It had been a week after the loss of Shanxi and the Human Systems Alliance was still reeling from the news. Alliance officials were in disbelief after the statistics began pouring in. Just shy of ninety six million dead, an entire seed world burned, and ten thousand ships crippled or dead including one of the three Alliance flagships. The loss of Shanxi was demoralizing, the loss of one tenth of the Alliance fleet was devastating.
The Alliance military chain of command was furious over such a defeat, the counsel strained to keep citizens from rash actions. Across the Sol system a rush to secure weapons and supplies for an impending invasion was occurring. Concerned citizens felt helpless as all combat capable military personnel were called upon. Those radical minorities that had claimed to desire a peaceful encounter with alien life shifted opinions, crying out for the blood of the new enemy.
Not even a day after returning Alliance Fleet General Williams made a speech to the Human Systems Alliance. Scars covered his face, a cybernetic left arm was left exposed and revealed for the people to see. With a noticeable limp the man marched to a podium and addressed the people. "Good morning. Less than twelve hours ago, I led the first and second Alliance assault fleets to stand guard over Shanxi, and there they fought the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind."
The General paused, "Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today. I address you tonight not as a General of the Alliance, not as the leader of a fleet, but as a member of humanity. Once again we are faced with the very gravest of challenges. Once again are fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. And yet, for the first time in the history of humanity, our species has the technology to prevent its own extinction. All of you praying with us need to know that everything that can be done to prevent this disaster is being called into service. Soldiers are being armed with cutting edge weapons, new ships are being produced daily, and XCOM recruitment is increasing."
"For two-hundred years we have had peace. The Ethereal races came to enslave us, to turn our people into weapons to fight for them. Now the Turians have come. They attacked us because we are not like them. We don't know their ways or laws. Because we did not bow to them they took the lives and homes of the people of Shanxi. On Shanxi's soil we stood proud and strong. Turian troops died by the thousands and their fleet took disastrous losses. When the Turians realized they couldn't win they have attacked our homes with nuclear fire to purge our kind from existence. To stop us from winning they poisoned the planet and recklessly bombarded everything we hold dear."
The General's hands clenched into fists as he proclaimed passionately, "The human thirst for excellence, knowledge, every step up the ladder of science, every adventurous reach into space, all of our combined modern technologies and imaginations, even the wars that we've fought have provided us the tools to wage these terrible battles. Through all the chaos that is our history, through all of the wrongs and the discord, through all of the pain and suffering, through all of our times, there is one thing that has nourished our souls, and elevated our species above its origins, and that is our courage! "
"The Turians have started a war of annihilation. Let every human cry for vengeance. We will push our military and technological might to its very limits. Every world that the Turians hold must be purged of all life, and their home world of Palaven must be ground to dust until every single Turian is dead. We will remember today as the day when the Alliance declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not fall without a fight!" The general calmed himself and tried to regain composure, "Humanity will adapt, overcome and persevere! May we all, citizens of the Alliance, see these events through. God speed. Vigilo Confido."
Millions mourned the losses of Shanxi: families torn apart, over two-hundred million homeless, and trillions of credits in damage. The last civilian fleets pouring in with the battle scarred remains of the first and second fleets was a traumatizing image for the Alliance populace. People prayed to a unforgiving deity, they denied and begged it to not be true, they wept in the streets, they hated.
Recruitment into the Alliance military hit new heights. Those whom could not fight insisted on aiding the war effort in any way possible. Scientists abandoned lifetime progress to aid the efforts in countering the Turian technology. Retired officers reenlisted, thousands electing for MEC conversions. The XCOM Facilities across the Sol system received dozens of new soldiers determined to enter the Volunteer ranks. The shipyards of Luna were flooded with shipments of construction drones, each dock was occupied either repairing the ships of Shanxi survivors or building new ships to make up for the losses.
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Humanity had been force to retreat and lick its wounds, but like all wounded species that only made it more dangerous. The knowledge that Turians not only possessed but were willing to use nuclear weapons against them made the Alliance leadership more than willing to up the ante. Several banned projects were reactivated, weapons deemed too extreme or potentially too disastrous were put into production.
It was one of these banned projects that Commander Harper was about to approve. Dr. Knives had called him to the testing lab at the XCOM HQ on Luna. The good Doctor had been outraged at the call to retreat from Shanxi, but had obeyed understanding that the loss of his data and test subjects would be an addition problem heaped onto the disaster. The loss had sent the man into a frenzy, one that he focused all onto his work. Several customized gene therapy tanks had been requisitioned along with samples of every DNA sequence that humanity had in store. The Doctor had sealed his lab and refused to let anyone but himself enter the facilities. Jack Harper was a very disciplined man, it took impossible acts of the divine to surprise him let alone shock him. When Harper entered the locked off labs, Harper swore to the gods that he didn't believe in that he was hallucinating.
Standing beside a smiling Dr. Knives was a Chryssalid on steroids. The seven foot tall violet skinned abomination had six legs growing out of its torso rather than the recorded four. Its hands held an extra clawed digit, the webbed hands now five fingered and if possible Harper swore they looked sharper. The Chryssalids glowing yellow eyes were just as haunting as they were in the recorded videos. The numerous tan orange spikes they protruded from the creature's joints were no longer dull but instead a sharp barb similar in shape to a rose's thorn. The monster's torso was serpentine but no longer as thin, instead much more thicker and muscled. The beast lacked the mad and wild look of its kind, instead it watched and observed, its mouth opened in a warped facsimile of a smile complete with razor sharp flexing teeth. Harper knew then that it was more intelligent than its other kin and much more of a threat.
Then Harper's eyes notice one more detail that almost escaped him, one which caused his brilliant mind to nearly fail when he realized the abomination was nuzzling the elderly Doctor instead of maiming him. Like a pet!
Harper slammed his hand on an emergency lock-down switch on the wall, drawing a sidearm and readying to fight for his life. "Knives you better have a good goddamned explanation for this!" Harper yelled, not screamed, yelled in terror.
Knives unwrapped and began chewing on a stick of gum, "You know, the fact that you might shoot me for this later is made up for by the look on your face." the man said calmly, and began idly petting the affectionate Chryssalid.
"Why is that thing here? And why the hell is it not attacking?" Harper demanded, now understandably furious.
"Meet the gene-modded Chryssalid model seven, I call him Fred." Knives explained, "I've taken the Chryssalid DNA as a base, spliced in some DNA from the original Thin Men infiltrators and then gave it a set of XCOM class gene mods."
"Why the hell isn't it attacking you?" Harper demanded, very close to shooting the scientist.
"I altered the brain chemistry of the Chryssalid, now it's brain elicits pleasure from the miniscule scent that humans emit from human growth hormones. Fred, and any of his spawn, find physical pleasure from being close to us. Best part is that thanks to other adjustments I've made, they also will feel a genetic drive to protect Humans."
Harper lowered his gun by a few degrees, "And your sure of this?" he asked with narrowed eyes and a still itchy trigger finger.
Knives shrugged, "Follow me then." he said leading his 'pet' and the commander to an adjacent testing room.
"Go on and enter the room Fred." Knives told the Chryssalid, his head glowing with the violet shade from using psi powers. The Chryssalid obeyed, and entered the room.
"Mind control?" Harper asked.
"I weakened their immunity to psionics. They will obey you with even the slightest effort. Now watch what happens when they see anything not human!" The older man slid over to a nearby console and typed in a command with a joyful flourish.
A door opened opposite to the Chryssalid and a armored Turian with one of his species rifles stepped out. The Turian immediately pointed his rifle at the spider like monster in the room with a look of fear on his face. Harper watched as the Turian ordered the Chryssalid to stay where it was, the monster stood still except to lift its head and sniff the air.
The man made monster screamed, a shrill noise that filled all whom heard it with dread. The Turian opened fire, the bullets tearing into the monster with no resistance. The beast dropped to the floor of the cell a smoking green and black fluid to pour out of its flesh. The Turian noticed the quickly aerosolized blood forming a green fog in the room. The frantic alien beat upon the door to the room, begging in his chirping language to be let out. Behind him, the Chryssalid rose slowly, the gunshot wounds visibly healing. The beast screamed again, and grabbed the Turian from behind and began to feed. The needle fangs and claws of the Chryssalid ripped chunks of the Turian away from its screaming owner before finishing by biting into the Turians stomach and silencing the sacrifice.
The Chryssalid threw its meal aside and screamed in victory, the noise further proof of it's rapture like blood lust. Within a minute the Turian corpse lifted itself to its feet and began stumbling around the cell like a mockery of life. Several small spikes protruded from the dead alien, and grew out of it like bamboo shoots on fast forward. Harper watched with fascinated horror and disgust as the Turian was eventually ripped apart from the inside and released a newborn Chryssalid from the remains.
Harper turned to the manically grinning head of research. "I take it you have a plan in mind for these creatures?" He asked with hints of excitement in his voice.
The ancient science director tapped on his console again, opening a hologram display of a mostly brown planet with a belt of tan green around its equator, "This is the Turian colony world of Invictus. Located in what they call the Terminus systems." Explained Dr. Knives, "It's a very hostile world loaded with diseases and pests in its jungle loaded tropical belt but it has plenty of Turian cities that thrive in the deserts. It has an estimated population of nearly three-hundred and twenty million."
The XCOM commander caught on quickly, "You want to use the old Ethereal terror tactics and unleash them on this world? The counsel would never approve of such a tactic. "
"Why not?" The Doctor rebuked with a sneer on his face and a furious look in his eye, "Those freaks used nuclear missiles on us! Shanxi will be so saturated with radiation that even if we ever gained it back it would take a decade at the least to clean the planet, that's not even counting the time to rebuild or the lives lost!" The doctor gestured at the pair of Chryssalids just beyond the glass. "My creations are nearly four-hundred and fifty percent more combat effective than their predecessors! They breed three times faster and would force those damned Turians to burn their own planet this time!"
Harper paused at the frustrated fury that his lead scientist showed, "Knives you need to think with a clear head. We need to fight the Turians but do you really think this is the way?" he asked gently.
"I am thinking Jack!" Knives exclaimed, slamming his hands on his workstation, "The disaster at Shanxi was my fault. I dropped my guard and let that bastard Turian motivate his brother. If that piece of shit hadn't taken his life, we might have had a chance!"
The doctor cradled his head in the palms of his hands. "I dropped my guard and it cost the lives of one hundred million. One mistake and I lost our people a home." Kevin Knives raised his head, and Harper was surprised to see the old man crying.
"You couldn't have known." Harper said sternly, holding the weeping man's shoulder.
"Bullshit." Knives denied vehemently, shaking off the hand, "I dove into his mind the same as I did all the others. I knew how he thought, and what he was trained to do. I underestimated him. I could have kept him drugged. I could have left him in a cell and shown his brother a goddamned security feed instead of a live broadcast! I am responsible for Shanxi and don't you dare try to say that I am not!"
The old man collapsed, sobbing
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When Commander Harper saw a video of General Williams speech he called him immediately, "What do you want Harper? Aren't I suffering enough already?" Williams complained, laying back in a hospital bed.
"I enjoyed your speech today..." Harper commented drolly
"Harper..." Williams warned, "Don't start or I swear I'll undergo MEC conversion just to kick your ass better."
"Did you seriously quote parts of Independence day and Armageddon for your speech?" Harper asked smiling.
"I swear to god Harper, after the Turians are dealt with, I'm coming for you!" Williams replied half joking.
The two had a laugh, one both of them needed, after all who would remember a pair of two hundred year old movies?
"So how did it come out?" Williams asked, adjusting his synthetic arm, "I suspected it was shit but Counselor Hummel insisted that someone who survived Shanxi would make a better speech. The bastard didn't even consider that I was medicated. He seriously steered me from my ship straight to the stage. I had maybe thirty minutes to make it up."
"I could tell you were out of it." Harper remarked, "Particularly how you were getting so enthusiastic at the end."
"You have no idea how much I wish it was the forth of July. The food here is crap and thanks to the synth surgery I have to be on a nutrient rich diet until the nerves fuse." Williams paused as he mentally debated something, "Listen, I'll give you command of Gaia's Shield if you bring me a hamburger."
"That bad huh?"
"I'm a five star general bribing you with a flagship for a burger, you tell me."
"I'm not pissing off your wife Williams. I want to die of old age or on the battlefield, not at the hands of a housewife."
"I'll pay you the money from the name pool?" The general begged.
Harper shook his head no with a smile, "You mean to tell me that nobody has guessed your first name yet?"
"Nope." Williams replied laughing.
"Your not getting your wife pissed at me, General." Harper mocked kindly, "You'll just have to sit and sulk like a good little soldier."
"Fine." Williams replied, wiping the smile off his face, "Whats the real reason you called?"
"Knives has become..." Harper paused to think of the right word, "...upset by the events at Shanxi. He's blaming himself and has made a rash action that may pay off."
"What happened?"
"He's created a new breed of Chryssalid. One that is dozens of times worse than what we faced in the Ethereal war. I've spent hours reviewing the data. It uses Thin men poison, can arm wrestle a Muton berserker, has camouflage skin, and it regenerates."
"Mother of god." Williams muttered, "He's insane. He has to know the counsel will have his head for this!"
"He's altered them to have genetic safeties. He has a tamed one in his lab that has been fighting clones of other Ethereal slave races and the originals. If its not human, it kills them. Knives released a Turian with its weapons and Armor against the thing, and it slaughtered him just like in the old records."
"What do you want to do Harper?" Williams asked weary from the news. "This has to be handled very delicately. It just has too much potential to backfire."
"I think Knives plan has it's merits. We send in XCOM teams to infiltrate a Turian world and start an outbreak. The Chryssalids will overrun the planet and force the Turians to glass it or risk them spreading. It's a dirty tactic, but imagine how demoralizing it would be. The resources that they would have to spend to stop the outbreak would be incredibly costing."
"Your sure the Chryssalids are domesticated?" Williams asked, his face had become stony and thoughtful.
"Knives removed their psychic resistance and made them become docile in the presence of human growth hormone. I want to test releasing the Chryssalids on a colony world and make adjustments based on what data we can gather."
"And you want my help proposing my idea to the brass?"
"We lost nearly two entire fleets at Shanxi." Harper stated flatly, "We both know that the Turians have allies out there that would come to their aid. The only reason our losses were not worse was because they underestimated us. If they had attacked us like they did immediately rather than in waves our losses would be absolute. We need an ace to buy time for the military to go to war."
Williams eyed the commander suspiciously, "You've already sent out teams haven't you?"
"I'm sending nothing more than a scouting and infiltration team. Seven man squad, self detonation packs with heart monitors. They're the spotters, we just need an 'approved' airstrike. I'm sending the wolfpack to observe a Turian colony world on the outskirts of their territory."
Williams stared at Harper as if he was seeing him for the first time. "You want to send those psychotic monsters? Even if you only sent them for recon you know that they will inevitably cause casualties, especially on an alien world!."
"I know. I plan to send insurance that they will be able to perform as needed. They will observe and avoid detection planet side until we gain approval then we will commence their primary operation."
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Jack Harper loved the unprofessional nature of the Wolfpack. After spending so much time with strict military discipline the renegade personalities of Humanity's wolves was refreshing. The moment he walked into their training room, 'the den' they called it, all seven drew a weapon on him in one coordinated movement. The leader, Lupo, held a throwing knife in one hand a folded over magazine in the other. The team demolitions expert Beltway held an old model riot shotgun at leg height. The team scout Vector had moved behind the commander, and held a knife to Jack Harper's lower spine. The remaining team all held laser pistols at his head.
Each member of the Wolfpack was not only handpicked to join but underwent dozens of enhancement procedures. Just like how XCOM was separate from but still a part of the Alliance military, The Wolfpack was separate from but a part of XCOM. Each member of the Wolfpack was a death row criminal. No morals, no hesitation, no restraint. The Wolfpack was officially designated XCOM Alpha Squad. Unlike other designations Alpha, Beta, and Gamma squadrons were all made for suicidal black operations. They were humanity's top assassins. The moment they joined, everyone denied they existed. Due to the nature of both their training and recruitment, they were not allowed off base unless deployed.
Each member of XCOM black ops deserved their imprisonment. Lupo had been a mercenary for various interest groups, and had been suspected of the murder of nearly fifty six of her employer's competitors with psi abilities. Shortly after she became a single mother she was finally convicted and imprisoned for killing her ex-husband with a concentrated mindflay. The middle aged Mars native joined XCOM black ops the moment the deal was offered, the only condition was that her children were to be cared for. After she joined her discipline was enforced on the unit, bringing them in line under her. With skill and cruelty she forced them to obey or die. Several members died as a result.
Vector was a child soldier recovered from a colony that had undergone a civil war of sorts. The boy had been broken in at a young age to kill unaware targets in close range and unfortunately the training had become seared into his mind with various psi techniques. Attempts at therapy and recovery were useless, and attempts to imprison him were hopeless, as unless you went to inhuman lengths to bind him Vector would inevitably break free while slaughtering those who got in the way of his escape attempts. Eventually Vector's file caught the eye of the previous XCOM commander, and he was added into the Black ops at the age of nineteen. By that point over one hundred and fifty had been cut down by Vector's blood lust.
Beltway was an ex-Alliance demolitions expert. Tall, muscular, and utterly deprived of compassion. The man acted like a jolly giant, all for the purpose of gaining trust and friendship. Those who were stupid enough to trust him quickly found themselves killed from some manner of explosive. After a dishonorable discharge from the military Beltway had been captured in Puerto Rico having committed a string of murders using explosives. He had two choices, execution or take Harper's deal.
Four Eyes was black ops only volunteer. Born Christine Yamata, she was the granddaughter of XCOM's Dr. Knives. The young raven haired scientist followed her grandfather's footsteps with one clear difference: she didn't care who she got to experiment on. Several times in the past she had been suspected of illegal experiments, and at least a dozen corpses of humans who had undergone failed invasive surgeries had been found with circumstantial evidence linking to her. Before she could be arrested, she had joined XCOM and underwent the Psi-volunteer training. To further her ambitions she transferred to black ops as a field scientist.
While Four Eyes joined for science, the field medic Bertha joined for medicine. As an Alliance medic she had exceptional training and skill, and was renowned for her aptitude. However shortly after finishing her required tour of duty, she became a doctor caring for coma patients on earth. Within months of joining she was caught acting the part of a 'mercy angel' and was arrested. Numerous psychological evaluations revealed that she had no sense of morals and an extreme love of sadism.
Before he was forced into black ops, the team sniper 'Spectre' had been a famous XCOM soldier Vladimir Bodrovski. Bodrovski had been one of the survivors of the Ethereal war and converted into a MEC soldier due to injuries. The original MEC suits prolonged his life, but not his mind. After years of mental degradation his morals and restraint faded away. The man he became had no qualms about killing for even the simplest of reasons, using his well honed skills as a soldier to spy upon targets whom were slain with impossibly long range sniper fire. After being caught as a hit-man for the Russian mob he was forced into XCOM black ops, moved into an upgraded MEC suit and dozens of medical treatments were used to restore his damaged mind to a point where he didn't kill on a whim.
Night Hawk was the last of the team, the pilot. He had been hailed as a prodegy capable of piloting any vehicle as an extension of his own body. Before his capture by XCOM, Night Hawk had been arrested for multiple counts of grand theft. Having stolen cars, boats, and even star ships on occasion. It was his theft and joyride of an XCOM Hellfire Interceptor that intrigued Commander Harper into recruiting him. While his skills in combat were poor, his skills at infiltration, stealth and piloting were unmatched.
Commander Harper stared down the weapons pointed his way and lit a cigarette, "Good evening." he greeted the Wolfpack , taking a smooth draw on his cigarette, "In one week the Wolfpack is going to lead humanity's counter attack on the Turian race. " The man looked at ease despite the assortment of death pointed at him.
"What is the plan commander?" asked the team field scientist, Four-Eyes. Her Asian accent was made worse by the eagerness in her voice, "Do we get to try out a new toy?" she asked excitedly.
"Dr. Knives has created a new Biological Organic Weapon. A modified Chryssalid species to be specific. The creatures need to be field tested as a potential terror weapon against the Turians."
Beltway stood, stretching out his bulky muscular frame. "Why not just nuke the planet like they did to us?" he asked, "Plenty of fucking firepower there, no need to use some fucked up bugs."
Bertha threw a shoe at the mad bomber, "Why waste our bombs blasting apart colonies? Let the 'bugs' swarm the planet and distract them, while we tear their home world apart!"
"Shut up!" Lupo hissed at the bickering pair. They silenced instantly, "Please continue commander." she asked Harper respectfully.
Harper smirked, no matter how undisciplined the Wolfpack were, nobody disobeyed Lupo. "Your mission will be to infiltrate the Turian colony world of Invictus. There you will establish an outpost and began observation of the planet, and sabotage the planet's defenses if and when when the opportunity arises. And only if you can without being detected. If we get approval from command you will engage in Operation Outbreak."
"Operation Outbreak?" Beltway questioned.
"Using the information you've learned from the observational period, you will enter dense population areas across the planet and activate a special set of weapons that you will have transported with you." Harper explained, "The weapons should convert any affected by them into Chryssalid carriers and start an outbreak. Once the weapon has been deployed you are to gather combat data on the new strain of Chryssalid for as long as possible and return before the Turians can blockade or glass the planet."
"Do we have to worry about collateral damage?" Bertha asked impishly.
Harper caught her real meaning, "If a set of murders occurs on the planet while your there, nobody will care unless you compromise the missions. I wouldn't dream of denying the wolves a chance to hunt."
The team grinned with a terrifying look in their eyes, no doubt that plenty of alien blood would be split when they arrived.
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A month after Shanxi's fall Jack Harper presented his plan for a counterattack to the Alliance Counsel. As he expected, they were outraged. "How dare you bring such an outrageous proposition before us!" An Earth Counselor exclaimed, "Not only are you suggesting we use a biological weapon of this magnitude, but one that is based on the Ethereal Chryssalid? Have you gone mad?"
Harper stood his ground, determined to make his point. "Honored Counselors, we are outmatched." He paused letting the sunning confession silence them, "During the battle of Shanxi we learned that the enemy fleet is superior to our own in the worst ways. We conquered them on the ground, but the moment that they gained control of the skies, they bombed our forces into particles."
Harper displayed several images from the surface of Shanxi. Each picture showed the scars that nuclear fire had left on a once beautiful and lush planet, entire continents had been scorched into a blur of black and brown."We know that the Turians are only one piece of a greater galactic community. The Turians have stood as their military arm for a millennium and now we have given them a black eye. There is no doubt in my mind that they intend to find us, and destroy us! We have broken their laws, and destroyed their fleets. We whom have defied them!"
Harper gestured to a new set of images, pictures of Turian forces searching the ruins of Shanxi's once glorious capital city. "Right now as we speak, the Turians are searching for traces of our technology and any survivors of the battle. If we sit back and give them time to recover they will eventually find us and try to finish what they started!" the commander proclaimed, "Not by themselves, but this time they will come bearing the full might of their Citadel! They would burn our worlds for an offense that we had no way of knowing we committed! Would you allow that to happen?" Harper accused with vigor.
"The Alliance needs time to not only rebuild but improve!" Harper stated passionately, "If Dr. Knives weapon works the Turian worlds would be forced to burn at their own hands while we took the fight to their home world!" The display showed images of located Turian worlds lit ablaze in simulated flame. "If this tactic works not only is Shanxi is avenged, but the countless human lives that would be lost trying to take these worlds could be spared! Two hundred years ago we used the technology of our enemy to improve and fight back! Now I say is the time we use their tactics. Unleash the Chryssalids and let the Turian worlds burn!"
The Alliance voted unanimously. Operation Outbreak would commence immediately.