A Crystal Ball
Transport to Mars Forward Observation Station
It was strange to finally be actually back in a spacecraft. Discounting the times he'd been inside the Sectoid spacecraft while with XCOM, it had been nearly a year since he'd been in a legitimate, working, Vitakarian craft, much less an Infiltrator. The craft was only large enough for two, a pilot and passenger, which was why it was often used by the Zararch for operations.
It was very angular like most Vitakara spacecraft, which Nartha suspected had to do with aerodynamics and the like, though if that had any actual effect in space, he didn't know. What he did know was that it was very fast and would get him to the Mars base that had been established while he'd been on Earth.
According to the pilot Zar'hallin'auicity, the Zar'Chon himself was conducting operations from there, as well as several Ethereals, which immediately concerned him. The good news was that if there were Ethereals at the station, they almost never bothered with anyone outside the leaders, and occasionally some officers, so it was unlikely one would just stop him randomly.
Then again, they could read minds so they might make an exception for him.
What he was more concerned about was that there would be an Ethereal present when the Zar'Chon debriefed him, and if that happened, he was as good as dead. He didn't know anything they didn't already know, so XCOM would be as safe as before…but he didn't exactly want to die. Not when there was a chance for him to make some kind of difference.
Australia being targeted first didn't surprise him, nor that the Collective had taken it fairly quickly. The Commander was smart enough not to wage a pointless war there when that allowed him time to establish defenses elsewhere. ADVENT was a surprise, but again Nartha was not surprised the Commander had taken steps to establish something like that.
Putting the woman in charge of EXALT in power was surprisingly in character for him, but Nartha did wonder what the others in XCOM thought. He assumed there had been many arguments and exclamations of disbelief. Honestly, Nartha was unsure the Commander would be able to get all the countries to work together peacefully, but the Commander knew that too and likely had a plan.
And speaking of plans, he needed to make sure that he wasn't overlooking an obvious flaw in his own plan. The Zar'Chon was going to have questions, and Nartha was going to walk a very fine line between the truth and outright lying. The trick would be to make the explanations seem plausible in a way that didn't raise more questions.
So the obvious one that would come up would be why the information he'd sent was less and less substantial every month, and fortunately an easy answer was that he had no choice since XCOM had become aware of a spy in their midst and he'd had to lay low. A reasonable explanation and one he doubted the Zar'Chon wouldn't press too hard.
He would probably ask if he'd participated in the defense of the Citadel, and for that Nartha opted to tell the truth, for the simple reason of preserving his cover. It would have been impossible to escape without being caught, and him staying had allowed him to gain access to some very interesting XCOM intel.
It was a gamble, but one the Commander had approved, and by the time they realized something was wrong, it would be too late to change much. The Zar'Chon would probably ask him a few more questions on specific details about XCOM, probably Patricia, the Commander and whoever else he deemed influential. Knowing the Zar'Chon, those would likely be tests since he would likely know the answers well beforehand.
The Zar'Chon was definitely suspicious of him, so he had to assuage that as best he could. All of it would depend on if an Ethereal was present.
He reached into his pocket and felt for the three vials containing the Sectoid Virus; still there, still intact. If everything went well and he was sent back to Vitakar as was normal after operations, there were several military installation stops that had heavy Sectoid traffic, which he fully intended to exploit. Whether was would be enough to start the plague he didn't know, but he didn't have a choice. Heading straight to Helion-7 was out of the question, so he had to take more subversive measures.
"Nartha, we're close to the Mars Forward Observation Station. Strap in, I'd hate to explain to the Zar'Chon you died to your own stupidity."
"Just keep flying," Nartha smirked, and complied with the instructions. Hallin seemed to have a mildly humorous side, since that was not the first time during the flight where he'd made quips like that. Funnily enough, he almost reminded Nartha of some of the Humans in XCOM. The species in general appeared to use humor far more than most he'd encountered, even in sometimes the most inappropriate of situations.
He did wish the Infiltrator had windows, since he truly did enjoy the sights of spaceflight, and the chance to see Mars up close was something he was curious about, even if it was nothing more than red dust and rocks. Well, he'd probably see it from the station, provided he was still alive. The Infiltrator suddenly became still, and Nartha realized they were probably in the hangar and then it began descending.
The moment it hit the ground, Nartha unstrapped and walked to the exit. "Thanks for the ride," he told Hallin.
"Thanks. Good luck with the Zar'Chon."
He would need it. Nartha descended from the small ramp that extended from the exit and stepped onto the metal floor of the Hangar. Aliens of all species were rushing about, fixing Sectoid spacecraft and carrying away wounded soldiers. Nartha blinked. Well, something had clearly happened and he was exactly sure what.
The amount of Runianarch medics didn't exactly bode well for what he would expect to be a 'victorious' battle. Had they attacked somewhere and the Humans…won? A victory so soon? He kept his expression neutral as he waded through the hundreds of rushing medics and soldiers, and headed straight to the lift. This station appeared to be built identically to other observation stations, so the Zar'Chon would probably be on the top one.
But he had to make a stop first. It would be an exceptionally bad idea to walk into a debriefing with the Sectoid Virus on him, and thus he had to find a place to stash it. Luckily there were plenty of places that would work fine.
Section 4 was the Scientific and Medical floor, so he selected that on the pad and stepped into the lift. The colorful light flashed around him, accompanied by the low thrumming, and a few seconds later, he was propelled upward until he was in front of the correct floor. A small push from behind propelled him out and he stepped onto the floor without missing a beat.
The Sectoids may not have been a bastion of purity, but they did know how to make excellent tech. Anyway, now he was here, and now he needed to find a place to put this that wouldn't attract attention. Being a Zararch agent, he did have access to most areas without raising many questions, and whatever had happened provided an acceptable cover for him being here in the first place.
Nartha stepped into one of the emergency rooms where medics were bandaging and treating wounded Vitakara of all races. The wounds clearly weren't life-threatening, but they certainly weren't pretty. Many were missing limbs, others were in medically-induced comas and yellow ichor stained most of the white material in the room.
He opened one of the cabinets and made a show of reaching for one of the unstained cloths while placing the vials close to it. It was unlikely that any of the medics would use an unmarked vial, and in the chaos here, they probably wouldn't see it at all. Closing the cupboard, he turned to give the cloth to one of the Vitakarian medics who froze the instant she saw him before, relaxing slightly.
"Sorry, agent," she said, taking the cloth and applying it to a wounded Borelian. "I thought…well, you look…"
"Human, I know," Nartha nodded, realizing that he did really stand out here. He'd almost forgotten that he wasn't converted back into his normal state. Being human had just been something he'd gotten used to. But he was looking forward to returning to normal. "What happened here? I've just returned from Earth."
"We attacked the country the Humans call Japan," she explained. "They won."
He didn't even have to fake the incredulity in his voice. "They won? How?"
"That is a very good question," she practically spat. "I have no idea. I'm not a tactician either, but some of the soldiers were talking about how badly managed the entire operation was. The Humans knew how to fight us, and when XCOM showed up…" she motioned to the rows of wounded soldiers. "This shouldn't have happened. How could they…I mean…"
"Whoever was in charge underestimated them," Nartha frowned, wondering who had been in charge. "I found out down there that underestimating them is a fatal mistake."
"Go tell that to the Zar'Chon," she said grimly. "If he won't come down and see the bodies for himself, maybe he'll listen to one of his agents."
She was dangerously close to insubordination of both whatever Ethereal had been in charge, and the Zar'Chon for being borderline accusatory towards him, but Nartha didn't feel the need to enforce that at this point. He simply nodded. "I will. You have my word."
"Appreciated," she muttered before moving to another patient, and he exited the room, deciding it was probably best to see the Zar'Chon now and see if he could figure out what was going on, and hopefully survive his debriefing.
Northern Territory, Australia
Hot, humid and miserable.
That was exactly what Abby felt as she walked out of the skyranger into the Australian resistance camp. Much of the vegetation that had existed where the tents and temporary structures were had been recently removed and chopped down. But they were still very much in the Australian wilderness, which Abby was somewhat curious about.
She'd heard plenty of stories about the supposed danger of the Australian wilds, and was curious how it matched up to reality. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know. But first she had a job to do, and time was of the essence.
There were plenty of soldiers here milling around, standing guard or performing other tasks. All of them wore green camo of some sort, nothing identifying them as ADF in any way, which she noted was smart. Not that the aliens wouldn't be able to accurately guess who they were, but no sense giving them an easy answer.
As the skyranger flew off, one soldier rushed over to her. "Agent Gertrude?" He asked, skidding to a stop, his hand twitching at his side, clearly unsure if he was supposed to salute or not. She didn't really mind either way.
"Yes, that's me," she confirmed, appraising the soldier before her. Beard, brown hair, probably been scouting the past few days judging from his dirty clothes and mud splashed across his face. "And you are?"
"Jonah Fillion," he answered. "I'll take you to Harper's team right away."
She nodded and they began walking through the camp. Abby didn't fail to note the white sheets over bodies and the general exhaustion that seemed to permeate the air. At times she wondered if her enhanced sight didn't give her too many details of the people around her. Just from their facial cues she could fairly easily deduce what they had been or were feeling. Or at least make a very educated guess.
"It's not good, is it?" She asked.
The young soldier grimaced. "The aliens are in control of our home. That alone is…difficult. The fact that we're understaffed, resources are strained and everyone seems to have forgotten about us already in favor of…well, the rest of the world, yeah, things are 'not good' as you put it."
"Not everyone has forgotten," she reminded him. "I'm here, aren't I?"
He shot her a weary look, then sighed. "True, and I do appreciate that. But, uh, don't take this the wrong way, but you're only one woman. Probably very good at your job, but only one."
He did admittedly have a point. Still…"You'd be surprised what one person can do."
"If you say so," Jonah shrugged. "But if you do, then hey, I'll take it."
"I'll do my best," Abby promised. "Aside from Harper, anyone else I should know about?"
"That other XCOM agent, Hari May was here," Jonah answered, nodding out into the wilderness. "She left a day or so ago. Might be on assignment."
Right, Zhang had said there was another agent, whose mission appeared to be different from hers. "Has ADVENT sent anyone?"
"Yeah, some old guy," Jonah said. "Some kind of tactician I think, though I'd never heard of him before. Lucas Harrison, name ring a bell?"
Abby shook her head. "No. Never heard of him."
"He's a bit strange," Jonah admitted as they entered one of the temporary structures. "Brought a whole bunch of equipment that no one else is allowed to go near. Speaks a whole bunch of languages too. He had a fluent conversation in Spanish with Hari, and was talking to some Japanese official in their language. Guess he's been useful since Harper keeps letting him stay."
Interesting, but he probably wouldn't be essential in whatever she was to do. "They're through here." Jonah gestured to the room in front separated by curtains. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Abby told him, and stepped through the curtains into the central command for the Australian resistance. It was surprisingly clean, albeit minimalist. The walls were a bare plastic white, with some maps of both local and global varieties posted, most with markings in blue and red sharpie. In the center was a wooden table with loose paper, pens, markers and files, with a map of Australia in the center of it.
Lincoln Harper, former Marshal of the ADF and now leader of the Australian Resistance stood over it, hands resting on the table as he poured over the map, his face as drawn and haggard as the image from the file Zhang had given her. Behind him was the only other piece of furniture in the room; a stand with a dull turquoise sphere on it, which seems to reflect the light around it, giving it a sort of underwater rippling effect.
"Marshal Harper?" She asked, making him look up. The man gave a weary nod.
"Agent, glad you made it safely. Send Director Zhang my thanks." He began walking over to greet her properly. "Would you prefer to get started right away, or get settled here first?"
"I think it's best we get to work," Abby said. "The aliens won't wait for us."
Lincoln gave her a lopsided smile. "No, they won't," he said as he moved back to the table, with her close behind. "I appreciate the initiative you agents have. We need that. However, I do have some good news I just received. The aliens attacked Japan and were driven off."
Her eyes widened. "That's great!"
"It most certainly is," a new voice interjected, one deep but weathered from age. Abby turned to see a new man enter the room, probably the ADVENT advisor Jonah had told her about. He was definitely an elder, with a full head of white hair and a wrinkled face. But surprisingly, he seemed extremely healthy, or maybe she just thought that because he was slightly taller than her. More than that, she couldn't get any indication of what he was feeling from observing him. Not many people had that kind of control.
"Agent Gertrude, this is Lucas Harrison, who the Chancellor graciously sent to help us," Lincoln introduced, nodding to the man as he took a side of the table between them. "He's been helpful in planning our current strategy."
"And with Agent Gertrude here, we can start putting it into motion," Lucas finished with a slight smile, clasping his hands behind his back. "Miss Gertrude, how familiar are you with Australia?"
"Not very," she admitted. "The area is new to me, but I learn and adapt quickly."
"How practical," Lucas mused, looking down at the map. "I was more referring to your knowledge of the country itself. This continent is a fascinating place to study."
Abby raised an eyebrow. "You've been here before?"
"Oh yes, many times," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "The ecosystem in particular is an interest of mine, and one I will exploit here."
"How?" Abby asked, crossing her arms. "It's not exactly something we could control. And…well, this wildlife. Not exactly-"
"That's where you're wrong, though I don't blame you," Lincoln interrupted. "The aliens are surprisingly vulnerable to many of the same toxins we are, and Australia is home to some of the deadliest animals. Attract them to the right places, and they'll take care of the aliens for us."
"That still doesn't explain how they can be controlled," Abby insisted. "Or have you created a kind of lure?"
"Indeed," Lucas nodded. "A creation of mine, modified for our needs. Initially I made it to repel all insect and dangerous wildlife away. I simply reversed the process to attract them. Almost too simple, though the range is still a slight issue."
"Which admittedly still needs to be proven," Lincoln said slowly, eyeing Lucas with a slightly suspicious glare. "You've been helpful here, but that particular strategy is one I'm skeptical of."
"Of course," he answered smoothly. "Which is why I want to run my field test now. Agent Gertrude and I will go to Warburton and prove it. Should it work, my theory is proved correct. Should it fail, then nothing is lost."
Abby and Lincoln both looked at him. "I don't think it's safe for you to come along," Abby suggested tactfully, not sure what he was thinking. "I'm more than capable of doing it on my own."
"It's far too much of a risk for one like you," Lincoln pointed out. "You know how dangerous it is, and, to be blunt, you're not in your prime."
"I'm not as young as I was, it's true," he chuckled. "But I assure you, I'm perfectly capable to taking care of myself, and I will also remind you that I answer to the Chancellor, not you, and she has fully sanctioned any actions I take, including participating on operations."
"My operations involve stealth," Abby stated, staring the man in the eyes. "To also be blunt, you would compromise me. It's too much of a risk that will get both of us killed."
"And I don't think you're in a position to say that for certain until you see for yourself," he defended easily. "I assure you, I am no stranger to the work you are familiar with. I promise to not be a hindrance."
Abby looked away and down at the map, wondering how she could possibly handle this. Part of her wanted to continue to flat out refuse, since this was clearly a bad idea. Then again, it might create problems between ADVENT and XCOM and that was something that wouldn't help anyone. Of course, the same thing would happen if Lucas was killed on the mission, and despite his assurances, Abby wasn't quite the idiot he was hoping.
Another possibility is that it would sour relations here, since Lucas would not forget this…so perhaps her best solution was to try and perform the mission, take him along, and make sure he followed her instructions. A babysitting op was not what she had in mind, but it was maybe the only way this would go without it turning into an incident of some kind.
"Fine," she relented. "But if you're coming along, you're following my orders exactly. Understand?"
"That is fair, agent," Lucas conceded. "In which case, I suggest we should prepare. Harper, would you describe our operation zone?"
"Certainly," he nodded, although he still didn't seem comfortable with Lucas accompanying her. "Let's begin."
Zar'Chon Chambers, Mars Forward Observation Station
The doors slid open soundlessly as Nartha stepped into the circular chambers the Zar'Chon was so fond of. Nartha wasn't sure if that was something all Zar'Chons had, or if it was a personal preference for the current one. It was elegant in its simplicity; he could appreciate that for sure. Half the chambers opened into windows out into space, lighting was minimal (if a bit overdramatic), though likely because the room was set up perfectly for displaying multiple holograms at once, from a control console in the middle of the room, and displayed from the soft blue lights above.
The Zar'Chon himself stood in the middle of the room, facing a hologram of an XCOM soldier standing and pointing at…something in the distance, while being oddly distorted. "Zar'Chon; reporting for debriefing."
"I know," the Zar'Chon answered without turning, and motioned him over with a gesture. "Do you recognize this soldier?"
Nartha walked over to the hologram to get a better look. Red armor, scarred, odd distortion, the autorifle on the back…combined with the helmet, and that he'd spent enough time in XCOM to tell the slight differences between males and females who wore the armor, there was really only one person who this could be, and who would make a gesture like that in battle. "Patricia Trask," he said after a few seconds. "A psion. I assumed they learned the hard way not to underestimate her."
"You failed to mention she could effectively neutralize an entire army," the Zar'Chon said slowly, turning to face him fully.
Nartha frowned. "She's powerful, but not that powerful. Unless she's getting training from an Ethereal, I'm not sure how she could possibly do that. At least I didn't note anything like that."
The Zar'Chon pursed his lips. "It appears she's more powerful than either of us assumed, then. I presume you saw the bodies."
It wasn't a question, since the Zar'Chon knew he wasn't blind. He wanted to know how much Nartha knew already. "We launched an attack on Japan, which failed. I went to the Medical floor to get an extent of the damage. From what accounts I heard, the battle was…poorly managed and dysfunctional…" Nartha paused. "Which is surprising. We have an advantage over the Humans. How did we fail?"
"The one who orchestrated the attack is no longer in a position of authority," the Zar'Chon stated, turning to shut off the hologram. "The Battlemaster has taken over operations for the time being. Japan is a setback, but in terms of overall loss, this will not be felt."
Nartha was extremely curious who had orchestrated the attack. Since he had apparently been dismissed, it likely wasn't an Ethereal since if an Ethereal was in charge, they probably wouldn't have lost. Which really only left one of the Runianarch or Lurainian leaders. Perhaps one of the mysterious Andromedons he'd heard so much about.
Either way, the news that the Battlemaster was now in charge was extremely bad for the Humans. "Is he here?" Nartha asked.
"Yes," the Zar'Chon answered. "But currently planning. In the meantime, we have much to discuss about your time in XCOM."
"That we do, Zar'Chon," Nartha agreed, steeling himself to lie to the leader of spies. At least there were no Ethereals here, so he could do this. "What do you want clarified?"
"Your intel became much sparser the longer you were undercover," the Zar'Chon stated, clasping his hands behind his back and looking down at Nartha expressionlessly. "Why is that?"
"Because XCOM learned there was a mole," Nartha explained calmly. "Which I know shouldn't have been possible, but they appeared to have learned more about Ethereal Script, and that subsequently made breaking our cipher easier. Even if they didn't know who sent it, they knew someone was. I did not anticipate that, and attempted less visible methods. By the end I suspected they had broken the code and didn't want to reveal what I had discovered."
"You do recall we had other means of communicating," the Zar'Chon reminded him neutrally. "That was not the only cipher you could have used."
"No, but it was the most inconspicuous," Nartha answered, thankful he'd spent time preparing for this. "The Citadel was one of the most secure locations I have been in. Everything sent out of there is seen, it is just a matter of what is the most visible. If I had switched to a different cipher, that would have been noticed and perhaps spooked the Commander into doing something drastic. I know you know he is certainly capable of such in order to catch a spy. I believe they wanted to isolate and identify me, and then feed me false information."
"And how do I know that they didn't already?"
Nartha's lips curled into a small smile. "Because you wouldn't be talking to me right now. You would consider me compromised and I would have been executed or brought for interrogation."
Now the Zar'Chon gave a small smile of amusement. "A good answer. But the information you sent to me recently was so vague that I would not be able to verify what exactly it was, let alone if it was a trap or not. Did you learn anything substantial?"
"I did," Nartha nodded. "Something that could affect the course of the war."
The Zar'Chon waited. "I trust you will share it, and that you have proof?"
"I certainly do," Nartha nodded and pulled out a Human flash drive. "I'm certain you know that XCOM is interested in genetic modification. The data here shows exactly what they are researching and what they are planning. For better or worse, Dr. Vahlen is very detailed."
The Zar'Chon took the drive and placed it in his pocket. "This will prove useful. Good work. And is there more?"
"There is," Nartha confirmed, pulling out three vials of clear liquid. "XCOM is planning to exploit the genetic similarity of the Sectoids. They've created a plague that if released, will kill most of the Sectoid species, perhaps even the Hive Commanders. I've seen the results, Zar'Chon, its real."
The Zar'Chon furrowed his brow and took one of the vials and held it up. "A clever move by XCOM, and an effective one despite the dangers of bioweapons such as these. Curious the Commander would take such a risk, especially since it could end up killing his own species."
Nartha snorted. "I believe the Commander had the same thought. Do you really believe the Commander isn't using Human test subjects?"
"A fair point," the Zar'Chon admitted, pocketing the vial. "But it is still risky, although given his profile, I am not surprised genocide is in his list of tactics. His pragmatism is almost admirable."
"Most of XCOM agrees," Nartha nodded. "And I believe he isn't going to receive much opposition to wiping out the Sectoids. The assault on the Sectoid Hive pretty much cemented their fate in the eyes of most Humans. Pacifism will not last in this war, and we cannot rely on that."
"No, we have seen the Humans will turn violent should circumstances demand it," the Zar'Chon mused. "Not since the Andromedons has a species been so willing to fight amongst itself." Nartha was silent at that, largely since he didn't know enough about the Andromedons to comment.
"You met and spoke with the Commander, correct?" The Zar'Chon asked after a few minutes, turning to face the window into the void. "What are your impressions?"
How to sum up the Commander? "Disarming," Nartha began. "Whatever expectation you have of the Commander, he is unlikely to live up to it at first. I suspect he tailors his initial personality based on whoever he is speaking to at the time. If you walk in expecting a raving war criminal, he will be a calm and rational. Expect a detached leader and he will make himself as personable as possible, as if he were one of the soldiers. He has no issue interacting with those of a lower rank, and will elevate those who show merit."
Nartha paused. "But the most dangerous trait he possesses is his persuasiveness. The Commander has an answer for everything, justified to the best of his ability that is difficult to refute. This persuasiveness breeds confidence, and with that, loyalty. XCOM trusts the Commander, regardless of what they are asked to do, because they believe they are doing the right thing. The Commander tolerates opposing opinions, but he will utterly take them apart if they come into conflict with his own."
The Zar'Chon didn't move as he finished. "It's not apparent at first," he finished. "But the Commander is ruthless. He is perfectly willing to murder half of the human race if it means victory over us. Civilians are just unfortunate casualties; cities are mere staging areas; politicians are puppets that are used and discarded as he deems fit and the world is simply a chessboard where land is strategically gained and sacrificed. Even his own soldiers are, at the end of the day, mere pawns in his game of war. You are not dealing with a regular Human, Zar'Chon, you're dealing with the Commander."
This description made the entire situation seem so very ironic. He could attest to the Commander's unwavering confidence and persuasiveness because he had fallen under it himself. He knew, intrinsically, that he was just another tool in the Commander's arsenal, but was perfectly content with that. Pawns could be useful, after all, and better a pawn to the leader who would change the status quo than a leader who would simply endure the continuing farce.
"That matches up with what I have learned about him," the Zar'Chon nodded. "Brilliant and ruthless, a dangerous combination and an unexpected rival. I did not expect the Humans to put up this much resistance, but I suppose with the right people in charge, much is possible. Let us move on. Patricia Trask."
"I don't know as much about her," Nartha admitted truthfully. "Soon after officially becoming a psion, she began working much closer with the Commander. I wasn't close friends with her to begin with, but she was a very…analytical woman. An excellent Squad Overseer, and competent psion. She did beat a Hive Commander…and an Ethereal."
"Which means you were there when we attacked the Citadel," the Zar'Chon noted, turning back to him. "Why is that? Especially since you received the extraction order."
"You gave me little more than a day to leave," Nartha defended coldly. "You don't just leave the Citadel. All I would have accomplished was getting myself captured and that wouldn't have been ideal for any of us. I would have needed at least a week's warning, and even then there were risks. Yes, I did fight for XCOM, but only to preserve my cover. In fact, that was the only reason I was able to acquire the information and virus you now hold in your hand. The genetic labs were off-limits to soldiers normally, but no one really cared when you were attacking."
The Zar'Chon's expression didn't change, but he gave a brief nod. "In retrospect, you are right. It is unfortunate you were put in that situation, but considering what you acquired, perhaps it is for the best."
Nartha held in a sigh of relief. "What are your opinions on the soldiers," the Zar'Chon asked suddenly. "As a whole, what can we expect?"
Oh dear. "The soldiers are…complicated," Nartha sighed. "They come from across the world, have their own opinions, dislikes and conflicts. But they do have a tendency to unite, and the bond between XCOM soldiers is one of the strongest I've seen. People from regions who should be enemies will work together for the common cause of, in their view, 'defending Earth'. It is a strong sentiment that is not easily broken."
"You sound almost envious," the Zar'Chon noted.
"Perhaps I am," Nartha admitted. "We both know such camaraderie isn't common in the Zararch."
"For good reason," the Zar'Chon agreed. "But I agree that the ideal is admirable, so long as it doesn't affect you. Did you become close to any of them?"
"I became friends with some of them," Nartha said, thinking of Samuel and Shun, one now dead, the other quite possibly the same. "But as a means to an end, of course. Some of the Humans aren't too different from us."
"I find that hard to believe," the Zar'Chon said. "But you have spent more time among them, so I will accept that as a possibility. Regardless, despite the difficulties, your mission has produced results, and I will mark it as a success."
He'd done it. "Thank you, Zar'Chon. Where will I be deployed next?"
"For now, you'll get your standard reprieve and return to Vitakar," the Zar'Chon answered, turning back to the window. "When you are ready to return, I suspect the Humans will be largely brought under control."
"I appreciate that," Nartha said, thankful his plan was falling into place. "It will be good to be myself again, and to see Vitakar."
"I suspect your family will also be happy to see you actually alive," the Zar'Chon nodded. "I already have a team ready to return you to your normal self. Utilize it before you leave, if you wish."
"I'll do so," Nartha said, relieved. "Thank you once again."
"Don't mention it," the Zar'Chon replied coolly. "Dismissed, agent."
The moment he heard the doors close, Ravarian turned around to see Quisilia also looking at the exit Nartha took. It was always bizarre just how Quisilia operated. His habit of toying with various agents by literally standing behind him the entire time they talked was initially disconcerting, especially since they never once wondered if something was off.
And he was quite aware he wasn't immune to this.
"What did you think?" Quisilia asked, turning to him. He sounded amused, oddly enough.
Ravarian pulled out the vials Nartha had given him. "His story lines up for the most part. He is definitely not telling the whole truth, but in light of what he brought, I think that can be overlooked."
"Why?" Quisilia questioned. "If he is lying…"
"It has nothing to do with his loyalty," Ravarian clarified. "But don't think he was as unaffected by his time with the Humans as he claimed. Even among aliens and enemies, it is always a risk to form attachments. His time on Vitakar should dispel that influence."
"How optimistic," Quisilia said dryly. "And what do you make of the information he brought?"
Ravarian frowned at the Ethereal. Quisilia didn't normally ask this many rhetorical questions, especially since he'd likely read Nartha's mind during their discussion. What exactly was the point of this? "This Sectoid bioweapon is dangerous and clever. Depending on how it is constructed, it could be just as deadly to us as the Sectoids. We'll need to create a counter immediately."
"Genetic bioweapons are dangerous," Quisilia agreed. "But you will accomplish absolutely nothing if you use the 'bioweapon' Nartha provided."
Ravarian sighed. "Please enlighten me why, Quisilia."
"Because Nartha is a traitor," Quisilia answered, almost smugly. "He is an agent of XCOM."
Ravarian stiffened, swinging his head to stare at the motionless Ethereal. Impossible. That was his first reaction. There was no reason he could see why Nartha would betray the Collective. What could he possibly hope to accomplish? But Quisilia wouldn't lie about something like this. Despite the Ethereal enjoying toying with people, he was one of the few exceptions, especially with matters this serious.
"How?" Ravarian demanded incredulously. "Is it some kind of conditioning?" It was admittedly a rarely researched method, at least for applications in intelligence work, but he could easily see the Commander attempting it, or more likely, psionically influencing him to betray the Collective.
"No," Quisilia said bluntly. "Nartha is doing it entirely of his own free will, which is…surprising, even to me. He certainly was not lying when he attested to the persuasiveness of the Commander."
Ravarian pursed his lips in a hard line. "Then why? I doubt it was a simple conversation with the Commander that turned him into a traitor."
"His primary motivation is surprisingly noble, in his eyes," Quisilia explained, almost letting a chuckle escape him. "It is to, ah, free the Vitakara from the oppressive regime of the tyrannical Ethereals."
Ravarian stared at the Ethereal in disbelief, then shook his head in disappointment. "Foolish and concerning. Clearly Nartha has no idea what a truly tyrannical species is if…that is his reasoning."
"He does not trust us," Quisilia elaborated. "He seems to think that the Vitakara are…under some form of enslavement to us, and we take advantage of that."
"Shortsighted," Ravarian muttered. "He appears not to understand that this is a Collective, one which the Vitakara are a part of. Of course we answer to the leaders of one." He sighed. "This is extremely concerning on a number of levels. He was one of my best agents, and if he has those sentiments in the back of his mind, then others certainly do as well."
"The sentiment of a Vitakara species independent from us is not uncommon," Quisilia revealed. "But I tolerate it since most will not act on it."
"You should have shared that with me," Ravarian said, glaring at the Ethereal. "This is perhaps the worst time for that, because if Nartha is a traitor, the only reason he is here, and why XCOM let him go, is to cause trouble for us. And worse, he knows that an Ethereal can die, he's seen what the Humans can do. With that information he could inspire enough Vitakara to act."
"Which is likely why the Commander sent him," Quisilia agreed. "Although it appears he did not anticipate me being here."
"Well, it essentially makes this useless," Ravarian scowled, glaring down at the vial. "And the data he acquired is likely forged as well."
"Not entirely," Quisilia disputed, extending a hand from his robe and the flash drive suddenly flew towards it. "Nartha didn't lie about what XCOM was doing. The Sectoid bioweapon is very real, and he plans to distribute it himself. He hid it and is likely going to retrieve the actual bioweapon now."
Ravarian opened a panel on his wrist to prepare to make a call. "Well, I'm sure he'll be very cooperative when we interrogate him-"
"Wait," Quisilia interrupted, raising a hand. "Let him go for now. Nartha presents us with an opportunity we shouldn't waste."
It didn't take long for him to come to the same conclusion. "You want to use him. That is dangerous for an agent like him."
"We have very little to lose," Quisilia stated. "We will extract nothing from Nartha aside from what we already know. But if we let him orchestrate his rebellion, we gather all the dissenters into one place and when the time is right, execute them all."
"A risky play," Ravarian warned, closing the panel on his wrist. "But if we could use him to wipe out the Nulorian…he might be useful."
"If he becomes too much of an issue, I can simply kill him," Quisilia said. "We know he is a traitor and he believes he is undetected. Let him perform his mission. Let him try and poison the Sectoids. We can simply lock down contaminated areas to prevent the spread of the virus. Besides, I want to see how effective this plague is. Sectoids are easily replaced."
"I'm not comfortable with letting him go," Ravarian said. "But I see the logic, and the final decision is up to you."
"Then let us use the XCOM spy," Quisilia confirmed. "The Nulorian will never reveal themselves to a foe, but one like him they might expose themselves, along with any other traitors in your species."
"Regardless, I want a Special Operator put on him," Ravarian ordered. "We still have Earth to deal with. You said the others would be arriving shortly?"
"Yes," Quisilia confirmed. "Momentous times are ahead, Zar'Chon. It is a wonderful feeling."
Ravarian didn't visibly respond either way. "If you say so. In which case I should update our Earth databases. Knowing the Battlemaster, he will not attack without the latest intel."
Medical Floor, Mars Forward Observation Station
"Stand, walk several steps and return," the medic instructed Nartha and he complied, taking care not to trip over everything. He'd thought adjustment back to a pure Vitakarian would not be difficult, since the differences between Humans and them were largely visual.
As it turned out, there were actually several very important differences, one of which was that everything was so much brighter now that his eyes were back to normal. They were also a distinct improvement from human sight, but he still winced after initially waking up. It was more disorienting than any flashbang, but the medic was helping him out just fine, and now he was getting more used to it.
"Excellent," she encouraged, setting him down, picking up a tablet with a haptic display. "I took all of your vitals already, so all that remains is to log you into the system. This your first conversion?"
"Yes it is," he confirmed with a nod. "An…interesting experience for sure."
She grimaced. "You're lucky Vitakarians and Humans looks so much alike. It's much harder on Dath'Haram, or worse, Cobrarian agents. The latter often have psychological issues when converting back. Most of the time there needs to be psionic intervention."
"You've done this before?" Nartha asked curiously.
"Not independently," she admitted, setting the tablet down. "But I've been trained and seen it before. I find it to be a fascinating process, although I doubt you would feel the same way."
Nartha chuckled. "Probably not."
"I've never asked," she said. "How different is it? We don't look that different from them, is it actually like that?"
Nartha appraised the Vitakarian medic. "The biggest difference is sight," he explained. "Everything is much…darker, for Humans. They can't see as well as we can. I almost forgot what it was like until I woke up." He ran a hand over his bald scalp. "Hair is interesting as well. It's…not irritating or anything like that, just…there. Humans have a fascination with it though. You would be surprised how creative they are."
"Yes, it's almost sad we're fighting them," she said wistfully. "They seem fascinating. Not brutes like Andromedons or Mutons. They have culture and history. I do want to visit Earth once the war is over and the Humans are assimilated. What's it like?"
"Earth?" He wondered. "Very…ah, diverse. Similar to Vitakar, actually. They have deserts, jungles and frozen landscapes. They seem to have been spared from most of the terrible weather as well. The worst they get are snowstorms and hurricanes," he paused. "Although they like to call their snowstorms 'blizzards', but compared to Vitakar…it's a snowstorm."
Her tablet beeped and she sighed. "Thanks for talking with me, agent, but it seems I'm needed elsewhere."
"Of course," he said, standing up. "What is your name?"
"Zar'carida'noizar," she answered, inclining her head.
"Keep up the good work," he told her. "The more you can keep alive, the better."
It wasn't even a lie. He had no wish for his species to die in this war, and any saved was one more he might be able to turn away from the Collective. Now that he was free to leave, he had to make plans. The first step would be to disperse the Sectoid bioweapon in a discreet manner.
Since he could chart whichever path he wanted to Vitakar, he saw no reason not to take several stops near Sectoid territory. If the bioweapon was as potent as Vahlen claimed, then it would spread in days and not take full effect till much later, which unfortunately meant that he wouldn't hear about the results for a while.
Once he was on Vitakar, things were going to get tricky. He would see his family, of course, perhaps even persuade them to help, which was sadly unlikely, but eventually begin work on his own. He'd have a limited amount of time to work before the Zar'Chon called him back, so he had to use it wisely.
Which left one obvious path: the Nulorian. The outcasts of Vitakar and the closest thing to organized crime that existed. That was being generous, compared to 'organized crime' on Earth, since the Nulorian would likely be little better than a well-organized gang if he was being honest. But they'd eluded the Zararch for decades and hated the Ethereals, so their motives weren't unknown.
The issue was going to be getting them to trust him, and convincing them to help in the first place. Someone had to be working with them, otherwise the Zararch would have destroyed them by now. So he needed to find whoever that was and convince them to help. After that…well, he'd go from there. There was virtually no chance of turning any Sectoids or Mutons against the Collective, though he might have to actually learn a little about the Andromedons before dismissing them as well. They might like to keep to themselves, but if there was a chance…he had to take it.
Satisfied he had an outline, he stood and walked off to retrieve the vials of the Sectoid bioweapon he'd stashed earlier. He knew he was now on borrowed time before the Ethereals took notice, and began hunting him down.
Warburton, Australia
To his credit, Abby had to relent that Lucas actually did seem to be keeping up quite well. It had been a long ride, trek and hit to where they were, but at least with the sun down, it was at least tolerable weather-wise. And after seeing a spider the size of her hand, she'd avoided looking too closely at any one surface for too long, just for her own sanity.
Now the more luscious areas had given way to a sandy arid area, where vegetation-and cover-was scarce and with the small town up ahead, it was time to stop and think through what they were going to do. Abby supposed it was time for Lucas to reveal his master strategy. If she was being perfectly honest, his idea sounded ridiculous, but given what XCOM had been able to accomplish, who was to say he couldn't create some wildlife-attracting chemical.
"And there it is," Lucas said wistfully. "Ground zero. What do you see?"
Abby focused in the distance, thankful her enhanced vision was actually coming in handy here. "Mutons are stationed around the perimeter. Looks like there are Vitakara snipers on roofs and I see several patrols, mostly composed of Muton and Borelians."
"Do you see an Andromedon?" He asked.
She scanned the area. "No. Is that the leader?"
"I suspect so," Lucas said with a nod. "They are well-suited to harsh environments like this. Much like the Mutons, I suppose."
Abby began to nod, then frowned. "How did you know there was an Andromedon here?"
"Harper has his people scout the nearby towns," he answered with a shrug. "I read up on the reports before coming. Nothing nefarious, I assure you."
"Right," Abby said, slightly mollified she'd assumed something was amiss. She appeared to be getting legitimately paranoid, but wasn't sure that was a bad thing. "Don't see any Humans though."
"With a town this small, they probably relocated them," Lucas noted, kneeling down and looking into the distance. "It's one of the reasons I choose it. No chance of collateral damage; only aliens."
Abby realized that she hadn't even considered what she would do if there had been civilians in the area. She'd been focused only on the mission…she closed her eyes, trying to push away the guilt she felt at the realization. Nothing would have changed. A voice told her. The mission still takes priority, civilians or no.
The voice of practicality talking again. At one point she had almost heard Ruth's voice telling her that, now it was her own. Maybe there was no turning back now. She slowly relaxed, steeling herself from the conflicting emotions. There was a mission to complete. "I suppose it's time to tell me what you need to do," she said, her tone conspicuously flat. "You going to show what's in that bag now."
"Not yet," he said with a slight smile, oblivious to her tone. "The first thing we need to do is get to the center of the town."
Abby frowned. "Why?"
He tapped his pack. "Range, of course. This will need to envelop the entire town, not simply part of it."
"I got that," Abby said, eyeing him suspiciously. "But how is this…chemical…so strong? Is it airborne? Aren't we risking getting caught in the blast?"
He smiled. "Well, I suppose I'll have to reveal it sooner or later. The truth, agent Gertrude, is that I lied. There is no miracle chemical, it was simply an excuse to get you to drag me out here."
Abby stared at him in disbelief, debating how justifiable it would be to punch the old man in the face. "You're kidding."
"Not in this case," he said, his smile now infuriating. "But it was not a complete lie. I fully intend to take this town, but not in the way you think."
"Then I suggest you better explain before I break your nose," Abby hissed furiously. "You know I actually could have been doing something useful right now?"
"Yes, yes, you could have gathered some intel that would have no doubt changed little," Lucas said dismissively. "Useful, and Harper would probably love it. However, I would prefer to ensure that Australia falls, and regular espionage work is tiresome. I prefer direct action."
"Direct action, huh," Abby scowled, pulling out her laser pistol and shoving it at the old man. "Fine. Go out there and shoot all those aliens." When he didn't move, she continued her low rant. "Oh, you don't want to do that? There is a reason espionage is 'tiresome'; because we prefer not to die!"
"Calm down," he placated, not perturbed in the least. "Let me explain before you chew me out. Although it is entertaining."
"Who are you?" She demanded. "Are you even from ADVENT?"
"Yes, I am," he confirmed. "Although I was EXALT long before. Officially, at least."
Wonderful. A fucking EXALT lunatic was now working with her, had dragged her out here on a lie and had the gall to stand there smiling as if everything was fine. "Tell me what's going on or I'm going to knock you unconscious and send you back to Saudia."
"If you insist," he said, pulling off his backpack and opening it. "XCOM has yet to learn this, but there are specialized UFOs called Overseers. Actually, I take that back, you likely have seen one. I believe the Ravaged One used it."
"What's special about it?" Abby demanded.
"They are the personal transports of Ethereals," Lucas said, reaching in and pulling out a clear black sphere. "Within each one are spheres such as this one, which are normally used for communication. The exact science I am unaware of, suffice to say that it can also act as a power amplifier for psions."
Alright, he was making some sense. "I assume that's what that orb is?"
"Yes," Lucas confirmed. "Most are already powered by psionic energy in the Overseer UFOs, and emit a purple glow. Empty ones are just that – empty. But a trained psion can create a feedback loop of sorts with the artifact, and accomplish the same thing."
"Right," Abby nodded. "Just one problem – neither of us are psionic. I know, I was tested and came back negative. EXALT didn't have psions. Why even go to all this trouble? Why not tell Harper? Or XCOM?"
"Ah, that is where you are mistaken, agent," he said, smiling. "One of us is indeed capable of using this artifact."
Abby furrowed her eyebrows then froze. "Impossible."
He smiled and the orb began levitating above his palm. "It feels good not to hide it any longer, at least for a little while."
Abby was stunned. Questions blazed through her mind. "How are you…? Why didn't…?"
The orb fell back into his hand and he gently placed it in the pack. "Let's start walking," he said, gesturing for her to follow. "It will take a short walk before we are in danger of being spotted. I'll answer some of your obvious questions along the way."
She bit her tongue and followed. "Now, I'm not entirely sure how my psionic ability was awakened," he began. "I had an encounter as a child with a strange object, so I can only presume that was the cause, but I was soon able to do things others couldn't. I'm sure you're familiar as to what, so I'll skip the boring bits of my life, suffice to say I trained myself and kept it a secret."
They stepped over a rotting branch while he continued. "I found EXALT completely by accident, but decided I could make a difference there. History has always been fascinating, and I saw a chance to influence it in the future with them. So I officially became the Chronicler of EXALT, keeper of their secrets. I manipulated the leaders at the time into believing that they had always had such a position, and I was simply the latest to fill it."
"They didn't know what you really were," Abby stated.
"There was no reason for them to," Lucas said wistfully. "I was careful not to abuse my abilities too much, such actions draw attention, no matter how careful you are. But I provided nudges, guidance when needed and helped ensure the organization was strong enough to withstand most threats. Of course I was unsuccessful in some cases, but in the end, EXALT has fulfilled its purpose and I am free to do what I wish."
"And so what are you going to do?" Abby asked. "You still haven't explained why you can't just explain this to Harper? And you're a psion! Why not join XCOM?"
"Because to take Australia, we need an army," Lucas explained. "And I don't believe this war will allow XCOM or ADVENT a timely liberation. So the army must be of aliens under my command. The army will start here, and I will grow it. I only need you to help establish my base of operations, and then Harper can send you on whatever operations he wants."
He paused. "As for XCOM? I do not want to answer to them. I am not unconvinced that the Commander will simply try to execute me because I was part of EXALT. I will do my part to fight the aliens, but I will not be a pawn in the Commander's game. And it goes without saying that I would prefer you keep this knowledge to yourself."
Abby frowned. "I'm not sure I can do that."
"Expected," he answered. "We'll discuss that later. In the meantime, we need to prepare."
They knelt down, just outside the town where she could watch the aliens making the rounds. "Shoot the ones on the roof," Lucas suggested. "The ones on the ground won't be difficult. Follow my lead."
He stood and began walking forward out in the open. Abby winced and quickly followed, laser pistol in hand. The Vitakarian on a nearby roof was turned away, so she took the shot and fired, and the sizzling beam burned right into the skull and he fell dead. She quickly aimed at the next alien sniper and repeated the shot, accomplishing the same thing.
The Muton patrol noticed them walking forward, but Lucas simply raised a hand and they froze. Just like Patricia, his eyes were a glowing purple and the air vibrated about him as he took control of the aliens. He then waved them along, and the Mutons shambled past, oblivious to them.
Abby nodded in approval and they proceeded forth. Any rooftop soldiers were quickly taken out by her, and Lucas took control of any other aliens they ran into. Eventually they reached a house, a lone one on the end of a sandy cul-de-sac. "We might draw attention," Lucas warned as they entered. "This is where you'll come in. This will take all of my concentration, defend me if they come."
"I have a pistol," she reminded him as she took a position at the door. "I can't hold off an army."
"Then delay them," he said, as he pulled out the orb and set it on a wooden table. "Be ready, agent, I'm going to start now."
She nodded, but couldn't help but watch as he began…whatever he was doing. His body was suddenly surrounded in a shimmering purple and a faint blue spark in the orb appeared. Then the humming started. Imperceptible at first, but it was growing louder and louder until it was literally all she heard. It was silent, but deafening at the same time.
She gritted her teeth as it persisted, and a roar in the distance caught her attention and she glanced out to see a squad of five Mutons charging towards the house, roaring in apparent pain. She aimed her pistol and fired, the red beam hitting one square in the face while the others immediately dove for cover behind rocks, or fell to one knee and began firing at her.
The humming must have affected their shots, since most were wildly inaccurate, but considering she was wearing no armor, it would only take one to kill her. The humming became nearly a shriek, boring into her mind. With a shout, she fired several beams at the Mutons, all of which missed. "Hurry up!" She screamed as a wave of agony washed over her, and the Mutons outside fell to the ground.
"Cease your fight, child," a voice that was not Lucas' and still came from his mouth said, clenching a fist sheathed in purple flame. "The aliens are mine."
Then everything fell silent and Abby slumped to the ground, breathing hard. She looked over to where Lucas was standing, now in front of an orb that rippled a faint turquoise and radiating a clear light despite no visible power source. "I thought you said it was purple," she muttered, stumbling over.
"I did," he muttered, also looking at the orb. "Interesting. Perhaps it changes depending on species. But it worked," a smile spread across his face. "The aliens are under my command now. Your job is done."
"How is that possible?" She asked, looking outside. "Did you just... take them over? Are you controlling them now?"
"I consider myself fairly talented," he said with a smile. "But not quite that talented. No, all for now is I simply altered their minds to not consider humans a threat. I'll have to fine-tune their reactions later, but for now they will be docile to us."
Abby would have to ask Patricia later to confirm just how possible that was. She didn't trust Lucas nearly enough to take him at his word. "Then I guess we head back?" She asked, wincing as some remnants of the humming manifested themselves. "And what was with your voice?"
"Yes, we head back and unfortunately inform Harper that my formula was a failure," he said, amused. "And psionic distortion. I'm sure you've heard it before. The intensity was more because of the artifact, I assume."
"I suppose," Abby admitted, not quite convinced. Even Patricia hadn't sounded like a completely different person. "But if it's all the same to you, I don't want to do that again."
"Don't worry, Miss Gertrude," he chuckled. "I have no intention of putting you through that again."
"Right," she said, beginning to exit. "Let's go."
"Of course," he said, following her. "Although I do have one request."
Abby sighed. "And that is?"
"I'd prefer you address me by my title, at least when we are alone," Lucas said, wincing as she did so. "It's disconcerting whenever you think of me as Lucas. My title is the Chronicler, and I would prefer it stay that way."
So Lucas wasn't his real name. How shocking. Abby shrugged. "If you want, Chronicler. But we have a lot to discuss when we get back."
"That we do," he agreed. "And I think everything will work out just fine."
Central Command, Mars Forward Observation Station
It was rare to have two Ethereals in attendance at the same time. Three was unheard of.
Yet that was what was happening now. Ravarian had only expected himself, Quisilia and the Battlemaster to be in attendance as they discussed the attack on America. But no, the Battlemaster had apparently called anyone who was even remotely involved in this operation. Not that Ravarian minded, this was exactly what should be happening.
In addition to the three of them, Sicarius was also in attendance, standing in the shadows away from the main holotable, seemingly content to let them work out the details. Why she was here was probably something the Battlemaster was going to reveal. In addition the Battlemaster had also involved J'Loran and Lura'irinena'borelia, which told him that they were going to be heavily involved as well.
The Collective Andromedon Commander didn't just appear for anyone, nor did the respected Director of the Lurainian. And now all of them were here. The Battlemaster stood opposite himself, flanked by J'Loran and Irinena, while Quisilia stood beside him.
"ADVENT will be expecting an attack," the Battlemaster began, bringing up a map of the country. "Of all the countries in North America, the United States is the most important. Capture it, and we cripple ADVENT irreparably."
"The campaign will take months to perform properly," J'Loran warned in his slightly garbled and synthesized voice, which all Andromedons suffered from in wearing those bulky suits. "America will not fall easily, and there are many potential strongholds."
"I am aware of that," the Battlemaster stated coldly. "The Humans are intent on a war, and I intend to provide them with one. If it takes months or years, then so be it. Humans can only withstand so much conflict before breaking."
"You have a strategy?" Ravarian asked, ready to get to the heart of the matter.
One thing he always appreciated about the Battlemaster was that he was always respectful to his subordinates, even when faced with rhetorical questions such as the one he'd posed. "Yes," was all he said. "Irinena and Sicarius will first take Hawaii."
"The island state?" Quisilia asked. "Is it necessary?"
"No, it is not," the Battlemaster answered without apology. "But it will be a useful staging ground, small as it is. Its fall will serve us more symbolically."
"But we'll let them know we're coming," Ravarian pointed out. "Could we not attack the West Coast first, and then capture Hawaii? We would accomplish the same thing but with the element of surprise."
"You are correct," the Battlemaster said, looking down on him. "But I have no intention of a surprise attack. I want them to know we are coming. We suffered a defeat in Japan, and the Humans are overconfident. When they see the most powerful nation in the world fail to stop us, they will begin to panic and make mistakes."
"Assuming we are successful," Irinena said, baring her incisors. Ravarian suspected that the Borelian was not looking forward to capturing Hawaii, which by all accounts, was very hot. "XCOM is the unknown variable."
"XCOM cannot stop an army alone," J'Loran stated mechanically. "They have faced amateurs before. Wherever they strike, they will not find ground to stop us. I have studied them, I know what they can do now and my soldiers are prepared."
"Be that as it may, if Patricia Trask or Aegis show up, we are going to have problems," Ravarian insisted. "Ignoring that because of bravado is foolish."
"We are not fools, Zar'Chon," J'Loran responded. "If we are facing a superior foe, then we will retreat. But the truth is that the majority of XCOM is little more than slightly enhanced soldiers."
"Let us return to the topic at hand," Quisilia interrupted. "We capture Hawaii. Then what?"
"There are four major cities that we must take to establish a hold on the West Coast," the Battlemaster began. "Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. All well-known cities and the capture of them will be an additional blow to morale. Furthermore, the majority are inland, which will allow us to establish ourselves well before marching on the cities themselves."
"I will coordinate the attacks on Portland and Seattle," J'Loran said. "Irinena will assist in this."
"And I will lead the attack on San Francisco," the Battlemaster continued. "As it is on the coast, we will be most vulnerable there. I will personally target their military bases and then assist should Los Angeles still be standing."
"I suppose we should attempt to prepare for XCOM," Ravarian said. "The question is if they will head to where you are, or try and avoid you."
"Either way, I am prepared," the Battlemaster assured him. "Patricia is powerless against me."
"By showing yourself, you risk drawing Aegis out," Quisilia pointed out. "If he has truly sided with XCOM, he may feel obligated to-"
"Aegis will not emerge," the armored Ethereal interrupted flatly. "I know him very well, and he will not place himself into the conflict yet. It is too soon. Nor do I expect him to have the courage to kill one of his own. This 'defection' is nothing more than an ideological protest against the Imperator. When the Humans are on the verge of defeat, he will come back, having made his point."
"There is another concern," Ravarian added. "Mexico is not an issue yet, but should we not do something about Canada? If we continue pressing forward into America, the Canadians can flank us from the north."
"Canada is not to be disturbed, per the Imperator's orders," the Battlemaster stated. "We have little to fear from them regardless. They are isolated, and refuse to join ADVENT. They are not a threat."
Ravarian frowned. "Why does the Imperator want to ignore Canada?"
"He did not give a reason, just orders," the Battlemaster answered. "And his orders will be followed."
"I believe that covers the overview," Quisilia said. "Now the only question is timing. The longer we wait, the more time ADVENT has to prepare."
"It will not matter," the Battlemaster warned. "It will take two weeks to assemble my Division and prepare them for the attack. Let the Humans prepare. Let them become complacent. Their fate is sealed, Quisilia. When I give the command, they will fall before us and will flee in terror."
And Ravarian believed it. He had only seen the Battlemaster at work once, and that had been enough to convince him that when the Battlemaster became involved, the ground would become soaked with the blood of thousands and the brave would flee for their lives.
Because the Battlemaster was not simply a warrior, he was a hunter. And now, the entire human race was his prey.
Supplementary Material
The Advent Directive
SECTION 6: ADVENT Intelligence
Subsection 6.1: Introduction
Purpose: ADVENT Intelligence serves to protect the members and nations of ADVENT from threats seen and unseen, known and unknown, outside and within. ADVENT Intelligence recognizes that many of the most dangerous threats start within, and only grow the longer they are left unchecked. Documented threats identified within the borders of ADVENT will be swiftly eliminated, regardless of status or position of the organization or person in question.
ADVENT Intelligence practices proactive intelligence, taking the initiative to identify potential issues and problems and then taking steps to deal with them. ADVENT Intelligence also recognizes the threats posed from foreign nations and extraterrestrial forces, and will work to negate, sabotage and remove any who would attempt to weaken or destroy ADVENT.
Divisions: ADVENT Intelligence is composed of several divisions, each with the purpose of fulfilling a certain function within the organization.
- The Division of Field Operations (Foreign): This division focuses on operations that are directed towards foreign, non-ADVENT nations, the nature of which operations can vary drastically, though mostly focus on the removal and negation of government and military targets. The Chancellor of ADVENT must be appraised of all operations stemming from this division.
- The Division of Field Operations (Domestic): This division focuses on operations that are directed within ADVENT, the nature of these operations can also vary drastically, though is typically reserved for internal investigation of multiple State organizations. Because of the sensitive nature of these investigations, informing the Chancellor of ADVENT is left solely up to the discretion of the Director of ADVENT Intelligence.
- The Division of Field Operations (Extraterrestrial): This division focuses exclusively on intelligence operations against alien forces, using whatever means are necessary to negate the threat they pose to our planet. The Chancellor of ADVENT must be appraised of all operations stemming from this division.
- The Division of Analysis and Cryptography: This division focus on the analysis of collected documents of all types and their usage thereof. It is also responsible for the encryption and decryption of all ADVENT ciphers and algorithms, as well as primarily responsible for breaking the codes of an alien or foreign nature.
- The Division of Cybersecurity: This division will focus exclusively on computer security for all facets of ADVENT, and be responsible for the creation, maintenance and protection of all security software to help ensure that all of ADVENT is securely protected from digital threats.
- The Division of Observation: This division watches private and state media within ADVENT to ensure that that all are in compliance with the directive and will take action if needed to neutralize those who are knowingly misleading or inciting people to violence. State media, private media, social media, all video streaming and posting sites, message boards and online forums, and the darknet are all under surveillance by this division.
- The Division of Computational Manipulation: This division is responsible for the offensive usage of computers against alien or foreign systems, as well as experimentation and development of new systems and algorithms of attack.
- The Division of Interrogation: This division oversees the questioning, debriefing and holding of people and aliens arrested by ADVENT Intelligence, and are responsible for the extraction of information from hostile agents, soldiers and terrorists.
- The Division of Intelligence Command: This division is technically overseeing all previously stated divisions, and is under the control of the Director of ADVENT Intelligence, and the support staff they have chosen. All major decisions regardless of division, must be approved by the Division of Intelligence Command.