OPERATION CURSED SMOKE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (21 AUG 2016 @ 2053)

OPERATION CURSED SMOKE - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: LT Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 7x Mutons, 5x Thin Men, 5x Floaters, 2x Sectoids

o Friendly Forces
 - LT Oskar "Armarnis" Lindemann (Germany)
 - SSG Leigh "B.A.M.F." Fahey (United States)
 - SSG Sylas "Fawkes" Maillet (Canada)
 - SGT Monica "Azrial" de Matos (Brazil)
 - SGT Ward "Shroud" Parsons (Australia)
 - SGT Rainhard "Ogre" Horn (Austria)
 - SGT Jermaine "Da Pain" Glynn (United States)
 - SGT Simone "Tomahawk" Ribeiro (Brazil)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to La Plata, Argentina, 21 AUG 2016 @ 2053 hrs, IOT rescue U.N. General Peter Van Doorn.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 1923 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 1937, and we arrived at the mission site at 2053 hrs. As soon as we were on ground, a U.N. soldier made contact, identifying himself as Friendly. The whole area was in flaming ruins, so I knew the X-Rays wouldn't be far; I ordered SGT Parsons forward first; He immediately spotted a pod of hostiles, some of which advanced, others retreating. The rest of the squad moved to cover and engaged. SSG Fahey moved up to protect the U.N. troop, who explained that the General had moved up ahead to try to recover an injured soldier. SGT Parsons took a well-aimed shot, and put the Muton down, while I and SGT de Matos took down the Floater. The X-Rays retreated further, so we advanced, and SGT Parsons took down a Sectoid. It's companion stayed in cover, at the farthest range of visibility, until SGT Glynn shot it, and SGT Horn finished it off. 

Now it was time to move forward to find the VIP. We did not immediately discover any further threat, so I activated my motion sensor, which revealed several hostiles on the wrecked section of the bridge. The VIP made contact via radio shortly after, explaining that he was currently hidden in a wrecked car, and the soldier he'd gone to recover hadn't made it. I told him to stay put until we'd cleared his immediate vicinity of threats.

While we were communicating, the X-Rays made their move, as a Muton and two Floaters ascended from the wreckage. Shots were exchanged, but other than a hit on the Muton that didn't seem to even slow it down, no one was injured. Once they'd established a beachhead, two more Mutons climbed up, taking cover positions. SGT Horn said he had a shot; I told him to take it, kill them all if he could. His rocket exploded at the precise point of maximum effect, and two of the Mutons were killed outright. SGTs Ribeiro and Parsons cut down two of the remaining hostiles, leaving SSG Fahey to eliminate the Floater which was coming down on top of her position. This left our level clear, but there was still heavy resistance below; SGT Fahey advanced to the edge and took a long range shot, injuring another Muton.

I had a shot on one Muton below, so I cut loose with a long burst, ripping it to shreds as the squad moved closer to the edge. The Floaters responded by moving up, trying to use their air mobility to flank us; Maillet and Fahey proved this futile, eliminating one of them, SGT Horn reported that one had come down from a high flyover. Our attention was diverted forward however, as another Muton climbed up and started taking shots at Fahey. In response, she dodged through its fire, rolled into cover behind it, and blew it away. A few seconds later, Horn reported that the Floater behind us was no longer a threat. SSG Maillet called to Fahey for a spot report; Then he lobbed a grenade over the edge. After the detonation, I saw SSG Fahey turn back with a grin and report a clean kill.

I advanced SGT de Matos and SSG Fahey to make contact with the VIP, while preparing the rest of the squad for whatever retaliation we'd see from the X-Rays. De Matos reported that the VIP was uninjured, and I ordered her and SSG Fahey to stay with him as he came back up. Then we heard Friendly come across the radio; There was a X-Ray immediately near him, but he'd crawled into one of the wrecked cars, and it didn't seem to have seen him yet. I ordered the squad back toward the Skyranger to protect him. The VIP advanced as well, despite not having a weapon to engage the enemy; He said he owed it to his men to not go down without a fight. 

Then the X-Ray, a Thin Man, stepped around the cars and shot SGT Glynn. He reported that it had scorched his armor pretty good, but that he was okay. De Matos called out movement behind us, so I told her and SGT Ribeiro to stay on rear-guard. SSG Maillet, meanwhile, lobbed a grenade over the cars; Glynn reported that it was hit, but was still moving, so SSG Fahey once again charged into the breach and finished it off. With the way forward clear, I told the VIP to get to the Skyranger, just as I looked back toward the wrecked section of bridge. It was pure chance that I saw the Thin Man, not advancing as expected, but falling back. I sprayed the area with my Autolaser, and put the X-Ray down. No sooner than another Thin Man dropped down from the overpass above, directly in front of me; I thought I was dead, because I couldn't bring my gun around in time, but then several lasers fired, intersecting with the hostile's body; It was dead before it had a chance to raise its weapon.

SGT Horn turned back toward the Skyranger, and caught sight of another Thin Man creeping up; It didn't see him in time, and he shot it down. Then SSG Fahey escorted the VIP back to the Skyranger, and I directed Friendly to join him. Central reported continued movement back toward the wreckage, and directed us to clear any further hostiles. If we could keep the X-Rays from reporting the rescue of the General back to their command, perhaps it would give us an edge. 

I directed the squad back, down into the wreckage, cautiously looking for any further resistance, but at first we saw nothing, even with the motion scanners. It wasn't until SGT de Matos advanced up to the high ground on the far side of the wreckage that she saw a Thin Man, weapon ready. She ducked behind a car before it could draw a bead on her, and I used her report to light up the target, but not quite enough to kill it. SGT Glynn, right beside me, sighted in and put a single shot into the wounded Thin Man's head. SGT De Matos and SSG Fahey reported that the bridge was completely gone just beyond the Thin Man's position, which is probably why it hadn't retreated further; There were no more hostiles. 

We made it back to the Skyranger, and returned to HQ with the VIP and his surviving soldier. Both expressed interest in staying on with XCOM; It is my official recommendation that they be allowed, as their courage and level-headedness against an unknown enemy are traits I want to see more of in our troopers.

LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Controlled advancement allows us to fight on our terms
 - Hold the high ground whenever possible

o Improve:
 - Never assume the enemy is only in a single direction
 - Use motion scanners/ battle scanners more judiciously

Gratitude (24 JUL 2016)

Constance woke slowly, as though rising from the lightless deeps of the ocean. The first thing she consciously noticed was how bright it was through her closed eyelids, and even through the fogginess of the drugs they were pumping into her system, she ached. The second thing she was conscious of was of the fingers wrapped loosely around her left hand. Groggily she pondered this, considered opening her eyes to see whose hand it was, but in the end it was too much trouble, and she slipped down once more into the darkness. 

When she woke again later, the light seemed less intense, and her eyelids flickered open. It took several long seconds for her eyes to focus on the sterile ceiling above her, though the steady beeping from somewhere nearby still seemed to echo weirdly through the haze of anesthetics. After several more moments, Constance remembered how to move, and she gently squeezed the fingers that still grasped hers, before turning her head to look at the owner. 

She was unsurprised to see Oskar's bed pushed close, his hand stretched out to grasp hers. He was asleep, his face relaxed artlessly, and his whole torso still swathed in a mass of bandages from his injuries of a month ago. She smiled gently, though even that bit of movement set off twinges; How long had she been out? For everything to feel this stiff, it was probably several days at least. She heard a quiet shuffle, and turned her head the other way to see a medic approaching her. 

"Sergeant 1st Class Makhandule," said the medical officer as he approached. "You're finally awake." His address caused her to lift an eyebrow; She must have been promoted while she was under sedation. "How do you feel?" Constance considered the question before answering, idly noting the name tag that read "Medical Officer 3rd Class Lentz" on his chest. 

"Sore, stiff," she replied after a minute. "Alive." It was the medic's turn to raise an eyebrow at her reply, and she smiled. She was alive. That was what counted. In the end, that was almost the only thing that mattered. "What happened? My memories are hazy right now."

"Well, the laser went straight through your chest, burned through a lung; Luckily it cauterized the wound, or you probably wouldn't have made it," his smile faded as he described her injuries. "It was touch and go, but we've managed to patch the lung as best as we're able; The rest will be on your body's ability to recuperate." He paused and looked at the chart that he'd picked up from the foot of her bed. "The flak from the rocket explosion was more problematic. It opened an artery on your cheek, and completely tore up your chest and abdomen. The blood loss, aggravated by your continued activity, was extreme, and there will be extensive scarring." Medical Officer Lentz's face was grave as he delivered the news, and Constance winced at the matter-of-fact description of the damage.

"Thank you," she said, and once again his eyes widened in surprise. 

"Thank you?" he repeated uncertainly. "Why are you thanking me?" 

"Thank you for being honest with me," she answered. "Thank you, and the rest of the medical staff, for my life." 

"I expected you to be considerably more upset by the news," he admitted frankly. "Most troopers aren't happy to hear that they will carry extensive scarring for the rest of their lives, especially on their faces." 

"I'm not happy either," she replied with that same serenity. "But what will getting angry do about it? Will it heal the scars? Will it bring back my lung capacity?" She shook her head, and smiled again, realizing now why it hurt to do so. 

"Well, it might help with the lung capacity," he said with a fleeting smile, "though I'd refrain from yelling at medical staff until the mesh is fully healed." He shook his head, and returned the clipboard to its hook on the foot of her bed. "That's a surprisingly healthy outlook."

"When you have seen what I have seen," Constance explained, "you have a few choices before you. You can let it break you, you can let anger define you, or you can accept that there is evil in the world, strive to change what you can change, and be grateful for the good things that come your way." She paused to formulate her thoughts before continuing. "Today, I am alive. There are others who cannot say so. So I am grateful for what I have."

Before the medic could respond, the fingers wrapped loosely around hers twitched, and she heard Oskar stirring. She gave the medic a brief smile before turning to watch Oskar as he woke. His eyes opened, and she saw the startlingly blue-green eyes focus on her face, and he smiled sleepily. He was pale after a month in medbay, but all in all, he was looking good. Medics said he had another month at least, but she had a feeling he'd be up and about before they knew it. 

"Connie," he said, his voice scratchy from his slumber. She wrinkled her nose, bringing another twinge of pain, then smiled. She hated the nickname really, but from Oskar, it wasn't so bad. He laced his fingers within hers, and scanned her face intently. She could see the small winces as he took in the bandaging on her cheek, and as his eyes trailed down her neck to the full cast that encased her chest, but he said nothing else for a moment. 

"Did you sleep well?" she asked quietly. 

"Nein," he replied. "Not really. Couldn't, until I knew you were okay." they laid quietly, their hands intertwined, for several minutes, with just the quiet hum of the machinery and the beeping of the monitors. Oskar finally broke the silence. "I thought I might lose you, when they brought you in. You... flatlined three times."

"It seems the medical staff earned their pay," she murmured back, gripping his hand tightly. "I'm still here." Bits and pieces of the mission were coming back; It had gone well, all things considered, but she knew she'd be out of action for a while. The very real concern she saw in Oskar's eyes told her just how close permanent retirement had been. "Besides," she continued, smiling though it ached, "I had to make it back. I couldn't let you have all the fun."

OPERATION COLD HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT (24 JUN 2016 @ 0331)

OPERATION COLD HYMN - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: LT Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 22x Zombies, 6x Chryssalids

o Friendly Forces
 - LT Oskar "Armarnis" Lindemann (Germany)
 - SSG Constance "Deadbolt" Makhandule (South Africa)
 - SSG Ana Lucia "Mustang" Mardones (Ecuador)
 - SGT Lorena "Bombshell" Kline (United States)
 - SGT Shaojie "Chilong" Zhang (China)
 - CPL Svetlana "Eclipse" Petukhova (Russia)
 - CPL Jared "Mercury" Houston (United States)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 24 JUN 2016 @ 0331 hrs, IOT disrupt Alien Terror Attack.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 0133 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 0155, and we arrived at the mission site at 0331 hrs. The LZ was sparse cover, so getting into cover was our first priority, but the X-Rays made that impossible. The Chryssalids had already been busy prior to our arrival, as a large group of zombies approached as soon as we were off the bird.

SSG Makhandule reacted quickly, sending a precise rocket into their midst, scattered and injuring all of them. The rest of the squad followed up, with Bombshell, Eclipse and I firing from a stationary position while SGT Zhang and CPL Houston charged forward to put the remaining two down.

Before we could move, a trio of 'lids charged in from our left flank, two of them doubling back toward a civilian and the third coming on. Mustang pumped two shotgun rounds into that one, putting it on the ground, while CPL Houston and SGT Kline flexed left to deal with the stragglers. Kline, seeing the Chryssalids bearing down on the civilian, yelled "Grenade!" and lobbed an Anti-personnel, hoping the civilian would be able to get to cover. It paid off, as the X-Rays took the brunt of the damage and stopped in their tracks long enough for Houston, CPL Petukhova and myself to put them down. The civilian sustained minor injury from the shrapnel. Meanwhile, Deadbolt put the thrashing Chryssalid that Mustang had injured down for the count.

While the rest of the squad was focused on the Chryssalids, Zhang kept his eyes cast forward, and as such was the first to spot the incoming zombies. He managed to take one down with a targeted headshot as they approached. Eclipse, Chilong and Merc' laid into the zombies while the rest of the squad moved into position, leaving only one straggler that moved out of sight to kill another civilian. Mardones charged forward, reloading as she moved, and took him out with a burst from her shotgun. Kline and Zhang advanced toward the nearest building, with SGT Kline managing to injure another zombie in the distance as they reached their destination, with CPL Houston right behind finishing the job.

Hearing the sound of civilians dying in the darkness, I made an ill-considered move, charging past my front-line troops to evacuate a pair of civilians, and drawing the attention of several 'lids in the next building. SSG Makhandule and CPL Petukhova tried to kill the nearest as it charged me, but only succeeded in injuring it before it struck me down. As I scrambled backward from the finishing stroke, a burst of laser fire burned the X-Ray down. This gave me enough time to provide self-aid, numbing the pain and stopping the worst of my wounds.

Meanwhile, SSG Mardones chased another Chryssalid into the dark, blowing it away before it could kill another civilian. The rest of the squad advanced and reloaded, with Eclipse critically wounding the last 'lid just as it killed another civilian. This didn't stop it from taking to the roof to kill another civilian, as the first stirred and rose back to its feet, shambling toward the squad.

Mardones reacted swiftly, moving into close range and putting two blasts into its torso. The Chryssalid jumped down from the roof, and I cut loose, despite my injuries, but it was SGT Zhang who splattered it across the wall as it fell. Houston and Mak engaged another zombie inside the building as it moved into range. It kept coming, as the civilian killed on the roof arose and tumbled down, moving toward Mardones. She was waiting and with a single point-blank shot, put the creature out of its misery. Mercury, meanwhile, finished the job on the other as it emerged from the building.

I knew things were getting more dire, but instead of charging blindly ahead again, we moved forward as a squad, with Petukhova providing further aid for my injuries. Then SSG Mardones moves forward and kicks open the door, reporting multiple X-Rays within. She puts one down with her shotgun as Makhandule prepares her launcher, barely waiting for Mustang to get clear before putting a rocket through the open door. The front wall blows outward, revealing the mass of zombies within.

Kline, grenade already ready, immediately follows up, putting down two more, and critically wounding several others. Chilong and Mercury went to work, lances of energy eliminating most of the survivors, while Petukhova spots another coming out of a window to the right. As the last two zombies advance, I take a deep breath, shake off the haze of the drugs, and raise my gun. A burst into the building blows the first to pieces, then I slew my gun to the right, cutting the second in half as it advanced on a civilian. 

At that point, I had to turn command over to SSG Makhandule, as I started seeing spots. She led the squad into the final building, finding the remaining civilians and meeting no further resistance, while CPL Petukhova remained near me, providing long range support for the clearing operation.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain: 
 - Explosives to soften clustered targets
 - Mass fires on groups of enemy

o Improve:
 - Never allow emotion to dictate tactical decisions
 - Ammunition management

OPERATION PATIENT GRAVE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (13 JUN 2016 @ 1000)

OPERATION PATIENT GRAVE - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SSG Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 16x Seekers, 7 Floaters, 1x Cyberdisc, 3x Drones, 1x "Soldier Alien", 4x Outsiders, armed with plasma weapons and grenades

o Friendly Forces
 - SSG Oskar "Armarnis" Lindemann (Germany)
 - SGT Spencer "Leo" Donohue (United States)
 - SGT Constance "Deadbolt" Makhandule (South Africa)
 - SGT Ana Lucia "Mustang" Mardones (Ecuador)
 - SGT Yusuf "Thunder" Hassan (Sudan)
 - SGT Shousei "Lightning" Daiwa (Japan)
 - CPL Shaojie "Chilong" Zhang (China)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Canada, 13 JUN 2016 @ 1000 hrs, IOT interdict, clear and exploit large landed UFO.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 0930 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 0938, and we arrived at the mission site at 1000 hrs. We put down at what appeared to be the back of the craft, which had a somewhat different configuration, but similar size to the previous large landed that we assaulted. 

SGT "Lightning" Daiwa moved up to get eyes forward while the rest of the squad deployed behind him. No sooner than we got into cover that he called contact front, and took a shot, damaging one of the Seekers as they came into sight. CPL Zhang also took a shot, bearing the only laser rifle we had available, and took one of them down. The Seekers advanced, returning fire amidst a hail of bullets, but no further damage was done on either side.

I took a shot from cover, and blew one of them out of the sky, while Zhang finished off the damaged one from before. Mardones charged the remaining one and blasted it down. No sooner than we were done than another pod of Seekers flew out of the forest to our right. Our volley fire managed to graze one of them, just before a pod of Floaters charged out of the bay of the craft, accompanied by something we've never seen before. It was man shaped, wearing greenish armor, but considerably larger than a man. I yelled to Mak to thin the herd, and she shouldered her launcher before snapping off a shot that put the entire Seeker pod down permanently.

This left us with the Floater and the thing. I fired first, and put a burst into the closest Floater, causing it to explode. Daiwa prioritized the new threat, and determined that its head is as vulnerable as a human's head. SGT Donohue managed to wound one of the remaining Floaters with a long shot, then we braced for their assault. Instead, the Floaters flew back into the shadows of the UFO's bay. We could not see them, but Lightning called out that he saw movement from the other side of the bay, and moved forward to investigate. 

It turned out to be a pod of mechanicals, accompanying another of those Cyberdiscs. Thunder took the first shot, prioritizing the disc and managed to wing it pretty good. No one else seemed to have a clear shot, so I designated one of the drones, so Mustang could eliminate it. I spotted the other drone and pulled my LMG toward it, still firing, and took it down with a flash of sparks. Donohue, recognizing that we were in trouble, threw a smoke grenade to cover our forward troops, as Daiwa moved back out of the line of fire. Then we saw a previously unknown ability, when the drone moved to the disc, and seemed to repair some of the damage done by Thunder's shot. 

When Daiwa reported this, I told him to take the drone down. He shot it, but as usual, it proved tougher than you'd expect, and remained flying, even when Donohue put a burst into it's carapace. Zhang charged forward to get a shot, drawing fire from the disc, which force it to open it's armor for the shot. He slid into cover safely, and managed to finally take the drone down. With its support down, the disc became our sole priority again. I took a shot, but only managed to designate it. Thunder took another shot, and this one seemed to inflict much greater damage, as it closed back up again.

The Disc advanced, and SGT Mak put a burst into it, though it didn't seem to do much through it's closed armor. Right on top of the forward element, it opened up, and everyone braced for the worst. Again, it exhibited unknown behavior, suddenly spinning forward, and a tail extending to throw a grenade into our clustered troops. The managed to get into cover sufficiently to absorb most of the damage, taking very little on their armor. Zhang popped back up and shot the thing point-blank, and it crashed to the ground, exploding after a few seconds had passed. I think it likely that it had more grenades amidst its arsenal.

With the Disc down, we reset and reloaded, just in time for another pod of Seekers to burst out of the craft. Zhang and Mardones managed to damage two of them, but they kept coming. Mardones didn't stop as they advanced, she charged toward them, pumping another round into her shotgun, and eliminated the closest Seeker. As I lined up on the last one, Lightning moved to flank, and spotted another pod of Seekers. When he called out, SGT Mak, calm as you please, sent a rocket sailing into the midst of the new pod, scattering their broken tentacles across the ground. I slewed my gun over and finished off the survivor of the blast. When another Seeker came out of the craft, Lightning lived up to his name and took it down with a single shot.

With no further threat, and the Floaters from earlier nowhere to be seen, I ordered the advance. As we reached the bay, a Seeker uncloaked almost directly behind me. Massed fires put it down before it had a chance to act. Then we continued our advance. Daiwa drew fire from somewhere within the ship, but we never saw the X-Ray that did it, even as we all moved into the bay, and SGT Daiwa probed toward the enemy fire. It wasn't until Leo moved to the right assault bay that we caught sight of the enemy again; This time, it appeared that we'd located the command pod, accompanied by one of the Floaters from before. The squad moved to cover, and waited for them to come to us. The Floater obliged, and massed fire made it regret, if only for a moment, its boldness.

When the Outsiders were not forthcoming, Mardones moved to the door way, finding them clustered nearby. As she dodged back to cover, Hassan took advantage of her intel to put one of the X-Rays down. Sure that they would attack now, we waited. Donohue managed to pop a shot, but the rest of them did not move to the attack, as expected. Mardones once again moved forward, dodging reactive fire, and reported that the Outsiders had withdrawn further into the craft. Their plot was revealed when a Floater blasted into view from the other assault bay. I had my LMG ready, and eliminated it before it had a chance to attack.

I ordered a cautious advance, but it turned out that the Outsiders had continued to flee, farther into the depths of the ship. This level of caution from the enemy was unexpected, but it turned out that caution was still worthwhile, as one Outsider popped a shot from cover and managed to burn through most of Mustang's armor. Donohue was close, and got up to Mardones and patched her up. Lighting and Mak managed to critically wound the X-Ray, and Mardones, seeking payback, finished it off.

We advanced into the assault bays and corridors, but did not make contact again until Mardones broke through the holo-door, where she saw a single Floater waiting, with no Outsiders in sight. Mak and Zhang had a clear shot on the Floater, and managed to take it down with combined fire. When its backup advaned, Zhang took another shot, damaging it. Donohue, already in the central control room, finished it off at close range. When we advanced to cover the room, one of the Outsiders, outside of the craft, tried to get around me from behind. Daiwa, alert  inside, managed to nail it with a clean shot and critically injure it. I took a point blank burst, but it was hiding behind a power node, so I only managed to injure it further. Daiwa was awaiting his chance, and when it poked it's head around to return fire on me, he took its head off.

While we were clearing the room, the remaining Floater tried to come in from behind. SGT Donohue took two bursts at it, and managed to eliminate it with the second, successfully covering our back. While Daiwa checked the bridge with a Battle Scanner, we spread out, looking for any further resistance. I thought that perhaps there was one more Outsider, but it was possible that Mardones had miscounted. 

She hadn't. It came from behind us and only Zhang saw it before it could fire, and he blew it off of its feet. Everyone moved to firing positions, but it was Lightning that finished it off. At that point, we all assumed we were done. That was when the injured Floater from way before came in, flanked Hassan and shot him down. Donohue was already running forward, Medkit ready, while Mustang charged, yelling and cutting loose with her shotgun. It didn't stand a chance. 

Leo stayed with Hassan while we cautiously finished clearing the craft, but it appeared that the Floater had been the last of the resistance. 


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain:
 - Intersecting fires
 - A stable firing position is the best defense against an assault

o Improve:
 - Don't get complacent; The enemy can adapt their tactics
 - Never assume your flanks are clear

OPERATION PURPLE DIRGE - AFTER ACTION REPORT (16 MAY 2016 @ 2246)

OPERATION PURPLE DIRGE - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SSG Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 35X Chryssalids, 4x Thin Men, 3x Zombies

o Friendly Forces
 - SGT Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
 - CPL Constance Makhandule (South Africa)
 - CPL Shaojie Zhang (China)
 - SPC Ana Lucia Mardones (Ecuador)
 - SPC Lieselotte Faber (Germany)
 - SPC Ghaith Khadem (Egypt)
 - SPC Lorena Kline (United States)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to New Foundland, Canada, 16 MAY 2016 @ 2246 hrs, IOT investigate the distress signal.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 2158 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 2212, and we arrived at the mission site at 2246 hrs. Due to the unknown situation, we dropped without landing. SPC Khadem moved ahead first, taking cover on the side of what appeared to be a store or warehouse, and made contact as a pod of Chryssalids came charging at him. SPC Faber and myself opened up, while SPC Kline threw a grenade, which stunned them long enough for SPC Mardones and Khadem to finish them off with their shotguns. Nothing else approached, so we began to move cautiously forward, Khadem still taking the lead.

When he reached a point where he could see around the building, another group of Chysallids burst around the corner, while another pod came running from the docks. CPL Zhang, SPC Kline and SPC Mardones engaged the pod on the docks, killing one Chrysallid, while CPL Makhandule fired a rocket at the pod coming around the building. SPC Khadem withdrew, and the squad braced for their assault. When they were close enough, Mardones went to work with her shotgun, injuring one and killing two Chrysallids. Kline yelled to clear the area as she readied a grenade. Khadem, Mardones and Zhang withdrew, firing and reloading, while Mak, Faber and myself fired into the Chryssalids, preventing their pursuit. Kline's grenade finished off the wounded Chryssalids.

I ordered the squad forward once the initial threat had been dealt with, which is when we met what I can only describe as a zombie. It was mangled and bloody, and moved as though its limbs didn't work right. We were still attempting to determine if it was alive when it suddenly collapsed, and a Chryssalid ripped its way out of the corpse. Mak, Mardones and I cut loose, shredding the bug before it had a chance to attack. 

When we advanced again, Khadem caught sight of two more "zombies" coming into the store. His first shot missed, but his second put one of the zombies down hard. I ordered Mardones and Kline forward, killing the second before it could become a bug. Then we took a moment to regroup before continuing forward. When Khadem called contact forward, Faber, overwatching from the rear put a bullet straight in the creature's head, but apparently this wasn't a zombie movie, since it kept coming. Khadem called contact again, as a Chryssalid burst out of the bloated body of a putrifying shark.

Makhandule moved first, putting a burst into the zombie's chest, which was apparently enough to put it down. Kline took a shot at the Chryssalid, but appeared to do nothing, with a direct hit. Khadem marked it for Faber, who put the monster down with a shot between the eyes. Then the forward element held position while I moved the rest of the squad up.

Without any warning, three more of the bugs came charging out of the wreckage of a boat in the darkness ahead, followed by four Thin Men. Kline, judging them to be the greater threat, lobbed a grenade into the rushing group of Chryssalids, stopping them in their tracks, though still alive. Mardones and Khadem took advantage of their stunned state to put two of the bugs down, while Zhang and myself eliminated two of the Thin Men lurking in the darkness. When the last Chryssalid rushed her position, Mardones finished it off with a point-blank blast from her shotgun. The Thin Men withdrew further, and we advanced.

When the Thin Men tried to reengage, Zhang shot one of them down. The other made it to cover, and managed to get Mardones and Kline with a poisonous cloud. Mardones was able to use the medkit she carried to sluice off the worst of the acid. When Khadem reported a Chryssalid down on the docks, Mak decided it would be best to open the area up with a rocket, and blew the Thin Man out of cover. It was quick enough to avoid most of the blast, but not quick enough to avoid Faber's headshot. 

The Chryssalid was behind cover, and did not move, so I ordered a cautious advance, with everyone ready to fire if it so much as twitched a leg. Meanwhile, Faber spotted movement from within the wreckage, and took a shot, critically wounding the zombie as it exited. Zhang finished it off, while Mak, Khadem and Mak assaulted the strangely immobile Chryssalid, killing it where it stood.

 When Khadem moved toward the wrecked whaler, he reported a strange sight within. It appeared that the whale corpse inside had been infected with dozens of pustules, each pulsing with alien life. As he watched, a Chryssalid ripped itself free from the corpse, falling to the deck, before squirming upright. I reported this to Central, who confirmed that this was more than we could handle, and serious enough to risk an airstrike, if we could activate the ship's transponder, and transmit its ID Code.

I ordered the squad into positions around the wreckage, and Khadem moved to board from the front, away from the hold and the bugs within. As he moved, we massed fires on the Chryssalids that poured out, killing several by the time he activated the transponder. Central confirmed that the airstrike was inbound, and I ordered retreat. Faber and I remained to the rear to provide cover as the rest of the squad disengaged, then when they made contact from the docks, we moved back toward the extraction point. 

The last pod of Chryssalids charged just as we reached the extraction point. We paused, well aware of the inbound destruction, just long enough to blow the last bugs to hell, as the Skyranger vectored in to pick us up. We were still close enough for the explosions to rock the Skyranger when the airstrike came in.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain:
 - Use of explosives to soften and slow the enemy
 - Massing fires to quickly eliminate the enemy

o Improve:
 - Move as a cohesive squad
 - Fire discipline

In Memory (01 MAY 2016)

"It was the dodgiest squiddie I'd ever seen," de Matos said. She was lying in bed, her upper chest a mass of bandages, while Faber leaned against the side, listening. "It took three shots from point blank range, and still it kept coming. It was Hassan that finally put the caralho down. We were all so focused on it, we never even saw the bastardo Thin Man until he was almost on top of us. Daiwa was the first to react, but not fast enough. Huisman didn't make a sound. He just.. he.."

"Shh," Faber turned and caught de Matos' hand, lacing her fingers through it and squeezing tightly. "Monica, you don't have to talk about it right now." De Matos reached across and covered Faber's hand with her other hand, but she didn't stop talking.

"There was nothing I could do. I heard the shots and Daiwa called that it was down, but before I could even get Houston out of my way, I knew. The hole went straight through, Kevlar, alloy vest, everything. His eyes were still open. They were green. I never realized they were green." Her voice started to choke up and she finally stopped talking, as Faber leaned in to stroke her hair with her other hand, making soft soothing noises.

"But you made it count, Schätzchen," she murmured into Monica's ear. "You went on, and you put the rest of those fickeren into body bags, and you brought him home. More importantly, you brought the rest of them home alive." Faber glanced down the line, where most of the rest of the squad rested. She saw SGT Lindemann visiting with Houston and Maillet, the most severely injured of the survivors.

"Thank you, Liesel," de Matos said, pulling Faber's attention back. "Gata, could you get me some water? My throat is dry." Faber nodded, reaching out to stroke de Matos' cheek before moving away to grab the pitcher and a cup.

-

"How are they?" Constance asked. She was chafing at being stuck in medbay after her collapse, but the medics said she'd be out in a few more days, at most. Oskar came to visit her regularly, though today he'd spent most of his time visiting the member of the squad he'd just brought back from Oklahoma.

"They're very out of sorts. The pain medicine is very strong," he replied. "Still, they remember what happened."

"It was a good mission," Constance replied. When Oskar's face clouded, she said it again. "It was a good mission, Oskar. Your squad faced the biggest threat we've had, and you brought back enough materiel that the research and engineering teams are going to be busy for months."

"It was not worth the loss of a man," he replied, bitterness thickening his accent.

"It never is," she agreed. "It never is, but you're a soldier, as was Hidde. He knew what was at stake, and he made us all proud." She waited a moment, gauging the expression on his face. "So did you, Oskar. You wouldn't be wearing those stripes on your shoulders if the Commander didn't agree." She reached out for his hand, and after a moment, he extended it, letting her wrap her calloused, slender fingers around his larger hand. The contrast between her nearly black skin and his pale skin never ceased to intrigue him. She squeezed, hard, and he looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time since he'd sat down by her bed.

"It is harder, somehow," he admitted. "When I was KSK, it was human enemies. Even with the terrible things they did in Afghanistan, it wasn't so bad." Oskar clenched his fist, his jaw tightening as well, until he heard Mak make a small sound of discomfort. He relaxed his hands, and gave her an apologetic look, to which she smiled slightly. After a deep breath, he continued. "When I saw Huisman fall, I was scared," he said quietly. He glanced around to see who was near, but no one appeared to be listening in. "It was so much, I wanted to order everyone back to the LZ. We'd barely moved twenty meters, we were still outside the craft. I didn't know what else awaited within, and I didn't want anymore blood on my hands." Constance made a sound of protest, but he overrode her. "Hidde..." he paused, seeking the words. "He was quiet. Barely spoke to anyone, but always willing to help out, if needed. But on the battlefield, he was a monster. He charged in where brave men would hesitate, and he was a virtuoso with that shotgun."

"Oskar, you forget who was with you on that last mission," Constance interrupted. "I knew him, too." Lindemann nodded as she continued. "You couldn't give up, because you knew he wouldn't, in your shoes." Oskar just nodded again. He couldn't dishonor the man's sacrifice by giving up. "You know, he'd be proud of what you accomplished. This is a solid win, and Hidde's contribution helped bring it home, but it was your leadership that saw it through to completion."

Oskar just nodded again, no more words to be said. Mak seemed to know this too, and she just held his hand and closed her eyes with a small, sad smile.

-

The day room was quiet, but it wasn't empty at all. Most of the troopers were there, those not on duty or in medbay, but even the inevitable hum of packed bodies wasn't enough to cover the occasional cough. The small table by the memorial was lined with empty shot glasses, and all of the tables and chairs were occupied with small groups sitting quietly, some drinking, others talking in hushed tones, others still just sitting in silent contemplation.

Most of the troopers didn't know CPL Huisman well, but he was the first casualty since they got here. Some remembered Jensen, but they'd all been so new that his death hadn't made the same impact. Since then, there'd been injuries, even serious ones, but it had begun to seem like XCOM was invincible, that the war was inevitably theirs. Now, the reality of what they did was pinpointed by the photo on the memorial wall, and no one felt like celebrating the strategic victory that the mission represented.

Jade Colman didn't sit with any of the groups clustered around the room. She stood alone at the memorial wall, a full shot of whatever whisky had been going around clutched forgotten in her hand. She hadn't really known Hidde all that well either, but she'd been starting to. After he'd approached her the other day, she'd asked around, and learned that he didn't talk much. Most of those who'd been on mission with him expressed surprise that he'd managed to string so many words together as to actually hold a conversation, let alone the several they'd had before he'd gone on mission. She'd prattled on about rocks and geologic pressures and he'd listened without ever giving any impression that he wasn't really interested. When she'd prodded, he'd revealed small details about his life in Rotterdam, and had told her a couple stories about his brothers in Amsterdam that had her roaring with laughter. He had been a friend, and she'd thought maybe there was more.

But there was no more. Not now, not ever. No more quiet conversations. They'd never go digging around in the tunnels like they'd discussed. This was war, and war tore friends away and ended possibilities. This was the greatest enemy humanity had ever faced, and she'd be damned if Hidde died for nothing. Those bastards wouldn't win this, no matter how many others fell. With that thought ringing defiantly in her mind, Jade lifted the shot glass of whisky, raised it slightly in salute as she stared at the photograph, and drank it down in a single swallow. She placed the glass on the end of the row, then opened her other hand, looking down at what it contained. She blinked several times, then set it down on the shelf, below his picture. It was a geode, broken open so the purple and green crystalls within caught the light, casting tiny ovals of color against the wall. Jade turned away then, approaching the nearest group, who made room for her without a word. Tomorrow was another day, another battle. Tonight, however, she planned on forgetting everything.

OPERATION DEFIANT KING - AFTER ACTION REPORT (01 MAY 2016 @ 1957)

OPERATION DEFIANT KING - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SGT Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 1x "Flying Disc", 4x Drones, 4x Floaters, 9x Seekers, 2x Thin Men, 4x Outsiders, armed with assorted plasma weapons

o Friendly Forces
 - CPL Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
 - CPL Hidde Huisman (Netherlands)
 - CPL Shousei Daiwa (Japan)
 - CPL Monica de Matos (Brazil)
 - CPL Yusuf Hassan (Sudan)
 - SPC Jared Houston (United States)
 - SPC Sylas Maillet (Canada)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Tennessee, United States, 01 MAY 2016 @ 1957 hrs, IOT recon and exploit large, intact alien craft.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 1940 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 1951, and we touched ground at 1957 hrs. We immediately moved to what sparse cover was available and began to assess the situation. The craft was enormous, and appeared to have a large open bay on the end nearest us. There were several dead livestock, and a number of strange devices deployed forward of the bay.

Before we could move up, a pod of robotics immediately approached. Four of the machines were the familiar drones; The fifth was unfamiliar, and appeared to be a smallish flying saucer. The squad immediately cut loose, but only managed to destroy one of the drones, as the disc suddenly rotated and unfolded, guns bristling out of every possible opening. PFC Maillet was injured in their return salvo.

I directed the squad to focus fires on the disc. CPLs Daiwa and Hassan did so immediately, with PFC Maillet finishing it off, which allowed Houston, myself and CPL de Matos to finish off the remaining drones. We did not even have time to reload before a pod of Seekers swooped into view. PFC Maillet led with an AP grenade, injuring the clustered machines, which the squad quickly mopped up.

Given a moment's respite, Daiwa moved up to get a closer look, allowing the rest of the squad to move to closer positions, utilizing what small amounts of cover were available. As soon as Daiwa reached the back of the craft, more Seekers and a drone, accompanied by a pack of Floaters flew out of the bay. I eliminated one of the Floaters immediately, while Houston and de Matos took out the drone, and Maillet the lead Seeker. 

Two more Floaters advanced, firing on Houston, but the remainder of the X-Rays we'd seen retreated to hide within the bay. When Houston moved toward better cover, one of those within winged him, though he remained combat ready. Huisman charged forward drawing fire from within, blowing through his armor and wounding him. He slid into cover behind one of the alien devices, and blew the nearer of the two Floaters out of the air with his shotgun. With his eyes on the interior of the bay, we had a better idea of what we were facing, though Hassan was unable to get a clean shot off before the two Seekers went stealth, and the rest of the X-Rays began raining fire down on Huisman. 

I brought the squad back into tighter formation, and we waited for the X-Rays. To pass the time, Daiwa popped one of the Floaters as it tried to take a shot at him. They didn't make us wait much longer as a Seeker appeared near de Matos, and we blew it out of the sky. When nothing else appeared, Daiwa briefly dodged out into the open to draw them out, narrowly avoiding their attacks, and revealing the Seeker for Hassan to destroy. When the last Floater charged out, de Matos and Maillet brought it to the ground. At this time, we still hadn't left the area around the drop zone. 

Maillet, having already advanced to the back of the ship, kept watch as the squad moved up to the side of the ship, and de Matos provided first aid to Huisman. Before we could get too close, a pod of Seekers and Thin Men appeared on the side of the ship. CPL Daiwa managed to put a bullet in the first Thin Man's head before he could get to cover. Then the squad focused fires on the two Seekers, though it was only with difficulty that the second one was finally put down. 

It was then, while the whole squad was focused on the Seekers, that the second Thin Man managed to get close enough to flank Huisman. Hassan and Daiwa aimed and fired as it approached, but not fast enough. CPL Huisman, unable to react in time, was shot and killed instantly. The Thin Man followed him into death moments later. De Matos checked Huisman's vitals, but she said he was already gone.

At this point, I considered withdrawing from the field. The squad was visibly shaken. But as I watched, I saw them all pull themselves together and reload their weapons. When they looked to me, I ordered the squad to advance up the side of the craft. We weren't going to let his death be for nothing.

I sent Daiwa and Houston up front to a platform with an entrance, while de Matos and Maillet climbed to the roof of the UFO and Hassan and myself positioned ourselves on the side. At my command, Maillet dropped an HE grenade over the side, and blew out the wall in front of myself and CPL Hassan, while Houston and Daiwa moved to the side entrance. The four Outsiders inside scattered for cover. Our initial salvo was not very effective, but as the Outsiders were surprised, their counterattack was less so, though the Seeker that flew out through the hole in the wall was unexpected. Maillet and de Matos, still on the roof, made short work of it before it could come after myself or Hassan.

CPL Hassan nailed the Outsider that was suppressing me, and in the lull, I stood up and finished it off. With nothing else in sight, he moved up, to the hole to cover Maillet's advance. I dropped down to go support Houston as Daiwa shifted through the doorway, while Maillet unsuccessfully attempted to blow cover on one of the Outsiders Houston was covering. Maillet then shifted to allow the prime spot to Hassan.

When Houston put a bullet into one of the Outsiders, de Matos tried to use the opportunity to drop down to assist. Unfortunately, she miscalculated her jump, and exposed herself to their fire. She managed to get herself to cover, despite serious injuries. While she got to cover and conducted self-aid, Houston managed to injure both of the Outsiders that had shot at her. Hassan drew aim, and put a bullet through one of their heads, putting it down permanently, while Maillet lobbed a grenade, severely injuring another, though that did not stop it from returning fire and injuring him nearly as badly.

Just as I made it around to the platform, Houston dodged across for a better shot, and took a major injury himself. Luckily, with de Matos right there, she was able to get him patched up, stimmed and capable of continuing the fight, so he could return fire. The resilient bastards seemed to keep coming back for more, though.

Maillet moved out of the line of fire, and de Matos made her way toward him to provide aid. I suppressed the Outsider nearest, so Houston could make his way to try to flank. Daiwa and Hassan continued to keep the other Outsider pinned while we concentrated on this one.

Once Houston got into position, I continued the suppression while he drew a bead, and crippled it. It tried to flee, but between the two of us, it didn't get far, and he put it down permanently. At the same time, Daiwa, Maillet, de Matos and Hassan massed fires on the Outsider they'd pinned down, and destroyed it.

We carefully cleared the rest of the craft, but it appeared that we'd met the full forces early on, as we encountered no further resistance. We managed to get our wounded back to the Skyranger, as well as bringing CPL Huisman's body back with us.

No brother left behind.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain:
 - Mass fires on designated threats
 - Use all tools to shape the battle

o Improve:
 - Move and shoot, advance in cover
 - Beware of overwatch from enemy you can't see

OPERATION SPECTRAL THUNDER - AFTER ACTION REPORT (22 APR 2016 @ 1437)

OPERATION BANISHED LAW - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: CPL Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 4x "Arachnids", 8x Floaters armed with plasma carbines

o Friendly Forces
 - CPL Oskar Lindemann (Germany)
 - SPC Hidde Huisman (Netherlands)
 - SPC Constance Makhandule (South Africa)
 - SPC Monica de Matos (Brazil)
 - PFC Clarisse Poncelet (Belgium)
 - PFC Jared Houston (United States)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Tennessee, United States, 07 APR 2016 @ 2037 hrs, IOT respond to alien terror tactics.

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 1250 hrs. The Skyranger was wheels up by 1258, and we touched ground at 1437 hrs. We took up initial positions between a large building and a storage shed. SPC Mak moved to the door of the large building, opening it to get a look inside. Once she announced it was clear, PFC Poncelet moved in, providing cover while SPC Huisman advanced to the next door inside. Meanwhile, PFC Houston and SPC de Matos provided cover while I advanced to the corner of the building to assess the situation. I saw a few civilians cowering  nearby, but they did not respond to verbal directions to leave the area.

That was when PFC Poncelet called out a contact report. She was unable to easily articulate what she was seeing, then she started firing and retreating, and SPC Makhandule joined in, killing one of the creatures as they bolted into the room. Mak fired a shredder rocket into the midst of the charging pack, pausing them long enough for Poncelet to recover and throw a grenade. Huisman eliminated one of the remaining X-Rays as Houston fell back to provide support, killing the other. 

The creatures, on closer inspection, were unlike anything we've previously seen. Most of the X-Rays appeared to be generally humanoid, with the exception of the robotic drones and seekers. These were more insect-like, with vicious blades where legs should be. They most closely resembled the "Arachnids" described to me by SPC Donohue, from some movie about aliens. After brief inspection, I directed the squad to move on.

I moved to an overwatch position on the rooftops, while the squad advanced on the back of the next building. Screams from the darkness spurred us on, with de Matos, Huisman and Poncelet taking point as they breached the back door, and Mak and Houston hanging back for support. Once de Matos opened the inner door, they spotted four Floaters. Immediately, Poncelet threw a grenade into the room, injuring two. Mak moved to the other door, setting up intersecting fires, as de Matos fell back, drawing ineffective fire from the injured Floaters. I moved down to support from the outer doorway, while de Matos and Huisman finished off the injured Floaters.

Just then, one of the Floaters took off into the sky, coming down behind Houston and Makhandule. Houston and Mak charged at the thing before it could get off a shot, killing it. At the same time, de Matos moved into the room, and Huisman advanced recklessly through the room to get around the remaining Floater.

This proved ill-advised, as before he could level his shotgun, four more Floaters advanced to surround him. Huisman, surrounded and in bad cover, blew the first of the new Floaters out of the air, as I opened fire and Poncelet ran into the room, lobbing a frag grenade, and blowing out the wall, leaving one of the floater's exposed for de Matos to eliminate. By this time, the Floaters were in motion again, but Huisman turned without a second's hesitation, and blasted one of them at point-blank range. The last Floater scared, jetted into the air, and came down immediately behind me. I jerked my LMG around and blew the X-Ray through the wall.

We cleared the rest of the site, finding 13 civilians still alive, as well as a number of dead. We encountered no further resistance, and returned to the Skyranger for extraction.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain:
 - Mass fires on group targets
 - Applied use of explosives simplifies many problems

o Improve:
 - Never leap before you look
 - NEVER leap before you look. NEVER.

Echoes (22 APR 2016)

This was not, Corporal Lindemann reflected, the worst thing he'd had to do in the military, but it was near the bottom of the list. He re-crossed his arms and shifted around so the outcrop didn't dig into his shoulder as much, and eyeballed the group of privates toiling away before him. He didn't guess he really blamed them, but he'd be damned if he let them see that.

Nearly two months had passed since they'd arrived, and these troops still hadn't been out of the HQ. Lindemann had been out three times on mission, and even he felt a little stir crazy. He'd been spending more and more time in the hangar with Constance, just so he could get a look at the sky regularly. No, he didn't blame them at all for cutting loose a little bit.

It had all started a few days ago, before the latest abduction. Glynn and Oksenov had started talking smack back and forth, both of them expecting to be selected for the next mission, each bragging about how many X-Rays they'd bag. With only ten troopers left who'd yet to go on mission, their chances were good. The rivalry got a little out of hand, and they'd ended up tussling on the floor of the barracks, and had to be broken up by their peers.

When they'd received the mission alert, neither one of them were on the roster. That night, while Parsons and his squad were in Australia, they'd convinced the rest of the privates to conspire in the prank. It'd been a pretty good one, as such things went, but they'd been sloppy, and got caught laughing about it in the day room afterward. Steps had to be taken, mostly to assuage the outrage from the kitchens. Sectoid fingers didn't look that much like spaghetti, anyway.

De Abreu set his shovel aside, and arched his back, producing several audible pops. Oskar winced at the sound and shifted again. As he did, he caught movement coming up the corridor behind him, and turned swiftly, his whole body alert and ready. He needn't have bothered, he realized a moment later as he realized it was another trooper approaching. Unfortunately, it was far too early for SPC de Matos to take over on supervising the punitive detail. He squinted in the dim light as she approached.

"Who comes?" he called in a challenging voice. The woman paused, obviously not having expected to be challenged, then adjusted her path slightly toward him.

"PFC Colman," she replied. "What are you doing down here?" After a second, she seemed to recognize him, because she quickly added "Corporal," and drew herself up. "Apologies, I did not know you at first."

"I should put the same question to you," he said, bristling a little bit. "This is a punitive detail, and you're neither on the detail, nor are you scheduled to supervise."

"I didn't even know this was going on," she replied, hands raised in defense. "It's usually just the engineers. I made friends, and they usually let me come sift through the excavation piles for interesting stones and rocks. It's kind of my hobby." As she spoke, Oskar relaxed a little bit. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

"Well, it's not a good time, now," he said, tossing his head back over his shoulder at the laboring troopers. "These idiots decided it'd be fun to play pranks, so they're working it off." Colman glanced past him, then turned her eyes back toward him, a slight glimmer appearing there.

"Is this about the spaghetti?" she asked. "I heard the kitchens were in an uproar." Oskar didn't say anything, but she must have read confirmation from his expression, and she giggled under her breath, a surprisingly throaty sound. "I wish I could have seen their faces on that one."

Lindemann allowed himself a brief smile, though he kept any amusement out of his tone. "Biological research material doesn't belong in food service areas. Who knows what could have happened?"

"Yeah," she agreed after a moment, then leaned against the wall. "Bet it's no fun having to stand watch, eh? You didn't even do anything wrong."

"Rank has its punishments," he replied. He was the first to achieve the lofty rank of Corporal, which meant he was at least nominally in charge of the barracks. It was an honor, but a dubious one.

"Privileges, too?" Colman replied. "I did note that you got to customize your gear a bit, when I was in the readiness room last."

"Ja," he confirmed. "I've been told it's something of a tradition."

"What's Armarnis?" she asked, shifting her weight. The stone of the wall didn't agree with her, either.

"It's a bit of a long story," Oskar demurred.

"Well, if I'm not allowed to dig through the excavation site, and you're not allowed to leave until your relief shows up, it seems like we've got some time, Corporal."

"I suppose that is so," Oskar shrugged. "It came from my time in Afghanistan. My team was part of a joint operations task force, and I had a workout buddy from Iceland. He'd run for an hour straight, never seemed to phase him, while I usually stuck to lifting." He paused, thinking about it, remembering. "I used to call him Langbein because he was tall, and ran so often." Seeing her confusion, he elaborated. "Langbein is long legs in German. In return, he'd call me Armarnis. I didn't know for a while what it meant, and he'd never explain. After a while, it just stuck, and others started using the same nickname. It wasn't until after he went MIA on mission that I bothered to actually look it up. It should have been obvious, of course."

"Big arms?" she guessed.

"Nein, just arms." Oskar looked back into the cavern where the men toiled, but his thoughts were far away. "I never saw him again, they never found a body. I've kept the nickname since, in memory."

"Makes sense," Colman replied quietly. For several minutes, the two of them just stood there in silence, with only the sound of the picks and shovels echoing through the cavern. After a while, Colman quietly excused herself, leaving Oskar there to watch the troopers.

Suddenly, claxons began to sound, deafening in the enclosed caverns. Oskar listened carefully to the pattern, until he was certain. It was the All-hands alert, which meant everyone needed to be in the barracks, ready to be called. They'd only heard it once, during orientation. This was the first time it'd been sounded in earnest.

"Shovels down," he roared above the din. "Get to the lift, everyone to the barracks."

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

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