Desert Recon

Desert Recon is the fifth mission in BlastGen. It follows Thomas and his team whom are investigating the Syrian desert due to reports of hostile activity.

Characters

 * Michael Hicks (playable, W.I.A)
 * Oscar Thomas
 * Benjamin Kraft (W.I.A)
 * Emerson
 * Arnett
 * Vaughn
 * Taylor
 * Robertson
 * Carter
 * Tomáš Svoboda
 * Osvald (K.I.A)

Plot
Thomas and the team land in Syria to group up with Vaughn's team. Once they do, he briefs the team about what they saw, There, the team saw the militia and Russian forces, seemingly striking some kind of deal. Svoboda was there as well, as his helicopter was nearby. Kraft attempted to focus a shot on Svoboda but this was quickly interrupted when Thomas spots a nearby barracks. Seeing militiamen there, he orders the team to advance. Vaughn also accompanies them as they make their way to the barracks.

Once there, Thomas orders Kraft to fire on a lookout tower using a Stinger missile. However, he was spotted rather quickly and shot in the arm, incapacitating Kraft and knocking him to the ground. Thomas offers him medical attention but he rejects it, telling Thomas he'll be fine. He then orders Hicks to pick up his Stinger and destroy the lookout tower. He succeeds in this, and the lookout falls, and is impaled by a piece of debris. Thomas, assuming the fall killed him, moves in with the team, clearing out the militiamen. In the middle of this, Emerson and Arnett spot three American P.O.Ws. They rush to their aid while Thomas and Hicks clear out the remaining enemies. One of them ambushes Hicks and attempts to stab him, however, Thomas quickly intervenes and kills the militiaman.

They then exit the barracks, with all the hostiles seemingly killed. However, as they were leaving, Hicks is shot in the leg by the lookout Thomas assumed was killed. Kraft finishes him off with a shot from his sniper rifle. Thomas quickly comes to Hicks's aid and puts pressure on his wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. Emerson and Arnett eventually arrived and see Hicks wounded. Emerson demanded Thomas to tell them what happened, and told him that the lookout he thought Hicks killed shot him. Emerson calls for MEDEVAC, however more hostiles come to intercept them, but they manage to hold them off. The helicopter arrives and a medic comes to render aid to a wounded Hicks. He is put on a stretcher and the rest of the team enters alongside the prisoners. The mission ends shortly after.

Starting Loadout

 * M4A1 SOPMOD
 * L115 w/ Reflex Sight
 * FIM-92 Stinger (replaces the aforementioned weapon).

Found in level

 * M4A1 Grenadier (used by Thomas, Vaughn, and Emerson)
 * Beretta M9 (used by Thomas, Emerson, Arnett, and Vaughn)
 * SCAR-H w/ Holographic Sight & Foregrip (used by Arnett)
 * M200 (used by Kraft)
 * FIM-92 Stinger (used by Kraft)
 * SVU (unobtainable, used by the lookout)
 * Colt (used by the lookout and Czech Militia)
 * P260 (used by Czech Militia)
 * AK-47 (used by Czech Militia)
 * MAC-12 (used by Czech Militia)
 * RPD (used by Czech Militia)
 * M249 (used by Marines)
 * M16 (used by Marines)
 * M1014 (used by Marines)
 * L115 (used by Marines)

Transcript
Desert Recon/transcript

Trivia

 * The lookout has plot armor, as he survived the destroyed tower. It Is quickly removed when he shoots Hicks.
 * Strangely, Emerson has the rank of Captain instead of Sergeant. However, Thomas is still the one who gives orders.
 * Arnett uses a SCAR-H, a weapon unobtainable under normal circumstances.
 * When the team advances on the barracks, Vaughn's team is nowhere to be found. It can be assumed that they either moved or were killed by militamen. If the player goes back, the team's weapons are on the ground, and can be picked up.
 * The militiaman that ambushes Hicks has the body of a militia sniper and the facial features of Svoboda.
 * When Hicks is shot by the lookout, the screen is bloodied, however when he is put on the stretcher and loaded into the helicopter, the bloody screen disappears.