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[GiglameshDespair]

"It's amazing how even with the pauses for static it still creates complete words."
Stan retrieved his Hydro-jet from it's locker, gave his bonsai a last, loving look, and headed towards the communications deck.

[Dwarmin]

Stan heads through the Eastern bulkhead door, which slowly opens with a protesting wheeze-he quickly moves into the passage leading toward the communications deck. He barely pauses to look out the portholes into the icy cold ocean beyond, lit only by the exterior facility lamps-that rock that looks like a small dog has been there since the ice age, and it isn't moving any time soon. Also, the tunnels are not nearly as well built as the facility dorms and decks, being designed in a modular capacity, the alloy is much thinner, flexible, almost tent like-the idea being the failure of a connecting passage as not being 'important', they are built to be thrown up and taken down quickly by teams of relatively low skilled workers to accommodate quick expansion projects. He's always felt nervous walking through them.

...

The lock of the door behind him as he enters the communications deck is something of a relief, though the comm room itself is very cramped, loaded with stainless steel desks, banks of ancient computers, uncomfortable chairs bolted to the ground, and hanging bunches of wires and other doodads that seem to be designed to deck you in the face if you are over 5 feet tall. Stan himself, the shortest member of the crew, skillfully ducks under them.

Clacking at the relay console is boring and tiresome work-he has to concentrate to hit the 'words' and 'letters' just the right way, and occasionally even has to 'backspace' when he makes a 'mistake'. Stan dryly remembers his grandfather speaking about such devices as this, where you actually had to touch and pound the keys to get a computer to work like some sort of monkey with a bone. He had thought it was amusing at the time...ugh, so unhygienic, not to mention inefficient.

Most console systems these days, like the ones Stan has used all his life, use DPI-direct psionic input. You simply sit in your favorite MEF chair, wait for the mental exclusion field to come on, and you can more or less control any sort of machine just by thinking your commands-you can fly through information streams as fast as your minds can turn the wheels. Just think 'Redhead', and you get search results tailored down to your subconscious level. Pretty stellar...another gift from X-Com, and he wonders briefly how people ever lived without it.

He finally brings up the main system through painstaking clicking.

~Welcome to DSO 134 Operations Net~
User Login: ******
User Pass: ******

'Viglio Confido'

Security Net
Status: Online
Potential Hostiles Detected in last 24 hours: 10,137 Cases

Drone Reports
17 Pending

Engineering
Status: Online
SWS #1 Status: Unarmed
SWS #2 Status: Online, Active, On Patrol

Attention
Warning: 0.7% Atmosphere increase in dorm deck. Correcting.
Warning: Coffee Machine out of order.
Warning: Northeastern Quad. Pressure Sensors offline.
Warning: Southeastern Quad. Pressure Sensors offline.
Warning:  Eastern Quad. Pressure Sensors offline.

General Message System
4 Messages Waiting (!)

Private Communications (Insert Password to Continue)
[?] Maria V.
[?] Steady K.
[?] Stan E. [!]
[?] Empty

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18hcFaKzM6NXiPN_nUXD-Hp-nO_B4KIcLT6c-9tWeiy8/edit#gid=0

[GiglameshDespair]

The pressure sensors were offline? Well, that was a problem, since none of them were classified as engineering-trained operatives. He sighed and brought up the general reports, tapping his fingers impatiently while the machines whirred, clicked and gasped like the Terminator having a seizure.

[kilakan]

With a pneumatic hiss 'Kila's' helmet seals into place and he turns on the comm system for it attempting to reach Stan.
"You reading me stan?" ((not sure if our headset comms are being jammed too.))

[Dwarmin]

Stan hears Kila's voice perfectly, with no obvious interruption. It goes without saying the most expensive part of the complex is your suits...

...

The pressure sensors were offline? Well, that was a problem, since none of them were classified as engineering-trained operatives. He sighed and brought up the general reports, tapping his fingers impatiently while the machines whirred, clicked and gasped like the Terminator having a seizure.

Nothing happens. Stan watches as a small smiley face pops up in the middle of the screen.

:D/Error! False reading input command, Squaddie Clutterbuck*! Did you mean Drone Reports or General Messages? Abort, retry, fail? Lols!

*Stan thinks Clutterbuck was the last agent stationed here...no one's bothered to change his BIOS settings...

[GiglameshDespair]

"I hate this computer so much." he muttered to himself. He carefully typed "General Messages" into the command prompt, resisting the urge to put "you bastard" after it.

He leaned back while the computer started it's groaning cogitation and radioed back.
"Yeah, Stan here. Reading you fine. Apparently the pressure sensors on the eastern quadrants are all offline. So's the coffee machine, but that might be a mercy, really."

[kilakan]

"Dear god not the coffee machine those bastards." 'kila' says in an exaggerated voice.

"Can we get eyes on those quadrants so we know if they are even still there?"

[Dwarmin]

He leaned back while the computer started it's groaning cogitation and radioed back.
"Yeah, Stan here. Reading you fine. Apparently the pressure sensors on the eastern quadrants are all offline. So's the coffee machine, but that might be a mercy, really."

~#1

Source: X-Command
Sub: Mission Authorized
Priority: Urgent

Energy readings spike in quadrant 138. Satellite scans shows recent undersea storm activity has unveiled potential structures of unknown origin and content near to your location. Possibly inert alien craft reactivated? Profit potential noted. Hereby ordered to take squad to investigate possible structures, collect any on-site materials, prepare for load off at months end. XCO-NERO AI expresses concern, area previously quiet, no recorded shoot downs in area. Possible false reading, thermal vents? EXALT Activity? Self defense permitted.

Coordinates
Lat: 84.169784
Long: 41.92382813

~#2

Source: X-Command
Sub: Undersea Storm
Priority: Low

Strong tidal forces in area, expected. Low chance of damage to base systems. Should sleep through it.

~#3

Source: X-Command
Sub: Temp Readings
Priority: Low

X-COM Science team requests ocean temperature readings over next 24 hours. Again.

~#4

Source: X-Command
Sub: Pay Cuts
Priority: None

XCOM INC is displeased to announce the following packages pay and retirement benefits have been cut following poor fiscal year...

(Seems this will affect Stan and Earl the most who signed up under 'general infantry'. Maria was on the college installment plan, and unaffected.)

[GiglameshDespair]

Stan radioed again.
"We got a job from the brass.  Potential structures in quad-138. Probably just some oddly shaped rocks and a methane bubbleup again, but something's got Command jumpy, so we're going armed and dangerous. We able to stick something pointy and shooty on SWS-1?

...We also got a paycut, the bastards."

Don't join X-Com, his parents said. The aliens are gone. It's not a sustainable career choice.
He'd laughed at that. He could explore alien ships - this time not on the operating table. Help defend humanity, become rich, and meet hot babes who liked a man in uniform.
Instead he was in the arse end of the oceans, getting pay cuts on a already measly salary. At least there wasn't anything to spend it on here, so when he got out he'd have a decent pay packet. Maybe he could become a gardener.

He scrolled to his private communications and input the password. Still, he mused, something had got command jumpy. The alien ships didn't work so well underwater, and unless the Sectoids had suddenly grown gills since the war, neither did they. So any defence would be from overly aggressive halibut. Why X-Com had spent so much on developing underwater weapons was a mystery when there was nothing to fight underwater.

[Twinwolf]

Maria is ready to go.

[kilakan]

Steady is also ready, and is looking forwards to maybe getting to shoot a shark or two at the least.

[kilakan]

"Pointy and shooty?  What did you 'ave in mind there stan?"

[Dwarmin]

He scrolled to his private communications and input the password. Still, he mused, something had got command jumpy. The alien ships didn't work so well underwater, and unless the Sectoids had suddenly grown gills since the war, neither did they. So any defence would be from overly aggressive halibut. Why X-Com had spent so much on developing underwater weapons was a mystery when there was nothing to fight underwater.

*clickety clack clack*

Hmm, it's a message from your old 'friends', the Cult of Sirius. This group apparently believes humanity can only be 'redeemed' by Alien Invaders. And, since you were 'touched by the great lights', they consider you some sort of holy icon...they've actually offered you a great deal of money to shill for them...well, they call it being a spokesman...

Stan Eaman!
Blessing upon you, from the Brotherhood of Sirus!
May the Saviors visit you in your dreams and grant you wisdom!

We have not heard from you in some time. We are worried. Rest assured, when you joined XCOM a short time ago, we know you had been sadly misguided and lied to by expert manipulators-and that perhaps, we had not been persuasive enough in proving to you that our Alien Saviors truly had blessed you, and had marked you to help prepare the world for their 'second coming'. You can help this second coming, the final, true visit-where the saviors will cleanse this world of hate, greed, and evil, ushering all humans into a grand future free of pain and fear!

Please respond to us, and rest assured we can find you no matter where you XCOM chooses to hide you. The Saviors grant us vision, and we see much. Our offer to take you into our bosom still stands, if you wish to journey from the darkness of the cold sea, up to the world of sunlight once more-we could use your voice to spread our ideals far and wide. Come, do not be afraid any longer-recognize the truth, that the Saviors wanted to help you all along ,and you will be forgiven all sins. Compensation and fringe benefits are only the material benefits you may earn. Have you thought of your future, perhaps of a family? There are many sisters in the Brotherhood who want to meet you!

Do you hear the Song of the Saviors now, Stan Eaman? Long ago it was silenced, in violence and bloodshed, but soon all will hear it sung once again in triumph. They reach their hands across the stars, and we will reach back...and all will be one mind, one will, one purpose-one love.

Please contact us soon as you can, Stan Eaman. We are waiting, and watching!

[GiglameshDespair]

Them again? How did they even message him here? That bit about the sisters was somewhat tempting, if it was their bosum he'd be welcomed to. The whole part about the aliens coming in peace was a crock of shit, of course. Benevolent overlords would have at least heard of using anaesthetic in their operations - there had been plenty of damn hate and fear on their spaceships. He sighed and keyed the transmitter.

"I dunno, look on the racks for something. There's probably a Shredder cannon or aqua-jet for it hanging around."

Finally he brought up the drone reports and skimmed through them with an uninterested eye. Hopefully they'd have the SWS armed by the time he got there. Aliens, EXALT or upset haddock, he always felt better with a submersible tank by his side.

[kilakan]

'Kila' looks at the shredder cannon in his hands, shrugs and thinks to himself -now where did I leave that spare...- before quickly hooking up whatever heavy weaponry he can to the SWS, preferably another shreddercannon as he quite likes the booming sound they tend to make.