Ethereals: Organizations
The Phantom Division
"For all we know, this might just be another diversion by her."
- Aegis
REPORT: 110111110001
TARGET OF INTEREST: UNKNOWN VITAKARA
KNOWN ALIASES: UNKNOWN
KNOWN ALLIES: UNKNOWN
SPECIES: VITAKARA IDENTIFIED
INFORMATION OF NOTE: APPEAR TO BE HIGHLY MODIFIED
INFORMATION OF NOTE: LEADER UNIDENTIFIED
INFORMATION OF NOTE: MOTIVES UNCLEAR
INFORMATION OF NOTE: SUSPECTED ETHEREAL BACKING
THREAT LEVEL TO ANDROMEDON FEDERATION: UNKNOWN (ESTIMATED LOW TO MEDIUM)
ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: While initially we have dismissed the sighting and encounters of various and strange Vitakarians, I believe we now have enough visual evidence to begin attempting to figure out exactly what is happening with these continuous encounters. The few attempts to capture such aliens have not resulted in combat, as the targets in question immediately disappeared through unknown means.
VISUAL DESCRIPTION: There are two ways of identifying these altered Vitakarians: Armored, and unarmored. Unarmored ones are immediately distinctive due to their altered eyes, which have been observed to glow a shade of purple and red, though the reasons for this are unknown. The skin color will also usually be a darker grey, and the glow of the eyes will be more intense.
Armored ones have several noted armor styles and patterns. The armor is always a pure black, covers the entire body, and is not similar to any armor or suit known to any member species in the Ethereal Collective. It is clearly armored, but there is no segmentation like most suits, as if the metal itself is perpetually in motion and in the shape of the wearer. The only thing that can be reliably determined is height, as the armor obscures all other identifying features.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES: As these Vitakarians are altered to some degree, they are also modified to have greater strength, speed, and durability compared to others of their species, regardless of armor protection. All of them are capable of outrunning Andromedons, and presumably other species as well. Their armor is capable of absorbing multiple plasma shots, and nothing that has hit appears to have damaged it permanently.
The most troubling ability at their disposal is the capability to disappear from visual and electronic detection. They utilize some kind of advanced cloaking technology, one that does not appear to be based on the Seeker unit, but something else entirely. We have not ruled out psionic interference, but multiple independent encounters with the target vanishing into thin air, they almost assuredly have cloaking equipment that is more advanced than our own detectors.
This could pose a problem, should they become hostile.
MOTIVATIONS AND LEADERSHIP: For now, these Vitakarians appear to be directly interested in observation and infiltration, though for what purpose we can only guess at currently. They have not engaged in any combat, only run from it, but are likely fully capable of engaging in self-defense. That they have not moved against the Federation despite our own attacks indicates that they have a vested interest in our continued survival, or at a minimum do not wish to provoke us.
It is extremely likely that this is a group affiliated with one or more Ethereals, as that would explain the odd technology, observation tactics, and unwillingness to participate in combat. What Ethereal that would be is a question we cannot answer, since some of this doesn't fit any of the known or suspected profiles. It is likely that this group belongs to an Ethereal we have very little information on.
It might be advisable to simply mark these Vitakara when seen, and do not engage further. Capture of one would be preferable, but until we know what we're dealing with, it risks making an enemy of an Ethereal, and that would have very negative consequences.
RECOMMENDATION: CONTINUED IDENTIFICATION OF UNKNOWN MODIFIED VITAKARIA; ATTEMPT CAPTURE IF SUCCESS PROBABILITY IS OVER 80%; ATTEMPT NEUTRALIZATION IF FIRED UPON BY UNIDENTIFIED VITAKARAIAN.
REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 202; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR! DATA NOT FOUND!]
END REPORT
AWAITING REASSIGNMENT
XCOM File 5588
Authorization Level: XCOM Intelligence
Subject: The Phantom Division
Threat Level: Artemis
Assessment Author: Aegis
Approved By: The Commander
SECTION 1: Overview
I will admit to being slightly unfamiliar with the intricate details of Nebulan's personal army, but I am nonetheless aware of some of their operations, strategies, and other relevant information. What is important to understand is that, like the other personal armies of Ethereals, they very much reflect the Ethereals themselves.
As a result, this makes species like Andromedons and Sectoids unlikely to be a part of Nebulan's Phantom Division, which I will note is unlikely to be the name, but one ascribed to it by Quisilia (Who incidentally gives names to most other personal armies of Ethereals). As a result it is almost certain that the majority of the Phantom Division is composed of Vitakara.
Like Nebulan herself, I ultimately believe that of all the armies, hers is the most 'benign', if such a word could be applied here. Her operations are more likely to be less violent, and more insidious as a result, since misdirection and illusions are a staple of hers, one which her operatives follow closely.
SECTION 2: Operations and Tactics
In the Collective, the Phantom Division was actually not primarily focused on any particular aspect of it, although they certainly undertook operations upon the orders of the Imperator or Quisilia. I would not be surprised if a certain section of the Aui'Vitakar and other aspects of Vitakara government have been infiltrated by their operatives, nor do I think it outlandish for very select Andromedon leaders to be a part of it, and reporting to Nebulan. Although due to how the Andromedons function, I am unsure how feasible this actually is without direct psionic domination, which would then have to continuously bypass all other Andromedon security measures.
With that said, every Ethereal has authority to access the entirety of the resources of the Collective, including the entirety of the military, science, and engineering sectors. Acquiring the help of experts such as Fectorian and Revelean are also likely. There is no such concept as a budget for any Ethereal, and that would allow Nebulan to equip her operatives with the newest, best, or most experimental equipment and weapons that exist. So this is something to consider.
So your next question is likely what the Phantom Division was used for, and quite simply, it was an unofficial elite exploration unit. I know there are no fewer than five dozen Phantom Division operatives that are deeply embedded in the inner galaxy, though details beyond that are unfortunately ones I am unaware of.
However, the Phantom Division is never deployed as actual scouts, as in the area is completely unknown. That is first cleared by Quisilia, Sicarius, or Nebulan herself, and then she will send them to gather more information or infiltrate. For the operations themselves, they are broken into several different categories:
INFILTRATION: There are two variants to this: Long term, and Short term.
Short Term operations are generally sabotage, theft, or other operations that are not expected to take a long amount of time. The operative will infiltrate a location, complete their task, and leave; all likely without being detected. During this process they will likely either make it appear to be an accident or plant information leading to a different perpetrator.
Long Term operations are more for specific intelligence gathering on a target. This can be carried out over a period of years, at minimum, and the end goal can be modified as the operation progresses. It can ultimately have the same impact as a Short Term operation, but often the data gathered is far more useful than simple destruction or assassination.
RECON: As the name implies, there is very little that is surprising about this, nor is it especially questionable. Recon operations are primarily for scouting and gathering data on either planets, places, or external intel on organizations. They almost never have a lethal component, but often lead to Infiltration operations.
As this is Nebulan's unit, and the Collective has dedicated recon teams, they are primarily deployed to dangerous areas of space, ones with hostile wildlife or conditions, and in other situations that would be lethal to almost any other teams. To give an illustrative example, there was a region of space that was precariously close to several black holes, but had some theoretically habitable and resource-rich planets, and would be highly defensible if it was ever attacked due to the aforementioned obstacles and how traversing the wrong path would destroy entire fleets.
The Phantom Division successfully charted a safe path to the planets, and successfully established protocols and temporary settlements. Since there has not officially been any further work there, I suspect Nebulan has turned it into her own Blacksite.
ELIMINATION: This does not actually have anything to do with violent sabotage or assassination. Elimination operations forego all subtlety and are strictly military operations with only the goal of destruction in mind. There is no other objective, Phantom Division teams fulfill the role of death squads, and the chances of anyone surviving are extremely low.
Elimination operations are rare, and to date, they have only been used twice to my knowledge, one against a minor Andromedon Union that accidentally captured an undercover Phantom Division Operative (The Andromedons were killed before they actually learned who they captured, and the sudden destruction was made to look like an accident), and another time against a Nulorian cell where a Phantom Division operative had actually been caught.
Nebulan almost decided to kill Miridian himself for that, but ultimately decided he wasn't worth the effort and just removed everyone involved in that cell.
Ultimately, whenever an Elimination operation is ordered, those, and anyone else associated with them at that time, are likely going to die. If the Phantom Division is now involved on Earth, I would unfortunately expect this to be a far more frequent operation going forward.
SECTION 3: Personnel
I do not have exact data on the equipment or physical capabilities of those within the Phantom Division, but there are some pieces I do know, and can further extrapolate.
The first is that every single member is extensively genetically modified, though the exact capabilities I again do not know. But they are likely well above the baseline for the species in question, and likely were created by Revelean or the Creator, though this is unconfirmed. I also wouldn't be surprised if she used genetic modification from a Hive Commander just to throw others off.
The weaponry is likely to be dangerous, but it is admittedly nothing new, at least to my knowledge. Heavy plasma, magnetic, and laser weapons. Plasma grenades, rockets, they are capable of using all modern weaponry, and some of them have likely been cybernetically augmented as well. But the weapons are just tools, and not the real danger you need to fear.
As stated before, I highly doubt that there are Andromedons or Sectoids involved in the Phantom Division, as they do not possess the mindsets and characteristics Nebulan looks for when she recruits. The process is unknown to me, but the characteristics that draw her attention are charisma, subtlety, intelligence, creativity, and loyalty. It is not a stretch to say that the majority of her members are likely former Zararch, and I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to recruit some Nulorian if they impressed her enough.
Humans also might soon become part of her division. Be prepared for that possibility, especially since Humans are apparently working with her already.
Ultimately, Commander, the Phantom Division is extremely dangerous, and they are not like what you have faced from other aliens, but they are not numerous, and they do not specialize in open combat, even if they can participate in it. Once identified, they can be defeated with a moderate degree of effort, but I would not expect them to be more than an irritant as the war progresses in direct combat. Their real danger comes from their infiltration and assassination capabilities.
But you have much more to fear from nearly every other Ethereal army, with the exception of Sana'Ligna, of course.
Report: Asaru's Aliens
Primary Author: Elena Draganova
Primary Editor: Konstantine Volikov
Editor Note: Like with every document Elena writes, I've made it a lot less repetitive and dry. Needless to say there is quite a bit of interesting stuff here.
PART I: Organization and Structure
The unit commonly referred to as the "Phantom Division" is one that is under the Ethereal identified as Asaru, an Ethereal who primarily specializes in espionage and psionic telepathy. As of the time of this report, exact numbers are unknown despite extensive conversations with multiple aliens within this unit.
This is how Joreal described the organization within the unit:
"There are multiple teams, all with a specific focus. The focus of each group changes depending on the operation. This team has been training for Earth for some time, and our previous assignment was deep intergalactic reconnaissance. The best description of each team would be 'polymorphic'. We can adapt to any situation, and there is no such thing as a 'standard' team."
"I am the leader for this team, and report directly to Asaru herself. While it is not uncommon for her to take a direct interest, she rarely participates to this extent. The size of a team varies, but is generally from five hundred to one thousand. Smaller and larger teams are not generally needed as it would draw too much attention."
From additional descriptions, the organizational structure appears to not be complicated, with only the team leaders running it as they see fit, and then reporting anything necessary to Asaru. The smaller size of the units appears intentional for more reasons than stated, largely because it is apparent that these aliens know each other and coordinate well together.
In contrast to what might be expected, Asaru does appear to not only allow interteam relationships, but actually encourages them to an extent. This would also explain the equal number of male and female operatives, although I will note that not all Vitakara participate in this. I also suspect that this may be related to the fact that they are always deployed in teams of a minimum of two, and rarely odd numbers.
It is likely Asaru uses this to reinforce bonds and loyalty, but it is interesting, especially given the lethal nature of such operations. Although if couples operate together, and an operation goes wrong, the chances of both dying are high instead of only one being killed, and psychologically crippling the survivor.
Note this for future interactions. I would highly recommend that if our own operatives are propositioned by aliens, that they be denied. Not until we know how they think better.
PART II: Equipment
The Phantom Division operatives do not use standard Collective equipment, and what they have instead is far more dangerous as a baseline. Most interviewed aliens did not know where the equipment came from, but most believed that it came from another Ethereal or Asaru designed it herself. There were references to a 'Fectorian', and Joreal confirmed that Fectorian is another Ethereal who presumably specializes in advanced technology.
Why this is not being used in the standard Collective military likely comes down to scale and resources.
Weapons: The standard set of weapons for a Phantom Division operative are the following:
1. A highly modifiable rifle base that can be converted into a sniper rifle, automatic heavy cannon, or grenade launcher. The weapon can further be configured by utilizing plasma, laser, or magnetically propelled projectiles. Some elaboration on how these differ from traditional alien weapon types is as follows.
The plasma here does not maintain the standard green coloring, but is a glowing white. Damage appears to be substantially increased, and instead of firing bolts, it will fire a continuous stream similar to a laser. There are no other major changes.
Lasers work largely the same, but are more lethal for the sole reason that lasers fired are not visible to the naked and unmodified eye. At best a distortion will be visible, but the beam itself will not. This is not exactly useful for our soldiers in terms of visual feedback, but such an advancement would be extremely useful if the correct genetic modifications or technology was incorporated to allow visual feedback.
Their magnetically propelled projectiles are closer to miniaturized railgun technology, and are powerful enough to punch through even ADVENT armor with very little effort, and leave extremely messy damage. The downside is that these take full seconds to reload, and the clip size is very small.
2. Grenades. These come in several different types. There are White Plasma grenades, which act like standard plasma grenades, only even more dangerous. Nanite Grenades contain a small amount of nanites that have a lifespan of thirty seconds, and they eat through anything organic during that time and then self-destruct. Shredder Grenades act like standard AP grenades, and the functionality is not much different. The final are Symbiote Grenades, which Joreal confirmed to me were developed after XCOM created them, and they secure enemies in a sealing goop that is impossible to remove without applied heat.
3. Melee Weapons. Most operatives use small knives for self-defense, including Borelian Flash-Blades, but some utilize single-use nanoblades that can penetrate nearly anything, but only last for one hit before they break. Some of the larger Vitakarians utilize heavier melee weapons such as Oyariah Hammers, but some have adapted Human medieval weapons, such as the longsword and mace.
I will now note that this is the standard kit for the operatives. Specialized and more advanced weaponry can be requested, developed, and used. This includes dedicated plasma cannons, chemical weapons, automatic railguns, and an additionally wide variety of destructive weaponry. Even highly dangerous nanotechnology is available, but is has rarely been used beyond the grenades.
Armor: Phantom Division operatives going into combat have what is comparable to the XCOM Aegis armor, except more protective. It would be correctly defined as power armor, in that the suit is powered by an elerium core, and has several defensive features that include kinetic shielding (This is not based on the Andromedon technology), electronic disruption, and nanite self-repair. Also included are wrist and shoulder-mounted weapons of various types, which can have offensive and defensive capabilities.
On ordinary missions revolving around stealth, the suit is itself not powered, but nonetheless provides a high degree of protection. It also includes several additional features such as a cloaking device which is powered by a small elerium core. This can last for up to four hours before requiring a recharge.
I have begun researching the weapons, and advise we begin incorporating their technology into our own operations. Not even ADVENT has this level of technology.
PART III: Individual Enhancement
Every member of the Phantom Division is extensively genetically enhanced. The most obvious alteration is the eyes, which are side effects of a procedure that Joreal explained to me:
"The eye color depends on the type of modification you receive. The standard improvement is night vision. Each and every one of us can see in the dark perfectly, and it turns our eyes purple as a result. Now some of us go a step further and are additionally modified to see into the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums. Then our eyes turn red."
This is the most obvious enhancement, but it is not the most useful. All operatives have their skin hardened through genetic modification to an extent that even gauss fire is almost useless against them, and ordinary plasma has a similar effect. In addition, there are a select few that have been injected with MELD nanites that are capable of repairing any internal damage sustained, or even repair surface damage should it be required.
The muscles have also been enhanced, giving them extreme strength and the ability to withstand lethal falls. This has the effect of making each one of them lethal CQC combatants, even if the opponent is technically more skilled. This also is exploited when using melee weapons, such as wielding Oyariah hammers with only one hand (Albeit even this requires a certain size).
In addition, Joreal confirmed to me that the operatives themselves can be modified as Asaru sees fit. Size, facial features, skin color, and nearly any other aspect can be modified depending on mission need. Only gender and baseline intelligence are truly immutable. How this is possible is unknown, but it reinforces the polymorphic nature of these operatives.
Phantom Division operatives can be anyone and everyone.
Furthermore, each one is an expert actor and spy, likely over the course of a minimum of a hundred years. Most are former Zararch, and others are raised by Asaru from birth by other Vitakarians. Children of Vitakarians within the division will become operatives themselves (Perhaps another reason why Asaru encourages interteam relationships).
These agents appear to be far more dangerous than the Zararch, since they could likely pass for ordinary Humans, as the spies go to great lengths to fully immerse themselves in the culture of their targets. This in turn makes them oddly accepting of aliens, and very friendly to others. They respect and embrace diversity, and integrate what they like into their teams.
This is another reason why they are dangerous. They do not always appear to be anything but genuine, and might actually become friends with their targets. But if ordered, they will kill them without a second thought. They are not our friends, regardless of how they act towards us. Any member of this unit appearing to be confused by Human culture is almost certainly lying.
They prepared for us. They know how we think. These aren't like the aliens made fun of on the Internet. If anything, they are perhaps better at being Human than some Humans themselves are.
We cannot forget this, regardless of what they promise or say to us. This needs to be repeatedly emphasized and pressed on our people.
They are not Human.