We get ready to commence Operation Due Vengeance. Working in our favor are three factors: we are arriving at the landing site during daytime, we are using more advanced power suits, and we have plasma weapons on par with the aliens' own.
Our mission loadout has heavily changed. Most of the squad is using plasma weapons now, with the exception of our breachers, who are still using the rapid-fire laser pistols. Constant training has caused Bailey to become more than capable of handling heavy weapons, so she's keeping a rocket launcher with her in the event we need it.
Right from the outset, we spot a Reaper. It's not any particular threat to us at this distance, so we ignore it for now.
We get ready to move out and scope out the situation.
We spot a Floater moving out of a building, and the ship itself.
We continue fanning out, using available cover. In the process, someone fires from a window and hits Bailey in the back...
However, what would normally be a lethal injury with the previous generation of armor is just a minor scratch. Bailey fires back, getting two perfect shots through the window at her attacker.
Jones has the medi-kit ready and is right next to her, and gets right to work treating the wound.
While wounds normally interfere with firing accuracy, Bailey's just too good a shot to let that get in the way.
The Reaper's still not a particular threat, so this is a good opportunity for a rookie to get some firing practice in.
The Floater is a problem, however. From her position kneeling behind the wall she can't quite get a line of fire... but White can.
The power suit is even capable of taking a direct blast from a grenade.
Morita puts some holes in the wall trying to get the Floater that threw it, but after a few shots eventually manages to hit.
Unfortunately, the armor isn't perfect, and White gets taken down by a lucky shot from behind.
We start sweeping the buildings for any other hostiles.
Bailey and Jones get to the rear landing gear, hoping to use the Skyranger to block any line of fire from above.
We spot a Floater hiding between the buildings, and Bailey quickly resolves the situation.
Searching the other buildings finds no other hiding hostiles, clearing the way to move forward.
We use some of the wall for cover, but with foliage between the Skyranger and the UFO near non-existent, we'll need to try something to reduce our exposure to hostile fire.
We use a smoke grenade to make it safer to progress.
As we maneuver around the sides of the ship, we find another Floater. A few plasma bursts from Morita deal with this.
We soon encounter a second one. It takes some risky and aggressive tactics but Morita manages to get this one too, with Jones assisting.
We get ready to move in on what seems to be the main accessway into the ship.
More Reapers come at us. Carr is able to come around the side and ambush one, leaving us just out of the reach of the other.
We set down a proximity grenade in front of the door to try and thin out the herd.
More of the squad comes around the other side to watch the other entrance.
A Floater comes out and fires on us; apparently the proximity grenade isn't close enough to the door to work. Morita's hit, but survives, merely passing out from his injury...
...but before Jones can use the medi-kit to revive him, a grenade goes off. Jones himself is unharmed, but the unconscious Morita and several dead Floaters are blown away.
The squad on the other side handles the other Reaper by shooting it from behind repeatedly.
We get ready to move everybody we can in on the ship.
Carr takes care of the Floater in the accessway.
A Floater having been driven to panic by the constant deaths of the ship's crew comes out and fires at nothing. At this point it's an easy target.
We move up through the ship's accessway, which seems to be some sort of anti-gravity mechanism. We take care of more Floaters on the way up.
With the alien crew obviously demoralized and vulnerable, this would be a good opportunity to attempt captures. We get the stun rod ready.
We sweep the ship to search for other hostiles, finding nothing else on the second level.
We get ready to raid the third and top level of this ship.
Right off the bat we spot a Floater. Ragulin gives it a good whack with the rod.
In trying to raid one of the control rooms, Jones is shot by a Floater from just behind the door. He bleeds out before anybody can render assistance.
Watson, our other breacher, attempts to attack this room. A point blank burst of laser fire isn't enough to take down this Floater, and he's quickly met with a matching burst of plasma.
Attempts by Ragulin and Tanikawa to get in are met with similarly lethal resistance.
Eventually, Carr's able to bring the Floater in this command room down after numerous troops have died in the attempt.
Bailey finds one more Floater. It's unarmed, demoralized, and weakened. She picks up the stun rod off of Ragulin, and administers a high-voltage beatdown.
Results of Operation Due VengeanceJane ?Holepunch? Bailey: 3 kills, promoted to Colonel; wounded in action, will recover in 4 days
Clarence Carr: 3 kills, promoted to Sergeant
Paul Reynolds: 2 kills, promoted to Sergeant
Pierre Revenu: 0 kills, promoted to Sergeant
Toshio Morita: Killed in action
James White: Killed in action
Arthur Jones: Killed in action
John Watson: Killed in action
Andrei Ragulin: Killed in action
Tatsuo Tanikawa: Killed in action
15 aliens killed by X-COM ground forces
3 aliens captured
UFO hull, reactors, navigation systems, fuel, and entertainment systems recovered
Heavy losses were taken in this battle, but we have made even more staggering gains as a result of our victory. We not only managed to recover a massive alien ship in a nearly pristine state, but we have also captured multiple aliens alive for future interrogation. In addition, we discovered a new type of alien weapon; it was not used against us, but it appears to be some kind of launcher.
