Glossary
Annette Durand – one of the chosen with a natural latent ability to enhance the psionic powers of other beings.
Austin Miller – Commander of the XCOM project.
Archangel suit – The suit of armor given to General Peter van Doorn during the attack by EXALT, it allowed him to momentarily fly over the battlefield for an advantage.
Alecto – The code name for one of the Furies, enhanced with powerful genetic modification that allowed him to reach the strength of a muton, and more with the use of his power.
Andy Johnson – A steadfast rocketeer of XCOM whose grim personality only lightens up when he blows his enemies up in to the sky in a million pieces, later genetically modified by the collective as part of a special agreement.
Axios – Latin phrase meaning "I am worthy" or "We are worthy" it is a reminder to all who follow Harrec that must not and cannot fail humanity.
Apotheosis – The codename for the strike against EXALT HQ, the code for mission success was Apotheosis denied. Mission failure code was Apotheosis confirmed.
Big Sky – Code name for the pilot of XCOM's skyranger.
Cortex – The code name for the leader of EXALT, his true identity forever a secret.
Chosen – A group of former XCOM operatives that are psionic, they were gathered to be trained under the command of Justin Harrec as a means of defending Earth against threats that plotted the destruction of civilization as we know it.
Chosen One – The nickname given by the collective's former leader to Justin Harrec, first among humanity to match their power.
Central Officer Bradford – The second highest in command in XCOM, John Bradford oversees any lesser concerns so the commander can focus at the main task at hand, defending Earth.
Delta Section – The fourth section connecting XCOM HQ to the surface, it was besieged by EXALT during their assault.
EXALT – A paramilitary organization bent on the domination of Earth, they have managed to stay hidden for centuries, but were ultimately unsuccessful in their goals.
Elders/Ethereals – A centuries old species known to be the most powerful and gifted in psionics, they are on the run from an enemy they cannot stop with their current power, and have been tasked by the last precursor of their species to "create" those who could, leading them to Earth. Having been defeated by humanity, a time warp by their precursor allowed them atone for their mistakes and raise humanity as their worthy successors to the responsibility they carry.
Elites – Code name for EXALT soldiers that have been genetically modified and carry advanced laser weaponry.
Ethereal collective – The union of all the species gathered by the Ethereals during their journey through space.
Etherion - A humongous spaceship owned by the Ethereal collective, it functioned as their capital during their journey through space, as well as their military command center. Also called the Temple Ship. Its size is that of a medium sized country, comparable to the size of Germany.
Eclipse – The codename EXALT used for their assault on XCOM HQ.
Elerium – A mysterious element that provides power to most of the systems used by the collective.
Furies – The code name for the trio of special gifted operatives of EXALT. They are the strongest soldiers EXALT had to offer, and each was given a special means of enhancing their power. The Furies' their individual codenames are a reference to the old Greek myth of the Furies, Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone.
Gifted – The term used to describe if someone is psionic.
Helios – The codename for the 4 stage program that would have brought the world under EXALT's dominion. It refers to the EXALT logo resembling a rising sun, a new dawn for humanity.
Initiate – A term used for the new Chosen when they had just joined the collective, it was quickly disbanded in favor of the general use of the term Chosen.
Justin Harrec – The Chosen One of humanity, leader of the Ethereal Collective and the United Human Coalition, currently the strongest psionic creature in the known Universe, The savior of Humanity. Husband to Kira Farisani.
Kira Farisani – One of the strongest among the Chosen, known for her defensive posture that can quickly turn to aggression when provoked. On par with the power of an Elder in many ways, but not as refined yet. Wife to Justin Harrec.
Karthus – The codename of the EXALT operative who managed to infiltrate an Ethereal facility, real name Ruben Florès, was in charge of the Furies Exalting project which led to their powers being unlocked. His codename is often written with a C as well as a K to confuse any enemies who get their hands on his data, as he appear to be both sender and receiver in those cases.
Laser weaponry – Weapons that use lasers as opposed to conventional ballistics, developed by both XCOM and EXALT.
MECs – Mechanized Exoskeleton Cyber suits, XCOM soldiers trained with these proved instrumental in the defense of Delta Section. They stalled EXALT long enough for the Chosen to seize the momentum.
Megaera – One of the Furies, Specialized in defensive techniques, had several implants made in to his skull to enhance his powers to their maximum potential, allowing him to use powerful techniques unheard of even by the Chosen, but not strong enough to stop his demise.
Moira Vahlen – Chief scientist of XCOM.
Muton – Standard collective frontline units armed with plasma weaponry and grenades, they also come in elite versions carrying even deadlier weaponry and ornate armor.
Miadas – Codename of the leader of the EXALT cell operating in France, and who would have been responsible for the capture of Annette Durand had she not escaped with the collective beforehand. We do not know what became of him after his failure…
Merlin – Codename of EXALT's primary intelligence and espionage officer, he reports only to Cortex, his direct superior. His capture after operation Apotheosis led to the uncovering of the entirety of EXALT's network.
Overseer – UFO type capable of concealment and extremely fast travel.
Psionics – A powerful form of energy that can be manipulated by beings with an aptitude for it that can change the effects of the other laws of physics to devastating degrees.
Plasma weaponry – Weapons that fire ionized/superheated gas as opposed to conventional ballistics, these weapons are most commonly used by the Ethereal collective and their allies.
Peter van Doorn – UN General, natively Dutch, a major player in the defense of Delta section with his advanced tactical knowledge and some alien weaponry provided by the Chosen.
Raymond Shen – Chief Engineer of XCOM.
Sectopod – Powerful alien weapons platform that is entirely autonomous.
"Sammy" Pelizares – MEC trooper assigned to the joined assault team of Justin Harrec and his Chosen, known for his punctual behavior outside of combat, and his wild side that he unleashes in battle. Often referred to as Scuba because of the way his helmet looks.
Tisiphone – One of the Furies, Tisiphone chose to have herself build an exosuit with arm mounted laser weaponry, and feared for her blade that coupled with her psionics can cut any man straight in two if she chose to do so. Known for her overzealous behavior in combat.
Ultras – EXALT units capable of using psionics, they stand even higher in rank as elites and their genetic modifications are only surpassed by those of the Furies. Against the untrained mind they can do quite some damage, but multiple are required to be a threat to a Chosen.
Uber-Ethereal – The former leader of the collective before he handed his position to Justin Harrec. The strongest among his species, he has developed immunity to certain psionic abilities. The only thing differentiating him from his fellow Elders is his ornate headpiece.
Viper – Alien race that is loyal to the collective not by coercion but by conviction, yet incapable of embracing "the gift", they are versatile and can be trained and modified for many uses.
Vigilo Confido – The phrase used by XCOM as an oath to their cause, derived from Latin, meaning "I am watchful, I am relied upon."
Xalieg – Name of an Ethereal General in command of the Ethereal counterstrike against EXALTs reinforcements and responsible for the rebuilding of XCOM HQ.
XCOM project – eXtraterrestrial COMbat project, an initiative by the nations of Earth in the event of a common threat to the planet from outer space, but aligned itself with the Ethereal collective when the true threat of EXALT had become apparent when their HQ had to be saved by the collective and the Chosen.
Yannik Richter - An XCOM sniper whose messy personal behavior contradicts his dead-on accuracy and strict behavior in combat, assigned to the joined strike force led by Justin Harrec.
Zealot - The codename given to the mysterious female bodyguard of Cortex, her A.R.C.-suit and martial art skills allowed her to take down two Chosen before they could respond, as well as nearly killing Andy Johnson and Samuel Pelizares with her high voltage weaponry.