*** Classified: Above Top Secret ***
X-Com Command Staff Eyes Only
Excerpt Personal Log, General McSwine
Day 39: Rookies
After the crashed vessel at the start of the month, we had a quiet first week in February. That gave us a chance to rotate the squad a little, putting some rookies out into the field for their first taste of real combat.
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X-Com Incident Report, 8th February
The chance came on the 8th, a UFO acquired over the Sahara heading south.
It managed to slip our radar cover at first.
But an interceptor ordered to patrol along it's last known heading picked it back up and engaged it over the ocean.
The inteceptor held station and followed the UFO to land, where it was shot down, and a team dispatched to retrieve it.
Report Ends
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The team soon arrived, but the skyranger held position some way off the crash site until dawn, mindful of the aliens' advantage at night, Eventually, the skyranger set down some way from the UFO.
AceDiamond ran his customary check of the LZ and rolled down the ramp. The now familiar sound of plasma impact on the rear hull greeted him, and he turned to spot the firer. As he did, another alien was spotted as well.
AceDiamond lined up a rocket and blasted the alien to the south.
Doomsly McSlaughter deployed next, on his first combat op, and spotted another alien further north.
First time nerves prevented him from firing however.
Bling Cat and CAPSLOCK FURY concentrated fire on the alien to the east, Bling Cat eventually scoring the kill shot.
Excited by their first chance of action, the rookies began to deploy and shoot at the northernmost alien, one shot winged the target, and it turned and fired, dropping one of the rookies as a warning to the others.
Concentrated fire from the rest of the squad eventually brought it down, however.
The UCV advanced to the west, and a rookie advancing with it came under fire from another alien to the south.
Wounded and bleeding to death, but not dead just yet, the brave soldier reported the alien's position to the snipers, and Looney bagged it.
Advancing further to the northwest revealed a fifth alien to the north close to the UFO.
Combined and Doomsly McSlaughter, now over his initial jitters, opened fire with rocket launchers and McSlaughter scored his first career kill.
There were no more aliens at the crash site.
Report Ends
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Mission Debriefing, General McSwine
A successful recovery, but the loss of an X-Com soldier is always a blow. The new recruits have had a taste of what it means to fight the alien invader, and it is hoped that the fate of the Faceless Goon lost today will inspire caution.
A further soldier is in sickbay recovering from plasma burns and will not be able to return to action for the rest of the month.
A replacement will be recruited for today's loss.
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Whilst the skyranger was in the air, the science division called in with the results of the laser cannon project. Unfortunately, the weapon doesn't have the range they'd projected for it, so we will be retaining the Avalanche missile as our primary interceptor weapon for the forseeable future.
Additionally, the team have begun work on a portable motion scanner. This device will be of limited utility to X-Com field personnel, but can be sold on the open market and is of interest to security and law enforcement professionals, so should augment X-Com funding.
