ADVENT: History
The Battle of Beijing
"Today we stormed hell, and emerged victorious."
- Commander Laura Christiaens
ADVENT Military After-Action Report 1099
Operation: Ragnarök
Author: Commander Laura Christiaens
Recipients: Chancellor Saudia Vyandar; Chief of Lancer Operations Helion Weekes; Chief of ADVENT Engineering and Development Feng Mercado; Chief Diplomat Firdaus Hassan; Director of ADVENT Intelligence Elizabeth Falka; Central Officer Ariel Jackson; the Commander of XCOM
This operation is currently among the largest since the formation of ADVENT, and in the aftermath it is clear that such dedication was warranted, as if we had not planned as extensively and utilized our many resources to take back the city, we would not have succeeded as completely as we did today.
Our operation was successful, and there is confirmation that Isomnum has been killed, as have all the ranking soldiers of the entity identified as the Bringer. The city is still under lockdown until we confirm that that all compromised individuals have been eliminated, but this is likely to take days or even weeks to fully confirm.
Despite the possibility of a follow-up attack against the nation, we are not expecting the Ethereal Collective to stage an additional assault, as they appear to be focusing their resources on South America, North America, and Africa. They are more than content to let us determine the aftermath of China and the surrounding region, assuming that it will cost more for us to rebuild than potentially defend against additional assaults.
We should endeavor to prove this a mistake for the Collective. Nonetheless, there are several major points to be discussed in the aftermath of this entire campaign waged by Isomnum. Despite it ending in our victory, there has been a cost that will take a toll on our citizens and soldiers. Excluding the psychological impact of the livestreams just before the assault, which were mitigated as much as possible, these are the following:
Civilian and Military Casualties: I suspect that we will never obtain a complete count of the number of casualties of this battle, but I find it difficult to imagine that there will be another singular battle which even touches the sheer amount of dead who are only estimated. Based on shared data from what remains of the Chinese government, close to seven million civilians were evacuated, while most opted to remain unless the conflict became noticeably closer and worse.
This means there were close to fifteen million civilians left at the time Isomnum assumed control over the city, and all of them have been compromised. This is not taking into account the ADVENT personnel – estimated to be thirty thousand military, administrative, medical, and peacekeeping units – who are also believed to be lost. Casualties from the operation itself are close to twenty thousand, mitigated from expectations thanks to allied Ethereals, XCOM, and the deployment of the Pantheon and Order of Terra, along with significant tank support.
Nearly all of the compromised civilians were utilized by Isomnum against us, in traps, head-on assaults, mobs, and in nearly every possible combination. It will take weeks to fully document the amount of dead, as there are only three million been positively identified while just over a million are unidentifiable. There are millions more who have not been counted yet, although we have successfully documented eighty-two percent of all ADVENT personnel participating in the battle who were killed in action.
Once identified if possible, all bodies are being processed into deployed incinerator units across the city upon the suggestion of XCOM to ensure that the psionic plague dies completely. The remaining Chinese government initially objected to the treatment of the dead, but was overruled due to the risks involved.
Bodies of Bringer soldiers have been quarantined and most have been confiscated by XCOM for controlled autopsy and testing. We have formally established a joint ADVENT-XCOM research post in Germany which will contain and hold the remaining bodies so we can perform experiments of our own – a compromise as XCOM did not want any research being done without assurances that it would be conducted safely. As such, they will work to assist us in properly containing and researching these highly altered and irregular specimens.
Continuing Operations in the City: As we speak, military operations are continuing to clear the city of any remaining threats. The death of Isomnum did not end the hundreds of other smaller fights throughout the city and while most are over quickly, they are tedious and will take hours to perform at a time as these involve completely sweeping skyscrapers, bunkers, museums, and essentially every aspect of the city.
Currently we estimate at least two weeks at current manpower to ensure that the city is completely purged of all psionic taint, but it could take longer to be certain. A perimeter is continuing to be maintained as we cannot afford to let a single compromised civilian escape, else it could spread faster than we can stop it.
Recovered Alien Equipment and Technology: There is notably very little 'technology' that has been recovered, though the equipment of many of the Bringer's soldiers is being quarantined and cleansed for later study. The armor itself appears as good as, or even superior to XCOM's, and the weapons appear exceptionally sturdy and dangerous.
XCOM has also claimed Isomnum's body for study, along with a number of undisclosed artifacts which they have not shared at this time, though they promise to do so if their theories and research bears fruit.
Intervention of Sana'Ligna: The unexpected arrival of Sana'Ligna is being handled by the AEGIS Division at the moment, and they are preparing to send a delegation in conjunction with our own Diplomatic Service. At the moment Sana'Ligna has refused all formal talks of her situation until she has finished treating the wounded in Beijing. XCOM has assigned a squad to watch her closely with Aegis also close at hand.
While we initially suspected a defection, it is beginning to appear like this situation is not as clear cut as we assumed or were hoping. The Commander of XCOM is also going to Beijing to talk, and will be accompanied by Chancellor Vyandar. Until we fully know her allegiance, it is imperative that she be kept away from insufficiently protected personnel and institutions.
This is an extremely dangerous Ethereal, regardless of her reputation. She is a biopath, and that alone shows she is a powerful telepath. Do not antagonize her yet, but do not assume she is an unconditional ally.
Psychological Impact of Battle: It is likely that most if not all of the soldiers who participated in this operation will need significant counseling or therapy for the events they witnessed. This went far and above what we require of our soldiers, and they were required to perform actions that they could not have properly trained or prepared for.
Despite the knowledge that all the civilians were compromised, it simply does not change the fact that they were gunning down living and unarmed men, women, and children. Sometimes babies and pregnant mothers were among the dead. No one can walk away from that in the right frame of mind, and it is recommended that all personnel involved should be rotated away from China to one of the European theatres and not placed into combat duties until they are cleared by an on-staff psychologist.
None of these people are in a combat-ready state and they will not be put into one without reason.
I suspect that the entire tainted atmosphere of the battle has also lessened the stability of their minds. Isomnum's own abilities caused multiple mental breakdowns, and there are already reports of soldiers feeling intense feelings of terror, nausea, horror, and other emotions to a debilitating effect. Some even claim that there was something watching them the entire time, eyes visible in the sky.
This is corroborated enough times that we assume that this was something induced by Isomnum or one of the Bringer telepaths. Nonetheless this only reinforces the need for these soldiers to be given proper psychological help and not expose them to combat again for the time being until cleared.
Media Treatment and Information: Currently we have elected to only allow media personnel into strictly quarantined areas, speak to only sanctioned military officers, and be prepared to be evacuated at a moment's notice. Too much of the city is still dangerous and not cleaned up yet. Bodies still line the streets and while it is important that the cost of this battle be known, it is not necessary that it be seen by the public.
We have – on the suggestion of Kyong – shared certain pieces of footage from the battle with media sources so they have a clearer picture of what has happened and why we are limiting access. While there is the chance that this could be altered and distributed to paint our actions in a poor light, Kyong has provided assurances that this won't happen. Media personnel will be providing feedback of their own as they review. We still expect that footage of the battle will not be shown to the public, and the aftermath will continue to remain sanitized.
Right now, the focus is on our victory, and it should stay that way for a while.
Future Operations Against Psionic Plagues: This operation has shown to us what we did well, what we could have done better, and what we need to do next time. This operation could have – without a doubt – been handled in a far cleaner manner with fewer lives lost. However, we did not anticipate the bloodbath which ultimately happened, and will know this for next time.
First: The usage of Aegis to create a psionic barrier over the city worked perfectly and will be repeated in the future, either by Aegis or a team of sufficiently powerful Aegii psions from the PRIEST Division. This effectively trapped the enemy, and will play a significant role in future operations of this type.
Second: These psionic plagues typically affect regular citizens and keep them alive. They are thus as susceptible as anything else to attacks, and their danger is in sheer numbers, nothing else. They will not be ignored by the Bringer or any other thing which induces a plague, and will be used against us even if they will fail. Knowing this, we can plan for far more efficient disposal of these enemies.
Operations will begin by launching enough chemical and gas attacks into the compromised area to effectively saturate and poison everything inside it. The exact gas has yet to be determined, but there are a number of options. The gas will be contained properly by the psionic dome, and it will eventually kill everything inside that does not have sufficient protection.
Once this is achieved, we will launch an attack and likely have a far easier time removing the actually dangerous enemies than continuing with them and a mob of mindless thralls. Airstrikes against chemical plants in the area should also be performed, as we found that effective when conducted in the latter stages of this operation.
It is ultimately safer for our soldiers, and is more bloodless than the alternative.
Battlemaster,
As anticipated, the battle has concluded, Beijing has been taken by ADVENT, and Isomnum – including all Bringer forces – are dead. This battle was exceptionally bloody for all sides, and ADVENT is estimated to have sustained significant, although proportional, casualties for an operation of this size and scale. We have been able to acquire a significant amount of information from this entire situation, some of which is extremely concerning and you would have no doubt heard of.
SANA'LIGNA: To our surprise and that of ADVENT and XCOM, Sana'Ligna unexpectedly showed up during the conflict and began assisting against Isomnum. I checked to see if she had been deployed upon the request of yourself or someone else, but it appears she has decided to do this completely on her own which bodes exceptionally poorly. We cannot afford to have another defection so soon after Caelior appeared, and Mortis is going to cause issues when he finds out.
With this said, there is a small possibility that Sana does not intend to defect, but instead merely wanted to intervene and she will soon depart. Or she wanted to speak to Aegis or Caelior and this was the means by which she could prove herself to gain such an audience. Alternatively, she could want to speak to T'Leth, or the leadership of ADVENT or XCOM to ascertain the 'truth' of the situation for herself, which would be a highly dangerous action and if she returns, it should be ensured that she is not compromised by the Sovereign One.
I would advise that a delegation led by yourself or another Ethereal peacefully retrieves her in the event that she does not return. She is currently on her own with XCOM, and it isn't out of the question that if they do not believe she is an ally, that they would kill her or do to her what they did to Caelior. She would no doubt defend herself, but with Aegis and Caelior – as well as T'Leth – that may perhaps be more difficult than expected.
BRINGER SOLDIER EFFECTIVENESS: If there is something exceptionally useful to take away, it is the effectiveness of the Bringer soldiers against ADVENT. With only a tiny fraction of their numbers, they were able to successfully wage a mostly successful campaign throughout the country and were reliably facing forces while outnumbered and outgunned – and winning.
This indicates that psionics needs to take a larger priority in future conflicts, as ADVENT has difficulty holding against trained and powerful psions, and XCOM and T'Leth cannot be everywhere at once. At least in this instance, the Bringer soldiers performed exceptionally well and did us a massive favor. While I understand that the situation should not have happened to begin with, here is what I propose instead:
We have Paradise and the Bringer – this operation will not be shut down else it would have already been done. There are plans for them. However, instead of doing nothing with them in an attempt to keep them confined, I instead propose that they be further used – and controlled. Let the Bringer grow his psionic soldiers, and when the time comes, harvest them.
Take them away, subject them to mental conditioning to ensure their viability and loyalty, and use them against ADVENT. Keep them in stasis, or otherwise isolated so they have no contact with Paradise again. Separate them from any Paradise personnel or any unauthorized personnel at all. These are not individuals. They are weapons of mass destruction and should be deployed as such.
This accomplishes two goals – it gives us a powerful tool to deploy against ADVENT while we work on bolstering our own psionic forces who will ultimately replace them, and more importantly, it deprives the Bringer of additional resources. He will not be able to force any surprise betrayal when his entire army serves us.
The Bringer is unreliable and your distrust of the situation is accurate. But the best way to undermine this entity is not isolating it – it is taking everything it makes – and perverting it in its eyes. Forcing its followers to follow the Imperator and enslaving their minds to bind their loyalty to the one who is not their god.
A poetic solution, and I would urge that you share it with the Imperator.
ADVENT PURGE TACTICS: The tactics exhibited by ADVENT as they took the city were notably brutal and practical. They treated the city as if it was infected with a psionic plague and eliminated everyone within it, regardless of if they were man, woman, or child. This was an admirable solution to the problem and something which should be recognized as such.
We've had plenty of examples of the practicality of ADVENT, but this should be considered the final proof that ADVENT will take whatever actions are necessary to achieve victory regardless of the consequences or cost to themselves or their soldiers. It is very likely that they will consider adapting these tactics in the unlikely event that they use XCOM or ADVENT strike teams on allied planets arriving through teleportation. A simple operation to execute any and all aliens will have a beneficial effect for them, and if they were willing to do such to their own species, they will not hesitate when the victims are aliens.
We should prepare accordingly.
ADVENT PROPAGANDA OUTCOME: ADVENT is unsurprisingly celebrating the death of Isomnum openly and jubilantly. Even the media critical of ADVENT is stating how they did an excellent job, and of course thanking all the brave soldiers for taking part in it. Across the world in places where there isn't active conflict going on, there are celebrations taking place.
This is especially the case for the millions of Chinese refugees who are currently residing in neighboring countries, and it is safe to say that anti-alien sentiment is being fostered in all of these which unfortunately is not without reason. I would be remiss to report that morale has also risen among Collective personnel who are quietly celebrating his death. The agent who reported the news was in a better mood than I had seen her in months.
I suspect that the only one who will not ultimately benefit from this is Isomnum – and the Bringer.
INTERVENTION OF T'LETH: In this battle we saw more of T'Leth's Agents in one place than we have ever had before. Noted ones such as the Chronicler and Fiona were present, along with the ones Quisilia encountered in Australia. But all of them were involved, if spread throughout the city and moving to different flashpoints.
T'Leth is also speculated to have personally played a quiet role in the conflict, as the teleportation capabilities of the Bringer's soldiers seemed to not work to escape, else they would have done so. We know T'Leth is capable of this (if not knowing how), and it could theoretically be assumed that for him to attempt something like this without being physically present, he needs his Agents to provide him with enough information.
There are also reports of soldiers seeing six blue eyes in the sky looking down at them. This should be concerning. T'Leth is now involved in this war, and there is no going back.
OTHER CONFLICTS IN CHINA: Other conflicts and skirmishes in China have died down and ADVENT is cleaning up across the country. It is assumed all Bringer forces not in Beijing were recalled to Paradise, and the only ones that were left were Isomnum's soldiers, Custodians, and the Mutons he didn't squander.
There are reports of towns which have needed to be purged due to being infected through the Bringer, but those have been limited and there are Priests confirming if towns are infected or not. The civilian populations in most of the southern country is close to zero, having either been infected or died in the initial assaults.
For now though, it appears that the conflict has ended in China. It is weakened though, and susceptible to future attacks as it will take years for the country to recover fully – even with ADVENT support.
CHINA'S FUTURE: It can be reasonably assumed that China will become a full member state of ADVENT after this. Considering that the majority of the Chinese administrative and military leadership is dead, and ADVENT expended a significant amount of resources protecting – and then retaking the country – they are going to want something in return.
In the end I suspect that the Chinese will be more than happy with the arrangement, although given the history of political division in the country, it may not be as smooth as ADVENT is hoping. There is a distinct possibility that the country of China could be broken into two or even three parts. We will be watching the diplomatic situation closely.
VENADIAR REPORT: The Hunter shared quite a bit of interesting information from his own observations. He did his job well, which is surprising, but we should not complain. His treatment of the Creator's Assassin may have perhaps been a little harsh, but she should not have been interfering anyway, so there is little sympathy to offer. As far as we know she escaped and has likely returned to Paradise Station.
He reported that the equipment provided worked exceptionally well against psions, and rendered even the Bringer's soldiers helpless and poisoned. Considering the effectiveness of this weaponry, I would highly suggest that we consider the formation of a specialized anti-psion team to utilize this technology against ADVENT.
They already have a psionic advantage over us, even taking into account Ethereal support, and that needs to be mitigated as much as possible. And what is important is this – ADVENT and XCOM will not be able to produce or reverse-engineer it even if they attempt to figure out what it is. We will have a weapon they cannot replicate, and that cannot be overstated in its importance.
Consider it.
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary
Interview Transcript with ADVENT Gunner Angela Juliin and ADVENT Psychologist Darin Winston after the Battle of Beijing
[Darin Winston]: "You said you saw something; during the fighting?"
[Angela Juliin]: "Not just then."
[DW]: "Explain it to me?"
[AJ]: "It's difficult to say; describe I mean. It was something I felt the moment I stepped through the shield."
[DW]: "Isomnum and his forces were affecting the area telepathically. Even XCOM and the PREIST Division couldn't funny suppress it."
[AJ]: "No, no, it wasn't anything like that. Trust me, I felt what Isomnum could do…"
Silence for six seconds
[DW]: "We'll talk about that later if you want, let's go back to what you were feeling at the beginning."
[AJ]: "Alright."
[DW]: "What did you feel?"
[AJ]: "Like something was watching me. Subtle, but I was on edge and didn't know why. It was just a feeling that only got stronger."
[DW]: "Do you know why?"
[AJ]: "No, I-wait, there was something. There was one of the XCOM soldiers, a psion who wasn't wearing much armor and carried some kind of staff. It had a blue orb on the top."
[DW]: "Why do you think it's tied to this man?"
[AJ]: "Because I kept looking at the orb. It was glowing. I wanted to touch it. It was calling to me."
[DW]: "Calling as in…?"
[AJ]: "I can't explain it. I wanted to see what it was, hold it, and I can't explain why."
[DW]: "Could it have been this man that gave you that feeling? Was it the first time you'd encountered him?"
[AJ]: "Yes, but I don't think it was him. I don't think he even noticed me. It was something else."
[DW]: "What do you think it was?"
[AJ]: "I don't know, but later I looked into the sky, and through the psionic fog I saw six glowing orbs; eyes. It couldn't have been anything else."
[DW]: "Could they have been psionic illusions?"
[AJ]: "I don't know."
Prolonged pause
[AJ]: "I'm afraid of what it could be."
[DW]: "Why do you say that?"
[AJ]: "Because it helped us. What…what Isomnum did…I think he woke something up."
[DW]: "But if it helped us, that's a good thing, yes?"
[AJ]: "Today? Yes, but whatever this thing is, an alien, entity or god…it isn't going away. It's still here somewhere, and if it had tried harder, I won't be able to resist if it wants me. I…don't know if XCOM is working with that thing or not, but I don't want to be near them again."
[DW]: "Do you really think XCOM-"
[AJ]: "I don't know! But I don't want to be near them again. Please…"
[DW]: "We don't have any control over where XCOM goes and does. But I'll mention this in my report and try and get you placed somewhere where that isn't likely. No promises, but I'll do my best. Is that agreeable?"
[AJ]: "Yeah, yeah it's fine."
[DW]: "Good. I think that will be enough for our session today. Go home, sleep, pray, talk to some of the others."
Prolonged pause
[DW]: "You're not the only one who experienced something like this. It'll help if there are others to talk to."
[AJ]: "Do you think I'm crazy?"
[DW]: "No. I don't. But I do think there are things we don't know – and that ADVENT knows what they are doing. Go get some rest, you deserve it."
End of transcript
XCOM Post-Beijing Interview between XCOM Soldier Kane McTaggart, and XCOM Psychologist Haley Yates
Transcript begins
Prolonged silence
[Haley Yates]: "Well Kane, you came here willingly, so I assume you want to participate."
Silence
[HY]: "I'd think congratulations are in order. You won, and from this report, killed Isomnum personally. Not to mention fought exceptionally well in the battle itself."
No response.
Yates sighs
[HY]: "Kane, you just finished killing the one you've dreamed about since your incident. Do you feel anything from that? The Commander just wants to make sure you're in a viable mental state before deploying you again, and I can't do that if you stay quiet."
[Kane McTaggart]: "It isn't fair."
[HY]: "What isn't fair?"
[KM]: "Isomnum died too easily; too quickly."
[HY]: "You beat him to death with your bare hands for nearly twenty minutes. I would disagree with that."
[KM]: "Once! He died once. Do you know how many times I did?"
[HY]: "And you came back. He won't."
[KM]: "It doesn't matter if they were real or not. I felt each one as if it was. And he only has to endure it once."
[HY]: "Killing him didn't help?"
[KM]: "Not enough. One death isn't enough. I thought – hoped it would be – but it isn't. It can never be."
[HY]: "But you understand that there isn't really anything that can be done. Resurrection is not something XCOM can do, sadly."
[KM]: "I am aware. But you wanted to know how I feel."
[HY]: "And what will you do?"
[KM]: "The Warlock and the Battlemaster still live. I will kill them both next. Maybe that will be enough."
[HY]: "Putting your energy to good use then. I'm glad to hear it."
Silence
[HY]: "You kept Isomnum's helmet."
[KM]: "Yes."
[HY]: "Why, if you don't mind me asking?"
[KM]: "Because I can't destroy it."
[HY]: "Do you want to?"
[KM]: "Yes."
[HY]: "Why not then?"
[KM]: "Because I need it. I need something to remind me what I did…"
Kane trails off
[KM]: "I need it to remind me that Isomnum is dead. Dead and not coming back."
[HY]: "But that's something you know. You killed him yourself."
[KM]: "I killed him once before, and I woke up. This…I have something this time. Something that I can see and know I won't wake up from."
[HY]: "I see, in which case you should thank the Chronicler for removing it."
[KM]: "I will do that."
[HY]: "I think this has been productive, and even if you'll ignore it, I think more of these sessions would be good for you."
[KM]: "Will I be cleared for duty?"
[HY]: "You don't seem worse than you were before, if not necessarily improved mentally, so in all likelihood yes. The final decision will be made by the Commander. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"
[KM]: "A request."
[HY]: "Yes?"
[KM]: "The Shoggoth which participated. Do you know which one it is?"
[HY]: "Not personally, why?"
[KM]: "I want to see it. Do you know where they are kept?"
[HY]: "I'll find out for you, and get you the necessary permissions. Just give me a couple hours."
[KM]: "Thank you."
End transcript