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[cganya]

I am working on the next post, I'm just busy with school and spent the night playing exalted with buddies.

epic battle over the equivalent of a hand sized nuclear power plant. it blew up and we woke up a few millennium in the past. fun setting. i should be able to get more done on the story tomorrow.

[Archangel]

Just a note: I've added a bit to my description.

[cganya]

Just a note: I've added a bit to my description.

noted. and concerned ^.^;

[cganya]

I had ordered for jet fighter cannons, "the best human kind has to offer". The phrase was starting to grate on my nerves. I ordered plenty of ammunition for the cannons as well as some more avalanche missiles and regrettably more soldiers.

The next morning I heard knocking on my door. I got up and rubbed my head, shaking the sleep out of my head as the banging continued. I opened my door a crack, a pasty skinned scientist was waiting outside. "What?" I sneered at the man.
"Sorry to bother you commander but we came up with something we thought you would like."
"If you don't tell me exactly what it is you got me up out of bed at 2am for in 10 seconds I will feed you your spleen." I glared at him groggily, not caring that he could see me in my night clothes.
He swallowed hard and stammered. "th-the med-kits you wanted are done, we have a prototype for you to see, please don't feed me my spleen please!



"Finally." I thought to myself. "Good work, I will be there in ten." I closed the door and rested my head against it. At least this should be promising. I quickly got dressed and made my way to the laboratories. Once I had arrived I found my team of scientists standing around a worktable with a light blue box with a green screen on it. The box was about the size of a laptop but twice as wide and thick.
"So this is the prototype?" I asked as I looked it over carefully.
"Yes commander." Replied one of the female scientists. "We were able to include an X-ray scanner into the design as well as eliminated the need for the device to be stationary by increasing the speed the images are taken." She stepped back and another scientist stepped forward.
"We designed a surgical tool kit that could quickly sterilize each tool multiple times. We also included a non-fibrous set of gloves that fit snugly to the field surgeon's skin that can be quickly re-sanitized." He stepped back. "They prepared this whole explanation didn't they?" I thought to myself as the next scientist stepped forward.
"The kit includes broad spectrum pain killers and stimulants. Each chemical is pre-loaded and can be quickly sterilized with a simple wrist motion allowing the same needle to be used on multiple patients without cross contamination." The third scientist stepped back and without missing a beat a fourth, shorter scientist lifted the prototype, turned it upside down with it's interior exposed and shook it violently. "And the best part is that it's all self contained. Nothing spills or falls out even if you throw it!" Which is exactly what he decided to do. The short bearded scientist threw the med-kit across the room towards a worktable, landing on it's steel corner. I walked over calmly to the med-kit and picked it up off the ground by the shoulder strap, examining it. The scientists watched in complete silence as I found only a scratch where the device had connected with the hard edge.
"This med-kit is of the highest quality craftsmanship." The scientists cheered in unison. "This will certainly be a benefit to our ground forces. Please forward the plans to our technicians and tell them to get started, I'll have the paper work there as soon as I get their estimates." I looked over each scientist with a smile on my face. "You have done an exemplary job and should all be proud of yourself. Now two things: First I want you men and women to start developing that laser technology you proposed to me on my arrival to this base."



"Secondly I want you to lend me this prototype for the day, I think our wounded soldier will appreciate seeing it." I moved quickly back to my personal quarters and began packing my portable command computer as I prepared for a long helicopter trip.

On the trip towards northern Florida I finished assessing the estimates the technicians had e-mailed to me. It would take them one day and 18 hours to produce each med-kit and it would cost a staggering $28,000 to produce. We needed these devices though and I would be damned before I would tell my soldiers they couldn't have them. I put forward the order to start producing them anyways.

I arrived at the Hospital from the roof and was escorted into the building by an X-Com operative who had been watching over Myroc. The med-kit slung over my shoulder. I Entered the room that Myroc was recovering in, I winced when I saw that the doctors had amputated his legs at the thighs. "Hello Myroc, I thought you could use some company." I said as I turned and locked the door quietly.
"Commander? What are you doing here?" He turned in his wheelchair to face me fully.
"Yes, may I pull up a seat?" I asked, putting my hand on the backrest of a nearby chair
"Of course commander. Did we kill those bastards who got me?" He looked ready to jump out of his chair, if only he could.
"Yes, there were no survivors. Though the price was high..." I trailed off, not wanting to get into details. "I came to cheer you up and then tell you more bad news."
"He chuckled meekly" What could be worse than the chair I'm sitting in?" He asked, annoyed.
"I'll start with the bad news then. Steve and Razorwire got it worse than you did. Thankfully they did not suffer. Their wounds killed them instantly." I lowered my eyes and waited for this to sink in.
"They died? DAMN IT! I... Those damn aliens... I'll kill them all! If... If only I still had my legs..." He looked up at me with frustration. "What do I do commander? What do I tell my little sister?"
"Tell her it was a training accident, like you were debriefed. Know that you will keep fighting to keep her safe. I also came here to offer you a position so that you could do just that." I toss a book on the table next to his bed, it read: "Heavy Weapon Platforms and You!". "I asked Mario to show you the ropes if and when you return to base. Assuming you still want to come back."
"Are you kidding? Set the bastard who shot me up in the firing range. I want to turn it into a pulp!" He shook his fist.
"That's the spirit soldier. Now that concludes business, how about I show you what the scientists have cooked up?" I Heft up the med-kit onto Myroc's bed. "This is the new med-kit, this here is a portable X-ray scanner." I point to the screen. "And inside..." I unlatch the side of the med-kit and open it up revealing the inside of the med-kit, once filled with state of the art tools, now refitted with a 6 pack of beer. "We have our moral boosters."

After about an hour of drinking Myroc seemed to be feeling a bit better. I told him I had to get back and that a helicopter would take him back to base once he was sufficiently recovered. I unlocked the door to the room and left. As I walked towards the elevator I passed a young woman who looked at me intently. I thought nothing of it and left for my waiting helicopter.

--------------------------------
I thought I'd never get that post done. this week has been very stressful with school, my roommates giving their 2 months notice, my bank balance dipping all the way to $76 (it got better ) and a ten year old girl committing suicide in my neighbor hood (close friend to the daughter of a friend of mine). this all with the stress of needing to have a job as soon as possible after I graduate is exhausting. but this weekend I don't have any plans so i "plan" on getting much more work done here. Thanks for sticking with me and my LP I promise I will get more high quality posts out (or if you hate my crappy writing, I promise I'll get closer to posting stat up's for survivors )

[rickvoid]

10 year-old commited suicide?

Great, now daddy can have a new nightmare about his munchkin.

[cganya]

10 year-old commited suicide?

Great, now daddy can have a new nightmare about his munchkin.

Give her a good long hug then. don't worry as I believe it was a very dysfunctional family...

[rickvoid]

I kinda figured, but I didn't want to pry.

Your friend's daughter needs some hugs too.

[cganya]

I kinda figured, but I didn't want to pry.

Your friend's daughter needs some hugs too.

It is in these dire moments when an icon of innocence and purity can fathom no further hope, a concept so dark and dooming that it makes us think "If they couldn't, how could I?"; It is important to instead think that it is not our faults and our fears that make us human, but that we overcome our faults and our fears.

Hearing about that little girl struck a cord deep within many and within myself. How can we look forward when the world feels stopped? We simply steel ourselves and prepare, changing ourselves to miss such an event.

We cope in the fact that we will do everything in our power to never let such a thing happen again. Hug your child tight and tell him or her that they are the most important person in the world.

[zchris13]

RAAA YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE.  STUPID CANNONS.

[cganya]

The next day I attended Steve's and Razorwire's funeral service. it was quiet and foreboding. Were these deaths just accidents or were there many funerals to come? Or not enough funerals to come? What if this was just the tell tale signs of the main invasion? What if tomorrow  earth as we knew it would crumble under the heat of green fire?

We would stop them at any cost. Each soldier standing before the two closed caskets, listening to the base chaplain wanted another chance to give the little gray men their pay back. I hope each and every one of them fails to disappoint.

A couple days later the new soldiers arrived. The first on the list was Roll Fizzlebeef.



He was generally a good soldier but suffered bouts of shouting, dancing and careless firing when under stress. His nickname is "Samity Sam", it doesn't help that he has the mustache for it.

The Second was "Archangel".



A soldier more at home in the air than on ground. He scored generally well on all his tests.

Next was Ashley Smith.



She scored well on all her combat testings. She has no official training and was only recruited because of a clerical error that allowed her to go onto the testing phase. Once she completed her tests she was admitted based on her merits despite a complete lack of official training. It said on her history report that she was previously a janitor for a military base in the US.

The fourth soldier on the list was a strange soldier who goes by the codename "The Chosen".



His reaction time is particularly notable but his history report meets all our standards to the letter.

Next on the list is Argatson.



A very professional soldier who prefers using heavier equipment. Argatson is unique in the he is one part soldier, one part scientist and has shown great interest in the laser based weapons we have planned to develop.

Lastly we have Darkwind.



An associate of Razorwire. She has made it clear upon recruitment that she is out for alien blood. It appears her connection to Razorwire was quite strong. Nerveless, Darkwind's precision with both firearm and grenade are amazing. Perhaps she and Razorwire trained together.

Restless days go by as each soldier practices and prepares, preening their skills and nerves. I check with the radar technicians daily to see if they have seen even shadows. Nothing.

On the 17th I receive a report detailing the completion of the new living quarters. This would be great news if not for the complete lack of funds.

On the 19th the scientists had contacted me. They had made a breakthrough on the laser weapons project.



They sent me reports in great detail on how they managed to develop a light focusing array along with a new power source in order to produce lethal bursts of light. The light waves were accelerated past the gamma spectrum and sustained for a few fractions of a second on target, burning a hole through steel. The only remaining problem is creating the power source to be fast, powerful and compact enough for use by a soldier on the field of combat. I told them to continue working on that hurdle after looking over some theorized solutions, one involving fusion/fission hybrid mini-reactor.

More days go by. It was maddening. What if they were thwarting our radar technology? What if they were impersonating our own air traffic? What if? Best not to dwell on "what if's"

On the 23rd I check my finances again and they are projected to red-line within a couple days. I mull the problem over with the other leading officers.



The individual in charge of our researchers comes up with an idea. "Why don't we sell some of the alien artifacts we have gathered?" He said.
"Are you insane? the general populace doesn't even know aliens exist, nor should we reveal them or ourselves." I replied.
"Yes but our funders know we exist. They have scientists who would flip over backwards for some of this stuff. even if we don't get any information out of their work we can at least auction off any excess items we have. It's a temporary solution at best." He explained.
"He's right. at least until our med-kit manufacturing gets into gear. I took the liberty of contacting several hospitals to discuss how much they would pay for such a device and the numbers look good. An average of $46,500. That leaves us with a profit of $18,500. If our engineers are not busy with something else, why not start supplying hospitals and countries with these devices?" He was trying to convince me. So far the engineers had not offered much towards the base save assisting the mechanics and technicians. They were in no real danger though, I knew they would soon be very valuable.
"OK then, lets call our funders and host a friendly auction. we'll offer a taste of our findings to the highest bidder. Lets also sell all but 2 of our med-kits to interested buyers. I think we should continue to manufacture med-kits once some capital has been generated." I decided. With the meeting concluded I returned to my quarters to look over our list of "spoils". I selected 1 of each weapon and accessory we had including a deep blue orb that looked more like a precious gem than a tool. I also told the scientists to choose a little gray man they wished to study once they had the free time, I choose the rest to be sold. Meanwhile I decided to sell off the extra avalanche missile launchers and the med-kits set aside for sale.

That evening I had two messages waiting for me on my computer. First the auction was a great success and along with our other sales we had managed to raise over a million dollars. Second, the scientists had already developed their fusion/fission generator and it was small enough to fit in the handle of a pistol!



Must have been a pretty good epiphany. I decided to pay the good scientists a visit. They showed me in person the efficient and effective laser pistol. I was impressed and promised them that we would make good on their work as soon as the current line of med-kits was finished production. They told me that they could increase the effectiveness of the laser pistol with more time. They predict that all they would need to do was make the weapon larger and heavier and they could create a more accurate and powerful beam.



I gave them the "go ahead" and left them to their work.

With the newly received funds in our account I decided to hire an extra group of engineers to join the team already in the workshop. The engineers had told me that there was plenty of room in the workshop and that more skilled workers could increase their productivity.

I awoke with a start as the alarm from my computer went off. I groaned as I saw the time, 1:30am. I closed my eyes again and nearly fell right back into sleep before I remembered what the alarm was for.
"All commanding officers to the command center, a ufo has been detected"
My blood ran cold as I jumped up out of bed, dressing myself quickly. Minutes later I arrived at the command center. The radar technician's assistant stepped up as I entered the room as she did the past 3 times. "The ufo that was detected is small and heading south-east at 1800 kt/s." She read from her clip board.



"Scramble Interceptor 1, Mac's bird. I want to see what he can do with those cannons." I ordered.
"I'm prepped already commander, receiving co-ordinates now." He replied through the radio.
"It's north of the border but its moving fast." Noted the radar technician as I set up my command console.

Several dozen minutes went by with very little chatter. The whole room including Mac was focused. Mac caught up to the ufo in the central US and managed to damage it with his cannons. He dodged two plasma beams before the ufo accelerated away. It appeared that Mac was living up to his reputation.

The ufo changed directions and started heading back towards Canada. Mac tailed it for an hour before being able to re-engage over the Yukon. Mac got in close but had taken a couple hits.



Mac held in there though, cursing and swearing at the ufo as he held down his trigger finger. In moments Mac took another hit and was looking bad enough for me to call him off but before I could the ufo lost altitude and smashed into the earth.



"Shall we send the ground forces commander?" One of the commanding officers asked me.
"No, not yet. let them sleep for two more hours then get them up and prepped. We strike at dawn."

TO BE CONTINUED

------------------------

So I hope everyone is enjoying my story. please leave comments. I want to know if I waste too much time detailing the little things or if you feel I am leaving something out.

[Myroc]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

STARTING...

X-COM UFOPAEDIA ACCESSED

USERNAME: MYROC
PASSWORD: **********

VALIDATING...

USER VALIDATED. WELCOME, MYROC.

ACCESSING UFOPAEDIA FILES...

Category: Heavy Weapons Platforms





ACCESSING PERSONAL LOGS...

Personal log, Jan 20th, 1999, 17:30 CET

The commander came for a visit today. She said she was sorry for me losing my legs, as well as offering me a position as a HWP (Heavy Weapons Platform) pilot, which means my X-COM service is not over yet! I've been studying this book she gave me for the last hour or so, and I think I got the basics of it. It does look pretty easy, it says that you can even hook up a console controller and pilot it perfectly.

She also showed me part of a medkit the eggheads had developed. I say "part of", since she had replaced most of the interior with beer. Ah well, can't say no to a few cans of liquor!

...hang on, I gotta go, someone wants to talk to me again.

LOG END.

READ NEXT ENTRY? [Y/N]

[Mephansteras]

  Long before the others assembled Darkwind stood in full kit at door of the dropship. She'd heard the alarm, and her blood raced. Finally, a chance to give those gray bastards what they deserve!

[cganya]

I chose some new recruits to take on this mission rather than only more experienced members because they were fresh and needed to be field tested. Of the experienced soldiers I sent Cerapa, Tamunshin, Spartan, RAM 1 and Heridden Barbarossa. With them I sent Archangel, Darkwind, Ashley Smith, Roll Fizzlebeef and Dash Gunmetal who had a hissy-fit when we told him that he would be arriving at sunrise. He clamped up when he was told that the sooner he went, the less bright it would be.

When the drop-ship arrived it was still quite dim outside but at least it was not black. I watched closely as Mario started up his tank remotely.



He moved out of the Skyranger and looked around. He found the ufo quickly enough but he couldn't find any hostiles. He identified the ufo as the cross shaped ufo they had encountered before but this time it was covered in smoke. He went further checking the Skyranger's flanks but found nothing.

The ground team exited the Skyranger and formed a circle at it's ramp's base. While Mario ventured further. Suddenly a green blast came at Mario's tank, deflecting off the turret into the sky harmlessly. Mario traced the shot to a group of nearby trees between two hills. Ashley Smith and Archangel climbed a nearby hill to get a better vantage.



Spartan, meanwhile, moved out in-front of the Skyranger onto another hill that overlooked the other side of the ufo. He setup a sniper position to cover the breach team as they moved up along the ufo.



Mario spotted the little gray man who had shot at him earlier. He watched it dash over the hill on the far side of the small group of trees.



He moved closer to the alien but stopped when he spotted the shadow of another alien waiting in ambush behind the ufo.



"Guys, it's Mario here, I'm a few meters away from an ambush, I spotted an alien in the east corner of the ufo. Can anyone get at it for me?"
"Actually, I can." Replied Dash Gunmetal, Heridden Barbarossa looked at him strangely



"How? that's the other side of the ufo." Barbarossa crossed his arms.
"Like this." Dash Gunmetal grabbed his grenade off his belt and armed it, tossing it over the ufo.
Barbarossa grabs his face in disbelief. "Why didn't I think of that?"



Dash Gunmetal's grenade explodes and smoke pours out from around the corner of the ufo. Mario moves in for a visual conformation when smoldering green blasts come at him from the smoke.
"Shit, he's still up!" Mario reels in his chair, firing a rocket towards the alien. The rocket hits the side of the ufo, covering the area in smoke. The alien still stood within the thickening smoke.



"I don't know how many more of these things can bounce off my tank before one sinks in..." Warns Mario.
RAM 1 looks at Dash Gunmetal carefully. "You have a good idea Dash, but I think I see what you did wrong."



RAM 1 pulls the grenade from his belt, arms it and pauses before throwing it, calculating his aim before tossing it over the ufo.



Mario watches the grenade hit the alien through the billowing smoke. The grenade explodes and a shrapnel filled alien collapses to the ground.
"Holy crap RAM 1! Direct hit!" Exclaimed Mario.
Dash Gunmetal sneered at RAM 1 for stealing his thunder.

The team had setup a good perimeter, Darkwind had joined Spartan overlooking the one side of the ufo while Cerapa and Tamunshin Watched over the other side.

Mario moves up the nearby hill to find the alien that had given him the slip. He quickly spots it in a small valley between two hills.



"Found it, There's an alien just over the hill, I'll draw it's attention." Mario broadcasts as he moves across the alien's field of vision. The alien see's him and opens fire, none of the shots manage to land on Mario's tank.

Archangle grabs his grenade, arms it, and tosses it over the hill. It explodes and rips the alien apart from behind. One could say that it was "super effective".
"Target down, nice throw Archangel." Comments Mario.



Meanwhile Heridden Barbarossa carefully moves around the edge of the ufo, spotting another little gray man in the south corner.



"Found another one over here." He whispers into the radio channel. "Can anyone take him out?"
"I have a shot" Calls out Spartan as he lines up his rifle on the alien.



A bullet screams out of his rifle and in an instant the alien falls to the ground.
"Thanks Spartan. Now lets set up a breach and finish this." Commanded Barbarossa. I didn't think much of him when I met him but he is quickly becoming a good team leader.

The breach team moved up along the ufo as Spartan and Darkwind brought up the rear.
"It played possum!" Shouted Dash Gunmetal as he noticed the alien Spartan had just shot, up and running away.



"It's unarmed, I'll get it!" He shouted as he took off in a sprint towards the wounded alien. He was fast and managed to close the distance quickly.



The alien slipped past him though and changed directions suddenly. Dash Gunmetal cursed at the little gray man and continued his pursuit.



Dash quickly closed the distance again and lodged his stun rod between the alien's shoulder blades, it screamed a slight and hollowed scream as it spasmed and fell to the ground.



After a quick check of the southern side of the ufo, all that was left was inside the downed craft. At Darkwind's suggestion, she and Spartan joined the breach team at the front of the ufo.



Dash drew the short straw and was selected to breach the ufo first. "Fine I'll do it." He mumbled, unhappy with the result. He popped the door open and dashed inside, immediately seeing an unarmed little gray man across the wreckage and smoke of what used to be the engine room of the ufo. He stepped closer and noticed that a heavily armed alien was using the first as a meat shield!



He dashed for the cover of the still standing interior wall and spoke to the team members outside "Shit, there's two aliens at the far side of the entrance, one is using the other as a shield!"
"I got it!" Darkwind called out as she jumped inside, firing off a few rounds quickly, dropping the first alien.



Spartan followed her in and layed down some cover fire, managing to hit the second alien before Barbarossa stepped into the doorway, lined up a shot with his pistol.
"Go to hell you piece of shit." He growled at the alien as he put a bullet in it's brain.

The team searched the rest of the wreckage for remaining aliens. Satisfied that none remained they called in the clean up crew and closely guarded the unconscious alien.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!





----------------------------

Character updates:

Cerapa:
Rank UP! - Sergeant

Spartan:
Rank UP! - Squaddie
TU's + 4
Health + 4
Firing Accuracy + 1
Strength + 1

RAM 1
Rank UP! - Sergeant
Kills + 1
TU's +3
Stamina + 4
Health + 1
Firing Accuracy + 1

Dash Gunmetal:
Rank UP! - Squaddie
TU's + 3
Stamina + 1
Strength + 1

Heridden Barbarossa:
Rank UP! - Captain
Kills + 1
TU's + 3
Stamina + 1
Firing Accuracy + 1
Strength + 4

Archangel:
Rank Up! - Squaddie
Kills + 1
TU's + 1
Health + 1
Firing Accuracy + 1
Strength + 1

Darkwind:
Rank UP x 2! - Sergeant
Kills + 1
Stamina + 1
Strength + 2

---------------------------------

Accolades:
Spartan: reach out and touch somebody - shot an alien from across the map
Archangel: blind faith - killed an alien without line of sight
RAM 1: mr. knowitall - used a technique someone just failed at to kill an enemy

Negative Accolades:
Spartan: damn possums - shot an alien not so dead
Dash Gunmetal: dud - grenade totally failed to harm enemy
Mario: oh snap! - badly aimed reaction fire

[Mephansteras]

That was a good mission. One alien isn't enough to give Razorwire's soul rest, but it is a start.

[cganya]

a couple of notes:

genders: OK apparently x-com has wacky names for genders. half the new recruits are the wrong gender. and you know what? i don't care. It shows up so little in the game and even less later on. so from now on even if your character appears to be the wrong gender, they are not, its just your perverted imagination. All the soldiers are now for all intents and purposes are meat bags filled with story and stats.

Stat tracking: if you haven't been tracking your character's statistics, don't worry. i have them on a spreadsheet along with oodles of other information. just ask me in a PM and I'll give you an up-to-date on your character's info.