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Terror Missions [Shipping]  Cruiser & Cargo vessels

Cruisers

PART TWO - BELOW DECKS... [LEVEL ONE]

    So there you are, your squad has made it into the cabins area of the
ship, the situation is fraught with anticipation of what lurks around that
next corner.  While you wait for the alien turn to play out, the sounds of
doors opening and civilians screaming echo throughout the ship... How long
before you enter into the fire fight?

    We left the squad securing the first intersection and advancing down the
nearside long corridor.  Two nauts and a generous supply of PDG's - some of
which are already in place at the far end of the intersection, are ready for
any hostiles foolhardy enough to wander into this area.  Another two nauts
take the lead down the long corridor [HIGH reactions a must, as well as
accuracy!]

    Meanwhile, you've begun conducting a room by room search of the cabins
within the immediate area.  You have a scout with your advance two man team,
to get a view of the upcoming layout...  This scout is jumping in and out of
rooms until the second intersection is located - he is not checking for any
aliens, necessarily, unless you want him to - you've got other up and coming
members of the team doing the room to room search which can deal with this
problem.  When he gets to the second intersection, he has the need for a PD
Sensor... The scout now needs to stay in a room near to the 2nd
intersection, out of view of any hostiles.  He will spend the next few turns
operating the PDS, getting his energy back and generally admiring the
furnishings aboard this vessel [I would have said luxury, but after the fun
and games with the hostiles, this baby's going to the scrap heap for
sure:-)]
    It's time to move your two man team slowly up the corridor [take out the
double stairwell!] until about five or six squares away from the second
intersection.  Coupled with information from the scout with the PDS, you
should be able to establish whether there are any hostiles here.  In my
experience, there is either a hostile outside the lifts, or just past the
intersection, or lurking in the blind side long corridor [he's come down
from the blind side entrance of the kitchen...]
    *** A quick note - Bio-Drones leave a trail where ever they go - they
total decking, carpets, everything bar what I assume is metal decking.
Using the overhead map, you can see if this mission packs such a beastie by
looking for these tell tale trails - long straight lines on the otherwise
clear decks.  Maybe you knew that, maybe you didn't - either way, bear it in
mind when things look a little to quiet, but the sounds you hear during the
alien turn suggest something nasty is coming your way... ***

Back in the berths...  2nd intersection.

    This represents the second potential hot spot.  Both the lifts require
securing - your 2 man advance team can copy the first teams efforts, but
bear in mind though the blind side of the ship needs to be taken, so forgo
the use of PDG's for now.  If you must use them, throw them at the end of
the intersection, but not where it joins the corridor proper.  You need to
be able to pass this area later, so any hostiles which do wander down here
can still trigger the PDG, without blocking access to the blind side of the
ship.
    ***    Point of note - I've found hostiles in this area pack TSL's -
caution is advised... ***

    So, assuming you've got this far, you probably feel the adrenaline
pumping and can hear your heart thumping in your ears - good, it's supposed
to be tough.  Am I setting the scene enough yet?

    This area has two storage areas at the extreme front of the ship - one,
if not both, of these are occupied by a hostile [Deep Ones, Calcinites and
the occasional Gillman].
    This section is further divided by two sets of back to back cabins - two
squares of four cabins, I believe.  The first cabin on the far side, nearest
the front of the ship, has another hostile.  He's further back in the cabin,
away from the door, so its down to you how you play it - grenade, autofire
with Gauss, whatever.  Just be prepared for casualties.  Also bear in mind
anything up the blind side corridor can see down - you have some luck
though, as the corridor opens up to three squares wide, IIRC.
    There are three corridors running lengthways here; the 2nd intersection
[where the lifts are located] and the last intersection which marks the
front of the ship, leading to the storage rooms - one has statues in it, the
other what appears to be a wine rack and control panel of sorts.  The
hostile hides behind the wine rack, while in the other storage room
[statues] there is a small room towards the extreme front of the ship - can
you guess what hides here?  ;-)

    Providing you've cleared and secured this area, it's time to take stock
of the situation.  Possible additional things you could have done while
advancing down the corridor was to lob grenades to the upper deck from the
stairwells as you went past them.  I'm doubtful if any hostiles will be in
the area immediately above since they tend to favour the blind side of the
ship.  Also, if you had Sonics, you could punch through the bulkhead to the
freezer area of the kitchen, or into the kitchen itself from the stairwell.
Its hit or miss, since most of the bulkhead cannot be targeted for some
reason - you've got to find the right piece to breach, although it is worth
the risk... well, sometimes it is ;-)

End of situation report....

Coming next - It's party time! [or, dealing with the galley]

Happy hunting!

Detonate