X-COM: The Waning Moon [LazyKitsune]

[Lorielle]

Name: Natalia
Nickname: Spook
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Background: A handful of years after the end of the war, a band of Reapers found a little girl surviving on her own surviving in one the desolate cities left abandoned by ADVENT. How she came to be there or how she had survived seemingly by herself all this time is uncertain, but she was stealthy enough to stalk to Reaper camp for a few days, pilfering food and water from their rations and sleeping nearby. It took a while longer for her to reach a point where she was comfortable speaking to anyone, to such an extent that many had started to assume she was mute. When she did finally speak, they learned little of her past, other than that her name was Natalia.

She would grow up to exemplify everything that made the Reapers unique in how they survived in alien occupied Earth. Stealthy, cautious and perhaps a degree paranoid. Her skills would eventually see her becoming a valuable asset for the wider Resistance once the Reapers started to open up to the idea of working with XCOM and the other Resistance Factions and she would find herself leaving the relative safety of the Reaper Camps to work alongside a variety of resistance soldiers.

Perks:
Muzzled Bitch: Natalia is an expert at remaining quiet and hidden. The Reapers helped her already well developed talent for stealth flourish even further, helping her not only remain hidden, but have an easier time disappearing in the battlefield after being noticed than most.
Long, Hard Barrel: Natalia is a keen eyed sniper. Her accuracy and lethality with long ranged weaponry is a cut above the rest.

Flaws:
Lone Bitch: Natalia's naturally distant and untrusting demeanour makes her difficult to get to know. She builds bonds slower with her teammates than most people.

For as long as you can remember, when you looked up at the sky you could see the multitude of stars that were laid out in the vast blackness of the night. Little pearls of light and when the time was right, a warm pinkish hue joined them. Your older comrades, those who received an education prior to the occupation had told you this fuzzy cloud that filled the sky was the "Milky Way". A funny sounding name to be sure, but they told you it was useful as it was only visible during the middle of the year. When it faded, it meant operations and life were going to get harder. The snows would fall and you couldnt help but remember many cold and sleepless nights huddled inside a ruined building.

You were thankful for the reapers and they were thankful to have found someone as skilled as you. Your particular band inhabited the heavily forested North-West of the North American continent, but when the reapers decided to end their isolation you were among the few who would venture far from home. To become the hooded unseen death that stalkers the night.

Or. Thats what you thought. When you look up at the sky, as cars buzz by, security cameras blaring and the occasional ADVENT dropship flying overhead. You couldnt even see the stars that used to guide you and your fellow reapers. You were stuck in the middle of a bright, almost pristine city street of City 13. Located in the old San Francisco Bay it didnt take much of an adventure to see the devastation that was wrought by the aliens, two or three hours in any direction and you'd come by the ruins of the other cities that used to inhabit the bay. It did make for a convenient cover from ADVENT's prying eyes, at least when you didnt need to contend with the Lost. Dressed as you were in civilian clothes, a revolver and a your sniper hidden in a bag, you felt somewhat naked not dressed to take advantage of the shadows.

"Spook, are you in place?" a voice chirps. The voice was warm and tender, maybe too much so for a group of resistance fighters, but Mama Bear, was just one half of this particular cell's command. Once you give your call back you hear her signal off to the other members of this operation. "Good. Raven, Arbiter you guys ready?"

"Ready," A cooler feminine voice rings out.

"Been ready." This one game a somewhat squirrely sounding man.

"Good. Jupiter how are you?" Mama Bear lists off.

"As good as i can be.. you guys need to hurry." A nervous sounding man said, from what you understand was not a member of your group, having served as an informant these past few months he tipped off Papa Bear to this unique transfer.

"Good, operation Falling Star has commenced. Remember your target is the local jail. While we'd normally be looking for the People in the jail, apparently something else is happening today. Be a look out for that armored truck. We're either taking it or blowing it up. Whatever is happening we cant let it happen, Jupiter here staked his cushy life on it."

"Just hurry, i can only delay the transfer for so long." You hear him whisper. "Come around the back and i can open the doors."

You were on the corner of 1st and Main. the Jail was on the opposite corner across the street. Going down towards 2nd Street Raven waited by a planter while Arbiter was at the other corner on Market smoking a cigarette. You had a clear line of sight of the front door... if you had to guess from the map you studied before hand that Arbiter was the closest to the backdoor of the jail. But you were in the best place for yourself. A three story building was right behind you. If you climb a few pipes you can easily see over the top of the jail and provide the cover necessary for the other two.

"Okay then how we hitting this thing?" Arbiter says impatiently. From where you were standing you can see him throw down his cigarette and stomp it out.

"I'll go down the side of the building hit it with some x4 to give you a diversion, that should let you slip in." Raven responds.

"Sure explosives for brains you do that." Arbiter fires back, clearly not a fan. A moment opens up for you to give your input on how the squad should proceed.

If you let the moment slip you by

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Spook" Raven calls out. "Mind babysitting Arbiter, just make sure he gets in the truck before he shoots anyone, let alone Jupiter. He can certainly use the attention."

"W-what?"

"Shut up raven im not gonna shoot him."
They bicker back and forth for a moment, you shouldnt delay any longer, arbiter waves you down signaling for you to meet up.

The street is bustling with life. Each person walking by you seems to be enjoying their life without any real concern. Especially as a security camera near you blares and a man is stopped. He frantically pats himself down, trying to figure out what is wrong when two ADVENT officers step out of the jail to check on the disturbance. The civi is talking, clearly panicked by the random check the camera tower had performed on him and the ADVENT officers squak at him in that inhuman language.

Raven:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Arbiter:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

arbiter.PNG (318.56 KiB) Viewed 136 times

[Lazy Kitsune]

This was not the kind of infiltration I excelled at. There was value to be found in hiding in plain sight, but what was far less risky was simply remaining out of sight altogether. That was the way of the Reaper. The way I had lived all these years. Wearing these civilian clothes - I might as well be naked, like a whore flaunting herself so the ADVENT soldiers may take her with greater ease.

"In position and ready." I confirm over coms. Whatever misgivings I had about this approach, the plan was too far in motion now to do anything about it. I would make do.

The other two immediately begin discussing how they wanted to handle things from here on out. While they have their back and forth, I find myself eyeing the building behind me. It was tall enough that from the top I could get a good vantage over the jail. Enough to see over it completely perhaps. Raven wanted to use explosives to cause a diversion. Which seemed likely to work, but it would announce our presence immediately. Ideally we would want to get to the truck before it came to that.

"Hold off on the explosives, Raven." I say. "I'm going to provide overwatch. Set your explosives and then stick with Arbiter. If you get spotted, detonate and we'll take the opportunity to rush the truck. Otherwise, I will try and keep your path clear from above while you move."

I pull back from the main street, making my way to the side of the building behind me, out of sight of the ADVENT soldiers carrying out their roadside inspections as I begin my ascent. I would be of more use somewhere where I could fully exploit my rifles range and my own ability to remain unnoticed. Raven and Arbiter would have to get along just long enough to complete the mission.

[Lorielle]

You hear a whistle over the radio. The world seemed to slow down for a moment as you lay out your version of the plan. "Well miss, silent but deadly does have more to say." Raven says, before replying back. "Alright, i think that can work. The x4 will be spotted if we take too long though." She replies.

You can see her move down the street and briefly out of sight as you dip away to find your way up the roof of the building. Climbing on these slick, freshly painted pipes were different from the rusted mess you were more used to. There was a certain chill these pipes had, maybe it was the paint? But it felt like it was draining away the heat in your hands as you made your way higher and higher up on the wall. But before long you were up on the roof with the perfect vantage point of the entire corner.

Just as you survey things you can see Raven and Arbiter have convened.

"Okay we're ready to go." Raven says into the comms.

'Fucking finally." you hear Arbiter through Raven's mic. "Lets get this shitshow on the road, whatever is in the truck better be worth it." The wind blows through your hair, your hat barely holding to your head. It was a pretty chilly night all things considered, but having done scouting missions in and around the area it gets pretty cold even during the summer. People keep bustling by even as you pull your rifle out of its bag.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

6, 3, 2 vs 6,2

The soldiers that were harassing the passerby seemed to get their fill, shoving the man back and out of the camera tower's gaze. You watch as he scrambles away and the two ADVENT officers begin their self-assured trot back to the jail's front entrance. You feel another chill run down your spine as you watch Raven and Arbiter cross the street and hope a concrete blockade. For a brief moment they are out of your sight.

"Okay open it up Jupiter." Raven calls out.

As you continue to provide overwatch you notice that approaching from Main street was an ADVENT captain. That bright red armor and sash. It was unmistakable why they were here. They were approaching the jail with a bit more urgency than the two soldiers that were patrolling. But the captain and his two escorts were pushing civilians out of their way to get to the jail. A few of them call out to the captain, clearly displeased by being so forcefully moved, but an advent soldier shoves them away.

"We're in the truck. Come on Jupiter you're not gonna want to stick around after this." Raven says, the rumble of the truck can be heard over the comms. "We're moving." And slowly but surely the truck begins to roll out of the backdoor. You can see the top of it begin to pull away.

"Spook give us an exit, are we picking you up or do you think you can slip away?" Raven says, though as she says this you can see below you that the captain was just able to clear the block, once on the corner he'll be able to see the truck pull away. You can preempt him but putting a new hole in his skull or hope that the truck can pull away without drawing suspicion. If he suspects anything is off he'll raise the alarm and reinforcements will surely be on their way.

[Lazy Kitsune]

I begin my ascent quickly while the guards are focused on their inspection, ignoring the comments my team members make over the coms that aren't relevant to the mission. There's a certain sense of security to be gained as I reach the top, slipping into position unnoticed by the ADVENT soldiers below. Even among these brightly lit and overly surveyed city streets, the rooftops offered a familiar comfort in how they helped me keep my enemies in sight while I stayed out of theirs. I moved to the edge of the roof, setting up on a suitable perch as I prepared my rifle and began to examine the situation below through my scope.

Despite their back and forth, Raven and Arbiter's side of the plan proceeds with sufficient efficiency. They make their way into the compound under my careful watch. They would have to make do without my direct oversight while within the building, however provided their efficiency continued then that shouldn't be the case for long. While they operated inside, this provided me with an opportunity to survey the wider area to make sure their escape was clear.

Which is when I noticed something of concern. An ADVENT Captain, moving with undue haste towards the compound. Fortunately it sounded like the rest of the team had already reached the truck, but this Captain and his accompaniment were fast approaching. Without further insight into his actions, the only safe assumption to make was that he had reason to suspect our activities. Nothing that provided certainty, or the alarm would already be raised and Raven and Arbiter captured, but ADVENT could very well have intel that encourages them to be cautious with... whatever it was that we were working to recover.

It soon became apparent that it would be too risky to hold off until the rest of the team had left with the truck. It was all too likely the Captain would notice their departure, and that may be all he needs to sound the alarm. Better the attention of his entourage be drawn elsewhere so the others can make their getaway.

When Raven calls in over coms, I respond to update her on the overall situation. "It looks like ADVENT knows something is up. Prioritise the mission. I'm going to draw attention and hopefully stall them in noticing you. Once you're clear, detonate those explosives. That might give me the opportunity I'll need to slip away on my own. Over." I say, before drawing in a deep breath.

I steady my aim, drawing the Captain into my sights as line up a shot, waiting just long enough to get as steady focus on my target before I take open fire, planning to start running to try and disappear once again as soon as I had taken my shot.

[Lorielle]

The night air seems to lick at your skin when you're this high up. Feeling the chill push past your coat and worm its way under your clothes. You imagine its how a friend would feel were they to embrace you. But now wasnt the time to reminisce about your many cold nights. No you were here on a mission. You take a deep breath and peer through the lens of your scope. Another world in which you were invincible.

Things were moving quickly and you give a spirited reply back to Raven. "Alrighty spook, but you'd better get out of there too!" She shouts over the comms. The world slows down in the next split second. A bird flutters by as you use your scope to pull a bead over the captain's shiny lobster-like armor. His sash flutters in the wind as a gust suddenly rises.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

6,6,5,3

And in the next moment a ringing echoes down the block. Your shot practically obliterates the alien's head as it crumples to the ground. That orange blood spilling onto the street as people cry out and his two attendants stumble back in a panic. The world feels still as you maintain your eyeline, but you're almost certain Raven and the others head the shot as you can see the truck pull further away from the building. The two ADVENT soldiers that were a part of the building's garrison turn around, trying to ascertain what that noise was only to be met by the lifeless body of one of their captains.

While you've rarely seen ADVENT troopers panic it seems like this was the perfect confluence of events as the two troopers accompanying the captain spring off in different directions not wanting to end up next in your sights.

In the next beat you feel the shockwave of an explosion crest your body. Thankfully you were far enough away that you werent injured or hurt other than a slight ringing in your ears, but Raven's X4 charge had gone off. All eyes and ears have forgotten about the captain as the jail begins to smolder. It was time to make your exit.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

5,5,4,1

And an exit it is. You pull away from your perch, your looming shadow no longer poised to take down more ADVENT troopers. You back off to 30th street and down the various alleyways these gleaming buildings see to illuminate regardless of the tight corners. But as you run further and further from the city center the facade of a carefully manicured and perfect "human" city is ditched and you see the dilapidated slums that often surround the alien built refuges.

Your compass tells you that if you continue to move southwardly you'll reach Base Camp, but you realize this is the first time you've explored one of these cities by yourself. An ADVENT troop carrier streams over head as you consider your options. You could make your way back to base or do some "independent" scouting if you felt so inclined. A sign reading BAR & WOMEN in bright orange neon catches your eye. Some man stumbles out of the door with a bottle in his hand. There was a smell in the air you werent used to. Was this life? Or something worse.

[Lazy Kitsune]

One more dead at the hands of the Reapers. More could fall within my sight easily, panicking as they were below, still yet to identify where that shot came from and who my next target might be. Though my mission was not to bring death this day, and the others were already on their way out with the objective. The time now came, as it always did, to focus on survival. I drop my rifle into the bag as I pull away from the ledge and zip it up. Raven's explosive provides what distraction I need to make sure I disappear from view entirely as I make my escape.

These streets are not the quiet, desolate ones where I used to roam, where often the only worry was stray Lost. But even within the heart of ADVENT's territories, alleyways and backstreets offered shadows enough to hide in from their many roaming eyes. Through these I run, daring not to slow my escape. All it takes is for me to have missed one careful eye for a moments of rest to turn into an ambush. In time, I've slipped far enough away to not be in the bulk of the local forces' reach. Out here, they might spare only a few patrols to keep a token eye on these streets. Their new age architecture stripped away, and with all the shine and gloss that comes with it gone there is nothing but the familiar scenery of brickwork and decay. The only structures left that can still be considered purely human.

This still isn't cause to drop my guard altogether. Not until I made it back to Base Camp. I had little purpose to be here. Though I could slow my movement now to try and blend rather than hide altogether, this was not wholly familiar territory to me. It was strange... in some way this was what I was fighting for. Places like that I was moving through now, with all the people crowded within them so they could live free of the aliens one day. Would I be expected to move here one day, or to a place like it, once the fighting was over? I stop and watch a man depart from a bar, clearly drunk enough to trip over himself twice over. The stench certainly is anything but inviting, yet the open door draws my attention towards it. A part of life still yet unseen.

Best saved for another time, however. I was carrying weapons on me. It would be stupid to risk being caught with them, even this far out. I continue on back to Base Camp. Any interest in seeing how this side of humanity lived can be explored sometime less dangerous than now.

[Lorielle]

Your trek through the backstreets of City 13 were at least boring. The people here on the outskirts are destitute but they were not desperate. One look at you and they knew to stay their distance. While none would say it, you had the presence of ill omen. Even the few children walking around with their parents this late at night were pushed to the other side of the street to avoid treading into your path.

The walk is slow however, not wanting to draw too much attention from the spotty patrols that ADVENT laid out for the outskirts. No reason to give them a reason to suspect you, but that did mean making your way further and further out from the city center until you were left with the cold grasp of night. Not even street lamps dared to be lit leaving these ruined buildings your only companion for this trek. Well that was until you heard your radio squawk to life. "Hellllloo Spook you there? Been trying to reach you for the last hour this is Mama Bear."

The last hour? You heard exactly nothing over the radio. You were fairly close to Base Camp. Now in the outskirts and far from any Lost pockets you were able to pick up your pace somewhat.

Regardless of what you respond back to Mama Bear you're soon within sight of the little bit of light the camp was allowed to shine. Blackout rules were strictly enforced to avoid ADVENT's flying eyes. But you can see the armored truck had made it back to camp just fine. Jupiter whom you hadnt seen until know had popped open the hood and was tinkering with the vehicle. But what was more pressing was every member of the cell was looking at the opened trunk of the truck and getting into a fairly heated debate about it.

As you approach you hear a man speak up. A lower pitch and somewhat gravelly from years of smoking. He was dressed in a ragged labcoat. Hardly the correct dress for a scientist without a proper lab, his coat just gets dirtier and dirtier but makes him stick out like a sore thumb among everyone else's ragged dress. You knew the voice to belong to a man simply calling himself Bones, likely some part of his medical background but he's never really given a straight answer about his preferred callsign.

"We cant just dispose of it, X-Com tipped us off to this, it has to be important, our comms are down, but i think its because of this device! Give me a day before we hit it with X4." He says, clearly tried of needing to defend this position.

"The risk of too great, it could be tracked to us--" Another voice speaks out, another man. Calm, authoritative, patient. Papa Bear was the one who signed off on your request to join this particular cell of the Resistance.

"If it was being tracked we would have been found already. No i think this device is specifically meant to provide concealment. Our comms werent jammed, they were masked, as if they never existed outside of this bubble." Bones replies back.

It elicits a grumble from Papa Bear, he wasnt an expert in xeno-tech, there was no way for him to provide a rebuttal without simply overruling Bones. Something he's loathed to do.

"Okay say we keep it, what do we even do with it, how does this help us." He says, seeing if he can get Bones to tie the noose himself.

"Without extensive testing i wont know its capabilities, but from a preliminary test.."

"Unauthorized test" Mama Bear speaks up.

"From a preliminary test i think this thing can help us track ADVENT's communications while masking our own. It seems to have... some how adapted to the signal we use and.. i think translated it to whatever alien encryption the aliens are doing. Its full proof, our stuff will look like friendly comms while we can hear all of theirs. Its untraceable."

"For now." Mama Bear says with a flippant tone, though Papa Bear gives her a gentle ribbing to knock off the comments.

"Alright. You can work with it for now Bones, but if anything goes wrong with it its getting sunk into the bay." Papa Bear makes the final call and the group murmurs some stray thoughts, but no one is able to offer any dissention. The decision was final.

As you scan the crowd Raven and Arbiter spot you. Raven waves at you and jobs over. "Look who made it back alive, when you werent answering your radio we all thought you died, then Bones over there turned that thing on and suddenly Mama could get a line through to you. Weird huh." She says offering you a wide smile. "Any trouble getting back here though?"

Papa Bear:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Mama Bear:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

mamabear.png (229.27 KiB) Viewed 99 times

Jupiter:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

jupiter.png (306.99 KiB) Viewed 99 times

Bones:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

bones.png (115.44 KiB) Viewed 99 times

[Lazy Kitsune]

I didn't expect to hear any communications as I approached the base. I had assumed the lack of radio contact had been due to deliberate radio silence. It seems that they actually had some difficulty reaching me. Which felt concerning. I always considered it an unnecessary risk to station ourselves so close to an ADVENT city. The short distance was advantageous for quick surgical strikes, yes, but it was far too close to the myriad of ways ADVENT and the aliens occupiers had of detecting us to ever feel secure.

"I read you Mama Bear. Not far from Base Camp now. Over." I respond, letting them know I was safe and on my way.

Sure enough, I soon see them before me, including my first look at Jupiter who seemed just as baby faced as he sounded, though perhaps that'll help him fit in with the other men in this camp. It certainly seemed whatever it was we recovered had gathered everyone around in a heated discussion. While it was neither my place nor my preference to weigh in on this matter, I found myself leaning towards Papa Bear's side of the argument. Something like this sounded like an unnecessary risk to our operations. Its very nature could alert ADVENT to our presence. It should be studied, but not here. Somewhere more remote, and much more well equipped.

Though I kept all of that to myself. I was here to help with covert operations. This is for the others to decide. I begin to walk on by to debrief and stow my equipment, before I find myself intercepted by Raven.

"No trouble. How about on your end? Certain you weren't followed?" Given the smile she offered up, she might have been expecting something warmer or more comprehensive in response, but I didn't particularly see much point in it at the moment. Perhaps later, but launching an operation in a city we were basically right outside of left the possibility to ADVENT showing up at our doorstep far too high for my liking. Smalltalk can wait for when I was sure we wouldn't need to pack up and run at a moments notice.

[Lorielle]

The group that formed around the back of the armored truck breaks off, only Bones sticks behind to continue his work on the strange alien device. You couldnt really take your eyes off of it as you felt your instincts kick in, telling you to destroy it, but you tamp down on the impulse. Maybe you can talk to someone about at least moving the thing out of the main part of the caravan the next time it moves.

Raven laughs off your statement, maybe she was more surprised than anything. Arbiter speaks up in her place.

"You think we'd be here if we were followed? God you Reapers think we're all stupid huh." He sneers, though it earns him an elbow to the ribs when Raven collects herself.

"Fuck off Arbiter, she's only being cautious. But trust me Spook, we werent followed. Its thanks to Jupiter mostly, the truck's tracker was disabled well before we got on board. The guy is pretty good at his job," she says as she looks around. "But we'll probably be breaking camp soon enough. Kinda glad we got some new wheels though, i hear these Advent trucks run really well and dont even need much fueling up. Will be good to keep around i think."

"Its honestly probably the bigger score, whatever the hell Bones plans to do with that 'relay' we found, i dont like it." Arbiter says, his hand rubbing the spot Raven elbowed him. The conversation trails off as Arbiter and Raven talk about the mission itself and you find a moment to exit their presence. You walk around the camp, seeing other resistance operatives packing or checking their equipment. It seemed like Raven was right at least and your fears about being on the city's doorstep will be alleviated. With the camp in motion you join in the wave and begin to tear down whatever constituted your part of the camp and help others do so.

The caravan consisted of an 18-wheeler for the majority of the "tech" available to the caravan, with a couple of cargo containers containing the caravan's facilities. A few flatbeds for transporting people and materials, and the newly added armored truck which can now carry others, if they were comfortable sitting next to the alien relay at least for the moment.

---

Spook Level Up! Squaddie!
New Perk Available: Select 1
Messy Facial: When Natalia kills an enemy from concealment, enemies who witness the kill are significantly more likely to panic.
Solo Play: Natalia gains a bonus while separated from the rest of her team.
Riding High: When a higher elevation, get a bonus to making any attack and resisting mental effects.
Pillow talk: If Natalia is near an ally when she kills an enemy she will clear that ally's mental effects

---

New operatives in Camp:

Sigmund:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Yajima Toshiko
Nickname: Sigmund
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Background: The XCOM scientist Yajima Ome miraculously survived the assault on the XCOM facility during the final stages of the war, despite being in the middle stages of a pregnancy at the time. While both her and the twins she was carrying survived physically, her mind unfortunately would be fragmented by the event. She developed an obsession with completing the project which her team had been assigned to - research psionics and the human capacity for it. While on the run from alien forces, she set up a makeshift lab with what few supplies she could salvage from the base and, with no volunteers to work with, she used herself as a guinea pig. The results on herself were minimal, though they had a profound affect on her unborn twins. When she finally gave birth, both her daughters were innately psionic. Unfortunately this led to them becoming her test subjects over the following years.

Resistance intel is unclear on how Ome survived for so long without being captured by ADVENT, but whatever she was doing to stay out of their reaches only lasted for so long. Before capture, she managed to get a message to a Resistance cell that contained the coordinates of where her daughters were hiding out. While Ome and much of her research was lost, her children were recovered. They possessed unique psionic talents, though were understandably maladjusted and overly co-dependent due to their upbringing, and seemed to have put up many mental blocks that prevented them from wilfully tapping into the full extent of their power. After a great deal of psychological evaluation, aide and training, the two have been cautiously cleared for active duty, however Central has left it to the discretion of field commanders to decide whether they are best deployed together or separately.

Despite being twins, Toshiko has all the trappings of an older sister, seemingly more physically and mentally mature than Orika. She shows initial signs of a greater capacity for independence, however is deeply protective of Orika and will act aggressively towards any perceived threat to her sister's wellbeing or comfort.

Perks:
Looks That Kill: Toshiko has particularly aggressive psionic abilities and can deal fierce psionic attacks to organic enemies, ignoring cover and armour in the process.
Wincest: Toshiko and Orika have developed a unique mental link which they can sustain freely without limiting their other psionic capabilities. While deployed on a mission together, they permanently grant each other a bonus on all rolls.

Flaws:
Two For One: If either Toshiko or Orika become incapacitated while on a mission with the other, the other becomes temporarily stunned and loses the benefits of Wincest and instead suffers a debuff on all rolls for the remainder of the mission.

Freud:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Yajima Orika
Nickname: Freud
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Background: The XCOM scientist Yajima Ome miraculously survived the assault on the XCOM facility during the final stages of the war, despite being in the middle stages of a pregnancy at the time. While both her and the twins she was carrying survived physically, her mind unfortunately would be fragmented by the event. She developed an obsession with completing the project which her team had been assigned to - research psionics and the human capacity for it. While on the run from alien forces, she set up a makeshift lab with what few supplies she could salvage from the base and, with no volunteers to work with, she used herself as a guinea pig. The results on herself were minimal, though they had a profound affect on her unborn twins. When she finally gave birth, both her daughters were innately psionic. Unfortunately this led to them becoming her test subjects over the following years.

Resistance intel is unclear on how Ome survived for so long without being captured by ADVENT, but whatever she was doing to stay out of their reaches only lasted for so long. Before capture, she managed to get a message to a Resistance cell that contained the coordinates of where her daughters were hiding out. While Ome and much of her research was lost, her children were recovered. They possessed unique psionic talents, though were understandably maladjusted and overly co-dependent due to their upbringing, and seemed to have put up many mental blocks that prevented them from wilfully tapping into the full extent of their power. After a great deal of psychological evaluation, aide and training, the two have been cautiously cleared for active duty, however Central has left it to the discretion of field commanders to decide whether they are best deployed together or separately.

Orika seems more timid and immature than her twin sister, often giving people the incorrect assumption that she must be younger. Despite having a great deal of curiosity about other people and shown an interest in expanding her social awareness, she lacks the confidence to act upon this without her sister being present.

Perks:
Exchange Of Ideas: Orika can briefly mentally link to another target to influence the outcome of their next action. When her target next rolls, Orika rolls as well - using this perk and any others that apply to her to determine her modifiers. Orika can then swap any results she has with results her target has made, although she cannot increase or decrease the overall number of dice her target has rolled with this ability. When this ability is used on an organic enemy, she must first pass a contested check against their will to make sure she can make the link in the first place.
Wincest: Toshiko and Orika have developed a unique mental link which they can sustain freely without limiting their other psionic capabilities. While deployed on a mission together, they permanently grant each other a bonus on all rolls.

Flaws:
Two For One: If either Toshiko or Orika become incapacitated while on a mission with the other, the other becomes temporarily stunned and loses the benefits of Wincest and instead suffers a debuff on all rolls for the remainder of the mission.

Boudica:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Betty Wells
Nickname: Boudica
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Background: Rounded up with similar trouble makers and dissidents from the outskirts of one of ADVENT's cities, instead of being executed Betty's physical fitness resulted in her being marked for mandatory involvement in one of ADVENT's experimental gene therapy programs. Most others who underwent the program died, their bodies failing to sustain the various genetic modifications made to them. However Betty proved uniquely compatible with genetic modifications derived from Muton Berserker DNA.

The very thing that made her so valuable to ADVENT also made her more dangerous. By the time Resistance operatives had discovered the facility conducting these experiments and launched an operation to break out any surviving test subjects, Betty had already attempted several escape attempts of her own, each one requiring more and more personnel to bring her down and detain her once more. She lacks to say that the Resistance saved her a week of confinement before she would have broken out on her own, and given how the guards in the facility seemed more afraid of her than she was of them then this could very well be more than just a humorous boast.

Perks:
Muscle Mommy: Betty's physical fitness and genetic augmentations combine together to make her immensely strong. Apart from making her useful for lifting or carrying heavy objects, this makes her melee attacks feel like a bulldozer.
Blood Rage: A benefit of the Muton Berserker hormones running through her body - when injured Betty's body briefly surges with chemicals that put human adrenaline to shame. She gains a buff when fighting an enemy that has previously wounded her in the current encounter.

Flaws:
Heat of Battle: A side effect of the Muton hormones her body now produces means she also emits pheromones when excited akin to the kind produced by Berserkers when ready to mate. Betty's pre-existing bloodlust was heightened by her new instincts, which cause her to get a bit worked up by a good fight, meaning production of these hormones becomes more and more likely as a fight goes on. These hormones can be sensed by Mutons in the area, emboldening them to fight harder, perhaps out of some instinctual mating ritual to try and impress Betty by proving themselves her match in combat.

Guardian:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Winnie Sanford
Nickname: Guardian
Age: 43
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Background: While well trained and highly recommended, Winnie was still an inexperienced and fresh faced recruit at the time XCOM fell. Despite that, she managed to escape the assault on XCOM headquarters alive and even managed to evacuate several members of the engineering team in the process. Sticking close with her fellow survivors as they went into hiding in the years that followed, she eventually formed a lasting romantic relationship with one of the engineers under her protections and started a family. With her daughter now grown up, Winnie and her husband have returned to XCOM's service, their skills being put to use in different parts of the Resistance.

Winnie's maternal instinct has not stopped at her child. She offers guidance, protection and comfort to all younger operatives in the resistance - perhaps motivated in part by not wanting anyone to have to go through the trial by fire she endured. This mentality has formed the skillset she has developed over the years, one clearly honed towards keeping others alive and protected on the battlefield. She utilises a riot shield enhanced by her husband's tinkering to provide cover where there otherwise is none.

Perks:
Thick Thighs Save Lives: When one of her allies are attacked while adjacent to Winnie, the attack suffers a penalty.
Covering Fire: When Winnie attacks an enemy, even if the attack doesn't hit, that enemy has a penalty to their next attack roll.

Flaws:
Helicopter MILF: Winnie is as distraught when anything befalls her team as she would be with a child under her care. If she witnesses anyone she was trying to protect go down, then she suffers a penalty to all mental checks for the remainder of the mission.

Dropout:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Annika Schott
Nickname: Dropout
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Background: Selected by an ADVENT program identifying child prodigies with interests in the scientists and fast tracking them for high end training programs, Annika defected mere weeks before her ultimate graduation, taking her training and experience to the Resistance and working in their research labs. The limited equipment and messy work space took some getting used to, but the main hinderance to her adjustment came in how many of her ideas and experiments were side lined for other projects that could be completed within the lab.

The number of live specimens she was able to work with proved too few to fulfil the requirements she needed for her experiments, and even when she eventually convinced the Resistance to set her up with her own laboratory to minimise the risk her experiments posed in the event of a containment breach, she was still understaffed and undersupplied. Eventually she came to the conclusion that she needed a change of tactic. With the help of the security personnel assigned to protect her lab, she trained herself up for combat and requested reassignment to an operations team. If specimens would not be brought to her experiments, then she would bring her experiments to the specimens.

Perks:
Playing Doctor: Annika has concocted a chemical compound that can knock unconscious even a rampaging Berserker which she can administer through a specialised dart gun, although she has a limited supply and can only bring enough for one subject per mission. The subject will remain unconscious until they can be recovered safely.
The Boons Of Science: Once a live subject has been brought back, she can conduct her experiments on them. The next time she runs into an iteration of that specimen again in the field, she has a bonus to fighting them.

Flaws:
Understaffed and Overworked: By moving into field operations, Annika has relinquished her lab and (admittedly small) staff. As a result, she needs to conduct all her experiments herself. Whenever she successfully brings a specimen back to experiment on, the next time she begins a mission she does so with a penalty to any checks to resist mental influences.

---

A few days had passed since the City 13 raid. If there was anything to calm Spook's nerves about operating so close to a city was the fact that the caravan had managed to get hundreds of miles from the city with exactly zero resistance. Something everyone in operations is glad for. Clear of City 13 the caravan rolls through overgrown countryside. Ruins, overrun farms and new forests sprung up where humanity could no longer afford to manage it. A blessing in disguise at least because they now provide cover for the resistance. But for anyone who was old enough to witness the fall of the Old World, it might have been a more tear jerking sight. Still, the caravan bounces from haven to haven its mission undeterred; restocking and refueling as well as picking up operatives from each of the havens who were willing to join up. It was a healthy selection of men and women who were willing to put their lives on the line for the resistance, but the eclectic bunch was soon to be tested.

Situated on the foothills and ready to escape into the Rockies at a moment's notice Bones announces he's managed to crack the proverbial code on the relay and is now freely listening in on communications on a broad spectrum. He suspects this relay was meant to upgrade the alien's current communications to become truly global, but with its loss, they have fallen back to relying on more tried and true methods of short ranged communications. For now though Bones says that he is able to hijack the alien's communications and give the cell a massive advantage in information gathering and concealment.

As such a few missions of interest have made themselves known. The caravan's ability to strike at all the available targets is currently limited and with each of the targets rather fleeting is putting a vote to which should be priority.

Operation Clearance Sale [ Woodland Convoy Ambush] 2* Difficulty, Reward: Engineer

Operation Heavy Lifting [ City VIP Extraction] 3* Difficulty Reward, Scientist

Operation Weighted Crown [ Ruins VIP Assassination] 3.5* Difficulty, Reward: Magnetic Weaponry

---

The votes for the mission priority are being tallied as a pair of silver-haired twins look over a map of their journey thus far. Their mother was still missing, but theres something they both feel at the back of their minds. A longing and a desire that stirs within them. The link they share they had always considered to be wholly unique, and it likely was, but their time away from their mother was starting to cause the sisters' paths to diverge ever so slightly. Toshiko still had to step in whenever someone in the camp tried to intrude on their space. Even going so far as to forgo her own training to watch over her. Orika on the other hand was more than happy to watch and observe the camp and occasionally engage in conversation with various members of the cell if her sister was around.

Though this caused sometimes a strange back and forth where Toshiko would be training and off on her own, only to come running back into camp if she senses Orika's slightest discomfort from having to engage with anyone socially. As soon as Toshiko shows up Orika perks up and begins to take a bit of initiative on her own prompting her sister to stick around a bit longer. Still most of the camp found the sisters to be rather strange. Not least of which being their physical traits. The stark white hair was simultaneously beautiful and alien, with a few more suspicious folks in camp almost accusing them to be spies and calling that their vote for the mission shouldnt be counted.

A rumor quickly stamped out by operations but the lingering tension was hard to resolve.

For the moment however Orika was reading a book and Toshiko was practicing her hand to hand techniques on a training dummy nearby when Mama Bear strolls near to their part of the temporary camp.

"Arent you two just the cutest things, acting like nothing happened, sorry about the incident earlier promise it wont happen again. People are jumpy at anything they think could be ADVENT or Alien." Mama bear hands both of the girls a canteen that contained some warm soup.

"Are you two holding up okay?" She asks, her concern genuine and welcoming.