Council Mission: Newfoundland

The Citadel, Office of the Commander

Oh, boy. How the hell was he going to explain any of this?

So I was having one of my dreams and I had a conversation with one of the aliens. Yes, really. No I'm not crazy. We had a nice chat and he also did something to me and now I can understand the alien language. No, I'm not making this up, stop laughing.

In all seriousness, how was he going to explain it? It didn't appear that the alien was still in his head, so on that front he was probably safe. Maybe. He'd have Zhang and Van Doorn watch him closely for erratic behavior for a while. But since this apparently wasn't their first meeting and the last time he'd come away fine, he didn't think he had to worry too much now.

Still, precautions were necessary.

Now, assuming the alien had been telling the truth throughout that entire exchange, there was a lot of interesting details to work out. He suspected Vahlen would be more fascinated than worried by the event, especially since he could now understand the alien language. The rest of them? Probably not as enthused.

At the very least they were going to make some progress on the alien code, assuming of course that the alien hadn't played a joke on him by giving him the knowledge to understand some dialect that was dead. Wouldn't that be funny. Humph. Well, that appeal to surrender had certainly been endearing, if a little odd.

For a species that apparently wanted peace, they sure didn't know how best to express that desire. The alien didn't strike him as entirely unreasonable, or an idiot, so he wondered if that conversation had really been endorsed by this alien collective as a whole. The alien had pretty much admitted he'd wanted to speak on his own and labeled the whole transferring language process as an "experiment." It seemed far too informal to be anything other than a personal interest, if that.

That being said, if the alien somehow had convinced him to surrender, he had no doubt his superiors would complain. Though he doubted they'd be quite as benevolent as the alien let on. Too bad hadn't thought to ask for a name, assuming these aliens had names. Referring to this clearly powerful alien in such a generic term seemed…insulting, not to mention inaccurate.

However, the fact that the alien had even reached out indicated that XCOM was making enough problems for them to be concerned, despite what the alien had claimed. Armies that were winning didn't usually offer such good surrender terms, let alone ones that was clearly more advanced than their opponent.

He was beginning to suspect that there might be some truth to their reasoning when the alien had said something to the effect of "We have more important matters," since it would explain why this whole invasion was being managed so poorly. There was no denying it, they should have won this "war" in a matter of weeks. Frankly, they probably still could, but not without significantly more casualties.

But by not putting their best forward, they'd given humanity a chance to advance and now that they had MECs, laser weaponry, alloy armoring, soon to be genetically modified soldiers and the alien code, XCOM and humanity stood a very real chance of putting up a fight. Especially if tech kept advancing.

He scowled. This had brought up questions he'd put aside since he'd been so busy, but was now being forced to reconsider. Unfortunately, he didn't have any better answers now either. Well, this whole incident had shot his plans for the day, which had been primarily to interrogate that EXALT operative they'd recovered.

He would still get around to that, but not for a least a days as at the moment, there were more important things to worry about. He suspected Herman was going to come by at some point about the MEC and that would be an interesting chat. Fortunately, the representative was not being as disruptive as he'd expected. He was clearly in support of the Council, but was smart enough to think for himself. He wondered if Herman had asked about an Intelligence branch. Most likely he'd been shot down, but it was the thought that counted, at least in this case.

A light on his desk blinked, indicating someone approaching. Vahlen. He hadn't requested anyone else. Sure enough, the doors swished open revealed Vahlen dressed in her typical XCOM scientist garb. He wondered if she had any other cloths, since it occurred to him that he'd only seen her in those.

What was different was that her hair was loose, falling just to her shoulders. He realized he'd never seen it like that, since Vahlen kept it tied up when she was working. It was rather attractive, he had to admit. He wondered what had prompted it, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. Still, it didn't completely distract him from more serious matters.

"You wanted to see me?" Vahlen asked, stopping in front of his desk.

He stood and rubbed his forehead. "Yes. I figured I'd tell you first."

Vahlen frowned. "Tell me what first?"

The Commander glance up at the ceiling. "Remember when I told you about the dreams I have?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do. Are you doing alright?"

"No worse than usual, I think," he answered, flattered that she was concerned. "But well, this time it was different." He paused. Better to just get it out right away. "I think one of the aliens made contact with me through them."

Vahlen blinked. "It…talked with you?" She said almost in disbelief. "…How?"

"Are you asking how it made contact in the first place, or how it talked with me?" The Commander asked, crossing his arms as he sighed

"Both would be useful, I think," Vahlen answered, somewhat rhetorically. "Are you sure-"

"Do you really think I would bring this up if I wasn't?" The Commander interrupted, not wanting to waste time. "I don't know how, but I would assume that the contact was initiated psionically. I know we still don't know much, but psionics is the only explanation I can think up at this point."

"Psionic abilities have been documented to influence the mind," Vahlen recalled slowly. "Something like this is theoretically possible…but would indicate that the one responsible for the contact is either very powerful or skillful."

"I got that impression," the Commander agreed. "It didn't sound like I was speaking with a subordinate. Though he still appeared to me as a thin man."

"So would this mean that the master alien species is one we haven't encountered?" Vahlen asked, mostly to herself. "Or just something to throw us off?"

"No idea," the Commander shrugged. "It could appear as anything. I suspect it choose a thin man to normalize our conversation, but it could be a sectoid for all I know."

"Then why wouldn't it appear as such?" Vahlen asked. "We already know what those look like."

"But we don't know who the master species is," the Commander pointed out. "Something that the aliens wisely want to keep hidden."

"I…assume that they didn't learn anything," Vahlen wondered slowly. "I don't like to ask but…"

"I'm well aware I could be compromised," the Commander agreed, giving a small smile. "No need to worry about offending me. But…I don't think this alien really wanted to learn anything from me. It said it wanted to talk and…that's pretty much what we did," he pursed his lips. "The alien said that he probably could take information from me if he wanted…but I don't know if he was telling the truth or not."

He leaned on the table and looked at Vahlen. "I don't think the alien learned anything from our exchange, since he'd actually appeared a few months back. Except back then I didn't know he was an alien and assumed he was another projection. Since they don't appear to have used any kind information they shouldn't have, I doubt that this time is different." He shrugged. "But again, I don't know for sure."

"Alright," Vahlen tapped a finger on her chin. "So, what did you talk about? Did you learn anything?"

"Quite a bit, actually," the Commander muttered, grabbing a pad of paper he'd set on the table and began writing. "Our conversation mostly boiled down to him trying to convince me to surrender unsuccessfully, but I'll tell you specifics later if you're interested. No, this is the most important thing I got out of it."

He handed Vahlen the pad. On it was a line of symbols and glyphs. Her mouth parted slightly as she took it, eyes widening as she analyzed the page. "Commander, what is this?"

"Your name," he answered simply. "As best as I was able to translate. Their language is not the best at direct translations, I think Ariel was right in that it is complemented by some kind of psionic component, something is clearly missing. I need to experiment some more."

"How…?" She whispered, then swallowed. "How do you know this?"

"The alien gave it to me," the Commander sighed. "An 'experiment' or so he says. Don't ask me why he did it, but I now have the entirety of the alien language in my head."

"This is incredible!" Vahlen exclaimed, her face lighting up. "We can use this to break the alien code! Not to mention translating all the markings on their equipment."

"Provided that there isn't multiple dialects," the Commander cautioned. "But yes, if the aliens have the audacity to give us this advantage, we're going to take full advantage of it."

"I assume you're going to tell the others about it," Vahlen said. "They have to know where you got it."

"Definitely," the Commander agreed. "Best if everyone knows what's going on. Though I think we need to reopen some research on psionics. Perhaps you could examine Patricia again, see if anything's changed."

"Yes, Commander," Vahlen nodded. "I-"

The intercom beeped and the Commander pressed the answer button. "Yes, Bradford?"

"We have a message coming in from the Council," he answered. "You can answer when you're ready."

Hmm. Well that was unexpected, though it had been a while since they'd last spoken. Something must have come up or they had some new grievance to bring against him. This definitely wasn't going to be a normal chat.

Not that it had really ever been. But tensions had been a lot lower in the beginning. He turned to the screen behind him and prepared to receive the call. "I'll let you take the call," Vahlen said as she made to leave.

"You don't have to," the Commander told her, glancing back. "I have no issue with you participating."

Her lips twitched. "I didn't come prepared for a Council meeting."

He gave a sniff then smiled. "If you're worried about how you look, I can assure you that you look good. I like what you've done with your hair."

She brushed a few strands behind her ears. "Well, thank you. I'm glad you think so. But I didn't really do anything to it."

Ah, there she was taking him literally again. "The point is you look fine," he waved her over by him. "Come on, let's see what the Council has to say to us."

He several buttons on the table and moved to stand in front of the screen, Vahlen to his right. It flashed on and the harsh blue lighting that accompanied the Speaker greeted him, the silhouette as familiar as ever. "Speaker," he greeted, inclining his head. "A pleasure to see you again. It's been some time."

"That it has," the deep synthesized voice of the Speaker answered, who also briefly inclined his head towards the Commander. "Much has happened since we spoke that, though I am pleased to see you well."

Well, how nice of him. Regardless of his opinions of the Council, the Speaker had proven to be the most reasonable person he'd met on the Council. He didn't know whether the man was really like that or just that dedicated to impartiality. Whatever the case, he was someone who deserved respect.

"Same to you as well, Speaker," he answered. "I presume the state of the Council hasn't changed?"

"Tensions have lowered after our representative was sent," the Speaker answered. "Though the sides have not changed. You have done nothing new to provoke the ones opposed to you, though they most likely suspect you're not being honest to begin with."

The Commander had to smirk at that, regardless of its truth. "Even with your representative here? I suspect nothing will please them then."

"Representative Diederick was not a unanimous decision, nor one especially liked by the nations opposed to you," the Speaker clarified. "In the end, very few were happy with the final candidate, though Russia was able to push the measure through."

Well, well. That would explain why the representative they'd sent was much more reasonable than he'd assumed. So Tamara was the one behind it, though if Russia held enough influence to ensure this passed, he wondered why they didn't strike sending someone at all. Perhaps she'd done the best she could, but he still wondered.

"I see," he finally said. "I wasn't aware your representative was the cause of so much controversy."

"The Council would prefer to keep their internal disputes quiet, as you would no doubt understand," the Speaker answered. "Regardless, Representative Diederick has not reported anything suspicious to the Council, and is not the purpose of this call."

The Commander clasped his hands behind his back. "And may I ask what the purpose is?"

"Twofold, Commander," the Speaker answered, clasping his hands together. "The first of which concerns your…allies not affiliated with the Council. We were hoping you would enlighten us on what is happening within Germany and Israel. A growing number of councilors are becoming…concerned."

Hmm. How much to tell. There really wasn't anything that damaging he could really report. At least with Germany. The weapon tests Israel was conducting didn't have to, nor should be, be mentioned. "Israel has not shared its future plans with XCOM," the Commander answered honestly. "Though I wouldn't expect them too anyway. International affairs are not XCOM's concern, as the Council has made quite clear."

That was rather satisfying to say, and he just realized that he now had an out whenever they wanted information about other countries. He could just use their own words against them, creating deniability even if both of them knew it wasn't plausible. Their own fault, unfortunately.

"As for Germany, we're still watching the situation," the Commander continued. "I can assure the Council that if the Chancellor continues his crackdown, then I will personally deal with it."

"While I have no doubt your assurance is genuine, the Council would formally request that you sever ties with these countries until we know more about Israel's future plans and Germany restores civil freedoms," the Speaker said, almost straining to sound neutral. "Knowingly or not, XCOM is providing these countries with alien technology that might enable them to continue their plans unchallenged. I would assume that XCOM would not want to become associated with deeds these countries may commit."

He felt Vahlen stiffen in indignation and had to agree. Really, did they honestly expect that to work? And they must not have heard about the recent alliances with the South American countries otherwise they would have included some ridiculous reason to sever those as well. There was absolutely no way he was going to be solely reliant on the Council nations again.

"While I deeply appreciate the Council's concern for XCOM's…image," the Commander answered, trying not to sound too sarcastic. "I will not sever ties until I have all the facts. Israel has not provided any reason to distrust them and as I said, the German situation is still developing. I will have to speak with both the Prime Minister and Chancellor before even considering severing ties."

"Very well," the Speaker conceded. "Though know that the Council will not support you should the situations worsen."

Oh dear. However could he continue? Knowing that the Council wouldn't support him. He couldn't keep a smile off his face. The Council hated the idea of his alliances since the beginning. Literally nothing had changed; the Council just wanted to say it to him again.

"With that settled, may I ask what the second topic is?" The Commander asked, ready to move on.

"Yes," the Speaker nodded. "We have acquired information that shows a fishing port in Newfoundland has gone dark several hours ago. We suspect alien activity."

"That was fast," the Commander commented.

"The port is one of the largest seafood distributors in North America," the Speaker explained. "It's estimated that around thirty percent of seafood for the continent goes through them. Which raises suspicions that this was not a random strike."

"Perhaps they're getting smarter," the Commander muttered. "Targeting the food is a good move."

"Since the port is a much higher profile than the normal targets, we were able to determine they'd gone dark far quicker than usual," the Speaker said. "We don't know how the attacks were carried out, but if you send a team soon, you might stop them before they cause too much damage."

"We'll do that," the Commander promised. "Thanks for the intel."

"Put it to good use, Commander," the Speaker answered. "Good luck. We will be watching."

With that he ended the call. "Alright. Time to get to work."

He turned to Vahlen. "Can you tell Bradford to get Van Doorn and Herman and meet me in the Situation Room while I compile a squad?"

Vahlen nodded. "I'll do that," she promised. "That seemed to go well."

"Better than normal," the Commander agreed as he sat down. "The Council actually came in useful for once. Let's hope we can salvage this before the aliens destroy the port."

"I'll tell Bradford now," she said and turned to leave. "Good luck, Commander."

He gave her a smile. "Thanks, Moira. We'll get everything sorted out with my head after the mission. I know you're probably wanting to run some tests."

She simply gave a smile and walked out and he focused on his computer screen. Time to get to work.

The Citadel, Mess Hall

"We barely managed to pass the Florida phase," Samuel finished as he took a sip of water. "I still despise that state and it's horribly humid weather."

"That's a bit more intense than what I went through," Soran answered appreciatively, shaking his head. "Though it's smart to actually put soldiers through simulations like that."

"Agree on that," Samuel agreed. "Even if I despised it at the time, I definitely put those skills to use later. Still is nothing compared to what the SEALs go through."

Soran grimaced. He was well aware of the mental and physical torture the SEALs went through to be part of the unit. He suspected prisoners were treated better than SEAL trainees were. After doing research into the group, he now had a newfound respect for what they went through. But it was definitely not for him. "I doubt that anything can really compare to Hell Week."

"True," Samuel chuckled and cocked his head. "You knew about that?"

"Yes," Soran confirmed with a nod as he ate some more of the soup. "I wanted to learn more after hearing about their…reputation."

"Makes sense," Samuel agreed as he rested his arms on the table. "They're probably the only special forces unit that has worldwide recognition. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't know who they are."

"Unless of course they have no knowledge at all," Soran pointed out. "Not all civilians really care about the military."

Samuel smirked. "You clearly haven't been to America then. Even if people don't like the military, they at least have some basic knowledge."

"I suppose it's different in Japan," Soran shrugged. "They're a more…pacifistic society. The military is officially only supposed to be used for self-defense."

"And unofficially?" Samuel asked.

"As I understand it, that's why we exist," Soran explained, referring to himself. "As long as it can be shown that Japan has been damaged in some way, there can be some kind of retaliation. Though I suspect that is mostly to appease the civilian population. I would not be surprised if operations were being conducted in secret."

"And you're alright with that?" Samuel asked curiously.

"Would it matter if I wasn't?" Soran asked, frowning. "All governments conduct operations outside civilian view. Why should I expect anything different from Japan?"

"Awfully pessimistic," Samuel said wryly. "But I see your point."

That wasn't exactly what he wanted to convey. "That's not pessimism," he corrected, slightly confused. "It's just how things have always worked, stretching back centuries. I don't view it as pessimism, nor do I feel particularly strongly about the matter. Governments keep secrets, and as long as they don't manage to wreck the country in the process, I trust that they'll be worked out."

"I wish I had your faith in the government," Samuel commented, taking another sip of water. "But not much I can do except cast my vote."

"Ah, right," Soran recalled. "A presidential election is coming up, correct?"

"Correct," Samuel sighed. "And I'm going to be happy to be away from it all. It's not going to be pretty."

Soran frowned. "Why?"

"Because there is quite a bit of tension in the country now," Samuel answered. "Combined with an alien invasion, I suspect there's going to be a lot of demonizing the other side without much compromise or common ground. Not that it's really been different."

"So you don't know who you're going to vote for?" Soran asked to clarify.

"America is going to become involved in the war officially, one way or another," Samuel answered. "So I'd rather have someone I at least somewhat trust. I'll probably vote for Kamili, at least in the primaries."

That name sounded familiar. "Have I heard of her?" Soran asked as he tried to recall. "I think I recognize the name."

"Possibly," Samuel nodded. "She was a diplomat, a rather prolific one at that, mostly focusing on third world countries. An all-around exceptional woman, not much political experience, but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing."

"Isn't that dangerous though?" Soran asked, lacing his fingers together. "I would think that you'd want a candidate to have some kind of political experience. Especially if they're looking to run a country."

"A good point," Samuel agreed. "Though she would be one to surround herself with excellent advisors. Furthermore, she does offer something I haven't seen in a long time; unity. I do believe that she'd manage to heal the rifts and at least try to fix the issues plaguing it. And while I know she doesn't approve of war, she'd do her best to end it quickly."

Soran eyed him skeptically. "I highly doubt this war is going to be ended quickly."

"Probably not," Samuel agreed. "I'd imagine this alien war will be more or less decided before it even gets that to the actual election. A lot can happen in a year."

"That it can," Soran noted softly. They ate in silence for a few minutes, the only disruption coming when a woman came up beside him.

"May I sit?" She asked him, her voice moderately accented. He glanced up and got a good look at her. She was clearly Asian, and as he was the only Japanese operative here, he supposed she was either Chinese or Korean. Unlike most of the soldiers here, her black hair was fairly long, falling a few inches below her shoulders, framing her oval face. She looked rather friendly and had a pleasant smile, though her green eyes were decidedly less so.

Interesting. Who could this be? "Of course," he motioned to the seat beside him. "Take a seat."

"Appreciated," she answered and did sit beside him and began eating.

After a few minutes, Samuel spoke. "I don't believe we've met, ma'am."

"Apologies," she said, glancing up with a small smile. "Shun Anwei, Ministry of State Security agent."

Well, well, wasn't that interesting. The MSS were one of the most highly regarded intelligence organizations in the world, and counted among the most dangerous as it was a Chinese organization. While he had little issue with the MSS, or Chinese for that matter, others weren't so forgiving. Samuel might be one, judging by how he pursed his lips after she spoke.

"Soran Kakusa, 1st Airborne Brigade," he answered, inclining his head towards her.

"A respectable position," Shun nodded, then focused on Samuel. "And may I ask who you are?"

His voice was a bit tighter, though not much. "Samuel Roche. Army Ranger."

"Ah, so have a SEAL and a Ranger," Shun chuckled. "Interesting."

Samuel appraised her. "Not quite as interesting as an intelligence agent working directly in combat missions," he noted flatly.

"Not all of us are the cloak and dagger type," Shun responded neutrally. "I would consider it a flawed organization if intelligence groups didn't have some kind of combat-trained personnel. Which I believe I am adequate at."

"I suppose we'll see," Soran said. "Though I doubt you will let us down. XCOM only recruits from the best."

"That they do," Shun agreed. "Though Samuel here does have a point. I do know there was some discussion on whether I was the best candidate to send instead of our more…traditional soldiers."

"I would have thought China kept a closer lid on their discussions," Samuel commented. "For you to hear that sounds odd."

She snorted and gave him a smug grin. "Don't believe everything you hear from American propaganda. I was well aware who else was being considered and they told me it was a close decision. But they felt that I was best choice in the end."

"Why is that, I wonder?" Samuel asked, his voice growing very rhetorical.

"Because I have a long record of successful mission and likely have a kill count as long as yours," Shun answered, not completely taking the bait. "Do you want me to provide a certificate of approval?"

He gave a humorless smile. "That won't be necessary."

Soran blinked as he felt his wristband vibrating. Another mission. "Duty calls," he shrugged at Samuel, not really wanting to leave the situation quite like this. Though it turned out he didn't have too since Shun also stood.

"It appears I'll be coming along as well," she said, glancing up at him. "Perhaps you'll see what I can do."

"Good luck," Samuel told him. "Kill some aliens for me."

Soran gave a mock salute. "Will do." Then left the Mess Hall with Shun at his side.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. "I don't think your friend trusts me," Shun commented, sounding more resigned than anything. "Probably thinks I'm here to spy on him by order of the Chinese."

"Don't blame him," Soran told her. "It's not entirely his fault that he's been taught to think of the Chinese as wrong at best or evil at worst. It's no different than you being taught that America is a capitalist dystopia."

She snorted. "Come now, I know that isn't true. Though I do see your point. Chinese propaganda doesn't paint America in the best light. But still, at least I don't treat every American as a potential spy."

"You're in intelligence, he's in special forces," Soran pointed out. "Of the two, I'd guess that intelligence operatives are more open to viewing the other side a little more neutrally."

She glanced up at him suspiciously. "You're one to talk. Japan doesn't exactly view us favorably either."

"The views of the Japanese majority are not my own," he answered neutrally, looking ahead. "I don't view China as much better or worse than Japan. We have our own long list of mistakes, which I think sometimes gets forgotten when dealing with other countries."

"That's an…interesting perspective," she commented slowly. "I didn't really expect it."

"I don't see a reason to view your position differently than a Russian or American with the same," he continued. "The MSS functions in the same role as the CIA, MI6 and the CT agents of Russia. I don't see why yours should be demonized while it performs the same operations as those organizations."

"Because they view us as a threat," Shun sighed, sounding torn between anger and frustration. "And for some reason don't realize that they pose as much a threat to us as we do to them. And yet we always end up the bad guys." She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, this isn't a conversation to have before a mission."

"It's understandable," he empathized. "But prove yourself and you'll do fine here. The soldiers here respect deeds and after you prove yourself, your nation won't be an issue."

"I hope you're right," she sighed. "But it's good to know that some people will give me a chance."

"Everyone deserves one," Soran agreed. "No matter where they come from."

"If only more thought like you," Shun chuckled as they reached the barracks. "Alright, let's go hunt some aliens."

Skyranger, En route to Abduction Zone

As usual, no one had told them anything when they'd arrived in the hanger, though the fact that Patricia was in charge likely meant that it was a fairly high-profile operation. Shun was the only legitimate "rookie" on this mission, since the rest of the soldiers were veterans to an extent.

Pete Chandler was one of the few South Americans in XCOM, part of the Venezuelan Marines. He seemed like a decent guy, from the few minutes of conversation they'd had. Definitely one of the more easygoing soldiers he'd encountered.

Karl Lulling was one of the KSK agents that had joined after the Hamburg attack, and Soran was happy that they'd finally have a sniper on a mission. A quiet man, but he was clearly skilled at his job. Patricia had said he'd participated in raiding an alien transport that had crashed and had acquitted himself well.

He'd actually chatted with Eden Rayna's sister quite a bit, and Eden seemed more or less like the exact same kind of personality. Very energetic and friendly. However, unlike her sister she was now wielding a laser shotgun instead of a rifle. Hopefully her engineering experience would come in handy, provided that SOER operatives understood engineering in the traditional sense.

"Do we have any information on the area?" Shun asked, resting her hands on her knees.

"That will be given to us when the Commander deems it fit," Patricia answered, glancing over at her. "I expect it will be shortly."

"I see," Shun nodded, apparently satisfied. Interesting; he wondered if that was instinctual. Most people would ask more questions, but she apparently just accepted the word of her superior.

"XCOM responds to most of alien sightings or abductions," he explained for her benefit. "As soon as one is spotted, a squad is formed and immediately sent off. That's why information is distributed so late."

"I see," she nodded. "Thank you, Soran."

"One of the new ones, I see," Eden commented cheerfully. "Welcome to XCOM, if no one has before. I'm Eden."

"Shun Anwei," she answered cautiously. "And thank you."

"So what unit are you from?" Karl asked, resting his laser sniper rifle against his knee. "Military or special forces?"

"An MSS agent," Shun answered slowly.

"Huh, never heard of it," Pete commented. "Well, can't know all of them. Welcome anyway."

"Same," Eden affirmed.

Despite the semi-warm welcomes from them, Soran didn't fail to note Karl and Patricia eyeing the young Chinese agent after that. Even if Pete and Eden didn't know or care, a KSK agent and…what was Patricia anyway? Regardless, both clearly knew what the MSS stood for, especially when the Chinese flag was emblazoned on Shun's collar.

Fortunately, they didn't feel the need to comment or question it. It was definitely interesting to observe how military and intelligence personnel were treated differently by soldiers. There were already several Chinese soldiers in XCOM and they seemed to have assimilated quite well at least from what he'd seen.

And yet here came a woman from an intelligence agency and suddenly that was suspicious. She was fighting against several stereotypes here, but the biggest one was clearly her nation. Especially when contrasting with a now-deceased XCOM operative who'd also come from an intelligence background: Mira Vauner.

She was now something of a hero in XCOM, although pretty much everyone who'd died in the Dreadnought mission was considered as such. But in reading and listing about her, she'd come from a branch that, at least originally, was designed for the sole purpose of assassination. To him, it seemed far worse to be associated with something like that than a regular intelligence agency like the MSS.

But of course, the reason was that Israel was normally regarded as a 'good' country, and thus its soldiers would be assumed to be such as well. China did not share that same courtesy. He didn't consider it fair or right, but it was interesting to watch all the same. Hopefully they'd stop worrying it about it soon.

"This is the Commander to Raptor Team," the voice of the Commander came through their helmets. "You're en route to Newfoundland. Intel from the Council has shown that one of the ports responsible for a large part of seafood distribution in North America has gone silent. Your objective is to go secure the area and wipe out any aliens as quickly as possible."

"Do we have anything on numbers or forces?" Patricia asked.

"No, but I would expect a force of at least fifteen to twenty. Also be aware that this might be another trap by EXALT."

Soran grimaced. Wouldn't that be wonderful? But at least this time they'd be somewhat prepared. They also wouldn't box themselves in. Patricia learned from the mistakes of previous missions, if there was anyone who wouldn't repeat such a mistake, it would be her.

"Should we expect civilian contact?" Karl asked, leaning back.

"Possible, but that doesn't affect your mission parameters," the Commander answered. "From previous abductions, I would be surprised if the aliens leave any civilians alive. This is not a rescue mission and will not be treated as such."

"Understood, Commander," Karl nodded.

"It would be preferable not to cause too much destruction to the equipment there," the Commander advised. "The production is going to take a hit regardless, but damaged equipment isn't going to help. But not at the expense of your lives. Got it?"

"Yes, Commander," Patricia answered with a sharp nod.

"Then good luck. Citadel Command, out."

A few seconds went by. "This is Big Sky to Raptor Team. We're approaching the landing zone in two minutes. Prepare for landing and deployment."

A ground deployment, well it'd been awhile since that'd happened. "Understood Big Sky," Patricia confirmed. "We'll be ready."

The lights flashed to a solid red and Patricia stood and walked to the end in preparation for the landing. Eden took her side and Karl and Pete stood behind her. Soran and Shun stood behind them. Shun fiddled with her weapon, a prototype from engineering that seemed to be some kind of hybrid of a sniper rifle and regular rifle. A Strike Rifle, it was officially called.

The weapon seemed rather unwieldy, but then again, he wasn't trained to use it. More power to her if she could use it. He'd stick with his laser rifle now. The skyranger shook as it landed and the ramp opened with a hiss and then a crack as it hit concrete.

"Deploy!" Patricia ordered and they charged out to reclaim the port.

Canada, Newfoundland

The silence was even more pronounced than usual. Soran wasn't sure, but he thought that the gentle lapping of the waves hitting the docks probably had something to do with it. It seemed to draw attention to the fact that the place was a ghost town.

"We're on the ground," Patricia informed Citadel Command. "Preparing to move forward."

"Copy that," the voice of Bradford confirmed. "We have satellite footage over the area. We'll notify you if we see anything."

"Understood," Patricia answered, raising her autolaser as she prepared to march forward. "Karl, take the roof and begin overwatch."

"Understood, Overseer," Karl nodded and began climbing one of the shipping crates and used that to leap onto the roof. Taking a knee, he raised his laser sniper rifle and began scanning the area.

The whole shipping port was highly claustrophobic and contained. If they got caught in the wrong place, it would be a death trap. There were so many places to hide and set an ambush it wasn't even funny. The majority of the buildings weren't large, mostly smaller warehouses and a couple dilapidated-looking offices.

That was mostly to the left and in front of them. Several shipping containers also sat out in the open. "Overseer, just past this warehouse is a marketplace area," Karl informed. "Nothing spotted yet, but it would be a good place to defend. Several of the stands have roofs that we could use as sniper nests."

"Awfully convenient," Pete muttered. Soran had to agree.

"We could get trapped in here easily," he warned Patricia, raising his rifle in anticipation.

"I know," she answered, sounding oddly distracted. "But we have to move forward."

Soran looked to the right, where the water and docks were. Crates of seafood and sailing supplies lined the docks, some haphazardly tipped over. Several ships were docked as well, nothing large, just the ones specializing in fishing. Although he did see a barge at the far end, but it appeared likewise abandoned.

"We'll have a better chance of surviving an ambush if we take the docks," Soran said. "There are too many choke points here."

"I'm not convinced it isn't too appealing," Patricia murmured. "We'll take our time and advance slowly." She motioned towards the docks. "Eden, Pete, move alongside the docks. Soran, Shun and I will begin clearing the warehouses."

Eden nodded. "Understood, Overseer. We'll wait before advancing further."

"Excellent," Patricia nodded. "Everything clear, Karl?"

"Clear for the moment, Overseer."

"Soran, Shun, take the left side," Patricia ordered as she moved to the right side of the warehouse door. While he steadied himself on the corner of the door, Shun took the opposite corner and raised her weapon as she watched the side. Patricia had let her autolaser rest on the ground by the barrel as she'd placed her forearm on the wall for some reason.

He frowned and considered asking if she was fine when she apparently snapped out of it and knelt down and hooked her fingers under the door and gave an experimental lift. It wasn't locked, so she motioned for him to do the same. He did, and began counting down. Three…two…one.

They lifted at exactly the same time and raised their weapons to…

Nothing.

The warehouse was empty, only a few crates and fishing nets occupied the floor. "As I thought," Patricia muttered, raising her autolaser. "Advance," she muttered and they went through the warehouse. As they walked Soran suddenly froze as a thought occurred to him.

Patricia hadn't given him any signal she was counting down…and yet they'd acted in perfect harmony. So if she hadn't given him a signal…how…? And what did that mean? Just like I thought.

She expected nothing? And she was right?

"Take position," Patricia ordered as she took the right of the warehouse entrance. Soran took the left and Shun knelt behind a crate and aimed her weapon towards the middle of the door, in case anything was directly on the other side.

Patricia knelt down again and hooked her fingers under the door and Soran copied her again, trying not to think about what he was doing. As if by instinct, he and Patricia lifted in perfect harmony, again revealing nothing.

"Anything, Eden?" Patricia asked, as she swept the immediate area with her autolaser.

"Negative, Overseer," Eden answered. "Hey Karl, take a look at that barge over there."

"On it," he answered.

Soran looked forwards and understood what Karl had meant about a marketplace. There were around six stands, each with various seafood he assumed was being sold. Some had some wrinkled steel walls, and some were just posts that secured the roof. And as he took a look at the roofs, he understood why they had short walls. They were clearly used as another means of storage.

Fortunately, the area was fairly open, allowing plenty of maneuverability. Patricia pointed forward and they moved towards one of the stands. Shun started climbing onto the roof and he and Patricia stayed put until she was in position.

"This area is clear," she confirmed.

"Overseer, they definitely did something to that barge," Karl updated from the warehouse roof. "Part of the hull is busted open."

Soran and Patricia exchanged a look. "Were they after something else?" Soran wondered, curious.

"Central, you know if there was anything unusual being brought in?" Patricia asked.

"Checking the import lists now," Bradford answered tensely. "The only barge that was supposed to come in today was just a whaling vessel. Nothing of import."

"Then I guess we should check it out," Soran suggested. "We might find something."

"Possible," she muttered. "Something seems off here. We should have encountered something by now."

"Maybe they left?" Soran suggested.

"Perhaps," she sounded unconvinced. "But that would be a first. They usually at least leave some kind of token force for us to fight."

"Maybe they don't want to waste their forces anymore," Shun suggested. "If the result is usually a loss, it makes sense not to keep it up, right."

"The thing is that aliens haven't really used that kind of logic," Patricia pointed out. "But perhaps you're right. Still, Soran's idea is good, we should check the barge."

"There's two stalls that overlook the docks area," Karl pointed out. "Shun and I can keep an eye out while you move in."

"Good idea," Patricia agreed. "Move there and Soran and I will regroup with Pete and Eden."

"Copy that," Eden confirmed. "Holding position until you arrive."

Karl lowered himself from the roof and Shun slid down the ladder to join him. Both of them went over to the right row of stalls and Karl took the middle one while Shun took the furthest one down.

"In position, area clear." Karl confirmed as he scanned the area, sniper rifle raised.

"Copy," Shun agreed as she did the same.

"Keep watch," Patricia ordered. "We'll be advancing shortly." She turned towards the right and took the path that led down to the docks. Soran followed close behind, keeping his back to her to make sure no one came from behind. Once they'd descended down the small flight of steps, he turned around as they approached Pete and Eden.

"Forward," Patricia muttered. "Slowly."

They advanced at a methodical pace, their fingers on the triggers just waiting for something to happen. The wood creaked under their boots as they walked under the slick wood. They were approaching the last fishing ship before the barge, and now Soran could clearly see the gaping hole big enough for a truck that was torn into its side.

It wasn't clean or symmetrical in any way. It was if some animal had torn into it, or ripped into it with all the delicacy of a bull. Inside was pitch black, a black hole that showed him nothing.

"You know, I didn't know shark hunting was so popular here," Eden muttered as they passed a post. Soran only now just noticed that the corpses of sharks were hanging off of them. In fact, there were several more at random places around the docks. "In fact, isn't that illegal?"

"Depends on the part of the world," Soran shrugged. "I know it's illegal in Japan, but apparently not here."

"Kinda sad," Pete commented, as he stared up at one of the carcasses. "I rather like sharks."

"Quiet!" Patricia hissed as she raised a fist. "You hear that?"

Everyone went silent and Soran concentrated hard. Yes, there was definitely something coming from within the barge. Something tapping on metal and wood, what sounded like a faint clicking.

"That's not good," he breathed.

"Hold!" Patricia snarled and swung her rifle around. "There's something else here."

Before any of them could begin to ask what, Patricia unloaded a barrage of laser fire into the shark carcass. The hissing of the laser breaking the silence spectacularly. Soran heard a faint screech and watched in fascination as the embryo of a chryssalid fell onto the ground.

The alien animal wasn't fully formed yet, it was still curled into a fetal position, though it appeared to have it's claws and jaws. A white sap covered it, but it was clear that it was growing at an incredible rate.

"Chryssalids," Soran hissed. "And if there's one…"

"I think you just let them know we're here." Eden murmured as the sound of chryssalid screeches began filling the air, coming from the barge.

Patricia turned her autolaser and blasted another shark corpse. "Get ready!" She snarled. "They're coming!"

Sure enough, six chryssalids charged out of the hole, hopping out of the jagged metal. Snarling with saliva dripping from their jaws, they charged the four. "Laser field!" Patricia ordered, firing into the group.

The three of them fired sustained lasers at the group, moving their weapons in different directions and were rewarded with the screams of pain from the aliens as they collapsed to the ground, missing bodies and limbs.

Streaks of red light rained down from Karl and Shun, who put the surviving chryssalids out of commission. Not a few seconds later, several more charged out, ignoring their fallen brethren and charged across the docks to them.

Two were taken out by Karl and Shun, while Soran severed the head of the final one and it fell to the ground unceremoniously. He eyed the hole where more were probably going to come out as he reloaded. "Let's hope it stays like this," Pete muttered as he reloaded.

Another four jumped out and charged their position. Pete sniped one, while two were blasted back by Patricia. Two thin beams rained down on the last one, hitting its leg and head. Soran glanced up to see Shun had fired the shots. She was definitely an excellent shot.

"Behind you!" Shun yelled and Soran whipped his head back around to see chryssalids leaping up from behind Karl. Shun desperately shot at the encroaching aliens, and managed to kill two, but not before another chryssalid sank its jaws into Karl's throat and ripped it out. Shun sniped it, but more were already coming towards her.

"Fall back!" Patricia ordered, as more chryssalids came pouring out of the barge. "Regroup!"

Shun leapt down, the chryssalids in hot pursuit of her. Soran shot one that leapt at her and severed the front legs of another, leaving it screaming in agony.

"They just keep coming!" Pete shouted as more kept coming out. They were going to get overwhelmed. Even altogether, they couldn't stand up against an onslaught of at least twelve chryssalids.

Patricia swung her autolaser in a wide arc, letting loose a barrage of laser fire. "Focus!" She snarled. Soran wasn't sure if that was addressed to him or not. But he raised his rifle, focused in on the approaching chryssalids and fired. Without thinking he moved to the next one and did the same.

Blinking as he looked at the pile of corpses in front of them, he realized that they'd killed all the charging chryssalids within a few seconds. What the…? He glancing over at Patricia and his eyes widened as he saw an almost transparent distortion around her. Was that…?

Not the time. More were coming. A roar that seemed to shake the ground echoed throughout the area. Soran watched in disbelief as the largest chryssalid he'd ever seen stepped out of the barge.

Almost as tall as the damned barge, the massive chryssalid was a deeper shade of purple than its smaller brethren, and seemed to have a more developed head. Its eyes were not the pure yellow orbs, but instead pure white. It's clattering of teeth echoed loudly across the docks as it looked at the tiny humans before it.

"Citadel Command, institute the Zeus Contingency," Patricia stated, sounding oddly calm. "This area is compromised."

"Copy that," the Commander affirmed. "Get out of there."

More chryssalids, this time at least fifteen leapt out and converged under the massive chryssalid. Was this some kind of breeder? Did chryssalids even need them? More were coming along the sides, leaping off the warehouse roofs and were promptly shot down as the squad retreated.

Soran blasted two more in the face, and hissed as two more chryssalids charged in from the front. Faced with overwhelming numbers on two fronts, it was inevitable that some would slip through the cracks.

"Pete!" He shouted as he tried getting a bead on the aliens.

Pete leapt back as a chryssalid claw barely missed him. Said chryssalid was promptly shot by Shun, who gave him a quick nod and Soran took care of the other one. The skyranger roared overhead as it approached the landing zone. Eden shot two more that were approaching, but Soran's heart sank as he looked to the barge and saw the creatures still coming out.

Where the hell were they coming from?

He turned around as a scream grabbed his attention. Pete had caught his leg in a fishing net and had fallen to the ground. Despite all of them concentrating fire, they weren't able to kill all the encroaching chryssalids before one stabbed its claws into his arms and ripped out his throat, screeching in triumph.

"Hold." Patricia growled, though again it didn't seem directed at them. For whatever reason, all the nearby chryssalids stopped and stared at Patricia who held their gaze while the rest of them gunned down the aliens.

"Run!" Patricia ordered. "To the landing zone! Now!" They took off for the last leg of the route. Patricia occasionally turning around to offer strafing fire at the chryssalids that were still approaching. The Queen Chryssalid was also coming, though much slower. As they charged up the ramp to where the skyranger was waiting, the Queen Chryssalid roared and began moving much more earnestly.

The massive claws of the Queen wreaked havoc as they were accompanied by the sounds of splintering wood and shattering crates as she charged as fast as possible, as if knowing they were escaping. All of them charged into the skyranger, still shooting at the chryssalids converging upon them.

As the skyranger took off and the chryssalids screeched as their prey left, Soran dearly hoped that the creatures felt as much pain as possible when the rockets hit. No one deserved to die like that. He wasn't sure if anything remained inside the soon-to-be reanimated corpses of Karl and Pete, but he hoped they wouldn't have to suffer too long.

All of them sat in silence as the skyranger sped back to the Citadel, all reflecting on what had happened.

After-Action Report

Operation: Crystal Giant

Personnel

Raptor 1 (Squad Overseer): Specialist Patricia Trask

Status: Active

Kills: 14

Raptor 2: Specialist Eden Rayna

Status: Active

Kills: 9

Raptor 3: Specialist Karl Lulling

Status: Deceased

Kills: 6

Raptor 4: Specialist Pete Chandler

Status: Deceased

Kills: 10

Raptor 5: Specialist Soran Kakusa

Status: Active

Kills: 14

Raptor 6: Specialist Shun Anwei

Status: Active

Kills: 12

Mission Director: The Commander

Pilot: Jason Olgard – Call sign: "Big Sky"

Artifacts Recovered:

None

A/N: End of Act I for those interested. Two more to go!

-Xabiar