-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
X-COM (updated M-W-F)
- Thread starter Lazybones
- Start date
Lazybones
Adventurer
Interlude: Buzz Olloff (Week of May 13-18, 2008)
It had come to him in the shower: a clear image of the alien navigation control panel. Buzz sat in his bunk dripping wet, a towel loosely laying over his lap.
He was enthralled with the alien symbols he saw before him that felt like a pattern, like a new code that needed to be hacked. The adrenaline of the realization that he could decipher the symbols made his mind sharpen to a level of focus that not many could achieve.
He tapped the buttons on the on his xPhone. The little device had considerable power, and he’d been hacking it since a few minutes after he’d first gotten it. Over that time he’d improved its function considerably. He hoped it would be enough to run the three algorithms he had in mind simultaneously. He knew that the alien language could be deciphered, but he couldn’t guess how many hours it would take. It was a risk to overclock a device as small as the handheld, but he was used to taking risks, and he didn’t want to expose his work to the X-COM network, not yet.
As soon as the program was running, he got a tone indicating that he had a new e-mail. Switching the language program to the background, he opened it up to see a message from Joan Beauvois. It was addressed to the entire team, not just to him.
He shook his head. Maybe he shouldn’t have hacked Inise Drake’s account, or used her information from the Social Security Database to open up a credit card in her name. X-COM’s network had supposedly been secure, with a potent firewall limiting access to the World Wide Web, but he’d gotten around that by the end of his second day here. Once he had Drake’s personal information, he’d opened up one of his old hacks from back in the day, a backdoor into Vicky’s Online Adult Novelties. Five thousand dollars of purchases, overnight delivery of course, a quick wipe to cover his tracks…
If she’d put some of the things he’d sent her to use, maybe she wouldn’t be such a… Ah well, in hindsight, maybe it had been juvenile. After seeing Drake’s messages about security breaches, it looked like she hadn’t taken the joke very well. Still, there was no chance—almost no chance—that they’d trace anything back to him. This wasn’t his first time he’d used the Internet and his hacking abilities to deliver a comeuppance to someone who deserved it.
The two feds had found the alien device he’d kept in his locker, but it didn’t matter. He’d already stored the important data he’d need in a few places. And there was one database they’d never raid, no matter how many head-shrinkers they turned on him. With a smirk, he turned over and went to sleep, letting his xPhone do his work for now.
* * * * *
A few days passed. First Catalina returned to the duty rotation, then Vasily, still a bit tentative in the way he moved. Buzz was wary of the Russian at first, for he’d heard that he’d been treated using the new medical techniques derived from the alien biological technology. His own scars had healed completely, but he still rubbed at them sometimes, a gesture that had become almost subconscious.
Buzz’s optimism was always short-lived, and multiple failures in decoding the language had depleted the best of his most useful algorithms. But he tossed and turned in his sleep every night since viewing the alien control panel. It had gotten so bad that Cat had threatened to strap him to the bed to keep him still so she could sleep. That unnerved him. The woman slept on the other side of the room, so he knew his thrashing must be disturbing them all.
He went to bed that night trying to think of anything else but aliens and code, hoping he would not disturb the others. But yet again, around midnight he awoke with a start. Images had pulled together in his head and he just knew why he had been unable to crack the language.
He jumped out of bed and flew, not so quietly, out of the room and headed for the computer in the community room. After agent Drake's email he hadn’t dared tamper with the network settings on his xPhone. He pulled up all the pictures everyone had taken of the alien interior focusing on the different views of the control panel he had so voraciously tried to decipher…it is not words at all!
"It can't be." he said aloud. His mind sharpened and his fingers flew across the keyboard typing unnaturally fast. "Who would have thought that Google Earth would help in battling aliens!" He typed in the pattern he’d derived from the symbols depicted on the alien display, and zoomed to the points he had entered. He clicked back to the images of the alien control panel again, somewhat befuddled. Then he looked back to where Google Earth had stopped. "Shasta County, California. What in the hell is there?" His overlay on Google Earth pointed out critical sites, power stations, infrastructure, military bases. The rural part of northern California did not seem to have anything important, as far as he could determine. But he was sure that his instincts were right. He ran to wake up his companions.
Entering the barracks, he yelled, "Hey guys! Guys! It's not language! It’s numbers!" He shook the bunk beds, "It’s numbers! Numbers, guys! Coordinates!" He smiled, pleased with himself.
It had come to him in the shower: a clear image of the alien navigation control panel. Buzz sat in his bunk dripping wet, a towel loosely laying over his lap.
He was enthralled with the alien symbols he saw before him that felt like a pattern, like a new code that needed to be hacked. The adrenaline of the realization that he could decipher the symbols made his mind sharpen to a level of focus that not many could achieve.
He tapped the buttons on the on his xPhone. The little device had considerable power, and he’d been hacking it since a few minutes after he’d first gotten it. Over that time he’d improved its function considerably. He hoped it would be enough to run the three algorithms he had in mind simultaneously. He knew that the alien language could be deciphered, but he couldn’t guess how many hours it would take. It was a risk to overclock a device as small as the handheld, but he was used to taking risks, and he didn’t want to expose his work to the X-COM network, not yet.
As soon as the program was running, he got a tone indicating that he had a new e-mail. Switching the language program to the background, he opened it up to see a message from Joan Beauvois. It was addressed to the entire team, not just to him.
He shook his head. Maybe he shouldn’t have hacked Inise Drake’s account, or used her information from the Social Security Database to open up a credit card in her name. X-COM’s network had supposedly been secure, with a potent firewall limiting access to the World Wide Web, but he’d gotten around that by the end of his second day here. Once he had Drake’s personal information, he’d opened up one of his old hacks from back in the day, a backdoor into Vicky’s Online Adult Novelties. Five thousand dollars of purchases, overnight delivery of course, a quick wipe to cover his tracks…
If she’d put some of the things he’d sent her to use, maybe she wouldn’t be such a… Ah well, in hindsight, maybe it had been juvenile. After seeing Drake’s messages about security breaches, it looked like she hadn’t taken the joke very well. Still, there was no chance—almost no chance—that they’d trace anything back to him. This wasn’t his first time he’d used the Internet and his hacking abilities to deliver a comeuppance to someone who deserved it.
The two feds had found the alien device he’d kept in his locker, but it didn’t matter. He’d already stored the important data he’d need in a few places. And there was one database they’d never raid, no matter how many head-shrinkers they turned on him. With a smirk, he turned over and went to sleep, letting his xPhone do his work for now.
* * * * *
A few days passed. First Catalina returned to the duty rotation, then Vasily, still a bit tentative in the way he moved. Buzz was wary of the Russian at first, for he’d heard that he’d been treated using the new medical techniques derived from the alien biological technology. His own scars had healed completely, but he still rubbed at them sometimes, a gesture that had become almost subconscious.
Buzz’s optimism was always short-lived, and multiple failures in decoding the language had depleted the best of his most useful algorithms. But he tossed and turned in his sleep every night since viewing the alien control panel. It had gotten so bad that Cat had threatened to strap him to the bed to keep him still so she could sleep. That unnerved him. The woman slept on the other side of the room, so he knew his thrashing must be disturbing them all.
He went to bed that night trying to think of anything else but aliens and code, hoping he would not disturb the others. But yet again, around midnight he awoke with a start. Images had pulled together in his head and he just knew why he had been unable to crack the language.
He jumped out of bed and flew, not so quietly, out of the room and headed for the computer in the community room. After agent Drake's email he hadn’t dared tamper with the network settings on his xPhone. He pulled up all the pictures everyone had taken of the alien interior focusing on the different views of the control panel he had so voraciously tried to decipher…it is not words at all!
"It can't be." he said aloud. His mind sharpened and his fingers flew across the keyboard typing unnaturally fast. "Who would have thought that Google Earth would help in battling aliens!" He typed in the pattern he’d derived from the symbols depicted on the alien display, and zoomed to the points he had entered. He clicked back to the images of the alien control panel again, somewhat befuddled. Then he looked back to where Google Earth had stopped. "Shasta County, California. What in the hell is there?" His overlay on Google Earth pointed out critical sites, power stations, infrastructure, military bases. The rural part of northern California did not seem to have anything important, as far as he could determine. But he was sure that his instincts were right. He ran to wake up his companions.
Entering the barracks, he yelled, "Hey guys! Guys! It's not language! It’s numbers!" He shook the bunk beds, "It’s numbers! Numbers, guys! Coordinates!" He smiled, pleased with himself.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Session 6 (May 19, 2008)
Chapter 15
A topographical map depicting northern California glowed on the huge viewscreen on the wall. The members of Alpha Team sat along with the X-COM department heads around the long conference table.
“Buzz’s discovery regarding the alien navigational coordinates will help us in ultimately deciphering the alien language,” Kim Wagner said.
“We’re still not sure why the aliens are interested in Shasta County,” Garret said. “There’s not much there. Very rural area, a few farms, very small towns. Redding is the largest city in the region, and the coordinates are over a hundred miles from there. We’ve been in contact with the United States government, and they’ve confirmed that they don’t have any covert facilities or other operations in the area.”
“Would they tell us if they did?” Catalina mused.
“I don’t know,” Garret said. “But you are going to find out, Alpha.”
“We have some new technologies for you this time,” Wagner said. “The first laser pistol is ready. This is a test model, yes? Be careful with it.”
“You break, you buy, huh,” Vasily said.
“No, it gets confiscated,” Cat said.
“Doctor Sandesh has also finished his prototype motion sensor,” Wagner went on. “He expects a full report on its use in the field.”
“I hope I don’t have to say anything regarding letting these items out of your sight,” Garret said. He turned to his left. “Doctor White, you have something to say about the new medical kit?”
Stan White looked up from the papers he was shuffling in front of him. “Hmm? Oh, yes. We have a prototype of the new field kit that I’d like you guys to field test. It uses the new technologies we’ve derived from the alien bio sample you recovered from Utah. It won’t work miracles, but it should bring you back, provided you’re treated in time.”
“I can do that,” James said.
Buzz leaned forward, his fingers white on the grips of his chair’s armrests. “How did the lab rats fare?”
“Well, hopefully you won’t grow another head, like the rats,” Wagner said.
There was a shared look around the table. Buzz turned white.
“That was a joke,” Wagner said, after a moment. There was a nervous chuckle around the table.
“Sehr komisch,” James said.
“The new tech is in the secure storage facility off the alien containment lab. You should speak to Musa as well, refresh any damaged gear you might have. Stock up; we may be short on supplies for a while.”
That got their attention. “Why short?” Vasily asked.
Garret’s jaw tightened. “China is not the only consortium member that has been slow with payments. We are not producing results quickly enough for some of our members.”
“Gya,” Vasily said.
“It’s not your job to worry about the budget. Just keep in mind, any alien tech you bring back, it helps our bottom line.”
Wagner was even more blunt. “More dead aliens. Less incursions.”
“What they want, gorviayiche famous movie?” Vasily asked. “Win war in week?”
“People are scared,” Grace said. “And when they get scared…”
Garret nodded at her. “They do foolish things. We’ll do our best to avoid that. If there’s nothing else…”
“Just one last thing, Director,” Cat said. “When will communications be opened up again?”
“I’ll see what I can do, miss De Farrago. I am sorry that I cannot give you a more firm commitment.”
“As long as we are not all sorry, Director.”
Garret took a quick look around the table. “Dismissed.”
Chapter 15
A topographical map depicting northern California glowed on the huge viewscreen on the wall. The members of Alpha Team sat along with the X-COM department heads around the long conference table.
“Buzz’s discovery regarding the alien navigational coordinates will help us in ultimately deciphering the alien language,” Kim Wagner said.
“We’re still not sure why the aliens are interested in Shasta County,” Garret said. “There’s not much there. Very rural area, a few farms, very small towns. Redding is the largest city in the region, and the coordinates are over a hundred miles from there. We’ve been in contact with the United States government, and they’ve confirmed that they don’t have any covert facilities or other operations in the area.”
“Would they tell us if they did?” Catalina mused.
“I don’t know,” Garret said. “But you are going to find out, Alpha.”
“We have some new technologies for you this time,” Wagner said. “The first laser pistol is ready. This is a test model, yes? Be careful with it.”
“You break, you buy, huh,” Vasily said.
“No, it gets confiscated,” Cat said.
“Doctor Sandesh has also finished his prototype motion sensor,” Wagner went on. “He expects a full report on its use in the field.”
“I hope I don’t have to say anything regarding letting these items out of your sight,” Garret said. He turned to his left. “Doctor White, you have something to say about the new medical kit?”
Stan White looked up from the papers he was shuffling in front of him. “Hmm? Oh, yes. We have a prototype of the new field kit that I’d like you guys to field test. It uses the new technologies we’ve derived from the alien bio sample you recovered from Utah. It won’t work miracles, but it should bring you back, provided you’re treated in time.”
“I can do that,” James said.
Buzz leaned forward, his fingers white on the grips of his chair’s armrests. “How did the lab rats fare?”
“Well, hopefully you won’t grow another head, like the rats,” Wagner said.
There was a shared look around the table. Buzz turned white.
“That was a joke,” Wagner said, after a moment. There was a nervous chuckle around the table.
“Sehr komisch,” James said.
“The new tech is in the secure storage facility off the alien containment lab. You should speak to Musa as well, refresh any damaged gear you might have. Stock up; we may be short on supplies for a while.”
That got their attention. “Why short?” Vasily asked.
Garret’s jaw tightened. “China is not the only consortium member that has been slow with payments. We are not producing results quickly enough for some of our members.”
“Gya,” Vasily said.
“It’s not your job to worry about the budget. Just keep in mind, any alien tech you bring back, it helps our bottom line.”
Wagner was even more blunt. “More dead aliens. Less incursions.”
“What they want, gorviayiche famous movie?” Vasily asked. “Win war in week?”
“People are scared,” Grace said. “And when they get scared…”
Garret nodded at her. “They do foolish things. We’ll do our best to avoid that. If there’s nothing else…”
“Just one last thing, Director,” Cat said. “When will communications be opened up again?”
“I’ll see what I can do, miss De Farrago. I am sorry that I cannot give you a more firm commitment.”
“As long as we are not all sorry, Director.”
Garret took a quick look around the table. “Dismissed.”
Lazybones
Adventurer
Session 6 (May 19, 2008)
Chapter 16
Their destination wasn’t very far from X-COM’s Nevada base, but it was dark by the time that the Skyranger began its descent over the rugged northern California landscape. The coordinates Buzz had isolated were in a fairly isolated area, with maybe a dozen small farms within fifty miles of the target site. Unfortunately, the aliens hadn’t provided a time to go with the coordinates, or at least they hadn’t been able to decipher one from the data they’d collected from the alien ship.
They’d established a search pattern that would take them in an expanding circle around the target coordinates, but before they even got within fifty miles of their intended landing zone, Ken’s excited voice came over the intercom. “Just got the latest sat feed from base, guys. We have a bogey.”
As the members of Alpha Team exclaimed in surprise, the pilot continued, “Don’t know how it got there, didn’t pick anything up on the radar net, but there’s definitely something there, an alien ship, at one of the local farmhouses. Setting a course.”
“Any sign of individual aliens?” Cat asked, as Vasily checked his rifle.
There was a slight pause. “Nothing on the feed,” Ken reported. “But it’s not a very big ship, barely larger than the Ranger, maybe the same class as the ones you guys found in Canada.”
The team members shared a look. None of them had forgotten how that mission had turned out.
Another voice came over the communications net. “This is Doctor Wagner. I know you’ve seen the feed; capture of an intact alien ship is top priority. Good luck.”
Ken’s voice came back. “Okay, there’s no way they’re not going to see us coming in, but I’ll give them as little warning as I can. Be ready, down in sixty seconds, but you won’t want to get up until I give the signal. Yushi out.”
The Skyranger’s engines screamed, and the ship banked hard as Ken approached the target. He cut out the main engines and shifted to VTOL at the same time, and they each felt their stomachs rise into their throats as the ship plummeted hard, only to be slammed back as the landing jets kicked in.
Catalina looked over at Buzz, who was holding the motion scanner in his lap. “How close does that thing need to be to detect anything?” she asked.
“Don’t really know. Maybe you should play with it. I think you would be better suited than me, especially since you have to be out front to use it.” He smiled, but swallowed hard and closed his eyes as the Skyranger leveled out, and dropped the last few feet, land hard enough to jolt his teeth together.
“Let’s go!” James said, moving into place behind Vasily as the Russian sprang out of his seat and moved with fluid motion to the rear hatch. Buzz got free with a bit more effort, with Jane stopping to help him pull free of his seat harness. He handed the motion sensor to Catalina, who looked it over curiously.
Vasily was out before the hatch had opened fully. Ken had put them down in the middle of a pasture about fifty meters away from the farmhouse. It was a two-story house done in the chalet style, almost like a rustic hunting lodge, with an unpaved road connecting the house to the world beyond. There was a large white SUV parked in front of the house, but no lights or other indicators that there were people at home. In the moonlight they could just make out an orchard beyond the house to the right, and a hill rising up beyond it to the left.
Before they could do more than take that first look around, however, they heard the sounds of the alien energy weapons coming from the orchard, and streaks of white fire as plasma bolts started flashing past them. Buzz, just coming out of the hatch in the rear of the Skyranger, was almost hit in the face, and he staggered back, dazed, as a second bolt hit the craft, sending up a blast of fiery sparks from the point of impact.
“Aliens!” James yelled, diving for cover. There wasn’t much to be had, but at least the thick grass of the pasture offered some concealment from the unseen alien snipers.
“Shoot back!” Vasily yelled. “Buzz! Get back in ship!” The Russian ran forward, firing from his hip as he ran. A plasma bolt narrowly missed him as he darted in front of the SUV and up against the front wall of the farmhouse.
Jane squeezed out of the hatch as Buzz tried to force his way back in. She ran around to the front of the Skyranger, where Ken was frantically gesturing behind the armored glass of the cockpit. A plasma bolt struck the ship’s hull, punching a hole six inches across in its skin. Jane ducked under the nose and fired the laser pistol in the direction of the muzzle flashes. The red beam tore a bright streak across the landscape for a moment, but it wasn’t clear if she’d hit anything. She did draw counterfire, as one shot narrow missed both her and the ship, while another struck the cockpit with a glancing hit, splashing energy across the glass with a black smear that obscured half of the canopy.
Vasily glanced around the edge of the house toward the orchard. He couldn’t see the aliens, but they could apparently see him; a shot lanced out, and blasted away a hunk of stone the size of his head from the foundation. He quickly dropped back into cover, and reached for his belt, taking up a grenade.
His only warning was a faint skittering sound. He turned just in time to see another alien come around the far edge of the house. Before Vasily could so much as shout a warning, it turned and pointed its plasma pistol straight at his heart.
Chapter 16
Their destination wasn’t very far from X-COM’s Nevada base, but it was dark by the time that the Skyranger began its descent over the rugged northern California landscape. The coordinates Buzz had isolated were in a fairly isolated area, with maybe a dozen small farms within fifty miles of the target site. Unfortunately, the aliens hadn’t provided a time to go with the coordinates, or at least they hadn’t been able to decipher one from the data they’d collected from the alien ship.
They’d established a search pattern that would take them in an expanding circle around the target coordinates, but before they even got within fifty miles of their intended landing zone, Ken’s excited voice came over the intercom. “Just got the latest sat feed from base, guys. We have a bogey.”
As the members of Alpha Team exclaimed in surprise, the pilot continued, “Don’t know how it got there, didn’t pick anything up on the radar net, but there’s definitely something there, an alien ship, at one of the local farmhouses. Setting a course.”
“Any sign of individual aliens?” Cat asked, as Vasily checked his rifle.
There was a slight pause. “Nothing on the feed,” Ken reported. “But it’s not a very big ship, barely larger than the Ranger, maybe the same class as the ones you guys found in Canada.”
The team members shared a look. None of them had forgotten how that mission had turned out.
Another voice came over the communications net. “This is Doctor Wagner. I know you’ve seen the feed; capture of an intact alien ship is top priority. Good luck.”
Ken’s voice came back. “Okay, there’s no way they’re not going to see us coming in, but I’ll give them as little warning as I can. Be ready, down in sixty seconds, but you won’t want to get up until I give the signal. Yushi out.”
The Skyranger’s engines screamed, and the ship banked hard as Ken approached the target. He cut out the main engines and shifted to VTOL at the same time, and they each felt their stomachs rise into their throats as the ship plummeted hard, only to be slammed back as the landing jets kicked in.
Catalina looked over at Buzz, who was holding the motion scanner in his lap. “How close does that thing need to be to detect anything?” she asked.
“Don’t really know. Maybe you should play with it. I think you would be better suited than me, especially since you have to be out front to use it.” He smiled, but swallowed hard and closed his eyes as the Skyranger leveled out, and dropped the last few feet, land hard enough to jolt his teeth together.
“Let’s go!” James said, moving into place behind Vasily as the Russian sprang out of his seat and moved with fluid motion to the rear hatch. Buzz got free with a bit more effort, with Jane stopping to help him pull free of his seat harness. He handed the motion sensor to Catalina, who looked it over curiously.
Vasily was out before the hatch had opened fully. Ken had put them down in the middle of a pasture about fifty meters away from the farmhouse. It was a two-story house done in the chalet style, almost like a rustic hunting lodge, with an unpaved road connecting the house to the world beyond. There was a large white SUV parked in front of the house, but no lights or other indicators that there were people at home. In the moonlight they could just make out an orchard beyond the house to the right, and a hill rising up beyond it to the left.
Before they could do more than take that first look around, however, they heard the sounds of the alien energy weapons coming from the orchard, and streaks of white fire as plasma bolts started flashing past them. Buzz, just coming out of the hatch in the rear of the Skyranger, was almost hit in the face, and he staggered back, dazed, as a second bolt hit the craft, sending up a blast of fiery sparks from the point of impact.
“Aliens!” James yelled, diving for cover. There wasn’t much to be had, but at least the thick grass of the pasture offered some concealment from the unseen alien snipers.
“Shoot back!” Vasily yelled. “Buzz! Get back in ship!” The Russian ran forward, firing from his hip as he ran. A plasma bolt narrowly missed him as he darted in front of the SUV and up against the front wall of the farmhouse.
Jane squeezed out of the hatch as Buzz tried to force his way back in. She ran around to the front of the Skyranger, where Ken was frantically gesturing behind the armored glass of the cockpit. A plasma bolt struck the ship’s hull, punching a hole six inches across in its skin. Jane ducked under the nose and fired the laser pistol in the direction of the muzzle flashes. The red beam tore a bright streak across the landscape for a moment, but it wasn’t clear if she’d hit anything. She did draw counterfire, as one shot narrow missed both her and the ship, while another struck the cockpit with a glancing hit, splashing energy across the glass with a black smear that obscured half of the canopy.
Vasily glanced around the edge of the house toward the orchard. He couldn’t see the aliens, but they could apparently see him; a shot lanced out, and blasted away a hunk of stone the size of his head from the foundation. He quickly dropped back into cover, and reached for his belt, taking up a grenade.
His only warning was a faint skittering sound. He turned just in time to see another alien come around the far edge of the house. Before Vasily could so much as shout a warning, it turned and pointed its plasma pistol straight at his heart.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Lazybones
Adventurer
And your regularly scheduled update:
* * * * *
Session 6 (May 19, 2008)
Chapter 17
The alien had him dead to rights, Vasily knew, but he still reached for his rifle, hoping for a miracle that would cause the alien to miss at point-blank range.
The alien staggered back, dark smears of blood appearing from holes that appeared almost magically across its chest. Vasily looked up to see James running around the back of the SUV, his rifle flashing in his hand. The sectoid fell back out of view as the medic ran up to join Vasily against the wall, breathing heavily.
“Good job,” Vasily said. “Keep an eye out there,” he said, lifting the grenade. He waited for James’s nod before he leaned out and tossed the grenade into the orchard, ducking back into cover before the device exploded.
The explosion rocked the orchard, and bits of dirt and wood rained out from amongst the trees. Vasily peered out around the corner again, his rifle ready, but didn’t see any targets, until a squat gray form meandered forward out of the trees, moving awkwardly, as if drunk.
Vasily lifted his rifle, but a red beam bisected the alien’s skull, and it crumpled.
Catalina circled around the edge of the pasture toward the far side of the orchard, her pistol at the ready. After making sure that James was ready to cover him, Vasily moved to join her, coming around the side of the house to approach from the other direction.
They found only two dead sectoids, the one that Jane had lasered, and another perforated by shrapnel from Vasily’s grenade.
The Russian waved the others forward, while Catalina took out the motion sensor. The device made a quick clicking noise as she activated it, white pulses radiating outward on its small LCD screen.
“You detect anything?” Vasily asked quietly.
“Scanning,” Cat replied, circling slowly. She hesitated as she faced the northwest, where they could make out the outline of the hill beyond the farm.
“You hear that?” Jane asked, as she rejoined them. Buzz and James were a step behind her. “The one behind the house is dead,” James confirmed. “I didn’t see any others.”
“Quiet,” Vasily said. They all listened, and all heard what Jane had detected; a high-pitched whirl, a noise that sounded unlike anything that might have belonged in this desolate place. It came from atop the hill.
“Come on,” Vasily said, leading the way.
The hill was only about thirty feet high, its gently-sloping sides covered in thick grass that clung to their pants as they ascended. They saw the alien ship before they reached the summit, a familiar-looking oblong that was shrouded in shadow, its hull absorbing the faint moonlight.
There was a hatch in the rear of the vessel, which was slowly closing.
Vasily cursed in Russian. “Go, go!” He ran for the hatch, the others close behind. Vasily jammed his rifle into the mechanism of the hatch, arresting it half-open. He squeezed into the opening beyond, whipping out the stun rod as he went. Catalina was just a step behind him, her gun at the ready.
The inside of the ship might have been identical to the one they’d boarded in the Rockies mission, down to the complex alien machinery that subdivided the interior space. The two operatives saw what looked like a hint of movement up ahead, but they couldn’t clearly make out the alien.
“I not see—” Vasily began, but he was cut off as the entire ship began to trmble.
“What—” Cat hissed, stumbling against the adjacent wall.
“It taking off!” Vasily said, looking back at James, who was helping Buzz through the hatch. “Stop it taking off!” The Russian ran forward into the front compartment. He and the alien pilot spotted each other in the same instant, but Vasily was faster, stabbing the end of the stun rod into its face. With an electrical hiss, the alien staggered back and collapsed in a limp heat. Vasily gave it another poke for good measure, then started looking around at the controls, which were utterly unfamiliar. Whatever sequence the pilot had indicated continued, for the entire ship began to shake, and bright lights began to shine out of one bank of machines, filling the compartment with a red glow.
Buzz came forward, looked over the control panel. “Can you work the system, shut it down?” James asked. The hacker was already at work, crouching and using a small tool to insert a probe into the alien control panel. He hooked it up to his xPhone, and started tapping at it as the display came to life.
“Buzz, do something, please,” Jane said nervously, as they felt the ship surge under them.
“Um, is this supposed to be doing that?” Catalina asked, pointing to a glittering fluid that was seeping from one of the machines, forming a puddle that began to spread across the floor.
“This can’t be good,” James said.
Catalina hurried behind the machine that was leaking fluid, looking for some sort of mechanism to turn it off. “Whoah,” she said, coming to a niche where a blue crystal, resting in some sort of armored cradle, was starting to shine with a bright glow. She held out her xPhone. “The power readings on this are off the charts,” she said.
“Maybe we’d better leave it alone,” James said.
Sparks flared from a panel on the far side of the ship. A dense and unpleasant fog started to fill the interior of the compartment.
“Buzz!” Vasily shouted.
“I’m working on it,” he said, without looking up.
Giving the crystal a wide berth, Catalina was scanning the controls that ran along a bank of machinery on the left side of the niche. She paused at a prominent lever that was recessed into the panel near the floor. “I think this is a fuel dump,” she said, pointing to the lever. “I can lose the fuel!”
“We’re off the ground!” Jane yelled from the hatchway. “We’re going up!”
“Buzz!” Vasily repeated.
Buzz’s brow was furrowed as he entered commands on his xPhone. Red lights flashed across it. “Damn!”
“Sod it!” Catalina yelled, slamming the lever down.
The vibrations shaking the shift abruptly stopped, and it plummeted down fifteen feet. The impact of striking the hilltop knocked them all off their feet. Jane cried out as her ankle twisted, and Buzz knocked his forehead on the main control panel as he fell, stunning him.
“Everyone all right?” Vasily asked, groaning as his body resisted his commands to get back up.
“Look!” Catalina hissed. They all turned to where the glowing blue crystal had begun to quiver in its nook. As they watched, it crumpled in upon itself, vanishing in a micro-implosion with a faint huffing noise.
“What the hell?” James asked of no one in particular.
“All out, all out,” Vasily said. The five of them made their way out of the ship, which now lay at a slightly crooked angle atop the hillside, the ground crushed under the ship by its sudden descent.
Ken’s voice sounded in their ears. “How are you guys doing?”
Vasily touched his earpiece. “Everything secure. We got the ship.”
“We should do a through search of the area, the house,” Cat suggested.
Vasily nodded. “Ken, we searching perimeter. Looking for survivors, or clues about aliens.”
“Roger that, Alpha. I sent word to base, the salvage crew is en route to your position. Fortunately none of the Ranger’s critical systems were hit by the sectoids, but she’ll definitely need a fresh pain job. I’ll continue to monitor and let you know if we pick up anything on the radar.”
The members of Alpha Team made their way back down the hill, Catalina sweeping with the motion sensor, James supporting Jane with her bruised ankle. Vasily paused and glanced back at the ship, which sat their quiescent, faint wisps of smoke rising from the hatch. It was their third, now. He shook his head, then followed after the others.
* * * * *
Session 6 (May 19, 2008)
Chapter 17
The alien had him dead to rights, Vasily knew, but he still reached for his rifle, hoping for a miracle that would cause the alien to miss at point-blank range.
The alien staggered back, dark smears of blood appearing from holes that appeared almost magically across its chest. Vasily looked up to see James running around the back of the SUV, his rifle flashing in his hand. The sectoid fell back out of view as the medic ran up to join Vasily against the wall, breathing heavily.
“Good job,” Vasily said. “Keep an eye out there,” he said, lifting the grenade. He waited for James’s nod before he leaned out and tossed the grenade into the orchard, ducking back into cover before the device exploded.
The explosion rocked the orchard, and bits of dirt and wood rained out from amongst the trees. Vasily peered out around the corner again, his rifle ready, but didn’t see any targets, until a squat gray form meandered forward out of the trees, moving awkwardly, as if drunk.
Vasily lifted his rifle, but a red beam bisected the alien’s skull, and it crumpled.
Catalina circled around the edge of the pasture toward the far side of the orchard, her pistol at the ready. After making sure that James was ready to cover him, Vasily moved to join her, coming around the side of the house to approach from the other direction.
They found only two dead sectoids, the one that Jane had lasered, and another perforated by shrapnel from Vasily’s grenade.
The Russian waved the others forward, while Catalina took out the motion sensor. The device made a quick clicking noise as she activated it, white pulses radiating outward on its small LCD screen.
“You detect anything?” Vasily asked quietly.
“Scanning,” Cat replied, circling slowly. She hesitated as she faced the northwest, where they could make out the outline of the hill beyond the farm.
“You hear that?” Jane asked, as she rejoined them. Buzz and James were a step behind her. “The one behind the house is dead,” James confirmed. “I didn’t see any others.”
“Quiet,” Vasily said. They all listened, and all heard what Jane had detected; a high-pitched whirl, a noise that sounded unlike anything that might have belonged in this desolate place. It came from atop the hill.
“Come on,” Vasily said, leading the way.
The hill was only about thirty feet high, its gently-sloping sides covered in thick grass that clung to their pants as they ascended. They saw the alien ship before they reached the summit, a familiar-looking oblong that was shrouded in shadow, its hull absorbing the faint moonlight.
There was a hatch in the rear of the vessel, which was slowly closing.
Vasily cursed in Russian. “Go, go!” He ran for the hatch, the others close behind. Vasily jammed his rifle into the mechanism of the hatch, arresting it half-open. He squeezed into the opening beyond, whipping out the stun rod as he went. Catalina was just a step behind him, her gun at the ready.
The inside of the ship might have been identical to the one they’d boarded in the Rockies mission, down to the complex alien machinery that subdivided the interior space. The two operatives saw what looked like a hint of movement up ahead, but they couldn’t clearly make out the alien.
“I not see—” Vasily began, but he was cut off as the entire ship began to trmble.
“What—” Cat hissed, stumbling against the adjacent wall.
“It taking off!” Vasily said, looking back at James, who was helping Buzz through the hatch. “Stop it taking off!” The Russian ran forward into the front compartment. He and the alien pilot spotted each other in the same instant, but Vasily was faster, stabbing the end of the stun rod into its face. With an electrical hiss, the alien staggered back and collapsed in a limp heat. Vasily gave it another poke for good measure, then started looking around at the controls, which were utterly unfamiliar. Whatever sequence the pilot had indicated continued, for the entire ship began to shake, and bright lights began to shine out of one bank of machines, filling the compartment with a red glow.
Buzz came forward, looked over the control panel. “Can you work the system, shut it down?” James asked. The hacker was already at work, crouching and using a small tool to insert a probe into the alien control panel. He hooked it up to his xPhone, and started tapping at it as the display came to life.
“Buzz, do something, please,” Jane said nervously, as they felt the ship surge under them.
“Um, is this supposed to be doing that?” Catalina asked, pointing to a glittering fluid that was seeping from one of the machines, forming a puddle that began to spread across the floor.
“This can’t be good,” James said.
Catalina hurried behind the machine that was leaking fluid, looking for some sort of mechanism to turn it off. “Whoah,” she said, coming to a niche where a blue crystal, resting in some sort of armored cradle, was starting to shine with a bright glow. She held out her xPhone. “The power readings on this are off the charts,” she said.
“Maybe we’d better leave it alone,” James said.
Sparks flared from a panel on the far side of the ship. A dense and unpleasant fog started to fill the interior of the compartment.
“Buzz!” Vasily shouted.
“I’m working on it,” he said, without looking up.
Giving the crystal a wide berth, Catalina was scanning the controls that ran along a bank of machinery on the left side of the niche. She paused at a prominent lever that was recessed into the panel near the floor. “I think this is a fuel dump,” she said, pointing to the lever. “I can lose the fuel!”
“We’re off the ground!” Jane yelled from the hatchway. “We’re going up!”
“Buzz!” Vasily repeated.
Buzz’s brow was furrowed as he entered commands on his xPhone. Red lights flashed across it. “Damn!”
“Sod it!” Catalina yelled, slamming the lever down.
The vibrations shaking the shift abruptly stopped, and it plummeted down fifteen feet. The impact of striking the hilltop knocked them all off their feet. Jane cried out as her ankle twisted, and Buzz knocked his forehead on the main control panel as he fell, stunning him.
“Everyone all right?” Vasily asked, groaning as his body resisted his commands to get back up.
“Look!” Catalina hissed. They all turned to where the glowing blue crystal had begun to quiver in its nook. As they watched, it crumpled in upon itself, vanishing in a micro-implosion with a faint huffing noise.
“What the hell?” James asked of no one in particular.
“All out, all out,” Vasily said. The five of them made their way out of the ship, which now lay at a slightly crooked angle atop the hillside, the ground crushed under the ship by its sudden descent.
Ken’s voice sounded in their ears. “How are you guys doing?”
Vasily touched his earpiece. “Everything secure. We got the ship.”
“We should do a through search of the area, the house,” Cat suggested.
Vasily nodded. “Ken, we searching perimeter. Looking for survivors, or clues about aliens.”
“Roger that, Alpha. I sent word to base, the salvage crew is en route to your position. Fortunately none of the Ranger’s critical systems were hit by the sectoids, but she’ll definitely need a fresh pain job. I’ll continue to monitor and let you know if we pick up anything on the radar.”
The members of Alpha Team made their way back down the hill, Catalina sweeping with the motion sensor, James supporting Jane with her bruised ankle. Vasily paused and glanced back at the ship, which sat their quiescent, faint wisps of smoke rising from the hatch. It was their third, now. He shook his head, then followed after the others.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Very entertaining read Lazybones. Where are those pics from? Was there and XCom remake at some point?
Very cool. I played a lot of the community made modules back when NWN came out but I had no idea how far the customization has progressed.
Makes me wish there was a single player campaign.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Those pics came from NWN? Wow, they look nothing like what I remember from the original NWN. Although I never looked much beyond the first incarnation or at any of the online play.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Yeah, Neverwinter Nights has come a long way since 2002, due in part to the spectacular efforts of the custom content community. There's more info about the module in the first post of this thread, including a link to where it can be downloaded.
* * * * *
Session 6 (May 19, 2008)
Chapter 18
They were tired, dirty, and all around worn when they exited the Skyranger into the cavernous interior of the base’s underground hangar. Crews of technicians and scientists hurried forward to take custody of the alien technology they’d stashed in the aircraft’s storage lockers. Most of it was coming back with the recovery crew, which was also working on securing the alien ship for transit.
They would also be bringing back bodies. They’d found the farm family in their search of the house, a middle-aged couple who’d been killed with plasma bolts at close range.
They were so exhausted that they didn’t even complain about the decontamination sequence, a process which involved steam, radiation, and general unpleasantness for everyone involved.
As they were making their way back into the base proper, they encountered Agent Drake, coming out of the main lift.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” the FBI agent said. “If it isn’t Team Banzai.”
“Agent Drake,” James said.
“So, I heard you captured an alien ship. Impressive. A pity you couldn’t stop the aliens from shooting up a farm family.”
Vasily came forward, and stood in front of her, looming like a silent monolith. But if the American agent was intimidated, she didn’t show it. “Well, I thought I smelled Russian,” she said.
“Funny, I think I smell cow,” Vasily replied. He pushed past her, heading back toward the base quarters. The others followed, but as they made their way through the lounge, they saw Garret waiting for them in the doorway to the briefing room. “Ah, good,” he said, when he saw Vasily. “I know you’re tired, but there’s a few things we need to talk about. Come in, please.”
Alpha Team followed him into the room. Doctor Wagner and Grace were already there, chatting over one of the control consoles. Both turned as the field operatives entered. Behind them, Agent Drake followed. “I hope your team will remember the terms of our agreement, mister Garret,” she said, as the members of Alpha Team took their seats.
“We will honor our agreement, as long as the United States government holds up its end, Agent Drake,” Garret replied. He turned to Alpha. “You got the alien bird. Good work, team.”
“We’ve received a preliminary report from the field salvage team,” Doctor Wagner said. “It had multiple compartments built into the hull. We suspect that the alien ship was a probe vessel of some sort. The compartments, they seemed designed to preserve biological samples.”
“They are really abducting people?” Catalina asked. She didn’t see Jane shudder next to her, or the suddenly intent look that appeared on the other woman’s face.
“Cows, too,” James said. “We found several dead cows on the property, shot by the alien plasma guns.”
“Is exactly what we do, no?” Vasily added.
“I don’t know why they would kill everything, rather than take captives,” Garret said.
“They are alien,” Doctor Wagner said. “Their motives may not make sense to us.”
“Maybe,” Vasily said, frowning.
“Well, you’ve given us an alien power system to study,” Grace said. “Shame about the fuel, though.”
“Sorry, I think it was that or have it blow, with us inside,” Cat said.
“It is clear that they are studying us as intently as we are studying them,” Agent Drake said. “We need to do better.”
“We could, if we weren’t being disarmed, fighting the aliens with one hand tied behind our backs,” Cat shot back.
Drake crossed her arms and stared levelly at Catalina. “You’re not being disarmed, but my superiors believe it is a bad idea for one organization—with limited accountability—having a monopoly on access to alien technology.”
“What are you afraid of?” Vasily interjected. “You think X-COM going to declare war on U.S. or something? Bah!”
“We have to protect our interests, no matter the cost,” Drake shot back. “Don’t think this operation is the only one of its kind.”
Several members of the team leaned forward in their chairs, but Garret interrupted them. “Please, we gain nothing but squabbling,” Garret said, holding out his hands reassuringly. “We are all ultimately on the same side here.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Catalina said.
Garret ignored her interruption. “And we’ve won a victory here,” he said.
“Victory,” Vasily said, letting out a deep breath. “I have question.”
“Yes, Vasily?” Garret said.
“Any sign of new coordinates like Buzz find in other ship? Any clue?”
“We haven’t had a chance to study their navigational systems yet,” Wagner said. “Buzz, we’d appreciate your help working with the decrypt team, after you recent success in that area.”
“We’ll be looking for your help with all of our ongoing projects,” Garret said. “But that, and the rest of the debriefing, can wait until morning, I think.”
* * * * *
Session 6 (May 19, 2008)
Chapter 18
They were tired, dirty, and all around worn when they exited the Skyranger into the cavernous interior of the base’s underground hangar. Crews of technicians and scientists hurried forward to take custody of the alien technology they’d stashed in the aircraft’s storage lockers. Most of it was coming back with the recovery crew, which was also working on securing the alien ship for transit.
They would also be bringing back bodies. They’d found the farm family in their search of the house, a middle-aged couple who’d been killed with plasma bolts at close range.
They were so exhausted that they didn’t even complain about the decontamination sequence, a process which involved steam, radiation, and general unpleasantness for everyone involved.
As they were making their way back into the base proper, they encountered Agent Drake, coming out of the main lift.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” the FBI agent said. “If it isn’t Team Banzai.”
“Agent Drake,” James said.
“So, I heard you captured an alien ship. Impressive. A pity you couldn’t stop the aliens from shooting up a farm family.”
Vasily came forward, and stood in front of her, looming like a silent monolith. But if the American agent was intimidated, she didn’t show it. “Well, I thought I smelled Russian,” she said.
“Funny, I think I smell cow,” Vasily replied. He pushed past her, heading back toward the base quarters. The others followed, but as they made their way through the lounge, they saw Garret waiting for them in the doorway to the briefing room. “Ah, good,” he said, when he saw Vasily. “I know you’re tired, but there’s a few things we need to talk about. Come in, please.”
Alpha Team followed him into the room. Doctor Wagner and Grace were already there, chatting over one of the control consoles. Both turned as the field operatives entered. Behind them, Agent Drake followed. “I hope your team will remember the terms of our agreement, mister Garret,” she said, as the members of Alpha Team took their seats.
“We will honor our agreement, as long as the United States government holds up its end, Agent Drake,” Garret replied. He turned to Alpha. “You got the alien bird. Good work, team.”
“We’ve received a preliminary report from the field salvage team,” Doctor Wagner said. “It had multiple compartments built into the hull. We suspect that the alien ship was a probe vessel of some sort. The compartments, they seemed designed to preserve biological samples.”
“They are really abducting people?” Catalina asked. She didn’t see Jane shudder next to her, or the suddenly intent look that appeared on the other woman’s face.
“Cows, too,” James said. “We found several dead cows on the property, shot by the alien plasma guns.”
“Is exactly what we do, no?” Vasily added.
“I don’t know why they would kill everything, rather than take captives,” Garret said.
“They are alien,” Doctor Wagner said. “Their motives may not make sense to us.”
“Maybe,” Vasily said, frowning.
“Well, you’ve given us an alien power system to study,” Grace said. “Shame about the fuel, though.”
“Sorry, I think it was that or have it blow, with us inside,” Cat said.
“It is clear that they are studying us as intently as we are studying them,” Agent Drake said. “We need to do better.”
“We could, if we weren’t being disarmed, fighting the aliens with one hand tied behind our backs,” Cat shot back.
Drake crossed her arms and stared levelly at Catalina. “You’re not being disarmed, but my superiors believe it is a bad idea for one organization—with limited accountability—having a monopoly on access to alien technology.”
“What are you afraid of?” Vasily interjected. “You think X-COM going to declare war on U.S. or something? Bah!”
“We have to protect our interests, no matter the cost,” Drake shot back. “Don’t think this operation is the only one of its kind.”
Several members of the team leaned forward in their chairs, but Garret interrupted them. “Please, we gain nothing but squabbling,” Garret said, holding out his hands reassuringly. “We are all ultimately on the same side here.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Catalina said.
Garret ignored her interruption. “And we’ve won a victory here,” he said.
“Victory,” Vasily said, letting out a deep breath. “I have question.”
“Yes, Vasily?” Garret said.
“Any sign of new coordinates like Buzz find in other ship? Any clue?”
“We haven’t had a chance to study their navigational systems yet,” Wagner said. “Buzz, we’d appreciate your help working with the decrypt team, after you recent success in that area.”
“We’ll be looking for your help with all of our ongoing projects,” Garret said. “But that, and the rest of the debriefing, can wait until morning, I think.”
Similar Threads
