Part 9: Part Mon Dieu*!
Update 7: Part Mon Dieu*!
*No actual Mon Dieus will be shouted this update
"Following the success of capturing the base at Churchill the Squad was given a few hours to rest and recover before being thrust into their next mission. We had been seeing a lot of UFOs appearing and disappearing in the same area just north west of Churchill. We found their base."
NGargly: Crist, what the hell is this stuff?
Golden: It's like the UFO. Only bigger... and Veiny?
Rabbit: Gives me the creeps.
Booya: Knuckle down numb skulls. We've got aliens to kill. This will be -
Canuck: Behind us Sir!
Booya: How dare he interrupt my inspiring and motivational speech?! Kill him!
Vallhallan: I won't miss this time!
Now that's what I call a crotch rocket!
Ackbar: That is not all! More infidels come from the other direction!
Booya: I believe you all know what to do gentlemen.
Booya: So Vault says these things are where we can teleport inside from.
Golden: What, this little green bubble?
Booya: No don't touch that!
Vallhallan: Good job dumb ass. So much for preparing or anything.
Canuck: What is this place? Look at all the monitors, everything is so blocky.
Ackbar: Infidel!
Booya: We've got to spread out. Val, take NGargly and Canuck. Rest of you, with me.
Rabbit: Hold up a second, I see an alien.
Ackbar: Allah forbid this cursed place! It is too small and narrow for my rifle.
Rabbit: Thats why I love this shotgun for these situations.
Booya: Good work, let's start moving.
Golden: What the heck is with this room?
Rabbit: The walls are like smoky mirrors. Almost frictionless.
Booya: Sectoid on the right!
Booya: Ha! .50 cal works just as well on these guys.
Meanwhile, down a different hallway...
NGargly: Alien! He's got a plasma launch- AAArrghhhh!
Canuck: Oh fuck! She's down!
Vallhallan: We'll get her some help but first waste the fucker!
Canuck: Oh god, she's not moving at all.
Vallhallan: Booya, come in. NGargly is down, probably dead. I'm pretty wounded too, over.
Booya: What? Fuck! Regroup!
Canuck: Shit there's another!
Vallhallan: Fuck! Booya, we gotta retreat for now, regrouping at your position.
Canuck: Oh God, look at this place!
Vallhallan: Don't you panic on me rookie! We get back to the rest of the squad, and we go right back and get NGargly.
Canuck: Almost there...
Golden: I see them! They're being chased!
Booya: Blast him!
Vallhallan: Good to see you guys again.
Booya: Yeah yeah, group hug. How's NGargly?
Canuck: It looked bad, took a plasma shot or two point blank.
Vallhallan: Took one myself.
Booya: Ackbar, you carrying a kit?
Ackbar: By the will of Allah I will heal you all that I can.
Booya: We got to go back for NGargly. Ackbar, patch Val up. Rabbit, Golden, with me.
Rabbit: Yes sir.
Golden: Ready.
Booya: Another one with a plasma launcher!
Rabbit: No sweat for a Jackhammer.
Booya: Nice shot. Let's go find NGargly.
Golden: I think I found her.
Rabbit: What's her condition?
Golden: It's bad...
"While the loss of Sandra 'NGargly' Burton saddens us all, it would have been foolish to expect to win the war with out taking any losses. Her sacrifice has allowed us to capture an alien base, another major step forward in our war for survival. The base at Ft. Good Hope will hold a memorial to her heroism in these dark times.
NGargly's death has influenced my decision to start work on improving our armor ASAP. While I am very eager to get to the bottom of everything found in Area 51, it can wait a little while longer. There is a lot of research to be done, and we're converting more of these newly capture areas into research stations to help with the back load.
On the strategic front, things are looking up. We've taken two regions of Canada in a matter of days and the engineering department tells me they just secured the first load of goodies out of Area 51, including a load of elerium. While we don't have the blueprints and technical data needed to start rebuilding our previous technology this will go a long way in letting us upgrade what we do have. Our aircraft are likely to be the first to feel the effects of our new found elerium stockpile. The engineers have been looking into upgrading the engines using elerium as a fuel source, giving them greater speed and fuel capacity.
No word about harnessing the elerium for weapons yet as the techies are still struggling with the Sectoid's weapons. Though I did have a data pad with a curious video dropped onto my desk showing some of the lab workers making instant coffee with the lasers. I've also found that someone has been passing out home made booze around the base. Discipline around here is getting lax, but it may be due to how crowded it is getting. That should clear up once we have the base to base teleporters developed and installed, then personal can live and work at any base.
Despite our recent losses, the ground we've gained has energized the general population. Survivors are accepting us as a legitimate government, and we have a new candidate for Phoenix squad already.
We will get him armed and suited up immediately. All that is left to mention is the abundance of new transgenats the squad has encountered.
Of course there is one other corpse that was brought back from Churchill. While the squad may not have known what it was, I recognized the spitter the moment I saw it. Again these things keep bringing up more questions then answers. What the hell was it doing there? Why did it get along with transgenats? Half of what we find points at the Ethereal Empire, but we only see sectoids. The other half looks like the micronoids with bio-technology everywhere and now a real live spitter.
Are we cursed enough to be dealing with both alien empires at once? God help us if that is the case. End recording."
--Soldiers Logs--
Posted by lilljonas 'Hero'
Personal log of Megan "Hero" Okembo. Part 4.
So it finally happened. Our first soldier of the Phoenix squad who came back dead. Ngarly, the new kid. One of the rookies. I barely knew her, and she barely knew me, but it still feels awful. And you can just feel what everyone is thinking: it could have been me. It could have been any other in the squad. And it will happen again, and again, and again. War. War never changes. It's exactly like those frantic days after everything collapsed, when we holed up in St. Mary's Hospital. Days filled with screams, tears, pleads, prayers, death. Mostly death. Doctors and security, survivors and improvised militia taking turns trying to save people from burn wounds, infections, injuries, rioters and scavangers alike. When we realized that it was not about saving everyone, but trying to prevent as many as possible from joining the stinking piles of decaying flesh lying in the streets.
It could have been anyone. It's so easy, just exposing yourself from cover at the wrong second, looking in the wrong direction, missing a critical shot. Bam. You're dead. We grieve now, but noone is fooling anyone: we didn't know her. What we grieve for now is not her, but that one day that casket will be ours. That is what awaits every member of this squad. We die so that mankind may live. We couldn't ask for something bigger to sacrifice our lives to. Death is all that we know now, and death is what we will deliver to these fucks who did this too us. Making us what we are now, shells of human beings. We can only work harder, train harder, fight harder to put off our burials a few more days, and take more aliens with us in.
They made us into this, and now we'll unmake them. One fucking alien at a time.
End of Entry
Posted by Canuck-Errant 'Canuck'
[PERSONAL LOG OF JEAN "CANUCK" MAURY]
[27 JANUARY, ENTRY 02]
Radar's been showing a lot of UFOs landing up in Nunavut. Looks like I'll be gearing up for another mission PDQ. Maybe I'll pack myself some of those heater pads, because it's fucking cold out.
[END ENTRY]
[PERSONAL LOG OF JEAN "CANUCK" MAURY]
[27 JANUARY, ENTRY 03]
...well, shit.
We found an alien base, pretty much where the radar guys said it would be. Clearing the above-ground was pretty easy, but when we got underground... it was tight, and I guess the aliens knew it. NGargly was downed by an ET with a plasma gun going around a corner - I wish I'd been able to do something, but I don't have the training, and I get the feeling I couldn't have helped much if I had.
Whatever. Nunavut's free of the alien threat. Another victory for the Council of Earth.
I need to find some smokes. And booze. I need to get NGargly's charred face out of my head.
[END ENTRY]
Posted by M_Gargantua 'NGargly'
LOG OF SANDRA 'NGargly' BURTON]
[27 JANUARY, ENTRY 01]
They've been saying were supposed to be making these log things. We're hitting two places today, haven't got shot up much yet, lets hope that continues.
I've started to get to know the team, good people but just a bunch of goons at heart. I don't know if I'll be sorry if any of them gets it right now. Won't do to speculate on that however, so I won't.
[END ENTRY]
[LOG OF SANDRA 'NGargly' BURTON]
[27 JANUARY, ENTRY 02]
Figured I'd drop a quick log, we just finished clearing the first place, easy as pie, we took a few hits but nothing more then bruises. I'm still tempting fate here, not getting hit at all since that first time. Seems only alien weapons can even touch me.
We're up against an alien base next, lets see how easily it crumbles.
[END ENTRY]
[NO FURTHER ENTRIES]
Posted by Colander Crotch 'Vallhallan'
[Log Entry Dick "Vallhallan" McReady]
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! Oh god does Plasma hurt. Jesus. I suppose I got off better than Gnarly though. Poor rookie fell from the first barrages, there was nothing that anyone could do. Damn it. Why did we have to lose someone already? And why couldn't it ha- [edit: Stricken from log]. That bastard would have deserved it.
Kind of makes me think about my own mortality though. I mean one foot to the left and it would be me laying in that coffin right now. I suppose that I should be glad that it was not me, but damn it was close. I really don't know what else to say about this other than FUCK.
[End Log]
Posted by Rear Admiral BOOYA 'Booya'
*** THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS CLASSIFIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARCHIVES PROTOCOL 1174-H-K-0. DOCUMENT SENSITIVE IN NATURE, PLEASE EFFECTIVELY DESTROY AFTER CONSUMPTION. ***
Journal of Malcom McLean, ( "BOOYA") dated xx/28/2085.
It's been two days since we lost a soldier.
I don't like losing soldiers.
**** ENTRY ENDS ****
Posted by Mutant Headcrab 'Ackbar'
Journal of Nitin "Ackbar" Argawal
-January 27, 2085-
Praise be to Allah! An alien base was captured and we have denied the first of many locations to the infidels from the stars! Divine providence continues to guide my bullets and I believe that my comrades may even be impressed with the abilities given by Him.
The attack on the infidel's base required me to make use of my medical skills. It is unfortunate that we lost the woman but, to be honest, I was not surprised. She was a woman after all. This and the fact that this "Hero" person is wounded so often does nothing to change my opinions. However, I shall try to hold my tongue on this. While I am confidant in my own opinion in these matters, I do not believe the others are. It would be unwise for me to speak of things which might turn my comrades against me.
Posted by Dinictus 'Rabbit'
Personal Log of Raveena "Rabbit" Sen
January 27th, 4th Entry
I suppose it could've been expected. War doesn't come without sacrifices, but it's not an easy thing to live with. When we arrived at our base, we were all sullen, despite our success. When I came to the bunks and saw Vina stare up at me from her drawing, I already knew she knew something was wrong. I suppose I looked the same as when that rookie got killed on the job during that heist three years ago.
Sandra Burton was her name. I never really got to know her. Don't know if she can now be at ease with whatever family she may have upstairs, I just pray to god there's that little mercy in death. During the assault on the alien vessel in the Churchill base, we split up. Booya told us we had to spread out, so we could cover more ground. However, the other group suffered a casualty. One of the other newbies got herself killed - Sandra.
I've carefully written the girl's name down on my Jackhammer. Every shot with that will be one for her. And as long as I live, I will make every shot count.
I've decided to spend the night with the rest of Phoenix to listen to their tales and just be there for them. Dick really seems to be shellshocked by the event (shit, he was standing right next to her!), and Malcolm, too, is hit bad by the loss. Something tells me this won't be the first of our losses, however.
Shit. Mommy's going to drink.
---
Personal Log of Raveena "Rabbit" Sen
January 28th, 5th Entry
Two days since our loss of 'Gargly'. We're all still on edge, but talking does seem to help with coping with the loss.
I've decided to tell Haggis about my little engraving of the 'hammer, but apparently he doesn't seem to mind. He told me about the little odd jobs he's been giving my daughter. He's really a nice guy to allow Vina to write down supplies and ammunitions for his inventory. As long as she wouldn't be dragging weights, I think she'll be alright. She knows just as well as me not to muck around with weapons she doesn't know - which is to say, any of them. I'm glad the old Scotsman appreciates the help. Good to see even my little girl can carry her weight around here in whatever little ways possible.
At night, I think it's the first time I've seen Vina really worried about me when I tucked her in. Poor girl's scared she might lose her mother. I promised her I wouldn't go do anything stupid. I'd catch the bad guys just like always.
...Fuck. Why'd I say that? It's a promise I want to keep, but can I?