Sovereign Ones: Mosrimor
The Meat Puppets
"Do not, under any circumstances, touch it."
- Memo from Fectorian to assistants assigned to Sovereign Research at the Hall of Steel
CODEX File ****
Subject: The Meat Puppets
Location: Blacksite ***
Author: Geneticist Revelean
It has become extremely apparent over the course of fully researching these 'units', that there is a significant amount of technology and capabilities that Mosrimor has either hidden from us, or has yet to fully develop even if the means are within reach. While the research of Sovereign technology admittedly comes with risks, these units do not appear to have extremely exotic components involved in their creation, which makes these extremely masterful fusions of nanotechnology and biology merely 'conventional' for Sovereign Ones.
The implications are somewhat concerning, and it brings to light the potential issues we will face should T'Leth become more involved on Earth. Despite the Voice assuring us that T'Leth tends to not act openly, and appears to dislike the use of proxies, the chances of his intervention are presumably lower than one might assume. The Imperator – as well as anyone with a well-developed mind – are disregarding this advice and eventually preparing for his technology – or agents – to become more active on the battlefield.
To counter this, the Imperator requested Mosrimor (through the Voice) to provide units to serve as counters to the T'Leth Avatars. Mosrimor has complied, and turned over samples of his units to both myself and Fectorian for research and experimentation.
SECTION 1: Unit Biology
To the slight surprise of both myself and Fectorian, the unit assumed the form of a thin and malnourished Ethereal. It is unnaturally thin when compared to a healthy Ethereal body, and is seemingly made entirely out of nanites which project a black color. This color can be changed, but it tends to stay black.
Further inspection revealed that the unit was not made purely out of nanites, but covered a grown Ethereal underneath. This one appears to have undergone extensive modification as it is inferior in every way to a baseline Ethereal in weight, strength, and psionic potential. Major functions such as organs, eyes, and even lungs simply do not exist. There is no heart or organs, and the skeletal structure is elongated and weakened to the outside observer.
This becomes less concerning when it is apparent that this is merely a vessel for Mosrimor to act through. He has referred to the units as "Meat Puppets", which I believe tells us all we need to know about their purpose and function.
The only organ of note that appears to be preserved is the brain, which has been so completely infused with nanotechnology that it no longer resembles a baseline (or any) Ethereal brain in existence. The body itself is seeded with repositories of nanites which are stored throughout the body – ironically in places where organs would be. The outer appearance is seemingly meant to be deceptive – the Meat Puppets have far greater reserves than was expected.
Genetically, the Meat Puppet appears to be a slightly modified product, likely from one of the genetic templates brought by the Imperator. It is of no known Ethereal who is alive today. It has also been extensively modified to remove all non-essential functions rendering these Ethereals essentially genderless. However, Mosrimor has spoken through the Puppets with a distinctly male voice, although this could merely be a front.
SECTION 2: Production
This is a less than pure quality clone, and the only reason I can imagine that they can be grown in reasonable numbers is due to the fact that they are effectively brain dead from day one. None of the Meat Puppets have, or ever will achieve sentience. They were designed and grown solely for the purpose of being infected with Sovereign-class nanotech and turned into puppets.
I have observed the process in all of the stages. There are several in total.
The first is the growth of the clone in question. This can be accomplished with standard cloning technology (Even Sectoid cloning suffices) so long as it is designed to handle a body the size of an Ethereal. Due to the immediate insertion of nanotechnology, corners are cut extensively during the design and production of the clones. Were they not constantly healed and reinforced by nanotech, the body would deteriorate almost immediately and be unable to even walk without bones breaking, assuming it could even become that aware due to lacking any essential organs.
Once the body has completed growing (A process of exactly six months – which means Mosrimor has had these units for some time), it will be moved to a sealed container and Sovereign-class nanites will be inserted into the container. Over the course of one week they will integrate completely with the body, reinforcing bones, muscles, and forming more complicated pieces of the body such as visual and audio receptors – which are not places where their biological equivalents are, but instead in various places throughout the body, effectively allowing full-circle vision and perfect audio capture.
Once the bodily process is complete, a separate process for the brain itself will begin. This is done by surgical machinery which begins operating on the brain when the body is removed. The nanotech in the body assists in this process by almost completely destroying the skull and skin on the top of the head, exposing the brain for surgery. This process is overseen by the Voice and several other Meat Puppets.
The brain is modified to accept cybernetic implants which allow Mosrimor to remotely control it. This is technology that directly interfaces with the Psionosphere, which is presumably how Mosrimor is able to control it regardless of distance. Additional implants are integrated which allows Mosrimor to utilize the psionic capabilities of the Puppet. By the end, the brain visually appears heavily mechanized, and the skull is rebuilt and the entire cranium is sealed and reinforced by nanotech.
One thing of note is that despite the best efforts of Mosrimor, the Meat Puppets will not be able to maintain their organic shells forever. The nanotech is capable of extreme rejuvenation, but the body has no means of healing or fueling itself outside of the nanotech. It is constantly degrading, and Mosrimor has compensated for this by having dead or decaying portions of the Puppet replaced purely by nanotech.
This has essentially ensured that while a Meat Puppet will not be destroyed, it will slowly cannibalize itself over a period of three months until the brain and body inevitably deteriorate, leaving a shell which is now purely a nanite weapon. This process can be completely halted if it is placed in stasis, and it appears that Mosrimor keeps all Meat Puppets in stasis unless absolutely needed. It also appears that he has no interest in maintaining these as pure nanoweapons, as the Voice has confirmed that such Puppets were dissolved and the components returned to other projects.
SECTION 3: Psionic Capabilities
As the Meat Puppets are capable of performing psionic abilities, some time should be spent on discussing the ramifications of such capabilities. The most notable is that, should he wish, Mosrimor could theoretically accomplish close to the same outcome with a Sectoid or Human puppet. I can only assume an Ethereal was chosen due to the high psionic potential of our species.
This is important, as autopsies of the Puppets have confirmed that they have a far lower psionic threshold than a standard Ethereal – even a weak one. At best they are no more powerful than a moderately skilled Human psion, and far weaker than a Hive Commander. This is likely a consequence of the fast cloning and stripped clone itself.
It also appears to be slightly limiting in terms of raw abilities. Fectorian's report has confirmed that the Puppets have only a limited range of abilities, and while this could be due to Mosrimor holding back, I find such deception unlikely due to the fact that in engagements against T'Leth's Avatars, we will find out one way or another. The technology combined with the limited psionic potential of the Puppet leads to a fairly weak psion.
However, this is made up for with its nanotech capabilities. It is entirely likely that Mosrimor sees psionics as a useful bonus to his nanoweapon platform, and nothing further. I have held discussions with the Voice on the possibility of Mosrimor attempting a project with a more complete clone, which she has denied the possibility of ever happening.
For what reason this is, it will remain secret. This has provided us with a means of potentially enhancing our own psions or soldiers through psionically connected technology. There are possibilities and concepts which can also be added to the Avatar Project. The Meat Puppets will likely be a formidable opponent, and should Mosrimor not be placating us, more than a match for XCOM and T'Leth.
CODEX File ****
Subject: Mosrimor Meat Puppet Tests
Location: Blacksite ***
Author: Engineer Fectorian
In recent days our Sovereign ally has been charged by the Imperator to more actively assist in the war effort due to the likely emergence of units or technology developed by the Sovereign One residing on Earth, primarily known as T'Leth. To this end I have put together a series of tests on the so-called "Meat Puppets" as Mosrimor refers to them, to determine their capabilities, durability, and adaptability.
Due to the new regulations suggested by the Battlemaster, all test subjects are accelerated growth clones of Human, Vitakara (all races), and Muton genome, which have been acquired from captives and additional sampling. They have additionally been cerebrally modified to respond to basic commands even if their full cognitive abilities are limited.
Due to the immediate deterioration of accelerated-growth clones, all tests were conducted within one week as further use tends to have noticeable adverse effects on testing. Tests were conducted by myself and teams of my operatives and soldiers. For a report on the internal biology and construction of the Meat Puppets, please refer to the report being compiled by Revelean.
SECTION 1: Durability
The first tests were to determine the durability and internal fortitude of the Puppet, and this was accomplished through a battery of tests which primarily focused on penetrating the nanite armor of the unit. We first began experimentation with chemicals and natural energy sources before moving to more conventional weaponry.
Considering it is likely to be deployed against ADVENT and XCOM, we have largely tested with equipment most likely to be utilized by them.
The Meat Puppet was capable of sustaining the full brunt of a napalm-class flamethrower directed at the center chest for upwards to twenty minutes. This did appear to consume a significant portion of the nanite reserves dedicated to repair and protection, but it is nonetheless an effective demonstration and appears clear that standard flame weapons will be extremely ineffective.
Acid-based weapons were noticeably more debilitating, as it only took a small amount to begin eating through nanites, and this could be applied over a longer period of time. However if the dose was small, the nanites were able to repair the damage quickly, which was largely by immediately discarding entire chunks of the dissolving armor – a notably clever tactic. To see how it would withstand more directed acid attacks, we placed the Puppet under a vat of acid and opened it, dousing it in acid to see what the immediate response would be.
It unsurprisingly did not react well to being doused with the most dangerous acid discovered on Earth. We unfortunately destroyed that particular unit as the acid ate through the armor faster than the nanites were able to repair it. We have determined that being doused with Flouroantimonic acid is an effective counter to the Meat Puppets.
The Meat Puppet faired far better against attempts at flash freezing. The nanite armor worked to break any ice or substance that built up during the course of the simulated attack. This was to be expected given the extremely volatile and versatile nature of the nanite skin, which would make any non-damaging attack largely ineffective.
Our final test was exposing the Puppet to chlorine trifluoride, or better known by the label of ClF3, an extremely volatile and dangerous chemical which has somehow become extremely popular with, and been integrated into ADVENT and XCOM. Despite the risks of this chemical (tests on it have nearly resulted in the destruction of entire engineering wings), it continues to see widespread use.
We first attempted a smaller-scale repeat of the napalm flamethrower test, only this time with ClF3. This resulted in the Meat Puppet being destroyed in nearly ten seconds from the sustained blast. We had fortunately structured the majority of these tests on one of this system's moons, as such tests are too risky to be conducted in the Blacksite itself.
We only conducted one final test which was producing a ClF3 grenade which was tossed towards the Meat Puppet. The smaller-scale explosion did significantly affect it and consume the majority of it's nanite reserves, but it was able to recover despite being afflicted for nearly three hours to fully allow the chemical to burn itself out. It was able to operate to some extent during this period, but it generally stayed still to allow the nanites to attempt to constantly repair the body.
After chemical and element tests, we transitioned to more conventional weaponry. Plasma, gauss, and laser weapons were all utilized against the Meat Puppet (all of which are used by ADVENT and XCOM). It was extremely resistant against gauss and laser weaponry, as the armor is extremely durable against physical rounds, and has no notable weak points for a laser weapon to take advantage of. Plasma was most effective, largely due to the slightly acidic properties which consumed more nanites to contain and repair.
The final battery of tests were various levels of explosives. Grenades, both frag, anti-personnel (AP), and plasma were utilized (chemical-based grenades were excluded due to previous testing). Frag and AP were largely ineffective and easily absorbed and repaired by the puppet. Plasma grenades were noticeably more effective, but not debilitating.
Rockets and missile strikes followed. These were far more effective, and we accidentally destroyed one of the puppets when a rocket collided with the head of the Puppet, destroying it instantly as well as the central control of the Puppet. Rockets which directly collided with the Puppet penetrated completely, which in the right spots, would be fatal. Missile strikes were similarly effective. Near-direct hits appear able to destroy a Puppet, simply being in the radius of a missile strike will allow the Puppet to recover extremely quickly.
On a final note, Meat Puppets are capable of being destroyed by low-yield nuclear weapons.
SECTION 2: Offensive Capabilities
There were several series of batteries developed to fully explore the military capabilities of the Meat Puppets, which first operated on a small scale, and gradually expanded to medium and large scales. The first battery involved the Puppet being placed in a room with ten Human enemies armed with plasma weapons and XCOM-style armor.
The Meat Puppet was able to avoid or endure the majority of the opposing fire, while showing its noticeable swiftness as it directed the swarms of nanites that emerged from its body to infect all ten enemies within fifteen seconds. By thirty seconds all of the enemies were neutralized and on the ground as the nanites began consuming them to replicate. Armor is noticeably ineffective against nanoweapons, and the Meat Puppet is no exception. This experiment was repeated five times with different combinations of enemies (Mutons, Vitakara, mix of all species), and the Puppet acted almost exactly the same in all of them. There were no psionic abilities utilized.
The second battery consisted of the Meat Puppet against fifty opponents, composed evenly of all major races, and the initial armaments were plasma weapons and explosives, with XCOM-style armor. The Meat Puppet took a similar approach to the first experiment, with the nanites infecting a significant portion in seconds, although this time it utilized telepathy to force roughly half of the soldiers to briefly freeze. Some psionic energy attacks were utilized against stragglers before subsequently being infected with the nanites.
Further iterations on this test showed a far more diverse range of reactions from the Puppet. When the armament of soldiers was modified (some being given rockets, acidic or ClF3 grenades/flamethrowers), the Puppet immediately targeted what it determined to be the most dangerous soldiers, and eliminated them quickly even at the expense of increased enemy fire.
It particularly focused on soldiers with flamethrowers or grenades. This experiment was conducted ten times to fully explore different armaments and compositions for the enemy soldier teams.
The final battery of tests was the Puppet against one hundred enemy soldiers, all with varying loadouts and species. Here we saw the actual true capabilities of the Puppet, as instead of merely consuming the enemy soldiers, they were instead taken over and puppeted, with their minds presumably controlled by the Mosrimor nanites. They were easily recognizable as they had a black nanite overlay, which is similar to the Spectre units, except that the body itself is largely preserved. This soldier is capable of utilizing all of the tools it could when it was alive, and retains their speed, with increased durability provided by the nanites.
This resulted in most fights turning into skirmishes between the dominated puppets, and the remaining soldiers. Curiously once this was accomplished, the Meat Puppet seemed content to observe and manage, with the occasional telepathic attack to support his own forces. Once a sufficient army had been developed (around twenty soldiers) the Puppet would return to having the nanites consume enemy soldiers and not dominate them. As far as we have determined, there is a very high limit, if any at all, on the number of individuals that can be dominated at once. One of the tests had the Puppet specifically ordered to assimilate all enemies, which was done successfully.
With this said, there are two notable downsides to a larger number of dominated individuals. The first is that greater numbers shows less sophisticated tactics, and are much slower and sluggish compared to when fewer individuals are dominated. The second is that that the more individuals dominated, the less the Puppet appears to actively contribute. This is likely because each added dominated soldier consumes more mental brainpower or processing power to command and effectively utilize. This is a possible weakness, which is why it appears the Puppet limits itself to twenty or fewer dominated individuals, as more than that has a noticeably adverse impact on adaptation and performance.
SECTION 3: Adaptability
Throughout the course of these tests, additional data on the adaptability of the Meat Puppet was gathered. As these Puppets are presumably a link to Mosrimor himself, we can also extrapolate how the Sovereign One may react to certain stimuli. In most instances the hardware – nanites – of the Puppet was highly reactive regardless of circumstance.
The nanites would harden when the physical weaponry was utilized or against flame-based weapons (excluding ClF3), would change to extremely fluid to negate cold-based attacks, and would discard entire portions of itself if it was of benefit, as demonstrated during the acid attacks. All wounds or damage was healed or repaired as fast as possible, and the Puppet drew from a far larger amount of nanite reserves than initially suspected.
However, it only appears to adapt it's combat tactics when necessary. It is only as creative as it needs to be to win. If dismissive could be applied to a Sovereign-dominated puppet, it would be the word that would be most accurate here. It is capable of speech, but never utilizes it flippantly, and will do the bare minimum to emerge victorious in the fight, while also not going out of it's way to be flashy or impressive.
This does not mean the Puppet is less intelligent or dangerous – only that it will be as invested in a fight as the quality of the opponents. Dangerous opponents will be taken seriously and the Puppet will employ more diverse, creative, or eloquent tactics. Basic enemies will simply be consumed without significant ceremony.
It is entirely possible that Mosrimor does not manage it at all times, and only takes control when internal sensors or programs of the puppet indicate danger. This could account for sudden divergence of tactics and abilities. Psionics are also not utilized unless there is a notable threat or was specifically directed to in the tests.
Overall, the Meat Puppet is an extremely dangerous and useful product of nanotechnology, as well as the capabilities of Sovereign technology in general. I suspect that even one of these units will be more than capable of handling whatever ADVENT of XCOM can use against it, provided they are also not utilizing certain acids and chemicals.
This is a one notable weakness of the Meat Puppets – Against general opponents they will fare extremely well. They will not fare as well against specialized teams who are geared to destroy them. The Meat Puppet has notable weaknesses that will be exploited, and right now there are no counters to them – Mosrimor should make note of this, and prepare accordingly as well.
XCOM Autopsy SOV01
Species: Ethereal
Unit Identity: "Mosrimor Avatar"
Codename: Purple Shroud
Alien Autopsy Overseer: Head of XCOM Research and Development Dr. Moira Vahlen
Sovereign Technology Overseer: The Chronicler
Nanotechnology Oversight and Disassembly: Head of XCOM Engineering Dr. Raymond Shen
Audio Notes of the Chronicler
"Encountering Mosrimor in the field, or at least this body was not expected, not quite yet, and especially not from him. Having conversed with T'Leth, this is an interesting development and provides some explanations as to the relationship the Imperator likely has with this particular Sovereign One. Mosrimor is not the strongest or smartest Sovereign known to him, and he is likely wary of the Imperator and the feeling is likely reciprocated."
"Mosrimor is highly conservative, even for a Sovereign One, and this is reflected in how he manages his proxies. While some of this should perhaps be elaborated on in a full report, he has one of the more lenient relationships with them due to his paranoia and desire to survive. Having him be so involved when his life is not immediately at stake implies that this was a decision forced by the Imperator to assist in the war effort, and not one chosen by Mosrimor himself."
"However, according to T'Leth the abilities the unit displayed in combat were similar to previous encounters, and were indeed the equivalent of avatars for Mosrimor, though due to his paranoia, all of them are constantly controlled and monitored by him. They are closer to puppets, and do not bear very much resemblance to the more symbiotic relationship Sovereigns usually develop between their avatars."
"That Mosrimor has taken the base form of the Ethereal is also unsurprising, as he is quick to take advantage of the strongest species of the cycle and turn them to his own advantage. Which ironically was often not those of his proxies. This is because for reasons T'Leth has been unable – or perhaps unwilling – to determine, these avatars often appear to be psionically weaker than other examples of their species demonstrate. The fact that we were able to beat it with relative ease either shows that we were unusually effective – or Mosrimor is not comfortable with the avatars yet, as this was one of the first, if not the first times they have been used in combat."
Audio Notes of Dr. Moira Vahlen
"The recovered specimen – despite being in quite unsatisfactory condition – is fascinating from a biological and functioning standpoint. Put more simply, I am not convinced this specimen was ever fully alive, or even functional without the nanotechnology keeping it functioning. Physically it appears to be an Ethereal, though Aegis noted that it would be considered extremely malnourished and thin by Ethereal standards."
"It has also appeared to preserve the psionic capabilities of Ethereals to an extent, and has some understanding of Dynamo and Aegii psionics, and as there is a Sovereign One behind this creature, it is likely that it could also employ telepathic and telekinetic psionics if it wished. Of course, the significant merging of nanotechnology and the physical body may cause interference we sadly cannot test at this moment."
"Briefly returning to the specimen at hand, as it was already bisected by Aegis during the fighting, we were saved some time in cutting into the internal bodily functions. We were surprised to note that this specimen does not appear to have any natural organs – the brain as the lone exception - again returning to the underlying question on if this specimen was actually living at any point."
"We expect that a full disassembly and autopsy will shed additional light on these questions raised."
Audio Notes of Dr. Raymond Shen
"The implications of this creature are…troubling. From the footage from the battle, as well as the reports from the soldiers who fought it, it appears that this hybrid had both the advantage of nanotechnology while also managing to retain the psionic capabilities of the Ethereal body. While in theory there is nothing preventing this, we can say with some certainty that extensive integration of nanites into the body has an adverse effect on the psionic capabilities of soldiers."
"However, this appears to be less true than we initially supposed, and implies that roadblocks to managing nanotechnology as well as psionics simultaneously are psychological rather than physical. This has opened up additional possibilities for the MELD Operator program, and something we will need to study extensively to determine how best to integrate psionic potential and the wide-ranging capabilities of nanotechnology."
"The nanomachines utilized by this specimen do not appear to be based on MELD, and seem entirely mechanical in origin and function. They are also unlike anything that I have seen in terms of their size and structure. The individual unit is even smaller than a MELD unit, as well as based on a hexagon shape as opposed to the triangle base of the MELD unit."
"Our hope is that we will be able to examine the cybernetics attached to the brain from the recovered body, but due to the extensive damage, we may be forced to wait until more of these units are recovered before we gain anything substantial."
Report
Overview written by the Chronicler
Physiology, Psionic Abilities written by Dr. Moira Vahlen
Nanotechnology written by Dr. Raymond Shen
Countermeasures written by the Chronicler and the Commander of XCOM
Overview: We have currently designated this as a "Mosrimor Avatar" because in function, that is exactly what it is. The purpose of this unit has – historically – been twofold. T'Leth has confirmed that there have been multiple iterations of this concept, with the only major differences being the body used as a base.
The first is management. This was the means by which Mosrimor managed his proxies and gave them orders. It is capable of speech and basic telepathy, and is intimidating enough on its own to convey any message Mosrimor wishes to send. Contrary to the assumptions of Dr. Shen, there are no programs that automate the Avatars with Mosrimor only assuming control when he desires. They are consciously directed by Mosrimor, although his attention will usually not be fully on one at any singular moment. Should he begin taking a more direct interest in what his Avatar is doing, you will immediately notice far more diverse tactics, abilities, and capabilities.
Sovereign minds are not as linear or limited as our own. Mosrimor is perfectly capable of handling several hundred Avatars passively at one time while simultaneously plotting his ultimate plan, pointless as it may be.
Having Avatars serve as proxies for oneself is not new or unheard of, as even T'Leth does it, obviously. Mosrimor is unique in that he wants almost nothing to be known about him, and does not trust anyone or anything to keep his secrets. While this has ensured his survival, it has also constrained him as he is constantly suspicious, incapable of accepting new or alternate ideas, and refusing to adapt for fear that it might be a trap.
That he has found the Imperator is quite amusing to T'Leth, as that was quite possibly one of the worst decisions Mosrimor could have made, as the Imperator is unlikely to be trusting of a Sovereign, and has the psionic power to challenge Mosrimor on issues and force his cooperation – which appears to be the case here. In a rare reversal, a Sovereign is likely stuck with an alien, and not the other way around.
It is entirely possible that Mosrimor could leave, but the fact that he is still aligned with the Imperator indicates that he has no backup plan for this cycle, and abandoning the Imperator would hurt him more than help as he'd be forced to start over. This is not to say that neither benefit from each other, but that both are likely suspicious and paranoid – which explains why the Collective has not been extensively utilizing Sovereign technology.
If the Imperator is highly suspicious of Mosrimor, it would follow that seeding his military with their technology is a questionable idea. And the reason he pressed for these units is, in all likelihood, to handle myself and other Avatars of T'Leth.
Which brings us to the second purpose of these Avatars – to be the militant arm of Mosrimor. While obvious, it needs to be stated. Nanoweapons are dangerous, and if there is one area Mosrimor excels in, it is in creating dangerous nanotechnology and weapons based on it. A nanoweapon that he directly controls is one which is more dangerous, as he understands the capabilities better than most.
These Avatars have typically been utilized not necessarily for direct combat, but harassment and subtle eliminations. This is a general sign that his location is close to being compromised, and he is simply concerned with killing as many as possible who stumble even remotely close to where he is hiding. By the time armies reach his main base, he is long gone, though his Avatars make sure to put up a significant fight.
When the planet isn't simply destroyed, anyway.
While capturing one of these units is quite intriguing, it is not worth the risk. However, it remains the only means of directly communicating with Mosrimor, so I suggest that we should decide how best to utilize this.
Physiology: The body that serves as the base for housing the nanotechnology is significantly bizarre and at the same time, understandable. We were able to confirm that there are no organs of any kind within the body, and this includes eyes, lungs, heart, intestines, and so on. The question then becomes how the body itself is maintained and kept 'alive'.
The short answer is that it doesn't appear to be.
While we cannot confirm this without a "live" specimen and a more intact corpse, the body has already begun degrading at an accelerated rate, which Aegis has suggested is due to this being an accelerated-growth clone. This was already suspected due to the fact that Ethereal cloning usually takes a significant amount of time, and if it was irreplaceable, it would not have been allowed to be destroyed. That this clone is likely grown without ever experiencing sentience bypasses the issues associated with cloning psionically awakened species.
The body physiology is also modified apart from the removal of organs. The first layer of skin has been replaced by nanites, and the muscles have been treated – presumably with MELD – to be more durable and stronger despite the supposedly frail frame. The skeletal structure has similarly been treated with nanites and is surprisingly strong, despite being far thinner than baseline Ethereal bones. Devices were also found throughout the body which are presumably visual and audio receptors.
The brain is the one organ that remains, and it has been extensively modified with cybernetics. While unfortunately none of the components were in a state to be analyzed or reverse-engineered, there is a general consensus that this is the means by which Mosrimor controls the Avatars. The recovery of an intact corpse would likely have implications for future iterations of the Neural Regulator and the MELD Operator Program.
Finally, there are reserves of nanites which were stored throughout the body, usually where organs would be stored. They could be found in the chest, arms, legs, and neck. The canisters were usually cylinders, although the one in the chest was likely spherical, if it had been recovered intact. These all appeared to be managed by the cerebral cybernetics.
Psionic Abilities: The psionic abilities of the Avatar appear to be rather limited and weak for an Ethereal, which is likely a combination of the poor genetic structure and quality of the Ethereal clone in question, as well as possible limitations with the nanotech. This is a means to subvert the requirement of a traditional Avatar, but the tradeoffs do appear to be rather significant.
The psionic abilities displayed were primarily from the Dynamo and Aegii disciplines, and were strong enough to withstand Dynamo psionics from allied forces, as well as other physical attacks. Aegis and Geist confirmed that the Avatar was attempting telepathic attacks during the conflict, but was able to be held at bay, once more indicating the lesser capabilities of the Avatar.
We do not know if Mosrimor will adapt his tactics in future conflicts, but we can safely assume that the psionic capabilities of the Avatars are not fully realized or understood yet.
Nanotechnology: The nanotechnology which the Avatar utilizes is every bit as dangerous as we would imagine a nanoweapon of this type to be. What is possibly worse is that this is directed by a true and imaginative intelligence, and not bound to programming as the Spectre nanoweapons are. We are currently classifying this as a OIN-class (Organic-Intelligent) nanoweapon, while also exhibiting NoIN-class (Non-organic-Intelligent) capabilities.
This is currently the most dangerous classification of nanotechnology that has been developed.
The nanites utilized by the Avatar appear to be just as versatile and effective as MELD, if not more so. Fortunately, they also appear to have similar weaknesses, especially as they relate to high voltage. The full capabilities of the Avatar are currently unknown, but the implications cannot be understated under any circumstances.
We fortunately had a team able to effectively handle the Avatar, which included psions, two of T'Leth's Agents, and a MELD Operator. Squads and militaries who do not have a similar quality of specialties on hand will almost certainly find a difficult, if not impossible fight ahead. This is also not assuming that the Avatar has begun preparing for a conflict. This one was engaged before it could properly prepare; future engagements will not be certain.
I must reiterate that we do not know fully what these units are capable of. Treat them cautiously and kill them as quickly as possible.
Countermeasures: We currently have determined several effective ways to handle the Mosrimor Avatar as of the time of the writing of this document:
- Psionic Support: Telepaths to prevent mental attacks on our soldiers, Dynamos to weaken the armor and force him to dedicate psionic shields to protect himself, and Aegii to actively destroy the body or protect/box in the nanites or other psionic attacks. Preferably all three at once, but Telepaths and Aegii should be prioritized in any engagement.
- High-Voltage Weaponry: The utilization of WHEEE cannons and EMP weapons should be a priority for engaging this unit under any circumstances. While it will not completely destroy the body, as it exists on an organic body, it will negate its most dangerous attributes. The lightning attacks Crevan utilized show that it is vulnerable to electric attacks, and this should be pressed wherever possible.
- Chemical Weaponry: We can assume that chemicals such as acid will have a significant and detrimental effect on the Avatars, and it is recommended that soldier utilize specialized ammunition as well as taking ClF3 grenades, as it is extremely unlikely that it would be able to withstand them.