What follows is a journal written by one of the operatives in the second XCOM campaign, Alan Robertson.

Operation Sleeping Palace – June 1st,2035 – Part 1

We have a new guerrilla ops mission for today in West Africa near Ibadan. We have learned of a hidden alien relay in the area used by ADVENT to transmit critical data back to their network. If we can destroy this relay, it will stop their latest project in its tracks. We’ve learned that this project would allow ADVENT to have all their troops equipped with poisonous Viper rounds. Today’s squad includes Cpl. Schulz, Sgt. iD35TROYu, myself (Lt. Robertson), Lt. Ishikawa, and Cpl. Kabosky.

We are dropped into the zone on the roof of a church down the street from where the communications relay is at. We have eight minutes before the relay finishes transferring its data. I take point this time and move up into cover at the base of the bell tower on the church. In the street below I spot an officer and trooper. Luckily, they have not spotted me yet. Ishikawa moves up into partial cover at a little half wall near the ledge of the roof of the church. Kabosky follows suit and takes cover on the same wall just down from Ishikawa. Schulz moves up and takes cover between the two of them. iD35TROYu is next and takes cover between Schulz and Kabosky. They’re all lined up in a row but out of sight of ADVENT.

We watch as both ADVENT units continue their patrol away from us and stop at a street light at a T intersection nearby. iD35TROYu takes point this time and descends from the church to take cover behind a small rock wall that serves as a fence for graveyard by the church. Ishikawa follows suit and takes cover at the corner of the rock wall. From his position, he can see two sectoids outside a building across the street and one more unidentified unit inside the building. Schulz drops from the rooftop and also takes cover along the rock wall. Again forming a line along the wall, Kabosky drops to the ground and takes cover along the wall between Schulz and Ishikawa.

I set myself into overwatch to prepare for our ambush. Ishikawa, Kabosky, and Schulz follow suit. We leave it up to our ranger, iD35TROYu, to get their attention. He pulls out one of his axes and throws it directly at the trooper and drops him in one hit. Turning his attention to where the axe came from, the officer spots us and heads for cover. As he moves, I fire a sniper shot directly into his midsection, and Ishikawa finishes him off with a volley form his cannon. Tis commotion attracts the attention of the sectoids and the other unit, which we find out as he exits the building is a muton. As the sectoids scramble for cover, Kabosky hits one with cannon fire and injured it, while Schulz drops the other one with a well-placed rifle blast.

Not liking any available shots, iD35TROYu goes into overwatch in hopes of getting some reaction fire at the muton as he advances on us. Unfortunately, for him, the muton does not advance on us and just pops out of cover to fire a blast that hits iD35TROYu in his position in cover. The sectoid then moves up behind some trash cans on the curb of the street and fires a purple psychic blast that hits Ishikawa. I hear the fear in his voice as he calls out for help, and I can tell he is panicked. He then rushes out from his cover in terror and hunkers down behind a tree.

iD35TROYu pulls out his remaining axe and rushes the sectoid’s position and finishes him off with a deadly swing. With the sectoid dead, his terror attack on Ishikawa subsides and he regains his senses. From my position by the bell tower I aim my sniper rifle and fire a shot at the muton. It hits and digs deep, but his armor keeps him from being taking completely down. Schulz moves into full cover behind a boulder on the other side of the street and closer to the muton. He then finishes off the muton with a solid blast from his rifle. Kabosky moves up into cover behind a large cactus in the front lawn of the house the muton emerged from.

<To Be Continued>