Ethereals: Dossier
Revelean
"Every species is flawed clay, incapable of reaching their true potential. It must be broken, molded and sculpted by those who have achieved the pinnacle of their intellect. Fortunately I am one such sculptor, and there are many species ready to be uplifted by my hand."
- Ethereal Revelean
CODEX File 0192
Subject: Humanity
Location: Blacksite ***
Author: Geneticist Revelean
This new species…humanity. Of all the species encountered so far, only the Vitakara are greater in genetic mutability. Such a species is fascinating, and the knowledge that they have yet to tap into their true potential is truly inspiring. Their constraints are obvious, and they are a crude, depraved and ultimately self-destructive species.
Such traits must be weeded out, of course, so their true calling can be determined. I find myself curious what role they will fulfill in our Collective. They are capable of intelligence, as XCOM has shown, as well as bravery, tactical insight and some have the ability to cast aside petty morality in favor of practicality.
The Gift, however, complicates investigation. I must examine more of them, determine the causes for why they are receptive to the power…yes, that must be the first thing to be determined. When I can determine that, I can sculpt this species into the image I so desire. But what shall that image be?
I suppose it is irrelevant at this point. The Humans will require some genetic cleansing after they are conquered, and it will take several generations to begin to see superior results, but considering how often the aliens breed, I expect their numbers to be replenished in short order. The disparity in the species in intelligence and reasoning is frustrating, but it will become stabilized once I successfully dismantle the Human mindset.
Sana'Ligna should be able to help with that, though she is unfortunately squeamish when making the necessary decisions. Interactions and observation are all well and good, yet there is nothing more solid than the brain of the subject exposed to you, waiting and ready for you to improve it. I expect many of these sorry iterations of Humans will have to be sacrificed, but progress cannot be stopped, and the successful uplifting of the Human race will without a doubt establish our power as the dominant force in the galaxy.
The Synthesized were clever, they believed they won. But I know how they work now, and I know exactly how to defeat them
REPORT: 111101110011
TARGET OF INTEREST: ETHEREAL 04 (REVELEAN)
KNOWN ALIASES: "REVELEAN" "GENETICIST REVELEAN"
CURRENT POSITION: UNKNOWN (SPECULATED TO BE IN CHARGE OF MULTIPLE ETHEREAL GENETIC PROJECTS)
SPECIES: ETHEREAL
INFORMATION OF NOTE: EXPERT GENETICIST
INFORMATION OF NOTE: PRIMARY ARCHITECT OF VITAKARA GENETIC PLAGUE CURE
INFORMATION OF NOTE: RARELY SEEN PUBLICALLY
INFORMATION OF NOTE: PSION (SUSPECTED)
PSIONIC SPECIALIZATION: UNKNOWN
THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN – ESTIMATED MEDIUM TO HIGH
ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: There is almost nothing publically known about the Ethereal self-identified as Revelean. He initially appeared briefly upon first contact with the Vitakara, where he promised to help cure the genetic plague that was assailing the species. He never made another public appearance, instead relying on the Ethereal Sana'Ligna to distribute the cure he developed. It is speculated that Sana'Ligna also had some hand in its creation, given her own medical skills, but Revelean was without a doubt the primary creator.
Unfortunately, attempts to learn more about Revelean have resulted in nothing that can be accepted as hard evidence. Much of this will be speculation and educated guessing, as I have dismissed the possibility of Revelean simply vanishing or pursuing benign projects. He was able to cure a genetic disease afflicting an entire species in a matter of months, which indicates that he has a mastery over even alien genetics to a degree that potentially poses a threat.
There is the possibility that the genetic plague that assailed the Vitakara was not, in fact, a consequence of self-destructive genetic modification, but perhaps engineered by Revelean himself and introduced so the Ethereals could arrive as saviors. It would explain how a cure was able to be developed so quickly, and Revelean certainly has the capacity to create such a plague. However, there is little to suggest this was actually the case, and either possibility means we are dealing with an Ethereal who does not need weapons to defeat his opponents.
His areas of operation are suspected to be the Ethereal Blacksites, although which one of the three we have discovered, and what exactly he is doing there remain a mystery. Infiltration is impossible, even with Special Operators, and we know that the Ethereals are not tolerant of us attempting to pry the secrets of the Blacksites from them, but we can make some deductions from the Special Operators monitoring the known Blacksites.
There are entire ships filled with what are assumed to be test subjects sent to all the identified Blacksites, with Sectoid, Vitakara, Andromedon and Human signatures detected. Why the Ethereals need so many test subjects remains a mystery, but it can likely be safely assumed that Revelean is involved in one, or all of these projects and if Andromedons are also being sent there…the implications are unpleasant for our species.
RECOMMENDATION: CONTINUE OBSERVATION; SEED CAPTIVES WITH CYBERNETIC MODIFICATION TO PIERCE BLACKSITE SECURITY; BEGIN INVESTIGATION INTO ANDROMEDON ABDUCTIONS
REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 130; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR! DATA NOT FOUND]
END REPORT
CONTINUING OBSERVATION
XCOM Profile 0090
Authorization Level: Internal Council
Threat Level: High
Assessment Author: Aegis
Approved by: The Commander of XCOM, XCOM Psychologist Haley Yates
SECTION 1: Physical Characteristics
Hair color: None (Ethereal)
Eye color: Solid orange
Skin color: Neutral Purple
Height: 8'5"
Weight: 211 lbs. (Estimated)
Distinguishing Features: Wears Ethereal-tailored scientific gear, helm is formed around the skull, covers the mouth and has attachments allowing enhanced vision for both eyes. Wears no armor or protective gear.
Physical Condition: Moderate (For an Ethereal)
SECTION 2: Assessment
Revelean is what you would call, our "lead scientist." His position is comparable to Dr. Vahlen's in that he is responsible for nearly every scientific achievement in the Collective. Much of the advances in weaponry, genetics and research are directly because of him. Yet that is rather trivial for him, and much of his time is devoted to his own projects.
Revelean was a prominent military geneticist in the days of the Empire, and specialized in xenogenetics which was what I believe attracted the Imperator's attention, and he immediately agreed to join as he also realized that the Synthesized could not be beaten with what remained of the Empire. To be honest, I do not think Revelean mourns the death of the Empire.
He knows he is immortal, and fully believes that one day he will bring back the Ethereals as he is one of the few who has the knowledge to do so. I would be very surprised if he is not growing new Ethereals now, or at least attempting to, I would not know as Revelean didn't inform me of many of his projects. He sees this as a fresh start; a way to help shape a new empire in his own image.
Revelean had issues with some of the military policy in the Empire, specifically that which mandated the extinction of any species opposed to the Empire. He does not believe that species are beyond salvation, and advocated for diplomatic relationships with various alien civilizations for the sole purpose of eventually uplifting them.
Revelean believes that every species is initially imperfect. He believes they are flawed and lack a specific role in the galaxy, and sees himself as the one who can discern their true purpose from their genetics and uplift them into superior versions of themselves-brought to fruition by himself, as he believes that few others can understand like he can.
He sees all those who are not Ethereals as potential tools, barely sentient beings. Even those he considers uplifted are viewed as little better than pets in his eyes. I know that some consider Dr. Vahlen and even you, Commander, as extreme. Revelean makes your experiments look benign by comparison.
Revelean is perfectly willing to sacrifice a million innocent victims for even just the slightest progress in his plans. He subjects his test subjects to painful deaths such as being flayed alive, immolated, frozen or worse just to acquire data. He performs autopsies on species in his leisure time, and turns others into genetic abominations in pursuit of his goals.
His curiosity is only matched by his drive to, in his mind, discover the ultimate secret and place of each species. He has plans, approved by the Imperator, for every species encountered…except yours. He is still undecided about your own, and I would not like to be subjected to the results. It is important to understand that, should the Imperator succeed in winning this war, the species you are familiar with will likely not be recognizable within a century as Revelean prepares the species for the process of "Ascension".
What this entails, I do not know, but I do know that billions will die, and Revelean will consider it nothing more than a culling of the inferior from the superior. You doubtless are curious what his plans could be, and I can only relay what I have heard from the Battlemaster and Sana'Ligna. Not even many of the other Ethereals know his true plans, as there are those who would oppose such an operation.
The Mutons will be shock troopers, only grown via tanks as he views natural reproduction as a waste of time and unnecessary. Each individual one would be the size of a Muton Elite, have skin that regenerates and is impenetrable, and be able to process battlefield information and deduce logical and practical plans in seconds. He also wants to create some low-level telepathy between individual Mutons similar to Sectoids to increase their effectiveness, similar to a Hive Mind. The current fact that Mutons are incapable of psionics does not seem to dissuade him in the least.
The Sargon is the template for this project. Image an entire army as smart as them and able to telepathically communicate with each other. All of them incapable of betrayal.
The Muton Elites, Praetorians, Sargons, all of these are the result of Revelean's experiments and all are devoted to one specific goal, which he grows closer towards every year. He has yet to achieve a specimen he deems complete, but out of all his projects, he is getting very close.
He has an equally disturbing plan for the Vitakara. Struck by their genetic adaptability, he plans to convert the entire species into a single race capable of shapeshifting, creating the ultimate soldiers and spies. I suspect Dr. Vahlen will snort at such a notion, but it is indeed possible for such a creature to be created-because it already exists.
The Sectoids once discovered a planet with a species of shapeshifting aliens, which could indeed transform into whatever they desired. They were non-sentient creatures, so their usefulness was limited at best, yet the Imperator allowed the Sectoids to try and uplift them and turn them into something useful. They failed, of course, and I do not know the full details of the project, yet I do know that the Cyberdisks were a result of the failed attempt.
But Revelean took several of the Faceless creatures and was attempting to find some way to utilize them until the Vitakara were discovered, and then determined that was the Vitakara's role and the Faceless was just another tool he could use to achieve that. As far as I know, this project is far from complete, but do not forget his ultimate plan.
I suspect the Vitakara would not take it well.
He intends for the Sectoids to be the primary scientists and researchers of the galaxy, and completely in the thrall of the Ethereals. He sees no purpose for the current Sectoid society, as much of their work can be done through automation, and only believes the Hive Commanders are worth salvaging. Should his plan come to fruition, I am under the impression that the Hive Commanders would be the standard Sectoid template, grown of course.
To what end, I do not know, but Revelean does not see them as psionic warriors, or if he does, I have not seen plans which take their use of psionics into account. But the possibility of Sectoids composed of nothing more than Hive Commanders is one I doubt you would be pleased by.
The Andromedons I am unsure of. The species is in a slightly different situation than the others, due to them being a force in their own right and some of their people are not convinced that we are friendly. But Revelean certainly has plans for them, yet I do not know their specifics.
Revelean is a telepath of some power, but he is weak enough that I suspect Patricia would be able to eventually overpower him. That is not his strength, yet his powers are more far-reaching than simple psionics. I am aware that there is speculation that Revelean was responsible for the Vitakara genetic plague, and I can plainly dispute that. Some don't believe that it was possible to cure in months, but Revelean has encountered genetic breakdowns far more severe than that even within the Ethereals. The Vitakara plague was barely a problem for him.
But if Revelean truly wanted it, he could kill every single species in the galaxy with similar genetic plagues. He has the power, and if pressed, he will use it. But he sees such acts as wasteful. He cares nothing for individual species, their cultures, peoples and individually.
To him, all beings are tools and pawns and if he cannot rebuild a species in the image he considers perfect, then he will wipe them from the galaxy.
The plans of Revelean are abhorrent, and I will fight to ensure they do not come to fruition. You may read this and believe he is simply insane, and that is a dangerous thought to have about him, Commander. The Creator is insane, but she will never achieve more than creating a freak show.
Revelean is perfectly sane and capable of carrying out each act I describe.
That should terrify you.