Chapter Six: Shooting Star
Something was in the air. Nothing really changed, but everyone could feel anxiety all around us. Everyone was nervous, but no one would let it be known to others. The war was on our hands. We knew it. They knew it. It just needed a time to sink in. And then they briefed us. Told us that that a war broke out. But it wasn't the war everyone was expecting, for our enemy was from beyond our world.
Fragment from "The Unsung War: The Great Conflict" by Peter Van Doorn
12th of April 2115
Gagarin Cluster
XSS Drakken
"So, how long do you think they're going to keep us here?" Daniels asked. "I want to see some action."
"Jesus, what is with people wanting to get shot?" Gloria asked hopelessly when she saw Monika's smile.
"At least you got some action Alex." Monika said. "We came just in time to see the what you left behind you. Hey Gloria, how's your new Amp working out?"
"It's the biggest one I had so far." She said thinking about those bulky, handheld Psionic amplifiers most Psions received a day ago. Technically they allowed to push the power beyond personal limits, to the point where it's considered dangerous even. "I've yet to see it in action."
"So what, you'll be able to blow stuff up with your mind using it?" Annika asked curiously.
"I doubt it. That's the kind of stuff that The Volunteer would be able to do, but me? Out of my league."
Drakken's Bridge
"Captain, I think you'll want to see this!"
"What is it?"
"Energy signature of some sort. It's heading towards the planet. I think it's a ship."
"Tell them that this area is off limits."
"Already tried sir, but it's not responding. I'm running a check on that energy signature… and done."
"And?" The captain asked impatiently.
"I have a match! Looks like… looks like an Overseer class UFO, it's heading planet side."
"Overseer class?" The captain tapped her commlink. "Fighter pilots! Report to your crafts! Combat alert! I want Talon Squadron in the air ASAP!"
Drakken's Hangars
Pilots rushed to their crafts. Members of the Talon Squadron had two types of aircrafts in their disposal – a Firestorm fighters, that were developed by Dr. Shen's team during The Great Conflict, and a D-46 Space Eagle, a successor to the jet fighter designs used in early 21st century. Generally XCOM squadrons were composed mostly of D-46s with supplement of 2 to 3 Firestorms and Talon was no different. Finally everyone was in their seats, the hangar doors slid open, and elerium propelled crafts left the hangars.
"Alright crew, from wedge on me." J-Dog, leader of a Talon Squadron said on his radio. His Firestorm was a tip of the formation, with two remaining Firestorms as his wingmen and the four D-46s behind them.
"This is Drakken to Talon Wing, how copy? Over."
"This is Talon 1, ready you loud and clear. What are we looking for?" J-Dog said calmly.
"Our sensors picked an energy signature that matches the one of a Overseer class UFO. You're moving in to intercept the craft."
"Overseer class? Those things have some sort of optical camouflage correct?"
"Yes but we're locked its signature. Even if it is cloaked, you'll just fire at the signature."
"Roger."
It took them only a few minutes to catch up with their target. OR at least that's what J-Dog's HUD was telling him. "Don't fire until I say so." He said to the radio and locked onto the signature. He took a deep breath and fired the plasma cannon.
His aim was true and a second later a UFO appeared out of the void, precisely where he hit.
"We've got eyes on the bandit. Talon 2 and 3 on me, rest of you herd him towards the planet! And watch out back, I don't want any more UFOs popping out of nowhere behind us. Alright people weapons hot!" J-Dog said as he tailed the UFO. He hit the afterburners to close the distance. The alloys of the UFO's hull were gleaming in the light of the star. J-Dog looked up. Well, "Up" rather. Here in space, some of the basic concepts of atmospheric combat were irrelevant – the direction were relative, there was no clouds that could be used for cover. He watched as D-46s are forming around the UFO, maintaining the distance necessary for evasive maneuvers. But something was not right.
The UFO wasn't taking defensive actions. When it was flanked by D-46s it just stayed on course – towards the planet.
"Hold fire! Use the EMP if that bastards try anything!" J-Dog yelled to his radio. "Drakken, this is Talon 1. The UFO is complying, I repeat, UFO is not resisting. How copy? Over."
There was a long pause before he got his answer.
"Em… roger that Talon 1. Make sure it lands, ground teams will handle the rest."
"Roger that Drakken. Escorting target to the planet." How weird does that sounds? Escorting the UFO. He opened a channel to his squadron. "Ok guys, we're escorting the target and make sure it lands."
"What?! I thought we were supposed to shoot it down!"
"I know Two, I know. Seems like it's going to be one of those days."
Skyranger I
Pilot: LT. Joe "Pequod" Barnes
Tensions were high. Gloria had barely finished eating when the combat alert was declared. And then she got orders to gear up. Nobody knew what was going on as they rushed to the Skyranger. The words of a quartermaster still rang in her ears.
"Bring the Arc Thrower."
That could mean only one thing – There were still aliens on Aurora and command wanted them to take one alive to get some answers out of it. She looked on her team. Annika in her MEC V Rampart, Everyone else in the standard carapace armor, only this time they were sporting Gauss weapons, not the lasers. Evans was sitting opposite to her, she couldn't tell the expression on his face, since he was wearing a full face helmet.
"Evans! How are you holding up?" She asked.
"I'm good Lieutenant. You don't have to worry about me."
"Stay cool kid." Martinez joined the conversation. "First time in the field with new squad is always rough."
"Thank you sir!"
Then a transmission for the Drakken kicked in. It was the Captain.
"Alright people, listen up. Just a couple of minutes ago we've detected an energy signature. Turns out it's an Overseer class UFO."
There was a pause. They looked at each other shocked. An Overseer class?! That's the same class that was transporting "The Device" during the invasion.
"We have intercepted it and forced it to land. This is where you come in. Secure the site, neutralize all hostile contacts. Capture one if possible."
"I don't like the sound of that." Said Daniels. "He said 'forced it to land' not 'shot it down'. Seems shady as hell, if you ask me."
"Come on D. It's probably just a figure of speech." Elizabeth assured him.
"Only one way to find out." Gloria said. "Sir, what exactly do you mean by 'forced it to land'? Was it a crash, or controlled descend?"
"That means it landed on its own Lieutenant. I'll admit, the whole case seems suspicious to me. Don't take any chances. Your primary objective is to secure the landing zone. Nobody's going to cry if you don't bring any captives."
"Roger that sir! Coyote 1 out."
"This is… disconcerting." Martinez said. "Why would they land on its own? Especially when they had a squadron of planes on their tails?"
"Maybe they finally realized that we're too good for them and decided to make it easy for us." Slingshot jested. "I bet they're going to just form a line and let us take shots."
"The aliens aren't going to lay before you out of pity, like that nurse did." Annika said and everyone burst into laughter.
"LZ in 30 seconds!" Pequod said over the radio. They stopped laughing momentarily. There was no place for mistakes from here.
Back into the jungle. It's surprising how quickly the tide turns. For Gloria It feels like only yesterday they were fighting in the tight constrains of the wrecked Vigilance and now they were here to raid an UFO.
The team advanced and as the moved forward the radio came to life.
"Coyote 1, this Talon 1. Do you copy? Over."
"Roger that Talon 1, reading you 5 by 5. What's the situation? Over."
"We'll hit the UFO with a couple of EMP pulses, just in case they want to try anything funny. Stay clear."
"Copy that Talon 1. Holding position."
A seconds later something could be felt in the air. Something like a wave. The radio came online again.
"Coyote 1, this is Talon 1. Payload delivered, standing by."
"Roger that Talon 1." She gestured at her team. "Ok, people let's go."
The blue lights of UFOs energy fields appeared in sight. The aliens were patrolling around the UFO. Their pace steady and calm, like it was all part of a plan. Gloria gestured at Martinez and he threw a small ball at the UFO. When it feel on the ground their PDAs sprung to life.
"Multiple contacts. At least 5 Mutons, 2 Snakes, some more signal I can't get an ID on."
"Yeah, they brought Elites too." Slingshot said looking through the scope of his Gauss DMR. "Damn, these are some nasty looking bastards."
"And for good measure too." Martinez interrupted. "What's our plan Sarge… I mean Lieutenant."
"Don't worry about that right now." She said and looked back. Annika stayed behind a bit, that giant MEC suit of hers didn't exactly fit into the bushes. "We'll split into 2 teams. Daniels, Slingshot, you're with me. Martinez, take Annika, Liz and Evans. Go around the UFO, well do a simultaneous breach from both sides. Stay low and keep for now."
"Roger that." Martinez gestured at Slingshot and they both disappeared into the jungle. A couple of minutes later she got called on the radio. "This is Martinez, we're in position. Looks clear so far."
"Roger that Loco. Ok people line up the shots." There was about a minute of pause before Gloria shattered the silence. "GO HOT!"
"I have my doubts. Will they understand?"
"It is not in our power to know. They could and most likely will take hostile actions against our agents."
"And yet you insist on trying."
"I do."
"I see the potential in them as much as you do, but sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with your motives."
"My actions are dictated by the greater need. We cannot fail in our task."
"I am aware of that, just like everyone else. We all are. I just wonder if you… if we are taking the right approach."
"What are you trying to say?"
"What if they won't listen? What if they don't want to listen?"
"Then we'll be forced to find another solution."
"Keep up the pressure!" Gloria yelled as she slammed another magazine into her rifle and ducked down just in time to avoid the barrage of plasma from Elite's Plasma Heavy Weapon, or the "Hose" as it was referred to in the old days. "Martinez. What's your status?!"
"We have them pinned down, but we can't win a trench battle with them! We have to push on-"
"Martinez?! Talk to me Loco!"
"Holy shit. Evans just put that Elite down like nobody's business. Good work kid. Press this advantage!"
Daniels unleashed a storm of bullets at Elite's position and Muton's head exploded shortly after as Slingshot hit his mark. The giant body clad in the red and gold armor collapsed on the ground as they advanced into the UFO itself. The inside was well lit.
"Martinez, we're inside. Watch your fire. Meet us in the engine room on my right."
"Copy that. Moving."
Despite the firefight the inside of the UFO was… awfully quiet. The only thing disturbing the silence were their own footsteps on the metal floor. This silence was… unnatural somehow. Something was about to happen… and then it was as if all hell had broken loose.
Four Outsiders jumped out of nowhere assisted by two Elites. Gloria and her team dived into cover, but aliens had caught them with their pants down, practically out in the open. As Gloria ducked behind what looked like a computer part, she reached out to the nearest Elite, its mind filled by the mixture of rage and pride. The beast felt her presence and took steps to repel her mental assault with both thoughts and plasma fire.
"You will die!" The bestial roar echoed within Gloria's mind. The Elite somehow "vocalized" its channeled rage into words she could understand… well, maybe not words, it was more like a concept. "You have chosen your path human!" She tried as hard as possible to crush Elite's will. Make him make a run, but the creature stood fast against her efforts.
"Eat this!" Daniel yelled as he sent a plasma grenade flying at the Mutons. The green flames consumed them, yet despite all expectations Elites didn't gave in. The Outsiders took a hit, but they were already regenerating.
"Knock, knock!" Annika screamed as she launched herself from the enemy's flank, slamming her KSM into the nearest Elite. The servos hissed as she pinned the Muton into the wall. Martinez took aim and literally shattered one of the Outsiders and taking a good chunk of torso out of the another. Slingshot's DMR kept sending magnetically propelled slugs at its own, steady pace.
Meanwhile Evans was dealing with the remaining Elite. The hulking mass o flesh and alloys dwarfed him, yet he acted calmly. He dodged a massive armored fist that slammed into the floor just inches away from his foot and fired a short burst into the Elite's head. The Muton let out a furious roar and made another charge, but Evans dodged that one too. The he stared at the Muton for a while until he said a few words.
"Your flesh melts away." That sentence made shivers came down Gloria's spine. Evans just stared at the Muton and then it began screaming in rage and panic as if it caught on fire. It dropped on the floor and started rolling, only to stop a few seconds later.
"Keep the other one alive! Taser coming through!" Gloria yelled as Annika pinned the Elite to the wall. She approached the beast with Arc Thrower in hand, the rest all had their guns pointed at the Muton, should things go wrong.
"Clear!" Annika jumped back, letting the Elite free and Gloria pulled the trigger on the Arc Thrower. The Muton stretched back as he got hit by the high voltage with blue sparks almost visible on his armor. The Elite fell on the ground.
"Alright people, package is in tow." Gloria said, but then she felt something. She reached out for the Elite's mind and then she felt it. Another concept vocalized in her mind, but this time, there was no rage in it… it was something else… a sense of duty?
"For the Collective… and the Elders."
"GET DOWN! GRENADE!" Gloria yelled and let her instincts take the wheel as everyone scampered for cover. Annika assumed a defensive stance and everyone else dived down behind any cover there was available. Seconds later there was an explosion and green flames engulfed the Elite on the ground.
"Everybody all right?!"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. What the hell was that?!"
"Don't know, some sort of failsafe?"
"So what, now they rig themselves to self-destruct?!"
"Drakken Command, this is Coyote 1-1. The capture is a no-go, but maybe techs will be able to scrub something from the computers. Awaiting extraction. Over."
Autopsy report #2186-5d
Performed by: Dr. Luke Campton
Subject: Snake-like creature recovered from Gagarin cluster.
After completing autopsies of several of the specimen delivered to me, I've reached a very interesting conclusion. While we were already aware of the fact, that aliens were indulging in an extensive genetic modification processes, the subjects recovered by our ground forces show somewhat different trend. The extent of the modifications to the genetic structure of the specimen in question shows that it was a very careful modification, almost as if the aliens were intentionally trying to keep this specimen as close to their original genetic makeup as possible. Furthermore while comparing genetic material of the individual specimen I've spotted some variety between them. That leads me to believe that this particular alien species is not a product of a cloning process.
The specimen displays a physical characteristics similar to the reptiles that live on Earth, however I was unable to determine if it's caused by the evolution itself, or is it merely another product of genetic modification performed by the Ethereals. It seems that an aquatic environment is a native one to this specimen. The brain structure seems highly developed, leading me to believe that this creatures are highly intelligent and capable of experiencing and expressing themselves, much like humans do.
The last, but not least, I've taken a liberty of comparing the DNA samples to the ones that are already in our database. That lead to something what I can only describe as revelation – the genetic structure bears a striking resemblance to the specimen referred to as "Thin Man". I am sure that the creature our forces encountered is in fact a "Thin Man" prior to the extensive modification, of course. This is further confirmed by the presence of the exact same poison glands. Other characteristics, like a tongue capable of moving things even twice the weight of the creature itself can prove problematic to our troops in the field. The human-like arms are clearly a product of genetic engineering the purpose of which was no doubt to allow the specimen to use conventional weaponry, are a "structural weakness" so to speak.
Summary:
This creature is highly intelligent and capable of handling complex tasks, or even highly complex ideas.
There is some genetic diversity between individual specimen.
It's capable of using a lethal poison, pulling objects or even people with its tongue and binding it, as some of the snakes on Earth.
The extent of the genetic modifications was reduced intentionally.
Author's Note: So this chapter got out a bit later than I wanted it to... well for the next two months (April and May) it can be somewhat problematic... (graduation stuff, sorry). However I now have a twitter feed so... I'll try to remember and post something about how the stories coming alone.
Jasina_ (I have an XCOM 2 guys as an Avatar and some good old fashioned Geoscpace room from our old base so you can't miss it. ;)
Thanks for the understanding and as always, I'm looking forward to any feedback.