Andromedons: Unit

Soldier

"The Andromedons don't fuck around, even with their weakest soldiers."

- Anius Creed, XCOM Soldier

XCOM Autopsy AND01

Species: Andromedon

Unit Identity: "Soldier"

Codename: Grande Padre

Alien Autopsy Overseer: Head of XCOM Research and Development Dr. Moira Vahlen

Suit Disassembly Overseer: Head of XCOM Engineering Dr. Raymond Shen

Audio Notes of Dr. Moira Vahlen

"This alien is one of the most unique specimens we've encountered in this war so far. A physically frail species outside the suits they wear, they are nonetheless one of the most dangerous aliens we have yet to encounter. As observed in the field, they have a much better tactical grasp of combat situations than have been observed in Muton or Vitakara soldiers."

"What is also fascinating is that the very atmosphere of our planet seems dangerous to them, and the phenomenon may extend to other planets as well. Every single Andromedon salvaged from the wrecks of their suits appeared to have suffered a fatal reaction upon contact with the air. Their skin resembles those who have died due to burns and intense heat."

"What remains is a charred husk of an alien, the skin is a ruddy brown and from a distance could be mistaken for a Sectoid variant. This reaction has significant implications if further research confirms it, and will be instrumental in developing counters to the species and where they could have come from, which I believe will be key to learning the secrets they hide."

Audio Notes of Dr. Raymond Shen

"The suit the Andromedons use is one of the most sophisticated pieces of alien technology recovered as well as the most dangerous. In some respects, it is similar to our MEC program without becoming part of the suit directly. Be that as it may, initial observation and review shows that Andromedons have a significant amount of control over the suit itself, though how this is accomplished is not yet known."

"What we have seen is that the suit is resistant even to gauss and pulse weapons fire, and even high explosives are not guaranteed to even keep it down. These aliens seem to have a fascination with dangerous substances, acid in particular since every suit recovered so far has had lethal amounts of acid in ample supply."

"What elevates this suit beyond a chemical dispenser and armor is that if at any point the pilot dies, an AI or intelligence of sorts will take over and continue fighting as normal, making the complete destruction of the central computer necessary to stop it. The result is a soldier that takes multiple soldiers to kill, and even then success is not guaranteed."

Report:

After a thorough dissection of the alien itself, we have managed to conclude several facts about the Andromedon species itself. At first glance, as noted earlier, they might be mistaken for Sectoids because of their apparent frail bodies, but a close examination quickly disproves that. Unlike Sectoids, these are not clones, at least not in the regular sense. Several have identical genetic markers, but are otherwise unique in all aspects, even if outwardly all of them look similar.

They appear to wear no clothing or protective gear of any kind, and I theorize that the suits themselves might be their reason for doing so. The average height of one is slightly taller than a Sectoid, although this varies by several inches, but is otherwise uniform. They appear to be bipedal and have hands functionally identical to our own.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no indication that they are psionically capable in any way, though we have a limited sample size and it is entirely possible we have yet to encounter one yet. This "soldier" does not appear to have been cybernetically or genetically modified in any way, although if these were grown, it is possible that any genetic tampering was done during the conception stages.

The suit itself is one of the most dangerous pieces of technology to be used against us. The sophisticated controls, systems and AI that Dr. Shen has discovered all point to the fact that the Andromedons take their military endeavors as seriously as we do and pull no punches when dealing with their enemies.

Their weaknesses are limited from what we have seen. High explosives are effective at disabling the pilot, although more are likely required to destroy the suit itself. Enough directed weapon fire will be enough to bring one down, but it is a significant dedication of manpower that could be better used elsewhere, and is an impractical strategy when dealing with multiple Andromedon soldiers.

Two major weaknesses are that the air is toxic to them, and the sabotage of the substance they breathe might incapacitate the pilot or even kill it. The destruction of the tanks attached to their backs containing acid can also be destroyed, though the suit itself is immune to nearly all known acids and corrosive elements, as well as hardened against EMP devices, hacking, flashbangs and smoke grenades are all ineffective against them.

However, they can be overcome easily with psionic telepathy, as Patricia Trask has proven. The clear recommendation is to utilize a telepathic psion whenever we encounter Andromedons. However, if they have prepared for every traditional attack, and with them being allied with the Ethereals and Sectoids, I would not be surprised to learn that they have units that might attempt to negate this advantage.

If this is the lowest unit in the Andromedon military, I am concerned about what other weapons they have at their disposal.

Addendum – Aegis' Notes:

Partially correct, Dr. Vahlen, the Andromedons take their military more seriously than even your own species because it is viewed as both a high honor, and one of the most selfless acts an Andromedon can do. To become even just a simple soldier requires forsaking the Union one comes from and committing oneself to the advancement of the Andromedon species as a whole.

Andromedons don't plan for defeat; they plan for contingencies. The concept of defeat for them is not the same as how you view it. Even a crushing defeat is included in their contingencies, and you can be sure that they have a full plan to recover. Andromedons are enlisted in the military for fifteen years at a minimum, and have access to the very elite of the Andromedon society, which all of them take full advantage of.

You must understand that your average Andromedon "soldier" is one in name only. Most are engineers, technicians, architects, and tacticians, often times holding multiple proficiencies at once. They are capable of much more than pointing a gun and shooting, and are without a doubt one of most dangerous forces in the Ethereal Collective as you noted.

I will also note that Andromedons are not capable of wielding psionics, and the very concept of such a power is one of the few things that gives them pause. It is largely the reason why some in their leadership distrust my species, and dislike the Sectoids as a whole. You are also correct that they have developed countermeasures to psionic usage through their Special Operators, which I will explain in more detail later.

"Imagine fighting an enemy that's bigger, stronger and more relentless than you could ever be. There. You have a good idea of what fighting an Andromedon is like. The damn things just will not die. Vahlen says that there's an alien behind the suit, but for all intents and purposes, that thing is a machine. It doesn't get tired, it doesn't get distracted, it's almost impossible to outmaneuver and it actually has a brain."

"So yeah, first thing is that their suits are so difficult to pierce that you really need a rocket to really do anything to them. If you thought that big green helmets are a weak point, you are dead wrong – no pun intended – whatever designed those suits pretty much anticipated all the weaknesses of it and worked their asses off to negate every single one of them."

"…I take it back slightly. The head is slightly weaker, but only on principal. It wouldn't make sense if it wasn't. The point is that while we can take a few direct plasma shots before going down, they can tank so much damage that it isn't even close. But then again, if they just shot at us, they are manageable. For better or worse, they are cautious to an almost absurd degree."

"I am not kidding when I say they could outnumber us two to one and they probably wouldn't take any ground until every single one of us was killed. They do not take risks, which is fine by me, but in return they don't die that often. When one gets wounded, they just disappear and some other Andromedon takes their place. It's scarily efficient how well they work together. I wouldn't be surprised if they were cybernetically linked somehow, or maybe they're just that good."

"Anyway, getting off topic some. So you think that's all they can do? Nope! They shoot acid. Actual acid at us. Seok's still getting treated for the burns, and it's apparently potent enough to melt through our armor. Oh, and did I mention that when you kill them, they don't actually die. Yeah, shocking, who would have guessed? Nope, being dead is just an inconvenience for them. The suit just gets back up and keeps fighting and makes you have to kill it again! I'm not sure if I'm more impressed, irritated or worried. Eh, all three I guess. So with all that, I'm sort of surprised that the aliens haven't just decided to throw only Andromedons at us."

"Well, maybe they're just as worried about them as we are. If there was one species that could give them second thoughts, it would be one that doesn't know when it is supposed to die."

- Anna Pavlova, XCOM Soldier describing fighting Andromedon soldiers

Collective Species Report 90HA

Subject: Andromedon Military Revitalization

Report Author: Zar'ina'narcota

Zar'Chon,

I will get straight to the point, my time in Andromedon space was concerning on a number of levels, not the least of which being the fact that the Andromedons are performing military exercises near Vitakara territory, and the Aui'Vitakar, Runianarch and Lurainian are not aware of it. It was not even that subtle, and while they made no hostile moves, the fact that they did not report this to either Collective Military, the Aui'Vitakar or the Zararch is a worrying sign of their intentions.

You are aware that militarily, the Andromedons have the most dangerous army besides the Sectoids and in many aspects surpass them, although they lack sophisticated intelligence organs which I believe is largely the reason I was able to gather as much information as I did. Not only are the Andromedons conducting more military exercises, they are also expanding their territory significantly.

The planets they are now occupying are apparently random, until you realize that all of them are bordering the territory of another species, and the fact that they are rapidly being terraformed and modernized into sustainable defense worlds does not bode well for the continued alliance of the Andromedon Federation and the Ethereal Collective.

Unfortunately, I am unsure as to the exact reasoning for this, since relations between all Collective species have been healthy. The only reason I can derive is that the Human resistance on Earth has prompted this, but why the Andromedons would be concerned to this degree is highly debatable. It is possible they believe the Humans will push us back and begin an attack on the Collective proper…but such a situation is so ludicrous as to be unbelievable, and the Andromedons don't deal in the unbelievable.

I also believe that a sudden betrayal is unlikely, since many in the Federation approve of the alliance with the Collective, especially Chief Overseer Chernior, and the few dissenters are largely quiet and have little sway in shaping Federation policy. But if that is the case, then the question of why they are doing all of this remains.

I suspect that we will not know the answer to that for a while, since I do have proof that the Ethereals are well aware of their actions, and I can then only conclude that the Andromedons do not intend harm to the Collective. But make no mistake Zar'Chon, the Andromedons are preparing for war, and not one fought for a single planet either.

This warrants further investigation, and I remain ready to assist in any way I can.