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Twitter: https://twitter.com/BurningGray
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=XCOM%20Trooper%20Quest
Squad Info: https://pastebin.com/4KJN5HKK (embed) (embed)
Reader Made To Do List: https://xcom864106258.wordpress.com/
Peppermint’s Origin: https://pastebin.com/Y2XcJWJf

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>>3051192
>Nah. You never liked doing all that.

>>3051192
>>Nah. You never liked doing all that.

>>3051192
>>Nah. You never liked doing all that.

>>3051192
>>Nah. You never liked doing all that.
Hazing is a meme

>>3051192
>Of course you would. It’s all in good fun and everyone goes through it anyways.

ROOKIE PANIC

>>3051192
>>Doesn’t matter. You’re going to make damn sure Strike-1 doesn’t lose another soldier.
Have we recovered enough for psionics or is that still off limits?

>>3051192
>>Nah. You never liked doing all that. Besides, this is XCOM; Humanities finest. We should be building cohesion and camaraderie, not this shit.

>>3051229
Still out of it psionically, unfortunately!

>Other
>"Hazing does not seem the appropriate thing to do just after losing a member, and it wouldn't be a good thing for recruits like Q-Tip and Harita"

>>3051192
>Nah. You never liked doing all that.

>>3051192
>>Nah. You never liked doing all that.

Calling the vote here, writing!

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“Nah.” You shake your head. “This is just a bad idea all along. We’re XCOM. We’re supposed to be humanity’s finest, the best of the best. We should be building camraderie and teamwork, not that.”

Your squad, your old squad that is, really didn’t do any of that crap. Sure you’ve messed around just like any other soldier back in the day, especially when the drinks start flowing. But this? This is just a bad first impression for the new guys and gals who are going to be facing an enemy that does not show any mercy. You stand by it and have made sure your own are taken care of.

Harita nods, clearly in approval of that mindset. She’s glad even. Sweet just chuckles to himself. It’s true though.

“Wow, you are a fucking square. How disappointing.” Someone says to you from the side.

You look over to see one of the other troopers from… you don’t recall which Strike Team he’s a part of. But you do know the guy is a Swiss Scout. The trooper shake his head dismissively at you as he walks over to grab two six-packs from the bar’s fridge. With a scoff, he starts to walk back to the other soldiers, likely to distribute the booze around to his squadmates.

You blink, trying to process the outright insult you were thrown at by the Scout. Harita’s equally surprised by the sudden hostility all of the sudden. Not only did he insult you in front of your own troops, you know that he knows you’re a Squad Leader, a commanding officer. That’s all sorts of disrespect right there.

You begin to feel that anger spike up, stoked by the man’s comment.

>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.
>Let it be. He’s not worth it.
>Other

>>3051347
>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

>>3051347
>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

>>3051347
>Let it be. He’s not worth it.
Who cares. If he didnt even invest the energy to say his piece properly, then fuck it.

>>3051347
>>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

>>3051347
>>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

>>3051347
>>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

>Drill_Sergeant_Nasty.exe

>>3051347
>>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

>>3051347
>Get that soldier in line. You’re not having him get away with that shit.

Calling the vote here, writing!

There’s no way in hell you are going to let that shit slide. Not in a million years. Especially not in front of your own. Anger gives your purpose as you storm over to intercept the Swiss soldier walking away.

“Hey! What the hell did you say to me, trooper!?” You fume, catching up to the soldier as he makes it halfway back to the other troopers.

The Scout mutters something and just keeps walking, six-packs held in both of his hands. That just infuriates you more. You speed up, grab the man by the shoulder, and stop him.

“Don’t you ignore an officer, I’m talking to you!” You order, getting even more up there with this shit.

He turns around, and you can see the soldier is not impressed. More importantly, you can smell the alcohol in his breath. The man’s been drinking. Possibly a considerable amount. You’re not so sure if all of the booze is for himself now.

“What? I was merely stating the obvious.” Swiss mutters, before adding as an afterthought, “Sir.”

“Enlighten me.” You mutter, just about ready to really go off on this drunken sorry excuse of a trooper. You’ll need the clarity so you can really fine tune your shouting just right.

You notice at the corner of your eye that some of the other soldiers are taking note of

“Woah, relax! What, you think you are so high and mighty that you do not approve of having a little bit of fun with the Rookies? Is that not the definition of the American title, ‘square’?” He explains as she shakes his head, his words ever so slightly slurred.

Your eye twitches.

>You are not going to have goddamn insubordination in XCOM.
>He’s an XCOM soldier, he should be better than this.
>Just let him go, he’s not worth the wasted anger now.
>Other

>>3051538
>He’s an XCOM soldier, he should be better than this.

>>3051538
>>Just let him go, he’s not worth the wasted anger now.

>>3051538
>Because you God damned idiot, we are XCOM! We're not some bargain bin military, we're the best of the best simply by being here, and hazing our rookies like some insipid juvenile Frat boys drunk of their asses and high on weed gives lie to the fact! We need to be ready, willing and able to fight at a moment's notice, not ragging on our rookies who have to catch up with us to help both us and humanity survive! Moreover, it encourages our troopers to do stupid shit like mouth off to their superiors. I am all for fun and games, but not at the expense of us being ready to kick the Extra Testicle in the fucking throat.


I tried, probably not good, but eh.

>>3051538
>He’s an XCOM soldier, he should be better than this.

>>3051538
support >>3051583

>>3051538
>>3051583
Also, we rode a MECT with another assault into a scout ship as it was taking off, kicked of THE PARTY, and have a healthy rapport with our squad and one other, friendly ribbing and all. If we get any farther from square we'll be a non-Euclidian Nth dimensional shape.

You guys realize you're basically being "No Fun" and went off on a drunk guy for saying you're a square right?

It's not even like they're actually hazing the rookies, just talking shit.

>>3051538
>>Just let him go, he’s not worth the wasted anger now.

>>3051583
Do we really need to yell our head off on some drunk? At most we should just punish him and not potentially embarrass ourselves

>>3051538
>He’s an XCOM soldier, he should be better than this.

>>3051538
>>He’s an XCOM soldier, he should be better than this.

>>3051632
They're not given anything but basic assault rifles at the start. That's dumb. Even if they are mag rifles now.
>>3051635
Yelling is not a necessity, and maybe we can skip the "God damned idiot" part.

Once again I've been asked to cook the meal for tonight, will leave this vote up a bit longer!

>>3051680
Equipment issue is much different from hazing, nor does it have anything to do with what's going on right now.

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>>3051538
>He’s an XCOM soldier, he should be better than this.

PT him until his ass is sucking buttermilk. What with all the Alps and shit, Swiss man should be familiar with the mountain climber. He can demonstrate for the recruits.

Drunk, off duty soldier tells you you're a square. Clearly you need to yell at him and give him a lecture on being the paragons of humanity...

>>3051704
I thought equipment issue WAS the hazing. We were offered the chance to skip it by the commander.

>>3051721
Should it even matter? The dude is bring a fucking ass and is egging us on. I personally thought the he’s a soldier prompt would be a more level-headed, neutral response. Because it is disappointing, and him being drunk doesn’t give him leave to mouth off to us in front of out squad.

>>3051734
That was a competency thing by the Commander. Trial by fire to see if you're worth better equipment. We also got some dirty looks for skipping it.

>>3051739
Wow, you are a fucking square. How disappointing.

That's not egging somebody on, that's somebody making a snide comment during down time when you're saying "Nah, I'm better than that". While MANY other squads are having a good laugh about it. So Dozer is going to be the "bad guy" here.

Pasta carbonara has been made, calling the vote here and writing!

Is this what they call a power trip?

>>3051753
We didn't skip it though? We didn't want to shake the boat.
Also, talking shit with someone that you KNOW is fine. Talking shit to someone you don't know? Straight up disrespectful and rude.

>>3051850
Pretty much.

>>3051858
Misremembered the first part, fair enough.

Second part, it's not even that rude. Dozer should've let it go instead of trying to lecture some drunk guy he doesn't know.

Late to the vote but I think you guys blew it. Arguing or punishing drunk people is pointless because they won't remember any of it in the morning. The way you're supposed to handle this situation is later when the person sobers up and has the mental capacity to realize they fucked up.

Should've let him walk and then talk to his SL about maybe organizing some ring time after he sobers so the 'square' can teach the Swiss to square up.

But y'all blew your load.

This drunk needs to understand his place. Which is more than fine with you, he seems rather indifferent to you right now! Annoyed that you’ve stopped him, but that’s it! Absolutely zero respect. You cross your arms at him, and instead of just screaming his face off, you decide to sternly get your damn point across.

“It’s not about the title it’s about what we’re supposed to be representing here! We’re XCOM! Not some bargain bin throwaway military. This hazing is stupid, we should be ready and willing to fight at a moments notice and--”

You stop as you realize the guy has walked away. You were getting really into your discussion you didn’t even notice at first. The Scout arrives back with the packs of beer to the rest of the troops. He raises them up and elicits a cheer from the other soldiers as he begins to distribute the booze around.

Your jaw drops at the sheer… ignorance this drunken bastard is giving you. Now you’re really getting mad. You spot the Scout giving a can to his Squad Leader. Now you recognize what team he’s from. Strike-2. The SL, Ghost, is the one who really really likes to yell a lot. A solid Gunner but you haven’t really seen him lead much. Hell, his 21C, Bolillo, seems to do more of the work than he does in managing the squad. She’s also a Gunner and the pair are experts in lay down walls of suppression.

It looks like you’re going to have to speak with Ghost directly and get this shit sorted out. You have some ideas to punish that drunken idiot with some good old fashion PT or perhaps-

“Hey, uh, Dozer.” Sweet places a hand on your shoulder. “Maybe you should let it be? I know the guy’s drunk but from what I hear he’s got a reason to be. Lost a good buddy of his in Strike-2’s last mission.”

You instinctively shrug him aside, still fuming. So what? That isn’t going to excuse the fellow for disrespecting you. Ghost is right there, you can just quickly pull him aside and get it over with or better yet get him to side with you in putting that idiot in his place.

But... maybe Sweet has a point?

>Continue on and deal with the Scout yourself.
>Talk with the other Squad Leader.
>Relent… albeit begrudgingly.
>Other

>>3051850 >>3051872
>Pretty much.
>>3051950
>This drunk needs to understand his place.
Power trip confirmed.

>>3051950
>Relent… albeit begrudgingly.
Dude just lost a squadmate. Talk with him privately some other time.

>>3051950
>>Continue on and deal with the Scout yourself.

>>3051950
>>Relent… albeit begrudgingly.

>>3051962
well for one this is a quest and dozer is not always going to make the right call, he was angry so I wrote out something that emphasized that. Lest you forget that psionics have real hard times keeping their emotions in check, given how often they go full ham or start maniacal laughing at the enemy's expense.


>>3051950
>Relent… albeit begrudgingly.

>>3051950
>Relent… albeit begrudgingly.

>>3051950
>Talk with the other Squad Leader... but later.
Disrespecting a superior officer is self destructive behavior. The scout needs to be watching him so he doesn't do something REALLY stupid.

>>3051987
>>>3051950
>>Talk with the other Squad Leader... but later
Backing this

Calling the vote here, writing!

>>3051987
Supporting.

“Alright, alright, I’ll let it go, Sweet. Relax.” You grumble.

“Seems like you’re the one who needs to relax, brother.” Sweet gives you a hearty thump on the back and motions for you to head back over to the bar.

You… begrudgingly relent from stomping over there and sorting out that dumbass. Putting your hands up a bit and turning away to let Sweet know for sure. Though it does take a bit of effort to do so. You hear a strange grinding sound, until you realize you’re gritting your own teeth.

Your anger does not like that you’ve stopped it short. It bubbles discontentedly within you.

With a grunt, you slump back down onto your seat in the bar just as one of the burlier soldiers returns with a giant bucket filled with rocks and cleaning supplies. A towel is laid out and the rocks are poured over on top. With amusement, the Rookies are then ordered to clean the rocks.

Well, at least you’re not the only one who's not really happy at the moment.

You proceed to furiously empty out the peanut bowl into your gullet. Gnashing away at the snack food with displeasure. Harita gives you a sympathetic look.

You need to vent your frustration out, but how? It’s not like you can work it all out in the gym…

>Drink, you’re at the point you’re alright to do so now. You’ll just have to try to moderate yourself.
>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.
>Chat with your teammates. That could hopefully get your mind off things.
>Other

Oh, damn, I'd kind of been hoping that we'd get to see the sketch of Dozer last thread. I admit that I find the lack of information about him mildly infuriating -- not in a way of thinking poorly of Pixel, but I sure do want to know his name or face.

>>3052117
>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.

>>3052117
>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.
Feels like we haven't gone in a long time. Also:

>Other
See if being pissed off helped recharge our psi batteries.

>>3052117
>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.

>>3052117
>>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.

>>3052117
>>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.
Need the practice anyways.

>>3052117
>>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.
Gotta keep our aim sharp, even if our primary is a shotgun.

Calling the vote here, writing!

>>3052117
>>Head to the shooting range. You’ll blast away at targets until you feel better.

We ever going to get a secret shooting range scene with the Commander where she shows how to REALLY handle a ‘revovler’?

“Ugh, I need to vent.” You admit to your teammates as you watch the Rookies going through their rock cleaning trial. “I’m going to go hit up the shooting range, either of you two interested in tagging along?”

“Sure I’ll join. I might as well work on my aim. Bit behind on that front.” Sweet agrees, chuckling to himself.

“As will I. I’d rather not be here right now.” Harita frowns, shaking her head at the initiation rituals for the poor hapless Rookies.

You’re glad you had Zhang skip this stupid crap, better to be immediately useful than be stuck with a rifle for a mission or two. Decided, you and your two companions take your leave from the barracks. Besides shooting the anger out of your system you remember your insanely good pistol shooting last mission. Maybe it’s not a fluke.

As you leave, you pass by the Commander who is heading towards the Barracks. In her hands is a plate filled with delicious smelling cookies. Her complimentary ‘Welcome to XCOM’ cookie that each new soldier gets.

You idly wonder how she’ll react to the whole drunken hazing, but it’s nice to see the Commander’s going to be welcoming to the new troops. The smell is enough to slow down your little group for a moment. Your trigger finger itches to blast away at targets, but the possibility of seeing the Commander set things straight sounds… satisfying.

>Keep going to the Firing Range.
>See how the Commander handles things.
>Other

>>3052207
>>Keep going to the Firing Range.

>>3052207
>Try and escort her, she the way she handles things up close and ask for advice on things.

>>3052207
>See how the Commander handles things.

>>3052207
>>See how the Commander handles things.

>>3052207
>See how the Commander handles things.
Acquire leadership experience.

>>3052207
>>Keep going to the Firing Range.

>>3052207
>See how the Commander handles things.

>>3052207
>>See how the Commander handles things.

>>3052207
>See how the Commander handles things.

Calling the vote here, writing!

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Curious, you motion for the others to follow you back into the Barracks, just to see how the Commander’s going to react to what’s happening within. It’ll be both a good example of watching proper leadership in action. There’s other reasons, some would say it’d be a bit petty, but eh, you’re a bit frustrated right now and can’t really think clearly.

The Commander steps into the Barracks, and your little group follows right behind. Someone inside barks for attention, and you hear a quick shuffling of feet. Peeking inside, you are a bit surprised to see the laid out rock cleaning station is gone and everyone’s all standing or is in the process of getting to attention. It all looks like everything was put away at the last minute.

Almost.

You can see that everything was hastily put aside, and you can see the bundle of rocks had been rolled up into a towel and subsequently placed underneath the stairs that lead to the dorms. It’s beside some random stuff but it’s still stands out as odd. The booze is still everywhere, too.

“How did they mostly clean everything up so quickly?” Harita wonders.

“Hm…” Sweet thinks it over for a moment before snapping his fingers. “...They knew the Commander coming!”

“Huh? Was there a lookout?” Harita says.
“...They didn’t need one.” You mutter, realizing it yourself. “They could smell the Commander coming long before she walked into the room. The cookies gave her away.”

“Clever bastards.” Sweet smirks.

You find that a damn shame, until you realize the Commander has caught on a bit over what transpired. Either through honing in on clues in the room or just reading the mood or some other sixth sense that only commanders would have. You don’t hear what she says from where you are, but you catch shoulders sag from the veteran troopers and a bit of relief from the Rookies. Coupled with the complimentary baked goods handed out to new soldiers, you feel better that things have been sorted out in a reasonably. The others are a bit jealous, that’s for sure.

You’re not as angry anymore. Which is a bit of a shame as you wanted to let it all out at the range. Not completely gone though, at the very least.

(Part 1 / 2)

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Satisfied, your group continues onto the firing range with issue and the pair quickly head over to check in some weapons from the racks. Naturally, there’s the usual selection of weapons on hand from ballistic to gauss weaponry to choose from. Though the former is more for fun than anything else. You’ve overheard the Blueshirts are starting to get basic laser weapon training, though you haven’t seen them walking around with them.

There’s a shotgun you could pick first, tried and true. Can’t go wrong warming up with what your comfy with. Besides that, there’s perhaps selecting a pistol instead to see if you still have those Lightning Hands. For kicks, you could try some completely random weapon type, to see just how good you are with it, like an LMG or something.

You scrutinize the selection carefully, deciding what to focus on with your time at the range.

>Shotgun. Your favorite.
>Pistols. For science.
>Something else. For the hell of it. (Specify)
>Other

>>3052286
>Pistols. For science.
Badass mag-revolver when?

>>3052286
>Pistols. For science.
I almost feel like voting for sniper rifles just because Pepper was talking about them in the last thread

>>3052286
>>Pistols. For science.
For Science!

>>3052286
Try a sniper rifle, confirm that weapon metaphors make no sense.

>>3052286
>Pistols. For science.

>>3052291
While I voted pistols already I think trying out all the other weapons at some point might give us some command insight into how to deploy our squad.

>>3052286
>Pistols. For science.

>>3052286
>>Pistols. For science.

>>3052286
>>Pistols. For science.

Calling the vote here, writing!

Something Else. That Minigun over there. For the hell of it.

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Once ear protection is snugly placed, you already have an idea of what you want to pick.

Wanting to break out of the usual and to see if you still could pull off whatever the hell you pulled in the last mission, you select a MAG Pistol to take for a spin. You don’t actually spin it. Though the thought comes to you. If you actually did and dropped or something by accident XCOM’s Armorer would make your life hell. She already makes it hell for Burnout and by extension that bleeds into the rest of Strike-1, you don’t need her ire as well.

Taking the pistol and a few mags, you wait for Sweet and Harita to select their weapons from the selection already in the range. Both pick what you’d expect, a carbine and a shotgun respectively.

“A pistol?” Sweet raises an eyebrow at your choice.

“There’s good reason for it.” Harita reassures, giving you a bit of encouragement. “Dozer’s improved his pistol marksmanship from before.”

“Really? I’ve only seen you use a pistol like… twice.” Sweet muses.

“I’ve totally used a pistol more than twice! Pistols are useful, even I know that.” You say, trying to defend yourself.

Sweet just chuckles like he usually does. Harita gives you a nod and a smile in approval, having seen what you were capable of first hand. It’s good to know you have a witness that you had actually did that deadeye’d gunslinging.

Three shooting lanes selected, you set your ammunition on the booth’s standing table and load your weapon. The fancy computer on the side can get pretty damn extensive with shooting scenarios. A perk working for XCOM and another wondrous gift from Shen to the troops.

You could try and straight up attempt to redo your flashy Lightning Hands again and focus on high reaction times, work on pure accuracy, or just shoot more casually and see where you are already. These all would help… or you could try and beat the local leaderboards for pistol marksmanship, since of course there would be. Nothing like competition to improve one’s skills.

>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45)
>Work on improving your accuracy. (TN 60)
>Shoot normally and gauge your current skill level and also have fun. (TN ???)
>Try and beat the current pistol highscore. (TN 80)
>Other

>>3052333
>>Work on improving your accuracy. (TN 60)

>>3052333
>Work on improving your accuracy. (TN 60)
Pistol is our long range option, so accuracy is paramount

>>3052333
>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45)

>>3052333
>>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45).

>>3052333
>>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45)

>>3051902
Normally I'd agree, but there's a interesting dynamic here, will this situation help us get some of our Anger back ?

>>3051950
>Lost a good buddy of his in Strike-2’s last mission.”
You never, ever ever abuse this as a excuse to be a dick to others Especially random strangers.

>>3052333
>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45)

I wonder if we could pair Lightning Hands with a sawn-off to pulp things when we close the distance in melee. In the end, we'll probably be better off carrying a pistol, but it might not be too bad in close quarters.

>>3052333
>Try and beat the current pistol highscore. (TN 80)

>>3052333
>Try and beat the current pistol highscore. (TN 80)

>>3052333
>>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45)

>Pistols are useful
Heh. Pixel, do you browse /xcg/ by any chance? I think they started that meme back when XCOM 2 was released. Good old times; shame that /xcg/ has been pretty dead for a while.

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>>3052359
I certainly did back in the day! Back in the good old days when Xcom 2 was just around the corner and the hype was very real. Haven't visited in a long while though. My art pops up occasionally there, which is amusing.

Surprisingly, my quest has never been brought up in /xcg/ to my knowledge. I'll take it as a mixed blessing, as I have no idea what the /xcg/ guys would have voted for.

Also calling the vote here! Next update may take a bit!

>>3052359
There's still reddit

>....Oh man, I feel kinda bad at this but it is goddamn 4AM and I did not realize it so I'm calling it here. My body sure as hell knew it was this late... pretty much immediately and without warning. Going to try and do posts tomorrow to make up for it or just more updates in general, sorry guys! So until next update...

Thanks for playing!

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>>3052381
>doesn't even post the end of run image.

yeesh i really am tired!

Thanks for run pixel. Im inspired by your writing as well as your art.

>>3052364
>Surprisingly, my quest has never been brought up in /xcg/ to my knowledge
Every time I go there I'm tempted to send the anons there to this quest.

>>3052401
Pixel has enough work as it is with the vote counting.

>>3052417
1 vote per 2 hours of questing isn't much of an increase. If he writes short updates /xcg/ will only participate in every 2nd vote.

>>3052333
Work on improving our accuracy

I love this quest! Keep up the good work Pixel!

>>3052333
>>Try and beat the current pistol highscore. (TN 80)

>>3052462
True that. Drag them all in, then.

>>3054065
Now? When the main vote is for whom to waifu?
A recipe for disaster.

>>3052333
>>Work on improving your accuracy. (TN 60)

>>3052333
>Attempt to pull off Lightning Hands again. (TN 45)

I'm going through the archives right now, I'm right at the bit where Anons made the retarded decision of leaving two squadmates behind in the Casino to deal with a tidal wave of Chryssalids.

So are all the threads always so short then? Sub 200 posts is pretty low.

>>3058001
>So are all the threads always so short then? Sub 200 posts is pretty low.

Pixel only has one active session on Saturdays which don't last super long and then sporadic updates over the week.

>>3058006
Ah, I see. Pretty busy then.

Since the whole reason you had picked the pistol this time around was to see if you can pull off that slick trick again, it makes sense that’s what you’ll commit your time towards. For all you know, those Lightning Hands might’ve been a psionically amplified move you pulled off. There was a lot going on while you and Harita were rodeoing Rachel’s MEC suit.

Loading a fresh mag of gauss slug rounds into your pistol, you tap away at the little booth computer. You settle on a training scenario to focus specifically on improving your reactions. Accuracy is nice, but you’ll be focusing on if you can actually hit a bunch of targets in quick succession. For kicks, you make the targets Sectoids again. For good luck.

As you finish setting up the parameters for your test, your fellow squadmates have begun blasting away. Their respective targets shredded to varying degrees based on their weapon and skill level. Ignoring them for a moment, you press start on the monitor. At the last moment, you decide to set your pistol flat onto the table, to simulate you having to draw the sidearm like you did before. You make a mental note to request a holster.

The countdown starts and you ready yourself. There’s a buzz, and a pair of Sectoid targets pop up. You quickly reach for your gun.

>Roll 1d100 (TN 45)

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>3058079

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>3058079

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>3058079

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>3058079

Well done, those pieces of cardboard will never threaten anyone again.

>>3058001
Quantity over quality. And anons (including you) made a bad call concerning Chrysalids again in the forest mission.

>>3058146
You alright there Anon? Try reading his post again before accusing people of things.

Two targets. Two shots. Two confirmed hit confirmations.

Both shots are in the head, once again. One moment you’re reaching for the gun, the next you’ve already fired before even you had realized. Your instincts and raw reactions doing all of the work before your mind can process it.

After feeling like shit for the last few days being utterly useless and bored out of your goddamn mind, this is the best turnout you could hope for. You grin from ear to ear, and reset the scenario.

Two targets. Two shots. Two kills.

Again.

A single target. Faster pop up. One shot. Another kill.

Again.

Three targets. Three shots. A headshot, bodyshot, and close miss.

Again...

Time flies as you try test your newfound pistol skill to its limits. It’s easier and quicker with less targets and more difficult the other way around. A single target is preferred. You may have managed to pull it off with multiple aliens the first time but it gets difficult fast. There’s no way you can be just as fast with a shotgun, just by the act of having to be hindered by pumping it, but a pistol is not an issue.

Still, this is utterly satisfying.

You use up all the immediate ammo. When you turn to get more you realize both Sweet and Harita have been watching behind you.

“Damn, Dozer. Nice aim!” Sweet grins. “Guess Harita here was right about you suddenly becoming a gunslinging cowboy.”

“Yeah, it was pretty sudden. I’m just missing the cowboy hat now.” You smirk, reminded of the state troopers back in Arizona who usually did wear hats like that.

“Did you learn pistol skills because of your… other speciality?” Harita asks.

“It seems unrelated, at least when using it. It just kinda happened. Either I’ve always had the skill and never really tried, my other speciality triggered it, or something else entirely. Hell, maybe it was just pure luck. Dunno yet. I’m not complaining though.” You say.

“Shit, I wouldn’t. Would be nice being able to spray someone up with a Medikit and blast away at X-rays with a pistol at the same time.” Sweet muses, shaking his head. “What can you do.”

“Are you going to keep practicing with pistols?” Harita asks as you head to the cage to get more ammunition with them.

>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
>No. You’ll try something else (Specify)
>You’re done shooting for now.
>Other

>>3058215
>>No. You’ll try something else (Specify)

How about a rifle?

>>3058215
>>You’re done shooting for now.

>>3058215
>>No. You’ll try something else (Specify)
Nope shotgun

>>3058154
>Try reading his post again before accusing people of things.
Try not fabricating a weak strawman, the facts are in my post. And why the fuck would you even complain about short threads.

>>3058215
>>No. You’ll try something else (Specify)
See what the max range is you can land a hit with a mag shotgun most of the time

>>3058215
>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
Maybe get some accuracy training in while we're at it

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.

Oh hey, if the number of targets is the limiting factor for the Lighting Hands, maybe it's about perception and how fast he can process information. What if he used Solace at the same time on himself to speed up thoughts and increase focus while trying it? Obviously not now and here since it's the firing range with other people around, but still.

>>3058146
>>3058248
Are you blind? Try reading thoroughly and checking the IDs before you go full retard.

>>3058316
A strawman and ad hominem now, you aren't really improving. And ignoring the very obvious fact that complaining about short threads in nonsense if the overall content is the same.

>>3058354
You accused a guy who's new and reading the threads of making a bad call with the Chryssalids.

>>3058357
How new ? That's the question. Tell me the date he found this quest., if you know so well.

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
Because I'm interested in the Templar route, and this helps build toward it. Psi-blades and gunslinging, yo.

>>3058361
As of November 19th, 2:20 PST as shown in this >>3058001 post, this person had only reached the Vegas part of the quest in the archives. He had not caught up to live at that time and couldn't have voted during the forest call which took place in October.

So stop being a cunt.

>>3058371
I'm not the one spamming insults. Projection much ?

>>3058484
You are tho.

>>3058371
>You can't read the archives and follow the current (slow) thread at the same time.
Wow. weakest lie. This is getting pathetic.

>>3058658
Well congratulations, for the remainder of this thread we're all going to know you're a cunt.

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
Time to go for that pistol highscore. Dozer is already well trained in shotguns and we could use some practice for our secondary.

>>3058215
>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
Can we make it onto the leaderboards?

>>3058662
That makes you a bigger cunt, only spamming insults and no arguments or facts. So this is how you react when you lose a discussion ?

>>3058215
>>You’re done shooting for now.

File: Nicolas-Cage-Trying-to-ho(...).gif (4.7 MB, 430x215)

4.7 MB GIF

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
>>3058884
Congratulations anon you are officially the most autistic person I've seen on /qst/ and that includes horsefuckeranon.

>>3058215
>No. You’ll try something else (Specify)
Shotgun

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.

>>3058215
>>Yes. You really want to see how proficient you are with pistols.
>>Other
Try mixing psi with Lightning Hands and see what happens. Maybe even get a second pistol.

Calling the vote here!

>>3058905
Shrieking meme insults and reaction images change nothing. How does it feel to be a sore loser ?

>>3058905
I don't know Anon, Montbruefag might give horsefuckeranon a run for his money.

>>3058905
If you go through hellborne there was an autistic guy in there at some point and he was a pretty serious case. I think he was also in homeless mutant.

I can't recall any specific instances though.

>>3059591
Hellborne? I've never heard of that one before. How bad was the autism?

>>3059568
I have risen from my corpse like state to inform you that you are, in fact, kin to horsefuckeranon.

>>3059591
God I miss Hellborn. Damn Lanquid and having to go have a life.

>>3059853
I fucking miss that quest.

>>3059767
Bing obsessed with some horsefucker doesn't speak well of you, nor does namefagging as a literally who.

File: Revolver.jpg (313 KB, 1920x1038)

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“Yeah, I’m not stopping with the… pistolation any time soon? Wait, is that even a word?” You pause, scratching your chin with one of the Gauss pistol mags.

Harita and Sweet look at each other.

You put further training in sidearms.. Really, there’s no other way of going about it besides just putting in the time and effort. You might have some newfound talent with your current pistol trick, but that isn’t going to carry you all of the way.

The thought crosses your mind, for just a faint moment, of dual wielding pistols. Just as quickly as it pops in your head you dismiss it. You’re not some hard boiled detective action movie star, even if you may have done a couple of over the top stunts.

You don’t half ass the training, that’s for sure. Before you know it, you’re burning through the available Gauss ammunition at such a rate you have to switch to lasers so you don’t rack up the ire of the Armorer.

Despite trying to cover all of your bases, you have to prioritize what you want to learn with the time you have left. It’s same as learning anything else. You don’t want to cram combat training when it’s life and death. You’ve managed to get Lightning Hands to be fairly consistent with a single target. The question is what’s the other thing you had focused on.

There’s building further on that foundation, working on just being more proficient in just handling a sidearm like accuracy and the like. That would include general accuracy, improving your speed at reloading the firearm, and all that stuff. Boring, but the important stuff usually is.

Learning a new ‘trick’ also crossed your mind. Workshopping new moves and just seeing what sticks is usually much more fun. That just has the risk of you not actually doing anything productive and goofing around.

Finally, there’s beating the current base’s highscore on pistol marksmanship held by MIN. Whoever that guy or gal is, they’ve dominated that particular leaderboard in the most difficult training scenario. You had tried the course once and it’s brutal. Dozens of targets intermixed with friendlies, a scant few seconds to react, and no mistakes or the run’s counted a loss. You wouldn’t say it’s impossible as MIN beat it, but still. You’ll very likely just get frustrated but… you can’t deny you aren’t tempted at having a go at it.

>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
>Attempt to learn a new trick. (TN 25-80)
>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)
>Other (TN ???)

>>3060422
>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
Beating the highscore comes after.

File: 1526911342767.jpg (415 KB, 1920x1080)

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>>3060422
>>3060422
>>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)


Have we ever considered nicknaming our shotgun or pistol?

>>3060422
>>>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
We can try for the high score tomorrow if we have the time.

>tfw this quest makes me wish I had battle brothers
>tfw it'd even be worth dying horribly

File: BattleBruvs.png (89 KB, 322x163)

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>>3060461
Get it when you can my dude or dudette. Shit is fantastic. Don't let the token art dissuade you, it's a life sucker and the only reason I'm not playing more is because the first big DLC is like a week away.

There's a likelihood it might be on sale with the DLC around the corner plus the inevitable Christmas steam sale!

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
Gotta Get Gud!

>>3060422
>>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)

>>3060422
>>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
but try to beat that highscore after that if we still have the time

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)
If we have time after improving.

>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)
>Attempt to learn a new trick. (TN 25-80)
>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)
Hell, why not go for broke?

I'm guessing MIN is the Commander.

>>3060422
>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)

After this we should so check and practice.

>>3060615
Psi*

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)

>>3060431
>the revolver needs two targeting lasers AND tiny unusable iron sights
Who the hell designed this?

>>3060634
One is probably a light and the other a laser.

>>3060431
>That tiny, deeply grooved cylinder with that huge barrel diameter
No way it can accommodate large enough cartridges.
I also see something that looks like a mount for the recoil springs. On a revolver.
Won't even speak about the godawful sights.

>>3060640
The barrel isn't even octagonal.
Goodbye hands

>>3060641
How is this relevant though?

>>3060642
Lookup why planes don't have square windows anymore.

It basically amounts to uneven stresses that accelerate the loss of integrity of the barrel ending with a catastrophic failure.

>>3060642
>>3060646
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rXGRPMD-GQ

>>3060646
I know about plane windows, but it doesn't apply to gun barrels. Mostly because a circle handles stress better than an octagon anyway.

Octagonal barrels on historical firearms have to do with poor tools available at the time.

>>3060656
I know.
An octagonal barrel would be better at handling the stresses better though and would still sort of fit with the aesthetics.

>>3060646
Remington VTRs are utter shit for many reasons, but that ain't one of them

>>3060422
>>Other (TN ???)
Find out who MIN is.

>>3060694
I bet it was peppermint

>>3060698
Yeah, it's Peppermint.

>>3060422
>>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)

>tfw almost caught up in the archives
>tfw don't want to catch up because then I have to wait for updates like everyone else
fug

>>3060422
>Improve your general skill with pistols. (TN 65)

>The thought crosses your mind, for just a faint moment, of dual wielding pistols. Just as quickly as it pops in your head you dismiss it. You’re not some hard boiled detective action movie star, even if you may have done a couple of over the top stunts.
I didn't mean trying to use both at the same time! We only have two eyes after all.

>>3060422
>>Try and beat MIN's highscore. (TN 75)
Lets try combining internal Solace and Lightning Hands at the same time. It seems like they would complement each other

>You begin to breath. Each breath is utterly soothing. It’s as if all the doubts and worries you have is being washed away with each breath, replaced with a zen-like wholeness. Your anger’s still there, it seems like it will always be a part of you but for the moment it’s… sated. You realize you haven’t become lethargic either. Far from it, you feel as composed and in control of yourself. Everything seems to make more sense in your mind, as if it has become sharpened to a razor’s edge. You feel like this could save lives, snapping people out of panic or worse. Giving them that moment of clarity to get back into the battle. You might be even able to have them resist Psionic influence as well! This ‘Solace’ takes the least amount of Focus.

>>3060694
Inb4 it actually turns out to be mommander. She does carry a revolver remember.

Calling the vote here!

Finally finished through the archive and unfortunately caught up.
>tfw reading through this entire quest has really made me want to get Xcom 2
Which is really good timing, actually, since it's on a mega-sale.

>>3061252
By the way, Pixel, your writing has really improved. Earlier on in the archives it was almost unbearable there was so many errors and repeated words, but now it's hardly noticeable.

>>3060782
I know, it's the worst. I binged though the quest about two months ago and was really bummed to find out there wasn't more.

A gratuitous amount of practice is the way to success. So, while you really want to put your time forward unlocking some hidden ability you never knew you had or getting competitive… that would probably just be a waste of your precious time. A small pile of ammunition required, you make your way back to your booth to reacquaint yourself with all of the basics surrounding pistols.

Thankfully, previous training and asking about some of the other troopers spending time at the range, you quickly organize a little training regimen. That’ll take up the almost all of your free time for today.

You begin to go through the motions. It feels like you’re repeating yourself, which is the entire point. It’s all about getting that muscle memory. It’s not fun or glamorous, and the real challenge is keeping your focus. The last thing you need is your mind wandering this way and that. You already have enough on your mind…

>Roll 1d100 (TN 65)

---

Being busy sucks and given that tomorrow is Thanksgiving for Yanks such as myself I probably won’t have much time to wrap up the thread satisfactorily before Friday. We’re likely gonna be looking at an extended slow thread that’ll continue to next week. But all things considered we’re going to be prepping for a new mission soon. The extra time might be useful in the long run so that everyone can vote for prep stuff. It's gonna be... different. You guys might need the extra time to think!

>>3061255
You have no idea how much of a relief that is to hear. I was not particularly happy with my early writing as well!

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>3061782

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>3061782
That spoiler is a bit worrisome

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>3061782

>>3061784
Art has always been choice tho, so good on you.

>>3061786
It'll be a site recon to a small fishing village...

>>3061790
If that's the case, it's time to pack up all the flamethrowers and explosives squad can muster.

But i think it might be EXALT. We're already seeing Mechtoids which means we've entered the mid-game territory. It would certainly be different.

>>3061790
And we still don't have flying suits...

>>3061790
Innsmouth ?

>>3062070
It's a 'special' mission in XCOM 1

What if if the ayys came to earth to prevent IA! IA! CTHULHU FHTAGN! from happening.

>>3062252
Then we'll sacrifice them to the Great Old Ones.

Commander is secretly Nyarlathotep

>>3061790
>>3061804
I hope it's three-way combat between XCOM, EXALT and Chryssalids in a small fishing village. Who knows, they might even agree to a temporary cease fire lasting until we've cleared out most of the bugs.

>>3062380
>I hope it's three-way combat between XCOM, EXALT and Chryssalids in a small fishing village
I hope not, I don't see EXALT winning against Chryssalids.

File: Laser Pistol.jpg (117 KB, 2000x713)

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Slowly but surely, you put that time into improving your sidearm proficiency. It’s dreary work, but as several hours pass and the time denotes it’s evening… you feel satisfied. There’s a definite improvement in your handling, times, and general accuracy across the board with the Gauss MAG Pistol.

Really, the trick was retraining yourself to the recoil the pistol has. It’s not just a mere rough vibration like a laser pistol’s recoil. It’s similar to a standard ballistic pistol, actually. Just way more kick. The weapon becomes familiar in your hands, though it’ll never replace a shotgun in your heart.

“All done?” Harita asks, leaning in behind you from the adjacent booth.

“Yep.” You concur, unloading the pistol and double checking it’s empty. “I’m pretty sure I can score a 80% average now in my sleep.”

“Hope you don’t sleep walk, or at the very least you don’t keep a sidearm in your bunk.” Sweet smirks.

You raise an eyebrow as you and your teammates finish up and start to store the kit again.

“XCOM allows people to keep firearms in their dorms?” You say to Sweet.

“Hah, hell no, but I know a few guys who’d try. You’d be surprised at how dedicated some folks are at being ‘safe’ at all times.”

“I don’t even want to think about some of the other troopers always carrying a gun.” You shudder. “Poker games get heated enough already…”

“What about when you start parties?”

“Oh shut up.”

Sweet has a hearty chuckle. Honestly, it’s not your fault the party after Gangplank went that wild. Really. Quickly moving past the target, your little trio decides to get something to eat at cafeteria. However, you don’t make it far out of the firing range.

(Part 1 / 2)

File: Central Officer Bradford.jpg (410 KB, 1280x720)

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“Dozer, Central’s approaching us.” Harita points out as you are in the middle of a conversation with Sweet.

You look over and sure enough, the sweater wearing Command staff member is striding over to your group. At a glance, the man is as professional as ever, but you can see a bit of… something in his eyes. Something not good, that’s for sure.

“Sir.” You and your teammates snap, Bradford a salute.

“Strike-1.” Bradford returns the acknowledgement with a curt nod. He looks over to you. “You are to accompany me to the Situation Room. The Commander has requested you to assist in a recent development.”

Well damn, looks like food has to wait.

Nodding to both of your squadmates, you take your leave to follow the sweater wearing Central Officer. His rank and position allowing him easy navigation through the base as staff go out of their way to respectfully move out of the way. As you walk, you take a note of his demeanor. His pace is brisk, and his hand casually rests on the Arc Thrower that’s never left his side since that containment breach. There’s a purpose to his movements and… that’s concerning.

Something’s going on, and whatever it is has put Bradford on edge. It’s not even you that caused it this time.

Worrying...

The both of you enter XCOM’s main elevator and begin the slow-ish ascent upwards. Bradford impatiently taps his foot, wanting to will the elevator faster.

It’s a bit awkward.

>Ask Bradford what the situation is.
>Remain quiet.
>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.
>Other

---

(Just a heads up, due to Thanksgiving throwing everything outta whack. We won't be starting a new thread tomorrow and continuing on with this one!)

>>3063148
>>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.

Do we even have an elevator pitch here that doesn't involve asking about the sweater?

>>3063148
>>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.
We'll find out the situation soon enough.

I'm not an American, but i wish you happy Thanksgiving regardless. Will there be any updates on weekend or are continuing next week?

>>3063155
Thanks, and I'll try and post what I can and keep a steady pace. If I'm lucky and not that busy I might do a semi-session where I run like normal later at the usual time.

We'll see though! Holidays remain busy.

>>3063148
>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.

>>3063148
>>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

>>3063148
>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

>>3063148
>>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.
Ask about his sweater.

>>3063148
>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

>>3063148
>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

>>3063148
>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.
I doubt he'd talk about the mission in the hallways anyway.

>>3063148
>>Other
>Strike up a conversation about whatever, see if he is in the mood to talk.

>>3063148
>>Try and improve your standings with Bradford.

>>3063148
>"On a scale of one to ten, one being a sectoid corpse near a university, ten being the whole rest of the world deciding to back out of x-com, how bad is it?"

>>3063148
>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

>>3063148

>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

Calling the vote here!

This quest made me get Xcom 2. I remembered how much I loved the first one, and 2 was on sale so hey.

>>3063148
>>Ask Bradford what the situation is.

>>3065036
I’ve been playing XCOM 2 recently, and while I like in a lot of ways, it feels like there’s a lot more cheap shit leveled against you than in EU/EW, and it gets frustrating at times balancing that and the aggressive pacing.

File: XCOM Situation Room.jpg (55 KB, 970x545)

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“What’s the situation, sir?” You ask Bradford, opting to keep things as professional as possible.

“It’s complicated.” Bradford sighs. “We already have our hands full fighting the aliens, but it seems we have a new thing to worry about now.”

“What did the Council do this time?” Frustrating memories of that piece of shit suit that skulked into XCOM HQ and Captain Bannon spring to mind.

“It isn’t the Council.” Bradford actually chuckles dryly at that. “At least if it was their fault it would be nothing we aren’t used to. This new threat however has hit us where it really hurts.”

You’re about to ask further but the elevator comes to a stop. Bradford is already moving forward and no waiting for you to catch up. You move up to keep up with the central officer. While you don’t have a complete grasp of what’s going on yet, and you don’t like the implication, at least your short chat with Bradford was… productive. The Central Officer seems to have appreciated the curt discussion and had actually vented with you a bit. He probably didn’t even realize he did, it’s clear his mind is elsewhere.

You and Bradford make the rest of the way to the Situation Room without issues. As soon as you enter, you straighten your posture and look more presentable as the large monitor in the room is broadcasting the enigmatic Council Spokesman. Two others are present in the room, the Commander and… one of the Mission Control communication analysts? Bradford makes his way over to stand just behind the Commander as he’s relayed additional information on his earpiece. With nowhere else to go, you move to stand beside the communication analyst who is off to the side.

The analyst, a red headed woman who looks awfully familiar to you, is standing at attention. American, from the patch on her uniform, and eager. She’s clearly honored to be up here for whatever happening, and taking it as well as she can. You look away and focus on the conversation between the spokesperson and the Commander, which seems to be wrapping up.

“...We trust you will isolate the source of this new threat -- and eliminate it.” The Spokesman speaks, his shrouded form leaning forward toward the Commander in emphasis.

“Rest assured, we’ll do what we can.” The Commander replies. And for once, there’s no subtle tinge of double-speak or anything like that. The Commander seems legitimate in assisting the Council in this matter.

A nod of understanding from the Spokesman, and the line cuts. The tension in the room eases up, but not by much. Bradford steps forward, hands clasped behind his back to address the Commander. You note at the peripheral of your own vision the analyst clasping her own hands behind her back.

“The Council has seen fit to actually provide us with additional resources to deal with these… traitors.” Bradford says.

...

(Part 1 / 2)

File: EXALT Logo 1.jpg (19 KB, 1280x720)

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“Quite the threat If they’re willing to give us more power to deal with it.” The Commander muses.

Bradford nods, motioning the Commander towards you and the woman beside you. “I’ve brought Strike-1’s squad leader and one of my own as requested.”

The Commander smiles.

“Hello Dozer. Anna.” She greets, warmly.

“Ma’am.” You say in unison with Anna. Sheher chest out with pride and you snap a salute.

When Anna speaks, you only then recognize who it is. It’s Comms Specialist Polis. Your usual mission support in operations.

“What’s going on, ma’am?” You ask.

“An unknown but well funded organization has attacked our secretive and not so well funded sponsors again. Ring any bells?”

“...Are they same group that hit the French convoy?”

“Correct. They call themselves EXALT. But, we already knew that before the Council thanks to the ‘VIP’ you had rescued.” The Commander smirks. “I didn’t think we needed to have worried about this group until they struck again and had hit us personally in the process.”

EXALT, huh...?

“How so?” Anna chimes in, determined to know more.

“EXALT had managed to sabotage and steal Council funding, which just so happens to also be our funding. We’re down… an uncomfortable amount of resources. More so for the Council, which only serves to further decrease our funding in general as they try to recoup their losses.” The Commander says, displeased.

That’s bad.

“But… how were they able to move so much money without it being traced? Is there somebody on the inside?” Anna wonders, and you swear the large cow lick on her hair seems to move as she speaks.

“We’re not sure yet but EXALT seems to have an underground global infrastructure similar to the Council’s.” Bradford shakes his head. “Funny that the Council was not aware of the group. Guess they were so busy squabbling among themselves they didn’t notice the other big fish in the pond.”

“That’s what we’re going to find out.” The Commander says. “A new Covert Operations division is going to be established within XCOM. However, that’s going to take time and the Council has a lead. The sabotage occured in an influential banking firm in Switzerland. The both of you alongside plus some of Strike-1 will be deployed to investigate this EXALT activity and deal with it.”

Wha-

“When will we be heading out?” Anna quickly asks.

“As soon as possible.”

You blink and look over to see Anna’s her eyes widen with… excitement? Bradford seems to have not expected this as well, is also thrown off by the news. The Commander seems to already have a plan of attack. You feel...

>Hesitance. You and the rest of Strike-1 are soldiers, not spies.
>Concern. You still haven’t technically fully recuperated.
>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.
>Confusion. Why did the Commander pick you and Strike-1?
>Other

>>3066682
>Hesitance. You and the rest of Strike-1 are soldiers, not spies.
>Confusion. Why did the Commander pick you and Strike-1?

>>3066682
>>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.

We need not ask the why, only the when and where!

>>3066682
>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.

>>3066682
>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.
I knew brushing up on pistols was a good idea.

>>3066682
>>Hesitance. You and the rest of Strike-1 are soldiers, not spies.
>Confusion Why did she pick the rest of strike one, You can understand why she picked you given your talents might be invaluable against spies, but Rachel and Naru are not going to pass for regular humans.

>>3066682
>Confusion. Why did the Commander pick you and Strike-1?
>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.

Damn. I had a hunch those EXALT bastards were gonna show up soon and was kinda expecting a choice on whether we go ourselves or send someone else. So are co-oping this with Anna as dual agents and maybe someone else will coming along? Neat, that pistol training will come handy.

>>3066682
>Hesitance. You and the rest of Strike-1 are soldiers, not spies.

>>3066682
>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.
Stopping bank robbers? We FBI-COM now.

This kind of work should be familiar to us, Rachel and maybe Zhang (from the other end of the coin).

>>3066682
>>Readiness. You and your own will handle this, even if it’s well out of everyone’s comfort zones.

>>3066682
>Other
>Contemplative. You'll be bound to have some Troopers in Strike 1 that have...appropriate skills. Zhang, Naru and Burnout come to mind.

>>3066682
>Confusion. Why did the Commander pick you and Strike-1?

>>3066682
>Confusion. Why did the Commander pick you and Strike-1?

>>3066682
>Other
Concern. If shit hits the fan the squad will have to protect the analyst on top of dealing with the enemy.
But also readiness for this reason: >>3067083

Does Anna have any combat training/skills ? What will she carry (eg a medkit or battlescanner, pistol)

I'm guessing our FBI background might be an influence here.

Also anyone have an idea on how to adapt pic related to xcom exalt and council?

File: images (9).jpg (46 KB, 319x461)

46 KB JPG

>>3068800
And i forget the pic of course

Calling the vote here!

>>3068807
Mission - Go to scout UFO landing site, capture a sectoid
CIA / Exalt: We sent several dozen agents and after none of them reported successful capture we concluded there was no UFO.
FBI / Council: Site cratered by airstrike after sectoid returned fire.
KGB / Xcom: [Returns with functional UFO to hangar]

>>3069042
The Council seems to be the most incompetent of the three so I would go with them being CIA

>Eggsalt
Got into a firefight with sectoids and thinmints, managed to recover one ayy corpse.
>Council
After searching through 10% of the forest, it was concluded that aliens don't exist.
>XCOM
Found the missing Council agents, arrested an EXALT cell, found the UFO and recovered it intact with its entire crew taken into captivity.

>>3068100
She must have some combat training and possible espionage experience, otherwise commander wouldn't have chosen her.

>>3069358
Maybe it is a Escort mission as much as Espionage.

>>3069042
>>3069103
I like how you interpret grabbing the wrong guy and torturing him into implicating himself as a sign of competence.

Your gut reaction is confusion at being presented this situation. You and the rest of Strike-1 are trained soldiers and combatants. While you may have dabbled here and there in FBI training to be a general field agent, you were scoped out by Captain Nguyen so quickly you didn’t really get the chance to test it in the field. This would be your chance to see if you had the mettle to handle a field operation like this and in a leadership position of all things.

You know your own team enough to know this isn’t their expertise either. Barring perhaps Zhang’s criminal past and Rachel’s similar fed training. Everyone would be out of their comfort zones. But if the Commander thinks your the team for it…

“Myself and the rest of Strike-1 are ready when you say the word, ma’am.” You say.

This seems to resonate with Anna.

“As am I, Commander! The Communications Team don’t play around either!” Anna says, brimming with earnest confidence.

Not bad.

“Good.” The Commander smiles. “I am I counting on both of you.”

Bradford however is not sure assured of this. Looking at the you and the two others in the room with wariness. For a moment, he glares at you after looking concerned at his subordinate.

“Commander, I’m not sure I’m following. I can understand Squad Lead Dozer and his… specialties but are you really sure on sending out Specialist Polis on the field?”

The Commander nods. “Absolutely, Central. Normally I wouldn’t consider it, but we’ve all been caught flat footed by this EXALT group. We don’t know how extensive their network is, so it’ll be better to have a self-suffcient embedded on the ground. Anna will help in numerous roles in the mission and round out the covert team. Isn’t that right, Anna?”

“Yes ma’am!” Anna chimes in, taking the Commander’s cue. “I may not be a fighter but I passed basic firearms training like everyone else in XCOM! Even if it was only barely, I still passed!”

“I don’t know about this…” Bradford admits.

This doesn’t stop Anna. “If I may be frank, trust me, sir. You gave me a chance before in joining XCOM and I don’t want let you and the rest of the team down.”
You almost want to add that Anna has been helpful in the missions she was support, but it seems her words get to the straight-laced sweater wearing man. He lets out a long sigh, and pinches his nose.

“...Very well. Just don’t take any unnecessary risks, Polis.” Bradford mutters.

“No close range fighting if I can help it then, acknowledged!” Anna pipes in.

Bradford winces again. You manage to suppress the urge to chuckle. Anna turns and grins at you, her green eyes looking bright and ready.

“I look forward to working with you better, Dozer.” Anna extends a hand.

“Same with you.” You smirk, taking it and shaking it.

Anna’s got spunk, that’s for sure.

(Part 1 / 3)

“Splendid.” The Commander claps her hands and turns back to Anna and yourself. “You two and the rest of the team will be temporarily designated as ‘Wraith-1’ for the rest of the covert operation. It will be a five-man team, counting the both of you. Given the nature of these types of missions it’s expected this will take a week at the minimum to gather conclusive intel. You will not have any support but each other barring an emergency evac. Due keeping secrecy, you will be provided with limited XCOM equipment and will have to rely on mostly conventional gear.”

You take it all in, but one bit stands out.

“How… limited is our kit going to be?” You ask.

“You will each be provided Gauss sidearms, ammunition, and one piece of XCOM kit.” Bradford adds, having composed himself. “It’s going to be difficult enough smuggling a small team under the radar, let alone XCOM equipment. That’s the best we can do.”

Well shit. Good thing you brushed up on pistol training. But only three members of the team…? That’s going to be a tough call. An extended convert op with no support means your team has to be versatile, self-sufficient, and capable of espionage.

“...This is sounding like I’m going to be ruling out Rachel and Naru.” You frown.

“Not necessarily.” The Commander reassures. “Naru would be provided with MELD stims from Vahlen’s and as long as you’re careful can blend in with a pair of sunglasses, and long sleeves. I spoke with Shen earlier and he has something that’ll help Rachel and other MEC troopers. It’s a ‘stealth and recon’’ MEC suit designed to be transported and maintained anywhere in extended operations. The Shinobi-Class.”

You don’t even need to hear more. Shen continues to be a goddamn miracle worker once again. You smirk at the thought of how these EXALT guys would react to a MEC. You also trust Vahlen to make sure Naru won’t turn into goop in the field.

“So Dozer, do you have an idea of Wraith-1’s team composition?” The Commander asks you?

You scratch your chin.

(Part 2 / 3)

(Pick 3! The top 3 voted will be picked!)

>Naru. Creative and extremely perceptive thanks to her Gene Mod with the obvious downside being her noticeable Gene Mod. Can still be deployed with a basic disguise to cover the eyes and arm studs. Will bring her Gauntlet.

>Burnout. Fast, keen, and able to perform reconnaissance, Burnout is a jack of all trades but master of none. Will bring Battlescanners.

>Loki. Persuasive, seductive, and a knack for explosives, Loki is excellent infiltration material. However, she is your 2IC and the rest of your squad will be lacking a leader until you return. Will bring extra explosives.

>Harita. The final answer in infiltration and melee combat, but is a terrible spy in everything else. Will bring her sword.

>Zhang. His former criminal background will be excellent in the operation, though he stands out. Will bring extra Gauss ammunition.

>Rachel. Will be able to deploy with a Shinobi-class MEC for the ultimate answer in going loud. Really stands out as a MEC trooper. Will bring the Shinobi-class MEC.

>Peppermint. Her Sniper training and lone wolf expertise will be useful. Her personality may be abrasive. Will bring a S.C.O.P.E.

>Rook. His proficiency in sifting through paperwork and documents will speed up the investigation, still a solid soldier. No other noteworthy skills to add. Will bring an alloy plate.

>Sweet. He’s a medic and you won’t have carapace armor in the operation, pretty useful. The rest of Strike-1 won’t have him if you bring him along. Will bring Medikits.

>>3071329
oof, big update
>>Naru. Creative and extremely perceptive thanks to her Gene Mod with the obvious downside being her noticeable Gene Mod. Can still be deployed with a basic disguise to cover the eyes and arm studs. Will bring her Gauntlet.

>>Burnout. Fast, keen, and able to perform reconnaissance, Burnout is a jack of all trades but master of none. Will bring Battlescanners.

>>Peppermint. Her Sniper training and lone wolf expertise will be useful. Her personality may be abrasive. Will bring a S.C.O.P.E.

>>3071329
>Zhang. His former criminal background will be excellent in the operation, though he stands out. Will bring extra Gauss ammunition.
>Loki. Persuasive, seductive, and a knack for explosives, Loki is excellent infiltration material. However, she is your 2IC and the rest of your squad will be lacking a leader until you return. Will bring extra explosives.
>Burnout. Fast, keen, and able to perform reconnaissance, Burnout is a jack of all trades but master of none. Will bring Battlescanners.

Let Rook lead Strike-1 in the meantime.

>>3071329
>Zhang
>Naru
>Burnout

>>3071329

>Burnout, Scouts gonna scout.
>Zhang, underworld knowhow.
>Rachel, fed training is useful and nothing says PLAN B! Like a MEC.