(Previous entry — first entry)

Sunday, January 17
Evening

It’s troubling to me that we’ve confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life over the barrel of a gun. The existential implications are enormous; the military implications are frightening.

The loss of life…

Bear was a promising soldier, and his performance on this mission was superlative. Wolf and Weasel appear to have been gassed; they should recover, but being sucker-punched like that can’t be good for morale. Losses in combat are expected, but we had them outnumbered and outflanked. We need some new tactical ideas.

And promotions. Beetle, Wolf, Tiger and Eagle all showed excellent combat readiness. Sergeants, all.

These troops need leadership, and those four are going to be leaders, whether they like it or not.

Chimpanzee assigned to transport roster. I have a few ideas about throwing explosive objects at little grey bastards, and Chimpanzee’s got the best arm I’ve seen yet.

Tomorrow I need to review this recovered alien tech. See if we can’t use some of this to our advantage.

—

Monday, January 18
Morning

I’m going ahead with the laser rifle project, though I’m tempted to have the geeks look into the plasma weapons we recovered as well. It’s a shame we didn’t have any of the new laser pistols off the assembly line in time for last night’s op.

And these ship components. Techs tell me the stuff is fascinating at first glance.

And we need to get an autopsy going on these recovered aliens. A lot to do. Those extra scientists can’t get here soon enough. I’d bring in more still, but the budget is almost blown and I won’t get reallocated until the start of the month.

The question remains as to what the craft we secured yesterday represents, exactly. Was this a sole excursion? Part of a group of ships currently on around Earth? A scouting party?
Continue reading →

(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?
Continue reading →

(See previous entry for context.)

Saturday, January 2
12:02

Guns arrived. Didn’t even have to pay extra for overnight shipping. Possibility exists that X-Com is funded by Amazon.com.

—

Monday, Jan 4
12:00

And here’s those new recruits.

—

16:53

Troop review. Educational. For one thing, my first crop wasn’t a fluke — this is about as good (and bad) as it’ll get, it looks like. Mix of competencies. Mix of physical abilities. Some of these grunts could stare down a grizzly, some of ‘em nearly fell over when I walked past.

Callsigns for the newbies: Turtle, Peregrine, Gila, Gazelle, Ox, Chimpanzee, Albatross, Gorilla, Hamster, Bull, Goat, Porpoise, Marmot, Cheetah, Badger, and Wolverine.

If we keep growing the team I’m going to have to break out an encyclopedia.

I’m assigning Peregrine, Ox, Albatross, Gorilla, Bull and Wolverine to the active team along with the original complement. Troop transport holds 14, no reason not to have a full boat if and when we see any action.

Continue reading →

(I have been thinking for a while about the idea of replaying the fantastic classic resource-management/turn-based-tactics game X-Com: UFO Defense, while writing up the experience from the perspective of the notional in-game organizational director through whose hands the player controls the world. This is an experimental first entry in that director’s personal journal. If this stays entertaining for me, there’ll be more entries in the future.

If you’re unfamiliar with X-Com and enjoy video games, I encourage you to go check it out pronto. It’s a classic, and still holds up well fifteen years later. And it’s like five bucks on Steam.)

—

Friday, January 1st, 1999
12:03 hours

Well, here it is at last. We’ve got an alien problem.

And somehow I got stuck with the job of putting that problem to bed. I must have done something pretty bad in a previous life.

Here’s to my directorship of the Xenomorph Defense Command Initiative. A mouthful. X-Com, the staff is calling it.

—

13:17

I don’t know if I’m being intentionally left in the dark or if my handlers just don’t know a goddam thing themselves yet. Neither option comforts me.

What I do know is that I’ve been given surprisingly little information about the alien threat. I have files on our materiel resources and equipment — ships and weapons, base facility blueprints — but it’s not much, barely more than brochures. And there are databanks for alien artifacts and life forms, UFO components, etc, but those files are in Old Mother Hubbard territory.

When I asked about that, my contact just shrugged and said that filling those files is part of X-Com’s job.
Continue reading →