The Best, the Brightest, and the Rest- an X-Com interactive AAR

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Jec94227

Jec94227

Master Knight
Old Guard
Brave citizens of Earth! We have come under threat from the least expected direction- up! Now, I know there have been some problems with everyone in the world co-operating, but this new and dangerous incursion has encouraged everyone to work together, and save humanity from this alien menace.

Sort of kind of maybe.

Ok look, I'm not even the guy who is supposed to be in command. I was a third rank aide to the guy, but he died in a car accident, his replacement has disappeared and three other nominations for command fell off a bridge as a result of a love triangle spiraling out of control. I had the misfortune of being caught in a compromising situation with a politicians daughter, so here I am. The original plan called for the best and brightest men and women from across the globe to come together under my command and act as a rapid reaction force to deal with the aliens while we built up our strength to hit them directly. Of course, this plan has fallen apart in the wake of the incredibly rapid turnover rate for commanders, as various nations began to express their doubts of the usefulness of X-Com, and viciously hoarded their special forces for their own use, and leaving me in a rather awkward position of being strong-armed into commanding a defense force with no actual soldiers.

Desperate times call for desperate measures though, and since I'm almost certainly doomed career-wise anyway, I have decided to open recruitment to the general public. So, if you've lasted this long, have an overwhelming desire to cause death and destruction or maybe want to see what the inside of an alien looks like, now is your chance. We will take literally anyone who can hold a gun, point it in the general direction of the enemy, and pull the trigger.

That's it. The sole requirements for joining what was supposed to be the most elite military force in the world is a desire to murder **** or a mild interest in dissecting sentient beings who have mastered space travel. You will most likely die a gruesome death and leave your remains on some blasted battlefield somewhere on earth, but if you live, you'll get to shoot lasers.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

So yeah, I'm going to play through X-Com, enemy unknown/within. If you'd like to be a soldier, let me know.
 
From humble beginnings shall greatness emerge

So this X-Com project started when astronomer-types noticed something heading for earth. They figured it was an asteroid or something, shrugged and went back to whatever it is they do. Their calm demeanor ended the instant this object changed course which, I am told, is a very bad thing. After this the project was started up, I was brought in as an aide for General Meier, whose fate I already outlined for you, and diplomatic wrangling began over costs and duties and such. I did not pay much attention since, like I said, I was basically a mere functionary sent in to be a part of something by the Canadian government.

Things were merely in the planning stages when these objects began to fall to earth. Luckily, we have some *ahem* expert documentation in the form of a guy with a cellphone camera.

We don't really know what happened to him, though I have my suspicions he didn't die happily in bed surrounded by loved ones.

Then the rapid turnover rate happened. I learned of this second-hand, because I was currently engaged in a private meeting with a woman who turned out to be the daughter of one of the shadowy guys in charge of X-Com. He found out, and next thing I knew, I was "volunteered" as the new commander on the understanding that, if I failed, things would not go well for me.

Now, normally I would be kind of excited about this project, since we have all sorts of cool toys to play with, like this holographic globe here. I **** you not, I played with this thing for hours until my minder assistant reminded me that I have some work to do.

To aide in this acquisition of really cool **** is Doctor Vahlen. She kind of scares me so most of my communication to her has been through proxies and memos. I don't think she minds though, so long as I let her study alien technology and aliens themselves.

To build the toys that Vahlen and I dream up is Shen. I don't know much about him, but he reminds me of my grandfather except slightly crazy. He has this calm outlook on life, and I get the feeling if I put in an order for half a dozen automated pimp-smacking machines he'd just nod and go with it, wearing a detached look on his face as though he finds the whole thing sort of distasteful.
http://s105.photobucket.com/user/jlempriere/media/2015-05-03_00031_zps5vjvml92.jpg.html?sort=3&o=19

Oh, and there are some soldiers, but I didn't want to get too attached to them.

As for the location, well it's a top secret facility somewhere in central Africa. I'd like to say there was some kind of grand strategic vision for this choice, but since it was left up to me, and since the African Union promised to pay me more if I set up there, it was kind of a no-brainer. Doctor Vahlen pushed for South America though, citing their "excellent working conditions", but I overruled her.
 
Operation Crimson Heart

So it turns out the African Unions desperation to have me base X-Com in their country was due to the presence of aliens in South Africa. I thought they meant something completely different but after the delegates showed me a picture I realised they weren't just being racists. So I ordered a squad down and sat back in my command room to watch the ensuing action. There would have been popcorn involved but alas, some scheming bastard ate the last bag and the grocery shopping wasn't due for another week. With a heavy heart, operation *sigh* Crimson Heart began.

We caught sight of them easily, they were just kind of loitering around this weird glowing container, but scattered into cover as soon as they noticed us, like skittish rabbits. Heavily armed rabbits but still. Not wanting to run into an ambush, and also being slightly tired from the run from the VTOL, everyone pointed assault rifles at where we last saw the aliens and hoped they wouldn't show up from a different direction

Fortunately, they didn't, and everyone let off a relaxing squeeze of the trigger. Just about everyone missed but that's okay, we're still learning. Besides, I think an actual soldier stuck around, and she managed to cap the sorry little bastard in the head as it dashed for cover.

After that, the aliens friend was killed, and I started to wonder if the world hadn't entirely overestimated this alien threat.

Two more showed up, and in another spectacular round of shooting, the squad filled the air with so many shots the aliens suffered a minor setback.
Great job guys.

The aliens shot back, and they had honest to god lasers which caused the command room to be filled with glee that they were actual real life things. Doctor Vahlen apparently heard my joyous shouts as she sent a runner clarifying that these were in fact, plasma weapons, which were completely different. I didn't really care, since both were awesome.

Of course, nobody was really phased by the lightshow, since the aliens were worse shots than the squad was. A quick bit of sprinting around and a few well placed shots ensured that the mission was completed with zero friendly casualties, and once again South Africa was free of minorities.
 
Hooray, volunteers! You'll be sent to the front with next to no training, since your obvious morale makes up for that.

Also, no Long War, just vanilla.
 
Operation Severed Druid

So it's been a quiet few days at base, mostly been spent getting everyone organised and ready to go. Doctor Vahlen began tearing apart enemy technology scraps with a joy and efficiency that makes me pity any alien we manage to capture alive. Shen on the other hand has been much more helpful and much less scary, gently guiding the development of our secret lair base to keep us at maximum efficiency.

Then, as I was in the middle of relaxing in my office, the klaxons started going off. I panicked, and it was only when a runner from Bradford came did I find out that the base was not under attack. Turns out the aliens have struck again, in multiple points across the world. The catch was I could only respond to one, due to the shortage of subsonic VTOL's in the X-Com hanger. One would think that we would have more, but Bradford just shrugged when I asked him, and Shen told me he had no idea how to build them.

Anyway, I wound up sending the team to Argentina, because Doctor Vahlen just so happened to be visiting the command center whilst sharpening her scalpels (not her work ones either, she's gotten her own personally embossed collection!) and casually mentioned that since we weren't based in South America, and since South America was offering up some of it's top scientists if we came and dealt with these aliens, it might be a good idea to take them up on it.

With this fateful decision, operation Severed Druid came into being. Going on this mission was the newest recruit, K-64 who demanded the biggest gun around and seemed disappointed with what we came up with, and then vowed to become a sacrificial lamb in the face of this grand invasion. Like I said, we're taking literally anyone.

The operation itself was a fairly simple one, much the same as the last one except there were more aliens. Disembarking in the middle of the street, the team pushed it's way straight up the middle, and encountered the first group almost immediately. Exiled Tyrant, another new recruit with disturbing rants about immigrants and illegal aliens, came under fire almost as quickly.
Fortunately they were dealt with by a new recruit who noticed the odd link that had formed between the two. A few well placed shots and both aliens were down.

K-64 was sent to recover the strange canister that the lads have taken to calling meld, but discovered another pair of aliens loitering by the parked cars. Though they opened fire upon K-64, the aliens were clearly spooked, as the plasma sailed harmlessly overhead and probably slammed into an apartment or office building somewhere. The return fire, on the other hand, proved quite deadly.

Meld secured, the team reloaded and sent the new recruit off to scout the last bit of the map. The final alien presence was quickly discovered, and in a subsequent scene, dealt with in a manner akin to old action movies, to my incredible delight watching back at the command center, as K-64 opened up with his machine gun and tore them apart like Rambo.

Operation Severed Druid was thus a success, and the team mounted up and returned back to base.


Of course, we still have no idea why they're here, and we're no closer to stopping them. To cap it off, both British and Chinese delegates are pissed off at me. Maybe I can send them to Doctor Vahlen...
 
I thought someone was going to LP an actually good game. I am disappointed since half the fun of X-Com is the high turnover rate of soldiers. But perhaps your LP will last longer than my failed productions.

So I might as well sign up.
 
can I be the worse but manageable soldier that works as a comic relief, that in the end of the game dies just so everyone can be a little bit more pissed with the villain and also give that mural boost to the main protagonist to avenge his fallen comrade ?
 
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