XCAS Roleplay 3

[Ego Terrorist]

<<Dr Yorke, Medical Office>>

 

Yorke sat down in his chair once again back in his office, he'd noticed how lately he'd either find himself in his office or on the battlefield, he looked at the stack of papers on his desk, medical reports, research progress reports, support squad details and assignments. It seemed that the higher one got up the command chain the more paper work that had to be dealt with. Life was so much more easier when they first set off, even when they first arrived in this hostile region of space, back then all he had to do was medical and autospies and file a report which was forwarded to his CO's. Life as a private was so much easier.

 

"Stuff it." He said pushing his chair away from the desk. Yorke stood up and walked over to his sink and mirror he placed both hands on the sink and sighed while shaking his head, he opened up the tap and cupped his hands under the tap and then splashed the water against his face. Taking the hand towel he dried off his face and looked at himself in the mirror. "Bag's under the eyes...pale complexion, the patient is also complaining of feeling 'down' and 'tired'. The patient seems to be physically healthly however there is indication that the patient is suffering from exhaustion, he doesn't seem to be sleeping well, also has been under a lot of physical and mental strain. Doctor's recommendation: Patient should be taken off the active duty roster pending a full medical evaluation and the resultant treatment."

 

Yorke would of smirked if he wasn't feeling how he was. Refering to himself as 'the patient' felt quite natural, which did bother him, had he really became so detached? though that said his diagnosis of himself was probably quite accurate, after all he knew how he was feeling and how to diagnose the symptoms. Well, he'd deal with that later, right now he was going to try and catch a bit of sleep, after which Yorke had decided that he'd get a bit of the paper work dealt with and then perhaps he'd get a chance to do what he really wanted to do, research.

[Strong Bob]

<<NOTE: Only those whom participated in the recent mission have been captured. The rest are aboard the UGS Patton and currently presume the team MIA.>>

 

***Edit by DH - Mission Report***

 

**Prison Cell, Unknown UFO at an Unknown Location**

 

Joseph awoke inside a small prison cell with some of the rest of the team. He and everyone else had been completely stripped of armor and weapons, leaving nothing but the durable black 'spandex' underlay worn under standard armor. Joseph found himself in a 10x7 foot room with Corporal Goorit. There was an opening along one of the broad sides of the cell, where faint bluish glow hinted at a force field. Across the hall he found Private McBannok, Private Ryan, and Doctor Yorke in a similar cell parallel to theirs. The lights seemed pretty dim, leaving the force field glow to be the most illuminating source of light.

 

Scott: Where the hell are we?

 

Joseph tried to sit up from his little cot, but he fell back immediately after a lingering pain seared into his head. The last thing he remembered was making a snide toilet related comment to a Floater, before falling unconscious after being pistol whipped from behind.

 

Scott: Damn, they got us. (Sighs in frustration.) How is everyone? Everybody here? Injuries?

[Vikernes]

<< Private McBannok >>

 

McBannok stirred slightly as the Lieutenant's faint voice echoed around the indigo-lit walls of the cells. It only took a bit more insistance on Scott's part to get him to open his eyes. The strange colour was definitely weird to him, and it took quite awhile to remember the few seconds before collapsing on the ground unconscious. The fumes and the rage at the Lieutenant for not issuing any orders (if any could have been issued at all).

 

His lungs stang horribly, so he didn't do anything but try to get used to breathing. The athmosphere was heavy, and he could hear the breaths from his other crewmembers. He finally managed to let his head turn, facing Scott, and nodded. Before he could whisper "sir", his lungs flashed in pain, and he broke into a coughing fit which took a while to cool down. After that, he turned his head back up and just lay still.

 

What the heck WAS the place anyway? He still hadn't figured that out, but a more careful look around revealed bars and the source of the bluish light. It didn't take much IQ to understand where they were. So much for underestimating the aliens...

 

McBannok still said nothing, only thinking. He didn't even want to know if anyone had actually died, the very thought of it was unpleasant enough. He began thinking what the hell had happened to the so-called backup outside. They'd just vanished, no sign whatsoever. But they hadn't heard anything leave or fire, except the shells hitting the base, so they probably hadn't put up much of a fight either.

 

"Well, whatever has happened, this was one huge mess...", he thought, fighting his lungs, defending against another cough.

[Ego Terrorist]

Yorke had been leaning against the cold metal wall since they first arrived here, where ever 'here' was. They were on a planet that much he'd known but given that they were already in Starspawn territory they could be deep within the alien controlled space. He'd been constantly reliving the events that happened several hours ago wondering if there had been anything that he could of done differently...perhaps it would have been better to of not surrendered but then they would all be dead. Which may of been better than being in captivity.

 

Yorke heard Scott stir and come around then he soon heard Scott say. "How is everyone? Everybody here? Injuries?"

 

"Hey Scott, Yorke's here, I'm tired but then it's been a long day." Replied Yorke. "I'm guessing everybody is here and is alive." Yorke paused for a moment and after a lenghty silence where nobody spoke Yorke spoke once again. "It would appear that Wooly and Valery decided to leave the party early. Bastards."

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Prison Cell, 21 November 2067

 

Ryan coughed heavily as he sat up. Just having regained consciousness, he felt like a truck had run over him. His chest ached, his nose was dry... Everything felt horrible.

 

It was a little while before his vision sharpened. He could see the ugly prison cell around them; it was reasonably clean, but not aesthetically pleasing in any way. Ryan looked around, and saw both Yorke and McBannok nearby, both looking like they had seen better days.

 

His hearing started to come back too, enough to hear Yorke's comments. ""It would appear that Wooly and Valery decided to leave the party early. Bastards."

 

Ryan groaned... Why had they been abandoned? "They must have had a good reason for leaving. We don't know... they're probably getting reinforcements for us. They'll spring us out of here."

 

Ryan leaned back against the wall. He sure hoped they would be getting out of here soon... or at all.

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Nova Alpha Omega, 21 November 2067

 

Col. Cyriacus: Sitting at his desk and sifting through the latest reports about the X-Com activities, Colonel Cyriacus takes a drink from the mug of coffee on his desk. It's been a long day, and he's been busy. When the door buzzer sounds he looks up, irritated and a bit surprised. "Yes? Come on in, it's not locked."

 

Col. Dogget: Opening the door carefully, Dogget entered Cyriacus' office and looked at his counterpart with a troubled look. "Good afternoon Colonel. I'm afraid I have some bad news, for both of us. May I sit?" Dogget put a look of dismay on his face.

 

Col. Cyriacus: Noticing the look on Dogget's face, Cyriacus frowned a bit. Bad news from the XCR could possibly mean very bad news for the X-Com forces at NAO. He gestured at a chair on the other side of his desk. "By all mean, sit down. You look troubled indeed. What is it that is bothering you?"

 

Col. Dogget: "The Starspawn were waiting for us." Dogget shook his head sadly. "Their last assault, against what we thought was an undefended research outpost, was too good to be true. We thought we had lots of time to get in and out, but instead, the Starspawn had a regiment just waiting for us." Dogget's voice dropped in volume. "A couple of my troopers made it out alive, barely. From what Sergeant Woolery told me, he saw hundreds of Sectoid troopers converging on the research facility as he and two of his men fought and escaped the base. He ordered the Orca straight back here, with a message to the Patton to do the same; they should be returning any time now..."

 

Col. Cyriacus: "Hundreds of them?" It took Cyriacus a moment to let it sink in what Dogget just told him. "They were waiting for you, so they knew you were coming. How would they have known? Or did they purposely set this up as a trap? And did Alpha Team get away safely?" A lot of questions at once, but this had been completely unexpected, and unlike the Starspawn encountered before.

 

Col. Dogget: "I don't know. It's possible that the research database was rigged for just this purpose. In fact, I suspect the target they presented was just too easy to ignore... and we fell for it." Dogget became angry. "We should have known better, but we got too confident... It cost us 70% of my squad and all of yours. I'm sorry."

 

Col. Cyriacus: Nodding slowly as Dogget explains what happened. "I see... wait, did you say all of mine? Has the entire team been killed then? I somehow find that hard to believe... even considering the overwhelming odds." Cyriacus looked shocked when he realized what Dogget might be implying.

 

Col. Dogget: "I share your feelings, I assure you." Dogget shook his head though. "I do have reason to believe they were captured. Woolery attempted a rescue with the Orca and its guns, so maintained communication range for a fair amount of time. He believes that a good number were taken prisoner. They have a military base on planet - our soldiers may be there."

 

Col. Cyriacus: "Hmmm... taken prisoner with such a regiment guarding them would pose a severe problem indeed..." Cyriacus nodded while he was staring into nothingness, thinking on the situation. "Do you know anything else on the situation? How well the base is defended, their manpower or an assessment of it."

 

Col. Dogget: "That is not something that I know. Extensive casualties were inflicted, but as to remaining strength... It could be anything. I do have a possible plan to retrieve our troopers. However..." Dogget frowned as he leaned close. "I'd rather not trust my troopers to outsiders, no matter how much we should be the same, but I cannot leave Arkunis, not without immediately being considered a hostile party, which is not what I want. I need you to ask your Kappa Team to assault the base. It can be done; elements of the fourth fleet here can provide a decoy by landing troops on planet, forcing the military forces to, in part, leave their compound."

 

Col. Cyriacus: "Hmmmm..." Cyriacus scratched his chin and thought. "With such an overwhelming enemy force, the risk would be considered extremely high, as they will no doubt assume the assault will be to rescue the troopers there... I believe that plan might have a chance of success when properly set up though... very well, I will pass it along to Lieutenant Schmerjchanikov, and he can assess the situation and decide whether or not they can take on the assignment."

 

Col. Dogget: "That is a good point, indeed..." Dogget frowned even more, if it were possible. "Is the deployment of an Ascidian combat regiment a possibility? I have not yet spoken with Ascidian representatives about this, but their aid would help tremendously. Or..." Dogget's eyes tightened. "We could use bombardment, either space-side or fighter ordnance, to do the job. Is the Patton capable of such?"

 

Col. Cyriacus: Shaking his head Cyriacus declined that idea. "The Patton is not a combat vessel, sure there have been weapons fitted on it, but these are more for defense against enemy craft than bombardment of a planet. Besides, the risk we might hit the location our troops are captured is too great. I will try to pull some strings with the Ascidian military, but I think they'll be quite eager to be able to fight a Starspawn army, it might be good for their morale."

 

Col. Dogget: "Good. Thank you, Colonel Cyriacus. It is indeed good to have allies." Dogget smiled as he stood. "I trust that you have enough information to convince your subordinates that a rescue operation is indeed possible. If you need anything, please let me know." Dogget offered his hand to Cyriacus. "Thank you."

 

Col. Cyriacus: Getting up, Cyriacus shakes the hand of Dogget, "It's in our mutual best interest to see this operation succeed. One last thing though, should Lieutenant Schmerjchanikov ask for it, he might want to discuss with Sergeant Woolery what he saw happening when he left. Anything that might help in the rescue operation.

 

Col. Dogget: "Of course, that is reasonable. I will detach the Orca and Sergeant Woolery to your Lieutenant immediately. My other two troopers are too injured to help, they will stay on board the Rommel. Let me know where they can meet, and I will see it happen. Have a good day, Colonel." Dogget's eyes tightened. "Once we have negotiated with the Ascidians, the Starspawn will have a price to pay."

 

Col. Cyriacus: Cyriacus nods at Dogget's last comment, "They certainly will. Good day to you as well Colonel. I will contact the Lieutenant as soon as possible."

[Strong Bob]

Yorke: It would appear Wooly and Valery decided to leave the party early. Bastards.

 

As the memory flew back into his mind, Joseph let out a frustrating growl and immediately thrusted the bottom of his fist against the metallic wall while still laying on his uncomfortable cot.

 

Scott: I KNEW it! I knew they couldn't be trusted! Dogget was hiding something... But it doesn't explain why?

 

Joseph sat up and flung his legs over the side of the alien cot. It was very akward, trying to sit up straight, after laying down on a bed likely designed for a very different life form. He cracked his neck left and right with his hands before stretching. He stood up and looked at Goorit who was in the same cell as him.

 

Scott: Everyone's nice and dandy? Good, because we're likely in for some torture... Although I don't think this will be nearly as pleasant as the API Dream Machine from so long ago...

 

Joseph shuddered a bit, realizing that his Utopia drugs must be wearing off for him to recall that mission so easily now. He shook his head and tried to forget the best he can.

 

Scott: Suggestions people? McBannok, you're the Engineer... (Gestures to the forcefields at the entrance/exits of their cells) What do you make of these fields? Can they be broken with nothing but meat, bone, and the clothes on our backs by any remote chance?

[Vikernes]

<< Private McBannok >>

 

McBannok had now finally managed to pull himself into a sitting position, and even walk around the cell a bit. His knees cracked a couple of times as he took his first steps, but apart from tense muscles and stinging lungs, there didn't seem to be much else wrong with him.

 

As he heard the Lieutenant and commanding officer of the mission speak up, his feet took him to the lighted blue opening. It's glow was the only thing keeping his eyes from total darkness, as the rest was walls and nothing else. He had begun to have a grudge against blue though.

 

Scott: McBannok, you're the Engineer... What do you make of these fields? Can they be broken with nothing but meat, bone, and the clothes on our backs by any remote chance?

 

At first, he thought it was a stupid idea. Then, as it was Lieutenant Scott that asked, he thought again, and the others saw him twist his body around, looking at the mentioned objects, and then at the blue screen before him. Maybe Scott had seen something that he had not, some idea, some glimpse... something! But nop, it was a stupid idea. Nothing could get through the open doorway.

 

McBannok: They'll come for us. They have to. (staring blankly at the door, his shoulders drooped, and without any movement)

 

It was all the answer he could give...

He proceded to inspect the what he could see of the outside of the cells. It was a normal cellblock, and he thought he caught the glimpse of some other cells with their protections activated, but he couldn't be sure. All he saw for definite was control pads right outside the doorways. They could easily reach them if they only put an arm out and touched it, but they couldn't. And there wasn't even a proper door, that was the most frustrating part of it.

 

He turned and walked back to a wall, on which he leant. Like he said, they had to come. Either that or they could try to pull some hostage type thing when the Starspawn came. As if they wouldn't be armoured. He let out a louder sigh than he intended, and closed his eyes.

[Strong Bob]

Scott: Take it as a no? (He sighed) Well, didn't hurt to try now, did it?

 

Joseph was annoyed with Gael's nigh apathetic reply, but that's not where the frustration came from. Joseph was feeling flashes of the last two times he was in prison... In the API base due to the Nephilim creatures and the X-COM prison due to Martin Kacur's incompetance.

 

Scott: I'm glad he's dead...

 

He noticed that the force field was generated from the entire prison threshold, meaning that damaging no one spot would shut it down. It would need to be either destroyed completely or manually deactivated. Neither option was within their grasp... Or was it?

 

Scott: They'll come for us... (Echoing Gael's comment) Yes... That might be a chance. Gael, look at the field again... Do you know if it can not be reactivated properly if there is an obstruction in the field when it's turned on? Like maybe some kinda failsafe or interference?

[Vikernes]

<< Private McBannok >>

 

McBannok propped himself back up, and walked to the field, listening to Scott's orders. He inspected it inch by inch, checking for any sensors of some sort. His fingers ran along the wall on the inside of the cell, barely touching the blue glow, and his eyestare ran by them.

 

There weren't any signs of any kind of sensors or infra-reds. He'd learned about this in his training. The first systems had to have some kind of sensor to provide safety, by checking heat or obstruction with infra-red sensors. However, he'd studied that some newer versions of forcefields would not even start if there was any object obstructing the place where the field would appear.

 

One of two. Either it would not start if ANYTHING was in the way, or it would just start, splitting anything in two if it moved.

 

McBannok: There aren't any devices I can see, sir. It may start, and it may not start. If it does, one doesn't want to be below it... sir. They'd have to be sadistic to kill prisoners this way though, sir.

 

He stared unenthusiastically at the barrier and took a few steps back. This was despairing.

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Alien Military Facility, 21 November 2067

 

Just as McBannok sat, the force field imprisoning Alpha Team shimmered, then disappeared. From around the corner, four floaters, two armed with plasma rifles, hummed their way into the cell. The riflemen took up firing positions, while the remaining two grabbed Scott. Not even waiting for him to speak, they whisked him away.

 

The two riflemen looked at the two remaining soldiers, Necro and Goorit, before sliding back out of the cell and reactivating the force field. The field territory shimmered again as the field reestablished itself before returning to the solid translucent blue of its activated state. The floater tapped on it before floating away with his comrade.

 

Sectoid Cmdr.: The Sectoid Commander could actually speak English, albiet very poorly and with a heavy accent. He looked at the two floaters, and they left Scott in place as they left the office. The Commander didn't bother asking his two bodyguards to leave though; they stood behind him, armed with plasma rifles. "Welcome to my base, Human. Your identification?"

 

Lt. Scott: Joseph was startled at the Sectoid's imperfect english. After having the one-way conversation with the Floater captive in NAO, it felt strange to see and speak to a Starspawn for once. "Joseph Scott," he said. "Lieutenant, Scout/Pilot. Serial Number JS-4T2."

 

Sectoid Cmdr.: "Joseph Scott." The Sectoid says that in a rather neutral tone. "You are a far way from home, according to my database... Sol 3, colloquially known as, yes?" The Sectoid looked at Scott expectantly.

 

Lt. Scott: "Joseph Scott..." he repeated to the Sectoid, not even meeting it's gaze with his eyes. "Lieutenant, Scout/Pilot. Serial Number JS-4T2..."

 

Sectoid Cmdr.: "I heard you first time." The Sectoid probably would have rolled his eyes, but it didn't have pupils. "Are you a daft member of your species?"

 

Lt. Scott: Joseph was determined not to be tempted by anything the Sectoid said. He tried to keep full control so he wouldn't say anything to give the alien any edge. "Joseph Scott, Lieutenant Scout/Pilot. Serial Number JS-4T2..."

 

Sectoid Cmdr.: The Sectoid looked over at the two guards before returning his gaze to the Lieutenant. "Is that all you have to say?" The Sectoid was doing a good interpretation of a garden gnome, staring blankly at the human Lieutenant.

 

Lt. Scott: Joseph stared right at the Starspawn creature. He wasn't sure what it had to say, he was a captive after all. This Sectoid could have simply tortured information out of him... Reconsidering his elusive tactic, he gave the Sectoid the benefit of doubt. "Fine, whatcha got to say E.T.?"

 

Sectoid Cmdr.: The Sectoid Commander continued his staring contest. "Address me by rank, Lieutenant Scott." The Sectoid didn't say it in a participating threatening manner, but it wasn't entirely friendly either. "What is your purpose here?"

 

Lt. Scott: Determined to keep things hidden, Joseph gave the Sectoid Commander a raised eyebrow and a semi-smile making himself look humorous and a bit silly. "Sorry 'bout that Sectoid King. We were only out here to grab a bite o' burger! Don't tell our parents! Please"

 

Sectoid Cmdr.: The Sectoid blinked. "This facet of human nature is one that will not be missed. I have little experience with your kind, but it is obvious that you are as the rumours say." The Sectoid Commander made a mark on a piece of paper before pressing a button embedded in his desk. From behind, the two floaters once again entered and seized Scott, dragging him out of the Commander's office. As Scott was pulled away back to his cell, he could hear the Sectoid chittering orders away to his underlings.

 

Lt. Scott: "Noooo" cried out Joseph in feigned terror. "You cannot defeat me! You can take my life! My body! But you can't take my soul or my freedom" Joseph proceeded to be dragged off by the two Floaters. He was curious why they didn't bother doing anything torturous to force information out of him, rather than simply talking to him. He rethought things for a moment... Maybe the Starspawn were trying to be civilized for once?

 

The floaters dragged Scott back to his cell, threw him in, and picked their next victim.

[ShadowBlade]

<<JOINT POST: Cpl. Jonathan Goorit (ShadowBlade) and Sectoid Base Commander (DragonHawk)>>

 

Alien Military Facility, November 21st, 2067

 

<Sectoid Commander> The Sectoid Commander was disappointed in the performance of the previous specimen. Markings had indicated that that one was an officer... it held special meaning for the humans, regardless. Perhaps this one would actually speak. The Commander waited as Shadow was dragged ceremoniously into his office. "Welcome, Human," the Sectoid said in his rather chittery English.

 

<Corporal Shadow> Jonathan was dropped right in front of the Sectoid commander. The trooper was a bit tipsy because of the gas, but he managed to stand up in front of the alien, giving him a rather disrespectful look. Shadow didn't say anything, though.

 

<Sectoid Commander> "Sit down." One of the floaters brought Shadow a chair, somewhat small for a human, but still functional. "Your name and rank, Human." The Sectoid didn't have any paper or writing utensils on his desk; he merely continued staring at Shadow.

 

<Corporal Shadow> Jon reached for the chair and sit down. "James Rodriguez, private." Shadow lied, not willing to reveal his real name to his enemy. He knew they might try to get the real one out of his head through psionics, but he tried to keep his mind strong, even though he probably wouldn't stand a chance against the psi powers of a high Sectoid.

 

<Sectoid Commander> "I see." The Sectoid didn't change facial expression. He had to suspect any information that came from these Humans, they were pathological liars, if the last one had shown anything. "James Rodriguez, what are you doing in this sector of space. My advisors inform me that you are a long way from your origin."

 

<Corporal Shadow> "We're actually a diversion, planned to keep your attention away from our massive attack to your homeworld, which is taking place as we speak." Jonathan restrained a laugh. He wasn't going to give away any information that could help the aliens in their war against us.

 

<Sectoid Commander> "I see." The Sectoid Commander sighed inwardly, as much as a Sectoid could. This was going to be another difficult one. "Your strategists may have mislead you, as not only is there no attack, there is also no distraction, the last mostly due to your lack of action. Well, no, that is not true, your allies performed some action on Yurilis... Were you involved in that action?"

 

<Corporal Shadow> "No, I wasn't involved in that action." Shadow replied coldly, not giving importance to the aliens' mission nor their evil plans. He fiddled around with the chair and looked around the strange room before facing the blobby-head again.

 

<Sectoid Commander> "I see. Which humans were involved in that action?" The Sectoid Commander didn't seriously expect a response... for all he knew, this one could be one of the operatives dispatched on that mission. He would have to send this batch of humans for identification anyway, as it didn't look like he could be sure, no matter what they said.

 

<Corporal Shadow> "Um... some of them. Captain Picard and Sargeant Ermey, among others." Jonathan replied once again, mocking his interrogator but trying to remain as serious as possible so he didn't raise that many suspicions.

 

<Sectoid Commander> "How long have these humans been operating in this sector, James Rodriguez?" This human was more talkative than the last... at the very least, he was saying something that could be analyzed later, if for nothing else than to give the comm-techs and intelligence analysts something more exciting to do.

 

<Corporal Shadow> "Eh, dunno, some time." Goorit was getting bored of the blobby head, so he began shortening his answers. He yawned without covering his mouth, and then looked back at the Sectoid. "Hey, why's your head so big and your body so small?" Jonathan restrained another laugh, though not very successfully this time.

 

<Sectoid Commander> The Alien gave the human an indifferent shrug. "It is a trait of my species. It is evolutionary; per muscle mass, we are stronger than you." The Sectoid activated his computer and tapped a few notes. "My head is also large enough to encapsulate a mind capable of psionic manipulation."

 

<Corporal Shadow> "Muscle mass?" Jonathan laughed so hard he even shed a couple of tears, before sighing and resuming his previous attitude. "I never expected Sectoids to be so funny. If you weren't such a pain in the ass, I'd invite you a couple of beers some time." Jon chuckled at the uninterested alien in front of him.

 

<Sectoid Commander> "It is true. Despite your inherent racisms, you are probably a most reasonable being. Unfortunate, I cannot talk to you. Whom would you recommend I speak with next?" The Sectoid Commander was starting to get worried. If none of these would offer anything, then he would have to ship them to the interior.

 

<Corporal Shadow> "Whoever you want, I'm tired of this questions now. I need some rest." Shadow resumed his cold attitude at responding the interrogation. The corporal hadn't expected these questionings to be so amusing as they turned out to be.

 

<Sectoid Commander> The Sectoid applied a quick mind probe towards Corporal Shadow. He could feel the resistance, but it was nothing more than butter, his mind the hot knife. "Corporal Goorit, I'm sorry that we cannot converse. Convey my respects to your Lieutenant." He pressed the button, and the two floaters came again to take Shadow. "May you fare well."

 

<Corporal Shadow> "Ah, you know, that's cheating, bud." Shadow protested as he was escorted out of the commander's office by two guards. He felt all the crap he said didn't have any effect since the alien had scanned his mind quite quickly, extracting who knows how much information.

 

<Sectoid Commander> The Sectoid Commander leaned back in his seat as he tapped the relevant information into a file. Humans were egotistical and racist creatures, he thought mildly as he saved and closed the file. Sometimes, he wondered what would happen if they even knew...

[Vikernes]

<< JOINT POST - Sectoid Commander (DH) and Gael McBannok >>

 

Another day, another set of lousy questioning. For some reason, the Sectoid Commander was not in a good mood today. Maybe he was getting old... but that was psychological; he was still in the prime of his life. Even so, some days were better than others... Today promised to be little different than before. Today, a new human... "Your identification, Human."

 

McBannok had heard the rest of the crew talk about what had happened, and he hadn't seen any harm at all. Nonetheless, the stare of the alien held a feeling he definitely did not like. He tried to appease his throat, which seemed to want to gulp. "McBannok."

 

The Commander extended his mind briefly, subtlely, and without the notice of the mind he was invading. He was surprised to find that the soldier was telling him the truth and withdrew his mind. Interesting specimen... "McBannok. You are a long way from home. Why are you here?"

 

McBannok had always respected the rules, except in times of terrible stress, and since nothing had happened to the others, he was rather able to keep his mind in it's place. He thought of the answer he'd give to an average person. "The mission is confidential.", and then he added, unsurely, "Sir."

 

"Confidential. I see." The Sectoid wasn't actually staring at McBannok, though it seemed so. His eyes focussed on a number of things, McBannok being but one. "I suppose the nature of confidentiality must be respected. How did you get here?"

 

"Explain it to a baby. Don't say more than you need to. He seems satisfied by the answers", McBannok thought, his answer taking a few seconds to come out of his mouth. He tried to disguise the indecision with a half-true cough. "A ship. Sir.", he tried to remember the formalities, but the big black eyes were confusing his mind a bit. He almost muttered "Stay sharp", but kept it to his head.

 

"I see." That would probably be a fruitless line of questioning anyway. "What is your function?" This one seemed to be a bit more... nervous, really, than the others. The others were just arrogant, but McBannok had a different air about him.

 

His mind kept confusing him, as he thought about many different things at the same time as it searched an answer. He couldn't reveal his function... He wasn't exactly a complete soldier. Before he could think any further, realizing he'd wasted enough time, he said: "Civilian... sir." It was only half wrong, but then again, so was it half true.

 

"Civilian. What is your function, Civilian?" The Sectoid had no idea why a civilian would be on this mission... It was possible, he the civilian were a specialist of some sort, but what form of specialist they would require except for military ones was unknown to him.

 

He'd gotten himself into a mess. If he found out that McBannok was scientist and engineer, it was HIM they'd probably tried the torture on. He had to get out of it... "I fight like the others, sir.", he managed to say, in a voice maybe a hint more confident than the rest of his answers.

 

"Oh? You fight. Are you one the Humans present on the Yurilis campaign..." The Sectoid tapped something onto his computer. "Roughly, two of your months ago?"

 

McBannok knew he hadn't been there, so this time the answer had nothing to figure out. "No, sir." He thought he'd add that he didn't even know what it was, but then he might not get more information on it; and he truly wasn't sure or able to measure the pros and cons of saying it. Yurilis... he'd have to remember the name, this might be interesting info.

 

"Unfortunate. Which Humans were involved in this action?" This was of primary importance to his superiors... they were very interested in knowing which humans were now collaborating with their targets now.

 

Faced with the new question, McBannok saw that his one question was overruled. "I don't know, sir. I didn't know of the mission." Crap, maybe he shouldn't have said it anyway. He struggled for an excuse, and found a lame one. "I'm a civilian.", he said, hoping dearly that would explain why he would have been kept ignorant. Had there really been a mission? He wondered...

 

"I see. Other than your team, where else do Humans reside in the Ascidian sphere?" There were obviously others, if this one didn't know. He didn't feel the urge to plumb the other's mind yet... "Are there Humans that are not under your commanding officer's influence?"

 

McBannok had to find a way to shield his answer from the mind abilities of the Sectoid. He knew he had to give an answer that had to be true. "They fled.", and yes, they had fled, the bastards. They had fled and left them here. McBannok let the anger flow into his mind, instead of avoiding it.

 

"Fled?" The Sectoid's mind whirled. What could he possibly mean by "they fled"? It sounded like such a bizarre answer, and it was totally unexpected. "Could you elaborate on that?"

 

McBannok hadn't quite cooled off, and the answer escaped his mouth. "They left us there for you.", he had completely forgotten the Sir's he was suposed to be saying. Damn them... "They fled", he said, and noticed a spark of spittle flying from his mouth, "Far away for all I know" His voiced hadn't really risen much, but there was anger in it. He tried to calm down, and realized that the far away had been rather credible.

 

"Who would they be?" The Sectoid was really puzzled now. Had they left soldier's alive in their ambush? Impossible. They had laid in wait for a long time, and when the sensors were tripped, they had moved into action. The scouts had not reported anything... That turned the Sectoid to a new question. How did the team get to the research facility in the first place?

 

In his few seconds of calm, McBannok realized his answers had to be kept true and enraged... emotional... he closed his eyes for a second, and opened them. That time was enough to get his temper back in boiling oil. "The traitors! Scum!, probably fled as far as they could", he let his own personal frustration badmouth the others who'd left his team behind, subconsciously knowing that the further they were, the safer as well.

 

This one was not going to give him anymore... but could probably be talked to at a later date. "I see, McBannok. I think this line of questioning has tired you... perhaps you should return to your quarters to rest." The call received, the two Floaters came into the Sectoid Commander's office.

 

McBannok held himself stiffly up, and then turned and started walking away by himself, his footfalls heavy on the floor. Right now, he was thinking about nothing but being in the worst of situations due to the other stupid bastards. The Floaters grabbed his arms nonetheless, and led him back to the cell.

[Ki-tat Chung]

<<PVT. Chung>>

 

UGS Patton, 21 November 2067

 

Chung streched then looked back at the papers and sketches. He had been working on Xig's plans for his infantry support vehicle, and some good progress was being made. But the constant injuries and captures of team members was quite demoralising, and moral was already quite low. Ki-tat sat there for a while, staring into emprty space, pondering what could be happening next.

 

"Those XCR'ers....damn them..." Ki-tat said under his breath. Ki-tat had once considered the future to be bright and dandy. Sure, they were light-years away from home, and they were surrounded by hostile forces and other aliens, but X-com always won. But now another X-com had come, things were uncertain. The XCR's story is scary, even to the bravest, most battle hardened warrior. Aliens swarming everywhere. You wouldn't even trust your own team members. What if even XCR couldn't be trusted. Where can we go? They've proven to be more technically advanced and had armor that could take quite a beating. Now Ki-tat had seen some intersting stuff in his life time, but this, this is unbelieveable! They have cloaking, some form of anti-matter weaponary and the armor. One of those XCR'ers could take on 5 of our men!

 

Ki-tat streched again, scanned over the papter, and decided to go to the mess hall.

[DragonHawk]

Meeting Log - Pardon the rabid OOC at the beginning - lots of arguing and me being snippy; apologies. - DH

 

XCR Peregrine, 24 November 2067

 

Ko woke up with a start, and glanced over at the clock. 04:00... Too damn early. Ko flopped back into bed, breathing heavily. He couldn't remember what had woken him up, but it certainly had been 'scary', and it had been related to XCR.

 

He had no reason to doubt them substantially, but mistrust lingered. Though they projected themselves as willing allies, Ko couldn't shake the feeling that they were anything but. Still, militarily speaking, XCR wasn't in a position to do much to change the status quo; at most, they could make a nuisance of themselves before either running out of supplies or being destroyed. What could they really do? Smash a few bases, with attrition wearing them down eventually... it was hopeless for them, not as aggressors.

 

Ko had watched with Corporal Stone as Woolery poured out his grief... Ko had been fascinated by the machinery and the visual imaging used; it was marvelous and caught all manners of minor details for analysis. Ko was certainly not a psychologist or a trained negotiator my any means, and the process had been educational.

 

Woolery's plan had not really been to his liking. A ground-pounder assault on the base was likely to be tough regardless of the number of diversions launched. That the garrison commander had been smart enough to capture the original assault team should have indicated that the situation was unusual in the least. The average Sectoid leader was reasonably competent in a technical sense, but on both Yulinis and Paronnen a distinct lack of coordination and strategy was noticable before the Brain showed... Or was reputed to be; by then all Human troops had left.

 

Was a Brain on this ugly, out of the way planet? Unlikely. What was in control of the horde then?

[ShadowBlade]

<<JOINT POST: Cpl. Jonathan Goorit (ShadowBlade) and Lt. Joseph Scott (Strong_Bob)>>

 

Alien Military Facility, November 21st, 2067

 

<Corporal Goorit> Two floaters entered the cell, escorting Jonathan, who was a couple of meters ahead of them. They pushed the corporal inside the room and left towards the command center again, activating the force field after them. Jon sat on the opposite cot. "Hello, sir, how was your meeting with the chief blobby-head?" Shadow asked.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Fruitless..." he said to Goorit, not looking away from his hand. "That Sectoid seemed to be a lot different than I had expected. I avoided everything it asked me, but by the way it responded I think that may have been a mistake." He bounced off the cot and stood up, making a quick stretch. "What did you tell him?"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "I just revealed to him the information about our massive assault at their home planet, due to take place in the next few minutes." Jonathan laughed, relieving himself from all the excitement stored inside him during the whole interrogation. "But nothing real, of course." Shadow commented, once his 30-second long laugh was over and he was back to normal.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "False information? Good." Joseph sighed and walked up to the force field. He briefly bounced his fist against it, causing it force back into him a little. "Agh... Goddamn. This is the third time. Third f**kin' time I've been put away, one way or another, and it's been years since I put anyone away myself"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "You'll get your chance once we escape this damn alien prison. We might just get lucky and take the chief blobby with us, you know." Goorit said to Scott, trying to recomfort his mood. "By the way, any plans about that?" Shadow lowered his voice's volume, just in case there were microphones or similar devices installed in the cell.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "No..." Joseph said in a very monotonous and carefree tone. "None at all. In fact, if I were to make any real prediction here... I'd say we're all done. The only reason I escaped from the API prison was because they were attacked by Black Spear Terrorists in the process of torture." He turned to Goorit and looked him in the eye. "Tell me, have you ever been in prison before?"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Not really, no. This is my first time, so I guess I'll get impatient if they keep us here too long." Shadow said angrily, trying to think about a way to escape the detention area and get to the armory, at least. "Why do you ask, sir?" Jon inquired back.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "A prison is built to be inescapable." He turned away, looking at Ryan and Yorke alone in the other cell. "For a brief time, I was once a prison guard. Prisons seem like perfect holding cells... But you would never guess how many people can manage to escape from even the highest security prisons in the world. We try to keep it secret... But it happens all the time. Yet, we could never figure out how..."

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Well, that should give us at least some hope, Scott. This place must have a weakness somewhere, and it's our job to find it if we don't want to rot in here." Jonathan suggested, looking around again, trying to locate seemingly loose slabs or a way to reach the force field's control panel, though unsuccessfully. "We'll see, lieutenant, we'll see..." Shadow sighed in frustration.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Joseph bounced his fist against the force field a few more times. "But this isn't like on Earth" he said, growing a little annoyed. He turned to Jon and gave him a very serious expression. "If we couldn't figure out how they bypassed steel bars and warded guards armed with pepper spray and batons... How the hell can we get through an energy field and fight off aliens armed with Plasma weapons!?" He sighed, trying to cool off. He changed the subject. "Corporal... Where did you used to work, before X-COM?"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Nowhere relevant for the matter. I used to go shooting in a club a few blocks away from my house, and joined X-COM as soon as I could." Shadow replied, a bit embarrased that he didn't have any previous experience to talk about right now. "No military jobs before this one, that is." Goorit commented.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Great..." Joseph sighed and walked over to the cot in the corner. He fell onto it, landing on his side. "Why did you join X-COM? We were reputed to be merely guns for hire and global rent-an-army's for a long time..."

 

<Corporal Goorit> "My... my father was an X-COM operative during the Second Alien War. He was a member of the team sent to T'leth to destroy it. He..." Shadow went silent for a moment, reviving painful memories from the past, which he hadn't recalled in some time now. "You know the story..." Jon sighed.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "And you chose to follow his footsteps? Heh..." laying on his back, Joseph covered his eyes with the back of his left hand. "I wish I did that... Your father, that's where you got your machete right? I remember from your profile... Well, I hope you didn't bring it with you on our mission. Because the Sectoid's probably had all our equipment melted down by now..."

 

<Corporal Goorit> "No, I didn't bring it with me. I actually forgot to place it with my equipment." Shadow said, relieved his family relic was safe, unlike his usual equipment, probably dismantled and/or destroyed by now by his captors.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Joseph peeked through his fingers at the ceiling above him. For some reason, talking to Jon like this alleviated his mind from the inevitable danger. "Corporal... Why do you even bother bringing a machete along? So far, I've not seen you use it. What is it to you?"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Oh, well, you never know when you'll need it." Jonathan said, already missing its bloody blade. Scott was mostly right about the utility of the weapon, but a sharp hand-to-hand weapon comes in handy when you're in the middle of the battlefield and the enemies get too close. "And... I did use it once..." Shadow remembered, softly grasping his mechanical arm.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Seeing and recalling the incident where Shadow had lost his arm, a new curiosity formed in his mind. Joseph was not the type to change the subject, but it was a very good chance that one day he himself would have an artificial limb. "Can you feel it?" he asked. "I mean, at all? Even the common feeling that you have an arm still?"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Well, it's kinda hard to explain, really." Jonathan sighed and glanced his bionic replacement. "It feels weird. You don't sense if something touches its surface, but you can control the limb, nevertheless. It's like when you sleep over your arm and in the next morning it's all numb for a little while and you can't feel if something affects it during that period of time." Goorit explained, not really aware if he did well or not at it.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Is it as strong as it was before?" Joseph didn't expect to get an robotic arm himself, but he had to be prepared. "Would you say it's an overall improvement in efficiency?"

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Yes, it is. And a bit stronger than that, too. It can break a Sectoid skull or two with a fierce blow." Jon chuckled, picturing a similar situation. However, he realized he missed his original, organic arm. "However, nothing can replace an arm made of flesh and bone..." The corporal sighed, now looking at his real, human arm.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Joseph smiled to himself. "Well... That arm may come to use." he sat up and looked right at the forcefield. "I don't think you're strong enough to break through that field... But I'd rather die escaping than be captured." He looked back to Goorit, wondering if the young Corporal knew what he was talking about.

 

<Corporal Goorit> "Yes, I'll fly off the handle eventually." Shadow grinned, whilst looking at his mechanical, moving it up and down, and punching the air. "We'll find a way, sir, we'll find a way." Jonathan grinned again.

[Ki-tat Chung]

<<JOINT POST: Sgt. Samuel Howardson (DragonHawk) and Pvt. Ki-tat Chung (Ki-tat Chung)>>

 

UGS Patton, November 21st, 2067

 

<SGT_Howardson> Howardson stormed about the Patton, looking to pick up people for the rescue team. The Patton had just started out again, back to that hellhole planet, to meet with the Peregrine and conduct a joint rescue operation for the captured X-Com members. Howardson poked his head into the research area of the Patton, hoping to at least find one of the scientists, engineers, or hackers... "Hey Chung, how are things going?" he said neutraly

<PVT_Chung> Ki-tat lifted his head to see who asked the question. "Oh, hello Segrent. I'm doing alright. Could do with fewer team captures, but hey, what's moral to a scientist? So...." The scientist wondered what the Sergent wanted and decided to ask. "So, did you want something fixed, researched or taken apart?"

<SGT_Howardson> Right to the point, thought Howardson. "Ahh, you want to talk business, do you?" Howardson put an easy grin on his face. "I was just recruiting for a team to mount a rescue operation... We need someone to be tasked with breaking the security. Paul will likely be going, but we need a backup operator. Interested?"

<PVT_Chung> Chung scratched his head, and considered his options. He was getting reaerch weary, and wanted action. "Okay, why not. Anything else?" Ki-tat wanted something to do other than research. He was getting pretty desperate.

<SGT_Howardson> Howardson almost dropped his jaw in surprise. He hadn't expected it to be that easy. "Err... Not really. Just figure out what you need to have for your mission, and let me know. I'll release it from Armory. How is the research going here?"

<PVT_Chung> "Boring, really. I haven't gone into combat for a while now, and I'm just flat out tired of this desk and all this paper." Chung really didn't know what to say. He was a geek at the best of times, and he wasn't exactly someone who you could have a deep and meaningful conversation most of the time. "Ah.... so how's your side of things. I heard that XCR had just abandoned Alpha Squad. Those scumbags, we really shouldn't have trusted them, should we?"

<SGT_Howardson> "Abandon? Sure, if you think of leaving behind both ours and their troopers? In that case, we abandoned our buddies as well, you should keep that in mind. There are six X-Com and seven XCR personnel behind enemy lines... You can make your judgement on that." Howardson watched Chung. What was that all about? Abandonment? Did he know the issue at hand?

<PVT_Chung> "Well..." Ki-tat wasn't really sure what he was talking about, and now he was just quiet

<SGT_Howardson> At least he knew when he was making assumptions. Howardson's voice softened a bit. "Look, we need these folks playing on our side of the court, because we can't afford to have them on the other side. We've got no proof that they 'bailed' on us, and the Colonel is willing to conduct a joint operation with them - twenty XCR troopers will be in on this rescue as well, in addition to Ascidian units."

<PVT_Chung> "Oh.... I see..." Ki-tat was just plain confused now, and he simply hated politics. "Well, I'll just play along then...and hope I can keep my mouth shut." He smiled.

<SGT_Howardson> Howardson grinned back. "That sounds like a plan... I'll be trying to do that too. You're right though; those guys are pretty fickle. Anything could happen... Anyway, if you don't mind, I've got some other members to be looking up. Let me know if you're missing anything, and I'll get it from you. The lives of our brothers are at stake here."

<PVT_Chung> "I sure hope we can get them back..." Ki-tat was uncertain about the future of his fellow comrades. So many deaths and casualties. If they all die...

<SGT_Howardson> Howardson nodded simply and let the issue drop at that. It was hardly something to be focussed on prior to the mission... they had to concentrate on winning, not the losing. Those effects would come later, and on their own, if they did a poor job. "See you later Chung. Get your gear ready within the next couple of days."

<PVT_Chung> Ki-tat simply nodded, and went back to the dull work of a scientist.

[Strong Bob]

<<Joint post! Starring: Strong Bob as Christopher Xiggores and Ki-Tat Chung as... Ki-Tat Chung! >>

 

<PVT_Xiggores> As Sergeant Howardson left the R&D section, Chris finally peeked his head out from under the desk beside Ki-Tat. "Is... Is he gone? Is it safe to come out and not be forced on one of those shoot-outs?" he asked nervously.

 

<PVT_Chung> Ki-tat turned around and smiled. "Well, if you consider saving our fellow teammates in a hostile situation being foced on a shoot-out, then yes, it is safe." Chung didn't consider missions a hassle or snnoying. He was stuck with paper all day long and he wanted to shoot something.

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Good" Christopher stood up from his little hiding place and brushed off his lab coat. "I can't stand those... Those... Missions! There's all these bullets and lasers. And... And... I still have nightmares from when the Raptor bit my foot off" Chris was almost crying like a little girl. "Do you know what it's like? Getting your foot bitten off? It hurts like heck"

 

<PVT_Chung> "How about Goorit? He had his whole arm removed" Ki-tat was quite confident with the med-bay's capabilities, and wondered why everyone was so afraid of losing limbs. "Well, if that happens again, you won't have a Doctor Yorke yo fix you up if we don't manage to save our cmrades, will we?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "But... But..." Chris was caught in a tight one there, despite there being no real argument. "But it's fighting in general! Why can't it just stop? The weapons you and I build are supposed to stop it all! But does it? No! God no! It just makes it worse! Look at the XCR and their future! Bigger guns, bombs and all the deadly stuff... And Earth is a wasteland! Why can't everyone just learn!?"

 

<PVT_Chung> "We're all human. We have this little thing called sin, or so my Sunday school teacher said..." Ki-tat said thoughtfuly. "We're always going to be going in circles, and really, the only peace is probebly death, as sad as it is."

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Oh?" Christopher said with enthusiasm. "Well then... I guess what we're doing here is a mighty success! We've certainly killed more than 10 times our weight in aliens... I guess it makes us that much closer to peace now, doesn't it?" He let out a long sigh. The stress of losing Scott and Yorke's squads to the Starspawn and the fact that the XCR lost men as well was not making him very rational. "I'm sorry, Ki-Tat. I'm not in the right spirits right now."

 

<PVT_Chung> "Its ok. We're all pretty stressed out." Chung picked up a scrap piece of paper, scrunched it up, and aimed it at the bin. "i sure could do with a game of bball..."

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Meh... What I could use right now..." Xiggores tilted his head back, thinking of his days before joining X-COM. "A good video game and a sirloin steak... Like the ones you guys on the Rommel got to have." He forced a cough so as to not seem to be daydreaming. "Hmm, Ki-Tat, do you think the Colonel would have a problem if I installed a game of 'Sectoid Hunter' on the Daedalus computer?" he gave the other scientist a geeky grin.

 

<PVT_Chung> "Hrm...I havn't played a video game for a while now..." Ki-tat just wondered off into nostalgia for a while, before an idea popped into his head. "Hey, I know! Why don't we have a LAN party!?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Yeah! That might get spirits high. I always prefered shooting things in virtual reality, as opposed to 'actual' reality." Xiggores suddenly had a number of ideas flow through his head. "I could propose that we make space for a small recreational area somewhere on NAO! Maybe in some unused quarters somewhere... Let me draw up some plans." Christopher grabbed his handy dandy notebook and pen and started jotting things down.

 

<PVT_Chung> Ki-tat smiled, and went back to work. "Don't get too caried away. We still ave work to do"

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Planet Omicron, 25 November 2067

 

This sim is going to run as a fairly continuous flow for both teams, with both teams participating in the same storyline. Yes, very experimental, but we're going to give it a shot and analyze how much potential exists.

 

Kappa Team is going to launch the initial rescue, with X-Com reinforcing and arming prisoners. First, though, some background:

 

Story - Perilous Rescue

 

Mission Briefing - Desperate Pursuit

 

***Due to Easter, this is now NEXT week's sim. Doh! - DH, 11 Apr 2004***

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Alien Military Facility, 21 November 2067

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - The last one to come in was the other officer. The Sectoid Commander wasn't aware of the other's speciality exactly, but he seemed to be a medical technician of some sort. "Welcome, Human. Your identification?"

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke stood at attention as he surveyed the Sectoid Commander in front of him, there were no obvious signs of rank, though Yorke was quite sure that if he autopsied the alien he'd find that the commander had a brain that 5% larger than the average soldier sectoid. "Doctor Ned Yorke, Serial Number NY-6Y7."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "Ahhh, you are Doctor Yorke. As with the others, you have an extensive profile on our database. You are also far from home... why are you here?" Why he felt the urge to add variation to the questioning, he wasn't sure. The Sectoid Commander felt almost wrong about it, but pushed it aside. He focused on Doctor Yorke, his gaze unwavering.

 

Dr. Yorke - His face remaining impassive he answered the Sectiods Question. "We're not quite sure on that one, one minute we're over Mars, next thing we're several light years from Earth," was the best answer he could give. "And with no way home at that." Added Yorke, who then raised an eyebrow slightly and focused on some object behind the Sectiod Commander.

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "A spatial anomaly perhaps... it's quite mysterious." At least he didn't have to lie; he was quite perplexed. "Regardless of the matter, here you are, and you are causing a disturbance in our plans for the Ascidian people." The Sectoid didn't shift a muscle, but somehow made a noise something like sighing.

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke thought for a moment what an appropriate response would be. "Yes, that's the general idea you see, our long term goal is to prevent the...uh...assimilation of the Ascidian race by the Starspawn. Terribly sorry if its causing you some problems."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "Why does it matter to you? Your species will eventually fall as well; such a progression is a natural occurence of your inability to compete... your victories thus far are impressive, but the end result will not change."

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke shrugged his shoulders. "Well why does the assimilation of the Ascidian race and the Human race matter to you? If we are destined to fall because we canot compete then why bother fighting us?"

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "You cannot compete with us. Left to your own devices, each of your species is remarkable; this is the basis of our interest. There are forces far beyond our borders, yours and ours, that threaten us. Only by unifying can we be safe." The Sectoid Commander didn't want to enter the philosophical side of the whole debate though. "Regardless of that though, I regret to inform you that I must ship you elsewhere, and soon."

 

Dr. Yorke - "Where to?" Asked Yorke, the conversation had so far been enlightening.

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "Deeper in territory. I don't have the resources or time to interrogate you extensively. I will suggest that if you do not resist, you will be rewarded." The Sectoid Commander decided to change topics, as there wasn't much he could say about the transfer, as he didn't know the details. "I'm tasked with finding other humans... Where else does X-Com deploy its fighters?"

 

Dr. Yorke - "Earth. That's where X-Com deploys it's fighters." Said Yorke. "Though they might now operate in the Sol system, it's been awhile since I was last on Earth."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "Those are not my concern. My objectives are very specific. I require the location of Human units in this sector of space, working with the Ascidian forces. We have approximate numbers, but locations are not known." The Sectoid Commander was probably wasting breath here, but he had to try.

 

Dr. Yorke - "Oh terribly sorry, misunderstood your question, I thought you meant where does X-Com deploy it's forces because officially it deploys them on Earth, but what with space travel and all they could easily be operating in the system. As for where they are in this sector of space I honestly couldn't tell you, for two reasons: 1) I haven't actually looked at a local sector map, there doesn't seem to be a road atlas for around here and 2) That would be telling."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - The Sectoid Commander mentally shrugged it off. It made little difference, really. Still, it would make his job a lot easier. "I'm prepared to trade away something for the information I require. Will you negotiate?" Whether this man's word could be taken was the question, but to say that out loud would have been poor manners.

 

Dr. Yorke - "Unfortunately I can't really, goes against policy you know. Though if I were to negotiate I'd ask for my comrades to be freed and the unconditional surrender of all Starspawn Forces. But like I said revealing of information goes against our policy so I can't really negotiate. Sorry."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - It really was unfortunate, at least from the Commander's point of view. "Very well. I would like to know that status of a number of your officers... Commander Weindhoven and Colonel Cyriacus, what are their current statuses?" Nobody had seen them in months... whether they were even alive was in question.

 

Dr. Yorke - "They're alive and okay, now a-days they're directing the whole show from behind the scenes." Yorke then thought of something. "Just out of interest...did you guys ever capture Commander Wiendhoven and do anything to him?" The whole Weindhoven incident had never been wrapped up satisfactorily.

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - Do anything to him? "In what way do you mean? I'm not aware of any such, but that is not my jurisdiction. You will have to locate the officer that captured him... I know of him, he is not exactly a scrupulous person." The Commander made a note on his computer before continuing. "Your junior officers, I have a number listed... Captain Ko, Lieutenants Schmerjchanikov, Ong, and Kacur... and yourself, but you are here. Where are the others?"

 

Dr. Yorke - "Captain Ko..." Yorke considered what he'd say carefully, he didn't want to reveal any critical information, so he'd have to be vague about this. "...is no longer a Captain. Schmernch...Schmerna..." Yorke could never pronouce Ghost's surname. "You know who I mean, is a Lieutenant. Ong isn't a Lieutenant. And Kacur is...well deceased."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - The Sectoid focussed on where the prison was, though his eyes didn't shift considerably. "Is this Lieutenent Scott a replacement then? Never mind. Where are these officers now?" This was closer to what was useful...

 

Dr. Yorke - Well...it would appear that the Aliens may of had something to do with the Commanders condition. Persumably the Sectoid meant that the officer who captured him wasn't scrupulous...so perhaps Scott had been telling the truth...this would require further investigation, at a later date. Assuming there was one. "Sorry can't help you out there."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "Unfortunate. I'm willing to take the Patton to Sol 3 in exchange for these Humans. They have a particular value to us; they will not be treated untowardly." It was the last bit of leverage that the Commander had. "It will afford you an opportunity to leave here, return to your homes, and sire the next generation so that you may prove us unworthy to maintain our hold over you."

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke's jaw dropped open slightly. Yes Yorke did want to get back to Earth, more than anything sometimes, but this? This was worse when the XCR offered an alliance. "I'm sorry, they are not available for exchange." Yorke was also slightly insulted that he had no particular value to the aliens, honestly and after all he'd done! "And anyway, if we did that you guys would just take over the Ascidian race, and then you'd attack us."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "How much do you think you affect the war? You are a costly nuisance." The Sectoid's anger was quickly overruled by his discipline. "I make this offer as an equal. The ones I seek are specifically targetted for criminal acts." This was technically a lie, but the Commander would not give voice to that now. "It is a mark of respect, for I would allow you back to move back to your genepool and further your race."

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke jerked backwards slightly at the sudden outburst, even though it was a short alien it certainly had a temper. "Uh, thanks." Now he was annoyed, Yorke hadn't commited a single criminal act in the eyes of the Starspawn? He couldn't believe it! "But you know...I like you, I like you alot, but I just cannot bring myself to agree, it would be playing on my conscience for a long time if I did, and like I said I can't."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "I'm asking for a mere handful." One last time, the Commander told himself, before he let this one go. "Five members of your team, who have assassinated civilians without an open declaration of war." Now he was openly lying. He turned back to truth. "The destruction of a number of capital ships, supply depots, etc. I know your men were not involved, but one of your comrades is. Give them up, and you will be free to pursue your war against us at a later date. If you do not give them up, I will be forced to send you to the interior, where your goals will not be achievable by any means. Which is the better solution here?" The Sectoid Commander attempted to appeal to the other's logic, but theory had always said that humans were not completely logic driven.

 

Dr. Yorke - Alien civilians? Since when did the Starspawn have civilians? And more to the point who attacked who first. "Without an open declaration of war?! You've attacked us on Earth without an open declaration of war first" Yorke as on the verge of fuming. "Secondly I am not going to give up any one to the Starspawn." Yorke paused and took a few calming breaths. "Finally, even if we" Yorke pointed to the prison. "Can't continue the war, my colleagues can and will continue to be a costly nuisance as long as they bloody well can."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "What makes you think that we were the first to attack?" The Sectoid Commander was genuinely curious. He had heard that humans did not have the ability to keep as broad a scope in mind and formed assumptions as a result. Humans did have relatively short lifespans, it was possible that a lie had simply become truth after the passage of time. "This is not a point of conversation, however. If you are unwilling, you

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke nodded his head. "And unwilling I am." A momentary pause. "However if you would like to provide proof that the human race was the first to attack the Starspawn race I'd be most interested in it."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - He wanted to pursue this line of conversation? "I do not think you would want to know this. You would be far more satisfied in your reality, as would the rest of your species. Do not ask if you wish not to have the answer." The Commander pressed the button, calling for his guards, but did not motion for them to seize Yorke. "Remember Yurilis... I will not stop until I have all of those soldiers in my hands."

 

Dr. Yorke - "Yurilis?" Yorke frowned. "What the devil has that got to do with you? Or, for that matter, with who fired the first shot." Yurilis, a system that had been captured by Alien forces and was a strategic location that would allow further assualts deeper into key Ascidian space.

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - Maybe more information would loosen the Doctor's tongue. "We have reason to believe that humans deployed with the raiding unit that destroyed our hold on Yurilis. I've been tasked with hunting down these vermin. Let your comrades know, should escape back to them, that Commander Raalik Tizt is looking for them. As for who fired the first shot, that is inconsequential now. No side will back down, no matter who was the wrongdoer."

 

Dr. Yorke - Yorke nodded at that, unfortunately it was true, who started it didn't matter now, both sides had suffered greatly and bother sides would hold grudges, this was a war to the end. And yet it reminded Yorke of a conversation he listened to, between Kacur and some others. But that was another matter entirely...Kappa Team was on the Alien hit list, and they seemed quite determined about it as well. "When we do, shall inform them that you are looking for them."

 

Sectoid Cmdr. - "Excellent. I believe this meeting is concluded then." On cue, the Floaters stepped forward to seize Yorke. "Remember that my offer is open until you step foot above the transport shuttle. Other Commanders, tasked with hunting you, will not be so forgiving."

 

Dr. Yorke - Bugger. So there were aliens after him as well. Great. "Thank you." Said Yorke for the sake of being polite. With that Yorke way pulled to his feet and back to the cells, a lot to think about now...a lot to think about.

[DragonHawk]

Briefing for 25 April 2004

[DragonHawk]

Kappa Team Story and Briefing.

 

Site access is still down, I have contacted Pete about that.

 

Alpha briefing is here

[DragonHawk]

>

 

UGS Patton, 7 December 2067

 

LCpl. Ko: The mess hall was fairly quiet as it was fairly late in the evening. Most of the soldiers were still recovering from the previous action. Shadow, himself, was sitting by himself at one of the tables, lost in thought.

 

LCpl. Ko: Ko had been with the Patton fighter wing tour group with a number of other operatives, assessing the quality of the new fighters and thawed pilots. Ko was impressed by their professionalism and conduct and felt that they would be serving the Patton well. Hunger called though, so he had gone to the mess hall to get something to eat. There, he saw Shadow, looking somewhat unoccupied. "Corporal Goorit, good day."

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Hey, how are you, Ko?" Jonathan snapped out of his trance-like journey inside his mind. He saw Lance Corporal Ko just a few feet away from him, and invited him to sit down by his side. "Why don't you sit down so we can have something to eat?" Shadow asked.

 

LCpl. Ko: "Sounds like a plan." Ko nodded and went to the counter to grab two platefuls of food. Apparently some sort of pseudo-Ascidian-chicken was on the menu today, but he didn't complain. He actually enjoyed the meat to some degree, but he never actually remembered it later. He brought it back and placed one plate in front of Shadow. "How you feeling?"

 

Cpl. Shadow: Goorit frowned, glancing at his plate of food carefully, puzzled about its contents. "Well, I've been thinking a lot lately. About our last series of missions: the capital ship and the beacon setup on the planet. We've been very lucky that the Viper found us, and that we successfully escaped the enemy vessel in the first place. Nevertheless, I'm afraid this luck we seem to carry will run out some day..." Jonathan sighed.

 

LCpl. Ko: Ko shrugged as he chewed on his food. "You see it as a matter of X-Com against the universe. Yes, there are factors out of your control, but they are not out of control. It has very little to do with luck." Well, the escape onto a planet with real atmosphere was stupid luck, but they had to try something, so they pulled a gamble and it paid off.

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Yes, taking risks is usually the best option in that kind of situations." Jon grabbed a piece of the Ascidian three-winged chicken-like food and chomped a portion of it. "However..." Shadow paused for a moment and tasted the strange food. "...I can't stop wondering what would've happened to us in the case we had failed our escape from the alien capital ship..." The corporal spoke his mind.

 

LCpl. Ko: "Personally, I wonder what would have happened if we had just surrendered." Ko was in on part of the rumour mill, and decided to drop the Corporal some advice. "Knowing when to act is crucial for your advancement. And that time is always. Even if you do something wrong, you won't be penalized as heavily as if you did nothing."

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Yeah, that's right. Well, I guess our fate would've been the same if we had surrendered. We would've been executed after some lousy trial or left to rot in an alien prison for the rest of our lives". Jonathan grumbled, and took another bite of his git chicken food.

 

LCpl. Ko: Shadow sounded a bit grumpy, thought Ko. "It'd be no different if they were caught and transported. The same risks on both sides." Ko paused before continuing. "Speaking of continuity, any idea where they carted off Sergeant Howardson?" Ko had not seen the Sergeant around, but was sure that he was heading for cryo soon, though probably not yet.

 

Cpl. Shadow: "I'm not sure, really. I guess he's at medbay now, being treated by Yorke and the medical personnel. He had been acting weird previous to being wounded by the alien soldiers, I dunno what happened." Goorit commented and stuffed in another piece of food.

 

LCpl. Ko: "I see." The poor guy had been through too much, way past his breaking point. Ko hurriedly chewed down another mouthful of food before speaking again. "Are things going to get a bit restructured around here? Any news on that?" This was something Ko didn't know anything about and was curious about.

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Again, I'm not sure. However, Scott asked me the other day if I had read the officer's manual. Maybe he didn't imply anything with that, but you never know." Jon said and drank some beer from his mug, next to his plate. "I assume Howie's not going to be around for too long now." Shadow expressed his opinion.

 

LCpl. Ko: "I agree with that sentiment. It's a poor state of affairs for a soldier to be in, wanting to die. It makes him severely unreliable. However, Scott's question is a good one. You're already, in a broad manner, a non-commissioned officer. You're expected to be able to sort out some of the small unit stuff, to be a leader. Better not to assume, but give that manual and any other leadership books a scan, just in case."

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Yes, that'd help me clean my mind a bit for now." The young corporal reported and ate the last part of his git chicken. He took a deep breath and patted his stomach. "Hmm... I reckon this Ascidian food's not so bad after all, huh?" Jonathan chuckled and had another swig of his beer mug.

 

LCpl. Ko: Ko laughed briefly and nodded. "Certainly not, once you get past the fact that it's somewhat alien." Ko polished off the rest of the meal and set it aside. "So, ready for some downtime? Is that what X-Com is scheduled for once we return?"

Cpl. Shadow: "Yeah, at least until we're called to kick some alien arse again." Goorit laughed a bit and finished the rest of his beer in a swift *GULP*. "We should enjoy the little vacation time we have ahead of us. I'll be quite busy reading manuals, I guess. Fun for the mind." Jon chuckled again and swiped some food remains off his uniform.

 

LCpl. Ko: "Oh yes, certainly, fun fun all about." Ko grinned. The manual was certainly not the most amusing piece of literature he had read, but it could have been far worse. "SpecOps will be off hunting again... XCR is going to be a very prominent target for us. We're very interested in where they may have gone."

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Those bastards..." Jon mumbled and yawned. "Well, I'm a bit sleepy now. I'm sure I'll enjoy this night's sleep thoroughly." Shadow hadn't slept at all during the last couple of days because of all the action that had taken place during the missions. "I suggest you get some sleep too, Derrick. Nothing will do you better right now." The corporal suggested.

 

LCpl. Ko: "I'll think on that." As he stood, Ko stuck his hand out to shake Shadow's. "Best of luck to you in the upcoming weeks, Corporal." They certainly deserved their break, and he hoped that they would get a good one.

 

Cpl. Shadow: "Thanks, lancey, you too." Goorit and Ko then shook hands and left towards their individual quarters. Both of them had many things racing in their minds, but those were nothing a convenient night sleep couldn't alleviate.

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Kappa Team sims on Sunday today, normal Ghost standard time. The story, as written, deals with Kappa Team's perspective, but applies to Alpha as well. I wouldn't mind seeing some roleplay posts for reactions to this.

 

The Kappa Team site is now mirrored on my ASPhost site - hopefully that won't f*** up. Click here or on my sig link for the site. Story is FH-S06, next mission is FH-09.

 

I'll be loading the XCAS standard site to the same directory at some point as well. I apologize for the ads.

[ShadowBlade]

<<JOINT POST: Cpl. Jonathan Goorit (ShadowBlade) and Lt. Joseph Scott (Strong_Bob)>>

 

UGS Patton, 8 December 2067

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Scott shut his comm projector down. It was sitting on his desk and he had just recieved the transmission from the Ascadian reporting the attack of the XCR. He buried his face in his hands and suddenly struck his desk with his left fist. "I knew it..." he groaned. He expected Shadow to arrive any minute, so he didn't stay in that position long.

 

<Corporal Shadow> A few moments later, Shadow, on the other side of the door, in the corridor, knocked at the lieutenant's office's door. He waited a bit, wondering why Scott had called him.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Come in" Scott shouted out, feeling too lazy to get up and open the thing himself. "It's open." He was pretty sure it was Shadow at the door, even so there was no reason to be too secure at the moment.

 

<Corporal Shadow> Upon hearing Scott's order, Jonathan, swinged the door open and closed it behind him once inside the office. He walked towards the lieutenant's desk and saluted his commanding officer. "Sir, you called me?"

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "At ease Corporal." Scott waved his hand at a chair in front of his desk. He took the chair right out of Kacur's old quarters and now used it as a guest seat in his office. "Corporal, when you and Lance Corporal Ko were paired together... How did things go while I was away from you two?"

 

<Corporal Shadow> "Thank you, sir." Goorit replied, reached for the indicated chair a little distance away from him and sat down. The chair was incredibly comfortable for a guest seat. "You mean during out last operation in the alien vessel? Well, we weren't far from you very long. Once the grate was out, I unloaded most of my grenades into the room, blasting everything apart. After that, I climbed down, out of the vent and checked everything was blasted whilst Ko covered me from the vent's opening. Then I climbed back up and regrouped with you two. Not much to report, that part of the mission was rather uneventful." Jonathan explained.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Is that it?" Scott sighed, knowing damn well the answer to his question. "I'm sure you're aware of Sergeant Howardson's behavior of late, right? The man nearly compromised our very lives aboard that ship."

 

<Corporal Shadow> Jon sighed silently. "Oh, that. Howardson was wounded, in the Nightingale by the time you asked me to describe." Shadow commented and paused for a bit, remembering the sargeant's incident. "Yes, the sarge's behaviour during the last few days has surely been strange. I regret to say that he might've become a liability for the whole team." The young corporal sighed in disappointment.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Exactly..." Scott looked down at his desk. Both arms were layed across it on both sides of his computer terminal. "I would've suspended him and asked Doctor Yorke to council him, but in light of recent events... I've transfered him to Support and have demoted him to Corporal." He looked up at Goorit and forced a congratulatory look. "So... Sergeant Goorit, I have an open space for a second in command for Alpha. And you're my best man at the moment.

 

<Sargeant Shadow> Shadow couldn't believe his ears for a split-second, but he quickly responded in order to hide the excitement. "Sir, thank you, sir" Jonathan gasped and saluted enthusiastically.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "At ease, Sergeant. I'm giving you Howardson's office as soon as he cleans his place out." Scott typed a few keys on his terminal. "I made this decision relatively quickly so I don't have the stripes on me now... I'll bring them to you prior to our next mission." He then gave Shadow a very serious look. "But don't make me regret this..."

 

<Sargeant Shadow> Jonathan successfully maintained the professional attitude and lowered his hand from next to his forehead. "I won't let you down, sir. You won't regret this." Jonathan said, determined to fulfill his duty as an officer.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Scott saluted Shadow back and looked back down at his terminal. "Alright. Dismess Sergeant. Now get out of here, Howardson should expect what's coming to him by now. Get the men ready though... If you've heard the latest Ascadian broadcast they're as anxious as I am."

 

<Sargeant Shadow> "Yes, I've heard about the damn XCR attacks..." Jonathan sighed. "Well, I should get some sleep now. I'll take care of the men tomorrow if possible." Shadow saluted, turned around and left the lieutenant's office, and towards his quarters.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> When Shadow left, Scott looked down at his computer terminal. He had recieved a transmission... "Strange..." he thought. "This transmission looks like it came from outside the Patton..." he hit the recieve button...