Chapter 5 Day 2

Preparation

Rich crimson blood splashed onto his face, he was covered in it, watching helplessly as an entire platoon of soldiers was ripped apart by a screeching horde of insectoid monsters. Somehow, the faces of the dying soldiers were as clear as if he was standing right in front of them. The dead did not rest easily however; their bodies standing back up as something unholy happened within them.

The bodies of the walking dead began to shred apart from within, revealing more of the purple insect-demons. After eating the strips of flesh and skin left from their birth they scattered, seeking out more victims.

Thinking it was over he let out the breath he had been holding in fear that they would hear him.

He was wrong.

One of the demons turned towards him. Screeching, it leapt towards him at an impossible distance, launching at him like a rocket. Mandibles spread wide, the flesh of the creature it had infected was still stretched over its face. Before he knew it he had been bowled over, and the monstrosity loomed over him. It leaned in, mandibles twitching as it sought to inject him too-

“AAAHHHHH!” Pulling against the restraints that bound his body, Serius Octanis screamed and flailed as he tried to escape. His struggles woke the few other patients in the room and shocked the guards who were trying to hold him down.

Looking at each of their faces he saw genuine fear in them. It snapped him back to reality. He stopped struggling, sagging back into the medical bed, and shuddered as he felt a chill beyond any he had ever experienced before.

“Is everything alright? I heard screaming!” A full squad lead by the doctor on duty burst into the room finding the sight of terrified patients, an exhausted captain, and the guards looking down at him with a mixture of concern and fear.

Serius just looked up to the ceiling. He had been asleep for a few hours but he still felt tired, more so than before. Thinking back he remembered that the ship’s doctor wanted to monitor him for the night. He hoped he got something out of that, it felt like just before, when he was under the control of that alien mind.

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Combat training VR room, X-Com Primary Facility Lu’an

Maria grinned as she felt that familiar rush of adrenaline. It was strong like that time in Hong Kong, on her tenth mission when she had been pinned down by a pair of Thin Men and a Cyberdisc.

This time, however, she wasn’t under fire. Her stealth systems were engaged, making her look like a ghostly flicker in the unlit room.She slowly and soundlessly crouched at the window sill, taking aim at the enemy with a plasma sniper rifle.

Looking through her weapon’s holoscope she sighted ten Turkeys”, as she was now calling the Turians. Electronically marked them she noticed her squad in the minimap, advancing in expert formation.

This exercise was for both the stasis vets’ benefit and that of the new blood who were also participating in the war game. ‘Watch and learn kiddies,’ she thought to herself. “Fire team in position.” Hearing Callahan report in she winked a green light.

With a deep CRACK the first plasma bolt shot from her weapon. In the blink of an eye it had hit the leftern most sentry in the face. As the dead Turian fell she flicked to the next target; Turians had quicker reaction times than the enemies she had been used to fighting. She couldn’t afford to be slow enough that they would have the chance to return fire.

Thankfully Maria hadn’t survived as long as she had in XCOM by being slow. She turned the next face in her sights into a smoldering hole before ducking down and using her jets to slide to the other side of the room and through the door she had left open, just in time to avoid a messy death as a Turian tank destroyed the room she had been in with a round from its main gun.

Standing and brushing herself off she heard the sound of the tank being reduced to melting scrap as MEC Col. “Duff” Duffy fired his gatling plasma cannon at it. She heard squawks and screams as the rest of the squad surrounded the unprepared enemy on three sides seconds after she had fired on them, which had distracted them from the main advance.

Less than ten seconds later she grappled to the next building and leapt over the specially designed cover, built into most buildings now-a-days. She thought it great that she finally had some decent protection on the tops of buildings, whereas before she had to deal with 5-10 centimeter thick brick walls that could barely stop a 5.56 let alone a hypervelocity slug, laser, or plasma round.

Thinking about that, she was also happy that just about every building she saw was built like a bunker; meter thick reinforced concrete walls, squat structures, windows with shutters turning into fire ports. The world she had awakened to was a much more militarized one than the one she had left behind.

Taking position, the birdbrained commander AI had called for reinforcements. Since she was not needed for breaching the UFO - ‘No, no! Dropship, it’s a dropship, and completely identified now!’ she thought to herself - she joined her camper counterpart Samantha “Scissor Sister” Kia-Soon.

All that was visible in the loop hole for her rifle was the very tip of the barrel. So taking aim she saw the wide boulevard with cars on the sides of the streets, and closed up shops on either side of the road. With the only cover down the center the occasional stop light and vehicle.

The AI knew that the chance for ambush was high here, but it was the only way to get to the dropship in time to save its assets. The Turian platoon advanced cautiously, with the infantry on the flanks using the abandoned cars as cover as their armored support steadily advanced alongside them.

“Three. Two. One…… OPEN FIRE!” Assault Col. Conan “The Celtiberian” Killager yelled, launching himself out of a three story building to land on a Turian IFV while it was still moving. Being buttoned up did nothing for the IFV as he simply fired down with his favorite Alloy Cannon, shredding everyone inside the crew compartment.

It picked up speed, Killager laughing daemonically as he straddled the turret, firing into the Turians on either side as his IFV rammed into the rear of the next vehicle. Jumping off, he cackled as he charged after the closest group of Turkeys.

Looking at the carnage, the analytical part of Maria’s mind estimated that the enemy unit had been a tank company with supporting infantry… or had been at least, up until Killager’s Killers showed up and ruined its day.

In the building behind the column, at the end of the boulevard, the fire team’s heavy opened up with an emplaced railgun, firing slugs the size of Maria’s middle finger. She didn’t care how good your kinetic barriers were, that bullet hose fired faster than any of their guns, and had such a large kick that the first time Jenny “Gun Gun” Potters fired the thing it dislocated her shoulder.

But emplaced on a stable platform, with a cybernetic shoulder this time, it was turned into an artful weapon. Each explosion of violet blood was a masterpiece to Maria’s sick mind.

From between two buildings, she smiled a blood curdling grin as a flurry of anti-personnel rockets raced out and impacted against the kinetic barriers of a hover tank, coming from Aimo “Dok” Jarvi. While it failed to hurt the tank it did kill the infantry hiding near it. It also drew the attention of the vehicle.

Opening it for Fedosia “Mean” Mateev to charge forward. In her massive hand she held a car, absorbing the small arms fire, allowing her to charge forward and smash a massive hole in the tank where the driver and gunner would be. Pulling her pneumatically empowered fist free, it was coated in gore.

Maria smiled as she saw her throw the car onto a hapless Turkey and taking her now freed flamethrower fist she stuffed it into the opening and turned it into a crematorium. “BURN YOU BASTARDS!” The mechanical voice boomed out in translated Turian, the MEC then loped away from the burning tank, before its fuel and ammo exploded. No one knew what kind of payload it had so it was for the better.

It was then that Maria and “Scissor Sister” Kia Soon opened fire onto the Turian heavies, covering Mateev as she exposed her back.

Scoring a hit she missed her Laser Sniper. It was currently resting in her quarters, horribly outdated and useless. Even as she thought longingly for its red beam she killed another Turkey, cutting it in half at its midsection. Kia Soon fired and shot at a Turian rocketeer aiming for Killager, aiming for his ammunition pack, creating a small crater where his body was.

The AI, who was fairly miffed at this, was trying his best, but the ambush had been set and he cut his losses, with a simple move he called in his airborne assets. ‘Priority target, Elite Squad, tonnage full. Destroy the block.’ It ordered as the commander.

Maria grew bored even as the lead tank’s ammunition cooked off and destroyed the last armored vehicle, sending lethal shrapnel zigging everywhere. She began to support Killager who had been thrown flat by the explosion.

Jumping up like a martial artist he started to sprint to the nearest building. For the poor Turkey in his way he just ran him over, holding him up like, well to Maria at least, a charger from Left for Dead.

By now Maria knew that the enemy would call in artillery or reinforcements and even her group had to conserve its strength. Already Mateev needed resupply for her flamethrower and Gun Gun had fired off almost her entire supply for her weapon.

“Dropship cleared, charge set.” Maria heard on the squad comm. Nodding she pulled her weapon out of its loophole and keeping her head low moved to the rally point at the ammo dump.

The rest of the squad she knew would do the same in an orderly manner. Even as she thought that, Killager was laying the groundwork and calling for an orderly pull back when their air support identified an enemy gunship squadron coming to blow them apart.

‘Nothing I can do, just keep moving.’ she thought as she used her jump jets to make the next building. Knowing that she wouldn’t get away in time on foot she looked down and saw a sewer access lid. “Get to the sewers squad!” she declared for all to hear, firing at the lid, melting it enough for her half ton mass to snap it apart and have her land in the knee high muck…….

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Lu’an Academic district, Chéngjiù zhī zhù High School 7:00 Am

“Name.”

“Student Jan Philip Bulrich. Identification number 203029. Training infantry.”

The administrator nodded and finding his name on the checklist she checked his name and pulled the newly fabricated dog tags out of their slots and threaded them with their tin beads.

Grabbing them Jan sighed as he saw them, ‘Of course they would be in chinese.’ he thought sadly as he looked to the other side to see it written in english. Well at least in case he dies his parents could still identify him.

‘No bad Jan! Don’t be so damn morbid.’ stepping to the side he placed the cool metal necklace around his neck. Fitting it some place it would not chafe he joined his squad.

Lenibus had been redirected to the light infantry/security over at Lu’an Police headquarters.

Lunchou’s duty lead the young muton to join his tribe as shock troops, to be given heavy Titan armor, a plasma cannon, and to lead the charges.

Only Kindred was present in his squad. With Eliza’s tank crew nearby performing maintenance on their short barreled armored vehicle.

“Jan!” Kindred waved and trotted up. The look of concern clear on his face.

“Hey Kindred. So what does your mother think of you getting conscripted?” Jan replied half jokingly as he waited in the mustering fields of his school. It was overcast today, with a small chance of rain. Perfect for the mood most of the students were feeling.

“Hopping mad with a hint of balefire. Almost burned down the house. But someone has to keep you and the guys alive. I wouldn’t want anyone else taking my spot.” Kindred smiled wide, putting Jan at ease as they started to chuckle.

Joining the group the communal Minecraft server was activated. Pulling out his own datapad he joined the others in the ongoing construction of their magnificent fortress of cobblestone.

He didn’t realize he and the many other teens on the field were being watched by their teachers.

“This isn't right. They are still children. Some of them just turned 15.” Principle Nie Howin protested to Loki.

“It is their time I fear. X-com requires it. The academic sector lacks a proper amount of defenders. The school and the surrounding area needs boots on the ground to deny the enemy a foothold.” the AI replied cooly, hands clasped behind his back and looking up to the greying matron.

Scowling at him the AI sighed, “You won’t be unsupported, it would be devastating for morale if all those fighting for the city lose what is closest to them. I’m prepared to call in heavy armor support from the 5th People’s Armored Militia and the 72nd Light Peoples Foot and have them stationed at the Shanghai war memorial complex. I just need you to hold this area and contain the enemy forces who land here until command can redirect troops here.”

The principle held her scowl but when she was pulled away by her drill Sergeants her features lightened, “All students accounted for ma’am. Shall we call them to order?” her XO, Drill Instructor General Williams reported politely, standing at attention smartly.

Looking over the laughing children, playing or sparring or joking. She sighed, “Give them five more minutes. They deserve it…..”

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Gollop Chamber Control Room, X-Com Primary facility Lu’an

“She is one of the most powerful Human magicians I’ve ever seen in my life.” Twilight commented on her findings as she flipped through the readings with interest.

“She is so saturated with Ethereal Radiation that she should rightly be filled to the eyeballs with cancer cells!” Spike commented, wearing a comically big labcoat as he shifted to the set of screens on the wall.

“Her neurons are firing off like autocannons. Synapses are as active as a Human child’s, not closed off like a normal Human adult should. Same with the other X-Com Stasis volunteers. It looks like X-Com did some unauthorized augmentations.” Spike continued on concerned. It was stated in the Sudham-Wolcott Genetic Heritage Act that affecting the brain of any Species with MELD was strictly forbidden due to unfortunate side effects that could occur.

“Leave it to X-Com to break all the rules.” Twilight muttered irritatedly under her breath. ‘What’s the point of binding treaties and laws if X-Com will just ignore it?!’ Twilight fumed silently as Maria came in from the Gollop chamber.

“So Princess Sparkle. How’d I rate?” She asked stately, standing at idle attention.

“Off the charts. Not surprising since you are the longest lived X-Com operative ever, being subjected to all that lethal radiation. And all those gene mods they put in your brain.” Twilight looked angry, not at Maria, but at how X-Com would so carelessly shorten the lifespan of their best soldiers.

“Something troubling you Princess?” Maria asked worriedly, “Is there an issue with the gene mods?” She rubbed her shaved scalp, feeling the hair growing in already.

“Something wrong?! Yes there is! Do you know how dangerous it is to directly modify the brain?! Your lucky to still be speaking! To even be breathing subconsciously! I know X-Com can be reckless but I never thought they would go so far as to shorten the span of their soldiers lives by-” Twilight was obviously just starting her rant, Spike just sat in the far corner of the room, observing the operative warily.

“So what? It works fine right now right?” Maria replied, bored.

“So what? So WHAT?! you probably won’t live another twenty years like this before you brain fries itself from the strain!-” Twilight was shocked at the look on Maria’s face. Utterly uncaring, and a bit surprised that Twilight cared so much.

“So what? Everything and everyone I knew is dead. The only thing not dead are my squadmates. You’ve read our files, the history of X-Com. Before MELD we pumped ourselves full of drug cocktails to give us any advantage we could get. Steroids, nootropics, highly dangerous and illegal narcotics. That alone killed some guys before the war ended.”

“We trained, and trained, and trained. Fought hard to protect our families, loved ones, neighbors, countrymen, and fellow Human beings. Taking any advantage we could get. When we first fought EXALT, my mind wasn’t on how unethical their mods were, my mind was wondering where I could get them. So my team and myself could be stronger. Where I could become stronger so I could kill more and more Aliens. My life means nothing on its own. Every time I close my eyes I see those I failed to save.” Maria shut her eyes and with a faint shudder and deep sigh continued.

“...... I want to die. And when I do, I WILL take down as many enemies as I can in those last moments.”

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Psi Gym, X-Com primary facility, Lu’an

“..... So what was it like?”

Maria asked the question to break the steadily thicker ice forming around both Twilight and herself.

“What was what like?” Twilight asked, taking readings of Maria’s brain and Psi waves.

“Meeting Humans? Not X-Com Humans, I mean the people behind the military? The civilians, average joe worker, you know? When I was iced, that show, My Little Pony, was still playing strong.” Maria chuckled at how Spike shifted uncomfortably at the mention of MLP.

“Oh Celestia! Please do not remind me of that show. It still gives me the creeps! Knowing someone was in my mind and created a show about me and my friends.” Seeing the mischievous gleam in Maria’s eyes she recoiled back to her instrument panel, “And do NOT mention any clop!”

“Please don’t. The last time someone did, she blasted them into a building. Then hid in her room for a week.” Spike added in, pouring more water to the barrel that Maria was test lifting with her telekinesis.

Maria just chuckled, testing the new purple glow she had around her fist. “Wouldn’t dream of it Twily. Ready?”

Maria began again.

Like she was told she thought about the object. Closing her eyes she visualized it in her minds eye, she wanted it to move, to hover in the air one meter, and to move back towards the wall by three meters.

Opening her eyes, they glowed a violet hue as she made a lifting motion with her hand, her fingers closed around as if they were holding the base of a cup, glowing the same color as her eyes.

The tendrils of energy reached out and grabbed hold of the object, lifting it in the air slowly.

Maria marveled at her own dextrous control, in each of her fingers she felt a weight, like she was holding half a kilo on each fingertip.

Experimenting she began to roll her hand, watching with fascination as the sensation on each finger changed, with the weight shifting with the barrel.

“So why is my magic violet instead of deep purple like the psionics during the war?” Maria asked curiously, pushing the barrel back and gently placing it down on the ground.

“Well its mostly the fact that you didn’t have your magic aura activated then. If it was active you would have seen that magic energies came in all colors.” Twilight noted down Maria’s dextrous control, making a note for further training and teaching.

“You see my magical aura is lavender, like my coat. I ‘chose’ that color because it’s what I always saw as a filly learning magic. Its difficult to explain.” Twilight thought for a moment about how to compare it, “Its like trying to explain color to a creature with no eyesight.”

Smiling Twilight did her best, “Think back to your earliest memories, you’ll notice that your vision is tinted a certain color. For example, when I think back to my entrance exam, Celestia knows how many years ago, I remember an inexplicable lavender tint to everything.”

To the X-Com Colonel’s credit she began to understand, “I see, so only me and other psionics will see it as that color?”

Twilight shook her head in an affirmative.

Awkward silence reigned as Maria munched on a ration bar while Twilight attached more electrodes to her skull.

“Hey, so back to my question; what was it like meeting Humans? Pretty freaky considering we also had the other species with us.” Maria returned to her previous question.

Twilight stopped taking notes and thought for a moment, recollecting like Princess Celestia had explained how, “It was. . . Strange. For most of my life I always had the feeling I was being watched, not the spooky way like a predator to its prey, but more like a curious explorer, young as I. Old as I. I paid it no heed, since it only came in moments of clarity or when I was alone and unfocused.”

When I became an Alicorn it felt even stronger, but despite my power I could never pin it down, this Alien presence. It wasn’t until I met a Human mare named Lauren Faust that I realized who it was who spied on me. It was also there at Galacon that I truly met Humanity.”

“Not the picture I was painted by the ambassadors. I saw joy, happiness. Friendship. Friendship in a group of species I was not sure had any at all. All brought together, thousands of them, of all nationalities, species, and ideologies, by, well, me.”

“It was cool at first then it got creepy with which what shall not be named. Although I think Rainbow Dash found it more favorable than I. She was always into…. eeeugh, shipping. And all those nasty things.” Twilight shuddered at the thought of Vore ‘Celestia who would find that arousing?’

Maria nodded and chuckled darkly, “Humanity is a species of opposites. Randomness made manifest.” Twilight paused at that little line of wisdom.

‘Of course I should expect it from her, she fought alongside just about every group of Humans on Earth.’

“So Twilight, why will I die in twenty years?” The question was sudden, but not completely unexpected by Twilight. Since their conversation earlier in the Gollop control room.

“Its a condition AI’s suffer from at times; Urgrain syndrome. Its where someone literally thinks themself to death. Your brain is not made to be constantly active. your neurons and synapses are always active, even in your sleep. Symptoms are, you will feel more mentally drained more often, sleep will not be remotely as refreshing, nosebleeds, migraines, ghost pains, magical energy reduction, and death.”

Maria thought about that for a moment. “So every moment awake is another moment my brain cells over work themselves?”

“Yes. You’ll also note that stimulants like caffeine or SMOKE won’t be as effective, since your brain is already overclocked. They may even be damaging for you. I’m sure however X-Com intends to put you back to sleep once the conflict ends. And if you go back into stasis your brain cells would recover.”

Maria sighed and whispered to herself, preparing for the next test, “I hope I won’t have to go back into stasis…….”

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Aboard Turian Hierarchy Flagship Palavan’s Wrath. Relay 314

“Are we sure he’s even stable?” the Gunnery officer whispered to the Navigational officer.

“Personally? I think he’s lost his nerve. What ever happened to him and those officers under his command can’t be good for one’s mental health.” the Navigational officer replied back through a text message on the other’s omni tool.

“I heard he scared the entire medical ward. He was screaming like a damned soul before he woke up. And it required all the guards to hold him down.” the Pilot chipped in with a whisper.

“Shut up. All of you, I won’t tolerate gossip on my bridge! Its borderline insubordination.” Admiral Saberian reprimanded his crew. Morale among the force was already low with the prospect of facing a new species with access to directed energy weapons.

It was fortunate he quashed their insubordination in time before Captain Serius came to the bridge. The Turian looked like hell, his eyes were irritated and yellow, his face had the pallor of a soldier who had seen too much, and it was obvious that sleep had provided the Turian no comfort.

“Admiral Saberian, sir! Reporting as ordered sir!” he pulled a tight salute, showing no signs of the fatigue or distress that were in him.

Returning the salute Saberian spoke gruffly, “At ease.”

Serius took this moment to examine his superior. He was average height at two meters, with his mandibles slightly bigger than most Turians. He wore a green and gold uniform, his chest was filled with assorted merits like the Nova cluster, and the Citadel Star. His white and black face paint marked his ancestry from Tridend.

“Are you okay Captain?” Saberian asked almost conversationally but Serius noticed the tone in the room, and how his answer would affect it.

“Yes sir, just a bit of sickness. Nothing too serious.”

“Good because I need you in top shape. Now about your advised plans. You really believe the enemy will be powerful enough to force us using hit and run tactics? That we won’t be able to overwhelm them with our fleet?”

“Sir with respect, I believe if they are even a fifth of our size they will annihilate this fleet in less than two minutes. Their primary energy armament seems to be a spinal fixated cannon similar to our own mass accelerators. They also have cannons of their own but they are just flecks of sand compared to their… lances.”

To reinforce his point he brought up his own ship’s recordings of the events. “Their lances take a while to recharge it seems, firing only every 30 seconds. We have ruled out heat dissipation problems due to the enemy ships not showing any signs of overheating.”

Saberian nodded, already knowing this but letting the captain explain his point. “What other armaments besides mass cannons and these lances?”

“We don’t know sir. For all we know they could have lasers fit for longer ranges than GARDIANS, plasma torpedoes, hell, even antimatter fusion bombs. All we faced here is two frigates and a cruiser, that for all we know could have been anything from a lightly armed scientific vessel, or the flagship of their fleets.”

“Spirits damn it where’s an STG team when you need one? If we could just get more information from their extranet equivalent maybe we won’t be going in so blind.” Serius gripped, more to his own shortcomings than that of Saberian.

Saberian had honestly expected more. Serius was a well decorated captain, and he was one of the few captains who lead a dreadnought. But from what happened to his patrol fleet, his assessment was not wrong.

“The most troubling thing however is their cyber warfare capabilities. They either have some freaky quick operators or highly advanced VI. Maybe even true AI.”

“If that’s true then it’s just another law they have violated.” Saberian commented. “These aliens are a threat to galactic security and it’s up to us to contain them quickly.”

Serius hoped, with a discreet shudder, that it was through peace, and not from a tidal wave of hell spiders….

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Rich crimson blood splashed onto her face, she was covered in it, watching helplessly as an entire platoon of soldiers was ripped apart by a screeching horde of insectoid monsters. Somehow, the faces of the dying soldiers were as clear as if she was standing right in front of them. The dead did not rest easily however; their bodies standing back up as something unholy happened within them.

The bodies of the walking dead began to shred apart from within, revealing more of the purple insect-demons. After eating the strips of flesh and skin left from their birth they scattered, seeking out more victims.

Thinking it was over she let out the breath she had been holding in fear that they would hear her.

She was wrong.

Impossibly, one of them spotted her. Very few would realize however that its insectoid face was covered with the stretched, tormented, features of a man.

Raising her arms she grappled its spindly appendages, her legs pushing against the monster’s torso. Screaming.

“AAAAAAAIIII-IIIIIIHHHHHHHHH!” Jumping off the bed she was standing on her footlocker, body drenched in sweat, arms out threateningly, prepared to wrench a neck from its spine.

Panting she realized she had awaken, and promptly, Maria fell to the ground crying, and holding herself close in a ball.

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X-Com Organization

X-Com is the largest paramilitary force ever assembled in known history. Billions of retired members, hundreds of thousands of active combat personnel, and tens of millions more employees. It has become necessary for the Terran Alliance to take a more active control of the government funded organization for accountability.

X-Com Officer Corp (X-COP):X-Com Officer Corp is the leadership element of X-Com, producing the finest military officers across Alliance space. Many illustrious academies like the Grisson Sciences College, West Point, Royal Canterlot Officer’s Stable, Khan Cyrus Training Mt., and the Royal Officers Naval and Space Academy have programs for the hundreds of thousands of officers that go through the Organization’s ranks. Here the brightest military minds of the Alliance, Human and otherwise, train for the highly valued X-Com officership. X-COP personnel train to become field commanders, advisors, tactical and strategic officers. To be an X-COP is to be one of the best commanders in Alliance space.

X-Com Merchant Marines (X-CoMMers): X-Com Merchant Marines, also known as X-CoMMers, are the mining, shipping, and industrial arm of X-Com. Providing all the necessities for the vast organization. They make up the bulk of employees for the official X-Com organization, employing tens of millions of miners, office workers, logisticians, and workers. Alongside the workers is the massive fleet of 50,000 transport ships and barges that make sure every base is supplied and every colony has access to basic necessities for survival and economic independence.

MarSec: The R&D, and main financer of X-Com. Martian Security, or MarSec, was appropriated in 2056, a time when big business was the big issue. When Several whistleblowers revealed the corruption and crimes of the company, which ranged from tax evasion to major labor rights violations, so problematic that if they were allowed to continue they would cause the currently booming Terran economy to tank worse than the great depression. When these allegations were confirmed, nearly all executive staff were stripped of their economic resources and found guilty for treason and received the death penalty and to be made as an example for other companies. With this tough action, most other companies cleaned up their act on their own, or under a similar “clean up” program.

Despite this dark history, MarSec has been lauded in the 22nd century as the leader of advanced technologies and the production of the finest and most reliable military equipment and consumer products, spawning the slogan, “Ain’t no security like Martian Security”.

Often times, they are used as an unofficial form of market regulation, breaking monopolies and trusts, stabilizing running prices, and installing and updating infrastructure. This can be seen most clearly with the [Hyperwave Communications Provider wars] market failure in the 2110’s, where the few companies involved were refusing to upgrade infrastructure, and were charging absurd amounts of money for what had become a basic utility.

X-Com Emergency Response Corp (Peace Corp): The Peace Corp, is the natural disaster and emergency response branch for X-Com, among its more contemporary vision of being a neutral, nonprofit organization for helping those in need. X-Com’s greatest priority is for the people, the state, and the survival of the Alliance species. During the Ethereal war the Peace Corp was formed spontaneously out of no where by millions of people who wanted to assist those who were attacked by the Aliens. People of all creeds and backgrounds donated and volunteered throughout the year long war, putting life and limb at risk and even fighting for the survival of their fellow Humans in militias around the globe. After the War, they had folded into the International Committee for the Red Cross, to form the Peace Corp, and helped assist the displaced millions and police the Alien holding camps.

When X-Com was made public, the Peace Corp was invited to form their own branch of service, widely respected by X-Com base personnel, who had restricted contact with the outside world for security, had heard of the exploits of millions through after mission channels.

Throughout the years their ranks of volunteers and full time members have grown to numbers rivalling political parties. No matter the disaster or problem, the local Peace Corp garrison is one of the first on the scene of the incident. They also own, maintain, staff, and protect most hospitals. They have formed their own front company called the Sirta-Glimmer Heart Foundation. Currently the Peace Corp has thirteen council members, including among its ranks; the Equestrian Pegasus Fluttershy, the element of Kindness. Yusef Muhammed Ad-Hafar, Allama. And Ethereal Abra’Fawz’Earth, leader of the now defunct Ethereal Rights Party.

X-Com Combat Engineer Battalion (The Bratishki): X-Com’s Combat engineer Battalion was originally a joke group formed during the Ethereal War by the engineering department. Often times during an active combat area, Dr. Shen would comment when the ground forces inevitably encounterednew technology, or a problem requiring the touch of a combat engineer.

Many of X-Com’s combat engineers at the time came from Eastern Bloc nations, so jokingly the much younger soldiers called the much older Dr. Shen, Bratishka, or little brother in Russian dialects.

After the war, when after action observations where made of combat footage, it was determined X-Com needed a dedicated detachment of Combat Engineers fit for heavy combat. Many of the Russian Combat Engineers had become MECs over the war’s course one way or another. As MECs, they could carry all the required gear for a combat engineer, and be protected enough to reach the objective no matter the opposition.

So it was, The Bratishki were formed. Building bridges, laying mines, and digging tunnels across Alliance space.

Betas, especially Count-Lurkula who has been an amazing Beta and has when he had the time, improved my writing substantially.

I know this chapter was late this week, sorry but my beta asked for a bit more time and i had to attend a wedding at the time when I would be posting this.

Anyways my beta suggest I trim down my chapters of its unnecessary stuff. I had a few things here lined up like what Shen’s descendent was doing, Grigori, giving an arms lesson (Admittedly unnecessary), and a Battlespace reference.

I kept the VR session because i know you guys will want some action. Its just a taste of whats to come.

Blood Raven

Heres a question to you guys, what do you want to see for side stories? I’ve been lining up a few things and I would appreciate suggestions.

Author's Note

I'd like to thank my Betas, especially Count-Lurkula who has been an amazing Beta and has when he had the time, improved my writing substantially.

My beta suggest I trim down my chapters of its unnecessary stuff. I had a few things here lined up like what Shen’s descendent was doing, Grigori, giving an arms lesson (Admittedly unnecessary), Maria nd her squad examingin a "Hot seat, and a Battlespace reference.

I kept the VR session because i know you guys will want some action. Its just a taste of whats to come.

Blood Raven

]Heres a question to you guys, what do you want to see for side stories? I’ve been lining up a few things and I would appreciate suggestions.