It's Getting Boring by the Sea [TFTD LP]

chiasaur11

The X-Com Aquatic Salvage Project has officially been dissolved.

The majority of project records have been sealed in accordance with [REDACTED] until [REDACTED]

Official hearings on war crimes for the project have been suspended until such time as [REDACTED]

All resources have been diverted to [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]

The remaining data on the project can be found below.

Spoiler:

I think you can already guess that we're desperate.

Something has been downing cruise liners, disrupting trade, and making the seas unsafe.

A team was sent.

All contact was lost.

And we haven't been able to do jack, as the resources needed for this kind of job are tied up in a mission of critical importance. Those of you authorized to know of it, already do.

Those who are not, all I can say at this juncture is that you will probably die.

Horribly.

At the moment, we require field agents, trained submersible craft pilots, and an expert in, shall we say, unusual biology.

The risks will be great, but you will be doing humanity an inestimable service.

And, more importantly for most of you, I suppose, the pay is excellent.


I await your response.

Spoiler:

They come.

They come from the deep and devour us.

We fall before them.

The sleeper stirs and those who fight his kin are unaware. They fight nobly. They fight in vain.

We fall into madness. We fall into fear. We fall in the face of the implacable enemy and never arise.

We have fallen to the depths and seen horrors man was not meant to see.

And if we fall further, all civilization, all of humanity falls as well.

We will fall.


Current staff

Acheron base

Current primary contact team


Cmdr. Rankenphile
Lt. Raneados
Lt. Nocren
Ensign RabidDeathMoose
Lt. Mr Mojo
Ensign EnglishBob
Ensign Bursar
AB VirgilLeadsYou
AB Amp'd
AB AnteCantelope

Secondary team/ Injured Reserve

Recruit Jaramr
AB Starkiller
AB elliotw2
Corporal Carl


Barracuda Attack Craft Pilots

Lt. Timspork's Ghost
Cpt. RisenPhoenix




Charon base

Current primary contact team

Cpt. Campion
Ensign Imperfect
Ensign Iolo
Ensign Iron Weasel
Recruit Smokestacks
Recruit ValveJunkie
Recruit Yer Mum
Recruit IamthePieman
AB Rhan 9


Secondary reserve
Recruit Smof
Recruit Elvanshae
Recruit Raiden333
Recruit Enlightenedbum
Recruit Lowlylowlycook


Barracuda Attack Craft Pilots
Lt. BlitzAce1981



Reserves



Joshua1
SkutSkut
cheeseliker
Mr. Ray
Tommy2hands
Mvrck
13th Legion
adman B
popesnax
Hullis
Enc0re
Divebommah
Wub



Pilot Reserve

Decius


ROV Control System

Tofystedeth
lostprophet
Wavecutter


Research Staff

Weapons research: Caulk Bite 6
Xenobiology: WotanAnubis

Chief Engineer: Nerivant


KIA
Petty Officer OnTheLastCastle
Recruit Carthage
Recruit MrMonroe
AB Rainfall
Recruit Phoenix D
AB Docken
AB Orikaeshigitae
AB Zahrkon
Recruit Smaug6
Ensign BloodySloth
Recruit Melding
Recruit Klyka
Recruit Schuss
Recruit Witchdoctor DBM
Recruit Staleghoti
Recruit See317

Spoiler:

This is it, then.

Recording might survive, even if we don't. Might be a civilian salvage vessel who finds this. Which would mean a brief history is in order.

A few months back, the government (which one doesn't matter now. Let's say all of them.) formed a task force to deal with a group of invading hostiles. Details are classified.
Suffice it to say they kept humanity sleeping safe at night..

Then they started a salvage operation.

It was entirely wiped out.

I volunteered to investigate. Funding was picked up, specialists were assigned, and so on.

And things went very, very wrong. If you've read Lovecraft, cut the racism and the purple prose and you more or less understand the situation. If not, well, we ran into creatures that can subvert the human mind, who use cybernetics to rebuild native species into killing machines. They could tear through trained soldiers in almost no time.

Somehow, we were able to hold them back for a while, despite setback after setback, and we sent a team to find and destroy their controlling intelligence.

It had a good crew.

Lt. Nocren
AB Smokestacks
AB Ante Cantelope
Commander Rankenphile
Captain Campion
Recruit Elvanshae
Recruit Adman B
Ensign Iron Weasel
Ensign Bursar
AB RabidDeathMoose
AB Jaramr
Recruit Mvrck
Recruit cheeseliker
AB VirgilLeadsYou
Ensign Iolo
Corporal Carl
Recruit Raiden 333
AB Rhan 9

They had two advanced AIs onboard, the Tofystedeth and LostProphet combat systems, and Captain RisenPhoenix.

The mission was our last chance.

It might have succeeded. It might have failed.

It no longer matters.

Right now, they have found us, and they are going to try to kill us.

Most of the staff is attempting to evacuate. A few of us are still here.

Myself, WotanAnubis (head of Xenobiology), Weapons development chief Caulk Bite 6, head engineer Nerivant, and what's left of the contact teams.

Lt. Raneados
Ensign EnglishBob
AB Amp'd
AB Starkiller
AB elliotw2
Ensign Imperfect
Recruit ValveJunkie
Recruit Yer Mum
Recruit IamthePieman
Recruit Enlightenedbum
Recruit Lowlylowlycook
Recruit Smof
Recruit Joshua1
Recruit SkutSkut
Recruit Mr. Ray
Recruit Tommy2hands
Recruit 13th Legion
Recruit popesnax
Recruit Hullis
Recruit Enc0re
Recruit Divebommah
Recruit Wub

and the Wavecutter AI.

We're probably dead. Get this information to Kias and BlitzAce1981 at extra-stellar communications or Director Fishman. They'll know what to do. Hopefully.

...before I forget, pass this on as well.

Petty Officer OnTheLastCastle
Recruit Carthage
Recruit MrMonroe
AB Rainfall
Recruit Phoenix D
AB Docken
AB Orikaeshigitae
AB Zahrkon
Recruit Smaug6
Ensign BloodySloth
Recruit Melding
Recruit Klyka
Recruit Schuss
Recruit Witchdoctor DBM
Recruit Staleghoti
Recruit See317

The list of the dead.

And now, run like hell, because, you poor stupid son-of-a-bitch, you stepped into a death trap, and they'll probably be back soon for another sweep. Get out, and pass on what we have. Maybe it'll be enough.


Chiasaur11


Director, X-Com aquatic.

BloodySloth

Ohhhhh man.

I love and hate TFTD. This is gonna be great.

DoctorArch

OOOOOOHHHHH....good luck my friend, I'll be watching.

But thread needs more Patrick Stewart.

Phoenix-D

We need more bodies. Cause we'll be seeing lots of them hit the...seabed.

Sign me up

BloodySloth

Totally sign me up too if you're accepting more hopeless sea monster fodder for the waiting list.

Docken

Ah yes, one of my favourite games of all time!

Sign me up!

Nocren

Seeing as how I missed the surface version, and I am a former Navy man, sign me up as well.

Though I do have good memories of another UFO: After-X LP game where I was talking to my gun a lot.

johnwing

sign me up!

Melding

Sign me up

We'll show the ocean whose boss. You! And maybe whoever is alive in the end.

RisenPhoenix

Sign me up

Let's do this. I can pilot damn near anything with a stick. :^:

EnglishBob

Pah, Everyone wants to be a pilot in the hope that they'll survive.

Man up and come die a grisly yet hilarious death!

Kristmas Kthulhu

Wait, you're saying that I can join this thing and gloat over everyone who dies before me? Can I sign up twice?

Caulk Bite 6

ah, so this is where this ended up.

Good to know.

YerMum

sign me up!

Cannon fodder reporting for duty Sir!

timspork's ghost

Let's see how many alien subs I can take out in between shooting down UFOs for the Director.

Klyka

Count me in as a soldier.

iamthepieman

Are you still taking more fodder?

Cause count me in if you are.

Imperfect

!Signed up

Because really, who DOESN'T want to die at the bottom of the ocean, never seen nor heard of again?

schuss

I'll be your cannon fodder sir

Iolo

My older brother provides communications and logistics support for the aboveground effort. I just want to kick some alien ass. Um, or fins. Gills?

!Signs up

WotanAnubis

Hmm. Can I sign up as a member of the Research Staff?

Tofystedeth

Director Chiasaur,

I've decided to apply for the position of Remotely Operated Tank (ROT) pilot. Having been killed once by the alien bastards I'm eager for revenge, and with my consciousness transferred from my remains to the a computer, I'm no longer encumbered by the limits of mortal flesh, while retaining the human touch and trustworthiness the Theidar AI's lack.

Just give me something explosive and tell the troops not to stand in my way.

Theidar

The Theidar Central Core is currently dedicated to X-Com's terrestrial activities.

A secondary core will be needed to control the aquatic division's robotic submersibles and provide command support.

The Central Core will be stopping in to monitor the Aquatic Core and provide harassment...errr recommendations as it is able.

Theidar

Tofysedeth willingness to kill off civilians as necessary makes him an excellent choice for the Aquatic Core Template.

Tofystedeth

Goddamnit Theidar, I thought I'd gotten away from you. No I will not play StarCraft against you anymore. You cheat.
If I could directly manipulate the game I'd never run out resources either.

Tofystedeth

Hey, I never killed any civilians. It was a teammate. He knew what he signed up for.

I mean, that was an unfortunate accident.

Heat of the moment and all that.

Rhan9

!Sign me up.
Reporting for duty, sah!

Theidar

Video archival photoage.

Tofystedeth

Ohhhh you mean that civilian. I did say "fire in the hole." He had ample warning.

Theidar

Your willingness to kill teammates is also appreciated.

Imperfect

If I didn't already plan on a horrifying underwater death, this recent conversation might have swayed me.

And yet...

Iron Weasel

There will presumably be horrendous losses.

!Sign me up to fill in when the real soldiers get murdered.

Smaug6

!Sign me up
I volunteer to be on the landing craft and I will even wear the albatross!

timspork's ghost

This is exactly why I signed up to pilot an attack sub. Less chance of stray torpedoes from the AIs.

Bursar

Ooh, put me in, Coach. My skills lie in my complete lack of claustrophobia and my skills in throwing grenades in every direction but the one I'm aiming at.

Wait... Are we signing up to be in chiasaur's redshirt squad or for some kind of succession game? I don't have the time or the capacity for the latter.

AMP'd

!signup

MechMantis

timspork's ghost wrote: »

This is exactly why I signed up to pilot an attack sub. Less chance of stray torpedoes from the AIs.

Oh no you don't get normal run of the mill anti-personnel torpedoes shot at you.

You get the awesome ANTI-SHIP torpedoes fired at you. They're many times bigger. I'll stay up here and kill things with my plasma cannons that work in air thank you.

RabidDeathMoose

!Sign up!

Tofystedeth

timspork's ghost wrote: »

This is exactly why I signed up to pilot an attack sub. Less chance of stray torpedoes from the AIs.

My enhanced targeting and predictive capabilities should result in a projected 95% decreased friendly fire rate. Still, accidents do occur and it is advised to wear clean underwear should you end up in the medbay.

Whoah, sorry about that. Don't know what happened. I'm still getting used to being implanted in a computer.

Kind of channeled Theidar there for a bit. And my mother...

timspork's ghost

MechMantis wrote: »

timspork's ghost wrote: »

This is exactly why I signed up to pilot an attack sub. Less chance of stray torpedoes from the AIs.

Oh no you don't get normal run of the mill anti-personnel torpedoes shot at you.

You get the awesome ANTI-SHIP torpedoes fired at you. They're many times bigger. I'll stay up here and kill things with my plasma cannons that work in air thank you.

I made sure that I have a special ejector seat that will propel me out of of doomed sub, up out of the water, only to be picked up by my Xcom Interceptor which is remote following and will take me back to my base at Linksville.

SmokeStacks

chiasaur11 wrote: »

A team was sent.

All contact was lost.

My brother was on that team.

Got a box in the mail with his death certificate, discharge papers, a medal, and what we assume is a piece of his skull.

!Signup