Ethereals: Dossier

Fectorian

"You would think that an Ethereal with a literal army would be a little more well-known."

- Zar'poliala'dakka

REPORT: 001011011110

TARGET OF INTEREST: UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY BLACKSITE

SPECIES: UNKNOWN (SUSPECTED ETHEREAL)

BLACKSITE PURPOSE: UNKNOWN (SUSPECTED MILITARY PRODUCTION)

INFORMATION OF NOTE: EXTENSIVE SYSTEM DEFENSES

INFORMATION OF NOTE: HOLDING UNKNOWN NUMBER OF ENHANCED COMBATANTS

INFORMATION OF NOTE: ENHANCEMENTS APPEAR TO BE PRIMARILY CYBERNETIC

INFORMATION OF NOTE: SUSPECTED ETHEREAL OVERSEER

INFORMATION OF NOTE: PERSONNEL NOT INTEGRATED WITH GREATER COLLECTIVE MILITARY

THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN - ESTIMATED MEDIUM TO HIGH

ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: This is the thirty-seventh attempt at breaching the system in which this Blacksite is located, and after managing to compile even a surface list of what is in system, it easily explains where the high amount of lost Special Operators have gone. The defenses in place are comparable to Desolan, except appearing to be even further advanced technologically.

There are only two means of entrance into this system: Through designated Gateways, which are surrounded by defenses and turrets which can vaporize any unrecognized spacecraft in seconds, and through manual FTL travel. The latter is the only reasonable recommendation, and there is no other way to reach this system safely.

In the event that arrival is completed, there are regular drone patrols which navigate the entirety of the system, so sustained surveillance is difficult when one misstep can result in immediate termination. There are two main targets of note here: The Blacksite itself, and what is assumed to be an Ethereal variation of the Uyarior Rings.

The Uyarior Ring replica/variation does not appear to act differently from what would be expected. The primary function is the harvesting of the star for energy, and this energy is presumably transported to the Blacksite and to the Collective at large. Due to the likely efficiency of this, and the fact that there are no other instances of this being built in the Collective, it is likely that this was a recent construction, and work on additional Rings will commence within the coming months or years. There also appear to be smaller Gateways near the rings, with drone transports moving between them frequently, which is likely how the Collective receives the energy gathered from it. A potential vulnerability if we were to investigate where this led.

The more concerning structure is the Blacksite itself, and it is by far the largest one we have been safely able to locate. Exterior scans are attached, and you will note that it is composed of levels which have clear room for expansion above, below, and extending from the levels themselves. There are entire hangars and shipyards on the station, which means this is definitely an experimental spaceflight Blacksite, but I doubt that is all it is.

I will quickly make an addendum that while the system has exactly seven planets, some with moons, none are habitable, and are bare of any life, vegetation, or breathable air. With that said, they are currently being strip-mined of any resources by drones and transported back to the Blacksite. It is likely at least some of these are being sent to the Collective as well, but there is no data to back this up.

Furthermore, at least two of these planets are undergoing major construction projects. There are additional shipyards being constructed around one, and on the second there are massive ground structures being added. Potential barracks or storage are likely guesses, but it is too risky to acquire further information.

The question of what this Blacksite is can have multiple answers, but it appears to be primarily for developing a technologically advanced army. The ships, which largely appear to be composed of fighters and medium-class spacecraft, as well as approximately three capital-class ships, are of no design I have ever seen, and do not bear similarities to Andromedon, Sectoid, or Vitakara spacecraft. For what it is worth, it does also not resemble the one identified Ethereal Temple Ship, although due to the lack of information on Ethereal spacecraft, this does not necessarily mean the designs are not Ethereal in origin.

Information on the interior of the Blacksite is largely unknown, but brief scans have revealed heavily modified Muton and Vitakara soldiers. The exact capabilities of these soldiers are unknown, but the enhancements appear to be primarily cybernetic, especially in the eyes, limbs, and internal organs. Full autopsies will be required for further details.

What is clear is that there is an navy here that is at minimum equivalent to the Vitakara Fleet, and quite possibly extensively beyond it. I was not able to record or witness combat operations, so it is unknown how these spacecraft are being tested. There is also likely an equally large and advanced infantry army within the Blacksite, but no information on that exists.

Infiltration, while not impossible, would not likely result in useful information. To acquire any useful amount of information on this Blacksite, this must be turned into a full operation with extensive resources being granted for transportation, wireless transfers, and stealth equipment. We do not know what we are dealing with here, and that is the greatest danger posed.

RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN OBSERVATION OF BLACKSITE; CONSTRUCT GATEWAY JUMP POINTS NEAR BLACKSITE SYSTEM TO REDUCE TIME TO ARRIVE; ESTABLISH ANDROMEDON STEALTH COMMUNICATORS TO MONITOR SIGNALS AND LIVE RECORDINGS; IF OPERATION PURSUED, RECRUIT SPECIAL OPERATORS SPECIALIZING IN INDUSTRIAL SURVEILLANCE AND INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 055; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR! DATA NOT FOUND!]

END REPORT

CODEX File ****

Subject: Future Unit Projects

Location: Blacksite ***

Author: Engineer Fectorian

I can finally say, with a certain degree of smugness, that the flaws noted in the Collective Military have finally been exposed, and the fact that it comes at the hands of a primitive species either speaks to an incompetence in leadership, or that the Humans are more clever than originally anticipated. As I have had a chance to extensively study their equipment and technology, it is almost assuredly the latter.

The forces of the Ethereal Collective are not prepared for full-scale war; this is obvious. While we certainly have many units that the Humans have yet to see, wars are fought using the base tools, and ours are simply not good enough. The vast majority of Vitakara are not warriors, nor can they adequately handle the stresses of combat well. Mutons are not intelligent enough to be anything more than fodder. Andromedons are excellent, but they cannot be used as simple infantry and each loss is more significant than even twenty Mutons or Vitakara.

The Sectoids until recently have relied on their machines to fight, but they are poor imitations of sapient thought and even adequate programming. However, I will note that they have finally started to adapt and harness their greatest advantage: Psionics.

However, the average Human strangely does not suffer these weaknesses, or they are at least mitigated. Excluding criminal activity, Humans usually fight because they want to on some level, and even if they do not, when cornered they become dangerous. In this aspect they are already superior to the Vitakara, and their baseline intelligence is already higher than a Muton.

What is fascinating is their capability for both innovation, and ruthlessness. The XCOM MEC soldiers are an admirable first attempt at cybernetic conversion, and they do not fear investigation into genetic modification or psionic research. Perhaps it is because they feel threatened, but one trait I have noticed is that Humans wish to keep pushing forward, regardless of consequences.

This has led to great achievements, and has also predictably backfired. The species is stubborn, and a united one would be more dangerous than they are now.

Since the Battlemaster does not want to escalate the conflict to an unwinnable scenario for the Humans, strategies are limited. However, no one appears to understand that the longer this conflict drags on, the more dangerous the Humans will become. Unlike us, they will not hesitate to use their newest weapons and technology against us, and their eventual expansion of psionics will turn this invasion from a mild risk to a potential problem.

Perhaps this is the point? Artificially increase the Human level of technology to a dangerous degree to simulate an inner galactic species?

Possibly. A risk, but an acceptable one. There is little gained by conquering primitives.

However, this is no excuse for not responding to what the Humans have made. There are weaknesses throughout the Collective, and the following projects are designed to address them, as well as units ADVENT and XCOM have brought to the war.

REPLICA: As the Zararch can do little more than surveillance, they are effectively hamstrung since they cannot bypass the physical sampling and testing ADVENT now employs. While they remain expert assassins and strategists, without information that is of limited use. The REPLICA Project addresses this by creating base humanoid shells, which are overlaid by nanites which can allow the shell to assume the physical appearance of any Human in existence. Note that this also applies to most species of Vitakara, excluding the Oyariah and Cobrarian.

These serve two purposes, first they will be outfitted to fully infiltrate Human cities and can pass without suspicion upon visual inspection. There are limited biological functions, primarily artificial veins which will cycle blood, and the complexity of inner workings can be expanded depending on the need. Included will be cameras to take video and pictures, which can instantly send to a friendly source, or store them to be unloaded later.

The second purpose is to have a contingency in our own forces. These can be basic units that are able to determine if the force is coming under psionic attack, and then appropriately inform Collective Command. These will be combat Replicas, and be far stronger, faster, and smarter than their organic counterparts.

However, without complete research into AI technology, the machine intelligence will always be insufficient to a real one. The ultimate goal of the Replica project will be to transfer the brain of a subject into a Replica shell, and allow them full access to the range of options at their disposal. This would be ideal for Zararch agents, and allow them to integrate with Humans without suspicion, nor making obvious mistakes a machine intelligence would undoubtedly suffer from.

For now, machine intelligence Replicas for integration into our own forces, and surveillance Replicas are ready for full deployment. There are still issues to be solved with successfully transferring the brain of subjects to the shells safely, but this will likely be solved in upcoming models. There are also no Muton, Sectoid, Andromedon, or Ethereal Replicas designed, though this can be changed.

Ethereal Replicas would be useful.

ARCHON: This is both to answer the surprisingly effective XCOM Archangel Program, and also to provide our own forces with an acceptable low-altitude, anti-infantry, anti-air combatant. The Floater and Heavy Floater units were intended to perform this role, but that was under the estimation that sheer numbers would be able to overwhelm the enemy.

While this is not, strictly speaking, inaccurate, it is a gross waste of resources. ADVENT does not succumb to sheer numbers without extracting a massive cost from us. Floaters are no longer viable units, and their function will be retired upon the completion of the Archon Project. Attempting to exploit the poor intelligence of the Mutons without making acceptable alterations was a mistake, and one which the Archon Project will attempt to correct.

As it is only in the initial stages, prototypes have not yet been developed. This will begin further within the next weeks. Designs for Sectoid, Vitakara, and Muton physiology are already underway, and they will be finalized soon. Multiple types of Archons will be needed to provide suitable answers to ADVENT, which is simply not possible to incorporate into one single unit without it becoming overly bloated.

Further details will be added as the project proceeds.

SPECTRE: The irrational fear of nanotechnology has always been an annoyance, and this project was conceptualized in part to eliminate the fear-mongering point of uncontrolled expansion and the NULL Scenario, or what Humans like referring to as the "Grey Goo" scenario. A curious name, but one that is based purely on speculation. Nanotechnology is only a danger to the incompetent, otherwise it is simply a tool, much like our usage of computers and psionics.

The Spectre unit is designed with the sole intention of wiping out enemy forces in ADVENT controlled territory without outside assistance. Initial tests with the unit have surpassed expectations, and there are multiple redundancies to prevent the Spectre from acting outside its programming. Used correctly, I am proud to say that it could be invincible in combat, and only certain weapons would be able to permanently damage it.

But the danger ADVENT can never negate is that only one nanite has to survive, and it will always act on its directive. It has the additional benefit of being immune to telepathy, and I recommend at least one be deployed at our major bases, so it can at least give the Collective time to respond to avoid repeated defeats like Las Vegas.

These are initial steps to take to counter Human advancements, but I suspect that they will not be the last.

CODEX File ****

Subject: Fectorian Forces Audit

Location: Blacksite ***

Author: The Battlemaster of the Ethereal Collective

Distributed to Collective Military Command.

I have made the executive decision to begin exploring the option of integrating the military forces of Ethereal Fectorian into the Ethereal Collective Military, or otherwise determining the most optimal way to utilize them in combat operations against Earth. To do this correctly will first require a full audit of what Fectorian has, as in how large, effective, and combat-ready his forces are.

Fectorian has provided me with numbers as to the size of his forces, and that will be covered in this document. Note that this will only cover infantry units, and spacecraft is a topic that will be discussed separately. This will be organized by species:

VITAKARA:

Unit 1: Enhanced Vitakarian: While this would usually be a standard unit in Fectorian's Army, there are actually fewer of them than might be expected, and unlike the majority of his soldiers, these operate on a 'lifespan' so to speak. He has had issues with their adaption to cybernetics, which have often caused failure and death. Fectorian has assured me that he will solve this issue in the future, and now that he has the proper incentive, the enhanced Vitakarians will be likely deployed within months.

Unit Count: 10,881

Unit 2: Enhanced Borelian: These are the heavily modified Vitakara of Fectorian's. Very little of the original bodies of the species have been preserved, as their limbs and most of their torso have been replaced with cybernetic alternatives. This makes them not look like Borelians at all, since their heads are hidden completely, and their eyes are replaced, and they have the same brain enhancements as Enhanced Vitakarians. However, this unit differs in that it has heavy weapon and missile systems built into its back plating and shoulders. These units are extremely hard to kill.

Unit Count: 12,003

Unit 3: Remastered Zararch Agent: These are perhaps one of the most dangerous of Fectorian's arsenal. All of their limbs have been replaced with augmented prosthetics that can be modified to store weapons, hide bombs, and otherwise allow the agent to have additional resources at their disposal. They are exceptionally fast and deadly, but what sets them apart is that their brains have been modified to the point where they do not technically have personalities, or even free will. They can interface with computers easily, and take out threats in seconds due to their unnatural processing time. Fectorian has described them as a stepping stone, but as they are now, they are perfectly serviceable.

This is one of the units where Fectorian has invested significant resources and time into their creation. He has even included genetic modification provided by Revelean that prevents the constant Vitakarian adaption. However, as this is extremely resource-intensive in addition to Fectorian not wishing to rely on Revelean for assistance, there are fewer Remastered Vitakarian Zararch agents than might be expected.

Unit Count: 3,711

Note: While Fectorian does have access to the remainder of Vitakara races, he does not have enough experimental units to warrant mention. This only recognizes units that Fectorian has standardized. Non-conforming units will be addressed in the final sections.

MUTONS:

Unit 1: Enhanced Muton Soldier: Like the majority of Fectorian's Army, the Mutons have been extensively altered, and the basic soldiers are far superior to basic ones. The limbs are replaced with cybernetic replicas, as is most of the torso. In addition to their armor, this makes them extremely difficult to kill quickly.

The largest difference made is to the brain. Their brains have been cybernetically altered to act more like computers in terms of reaction, targeting, and has overall made the individual Muton far more dangerous than it would be otherwise. These Mutons can use basic tactics, do not panic, are difficult to control psionically, and are overall a threat even to similarly enhanced forces.

Unit Count: 45,081

Unit 2: Muton Charger: This is Fectorian's enhanced Berserker, which is designed specifically for taking large amounts of damage. It has every single improvement the Mutons gain, but with thicker armor, and the combat blades they use can vary. They have multiple selections from short wrist blades, to long single ones that extend from the arm. Alternatively, they can produce nanoblade fletchettes, although there are only a limited number of these.

In addition to that, the armor is self-repairing, allowing the Charger to cause havoc for a far longer period of time. The cybernetics in the brain essentially make it immune to telepathy, although the programming for the brain is simpler than that of an enhanced soldier.

Unit Count: 10,222

Unit 3: Muton Ravager: These are Muton Elites that Fectorian has modified to act as infantry-sized artillery units. They are slow, cumbersome, heavily armed, and more comparable to an XCOM MEC than an actual Muton soldier. Their arsenals include plasma missiles, grenades, blaster bombs, in addition to a heavy plasma cannon it continuously uses in combat.

It can anchor itself to the ground, and Fectorian has also included kinetic shielding to reduce physical projectile damage. Energy damage is not taken into consideration. Their brains have also been extensively modified for precision targeting, and again are more comparable to a computer than anything organic.

Unit Count: 2,100

Unit 4: Muton Absorber: As the Ravager was designed to provide long-range artillery, the Absorber is designed purely to absorb damage. Also utilizing Muton Elite Structure, these are heavily armored Mutons that have no goal other than to advance and kill anything in their way. They carry plasma cannons, have self-healing armor, and integrated close-range systems such as flame and chemical dispensers. They are extremely difficult to kill, and their basic cybernetic programming does little to mitigate this.

Unit Count: 2,301

ANDROMEDONS: Fectorian has never felt that the Andromedons would make good additions to his military, although he does have several Andromedons who work with him on projects. He respects the species highly, and has informed me he is working on some additional suit designs for Andromedons. These are unlikely to materialize for some time yet.

SECTOIDS: Until recently, Fectorian has dismissed the Sectoids as not being worth the effort of experimenting on. With the development of the Vanguard, and a resurgence in psionic-integrated technology, he has begun exploring options for the Sectoids. Like the Andromedons, results will not be immediate.

HUMANS: While there are no Human units available to deploy, Fectorian has assured me that experiments on potential uses are proceeding well, and prototypes will be constructed within months. Due to their psionic aptitude, he believes they hold exceptional potential, and his experience on aliens with similar physiology will no doubt improve the speed of the project.

ADDITIONAL UNITS: The following units are experimental, and as such have either not been completed or are in few numbers.

Unit 1: Spectre: According to Fectorian, this is a nearly indestructible nanite war machine that is capable of self-replication, repair, and a high-level machine intelligence. He assures me that all appropriate safeguards have been installed, and are also not capable of being abused by ADVENT or XCOM forces. There will be limited trial deployments of these before they are used for wide-scale operations.

Unit Count: 16

Unit 2: Replica: As the name suggests, it is a physically identical replication of either a Human, or the majority of Vitakara races. It is a fully robotic shell, with a machine intelligence to observe without attracting suspicion. There are some uses Fectorian has shared with me, and has also said that this will not be the final iteration.

Unit Count: 1,000

For utilization of these units, I would initially recommend trial runs to determine actual effectiveness in combat, and once the data is gathered, continue to refine deployment from there.

XCOM Profile 0072

Authorization Level: Internal Council

Subject: Fectorian

Threat Level: High

Assessment Author: Aegis

Approved by: The Commander

SECTION 1: Physical Characteristics

Hair: None (Ethereal)

Eye color: Purple (Cybernetic)

Skin color: Purple

Height: 8'10 (Regular) – 12' (Battlesuit)

Weight: Unknown – Estimated 350-700 lbs. depending on suit

Age: 1500 - 1600 Years (Exact age unknown – Not including cryogenic suspension)

Scars or markings: There is no scarring as far as I can remember, however, he has undergone extensive cybernetic modification. His legs, lower limbs, majority of skeletal structure and torso, as well as the eyes, have been cybernetically enhanced. Much of his advanced technology he directly interfaces with.

Physical condition: Exceptional, largely due to his cybernetic enhancement. Physically, in his battlesuit, he is stronger and faster than the Battlemaster, and even normally he is in overall better condition than the average Ethereal.

SECTION 2: Assessment

Fectorian is something of an enigma, even to other Ethereals. During the days of the Empire, he would be considered an isolationist pursuing a path of technology few were interested in. He could easily be considered the foil to Revelean, as Fectorian wishes to ultimately uplift the species in the Collective – through cybernetic enhancement.

He is of the strong belief that both the Ethereals and the Collective as a whole are not exploring this line of research, and ignoring him in particular, due to what he considers to be an outdated fear and trepidation of cybernetic implants. While such implants weren't uncommon in the Empire, it was nowhere to the extent of willingly cutting off limbs in exchange for mechanical ones.

Fectorian, in contrast to most, rarely considers a base physical body to be acceptable, and believes that it would ultimately be better if inferior organic bodies were slowly replaced with mechanical components over time. He considers such research just as valid as genetic modification, something which is largely unpopular with other Ethereals, yet he persists nonetheless.

Also like Revelean, he spends the majority of his time at his Blacksite, performing various experiments and trials on aliens. He is without a doubt one of the smartest Ethereals to ever exist, and is a weaponsmith and architect without equal. He is willing to take risks on projects as well as accept losses. In this aspect he is more impatient, but as a result more passionate about his work.

However, Fectorian has largely been ignored by most Ethereals in the Collective due to his controversial research and views. That is not to say he is disliked, but in general Revelean is the one the Imperator turns to for research. At this point, Fectorian seemingly does not care, and is content to focus on his own experiments.

With that said, anyone who believes this does not understand him well. Fectorian keeps careful track of events within the Collective, and is anything but idle. He appears resigned to the fact that he will be overlooked until needed, and is preparing for the time when that comes, and he will be fully afforded the respect he believes he is due.

SECTION 3: Psychological Assessment

Fectorian's views are a mixed bag, to say the least. He is not a typical Ethereal beyond the cybernetics, and a reason why some question his contributions. But I will summarize as best I can.

The first major difference compared to ordinary Ethereals is that he does not consider our species the pinnacle of life, nor considers other species inherently inferior. It is more accurate to state that Fectorian believes that all biological species are flawed, and that this can only really be remedied by cybernetic enhancement.

He admires the Andromedons the most, as they most embody what he believes, and how they overcome their physical limitations with cybernetics and mechanical suits. He is ambivalent towards the Sectoids at best, and does not really care about them for good or ill. The Vitakara are much the same, although he acknowledges that the Oyariah are one of the superior biological species due to their plating, but otherwise he believes that they would benefit from being enhanced.

You will likely be interested to know that Fectorian is becoming far more interested in Humanity, and finds your species fascinating. Your innovation and experimentation with concepts like the MEC are things he finds worthy of respect. Unfortunately for you, this means that Fectorian is going to become involved in this conflict as it progresses.

Fectorian's views on psionics are unusually ambivalent. He does not generally have much of an interest in the field, and believes we are far too reliant on it, and has hypothesized multiple times that our focus on that was what led to our downfall. I personally do not believe this, but Fectorian is more interested in the integration of psionics and technology, instead of psionic abilities themselves.

One thing I feel obligated to bring up, is that Fectorian is without a doubt what you would describe as amoral. Much like Revelean, he does not necessarily take into account the wants of his numerous test subjects. In his own way, he does care for them, but there are no choices given, and the concept of free will is one he doesn't appear to really acknowledge since a good portion of his army is modified to a degree where they are little more than organic drones.

He doesn't waste his subjects, but nor does he treat them especially well. Everything is organized, everything is planned. No more or less than needed is given. The result is more important than the journey, and it has resulted in his soldiers enduring never-ending pain from a misplaced implant, but being unable to act on it due to conditioning. Unless that is directly impacting their performance, it won't be fixed.

Numbers do not especially matter to Fectorian. One hundred or one thousand doesn't matter if the result is perfect. However, I must also acknowledge that he treats his subordinates with an appropriate level of respect, which is more than can be said for most Ethereals.

But one thing that stands out, especially with Fectorian, is that he feels an intense need to be right. He believes that his views are the correct ones, and he is being deliberately ignored by those who fear they would have to admit they are wrong. What he desires is approval, and acknowledgement of his genius. Normally I would say this is oddly egotistical, but Fectorian is perhaps one of the few who could be justified in feeling this way.

Some of the points he raises are good, such as our reliance on psionics, but in the end, he is too radical for the Imperator to ever take as seriously as others, who would not recommend the construction of AI, or encourage the rapid utilization of cybernetics.

SECTION 4: Concerns and Abilities

Fectorian is in the interesting position of being a persistent threat, but not necessarily a major one. Psionically, he is one of the weakest, and his focus on cybernetics has allowed his skills to weaken in that area. He knows some telekinesis and telepathy, but is not an expert at either. With that said, he can certainly defend against telepathic attacks, either through skill or cybernetics.

The greatest threat he poses is in his mind. The ideas he has. His skill in design, creation, and production. He can look at an army and design something to kill it. He can see the weaknesses in his own, and work to correct them. It is only a matter of time before the Battlemaster approaches him for solutions, and I can promise that the results will be catastrophic for XCOM.

What Fectorian designs is not unbeatable, at least after some time and experience, but Fectorian is picky about what he uses. Only the best designs he standardizes into his army, and if they are used against humanity, then you should prepare for defeat until it can be countered. Psions are your best hope, as there is very little he can do to fully negate them.

If he is faced in combat, the outcome will likely be in your favor, regardless of the suit he wears. There are two in his possession, one he uses for regular experimentation, and one for combat. To my knowledge, his combat suit has only been used twice and I was not present. The specifications indicate that it has built-in blades, chemical dispensers, rockets, missile launchers, grenades, and more. Dangerous, but something a team of psions could likely handle.

But again, Commander, Fectorian poses the greatest threat to you away from the battlefield, not on it. While I would not say he is as dangerous as Revelean, you are more likely to encounter his work and if you are unprepared, you will die to it.