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[Aavak]

Somehow this all seems so familiar... have we been here before?
Oh Gods. Now I remember. Chryssalids...

To the new recruits among you, either new to XCOM or to my Let's Plays in general, greetings, and to the battle scarred veterans of my earlier XCOM: Enemy Unknown Let's Play, welcome back to the fight!

For those who didn't have chance to properly read their assignments before you were drugged and loaded into the Skyranger, XCOM: Enemy Within (released November, 2013) in  is a stand-alone expansion to XCOM: Enemy Unknown (released October, 2012), and together they form part of a series of games that represent Firaxis' re-imagining of the classic turn-based strategy game UFO: Enemy Unknown, released by MicroProse in 1994.

In XCOM, we play the role of the leader of Earth's first, and last line of defence in a world where the 1st of March, 2015 marks the day that the great question "Are we alone?" is finally answered... by the terrifying sound of alien weapons fire! Naturally, our goal is to defeat these alien invaders, but not before we research their nature and their technology to help even the battle-field... and, with some of you watching, I achieved this goal with my blind, ironman/classic Let's Play of Enemy Unknown, though not without losing a few good men (and women) along the way...

However, with the arrival of Enemy Within, Firaxis have continued to fine-tune their new XCOM formula, adding new and far-reaching features such as the ability to genetically modify your troops, or fuse man and machine to create powerful new mechanised soldiers. But along with these powerful tools at XCOM's disposal for dealing with the alien threat, there are of course new aliens, and as the game's name might suggest--entirely new threats!

Naturally, a commander cannot expect to turn the tables on alien invaders without soldiers to command! For this reason, I warmly welcome any and all requests to rename soldiers after viewers, and maintain a public list of all the names that have been suggested, here. As I may not get the chance to use all the names suggested, I pick new names from the list at random (thank you random.org!) so no-matter how many names are already on the list, any new additions have just as much chance as any other to get selected :)

Additionally, some of my viewers have taken to writing diary entries, or mission logs, for the soldiers lucky enough to carry their names! While my own commander's logs (posted along with each episode update) tend to recap what happened in the last episode, and avoid spoilers regarding the episode they relate to, the soldiers tend to live in the moment. As such, I will be including the soldier's accounts of the happenings in an episode after the episode link... these tend to contain a lot of spoilers, so I would suggest not reading them until you're done watching the episode itself! Forewarned is forearmed ;)

Now, with introductions out of the way, it's time to shake off the effects of those sedatives and get ready, because Skyranger has landed, and we're already needed in mission control!

Latest Report:



Recent News:










As always, any suggestions or advice you may have to offer in our ongoing fight to save the Earth is warmly welcomed!

[Aavak]

While this is an ongoing Let's Play (I'd say about early-mid game assuming Enemy Within hasn't got anything tricky up its sleeve!), as I have created a narrative through the video descriptions', and especially as some of my viewers have taken the time to get involved and create engaging stories for their own characters within the LP in the video comments, rather than post a single 'summary' post of all the operations up to now I'll be posting a separate post for each episode.

This will allow me to present the stories from my viewers in a more convenient way for anyone reading this thread and also provide a more interesting 'catch up' for anyone who's interested :)

So, there'll likely be a good few posts following this one in quick succession, please forgive the spam. While I'd usually shy away from posting so quickly, I figure it's more considerate to other people posting here if all the 'link bumping' happens in the space of a single hour rather than me bumping the thread several times a day for the next week or so even if I've not posted anything new. I hope no one minds!

[Aavak]

Operation Blinding Shroud
1st of March, 2015:

The 'council' may move in the shadows, but no one can claim that it doesn't at least moves quickly. First reports of alien contact are only a few hours old and I'm already on-route to a secret military base somewhere in Asia, where I am told, I am to head a para-military organisation to defend ourselves against this extraterrestrial threat...

...which, I suppose I don't mind so much, but did they really have to drag me away before I had time to finish my tea?!

PERSONAL LOGS:

Xi Gui:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Personal Dairy of Xi Gui
Commanding Officer of PLA 79th Infantry Division
February 20th 2015

I just received notice from the Minister of National Defense that my unit and I have been reassigned to a base in the Philippines. I have no idea that such a base even existed in the Philippines and I can not think as to what reason we would ever have a base there. In fact I would expect the Japanese or the Americans would have a base before we would. Why are we being shipped out to some place that does not even concern us?

I've been in charge of this division for years and have executed the duties of my post faithfully. It is not my place to question the Minister or any of my commanders but am I not at least due an explanation?

February 21st

My unit has been shipped out in a hurry as per commands orders. We're currently en route to the new base in the Philippines. Last night I contacted all the people I could think of to dig up an explanation as to what they could possibly need an entire division of the PLA for in that place. Unfortunately the only response I received is "guard duty". Guard duty? Is that not the work of local security forces? Surely the Philippines themselves have sufficient forces to recruit to guard a base? Even so, an entire division is not needed for guard duty!

My men have started to question me as to the assignment themselves. Even though I convinced them to drop the subject, at least for now, I can not deny the atmosphere myself. Strange orders to move to a non-critical target. Rumblings of unexplainable events in the west. I do not know what. I do not know why. Something... big is happening in the world. I do not like this. I do not like this at all.

February 25th

We arrived at the base 3 days ago and finally we get some answers. I have spoken to the men in charge here. Officer Bradford, an American, commands the base and wants to use my men to make up a large part of base security along with supplementary forces from the Philippine Army. Defense against what? I can not believe i am saying this but...... extra-terrestrials. Upon my honor as an officer, we are fighting true outer space aliens! I would have told Officer Bradford that he was a bold faced liar if he did not show me the evidence of their existence first hand. I've dealt with claims of alien crafts before. Blurry and out of focus or computer generated each and every one. This however... There's simply no denying what is in this information. Now, it seems to want to destroy us.

God. What did we do to deserve this?

[Aavak]

Operation Swift Hydra
1st of March, 2015:

Despite being called to command this 'first and last' line of defence, without even time enough to finish my tea, I must confess I'm quietly pleased with how competent our initial soldiers appear to be!

Operation Blinding Shroud was a stunning success, with only one soldier suffering any wounds at all (which I'm told he will make a full recovery from)  while they managed to eliminate an entire squad of aliens!

Though, I can't say I'm quite as pleased with the base staff, especially that Central Officer Bradford. There's something about that man that puts me on edge. He's always watching me, as if he's just waiting for his opportunity to strike. I've taken precautions, and had Dr. Shen install a biometric lock on my quarters, but I'll have to keep a close eye on him...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Xi Gui:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Personal Dairy of Xi Gui
Commanding Officer of PLA 79th Infantry Division
Commanding Officer XCOM "Shi" 1st Division, XCOM Security Forces

March 2nd 2015

I have had the distinction of meeting the new military commander of the base. This Commander Aavak, a European I assume though i am not sure the country, seems a bit young and unsure of himself to be in a command post this important. I can't blame him for being scared though. None of us have ever faced a threat quite like this before. There is no tested strategy for invaders from another planet. No recon to give us a starting place. No intelligence to gather and formulate a response. An unknown enemy.

But we do know one thing. They bleed like we do. We can kill them and we can stop them... Some way.

The UN Council we all work under has my interest as well. Their formation was swift and organized. An alliance of world leaders and politicians that are unified against the threat? A few days after the threat was confirmed they came up with resources and technology we had no knowledge existed! It is too convenient. Did they know about this threat before the world did? If so, how long? And how much more are they hiding from us?

[Aavak]

Operation Hot Daze
10th of March, 2015:

Not long after returning from Operation Blinding Shroud we received an urgent message from three separate countries, apparently the aliens had launched a coordinated attack, and initial intel suggested their objective was abduction.

The difficult choice of whom to save fell to me, and knowing this, the countries each vied for XCOM's assistance by bidding various resources. It pains me to know that the cost of civilian lives can be so easily measured, but I had to make a choice, and so I sent the Skyranger to Germany in exchange for the promise of 4 new engineers to join Dr Shen's staff.

The operation was not flawless, but with only one soldier begin wounded (again, something I'm told he will recover from in about a week) I should feel happy, and yet all I can think of is the fact I left two countries to fend for themselves, knowing they could do little to protect their people from the aliens.

But sitting here, nursing a cup of tea while I wallow in my thoughts will not win this war, nor give any value to the sacrifice of those we did not save. Besides, I can hear cheering coming from mission control, I'd best head over there to find out what's going on.

PERSONAL LOGS:

Dr. James Novak:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

XCOM Medical Staff, Philippines Fire-base Xenos

March 8th, 2015

I have worked in the field of Microbiology for many years with Dr. Vahlen in Germany as an undergraduate and eventually a doctor and I have never seen a more incredible breakthrough than this. Project Purity was a remarkable success! If you told me months ago I would be working with alien technology, then I would tell you to shut up or piss off, preferably both in either order. However this Meld substance! We have nanotechnology on earth for medical reasons, which gave us a starting point, but this is leagues above our own!

And personally this makes me excited and scared as hell. The artifacts the soldiers scoop up after the battle. I mean, if we win the war we could potentially put it to good use. But if we win the war, it could also start an arms race the likes of which has not been seen since every kid on the block had to have the cool new toy named "The Atomic Bomb".

If we lose... Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

[Aavak]

Operation Dark Daze
10th of March, 2015:

I managed to reach mission control just in time to receive confirmation of our first successful attack on a UFO! However, despite the amount of punishment dished out by our interceptor, satellite images showed that the ship was not destroyed as we had expected... and thus, Operation Hot Daze was authorised!

For the first time, we were the aggressors, and our soldiers were able to use this to devastating effect against the still dazed and disorganised crew of the downed UFO. Although they were unable to recover all of the 'meld' substance that had been present, they managed to eliminate the remaining crew and recover some of their undamaged technology without even a single wound!

Needless to say, spirits are high here in command, and among the troops, but now we have to play the waiting game as Dr Vahlen and Dr Shen try to unlock the secrets of this technology so we can close the enormous gulf that separates us and the aliens, but I somehow doubt the aliens will take this defeat lying down...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, March 28, 2015:
I was scolded by the commander today for taking disciplining the squad into my own hands. Missing rockets makes everything turn into a shit show and almost gets the entire squad killed. That's all I was trying to make a point of. Granted, in retrospect I probably could've picked a better time to make sure Revocane realized this, and perhaps used a better method, but come on! I'm a corporal. I didn't go through any sort of training in leadership, what do they expect?

Regardless, despite Powell's best efforts on the field - thanks, Powell, I owe you a beer - that grayskin asshole shot me up bad. I'll be spending almost a week in the infirmary. The doctors told me to lie down, I told them they'd have to put me down before I stopped my weapons training. They sedated me. Pricks.

I'll be back on the field before they know it. I'll be more careful next time, but the aliens haven't broken me yet. I'm not done until I bag a whole lot more alien scum.

Xi Gui:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Personal Dairy of Xi Gui
Commanding Officer of PLA 79th Infantry Division
Commanding Officer XCOM "Shi" 1st Division, XCOM Security Forces

March 10th 2015

Our first time taking the fight to the enemy! Shot down a UFO over Japan! I never thought it was possible but this war continues to surprise me. Now we know that we can beat them with the proper preparation. I have given the men the night off to change shift with the Philippine security forces so we can celebrate this victory with the others. I hope it will be the first of many.

Another meeting with the commander soon about troop placement in the facility. He is expanding the underground operation with several new facilities. My men will be spread thinner and guard shifts longer. Maybe the incoming regiments from France or America can make up the difference? As we get security up and running around here, I get to see different parts of the base. Doctor Vahlen and Doctor Shen (a fellow countryman and another person I can talk to in my native language! We will become good friends for sure!) have been very respectful. I will do all in my power to protect this base.

[Aavak]

Operation Enduring Tears
28th of March, 2015:

With spirits still high, things seemed to be going astonishingly well for us... too well. We'd managed to expand the base, production was well underway on multiple new satellites that would calm some of the most fearful nations, and our R&D efforts were beginning to bear fruit. Despite a few exasperating conversations with my staff, who seem to be in a constant state of surprise whenever I show even the slightest hint that I know what I'm doing, the situation seemed to be turning in our favour.

I should have realised what that meant.

Operation Dark Daze hit us like a lorry. A lorry packed full of angry aliens. Although everyone got out alive, I could see that some of them were a little shaken up, tempers flared in the mission and it was obvious that not all of the anger and violence had been left behind when Skyranger picked the squad up.

Now, with most of them spending time in medbay, we're left to wonder what will happen if another urgent call comes through for our aid... I can't help but feel this could have been avoided somehow. And on top of that, Dr Shen has told me that we might not have the Satellite Uplink finished in time before the council of nations convenes to review our performance.

Still, I have a few medals here, it's a small token, but I'm hoping it'll help sooth tempers and lift the squad out of the gloomy mood it's in. These men and women are Earth's best, and with each passing day they might be called on to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of our survival as a species... I can't do much for them, but at least it should be me dealing with all these worries, not them.

I don't even know if we have anywhere set up for the awards ceremony. Ah well, we'll work something out...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, March 31, 2015
The commander awarded me the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword! Despite his previous scolding, he does seem to be proud of me to some extent. I’m exceptionally flattered – I honestly didn’t see it coming. Powell received the Terran Unity Badge, and he certainly deserves it. For all that the man can smack down some grayskins with a fury, he’s one of the friendliest people I’ve met on the base. Sure, there’s a bit of a language barrier, but he’s trying to teach me Russian, and his English is a lot better than most people give him credit for.
 
April 1, 2015
I heard from some of the higher ups that things are going pretty well. The spooks that are funding this project seem to be happy with the work we’re doing. I heard from a friend on Vahlen’s science team that research is going well, and they’re on the brink of another discovery. She told me that between the science department and the engineers, they should be able to bang out some gear to make the grunts like me more effective. I’m not complaining – if I can get bigger weapons and better armor, then I’m certainly okay with that.
 
April 5, 2015 (Part One, Video Log)
(There's a brief moment of static, and a few too loud taps on a microphone being used by someone who clearly doesn't use them often. A clear picture then emerges of a platinum blonde woman, who, after taking a moment to glance at a clock behind her, grins ferociously at the screen and begins to speak.) I’m recovered! The doctors are letting me go back on duty. Not only that, the day of, the commander called me in for Codename: Enduring Tears. To hell with weapons training: the best practice is shooting grayskin scum in the head, right? Well, I have to get going, they're expecting me on the Skyranger. I can't be late, it looks bad on my record and gives the rookies a poor example. (The woman fumbles with a few buttons, and then the recording is abruptly ended.)

Dr. James Novak:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

XCOM Medical Staff, Philippines Fire-base Xenos
March 28th 2015

Two more wounded casualties on the commanders A-Team. Squaddie Johnson got the worst of it. We almost lost him and it will weigh heavily on his mind. It's not easy seeing the type of damage that the aliens superior weaponry can do to the human body. Our current armor and arms can hold but only just. Luckily Dr. Vahlen and the staff are working on ideas to level the playing field with these bastards.

The other wounded one, Corporal Frost, was just inconsolable. It's like she didn't even notice at that point the plasma scarring on her chest and shoulder. She said (in quite colorful language) we'd have to put her under if we wanted to stop her from training. As it turns out we had the means to satisfy her request. One shot of the juice and she was out like a sleep deprived college student. I think I will make like one and go to bed soon myself. Andrea can cover my shift.


Addendum: I'd also like to add that Dr. Vahlen shares my sentiment that the commander maybe playing favorites with the Engineers and will run the science team into the ground for a few months. I'm requesting Commander Aavak for more staff along with Dr. Vahlen herself. Or maybe some energy drinks at least.

[Aavak]

Operation Enduring Tears, conclusion!
5th of March, 2015:

As I suspected, when this base was hastily constructed no one thought to add anywhere that we could use for formal ceremonies. So I had a space cleared in the armoury to award the medals, the troops didn't seem to mind though and the medals did seem to rise moral a little.

But, what a manic month March has been. With the initial highs, followed by the sudden low of our first rough mission, and rounded off by launching two new satellites, and extremely high praise from the council of nations in their month-end report.

Though we didn't have much time to congratulate ourselves, as the council were soon back in contact with us. This time with an aid request from France. Although details were sketchy, and a bit jumbled, most of our troops were back from medbay so we were at least able to field some experienced soldiers.

And so far, that experience has been paying off as they've engaged a new alien foe with little difficulty, but it's clear something isn't right here, and they've been advised to proceed with extreme caution...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier April 6, 2015 (Part two of the April 5 entry)
I'm in the infirmary. Again. I didn't give the doctors too hard of a time this time around - I was too busy being terrified. I'm not sure why it hit me now; I was fine on the field. I guess it's just a different mindset. The aliens aren't just Sectoids. The science team has called these new aliens Thin Men - scaly freaks in suits. It's unsettling to say the least to find out that it's not just the one opponent we're up against. These fucking suits have a different style of fighting, and even when you kill'em, they burst into this acidic cloud. I didn't think I'd be this scared. I can fight. I can shoot, I can kill. I'm a bad ass. Best of the best. But these aliens, they scare me. What if there's more?

I suppose I should take a moment to talk about the mission. It went all right, I guess. No one died, but we were all shot up pretty bad. It's hard to keep morale up when you watch your friends get shot. We saved this survivor from the aliens, but I'm not sure what he survived from. Most of the corpses on the field were shot up by human weapons, but he wouldn't talk except to tell us we were puppets, or otherwise spouting some doomsday nonsense. He seems like a prick to me. The commander told us to take him to Vahlen when we got back. I almost feel bad for him, but we did give him the option to talk beforehand. He's got it coming to him. The commander also promoted the entire squad this time around - I'm a sergeant now. The men have taken to calling me 'Android'. I've yet to figure that one out entirely, but if I had to guess it would have something to do with my training regime.

I don't want to think about any of that right now, though. A few days of R&R will do me some good. I wonder, if I intentionally cause a ruckus will they sedate me again? I think I'd be okay with that this time around.

Anahita Shahnaz:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

April 5th 2015
XCOM Engineering Team Mjolnir
Bellator Ex Machina

I never thought before 2014 Iran would loosen its restriction on women in engineering but here I am. First I am exploring mechanics in Egypt but now I am working with the brightest minds in the world against an alien threat! I've never been more excited! The alien technology is so impressive that it's scary. Such an efficient design. Ever since we recovered the first fragments of the alien technology and metals we have been drawing up designs on how to implement these in armor and our exciting new division on the MEC suits. This project will change combat forever and the medical prosthesis will advance centuries ahead. This technology can help countless people.

[Aavak]

Operation Unceasing Star
6th of April, 2015:

As our troops made slow, but steady progress through the combat zone, the warning signs continued to sound as we encountered very littler resistance from the aliens. It was almost as if we were fighting stragglers who'd been left behind to clean up... despite the fact most of the dead people here seemed to have died to conventional weapons fire.

But once Bradford stopped withholding knowledge of advanced strategic assets at our disposal, our troops were able to quickly find a single human survivor, though they seemed less than happy to be rescued, That's when things really started to turn sour. The aliens had been waiting for us, and now that we were handicapped, having to escort a wounded civilian out of the AO they took the opportunity to cut loose.

It is a testament to their abilities to remain calm and focused in an increasingly desperate situation that our squad were able to return at all, but they were badly wounded. A trial by fire for our rookie, but if nothing else good came from this, it at least brought them to my attention. I see great things in that soldier's future (well, besides the horrible, tragic, and down right terrifying things)

Never the less, this does mean that as we head deeper into April it seems we're going to be without the support of our best soldiers... my only hope is that the aliens remain distracted by licking their wounds after our last engagement, and give us enough time to get at least Evelynn back on her feet!

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, April 6th, 2015 (Part one):
A short entry for today, the doctors told me to sleep as much as I could for this first day out of commission. For all that I'd prefer to be in the bar, these doctors have nerves of steel. None of us like the idea of spending the next week in the infirmary, but they eye us down with as much authority as the commander does.

I heard the alarms go off again, and I sneaked my way away from the doctors. I knew I shouldn't have, but I didn't care. I had to see who was going on this mission, Unceasing Star. I had to know. If any of them died, if they had so much as a third degree burn from those alien bastards, I'd blame myself. Unreasonable as it is, they are my comrades, and it's my screw ups, my missed shots, and my bad leadership that gets my squad hurt and forces the commander to send out rookies.

When I got to the hanger, they were boarding and taking off. I saluted them, and then walked back to the infirmary. Bear, Weaver, Haugen, and Ferguson. Three of them haven't even seen the aliens except in recordings. Bear, at least, has some experience, but I'm afraid that it might just not be enough. 

Dr. James Novak:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

April 6th
XCOM Medical Staff, Philippines Fire-base Xenos

The medbay is on fire again trying to work extra shifts to try and cover all the wounded soldiers. Once again Corporal (now Sergeant) Frost is in her favorite bed in her favorite room in her favorite military base and its my job to patch her up. I worry about her condition. She's not her usual vulgar self. The rest of the soldiers are coming back a bit quieter as well. When the enthusiasm falls away and they see what the enemy is capable of I assume that will happen. Maybe Thomas, the psych, can break through to them and bring them to their feet again. 

Thankfully we will be getting an additional scientist as a gift for fulfilling the council's work. It's not much but every little bit helps.

Corporal Powell took a huge hit. The plasma scarring on his face, arm, and legs are not easy to repair. Thank god for the small meld application gel Doctor Vahlen's team created for advanced dermal tissue repair. If we get out of this war alive then we will have a serious discussion of the applications of this breakthrough with regards to modern cosmetics.

New XCOM Regeneration Cream! Made with real extraterrestrial technology! Order now! It's out of this world!

Shit, that just sounds incredibly cheesy.

[Aavak]

Operation Unceasing Star, conclusion!
6th of April, 2015:

As if they had been listening in on my thoughts, the Aliens didn't even wait a day before launching their next attack... or at least, flying close enough that there's no way we could convincingly tell the council we didn't notice them. Not even Evelynn had time enough to recover, though she made every attempt to convince us otherwise, the medical staff made it quite clear that if she went on the mission she wouldn't be coming back.

That left me with very little choice, and so a squad comprised largely of rookies, and lead by Brandi Bear suited up and left for Operation Unceasing Star. To say I didn't hold much hope for their chances of success would be a gross understatement.

However, to my great surprise the squad has been making good progress through the ruined remains of the top of an apartment building. The aliens they've encountered have fallen with little trouble, and as I record this log our troops have not suffered any casualties, or even any wounds. Perhaps I have been unfair to Brandi Bear, if she can keep up this level of leadership through the rest of the mission I may have to reassess her value as part of future operations.

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, April 6, 2015 (Part two)
I couldn't sleep while Unceasing Star was underway. The doctors were kind enough to realize that I had to know the outcome of the mission. Fortunately, not only did everyone come back, Brandi Bear's leadership seems to have won the day. Haugen made one hell of a shot, and Ferguson and Weaver did everyone proud. The only person with any wound was Weaver, but Haugen patched her up on the field. The rookies left with experience, a couple of promotions, and just a couple minor scrapes and burns. I couldn't be any more proud of them. Now, at least until the next operation, I can rest and heal up. I'll be back to top condition soon enough, and I'll be ready to kick some alien ass for the commander.

Dr. Thomas Linden:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

XCOM Medical Staff, Project Team Mutare ad Custodium
April 6th 2015

Frost is once again on the fritz. She snuck out of the medbay to see the men off on a mission. I let her stay there while she watched them and didn't interfere. It's good for her psyche to see soldiers return safe. I think instead of android she should have been named "Mother Bear". It's fitting.

On a more general note our current projects with the gene therapy are making breakthroughs. Amazing technology this meld stuff. We can rewrite the human body with advanced alien biology and advance the human race farther than we ever dreamed. Genetic rewrite for correcting vision problems! Regenerating bone marrow! Who knows what else? Its exciting to be working on this team and I am very glad to be a part of history. It will be a shame when the war ends and the miracle material runs dry.

[Aavak]

Operation Burning Dirge
6th of April, 2015:

Much to everyone's relief, not only was Brandi Bear up to the task of leading our rookies through the mission, but she did so with barely any injuries. Though special mention must be made of Amanda, whose bravery allowed the squad to neutralise the crystalline creature referred to as an 'Outsider'.

Needless to say, as they returned to base much of the staff, both combat personnel and command officers made their way to the hangar to welcome them home. All but one of the participants earned themselves promotions, and it was agreed that we would award another Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword to acknowledge the extraordinary courage and competence shown by one of the soldiers in particular.

All things told, Operation Unceasing Star was an unexpected success, and it has gone a long way to restoring confidence and moral about the base. Now if only all our future missions can follow suit...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a surprising healthy soldier, April 11, 2015:

I'm exceptionally disappointed in myself. I did poorly in codename: Burning Dirge. I have yet to figure out why the commander promoted me to Lieutenant. I missed an exceptional amount of shots, and as a direct result Grimnir was wounded. Perhaps the commander sees something in me that I don't. Perhaps he thinks my leadership on the field was just good enough. Perhaps he had a few too many pints. All the same, I'm Lieutenant now, the most senior field officer in the base. It's my duty to set an example for everyone else. I'll train harder, and hell and damn if I don't hit every single alien bastard the next mission.

Speaking of alien bastards, there's even more new ones. I'm increasingly terrified of these creatures. One that looks like a flying squid, the alien that attacked Grimnir, with powerful enough tentacles to immobilize and suffocate someone as large as him. I admit, I'm terribly glad it wasn't me, though. I've been interested in Japanese pop culture enough to know what happens when women and tentacles are mixed up.

There's also the Floaters, strange, twisted things that seem half machine and half enraged alien. They move quickly, but seem a bit slow to aim. We managed to take advantage of their flaws and dispatched them quite easily. Still, I am again left to wonder if this is it? A growing terror clutches at my heart and gnaws at me in the back of my mind: we haven't even begun to see the real horrors and death machines these freaks have up their sleeves.

On a more positive note, the team performed excellently today. Grimnir made a sublime shot with his rocket - no field discipline for him. Samsara was also quite commendable today. While she didn't make much use of her rifle, she laid down the law with her pistol. Of all of them, though, I believe Brown deserves the most commendation. She made brilliant shots, kept cool during her first mission, and in general performed admirably. She made something of a mistake in her aiming - almost shooting Samsara - and I'll be speaking with her about making sure to have the shot before actually shooting so we don't have another incident like that. Additionally, even though the panic situation has been growing worse around the world, things aren't nearly as bad as they could be. We've been making a significant impact; we're holding the aliens at bay just enough.

With all that said, now that I've made Lieutenant, I'm going to have to take a brief moment to hit up the bar. I owe Stefan a shot. I told him I'd make it some day.

Cheers, big brother. I bet you gave them hell.

Xi Gui:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Commanding Officer of PLA 79th Infantry Division
Commanding Officer XCOM "Shi" 1st Division, XCOM Security Forces

April 11th 2015

My best men have been assigned to helping Dr. Vahlen interrogate the victim of the crash. Despite the fact that we have employed some unconventional techniques in trying to make him give his secrets, he remains absolute in his convictions. Dr. Vahlen has reached out to the others of her staff for drugs and psychology help in trying to crack this man. However I know his type. He is a zealot. A fanatic to his cause, whatever that may be. I should talk to him. I will either break his will... Or his legs.

[Aavak]

Operation Fading Fall
11th of April, 2015:

I will make no excuses, this war is going to be bloody and no small amount of that blood will be on my hands, but the weight of humanities future rests on my shoulders. I realise the narrow, slippery path I'm walking with thinking like this, but we are what we are: Earth's first and last line of defence against the alien menace. What is good for us, is good for all of humanity... even if it involves sacrifice. And so, when the aliens launched a three pronged assault against civilian populations and the involved countries vied for our aid, I made the best choice for the future of XCOM, and thereby the world.

We launched Operation Burning Dirge with some confidence, the squad lead by Evelynn Frost, and armed with some new equipment thanks to Dr Shen. While the outcome was ultimately in our favour, we have now made contact with yet another alien species. The most troubling to date, a floating squid-like creature capable of rendering itself invisible until it moves in to strike...

Thanks to their hit and run tactics, Grimnir will be in the medbay for a few days, but it could have been much worse, but the appearance of this new alien foe has the crew nervous. And although I do my best to hide it from the rest of the staff and soldiers, I share this concern. How can we fight something we can't see?

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, April 18, 2015:
I'm back in the infirmary. Probably for the better, I've been vomiting for the better part of the hour since I got back. In combat, I have adrenaline and a goal to keep the shakes at bay. Outside of combat, though, I feel like a little girl afraid of the monsters under her bed. It's ridiculous, really. I should be handling this better. This is just another trip to the doctors to get patched up. I've gone on seven missions. I've scored sixteen confirmed kills. I've seen these aliens again and again. Still, none of that compared to getting crushed up in that Seeker's tentacles. It wasn't just painful - I can handle pain. It was disgusting. I felt violated - dirty. Beneath the metal I could feel the devices controlling it shift and grind to crush me further, giving it a sensation of wriggling. Even so, the robotic squid made little noise. It was quiet, almost still and calm as it attempted to squeeze the life out of me. I owe Samsara.

The aliens and their devices continue to unnerve me. I'm increasingly disturbed by them and how incredibly effective they are at destruction. If any of my friends still live, I am afraid for them. I'm not sure we'll be enough to fully stem the tide. I will persevere, though. The aliens can't break me. Every time they wound me, I come back stronger, more prepared, and hopefully more than they can handle. As long as I have a weapon and my heart still beats, I will continue to fight them, and I will continue to kill them. With the science team making advances, hopefully I'll be able to pick up equipment to make me even more deadly on the field. I'll stay alive, I'll lead my squad, and hell and damn to the aliens who try and stand, slither, or fly in my way. 

Grimnir:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Log Begins
12/4/2015 Sq. Grimnir Half-Dwarf

Writing this in medbay on a laptop I borrowed from one of the nurses. The head surgeon has informed me that all soldiers under the employ of the XCOM Project are required to keep a written personal log, as well as submit a history of any prior military or paramilitary experience and criminal or civil prosecutions. Would've been nice to know that when I signed on. I'll submit previously-mentioned history to the Commander separately, but for the sake of completeness I'll also summarise here: 28 months, not including training, as a member of the Aegis Defence Services under contract to the new Paranormal Etterforskning arm of the Norwegian Forsvarets Spesialkommando. Discharged for repeated incidents of insubordination. Once arrested by the London Police Department for battery, jailed for 2 months.

I'll come clean here, Grimnir Half-Dwarf is a pseudonym - as if you couldn't tell - but no way in hell am I giving my real name to this outfit - I want to go back to a normal life if I manage to survive this war. Not that the brass or the recruiters seem to care. I guess they're just desperate for soldiers mad enough to not jump ship after their first engagement. Still, the pay is good and I get to blow things up with extreme predjudice without getting dressed down by my CO, so things are looking up. Sort of. A little bit. Not really.

Been on two operations under XCOM command so far. During Operation Unceasing Star I was a Rookie, under the command of Squaddie (who the hell came up with these rank titles?) Brandi Bear. Another pseudonym I've no doubt. Anyway, the operation was a resounding success, and I got my first look at the alien invaders. They're pretty much the "Greys" we've been hearing about for decades now. Who would have guessed the tinfoil hat crowd were right? For my "exemplary performance" during the operation I was promoted to Squaddie, and awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Star. Aegis certainly never recognised me like this.

Second operation, Burning Dirge, under the command of Lieutenant Evelynn Frost was... not quite so good. No disrespect to her, she seems a capable officer, if a little uncertain, but the operation quickly became a bit of what we in the trenches call a Charlie Foxtrot.

Apparently we're fighting more than just Greys. There was some kind of... flying, metal thing with tentacles, equipped with some kind of "cloaking device" that renders it completely invisible to both normal sight and thermal imaging sensors. Damn thing tried to choke the life out of me with those tentacles, but my squadmates were able to discourage it with copious amounts of firepower. I'll say this for the LT, she's a damn good shot when it counts. I have since been informed that this flying nightmare has been designated a "Seeker" by the troops. Nobody bloody asked me, but I guess that's probably for the best, given I would have suggested "Sneaky Metal Bastard."

After the aforementioned strangulation incident, I also caught sight of a pack of aliens that looked for all the world like severed torsos with metal plating and jetpacks. Lt. Frost told me they're called "Floaters"... heh. At least someone in the base has a sense of humour. Operation Burning Dirge was completed with no casualties, but a couple of us got a trip to medbay for our wounds. That which doesn't kill us, eh?

Council of Nations:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Notice: This is a Communique from the United Nations Special Security Council for Countering Extra-Terrestrial Threats. Any attempt to copy, falsify, delete, omit, or otherwise alter the contents of, or attempt distribute in part or in entirety to any unauthorized persons this document, constitutes an Act of International Treason as for the Founding Articles of the United Nations and General United Nations Founding Security Resolutions Article 1-79-A-VI As well as Treason against any and all relevant signatories of the United Nations Security Council. All violations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of international law.

April 11th 2015

Commander Aavak,

It has come to our attention that despite your best efforts, two of our signatory nations believe that joining this initiative was not part of their overall best interest. We will do all that we can in order to calm their fears but you must work fast. Bring up the satellite coverage over their areas as soon as possible and bring the hammer down on invaders over their countries.

There are other problems that warrant your attention:

We have received reports of the survivor that you have picked up on the unauthorized french convoy. I have personally spoken to the French representative to the Security Council as well as the general assembly ambassador. His origins are unknown but apparently the prisoner was picked up in a raid on a compound of a terror cell located deep in French territory. What larger organization the terror cell is connected to remains unclear but the man is clearly connected to several campaigns of terror in Russia, France, Belgium, Spain, and India over the last decade. New security camera footage shows the man present in the Cercanías commuter train system in Madrid in 2004 shortly before the bomb attack. We are looking into several terror groups whom he might be apart of, but nothing has come to light yet. If we have any further developments we will share them with you immediately.

We are also able to make several contacts within the various signatory nations that could have valuable insights to the invaders. If the opportunity presents itself that we must extract these individuals and bring them to the UN safehouses, the coordinates marked on the maps you received with this communique, it will be up to you and your men to ensure their safety.

Good luck, Commander.

VIGILO CONFIDO

[Aavak]

Operation Cryptic Heat
21st of April, 2015:

In the days following Operation Burning Dirge we were blessed with some much needed peace and quiet here at the base. I'd almost forgotten what it was like not to have some pressing meeting to attend, or an operation to oversee. So while the troops spent their time in the gym, or the bar, I spent long hours in Engineering. Dr Shen is, perhaps unsurprisingly, almost as fond of tea as I am and has produced some truly marvellous tea-centric technological devices!

Needless to say, I have seen fit to funnel a healthy portion of this month's funding towards his department. Such genius should not be bound by the shackles of bureaucracy!

However, before I had sufficient time to properly study Dr Shen's plans for base expansion (something about a power plant, and digging deeper) the silence was pierced by the familiar klaxon of mission control, where our African satellite had picked up a UFO contact hovering over Egypt. I barely had time to reach the operations room before the thing had been shot down, and so Operation Fading Fall was launched in earnest.

As we expected, the 'seeker' aliens were again present, though this time far more persistent. Working in conjunction with Thin Men the tentacled monstrosities drove our troops into an unfavourable conflict that left David Powell badly wounded and Evelynn quite shaken. Though all of our troops were able to complete the mission under their own steam, it will be weeks before David is able to return to active duty, and I'm told by our psychiatric staff that Evelynn is to be afforded as much rest as possible.

One might think that following that we might have a moment to catch our breath, but true to form, the council have been in touch regarding a mission to extract a strategic asset from China along with the ex-member of the Triad who currently holds it.

The choice of who to send on this mission is critical. I only hope there will be suitable replacements for Evelynn and David while they recover...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, April 21, 2015:

It always frustrates me when a squad has to go into the field without me. For some reason, I feel like I could protect them better than anyone else, even though I realize that that's just arrogant. I can shoot pretty damn well, but other than that I'm realizing that when it comes to us against the aliens, we've been lucky more than anything else. Sure, we're kicking ass, but we're the best of the best. I'm a former Green Beret, 10th Special Forces Group, for fuck sake. I better be ripping some aliens up out there. But even then, I was just one of a few to answer XCOM's call: the Berets are still active and armed to the teeth. And they're losing, badly. I've walked through the situation room, I've seen that fancy globe of theirs, and I know that the U.S. has been getting reamed in and out. So, we've been lucky, and I'll take that, because hell and damn if we didn't get lucky again during Operation: Cryptic Heat.

I wasn't there, but I saw the recordings. I saw the close calls, and I winced and felt my gut clench up when Cat got shot up. I saw the missed shots, and damn if I didn't have to tell the nurses I didn't have to be sedated after I started screaming at the recording of Johnson missing his shots. Leroy carried herself well on the field, and scored some clean kills. I couldn't be happier with her, and admittedly, Johnson did come through when it counted. I also saw the ugly green ape - the science team called it a Muton - and I can't even express how relieved I was when it went down. The thing looked like it was ready to tear the squad limb from limb, and not only that but had the strength to do so if it wanted. Terrible, terrifying creatures. Fortunately the squad managed to take it down without even taking a shot; they kept their cool and smashed it down just as fast as they could.

The doctors are allowing me to walk around a bit, letting me get in some rehab before the clear me for combat detail. I met Zhang, and he's an imposing man. It seems, though, that he's passionate about our cause, and I'm very glad to have him on board. He'll be a good asset, and hopefully I'll be able to learn some tricks from him. There's no one that can teach you the dirtiest tricks of the trade better than someone who worked with the Triads.

I'm hoping that over the next couple of days I'll be able to speak with Cat, and maybe I'll be able to get to know him a bit better. It's good to know your squad, and with a nickname like "Atheist Cat", I'm willing to bet we'll get along very well. Here's hoping we both have a quick, full recovery.

On that note, though, I've been feeling better recently. I'm hoping that with time, and the mandatory psychologist visits are reinforcing of this idea, I'll be able to get more used to the aliens. I'm still scared of them, and I can still feel that disgusting Seeker's tentacles pressing down on me when I close my eyes, but I know that I'm strong enough to recover from this. I will not be broken so easily: I owe Stefan more than that. I owe my friends, my family, and all of the people relying on this project more than that.

(The writing after this is pressed down and the lines thick, obviously written with great emotion.)

I will not be broken.

Grimnir:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Log Begins
21/4/2015 Sq. Grimnir Half-Dwarf

Just got out of medbay and already I'm suiting up for another mission. Was starting to go mad sitting around in medbay with nothing but old Chinese soap operas to keep me company. Assuming I survive, will conclude on return.

Log Ends
----------------------------
Log Begins (Addtnl.)
21/4/2015 Cpl. Grimnir Half-Dwarf

Operation Cryptic Heat, under command of Cpl. (now Sgt.) Johnson, was a success, and I've been promoted to the rank of Corporal. Finally, something military-sounding. Sq. Cat got winged by one of those skinny gits for it, but at least we all got out of it mostly intact. Saw another new contact today, looked like some kind of alien gorilla with heavy armour and a gun. Much as I keep up the bravado in public, these aliens are starting to scare me. This new threat took an absurd amount of firepower to bring down - even a frag grenade only seemed to make it angry - so here's hoping we don't see any more of those.

Officer Bradford has informed me that the VIP, one Shaojie Zhang, has joined the ranks of the XCOM Project... as a Lieutenant. What? We barely know this man, and we're making him an officer? I'll be making a formal complaint to the Commander on this, and I'll have to keep an eye on "Chilong" personally. Perhaps I can ask him to teach me some basic Chinese, almost none of the base staff - including the mess hall cooks - seem to understand English (or Norwegian for that matter) and I really miss cheese sandwiches.

Log Ends

Dr. Thomas Linden:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

XCOM Medical Staff, Project Team Mutare ad Custodium
April 21st 2015

The Seekers. One of the new horrors that our enemy has unleashed onto the battlefield. Powell and Frost were among the first to witness what these machines were capable of first hand and it's left the men quite shaken to see Frost break down like that in the medbay. She shows some traumatic signs that I've seen in rape victims all too often. During my time in Belgium and the Balkans I've seen many of them when i assisted Europol and the UN in raiding and prosecuting sex trafficking rings. My profession as a psychiatrist was inspired by wanting to help people like this. Maybe my UN work was one of the factors that got me chosen for this job?

At this point I guess it doesn't matter. It's bad enough being a leader, it's bad enough being a soldier, but when you are in a position of complete helplessness despite every effort and instinct screaming at you to break free... Your people are the ones you depend on to set it right.

*papers rustle*

I'll submit a report to the commander tonight after this diary entry. She needs rest and I will schedule extra sessions for both her and Powell to make sure of...

*The door opens and another male voice speaks* Dr. Linden? Check on Frost. She appears to be having a bad dream.

Bad dream? I'll go check on her. Johann, take my report to the commander please?

*microphone shuts off suddenly*

[Aavak]

Operation Defiant Jester
21st of April, 2015:

I spent some time pouring over our soldier's files, as much time as I could spare at least, given that it was clear the council expected us to respond promptly to their summons. But with so many of our seasoned troops wounded, my options were limited.

Cerberus Johnson held the most senior rank, so it was clear he'd be going and would fill the role of a sniper. Under his command would be 'Atheist Cat' and Grimnir 'Half-Dwarf' (how he got that name, given how physically imposing he is, I have no idea... I imagine there's a colourful story there somewhere). Filling the last position I assigned a rookie, despite some complaints, but despite her lack of experience on the field (at least, THIS field... the one full of aliens) her file impressed me.

I'm pleased to report that my faith in Louise was not at all misplaced. In fact, the entire team performed far above my expectations, even in the face of a new alien species. Our team successfully escorted the VIP and more importantly the package they were carrying to the extraction point with only Atheist Cat suffering any wounds.

Much to my surprise the council have informed me that the VIP, a Shaojie Zhang would be staying on with us, as a Lieutenant no less. This has caused quite a stir among the troops, but I can't deny that the man knows his way around a weapon, and based on what little information my staff could dig up on him, he's seen enough bloodshed that I doubt anything the aliens will throw at us could shake his nerves.

But with Operation Cryptic Heat behind us, I have a meeting with Dr Shen regarding some base improvements, and also some more medals to award, and if I'm honest, I'm hoping that the rest of the month passes by quietly, but I suppose that'll be up to the aliens...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, April 22, 2015:

Construction around the base has really begun to escalate. The engineers are working overtime, and the science team is again looking in to ways to help take down the aliens. They recently devised some sort of stun gun so we can take an alive back home alive. I may be a grunt, but even I can see the benefit to that. I hear one of the construction projects that the commander has ordered is a robotics facility, and some ideas about getting soldiers in GUNDAM-like suits and sending them out to beat down some aliens are being thrown around. I'd pay to see that.

I saw some of the news videos recently. The aliens are pretty much beginning to carpet bomb the world, and they're throwing themselves at us with a vengeance. I don't know what has motivated them to go so far, whether it be us at XCOM interfering with them or simply an increased fervor to get this over with, but I expect we'll be taking to the skies soon enough. I'm recovered and can move freely. The commander can send me out whenever he wants. I'm ready.

April 23, 2015, video log

(The video shows a tired woman, her hair wet from a recent shower, dressed in green fatigues. Her left arm is in a sling. She frowns as she fumbles with the controls, but eventually she manages to get things working correctly. Her voice is strained and rough.)

Well, as I'm sure none of the doctors, officers, grunts, or anyone else on base is surprised, I'm back in the infirmary's care. I was tapped by a few shots from a Floater during Operation: Defiant Jester. I told the doctors that I'd be fine, but they insisted that, with how much damage I've been taking over all of these missions, I'd need to take an entire week off from active duty. Bastards. There's civilians to be saved and alien invaders to be shot.

During the operation, Leilith proved herself once again, showing that she deserved her promotion and being awarded the Oculus Star. Once again, she made excellent shots, took down a few aliens, and generally made herself an asset on the field. Revocane - now Lieutenant Revocane, congrats, buddy - had an exemplary performance as well, in particular with a key shredder rocket to take down both a Chryssalid and a Floater. I'll get to the Chryssalids in a moment, but I feel the need to mention that Lieutenant Zhang, while certainly helpful, was not as spectacular as I was expecting. He missed shots, and while he came through in the end, he did not perform so admirably for me to take any particular note of it.

(The woman in the video sighs, and her eyebrows draw in. She looks disappointed, frustrated, and exhausted, and for a moment seems to consider ending the video. However, she continues, albeit with obvious annoyance.)

However I can't criticize Zhang too harshly: as seems to happen more now, my own performance was substandard at best. My aim was off, and when I hit I often struck non-critical areas of the alien beasties. If anything, it just reminds me again that I'm not yet strong enough, not yet fast enough, not yet trained enough.

The Chryssalids, and their zombie offspring, are perhaps equally as terrifying as the Seekers. They scuttle about like spiders, but they have four razor sharp legs and when they kill someone, they infect them with some sort of virus that, shortly after, raises the person as a zombie. It's a frightening thought to know that this is the kind of monster that has been slaughtering civilians when we can't make it there to save them. It's even more frightening to think that we still know so little about these aliens that not only are new ones appearing, but we have no idea how to properly combat them.

Speaking of civilians, we managed to save most of the ones in the operation area. I'll never be comfortable with the idea of killing noncombatants: they should be kept uninvolved in conflicts. If they are attacked, then damn it, we should be able to protect them. Silly as it is, I want to shelter all of these people. I choke up every time I think that there might be a child out there now hiding under their bed and hoping the monsters don't find them.

(The woman looks away from the video for a moment, and roughly wipes the back of her functional hand across her eyes. When she turns back to the camera, her eyes are fierce, her voice steeled, and anger seeps into every word she says.)

These fuckers will pay for every civilian they kill, every child they leave scared and hungry because their parents won't be coming home again. If I have to choke each one of them to death just to stop them from -

(The woman stutters, looks away from the camera again, and is again seen scrubbing at her eyes with her good hand. She taps at a few buttons, and the video ends abruptly.)

Grimnir:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Log Begins
20/4/2015 Cpl. Grimnir Half-Dwarf

Not much been happening lately. Guess I should be grateful I'm not risking my life on a daily basis, but I can't stand this waiting. XCOM policy is that soldiers spend no more than 8 hours per day in combat training or drilling for "psychological reasons" - presumably to avoid fatigue and burnout in the ranks, never mind that most of us are either transferred veterans or ex-mercenary - so I've taken to spending the remainder of my time either speaking with off-duty base personnel or exploring the base itself. Dr. Vahlen's research team have some... particularly interesting stories to tell.

One of Dr. Shen's team, who shall remain nameless, has informed me that there are plans for a cybernetic enhancement project in the works. At first I was sure that had to be some sort of code phrase, but... with everthing I've seen these past few weeks, somehow cyborg soldiers don't seem so far-fetched any more. Much as I want to live a normal life if I survive this war, I can't help but feel that steel-plated skin would improve my chances of survival immensely. If this turns out to be the real thing and not some code phrase, I'm going to have to put some serious thought into whether I want this or not... if I'm even afforded the choice.

Things are going well on the Zhang front, though I don't think he trusts my intentions yet. Can't say I blame him, I am trying to figure out if he can be trusted after all. Still, he's taught me enough Standard Chinese to be able to ask for a cheese sandwich, which has earned him, if not trust, then at least a measure of gratitude.

Log Ends

Council of Nations:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Notice: This is a Communique from the United Nations Special Security Council for Countering Extra-Terrestrial Threats. Any attempt to copy, falsify, delete, omit, or otherwise alter the contents of, or attempt distribute in part or in entirety to any unauthorized persons this document, constitutes an Act of International Treason as for the Founding Articles of the United Nations and General United Nations Founding Security Resolutions Article 1-79-A-VI As well as Treason against any and all relevant signatories of the United Nations Security Council. All violations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of international law.

April 23rd 2015

Commander Aavak

As you are no doubt aware, the invaders have shifted their strategy to direct assaults on civilian population centers, particularly Washington DC, Moscow, and Tokyo. We have already informed the other members of the UN General Assembly to order their forces to fortify the major population centers and capital cities and have taken extra precautions to defend the major UN installations. Furthermore in the wake of these attacks, renewed background checks of all personnel of the XCOM project will be necessary to remove the chances of alien agents or saboteurs within the ranks.

As to dealing with the assaults themselves, take any and all measures to secure and safeguard civilian populations as best as you can. Keep casualties among the populous minimal in order to mitigate the effects of their campaigns. Lethal force is authorized against the civilians if and only if absolutely necessary.

We must send a message to the invaders that these attacks were a mistake. Not a victory.

Stay strong Commander

VIGILIO CONFIDO

[Aavak]

Operation Rotting Stroke
23rd of April, 2015:

My hope that the remainder of the month would pass peacefully was folly. I know that now. Though I had no idea how brutal (though I must admit, efficient) the aliens would be in pursuing their goal, which now seems to be plunging Earth's nations into such a state of panic as to render any organised resistance impossible.

I can't fault them on their strategy, and I can't expect any humanity from them, being that they are not human to begin with. But what the troops reported seeing during Operation Defiant Jester shocked me. At one point, a Chryssalid actively ignored the presence (and vulnerability) of a soldier in favour of brutally killing a civilian while leaving itself wide open to that soldier's attack.

Though despite the harrowing scene unfolding, our team on the ground performed far beyond any of our expectations, with only Evelynn suffering any injury at all and managing to rescue the majority of the civilians present at the scene.

But it's clear now that the aliens are not only going to lock horns with XCOM, and so while we wait for the council's final report, over the next few days I have asked our soldiers to consider volunteering for Dr Shen's cybernetics program...

PERSONAL LOGS:

Evelynn:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Diaries of a wounded soldier, April 23, 2015:

The commander awarded me the Terran Unity Badge. I'm glad that he sees me as a deserving recipient. It's something of an honor to join  Powell as soldiers in XCOM that have earned the TUB. It's a shame that every time I get an award or promotion, the commander has to do it while I limp up to receive it, then limp away back to the infirmary so I can get patched up. I invited the commander to sit down and have tea some day with me, as he seems to be an aficionado and I've loved tea for quite some time myself. Perhaps he'll teach me something, but at least we'll enjoy some tea together at some point. He told me that for now he's simply too busy, but hopefully some time soon we'll be able to meet up somewhere to relax for at least a few minutes.

April 27, 2015:

As I am confined to the infirmary (the doctors are rather put out with me for sneaking out and defying their orders so much, they've threatened me with being permanently sedated) the commander sent out Revocane, Cat, Leilith, and Johnson. They all performed admirably in Operation: Rotting Stroke (who comes up with these names, anyway?). I'll see if I can get Johnson to do some serious marksmanship training, though, because his shots go wide far too often. Leilith was attacked by one of the Seekers, and I told her any time she needed to talk, I'd be there for her. I wish I could do more, but I'm not a psychologist or a doctor of any sort, and that's who she really needs right now.

Hopefully, we'll soon be able to get some improvements to our weapons and armor. My friend on Vahlen's science team said that a lot of progress was being made, and they'll be sending specs over to Shen as soon as they could. After that it's just a matter of funding and time. Until then, I'm healing up, they'll be researching, and Shen's engineers will keep up their incessant pounding as they expand the base further underground.

Juro Kenta:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

April 23rd 2015
XCOM Energy Mechanics Specialist, Project Team Warden

It's been a long ride from my mechanical engineering workshop in Tokyo to this military base. I know i had been loaned to the government for a special project. Of course I had suspected that it would be something to help combat these aliens that I witnessed the JSDF fighting in the streets only a few days ago. Only now with Dr. Shen and the others here have I realized the monumental scope of what i am a part of.

The world is at war with these aliens.

So that brings me to my role in this project. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had me working on a project for miniaturized reactors for a power source. It was great in theory but the mechanics of it were too impractical to reproduce on a mass scale. The people I now work for (Known only as "XCOM", whatever that is) may have the solution for this problem. I have for the first time seen an alien power source. All the things we know about the highly unstable high energy element named Elerium has changed modern energy physics as we know it! This is the perfect element that can power the high energy requirements that the project needs.

Oh yes, I got so excited I forgot to mention the project itself. Full integrated armored combat suits! "Mechanized Exo-Skeleton Cybersuits" they are called. My design of a miniature reactor was specifically chosen to power the future of combat. I can't imagine what an honor this is!

The only problem is with such an international workforce, most of them don't even know Japanese. I guess I might need a translator or two to get half of what they want from me too since my English isn't very good.