ADVENT: History

The First Battle of Korea

"And that was the day the aliens learned that charging a trench line was a very, very bad idea."

- Anonymous ADVENT soldier

"[Fighting in the trenches felt surprisingly…safe. It helped that the aliens for the most part didn't know what they were doing. Snipers were picking them off and the Flak Towers shot down everything that came in sight and while I know that Busan had an alien sniper, we weren't facing anything like that. Every alien that got close was sniped, stepped on a mine, and in general never got far enough to be a threat.]"

"[Was it scary? Well, yeah, at the time it was. It was tense; we didn't know if something was going to happen that would kill all of us. Maybe orbital bombardment, maybe an Ethereal, maybe some kind of new weapon. We felt protected, but vulnerable at the same time if that makes any sense.]"

"[Yes, until the Ethereal arrived, what is his name? Aegis, yes, him. Some of us started firing when we saw him, and were quickly stopped when we saw he was decimating the other aliens. I've never seen anything like it. Awe-inspiring is a mild way of putting it; we had just gotten Priests deployed to help us, and not many of us knew about psionics. Seeing what they can do makes me feel a little better about our chances.]"

"[But that wasn't what was most memorable to me, not really. An Ethereal arriving to help is something that you don't forget, but it came at the end. It hit me near the end of the battle; you're aware of the history between the North and South, most foreigners are. There's been a lot of animosity between our governments and people.]"

"[I can tell you that when the North sent down soldiers to help, we weren't really looking forward to them; yes we would work with them, but we were not going to trust them or stop watching them. I suspect there were some that felt the same way about us; you can't just forget decades of history immediately even if you become allies.]"

"[Yes, that did change. When the shells started flying and weapons began firing, everyone figured it was better to work together and try to live than die as rivals. So we fought side by side, for the first time in decades, men and women of the North and South. Not even just as Koreans, but Humans. We had a fair number of foreign soldiers who have also historically had not had high opinions of the North.]"

"[It was somewhat surreal, realizing that in the middle of battle, that this was what unification could mean. Not necessarily in terms of signing papers and ending wars, but in working together to fight a common foe. Not forgetting the past, but willing to move past it. Some citizens have said that the reunification of Korea is impossible, but I don't believe that is the case. It won't be easy...for either side…but I do think it's something we should strive to even in ADVENT.]"

"[Either way, I will be proud and happy to fight beside my countrymen, no matter which side they hail from. ADVENT has the right idea here. The world needs to unify, and if two nations with an ugly and violent history can do it, so can the rest of the world.]"

- ADVENT Soldier Ka Sung-Ki, to Approved Wartime Journalist Jessica Wong

To the Battlemaster, Quisilia, and Sana'Ligna

While the overall issues raised in the aftermath of ADVENT's Operation Sherman have already been stated, the failed attack on Korea also highlights some specific weaknesses in our tactics and units, as well as showing what we have no actual response to. ADVENT knows our basic unit composition, and know they are limited to one planet. As a result, it makes sense that they would decide that ensuring their major cities couldn't be taken was a priority, and we are seeing the results of that in our attacks.

Without further delay, I will continue this breakdown:

1. Initial Attack: It is quite clear that our initial means of attack is flawed. Our strategy has been, to put it bluntly, land forces just outside the area of attack, and then move forward, taking as much cover as possible along the way. While basic, this does have some merit in certain situations, especially when the enemy is poorly prepared and defenses are limited.

Shockingly, this seems to apply literally nowhere else.

This particular strategy, if we want to be generous with the word, is something that ADVENT has gone to great lengths to render obsolete. Their major hubs of military and civilian activity have had large parts of the surrounding land completely flattened to allow for no cover whatsoever.

On top of this, they have seeded the No Man's Land (As they refer to it) with mines, and have every single soldier and piece of artillery pointed towards the open land. As you can imagine, it is suicide to even attempt to get closer because even if ADVENT misses you, the chances of accidentally stepping on a mine are abnormally high.

Now, this could be mitigated by using mine-detecting equipment, but that also requires relative peace and quiet – both of which ADVENT does not provide. They do not allow us to have a moment of rest on the battlefield. Most charges were halted as the officers saw that it was a suicidal attack, and even the ones that went forward were under extreme duress (Such as from the Hunter).

Even still, this rendered the vast majority of our forces unable to effectively attack ADVENT or even provide air support, as the Flak Towers shot down everything that got close to them. We are poorly equipped for the current range of tactics, and even less prepared to succeed against what ADVENT has done to prepare against us.

2. ADVENT Trenches: There are two main components to ADVENT defenses, both of which draw from previous Human wars (One more obvious than the other). The first of these are the ADVENT trenches. They are exactly what they sound like; trenches dug into the ground around the city perimeter.

From inside them soldiers fire at anything they are facing, from a relatively more protected area than they would otherwise. Historically, trenches were some of the worst places where you could fight. Disease, poor conditions, and overall misery were rampant, despite their tactical effectiveness. Victory was not necessarily the goal, but simply holding out against an opponent. Crossing the No Man's Land was nigh-impossible, and only attempted as a last ditch effort, or at night. Most of the time it failed.

Given the poor reputation of the trenches, especially on the cost it took on the soldiers, I was surprised that this was something that the Humans had actually done. However, it appears that ADVENT has taken steps to mitigate the terrible conditions that previously had been present in the two World Wars.

Trenches appear to be linked into the city itself, which is far safer than even the trenches, which are themselves reinforced with slanted armor. We have also observed some trenches being completely covered my metal 'domes'. Along the trench lines are observed "Gunner Stations" which are also protected and slightly elevated positions which hold a heavy automatic weapon manned by an ADVENT soldier. The rest of the soldiers fire through a slit just above ground level that gives them a fair amount of freedom to aim, but is extremely difficult to hit by even a skilled sniper.

The only way to reliably damage the trenches is through artillery or killing the soldiers inside. This would not be a problem if the Flak Towers and extensive amounts of open land did not exist. Anything that tries to cross the open space will die or be destroyed before it can make much of an impact. And without that happening, the Flak Towers will still stand, making an air attack near-impossible.

The only legitimate solution I can see is orbital bombardment or a heavy investment into improved artillery of our own. Current Sectopods simply do not have the range.

I would also recommend we look into incorporating this in our own defenses. The Humans have developed a working strategy; there is no reason not to use it ourselves. And given how much territory has been lost already, we really cannot afford to lose more.

3. ADVENT Flak Towers: We come to the second major component of ADVENT defenses – the aptly named Flak Tower. This is, surprisingly, another refined invention from Human history which largely fulfilled the same purpose it does today. These were also used in the World Wars, and some older ones still exist today.

From what we have been able to find, the purpose of this is simple – to deny any and all air assets from an opponent. These towers are absurdly armed, most would argue they are overcompensating, but ADVENT seems to take such a description as a challenge and as a result has developed a stationary defense that would likely take out a low-orbit Cleanser Ship if given the chance.

The current Flak Towers are highly armored and multi-layered horizontal buildings that rise as large as seven stories – each one of these levels is packed with gauss turrets which fire on infantry, and additionally serve as ammo stockpiles for the rest of the soldiers. While most people seem to ascribe them as purely anti-air defenses, they contribute to ground combat significantly. They are fortresses in their own right, and assaulting just one would be a challenge unto itself.

ADVENT, however, constructed these intermittently along the trenches. While some would consider it excessive having Flak Towers spaced every mile or so (Or closer), ADVENT really does not seem to care about convention. As a result, this makes any kind of air attack impossible, and makes any kind of ground assault much more difficult.

Beyond that, there is the top level which is composed exclusively of anti-air gauss and laser weaponry. Once the Humans figure out plasma weapons, I can guarantee those will be added as well. They also have vast arrays of missile launchers, as well as some missile defense systems (Notably the THAAD).

These weapons are powerful enough to tear through Sectoid Scouts and Fighters with astonishing ease, and as mentioned earlier, could likely damage much larger craft, especially if multiple Flak Towers concentrate their fire.

It is also worth noting that ADVENT has also installed a small amount of automated guns along the sides of the Flak Towers, which have been observed to target both ground and air targets. They are gauss weapons, and not necessarily that powerful, but they are yet another weapon added onto this fortress.

These are the defenses we will face in every major ADVENT city. This is what we need to counter; I would suggest this be kept in mind when formulating any kind of military action. Given how both of these are inspired by previously used tactics from Human history, I would also advise we look back there to perhaps predict what ADVENT will utilize next.

- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary

AEGIS DOCUMENT 1192

Document Type: Interview Transcript

Interview Type: Perception Questioning

Interviewer: AEGIS Intelligence Collection Officer Sol Ye-Hyeon

Interviewee: Runi'nerilla'dakka ("Nerilla")

Species: Vitakara

Race: Vitakarian

Video begins, shows two figures in a bare white room. There is a small metal table in the middle; Officer Ye-Hyeon sits on one side, Nerilla sits on the other. Both appear relaxed.

[Sol Ye-Hyeon]: "Thank you for agreeing to speak to me, Nerilla."

[Nerilla]: "You did encourage us to cooperate. It did not seem smart to refuse."

[SY]: "Indeed. I promise this should not be too taxing for you."

[N]: "What do you want to know?"

[SY]: "We're trying to get a better sense of how aliens, and Vitakara in particular, interpret our methods of warfare. Previous interviews with your species indicate that it is…different from what many of you expect."

Short pause.

[SY]: "Can you elaborate on this? Is there some truth to what we've been inferring?"

Another pause.

[N]: "Sorry, it's just…I was not expecting that question. I do not know if you will be satisfied with my answer."

[SY]: "There are no wrong answers here. Remember, we are just gathering information. You can help us with this."

[N]: "We were trained in the Runianarch that combat is quick and efficient. We locate targets and fight them from a distance. Precision was key, as was ensuring an enemy died quickly. We were trained to stick to cover; how to communicate effectively in combat."

Pause.

[N]: "Fighting Humans is…was…nothing like anything we trained for. The way your species fights is…disturbing. Unsettling."

[SY]: "How?"

[N]: "It is…loud. It hurts our ears initially. Your guns, explosives, vehicles; it's like you intentionally design everything to be as noisy as possible. I could barely hear myself think when we attacked Korea. I thought I was going deaf when the first artillery strikes hit near me. It's impossible to concentrate when there are dozens of shrill noises in your head."

[SY]: "Are your weapons quiet then?"

[N]: "Yes, but it's not just that. We generally don't use explosives or anything that makes things…messy. It doesn't help that Humans like yelling in battle; I've heard of soldiers who do that to us. We don't know what they say most of the time, but we don't like it. Loud noises are…irregular to us. We never really shout or raise our voices; it's rude and in the Runianarch, indicates a lack of control."

[SY]: "I see. Is that your only comment?"

[N]: "No…the way your species fights is…messy. Cruel even. I don't think it's necessarily your fault…but it seems like your weapons try and cause as much suffering as possible before you die. I saw grenades and artillery shells literally blow apart some of my friends. I've seen what happens when you use those…acid grenade things. The ones with-"

[SY]: "White Phosphorous."

[N]: "Yes. That. It's…worrying. Humans… you have to know what effect this has? And your Purifiers? Death by fire…"

[SY]: "Of course we know what effect it has. Usually that is why it is used. That is unfortunately a reality of warfare."

[N]: "I suppose. The point, I guess, is that…we're not trained for this. Some of the Borelians are, but everyone else is afraid, at least on some level. While command discourages rumors…we still talk to each other. We hear the stories of your bombs; see survivors of White phoses…phosi-"

[SY]: "Phosphorous."

[N]: "And your war animals ripping out our throats. Your species is violent, much more so than we are, and that makes us afraid. Your kind seem to enjoy causing pain to each other, and against us even more. For some of us it's too much to take, especially when we're fighting. We don't have a siege mentality."

[SY]: "When you say they can't take it, what does that mean?"

Pause.

[N]: "Most of the time they just…don't really respond. They just sit or stand until someone rushes them away. Other times they'll deliberately just walk into the middle of a crossfire, or somewhere where they know they will die just to make the noise stop."

[SY]: "I see."

[N]: "I don't really want to talk about this anymore."

[SY]: "I understand. Don't worry, I have everything I need. You were very helpful, thank you."

End recording.