WAS TO HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED WITH PART 2 OF GANGPLANK;
Sorry folks, I suck. I'll get it done, though!
Sorry folks, I suck. I'll get it done, though!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
What's in a Name? (29 JUN 2016)
The chow hall was crowded, as it usually was on "sectoid fingers" night. Private First Class Jermaine Glynn hated the nickname, since it reminded him of Ox, but he never missed it. He loved spaghetti. He grinned at the cook and gave him the "keep it coming" gesture until his plate was nearly overflowing, then slid down a bit, snagged a couple slices of garlic bread, and picked up his tray.
Turning, he looked out over the packed room, looking for a spot to sit down. He saw a seat come open and hurried over, sliding into it and dropping his tray hard enough to make the silverware clatter. Across the table, the Chinese Corporal looked up, met his eyes and nodded. Glynn recognized him, and nodded back.
"I know you, I think," he said as he picked up his fork, twirling some spaghetti around it. "Corporal Zhu, right?" The Corporal glanced down at his name tape, raised an eyebrow, and swallowed the food in his mouth.
"What gave me away?" he said, the accent thick, but understandable. Glynn flushed a little bit and shoved the bite of spaghetti into his mouth instead of retorting. No matter what rank he'd held before joining XCOM, here he was just a Private, and Privates didn't mouth off to Corporals.
"I've seen you around the Bs," he replied once he was done chewing. "De Abreu said you were on his last mission." The Corporal nodded.
"I remember him," he said. "Good engineer, opened a wall so we could get eyes on the fight inside a building."
"You're a sniper too, yeah?" Glynn wasted no time on his spaghetti, taking large bites between speaking. Corporal Zhu was nearly done, but did not seem to feel the same urgency.
"Shi De," Zhu said with a nod. "Yes, I should say."
"You mind if I ask you a personal question?" Glynn inquired, setting his fork down for a moment. When the Chinese trooper nodded again, he continued. "Why do they call you Tu-Tu?"
"Oh. That." Zhu lowered his face for a second, then looked back up, a slight color coming to his cheeks. "It is a bit of a story."
"I don't mind, if you don't," replied Glynn. Honestly, the question had been on his mind ever since de Abreu had told him.
"Well, it was after Operation Lone Line, a week or two ago. We were talking about where we'd been, what we'd done before joining the military." Zhu took a moment to drain the glass of juice before continuing. Glynn polished off the second piece of garlic bread, and listened. "Prior to joining the People's Republic Army, I'd been trained as a dancer. My mother and father were very proud, as I'd been accepted into the best academy in China."
"You went to dance school?" Glynn sputtered. When the Corporal gave him a look, he subsided.
"Yes, and no," the Chinese man answered. "I trained at a studio through school, but when I received the acceptance letter from the Academy, I announced to my parents that I was enlisting in the People's Republic Army."
"You didn't like dancing, then?" Glynn interjected, finishing his meal with the tall glass of milk, then leaning on one elbow as the Corporal answered.
"I loved it," he said. "I was talented at it, and I would have been great, I think."
"So why did you join the Army?"
"Because I'd lived my whole life for my parents' dream for me," Zhu explained. "I wanted to make a choice for myself. Joining the Army wasn't my dream, but it was the only choice I could make that would not dishonor my family."
"I can understand that," Glynn said, nodding. "I grew up in a rough neighborhood, had a lot of run-ins with the cops. I joined the Navy to get away from that life, but all of my friends thought I was a chump. I just didn't want to keep going down the path I saw ahead of me." Zhu nodded in return, and started to gather his tray. "So, they call you Tu-Tu 'cause you're a dancer?"
"Yes," the Corporal replied. It was Fahey's idea, apparently she thought it funny." The Corporal chuckled lightly as he started to rise. At Glynn's raised eyebrow, he explained. "She did not think it quite so funny when Lieutenant Bowden, then just a Corporal, pointed out that Fahey's laugh would draw Thin Men like a beacon."
Glynn laughed and shook his head as he gathered up his own tray and stood. He was sure he'd garner a nickname as well, since it appeared to be the way the troopers of XCOM operated. He just hoped his story would be nearly as interesting.
Turning, he looked out over the packed room, looking for a spot to sit down. He saw a seat come open and hurried over, sliding into it and dropping his tray hard enough to make the silverware clatter. Across the table, the Chinese Corporal looked up, met his eyes and nodded. Glynn recognized him, and nodded back.
"I know you, I think," he said as he picked up his fork, twirling some spaghetti around it. "Corporal Zhu, right?" The Corporal glanced down at his name tape, raised an eyebrow, and swallowed the food in his mouth.
"What gave me away?" he said, the accent thick, but understandable. Glynn flushed a little bit and shoved the bite of spaghetti into his mouth instead of retorting. No matter what rank he'd held before joining XCOM, here he was just a Private, and Privates didn't mouth off to Corporals.
"I've seen you around the Bs," he replied once he was done chewing. "De Abreu said you were on his last mission." The Corporal nodded.
"I remember him," he said. "Good engineer, opened a wall so we could get eyes on the fight inside a building."
"You're a sniper too, yeah?" Glynn wasted no time on his spaghetti, taking large bites between speaking. Corporal Zhu was nearly done, but did not seem to feel the same urgency.
"Shi De," Zhu said with a nod. "Yes, I should say."
"You mind if I ask you a personal question?" Glynn inquired, setting his fork down for a moment. When the Chinese trooper nodded again, he continued. "Why do they call you Tu-Tu?"
"Oh. That." Zhu lowered his face for a second, then looked back up, a slight color coming to his cheeks. "It is a bit of a story."
"I don't mind, if you don't," replied Glynn. Honestly, the question had been on his mind ever since de Abreu had told him.
"Well, it was after Operation Lone Line, a week or two ago. We were talking about where we'd been, what we'd done before joining the military." Zhu took a moment to drain the glass of juice before continuing. Glynn polished off the second piece of garlic bread, and listened. "Prior to joining the People's Republic Army, I'd been trained as a dancer. My mother and father were very proud, as I'd been accepted into the best academy in China."
"You went to dance school?" Glynn sputtered. When the Corporal gave him a look, he subsided.
"Yes, and no," the Chinese man answered. "I trained at a studio through school, but when I received the acceptance letter from the Academy, I announced to my parents that I was enlisting in the People's Republic Army."
"You didn't like dancing, then?" Glynn interjected, finishing his meal with the tall glass of milk, then leaning on one elbow as the Corporal answered.
"I loved it," he said. "I was talented at it, and I would have been great, I think."
"So why did you join the Army?"
"Because I'd lived my whole life for my parents' dream for me," Zhu explained. "I wanted to make a choice for myself. Joining the Army wasn't my dream, but it was the only choice I could make that would not dishonor my family."
"I can understand that," Glynn said, nodding. "I grew up in a rough neighborhood, had a lot of run-ins with the cops. I joined the Navy to get away from that life, but all of my friends thought I was a chump. I just didn't want to keep going down the path I saw ahead of me." Zhu nodded in return, and started to gather his tray. "So, they call you Tu-Tu 'cause you're a dancer?"
"Yes," the Corporal replied. It was Fahey's idea, apparently she thought it funny." The Corporal chuckled lightly as he started to rise. At Glynn's raised eyebrow, he explained. "She did not think it quite so funny when Lieutenant Bowden, then just a Corporal, pointed out that Fahey's laugh would draw Thin Men like a beacon."
Glynn laughed and shook his head as he gathered up his own tray and stood. He was sure he'd garner a nickname as well, since it appeared to be the way the troopers of XCOM operated. He just hoped his story would be nearly as interesting.
Monday, July 6, 2015
OPERATION FLYING HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT (29 JUN 2016 @ 0316)
OPERATION FLYING HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT
PREPARED BY: LT Naomi Bowden
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 8x Thin Men, 2x Seekers, 2x Mutons, armed with Plasma Weapons
o Friendly Forces
- LT Naomi "Artemis" Bowden (United Kingdom)
- SGT Jade "Mineral" Colman (United Kingdom)
- SGT Monica "Alpha" de Matos (Brazil)
- SGT Shousei "Lightning" Daiwa (Japan)
- CPL Wushun "Tu-Tu" Zhu (China)
- CPL Leigh "Beacon" Fahey (United States)
- CPL Tegan "Cable" Reed (United Kingdom) - KIA
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to China, 29 JUN 2016 @ 0316 hrs, IOT plant transponders and redirect the X-Ray Assault Cruiser.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0045 hrs. The squad was assembled in the Skyranger by 0108, and we touched down in China at 0316 hrs. We received word upon getting into the train station that the Cruiser was inbound, and that we didn't have much time. We moved into position near the back of the train, with CPL Zhu set to provide cover the length of the train. He was the first to get eyes on the enemy, and put down the Seeker as it moved toward the squad.
SGT Daiwa moved to the first designated location, and placed a transponder. The rest of the squad moved into the train, and I fired upon the Thin Man. When it moved to avoid further fire, SGT Daiwa finished it off. Then he advanced up the train toward the next designated point, where he spotted several Thin Men and a Seeker, which he reported went immediately into stealth mode as the Thin Men scattered.
CPL Zhu had eyes on, and managed to put one of the Thin Men down instantly. On the other side of the train, CPL Fahey charged forward and put down the only Thin Man to cross over. SGT Daiwa provided cover for Fahey by critically wounding the Thin Man on her flank, while SGT Colman critically wounded another, on the far edge of the station. The X-Rays returned fire, and CPL Reed managed to wing the Seeker as it came out of hiding and grabbed Fahey. However, she exposed herself to do so, and a Thin Man burst into the train and put her on the ground with a plasma burst that burned through her chestplate.
SGT Colman put a burst into the Seeker on CPL Fahey (further padding her reputation as a Seeker-bane) while de Matos moved to check on Reed, and get her back on her feet. Daiwa managed to wing the Thin Man up ahead in the train, which I followed up and destroyed. CPL Reed, back on her feet but still seriously wounded, moved to cover, but didn't quite make it before another Thin Man fired and put her down again. De Matos, preparing to move to her side again, was taken by surprise by a Muton from the next set of tracks. Her injury was severe, and she fell to the ground, screaming for several seconds. Fahey moved up and planted another transponder, while Zhu provided cover, and blew the Muton's head into a greenish mist. The rest of the team was shaken, and was less successful in their counter-attacks.
Two Thin Men fired on the prone de Matos, which seemed to snap her out of her panic. While she gathered herself and moved to check on Reed, Daiwa spotted another Muton that appeared to be teleported in. He charged forward to draw it's fire, and landed a solid, but non-critical hit on it. Colman finally managed to get into a position to kill the Thin Man that killed Reed, and Zhu managed to finish off the other one. After confirming that Reed was dead, de Matos crawled to the nearby designated point, and planted a transponder, and managed to provide self-aid. No one has a solid shot on the Muton, so the squad advances under cover, as de Matos manages to dodge yet another shot.
Advancing to the next transponder location, Daiwa gets eyes on two more Thin Men. He quickly plants the transponder, while Fahey charges up, hops the railing and blows the muton into the planter behind it. Daiwa, complete with the transponder, puts a bullet into one of the Thin Men.
Zhu reported movement to the squad's rear, but did not have a clear shot. I peeled Fahey and Colman off to support Zhu while de Matos moves up to start the train running, now that all transponders have been emplaced.
I order the squad off the train and we maneuver to eliminate the rest of the X-Rays, but apparently with the train gone, their command ordered them to exfiltrate. We did not encounter any further resistance as we cleared the station, so we collected CPL Reed, and returned to the Skyranger for our own exfiltration.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Sniper support and overwatch
- Tactical momentum
o Improve:
- Insufficient use of cover
- Unfocused fires
PREPARED BY: LT Naomi Bowden
SITUATION
o Enemy Forces:
- 8x Thin Men, 2x Seekers, 2x Mutons, armed with Plasma Weapons
o Friendly Forces
- LT Naomi "Artemis" Bowden (United Kingdom)
- SGT Jade "Mineral" Colman (United Kingdom)
- SGT Monica "Alpha" de Matos (Brazil)
- SGT Shousei "Lightning" Daiwa (Japan)
- CPL Wushun "Tu-Tu" Zhu (China)
- CPL Leigh "Beacon" Fahey (United States)
- CPL Tegan "Cable" Reed (United Kingdom) - KIA
MISSION
o Strike Team deploys to China, 29 JUN 2016 @ 0316 hrs, IOT plant transponders and redirect the X-Ray Assault Cruiser.
EXECUTION NARRATIVE
We received the Mission Alert at 0045 hrs. The squad was assembled in the Skyranger by 0108, and we touched down in China at 0316 hrs. We received word upon getting into the train station that the Cruiser was inbound, and that we didn't have much time. We moved into position near the back of the train, with CPL Zhu set to provide cover the length of the train. He was the first to get eyes on the enemy, and put down the Seeker as it moved toward the squad.
SGT Daiwa moved to the first designated location, and placed a transponder. The rest of the squad moved into the train, and I fired upon the Thin Man. When it moved to avoid further fire, SGT Daiwa finished it off. Then he advanced up the train toward the next designated point, where he spotted several Thin Men and a Seeker, which he reported went immediately into stealth mode as the Thin Men scattered.
CPL Zhu had eyes on, and managed to put one of the Thin Men down instantly. On the other side of the train, CPL Fahey charged forward and put down the only Thin Man to cross over. SGT Daiwa provided cover for Fahey by critically wounding the Thin Man on her flank, while SGT Colman critically wounded another, on the far edge of the station. The X-Rays returned fire, and CPL Reed managed to wing the Seeker as it came out of hiding and grabbed Fahey. However, she exposed herself to do so, and a Thin Man burst into the train and put her on the ground with a plasma burst that burned through her chestplate.
SGT Colman put a burst into the Seeker on CPL Fahey (further padding her reputation as a Seeker-bane) while de Matos moved to check on Reed, and get her back on her feet. Daiwa managed to wing the Thin Man up ahead in the train, which I followed up and destroyed. CPL Reed, back on her feet but still seriously wounded, moved to cover, but didn't quite make it before another Thin Man fired and put her down again. De Matos, preparing to move to her side again, was taken by surprise by a Muton from the next set of tracks. Her injury was severe, and she fell to the ground, screaming for several seconds. Fahey moved up and planted another transponder, while Zhu provided cover, and blew the Muton's head into a greenish mist. The rest of the team was shaken, and was less successful in their counter-attacks.
Two Thin Men fired on the prone de Matos, which seemed to snap her out of her panic. While she gathered herself and moved to check on Reed, Daiwa spotted another Muton that appeared to be teleported in. He charged forward to draw it's fire, and landed a solid, but non-critical hit on it. Colman finally managed to get into a position to kill the Thin Man that killed Reed, and Zhu managed to finish off the other one. After confirming that Reed was dead, de Matos crawled to the nearby designated point, and planted a transponder, and managed to provide self-aid. No one has a solid shot on the Muton, so the squad advances under cover, as de Matos manages to dodge yet another shot.
Advancing to the next transponder location, Daiwa gets eyes on two more Thin Men. He quickly plants the transponder, while Fahey charges up, hops the railing and blows the muton into the planter behind it. Daiwa, complete with the transponder, puts a bullet into one of the Thin Men.
Zhu reported movement to the squad's rear, but did not have a clear shot. I peeled Fahey and Colman off to support Zhu while de Matos moves up to start the train running, now that all transponders have been emplaced.
I order the squad off the train and we maneuver to eliminate the rest of the X-Rays, but apparently with the train gone, their command ordered them to exfiltrate. We did not encounter any further resistance as we cleared the station, so we collected CPL Reed, and returned to the Skyranger for our own exfiltration.
LESSONS LEARNED
o Sustain:
- Sniper support and overwatch
- Tactical momentum
o Improve:
- Insufficient use of cover
- Unfocused fires
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