XCAS Kappa Team - Epilogue

Ghost let out a silent breath as he watched Sigma Team advance rapidly on the isolated 'barn', for that is what the structure reminded him. It had a fairly rectangular footprint with a pitched roof. Hell, it was even red. Whether this was some sort of bad alien joke, Ghost wasn't sure, but it wasn't terribly important; any building had the potential to contain an entrance to a Snakeman warren... Ghost's eyes narrowed as the largest Ascidian, not slowing as he reached the door, gave it a running kick, which popped the decayed door off of its rusty hinges easily. 2nd Lieutenant Kevin Ong, Sigma's squad commander, slipped into the building with his team hot on his tail.

No shooting, but... Ghost didn't turn, but he heard the sound of Corporal Dias crawling up to his position. "Sir, we've got a communication from Central."

What Dias meant was the Army Central Command, the bane of Special Operations' existence. Why they had been placed in overall command, nobody knew. The High Council's army commanders were just looking after themselves, and they issued the most outrageous orders, sometimes against explicit 'advice' from Special Operations strategic staff. The whole situation was somewhat odious, and Ghost was not interested in hearing what they wanted. Still, duty was duty, and he reflected on the great evils of the army's hierarchy as he replied, "This had better be good news..."

Dias coughed slightly, giving Ghost a brief clue to the fact that the news was not as good as he hoped. "Sorry, sir, it doesn't look like it. We're being ordered to pull back for uhh... further orders."

"It doesn't sound like it, I certainly agree." An urge to disobedience flickered through Ghost's mind, but he reined it in. "Saber," he said into his comm unit, "pull back once you've cleared the barn."

"Yes sir, working on it. Just laying the demo charges now.. no surveillance devices, but the portal is here..."

"Hurry it up. We've got orders to... redirect us elsewhere."

Ong's tone soured. "Oh, damn. Well, ok, charges are set... oh crap"

"Weapons" snapped Ghost as Sigma Team sprinted out of the barn. Instantly, Rho Team's heavy weapons, predominantly automatic fusion-powered rifles, riddled the barn. The hissing of Snakemen could be heard inside, but they didn't stop trying to come out. A number burst out of the barn in hot pursuit of Sigma Team, but Kappa Team was there to cut them down before they got too far.

Ong hopped into the depression beside Ghost, while the other members of his team ran further back into the woods. Without any ceremony or permission, Ong's thumb came down on the remote detonation switch. A heavy 'whump' was followed by a steady hiss.... the collapse of the tunnel entrance followed by an intense thermal fusion charge, intended to seal the entrance to the warren for a number of weeks. "Another hole sealed, sir," Ong said with a shake of his head.



It had been a whole two damn months, operating out of the wilderness and generally being a royal pain in the ass to aliens everywhere. It was nuisance work though, and Ko was probably one of the least satisfied with their performance... or rather, their tasks.

The look on his face must have been pretty sour, as Chavez punched him in the shoulder from the seat beside. "Yo Ko," Chavez said with a snicker, "why the depression here?"

"If that's the level of your wit and cunning for the day, Cal, you're in a hell of a lot of trouble, I'll say," returned Ko with a matching grin. "Sorry, I was just mulling over our actions as of late. Pretty sorry stuff, but I guess the army needs us to stay on the offensive while the heal up and try to get more soldiers into action. I heard another regiment was inbound too, just through the gate." He shrugged in a rather non-committal fashion. "At least those poor bastards, the Snakemen, will be spending their time digging rather than... multiplying." It wasn't a very accurate statement in a technical sense, but it would do for transmitting the idea.

"Yeah..." Chavez leaned back in his chair to study the shack they were sitting in. It was truly a 'minimum building', designed to house low-level command, control, and communications equipment. The broad table in the center had a 3D projector sitting on top, displaying the stereotypical planetary map. One continent was highlighted in gold; the others were coloured a deep-red. "Well, they wouldn't have pulled us back and relieved the pressure on the Alien territories without good reason." Chavez caught Ko's look, then said in amendment, "Yeah, I know, bigger idiots and all that, but sometimes they gotta be right."

"Maybe." Ko was reluctant to argue the issue; on one hand, he wanted to argue just on principle, but on the other, the temporary retreat was something Ko agreed with. "Maybe. I can't imagine what else they'd have for us..."

The door opened, and both Ko and Chavez turned to see Ghost, Stone, and Dias walk in. "Good afternoon, gentlemen and lady," Ghost said as he shut the door. "Well, I'm sure you're all interested as to why we've been pulled off the line..."

"Damn straight," muttered Ko under his breath, but nobody heard this indiscretion.

Ghost tapped projector controls, replacing the planet with a 3D image of a portion of mountain range. "This is our target. By 'our', I mean a collective special operations goal. The General-in-Command has decided," Ghost said with sarcasm dripping from his voice, "that we're to enter this base and capture some sort of smart Snakeman."

"You've got to be kidding," said Dias. "How many Snakemen are going to be in that base? Enough that we can't afford to play around."

Ghost nodded. "Agreed. We can't do it, it's just not possible. However, Army Intelligence believes that removing this... aberrant Snakeman will push things significantly in our favour for this war. With command disrupted and hopefully no equivalent talents, it's hoped that the Snakemen will fall back into bickering and infighting... We can enter through here," Ghost said, pointing to the destroyed fighter hangar, "but once we get inside, it'll be a big unknown. It'll be pretty freewheeling... just our style. Cal, you're to watch specifically for psionic influence. Paulo, you'll be on medic duty, but we'll need your rifle working, so leave the anyone behind the main line of advance for the following army medics. Ko, you'll be in charge of hacking the system, or figuring out who will... and figuring out where that damn commander is."

Ko groaned inwardly. "No information, outnumbered... what could be better?"

Only X-Com Forum is Available...

Or not. However, for some reason, my home computer only displays the X-Com subforum, while my computer at work shows the UFOAM and SS forums. Am I going crazy? If so, too bad. If not, someone tell me what I'm doing wrong. I actually tried to make a UFO AS post as I have just received my copy, but it wasn't there! Thanks guys and gals.

UFO Aftershock Fanfic Contest

I'm curious as to how much representation this board is putting out for this contest. So who's game?

I had told Accounting Troll (I think) that I would have a draft of what I was going to submit at the beginning of July, but that deadline has passed and I've been procrastinating. I'm still planning on giving this a go though.

XCAS Alpha Squad - Epilogue

Well, first off, I want to say thanks to all the folks who put their effort and time into this, from the creator, Mouse_Nightshirt, all the way to the last guy to join, Emruz Lanner. It's been a fantastic four years, and I appreciate the dedication that was put forth by the men and women of XCAS. It's been an honour to be simming iwth you all. The best to you in the future, and when you're joining a new sim, remember to keep the rest of your buddies in the loop.

- Derrick Ko, XCAS Administrator


And so Alpha Squad returned to Earth for the final time. Even though the unit had been fractured and dispersed, each trooper would hold the bond forged by the lonliness and desperation of the wayward Cydonia Expedition for the rest of their lives. Their common experiences set them above and beyond the understanding of ordinary people; nobody but one who had survived could truly understand the distance of the separation or the intensity of the isolation....

Following the dissolution of Alpha Squad, every member went their separate ways.

Private Diana Talcor
She decided to stay on in the Ascidian Operations Theatre in Lieutenant Marissa Brewster's Beta Squad. They became the primary strike force of X-Com in the AOT, and Talcor rose through the ranks to Sergeant. However, her rise stopped during the War of 2077, where she was killed in action against Snakemen raiders.

Private Kevin Bradly
Private Bradly stayed in the Ascidian Operations Theatre for a few more years, but decided on returning back to Earth instead of serving a third tour in the AOT. He stayed on an marksmanship instructor for a wihle with X-Com before leaving as a Corporal and settling down back home in the North American Alliance. He never strayed far from his shooting though; he taught civilian classes for years thereafter.

Lieutenant Lennox Sinclaire
Lieutenant Sinclaire stayed on as X-Com's Intelligence Officer in the Ascidian Operations Theatre. His work was instrumental in fending off the Aliens during the War of 2077. He returned to Earth after the war to serve as the chief intelligence officer for Mega-City: Toronto (eventually renamed Mega-Primus), and spent the rest of his career hunting down cultists and extra-dimenisonal aliens. He retired a Colonel after twenty-three years of service. Shortly after retirement, he was killed in a hovercar accident.

Corporal Gael McBannok
McBannok, obsessed with discovering the secrets behind the Alien warp tunnel network, stayed in the Ascidian Operations Theatre during his entire career with X-Com. His research did lead to significant advances in interstellar travel theory, and he retired after thirty years at the rank of Captain. He ended up settling back down on Earth, but spent more of his time travelling than sitting still at home.

Corporal Daniel Jackson
Even though most thought he was destined for the insane asylum, Corporal Daniel Jackson never went there. He ended up staying in the Ascidian Operations Theatre as part of NAO's permanent garrison. He kept morale up at base and was eventually made first sergeant of the base. He did fight again, during the War of 2077, and he was injured there... twice. Per season.

Sergeant Atzel Evander
Sergeant Atzel Evander stayed in X-Com, but decided to leave the Ascidian Operations Theatre for the combat-filled arena of the Frontier. During the course of her service there, she was promoted to Captain and was credited with dozens of saucer-kills. However, Captain Evander did not return from the Siege of Regulus; she was killed during an attack run that would eventually destroy the mammoth Alien command ship known as the Tyrant.

Colonel Brad Cyriacus
Colonel Brad Cyriacus served X-Com for another twelve years in the Ascidian Operations Theatre, including an instructor's stint at the Emperor's Academy of War. He then returned to Earth, where he continued to pass on his skills to a newer generation. He retired from X-Com with a total of twenty-four continuous years of service and ended up back home for a while. The Alien threat was always present though, and eventually X-Com asked Cyriacus to return as a strategy advisor. Cyriacus spent the rest of his life in the Frontier.

Commander Richter Weindoven
Commander Weindhoven stayed in the AOT after Alpha was dissolved. He never felt the urge to return to Earth for long, as had learned to appreciate the openness of the Ascidian culture. He was instrumental in starting a human colony on Arkunis IV. He spent his life creating and maintaining the Alliance between Earth and Arkunis, and he never forgot the troopers with whom he shared that lonely experience. He died at the age of 83, surrounded by the Alliance that he had helped to create.


If you created one of the above characters and would like to decide their fate, make your post below and I'll delete this reference, thanks. Enjoy the stories!

Mother's Day this Sunday

Hey folks,

It's Mother's Day on Sunday (at least here in North America), so I'm sure that some of you folks will actually be spending time with your mothers, yes? Please let me know if you're still in for sim - if we have enough kids still playing, then we'll play.

Derrick