XCOM Oneshot: What do you fight when the war's over?
A/N: Greetings and salutations my dear readers. I break new ground in my library, writing about this game to which I've devoted more than 1800 hours to for the Long War mod alone. This oneshot is just a dip of the toe so to speak. If it goes well, much more will follow.
Comm Officer Raymond Ramsey was grabbing some coffee for himself and his late night partner Geanne Alverez. It was late on this side of the planet, middle of the shift for them, those damned aliens could hit at all times.
He steps back up to the comm console in front slowly turning hologlobe. "Quiet night eh Geanne?"
She turns in her chair, "Quiet is good. Quiet means not as many people dieing."
"Always somehow an upper and a downer eh?" He quips, passing her the cup of steaming brown liquid. "2 sugar, 3 creamer, just like you like."
"Thanks Ray. Hey, I heard from one of the guys in OpInt that they'll be releasing some of the video from Operation Broken Fog? Something about using them so we know our enemy better. These fucks just keep bringing out more new ones."
"I'll say, though..."
"Hmmm?" She takes a sip of her drink, looking at him with an arched brow.
"Aren't we doing the same thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, those aliens keep throwing more and more species at us and some of them definitely look pretty... tortured as a race, but they make good weapons."
"Uh-huh"
"Well, look at Lieutenant Gordova, she has a second functional heart! Do you think she'd be able to really make use of it outside of XCOM or the military? I mean, when will a second heart be useful if you work at a desk?"
"That's true I guess, but..."
"Or what about Captain Gorbachov? He's got bloody chameleon skin, the guy can blend into a wall the moment you look away and that's great for Covert Ops and the like, but not really for a normal life. It's not like those G-mods can be really easily removed and even if they could, after growing so used to those kind of abilities, I've gotta imagine that they'd probably feel like depowered superheroes afterward. But at least they can still live a relatively normal life after this is all said and done.
He sighs and takes a drink of his coffee, "Especially when you consider Major Ramirez, he had all his limbs hacked off just so he could use the Mech suits. I've chatted with some of the engineers on that project, they said that he should be able to live life normally afterward, but I've seen the Major in the gym. Those things are not anywhere near as flexible as the originals. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the guy was depressed with the way he talks, but I think it might just be a side effect of the Meld and the implants."
He takes another deep breath before his comrade nods, "You done?"
"Yeah. I guess so. Sorry, too much time to think on this shift I guess."
"I understand, I'm right here with you after all. I've had the same concerns myself, but that's how a lot of wonderful inventions have come about. I console myself with the fact that we're not a nations military, we're XCOM. We don't have any grudges against a rival nation. We just have a job to do, to protect this whole planet." She waves at the hologlobe to accentuate her point. "Those alien fucks are attacking us. They're the ones who've turned at least a few species into nothing but weapons. Gordova, Gorbachov, and Ramirez are all still people. They're not like those wretched floating abominations or deformed husks like Sectoids. They still have rights, they still have their will, they still have a soul, even with the augmentations."
The two of them lapse into silence as a few moments pass by, the hologlobe still continuing its inexorable spin.
A new voice makes them both jump, "That means a lot actually..."
The two wheel around, "Colonel Ava!" Bolting up to their feet and shooting the officer a salute.
"Sit down. I'm off duty."
The salutes fall as the comm officers drop back into their chairs.
Colonel Isabelle 'The Dragon' Ava, fully decorated Psi Operative, G-modded Sniper, and the pride of XCOM stood before the two comm officers. To them, she might as well have been a walking legend.
"W-we were just..."
"How much of that did you hear ma'am?"
"Shush. I'm off duty. You don't have to justify anything." She taps the side of her head. "I just don't sleep much anymore. I heard most of it, from about the time you started talking about Gordova. She's not a fan of the second heart outside of combat either, makes it difficult for her to read her steamy romance novels when you've got two poundings in your chest."
Their protests die in their throats as the Colonel chuckles a little
"It's nice to hear that we're not the only ones that worry about our futures though. That's something that most of us toss around a lot. What do we do after this? Do we just go back to our home countries to be treated as weapons by them?" She shrugs, folding her arms beneath her firm bust and leaning against a nearby console. "The Commander told me personally that he and XCOM would make sure that whatever happens, we're taken care of when this war is over but worry still niggles at the edge of your thoughts."
The two have stopped what they were doing, now listening in awe as The Dragon herself spoke to them as if she was just another person.
"It really sucks sometimes and at other times, you feel like you're on top of the world. I can see a web of thoughts and psionic energy all around me but at the same time I can't not see it. We've been given great gifts but they are imperfect and we'll likely be seen as freaks for a long time to come. Still, we're guinea pigs so that the world can benefit from a more perfected version of them after we kick these aliens right off our damn planet!"
She steps up between the two, clapping a hand on their shoulders. "I trust the Commander to see us through and am very grateful that XCOM has people like you here who care about us out in the field."
They both sit up a little straighter, feeling a little more prideful for the praise.
"Of course ma'am"
"Always."
She smiles and nods. "That's what I like to hear! Vigilo Confido!"
"Vigilo Confido!" Colonel Ava nods again, pulling away from the two and heading out of the comm room.
Just outside the doorway, CO Bradford leans against the chill steel wall, a small smirk on his normally professional face. "I don't think the Psi Inspiration was really necessary there, they were hanging on your every words."
The Dragon of XCOM shrugs once more. "Eh, a little extra boost to morale rarely hurts..." and continues on to the mess hall, using Psi takes a lot of calories after all.
A/N: First dip of the toe. Hope it went well and was an enjoyable read. As cliché as it sounds, reviews do serve to inspire further writings. I always appreciate them. May the night see you safe and the dawn greet you kindly my dear readers.
Editors notes: And then the entire planet got devoured by the hive fleet when the Tyranids showed up!