Introduction

This story is based on XCOM: Enemy Within with the Long War mod.

This story is an alternate universe, and will not necessarily follow canon or storylines established in the games

This story may contain material, themes, and characters some may find disturbing

Please note that content within this story does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of myself or those who have assisted in its creation

I do not own any characters explicitly mentioned in XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within

There is a Discord server for my writing, feel free to join! discord. gg/MzgHPYX

Cover Art created by HailtotheKing

Please note that the reviews contain major spoilers.

Revision Team

Areleh, Bish, Cran, GeminiFreak, HailtotheKing, Mooloor, Onyx Stark, Thuzan, Vivat Musa, Zephyrus-Genesis, ZeroSumGame, Zillian

Dramatis Personae

(Please note that not all characters are listed)

The Commander | Commander of XCOM

John Bradford | Central Officer of XCOM Analysis & Communications

Dr. Raymond Shen | Head of XCOM Engineering

Dr. Moira Vahlen | Head of XCOM Research & Development

Abigail Gertrude | XCOM Combat Medic

Liam Jaster | XCOM Mobile Infantry

Shawn Cage | XCOM Assault-Class

Patricia Trask | XCOM Heavy Gunner

Paige Broker | XCOM Combat Engineer

Luke Warner | XCOM Field Scout

Mira Vauner | XCOM Rocketeer

Patrick Rush | Council of Nations Liaison

Forward

XCOM: The Hades Contingency is what I would consider the first "serious" story I wrote. I had written some shorter works prior to it, but none of them had the length, complexity, or detail of the Hades Contingency. It was born after many hours playing Enemy Unknown, and considering the answer to a simple, but nonetheless interesting question.

The question that spawned this story, and subsequently everything that followed, is one that you might be able to guess once reading, but at the time I certainly didn't anticipate that it would grow into what it is today. Hades was the story that was the introduction most people had to my writing, and it is a story that a fair number of people seemed to like, even to this day, and for that I am grateful.

As time has passed, and I've grown both as a writer and person, it became clear that Hades didn't really reach the standards set by my other works, both technically and otherwise. I'd had Hades in mind to be given a proper editing pass for a while, and to bring it up to a standard I was happy with.

At the time, the original plan was pretty limited in scope. A simple grammar pass, patching up a few continuity issues introduced by later works, and tweaking a few characters here and there. That was what I'd expected from this revision, and for it to be a relatively short affair.

To put it simply, it became much more than that.

As with most projects I seem to undertake, it has turned into something much more involved and expansive than originally planned. The core story of Hades remains the same - as far as the major events go. There is a lot more you will have to read for yourself. There is a respectable amount of new, and rewritten material here, and those who are already familiar with my work will find a lot of things to enjoy.

This is not the Hades Contingency as it was always meant to be, or what I had always wanted it to be. It is better.

This has ended up as something more than anything I could have done on my own. I owe much of the result to the direction, advice, and skill of my Editing Team, and the hard work, editing, and suggestions of the Finalization Team, who've helped shape this story into something excellent and that I am very proud of.

When you read this story, please remember that behind every work, there is usually a team who helped shape it into what it is. The people who are listed above should also receive credit for the final result. It wouldn't have happened without them.

For those who've been reading for a long time, thank you for bearing with me as this project was done, and for anyone new, I hope you enjoy the new, revised, and much better XCOM: The Hades Contingency.

- Xabiar