a long haul.
08 APR 2016
"Hey," Naomi Bowden looked up from breakfast as Lorena approached, tray in her hand. "Have you checked the message boards yet?"
"No," replied Naomi, stifling a yawn. She'd been up late, reviewing the just-published material for the Officer Training School, and had barely managed to drag herself out of her bunk this morning. "Something good?"
"I'll say it is," Lorena replied, sliding her tray across the table, and dropping heavily into the seat next to her. She grinned, and didn't say anything else.
"Well?" Naomi knew that the other woman was baiting her, but she didn't rise to it.
"Bowden!" Jared Houston waved from across the chow hall, hurrying over. "Did you hear?" he said excitedly as he slipped into the seat opposite her. "They're going to start allowing mail!" Naomi glanced at Lorena, who was scowling at Houston; Apparently, he'd scooped her announcement. Then what he'd said really hit her.
"Oh," she said. "Oh, now that's quite good." She glanced around the chow hall, and realized that the place was much more abuzz than it usually was this time of day. Apparently, she was one of the last to know. She smiled, feeling much more awake than she'd been a minute before. Oh yes, quite good indeed.
-
Spencer Donohue walked in from the showers, towel still draped around his neck. He'd also heard the word, and he was pretty stoked about it. He'd had to tell his wife that he wouldn't be able to communicate at all for who knows how long. She'd hated the secrecy, but it wasn't exactly new territory. Most of the operations he'd been on over the years had been classified, though none so secretive as the XCOM Project. He saw Parsons hunched over on his bunk, a pad of paper in his lap, scribbling furiously. Spencer hadn't been by supply yet, but he figured there'd be a run on writing paper. Parsons might be willing to share, though.
"Hey man," he said as he approached. Parsons glanced up with a smile, clipping the pen to the edge of the notepad. "I don't suppose you could spare a few sheets for a comrade?"
"Absolutely," Parsons replied, flipping a few pages and carefully tearing out several blank sheets. "This stuff'll be like gold until the next supply truck."
"Thanks, man," Spencer replied, taking the paper. "You writing your.." He paused, glanced at the man's hands, and saw no wedding ring. "your girlfriend?"
"No," Parsons shook his head. "Boyfriend, back in Sydney."
"You're.." Spencer trailed off, startled.
"Yeah," Parsons replied, then lifted a brow. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no," Spencer quickly assured him. "Just wasn't expecting it. It's been years since they started allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the U.S. but I've only met a couple of girls who were out." He shook his head. "Man, I'm really sorry. I just got caught by surprise."
"Don't worry about it," Parsons waved it off. "You writing your... husband?" He grinned, and Spencer laughed, the tension gone.
"Nah, my wife. She went back to Texas after I got selected for this assignment. She's gonna flip when she gets my letter."
"Mike will too," Parsons said. "He didn't want me to go, but when the time came, he was as supportive as he could be."
"That's about the way it always is," Spencer agreed. "Is he military too? I met my wife in the Army."
"No, he works as a database administrator in Sydney. Doesn't approve of the military in general, but he makes an effort where I'm concerned."
"Can't ask more than that." Spencer reached over and swatted Parsons on the shoulder. "I'll let you get back to it. Thanks for the paper."
"No problem, Donohue." Parsons picked up his pen to begin writing again.
"Call me Spencer," he tossed back over his shoulder. "All my friends do."
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
OPERATION BANISHED LAW - AFTER ACTION REPORT (07 APR 2016 @ 2037)
OPERATION BANISHED LAW - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: CPL Oskar Lindemann
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 2x Thin Men, 2x Drones, 2x Sectoids, 1x Outsider
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
- PFC Hidde Huisman (Netherlands)
- PFC Lara Jordan (Australia)
- PVT Mahjoub Benhassi (Algeria)
- PVT Qutuz Safar (United Arab Emirates)
- PVT Sylas Maillet (Canada)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Tennessee, United States, 07 APR 2016 @ 2037 hrs, IOT clear and exploit alien crash site.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 2015 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 2026, and we touched ground at 2037 hrs, on the edge of a farm. Upon assessment of our potential avenues of advance, I chose to send the squad along the fence line and toward the barn. PFC Huisman took point, while I maintained rearguard, providing cover with my LMG.
Upon reaching the barn, we still had not made contact with any X-Rays, though several Soldiers reporting hearing movement in that direction. Once the squad had reached the barn, I scaled the barn to take a high support-by-fire position. After breaching the barn, the squad finally made contact with a pair of Thin Men. They immediately began firing at Jordan, as the rest of the squad maneuvered for advantage. Maillet was the first to score a hit, eliminating one of the Thin Men. Benhassi attempted to flank, but reactive fire from the remaining Thin Man wounded him badly, and pinned him in place. I took advantage of the Thin Man exposing itself to take it down from my vantage in the hayloft.
Benhassi managed to get into the cover of the barn, where Jordan was able to provide medical care, as the rest of the squad maneuvered toward the downed craft, careful to avoid exposing themselves to the occupants. Huisman attempted to get intel from inside with a Battle Scanner, but unfortunately misjudged his throw, and it ended up on the roof of the UFO, where it was unable to provide useful information.
Huisman made the first advance on the UFO, and the rest of the squad moved to join him, including Benhassi, once Jordan provided stimulants to keep him alert and focused. Jordan remained back to provide cover, while I maintained my support-by-fire position in the loft.
At my signal, Maillet was the first to advance into the craft, spotting the X-Ray designated as "Outsider" that we'd been briefed to expect. Not wanting to take chances, Maillet flashbanged the Outsider, while Jordan provided smoke to cover the advance of the rest of the squad. Huisman attempted to destroy the enemy's cover with a grenade, but did not seem do to much damage, either to the interior of the ship, or to the Outsider. Huisman charged in and shot the X-Ray from close range, but it seemed to shrug off the damage.
At this time, the remainder of the enemy forces began to appear, with two drones coming out of the dark to flank Huisman, Benhassi and Safar. I managed to take one down with a snap burst before they could get into position. PFC Huisman blasted the Outsider again, while Maillet moved to flank and finished it off. PVT Benhassi proved his resilience as he charged forward and eliminated the second drone, reporting seconds later seeing more X-Rays moving into the fight. Safar moved to get a better look, identifying and engaging two Sectoids, injuring one, and killing the other. Benhassi moved up right behind him and finished off the injured Sectoid.
Following this engagement, Jordan and Maillet escorted Benhassi back to the Skyranger, while Huisman and Safar cleared the rest of the crash site while I provided cover. They met with no further resistance.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Use of expendables to shape the flow of battle
- High-vantage overwatch
o Improve:
- Never underestimate the enemy's accuracy
- Never assume the site is clear
PREPARED BY: CPL Oskar Lindemann
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 2x Thin Men, 2x Drones, 2x Sectoids, 1x Outsider
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
- PFC Hidde Huisman (Netherlands)
- PFC Lara Jordan (Australia)
- PVT Mahjoub Benhassi (Algeria)
- PVT Qutuz Safar (United Arab Emirates)
- PVT Sylas Maillet (Canada)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Tennessee, United States, 07 APR 2016 @ 2037 hrs, IOT clear and exploit alien crash site.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 2015 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 2026, and we touched ground at 2037 hrs, on the edge of a farm. Upon assessment of our potential avenues of advance, I chose to send the squad along the fence line and toward the barn. PFC Huisman took point, while I maintained rearguard, providing cover with my LMG.
Upon reaching the barn, we still had not made contact with any X-Rays, though several Soldiers reporting hearing movement in that direction. Once the squad had reached the barn, I scaled the barn to take a high support-by-fire position. After breaching the barn, the squad finally made contact with a pair of Thin Men. They immediately began firing at Jordan, as the rest of the squad maneuvered for advantage. Maillet was the first to score a hit, eliminating one of the Thin Men. Benhassi attempted to flank, but reactive fire from the remaining Thin Man wounded him badly, and pinned him in place. I took advantage of the Thin Man exposing itself to take it down from my vantage in the hayloft.
Benhassi managed to get into the cover of the barn, where Jordan was able to provide medical care, as the rest of the squad maneuvered toward the downed craft, careful to avoid exposing themselves to the occupants. Huisman attempted to get intel from inside with a Battle Scanner, but unfortunately misjudged his throw, and it ended up on the roof of the UFO, where it was unable to provide useful information.
Huisman made the first advance on the UFO, and the rest of the squad moved to join him, including Benhassi, once Jordan provided stimulants to keep him alert and focused. Jordan remained back to provide cover, while I maintained my support-by-fire position in the loft.
At my signal, Maillet was the first to advance into the craft, spotting the X-Ray designated as "Outsider" that we'd been briefed to expect. Not wanting to take chances, Maillet flashbanged the Outsider, while Jordan provided smoke to cover the advance of the rest of the squad. Huisman attempted to destroy the enemy's cover with a grenade, but did not seem do to much damage, either to the interior of the ship, or to the Outsider. Huisman charged in and shot the X-Ray from close range, but it seemed to shrug off the damage.
At this time, the remainder of the enemy forces began to appear, with two drones coming out of the dark to flank Huisman, Benhassi and Safar. I managed to take one down with a snap burst before they could get into position. PFC Huisman blasted the Outsider again, while Maillet moved to flank and finished it off. PVT Benhassi proved his resilience as he charged forward and eliminated the second drone, reporting seconds later seeing more X-Rays moving into the fight. Safar moved to get a better look, identifying and engaging two Sectoids, injuring one, and killing the other. Benhassi moved up right behind him and finished off the injured Sectoid.
Following this engagement, Jordan and Maillet escorted Benhassi back to the Skyranger, while Huisman and Safar cleared the rest of the crash site while I provided cover. They met with no further resistance.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Use of expendables to shape the flow of battle
- High-vantage overwatch
o Improve:
- Never underestimate the enemy's accuracy
- Never assume the site is clear
Sunday, March 22, 2015
OPERATION CURSED BREATH - AFTER ACTION REPORT (04 APR 2016 @1924)
OPERATION CURSED BREATH - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: SPC Spencer Donohue
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 7x Sectoids, 1x Thin Man, 1x Mechanical, designation "Seeker"
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Spencer Donohue (United States)
- PFC Shousei Daiwa (Japan)
- PFC Yusuf Hassan (Sudan)
- PVT Leigh Fahey (United States)
- PVT Edward Dudek (Poland)
- PVT Clarisse Poncelet (Belgium)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Buenos Aires, Argentina 04 APR 2016 @ 1924 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 1800 hrs, and we were in the air by 1820, with boots on ground at 1924. After assessing our avenues of approach, I decided that cutting along the backside of the building and using the back door for ingress would be the best course of action (CoA). We stacked on the wall with Hassan on watch before making the breach.
Upon opening the door, Daiwa reported seeing three X-Rays. The first two were a Sectoid and Thin Man, which cut along the front of the building, using it for cover. The third, he reported seeing a quick flash of tentacles, before it faded out of sight, and the door burst open without any other explanation. Not knowing what we were facing, I directed everyone to stay put, in cover, and keep their weapons ready. Daiwa started taking fire from within the building, but remained hunkered safely behind the wall. Suddenly, the air in front of Hassan blurred, and everyone opened up before we even got a good look at what it was. It seemed to be seeking the most isolated member of the squad, but Hassan was sufficiently covered that we never got to see what its capabilities were. Upon taking it down, we noted that it appeared to be a squid-like mechanical, most closely resembling the robots from that Matrix movie.
Daiwa then moved into the room, tumbling to avoid their reaction fire, and took cover behind a rack of servers. While the X-Rays were focused on him, PVTs Dudek and Fahey moved to the doorway, focusing fire on the Thin Man, giving cover for the rest of the squad to re-position. The X-Rays moved into the room, taking high cover positions that made it risky to advance, so we held position, weapons ready. This was when we saw further movement beyond the building, and noted more Sectoids coming to reinforce. We continued to hold position, taking shots of opportunity, until finally Dudek and Fahey managed to put down the Thin Man, as he approached Diawa's cover position, and Hassan took a shot through the window, eliminating the first Sectoid. PFC Daiwa, not to be outdone, put a shot straight through the wall, killing another Sectoid.
PVT Poncelet, now that the enemy overwatch positions were cleared, moved alongside the building, and took a reaction shot as one of the other Sectoids advanced, putting it down. The squad advanced to cover positions to engage the remaining Sectoid in the pod. Fahey, moving in cover, drew fire from the X-Ray, allowing the rest of the squad to reposition, and me to take a wounding shot. Hassan, having taken a sniper's perch on top of the building, reporting seeing as many as three more X-Rays in the next building.
We began our final advance with Daiwa taking the kill shot on the last Sectoid in the truck. Hassan took a snapshot at movement inside the building, but he could not confirm a kill. Realizing they had us covered, PFC Daiwa charged into the open to draw their fire, before moving into cover. The team fired as we advanced, but were unable to score any further hits. We did manage to scare them into keeping their heads down, so we were able to advance to danger-close range.
Fahey lead the way, dodging up immediately next to a hunkered Sectoid, and putting it down with a burst to the head. I charged forward with Daiwa immediately behind. The Sectoid by the window didn't even see me coming as I jumped through, flanked the X-Ray around the corner, though before I could kill it, PVT Poncelet had already put it down. PFC Daiwa jumped through the window right after me, and executed the cowering Sectoid with a single shot from his pistol.
We scoured the rest of the area, but met with no further resistance. Buenos Aires was temporarily clear of infestation. I think LT Rico would be proud.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Use of Cover
- Seize opportunity
o Improve:
- Use grenades to eliminate cover
- Equipment unused is wasted
PREPARED BY: SPC Spencer Donohue
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 7x Sectoids, 1x Thin Man, 1x Mechanical, designation "Seeker"
o Friendly Forces
- SPC Spencer Donohue (United States)
- PFC Shousei Daiwa (Japan)
- PFC Yusuf Hassan (Sudan)
- PVT Leigh Fahey (United States)
- PVT Edward Dudek (Poland)
- PVT Clarisse Poncelet (Belgium)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Buenos Aires, Argentina 04 APR 2016 @ 1924 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 1800 hrs, and we were in the air by 1820, with boots on ground at 1924. After assessing our avenues of approach, I decided that cutting along the backside of the building and using the back door for ingress would be the best course of action (CoA). We stacked on the wall with Hassan on watch before making the breach.
Upon opening the door, Daiwa reported seeing three X-Rays. The first two were a Sectoid and Thin Man, which cut along the front of the building, using it for cover. The third, he reported seeing a quick flash of tentacles, before it faded out of sight, and the door burst open without any other explanation. Not knowing what we were facing, I directed everyone to stay put, in cover, and keep their weapons ready. Daiwa started taking fire from within the building, but remained hunkered safely behind the wall. Suddenly, the air in front of Hassan blurred, and everyone opened up before we even got a good look at what it was. It seemed to be seeking the most isolated member of the squad, but Hassan was sufficiently covered that we never got to see what its capabilities were. Upon taking it down, we noted that it appeared to be a squid-like mechanical, most closely resembling the robots from that Matrix movie.
Daiwa then moved into the room, tumbling to avoid their reaction fire, and took cover behind a rack of servers. While the X-Rays were focused on him, PVTs Dudek and Fahey moved to the doorway, focusing fire on the Thin Man, giving cover for the rest of the squad to re-position. The X-Rays moved into the room, taking high cover positions that made it risky to advance, so we held position, weapons ready. This was when we saw further movement beyond the building, and noted more Sectoids coming to reinforce. We continued to hold position, taking shots of opportunity, until finally Dudek and Fahey managed to put down the Thin Man, as he approached Diawa's cover position, and Hassan took a shot through the window, eliminating the first Sectoid. PFC Daiwa, not to be outdone, put a shot straight through the wall, killing another Sectoid.
PVT Poncelet, now that the enemy overwatch positions were cleared, moved alongside the building, and took a reaction shot as one of the other Sectoids advanced, putting it down. The squad advanced to cover positions to engage the remaining Sectoid in the pod. Fahey, moving in cover, drew fire from the X-Ray, allowing the rest of the squad to reposition, and me to take a wounding shot. Hassan, having taken a sniper's perch on top of the building, reporting seeing as many as three more X-Rays in the next building.
We began our final advance with Daiwa taking the kill shot on the last Sectoid in the truck. Hassan took a snapshot at movement inside the building, but he could not confirm a kill. Realizing they had us covered, PFC Daiwa charged into the open to draw their fire, before moving into cover. The team fired as we advanced, but were unable to score any further hits. We did manage to scare them into keeping their heads down, so we were able to advance to danger-close range.
Fahey lead the way, dodging up immediately next to a hunkered Sectoid, and putting it down with a burst to the head. I charged forward with Daiwa immediately behind. The Sectoid by the window didn't even see me coming as I jumped through, flanked the X-Ray around the corner, though before I could kill it, PVT Poncelet had already put it down. PFC Daiwa jumped through the window right after me, and executed the cowering Sectoid with a single shot from his pistol.
We scoured the rest of the area, but met with no further resistance. Buenos Aires was temporarily clear of infestation. I think LT Rico would be proud.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Use of Cover
- Seize opportunity
o Improve:
- Use grenades to eliminate cover
- Equipment unused is wasted
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
OPERATION STONE GAZE AFTER ACTION REPORT (20 MAR 2016)
OPERATION STONE GAZE - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: SPC Monica de Matos
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 8 Sectoids, 3 Drones, armed with plasma pistols
o Friendly Forces
- PFC Monica de Matos (Brazil)
- PFC Lorena Kline (United States)
- PFC Beatrice Rydberg (Sweden)
- PVT Lara Jordan (Australia)
- PVT Ana Lucia Mardones (Ecuador)
- PVT Jade Colman (United Kingdom)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Kolkata, India, 19 MAR 2016 @ 0325 hrs, IOT disrupt abduction operations
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 2030 hrs on 20 MAR. We lifted off at 2109, and arrived in the strike zone at 1124 hrs. The abduction site was on top of a building, currently under construction.
I identified a likely line of advance, and pushed PVT Colman, designated scout, out forward to get a look at the area. When PVT Mardones advanced, she caught sight of what appeared to be a couple drones in our initial waypoint, but did not have a clean shot. When she moved forward for a closer look, she identified three more X-Rays, Sectoids, along with the two drones, which immediately began firing upon her. Mardones returned fire, eliminating the first of the drones. The rest of the squad opened up, but were unable to hit the quickly bobbing drone, until PFC Rydberg pinned it with suppressing fire, and Colman and Jordan were able to take it down.
The Sectoids then tried to pin and flank Mardones, but when the Sectoid dodged around the shipping crate, Colman charged forward and fed it hot lead at close range. Kline took a snapshot when one of the remaining Sectoids dodged to better cover, and put it down. Rydberg took charge of Colman and Mardones to clear the remaining Sectoid, while I took Kline and Jordan and moved toward the sound of Meld, per guidance from Research. Kline made contact as she moved behind the shipping containers toward the Meld.
That's when things went wrong. I'd underestimated the mobility of the drone, and it came around the shipping container, immediately in front of Kline. I snapped a shot at it, but missed as it blasted Kline at close range. I dove forward to provide medical care while she blew it out of the air. Jordan provided overwatch while Rydberg's team moved up to support. By the time I had Kline patched up, the Meld container had locked down, and we were unable to recover it.
One of the Sectoids took the high ground, but PFC Rydberg charged forward, SAW blazing, and took it down before it could line up a shot, while Mardones took the close-up shot and destroyed the other. The squad advanced cautiously to ensure the rooftop was clear, but made contact with another pod of Sectoids. PVT Colman took fire, but it only seemed to graze her armor. PVT Jordan, realizing there was a Sectoid just on the other side of the wall, darted around, firing as she went, into another cover position, flanking and destroying the X-Ray. Colman took a reaction shot when one of the other Sectoids broke cover, putting it down for good, leaving just one X-Ray remaining. Mardones broke cover while the Sectoid was suppressing Jordan and put a burst into its head.
We cleared the remainder of the rooftop, and found one more Meld container. Unfortunately, it had also locked down before we could get to it. Research will just have to content itself with the Meld they can extract from the corpses.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Flank shots are kill shots
- Always have a plan B
o Improve:
- If you bring equipment, use it
- Never underestimate the enemy
PREPARED BY: SPC Monica de Matos
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 8 Sectoids, 3 Drones, armed with plasma pistols
o Friendly Forces
- PFC Monica de Matos (Brazil)
- PFC Lorena Kline (United States)
- PFC Beatrice Rydberg (Sweden)
- PVT Lara Jordan (Australia)
- PVT Ana Lucia Mardones (Ecuador)
- PVT Jade Colman (United Kingdom)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Kolkata, India, 19 MAR 2016 @ 0325 hrs, IOT disrupt abduction operations
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 2030 hrs on 20 MAR. We lifted off at 2109, and arrived in the strike zone at 1124 hrs. The abduction site was on top of a building, currently under construction.
I identified a likely line of advance, and pushed PVT Colman, designated scout, out forward to get a look at the area. When PVT Mardones advanced, she caught sight of what appeared to be a couple drones in our initial waypoint, but did not have a clean shot. When she moved forward for a closer look, she identified three more X-Rays, Sectoids, along with the two drones, which immediately began firing upon her. Mardones returned fire, eliminating the first of the drones. The rest of the squad opened up, but were unable to hit the quickly bobbing drone, until PFC Rydberg pinned it with suppressing fire, and Colman and Jordan were able to take it down.
The Sectoids then tried to pin and flank Mardones, but when the Sectoid dodged around the shipping crate, Colman charged forward and fed it hot lead at close range. Kline took a snapshot when one of the remaining Sectoids dodged to better cover, and put it down. Rydberg took charge of Colman and Mardones to clear the remaining Sectoid, while I took Kline and Jordan and moved toward the sound of Meld, per guidance from Research. Kline made contact as she moved behind the shipping containers toward the Meld.
That's when things went wrong. I'd underestimated the mobility of the drone, and it came around the shipping container, immediately in front of Kline. I snapped a shot at it, but missed as it blasted Kline at close range. I dove forward to provide medical care while she blew it out of the air. Jordan provided overwatch while Rydberg's team moved up to support. By the time I had Kline patched up, the Meld container had locked down, and we were unable to recover it.
One of the Sectoids took the high ground, but PFC Rydberg charged forward, SAW blazing, and took it down before it could line up a shot, while Mardones took the close-up shot and destroyed the other. The squad advanced cautiously to ensure the rooftop was clear, but made contact with another pod of Sectoids. PVT Colman took fire, but it only seemed to graze her armor. PVT Jordan, realizing there was a Sectoid just on the other side of the wall, darted around, firing as she went, into another cover position, flanking and destroying the X-Ray. Colman took a reaction shot when one of the other Sectoids broke cover, putting it down for good, leaving just one X-Ray remaining. Mardones broke cover while the Sectoid was suppressing Jordan and put a burst into its head.
We cleared the remainder of the rooftop, and found one more Meld container. Unfortunately, it had also locked down before we could get to it. Research will just have to content itself with the Meld they can extract from the corpses.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Flank shots are kill shots
- Always have a plan B
o Improve:
- If you bring equipment, use it
- Never underestimate the enemy
Monday, March 16, 2015
Blowing Off Steam (19 MAR 2016)
PFC Naomi Bowden stretched as she walked into the day room. It'd been over a week since she'd been put back into the rotation for combat duty, but there'd only been the one operation in that time. She'd spent a lot of time in the medbay, visiting Horn and Dhalon, but a lot of her time was spent in the gym, running. It'd become a bit of a joke around the barracks, but that didn't dissuade her. Some of the other troopers understood, some of them had yet to see action in this new war. She didn't blame the rookies, though. When she'd seen the first shaky footage from Vancouver, she'd been skeptical too. It looked like footage from a badly done B-movie, like one of those direct-to-DVD things her sister was so fond of.
But then came Operation Twisted Grave. She'd been designated to lead the squad, even though none of them had any rank in this new organization. Hell, she'd only been a Corporal back in the British Army, and Houston had been a Sergeant with three combat tours in the U.S. Army. But they designated her to lead, and none of the others in the squad had made a big deal out of it.
All in all, the mission had gone well enough. PVT Dhalon had served ably as designated scout, though he'd taken a hit in the first contact. Parsons had patched him up well enough to continue the mission, and Dhalon had moved on to rack up several kills. Rainhard's injury was just bad luck; He'd peeked around cover at just the wrong moment, when they'd been lying in wait for that last pod of Sectoids. It could have done worse, and they'd all walked out of it with promotions. Still, both of them were going to be out of commission for a long time, and Bowden felt responsible. She should have done something differently, somehow.
The day room was packed, as it always was. With only three troopers in medbay, and no missions out, there wasn't a lot going on, and a lot of time to do it in. At least the engineers and researchers had work to do everyday. Naomi stepped out of the doorway and stopped, scanning the room for a familiar face. It didn't take long to spot Parsons leaned over the pool table, taking a shot while a woman with a pool cue stood by, waiting her turn. Naomi wove through the crowded room toward them.
"Has anyone called winner?" she asked. The other woman shook her head sourly as Parsons lined up another shot. Without a nametape she couldn't be sure, but she thought the woman's name was Kline. "Mind if I jump in, then?"
"Go for it. I don't think it's going to take much longer," the woman said, grimacing again as Parsons took yet another shot, leaving just the cue ball and the 8-ball on the table. "I thought I had this one in the bag, too." Naomi smiled sympathetically, and the other woman shook her head again, finally smiling ruefully. Indeed, it didn't take long at all, as Parsons called the corner pocket, then put the 8-ball into it.
"You owe me a beer, love," he said with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah," Kline shot back, laying her cue on the table. "You owe me a rematch." She glanced at Naomi, then added "After." She cut through the crowd toward the bar.
"Beer?" Naomi said, lacing her voice with disdain. "You mean piss-flavored water?" Parsons laughed and started racking up the pool balls.
"Hey, it's all we can get here, though my mate over in intel says that they're talking about introducing a chit system for the real deal. It'll probably be American domestic brews mostly, but it's better than nothin' eh?"
"If you say so," Naomi said, which was obviously not agreement. Still, he was right. Even an American beer would be nice after a combat mission. She might even drink it cold.
"You break, love," Parsons said, flipping the triangle end-over-end as he pulled it away from the table. Naomi took up the pool cue and leaned over the table, sliding the cue between her fingers a few times before letting loose with a crack that scattered the pool balls satisfactorily. Nothing went in though, which made it Parsons' turn.
"How are you feeling?" she asked as she stepped back from the table. "After yesterday's mission?" He didn't answer right away as he scanned the table, looking for a likely shot. Kline returned with a tray of near-beers and set it down near Naomi before picking one up and taking a slug. Naomi made a face, but grabbed one anyway.
"I'm feelin' good, honestly," he replied after a minute. "Olu gettin' hit at the last was damned bad luck, but it was a clean mission, and I think I'm going to do well as a Scout." He punctuated his statement with a clean shot that put the nine in the side pocket. The cue ball rolled until it fetched up immediately between two other balls, and he frowned before lining up his next shot. "Heard you got tagged for Infantry."
"Yes," she returned. "Bit of a surprise, really." Parsons' shot went wide when the cue ball clipped one of hers, and it was her turn. "I only managed the one kill, right there at the end. You'd think they'd want more than that." Naomi leaned over the table, and cleanly put the three into a corner pocket.
"Nah," he shot back. "You're an excellent all-arounder. You're not the fastest, toughest or most accurate, but you got high marks in all areas, and you kept your head through that whole mission." She nodded absently as she banked the cue around the fourteen, and put the two into a side pocket. "What I think? They're grooming you for an officer billet." Her shot went wild as what he said registered, and she glared at him. He smiled back with only a hint of apology before moving to the table for his shot.
"That's utter nonsense," she replied. I'm a Private First Class, all but bottom of the barrel, same as you and anyone else." He put the twelve away, and lined up for a bank on the fifteen. "They'll bring in officers from outside, I wager."
"XCOM's not like where we came from," Parsons replied. He didn't say anything else, but she could tell he wasn't done speaking. He stepped back from the table, carefully considering his next move. "Pidge says they've got plans for an Officer School. Once its up, we'll all have mandatory classes between missions, but they're already starting to earmark the promising troopers." He leaned over the table, lined up a shot and took it, the cue ball flying across the table. "Survive long enough, and I think you'll find yourself wearing lieutenant's bars." The cue ball smashed into the thirteen, putting it hard into the corner pocket, and the cue ball kept moving, clipping the 8-ball. "Oh, no..." Parsons groaned as the 8-ball slipped right into the side pocket, and covered his face with his hands.
"Looks like that's it, then," Naomi replied with a small smile. "Care to play?" she asked, turning to Kline.
"Sure thing, ma'am," Kline shot back, giving a sloppy salute.
"Oh, do shut up," Naomi shot back, pulling the triangle out. As Kline racked the balls, Naomi realized that she felt really good for the first time in weeks. Piss water or no, she took an enormous swig from her beer. "I hope you're better than him. I was looking for a challenge."
But then came Operation Twisted Grave. She'd been designated to lead the squad, even though none of them had any rank in this new organization. Hell, she'd only been a Corporal back in the British Army, and Houston had been a Sergeant with three combat tours in the U.S. Army. But they designated her to lead, and none of the others in the squad had made a big deal out of it.
All in all, the mission had gone well enough. PVT Dhalon had served ably as designated scout, though he'd taken a hit in the first contact. Parsons had patched him up well enough to continue the mission, and Dhalon had moved on to rack up several kills. Rainhard's injury was just bad luck; He'd peeked around cover at just the wrong moment, when they'd been lying in wait for that last pod of Sectoids. It could have done worse, and they'd all walked out of it with promotions. Still, both of them were going to be out of commission for a long time, and Bowden felt responsible. She should have done something differently, somehow.
The day room was packed, as it always was. With only three troopers in medbay, and no missions out, there wasn't a lot going on, and a lot of time to do it in. At least the engineers and researchers had work to do everyday. Naomi stepped out of the doorway and stopped, scanning the room for a familiar face. It didn't take long to spot Parsons leaned over the pool table, taking a shot while a woman with a pool cue stood by, waiting her turn. Naomi wove through the crowded room toward them.
"Has anyone called winner?" she asked. The other woman shook her head sourly as Parsons lined up another shot. Without a nametape she couldn't be sure, but she thought the woman's name was Kline. "Mind if I jump in, then?"
"Go for it. I don't think it's going to take much longer," the woman said, grimacing again as Parsons took yet another shot, leaving just the cue ball and the 8-ball on the table. "I thought I had this one in the bag, too." Naomi smiled sympathetically, and the other woman shook her head again, finally smiling ruefully. Indeed, it didn't take long at all, as Parsons called the corner pocket, then put the 8-ball into it.
"You owe me a beer, love," he said with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah," Kline shot back, laying her cue on the table. "You owe me a rematch." She glanced at Naomi, then added "After." She cut through the crowd toward the bar.
"Beer?" Naomi said, lacing her voice with disdain. "You mean piss-flavored water?" Parsons laughed and started racking up the pool balls.
"Hey, it's all we can get here, though my mate over in intel says that they're talking about introducing a chit system for the real deal. It'll probably be American domestic brews mostly, but it's better than nothin' eh?"
"If you say so," Naomi said, which was obviously not agreement. Still, he was right. Even an American beer would be nice after a combat mission. She might even drink it cold.
"You break, love," Parsons said, flipping the triangle end-over-end as he pulled it away from the table. Naomi took up the pool cue and leaned over the table, sliding the cue between her fingers a few times before letting loose with a crack that scattered the pool balls satisfactorily. Nothing went in though, which made it Parsons' turn.
"How are you feeling?" she asked as she stepped back from the table. "After yesterday's mission?" He didn't answer right away as he scanned the table, looking for a likely shot. Kline returned with a tray of near-beers and set it down near Naomi before picking one up and taking a slug. Naomi made a face, but grabbed one anyway.
"I'm feelin' good, honestly," he replied after a minute. "Olu gettin' hit at the last was damned bad luck, but it was a clean mission, and I think I'm going to do well as a Scout." He punctuated his statement with a clean shot that put the nine in the side pocket. The cue ball rolled until it fetched up immediately between two other balls, and he frowned before lining up his next shot. "Heard you got tagged for Infantry."
"Yes," she returned. "Bit of a surprise, really." Parsons' shot went wide when the cue ball clipped one of hers, and it was her turn. "I only managed the one kill, right there at the end. You'd think they'd want more than that." Naomi leaned over the table, and cleanly put the three into a corner pocket.
"Nah," he shot back. "You're an excellent all-arounder. You're not the fastest, toughest or most accurate, but you got high marks in all areas, and you kept your head through that whole mission." She nodded absently as she banked the cue around the fourteen, and put the two into a side pocket. "What I think? They're grooming you for an officer billet." Her shot went wild as what he said registered, and she glared at him. He smiled back with only a hint of apology before moving to the table for his shot.
"That's utter nonsense," she replied. I'm a Private First Class, all but bottom of the barrel, same as you and anyone else." He put the twelve away, and lined up for a bank on the fifteen. "They'll bring in officers from outside, I wager."
"XCOM's not like where we came from," Parsons replied. He didn't say anything else, but she could tell he wasn't done speaking. He stepped back from the table, carefully considering his next move. "Pidge says they've got plans for an Officer School. Once its up, we'll all have mandatory classes between missions, but they're already starting to earmark the promising troopers." He leaned over the table, lined up a shot and took it, the cue ball flying across the table. "Survive long enough, and I think you'll find yourself wearing lieutenant's bars." The cue ball smashed into the thirteen, putting it hard into the corner pocket, and the cue ball kept moving, clipping the 8-ball. "Oh, no..." Parsons groaned as the 8-ball slipped right into the side pocket, and covered his face with his hands.
"Looks like that's it, then," Naomi replied with a small smile. "Care to play?" she asked, turning to Kline.
"Sure thing, ma'am," Kline shot back, giving a sloppy salute.
"Oh, do shut up," Naomi shot back, pulling the triangle out. As Kline racked the balls, Naomi realized that she felt really good for the first time in weeks. Piss water or no, she took an enormous swig from her beer. "I hope you're better than him. I was looking for a challenge."
Saturday, March 14, 2015
OPERATION RED HEAT AFTER ACTION REPORT (19 MAR 2016 @ 0325)
OPERATION RED HEAT - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: SPC Oskar Lindemann
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 7 Sectoids, 4 "Thin Men", armed with plasma pistols
o Friendly Forces
- PFC Oskar Lindemann, Gunner (Germany)
- PFC Spencer Donohue, Medic (United States)
- PFC Ward Parsons, Scout (Australia)
- PVT Ghaith Khadem (Egypt)
- PVT Wushun Zhu (China)
- PVT Osazenomwan Olufunke (Nigeria)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Toronto, Canada, 19 MAR 2016 @ 0325 hrs, IOT disrupt a bomb threat on a key train yard
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0300 hrs on 19 MAR. The Skyranger was wheels-up by 0313, with boots-on-ground at 0325 hrs. Upon arrival, the squad identified several alien artifacts, which Dr. Shen believed were power nodes for charging the bomb.
Parsons moved up to clear the immediate area to our front, after which the squad advanced to cover positions, and PFC Donohue was able to disable the first of the power nodes. While he was doing that, Parsons spotted movement and snapped a shot off at what appeared to be a civilian, lost on the battlefield, until he took cover and we saw that he was armed with an alien plasma weapon. I provided coverage as the rest of the squad advanced, with Parsons still in the vanguard, to engage the enemy and disable another node.
When Parsons shot the man-like creature at point blank range, it exploded into a noxious gas. Zhu, watching the left flank saw multiple Sectoids moving in the distance, so the squad bounded forward in fire teams to engage. As the squad bounded, they continued to disable nodes as we came to them, further delaying the bomb.
Using intersecting fields of fire and fire-team overwatch, the remaining X-Rays were eliminated with no friendly casualties. When Olufunke eliminated one of the Sectoids, he observed the same double-kill effect noted by PFC Hassan in OPERATION DARK THRONE. When Parsons and Donohue located the bomb, I directed the squad to move forward under cover, and take up an overwatch position overlooking the bomb, while Parsons prepared to disable it.
Once PFC Parsons disabled the bomb, we prepared to eliminate any forces inbound to reactivate it. Our rookies proved effective members of the team by eliminating two of the strange, human-seeming aliens before they could close on our position, but a third flanked and shot PVT Olu, critically wounding him. Donohue moved to provide medical assistance, while PVT Khadem put the alien down.
I directed the rookies to clear the path back to the Skyranger while I provided cover for Donohue and Parsons to carry PVT Olu back to the Drop Zone for evac.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Bounding Overwatch
- Intersecting Fires
o Improve:
- Cover Destruction
- Utilize all equipment
PREPARED BY: SPC Oskar Lindemann
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 7 Sectoids, 4 "Thin Men", armed with plasma pistols
o Friendly Forces
- PFC Oskar Lindemann, Gunner (Germany)
- PFC Spencer Donohue, Medic (United States)
- PFC Ward Parsons, Scout (Australia)
- PVT Ghaith Khadem (Egypt)
- PVT Wushun Zhu (China)
- PVT Osazenomwan Olufunke (Nigeria)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Toronto, Canada, 19 MAR 2016 @ 0325 hrs, IOT disrupt a bomb threat on a key train yard
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0300 hrs on 19 MAR. The Skyranger was wheels-up by 0313, with boots-on-ground at 0325 hrs. Upon arrival, the squad identified several alien artifacts, which Dr. Shen believed were power nodes for charging the bomb.
Parsons moved up to clear the immediate area to our front, after which the squad advanced to cover positions, and PFC Donohue was able to disable the first of the power nodes. While he was doing that, Parsons spotted movement and snapped a shot off at what appeared to be a civilian, lost on the battlefield, until he took cover and we saw that he was armed with an alien plasma weapon. I provided coverage as the rest of the squad advanced, with Parsons still in the vanguard, to engage the enemy and disable another node.
When Parsons shot the man-like creature at point blank range, it exploded into a noxious gas. Zhu, watching the left flank saw multiple Sectoids moving in the distance, so the squad bounded forward in fire teams to engage. As the squad bounded, they continued to disable nodes as we came to them, further delaying the bomb.
Using intersecting fields of fire and fire-team overwatch, the remaining X-Rays were eliminated with no friendly casualties. When Olufunke eliminated one of the Sectoids, he observed the same double-kill effect noted by PFC Hassan in OPERATION DARK THRONE. When Parsons and Donohue located the bomb, I directed the squad to move forward under cover, and take up an overwatch position overlooking the bomb, while Parsons prepared to disable it.
Once PFC Parsons disabled the bomb, we prepared to eliminate any forces inbound to reactivate it. Our rookies proved effective members of the team by eliminating two of the strange, human-seeming aliens before they could close on our position, but a third flanked and shot PVT Olu, critically wounding him. Donohue moved to provide medical assistance, while PVT Khadem put the alien down.
I directed the rookies to clear the path back to the Skyranger while I provided cover for Donohue and Parsons to carry PVT Olu back to the Drop Zone for evac.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Bounding Overwatch
- Intersecting Fires
o Improve:
- Cover Destruction
- Utilize all equipment
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
OPERATION TWISTED GRAVE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (06 MAR 2016 @2011)
OPERATION TWISTED GRAVE - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: PFC Naomi Bowden
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 3 Drones, 4 Sectoids, 1 "Outsider", armed with plasma weapons
o Friendly Forces
- PVT Naomi Bowden (United Kingdoms)
- PVT Ward Parsons (Australia)
- PVT Anant Dhalon (Pakistan)
- PVT Jared Houston (United States)
- PVT Rainhard Horn (Austria)
- PVT Kaseem Quadri (Indonesia)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to North-Central Texas, 06 MAR 2016 @ 2011 hrs, IOT clear and exploit alien crash site
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0900 hrs on 05 MAR, and were given orders to be ready to depart within 24 hours, once the Intelligence Operations could fully analyse the data. The squad was boots-on-ground at 2011 hrs on 06 MAR. PVT Dhalon was designated scout, and the squad advanced in standard wedge behind him, using cover as available until Dhalon signaled that he heard movement ahead. We took cover along a high ridge-line. That's when we saw them, a pair of the grey bastards they call Sectoids. Anant took a reaction shot and winged one before they withdrew out of sight.
The squad moved into better cover, and prepared to receive their assault. The buggers dodged in and out of sight, and one took a shot at Dhalon, and I heard his scream of pain. I directed everyone to hold position and wait for them to come to us, except Parsons who moved to provide aid to Dhalon. We weathered the next volley of shots, then Rainhard returned fire and eliminated one X-Ray while Parsons assisted PVT Dhalon, at which point we advanced to kill the other Sectoid. Dhalon was the first to get eyes on, at which point he returned the favour, with interest.
We shifted our line of advance back toward the downed craft, when we found ourselves under fire from the left again. This time it was three small hovering "drones" for lack of any other term. We were lucky to avoid injury, because they attacked before we'd had time to really react. PVTs Dhalon and Rainhard, still on the left flank, returned fire and destroyed two of the machines in short order. Parsons and Houston cut loose, full-auto on the remaining one before it finally went down as well.
With no current threats, we turned our attention again to the downed craft, and advanced under cover. It was large and rounded, with one side completely torn open, and what appeared to be a glowing door in the side facing us. Dhalon, Houston and Parsons stacked to either side of the alien door, while Rainhard and Quadri took overwatch on the flanks, and I took the centre. At my signal, Dhalon touched the door, to see if he could figure out how to open it. It dissolved under his touch, revealing the inside of the craft.
What we saw inside, I still cannot quite describe. It was a creature, human in shape, seeminly made of light. Anant and Jared fired reflexively as it charged the doorway. When it staggered, Parsons dashed inside, shooting it point blank in the head. He reported that the creature just seemed to vanish as its weapon exploded.
The overwatch team advanced to the ship to provide support for any other hostiles, but nothing immediately appeared. Quadri heard movement from outside the ship, so I directed everyone inside, using it as an impromptu bunker. Then we waited, weapons ready.
When they advanced, they came plasma first. Rainhard was seriously injured in the opening volley, but Quadri returned fire, wounding one and forcing them to seek cover. With two wounded, I knew we had to end this, so I ran for the doorway, dodged return fire and shot one of the big-headed bastards in the head, while Houston finished off the other.
Once we were sure there was nothing else coming, we saw to our wounded, and returned to the Skyranger.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Movement formations
- Ammo discipline
o Improve:
- Clear the sidelines before advancing
- Use all of your tools
PREPARED BY: PFC Naomi Bowden
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 3 Drones, 4 Sectoids, 1 "Outsider", armed with plasma weapons
o Friendly Forces
- PVT Naomi Bowden (United Kingdoms)
- PVT Ward Parsons (Australia)
- PVT Anant Dhalon (Pakistan)
- PVT Jared Houston (United States)
- PVT Rainhard Horn (Austria)
- PVT Kaseem Quadri (Indonesia)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to North-Central Texas, 06 MAR 2016 @ 2011 hrs, IOT clear and exploit alien crash site
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0900 hrs on 05 MAR, and were given orders to be ready to depart within 24 hours, once the Intelligence Operations could fully analyse the data. The squad was boots-on-ground at 2011 hrs on 06 MAR. PVT Dhalon was designated scout, and the squad advanced in standard wedge behind him, using cover as available until Dhalon signaled that he heard movement ahead. We took cover along a high ridge-line. That's when we saw them, a pair of the grey bastards they call Sectoids. Anant took a reaction shot and winged one before they withdrew out of sight.
The squad moved into better cover, and prepared to receive their assault. The buggers dodged in and out of sight, and one took a shot at Dhalon, and I heard his scream of pain. I directed everyone to hold position and wait for them to come to us, except Parsons who moved to provide aid to Dhalon. We weathered the next volley of shots, then Rainhard returned fire and eliminated one X-Ray while Parsons assisted PVT Dhalon, at which point we advanced to kill the other Sectoid. Dhalon was the first to get eyes on, at which point he returned the favour, with interest.
We shifted our line of advance back toward the downed craft, when we found ourselves under fire from the left again. This time it was three small hovering "drones" for lack of any other term. We were lucky to avoid injury, because they attacked before we'd had time to really react. PVTs Dhalon and Rainhard, still on the left flank, returned fire and destroyed two of the machines in short order. Parsons and Houston cut loose, full-auto on the remaining one before it finally went down as well.
With no current threats, we turned our attention again to the downed craft, and advanced under cover. It was large and rounded, with one side completely torn open, and what appeared to be a glowing door in the side facing us. Dhalon, Houston and Parsons stacked to either side of the alien door, while Rainhard and Quadri took overwatch on the flanks, and I took the centre. At my signal, Dhalon touched the door, to see if he could figure out how to open it. It dissolved under his touch, revealing the inside of the craft.
What we saw inside, I still cannot quite describe. It was a creature, human in shape, seeminly made of light. Anant and Jared fired reflexively as it charged the doorway. When it staggered, Parsons dashed inside, shooting it point blank in the head. He reported that the creature just seemed to vanish as its weapon exploded.
The overwatch team advanced to the ship to provide support for any other hostiles, but nothing immediately appeared. Quadri heard movement from outside the ship, so I directed everyone inside, using it as an impromptu bunker. Then we waited, weapons ready.
When they advanced, they came plasma first. Rainhard was seriously injured in the opening volley, but Quadri returned fire, wounding one and forcing them to seek cover. With two wounded, I knew we had to end this, so I ran for the doorway, dodged return fire and shot one of the big-headed bastards in the head, while Houston finished off the other.
Once we were sure there was nothing else coming, we saw to our wounded, and returned to the Skyranger.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Movement formations
- Ammo discipline
o Improve:
- Clear the sidelines before advancing
- Use all of your tools
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Skies Above (05 MAR 2016)
The barracks bay hummed with the low sound of a couple dozen people going about their business. What "business" meant differed from person to person, group to group. Over here, four heads were bent over a folding table, an intricate pattern of dominoes forming between them. Over there, one woman was reclining on her bunk, reading a technical manual. Oskar scanned the room until he finally saw someone he recognized. PFC Monica de Matos was sitting cross-legged on the floor by her bunk, her carbine pulled apart in front of her, running a brush through the barrel.
"I thought you would be done with that. It's been hours since we finished our debrief," Oskar said as he neared her. De Matos looked up and smiled, shaking her head.
"I went to visit Faber in medbay," she replied. "Moça says she's had enough of close-range combat."
"How is she?" Lindemann asked, his brow knitting with worry. She'd been pretty badly injured, though she'd waited until reaching the Skyranger before collapsing.
"Docs say she'll be fine, though she'll be out of action for a month or so. I'm kind of surprised she's going to be coming back at all." De Matos' expression went still for a moment, considering. "It's really good she had that medkit. I didn't even know she'd been hit until the firefight was over."
"Don't worry about it. You did good work on Daiwa, he's already limping around on crutches." De Matos smiled at that, before bending her head back down to her weapon. "Have you seen Mak?" Oskar asked.
"Vi, I saw her," she nodded, glancing up. "She said she was going to the hangar. Something about bay door maintenance."
Oskar lifted an eyebrow, but nodded. "Danke," he said as he turned to go.
Oskar made his way out of the barracks, cutting across Mission Control. He glanced up at the Hologlobe, seeing the Skyranger icon tracking across the short distance to the UFO in Texas. That would have been a sight to see, but he was just as happy that the mission this morning was what it was. Who knew what sort of monsters would come out of an UFO?
He found her in the hangar, sitting back out of the way on a crate, and staring upward. The hangar bay doors were open, and Oskar could see small figures moving around up there. PFC Makhandule smiled at him briefly as she noted his approach, but then turned her eyes back upward.
"What are you doing?" Lindemann craned his neck upward, trying to see what she was looking at. Other than the technicians above, there was only empty sky.
"Looking at the sky," she said. "Before this morning in France, it has been days since we saw it last. I think it will be even longer before we see it again." Oskar looked at her, then looked up again. He could see a few stars above. He'd never really thought about the sky much, but it did seem odd to contemplate that he wouldn't be seeing much of it.
"Did you know PVT Jensen?" Makhandule asked quietly. Oskar had to think a moment as to why that name was familiar before it came to him.
"The man who died on the first mission?" he said. "Nein, I did not know him. That mission was already underway when I arrived on the bus. Did you know him?"
"No, not really," she said after a long silence. "We talked on the plane from Cape Town, though." She smiled faintly, her eyes still focused above. "He recognized me as a fellow recruit when he saw the folder I was holding." Oskar didn't answer. He didn't really know what to say. When the silence stretched on, he finally cleared his throat and broke it.
"You were countrymen, then." It wasn't a question. He wasn't really sure what it was.
"Yes, though we came from two separate worlds." Mak sighed as the bay doors above began to slowly close. "Did you need something from me?"
"Ja, I wanted to go over a few incidents during the mission, make sure I get the report right."
Makhandule slid off the edge of the crate and stretched. "They're done for today. We can go over the mission back in the barracks."
Oskar nodded, but as they left the hangar, he paused for a brief moment and tossed a glance back up at the sealed bay doors. He smiled briefly, and moved on.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
OPERATION VENGEFUL HEAT - AFTER ACTION REPORT (05 MAR 2016 @ 1103)
OPERATION VENGEFUL HEAT - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: PFC Oskar Lindemann
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 9 Sectoids, armed with energy weapons
o Friendly Forces
- PVT Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
- PVT Monica de Matos (Brazil)
- PVT PVT Lorena Kline (USA)
- PVT PVT Shousei Daiwa (Japan)
- PVT Lieselotte Faber (Germany)
- PVT Constance Makhandule (South Africa)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Le Havre, France, 05 MAR 2016 @ 0939 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0915 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 0939, and we touched ground at 1103 hrs. Upon securing the LZ, PVT Daiwa took to the high ground in the back of a semi-truck, to get a better vantage. When he gave the signal that everything looked clear, we moved into place to breach the store. PVTs Faber and Kline flanked the doorway, while PVT Mak and I took up support-by-fire positions back from the doorway, and de Matos, in capacity as team medic, took up the rear guard. With Kline and Faber in-place, Mak was the first in, establishing a foothold while the rest of the squad held the door and window, waiting for contact.
Nothing showed itself, but PVT Mak said she heard movement from the garage portion, in the back. Daiwa advanced, and finally spotted the enemy, back in the garage as Mak had reported. We took secure cover and held in place, weapons steadied. The X-Rays advanced under cover, and PVT Mak took the first shot, putting a burst through a wall to eliminate the first creature. Daiwa advanced to get a better angle, and drew fire. He yelled as though he were on fire, which it turned out was all it was. The alien's plasma had ignited his armor, but he was able to put it out, after taking a shot and terminating another X-Ray back in the garage. Faber followed up by killing the enemy that had attacked PVT Daiwa. With no other enemy in sight, the rest of the squad advanced into the store and took up positions.
Daiwa, Mak and Faber covered the door where we'd first taken contact, while the rest of us remained further back. One of the X-Rays advanced into the room beyond the door, avoiding overwatch fire, while a second burst through another set of doors and flanked Daiwa, injuring him with a plasma burst. I made short work of that one, while Mak flanked the one inside the room and took it down. de Matos set up overwatch on the front of the building while we advanced behind Daiwa and Mak. When the aliens advanced, Faber injured one, and de Matos killed another.
A brief lull allowed de Matos to move in and provide aid for Daiwa, and PVT Kline managed to finish off the injured X-Ray. In the volley of return fire, Faber was injured, but was able to pull herself out of the line of fire and treat her own wounds. Kline advanced and flashbanged the aliens, breaking off their suppressing fire and giving us a moment to reposition.
Daiwa, already in the garage, crept around a truck and surprised one of the remaining aliens with a burst into its head. That's when I realized the last X-Ray was overwatching us. I made a judgement call, and sprinted into the open firing wildly to draw its fire, thankfully unsucessful. With it exposed, Kline and de Matos managed to injure it, and PVT Mak lobbed an AP grenade, killing it.
We took some time clearing the rest of the surrounding area, but there were no remaining hostiles.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Adjust battle tempo to the situation
- Firing discipline
o Improve:
- Be aware of alternate lanes of attack
- Never run out of ammo
PREPARED BY: PFC Oskar Lindemann
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 9 Sectoids, armed with energy weapons
o Friendly Forces
- PVT Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
- PVT Monica de Matos (Brazil)
- PVT PVT Lorena Kline (USA)
- PVT PVT Shousei Daiwa (Japan)
- PVT Lieselotte Faber (Germany)
- PVT Constance Makhandule (South Africa)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Le Havre, France, 05 MAR 2016 @ 0939 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0915 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 0939, and we touched ground at 1103 hrs. Upon securing the LZ, PVT Daiwa took to the high ground in the back of a semi-truck, to get a better vantage. When he gave the signal that everything looked clear, we moved into place to breach the store. PVTs Faber and Kline flanked the doorway, while PVT Mak and I took up support-by-fire positions back from the doorway, and de Matos, in capacity as team medic, took up the rear guard. With Kline and Faber in-place, Mak was the first in, establishing a foothold while the rest of the squad held the door and window, waiting for contact.
Nothing showed itself, but PVT Mak said she heard movement from the garage portion, in the back. Daiwa advanced, and finally spotted the enemy, back in the garage as Mak had reported. We took secure cover and held in place, weapons steadied. The X-Rays advanced under cover, and PVT Mak took the first shot, putting a burst through a wall to eliminate the first creature. Daiwa advanced to get a better angle, and drew fire. He yelled as though he were on fire, which it turned out was all it was. The alien's plasma had ignited his armor, but he was able to put it out, after taking a shot and terminating another X-Ray back in the garage. Faber followed up by killing the enemy that had attacked PVT Daiwa. With no other enemy in sight, the rest of the squad advanced into the store and took up positions.
Daiwa, Mak and Faber covered the door where we'd first taken contact, while the rest of us remained further back. One of the X-Rays advanced into the room beyond the door, avoiding overwatch fire, while a second burst through another set of doors and flanked Daiwa, injuring him with a plasma burst. I made short work of that one, while Mak flanked the one inside the room and took it down. de Matos set up overwatch on the front of the building while we advanced behind Daiwa and Mak. When the aliens advanced, Faber injured one, and de Matos killed another.
A brief lull allowed de Matos to move in and provide aid for Daiwa, and PVT Kline managed to finish off the injured X-Ray. In the volley of return fire, Faber was injured, but was able to pull herself out of the line of fire and treat her own wounds. Kline advanced and flashbanged the aliens, breaking off their suppressing fire and giving us a moment to reposition.
Daiwa, already in the garage, crept around a truck and surprised one of the remaining aliens with a burst into its head. That's when I realized the last X-Ray was overwatching us. I made a judgement call, and sprinted into the open firing wildly to draw its fire, thankfully unsucessful. With it exposed, Kline and de Matos managed to injure it, and PVT Mak lobbed an AP grenade, killing it.
We took some time clearing the rest of the surrounding area, but there were no remaining hostiles.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Adjust battle tempo to the situation
- Firing discipline
o Improve:
- Be aware of alternate lanes of attack
- Never run out of ammo
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Brothers in Arms (02 MAR 2016)
"Donohue!"
Spencer Donohue stopped in the hall when he heard his name called from behind, and stepped back against the wall to allow others to pass as he looked for who was calling him.
It turned out to be PFC Hassan. Spencer nodded as Hassan caught up with him, and stepped back out into the hall, continuing his way to mess.
"What's up?" he asked the other man casually. "Want to join me for dinner?" Hassan nodded, but it was obvious he had something else in mind. Spencer kept his silence, let him come to it in his own time. Finally, he stopped, stepping into an intersecting corridor. Spencer joined him.
"I read your report," Hassan started. Spencer nodded, waiting for him to continue. "You left something out."
"Excuse me?" Spencer lifted a brow. Hassan raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"You didn't mention how I froze, when Jensen was hit." Hassan dropped his eyes as he spoke, shame evident in every line of his face, how he held his body. Spencer blinked, then before he could stop himself, he began to chuckle. Hassan flushed, visible even with his dark skin, in the darkened corridor and looked up, anger beginning to show in his eyes.
"Man," Spencer said, pulling himself back to a more sober mien. "You're sweating that? I didn't leave it out. It just wasn't relevant."
"How is a soldier freezing in the middle of a firefight not relevant?" Hassan was still angry, and the grim amusement that Spencer couldn't hold back only fueled that. "Cowardice on the battlefield is always relevant. Soldiers die because of cowardly actions."
"Yusuf," Spencer started, then paused. "Can I call you Yusuf?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "You pulled yourself together and engaged the fucker that got Jensen. Hell, you somehow managed to take out two of them with one shot." He looked the Sudanese man squarely in the eyes. "Tell me," he said, "are those the actions of a coward?"
Hassan was silent for several moments. Behind him, Spencer could hear more troopers passing into the mess hall. Finally, the man looked up again, meeting his eyes.
"There is truth in what you say."
"Damned right there is," Spencer replied, chucking him on the shoulder. "Listen, you were right behind him when he fell. I'd probably have lost my shit too. It's combat, man. It happens."
"He was so still, when he fell from the truck. I thought he must have been dead already." Hassan lifted his face, staring off behind Spencer. Spencer felt that same empty feeling he had when Huisman had come over the radio. "I should have been able to save him."
"No," Spencer replied, feeling anger, a far more welcome feeling, flood into his mind. "No, that's not your fault. It was mine. I was placed in charge of the mission, God knows why. It was my responsibility to make sure we had what we needed. I failed Jensen, by not ensuring someone had brought a damned medkit."
"Now it is you who is too hard on himself," replied Hassan, placing a hand on Spencer's shoulder. "No one was prepared for what we faced. We barely had time to get weapons, let alone medical supplies." Spencer nodded, but not in agreement. He knew whose fault it was. "Brother," Hassan said, drawing Spencer's eyes to his, "I call you so, because we have stood shoulder to shoulder. You cannot change the past. You can only learn from it, and take those lessons into the future."
Spencer nodded again, then suddenly he laughed. Hassan was briefly startled, but then he showed his own broad grin.
"Damned if you aren't right," he said. "Come on, Yusuf. I hear that if you get to mess late, you have to eat the leftovers from the science labs."
OPERATION DARK THRONE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (01 MAR 2016 @ 2320)
OPERATION DARK THRONE - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: PFC Spencer Donohue
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 10 X-Rays, designation "Sectoid", armed with energy weapons of unknown capability
o Friendly Forces
- PVT Spencer Donohue (United States)
- PVT Beatrice Rydberg (Sweden)
- PVT Simone Ribeiro (Brazil)
- PVT Hidde Huisman (Netherlands)
- PVT Evan Jensen (South Africa) - KIA
- PVT Yusuf Hassan (Sudan)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Vancouver, Canada, 01 MAR 2016 @ 2118 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 2100 hrs. The squad was ready to go within minutes, with boots on ground at 2320 hrs. We assessed the situation, and moved to cover, while PVT Ribeiro reconned a short ways ahead, and PVT Rydberg advanced to cover Ribeiro. When we began bounding from our intial cover positions, PVT Ribeiro caught sight of the enemy.
PVT Jensen and myself moved to a position that would allow us to set up a crossfire on the targets, and took cover, while Huisman and Hassan provided a base of fire. Ribeiro moved back into cover, and Rydberg provided overwatch, to ensure that the enemy wouldn't attempt to flank us.
PVT Ribeiro caught sight of another group of hostiles, and engaged and destroyed one target. The remainder of the squad fired upon the first group of targets, eliminating two of them. The survivors of the first group pulled back and broke line-of-sight, while the second group of hostiles moved forward and engaged Ribeiro and Rydberg with ineffectual fire. Rydberg returned fire and killed one of the aggressors. PVT Ribeiro provided overwatch while the rest of the squad repositioned on the new threat.
At this time PVT Jensen took to the high ground on top of a truck for advantage. He wounded but did not eliminate one target. I engaged the target, but I was unable to neutralize it before return fire critically wounded Jensen. PVT Hassan and Huisman moved up to provide aid, which is when we realized that no one grabbed a medkit.
With Jensen's life on the line, the squad pushed forward, engaging the remaining enemy with grenades and direct fire, but the target proved resilient. Meanwhile, Ribeiro and Rydberg decisively engaged a third group of hostiles on the left flank. I took a chance and moved forward, using a grenade to take down one of the targets that could have flanked me otherwise.
Something strange happened then. Huisman and Hassan rushed into the open to engage the X-Rays on the right flank. Hassan killed one of them, and the other, the one who'd shot Jensen, let out a scream and collapsed. It was almost as if they were somehow connected.
I flexed over to the left flank to support PVTs Ribeiro and Rydberg, while Hassan checked on Jensen. He reported to me that Jensen did not appear to be breathing, nor could he find a pulse. PVT Huisman assisted Hassan in getting Jensen back to the Skyranger, while Rydberg and myself destroyed the remaining X-Ray. Ribeiro joined us in sweeping the AO while Hassan and Huisman continued to attempt lifesaving measures on Jensen.
Despite our best efforts, PVT Evan Jensen was pronounced Dead on Arrival when we returned to XCOM HQ.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Fire Team cohesion
- Firing discipline
o Improve:
- Bring a freaking medkit
- Cover trumps high ground
PREPARED BY: PFC Spencer Donohue
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 10 X-Rays, designation "Sectoid", armed with energy weapons of unknown capability
o Friendly Forces
- PVT Spencer Donohue (United States)
- PVT Beatrice Rydberg (Sweden)
- PVT Simone Ribeiro (Brazil)
- PVT Hidde Huisman (Netherlands)
- PVT Evan Jensen (South Africa) - KIA
- PVT Yusuf Hassan (Sudan)
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to Vancouver, Canada, 01 MAR 2016 @ 2118 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Abduction Operations.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 2100 hrs. The squad was ready to go within minutes, with boots on ground at 2320 hrs. We assessed the situation, and moved to cover, while PVT Ribeiro reconned a short ways ahead, and PVT Rydberg advanced to cover Ribeiro. When we began bounding from our intial cover positions, PVT Ribeiro caught sight of the enemy.
PVT Jensen and myself moved to a position that would allow us to set up a crossfire on the targets, and took cover, while Huisman and Hassan provided a base of fire. Ribeiro moved back into cover, and Rydberg provided overwatch, to ensure that the enemy wouldn't attempt to flank us.
PVT Ribeiro caught sight of another group of hostiles, and engaged and destroyed one target. The remainder of the squad fired upon the first group of targets, eliminating two of them. The survivors of the first group pulled back and broke line-of-sight, while the second group of hostiles moved forward and engaged Ribeiro and Rydberg with ineffectual fire. Rydberg returned fire and killed one of the aggressors. PVT Ribeiro provided overwatch while the rest of the squad repositioned on the new threat.
At this time PVT Jensen took to the high ground on top of a truck for advantage. He wounded but did not eliminate one target. I engaged the target, but I was unable to neutralize it before return fire critically wounded Jensen. PVT Hassan and Huisman moved up to provide aid, which is when we realized that no one grabbed a medkit.
With Jensen's life on the line, the squad pushed forward, engaging the remaining enemy with grenades and direct fire, but the target proved resilient. Meanwhile, Ribeiro and Rydberg decisively engaged a third group of hostiles on the left flank. I took a chance and moved forward, using a grenade to take down one of the targets that could have flanked me otherwise.
Something strange happened then. Huisman and Hassan rushed into the open to engage the X-Rays on the right flank. Hassan killed one of them, and the other, the one who'd shot Jensen, let out a scream and collapsed. It was almost as if they were somehow connected.
I flexed over to the left flank to support PVTs Ribeiro and Rydberg, while Hassan checked on Jensen. He reported to me that Jensen did not appear to be breathing, nor could he find a pulse. PVT Huisman assisted Hassan in getting Jensen back to the Skyranger, while Rydberg and myself destroyed the remaining X-Ray. Ribeiro joined us in sweeping the AO while Hassan and Huisman continued to attempt lifesaving measures on Jensen.
Despite our best efforts, PVT Evan Jensen was pronounced Dead on Arrival when we returned to XCOM HQ.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Fire Team cohesion
- Firing discipline
o Improve:
- Bring a freaking medkit
- Cover trumps high ground
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Vigilo Confido (01 MAR 2016)
Private Spencer Donohue looked at the soldiers strapped in around him. He was still kind of stunned by the turn of events that brought them all together on this contraption they called the Skyranger.
It didn't seem like it was only three hours ago that he'd arrived at Denver International Airport on a civilian flight from North Carolina. They'd told him to bring nothing but a small bag of personal effects, and that all of his gear would be provided when he arrived at his new assignment. As soon as he'd stepped off the plane, a woman in neutral professional attire approached him, confirmed his name and told him to follow her. The only identifying mark she'd had was the small diamond-shaped badge with the motto "Vigilo Confido" that he'd seen on his acceptance letter.
His escort had led him to a conference room where several others were already waiting, some of them obviously soldiers, despite their casual garb. She explained that the buses were running late, but that a van for some of the technicians would be leaving shortly, if anyone wanted to get going sooner. He and five others volunteered, and were packed into the van with a bunch of engineers and intel geeks for the next couple of hours. When Donohue asked their escort where they were going all she did was smile and give a murmured, "You'll see."
Donohue's first impression of the base was underwhelming. Tucked into the back of a small box canyon were a few small, unmarked buildings and a guard post. The guard at the gate, wearing blue Kevlar and a ballcap emblazoned with the increasingly-familiar "Vigilo Confido" badge, waved them in with barely any pleasantries. At the back of the canyon, they entered a cave only a little larger than the van. Several minutes passed with nothing to see but rough-hewn rock. Donohue heard the others talking quietly, but he kept his attention on the rock wall barely a foot from the window. Occasionally a dim overhead light would swim out of the darkness ahead, but for the most part, only the headlights of the van showed anything at all.
Eventually, just when Donohue began to wonder if he was claustrophobic after all, the tunnel widened out and the ceiling rose into a sizable, well-lit cavern. Steel support beams crisscrossed the ceiling, and asphalt lined the ground, where rows of cones were laid out. Donohue had been on enough deployments to know what a staging area for buses looked like. Ahead, looming out of the wall of the cavern was part of a building, all in sterile white. Emblazoned on the building, above the large set of double doors, was that same sigil with 16 flags arranged in an arc underneath. Beneath that, in black block letters: Welcome to XCOM.
The van pulled to a stop a little ways back from the double doors, and Donohue and his comrades gathered their personal bags. Before the geeks had even piled out of the van, yellow lights began flashing, and alarm claxons started to echo through the cavern. Donohue found himself reaching for the weapon he wasn't carrying while the technicians milled around in confusion. He noticed the five other soldiers drifting into a loose cordon around the van, each one of them unconsciously ready for action. Donohue smiled tightly, approving of his new comrades already.
Just then, the first uniform they'd seen appeared as a man rushed out through the double doors. It wasn't any uniform Donohue recognized, but it was definitely a uniform, in olive drab green and blue, with no nametape or rank insignia, just the familiar badge. He glanced around hurriedly, until his eyes lit upon Donohue and his companions.
"Oh thank goodness," he exclaimed, his accent marking him as an Aussie. "They said that some troops had arrived with the techs. Come with me, quickly!"
Donohue shot a look at the nearest of the other soldiers, and fell into place behind the hurrying Australian.
"What's up?" he asked as they moved through the corridors. The man glanced back at him, then behind him at the rest.
"You're not going to have time for a proper briefing, I guess," he replied, not slowing his pace. "I am Intelligence Officer Pidgeon. The X-Rays have hit Vancouver, with reports indicating that it's an abduction operation. Central Officer Bradford will give you more information en route, but for now, we've got to get you kitted up."
"X-Rays?" Donohue asked, but before the other man could answer, they arrived in what was definitely an armory.
"Drop your bags and strip out of your civvies," he said, pulling open several racks containing rifles, carbines, body armor and various other implements of war. "Get into uniform and strap on your gear. Grab what you can carry, and make sure you bring plenty of ammo. When you're done, follow that corridor to the hangar." With one final glance to ensure that everyone seemed to understand, he turned and hurried out of the room. Around him, the rest of the soldiers were already complying, so Donohue dropped his bag to do the same.
The crackle of the intercom brought Private Donohue back from his reverie. The voice of Central Officer Bradford filled the bay of the Skyranger.
"The drop site for this mission is in Canada."
It didn't seem like it was only three hours ago that he'd arrived at Denver International Airport on a civilian flight from North Carolina. They'd told him to bring nothing but a small bag of personal effects, and that all of his gear would be provided when he arrived at his new assignment. As soon as he'd stepped off the plane, a woman in neutral professional attire approached him, confirmed his name and told him to follow her. The only identifying mark she'd had was the small diamond-shaped badge with the motto "Vigilo Confido" that he'd seen on his acceptance letter.
His escort had led him to a conference room where several others were already waiting, some of them obviously soldiers, despite their casual garb. She explained that the buses were running late, but that a van for some of the technicians would be leaving shortly, if anyone wanted to get going sooner. He and five others volunteered, and were packed into the van with a bunch of engineers and intel geeks for the next couple of hours. When Donohue asked their escort where they were going all she did was smile and give a murmured, "You'll see."
Donohue's first impression of the base was underwhelming. Tucked into the back of a small box canyon were a few small, unmarked buildings and a guard post. The guard at the gate, wearing blue Kevlar and a ballcap emblazoned with the increasingly-familiar "Vigilo Confido" badge, waved them in with barely any pleasantries. At the back of the canyon, they entered a cave only a little larger than the van. Several minutes passed with nothing to see but rough-hewn rock. Donohue heard the others talking quietly, but he kept his attention on the rock wall barely a foot from the window. Occasionally a dim overhead light would swim out of the darkness ahead, but for the most part, only the headlights of the van showed anything at all.
Eventually, just when Donohue began to wonder if he was claustrophobic after all, the tunnel widened out and the ceiling rose into a sizable, well-lit cavern. Steel support beams crisscrossed the ceiling, and asphalt lined the ground, where rows of cones were laid out. Donohue had been on enough deployments to know what a staging area for buses looked like. Ahead, looming out of the wall of the cavern was part of a building, all in sterile white. Emblazoned on the building, above the large set of double doors, was that same sigil with 16 flags arranged in an arc underneath. Beneath that, in black block letters: Welcome to XCOM.
The van pulled to a stop a little ways back from the double doors, and Donohue and his comrades gathered their personal bags. Before the geeks had even piled out of the van, yellow lights began flashing, and alarm claxons started to echo through the cavern. Donohue found himself reaching for the weapon he wasn't carrying while the technicians milled around in confusion. He noticed the five other soldiers drifting into a loose cordon around the van, each one of them unconsciously ready for action. Donohue smiled tightly, approving of his new comrades already.
Just then, the first uniform they'd seen appeared as a man rushed out through the double doors. It wasn't any uniform Donohue recognized, but it was definitely a uniform, in olive drab green and blue, with no nametape or rank insignia, just the familiar badge. He glanced around hurriedly, until his eyes lit upon Donohue and his companions.
"Oh thank goodness," he exclaimed, his accent marking him as an Aussie. "They said that some troops had arrived with the techs. Come with me, quickly!"
Donohue shot a look at the nearest of the other soldiers, and fell into place behind the hurrying Australian.
"What's up?" he asked as they moved through the corridors. The man glanced back at him, then behind him at the rest.
"You're not going to have time for a proper briefing, I guess," he replied, not slowing his pace. "I am Intelligence Officer Pidgeon. The X-Rays have hit Vancouver, with reports indicating that it's an abduction operation. Central Officer Bradford will give you more information en route, but for now, we've got to get you kitted up."
"X-Rays?" Donohue asked, but before the other man could answer, they arrived in what was definitely an armory.
"Drop your bags and strip out of your civvies," he said, pulling open several racks containing rifles, carbines, body armor and various other implements of war. "Get into uniform and strap on your gear. Grab what you can carry, and make sure you bring plenty of ammo. When you're done, follow that corridor to the hangar." With one final glance to ensure that everyone seemed to understand, he turned and hurried out of the room. Around him, the rest of the soldiers were already complying, so Donohue dropped his bag to do the same.
The crackle of the intercom brought Private Donohue back from his reverie. The voice of Central Officer Bradford filled the bay of the Skyranger.
"The drop site for this mission is in Canada."
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