Innocent Bystander
First Post
What a cool way to describe a very useful tactic in the games. Find a base and pick off supply ships to increase your inventory of those special alien materials.
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X-COM (updated M-W-F)
- Thread starter Lazybones
- Start date
Richard Rawen
First Post
Really enjoying the feeling of this story, kinda creepy, with an escalating edge to it...
Lazybones
Adventurer
Session 21 (September 15, 2008)
Chapter 82
The primary hangar deck at HQX had been transformed into an armory, with both Skyrangers lined up facing the huge blast doors that led to the access shaft to the surface. Musa had pulled out all the stops, rolling out racks that held every weapon and piece of technical gear in X-COM’s considerable arsenal. Hadrian and Jane were clad in new stealth-modified Personal Armor that Grace had upgraded to match Catalina’s, while Vasily was looking over a Predator missile launcher, a one-shot weapon armed with a blast warhead.
On the far side of the hangar, the Betas were busy checking their gear as well. “Man, Beta’s locked and loaded and ready to kick some ass!” Eleazar Perez yelled, noisily slamming a clip into his G36 and slapping the chest of his Personal Armor. Alyssa Sanders rolled her eyes as she adjusted the sling holster holding her laser pistol, while Jürgen Ritter, standing across from her, fiddled with the settings on a motion sensor.
“I hope you can secure the Elerium supplies for us,” he said to the Alphas. “The storage unit is down to ten percent.”
Their eyes were drawn to Skyranger 2, where a pair of Grace’s engineers where loading the containment units for the Elerium, long, bulky cylinders that looked almost like steel coffins. It would be Beta’s job to escort the engineering team that would go into the alien ship and extract the Elerium, once Alpha had neutralized the alien defenders.
If everything went according to plan.
Hallorand came into the hangar, nodding to both of the strike teams. “Better get loaded up, Alpha,” he said. “We’re five minutes out.”
The Alphas filed into their aircraft, knowing their roles and their places now, without any need for chatter as they stored their weapons. They could hear the whirring noise under their feet as the doors of the cargo compartment holding their HWP cycled closed. That was followed by the familiar sounds of the Skyranger’s startup sequence.
Ken’s voice came over the intercom as they strapped themselves into their seats. “Here we go, Elerium Express is leaving the station.” The engines on the Skyranger began to pulse, the hull of the aircraft trembling as they rose to full power. “No subtlety this time,” Ken went on, “We’re going to be flying on full burners, and even then Firestorm 1’s going to leave us in the dust. Damn, that ship is fast.”
“So, everyone clear on tactics?” Catalina asked, as the ship headed toward the rendezvous point.
“Why don’t you recap,” James said. “All I remember is that we are trying to stay within overwatch range of each other.”
Catalina nodded at the doctor. “Move fast as a close unit, sweep and clear. Hell, my old Tactics and Maneuvers lecturer would never believe me saying it.”
“Close unit, check,” James said. He started humming “We Are Family” under his breath, but loudly enough to be picked up in their com units. Jane blinked at him then chuckled.
“We not much time for mess about,” Vasily said. “If they sabotage Elerium—and they done that before—mission failed. We got to give them no time to think.”
“Fast, even if we risk losses, eh?” James asked.
“Whatever we do, we risk losses,” the Russian replied. “Be fast. But be smart.”
“If we stay together as a group and not split we can concentrate fire, and be easy for you to find us, too,” Catalina said, nodding meaningfully at the satchel full of X-COM medikits that James carried.
Ken’s voice came in over the intercom. “We’re getting an action report from Firestorm 1,” he reported. “Enemy is in sight.”
“Okay, let see if we just go home now anyway,” Vasily said. They all looked up at the speaker, as if willing it to provide good news.
“Craft is engaging,” Ken reported, followed by a long pause. When he spoke again, his voice was jubilant. “Ha! Direct hit, she’s going down, slowly.”
While the Alphas let out a collective breath, the pilot continued, “Looks like some forest, hills, nothing we can’t handle.”
The Skyranger banked left, and the aircraft began a gradual descent. After another minute, Ken reported, “Getting a sig on the hyperwave…” He let out a held breath, and then laughed. “Boys and girls, we got Sectoids.”
Vasily’s smile was grim. “Lasers?” Jane asked.
“Plasma, still more damage,” Catalina replied.
“It’s almost too easy,” Ken said. “ETA in 3 mins… Hm. That’s odd.”
“Uh oh,” Catalina said.
“What is it, Ken?” Jane asked.
“Thought I had something else on the decoder, but it’s gone now. Probably a glitch.”
The Alphas shared a look. “Ken, we don’t want unexpected company while we’re in there,” James said.
“I hear you, Alpha, but my scope’s clean now, showing only sectoids. If I get anything else, you’ll be the first to know. Setting you down a few hundred yards south of the supply ship. Good hunting.”
“Be wary folks, that sounds like something that we haven’t met might be there,” Catalina warned. The Alphas were getting up even as the Skyranger shifted to VTOL mode, balancing easily even as the aircraft shifted under them, unlocking their weapons from the racks and lining up in a row next to the hatch.
“Okay, be smart, then,” Vasily said. “We see something new, we stun, we not shoot. Okay? We here for Elerium, but if we can get bonus…”
The Skyranger trembled as its landing gear touched down. “Okay, we’re down!” Ken reported. “Careful, I’ve got readings close by, outside the enemy ship.”
The hatch popped and the Alphas filed out, scanning the area. The cargo compartment under the belly of the Skyranger cracked open and the HWP slid out, scanning for targets. They didn’t have to wait long; Vasily and Catalina were attending to the HWP when the first sectoid rose up over a low rise north of their position, its plasma pistol pointed in their direction. It didn’t get a chance to shoot, as Hadrian dropped it with a shot from his rifle, but within ten seconds a half-dozen others came into view, firing as soon as they had cleared the crests of the adjoining hills.
“Hey!” Ken yelled, as a plasma bolt exploded against the front of the Skyranger, blackening the cockpit canopy of the craft. More shots landed in the midst of the Alphas, who quickly returned fire. Despite the advantage of height and position, surrounding the Alphas in a half-crescent, the sectoids could not stand up to the quantity or accuracy of the fire from the human defenders. Less than twenty seconds after the first sectoid had appeared, none were left standing, and only Hadrian had been hit, a blast to his arm that James tended with a medikit.
“Just a flesh wound,” he reported, squeezing the contents of the kit into the Marine’s blackened arm. Hadrian wrapped a cord around the flap of armor that had been torn free from the impact, and hefted his rifle, falling into position behind Catalina and Vasily as they headed north toward the crashed alien ship.
It was big, a fat orb settled into an empty meadow, the crushed forms of several trees lying strewn in its wake. Smoke and dust rose from around it, and they could see the blackened wreckage where the Firestorm had crippled its engines, but the ship was by and large intact. Thus far, everything was going exactly according to plan.
The access hatch in the rear of the ship lay open, and was big enough to accommodate all of them, even the HWP. They made their way forward through one of the familiar entryways, complete with recessed niches, which they carefully scanned for hidden enemies before moving forward. The ship felt deserted, but they knew better than to take anything from granted inside an alien vessel.
Two corridors branched off from the entry, leading deeper into the ship. They flanked a four-panel door that opened as they approached, revealing a long, hourglass-shaped chamber that contained the massive, familiar apparatus of the alien ship’s engines. A miasma of smoky haze filled the room, and the Alphas switched on the breathing filters on their helmets as they moved forward, scanning for movement.
“We need to secure this location, see if the fuel supply is intact,” Jane suggested, pushing on ahead.
“This look… like…” Vasily began, but trailed off an odd sensation swept over them, a brief spell of dizziness that left them staggered and unfocused. Catalina clutched at her head, and muttered, “Oh, christ.” Vasily leaned heavily against a bank of alien machinery, while Hadrian’s eyes darted left and right, looking for targets.
“Everyone okay?” James asked.
“I just… I didn’t know who or where I was for a moment there,” Catalina said.
“Still feeling a bit dizzy,” Hadrian reported.
Jane called from up ahead. “There’s Elerium cells up here, intact,” she reported, “And one of those glowy lifts, it seems to head up to another level of the ship.”
“That good, we…” Vasily began, but he was again cut off as a series of clicks came from the motion detector in Catalina’s hand. She held up the device and looked at its screen, confirming what each of them knew it said.
“Incoming,” she said.
Being caught in a vise in a long chamber with multiple exits that was full of alien machinery was not an ideal tactical situation, but with their need to protect the Elerium, there was nothing to do but set up a hasty defense.
The door behind them opened a moment later and a small pack of sectoids burst through. They were greeted by a bright pulse from the HWP that cut the first alien almost in half. It fell to the ground, twitching, while the others returned fire. Plasma bolts streaked down the length of the room. One hit the HWP, sending up a bright fountain of white fire and flickering sparks, while others hit banks of machinery, flashing brightly in the smoky haze. The Alphas shot back, cutting down the aliens even as they pushed forward, charging ahead with almost suicidal abandon. The last one got almost to the burning tank before Hadrian punched a hole in its chest with his rifle, but even as it fell its hand kept spasming as it tried to get off another shot.
Vasily let out a held breath. The aliens had been coming right toward them, almost as if… He glanced over his shoulder, at the brightly glowing crystalline matrix that held Elerium-115 stored within. “He was going to—”
Catalina nodded. “Defense needed. They were heading in here to take out the Elerium.”
“Is the floor clear now?” Jane asked.
Catalina glanced down at the motion detector. “I’m not picking anything else up, but the hulls of these ships blocks the signals after a relatively short distance.”
“We cannot leave lift unguarded,” Vasily said. “Two people, check rest of this level, fast.”
“Go ahead,” James said to Hadrian and Catalina. “I’ll stay with Vas. Jane, keep an eye on the outer door and warn us if you see someone heading our way.”
Jane nodded. “Signal before you come back, I’ll shoot anything moving that doesn’t signal first.”
Hadrian and Catalina moved back out into the entry, quickly scanning the side corridors before heading into the closer. Behind her, James poked at the HWP, which was still operational if heavily damaged. Vasily kept an eye on the lift, but as he stared at the glowing shaft, he felt his head start to swim again. He staggered, almost falling against the wall. “Whugh?” he said, before he heard a loud, crystal clear voice filling his mind, reverberating against the inside of his skull.
MUST. SHOOT. ELERIUM. it said.
Vasily reached down and drew his plasma pistol. Slowly, as if in a dream, he lifted the weapon, until the barrel pointed directly at the bright core of the alien power source.
Chapter 82
The primary hangar deck at HQX had been transformed into an armory, with both Skyrangers lined up facing the huge blast doors that led to the access shaft to the surface. Musa had pulled out all the stops, rolling out racks that held every weapon and piece of technical gear in X-COM’s considerable arsenal. Hadrian and Jane were clad in new stealth-modified Personal Armor that Grace had upgraded to match Catalina’s, while Vasily was looking over a Predator missile launcher, a one-shot weapon armed with a blast warhead.
On the far side of the hangar, the Betas were busy checking their gear as well. “Man, Beta’s locked and loaded and ready to kick some ass!” Eleazar Perez yelled, noisily slamming a clip into his G36 and slapping the chest of his Personal Armor. Alyssa Sanders rolled her eyes as she adjusted the sling holster holding her laser pistol, while Jürgen Ritter, standing across from her, fiddled with the settings on a motion sensor.
“I hope you can secure the Elerium supplies for us,” he said to the Alphas. “The storage unit is down to ten percent.”
Their eyes were drawn to Skyranger 2, where a pair of Grace’s engineers where loading the containment units for the Elerium, long, bulky cylinders that looked almost like steel coffins. It would be Beta’s job to escort the engineering team that would go into the alien ship and extract the Elerium, once Alpha had neutralized the alien defenders.
If everything went according to plan.
Hallorand came into the hangar, nodding to both of the strike teams. “Better get loaded up, Alpha,” he said. “We’re five minutes out.”
The Alphas filed into their aircraft, knowing their roles and their places now, without any need for chatter as they stored their weapons. They could hear the whirring noise under their feet as the doors of the cargo compartment holding their HWP cycled closed. That was followed by the familiar sounds of the Skyranger’s startup sequence.
Ken’s voice came over the intercom as they strapped themselves into their seats. “Here we go, Elerium Express is leaving the station.” The engines on the Skyranger began to pulse, the hull of the aircraft trembling as they rose to full power. “No subtlety this time,” Ken went on, “We’re going to be flying on full burners, and even then Firestorm 1’s going to leave us in the dust. Damn, that ship is fast.”
“So, everyone clear on tactics?” Catalina asked, as the ship headed toward the rendezvous point.
“Why don’t you recap,” James said. “All I remember is that we are trying to stay within overwatch range of each other.”
Catalina nodded at the doctor. “Move fast as a close unit, sweep and clear. Hell, my old Tactics and Maneuvers lecturer would never believe me saying it.”
“Close unit, check,” James said. He started humming “We Are Family” under his breath, but loudly enough to be picked up in their com units. Jane blinked at him then chuckled.
“We not much time for mess about,” Vasily said. “If they sabotage Elerium—and they done that before—mission failed. We got to give them no time to think.”
“Fast, even if we risk losses, eh?” James asked.
“Whatever we do, we risk losses,” the Russian replied. “Be fast. But be smart.”
“If we stay together as a group and not split we can concentrate fire, and be easy for you to find us, too,” Catalina said, nodding meaningfully at the satchel full of X-COM medikits that James carried.
Ken’s voice came in over the intercom. “We’re getting an action report from Firestorm 1,” he reported. “Enemy is in sight.”
“Okay, let see if we just go home now anyway,” Vasily said. They all looked up at the speaker, as if willing it to provide good news.
“Craft is engaging,” Ken reported, followed by a long pause. When he spoke again, his voice was jubilant. “Ha! Direct hit, she’s going down, slowly.”
While the Alphas let out a collective breath, the pilot continued, “Looks like some forest, hills, nothing we can’t handle.”
The Skyranger banked left, and the aircraft began a gradual descent. After another minute, Ken reported, “Getting a sig on the hyperwave…” He let out a held breath, and then laughed. “Boys and girls, we got Sectoids.”
Vasily’s smile was grim. “Lasers?” Jane asked.
“Plasma, still more damage,” Catalina replied.
“It’s almost too easy,” Ken said. “ETA in 3 mins… Hm. That’s odd.”
“Uh oh,” Catalina said.
“What is it, Ken?” Jane asked.
“Thought I had something else on the decoder, but it’s gone now. Probably a glitch.”
The Alphas shared a look. “Ken, we don’t want unexpected company while we’re in there,” James said.
“I hear you, Alpha, but my scope’s clean now, showing only sectoids. If I get anything else, you’ll be the first to know. Setting you down a few hundred yards south of the supply ship. Good hunting.”
“Be wary folks, that sounds like something that we haven’t met might be there,” Catalina warned. The Alphas were getting up even as the Skyranger shifted to VTOL mode, balancing easily even as the aircraft shifted under them, unlocking their weapons from the racks and lining up in a row next to the hatch.
“Okay, be smart, then,” Vasily said. “We see something new, we stun, we not shoot. Okay? We here for Elerium, but if we can get bonus…”
The Skyranger trembled as its landing gear touched down. “Okay, we’re down!” Ken reported. “Careful, I’ve got readings close by, outside the enemy ship.”
The hatch popped and the Alphas filed out, scanning the area. The cargo compartment under the belly of the Skyranger cracked open and the HWP slid out, scanning for targets. They didn’t have to wait long; Vasily and Catalina were attending to the HWP when the first sectoid rose up over a low rise north of their position, its plasma pistol pointed in their direction. It didn’t get a chance to shoot, as Hadrian dropped it with a shot from his rifle, but within ten seconds a half-dozen others came into view, firing as soon as they had cleared the crests of the adjoining hills.
“Hey!” Ken yelled, as a plasma bolt exploded against the front of the Skyranger, blackening the cockpit canopy of the craft. More shots landed in the midst of the Alphas, who quickly returned fire. Despite the advantage of height and position, surrounding the Alphas in a half-crescent, the sectoids could not stand up to the quantity or accuracy of the fire from the human defenders. Less than twenty seconds after the first sectoid had appeared, none were left standing, and only Hadrian had been hit, a blast to his arm that James tended with a medikit.
“Just a flesh wound,” he reported, squeezing the contents of the kit into the Marine’s blackened arm. Hadrian wrapped a cord around the flap of armor that had been torn free from the impact, and hefted his rifle, falling into position behind Catalina and Vasily as they headed north toward the crashed alien ship.
It was big, a fat orb settled into an empty meadow, the crushed forms of several trees lying strewn in its wake. Smoke and dust rose from around it, and they could see the blackened wreckage where the Firestorm had crippled its engines, but the ship was by and large intact. Thus far, everything was going exactly according to plan.
The access hatch in the rear of the ship lay open, and was big enough to accommodate all of them, even the HWP. They made their way forward through one of the familiar entryways, complete with recessed niches, which they carefully scanned for hidden enemies before moving forward. The ship felt deserted, but they knew better than to take anything from granted inside an alien vessel.
Two corridors branched off from the entry, leading deeper into the ship. They flanked a four-panel door that opened as they approached, revealing a long, hourglass-shaped chamber that contained the massive, familiar apparatus of the alien ship’s engines. A miasma of smoky haze filled the room, and the Alphas switched on the breathing filters on their helmets as they moved forward, scanning for movement.
“We need to secure this location, see if the fuel supply is intact,” Jane suggested, pushing on ahead.
“This look… like…” Vasily began, but trailed off an odd sensation swept over them, a brief spell of dizziness that left them staggered and unfocused. Catalina clutched at her head, and muttered, “Oh, christ.” Vasily leaned heavily against a bank of alien machinery, while Hadrian’s eyes darted left and right, looking for targets.
“Everyone okay?” James asked.
“I just… I didn’t know who or where I was for a moment there,” Catalina said.
“Still feeling a bit dizzy,” Hadrian reported.
Jane called from up ahead. “There’s Elerium cells up here, intact,” she reported, “And one of those glowy lifts, it seems to head up to another level of the ship.”
“That good, we…” Vasily began, but he was again cut off as a series of clicks came from the motion detector in Catalina’s hand. She held up the device and looked at its screen, confirming what each of them knew it said.
“Incoming,” she said.
Being caught in a vise in a long chamber with multiple exits that was full of alien machinery was not an ideal tactical situation, but with their need to protect the Elerium, there was nothing to do but set up a hasty defense.
The door behind them opened a moment later and a small pack of sectoids burst through. They were greeted by a bright pulse from the HWP that cut the first alien almost in half. It fell to the ground, twitching, while the others returned fire. Plasma bolts streaked down the length of the room. One hit the HWP, sending up a bright fountain of white fire and flickering sparks, while others hit banks of machinery, flashing brightly in the smoky haze. The Alphas shot back, cutting down the aliens even as they pushed forward, charging ahead with almost suicidal abandon. The last one got almost to the burning tank before Hadrian punched a hole in its chest with his rifle, but even as it fell its hand kept spasming as it tried to get off another shot.
Vasily let out a held breath. The aliens had been coming right toward them, almost as if… He glanced over his shoulder, at the brightly glowing crystalline matrix that held Elerium-115 stored within. “He was going to—”
Catalina nodded. “Defense needed. They were heading in here to take out the Elerium.”
“Is the floor clear now?” Jane asked.
Catalina glanced down at the motion detector. “I’m not picking anything else up, but the hulls of these ships blocks the signals after a relatively short distance.”
“We cannot leave lift unguarded,” Vasily said. “Two people, check rest of this level, fast.”
“Go ahead,” James said to Hadrian and Catalina. “I’ll stay with Vas. Jane, keep an eye on the outer door and warn us if you see someone heading our way.”
Jane nodded. “Signal before you come back, I’ll shoot anything moving that doesn’t signal first.”
Hadrian and Catalina moved back out into the entry, quickly scanning the side corridors before heading into the closer. Behind her, James poked at the HWP, which was still operational if heavily damaged. Vasily kept an eye on the lift, but as he stared at the glowing shaft, he felt his head start to swim again. He staggered, almost falling against the wall. “Whugh?” he said, before he heard a loud, crystal clear voice filling his mind, reverberating against the inside of his skull.
MUST. SHOOT. ELERIUM. it said.
Vasily reached down and drew his plasma pistol. Slowly, as if in a dream, he lifted the weapon, until the barrel pointed directly at the bright core of the alien power source.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Uh oh, sounds like there's an ethereal present. It's got to suck when your tank gets turned against you.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Yeah I know, but I'm making the assumption based on the weird blip on the alien-o-meter when they were scanning for alient types.
I'm fighting so hard not to start into these games again.
I'm fighting so hard not to start into these games again.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Heh, you'll have to wait until next week to find out for sure. Friday cliffhanger and all. 
* * * * *
Session 21 (September 15, 2008)
Chapter 83
James looked up, and saw Vasily pointing his pistol at the Elerium storage crystal. “VAS!” he yelled, jumping up.
“Nrgh!” the Russian groaned, his finger twitching on the trigger, his jaw clenching as he struggled against the assault on his mind. Finally with a grunt he jerked aside, tossing the pistol away, and staggered back.
“What the?” James blurted, as he ran up to Vasily.
“Voice in head,” he said.
“What kind of voice? Is it saying, ‘blow up Elerium?’ or is it saying, ‘don’t miss next week’s episode of Big Brother 25?”
“Yah, first,” he said, breathing deeply now. He reached up and grabbed the latches securing his helmet to his armor, but James slapped his hands away. “Keep the helmet on!” the doctor yelled at him.
“Yah, I know,” Vasily said, lowering his hands. “Sevnopoya, enough, I get it,” he said, shaking off the doctor’s hands. The two men turned as Catalina returned.
“All clear as far as I can see,” she reported. “Hadrian’s watching what might another exit. What’s the matter?”
“Okay,” Vasily said. “Get Hadrian back here. We going up in lift.”
“Cat, Vas is hearing voices. In his head,” James explained.
Vasily triggered his comlink. “Jane! Hadrian! If you not fighting, need you in center room.”
As they formed up around the lift, Catalina swept the motion sensor along the length of the ceiling. “Any aliens around?” James asked.
“Lot of interference,” she said. “There is movement upstairs, but I can’t tell more.”
“What’s this about mind powers?” Jane asked, as she rejoined the group from her watch position at the door. Hadrian followed just behind her.
“Something going on,” Vasily said. “But was not like sectoid psychic. I remember what that like.”
“Let’s sweep the rest of the ship,” James said. “Question is, anyone stay here to guard?”
Vasily grunted and nodded toward the tank. James nodded. “Shouldn’t leave a human here alone,” he agreed.
Vasily stepped into the lift, and felt the familiar but odd sensation of floating as the alien system carried him up to the iris in the ceiling. He pointed the barrel of his autocannon up at it, but no aliens were waiting as the opening twisted and he was lifted into the room above. The chamber was roughly shaped like a pentagram, with two passages that led to other parts of the ship. “Come on up if you coming up,” he yelled down to the others. Catalina was already coming up behind him, sweeping again with her motion sensor before she even stepped clear of the levitation beam.
“That way,” she said, indicating one of the passages. “I got one, a disc,” she said, taking up a firing position that didn’t expose her to direct fire from the corridor.
“They must know we’re here,” James said, as he emerged from the lift. “Let’s not walk into an ambush.” Hadrian came up after him, hovering for a moment within the beam before he could get oriented enough to step free.
Suddenly, the entire ship shook, and the floor under their feet lurched a few degrees to the side as the alien craft resettled at a slight list. A gout of hot gas, smoke, and noise surged through the opening in the floor.
“Wuh?” Vasily asked, nearly stumbling into the Marine. James fell to the floor, grunting as his pistol was jammed hard into his gut under his weight.
“One of the engines overloaded!” Jane yelled up. “One of the Elerium cells, it just… imploded! The other one is stable, I think!”
Catalina clutched her head and screamed, breaking from cover and rushing blindly into the back corner of the room, where she cowered in a tiny ball. Vasily started to turn toward her, but before he could speak, or take as much as a step, a strange lassitude descended upon him. He felt as though he was watching from outside his body as he brought up the heavy autocannon, the barrels beginning to spin as the ammunition mechanism clinked the first of a hundred armor-piercing rounds into place.
He pointed the weapon straight at Hadrian, and opened fire.
* * * * *
Session 21 (September 15, 2008)
Chapter 83
James looked up, and saw Vasily pointing his pistol at the Elerium storage crystal. “VAS!” he yelled, jumping up.
“Nrgh!” the Russian groaned, his finger twitching on the trigger, his jaw clenching as he struggled against the assault on his mind. Finally with a grunt he jerked aside, tossing the pistol away, and staggered back.
“What the?” James blurted, as he ran up to Vasily.
“Voice in head,” he said.
“What kind of voice? Is it saying, ‘blow up Elerium?’ or is it saying, ‘don’t miss next week’s episode of Big Brother 25?”
“Yah, first,” he said, breathing deeply now. He reached up and grabbed the latches securing his helmet to his armor, but James slapped his hands away. “Keep the helmet on!” the doctor yelled at him.
“Yah, I know,” Vasily said, lowering his hands. “Sevnopoya, enough, I get it,” he said, shaking off the doctor’s hands. The two men turned as Catalina returned.
“All clear as far as I can see,” she reported. “Hadrian’s watching what might another exit. What’s the matter?”
“Okay,” Vasily said. “Get Hadrian back here. We going up in lift.”
“Cat, Vas is hearing voices. In his head,” James explained.
Vasily triggered his comlink. “Jane! Hadrian! If you not fighting, need you in center room.”
As they formed up around the lift, Catalina swept the motion sensor along the length of the ceiling. “Any aliens around?” James asked.
“Lot of interference,” she said. “There is movement upstairs, but I can’t tell more.”
“What’s this about mind powers?” Jane asked, as she rejoined the group from her watch position at the door. Hadrian followed just behind her.
“Something going on,” Vasily said. “But was not like sectoid psychic. I remember what that like.”
“Let’s sweep the rest of the ship,” James said. “Question is, anyone stay here to guard?”
Vasily grunted and nodded toward the tank. James nodded. “Shouldn’t leave a human here alone,” he agreed.
Vasily stepped into the lift, and felt the familiar but odd sensation of floating as the alien system carried him up to the iris in the ceiling. He pointed the barrel of his autocannon up at it, but no aliens were waiting as the opening twisted and he was lifted into the room above. The chamber was roughly shaped like a pentagram, with two passages that led to other parts of the ship. “Come on up if you coming up,” he yelled down to the others. Catalina was already coming up behind him, sweeping again with her motion sensor before she even stepped clear of the levitation beam.
“That way,” she said, indicating one of the passages. “I got one, a disc,” she said, taking up a firing position that didn’t expose her to direct fire from the corridor.
“They must know we’re here,” James said, as he emerged from the lift. “Let’s not walk into an ambush.” Hadrian came up after him, hovering for a moment within the beam before he could get oriented enough to step free.
Suddenly, the entire ship shook, and the floor under their feet lurched a few degrees to the side as the alien craft resettled at a slight list. A gout of hot gas, smoke, and noise surged through the opening in the floor.
“Wuh?” Vasily asked, nearly stumbling into the Marine. James fell to the floor, grunting as his pistol was jammed hard into his gut under his weight.
“One of the engines overloaded!” Jane yelled up. “One of the Elerium cells, it just… imploded! The other one is stable, I think!”
Catalina clutched her head and screamed, breaking from cover and rushing blindly into the back corner of the room, where she cowered in a tiny ball. Vasily started to turn toward her, but before he could speak, or take as much as a step, a strange lassitude descended upon him. He felt as though he was watching from outside his body as he brought up the heavy autocannon, the barrels beginning to spin as the ammunition mechanism clinked the first of a hundred armor-piercing rounds into place.
He pointed the weapon straight at Hadrian, and opened fire.
Oh gods, I remember these sessions! Your PC cowering and completely unresponsive (fear effect) and in the line of fire as you hit every key or hammered the mouse buttons hoping against hope. Worse still totally unresponsive while highly likely to shoot at friendlies (confused) or hostiles alike while in the line of fire hitting buttons and hoping. Or worse yet totally unresponsive and in the line of fire, as likely to open up on some other PC as a hostile and likely to have them open up on you. Even worse still ..... ahhh, I'll let LB tell it.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Heh, is it that day already?
* * * * *
Session 21 (September 15, 2008)
Chapter 84
Hadrian dove for cover, but he couldn’t fully avoid the point-blank barrage from Vasily’s autocannon, and several rounds exploded against his side before he could get clear. He was flipped over and flung roughly aside, landing hard against the wall of the room before falling, as rounds exploded along the wall directly above him, showering him with fragments and bits of hot shrapnel.
Catalina screamed again and clutched her hands over her head, shaking back and forth as she cringed deeper into the corner. Vasily started tracking the autocannon back toward her, but James kicked him hard in the back of the knees. The actuated joints in his heavy armor absorbed the force of the kick, but the weight of his gun and the bucking recoil from the ongoing stream of fire conspired to knock him off balance, and he fell forward, the weapon bouncing out of his grip as he landed awkwardly with one arm pinned under his body.
A moment of relative quiet followed, once the blasting cacophony of the cannon had silenced. Vasily lay where he’d fallen, groaning. Catalina, sobbing, looked down at her hands, which shook as lucidity gradually returned to her eyes. “Bloody hell!” she exclaimed, looking over at Hadrian, who grimaced as he rolled onto his side, clutching at the bloody rents where Vasily’s rounds had torn through his armor.
“Vas, snap out of it!” James said, getting slowly to his feet, giving the Russian a wary berth. But Vasily just laid where he’d fallen, and made no move toward his weapon, which remained attached to him by the flexible ammunition feed belt.
“I… I am all right,” he finally ventured. James hurried over to Hadrian, who remained where he was, covering his wounds with a bloody hand. His armor had kept his body cavity from being ventilated, but it was clear that he’d taken a beating from his comrade’s fire.
“What… the hell… what that?” the Marine asked, as James tended to him with a medikit.
Jane’s voice hissed over their comlinks. “Are you guys okay up there?”
“We’re…” James began, but he was cut off by a yell from Catalina. “Vas, look out!” she cried, as a cyberdisc appeared in the mouth of one of the passages. It fired its plasma weapon at Vasily, who was already moving, rolling onto his back, his autocannon coming into his hands as he flipped over. The alien plasma bolt hit the floor between his legs, splashing them with hot plasma, but then the cyberdisc erupted in a hot echoing surge as Catalina shot it with her plasma pistol. The alien emitted a high-pitched whine, then jerked back as Vasily poured a stream of rounds at it. Only a few of the explosive-tipped shells hit, and most of those failed to penetrate its armor, but the impacts flipped it back into the corridor, where it bounced off a wall before settling awkwardly again on its correct axis. It started to turn again, to bring its weapon to bear once more, but before it could shoot Catalina hit it again, and the thing exploded in a storm of metal shards that filled the passage and clattered out into the room where the Alphas waited.
The actuators of Vasily’s armor groaned as he rose to his feet. His faceplate was partially obscured by black char, but his expression behind it was pure violence. “Vasily, wait!” Catalina yelled, as he started toward the passage where the disc had emerged.
“No time to wait,” Vasily said, without turning or stopping. “Give alien chance to invade minds again, maybe do something worse,” he added, and this time he did glance aside, where James was still tending to Hadrian. “You going to pay for this,” he added under his breath, as he moved into the passageway. He ignored the recessed doorways to either side and continued straight toward the wider door at the far end, and what was hopefully the ship’s command center.
Catalina glanced back at James. “Go,” the doctor said, tossing the empty medikit away and taking out a second. Hadrian tried to get up, but James held him down, an easy task given his condition.
Catalina turned and hurried after Vasily, who was almost to the far door. It hissed open at his approach, revealing a familiar-looking chamber, accounted with control panels and alien machinery, along with long viewing panels that were currently dead, showing only the curving form of the alien ship’s hull behind them.
A pair of sectoids turned from a panel near the door, their plasma pistols jerking up toward Vasily. Both crumpled in a flash of bloody puffs as Vasily poured a stream of explosive metal into their bodies. The alien controls flared and sizzled as the rounds chewed it up, and a stream of green gas fired into the room from a severed conduit.
Vasily caught a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned, already jamming the trigger for another barrage.
The creature standing there was almost close enough to reach out and touch. It wasn’t a sectoid, but it was impossible to tell more than that, for it was cloaked in a long brown cowled robe that was draped loosely over its slender frame. It was almost as tall as Vasily, and as the Russian stared into the dark depths of its cowl he felt himself being drawn in to an endless chasm, one that swallowed up everything, all light, sound, and sensation, leaving him utterly helpless within. He wasn’t even aware of the autocannon falling from his hands, or falling to his knees before the alien creature, or the alien lifting one shrouded hand, the folds of the robes falling away to reveal a small plasma gun that it pointed toward the center of the Russian’s faceplate.
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