Battle

   Eli stood in the middle room of the crashed craft. She felt, through
her Warriors, the battle raging on. Using her abilities, she forced
fearful thoughts and suggestions into the Terrans. The first was easy,
he panicked for that split-second….Giving Reg more than enough time to
split him in two with a well placed shot. The next two jumped down from
the top of the craft and out, not coming down the ramp. The first opened
fire, peppering the foliage near Reg with blasts. Eli could see it all
in her mind, and she concentrated on that soldier.  He was strong, in
mind and body, he pulled a small black sphere from his belt-a weapon!
She shouted the warning to Reg, who took cover just in time, the
spherical weapon exploding. A Terran grenade. 
   The others were rallying around Reg. First one, then two Warrior
enclosed on the Terran craft. Another X-Com agent went down, screaming
horribly. He was not dead. But disabled. Now four Terrans were done. The
next two down the ramp wore something-alloys Reg and the others
recognized. They had wrapped themselves in the same metal their crafts
were made of! What a strange concept. The alloys, of course, were not
made for that purpose, but that would provide ample shielding against
their plasma rays. That will be a problem, Eli thought, disturbed. 
   One bolt struck this Terran, he flinched, fell back, but rose firing.
His shots hit a Warrior square in the face, searing a hole through his
skull. Eli felt her connection with that Warrior drop suddenly as it
died. Reg and the others were forced to fall back. More and more Terrans
streamed out of the craft, firing their bizarre weapons. One hit Reg,
who screamed out, but was not hurt badly. He fired a spray of heavy
plasma bolts, searing the Terran craft, but missing any targets.
   Eli concentrated on what she believed to be the leader. He was
strong, seemingly calm, although he could not completely hide his fear.
Not from her. She grinned, as much as her small mouth could allow, and
gripped the mind probe tighter. It swirled with gray and green colours,
and she could feel the energy flow her. He felt her presence.. A sharp
screech interrupted her concentration. Reg was hit again, this time,
through several vital organs. He dropped his weapon and collapsed. One
Warrior left.
   There were a few loud blasts, closer to the craft, and a few Terran
cries, followed by the last Warrior’s death call. Nothing would be
holding X-Com back any longer. Time to take the fight on yourself, she
thought, grabbing her two plasma pistols, she stood by the entrance to
the power room. Waiting. 
   The audible hiss of the front hatch was unmistakable. So was the
clunk of metal Terran boots on the craft’s floor. A tense shout from a
Terran. Then replies. There were three in the craft, Eli could sense
that. One walked to the door where Eli stood. She could feel his fear
much stronger at this distance. The door opened. His face inches from
her. His gun raising, a shout preparing to leap from his mouth. 
   Eli was quicker. Her guns already at the ready. She fired one. He
green plasma bolt streaked forward, but did not have a long distance to
travel. The bolt caught the Terran in the upper torso. A splatter of red
circulatory fluid sprayed out behind him. He dropped the weapon, and
clutched pitifully at his wound. 
   Eli was smart. He was disabled. Rather than waster precious seconds
on fishing him off, she aimed her other gun, and fired. The X-Com agent
was wearing the alloys, and the plasma burned into them, but did no real
damage. He was, however, knocked back, and that prevented him from
getting away a clear shot. The laser blast seared the wall to her left. 
   And the door closed just in time. The other Terran’s shot seared the
door, but did not punch through. Eli ran back behind the power source.
The large object shielded her well, but if those lasers punched through…
   No! Concentrate. That will not happen. The power source is shielded
well enough. Eli had placed the mind probe by the door, out of reach.
Eli primed the grenade, pushing the small button on its top. She rolled
it silently, and perfectly aimed, to the door. 
   Just as it opened.
   A clumsy Terran moved in, firing, at nothing. He tensed for a moment.
Not seeing the grenade he stepped into the room, placing himself between
the grenade and Eli. Good she thought. 
   The blast was large, but most of the energy forced its way out the
door. And into the face of another    X-Com agent. He screamed as his
skin seared away wherever it was exposed. The alloys  protected his
body, but his face and cranium was burned away, and his lifeless body
was flung back against the outer door. 
   The other Terran, who had stepped in the room, received the blast
full against his back. The strange growth on his head, this a dark
brown, got a blaze. The skin on his neck blistered with heat. He too was
flung forward, smashing into the power source, cracking the glass. He
fell. Dead. 
   Eli glanced apprehensively at the spider webbed cracks spreading over
the power source’s case. This was not good. The still flaming body of
the Terran was placed right under the power source. If the Elerium
spilled, by the flame…
   Eli grabbed her two pistols, and the mind probe, and headed for the
door. 
   Stepping outside, she hurried around back of the craft, opposite of
the direction of the craft. She hurried, going as fast as her less than
fit body would allow. She heard tense Terran shouts behind her, in front
of the craft. They must still think I am in there, she thought, hopping
she would be lucky enough…
   Yes, she was, the Terrans were heading into the craft. She heard the
hiss of the door, and the blasts of weapon fire. Clearing the room. They
would find all their dead comrades, all my work she thought, pleased.
   That case would not hold much longer, thought Eli. 
   The relative silence that had descended on the battlefield was
shattered. With an explosion. The craft’s roof burst outward, spewing an
orangish flame, mixed with green flames as well, that would be the
Elerium. The Terrans screams would have been muffled by the loud blast,
but Eli could swear she heard them… 
   She smiled. 
   Fear now came from the craft. Like large waves in an otherwise still
pond, they were noticeable. The craft began its bizarre launch sequence,
and lifted from the ground. Adding good effect, Eli blasted the
underside of it with a few shots as it flew slowly over head. 
   Her brethren would not be long now, and she had important information
for them.. This X-Com would be a nuisance at best, but their ability to
adapt alien technology to their own would make them that much more of a
nuisance. 
   But the secret of Elerium still eluded them…Then they would have no
hope. 

X-Com Attacks

   Eli sat in her small, square room. She had told her story, and the
leaders had all nodded, as if this was nothing new. The Old Ones did not
like to be surprised, but Eli thought she could detect some surprise.
But they hid their emotions well. 
   Eli was now in the base located in the southern continent on Earth.
The temperature outside was cold and harsh compared to the rest of the
world, but Eli did not mind, she did not plan on going outside much.
   The room held one piece of furniture, a small padded bench which she
would sleep on. But that was the last thing Eli wanted to do right now.
There were thoughts floating around unchecked, through the group
assembled here. Some spoke of a retaliation, that X-Com’s scientists had
discovered the secret of Elerium. Impossible the Old Ones had slammed
their thoughts into the discussion earlier. They spoke of the simple
minds the Terrans had, about their inability to conceive the secret of
Elerium. There was no way they would be able to manipulate.
   Another spoke of the X-Com actually fighting back, that they might be
preparing an attack on this base right now. Again, the Old Ones calmed
the group. They assured the nervous rookies that, for one, the Terrans,
X-Com or not, did not know where the base was. Second, they would fall
instantly to the alien defences if they tried to attack. Let them come
to us if they dare, Eli added her thoughts to the conversation. Others
cheered their agreement. Morale was high.
   And why wouldn’t it be? They were the first group of many to land on
Terra, the first to set up base, and the first to start the invasion.
Sure they had lost some craft, some comrades, but that was to be
expected. There were rumors, of course, that X-Com was far more suited
for the task than the alien intelligence knew. More advanced than he
knew. 
   But, rumors were rumors. Bred from nervous, unsure rookies. 
   Eli then, was surprised to hear the warning siren sound. It had never
been used before. It had only been installed in case the base was
infiltrated. Eli disconnected her thoughts from the group as chaos
erupted amid the rookies. The Old Ones would have to handle them, she
thought, grabbing her two pistols. 
   It was pay back time. Again. The few she killed was not enough to
even settle the score for her lost Warriors, let alone the pain they
brought her in her first encounter. She opened her mind, and let
thoughts flood in. 
   It is a Terran craft, similar in make to crash recovery vehicles.
Estimated twelve Terrans on board. 
   Sir! It was another ‘voice’, Eli recognized him, Hreg, They’ve used
ballistic explosives to punch through the outer door.. They’re inside
the complex!
   Calm! Take up defensive positions. Travel in groups of two, anyone
with extensive abilities attempt to influence them. 
  Aye!
  The Commander?  One asked. The Commander in this base was one of Eli’s
kind, a ‘Sectoid’ as the Terrans called them.
    We have four guards with him. They will be lost in the base anyways.
Prepare ambushes. 
   Activating the CyberDiscs.
   CyberDiscs, large metallic discs made of the strongest alien alloys,
powered by Elerium, were sturdy, and lethal. Equipped with a heavy
plasma gun, hidden in the discs’ innards, it would make short work of
unwary X-Com agents. It was self-controlled, relying on programming
built into it, the CyberDisc had lightning fast reflexes and was never
caught pondering a decision. Eli’s kind, the inventors of the device,
most commonly used them. The Old Ones were known to use CyberDiscs, but
they much preferred using their mental abilities to control the X-Com
agents.
   And there was one Terror in the base. A Terror was just that. Terror
incarnate. Even Eli could concede why opponents would be afraid of it.
The creature was tall, much taller than Eli, around six feet, maybe
more, and it was pure black, and the same intensity as Eli’s endless
eyes. The creature’s limbs ended in large claws, capable of shredding a
human if need be. The Terror’s clawed feet provided excellent traction,
and thus, the Terror was incredibly fast as well. It was almost
invulnerable to the basic Terran weapons, even the mighty lasers damaged
the Terror only slightly. Due to the Terror’s tough armor, extreme heat,
such as fire, and extreme cold, such as the blackness of space, affected
it very little. This was an advantage against grenades, and projectiles
that exploded on contact, often used by X-Com. 
   The Terror was walking by Eli’s door; she could hear its clawed feet
clanking on the metal floor of the alien base. Eli felt its presence.
They felt no emotion. Eli suspected they had none. The Terror, she knew,
had an interesting weapon. It implanted eggs in a Terran body, which
would hatch rather suddenly, killing the Terran, producing a mindless,
powerful creature that partially resembled the Terran it hatched from.
This, especially, struck fear in the Terrans. 
   Then she heard the sound of battle. A few shots. Maybe just a nervous
rookie, she thought. Reaching out with her mind, she felt the thoughts
of the others. They had encountered X-Com.