X-COM: Operation Phoenix

by Architect Ironturtle

Surprise, Supplies, and Surmise

In the end, it was almost ridiculously easy to recruit Singularity. We barely had to dangle a plasma pistol and the in-game flavor text explaining it in front of his muzzle before he tried to join up. Even having to link with us telepathically didn't phase him, although we had to explain what it was first. We'd grabbed a booth in a slightly dingy tavern/pub/restaurant place off a back alley a few blocks from where'd met him, and were discussing it over a pile of hay fries. The bartender was giving me odd looks, but so far he'd just taken our money and hadn't questioned it further. Hopefully we'd be able to leave before he decided to do anything.

Star nudged me out of my thoughts and jerked her head towards the scientist, saying, "He just asked what the M.L. is. Care to explain it?

"Of course. The Mind Link," I said as Starlight translated, "Is a telepathic connection between all mutually friendly Psi users. It allows for instantaneous communication with anyone, anywhere. It isn't just written or spoken words, either: concepts, emotions, mental images, all types of thought are easily transmissible if both sides are open to the exchange. If one member of the Link is under mental attack, the others can rally to his defense, and even help him counterattack. It'll be the key to us not being exposed, as it cannot be intercepted or even detected at this point in the invasion. You could be proclaiming your allegiance over the Link at the top of your voice in a crowded room and no one would hear you, or even know that you were saying something in the first place. The reason we ask is because it will help keep you safe, and you don't have to sacrifice any of your freedom to do so. You can cut yourself off any time you like."

Starlight finished off my speech with a charming smile, which frankly wasn't necessary, but it helped. Her charisma really helped sell him on the idea, and I mentally wiped my forehead at the close call she'd had with being a cult leader. She could have pulled it off with style, and that would be terrifying.

Anyway, our description had Singularity literally drooling over the brainstorming sessions he could do, and after accepting it, he was even willing to go find some of his colleagues who might be interested as well. He did mention a few biologists who would want to study me more closely, saying something about having a different facial structure, but I politely turned him down, responding that it could wait until I wouldn't risk capture by staying in a lab.

In the end, all we had to do was be patient, and Celestia's research was our research. Everything they recovered or discovered would get relayed back to us, and Celestia would never be the wiser. At least, not until she knew to look for Psi energy, and that wouldn't happen until the aliens started fielding Ethereal's or Sectoid Commanders, which definitely wouldn't be anytime soon. Of course, it would work both ways, since any and all recovered weapons and bodies by X-COM would be filed back to her storerooms for analysis.

After Singularity walked back to his house, whistling some random tune over the link and levitating my arch thrower behind him (we had no use for a live alien, but Celestia would), we finally got down to figuring out where we would stay the night. Star would had offered to put us up at her place, but, well...

"It's kind of next to my parents house, who know about us being fugitives," she shuddered at that, a weird mix of fear and rebellious glee, "So they'd know to check, and you know what would happen next. We can fetch supplies from there, but we'll need somewhere else to sleep."

"Any suggestions on where we can hide out, then?" I asked, stealing a glance around the bar, "The royal guard is going to start looking for us eventually."

"I might have a place," commented Firebolt, "Back during the Changeling invasion, there were a ton of rumors going around about a massive cave system underneath the city. If we could find an entrance, it might be what we're looking for."

"And do you have any idea where such an entrance could be found?" I queried, one eyebrow raised.

"Not a clue, except that the two younger Princesses were both in there at some point. The archives should have some maps, though." He ate the last hay fry as he spoke, earning him a glare from Star and a chuckle from me.

"Hold up," I said, shooting him an odd look, "Would one of those younger Princesses happen to be purple?"

"Yes, Princess Twilight," he answered, "What about her?"

Twilight, Twilight, the name echoed in my head, That sounds familiar. Eh, it'll come to me.

"I was in her head earlier today for quite some time, maybe I can find my way back." The exact abilities and limits of Psi were never really touched upon in game, so what I was planning could be possible. I decided worth a try, and reached out jerkily with my Psi, wincing slightly at the feedback. It was already strained from controlling so many ponies at once this afternoon, and it hurt to use it any further. I fought past the headache using my powers so much generated and felt through the city, a bit like a blind man groping everyone he passed. I never stayed long enough in any single head to draw attention, but a few Psi-sensitive's did look around like they were being followed afterwards.

After many detours and wrong turns, I eventually made my way to the palace and slipped between the walls. As I did so, I felt my headache ease, and realized Star was taking some of the load for me. I shot her a swell of gratitude and pushed forward, bouncing from servants to guards to nobles and back again as we searched each room one by one. When we found Twilight's mind, I almost immediately wished we hadn't. She was... occupied is the best way to put it. At least it meant she wouldn't notice when I grabbed the info I needed and got out of there like my ass was on fire, Star laughing at me the entire way back.

"Got it," I said, "Are we done here?" The bartender was fiddling with something under the counter, and he was staring at me in no small amount of alarm. I pointed this out to my friends, and continued, "I think that's our cue. Let's get out of here before the guard shows up."

We stood and walked out, Starlight levitating a few bits to the cashier. The other patrons stared at us as we left, but thankfully none tried to follow us. It wouldn't have ended well for them. Firebolt hitched up to the cart holding our gear (Someone had tried to swipe it earlier and gotten a Psi-panic for their trouble), and Starlight took the lead, guiding us along a string of back alleys she used to navigate when she was a teenager. On the few occasions that we got a clear view of one of the main roads, we could see clusters of guards on patrol, at least triple the usual amount. No doubt they were looking for us. Or more aliens. Or both. Yeah, definitely both.

As we rounded the last corner before Star's place, the shadows around us warped and sprang up into a wall, one I came within two inches of slamming my nose into. I started to wonder what was going on, but my question died unformed as six ponies materialized out of the darkness: I counted two unicorns, two earth ponies, a pegasus, and a thestral, oddly enough. All were armed, heavily muscled, and sporting numerous scars. They didn't bother with saying anything, instead surging forward to take us off guard. Too bad for them you can't sneak up on a telepath. Starlight whirled around and summoned a fireball, sending it flying towards our attackers. One of the unicorns put up a shield, but I hit her with a Psi-panic that forced the mare to drop it before it could actually stop the spell.

BOOM. The explosion scattered our attackers, leaving them dazed in a variety of positions, none of which looked comfortable. It also alerted the guards out on the street, the sound of whom was getting steadily closer. We needed to get out of sight, but there wasn't anywhere to run. We were cornered. Up, I was moving before the thought fully materialized. I didn't have a grappling hook or any fancy gene mods to use to jump onto the nearest roof, but I did have something an X-COM soldier did not: total freedom of movement. I grabbed Firebolt, Starlight, and the cart in my telekinetic grip, an otherwise impossible feat that I only achieved thanks to the adrenaline in my blood and the total focus on my goal, and sent them levitating towards the rooftops. As they floated, I climbed, leaping from a stack of crates to a windowsill, then shimmying up a drain pipe to the gutter and onto the shingled roof. I pulled us up flat against a chimney, let my friends free so they could get their footing (Hoofing? Whatever) and peered cautiously downward. The guards had arrived and while some were occupied with arresting our attackers, the rest had fanned out to catch any runners. A pegasus flew up to check the roofs, but Starlight pulled something where she mixed a Notice-Me-Not spell with a Psionic suggestion and the stallion didn't see us, his eyes passing over our hiding spot without registering our presence. Close call on that one.

I didn't know why those ponies attacked us, and we didn't get a chance to find out. Once the guards had confirmed that there was no one else nearby, they'd taken their prisoners away and gone back to patrolling. Once we were completely certain they weren't coming back, Starlight teleported us back to the ground. "You know," she said, panting slightly from the exertion, "If you'd let me know we were hiding on the roof, I could have teleported us up there.

"Sorry," I wheezed, still getting my own breath back, "I didn't have time to think it out."

She accepted my apology with a nod, and we walked the final block to her house. It was a modest affair, two stories, white-washed walls, a couple of stray windows, with nothing that really made it stand out from its neighbors. Starlight pulled a key out of her pocket, and a slight click we let ourselves in via the back door. "Don't bother make yourself feel at home," she quipped, "We won't be sticking around long enough for that." Firebolt and I just rolled our eyes in response. After a quick conference, we split up: Firebolt went through the kitchen for food and cooking supplies while I loaded on extra clothes and tools and Starlight starting packing her belongings and camping gear, including something called "heat medication."

I almost asked her what it was, but Firebolt warned me off before I got the chance. "Trust me, you don't want to know," he stated, then rode over my protests with, "My ex told me, and now I'm telling you, you don't want to know. Drop it." I did, reluctantly. His fervor was certainly strong enough to make me think twice, if nothing else.

We met up an hour later and loaded our supplies into the cart, filling it to almost overflowing. Firebolt wanted to get some stuff from his workshop, but we'd have to empty the cart out first or risk having a spill, which would attract way too much attention. However, before we could get moving, Starlight made us stop and wait for a few minutes while she disabled a tracking beacon that had latched onto me the moment we stepped outside.

"There, now they won't follow us," she said with a smirk, dropping the detached spell onto a rat which she then sent scurrying down the alleyway. "Have fun with the guards, Lewis!" she mock called after it.

We look a long, circuitous route to the mine-shafts, stopping frequently to avoid the extra guards marching along the roads. It turned out to be just inside the city limits, tucked into an alcove to the right of the main gates. We unloaded several hundred feet inside, and Starlight offered to start making dinner while Firebolt and I retrieved the rest of his gear. That sounded good, so we moved out leaving Star to her own devices, but still in touch thanks to the Link.

After Firebolt and I had been walking for a few minutes, he said, "So, I've been wondering: If the aliens can mind-control ponies, and you do it as well, and you both use the same tactics and weapons, then what makes you any better than the attackers?" His tone was probing and mildly accusatory, and although he wasn't actually looking at me I could almost feel his eyes boring into mine.

His question floored me, and I couldn't come up with a good answer for quite some time. It took two full stops for some guards to pass before I replied, "If the aliens had gotten control of as many ponies as I did, they would have used them as meat shields against their own allies, forcing guard to kill guard, then taken control of the Royal Sisters and leveled the castle, and then the city, from the inside out. I used the same power to escape from captivity without taking a single life or causing a single injury." When he sent me an image of a electrocuted pegasus in guard armor, I replied, "Those are designed to cause no lasting damage. She'll be fine."

"Ah. Hmm," Firebolt pulled away and shuttered his thoughts after that, probably considering my response. I was suddenly extra glad I had him on my team, since I was going to need someone to question my actions to help keep myself in check. No one's perfect, after all.

After a few more minutes, and a quick check with Star to make sure she was ok, we arrived at Firebolt's place. The first things that jumped out at me were the scorch marks, all centered around one low-slung building squished off the side of a really nice mansion. "My family's old money," Firebolt explained as we walked towards the rear gate, "They never really supported my fireworks business, but at least they tolerated it, which is more than some noble houses would ever do. Me bringing in a nice bundle with it didn't hurt, either," He pressed a combination of stones next to the secondary gate, and it swung open on well-oiled hinges, allowing us access, "Keep quiet, we don't want to wake my sisters," I nodded, and we slipped inside. "Officially, I live in an apartment of the far side of town," he continued, "But I spend all my time here. I even have a loft I sleep in most nights, whenever I'm not out doing jobs in other cities."

"Huh," I really didn't have anything to say to that. Then again, it could be because I was too busy ogling his work-space to think anything other than So cool!

It was a pyromaniacs wet-dream, to say the least. Massive barrels of raw materials were shoved up against an enormous mixing table covered in bowls, some of which were filled with a variety of powders and grinding mortars and pestles. Opposite from the table was the packing section, dominated by a worktable overflowing with empty fireworks shells waiting for their fillings. A tiny stack of finished explosives was placed to the right of it, their fuses carefully tied up and out of the way. Firebolt's tools were all neatly hanging up on hooks on the far wall, except for a few that had been dropped on the ground. He must have left in a hurry earlier today. "Here," he said, shoving a barrel towards me, "That's the saltpeter, the most important component. I'm going to go get the fuses, you stay here and load up the powders. And please do be careful, I haven't blown up a workshop yet and I don't intend to start now." I mock-saluted in response, causing him to snort and flick his ears as he turned away.

We quickly gathered everything we needed and headed back, careful to make sure his family wasn't alerted to our. Firebolt could get charcoal and sulfur fairly easily, but saltpeter was only sold to licensed professionals, which he was right up until he got involved with me. As such, we needed to take as much as possible, and we did. Oh god we did. I can still feel the strain carrying those barrels put on my spine.

Canterlot Mines

I lay back on my cushion and stared at the rough hewn ceiling of our little cave. After we'd gotten back and Starlight had finished cooking a vegetable soup of some kind ("My Mom's a professional chef, of course I know how to cook"), we'd moved deeper underground to make it harder for anyone to track us. She'd set up an alarm spell before going to bed, a basic cantrip that would collapse if poked by magic or a physical object and wake her up as it did so, and because of that , we hadn't bothered to take watches. I might as well have been, though, since I couldn't sleep, and judging from the twitches coming from Starlight's bedroll, she was having the same issue. Firebolt had no such qualms, and was currently conked out so hard he wasn't even snoring.

After rolling over one last time, Starlight gave up on sleep for the moment and scooted her stuff over to me. "Hey, you awake?" she whispered.

"Yeah," I replied, patting the spot next to me as an invitation. She took it, and sat, leaning against my side as I propped myself up on my pillow. "So," I said after the silence had stretched for a bit, "What's bothering you?"

She sighed, and I felt a surge of melancholy and regret roll off of her. "My parents," she said finally, "They must think I'm a horrible pony by now."

"Are you sure? It's takes an awful lot to-"

"I COULD FEEL THEIR RAGE!" she shouted, her voice echoed off the walls. Firebolt snorted in his sleep, and she quickly lowered the volume back to a whisper, "Dad was furious at me, and Mom wasn't far behind him. I've always tried my hardest to make them happy, but I;ve really blown it this time. They must hate me now." She started to whimper, and I rubbed her shoulders based on a reflex that wasn't quite my own, but still seemed to work. I did some quick thinking, and after parsing over what my own parents had told me about being a parent, I thought I came up with an answer.

"I don't think so," I said slowly, "Your parents may be mad at you, but they don't hate you. It takes a lot of pressure for a human to hate someone, and I mean really hate them on a personal level, and for parents it's even harder. They still love you, even when they aren't happy with you. It comes with the job. In fact, I bet they're worrying about you right now. That worry is because they love you, and don't you ever forget it."

She sniffed, and I felt her pain ease a bit, "I guess you have a point," she admitted, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I responded, smiling softly.

"Now it's your turn, mister," she said, a sliver of a grin creeping back onto her face, "What's keeping you up?"

I didn't say anything for a long moment, trying to figure out how to put it into words. "I guess," I said after I'd thought it over, "It's all, this." I gestured to my surroundings, "This cavern, Equestria, me coming here, all of that. I'm trying to decide whether I made the right choice."

"Ah," she said, then asked, "Would it help if you told me the reason you chose to come here? I didn't exactly get a good impression from your memories."

I blew out a long gust of air as I sighed, "It's worth a shot," I replied, "Now, let's see. I guess I came because, well," a certain song began running through my head as I thought, causing Starlight to hum the notes, "I had no ties to my home planet, not anymore. If I stayed, I'd get an ordinary job a restaurant or an office somewhere, maybe get married and raise a family. My old family was, you know, and my only friend took the same road I did. Here's out here, somewhere. If I stayed, I'd have a normal life, but just that: a normal life. On the other hand, if I went, maybe I got something more. And now I'm the leader of a squad of a squad of ponies fighting off an alien invasion." I laughed sardonically at my situation. "Life doesn't get much less ordinary than this."

Starlight mouth made a small 'O' of understanding and said, "Well, I'm glad you came." She smiled at me, a warm, open smile that was a cut above her usual sarcastic smirk, "If you hadn't shown up, I'd be alien bait." She punctuated the statement with a chuckle and nuzzled my arm, but I could tell she was still nervous.

I relaxed as her words sank in, and I could feel her doing the same, "Thanks, Star," I said as I stretched out, "I needed that." I started to pull away from her to get some sleep, but she scooted closer in response to my movements and I didn't really feel like protesting it. Besides, having her next to me just felt sort of right, even though I'd only met her earlier that day. Buh, I'm too tired to think this over, I'll deal with it tomorrow.

Author's Note:

There, chapter done. I know this was a long wait, but hopefully it was worth it.

Comments

[subjectdeltapunch]

*Glowing Red Porthole*

[Architect of Realities]

We see thou hast found a Base Location, perhaps with careful planning it can be made into one worth it. Though we wonder how the Princesses would react to him being an alien from another world like those that fight her ponies, though his knowledge and tactics may be his saving grace to earn their support at a possible time to come. But we wonder if the Empire has returned or not yet?

[null_name5656]

For a while I'v been thinking about weird Xcom crossovers, the three most major being Xcom and Fallout, considering how both universes have hostile aliens interacting with humans, laser/plasma based weaponry being tested, and early power armor; along with Xcom and Gears of War or Xcom operatives versus the Xenomorphs of the Aliens franchise, for obvious reasons.

However; whenever I pictured MLP and Xcom I imagined either a universe where Ponies fight off human invaders/work with humans against the aliens or an alternate universe where something happened to make alicorns much more common, resulting in a race where the alicorns are constantly capturing and modifying other races akin to the artificial evolution the aliens in Xcom use to enhance themselves. With a few notable things being the Chrysallids being evolved Changelings, Mutons being modded earth ponies, Sectoids being modded unicorns; the Thin Men are ponies modded to look human, and floaters are modded pegasi. However, I never thought to use the "Your Human and You" universe and just throw the two together to see what happens; which is a pretty interesting idea; and I congratulate you, the author, for coming up with that (additionally it definitely helps to simplify things)

[ExelatronGX]

I suggest throwing some of xenonaughts aspects to give them some tech to work for.
And I say limit celestias tech info to a bare minimum if at all,I would not want celestia to be able to send a pony army after them.

I also say to get a xenonaught style base up and running so the scientists only work for him.

[ArchAngelGundam]

That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.

[subjectdeltapunch]

*Splicer sees big daddy*Oh crap hurry with the storie to calm this big freak down.

[A Tin Can]

*Clamps hands together and chuckles darkly*
Yes... soon... very soon... there will be another chapter, or else Fluttershy takes a 10mm bullet to the Occipital lobe of the brain... your call...

[SilentMech]

This is interesting, and I actually prefer this to Mente Materia as far as it has gotten so far. Though, the language gap is bugging me a little, but I just figure its either temporary, or he is going to be forced to cut it completely one day just for the sake of protecting Starlight. Because I can see the writing on the wall of them winding up a couple.

[Architect Ironturtle]

6654666 Have you read the Star Wars expanded universe about Han Solo's origin story? In it, he regularly speaks to Hutts and Wookies, who cannot speak Basic anymore than he can speak their tongue, despite being able to understand it perfectly. As such, he talks to them in English, they reply in their own language, and nothing is lost in translation.

That is what I am aiming for because it's what is canon to YHaY. Humans cannot speak Equish and Ponies (except for one active Lyra plothole) cannot speak English because their mouths and vocal chords just can't make the sounds. That is why Max can't speak for the vast majority of the story: as long as that translator is on, his throat locks up while trying to whinny. The moment it comes off, he can speak again, but it's in English. Afterwards, when he tries to mimic an pony word, he garbles it horribly and can't even come close.

So sorry to disappoint, but that gap will always exist to some degree. It will become less of a problem over time as more ponies are inducted and learn English, but can't go away completely.

As for when I'll update this, I'm waiting for the actual YHaY to get a bit farther forward, since I'm running up against current events and can't figure out exactly how much I've screwed the timeline up without knowing what it looked like in the first place.

P.S. Thanks for the positive comparison!

[SilentMech]

6655367 So it's partially temporary. Thanks for clearing that up. Also, the Hutts understand Basic, they just consider talking in it to be very "light" so they stick to huttese. Which Han probably understands, but can't speak himself. So, they compromise and business is conducted.

[Dragonzero]

you know what these people remind me of exalt.,, man funk exalt... and fuck this story.

[kpatkoch]

please continue

[Resadur164]

dead

[Xblaster]

9724999
Yeah, and this fic was so Fucking good, and it was VERY UNIQUE, RIP

[Architect Ironturtle]

9759878 Could you elaborate on that? I was considering canceling it for being wish fulfillment garbage.

[Xblaster]

10256566
It's been awhile but one thing that makes this unique is that it's an X-com displaced with abilities like from The gamer or just from Xcom (for MC) I really like the concept this has and it has potential, so if you think this is garbage why not restart and see how it goes from there but that's up to you.
edit: how many Xcom stories have you seen on this site that aren't dead, more so Displaced?

[Architect Ironturtle]

10257040 Not many. If I continued this, I would:

A. Give the main character a more clearly defined personality.
B. Strip out all the video game mechanics and replace them with the real life equivalents.
C. Rewrite the court scene to actually be a scene and be more in line with how that society would actually think.

I'll keep it as incomplete, then.

[Xblaster]

10257199
Alright