This month the MaX-COM project has faced significant challenges. Along with one particularly difficult mission, covered below, we’re facing rising panic levels worldwide. This has been capped off by India and Nigeria choosing to withdraw from the project in favour of going it alone. Despite this, we are continuing to present a strong front and maintain our efforts to defeat the alien menace.

March Report

We’ve noticed a significant step up in enemy presence. This includes large and tougher UFOs, one of which shot down one of our interceptors over North America. In response, new armaments for our interceptors are being developed to combat this threat in the skies. We’ve also encountered Mutons, which appear to be the alien’s primary ground forces, significantly tougher than other foes faced so far.

Another troubling development has been the emergence of Exalt, a human faction colluding with the aliens. We’ve begun covert operations targeting Exalt in order to counter this.

Our project to capture a live alien has met with some difficulties. An “Outsider” alien was successfully stunned on an alien UFO yielding a mysterious crystal and an in-tact alien plasma rifle for the first time. However, this still doesn’t fit our need for a live interrogation, which Dr. Vahlen insists is strictly necessary. Similarly, the “Seeker” aliens proved impossible to capture, because of reasons. We even went so far as to attempt capture of an Exalt soldier, although this only resulted in the targeted soldier abruptly committing suicide. In the coming month we will redouble our efforts to actually capture a live alien and progress our research goals.

On the facilities front, we have now completed a Gene lab and volunteers will be selected for genetic modifications in the near future. We’ve also completed a Foundry to begin incorporating some of the special project ideas that have been floating around.

Operation Brutal Crown

Operation Brutal crown was our first mission of the month, and has been our biggest setback to date. On the request of the council, MaX-COM deployed to a small fishing village in Canada to investigate troubling reports of alien presence. On arrival, we discovered that the village was overrun with Chryssalids and zombies. After being ambushed by a gang of Chryssalids, our squad suffered a breakdown in discipline leading to heavy losses. Only the single rookie deployed survived, and the mission was aborted. The four soldiers killed in this mission are our first major losses in the field, and their memory will spur us on harder to avenge them.

Mission and Personnel Report

Aside from the sad losses of Operation Brutal Crown, our other operations this month went smoothly. This includes our first covert operation, which saw Alex Spencer deployed as a covert agent, capturing vital data on Exalt’s operations, and then successfully extracted by our team. The experience levels and ranks of our soldiers continues to rise at a steady pace, reflecting our increasing experience combating the alien threat.

March Report

For the second month in a row, Sam Staton receives the badge of shame for his wild inaccuracy with a rocket launcher, putting himself and his squadmates at risk. Despite this, he’s climbing the ranks at a rapid pace to go on par with Alex Spencer. Matt Rogers on the other hand, is a crack shot with his rocket launcher and has a bright future ahead of him. Rob Beasley has emerged as the goto squad medic, while Michael Wilson has developed a liking for smoke grenades. Robert Goss has racked up an impressive body count with his flamethrower, although he did once miss horribly and set fire to the building with the objective in without achieving anything. No one has brought it up though as we’re all terrified of him.

Mission Location Squad
Operation Brutal Crown St. Johns, Canada Caspar van der Sman, Ken Poyner, Jethro _, Chris Chamberlain
Operation Stone Fog Buenos Aries, Argentina Sam Mason, Sam Staton, Michael Wilson, Matt Smith, Robert Goss
Operation Swift Fist Manchester, UK Michael Wilson, Sam Staton, Matt Rogers, Matt Smith Alex
Operation Cryptic Mother UFO Landing Site, Mexico Sam Mason Matt R, Matt Smith, Robert Goss, Rob Beasley
Operation Final Bell Covert Data Recovery, South Africa Sam Staton Matt Rogers, Robert Goss, Rob Beasley, Michael Wilson

In Memoriam

RIP Caspar van der Sman, died of blunt force trauma after assault from a zombie.

RIP Ken Poyner, died of fast acting Chryssalid poison moments after being attacked.

RIP Jethro _ , died of massive blood loss after assault by a Chryssalid.

RIP Chris Chamberlain, also died of fast acting Chryssalid poison moments after being attacked.

Science Divison Report

Chief Scientist

Dr Vahlen

Facilities Staff

23 Scientists

Monthly Projects

Experimental Warfare – Complete

As we have continued our research into the alien weapons fragments and the other materials recovered from the field, we’ve come to realize how the aliens managed to make these substances work in conjunction with one another. While reducing the size of these components is often a challenge in itself, we decided to focus our initial efforts on a weapon more suited to deployment on our Interceptors. This cannon was designed to concentrate energy within a small target area, and should be capable of punching through the armored hulls of the alien craft. In addition, we’ve also passed a number of interesting conceptual designs on to the engineering team.

Precision Lasers – Complete

We havesucceeded in focusing an accelerated energy pulse through a narrow-field lens while still maintaining adequate energy efficiency. The result is an extremely capable weapon akin to a traditional sniper rifle, but with a much greater chance of inflicting critical damage on enemy targets. During our testing we’ve also deployed another prototype operating under the same principle, but relying on a modified prism to scatter the beam rather than focus it. We envision this weapon filling the same tactical role as a traditional shotgun, but without the ammunition constraints… and with a greater damage output. However, as with our other laser-based weaponry, heat dissipation issues continue to plague these designs.

Floater Autopsy – Complete

As frightening and vicious as this species is on the battlefield, it is hard not to feel some sympathy for them on the dissection table. The specimen has been subjected to extensive biomedical modifications, some of which were undoubtedly quite painful and intrusive. The combination of living tissue and mechanical components gives the creature the look of a cruel, half-finished experiment. Most of the subject’s internal organs have been replaced with a mechanical life support system that mimics their original functionality. A rather conventional propulsion system has been grafted onto the subjects torso, although the power cells supplying the necessary thrust are extremely advanced by our own standards. I have removed a number of neural implants from the subject that appear to aid in the evasion of incoming projectile file.

Thin Man Autopsy – Complete

The subject’s external appearance is that of a caucasian male. I would guess its age to be approximately 35 years old, although it’s quite likely this is an artificial effect intentionally affixed by the aliens. The specimen is roughly two meters in height, and weighs just over 80 kilograms. Despite its outward appearance, upon dissection, the creature’s unique organ and bone structure is revealed to be distinctly alien in nature. The subject’s bones are segmented, rather like the vertebrae of a serpent. This segmented structure appears to give the creature a spectacular range of motion in combat. A large portion of the specimen’s thoracic cavity is devoted to enormous glands capable of producing a toxin that is then expelled via ducts with considerable force. After a thorough chemical analysis of the subject’s venom, we’ve theorized that it could be used as a powerful disinfectant to treat our soldiers injuries in the field.

Chryssalid Autopsy – Complete

Unlike the other aliens we’ve encountered thus far, it is arthropodal in nature, plated in a sleek, black exoskeleton. The “Chryssalids”, as we’re calling them, based on their reproductive habits, measure over three meters long from nose to tail, and stand almost two meters high when perched on their hind legs. Their attack is not only extremely deadly, but also necessary for their reproduction, as the intended victim is not immediately killed, but instead turned into what can only be described as a mindless shell, akin to a Zombie, which serves as host to its offspring. When a human is bitten an embryo is injected into the host and immediately begins to gestate. Once gestation is complete, which remarkably lasts only minutes, a newborn Chryssalid will emerge, destroying its host in the process.

Seeker Autopsy – Complete

Although each of the autopsies we’ve conducted on the various alien species could be considered unusual, this latest specimen continues to push the boundaries of how we might define that characteristic. It’s been referred to as a “Seeker” by our soldiers in the field due to its propensity for tracking and engaging with single targets - and its actual means of attack is quite shocking. Once it has located a target, the Seeker physically seizes the victim, and remains attached until it is either removed by force or the target expires. As one might imagine, this is an extraordinarily disturbing situation for both the victim and anyone witnessing the attack. The challenge in stopping the Seeker comes from its inherent agility and nimbleness, making it extremely difficult to intercept before it manages to reach its intended target. We believe the micro-motors employed in its design are responsible for this notable degree of mobility. The Seeker has also been observed deploying a type of defensive smoke screen, making it even more troublesome to engage during the limited window of opportunity when it is immobile. It is my hope that we can adapt these various concealment techniques into a form that allows our soldiers greater stealth capabilities in combat, which should reduce casualties. It may also be possible to use what we’ve learned to develop weapons systems and equipment that mirror some of these techniques.

Heavy Lasers – Complete

We’ve finally found a workable solution to the heat dissipation issues we’ve struggled with when attempting to create a more powerful laser weapon for our troops. Although this variant still operates near the limit of what would ordinarily be considered “safe” operating temperatures, we believe it is stable enough at this point to begin field use. While developing this laser for our troops, we also blueprinted a variation suitable for mounting to our Interceptors. Attaching this weapon to one of our ship’s hardpoints should provide a significant boost in firepower to our pilots when engaging the alien craft.

UFO Power Source – Complete

The power supply systems recovered from the alien craft are perhaps the most important piece of technology we’ve retrieved so far. Although we could spend years researching the intricacies of the equipment, the urgency of our development process means we’ve had to rely on theoretical analysis more than we would prefer. Despite the risks involved in attempting to reverse engineer this technology, we made a number of small steps towards a fully adapted power cell. Our most important discovery so far, the element we’ve been referring to as “Elerium,” is the vital component that provides nearly limitless energy to the alien power cells. Although there is still much to learn, we believe it should be possible for the Engineering team to begin assembling a makeshift power cell based on our initial findings, which may prove useful in the development of an advanced fighter craft, as well as to power a more advanced MEC. However, we’ll certainly want to do further analysis of the Elerium element that fuels the alien power systems.

Muton Autopsy – Complete

Standing well over two meters tall, the ratio of this subject’s lean muscle to the rest of its body mass is staggering. Its bones are highly durable yet very light in weight, and it seems to lack extramuscular fatty tissue of any kind. There is no part of this subject that has not been genetically engineered for combat. These “Mutons” (a moniker given by the troops) have clearly been bred and modified from birth, with every enhancement contributing to its function as a sort of “organic tank.” As such, the Mutons are capable of withstanding otherworldly amounts of damage and seem to have an incredible tolerance for pain. During the autopsy, we also noted a variety of ritualistic markings and unusual tattoos, which imply some sort of past tribal structure among the Muton species. We’ve also noticed a number of distinct similarities between the genetic structure of the Muton and Floater specimens. It certainly appears that the Floaters may have at one time been Mutons themselves. If the aliens have been experimenting with the Muton physiology, perhaps the Floaters are a byproduct of their less successful attempts at genetic manipulation.

Light Plasma Rifle - Ongoing

This carbine-style weapon is capable of generating a direct, superheated charge of plasma - an intriguing and dangerous prospect. Further research could allow for this technology to work in our favor.

Personal Notes

This month has seen a shift in focus for our research away from equipment and towards an understanding of the biology of the aliens. While very impressive progress has been made on several fronts it is clear that further progress is being hampered by our lack of live specimens. We have all the facilities required to store and study a live alien and this must be a priority for future field missions. On this note it is imperative that we improve the ethical screening of our new hires. While the team have performed all tasks thus far several have privately requested not to be involved in any live experimentation and the work experience boy almost fainted just sitting in on the autopsies.

Upcoming Month Goals

Use an Arc Thrower to actually capture a live alien. Continue general MaX-COM operations and research.