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TIME:110420260245GMT
Location: UN/RDF Command Building, briefing room 316, New York, New York, Earth, Sol System
Report presented by: Colonel Slade X. McKie, INF, UNRDFA, (Colonel, MI, USA)
Transcribed by: Specialist Nadine Taylor, UNGMP
Presented to: Senator (USA) Wyatt P. Moran UNSC, Senator (EBSIS) William B. Toltov UNSC, Admiral Henry Gloval UN Spacy, Senator (USA) Richard P. Russo UNSC, Doctor Emile Lang UN RDF RRI, Doctor Richard Burke UN RDF R&D, Admiral Micheal Hayes UN RDFN, Senator (FRA) Phillipe Goulda UNSC, Senator (GB) Jonathan Parker UNSC, Lieutenant General Jason Beckitt UN RDFA, Major General George Hamilton UN RDFM.
Colonel McKie: Gentlemen. I am very sorry to have called this meeting at this hour, but I felt that in light of the information that I have recieved, I felt that you would want to be notified ASAP.
Two months ago, a GMP radio intercept team was able to capture and decode a message sent by a Mr. Carter J. Burke to a terraforming colony on LV-426. This message was a Weyland-Yutani company directive issued by Mr. Burke for a survey team to check out a previously uncharted region on planet. The coordinates given were 34 degrees, 24 minutes, 17 seconds East by 66 degrees, 34 minutes, 55 seconds North.
Within seven days of that transmission, all communication with LV-426 ceased. Normally, this would not concern us, being a military organization, and as LV-426 is owned by the Weyland-Yutani corporate entity, it would be outside of our purview.
Three days after the cessation of communication, GMP commo intercept teams began noticing increased communcations traffic between Weyland-Yutani and the United States military command structure. Being aware of the potential for disaster of having military and corporate power blocs becoming allies, General Yang, the Commander of the GMP began a full investigation of these events.
It would seem that 60 years ago, circa 1979, when Weyland-Yutani was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pentex Incorporated, they had a deep space freighter, the Nostromo, divert from it's appointed course to LV-426. The reason for this was to check out a homing beacon that was emanting from the exact same coordinates as previously given.
The Nostromo then left LV-426 on a return course to Earth. Twenty-eight hours later the Nostromo was set for self destruct by a Lieutenant Ellen Ripley for reasons unknown.
It was written off a space accident, case closed. It would have remained so, except that three months ago, a deep space slavage team recovered an escape pod from the Nostromo, holding Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and her cat, Jonesy.
Senator Russo: You're telling me a chick blew up her ship, then cruises around for 60 years in an escape pod?
Colonel McKie: Yes, sir, I am. She was in hypersleep for 60 years. naturally Weyland-Yutani reopens the investigation into the destruction of the Nostromo. They arrange to have Lieutenant Ripley, still comatose, transported back to Earth space, Gateway station to be exact.
When she regained consciousness, the investigating officer, Mr. Carter J. Burke was there to brighten her day. Judging from all reports recieved, Lieutenant Ripley did not take the news of her extended hypersleep well. Weyland-Yutani wasted no time in having Lieutenant Ripley testify in a closed inquiry into the events leading up to, and the subsequent destruction of the Nostromo.
While we were not able to aquire any transcripts of the hearings, we do know that whatever she said must have been interesting, because three hours later both Mr. Burke and Mr. Van Lewen, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani were having a conference call with Colonel Thomas Riley Edwards...
Doctor Lang: That psychopathic mercenary? What the hell does he have to do with this?
Colonel McKie: As you know Doctor Lang, Colonel Edwards is a mercenary and a very well connected one at that. It seems that Colonel Edwards, through General Leonard was able to have a team of United States Colonial Marines seconded to Weyland-Yutani for a reconnaissance mission to LV-426.
Admiral Hayes: I noticed that fat bastard's conspicuous abscense. How did he manage to get the US to buy off on that?
General Beckitt: It would seem that my boss has his fingers into a lot of pies lately.
Admiral Gloval: Meaning what Jason?
General Beckitt: Meaning that how the fuck that fat son-of-a-bitch managed to wrangle a commision out of any army, then get selected to join the RDF, much less rise to the position of RDF CINC Army is beyond me. I mean, shit, Rolf (Emerson) served in more wars and has seen more combat that anyone in this room with the possible exception of you Henry, but he gets passed over for CINC, gets stuffed with the Cheif of Staff slot, and I get FORCECOM. Jesus, I outrank my best friend now.
(Both Senators Moran and Russo exchange glances.)
He gets fragged for doing what's right, takes a demotion, I got his job and he gets shuffled away to an office to be Leonard's little toady.
Did you hear what Leonard did?
General Hamilton: No, what did "Porky" do now?
General Beckitt: He's written a new TO&E that makes him a Field Marshall. God, I guess being a goddamn General just isn't good enough for him!
Senator Moran: I think that we've all heard enough dissention in the ranks gentlemen. If case you've forgotten, it is the UN Security Council that makes the decisions on who gets what in the RDF and PKF. I think I speak for the entire Security Council when I say that all qualified personnel were given due consideration for CINC Army, and that due to mitigating circumstances, Field Marshall Leonard was judged to be the most qualified for the position.
Perhaps in the future General Beckitt, you should stick to your area of expertise and leave politics to those who know what is best. If you are that unhappy, we can always send you back to the United States Army.
General Beckitt: Yes, sir. I shall refrain from making any further comments that would be unbecoming.
Doctor Lang: Captain McKie, please continue.
Colonel McKie: Thank you Doctor. As I was saying, somehow General Leonard was able to get a recon team of Marines from the United States to be placed under operational control of Weyland-Yutani to go to LV-426 and see what happened.
Docter Burke: Isn't that a bit unusual? I mean couldn't it have been a downed transmitter or someother mundane happening?
Colonel McKie: That's exactly what General Yang thought. That in itself would have made the GMP take notice, if nothing else had. Granted, with all of the problems we are having these days with TOG, the Invid threat and rogue Zentraedi, not to mention Confed and their problems, it might be smart to send out everybody loaded for bear.
That is not our concern however. What is our concern is the fact that once the Marines are dispatched, some discrepencies begin to be noticed by the United States Colonial Marine operations group.
One, the ship that was used, the USS Sulaco was dispatched without a crew. All US ships are fully automated, but it is still not SOP to send out a ship with no crew.
Two, the Marine platoon that was sent was only a section, not a full platoon. This also flies in the face of current USCMC doctrine.
Three, the Marines that were sent out were just off a 6 month peacekeeping mission on Acrturia and were supposed to be returning to Earth for a three month training cycle, then block leave. They were deliberately rerouted from Arturia to LV-426, without ever returning to Gateway or any other refit site.
Four, a brand new gold bar was sent along to replace the platoon old PL who was KIA. Thing is, this Lieutenant graduated near the bottom of his class, and is Van Lewen's nephew.
General Hamilton: You mean they sent a FNG platoon leader to go on a bug hunt? What the fuck were they thinking?
Captain McKie: Exactly my point General. As anyone could figure out with this information, this was a one way mission. They were quite, simply, set up for a fall.
Sadly, we were unable to reach LV-426 in time. The Sulaco entered FTL transit two hours before the arrival of the corvette UNS Artemis. What we found upon arrival was a Zentraedi Quiltra Queleal class ship filled with a new life form held in statis, and a 36 km wide crater formed by a fusion reation centered on the previous location of the terraforming colony.
There were no survivors found. Six hours after arriving in system, 14 ships of various classes from the United States Aerospace Corps jumped in system and proceeded to destroy the UNS Artemis.
That was seven hours ago, and three hours ago the UN General Secretary took a personal communique from the United States Military Command Authority expressing their sorrow at the unfortunate events that just transpired.
Doctor Lang: And...?
Colonel McKie: He accepted, then called this meeting to see what our reaction is going to be. Obviously the US is playing a game of chicken with us, and we don't have a whole hell of a lot of manuever room. As most of the military personnel in this room, with the exception of Admiral Gloval, are American, we just can't haul off and declare a war with ourselves. After all we hold dual commissions, both with our native military and with the United Nation Rapid Deployment Forces. Add to that fact that 42% of the RDF is composed of Americans, and another 30% are citizens of traditionally pro-American countries, the RDF will cease to exist.
General Hamilton: Whose call was it? Obviously it wasn't the Joint Cheifs. Hell, everyone in this room knows the Cheifs and I personnally consider them all my friends. They would not do this.
Admiral Gloval: Well, it would seem that we have a conspiracy on our hands. What does General Yang say?
Senator Moran: As Chairman of the Security Council, I order you to stop. What do you think you are doing. Are you forgetting that the Security Council sets policy and you carry it...
Doctor Burke: Shut up and sit down Patty! This is way beyond your petty little bickerings over who does what.
(Senator Moran sits down.)
Colonel McKie: Well, I think it's pretty simple actually. Find out what the hell Weyland-Yutani's got and destroy it, along with whatever political power they have in the US as well.
Agreed?
All: Agreed.
Colonel McKie: Then it's settled. This meeting is over.
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