Interlude 5:
"Let's go over this one more time." The Commander of XCOM sighed into his hand. "The Aliens are pulling out-"
"Resistance forces all across the world can confirm Commander." Bradford interjected. "We've got troopships being loaded up and leaving, that entire fleet exiting Earth's orbit…" He sighed. "Also the Temple Ship we saw in the initial invasion has left. ADVENT's abandoned the city centers, given up on patrolling the rural areas… They've just vanished."
"- Yes thank you Central." The Commander just… Continued face-palming. Just resting his face in the palm of his hand.
It had been a very stressful week.
"It's going to take time to establish order." Bradford continued. "We've already got rioters and protestors out on the streets. But I think we can manage. Aside from that it's been fairly quiet."
"I believe we are ignoring the proverbial 'Elephant in the room.'" Tygan interjected. "Namely, the second group of aliens that landed on this planet not so long ago."
"… Don't remind me." The Commander grumbled. "I've already got the Spokesman on the horn, practically demanding answers. I've got resistance forces that were scouting the rail lines in South America radioing me about the 'Creepy purple stuff in the rainforests.' I've got people demanding to know what happened to that asteroid the Elder Ones tried dropping on our heads. I know we've already debriefed the ground team that went on that clusterfuck of a mission but I think we should get them here. Get them to explain the story one more time so something makes sense."
It had been a fun week. More 'screaming because oh shit there's an asteroid and another set of aliens.'
Fun. Totally 'fun'.
"That might be a problem." Lily Shen shrugged.
"What do you mean 'That might be a problem'?"
"Greg's still completely out of it, Kelly and Jenkins have locked themselves in a room and they haven't come out-"
The Commander sighed. Sometimes he missed the old days, when XCOM was actually a professional outfit.
… Semi-professional outfit. Because the soldiers were a bunch of high-functioning sociopaths and trolls back then and they were a bunch of crazy high-functioning sociopaths and trolls now.
"- And David's somehow the most well-adjusted of the lot. Considering the mission they just went on we figured we'd give them a bit of time to decompress."
"… Can't argue there." The Commander sighed. "Tygan, what about Greg? Any improvements?"
Tygan snorted. "If you call 'staring blankly at the ceiling' an improvement. I must say it is better than when he was screaming about soul-devouring many-toothed monsters out to steal kittens and kick puppies."
"He said all that?"
"Indeed- Wait." Tygan frowned, poked at his datapad. "He's lucid. And demanding to talk to you, Commander."
"Well that's convenient. Alright, I'm going down to the medbay. Meeting adjourned."
---
Of course it wasn't that convenient.
"So you're saying they're friendly?" The Commander tried.
Greg shrugged weakly, confined to the bed as he was. "Well they weren't unfriendly."
"… They basically put you into a coma."
Greg frowned. Scratched his scalp. "The thing is, I got the feeling that whatever I saw didn't mean to put me in a coma. Pretty sure that's accurate since, you know, psionics."
"Right." The Commander sighed. "So what, it was an accident?"
"Yes?" Greg tried.
"… That doesn't equate to being friendly. We've just gone through one set of alien masters. I don't know about you but I'm not enthused by the prospect of sending my men and women to fight another set of alien masters."
"Trust me Commander, I've seen that- The size of that thing's mind. It was enormous. Massive. Ancient." He shuddered. "If it wanted us dead we'd be dead."
"Well that's reassuring."
"Look it was basically a psionic eldritch abomination but I'm positive it was a friendly eldritch abomination. If you catch my meaning. I'm pretty sure it didn't mean to put me in a coma."
"… It drove you insane." The Commander deadpanned.
"Mostly sure it didn't mean to do that!" Greg paused. "It might sound like I don't really care, but honestly I was even loopier when I first got my implants. You know, psi-warrior implants in my brain. Have I told you about that time when I-"
Sometimes the Commander missed being part of a partially-professional outfit.
This was one of those times.
"Moving past your casual disregard for the integrity of your mind." The Commander interrupted. "This… Does line up with what the rest of your squad said. How sure are you about this?"
"Pretty sure?"
"Alright, you just volunteered for diplomatic duties."
"… Since when did we talk to the aliens?"
"Well these aliens have actually tried talking to us first." The Commander groped for his hip flask. He was nowhere near sober enough for any of this. "These aliens also just kicked the crap out of the first group of aliens that kicked our collective asses twenty years ago. Let's not even talk about the fucking asteroid at this point, I don't even want to know what happened to that asteroid."
"So you're going to arrange a meeting on neutral territory. Have them send an envoy. But right now you're planning on getting extremely drunk." Greg finished.
"Telepathy?"
"You know it!"
Sometimes the Commander wished Bradford had just left him in that tank all those months ago.
This was one of those times. He took a swig from his flask. Professional? No, but he didn't give a damn anymore. Damn it all to hell.
---
David Harper was taking a shower when the call went out. The Avenger had touched near a resistance haven for once in order to give the troops some rest and relaxation. And David fully intended on resting and relaxing.
He should've been happier to 'hear' Greg's voice in his mind.
"Yo David?" Greg asked.
David Harper proceeded to just crank up the heat and ignore everything else. Anyother time he'd be happy about this but then? Not happy, not really happy.
"Nope, just taking a shower. Don't mind me. I'm not getting paid enough to deal with awkward creepy-as-hell bugs from space. Nope." He muttered as he shampooed his hair.
"… You don't know it's about the bugs."
"Oh please what else would it have been about?" David grunted. "So you're actually awake now? Not screaming off the top of your lungs?"
"Yeah?"
"Commander wants to see me?"
"… Yeah?"
"Alright. Be there in five." He sighed. Turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his lower body as he went.
… And that's when he noticed the other Resistance member just standing near the doorway looking spooked as hell.
"Why were you… Talking to yourself?" The poor man asked.
Well fuck.
"… I was talking to my buddy. Who has psionic powers. He's a telepath." David replied. "You know the type, right?"
"Right. Psionics. Totally a thing. Right." The other man just smiled and nodded. Continued smiling and nodding even as he backed out of the door. David could see him slam the door shut, could hear him running away from the showers, his footsteps fading away as he went.
"… That never gets old."
"Greg, you're an asshole." David sighed. "You're all a bunch of assholes." He said, more petulant than anything.
"Love you too Sarge."
---
XCOM isn't stupid. Xenophobic maybe but not stupid.
So yeah, tentative talks are commencing. Which will be next interlude.
It's going to be awkward as fuck.
For the Swarm in a nutshell. Someone come up with a tagline for this fic.
Anyways, gotta work now. Will update when able. TFW you have to work all the nightshifts because the store you work at is horrifically understaffed.
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