6 - OPERATION SWEATY ALTAR
Recover Resistance Operative
Team Members -
Sergeant Zappa - Sniper
Sergeant Au - Skirmisher
Corporal Russell - Specialist
Rookie Miller
Corporal Bernstein - Sniper
Hunter didn’t show last mission. He’s certain to show up this time. Oh man, I got a real bad feeling about this mission. It’s in the Ruined Subway, I gotta rescue a guy, and I don’t see an evac… First Pod is two Troopers. The team goes into overwatch while the Troopers stroll too close and notice us, where they’re taken down by Zappa and Russell with her shiny new Magnetic Rifle.
And the Warlock makes his appearance. He’s weak to explosions and Reapers, and we don’t have any Reapers on this mission. Only a couple of grenades. Au moves up and activates a pod with a Sectoid, Stun Lancer, and a Trooper. The rest of the team is either too far away or blocked by the map to be very effective, so most go into overwatch. Au wounds the Stun Lancer and Bernstein repositions and takes a pot shot at the Sectoid with his Pistol, but misses. The Sectoid tries to mind-control Au and fails, but Au panics. He moves up a bit, still in cover, takes another shot at the Stun Lancer and misses. The Trooper misses Miller, and the Stun Lancer moves up. Overwatch from Miller is able to drop him. The Warlock summons a Spectral Zombie, something I think I’m going to see a lot of this mission. It moves up, but Russell is able to take it out from overwatch.
Russell flanks the Sectoid and CRITS him, dropping him. Au is no longer panicked. Au tries to RipJack the Trooper, but misses. He shoots it dead, instead. The team proceeds towards the VIP, slowly. The Warlock moves closer, and Zappa and Bernstein take shots at him, but both miss. He has too much cover. But Russell manages to wound him for 5. The Warlock summons a Trooper, which Miller manages to drop from overwatch. The Warlock also dazes Bernstein, but Au is right next to him and gets him back up as a free action. Russell nails the Warlock again, for another 6! Au moves up and tosses a grenade at the Warlock. With his Volatile Mix ability and the Warlock’s weakness, the Warlock takes 11 dam! He only has 3 HP left. Zappa tries to finish him off, but misses. Bernstein is recovering from the daze, can only use his pistol, and only has a 7% chance of hitting the Warlock. Still, he goes for it! He misses. Only Miller is left. He moves up, losing Full Cover for Half Cover and takes aim. He’s a Rookie, and the Warlock has Full Cover. His odds aren’t good. But he hits for 7! The Warlock is defeated and teleports out.
The team takes a full round reloading to prepare for the ambush I’m almost certain is going to happen as soon as I activate the VIP. And here it comes. Of course, I triggered it a bit before I was ready. They’re coming in from opposite sides, with the team in the middle. Nice. Each pod is a Sectiod and a Trooper, and the ominous flare of another pod is dropped… The team is closest to the pod by the train. Russell flanks the train-Sectoid, but misses. Bernstein tosses his grenade at the train-Trooper and kills it. Miller moves to get a better shot at the Sectoid, but misses. Zappa shoots it with his pistol, but is unable to kill it.
Au flanks the Sectoid on the Warlock side and wounds it.
Two more Troopers arrive on the train side. And another pod will arrive next turn on the Warlock side. The Warlock-side Sectoid moves and flanks Bernstein and one-shots him with a CRIT… Bernstein is KIA. Miller, his bondmate, goes beserk. She attacks three times, but only manages to kill the train-side Sectoid.
Au RipJacks a Trooper that Russell wounded and kills it. There are three enemies left, but two more will arrive next turn… Au, still on the Warlock side, aims at the Trooper, but misses. Miller moves back a bit, takes aim at the Warlock-side Sectoid… odds aren’t great. And he hits and kills it!
The Trooper Au missed moves up, getting him range and behind Zappa… he shoots and wounds Zappa for 3. Two more Troopers arrive on the Warlock side, and another ominous flare drops on the train side…
Russell is no longer berserk. She reloads and heals Zappa with her Gremlin. Evac has arrived and I didn’t even notice it! But Au is too far away, anyway. We’ll have to hold out until next turn. The VIP evacs. Au moves closer to the evac, which allows him to flank one of the new Troopers on the Warlock side, but he misses his shot. Miller moves to Full Cover and shoots at the same Trooper, but also misses. Zappa moves to better cover and goes into pistol overwatch. Two more Troopers arrive train side, but Zappa is ready and shoots one dead like a dog. There are now three Troopers on the Warlock side. Two go into overwatch, but a third manages to flank Russell and wound him for 4.
We’re ready to evac the rest of the team, but we need to hope the two Troopers in overwatch miss. With the highest HP, Au goes for it! And he’s nailed twice, each for 3. But he lives! The team evacs. Victory… of a sort.
Russell - Miller - Zappa - Au
Russell is promoted to Sergeant, and Miller is promoted to Squaddie - Sniper. Au, Zappa, and Russell are Gravely Wounded.
The new Engineer will immediately be put to work in the Infirmary to reduce the healing time.
RIP Corporal Harvey Bernstein. 5 Kills, 3 Missions.