Category: Uncategorized

Seeing as the Countdown Calendar for XCOM 2 was such a massive success, I decided to use some discarded character concepts and a couple new ones for what is essentially season 2 of the project. For those of you who don’t know: Every Tuesday until the day WotC is released, I will reveal a new soldier on the Avenger, so you can get a small dose of XCOM to bridge the gap.

Quick reminder: I am in no way affiliated with Firaxis, and all this content is fanfiction/headcanon/whatever term you prefer.

An encounter with:

Cyril “Blood Sport” Kosta, from Greece:

 

In the sickbay, Kosta is patching up the superficial injuries he sustained from wrestling with some ungodly creature in the laboratory. Any challenge the scientists propose, he will accept. It has gotten to the point where everything has to be run by Dr. Tygan to make sure Kosta does not kill himself.

“There’s nothing quite like Deathmatch, but these experiments come close. The thrill of hunting somebody down and the ripping their insides out with a sickle is better than any orgasm I’ve ever had. Before you freak out, that’s one of the major misconceptions about Deathmatch. Yes, we do give people substandard weapons, let them run free, and chase them, but we only do it to ADVENT collaborators. Don’t think for a second those mutons don’t do the same thing with their prisoners.”

A maniacal grin on his face, Kosta shows off the eight muton heads tattooed on his left shoulder.

“That’s only the ones I killed in melee. It’s a great feeling, pulling your axe out of a skull that big. I wish I could do it more often, but alas I am not allowed. I hear the commander wants to keep me around for a while, though I suspect it’s Tygan making sure his guys are the ones who end up being my undoing. I really help out their research by wrestling with those beasts, and I’m glad to do it. There’s no entertainment on this ship. I’m not allowed to drink, because I end up punching people. I’m not allowed to participate in competitive fighting either, because they’re afraid my instincts will take over, and I think that’s a justified fear. I don’t want to kick off anybody’s head in a sparring match. XCOM needs soldiers more than I need gratification, I get it.”

He lets out a grunt while disinfecting a wound to avoid staph.

“I used to do more than one game back before they shut down the Corfu Arena for good. I was an actual gladiator, fighting against all kinds of abominations. I remember after the shutdown, when they locked me up, I ended up killing seven prison guards because I hadn’t split any skulls in a month. That’s something I actually feel bad about. But it helped me break out, and nowadays I get to go on some tense adventures. I said there’s nothing quite like Deathmatch, and I stand by that, because going on missions is better. The stakes are higher, the game is more tactical, the opponents are stronger, and I actually get to accomplish something. Not to mention there’s fewer rules. Going up against ADVENT is a beautiful thing, I tell you. I fight for XCOM, because I just love killing, aliens most of all.”

Seeing as the Countdown Calendar for XCOM 2 was such a massive success, I decided to use some discarded character concepts and a couple new ones for what is essentially season 2 of the project. For those of you who don’t know: Every Tuesday until the day WotC is released, I will reveal a new soldier on the Avenger, so you can get a small dose of XCOM to bridge the gap.

Quick reminder: I am in no way affiliated with Firaxis, and all this content is fanfiction/headcanon/whatever term you prefer.

An encounter with:

Levi “Invictus” Ben-David, from Israel:

Slouched on a couch in a way that puts the least possible strain on his body, Ben-David is poring over one of his many books on military strategy. His concentration is unfaltering, but even as he speed-reads and flips page after page, he is always aware of his surroundings.

“’In the end, the people who got the holy land were not even from this world.’ That’s what my father used to say after the Mossad was disbanded. Israel was one of the ‘military keystones’ that the invaders used to build ADVENT, or at least the civilian enforcement parts of it. We used to be one of the most advanced militaries in the world, with special forces that drove terror into the bones of our foes. Everyone had to serve, and service was strict. If that’s who ADVENT wanted as its traffic police, I dare not imagine what they use as actual military.”

He takes a deep swig from a bottle containing a regenerative multi-vitamin protein shake. Unlike Lombardi, he does not require rejuvenation supplements, but instead uses them preventively. Ironic, considering his most likely cause of death is not old age.

“Luckily, or unluckily, I don’t have to imagine what they use as actual military. I’ve been fighting them for years, and they’re every bit as intimidating as you would think, maybe even a bit worse. Their technology, their infrastructure, their tactics, their equipment, it’s all beyond what is reasonable. And what they do to their own people…”

With a look of disgust on his face, he exhales and shakes his head.

“They clearly do not value human life, and human life is exactly what I’m here to protect. Look, I don’t have a problem with all the fascinating characters aboard this ship. They’re all skilled warriors, know how to handle a weapon, and also have the resolve to do serious damage to ADVENT. The sheer variety of their skill sets gives the most convenient advantages in the strangest situations But if you want to defeat a military enemy, you will need soldiers, not warriors. Yes, angry sociopaths with axes have their uses, but what you want is disciplined people who understand the bigger picture and can handle difficult tactical situations. The Gallic tribes lost to the Romans because they were consistently outmanoeuvred by a foe with superior training and equipment. If we don’t want to end up like them we’ll have to become more like the aliens. We have to continue adapting their technology for our own use, learn as much about and of them as possible, otherwise we will be defeated. Of course we need to make sure we don’t lose our own humanity in the process…”

He looks to the ground, recalling a memory so horrendous it would be painful to vocalise it.

“I fight for XCOM, because I believe that traditional military skills are required in any successful rebellion.”