Pete

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Carrie startled awake, thrust from pleasant dreams into reality, the cargo area of a dusty old transport helicopter. Neither the British pilot's notification, nor the grinding guitar riff from her earbuds that forbade her from hearing him had woken her, but as the helicopter began its descent, it hit an updraft that rocked the chopper with turbulence. Far from being uncommon in aviation, and this not being her first time aboard such an aircraft, the trembling steel did little more than annoy her as she stretched her arms over her head and looked out the window. Sand, lots of it, and not much else. The helicopter broke through a cloud, and the seemingly unending golden ocean, barren and lifeless, stretched to the horizon before her. It didn't look too far from Iraq, so as much as Campbell already hated her new home, at least she was used to it, having endured Mosul and Kirkuk's scorching weather not long before.

Campbell wondered what her friends were doing, and even though it'd been less than seventy-two hours since she'd seen them, she felt like an orphan, stripped from her family. Squeak, Hill, Miller, Willis, she even caught herself wondering about Sergeant V. Looking at her watch, already adjusted to local time, and doing a bit of math, she realized that it was nine o'clock on a Saturday morning back in San Diego, and that practically everyone in her unit would be practicing weekend rituals, either nursing a hangover or still face down on the floor.

"Bastards", she whispered to no one, envious. It was only once she'd began reminiscing about her unit that she realize she was no longer a member of it, and her attention was quickly turned to the other bodies sardined into the Chinook, to whom she had paid almost no attention to before this point. She didn't have to look before she knew she hated most of, it not all of them. Her ticket on this chopper was bought by the good-idea fairy, and if she'd had any choice in the matter she'd be dry-heaving into a toilet. Quickly surveying the lot, her suspicions were confirmed; she hated them. A bunch of saps from shithole countries, wasting the U.N.'s money on a goose-chase for aliens, she scowled remembering the artificial smile she forced when her commander informed her of her assignment.

The buzzing guitar faded away, replaced by a gentle violin with a backing dobro, and she couldn't help but tap her brown combat boot as she went over the group once more, slowly and overtly. Thankfully she wasn't the only American, quickly identifying a U.S. Airman and Soldier, though both sported stubbled faces, an oversight of discipline that would have never been an issue had they been Marines. The rest were foreign, a handful of Chinese civilians bickering away in one corner, an assortment of dark-skinned men in military uniforms she didn't recognize and two other Asians, soldiers that had the appearance and bearing of siblings. An older man with curiously unkempt hair sat with his back to her, sporting a Union Jack on his uniform. And then her eyes caught those of the Asian man sitting across from her. He wore a flashy dress uniform that displayed the flag of China, and had, much like her, been in the process of scrutinizing everyone else. She returned his gaze with a glare of her own for what could be considered a disrespectful time before turning back to the window, the sand growing closer, darkening with the fading sunlight.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Looking forward to this thing getting started, and enjoying the character stories that people have been posting, but I'm starting to see Darkraven's point about the number of American characters. Not that any of the applications are bad, but so far it seems like China and the U.S. are the only countries that give a damn about the fate of the planet.

Updated my profile a bit. Worked out some formatting, and added a written appearance description.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Darkraven said A very minor detail is the race bit. White refers to skin colour.

The term "Non-Hispanic White" is one that is fairly common in the United States, particularly on official government or military paperwork. Anybody who's done standardized testing at school has likely seen the term, which has come into use because of the large percentage of "White Hispanic" American citizens who do not identify themselves as Caucasian.

Darkraven said Another thing would be the 'previous vocations' bit. It's not referring to previous jobs outside of military/paramilitary/police/security organisations.

Honestly, I kind of figured that this section was for previous military specialties, and I used the civilian job because my character's only military profession has been the one she has. I imagined it was just a job she had as a teenager, and it's not going to have any real weight on the story or her as a character, but I hate to see a blank spot on a character application, and it's slightly unrealistic to say that a character has NEVER had a job before.

Darkraven said Also, I sure hope you know what your character's getting into, Pete. In being a member of the United States military, she's going to be looked down upon as the US sphere of influence is quickly deteriorating and so is their reputation.

Yeah, I can see that that's going to be a problem that arises pretty early on in the roleplay. It's also an important foundation underneath the character's very existence. The only reason she was sent to UNXIPU over any other service member, was to make a statement. It's something that the American military loves to do, and as one of the first successful female infantrymen in a country that had lagged behind in the integration of women into combat roles, she's something that the Pentagon sent as more of a "look at us", than anything else. I understand from the description of the world as it is that the United States is going to hell in a handbasket real quick, but I can't see the American military industry falling completely apart within six years, so although the United States is being surpassed by competing superpowers, the American military is probably still a fairly competent fighting force, and sending a message like LCPL Campbell to represent the country is something that brass would do.

Correct me if I'm wrong on any of that.

Darkraven said Well, at least in the beginning, though I can't say what's going to happen to that later on.

Once the bullets start flying, I imagine a lot of the animosity will be lost.

said But so far, I like the character. [...] A few days max. Do tell me once she's ready and I'll add it into the accepted characters list.

I believe I've addressed your concerns. If you want me to, I can still edit the issues you had, though. Thanks much.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Very interested and looking forward to this thread. Will be editing CS into this post shortly.

Character Story - Carrie Campbell

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UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 1 - Personal Particulars A

First Name/Given Name: Carrie Elizabeth

Surname/Family Name/Last Name: Campbell

Age: 22

Birthdate: December fourteenth, Nineteen ninety-eight

Gender: Female

Blood-Type: O+

Race: White, non-Hispanic

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 160LBS

Appearance/Description: A young woman with the tell-tale signs of constant stress, Carrie appears slightly older than she truly is. Not a traditionally beautiful woman, but far from ugly, she is best described as plain in her appearance, her brown hair restrained into a tight bun unless off-duty, where she typically wears it in a lazy pony-tail. The farmer's tan that she sports points towards the lifestyle of an avid outdoorist. Almost never adorned with make-up, her freckled face is blemished with a small number of minimal acne scars, and the dark circles around her eyes are suggestive of a chronic sleep deficit.

Three years of constant military exercise having toned her, she displays ample muscle for a short stature. The Marine Corps' tattoo policy having been relaxed in twenty-sixteen, her body is heavily decorated, including an outline of the state of Texas with the state flag inset on her right bicep, a maroon bluebonnet flower on her left forearm, a nautical compass on her left shoulder, a sparrow on either side of her chest, a sleeve from mid-thigh to ankle depicting flowering vines enveloping a human skull on her right leg, and a stag on her left thigh.

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UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 2 - Personal Particulars B

Nationality: United States of America

City/Town/Village of Origin: Midland, Texas

Educational Background: High school education

Political Background: Registered Republican, Republican Party of Texas (RPT)

Interests/Hobbies: Hunting, hiking, competitive shooting, weight lifting, horseback riding

Personality: An apple pie American upbringing, combined with the brashness of a grunt. Carrie is a genuinely gentle, caring soul, with nothing but the best of intentions towards her family, comrades, and country. That being said, she is also as foul-mouthed and crude, if not more so, than many of her male Marine counterparts. She typically adapts to change at a grudgingly slow pace, and tends to view those culturally differently than her in a less than favorable light. She is quick to speak her mind, often in what seems like an almost intentionally blunt manner, and outwardly cares very little what others think of her. A relentlessly habitual smoker, and since joining the military, patron of chewing tobacco, Carrie's vices are atypical of what is generally expected of the fairer sex. Aggressively tomboyish, however, the Marine is far from lady-like. Inwardly, she is very self-conscious, wracked with anxiety and what could be diagnosed as mild depression. Fiercely loyal, she wouldn't think twice of putting herself in harm's way to help a squad-mate in need.

Biography: Born and raised in rural farmland outside of Midland, Texas, Carrie Campbell's upbringing was almost pointedly normal. In her early childhood, she was swept up in the wave of patriotism that followed in the wake of the 9/11 bombings, a fact that was proudly supported by her father, a veteran of the gulf war years earlier. Finding her niche as a tomboy in her teens, she went through the typical teenage angsts, heartbreaks, and rebelliousness of most American teenagers, but throughout it all she was supported by an unconditionally loving family. With stars in her eyes, she watched her older brother enlist in the Marine Corps, where he was wounded in Afghanistan in twenty-fourteen. Carrie's envy of her brother's service, honor, and the status he received as a hometown hero was voracious.

Following in his footsteps, she herself enlisted in the Marine Corps, and was selected to be a member of the group that would go on to be the first bona fide female infantrymen. In lieu of the anatomical differences between men and women, she underwent a brutally difficult training process that was longer, and in some ways more demanding, in order to bring her physical capabilities closer to par with that of a man. In addition, experimental hormonal drugs were administered to the group designed to slow and partially restrain a woman's menstrual cycle in order to alleviate certain hygiene issues that could effect combat efficiency, as well as to slightly increase levels of testosterone, time-valued in war fighters. Graduating training, she was thrust into the world of combat arms, where she was subjected to the doubt, resistance, limitlessly vulgar jokes, looks that lasted just a little too long, drunken advances, fighting, and immature behavior that is to be expected when introducing a woman to a profession that had never seen one.

Instead of turning away in disgust, she instantly fell in love, adopting her new found warrior culture with open arms, and in short-time she was cracking one-liners just as coarse and disgusting as those of her coworkers. In time she was accepted by her fellow Marines, realizing that her presence was not the encroachment they had expected years ago, and that she was capable, socially, and in a fight. Deploying to Mosul, Iraq, in twenty-eighteen to combat the persistent ISIS forces that had occupied the country for several years, she saw limited combat, receiving ceaseless mortar fire and engaging in several small skirmishes. She left Iraq with one confirmed kill as the Middle-Eastern nation slammed the door on coalition forces, declaring themselves able to control any insurrections that rose within their borders. Now decorated and tested by fire, she stood as her program's shining champion, proof that, unlike some of her peers which had since failed to adapt or struggled down range, women were capable to serve in combat roles, a fact that the American military had been seeking to prove since earlier in the decade.

Later in the year, with the formation of a new U.N. project dubbed UNXIPU, the powers that be saw a sterling opportunity to display the progressiveness of the American military in an attempt to prove the United States as the unwavering fighting superpower it had once been. Delivered with immediate orders, Lance Corporal Carrie Campbell was unwillingly lifted from her unit and instructed to report ASAP to UNXIPU headquarters.

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UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 3 - Service Record

Previous Service Affiliation/s: United States Marine Corps

Previous Unit/s: 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA.

Current Vocation/Specialization: USMC 0311 (Rifleman), M249 light machine gunner

Previous Vocation/s/Specialization/s: Pizza delivery service, Dominoes Pizza

Formal Training & Skills Attained:

United States Marine Corps Recruit Training

• Basic marksmanship


• Basic field skills


• First aid


• Land navigation

United States Marine Corps School of Infantry (ITB)

• Advanced combat focused marksmanship


• Employment and use of machine guns


• Employment of hand grenades


• Tactics and formations

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP)

• Green belt

Current Native Rank: Lance Corporal

Previous Native Rank/s: Private First Class, Private

Years of Security/Police/Military Service: Three years, two months

History of Active Combat Deployments: Mosul, Iraq, 12MAR2018 - 21FEB2019

Awards/Medals/Certificates/Citations Achieved:

• National Defense Service Medal


• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal


• Iraq Campaign Medal


• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal


• Combat Action Ribbon

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UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 4 - Packing List

Uniforms/Clothing Manifest:

• 1X Marine Corps Blue Dress Uniform


• 2X Marine Corps Service Uniform


• 4X Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU)


• 3X Physical Training (PT) Uniform


• Small amount of civilian clothing: Blue jeans, shorts, t-shirts, jacket, cowboy boots and sneakers

Protective Gear Manifest:

• Improved Modular Tactical Vest (IMTV)


• Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH)


• MCU-2A/P Protective Mask

Field Equipment Manifest:

• AN/PRC-152 Handheld Tactical Radio


• Various Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) pouches attached to IMTV

Weapons/Ammunition Manifest:

• M249 Light Machine Gun (LMG)


• Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG), with Ruggedized Miniature Reflex (RMR) close combat optic


• A number of M249 drum magazines, M855A1 5.56x45mm NATO


• 2X M67 fragmentation hand grenade