XCAS Alpha Squad - Epilogue

[DragonHawk]

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!

[Strong Bob]

Joseph "Albino" Scott

 

https://www.strategycore.co.uk/sims/xcas/HazardOps/Biographies/scott.jpg

 

 

Soon after Joseph resigned from X-COM, he returned to his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. Despite being forty years old, his history in X-COM and prior years on the Rhode Island State Police managed to land him a job as a detective with the rank of Sergeant. In that time he reunited himself with the daughter of his late best friend... Sydney Corman.

 

Elizabeth Corman was his best friend before he joined X-COM. On his last day on the force, Sergeants Joseph Scott and Elizabeth Corman were sent to handle a restless situation in a ranch house in a bad neighborhood. Inside was a lone criminal that managed to get ahold of Corman and hold her hostage... Realizing the situation, Joseph took his chances and opened fire on him. He made a direct hit on Elizabeth, and in his shock, the criminal escaped.

 

Sydney grew up ignorant of the truth. But in time, Joseph built up the courage to finally tell her what really happened to her mother, after a year returning from X-COM. Sydney stopped speaking to him completely... And Joseph was once again alone. But in this he found strength instead of grief, as this time he did what was right. Sydney would not go through the rest of her life questioning the death of her mother, and it brought relief to Joseph, mixed with the sadness that someone he knew for so long was no longer his friend.

 

About two years later, Joseph stumbled onto a surprising case... He found the face of the one he and Elizabeth faced off against, a henchman in a drug ring scandal named "Kyle Lawrence". With some resource manipulation and calling in a few favors, he managed to hide his personal dealings with the criminal suspect and administered the investigation personally... Something Joseph will never regret no matter how bad an idea it was.

 

It was several months, but in the end, Joseph tracked down the suspect and a drug operation in progress. A SWAT team infiltrated the warehouse it was isolated in, and were met with resistance... Joseph broke protocal and entered the warehouse on his own, armed with nothing but a Lawpistol. Inside, he encountered the one he wanted... And gunned down Kyle Lawrence. But not before taking several shots himself... Luckily Joseph was taken out in an ambulance as opposed to a body bag.

 

Another week went by in the hospital... His badge was reluctantly revoked for his foolish action, but due to his years, once again, that was the extent of his punishment. His will to live was gone, and in time he had gone into a condition where consciousness was scarce. As his life faded away, Joseph gained consciousness briefly to find Sydney Corman looking down on him in tears, repeating to him "Please don't die." And it was all he needed... His purpose returned once again, but this time it wasn't one where he had to be the guardian.

 

His vitals slowly returned to normal, with the help of Sydney and a nurse that just refused to put up with any of his bullcrap, Natalie King. In fact, after about a few weeks in dealing with the nurse from hell, he eventually started to like her. When he was released, after an obscenely annoying amount of coercion from Sydney, Joseph and Natalie had begun to date and when Joseph hit the age of 46, they married.

 

It was odd. As Natalie was just in her thirties where Joseph was over the hill. But Joseph managed to get a son out of the deal, a healthy boy with pigment in his skin and hair. Given the honor to name him, Joseph thought back to his time in X-COM way out in Ascadian space. He named his newborn "Martin Kacur Scott" after the Commanding Officer he hated so much until the day he died by Weindhoven's knife.

 

With his past experience flying the Avenger for Alpha squad, Joseph managed to get a job in commercial hoverliner piloting. It was stressful, dealing with hauling the more pompous portion of society. But it would be how he spent the rest of his days.

 

Years later, when he was finally at the age where he could say the color in his hair was truly gone, it was 2081. Mega Primus had been built, and Joseph had moved his family far away into the southern reaches of the North American Alliance. (Formerly known as Mexico.) As the war with the Micronoids occured, Joseph sat back and watched the progress on the media. When the X-COM Annihilator came crashing through the warpgate at the end of the war, Joseph walked outside and stared at the sky for hours. When Martin asked him what was wrong, Joseph replied "Nothing... Everything is right as it should."

 

In 2086 Joseph suffered a strange brain trauma. medical reports showed it was the side affect from using the Utopia Weed to block out his memories while in Ascadian space... The drug had gradually integrated itself into his brain's cellular structure and his immune system was fighting it. With his own body attacking his brain, Joseph died at the age of 58. Sydney, Natalie, and Martin surrounded him as his vision faded into dark permanently. He was buried next to the grave of Elizabeth Corman, his stone had an epitaph and two badges embedded into it. The first read: "Lieutenant Scott, Joseph R. Leader of Alpha Squad, Cydonia Expedition." The other was a police badge "Staff Sergeant Scott, Joseph R. 673. ALBINO". Beneath the two: "Joseph Robins Scott 2028 - 2086. Not even an interstellar wormhole could keep him from those he loved."

[DragonHawk]

Why should fundamentalism exist solely as the domain of religious fighters?  It may have developed that way, but in these new socioeconomic times, religion is not the primary conservative force.  Nationalism and idealism have joined religious fervor as 'acceptable' reasons for justifying aggression, hate, and general close-mindedness.

 

Of course, I can't say that fundamentalism is a bad thing necessarily.  Fundamentalism is simply, to me, a consequence of society's widespread unwillingness to compromise on absolute rules and absolute victory.  An interesting question though, as we approach our opponent, is this: are we as fanatical to them as they are to us?

 

- Lance Corporal Derrick Ko, Kappa Team

 

Colonel Chad Dogget, Leader of the X-Com Resistance.

 

Dogget still thought of himself as that, still thought of his X-Com Resistance as a whole and effective entity. There had been a few setbacks along the path to the destruction of the Apemen, but those were temporary. That fool, Colonel Brad Cyriacus, had refused to support him, refused to see the way. Then, there were defections; Captain Roberts and Sergeant Bronsworth had escaped with an X-Com raiding force. Then, on a bombing run, the Dorian Grey had been lost (destroyed, Dogget reminded himself) in the Arkunis system. Then they had been forced to flee, constantly attempting repairs but unable to make permanent ones without their space dock. No doubt that final loss had been due to the traitor's information.

 

All setbacks were temporary though. Their goal was just, even righteous. The Apemen had to be destroyed. It was for the good of humanity... If they didn't do it, what would humanity's descendents face?

 

The latest setback was a serious one, but Dogget had no doubt that it would be brought to a swift and favourable conclusion. Ascidian forces had actually boarded and taken large portions of the Rommel, including the armoury, the bridge, and engineering. In short, areas critical to running the ship were captured. Dogget had no idea how it all happened, but he knew that an Ascidian task force had been shadowing them for the better part of a year. The task force had struck just when the Rommel was 'safe and clear'. Both sides had fought ferociously.

 

Dogget himself had been captured near the end of the fight. The Resistance had been rallying for another strike, but a surprise attack from an Ascidian power armour squad had ended that quickly. Even though Dogget's personal squad had been armoured, the sheer kinetic energy and momentum of the Ascidian forces in close combat was enough. They had been disarmed, captured, and forcibly separated.

 

Now, Dogget waited alone in his ready room. He drew strength from what was his domain; he looked about and saw the successes of his fight against the all of humanity's enemies. Dogget walked to the wall and lifted a solid, heavy knife from its bracket. In his earlier days, he had killed a Floater in close combat. He had been young and foolish back then, but he had learned. He had survived. He would learn and survive here too, and return home with his honour intact...

 

So lost was Dogget in his memories that he did not immediately notice the door to his cabin sliding open. He heard the footsteps enter though, too light to be Ascidian. Dogget grinned as he turned to the obviously human rescuers. He faltered a bit as he studied the uniforms of some of the soldiers - black, unarmoured, and holding weapons that must have been captured from the Ascidians - but he recognized Sergeant Alec Woolery, and that was good enough. "Good day Sergeant," he said "Good to see you're still alive. How are things with the others?"

 

Woolery hesitated slightly. For a moment, Dogget feared the worst, but then Woolery nodded and said, "They are well, sir. The ship is now... secure."

 

"Excellent. Get things sorted out here on the bridge. I want to visit the troops, make sure they are settled in the aftermath... and acknowledge the losses." Dogget's voice dropped a notch. There had to have been casualties. Dogget sincerely hoped that they would be low.

 

He tried to walk out of his cabin, but Woolery didn't budge from his place. Instead, Woolery looked to the tallest of his people, then stepped aside. What's going on?

 

"I'm sorry, Colonel Dogget, but you may not leave."

 

"Excuse me?" Dogget was too baffled to come up with something more intelligent sounding. This was completely unexpected. In his surprise though, Dogget was still paying attention to his surroundings - the soldiers in black were fanning out into the room.

 

The tall soldier removed his helmet and his goggles, revealing a stern looking Caucasian man. He had a distinct Russian type of look. "I'm sorry, but you cannot leave this room. You are under arrest." The flint in the man's eyes didn't waver a micron as he met Dogget's gaze.

 

"What sort of audacity is this? Do you know who I am???" Everyone knew who Chad Dogget was! He was the expedition commander!

 

A voice came from the bridge of the ship. "Oh yes, we do know who you are."

 

Dogget's eyes widened as Colonel Brad Cyriacus walked onto the bridge. Cyriacus was wearing X-Com basic armour... and a huge smile. Dogget looked from Cyriacus to Woolery, but Woolery refused to meet his eyes. This couldn't be happening! As the realization dawned, Dogget's face started to go red.

 

"This is a fine ship you have here. I've taken a look over it, and I must say that I am impressed. A true technological marvel." Cyriacus' voice was nonchalant, as if he were discussing the weather.

 

"YOU" spat Dogget. He made a lunge for Cyriacus, but two of the troopers flashed forward, grabbing him and holding him back. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE???"

 

"I'm sure I could have gotten here on my own, so you needn't sound so surprised. We were fortunate to have some help, even so." Cyriacus looked meaningfully at Woolery.

 

Woolery. How was this even possible? Dogget knew now why Woolery had acted as he had. "Is this the way it is, Alec?" Everyone knew the implied accusation. Traitor!

 

Woolery nodded, almost to himself, then looked at Dogget. "I'm sorry Colonel. There isn't another way." With that, he departed from the cabin, his head bowed.

 

Dogget struggled against his two handlers, but they held fast wordlessly. The one on his right hadn't bothered to disarm Dogget of the knife, but he also kept a firm control of the Colonel's wrist.

 

"Please, please." Cyriacus put his hands out in what seemed to be an extremely patronizing manner. "As I said, Sergeant Woolery helped us out - we could have done it without him. It merely gave us an opportunity to save more lives..."

 

"Save lives? What do you care about that? All you're doing is sucking up to the Ascidians for your personal gain" roared Dogget. "All you want is your personal survival, you selfish bastard"

 

Dogget felt his handlers kick him behind the knees, and they manhandled him into a kneeling position before Cyriacus. It was a new level of humiliation, and Dogget vowed revenge for this affront. He would get them all for this insult. "So, now that you have me, do you think you'll just get away from this injustice free?"

 

Cyriacus didn't even bother with the question. Instead, he continued on as if he had not been interrupted. "Most of your officers stayed by you, Colonel Dogget. I'm sorry to say though, that the Emperor has issued a death order for all senior staff."

 

Dogget's voice dripped with scorn. "Oh? And does that mean you are 'officially' part of the great Empire that is the Ascidian Territories?"

 

"No, of course not. X-Com is simply here to inspect and verify that you are caught. I am not charged with executing the Emperor's orders. That duty belongs to the troops of the Emperor." Cyriacus gestured at the others.

 

"Can't do it yourself? Need to send others to do your dirty work, hmm?" Dogget sneered. "Pathetic."

 

"Not at all. If these were X-Com troops, maybe you could make such a statement and it might be fair." Cyriacus' smile disappeared. "McCaib was killed during the initial breach. A number of your Marine officers died fighting as well. We did find a few still alive though... Kevin, if you wish..."

 

Dogget felt his throat tighten as one of the black-uniformed soldiers approached. In his hand was a long dueling sword of some sort, blood encrusted along the blade. "Colonel Dogget. I present to you your last officer." He tossed a box in front of him. In it was the head of Captain Alley "Pony" Dale.

 

Dogget's mind reeled. "She was..."

 

"A commissioned officer in the X-Com Resistance," completed the one Cyriacus had called Kevin. "I saw no reason to make an exception here. Whether she was a soldier or not is not my concern. In your next life, you can take better care of whom you charge with the authority of your organization."

 

Kevin stepped aside, and Dogget stared into the barrel of a heavy pistol. "There is no formal wording under the Emperor's flag, of course," said the tall soldier. "However, we hereby find you guilty of treason..."

 

"Treason? Treason?" Dogget struggled to bring his knife to play, but it only took a fraction of a second for the man on his right to shatter Dogget's elbow. The knife clanged uselessly to the floor.

 

"Oh yes. You are a member of X-Com. As I said, treason against the State," the soldier continued. "The Emperor and the High Council, in their benevolence, have decided to grant mercy to members of the X-Com Resistance, excepting those who have been granted commission and authority under the alien flag... and those are to be punished by death."

 

Dogget could not even sputter a word before the bullet's struck home.

 

 

X-Com Resistance

 

In the aftermath of the Paronnen rebellion, Ascidian forces pulled back to solidify their military goals. Task Force Leviathan eventually continued their search for the X-Com Resistance. Without a repair dock, the Rommel had little choice but to do the best it could with the resources it had, but they lived the life of the hunted for over a year. Task Force Leviathan eventually seized the Rommel, deep in uncharted territory. Leviathan teams held the Rommel until X-Com's official delegation, led by Colonel Cyriacus and guarded by Kappa Team, arrived to give 'official consent' and recognition to the execution of what were technically X-Com officers. Many members of XCR would eventually make peace with their 'ancestors', but none ever fought or returned to Earth. They settled on Arkunis IV as part of the human colony there.

 

Captain Charles McCaib

 

Captain McCaib had a devil of a time trying to keep the Rommel in working order. The damage sustained had been severe, and replacement parts were impossible to come by for some of the systems. He was organizing a defence in engineering when the initial Leviathan assault teams breached the ship and was killed in action.

 

VAL-919

 

The android known as VAL-919 fought a desperate battle against the Ascidian special operations teams, but to no avail. Eventually its body was so damaged that the Ascidians could restrain it easily. Because of VAL's programmed loyalty, it was never fixed physically, but the study of VAL's android brain allowed both Ascidian and human scientists to advance their knowledge of robotics.

 

Captain Alley Dale

 

Captain Dale was one of very few officers to survive the initial attacks. When she found that she was to be executed for being an officer, she tried to renounce her allegiance. It was too little too late - she and three other officers were beheaded by Master Sergeant Kevin Ong.

 

Sergeant Alec Woolery

 

Sergeant Woolery was the highest ranking member of XCR to survive the attack on the Rommel. As Task Force Leviathan struck, Sergeant Woolery led a rebellion of XCR Marines against the remaining crew of the Rommel. Though the rebellion would succeed, Woolery would not fight again. He didn't mind; he retired in good grace to the human settlement on Arkunis IV.

 

Colonel Chad Dogget

 

Colonel Dogget believed in his mission to the very end. He fought tenaciously against the Leviathan operatives, but his command was not a match for the skills of the Ascidian assault teams. Colonel Dogget was the last X-Com Resistance officer; he was summarily executed by 1st Lieutenant Dmitri Schmerjchanikov.