Part 6: Now with real aliens! Also more soldiers!

Update 5: Now with real aliens! Also more soldiers!

"January 22, situation update.

Following the successful capture of the Cults base in Mexico many of our other squads began scouring the territory surrounding our own for more locations. Once found Phoenix Squad hit most of them, Bear Squad got one by themselves. L.A., Seattle, Washington D.C, Cuba, and Managua all lay in ruins. However each contained an underground bunker or base of significant strategic importance that we have turned into a base of operations for the CoE. We have expanded quickly in the last week or so, now controlling all of the former continental united states, as well as central America. Most of the expansion has been pretty routine and I will leave the details up to other leaders within the CoE.



Along with the new bases and territory is increased supplies. We picked up a lot of good gear in the last week. I'll go into some detail at the end of this report, and leave most of it for Haggis. Oh, speaking of Haggis I almost forgot: Denver base had an interesting setback when 1.5 kilos of C-4 exploded in the middle of the practice ranges. It wasn't the most comforting thought when I found out that's where Haggis was storing it. Only a Scotsman I tell you... Well I hope I straightened him out and he has found a better storage location because we secured another 12 kilos of C-4 this week.

We finished some research during this time including two autopsies on the aliens and launched the Goodwill Campaign. The Autopsy results are gravely concerning and are as follows:




What I understand from what the Doc's told me is that these are not aliens at all. The Morelman is a human being controlled and mutated by some sort of parasite that is using the human body to grow into... something. The Docs don't know what it will grow into yet, and will likely need a dead specimen of what ever it is brought in to know for sure. The Danglefly is even more bad news. A Danglefly is apparently all human, or was all human at some point. These things are not truly aliens and have been termed 'Transgenants'.

Not many people know much about AW3 and the Micronoids, it wasn't fully declassified by the time Nightfall hit us. But I know a little, enough to make me suspect we are dealing with them again. The genetic modification of living humans sounds like their work. Maybe this is the next step in brain sucking? The only problem with my ideas is that we won, their city was destroyed, the dimension gates closed. How could they be striking at us from beyond our dimension? Everything we discover only leaves us with more questions. Its obvious we are in the dark here, slowly finding pieces to the puzzle.

The Goodwill Campaign launched, and contact has been made with many various groups of survivors. The results are good, many are willing to band together with us. This means more soldiers in the field, and a larger recruitment pool for me to fish in. I am planning on visiting some of the leaders that joined us and combing their ranks for experienced soldiers.




Something I have been waiting for for a long time was also completed last week.



We even have some cutting edge technology from just before Nightfall hooked up into our systems. We've picked up two UFOs so far. One was over Russia and too far to intercept, the other over southern America and vanished before we could engage it. Phoenix Squad is on stand by and just waiting to be the first ones there when we shoot one of these down."


"January 24, Alien mission debriefing.

We did it! We finally shot down a UFO and captured the crash site. This is a great start in turning around this war and fighting back at our real enemies rather than the Cult and transgenants, though I doubt we've seen the last of the Cult. The UFO was shot down over central Canada and secured by Phoenix Squad. It initially came with a wing of three fighter escorts and took two, three plane attack squads to bring down all of the enemy craft. The fighter escorts were no larger then our own F-18 planes and were destroyed completely. The large UFO however survived the crash landing in one piece. We lost 3 planes but thankfully no pilots during this. Where the hell am I going to get new pilots anyway? Its a miracle we have people able to fly such outdated craft as is."





Booya: Here we go men, this is the real thing. A real UFO and real aliens to go kill.
Golden: What about the aliens from before?
Hero: They aren't really aliens.
Golden: Then what the hell are they?
Hero: More like mutated humans.
Vallhallan: Yeah, didn't you listen to Vault before we left?
Golden: Kiss ass. He can't hear you while we're out here.
Booya: Shut up strawberry shortcake. Why don't you go scout something?
Golden: What is there to scout, the UFO is huge and it crashed right up there.



Booya: I knew that. Good work... Let's go see if anything survived.


fast forward down the street...

*Bzzzzaaapp*
Hero: What the hell was that yellow light?
Golden: Forget the light. What the hell is that?!



Booya: You know our policy!
Vallhallan: Shoot first and let Vault ask the questions later!



Vallhallan: AHHH!! My knee! It Burns! Medic!!
Golden: You are the medic.
Vallhallan: I hate you so much.



Hero: Another one!



Booya: What the hell is that blue shit?
Hero: Some sort of shield? It's not saving them.




Hero: I'm hit! God that burns, there's a hole in my armor. It's melted!


_{This game loves large blobs of low polygon blood}

Booya: Think thats all of them. Golden, watch out for more. Val, break out the med kit.



Booya: Huh, so these are the real aliens?
Hero: Guess so. They look pretty small, and gray.



Vallhallan: And what is this stuff all over their skin?
Hero: Armor?
Golden: More like slime. And what is with the little colored bubble?
Booya: Don't touch that!
Golden: What? Fine, whatever.
Hero: They all seem to be dead.
Booya: The CoE will want them anyway, for now that UFO isn't going to search itself.



Vallhallan: It's huge.
Booya: Split up and look for a way inside.



Booya: Anyone find anything?
Golden: No.
Hero: Nope.
Vallhallan: Nothing.
Booya: Fiddle sticks.



"The squad was unable to enter the UFO and completely secure it, so we did what we could. A salvage team went out to the UFO and stripped off as much of its external parts and hull as they could for later study before a flight of F-18's bombed it into dust.

This mission has brought back loads of artifacts for study and lots of research is underway. The first thing I want though is to get inside the damned UFOs we shoot down.



With all the parts the tech boys brought back they should have a good idea how to go about that. Blowtorching our way in would take a long time and let the aliens sit and wait for a hole to open up so they can blast what ever is on the other side. I'm considering using some of the C-4 that haggis has been complaining about to just punch a hole into the side of one of these things.

The Aliens themselves... Where to begin... They are obviously the Sectoids we saw first in AW1. Although almost everything else about them has changed somewhat since we last saw them. During AW1 they used plasma weaponry almost exclusively, but we found them with a mix of laser and plasma weaponry. On top of that, their guns are part bio-technology. Their armor is something else and we aren't even sure how it works. It seems to put up an energy shield of some kind that deflects or slows down incoming weapons fire. This is light years ahead of the armor they had in AW1 where the best the could do was grafting alien alloys into the skin of a Muton soldier.

It's all Bio-technology too! That keeps playing in my mind. Maybe they are related to the micronoids somehow? During AW1 we saw alien technology grow by leaps and bounds in the short time we fought them. What if the Ethereal Empire fought the micronoids and have adapted their technology? All the artifacts we've brought back have left us with a lot to research.








For now the squad is resting and the armory is stock piling the guns and armor we found in the bases we captured. Haggis should have that report done by now. I'll go check on him later. In addition to guns and ammo, we found a few sets of new armor for the Phoenix squad.




And to top off the good news for this report, after we successfully shot down and salvaged a UFO many of the new factions that the good will campaign brought have offered me their best soldiers. I guess they don't want to be seen as not pulling their weight now that we're really making progress. As a result I have have the manpower to double Phoenix Company. This lets us send a 'copter full to any mission site while one soldier can stay back for training or recover in medical. I plan to rotate soldiers in and out as much as possible to ease the pressure they are under, starting with Hero since she has been shot up more then her fair share of times.

The new soldiers bios are listed here:






I've told them to check into the armory and get ready for action as soon as possible. The CoE left this little gem on my desk today.



The newbies are in for a tough first mission."





--Soldiers Logs--


Posted by Dinictus 'Rabbit'

Personal Log of Raveena "Rabbit" Sen
January 23rd, 1st Entry

So this is it, then. I never thought we'd come in contact with groups of surviving people that wouldn't try and kill us for what meager rations our own shelters had, or what weapons we had stocked. I can barely believe there were any survivors at all, to be honest. Well, beyond those raiders.

I've been transferred from Phoenix by helicopter along with Jean-Luc to the Council operations at Denver. We're en-route now, so I have no idea what to expect of things, yet. Did get some briefing though, we're likely to be put into the field almost immediately. I don't feel too good about leaving the shelter at Phoenix, but at least my daughter Vina could come along. I think she's the only reason I hadn't pressed a gun to my temple yet and pulled the trigger. After Nightfall, almost everybody died on this damned planet, by our reckoning. Only a handful of survivors. All that's left of my family is my dear little Vina. I can barely remember why we live still, but I think it's because of mister Avery's shooting facilities we always trained at. We got to his bunker in time. We got lucky. Ever since, Avery's range's become a small fortress of its own, kept together by gun enthusiasts, a few Phoenix PD members, and whatever civilians were in the area that could secure a spot in mister Avery's retreat.

Vina's quietly asleep, now. Her darling face looks so peaceful... such a contrast to the harsh world we're in now. I'll fight for her, by God. They'll not take her away from me, as well.

I'll update my log when we touch down. No doubt we'll learn more.

---

January 24th, 2nd Entry

We've just arrived at Denver base. I see we've got several more newcomers to the existing Phoenix team - with me, that's 4 total. I've managed to secure a bed for my daughter as well, and though I got several stares of the staff here, commander Vault has approved of her stay. Well, not like I would've stayed here if she couldn't remain somewhere safe, but I kind of feel relieved that the commander allows for civilians to seek shelter here as well.

It only now dawns to me how the name of the company strikes me as sweet irony. Headed from one Phoenix to the next. I've registered my callsign as Rabbit, just like back in the force. It used to be my husband's nickname for me, and it stuck in the force, as well. So it shall be used again in this force.

I've explained to the quarter master here about my experience with weapons thanks to my police training. I was actually requesting for SWAT training before Nightfall, but me and the others never quite got that far. Master Canmore seemed quite impressed with the way I inspected the weapons he had in stock, even more so with my choice of weapons. I've asked if I could get outfitted with a Colt-M4 or maybe a Jackhammer for closer range. The HK MP-5 is an all too familiar handgun, so needless to say, I asked Canmore for one of those as well. God knows one of those saved my life once.

After my check-up with the armory I had to check on my daughter again. I know she'll be alright here, but I had to make sure. Oddly, she seemed to be up and awake and already trying to get to know the other survivors here in the base. Despite all our losses, she seems to be as active and carefree as ever. I wish I could be as much as a single day like her.

I hope we'll manage here, now, us new rookies to these more experienced veterans of the outfit. I already can't wait 'til I bag myself a few raiders for the team. I wonder what assignment commander Vault will be giving us soon.



Posted by Rear Admiral BOOYA 'Booya'

*** THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS CLASSIFIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARCHIVES PROTOCOL 1174-H-K-0. QUESTIONS? SEE YOUR ARCHIVIST; THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE THERE FOR! ***

Journal of Malcom McLean, ( "BOOYA") dated xx/23/2085.

There is somethin' very, very inspiring about the notion that if we throw enough ordinance at a target, even if it is a goddamn alien or a UFO, it will, eventually, fall over stone dead. The only time that ever I've felt less at ease was the time that I had to go chase a burglar off of the Dessinger's land when Sue's husband wasn't home. Some freak was out stalkin' around, tryin' to get in and causing the poor old woman a fright, so I got my old Remington and shot him right in his creepy ass. Sheriff Bilter couldn't stop laughing beca- damnit, no, I'm gettin' sidetracked.

Setting foot near the UFO was damn unnerving. We'd blown its...well, I guess its occupants, straight to kingdom come, and then here was their vehicle, y'know, their chariot, and we shot it down with our desperately outta date technology. The machine was still, and the slag teams spent hours and hours cutting off as much as they possibly could; before we were lifted out, I remember seeing a group of guys with a blowtorch unleashin' a string of expletives that I'd only heard compare to in the 'old' military; apparently the door they tried to cut in the hull of the beast wasn't workin' as well as they thought it would.

Anxiety's settin' in, I gotta go meet the new recruits. Anyone who gets picked for this outfit is a real damn winner at first.

**** ENTRY ENDS ****



Posted by Colander Crotch 'Vallhallan'

Personal Log: Code names only used to protect names in case of recovery by hostile forces.

Jan 24 2085 Sometimes I wonder if our banter out on the field is for our own sanity or for the sanity of the others. Golden and I have made the others chuckle at our back and forth, and I know personally that if anything happened to Golden that I would probably take it worse than anyone else. After all he is the only person out there that makes himself such an easy target.

Booya and Hero are shaping up to be a good team to work with, and I am glad that the four of us have become a good unit together. After all, we need to be able to trust each other out there.

- Vallhallan

Jan 25 02085

Looks like we have a bunch of rookies coming in, other people that have survived that know how to fight. I heard that they are actually well trained and can probably shoot shit better than I can. Whatever, I am part of the alpha squad, we won't ever be replaced, especially by some new guys that no one knows.

Right?

-Vallhallan



Posted by Garfield - Der Film 'Golden'

Newbies, phsaw. I hope this doesn't just turn into babysitting missions. They may be able so shoot but that certainly isn't everything you need. You need.... moxie. Yeah Moxie. If in the fact of danger you can't pull that trigger all the time in the world spent at the practice range won't do ya good, you need....

Awww who am I kidding I don't believe that shit. Cheers to the new guys! Finally there is something else for those things to shoot at.

Now to go put that laxative in Val's drink....



Posted by lilljonas 'Hero'

Personal Log of Megan "Hero" Okembo. Part 3.

We shot down a frickin' UFO, got reinforcements, kicked ass and got a medic in the squad. And I'll get a vacation to rest up from my injuries. Now how's that for a week, huh?

It's hard to say what changed the mood in the squad, and the entire base for that matter, most: that we got reinforcements, or that we actually brought down the first UFOs. Chasing away scavengers was nice and all, but it didn't give us any hope for making something that counts in this bleak world. Seeing the bombed out crater that used to be one of their ships, however, gave a sweet taste of revenge in my mouth. We'll make them pay for everything.

When it rains, it pours. We've been waiting for the CoE to lend us a hand, and suddenly they give us troops to not only fill the copter, but to keep one soldier on some R&R. And with my history of being shot, I'm first up! If there was ever a way to make me more positive towards the newbies, this would be it. I haven't met them that much yet, but they seem nice. The second surprise was that one of the newcomers, Neveena or something (me and Italian names, you know) even brought her little girl to the camp. I felt really bad, since I know how it is out there, and that every single time she'll walk out of briefing, there's a risk that she won't be alive for the next on. Having an orphan kid at the base would make losing a squad mate just that more painful. I bit my tongue and didn't mention this, however. She's doing her part for the survival of mankind, and to be honest, one additional member of the squad makes the survival of the rest of us that much more likely. I'll make sure to keep an eye on the kid while she's away on next mission, though. Being alone in a place like this, with only grown-ups like us must be scary as fuck.

PS I also met a really strange guy who spoke like a Mexican, I think. He had a strange cap and wore sunglasses indoors. I think his name is John Luke. He was pretty weird.

End of Entry



Posted by Mutant Headcrab 'Ackbar'

Journal of Nitin "Ackbar" Argawal -January 25, 2085-

Praise be to Allah! A barracks that has air conditioning! Perhaps, I am thinking, it is in fact a good idea to join up with the CoE. For the time being at least. Of my men, I was the only one to come to Phoenix Company, but such is life.

My group of fellow..."survivalists" had taken refuge in an abandoned mine towards the old American/Mexico border. At first, we thought the cataclysm that brought the end of Western civilization was Allah's great judgment poured down upon the infidels! After the dust settled though and the UFOs appeared, we realized it was not a divine hand which wrought this destruction. No, infidels from beyond our world had come to destroy Allah's grand creation!

We had undertaken a new cause. The human infidels could wait: their punishment would come from Allah himself some day. For now, the alien infidels are the ones to pay!

-January 26, 2085-

This is a glorious day! I had reported to the armory to find myself equipment. And by Allah, praise be his name, there was a Barret rifle. While it would be vain of me to brag of my marksmanship, I will say that rifle would be best used in my hands! I requisitioned it and a Five-Seven Tactical from the man called "Haggis." I have to go back to see him to get a set of combat armor and helmet.

My fellow squad mates seem like they are capable. I have my doubts about the female soldiers, but even a woman can fight as well as a man in a desperate situation. My judgments on them, men and women both, shall wait until we reach the battlefield. When I see their skills with my own eyes is when I shall make a true decision about them. I hear there is to be a mission soon. Perhaps they will prove themselves to me sooner than I thought!



Posted by Ice7 'Ice'

Les memoires de Jean Luc Roulot (l'emphase en "-loh"!) le Grand.

I arrive at zis primitive encampement zat zey call zeir baze. Non non, un desasteur! No good wine, no delicate taste of Camembert cheese. *le sigh* How can I ever hope to zurvive here? At least that arabique fella reminds me of home, mon dieu we had lots of those beurs crawling around over there!