HARD LUCK WAR

[GalacticOrigins]

Ok, I am starting a new game on the HARD difficulty setting. I cannot do screenies, but will post a month-by-month synopsis daily after playing. We'll see how the format goes.

Wish me luck! [:D]

oops, I should add ... this is stock game (vanilla) with no mods
No missions are to be redone - no reloading if things go badly!

Original gamesave became Corrupted. Scroll down to the Restart messages.

[GalacticOrigins]

15 January 2108
CAF Commander Hawken takes command. All troopers report in.

Roll Call
                                Agt   Vit   Brav  Str  Reac  Throw  Shoot   AP  Hlth  Courage  Team
Sarah McIntyre              48   48    43     34    31     32       40       58   58    52           1
Nancy Perry                  52    51    39    39    42     45       40       61    61    47           1
Debbie Kay                    49    51    37    36   37     34        42       59   61    44           1
Larry Daniels                 50    52    34    44    40     34        41      60    62    41           1
Janet Brown                  49    50   32     29    37    32        36      59    60    38        2
Juma M'binga                46    48     28    42    43    33        38      55    58    34        2
Gary Thomas                45    52     33    37    36    47        39       54   62    40        2
Brian Mathews              52    51     37    29    38    38        30       62   61    44        2
 
Team One has the better shooters. There are several soldiers with serious weaknesses. Only Larry and Juma have decent strength. Janet and Brian are way down on strength. Also, Brian is a horrible shot. Sarah has the best courage and Brain can throw.

Sarah, Nancy, Debbie and Larry are all well balanced and therefore are the First Team.

We will make do with what we have.

Purchased an extra missile launcher, but it takes strength 40 to use (Juma and Larry). Debbie, Larry and Gary have shotguns.

[GalacticOrigins]

Seems the harder difficulty has some worse stats for starting rookies [:D] (this is not true, the stats are the same no matter the difficulty)

Keeping costs low, we added only an interrogation room, which will not be ready until the end of the month. We spend 22k a day with full research at this time.

Our first research project is Advanced Cannon. This will allow our 2 interceptors to stand a chance in air combat. If we cannot down the enemy ships, we stand little chance to intercept alien missions to our world.

There is nothing to produce at this time so all workers (engineers) stand down.

Time ticks by ...

18/1  15:57 hours   UFO-1, FTR, we did not engage since it was nearby but did not approach on a good trajectory for us to intercept. It went orbital.

19/1  00:01 hrs   UFO-1 did not go orbital, our tracking sensors 'lost' it. The UFO landed in the southern pole area, Syrtis Majoris region. We loaded all troopers and went in ...

19/1  11:30 hrs    UFO-1 lifted off before our transport arrived. UFO left the planet.

21/1  21:44 hrs    UFO-2, a scout, flew over southern Patria. It made a beeline for our Main Base in Ilyria. We waited until it was close and jumped it aggressively, shooting it down at 5:00 hours on the 22nd of January. We waited until daybreak and sent in Team One with a light tank for support.

(I will not post all months this detailed, but a few will be done this way).

[GalacticOrigins]

MISSION Jan/2108 A
Crashed Scout in Ilyria
Sarah, Nancy, Deb and Larry went in. Things went well. Our tank downed any enemy 'floater' thing right off the bat. Although we were shot at, we eliminated all enemies. Never did see the enemy ship until the clean-up engineers arrived. Everyone took shots at the enemy, even missed with a missile and a grenade. Two enemy contacts had to be finished off by the tank. All in all a good op. Nancy and Debbie had xp from hitting targets but no kills. No wounded troopers.

Sarah  1 Kill          6 experience points
Nancy                   1 exp
Larry   2 Kills         10 exp
Debbie                  1 exp
Lt Tank  3 Kills      (tanks do not get experience)

Monday, January 28, 5:45. Our scientists finished the Advanced Cannon for our interceptors. Production commenced immediately. (10 engineers perform 25% of production per day on adv cannon).

Started new projects. 'Chaser alien' 1 scientist, Laser tech 1, Medikit 6, 'scout' enemy craft 2

By starting several projects at once we can track and see which projects are easier and then redistribute the scientists as needed. Right now, we need Critical Healing more than anything else. With only 8 soldiers, if someone were to get wounded we would not have a full complement of soldiers.

[GalacticOrigins]

Uh-oh.

28/1   20:56   Enemy contact, another fighter moving fast at 1264 kph, drifting into Ilyrian airspace from over the ocean to the north. We let it get closer and then aggresively jumped it.

29/1    3:29   We broke off the fight since it went W-NW into Patria and we could not keep up.

30/1   0:19   Spotted a landed enemy fighter in Patria. It was UFO-3, damaged, but operational. We quickly pulled the light tank off of the trans and sent in all 8 troopers. Arrived over target soon after and commenced ground mission.

MISSION JAN/2108 B
Landed Damaged Enemy Fighter craft
All troopers went in, no tank support.

BIG monsters and some shooters again
We had friendly fire, twice, and 2 troopers will end up in sickbay (19 days each for Deb and Janet). We need medikits badly. No one was otherwise hurt and all troopers made it through. Kill report: Sarah 3, Nancy 2, Deb 1, Gary 1. (not that I try and get the girls kills, the guys missed a lot!) We even stunned a floater, but alas, the interregation room is not ready. Sarah and Nancy made promotions. (Each gets +3 Agility and +2 Shooting for first promo, giving Sarah 72 AP and Nancy 77).

[GalacticOrigins]

JANUARY 2108 END OF MONTH
 
Finished Interrogation Room
Changed scientists as follows:
 
Alien shooter at 3% gets 1 scientist
Laser intro tech at 3% gets 1 scientist
Medikit at 14% gets 7 scientists
Scout alien vessel at 5% gets 1 scientist
 
Monthly Rating OK   (We cannot see what is happening on the other side of the world, am certain aliens are not being nice)
 
Income
Ilyria highest at 410k, Syrtis Major lowest at 227k, no regions lost (yet)
Balance of 2.655 million (not much I am affraid)
New research levels of 5/5/23/7% respectively
Production of Advanced Cannon at the rate of 25% per day
 
Built a new Base (Starlight) in Stratos region for about 1 million.
 
This ends the first month of the Hard campaign. Many more to follow [:)]

[GalacticOrigins]

FEBRUARY 2108

This was a rough month but could have been far worse. Many enemy contacts converged over Ilyria near the 21st and a large swarm from the 27th through 29th of the month. It was touch and go both in the air and on the ground. I am hoping that the enemy did not discover the new base in Stratos, but one never knows for sure. At one point we had 4 downed enemy craft sites nearby but only 2 troopers were available. We were able to explore one of them, a scout.

Also, Janet died. We had to abort a mission on the 21st (ftr) and she was left behind. We went back and promptly lost a tank and aborted again. Also, Sarah is in sickbay for the whole next month, although she somehow made Corporal. My troopers have been forced to fight in open terrain, and they are not yet accurate enough for that, especially the rookies. Almost ran out of funds, as well, as the second workshop came on line that I had built. Money is very tight, we sold some extra aircraft armament, but our plan to add a third base in March is halted.

On the bright side, a new trooper, Slim Humult joined the team. He has performed well so far. His ability scores in testing and in the battle simulator were very balanced, and he has done well on the missions. Also, the new cannons have performed admirably in air combat and to top it all off we now have several medical field kits.

Built a second Workshop
Built a Sensor Array in Starlight (Stratos Base). A Missile Defense System is also being installed in Stratos.

Contacts in FEB 08
Scouts 8, shot down 7
Fighters 9, shot down 7

Missions
FTR (success)
SCT (success)
FTR (2 missions, both aborted, lost Janet, lost tank)
SCT (success, lost tank)
SCT (success)

Kills for FEB and Total so far
Sarah             8     12 total
Nancy            5      7
Larry              2      4
Debb              1      2
Janet             0      MIA
Juma              0     1 (stunned an alien in JAN)
Gary              1     2
Brian              1     1
Slim               na    3
Light Tank      10    13

Only Nancy and Gary are available. Everyone else is in the Hospital. We do have a tank though.

[GalacticOrigins]

FEBRUARY 2108 END OF MONTH SUMMARY

Monthly Rating Very Good [:)]

Income
Highest areas Ilyria and Stratos (468k is max on hard game)
Lowest areas Patria (181k) and Syrtis Major (145k) (as expected)

Command Central plans on adding a third fighter to Stratos or a third hangar bay to Main Base, but not both. Funds are too low to add a third base (in Pulsar or Medie). Research is slow but progressing, we should have multiple breakthroughs this month. Engineers are finishing up extra cannons (to replace eventual operational losses) and more field medical kits.

Enemy is expected to be very tough in March. We will most likely lose territories soon. Trooper strength is low, and many are in sickbay. Our plans are to proceed slowly and cautiously, expecially with financing. Of course, we will be aggressive in the air defenses over Ilyria and not hesitate to explore enemy vessels on the ground.

Edit. New Financial Balance of 2.145 million (down 500k from last month)

[GalacticOrigins]

MARCH 2108

Remember that this is the HARD difficulty setting.

Many contacts.

Type         Number (flying/landed)   Shotdown    Explored   Success
Scout          13/1                             8              2/1          2/0
Fighter         10/2                             9              1/0          1/0

A total of 23 flying enemy contacts and 3 landed contacts. 1 scout is currently in low orbit headed for southern Patria.
Explored a total of 4 sites and had 3 successful missions. Not as many as last month but trooper strength was low.

Kills for the month were a total of 16 for the troopers and 4 for the tanks.
We captured an enemy Leader, but the scientists and linguists are currently stumped.
Light Tanks destroyed = 3 (120k lost), 0 in base atm

It was a very active month but we were short on soldiers. Sarah was out the whole month. The missions were long (again, no reload even in a 'failed' mission). Received a new recruit, John J. Johnson. He has very balanced stats and was promoted on his first mission. Then, he was wounded on the second mission, a scout, for 45 days! We have decided that scouts are too risky for now and will no longer send missions to most of them. Our squad has trouble entering the small door to the scout craft, and the aliens do not always come out. Our infantry armored suits seem to have problems with the gas attacks, as well. (If trooper strength was not so low we could go more often, but the casualties mount more in the scout missions for me in early game.)

We lost Brian on a landed (scout/base) mission in Seathopia. Could not be helped. Gary was able to take down one enemy but we only had 3 soldiers at the time. On a positive note, all currently assigned troopers have been promoted at least once. We ended the month with 3 active troopers and 5 in the hospital.

Five new technologies were researched this month. Nothing is produced atm since we have no new items. Gained valuable insights into alien creatures, alien ships and some laser technology. More tech will be forthcoming in April.

Our costs started out at 38k per day but then dropped to 23k per day after our twenty engineers finished their work. We also built a new Hangar at Main Base (MB).


MARCH 2108 END OF MONTH SUMMARY

Income
Highest Ilyria at 468k. Syrtis Major is now at 72k, Patria 110k, and Peloponesia is infested (zero k).

Total Financial Balance is now 2.516k (up about 400k from last month)
Monthly Rating OK  [&:]

Hopefully, we will add a 3rd Interceptor at Main Base next month. We will also build a new base, most likely in Medie. CAF Commander believes the base build has priority.

[Shadow of the Condor]

Good luck with your game. Your posts provide insight. I'll try not to poach too much.

[GalacticOrigins]

APRIL 2108

This month was much quieter than March. Maybe it seemed that way due to the high number of troopers recovering in the Hospital (which limited our ground missions heavily). We added a third base, Medieval, in Medie. Since we lacked funds, we held off on a third interceptor. We even scrapped the fourth Hangar in Main Base. Once the Medie base was up, we added a detection array and one missile defense system.

Type      Flying/Landed   Shotdown    Missions    Success   Aborted
Scout       8/2               5               0/1           0/1          0
Fighter      7/3               3               0/1          0/1           0
Base          1                 0                1            1 success!

The scout was a landing in Patria. For this mission we only had 2 Pvt. and 1 Rookie plus a lt tank. Lost only 1 wounded. (It was a good thing to go there, since the enemy was building a base foundation and we stopped it.)
The fighter was a landing in Seathopia. The enemy conquered the region. We had a successful mission and located the enemy base after the initial mission.
The enemy Terrorized our good citizens in Ilyria. Alas, we lacked troopers and could not respond. Our people are not happy with us this month!
The base assault was at the end of the month. We sent in 8 troopers and came out with 5 active (but 6 in hospital). Now we only have 2 troopers ready. It was a SUCCESS! We nabbed some funds and eliminated the enemy presence in Seathopia (it rebounded at 111k at month's end).

Although we only had 3 missions, enemy kills were very high. We had a total of 4 light tank kills and 28 trooper confirmed kills. We also ran into a new enemy, slither things. We were able to capture (via stun rockets) one of the new enemies ... it was a Commander! The boys and girls in the Lab were very pleased, as was High Command.

So far in the War, we have been on 15 missions. Lt Tank has killed 34 aliens, troopers have killed 56, grand total 90 enemy dead. Shotdown 20 scouts and 19 fighters so far (some contacts too far and fast for our ints. to engage). We currently have 3 bases (Ilyria, Stratos, Medie).


APRIL 2108 END OF MONTH SUMMARY

Rating TERRIBLE [:@]
Funds Balance 2.198 million (down ~350k from March)
Research - One item (a light weapon, limited usefulness), several others proceeding
All regions were low on funding, with Patria at 51k and Syrtis at 30k. Those far regions will most likely fall soon.

Our next month's plans are to sit tight while researching key techs and not overspend. Many troopers are in sickbay. We did receive 2 new balanced troopers, B.A. Barackus and Robert Alliston. Both were promoted on their initial missions, but Robert was wounded during his first mission - base assault.

The tank was only used once, and did not die. It is amazing how much damage these aliens can take! In one incident, a shooter-walker was hit by the Tank Main Gun, a Shotgun, and finally a Rifle, all it close to moderate range.

(HARD difficulty is, well, harder than Normal. I have not tried Easy, but on HARD the enemies have more health. Also, item costs are not higher, but funding is FAR tighter, even on Normal. Of course, on Normal I was able to keep the aliens off of the planet for 1-2 years, always taking any base they nabbed. HARD should be more of a challenge ...)

[GalacticOrigins]

btw, thanks for the post Shadow of the Condor!
 
I have finished May, but am too tired to type it up. I will do so after work tomorrow
 
(it was a good month)

[GalacticOrigins]

MAY 2108

I won't bore anyone with the minor details. Other than the first 3-4 scout missions, were we had 3 troopers and a tank each, not much to really report. On the second mission the tank died VERY early and we aborted, but did get a kill for a trooper. Near the middle of the month we could actually go on larger missions since many troopers came out of the Hospital, ready for action. It was a very active and good month overall.

Type        Fly/landed     Shotdown    Missions   Success   Aborted
Scout       14/1             9                 6            5            1
Fighter      9/0              6                 3            3
New Craft   1/0             1                 0

Ran into a new mega enemy ship. After a two-day running fight it came back and we blew it up over the Ilyrian mountains. 9 missions (8 successful), 12 kills for the LTank, 47 for the troopers, lost 3 LTanks, and ended in fair shape trooper-wise.


MAY 2108 END OF MONTH SUMMARY

Rating Good [:)]
Financial Balance 2.712 million (up 370k from April)
Researched 4 new technologies, including some goodies

Operational costs are about 1.1 million a month after normal starting expenses, and 1.82 million up front. We run 1 Lab, 2 Workshops, and 2 Interceptors. Adding more INT in the nearby bases will help cover the air space and protect those areas. We need another Hangar at MB, possibly 2 (giving us 5). Side bases are vulnerable to being 'taken out' by the enemy. (We do not always have the means to go in within 10 days to recapture them since many soldiers are usually in wounded stages).

This is a long war and overspending early on Labs and Workshops is not recommended.

We may be on the threshold of several advantages with Research. Seems the sci-techs are thinking up new ways of doing things. We have a new tank design, if we build it we could leave it at MB in case we are attacked there. Also, injury reduction time may be reduced soon. Research is progressing well on several items.

June will most likely be very busy. Although we destroyed the first of a new, larger enemy ship class, we had two attempts at it, since it initially retreated only to return 2 days later (we killed it the second time, it was already damaged from the first time.) No INT have been destroyed, yet, but High Command is guessing we may need more to handle the large number of contacts we are seeing. Still, there is no need just yet for more Interceptors (which keeps costs down).

After researching some alien tech we sold a bunch of it. Made over 1 million, added a fourth base in Pulsar (Quantum).

[GalacticOrigins]

JUNE 2108
 
Both good and bad happened this month. As usual, the early month was a setup by the aliens as they flew around in smaller craft and then sent in the big boys late in the month. We had to explore a landed scout as it was in Ilyria and stop it from finding our Main Base, which resulted in 3 casualties and near-mission failure. Luckily, our lowest ranking trooper won the day, which was good because the light tank had 7 health left. The enemy found a different base, in Stratos, anyway.
 
Type    Fly/Landed  Shotdown   Missions   Success  Aborted (none in JUN)
Scout        6/1            3               1            1
Fighter      9/1            7               3            3
Lvl 3 craft  3/1            0               1            1
Bases         0              0               1            1
 
The Lvl 3 was landed in Peloponesia, after we explored the sight and gained info on the new craft type (type 3 enemy ship), we located an enemy base in the region. The month ended at that point. The enemy also captured our base in Stratos, but we liberated it before the end of the month. Total missions were 6, 3 of them juicy fighters.
 
Sarah and Deb are both SGT now, but Sarah rocked in the month's final mission nabbing 4 more kills, giving her 11 for the month (her accuracy and AP are high since she will not get mega-strength).
 
Kills for the month were 56, 5 by the light tank. We lost 1 light tank and 1 interceptor (220k lost). Kelly Thompson joined our force as a new recruit. We ended the month with 5 active soldiers and 6 wounded.
 
 
JUNE 2108 END OF MONTH SUMMARY
 
Rating OK
Financial Balance 1.551 million (down 1.161 million from May) [:(]
Researched 2 techs (good buildings, but expensive)
 
Money is very tight, even after selling some alien hardware. Costs are skyrocketing. We built a new tank design and 2 new tech buildings at Main Base. When we tried to add interceptors to nearby bases, the enemy conquered one of them. We retook the base and recovered our INT.
 
(For some reason one of my INT would not repair ... weird. I had to sell it back.)

[GalacticOrigins]

THE WAR IS ON HOLD SINCE MY SAVEGAME FILE BECAME CORRUPTED.
 

It appears that if a ship is sold from Main Base Hangar One all future gamesaves are corrupted. Unfortunately I do not have a JUN save, since I have so few saves. Therefore, This War is Over (unless someone comes up with a quick fix fast, if it is patched in the future that is not going to help ...)

This just in ... BUGS WIN ! [:D]



Edit: Well, I can restart. I will just attempt to get similar faces and redo most of the months as above, although missions, kills and some funding will be different. It will be awhile until the next update as I have to play 6 months from the beginning ...

[GalacticOrigins]

After the Restart:

26 March 2108, 16:43 hours local
Location: Seathopia Low Orbital Air Space
Mission: Base Assault

"Ok, all, listen up," started CPL Sarah McIntyre. Her sing-song voice carried over the sound of the Raider's deep engine hum. "High Command launched a successful Recon Op in Seathopia earlier in the month. As you know, Sealand was infested by the Bugs not too long ago. After our Operation against the landed Fighter, we have located the enemy Base. We've waited until the 26th since we now have 8 soldiers at the ready. So, we are going in."
The rest of the squad was in a semi-circle around Sarah. Transports aren't noted for much comfy room, and the Red Raider One was no exception. Seven members of the CAF Assault Team were around CPL McIntyre, some standing, some kneeling on one knee. This was a big operation, the biggest yet. All month the CAF Interceptors had been flying around-the-clock missions, keeping Ilyria free from enemy contacts. Almost 40 enemy craft had zoomed in towards Main Base in March, many to be shotdown by the Raptor's of Flight Squadrons One and Two. Losses to the Raptors had been light. Unfortunately, CAF was short on active troopers, and many of the downed craft had not been investigated.
"Ok, hold on a second ..." Sarah turned to the aide just behind her right shoulder. The aid had a lap-monitor, and Sarah looked at some last minute info. She turned and started confiding in her #2, CPL Nancy Perry.

Meanwhile, some of the others chatted a little, as Sarah went over last minute details of her assault plan with Nancy.

"Ya think thar be Bugs, or Shooters, Juma?", asked Joe Mama.
"Bugs, I like 'em lots! Hate the greys," replied Juma. Both men were tall and well built, from the African colonies located in Inferno Region.
Joe only nodded.

"I dunno, what do you think", asked Slim. He was in the back, near a short and pretty young lady with brown hair and brown eyes.
"About what?" replied Alyssa, as she checked her Projectile Rifle MkII.
"About them two. You know, Sarah and the other one. I mean, up until this month lil' Sarah had only 1 kill and spent more time in bed than in the field. Now, she's in command! I mean, come'on! Why put her in charge?"
"Well," replied PVT Alyssa Carlyle, "She did go out on four, count 'em, FOUR 2-man scout exploration missions. Wait, no, three. The last one she was alone, almost forgot about that." Alyssa reflected for a moment. Little Sarah had really racked up the kills, and going alone? with just a Light Tank? wow! "And," Alyssa continued, "She and John J. did go by themselves, with a tank, of course, to that landed fighter contact in the first place. If it weren't for her, we'd still be in the dark about the base location. She's been to the area, and she has a good head for tactics."
"Eh, yeah, I guess," shrugged Slim.

"Ok, listen up." Sarah resumed the briefing, and the others quickly fell silent. "High Command believes that, although the enemy base was just built (placed? dug?) this month, an enemy Fighter craft landed there after John J. and I went in. They think that craft unloaded a hoard of enemy defenders."
Groans and moans were exclaimed by the CAF troopers.
"Now, don't get all bent out of shape. It has been some time since we went in full-force, and now we all have a little bit of experience. We'll do well, keep your heads up, and don't succumb to despair." Sarah finished, she always was a no-nonsense type. The truth was, except for their very first mission, they had not launched an 8-trooper operation until now. This would be their second. Oh, and no one had ever explored an enemy base, not yet anyway. Although Sarah exuded confidence, she had her doubts.

"Landing in 2 minutes," the copilot stated over the intercome. The helm station for all Red Raider transports was not accessible by the Main Landing Bay for security reasons. "All sensors show clear air over the target."

Well, thought Sarah, that was good. Nothing worse than getting shot down over the landing zone.

The huge transport began its descent ...

(to be continued)

[GalacticOrigins]

Seathopia Assault cont.

They were all lined up. CPL Sarah McIntyre was in front, with CPL Nancy Perry to her left and PFC B.A. Barackus to her right. B.A. had that heavy Projectile Shotgun series 10, a good thing to have even if a little inaccurate. On Nancy's left was PFC Juma M'binga. Behind them, from left to right, were PVT's John J. Johnson, Slim Humult, Alyssa Carlyle and RK Joe Mama. Like B.A., Slim also had a shotgun. The rest has standard issue assault rifles. Some troopers had bulges in their backpacks. These were X7 Rocket Launchers, portable. All of them had experience, although Joe was the newest. He had seen a few missions, and even had one kill, but always seemed to end up in the hospital. He was considered a Rookie by the others.

They were in a small room, facing a very large door. The walls, although made of dirt, had been altered in some strange way, giving it unnatural strength, like wood or metal. The place stank of mold, mildew and something far worse no one wanted know about. It was cold and clammy and underground. Somewhere, water dripped. A low, bassonic hum could be 'felt' as much as heard from somewhere. There was an eerie green glow about the place, and the troopers were very quiet.

Sarah motioned to John J., who had a clear path to the door. He went forward quickly and silently and opened the door with a mild Woosh! All could cleary see a wall immediately on the other side. There was a corridor, parrallel to the door, heading north and south. John J. stepped into the hallway.

He looked north. Dead end. He looked south, and saw a long, narrow corridor, about two trooper's width, winding south. There was a zig part way to the left, and then it went south again. Just before the zig, and about three decent paces in front of him, he thought a corridor broke off to the right.

The rest of the squad moved in behind him, as he cautiously moved south. All of a sudden he thought he saw a brown shape in the corridor away south, "Monsters," he stated. Tension eased somewhat, since most soldiers feared a shootout. Especially with the slither-things. The slithers had been fought twice, on the very first mission back in January and the latest, the recon mission to this very place. A shootout meant high casualties, since the aliens had technology that made the trooper armor seem like silk. If they had monsters, as it appeared, all they had to do was find an open area and line up and down the silly things before the monsters closed. Those 2 meter brown shapes had razors for claws.

Sarah wasn't happy. Sure, the slithers, grey shooters and those pesky floating things were what most soliders feared, but these were big, brown monsters. Those monsters meant close-combat, and this corridor was not the place she wanted her squad for such a fight. She gave the order, "Open Fire!"

B.A. was first to shoot. He had moved to the front per orders, and was standing next to Alyssa. They both opened fire, and the monster reacted faster than lightning. It came right at them, but died eventually. Another took its place. The shotgun kept plugging rounds to the south, but B.A. cried out. Something was messing with his mind, lowering his will to fight. All of a sudden a monster appeared right in front of the squad! SLASH! SLASH! Both B.A. and Alyssa cried out as they were slashed by a monster that came from the right passage.

Sarah shouted orders and the squad reacted. Joe Mama moved behind B.A. and pulled out medical gear. He quickly staunched the blood for both B.A. and Alyssa, and both of the wounded troopers ran north, letting their squad mates take the front row. This was Joe and Slim, who now opened fire on both monsters. The close one was killed from vicious shots, and the farther one, down south, came on like a bull.

"Kill it and get back!" yelled Sarah. Quickly, the squad retreated some, and Nancy Perry stood in front and dropped the third beast just before it reached her. Joe was at her side.

"Be carefull everyone, there may be more," stated Sarah. Not listening Joe moved forward. He never saw the monster as it appeared before him and SLASH! down went Joe! His blood spattered all over Nancy, but as cool as can be she fired her rifle as fast as she could. The monster cringed. Alyssa stood in and fired, and the monster eeked. She stepped back and John J. took his shots, and finally the monster died.

"Back! Back out now!" ordered Sarah. The squad quickly left the corridor. The fight had taken less than a minute. In the narrow confines of that passage the monsters had all the advantages, especially since they had multiple ways to get to the squad while the troopers could only form a rank of 2 soldiers wide. The door wooshed! shut behind the retreating soldiers.

(to be continued)

[GalacticOrigins]

Seathopia Base Assault continued (part 3)
 
Sarah McIntyre took stock of the situtation. She had 1 trooper down and 2 wounded, although B.A.'s was injury was minor. Joe was dead, but if she could get his body and DNA back to base maybe the med-techs could do something. This was, after all, the 22nd Century.

"They're not coming, Ma'am," said PVT Slim Humult. Slim was a tall, slender guy who had light-sensitive eyes and therefore had to wear reddish goggles in combat.

He was right. Sarah's command had fallen back into the first room. Sarah knew that the aliens were not stupid. Her troopers had set up a cross-fire semi-circle near the back wall of the room, facing the door. Anything that came through would be nailed by seven angry soldiers.

Several minutes had passed. Surely there were more enemies afoot. CPL McIntyre thought quickly. She gave the order, "Move back into the corridor, but stay near the door. Watch for the ones that come around the corner. Go!" The squad moved as one to carry out her command.

Slim and John J. were in the lead. They moved back into the corridor. The previous firefight had caused some damage to the installation down the southern passage, and the smell of the previous gunfire was in the air. Both Slim and John J. opened fire at long range with their Rifles, and the Monsters responded by coming straight at them. One monster was downed, only to be replaced by another. And another. And another...

The battle had been raging for a while. Each time a monster was killed another appeared to take its place. Further back, the squad could see more monsters milling about. The place was infested, that's for sure.

During the early part of the battle, a stray round from Alyssa Carlyle's Rifle hit the wall to her left, exploding and opening a small gap into the squad's safety room. They would be flanked if something was not done fast!

"Nancy, you and I block this gap!" ordered Sarah. "You, too, Juma, come on!"

The three quickly moved to close the gap. Along the way, Juma exclaimed, "Ma'am, I ain't the best shot!"
Sarah had forgotten. Juma scored 40% routinely during marksmen training with the Rifle.
"Ok, John J., down here with us! Jum, take the north rearguard, up the passage, and assist as needed!"
"Yes, Ma'am," both Juma and John J. assented and moved into position.

With some squad members in the main corridor and the other thee holding the new gap, the CAF personnel had all angles covered. The fight continued and lasted what seemed an eternity ...

B.A. was in the zone. He loved for this. Like Sarah, he was a no-nonsense type, taking most things seriously. His shotgun banged over the sounds of the Rifles as he laid into the enemy ...

Alyssa's legs ached and her wounded left shoulder seared. Her eyes watered. Moments before she had nearly died, and Joe had saved her. Now Joe was dead, and his corpse was at B.A.'s feet. She noted that PFC Barackus seemed not to notice, or to care, as he fired shell after shell from his shotgun. Monsters were doen in the corridor, and access to a room over on the right was openened from all the gunfire. She thought she could see small, low power generators, and on the other side, monsters. The generators were sometimes in her way, but not for long as her misses soon blew them up. She had to reload her rifle, so she called out, and Slim assented. Soon, she pulled back and let Slim take her place ...

John J. was in a bad spot. His head ached and he could not move or fire his weapon.
Nancy, Sarah and John J. had been taking turns in the gap. From their position, they were a little closer, and scored hits regularly. Now, however, John J. was in the front and paralyzed. Sarah took action. She reached into her backback and pulled out a large, bulky X7 launcher. She took aim down the corridor, and fired. The missile WOOSHED! out of the launcher and down the passage. She saw it go off course at the last second, but then BOOM! the while southern passage was lit up by flames from the rocket explosion. She did not wait to asses the damage.

Nancy quickly moved in front of John J. She always respected the him with his broad shoulders, even if she were taller than he. ack!ack!ack! went her Rifle, and another enemy fell to the accuracy of PFC Nancy Perry ...

The battle continued, as the monsters came from three angles. Directly south, from a room also south, and and times from the right hand corridor. Another access had been opened to the right, closer than the main right passage, and things were a little touch and go. At one point, Sarah herself felt the mind attack as a monster way off right refused to use the right passage and instead came up through the new gap. She downed it with her rifle. Like Nancy, she was a good shot, the best, in fact.

Nearly everyone had a reload, even when the Rifle was shot with accurate aiming on single-shot mode they all ran out of ammunition. Luckily, Logistics Support Command back at base had made them all load down, seemingly with far too much gear. They were thankful for that now, as they used the ammo like crazy.

After a while, the monsters stopped coming. Over twenty of the brown, huge monsters lay before them, all mangled and messed up. They took a breather. Could the battle be over?

(to be continued)

[GalacticOrigins]

Seathopia Base Assault part 4

Sarah knew there were more monsters around. She could feel them. She ordered the squad to proceed south, using standard look and cover tactics they were all proficient with. Seemed most of the monsters were from this area, and they had better check it out first.

As the squad moved south, they took the left zig. It opened into a long, narrow room with pylons to the ceiling. The room stretched out to the south, but seemed to serve no useful purpose. The squad checked the room, and at the end a long corridor went to the right, east. The squad took position, some covering the new corridor, others taking the rearguard.

Sarah and Nancy were in the rear, along with Juma. No one knew why, but the monsters were hiding. They would have to sweep the area to find them.

Slim and B.A. were covering the new passage. They moved up a little, backed by Alyssa. John J. positioned himself so he could go north or south, and assist either of the 3-trooper squads. He had checked the far left SE corner of the room, and found nothing, not even a door.

Slim's head ached. Something was messing with him. He got angry, 'nothing is gonna take my head! his thoughts raced. He moved down the passage, and a monster came up awfully fast but at range. He missed, but Alyssa and B.A. didn't. Sarah ordered the squad to proceed down the new passage. Everyone tightened up a little in the formation.

Slim was in the lead again, with B.A. to his right. A large door was just past B.A., but it exploded when a stray round caught it. Better check it out, thought B.A., and he moved up and right. He saw a large room with strange plants as obstacles. Slim took position in the hallway looking further down the passage.

The monsters made one last assault. They came up close, and Slim's rifle arm was slashed to the bone. He stood his ground, as Alyssa and he fired into the beasty. B.A. had his hands full, as another monster worked its way towards him around the plants in the room. Alyssa cried out, and fell to the floor in a crumpled form. There were too many! Her earlier wounds had weakened her, and yet another monster got in on the squad.

Slim pulled back a little, as the other four soldiers came up. His arm was useless. That left B.A. all alone for a moment, as he had to continue firing at the monsters coming through the room. But the monsters were finished. There were no more to kill, and the last two fell with that strange sound their lungs make when they die. The battle was over.

31 monsters had been slain by the CAF. With a mission rating of Excellent, high command decided to promote seven soldiers, all except Joe who had fallen as the battle began. Only three, Slim, Alyssa and Joe Mama were wounded for any length of time, but two of them had to spend time in the Rehab Tank for 44 days each. The base was useless, as the alien technology was something humans could not live in or use. Still, information gained from the base assault would assist in the war, and it was going to be a long fight. The CAF was able to make quite a sum of cash selling off those strange plants to the civilian scientists and collectors ...

END BATTLE


Ok, so I am not a great writer. Seems a little dry, but then again I don't write like this often [8D]

[GalacticOrigins]

1 May 2108 - Update
 

The War to date ...

Type    Contacts Shotdown   Missions   Success/Aborted
Scout     32        25             7             4/3
Fighter    36        20            11            9/2
Base Aslt   3                       2              2

Total Kills
Light Tank (Zebra)       23     lost 8 tanks so far (320k)
Heavy Tank (Panther)    na   stays at base
Total Trooper Kills       123

Top Go Getters with highest kills
SGT Sarah McIntyre _______ 26 kills
SGT Nancy Perry __________ 21 Kills
SGT B.A. Barackus ________ 20 kills
CPL Juma M'binga _________ 11 kills
CPL John J. Johnson _______ 11 kills

Least Kills PVT Joe Mama with 3 (always in the tank for like 44 days at a time when wounded!)

END OF MONTH SUMMARIES
January ____ Rating Good ____ Balance 2.770 million __ Research 1 item
February __ rating V.Good ____ bal. 2.663 _______ research 1 item
March _____ rating Good _____ bal. 3.000 _______ research 1 item
April ______ rating OK _______ bal. 2.521 _______ research 1 item

Income usually below 1 million at each month's end
Research about to make breakthroughs on 8 items
Highest ranking soldier SGT Sarah McIntyre (26 kills)
Total trooper strength 11, all wounded on May 1st, 2108
Total Bases 4 (Starlight, Medieval, Inferno)
Total Interceptors 3


(the story above mentioned many contacts in March. Some were undoubtedly repeats as the alien craft drifted in and out of sensor range. Still, we had 14 scout and 15 fighter contacts in March 2108. Shot down 11 scout and 10 fighter. Missions were 3/0 scout, 4/2 fighter, and 1 base assault. Second number is successful missions. On most of the scout missions I sent 2 troopers and a tank, on one just 1 trooper and tank All the scout missions were aborted, usually after the tank died. One fighter mission was a recon to find an enemy base. All I had were 2 troopers and a tank but they won the day! yay! [:)])