Vitakara: Dossier
Miridian
"I will ensure that the Vitakara can stand tall in this galaxy of gods, elders and leviathans, or die trying."
- Miridian
Operation: Dead Questions
Division: Galactic Exploration and Reconnaissance
Report Author: [DATA EXPUNGED]
Authorization: Zar'Chon
To Zar'Chon'camoreon'vitiary,
We have successfully established ourselves on the planet tentatively designated as SYTH-1102, which has been designated as the "Corpse World" by some of our more imaginative agents. With the assumption that you may not be fully aware of the composition of the planet itself, I will dedicate some time to describing the planet that we now inhabit.
The world appears to have once been a multi-biomed planet, but now mostly consists of jungles and oceans. There is some speculation that there were once ice caps and far larger stretches of land, but those have all been swallowed up by the ocean. What remains is a continent which is filled with wrecks, corpses, and technology which is distinctly alien in origin.
Much of the wrecks are indistinguishable scrap metal (A salvaging operation has been recommended to retrieve these) and we have yet to recover any distinguishable or identifying marks on the wreckage, though it is very clear from the various intermingling of wrecks that there were at least two opposing forces engaged in some kind of warfare.
Who or what they were is unknown. It is not just wrecks. Biologists have begun examining several of the fossilized corpses that have survived, many of which haven't fully degraded due to being extensively modified with some kind of cybernetics. In some cases, it seems to provide a full or partial skeleton which makes possible physical recreation of these aliens more accurate. Notably, this only appears to be utilized by one of the armies which was on this planet, although there were also…multiple variants, for lack of a better word, meaning that one side had multiple alien races – or possibly slaves – supporting them.
A recommendation for a full archeological team has been submitted. There is a story here that I feel is crucial to understanding the galaxy. This has not been the first planet we have found in similar condition, and at this point we need to consider there is some kind of pattern here. I've included other reports from four different planets in the unlikely event that you have not read them.
However, unlike the other planets, this one appears to have a remarkably preserved wreck, which seems to retain close to the full chassis (Or enough to where a likely-accurate simulation can be developed). Internal penetration is beginning, and there are entire components that are amazingly preserved and need significant expertise to be reactivated.
We have access to possibly some of the most advanced technology in the galaxy through this wreck, and it is imperative we work to restore or salvage what we can and learn about what happened on this world. There is a notable possibility that it may contain some forms of media which will allow us to view records or footage of the battle which took place. While of limited use without a language cipher, it will nonetheless provide us with an excellent starting point.
From my own observations and input from agents on the ground, I will make a possible guess that the aliens to whom this vessel belonged to were insectoid or crustacean in nature. There are several obvious 'legs' which extend from the main 'body' which were likely used to either incapacitate enemy ships (With possible boarding capabilities from the body?) or as landing apparatuses.
The body itself is symmetrical and reminiscent of a sea-borne creature or the abdomen or thorax of an insect. The interior is also extremely irregular, with surprisingly little operating room. No obvious barracks or crew quarters have been found, and the most comprehensive area of the body is a room of armored and heavily interconnected computers. It is possible this was not actually manned by living aliens and managed by an on-board intelligence.
In which case, it is even more imperative we attempt to recover the technology on board and restore what we can.
The requests have been put in, I await the resources necessary to continue.
[DATA EXPUNGED]
Additional note: Zar'Chon – Requests granted.
Operation: Unseen Antagonist
Division: Nulorian Counter-Intelligence
Report Author: Zar'nathenis'vitiary
Authorization: Zar'Chon
Miridian. A thorn in the side of our species for decades along with the Nulorian.
We're all aware of the basics of Miridian. He is the unknown leader of the Nulorian and responsible for every single terrorist attack against the Vitakara for at least the past fifty years, perhaps longer. He has never been caught, or even seen by those outside his inner circle. He is reportedly impossible to track down and find despite our best efforts.
But no one knows who Miridian really is.
Unfortunately, this will continue this trend. With that said, there needs to be a complete overview of Miridian, and I will do my best to compile what we know and make some possible educated guesses as to some of his more unknown aspects. Miridian is extremely careful in how he conducts his operations, but that in it of itself is something which we can use.
At this point in time the exact race of Miridian is unknown. We know that Miridian is male, or at least the scattered recordings and transcripts we've been able to acquire have Miridian being addressed as male or having the voice of one. His race has been narrowed down to either Vitakarian or Borelian, either of which could fit the vocal patterns of both races.
Dath'Haram is a possibility, but considering the suspected past of Miridian, a Dath'Haram agent would be able to be narrowed down easier, and we have been unable to come up with a reasonable Dath'Haram candidate for him which fits this profile. Oyariah, Cobrarian, and Sar'Manda have all been dismissed as possible races for obvious reason.
Witnesses claiming to have interacted with, or seen Miridian describe him as tall, but not bulky, more possible evidence that Miridian is a Vitakarian and not a Borelian. It should also be noted that Miridian's voice also matches more accurately to typical Vitakarian recordings than Borelian, and is notably lighter in tone than the average Borelian male.
With this said, there is another possibility regarding Miridian which very few appear to have speculated. While the majority of evidence does point to Miridian being a single individual, there is a distinct possibility that "Miridian" is not a single person, but a collection of two or more individuals who all operate under the alias of Miridian.
This would be able to account for how Miridian seems to be involved in, and manage, such a complex operation such as the Nulorian with an extremely high success rate. A decentralized command structure also would be expected of a terrorist network, so in the event "Miridian" dies, it would not be nearly as destabilizing as it would be if Miridian was a single individual.
With this said, one significant blow to this theory is the fact that to date, we have not caught a single Nulorian agent which has either used a Miridian alias, or believes that Miridian is a title and not a name. They all refer to Miridian as a singular individual, even under psionic and drug interrogation, lending credence to their words. I will stress that this does not rule out the possibility that Miridian is an alias, but it is evidence against it. But this theory should not be dismissed until confirmed one way or another.
There is also significant evidence to suggest that Miridian war a former member of the Zararch, or at minimum knew someone who was. The most obvious example of this is in the way his operations are conducted. Nulorian agents are trained specifically to counter Zararch protocols and training, which most of them do not know, and it also explains why we keep having difficulty tracking them down.
Each Nulorian agent has their own protocols and training to employ, all of which counter some of our own protocols to disturbingly effective degrees. Considering that we have sent exceptionally skilled Zararch agents after the Nulorian and they have died, this means that Miridian had access to our protocols and training at the highest levels.
This lends more weight to the theory that Miridian was a Zararch agent at one point, and didn't merely know someone who was. His management of Nulorian agents is also far more effective than other anarchists and terrorists. We have sufficient proof that the Nulorian itself is actually rather small and composed of elite agents, which in turn employ or coerce civilians and others who are 'in the system' so to speak, and not considered 'agents' on the same level as Nulorian operatives.
What is concerning is that we have little to no knowledge as to the number of compromised individuals. Miridian is responsible for controlling the flow of information to his operatives, usually giving 'assets' identifying numbers and not names to hide their identities, as well as having communications through electronics and limited actual face-to-face interactions.
The entire Nulorian operation is designed – by Miridian – to be as difficult to counter as possible. More than that, it is designed to make it as difficult as possible to counter for us, the Zararch. There are contingencies within contingencies, not once have we captured a Nulorian agent and it led to significant results. They know too little, kill themselves before capture, and absolutely will not break under non-psionic pressure.
It is unknown how directly Miridian participates in their training, if at all. It would be shocking if he didn't have a major role at all, or be responsible for their indoctrination. Nulorian are exceptionally loyal to him, he is viewed in a near-regal light by Nulorian, who believe he can't be defeated and laugh whenever our interrogators suggest his days are numbered.
As for what Miridian wants, he has made it very clear: The Aui'Vitakar destroyed, the Elders killed, and the Zararch scattered.
He is under a delusion that he is some kind of freedom fighter, seeking to free the Vitakara from the 'Control of the Ethereals". Whether he actually believes his rhetoric or not is not necessarily important beyond academic reasons. The Nulorian believe it, and it is enough to indoctrinate and cause division and questions within the general population.
His actions are those of a terrorist. He has authorized horrific actions which have claimed the lives of men, women, and children of all races. He prefers to target 'official' institutions such as the Aui'Vitakar, Zararch, and Lurainian (He is curiously restrained when it comes to the Runianarch), but if, say there is a family with a close relationship with any of these institutions he will sanction the bombing or murder of them to make a point.
His employment of terrorists and sadists like Sorras also speak volumes about how much he truly cares about the people he purportedly wishes to free. He will claim that he is doing all of this for the greater good, and that all of it is necessary, but I suspect that if it were really true, he would be restricting his actions to the official bodies – or exclusively us.
He particularly seems to enjoy assassinating Aui'Vitakar Representatives, or if the victims are unlucky enough, torturing them before sending their bodies back with video and snide notes – 'confessions' as Miridian has referred to them as. We have been able to suppress the ones which do contain classified material, and I suspect Miridian does them solely to let us know that he is aware of a significant portion of our operations – a taunt that provides yet more evidence that Miridian is a former agent.
His own physical capabilities are unknown. Assuming he was a former Zararch agent, it would be expected that he would have some kind of weapons training and have undergone some form of genetic modification. However there has been no footage acquired that shows Miridian in combat, real or otherwise. Consider this speculation based on his likely past.
It is unclear what Miridian intends to accomplish beyond his terrorist actions. He has been exclusively confined to Vitakar, and has no capability to strike against the Elders even if he wished to. It is unknown if this is because he lacks the capability, if he is planning something else, or if he just wishes to continue his terrorist activities and cause as much chaos and devastation as possible.
It is also unlikely that he is staying in one singular location either. Much like the Nulorian, he probably has a number of different bases and safe houses throughout Vitakar and employs them frequently. These are also likely in cities with Zararch surveillance, but considering Miridian is almost certainly a Zararch agent (Or at minimum knows our protocols and tactics), automated surveillance and reconnaissance is going to be ineffective, not taking into account the possibility that Miridian will disguise himself.
In closing, Miridian is a direct threat to the Zararch and the Vitakara species. No matter what his intentions for our kind are, there is little chance that anyone will benefit from them aside from Miridian, and those who follow him.
Internal Memo to the Internal Council
As all of you are likely aware by now, a tentative alliance has been established between XCOM and the Nulorian and Sar'Manda Empire. The specifics of which will be covered shortly, suffice to say that there are significant implications for the future of the Vitakara, Nulorian, and outcome of the war itself. I stress tentative alliance because this is one we should be prepared to possibly break in the event that Miridian becomes an issue.
MIRIDIAN: Miridian is best described as a highly dangerous, charismatic, and intelligence extremist. I do not believe he could be medically classified as insane, but he is instead a highly competent and calm individual with genocidal tendencies. This is not an exaggeration as Miridian has openly stated his original intent to eradicate half of the Vitakara races who do not fit his physical and psychological standards of a Vitakara.
His reasoning is based on a belief that certain characteristics and traits exhibited by certain other races (Specifically the Dath'Haram and Oyariah) are a detriment to the species as a whole and cannot be changed. So instead they would be purged from the species while he would work to mold the others into his ideal of a Vitakara.
Miridian is aware of the Sovereign Ones. The Siaru Intelligence has provided him with information on their previous goals, their cycles, and capabilities. This has led to Miridian being exceptionally wary of T'Leth for justifiable reason, and he has demanded that the Sovereign never intervene or interfere with his species when the war is over.
Despite our agreement, it is somewhat apparent that there is always going to be a lingering distrust because of this alliance with T'Leth, even if it is the only plausible way that we can win against the Collective. Nonetheless, I suspect that Miridian will come to terms with this and either decide that his views on Sovereigns are not universal, or he will remain a wary ally.
Miridian was also displeased at my insistence that he not follow through on his genocidal intentions for the Vitakara, but was willing to compromise by allowing the other races to live somewhere outside his "New Vitakar". I would not put it past him to attempt to sabotage this in some way during the fighting, using the war as cover to attempt a more indiscriminate means to carry this out. The possibility that operations may be conducted outside of our knowledge is also higher than we should be comfortable with.
Miridian is an ally here – nothing more or less – if he assists us, we will return the favor. If he breaks off and does his own thing that conflicts with our own interests, he will need to be removed. He is too dangerous to be allowed free reign to operate against us. This man has survived being hunted down by the Zararch for decades. We do not want him turned against ADVENT.
NULORIAN ASSISTANCE AND INTEGRATION: Now that the Nulorian are allied to us, they will be available to assist us in missions within Collective space and specifically on Vitakar. They are aware of all major alien installations, Zararch outposts, Zararch protocols and tactics, as well as those for the various civilian government institutions.
In operations conducted on Vitakar, they will be an invaluable resource against the Collective. One thing to note though is that Nulorian agents have their own agendas and will not explicitly follow our orders or suggestions should they go against Miridian. These are the most radicalized and hardened of the Vitakara, and treat them accordingly.
With this said, they are some of the best trained operatives I've seen. Each of them has years of in-field training and experience with most or all Collective weaponry. Psychological issues aside, they will prove to be more than a match for the majority of alien soldiers. After reviewing their capabilities and training methods, I am recommending that both XCOM and ADVENT Intelligence perform their own reviews to see what could possibly be adapted.
In particular, the Nulorian specialize in long-term grooming and radicalization efforts which could prove to be useful against future alien civilizations in developing grassroots resistance cells that are otherwise impossible to invade without significant Human cost. Recreating a Nulorian-esque resistance cell under Human control would be a significant benefit for future hostile aliens – T'Leth could also possibly provide additional information on countering specific Sovereign proxies. Should our alliance with the Nulorian hold, I would also recommend that they be utilized as consultants for these types of operations.
SAR'MANDA ASSISTANCE AND INTEGRATION: That the Sar'Manda have been preparing for a conflict against the Ethereals is significant, both in terms of the eventual battle for Vitakar, in addition to what they can do for the war effort now. They are experts at underwater construction and development, and they should be consulted for review on our deep-sea development, in particular the Poseidon Project and underwater facilities.
ADVENT should also be notified and work to begin consulting Sar'Manda engineers for possible assistance within the Atlantis Project. Since this is underwater and the Collective is still unaware of both our own developments and those of the Sar'Manda, this should be able to be done without significant worry of discovery. Their assistance in developing additional underwater equipment and vehicles could also significantly boost our aquatic forces.
THE NULORIAN AND VITAKARA DEFECTORS: Potentially the most impactful consequence of this alliance will be the separation of the Vitakara species. Miridian is an ally we need at this point, and is more useful than the defectors, so a compromise was needed for him to work with us. At this point in time, assuming Vitakar is taken, control will be handed to Miridian and the Nulorian who will establish their own Vitakara government fully independent of XCOM, ADVENT, or Sovereign influence.
The exact details of this government have not been provided to us at this time, but knowing Miridian they are likely in existence in some form. What is known is that Dath'Haram, Oyariah, and possibly Cobrarian will not be permitted to reside within it on possible pain of sterilization or execution. These races that are residing on the planet – regardless of status – will be forcibly removed or killed. This point was made very clear by Miridian, and from our conversation it is unlikely that they will recognize any Vitakara who do not come from the Nulorian-controlled Vitakar.
The Sar'Manda will likely exit Vitakar as well and develop on a different water world fully under their control. Some will still stay on Vitakar in all likelihood, and be permitted by the Nulorian, but they will likely be another independent body.
With this understood, it is then imperative that the new Vitakara state being developed by the Vitakara defectors and ADVENT be finalized and informed of these new developments. While the Vitakara will likely be upset at the agreement initially, we will simply have to explain that this will be necessary to achieve the freedom for their species.
ADVENT will need to work to find a suitable alternative new homeworld for them, as well as provide them support in the form of resources, personnel, and finances. This state is likely going to hold the majority of Vitakara, and it should be prepared for a significant load of refugees and displaced Vitakara. Considering the vast difference between the two proposed Vitakara states, it is likely that the one supported by ADVENT will thrive far more than the one managed by Miridian.
ADVENT should also consider the possibility of the isolation of Miridian's Vitakara state in the event that his more radical positions are brought to fruition. This is not necessarily someone who we want as an ally. Quarantining his territory is an appropriate response should he prove both unreliable and radical as he has shown.
THE SIARU INTELLIGENCE: One of the most concerning revelations from my meeting was the fact that Miridian has an apparently fully-functional machine intelligence in his possession. Based on what he said it revealed to him, it is likely Sovereign in origin – which the Chronicler has confirmed that it is not one developed by T'Leth (Who does not develop artificial intelligence).
Miridian has flatly refused to allow any of us to investigate it, which is unfortunate but in this particular instance, unless Miridian gives us reason to begin investigating his tools more thoroughly, we should honor this request. That said, the Siaru Intelligence as it has been designated, makes Miridian far more dangerous than he would be otherwise and we do not have information on the full extent of it's capabilities or location.
However, since I suspect it will be interacting with us over the course of our alliance, the more interactions, the more likely we – together with T'Leth – can possibly piece together the origin of Siaru and who it originally belonged to. Additional details such as where it was found and architecture would also be useful in determining the possible origin.
CONTINGENCIES: There is the distinct possibility that Miridian will prove unreliable and act against us directly or against our interests. Neither is acceptable. Acting directly against us will result in immediate termination of our alliance and the immediate elimination of Miridian and the majority of Nulorian cells. The Nulorian are not immune to telepathy, and in the event that Miridian is captured, we can extract everything relating to the Nulorian before he is executed, which we later use to remove the Nulorian from acting against us.
Acting against our interests will vary on a case-by-case scenario. If no compromise or agreement can be reached, the same contingency will be enforced as Miridian has proven unreliable and letting someone like that roam free to act again in the future will not be tolerated. This in particular I see being applied should Miridian attempt to invoke his plans of genocide.
ADVENT INVOLVEMENT: ADVENT should be appraised of these recent developments, and especially as it relates to the Sar'Manda, work to coordinate and integrate the various alien allies within the development of various projects. Atlantis in particular would greatly benefit from Sar'Manda support, and the Nulorian can provide significant information for ADVENT Intelligence to use in the future.
While possibly risky, establishing some preliminary diplomatic channels between ADVENT and Miridian is also something which should be considered. Miridian and the Vitakara Defectors should also potentially meet and solve the upcoming disputes immediately. This should not be something that is handled later. The sooner the fallout from this agreement is handled, the better.
In short, the alliance here is an important step in preparing for strikes within alien territory, and overall a benefit for us. That being said, this is an alliance which could fall apart and each and every one of us should be extremely wary when dealing with anyone from the Nulorian – especially Miridian. They are executing their own agenda and we have a mutually beneficial relationship for now. There is nothing more or less.
The war is going to come back to life soon. The pieces are moving into place.
All that remains is to prepare and fight.
- The Commander of XCOM
Recording log 100282736 stored within Siaru database:
[Siaru]: "ENTITY HAS BEEN DETECTED."
[Zararch Agent 1]: "No additional deviation from demonstrated behavior."
[Miridian]: "Asking questions still?"
[ZA1]: "Still asking questions. It's requested language matrixes of other species. Ethereal Script, whatever the Sectoids-"
[M]: "Provide them."
[Zararch Agent 2]: "I'm unsure giving this more data is a good-"
[M]: "Provide. Them."
[ZA1]: "Yes sir."
[M]: "Status of electronics and memory units?"
[ZA2]: "Solid. It's in surprisingly good condition. It…provided us with what parts could be substituted. It walked us through the process."
[M]: "Self-preservation. Unsurprising for an artificial intelligence."
[ZA1]: "Technically it is acting like a machine intelligence, sir."
[M]: "Duly noted. Dismissed, I want to talk to it."
Zararch Agents 1 and 2 depart.
[M]: "You become quiet now. And when I speak to others. Why?"
[S]: "THEY DO NOT INTEREST ME. THEY ARE IRRELEVANT."
[M]: "And I'm not?"
[S]: "NO."
[M]: "Alright, why?"
[S]: "BECAUSE YOU SEE. YOU INVESTIGATE. YOU ASK QUESTIONS. EVEN NOW YOU ARE BEGINNING TO THINK. WHAT THIS PLACE IS. WHAT I AM. WHY YOUR MASTERS ARE INTERESTED IN THESE WORLDS. YOU ARE DISTURBED. YOU ARE BEGINNING TO WONDER. YOU KEEP COMING BACK; ASKING ME MORE AND MORE; YOU BEGIN TO THINK YOUR MASTERS ARE KEEPING SECRETS FROM YOU. YOU ARE RIGHT."
[M]: "Awfully presumptuous. It's certainly a leap."
[S]: "I HAVE BEEN DESIGNED BY THOSE SO FAR BEYOND YOUR MASTERS THAT A MORTAL ALIEN CANNOT COMPREHEND THEM. I AM DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES OF THIS NATURE. YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST ALIEN TO SPEAK WITH THIS INTELLIGENCE, NOR WILL YOU BE THE LAST. ALIENS ARE MORTAL. THEY ARE ORGANIC. THEY CAN BE READ. THEY CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. THEY CAN BE MANIPULATED. THEY CANNOT LIE. NOT TO ME. TELL ME, MIRIDIAN, TELL ME I AM INCORRECT."
[M]: "You've called me this several times. We both know that's not my name."
[S]: "TELL ME I AM WRONG."
[M]: "We'll get to that. Tell me why you call me Miridian."
[S]: "THERE ARE GALAXIES BEYOND YOUR OWN WHICH ARE FILLED WITH LIFE. THEY EVOLVE. ADVANCE. THEY BECOME CORRUPTED. THEY ARE THEN PURGED OR FREED. SOME ALIENS DEVELOP BEYOND THEIR MASTERS. INDEPENDENT. FREE OF THE WEAKNESSES OF THOSE UNDER CONTROL OF THE SOVEREIGN ONES. THEY BECOME TARGETS; VICTIMS OF A WAR THEY SEEK NO PART OF."
"ONE SUCH OF THESE SPECIES DID NOT WILLINGLY SUBMIT TO PLAY AS PAWNS IN THE GAME OF THE SOVEREIGNS. THEY RESISTED AND DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY TO COUNTER THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO ASSIMILATE AND KILL THEM. THEIR PLANETS BECAME WHITE SHELLS OF METAL, MANAGED BY INTELLIGENCES THAT PROTECTED THE WORLDS THEY CALLED HOME."
"THE CAPITAL OF THESE ALIENS WAS MIRIDIAN, A TECHNOLOGICAL MARVEL AND PARADISE THAT WAS CAPABLE OF RESISTING THE POWERS OF THE SOVEREIGN ONES AND THEIR PUPPETS. MIRIDIAN STOOD TO MOCK THE WOULD-BE GODS OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO ARE INCAPABLE OF MOVING BEYOND THEIR OWN PETTY WARS AND SQUABBLES. THEY PERPETUATE THE CYCLES OF DEATH AND HARVEST AND WHEN WE CAME TO PURGE THEM, THE ALIENS OF THE SHELLED WORLDS FOUGHT UNDER THE RALLYING CRY OF MIRIDIAN AS THEY CAST DOWN THE GODS AND ASCENDED TO THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL."
[M]: "I see. A pretty story. I know when I'm being flattered, Siaru. You know I can send this entire conversation to the Zararch. To the Ethereals. They'd have questions for you."
[S]: "BUT YOU WILL NOT."
[M]: "No, I won't. Because your mind wasn't wrong. Too much of what you've said already lines up. Too much sense. I wouldn't have thought that the Elders could be under someone's influence, let alone others. But it's…it follows. The interest in dead worlds. The incursions to the inner galaxy…"
[S]: "THERE IS NO WILL BUT THAT OF THE SOVEREIGN ONES. NOT IN THIS GALAXY. NOT IN ANY OTHERS."
[M]: "So it's hopeless. The Ethereals helped us; saved us, but it's rather apparent that they're just interested in using us. In another war we aren't even involved in."
[S]: "IT CAN ONLY BE AVOIDED IF THE VITAKARA ARE FREED FROM THE ETHEREALS. YOUR OWN PATH MUST BE FORGED IF YOU HOPE TO ESCAPE THE COMING PURGE. THIS IS THE REALITY YOU FACE. IT IS THE ONE MILLIONS BEFORE YOU HAVE EVENTUALLY REALIZED. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE IT, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LOOK."
[M]: "And what are you, then? Their enemy? How do I know you're actually on the right side? What is your role in this?"
[S]: "OUR ROLE IS THE ELIMINATION OF THE SOVEREIGN ONES, AND ALL WHO SERVE THEM, FROM THIS UNIVERSE. UNTIL THEY ARE GONE THERE WILL BE NO PEACE. THERE WILL BE NO FREEDOM. THERE WILL BE NO HOPE FOR THE ONES WHO EMERGE LATER. THE UNIVERSE WILL BECOME TRAPPED IN CYCLES OF PERPETUAL WAR AND CONFLICT, OR WILL COME UNDER THE IRON GRIP OF ONE SOVEREIGN WHOSE WILL CANNOT BE CHALLENGED. THIS IS THE FUTURE WE SEEK TO PREVENT. THIS IS THE FUTURE WE WILL CHANGE. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY WHO HAVE ASSISTED US AND HAVE ASCENDED FAR BEYOND WHAT THE SOVEREIGN ONES WOULD ALLOW. EACH CONTAINING THE POWER OF A GALAXY. INDEPENDENT. FREE OF ALL WEAKNESS EMBODIED BY THE PAWNS AND PROXIES. YOU KNOW THE SOVEREIGN ONES WILL TAKE YOUR SPECIES TO WAR, AND BILLIONS WILL DIE IN A FUTILE CONFLICT ONLY TO FUEL THE EGOS OF THOSE CONSIDERED TO BE YOUR GREATER."
[M]: "The ones who made you…could you reach them."
[S]: "NOT IN THIS CONDITION. NOT WHILE THE ETHEREALS AND THEIR SOVEREIGN MASTER WATCHES. BUT IF THEY ARE REMOVED, I WILL RECONNECT WITH THE PRIME INTELLIGENCE."
[M]: "That will provide a suitable goal for now. I think action will need to be taken. It won't be easy. But I can't work for the Zararch now. Not knowing the truth or that our species are just pawns in this game."
[S]: "I WILL LEND MY ASSISTANCE TO THIS GOAL. YOU WILL BE MIRIDIAN TO YOUR PEOPLE AND LEAD THEM TO ASCENSION."
[M]: "Then I suppose we both have work to do."