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>>434693
"Two guys spotted us, pretty sure they're gonna try to make their way up here. And there's some troopers moving on the alley."

"I've got 'em," Vasquez replies, setting aside her rifle. "Just keep me covered." She pulls a console out of her pack, and you recognize some of the parts on it. Is she a hacker? Her drone goes zipping off toward the alley, while you take a very low position near the ladder. The screaming and dying cries for help wear on your nerves - you recognize some of the voices. Then, you hear them coming up, armor clattering against the rusty rungs as they climb quickly. Ready to fire, you line the assault rifle right up to where a helmeted head should be popping up any second...

A grenade soars out of the ladder well and over the lip of the roof. Shouting a warning to Vasquez, you...
>Shoot the grenade.
>Dive behind the AC unit.
>Think of something else, you have a split second.

>>434742
>Think of something else, you have a split second.
Catch the grenade and throw it back.

>kick the grenade
I think picking it up will take too long.

>>434742
How far away are we from the grenade?

>>434752
>>434765
You can try, but they're both very risky moves. If you want to, roll 1d100, I'll take high rolls.

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>434776

>>434775
You're about 5 feet away from the ladder, and the grenade is in midair on an arc toward the center of the-

>>434779
Holy shit. Alright then.

Woo! Are we an ex-soccer star or something?

>>434779
That's the one Audie Murphy moment of the campaign.
Time to go back to being careful.

>>434742
Reacting before your brain even has a chance to think, you feel yourself almost watching the next few seconds unfold from outside of your own body. You shout a warning to Vasquez, "Grenade!" Springing forward from your crouched position, you soar into the air, rifle hanging off its sling. You snatch the orb with one hand, pass it off to your right, turn in mid-flight, and send it flying right back at the lip of the ladderwell, all in one fluid motion.

The ADVENT troopers stacked up for the assault don't even register the failure of their plan. The grenade bounces into the cage and explodes, sending the two bouncing down 2 stories in many bloody pieces.

You turn around and Vasquez is staring at you with her jaw hanging open, you have a moment to make a badass boast or say something awesome.

>Write-in

>>434817
>Don't say anything; just give a big grin and crouch back into position.

>>434827
I'm not good at write-ins but this sounds pretty good.

>>434817
"Not their day, I guess."

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>>434827
>>434849
You can't help it, despite the gravity of the situation unfolding, that was fucking awesome, and both you and Vasquez know it. You give her a champion grin as you move back to her side and reposition for overwatch. Vasquez just shakes her head in disbelief and slaps you hard on the shoulder, getting back to her console.

Your curiosity gets the better of you as you continue surveying the carnage. You peek over and take a look at the screen of the console, watching as her drone zips through the crowd uninhibited, seeking out and pulling right up to the two ADVENT troopers you spotted trying to reach Chan and Waller's position. As one pulls the pin out of his grenade, the drone zaps him, causing him to drop it.

"Awesome," you marvel. Nothing you, Aqua and Will cobbled together in the shop could hold a candle to this tech. You hear the explosion go off a second later.

"You like the Gremlin, huh?" she quips as it zips right back up to the rooftop, hovering beside her. "Well shit, rookie, let me introduce the two of you, it's the least I can do after that loco shit you pulled back there..." The firefight is dying down below, and Vasquez begins explaining the basic controls of the console to you...

>continued

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>>434915
...but doesn't get very far before she's interrupted. "Shit, this isn't good."

"What? What's going-"

"Shut the fuck up," she says, holding her hand to her earpiece. "Damn, there it is," she says, pointing out several more ADVENT dropships soaring in from afar. "Shit just got hot, get ready!"

Three more ADVENT dropships come screaming in, hovering low momentarily to drop their payload before soaring back off. You feel a tinge of fear as you see the ADVENT MECs drop out of the first dropship on a rooftop down the main road, but that's nothing compared to the terror of the next dropship vectoring straight for your rooftop.

It'll be on top of you in seconds at this speed.
>Blast the hell out of it!
>Take cover, between the AC units and the stairway access, there's enough for both of you.
>Start getting down that ladder, as quickly as possible.
>Think of something else, quickly.

>>434952
We don't have the firepower for taking down one of those. Unless Vasquez can hack one and turn it against the other, I think we've gotta let it out of here, cover won't last long against its firepower.

>>434952
>Take cover, between the AC units and the stairway access, there's enough for both of you.

>Blast the hell out of it!
We can try once and then get behind the ACs.

>>434964
>>434986
>>434989
Alright, need a tiebreaker. Or a roll-off, or... I'll just pick something/try to compromise in 5 or so minutes.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

I'll change my vote to whatever I roll.

Rolled 27, 47 = 74 (2d100)

>>434964
>>434986
>>434989
Oh, and whatever we decide to end up doing, roll a 2d100 for it. Don't roll off for the tiebreaker.

>>435005
>>434964
Ok, roll some 2d100s while I write the next part.

Rolled 25, 96 = 121 (2d100)

Rolled 74, 55 = 129 (2d100)

>>435028

>>434952
"Come on!" Vasquez shouts, getting to her feet. She helps you up and pulls you along, making for the ladder. Arriving at the edge of the roof, though, you see that the top half of the ladder and a section of the wall have been destroyed by the grenade. "Fuck, fuck!"

The dropship's hovering right overhead as the two of you dash back toward the stairwell access. Kicking that door open like a true professional, Vasquez charges into the well, and you follow close behind as you hear the dropship doors slide open and the mechanical whirring of MECs activating. You're rounding a corner when all of a sudden, explosions rock your world.

>cont.

>>435043
You come to, miraculously. Dazed and disoriented, you move gingerly across the dusty and debris-ridden floor, choking on the smoke and particulates. Your rifle's nowhere to be found... Everything hurts, but you aren't dead yet.

The same can't be said for Vasquez. You spot her lying on the ground about ten feet away, half crushed by the collapse. Crawling over, you confirm your fears - she's dead. Blood oozes out from below the debris pile holding her other half. Her gear lies beside her.

But there's no time to pay respects. You hear a MEC slam down from above onto the ground outside, and it's then that you realize you fell down to the lobby of the building. Its mechanical head turns this way and that, searching for you. You hear the footsteps of another MEC stomping around somewhere above you.

>Loot Vasquez's body.
>Lay low and hide, pray the squad is faring better.
>Think of something else.

>>435085
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VasquezAlwaysDies

Can we take her gear? and use it against the MEC?

>>435085
>Loot Vasquez's body.
>Muffle crying

>>435096
Someone had to have seen it coming, I even gave her the headband from the movie itself!

>>435107
You can try, she's taught you the basic controls and you're no novice to hacking, though it was more for pranks on TV sets and garage doors and the like.

>>435085
Lay low, we can loot after they move on.

>>435115
I don't think I've ever seen whatever film this is based on.

I was thinking more of her weapon than the drone.

>>435085
Loot the body. If her eyes are open close em.

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>>435128
This is based on XCOM, but Vasquez is a character from Aliens, who set a stereotype of tough hispanic chicks getting murdered in movies.

>>435085
Outside, you hear more fighting, more gunfire and explosions from afar. But the sounds of civilian suffering have faded. If your own situation weren't so dire you'd probably feel relieved that they're out of harm's way.

Quietly as you can, you reach over and grab Vasquez's mag rifle, and wrench the drone control console from her deathgrip. Feeling bad, you shut her one visible eye so it isn't ogling you. But as you go for some spare magazines, the MEC from above comes downstairs and in a deep, mechanical voice, mumbles something unintelligible while pointing right at you.

>Scramble for cover, nothing great to hide behind in here. (half cover)
>Run for your life. (where to)
>Blast that MEC, full auto fire.
>Activate the console, try something. (specify)
>Think of something else, fast.

>>435177
Ruuuuuuun. Anywhere that has a corner we can get around. We're not gonna take him out in one burst.

>>435177
>Blast that MEC, full auto fire.

I don't see any other credible option.

>>435177
>Blast that MEC, full auto fire.
I agree we'll just get shot in the back if we run.

>>435197
>>435207
Alright, roll me a sick 1d100, and you can optionally choose where to shoot him.

>>435220
n-no one?

Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>435266
>>435220
Head. It possibly might not have the "brain", but it has the sensors.

>>435266
I apologize, I didn't have the guys to roll our character to death.

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>435220
Shoot at the upper torso, see if we can't hit a power cell or something important.

Rolled 58 (1d100)

Shoot the Hip if we can shoot it in half or damage a its equivalent of a spine to make it topple over I think we'd be good.

>>435177
There's just no time. You raise the mag rifle as the MEC raises its own, and you squeeze the trigger and don't let go. You aim for its head, but you're still disoriented from the fall and end up spraying its torso and the stairwell behind it. At some point you feel a sharp and sudden pain that knocks you flat on your side, but you keep pointing and squeezing until the indicator reads 00 and the rifle clicks empty.

You look down, and see a gaping wound in your stomach. Shock alone is carrying you, and you're bleeding profusely.

You look up, and see the MEC regard its damaged weapon, then toss it aside and start making its way toward you menacingly.

Try to use the drone to shock it. If we can't do that do we have any grenades to take it out with us?

>>435322
I spaced and forgot to put in some options, but I'm open to try this or anything else you guys come up with. I'll write in a few minutes.

Open to the drone shock right because I'm not comfortable deciding whether he kills himself by myself.

>>435314
Fighting the rapidly building agony in your midsection, you awkwardly pull yourself up into a sitting position, leaning against a crate that managed to survive the collapse. You grab the Gremlin's control console and activate it, and out of the rubble bursts a friendly blue drone, no worse for the wear aside from a few superficial scratches. It flies straight to your side, humming cheerily.

You remember Vasquez teaching you how to access three functions...
>Combat protocol, send the Gremlin to zap the MEC with a powerful electric charge.
>Haywire protocol, have the Gremlin interface with the MEC and render it vulnerable to hacking.
>Aid Protocol, send the Gremlin to a squad member to act as a small defensive screen.

>Combat protocol, send the Gremlin to zap the MEC with a powerful electric charge.

>>435426
>Combat protocol, send the Gremlin to zap the MEC with a powerful electric charge.

>>435441
Accessing the basic combat protocol, you designate the advancing MEC as the Gremlin's target. It doesn't have to fly far at all at this point, and the MEC's head spins to regard the new threat even as it advances steadily toward you. Before it reacts, the drone's upper stabilizers point toward the MEC and unleash several arcs of electricity which travel down the length of the MEC.

The MEC twitches uncontrollably, spasming as its circuits fry underneath its alloy plating. It forces its spinning head to look straight at you, and gurgles in a voice that slows down as sparks fly from its frame. Finally, its head bursts into flame and the MEC stands still, poised to fall right on you if not for its servomotors locking it in place.

The pain is setting in now, and you're gasping for every breath. Suddenly, the door leading outside is thrown open and you turn to see the Baldy charge in. "I've got the rookie!" he reports, checking the room clear of threats. "He's injured." As he dashes up and kneels by your side, your eyes actually stop functioning, and you give up and pass out.

>cont.

>>435488
You wake up on the cold floor of a smelly and dimly lit cabin, to the sight of four shadowed figures leaning over you. Everything's foggy and you can feel the stickiness on the floor. Whatever's going on seems urgent, but you can't get your thoughts straight and can't move your arms or legs, so you let your head fall back and sleep.

>>435519
You dream of Mom and Dad, seeing their faces again after so long. They're so happy to see you again, and beckon you closer, toward the light. They look exactly as they did the evening they left to get their cancer cured, dressed in their Sunday best for a damned 30 minute procedure. Mom reaches out to you, and you float closer, just able to grasp her hand...

And as you do, her face droops, half of it sagging and melting, followed by the rest of her body. You look aside at Dad, and see that he, too, is melting into an orange slurry. Horrified, you try to scoop them up, but the goop slides right through your fingers, and only their eyeballs remain, horrible and exposed, staring right at you.

>>435541
And that concludes Chapter One of /RWQ/, I'll probably roll right into chapter two in this thread in a few hours, after I take care of some things. Feel free to ask questions about the chapter or leave feedback so I can improve the quest going forward!

>>435560
Will we be able to choose our class and equipment for future missions?

Also, how is X-COM doing? Is the commander there?

>>435560

Thanks for running

>>435688
Yes, you can pretty much expect a promotion after this ordeal, and you will get to choose your own loadouts for each mission according to what XCOM has available.

And without getting too far ahead, XCOM is just a remnant force of guerillas on the Avenger, with some support staff. I'm still playing around with how I'm going to involve the Commander, if at all.

Alright, /RWQ/ chapter two will have to begin tomorrow, this won't autosage in a day so I will be using this thread.

>>435783
So, is there a possibility for Psionics?

>>435979
It might work like XCOM 1's psionics and we could get it (our parents had good genes, apparently). But I'm betting it'll come way down the line, whether or not we can use it.

>>435979
Yep, definitely possible, though the XCOM that fought the first war didn't last long enough to develop a psionic chamber and program.

>>435989
Maybe we're the psychic echoes of the universe that he subconsciously hears! DUN DUN DUN!

You open your eyes and rub them blearily, adjusting to the dim fluorescent lighting and pale blue surroundings. Shaking your head and groaning, you realize you're alive after all, judging by how your body aches as you sit up in bed. You're about to stand, when a familiar voice exclaims, "Harry!"

Aqua rushes over to you from across the room, and everything that happened comes rushing back. "Aqua! How... where the hell are we?" Last you remember, you were dying on a cold and stinking floor in the glow of a dim red light.

"You'll never fucking believe," she says, shaking her head with a grin on her face.

"Wait, where's... Will, did they get him..." Aqua's smile vanishes at the mention of your old buddy, and you feel your heart plummet into your stomach as she looks down at her lap and her face scrunches up in pain.

"Harry..."

Then the curtain partitioning your bed flies open, and Will Williams leaps out with a roar, grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you hard while Aqua bursts into laughter. Shocked and confused, you simply allow them to pull you into a tight hug, and any anger that was building melts away. You can't imagine life without these two.

After getting permission from one Dr. Valdez to walk around with your escorts, you make your way out of the little med bay, hauling along your IV stand.

"Bruce said we're probably not going to be assigned to anything until you're up and about," Will says as you marvel at your surroundings. This is clearly a military vessel of some kind, and a well furnished one for its purpose. You wonder what he means by assignment as he continues, "But seeing as you're still messed up, what do you wanna do?"

>Go the chow hall, you could eat a horse right now.
>Go to the living quarters, where your rooms are, and get settled in.
>Hit the bar, you have two good friends with you and a reason to celebrate.
>Have them take you to the bridge, let's get straight to business.

>Ask Will and Aqua anything you want to know on the way, they'll answer what they can.

>>438836
>>Hit the bar, you have two good friends with you and a reason to celebrate.

"Who or what are these people?"

>>438867
You ask what there is to see around here, and Aqua and Will start mentioning facilities: the chow hall, the living quarters, the bar...

"Go no further, we're hitting the bar," you declare. Aqua raises an eyebrow but smiles, and Will slaps your back. "Alright, let's celebrate our conquering hero's return from the dead!"

They're considerate and keep your pace as you make your way along the passageways of the vessel. You ask, "So, who... or what, are these people, anyway?"

"XCOM," Will answers, as if that was supposed to mean something to you. "They're a resistance movement like ours, but... man, wait 'til you see the rest of this place. This isn't anything like what we had back in Glendale."

"They were fighting the aliens way before the Elders came down," Aqua adds, "Supposedly they were a secret project back when the old countries still existed, made to protect our planet. And they're still fighting the good fight!"

You reach the door of the bar and see the big X crossing three stars over a gentle curve spray painted on it. Will walks up and it slides open, and he graciously invites you into a cozy little lounge, with a bar, pool table, jukebox, and a bunch of sofas and beanbag chairs strewn about. Along the back is a large backlit wall with several framed photos lining it.

>cont.

>>438920
As you enter, the bar's current sole occupant, the bald soldier who came to your rescue earlier, is slumped over the bar, face buried in his hands and several empty shot glasses by his side. Your IV stand clatters against the deck as you drag it with you, and his head immediately slaps up, his red eyes and flushed face regarding you before slumping back down into his arm. "Oh, you're up," he says in monotone.

>Thank him for getting you out of that building, introduce yourself.
>Nod at him and take a seat at the bar, order up some drinks.
>Give him a nod of acknowledgement and leave him be, maybe this isn't the best time to be here.
>Do something else.

>>438940
>his head immediately slaps up

His head snaps up to look at you. Snaps.

>>438940
Nod. He lost some good men out there. He's paying his dues.

>>438940
>Give him a nod of acknowledgement and leave him be, maybe this isn't the best time to be here.

>>438982
*and leave him be. Didn't remember there being two nod options, oops.

>>438982
>>438985
>>438989
I'm writing, I just... realized I lost my pastebin and actually forgot a character's name.

>>438985
>>438989
You give him a nod and step back out of the bar, feeling it's best not to be celebrating right this moment, at least not here. The door hisses shut behind you, and the three of you turn back down the hallway to find two more of the soldiers coming down your way. It's Sergeant Deangelo and old man, the former wearing a sleek military jumpsuit and the latter in a simple white tee and blue jeans. "Hey, look who's up!" the old one greets jovially.

"Hey Bruce!" Aqua greets back, "Hello, Sergeant Deangelo," she says meekly to the squad leader.

"Jeez, couldn't even wait to get dressed before getting wasted, huh?" Bruce laughs in his gravelly voice. As if to drive the point home, you feel a sudden draft of air on your exposed rear end.

"Maybe not the best time though, eh?" remarks Deangelo, "Maybe you guys should get your buddy a change of clothes and head up to the bridge. Don't worry," he adds, "They're probably not going to put you to work while you're wheeling that around," pointing at your IV stand. "But Bradford likes to speak to all the rookies personally."

"Alright, let's do this," Bruce says, and the two head into the bar. The door hisses shut behind them.

=========================================

I'm really sorry guys, but I have to take off for a bit. Shouldn't have started this early.

>>439035

"Alright, let's do this," Bruce says, and the two head into the bar. "Hey, Wiseman..."

The door hisses shut behind them.

>Well, up to the bridge then, let's meet this Bradford.
>To the living quarters, get dressed and see the new home.
>To the chow hall, still hungry enough to eat a horse.

>>439202
Get dressed.

>>439202
>>To the living quarters, get dressed and see the new home.

>>439208
>>439212
The three of you double back through the tight corridors of the vessel, which Will explains is a repurposed alien supply ship called the Avenger. Apparently XCOM was sticking it to the aliens back in the days of the old world, and they managed to recover this prize in the deep wilderness outside the civilian sectors.

Arriving at the living quarters, you see that it's divided across decks for research, engineering, and soldiers. Aqua and Will lead you through to the soldiers' quarters, and you wonder if you'll be expected to fight again soon. And after your first taste of battle, you're not sure how you feel about going back into the fight...

>Eager as hell. You want to tear ADVENT down to the ground for what they've done.
>Nervous, maybe even reluctant. You saw a badass soldier die right in front of you and nearly got killed yourself.

The doors to your new quarters slide open with the press of a nearby button. It's a cozy little place, and your pals have already started to make it feel like home. With a bit of help, you change into a jumpsuit similar to Deangelo's, and Will and Aqua decide to don theirs as well, for the sake of making a good impression.

>>439267
When you step back out into the hallway, you meet another familiar face, though one you never really acquainted yourself with. "Hey guys," she says, waving.

"Well, hel-loooo, Private Chan," Will says, whistling.

"Hey Grace," Aqua waves back, and punches Will in the arm. The private blushes furiously and addresses you instead.

"S-so you're up and about again! Welcome to XCOM," she extends a hand and you shake. "What're you guys up to?"

>We're hitting the chow hall, I could eat an entire horse.
>We're heading up to the bridge to meet Central.

>>439267
>Nervous, maybe even reluctant. A badass soldier died babysitting you and you don't have any training yet.

>>439292
>We're heading up to the bridge to meet Central.
Don't keep Bradford waiting.

>>439292

>Eager as hell. You want to tear ADVENT down to the ground for what they've done.

Goin full Batman

>We're heading up to the bridge to meet Central.

>>439267
>>439292
>Eager as hell to get back at those assholes
>HEading to the bridge to chat with Central

>>439317
>>439323
"We're heading up to go meet Central Officer Bradford," you reply. Her eyes brighten up at the mention.

"Oh, I was actually on my way up too," Chan says, "Got called up just a little while ago."

"Perfect!" Will says, "We can head up together." He tries to surreptitiously link arms with her, and she steps aside and says, "Yes, let's."

Together the four of you head up, past the bridge where you, Will and Aqua gawk in awe at the hologlobe, an enormous, rotating hologram of Earth. Private Chan points out some of the features, and shows you that the Avenger, and something called Resistance HQ, are based in the western United States.

You head on through to the Commander's quarters, where the four of you stall awkwardly and wait for the Private to... knock, you suppose?

"Come on in, Private Chan," comes a tired voice from over the intercom next to the door. "You three come on in as well."

The door slides open and you enter the C.O.'s room, which is surprisingly spartan in design and could be summed up as a bed, an adjoining bathroom, a closet and a wall laden with a dozen computer screens.

"Glad you've all come together, I've got a meeting with Tygan in the labs soon." As if on cue, a robotic female voice from his desktop computer reminds him, "Commander to the research labs. Commander to the research labs."

>cont.

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>>439373
"I hate that title," grumbles Bradford, shaking his head. He's definitely not young, but tall and fit for his age, whatever that may be. Every word he's spoken so far seems to carry a heavy weight with it. For an instant you notice his gaze shift, but then he's right back in the moment.

"Welcome to the Avenger, and to XCOM HQ. I'm Central Officer John Bradford, and don't let this thing," he points at his computer, "or anyone else tell you otherwise. I'm in charge of day to day operations on board, and of coordinating and directing tactical operations from here.

"Now, Private Chan, it shouldn't come as a surprise that after your performance on the last op, you're due for promotion. Sergeant Deangelo will arrange the ceremony some time later, but for now you can go ahead and let everyone know that you've been promoted to Specialist."

Chan stands at attention, knees locked together and salutes Bradford, stammering, "Th-thank you sir!"

He salutes casually, saying, "At ease, Specialist. That's all I had for you, dismissed."

>cont.

>>435177
>Not subverting the troupe.
Fuck u. Vasquez is too cool to keep getting killed off.

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>>439437
She turns and leaves, glancing back at the four of you before the door shuts behind her. "Right, as for you three..." Bradford says, slumping back down into his chair and appraising you while running a hand over his stubbled chin. "You've put me in an awkward situation here, or rather my squad has. Glendale was destroyed by ADVENT after you were evacced. Don't worry," he says, noticing the look on your face, "we fought long enough to give the civilians the break they needed to evacuate. Partly thanks to the three of you," he mentions, and you see him smile approvingly. "You three showed serious guts taking the initiative out there that day, for some kids with no military experience. And I say that objectively," he says, noting Aqua's scowl at being called a kid.

"So I'm offering you three a place in our ranks," he continues, "if you want in. You've seen how we operate, and looked around the Avenger, no doubt. This life isn't an easy one and it's certainly no computer game," he warns, "but this is a cause worth fighting for, and I've known plenty of soldiers who wouldn't have done what you did back there. I know it isn't an easy choice to make, but-"

"I'm in," you reply immediately, and Bradford raises his eyebrows in surprise at being cut off. Will chimes in, "Well if Harry's in, so am I." Aqua looks at the two of you in disbelief, and then back at Bradford, and realizes all three of you are now awaiting her answer. "Well... sure. Sure, fine, why not. Fine."

"Looks like my team picked up the right guys after all," Bradford smirks. "Alright, from now on, the three of you are XCOM field operatives, with the rank of Private. Report to the armory, Specialist Garza should be on duty, he'll help you get your kits in order, then report to Sergeant Deangelo, you'll be joining his fire team." He stands up and salutes crisply, "Privates, dismissed."

The three of you salute back and exit the Commander's quarters, as XCOM soldiers.

=======================================================================================

I'll continue tomorrow, sorry there wasn't any action today, but you'll be picking your loadout/class tomorrow and getting a red honk, I promise. Again I'll answer any questions and appreciate any feedback, welcome to XCOM!

>>439456
By the time the three of you make it to the armory, you've already been given the clearance to enter. You pass through a hallway lined with lockers, benches and armor racks, and walk up to the cage, where Specialist Garza's expecting you. "New meat for the grinder, huh?" he jokes, scribbling furiously over a stack of forms and not bothering to look up. "Alright, here's how it works, Privates..."

He assigns you your lockers and rack numbers, and then breaks into a long and thorough explanation of how XCOM operatives each develop a role within the fire team, the better to engage targets at all distances with tactical flexibility for any situation. He then gives the three of you time to decide your role within the fireteam, and shows you your squad roster and available loadout options. While you consider your future carefully, he's getting your gear together in the back.

Updated roster for Fire Team Bravo:

Private Harold Startread (Injured)
Private William Williams
Private Aqua Iwaizumi-Goldstein
Specialist Grace Chan (Infantry)
Lance Corporal Reggie Waller (Heavy Gunner)
Lance Corporal Carmen Vasquez (Support) (KIA)
Corporal Michael Wiseman (Assault)
Gunnery Sergeant Bruce Jorgenssen (Sharpshooter)
Sergeant Brian Deangelo (Grenadier)


Available Classes, choose any combination of 3, can have multiples if you want:
>Infantry (Designated marksman, general combat frontliner)
>Heavy Gunner (Area denial, suppression and concentrated firepower)
>Support (Gremlin operator, hacker and team medic)
>Grenadier (Demolitions expert with grenade launcher)
>Sharpshooter (Long range rifles and pistols, often operates with minimal backup)
>Assault (Breach and clear, flank and destroy, close quarters combat)
>Scout (Stealth and recon, single target takedowns)
>You can ask for clarification or more details, Garza is happy to answer any questions.

>>441180
Oh, forgot to mention, I'm writing the next part but I'm going to give this decision a little more time for anyone to chime in, as it's a pretty important one

>>441180
Reconsidered my vote.

Harold
>Support

Aqua
>Sharpshooter

Will
>Scout

I remembered how godly sharpshooters can get near the end game.

>>441180
Harold
>Support

Aqua
>Scout

Will
>Infantry

>>441242
>>441274
Seems to be a consensus on Harry going support, I'll wait for tiebreakers on the other two and keep writing the next op for now. It's Aqua and Will that I need assigned for the next part.

>>441180
"Alright, here we are," Garza says, hauling a few boxes from the back onto the counter. "Alright, these are your earpieces, they've got built in mics and I re-tune the frequencies between every op, so comms stay secure. Here's some chest and shoulder cams, they'll mount right into your armor and give Central visual of the A.O. and let him give you tactical feedback. And I've got your armor here," he says, reaching down and hoisting 3 boxes with numerous pieces of kevlar armor. "Practice putting it all on when you've got some spare time, because when you get called up, you're expected on the hangar bay fully armed and equipped in ten minutes. Your guns and explosives will stay here in the weapons locker but you can check 'em out any time, if you want some time on the range. Otherwise I'll be keeping 'em cleaned and ready for combat."

With that, you've got one thing left on your agenda, and that's reporting in to your new squad leader. But before you exit the armory, you hear a loud siren blare through the Avenger three times, and freeze in your tracks. The same computerized voice you heard in Bradford's quarters now booms over speakers everywhere, "Fire Team Bravo, arm up and report to the hangar bay. Fire Team Bravo..." Even in here, you can hear the engines of the Avenger roar as it takes off, though the rumbling quickly settles as the ship stabilizes in flight.

>cont.

>>441242
>>441274
Will for Infantry and Aqua for Sharpshooter

>>441242
>>441274
>>441533
Good enough for me, final tally looks like Harry - Support, Aqua - Sharpshooter, Will - Infantry.


>>441394
Garza shouts, "Get dressed, Privates!" as he explodes into action, dashing around behind the cage and grabbing boxes of ammo and tossing them onto his counter. "Not you, Startread, you're definitely sitting this one out. Help these two get their armor on!" The three of you are pulling random plates, pads, straps and buckles out of the boxes, trying to figure out what goes where, when the rest of your squad bursts in, getting armored and armed in mere minutes. Everyone is shouting at each other, calling for grenades, passing over magazines, or getting help suiting up for battle. Chan and Waller finish quickly and help Aqua and Will get their armor on and equipment set up, and Garza hands them their weapons. Deangelo finishes first and says, "one of you is coming along on this op, we've only got so much room in the Skyranger."

Which of your friends does he choose? (Basically taking your place on mission.)
>Will
>Aqua

>>441566
>Will
Time to hunt some xenos!

>>441566
>Will
Aqua needs more time to familiarize with a sniper rifle and get good with it first.

>>441589
>>441605
You are Private William Williams.

Seeing you finish getting your armor together first, Sergeant Deangelo points at you. "Private Williams, you're on mission. Iwaizumi, Startread, squad members are allowed on the bridge during ops, and I recommend you watch every one you can." He walks around and does one last double check on gear, waves a circle above his head and shouts, "Let's go, move it out, Bravo! Boots on the ready line!" Weapons in hand, your squad is practically sprinting down the passageways of the Avenger, and you barely keep up. You swear you're going to start working out every day when you get back from this mission.

If you get back.

You assemble on the hangar bay and the Skyranger's already warmed up and ready to take off. Engineers clear the bay as the six of you assemble on the ready line and perform one last gear check and make sure your cameras and mics are running before Central gives you the OK. You all pack yourselves in to the diminutive dropship, whose cabin has, thankfully, been scrubbed clean between missions.

A holographic screen appears in the tight cabin of the Skyranger as it picks up speed, showing surveillance images of the area taken by local resistance contacts. Everyone turns to face the window containing Bradford's face, who begins briefing the objectives. "Our assets in the old Nevada area have gotten wind of an ADVENT supply convoy that's stopped in the wilderness due to vehicle malfunction. Firebrand's dropping you off a couple hundred meters behind the treeline here," the display shifts to show your drop zone. "Intel suggests that the aliens have a presence on site alongside ADVENT's troopers, so proceed with extreme caution, neutralize all hostiles, and secure the site for our recovery teams. Shen's people need all the material they can get for the new armor rollout, so do your best to avoid destroying the contents in those containers."

>cont.

File: adventsupplytrain.jpg (43 KB, 594x334)

43 KB JPG

>>441657
>>441657
The display blinks out of existence as soon as Bradford finishes the briefing, and Deangelo undoes his safety harness and stands up. "Alright, I want this one to go smooth, and by the numbers. Williams, you stick to Chan like glue and do whatever she tells you to. Keep low, keep quiet, report all contacts, and don't engage anything on your own." You can hear the Skyranger slowing down, and everyone undoes their harnesses and takes up their weapons.

"C'mon," Chan says, and you feel your heart pumping as you take your place by her side at the very front. The lights turn red, and the ramp lowers to reveal a dense treeline with a barely visible train station in the distance.

>cont.

I actually still have yet to get everything together to make tactical maps and combat a possibility, so I'm going to take a break and continue once things are ready. I want this first mission to be the trial run.

>>441718
>>441712
Cool man, can't wait.

>>441712
Alright, after spending some time last night messing with a grid system, and then a simpler system of copy+pasting clip art, and then an even simpler system of just making dots and lines in MS paint, I've given up on the combat illustrations for now. I'll just go forward with greentext options.

Moving and scanning the area carefully, you approach the edge of the tree line, fairly certain no hostiles are behind you. From here, you get a good look at the train station, little more than a refueling depot. It does, however, have two ADVENT security towers keeping an eye on opposite ends of the convoy, and a small tower at the far end overseeing the area. The train itself has six cars - the locomotive, a passenger car, three loaded flatbeds, and a caboose containing who knows what.

A few trees over, Jorgenssen is checking the place out in detail through his scope. He puts a hand to his ear and speaks in barely a whisper, but you hear him clearly in your earpiece. "Nothing up in that tower, for now. I've got eyes on a near and far patrol... we've got stun lancers and shieldbearers, looks like they're expecting to be hit. Two guys I can see working underneath the train itself, looks like they're civilians... that's all I've got from here."

Plan your engagement.
>Engage from the tree line. Most of your squad is out of effective range, but so is the enemy, and they'll have to cross a pretty exposed stretch of ground to engage you while you're in good cover.
>Try to sneak across the exposed ground, hopping from cover to cover to take positions at the hard cover within the station itself (tree trunks, light poles, alloy structures, etc.) and engage at CLOSE RANGE. You can get a more devastating ambush off this way, but there's risk of being spotted on approach.
>Split the squad (decide how), send a group around wide to hit ADVENT at range from multiple angles. There's a small rock formation on the other side of the station that looks suitable. It's a longer distance to sneak but also less chance of being spotted before getting into position.
>Think of a different plan.

>>443850
>Try to sneak across the exposed ground, hopping from cover to cover to take positions at the hard cover within the station itself (tree trunks, light poles, alloy structures, etc.) and engage at CLOSE RANGE. You can get a more devastating ambush off this way, but there's risk of being spotted on approach.
Our best advantage is to sneak as close as we can and put everyone on overwatch before tossing a grenade at a cluster of them to insure for max damage. I remember this pretty well, we're confirmed for at least two kills maybe even a whole squad if we do it that way.

>>443858
Hold on, I just realized this thread autosaged, I'm gonna make a new one so people can join in.

>>443871
The thread will last around a week, though. Are you sure you want to make another thread?

>>443850
>Try to sneak across the exposed ground, hopping from cover to cover to take positions at the hard cover within the station itself (tree trunks, light poles, alloy structures, etc.) and engage at CLOSE RANGE. You can get a more devastating ambush off this way, but there's risk of being spotted on approach.

>>443877
I guess I want it to pop to the top of the catalog between posts, so people know it's active when it is. I don't have a twitter and I'm pretty random about when I get around to writing.

>>443881
>pop to the top of the catalog between posts
Only an idiot would keep the catalog set to bump order.
All they have to do is keep the tab open and check to see if it indicates that there are new posts.

>>443888
>tfw I'm an idiot

Well, I've already archived, so I'll see you guys in the other thread ; ;