Prologue:

 It is the year 1999. Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have started
appearing with disturbing regularity in the night skies. Reports of violent
human abductions and horrific experimentation has struck terror into the
hearts of millions. Mass public hysteria has only served to expose Earth's
impotence against a vastly superior technology.
 Many countries have attempted to deal independently with the aliens. In
August 1998, Japan established am anti-alien combat force; the Kirya-Kai.
Equipped with Japanese-made fighter aircraft, the Kirya-Kai certainly looked
like a powerful force. However, after 5 months of expensive operations they
had yet to intercept their first UFO. The lesson was clear: this was a
world-wide problem which could not be dealt with by independent countries.
 On December 11th 1998, representatives from the world's most economically
powerful countries gathered secretly in Geneva. After much debate, the
decision was made to establish a covert independent body to combat,
investigate and defeat the alien threat. This organisation would be equipped
with the world's finest pilots, soldiers, scientists and engineers, working
together as one multi-national force.
 This organisation was named the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit: X-Com.

Part one: The First Alien War

Chapter 1:

 The base shuddered as the battleship fired another shot. The tactical
officer turned the comm terminal on.
 "Captain, we've used the grav shield and fired all our defences but we didn
't get enough hits." there was a bang as the weapons console exploded, "
Prepare the base for invasion."
 Captain Voronin was in his office when the report came through he issued a
base wide warning and picked up the alien heavy plasma he kept by his desk.
The corridors were filled with scientists and engineers running for the
transports and soldiers heading for the armoury. Voronin hit the switch on
the control panel on his desk, "Engineering, how are the tanks?"
 "Well I've got the two rocket tanks working but the armour on the plasma
hovertank is only at half strength."
 "It'll have to do, get yourself to the transport."
 "Yes sir!"
 Captain Voronin was about to leave his office when the comm buzzed,
"Captain, they've entered, there's a Sectopod in the north hangar, another
in the west hanger and 5 Ethereals at the entrance lift."
 "Thanks." He tapped another button, "Team one, grab some heavy lasers and
go to the north hangar, team two do the same but get to the west hangar. Psi
team, dump the psi amps, we've got Ethereals and I doubt that together you
could affect them, grab some heavy plasmas and alien grenades and take out
the 5 Ethereals that have just arrived. Tanks, get to the entrance lift and
help out psi team."
 He grabbed a laser pistol, clipped it to his belt and went towards the door
then stopped. A battleship should have more than that. Oh no, a trap! The
comm buzzed again, "This is team one, we're trapped in the north hangar,
three Sectopods and seven Ethereals came from east hangar and more went to
west hangar. Singh and Jenkins are under mind control. We're losing people
fast. We can't hold out much" there was the sound of heavy plasma cannons
from a Sectopod and a scream over the comm.
 Captain Voronin ran out of his office right into Jenkins' path and got
three plasma shots to the face before he could shoot.



Chapter 2:

 Astra slumped into her chair, she'd lost a hell of a lot of good people on
that last terror mission, all civilians and 5 team members dead. Don't blame
yourself, she told herself, There was no way you could know there was an
Ethereal in that building. She remembered what had happened, she'd sent four
people in to sweep a store house, they reported it was empty then she heard
nothing from them not even the sound of plasma weapons or an explosion.
Against her better judgement she sent in someone else to check it out. She
then had the thought of sending someone else in, at that moment she realised
that she couldn't do that and that it had been put into her mind. She
summoned her psi powers to clear her mind and remembered she did hear the
explosion that killed the first four and the shot of a plasma rifle. She
weighed the consequences of destroying the building, of killing the alien or
aliens in it and the possibility of live civilians and decided the threat
posed by the Ethereals were too great. She clipped her plasma pistol to her
belt and took the blaster launcher from her backpack, she set the
co-ordinates and ordered her people away from the store house. She put the
shell into the back of the launcher and fired, watching the missile as it
streaked of towards the building and saw it explode.
 She knew that if she had sent anyone else in they would have been killed
but it still didn't help. The screen in front of her flashed.

 Incoming message
 To: Commander Astra Petrov
 From X-Commander

 "Sir!" she said as the figure of X-Com's Commander in Chief appeared in
place of the text.
 "Commander Petrov, I've got some bad news."
 "That's all I need."
 "Delta base was destroyed yesterday, everyone, including Captain Voronin
was killed. You'd better get that mind shield up before the aliens come
looking for you."
 "It's nearly ready. I expect you heard about Singapore."
 "Terrible, the entire region destroyed. I wonder what could have maddened
the aliens enough to wipe out the entire city, I heard your Skyranger barely
escaped the pounding that battleship gave the area."
 "I think it may have been our consolation prise, we managed to take an
Ethereal Commander alive."
 "Why would they risk their Commander on a Terror Mission?"
 "They probably got overconfident but I can see why they wouldn't want their
Commander taken, he could really help us."
 "But is it enough."
 "In the past two months they've killed twenty four X-Com soldiers,
destroyed two bases, slaughtered the scientists and engineers afterwards,
shot down three interceptors and now destroyed an entire city. We're losing
this war. If this were any human enemy I would surrender but I don't think
that will do any good for Earth."
 "Well it seems several countries disagree with you."
 "You mean."
 "Three more funding nations have sided with the aliens."
 "We can't hold out much longer, in a few more months X-Com won't be have
the money to be able to do anything."
 "We have to hold out. We'll fight these aliens and drive them off if it
takes years."
 The console next to Astra beeped, she turned on the second monitor and
smiled, "Maybe that won't be necessary, we have them. The interrogation has
finished. We need to take an Avenger craft to Cydonia on Mars. I request
permission to take full control of this operation."
 "I couldn't think of anyone better."
 "I need access to all of X-Com's money and resources, especially Elerium."
 "Granted, X-Commander out."
 Astra brought up an inventory of all X-Com bases and started work.

 "Two months?" The chief engineer was almost speechless, "The Avenger itself
will take four months! We're talking about an experimental alien-based
craft, weapons and flying suits for two entire squads, and two hovertanks
here! In total I'd be surprised to finish before six months are up."
 "The aliens are stepping up their attacks and we're losing funds fast. We
can turn our research labs into more Workshops and I'll get you as many
engineers as you need."
 "I'll need sixty engineers to possibly have a chance of finishing it."
 "You'll get your engineers and I'll try my best to lighten the load."
 "We'll get to work right away." Astra turned off the comm.