Vitakara: Dossier
Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary
"Each species and individual must decide the side they are on when the time comes. I will not tolerate neutrality any longer, for that is a luxury that cannot be afforded."
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary to the Aui'Vitakar
XCOM Profile 43B8
Authorization Level: XCOM Intelligence, Internal Council
Subject: Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary (Ravarian)
Current Occupation: Zar'Chon of the Zararch
Threat Level: High
Assessment Author: Shaojie Zhang, Director of XCOM Intelligence
Approved By: The Commander
Preliminary Note: All information contained within this document is based upon the descriptions and knowledge from Nartha and the current Vitakara captives. As such, much is speculative and subject to change upon further encounters with this individual.
SECTION 1: Physical Characteristics
Hair color: None (Bald)
Eye color: Blue (According to Nartha's descriptions, Vitakarians have no pupils and the entire eye is one solid color that gives the illusion that it is 'glowing' which is dependent on the amount of oxygen in the air. This does not seem to apply to other races of the Vitakara)
Skin color: Dark gray (Slightly darker than most Vitakarians, according to Nartha)
Height: 7'2" (Note that this is the conversion from Vitakara measurement, so the possibility for discrepancies exists. Nevertheless he is tall, and his height is something Nartha commented on as strange, even though the average Vitakara is well over six feet. Given what we know of Vitakarian physiology, it is possible his unusual height is the result of genetic tampering or specific conditioning)
Weight: Unknown (Estimated between 200 – 220 lbs. No data to back this up)
Scars or markings: No physical scars, though Nartha does know that the left hand is cybernetic, and it is possible that there are additional obscured modifications.
Physical Condition: Unknown, though it is assumed that he is moderately fit, either through training or genetic modification. Nartha concurs and does note that Ravarian did originally come from the Lurainian (Vitakara Special Forces – see respective file for more details) so his initial physical condition was likely at its peak. His strength is also likely augmented by an unknown number of cybernetic and prosthetic modifications.
Nation of Birth: Vitiary, Vitakarian city near Borelian territory which is fairly unremarkable according to Nartha, and interviews with additional Vitakara concur that the city never grew large due to the sizable Borelian presence and extremely cold climate compared to other Vitakarian cities.
SECTION 2: Assessment
Much of what will be written here has not been confirmed, only what we have managed to gather from our Vitakara captives, Nartha and what we have seen of the Zararch itself. Based on what Nartha has told me about both Ravarian and the Zararch itself, I do believe that the Zar'Chon himself has only become heavily involved with Earth recently, or has been severely restricted by the Ethereals as Nartha assures me that if he was in charge, it is likely we'd have been assimilated into the Collective long ago.
Ravarian is certainly an Ethereal loyalist, though whether this is due to shared ideology or Ethereal mind control is impossible to determine, but what is innately clear is that Ravarian is intent on spreading Collective influence across the galaxy and will fight, kill or assimilate any threat to both the Collective and Zararch.
What is a potentially concerning point is that Ravarian does not seem to recognize neutrality of any sort. He sees everything as either allies or enemies, a trait that Nartha only personally started observing a few decades ago. The reason for this is unclear, or if it is something he has believed all along, but Nartha does know on at least one occasion where the Zar'Chon personally went to the Aui'Vitakar to shut down any sort of talks regarding renegotiating the agreement with the Ethereals.
I should also point out that these 'talks' consisted of one delegate and several aides of various other delegates, behind closed doors, in private and never even remotely brought up in public. Regardless, it was enough to kill any whispers regarding such a topic, and does seem to confirm that Ravarian has no personal loyalty to his species and is fully committed to the Ethereal Collective.
Ravarian prioritizes efficiency and practicality in actual operations, which I suspect is not surprising. Yet from Nartha's description, he does not treat agents as disposable and actively ensures that agents have what they need to complete their missions. That being said, he does not appear to suffer much if they end up dead.
Now concerning what we know about his views on humanity, they appear to be roughly this: He does not view us as a threat at the moment, but rather something of an annoyance that is impacting his plans. Due to our continued survival, according to Nartha, he has developed something of a grudging respect, but also feels continually frustrated at how our species has been handled, which seems to indicate that the Ethereals themselves have ordered him to hold back.
As another note, concerning his views on the Ethereals, they are largely unknown even though he is at least a Collective loyalist. Nartha personally suspects that there is an Ethereal working directly with the Zar'Chon, though has no proof to back it up. I tend to agree, as I can't imagine the Ethereals not wanting some oversight on their own intelligence branch. But who this Ethereal could be is unknown.
Nartha has also witnessed some animosity between Ravarian and the Ethereal identified as the Battlemaster, which is largely because of a difference of opinion in tactics, specifically during the subjugation of the Mutons. Ravarian seems to be rarely in favor of full invasions, and believes that the Zararch are more than enough to deal with any threats, and his methods are seen by the Battlemaster as 'underhanded' (An odd sentiment). While the Zar'Chon does always maintain his respect, Nartha notes that he never really seems particularly kind to Ethereals he encounters or mentions, most notably the Ethereal identified as Sicarius, who was apparently dismissed and replaced by the Ethereal now known as the Ravaged One.
While that does not indicate that Ravarian has enough influence to recall an Ethereal, I find it highly coincidental that it is unrelated. If so, it raises the question of how much influence Ravarian has within the Collective and might indicate that our battle may suddenly become much harder.
Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that we will have the chance to assassinate or capture him in the future as he is likely conducting operations well beyond Earth and Nartha notes that he rarely goes groundside, preferring to instead have an overview of the situation and relying on his agents for specific details.
This is likely our best means of influencing him to our ends, locating his agents on Earth with XCOM Intelligence, capturing and releasing them back after their minds have been altered by our psions. He has no known family, but it is unlikely we could do anything even if that were possible.
This document will be updated as more information is collected.
Battlemaster,
As requested, I have outlined some strategies for usage on the new world and the species currently residing on it. While the Humans will no doubt cause issues in the future should they be left alone, the fact is that they are technologically several hundred years behind us at a minimum and ultimately pose little threat to the Collective as it stands currently.
With that understood, there are some things I have learned concerning the species and its history that will be beneficial in understanding how best to assimilate them. Unlike the Mutons, a fully militaristic approach will likely not yield the same results, and as the Humans themselves are more interconnected, you risk a unification of several major powers.
However, there are many weaknesses we can press to ensure the assimilation of the species is done to maximize our efficiency:
Note 1: Humans are an incredibly diverse species, though not superficially. The diversity comes from the vast array of opinions, viewpoints and intelligence levels humans are comprised of. There are geniuses, idiots, anarchists, criminals, fanatics, leaders, strategists and more. Essentially, if you could name a particular trait, there is a high chance that a human exists that embodies it.
This particular disparity has ultimately been a mixed bag, from what I can learn from their history. A large percentage are religious, and within each religion are moderates and extremists, but all nonetheless are tuned to a certain way of thinking that excludes others. It is a cause for major division between humans, and often the start of entire wars.
Humans in particular appear to have issues understanding each other, with certain groups only believing that they are in the right, and most have no desire to learn about the view opposite them which as you can understand, has caused issues with the various governments. It does not help them that some major Human issues are irrelevant details such as skin color, gender and the nation of birth. Superficial as I said, but these have nonetheless been an issue over the past century, with entire groups of humans with a different skin color being regulated as second-class citizens, then debates about allowing an entire gender (They only have two) to have more substantial roles in society, and most recently, outright suspicious and hostility towards those of a viewed inferior nation (This also tends to tie into the issue of skin color).
The point to take away from this is that Humans are easily divided, and we can easily take advantage of that. The majority of the population (Like most) is often complacent and subject to the whims of those in charge. Because Humans have similar forms to Vitakarian and Dath'Haram, it will likely not take the Shapers long to develop suitable disguises, which we can seed throughout the Humans to sabotage their society before we arrive.
As it stand now, the chances of humanity putting aside their many differences to combat our forces is extremely minimal, even if subterfuge was forgone entirely.
Note 2: Human society is comprised of many nations, and each one has a unique form of government (Although most are based on some existing governmental philosophy or belief). They are reflective of Humanity in that they have various friendships and rivalries with each other. Most nations are irrelevant and independent, but there are several that wield significant economic and military influence in the world despite the division. The nations known as Russia, China, and the United States of America seem to be the most powerful of these (Specific files on each are attached with this document).
However, despite these nations being supposedly friendly, they do not appear to be overly fond of each other, as each wants to be the dominant superpower. As it stands, that currently is the United States, but China and Russia are both rising. There has been more animosity between the United States and China in recent years, and Russia seems content to wait before making moves of their own.
If we wish to proceed with the infiltration of our agents, it is advised that we coopt one of these nations for our purposes while weakening the other two. Based on their respective systems of government, the United States is most vulnerable to being taken over and is conversely more susceptible to outside influence. Factors to consider moving forward.
I suppose I also must mention that the humans do have a "United Nations" which is little more than a council with representatives the give the poor illusion of unity. To crystalize the point, it essentially amounts to the Aui'Vitakar, except with no power, corrupt, and run by liars and thieves. It is not even worth destroying or coopting.
Note 3: The Human militaries pose very little threat to Collective forces, as the majority of their weapons are ballistic-based and their larger weapons are simple missiles. Their numbers might pose an issue if they were to unite, but the simple answer is that their conventional weapons pose no threat to our Muton soldiers, let alone our advanced units. With additional sabotage, their military can be made to be even more ineffective.
Preliminary Advisement: The most optimal solution would be a plan that takes no more than thirty years to complete, ending with the total assimilation of the human race into the Ethereal Collective.
Phase 1: We utilize our Zararch agents and Special Operatives to isolate and target figures of note in various prominent nations and begin experimentation on the species to begin shaping convincing Human replicas. Once the Shapers have mastered the Human genome, we adapt several of our top agents to these various figures and replace them with our operatives. This should not take longer than five years, fewer with direct Ethereal and Sectoid support.
Phase 2: With our agents in play, we begin the rapid dissolution of their society, starting wars, changing laws and increasing anarchy throughout the world. Care would have to be taken to not completely destroy it, as Humans have nuclear weaponry. The optimal approach would be to sow chaos throughout the major nations, barring the one we plan to use for our purposes. If done correctly, we could collapse their basic society in between ten to fifteen years.
Phase 3: With their nations in disarray, they will be willing to accept a peaceful extraterrestrial envoy who offers to help them, which of course would be the Collective. With the other nations in too much disarray, our chosen one will officially form an alliance with us and begin establishing a species-wide order which I estimate many will join. Some may possibly turn violent, but this new state armed with our technology would be able to easily put them down. Afterwards the rebuilding of the world and utilization of the Humans could begin. This is estimated to take between three and seven years, possibly fewer with Vitakara and Andromedon support.
I have made the necessary preparations, all that remains is your approval, or one from another Ethereal.
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary
Imperator,
Concerning recent developments, I feel it is prudent to state my opposition to your continued refusal to inform certain members of our Collective about our true goal. At this point it is counterproductive, even if you believe that they will simply not comprehend the threat we face. Therefore I must disagree, for I have spent several centuries among them now, and I must state that you are vastly underestimating their intellect. While there is no question that we are a superior species, to simply discount our subordinates as lesser simply because they lack the Gift is a pettiness that can frankly no longer be afforded.
The Vitakara are loyal, and will remain loyal as a result of our intervention, but I believe that you have made the mistake of assuming this loyalty is blind and as a result, that they are not intelligent enough to be worth more consideration which I will inform you is incorrect. The Hive Commanders are devious and cruel, but they value the self-preservation of their species above all else, and will remain loyal to us unless we actively threaten them. The Andromedons are the greatest concern here, as I believe they suspect that we are hiding something, and from their descriptions of the threat they fled, I believe that if we simply tell several of them the objective of this Collective, we would ensure their loyalty for good.
I will address which Andromedons and Hive Commanders I feel are appropriate to share this information with, but there is one particular Vitakara who I believe would not only grasp the gravity of the situation, but actively help ensure both the Zararch and Collective are as strong as possible. He is the current Zar'Chon of the Zararch, who you might remember as he was the one who discovered the Mutons and worked with the Battlemaster to form a plan to subjugate them. While the Zar'Chon was not particularly approving of the tactics employed, the Battlemaster was nonetheless highly impressed by his performance.
Zar'Chon Ravarian is most importantly loyal to the Collective first, not to any personal Ethereal or even his species, and that is why he is deserving to know, so he can shape the Zararch into what we need for the future. I understand that you doubt they will attack even within a millennia, but I am not convinced and we will need a powerful intelligence unit to pierce the species of the inner galaxy and if there is an alien that I trust to accomplish that, it is him.
That is my recommendation, Imperator, though the final decision is of course, up to you.
- Quisilia
REPORT: 0001000100111000
TARGET OF INTEREST: ZAR'CHON'RAVARIAN'VITIARY
ISOLATED CORE NAME: RAVARIAN
- CORE NAME DATABASE SEARCH: RAVARIAN
- 47 RESULTS FOUND: ISOLATING NAME WITH ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS
- 1 RESULT FOUND: ZAR'CHON'RAVARIAN'VITIARY
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: BOTH PARENTS DECEASED; CAUSE OF DEATH NATURAL
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: NO SIBLINGS
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: NO CURRENT RELATIONSHIPS
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: SERVED IN VITAKARA MILITARY (TIME = 25 YEARS)
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: SERVED IN VITAKARA LURAINIAN (TIME = 13 YEARS)
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: SERVED IN THE ZARARCH (TIME = 999 YEARS; WARNING! DATA CORRUPTED!)
ISOLATED TITLE: ZAR'CHON
- TITLE DATABASE SEARCH: ZAR'CHON
- 1 RESULT FOUND: ZAR'CHON, ZARARCH
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: HEAD OF ZARARCH
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: ANSWERS TO ETHEREAL (INFORMATION UNKNOWN!)
ISOLATED PLACE OF ORIGIN: VITIARY
- ORIGIN DATABASE SEARCH: LOCATION OF "VITIARY'
- 1 RESULT FOUND: VITIARY, VITAKAR
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: COLD REGION
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: CONTINENT: BORELIA
- INFORMATION OF NOTE: POPULATION MAJORITY: BORELIAN
THREAT LEVEL TO ANDROMEDON FEDERATION: MODERATE
- ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary is not an alien that tolerates even perceived threats to himself or the Ethereal Collective. As such if he even suspected talks of secession within the Unions, he would not hesitate in eliminating even an entire one as a message. He also seems to surprisingly carry a significant amount of influence with various Ethereals, as even Ethereal Sicarius paid him some respect, as did the Ethereal Battlemaster.
Additionally, we know he has had contact with at least two more Ethereals, though specific ones are currently unknown, and it was deemed too risky to investigate his strongholds as one of the Ethereals suspected is the one identified as Nebulan, which we are aware is a master illusionist.
If we wish to avoid attracting the attention of Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary, agents within the Andromedon Federation must be targeted and marked, but not dealt with unless they pose a direct threat to the Unions. In addition, the existence of this branch of the Omega Union must be preserved at all costs, else Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary will certainly shut down the entire Union or put the creation of Special Operators directly under Collective control.
RECOMMENDATION: OBSERVATION VIA SPECIAL OPERATORS
REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 001; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR: DATA NOT FOUND]
END REPORT
CONTINUE OBSERVATION