XCOM: The Advent Directive

by Xabiar

Australia has been annexed, the United Nations is in chaos, the world is under siege and the Ethereals have taken the field. Facing the full might of the Ethereal Collective, the Commander must rally XCOM, the newly formed ADVENT, and several other allies and rivals to unite the divided nations by any means necessary, for failure now will mean the fall of humanity once and for all.

12. Vitakar

Vitakar

---

Vitakar, Intha

Even if his time was unlikely to be quiet, Nartha was quite glad to be back on Vitakar. Earth had its charm, but it didn't quite compare to his homeworld. Intha in particular was unlike most human cities. While Vitakarians didn't build their cities into the environment like the Dath'Haram, they did build their cities in a way that incorporated the natural landscape.

Intha had massive rolling hills and the city spread for miles around. An additional stark difference between Human and Vitakara architecture was that cities were expansive. Vitakara built their buildings outward, not upwards. It wasn't uncommon for ground to be excavated underneath if space was tight. The reason, Nartha believed, was probably due to the storm seasons when winds would reach lethal speeds. He imagined it hadn't taken long after the first Vitakara skyscrapers collapsed when they decided they needed a better way to construct their buildings.

Besides, it seemed far safer in general. How Humans were fine with continuously working in those skyscrapers was something he didn't quite grasp. He would never feel comfortable in one and it was worth the extra few minutes to get around without having to worry the building would collapse from a rather strong breeze.

Compared to some of the other Vitakarian cities, Intha was rather small. Only the Hangar had an internal transport system, whereas in a place such as the capital, almost every building in the city had their own internal transport. He supposed it wasn't too different from Human elevators, but horizontally.

"Landed," a pleasant female synthesized voice said. "Please exit to the right."

Nartha unstrapped and stood, slinging his pack over his shoulder. The entirety of his belongings were rather small, and he wore simple civilian attire, a simple gray shirt, pants and boots. He was still wearing the black gloves from his Zararch uniform, no sense in leaving a trail when he could help it. He was glad he had decided for a more subdued approach on arriving. There weren't many others in the transport with him.

There was a Dath'Haram, and a small family of Vitakarians who hadn't paid him any attention, which would have doubtlessly happened had he advertised that he was Zararch. Probably had left to visit one of the colonies and were returning home.

Right, he stood in front of the door and waited for it to slide open. He needed to readjust to being among his own species again, and that meant using his position to the best of his ability. His family couldn't know anything yet, and he couldn't just say what was actually happening. But the Zararch had establishments everywhere, and there would no doubt be details on suspected Nulorian activity…and dissident activity in the Aui'Vitakar.

The good news so far was that the Sectoid Virus was successfully distributed without any major issues, and with any luck should spread to a good portion of the species within several weeks and months. He'd sincerely wished that he'd thought of contaminating himself before even leaving, because he could have spread the virus to everyone in the Mars Observation Station, including the Zar'Chon himself. Well, not much could be done about that now, but the damage would hopefully be significant.

The door slid open and he walked out into the dark chrome room where checkpoints were constructed before exit transports. Standard procedure was to verify identity, and he walked over to one where a young Vitakarian female was sitting, operating her haptic monitoring board. "Welcome back," she greeted with a smile, no doubt a standard way to put new arrivals at ease. He suppressed one of his own, because just from her facial movements and the artificial inflection in her tone, he knew she was also a Zararch agent. Unsurprising that they would be monitoring new arrivals.

"Here you go," he interrupted before she could continue, handing over his ID. "Always a pleasure to encounter one of our own."

"Ah," her glowing eyes widened as she saw who he was. "Did you come back from the Mars Station?"

"Earth, actually," he answered, taking his ID back. "However, I don't think I'm permitted to reveal more."

"Of course," she nodded vigorously, clearing her throat. Definitely a Zararch agent, but a junior one at best. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"You can," Nartha nodded, tapping his wrist-map and ejecting a small chip, which he handed to her. "I need locations on major locations in Intha. It's been awhile since I've been back. If you have access to the Zararch database, I would also like current operational objectives, and of course, clearance to enter the local Zararch base, if that is possible."

"I can give you clearance," she said, typing at her station. "However all operations are restricted externally. I'm sorry."

"Not an issue," Nartha said with a nod. "I'll be going there anyway."

"Here you go," she said after a moment, handing the chip back, which he inserted into his wrist-map. "Do you require anything else, agent?"

"Not currently," he assured her. "Thank you for your assistance." With a final nod, he walked through the checkpoint and consulted his wrist-map. Humans had made good steps in mobile devices and GPS, but they were still too crude. The Vitakara wrist-map slid smoothly over the arm, and had both a normal screen display and haptic projector for better visualization. Highly useful, but right now, he didn't quite need it yet.

He was positive his family home was still in the same place, and he knew that all of them were going to be waiting to see him.

He sighed. It was going to be tricky to balance what he could and should say to them. The Zararch were doubtless monitoring the house since his father was part of the Aui'Vitakar, but that was just going to be yet another obstacle he had to work around.

Once the obligatory family meeting was over, he could actually begin his work.

---

Blacksite 004 – ID: "Sanctuary" – Overseer: Sana'Ligna

The Battlemaster looked over his blade, inspecting it for any noticeable flaws or chips in the metal. To date there had yet to be anything that did more than scratch it, but as it had been several decades since it had actually been put into action, ensuring that it indeed was as resilient as before was necessary.

In truth though, he knew perfectly well that the only metal that could damage his armor or sword came from the Dead World, and the idea that the Humans could find it, let alone survive on the planet was absurd. Aegis only knew the planet by reputation, and didn't even know about what the Imperator, the Creator, and Sana'Ligna actually did there, let alone what the Battlemasters had done in the days of the Empire.

His chuckled in amusement. The Imperator had been wise to systematically cut Aegis out from the more sensitive projects of the Collective. A shame, in truth, but Aegis has proven the Imperator right and now couldn't utterly cripple the Collective, even if he knew most of the Gateway network and had taken Sovereign-level technology to the humans.

Unfortunately, he was going to find much of it impossible to construct from materials found on Earth. Only the Gateways were possible, and even Fectorian and Revelean were still attempting to grasp the intricacies of Sovereign technology. The science was beyond him; he was a warrior and was perfectly content with that.

Times like this gave him the opportunity to reflect which was…refreshing…it had been too long since he had seen true combat, and during the battle, he was reminded of how rewarding it was to finally ply the trade which he had spent centuries honing. The Humans had been slaughtered easily, but the Battlemaster didn't entirely fault them, not at first.

It was natural. Every species underestimated him until the fighting started, then they would either adapt, or die. He had been rather disappointed that the Commander had acted so predictably, and hadn't sent an XCOM squad to face him. He doubted they would have stood more of a chance than the hapless ADVENT soldiers, but it would have been more interesting for sure.

The battle had indeed been a rout, but it wasn't worthless and it did give some insight into how he could expect war to be waged against him significantly. It was unlikely the Commander would be so easily manipulated again, but it would also have the effect of him second-guessing himself, making him wonder if there were more traps hidden throughout the information and carnage. Perhaps it would not rattle him, but it would force him to think, and that was time he was not devoting to managing the battle himself.

The Battlemaster set the greatsword to the side and began to polish his helm, removing some of the dried blood from the crest. The various encounters his subordinates had with XCOM was telling, and gave him much to ponder. Patricia had been successfully negated, although J'Loran's procedure with the Mutons was not foolproof. That being said, it had attracted Revelean's attention, so it would likely be refined into something…manageable.

Both Disciple-7 and Irinena had said that the XCOM soldiers encountered were…enhanced. Based on the descriptions and reports, it was clearly genetic modification. The impenetrable skin was likely based on Aegis' own, although the stinger appendages some of them had were more creative than he was expecting. It would be interesting to see if their Iron Skin could hold up to his own weapons.

A very useful piece of information was confirmation that, if pressed, XCOM and ADVENT would retreat, which was both good and bad. Good in that it would ultimately allow cities to be taken more easily, and bad in that it meant he was dealing with tacticians who were willing to pull back if it was clear they were losing, which doubtless implied they would certainly be developing technology to stop him.

It wasn't a concern with ADVENT. There was very little they could do to develop weapons to use against him, short of nuclear weapons, and he always had the Cultro observing overhead. The moment nuclear activity was detected, he would leave without hesitation while the Humans destroyed a city for nothing.

XCOM, on the other hand, was worth more consideration. It was only a matter of time until they began producing plasma weapons, and their psions reached a power threshold that might pose a threat. Still, such concerns were only valid if he was absolutely overwhelmed, else he would simply eliminate the threat the moment it appeared.

The haptic shield in front of his room dissipated and Chilis walked in, a neatly folded cape in her hands. As always, the Dath'Haram woman had a look of perpetual disapproval etched on her face, making those green eyes even more intimidating to the other aliens she interacted with. He personally found her demeanor amusing, even if others didn't.

It was fortunate he'd been there when she'd not been as…respectful to Isomnum as he would have liked, and that Aegis had prevented his aura from affecting her. Had he not intervened, he suspected that Isomnum would have derived a great amount of pleasure tearing her mind to pieces and sending her to the Aui'Vitakar as a grim message in respect. He sniffed involuntarily. He viewed such as overly harsh. Ruling over mewling pawns was tiring and was something a good many of his kind had yet to learn.

Caelior, Macula, Isomnum, all of them seemed to think they were still in the Empire. Where they dealt with only equals and superiors daily and other species were lesser. He had thought so as well initially, but over time realized that was a flawed perspective. Objectively, an Ethereal was a superior being to most others, but taking into account the various personalities within the species…they weren't radically different.

Andromedons, Vitakara, Humans, all of them had leaders, geniuses, prodigies and as many varied traits as Ethereals themselves. Dismissing them simply based on a lack of the Gift or genetic modification was not only a dangerous mistake, it was a foolish one. There was a reason he, Quisilia and even Sana and Fectorian had trusted alien subordinates, and it was a reason he was certain they would learn it themselves someday.

Not today, but if the war dragged on, they soon would.

If not then, when they subdued the inner-galactic species.

"I had forgotten how much of a mess you cause," Chilis stated in her rasping baritone voice. "But I will say that it is good to actually do something useful for you." She carefully placed the cape on the table where his helm rested.

"Thank you," he said, nodding to her. Even sitting, he was just as tall as her, a fact that he knew made her uncomfortable. Some part of her was always scared of him, and he could understand why.

She cocked her head. "So, was it everything you were hoping?"

"It was what I expected," he answered, standing and starting to armor up again. "The Humans will be a worthy opponent. They fell easily, but it will not be so simple next time."

"And XCOM ignored you, I guess," she noted, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. "Disappointed?"

"Yes," he said simply, attaching the cape to his shoulder armor. "But I am quite certain they'll be there when I strike next. The Commander knows he cannot ignore me now."

Chilis shrugged. "If you say so. Sana also told me she wants to speak to you now. Don't ask me what about."

The Battlemaster actually had a pretty good idea about what she wanted to discuss. "I will head there now," he said, putting on his helmet. "Inform the Temple Ship that I have some matters to attend to before I arrive."

She inclined her head. "Yes, Battlemaster."

He swept past her and exited his room. Time to see what Sana was doing with the Humans he had recovered.

---

Vitakar, Intha

Nartha stood in front of his family home, a small and quaint cube in the housing district. He did have to admit that Humans did have better housing architecture overall, but simple cubes quartered off into sections were admittedly more stable, defendable, and easy to maintain. He placed a hand over the haptic display by the door and waited for a confirmation.

Hopefully they hadn't taken him off the list of pre-approved visitors.

Luckily, it seemed that they hadn't as it flashed blue and the door slid open with a chime. He stepped inside the immaculately clean house and looked around, wondering the best way to introduce himself when a familiar droll voice greeted him from the right. "Well, entering without an announcement. How very expected from a spy."

He smirked and turned to her. "Cairu. I'm so happy to be able to listen to your sarcastic comments again."

His sister chuckled. "So am I, no one else is quite as tolerant. Come here." He dropped his bag by the door and embraced her. Once they let go, he actually got a good look at what she was wearing. "Runianarch? You actually joined?"

"Yes, a lot has happened since you've been gone," she said proudly, straightening up and fiddling with the bars designating her rank as a Runianarch officer. "I actually went through with it, although I think that father didn't exactly approve."

Nartha nodded. His sister had always been fascinated by the events outside of Vitakar, and had seen the Runianarch as a way to explore beyond the homeworld, and had devoted herself fully to that goal. Looking at her now, he suspected that she'd been in intensive training for the past five years, since she was much taller and visibly stronger than him, traits that the Runianarch trainers were responsible for. Vitakarians in particular were viewed as excellent soldiers because of their adaptability, and his sister has no exception.

"Probably nothing like when I joined the Zararch," Nartha shrugged, inclining his head. "Going to try for the Lurainian?"

Her smile dimmed. "I…don't think so. Mostly for the same reason I didn't consider the Zararch like you. Some of the things I've heard are…well, not for me, really. Besides, I feel more comfortable working just with the Aui'Vitakar. Don't trust the Zar'Chon, no offense."

Nartha smiled. "None taken. What's your assignment?"

"Colony defense, so far," she answered wistfully. "It's great, especially since they continually rotate colony planets. Get to see a lot of new planets. However…" she trailed off, and fixed him with a stare. "There's talk of moving more forces to fight the Humans…do you know…well, anything about that?"

"I think I'd rather save the discussion on the Humans for when everyone is here," he told her. "But I've been on Earth. You'd probably love it."

"Oh?" Her eyes widened. "I'm more interested in the Humans. There isn't much reliable information out there."

Well, this was certainly going to be interesting. "Let's find our parents, wherever they are. There's a lot of catching up to do."

---

Blacksite 004 – ID: "Sanctuary" – Overseer: Sana'Ligna

Warm white light bathed the half-clinic, half-laboratory Sana had control over, with much of it devoted to the former half. Her medics and scientists, all of whom were Vitakarians, were tending to the Humans, who were mostly all children. There had been a disgusting amount of practically abandoned children in the cities, and since they were clearly not missed, he had decided that they would fare better away from Earth.

Sana had been requesting younger humans for some time, and all the children processed from the Australian cities had been sent to Revelean and the Creator for…experiments, he supposed. Distasteful, but the Overmind had predictably overridden his request. He wasn't opposed to the experimentation of other species…but he failed to see how experimenting on children actually achieved anything. They had yet to become fully developed, and thus it seemed a waste of time and resources except for professional curiosity.

At least none had gone to the Sectoids.

But to be fair, Sana was also going to run experiments on the children, but he could tolerate psychological and social engineering experiments because she very rarely killed or deliberately injured her subjects, especially children. Ironically, these children would likely lead a happier life than being forgotten on Earth.

He was slightly impressed at how curious the children were upon seeing him. He would have thought the sight of an alien four times taller than them would be…disquieting. It was likely the effect Sana emitted, which had been described to him once, since he would never be able to feel it. Warm, comforting, protective; unsurprising since she had been a well-respected doctor back in the Empire.

With that said, she was a powerful psion in her own right and had her…other abilities.

He pursed his lips under the helmet and strode forward to where Sana'Ligna was speaking to one of her Vitakarian assistants. Unlike almost every other Ethereal, she lacked a helm of any kind and as one of the few non-military Ethereals, her form was slimmer than most, and she only wore a simple white robe similar to Sicarius, only with much less armor.

"Battlemaster," she greeted warmly as he walked up, the soothing voice ringing in his ears with an irritating echo. "I must thank you again for bringing the children to me."

"They were abandoned," he stated simply. "They would be an unnecessary drain on resources in the captured cities, and you had mentioned needing more some time ago."

"How practical," Sana answered knowingly. "But both of us know they are no more a drain there than here. It's touching, truly."

"My motivations or reasons are irrelevant here," he said flatly, ignoring the comment. "I brought them to you. Now I want to know how this will benefit us."

"Of course," she said, turning and gesturing him to follow. "This way." He followed and she led him to a wall with a panel in front of it. "I am afraid that the results of my experiments will likely be of little value to you directly, but it will be necessary when we fully integrate the Humans into our Collective."

"I suspected as much," the Battlemaster nodded. Sana's experiments were often less immediately usable, and longer term, largely focused on alien psychology and social attributes, although her contributions to their genetic upkeep and advances in medicine were certainly significant. But that wasn't where her true interest lay; it never had.

Her interest was in the examination of other species, and how best to help them. Not improve, but simply help.

The Battlemaster was continually fascinated why the Imperator had allowed such an…idealist to survive the War. She was not unique among Ethereals back in the Empire, but here…she was different, and now a source of irritation to the more cynical and practical Ethereals still alive. Personally, she always offered a more refreshing perspective that was impossible to find anywhere else. A naïve perspective, but one he grudgingly wished was reality.

Unfortunately, reality was much harsher than Sana wanted to believe. It always had been, even in the Empire. The Overmind had informed him that the only reason the Ethereals had ascended to a level free of infighting and weakness was through a war as bloody as any other species, and they had genetically enslaved the survivors to follow the conquerors. The history that had been taught was a lie meant to keep the peace and externally; it was no secret that entire species' had been wiped out at even the slightest provocation.

Several by his own hand.

But the truth was, he knew the real reason the Imperator had allowed Sana to survive. The only possible reason was her connection to the Dead Ethereal himself, and if she truly believed that the Imperator would not use him when it was warranted…she was lying to herself.

Brushing those thoughts away, he followed the self-proclaimed Healer into a seemingly empty room with frosted glass for walls and bathed in a much harsher white light. "I'm first running several experiments on human psychological reactions to various events," she began, tapping a haptic panel on the wall, which cleared up the glass on one side to reveal a fake Human house, one which actually had a family inside right now seemingly going about their day without knowing they were being watched.

"There are two types of experiments being run," Sana said, the orange fire of her eyes brightening as she continued. "Short term is reactions to sudden or traumatic events or news. Benign, mostly, all of these subjects have had their memories completely altered to make the scenarios work. For ordinary civilians captured I have generally limited the scenarios to non-physical. Receiving news that a family member died, losing a job, witnessing a suicide, traumatic and potentially life-threatening events."

The Battlemaster suddenly wondered if his assumption that the children would be better off with Sana had been…premature. "Why?"

Sana sighed. "I can feel your disapproval. They are not being hurt, I assure you, but it is necessary. Human psychology is something I am still puzzling out. Mental illness is not something most Humans understand, and even fewer seem to want to fix. Thus, I must do the work myself. The techniques many Humans use are antiquated, and always have an unacceptable rate of failure."

The Battlemaster nodded. It did make sense. "I don't recall you doing this for the other species."

"Because most are not as psychologically varied," Sana explained. "Sectoids and Andromedons have a limited range of emotions, and almost no mental issues whatsoever. Vitakara eradicated their own mental illnesses long before we arrived. I have been forbidden from interfering with the Mutons, as you no doubt know," her tone turned bitter at that. "Humans…they have not yet. They are as emotionally varied as the Vitakara and far more prone to violence. There are enough dangerous drugs and substances they can abuse and unfortunately, Humans often fight each other which raised a host of additional complications."

"I see," the Battlemaster gave a single nod. "You have your work cut out for you."

"Yes, I do," she agreed. "However, they will need to be solved if we are to successfully integrate them into the Collective. Which unfortunately includes some more…distasteful experiments that must be run if I am to fully understand Human psychology. The physical scenarios are more dangerous, domestic abuse, rape," her nostrils flared. "How the Humans repeatedly allow this is sickening, but it must be observed. I will naturally be using the Human criminals you recovered from all the cities for these particular scenarios."

Unfortunate, but he was slightly impressed that Sana would indeed go that far. Perhaps there were some ends that justified the means for her, even if even this wouldn't hold a candle to something Revelean would run. Some of his experiments ran weeks, Sana would only have hers running a few hours at best, and keep them alive afterwards.

Revelean normally either killed the survivors or sent them to Isomnum for practice. The Battlemaster grimaced at that thought. Why the sadist felt the need to practice on Humans who literally went insane just being around him was beyond him. Practicing implied challenge and improvement, and he had yet to see how practice on ordinary humans actually did either.

Oh no, he knew exactly why Isomnum practiced. It was a childish attempt to feel powerful and the Battlemaster sorely looked forward to when he was actually challenged. Not enough to kill him, but certainly enough to make him realize that he wasn't another Overmind or Imperator, let alone a Battlemaster.

"And what are the long-term experiments?" He asked, returning to the topic at hand.

"Twofold," she answered, wringing her hands together. "The first involves placing Humans that are not related together in various configurations and observing any possible results. Some will have their memories altered to believe they have always been together, others have not. This is where some of the children will be useful, as I was only limited to adults before."

Sana motioned behind her. "So for example, I would like to see if a Human male and female would raise a child differently if they knew it was theirs or not, or if they would eventually realize something is wrong despite the modified memories. The same thing with pairing a male and female together and making them believe they have been together even if they actually never met, would they care, or would they realize something is wrong? That is the first major series of experiments."

She raised a hand that had a handheld holoprojector, which displayed a world he didn't recognize. "Secondly, I want to allow some limited Human integration within the Collective. The Aui'Vitakar was kind enough to forward me plans for the establishment of a mostly Vitakarian colony, and I will be speaking to several of the applicants about their willingness to foster and raise Human children within it."

The Battlemaster nodded. "I assume this has been cleared with the Imperator?"

"Yes," she confirmed, shutting off the holoprojector. "He encouraged it, actually. I was…surprised, but pleased nonetheless. This will be extremely useful information in examining how Humans can be safely integrated into the Collective without major issues. If this experiment is successful, the next trial will be integrating families or adults into colonies and beyond that…" she trailed off. "Well, by that point, I would hope that the conflict is ended and we can begin preparations for the future."

"I will attempt to make it so," he promised, inclining his head. "But the Humans will not surrender willingly."

Sana gave a sad sigh. "Why would they? We did attack them first."

She was, unfortunately, correct. "Yes, we did. But the Imperator has his reasons."

"I'm sure he does," Sana sighed. "But sometimes I do wish he would say what those reasons were. Otherwise there seems to be little point to all of this. But there is little I can do about it, so I will attempt to help the Humans as best I can to adjust after you conquer them."

"And I will end it as soon as I can," he promised. "And should you need more Humans, be sure to inform me unless you want to give the Creator and Revelean more subjects."

"I will," she said, turning to the glass rooms of unwitting test subjects. "I'll let you go, Battlemaster. Tell Revelean I said hello. Rub it in if you so feel like it."

The Battlemaster smiled under his helmet as he turned to leave. "I will, Sana. Until next time."

---

Vitakar, Intha

Despite his reservations, the evening with his family was very…relaxing.

His mother was as happy to see him as ever, which wasn't surprising as she did her best to only focus on Vitakar and not pay attention to anything beyond that like the Zararch and Aui'Vitakar. Nartha found it interesting how she actually ended with a father who was a representative in the Aui'Vitakar, a son in the Zararch, and now a daughter in the Runianarch.

Nevertheless, much of the attention had been on him, and he found he was actually able to not reveal anything…sensitive just by speaking about the Humans and their culture. Privately, he wasn't sure that the Zar'Chon would even approve of that, but Nartha would prefer they know that the Humans weren't exactly primitive savages.

Violent, yes. Impulsive, yes. But not primitives. "I've seen the images," Cairu said. "They look quite a bit like us. It's a little strange."

"A little," Nartha agreed. "But it made it easier to blend in."

"I'd imagine so," his mother chuckled. "But I trust you were safe for the most part?"

Nartha thought back to all those times under XCOM, with plasma firing over his head and hid a smile while taking a sip of his water. Some things, like water, transcended species. "As safe as can be expected in the Zararch, Mother. It was never boring." He shook his head. "Well, now I think it's my turn for questions. What has happened on Vitakar recently?"

His father grunted. "Surprisingly little, at least compared to you. The Sar'Manda are as isolationist as ever, the Cobrarians are whining about their males migrating to other cities, the Borelians want to make our army even larger, the Dath'Haram are pushing for more investment in civil services, as well as curbing the Borelians, and of course, the Oyariah just want everything to stay the same."

Nartha nodded. Typical. "So everything is going the same as always."

His father's eyes narrowed. "…For the most part, yes."

And that was code for I'll tell you later. Cairu and his mother were probably not cleared for high-level information the Aui'Vitakar had access to. Being one of the Zararch's top agents, he was likely able to discuss events more…openly. Still though, he was curious.

"What is the response to the Humans?" He inquired. "Don't tell me they don't have an opinion."

His father pursed his lips and rested his clasped hands on the marble table. "Let's say that the Collective is keeping a very tight lid on anything regarding the Humans. We know their location, description and…several other factors. Simply put, we do not know enough about them to form a conclusive opinion. Most of what you just told me I had never heard before."

Nartha blinked. "The Zararch didn't share anything? I don't believe it's classified."

"It isn't," his father shook his head. "Truthfully, the Human issue has…died down, until recently. The Andromedons have suddenly become a larger focal point."

Cairu nodded. "I've heard some of the soldiers talking. Some of their ships came…close to our colonies. Which they shouldn't have been allowed to do."

"I suppose I'll need to catch up on them," Nartha said. "I'm not familiar with their species. Even in the Zararch they didn't interfere much."

"They generally don't," Cairu explained, a tinge of wistfulness in her voice. "I doubt any but the Elders truly know the whole story. They're very isolationist, but powerful, if the rumors are true. They don't let aliens go into their territory and don't really seem to like any species other than their own."

Hm. Yes, he'd definitely have to look into the Andromedons. Any species that wasn't completely with the Collective may be something he could exploit. "Curious. What is the response?"

"Nothing, yet," his father answered, taking a sip from his own water. "Supposedly they were chastised by the Zar'Chon or maybe an Ethereal. But that hasn't really solved the issue. But recently that's fallen to the wayside now that the Human planet has been invaded. The Ethereals personally getting involved is…of interest. The Battlemaster himself has called for the support of the Runianarch and Lurainian."

"Right," Cairu confirmed with a smile. "They apparently won a major battle a day ago. Everyone was talking about it. The word is that the Battlemaster himself participated."

Oh, that was bad. He winced at the thought of that particular Ethereal facing the Humans. "I almost feel bad for them."

"Well, the good news is that it will be over quickly if that is the case," his mother said. "But your father is as cynical as ever when it comes to the Aui'Vitakar. There have been a surge of good things that have happened recently…"

He listened politely as his mother continued describing how the quality of life had improved significantly. Fourteen colonies had been successfully started, education standards were in the ninetieth percentile, science and engineering fields had grown by twenty percent and overall the entire species was doing well.

But the longer they talked, the more it sounded far too good to be true. A particular Human saying applied to this: "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" and so he listened and asked questions of his own. What it revealed was that the Ethereals were truly insidious in their control.

The Aui'Vitakar were only representative of the Homeworld itself, and didn't make decisions on intergalactic matters. All colonies were overseen and chosen by the Collective, and he knew from experience that the reason everyone was so…content…was thanks to the Zararch making sure those not in compliance with the Ethereals were removed, and more receptive leaders were installed.

He was well aware that not every Vitakarian conformed to, or was blind to the fact that this was a very elaborate gilded cage, but the Zararch was rarely public about such acts. People would disappear without fuss, and a cheerful explanation was provided if anyone else asked after them. Representatives themselves could vanish and a replacement appointed within the day.

Dissent certainly existed, but it was never given a chance to survive. With the exception of the Nulorian, no one who dared to ask very specific questions lived more than a week.

The good news was that this realization helped solidify the first steps he was going to take. As a Zararch agent himself, even on leave, he could assist in cases, and he would have access to the list of those under surveillance. And he formulated this plan in his mind while they continued chatting about irrelevant matters.

When the talking came to a natural break, his father suddenly stood, eyeing him carefully. "Nartha, if you don't mind, I'd like to show you something."

Nartha nodded, and smiled at his mother and sister as he stood up and followed his father into another room which at first glance looked like a cube with a curved ceiling, and then the walls and ceiling faded to reveal the night sky of Vitakar. "The glass can retract as well," his father stated, closing the door. "But I figure we could use the privacy."

Nartha turned serious and turned to him. "Good. But I still might not be able to tell you everything."

"I didn't expect you to," he said grimly. "However, I want to know the actual situation on Earth. The Zar'Chon and everyone in the Collective is not giving us the full story. The fact that there is a war being declared is…surprising. If the species is as technologically limited as you said…subduing them shouldn't be an issue."

"The Humans are more dangerous than you know," Nartha answered, knowing that as long as he didn't reveal specifics, he was fine. He knew what level of clearance the Aui'Vitakar had. "They aren't using primitive ballistics anymore. They have beam weaponry, and I expect if they are not stopped, plasma will soon follow."

"So they're intelligent," he nodded. "And strong enough not to be overrun."

"No, they won't be overrun," Nartha confirmed. "What do you know of XCOM?"

His father chuckled. "Only that everyone does not like them."

"They're the reason the Humans have any chance at all," Nartha explained. "They are the best soldiers of humanity. And scientists and engineers if that matters. One XCOM soldier is better than our Lurainian. They were able to kill a Hive Commander."

His father started at that. "How?! And how did you-"

"I was assigned to observe XCOM," Nartha interrupted, raising a hand. "I learned a great deal about them. As for how, Humans are capable of psionics."

His father looked away, sucking in his breath. "That explains a lot. If the Humans have their own psions…the Zar'Chon will have to explain why he kept this from us. This is information we need to know and has been denied to us ever since this started."

"No." Nartha stated coldly, emphasizing that point as much as possible. "Do you want the Zar'Chon to remove you? Mother? Cairu? If the Aui'Vitakar start discussing the invasion publically, people are going to ask questions, and the Zar'Chon does not want people asking questions now. Neither do the Ethereals." He gave a weary smile. "Can't dispel the propaganda, father. The Zararch wouldn't allow it."

"And yet you're telling me this now," he said slowly. "Why? Last time you wouldn't even confirm things I already knew."

"One, because the Zar'Chon didn't say that information is classified above your clearance," Nartha explained coolly. "He knows I'm related to you, and should have specified if he felt otherwise. Two, because I think the government of our species shouldn't be in the dark, at least not to this extent. Three, because I'm not the same as I was last time we talked."

His father appraised him for a few minutes, then gave an imperceptible nod. "I think I understand. You made friends with the Humans, didn't you."

It wasn't a question. "Several," he answered neutrally. "Though that isn't exactly relevant here."

"Then what do you think I should do with this?" He asked.

Nartha pondered that. If things got out of hand, if would be bad if the Zararch decided to purge the entire Aui'Vitakar, but it wouldn't be out of the question. "You have representatives who want answers as well, yes?" At a nod, he continued. "Tell them what I said. Don't do anything, and in person, public areas only. The Zararch have likely bugged offices and computers. From there…you have more diplomatic experience here. Perhaps you could speak to the Zar'Chon or better, introduce an order that withholds the Runianarch from participating in Collective activities without informing the Aui'Vitakar." He paused. "It would have to be very public though. Public enough where if representatives…resigned, there would be questions raised. Too many for the Zararch to silence."

His father now had a clear look of…not quite concern, but something close to it. "Nartha…you're being very helpful about this. This is not what I expected from you."

Nartha gave him a humorless smile as he walked back to the door to rejoin his mother and sister. "Like I said, I'm not the same. Let's go back before they wonder what you're actually talking to me about."

---

Vitakar, Intha Zararch Base

"Identification," a tall Dath'Haram guard stated as he approached the doors of the windowless black square that no doubt extended far underground.

"Of course," Nartha answered with a nod, handing the ID which was quickly scanned and handed back.

"Apologies, agent," he grunted. "But we have to check everyone now. Several Nulorian operatives managed to get into one of the bases in Borelia and it was clear that automation wasn't working here."

That was certainly interesting. "We were breached by the Nulorian?"

The Dath'Haram bared his teeth. "I should amend it to say that those particular Nulorians never got out. Once inside they were quickly captured. Fools, but the Zar'Chon doesn't want this happening again."

"Noted," Nartha said, walking past him and into the lobby that was more or less black metal with an elevator at the end of the room. No one was inside, but he knew very well that the room was being monitored by analysts and plasma turrets would fall down from the ceiling if any threat was detected.

He entered the elevator and a haptic screen was immediately projected before him. And…Level 3 was the agent deployment room, where agents received assignments and information on specific targets was available. That was where he'd find the information he was seeking. He pressed the illuminated image and the elevator door closed behind him and it began lowering.

A few seconds later, the door slid open and he stepped into the bustling deployment room. Zararch agents of varying races were huddled in groups, armoring up, or discussing things with the various analysts in the room. The initial room itself was rather small, with a holographic projector displaying information about various targets of interest and operation statuses in the middle of the room, while the more specialized rooms were elsewhere.

To the left was the Target Library, which was where he needed to go. It was always filled with Operation Handlers and agents looking for gathered information on specific targets. The room was filled with dozens of the fastest computers in the Collective, and very little else. To his right was a briefing room where agents would receive instructions from Operational Handlers in person, and it served as a debriefing room as well.

There was a break lounge directly across from him, but he didn't care about that now. The Armory and Training Area were likely other floors altogether. He swiftly moved to the Target Library and upon entering took one of the computers near the end, away from the other Vitakara already taking advantage of the wealth of information.

A quick tap of his fingers and the haptic display appeared, along with a virtual keyboard to begin making inquiries. It could be voice-controlled as well, but he didn't want to advertise himself any more than necessary. He dismissed the haptic keyboard and a physical one slid out a second later and he began entering his identification. He'd always preferred hardware for computer interactions.

Since he was a high-ranking agent, almost everything regarding operations on Vitakar was open to him, and quite a few beyond it, all extremely well organized by organization, species, city, and race. He considered looking over the operations concerning the other Collective Species, but also knew that too much unexpected interest would flag Zararch analysts if they looked into his search history.

No, better to keep on track here. He could always come back some other time.

Instead he touched the NULORIAN box, and narrowed down operations by CITY: INTHA. Perfect, there were currently four targets of interest, none of them assigned to other agents due to the low priority. He spent a good amount of time looking over the details regarding them and finally decided what he was going to do there.

All of the targets of interest were suspected of having ties to the Nulorian, none of them were suspected Nulorian Operatives, but suppliers or contacts at best. All intolerable to the Zararch, but in comparison to the wider galaxy, the Nulorian were a nuisance at best. That was going to work to his favor here.

It seemed his best option was to have a short chat with Mul'forial'intha, the only of the targets who had actually interacted with a confirmed Nulorian operative. There was a chance she had indeed not known who she was dealing with, but he had acquired quite a bit of supplies – all cold-weather survival – from her.

She also stood out because she was rather highly placed in the Mullestha, the species-wide organization responsible for supplying the entire planet and colonies. They worked directly for the Aui'Vitakar and were the suppliers of all major Vitakarian organizations including the Runianarch, Zararch and Lurainian.

Forial wasn't the highest Mullestha in Intha, but highly placed enough to acquire a lot of specialized equipment in a short amount of time, from all across Vitakar, to a client who was a known criminal. She wasn't stupid, and had clearly tried to make it seem as innocent as possible, but she was dealing with the Zararch, which made her an amateur at best.

However…there was potential. He knew how the Zararch worked and what would actually flag the analysts. If she really was working with the Nulorian, she could be his means to setting up a meeting which, he noted sourly, was going to go over very well with the suspicious organization. He was not unprepared for the possibility that they would refuse contact altogether just because of who he was.

But he had a plan for that as well.

He nodded to himself and immediately claimed that operation for himself. After this he'd go speak to the Operations Handler to let him know. That might raise some questions, but unlikely anything major since he was certain he actually outranked the Operations Handler here. In fact, he might use this as an opportunity to…establish some cover.

If all current targets of interest were closed, it would look like he was wanting to shut down any sort of criminal activity in his home city. Logical and wouldn't draw suspicion, and at the same time, make the planet 'safer for all'. And since he was the one who had pushed for it…well, if one of them was found innocent, then all the better.

In any case, he had another objective to investigate. He backed out of the NULORIAN operations and switched to AUI'VITAKAR operations. He'd never personally participated in any of these, since he had largely worked off-world, but he knew that they were run differently than traditional Zararch ops. For starters, every representative had at least one Zararch spy in his or her entourage that reported on various aspects of the representative.

That was usually as far as it went for most, just another check to make sure the Aui'Vitakar didn't do anything too radical. But sometimes the Zararch spies flagged representatives for various reasons and those required firmer investigation. Levels of investigation were color-coded based on impact and threat level. Green was normal; blue required additional investigation; yellow required immediate interrogation; red indicated confirmed Nulorian involvement; white indicated immediate replacement and interrogation; black was a demand for immediate execution.

To Nartha's knowledge, white had only been used four times, and black only once. As it was right now, there were 100 blue-level flags which almost elicited a gasp. One entire third of the Aui'Vitakar under further investigation was unprecedented, which clearly meant his father was far from the only one beginning to ask questions.

He quickly acquired some more information on the demographics. Twenty-two were Vitakarians, which was a surprising amount, but not nearly as much as the thirty-three Borelians, which, in retrospect, wasn't entirely that surprising since a war would warrant their attention. Four were Dath'Haram, which appeared small, but considering they were focused intrinsically on the Vitakara as a species and didn't care about much beyond that, it at least showed some were willing to dig deeper.

There were zero for the Sar'Manda or Oyariah, which was entirely unsurprising since the Sar'Manda were more concerned with their underwater empire than the rest of the Vitakara, much less anything beyond the planet, and the Oyariah, of course, were blind supporters of the Ethereals who would never dare question them. Fools.

However, the Cobrarians had a staggering forty-one members flagged for further review. That was just past four-fifths of their elected legislature, which had to indicate that this was something likely felt in the leadership itself, and not a simple majority. At the very least, it required further analysis. He isolated the Cobrarian leaders flagged, and sorted by prominence.

Aui'sareech'hala, the former Cobrarian Hierarchy Leader, and now a simple representative. If she was being flagged, then the Hierarchy itself was no doubt also now flagged for review. If there was any representative that held major influence outside the Aui'Vitakar with the Hierarchy, then it would be her.

That alone was major, and indicated at the very least that the Cobrarians were concerned about…something. Nartha wasn't entirely sure it was the Humans, after reading some of the notes. Apparently there was something of a cultural crisis recently with Cobrarian males leaving the Nests in protest for having virtually no say in the Hierarchy which would be fine…had the ratio of female to males not been nine to one.

Simply put, the Cobrarian Hierarchy couldn't really afford to alienate the male population too much, otherwise reproduction would be…difficult. But without some kind of controls, there would be nothing to limit the influence a male Cobrarian had within the Nest, and given how essential they were to breeding…it would be a lot.

He sighed, not envying the position the Cobrarian was in. Like he had told Shun, it was bound to happen eventually. But it bad timing for it to start happening now of all times. In either event, he needed to speak to Sareech as soon as possible, but after he attempted to determine a way into the Nulorian.

He quickly committed everything regarding the current investigation on Sareech to memory, and logged out of the computer. Standing, he turned to go and speak with the Operations Handler. Vacation was over, time to get to work.

---

Mars Orbit, Forward Observation Station

Ravarian was angry.

No, he amended with a sigh, angry was not the right word in this situation. He was irritated.

And the next logical question, would be why the Zar'Chon of the largest intelligence organization in the galaxy be angry? For once, it wasn't about the situation on Earth, which was actually starting to stabilize, because the Battlemaster was an actual professional who had a job and did it well. Unlike some others in the current leadership.

No, he was irritated because the figure before him was the image of…he wasn't entirely sure. But it certainly wasn't the image of a competent professional Ethereal wanting to work with him. Quisilia was an Ethereal who could do as he pleased, but Ravarian was truly wishing for the days before being officially transferred here, when Quisilia was a fairly serious overseer who occasionally made a smart comment.

He actually wished Sicarius was back, at least she had let him do his job and didn't interfere even if she clearly had no interest. Now he was constantly concerned that Quisilia was going to post something that compromised entire operations. He despised the fact that his morning routine consisted of waking up and immediately checking that infernal Human site Twitter and hoping that Quisilia hadn't made some vague hint about future plans, or worse, posted a selfie with his actual face in some attempt to…taunt XCOM?

Ravarian was still not sure what Quisilia's end game was, but he was always relieved if all that happened was Quisilia getting into a meme war, or better yet, being completely silent. He now had a Zararch analyst now watching all of the Ethereal's social media, and all of them were torn between thinking it was fake or a traitor, because of course there was no way that it was an actual Ethereal.

Whatever his reasoning, Ravarian could barely fathom how…stupid Quisilia was sometimes. He'd raised the point – many times – that ADVENT and XCOM were watching. And the cheerful Ethereal laughed and said he hoped they were.

Well, if nothing else, this had assured Ravarian that Quisilia wasn't going to ever kill him for gross disrespect. Some of the thoughts he had-including now-were not at all complementary to the good Ethereal before him, and Quisilia seemed more amused by that than anything else. But he was beginning to get a handle on his new eccentrics.

And now Quisilia had decided to go ahead and make himself look like even more of a joke. Because standing before him, in his regular robes and armor, Quisilia looked almost normal. Were it not for the white-haired cat cradled in one lower hand, with the other one affectionately stroking the top of its head. The infernal ball of fur was, of course, purring contentedly as Quisilia waited for him to begin.

Needless to say, he was not amused.

Even less so when Quisilia had said that the name of the cat was "Fluffy". Ravarian gritted his teeth as the ridiculousness of the picture became more apparent. He was about to have a serious discussion with an Ethereal who could kill everyone here without anyone noticing, that trolled people on the Internet for fun, and was now petting a cat.

"Quisilia, you did quarantine the stations Nartha visited, correct?" He began slowly.

"Yes, of course," Quisilia confirmed. "I suspect that had we not known about his motives, we would have never suspected him until it is too late. But no matter, the facilities are temporarily closed until we know how best to stop this virus."

Ravarian sighed. "Well clearly, something didn't go according to plan. Sectoids across Helion-3 are apparently…ill."

Quisilia stopped stroking the cat's back. "Symptoms?"

"Sluggish, listless, and their limited telepathy is distorted," Ravarian recalled grimly. "The ones most affected have yellow pus building in their eyes. The Sectoids have already isolated the contaminated workers, and are likely now affected as well."

The Ethereal was silent for a few moments. Ravarian cocked his head. "Quisilia?"

The Elder chuckled. "A brilliant move, Commander."

"I'm sorry?" Ravarian interrupted. "I highly doubt he was behind this since only Nartha had the agent."

"No, I believe we are seeing the Commander's plan at work," Quisilia said, raising a free hand. "But we…miscalculated. We believed that Nartha only needed to distribute the bioweapon for it to work, but I do believe we didn't account for him being infected beforehand."

Ravarian started. "Impossible. He was screened for illnesses and agents. Nothing was detected."

"Of course nothing was detected," Quisilia answered. "It only affects Sectoids. And since it clearly is a genetically based bioweapon, our scanners wouldn't have detected it, not to mention it would be difficult to notice unless you knew about it beforehand."

"Damn it," Ravarian cursed, borrowing a human phrase. "I think he mentioned it was specifically designed to be transferrable in every way possible. Air, liquid, food. He's been a walking bioweapon ever since he arrived…" he sucked in his breath. "And since we were exposed to him…"

"We are as well," Quisilia finished. "Nartha was not aware of this. I would have learned as much. But the Commander, or perhaps Vahlen, infected him without his knowledge so he wouldn't be able to reveal it if he was caught. A brilliant contingency plan. One we have fallen for."

Ravarian felt his grudging respect for the Commander go up a few notches. "And if that is the case, we have a possible catastrophe on our hands. We have to assume the worst and that everyone here is infected, and if one of the Sectoid planets is contaminated, one of the shipyards, then potentially much of the species is as well."

"I will be informing Revelean of the immediate change of plans," Quisilia nodded. "We need to figure this disease out before it completely decimates the Sectoid ranks. I will be speaking to the Hive Commanders about suspending all operations and purging contaminated systems."

Ravarian nodded. "This is going to severely slow down operations, but better that than losing an entire species."

"Oh, all we lose of value is time," Quisilia amended, beginning to stroke the cat's head again, which nuzzled his hand affectionately. "The drones can be replaced, and only the Hive Commanders are of any real value. It will take time to clone replacements, but perhaps they'll realize that their idiotic reliance on templates is highly flawed. The scientist Vahlen was clever. She used their genetic similarity against them and they are paying the price. An expensive one, but perhaps necessary. It will not affect operations on Earth. We have enough Andromedons, Mutons and Vitakara to handle one planet of Humans."

Ravarian sighed and turned his mechanical hand palm up as a holographic report appeared as he recalled it from memory. "The Battlemaster will not be happy."

"No, he'll be overjoyed, I think," Quisilia nodded. "He despises the little grays. It will not affect his plans in the least."

Ravarian was no fan of the Sectoids either, truth be told they were unnerving in even a way Quisilia wasn't, in a way the Ravaged One hadn't been, but seeing Nartha's own report, the initial signs of the bioweapon and the Commander's own noted history, he wouldn't wish a bioweapon dreamed up by him on anyone.

The Commander always had an ulterior motive here, there was always something deeper than mass genocide. The Commander exploited psychological warfare, and wouldn't hesitate using an entire species as a giant message or warning that would say fight us and this will be you next. They might be able to suppress this, perhaps, but people were going to ask questions.

The soldiers would definitely being talking amongst themselves when Sectoids began disappearing, or worse, saw the infected ones. Morale would drop. The Andromedons would almost certainly demand answers, and the Hive Commanders would demand to know how something like this could ever happen to begin with.

It made his irritation of Quisilia and his cat trite by comparison. Although that cat was probably now a walking bioweapon as well.

"I need to consult with Revelean immediately," Quisilia said, walking away. "Beyond the Sectoid problem, there are several recent events that need to be addressed."

Ravarian eyed him as he left, turning partway towards the retreating Ethereal. "You are actually taking the cat?"

"Oh, of course," Quisilia said, affectionately petting the animal on the head. "Fluffy always brightens up a room. I rather like the little furballs, the Humans were right to domesticate them. You should consider getting one yourself, it might reduce your stress."

Ravarian snorted. "I don't think so. I have-" he stopped speaking as Quisilia vanished right before him, leaving him alone. With a sigh, he turned back to the list of operations he had to go over. He figured he might as well check on what Nartha was doing and make sure the traitor wasn't causing any more damage than he already had.

---

Vitakar, Intha Mullestha Distribution Center

Nartha ignored the large unloading area that was bustling with shipping airships landing and leaving, much of it automated with Mullestha managers making sure everything was in order. Instead, he decided that it would be more prudent to locate Forial as soon as possible and make sure no one could actually listen to their conversation.

The transparent barrier dissipated as he stepped through, and ignored the receptionist, flashing his Zararch ID at her before stepping into the main tram and directing it to the security section. The tram immediately shot to the right and a few minutes later, he stepped out into the clean security center lobby.

Two guards and a captain waited in front of the door which led to the more secure parts of the security center. All of them were Vitakarians, wearing gray vests that would survive perhaps one shot of plasma before penetration, with the Mullestha logo on the right shoulder patch. The two soldiers held Vitakarian plasma rifles, more streamlined and sleek than the ones the Mutons used, which gleamed with a faint silver sheen.

The soldiers wore simple face-obscuring helmets of the same gray color, with the exception of the captain who simply had an ear implant. He frowned upon Nartha's approach. "I was not expecting company."

Nartha smiled. "No, you weren't. I need to access your security systems." He raised his ID. "Zar'nartha'intha. I need some information."

All of them stiffened, and the captain's eyes widened in surprise…and fear. "I see, how can we assist, agent?"

"With luck, you won't need to," Nartha said. "Like I said, I need access to your security systems. I need to ask several questions of one of your associates. I doubt it will take long, but the fewer who are aware of this, the better."

The captain nodded. "I see. Follow me, agent." He turned and Nartha followed him into a narrow corridor and then to the second door on the right. The captain scanned his own ID and the metal panels parted and he stepped inside, Nartha close behind him.

Inside was a room with dozens of holoprojectors and haptic screens, all displaying footage from the various cameras, drones and other surveillance equipment installed throughout the facility grounds. An older Vitakarian woman walked up, in a similar uniform, a frown on her face. "Captain? Who are-"

"Zararch," the captain cut off quickly, not needing to say any more.

She swallowed. "How can we help?"

Nartha turned to them, hands clasped behind his back. Good, he had their attention and the fear of the Zararch would come in use here. And perhaps if they were privy to some 'confidential' information, it might go even more smoothly. "I trust that both of you can be discreet?" He made sure to have the underlying threat in his voice. It was coming back rather naturally.

At their nods, he continued. "One of your associates, Mul'forial'intha has come under suspicion and I need to question her. I need her current location."

The security officer nodded and gave the instructions to one of her subordinates while Nartha continued. "We have identified several possible Nulorian contacts, all of which are being…dealt with now. We do know that the Nulorian are watching this distribution center, and may have possibly compromised your security, especially if Forial is implicated."

"Agent, I am positive our security has not been compromised," the security chief said quickly. "If you want-"

"I tend to agree," Nartha interrupted, raising a hand to cut her off. "However, I will not take chances, and I do not want to tip them off if they have. Set all current surveillance equipment into a loop until I finish questioning her."

The Vitakarian woman's eyes widened. "All of-"

"All. Of. It." Nartha repeated slowly and deliberately, narrowing his own eyes to blue slits. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

She visibly swallowed. "We will do it-"

"Good," he finished, turning around. "And I will return when I have finished to verify you have performed as asked."

The captain quickly got his attention. "Forial is in her office. Manager Section, room 225."

Nartha gave a nod. "Thank you, captain. Your assistance has been noted." With that he walked away until her was back on the tram and directed it towards the appropriate sector. He was confident they would follow his directions, and he knew enough about standard Vitakarian computer systems to know if they were foolish enough to try and ignore his orders.

The fear and respect the populace still had for the Zararch clearly hadn't dimmed, thankfully. It wasn't pleasant, but it made his work much less noticeable and that was what he needed right now. He was in fairly nondescript clothing himself, the gray uniform of a Mullestha field unloader in fact. Uniforms were especially handy in places like these, and he didn't stand out among the Vitakarians here.

Upon reaching his destination, he stepped out into a shining white lobby and, ignoring the receptionist and other Vitakara in the room, proceeded to the appropriate room. No one had yet stopped him, and presumed that he was supposed to be there or had some otherwise valid reason. The offices themselves were fairly small cubicles, all segmented from each other with white walls and harsh white light from the ceilings.

Nartha located room 225 and the door slid open as the sensor detected his approach. The Vitakarian woman looked up in surprise, eyes widening as she watched him enter smoothly, a knowing smile on his face as he carefully made sure to visibly lock the door behind her. "Mul'forial'intha, I presume?"

Forial was sitting behind a desk with a haptic screen displaying what he presumed was distribution information, and probably performing her normal tasks. "Yes…I am…" she answered hesitantly. "May I ask who you are?"

Nartha pulled out an audio disrupter, turned it on and set it on her desk. While he was sure the security footage would be set to a loop, there was a possibility that her room was already bugged, and he preferred not to have to worry about someone eavesdropping their conversation. The audio disruptor emitted an inaudible signal, but one that would turn any recording into high-pitched screeching.

"Zar'nartha'intha," he answered, taking a seat opposite her. "I would like to ask just a few questions."

He saw several quick thoughts flash through her eyes. Surprise, fear, panic, and immediately tried to clamp down on her expressions, but it was already too late. However, it wasn't an admission of guilt. Probably everyone would feel that way after receiving a visit from a Zararch agent. "What about?" She asked slowly, deliberately trying to keep her voice level.

Nartha smiled. "Normally I would ask several questions in an attempt to trap you, but I have neither the time nor inclination to do so. Thus, Forial, I will be blunt: You are currently under suspicion for connections to the Nulorian, specifically, this." He withdrew his holoprojector and displayed the images of her speaking with the Nulorian operative, then it flashed to reveal the manifest of the items sold to him.

Forial's eyes widened even more, and he turned his voice colder. "You have one chance to answer honestly, Forial. First, did you know he was Nulorian? And second, if so, I would like to know your reasons." He shut off the projector. "Understand that if I even get a hint that you're lying, I will take you to the Sectoids for psionic interrogation. Tell the truth and, well, let's say it will turn out much better for you. For starters, you will not be arrested and all charges will be dropped in return for your cooperation."

She bit her lower lip, trembling slightly. Until finally she relented. "I didn't know he was Nulorian the first time, I swear. But…I did find out later."

Nartha nodded. "Good. You're smart enough to not lie. Why?"

"Because, Zar'nartha'intha, I know what you're doing," she suddenly snarled, clearly expecting to die now that her treachery was revealed. "The Zararch, Lurainian, even the Aui'Vitakar. All of you are traitors to our species, thralls to your Elder puppetmasters and have the gall to lie to us every day. And anyone who even speaks out disappears."

"Yes," she hissed at him. "Not all of us are blind or stupid. When people suddenly go missing, we notice it. When people I know suddenly vanish it suddenly becomes very clear just who is in charge here." She folded her arms. "I know about Vitakar-12, agent. And if I can help the Nulorian blow up the sick monsters responsible for that…then I'm certainly going to do it!"

Vitakar-12…He was unfamiliar with the name. He would have to look into that later. But the woman was a terrible spy, which fortunately suited his purposes well. He clasped his hands together. "Yes, I agree."

"That's what I-" she froze, and narrowed her eyes to blue slits. "What?"

"An impressive speech, for sure," he complimented. "And I agree. The Vitakara are too beholden to the Ethereals. The Zararch in particular are little more than direct tools. You're very lucky I took this assignment, otherwise you would be facing a rather thorough interrogation from the Zararch. If the agent didn't shoot you out of disgust. But it seems it's your lucky day."

She blinked rapidly. "Are you…what…? Why?"

Nartha sighed. "I don't suppose you've heard about Earth? The Humans?"

"Some," she admitted. "We don't get much information about that. I'm focused on other duties anyway."

"I've been there," he said. "The Humans are fighting the Collective. I think they can win, and as I see it, this may be the only opportunity to free the Vitakara from the grip of the Ethereals."

Forial straightened in her seat. "Victory against the Elders is impossible. Not completely. Even as much as I would like to believe it…the most the Nulorian will be able to do is avenge. Not openly rebel."

Nartha pulled out a chip. "Perhaps I can make it clearer…the Humans killed an Elder. I have proof."

She audibly gasped as he continued. "Everything on that chip is from a Human paramilitary group called XCOM. They've been fighting the Collective since the beginning. They have psions. They have acquired the technology. Like I said, they killed an Elder and I think they can ultimately win." She took it with a trembling hand. "Unlike what you seem to believe…not everyone in the Zararch is blind to the reality. But most of us don't see a way to change it. But change is never going to come by doing nothing. My time with the Humans was…inspiring in a way. I'll probably die, but I believe a difference can be made now, and I'm going to take it."

She nodded, looking back to him. "I…I guess you choose me for a reason then?"

"Yes," he nodded. "When I return to the Zararch, I will simply say that you had no knowledge of his Nulorian connections, and I have coopted you as a contact should he appear again. The Zararch will file it away and you can go on with your life. You will have protection status as an asset, and I will take the role of your handler. I would suggest you be discreet, but your…purchases will likely not attract as much attention, especially if I say you are working to expose a Nulorian cell."

He leaned back in his chair. "For what I need? Get that chip to the Nulorian. Tell them I want to help and will be attempting to forge connections in the Aui'Vitakar. They are not the enemy and are just as frustrated as you regarding the lack of answers. But I want to meet them, preferably sooner than later as the Zar'Chon will likely recall me within days. Tell them I've worked directly with XCOM, and have Level 2 Security Clearance."

She sucked in her breath. "You are that highly placed?"

Nartha shrugged. "I did say I reported to the Zar'Chon. Can you do that?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes I can. How should I contact you?"

He handed her a piece of paper. "That is the encrypted line I've established. I don't want it on record, but I should be able to be contacted on it. Pass it on to your Nulorian friends as well."

"I will," she promised. "I-"

"And I'll add," Nartha said. "Practice your acting. I have plausible deniability here. Betray me and I'll ensure your entire family is sent to wherever Vitakar-12 is."

Her pale gray skin turned a shade lighter. "Wait…you really don't know?"

"No, I've never heard about it," he admitted with a shrug, standing. "But after your little speech, I'm going to look into it. Perhaps you can give me an overview?"

She shuddered. "It's where they send the dissidents," she whispered. "Where they have the Sectoids experiment on us. I…I think the Nulorian should give you any specifics. Don't try finding it either…they warned me that people that look into it also disappear."

Nartha pursed his lips. She was unfortunately right. Looking into it, if it was really as…vile…as she suggested…he would imagine that the Zar'Chon would have no problem killing him to keep something that dark a secret. "Thank you for telling me. Until later, Mul'forial'intha."

He exited the building, both elated that it had gone so well, and almost shaken at what the implications of Vitakar-12 really were. In truth…he wasn't entirely surprised.

But he had thought the Zar'Chon better than sending dissidents to be test subjects for the Sectoids. That fate he wouldn't wish upon anyone. The horrors of the Earth Sectoid Hive had been enough to drive that point home very clearly.

It was becoming clearer that he was doing the right thing. Small steps, but he was on the right path and just had to keep it that way without being discovered.

For now, anyway.

---

Blacksite 002 – ID: "Forge" – Overseer: Revelean

While the Battlemaster waited for Revelean to finish his current project, he was taking advantage of the geneticist's own CODEX system to get status updates from his own subordinates, all of whom were present at this time.

"It appears ADVENT is determined to hold Seattle," J'Loran stated. "If I am to break their lines, I will need a much larger force."

"Alternative," Disciple-7 interrupted in his grunting monotone. "Simply neutralize the city entirely. The civilian population is evacuated and there is no risk of collateral damage otherwise. I estimate that the destruction of such a well-known city would significantly damage the morale of local forces and United States civilian population."

"And it might compel Aegis to act," the Battlemaster pointed out. "I would prefer to avoid that at this time. J'Loran, how many modified Mutons are left?"

J'Loran paused before answering, his bulk oddly still. "There are…a fair amount. However, the iteration is flawed and I have begun modification on a newer generation. Now that Patricia has fought them, she is well aware of their weaknesses. They will not be nearly as effective the second time, and there is a greater chance XCOM will not retaliate with a telepath against me."

The Battlemaster nodded, it was expected. "The fact remains that both Seattle and Portland need to be taken before we advance much further. The southwest is largely secured, thanks to my own efforts and Disciple-7. The civilian population is also placated and additional Sargons are maintaining order."

"Indeed," Disciple-7 nodded. "I have already drafted plans to target Las Vegas. I expect that the population there will not pose much of a threat and there is little strategic work in keeping it secure for ADVENT. However, it is a major cultural icon that would no doubt have an adverse effect on the population. I estimate the risk of advancing there would be low, including factors such as that we have the southwest as you noted, and major cities are few and far between."

Irinena growled, her golden form shimmering. "I have read about the city. I would simply burn it to the ground. There is little value in preserving such a hub of depravity."

"I do not disagree, in fact," Disciple-7 surprisingly supported. "The city has little worth to us, and serves primarily as a hub for Human entertainment and luxurious excess. Their wealth is of little value to us, and in my estimation, the morale of the United States population would be reduced three times as much by publicly destroying their icons as opposed to simply capturing the city."

J'Loran hummed to himself. "I am continually impressed by your logical thinking, Sargon. Unfortunate that your brethren are so…restricted."

"I am not opposed to destroying the city," Irinena noted, baring her teeth. "However, it would be handicapped by the presence of civilians, unless you wish to include them in the destruction."

"I will handle that," the Battlemaster dismissed with a nod. "I believe I can solve multiple issues at the same time. The Humans have apparently decided to suppress my involvement in subduing San Francisco. That will be remedied. I will inform ADVENT of our impending attack on Las Vegas. They may decide to abandon it, or they may defend it. Such is irrelevant. However, they will work to evacuate the civilian population. Once that is completed, I will raze the city to the ground, and broadcast it for all to see."

J'Loran chuckled. "Quisilia will love it."

"Indeed," the Battlemaster noted wryly. "However, what he likes is irrelevant. While I destroy Las Vegas, we will assault Portland and Seattle again in renewed numbers. Disciple-7, you will lead the attack on Portland once more, and J'Loran, you will take Seattle."

Irinena was silent until he turned to her. "And you will perform a different function. I have been utilizing the Vitakara poorly and the Lurainian in particular. Using you as simple soldiers was not wise, and you do not have the correct mindset for large-scale warfare. So I will utilize you differently." He waved a hand and another image appeared in the middle of them, the continent of Europe. "I want to distract XCOM. Europe is seen as impenetrable. And the reality is that it is without significant losses on our part. But they will not expect a quick strike."

Irinena nodded faintly. "And my objective, Battlemaster? Destruction? Conquest?"

"Distraction," the Battlemaster clarified. "You will take a Gateway Transport to France and deploy it in the middle of Paris, you are free to construct your attack however you wish, but the objective is to cause as much chaos and panic as possible. Provoke an XCOM response. Provoke an ADVENT response. Once they are fully occupied…we will launch our attacks in the United States. Retreat when my signal is transmitted."

He changed the image to that of what appeared to be a floating orb with a glowing red 'eye'. The metal plating around the eye was clearly able to be segmented, but otherwise it looked unremarkable. "In addition, you will be fielding a new creation from Blacksite 001, simply dubbed, the Gatekeeper. I have been assured that it will be able to defend the Gateway from unwanted assault. The full details will be sent to you."

He looked around at all of them. "I do not want to destroy Seattle, not yet. Nor Portland. Create your battle plans and report to me within one week. I want to launch this assault no later than two weeks, and I will warn the Humans of the attack on Las Vegas within four standard days. Battlemaster out."

The golden figures vanished and he swiftly turned and exited the CODEX communication center and into Revelean's station of horrors. He didn't know a more accurate way to describe it. The entire Blacksite was segmented into multiple sections. Each level was for running experiments on different species, and more were constructed should he need it. He had just added a Human level in fact. Right now he was on the Vitakara level, and what it contained was somewhat disconcerting, even for him.

The level was segmented not by experimentation type, like the others, but by race. Each segment had stacks of pods holding various Vitakara in stasis until they were used. Revelean had the interesting habit of preserving several specimens after death, and turning them into little more than realistic statues which he placed throughout the facility as decoration.

The Battlemaster snorted as he walked through the facility. To his dubious credit, Revelean was not overly cruel. Not like the Creator, though even her actions might be the mere result of her instability. It was a common sight to see Vitakara cut into various pieces or autopsied on tables, but they were always either dead or chemically sedated.

That being said, Revelean wasn't opposed to inflicting pain. Dispassionate. That was the best word to describe him. It wasn't uncommon for pain-tolerance tests to occur here, especially if he was testing out various genetic enhancements on them, and there of course were the test pens where he kept the results of his genetic manipulation. He was rather fond of splicing various traits of the races together, all of course to one final goal.

Revelean had determined long ago that the Vitakara races were useless and each one had strengths the other lacked. Thus, his somewhat dubious goal (In the Battlemaster's eyes), was to eventually return all Vitakara into one singular race once more. He had listened to Revelean go on and on about the usefulness of such a process, because he was convinced that he could eventually evolve the Vitakara into shapeshifters.

True shapeshifters, not the Faceless creatures whose usefulness was sadly limited. It wasn't surprising that Revelean also had quite a few of the lumbering wax-like creatures cut up here as well, since incorporation of their own genetic malleability would be essential to turning the Vitakara into a shapeshifter race.

Personally, the Battlemaster was skeptical that such a scheme could, or even should, be done. It was something he would have expected the Creator to try and do, but the fact that Revelean had begun to do so indicated to him that it was at least theoretically possible.

The genius Ethereal geneticist himself was currently maneuvering some incomprehensible machine over a Dath'Haram male, the arm specifically, probably going to try some new genetic sequence. Unlike most Ethereals, Revelean wore very modest clothing. He wore no robes or armor, but simple white form-fitting coverings over his torso, arms, legs and white gloves on his hands.

His helm was thinner and resembled something like an armored skullcap, fitting the shape of his head closely, and closing around his nose and mouth, while leaving the eyes exposed. His helm also had the capability to deploy magnifiers for each eye, one of which was over his right one as he worked on the Dath'Haram.

"I have finished," the Battlemaster interrupted bluntly. "You wanted to talk with me?"

"Ah, certainly, Battlemaster," the smooth reverberating voice answered, each syllable echoing at least a half second after it was uttered. "I trust that your plans are proceeding."

The Battlemaster made a dismissive wave. "Yes. What do you want?"

"Patience," Revelean chastised as he straightened, even at his full height of nine feet, the Battlemaster still towered over him. "I actually have some updates from the Creator herself. Or Blacksite 001, if you prefer."

The Battlemaster cocked his head. "Interesting. Why would she inform us of her work now?"

Revelean chuckled. "Well, to be fair, I am fairly certain she was calling to brag. She now has yet another pet to add to her collection. You're not going to believe what she did this time."

The armored Ethereal sighed. By 'pet' he supposed it was yet another result of the Creator attempting to integrate Ethereal genetics into the various species. A fool idea that only someone as unstable as her could conceive of as being clever. The first two 'results', that of combining Andromedon and Ethereal genetics, and Vitakarian and Ethereal genetics, had of course resulted in abominations just as insane, if not more so, than the Creator herself.

The first one had killed every assistant associated with its creation, and was a psychopathic bipolar wreck obsessed with pain, torture, combat, and a twisted sense of honor. Supposedly the Creator had to give her dozens of victims a month just to keep her sedated and from losing her mind completely. A useless creation that was far more costly than was worth it. The Creator didn't care, of course, the mere fact that she had been able to construct such a being was reward enough for her.

The second one was much, much worse. Largely because it killed people by just talking with them and driving them insane. Why the Creator had taught the thing telepathy was beyond him, but the result was a twisted thing that was disturbingly intelligent and had unfortunately learned Quisilia's sarcasm and believed itself a superior being, sometimes even to other Ethereals. Naturally he and Quisilia were friends. Typical. As was Isomnum of all Ethereals, though given his methods, the Battlemaster was not surprised.

Now of course she had done it again. Wonderful. "What happened?"

Revelean raised a finger on one hand. "She incorporated Ethereal and Muton genetics of all things."

A low growl emanated from the Battlemaster's throat. "She appears to believe that because her Blacksite is orbiting the Dead World, that she can do whatever she wants. I will be speaking to the Imperator about purging her creations if this continues."

"For once, I agree with the idea of purging these scientifically momentous achievements," Revelean nodded. "In truth, I was skeptical, and honestly see little reason to do it. But she has done it and that avenue of research is open to us, should we follow it. However, she should have terminated those abominations long ago. This new one in particular is a gibbering maniacal wreck overwhelmed by his psionics and trying to kill everything that gets close to him. The primitive mind of a Muton cannot simply comprehend the power of the Gift."

He shook his head. "However, I did congratulate her. She has done excellent work recently, especially with the Gatekeeper, so I feel it appropriate to let her explore her irrational ideas. If the Imperator tires of her experiments, he will interfere, simple as that. But as interesting as this is, I did want to inform you of my latest orders from the Imperator."

The Battlemaster narrowed his eyes. The Imperator almost never interfered or gave orders with Revelean, so this was…intriguing. "What are they?"

Revelean had an odd note in his voice. "The Imperator wants me to resume work on the Avatar Project."

The Battlemaster was unable to hide his surprise. "It was deemed a failure centuries ago. We expanded too many resources to begin with. You determined it wasn't possible."

"The Imperator seems to disagree," Revelean shrugged. "He thinks that Humans might be the key. Upon some initial investigation, I am wondering the same thing. Humanity is capable of psionics-"

"As were the Sectoids," the Battlemaster reminded him. "Need I remind you of the Hive Commanders that immolated themselves or went insane? The Overmind was…displeased he had to personally alter the memories of the remaining Hive Commanders."

"The point is that it deserves to be investigated," Revelean interrupted. "Which is why I'd prefer you not kill any psions you find. Capture them and bring them to me."

"Why?" The Battlemaster asked bluntly. "Does awakening Human psions pose a challenge?"

"No, but it is a matter of time," Revelean admitted. "Humans at the psionic level and mastery that are useful here will take months or years to properly achieve. And the Imperator…well, I believe he wanted answers on even just if it was possible rather soon. I am, of course, awakening Humans, but I would prefer that to be a contingency, nothing more."

The Battlemaster was silent, before sighing. "I will see what I can do."

"I don't expect it should pose too much of an issue," Revelean stated with confidence. "After all, I have yet to see an instance of Humanity that would even give you pause."

"Oh, we're starting up the Avatar Project again?" A new voice interrupted, and the Battlemaster turning with some resignation to see Quisilia walking up to them. "This will be interesting."

The Battlemaster stared. "Quisilia…why are you holding a cat?"

Indeed, the former Imperial Shadow was holding some white feline in his lower arms, absentmindedly petting it. The entire picture looked…wrong…to him. And disrupted the somber nature of the discussion. Which was not helped by Quisilia's companion at his side. "And why is there a…tiger…with you." The Battlemaster was convinced that animal at his side was such a creature. It was one of the animals from Earth that fascinated him.

The tiger actually seemed docile, and now that Quisilia had stopped, laid down around his feet and started purring, a low rumble that would have terrified any sane person. In truth, the animal was rather small compared to his own height; not even coming up to his knee, but he was still wondering what Quisilia was doing with such a creature.

Quisilia raised a free hand. "I'll get to that, but Revelean, there is a slight issue with the Sectoids."

"Really," Revelean asked dryly. "What now?"

Quisilia cocked his head. "The short version is that I made an error. You recall the Sectoid bioweapon Nartha revealed that XCOM made?"

Revelean nodded. "And you said you had it under control and I could assume control of the Quarantine zones."

"About that," Quisilia said slowly. "It turned out that the bioweapon is indeed transferable cross-species, and Nartha was, unknowingly, infected with it. And in turn, infecting everyone around him, and ultimately leading to what I fear to be a majority of the Sectoid population being infected as well. If we do not act, I am afraid our Sectoid numbers will be decimated in the coming months."

Revelean was silent for a few moments. "You will inform the Imperator of your error, since he was rather insistent that the Avatar Project be completed soon. This new situation takes precedence, but you will bear any punishment for this failure, Quisilia. And I will attempt to clean up your mess. I thought you insisted that you could control this traitor?"

"This had very little to do with Nartha," Quisilia answered, shaking his head. "At least, knowingly. Even if I had killed him the moment I learned he was a traitor, the damage could still be done. He was a walking bioweapon the moment he landed on Mars and unknowingly contaminated hundreds of workers. This situation would have still arisen. I will, of course, inform the Imperator."

Privately, the Battlemaster could not have cared less about the Sectoids dying of a genetic bioweapon. He had half a mind to find some way to save the Human scientist who had conceived it for himself, since anyone smart enough to realize that the Sectoids were a blight upon the galaxy was one he wanted working for himself.

"Now, as for the tiger," Quisilia said, turning to him. "I got him for you as a pet."

The Battlemaster narrowed his eyes. "A pet?"

"Yes, a pet," Quisilia repeated happily. "Fluffy here has made me realize how nice it is to have them. It's very relaxing. The furballs are rather cute, and the Humans are smart to have realized that pets are an excellent quality of life improvement. Besides, cats pretty much take care of themselves, and more to the point, everyone else struggles to wrap their minds around me having one," he finished with a laugh.

The Battlemaster was not convinced. "Self-sufficient or not, I don't have time to devote to this animal. And why a tiger?"

"Please," Quisilia dismissed. "A regular house cat is the size of one of your hands. You need something big enough that you won't kill accidentally. Besides, I figure he would be useful in combat. Tigers are predators after all, and Humans fear them."

The Battlemaster looked down at the feline stretching out on the ground and sighed. "I see why you get along with the Creator. Your ideas are as unhinged as hers." Practically speaking, he could probably find a use for this tiger. Maybe not as a pet, but the only ones who could keep up with him in combat were chryssalids or other Ethereals, and since he would never use the former, perhaps it would be interesting to have a combat companion his speed.

Although…he eyed the tiger. It was going to have to be improved significantly. Otherwise it would be shot dead in seconds. Perhaps a project for Fectorian? A short distraction to cybernetically improve an Earth creature? Yes, he could see a way to present this to Fectorian.

"Not one for me?" Revelean asked mockingly.

"Absolutely not," Quisilia stated, almost sounding offended. "If I gave one to you, it would end up on some cutting board and dissected. I only give cats to people who appreciate them, thank you very much."

Revelean chuckled, a definitely strange conclusion to a meeting which would have ramifications across the entire Collective.

---

Vitakar, Aui'Vitakar Assembly Chambers

The center of Vitakarian government was just as impressive as ever. The Chambers themselves were massive, sleek and with soft white angles that protruded far above any other building in the capital. It was one of the only buildings to break convention and construct upwards instead of horizontal. However, Nartha would not be entering the physical chambers today and instead headed to the Cobrarian Hierarchy Embassy, where all their representatives were stationed when not in session.

Everything had to be kept to regulation, which meant that there was no sand or vegetation in the Embassy, which was no doubt something they would have wanted. Although there were special mats that were the equivalent of chairs for the Cobrarians, who coiled their lower bodies on them. The air was also arid and hotter than usual, which was to be expected. Even the mild climate of the Capital was almost cold for them, though many had adapted to it.

It was fairly busy, as many schools took groups of young Vitakara to the capital, although the goal was to learn more about the different races than specific government, so in addition to them, there were aides, soldiers, guards and other representatives going about their business. He slipped through the crowds unnoticed, acutely aware of how many Zararch agents were stationed throughout just this area, all watchers for the representatives. Some were aides, some were friends, and others were guards. All were spies keeping tabs on assuredly more than just their charges.

Sareech herself was fairly close, and her own personal aide, another young Cobrarian, Aui'hisrath'lasa, was her unknown Zararch spy, a rare Cobrarian Zararch agent. He had let her know beforehand that he was coming "on business" and she had agreed that he would not be disturbed. He outranked her by a significant margin, so it wasn't difficult to get past her.

She actually inclined her head as he walked up, and the doors parted as he stepped into the office of the Cobrarian representative. It was fairly larger for an office, with clean white walls, chairs to accommodate all races and lit by a Cobrarian Heat Lamp, which had the adverse effect of making the entire room hot.

Sareech herself was behind a tan desk, her lower body coiled up on one of the mats, and her upper half was dressed in the typical Cobrarian Representative uniform: A brown cloth vest-like garment that bore no markings aside from the emblem of the Hierarchy on the shoulder pad. The hood of the garment was down, exposing the reptilian face of the representative.

Nartha did admit that the Cobrarians were a race that did occasionally make him nervous being around. They were strikingly different from every other race, with perhaps the exception of the Sar'Manda. How they were even the same species was amazing, but such was the power of Vitakara genetics.

Sareech was fairly old, from what he could tell. Her scales were a pale yellow, scratched in places and her diamond-shaped head was actually turning white in some places. Nevertheless, she was one of the most influential figures in the Hierarchy, even if she was a mere representative now. She tilted her head as he walked in and took a seat. "[Hello, Vitakarian,]" she began in their language, unable to properly form words of the Basic language all other races used. Fortunate that he could understand it. "[May I help you?]"

"I hope so," Nartha nodded. "I don't suppose you know who I am?" At this he activated his Audio Disruptor.

She flicked out her forked tongue."[…no, but you taste different than the others. You have been off world. Earth.]"

He widened his eyes. "Impressive. How did you know?"

She hissed, which was Cobrarian for a chuckle. He hoped. "[Because I've spoken with those who have returned. Soldiers. Lurainian. Runianarch. Zararch. All who came from Earth tasted as you did, with the faint scent of the Humans on them. Which are you?]"

He inclined his head. "Zararch, honored representative. Zar'nartha'intha."

She visibly tensed, coiling up tighter like a spring. "[Zararch…I see. And why would you wish to speak to me, agent?]"

Nartha laced his fingers together, and rested his hands on the table. "Let us say for now it is simple curiosity. I have disrupted any devices eavesdropping on us, so we can speak freely, although the cameras are still working. But returning to the topic at hand, I don't suppose you are aware you have been marked as a potential issue by the Zararch? Or that forty of your fellow representatives have been flagged as such?"

She flicked out her tongue again. "[I suspected I was, it is no surprise. I am aware how you…operate. However…I did not realize it extended to so many of my sisters. Why?]"

"That, is what I want to determine," Nartha continued. "Specifically, have you pressed for additional information on Earth? Introduced motions affecting Vitakara military policy? Supported controversial positions?"

Sareech shut off the haptic displays and eyed him curiously. "[The Hierarchy does not approve of how much is…unknown…regarding this new species. Naturally they have asked us, as representatives, to learn what we can. However it seems….few…are interested in the truth. The Runianarch and Lurainian say it's too sensitive, and the Collective is not forthcoming either. I'm certain you can understand that, and with the…issues…currently in the Hierarchy, we have enough to deal with without wondering what is happening without our knowledge.]"

Nartha nodded. "I suspected as much. And that is why you are under watch, as well as an entire third of the Aui'Vitakar. The Collective does not wish anything involving the war to become public knowledge."

"[It does not need to be public!]" She hissed. "[But we have a right to know what our people are fighting and dying for! People come to us for answers and we can offer nothing. We have no choice, and if the Zararch doesn't understand that-]"

"Calm, Representative," Nartha placated, raising a hand. "I believe I can give you some information…provided you don't use it recklessly." His tone turned cold to drive home his point. "Understand that everything I will tell you will mark you for death by the Zararch should it be used carelessly. Do you still want me to explain?"

Hesitance, then a nod. "Good," Nartha continued. "The war against the Humans is not going as well as you are hearing, if you have heard anything at all. They have reverse-engineered Collective technology and are using it to defend themselves. It has gotten to the point where the Elders themselves are taking part in the conquest. Most notably the Battlemaster and previously Ethereals Sicarius and the Ravaged One."

She tilted her head. "[I do not recognize the names, save the Battlemaster.]"

"They are isolated figures," Nartha clarified. "But what you need to know is that the Humans, specifically and organization called XCOM, killed the Ravaged One. I have proof, and I was there."

She visibly recoiled. "[How could they kill an Elder?]" She hissed in amazement. "[It should be impossible…]"

Nartha gave a slight smile. "You can see why they want this information…suppressed. After the Ravaged One died, that was when the war began in earnest. Despite what you might have heard…the Humans have the ability to fight back, and possibly win. Their people are also capable of wielding psionics.]"

"[This changes everything,]" Sareech hissed furiously. "[They truly thought they could keep this from us? We have tolerated the insolence of the Collective too long. We must demand answers!]"

Good, she was on the right track. "I would avoid that," he cautioned. "Trust me, I feel the same way. Which is why I'm telling you this. But you can't act immediately, not unless you want to draw the Zararch out, and they will kill you. I wouldn't even take this to the Hierarchy, not yet. It would look too suspicious if you were to suddenly leave after we spoke. I wouldn't mention this to anyone yet either. But wait at least a few days, preferably, a week, then return to the Hierarchy. Decide what to do then."

He subtly left a chip on the table. "There is proof. And if you want to get answers of a different sort…have you ever heard of Vitakar-12?"

She cocked her head. "[Sectoid naming convention? Are you referring to Viennith? It's a dead planet, desolate and abandoned. Why?]"

Nartha pursed his lips. "I've received some potential information that is…disturbing, if true. However, you say it hasn't been touched. Are there mineral deposits? Anything of use?"

"[The entire moon could be mined for resources,]" she said slowly. "[It's been on the lower end of the agenda for decades. Never gets any traction when there are better projects.]"

"Perhaps you should bump it up," Nartha suggested. "I hope I'm wrong about it, but I would prefer we know everything in our home system. Please don't ask questions. Not yet."

She nodded. "[You have been…helpful…But I suspect this is a means to an end for you. This information isn't handed to me for a reason.]"

He stood. "Let us say I need a friend in the Aui'Vitakar who I can marginally trust. However…before you make any public decisions, or even ones in the Aui'Vitakar relating to this…contact me first. I would prefer you not attract the Zararch and be executed. They will not hesitate to remove one even as influential as you. Now you know why."

He paused. "Take the proof to the Hierarchy when the time comes. Think carefully about the future of our species. Information on how to contact me is on the chip. Good day, Sareech." He turned around and exited.

That had gone…well…he supposed. The shock and outrage he'd seen was genuine, but he was more concerned she would accidentally compromise him and do something rash. That was always a risk, but he had to trust she wasn't an idiot. But if he could get the Hierarchy on his side, things just might start shaping up in his favor.

Assuming of course, he could still continue to trick the Zar'Chon into thinking he was still on the side of the Collective.

---

Supplementary Material

The Advent Directive

SECTION 10: Guidelines for Extraterrestrial Civilizations

Subsection 10.1: Introduction

Overview and Purpose: As humanity is decisively no longer alone in the universe, we must prepare for contact, conflict and diplomacy with other alien civilizations beyond our own and ensure that we establish humanity and ADVENT as the unrelenting and proud voice of our species. We will ensure that humanity never bows or succumbs to alien influences and no alien civilization will hold power over our species without destroying our own in the process.

Alien civilizations must be made to understand that humanity can never operate or negotiate from a position where the alien benefits overwhelmingly from the arrangement or at the expense of Humanity, nor can they be allowed to believe that conflict would result in anything other than their own annihilation. To attack one Human is to attack our species, and ADVENT must take an unrelenting hand in dealing with alien civilizations and put the preservation of human life above all else.

At the same time, ADVENT realizes that not all aliens seek war or destruction with our own, and should be a strong and diplomatic leader to species who choose to ally or work with ADVENT. The extent of friendly relations will be determined on a case by case basis, but alien civilizations can rest assured that ADVENT will never attack unless provoked, be it openly or otherwise.

Humanity seeks not war, but will accept nothing less than total victory for those that oppose us.

Table of Contents:

10.1: Introduction

10.2: Diplomacy for Hostile Alien Forces

10.3: Diplomacy for Friendly/Neutral Alien Forces

10.4: Treatment of Captive Aliens

10.5: Economic Trade Between Friendly Alien Forces

10.6: Alien Citizenship in ADVENT

10.6: Requirements for Declaration of War on Non-Hostile Alien Species