UFO Fanfiction Discussion

[JellyfishGreen]

Deadly use of colour! Better than my summary - Aliens:2, XCOM:2!

 

Colette Hiller (rhymes with 'filler') is out with a sprained ankle from training.

 

Yes I can write the continuation post, in which it's all over but the cheering! I was hoping someone else would, but I guess not. Stay tuned. If I don't hammer it out this afternoon it won't show until the weekend as I'll be back in North London tomorrow.

 

Oh, and there will be a squad reshuffle and/or new soldiers drafted once we're back at base, and there will be some samples of a yttrium-titanium alloy for the scientists, that can be bent and shaped using pulsed superconductor electromagnets, but cannot be manufactured using any known process.

 

EDIT: Post is up. See you all next week, unless you can make it to the secret base.

[The Veteran]

Very nice JFish, I stuck both posts into the new one and deleted the old for you. I see Rick's got his first official kill then Nice one.

 

I'll try and post the mopping up bit later unless someone beats me too it. But feel free to beat me to it! It'll just mean I have to write something different!

[Snikers]

and there will be some samples of a yttrium-titanium alloy for the scientists, that can be bent and shaped using pulsed superconductor electromagnets, but cannot be manufactured using any known process. 

I'm confused. Can't you make Alien Alloys in the labs in XCOM? Is there something I'm not getting here?

 

Oh, and yes, VERY good mission summary.

[Spaceman42]

Snikers - not before you've researched them.

Sorry, got ambushed by midterms. I'll have recovered around 1st Nov.

[JellyfishGreen]

Snickers - I don't know, I never bother manufacturing alloy as we usually have warehouses of the stuff after a UFO crash. So keeping the origins mysterious but the material workable into armour and the like would have the same effect and make a better story IMHO

 

Vet - Uh, okay, my double-posting has been struck from the record Tired now, will have to wait for creative juice to regenerate. Fanfic-fu is weak.

 

After the mopping-up (if any) the new research at base should be considered (and titled) Chapter Three.

 

JFG

[Spaceman42]

JFG - Maybe make it so it *can* be made, but it's too energy-consuming to do. High-energy plasma, special facilities and the like. "We can replicate the conditions in which we believe the alloys were formed, but... it'd take the full energy output of a large nuclear reactor to do so."

[The Veteran]

Is there really any point though? I mean like JFish said, we don't need to make it... So why bother wasting space in the fic writing about it when we can be writing in some character or story development...

[Alitorious]

Okay, I updated the summary after JFish's update.

 

Hey.... why not use that as the debreifing thing in the fanfic itself?

 

Although... the fanfic version probably wouldn't have colours, and should use lastnames for all the characters during the context of the thing.

 

(I just don't know if I should put it in right away, or wait a while...)

 

 

(Ahh.... what the 'ell why not? I suppose it it doesn't fit then Vet will move it, eh?)

[The Veteran]

Me? Move it? Never! I just edited it slightly... Well completely overhauled it but it's still in your name Ali It means I can still post my own instalment after it!

[Rasicar]

Before I send my post, could someone just give me a quick answer. Does the base have an alien containment center yet, or not? If not, I'm probably going to take care of the alien kicking the bucket, if it does, then I have other ideas that I'm going to take care of as well.

 

-Nathan

[Alitorious]

No, I don't think there's a specialized 'alien containment' yet... though facilities must exist for the holding of captured hostiles. (It won't "die" immediately.)

Though, check the 'pine gap layout' thread. I think it shows if it does or not.

 

And, Vet, I don't mind the massive editing. In fact, I realized that it was pretty much *cough*crap*cough* . I was about to say that it should be totally redone. And... uh... it was!

Besides, yours is *way* much better.

 

(And you should give the credit to yourself for that post, sheesh! I don't need it! )

 

 

Hrmm... somebody needs to post about the cleaning up of the site... how they recover the UFO itself, I mean. (I'm guessing the alien weapons will be carried back in the skyranger.)

 

What I was particularly curious about was how the site would be guarded while the osprey and security team is en route? Did they leave half the squad there with food rations?

 

And I think the UFO should be remarkably light for its size. Light enough that a helicopter could probably transport the entire thing back to base. (And Zager wouldn't let them cut it up anyway, heh heh. )

 

So, uh... there's some ideas to consider for the next person.

 

 

 

*Okay, I just checked the base layout. There's a 'planned containment' center for large animals, but nothing for small aliens. I suppose they'll just be held in the brig/jails/whatever (Obviously I'm not a military type.) It won't perish instantly, of course. I doubt it would be more than a couple of days until it dies from lack of food/whatever.

 

I wanted to post a bit concerning the relief squad, but only after I know what happens with the 'site containment' problem after the mission ends but before the osprey gets there.

[Spaceman42]

I think it was, casualties get medevac'd, remaining troops guard until the Osprey / BUFF cargo haulin' 'copter gets there. *thinks* I think I have that written out, actually. Ought to put it in the FM...

[The Veteran]

JFish did the base layout for Pine Gap and I later modified it slightly... I don't remember the alien containment place... And I can't remember where all of my maps ghave gone :o

 

Here they are. They must've been under that bed for months

Right... There is an alien containment unit being planned. It's on sub level 4 with the generators and the bio lab. It's 17x10 meters on the original plan so it'll be able to hold any aliens we want. I guess half of it will be kind of cells in which to store the larger aliens. They'd have atmopheric controls etc. The other half is like we see on the game, just cryo-like tubes that hold the aliens in partly suspended animation. Slowing down their functions allows the slowing of their metabolism etc. Therefore they are able to survive for longer periods without food.

[The Veteran]

Right, I've just deposited an uber-post in the UFO fanfic. It's three days worth for me as I'm now away until sunday! Hope you all have fun while I'm away and there had better be a nice lot of posts in the fic when I get back

[Hankosha]

Post edited.

I need someone to post a ceremony to mourn the death of O'Malley. Thanks.

[JellyfishGreen]

Well, that certainly broke the fanfic logjam... ages waiting for a bus and then five come along at once. Congrats to all of you, and Vet, I hope you're old enough to drink because I'm going to buy you one when we meet someday. This is good stuff.

 

Alien containment - I pictured the alien could survive a few hours - maybe a day - Earth atmosphere is too high in carbon dioxide or some other trace gas - not until we analyze the UFO's own atmosphere system will we know how to keep an alien alive indefinitely, and then we prepare the proper alien containment chamber for the next mission. What we do get out of the grey is not much, it's only a soldier, clicking strings of insectoid language.

 

Cargo - we torched off and hauled back a few hundred pounds of alloy for the scientists to sink their teeth into but the rest of the hull will take a few days by surface - if you want to get technical about it. It'll be there when you need it.

 

The stage is still open for someone to discover samples of wildlife on the UFO, if in fact that was the mission we so rudely interrupted.

 

Relief squad - they're only an hour away, although it does make sense to medevac the squad1 wounded ASAP. Maybe we were smart enough to throw a MASH on board the Osprey? Whatever you make up, Ali, I'm sure we can live with.

 

JFG

[Rasicar]

If Zager doesn' t mind, I'll take care of the containment from the scientific aspects of it sometime this weekend as well as take care of the ceremony for O'Malley and Shuwei if no one else wants to. I figured I'd kick up the time a little bit and we can assume that everything went fine as far as the UFO mop-up and transportation went.

 

Honestly, I think that Squad 1 would probably have left once the containment team arrived, and that probably would have been fairly shortly after the green smoke had been given. Reasoning for this would be that the containment team would more then likely have some soldiers with them to not only relieve the current squad but also to make sure that nothing weird happens while transporting the alien equipment and craft.

 

Also I'm thinking about addingin a new character. I leaning towards having it be a computer savant or some other kind of geek that will fit into R&D and Intelligence. Also thinking about introducing a character who's specialty is biochemistry / neurology that everyone can use. Again, just a thought.

 

So yeah, I'm done with my spiel, give me some feedback if you have any suggestions.

 

-Rasicar

[Alitorious]

There. Edited my last post to include the recovery operation. Let me know if anything's messed up or other stuff.

 

(Actually, is it just me, or have I gotten worser at writing in the past months?)

 

Hrmm... Mars' atmosphere is like completely carbon dioxide, and much thinner, too. Maybe they don't like the high concentration of oxygen/nitrogen and the overall thickness of the air?

 

(Or, why DO they survive on mars, anyway?)

 

And more techheads are good thing!

[The Veteran]

Ras, at the end of your post it says Terrick has a bandaged hand but it was Donovan who hit the bag wasn't it? Or at least that's what it looks like... Also look through your post. There are a few linking words missing so it needs a bit of interpretation. Careful with that!

Keep up the good work though, that's a good post

 

Who's next???

[Rasicar]

All right. I'll run an edit and I'll attach along with it the ceremony. I haven't heard what people are going to do with the alien so I'll throw in what sounds good. If someone doesn't like it, I can edit it out later.

 

-Ras

 

p.s. Okay, the ceremony is done and same with the alien. If anyone wants to go into tech. detail on it, by all means feel free to. Also, Seamus O'Rourk is everyones to play with. I'm introducing him as a bio-geek in case you couldn't tell. Not the head mucky-muck of the division, but VERY intelligent.

 

Edited the earlier post and slugged a couple commas in to help make everything clear and reworded a very small section to make things easier.

 

Any questions, comments, etc. fire away.

[Snikers]

Ras, at the end of your post it says Terrick has a bandaged hand but it was Donovan who hit the bag wasn't it? Or at least that's what it looks like..

Uuuuhhh....Donovan also has a bandaged hand, it's just not mentioned...and Terrick, uh, Got his hand stuck in the Skyranger door. That was messy...

[Tammy]

That's why I haven't been posting. I don't have the mental focus right now to make sure I get the details right. You guys have been doing a great job with the Tammy character, though. Feel free to do as you please with her and Cleo/Poison, too. I'll do my best to get back to the fanfic after this play is over with!

[Rasicar]

Well, I gothte detailsright, I just screwed up on Grammer. As to why I've been gone, summer vacation rolled around and I got involved in a few things and to be honest, just flat out forgot and then sat down at a computer and said, 'oh yeah, I'm doing a collaberative fanfic.'

 

Anyway, I got a few ideas on the backburner, but I'm going to wait for a few people to post before I throw up another one.

 

-Ras

[JellyfishGreen]

Random thoughts.

 

- My main objectives for Chapter Three are to give squads 2 and 3 combat missions and to develop alien-alloy armour and laser rifles. Squad 3 is looking to be whittled down by something bad, like a night terror mission, as it's full of filler characters. The mission expositions don't have to be as long as the first contact mission was, but it is the first mission for these characters. Then again, we had nearly a page dedicated to a New Year's party, so a good dose of combat won't go amiss.

 

- We engaged the enemy after they fired first. I still think we need some justification for going after the UFO's with the purpose of blowing them out of the air - maybe the terror mission is the motivation - "we can't let one of those happen again".

 

- Shuwei should have a marker cross too even if her body went to her family.

 

- Loonie, is the time right for Terrick to get a letter, ostensibly from his wife but containing code phrases from Y Corporation? Do we want that sub-plot moving at this time?

 

- The Autocannon has been given 20mm grenades, similar to those available for the US Army's new OICW and available in a variety of AP and HE flavours. This makes more sense than a minigun, given the low rate of fire, but is still weaker than the Heavy Cannon, which we can assume to take 40mm (M203) grenades.

[Loonie]

Heh, don't ask me! I relenquished control of my character a long time ago. As I've said I've got a lot of other things to worry about and unfortunately it's forced me to stop playing Martin Terrick.

 

So do with him as you like, including death or execution by X-Com.