Project Homunculus

Image made in the XCOM 2: War of the Chosen photobooth.

**Project Homunculus** is the third episode of Manifest Extraterrestrial.

## Synopsis

Karen and Anne Vuillard, Apathy Nobler, Roza Sokolov, and Riot Bello are sent on a mission to destroy a Gorebic relay in an underground area. While the device is successfully destroyed, both Sokolov and Bello are injured in their attempts to protect the relay.

Rumors spread of the Gorebics building facilities across the globe to enact a devastating plan known only as Project Homunculus. After a base is built in China, the ship Manifest Destiny is sent to destroy it. However, as fuel levels decrease, Commander LaCroix demands that the ship land. The ship lands in an Arctic village, initially frightening the villagers. Harvard is sent to alleviate the villagers' fear and tell them the truth about the Gorebics. Harvard's efforts are successful, and the villagers allow them to stay while the ship recharges.

Karen and Anne Vuillard, Nobler, Crystal Amogelang, and Sokolov are sent on another mission, this time to protect the citizens of another Arctic town that the Gorebics have mistaken for the one that the Extraterrestrial Defense Unit has landed in.

The squad defends most of the civilians and eliminates many of the Gorebic soldiers, but things get complicated when one of the Greater Cyborgs, the Sniper, arrives. Three of the soldiers are targeted by the Sniper’s laser diode at different points, but all of them escape. Angered, the Sniper shoots Sokolov while she’s on top of a large camper van, causing her to start bleeding.

   Terrified, Bello sends out his drone to heal Sokolov’s wound, and he eventually succeeds. The local militia fights back against the Sniper, and the Sniper is eventually defeated after getting shot by Sokolov. Angered, the Sniper retreats, vowing to return with a better strategy in mind.

While the EDU's Manifest Destiny is about to fly to China, they get a distress call from other EDU members who claim that a Gorebic General has been found. LaCroix initially ignores the call, before learning that the General is a major part of the Homunculus project. Flying to the outskirts of San Fransisco (where the General is located), LaCroix sends Karen and Anne Vuillard, Apathy Nobler, Roza Sokolov, and Riot Bello on a mission to assassinate the General.

After a destructive confrontation with the Gorebics (including a rocket blast that injures both Anne and Karen Vuillard), the Gorebic forces are killed. The General is spotted soon after and is quickly assassinated by the soldiers. However, LaCroix tells them that their job isn’t over yet, as a duo of Gorebics arrives to take the corpse. The soldiers kill the two Gorebics very quickly and are applauded by LaCroix.

The Manifest Extraterrestrial continues its journey to China and soon lands in a small town. Representing the EDU, Harvard allies with local anti-Gorebic forces. Soon after this, Commander LaCroix is informed of the construction of another facility for the Homunculus Project in South Africa. Getting angsty, LaCroix sends a squad of six on a mission to destroy the Chinese Homunculus facility.

The Squad destroys the facility, although many of the EDU members are injured in the process.

## Trivia

* Akin Newcomer doesn't fight in this episode and only speaks in one scene.
* Project Homunculus is also the name of the experiment that created Shannon White in Super Academy Roleplay. Brendan forgot that he'd already used the name while writing this episode and reused it because it sounded interesting.