Writing Project #8 - February 2039
This is particularly based off two games which I vastly enjoyed ten years ago.

X-Com: UFO Defense
X-Com: Terror From the Deep

If you're familiar with them, good. If not, all you need to know can be found out by following these links. What follows is something which sort of constructed itself as I was preparing to start yet another game in X-Com: Terror From the Deep (If you intend to play these games, learn this lesson well: there ARE no such things as "overkill" or "too much firepower" during colony missions).

So, anyway, what follows is an in-universe concept which came out of considering what the heck my team from the first game was doing when the second one started. Well those who lived anyway.



February 6, 2039

Commander Andianov,

Enclosed within this message is the latest evaluation of our deep-sea recovery program. I have a few addendums to include with the report, however, which I could not leave inside official files. Knowing the fickle nature of our funding, I want our financial backers to know as little of this as possible.

Three weeks ago we recovered the wreckage of Contact 32-541. As expected, all stores of Elenium-115 had violently reacted with water to reduce the identifiable wreckage to fragments of hull metal and electrical components. There was a distinct lack of remains which puzzled the recovery team until evidence was found there had been another craft in the vicinity some time ago. This would not be cause for much alarm until the schedules of other deep-sea operations were checked. I am confident you can understand where I am going with this, but I’ll finish the thought anyway. No known terrestrial-sphere agency was authorized to be in the recovery area, nor had filed a plan to develop there until late 2041.

In addition, three recovery sites have reported removal of reactors from the crash sites. Despite the above noted volatility of Elenium-115, these reactor removals were neat and clean. There was evidence of someone who knew what they were doing and taking their time to ensure safety of the crew and objects. These recovery sites, along with the fourth site (Contact 32-541) all are within the North Pacific region, pointing to a potential security breach. Or worse.

Communications have been uncovered within bands formerly reserved for official business, ones which we monitor but do not use anymore. The code hasn’t yet been uncovered but from early attempts to break it, we understand it is derivative of older codes which were in use during early 2000, by Hostiles. I expect we might have missed something, during our previous sweeps. I recommend releasing additional funding to investigate, particularly near the Arctic Circle.

Please review the information enclosed carefully,

Lieutenant Jacques Andrews
North Pacific Recovery


February 23, 2039

Lieutenant,

As per regulations, I am forced to deny your request for extra funding. As you said in your missive, we are under enormous pressure to justify our continued activity to the Financers. Three have pulled their funding already over the last year, leaving us with a significant lack of assets to continue operation. I had the unhappy task of shutting down the South Atlantic team last week, despite their lucrative recovery efforts.

Your additional information is interesting, but I lack the ability to follow up on it at this time. I give you permission to sell some of the salvaged materials in order to fund your efforts and to continue operations. Try to sell only verified scrap-grade material, nothing which would be a notable loss. Be discreet in your operations and report your findings back directly to me.

If there is a confirmed presence of Hostiles within the search area, you are also authorized to use lethal force to deal with the problem. If these inconsistencies and activities you have monitored are the work of a terrestrial agency however, you are required to provide evidence for review and prisoners for questioning.

Good luck,

Commander Lystria Andianov
Director of Recovery Operations