For a second I was thinking about his shirt color... even went back and reread things to make sure you didn't describe it.
X-COM (updated M-W-F)
For a second I was thinking about his shirt color... even went back and reread things to make sure you didn't describe it.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Interlude: Jane (May 9-11, 2008)
Jane caught up to Stan White in the research lab, as he was preparing samples of Sectoid blood for examination through the base's scanning electron microscope. She asked him about the medical projects and the alien autopsies mentioned in Doctor Wagner’s report.
He considered a moment at Jane's questions. "Well, I do think that medical research should be given a priority. We're near a breakthrough on alien medicine, I can feel it. Doctor Allen has been a big help on analyzing the alien substance you found at the Utah site, and with the sectoid bodies now in our custody, I believe we can figure out how to make a practical field kit that utilizes the principles of cell regeneration that we've seen in the alien physiology. Once we can map the creature's genome—that will take time, mind you—then we may be able to develop some means of countering them. Sort of like the tranquilizer you had mentioned earlier, in the briefing."
"So if you're asking for my advice, I would recommend splitting our resources on the alien medicine and finishing our autopsies on the sectoid corpses. There's just so much we can learn. I know that the engineers and physical scientists want to get into that alien wreck you found, but I saw it when they brought it in, and honestly, I'm not sure how much they can learn from that."
As Jane turned to leave, the doctor added, "Oh, and if your team can put a word in with Mister Garret about getting us a separate medical lab, I know he will listen to you. These crowded quarters impair our efficiency."
“Thanks, Doc,” she said. After pausing to make a few notations on her xPhone, she went looking for Grace Thelon Beluca.
* * * * *
Jane found Grace surrounded by a small cadre of engineers working on the hull of the alien spacecraft. She was trying to remove a small piece of the hull with an acetylene torch, without much success. She handed the torch to one of her assistants as she spotted Jane waiting nearby.
"I think we should make alien ship technology our top priority," she said, in response to Jane's questions about the Doctor Wagner’s list of priorities. “True, there isn't much left to this wreck, but if we can successfully research the alien alloys, then we can use that as a building block once we acquire an intact vessel. And in practical terms, understanding this material can help our engineers develop more advanced tactical armor for the field units. That should really help your survivability on away missions."
As Jane steered the conversation to the alien weapons, she replied, "Well, those alien guns pack a punch, and no question. But the problem is the power source. Until we figure out how it works, the alien guns are just too dangerous to use in field operations. My suspicion is that it's the same power supply that they use in their ships; we detected traces of the material in the wreck. We need to get an intact alien power supply, then we can work on the guns. Researching them now won't likely yield usable results for a long time. Besides, we have plans for the laser pistol complete, which we can put into production now."
She looked back at the ship, which fills most of the workshop. "But what I really need is more space. You gave the researchers a larger space, and given what we can accomplish here in the workshop, I would think that we deserve the same. Once we add a second workshop, we can focus our attention on turning out those laser pistols for your team."
“Thanks, Grace.”
* * *
Base Chief Hallorand seemed to have his answer ready when Jane ran into him in the corridor.
"Base defense, I've made no secret about that as needing attention. I know Grace has been talking about a laser defense system some time in the future, but we have access to the best missile technology on Earth right now, and even a single battery could make the difference if we're attacked. It is inevitable that the aliens will notice our activities as we ratchet up our operations against them, and right now, our base is a sitting duck. Especially if Alpha is away at the time; our guards are good, military veterans to a man, but I saw the tests on those alien weapons you brought back, and there's no way we can stand up to those for long. I know that Director Garret is working on getting Beta Team up and running, but our member nations are being reluctant in sending the next cohort of men and women to us. I suppose it's a blessing in disguise; I'd hardly know where to put them, with all these new scientists arriving."
“The other department heads have made a good choice for their particular priorities,” Jane said. “I’m just trying to capture the ‘Big Picture’ so we can all be pulling together toward the same goals.”
Hallorand nodded. "I understand where you're coming from. I believe that's why Director Garret and the others have asked Alpha to take such a large role in planning the base expansion, manufacturing, and research priorities. It's my job to focus on the operations side; I have to advocate for what I see as critical to mission success. I know that Grace, Stan, and Kim feel the same way about their areas. But as the team that actually goes out and fights the aliens, Alpha has to put it all together and make the tough decisions that will determine whether you live or die, come back with bloody wounds or alien artifacts that will help us turn the tide."
They were interrupted by the sudden blare of a klaxon that filled the base over the intercom. Hallorand stiffened for a moment as he whipped out his communicator, then relaxed, if only slightly. "Thank god, it's just a drill," he said. "One day it won't be," he added to Jane, before he ran off, shouting orders to the men who appeared in the halls of the base as he went.
* * *
Jane spent a few more hours talking to others, researchers, engineers, and the base guards, but wasn't able to learn much more. The engineers were too busy working on the alien wreck to talk for very long. The hangar crew pointed out that the X-COM interceptors have hardpoints that allow the easy addition of new weapons. When she dropped by, they were busy mounting the new Avalanche missiles. The two aircraft, based on the advanced American F-22 airframe, looked sleek, deadly. How deadly they would turn out to be against alien ships remained to be seen.
Jane caught up to Stan White in the research lab, as he was preparing samples of Sectoid blood for examination through the base's scanning electron microscope. She asked him about the medical projects and the alien autopsies mentioned in Doctor Wagner’s report.
He considered a moment at Jane's questions. "Well, I do think that medical research should be given a priority. We're near a breakthrough on alien medicine, I can feel it. Doctor Allen has been a big help on analyzing the alien substance you found at the Utah site, and with the sectoid bodies now in our custody, I believe we can figure out how to make a practical field kit that utilizes the principles of cell regeneration that we've seen in the alien physiology. Once we can map the creature's genome—that will take time, mind you—then we may be able to develop some means of countering them. Sort of like the tranquilizer you had mentioned earlier, in the briefing."
"So if you're asking for my advice, I would recommend splitting our resources on the alien medicine and finishing our autopsies on the sectoid corpses. There's just so much we can learn. I know that the engineers and physical scientists want to get into that alien wreck you found, but I saw it when they brought it in, and honestly, I'm not sure how much they can learn from that."
As Jane turned to leave, the doctor added, "Oh, and if your team can put a word in with Mister Garret about getting us a separate medical lab, I know he will listen to you. These crowded quarters impair our efficiency."
“Thanks, Doc,” she said. After pausing to make a few notations on her xPhone, she went looking for Grace Thelon Beluca.
* * * * *
Jane found Grace surrounded by a small cadre of engineers working on the hull of the alien spacecraft. She was trying to remove a small piece of the hull with an acetylene torch, without much success. She handed the torch to one of her assistants as she spotted Jane waiting nearby.
"I think we should make alien ship technology our top priority," she said, in response to Jane's questions about the Doctor Wagner’s list of priorities. “True, there isn't much left to this wreck, but if we can successfully research the alien alloys, then we can use that as a building block once we acquire an intact vessel. And in practical terms, understanding this material can help our engineers develop more advanced tactical armor for the field units. That should really help your survivability on away missions."
As Jane steered the conversation to the alien weapons, she replied, "Well, those alien guns pack a punch, and no question. But the problem is the power source. Until we figure out how it works, the alien guns are just too dangerous to use in field operations. My suspicion is that it's the same power supply that they use in their ships; we detected traces of the material in the wreck. We need to get an intact alien power supply, then we can work on the guns. Researching them now won't likely yield usable results for a long time. Besides, we have plans for the laser pistol complete, which we can put into production now."
She looked back at the ship, which fills most of the workshop. "But what I really need is more space. You gave the researchers a larger space, and given what we can accomplish here in the workshop, I would think that we deserve the same. Once we add a second workshop, we can focus our attention on turning out those laser pistols for your team."
“Thanks, Grace.”
* * *
Base Chief Hallorand seemed to have his answer ready when Jane ran into him in the corridor.
"Base defense, I've made no secret about that as needing attention. I know Grace has been talking about a laser defense system some time in the future, but we have access to the best missile technology on Earth right now, and even a single battery could make the difference if we're attacked. It is inevitable that the aliens will notice our activities as we ratchet up our operations against them, and right now, our base is a sitting duck. Especially if Alpha is away at the time; our guards are good, military veterans to a man, but I saw the tests on those alien weapons you brought back, and there's no way we can stand up to those for long. I know that Director Garret is working on getting Beta Team up and running, but our member nations are being reluctant in sending the next cohort of men and women to us. I suppose it's a blessing in disguise; I'd hardly know where to put them, with all these new scientists arriving."
“The other department heads have made a good choice for their particular priorities,” Jane said. “I’m just trying to capture the ‘Big Picture’ so we can all be pulling together toward the same goals.”
Hallorand nodded. "I understand where you're coming from. I believe that's why Director Garret and the others have asked Alpha to take such a large role in planning the base expansion, manufacturing, and research priorities. It's my job to focus on the operations side; I have to advocate for what I see as critical to mission success. I know that Grace, Stan, and Kim feel the same way about their areas. But as the team that actually goes out and fights the aliens, Alpha has to put it all together and make the tough decisions that will determine whether you live or die, come back with bloody wounds or alien artifacts that will help us turn the tide."
They were interrupted by the sudden blare of a klaxon that filled the base over the intercom. Hallorand stiffened for a moment as he whipped out his communicator, then relaxed, if only slightly. "Thank god, it's just a drill," he said. "One day it won't be," he added to Jane, before he ran off, shouting orders to the men who appeared in the halls of the base as he went.
* * *
Jane spent a few more hours talking to others, researchers, engineers, and the base guards, but wasn't able to learn much more. The engineers were too busy working on the alien wreck to talk for very long. The hangar crew pointed out that the X-COM interceptors have hardpoints that allow the easy addition of new weapons. When she dropped by, they were busy mounting the new Avalanche missiles. The two aircraft, based on the advanced American F-22 airframe, looked sleek, deadly. How deadly they would turn out to be against alien ships remained to be seen.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Nice way to handle the down time between missions, which there is so much of during the first few months in Xcom. Thanks to this SH, I had to dig out my old diskettes and find a dos emulator so I could play. That was so much fun. The wife wasn't too thrilled with me for a while though. 
Lazybones
Adventurer
Thanks. While my players always post in the forums between sessions, I came up with the idea of the "strategic game" to allow them to feel like they were part of the larger planning/building part of X-COM. It worked really well and I codified into a more organized system in X-COM 2 (which my group is playing right now).Nice way to handle the down time between missions, which there is so much of during the first few months in Xcom. Thanks to this SH, I had to dig out my old diskettes and find a dos emulator so I could play. That was so much fun. The wife wasn't too thrilled with me for a while though.
* * * * *
Session 5 (May 12, 2008)
Chapter 12
Jane sat numbly in a chair in the lounge. She was staring at her xPhone, which showed a scene from the medical bay. Buzz had shown her how to patch the device into the base’s security cameras. It probably wasn’t an intended or authorized use for it, but at the moment, she wasn’t particularly concerned with security regulations.
The screen showed Vasily lying on a bed, surrounded by a forest of dangling tubes, wires, and machines that occasionally chirped of flashed briefly, as it to remind everyone that their charge was still alive. He was still in a coma. Her gaze focused in on one of the drip lines. The bag fueling it was only about half-full, and she imagined that she could see a green tint to it, even over the limited resolution available from the xPhone’s screen.
She shifted her thumb over the screen, and the image changed. There was Catalina, grimacing as a nurse assisted her as she struggled through a series of basic movements. She started to change it again, but stopped herself. She’d already looked into the morgue countless times. She didn’t need to see the stainless steel tombs where Carson and Sandoval lay. She realized that she didn’t even remember Sandoval’s first name. The thought made her sit up, access the X-COM personnel directory through her xPhone. It took her a few moments to find it; Sandoval’s file had already been moved to the inactive category.
Jaime, she read. Jaime Sandoval. She resolved not to forget it.
Leaning back again in the heavily padded chair, she switched the phone back to viewing mode. As Vasily’s limp form reappeared on the screen, her mind wandered back of its own volition to two days ago, when the wild klaxon of the base alert siren had summoned the members of Alpha Team to Skyranger-1…
* * *
The Skyranger bucked as it flew through turbulent air over the Rocky Mountains, following the long track of peaks north toward the United States-Canadian border. The ship was flying heavy; not only was it weighed down with fuel, but every seat in the cargo compartment was full, even the two jump seats that pulled down from the wall over the long cylinder of the cryo-storage unit.
Stan White was there, looking a bit green. Across from him, next to Jane, James was talking eagerly with Catalina about the potential of the new medical discoveries that the research team was uncovering. Stan’s medical research team had found that some of the complex molecule chains within the alien substance that they’d recovered from the Utah mission had the added property of accelerating the natural regenerative properties of a living organism.
“With sufficient research, we may be able to develop a battlefield application for the technology. A compact medikit that would make the stuff in our current battlefield kits obsolete,” James was saying.
Jane didn’t hear Catalina’s response over the noise of the engines. She looked across at Carson and Sandoval, the new additions to the team. Brett Carson had come via the United States Army, a sergeant from the elite Rangers. Sandoval was from NATO, and looked to have been cut from the same cloth as Carson; both men were big, muscled, clean-cut, and dangerous-looking. They’d only been with Alpha a few days, and had only participated in a few training exercises with the team, but they seemed to know what they were doing.
She looked over at Vasily, who had one of the new stun rods propped up off the floor between his knees. The thing looked like an oversized cattle rod to Jane, but supposedly it would leave an alien helpless for up to an hour, if Grace and Stan were right about their claims.
Ken’s voice came to them over their com units. “Have the bogey on my radar,” he said. “Linking to Interceptor-1, I’ll patch you through.”
Another voice sounded in the tiny speakers in their ears. “…ceptor-1, thirty seconds to contact. Damn it, that bastard’s moving fast. Weapons are hot. Hope these new missiles are all you said, Command.”
“Wonder what kind of defensive weaponry this ship has?” Buzz asked.
“Flares and chaff not so good against alien blaster,” Vasily said.
The interceptor pilot came on the com channel again, his voice tense. “Target is shifting course. Evading… no, it’s turning… energy discharge! I’m taking fire… Launching missiles! It’s…”
The voice broke off into static. There was a long pause, then Ken’s voice came back onto the com. “We lost Interceptor-1, but he might have got a lick in before he bought it. Radar shows the alien heading away to the north, but losing speed and altitude.”
“Are we going to follow it?” Carson asked.
“That why they pay us,” Vasily replied.
“Wait, they’re paying us?” Catalina quipped, drawing out a weak but cathartic laugh from the group.
Ken reported back, “The alien ship is continuing to lose altitude. It’s passing over the border, now in Canadian airspace. It looks hurt, but seems to still be under control.” They heard a burst of static as Ken engaged an external channel, but after a few seconds he came back onto the shared comlink. “It looks like the alien is landing. Four Hornets from the Canadian Forces Air Command are en route, but we have been cleared to go in and recover the alien craft intact, if possible.”
“Our lucky day,” Buzz muttered; he started slightly as he realized that his throat mike had caught his words and broadcast them to the rest of the team.
“We’re heading down, hang on,” Ken said. The Skyranger continued to buck and shake as it descended through the rough air, its arc growing closer to vertical as the pilot switched the engines to VTOL mode.
“I’ll see if I can find us a landing,” Ken began, then the Skyranger jerked suddenly, slanting hard right, and the pilot yelled, “What the HELL? Somebody’s shooting at us!”
While Alpha Team held onto their armrests, the Skyranger lifted almost up to vertical, shooting back away from their initial approach vector. “Moving around to the south, I’m not getting paid for a combat drop here. I’ll try to put you down as close to the alien as possible.”
After a few more seconds of thrust, which in the back of the craft felt like being kicked hard in the seat, the Skyranger skewed back to level, and eased off into a more or less straight descent. “Okay, I’ve got a landing site,” Ken said. “The alien craft is northeast of the LZ.” The engines gave a last heavy surge, then the Skyranger came to a stop as it settled down. This time Sandoval and Carson, who were closest to the rear hatch, were the first ones up and out.
The air was cold enough to pack a punch. They were in a long canyon valley, the walls rising up sheer some fifty feet all around them. To the south, the canyon extended into a wide bowl maybe a half-mile across, while to the north, the canyon narrowed until it was maybe thirty or forty yards across, a relatively narrow corridor between the sheer walls to either side.
“Valley, is classic ambush,” Vasily pointed out.
Jane had her binoculars out and was scanning the area. “Smoke, northeast,” she reported.
Catalina had joined the two soldiers, who had moved out to secure the area ahead of the Skyranger. James was helping Buzz disembark; Stan was remaining inside for now, following them on the medical readout display that maintained a link to the biological sensors each of them wore.
Catalina caught a hint of movement further down the canyon, where the wreckage of what might have once been a hunter’s cabin could just be seen. “Is that one there?”
Sandoval fell into a crouch alongside one wall of the canyon. “Two of the sectoid aliens,” he reported, lifting his rifle to his shoulder.
“I see them,” Carson said. The Ranger knelt behind a boulder in the center of the canyon that gave him a clear range of fire; he too held his rifle at the ready. Jane, still behind the Ranger, started forward to find a firing position. “Targets are not moving in our direction, but they have to know we’re here, the Skyranger’s far from quiet.”
“No easy way around this direction,” James said.
“No easy way,” Vasily agreed, pulling out a grenade.
“Ready?” Sandoval whispered through his throat mike. Jane, moving into a slot in the canyon wall about twenty paces back from him, motioned with a thumb’s up.
“This our fall back—” Vasily began, but Catalina interrupted him with a shout. “Up above!”
They looked up in time to see a sectoid move into view along the top of the cliff ahead to the left, in a position that gave it a clear field of fire along the whole length of the canyon. There was a second one just visible among the rocks behind it.
But even as Catalina’s yell warned them of the ambush, the sectoid fired his weapon. The plasma bolt struck Carson in the face, and his head exploded into a cloud of red droplets, splattering Vasily and Catalina with gore before the Ranger’s carcass collapsed limply to the ground.
Richard Rawen
First Post
You've still got it LB, I find myself tensing as I read, cringing as the inevitable cliffhanger approaches.
It seems I finish about half of your story-posts the same way:
Tense, frowning a bit, then "oh crap".
GREAT SUFF! =-)
It seems I finish about half of your story-posts the same way:
Tense, frowning a bit, then "oh crap".
GREAT SUFF! =-)
Lazybones
Adventurer
Thanks, Richard!
I'm heading out of town for a few days so here's the Friday post a bit early.
* * * * *
Session 5 (May 12, 2008)
Chapter 13
Jane rubbed her thumb over the screen of her xPhone. The image there had vanished; the device’s power cell was depleted. But Jane didn’t see it; in her mind, she was back in the canyon in the Canadian Rockies.
Gunfire exploded through the canyon, as the humans and aliens traded fire. The alien that had killed Carson fell as several bullets struck it; it collapsed backward and disappeared amongst the rocks at the top of the cliff. The second sectoid fired off a shot that narrowly missed Vasily, kicking up a tall fountain of earth where it slammed into the valley floor. The Russian shifted fire and blasted off the rest of his clip, sending the alien scurrying back into the cover of the rocks.
The two aliens further down the canyon had come forward to join the fight. One went down, hit by bullets from Jane and Sandoval, but the second fired its pistol. The shot hit the cliff face less than a foot ahead of Jane, showering her with an explosive burst of dust and stone shards. She fell onto her back, screaming as she clutched at her face.
James ran over to her, firing shots from his pistol as he ran. Buzz had fallen back behind the Skyranger, his own pistol out, looking for a clear shot.
The alien further down the canyon staggered as Sandoval clipped it with the last round of a three-round burst. But it didn’t go down, and kept coming closer, firing off blasts from its handgun that slammed into Sandoval’s cover, vaporizing huge segments of rock. The soldier dropped, covering his face with his hands as he vanished inside the roiling cloud of pulverized stone dust.
Vasily reloaded and fired several bursts at the sectoid up among the rocks. He cursed as his shots all missed. The alien rose up long enough to take a bead on Vasily, but before it could fire, it crumpled as a shot took it in the head.
Vasily looked over at Catalina, who smiled and blew off the tiny wisp of smoke rising from the barrel of her pistol. But then his eyes widened as he saw the wounded alien coming up behind her. She saw the danger in his eyes and spun to face it, but before she could take a shot or seek cover the alien shot her in the chest. Her scream died before she hit the ground.
The Russian looked at the alien. Its face was utterly unreadable; if it felt elation, anger, or even fear, he could not see it. He felt as though time had slowed around him as he lifted his gun, squeezed the trigger.
Nothing happened. The weapon had jammed.
He could hear yelling, cries of pain. Something surged over him, blocking out everything but a red flare of rage as he rushed up, the bulky handle of the stun rod coming into his hands as he unslung the cumbersome weapon from across his back. Something flashed by his face, missing him by scant inches, close enough that he could feel the heat from it. Then the alien was right in front of him. He stabbed the head of the rod into its gut. There was an angry hiss, a sizzling noise, and then it was down, prone and unmoving.
Everything came back to normal speed, the surge of input hitting his senses like a hammer. He glanced back at Catalina, who was moving, though weakly. Buzz was bent over her, fumbling with a bandage.
Vasily reached up and touched his communicator. In a voice that sounded distant from his own, he said, “Alpha Team to Skyranger, three casualties, repeat, three team members down.”
I'm heading out of town for a few days so here's the Friday post a bit early.
* * * * *
Session 5 (May 12, 2008)
Chapter 13
Jane rubbed her thumb over the screen of her xPhone. The image there had vanished; the device’s power cell was depleted. But Jane didn’t see it; in her mind, she was back in the canyon in the Canadian Rockies.
Gunfire exploded through the canyon, as the humans and aliens traded fire. The alien that had killed Carson fell as several bullets struck it; it collapsed backward and disappeared amongst the rocks at the top of the cliff. The second sectoid fired off a shot that narrowly missed Vasily, kicking up a tall fountain of earth where it slammed into the valley floor. The Russian shifted fire and blasted off the rest of his clip, sending the alien scurrying back into the cover of the rocks.
The two aliens further down the canyon had come forward to join the fight. One went down, hit by bullets from Jane and Sandoval, but the second fired its pistol. The shot hit the cliff face less than a foot ahead of Jane, showering her with an explosive burst of dust and stone shards. She fell onto her back, screaming as she clutched at her face.
James ran over to her, firing shots from his pistol as he ran. Buzz had fallen back behind the Skyranger, his own pistol out, looking for a clear shot.
The alien further down the canyon staggered as Sandoval clipped it with the last round of a three-round burst. But it didn’t go down, and kept coming closer, firing off blasts from its handgun that slammed into Sandoval’s cover, vaporizing huge segments of rock. The soldier dropped, covering his face with his hands as he vanished inside the roiling cloud of pulverized stone dust.
Vasily reloaded and fired several bursts at the sectoid up among the rocks. He cursed as his shots all missed. The alien rose up long enough to take a bead on Vasily, but before it could fire, it crumpled as a shot took it in the head.
Vasily looked over at Catalina, who smiled and blew off the tiny wisp of smoke rising from the barrel of her pistol. But then his eyes widened as he saw the wounded alien coming up behind her. She saw the danger in his eyes and spun to face it, but before she could take a shot or seek cover the alien shot her in the chest. Her scream died before she hit the ground.
The Russian looked at the alien. Its face was utterly unreadable; if it felt elation, anger, or even fear, he could not see it. He felt as though time had slowed around him as he lifted his gun, squeezed the trigger.
Nothing happened. The weapon had jammed.
He could hear yelling, cries of pain. Something surged over him, blocking out everything but a red flare of rage as he rushed up, the bulky handle of the stun rod coming into his hands as he unslung the cumbersome weapon from across his back. Something flashed by his face, missing him by scant inches, close enough that he could feel the heat from it. Then the alien was right in front of him. He stabbed the head of the rod into its gut. There was an angry hiss, a sizzling noise, and then it was down, prone and unmoving.
Everything came back to normal speed, the surge of input hitting his senses like a hammer. He glanced back at Catalina, who was moving, though weakly. Buzz was bent over her, fumbling with a bandage.
Vasily reached up and touched his communicator. In a voice that sounded distant from his own, he said, “Alpha Team to Skyranger, three casualties, repeat, three team members down.”
Very nice update. Reminds me of the old XCOM games - the difficulty could be quite brutal, as far as I recall.
Personally, I would be very interested to see some screenshots how XCOM looks in the NWN engine, in particular the aliens.
The old UFO games were an old favourite of mine, so I'm definitely hooked.
Personally, I would be very interested to see some screenshots how XCOM looks in the NWN engine, in particular the aliens.
The old UFO games were an old favourite of mine, so I'm definitely hooked.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Lovin' it. How are you handling the long recovery times?
Last edited:
Lazybones
Adventurer
The game ran weekly, and I more or less matched the game and RL calendars. With medicine gaining by leaps and bounds thanks to the alien tech, anything that didn't kill you could bring you back to full strength within a few days. I suppose I could have made the time between sessions equal to a month to make the base building, research, etc., more realistic, but I wanted the campaign to have a fast pace to it.
Solirion, I'll see if I can put together some screen caps for posting later in the week.
* * * * *
Session 5 (May 12, 2008)
Chapter 14
Vasily and Sandoval kept an eye out for more aliens.
Stan White was crouched over Catalina, working quickly and efficiently. Her uniform was blackened from throat to navel, but she was conscious, gasping as Stan stabbed a needle into her arm. Buzz still knelt beside her. “Cat, you okay?” he asked.
Catalina coughed. “What… hit me?
“A whole lot of alien fire, that’s what!” the hacker exclaimed.
“Just felt like one big hit, like being punched,” she coughed, “by electricity.”
“Go see if Allen needs any help with Jane,” Stan said, pushing the other man aside as he continued his work. Buzz rose and staggered off, eyes widening as they fixed on Carson’s headless body.
James was pressing bandages over the cuts on Jane’s face. “Ya need any help?” he asked as he approached, uncomfortable.
“Just stunned, a bit,” she said.
“How many fingers?” James asked, holding up a hand.
“Three… no, two.”
Stan came over to them. “Catalina’s stable, but she’s done for today. “Can you get Jane back to the ship?” he asked James.
“No, I’m fine, Jane insisted, pushing aside James’s hand. “Mission to complete.”
“Jane,” James began, but he was cut off by a loud rumbling noise that seemed to echo from everywhere around them. “Earthquake?” James yelled.
“No,” Vasily said. “Damn it, where is ship?”
“Northeast, Yushi said,” Sandoval replied.
“Buzz, help Stan get Catalina back to the ship,” James said, hurrying after Jane as she half walked, half staggered toward the other men.
“I’m picking up spiking energy readings from the northwest,” Ken reported over their communicator links. “It looks like the aliens are conducting repairs on their ship, might be planning on getting out of here soon.”
Stan and Buzz lifted Catalina as gently as they could between them. “Nobody would fault you if we cancelled the mission right now,” Stan said.
Vasily double-checked his rifle to make sure that the action was free and working. “Doctor, make sure that stunned alien get in storage.” He glanced at Sandoval. “We move out.”
The four of them—Vasily, Jane, Sandoval, and James—headed into the canyon. The deep noises they’d heard before had stopped, but they could see the dark plume of smoke up ahead, although the shifting breeze obscured its immediate source. They paused briefly to check out the abandoned shack, but there was nothing there, nothing left but a wreckage of wood and stone that looked to have been unoccupied for years.
As they moved deeper into the canyon they saw a steep rise that offered a route to the top of the cliffs, more or less in the direction of the smoke column. Vasily and Sandoval started up, with James pausing to give Jane a hand. “Thanks,” she said. She was pale, and looked worse with the bandages covering her face, but she pressed on ahead after the others with single-minded determination. James followed behind her, careful not to slip on the treacherous slope.
When she reached the summit, she saw Vasily and Sandoval staring at the alien ship.
It was broad and sleek, a disk crunched into a slightly oblong oval, with a bulge in the center where the crew compartment was likely located. The smoke had obviously come from it, but was beginning to dissipate, with only trailing wisps coming from the hatch in the rear of the vehicle. As they watched, the alien ship quivered slightly, settling among the rocks.
The communicator sounded in their ears. “Our guest is resting comfortably,” he said. “Catalina’s okay. If any of you are experiencing problems, get your ass back here.”
They shared a look, with the eyes of the men lingering on Jane. She shook her head, as if responding to the unspoken question.
There was a slight clatter of rocks behind them. Vasily and Sandoval turned together, their rifles coming up to ready. Buzz held up his hands. “Hey! Don’t shoot!”
“You didn’t have to come after us,” Jane said.
“Hey, thought you might need a techie in there,” he said, gesturing to the ship.
Vasily nodded. With a slight gesture to Sandoval, he walked over to the hatch, and pulled it fully open. After a quick look inside to make sure the immediate space beyond was clear, he stepped inside.
The others followed.
The interior of the ship was roomier than Vasily had expected. He couldn’t see a great deal with the smoke that swirled through the air. Whatever it was burned his lungs, but he stifled the instinct to cough.
He glanced back to verify that Sandoval was behind him, then started carefully forward.
The ship’s interior was basically a single long compartment, although there were bulges of unidentifiable machinery that subdivided the accessible space. As Vasily moved forward, he saw a sectoid near what had to be the front of the ship. There was a viewport there, and a series of control panels. The sectoid was working there, pushing buttons and pulling levers, and did not appear to know they were there.
Vasily thought about their briefing, and the necessity of capturing a live alien. He glanced at Sandoval, gestured. The two men spread out and crept forward.
Neither saw the other sectoid until it stepped out behind a bulky bank of machinery, lifted a handgun, and fired a blast of plasma energy into Sandoval’s torso from three paces away. The soldier crumpled. Vasily spun, and unleashed a spray of automatic fire. Bullets pinged off of the alien machinery, the impacts creating plumes of hot gases and electrical flashes that engulfed the alien. Several of the bullets struck it was well, and it vanished back into the toxic fog, reeling.
Vasily could no longer see it, but he kept firing, shifting his aim forward to the alien pilot, which had turned to face him. It had a pistol as well, and even as Vasily pulled the trigger again, it fired a blast of white fire at him that exploded his perceptions in a haze of agony. He was barely aware of hitting the floor, then everything fell apart.
Vasily’s shot had missed it, but the alien fell back against the console a moment later as Jane shot it through the chest. Behind her, James and Buzz were fighting their way through the smoke that was filling the ship’s interior afresh, coughing as they fought the effects of the toxic vapors on their lungs.
Jane reached the fallen soldiers. One look was enough to tell her that Sandoval was done for, but as she knelt by Vasily, she saw that he was still breathing. She looked back, trying to see James, but her vision was obscured by the tendrils of smoke that thickened around them.
“Medic!” she yelled, coughing as the smoke filled her. “Medic!”
* * * * *
With a start, Jane returned to the present. She looked down at her xPhone. With its screen off, she could just see the outline of her face reflected in the glossy surface.
“Operative Swift?”
She jumped a little, startled by Chief Hallorand’s voice. She looked up and saw the chief approaching in the company of two men she’d never seen before. They were dressed identically in black suits, with black ties, white shirts, dark glasses, and the just-visible telltale of a clear cord running from their collars to their right ears. In her work with the CIA she’d spent enough time with federal officials to recognize them at once. One was black, the other white, but they were cut from the same cloth.
Jane remained seated and tucked her xPhone into her pocket. “What can I do for you, chief?”
“These gentlemen are from the Department of Homeland Security. They are looking to talk with each of the members of Alpha Team.”
“Special Agent Johnson,” the first said.
“Special Agent Johnson,” the second echoed.
“No relation,” the first agent said. “We understand that you have collected some alien weapons technology.”
“Yes?”
“We are taking the weapons into the custody of the United States Government,” the first Johnson said. “Your administrator has agreed to cooperate fully,” the second added.
“I’ve always turned any alien artifacts collected on missions over to base research staff, for decontamination and storage,” Jane said. “I don’t have anything else in my possession.”
Neither agent betrayed so much of a flicker of reaction. “Do you know if any of your peers have kept any such items, ma’am?”
Jane shook her head. “I really have no idea, gentlemen. You can always ask them. Vasily might be a bit non-responsive, seeing as he’s in a coma right now. He was shot by an alien.” She stood abruptly. “If you’ll excuse me.”
She left the lounge, trying to ignore the quiet conversation between Hallorand and the agents behind her.
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