>>2574579
>>Check on Sweet and Peppermint. See how they’re faring.

>>2574579
>Check on Sweet and Peppermint. See how they’re faring.

I like how we trained civilians in how to be domestic terrorists. That's how XCOM does it, baby!

>>2574579
>>Chat with Burnout and Zhang. You curious what they thought of your performance.

>>2574579
>Find out what Marazuki’s on about. You wonder what sciency stuff he’s talking about with Vahlen.

>>2574579
>>Check on Sweet and Peppermint. See how they’re faring.

>>2574579
>Check on Sweet and Peppermint. See how they’re faring.

>>2574579
>>Fuck it, take Rachel’s offer and sit down on her lap. You’ve earned it and will just deal with everyone’s shit.

>>2574579
>>Chat with Burnout and Zhang. You curious what they thought of your performance.

>>2574579
>Check on Sweet and Peppermint. See how they’re faring.

>>2574583
>>2574603
>>2574612
>>2574621
>>2574683
Checking on the wounded it is, writing!

File: Skyranger Interior.jpg (180 KB, 1280x800)

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You decide to check on how Peppermint and Sweet are doing. Again. You’ve done it a few times throughout the trip, moving about the crowded interior of the Skyranger to check on each of their injuries. The others were understanding at your constant movement but it;s still a bit of a hassle for everyone. You just can’t help it.

Maybe it’s because they’re now your responsibility that you are so worried. Both of their health is stabilized, but still, you really really don’t like seeing them this way. It makes you so… irritated. Not angry per se, no, you’re calmer now after your episode with the ‘Seeker’. But you aren’t pleased. A part of you wonders if this is what Captain Nguyen or Rook feels on a daily basis. Probably.

The civilians and your standing squadmates are already making way for you when you start moving, quietly muttering the occasional apology when jostling someone too much by accident as you move. Sweet’s closer to you, so you start checking on him.

Looking over Sweet, the mousy scientist that had saved Sweet and made that rather effective explosive slingshot has took it upon herself to look after the medic the rest of the way. You can see Sweet is still quietly mumbling to himself in his unconsciousness, tossing and turning a bit. The mousy scientist nods to you.

“Is he still saying the same thing?” You ask her.

“Yes.” She nods again, frowning slightly with concern. You can tell the woman is particularly interested with Sweet, but she keeps herself distant partly because Sweet’s been unconscious alongside the very obvious ring on his finger. She isn’t the first woman to have been preemptively shot down from the handsome buff medic.

You don’t need to listen to know what two words he’s been saying over and over again. Or more specifically, names.

Mary and Johnny. His wife and kid. It’s a very fond topic for Sweet, and if given the opportunity he could talk for hours about how great the pair are. Especially if the man was drunk. He’s as much of a heartbreaker as Burnout is, and it’s not even intentional. Knowing that makes the constant mutterings of their names even worse.

Seeing him like this...

>Check on him closer, maybe his condition has suddenly changed.
>You consider trying to find a way for Sweet to contact his family once he’s OK. It’s the least you can do for him.
>Leave him be, you don't want to complicate his health.
>Other

>>2574812
>>You consider trying to find a way for Sweet to contact his family once he’s OK. It’s the least you can do for him.

>>2574812
>>You consider trying to find a way for Sweet to contact his family once he’s OK. It’s the least you can do for him.

>>2574812
>>Check on him closer, maybe his condition has suddenly changed.
He's faking sleep i bet

>>2574812
>You consider trying to find a way for Sweet to contact his family once he’s OK. It’s the least you can do for him.
Now I feel worse

>>2574812
>>Check on him closer, maybe his condition has suddenly changed.

>>2574820
>>2574824
>>2574846
Planning ahead it is, writing!

XCOM has a very strict protocol of secrecy for obvious reasons. Each trooper is given a plausible explanation on a case by case basis to effectively be absent for however long XCOM needs them. Since until only recently with yourself, Rachel, and Zhang, the usual excuse was being sent on deployment for such and such location. It’s become easier to fabricate or excuses thanks to the alien invasion. However, if there was anybody who deserved to at least check up on their family, it’s Sweet. He’s the de facto family man of the squad.

You’ll have to go through Bradford himself to get the final OK. So that’s going to be… fun. But it’s more than worth the effort. Who knows, maybe Bradford’s warmed up to you bit. Right?

You’ll just deal with crossing that bridge later.

With Sweet checked over, you start to make your way over to Peppermint. To your surprise, she’s actually awake, she looks like shit but you can see her glancing around and looking particularly miserable. You quickly make your way over to her.

“Nngh…” Peppermint groans, looking about left and right probably feeling rather uncomfortable with the cramped spaces.

“Hey.” You greet her once you reach her. “How are you feeling?”

“What even is that question? I feel awful, what else would I be feeling?” Peppermint coughs, her face scrunching up a bit. She glares at you. You relax a bit, she’ll be fine.

“Well, we’re almost back to HQ so you’ll be in the medbay soon.”
“Good. I can not stand being in here. It feel like I am choking, I can barely breath.” Peppermint grumbles, looking away at that, annoyed at herself.

>Reassure her. They’re at the final stretch before they’re back at base.
>Tell her to cowboy up. You know she can handle it.
>Sympathize with her. This must be pretty shitty for her.
>Other

>>2575016
>>Tell her to cowboy up. You know she can handle it.
"you huff Thin Man gas as a training exercise, you can cope for a little while longer"

>>2575016
>>Sympathize with her. This must be pretty shitty for her.
Probably still grumpy about getting beat by that sniper in the first place

>>2575016
>>Tell her to cowboy up. You know she can handle it.

>>2575016
>>Sympathize with her. This must be pretty shitty for her.
it's not everyday a sniper gets sniped.

>>2575016
>>Tell her to cowboy up. You know she can handle it.

>>2575016
>Tell her to cowboy up. You know she can handle it.

>>2575019
>>2575027
>>2575045
>>2575121
Cowboy up it is, writing!

File: Spoiler Image (45 KB, 500x747)

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“Cowboy up, Peppermint.” You say to her sternly.

She raises an eyebrow at you, confused.

“Cowboy…? I am not an bullheaded American, you are.” Peppermint narrows her eyes at you.

“No-- like-- it’s a figure of speech.” You explain, somewhat thrown off. “It basically means to tough it out. For example, a Russian version of that would be… uh, 'Cossack up'..?”

She scowls at you silently, likely thinking you are the biggest idiot on the planet. Frankly, you don’t blame her, that was a pretty awful. You resist the urge to cringe and press on.

“Anyways look, you’re the who person who willingly huffs Thin Man acid as a training exercise, you can cope for a little while longer.” You say, hoping just being stern with her will help.

Peppermint considers it, and slowly nods. Your blunt and admittedly poor attempt goes through. You relax at that.

“...It’s strange.” Peppermint admits with difficult, and starts to cough “Achoo! --I know I shouldn’t have this much difficulty in this situation… but it is getting really irritating!”

She sneezes again, cursing as soon as she does so. You blink, even you think this is getting odd. This isn’t just the injuries. You’re pretty sure plasma burns don’t start to giving someone a coughing fit, technically. Is it ill effects from the green fog?

You get your answer when you hear the sound of thumping metal above you. You look up and -- a grey cat falls onto Peppermint’s lap. What the h-

Peppermint promptly begins to freak out.

“Agh! Get it away from me! Get the damn thing away!” Peppermint shouts, alarmed. She attempts to throw the cat off of her but the feline refuses to let go. Her commotion starts to confuse everyone else in the cramped Skyranger. Things start to get rowdier fast.

>Relax, it’s just a cat!
>Try and get the thing off of her.
>Figure out how the hell it got inside the Skyranger.
>Other

Apologies for the late post, had to step away for a second!

>>2575360
>Other
"Allergies huh?"
>Try and get the thing off of her.
Calm it down first then pick it up.

>>2575360
>>Figure out how the hell it got inside the Skyranger.

>>2575360
>>2575367
this

>>2575360
>Try and get the thing off of her.

>>2575360
>>2575367
Cat allergies are the worst

>>2575360
>>Try and get the thing off of her.

>>2575360
>>Try and get the thing off of her.

>>2575367
>>2575377
>>2575380
>>2575384
>>2575393
Removing cat it is, writing!

File: Cat 3.jpg (389 KB, 1952x1952)

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“Cat allergies, huh?” You smirk, amused.

Peppermint doesn’t answer as she’s busy trying to grab the cat and throw it off, her eyes start to water and her sneezes intensify. OK right, get rid of the cat then. The thing is not cooperating with Peppermint one bit. Every time the sniper manages to grab a hold of the feline, the thing wiggles out of her grasp, crawls around her and then promptly plops back down her lap.

For some reason the cat seems to find Peppermint’s lap the more comfortable place to be. This displeases her greatly.

“Oh hey look, a cat.” One of the civvies comments.

“Yes we can see it, Ted.” Someone replies.

You can’t help but find this sight quite the relief after all that hell of a mission. You don’t savor it for long as Peppermint is legitimately getting irate as her allergies start to worsen. The other squad members watch curiously, wondering how it suddenly appeared..

“Just relax, and calm it down. You’re probably scaring the cat.” You say reassuringly. “Here just hold still and I’ll grab it.”

“Be quick about it!” Peppermint snaps, leaning back as far as she can away from the cat. It promptly curls up on her lap and settles it’s head down comfortably.

I mean it's just a cat, how difficult can grabbing it be?

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>2575464

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>2575464

File: What could go wrong.jpg (45 KB, 594x383)

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Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>2575464

>>2575471
You just HAD to jinx it.

Not sure what I was expecting
>>2575471

>inb4 it nestles on Rachel's bosom.

>>2575471
Why the FUCK would you say that?

>>2575477
You know what's funny? If I didn't take the time search for that picture to upload it we would have had a different dice result.

It's a sign!

File: wew.png (734 KB, 960x720)

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>>2575471
...

>>2575483
That you are a terrible person?

>>2575471
Do we crash the sky ranger?
Or grope some tiddie?

>>2575471
If anyone asks, we lost that eye during the mission.
Also this mission is just not letting us go is it?

File: OLzTu4m.png (4 KB, 226x256)

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>>2575519

>Crash SkyRanger into base
>Causes catastrophic fire at base
>damage control systems fail
>Everything suddenly on fire
>Everything
>Rookies and Blueshirts doing a bang-up job shooting everyone who isn't on fire
>Rookies and Blueshirts doing a bang-up job shooting some who aren't on fire at all
>Ayy Strike Cruiser with Base Defense Party ready to land just turns around as they see the fires of the XCOM base from afar

>>2575528

The Dice Gods have come for their pound of flesh, and it seems they will not leave until they have extracted every last morsel and sinew

>>2575019
>"you huff Thin Man gas as a training exercise, you can cope for a little while longer"

Its not about yhe air, Peppermint dislijkes being with so many people in cramped conditions.

>>2575519
>Or grope some tiddie?
Can we ? At least then we get something out of this terrible situation.

>>2575519
>>2575574
Remember that Peppermint write up?

>>2575580

There was a Peppermint writeup?

>>2575584
She has issues about sex assault. from that time she was sexually assaulted

>>2575584
Yeah. Where she beat the utter shit out of two people who tried to get familiar with her.

There's also the fact she's wearing armor, so we won't be feeling anything.

File: Spoiler Image (98 KB, 583x1252)

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You try and grab the cat.

The first thing you note upon grabbing onto the animal is how soft the fur is. It’s quite a nice feeling actually. The last time you had pet an animal was… oh right. You drunkenly kidnapped a goat from Vahlen’s lab.

…

You shudder and focus on removing the cat that is paralyzing Peppermint. You gently stroke the cat, who purrs softly in approval. You do this for a few moments and then with a firm grip you start to remove the cat.

You immediately regret the decision.

The moment the cat realizes you’re trying to remove it it reacts. With actual catlike agility and nimbleness, the animal slips from your grasp, crawls onto your arm and then proceeds to scratch the everloving shit out of you, turning your arms into literal scratching posts.

“Ow! What the fuck!?” You wince, the sharp claws digging through your long sleeved shirt.

The pain is not as bad as being shot by plasma but you are completely surprised and jerk your arms instinctively trying to remove it. You accidentally elbow a few of the people around you, quickly irritating them off. In your defense, they’re not the one getting clawed up by a cat. The moment you do remove it from your arms it proceeds to hop on people’s shoulders before bouncing right back onto Peppermint’s lap. Your irritation spikes up and you attempt to grab it, thus repeating the cycle all over again.

[P-p-p-pff-pfft.] Rachel snickers, the broken voice modulator erraticness somehow making the giggling worse. Zhang frowns. Burnout scratches his chin. The damn cat is undermining your leadership!

The cat starts to get annoyed and proceeds to start directing the scratches to your face. You don’t mind getting scars, it comes with conflict, but getting scars from a cat is an embarrassment! This is getting out of hand! You are getting really pissed off.

The farce continues on for a few minutes as people quickly scootch away, trying to keep a wide berth from the slapstick show to the point where even the pilot chimes in, but you catch it. Peppermint would help but she’s attempting to squirm away from the animal due to her allergies. You finally manage to grab it and hold it up in the air in a tight grip where it can’t squirm away. It flails around helplessly.

“Got you now you little bastard--!” You say gleefully.

“What’s going on here?” The voice shocks you.

You snap your head over towards the entrance and see that the Skyranger’s ramp has been lowered and waiting at the bottom of it is the Commander, a slight frown on her face as she regards the sight before you. Peppermint looks like she wants to just die.

“Well?” The Commander presses, crossing her arms, slightly tapping her foot.

Oh fuck.

>Drop the Cat. Just-- get rid of it! It’s incriminating you ever second you hold onto it!
>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!
>Freeze. This is all a dream, you had just passed out on the way back the Skyranger, just pretend the Commander isn’t there.

>>2575590
Here's the write up if you're curious!

https://pastebin.com/Y2XcJWJf

File: 1497631408604.png (52 KB, 188x162)

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>>2575596
Dammit, I quoted the wrong person! The damn cat is rubbing off on even me now!

>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!

Well he started it!

>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!

>>2575594
>Freeze. This is all a dream, you had just passed out on the way back the Skyranger, just pretend the Commander isn’t there.

Dozer.exe has encountered a critical error.

>>2575594
>Defend yourself

>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!
Cats are like, half alien, right?

>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!

Our actions are completely reasonable!

>>2575594
>Drop the Cat. Just-- get rid of it! It’s incriminating you ever second you hold onto it!

File: What could go wrong (2).jpg (83 KB, 594x383)

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>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!

>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!
I was trying to prevent a serious threat from inflicting more harm to my injured teammate ma'am!

>>2575594
>>Defend yourself. You were trying to protect your teammate from a threat!

>>2575631
Don't put that evil on us!

>>2575603
>>2575607
>>2575612
>>2575615
>>2575624
>>2575631
>>2575632
>>2575634
Defending yourself it is, writing!

>>2575594
>Freeze. This is all a dream, you had just passed out on the way back the Skyranger, just pretend the Commander isn’t there.
Dozer.exe has encountered an unexpected error

>>2575648
Should have thrown the cat at the dream Commander

>>2575661
That sounds like a terrible idea. Why would you throw anything at the Commander?

>>2575675
The Commander clearly has supernatural powers that can put even the most unruly animal under her sway. So it's not really throwing a cat at her, it's really safely disposing of a dangerious mobile material that is a threat to the lives and safety of others.

>>2575594
>Give the cat a name: "Bannon"

>>2575693
The cat doesn't deserve that.

>>2575693
It's like you want us to fucking die a horrible and fast death Anon.

File: Spoiler Image (13 KB, 298x298)

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“I-I can explain myself, ma’am!” You stammer out, trying to look as professional as possible. “I was trying to protect my injured teammate from a serious threat.”

You look to Peppermint and the others for confirmation. The civilians are both simultaneously intimidated and relieved by the sight of the Commander. Burnout, Zhang, and Rachel are at a loss for words, and Peppermint…? She just looks like she wants to run far far away out of sheer embarrassment and shame at this whole situation. You’ve never seen Peppermint like this before and that throws you off as much as The Commander’s presence.

It seems that the Skyranger had touched down back into XCOM HQ but you didn’t notice it until it was far too late. Behind The Commander is numerous medical staff ready to receive the injured and see to the assumedly shell-shocked civvies. Loki and Harita are present as well at the edge of the platform. For a second, you think you see legitimate shock cross Loki’s face, but you’re attention is swiftly brought back to The Commander who quirks and eyebrow at your explanations.

“A serious threat? Are you talking about that cat in your hands Dozer?” The Commander asks you.

“Yes!” You nod quickly.

The Commander stares at you, a small frown on her face.

“...It’s just a cat, Dozer. Are you alright, dear?” The Commander chides, shaking her head with concern.

You feel your ego deflate faster than a popped balloon. Before you can say anything, the Commander goes back to work mode, leaving it at that as she’s quick to greet Dr. Marazuki and his team. Marazuki thanks you one last time and only just glances at the cat for a moment before leaving. His team follows, warmly welcomed by XCOM as new much needed staff.

You look back over at the cat which is just hanging from your scratched up hands. It meows at you, giving you one HELL of a smug shit eating grin. This motherfucker! The sheer audacity from this little furball! You want to throttle the damn thing and wipe that stupid smug smile from it’s stupid face and--

“Merc! There you are, sweetheart!” Loki calls out quickly making her way over to the Skyranger with a worried looking Harita. Loki looks relieved at the cat in your arms.

Harita doesn't know how to react at what just happened before taking notice of the injured squad members inside. She goes to quickly help the medical staff get Sweet and Peppermint on stretchers, having fully embraced the 'squad mom' with gusto.

You look at Loki, Peppermint, and... Merc the Cat. What the hell is even going on? You need a drink.

>Loki seems to know about this damn cat, she needs to explain herself!
>Merc? What the hell kind of name is that?
>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.
>Other

>>2575706
>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.

>>2575706
>>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.

Give her
The Stare.

>>2575706
>>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.

I mean, we DO have that Goat....

>>2575706
>>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.

>>2575706
>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.
This but throw in a "we'll talk about this later"

>>2575706
>>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.
No, just, no.

>>2575706
>>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.
We were detaining a possible alien infiltrator until it's identity could be verified. Which it now is. by Loki.

>>2575706
>Loki seems to know about this damn cat, she needs to explain herself!
"Your cat's making me look like an idiot"

>>2575706
>>Other
Explain to Loki what that cat did to Peppermint who was already feeling like shit.

>>2575706
>>Just give Loki the cat. You don't even want to know and you just want to be rid of it for the moment.

>>2575710
>>2575712
>>2575713
>>2575715
>>2575720
>>2575723
>>2575728
>>2575742
Giving the cat to Loki it is, writing!

File: XCOM Hanger.jpg (47 KB, 924x546)

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You feel like any questions now would just give you a headache. You’ve found an out to get rid of it, even if only for now. You just give her the stare, to which Loki returns with an apologetic look, before gently taking Merc away from you. The cat relaxes immediately in her arms, and purrs softly, utterly satisfied. Loki begins to pet the cat.

“Words. Later.” You mutter.

“Of course.” Loki nods without missing a heartbeat, still stroking the cat. “Well done on handling your first mission, Dozer.”

You look at her blankly and look over at the nurses carting away both Sweet and Peppermint and the state of Rachel’s MEC suit as she disembarks. You’ll need to check on Peppermint later, but it’s clear she wants to be alone for a good long while. A swarm of engineers are just waiting further away to see to the heavy damaged chassis. This does not look like a good job to you, or maybe it’s the scratch marks Merc gave you. You’re about to wonder if Loki is trying to make things worse when the other squad members pipe up.

“Good operation.” Zhang nods to you as he walks down the ramp.

“Yes, it was a fine operation.” Burnout says casually, exhaling smoke.

Rachel gives you a thumbs up before trodding away, Harita, seeing that the injured have been taken care of giving you and the others a wave before heading over to join Rachel.

You consider what your squad’s saying.

>You think otherwise. The bad luck, two heavily injured troopers, and being assaulted by a cat has soured things..
>Not really. At best you think the mission was acceptable. You need to do better.
>They’re right. Everyone made it and the objective was completed, you should look at the positives here.
>Other.

>>2575779
>>Not really. At best you think the mission was acceptable. You need to do better.

>>2575779
>>Other.

>The mission was an astounding success. Despite the many unforeseeable obstacles like the thin man sniper and Bannon's borderline treason against humanity we managed to pull it off with minimal losses and secured both the VIP and his team.

>>2575779

>They’re right. Everyone made it and the objective was completed, you should look at the positives here.
Despite repeated instances of bad luck and plain obstruction from the commanding officer of the local forces, we managed to achieve our objective, acquire a new alien corpse, and with no fatalities

>>2575787
>Supporting this+ "We can't dwell on this for long, we have to arrange something for Sweet. Actuals have a busy life"

>>2575779
>>They’re right. Everyone made it and the objective was completed, you should look at the positives here.

>>2575795
Sweet's not dead. He's being carted to medical right now.

>>2575779
>>They’re right. Everyone made it and the objective was completed, you should look at the positives here.
Well, 1, no one on our squad died. 2, all objectives completed. 3. secondary optional objectives completed. By X-COM standards, this is a good win. Not the best, but not bad at all.

Except that cat, that thing came so close to ruining everything forever!!!

>>2575799
I think he meant letting Sweet get in contact with his family.

>>2575779
This >>2575787

>>2575806
Aye. And where's Naru anyway ? Would like to have the flamethrower for next mission again.

>>2575787
>>2575795
>>2575809

Astounding Success it is, writing!

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>>2575829
From humans working against us to creating our own small terrorist cell with civilians and explosives, I'd say we handled it like a champ.

>>2575836

It could have definitely gone worse--but we didn't lose anybody and all our objectives were accomplished. I'd call that an optimal early/mid-game mission success if ever there was one.

>>2575787
Yeah this is basically good.

>>2575845
>early/mid-game mission
I hope this is mid-game bc if Faceless and Sectopods are early game enemies I'm out,

>>2575866
If Pixel is using things from Long War then there is a good chance we're still in the early section of the game. That and we're a long way from Psionics and Plasma and fancier armor.

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You can’t help but grin at that. They’re right, it was a great mission. No, it was an astounding one, especially considering all the shit that was heaped onto your squad like an avalanche. From that bastard Bannon to the Thin Man Sniper, to the multiple new stealth units the aliens employed, the aliens went all out on trying to take out Marazuki. But, all objectives were accomplished and most importantly everyone made it.

You’ll need to take care of things sure, particularly with Sweet. But you suppose being Squad Actual was always going to keep you busy. Not enough time in the world to do anything, but you know what you want to do right now.

“Bar?” You suggest.

There’s affirmatives all around. You’ll wait for Rachel and Harita, get out of your combat gear, and round up the rest of the squad for drinks. The other teams are likely back already. In particular you’re wondering where Naru went, but you’re pretty sure the short Rocketeer will come around, she has a penchant for alcohol as much as anyone else in the squad.

As you turn to head out with everyone, much to your dismay Loki brings along that cat. She notices your disapproval but she merely stiffens up. You give her a very quick rundown on what that cat did to you, motioning to your cuts. Harita gasps and goes to hurriedly find some bandages for you.

“Merc was probably just startled.” Loki says, defending the cat. “He is an independant type, and was likely terrified when he snuck onto the Skyranger and he flew away. I’ll admit, I did not expect Peppermint had the unfortunate circumstance of being allergic but she is extremely difficult to gleam from.”

“I knew it. Totally pegged you as a cat person.” Rachel grins, her mood you notice is back to her normal upbeat self now that she was out of the MEC suit. Curious.

“How did you guess that?” Zhang asks.
“I have my ways.” Rachel says vaguely, in a way similar to how Loki would.

“You’re a dog person then.” Loki frowns, bristling a bit.

“Damn straight!” Rachel chuckles. “Grew up with a golden retriever, best dog in the world.”

“That’s highly subjective.” Burnout says.

“Then you haven’t grown up with one then.” Rachel is quick to add. “Back me up here, Hari. Dogs are the best, right?”

“U-um… why not both…?” Harita says demurely, being put into the center of attention. This elicits a boo from Rachel.

“Well, Dozer is definitely a dog type, clearly. Especially after that fiasco in the Skyranger.” Rachel muses, feeling rather smug in what she assumes is an easy victory in the discussion.

“Dozer is more reasonable than that. Sure things may be frayed at the moment given the circumstances but I believe he has a… ‘feline affinity’.” Loki hmphs.

“Fuck you you didn’t just say that.” Rachel says.

“...What if he likes both?” Harita adds cautiously.

They… do know you’re right here, right?

>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.
>Cats. Loki is right, Merc bullshittery aside.
>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita.

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.
Dogs are clearly the superior animal.

>>2575881
>>Cats. Loki is right, Merc bullshittery aside.

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

>>2575881
>>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita.

inb4 these choices will be the romance option that seals our fate with a waifu

>>2575881
Both!

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>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.
Dogs are a man's best friend, unlike a cat! Dogs are loyal and can be trained to be obedient, unlike cats! Dogs can hunt by smell with thousands of times better nose, unlike cats!

>>2575881
>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita
They both can be nice or shitty.

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

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>...Well hell! It's late as fuck and I totally lost track of time. I'm going to call it here for now and continue next time. This is probably the best place to stop as this vote is clearly the most important vote for the entire quest and will decide how the rest of the story will play out. There's only one right answer here! So until next update...

Thanks for playing!

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

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>>2575910
Also to add I'll keep the vote running until sometime tomorrow! I'll be around to answer some questions before I pass the hell out as well.

>>2575875
I am definitely using Long War as a lot of the foundation, but given the nature of how Quests work think of the Campaign as running in a Quasi Dynamic War setting. Basically it follows the same beats of a Long War campaign (barring a few major things I've switched around) but at a quicker pace.

And Don't worry, we still have a shit load of XCOM to go! You guys have basically just started the Act 2. With Act 1 ending after Gangplank!

>>2575912
Thanks for running and a +1 upvote on suptg

>>2575912
If we somehow complete this quest. Will there be a Terror from the Deep X-Com quest in the future?

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.
Man's best friend for a reason

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>>2575914
Greatly appreciated!

>>2575916
I've never played TFTD unfortunately so I wouldn't be able to really capture the experience. My experiences with XCOM started with EU/EW and went from thre, but I did do a fair share of og x-com thanks to openxcom.

I have a few ideas for future quests and one-shots and the like, but XCOM Trooper will be what I'll focus on for a good while. I still can't believe it's still chugging along.

>>2575881
>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita.
"But fish are better than cats and dogs," just to be contrarian.

>>2575881
>Cats. Loki is right, Merc bullshittery aside.
Dogs aren't loyal, they're codependent. Ever hear a dog howl for hours because their owner left them at home? I have, it's annoying. Cats can take care of themselves.

>>2575896
>Dogs can hunt by smell with thousands of times better nose, unlike cats!
Found the dog on the internet. Cats also hunt by smell.

>>2575924
Will the Commander bake us a birthday cake and sing us happy birthday while we're tied to a chair in a dark room scared out of our mind and at the last part of the song the lights turn on revealing our squad and some of the onbase staff as they sing the last part of the happy birthday song?

>>2575881
>Rocks are best pets. No food expenses, no shitting, no scratching.

>>2575881
>” I actually prefer snakes.....”

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>>2575944

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>>2575955
So what you're saying is that she'll bake us a Cookie Cake? I can dig it.

>>2575944
>while we're tied to a chair in a dark room (naked)

>>2575999
Nyet for the sake of the Ayys Innocence.

>>2575881
>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

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>>2575706
FUCKING CAAAAAAAAAAT

I understood this reference

>>2575881
>Dogs

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Remember this will determine whether we get cat or dog genemods

>>2575881
>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita.

>>2575881
>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita.

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.
Cats are evil things, that pee on your bed.

>>2575924
Did the engineering/research team get the ghost device from Peppermint?

>>2575881
>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

>>2576216
I'm sure we handed it in at the end of the mission.

Pixel. Loki is the human version of Merc's Loki isn't she.

>>2575881
>>Indifferent. You like them both, like Harita.

>>2575881
>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

Humans best friend or a little shit that pukes out its own hair?

>>2575881
>>Dogs. Rachel’s got you there.

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Calling it here!

>>2576318
Please refer to the first thing I wrote in the OP!

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“I like dogs.” You say as you and the others arrive in the armory to put away combat gear.

“Whoop! Damn straight dogs are the best!” Rachel grins at you satisfied you had picked the apparent right answer. You can’t help but brighten up a bit at that. It’s nice seeing your buddy in a good mood in general. It also emphasizes how… emotionless Rachel was in her MEC suit during the operation. No actually that’s not it, she was emotional. particularly when you almost got cut in half by the Faceless.. Rachel was definitely different, like she was more… to the point?

Whatever the case may be, out of the suit she’s lively as ever and feeling pretty good.

“He does seem like a dog type.” Burnout says. He flicks the stub of a finished cigarette into a trash can before the Armorer can stomp over and yell at him. Still unamused, the Armorer walks away keeping her gaze locked onto him, there will be hell to pay eventually.

“Mm. I see.” Loki frowns ever so slightly, a bit disappointed at your stance but not pressing you on it. It seems she doesn’t like being wrong about a hunch. She strokes Merc the cat further, just openly carrying the cat in her arms. It meows in satisfaction, snuggling in Loki’s arms.

“It’s not like I don’t like cats,” You shoot a glare at the cat. It looks back and meows . “...I just prefer dogs.”

“To each their own.” Loki shrugs.

“Hah, you’re totally upset that dogs are the best.” Rachel smirks. “I can practically see it in your eyes. You’re probably thinking ‘Boo hoo, why am I the only boring cat lover in the squad?’”

“Naru is quite fond of cats.” Loki adds, giving Rachel a cross look. “And I’m sure Burnout and Zhang prefer them as well.”

“No way!” Rachel snaps back.

“I did not wish to be brought into this.” Zhang frowns as he racks his autolaser away.

“Too late.” Loki says.

Harita gives the group a reassuring smile which falters a bit when the discussion doesn’t stop.

“At least we’re just talking about cats and dogs and not anything else.” You say to Harita.

“Yes, you’re right.” Harita nods, feeling better. “It’s nice.”

Good, the others seem to relax a bit at hearing Harita’s open concerns for them. This doesn’t actually fully stop Loki and Rachel from barbing at each other of which the better pet is, but the intensity has dropped. Combat gear removed, the group makes their way to the barracks. Or more specifically, the bar.

(Part 1 / 2)

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The bar is rather busy, as members from the other two squads who went on an op are already having drinks and regaling how their missions went down.

“Aay! glad of Strike-1 to join us. We were wondering if you all got lost the on the way back!” Jimmy grins, waving at your group from behind the bartop, having opted to pour drinks this time around. Hornet, the other squad leader nods to you and goes back to her drink.

“We got pinned down for a while.” You say. “But we all made it back, Sweet and Peppermint got hit pretty bad and are in medbay but they’ll live.”

“Good on them, eh?” Jimmy says in approval. “We saved you some seats.”

You, Zhang, Burnout, and Rachel take a seat on the stools by the bartop. Drinks are requested and Jimmy sees to it. One of the other troopers, a rather bubbly Infantry from Jimmy’s team promptly loses it upon seeing Merc the cat in Loki’s arms as she’s standing to the side and petting him. Some of the other female soldiers in the lounge upon spotting the feline all rush over begin to surround Loki, all of them giving affection to that damned cat, muttering cutesy words and some such to the animal.

“Can I pet him?” An eager Scout requests.

“I so need to take a picture of him! Dammit, why didn’t XCOM let us bring along phones!?” An assault.

“The kitty so cuuute!” A Gunner squeals.

“Dogs are better…” Rachel mutters, glaring at the cat and crossing her robotic arms.

You can’t help but agree.

You are given your drink which you sip with satisfaction as you and the others get some well earned RnR. What do you do while you’re drinking?

>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.
>Actually find out what the deal is with Merc the cat from Loki.
>Ask Harita if she knows where Naru’s been lately.
>Chat with a squad member in particular. (Specify who.)
>Other

>>2579205
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.
>Ask Harita if she knows where Naru’s been lately.

>>2579205
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.
>Ask how Dozer ended up in the commander's bed.
>Actually find out what the deal is with Merc the cat from Loki.
In that order.

>>2579205
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.
>Actually find out what the deal is with Merc the cat from Loki.

>>2579205
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.

>>2579205
>Actually find out what the deal is with Merc the cat from Loki.
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.

>>2579205
>Ask about the other squads
>Find out where Naru is
>Talk to Rachel if we have time

>>2579205
>>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went, especially Jimmy's.
>>>Ask Harita if she knows where Naru’s been lately.

>>2579205
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.
>Actually find out what the deal is with Merc the cat from Loki.

>>2579205
>>Ask Harita if she knows where Naru’s been lately.

>>2579205
>>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.
>>Ask Harita if she knows where Naru’s been lately.

>>2579205
>Find out how the other two squad’s missions went.

Calling it here!

You nurse your drink and let your squad unwind with the other troops, trying to ignore the aches and pains from combat. The green fog fatigues settling in but you still want to get a bit buzzed before you hit the bunk.

You do want to ask where Naru’s been, she’s made herself scarce. Harita would be the best person to ask given she’s been keeping tabs on everyone. However she’s been roped into listening to how the entire mission you all went had went down from Rachel. Rachel is, of course, exaggerating things to the point of complete bullshit and everyone can clearly tell it’s a load of bull. It’s pretty entertaining to listen to the MEC trooper, though.

You also are curious about the origins of Merc the Cat. Loki you guess had been wanting to keep the cat’s existence under wraps until he had revealed himself in the Skyranger. You’re still a bit annoyed by the cat, especially given he scratched up your arms. At least it’s nothing compared to being shot by plasma. Loki isn’t in a position to answer as she’s currently being swamped by soldiers fawning over the cat. Amusingly, this is the last thing Loki had wanted as she can barely keep up. She probably just wanted to get a drink and leave the cat in her and Naru’s rooms (they’re roommates) but has been cut off. You consider helping her out but… ehhh, you’ll let her stew for a while.

You’re not the only one observing Loki and the cat as Jimmy and Hornet are also watching as well. The pair having mixed reactions to hardened soldiers turning to little girls at the sight of a cat.

“I can't believe this.” Hornet mutters in disbelief. “First a goat and now a cat? What’s next, someone adopts a snake?”

“Eh, I think it’s pretty good! Everyone’s pretty happy to give affection to the little furball. You need to lighten up way more Hornet before I start calling you by your other nickname.” Jimmy smirks.

“Don’t you even dare.” Hornet seethes, glaring daggers at the South African who only chuckles.

“What? I think it totally endears you to your squad. Hornet is all serious and prickly of a nickname but Candyass just has a great ring to it and-- hurk!” Jimmy’s amusement is cut short as Hornet yanks on Jimmy’s arm and pins it onto the countertop in an extremely uncomfortable position.

The bottle of whiskey in Jimmy’s hand is promptly let go and you quickly snatch it midair, saving the precious liquid before it can crash and spill on the ground. The other soldiers who were trying their best to not look obvious at being amused on Hornet’s other nickname are initially stricken with panic at the sight of the bottle falling. It's replaced with relief thanks to your quick reflexes.

Party foul aveted, whew.

(Part 1 / 2)

“A-ach, look what you almost-- did! Ow! Alright I give I give! Sorry-- fooking hell woman!” Jimmy winces still held in Hornet’s armlock.

Hornet’s gaze flicks at the bottle in your hand and sighs, letting go of the Gunner. He recoils back and nurses his arm. Honestly if it wasn’t for the alcohol part Hornet would’ve totally been in the right. But alcohol was at stake. So both sides are at fault.

“Sorry.” Hornet sighs. The medic squad leader (the combination is still a bit baffling to you) brushes a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

“Say, how did both of your missions go? Were there any complications? Our mission was…complicated.” You say to them.

“Hah, you could say that for ours as well. The abduction my team dealt with was a real doozy!” Jimmy grins as he holds his hand out for the bottle. You give it back to him.

“...I don’t even want to talk about the UFO crash.” Hornet grumbles, taking a long swig from her booze. She stares at her glass.

At first you think there was losses on her team and you’re about to tell her you won’t press until Jimmy guffaws at Hornet’s reaction.

“Oi c’mon, girl! We gotta help Dozer here so he won’t make any fuck-ups, yeah? And that includes you talking about your hilarious fiasco trying to stun an alien! This’ll be a perfect learning experience for all three of us.” Jimmy insists.

Hornet lets out another sigh, before reluctantly nodding. “Alright, who do you want to hear from first?”

>The Abduction Mission led by Jimmy. You’re wondering how ‘real’ of a ‘doozy’ it was.
>The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower
>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.
>Other

>>2581903
>>The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower

>>2581903
>Our op then the abduction mission.
Show him what a real "doozy" looks like

>>2581903
>>The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower

>>2581903
>>The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower
Knowing how to take an alien alive is important.

>>2581903
>>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower

>>2581903
>>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower

What happens if Dozer beomes incapacitated on a mision and Loki is not on the team (like last time) ? Who takes charge then ?

>>2582031
based on last team's set up, probably either Burnout or Rachel.

>>2581903
>>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

>>2581903
>>You’ll tell them what happened in your op first. It’s only fair plus they’ll never get it straight from Rachel.

The UFO Crash Site overseen by Hornet. You’re curious what it’s like using the Arc Thrower

they want to teach us; so we should listen, we could tell our story afterwards

Calling it here!

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“Here, I’ll start first.” You say, partly out of fairness and also because you’re pretty sure you recall that there wasn’t ten mutons that had charged you all when the big clusterfuck happened. You shoot a look over at Rachel wildly gesticulating with her robotic arms and shake your head.

And so you retell the operation from your perspective, the events still fresh on your mind. You recall the ups and downs and focus primarily on your calls. The two other squad leaders listen intently.

“Christ, I still can’t believe that officer really just left you guys high and dry there.” Jimmy says incredulously as you finish your story.

“Yeah, but at least nobody died. Close though. In fact, I should probably get the mission report from my end done pretty soon, given he’ll probably talk shit about me.” You say, shaking your head at the thought of Bannon.

“I doubt the Commander would care that much.” Hornet points out.

“I’m not worried about the Commander. I’m more concerned there might be consequences down the line. I’d be pretty damn pissed if the Council shafted XCOM over one guy.” You say.

“I highly doubt one captain would have that much clout.” Hornet says.

“He’s was no captain in my eyes.” You say plainly.

That amuses the pair of squad leaders.

“So Dozer,” Jimmy pauses to pour himself a drink as the requests take lull. “What’s the #1 piece of advice you’d give us from that mission?”

“You sure you want to hear anything from me?” You raise an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“Nonsense!” Jimmy downs his shot and slams his glass on the counter. “Nothing wrong with a fresh perspective. Besides, Strike-1’s been having the most new contact with aliens. Funny odds with that.”

Fair point. You pause to think about what you had endured in that mess and what could be learned from it. You’re definitely going to be adjusting your tactics after that mission in line with that. You were going to do it anyways, this is very convenient. A few things come to mind, each benefiting certain members of the squad.

>More battlescanners and support items in general. This will give your squad more survivability and options. Sweet and Burnout would benefit from the flexibility.
>Bringing along way more explosives. After getting those civvies organized and really not having any to use in the first place you started to have a further appreciation to explosives. Naru and Loki would appreciate that.
>Being more cautious. With the rate of new aliens popping up being prepared for anything even in lulls of combat is a must. Peppermint and Zhang would be much more effective.
>Being more aggressive. Your team’s momentum ground to a halt and it nearly cost lives, being on the offensive and overwhelming the aliens is a must. Harita and Rachel and yourself would become pivotal in engagements.

(Pick 1!)

>>2584385
>>Being more cautious. With the rate of new aliens popping up being prepared for anything even in lulls of combat is a must. Peppermint and Zhang would be much more effective.

>>2584385
>>Bringing along way more explosives. After getting those civvies organized and really not having any to use in the first place you started to have a further appreciation to explosives. Naru and Loki would appreciate that.

>>2584385
>Being more cautious. With the rate of new aliens popping up being prepared for anything even in lulls of combat is a must. Peppermint and Zhang would be much more effective.

>>2584385
This is a difficult one because there is never a sure way to victory lessons we learned on this mission could save or lose lives on the next. Being cautious can help sometimes, but not being able to recognize an opportunity to be aggressive can cost you and vice versa. I'd say the most important thing is combat awareness and not just what you are aware of, but all of the things that you are not as well. I'm not sure if write ins are allowed on this one or not, but this is a hard one.

>>2584403
If there is no enemy sniper Peppermint is not so useful, especially as indoor situations are common, and splitting the squad to enable her lone wolf ability is a big risk.
On the other hand, you'll never regret having put extra fous on Assault or explosives during squad picks.

>>2584403
Write-In's are not allowed mostly because I don't want you guys to go full jack-of-all-trades and get a bit of anything.

If it helps, combat awareness is already something the squad will be prioritizing
after being forced to deal with two stealth aliens at once!

>>2584385
>>2584419
Given that I'll probably go with this then this is usually how I like to play
>Being more aggressive. Your team’s momentum ground to a halt and it nearly cost lives, being on the offensive and overwhelming the aliens is a must. Harita and Rachel and yourself would become pivotal in engagements.

>>2584385
>Being more cautious. With the rate of new aliens popping up being prepared for anything even in lulls of combat is a must. Peppermint and Zhang would be much more effective.

>>2584385
>>Bringing along way more explosives. After getting those civvies organized and really not having any to use in the first place you started to have a further appreciation to explosives. Naru and Loki would appreciate that.
if in doubt, vigorous application of explosives solves most problems

>>2584385
>Being more cautious. With the rate of new aliens popping up being prepared for anything even in lulls of combat is a must. Peppermint and Zhang would be much more effective.

>>2584385
>Be more adaptable, as aliens can cause the situation to change rapidly. Being able to roll with the punches can be the difference between walking away or her shot to Swiss cheese.

>>2584385
>>Being more aggressive. Your team’s momentum ground to a halt and it nearly cost lives, being on the offensive and overwhelming the aliens is a must. Harita and Rachel and yourself would become pivotal in engagements.

If they're dead before they can move then there's no risk involved. All or nothing is always my go to strat in xcom.

It even works most of the time.

>>2584385
I want to bring more explosives because more explosives is always good but I'd rather focus on making Harita and Rachel better so
>Being more aggressive. Your team’s momentum ground to a halt and it nearly cost lives, being on the offensive and overwhelming the aliens is a must. Harita and Rachel and yourself would become pivotal in engagements.

>>2584385
>Be more cautious
At least until we can be sure there are no new alien types to get used to fighting.

>>2584385
>Shoot Bannons on sight

>>2584617
If there is any other Faceless disguised as Bannon he is going to have a really bad time

>>2584629
>Dozer, you killed Faceless Bannon.
>That was a Faceless?

>Rachel likes dogs

So when do we collar her and ask her if she's a good girl?

>>2584670
Will she be our K-9000?

>>2584670
Tonight

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>>2584684

>>2584670
>>2584680

Too much potential to be deviantly lewd.

>>2584685
Amputee fetish is one of the most disgustng ones.

>>2584733
I don't have a fetish. I just want to cuddle rachel.

>>2584736
This is a commendable motivation I can get behind.

>>2584733
>>2584688
>>2584685
Dumb question for me to bring up but is it possible to use MELD to regrow lost limbs and organs? Because I would think it would be possible to do that since we also use it for mutations on our troopers.

>>2584738
I'd love it if it was, but it seems like instead of meld Rachel jumped off the deep end and got her bits cut off to be 'useful.' I'd guess it partially has to do with ignoring her when deploying. Still not sure why anons decided to be such assholes.

>>2584744
Because anons have no social skills and treat people like things?

>>2584738
Once you try MEC you can never go back.
(I assume he was talking about Naru as we are sorely missing a Rocketeer.)

>>2584753
I was talking about both Naru and Rachel.

>>2584752
>>2584744
Weren't we also restricted from the area that Rachel was in or was that just for a short period of time?

>>2584756
No, while deploying to the avenger she showed up to support the squad sorta like a benched player and anons voted to ignore her as if she didn't exist.

>>2584756
Ask Pixel but we might bullshit our way into it as a squad leader keeping tabs on a trooper's wellbeing while Sweet is unavailable.

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>>2584758
>while deploying to the avenger she showed up to support the squad sorta like a benched player and anons voted to ignore her as if she didn't exist
Holy fuck, that's not just normal autism, that's beyond Ludicrous Autism. No wonder she wanted all her fucking limbs chopped off.

>>2584744
Cause they took Harita's advice, someone who has less social skills than anon.

>>2584767
Please consider going easy on the /b tier buzzwords in this quest , You're not forced or obliged to, but you would do me a favor.

>>2584780
Autism is a little too close to home for you huh?

>>2584785
Its generally a good idea to just cut it off before you start using actual slurs, instead of just using things as a slur

>>2584772
So instead of simply asking Pixel what we're supposed to know about Rachel in the past since we were her partner back in the FBI, We instead took the advice of a member who knew NOTHING about either us or Rachel...
>>2584780
Is there really any other way to describe what happened during that event? That and the reaction pic was honestly the easiest one I could find in my folder.

>>2584797
I bitched at the time and find it amusing that people are now upset.

Like.. go back and read the archive. Did you just pick up the quest and ignore that part?

anons chose to be a total cunt.

>>2584809
I picked it up at the very beginning and ended up forgetting about it after couple of threads in and decided to hop into this thread just to see what happened as a end result.

>>2584797
>Is there really any other way to describe what happened during that event?
Yes, without the buzzword. I won't start shit in Pixel's quest, and if you can only relate to that situation using memes "I'll shut up about it.

>>2584814
She hated us for a bit, but then patched things up little after a talk. The relationship isn't what it once was though. Then she went MEC.

Silver lining is that she's becoming her own character now as opposed to just being a jealous anime childhood friend whose only purpose is to glare at other girls.

>>2584819
Alright, so why are you being very insistent on how I respond instead of ignoring me, reporting me, or simply just bring up a concise explanation as to how these shit situations that Dozer's going to find himself in will be averted in the near future?

>>2584826
Avoiding being an absolute cunt would have been fine too though.

>>2584832
I agree, but anon going to anon

>>2584826
Well now this is an answer I can live with.
Hopefully we'll find out how the fuck we ended up in the Commander's Bedroom because seriously that shit is more scary than a legion of Chryssalids

>>2584385
>>Being more aggressive. Your team’s momentum ground to a halt and it nearly cost lives, being on the offensive and overwhelming the aliens is a must. Harita and Rachel and yourself would become pivotal in engagements.
The best defense is offense, the enemy can't kill you if you kill it first. But more practically speaking giving the enemy the initiative is often the worst thing to do in most missions, particularly in missions where the objectives are at risk by letting the enemy live, such as rescue missions and other time limited situations. It's much better to be on the offensive and being the hunter than being the hunted.

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>Oh boy, 34 new comments, I wonder what pixel wrote in this update!
>most of it is shitposting

>>2584385
>Being more aggressive. Your team’s momentum ground to a halt and it nearly cost lives, being on the offensive and overwhelming the aliens is a must. Harita and Rachel and yourself would become pivotal in engagements.

Aggresivnes is our specialty, we're a berserker for fucks sake.

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>>2584980
Pretty much. I don't blame them though since we'll have to live with our choices especially since I started the whole thing by rolling that 1.

But I am interested in alternate MEC designs

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>>2584980
Don't worry m8ty, as sure as the sun rises and sets, Pixel will come back around to update with more X-Com.

>>2584385
>>Being more cautious. With the rate of new aliens popping up being prepared for anything even in lulls of combat is a must. Peppermint and Zhang would be much more effective.
Aliens are always comming up with new surprises

>>2584980
I'm not sure how you equate sporadic discussion as shitposting.

Also shouldn't you be happy this place isn't dead between votes or is total silence outside your Lord and Savior Pixel the only way you feel comfortable?

>>2585065
I agree with this. It's a sign of a healthy quest.

>>2585065
Well shitposting may be a strong word for it, what i was trying to convey was my dissappointment from falsely assuming an update where there wasnt one. But I dont believe calling others autists or such is a healthy discussion for these threads

>>2585403
Don't be so fragile namefag. You're on 4chan where 'faggot/fag' equates to 'person'. You can handle the banter. Words only have as much power as you give them.

>>2585611
Eh, i dont think im particularly fragile, and I wasnt even involved in all the discussion.. But yeah, wont continue this on since all it's doing at this point is adding more noise

Calling it here!

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“With the rate that the aliens are introducing new species into the fray, we can’t assume anymore that we’ll be prepared for any encounter.” You say, recalling the moment you had stared down the glowing red eyes of the Faceless and everything involving the Seekers. “We need to be more cautious going forward, even if it means slowing down considerably.”

“You mean overwatching crawling?” Hornet frowns.

“Yep.” You nod.

It’s not exactly high octane, in fact it’s the complete opposite. Setting up members into overwatch position and steadily lead frog ahead is definitely not… fast, but it would allow squad members who need to be stationary to be ready and effective to engage enemies, such as Peppermint and Zhang. You decide you’ll work with those two training drills going forward to readjust tactics. You won’t be getting much MELD anytime soon, but until the aliens stop throwing in surprises you’re going to not take any chances.

“Well, it makes sense. Makes you wonder why they don’t just throw everything at us.” Jimmy says scratching his chin.

It’s an increasingly common question.

“Maybe they realize we aren’t fucking around?” You suggest.

“Hah! I like that idea.” Jimmy grins. “Speaking of lying down, you should’ve seen what the X-Rays threw at us! Little cheeky shits almost got us.”

With your story complete, Jimmy opts to take the lead and recounts his Squad’s alien abduction op. Starting with a amusing confusion from Central of the operation taking place in a ‘major urban center’ and instead being the outskirts of a farming town somewhere in Everytown, USA. Apparently the aliens were expecting the group and while advancing down an alleyway tried to run them over with a truck they had removed the breaks. The squad was saved from being run over only by diving for the deck. A pod of Thin Men did that, further emphasizing those alien’s cunning. It definitely goes hand in hand with your caution mindset.

Seriously, fuck Thin Men.

Hornet speaks next after more prodding from Jimmy. With difficulty, Hornet does eventually begin to recount her operation. The op was focused entirely on acquiring the MELD and getting an alien capture. Given it was crashed small UFO, Hornet decided on trying to stun one of the Sectoid ship crew. Sounds easy enough on paper. Far from it. There were immediate problems when the aliens had used the MELD cans as ambush points, which had bogged down Hornet’s team. They did manage to secure some MELD but the real challenge was the capture attempt itself. It took a staggering half an hour of constant engagement with the remaining aliens, expending a lot of ammunition and resources along the way, all to corral the single remaining Sectoid into a corner. And what came of all the effort? Their Scout missed the arc thrower shot and the squad was forced to kill the Sectoid instead of risking their Scout’s life.

Oof.

(Part 1 / 2)

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“...Moral of the story, build a squad for a capture op and be prepared to cut your losses, or you’ll just be made a fool of by a goddamn Sectoid.” Hornet grumbles, downing her drink. Jimmy remains amused.

“Uh… Is handling the Arc Thrower intuitive at the very least?” You ask

“It was when Rabbit used it. She noted there was a big painted circle on the small main switch for the device on the side. She had overheard the eggheads explain adding that as a last minute fix thanks to field data thanks thanks to an unlikely source.” Hornet shrugs. “Just get in close and make sure the alien is as injured or as debilitated as possible to maximize your stun chance, and hopefully you’ll be luckier than us.”

For some odd reason, your mind wanders back to when you last saw Bradford and what you now realized was an Arc Thrower on his person. You don’t know why, but you think he had some part of it. How, you can’t really fathom.

The night starts to wind down and folks start to head out to get some shut eye. The Green Fog really starting to hit the troopers who went on missions, including yourself. You let out a yawn as Hornet takes her leave. You to chat a bit longer with Jimmy before starting heading out yourself.

“Hey hold up a sec, I got one more question for ya Dozer!” Jimmy says, swaying a bit from inebriation. The Gunner having taken more than a fair few shots throughout his stint as the bartender for the night.

“Uh… You sure you want to ask now? You should focus on getting shut eye, man.” You smirk.

“Fook off.” Jimmy waves his hand dismissively. “Just hear me out, and I’ll lay off ya.”

“Alright fine.”

“Right so! You uh… you and Rook. How’s that goin’?” Jimmy props his arms on the bartop to steady himself.

You pause. You had kept things civil with Rook the last time you saw him before he disappeared again to deal with his ‘evaluation’. Admittedly, you’ve been kinda avoiding the topic and it’s been a pretty awkward thing among your squad. You realize you never even considered Rook and his capabilities earlier as well.

“Welll? C’moon, I’ve bat to step up for ya repeatedly. Or however that saying goes.” Jimmy presses you.

“Step up to bat.” You correct him. He chuckles.

He’s clearly drunk and you see an out with your own squad starting to head off. There’s a distinct possibility Jimmy might not even remember this though, and you would like to vent a bit with a fellow officer… is the booze kicking in for you as well?

>Admit your frustrations on the whole matter. You thought Rook was better than… that.
>Give a vague reason. You don’t want to say it outright.
>Excuse yourself. You’d rather not think about it tonight.
>Other

>>2586085
>I think Rook is a good man, but he's too tightly wound. He's competent, but if every loss affects him like that he might not be cut for field work anymore. Losing someone is always painful, but if you shut down mid mission you're just pissing on their grave at that point.

>>2586079
>Admit your frustrations on the whole matter. You thought Rook was better than… that.

>>2586093
Supporting

>>2586093
support.

>>2586085
>>Other
>>My trooper's mental wellbeing is not a topic for discussion in the bar. However, I will deal with him in a way that the Commander approves of.

>>2586085
>Admit your frustrations on the whole matter. You thought Rook was better than… that.

>>2586085
>Admit your frustrations on the whole matter. You thought Rook was better than… that.

>>2586093
Supporting

>>2586093
sound good

>>2586079
Why are all the girls you draw such QT's, Pixel?

>>2586085
>>2586650
And when are you going to show us the whole thing

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>>2586727
I suppose should. I was a bit wary of showing it due to it being old as hell and of questionable quality but screw it I've already been posting bits!

Back in the day I had streamed Long War and this was a team I sent on a early landed large in Long War that I had scraped the barrel to set up. It was a suicide mission like early game landed large's were, and drew them all memorialize them on what was surely going to be a high casualty mission.

They all fucking lived.

Fun fact, the Sniper on the left was the original design for Peppermint. You can even see it in the OP image. Drawing her again however I had issues keeping the hair consistent and redrew her to the design Peppermint we have today.

>>2586741
Congrats on making the alien's Trap blow up in their face.

>>2586741
Why is one of them a 14 year old girl?

>>2586896
Somebody has to follow the sectoids into their holes if you want to finish off the entire group

>>2586896
As the fight becomes more desperate, X-com turns to the use of child soldiers.

(Just kidding)

>>2586741
Neat

>>2586741
This is great imho

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Hah, thanks guys. Well, since I already brought that up I might as well add more behind the scenes stuff with the op image in particular. The main thing I use to do all my complex poses and designs is actually Gmod of all things. It's versatile enough to let me do a quick poses and stuff to use that as a reference. Here's one of the many numerous screenshots I used for the op image!

Also as you could probably tell, the character designs all changed in some amount to the final product besides Peppermint. For example, Babbler (Rip) looked more like a Rebel from HL2, Loki had her hair in a bun, and this one's pretty hard to see but Harita was originally Indian and she has a Bindi on her forehead. Way more serious too.

I considered redrawing the OP image a few times and changing the gear and characters and stuff as people died / gear was upgraded, but ultimately decided not to so it's easy to spot in the catalogue. I might reconsider though if you guys think that'd be neat, however!

Also, going to call the vote in an hour or two so don't forget to vote please!

>>2586093
>This.

>>2586093
>but if you shut down mid mission you're just pissing on their grave at that point.
Not like shutting down was a choice and he had the option to not check out at all.

I really like the rest of your write-in but this might be worded a bit harsh maybe.

>>2587164
It is like putting anything bad that happens from that point onward onto the solider who died. Grief is for the bar not the battlefield.

>>2586093
also Supporting

>>2587172
At ;least try to spell your bait properly. 1/10.

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>>2587182