Vitakara: Unit

Borelian Soldier

"Put an average Borelian and an average Human against each other, and the Borelian would win every time."

- Zar'nartha'intha

XCOM Autopsy VIT10

Species: Vitakara

Race: Borelian

Unit Identity: Soldier

Codename: Yeti

Alien Autopsy Overseer: Head of XCOM Research and Development, Dr. Moira Vahlen

Audio Notes of Dr. Moira Vahlen

"Of all the alien species we have encountered so far, very few have displayed characteristics that we would expect from developing for millennia in a certain environment. However, the Vitakara as a whole are so diverse and reflective of the environments they've evolved in that it has produced vastly different races."

"Even from a cursory glance, Borelians clearly came from a frigid region, as their bodies are almost completely covered in fur with the exception of their face, palms, feet, and have a noticeably thicker skin than most aliens we've researched, with perhaps the exception of the Mutons. All of them are taller than normal, the smallest of which is just over seven feet tall with heights only rising from that point."

"Curiously, the Borelian soldiers we have encountered have all been well-armored, as we'd expect from an alien soldier, though it is interesting since I would have expected less covering due to their fur. But it is nevertheless a smart tactical decision on their part, and all the Borelian soldiers appear to have been well-trained, even if they cannot stand up to our enhanced soldiers."

Report:

Borelian physiology is even more fascinating than I had originally assumed, largely because we have yet to recover an alien species this well-adapted to cold environments. The fur covering them is surprisingly fine, and comes in shades of white and gray from the corpses we've recovered. The only places where it is absent is the face, hands and feet, revealing a skin the color of ash.

In addition, their eyes have two sets of eyelids, one normal and one underneath that is transparent, likely to protect their eyes from hazardous environments. We will need to research this further with live specimens to understand the full capabilities of this feature, and we can possibly adapt this as a genetic modification for our own soldiers as well. I will consult with Baranth for more information about their capabilities in that regard.

Every specimen recovered so far has been in excellent physical condition, and on average is much stronger than even our soldiers (Unmodified of course), which would be necessary to wear the heavy armor and equipment they wear and carry. Another point of interest is that it appears that the Borelian soldiers we have recovered have almost been exclusively female.

The lone male Borelian we recovered was almost identical to the females with the exception that his fur was a much darker shade of gray, and that he lacked a pair of visible incisors which I had initially assumed to be a universal feature of the race, but now it appears that particular feature is exclusive to Borelian females. We will need to recover more males to fully confirm this, but it appears that the military of this race is almost completely dominated by females. Curious, and requires further interrogation and research.

Addendum - Aegis' Notes:

I am not as familiar with the Vitakara as I am with other species, but I can offer some insight into this particular race since they compose the majority of Vitakara soldiers. Borelians are culturally very militaristic, the reasons for this are unknown, but of all the races, every aspect of their local government and culture is viewed through the lens of a military outlook.

Because of this, Borelians generally populate the Runianarch, Lurainian and the various Collective divisions far more than other races of Vitakara and are some of the best-trained soldiers that can be found. Do not be surprised to encounter more Borelian commanders and officers as this war progresses.

The reason for the majority of Borelian soldiers being female is simple: it is cultural. Much of Borelian society is unofficially segregated based on gender, with very clear expectations on what roles each gender is best suited to fill. I am unsure of the initial rationalization, but modern Borelian society has females filling military roles exclusively, while males typically take over more domestic duties such as diplomats, engineers and scientists. While exceptions do exist, and there is no law discriminating on the basis of gender, it is exceptionally rare for a Borelian to defy what is seen as the established convention.

Miridian,

I am concerned we will have to abandon our outpost in Borelia within weeks as the Borelians are getting dangerously close to where we are. I did warn you about this possibility, since the Borelians thrive in this kind of frozen hell and we don't have enough to risk sending guards here, but I admit even I didn't believe they would get this close, this soon.

One of my scouts died out in a surprise blizzard and we were unable to recover his body, and can only assume that the Borelians did or it is buried in the snow. But we cannot take the chance. A lone Vitakarian dying alone in the snow is going to raise questions, and the Zararch are going to intervene soon and demand the Borelians search for us, and their trackers will be able to find this outpost.

We have a limited time to act, so while I will wait for your response, I will begin preparations for dismantling the outpost and relocating somewhere else for several months until it is safe to return. You have several contacts in the Borelian government, I know that much, so we'll have a clear timeline of when this will clear up.

Better we abandon one outpost temporarily than all get captured by the Zararch.

- Nul'jorial'dorian

SPECIES ANALYSIS: 110001011111

ANALYSIS COMPILER: FEDERATION FOREIGN SPECIES ANALYSER J'YARROW

RESTRICTION: ANDROMEDON MILITARY COMMAND

SPECIES OF INTEREST: VITAKARA

RACE OF INTEREST: BORELIAN

MANUAL REPORT:

We have concluded without a doubt that the Borelians are the largest military threat within the Vitakara species. Their soldiers compose roughly a third of the Runianarch and an estimated half of the Lurainian though we have been unable to confirm this definitively. However, despite outnumbering our own military, we have little to fear from their soldiers.

Field tests of armed Borelians against an Andromedon soldier have resulted in a nearly perfect record of Andromedon successes. The one exception comes from a scenario that took place on a frozen planet, where the Borelian was able to disorient and ultimately kill the Andromedon in question. An unfortunate loss, but it does highlight the strengths this race has.

If we encounter Borelians in conditions that are friendly to them, largely cooler or cold environments, we are immediately at a disadvantage as the race had adapted to these conditions over millennia. Unless we invest in equipment specifically to work in cold conditions, we will not survive long, and I do not recommend making that investment at this time.

However, in all other aspects they are significantly weaker than a standard Andromedon soldier. They largely use plasma weaponry which the suits are designed to resist, they are strong, but unaugmented, and they are much weaker in warmer environments for obvious reasons. A potential complication is that many Borelians are implanted highly in the Collective military itself, and several personally do know Ethereals.

Should it be deemed necessary to act, it is likely that Borelian Commanders and Officers will utilize the aliens under their command, which of course would make it more difficult to remove them. Fortunately, they lack a standing fleet and should the worst be realized, we are simply able to bombard them from orbit.

With this being noted, I do not imagine this particular information will be needed as the Vitakara as a whole are extremely loyal to the Ethereals and I cannot envision a scenario where that changes rapidly.