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XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Yeah, I think maybe people feel like there's a little too little to work with but that doesn't mean the only interesting thing is combat. I doubt it'll be long before we pick up steam.

(One little concern I have is that when missions come I don't think writing big multi-paragraph posts in the middle of a firefight will do so well pace-wise, but I'm sure we'll deal with that bridge when we come to it.)

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

You could probably get some mileage out of a quick couple paragraphs just having him react to the entrance of the squad officers. I'm probably going to throw something up fast after a few of y'all have had a chance to post.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

It's hurried out the door a little but there you go; I might go back and flesh bits out now and then but not change stuff too majorly. Sorry for holding up the thread, other posts will of course be faster.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Jetlag sucked. Everybody knew it, almost everybody complained about it or warned friends going on a trip, and everybody claimed they could beat it. The 707th included tips for overcoming it in every briefing for a long deployment she'd sat in on, simple stuff mostly, things you would remember quickly because there was seldom time to let your internal clock adjust on its own - no naps after landing, get some exercise and air, and most definitely don't spend the last night before flight like she had. The hangover was small time, it had been gone long before her plane touched down in Libya, but travelling across several time zones on short notice was enough of a blow coming off a full night's sleep; a nap on the plane helped, but on the way to the Chinook she still felt like someone had reached inside her, twisted all her organs around and put them back out of order. She'd given the soldiers aboard - so many soldiers, so few scientists; something didn't smell right about that - a wave and a "Sowi Lee Hyun-seong, nice to meet you" before takeoff, but few responded or even seemed to notice, so she'd trudged over to a seat with leaden legs and settled down for the trip across the desert.

Maybe it was the constant thrum-thrum-thrum of engine and rotor in the background of her reading, or the way the heat outside seeped through the metal to wash over her, or just years of developing the ability to sleep anywhere when she needed it enough, but the next thing she knew a gentle hand was shaking her awake and a voice told her they'd landed. Corporal Simelane was a Canadian soldier by way of South Africa, and their conversation did wonders for clearing the last cobwebs from Lee's mind even as her focus shifted to examining the warehouse interior and all the various figures buzzing about within. Everyone, it seemed, had a little stake in this little skywatching business - though perhaps that had been obvious the moment she was asked to leave Seoul as part of the Republic's first contribution to the effort. Skywatchers didn't need men and women with guns unless they expected not to like what they saw.

She couldn't lie, though, the whole "secret base underneath the desert" thing? Not bad as arrangements went, as much as it felt like it was out of every spy movie she'd ever seen make its way east. She and her companion parted ways at the freight elevator, assigned to different squads, but they'd agreed to meet up at the mess hall sometime after, leaving Lee to join the rest of Echo. They seemed an interesting lot - an Englishman who'd just got done talking as she arrived, a Chinese man who reeked of officiousness, a few Americans who looked like they were sizing everything up, a Japanese man holding a katana like he actually expected to need it, that Mexican woman whose fingers made Lee cringe a little - though apparently few had much to say about this whole situation. Even so, when the elevator finally reached the main part of the base she could practically feel the disappointment radiating off some of their group as it became apparent they were dealing less with a James Bond-esque superbase and more... well, what Lee had honestly expected from all the reports she'd heard of UNXIPU: a secure but plainly half-finished structure with room to grow but much to expand upon. Some of the officers she'd met would've had someone's head for stuff like the empty mission control or the bare rock walls in some corridors, but surely it wasn't all bad. She knew she wasn't the only one who'd stared a moment at that new plane in the hangar, and the state of the armoury and mess hall made it evident this structure wasn't the work of people who didn't know what they were doing; hell, it existing at all managed that much.

Besides, the Republic of Korea wasn't in the business of forgetting its friends, or its debt to the UN. There was a time the North had all of the peninsula save Busan under its heel, but the international community didn't abandon the Republic, and the US especially stayed with them for all those decades; the decision makers in Seoul remembered who had helped make their nation great, and so would Lee. There was too much obvious money put into this whole show, and into acquiring personnel, for UNXIPU to be the farce it almost looked like at a glance, even if the amenities would be sorely lacking for a while (or at least until more of her personal effects got shipped over; the laptop was private, but the rest she wouldn't mind sharing until there was a proper rec room). Sure, Echo Squad's barracks weren't a luxury suite, but was it really realistic to expect anything else?

If she heard anyone complaining too much about the ring of bunk beds, it would be hard not to let them know how back home, recruits at boot camp only had the space immediately in front of their cubby as a living area, or what it was like getting some rest while dodging NKSOF patrols in the Taebaek Mountains. A real bed of any type could make someone want to sob from relief coming off that. Lee usually wasn't the "sob with relief" type, but after spending most of the day in a plane or helicopter her muscles were making their desire to settle on something actually comfortable for a minute or two quite clear, enough so that she almost didn't step out of the way in time when one of the others - the American woman, a Marine by the look of her - marched by to claim the upper part of the bunk she'd been heading towards. Oh well, Lee actually liked the bottom bunks; it was easy to get privacy by tying sheets or extra clothes to the side of the bed above you, and you could get up and moving quicker if you were in a hurry, which happened pretty often in Army life. The mattress on this one had about as little give as she thought was possible for things not made of metal, but a little firmness was good for you, a bed you could sink in to was really a civilian thing; as long as it gave good support for the back, and there was a warm blanket and comfortable pillow, she seldom thought it worth complaining about.

Maybe she was trying a little too hard to be optimistic about this whole thing. This wasn't exactly her first time thousands of miles away from all her family and friends, but usually the "why" of the whole thing was clearer, and something about being out here without her usual team left a knot in her stomach. They'd been given some extra furlough time for their performance in that affair with the defector's family, but knowing they were probably still safe at home couldn't beat having them here next to her right now; after three years of working so closely together, high command might as well have asked her to chop off her right arm before getting on the plane. Even just having Choi around might have made the whole "this UN UFO-chasing organisation wants elite soldiers from everywhere" thing feel less weird, but well, Mi-na couldn't help that her leg was still healing. When her laptop got here she'd have to send them all an e-mail, let them know she got here - undoubtedly she couldn't say where "here" was, of course - okay.

For now, though, not much left to do but wait. Doubtless some member of local brass would be in soon, or they'd receive some orders for proceeding with this whole situation, but for the moment all there was to do was try to settle in. After a last look around at what her new squadmates were getting up to, she cracked open her book and tried to find where she'd left off back when the helicopter ride started so many hours ago.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Hold on a bit more and I'll have at least a quick 'un up before the morning. Once I've got a couple under my belt I'll be a lot faster with these, sorry about that.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

"What" was supposed to be "whatever", typo because I'm tired. Point being there's not really enough privacy in that huge open barrack for anything to not end well. :P

Post coming soon.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Marik said
Added to my post. I hope none of the other guys snore. And girls and boys sleeping in the same room? This isn’t going to end well.

There's probably not enough privacy for what you're thinking. I'll have a post up tonight or at least before I go to bed, today's been unexpectedly busy.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

Shiny, I'll have a post up ASAP. I've also PMed you an e-mail address for the gdoc you were talking about a couple pages back.

(Edit: Also, how do the UNXIPU ranks translate to the soldiers' ranks back home? Because Echo seems to have a lot of people in it who were officers or NCOs before recruitment.)

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

I'd offer but I don't think South Korea hates America. Speaking of characters, here's the sheet, sorry it took a while longer than projected; bios tend to be especially tricky for me to write and I had a lot of research to do. I can of course revise and trim out as needed if you like, Darkraven, but I hope it's worth the wait.

Lee Hyun-Seong

UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 1 - Personal Particulars A

First Name/Given Name: Hyun-seong

Surname/Family Name/Last Name: Lee

Age: 26

Birthdate: 5 April, 1994

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation(Optional): Bisexual

Blood-Type: B

Race: Korean

Height: 1.61 m (5’3”)

Weight: 63.95 kg (141 lbs)

Appearance/Description: Lee Hyun-seong has been noted as having youthful features. She has an oval-shaped face, with a small, broad nose, dark brown, slightly uptilted almond-shaped eyes and full lips. Her eyebrows are thin, black in colour and have a small upwards arch. She keeps her black hair cut to regulation length, and the fringe, which falls to the middle of her forehead if left unattended, is combed back and to her left - left alone, her hair grows to shoulder-length, framing her face and curling towards the tips.

Physically, Lee is at the heavier end of average weight for her height due to a frame which combines athletic muscle and feminine curves. She has lean, well-developed musculature in her arms and legs, powerful back and shoulder muscles and a flat stomach with some signs of abdominal development. Lee has described her figure as pear-shaped, tending a little towards hourglass, with a moderately larger-than-average bust, slim, inwardly-curving waist and wide, rounded hips.

For further reference, see attached photo:



UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 2 - Personal Particulars B

Nationality: Republic of Korea

City/Town/Village of Origin: Seoul, South Korea

Educational Background: Undergraduate degree from Sookmyung Women's University’s Department of Medical & Pharmaceutical Science, as well as graduation from the university ROTC program. Extracurriculars include involvement in the school Kendo club, Sookmyung RCY (Red Cross) and MAX (Dance).

Political Background: History of supporting Saejeongchi Minju Yeonhap (New Politics Alliance for Democracy). Leans towards liberal on most issues and shows concern for preserving human rights. Pro-reunification of the Koreas.

Interests/Hobbies: Judo, literature (reading and writing), dance, karaoke, medicine, exercise, catching up on various television programmes

Personality: In the field, Lee is a consummate professional; while reports of past missions show an easy rapport with squadmates, and a clear protectiveness of non-combatants, she demonstrates great calm under fire and focus on the tasks at hand, expressing a determination to quickly complete her objectives and see herself and her comrades back home safely. She works easily with teammates when trouble strikes, while also able to assert herself and take effective command if needed. When at base or otherwise off duty, she is more affable, remaining respectful towards superiors and acting friendlier to peers, subordinates and non-military personnel; while she carries herself with an instinctive wariness and readiness for immediate action should a threat present itself, she is warm and affectionate to people she has grown to like, and largely patient with those she is getting to know. It has been noted that at times she can display a flirtatious side, but reins it in where she could be disciplined for fraternisation. She enjoys socialising, be it at a big party or quieter get-together, has a soft spot for children and animals, and is fond of challenging herself physically and mentally; this desire to push her limits, as well as a patriotic wish to defend her home, was a contributing factor behind her choice to join the Republic of Korea Army, as well as her later decision to try out for the special forces.

Internally, however, Lee appears to harbour a fear of death and dying, and seems to have difficulty avoiding dwelling on it without some form of distraction; this is not just her own personal death, but in general, and overall uncertainty she holds about the future. While it has not yet proven crippling in the field, this more sullen side of Lee has been observed by some of her colleagues; one reported example is her noticeably adverse reaction to the smells of blood and cooking meat. She reacts with clear discomfort to both scents, and in sufficiently strong quantities they can cause her to feel briefly faint. This is not debilitating, but does require her to concentrate to overcome it. Off duty, she has been known to become morose and unable to stop dwelling on past events at times, possibly due to a combination of her fear of dying, memories of incidents during her service and lingering insecurities from pre-military life; this might include her sexuality, as she has expressed fears of being institutionalised or dishonourably discharged should it be found out. She is not comfortable openly admitting her orientation to most, and released information regarding sexual preferences for dossier purposes only on condition it remain confidential within UNXIPU files, though she has indicated a wish that she could afford to be more open about it. Lee seems to be a perfectionist regarding herself and tasks she performs; while she avoids outbursts of temper, she often becomes visibly frustrated at herself when she makes mistakes.

Her kind demeanour and admittedly-present insecurities should not be taken as signs of a pushover, as she had the grit to excel in education and judo training, survive ROTC and boot camp, and distinguish herself in service with the Korean special forces. She is proud of her accomplishments, her family and her country, and those who insult or push her find she can have a backbone of steel when called upon.

Biography: Born in Songpa-gu, Seoul, to surgeon Sun-yeong and Seoul Metropolitan Police inspector Yo-han, Lee Hyun-seong was the second child, and first daughter, of a comfortably well-off family. Her early life was by all accounts happy yet uneventful, as she was lavished with affection by her parents and three-year-older brother Sang-won, and never went without anything she needed. Both parents still worked, which made it difficult to spend as much time with their children as they would have liked, but the burden was lightened with the help of members of the extended family, who were more than willing to act as sitters when necessary.

Lee started her education a year earlier than many children in the Republic of Korea, which her parents hoped would give her an edge in the country’s notoriously competitive school system. She did well in the beginning, taking in lessons quickly and easily winning friends with her lively demeanour; as she grew a little older, her maternal grandfather, Korean literature professor Jang Dae-hoon, gradually instilled a love of reading and learning in her that helped with her studies, but not as much with her constant energy. The birth of her sister, Yun-mae, when she was five years old served to make it more difficult for her family to catch up with her, until Yo-han, a graduate of Yong In University who once made a narrowly-failed attempt at joining the national judo team, noticed her interest in videos of his old matches. When he felt she was mature enough, he took her to an old friend’s dojo, where she was allowed to try a class.

Although it was hard work, Lee found she loved the martial art, thrilled by the physical exertion and aura of competition, while as time went on the rigid discipline that went with judo training proved a calming influence and one which helped her to focus. She kept up her training through the years, allowed to continue as long as she didn’t neglect school, and did her best to make her parents proud through success in the classroom and dojo, seeing any failure almost as a personal insult; more often than not, Lee got home tired and covered in sweat, but happy.

Lee’s relationship with her parents, especially Sun-yeong, grew stronger over time, to the point that by the time she began middle school she already knew she wished to follow in her mother’s footsteps, going to a good university and becoming a doctor, possibly eventually opening her own practise or working abroad to help more people than she could just working at one specific hospital. However, due to the influence of her sensei, as well as the stories shared by her uncle Lee Nam-ryong, a career officer in the Republic of Korea Army, she wanted to complete a period of service in the army before going to medical school; her family were sceptical about this, and tried to talk her out of it, but she considered it unfair that Sang-won would have to risk his life to defend the nation one day, whether he liked it or not, while she was exempt. Her parents relented, but would hold her to what she said, continually pushing her to excel and make good on her word.

Secondary education, already known for its gruelling nature in South Korea, especially during exam season, became particularly challenging due to her lofty goals. Starting from the end of middle school, life became the grind of studies and exams, the stress of raising her GPA enough to be accepted by one of the better high schools, and when she got into Whimoon the cycle repeated itself, her family sympathetic to the pressure she was feeling but reminding her she said she wanted this. They encouraged her to keep going no matter what, and unknowingly added to the weight she felt on her shoulders. Her escapes from the stress, which renders adolescence grim and joyless for many, became judo, reading, video games or the internet when there was time (there often wasn’t), and going out of her way to socialise and maintain what friendships she could, be it with weekend parties and meetups or getting together in what hours she had in free time after school but before heading home, usually on her days off from training. In study, she came to view her work as challenging her mind just as martial training pushed the limits of her body, and with this outlook was able to keep pressing on.

Lee navigated the twin gauntlets of education and teenage life, with all its usual highs, lows, entanglements and heartaches, by staying as positive and affectionate towards her fellows as she could, while venting all her negative emotions in the dojo or on the competition mat; she became a fearsome opponent in tournaments, skilled and aggressive, and earned her first dan at 16. Judo itself eventually became a source of some awkwardness for her, as she had grown aware of her bisexuality the previous year and became somewhat attracted to one of her training partners shortly before receiving her black belt, but she resolved not to let this get in the way of something she saw as an anchor during the stressful parts of her life, as well as a part of her in and of itself; she would not act on this attraction until near the end of her high school career, and while she has had partners of both genders since then, she has been careful and reluctant about letting people know about her orientation. While same-sex activity is not illegal in the Republic of Korea, it is not exactly socially accepted either, and she has only voluntarily told her closest friends, individuals she developed an interest in and her brother; when her father found out, he was supportive, but ended up adding to her worries by warning her to be careful, reminding her that not everyone was as tolerant as himself and the military could dishonourably discharge her or place her in an institution should they find out, destroying her dreams for the future. She has become cautious and reluctant to speak about the matter at all under most circumstances, though she sometimes tries to deflect any suspicions with humour.

Despite the various hurdles in her path, Lee kept pushing forwards, finishing high school with a very high score in her final exams and getting accepted into the prestigious Sookmyung Women’s University as well as its ROTC program. At Sookmyung she allowed herself to relax and open up somewhat, seeing the hardest parts as behind her and delighted to be at the university at all, involving herself in numerous extracurricular activities and groups, but continued to work hard at her major, officer training and the dojo where she still studied. At 20, in her third year of university, she would earn her second dan, and begin helping now and then with instructing other classes, especially with younger students; she trained a little less often than she had in high school, as it was harder to make time in university, but was still a common sight there and in competitions. Her classes, despite their demanding nature, went well, and she proved a dedicated student; biology and natural sciences proved especially fascinating for her, but simultaneously a little depressing, as while she found it incredible how something as complex as human life could form from such simple origins, there was a part of her that couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed, as if life and its wonders had been reduced to a bunch of chemicals sloshing around in a sack of rotting meat.

Despite being of two minds about her learning, she remained dedicated to her major and the reasons she’d sought to learn in the first place, graduating with high marks the next year and earning both her degree and her commission as an officer in the Republic of Korea Army. Sowi Lee Hyun-Seong, awarded her commission, uniform and officer’s sword, took some time off to celebrate her graduation and spend time with family and friends, but before long she was off to boot camp to learn what skills as a soldier she had not already been taught as a cadet, as well as to receive formal training as an army medic. Used to a comfortable life in Seoul, but tempered by over a decade as a judoka, she found boot camp harsh but not unbearable, missing the luxuries of home yet keeping in mind that the training was necessary and the discomfort would pass; she was helped by the fact that Sang-won, who had despised his period of mandatory military service but done well enough for himself, had warned her about just what to expect during training. Coming in already an officer made things easier, and though she still had to deal with bad food, poor living quarters, condescending superiors and the occasional sexist remark and lingering eye or hand, many of the issues of boot camp life faded with time and she was able to deal with those that didn’t with swift action, her usual determination or just through wielding the authority of her rank effectively. In one incident during basic hand-to-hand training, she was picked by the instructor to serve as a training dummy, only to eventually slam him to the ground on reflex with a textbook koshi guruma. She apologised profusely, and was of course disciplined for the event, but her victim was hated by the enlisted men and seeing him laid low, even for just a moment, endeared her to them; they did not trouble her again, and when she completed her training she was assigned to a medical unit at the DMZ, where increasing tensions with (and attempted provocations by) the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the gradual reduction of US involvement with the South had ROK officials worried about a renewal of hostilities that, while a certain victory without China helping Pyongyang and unlikely to result in the "Sea of Fire" feared since the 1990s, could still result in massive amounts of bloodshed for both military and civilians.

Lee’s service at the DMZ didn’t start off the hardest shift in Korea, but it was hardly uneventful. Tensions had risen to the point that occasional firefights or exchanges of artillery fire weren’t unheard of, and along with providing care to civilians around the area Lee’s unit was often tasked with patching up the wounded and caring for the dying from these exchanges - war somehow never quite broke out, but every day seemed marked with the fear of an artillery barrage aimed directly at Seoul and DPRK tanks attempting to roll over the ROK positions. Her unit even found itself close enough to one of the few relatively quiet parts of the DMZ that they would end up tasked with providing assistance to North Korean refugees and defectors who managed to struggle across the border, many of them bearing the physical marks of life under the Kims’ regime and all with some burden to bear on their minds. Lee did well in taking care of those who needed it, working efficiently as part of the team and during the more hectic moments managing to take some level of control and direct the efforts to help as many people as possible, even keeping her head in the instances where her unit itself came under direct North Korean fire. She remembers the terror of those first experiences under fire well even today, but her superiors saw someone who, despite only having been in service for a year, was a valuable member of the team when things were good, and kept her cool when a situation was at its worst, minimising panic and casualties, so when the 707th Special Missions Battalion sent feelers across all the armed forces in its latest search for fresh recruits, she found herself handpicked for the opportunity to try out. For reasons she’s still not entirely sure she understands, she accepted the offer and was soon off to prove her mettle.

Selection and the 707th’s year-long training nearly broke Lee, forcing her to draw upon every ounce of inner strength she had to make it through. She did make it, however, and was accepted into the force without hassle, becoming a field medic for her squad due to her past specialisation; the 707th already had a number of female operatives in its ranks, and they were concerned less with gender than with her abilities. While many details of her time in the 707th are classified, the changing strategic picture in Asia had resulted in an expansion of the unit’s mission and purpose, and her first proper deployment is known to have been as part of South Korea’s contribution to the small coalition that helped Iraq in its counteroffensive against ISIS in 2018, where units of the 707th and other members of the Special Warfare Command participated both in direct combat with the self-proclaimed caliphate and unconventional missions meant to cripple the enemy war effort and aid civilians. The coalition effort was largely successful, to the point Iraq closed the doors on foreign troops and declared they could do the rest for themselves, and South Korea’s special forces returned home. After her first taste of combat, Lee was involved in numerous multinational training exercises, secret missions to areas of strategic interest for the Republic, operations to assist allies or fellow ASEAN members with counter-terrorist issues, covert or undercover missions where her presence wouldn’t be seen as a threat and domestic terrorist plots could be thwarted before they began, and rumoured but “officially” unconfirmed missions across the border into North Korea. There, her unit (allegedly) conducted various sabotage missions and intel-gathering operations, attempted to sow the seeds of rebellion against the Kims, and assisted defectors in safely moving south; they were careful to avoid drawing undue attention or leaving evidence of their presence, so while Pyongyang continued its sabre-rattling and launched accusations, it had no proof to use as a pretext for war.

Most of these missions were done in the shadows, and with an obvious lack of attention drawn to herself. While Lee served well, she would not become particularly prominent until the Air India Flight 217 incident. On 13 November, 2019, five members of the Sons of Vishnu, a terrorist and insurgent organisation consisting of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens, with rumoured assistance from disaffected British and Crown-loyal Scottish personnel, which seeks to restore the borders of old British India to form a “super state” that can oppose the ascendant China militarily and in terms of regional influence, boarded the aforementioned flight at Indira Ghandi International Airport with concealed body armour and weapons smuggled past airport security with the help of corrupt insiders. The plane took off without incident, but as it neared its destination of Beijing the hijackers retrieved their weapons, secured the passengers and stormed the cockpit, demanding the pilot redirect to Tokyo, where they believed the government would show sympathy to their cause. Claiming to be too low on fuel to reach Japan, the pilot instead landed at Incheon International Airport, where the authorities, once alerted to the situation, dispatched police forces and the 707th. While Lee and the other special operatives were observing the situation and preparing for the possibility of an assault on the plane, police negotiators attempted to establish a connection with the terrorists, who made their demands known quickly: freedom for a number of captured Sons of Vishnu, including suspected second-in-command Variam Singh, the governments of India and Pakistan to begin negotiations to reunite as a country, ten million Chinese yuan, enough fuel to reach Tokyo and amnesty for having hijacked the plane in the first place.

Within the first few hours of negotiation, the hijackers were convinced to free all children, elderly and any sick passengers aboard, as a show of goodwill and in exchange for periodic deliveries of food and supplies to them and the remaining hostages, which the 707th saw as an opportunity. Disguised as a Korean Air flight attendant, Lee was sent to see to the first exchange of hostages-for-supplies, on orders to use the opportunity to gain as much intelligence as she could about the number and disposition of terrorists, layout of the plane and state of the passengers still on board, including where they were being kept. Throughout the day, Lee would be sent when it was time to make another delivery, though intelligence gathering was limited, and she reported back anything she found; the hijackers grew suspicious of her, however, and early the next morning requested a new delivery slightly ahead of schedule, claiming one of the passengers had fallen unexpectedly ill. When Lee arrived at the door, two of the hijackers grabbed her and pulled her into the plane at gunpoint, one securing the supplies brought and the other taking Lee towards the aeroplane’s lavatory where he could interrogate her privately, the plan being to find out who she was working for and any information she had, then to take her hostage and use her as further leverage.

While reinforcements planned an assault outside, Lee cooperated only until she and the hijacker were alone so as to avoid further suspicion, and looked around as much as she could to see where the others were and how the plane was laid out. When her abductor tried to force her into the lavatory, having told the others he was going to interrogate her alone, she instead used her skills in close quarters combat to turn the tables, subdue the hijacker and place his unconscious body inside, relieving him of weapon and armour as she hid him away. Unable to escape without risking being spotted and endangering the hostages either way, she moved on to engage the other terrorists, utilising what she’d seen of the plane’s layout, her superior training and the advantage of surprise to kill three of them; the leader, who had been with the pilot in the cockpit, surrendered after he was shot in the hand, losing two fingers. The hostages were freed without further incident and sent on their way after their safety was established, with a representative of the South Korean army giving Lee’s name as Cha Tae-su to the press. Lee herself declined pictures or interviews during coverage of the incident.

The end of 2019 and most of 2020 passed comparatively without incident. Lee spent time on furlough catching up with family (especially supporting Yun-mae, now a major in social psychology at Sookmyung, in her studies) and those she knew outside the military, and when called back on duty spent much of the time in training. Deteriorating relations between South Korea and the militant, resurgent Japan made the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo a tense affair, but despite an advanced state of readiness being ordered for the 707th all went without incident. 2020 was looking to be a calm year for the Republic of Korea until August, when a member of North Korean intelligence contacted the National Intelligence Service about his wish to defect; he offered an amount of information the NIS seldom had an opportunity to obtain, but only on condition his family, who would surely be punished once he defected, be safely extracted from the country. Planning for the operation, involving the NIS, 707th and what few assets the defector could call upon that he knew to be reliable, lasted until October, and was put into action at two in the morning on the 6th, targetting various locations in the DPRK where the defector had placed his family members. Lee’s squad was tasked with retrieving his wife, son and daughter, who he had only been able to relocate to a small settlement along the route between Yonan and Kaesong. Departing from Gangwha Island on a fishing boat captained by an NIS agent, the squad crossed the Yellow Sea in a gap between Korean People’s Navy patrols and deployed two F470 CRRCs off the side, using them to travel up the Ryesŏng River until they reached the point where the defector had arranged for a van, large enough for the craft when stowed, squad and family, to be left on the road. The van was located and driven up to the settlement, where the squad found the specified house and moved in to extract the family members.

Unfortunately, after Lee’s squad had convinced the defector’s family to come with them and began to leave, the posted lookout spotted a Korean People’s Army patrol, which had evidently spotted the van while passing by and become suspicious, approaching the house. Normally the patrol would have been easily avoided, but the timing of their arrival prevented the squad from doing so, leading to them trying to pass themselves off as agents of the Ministry of State Security, offering the patrol a bribe to sweeten the incentive to let them pass unhindered. This might have worked, had one patrolman, either overtaken by zeal or recognising the differences in accent, not opened fire; the resulting shootout was one-sided, the squad’s better training and equipment enabling them to safely pin down the KPA soldiers and escort the family to the van, but a stray shot hit one squad member, Choi Mi-na, in the thigh as she was providing covering fire for the others to get aboard and start the vehicle.

Rather than choose between Choi’s safety and the success of the mission, Lee left the vehicle, instructed the others to move to the riverside with the family and opened fire on the KPA patrol to assist Choi; the van left without damage, and between Lee and Choi the rest of the patrol was killed, allowing Lee to administer preliminary care to her squadmate’s wound. The bullet had missed the femoral artery and largely gone through-and-through, but the bone had suffered some damage from the path of the gunshot, so after the initial care Lee improvised a splint, commandeered the patrol’s vehicle to transport Choi and herself, stuffed the corpses in the back and drove to rendezvous with the rest of the squad, who had inflated the CRRCs and were waiting for them. Dividing the craft with one having most of the squad, including the wounded Choi, and the other having one pilot and the family, the team loaded up once the patrol vehicle had been disposed of and headed back down the Ryesŏng, although at a more careful pace due to the injured soldier and the civilians who were less familiar with the craft. Reaching the Yellow Sea, the team returned to the fishing boat just ahead of the next KPN patrol, being helped aboard with ladder and net before the boat headed back for their base on Gangwha, where a helicopter would be waiting to bring the family to Seoul and Choi to a military hospital.

For so readily risking death or capture to both rescue her injured comrade and ensure the success of the mission, as well as administering care that prevented Choi’s wound from becoming much worse, Lee was mentioned in despatches during mission debrief and post-mission reports, and would later be recommended for the Order of Military Merit, a request from her superiors that has yet to cut through the red tape at Seoul. Her performance has not gone completely unrecognised by high command, however, as shown when UNXIPU came calling for the ROK’s best and brightest, whomever they thought they could spare given tensions in the area. Seeking to establish itself as a major regional power, which could only be helped by showing the skill of their operatives and their willingness to help the UN, South Korea was happy to send men and materiel as requested, and Lee Hyun-Seong was a name near the top of the list. It was one of those requests that’s more like a politely-worded order, so in December, after the team threw her one last “bon voyage” party, Lee found herself on a plane to Libya.

UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 3 - Service Record

Previous Service Affiliation/s: 4 years: Republic Of Korea Army ROTC
-5 years: Republic of Korea Army

Previous Unit/s: Sookmyung Women’s University ROTC Brigade
-Republic of Korea Army medical units
-Republic of Korea Army, 707th Special Missions Battalion

Current Vocation/Specialisation: Squad field medic, 707th Special Missions Battalion

Previous Vocation/s/Specialisation/s: Nurse, Republic of Korea Army medical units
-Cadet, Sookmyung Women’s University ROTC Program

Formal Training & Skills Attained: 2nd Dan, Judo
-ROTC graduate
-Medical training
-Completed 707th Special Missions Battalion training - qualified parachutist and SCUBA operator, trained in infantry combat, special warfare and covert operations
-Skilled markswoman

Informally Recognised Skills Attained: Fluent English and Korean speaker
-Literate and passably conversant in Mandarin
-Physically strong and agile
-Competent swordswoman

Current Native Rank: Sowi (2nd Lieutenant)

Previous Native Rank/s: Cadet

Years of Security/Police/Military Service: 5

History of Active Combat Deployments: Korean DMZ - 1 years
-Various classified deployments with the 707th - 3 years

Awards/Medals/Certificates/Citations Achieved: No official commendations, but has been mentioned in despatches for several missions. Commanding officer has recommended her for the Order of Military Merit, Eulji Cordon, for conduct in latest mission with her unit.

UNXIPU Enlistment Form Section 4 - Packing List

Uniforms/Clothing Manifest: Uniforms: Battledress uniform (pictured above), dress/event uniform, physical training uniform, black beret
-Civilian attire: Various blouses, sweaters, t-shirts, tunics, dresses, skirts, jeans, trousers, belts, exercise clothes, trainers and smart shoes. Most items in black, dark blue or both, though there’s also some browns, whites and reds. One necklace.

Protective Gear Manifest: Kevlar helmet
-Ballistic vest and body armour
-Face cover
-Ballistic goggles

Field Equipment Manifest: Standard medical kit
-Field bag with supplies and provisions for outdoor survival
-Compass
-Ammo pouches
-Handheld radio

Weapons/Ammunitions Manifest: FN SCAR-L assault rifle + ammunition (accessories: holographic sight, short vertical grip, sling)
-Heckler & Koch USP .45 + ammunition
-Combat knife
-2x flashbangs, smoke grenades and fragmentation grenades
-To - awarded on earning her commission as an officer, Lee considers this sword a ceremonial weapon, to be worn as part of her dress uniform, but it is sharp enough to be used in combat if need be.

Others: Has filed a request that her laptop, earbuds and various books, games and music CDs be delivered to any recreational area at the base when possible. Brought a copy of Hwang Sun-Won’s The Descendants of Cain to read during transit to UNXIPU Headquarters.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Season 1: The Coming Storm

This is actually taking longer than I expected, and it's really late, so I'll finish the profile tomorrow and put it in my next post. Sorry it's delayed a little, it really will be done soon.