[Combine] 0002 – Moscow Awaits

"Sound off, everyone has their radios on?" I called out over the radio, getting garbled responses of confirmation.

"Good," I called out, "Keep your radios on and stay alert. If you spot anything, please report it. It's about time I brief you all on some of the dangers we'll likely encounter on our way to Moscow, as well as some of our objectives and the general history of this world and what we'll be expecting."

"To start with, this world had undergone a nuclear holocaust; most, if not all, of the nations were destroyed, leaving few survivors to survive in the aftermath. The group of survivors was heading towards, took refuge in the Metro System under Moscow, which was hit by multiple nukes and left the city heavily irradiated and not safe for breathing. There are many factions in the Metro, all with their affiliations, goals, and ethics, but that's not what matters; they'll all be assimilated into the Combine eventually.

Notably, the factions are the Fourth Reich, Hansa, the Red Line, Polis, Rangers of the Order, and most importantly, the Invisible Watchers, who we'll be targeting once we've set up a FOB and begin recruiting new soldiers for the Combine, there also a few other minor factions, but only the Armory is anything worth remembering as they are the main suppliers of the Weapons and Ammo of the Metro," I informed my soldiers over the radio.

Taking a moment for that information to settle, I continued, "Of the factions, the Rangers and Invisible Watchers will prove to be the most troublesome towards us, as they have operatives that venture out onto the surface and can infiltrate through all of the factions of the Metro somewhat easily. That's what we have to worry about when it comes to humans. One other intelligent species lies in Moscow and could arguably be the most dangerous to our cause, the Dark Ones, evolved humans that have ebony black skin, tall and lanky forms, along with telepathic abilities that they can use to disoreint, communciate, share information, or even attack the mind directly, if you encouter one, you are not to engage at all, and stand your ground. Do not show any hostility, is that understood?" I asked over the Radio.

Once I got the confirmations I wanted to hear, I moved on to the mutants. "Now, as for the primary dangers we'll come across, they came in the form of mutants. The biggest and most worrisome are codenamed 'Demons,' which are flying reptiles large enough to carry a man and are highly mobile, with long claws that can tear through cloth and leather. Some other notable mutants we'll encounter daily in the ruins of Moscow are the Watchers, mutant beasts as large as humans, notable for their pack behavior and howling. Then there are the Nosalis, mutant moles, also notably large and typically subterranean creatures. There are other mutants as well, such as giant spider-like insectoids that are highly allergic to sources of light and UV."

"Any questions?" I questioned over the radio, surprised to hear one of the Elite Combine Soldiers' microphones cut on, "What are the standing orders regarding running into Humans?"

"Capture if possible, otherwise ignore unless they are suspected of being enemies of the Combine or are observing our future FOB," I responded.

"Once we reach Moscow, we'll search for the Library, where we will gather as much information as possible before heading to the outskirts of the city to find a suitable position to set up our FOB. Our Radiation Scrubbers should prove to be a good way to form a perimeter around our FOB and repel any dangerous radiation; however, as soon as possible, we'll need to set up an enclosed FOB to allow for a breathable interior. We'll need a location that has access to intact roads, the railroad network, and plenty of space for future expansions," I laid out my plan for all of my soldiers to hear.

"Vortigaunts? Your duty is to assist our cause with the more...supernatural aspects of this world, specifically the Ghosts and Phenomena, as well as acting as Diplomats to the Dark Ones once in contact with the enigmatic species. If anyone comes across these black...shadows and starts seeing images or feeling wrong, radio in and retreat carefully, do not engage the shadows and treat them with all the respect you can manage," I warned and ordered.

...

For hours, our convoy drove straight, passing by signs in Russian that none of us could read or understand, except for a single sign that I did recognize. The sign labeled Moscow, which was apparently just ahead, at some unreadable distance, as the numbers on the sign rusted, leaving it illegible.

In the meantime, I've continued speaking with my soldiers. With their help, we made improvements to my plan, including some suggestions for taking over D:6 for ourselves, which I had been partially considering, as D:6 was a large, sealed facility that would prove highly useful for our cause if we were the first ones to gain access. I planned to grab the file on D:6 from the library already to prevent others from finding it.

I figured I'd decide for sure if we capture D:6 upon arriving in Moscow. Still, for now, the plan was the same, if not a bit more careful, as once we reached Moscow, we'd search for a good spot to build an FOB. At the same time, a squad of Combine would infiltrate the city and retrieve the documents and anything else of interest in the library.

This squad would consist of two of the Elite Combine Soldiers and six ordinary Combine soldiers, allowing them to split up and form two individual teams if needed. I gave them the go-ahead to take as many manhacks and city scanners as they could carry to make their mission easier and prevent any losses, but I was expecting a few losses to begin with; after all, Moscow was quite the dangerous place now.

Depending on whether we found a suitable spot to set up camp outside of Moscow, I'd join the squad from the Combine to retrieve the documents. However, if we had trouble finding a place or it required more defense than expected, I'd stay with the convoy to establish a base.

First we just needed to reach Moscow and get a good look at what we were dealing with.