Scouting
                                By Brian Gallucci


   The planet Earth hung in space like a big blue gem. It was such a
sharp contrast to the base Eli came from. She was used to a dusty red
colour,  and the blue of Earth sure did look alien. Approaching from
space, the round object looked much like a silver disk, but it was
moving too fast to be spotted. Not yet.
   Once inside the Earth's atmosphere, then she would be open to attack
by the cowardice known to the Terrans as X-Com. Their primitive
ballistic weapons would not pose a threat to their ships in the vacuum
of space, where the craft were designed to fly; however in the high
gravity world of Earth, where maneuverability was halved, and where the
shields became useless, many pilots and craft alike were lost to the
Terrans. 
   It was the only thing keeping the war the way it was. Terran
resistance was, literally, hanging on by a thread. Primitive minds were
trying to comprehend the magnificent alien technology, and they were
pitifully using the technology against Eli and her comrades.
   Eli was known as a "Sectoid" in Terran language, although her race
called themselves Greys; since their races home world had been
destroyed, they did not belong to a planet, like the Terrans, so their
name was in reference to the dull colour of their skin. The Greys were
not  a large race, their heights ranging from four to five and a half
feet, their body weight rarely breaching one hundred pounds. They lacked
brute strength, considering physical combat primitive, and below them,
the only muscle they developed, and used in  a fight, was their minds.
Not only did the Greys use their superior intellect to build superior
war machines, they also were able to bend the will of lesser beings,
like the Terrans, to do their bidding. 
   Eli remembered the first time she took control of a Terran. It was an
unusual experience, to control something so strong and fast. She used
her puppet to run swiftly into a farm house, loaded with X-Com agents,
drop a primed grenade, (one stolen from the Greys and their comrades)
and left it to die in the explosion with its team mates.
   Eli's mission so far was simple: begin scouting the southern tip of
the southern continent, and work up along the coastline, and head back
out to space before reaching the center of the resistance, America. Eli
was looking for military targets, large cities, but not to engage the
enemy. The small strike force held in the back room, where the large
cylinder power source sat, was four of the Warrior Races, a hideous
warrior breed that had no lower appendages, just a long, thick tail
which it balanced on. They were armored well, against plasma, but had
one weakness. The lasers that the Terrans had developed punched holes
through the armor, through the skin and vital organs of the Warrior
Races. They were known to fall in one or two shots. The name ‘Warrior
Race’ was the idea of their creators, since they were little more than
that. A race that waged war. 
  One of the primitive Warriors slithered through the doorway, into the
navigation room where Eli stood, guiding the ship. 
  What? She asked telepathically. The Warrior Race let its thoughts be
known to Eli, and she nodded. The Warrior, named Reg, was concerned
about their mission: With no back-up on the way, if their craft went
down, there would be no one to prevent X-Com from attacking their
position. Reg, like most of his kind, was extremely violent, and not
frightened in the least, but he was questioning why there was no back-up
for this mission.
   Regularly, ships flew in two’s. There would be a scout, a lighter,
faster craft, and a larger craft which would be accomplishing the
mission; missions varied from terrorist attacks, to abductions. 
   The small round scout had no mission craft because this was a purely
scouting mission. Even if they did locate an X-Com base, there was no
attack ready. However, by skimming craft near the area where
Interceptors were launching from, it would worry the Terrans. 
   There was a slight jolt as the craft entered the atmosphere, but that
passed, and soon Eli’s sensors were alive with data. The craft entered
at the southernmost point of the planet, Eli could see the large grey
structure that stuck out against the white snow of the Antarctic. Below
was an alien base, where the tracking was done. Even now, that base sent
her small craft data, and when she began her scouting route, her craft
would send data back. Most craft would be launched from this base, the
first foothold set up on the Terran planet. It had several craft, both
large and small, which were in constant use, and more were being made.
Eli’s craft was an exception, she had traveled from the main base in
Cydonia, on Mars, where countless of her kind made ready for the final
invasion. 
   Increasing the throttle, the small craft jetted across the deep blue
ocean, approaching the tip of ‘South America’. There were no obvious
signs of an X-Com base, no visual sightings, but Eli would be watching
her monitors carefully. 
   Eli waited for a chance to face the Terrans that dare oppose her. Her
home world was dying, the Master Race, the main command of all the alien
races, were stretching their fleets out across the galaxy, in a vain
effort to find another planet that would suit their needs.
   She could feel his presence, even now, this far away. The Master Race
was limited in numbers, but they by far made up for it in power. The one
stationed on Cydonia was in control of every alien in this solar system;
although working  as an independent, self-aware being, Eli was still
just a puppet of the Master Race’s. He knew her thoughts, he felt her
pain, her anger, her need for revenge. If ever she was unsure about how
to proceed, he would step in, and control her body, and her mind. 
   Referred to only as him, for there was never more than one Master
Race in a solar system, he was little more than a giant brain. He had
small tentacles for limited locomotion, and to feed his small mouth, he
was cared for by the Old Ones, a race of aliens whose origins were much
older than that of Eli’s kind. Theirs was the only power that could
compare with the Master Race’s. Forced into battle with the Terrans, as
with the rest of his  puppets, the Old Ones thought it was beneath them
to dirty their gloved hands to kill a Terran. Their method was to mind
control half or all the X-Com squad, if possible, and force the hapless
Terrans to kill each other. 
   Eli knew the base she just flew over was filled with Old Ones, and
she could feel them probing her mind. She responded to them
telepathically, telling of her mission, her squad, and then she shut her
mind to them. That alone was a great effort, but she was pleased she was
able to do it. There was animosity between the various alien races that
were controlled my the Master Race, and these mind games were a common
way for conflicts to arise. Eli barely noticed the craft approaching
her. 
   The craft, known to the Terrans as an Interceptor, was simple, and
primitive. It could not navigate in outer space, reach high altitudes,
and its maneuverability was limited as well. It was flying up and at an
angle to her craft, hoping to cut her off no doubt. Eli steered the ship
downward, in a large spiral, then tightened the loop up, spun it ninety
degrees, and the two craft were flying a head on collision course. Eli
watched the range of the target lessen and lessen. Suddenly craft opened
fire. Two projectiles flew from the craft, and streaked in towards Eli’s
craft. They were much faster moving than the Interceptor, which
originally through her off balance.
   Brace yourselves! She called out to the minds of the Warriors in the
back. She flipped the craft so it was flying vertical, presenting the
projectiles with a smaller profile. That was all she was able to do in
the limited time, one missile flew past, and exploded several meters
behind the craft. The second, although missing the craft, detonated near
the back, the explosion rocked Eli’s craft from its vertical flight, and
she was forced to level it off, so the bottom was once again
perpendicular to the ground. 
   My turn she said in her mind; she doubted she would be able to reach
the pilot at this distance, and with this many distractions, but she
tried anyway. Her left hand was closed over a small green globe used for
flight, her right rested on a keypad. Eli moved her long, grey fingers
swiftly, aiming the Elerium-powered guns and firing in a split second.
The green bolts streaked out incredibly fast, and would have hit the
Terran craft if it were not for luck.
   The Interceptor struck some turbulence, and the pilot was having
trouble keeping it on a level path. He probably did not even see the
attack coming, but the wind buffeted the Interceptor downwards, and the
green bolts flew past. Now the crafts were in very close. This is taking
too much time, and fuel. I must pull out, she thought. With that, Eli
brought her craft up and over the Interceptor, thrust it forward and
high speed, and was now shooting past the Terran craft.
   As she executed the bank, the Interceptor pulled its nose up a
fraction of an inch, and fired off two more missiles. With no distance
to the target, there was little Eli could do, she did not realize the
reload time was so quick. The missiles struck the bottom front of the
craft, exploding in a fireball that sent shards of alloys spraying
everywhere. 
   Eli was knocked back by the explosion, and she fell, landing on her
back, while the ship plummeted to the ground. The Warriors made their
protests known, and Eli tried to level off the craft. She succeeded, but
far too late. The thick forest that the fight occurred over had very
tall, and dense vegetation, and the tips struck into her craft again and
again, making it impossible for her to keep the craft steady. Making a
last-ditch effort, she tried to bank sharply, attempting a ninety-degree
turn that would send her rocketing straight up, and away from the
vegetation. The bank started off well, by turning up, the thrust and
momentum diminished, so the craft only brushed by the foliage, but the
shattered front end of the craft was unable to hold its weight, and the
momentum completely dissolved; Eli had time to curse, out loud, in her
language as the ship hung, suspended, for the smallest fraction of time,
before it plummeted towards the Earth. 
   The view screen showed  an image of the ground rushing up closer and
closer. The craft bounced off the tall ‘trees’ sending Eli and her squad
flying in all directions. The craft got snagged on a large out shooting
of the vegetation. The large whole in the front of the craft was now
stuck on a branch. This halted the ship’s decent rapidly, sending Eli
flying into the view screen. She managed to turn so she hit it with her
shoulder, cracking the glass slightly and sending pain throughout her
body. 
   Then there was a sickening snap. The tree could not support the
craft’s weight, and it snapped. Their descent began again. Eli managed
to push herself away from the view screen just before the craft hit the
ground. Equipment shatter, and sparked. Warriors shouted. Eli was flung
through the air in the small craft. She hit a wall with a dull thud. The
craft fell from its vertical position, landing on its belly. 
   Eli knew what would happen next. She would have a few hours to
prepare herself and the squad. They would becoming. She picked up two
plasma pistols from nearby and waited for X-Com.

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                                The Wait
                                By Brian Gallucci

   Eli had rested for several minutes for the extreme headache, and
general ache of her body, to pass. She and her squad were lucky, the
power source, a tall cylindrical column filled with Elerium, did not
explode in the crash. If it did, there would be very little for X-Com to
do. 
   One Warrior died in the crash, he landed on an awkward angled,
placing all of his tremendous weight on his neck. There was nothing Eli
could do for him. The others faired well, all suffering from a few minor
cuts, one had suffered a concussion, but he was revived in half an hour.
Eli now distributed the weapons. The strongest, Reg, was given a Heavy
Plasma gun, which used an Elerium power source to fire large plasma
bolts. These were capable of disintegrating any Terran-made substance,
and did serious damage to the alien alloys found in the inner halls of
craft, as well as the base that Eli had passed. The remaining were given
Plasma Rifles, similar in principle, but they used much less Elerium,
were lighter weight, more accurate, but did not deliver quite a punch.
Eli had her two Plasma Pistols, as well she gave each warrior a grenade,
much stronger explosive power than the Terran grenades, they too used
Elerium to increase the explosive power.
   Elerium was really the key to any of their technology, Eli thought,
and she knew that the Terrans had recovered vast amounts of Elerium, and
had begun studying it. Eli doubted that they would be able to manipulate
the element, but there was the possibility…
   All the more reason not to let them have this ship, thought Eli. She
had been in only one other crash before, and she was not the squad
leader that time. She, having no telepathic abilities then, was outside
waiting for the X-Com craft to land. When the ramp lowered, she could
remember thinking how odd the Terrans looked, covering their body in
some fabric, similar to what the Old Ones wore, but this was a dull
brown colour, with symbols on the shoulder pads. Also, their small eyes,
and large nose gave their faces a comical appearance. But the humor was
lost quickly. Eli had risen from her hiding place, and fired off several
shots at the first Terran advancing down the ramp. Her first shot was
low, hitting the ramp and burning a blast crater into it. Her second
shot hit the creature, but it did not fall. Her plasma shot skimmed his
shoulder, burning away part of the cloth covering he wore, and burning
his skin off. He spun quickly, and fired a large gun at her.
   Eli could still remember the fear, and amazement, feeling how bad the
simple Terran technology still hurt. The several projectiles the Terran
sprayed across her dug in. One hit her in her leg, two others splashed
across her torso, and the fourth shot clean through her shoulder. She
let out a vocal scream, and collapsed in a pile of green blood. 
   A feeling of fear still spread over her when she remembered what
happened next: She had fallen on her side, so her line of sight could
still see the ramp, and she could see the Terran advancing down the
ramp, their primitive weapons firing off several shots at her comrades,
hidden in the strange green growth that covered most of Earth. 
   They were winning, the Terrans were clearly afraid to advance into
the darkness beyond their craft’s lights. The darkness was their enemy,
and deadly bolts of green plasma spewed out from it. In the first minute
alone, three Terrans went down, they barely got out of the ramp before
they were struck down. But the tide suddenly turned. One Terran,
probably a leader, came out carrying a superior weapon. It did not fire
any projectiles, but fired a quick, bright yellow flash. A primitive,
but highly effective, laser. The weapon tore through the growth, and the
structures her comrades were using as cover. Several went down to this
new weapon. 
   We were caught off guard, though Eli, we underestimated them, not
just that one squad, the entire Invasion Force underestimated the
Terrans. And we began paying the price. That one weapon did damage. Then
there were more. There were four Terrans, all carrying this new weapon. 
   The familiar green plasma bolts stopped firing. They had retreated
from the battle, and Eli was alone, facing the Terrans. Her leader
assumed this was when she really began developing her mind. Before she
had been part of a squad, and the Terrans were like ants. It was not
hard to fight them. With the superior technology, the Terrans were being
shredded. Sure, a lot of craft were still downed, but they killed a lot
of X-Com being recovered. Now, however, she had nothing. She had heard
of the telepathic abilities, so she began to try to call out to her
comrades…
   Eli lay there, and one of the creatures loomed over her, and picked
her roughly up by the neck. It shouted something out in its bizarre
language. She was being taken aboard the odd shaped craft. She would
have been lost, if her squad commander had not stepped up, and reached
out with his abilities. She watched in amazement as one, then two,
Terrans opened fire on other X-Com agents. Chaos erupted, as the Terrans
were unable to react-until more experienced agents cut down the
controlled Terrans. 
   That was enough though, the remaining X-Com agents alive, gathered as
much lost equipment as they could, and the ramp door closed. Eli was
left lying on the ground, the hot blast from the craft’s exhaust seared
her right side. 
   After the Medic arrived, patched her up, they were evacuated by a
large craft. She spent the next few months she was in a hospital,
regenerating her wounds. 
   That was the last time she was in a crash site. Now she would not
make the same mistake again. She was the squad leader, and she would use
not only her superior weapons, but she would cloud their minds with
fear, she would make them obey her command, like will full puppets. I
will kill every last one of them stupid enough to challenge me. 
   The Terran craft was hard to miss. It made a lot of noise landing,
disturbed the foliage. Her Warriors were in place, she was in the craft,
using a Mind Probe to detect how many Terrans were in the craft. She
looked, probed, searching for a mental weakness. Fear was the most
common, but, a Terran could get emotional very easily. Even rage, or
anger, could loosen their minds enough from concentration that Eli would
be able to force her way into their thoughts. And then they will be
mine, she thought with pleasure.
   She could see through Reg’s eyes the craft landing. The ramp lowered.
In any moment the first Terran would step out, brandishing some kind of
weapon, and then everything would erupt into violence. 
   Eternal life! Eli cried out, in the Warrior’s minds. They all
responded: Brings power to them!
   The battle would start.