ADVENT | History

The Night Stand

"That they stayed was heroic. That they survived is shocking. That they won? That is a miracle."

- Commander Laura Christiaens

ALEPPO – For the past three months, I've been embedded in the formation of this Legion. I've seen these men and women be brought in as strangers of disparate faiths, sects, and ethnicities, and emerge as brothers and sisters under a single shared vision and goal. Even if a scenario such as this could have been envisioned around the time of the original Deus Vult, I doubt many would have believed it.

What precipitated this change? There were several factors, most of which are beyond the scope of this article, and best explained by those more educated. I can only report on what I've observed. I've seen families and soldiers who felt they had nothing to live for after Deus Vult standing together in defense of ADVENT.

Or perhaps that's too simplistic.

ADVENT will doubtless claim that these are loyal soldiers of ADVENT, that they believe in its mission and goals, when the reality is more complicated than ADVENT will publicly admit. These men and women aren't fighting for ADVENT. Though they will not admit it, the scars of Deus Vult have not been forgotten. What are they fighting for, then?

Homeland. Faith. Family.

Not ADVENT ideals, but that is what they are fighting for, nonetheless. The months since Deus Vult have instilled in them a greater purpose, a desire to protect their families and homeland, a desire fulfilled by ADVENT. It's not any more or less complicated than that. One day, they may fully believe in the mission, but, for now? That is not what they fight for.

It is irregular, especially having come from the more traditional Legions which incorporate standardized training and doctrines. That doesn't work as well in the Middle East, not fully. The way ADVENT made this work was doing something I was initially surprised by – stepping back and putting someone else in charge.

Someone affiliated with ADVENT, of course, but someone who knew the region and the people within it, who knew how best to mold them into an ADVENT fighting force. ADVENT didn't force this Legion to necessarily conform in the same way as the American and European Legions. Officers wore green and black capes, breaks were permitted for prayers, and more 'unconventional' tactics and methods were often encouraged.

This Legion broke the mold in a way that I think will open ADVENT's eyes. Maybe it's specuniqueial, maybe it's the people, but there is no going back after this, not after what they achieved today. It has been a privilege to be among them for these months. I've gotten to know so many of them and acquired a perspective not only on ADVENT's military strategy, but on a people and a faith. There are many I have met here whom I would call friends.

I can acutely remember how, where, and what I was doing when we heard that the Hiveship had appeared. I was talking with a newlywed couple – the wedding had only taken place a day before - it was about something trivial, a humorous ribbing back and forth. Both of them were in the Legion. They were talking about having children after it was over.

We heard of the Hiveship and where it was. It was coming towards us. Evacuation orders were given. Young children were being moved out, along with some of the mothers. Some families utterly refused to go. Many of the units from outside Legions were moved away, though some stayed. One of the Officers I spoke to was grim about what they were facing here – only saying that I and the rest of the civilians should get out.

Many of my colleagues left. To be entirely honest, I should have left as well. However, this was not something I could do in good conscience. It felt like leaving them to die, an excursion that I could end at any time, but which they could not, bound by brotherhood and duty. No matter what was to happen, there had to be someone to chronicle what happened here. More than that, all of those who would fall in the coming battle deserved to be remembered.

So I stayed. I was the only one who did. I wasn't given time to run around with a camera. I was put on transport duty. I moved explosives, mechanical components, and food around the city. I delivered water, weapons, and materials to the grateful soldiers. I worked harder in those hours than I ever have in my life, barely having time to jot down notes. No time for interviews, there was only time for preparation.

I was trained to fire a rifle. I hadn't done it before. I hit half of my shots, a little better than the others I was training with. My hands shook. I didn't think that I could or should be trusted with a rifle. I wonder now why I wasn't more terrified. I knew, deep down, that I was likely going to die within hours. I'd internalized this truth. I think the calm, composed, and stoic nature of the soldiers around me helped.

I think they also expected to die, and had come to terms with it.

I wasn't in the trenches when the night fell, when the fighting started. I was on the roof. I had a camera pointed at one section of the battle. I had it livestreaming, and, to tell the truth, I forgot about it once I was pulled down to return to transport duty. I later learned that it had received nearly ten million views by the time it was over.

If I'd known it would blow up like that, I probably would have tried to get a better angle. However, everyone – myself included – was focused on surviving. The sound of mortars, plasma, and guns is something I will never forget, nor any of the cries and screams of aliens and humans alike. There is only one language of pain. It transcends tongues, and it makes me shudder, no matter the source.

It is incredible how your mind adapts or shatters when faced with overwhelming trauma. I stepped through puddles of blood in the trenches, was thrown to the ground by an explosion at one point and realised when I got up that I was holding the severed limb of the now-missing soldier I'd been talking to. I saw more mutilated and ravaged bodies than most doctors would see in their lives.

Those are memories I will never be able to forget. I saw many people die in front of me, sometimes close, sometimes at a distance. I grabbed a rifle when the first retreat was called. I remember firing it a few times. I don't think I hit any aliens. Maybe I did. I didn't really care, nor did I ask.

We became huddled in groups as the aliens moved further into the city. We heard the explosions, the continuous rifle fire, and the occasional roar of one of the Legion Horsemen that flew over the city. I was working in a fugue between clarity and exhaustion. Reflex and instinct. We lost track of the hours, eventually. Only with the first indications of sunlight did I even wonder how long it had been.

Luckily it stopped soon after, and we heard cheering. I heard the ADVENT jets roar overhead, not knowing whether I was hallucinating or not. I and the others in my group rushed outside and ran onto the roofs as we witnessed the arrival of the reinforcement legions. It was a feeling of relief, pride, and joy that is impossible to capture. I broke down and cried then, as did many others. Others cheered and pursued the retreating aliens with renewed vigor.

I've learned what it means to give your heart. To dedicate one's soul. To cry in defiance, until your throat can't make a sound. It is one thing to hear the words, it is another to understand their meaning.

The following hours were a surreal mix as everyone poured out and routed the aliens, stomping on their corpses and stripping them of any weapons and explosives they could get their hands on. Several hours later, it was over. A Collective rout which should never have happened. I don't know how ADVENT reacted while this was happening - that is another story. All I can relay is what it was like within one of the cities on the line.

The dead are still being catalogued. I don't know how many of my friends are alive or dead. One of the last shots I took before leaving Aleppo was that of the newlywed man standing beside the twisted wreck of a Collective vehicle, staring at the burning wreckage and clutching a blood-stained necklace at his side. It was the necklace he had given his wife the night before their wedding.

It will take time to recover, and I feel lucky to be one of those who escaped what should have been certain death. No matter what happens next, each and every soldier and civilian who gave their lives in the face of overwhelming odds and certain death should be remembered and honored.

It is the least we can do, to let them be a symbol of Human resilience, brotherhood, and resistance against the alien threat.

Article | "The Night Stand of the Middle Eastern Legions"

Transcript of Interview between Journalist Sergio Veldueza and ADVENT Engineer Raashid al-Saber

[Sergio Veldueza]: "Thank you for taking the time to speak to me."

[Raashid al-Saber]: "Appreciated. On medical leave indefinitely, so might as well share it with someone interested."

[SV]: "ADVENT will be fitting you with prosthetics, I assume?"

[RS]: "Yes. It'll probably take a week before the parts come and the operation happens. Then some time after that to get used to it."

[SV]: "And how did you lose your leg, if I may ask?"

[RS]: "Sectopod barrage. Or maybe it was a Muton Grenadier. I don't remember. I was in the trenches, fixing up a breach, you understand, heard the call to take cover, next thing I know my whole body is on fire and I go flying. Look down, and I have one leg less."

[SV]: "Traumatic."

[RS]: "Ha. You'd think. I was half-passed out from the pain and concussion. I got dragged away, and a medic stopped the bleeding and moved me to one of the designated defense points. I could still hold a gun, so I could still help."

[SV]: "Defense points such as…?"

[RS]: "Places where we could make a stand. Warehouses. Grocery stores. Apartments. Lots of places. There were a few hundred in the entire city. Everything else was empty or rigged to blow. Heard about a whole squad of Mutons who attacked a gas station."

[SV]: "They…attacked it?"

[RS]: "They're not complete idiots. Opened fire on it and blew up the fueling station, probably thinking they were rigged. Only worked partly, though. Then they walked right into it, looking for survivors. Then, boom."

[SV]: "There were more explosives?"

[RS]: "The gas tanks underground. Where the fuel pumps connect to. Didn't think to shoot those, but we rigged those up nicely. That gave the snipers some nice targets in the chaos."

[SV]: "This doesn't sound like conventional ADVENT tactics."

[RS]: "Don't know if they are or not. They worked, though. We knew what was rigged and what wasn't. The aliens didn't. If it broke ADVENT convention, then good riddance. Sticking to convention would have killed us."

[SV]: "Did you engage the aliens after your injury?"

[RS]: "For about two hours. We were holed up tightly. I was given some powder, electronics, and materials, and churned out the IEDs they kept throwing at the aliens. Not very good ones, but I was rushed. Was better than me trying to shoot things."

[SV]: "You…know how to make IEDs?"

[RS]: "Old habits die hard."

[SV]: "I see."

[RS]: "I doubt it."

[SV]: "No, it just isn't a skill you typically see."

[RS]: "I'll agree with you there. The bad ones end up killing themselves pretty quickly. It's not a hobby the stupid waste their time on. At least not for very long."

[SV]: "Were you involved with the planning of the defense?"

[RS]: "No. But I did work on planting the main explosives, and knew where they were located."

[SV]: "You worked with your squad the rest of the time, then?"

[RS]: "When they were alive…yes."

[SV]: "You lost some of them?"

[RS]: "All of them. I'm the only survivor."

[SV]: "My condolences."

[RS]: "None are needed. They are martyrs. They walk with God now, as all men will inevitably do. I'm hardly the only one. Everyone lost someone that night. We're a fraction of what we were…but we held on. We drew the line with our blood."

[SV]: "The Chancellor herself is planning to visit, I've heard."

[RS]: "Good for her. Hopefully the fallen will be properly recognized."

[SV]: "Will the remaining soldiers remain in the Legion?"

[RS]: "I don't plan on going anywhere, and I don't think anyone else is planning to. We held the line. Now we move into Turkey and take it from them."

[SV]: "You believe that's where ADVENT will go next?"

[RS]: "Hope, more like. All I know is the next time we move out, I'll be on the front lines."

[SV]: "You seem surprisingly eager to get back into the thick of it."

[RS]: "The words 'Cry in ire' aren't spoken lightly. There is ire to be shown."

[SV]: "I would hope you recover first. A bit of leave wouldn't hurt."

[RS]: "If only we had that luxury. There is a war still to win, and that I haven't forgotten."

To the Battlemaster,

This was not a report that was…anticipated. To put the bad news front and center, the offensive into the wider Middle East has failed and been repelled. It must be stressed that this was an outcome which no one anticipated as a possibility. CODEX estimates had determined it was not a matter of if the Middle East would fall, but when and what the cost would be.

The CODEX had received data which showcased the known defenses, the personnel, the manpower, the known weaponry, and a combination of intelligence gathered on the region, ADVENT, and the Middle Eastern Legion itself. Everything – including ADVENT's own analysis – pointed to a decisive and swift victory for the Collective.

The Middle Eastern Legions were not viewed as adequately prepared by their own General, and while we can entertain the idea that this was false information, this contradicts a significant amount of evidence we have collected. It is far more likely that ADVENT is just as surprised that the advance was repelled as we are.

The question we must ask is where and how it went so wrong.

MISCALCULATION OF LEGION STRENGTH: The Legion was recently put together, and it was anticipated that the mixture of religious and ethnic sects would potentially cause tensions, and that the relatively informal military units many of the personnel had come from would prove a hindrance in battle, and potentially introduce breaking points into their lines.

This did not happen.

Every single one of the lines held or the ones manning it died (or retreated after the order was given). There were no recorded instances of the Legion scattering or breaking, and discipline appears to have been fully maintained. This was in the face of constant bombardment and overwhelming numbers.

This surprising strength and competence also applied to their lethality. The Legions inflicted significant losses well before we breached the walls of the cities, and the numbers appear to signify that there are a higher percentage of marksmen within the Legion than the standard number.

We made the mistake of underestimating their raw training, and so did ADVENT. This cost us dearly.

MISJUDGEMENT OF ADVENT TACTICS: ADVENT has thus far followed a model which can be anticipated. The majority of the defenses are external around a point of interest. They are hardened as much as possible, but, beyond them, there is a notable amount of vulnerability. These hardened defenses did not exist in these cities.

There were shallow trench lines, half-finished Flak Towers, and rudimentary supply lines throughout them. It was something which should not have held out against a concentrated assault for more than a few hours. These negatives were mitigated slightly by unanticipated support, and the higher-than-expected competence of the Legion itself. That is not the focus here.

The focus is that ADVENT inverted the anticipated model here. The cities were turned into death traps, with numerous IEDs hidden around every corner and within every abandoned vehicle, alleyways and streets turned into killboxes with ambushes and bait luring soldiers into buildings, only for them to be collapsed.

This greatly slowed down the push into the city, not helped by dozens of mobile marksmen moving onto roofs and striking from flanking positions. It forced the incursion to a cautious pace, as any building and alley could house soldiers and traps. This claimed thousands of soldiers, chewed up hours of time, and was difficult to adapt to without transitioning to a scorched-earth approach.

UNANTICIPATED CIVILIAN SUPPORT: A large number of civilians elected to participate in the defense of the city – something which has previously not been a major factor (the invasion of Florida being an exception, with scattered and dispersed civilian support), as ADVENT makes an effort to prevent civilian interference. It is assumed that all of the civilians were volunteers, and only permitted because of a severe lack of infrastructure in place.

The civilians appeared to be friends, family, or associates of many in the Legion. They performed tasks such as distributing food, moving materials and weapons, and working as a makeshift militia. In the first phase of the battle, they primarily worked as medics, logistics, and making sure trenches were clear.

In the second phase of the battle, when the retreat deeper into the city had been called, they took on military roles, assisting ADVENT soldiers and using weapons, effectively quadrupling the number of active militant defenders. They were poorly trained, but the sheer volume of fire proved to be enough to help push them to victory.

UNANTICIPATED ADVENT UNITS: Beyond the civilian makeshift militia, this Legion utilized a unit which had previously never been fielded before. There were reports that some of the Legion were experimenting with a new type of suit based on the Celestial armor, but this had reportedly not been cleared beyond initial tests.

As it turns out, ADVENT provided their approval to use the "Horseman" suits as they are called, and in action we can properly make a military assessment. On paper they are very similar to existing Celestial suits, but built primarily for mobility over pure durability. They primarily rely on 'hops' of thrust to move around, with a healthy usage of grappling hooks, clingwire, and hovering.

This allowed the Horsemen to ambush the rear forces – primarily the Executors and the Lesser Hive Commanders in charge. There were no forces which were adequately positioned to deal with them, and, while they were certainly not a unit that was impossible to stop, we were not prepared for a highly mobile unit like this, and should expect ADVENT to field it again based on this performance.

INFLICTED LOSSES: Significant. Relatively.

In total nearly one and a half million units were lost in the Middle Eastern front, with some offensives being routed completely (such as in Aleppo) and others retreating with a majority of their force destroyed. All of the Lesser Hive Commanders were killed through assassination, improvised explosives, or, in one case, a rather offensive and powerful psion. Thirty Executors were lost due to traps and Horseman offensives.

While the majority of losses were replaceable Mutons, there were not an insignificant number of Heralds, Vanguards, and Sectopods which were also lost and will take time to fully restore – time which will allow for ADVENT to retaliate, as the intervention of the Russian and Israeli legions closed the vulnerability, and are preparing a line to move into Turkey.

ANTICIPATED ADVENT ACTIONS: As ADVENT likely did not anticipate the Middle Eastern Legions holding the line, there may be a slight delay in their next actions, but what we expect does not differ overmuch from our original anticipation of their response. ADVENT will move into Turkey and begin annexing it.

We expect this operation to begin within days or hours of the submission of this report. A more detailed strategy will be forthcoming once we have an idea of ADVENT troop buildup locations.

IMPACT OF APPOINTED ADVENT LEADERSHIP: One major component that we overlooked in the original analysis of the Middle Eastern Legions was the leaders responsible for the training, doctrine, and oversight of the soldiers. We have determined, at some length, the history and capabilities of the man named the Lion, as well as General Hank Avel, but we made a severe miscalculation.

We believed that the Lion would be forced to conform to ADVENT standards and regulations, and this would neuter his previous tendency to wage asymmetric and guerilla warfare. There was nothing in the training of the Legion which indicated otherwise. What we failed to recall was that the Lion clearly had not forgotten alternate ways of waging warfare.

We do not know if he always intended to influence the course of the battle in this way, but he was able to convince ADVENT to let him effectively rig the city, likely arguing for its effectiveness against our symmetric forces and known doctrine. This extended to the Lion's subordinates, all of whom have similar backgrounds to him, and carried out identical strategies outside of Aleppo.

Without the Lion deeply influencing the strategy surrounding the defense of the region, it is unlikely that the line would have held. We should be concerned that ADVENT will take notice of this successful strategy, and look to apply it to other cities, or worse, give him additional authority.

With this single battle, both General Avel and the Lion have made their mark on ADVENT strategy, and everyone is going to take notice – and we should be prepared for significant changes from ADVENT and adapt accordingly.

- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary

ADVENT Military After-Action Report 2209

Operation: Red Banner

Author: Commander Laura Christiaens

Recipients: Chancellor Saudia Vyandar; Chief of Lancer Operations Helion Weekes; Chief Diplomat Firdaus Hassan; Director of ADVENT Intelligence Ian Powell; General Hank Avel; the Commander of XCOM

This is best understood as both a learning experience, a wake-up call, and a reminder that assessments and data doesn't always tell the whole story. The numbers regarding this were clear. The Middle Eastern front would last around four hours before falling, or six at most if it was a more successful stand.

We did not expect them to hold out longer.

We certainly did not expect them to win.

But they did.

In every major city.

It is difficult to admit that we deeply underestimated our own soldiers, and effectively were aware that this was a mission no one there was going to survive. That they did can be acknowledged as slightly awkward, but it should be understood that all of our data pointed to this outcome, and the model was defied by the men and women who stood and fought.

This is one of the most valuable battles we have experienced in this war for a multitude of reasons, and there are many lessons to learn, both in the long and short term. I will briefly focus on the most relevant takeaways:

Middle Eastern Legion Resilience: General Avel had maintained that the Middle Eastern Legions were not ready for deployment, and, under standard assessments, he was validated in this assessment. However, this had more to do with Legion standardization and incorporation of military doctrine than unit cohesion and marksman competence.

If the Middle Eastern Legions had been deployed in Scipio, it is likely they would not have performed up to standards. Here, there were several important factors to consider. First, that the mission was far simpler. They were set to defend in an entrenched area and move to fallback points if necessary. This is not to take away from their achievement, but that the mission was straightforward in a way a mission like Scipio was not.

Second, this was in defense of their home, their families, and their land. This should not be a factor discounted, as Humans are more likely to be resilient in the face of threats that pose harm to what they care about. This is certainly not the only factor, but fighting in defense of their families and homeland is a major motivating factor, and would have made them resistant to lines breaking.

Finally, a majority of the soldiers are religious, and the Lion has not downplayed this aspect in the course of their Legion training. They are more accepting of the possibility of death, and less fearful as a result. This is a phenomenon we have observed sparsely before, but, for the most part it has not manifested to this extent. It is a factor worth considering.

Effective Civilian Enhancement: A major component of this successful defense was the mass civilian mobilization to an extent that has not been performed in other cities before. While the Militias have been mobilized in other cities before, there has been a resistance to encouraging direct and untrained civilian involvement.

Here it proved instrumental, as civilians accounted for the makeshift logistics network during the battle. There were imperfections and it was far from an optimized system, but it allowed the front line to hold for hours longer than it would have otherwise. Make no mistake – many civilians died during the defense. They made mistakes. A lot of them cracked under the pressure and realities of combat. But it was enough to let them succeed.

The lesson we should take from this is a validation of the Militias, and puts forward an argument that civilians should receive training in the event of a siege. If the civilians had been trained before this point, it is almost certain that more civilians would be alive. It is recommended that we put forward the idea for cities to develop contingency plans which encompass companies, Militias, military forces, and civilians. If this situation happens again, we should be prepared, as a result of this battle.

Effectiveness of Urban Tactics: The mass rigging of the cities with improvised defenses is one which has not been done on a large scale before (Florida existed to a smaller degree, but lacked the coordination and equivalent scale of this battle), and not done in the way it took place under the Lion. Urban doctrine as it currently exists relies on checkpoints, chokepoints, defense areas, bunkers, and staggered retreat.

The Lion took this, and deviated from the standard template of a few heavily defended hardpoints to turn every single potential building and street corner into a trap or danger. This obviously causes significant damage to the city infrastructure, and in the event of victory, would take significant resources and time to repair, but it is undoubtedly effective in extracting casualties and slowing a military advance.

Mass marksman tactics are similarly effective, especially if mobile, and the augmenting of alleys with older ballistic anti-vehicle and anti-infantry weaponry was similarly deadly, though fell very quickly once their location had been determined. The urban tactics utilized are extremely deadly the first time, but become less effective as the Collective becomes more familiar and aware of them.

It isn't clear if this kind of defense would be as effective, but we should take inspiration from this, and add it to existing ADVENT urban doctrine. This idea has proven its effectiveness, and now needs refinement.

Validation of "Horseman" Project: There is a standing restriction on unauthorized tampering with ADVENT equipment outside of certain uses. ADVENT has strict standards in regards to equipment upgrades, enhancement, and modification. Many times, jury-rigged equipment is inferior, flawed, and dangerous to use even if it provides some limited utility to the user.

Some of the Middle Eastern Legion engineers wanted to work on some modifications based on some ideas they had in regards to a mobile flight suit. It was permitted that some overseen experimentation on damaged or older Celestial suits and equipment could be performed, and, within several months, working prototypes were in motion.

This had yet to be officially moved into the final stages of approval, and the group overseeing the Celestials were prepared to perform the necessary stress tests. Due to the rushed circumstances leading to this battle, it was authorized that the suits could be utilized in combat. A final assessment seemed to indicate that the majority of Horseman suits performed successfully, though there were some suit failures leading to pilot death.

Nonetheless, this has proven to be a valid line of research, and it is very possible that other similar projects could be undertaken by interested Legions. We should work to encourage this creativity in other Legions, as it could potentially lead to ideas not considered by working engineering teams.

Assessment of Lesser Hive Commander Effectiveness: There were five confirmed sightings of the new Lesser Hive Commanders, as they are formally called by Collective personnel, each of them seeming to lead one assault on the major city that would have breached the wider Middle East.

In each instance, the Lesser Hive Commanders were resisted by psions stationed in the cities, or distracted or killed by asymmetrical tactics or artillery strikes by Legion soldiers. These are less powerful than a Hive Commander, but are nonetheless extremely dangerous – though they have some inherent limitations.

It is suspected – though not confirmed – that the Hive Commander currently commanding the Hiveship was influencing or controlling each of them simultaneously, which may have limited their effectiveness, than if they were controlling a smaller number. This raises the question of how autonomously they are capable of acting without the direction of a Hive Commander.

We will have to monitor their deployment closely to determine if this is an explicit limitation, or if the Lesser Hive Commanders are less dangerous than we originally assessed.

Reassessment of Legion Standardization: When the Middle Eastern Legions were created, we made some concession, based on the recommendations of regional experts, the Lion, and others to improve the cohesion and loyalty of the soldiers. These were mild changes, such as modified Officer cape colors, religious accommodations, and allowing them to experiment with different tactics and methods.

After assessing previous data, and the performance from this battle, it does not appear that these concessions resulted in a noticeable degradation of their performance. It is potentially recommended that we relax some standardization of the Legions at large in favor of promoting internal Legion cohesion.

While we want to limit nationalistic and elitist inclinations, there is nothing inherently wrong with allowing an internal unique Legion culture to grow and flourish. This is arguably preferable to the standardization and homogenization that is encouraged at the moment in the pursuit of a unified vision and ADVENT culture. I will be consulting with Generals ADVENT-wide to gather more feedback on this proposal, in addition to the Oversight Division to ensure full compliance.

Assessment of Losses and Legion Recombobulation: The Middle Eastern Legions suffered substantial losses during the battle, despite the ultimate victory. In the cities where the battle took place, the number of survivors numbered between seven to ten percent of military personnel. Civilian casualties were near sixty percent of those that remained. This was not a victory without significant cost, and it will take time to restore the Legion numbers.

There is some good news as a result of this – there has been a two hundred and five percent increase in recruitment interest throughout the region as news of the victory came out. With these numbers, it is likely that the numbers will be soon restored, though it will be a minimum of several months before they are combat-ready.

Assessment of the Lion and Subordinates: Despite some hesitations regarding the loyalty and competence of the Lion and his officers, this battle has proven both their military skill, willingness to follow orders and lead ADVENT forces, and ability to adapt in a challenging battlefield. It should be noted and commended that the Lion never once requested to be moved away from the front lines, and personally led the Horsemen to ambush the rears of the Collective forces.

While his tactics are crude and expected of a man with a background such as his, we cannot deny that they were effective here, and we should seek to apply his mind elsewhere in ADVENT. This is not a recommendation to wholesale change the standards we have set – but the Lion has a unique and irregular tactical mind, and together with General Avel, pulled off a victory here which simply should not have been possible.

We would do well to exploit this mind further.

Recommended Regional Capitalization: This victory has likely shocked the Collective, and they are not prepared for retaliation on their southern Turkish flank. While they were able to make inroads into Europe, they have only just secured the major Turkish cities, and have yet to establish a formal government, puppeted or otherwise. We have a limited amount of time to strike before they move to reinforce their positions.

Please refer to the attached operation relating to the Annexation of Turkey. Suffice it to say that, if we act swiftly, we can end this surprise Collective attack at the source. We got very lucky here, and, if we do not exploit this now, we will not have another opportunity.

We cannot count on another miracle.