XCOM: The XCS Avenger Story
A Short Story
Written by,
William R. Woods
Aka "Deathzealot"
Or "deathzealotzero"
Foreword:
This small little story of mine started from another idea I had where XCOM during the Enemy Within story manages to receive a new weapon which had been in development by the US Air Force for many years. This so-called weapon being a large space-ship that was developed after many years of development by the USAF thanks to them managing to retrieve a damaged Alien Scout Vessel. However due to the advanced nature of the alien vessel it has taken many years to reverse engineer the various technologies onboard the craft. The resulting space-ship would heavily be based on the USAF Prometheus from the Stargate SG-1 series and would somehow fall under control of XCOM around the mid-point of Enemy Within where it would be used to help support XCOM in its mission to counter the Ethereal Invasion of the Planet.
However, I never really had time to write anything for this idea and it got shelved with many other ideas that I have had over the years. It was only when the first trailers and such were released for XCOM 2 that I started to get some further ideas especially about the Avenger being the mobile headquarters for the new XCOM in the game and it being a human-refitted version of an Alien Supply Vessel. Therefore, I remembered my old idea and merged it slightly with my new ideas to make this story which basically takes my original idea about XCOM having a large space ship under their control: the XCS Avenger. Though in this case it isn't an entirely human developed ship instead taking cues from the XCOM 2 Avenger it instead is a refitted and rebuilt version of an alien battleship. It still somewhat based on the Prometheus in appearance but doesn't sport the large thruster like assemblies at the back and it is a bit more streamlined thanks to it being built on the base of an alien battleship.
That said I do believe I have taken enough of your time talking like this therefore I do believe it is time for the story to start. Thank you and enjoy!
XCOM: The XCS Avenger Story
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Area 32-55 "The Yard"
Nevada, United States
North America, Earth
June 7, 2016AD
Inside the massive underground facility known as The Yard a figure stood on a catwalk overlooking a large bay with an equally large object or rather ship gracing it. The ship like many others in similar bays across the large facility was once an alien ship that had attacked the planet during what was now termed as the First Alien War. They had been shot down and captured by the humans during the course of the war before being analyzed and back engineered to allow the humans to fight on the level of the invading aliens. Now this ship was in the midst of being rebuilt and refitted for the use of defending the planet from any further attacks on the planet. This was the first step in fully defending the planet and its people any further alien attacks from space.
Up on the catwalk the figure could only sigh as he leaned up against a large crane like piece of equipment built into the catwalk. This figure one Vice Commander David H. Bradford, a key figure in the First Alien War and member of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit the organization that had fought for the humans in the war against the Ethereal aliens. An organization that was known across the planet as XCOM the Saviors of Humanity and the first line of defense against yet another alien invasion from the stars. They had been the ones on the front lines fighting against the aliens for eighteen bloody months. Now with the war over six months before XCOM and humanity as a whole where looking up to the stars as for they now had the technology and resources able to easily make it into space. The ship before the Vice Commander was only one such ship being rebuilt and refitted in the facility however it was one of the few to be under the direct control of XCOM. The others all were being refitted for civilian and research purposes therefore non-combat duties.
"It has been quite a while since I saw this ship last," a voice suddenly called to the Vice Commander making the man turn to another man approaching him down the catwalk from the direction of the elevator which allowed access to the catwalk. The other man like the Vice Commander wore the dress grays of XCOM but with rank tabs showing him to be a Lieutenant Commander and sported a chrome-plated prosthetic arm replacing his left arm.
"Zhang," Bradford replied with a nod to the man as he leaned against the railing of the catwalk next to him. The man Lieutenant Commander Shaojie Zhang another hero of the Alien War and had been one of the higher ranked soldiers of the organization left alive after the last battle alongside Bradford and the organization's Commander. Formerly a member of the Chinese Triad the man had joined XCOM after they had extracted him and the alien piece of equipment he was carrying. He soon become one of the lead operatives of XCOM and was assigned as a leader of his own assault team which became just as good as the primary assault team Strike One which had all out wiped out during the final battle of the war. The assault on the alien temple ship which took all six of the XCOM Primary Assault Teams, an entire US Navy Carrier Group, several wings of fighters drawn across the planet, and every single Firestorm Interceptor XCOM had built so far to take it on.
"The last time I saw this ship it was over the skies of Shanghai and it tearing apart any attacks on it. I still cannot believe we managed to get onboard it and capture it when the People's Liberation Army failed several times," the other man mentioned after several moments of silence making the Vice Commander nod in response for that was quite true for the ship now before them had been one of the handful of alien battleships they had captured over the course of the war. It only had been captured by XCOM thanks to the use of the device found by Zhang which had briefly disabled its defense to allow them to board and capture the craft only minutes before it would have destroyed the city of Shanghai with its main weapons.
"That is true Zhang but it is quite a different ship from then not to mention looking quite different as well," the Vice Commander replied nodding down to the ship for it indeed did look quite different from when it was an alien battleship. For one its hull had been rebuilt slightly to make it a bit more human, two it now sported a towering superstructure at the back of the ship which sported its bridge, and three it was a bit larger due to the many additions to the ship. Its weapons had also been change with a trio of large double turrets gracing the hull of the ship along with numerous smaller turrets.
"I am still quite skeptical on repurposing these alien ships for our use for we manage to develop and build many Firestorms after all. It wouldn't have taken us long to develop our own capital ships and transports," the Chinese man mentioned with a heavy frown on his face eying the ship bellow them once more with a bit of distrust in his face. The Vice Commander only sighed at this statement from the other man before shaking his head knowing this was an old argument between the two of them. Granted he too was also a bit leery of using rebuilt and refitted alien ships but still it didn't take much to do so and they need a way into space fast to make sure the alien threat was really gone after all.
"You know as well as I do Zhang the projections Shen came up with to develop our own ships we really don't have the resources to do so. With these ships, we might be able to get those resources we need to do that," Bradford returned with a frown at the older man who only nodded his head at this for the two had really had been through this argument for a long while.
"I am sorry Bradford I brought it up again but I really don't like this," Zhang said closing his eyes with a sigh making Bradford only chuckle lightly in response before turning his attention back to the ship before them.
"So, can I ask why you are standing here looking at the Avenger? The others are quite worried about you," the other man mentioned after several further moments of silence between the two XCOM Officers. Bradford could only smile wistfully at the mention of the others, the remaining senior XCOM officers of the organization, before sighing as he frowned down at ship for the fifth time.
"Well I have been trying to figure out who we are going to place in command of her since she is going to be our lead ship after all. We really don't have anyone with the needed experience to command her," he explained with the same frown on his face for he knew that many officers in XCOM didn't really have the needed experience to command a space warship like this one. They all were experienced in ground combat not commanding a ship of any sort wither it be a spaceship or not.
"I do believe I have the situation to that my friend," Zhang replied with a light chuckle surprising Bradford who only looked at the Chinese man in wonder. The man then simply handed over a small electronic pad device he retrieved from one of his uniforms pockets over to Bradford which he took with a frown and looked down at the screen of the pad to see a file already open and displayed.
"Robert Jackson? Why does that name sound familiar?" Bradford said with a frown as he read the name at the top of what looked to be a service file of some sort. Zhang only snorted at this before nodding to the pad in Bradford's hand.
"He was the Captain of the USS Normandy which provided fire support to help us during Operation Dream Land in Virginia and later fired missiles to take out that damn freighter in Newfoundland. The Normandy was then part of the Eisenhower Carrier Group during Operation Avenger where she managed to shoot down three of the Large Scouts screening the Temple Ship during the battle before being damaged by plasma fire from another Scout. Even with damage to the ship Captain Jackson still managed to get her to a friendly port for repairs," Zhang reported with a smile making Bradford nod as he looked through the service file of the man. He indeed did remember those instances though he did admit he had forgotten the name of the US Navy ship that provided support during Dream Land which had been a retrieval of a downed Small Scout UFO not far from the ship's homeport in Norfolk. He remembered that the mission had been going well till the Scout's Crew managed to get the ship's main plasma cannon back online which they soon used as an artillery piece on the approaching XCOM UFO Retrieval Team. The nearby USS Normandy had then been ordered to provide support fire to the fight hitting the UFO with three rounds taking out the Plasma Cannon and the remaining crew of the ship.
"Yeah, I do believe you are right Zhang he will be the perfect man for the job," Bradford mentioned with a grin on his face as he tucked the pad into one of his own pockets before turning to look at the aptly named XCS Avenger in the bay before the two of them.
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…And that is a wrap for this idea! Like all of these ideas this is the teaser to a larger story though I am sorry to say that unlike some other ideas here is that this one may not become a larger story for I don't really know where to take it. Oh! I have some ideas on a larger story but not enough to make it a full several chapter story. These ideas may make an appearance later as further one-shots, or blurbs, like this one. Therefore, please keep an eye on them appearing in anyway in the near future.