Vitakara: Organizations
The Zararch
"If these Ethereals are the ones leading the Collective, the Zararch are the ones who make sure it endures."
- Collective Andromedon Commander J'Loran
Rare recording of suspected Nulorian Leader 'Miridian' (Note: Unlikely to be actual name)
"All of you standing here are outcasts in one way or another; you don't fit in and don't plan to conform to the lives that the Ethereals have planned for us. Would you be surprised to know that what you felt isn't uncommon? Almost all of us do at one point during our lives, but you decided to do something about it."
"The reasons why you did so are irrelevant to me. All I care about from you is if you can do your job, follow orders and understand the most vital function of the Nulorian: Secrecy. And I am not simply referring to our operations when I say that. How did you hear about me in the first place? About us?"
"I can work with silence, fine. Are you worried about offending me? Please. I know what I am, a criminal and deviant, it's the word of choice when used to describe this entire operation and I don't deny it. We are criminals. We are deviants, all of us. If you thought this was some noble cause to strike back against the Ethereals for the freedom of our species, then you are wrong."
"We are not a rebellion. We are a criminal organization that seeks to hinder the Ethereals on Vitakar. We will never grow larger than that and we will never be seen as anything more than the worst of our people. But what we will be is a constant reminder to the traitors in the Aui'Vitakar that not everyone is fooled by the Ethereals' lies, and perhaps that will be useful in some way later."
"So with that said, who is the greatest threat to us?"
"The Ethereals? No, not directly. I doubt they even know we exist. The greatest threat to us is the Zararch, the supposed protectors and enforcers of the law. Do they still teach that the Zararch serve the Vitakara? If they did, I can safely confirm that is a lie. They may enforce the laws the Aui'Vitakar create, but their true loyalty is only to the Ethereal Collective."
"We have and do remain an embarrassment to them, the one band of criminals where none should exist in the first place. The criminals who can't ever be killed and as a result they make every attempt to hunt us down and kill us. And I will be honest here: They are often successful. By this time next year most of you will be dead."
"If that is too much, leave right now because I will execute you personally before putting any sort of trust in cowards. The only reason we are still here is because of secrecy and that is a mantra that will be drilled into your respective minds if you decide to join. How good you are at being discreet is directly correlated to your lifespan. Is that clear?"
"It better be because this is what awaits you if the Zararch manage to find you. If you're lucky they'll simply kill you, but what is more likely to happen is that you'll be dragged into their interrogation rooms and tortured, or sent to a Sectoid division to have every bit of information in your mind drained. Best case there is you'll go insane, worst case is that you'll remain lucid and spend the rest of your life as a live test subject for whatever experiments the Sectoids and Runianarch are running."
"This isn't a life of honor, glory or rebellion, but one of theft, sabotage and running from the Zararch. But I can promise that it's ironically more honest than living a lie as a Collective slave, and I know the Zararch, I know how they operate and I will do my best to keep each of you alive. But ultimately, only you can decide just how badly you want this."
Operation: Healing Hand
Division: Reconnaissance and Observation
Report Author: Zar'jarvi'sanio
Authorization: Zar'Chon
Zar'Chon,
We have finished our initial surveillance on the Andromedons and have uncovered some disturbing and dangerous information, which will be detailed below, split up into several sections. The first, and most important point is this:
The Andromedons are creating Special Operators: This has been confirmed without a doubt, as we have recordings, images and witnesses which show the units in question, all of which match the descriptions of the Special Operators that we know of from previous interviews with the Federation. As expected, these new Special Operators are equipped with cutting-edge cybernetic technology beyond our own and even beyond the Andromedons themselves, which raises some unpleasant implications which will be detailed later.
In total we were tracking three known Special Operators, and as a testament to their skill, almost lost all of them multiple times. If we had any fewer agents devoted to this operation, we would have lost track of at least one. Each seemed to be watching some specific area. One stayed within Federation space, while the other two moved between Vitakara and Sectoid space for reasons we have been unable to determine.
We did attempt to capture one near the end of the operation and it nearly killed all the operatives assigned to it. As it stands we still lost six agents, and were left with nothing as we learned that the Special Operator was designed to self-destruct upon either death or capture. It is unlikely that we can prove from the remains that it even was a Special Operator, or even from the images we've collected as the suits have no markings and the Special Operators themselves leave an almost invisible trail that only professionals would be able to follow.
As for what they are being used for, it appears to be just observation for now, but if those exist, there are likely others and the Andromedons are already suspicious of us, even if most would balk if they knew that Special Operators still existed. This is an important point I would like to stress, because extensive operations on the Federation itself seem to indicate this:
The majority of the Andromedon Federation is unaware that Special Operators are being developed: This extends to the government itself, and there are no Unions who are connected to the program that we could find. With that being said, it is unlikely that the Chief Overseer is unaware of the program, but an extensive review of finances does not reveal any sort of fake funding that could be money smuggled to fund the creation of Special Operators.
This raised major questions, as they have to be getting resources from somewhere, so we expanded our search beyond the Andromedons and investigated the Runianarch, Aui'Vitakar and the Sectoids. As expected we found nothing connecting the Vitakara organizations and surprisingly enough, nothing connecting it to the Sectoids either, which either means that the organization is completely rogue (Unlikely, given the quality of the Special Operators observed so far) or their benefactors are better than we are. This is another crucial point:
We do not know who is behind the creation of the Special Operators, or where they are operating from: Our original leads came from a station near Federation space, though after raiding the site, it appears to be nothing more than a staging area for operations. There is no doubt in my mind that the Andromedons are involved in some way, since only they know how to create Special Operators.
Interestingly enough, it appears that any Andromedon with expertise in Special Operatives is unable to be found, even by us, and we also noticed that several talented Union Apear Andromedons suddenly disappeared one day with no trace of any records (Which we were unable to recover). If you recall, Union Apear specializes in artificial intelligence and cybernetics. It is unlikely to be a coincidence.
I initially believed this warranted much further investigation, but unfortunately I don't think that is possible or advisable because of one reason:
There is a high likelihood that the Ethereals know about the Special Operators and are involved in their creation: We have arrived at this conclusion because of two reasons: One is that it would explain how there is absolutely no trace of anyone that can be connected to these Special Operators. We do not have numbers on anything related to the Ethereals, and thus would be unable to effectively track how they utilize their resources. It would also explain how these Special Operators appear to be more advanced than even the Andromedons themselves, since the answer could be highly specialized Ethereal technology.
Aside from that, the recording device we planted on that station we raided was unexpectedly visited by Ethereal Sicarius, who promptly disabled it. While obviously not implicating her in any way, I would not be surprised if she would be overseeing such a project, as it fits with what limited information we know about her operations. She has also been spotted multiple times entering and leaving Federation space, and is oddly more involved than she has any right to be.
In light of this, while the confirmation of the Special Operators is concerning, I do not advise interfering unless we do so knowing the risk that we may be interrupting an Ethereal operation. We await further orders on what to do next.
XCOM File 5571
Authorization Level: XCOM Intelligence
Subject: The Zararch
Threat Level: High
Assessment Author: Shaojie Zhang, Director of XCOM Intelligence
Approved By: The Commander
Preliminary Note: All information contained within this document is based upon the descriptions and knowledge from Nartha and the current Vitakara captives. As such, much is speculative and subject to change upon further encounters with this individual or others.
SECTION 1: Overview
I will dispense with the idiotic question that is whether the Zararch are a threat to us, since we are well aware of that fact as well as knowing what kinds of steps we need to take to deal with them. What is equally as important is that we lack specific knowledge about their structure, which has been cleared up by Nartha significantly and if accurate, reveals that the Zararch are much larger and more complex than we initially assumed.
We know the Zararch for their intelligence operations on Earth, but it would be a mistake to call the Zararch an intelligence organization. That is a function they perform, but their work covers much more than that. The Zararch are not an unknown organization, and are actually quite prominent to the Vitakara because the Zararch are essentially the law enforcement of the species, and their colony worlds. According to Nartha, most Vitakara civilians are unaware that the Zararch even perform intelligence work thanks to excellent propaganda.
It also appears that the Zararch are one of the most influential organizations in the Collective itself, perhaps the most influential since they are tasked with watching everything for threats to the Collective, including subordinate species. They are also aware of almost all interspecies relations, and it is likely they spy on the various 'autonomous' governments to ensure they remain loyal.
One important thing to remember is that while the Zararch were initially a Vitakara organization, now they are an arm of the Collective and any perceived loyalty to the species is merely superficial.
SECTION 2: The Zararch Law Enforcement
The Zararch have complete legal power on all Vitakarian worlds and that is not an exaggeration. There are surprisingly few, if any, incidents of abuses of power according to Nartha, but the Zararch do have the authority to do almost anything in the name of enforcing the law. Most Vitakara are upstanding citizens, so crime of any sort rarely happens, and the Zararch typically just enforce the law set by the Aui'Vitakar.
Reading this, it may give the impression that the Zararch were made separate from the government after the Ethereals saved them, but surprisingly enough, this has always been the case. The Zararch were always an independent power, originally intended to serve as a check on the government which controls the military and to ensure that no one would be exempt from the law. A noble goal, but one that made it easy to be coopted by the Ethereals.
SECTION 3: The Zararch Intelligence
The intelligence wing of the Zararch is far larger than the law enforcement wing, although it functions very similar to what we expect from an intelligence organization. Infiltration, analysis and subterfuge of all kinds. Standard for the most part, what makes it more interesting are the dynamics associated with it.
The Zararch is not made up of purely Vitakara. Nartha is positive there are several Sectoid interrogation divisions and several Andromedons that act as agents for the Zararch. It should be noted that the vast majority are Vitakara, specifically from the Vitakarian and Dath'Haram races although there are at least a few representative races of all kinds employed.
The Naja unit in particular hosts a large number of Cobrarian agents, and the unit itself is devoted to assassination which doesn't typically require much subterfuge. The rest of the units are standard, specifically reconnaissance, analysis and infiltration.
The entirety of the Zararch is overseen by the Zar'Chon who is appointed in a process that we are still unaware of, and the current one has held his position for at least two centuries (See dossier on Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary for more details). While there is no confirmation of the Zararch being overseen by an Ethereal, Nartha is sure that the Zar'Chon is in communication with at least one at all times.
Very rarely do Ethereals openly intervene in the organization, but it appears they have multiple times during operations on Earth, first with Sicarius, and then with the Ravaged One. With the war officially happening, it is likely there is another Ethereal with the Zararch, though we cannot speculate as to who that might be.
Operation: [REDACTED]
Division: [REDACTED]
Report Author: [REDACTED]
Authorization: [REDACTED]
[REDACTED],
We have finished compiling what we have gathered on the Ethereals within the Collective. As we are aware of their power and observational skills, this list is by no means exhaustive and I cannot guarantee that the Ethereals did not notice our observation, though if so, they have not seemed to acknowledge it. This list of known Ethereals is as follows:
The Battlemaster: Probably the most well-known Ethereal in the Collective, as the leader of the Collective military. He is actually the only Ethereal we have enough on to have a file, so refer to that if you want more information.
Sicarius: We know very little about this Ethereal except that Sicarius is a rare female Ethereal, only seen operating alone, and apparently has the ability to escape any and all pursuit. We suspect that she might be an assassin or scout of some kind, but ultimately her role is unknown.
Revelean: This Ethereal has made only one public appearance, and that was during the first contact with our species where he personally promised to cure our genetic plague. He has not been seen since, though we can infer that he is possibly a geneticist or scientists as him being a simple spokesman does not seem likely. Sana'Ligna also confirmed that the cure was largely due to his work. It is unknown what his rank within the Ethereals is.
Sana'Ligna: Another female Ethereal, and the most unique one encountered so far. She was heavily involved during the First Contact and personally administered the cure to the Vitakara. However, specific notes about what exactly she did are missing, although everything that remains indicated that she was supposedly a very warm and kind Ethereal. I suspect that the records have been tampered or it is the result of Ethereal manipulation.
Unknown Ethereal 1: We have heard rumors about an Ethereal that supposedly destroyed a planet. We have no description, name or gender, but the location where this supposedly took place is a lifeless rock, so there might be some validity to the rumor, though evidence is scarce.
Unknown Ethereal 2: Observing Sectoid records, there are notes of an orange-robed Ethereal that managed to convince the Hive Commanders to work with the Ethereals. No name was given, but the Sectoids are incapable of forging records, so it is likely this is legitimate. No idea as to who the Ethereal in question could be.
Unknown Ethereal 3: The Battlemaster one referred to another Ethereal once as the "defender" though did not elaborate. At the very least this implies that there is an Ethereal devoted to defense of some kind, but what that means to the Ethereals can only be speculated.
Extrapolation 1: It is very likely that there are a number of Ethereal scientists or those in related fields. One Ethereal alone could not fabricate a genetic cure for an entire species, even an Ethereal. There would also have to be some kind of engineers or architects to create their spacecraft, which is unlike anything from the Sectoids or Andromedons. Estimated number: 5-10.
Extrapolation 2: It is highly unlikely that the Battlemaster or whoever this "Defender" is, are the only militant Ethereals. An argument could be made for Sicarius, but we simply don't know enough about her to assume her position. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to assume there aren't more Ethereals as or more powerful than the Battlemaster, which is an admittedly terrifying thought.
The Ethereal Leader: The one leading the Ethereals is a complete mystery, and has apparently never revealed himself to any species in the Collective. The only thing we know for sure is that every Ethereal answers to him, and is equally loyal. I suspect that whoever their leader is, he is more powerful than any of them if he can maintain control over their formidable powers. Further investigation is not recommended.