(Previous entry — first entry)

January 17, 1999
19:44

This is it: our first engagement with the aliens. Or whatever they are.

It’s a small craft near Granada, sighted on the ground. Helmet-cam audio/visual monitoring active. Combat log commencing. Operation go.

—

01

Beetle reports immediate contact on opening the transport doors. Short, grey, big head. Twenty yards off.

Clean shot. It’s down. Notch one for Beetle. One small bullet for man…

Weasel clears the transport, IDs the alien craft due south. Looks like an east-facing door, no movement.

Poor cover around landing zone, half the team on the ground near our ship and the other half waiting ready just inside.

…

Report of hydraulic noises from vicinity of craft. Machinery? Doors?

—

02

Four teams; assault squad on the sighted door, rear squad looping around the other end of the craft, hill squad pushing east up local hill to secure the area behind it, recon squad to head north and make sure there aren’t any friends of our corpse waiting in the bushes.

…

No movement.

—

03

Hill taken. No sign of enemies. Closing on ship door. Large, cross-shaped craft, but very flat. Not exactly a saucer, but it’s sure as hell not a conventional aircraft. From here it doesn’t look like an aircraft at all.

…

More hydraulics noise. Whatever is moving around, it’s inside that craft.

—

04

Assault team has front door locked down tight. Anything walks out is dead meat. Hoping something will.

Rest of area clean so far. Still finishing perimeter sweep, but action likely inside the tin can.

…

No movement.

—

05

Rear team has swept far side of craft. No other exits, no grey nasties.

Perimeter sweep complete. We may need to kick open a door.

…

More hydraulics.

—

06

Get ready. Get set.

…

Hydraulics. They’re moving, they just aren’t coming out.

—

07

Breaking out the can opener. Wolf approaching the door. Entering. Interior branches left and right, doors in both directions. No sign of enemies. Pulling back, advancing assault squad to entrance.

Rear team double-timing to back assault team up. Hill and recon holding perimeter.

…

No movement.

—

08

Assault team inside, two on each interior door with snipers in the corners backing them up and Gorilla waiting behind cover with an auto-cannon in case something goes really wrong.

…

Hydraulics but no movement. Another door farther in?

—

09

Pushing toward doors. Breaking through on the next push.

…

Movement! Another grey thing coming through the southernmost door. Wolf and Weasel get shots off, both hits, enemy down. No incoming enemy fire yet — are these guys even armed?

—

10

Wolf and Weasel through the south door. Another antechamber, another door. Chamber clear, camping the new door, Tiger watching their six.

Bear through the north door, no antechamber — contact! One grey facing a console of some sort, possible pilot station. Clean three round burst. Enemy down. Still no incoming fire.

…

No movement.

—

11

Weasel on point through the south antechamber. Opens on the same pilot-chamber as previous kill. Central square chamber with a west-facing door, still unbreached. Remaining xenomorphs presumed inside.

Wolf on the door, Weasel and Tiger on her back; north-door team waiting behind cover, not enough to set up opposing position without risking a crossfire.

Here kitty kitty.

…

Contact! Weapons fire incoming! Burst weapon fired from point blank. Weasel, Wolf unconscious. Enemy retreating back into square central chamber.

—

12

Bear to the door. Two greys inside, looks like an engine chamber. Risking a burst to take both out. Bad for Bear if it doesn’t work, but he’s got the jump on them right now.

One down clean in two shots. The other still standing, returns fire.

Bear is iced. God dammit.

Eagle steps over Bear’s body outside the door, more fire incoming but she’s not wounded. Burst from a few meters, enemy down. Notch one, Eagle. Room clear.

…

Mission complete.

(On to entry #4…)