ADVENT: Unit

Purifier

"Chlorine Trifluoride isn't flammable. In the presence of Chlorine Trifluoride, everything else becomes flammable."

- Anonymous

Commander,

With the deployment of these new Purifiers, you inquired as to why I had not known about, or informed you about the flammable chemical known as Chlorine Trifluoride.

There is a reason for that.

Quite honestly, Commander, I did not expect that particular chemical would ever be used, and the idea that ADVENT is attempting to weaponize it is, to me, mildly concerning. One thing that must be established is that Chlorine Trifluoride, abbreviated CIF3, is not a traditional accelerant, nor one you are likely familiar with.

To provide some brief history on this chemical, it was originally discovered by the Nazis who designated it as "Substance N", and were looking to weaponize it, much like ADVENT is right now. However, the project was abandoned due to the volatility of the chemical itself, and the inability to reliably and safely handle it. Some have suggested that the effects of chemical were so horrendous that the Nazis stopped due to their own ethical concerns. I personally doubt this, and believe it was more due to the fact that the weapon posed as much of a danger to them as the enemy.

Nevertheless, they did manage to construct a prototype flame thrower that used CIF3, although I am not certain if it was ever tested in a combat situation. They also produced at least thirty tons of the chemical, but never used it.

Any chemical that Nazi Germany refused to use due to the danger is one that should be handled with extreme caution, to say the least.

The reason why any sort of usage of this chemical is extremely dangerous is that it has the ability to burn through nearly anything. Even in a liquid state a simple jolt could cause it to explode if not properly sealed. The list of substances it burns through are nearly all metals, concrete, dirt, and nearly everything else it comes in contact with. I suspect that our own soldiers would be quickly killed if exposed to CIF3, ignited or not, and I imagine the same applies to the alien forces, although there is also the risk that they could be shot before reaching the appropriate distance and damage our own forces.

There are only two known substances that are truly fireproof against CIF3: Candle wax and some kinds of Fluorine plastic. Everything else is flammable in the presence of CIF3. To date the current Purifier designs do not take advantage of this, instead relying on the suit being composed entirely of alien alloys, with enough thickness to take multiple direct plasma shots. Yet again, it would not take much to ignite the chemical.

What also makes this chemical more dangerous than it already is, is that there is no reliable way to put it out, if any way at all. CIF3 does not require oxygen and cannot be dispersed once lit. There is no other choice other than to let the fire run its course. Water is the absolute worst way to put it out, as not only does CIF3 explode when coming into contact with it, but also produces toxic gases that, by all accounts, are excruciating to die from.

I cannot overstate how dangerous this chemical is, Commander. While certainly effective at killing aliens, I simply cannot see a way to make the Purifiers able to safely operate in combat without psionic assistance. While I am certain you see the potential applications for our own MECs or even soldiers, I cannot recommend we follow this project. The risks are too high, it would only take one mistake to condemn our soldiers to a long and excruciating death.

- Dr. Moira Vahlen

ADVENT Engineering Report 0882

Subject: Purifier Project

Author: Chief of ADVENT Engineering and Development Feng Mercado

Introduction: Chancellor, as you have requested, this is the final compilation of the information and specifications of the Purifier project before their initial deployment. The concept has performed well above expectations and I have no doubt these soldiers will perform exceptionally against the aliens. This report will contain an overview of the systems of the unit, and the recruitment process we are going through, as well as procedures and tactics for safe and effective usage.

You have been appraised of the volatility of Chlorine Trifluoride, and the risks involved, so I will not repeat it here, suffice to say that we have taken all possible precautions to limit the danger this chemical poses to our soldiers.

Suit Structure and Composition: Due to the volatility of CIF3, the suit itself was designed to be among our strongest units we can deploy. The suit is almost entirely composed of heavy alien alloys, and is significantly heavier than the standard ADVENT armor. All non-armor components are alloy-laced undersuits, since the joints were not able to be fully armored, yet the weakest parts of the suit can still withstand a single plasma blast.

The suit is entirely sealed, with air internally circulated, and has small secondary oxygen tanks attached to the arms and lower back, allowing the Purifier to filter out toxins and smoke, and otherwise operate in dangerous environments. However, it will likely not last under gaseous acids, which might be the result of CIF3 usage. Nonetheless, they can be deployed in most locations.

To reduce the chances of an accidental ignition, the components of CIF3 are divided into the two alloy tanks on the back of the armor. Thus, if one is breached, without the reaction of the other components, it will pose a lesser threat to the soldier and surrounding personnel. The chemicals are combined in the flamethrower itself, and are thus only truly volatile when they reach the weapon itself.

The chemicals are transported via two tubes, both of which are reinforced with alloy lacing, and connected closely to the suit itself to prevent snagging or being shot by stray weapon fire. The flamethrower itself combines the chemicals into CIF3, and is the primary instrument of dispersion. While not necessary for ignition, there is a small starter flame at the end of the weapon, as ignited CIF3 has a longer range than pure liquid, even though the effect will equate to the same.

For some reason, most soldiers highly underestimate the usage of the flamethrower, and believe it to be of little tactical use. It is a testament to the effectiveness of entertainment media that the flamethrower is considered a short-range weapon, if even taken seriously at all. The flamethrower we have developed has a maximum range of two hundred and fifty feet, and that is potentially longer depending on if the CIF3 is ignited before contact with the target.

The suit has also been designed to handle additional dangerous chemicals and accelerants as well. The Purifiers can be converted to utilize more standard chemicals like napalm or even chemical weaponry if so desired. This project has the potential to have a wide variety of applications, beyond simply being used as flame units.

Each Purifier is identified by the label on their shoulder pads and chemical tanks, which will display the chemical composition of the chemical they are using. The color scheme will also be slightly modified to provide some visual cues for those who cannot make out the reading. As of right now, there are two variants:

CIF3 Purifiers: These are who the large majority of this document pertains to, who utilize CIF3 and are exceptionally volatile and dangerous if handled improperly. They are denoted with orange armor, with black stripes on it.

H2O Purifiers: These are support units for CIF3 Purifiers, as water reacts violently and dangerously with it. They are to be used in conjunction with them and nowhere else. They are denoted with orange armor, and white stripes instead of black.

Recruitment and Qualifications: Due to how dangerous this chemical is, I have required that the candidates are fully capable of comprehending exactly what they are handling here, and restricting the potential pool of candidates significantly. While this is certainly an important role in the ADVENT military, it is not one just anyone can fill.

Candidates must have a respect and delicacy for CIF3, as well as not being prone to panic or have a fear of enclosed spaces or debilitating mental conditions. Thus, the most useful candidates I have put forward are chemists, firefighters, and those with chemical weapon and flame backgrounds. Medics are also a potential pool of candidates.

Recruitment should be done on a per-invitation basis. This is not a role for hotheads or thrill seekers, as no doubt there are still many in the military. While this makes recruitment more difficult, this is one area where we cannot afford to take chances.

Weaknesses: While I would certainly like to say that this work is flawless, that is sadly not the case. You are aware that military tactics are not my specialty, and I will leave that to Commander Christiaens and Chief Weekes. However, I am aware of the flaws of this unit, and that should be understood by all who wish to utilize them.

The first thing to realize is that CIF3 Purifiers are extremely volatile. While we have done our best to reduce the risk, the fact is that this unit could very well be a liability in combat if not handled correctly. Purifiers who suffer under heavy fire may explode, and severely weaken our own forces because, as noted before, there is no means of putting out CIF3 fires. If I was to make a recommendation, this could possibly be lessened further with defense psions.

The second major issue is that this unit, while heavily protected, is extremely slow and immobile. You will not be able to deploy them quickly or easily, and any concentrated fire against them is going to eventually become highly accurate, and they will eventually die without sufficient protection. Their reflexes are almost non-existent, and they are extremely vulnerable to explosives or rockets because of this.

If I may make one more recommendation: Keep all valuable or essential soldiers, or better, any at all, far away from Purifiers. I would also recommend setting a minimum safe distance for Purifier units at well. Purifiers are not immune to CIF3 and will die to it just as easily as anyone else. I do not want to call Purifiers glass cannons, but that ultimately may be the best definition for them.

Future Iterations: Our primary goal will be to make the Purifier safer for the wearer of the suit, and to that end we will continue making the risks less pervasive and dangerous. There is a Fluorine plastic that is one of the only substances able to not be burnt, but as you can imagine, the difficulties of inserting such into a suit made for combat are challenge.

Nonetheless, we will continue our work on this project and improve, learn, and grow from the lessons revealed on the battlefield.

"Fire is destructive and scary. It isn't something to be taken lightly like how it's often portrayed. People who have that idea have clearly been watching too many movies, because that's not what an actual fire is like at all. It's scorching; it's dangerous and it's something you are never able to forget. Short version, fire isn't a toy."

"The scariest thing to me, though, is a fire that can't be put out. It's the nightmare of all firefighters, but we never really had to worry about it before. No matter how bad it got, we always had some way to put out the flames in front of us. Then ADVENT comes along and decides to use the one chemical that can't be put out."

"To be completely fair, they do seem to genuinely recognize the risks, but I'm not even sure that's enough. No one except the Nazis have actually used it before, but the stories are more than enough to drive most people away. No matter what happens, I don't think people will fully understand how dangerous it is until they see it for themselves."

"I'm not sure it's even right to use it, even on aliens; even if they make it safe. Death by fire is one of the worst ways to die, and completely inhumane. Fire is a weapon of torture, pain, and for sending a message of terror. Even the aliens have to have some kind of morale, and I can think of no better way to terrify them than with fire."

"There is a reason we all fear it, the smart people anyway. It can help as well as hurt if you aren't careful, and they're one mistake away from catastrophically killing thousands of their own soldiers, or worse, starting fires that can't be stopped. These weapons must be handled responsibly, and ADVENT needs to be reminded why they aren't toys."

"Yes, that's why I accepted the offer when ADVENT came to me. I understand what exactly I'm working with, and so do the ones I work with. And walking forward, knowing that one lucky shot will condemn you and the ones around you to death, is one of the scariest things I've ever experienced. You never feel safe in the suits, not even when protected by soldiers and psions."

"Every single one of us is obsessed with keeping our suits up to date. We check them dozens of times a day, looking for any indication something is wrong. The suits are confining, constricting and claustrophobic. You feel trapped, like there's a bomb strapped to you that could go off if you so much as sneeze. And there kind of is."

"Oddly enough, the longer I shoot my flamethrower, the safer I feel since I know that my chances of suddenly exploding have diminished. But I never forget what I am doing, nor my responsibility to keep not just myself, but everyone around me safe."

"Purifiers are walking bombs, and like bombs, they can destroy enemies or friends. I try to keep mine pointed at the aliens, and so far, that's working out. But I think that nervousness that I feel whenever I put on the suit won't fade, nor do I think it should."

- Purifier Gabriel Desuin, describing his work in the war.

Operation: Burning Flame

Division: Threat Analysis

Report Author: Zar'traio'mattis

Authorization: Zar'Chon

Zar'Chon,

I will get straight to the point: These so-called Purifiers ADVENT deployed during their attack on our Japan stronghold are deeply concerning, to put it mildly. Quite simply, we did not anticipate that ADVENT would pursue such paths of research, as such weapons are questionable in this day and age of technology, but they have, and the results are far worse than what we could have anticipated.

Unfortunately, I have almost nothing to go on aside from several readings and samples collected by infiltrating agents, several of whom died due to unknowingly being poisoned by the toxic gas that was created from these Purifier attacks. I do not know how ADVENT was able to develop such a chemical, one hot enough to melt Andromedon soldiers, and collapse our entire line of fortifications.

Intelligence reports and my own additional research confirms that ADVENT has fully weaponized a chemical known as Chlorine Trifluoride, or CIF3, as it is the only one capable of such destruction and ADVENT is making sure all their soldiers know the danger of it. Even they are concerned about it, and for good reason. This chemical is impossible to put out artificially, and the substances that can resist it are almost non-existent, and certainly are impractical for deployment of our own.

The obvious counter to such a unit is to designate them as priority targets, although as shown during the battle, that tactic is rendered useless with psionic intervention. Protected by psionics, I do not believe there are any functioning units that can hold up against this unit, regardless of what precautions we take.

Upon review of the combat footage recovered, there are only a few viable tactics:

1. Engage them at long range and attempt to bring them down. They are slow, albeit heavily armored, but as long as they don't get into a moderately close range, they are harmless.

2. Utilize psionic abilities to negate the fires or the Purifiers. Telepaths and Telekinetic abilities are especially useful in this regard, although they must be done at range.

3. Run.

While you might believe this is an overreaction, I encourage you to read the report concerning the attack and watch the recorded footage for yourself. The simple fact is that we have no easy counters to this enemy. Berserkers and Chryssalids will be entirely useless against these Humans, and if they are being psionically assisted, every other unit will be rendered helpless to stop them.

This goes beyond simply being concerned about our soldiers, because entire locations are now at risk. It was not the fire that killed the majority of our forces in Japan, it was the combination of the fire and water ADVENT sprayed into the city. The combination resulted in explosions and the creation of a gas that spread throughout the compound, poisoning any who weren't killed by the fire.

A solution must be developed immediately. I request this be sent directly to the Battlemaster for further analysis and tactical solutions.

THREAT ANALYSIS: 101000000000

ANALYSIS COMPILER: THREAT ANALYZER G'HARROW

RESTRICTION: ANDROMEDON FEDERATION OVERSEER

UNIT OF INTEREST: ADVENT PURIFIERS

SPECIES: HUMAN

NOTE: UTILIZE FLAMETHROWERS

NOTE: UTILIZE HIGHLY DANGEROUS FLAMMABLE CHEMICAL COMPOUND

CURRENT THREAT LEVEL: OMEGA

OVERVIEW:

There are few enemies that have the ability to give me pause, and yet these Purifiers are currently one of those enemies. There was very little indication that ADVENT was currently developing a unit of this level of destructive capability. The Zararch did reveal that ADVENT was working on a kind of flame unit, but that intelligence was dismissed as irrelevant.

That was a mistake.

The Purifiers are almost on the same level of XCOM psions in terms of threat level to both Andromedons and the Collective at large. Reports from Japan indicate that the Purifier flamethrowers not only killed the Andromedon defenders, but melted their suits and atmospheric helmets, and instantly destroyed the control systems, negating the AI Contingency.

To date, outside of extreme temperatures like the sun, it should not be possible to melt Andromedon suits. That ADVENT has not only discovered such a chemical, but weaponized it, highlights the extreme danger of underestimating even a pre-spaceflight species. As of right now, we do not know the chemical composition or if any flame-retardant materials for such a chemical exist.

As it stands now, until we have far more information on both the composition of this unit and chemicals utilized, it poses an extremely dangerous threat to all Andromedon soldiers and should be treated with extreme caution.

NOTED WEAKNESSES:

While the unit is extremely dangerous, it is also very slow and thus, easy to target. There are two areas which should specifically be targeted by Andromedon soldiers if out of the range of the Purifier. Targeting the torso is NOT ADVISED as it is extremely armored and will likely do little to slow it down. The more important targets are the flamethrower itself, as damaging it will negate the Purifier entirely, and the tanks on the back of the unit, which are likely the containers for the chemical. Destroying them may trigger an explosion and destroy the Purifier.

The Purifier is also highly vulnerable to psionics, in particular those of the Attack, Telekinetic and Telepathic specialization. The Defense psionic specialization might be useful for holding Purifiers in stasis or blocking the chemical used, although this cannot be guaranteed without tests.

There are no other noted weaknesses.

CURRENT TACTICS:

1. If a Purifier comes within three hundred feet of an Andromedon unit, immediately begin a retreat as the range of the flamethrower is far longer than estimated, and the maximum range is not known. This will be updated once information is acquired.

2. Target vulnerable points of Purifier armor, including the flamethrower and chemical tanks.

3. If psions are in usage, use them against Purifiers as soon as possible.

4. Assign priority target status to any identified Purifier.

5. If Purifier is supported by hostile psionic defenders, immediately retreat until hostile psions have been neutralized.

6. Do not attempt to attack Purifiers at close range.

7. Do not attempt to attack Purifiers at medium range.

8. Do not attempt to ambush Purifiers.

9. Utilize high explosives against Purifier units.

10. If Purifier units are unable to be neutralized quickly, retreat and reassess tactics.

11. If necessary, utilize air support against Purifier positions.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. Immediately assign a Special Operator to assess threat level and observation of Feng Mercado

2. Immediately gather additional information on chemical composition and Purifier specifications.

3. Designate Purifiers as automatic priority targets.

4. Immediately begin research into utilization and negation of Purifier chemical, and similar chemicals.

5. Begin research into flame-resistant technology.