XCOM Stories [AAR] - xcom under the ruins of ancient Luxor

[sirmik]

Transmission from the XCOM Base Commander – December 30th, 1996

“Pyramids... soldiers, they’ve been watching us from up there for 40 centuries. But are they really? With what’s been coming in recently, I’m not so sure anymore. Don’t you find it a bit ironic that we’re starting here, of all places? Beneath the majestic ruins of Luxor and Karnak, where for years we’ve been trying to cover up the true history. And now, intelligence reports that suspicious individuals have been making pilgrimages here for decades. This is where it all began, and it’s here it will end. We will dig them out—from our soil.”

First Base – Luxor, Egypt


Journal Entry – XCOM Commander, January 1st
Things are off to an interesting start. I barely had a moment to greet the team when that frantic intel officer handed me the phone—our South American contact was on the other end. They’ve finally tracked down those Exalt cultists. We’re deploying a team.

Minutes later, the map in the CIC lit up with four more new points—four in just two days, including some maniac threatening to blow himself up. Intel’s working too well for its own good, and we’ve only got one team in the field. We’ll worry about that later; for now, we don’t have a team ready to handle that damn terrorist. Couldn’t he blow himself up a little closer to us?

The science team has temporarily become logistics analysts. They’re working on new tactical deployment techniques, and I check in on them every few hours. Motivation works wonders. Let’s see what they come up with.

Radio Transmission – Industrial District, Budapest
Agent Rolf Weiss: “This is Agent Weiss, I’m under heavy fire! I repeat, requesting support, aaaa—”
Senior Agent Kotta: (sound of rapid pistol fire) “Run! I’ve got you covered!”

Mission Report
During the mission, we encountered two heavily armed cultists in a small shack by the river. Agent Weiss attempted to breach the door with a shotgun when the first cultist emerged. Weiss took cover behind a crate and returned fire, but he was hit and began bleeding out. Senior Agent Kotta, positioned behind a second crate, laid down suppressive fire, allowing Weiss to be evacuated to a safe distance.

Minutes later, it was confirmed that the two enemy cultists had succumbed to their wounds. One of our rounds must have struck them during the firefight. Unfortunately, Agent Weiss sustained severe injuries and will be out of action for a considerable time. On a positive note, the recovery team managed to stabilize a member of the Red Dawn. We’re transporting him to the base for interrogation.


-----------------


I'm trying to follow a set of rules where I research what seems logical step by step, without being influenced by the development tree or knowing what will be useful later. This will probably cause some problems, but it will make things more interesting.

I have chosen a careful and protective approach for the Commander role, which adds depth to my strategy—prioritizing my team's safety, prioritizes the safety of his people and team above all. and engaging in the mission only when fully prepared or when I have the upper hand and tactical advantage.  Due to my education as an archaeologist, I will likely also incorporate a lot of historical references into my role-play.


mods:
  - "x-com-files ver: 3.5"

  - "x-com-resound ver: 2.91"

  - "XCF-units-to-BOXCE ver: 1.0.0"  witch realistic accuracy

  - "x-com-files-arsenal-additions ver: 0.8.1" 

  - "medical-medals-memorative-glas ver: 0.2.2"

  - "UntouchablesXCF ver: 1.4"  -    A heavily modified by my version with the addition of a new transformation called "resurrection" (through the immersion of the soldier body in alien plasma and the use of the latest human technology.) – it has a high cost (200k USD plus 20 units of plasma) and requires a med bay. Due to playing in Ironman mode.

  - "XCFAA_elite-commendations ver: 2.0.0" -

  - "XCF-random-stat-caps ver: 1.1.99" A modified version with twice the range of maximum attributes. This means I could recruit a genius or idiots who have poor aim, but may have other strengths (e.g., they fight excellently in close combat). Unfortunately, I will only find out later, without looking into the save file.

  - "XCF_Facility_Expansion_Pack ver: 0.8.4"

  - "XCF_air-raids ver: 2.0.0"

  - "XCF_damaged-facilities ver: 1.1.0"

  - "XCF_elite-commendations ver: 2.0.0"

  - "XCF_random-enemy-stats ver: 1.0.1"

  - "XCF_realistic-air-defense-systems ver: 1.0.0"

  - "liberation ver: 1.0"  After the destruction of the base, we manage to obtain compromising materials, the dissemination of which—or the threat of it—forces the locals to sever ties with the aliens.

  - "x-com-names ver: 2.2"

  - "XCOM_DRONE_BOMBERS ver: 1.0"

  - "weapon_ranges_shown ver: 0.1 EN-US, RU"

ironman: true
---
difficulty: 3 (genius)

[sirmik]

February 11, 1997
Mission Report - Alaska

Despite his training, Agent Movsisian failed to follow protocol during the assault. He approached the enemy too closely, leaving himself no time to fire his weapon. This tactical error cost him his life. His partner narrowly avoided the same fate, but in a moment of sheer luck, managed to fire a shot at point-blank range, killing the cultist with a precise shot to the head. The cold, unforgiving terrain of Alaska claimed another life that day, and we were lucky not to lose two.

[size=14pt]February 19, 1997
From the Commander’s Journal - XCOM[/size]

Spiders. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I hate spiders. This time, it was close. Six of the damn things attacked a small town. Thankfully, the civilians had already fled. Tough creatures, too. One nearly got to Senior Agent Wiess—his first mission back after being hospitalized. He managed to shoot it just in time, as it was about to strike. I’ll never forget the sight when he returned to base, drenched in the creature’s thick, sickly juices. A close call, but apart from a few scratches, we came out on top this time.

February 19, 199
From the Commander’s Journal - XCOM

Logistics—no wonder the analysts spent the whole month on it. A global network of garages and storage facilities to quickly reach any mission site? Genius. I might have to recommend a raise for the head of that department. Now we can bring more agents on missions, and those new operational vans? Quite stylish. I might just take one on my next leave—could probably convert it into a camper.

February 24, 199
From the Commander’s Journal - XCOM

Vans are a nightmare. We load up the team, transport them across continents to somewhere near Japan, and after two days of driving, what do we find? Nothing. Again. Mission's over before we even get there. Vans are only useful for nearby ops, it seems. At least I won’t be getting another complaint from the cleanup crew about chips and cigarette butts all over the van.

March 1, 1997
From the Commander’s Journal - XCOM

A bad month. They slashed our funding by nearly $40,000. But we’ll make up for it. The analyst team is working overtime. They finally interrogated a cultist, and we’ve managed to salvage some of the tech we recovered from the last few missions. It might sound crazy, but from now on, I’m adding axes to the standard training regimen and personal equipment for our agents. All they’re missing now are plaid shirts.

[Solarius Scorch]

Fun fun ^_^

I particularly liked how the opinion on logistics went from genius to nightmare in 5 days.

[sirmik]

1st April
From the XCOM Commander’s Journal

I knew we’d bounce back. A few cultists wiped out, a whole bunch of strange monster heads added to the collection, and suddenly the council is kissing our asses again. But what to do with all this cash? I ordered more hangars to be built—we’ve got to store this junk somewhere. At least they’ve cataloged most of the weapons we’ve acquired, but it’s all just scrap and no chance of even buying ammo for the hunting rifle. I should’ve stayed at the university, lecturing on the strategies of Alexander and Caesar, like mom said...


April 11, 1997
From the XCOM Commander’s Journal

Dammit, I didn’t sleep at all. That chick from the council must be using some forbidden tech—how much can a person do in bed? I’m dead tired. At least I didn’t walk away empty-handed—added a new pair of panties to the collection and squeezed a tip out of her about some Dagon cult warehouse. I’ll send a team there tomorrow.


April 12, 1997
Intercepted XCOM Radio Transmissions – Southern Africa - hidden cultist safehouse

<Voice distorted by static> “They’re everywhere… they were waiting for us!”
<Sounds of shotgun blasts and automatic fire>
“Aaaa—there’s another one on the roof!”
“More of them… let the Lady loose!” <Barking that turns into yelps>
“Cover me… I’ll try to start the truck!” <Screeching tires, more gunfire>

Mission Report
… Agents <illegible > and <illegible > and  <illegible >sustained serious injuries. We also lost a combat dog in the mission. It’s a miracle no one was killed.

[sirmik]

April 19, 1997
From the XCOM Commander's Journal

It might be time to make peace with the van. Two missions, two squads coming back with their tails between their legs. What were they supposed to do, just the two of them, when they were swarmed by 6 or 7 of those things they call Chup...abra cadabra? I ordered them to retreat after firing the first shots and not even get out of the vehicle. We need a larger team. I'll call a meeting with the brainy folks — I expect IDEAS

April 24, 1997
From the XCOM Commander's Journal

A breakthrough. After a heated meeting with the analysts — let's just say motivation came in the form of some strong words and a hefty coffee order — they finally managed to establish contact with a production company for cutting-edge, untested medical technology. Not only can we purchase a healing spray (it reminds me of that makeshift glue they used to patch wounds during the Vietnam War), but the contact also offered to supply equipment for our first biological lab. As soon as the scientists return, we'll start construction. With this gear, we’ll finally dissect the creatures that have been lying in our freezers for months, staring back at us in silence.

April 25, 1997
From the XCOM Commander's Journal

Good news. Two of our agents, dispatched to a remote island in the Pacific, encountered a new cult: the Black Lotus. Two of our agents, clad in Kevlar jackets and armed with heavy magnum revolvers, went up against two cultists in kimonos. Care to guess the result? One of the enemies went down spectacularly, headshot clean, while the other charged at us with a wooden stick. Instead of killing him, one of the agents pulled out a taser and subdued him, while the other kept his shotgun trained on him. I think we’ve got the full set of these cultists now.
As for the less good news: we got a call from the police in Appalachia. They’re conducting an operation against some creatures, but of course, the van didn’t make it. I spoke to the quartermaster about getting something faster, but all he does is complain about paperwork. Typical.

May 1, 1997
From the XCOM Commander's Journal

Not as bad as I feared, though we did take a budget cut. One of the analysts has been working on some side projects, digging into files we obtained from shady arms suppliers. Turns out, there’s a lead on a dealer with a fantastic pistol. But when I approached the quartermaster to make the order, he gave me the same bureaucratic nonsense — claiming he didn’t have the clearance to deal with such "unsavory" types. He suggested I find a military contact with the right connections. This guy is really getting on my nerves…

Tthe scientists still haven't come back with the equipment and the contract for the laboratory - have they been drinking with their colleagues or what?

[sirmik]

May 9
Xcom Commander raport private notes "The Arrest of Farmers Who Saw Too Much"

Forget vans—we rolled in with an agent and a dog (sounds like the title of a good book, doesn't it?). The mission was a success, though the farmers showed up to base completely soaked. One of the agents reported that when the dog barked at them, one guy panicked, wet his pants, threw down his weapon, and bolted. He was easy to subdue after that.
Might be a new tactic—we’ll need to add this to the field manual for future agents. As for the dog, he’s getting better food from now on.

From xcom Commander diary
May 9

Finally, the scientists are back. Hungover, of course, like they’ve been through a war. No surprise, considering how much we spend on their ‘healing sprays’ and other so-called medical supplies. Half the budget probably goes toward ‘team-building exercises’ with the sales team.

At least now we can outfit the Bio Labs. I’ve already set up a research facility in the U.S. We need to move fast.

In the meantime, one of the captured farmers gave us a detailed report on the combat capabilities of... well, pigs. I don’t want to know where he learned these things, but since he’s from Russia, it explains a lot.

From Xcom Commander diary
May 18

Never seen anything like this—they’ve ordered us to arrest some citizens who know too much. The catch? It has to be undercover. We’re not even allowed to bring bulletproof vests. I’ve sent two dogs along with the agents. Let’s see if the new strategy works. The last few weeks were spent training the dogs to bark on command (don’t ask how, but it actually works!).

Official Complaint from XCOM Janitorial Staff

Another lousy mission. We get that we have to clean up alien guts, but we absolutely refuse to scrub the crap off civilians who soil themselves out of fear during these missions. The guys in XCOM probably think it’s hilarious, but IT’S NOT. We demand immediate action!


May 24
Mission Report – somewhere Near Belgrade

We arrived at a small town somewhere in the Balkans—routine job, arrest suspected cultists. Wańko (our dog) quickly sniffed out one hiding in a building, leaped inside, and took him down. Agent Weiss shot another cultist who emerged from another spot—easy enough. But then the cultists switched up their strategy. Usually, they operate in pairs, but this time, there were five of them. We weren’t ready for that. They opened fire—Wańko got hit, and Agent Weiss was wounded trying to save him.

Thankfully, Agent Garrett laid down cover fire with a shotgun, and we managed to get the situation under control.

Recommendation: We need to be more cautious moving forward. The enemy is getting tougher.

From Xcom Commander diary
May 25

Agent Katta is getting sharper every day. He spends all his time at the shooting range—his precision when aiming for the head is genuinely impressive.

[sirmik]

May 27
Exercise Report

The recruits... disappointing, to say the least. Their physical stamina is abysmal. A mere 50 meters and they’re gasping for breath, needing a break. And this, despite a wall full of medals for their supposed physical prowess. Only one of them could manage 60. On the bright side, their reflexes and marksmanship tests turned out much better. You’ll find the attached report more hopeful in that regard.
[Attachment: Reflex and Accuracy Test Results]

April 12
From Xcom Commander

200k USD... for a couple of trauma packs. And, of course, they tacked on the damages caused by our "scientists" during their last visit. Starting today, no more alcohol in the base. I’m heading to accounting to see if we can dock their pay, but I already know the response—bureaucracy. Always, bureaucracy.


April 17
From Xcom Commander

Another cultist den, this time in a more heavily populated area. I’m sending the team in. Tried to convince command to allow two full vans of operatives on the mission, but once again—bureaucracy. Who cares about the lives of regular soldiers, right?

April 17 - Mission: "Uprooting the Stump" raport - Somewhere in the forests of Northern Europe

As predicted, the Dagon cultists were ready for us. The moment we entered the zone, they opened up with heavy machine gun and shotgun fire. One of their attack dogs took down a man closest to them. Sara got hit a few times, but thankfully, her vest stopped most of the pellets. Agent Weiss dropped two cultists with his magnum, while the rest hid behind trees.

For a good fifteen minutes, we were pinned down, exchanging fire while taking cover behind whatever shrubs and bushes we could find. Sara was bleeding out fast, but the new trauma pack—worth every cent—saved her life. Send our thanks to the commander for that purchase.

Eventually, after sustaining heavy casualties, the enemy started to panic. Agent Bogumiał, under cover of our suppressing fire, moved in with a shotgun, finishing them off at close range. Out here in the forest, hitting them from afar was next to impossible. Three of them surrendered. Thirteen in total—more than we usually take down in five missions combined.

Recommendation for command: We need heavier firepower and rifles with longer range.



April 17
XCOM Commander’s Journal

We finally nabbed a higher-ranking Dagon cultist. You know, one of those guys in the KKK-looking hoods. And now I understand why they wear them—this guy’s face... well, let’s just say he’s no cover model. Our intel agent is tormenting him with pictures of supermodels. He’ll crack soon enough and spill everything we want to know.
We captured 13 crates of weapons—13 crates!

[sirmik]

April 20th
From the diary of the XCOM Commander

X-COM Paranormal Activity Unit—that has a certain ring to it. And that medal hanging on my wall? It feels well-earned. They finally allowed us to secure contracts with construction companies, and we’re building real quarters for the team and the scientists. Time to fill this base with life. I’m heading out to inspect the plans for my new office!

April 24th
From the diary of the XCOM Commander

Four agents, a jungle, and giant rats. I’m telling you, there’s nothing more terrifying than watching them waddle towards you on those stubby legs. Luckily, we made it through without serious injuries, and the team got some much-needed shooting practice. A few more medals to hang up.



May 5th
Mission Report - Senior Agent Kozera

We arrived to assist the local gang in fighting off the cultists. Those punk junkies weren’t much help. The enemy had these horrifying green beasts that moved faster than anything I’ve ever seen. Even with the heavy fire from our new MP5s, one almost took my leg off. Thankfully, my trusty "Sweet Annie" (my beloved shotgun) put an end to that. But I’ll never forget the stench of their breath. The rest of the mission went smoothly—our dog flushed more cultists from the buildings, and a few punks got what was coming to them.



May 27th
From the diary of the XCOM Commander

Finally, the analysts have come up with something—acquiring a helicopter. But it means we need to build a hangar, which will take over 20 days and we’re running out of funds. At the beginning of the month, we had two million in those Swiss accounts. Now we’re down to 30 grand. On the bright side, we’ve got two science teams working in two bases, making real progress. We've got more new gear than I could have dreamed of just a month ago. But one misstep and we won’t even have enough left for payroll. Time to start tightening the belt.

[sirmik]

June 28th
Intercepted transmission from cultists, a factory somewhere in Australia

"Mav, check out that car, it looks suspicious."
(sounds of dull thuds, followed by muffled cries)
"Mav, respond! Bert, I’m going to check on Mav. Inform the boss!"
(a single gunshot rings out)
"Attention all units, it’s those guys, the ones disguised as workers. They’ve taken down the boss with an axe and have his gun. Watch your backs!"
(gunfire erupts, a rapid burst of shots echo in the background)

August 9th
Mission report – codename: Black Night, subject: The Men in Black

Filed by Senior Agent Cartwright
Location: [Redacted]

"We encountered suspicious individuals in distinctive black suits and sunglasses during our mission. The first one took a shot from a Mosin in the back—no reaction, just turned around and returned fire with some enormous weapon. We hit him twice more with an MP5, and he kept coming like nothing had happened. What the hell is he, a terminator?"

(Further details illegible. Classified interrogation transcript attached.)

August 13th
From the journal of the XCOM Commander

"Finally managed to motivate the team enough to secure a helicopter. Our first mission? Just a few kilometers outside its fuel range. This has to be some kind of joke."

September 29th
From the journal of the XCOM Commander

"Quiet times. Cultist hideouts are becoming routine, but I'm starting to worry we’re stagnant. They’re getting better gear, while we’re stuck with the same old equipment. The red tape is killing us. We need to convince the Council to authorize better supplies."

"Last mission was a riot, though. Exalt hideout—Wanko, our good ol’ hound, mauled five cultists in a row. When their leader saw it, he surrendered on the spot—shaking like a leaf. Intel’s lady is going to squeeze more  him for sure. Ha ha."