ADVENT: History
The Annexation of Canada
"The message ADVENT has sent is clear; we must take appropriate precautions."
- Chinese President Xing Lan
ADVENT Military After-Action Report 9811
Operation: Maple Decay
Author: Commander Laura Christiaens
Recipients: Chancellor Saudia Vyandar, Chief of Lancer Operations Helion Weekes, Chief Diplomat Firdaus Hassan, Director of ADVENT Intelligence Elizabeth Falka
The operation concerning the annexation of Canada was executed to a standard that surpassed the majority of our expectations. Within twenty-four hours of operations commencement, ADVENT had control over the entirety of Canadian government and military operations, as well as direct control over most of the major cities; in conjunction with the majority of the Canadian government in our custody.
It is largely in part to Former Canadian Army Commander Logan Campbell, and Forensic Analyst Benjamin Varys that our operation proceeded with extremely minimal loss of life. As of writing this document, there are only three instances of military forces engaging Canadian soldiers in combat, largely due to a lack of communication or unwillingness to stand down. None of the violence persisted long, and only slightly impeded our efforts there.
As recognition for their efforts, I have spoken with both men and have personally granted Commander Logan the rank of Chief Marshal of the Canadian Legion, which is in the process of being reformed. The majority of formerly Canadian military is cooperating to their fullest ability, and assisting in reforming it into what is considered acceptable ADVENT standards, and I estimate that we will be able to utilize them within two weeks to a month.
Benjamin has had his request similarly granted by Chief Stein, and will be transferred immediately, though Stein did not inform me of exactly where he would be placed right away. Concerning the Peacekeepers, they are not having issues keeping the population under control. There have been no documented demonstrations or riots yet, and those are unlikely to happen until the lockdown on most major cities is removed.
While ADVENT will have direct control of the government for a short time, the Election Oversight Agency is already working to identify suitable candidates to rebuild the legislature into acceptable ADVENT standards. Since Canada is familiar with democratic elections, there was no identified reason to delay establishing working branches of government. Canada will not have a seat on the Congress of Nations until this is accomplished.
We have also begun informing the citizens of the former Canadian provinces of the changes in ADVENT, with differing formats for individuals and businesses. As of right now, educating the population has proven effective, and has worked to dispel some of the myths concerning ADVENT that have been leveled at us by the media. The fact that ADVENT has an arguably better healthcare system and drug policy was something many of the citizens were unaware of, which indicates that there is a perpetuated misunderstanding on what ADVENT actually does. We do more than put down rioters and fight aliens, Chancellor, we should ensure that people know that.
Concerning media coverage, it has largely varied from country to country. Canadian media has been temporarily suspended until the situation calms down; while most media stations in ADVENT nation states have been refreshingly subdued. The usage of the footage from the Sectoid Hive seems to have reminded them of what the stakes actually are. Make no mistake, I get the impression that our annexation of Canada is not something they approve of, but they're at least being quiet about it. On the other side, media in non-ADVENT member states is highly critical of our move, and are spreading misinformation about how we're going to invade other countries next. BBC and the Guardian are the biggest media outlets pushing this, although there is very little that we can do about that, short of appearing for interviews. That should be considered.
In the meantime, now that we control Canada, I have already begun mobilizing several legions in preparation of striking right above Seattle, and we can hopefully move several more from the west to pin the aliens in a corner. From there we can proceed south to take the West Coast back. But since I suspect that the aliens will not be dealt with easily, I envision the West Coast becoming a major battleground in the war.
Subject: Jonas Culbert
Occupation: Alien Propagandist (Suspected)
Video Title: The End of Independence
"Well, folks, I knew this day was coming, even if I didn't want to believe it. The writing was on the wall and anyone who thought that Canada was going to get away with calling ADVENT out was sorely mistaken."
Brief pause, and subject shuffles some printed pictures on his table. "So it all looks hopeless right? Who could possibly stand up to ADVENT's tyranny now? If they are taking over countries now, what can the common man possibly hope to accomplish?"
He suddenly jerks forward as if having a seizure. "Stop! Stop those thoughts from getting into your mind! That is what ADVENT wants you to think. They want you to feel like there is no hope and no choice but to submit to the new world order! Never! They can try and take our rights, but they can never take our spirit!" [Observer note: That sounds suspiciously familiar]
"What has to be done is expose their lies to the world! The media has been shocked into silence, by the, admittedly, powerful propaganda ADVENT is using to stir up emotions and justify their actions. Now folks, I won't lie, I was a bit nauseous watching that footage ADVENT put out, but that was only until I realized that was their goal all along!"
Dramatic pause. "That, listeners, is because it is fake! ADVENT has managed to fool the entire world and make their actions seem valid! The entire operation is based on a lie! What was in the video never happened! It is as fake as the platitude ADVENT offers when they say they 'respect the sovereignty of other nations'; we can see how true that is." [Observer note: Oh, go straight to hell]
Subject picks up photos, one of which is from the Sectoid Hive video, with a large red circle around the head of a Sectoid. "This, ladies and gentleman, is the proof! You can quite clearly see that this so-called alien is in fact a digital recreation. You can tell because the pixel analysis is off by approximately one centimeter compared to the image of an actual sectoid, see here."
Subject holds up another photo, also of a Sectoid, and consequently, from the same video the previous picture was from. "This, folks, is what an actual sectoid on video looks like. Looking between the two, the difference should be obvious, and is clear proof that ADVENT has doctored entire videos to brainwash the public and media to make themselves more acceptable."
Subject sets the pictures down, and faces the camera seriously. "You can trust me on this, I have the very best people looking at this, believe me. What they found is one hundred percent authentic, and if begs the question of why ADVENT is trying to demonize the aliens so much. How much of what we've heard is nothing more than lies? Can we really determine what the aliens are really like when our only sources are from ADVENT? What if the so-called 'alien threat' is nothing more than a lie?"
"Something to think about folks, and I'll be here soon to bring more of the truth directly to you!"
End video.
Analysis: As much as I would like to spend the whole report calling this piece of scum every derogatory name in the book, there is something more important to be discussed first. This is the first positive insinuation that Culbert is getting some form of support from the aliens. The shift towards the end of the video towards bringing up the possibility that the aliens aren't a threat points too heavily towards outside influence.
We've wondered if China has been sponsoring him, but they are just as much against the aliens as us, so I doubt they would be happy with him openly questioning the alien's intentions. Alien support would also explain how he has been able to avoid detection for so long, and why we can never manage to apprehend him.
The good news is that his audience has shrunk significantly from the early days when ADVENT was formed, largely due in part to us hitting his sites, and taking down every mirror and post containing this that we can find. The Dark Web is still one place we are unlikely to fully lock down, but the amount of people who are dedicated to keeping up with this idiot are significantly fewer, and we are identifying more of them every day.
Concerning his so-called evidence, I think he knows that his audience is composed of idiots, and in his own way, is openly mocking them. The alternative is that he actually is that stupid and does not realize that both those pictures are from the same video. Both have been used on various conspiracy and right-wing sites promoting fake stories, and it is entirely possible he is taking it from them. The second image is also the first result now if you Google "sectoid", so he might have believed it was real.
If you're curious, not one of the watchers that are left has informed him of this. However, I'm doubtful Culbert could have gotten to where he is if he was completely stupid, but it does beg the question of why he doesn't put the barest amount of effort into fooling his audience. Either he's only in it for the attention, or he's become a tool.
Neither are particularly comforting.
MINISTRY OF STATE SECURITY CONFIDENTIAL
To Agency Head Chen Yongyue
Agent: [REDACTED]
As per your request, I am prepared to offer a full explanation for how the ADVENT annexation managed to surprise us, and to outline our possible response and solutions to this developing situation. To the best of our ability, Canada had no prior warning to the operation, and thus despite managing to compromise Canadian Intelligence, we believe that ADVENT has also managed to compromise them, and it is highly possible that they were working to suppress any hint of what was to come.
Due to Canadian Army Commander Campbell immediately ordering military forces to stand down, he was clearly involved to a substantial degree, and the only possible way he could have managed to avoid any sort of hint of detection was if he had told absolutely no one beforehand outside of ADVENT representatives, as our operative within the Canadian military did not indicate that this was ever a possibility.
With that being said, it was mentioned in previous reports that the Canadian military was growing increasingly hostile to the standing government, and it is ultimately not a surprise both that the Commander defected to ADVENT, or that the majority of Canadian military forces stood down when ADVENT invaded. This also applies to Canadian Police, although none of them appear to have anticipated this move.
The Chancellor has stated that this was authorized by the Congress of Nations, and does appear to be what was discussed in the closed sessions we were unable to determine the cause of. We initially believed it to be relating to the alien attacks on Japan, but it appears it was all for determining if Canada was within their jurisdiction for annexation.
It is very clear that even within ADVENT, very few were aware of the operation existing in the first place, and it was only within hours of the announcement itself did we receive anything indicating that Canada was the target, far too late for us to affect the outcome in any way. It was a failure to recognize and connect the information provided. We of course were aware of the heightened tensions between ADVENT and the Canadian government, but we had little to confirm that besides speculation.
What is abundantly clear is that we cannot treat ADVENT like any nation we have previously dealt with. They have made it completely clear that the aliens are the only threat they openly recognize, and any threats to their ability to deal with that will be met with force. We cannot rely on any deterrents should conflict be threatened. Nuclear weapons did not help Pakistan, and I suspect it would not help us.
The only possible deterrent to ADVENT action would be the development of psions of our own, and if there have been improvements on that front, it would be advisable not to let ADVENT learn of them. They might consider that too large a threat to ignore, yet at the same time, with the aliens threatening the mainland, we cannot afford to hold back our own forces for the sake of secrecy.
However, at the same time, there are clear patterns and rules to ADVENT methods. For better or worse, they are holding to their internal guidelines, and while I am not suggesting capitulation in the least, it might be worth considering an agreement between the People's Republic and ADVENT, at the very minimum a cessation of the hostile nature between us.
ADVENT does appear to be reasonable, and it stands to reason that had Canada been cooperative with ADVENT, they would not have been annexed. Without speaking to ADVENT representatives personally, it is difficult to confirm for certain, but I believe that should we not pose a direct threat to them, they will ignore us for the time being.
If we wish to keep ADVENT's attention away from us, it would likely be better to focus on our own efforts to defend against the aliens. At the minimum, it would show ADVENT that we are not their primary enemy. We no longer have the upper hand when dealing with them, and the sooner we recognize this and adapt to what ADVENT really is, the better our chances of surviving this war intact become.
Quisilia,
As I warned you many times before, if we did not take advantage of the opening Canada provided us, than it was inevitable that XCOM or ADVENT would.
And they did.
While there is no point in dwelling on past mistakes, it does highlight that despite whatever master plan the Imperator or the Battlemaster has, it does not help our effort to deliberately ignore potential threats and opportunities, unless the reasons are made clear. There was no tangible benefit to ignoring Canada, and now ADVENT controls the entirety of North America, and has access to both another army, and the wealth of natural resources there.
They can also move and hide entire armies in the wilderness, as well as continually reinforce attacks into America, and reliably strike the positions we have so far. We will have to respond by performing some attacks against Canada itself, although this will draw away resources from other operations.
A problem we are going to encounter in Canada is that the conditions are steadily becoming worse and colder, which the majority of our forces outside Mutons and Borelians are ill-prepared for. ADVENT has plenty of soldiers who are used to colder conditions, and unfortunately, the majority of our own do not have sufficient experience in hostile conditions to equal whatever threat ADVENT poses.
It was also clearly a mistake to allow a Sectoid Hive to be established on Earth, and thus vulnerable to XCOM, as that has backfired significantly, and Saudia has been particularly clever in how she has utilized the footage. I am afraid that it will be…difficult…to completely influence the civilians in the near future, even after our victory. It is understandably too much to expect much forgiveness after seeing experimentation like that, yet it also makes our job harder.
Thanks to Saudia's stunt, she managed to make an act as large as annexing an entire country seem justified, and for the moment she has the approval of not just the population, but the majority of the media as well, though how long this will last is unknown. Recruitment has steadily been increasing, and will likely continue rising.
This has also had the effect of shifting the focus from the failed ADVENT defense of Japan, and onto us, which is not the effect we wanted. This will unfortunately likely have the effect of more nations joining ADVENT out of nothing but fear, but will nonetheless increase their power. What is actually concerning is if this is enough to convince China to work with ADVENT, or at worst, join them.
An enhanced Chinese force would completely stall our upcoming operations there, and that is something that should not be allowed to happen.
So the lesson to learn from this is not to waste opportunities when they present themselves. If we ignore South America and Africa because of unexplained orders, we might as well cede Earth to ADVENT for the time being, or be prepared to lose hundreds of thousands of soldiers unnecessarily to conquer it.
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary
Addendum – Quisilia: Yes, yes, we get it, you're not happy. Don't worry, no special orders from the Imperator again. At least for now. And if it does happen again, the Battlemaster isn't going to let it stand without some kind of explanation. He's just as irritated as you about this, actually. And he doesn't have to read passive-aggressive reports that subtly call their superiors idiots.
Good thing Caelior wasn't reading this. Although it would probably go over his head.
Rest assured that this mistake won't be repeated.