Ethereals: Dossier

The First Guardian of the Ethereal Collective

"He is among the most dangerous of Guardians; one who is only driven by an empty vengeance."

- Aegis

CODEX Log 2201

Subject: Updated List of Melee Combat Usage In Alien Species

Location: The Temple Ship of the Imperator

Note: For internal use and only to be turned over on the request of the Imperator

Note: Organized alphabetically and is fully comprehensive of alien species within the Ethereal Collective (See secondary memo for identified Inner-Galactic species).

ANDROMEDONS: The Andromedon species is a highly immobile, but advanced alien species, constrained in bulky and unwieldy suits by their extra-galactic biology. As a result they do not have dedicated melee units, although close-range combat is understood and utilized by them. Contamination Operatives and certain Special Operators fulfill this to an extent, but the entirety of the species is vulnerable to powerful melee attacks.

There are multiple forms of attack, yet the most obvious is striking the helmets, as even small leaks will kill them in moments. They are able to be easily outmaneuvered, vulnerable to telepathy, and otherwise large targets for easy manipulation by telekinesis and saber strikes. They do not pose a large threat, even in large numbers. Once engaged at close range, they have very few countermeasures.

There is a being that I will include, as from what I can ascertain, it was originally an Andromedon who was warped as one of the Creator's experiments. However, this should not be taken as any kind of acknowledgement of melee usage by Andromedons:

Occidera: The so-called "Assassin" of the Elders, as we are so reverently called, is a being that believes itself more useful and powerful than it truly is. Occidera utilizes melee combat almost exclusively, and primarily specializes in hit-and-run operations and tactics, very likely to compensate for the fact that it lacks any kind of defensive capabilities whatsoever against a moderately talented opponent.

Occidera relies on the element of surprise, using primarily telepathy and limited teleportation to quickly strike and vanish. Reflexes are highly tuned, but it is only useful against non-psions or those without any kind of combat ability whatsoever. In a straight duel she often loses, and is easily beat down once pursued aggressively. Telekinesis is highly effective, and the weapons it uses do not hold against Guardian sabers.

There is ultimately no threat posed, and it is rather ironic that Occidera admires the Battlemaster and his order so much, despite being a sad imitation that can never match the actual skill and ability shown by even the lowest of Battlemasters.

ETHEREALS: As our species has a long and proud tradition in melee combat, it is necessary that those who still possess the skill be analyzed in the event of betrayal or to help improve notable weaknesses. As of the writing of this document, there are very few Ethereals alive who possess adequate skills in melee combat. They are as follows:

The Battlemaster: The last true swordmaster of the Ethereals, and one of the finest Battlemasters produced by the Empire. He primarily wields a greatsword and specializes in nearly every single combat encounter that can be conceptualized. He is equally effective in one-on-one duels as well as against large numbers of melee and ranged opponents.

His sword allows for extended reach, and his immunity to telepathy negates that factor. Furthermore, he is skilled enough with telekinesis of his own that it being used against him would likely be of limited effect. He is easily capable of closing the distance between opponents using his psionic dash, which is impossible to replicate by non-Battlemasters.

His armor also provides superior protection to even Guardian armor, and he is an expert at incorporating telekinesis and swordplay into his attacks, releasing and recalling his weapon in combat as needed. It should also be noted that he is perfectly capable of leveraging his physical strength and physically beating opponents if no weapon is at hand.

The Battlemaster is a highly dangerous opponent that cannot easily be beaten in duels or even in large numbers. There are only a few Ethereals that could reliably beat him in combat, and I am not certain that I would count myself as one of them.

Sicarius: Sicarius is an excellent assassin and observer.

She is an exceptionally poor duelist.

She cannot win in a one-on-one duel with a highly skilled opponent, and if she cannot confuse them with her telepathy, her chances of survival continue to plummet. She is small for one of our own, and does not handle multiple opponents well. Multifaceted attacks from multiple angles, which incorporate telepathy and telekinesis are almost guaranteed to work against her. And even in a simple duel she can eventually be beaten if one is persistent and fast enough. She poses little threat to one such as Macula or Quisilia, much less a Guardian or Battlemaster.

The Second Guardian: Another one of the order, and a decent representation of our capabilities. She has a fighting style which she clearly developed for fighting low numbers of opponents, or preferably one opponent. As a result, she is a highly skilled duelist, but is far less effective against large numbers of opponents and is susceptible to being outmaneuvered and overwhelmed.

The whip-like modification on her Saber is interesting and creative, although it serves a far more defensive purpose than an offensive one, and has a high potential for being turned against the user if handled improperly. Her telepathy is stronger than average, and superior to my own, though is capable of being suppressed by a moderately skilled psion. Her telekinesis is passable, though not exceptional.

She is perfectly capable of defeating most, if not all, non-Ethereal opponents, but I can easily see her being defeated by either myself, the Battlemaster, or a more powerful telepath than herself who utilizes melee weaponry. It is not a flaw she can easily overcome without modifying the majority of her fighting style. As a result, deploying her must be treated with a degree of caution.

Macula and Quisilia: I have chosen to put the two of them together, as their fighting styles are extremely similar. They, much like Sicarius, are not true duelists and in straight matches against skilled duelists, they will likely lose. Quisilia lessens this disadvantage slightly by being able to teleport and his exceptionally powerful telepathy, but that is useless against a Battlemaster-level opponent.

They typically use small blades as their primary weapons, primarily for assassination, but the size does allow fighting smaller species quite easily. They have as many as two to four weapons used at a time, and can attempt to overwhelm opponents this way. However, once again, they rarely find themselves in such a position, and are unlikely to do so unless they make major miscalculations.

But in duels, there are very few situations where they would emerge victorious, even against a unit like the Oyariah Titans, provided they were telepathically protected.

HUMANS: I was both surprised and fascinated to learn that Humans actually have a very rich history of melee combat, which, while it has certainly lost practical usage in the more recent centuries, Humans continue to incorporate it in sports, entertainment, or otherwise historical presentation and recreation. This is in contrast to many species who often do not preserve melee combat or similar combat forms beyond historical documents.

It is common in many species that when ranged weaponry becomes common, melee weapons become obsolete. This is initially true, and species either adapt or abandon them altogether. More often is it the former, despite this being a fallacy brought on by initial hardship. Humans, in this war, have apparently realized the usefulness of melee combat against our primarily ranged armies, and have made admirable efforts to exploit this vulnerability. They are listed below:

ADVENT Lancer Executors: These are ADVENT's version of the XCOM Templars, and retain many of their characteristics, which is mainly the utilization of blunt melee weaponry. This is an intelligent tactical decision as bladed weaponry is of limited use against armored opponents. Blunt weaponry however, is exceptionally useful against such opponents, and they have employed it to great effect.

These Lancers are also genetically enhanced to withstand more damage, and this allows them to reach Collective lines and began wreaking uncontrolled havoc. With that said, very few of them appear to possess much skill or finesse in wielding their weapons, and this makes them easily dealt with even in large numbers. They are additionally vulnerable to telepathy, telekinesis, and nearly every kind of psionics.

XCOM Templars: This is the first Human unit to be developed exclusively for melee combat, and is without a doubt the most effective one. All Templars utilize a different kind of weapon, some using blunt weapons, some using bladed. XCOM has overcome the disadvantage of using bladed weapons against armored opponents with a method very similar to how the Guardians originally developed our Sabers.

Their bladed weapons are coated in a layer of nanites that can have an electrical, incendiary, or a reinforced 'mode' which allows them to still cause damage to armored opponents. While not a Guardian Saber by any means, the attempt is admirable and it will likely be further refined. A portion of Templars are also psions, and as a result they are usually skilled at incorporating psionics into their attacks.

In large numbers, these Templars could pose a threat, especially if they become more skilled, but there are not enough of them to be a concern, and they are as vulnerable to Guardian Sabers as everyone else.

XCOM MECs: Utilize telekinesis to destroy them. If necessary, outmaneuver and cut them into pieces. There is little reason to engage these flawed attempts of designing a Battlemaster-killer aside from amusement.

MUTONS: Mutons are slow, unintelligent, and easily killed. Berserkers are the closest thing to melee units that we have created and they are utterly useless against any moderately skilled opponent. It is not worth time discussing them. They pose little to no threat.

SECTOIDS: This is a species that has eschewed most combat until fairly recently, much less melee combat. It is a concept they understand, but do not really see a need for. This makes some sense, as the species is not physically adept for physical combat of any kind, and they are easily able to be killed as a result. The development of the Sectoid Vanguards is worthy of discussion, however.

Vanguards: These are clearly designed to fight non-psions or non-duelists, as they are completely worthless against either. They are exceptionally weak psions, and can be destroyed with barely any effort. Their psionic gauntlets can emit either a shield of sorts which can stop a Guardian Saber, or a blade of psionic energy with strong cutting power.

The issue is that the shield can be eventually bypassed and battered into being disabled, and the psionic blade is far too short against any opponent with reach. It is an admirable start, but one which poses little threat to those intelligent and skilled.

VITAKARA: The Vitakara are a curious species in that the various races have developed along extremely different paths. Some never even developed melee combat, while others maintain it to this day with firm discipline. The majority of races are easily killed however, and do not have effective countermeasures to aggressive melee attacks. The units worth noting are as follows:

Oyariah Titans: This is perhaps the oldest and most effective melee combat unit in the entire Collective. They have demonstrated the ability to be able to defeat Lancers in single combat with ease, and face down Templars with similar results. Much like the Templars and Lancers, they use either a type of hammer or flanged weapon in combat, designed to crush and mutilate enemies.

This is an exceptionally useful approach, and their natural biology makes them ideal for front-line combat, as they also are larger than many they fight. Their weaknesses are that they are slow, and vulnerable to telepathy. However, with correct protection and a sufficient number, they could pose a significant threat to any duelist.

Dath'Haram Bladedancers: This is perhaps one of the strangest melee units I have ever encountered. The history of the Bladedancers is utterly bizarre, and only recently have they actually become a military unit. Prior to our uplifting of their species it was simply what the art was called, and the purpose of it was not for any practical reason, such as military usage, protection, or even hunting.

No, it was a mating ritual.

For some unfathomable reason, Bladedancing was once practiced – and still is to my knowledge – by the vast majority of Dath'Haram. It is a highly ritualized ceremony where the male and female duel, both following an arbitrary set of rules, which interestingly enough, do not require the defeat of one party in the traditional sense.

Instead, victory is contingent upon scoring done by two master Bladedancers. Different moves, hits, and actions have various scores attached to them, which are further altered depending on how well the individual executes the move. As a result, the duel becomes less of a battle of life and death, and more about form, movement, and fluidity – hence why the name of Bladedancer was applied.

Whoever reached an arbitrary score first wins, and that ultimately determines if the two combatants will be able to mate. If the one who proposed the challenge wins, they will be mated in another ceremony, but otherwise it will not be permitted. The score to be reached is also set by the one being challenged, which can lead to exceptionally short or long duels.

It is an interesting ritual, and is quite…beautiful…to watch, but I write this to demonstrate that literal centuries of tradition is no guarantee that it is actually useful. When the Collective Military was being formed, the Bladedancers offered to form a small unit, believing that their skills actually made them valuable.

This was soon disproven. They are utterly useless against Oyariah in simulated combat, and easily overcome by any kind of moderately skilled duelist. They are not fit for deployment in any sort of military capacity, and the Bladedancers is one unit that should have remained ceremonial. They pose little to no threat, and I would advise they be removed from the Collective Military altogether.

XCOM Profile 134

Authorization Level: Internal Council

Subject: The First Guardian of the Ethereal Collective

Threat Level: High

Assessment Author: Aegis

Approved by: The Commander of XCOM

SECTION 1: Physical Characteristics

Hair color: None (Ethereal)

Eye color: Solid Orange

Skin color: Purple

Height: 12'3"

Weight: 302 lbs. (Estimated)

Distinguishing Features: Unlike the Second Guardian, the First Guardian wears exclusively Guardian armor with no further distinguishing features. He looks exactly like what you would expect an armored Ethereal to look like.

Physical Condition: Physically he is equal in every way to the Battlemaster, and due to his service under the Grandmaster, and his extensive involvement in the Synthesized War, he is nearly equal in being able to survive sustained combat to the Battlemaster as well.

SECTION 2: Assessment

The First Guardian is the closest thing to a proper Battlemaster in the Collective, and if the Battlemaster of the Collective was to die, it is very likely that he would be replaced by the First Guardian. This is due to several reasons, not the least of which being that the First Guardian actually also served as the First Guardian of the Grandmaster of the Battlemasters for several centuries.

Ignoring that detail, it would also be because the First Guardian is one of the finest ever produced by the Empire, and his combat abilities nearly equal those of the Battlemaster himself. While not quite a master tactician, he is actually an Ethereal that is willing to listen, and take advice, from his subordinates.

The slight issue there is that the First Guardian is not one of the friendliest to aliens. He fortunately, is not hostile, but he does not truly see them as equals or even having such potential. They are useful for him, but he does not consider them more than that.

However, the history of the First Guardian is worth noting. He was grown like most Ethereals, and early on demonstrated an aptitude for physical combat and received several decades worth of training and experimenting with various fighting styles. He is unique in that he did not immediately join the Division of the Battlemasters once his initial schooling was completed, but instead dedicated time to working to master various kinds of weapons to the best of his abilities.

When he judged himself sufficient, he joined and immediately attracted the attention of the superiors in the Division of the Battlemasters, and was soon offered an opportunity to become a Battlemaster himself. The Guardians made a similar offer, and he ultimately chose the Guardians. The reason for this, he told me, was because the Guardians were more flexible and afforded him more opportunities to experiment and research various combat techniques. I do not necessarily agree, but considering what he did later, I can understand his point of view.

During this time, he had attracted the attention of the Grandmaster himself, and after he became a full Guardian, he put forth the offer to be one of his own Guardians. The First Guardian accepted, and began working with the Grandmaster and his previously recruited Guardians for a number of undisclosed projects.

One thing that set him apart was his focus on multi-enemy combat. His Guardian Sabers were unique, and were specifically designed for this mindset. He was also responsible for developing the only prominent strategies for fighting large numbers of enemies, which is something that few had actually considered as a possibility, let alone an issue. His foresight was likely what allowed him to survive the war, and also attract the attention of the Imperator.

As you can imagine, when the Synthesized attacked, his tactics and skills were highly effective against them, and as a Guardian of the Grandmaster, he was almost constantly on the front lines against them. His kill count is in the millions, and he assisted the Grandmaster in thousands of combat operations personally. He was the only one of the Guardians of the Grandmaster to survive, and when the Grandmaster was eventually slain, he retaliated by rallying the survivors and leading a near-suicide mission against multiple Synthesized-controlled planets.

But he knew that the war was lost, even with the creation of the Imperators, and it was not difficult to convince him to participate in the Imperator's plan, as he knew that it was the best chance of destroying the Synthesized. I suspect he would have refused if the Grandmaster was alive, but with him dead, there was little holding him to the falling Empire.

But the First Guardian has never forgotten the horrors of the War, and as a result, is hardened enough to do anything to ensure victory against them.

SECTION 3: Psychological Profile

Mentally, the First Guardian is in a far better state than the Second Guardian, and witnessing thousands die around him during the war has almost numbed him to feeling loss or pain. He never mated, although he has said that he had considered it during the Empire, and even now has expressed some desire to do so, but does not believe he actually has the capability to maintain and develop such a relationship correctly, especially with how few of us remain.

If there is one thing that drives him, it is vengeance. He does not show it, either in actions or conversation, but he utterly hates the Synthesized and the only motive he has for continuing to live is to destroy them. He does not care beyond that. He has no wish to restore our Empire, or even our species. He likely considers them impossible to reclaim, and is instead settling to avenge them.

As a result of this, he has a tendency to treat everything around him with an…almost absentmindedness. Nothing truly matters to him anymore beyond that goal, everything is either a sideshow, a distraction, or an opportunity to keep preparing. He has become far more analytical and mechanical now than even in the latter days of the Empire.

Very little elicits emotions in him. He will use words that signal emotion, but never reflects it in his tone or actions. He is reserved in his speech and movements, even when speaking to other Ethereals. Even Isomnum cannot provoke a strong reaction, and ever since awakening, he has devoted more and more of his time to training in the Prism. The only ones he speaks to regularly and willingly are the Imperator and Sana'Ligna.

He is not one prone to speeches or intractability. If he fights you, he will intend to kill you, but with everything he does now, it will be with the absentmindedness of an Ethereal who only considers this a distraction.

Because of his hatred for the Synthesized, I am concerned that he can be easily swayed into supporting dangerous measures, especially against other alien species. A means to an end is an argument he could be swayed by, even if he doesn't necessarily subscribe to the idea of a galaxy of Ethereal dominance. Even now, I doubt he hates Humans, but instead sees you as a curiosity. However, if you were to directly stand in his way against the Synthesized, he would become far more invested.

I am somewhat saddened to write this, as he would be the ideal ally against the Synthesized, but I sincerely doubt he can be swayed to abandon the Imperator. He is a flawed Ethereal, but not one who deserves to die.

SECTION 4: Concerns and Abilities

Some time should be spent discussing this, even if I stand by what I've stated above. The First Guardian is an exceptionally dangerous opponent who does not hold to many of the 'rules' the Battlemaster holds himself to. He has no qualms about simply killing everyone in his path using his abilities to their fullest potential. He will rarely toy with enemies or otherwise needlessly prolong the fight.

He is a skilled telekine, although not one who I would consider on the level of Caelior, obviously, but arguably just as skilled as the Battlemaster, if not more so. He is skilled with telepathy, and does incorporate it in combat, though it is not his strength and he prefers to use it to protect himself rather than use it offensively.

His twin double-bladed Guardian Sabers are his greatest advantage. As you can imagine, they are highly effective against large groups of opponents, and the First Guardian has spent literal centuries perfecting a weapon style that would most likely wound the user if they are not skilled enough. Note that he will not necessarily use all four blades at once, but determine that depending on the situation.

Against one or two opponents, he might use one single-blade Saber, maybe two, and would use the inactive ends either to surprise his opponents or provide more options at a later time. He is more subtle than you might expect, and you should treat him as seriously as the Battlemaster when it comes to his combat intelligence. If he sees a weakness he will exploit it.

The good news is that he is more vulnerable than the Battlemaster. His armor can eventually be weakened, and enough telepaths could almost certainly overpower him. In fact, enough psions could pose a significant threat, although then the risk of him exploiting overconfidence grows. The First Guardian does not want to die, I can assure you of that much.

But I firmly believe that he can be defeated.