PmWiki | XcomAcademy / Whiteboard

This is a virtual whiteboard that has been set up outside the gym, in a corner of the chow hall, and on the opposite wall of the room where mission feeds are projected for those who aren't on the mission to observe. The setup is very simple -- a large touch screen and a stylus. Signing a comment is on the honor system; no comments are censored. Someone wrote a simple script that "fades" older comments, to preserve screen space. The screens are linked, so that the same whiteboard can exist in multiple places and there's an activity log -- Dr. Shen wanted to use actual whiteboards, for simplicity, but the engineering team felt like messing around.

It doesn't look like the aliens are out to outright conquer us, or they would have. What is their goal?

This is some sort of galactic boot camp, to see if the species can function as a unit in the presence of a threat. -- Nikola

We're worth more as slaves, this is not an invasion army, this is a strip-mining operation with Pinkertons in tow. -- Riley

They will after we've improved on their tech enough that they can get something patentable off us. -- Andrey

They don't know how to wage large-scale war. They're using mostly-autonomous technology they scavenged themselves, and don't know how to make WMDs. -- Kay

They're weeding out the weak. They'll leave the top 5% alive. Then we can rebuild and go after them. -- Archie

This is some sort of trial, but for them, not for us. Some sectoid commander is trying to get his wings by harassing Earth. -- David

We are being punished for not expanding into space fast enough. -- Brigitte

They're a research team. They're taking specimens, and any collateral damage is like when an entomologist has to drill a hole in a termite hill to get larvae. -- Maciej

Nothing on earth truly matters to them. A passing survey ship picked up and decoded the old "Predator" movies as they made their way out through space, triangulated the point of origin, and their higher ups decided it would make good reality TV. -- Kite

They may be fighting another war (space is big) and need a new type of troop, possibly to deal with biological weapons, so it's more of a gather specimens than material resources. -- Vee

They Want Will Wheaton? -- Kip

They may be dealing with a fractured or factional command structure-think UN in the 90s. This may be an unpopular war, or there may be major differences in strategy, basic tactics, even goals. Until we know them, we can't begin to know what they want or why the react the way they do -- Lily

Suggestions for names for the Substitute Heavy Infantry Vehicle. ~~No we will not simply call them "Murderbots."~~

Screw you, you knew I wanted to call them Murderbots. -- Kite

I also like the Murderbots idea. -- Vee

The existing designations are THUNDER for the current, Inertia Labs derived chassis; LIGHTNING for a quadcopter or flying drone; and GOLIATH for a heavier "tank" model. -- Bradford

SHIV operators are welcome to name their rig, as soon as we make them. My vote is Traumatizers, from the Centurions cartoon. -- Kay (OOC NOTE: There's a mod for that, so each SHIV can have its own name)

Eat a dick, Bradford. To call a mech Goliath it either needs to be a frogwalker with gatling guns and a katyursha, or humanoid with something fragile and vital in the cranium. Neither are currently tactically valid. -- Kite

The guy who runs my favourite kebab place in Muswell Hill is called Shiv. So on that basis I propose Doner, Shwarma and Shashlik. -- Jonny

I second this idea. -- Vee

Guys, since Donar is also the god of thunder (it's another name for Thor), the first SHIV will be named Donar, how does that sound? -- Kay

Hmm, we've got Donar, well might as well go for the rest of the reindeer: "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer, and Vixen! "On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Bliksem' (Donder = Thunder and Blissem = Lightning)

We have captured a number of extra cyborgs. What do we do with them?

I have gotten quite a lot of data off them. By the way, thank you for the excellent concept art, Vee! -- Shen

Record an execution and put it on youtube. -- Kite

Just kill them quickly. We can always use MOAR BOOSTERS. -- Marissa

Use them for target practice? -- Kay

Clearly, we should remove their boosters, and see if they are able to deal with it. -- Sato

Take them apart to see how all the bits work. Slowly. -- Lily

"Ok, Break them down for parts, lend me a float team and some Techs, and enough smoke grenades to cover Diver City Toyko for an hour, I want to go Gundamjacking!" --Kip

The rumors of psionic aliens have been confirmed -- at the very least, they can force us into a fight or flight response. Pending proper solutions, what can we do about it?

Deploy more SHIVs. -- Andrey

It may sound stupid, but grounding the helmets through your boots may help. We'll begin fabricating tinfoil layers in the Foundry immediately. -- Shen

Get angry and stay angry. They'll stop trying that when all it gets them is more laser in the face! -- Elisabetta

I think it was established that they're psionics is electromagnetic...so how about a white noise generator, plain old jamming their operating frequencies. If we Can transmit in their range something more then static...hmm....start a marathon Adam Sandler films....maybe they're run away in terror. --Kip

All terrestrial forms of mind control are a hybridization of suggestion and misdirection. It is not unreasonable to suspect that their operates in a similar fashion, but utilizing direct 'wireless' neural stimulation to expedite the process. Keep hold of why we fight, what we fight for, who we protect, who the enemy is. Anger, fear, aggression. Draw them into strength. Do not give in to your hatred, do not unleash it, but harness it to your will that you may destroy the enemy. --Kite

Okay, what's with all the schizo tech? Everything the aliens have looks like it came out of completely different mindsets.

The aliens, having discovered psionics, entered an arrested development phase. Why work when you can just bat your eyes at your neighbor and get their stuff? God knows, it's a strategy I've seen used by people. --Kay