XCOM: Beyond Hope (Derp and Dino)

[DerpDaHerp]

"This council wishes you the best of luck, commander. For the sake of our world, we hope you succeed in all of your endeavors."


"And remember; We will be watching."


With their solemn parting word, the members of the council and their stony representative disconnected, leaving the commander to contemplate the sheer impossibility of his task. With all of the resources of the world, the XCOM project would surely achieve great things, but the threat of invasion seemed insurmountable. He rubbed his temples in frustration.


A sharp rap on the door disturbed the commander from his musings, and before he could say a word of acknowledgement, the visitor pushed open the door and entered the office.


"Commander, the first batch of recruits have arrived, and are waiting to be briefed. Would you like us to postpone the briefing until you're more prepared?" Spoke a short, refined woman, in somewhat accented English.


"Absolutely not." Replied the commander, his voice curt with irritation. The woman seemed taken back by his reaction, but quickly regained her composure.


"Lead the way."

 

[Dino]

They had all been hand picked, The best of the best you could say. Each and everyone one of them had been plucked from all over the world, from Africa to America. They'd been picked up in a multitude of ways, from plane to boat. Once they had all arrived, they had been ushered into a large hall. There had been 8 of them inside the hall. All awkwardly trying to start some kind of conversation, which had been difficult because of the wide variety of languages and accents.


As that had been happening, the commander had been making his way through the maze of corridors to the briefing hall, the petite woman had still been out in front of him. They'd soon reached the Briefing hall, the woman forcing the doors open holding the door open for the commander. The commander had upped his pace to a brisk walk as he made his way over to the podium at the front of the hall.


There had been no microphone, so the commander made a loud grunting noise, which had caught the attention of the new recruits which had been in the hall. The 8 recruits attention had all fell onto the man they had seen at the podium.


The commander had began his speech with...

 

[DerpDaHerp]

The commander surveyed the room, his eyes sweeping from person to person. It was hard to believe that these eight humans were all that stood against the alien threat. He cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the recruits.


"I'm sure you all know why you're here. You are the greatest in your respective fields, the cream of the crop. However, in our company, we are all the same. Whatever feats you may have achieved before you came here are irrelevant. This isn't about personal achievement, or bragging rights. You are here to serve; to serve me, to serve XCOM, and above all - to serve our world."


All of the recruits were listening with rapt attention. While before, the hall was buzzing with the constant tone of conversation, the commander had caught their eyes and ears.


"The fate of our world rests upon our shoulders, but we are not individuals. We are a unit, we are XCOM. Whether a pilot, a scientist, an engineer or an officer, your role is exactly the same; to secure our future. I expect the best from you, just as you expect the best from me. Every sacrifice shall be remembered, and every victory shall be cherished."


Without another word, he stepped from the podium and started the arduous trip back to his office.