Vitakara: Organizations
The Nulorian
"We are not freedom fighters. We are terrorists."
- Miridian
Message written by Miridian distributed throughout Vitakar. Zararch attempts at containment were not completely successful.
Your lives are an illusion; a waking dream controlled by those far more powerful and intelligent than you. All who sleepwalk through this life are willing puppets, and as such, are not worthy of any consideration.
The Aui'Vitakar are a sham, propped up and controlled by the Elders. The Aui'Vitakar have sold our species to fight in their wars and serve in their armies. The Borelians are cowards who have failed to adhere to their calling of facing down threats to themselves and the Vitakara. To not see the threat posed by this outside force is willful negligence.
The Vitakarian Republic is a spineless mouthpiece of the Elders; hiding behind the 'will of the people'; drones who have been conditioned to accept what the Elders push as truth. The Cobrarian have succumbed to their selfishness, placing their foolish crusade on control of their race over the good of the species. They will not be judged kindly.
The Dath'Haram have showed their true colors by refusing to move beyond their forests and into the wider galaxy. It is harsh. It is bloody. It is cold. And they have willingly bowed to the Elders and turned their own people in by the dozens. The Oyariah are traitors to our species; blind fanatics to the Elders who would sacrifice what little we have left at their whims.
Their race is a stain on our species, and they will be purged.
The Zararch are mere pawns of the Elders; they watch our people for any sign of defiance; of expression; of questioning the way things are. There are no delays; no risks taken. Those who threaten the order the Elders have imposed are removed and those who know join them, or keep their silence. Such cowardice and submission is a disease on our species, and those afflicted by it are forever in the grasp of the Elders.
This is not a call to arms. It is not a manifesto. It is not meant to inspire.
It is a warning.
There is no neutrality in this conflict. There are no bystanders. Every Vitakarian has a choice in this. We are always watching, and actions are not unnoticed.
All will die one day, but we will ensure that we kill as many of the puppets as possible before doing so. Take care that you are not one of them.
- Miridian
Operation: Terrorist Danger
Division: Counter Terrorism Investigation
Report Author: Zar'gillo'vitiary
Authorization: Zar'Chon
Zar'Chon,
Due to the Nulorian enjoying a surprising, but ultimately pointless resurgence, I have completed the task assigned and shall provide a comprehensive overview of these traitors both to the species and the Collective itself. The first thing to reiterate is that their overall goals have not changed at all, and if anything, have grown even more radical and fanatical.
It is ironic considering their hatred of the Oyariah.
While you are familiar with their unique ideology, I do wish to add an overview for those who are unaware of the danger the Nulorian pose not just in a military capacity, but to our citizens as well. The Nulorian are terrorists, and while that word in the past has had negative correlations, it is something the Nulorian not only embrace, but actively emphasize.
Contrary to what many believe about the Nulorian, they have no endgame. Their only purpose is to kill as many of us as they can, before they themselves are killed. They are, as their leader Miridian puts it, "not freedom fighters". They reject any notion that they are doing this other than a desire to spill blood.
It is a movement that is based on vengeance, usually out of a misguided anger at our own organization for removing disruptive elements in our society. Nulorian are troublemakers that we were simply unable to locate before they turned. The threat they pose to the Collective itself is so low as to be laughable, but on Vitakar they have made their presence quite known.
Nulorian tactics in the past have held nothing back. While we have ensured that the worst of the attacks do not spread, people are aware when the Nulorian have struck. The last major attack seven years ago with the raid that resulted in an entire shipment of plasma weapons stolen, with the workers killed, was a stark reminder of what these terrorists are capable of when they put effort into their plans.
However, the Nulorian as they exist today are not quite the same. I suspect based on what I've found that both their resources and manpower are low, and have instead moved from the more traditional terrorist activities to information warfare, which comes in the form of what we have now designated as 'watchers'. From interrogations, we have determined that this is a relatively recent low-ranking Nulorian operative that does exactly what the name suggests: Watches.
They appear to work on a need-to-know basis, only being contacted by higher-ranked Nulorian agents when they deem it necessary. There is an odd percentage that are resistant to enhanced interrogation techniques, and keep insisting they don't know anything. This unfortunately appears to be true in a lot of cases. It is entirely possible that the Nulorian have either managed to fabricate or steal memory-altering drugs and are using them on their agents to counter us.
To date this is not proven, but any trace of similar drugs would have likely faded long ago, and as of now we currently have no better explanation. The Nulorian would see us all dead, but they are loyal to their own, and those watchers spreading their propaganda is indisputable.
As always, the most dangerous factor is Miridian himself. We have still be unable to locate anything related to him, be it his race, age, or name. He could quite honestly be anywhere on Vitakar, and the Nulorian structure we have been able to map out as such seems specifically designed to make it almost impossible to locate him. He works through messengers and intermediaries, and I have never heard mention of him personally taking part in an operation.
However, it has been nearly forty years since Miridian first appeared. At some point he will begin suffering effects of aging if he is a Vitakarian, Dath'Haram or Cobrarian. If he is an Oyariah or Borelian, then he might be a concern for a while longer. I have not included the Sar'Manda because the rare audio recordings of him bear no indication of a synthesized voice, nor any of the hallmarks of Sar'Manda speech. Unless he is using a decoy, Miridian is not a Sar'Manda.
The question of what race he belongs to is difficult. The most likely candidates are Vitakarian or Borelian, as speech patterns and voice match well to known Vitakarian speech patterns and sounds. But a Borelian would suit well in terms of personality, and since Miridian is established as male, that might even reinforce that theory. Borelian males are far more refined and strategic than females, and their voices are far softer as well, so the role Miridian has taken does fit with a male Borelian.
The other factor to consider is of course that the recordings where Miridian is speaking are dubbed, and are not accurate. This we have yet to see disputed, and with three separate recordings with the same tone, we can at minimum establish that Miridian is male, he is not a Sar'Manda, and he wants nothing more than to kill all of us.
His background is open to speculation, but his range of skills could range from Zararch agents to one of the Aui'Vitakar themselves. It is simply impossible to narrow the search without more physical data on Miridian himself. I suggest that be the next step in this operation, should you continue it.
REPORT: 000010011111
ORGANIZATION OF INTEREST: THE NULORIAN
SPECIES: VITAKARA
CLASSIFICATION: TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
LEADER: "MIRIDIAN" – ERROR: TITLE NOT RECOGNIZED
MEMBER COUNT: UNKNOWN
CURRENT STATUS: HOSTILE
VULNERABILITY TO EXPLOITATION: UNKNOWN – REQUIRES FURTHER INVESTIGATION
VULNERABILITY TO PENETRATION: LOW
VULNERABILITY TO COLLAPSE: UNKNOWN – OUTSIDE FACTORS HAVE YET TO BE CONFIRMED
INFORMATION OF NOTE: DETAILS OF LEADER MIRIDIAN UNKNOWN
INFORMATION OF NOTE: WELL-EQUIPPED
INFORMATION OF NOTE: LOCATION OF OPERATIONS UNKNOWN
INFORMATION OF NOTE: NON-TRADITIONAL MOTIVES
THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN – ESTIMATED LOW TO MEDIUM
ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: The Nulorian should not exist in their current form. Despite Zararch assurances that the issue has been dealt with, all indications from Special Operators on Vitakar are that the Nulorian are not dying off – but expanding. The observed methods are slow and subtle, and have been the culmination of what appears to be years of work.
Nulorian attacks on Vitakara locations/outposts have dropped dramatically, and this appears to be an intentional choice on the part of the Nulorian, perhaps as a means to lull the Zararch into complacency. Further investigation into Nulorian activity has revealed the most notable tactics they have employed over the past decade.
The Nulorian have systematically and slowly radicalized specific parts of the population through a combination of propaganda, subversion, exploitation, and manipulation. These will be covered briefly below:
Propaganda: Ever since the infamous message Miridian released (Which was quickly quieted by the Zararch), the Nulorian have acted far more subtly. It is my conclusion that what Miridian wrote was intentionally designed to be both provocative and far more combative than his true goals. He planted in the minds of many of what Nulorian propaganda is, and therefore people are more susceptible to more moderate forms of persuasion, as they are convinced they can identify obvious terrorist propaganda.
The Nulorian rarely spread propaganda on their own. To them, propaganda is the simple art of asking questions. The original chain may be started by the Nulorian operative, but as Vitakara are a social people, conversations, arguments and debates tend to spread, and soon people begin to wonder about things that were considered unthinkable.
Nulorian propaganda is, quite simply, a means of planting doubt.
Subversion: The Aui'Vitakar and Zararch have underestimated the Nulorian. Badly. This is why:
What was a Nulorian agent ten, or even twenty years ago, is not the same one they use today. A classic Nulorian terrorist would be responsible for destroying a Dath'Haram school in a suicide blast, or making an attempt on a member of the Aui'Vitakar. Those kind of terrorists do not exist any longer, or if they do, they have either been stopped or Miridian is holding them in reserve.
The Nulorian terrorist today is trained well enough to be considered a Lurainian, or a skilled enough diplomat to hold a reasonable conversation. These are certainly not the only Nulorian operatives, but they are the most public. The Zararch have yet to figure out that the Nulorian have moved beyond cheap terrorists, and into intelligent terrorists.
They are still looking for mentally unstable shooters, and suicide bombers. I suspect they only think Miridian is the actual threat, when in reality he likely has a core of well-trained officers. There is the question of just how Miridian turned the Nulorian into this, but that I will address further in.
Exploitation: The Nulorian appear to know how the Aui'Vitakar and Zararch think, and therefore they can predict what will be their response. The reason the Nulorian are both bigger than they are, and larger in general is because the Zararch do most of the radicalizing for them. The majority of "Nulorian" they interrogate are not actual agents at all, but largely people asking questions that are Nulorian in origin.
At no point do the Zararch appear to realize that these aren't agents that are simply not being told anything (They are referred to as 'watchers' as in they watch and report to the Nulorian. This is largely not true.), but civilians that don't realize they are spreading Nulorian propaganda.
That slight distinction does not seem to matter to the Zararch.
The Nulorian will then act in a much more direct manner. The sibling or other related individual connected to the one taken is far more vulnerable to radicalization than one who is content with their life. The Nulorian only want true believers; they only want people who have nothing to lose; everything else is expendable. They are perfectly content to sacrifice dozens of the 'puppets' as they deridingly refer to the civilians, if it means they acquire one actual Nulorian agent or observer.
Manipulation: This is where the impressive ruthlessness of the Nulorian is on full display. From our brief investigations, it appears that every single Nulorian recruit has been specifically chosen and driven to join the Nulorian. The methods used to achieve this goal are notably brilliant, and once more manipulate the Zararch into doing most of the work for them.
Understand that the Nulorian, and Miridian in particular, do not care about their species. No matter what they claim, they do not care about them. Only a few are not expendable, and they will do what they can to manipulate them to their side. The Zararch are extremely overzealous in their efforts to stamp out anti-Collective sentiments, and the Nulorian exploit that to the fullest.
Once their target for radicalization is chosen, they will slowly and surely begin implicating those around him or her; making them targets for the Zararch. This is done through propaganda as discussed earlier, or even planting irrefutable evidence of Nulorian involvement on computer systems or boxes of contraband in their homes.
After all, the Nulorian would never sell out their own.
Those marked by the Nulorian will have every single person they care about systematically taken or killed by the Zararch. To avoid suspicion, at times they will perform a more conventional form of removal. A speeder crash. A fatal poison. The methods don't matter as long as those around the target die.
Miridian is intelligent. There is little that is more dangerous than one who has nothing to lose, and as it is likely that this has been going on for at least a decade, chances are that the Nulorian are far more dangerous than even we understand.
Concerns: Reading this, there are certain questions that have no doubt arisen. Those familiar with Nulorian history will note that this does not sound anything like the terrorists that existed two decades ago. The question is how this came about: There are only a few possible explanations.
One: Miridian adapted, and shaped the Nulorian into what it is today because he had to if his movement was to survive. However, the level of coordination and resources involved seems too large if this was done at the hand of one Vitakara and perhaps a few of his close advisors.
Two: The Nulorian had, or are still getting, help. This would provide a far better explanation as to their evolution as opposed to the first. The question then is, who would be helping them? It is highly unlikely that there is an outside organization funding them, but it is entirely likely that they have important contacts established within the Aui'Vitakar, Runianarch, and Lurainian. They do not need many, but a few Lurainian defectors would explain how their operatives are far beyond mere terrorists, and potentially equal to the best of Vitakara soldiers.
That does not account for everything, of course, but unfortunately there is little more we can do without either infiltrating or making contact with the Nulorian themselves. Infiltration will be extremely difficult, if not impossible without the resources to introduce a Vitakara agent, and have them subsequently be targeted by the Nulorian for radicalization. They unfortunately do not post job offers or internships either, which negates that admittedly slim means of entry.
The goals of the Nulorian are not aligned with our own. They seek the destruction of the Collective, and that is not a supported goal. Their effect of destabilizing the Vitakara is a far more useful application, and one that we should consider supporting. Unfortunately, Miridian is unpredictable, and until we have sufficient information and a psychological profile on him, it is entirely likely he may expose Andromedon contact in an effort to destabilize Collective-Federation relations.
Should Miridian be removed, the chances of this outcome drop significantly. However, the chances of locating, let alone killing him, are miniscule at this point without additional data. Use this information well when deciding how to handle them. They are a bomb, and without proper handling, they may hurt us as well as themselves.
RECOMMENDATION: ESTABLISH MEANS OF DETERMINING PROFILE OF NULORIAN LEADER MIRIDIAN; BEGIN RECONNAISSANCE OF ESTABLISHED NULORIAN OUTPOSTS; CONTRAMAND RECOMMENDATION OF SPECIAL OPERATOR 011 – DO NOT ESTABLISH OFFICIAL CONTACT WITH NULORIAN UNTIL MIRIDIAN IS CONTROLLED, OR OUTSIDE SUPPORT IS IDENTIFIED
REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 291; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR! DATA CLASSIFIED]
END REPORT
AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS
Recorded audio of Miridian and several unidentified Nulorian members. Recovered by the Sar'Manda Empire
[Miridian]: "The Hierarchy is under control."
[Unidentified Male 1]: "They are still dealing with the current exodus of males. This has to be a Zararch operation. This would not happen otherwise."
[Unidentified Female 1]: "What would the Zararch gain from that?"
[M]: "It doesn't matter. Kill the loyal males, we collapse the Hierarchy."
[Unidentified Male 2]: "Situation will reach critical in two-point-one years at current exodus. We will need to switch resources to the region if we want to convert as many targets as possible."
[M]: "Noted. That can be arranged. The Cobrarian are not a necessary race to preserve. Their biological issues and culture are more trouble than they're worth."
[UM1]: "Don't let some certain people hear that."
[UF1]: Unintelligible
[M]: "The Cobrarian give our species no advantage. Neither do the Dath'Haram. The Oyariah deserve to be wiped out. The loyalists will be preserved, but they understand they are mistakes of evolution and nature. There were too many races, and that served nothing but to divide us and cause more problems. Their purposes to our species are at an end."
[UM2]: "This is questionable, even for you."
[M]: "If half our species were composed of something other than pacifists, cowards or weaklings, then we might not be in the situation to begin with. Remember who originally brought down the Plague upon us, and who were the first to proclaim that the Elders were our saviors?"
[UM2]: "Hope you have a plan for it. Because I somehow don't think this is going to either be easy to pull off, or convincing your friend to support it."
[M]: "My friend was the one who suggested I take advantage of the Zararch's failure. I have simply expanded on it."
[UF1]: "Right. So we have a good possibility of collapsing the Hierarchy. That still leaves most of them alive, if I'm not missing something."
[M]: "I wouldn't worry about that. Should we play our roles correctly, the Elders will wipe out that race for us. They are as predictable as they are fanatical."
[UF1]: "Let's hope they don't figure out something is off."
[UM1]: "Please. If there's one thing the Zararch like doing, it's taking out the 'terrorist Nulorian agents'."
Group laughter
[M]: "That aside, I want this done slowly. Let the Zararch think they are being corrupted over a period of years. This war with the Humans works to our advantage. We can exploit that to eradicate the Hierarchy. Once they are purged by the Zararch, they will drive the survivors to our cause. Then we will move on to the next phase."
[UF1]: "If this goes according to plan."
[M]: "It will. The Humans will be destroyed and normalcy will be returned to Vitakar soon enough. And normalcy is all we need."
[UM2]: "One thing to consider. If it reaches the point where the Cobrarian are purged, I suspect the Elders will not sit idle."
[M]: "They do not care about us. They only care about control. And if an entire race is destroyed to achieve that objective? Then it is justified. They have not shown themselves since the Arrival. They will not show themselves until they are threatened."
[UF1]: "Then we have nothing to worry about."
[M]: "For now. See to it this is carried out. Let the Hierarchy and Zararch tear each other apart. They deserve nothing less."