Part 6

Friday March 10, 2084,

*BEGIN RECORDING*

Another thankfully quiet day today. Three new recruits were hired - Jimmy Tango, Ciwila and our first hybrid - Cowcaster. The leadership of the Mutant Alliance has been pressuring us to hire a hybrid, and Cowcaster was the best of what was currently available.

In the first alien war the sectoids conducted breeding experiments involving humans. Our scientists discovered that sectoids are all cloned from the same stock, and were sterile. Countless generations of low diversity and cloning were slowly but surely damaging their genome, pushing them towards extinction. They were researching ways to extend the life of their race by splicing human DNA into their own genome (and vice versa), to frightening success. The results of their experiments were either captured or simply left behind at the end of the war. These hybrids, like the androids, have it rough. Despite them being born and raised on earth, mainly by humans, many people still look at hybrids as the enemy.

The Mutant Alliance was formed to fight for the rights of these Hybrids. I'd place them in the ideological middle between the logical, peaceful S.E.L.F. organization and the violent Cult of Sirius. Officially they pressure for equal rights, but there have been proven terrorist attacks by some of their members in the past.

Strangleglove finished examining the larger of the UFOs we've encountered. The only interesting thing he found was a self-destruct device built into the ship designed specifically to prevent us from reverse-engineering the organo-mechanical devices built into the ship.

*END RECORDING*

Saturday March 11, 2084

*BEGIN RECORDING*

Our research on the Brainsucker corpses has finished.

The scientists say they haven't a clue as to how the brainsucking actually takes place. They say they'll either need to capture and examine a brainsucked subject, or they'll need a Multi-Phased DNA Analyzer, or something, I didn't really listen. They've been begging for more equipment since the start, and I finally told them "If you guys want a better lab, design it yourself."

They say they'll have the plans on my desk tomorrow morning. Some good news though - they say Guerilla Medic is himself and fit for duty.

*END RECORDING*

Sunday March 12, 2084

*BEGIN RECORDING*

Just after noon, another alien incursion was detected. They seemed to be using the same tactic - bunching all their ships over here...

...while a lone ship deposits aliens into buildings over here.

Looks like they faked us out again. One ship escaped, no significant damage to X-COM craft.

Future routine search and destroy missions such as this one won't be documented as thoroughly as the previous one, but I will continue to document the important facts, and include the appropriate audio from the mission videos.

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Mindfish: Group C, get cover behind those boxes.
Soup-Bot: ALIEN ANTHROPOD DETECTED, SEVENTH LEVEL.

Kurks: I see him too, I'll take him out, if not the whole catwalk.

Tempest56: I'll try to outflank him.

*PHOONT*

*HATCH*
Tempest56: OH NO YOU DON'T!

Tempest56: Ha! Stupid thing hit the roof trying to jump on my head!

Soup-Bot: BRAINSUCKER DETECTED.

ElMaligno: I'll get it.

Soup-Bot: CURIOUS. THE CREATURE DID NOT REACT TO MY PRESENCE AT ALL.

Tempest56: You wanna fire a brainsucker at me? YOU WANNA FIRE AT ME? Suck on this!

Tempest56: Uh....help! The pistol's not doing much damage to 'em!

Manjaw Sally: I'm on my way up-MULTIWORM!

Manjaw Sally: I'm getting out of here!

Manjaw Sally:Out the way, you!

Ciwila: I'll get it!

*SPLASH*
*HISS!*

Ciwila: AAAAAAaaaaa_aaaaaa......

Cowcaster: I'm helping!

... No I'm not! My mindbender isn't working!

Kurks: Fine, I'll kill them!

(*Kurks autocannon blows up the aliens, but also a stun gas grenade on Ciwila's corpse.*)

Tempest56: Why's he just standing there?

Tempest56: Oh! He's out of ammo!

Tempest56: You friends with that bitch that tried to shoot me?

Tempest56: YOU CAN EAT IT!

Tempest56: AND YOUR FRIENDS TOO!

----

Agent Ciwila did not survive his first mission.

Two comments stand out from this mission. Cowcaster's comment about his "mindbender not working" was the second time I've heard a soldier say that. A quick glance at the creatures we've encountered so far seem to indicate only the anthropods have any brain structure to speak of at all. The remainder of the aliens might be immune to psionic attack because of that. Further study is necessary.

The second comment was Soup-Bot's remark that the brainsucker ignored his presence - We theorize that since the enemy depends entirely (we think so far) on organic technology they may have no precedent to defend against inorganic technology. I've tried to send a message through Soup-Bot to give to the leadership of S.E.L.F. asking them to provide more android soliders. If our theory about the enemy's weakness to inorganics is true, then we'll need them.

For outstanding performance at the risk of his own life, we've promoted Kurks to currently lead our soldiers. Tempest56's rampage killing four impressed us much and he has been promoted as well. His four total kills are second only to Kurks' seven.

The smaller, hyperactive worms that burst forth from the defeated multiworm killed Ciwila. These 'hyperworms' burst forth fully grown and vicious. We've instructed our soldiers to avoid killing multiworms in the future, in favor of stunning attacks until we know more.

Manjaw Sally was very nearly killed by the multiworm and will be spending the next few days undergoing reconstructive surgery and artificial limb attachment.

Our biochem division wasn't joking around about needing a new lab. The proposal they gave me calls for a massive state-of-the-art facility four times the size of their current "state-of-the-art" facility.

Construction will begin immediately.

In the meantime I've instructed them to continue research into the brainsucker menace.

*END RECORDING*