Chapter 1: The Beginning

"In the crucible of an otherworldly invasion, borders dissolve, and survival becomes our shared anthem. United in purpose, two ideological foes forge an unprecedented alliance, reminding us that in the face of extraterrestrial peril, humanity's strength lies in unity, not division."

Myron Faulke

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Myron Faulke, December 20th, 1962

"President Faulke, the situation is dire. Our nations may have differences, but in the face of this alien threat, we must work together to ensure our survival."

Myron Faulke, the director of the Bureau of Operations and Command, and now the President of the United States, frowns, yet nods, his sharp, vigilant eyes meeting the stare of Premier Dmitri Ivanovich Volikov, the former director of the Xenonauts.

A sense of paranoia swells within him, telling him that someone is watching them speak privately in the conference room, but he ignores his gut feeling. The New York Conference Building is heavily defended by members of the Xenonauts and the Bureau of Operations and Command, and they have motion scanners, which can detect cloaked individuals with ease.

"Yes... but whatever alliance we make will be born out of necessity, not friendship. People back home won't be thrilled about cozying up to an old foe, no matter the threat we face. It's a tough sell, Premier. Convincing our people to accept an alliance they've spent a lifetime despising."

"I doubt my people will care about allying with the United States," Premier Volikov sneers. "Not after what they did to them and what we had to do to stop them.

Faulke grimaces. The Zudjari were ruthless in their invasion of Earth, as well as their determination to exterminate or enslave the human race. They launched a brutal attack on Cuba that killed damn near every man, woman, and child on the island to ensure that their nuclear arsenal wouldn't be used against them. Hell, Cuba was the first place to be hit with the Zudjari considering the nation a high-priority target due to how much nuclear weapons the Soviet Union stored there (not that any of that mess matters anymore).

Afterward, they attacked the Soviet Union, and the results were horrifying, even more than that of the United States, as they didn't have psionics or the headstart the Bureau got from Roswell. Dozens of Soviet conscripts died just to kill one Zudjari, as their energy shields and armor made them tough sons of bitches. Tanks were rendered meaningless when a basic plasma rifle could easily vaporize them and their crew. Aircraft either never left the military bases, which were destroyed by elite Zudjari death squads, or were shot down by Zudjari fighters. Whenever the Zudjari met any meaningful resistance, they could easily bomb cities from above with plasma or lasers.

It was a massacre, to the point where the Xenonauts began fielding nukes to wipe out Zudjari factories. After Alan Weir freed the Zudjari from the control of Mosaic, Soviet survivors gunned down any alien in their sights, no matter how passive they were, eager to get revenge on those who forced them to irradiate their homeland.

There's a reason why the Zudjari immediately fled the Soviet Union, much faster than they did in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Faulke takes a deep breath. "I am not downplaying the sacrifices your people made during the invasion, Premier Volikov. The scars of the Cold War run deep. Reconciliation won't come easy, especially in the wake of such devastation."

"Rebuilding alone is going to be a colossal task," Volikov groans, burying his face in his hands. "Considering how much arable land was irradiated, we're going to be suffering famine within a few days."

"A united victory against extraterrestrial invaders, yet here we are, governing over ruins," Faulke muses to himself with a hint of cynicism.

"We have no choice but to rebuild," Volikov scoffs. "But... I am fully aware the Cold War mentality won't disappear with the aliens. Our nations are still deeply divided. History tells us that cooperation fades as quickly as it arises."

"Mutual interests in survival might eventually outweigh old grudges," Faulke fires back with a frown. "An alliance at this point isn't an option - it's a necessity."

Volikov looks away, before deeply sighing. "It won't be instantaneous. But gradually, through shared endeavors, we can pave the way for acceptance. This alliance isn't just a necessity, but a path towards a better future, and we need to show the people that. It's our responsibility to forge a path that secures our survival and the prosperity of our nations."

"Agreed," Faulke says before adopting a thoughtful expression. "Come to think of it, I already have an idea to increase the public's enthusiasm towards such an alliance."

Volikov raises one of his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"Tell me, Volikov, have you ever thought about flying to the moon?"

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Archive: Xenonauts History

After the discovery of the Typhon on April 17th, 1960, the Soviet Union had an internal debate over how they should respond to mankind's first encounter with alien life, life that has proven hostile.

While there were ongoing debates about whether or not to inform the Soviet Union's rival, the United States, on April 21st, 1961, Premier Nikita Khrushchev, distrustful of what he perceived to be America's imperialism in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, ultimately decided that they should keep them in the dark.

Premier Khrushchev launched the Klekta program, gathering scientists to study the aliens so that their findings could be used to benefit the Soviet Union. However, many were fearful of the possibility of the Typhon making their way to Earth, either by escaping the Vorona I or by sending out a signal to their brethren amongst the stars. So, Khrushchev created the Xenonauts, an organization dedicated to preparing for an imminent invasion by the Typhon.

The leader of the Xenonauts was Dmitri Ivanovich Volikov, a high-ranking KGB agent with multiple political connections (obtained through blackmail and bribes). While loyal to the ideals of the Soviet Union, he was not loyal to the Soviet government itself, believing it to be a flawed and corrupt system governed by nepotism and greed. His hatred stems from his father being sent to the gulags, as he was a sleeper agent of the Phoenix Project. It was there that his father died of Tuberculosis.

Volikov inherited the belief of his father and the Phoenix Project - that there was a much greater threat mankind had to prepare for and that petty squabbles shouldn't get in their way of doing so.

Once he became the leader of the Xenonauts, Volikov immediately began setting up secret bunkers that would serve as bases from which his organization could monitor the skies for any signs of extraterrestrial activity, UFO sightings, or potential incursions by alien entities, house laboratories, and research facilities focused on studying phenomena associated with extraterrestrial encounters, serve as training grounds, act as hubs for information sharing and coordination among members of the organization, secure and protect technology or resources deemed necessary to counter potential extraterrestrial threats and serve as command centers for formulating strategies and responses in case of an alleged alien threat or contact.

When the Zudjari Invasion began, the Xenonauts were taken off guard by the arrival of a different group of aliens, but they quickly adapted and performed admirably. The Zudjari wiping out Moscow, along with Premier Khrushchev and his entire cabinet, had little effect on the Xenonauts. They launched quick, decisive attacks led by elite squads aimed at destroying Zudjari infrastructure and stealing their technology for their use. While their R&D was less funded than that of the Bureau of Operations and Command, their scientists were no less brilliant. They began adapting Zudjari technology for human use, although their progress was much slower than that of the Bureau.

However, their lack of psionics (gained through the Ethereal awakening dormant psionic powers in Bureau agents) made conducting operations much more difficult when compared to the Bureau. Psions are powerful, for they warp reality to their very whims. Men were mind-controlled to suicide bomb themselves and their comrades. Surprise assaults were made irrelevant when telepathy could detect minds. Devastating blasts of psionic energy ignored any armor, no matter how strong. Eventually, they were overwhelmed. Faced with the likelihood of being overwhelmed by Zudjari war machines produced by the factories they set up in ruined Soviet cities, Volikov made the tough decision to send out teams to detonate the nukes in those cities.

Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, Kyiv, Murmansk, Volgograd, Sverdlovsk, and Vladivostok were among the cities nuked to oblivion by the Xenonauts. To be fair to the organization, the Zudjari already decimated large portions of the cities and had exterminated the vast majority of the populations within them.

The destruction was devastating, yet the Xenonauts continued to wage brutal guerilla warfare against the Zudjari, even as their bases were beginning to be destroyed one by one, unwilling to give in after already having sacrificed so much for the slightest chance of victory. By the time Alan Weir freed the Zudjari from the control of Mosaic, the Xenonauts were on their last legs, with around five bases being left of the original fifty.

After the Zudjari left the planet in search of a new home, Volikov immediately declared himself the new Premier, being the only high-ranking Soviet official left. He used his remaining Xenonauts to take control of the country, with many Soviet citizens flocking to the order and paradise Volkov promised them.

Eventually, the Xenonauts merged with the Bureau of Operations and Command to form XCOM, a sub-organization of the Phoenix Project.

Volikov would maintain a close relationship with Faulke and the Phoenix Project, although he did not outright join the organization, as he had to tend to his duties as Premier. He emphasized improving the lives of his citizens through the quick adoption of Zudjari technology into society, most notably in agriculture, where he created the first soil nanites by reverse engineering deactivated Silacoids.

However, his most notable endeavor during his tenure as Premier was the creation of an extensive educational and military training campaign unlike any seen before. Leveraging the vast resources of the Soviet state, a comprehensive curriculum was devised to teach citizens the art of guerrilla warfare and unconventional combat tactics, specifically tailored to counter a potential alien incursion.

The program drew upon the expertise of surviving military strategists, scientists, and survivalists. Training camps were established across remote regions, where selected individuals — ranging from civilians to military personnel — underwent rigorous instruction in guerrilla warfare tactics, covert operations, unconventional weaponry, and survival skills in various terrains.

The curriculum emphasized adaptability, resourcefulness, and resilience, aiming to instill a sense of readiness and unity among the populace should the threat of another alien invasion materialize. Citizens were taught to exploit terrain, improvise weaponry from everyday objects, and employ asymmetrical tactics to disrupt and resist potential extraterrestrial forces.

Simultaneously, a propaganda campaign was orchestrated to cultivate a collective consciousness of vigilance and preparedness among Soviet citizens. Public broadcasts, posters, and educational materials subtly conveyed the message of an imminent otherworldly threat, rallying the populace to remain vigilant against the unknown.

His teachings in the art of guerilla warfare would form the foundation upon which the Reapers were created, with his grandson, Konstantin Volikov, leading the fight against ADVENT after the First Human-Ethereal War.

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Author's Notes: So for anybody confused about what is going on in my fic, allow me to explain. Essentially, my fic is a multi-crossover between XCOM, Xenonauts, Phoenix Point, Prey (2017), and multiple other universes. The Phoenix Project exists here, and XCOM in this reality is a combination of the Bureau and the Xenonauts, which in this timeline was formed in response to the discovery of the Typhon by the Soviet Union, who decided not to share such newly discovered information with the United States as a result of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

As for the Zudjari Invasion, I changed it up so that it would be far more open, with the Zudjari invading major cities and killing any human they could get their hands on. XCOM: The Bureau Declassified was a poorly thought-out cash grab, but I found some aspects of its lore interesting, so I decided to change it up a bit so that the effects of an alien invasion during the height of the Cold War are more accurate.

This fanfic will delve heavily into worldbuilding, and its themes will be heavy.