ADVENT: History

The Celestial Division

"They could have picked a better name. Celestials are not some noble paladins flying in the sky, they are brutal, violent, and vindictive wraiths. Take my advice – when you see a legion of ADVENT soldiers falling from the sky, run away as fast as you can."

- Unknown Borelian soldier to Runianarch recruits

Proposal 1209

Latest Revision: 3/15/2017

Designation: The Celestial Division

Program Type: Paratrooper; Rapid Aerial Deployment; Mobile Infantry

Authors: Chancellor Saudia Vyandar; Kyong Suk-Chul, Minister of ADVENT Public Relations; Keith Watkins, Chief Overseer of the Oversight Division; Laura Christiaens, Commander of the ADVENT Military; Wayne Kidon, Army-Commander of the ADVENT Army Division; Val Delacruz, High Exarch of the Celestial Division

INITIAL PROPOSAL: As ADVENT continues to modernize our military to face the rigors of this conflict, a major part of the modern military has been the ability to rapidly deploy large numbers of soldiers quickly into a combat zone to gain an immediate tactical advantage against an opponent. They were highly skilled soldiers who were capable of aerial insertion, surviving behind enemy lines, and acting decisively against hostile forces.

Paratroopers have had an important and unique role in the modern armed forces, though as the war progresses, risk becoming obsolete as the current paratrooper is incapable of properly engaging with Collective forces as they lack sufficient protection and resources against an enemy which is continuing to adapt to our tactics.

The Celestial is intended to be the next generation of paratrooper, taking advantage of significant advances in miniaturized propulsion, battle armor, and genetic modification, which will assist in turning the Celestials into one of the most dangerous and mobile forces ADVENT can call upon.

UTILIZATION AND BATTLEFIELD ROLE: The largest issue facing modern paratroopers is that of survivability. Our modern paratrooper units simply did not have the defenses or armor to sustain an attack or effective harassment. This allowed even alien units caught by surprise to be able to mount an effective defense, as there were no effective ways of mitigating an aggressive response.

This has hindered our own battlefield tactics, as we cannot rely upon paratrooper deployments to either distract, damage, or otherwise occupy the enemy for a necessary period of time. The Collective has adapted to these tactics since Operation Sherman where they were used to great effect.

We suspect that this operation was what properly clued the Collective into the concept of paratroopers and this particular form of rapid deployment. Since then they have moved quickly when they detect paratrooper deployments, knowing that they possess a numerical and technological advantage.

The Celestial has been designed to mitigate every single shortfall of the modern paratrooper. All Celestials are armored per ADVENT standard, and many exceed the baseline, allowing them to hold positions longer with suits able to withstand significant damage. They are equipped to not only hold positions of interest to ADVENT, but actively press forward and match the expected defenses.

In addition, we have designed multiple Celestial suits which will fulfill different operational roles, allowing a highly specialized and tailored battle plan to be developed, which are detailed below:

UNIT SPECIALIZATIONS: The following unit specializations are as follows:

CELESTIAL SOLDIER: This is the standard Celestial unit. Heavily armored, heavily armed, and capable of modest mobility. This will make up the majority of Celestial forces, and we expect that the majority of transitioning paratroopers will be most comfortable in this role. They will be responsible for the bulk of combat actions, and equivalent to standard Collective units.

CELESTIAL BATTLEFIELD SUPPORT: While the Battlefield Support Celestial will possess the same armor capabilities and standards as the Soldiers, they will also be more lightly armed, and their role will be primarily providing support for other Celestial and ADVENT units. They are equipped with medical nanite dispensers, battlefield surgery kits, repair kits, and communications equipment to sync with other Celestial or ADVENT units. We expect there to be fewer of this role of Celestial, and they must possess some level of medical and communications experience.

CELESTIAL BOMBARDIER: This is one of two 'heavy' Celestial units. The Bombardier is specially designed to cause wide-scale destruction, with in-built rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and micro-missiles. The frame of the Bombardier is larger than the Soldier, and will possess enough explosive capabilities to annihilate any standard Collective defense point.

In addition to suit weapons, they will also carry a heavy weapon of a selected type, with additional grenades, ammo, and rockets to rapidly restock and continue a barrage. Bombardiers should be drawn from individuals who have experience with explosives or operating heavy missile equipment.

CELESTIAL PRECISION ELIMINATOR: It should be clarified that the Precision Eliminator is not a sniper. What that simply means is that the suit is slightly altered to allow for more mobility, possessing slightly larger jump thrusters, bigger fuel tank, and slightly sleeker armor. The suit also holds a laser guided missile system for precise structural targeting.

Precision Eliminators are not tasked with eliminating individual targets, they are most effectively used against enemy infrastructure and identified weak points. If found, lone alien units should be eliminated, but it should be handed by appropriately armed united, and not Precision Eliminators, who are utilize highly explosive equipment and are situational in nature.

CELESTIAL JUGGERNAUT: This is the heaviest unit we have developed for the Celestials. It is closer in size to something like the XCOM Marauder-Class MEC than our more humanoid forms. This is because it is designed not to simply land near enemy forces, but right on top of them. Specifically through structures.

It is heavily outfitted for close-range combat, possessing an arsenal of chemical dispensers, micro-grenades and missiles, and limited nanotech weaponry and repair systems. It is capable of reaching speeds that will break most Human-built walls, much less anything which steps before it. Due to the size, each part is mechanically augmented, amplifying the strength of the Celestial to inhuman degrees – bestowing another advantage upon the Juggernauts. It is only for use in risky situations, but we do not expect the Collective to effectively react to a Juggernaut deployment.

RANKING AND ORGANIZATION: Please note that the unit designations are independent of rank. The ranks and how Celestials can be organized are as follows:

RANKS: There are three ranks within the Celestial Division. They are:

Celestial Marine: Basic rank upon induction into the Celestial Division.

Celestial Exarch: Oversees a small number of Celestial Marines for operational missions

Celestial High Exarch: Is placed in charge of Celestial missions and possesses significant operational authority.

ORGANIZATION AND COMPOSITION: Celestials are organized into groups, which will often depend on the operation in question. We anticipate there will be a standard number of basic groups, with additional ones being developed as situation needs arise:

Core Celestial Cohort: This will be the 'standard' team of Celestials, which will be composed of a total of ten units; six Celestial Soldiers, two Celestial Battlefield Support, and two Celestial Bombardiers. They will be used for most missions and are capable of holding their own against most Collective defenses.

Heavy Celestial Cohort: In the event that the Celestials are expected to run into significant resistance and armored defenses, this team of eight Celestials will be deployed, which will consist of four Celestial Bombardiers, two Celestial Precisions Eliminators, and two Celestial Juggernauts. This cohort should be capable of surviving against most Collective compositions.

Rush Celestial Cohort: Composes of four Celestial Soldiers, two Celestial Battlefield Support, and two Celestial Precision Eliminators, this is a smaller Celestial cohort which will be used when places need to be captured or occupied as soon as possible. It is not a cohort optimized for sustained combat, and is most effective against weaker enemy compositions.

Extermination Celestial Cohort: This is currently the largest cohort in the Celestial Division, composed of twenty units, with eight being Celestial Soldiers, two Celestial Battlefield Support, six Celestial Bombardiers, and four Celestial Juggernauts. This cohort is simply designed to eliminate and overrun the enemy as quickly and violently as possible.

Holdout Celestial Cohort: This is a small cohort which is primarily optimized to hold a certain area until reinforcements are sent. It is composed of four Celestial Precision Eliminators, four Celestial Soldiers, and four Celestial Battlefield Support. It should not be deployed close to sustained combat.

Juggernaut Celestial Cohort: In the event that ADVENT determines that there is an opportunity to cause significant havoc within enemy positions, the Juggernaut Cohort is composed of six Celestial Juggernauts which are deployed into the heart of an enemy position, with the intent to kill or destroy any aliens encountered. This cohort should be supported with other nearby cohorts, to weaken their concentrated defenses and give the Juggernauts a chance to fight their way out.

RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING: Initially Celestial soldiers will be drawn from existing paratrooper military units worldwide, as well as other units which have rapid aerial insertion experience or training. This will be necessary to launch the division and prepare it for combat operations in a shorter amount of time after becoming acclimated to Celestial equipment.

Following this initial personnel transfer, Celestials soldiers will be recruited from a number of different avenues. The first will be intra-military searches for soldiers who fit certain criteria which clear them for Celestial training. As this is a combat position with a heavy ground-combat component, recruiting from within the ADVENT Army is a sustainable approach.

Beyond soldiers, directly targeting individuals who have experience or skill in extreme events such as skydiving, bungie-jumping, and other experiences which have a flight or high falling component would be an ideal demographic. This is most likely to be found among flight or pilot schools, and directly making efforts to recruit new pilots and trainers there could also prove to be a sustainable source of recruitment.

Finally, advertising to the general public is likely to draw some degree of attention, despite the stricter requirements. Celestial pilots would need to be in good health, reach a physical standard to permit usage of the Celestial armor, withstand high-velocity falling, and lack any psychological conditions which could inhibit their ability to successfully operate.

Training will be conducted by Celestial veterans, and will primarily focus on the core areas of Celestial operation, specifically relating to the armor and maneuvering within it, deploying via aircraft, and combining these skills into combat operations. An intense training regime could produce combat-ready Celestials within one to two months.

EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY: The Celestial Division will be considered one of the more technologically developed, due to the requirements of their mission:

ARMOR: Celestial armor is designed to withstand significant punishment at the cost of some mobility. Due to the locations Celestials will often be deployed to, exposure to constant alien weaponry requires a suitably durable suit of armor, of which every Celestial armor variant is designed to provide. It is particularly effective against plasma, and direct physical rounds will be deflected in almost all cases. There are internal medical and armor repair systems, though these do not last indefinitely.

Celestial suits will also have limited anti-missile and anti-AA countermeasures and flares which can be deployed by the wearer. In the event of thruster malfunction or other failure, each Celestial suit has access to a single-use parachute which can be deployed at will by the Celestial. If necessary, it can also be used in conjunction with the landing thrusters.

WEAPONS: The weapons a Celestial will have will vary depending on the unit. Most soldiers will be equipped with ADVENT gauss rifles or ADVENT plasma rifles. Heavier variants of these weapons may also be utilized, and there will be some degree of freedom given to the soldier as to what they can utilize. For more specialized Celestial units, such weaponry is integrated into the suit, leaving the secondary weapon to also be determined by the Celestial soldier in question.

SUPPORT: Celestial soldiers will undergo genetic modification upon their muscles and bones, which will allow them to withstand rapid landing from lethal heights without suffering significant injuries. They will be eligible for additional limited genetic enhancement, though such enhancement will be optional for each Celestial soldier. Celestial soldiers will also be given med-kits, repair kits, and access to additional tools such as various grenade types, both lethal and non-lethal, to be determined based upon the needs of the Celestial and mission.

AIRCRAFT: One of the largest parts of the Celestial operation is the aircraft, which will be a modified military cargo plane, with significantly heavier armor to withstand AA defenses, along with anti-missile countermeasures. Its primary purpose is to house a modified Gateway which will allow immediate deployment of Celestials from any location worldwide.

The aircraft will be able to operate without ever needing to land for refueling or acquiring personnel, allowing it effectively free reign over the region of operations. It can deploy an effectively unlimited amount of soldiers. Future iterations will implement cloaking technology, further enhancing its operational effectiveness.

Additionally, we are looking into implementing improvements derived from Project Pluto to allow indefinite airtime for these aircraft. Prototypes are in early stages of development.

AUTHORITY AND LIMITATIONS: The Celestial Division falls under the purview of the ADVENT Air Force, and is bound by their authority, limitations, expectations, and laws therein.

FUTURE UNIT EXPANSION: Due to the potential applications of the Celestial Division, we foresee possible expansion in the future to take advantage of the multitude of skillsets within ADVENT.

SPECIAL FORCES: We anticipate interest arising in either an elite unit of Celestials within the Division being established, or the recruitment of special forces operatives from within ADVENT being recruited to form a small elite unit which can be used in more versatile situations or against more dangerous opponents. Preliminary discussions on what role a special forces would play in the Celestials is ongoing.

THE PRIEST DIVISION: We see significant potential for a psionic role within the Celestial Division. Psions would provide a significant boost to the lethality and survivability of Celestial Cohorts, and we are interested in developing the program to find suitable applicants for the roles. We are in contact with the PRIEST Division to facilitate this arrangement, and hope to have it integrated in the near future.

CONCLUSION: As the war continues to progress and the aliens continue to adapt, we must keep finding means and tactics which keep them off-balance and exploit the vulnerabilities they show to us. The Celestial Division is one direct means of doing so, which takes advantage of our inherent pool of talent, our technological advancement, and our tactical ingenuity. The aliens have issues with prolonged or directed asymmetrical warfare, and the Celestials are uniquely equipped to exploit this.

Transcript of two XCOM Archangel Pilots discussing the recent unveiling of the Celestials

[Jim Cuban]: "ADVENT has what now?"

[Ted Holden]: "Celestials."

[JC]: "Celestials."

[TH]: "Three guesses on what they do."

[JC]: "Throw parties with lots of strobe lights?"

[TH]: "Not quite. Military unit."

[JC]: "Astrological unit? Space is called the Celestial plane sometimes right?"

[TH]: "Maybe? Still wrong. C'mon, what is the other thing you associate with the word 'celestial'?"

[JC]: "I don't know. Angels?"

[TH]: "And angels do what?"

[JC]: "Fly…oh come on."

[TH]: "Yep."

[JC]: ADVENT didn't just rip us off, did they?"

[TH]: "Well, let's consider what I saw in their little reveal. They had a bunch of soldiers falling from the sky with armor that was clearly inspired by somewhere, the suits are capable of flight to some degree, and ADVENT likes copying us, so you be the judge."

[JC]: Snorts. "I suppose they wanted to call themselves Archangels, but didn't want to be too obvious about it."

[TH]: "Unoriginal thieves. Only we get to have jetpacks!"

[JC]: "Guess it was only a matter of time before ADVENT copied us again."

[TH]: "Did they copy us before?"

[JC]: "Eh, it's subtle. But all of it is logical. I mean, otherwise no army could do anything without copying the other. It's still funny though since it's extremely clear what the inspiration was."

[TH]: "Oh, it is. Lots of memes comparing the Archangels and Celestials. Most of them even on our side!"

[JC]: "I'm sure JULIAN isn't artificially inflating the numbers, aren't you JULIAN?"

[JULIAN]: "Obviously not. I do not know where you would get such an outlandish idea. I would never work to artificially promote something that puts XCOM in a positive light with dubious means. Why would you ever get that idea?"

[TH]: "Never change, JULIAN."

[JC]: "Probably fair. PATRIOT is probably doing the exact same thing."

[TH]: "It is kind of nice to be with something which does everything first. Think about it – has ADVENT come up with something that we didn't create first?"

[JC]: "A government?"

[TH]: "That doesn't count."

[JC]: "Hey now, you can't do that."

[TH]: "Militarily."

[JC]: "The Shieldbearer?"

[TH]: "That's…true, actually."

[JC]: "The Order of Terra?"

[TH]: "Arguably copied from the Templars, but I'll allow it."

[JC]: "MDUs?"

[TH]: "Probably inspired by MECs, but not quite the same thing."

[JC]: "I think ADVENT is a bit more creative than you give them credit for."

[TH]: "Maybe, maybe. Not that I'm complaining. Even if they copy us a lot, at least that means it's worth taking. Has XCOM looked into copyrighting their ideas? Might be able to get some extra funding?"

[JC]: "Serious question, does that even matter anymore? I actually don't hear anyone talk about money anymore. It's weird."

[TH]: "Now that you mention it…you're right."

[JC]: "Yeah, stuff just appears or is made. You put in a request, and the guy says 'just a minute', no one even pretends to care about budget anymore."

[TH]: "It is a war. Are they really going to say 'yes we can give you this lifesaving weapon, but we can't because its too expensive'?"

[JC]: "You were in the military! You know much the DoD obsessed over money!"

[TH]: "Hey, I was just a paratrooper. I left the contracts to my superiors."

[JC]: "Yeah, and I got stuck with contracts a few times. Bunch of detail-hawks who would cry if there was one word misplaced and who tried to get everything as cheaply as possible. Made me smile when ADVENT went to them and forced them in line."

[TH]: "Goodbye price-gouging contractors, you will be missed."

[JC]: "In hell."

Both laugh.

[JC]: "I'm curious now. I want to see how much of our design ADVENT lifted for the Celestials."

[TH]: "I'll bring it up. Think I left my tablet in my bunk."

[JC]: "Right behind you."

ADVENT described their newest unveiling as something which would 'be another step towards ensuring our ultimate victory over the Ethereal Collective' when inviting multiple traditional and independent press outlets to a demonstration located within the former Korean DMZ which has been converted into a training ground of sorts.

"North Korea has been instrumental for a large degree of training," Commander Laura Christiaens said in a pre-demonstration briefing. "There are a number of existing pieces of infrastructure that we have utilized, and it has the advantage of being away from the front lines of the conflict."

She declined to provide specific details as to which units were being trained, or to what degree compared to other ADVENT training sites. Instead she talked for some time about the military advances ADVENT had continued to make as the war progressed – including hints that ADVENT was preparing for larger reveals in the coming days.

When asked if they related to nuclear weapons or other WMDs, Commander Christiaens declined to confirm, but stated that due to the actions of the Collective, "Multiple options are on the table, which we'd been reluctant to pursue before." After this, she concluded with announcing that ADVENT recruitment numbers had been enough to form seven new Legions, four from the Middle East, one from Egypt, and the remaining two from America.

After this we were moved outside and told to wait, which many took advantage of by speaking to the ADVENT officials present. When speaking with multiple officials, who remained tight-lipped about immediate plans, there was a sense of tension and exhaustion that hung over them. Several journalists were escorted outside of the are when attempting to press officials on reported troop movements across Europe, and if ADVENT was going to commit to using indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction.

Since the passage of a resolution permitting the usage of nuclear weapons, significant discussion in many academic, public, and social media circles has commenced, with a majority supporting their usage while others caution the ramifications of escalation of this type. Only one voice has been missing from this discussion – ADVENT.

Every single journalist who asked ADVENT officials about ADVENT's plans for using nuclear weapons or other WMDs received no response, or they were directed towards the text of the resolution and the official ADVENT WMD policy which was just updated to include high-Trask psions – a clear reference to the Ethereals and Harbingers, particularly Patricia Trask.

Even at this demonstration, the questions did not cease and ADVENT was beginning to take a more aggressive approach to emphasizing they were not going to answer them. Eventually they directed us to the sky, and the demonstration we had come to see began. It was difficult to make out at first, but it soon became clear what we were all looking at.

Several hundred paratroopers were in the process of landing, but opposed to parachutes appearing as they reached the ground, they fired some flares from their armor, and landed using thrusters and dropped the last few meters to the ground in a display that shook the ground for a brief moment.

"Celestials" as ADVENT christened them as, were to be the next evolution of the paratrooper, modernized for the current conflict to allow maneuverable aerial superiority over the Collective, and introducing another asymmetrical tactic into the vast tactical playbook ADVENT was drawing upon.

The Celestials were imposing, no doubt, with some nearly twice the size of some of us, while even the standard Celestial soldier stood at least a head taller. One of the aspects which contributed to the unease many of us felt around the Celestials was the voice. For reasons which ADVENT declined to explain, the helmets turn whatever words the Celestials say into a harsh synthesized mixture of gibberish which is a highly alien sound coming from a humanoid form.

As the Celestials demonstrated, they have the ability to turn off this feature, and stated that they communicate helmet-to-helmet and can do so with complete ease and clarity. A colleague pointed out that this unease was probably deliberate, and the all-black armor of the Celestials did not lessen their intimidation.

Following their landing, the Celestials proceeded to perform a mock demonstration of an attack against a pre-built fortress which held ADVENT MDUs controlled by the XCOM AI JULIAN. It was explained that the exercise was live-fire, which spoke to the confidence of the Celestials to attempt this kind of demonstration. Medics and engineers stood by with drones flying overhead as we watched the war games tensely.

The XCOM AI did not go easy on them, and while thankfully we did not witness a Celestial soldier die, several were badly injured, but in the end, the Celestials effectively and methodically destroyed the MDUs and took control of the small fortress. ADVENT officials emphasized that most deployments would not even be facing something as dangerous as an AI, and that this was an extremely fortunate outcome.

ADVENT provided the footage of the mock battle to us, and further review appears to confirm that it was not staged, as initially assumed. It is unclear if ADVENT instructed JULIAN to kill or simply wound the Celestials, but we cannot determine an answer from the footage, as it could go either way.

ADVENT did not reveal the size of the Celestial Division, nor if they had been already deployed or where they would be deploying. But they stated that the Celestials would play a significant role going forward in ADVENT's battle plan, though declined to elaborate further on what that specifically would be.

Nonetheless, it was an effective demonstration, and as a colleague added afterwards, also likely directed towards the Ethereal Collective who would doubtless be observing. ADVENT continues to flex its military innovation, and if they are confident about revealing this to the world, it raises the question of what surprises they have that they still keep to themselves.

- Article: The Shadow of WMDs Hang Over ADVENT as the Celestial Division is Unveiled