In light of the debriefing vote, I will reopen the choice between Leasath and Aurelia at the end of this post.
"Avril reporting in. We're making steady progress; right now we're focused on seeing how to schedule the superheavy machinery we need to really fix these big-ass guns. Honestly, the biggest thing holding up this project is the sheer difficulty of shipping everything out to the middle of this fucking desert. It'd really help if we had some better way of getting equipment out here, but apparently that just wasn't ever a priority.
That's all for us this week. Avril, signing out."
The first thing Long Caster heard, three corners away, is "GODDAMN PIECE OF SHIT GRUNDERCORP PC - ", and that's when Long Caster realized that things might not be going to plan.
Then, Long Caster blinked. That wasn't Daniel Snow's voice. It was too... coarse? Too high and low pitched? Whatever it was, the texture was wrong, and it made his fingers tingle a little, as he dragged his body forward. In fact, as he got closer (trying to ignore his rumbling stomach), Long Caster became pretty sure that -
What.
Long Caster rubbed his tired eyes, because he disbelieved what he's seeing.
Dr. Shen?
Alone at his desk?
Swearing?
"- and ugh, there's a reason we never should've used this complete garbage!" he finishes, unaware that there was someone else in the room. In all fairness to Dr. Shen, normally there wouldn't be at lunch time, but Long Caster had to fit the meeting in somewhere in the schedule.
"The stupid friggin' systems never work, and they always update at the worst possible time with the least helpful 'patches' that only end up installing more spyware that you have to tear out to get anywhere and then they have the gall to corrupt your files and they're just so completely backward that I don't understand why anyone would ever use them!"
Dr. Shen huffed and puffed a little bit, leaning forward on his desk. His hands twitched like they wanted to either slam the blue-screened lid down on the Grundercorp laptop or straight through the desk in front of him.
Long Caster took this moment to cough meaningfully.
Dr. Shen startled a little, before turning around.
"Sorry you had to see that, Commander Long Caster," Shen sheepishly apologizes. "I'm afraid I have to report some bad news - we've lost the majority of our notes on how to streamline our construction processes, and that's when we found out that XCOM doesn't really have backups," he reported. "That's why I'd suggest getting some of our people working on documenting and backing up our research so far, Commander."
Long Caster nodded.
"We'll have to start from scratch on this project, but we're fortunate that this sort of failure happened to a less...known problem," Shen sighed. "That's all I have to report," Shen said.
General Engineering Group
[] [GEG] Continue Research into Streamlined Construction Practices [0/30]
[] [GEG] Backfill Documentation [0/20]
"So, here's the thing about these Bulb Ships," Jasper began. "We're nearly certain these things are the alien C&C vehicles, just based on what happened in the battle footage, both from the Granada Plains and over Axel Bay."
"However," Charlie cut in, eyes twitching, "we found that there wasn't anything that seemed to act as radio receiver - it's possible that they used direct point-to-point tranmsissions, but we haven't found anything like that," he said.
"Obviously they didn't use any point-to-point transmissions, we would've seen it in the combat footage," Jasper sniped back.
On the left side of the table, Angus's hands reunite with his face in the way that only a long-suffering couple can. Georgie, on Jasper's right, kept reapplying the smile he has plastered onto his face like cheap wallpaper - and watching it peel just as quickly.
Long Caster leaned his head against his fist. "Gentlemen," he called. "We had a briefing?"
Jasper and Charlie snapped back to attention.
"Right, sir," Charlie started. "The point is, we didn't find radio equipment, but we're fairly sure they're communicating to their pilots somehow. It may have something to do with the wrecked machinery at the core of the ship, which we've seen something similar to it in all the alien fighters we've found. We've definitely confirmed that this wreckage has some strange reactions to live current; we predicted a magnetic field, but not one strong enough to levitate portions of the array off the table. We suspect it may have something to do with how the alien ships are able to stay airborne despite their ludicrous mass, and request permission to investigate, sir."
[] [ResearchB] Strange Machinery [0/???]
[] [ResearchB] Cyclonic Accelerators [0/60]
[] [ResearchB] Toroidal Energy Storage [0/??]
[] [ResearchB] Gun Ship Analysis [40/100]
[] [ResearchB] Alien Alloy Fabrication [20/160]
[] [ResearchB] Rejoin Research Team Alpha
"If you're done," Jasper began, annoyed grimace on his face, "then - "
"Sit down Jasper, you're making us look like idiots," Angus harshly cut in.
Affronted, Jasper turned to Long Caster, whose mask of disinterested stoicism attempted to conceal exactly how tired of everything he is.
Long Caster said nothing.
Smugly, Charlie took that as his motion to continue. "Even that machinery probably isn't our most important finding, according to our research team; the most important finding is that the alien sample in the Bulb Ship is actually completely genetically unrelated to the samples we got in the fighters. We've taken the liberty of sending that over our comms already, Commander," Charlie reported.
Jasper cut back in: "Without authorization? Commander, that sounds like something you should've been informed about, right? Isn't that insubordination?" he sing-songed.
Long Caster's fist morphed into a hand pinching his nose, his low headache making itself known.
"There wouldn't be a lot of meat to this allegation, you understand," Long Caster said. "And it would be a completely separate disciplinary hearing which you absolutely would not be privy to, do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir," Jasper said, expression radiating self-satisfaction.
Angus' shaking fists, by contrast, looked ready to commit Jasper's murder, as Georgie tried to make himself as small as possible, hands curled protectively over his head.
"Now, Charlie, it's been a long week," Long Caster said, meaningfully looking at Jasper's smug expression, "so I'd appreciate if you could tell us what that really means for us."
"Got it, sir. Mostly it means that we think there are more than one species of alien we encountered, and it gives us a better idea of what might actually be going on in the alien fighter, sir," Charlie nodded.
"Understood. Tactics team, your report?"
"My team's completed our initial doctrine, sir," Jasper said. "We call it Hammer and Nail Doctrine, and we believe it combines the most effective parts of our improvised doctrine together. Georgie?"
Literally unspooling from the ball that Georgie had cringed into, Georgie began: "Well, uh, based on many of our battles, but mostly the Battle of Granada Plains, we think that standoff weapons have had the greatest effect - compare, for example," he said, clicking forward on his laptop, "the effect of the ADMM barrages and dogfighting. A-although, that is an incredibly extreme comparison. There's a similar comparison in the Razgriz and Harpy squadron engagement, where Razgriz squadron used XLAAs with high effectiveness, sir."
"However, we can't have all of our attacks launched from long range - see the Battle of Selatapura Harbor to see what happens when we let alien fighters go unanswered, sir" he said, clicking back to that...first battle.
Seven fighters lost. Two dead.
"I understand," Long Caster said, heavily.
"That's why the second part of our strategy involves using aces to hold the attention of our enemies. We think our aces can, based off of the Razgriz engagement over the Granada Plains," Angus said. "That battle, and the battle over Axel Bay convinced us that enemy fighter groups depend heavily on their Bulb Ships to coordinate them in large groups. Take out the bulb ships, and the aliens tend to attack the nearest target."
"Add it all up," Jasper cut in, "and you have our Hammer and Nail doctrine. Our ace Nail troops nail our enemies in place with their own piloting skills, and the Hammer troops use long range weaponry like EMLs and XLAAs to hammer the aliens from long range. We can freely allocate Hammer and Nail troops according to the situation, without risking our relatively inexperienced Hammer troops. We think it's the best doctrine for our situation, Commander," Jasper said, eminently pleased with himself.
"So let me get this straight, you want the Hammer troops to fire unguided or low-responsiveness rounds into a dogfight with the Nail troops?" Long Caster said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," Jasper said, "there's some - "
"Yeah, pretty much," Angus shrugged. "We talked with the aces beforehand, and they'll be fine. Besides, they've got you watching over them. That's enough margin of safety for me."
"For you, maybe, but not everyone!" Georgie hissed.
Everyone in the room turned to look at him.
Georgie shrunk back just as suddenly.
"Hm." Long Caster said noncommitally. "I also note that this doctrine depends on having lots of top-tier aces and battlefield vision, is this correct?"
"Well...yes, we thought those tradeoffs were worth it." Jasper said.
Hammer and Nail Doctrine:
[] [HND] Accept it.
[] [HND] Revise it for less ace dependence.
[] [HND] Revise it for less risk of friendly fire.
[] [HND] Revise it for less battlefield vision dependence.
Training and Tactics Department:
[] [TTD] Revise Hammer and Nail Doctrine.
[] [TTD] Train B-Tier Fighters.
[] [TTD] Full Analysis of the Battle of Granada Plains.
[] [TTD] Full Analysis of the Battle of Axel Bay.
[] [TTD] Full Analysis of the Battle of Selatapura Harbor.
Siegfried Debriefing
"No handcuffs? I've got to say, mate, this base is almost downright hospitable!" Siegfried laughed, southern accent bleeding through.
"Your...ah, former employers handcuffed you?" Long Caster asked, surprised.
"Yeah, along with beatings, starvation rations, and the occasional party for bloody brilliant work and all. Really, it was the Tinpot Dictator special," Siegfried shrugged, smirking.
"You say that like you've been through more than one," Long Caster carefully noted.
"Yeah, those Estovakians were frigid bastards, but at least Uncle Lorenz was there," he said, smile both never fading and never quite reaching his eyes. "'Course, I went straight from the bitter cold to a jungle hell, courtesy of the Belkan express delivery service, so, eh."
"...so what did you do for Estovakia and Leasath?" Long Caster asked.
"Eh, design a couple big planes and a couple cutting-edge ones. Flew one over, and she's a right beaut," he proudly said. "The Aigaion was kinda okay, the Gyges was some fine work, but god, there's nothing prettier than my little Gram."
"And can you tell us what you were doing in Leasath?" Long Caster asked.
"Mm, depends. Some of the crew were bludgers, but the others were pretty alright - then again, Navvie-boy is probably beating them all anyway so I might as well tell you. Leasath had me work with some bleeding-edge tech, stuff to do with microwave weapons, shielding, and making planes straight invisible, to slap onto some big fighters and throw down with someone, probably Aurelia," Siegfried said, expression completely unchanged.
"...I see. In which case, I won't force you to do anything; if you'd like, I can charter a plane for you to go home," Long Caster offered.
"Nah," Siegfried said, turning to look off into space. "Nowhere's really home for a bloke like me, except maybe the sky. I'd rather have something to do," he shrugged.
"I understand. Where would you like to be assigned to, then?" Long Caster nodded.
"Eh. Something that puts me either in a plane or making one," Siegfried shrugged.
[][Sieg] Assign Siegfried as an S-class Engineer, specialty Aerospace and Superweapon Design
[][Sieg] Assign Siegfried as a B-class Pilot
Which side does Long Caster initially favor?
[][Meet] Leasath
[][Meet] Aurelia
[][Meet] Neither
