AN: Hey, it's Primordial Soul with the first chapter of The Volunteer!
I've always had this idea floating in my brain, wanting to be written. Once I finished XCOM Enemy Unknown and read Agayek's XCOM: Second Contact, I finally got the inspiration to write this.
Unlike Agayek's amazing story, this follows the Volunteer surviving the events of the Temple Ship, sent to the Mass Effect Universe post ME1. How will she change things?
The first two chapters are pure XCOM. At the end of the second chapter is when the Volunteer gets sent to the ME verse. Romance will be Volunteer(Eve)/Liara.
My Volunteer is based off the experiences I had in the game and the trials/skills she had. Let me tell you right now, she was a boss and she will be in story.
Let me mention some things about her. Excluding time out for injuries when/if she gets them, she has been on every mission since the very beginning of the war. She has survived every mission, most of the time with no injuries while the rest of the team meets gruesome ends. She has soloed missions by herself and is an artist with the Plasma Sniper rifle. She is also an expert with her psionics.
I'm going to take some creative liberties with her equipment/armor since she is leaving the XCOM verse. Just an FYI.
Not my best work, but whatever. I want to get to the ME verse as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Verdun, France, July 4th, 2016
XCOM Headquarters
1 hour until wheels up for Operation Avenger
The rising sun was dim, hidden behind all the dust and ashes of war. Its innocent rays illuminated the dusty plains near the devastated city of Verdun, ravaged by terror attacks since the beginning of the Human-Etheral war. The city had been abandoned early on, its populace fleeing to more protected cities such as Paris.
On the outskirts of the city, hidden behind rolling hills and dead trees lay a metal door, closed as of now. And beneath that door lay humanity's last hope. The main base of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, commonly known as XCOM.
Underneath the earth, hundreds of researchers and engineers ran around, researching new tech, building new material and preparing for the operation to end it all. In the barracks, twenty soldiers sat in their bunks, resting from the brutal war humanity had found itself in. Two soldiers were discussing what had transpired just hours ago.
"Did ya here? McKay activated the Gollup chamber. Da Temple Ship is exposed," one of the soldiers said.
The other snorted and replied, "Yeah and what good does it do us? Hundred's of thousand die every week to those damn xenos. Their technology is millenia beyond us."
"But we've cracked it all within months thanks to Dr. Vahlen! This could be the chance we need to end this war!" the first protested.
"Then why McKay? Why is she so special? Is it because she was the only survivor of the first encounter in Germany? Because she's the only worthy psionic, hell the only psionic, we have? Because she has a guardian angel, one that sees her survival even after the rest of her team dies? She's cursed, I tell you," the second countered.
"She's the reason why we've survived this long. Every mission she's participated in has been a success. Without her, humanity would have fallen long ago,"
"You're right, chap," a third soldier joined in, "You haven't fought besides her like I have. She's a demon on the battlefield. Nothing escapes her eye and she's a damn sight to see,"
"If you survive," the second grumbled.
The third shivered, "Righteo, chap. I got injured during a mission with her. When I got out of the infirmary, I found out that the entire squad except for her died in the mission after mine. I got damn lucky."
"The recruiters were right," the first soldier said, resignation in his voice. "When you sign up for XCOM, you sign up to die ."
All conversation died as a woman entered the barracks, paying no attention to her spectators. She was a model of human perfection, her body perfectly proportioned and shaped. Her black hair held a slight hint of silver, causing it to shine in any light cast upon it. Her eyes, brown almonds, ruined that picture of innocence with their haunted look, the dull gleam they emitted. She walked past the bunks, stepping into the memorial room that documented all of their fallen during their 16 months of war.
Colonel Evelyn McKay walked up to the memorial wall, staring at the names inscribed on the metal. She knew every single man and woman on that plague, knew their names, families, likes, idiosyncrasies. She knew how they died for she watched them all perish besides her. She read the names and as she did, she remembered.
Colonel Humberto "Kong" Sanchez. Kind, humorous with a massive body and an even more massive heart. Her partner since the beginning of the war who bled out in front of her during the assault on the alien base. Everyone else was dead and she didn't have a med pack to save him. His dying words haunted her dreams since his death.
Major Dawn "Lazarus" Long. Stern, blunt, yet caring at the same time. She saved many lives and risked her own life to save others. She was ripped apart by a Chryssalid ambush during a terror mission in China, dead before anyone could blink.
Lieutenant Percy "Rookie" Ryan. Timid, shy and a soldier who rarely talked, but whose shotgun countered his mute nature. His mind was fried by a Sectoid Commander during the base assault, leaving him brain dead until he expired on the way back to XCOM Main.
Colonel Bill "Bulk" Edwards. A buff man with a filthy mouth; he gave the team the morale and inspiration it needed to survive. He had been crushed to death by a Muton Berseker during a sortie in the States, having sacrificed himself for the rest of the team to take the Berserker down.
Lightning-1. It had been a first generation Alloy Shiv whose cover and guns saved their lives more than once. A Cyberdisc had turned it into scrap metal during the alien base assault along with a unfortunate squaddie who had been taking cover behind it.
Colonel Ying "Rev" Xiong. The Asian man hand transferred from the Asia base during the construction of the Hyperwave beacon, who was the only notable psionic in XCOM besides Eve herself. He had perished during a routine UFO takeover; an Etheral's dying explosion catching all of them off guard and irradiated the poor man who was too close. He took days to die and it was one of the most painful deaths Eve had ever experienced.
Dozens of other names flowed through her mind, each and every death echoing vividly in her mind. Eve closed her eyes, reminiscing over past and present times. A faint corona of psionic energy appeared around her body as she meditated silently.
She had been the only psionic that had ever been found by XCOM until Ying showed up months later. She had been subject to more than a few tests and experiments; the researchers trying to figure out what exactly psionics were. Before her psionics had been idenitfied, Eve had all ways known she had been different. She had been quicker, stronger, smarter with a bigger sense of intuition. She had been simply better than her peers and that showed in her sniping. She was an artist, a sculptor with a rifle and almost nothing escaped her gaze.
Eve had invested time training her psionic abilities, bringing them up to par with the alien's abilities, which was incredible considering the amount of time she had known about them. The Gollup Chamber had supercharged her abilities, making her stronger, faster, smarter than she had ever been before. She knew techniques she had never known before. She was... different. More than human.
Her actions with the Gollup Chamber, along with her past missions with XCOM, had earned her the nickname of "The Volunteer" Eve liked it, in a way. It was the truth, nothing more. Eve had no trouble with the truth.
"Colonel McKay, please report to the Engineering Lab". The intercom blared, bring Eve out of the memories of the past. She frowned as she walked out, wondering what Shen wanted with her now. She walked out of the barracks, making her way to the elevator shaft that ran down the heart of the base. As she walked through the hallways, more than a few respectful nods and even salutes were sent her way. She nodded in acceptance as she walked by. Let them have their heroes.
As Eve walked her way into the Engineering Lab, she noticed that it was even busier than usual with the engineers running around, pumping out med packs, scopes, all sorts of guns and more. Made sense since Operation Avenger was to commence in an hour. Eve turned her attention to finding the old doctor and found him in the back of the facility along with... Dr Vahlen?
Eve was confused by the German doctor's presence here. What was so important regarding her that it required both doctors to be present at once? Normally she only had to deal with one or the other.
"Colonel McKay, it's good that you are here. We can start immediately" Shen said, motioning towards a private room. Curious, Eve walked into the room and stopped to survey its contents.
There were a few computers in the room, standard in a facility such as theirs. It was empty though which was strange considering the amount of work that needed to be done. But was most interesting was the two stands in the middle.
The first stand was a human shaped model, sporting a gleaming suit of armor. It's white and silver plates shined in the artificial light and its power circuits were dark, indicating its inactive state. A helmet rested on a small cube in front of the armor, obviously meant to be worn along with the armor.
The second stand sat the bulk of Lightning-2, deactivated for whatever reason the doctors were here for. The Hover Shiv was different than the usual design, slightly bigger and bulkier. Eve idly wondered what the eggheads did to the SHIV.
"I assume you are wondering why you are here, Colonel McKay," Vahlen said, stepping into Eve's view.
A rare smile appeared on her face. "You two know me well enough. Call me Eve,"
Shen smiled back and replied, "Very well, Eve. We recently made some key breakthroughs in our research. However, the nature of these breakthroughs require a … personal touch. Yours to be exact. And considering the limited amount of time until Operation Avenger, we have decided for you to receive our prototypes for usage in the field."
Eve was surprised by the Doctors' decision. They were infamous with their possessiveness over their research and the generosity of giving them to hear touched the Colonel. "Thank you. What am I looking at?" Eve asked, looking over the two pieces of equipment. Before the war broke out, Eve had been at school trying to earn an electrical engineering degree, paid for by the British SAS after her stint with them during her younger years. She didn't finish her degree before she was recalled to serve with XCOM, but she knew a little of what she was seeing.
"What you see before you is the pinnacle materials development, the apex of any armor system we have ever devised." Shen began. "The armor itself is a based off the Titan Armor design, giving the wearer the strength and protection granted by that armor class. What is most impressive, however, is the more efficient power design of the suit based off Sectopod reactors, freeing a substantial portion of the suit for additional upgrades."
"Therefore, both the research and engineering departments collaborated to install the grapple system from the Skeleton Suit. Our initial design projections asked for the Ghost Stealth system, but the power and space requirements prevented us from doing so at this time. Therefore, there was leftover space in the design to which we had no plans to include. We used that to include two things. One, increased inventory space where you can carry multiple pieces of equipment. The second is something special."
Vahlen gestured to the armor and continued Shen's dialogue, "Using recovered Etheral cybernetics from the field, we found a way to boost psionic potential in our soldiers. However, because of our extreme shortage in psionic soldiers, this technology was never designed for mass production. But with you... it will have an effect. Put the armor on."
Eve nodded and took off her rest uniform, leaving her in a skintight black body suit common for XCOM soldiers. She, with the help of Shen and Valhen, put the suit on. As the armor powered on, the power conduits glowing a brilliant green, Eve could feel her innate psionic potential skyrocket within her. With this suit on, it felt like she could do anything. Eve gave a grin at the euphoric feeling she felt flow through her. This was awesome.
Eve gestured to the helmet and asked, "What's with the helmet?"
"We've found that our men have an unfortunate habit of being shot in the head. Therefore, we designed a helmet in order to prevent that from happening while keeping contact with the Commander and your fellow teammates." Shen replied. Even nodded in relief. She had seen too many men die without the protection of proper head gear. This hopefully would prevent, or at least lessen, the amount of men dying from head shots.
"What's the difference with Lightning?" Eve asked.
Shen stepped forward and patted the side of the SHIV. "Because you will be assaulting the Temple Ship, we've decided to add a few features to the Hover SHIV to help you during your attack. For one, we've found a way for you to replenish your ammunition supply from the Hover SHIV's power source with a miniscule effect on the SHIV's own power core. Secondly, you will be a alien environment with active computer systems and communications. This is a golden opportunity to try our electronic warfare capabilities on an active target. If we were able to acquire even a little amount of data from the Etheral's computer systems, it would jump our technology by millennia"
"That's all great on paper Doctor, but how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Eve asked with hesitation, stretching in order to get used to her new armor. That was a bold gamble and Eve was curious on how the Doctor's planned on doing so.
Shen hesitated and looked towards the SHIV which flickered to life as he looked at it. As it hovered upwards, ready to roll, Shen said, "We decided to put my AI helper inside the machine to give you operational flexibility in the field."
Eve looked up in shock, surprised at the lengths the old man would go for the benefit of the human race. Shen had the AI when Eve had met him years ago. Shen was sterile from an industrial accident when he was younger and designed the AI as both a helper and a child he could raise. The AI, also called Lightning, had proven incredibly useful in the research department and was partially responsible for such quick research rates regarding Etheral tech. To see Shen send his child out into the field for the first time spoke volumes of the dedication the old doctor showed.
"Colonel McKay," a British accented voice spoke up, surprising the Colonel. She automatically reach for her Plasma pistol before she realized where she was. She turned towards the speakers and said, "Is that you, Lightning?"
"Affirmative, Colonel McKay." Lightning replied. "I look forward to working with you in the field. I have been uploaded with among other things tactical analysis' and electronic warfare techniques. I will be inside this Hover SHIV and if it is destroyed, my processes will automatically return to your helmet."
New understanding entered Eve's mind. "The helmet was for Lightning's survival," She stated, turning towards Shen who nodded in return.
"I couldn't risk the SHIV's destruction meaning his. Your helmet has enough processing space for Lightning to function at limited capacity. Keep him safe,"
A siren blared over the intercom, alerting the entire XCOM unit of the upcoming operation. Vahlen said, "That's your que."
She gestured towards the far walls, revealing her babies which had already been moved. Her Plasma Sniper Rifle lay vertically, humming with hidden power. Her Plasma Pistol sat next to her rifle, eager for its next kill. Lying down next to her guns was a variety of equipment, things she could now carry with her new armor. She pocketed one Alien Grenade, one Med pack, an Arc Thrower to her right forearm and slipped on a Mind shield underneath her new helmet.
Eve stood fully equipped, ready to bring the fight to the aliens. She stepped outside and as she walked away, she said her goodbyes to the Doctors.
Five minutes later
Eve stood in the hanger along with the Sky Rangers and the twenty-so soldiers that made up XCOM Main's fighting force. They were the survivors, the soldiers that were tough enough, smart enough, lucky enough to fend off the alien hordes. They were the elite, humanity's shield and sword. They did the things no one else did or could.
The Commander stepped out from the shadows and observed his men, dark eyes surveying the motionless figures in front of him.
"Look to your left." The Commander said, his Texan drawl evident in his words as he gestured to his right. "Look to your right," He continued, motioning towards his left.
"Only one of you is coming back alive"
The room was silent.
"Operation Avenger is the most important military operation we as a race have ever commenced. Our most basic right of all, survival, rests on its success"
"The aliens brought a war to us, killing us, harvesting us for whatever their twisted minds believe. They have us on the run. They drastically outnumber us. They have technology we can barely comprehend. We, as a species, have never experienced a darker time."
"But we stand firm. We stand vigilant. We make the sacrifices, commit the deeds and do whatever it takes to get the job done. We are the reason that humanity has a chance of survival. And we shall survive today."
"The next few hours will determine the future of our race. The next few hours will put us through arduous trials. We are the precipice of a crucible with odds that would make the eggheads cry out in dejection."
"But we shall prevail. We shall succeed for we are XCOM. All ways vigilant. All ways reliable."
The Commander saluted, "See you on the other side,"
Every soldier saluted back, echoing his words.
The Commander put his hand back down and began to pace, "All available XCOM teams are on standby for this operation. This is the biggest operation that we have commenced and all hands are on deck for this one. This is the plan."
"Wheels are going up in twenty minutes. Multiple Sky Rangers from across the globe will converge on Rio de Janeiro where the Temple Ship is floating above right now. XCOM Asia is already in route to Rio and will set their men on the ground to combat enemy ground troops. XCOM Main, XCOM Africa and XCOM North America will be departing at the same time and will send all troops to board the Temple Ship at different ingress points for maximum penetration. XCOM South America will send their troops in car convoys to support XCOM Asia on the ground."
"Our forces will enter through ingress points Beta, Eta, Iota and Omega," The Commander continued, bringing up a holographic display of the Temple Ship exterior. "The Volunteer's team will breach ingress point Omega and will fight their way to the heart of the ship." All eyes went to Eve who refused to look even effected by their stares. She had faced far worse.
"Stick to your teams, remember your lessons and above all else don't waste your lives. Every shot matters. Make it count." The Commander finished.
"All teams, lock and load!" XO Bradford yelled out. Every soldier ran to their assigned Sky Ranger, locking themselves into their safety harnesses. As Eve locked herself in, she turned around to see the team she had been assigned. Her heart fell at the sight.
Out of the five additional soldiers under her command, only two she had served with before. One was Lightning, whose giant chassis took two entire seats on the Ranger. The second person sitting next to the SHIV was Captain Julian Krupp, a German who signed on after the sacking of Berlin. Due to his no mercy, silent approach to the aliens behind the muzzle of his heavy plasma, he had earned the nickname "Ice". He had proven reliable in the field and wasn't likely to panic or miss.
The other three soldiers though had Eve worried. Two of them were Corporals, Jane Lillian and Abigail Kerensky. Eve had not served with them before, but at least they had a small amount of experience. The last member though, was a dough boy, a Squaddie. Who was the idiot in administration who put a Squaddie on her team! She was the VIP, the high priority package, all of the above!
… Who was she kidding? XCOM Admin probably put her with the newbies on purpose considering her track record.
"Squaddie, what's your name?" Eve asked, bringing the quiet conversation they had to a halt. The squaddie looked at her with a mixture of hero worship and fear. What a weird combination.
"TJ Allen, ma'am, from New York!" The squaddie squeaked out. "I won't let you down! Those aliens aren't getting past me!"
Eve sighed as the engines of the Sky Rangers ignited, ready to launch Operation Avenger. Damn kid was going to get himself killed.
Outside XCOM Main
The hanger doors on the dusty plains opened, allowing the exit of three Sky Rangers, each full with battle hardened troops. They flew away into the rising sun, heading towards Rio, towards the Temple Ship, towards the biggest fight of their lives
Towards destiny.
AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter of The Volunteer!
I need some feedback on this story if I'm going to continue it. Please leave a review or a PM.
If you want details on what happened to Eve in my game, please let me know. I'll reveal more as we go.
I made Operation Avenger a much bigger engagement because honestly, only six soliders sent to breach the enemy stronghold? Please. This encounter over Rio will be magnified and will be a global effort.
Regarding the AI, I believe I read somewhere that Shen has an AI he uses in the lab. If not, then it's part of my head canon to explain at least somewhat the ridiculous research rates XCOM has.
Lazarus is next. See you soon!
Primordial Soul