7.
Power Crystals
We have several of the basics and one not-so-basic thing taken off my personal checklist. However, we still need a live alien to begin researching the tech tree that leads to the end game content. Preferably one that qualifies as a Navigator as well, as that rank leads to another important piece of technology.
We finish our analysis of the mysterious alien power source. We still have little understanding of precisely how this substance is used to generate power, but the substance itself is required research for construction of a large number of alien devices.
Shortly thereafter we complete research on the Heavy Laser. Though weaker than the superior Heavy Plasma weapon, the Heavy Laser is sworn by as an endgame weapon by many XCOM veterans. Its a formidable weapon, ideal for sniping, and we immediately order 10 of them constructed. Once our arsenal is prepared, the heavy laser will replace the Rocket Launcher and Autocannon as well as going into the hands of any soldier with the carry capacity to handle it.
As the Plasma Pistol completes its research I begin to realize I may very well become one of those XCOM veterans who swears by the Heavy Laser given my affinity for laser weapons. I'm still resolved to continue my self-imposed research handicap on plasma weaponry for the time being. Research commences on the Laser Cannon, the Stun Launcher, and Plasma Pistol magazine.
I was hoping I would get to show everyone this type of UFO. Ranking on the same cursed tier of "Why even bother putting this into the game?" that is also occupied by the 50mm Cannon, Heavy Cannon, Pistol, Proximity Grenade, etc, is the Small Scout. This is a one man craft that doesn't even have a proper interior programmed into it. If you lose a soldier capturing this thing, you're more than likely going to get a negative score for the mission. On top of that your interceptors will almost always destroy these ships completely when taking them on.
The fact that this very early game craft has appeared once again heralds the arrival of the third alien race to planet Earth, the Snakeman. XCOM Veterans already know what this means, but for now the Snakeman is merely a much tougher alien than the fragile Sectoids or Floaters are.
I push my luck getting HumanHive and RandallFragg into melee range. I want that Navigator.
As they crowd the alien I find out to my displeasure that the Snakeman isn't affected at all by OXCE's melee system. The soldier aliens must be too physically strong for our troops to tangle with. Randall Fragg lucks out of getting boiled out of his armor and manages to knock the snakeman out.
All that and the pilot is the lowest rank possible, a Snakeman Soldier. At least we have a live alien to trigger the intial research flags before I touch the Leader or the Navigator I still want to bring in.
The Amberlynn Ried is dispatched after the latest UFO we detect. No doubt it will be more Snakemen. The craft is en route when something else pops up on our radar.
Sweet Jesus. Only one type of alien spacecraft fits that description, and we do not have anywhere near the firepower required to deal with it right now. The Amberlynn Ried is ordered to continue its pursuit until the alien craft touches down while our technicians nervously watch the scopes. Another small UFO appears. This one we can do something about though.
The Jace Interceptor lands the third kill of its career, sending the alien craft tumbling into the Saharan Desert.
Make no mistake, this is a general invasion of Africa. The Snakemen, no doubt prefering the warmer climate, have apparently decided to claim the continent for themselves. On screen currently are no less than four UFOs: the Large one in the western Sahara, the small one that the Jace Interceptor just shot down, the landed Very Large one deep in the desert and the first Small one than the Amberlynn Ried is still pursuing. All of this alien activity in one general area can only mean one thing to me.
I send our neglected Chrischan Interceptor to patrol the Khartoum wastelands just outside of Egypt. The pilot and his spotter aren't quite sure what they're looking for, but I am.
I had to get a screenshot from later since I neglected to capture it at the moment, but the Chrischan spotter detects strange electromagnetic readings in the deserts not far from the Luxor region. The science team identifies it immediately as Elerium energy output, enough to fuel an entire facility. Command is informed that confidence is high that aliens have established a foothold on Earth.
There is no way to know if this is the first alien base established on the planet, but it is the first that we have detected. Alien bases will affect the loyalty of any country they are placed in, making them significantly more vulnerable to alien infiltration and eventual withdrawal from XCOM's council of funding nations. Africa in particular is very susceptible to alien infiltration because it only has three naitons in the Council: Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa. Players that start in America and sometimes even northern Europe are likely to lose Africa before they are able to set up their second base in time.
For now there's nothing that can be done. At least not right away. Bases are protected by large amounts of alien units and their Terror Units. Until the squad is equipped with heavy lasers and perhaps a larger preponderance of grenades its unlikely we'll be able to clear out an entire alien base. Besides, Command has something else in mind. They order Friend Computer and Dear Leader to stay their wrath for now and await the finished research on the alien stun wepaons.
Snakemen again. XCOM storms out of the Skyranger. The team is undoubtedly frustrated to learn about the alien activity in the Sahara and their lack of an ability to do anything about it. For now they must focus on capturing an alien Navigator at the research team's behest.
Benefitting from the confidence their new armor provides, the team advances quickly. One Snakeman is gunned down. Randall Fragg charges another and successfully subdues it. Unlike the Sectoids though, this one pops right back up and Fragg has to put it down again.
The next alien is not so dimwitted.
@Randall Fragg is shot and killed.
HumanHive performs some aggressive laser surgery in retaliation.
Fragg's death was in vain. The Snakeman was another soldier. I start to wonder if the Snakemen even have a Navigator rank. Either way, I decide to make a resolution with myself that I won't risk any more stupidity with the stun rods and I'll wait until the alien stun research is complete. There's not neccesarily any rush.
The heavy lasers complete production. The fate of our most recent UFO captures is most likely the scrap heap as another round of Personal Armor is ordered.
The UFO crash site in the Sahara is departed for almost immediately without giving the troops a chance to equip the new heavy laser weapons. Its presumed they won't need them for a routine craft recovery mission. We see another new type of terrain: desert. Keen botanists amongst you may note than even though there are over 1750 distinct species of cacti, none of them grow in the Saharan desert as all but one are exclusive to America. (Yeah there's one that grows in Africa, mistletoe cactus, but only in the Subsaharan regions, and it doesn't look anything like the doodads on the map.)
Taking two nuclear missiles on the chin is nothing to be shaken off evidently, there is no alien presence on the map at all. The UFO breach goes swimmingly with HumanHive blasting the first Snakeman the team encounters.
Even though Command has abandoned their rabid attempt at capturing live aliens,
@HumanHive is still unprepared when an alien steps out of one of the last intact sections of the ship and lands a fatal blow. Super Sad Smile shows that rank isn't just for show by responding in kind.
I move NerdShamer up to fill in for HumanHive's corpse-shaped hole in the squad now. Against my better judgment I equip NerdShamer's stunrod as I inch him closer to the corridor the alien came out of. There's still one alien left on the map with three possible directions it could come from. On the alien's turn it just wanders out and right up to NerdShamer. On my turn I stun it with no reaction fire being set off.
My last minute decision to equip NerdShamer's stun rod proves to be fortuitous. I now have one of every live alien I need except one, and that one is surely endgame content.
The team has little time to mourn their dead before the next Terror Mission arrives. We're now short several suits of armor, but we do have heavy lasers and a few extra grenades. The squad feels they are ready to finally face the dreaded Cyberdisks on mostly equal footing.
Command has a bad feeling about this one though. Something only hinted at in the early, pre-XCOM reports of alien activity.
