XCAS Roleplay 3

[Strong Bob]

<<This roleplay takes place a while prior to Kappa's sim against the Rommel.>>

 

Joseph was in his office, Jonathan Goorit had just left after recieving his much deserved promotion. The Alpha lieutenant had just recieved an odd signal on his desktop console...

 

Scott: (Pushes the 'recieve' button.) How the hell did this transmission get to my console? Usually it has to pass through the communications...

 

Suddenly screen went garbled for a second, eventually it cleared. On the display was the familiar symbol of the X-COM Resistance emblem. The screen then switched to what looked like the inside of a cockpit.

 

Scott: What the hell!?

 

Captain John Roberts' head suddenly moved on screen. He was wearing a comm earpiece and seemed to be slightly anxious.

 

Roberts: (Voice distorted through the console) This is Captain John Roberts. You might remember me from the meeting on the Rommel. Listen, I don't have much time... Colonel Dogget has gone nuts. He's insane for blood against the Starspawn and lied to my men when he attacked your Ascadian friends. He told us they were 'Spawn, and I lost two goddamn men on that pointless skirmish!

 

Joseph's police psychology training wasn't very good. But somehow he could tell that John wasn't lying, either that or he was a damn good actor.

 

Roberts: (Through the console, still.) I got the transmission codes for your communications array from when you sent a message through the Rommel to your own ship. They'll know I stole them soon, and when that happens I will be executed for treason. The only reason they don't know yet is because I'm using the comm unit in my fighter. I've enclosed a rough blueprint of the Rommel and Dorian Gray in this transmission... It shows the location of the World Devastator weapon array, the rear point defense weapons, and critical locations where a ground team may board the ship with minimal contact with armed forces. Myself and my wingman, Sergeant Bronsworth, will be hidden in the Engineering bay. There we will disrupt the outer weapon systems just long enough for you to board.

 

They're coming, X-COM. Another run for Ascidia and this time the World Devastator bombs are gonna be used to destroy the entire planet! There are only two fighters left, mine and Bronsworth, and we're fully prepared to join you. The fighters alone can't handle the Rommel or Dorian Gray, so if you want our help... We'll have to disable or destroy the Hangar Bay shield array and point defense gun turrets within. If you agree to help us... I guess I'll know when I see the transport latching to the hull. I'm currently aboard the Dorian Gray... ETA to Ascidia is...

 

The transmission quickly fizzed out into static, the blue screen of doom appeared in it's place indicating an error in the feed. Soon afterwards, a blueprint of the Rommel and Dorian Gray appeared. They were crude, as though practically drawn by hand. But they were lucid enough to indicate the locations of known armed patrols during combat and where the World Devastator, Engineering, and bridge were stationed.

 

Joseph just stared, he was stunned but it was evident in their first meeting that John wasn't a big fan of Colonel Dogget. He scanned the transmission repeatedly for a possible virus or anomaly... Not that 35 year old technology could detect such a thing.

 

Scott: I don't think I have much else to go on... If this were a trick, Dogget must not be very confident in attacking Ascidia. But if that were the case, he'd probably be smart enough not to do it in the first place.

 

Scott downloaded the transmission onto a disk and walked out of his office. He would first show this to Cyriacus... Then make a decision on what to do.

[DragonHawk]

Training Room, XCS Peregrine, 16 December 2067

 

We are not hunting the Rommel. Ko breathed deeply as he swung his katana in an arc, just stopping where his opponent's head should be. He checked his form carefully, tilting his head slightly to make sure that his sword was in the correct position. Even a hardcore Japanese judge would have to acknowledge that for a point. Not that I would even get a hit that perfect, as if it was practice.

 

His mind kept focussing on the XCR Rommel though. Ko wanted to be after those so-called soldiers. Deep inside, he resented having to pull off from the pursuit; it felt like a job unfinished. He knew that Alpha would be looking for the Rommel soon enough and that they would eliminate it with the help of the response force, but this only quelled the unrest slightly. Whether this was because he, at heart, didn't think Alpha could do as good a job, he wasn't sure. WE are not hunting the Rommel!

 

In a professional sense though, Ko knew that he couldn't justify looking for the Rommel for the Task Force. The amount of force would not add appreciably to the already gathered patrol ships, and at any rate, they would then be an expensive reconnaissance force, which is not what they were trained for.

 

Instead, they went to grab the whole war by the balls, in the den of the enemy. Ko was certain they could make progress... The question is: How much?

[DragonHawk]

>

 

UGS Patton, Planet Charlie, 23 December 2067

 

With orders to interrogate Redwood-Goorit, Lt. Yorke and Sgt. Goorit are in one of the small interrogation rooms aboard the Patton. It's somewhat makeshift, with a table and three chairs. The furniture is rather utilitarian and adds a bleak feel to the room.

 

The lighting is relatively poor by design, with only a single lightbulb above the head of the female XCR trooper. The walls are bare, grey paint over metal and plastic, except for the large mirrored surface to the interrogation team's right. The exit is straight behind them, with Redwood in front.

 

On the other side of the mirror, both Cmdr. Weindhoven and Col. Cyriacus watch in silence. Both have headsets that are linked to earbuds used by Yorke and Goorit - Weindhoven and Cyriacus can speak to the interrogation team, but not vice versa.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith looked sullenly at the two interrogators. Her eyes drifted from the blonde haired soldier... He looked familiar, she thought. The other, a man with Asian features, looked solemn, but something in his eyes looked... alive, fascinating somehow. She stayed silent for now, not wishing to start anything with her captors.

 

Sgt. Shadow: Jonathan sat down on a chair besides the other side of the table. There was a moment of silence, when Goorit spend some time contemplating the mysterious sargeant. Goorit broke the silence by clearing his throat, and proceeded accordingly. "Well... Sargeant Redwood... Goorit, right?" Jon inquired, with a brief pause in the middle of the surname.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Was he the 'good cop'? Faith steeled herself inside and looked at her interrogator. She looked discreetly at his face... She felt a shudder go through her body, small but significant. "That is correct."

 

Dr. Yorke: Yorke leant back in his seat he was merely quietly observing for the time being, he'd taken part in interrogations of aliens before, mind you the methods employed sometimes during them weren't pleasant, but then they were just aliens, mere clones nothing more. Now he sat opposite this Redwood lass, an attractive lass. Perhaps in another place in another time...perhaps.

 

Sgt. Shadow: Jon nodded and kept looking at the female XCR sergeant. The resemblance to him was astonishing, but Jonathan firmly knew he had no relatives besides his mother back on Earth. This was strange, to say the least...

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith looked at the pair carefully. Both of them seemed to be looking at her... well, not as normal as she would have thought. She wasn't planning on helping them much and wasn't sure what she could do now, what sort of hold she had on them. There must have been something...

 

Sgt. Shadow: Another uncomfortable silence had popped into scene. After a few moments, Jonathan again broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Okay, let's get started. Sergeant Redwood-Goorit, what were you and your team doing alone in the landing pad? Why did you detach from the other XCR troops?

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith frowned and looked back towards the blonde interrogator and considered his question. How could she answered it as non-commitally as possible? "We were heading back to the Rommel." She looked at blondy expectantly.

 

Dr. Yorke: "But for what reason? And what was your cargo?" Asked Yorke placing both of his elbows onto the table in front of him. He rested his head on his hands as he awaited a response.

 

Sgt. Shadow: Jonathan frowned too and countered her answer after Yorke had asked his question. "But why did the majority of the troops stay behind fighting the Ascidians? Isn't it logic to leave a *small* team behind to create a diversion while the larger group retreats? Why did it happen the other way round?" Shadow took a deep breath.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith looked towards to the senior officer. He looked very casual in that pose... Good cop and good cop? Maybe one of them was going to become the bad cop later on... or maybe it was something else. "Oh, I misinterpreted. We were obtaining supplies. Did you see anyone else escape the base?" While letting Yorke mull that over, she looked to Goorit. "What makes you think that everyone is a laborer? I don't think all of YOU do the same work."

 

Dr. Yorke: Life really is absurd. Thought Yorke as he looked at Redwood. Just a few weeks ago he'd been a prisoner of the Starspawn, and he'd been forced to under go interegation, and now here he was with a prisoner, interrogating her.

 

Sgt. Shadow: "Alright, we'll discuss about this later. Onto another subject." Jonathan replied and paused briefly. "What do you think about your Colonel, Chad Dogget's actions? Do you condone the massive slaughter of innocent civilians like he does?" Goorit leant back on his chair, waiting for a response.

 

Dr. Yorke: Yorke held back a chuckle, now that was a question, but he could see where Goorit was going with this. Mind games, he was going to screw her mind over and use her morality against her. A good play, and it could prove to be effective...depending on the history of Redwood.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith grinned to herself, internally. She had scored one point, so she hoped. The reference to the World Devastator attack made her cringe slightly, though she wasn't sure how much translated into physical action. She tried to cover it. "Colonel Dogget? Does he condone such a thing?"

 

Dr. Yorke: Yorke merely smiled. "No, do you think that the attacks on civilians is the the right thing to do?"

 

Sgt. Shadow: The young sergeant grumbled silently, and inquired again, after Yorke. "Don't play dumb with me, sergeant. We know about his plans, using that monstruous weapon of yours to ravage the Ascidian-controlled worlds in their territory" Jon glared at the XCR trooper, knowing she was definately hiding information.

 

Sgt. Redwood: "That would depend on how we define 'civilian'." Faith's eyes narrowed as she spoke her next words. "If such a civilian was standing in your way, between you and your objective, sacrificing himself to guard the objective, is he truly just a civilian?"

 

Dr. Yorke: "If a civilian is standing between us and our objective..." Yorke looked to the ceiling and thought for a moment. "...if a city is standing between you and the objective, do you nuke it? OR do you find a less bloody alternative?"

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith shook her head. "I don't make those decisions. You already know my rank, of you have claimed so. You do not even have that authority, why would you even bother asking me of such things?" Faith shook her head and leaned back, taking the two into her sight.

 

Sgt. Shadow: Faith was playing with her interrogators' minds, it didn't require much brains to realize that. Twisting the arguments... "Miss Redwood, you know well the deaths of those civilians, or whatever you'd like to call them, won't be 'collateral damage'." Jon commented and sighed.

 

Dr. Yorke: "Yes, oh you can rationalise what you do all you want. You're not the one who makes the decisions, you just follow the orders. Does that clear your conscience of the thousands and millions of deaths of civilians that you helped to bring about."

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith grinned, though she didn't much feel like it. "A military target was destroyed in the process. As I understand it, you merely execute prisoners out of hand, torture wantonly, and in general disobey any convention of war you claim to adhere to." Faith nodded her head towards the mirror. "Can you then blame that on others?"

 

Dr. Yorke: Yorke took his elbows off the table and then leant back in his seat. "So a military target was destroyed? What was this military target? The civilians? Are all civilians military targets, does the XCR wipe out cities on Earth and claim that it was a military action?"

 

Sgt. Redwood: "How many military industries are there? Have you even checked? Military regiments? Do you check that?" Faith looked from Yorke to Goorit. "How much information do you have?"

 

Dr. Yorke: Yorke's conscience wasn't exaclty clean, but as far as he was concerned all Starspawn were bred for war. Designed and produced and then sent to kill. "How many civilians died to wipe out one regiment? how many schools and hospitals wiped out along with the military industries? How many soldiers did you kill and how many families did you destroy to achieve that? Did you check that?"

 

Sgt. Shadow: Images of Lieutenant Scott executing Floater prisoners some time ago came to mind. He remained lost in thought for a few moments, while Yorke continued with his questioning. Then he asked once again. "So, what you're saying is that you're OK with the idea of wiping out an entire planet's surface because merely 15% of it are military installations? The other 85%, the civilians, are 'in your way'?." Shadow sighed and placed his elbows on the table.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith found it hard to believe that they were questioning her on this, but it seemed to be a positive thing for her to talk about. "There were civilian casualties, as you define them. What can I do about that, you think?"

 

Sgt. Shadow: "There are other ways, maybe more costly, but effective anyway, to prevent the death of innocent people. Your commanding officer has already lost his sanity, and now he's undertaking the mission of eradicating the entire Ascidian race, when the real enemy is the present Starspawn." Goorit leant back again and looked at the ceiling, submerging himself on thought again.

 

Sgt. Redwood: "That is your interpretation." Faith smiled openly, trying to lure them into a sense of security. "I uhh... heard that your commander lost his sanity too. I guess it's a common aspect of command."

 

Dr. Yorke: "True they are dead along with XCR's humanity. Nothing can be done to change that." Said Yorke. "So you believe that your Commanding Officer has also lost his insanity?"

 

Sgt. Redwood: "And your humanity. How many know that X-Com personnel are now executing humans. Not even resistant ones. Passive, non-aggressive, unarmed." Faith looked carefully at the two, looking to get their responses.

 

Dr. Yorke: Yorke smiled and kept staring at Redwood. "Colonel Dogget is as you put it lost his sanity, has there been any other attempts to take command from him? Any rumblings within the ranks?"

 

Sgt. Shadow: Jonathan heard Faith's comment, and thought about it for a while, still looking at the ceiling. After a brief period of time, he looked back at Redwood. "I've never, nor I ever will do something like that. That was an isolated incident, unlikely to take place again." Jon sighed once again, and looked at Faith's face deeply.

 

Sgt. Redwood: "No and no." Faith thought that Yorke was a bit too happy, perhaps, but nothing of real evidence. "And not isolated, I'm sure. The only reason it won't happen is because there are no other humans left for you to kill."

 

Dr. Yorke: "To the contrary my dear, the Rommel is still out their along with some of the XCR. Do you know where it is heading?"

 

Sgt. Shadow: Jonathan stood up banged the metal table with his bionic arm violently, leaving a small dent on the steel surface. "I have NEVER done anything like that! That's the problem of a single operative, not all of us, goddamnit! The sick madman, you're commanding officer, is proceeding with his damn genocide plan right now and you're NOT helping. And the worst part is that everyone is following him! Nobody has a f**king sense of ethics any more" Jon sat back again on his chair, gasping. His face was red of anger.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith nodded as she conceded the point. "A single operative. Yes, of course. And the rest stand by, letting it happen. Let me guess: by your intonation, I would assume he is still an active operative as well. Fascinating. You claim many things. At least that shows you think you're moral, if somewhat disillusioned, which is better than what you accuse me of."

 

Sgt. Shadow: "Goorit my ass, you're NOTHING like me, in ANY way" Jonathan grumbled and looked down at the floor, disappointed. "You should be able to discern right from wrong..." Shadow sighed, keeping his glance on the floor.

 

Sgt. Redwood: "Really? And how do YOU define right and wrong? You allow the execution of prisoners of war. Is that right?" Faith shook her head. Why should she emulate him? Arrogant. "You want a 'f**king' idea, you arrogant little turd? You live a life cushioned by the idea that you can simply choose which orders to obey. Disobeying of orders is probably your hobby. Don't tell me how to act like a soldier, because you sure can't figure it out." Faith wasn't angry - all this came out in a most reasonable tone. "You want my opinion? Sure. You can have it. And it's the last thing you'll get, because from what I've seen here, you haven't earned it nor will you ever even figure that out. I don't like it. There were other ways, I'm certain. But that does not give me the right to question the mandate handed down to me by any X-Com officer. Those orders are straight from Central, they supersede Dogget's authority. So, YOU can stuff it, and next time bring me someone brighter and more useful." Faith leaned back and steepled her fingers. "WE are done here, whether you like it or not."

 

Dr. Yorke: "ENOUGH" Yelled Yorke. It wasn't often that he had to yell, but this was going no where fast.

 

Sgt. Shadow: "I do NOT choose which orders to follow, miss" Jonathan was getting angry again. "If I could've stopped those executions I would have, but the officer in question outranks me" Shadow grumbled and realized something. "Oh, look! It seems we're in the EXACT same situation"

 

Sgt. Redwood: "So you know about the incident now. Why don't you think about it some more, and sort out what you think is appropriate." Faith felt a form of compassion for the other X-Com soldiers. They were blind and had no real idea - more the pity.

 

Sgt. Shadow: "It seems Roberts and the other sergeant were the only sane people in the XCR lines..." Jonathan thought to himself, glaring at Faith across the table, though he didn't say a word aloud.

 

Dr. Yorke: "I can see that f**k all is going to come of this - for the time being any way." A little white noise and sleep deprevation might change your perspectives a little. Thought Yorke as he got up, The two Goorit's had let this get personal and the whole interegation went down the shitter. "Goorit, ask Necro to come in here and escort the prisioner back to her cell."

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith looked towards Yorke and fixed him with her gaze. He truly was... She pushed it from her mind. Being enraptured by an officer on the other side, one who apparently condoned his partner losing control, was not a good idea. "I request that the next interrogator be useful." >

 

Sgt. Redwood: "Wait." Faith looked at Shadow... "YOU are a Goorit?"

 

Dr. Yorke: "If you're willing to cooperate, then we to will cooperate. Yes Shadow here is a Goorit. And I've got half a mind to put the both of you two in the same bloody room, and lock it and leave you in it for a few hours."

 

Sgt. Shadow: "Yes, sir." Jonathan replied to the lieutenant and activated the intercom PDA on the wall next to the door. He called for Necro and glanced back at Faith. "Yes, I'm Sergeant Jonathan Goorit."

 

Sgt. Redwood: Faith spat Yorke with a stare, then turned back to Shadow. He DID look like her in a way. Like her mother... Was HE Jonathan Gooit? "My god..." Faith's eyes widened in surprise. It was! "We need to talk... At a later date." She looked to Yorke. "Talk. Not 'interrogate'."

 

The door opened, and Necro walked in. He sized Faith up carefully before looking to Yorke. "Doc, you need an escort?"

 

Dr. Yorke: "If you're willing to cooperate then we'll talk, if you'll piss about the issues then we'll interrogate. But yes, at a later date." It was times like this that Yorke need a stress ball, so he could squezze it and squezze it until it popped. Though that had happened to the last three he'd bought years ago. Looking to Redwood "Do you want some quality family time with each other, we can arrange that if you like." He said as he walked over to Necro. "Necro, escort miss Redwood, here to her cell.">>

 

Sgt. Shadow: Jonathan replied just a few moments before Necro entered the room. "Yes, that can be arranged..." Jon sighed. He wasn't in the best mood right now. "Later, that is." Shadow to a deep breath and exhaled. "So, are we done now, Doc?"

 

Sgt. Redwood: "That we are family is not yet established. And next time, don't hold out on me." Faith scowled at Yorke. "Don't piss about the real issues, 'Doc'."

 

Dr. Yorke: "As long as you don't." He scowled and snapped back. "Shadow you're dismissed." He said, he waited until everyone had left the room and then sat in the seat, and shook his head. "Family feuds...long lost relations and serious guilt issues." He shook his head once more and slouched in his seat and let out a sigh. "Kids! Who'd have them." He said thinking how this wouldn't of happened if Goorit hadn't had them!

[DragonHawk]

>

 

UGS Patton, Planet Charlie, 23 December

 

"What a balls-up," muttered Weindhoven to himself as he flipped on the observation room's lights. The light poured into the now-evacuated interrogation room, where Yorke and Shadow had just spoken with the captured Sergeant Redwood-Goorit.

 

Cyriacus grinned back at Weindhoven. "Come now, Richter. You can't expect the world from these guys. They are combat troops, both ours and theirs, not trained interrogators. They don't have as much an innate feel as a trained officer... you'd have to admit that a field commission is very rarely a match for OCS. You've been through, I've studied, Elson and Derrick studied, but that was about it. Lieutenants never bothered, and it's biting us in the ass now."

 

"You should have let me take a crack at her, sir," Sinclaire said rather haughtily to Cyriacus. "I'm trained to deal with this sort of thing..."

 

"Yeah right," Cyriacus scoffed. "I'm not interested in breaking her, yet. I'd rather gain an ally out of this than another enemy, because she's no good to us dead. Human resources are scarce in this sector, as one may imagine, especially seasoned soldiers. Our previous losses are catching up with us."

 

Weindhoven nodded grudgingly. "That is true. From what she's said though, I wouldn't hold out to much trust in her."

 

"Why not?" Sinclaire looked somewhat puzzled.

 

"She obviously believes that what Dogget did was right. Yorke and Shadow were right to question her."

 

Part of Cyriacus wondered how Weindhoven had gotten a command. He was young, brash... Good qualities in a commander for a force as young as this one, perhaps, but he was certainly out of his depth now. Cyriacus couldn't claim any large experience, as he was even younger than Weindhoven, but what he did have was a depth of vision that his senior lacked.

 

For his own part, Cyriacus kept quiet and let his predecessor talk and grunt like the old time war veteran he was. For someone at his rank, Weindhoven seemed to see things in black and white just a bit too much.

 

Cyriacus could empathize with his opposite in XCR. Driven by what was essentially an idealistic fervor, Dogget was perhaps no different than Weindhoven. Dogget seemed to believe very strongly in his mission. He believed he was doing the right thing, fighting for the very survival of his race. It was an attractive method of thinking, though even Dogget would have to be severely disillusioned if he thought he could have destroyed the Ascidian territories of his time with the weapons he possessed.

 

This Redwood-Goorit had brought up an interesting point though, one that Cyriacus had feared to even approach. Would his troopers rise against him if he made an 'unpopular' decision? Yorke and Shadow seemed to think so, which meant that they had the capacity for revolt against his authority. If he did something that they considered to be 'immoral', would he be forced from command?

 

On the other hand, Redwood had said openly that she was opposed to the action but had gone through it anyway. Was that system better? Of all his soldiers, Ko had been the one who had advocated such a behaviour more than anyone else. Cyriacus recalled when he had promoted Ko to Lieutenant. Then, Cyriacus had said, "You're an officer now. People will look for you to make the right decisions. Just be sure to follow your heart." To that, Ko had replied, "My heart? No, the heart is fickle and is subject to the wants and wishes of its owners, to the misfortunes of war. What we must do is the follow the dictates of our honour, our integrity, and our devotion to service - with these only, we will thrive." How would he have seen this?

 

It was the eternal struggle between self and the group. Weindhoven advocated the 'self' aspect as the most important, while Ko had been a great believer in the survival of the community at large at the expense of its individuals. Other soldiers fell between the two extremes of course. Cyriacus retained most of the 'self' people under his control, while Ghost had taken the other portion for himself as planned.

 

That made operations easier perhaps. Cyriacus had been kept in the loop, as far as Special Ops was concerned. By all accounts, Ghost had followed orders when he arrested an API felon and executed an Ascidian officer, but the struggle between 'self' and 'group' had existed there too. They were, by all accounts, very consistent, which was more than could be said about X-Com itself.

 

"Hey Brad, you ok?" Weindhoven's concerned voice broke into Cyriacus' consciousness.

 

Cyriacus gazed on last time towards the interrogation room before flipping off the lights. "Yeah, I'm alright. It's time for dinner. Let's get that sorted before returning to business."

[ShadowBlade]

<<JOINT POST: Sgt. Jonathan Goorit (ShadowBlade) and XCR Sgt. Faith Redwood-Goorit (DragonHawk)>>

 

UGS Patton, Planet Charlie, December 23rd, 2067

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> Faith Redwood-Goorit couldn't sleep. Her tiny isolation chamber, the area that served as the brig, was relatively comfortable but austere. If possible, the colour scheme was even more depressing than in the interrogation room, but Faith paid it no mind. She didn't expect to be welcomed with open arms by any means. It gave her time to think about how her situation was changing in the last day.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Jonathan had decided to take a night stroll around the ship decks. The young sergeant was restless due to the interrogation procedures earlier that day. He approached to the detention area and was solemnly saluted by Redwood's cell's guard. "At ease, private." Jon said and ordered the soldier to deactivate the cell's forcefield. Once it was out, he walked into the small room and stood in front of Faith.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> To Faith's surprise, the force field went down. She sat up a bit straighter, not wanting to be caught off guard. "Ahh, good... evening is it? Good evening then, Sergeant." Faith was willing to be a bit more open to find out what their angle was, but not much more than that. Her politeness, she decided, was even more tenuous than the afternoon's interrogation.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Shadow waved the guard and he reactivated the force field behind the sergeant. "Thanks." Jonathan said and sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry for my behaviour this afternoon. I'm relatively new to interrogations." Goorit admitted and glanced at the ceiling, trying to hide some embarrasment. "I've understood you somehow know me. Is that correct?" Jonathan inquired, hoping to discover the mystery of the young lady.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> Faith's eyes narrowed. "Interesting," she thought, "Right to the issue at hand. Good." Out loud, she said, "Interrogations don't seem to be your strong suit. But yes. I was of course not privy to the manifest of the captured X-Com troopers list, but it didn't occur to me... Well, were you amongst those?"

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "Yes, I was held in the Rommel along with many other operatives, some time ago." Jon replied and looked back at Faith. He remained silent, looking at the obviously familiar hairstyle and face complexity.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "I had thought so. News had spread fast that we had found humans who were willing to join the crusade against what was the 'Great Enemy', at least to the civilians." Faith smiled sadly. "It looks like someone bargained in bad faith, though I suppose I can't much blame you. Humans apparently are much the same everywhere, regardless of time."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "Yes..." Jon sighed, looking at the ground. After a few moments, he faced Faith again. "We were allied with the XCR for some time, but we lost your support during an incident in which we were captured by the Starspawn forces, and from then on repeated occassions." Shadow commented. However, he still had to find out more about the other sergeant herself. "Sorry for insisting, but you have evaded my previous question... How do you know me? From where?" Goorit inquired again, still puzzled.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> Faith smiled gently. Maybe her mind was playing tricks, but Jon looked endearing sometimes, looking all over. "Sorry, I was just considering how best to answer. I was just thinking that after you were captured, we had no more contact. You like to elaborate and embellish, I can tell, but don't do that with me. You treat me like I'm stupid, and I'll bite back. Let's keep this honest. As for your answer, yes... You look familiar, like you haven't aged a day since you left Earth..."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Jonathan was a bit embarrased, but didn't divert his look from her face. "I'm sorry I treated you like that. All the last missions have been quite stressing for me." Jon said. However, he was surprised by the young woman's last phrase. "Like if I hadn't aged...?" Shadow gulped, and proceeded. "How do you know how I looked like when I left Earth?" Jonathan asked, heavily hoping this girl wasn't one of his one-night-stand partners during his last weeks in Earth.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "My... our mother, showed me a picture of you..." Faith blinked back some tears. That she had finally found her brother was a miracle, but she didn't want to get up because she didn't know how he would respond. "I'm your half-sister. After you left, mother was torn for years... My father helped her to get back on her feet, and she helped him to gain a new perspective in life." Faith didn't know what to say next.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Shadow remained speechless for several seconds. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, though it didn't seem illogical, really. "You... you're my sister? My... Mom's daughter?" Jonathan gulped, and got closer to his sister and kneeled down to be at her height. He didn't touch her because he thought that'd cause an adverse reaction, so he stayed in his spot.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "Yes... I'm surprised the resemblance is so much... I guess we both take after Mom's side." Faith leaned forward to look at Jon's face. It was very much like Mom's; she could see the similarities. "You saw the resemblance much earlier than I. What did you think?"

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "I really didn't know what to think..." Jonathan sighed. "My only family was mom, I Earth. And I found the possibility of having a daughter highly unlikely. I never thought mom would re-marry." Jonathan explained and smiled sadly upon remembering her face, and feeling nostalgic.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "From what Dad tells me, she wasn't going to at first. She was..." Faith stumbled. "She was a bit broken up over your disappearance. She held out for years, hoping that you would return. She never really gave up, but she went on with life." Faith didn't say anything about how she had taken up her mother's quest to find Jonathan... she felt almost fuzzy now that she had done so.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Jon's doubts were clearing out gradually. A rogue tear slid on his cheek, towards his chin, only to fall to the floor, causing a single *plick* sound in the silent scene. "Mom..." Jonathan said, and placed his hand on Faith's shoulder. "How was she when you left? Did she... survive the Starspawn invasion...?" Jon asked sadly, but hoping for a positive answer.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "I..." Having Jonathan near, one whom she had looked up to as one looks up to storybook characters, was more comforting than she could have previously imagined. "I... I don't know. She could be, but as I left a rogue Alien ship, not sure whether it was a dimensional or not, blasted the airfield that I left from. A good portion of Sydney was wiped off the map, but there were some survivors. I had always held out hope that Mom would have been safe, somehow making it through, but I never heard from her and worldwide communications were breaking down at the time."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "Did many people survive the attack, Faith?" Jon asked, trying to convince himself his mother was still alive somehow. The thought of his hometown being completely erased from the map was hard to bear, though he always found recomforting the idea that the events haven't taken place yet.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> Faith shook her head, not wanting to give voice to their shared fear. "It was only the beginning. Other cities soon shared Sydney's fate... Sydney was maybe blessed to be the first, as it didn't suffer the rampant riots in other major cities." Faith closed her eyes and thought back to the tri-d news, where she had seen people wantonly destroying property. "When I remember things like this, it strengthens my need to find a solution... but a good one hasn't come yet."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "We always tend to find solutions to major problems, yes..." Jonathan sighed, still looking at her sister, and thanking God she was here with him. "Luckily I still have a family... You made it through." Jon blushed and looked down, at the dull floor again.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> Faith reached towards him and hugged him. "I'm thankful for family as well... I never thought it would be possible, I never thought it would happen though I kept on trying..." Faith just held onto her brother, relishing the sense of security it gave her.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Jon didn't resist, and hugged Faith back. A couple of tears slipped by his face as he held onto her. "Thank God for bringing you here, despite the situation..." Jon whispered and hugged her a bit stronger.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "We'll find a way through this. We have to. Mom would have wanted it this way." Faith couldn't stop herself from crying as all the bottled up emotions from her past poured out of her. She tried not to cry too loud, and she eventually stifled the tears and released her brother.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "It's good to cry every now and then; it helps relieve tensions." Jonathan said before releasing his sister, and swiped off some tears off her face. "It's okay, we'll make it through this." Shadow smiled, looking at Faith's face.

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> Faith smiled in response. "Just like mom, I find it so easy to believe you." Faith squeezed Shadow's arm gently. "You'll come back to me tomorrow? Are you busy with other duties?"

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "I'll be back tomorrow. I just have to finish up some reports, don't worry." Jon said and kissed his sister on her cheek. "Good night, Faith." Goorit smiled and stood up. He approached the force field and waved at the guard. The private disabled the field and reactivated it once the sergeant stepped on the other side. "Be gentle with her, soldier." Jonathan told the private, who replied with a rather confused "Yes, sir."

 

<Sergeant Redwood-Goorit> "Good night, Jonathan." Faith watched her brother leave the cell, then lay down to sleep. Even with the revelations of the day, she fell asleep within minutes, dreaming of what was in store for her future and her reunion with her brother.

[Strong Bob]

The UGS Patton, Lieutenant Joseph Scott's Office

 

Joseph sat at his desk staring blankly at some paperwork. An XCR officer they had captured recently was identified as Sergeant Goorit's sister, and that wasn't good. While Joseph was quite happy that Johnathon had found a lost relative from his future, this was a liability... A liability that needed to be taken care of.

 

Scott: He found his sister...

 

The lieutenant had a hard time paying attention to what he was doing before, which was simply scheduling training times for Alpha squad members. The discovery of Faith Goorit really woke him up from what he figured was a dream. Up until now, the XCR felt like just another enemy. An enemy like the Starspawn, the Black Spear, the Ascadian Purification Index, the Phasers, the Nephilim... But now he suddenly realized... He was not fighting an enemy, he was fighting human beings.

 

Humans with lives of their own, humans with the same interest in mind... To protect Earth from the devastation of the alien menace. What was happening here was a conflict in tactics. Colonel Dogget was from the future and saw an opportunity to prevent a catastrophe. By eliminating the opposition in the past, he might be able to protect Earth in the future.

 

Scott: A question I was asked in my youth. "If you could go back in time and kill Hitler as a baby, would you do it?"

 

Events went off in Joseph's mind. In his hometown, things were so bad since Alien War II the people lost faith in life itself. It was because of that, that he was able to get into police work at such a young age. They needed order and control, and the city had become desperate for manpower. That was twenty years ago...

 

What would things be like after the nigh Armageddon that Dogget described? The whole planet becoming the battleground of two other foes, no longer would there be a "home" to go to. What would order be like? Obviously there had to be some order, perhaps it took the martyrization of Earth to bring about the X-COM Resistance. Despite the name, XCR was nothing like X-COM. It was a full military organization with a borrowed name, perhaps to instill a form of patriotism.

 

They were used to fighting, and were desperate as hell. The X-COM Resistance fighting tactics was that of Guerilla warfare, from what was observed. Their technology was advanced into a science unknown, a science that would surely put a few theories out of business. They had the power to become invisible, teleport soldiers across terrain, they had energy weapons with the power of ten plasma cannons packed into a light pistol... But they were also amateurs to what X-COM was used to. Being up front soldiers, mobile infantry, and the like, they were used to fighting on the front lines.

 

Were it not for a lucky shot from the Ascadian fleet, the Dorian Gray would never have been even discovered let alone destroyed. It's a good bet that defecting XCR Naval officers had something to do with it.

 

Scott: They are the enemy. But they are also human.

 

Snapping out of his little trance, Joseph reached across his desk and grabbed a mug of coffee (Or rather the Ascadian equivalent). Taking a few quick sips from the hot murky contents, he looked back at the papers on his desk. Continuing his nibbling at the steamy cup, Joseph thought aloud.

 

Scott: I need to keep him away from Faith... I'm happy Shadow has found somebody to relate with. But I can't let it interfere.

 

He hesitantly placed the cup of coffee back down on the desk. It rested upon a pile of his paperwork instead of the coaster collecting dust on the side. Subconcsiously, Joseph was hoping the coffee would spill onto the papers and ruin them... So he wouldn't have to friggin' do them.

 

He stood up and, after a good stretch and shirt tug, he moved over to the communicator on the wall of his office. He traced his finger around the "Send" button and thought to himself.

 

Scott: I'll be a hypocrite... But better that than careless.

 

Finally pressing down, he spoke into the terminal.

 

Scott: *CLICK* Lieutenant Joseph Scott to Sergeant Johnathan Goorit. Please come to my office as soon as you can. Repeat... This is Lieutenant Joseph Scott. Sergeant Shadow, to my office. *CLICK*

 

He stood back from the comm and went back to his desk. Standing on the side opposing his chair, he picked up the cup of coffee. It left a ring of brown on his paperwork. Letting out a sigh of frustration... He sat back down.

[DragonHawk]

UGS Patton, 23 Decemeber 2067

 

Rallwell sighed resignedly as she stared at her finished creation. It was a masterpiece of perfection and artistry, as well as being a celebration of human spirit. Unfortunately, Rallwell's christmas tree was also another reminder that another year was soon to pass, another year away from home.

 

It was getting less painful, each passing day, and that worried her. Am I getting to complacent? Maybe it's for the better that I accept being stranded here. It was a troubling concession, one that she thought she would never make.

 

The tree itself was some sort of local coniferous, so it wasn't as perfect as a real spruce tree, but it was about as good as could be expected. It was adorn in all sizes of shiny balls and tinsel, with a bizarre popcorn garland that had been Jacko's contribution. It reminded her, somewhat, of a more pleasant and safer past... or perhaps just one in which humanity was not so far away.

 

McBannok, standing beside Rallwell, looked at the Christmas tree in admiration. "Looks good Anne."

 

"Brings back memories though." Rallwell smiled briefly. "Think we'll ever get back?"

 

"Don't start that again. There's no point."

 

"Just wondering. Again."

 

"I know. Hold tight there. When we get back, X-Com Central will pay off anyone who wants to leave, a nice benefits package... Hell with this stuff, I'm going to retire in a nice area, beaches, sun..." McBannok sighed. "One day."

 

Would she stay with X-Com? Rallwell certainly had not thought about that. She was just thinking towards getting back, not what would happen afterwards. It was something to consider perhaps... but what would really keep her here?

[Strong Bob]

<<It's time for another epic JOINT ROLEPLAY! Starring Strong Bob as Private Christopher Xiggores and DragonHawk as Private Anne Rallwell! Also guest starring: The XCAS^Bot as the Christmas Tree!>>

 

<PVT_Xiggores> Christopher Xiggores entered the Rec-Room tired and sweating a little. He was in the R&D section all day, though he wasn't exactly working... He knew Rallwell was working on some sort of "Project" for some time, and during that time he had been trying to install video games on the Daedalus computer. As the doors slid open, the bright lights of Anne's Christmas tree reflected off of Christopher's coke-bottle glasses and he stood stunned for a moment. He breathed out a short "Wow" that was inaudible to those standing more than a few feet away.

 

<PVT_Rallwell> Rallwell didn't hear the scientist's quiet exclamation, but she did hear the door. McBannok had just left... did he just come back? Rallwell turned to see Xiggores gaping. "Ahh, Chris. Welcome to holiday central." She put on a smile and beckoned to her tree. "What do you think?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> Clearing his throat, Christopher looked at Rallwell and then back at her tree. "It's nice. Reminds me of the tree I used to get every year back home..." he smiled slightly, but got slightly embarassed doing it in front of Rallwell. "Ahem... One thing it could use though. I once built a tree rotary one Christmas when I was 17. I could rig one up with one of our dated gyros in the bay. It would add some spirit to it." he looked back at the tree... Feeling particularly hungry after looking at the popcorn garland. "Um, Jacko had a hand in this I bet?"

 

<PVT_Rallwell> Rallwell grinned wryly. "Oh, you guessed? He was quite enthusiastic about the coming of Christmas. But yes, I think your idea is splendid. We probably wouldn't even need anything as advanced as a gyro - a set of gears would work just as well, connected to a small motor." Rallwell tapped a finger against her chin. "I wonder if we have some stuff like that in stores."

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Well I wouldn't know..." Chris frowned and looked to the floor. "McBannok kicked me out of the storage room after I knocked over a rack of missile shells, nearly destroying some other sensitive equipment that was used for the Patton sensor array." he sighed. "He said if I ever set foot in there again he'd ram a missile shell right up my..." Chris stopped, and looked up at the tree. "Say, where'd you get the popcorn?"

 

<PVT_Rallwell> Rallwell shook her head slightly, pretty used to Xiggores clumsiness. "The popcorn? It's not quite Terran popcorn. They have an equivalent food here, but you can see, if you look closely, a blue tinge, seemingly a majority characteristic of Arkunis III's flora... Less green than Terra, though close. I'm not much interested in biology though; I know enough to keep up with what Lieutenant Yorke is doing."

 

<PVT_Xiggores> Chris chuckled at himself to hide his grief. Not a lot of people enjoyed his company here, and he silently didn't blame them. But he tried, he always tried to be accepted socially. Looking back at the star atop the tree, Chris got serious. "Do you think they're celebrating Christmas back home right now?"

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Possibly." Rallwell grinned again. "Assuming of course that your uhh... predecessor calculated the correct time difference. He said exactly three years, which surprises me, but... I'd rather not speak ill now, 'tis not the season for that." Rallwell waved towards the door. "Shall we go look for those parts?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> Christopher gulped. 'Predecessor?' he thought. 'She hopefully means Chung, there. I don't like thinking about the hazards of this work that much.' He turned to Rallwell and feigned a carefree smile. "Sure. But um... You won't mind if I wait outside, do you? Especially since McBannok will likely be down there doing something at this hour." he chuckled nervously.

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Come now, we can't be having you wait outside; it's your idea after all. I don't think McBannok will be in stores right now; by now he's got all the gadetry he needs back in research... At least, I'd assume so. I'm not sure what he's working on right now. Neutronisers of some sort maybe?" Rallwell shrugged. "We haven't exactly been working in close proximity lately. What have you been up to?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Well..." Chris kicked his feet against the floor. "For one, I've been trying to use the local Ascadian star charts to find something identifiable to the star charts from Earth. Y'know? By placing and replacing them into different angles... Just to see if there's something familiar. Just to see in what direction we should go..." his voice trailed off.

 

<PVT_Rallwell> Rallwell frowned and looked at Xiggores. "I thought Drake had a solid idea of where we were back when he was head scientist. He had, from what I was told, a direction and a distance... well, close, perhaps. Have you made any progress on your own avenue?" Maybe he was even closer to determining their exact location in the universe than Drake was, which would not be surprising.

 

<PVT_Xiggores> Chris just shrugged. "The universe is a very big place. I spotted constellations a few times, but space is big enough for constellations to repeat in that manner. It looks like it's pretty futile to try. But it hasn't made me stop." Chris didn't look too happy anymore, clearly he was homesick.

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Constellations repeat? Hm... What sort of system spec data are you using to make your comparisons?" Rallwell took a seat on a nearby chair and looked intently at Xiggores. The real question, she supposed, was what was actually available. Not everything could be charted.

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Well, yes. A constellation can -sorta- repeat. Just not the exact same one." he said, sitting just across from Rallwell in a lecturing position. "I can get a 'Big Dipper' from a set of most stars by looking at them from the precise angle and all. The key to getting it right is, the distance of the stars. You can get infinite combinations of stars when looking at them all, but the right positions and distances is a nigh impossible formation to recreate in the natural order of space."

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Presumably though, you can not just have a boolean 'existence of star in this position' parameter. The constellations present are particular stars, and thus have particular spectral types. Say the North Stay is a type M, which is just for the sake of argument. This cuts down tremendously on the search space, does it not?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> He exhaled deeply. "Very true..." he glasses fell upon the tip of his nose, causing him to fix them with a gentle push of his right index finger. "However, I don't trust that system all that much. We looked at those stars via telescopes, and even so some of those star emissions were decades or even centuries old. They could be much different out here than over there... Perhaps the North star is much young to Ascadian space than it is from Earth's night sky. It may not be a type M star here, because what we saw on Earth was it's emissions from a later date."

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Spectral class is not something that changes over years though. We're talking the difference of millions of degrees for the star temperature, the altering of chemical emissions, the light intensity. Anyway, if you think that is not important, then you don't need to use it. The more important thing is, can you find Earth?"

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "Well..." he frowned. "This isn't something you can actually record progress on. I'm not making this a real project because, once I make even the slightest progress on charting a familiar set of stars, then it would be the most progress I can make. As I can easily locate Earth right after. This is a one in an infinite number chance. But I believe that little 'one' is chance enough to try."

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "What you're saying is that you don't know you can find it, given enough work?" Rallwell frowned. His pursuit of this couldn't be taking that much time; it must just be a hobby of his. Work-related, but not on official time.

 

<PVT_Xiggores> "I'm only doing it for personal gratification. I don't do a lot of things with the rest of the guys, so it keeps me busy when I'm off duty..." he scratched his nose and stood up. "Shall we look for those parts now? This tree needs more love here..."

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Of course." Rallwell stood and beckoned for Xiggores to lead the way, but her mind was stuck on the possibility of going home. Xiggores personal project, though he obviously did not want to make it public, could be their only way home. He seemed to think he could do it eventually. Maybe they just needed to go in the right direction... maybe he could see better from another system.

 

<PVT_Xiggores> Chris walked over to the door and opened it with a brief motion of his hand. "After you, Anne." He smiled.

 

<PVT_Rallwell> "Thank you, my prince," Rallwell said with a smile. They strode down to general stores, where Rallwell entered in the passcode. The doors slid open smoothly, and the scent of machine oil and some other unmentionables drifted out.

 

<PVT_Xiggores> 'Prince? She called me a prince!!' thought Christopher to himself, while refraining from jumping like a giddy school girl.

[DragonHawk]

I'm posting this one because it's not a mission, which would be kept in the logs section along with an associated summary, and it contains some pretty decent roleplaying. It is still available in the logs section

 

Lt. GHOST (Ghost), Lt. YORKE (Ego), Sgt. GOORIT (Shadow), Sgt. REDWOOD (DH), LCpl. KO (DH)>>

 

UGS Patton, 25 December 2067

 

Another year has gone by for X-Com, another year in which they are stranded far away from home. This anniversary of sorts is punctuated by a form of solemn grief mixed with the subdued joy of being alive. It's also marked by a considerable hope for the future, as human captives from the future, with their advanced technology and alien mindset, have also given a glimpse of the future, one that each soldier strives to avoid. The future can be a grim place if they don't succeed.

 

As a celebration, the soldiers of X-Com are in the Patton's small recreation room, taking the time to celebrate another year of survival. The rec-room is adorned with all manners of Christmas trappings - garlands, wreaths, and even Rallwell's Christmas tree. On this occasion, all prisoners on the Patton have been given limited leave, and all soldiers are crammed into the small space, conversing and... drinking.

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko lifted a mug of probably was the most foul beer known to man or git, and toasted Ghost.:: You know what I'M thankful for? ::Ko didn't bother waiting for a reply from Ghost.:: ALCOHOL!!! ::He took another swig, his Asian heritage doing him an extreme disservice.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: Jonathan kicked the door open of the party room and took a deep breath whilst looking around at the decorations :: Christmas again! What a pleasant holiday! :: Shadow looked around, trying to find Faith and Ko, a friend whom he hadn't seen in some time ::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::standing in the room, across from the Christmas tree, near Ko and toasts with him, looking around the room, taking a drink from his glass of beer, thinking out loud to himself:: Well, they certainly managed to make this place look a little Christmas-y. Quite a cheerful decoration. ::as Shadow kicks open the door he looks that way, raising an eyebrow at the door being kicked open. With the crowd there, that's not such a good idea to do::

 

Sgt. Redwood: ::Faith's eyes bulged at the Chinese operative's ridiculous outburst. He looked almost comical in his flightsuit and holding a beer. It was somewhat distressing that a human could sink into alcohol so fast... Fortunately, Shadow appeared, rather loudly.:: Jonathan! Over here!

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke with a glass of beer in his hands was sat in the corner of the rec-room, observing and watching everything as it went around him, he'd of prefered to of been in the medical bay, he still had some work that needed finishing, and that Etheral head wasn't going to saw itself open, but on the orders of the Colonel he'd been sent to the party.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: Jon notices how cramped the room was and realizes it wasn't a very bright idea to kick the door open: a random private was lying on the floor, unconscious :: Oops, sorry for that, dude. :: Jonathan commented and sighted Faith across the room :: Going! :: Shadow said, walked towards the table and sat down in front of his sister. He ordered a mug of beer :: Hey, how's it going?

 

LCpl. Ko: SHADOW!!!! ::Ko toasted the newcomer with the mug, and took another swig.:: How ya doing? We were just chatting with this lovely young lady here about the joys of Christmas... then you come and depress everything. ::Ko laughed uproariously.:: Good to see you!

 

Lt. Ghost: ::noticing Doc Yorke sitting a bit by himself in a corner of the room he moved over there, excusing himself to Ko and the rest of the people who were standing in his company, Ko seeming to hardly notice, being focused on the drinks:: Hey there Doc, you look as if you're still working through the details of today's work. Dont you think you need some relaxation?

 

Sgt. Redwood: ::Redwood nodded respectfully to the taller Lieutenant as he passed, then turned back to Shadow and Ko. Ko's gregariousness was bothering her, it was almost too effusive. Oh well, it could have been worse. A party with Dogget was like a party with a corpse.:: Are all parties like this? ::Redwood stole a glance at Jackson, who was on top of a table.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: KO!! How's it going, bud? Still silent-killing? :: Jonathan laughed and realized he hadn't introduced his sister to the shorty guy :: Oh, excuse me. Faith, this is Derrick; Derrick, this is Faith. :: Goorit introduced the two operatives to each other and took a swig of his mug :: Yes, don't you like parties like this? I LOVE 'em! :: Jonathan laughed ::

 

Dr. Yorke: Relaxation? ::Yorke smiled and glanced up to Ko:: My work is my relaxation. ::Taking a sip from his beer he then carried on:: But hell, I suppose you're right, a little R&R would be healthy ::However Yorke didn't add. 'But this isn't my idea of R&R' he just smiled and got up::

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko reached over to shake Redwood's hand.:: Nice to meet you, Faith. ::His pseudo-seriousness lasted only a moment. He started laughing again, for no apparent reason.:: Sorry, sorry. Uhh, yeah, still silent-killing. Shadow refers to my oh-so-glorious position as fourth member of a covert ops team, nothing to special. ::Ko winked at Faith, then nodded to him.:: He hasn't even mentioned you to me before, so you must be new. Your background?

 

Sgt. Redwood: ::Faith watched as another operative, bearing some general similarity to Ko, got up onto the table beside Jackson. He also started dancing, also out of time, and also with a beer in his hand. Her mind though stayed on Ko's question. What should she say? Faith looked somewhat discomforted at Shadow and shrugged.:: Yes, I am new. A medic.

 

Lt. Ghost: Good, good. Nobody can sustain themselves by constantly swamping themselves in work, and from what I hear and know of you, you must've been one of the busiest people on the base here, despite you yourself telling people that they shouldn't overwork themselves. ::Dmitri grins and takes a drink from his glass again, putting the empty glass on a table next to where Yorke was sitting:: So how's things in NAO med bay these days?

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Chuckling at the last comment, he was never really that good at taking his own advice, and Ghost was right, again.:: These days, they've been pretty quiet though I'm just working on a few autopsies, regular medical checkups and I still need to file a few reports. ::The files on the Performance enhancing drugs, was amongst the list of files that had yet to be updated to the computers::

 

Sgt. Shadow: Yes, she's only been here for a few days. :: Shadow winked at his sister, took another swig of his beer mug and turned around, glancing at Jacko, who was dancing cheerfully on one of the tables :: Go, Jacko! Be careful, don't fall off the table or we'll have to order another cybernetic replacement! :: Jonathan laughed loudly as Jackson kept doing his thing ignoring what the sergeant had said. Jon then turned around again and faced Faith and Ko ::

 

Dr. Yorke: Ugh, then there's the whole new Medikit...

 

LCpl. Ko: So, what's the word for your next op? Rumour has it you busted the XCR a good one, eh? ::Ko had heard, before he had started drinking, about their strike and seizure of an XCR supply dump prior, from Corporal Necro.:: F***in' A, congratulations buddy. Score one for us! ::Ko grabbed another beer off the counter, nodding to Sinclaire.::

 

Lt. Ghost: So, you're busy as ever hmm? Well we'd best get your mind *off* work then. Let's go join the others ::gesturing towards the group he was standing with earlier, Shadow, Faith and Ko:: They might be able to get your head off work. Care to join doc? ::starts moving back towards the group slowly, checking if the doctor is coming along.::

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko jumps slightly, as he looks around the room. For a moment, he almost felt the presence of an old friend, an old officer. He looked around the room for Captain Richmond... but he was nowhere to be found. Of course not...::

 

Dr. Yorke: ::As Ghost made his way back to the group Yorke shrugged his shoulders and sighed, then he made his way over to where the rest of the group were:: Hello. ::He says to the group::

 

Sgt. Shadow: Well, that's our job, buddy! :: Jon chuckled, decided not to reveal any sensitive information in presence of her sister. He did regret it, but she was still on the other side.He then faced Faith :: You have anything to tell, Faith? You've been quite silent for the last few moments. :: Jon smiled at her and took a long swig of his mug again ::

Sgt. Redwood: ::Faith looked up at Yorke, grateful to have someone else to concentrate her attention on, other than her brother and his foolish friend.:: Good evening Doctor. ::He looked a bit subdued... like he always seemed to be, at least the few times she had seen him.::

 

LCpl. Ko: NEEEEEEDDDDD!!!! ::Ko saluted him and stuck his hand out.:: Welcome to our little rant session, and congrats on the promotion again... did I already do that? I can't remember... ::Ko shrugged and laughed.::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::turning to order another beer he realizes not to be rude and ask the rest if they want something too, so he turns back towards the group:: Going to get another drink, anyone else want another drink? ::looking around the group he waits for a reply a moment::

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko waved to Ghost.:: Bring another. This one is almost done! ::Ko points to his current mug, three quarters full, and laughs again.:: Argh! It WILL be done, Lieutenant!

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: Jonathan chuckled again and leant over the table, getting closer to Faith :: Alcohol alters him a bit, don't worry. :: Returned to his previous position and waved at Sinclaire for another mug. Then he faced the excited Ko and cleared his throat :: Promotion, Derrick? :: Pointed at his sergeant stripes on his uniform ::

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke took another sip from his beer and smiled and nodded at Faith:: Hi Faith. ::Such an absurd turn of events...she was the sister of Goorit...well, the universe was absurd, though this line of thought was cut abruptly by Ko, he returned his salute and smiled at an old friend and a familiar face, part of the original crew...:: Hiya Ko ::He said as he shook Ko's hand::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::shaking his head he goes off to get another mug of beer, only 1 though, none for Ko. The guy seemed drunk enough already. When he returns, he looks at Ko's disappointed face:: Sorry man, but you look like you're about to keel over after this one already.

 

LCpl. Ko: HOLY S***!!!! ::Ko pulled Shadow's arm over to inspect it, checking the chevrons and counting on his fingers.:: I never thought I'd see the day... I see enough chevrons for you to be a sergeant?!???!?!? My god. ::Ko grins and puts his beer down on the floor. He stands up, and smiling, he punches Shadow in the shoulder two times.:: Congrats buddy, one punch per chevron. Tradition is VERY important!

 

Sgt. Redwood: ::Faith edged away from Ko and Shadow and looked to Ghost and Yorke.:: If you don't mind, I think I'd rather talk to you guys than that one. I'm surprised he hasn't keeled over already. ::Faith smiled somewhat hesitantly. Yorke had not seemed to be the most open man in X-Com, and Ghost was almost totally unknown to her, not to mention his height was a bit intimidating.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: OK, OK, thanks, dude. :: Jonathan appreciated Ko's flattering comments, but was a bit embarrassed of Derrick's behaviour from looking at his sister's face. Faith then just stood up and left towards the Doc and Ghost :: MAN! You scared her away! :: Jon punched Ko on his shoulder lightly and took a long swig of his new beer mug :: Alcohol's NOT good for you, pal. :: Laughs ::

 

Dr. Yorke: Ah don't worry he'll keel over sooner or later. ::Said Yorke watching Shadow giving Ko a light punch on the shoulder:: I suppose the bright side of him being a light weight is that for him its a cheap night.

 

Lt. Ghost: ::smiling at Faith and nodding he extended a hand:: I don't think I've introduced myself yet by the way. A bit rude of me, I sort of forgot there were people around here that I hadn't met yet. Not often that new people appear on the base. I'm lieutenant Dmitri Schmerjchanikov. Though I'm mostly called Ghost, or Dmitri. Either works for me. You'll have to excuse Ko's behavior, I guess he keeps forgetting his alcohol tolerance isn't that great.

 

LCpl. Ko: No, no, no... dammit, she was hot. ::Ko laughed at himself as he spilled a bit of beer.:: F*** man, I think my eyes are going funny already. Being Asian can suck the big one... I'm telling you though, I didn't drink before university... now look at me. The drinking master! ::He gestures to where he usually leaves his mugs, but only two are there. Either Sinclaire grabbed the empties, or Ko is simply not as amazing as he thinks he is.::

 

Dr. Yorke: Alcohol tolerance? I didn't know that Ko could tolerate alcohol. ::Chipped in Yorke after hearing that statement, and then glanced over to Ko whom seemed to be swaying a little.::

 

Sgt. Redwood: It doesn't seem he does. Anyway, nice to meet you. I'm Faith. ::She glanced at Yorke, then back to Ghost. This one seemed a bit more... flexible, in a word, than the one plastered on the couch. Her voice dropped slightly, enough so that only Yorke and Ghost could hear her.:: I'm a former member of the X-Com Resistance.

 

Sgt. Shadow: Okay, D, tone down your alcohol consumption a bit for a few minutes. Think you can do that? :: Jonathan chuckled looking at the staggering little Chinese soldier :: I don't wanna clean your mess in case you throw up. :: Ko wasn't responding to his advice, so he took the guy's mug away from him in a quick swipe ::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::Dmitri nodded slightly, the revelation apparently not changing his perception of her. Not visibly in his demeanor anyway:: I kind of assumed you would be, because I didn't recall a Faith being on the cryo pod roster. I'm surprised to see how quickly you seem to have adapted to the new environment though. You seem to have made friends already. ::gesturing with his head towards Goorit::

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko lunged out to retake his mug, but he couldn't even make it out of the seat.:: Oh man, you're killing me here! ::He motioned to Sinclaire, but either he wasn't making the right sign or Sinclaire was ignoring him.:: Conspiracy! I don't throw up, I don't make messes! NEVER!!!! ::Ko gestured wildly, somehow trying to indicate that he has never actually thrown up due to drink, but failing miserably.::

 

Sgt. Redwood: ::Faith smiled a bit more openly at both of the two Lieutenants, relieved that there hadn't been a negative outburst.:: Yes, well, that's a special relationship... He's... well, he's my brother. It's weird for me to think about, but that's the physical relationship, from what we can tell. You can see the similarity, can't you? ::She pointed to her hair, then to Shadow's.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: While struggling with Ko, Goorit managed to wave at Sinclaire :: Bring him some Coke or any non-alcoholic drink! QUICK! :: Jon shouted over to the guy, still wrestling with Derrick, who was desperately trying to reach for his mug :: It's for your own good, mate!

 

LCpl. Ko: I heard that, ingrate! ::Ko was no real match for Shadow in this state though, and he fell back on the floor. Ko leaned back against the couch and slumped over.:: Ugh... geez... So uh... yeah... Where's my beer? oh yeah... So what's the next step, Sarge?

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke looked over to Goorit and saw what was happening and just chuckled, Ko was drunkenly trying to grab his drink, Goorit was trying to hold him back and keep the drinks away from him.:: As Faith says, Goorit...is her brother. ::He'd double checked the results of the tests he'd performed and it appeared to be the case that the two shared one parent.::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::looking over at Goorit, and then back at Faith, he studies her a moment:: Yes, now that you mention it, there is some similarity. I hadn't even noticed that yet, must be getting old. ::Dmitri grins slightly, not that he's that old, but hey it's just an excuse anyway:: So, I assume that considering your origins you aren't exactly allowed to roam around free yet hmm? Well besides now that is. Or are you?

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: When Ko fell back, Jon managed to grab the Coke mug Sinclaire had prepared for the drunkie dude. Derrick didn't notice the quick action, fortunately, so Jon offered the non-alcoholic mug to him :: Okay, okay, here you go. Your old beer fell off the table, so I brought you a dark beer. We're out of the normal ones. :: Jonathan acted as best as he could to make Ko fell for the trick ::

 

Sgt. Redwood: I hope that will change within the next little while... ::Faith stole a glance at Shadow and smiled slightly.:: I'm a prisoner, with no hope of going back to what I once thought of as home, but there are aspects of home here too, and a worthy goal. Instead of rotting in a prison cell, it might be better for me to pursue that, in a fashion that doesn't conflict with the Resistance.

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko peered at the drink...:: RUM AND COKE! You're too nice buddy, you're too nice... ::Ko took a swig, then almost choked as the fizzy drink slid down his throat.:: Ergh... the alcohol content is a bit low, I can't taste it... Oh well, the next one had better be... better. ::Ko laughed again at his own pseudo-wittiness.:: So, what are you up to nowadays?

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke stood silently listening to the conversation going on between Ghost and Faith. He took a sip from his beer ever so often, occasionally casting glances towards Ko and Goorit checking to make sure that the two weren't at each others necks or on the floor or both...::

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: Jonathan was delighted Ko had fallen for his trick, but hid the feeling and kept chatting with him :: Well, you know, nothing out of the usual, just enjoying my first days as sergeant. We haven't had many missions lately. In fact, none since the supply dump one. :: Shadow took a deep breath :: What about Kappa? What have you been up to lately?

 

Lt. Ghost: ::nods at Faith:: We tried to convince Dogget that our purposes are not so different as he thought, but he couldn't see past his hatred for the Ascidians it seems... How do you feel about the Ascidians being our allies? After all, from what I heard, in your world they are the bad guys.

 

Sgt. Redwood: ::Faith's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Ascidians, and she didn't reply immediately.:: I obviously do not want to work with them. But how much can my personal wishes be worth? Your commanders chose to work with the Apemen. ::Faith sighed and shrugged helplessly.:: There are no theatres of combat here that do not involve Apemen in some way. That means if I am to stay here, I must accept that.

 

LCpl. Ko: Up to... up to... not much, admittedly. All very hush-hush, I'm supposed to be quiet... ::Ko looked around carefully, checking to see where Ghost and Saber were. Far enough away, he so judged through his alcohol-induced haze.:: Bigger and better challenges are everywhere, my friend. Longer deployments, tougher environments, harder objectives. Sounds good, eh?

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke would of sighed but his face remained impassive, it was a shame that these XCR folk couldn't see past there views on the Ascidians, you'd at least of thought that they could take the view that my Enemy's enemy is my friend, ah well, Rome wasn't built in a day, but even at this point time was a precious thing.::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::nodding at Faith's comments regarding the Ascidians. It was a shame the hatred for the Ascidians was so deeply rooted, but it was a promising sign there might be more like Faith that might consider working with the Ascidians, for the sake of 'the lesser of two evils':: Of course, I can understand that, but your willingness to see past that dislike and accept working with them when it is really needed is quite commendable.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Oh, right, one thing I wanted to ask... I suppose now is as good as any time. I know that I'm not a total nutcase, but I can contribute something to your cause. I won't work actively against the Resistance right now, but what can I do? The cell doesn't look so promising right now. ::Faith looked from Ghost to Yorke then back.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: Jonathan emptied his mug in one long swig and stood up. He did it a bit too quickly, so he staggered for a moment :: Be right back, Derrick. :: Jon said, still happy he had managed to pull Ko away from alcohol. The sergeant walked towards Faith, Ghost and Ned and popped in the conversation :: Hello, guys. What are you talking about? :: Jonathan commented and smiled ::

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke glanced over to Ghost and frowned, he could see her point about the cells, and the fact that she was in the cell meant that she wasn't doing anything productive...for X-Com or X-CR.:: We'd have to clear anything like that through the Colonel.

 

LCpl. Ko: ::Ko waved at Shadow pleasantly, then pulled himself back into a chair... man, was he tired. This was a really comfortable couch... Soon, Ko was asleep, his head lolled to one side.::

 

Dr. Yorke: ::It was possible, but having an enemy wandering about the ship wasn't something he was comfortable with, they'd have to make sure she was supervised at all times and she'd have no access rights to the computers...or any of the sensitive parts to the ship::

 

Sgt. Redwood: Of course, that's sensible. I have some medical skills though; perhaps you need help in your area? ::She looked at Yorke carefully, trying to see his reaction, but he had a good poker face.:: Or yours? Err...what do you do again? ::Faith looked to Ghost.::

 

Lt. Ghost: ::laughing and putting his emptied beer mug aside he nods at Shadow as he joins:: The cells never are really. I'm sure we can find something for you though. You said you were a medic when you worked with the Resistance? I'm sure we can use help in that department, right Doc? Obviously the colonel will have to clear it, but I doubt he'll have much against it. ::turning towards Goorit again, Ghost added:: Oh just talking about your sister's job opportunities

 

Lt. Ghost: Me? ::Ghost was surprised a moment, then recalled that Faith wasn't an X-Com trooper before:: Oh, well I am squad leader of Kappa team, an X-Com squad working closely with the Ascidian Special Forces.

 

Dr. Yorke: Aye, I suppose an extra pair of hands in the medical bay won't go amiss, though if this is cleared I hope you're not queasy, I've got a number of corpses that need working on. But yes a pair of extra hands would be handy. ::He'd have ot get around to working on the Phaser corpse sometime, at least he'd have some help this time, as the other medics were either too busy or just too sickened by what they had to do and just refused to do it

 

Sgt. Shadow: Ah, yes, she's a medic. Think you can find her a job in your division, Doc? :: Jon winked at Doc and waved at Sinclaire for another mug. He quickly glanced at Ko, finding him asleep, fortunately, and not trying to acquire beer :: Heard Yorke's comment and smiled at Faith :: Looks like you'll be out of your cell in no time, sis!

 

Sgt. Redwood: Queasy is not a problem. ::An image of the destroyed Australian landscape flashed before her eyes, but she shrugged off the feeling of impending doom that threatened to descend on her again. She forced a smile though.:: Whatever it takes. Humanity should be our first priority, and I don't think we disagree on this.

 

Dr. Yorke: Excellent. ::Said Yorke smiling:: I'll chat with the Colonel later on today and see if I can clear this. ::He didn't comment on Redwood's last bit, right now he was concerned with survival, of that and his comrades, humanity would have to wait until he could make a difference, right now such rhetoric would have to wait, but he just smiled.:: Yes, whatever it takes.

 

Sgt. Redwood: Sounds great... ::Faith felt a bit like a traitor, but not so much as she would have thought. Maybe it was Jonathan, or Dogget's iron-hold grip on XCR, or some other factor, but it eased her mind slightly, enough to stay sane.:: I'm feeling a bit... worn. I think I will retire for the night. A good night, gentlemen. ::She gave Shadow a quick hug before leaving the room.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: Alright, good night, Faith. :: Jon smiled and waved at her as she left the party room. Then he turned back at Ghost and Yorke :: Think you can trust her a bit? I hate having to survey her, but we can't let out guard down right now. What do you think?

 

Lt. Ghost: Good night to you as well ::smiling at Faith as she left the room, he turns to Shadow and Yorke again:: Well, it's refreshing to see not all XCR are as blindly following their 'leader', discarding all reason. I hope she'll fit in here well. ::turning towards Shadow, he smiles and nods at the man:: And I'm sure we can trust you to watch her a little, to make sure she integrates into the group well. That she doesn't get shunned for her origins or anything like that. Or, and let's hope that's not the case, that she might be spying or a thing of the sort.

 

Dr. Yorke: ::Yorke raised an eyebrow.:: An interesting lady she is. I'm quite sure there is more to her than meets the eye, but for the time being I'l give her the benifit of the doubt and I'll trust her. ::He sighed and shrugged his shoulders if she was planning something then they'd find out, but for the mean time it was pointless to mull over it.::

 

Dr. Yorke: I'll pop over to see the Colonel and I'll see about clearing this, we might as well give her a chance. ::One chance, he didn't add.:: But I think she has the right idea. after I've sorted that out I'm going to return to the medical bay and get some kip, it's an early start tommorow and I'd rather tackle the jobs without a hangover.

 

Sgt. Shadow: I'll keep an eye on her, don't worry, gentlemen. :: Jon nodded, turned away and faced Ko, some distance away, sleeping on the couch :: Let me take this slacker to his quarters. See you later. :: Goorit reached for lancey, who was partly awoke and put his arm over his shoulder and yawned. Then, they both left the room, more quietly than Jonathan had entered before ::

 

The party continued long into the night, with both operatives and soldiers celebrating together, not thinking of the long road that still lay ahead of them. X-Com still had a long way to go before it could get home... Hopefully they would be home before Christmas came around again.

 

Just wanted to congratulate the boys on a job well done.

[ShadowBlade]

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

 

UGS Patton, December 26th, 2067

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Sipping from his mug of coffee, Joseph was looking over the duty schedule in his office. Having just called Sergeant Shadow to his office, Joseph sifted through the papers slowly in hopes that the good Sniper would come soon to take him away from the grueling paperwork.

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Jonathan walked from his quarters to Lieutenant Scott's office for a couple of minutes. His commanding officer had called him over the intercom, though Jon ignored the reason of this. Once in front of the door, he checked his uniform was in good shape and entered the room. He walked towards the lieutenant's desk and saluted. "You called me, sir?" Shadow asked, as a mere formality.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Yes." said Joseph, dropping his work without a second thought. "Please come in. There's something we need to discuss." Joseph stood up and tugged the shirt of his uniform to fit him better. "I've read the reports on your dealing with the XCR prisoner... Faith Goorit..."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "Yes, lieutenant, that's right." Jonathan replied whilst looking at the huge amounts of paper on Scott's desk. He had asked Jon about Faith, and he wasn't going to hide anything, he needn't do that. "She's my sister, no matter how odd it may sound, sir." Goorit stated.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> Joseph let out a long sigh and picked up his coffee while still standing up. He looked into the contents of the mug and revolved his hand to swirl it around. "I don't doubt that Jon. In fact, that's why I've called you here." Taking one last gulp, Joseph finished off the coffee and placed the empty mug on his desk again. "Sergeant, the fact that you now have personal dealings with her has become a liability. I am forbidding you from seeing her until further notice. I will take your place in further interrogations. As of now, you're restricted from the brig. I'm sorry, but it's for your, and our, own good."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "She's been assigned to the medbay, under lieutenant Yorke's command, and I'm in charge of surveying her activities for the time being. You should discuss that with the other senior officer, sir." Jonathan commented, ignoring the lieutenant's statement a bit.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Goorit." Joseph made a stern posture. "The doctor has no authority over you. What he does with the XCR soldier is his responsibility, and not mine. YOU are my responsibility. And from what I've seen of the XCR, they are loyal to Dogget. She's a soldier under the XCR and NOT X-COM. Granted, her personal involvement with you can be an advantage to us, but the exact same is vice-versa. I can't allow that." Joseph moved from behind his desk and looked Jon right in the eyes. "I'll do you the favor of having the Doc keep you updated on her. What she says about you and all. But until we're certain of her loyalties, I can't have any personal relations interfering. I don't like doing this to you Shadow..." Joseph hoped using the Sergeant's nickname would cool him down in a friendly matter. "But I'm not taking any more risks..."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "But, sir, with all due respect, she has defected to our side..." Jon said, but restrained to continue. He was being kept from his sister, and he obviously didn't like that, but the sergeant was decided to place his duty over family, for the time being. Goorit cleared his throat. "I... I understand, sir..." Shadow stated and sighed, looking at the floor.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "Look..." Joseph put his right hand on Jon's shoulder. "I don't know how long it will take, but when the XCR is properly dealt with, and it is garranteed where Faith is going to stay, you two will have all the time in the world to catch up. But for now, I can't let another liability present itself." He sighed and turned away. Doing this to Jon felt necessary, but also made Scott feel like a complete monster. It quickly brought his mind back to the two HUMANS he executed aboard the Dorian Gray...

 

<Sergeant Shadow> Jonathan sighed again and looked at the lieutenant. "Is that all, sir?" Jon asked, wondering when will he be able to see his sister again. He hoped she didn't plan to do anything sneaky when our guard was down, he trusted Faith.

 

<Lieutenant Scott> "No Sergeant. There's nothing else." he turned back to Jon. "You're dismissed Sergeant. And think about what I said. She may be your sister, but she is also an XCR trooper with the same loyalty to duty as you. And since you didn't even know her over a week ago, you can't say you know her at all..."

 

<Sergeant Shadow> "Yes, sir, you're right." Jon commented, turned around and walked towards the door. The sergeant wondered again if Faith was capable of using his trust as an advantage, but tried to drive his mind away from that dilemma. He opened the door, stepped out and closed it behind him. Shadow then sighed and walked back to his quarters. A good read would ease his mind a bit.

[DragonHawk]

>

 

UGS Patton, 26 December 2067

 

Ko staggered into the mess hall, looking for something to eat. He felt absolutely horrible, he felt like hurling... but he prided himself on not ever having thrown up, at least in his memory. The night had been a traumatic mess of sleep, convulsions, and Kevin laughing at his discomfiture. Never again. At least, not until the next time.

 

Rallwell watched as Ko came into the mess hall... She was familiar enough with alcohol aftermath effects in her duty as a medic. It looked like Ko had a colossal hang over, which was unsurprising. She wasn't sure, but in his drunkenness last night Ko might have been trying to hit on her, or maybe he was just being overfriendly. "Hey, Derrick, how are you this morning?" She filled a class

 

"I feel like crap. Thanks." Ko took the water from her and took a gulp. He couldn't remember much from last night... He remembered talking to Rallwell earlier in the evening when he was less worse off... He remembered thinking that she looked beautiful too, but he pushed that aside.

 

Rallwell grinned slightly. "Yeah, I can see that, but I thought it would be polite of me to ask." He DID look pretty haggard. "Are you heading back out today?"

 

Ko put his head down on the table and sighed. He had a headache that was killing him. "I think so. All hush-hush stuff, but I suppose you're our pseudo-information officer, right?" Ko leaned back and looked Rallwell in the eye. She looked a lot more composed than he did right now. Unlike him, her hair was neat and tidy and her posture indicated a certain poise that his slump did not convey.

 

"Spill the beans, nerd."

 

Ko laughed and nodded. "Sure." Ko's voice dropped in volume slightly. "We're headed back out to Planet Omicron. The Sectoid Commander there... he says he's interested in capturing us, and while we don't expect to be captured, we want to find out what his special consideration of our persons actually is."

 

Rallwell frowned involuntarily despite Ko's self-satisfied grin. "It's a bit dangerous to kick the lion's butt in his own den, is it not?"

 

"Yes and no. Until now, we've always been on a certain end of the Alien war machine. This one, he may not be a warrior first and foremost. He seems to be a troubleshooter of some sort. Someone they bring in to solve very specific problems. He is focussed - he is looking for something specific. We want to know why. As far as we're concerned, it's a considerable change in angle for an Alien force. They may be more subtle than we give them credit for."

 

"It's not a good idea regardless. It seems more like a matter of misplaced pride and challenge to me. As a military service..." Rallwell shrugged. "Stay safe though. It's a dangerous place." Dangerous was the least of the words she could use; the commander, Raalik Tizt, was intelligent enough to capture X-Com personnel on Planet Omicron.

 

"Don't worry, we'll stay safe." Ko stood carefully and downed the rest of his water.

 

Rallwell was reassured by Ko's easy grin, no different from the days when Ko had held control of X-Com's internal operations, but she knew it was a front that was built on a false sense of superiority and confidence. She walked over to the table and hugged him tight. "I'm serious. Don't mess up."

 

Ko smiled at Rallwell gently and hugged her back, relishing the sense of child-like security it gave. "Don't worry. Risk is part of the game, but it will be a carefully controlled risk. We don't play to fail."

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Nova Alpha Omega, 29 December 2067

 

"That was unfortunate."

 

Colonel Cyriacus looked at his former commander. "Yes, it was. But it went about as well as we could have hoped had we known..."

 

A seemingly small UFO had landed near the base, and since it was in X-Com's area of jurisdiction, Colonel Cyriacus had decided to go after it. He had sent Sergeant Goorit along with Corporal Necro and Private Bradly to investigate and neutralize the threat, but it had turned out to be a larger UFO than expected... Significantly larger. It had turned out to be some sort of new battleship. Thematically, it looked very similar, but it was one level higher, much longer and wider, and also boasted more visible weapons bays.

 

"There was really nothing that could be done though." Commander Weindhoven shrugged.

 

"I think perhaps the ordering of the 3rd's response team was a mistake."

 

"Well, yes..." Weindhoven became quiet as he thought about that. The 3rd had on Shadow's orders, engaged the enemy bravely, but foolishly. There was nothing they could have possibly done.

 

"We will pay for it. I've received documents from the 3rd's commander. While he did not lay blame at our feet for the craft getting away or the casualties he incurred, he suggested that perhaps it would be better if the 3rd took over with regards to protection in that region. He offers some very pertinent excuses." Cyriacus had thought about taking the offer too, but had declined politely.

 

"And...?"

 

"I didn't take it. I told him that we appreciated his offer, but it was unnecessary. The 3rd's commander was polite, I'll give him that. He added that his support was available to us at any time, then cut the connection. If it happens again, our protection at his expense, we won't be able to keep our hold on that area or any others." Cyriacus had no desire to lose his buffer and training area, not to mention the resources that they gathered from surrounding villages and industries.

 

"Shadow is not an officer though. He's got potential, but for now, he's still new at taking multi-branch control. He did a fine job with his team, but when it came to understanding other aspects, it was a bit lacking. It wasn't his job though, to do that."

 

"We lost a bit of caution there." Cyriacus looked directly at Weindhoven. "Perhaps it would have been better to tap Yorke or Scott to accompany... But we can't spare an officer for everything either, and our sergeants will have to make do."

 

"Agreed." Weindhoven stood and stretched. "Just enter in some comments into Shadow's file; he doesn't need to be reprimanded for something out of his fault or out of his authority."

 

"It was not out of his authority nor his responsibility, but I agree. We need to be alert though... Chung wants us to get a UFO intact, if possible. How that bizarre camo net works, as well as the ship itself, is of interest. He's got some ideas, but... He's not sure."

 

"I wonder if it's the same technology that XCR uses?"

 

"It's not. The ship was not actually invisible. It's an interesting problem though... Well, if you have any ideas, feel free to talk to research about them. For now though, bugger off. Work to do."

 

Weindhoven smiled. "Isn't it fun?"

 

Next mission

[Ghost]

<<Joint roleplay, starring DragonHawk as LCpl. Ko and Ghost as Cpl. Stone and Lt. Ghost>>

 

SETTING - Ghost, Stone, and Ko are chatting over dinner on the 29th of December, the day they left the hospitality of the NAO. The mess hall of the Peregrine is noisy as always; Kevin and Raven are partying it up with the Ascidian teams, trying to best them in some sort of competition that remains incomprehensible to the three other human operatives.

 

LCpl. Ko> ::Ko chugged down the rest of his drink, washing down the food he had eaten in his usual fast-barbaric style. He had a habit of inhaling food quickly... A result of training.:: Another day, another meal. We should have meals like this on ground ops.

<Cpl. Stone> ::still having at least half a plate in front of her, she continues to eat, Ko's eating habits no longer surprising her as much as it did the first time she saw him eat:: Well, I'm sure we could, if you want to be the kitchen princess, as well as bring along all the ingredients. *I* sure as hell aren't going to be cooking any fancy stuff down there for the lot of you.

<Lt. Ghost> ::also not having finished his plate yet, Ghost only has a little left on his, he shakes his head in amusement about Ko's quick eating once again. He may not be the best drinker, but nobody beats him in eating it seems:: Ko as a kitchen maid? Nah, I wouldnt want to see him prancing around in an apron, thank you very much. And I doubt we'll really need his services that very soon either, if things go well. It'll probably still take a little while until we go on another ground op.

<LCpl. Ko> ::Ko's eyes grew wide in mock offense as he looked from Stone to Ghost.:: How dare you suggest something so foul. I do not 'prance'. I happen to be quite agile; I 'float'. ::Ko laughed and returned his face to its normal posture.:: At any rate, ground ops are tricky, especially since we don't want to get trapped on the ground on Omicron. However, we could probably evade the Aliens on Omicron if we had to. In space, a bit less so unless we had a head start.

<Lt. Ghost> ::Dmitri nods:: Yes, it is a lot harder to hide in space than on the surface of a planet, although maneuvrability is a lot higher in space, and probably to initiate conversation with the sectoids down there we'll need to utilize both space and ground. After all, we'll need the broadcasting ability of a space ship, but to actually get to talk to one of them we will probably have to go down there.

<Cpl. Stone> ::Kaitlin smirked still about the comment regarding Ko in an apron, a scary thought indeed. She noticed she actually looked forward to the next ground op. She may have been trained to be a pilot, but the captain of the Peregrine wouldnt let her fly his ship, so she felt a bit useless up here::

<LCpl. Ko> True that, true that. Once a more formal contact starts, we will want to be face-to-face with the enemy. Hopefully this commander, this Raalik Tizt, respects that. What sort of person do you suppose he is? He's not the same as other Sectoid's we've encountered, that's for sure.

<Lt. Ghost> Hmmm, well he is certainly different. For starters, besides Osiris he is the first Sectoid we have encountered to actually try to communicate rather than just shoot at us... well at the people from Alpha anyway. ::Dmitri shakes his head:: I dont know what he wants, but I do know that he is most certainly not like the other sectoids we encountered, which means we should exercise caution.

<Cpl. Stone> ::nodding in agreement, Stone listens and speaks up when Dmitri finishes:: Yes, that's true, we should. Let's not forget what the people from Alpha who were interrogated by him told us. He seemed to be quite fervently looking for us, and that must have had a reason somehow. Why would he want us? What would they gain by seeking out specific targets.

<LCpl. Ko> I don't know. He knows about our actions on Yurilis though; not Patton/Cyriacus incident but the supply cache one, and it seems that the Aliens are uhh... a bit pissed off. At least that shows we had some impact, no? ::Ko grinned widely, then continued.:: As to our actual value, could it be so simple as removing us from the war?

<Cpl. Stone> Hmmm ::Kaitlin looks thoughtfully:: I dont know, but it seems like an awful lot of effort just to get rid of a single group. It is a completely different tactics than they have used before. I wonder why... maybe their supreme commander had a change of heart? Or maybe there is a new one? Hell we dont even know if they *have* a supreme commander and where he could possibly be.

<Lt. Ghost> ::at the last comment by Kaitlin, Dmitri frowns slightly:: That's true, though that's what we're trying to find out by contacting Raalik. Maybe he can tell us more about that, although he will probably not just tell that for nothing. We should also discuss what we are willing to give as a counter offer to them in exchange for the information.

<LCpl. Ko> Good point. I have no idea. What could we have of possible value to them? Maybe they love us for our lack of xenophobic attitude? ::Ko chuckled to himself as he thought about some sort of weird universal love amongst Aliens, but he subdued that.:: Maybe he wants a hit-team. Lord knows the Aliens don't have troops as skilled as we are.

<Cpl. Stone> ::laughs and shoves aside her plate, now empty and flexes mockingly:: Yes of course they don't. I'm not letting those little bug-eyes beat me. But yeah, the mindset of their troops doesnt quite work like ours it seems, although now they have demonstrated that not all are just mindless combat drones, by revealing Raalik. We dont know what else they might have in store.

<Lt. Ghost> True as that might be ::grinning slightly at Kaitlin's mockery:: we haven't seen any evidence of it, and he may be our only lead, so we'll need to be careful. We should take care not to have him realize he is our only path to the information at current, or he might just drive up the price.

<LCpl. Ko> I suspect he knows it. ::Ko leaned forward and put his elbows on the table.:: He's obviously got some training in human history as well, possibly psychology. He'll be looking to use that to his advantage... I wonder though, how much different from a sectoid drone it could be. I mean, without the Cydonia brain, the Aliens in AW-1 were less than effective. They needed that Brain. This one doesn't though, and poses a lot of unknowns.

<Lt. Ghost> You think he knows hmm? ::Ghost nods thoughtfully, it might be, it'll take some getting used to that the sectoids really might be smarter and more perceptive if they want:: It is a risk indeed, we dont know what he wants, what he knows, and what he wants for it in return. Nor do we know whether we can trust him when we do manage to open up a channel of communications with him.

<Cpl. Stone> You've got a point, though psychology and all those things were never really a forté of mine. I doubt I'll be of that much help during the initial phases of the negotiations probably, so if you guys don't mind, I'll be off to the training hall to work off the pounds gained at the christmas party, and prepare for whatever might come. ::with that, she picks up her plate, and gets up, walking towards the exit and putting the plate at the designated place for that, before walking out of the mess hall::

<LCpl. Ko> ::Ko nodded at Stone as she left the table, and then to Ghost.:: Perhaps I should be off too. Gralintus says we should be making sure our weapons are compatible with the atmosphere... he's worried that some of the seals will get destroyed in the atmosphere. You need me for anything else today?

<Lt. Ghost> ::nods at Stone as she leaves:: Have fun ::Then turning back to Ko:: No, not really. Not yet anyway, I'll need to go see the captain about our ETA and how we'll proceed once we get there.

<LCpl. Ko> Sounds like a plan. I'll look at getting our ground gear ready, just in case. ::Ko stood and picked up his tray.:: See you tomorrow, bright and early, for PT.

<Lt. Ghost> ::gets up and picks up his own tray:: Yeah you will, have a good one, and see you tomorrow.

[Strong Bob]

Nova Alpha Omega, Lieutenant Scott's Office. December 29th, 1800 hours.

 

Scott: A new ship. Bristling with guns designed to be visible externally.

 

Roberts: Yes, and what about it?

 

Lietenant Scott looked the former XCR Captain in the eyes. Joseph had recently recieved the report from Shadow's team regarding the new UFO encountered that took out the 3rd Response Team. He was worried that it had managed to escape, and was confused by the ship's design. A single extra layer and visible weaponry aligning it's hull were the main, most glaring, extra attributes. Being a new ship, Joseph was confident that it might be known to someone who would consider it old...

 

Scott: You're from the future, Captain. Tell me now, what the hell is it!?

 

Roberts: Look, Lieutenant. That's a thirty year gap in technology. The Starspawn use different starship chassis' in the future.

 

Scott: Yeah, but I figure you might at least recognize it...

 

Joseph wheeled back in his chair, he opened a drawer of his desk and tossed a photo onto the desktop. It was a picture of the UFO spotted by one of Goorit's men, a screen capture from a helmet video feed. John picked it up and looked at it briefly.

 

Roberts: This is the ship in question?

 

Scott: Yes. The largest Battleship we've encountered yet. It took out the 3rd Response Team after Sergeant Shadow ordered them to intercept the damn thing. Do you recognize it?

 

Roberts: (Rotating the photo to get a good look) Not quite. It's obviously an assault ship, of some kind. But what's strange... Is that it looks like it's designed to look that way.

 

Scott: I could've told you that.

 

A short pause later, John put the photo down.

 

Roberts: Lieutenant, I may not know any covert tactics, starship design, or any of that mumbo... But it looks like that this ship... It's function is to look that way.

 

Scott: What do you mean?

 

Roberts: Scott, this doesn't look like too much of a cost effective starship. It's just a bigger Battleship from the looks of it. And visible weapons... This ship must be some sort of terror symbol. A ship of fear, to demoralize more than to fight.

 

Scott: Do you believe that's why it's weaponry are mounted externally for show? To inspire a sense of unease?

 

Roberts: It's one of many possibilities... It might be just what it looks like. A bigger Battleship. But I just don't think so... I mean think of it. Why would you develop a UFO that's stronger, but not by much, when you could simply build two smaller versions, thusly adding a swarm tactic to the list of advantages.

 

Scott: Square one... But at least I'm not alone in my uncertainty.

 

John looked at the photo again, he showed no emotion in the process.

 

Roberts: If it's anything, I'd say it's a new Terror Ship. I know I'd be one of the first to sh*t myself if I saw one of these on foot. (Looking back at Scott) I suppose capturing one will be your next objective?

 

Scott: (Not responding to Roberts' question) Thank you Captain. You haven't been of much help. But it will ease my worry, if the Starspawn don't use this type of vessel in the future, then I suppose there must be some weakness to be exploited that makes it unworth production.

 

Roberts: Indeed... (Roberts pondered) But perhaps it was no human or Ape... Ahem... Ascadian mind that discovered it's weakness.

 

Scott: Look, I thank you for answering my questions. I'll forward your suspicions to Commander Weindhoven and Colonel Cyriacus. Dismissed...

 

A mild chuckle came from Captain Roberts.

 

Scott: (Amused by his lack of proper formality) I mean... You may go now.

 

Roberts: Yes sir... Next time, try not to be so formal. Technically, we're not even in the same military.

 

John smiled and sat up, walking out of Joseph's office and away for now.

 

Scott: You're right... (Sighing) We're not in the same military... But we're still human.

 

<<Sorry for the quickie... I wrote this out once already but the original somehow got deleted. Wasn't quite as able to capture the emotion quite as well the second round...>>

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Nova Alpha Omega, 30 December 2067

 

Col. Cyriacus: The mess hall was, as usual for this time, in some amount of disarray. The spacious room contained, in small part, the X-Com soldiers in the middle of their dinner. The X-Com officers (Weindhoven, Cyriacus, Yorke, and Scott) were at the table reserved for the officer's mess. The meal was essentially over, with Weindhoven telling some sort of story. Cyriacus listened idly, wondering when it would be over so that he could get back to work.

 

Cpt. Roberts: Captain Roberts was at another table. The XCR officers that defected remained separate in the Mess Hall, though not due to regulation. They were socially outcasted in one way or another, not being very trusted. The Captain was wearing the XCR Uniform, but he had replaced his original insignia with that of X-COM, in order to make some small appeasement. He waited for the right moment to approach, when he got up from his table, excusing his fellow officers, and strolled over to the officers during their meal.

 

Col. Cyriacus: Colonel Cyriacus eyed Roberts carefully as he approached and nodded as he stopped at their table. "Good evening, Captain. What brings you over to our little area today?" Cyriacus waved a hand to indicate the officers around him. "From the faces here, you can see that Richter is telling another story... But please, have a seat." Cyriacus wondered what the Captain wanted. Rare enough that he should approach him off duty, as it were.

 

Cpt. Roberts: "Thank you sir..." John sat down at an available seat next to Brad. As the Commander recited his tale to the other officers, he leaned in close to Brad, hoping nobody would notice John's disinterest in this particular story. "Colonel, I believe our talents are being... wasted." John was trying not to sound anxious or disrespectful, but was having a hard time doing so. "I wish to ask you about the new fighter squadron, Serpent Wing. Richard Bronsworth and I are more than able pilots... Perhaps we can come to a compromise?"

 

Col. Cyriacus: "Business." Cyriacus stood and picked up his tray. "Excuse me gentlemen. A matter has come up for me to consider. Until tomorrow." The other three officers looked at Roberts momentarily, but didn't say a word to him. They respectfully nodded to Cyriacus and returned to their conversation. Meanwhile, Cyriacus lead Roberts to his office. "Ok, speak freely."

 

Cpt. Roberts: John made his way into the Colonel's office. It seemed rather retro, despite being mostly Ascadian in nature, the decor of the Colonel's office almost made John feel as though he were a kid again... Snapping himself back to attention, he looked to the Colonel and, while still standing, made his request. "I'm here to request a transfer into Serpent Wing..." He paused, waiting for Colonel Cyriacus' response.

 

Col. Cyriacus: "A transfer." Cyriacus sat down and leaned back in his chair, studying the Captain. He seemed sincere enough, Cyriacus supposed. "Why?"

 

Cpt. Roberts: "Call it a personal need to make a difference. If the future is going to be prevented, I think it would be a good idea for us to interfere." John moved to Brad's desk and leaned over, holding himself up with his right hand on it. "No offense, Colonel, but the pilots you defrosted are just escorts to defend against Kabron Pirates. Bronsworth and I... We know tactical strategies that are 3 decades advanced, and we know how to fight aliens in space.

 

Col. Cyriacus: "Despite your disdain for our pilots, they are the best that we had in cryo. Now, you may think of them as poor flyers, and that is of course your prerogative. I've not seen any evidence that you or Bronsworth might be considered to be better flyers. You were in possession of superior craft, that much I cannot deny." Cyriacus looked at Roberts neutrally, though his mind whirred.

 

Cpt. Roberts: "I'm not saying they're bad fliers. I'm sure they're great for whatever the hell they're trained for." He stood back upright and tried to make a much calmer approach. "The Alpha Squad CO showed me a new UFO, one capable of a degree of stealth camouflage. I don't know much more than what's cycled through common rumor, but if this camouflage is anything like our technology, or the technology of the Micronoids, then you need us after all. In the XCR we're trained for that. Trained to see Micronoid ships under cloak, both visually and through scanning anomolies. Bronsworth and I know what to look for. And I at least want to brief Serpent Wing on what to find..."

 

Col. Cyriacus: Cyriacus frowned slightly. Scott was leaking info to another officer. Roberts was technically on staff, of course, but Scott had a soft spot for the rogue Captain. "Why should their technology be similar to yours? So far it has shown none of the same characteristics; I would hazard to guess that it is not similar to your technology at all, though that is not my call to make."

 

Cpt. Roberts: "Not mine either... After all, all my information is coming from the tongue of rumors." He exhaled deeply. "Regardless of whether the stealth camo means anything, the fact remains... Faith and Richard are in agreement with me. There's a chance that we were brought back in time for a reason... And that's to interfere with the original timeline that destroys Earth. That means we need to be out there..."

 

Col. Cyriacus: "You believe in your higher purpose, do you?" Cyriacus almost found that endearing, in an odd way. Roberts was a man of honour, in at least Cyriacus' opinion. "I disagree. I cannot make decisions based on your concept of fate. As much as you wish it, I cannot simply assign you to a squadron on the basis that you may help them, for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, I will have to deny your request. I'm sorry, John."

 

Cpt. Roberts: John let out a frustrated sigh, but chose to accept the decision. "Right Colonel. I understand." he turned around, shaking his head. Perhaps you'll find a better use of us in the 'future'... Should it ever come for us." he exited Brad's office and mumbled to himself. He did not agree with the Colonel's decision, but respected it anyway. Although, if he wasn't going to be able to get things done so directly... A more subtle approach may be required.

 

Col. Cyriacus: Cyriacus sighed. Captain Roberts believed his way was the only way; he had some belief that he was the saviour of humanity. It was unfortunate really. He would have to be watched very carefully from now on. If necessary... Cyriacus didn't want to contemplate that.

[Strong Bob]

Nova Alpha Omega, Sergeant Howardson's quarters

 

Howardson: What's the point? This is only getting worse every day... XCR, being captured... Ascidia... We're all going to die out here.

 

Samuel had been under heavy restrictions since a particular incident aboard an alien starship post-capture. He had attempted to stay behind, fighting back Dr. Yorke as his broken body was being pulled back aboard the Nightingale. Sam had made himself a liability and was restricted from most sections of NAO and the Patton. There were thoughts of having the Sergeant refrozen, but more pressing needs had resulted in him simply being confined to quarters.

 

Howardson: They're going to find Earth... The XCR proves that. It's all going to end in 30 years, so why do we keep going?

 

Sam was pacing back and forth in his quarters... The XCR presence, coupled with the sheer bad news in regards to the war with the Starspawn, had demoralized him into a morose state.

 

Howardson: We keep going because we want to make a dramatic stand... You people want to hurt them! Spare them the satisfaction of knowing they bested you!

 

Sam shouted the last sentence in the direction of a mirror in his quarters. He could see his entire upper torso in the reflection... At the moment he was wearing nightwear clothing, a white shirt with a big black "X" on it and gray shorts. His hair was ruffled up from the restless sleep he had been having for so long, a beard stubbled developed into a shadowy covering on his face, but he at least had the dignity of showering... So he smelled fine.

 

Howardson: You're going to die anyway. Just like everyone else here. If it's not from the burning plasma cloud from a Sectoid rifle, it'll be something else. It won't matter if you fall off a damn bridge... Nothing you do out here is going to make a difference. They're going to take Ascidia, they're going to kill X-COM, and they're going to conquer Earth... What can I do here anymore? Just keeping shooting and wait to die!?

 

Samuel threw a hard left jab into the mirror, shattering some of it's shard contents onto the floor. The mirror remains on the wall were broken, showing a hundred silhouettes of Samuel's face. His left hand bled lightly, smaller crumbs of glass being imbedded in it.

 

Howardson: Different reflections... Different faces, yet the same...

 

He fell to his knees and picked up a shard of glass.

 

Howardson: Different paths... This could mean the XCR are here to fix the future... But they could also be the catalyst... Or even just a mere harbinger to show us the grim deeds to come...

 

He placed the sharp end of the glass on the underside of his left wrist, though he did not puncture the skin, he pondered long and hard.

 

Howardson: It could all end... But will it? Can I simply stop the whole war by pushing just a little...

 

After a minute, Samuel lifted the glass from his skin and stood back up. He dropped the shard and moved over to his bed where layed down for a moment.

 

Howardson: It might only make it worse... The mirror broke accidently... I'll see Yorke in the morning about fixing up my hand...

[DragonHawk]

>

 

Nova Alpha Omega, 8 January 2068

 

Cpt. Roberts:John twiddled his thumbs in the Mess Hall. It wasn't by any means a lunch shift (Or whatever it's called in military terminology) but he had little to do, and was restricted to most areas on NAO, thusly he was in an empty Mess Hall, with minor clatter from the kitchen in preparation for dinner. He had called Faith Goorit to see him, he could only hope she didn't have the same dislike for him as the other marines.

 

Sgt. Redwood:Faith wondered, as she walked down the hall, what Captain Roberts wanted. Recently, they had been talking more and more about their disposition in the X-Com forces. Faith could tell that Roberts was starting to get itchy in his advisory position. She stepped into the mess hall and saw Roberts alone. She approached him carefully and deferentially acknowledged him. "Captain."

 

Cpt. Roberts:"Faith, please sit down." Said John, motioning for the bench on the opposite side of the table. "There's something we need to discuss." His facial expression was rather blank, but he forced a little pleasantness into his voice in case he risked alarming her in some way.

 

Sgt. Redwood:"Is it significantly different with what we discussed last time?" The last scheme had not succeeded, she had heard from Bronsworth. She didn't really expect it to, but Roberts had been disappointed nonetheless. "What's on your mind?"

 

Cpt. Roberts:"Faith, I must ask you something..." he paused a moment, a bit hesitant to bring up his belief. "Did you believe in the Colonel's philosophy in any way? How he wanted to eliminated the Apemen in their stage as innocent creatures so they would not become the evil beasts both you and I have seen before?" he coughed lightly. "Do you believe such a plan could have worked?"

 

Sgt. Redwood:Faith's eyes hooded slightly. "What weight do you place on my judgement? Of course, if it could have worked, then that would be the ultimate solution, one that our kind has attempted to practice throughout our post-space age history. Do I think it would have worked? We were not sent to destroy the Apeman facilities in any large capacity - even at the beginning, we could not have destroyed ALL of the Apemen."

 

Cpt. Roberts:"We may not have been able to kill them all... At least not alone." Roberts sighed. "But I have a feeling, Faith. There's gotta be a reason we're here. Of all the places in time and space, somehow that dimensional gate sent us right here with the Patton's crew, before the Ascadians were conquered into Apemen." his eyes began to glitter and his face was showing hope. "Dogget was right that we should interfere, but what we need to do here is not kill our future enemy... But help it. And we can't do that if we sit idly by with our friends."

 

Sgt. Redwood:Faith paused and waited to see whether Roberts was done. The light in that man's eyes was almost ferverent. "You consider our position to be idle. Well, what would suggest then?"

 

Cpt. Roberts:"That's why I've called you here. I don't want to make X-COM our enemy, but since Colonel Cyriacus does not want us to take direct action I must resort to influencing the command underhandedly. You have personal ties with Sergeant Goorit, you're brother of this time and the second in command of X-COM's Alpha squad. What I need you to do is find a way to influence him so he can in turn try to influence the higher ups as to what action to take. We need to interfere with this war, Faith. I have a feeling the future of Earth lays on our shoulders, and that's why we were brought here. What we do here will determine the outcome of the fate of our world." He leaned in closer and outstretched his hand. "As an XCR officer you're sworn to the protection and re-conquering of Earth. Will you drop your oath here for the sake of a military you never joined?"

 

Sgt. Redwood:Faith looked down at Roberts hand and then back to his face. "You believe it fate. You believe that one man can save the universe, and that our presence will change the future. I ask 'how?'" She didn't think it severely likely... the three of them possessed resources that were exceeded by X-Com.

 

Cpt. Roberts:"There are three of us. But the past of both our timelines here, has pointed out that even one man can make a difference. That's why I defected with Bronsworth, because we can make a difference here. And hopefully it will give this X-COM the edge it needs to make an overall difference." he paused. "There are many an action we could take... I suppose simply finding some way to return the Patton home would be sufficient. Maybe all Earth will need is a warning to prepare?"

 

Sgt. Redwood:"Exceedingly optimistic, in my opinion." Faith's eyes widened somewhat, and she nodded. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers. "I will try to do as you ask, but Jonathan has been ordered by Lieutenant Scott to avoid unnecessary conduct with me. He will not be as receptive as you think." She didn't dare rebuke him for his lack of real forethought; he obviously either had no idea what to do or was not willing to tell her.

 

Cpt. Roberts:"I know, Faith. I didn't expect there to be much contact between you two when I found out about that. But you still have the same Mess hours and you may occasionally see him in medical after missions. Just talk with him for now, gain his trust. I'll tell you more once you think you two are rightly aquianted." He shook her hand. "Thank you."

 

Sgt. Redwood:She nodded and she released his hand. Standing, she made to leave, but paused beside the table. "Do you think it's possible that things have already changed to allow for Earth's salvation?" Her eyes stayed towards the door, but it was obvious her focus was elsewhere.

 

Cpt. Roberts:"Perhaps so, perhaps not. From what I see already, we've only served to weaken the Apemen with the attacks from the Gray and Rommel. At which point we've only accelerated the approaching event." He frowned. "But anything could come from that... Our job is just to make sure."

Sgt. Redwood:Faith nodded again. "Maybe you're right. I have a feeling that things are already far beyond what they should be... like you, I feel that perhaps the tides are turning." She sighed deeply and started walking out of the mess hall. "I do this because I feel it's a chance that must be taken. Do not reject the courtesy they have offered us, Captain." With that, she swept out of the mess hall to think.

 

Cpt. Roberts:He sighed to himself. "I don't plan to... At least not yet." He stood up as well. Dinner would be on in 15 minutes, he decided he better get his tray to be first in line...

[Strong Bob]

<<This week's sunday sim was a joint roleplay between Lt. Yorke (Ego Terrorist), Lt. Scott (Strong Bob), Sgt. Shadow (Shadowblade), and Cpl. Necro (Andrew_175).>>

 

<LT_Scott> Joseph Scott stood up from his desk in his office. He had called Corporal Necro and Sergeant Goorit in for one reason, they were the people in Alpha he trusted most. And in this time of need, there were things that needed to be discussed. He gave a quick eye in place of a salute and gestured for them to come in and sit down. "How are you two? I hope everything's going well?"

 

<CPL_Necro> ::salutes:: I'm fine sir, nothing to complain about except Jacksons cooking

 

<SGT_Shadow> "Things could be better, but I'm alright." Jonathan gave a blitz glare to Scott. "Thanks for asking, sir." Goorit continued, and wondered what was the reason they had been called by the lieutenant.

 

<LT_Scott> "Alright, you two are probably wondering why I called you here. I'll get right to the point." Joseph sat down again and put both his arms on his desk. He leaned forward but kept his gesture as serious and professional as he could. "As you may have guessed, we have people here, on our side, that were once our enemies briefly. On top of that, we've got greater dangers with the Starspawn, including the new Battleship found planet-side. Security is an issue at this point..."

 

<CPL_Necro> yes, I don't mind the new crew, but I wudn't turn my back on them for a second

 

<SGT_Shadow> Jonathan remained silent, waiting for the lieutenant to develop the subject further. He tried to predict where his commanding officer was getting at. The sergeant frowned, he couldn't figure that out.

 

<LT_Scott> "I found out earlier that Captain Roberts had tried convincing the Colonel that he should be placed on the lines with Serpent Wing, and he believes that there is a purpose behind his being here... This is a liability factor, one we can't ignore and yet one we also can't afford to risk simply dealing with, via removing Roberts, Bronsworth, and Redwood from the equation..." Joseph leaned back. "I need help from both of you. I don't want to jump to conclusions, so I'll need you to make conclusions."

 

<CPL_Necro> basically I don't mind going into battle with them as long as I can see them all

 

<SGT_Shadow> "Why would Roberts want to get transferred into the Serpent Wing? I believe we don't trust him enough to place him in the only escort wing we have available." Goorit stated. He didn't thought so of his sister, but there was an emotional link there, so he didn't bring up the subject.

 

<LT_Scott> "No Necro, I don't plan to fight them." he said, almost grinning. "As to you, Sergeant, Cyriacus explained that what Roberts wanted was an active part in changing history. But we can't allow it at this time, not while we're so unaware of Roberts' short term intentions." he looked to Necro. "Corporal, you're easily the most easy going in the squad besides Jackson. I've brought you here because you can at least go one sentence without mentioning lobsters or magnets..."

 

<CPL_Necro> lol, yes sir

 

The office doors slide open and in walks Doctor Yorke.

 

<LT_Scott> As Doctor Yorke walks into his office, Joseph stood back up. "Ah, Doctor, glad to see you could finally make it. Something in medical keeping you busy?"

 

<Dr_Yorke> ::Yorke still behind with paper work had decided to take a break from it and so made his way down to a meeting that he'd been told about earlier in the week, however what it was on he couldn't remember.::

 

<CPL_Necro> *mutters* yeah trying to get his sectoid brain back from behind the fridge

 

<Dr_Yorke> "There's always something keeping me busy in medical." Yorke stopped talking then and sat down, if he'd of carried on he'd of started complaining about the lack of trained medical personnel and the overabundence of work and paper work. "So how are you lot?"

 

<LT_Scott> "I suppose we could say the same, always something keeping us busy... And one more to yet add to the list. Doc, I'm sure you've been working with the defected XCR officer, Faith Redwood, for some time in medical?" said Scott, momentarily moving his attention away from Necro.

 

<Dr_Yorke> "Aye, yes I've been working Faith, she's a hard working lass, does the jobs I ask her to do, good hands as well." Yorke leant back in his seat and let out a relieved sigh, glad to be away from the pile of paper work that had recently taken over his desk. "Aye, like I say good hands, good with the kneedle and good with the knife, might make a surgeon out of her yet." He said with a dry chuckle.

 

<LT_Scott> Joseph stifled a chuckle as the Doc complimented Goorit's sister's 'hands' so well, but he put the dirty thought aside to get down to business. "Well, I suspect there might be some security liability. After talking with the Colonel about Captain Roberts' actions... The three defected XCR officers must be put on heavy surveilance. And I don't mean just watching them..." He sat back on his chair. "I want you to really get to know them..."

 

<Dr_Yorke> Yorke kept a neutral expression on his face when Scott announced the plan of action, Yorke had spent most of these last few years out here making a point of *not* getting to know people, it just made his job easier when the inevitable fatalities occured. He supposed that he might make a slight effort to get to know Faith given that he'd be working with her...but he wasn't going to get to know her really well.

 

<SGT_Shadow> The young sergeant had been assigned to watching her sister activities, but was also forbidden to have any contact with her. Jonathan felt it was absurd, though he understood Scott's reasons and respected them: the defectors must be controlled at all times.

<LT_Scott> "When I was on the force, my partner once told me: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Scott's eyes glistened a little as he paused in rememberance. He seemed disturbed by the memory. "Necro, I want you to try to get personal with Captain Roberts and his wingman, Sergeant Bronsworth. I don't mean just plunder information from them... Get close. Drinking buddies and whatnot... Just the level of trust where you can tell their personal ambition."

 

Then, completely without warning, Necro's stomach rumbled followed by a brief pain. He stood up fairly quickly and saluted. "Gotta go! Later" He then promptly ran out of the office for the bathroom.

 

<LT_Yorke> The phrase Scott's partner had once said was a familiar one. But the implication being that they were the enemy...though it was true, they defected from XCR, who's to say that they wern't double agents...A fair view really, and getting to know the folk would probably be best that way you could try and route out any double agents or dangerous characters.

 

<LT_Scott> "Ahem, Doc, as for you... You're from a separate squad so I can't really give you any orders, especially since we're the same rank. So the best I can do is ask you to get to know Faith Redwood while she acts as your nurse." Joseph sighed. "I'm aware you don't normally get to know fellow crewmembers, so in this case it might be better to play as her... Psychiatrist in a way. Since Martin Kacur died, it's been apparent that you've been filling that role anyway."

 

<LT_Yorke> Yorke nodded, since Kacur had died he had taken over the role of...well not a Psychiatrist, that would imply that he was trained...he'd taken the role of a councillor, a mate that the troops could chat too. "Okay fair enough, I'll try and get to know her a little, and see what her motivations and goals are." He said, not sure how he'd go about it, as normally unless the situation was quite bad he'd let the troops come and talk to him.

 

<LT_Scott> "Alright. Thanks, Doc." Joseph's attention turned to Jon Goorit. "Sergeant, I know I've forbidden you from seeing your sister altogether, but I've done some thinking... Morale is low at this point, and the tension of knowing your sister is here and being unable to see her can be more a liability than if you were. But I'm putting you on a restriction... You may speak to her for about one hour each week... That way you can get to know her, but your goal is not the same..."

 

<SGT_Shadow> "I see, sir. But, one hour?" Jonathan acknowledged, but though only one hour a week was far too little time to be of any practical use, both to the mission and getting to know Faith like he would like to.

 

<LT_Yorke> Yorke then felt his beeper go off. He took it off his belt and then got up. "Looks like I'm needed in medical, doesn't sound serious." He said absently. He made his way over ot the door his mind mulling over something, then he looked over to Scott and Shadow. "I'll talk with you guys later, er, tell Howardson to come down and see me if you see him oh and if you see Faith tell her to head down to my office I've got some jobs that need doing." And with that Yorke left.

 

<LT_Scott> "I'm not giving you this for the mission, Shadow. I'm doing this for morale purposes." As Yorke's beeper went off, Joseph nodded to the Doctor as he got up to leave. Business was business after all... Maybe Jacko just got another magnet lodged in his throat again... "Anyway, Jon. You're mission is to be more the Eagle's Eye rather than the claw. While Necro and Yorke talk to the XCR defectors, I want you to remain unbiased. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

 

<SGT_Shadow> "Yes, I do, lieutenant." Jonathan stated even though he didn't really agreed with the terms. One hour was definitely not enough time as he'd like, but he was determined to follow the rules... at least for a while. "Is there anything else, sir?" Goorit inquired.

 

<LT_Scott> "No, that's all for now Sergeant. Just remember, they report to you, and you report to me. I don't want things to get biased if Necro and Yorke get too close... Or too tense." Joseph stood up. "Dismissed Sergeant,"

 

<SGT_Shadow> "Yes, sir." Jonathan commented and saluted Scott. He turned around, walked up to the door and exited the lieutenant's office, closing the door behind him.

[DragonHawk]

Sorry guys, forgot to add this in way back when. This is the roleplay that was done during sim time on the 8th

 

>

 

Nova Alpha Omega, Arkunis IV, 4 January 2068

 

SETTING: Unfortunately for them, Sergeant Goorit and Corporal Necro were picked by the time honoured method of straw drawing to face the Ascidian inquisitor who was coming to the base today. It is 4 January 2068, the day after the botched attempt at the UFO recovery... The gits are indeed 'curious' as to see what happened.

 

Cpl. Necro: ::waits in the mess hall:: as long as there is no long rubber glove examination I'm happy

 

SETTING: Fortunately, they meet in the home turf of X-Com, Nova Alpha Omega on Arkunis IV. The two soldiers are seated in the mess hall, the only real meeting place available aside from the command center, where Cyriacus is busy planning another mission. Ryan, standing at the door, has been keeping others out... Suddenly, he snaps to attention and shouts the same. "Attention! Officer on the deck"

 

Cpl. Necro: ::stands to attention and salutes::

 

SETTING: A git officer strides into the room. It's been a while, but Necro at least recognizes him as Cu'ra'gus, leader of the Red Skulls. Cu'ra'gus nods at Necro's formality, but frowns somewhat at Shadow's lack of punctuality.

 

Cpl. Necro: ::stamps on SHadows foot to try and get him to stand::

 

Cu'ra'gus: At ease, soldiers. ::Curagus looks at Necro then Shadow.:: You were attached to the squad that conducted the saucer raid yesterday? ::Curagus' english is considerably better than when they last met.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: :: Is stamped on the foot by Necro :: *w* Agh! Okay, okay, corporal! :: Snaps to attention. He hadn't noticed the officer arriving, even though he was announced previously. He salutes Cu'ra'gus ::

 

Cpl. Necro: yes sir

 

Cu'ra'gus: ::Curagus blinked, then looked between the two. They seemed somewhat hesitant... idly, he wondered why.:: Who was in command of this mission? Which officer? ::The incompetent officers attached to the raiding force hadn't bothered to check whom the X-Com officer was, the lazy buggers. Curagus sighed. Training was lacking nowadays in the regular forces.::

 

Sgt. Shadow: Yes, sir, we did take part in that raid. Though it proved to be too difficult to take over one of those new dreadnought vessels, at least intact. :: Cu'ra'gus spoke again and Jonathan replied :: Lieutenants Scott and Yorke were in charge of the mission, sir.

 

Cpl. Necro: ::answering the questions asked by the git, he could only wonder to himself why they where under such a grilling::

 

Cu'ra'gus: I see. Well, from the battle logs, I saw no incompetence on their part. Except for their choice of target, things went as well as could be expected. ::The battleship HAD been too difficult a target, in retrospect. Other ships probably would not have yielded the same benefit, but at least there would have been benefit period.:: You know that the acquisition of technology is important to us yes?

 

Sgt. Shadow: Yes, we do, sir. But we were just overwhelmed by the enemy forces and had no choice but to down all the ships we could upon realizing we weren't going to be able to take over our target. It was better to "scuttle" them than let them regroup with their fleet.

 

Cu'ra'gus: ::Curagus nodded simply, using the human gesture to accentuate his words.:: Good. As it was, many were destroyed in space, a few on the ground, but a few escaped. That is war. Nothing was salvagable, unfortunately, as the craft were demolished quite completely. We scoured the surface after you had left, trying to find anything else... What do you think the base was there for?

 

Cpl. Necro: we're still not sure yet, we've got it down to a few things, either as a staging post for a full on battle or a listening post

 

Sgt. Shadow: I reckon it was a detachment from the main fleet, if there is one. I also assume the base was temporary, where they were planning their operation against us and your forces.

 

Cu'ra'gus: ::Curagus thought briefly, then turned to Necro.:: Corporal Necro, do you believe that the Starspawn would dare strike Ascidia directly? It would audacious of them, to be sure, but a fleet that size would not be invisible; we would detect them before they reached even the limits of the Arkunis system.

 

Cpl. Necro: it could be a possibility, either to draw forces away from one area, or just as a daring raid to show what they are capable of

 

Cu'ra'gus: A small force might just be in their minds, but they have that now as well... In reality, they could strike anywhere at any time, except that they cannot expose all of their bases in system. Patrols are turning up some, but not enough. ::Curagus turned to Shadow next.:: What operation do you think they have here? You've been on the front line of the X-Com force for a long time now, what is your advice?

 

Sgt. Shadow: I'm not sure, but I can assume they're planning something big. The XCR personnel claimed that your race was eventually dominated by the Starspawn, though we don't know how they did that. We must be extra careful about this, and never underestimate them.

 

Cu'ra'gus: I have heard of this claim... I find it hard to believe, purely from a mathematical standpoint. The next twenty, thirty years would not seem to be enough to subjugate our entire race... or even a large portion. Under what reason we would reach an agreement with them... ::Curagus shook his head, and wondered what factions of the Black Spear still existed... Perhaps they were more dangerous than he had originally thought.:

 

Sgt. Shadow: That's why we must never underestimate them. They have an ace under their sleeve, a secret that we need to unveil. Probably you didn't reach an agreement with them voluntarily, maybe you were forced to.

 

Cu'ra'gus: Being forced into such an arrangement is the anomaly that concerns me. They cannot force any such thing now, or they would have already. They cannot forcibly assimilate us within the next thirty years; numerically unlikely... It is a mystery, to be sure. ::Curagus reached down and picked up a large box from the floor, one he had carried into the mess hall. He placed it on the table.:: At any rate, we are investigating that. >>>

 

Cu'ra'gus: My primary reason for coming here is to ask whether you have seen one of these. ::Curagus opened the box and lifted out a smooth metal sphere. It looked like it might be made of steel or aluminum. The sphere was perfectly smooth, with only a seam running along its equator and a panel on both poles.::

 

Cpl. Necro: looks like a bowling ball sized grenade

 

Sgt. Shadow: Exactly, Necro, looks like a big explosive, or maybe some kind of Psi device. Have you scanned the device yet, sir? :: Jonathan inquired, puzzled by the mysterious alien object ::

 

Cu'ra'gus: We have scanned it. It seems to be some sort of electronic device... Not an explosive, as far as we can tell. Have you ever seen such a thing? ::He turned the object over in his hands.:: This panel here provides a linkage to an external power connection, standard Starspawn fare, while this end provides a data jack to... something, but we know not what.

 

Cpl. Necro: best not find out

 

Sgt. Shadow: The alien Psi Probes from AW I looked like that. Where did you find that thing? :: Shadow inquired again, still puzzled by the round object ::

 

Cu'ra'gus: Like this? I thought the Starspawn probes looked more angular... well, the readers, you may be thinking. The last reader I saw looked like this as well, but smaller, and utilizing a crystalline surface instead of a metal one. This was salvaged from the 'spawn landing zone on Arkunis IX, and it has baffled the technicians who have examined it.

 

Cpl. Necro: ::sneezes::

 

Cu'ra'gus: ::Curagus put the metal ball back in the box and pushed it over to the other side of the table.:: Contact one of your scientists and ask them to look at this object. I have no desire to see one of the Ascidian technicians attempt to break down this item... it looks to delicate for them. Report back to me directly when this has been done. Understand?

 

Cpl. Necro: I shall see that is it passed to our tech dept sir

 

Sgt. Shadow: Only God knows what that can be, sir. Only one was found, or many? It may be a tracking device of sorts, I wouldn't take my eyes off it. :: Receives Cu'ra'gus request and complies :: Yes, sir, we'll have our science guys investigate this... thing.

 

Cu'ra'gus: Only one so far, but keep your eyes out for others. ::Curagus stood and nodded to the two soldiers.:: I want to know what this is. Do not fail me. ::With that, Curagus turns sharply and leaves, grunting at Ryan, who opens the door quickly.::

 

SETTING: Shadow and Necro are left with this bizarre item, a souvenir of their visit to Arkunis IX. What is it? Who will they ask to find out? Stay tuned! END SIM!

[DragonHawk]

Nova Alpha Omega, Arkunis IV, 9 January 2068

 

Colonel Cyriacus examined the preliminary reports on the last mission. Yorke had no idea what the device was, unfortunately... Cyriacus had detached McBannok to go examine the device as well, and as usual, he had taken all his other research and development projects with him, enough to keep him occupied for at least a week. What a workaholic.

 

At least, there was a cursory examination of the device. McBannok had examined it and decided that it wasn't damaged beyond repair. All the circuit boards were in place or undamaged, and using the manual that had been left by the Sectoid foreman (for lack of a better title), the Ascidian technicians and engineers had managed to figure out how to reassemble the device. However, they really had no idea of what the device did, or how it did it... That was the next major step.

 

McBannok did point out one interesting thing though. The ball that Cu'ra'gus had brought for them, from Arkunis IX, seemed to be destined for a machine such as the one on Yurilis III Alpha. The sectoid technicians had tried to destroy the YIIIA metal ball by tossing it from the top of the machine to the floor. The ball had dented, but looked fine... Imaging showed otherwise though. The inside nanocircuitry had been turned to mush, and nothing could be gleaned from that. Rallwell was working on their version, with limited results.

 

Cyriacus thought about detaching Rallwell for work on this project. His gut feeling was that it was important. However, he didn't want all development to stop at NAO either. He sighed and flipped the folder closed.

[DragonHawk]

XCS Peregrine, Deep Space, 6 January 2068

 

"By the Emperor's left nut"

 

Lieutenant Commander Lor'ra'nus, the Peregrine's chief engineer, guffawed at the curse. "You forget, the Emperor has no such organ."

 

Lance Corporal Derrick Ko shrugged and looked again at the list of stores. "Irregardless of the particulars of the Ascidian anatomy... this is bulls***." One of the major power converters in the ship had failed. It had not taken anything with it, which was fortunate, but it the burn out had slagged much of the converter's frame, making it of suspect stability.

 

"It is, as you say, quite unfortunate." Lor'ra'nus shook his head. "There is not much we can do about that though. It requires a shipyard to replace, and at any rate, a large primary converter is not something that can be kept in stores."

 

"They are SUPPOSED to last for years," Ko said. "It seems unlikely that such an event could occur. Could there be something wrong with one of our checks, our repairs after the battle, something?"

 

"Of course, there could have been. Engineers are checking it over for hints." Lor'ra'nus looked sharply at Ko. "You are NOT thinking about sabotage."

 

Ko sighed. He had been, but he was a pessimist by nature. Sometimes things WERE actually out of his control, whether he liked it or not. "It's going to take us a long time to hop back to Yurilis' refit yards on our secondary converters."

 

Lor'ra'nus let his question slide. "Have Gur'tal'ak's team take a look at optimizing the alpha secondary, again. He's the best for the job."

 

Nodding, Ko stood. "Let's hope we don't burn out the secondaries as well..."

[DragonHawk]

Story

 

Mission