Vitakara | History
The Aui'Vitakar Bombing
"And so, seals the image of a terrorist, in the minds of the people."
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary
To the Speaker,
As this report is being compiled, rescue teams are continuing to fully catalogue the damage and casualties in the blast radius. There have been significant developments as a result of the bombing, which has already been attributed to the Nulorian while openly supported by XCOM. While it appears that Miridian and the majority of the terrorists likely escaped, we can consider the overall operation a success – and gained a significant amount of knowledge in the process, that we will use to destroy the Nulorian once and for all.
PREPARATION: The publication of the full session of the Aui'Vitakar achieved its stated objective, despite the details of said session being intentionally vague and using known keywords that attract Nulorian attention. While the vast majority of the Sar'Manda declined to attend, the session was otherwise complete.
During this period, the foundations of the Aui'Vitakar Chambers were laid with elerium charges as specified for complete destruction. The thorough implementation of these explosives ensured that the Nulorian never once suspected the possibility that the building was rigged, as it was fully conducted without the knowledge of occupants.
Critical personnel were prevented from entering the building during the estimated time of the session, as well as yourself. There was the risk of Miridian noticing something was off, but this was not determined until far later into the attempted operation. All computers were backed up, and I can confirm that no data was lost in the loss of the Chambers.
SUCCESSFUL LURE OF MIRIDIAN: Our psychological models of Miridian have shown him to be growing increasingly confident due to a number of factors, most prominently his continued support from XCOM, ADVENT, and Agents of T'Leth. His significant operational successes have also contributed to his growing confidence, and made him less cautious than he has previously demonstrated.
We have known that he has harbored a hatred of the Aui'Vitakar, and its destruction is a stated goal of the Nulorian. Thus, it served as bait, which there was a high likelihood of him taking. By creating and building up a major event, which could theoretically increase the impact, we were able to predict with accuracy the period he would attempt to conduct this operation.
Miridian is also an individual who puts significant value on sending a message to the wider Vitakara population, as well as his perceived enemies. This ensured that he would be unlikely to perform a quick operation, as he would not pass up the chance to ensure as many people as possible heard his message.
While Miridian did eventually come to the conclusion that the building was a trap, we have proven this model a success, and we will continue to refine it and in the meantime undermine Miridian's confidence.
INTERNAL REVIEW OF FOOTAGE: As expected, the Nulorian were capable of subverting the internal systems (this will be elaborated on shortly), and took control of the cameras (all of which were lost in the explosion). Fortunately, this had been anticipated, and a smaller, secondary closed circuit was in operation, which was activated upon the loss of significant control.
This footage was able to be reviewed, and we were able to acquire images of every single Nulorian operative that took part, including Miridian himself, who had previously never been identified. As expected, he is a Vitakarian. We were also able to determine the XCOM operatives – some of which curiously appeared to be Vitakara of varying races.
The intent of the operation appeared to be a mixture of terror and opportunism. Miridian clearly wanted to abduct most or all of the Aui'Vitakar, using teleporters to move them to his outposts, though he was clearly willing to kill those who resisted. He also appeared to be prepared to give a speech presumably broadcast planet-wide.
We do not know what Miridian planned, or is planning to do to those he captured, though it will likely be a mixture of torture, exploitation, and blackmail. As we have secured control over all public networks, the propaganda effect of his victims will be severely curtailed. We do expect to see the results in the coming weeks.
CASUALTIES: We are still cataloguing the casualties of the bombing, but they are in the tens of thousands. In addition to all representatives of the Aui'Vitakar, the staff, as well as the surrounding area perished, with significantly more suffering major and minor injuries. The casualties are high, but not crippling and within acceptable operational parameters.
PUBLIC REACTION: As expected, the public reaction has been complete and total outrage.
Blame has immediately been placed on the Nulorian and Miridian specifically, as we began releasing images of the terrorists, and in the following days we have seen our internal assessments of Nulorian sympathies drop significantly to pre-war levels – this number is expected to continue to drop.
This also appears to have had the unexpected benefit of increasing domestic support for the conflict, due to the clear involvement of Human forces – we expected that sympathies for Earth would fade, but the degree to which support for armed engagement is significantly higher. Recruitment into the Runianarch has increased already, especially among the Borelian population.
Even the Sar'Manda have issued a rare condemnation of the attack, and stated that they would be considering tangible support to the war effort. The Borelian Authoritative Council has similarly called for cities to be placed under armed lockdown, and increased Zararch operations to root out the terrorists.
Effectively, this has achieved the exact domestic reaction desired, despite Miridian's continued survival.
RAMIFICATIONS FOR MIRIDIAN: We anticipate that this will have immediate and long-term ramifications for Miridian which will largely be negative, and beneficial to the stability of Vitakar as a whole.
The first is that it is almost certain that Miridian will revert to a mindstate which is more methodical and cautious in nature. His near death will force him to reevaluate how he has approached operations, and may cause him to be more uncertain, and second-guess his decisions in the future.
It will also potentially shake the faith in Miridian from his soldiers. We believe this is unlikely due to Nulorian loyalty, but it is possible that XCOM will reassess Miridian's competence and capabilities, due to almost losing their own soldiers. ADVENT may also conduct their own assessment, but this is less likely.
This will deeply hurt Nulorian messaging more than it has already suffered, and it remains to be seen how exactly Miridian will attempt to exploit this. He is a tarnished actor, and may realize that he will be perceived as the villain regardless of the truth or not. He may decide to accept responsibility for the bombing, as it would demonstrate his supposed reach and power. However, it is unlikely that XCOM would support this action, and doing so would lead to strained relations – the calculus Miridian is operating within remains unknown.
CONFIRMATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN USE: Perhaps the most important revelation of this operation was that we have definite confirmation that Miridian is in possession of an active artificial intelligence. This AI was capable of subverting and overpowering a CODEX-protected system – something that is supposedly nearly impossible to do.
We have suspected that Miridian was in possession of a machine intelligence or an artificial intelligence. The information sent during the takeover to us displayed indicators which are present in a fully sapient AI – not a machine intelligence. The relationship of Miridian and this AI is unknown.
We are even unsure if Miridian knows he is in control of a true AI, or if it is an AI that is posing as a less powerful variant for unknown reasons. If there is an AI that is using Miridian, or there is some mutual agreement in place, that is concerning for the future, as having an active AI in the hands of the Nulorian that is hostile to us is not tolerable.
It is recommended that we begin implementation of system hardening from Mosrimor, as well as establishing honeypots to appropriately capture more details about this AI. Notably, Regisora has explicitly demanded that all future information be immediately forwarded to her. She has implied that Mosrimor would be able to assist if there are certain things confirmed. She has not elaborated, but it is likely that Mosrimor is familiar with AIs, and we should not hesitate to employ his knowledge.
POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION SUPPORT: Another benefit of this operation is that with the complete destruction of the Aui'Vitakar, and no government organ established to fill the void, we are primed to begin consolidating the Vitakara under one single authority, under the leadership of yourself and other designated bodies.
We expect that several of the Local Governments will continue to raise concerns, but after the Bombing, we anticipate that any resistance will be symbolic, as the local populations are afraid, and are looking for stability. Once this is established, the second phase of implementation will begin, and it will be done with full public support.
Internal Memo to the Internal Council
As not all of you will be aware of the current situation on Vitakar, it has just suffered a significant attack with the destruction of the Aui'Vitakar Chambers, taking with it nearly the entirety of the species-wide government. This was not conducted by Miridian, the Nulorian, or the Sar'Manda. The current perpetrator is unknown, though it is suspected to be the Zararch themselves.
This has prompted a review of the current situation and the likely ramifications of this incident.
AUI'VITAKAR BOMBING: While we do not have confirmation, it is almost certain that it was the Zararch or another Collective entity that was responsible for this bombing. This likely implied that they had suspected for a significant amount of time that Miridian was likely to carry out an operation within the Chambers, and they successfully manufactured a narrative they judged would lure him inside to conduct it. This assessment appears to have been successful, and from reports, at no point was it raised that the session could be a trap.
This was because prior to this, the calculus of the Zararch was that they would act to prevent terrorist attacks against the organs of government. However, with the recent push for planet-wide centralization, this calculus has clearly shifted to consider the Aui'Vitakar expendable, and has judged that the Nulorian are an appropriate scapegoat.
It is unknown if the death of Miridian was an actual objective, or just to ensure that he entered the premises. There were images released shortly after the bombing clearly implicating Miridian, the Nulorian, and XCOM, meaning there was a closed camera circuit that was unable to be captured by Siaru.
It is more likely that the objective was to lay the groundwork for the centralized Vitakara government, and they were only aiming for Miridian taking the bait, and if Miridian actually perished it would be seen as a bonus. Even if Miridian had died, it is likely they would have not revealed this, and saved it for a later propaganda campaign.
As it stands, the position of the Zararch, Ethereal Collective, and Speaker is far stronger than before, and the Nulorian heavily tarnished as a result.
MANDATORY REVIEW OF APPROACH: The current approach the Nulorian have taken, while effective in certain instances, appears that it will be insufficient to fully secure Vitakar without significant realignment, which is unlikely that Miridian or the wider Nulorian will be receptive to.
It is necessary to conduct an assessment of our support to the Nulorian, and determine how it can best be utilized. It is no longer certain that the Nulorian are the objective path forward for operations on Vitakar, as it will be difficult to alter civilian perceptions of the group, especially after this incident regardless of truth.
This does not mean all support to the Nulorian will be stopped, but it will be likely that they will play a different role in our overall strategy.
ADVENT RECOMMENDATION: ADVENT has proposed that the Nulorian be used to continue their activities, citing their effectiveness in causing damage to the Collective and Zararch assets, though they have argued that with their image fully tarnished with little hope of rebranding, they are not useful for securing Vitakar in future operations.
They have instead proposed that upon the inevitable creation of a centralized Vitakar government, the role of the current Vitakara defectors and their acting government be promoted on Earth and Vitakar as legitimate, and with no ties to the Nulorian. There is an argument proposed that they would see more domestic support, without the baggage of the Nulorian. ADVENT officials have floated the possibility of severing all contact with the Nulorian entirely unless there can be proof reliably released demonstrating innocence, but they do not expect this to be done, though have strongly implied the Nulorian are a growing liability.
This approach will be considered, though it would require a power-sharing agreement between Miridian and the acting government, due to our pledge of support for them. This should be facilitated before any such actions are determined. We will also retain some ties to the Nulorian for the moment, even if they will likely be reduced.
REVIEW OF CURRENT SUPPORT: We have maintained a full XCOM squad on Vitakar to support operations, primarily supported by Nartha, which has been our primary insight into both the Nulorian and Vitakar situation. Recent reports by Nartha have indicated a desire to return to XCOM, due to the operations conducted, and similar sentiments have been echoed by others deployed.
Since we have been considering redeploying Nartha within XCOM, this request will be granted, and a majority of existing XCOM soldiers on Vitakar will be rotated over a period of weeks, with one Agent of T'Leth to ensure that Miridian is not assassinated. This will be conveyed through soldier Anwei.
There has been significant discussion on the degree to which the Nulorian should continue to be supported. As noted earlier, ADVENT is strongly leaning towards cutting most or all ties and believe them irrevocably tarnished. Their extremist views and operational conduct has also raised concerns within the ranks.
While valid concerns to be addressed, the fact is that the Nulorian are currently our only actual ally on Vitakar, and we have no other resistance infrastructure or group that can be approached due to Zararch actions. Furthermore, this incident was not one Miridian or the Nulorian were responsible for, and on the basis of that, they should not be punished for an action not committed, regardless of optical damages.
Material support to the Nulorian, consisting of equipment, weapons, and other tools will continue indefinitely, as the Nulorian have shown appropriate skill and effectiveness in using it, and we can afford to do so. Depending on future decisions, this support may be expanded further or reduced. For now, it will remain the same.
CHIMERA SQUAD PERFORMANCE: As one of the first deployments of Chimera Squad, it is worth briefly reviewing their performance. The Chimera Squad personnel deployed expressed discomfort with assisting the Nulorian, but as expected, they performed their roles well, and ensured that they are reliable following orders they may take issue with.
During the operation itself, they conducted themselves professionally. They did not use excessive force as directed, and restrained several Nulorian operatives who did. The Nulorian appear to have raised no complaints about their conduct, or such were suppressed by Miridian. While this was not a significant combat operation, it was important to establish how Chimera personnel would handle carrying out uncomfortable orders. They did so, and this concern is alleviated.
CONCERNS RAISED BY PERSONNEL: Before the end of this report, it is appropriate to highlight some concerns that have been raised by personnel about our support to, and the conduct of the Nulorian as alluded to earlier in this memo.
The first concern raised is that the Nulorian are simply too small to make the kind of difference needed to secure Vitakar, and their reputation and internal dynamics make it difficult if not impossible to expand their organization outside of the more fanatical and ruthless. There is concern that this will hinder future operations and have political ramifications if we continue wholesale support.
The second concern is that the terror activities of Nulorian are actively damaging the chances of a peaceful reunification, which ties into the first concern, though in a more obvious way. Due to Miridian not adhering to only targeting government or military personnel, it makes it more difficult to gain domestic support.
The third concern is that neither XCOM nor the Nulorian appear to have a long-term plan to deal with the shifting calculus and determination of the Speaker and the Zararch. The Collective has continued to lay the groundwork for centralization, and this is something that it appears will succeed, which we have known about, but been unable to reliably stop. The concern lies in that the continual focus on short-term operations reduced the ability of leadership to consider that places like the Aui'Vitakar were traps, as it was presented as a tangible victory. There is concern that the Zararch has determined a plan to discredit, undermine, and destroy the Nulorian, and it appears to be working.
These are concerns that should be considered, and placed into our framework when we conduct a review of our support. There are many operations and situations to deal with, but we cannot forget that Vitakar is one of our most tenuous.
- The Commander of XCOM
Recording log 102394223 stored within Siaru database:
[Miridian]: "They knew we were coming."
[Siaru]: "REVIEW OF DATA AFFIRMS LIKELIHOOD OF ZARARCH ENTITY AWARENESS."
[M]: "If it was a lure, we should have anticipated this."
[SR]: "ENTITIES EXPLOITED KNOWN PSYCHOLOGY AND RECENT OPERATIONAL SUCCESSES. ESTIMATED LIKELIHOOD OF ACCURATE ESTIMATION OF FUTURE OPERATIONS HIGH. ESTIMATION PROVED ACCURATE."
[M]: "I'm aware of that – why was there no detection of this?"
[SR]: "NO DATA GATHERED RELATING TO TRAP. ENTITIES WITHIN OPERATIONAL TARGET LIKEWISE IGNORANT TO PLOT."
[M]: "Clever. Ruthless. It appears that the Speaker, or the Zar'Chon, have been learning. Is there a possibility that they could have determined details about you from the incursion if they were prepared?"
[SR]: "ESTIMATION IS POTENTIAL. WITH ALLIANCE WITH SOVEREIGN ENTITY MOSRIMOR, DATA MAY BE SHARED. SOVEREIGN ATTENTION IS NOT ADVISED. UNLIKELY CHANCE THAT CONCLUSIVE DATA WAS ACQUIRED. I AM AWARE OF FUTURE ATTEMPTS TO GATHER DATA. MORE WILL NOT BE ACQUIRED BY SOVEREIGN ENTITY."
[M]: "Regardless, this is a setback."
[SR]: "ALL PLANETOID NETWORKS LOCKED DOWN BY ZARARCH ENTITIES. IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK WITHOUT ALERTING MANAGING ENTITIES. INFORMATION DISPERSAL IS LIMITED. ESTIMATED REDUCTION OF MATERIALS IS NEAR-TOTAL. ENTITY WILL NEED TO DETERMINE ALTERNATE METHODS OF DISTRIBUTION."
[M]: "It seems he's going to be able to do it, merge all of Vitakar under one uniform system. Unfortunate. Estimation of public sentiment?"
[SR]: "MINIMAL. PERCEIVED TERRORIST ATTACK WILL LEAD TO CONTINUED LESSENING IN SUPPORT. RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATELY ASSURE SAR'MANDA OF INNOCENCE IN INCIDENT. ANALYSIS OF REACTIONS INDICATES LIKELY ANGER AND DISAPPROVAL FOR INCIDENT."
[M]: "Not an issue. There will be clarification, and XCOM will support us in this. The Sar'Manda will remain secure – but they cannot be part of the newer government. Though I estimate that their own willingness to do so is low to begin with."
[SR]: "AFFIRMATIVE."
[M]: "Course of action recommended?"
[SR]: "CEASE FURTHER OPERATIONS UNTIL FULL REVIEW OF OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND LOCAL SITUATION HAS BEEN PERFORMED. ENSURE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF XCOM, ADVENT, AND SAR'MANDA ENTITIES. INTENTIONALLY DEVIATE FROM EXPECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL NORMS. RECALCULATE EXISTING OPERATIONAL METHODS. MONITOR EXISTING DOMESTIC SUPPORT FOR NULORIAN AND ADAPT AS NECESSARY."
[M]: "Noted. That will be all, Siaru. First though, there is someone I need to meet."
[SR]: "STOP."
[M]: "What is it?"
[SR]: "IDENTIFY XCOM CHIMERA ENTITY. ANOMALOUS INDICATORS DISPLAYED."
[M]: "Ah. No, Siaru, there is nothing there, but I will have the data sent to you."
[SR]: "ANOMALOUS INTERFERENCE IS OF CONCERN."
[M]: "That it is, Siaru. That it is."