Mutons: Unit
Elite
"The bigger they are, the harder they are to kill."
- Anonymous ADVENT Soldier
"Mutons aren't really that bad individually, despite what you've seen on the news. They aren't smart unless they have a decent leader, and even then their strength lies in how many [Censored] guns they can point at us. Most of them don't even wear helmets either, never figured out why."
"Unless they're with one of those [Censored] Sargons. [Censored] sons of [Censored]."
"But you wanted to know why they always avoided showing the red ones. The beasts that towered over the small ones, carrying weapons nearly as big as you. No offense, but why the [Censored] do you really need to ask the question? You're some traveling journalist right? Haven't you figured out everything done is based on fear?"
"And no, not that I'm saying it's based on the feeling of fear, but the control of it. Fear drives wars, knowingly or not. Civilians need their fear kept down. A fearful populace leads to protests, revolts, questions."
"ADVENT hates questions."
"Ahem, now to get back on topic: The reason the Elites were never really publicized was to keep the fear down. You know about the New York attack before the actual invasion started? That was actually done by six of the Elites and some other psionic alien."
"Saying Mutons are similar to Elites is saying that the German Shepherd is the same as a Yorkie. Which is to say, [Censored] stupid. The only way they are in any way related to regular Mutons is their species. I think the [Censored] things are probably grown in a lab. No way can they be natural."
"So, for details: The Elites are probably around ten feet tall, must be a minimum of 400 pounds of pure muscle, and do not [Censored] die. I'm serious when I say that. I saw one Elite take fire from four different ADVENT squads, and killed two of them entirely before it finally went down. They have freakishly tough skin, if you even manage to pierce the armor, and pain doesn't seem to really affect them."
"What's almost worse is that they don't make any noise when they fight. It's all done in complete silence. They don't roar and shout like the other Mutons, they can get wounded, they can die, but eliciting any kind of reaction out of them is extremely difficult to do. Granted, I've seen it done, but it's very rare."
"It was a good way to tell how much the aliens wanted to win a battle. They send a hundred of the things? We need to get the hell out of there. One or two? Ok, we can probably hold. But we didn't always have answers for the brutes. Combined arms fire is nice, but it's unreliable. Only MDUs, tanks or XCOM soldiers can kill them reliably, and even [Censored] XCOM had trouble facing tens at a time."
"So yeah, that's why ADVENT never really publicizes the Elites. I don't think it would be good for morale if people knew that just one of those things could easily kill two full squads of the best ADVENT has to offer. Probably even gave the Lancers trouble."
"That should tell you something right there. Be careful with who you share this with, I'm all for free press, even if ADVENT isn't, but this is one thing they'll hunt you down for. Messing with propaganda gets on their radar, and you're a nice lady."
"Would hate to learn you were dead because you couldn't keep your mouth shut."
- Anonymous ADVENT Officer to Independent Journalist Jessica Wong
CODEX File ****
Subject: Muton Enhanced Specimen V. 3.2 (Elite)
Location: Blacksite ***
Author: Geneticist Revelean
At last I do believe that I have reached a crucial step in the restructuring and enhancement of the Muton species. This one unlike the previous iterations displays a mechanical attitude in response to the world around it. Testing with outside stimuli seems to confirm that the mental conditioning has been largely successful. It will take time to go through all possible programmed responses, but I have proven the theory sound.
I am not certain how far I can increase the muscle mass and overall strength of the species, but I am concerned that there might be a limit at some point. Although perhaps it will take time and thousands of incremental improvements to achieve anything of larger status.
However, this current iteration is likely ready to be integrated soon into the Collective Military, as soon as all possible programming has been tested and they have been exposed to combat scenarios. Early tests are promising, with these Elites proving far more adaptable and resilient that any other alien introduced so far.
However, care will need to be taken when programming certain responses, as an incompetent commander might accidentally cause it to run rampant, and such a mistake would no doubt be catastrophic for the allied soldiers. I did design them to be able to survive the Battlemaster for a minimum of thirty seconds, and tests against other specimens highlight their dangerous nature.
Nevertheless, they should serve as an excellent reserve force or bodyguards for officials, since that has been something the Runianarch have been requesting in light of the heightened tensions between them and these so-called "Andromedons."
But fortunately that has little to do with my work. The Andromedons will be assimilated like every other race, and their place will be determined in short order.
XCOM Autopsy MUT03
Species: Muton
Unit Identity: "Muton Elite"
Codename: Imperial
Alien Autopsy Overseer: Head of XCOM Research and Development Dr. Moira Vahlen
Audio Notes of Dr. Moira Vahlen
"Ever since we have encountered these heavily enhanced Mutons in New York, we have been unsure of their ultimate role. My initial hypothesis was that they were a kind of commanding Muton, but in all instances we have never seen them act in an authoritative capacity."
"However, they seem to also only appear when the aliens are truly devoted to victory, or are accompanying a figure of command, most notably the Ravaged One. This seems to indicate that they can fulfill the roles of both a bodyguard, and an extremely dangerous strike force. What is interesting is that even from a visual standpoint, these Mutons are far beyond the standard Muton soldier."
"They tower over the smaller ones, and have the proportional muscle mass to match. They are also capable to taking massive amounts of punishment, and only six were enough to cause significant damage to New York. XCOM soldiers have reported that the alien also acted more intelligently than its brethren, employing tactics and equipment that is not standard Muton strategy."
"Yet something seems not quite right with this alien. It displays more intelligence, but does not hold command. It contains incredible strength, but seems to actually act best independently. Almost as though it is acting on something only it knows."
"Curious."
Report:
After a thorough autopsy, I do believe that my earlier notes were justified. Physically, the Muton on the surface appears to hold the same characteristics as standard Muton soldiers, small eyes, pink skin, obscured ears and in general very brutish features. All of this is just amplified to a much higher level. Their armor is also made of a much stronger alloy, and I have yet to determine what, if any, significance their more ornate helmets have outside of protection.
However, I have determined that every single Elite I have autopsied has been genetically identical, which means that these aliens are being grown, rather than born naturally. This would indicate both that the aliens consider this unit valuable, and that they have put significant resources into this project to construct a superior Muton.
One that I believe has succeeded beyond what could have been expected. Mutons are hardy enough, and Elites have all of these traits taken to extremes. Their skin is incredibly resistant, and genetically hardened to resist blunt piercing and plasma burns. Even a sustained laser takes precious seconds to pierce it. Their eyes are also hyperreactive, and despite appearances, I estimate to be at least as powerful as our own enhanced soldiers.
Their healing capabilities are also enhanced to a degree where they will heal wounds on their skin within a half hour at least, and as far as I can tell, they are immune to most debilitating diseases, and resistant to irritants such as smoke, gas, and even acid. This alien is also a wealth of potential for our own genetic program, as I do believe that some of these enhancements could be replicated on our own soldiers, or at the very least incorporated.
I would prefer a live specimen to test, but knowing the capabilities of this alien, I would not recommend capture without a telepathic psion in the squad.
[Restricted – Internal Council]
However, there is a far more interesting discovery I made while examining this creatures brain. It has been severely modified, and it was clearly tampered to a degree that resembles a crude form of mental conditioning. From what little I can recreate, these Mutons are 'programmed' for lack of a better word. They don't exactly have 'thoughts' of their own, but are a walking computer program that responds to outside stimuli.
It explains both their tactics and why they are not commanding lesser aliens. Presumably, the brain will act only when certain thresholds are met. There is likely a pain tolerance level where if it becomes debilitating, it will simply shut off pain receptors. They are likely controlled directly with code phrases or even telepathic communications.
This is an excellent framework on what the Manchurian Project is to be. As such this will speed development along by a significant margin. Though I said as much earlier, I do want to emphasize that a live Elite would speed progress on the Manchurian Program significantly.
Addendum – Aegis' Notes
Most of what you noted about the Elites was correct, Dr. Vahlen. The Elite was Revelean's first attempt at creating a superior Muton. He wanted one that was completely loyal first, and intelligence was a secondary project (Which you know as Sargons), and here he succeeded. Your allusion to them being 'programmed' is largely correct, as he never intended for Elites to be used in complex situations.
Thus, they often fill the roles of bodyguards and accompany Sargons and other commanders onto the battlefield. The conception that Elites are smarter than standard Mutons is not entirely correct. They cannot truly think on their own, their only responses are determined by outside stimuli, and thus, are only as good as the programmer. They project this illusion because they can survive attacks that would kill almost anything else.
As you also noted, Elites are grown fully ready for combat. There is no training for them to go through, as all of them have the knowledge implanted at birth. An Elite that is only seconds old is just as dangerous as one a decade older. Elites do not learn from their mistakes, they don't have that intellectual capability, they can only truly react. They do not have free will, they do not have individual thought outside of constant processing of visual information.
Yet they are dangerous and that should not ever be forgotten. But they are also a resource-intensive project, and even we must use them sparingly. They take time to grow, and it is likely that if Elites keep dying at this rate, the Battlemaster will cease usage until more are grown. The entire reserve force cannot be spent on one planet after all.
However, if the war extends too long the Elites will be gradually phased out. Revelean has been developing much stronger Mutons than these in the Praetorian Project. Be thankful he has decided not to test any on you yet.