While the arrival of new allies was an unexpected development, it was one I was quick to adapt to. The fact that it was a beneficial curveball made that adaptation far easier than expected: all I really needed to do was just make sure that they new I wasn't there enemy and that we both wanted the same thing. With that settled, we could focus our attention on defeating the Micronoids.
As for how Melissa reacted to this:
"...meh..."
Yeah, I wasn't really surprised - she really didn't seem to find this curveball all that interesting. Probably came with being a ROB.
Enough on that, though: onto the assault on the Organic Factory.
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Our entrance into the alien dimension was met with the remnants of the fleet the aliens sent to attack us, now forced on the defensive. Given that they were all severely damaged from the previous engagement, it didn't take us long to wipe them out. Once the last wreck had smashed into the ground and was being hauled away by my bots, our ground forces, now including Zudjari troops, began their assault on the factory.
This was quite a bit harder than expected. See, the factory consisted of a bunch of mushrooms that eventually grew into UFOs, as well as all of the weapons the aliens used. To win this mission, you needed to blow up all of the embryonic UFOs, after which point you were free to bail. Yeah, it wasn't exactly a complex mission.
The real deal, though, was MUCH harder.
The minute we entered the factory, we came under fire from strange, pillar like growths dotting the factory. While the human and Zudjari forces were quick enough to take cover, several of my bots were quickly destroyed before I could level the first set of growths. My best guess was that these were organic turrets, designed to defend the factory from intruders. Guess the aliens still had a few tricks up their sleeves...well, if they could wear sleeves, for the most part.
Once we passed the first set of turrets, we came upon one of our targets: an embryonic UFO, which, at the moment, resembled a giant, flat topped mushroom. A few blasts from our combined arsenal of lasers, plasma guns, missiles, and a reverse engineered disruptor gun that XCOM had made (which was apparently dummied out of Apocalypse) quickly reduced it to a burning husk. Hacking into the factory's computers confirmed that there were 10 more UFOs still in development, which was more than you had to destroy in the game. Oh well, challenge accepted.
As our forces neared the second UFO in development, a disruptor bomb flew over us, exploding some distance away. While the human and Zudjari forces took cover, my bots moved into better positions to analyze our new foe. To my surprise, it appeared to be an alien fast attack ship, still tethered to its stalk. Analyzing the factory's computers confirmed that this was our second target. Well, active or not, it would soon be wrecked.
With my bots now behind cover, I had my grenadiers open fire on the ship, blasting at it while they were safe from harm. This lasted for a few minutes, but eventually, the ship just wised up and opened fire in their cover, obliterating it. Before my bots became scrap, though, a trio of green projectiles slammed into the ship, causing it it turn its weapons toward my fleshy allies. An Outsider had emerged from cover and fired what I recognized as a Blaster Launcher. The ship prepared to fire at the offending alien, only to be hit by plasma fire from what I recognized to be Sectoids. Soon, a veritable hail of munitions pounded the ship, which back with all its might, but was soon reduced to a burning hulk.
Well, that was interesting.
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For the most part, the resting the attack was rather boring: aliens dying, stuff blowing up, and not a single casualty on our side (my bots didn't count. Yet.) The Aliens fought on, desperate to protect their vessels, but all in vain. In a way, I pitied them - they were trapped on a dying world, fighting desperately for a new home that they would never have. This was why I took as many captives as I could, even among the Micronoids; every life that I could save was worth saving.
As for technology, I snatched up every bit of technology I could steal, including UFOs no bigger than grapefruits. This organic technology was fascinating, and I intended to exploit it to it's fullest. Especially since it was capable of self repair; I liked structures that could fix themselves.
As we advanced through the facility, XCOM laced it with charges, all connected to the same detonator. Once the last UFO was toast, the explosives were to be detonated, leveling this building and halting enemy ship production permanently. Once this building went down, the enemy would be broken, only able to defend itself, never to go on the offensive again.
Of course, we would only activate the charges once the final UFO was down. And the battle against it proved to be the greatest challenge we'd face in this dimension thus far.
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As we neared the UFO, we came under fire from what appeared to be dimension missiles. A quick glance taken from cover revealed that it had come from a Megaspawn, which was swiftly pulped by our massed fire. Unfortunately, several more Megaspawn soon emerged to fire at us, leaving us unable to advance. One, though, ended up swallowing a grenade thrown by a Muton and quickly became chunky salsa. I assumed that since Origin was dead, the Mutons were going to be payed in land on the Zudjari's homeworld, wherever it would end up being.
Above the factory, I attempted to move gunships in to provide air support, but massed fire from organic SAM sites ended up downing my gunships, though not before they killed two more Megaspawns. I was already working on a new solution, but to my surprise, it wasn't needed: an Outsider threw some kind of orb into the air, out of which emerged a saucer shaped UFO with a ring underneath its main body. The Titan swiftly opened fire, disintegrating a Megaspawn before it could even react. The other beasts swiftly flowed it into death, though the other aliens around the ship proved to be too entrenched. Additionally, another pack of Megaspawn arrived, ready to kill us.
Well, enough was enough. I had my grenadiers open fire, this time with special grenades filled with alien gas. Within seconds, the aliens were dying, poisoned by the toxic cloud of death I had unleashed. With no opposition present, we advanced toward the ship... only to freeze up when we realized that it was a battleship.
More importantly, it was almost fully functional, and we didn't have weapons that could neutralize it. To my surprise, though, it didn't fire at us; it merely hovered in place. Quick scans revealed it to be lacking a crew. Otherwise, though, it was fully functional.
Well, looks like o have a new toy.
I sent in my bots to commandeer the UFO, while informing my allies on what I planned to do. Soon, my bots were accessing the ship's computers. They'd only need a few more seconds to gain total control of the ship.
Just as the hack finished, though, a horde of skeletoids began to pen fire on the ship fro below. To my surprise, it turned out there was a tunnel network beneath this factory, meant for repairing the ship's after they attacked Earth and for refitting the craft. The tunnels didn't too deep, but they could still House UFOs. So, taking the initiative, once I had the battleship under my control and the offending aliens were dead, I opened fire on the tunnel below me until it collapsed. After that, the ship launched upwards, breaking free of its tether to the factory.
And not a moment too soon: XCOM, the colonies, and the Outsiders were bugging out, while the charges were finally activating, slowly obliterating the factory through pure explosive might. I contributed to the destruction with my new battleships, blowing up as enemies as I could, while Wyrm bombers made a beeline for the factory, ready to level it. As I passed above the center of the factory, I noticed the presence of a giant hole in the center, which appeared to be a nothe tunnel entranced. Several skeletoids and psimorphs headed into the portal, in the vain hope that they could escape the coming fire. Poor sods.
Five minutes after the last aliens retreated into the tunnels, my newly acquired battleship was out of the factory. Five seconds later, the bombers dropped their cargo, sending their payloads into the heart of the factory and the tunnels. Ten seconds after that, the factory was totally annihilated, disappearing beneath the mushroom cloud that scattered its cinders.
I smiled as the sight reached me. Only two more buildings left to destroy, and then the aliens would be defeated.
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!