Started using .png files. Upload a trillion times faster to photobucket, though they're a bit smaller. If anyone has an issue with this, I'll go back to using .bmp files.
Relatively little battlescape view this update. Most of the action is strategic, and the UFO clearings were standard fare.
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The latter part of April brought some excellent news.
Doctor Surlethe's team finished research on the aliens' alloys, and subsequently completed research on a means to modify the aliens' equipment to create a plasma-resistant battle armor.
We also began research on the curious heavy radioactive elements the aliens are using to power their ships.
Very quickly, we deduced that the aliens use an isotope of ununpentium-115. the potential energy output of this isotope is simply staggering.
Unfortunately for some of our team, this research did not come soon enough.
Two small UFOs were rapidly detected within hours of each other, one over Asia and the second over Europe. PeZook and Coalition were already in pursuit of the UFO over Asia when the second was detected.
PeZook got the one over Asia, while Coalition doubled back to engage the one over Europe. However....
The kill did not go to Coalition, but rather to our newest pilot, Tasoth, and his new Interceptor. The UFO fell into the ocean off the French coast, to not be recovered.
The first downed UFO was assaulted and cleared in the usual fashion. Floaters were encountered once again, and we suffered only one casualty. Jonen C, on his first mission with X-COM, was killed on entering the UFO, but managed to take one Floater with him.
Note: I failed to catch a cap of Jonen C's rather abrupt death.
A third UFO was detected on the ground in India. Another assault team was dispatched to clear it out. Things went well, until
FLOATERS IN THE TREES! FLOATERS IN THE TREES!
Turned out a floater was hiding in the trees and chucked a grenade into part of our leading team. Weemadando
and Shepp were killed in the explosion, and RedImperator and Vanas were wounded in the subsequent assault.
Our vengeance was swift and fiery.
Robo-Ohma proved his bravery by taking a stun-bomb blast to the face during the final assault, taking out both himself and the floater engineer carrying it.
At the end of the month we detected another large UFO over Europe.
It waffled around for a bit, buzzing the UK, Spain, and France, before zipping off right as our interceptors refueled. We're not sure what it was after, but we believe that it might have been a terror ship searching for targets, and that our elimination of the scouts earlier prevented it from having a target to assault. If this is the case, it indicates the aliens rely on their scout ships to pick out targets ahead of their heavy ship assaults. Thus, downing the scouts prevents the larger ships from carrying out their objectives.
The end of the month showed a major boost in our funds, and the funding nations are most pleased with our work. The United States, in particular, seems exceptionally pleased with our performance.
Overall UFO activity in April was vastly less than previous UFO activity in March or February, with a dramatic drop in activity in Southeast Asia.
We can directly attribute this to our establishment of Vodkaville and Welcome To Earf, and the subsequent drumming we've given the xenos bastards.
Expenditure has also massively outstripped our income, but that is perfectly acceptable, as we've made the difference with our sales of medikits, laser cannons, and UFO artifacts.
Our financial situation is excellent, and with the funding boost we've well exceeded the overhead required to pay for our troops, scientists, engineers, aircraft, and facilities. Hangars are under construction at Perseus and Welcome to Earf to facilitate interception operations in those regions, and our Hyperwave Decoder at Skynerfed is almost complete.
Personnel roster
Active duty
Skynerfed
Zablorg
MJ12-1
MJ12-7
Rekkon
Defenstrator
Vanas
Zinixius
Stark
Wautd
Robo-Decue
Robo-Ohma
Faabio
Eulogy
Temjin
RedImperator
Vodkaville
Artemas
Circle
Square
Triangle
Generator_g1
Pilots/support:
Hawkwings: HWP
PeZook: Interceptor-03
Coalition: Interceptor-01
Tasoth: Interceptor-04
Starglider: Skyranger
Surlethe: Head Scientist
Bear: Head interrogator
Fnord: Chief Engineer
Academia: Assistant Chief Engineer
KrauserKrauser: Giant Hats Procurement
Nephtys: Public Relations
Vehrec: HWP
Setzer: Supply
Pending Assignment:
Darth Smiley
Agent Sorchus
Lord Revan
Narkus
Imperial Overlord
Covenant
Acidburns
Jett Tainer
Argosh
Eyexist
Dead/Un-robo'd
Phred (UFO fire, general incompetence among command staff, lulz)
DarkEvilMe (plasma fire)
White Haven (plasma fire)
Vendetta (2) (plasma fire, both times)
Thunder (2) (smoke inhalation, plasma fire to the ass)
Karza (2) (alien grenade, plasma fire)
Karrick (plasma fire to the ass)
Deither (plasma fire)
Maxentius (plasma fire)
Alfonso (friendly fire from Haven)
Guppyshark (plasma fire)
Rhoenix (alien grenade)
Jonen C (plasma fire)
Weemadando (alien grenade)
Shepp (alien grenade)
.