Ethereals: Dossier
Caelior II
"You have got to be kidding me!"
- The Hunter, during the Second Battle of Korea
Internal Document sent to the Internal Council of XCOM
Commander,
Per your request, I have decided to perform a full review of Caelior and see if he is cleared for deployment on a psychological and capability level. Since his original awakening, he has regained full functionality of his limbs and his mental faculties are in working shape for an Ethereal (At least according to the limited data we have on the species).
Current Psychological Profile: Shortly after the capture of Caelior and his subsequent reawakening and reconditioning, I was tasked with developing a therapeutic template to gather a Human-based psychological profile, using the dossier provided by Aegis as a base for developing the planned sessions with the young Ethereal.
This has – in addition to assisting our more thorough understanding of Caelior – also highlighted some interesting aspects of Ethereal psychology and the Ethereal Empire that Aegis did not explicitly mention – not necessarily out of intentional desire, but because they were never something he considered important.
First, there was clearly very little psychological and mental services provided throughout the Empire. Caelior was initially confused as to the concept of therapy sessions and the role of psychologists utilized in a non-military or non-scientific fashion. This is not to say they didn't exist – further discussions with Aegis revealed that they were a highly specialized and small field that only the extremely mentally ill were ever sent to, which was usually solved with some form of psionic therapy.
This has been something of a suspicion of mine for a while now, namely that Ethereals are highly resistant – if not immune – to mental diseases or illnesses that afflict our species and presumably others. Due to their high control over their genome it is likely they would have been able to detect and eradicate mental diseases, and their reproductive systems would ensure that such disorders wouldn't suddenly manifest.
Ethereals are a remarkably resilient and stable species from a mental standpoint – likely by design – and it takes a significant amount to 'break' them, and even those who are 'broken' – such as the Ravaged One as the clearest example – are still capable of mostly rational thought and function. An argument could be made for Ethereals such as Isomnum, though those are based more in personality disorders than a negative mental condition.
However, Caelior most certainly proves that Ethereals can be mentally shaken and be forced to work through and adapt to shocking revelations. The Ethereal mind is bent towards stability, and when such stability is upended, they tend to react in shock or in violence. The emotions they express are usually anger or similar feelings which fuel violent actions. There is a desire to demand answers and punish those who have presumably wronged them.
Reviewing this with Aegis, he noted that the Imperator may not operate from that mental framework, so this is more reliable for non-Imperator Ethereals.
Caelior is characterized as arrogant and proud. This was, as we know, because he was a propaganda tool during the Synthesized War and while he is among the most powerful Ethereals to exist in terms of Trask Level, the Empire saw fit to manipulate his power to rally and embolden their people. Caelior took this particular revelation through a series of responses.
The first being shock that he was largely a tool the entire time, and that no one bothered to correct him – Aegis included – until now. However, what was curious was that the emotion that Caelior ultimately settled on was confusion. He was not, as I had initially predicted, angry. He was confused as to why he was used as a prop when he's said that it wouldn't have changed anything. He said he would have been perfectly content if that had been the best position he would have fit in.
In my professional opinion, that is not how the Caelior of the Empire would have reacted. This is after he was beaten, captured, and had the truth revealed to him all within the span of a very short amount of time. He received a significant bucket of cold water to his pride and power, and that has naturally forced him to reconsider some things.
It definitely stems from the now-real fear of his own mortality. Caelior realizes that he could have very likely died that day, and it was due to his own arrogance and someone being better than he was. He was unsure about his own capabilities and abilities; questioning how much of it was built in his mind and not something that an opponent smarter than him would be able to exploit.
It was a good starting point, so we worked together to help catalogue his known weaknesses – both ones he knew about himself and those which were noted by others. They were personal issues (arrogance, pride, etc.), training gaps (vulnerability to telepathy, etc.) and strategic issues (namely, that he knows very little of outthinking an opponent, only smashing them into pulp).
With these in mind, we began tackling them in various ways, some more easily than others. His training gaps were the easiest, as he could be taught much more effective ways to shield his mind. This initially encountered some difficulties, because Aegis is obviously the best teacher for this, and Caelior was mistrustful of him since Aegis – willingly or not – was complicit in keeping the truth from Caelior, even if Aegis regretted it later. For an initial period, he was tested by Human psions – in particular Geist and Vahlen – who were structured and somewhat harsh in their instruction. Both of which were needed and benefitted Caelior immensely. After a period, he was willing to train with Aegis, even if he does treat the older Ethereal with some wariness.
His strategic weaknesses were also straightforward in how to deal with them. Initially I gave him some reading material on various Human conflicts (at the suggestion of the Commander and Creed), to begin giving some of the basics. He appeared to respond better to multi-media material, such as videos or audiobooks/podcasts. A surprising but curiously effective method was introducing him to the RTS video game genre, which while crude and not necessarily reflective of real-life management and command, nonetheless coveys important – if highly simplified – concepts of overall strategy in political and military matters.
Once he had the basic concepts, Aegis had the quite exceptional idea of going through various conflicts of the Synthesized War with Caelior and explaining the good and bad aspects to the decisions made throughout. The Commander suggested also applying it to the current conflict, and one of the most interesting sessions was our discussion on how he lost in Japan – and he quite correctly identified the reasons for how and why he lost – as well as other battles which have been won and lost by ADVENT and the Collective.
His personal issues were more involved and something I suspect he will continue to work out for some time. These have mostly been in-session, and involve, for lack of a better word 'soul-searching'. Interestingly, the personality traits which have caused him the most trouble – namely his inflated ego – have been cut down quite a bit since his defeat.
The main struggle he has is reconciling the fact that he is absurdly powerful – with the fact that power alone means very little if your opponent is smarter than you are. It's something of a difficult concept for Ethereals to grasp – not something exclusive to Caelior. Ethereals as a species are arrogant, and not without reason. But the issue developed because they never had any legitimate conflict until the Synthesized – and had literally thousands of years believing they were superior and powerful.
I am under the impression that Ethereals are not necessarily as smart or clever as they think they are. Most of their problems could be solved with their psionics, and not as much critical thinking was needed for the average Ethereal. They didn't have to worry about diplomacy when they could just dominate anyone telepathically. Nothing could touch them, and this inherent arrogance shows itself in Caelior.
He's gotten better about not relying on his power, and thinking through his actions before going through with them. However, this issue does tie in with another one that became very apparent during our sessions – notably his views on aliens. Ethereals tend to consider themselves superior to other life, and Caelior is not an exception.
It is something which admittedly I doubt even Aegis has abandoned, even if he hides it. However Caelior is in a unique situation because he was beaten by a supposed 'lesser' species. It's difficult for him to reconcile this fact after being told that his species is superior to all others for most of his life. The good news is that he's…open to reconsidering. He's ironically most comfortable around Humans, and treats us warily. He's still not quite dropped a habit of doing the same to the Vitakara and Andromedons, but he is continuing to work on it, and I think perhaps some effective demonstrations (particularly by the Andromedons) would go towards convincing him that they are also worthy of respect. That is ultimately what seems to trigger a positive response in his brain. If he can be beaten by someone, he will automatically treat them more cautiously and warily, which is not quite as equals, but it is a step in the right direction. I will be utilizing some ideas around this concept in the future.
Now, overall, I will say that Caelior is mentally stable from a deployment standpoint. While I would not quite say that he possesses the mindset of a fully-developed Ethereal adult, I can say that this entire experience has matured him, and now that he understands his situation and how he was used, he is actively willing to try and improve himself. Having and continuing these sessions also plays a significant role in this, as Caelior often did not receive detailed personal attention, even within the Empire. He is much more agreeable and attentive if there is someone who appears to genuinely appear to care about him and wish to help.
I would consider him one of my better patients, compared to some Humans I've had in the past. Not everyone is interested in improving themselves.
Current Physical/Psionic Capabilities: Caelior is an extremely powerful Ethereal, far beyond any of our own Telekines, at approximately 237 on the Trask Scale – more powerful than Aegis even. He is in good shape for an Ethereal (It doesn't seem like they even have out of shape examples of their species), and is stronger and faster than any living Human – which does include those who have been genetically enhanced.
I could go through the various tests XCOM has conducted during his stay here, but honestly showcasing when he threw an aircraft carrier into Tokyo demonstrates his sheer power – which is not even close to his full potential according to Aegis, who has described Caelior as capable of destroying entire fleets.
As such, much of the training directed by Aegis and Iosif had focused on his area-of-effect capabilities – as well as those over long distances. Those, as it turns out, he is very good at, so the training then shifted to more direct and focused uses of telekinesis. Doing multiple things at one time independently, for instance. Caelior is notably able to do this easier than our own telekines, which is speculated to be due to his additional arms on a psychological level.
However, this was an area he initially struggled with, and over the course of several months he has been able through dedicated training to be able to pull off feats which our own Telekines wouldn't be able to mimic on such a scale. He is not what Aegis considers to be a master of telekinesis, but his own capabilities are more developed than they were before. This did help in Caelior reconciling with Aegis to a degree, even if it isn't completely forgotten.
As mentioned earlier, he has also improved his own telepathic defenses significantly. He is still having issues maintaining concentration in the face of distractions, but when completely focused and drawing upon a certain emotion as an anchor, his mental defenses are extremely difficult to penetrate. He is not able to use offensive telepathy, but will be able to defend himself much better in the event it happens to him again.
Manchurian Restraint Testing: We would clearly be fools to consider the Manchurian Restraints as insurance on faith alone, and there were a battery of tests that were run to make sure the Restraints were both installed correctly, as well as working for a number of scenarios. These involved having Caelior attack XCOM, ADVENT, and alien targets, with appropriate modifiers as to who is giving the order.
Due to his unique situation, the Restraints are more involved in Caelior than even the standard psion and MELD Operator. He can only accept commands from XCOM and certain ranks of ADVENT. Aegis is not included on this list, and he will immediately be forced to reject all commands given by those who are not 'whitelisted'.
All alien interactions – such as being contacted by another alien – will be reported to a superior and he cannot respond to them without XCOM permission. He cannot attack XCOM or ADVENT personnel unless explicitly ordered to do so. He is physically incapable of leaving Earth at this point in time, and his body will terminate itself if moved off-world. This restriction will be lifted when we have reliable interstellar space travel.
In light of all these factors, I feel qualified to say that Caelior is clear for deployment in our own operations. While I am not sure he can be completely classified as 'loyal', he is definitely willing to fight the Collective, and the Restraints ensure that he will not turn on us unexpectedly.
- Haley Yates, Head of the XCOM Psychology Division
Coverage of the Second Battle of Korea has been intermittent as ADVENT has restricted journalists from the front lines due to the inherent dangers, yet very recently there have been first rumors, and then confirmed reports of another Ethereal engaging Collective forces under the direction of XCOM. Further contact with XCOM's Central Officer Jackson, as well as interviews with several military officials have confirmed not only that XCOM has another Ethereal ally, but also his identity.
During the first reclamation of Japan, the Ethereal Caelior who led the attack was defeated and taken into custody by XCOM and was presumed to be reliably detained. However, it appears that Caelior has been turned or otherwise defected to XCOM as he has been confirmed to be the new Ethereal ally of XCOM. Central Officer Jackson has confirmed that they will be releasing a later statement and Caelior himself will be interviewed on his change of heart.
"We are aware that there is some concern and hesitation regarding this development," Jackson said in a statement. "This was a decision that we came to after significant review, both with ADVENT and Aegis to ensure that there are minimal risks to combat personnel. Caelior has undergone highly restrictive Manchurian Restraints, which will ensure that he will not act against the interests of Humanity in the future."
When there were questions on if Caelior had actually defected, or was simply being controlled by XCOM, Jackson offered a clarifying statement. "The Restraints are a contingency, one which I will note is applied to our Psions, as well as those in ADVENT and their government officials. The Restraints are not necessarily indicative of loyalty, or lack thereof. Caelior is a willing defector, and has been forced to understand some difficult revelations about himself and the Collective, and is willing to make amends for his previous actions against our species."
XCOM did not offer further clarification on the details of what convinced Caelior to defect, or what could be meant by the revelations learned by the Ethereal. Regardless, Caelior appears to be making good on his intentions as he has proven to be instrumental in pushing the Collective advance out of Korea and allowing ADVENT to maintain one of their most entrenched bases.
ADVENT officials have released statements as well. Commander Laura Christiaens said the following in her own brief statement. "We can confirm that the Ethereal Caelior is assisting in the defense of Korea. XCOM has assured us that he poses no threat to ADVENT personnel or interests." This sentiment has been echoed by several other ADVENT officials.
Chancellor Vyandar has currently not commented on the development, but directed us to Commander Christiaens statement. The Commander of XCOM similarly directed us to the statement by Central Officer Jackson, and it appears that both ADVENT and XCOM are withholding further details until the situation with Korea – and possibly China – is resolved or contained.
This development marks an extreme shift in the war, as the defection of a second Ethereal is likely to shake the Collective, as Caelior was among their most powerful, and with his defection along with Aegis, there is a distinct possibility that this will spark serious discussion in the possible viability in continuing the conflict, as the longer the war continues, the more unwilling certain Ethereals may be to fight it.
Several Vitakara defectors were surprised with the development, although they are emboldened. "I hope that this will encourage more soldiers to realize that the Ethereals are just as conflicted in participating in this conflict as everyone else," Runi'lindas'vitiary, a Vitakarian who is currently residing in Russia said. "The Collective is not omniscient. They are not unbeatable. They are not right. When you're told that defection will lead to death – it is a lie. One Ethereal they can dismiss as a fluke. A second shows the cracks in their system, and ADVENT will continue to bring it down."
The response from the Collective has so far been muted, and currently they have not responded to a request for comment.
- Article: New Ethereal Ally Emerges in Korea – Update 6
Notable Twitter activity following the end of the Second Battle of Korea
Caelior TheLittleStorm - Mar 11, 2017
XCOM decided I could have my account back.
Quisilia TheGreatQ – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Really?
Really?
Caelior, I am disappoint. #sad #traitor #boo #disappoint #incredulous #mildlyshocked
The Hunter FuckTheCreator – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheGreatQ
For once, I agree with you Quisilia. This is ridiculous. You Ethereals really need to get your issues sorted out.
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to FuckTheCreator
It may have gone over better if I didn't learn that everyone has been using me my entire life.
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Unfortunately for you those days are over.
Quisilia TheGreatQ – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Oh yes, because XCOM is 100% telling you the truth and could in no way be manipulating you. They would never, ever, do something like that. Assuming you're actually talking right now, and this isn't just an elaborate hoax? #sarcasm #conspiracy #manipulation #theyareusingyouyouidiot
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheGreatQ
Oh yes, because you are 100% telling me the truth and could in no way be manipulating me.
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Also, Aegis confirmed this too. Am I really supposed to believe you over him?
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
And since you don't believe it's me
Attached is a selfie of Caelior standing in an unidentified XCOM base with Aegis and a few unidentified XCOM soldiers in the background who are seemingly oblivious to having their pictures taken.
Quisilia TheGreatQ – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Relying on the XCOM puppet Ethereal certainly is a compelling argument. Come now, is that the best you've got? Just say you defected because of the memes or food. I could respect that more than a random conspiracy about how every single Ethereal lied to you, lol. #memes #unlikelyconspiracy #traitor #XCOMpuppet #aegis #dontbelievethelies
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheGreatQ
I'd rather believe an XCOM puppet than the Imperator's puppet.
The Hunter FuckTheCreator – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Oof
I like you a lot better now than when you were a boring incompetent child.
I'm glad I held off killing you for now.
Attached is an image of the Hunter in a selfie holding up a pistol and has several filters on it to give it a melodramatic and edgy atmosphere.
Quisilia TheGreatQ – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheLittleStorm
Not a bad comeback Little Storm, not bad. #learning #reactionmeme #decentburn
Attached is the Leonardo DiCaprio toast gif.
Caelior TheLittleStorm – Mar 11, 2017
Replying to TheGreatQ
You should get used to that. I'm just getting started with you.
To the Battlemaster,
While I am aware that there are a significant number of major operations taking place, this report has been marked as a priority due to the unexpected emergence of Caelior against our offensive in Korea. As of now there has been a retreat called as our forces are not prepared to engage a psion of that power and ADVENT itself is already remarkably entrenched.
Prior to his arrival there was slow, if steady progress being made against the trench lines, and it would have only been a matter of time until the lines began falling. Unfortunately, the arrival of Caelior ensured that any progress gained was soon lost as there is unfortunately no practical defense against a telekine of that power, and it effectively rendered all of our long-range offensives completely null and void.
This clearly raises a significant amount of questions regarding how XCOM intends to utilize powerful captured enemies and opponents. We originally assumed that Caelior would be held in stasis or kept in an induced coma indefinitely, if not outright executed due to the risks he would naturally pose. We were not expecting them to utilize Caelior in this manner.
XCOM UTILIZATION OF ETHEREALS/ENEMIES: Prior to this we had assumed that XCOM typically stored or otherwise imprisoned dangerous entities that were dangerous to hold, either terminating them after a certain period of time or rendering them in a state where they had minimal stimuli with the outside world. Due to the capabilities of Caelior, this was expected.
We anticipated that XCOM would work towards two goals with Caelior captured. The first would be gathering a significant amount of biological material on another Ethereal, which is likely extremely beneficial for their biomedical and genetics operations. The second would be the extraction of any information on the Collective and advanced techniques as it relates to the psionic field of telekinesis.
Afterwards, we expected Caelior would be terminated or permanently restrained with no further comment by XCOM. This has clearly not happened.
Reconsidering what XCOM is capable of, one thing we did not fully take into account was the fact that they had been working on – or already finished – development of the Manchurian Restraints. With this tool at their disposal, it follows that they would be capable of effectively controlling Caelior with presumably minimal strife. The reason this was not considered more thoroughly was due to two reasons:
The first is that we suspected Aegis would object to such a treatment of another Ethereal. This implies that either Aegis was overruled – and allowed it anyway – or that Caelior is actually willingly assisting XCOM. As unlikely as this is, it is a possibility. Both outcomes are concerning as it implies that XCOM has enough influence to dictate terms to Ethereals or is persuasive enough to ensure their compliance.
The second is that – even with the Restraints – it is a major risk where any flaws could potentially be catastrophic for XCOM. Regardless, it appears that the benefits outweighed the risks according to XCOM.
CAPABILITIES DEMONSTRATED BY CAELIOR: The capabilities displayed during the assault on Korea are in line with his already demonstrated capabilities, namely large-scale telekinesis which was effectively utilized against Heralds, Custodians, and our infantry majority forces. Missile platforms were rendered ineffective as physical projections can be mitigated easily by a telekine of his power.
As expected, the Executor platforms unfortunately were not able to withstand directed telekinetic attacks, although the good news is that it will be extremely difficult for any telekine who is not as powerful as Caelior to repeat his actions, as attacking the platforms required his full concentration and the design was able to withstand nearly twenty seconds before beginning to bend.
This was also done at a fairly long range, and once more indicated that Caelior – like most psions – is handicapped by his own line of sight. In an open battlefield however, this is a limited concern.
One thing of note was that to previous deployments, Caelior this time appeared to demonstrate something akin to restraint. As opposed to previously acting like a one-man army, Caelior instead actively used the forces of ADVENT and XCOM to his advantage, and many of his actions were to support them. In particular he targeted barricades, heavier units, assisted overrun areas, prevented missile strikes, and used his abilities to destabilize enemies as opposed to exclusively killing them.
He also didn't advance forward without additional support from XCOM and ADVENT. He could have very easily gone off on his own…but he didn't. He's clearly received some additional training, even if these decisions are being commanded by XCOM and enforced by the Manchurian Restraints. He did not speak much, if at all that we physically picked up. It is likely that all communications were kept internal.
Also, according to the deployed Hive Commander, Caelior has also received some additional training in telepathic protection, which was a weakness of his prior to being captured. Again, it is unclear if this is something Caelior pursued himself or something forced upon him by XCOM. In either case it will make him less susceptible to telepathic attacks in the future.
LIKELY UTILIZATION OF CAELIOR: Caelior's use is likely to be highly limited and specialized. Even though he – on his own – is extremely effective against our own ground forces, XCOM likely knows how we will plan to defend against him, and in the majority of cases, his assistance will not strictly be necessary – and could elicit immediate retaliation from us.
It is likely that he will only be deployed against critical points of defense for ADVENT, or against priority targets such as Ethereals, Hive Commanders, or Harbingers. He will also likely be used in major ground assaults, possibly in areas such as Australia. Theoretically he could be deployed anywhere, but realistically we will likely be able to predict his location of deployment within acceptable parameters.
His most useful application is as an anti-bombardment defense, as he has demonstrated in the past capabilities against spacecraft. Aegis is able to defend against bombardment, but Caelior would be able to reliably destroy bombardment craft and if ADVENT and XCOM have integrated Gateway links, he could be rapidly deployed across the world to different sites of bombardment.
We will likely need to take this into account for future bombardment plans.
PROPAGANDA EFFECT OF CAELIOR UTILIZATION: This is going to be a significant morale boost for ADVENT and XCOM, there is no question about it. Whether Caelior is assisting XCOM willingly or otherwise is irrelevant, because XCOM will not allow him to openly contradict the script they have no doubt written for him. This will be touted as a 'defection' and a rallying point for encouraging additional Vitakara defections and rallying Humanity completely under ADVENT – and XCOM.
The fact that XCOM has not one – but two – Ethereals on their side will improve Human morale significantly, and it remains to be seen how this will internally affect the Collective. Depending on how well Caelior has been coached, this could be very hard to explain away. ADVENT will no doubt suppress any speculation on the nature of the Restraints, and will paint Caelior as a proper defector.
This is also assuming XCOM has told ADVENT everything. There is a possibility they have not.
FURTHER ACTION TO BE TAKEN: Suppression or not, we will need to attempt to raise the possibility that Caelior is not acting of his own free will and under XCOM control. This is a viable tactic as it is a legitimate question that now puts a significant amount of power in the hands of XCOM – who is not an ADVENT affiliated party, even if they are allies. This could serve to possibly increase tensions between the two organizations if Caelior is indeed under their full control. If nothing else, observing the reaction will be telling.
Second is that our strategy regarding bombardment must be reworked to account for two Ethereals – one of them being Caelior. We cannot continue to utilize the same tactics unless we want to start losing large amounts of spacecraft. This is a solvable issue, but one that needs time dedicated to it.
Third, we will need to prepare to eliminate Caelior completely. Recovery is ill-advised as he is already compromised (willingly or not) and XCOM would certainly have put contingencies in the Restraints to prevent them from being reversed or otherwise taken out of their control. Thus, we must prepare to eliminate him as soon as possible.
While I understand that the assassination of an Ethereal – even one compromised – is not ideal, the alternative is that we are facing two highly powerful Ethereals being used against us and we should not put the lives of these traitors before our own forces. A further draft of measures to take will be developed shortly, but know that it should be one of our responses.
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary