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.

35. Research and Engineering IX

Research and Engineering IX

---

Washington D.C. – United States of America

12/14/2016 – 1:17 P.M.

A funeral was never something he enjoyed attending, which he supposed was a good thing, but it wasn't even that simple for him. The Commander believed funerals should be held to honor and remember the dead by their close friends and family. Funerals were supposed to be personal and private.

He could understand to an extent the thousands at the funeral of Nicole Treduant, finally being held now that D.C. was in an appropriate state, but at the same time turning this into a kind of public, televised event, was not something he supported. Very few of these people had ever known her, and even he wasn't sure he was supposed to be here since it wasn't as though he knew her all that well either.

Yet out of everyone in XCOM, he was the most qualified. And anyone who stood against the Battlemaster and died for it deserved to be remembered.

He gave no speeches or calls to action. Others had done that. Her husband, then the now-President Harry Goldbloom, even Saudia had given a short speech. All had extolled her as a model leader and example of Humanity. All had called for her death not to be forgotten. He had not been ignorant of the glances sent his way, but all he did was sit at his designated seat and listen politely.

He was sad she had died, but he did not mourn. He didn't know her well enough for that, and he doubted she would want them too. Paying his own silent tribute, he simply listened and followed the procession until she was lowered into Arlington Cemetery. Nicole Treduant, the second President to find themselves on an active battlefield, and the first to die in combat.

At the end there was a small memorial where those invited could place mementos, flowers, or other trinkets. Most left exactly those, and he had brought one of his own. It was a small ribbonless medallion shaped into the familiar XCOM emblem. Grey and colorless, the only identifying marks were some short words inscribed on the back of the medallion.

To Nicole Treduant, 45th President of the United States, who gave her life to halt the alien threat. Vigilo Confido.

Generic, he felt, but it summarized what she had done well enough on the limited space. At least she deserved all the attention she was receiving now, and she also probably would approve of becoming a rallying point for ADVENT, and America specifically. She had been an exceptionally popular president and her death had fully secured America as an ADVENT supporter.

To suggest otherwise was nigh-traitorous. American nationalism was finally becoming somewhat useful, as long as it was directed against the aliens, anyway. There were already plans to erect a statue in her honor on the lawn of the White House. ADVENT was going to use her status for all it was worth.

In another time it probably would have been seen in bad taste, but in war they needed every advantage they could.

"At least it didn't rain," Saudia sounded subdued as she walked up. "One thing to be thankful for I suppose."

He grunted, but didn't smile. Saudia looked exactly the same as she always did; so did he, mostly. The natural black of ADVENT and XCOM made for natural funeral attire. Neither of them were armed, though her personal guard were standing just out of earshot and keeping harassers away.

"You're quiet," she finally said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Something I should be aware of? You're not the sentimental type, even if you did respect her."

He pursed his lips, glancing over at her. To say that there was 'something to be aware of' was something of an understatement that all of them were still trying to puzzle out. "Yes," he finally said as the people began filing out. "But not here. It isn't good though."

She took it in stride with a single nod. "How bad?"

"The Imperator has become more involved."

Saudia grimaced. "I suppose that is to be expected. Aegis, and now you took Caelior…" she furrowed her eyebrows. "What ended up happening to him anyway?"

"He's under control. Currently locked away where he isn't a danger."

"Well, the point is the Imperator would become involved at some point," Saudia continued. "I would be more suspicious if he did nothing."

The Commander debated trying to argue the point that the Imperator doing anything meant that it was going to be very, very bad for them. However, she'd learn that soon enough. Nonetheless, she had a point. The Imperator did have some restraint in waiting as long as he did, but it didn't make his actions any easier to tolerate. "You need to prepare the PRIEST Program," he said slowly. "The Restraints are nearly complete."

"A relief," Saudia said, crossing her arms. "Some good news then. I'll be sure to let them know. How soon?"

"Within three weeks."

"Understood," she turned once more to face him. "ADVENT has a lot of work to do. I suspect XCOM is taking advantage of this lull as well. I'll be speaking to you later, Commander. Good luck."

He gave a wry smile. "Appreciated, Chancellor."

Saudia walked off, leaving him standing beside a bunch of empty chairs as everyone in the cemetery began leaving the premises. And he really had no reason to stick around either, since he had no meeting plans here. Those weren't typical for him at funerals. And he had plenty of work to do back at the Praesidium.

However, that didn't seem to stop one particular woman from coming up to him out of the corner of his eye. She stood, appraising him for a brief moment. He raised an eyebrow and turned to her inquisitively. "Are you looking for someone?"

The woman was certainly…unique. Just under six feet, shoulder-length white hair, green eyes, and a scar running vertical over her left eye, and a fairly confrontational pose. She was dressed in something closer to military fatigues than formal dress wear, though certainly none he'd ever really seen. Although after some time, black fatigues all started to look the same.

"You're the Commander of XCOM," she glanced around. "No personal escort? Would have thought you would have one."

He gave a humorless smile. "Unnecessary. I can handle myself just fine."

"So I've heard," she glanced around again, making him wonder who she was. The British accent mostly nailed down where she was from, but she definitely didn't seem to belong here.

"Who are you?" He asked finally. "Most people don't talk to me unless they have a purpose."

"Deepest apologies," she said, quickly extending a hand. "Fiona Dorren. I'm an…associate of a friend of a friend. Think you know of her. Agent Gertrude."

The Commander cocked his head. "You're a survivor of Australia?" He asked, knowing there were two very different possibilities here, one significantly more dangerous than the other. "And I don't remember Agent Gertrude mentioning you."

"Friend of a friend," Fiona repeated. "I was one of Mr. Harper's people."

"When you say that…"

"I mean to say that he would like to let you know he made it out of that dangerous situation," Fiona said carefully, unsubtly glancing around again. "And that he'll be re-establishing contact as soon as he can."

Well, that was certainly interesting news. "Tell him I look forward to it," the Commander said with a nod. "And you need to work on being inconspicuous. ADVENT is definitely watching you."

She blinked. "Say again?"

He sighed. "Just make sure you aren't followed when you leave."

She smiled at that and backed away in farewell. "Don't worry about that. No one can follow me where I go. See you, Commander." She spun on a heel and walked away doing everything someone who wanted to remain inconspicuous did not. Going off on her own, not sticking to crowds, not wearing proper attire, and seeming far too focused and chipper for a funeral.

What an odd woman. Perhaps it was to be expected that a Sovereign One wouldn't pick people who care about that, but there was still room for improvement. For better or worse though, it appeared he was going to have a meeting with the illustrious Sovereign One soon enough.

Hopefully it wouldn't be for some time. There was a lot of work to do.

---

Situation Room, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/14/2016 – 8:10 P.M.

"Any plans you have to bring her back should be dismissed," Aegis said flatly. "She is gone."

"For now," the Commander wasn't quite ready to write off Patricia, even if Aegis seemed to be more than willing. "She's smart and tough."

"She is with the Imperator now," Aegis repeated, sounding frustrated. "She is lost."

"Do you really think he's going to try and turn her?" The Commander demanded, beginning to pace. "Does he think that would work?"

Aegis sharply inhaled. "That is exactly what he intends. Why do you think he was trying to communicate with her so much?"

"And you said that he doesn't directly mind control people he finds interesting," Vahlen pointed out, speaking up for the first time. "Patricia would not be easily swayed. Would he torture her?"

"Unlikely," Aegis shook his head. "He would consider it a waste of time, and a failure on his part. But it isn't as simple. People change when they stay around the Imperator for too long. She cannot protect herself forever."

"And following his logic," the Commander continued. "He would know the effect he causes and not abuse it."

If Ethereals could make faces of frustration, the Commander knew it would be on his face. Even if he could, his helmet hid it completely. "The point, Commander, is that we cannot expect Patricia to be alive or the same if we see her. We need to move on."

"On that I think we can all agree," Zhang stated, his face set in stone. The entire event had definitely shaken all of them, but Zhang had especially found it disturbing. "She is out of our reach for now. There is no question of it."

"What we need to figure out is how we will respond," Jackson stepped forward. "The public is going to want to know what happened to her, and they will notice her absence. More importantly…this can't go unpunished. They kidnapped one of our own."

"And we now have Caelior," Aegis said with a shrug of his shoulders. "The Imperator likely saw that as a fair trade, if he even considered such things when deciding on this course of action."

"Except we beat Caelior ourselves," Jackson's eyes flashed. "This isn't anywhere close to the same situation. It's one thing to lose and her be taken captive. It's another to cheat with telepathy."

Zhang sniffed. "And what gave you the impression that the Imperator cares about fairness?"

Jackson scowled, but didn't really have an answer for that.

"You raise a good point," the Commander said after a few moments, stepping forward to the holotable. "This is yet another escalation, and we will respond in kind. There is no more holding back when we fight their kind." After pressing a few buttons, the hologram of a nuclear warhead appeared. "Normally I would be against indiscriminate nuking of alien positions. At least on Earth. But the aliens have helpfully established Gateways in their territory connecting to their military bases within their space." He tapped the table. "The policy regarding Gateway capture has changed. Prior to separation we will send through a salted nuclear warhead and sever the connection."

It was, admittedly, a provocative step, but the Commander didn't necessarily care what the Collective felt. They had kidnapped one of his soldiers, and there would be retribution. It was why he had chosen salted nukes instead of standard ones. Denying their base, and poisoning the land for generations would send a suitable message and destroy a base in the process.

"Risky," Zhang pointed out. "We don't know if they get reinforcements from Earth. We might accidentally-"

"Unlikely," the Commander shook his head. "Gateways display their coordinate planes. If it is within a certain number we can determine if it's on Earth. Then we'll just send in something more conventional."

"If I may," Shen interrupted, looking mildly concerned. "Where, ah, are we acquiring these weapons? ADVENT?"

"No," the Commander gave a thin smile, pressing some more buttons. "We're making our own. Thanks to your construction efforts, Shen, we now have three satellite bases." The world map came up, with red dots highlighting the bases Shen had virtually overseen as they were constructed. Most in XCOM didn't know about them yet, but he'd felt it was important to diversify. He pointed at one. "Manhattan Base will handle the construction of all heavy ordinance, which will include nuclear weapons."

"I'll make the necessary arrangements," Shen sighed. "I suppose it was only a matter of time until we reached this point."

"Since we're on this topic," Jackson said. "Have you decided what the other bases are for?"

"Yes," the Commander highlighted the next one. "Since ADVENT has so helpfully decided to send certain useful alien defectors to us, they should have their own lodge. I don't want to intermix them with our soldiers immediately. Paperclip Base will primarily house our alien defectors, including Aegis if he wishes."

"Separating them does not seem advisable," Aegis warned. "Not if your goal is integration."

"I said house," the Commander repeated. "All Gateways will connect to the Praesidium, which will serve as a central hub. Nothing prevents Humans or aliens from interacting with each other. But the aliens should have a space they have some control over, and with some oversight, it will give them some assumed freedoms."

"Speaking with various aliens reinforces this," Vahlen interjected. "In fact, some have expressed how they prefer Human architecture over this as they find Sectoid architecture disquieting. And most are not used to large amounts of Humans, especially those who were until recently their enemies. It is better for the mental health of all that they have a separate place of residence."

"Then I will oversee them, if you do not mind," Aegis said.

"That would be acceptable," the Commander nodded. "They will prefer having you enforce guidelines than a Human."

"Right," Jackson stepped forward, looking towards the last base. "And this one?"

"Ah, yes," the Commander nodded towards Vahlen. "Prometheus Base. The new Science Division of XCOM overseen by Dr. Vahlen. Due to the constraints imposed by current projects, the research team needs greater resources and room."

Jackson gave a wan smirk. "Poor Shen."

"I will remind you I also am overseeing a nuclear weapons research and production facility," the elderly engineer reminded her. "And the Commander has also informed me that once the Science teams depart, the spaces they formerly occupied would be replaced by the Cybernetic and AI teams. I am not receiving the short end here."

"Oh," Jackson said, looking slightly mollified.

"And Shen just covered everything else," the Commander motioned towards him, while looking back towards the holotable. "More soldiers will be coming soon as we expand. ADVENT is also expanding their Gateway networks, and soon every major base will have immediate reinforcement capabilities. However, we need to focus on ways to mitigate telepathy. We've seen the danger it poses now, and until we can protect ourselves from it…we cannot win this war."

"The Manchurian Restraints will keep our psions under control," Zhang mused. "But as a defense against telepathy it is a crude one at best."

"If I may, Commander," Shen said slowly. "This is a subject both Vahlen and I have been discussing at length. We have several possible solutions to show you very soon."

"Right," he briefly glanced at her. "You did mention this at one point." He looked up at the Ethereal. "Until then, will you be able to sense if the Imperator tries to take control again?"

"I will likely be able to detect it," Aegis answered. "Stopping it…I do not know. Perhaps for myself, but certainly not for everyone."

"We'll have to make do," the Commander sighed. "Continue with the projects and operations. Dismissed."

---

Commander's Quarters, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/15/2016 12:05 A.M.

It was definitely harder to get to sleep the past few days.

Though it didn't really seem to be affecting Vahlen too much. Then again, she hadn't really been aware of what had been happening and the Imperator had likely ignored her. In fact, he'd likely intentionally ignored her because she was a fairly powerful telepath in her own right.

Regardless, he'd never really thought much about what it felt like to be on the receiving end of being mind controlled, and now that he had, he never wanted to feel it again. Knowing what he wanted to do, yet being unable to no matter how much he tried. And there was no mental hurdle to overcome when his mind was no longer his to begin with.

This was something they should have been trying to solve long ago.

The end of the war wasn't going to be determined by weapons, numbers, or bombs, but by which side used psionics the most effectively. It might also come down to Sovereign technology as well. One which they were still learning about, but would never be as powerful as an Ethereal, and the other they were struggling to comprehend at all.

If they couldn't reach the heights of the Ethereals, then they could keep trying to negate them.

Hampering their telepathy was imperative. It was no longer a matter of debate.

The Commander slowly got into bed beside Vahlen, careful so as not to wake her, and finally rested against her while closing his eyes. She must have been exhausted if he hadn't woken her there, since she almost always did, no matter how much he tried. Well, given recent events, he could understand that.

Although it did remind him about something which had fallen by the wayside. Christmas was coming up. He was torn between making that a no-work day for everyone with a substantial bonus, or treating it as normal and doubling that bonus. It was at the stage where he didn't know if they could afford to take off a day.

Yes, everyone deserved one day off, but that one day could be crucial…

Well, maybe he was being a bit hyperbolic. But the other slight issue was that the holidays were to be spent with family, as well as friends. Most people here had at least some family outside XCOM, and while he could probably have one day with no work, he couldn't very well risk losing any personnel on short vacations (In addition to taking up time, the Zararch might be watching).

Although that did tie back to another vulnerability that could come up in the future. If the Collective figured out who was in XCOM, their families might become targets. That was not an acceptable risk, especially since the conflict already made them stressed about the safety of their family.

There was one solution. Another base be built which would house the families of XCOM personnel. It might not be as comfortable as some of them were used too, but they would be safe and see their loved ones regularly.

Shen would have to figure out appropriate dimensions. This wouldn't be an easy undertaking, assuming the Internal Council agreed to its necessity in the first place.

Something to keep in mind. That was a problem for another day.

Although he should probably get Vahlen something. Something she'd like. He had a few days, something could be done.

---

Templar Training Arena, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/15/2016 – 10:31 A.M.

Nuan really wished that they could just have a victory with no drawbacks for once. They'd captured an Ethereal, resecured Japan, and China and ADVENT were working together to an extent. Everything was actually going very well, until the aliens had managed to kidnap Patricia. The rumors she's heard about how that happened were terrifying.

None of those involved were talking about it, though had, and still looked unnerved wherever they went. Most of them were dealing with it by beating stuff up or exhausting themselves. Carmelita was currently trying to take down an icy Iosif who was casually deflecting her strikes with psionic shields, to a small crowd of onlookers.

One of whom was an Oyariah.

Who was now staring at her.

She did not like that.

Oh great, he's coming towards me. Trying not to look too nervous, she looked up at the three-meter hunk of chiseled stone. They might have that as their skin, but to her it definitely looked like hardened stone. Technically the alien was probably naked right now, but thankfully not that naked. "You," he rumbled. "You are not one of the Templars. I have not seen you before."

"I'm not," she answered casually, or as casually as she could. "I'm…watching." She nodded towards the dueling soldiers. "Iosif, mostly. You know who he is, I assume?"

"Ah, yes," the big alien nodded, voice lightening in recognition. "An admirable Human. I did not realize he had a mate."

If Nuan had been drinking water, she would have spat it and instead made some sort of hacking sound before responding. "I am not his mate, alien!"

She didn't fail to notice one of the other soldiers snickering at the exchange, who she didn't recognize so she narrowed her eyes when shooting him a quick glance before returning to deal with the alien. "What gave you that idea?"

"Hm, unfortunate," the Oyariah incredulously didn't back down, instead appraising her. "Although perhaps it's for the best. You're too small for him."

"Small," she sputtered. "Why does that actually matter?"

The Oyariah looked at her, with an unreadable expression, but she suspected it was incredulity. "Because any little Human offspring you bear will be limited. This is an accepted standard, I would expect Humans to follow similar principles."

Nuan looked at him, then looked down at her gleaming fists. She was sorely tempted to hit this smug and idiotic alien in the face and see how he liked small. "You have no idea how women work, do you?"

"Of course I do," he said. "And you are also not an adequate choice because your children might be born with metal arms. A tragic deficiency."

"You…" she paused. "Was that a joke?"

The Oyariah rumbled, which she assumed was laughter. "Most of it, yes, I am glad some found it amusing."

Nuan briefly turned to the soldier who had been snickering at her, along with his friend, and glared at him until he went away. "Funny," she said. "I didn't know you could make jokes."

"It sometimes is useful to play into the stereotype Humans expect for us," the Oyariah answered. "Elder Aegis has been exceptionally helpful in educating us about certain details of your species. Humor is especially prevalent, though seems to be highly subjective depending on the individual."

"Yeah." She glanced over to see the duel was wrapping up, with Iosif just deciding to trap Carmelita in a stasis field, before selectively leaving her head unprotected. With her glaring murder at him, he smiled and gently tapped her on the forehead with a finger mouthing "Dead".

Nuan smirked. "My first question was not entirely a joke," the Oyariah said. "But why are you here? I have observed few spectators."

She thought for a moment. "I like watching it. And Iosif's one of my few friends here." She shrugged. "Not too complicated, at least to me."

"I am sure he appreciates it," the alien said. "He has mentioned as much. Unfortunate you are not trained in melee, as you are suited for it with your arms."

"Sure," Nuan flexed them in reflex. "But I prefer to stay away from the danger. I've seen what the Titans can do up close. I'd prefer not to be crushed. I got close enough when that Berserker almost killed me, thank you very much."

The alien reached behind him and unhooked one of the black warhammers she'd seen the Titans use. "I am pleased that we are respected by your kind. I will in turn prove my worth on the field of battle, one reason I am here today."

"Oh?" She was actually surprised at that. "The Commander is letting you actually fight?"

"Aegis has allowed it, provided we follow the established guidelines," the Oyariah said. "Though I suspect not immediately. Some will likely doubt me."

Nuan couldn't disagree, although for an alien, he was easier to talk to than she was expecting. "What's your name? And don't give me the long Vitakara version, just the short one."

"Xarian, formerly of the Guard of the Ravager," he said with pride. "Now within the service of Elder Aegis."

"Right," she nodded. "And…who is the Ravager?"

Xarian grew somewhat serious at that. "The Ravager is the…Commander…of the Titans. The finest of our warriors, her skill perhaps surpassing that of the Stalker himself. To be chosen for her Guard was a high honor, but one that pales in comparison to an Elder."

"Hello, what do we have here?" Iosif raised an eyebrow as he walked over. "I see you're both getting along. Good."

"I will allow you to rest and then test you shortly," Xarian said, resting his weapon on his shoulder. "I suspect you wish to speak to the one who is not your mate." With that he walked off, sounding far too satisfied with the conclusion.

Iosif's face though was a mixture of surprise and embarrassment, which was odd enough to make her snort. "Ah," he coughed. "Did I miss something?"

"His idea of a joke," Nuan smirked. "He apparently assumed I was your mate, and if I wasn't, it was a good thing because my children would be small and have metal arms." She glanced behind her at the soldiers getting ready to train. "Certain people found the exchange…amusing."

"Fucking alien," he muttered. "He knows damn well…" he shook his head. "Never mind. Cheeky bastard."

Nuan decided to let the matter drop, although for a joke, Iosif did not seem to be taking it as one. Or more like he was not brushing it off right away, let alone dismissing it as ridiculous. To be fair, she was doing the same thing.

Yeah, best to drop it for now. "How's she doing?" Nuan nodded to Carmelita.

"Still rattled," Iosif shook his head. "What happened was bad. Creed described it to me, and asked me not to share. Letting her beat up on me is good for her. But they'll all be fine."

"Will Creed though?" Nuan pursed her lips. "I know they were together."

"He could have reacted two ways," Iosif said slowly. "It could have sent him in a downward spiral, or it would make him angry. He has gone the latter route. The good news is that he knows Patricia can take care of herself, and so at the first available opportunity, he's going to rescue her. He's apparently going to Aegis to figure out how best to kill an Ethereal."

Nuan looked up at his tired face skeptically. "He doesn't stand a chance against an Ethereal."

"Alone?" Iosif snorted. "Definitely not. But he won't be taking an operation like that alone. And at the end, I'll let him kill any Ethereals we come across. Better for him to be angry and focused than depressed. He's furious by what happened, but it luckily didn't break him."

"So…" Nuan paused. "She had a spot on the Council, right? Who's taking over?"

"Unknown," Iosif shrugged. "Heard some names being thrown around. Problem is there aren't a lot of senior psions left, aside from me and the last two Furies, and the latter are not really trained for leadership roles. Current speculation is between myself and…Geist."

"Fuck Geist," she spat. "He doesn't deserve the position. Especially not compared to you."

"Oh believe me," Iosif gave a wan smile. "Not many of us are fans of the idea. But despite being a jerk and person of questionable character, he is smart, not to mention skilled and powerful. Probably more than me, if we're being honest."

"No." Nuan could state that firmly. "Power doesn't dictate everything, and you're a far better leader and man than Geist could ever hope to be. The Commander will see that."

"Can't say I'm not hoping for that," Iosif sighed, rubbing his forehead. "But he's also practical. I'm a very…traditional choice…for lack of a better word. I'm military. I'm a standard psion. I've been with XCOM for a while, I know how things work. Geist does offer a different and unique perspective, like it or not."

"The perspective of a sociopath," Nuan muttered. "But sure."

"But…" Iosif raised a finger. "If I do so happen to be selected, I do think a celebration would be in order. Want to join me? And you can give some more details about how your little meeting with the Chinese went."

Nuan crossed her arms. "Well, what isn't classified, of course. And what if you aren't?"

"Well, we still get together, but also make jokes about our new Director of Psionic Operations," Iosif said. "Sound good?"

"I think so," Nuan smiled. "And if you aren't picked, then I'll be sure to criticize that choice in my next letter to my superiors."

Iosif chuckled. "I hope you do, and I get to read the redaction."

They both shared a laugh at that. Things could definitely be a lot bleaker than they were. Best to enjoy them while they lasted.

---

Situation Room, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/16/2016 – 11:49 A.M.

The Commander did not expect this meeting to take long, but before making the final decision he needed to get the approval of the Internal Council. In the end, it had been a fairly easy decision. Shen looked up and gave an approving nod. "A good choice. He will serve well as a replacement for Patricia in her absence."

"Agreed," Vahlen nodded. "While he isn't the most powerful, he is the most qualified for the position."

Shen grimaced. "With the added bonus of having some basic respect for the people around him."

He wasn't surprised at those two. He glanced to Zhang. "Thoughts, Director?"

"I cannot find a reason to disqualify him," Zhang said slowly, putting the tablet he was holding down. "But I am not convinced that Templar Bronis is the best choice. While he is skilled, Geist has quantifiably surpassed him."

"So is Hammarström," Shen pointed out. "Should we award positions based on their Trask Level?"

"Agreed on that point," Jackson leaned against the wall. "Geist is powerful and skilled. But he isn't well-liked or even cares to make changes to himself. Not a person I want to work with here."

"There is also the small fact that he manipulated one of my soldiers," the Commander added. "Someone who does that to those under their command is not one I will appoint to this Council without exceptional reason. Geist can serve the same purpose just as well on his own."

"Your point stands," Zhang nodded. "I won't contest it. But he will likely feel slighted."

The Commander raised an incredulous eyebrow. "And…just why should that be concerning…at all? If he feels so slighted, he can come ask and I'll tell him exactly why he failed to be chosen."

"He shouldn't be," Zhang clarified. "But his psychological profile indicates that he may feel so regardless. Just so you are aware of the possibility."

"I think we're also overlooking the fact that this position comes with administrative work," Shen reminded them. "As we are all well aware. Iosif has some experience in this, while I am sure Geist would not feel it is important enough to devote his time to doing it."

Jackson rolled her eyes. "Geist is the kind of guy who would hire a bunch of secretaries to do that for him while he plays with psionics all day."

"We shouldn't sell Iosif short here," the Commander said. "He's one of the longest-serving soldiers in XCOM, a good leader, a trained and skilled psion, and most importantly for someone in this position – he respects the power he wields and the consequences of misuse. I do not want a psionic supremacist on this Council, nor one who believes in their unrestrained use." He looked around the room. "Are there any objections?"

"None noted, Commander," Jackson said as they all shook their heads or gave negatives. "You want to give him the news or should I?"

"I'll give it to him," the Commander said. "Tell him to meet in my office within the hour."

"Yes, Commander," Jackson made a note on her tablet. "We have anything else we need to discuss?"

"There is," the Commander rested his hands on the holotable. "I believe we should consider the addition of two more positions on this Council. The first would be in the vein of Van Doorn's position of Tactical Advisor, but they would be drawn from our soldiers. A Ground Commander, more familiar with the operations in the field, which I normally am not. They would ideally have a better understanding of the soldiers and armaments than the rest of us."

"Carmelita Alba and Anius Creed stand out as candidates," Jackson said. "I'll check the roster, but I can likely find one or two more. Archangels Hammarström and Morrow have both shown to be capable leaders and soldiers."

"We're not deciding candidates today," the Commander quickly clarified, raising a hand. "Just deciding if we want to extend the Council in the first place."

"To do that we need to know the other position," Shen said.

Here it went. "Since ADVENT has decided that we get all of the aliens who are willing to fight, it would not be a bad idea to have an alien representative on this Council as well. One who, like the proposed Ground Commander, knows the aliens better than us."

Vahlen furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that not what Aegis provides?"

"Aegis is a special case," Zhang pointed out. "And not a good representative for the average alien soldier. He is also an…advisor, not directly on the Council, which this proposed position would entail."

"I suppose you're intending to deploy aliens in combat?" Shen said. "Last I heard you hadn't decided."

"With the Manchurian Restraints, loyalty won't be a concern," the Commander said. "The aliens are useful assets, but if we're going to use them, they need their own representative here."

"I'm not opposed to the concept," Jackson said slowly, biting her lip as she thought. "The issue is that it'll be difficult to find an alien I can definitively say is on our side. These are defectors. They haven't really done anything for us yet."

"I am in agreement on that," Zhang said. "Let us see how the aliens perform in combat before allowing them access to the secrets of XCOM. I do not trust all of them, and none of them to hold a seat here. They would need to renounce their species for the good of Humanity."

"At minimum I want potential candidates," the Commander told Jackson, before looking to Zhang. "But you have a point. They need to earn their place here. But they should be aware this is a possibility…if they perform well."

The light glinted off Zhang's scar as he gave a brief nod. "That is acceptable. We should revisit this matter once we have deployed aliens into the field. I do support the addition of a Ground Commander position within the Council."

"As do I," Jackson confirmed. "Objections to anything Zhang said?"

At the silence, the Central Officer made a brief note. "Alright, settled then. You'll have your list, Commander. When do you want to appoint a Ground Commander."

"Within a week."

"You'll have a list from me tomorrow," she promised. "And I'll have Yates begin conducting interviews among the aliens. I'll also pick out subjects of note."

"Excellent, Central," the Commander looked around at all of them. "That's all for now. Dismissed."

---

Engineering Bay, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/17/2016 – 9:11 A.M.

Anna only had one thing to say as they looked upon one of the newest inventions of the XCOM Engineering team. "Cool."

"Cool," Sierra echoed. "I like the name too."

"The Valkyrie," Anna read the name painted on the 'wings' of the aerial MEC. "Yep. Don't think there's a more fitting one for it. Almost makes me want to get the implants to fly one of those."

"No, you really don't," Sierra said, shaking her head. "You won't have enough of yourself left to enjoy it. But both of us can just admire it from afar."

"Is that still a thing?" Anna questioned, as they turned away and began walking through the busy workshop. "By now I'd think they'd have figured out how to remove that problem."

"I don't really know," Sierra admitted with a shrug as she scooted past some engineers. "Just assuming. In any event, I'm not really thrilled with the prospect of cutting off my limbs. So that idea's out for me."

"You can't get hurt then," Anna reminded her. "I'm pretty sure they overhaul what's left of your organic parts too. Could be nice."

"Yeah, you haven't talked with our more loyal Chinese resident then," Sierra snorted. "You can't feel pain, but you really can't feel anything else. Nuan definitely wishes she had her weaker flesh arms back."

The young woman grimaced. "Fair enough…" she trailed off. "Is that Geist?"

Sierra narrowed her eyes and looked to where Anna was pointing. From this distance it certainly seemed to be. The figure was standing with an almost mechanical posture as he looked down on a table that held…something. There were two other engineers nearby, both of whom seemed to be helping him.

"Looks like it," Sierra said, moving forwards. "Let's see what he's doing."

They only made it a few steps away before Geist raised a hand, not turning to them. "If you must know, I have acquired the assistance of several engineers to gather some data on the Sectoid Vanguard weapons."

Oh right, he apparently liked reading their minds. She heard a loud sigh. "It's not as simple as choosing not to, Archangel. I have as much choice in not reading your screaming minds as breathing and hearing. It is simply another sense I take advantage of."

Anna snorted. "Patricia seemed to manage fine."

"Psion Trask prioritized the handicapping of her abilities," Geist said, still turned away from them as he began tinkering with the Vanguard Gauntlet on the table. "She developed her psionics in a way where that was feasible. I did not, and therefore must live with it."

"I do wonder," Sierra crossed her arms as she looked around the area. "If you ever tried in the first place."

"No, I did not," Geist stated flatly. "Knowing what people are thinking has saved me countless wasted hours of inane small talk and questions. This is an advantage I do not see a need to willingly deprive myself of."

Anna almost seemed to giggle. "Alright then. Keep paying attention."

"Anyway, in regards to your oncoming inquiries," Geist continued. "The reason I am interested in this is because the Sectoids created technology capable of tapping into psionic power using psions as conduits. They have applied it to blades and shields. I wish to explore the possibility of applying it into other areas. Once I have sufficient data to take to Dr. Vahlen, she can hopefully begin work." He gestured around. "I am not an engineer, thus I requested assistants from Shen who also agreed at the need for this to be explored. This is done with his approval, so you are aware."

There were times when she really didn't know what to think about Geist. As a person he was…perhaps not bad, but way too undiplomatic and combative. She supposed he was honest, which was admittedly better than some people. But he had no sense of tact or consideration for others. He was no Patricia, but he clearly never wanted to be.

It was probably her imagination, but she could swear he nodded. Eavesdropping jerk.

But he was frustratingly smart and driven. Despite his growing, and rather infamous reputation, everyone did have to admit he knew what he was doing. He was not someone who took no for an answer and only a few really seemed to be able to dare challenge him. Of course, all of those were of a higher rank, so it made sense.

"Archangel Pavlova," Geist said slowly, turning around. "Please stop doing that."

Anna just smiled, while Geist stared at her. "Your current line of thought. Think about something else if you must."

"Why?" Anna asked brightly. "There something you don't like about it?"

"It is a juvenile attempt to break my concentration," Geist narrowed his eyes. "Which definitely does not work, and is the equivalent of a mosquito buzzing which is too inconsequential to deal with."

"Did you always talk like this?" Sierra had a good idea of what Anna was doing, and it was hilarious. "I'm surprised anyone takes you seriously."

Geist opened his mouth, before closing it. A few moments later, and he gave a dismissive wave. "Your assistance is appreciated, Archangels, I have now seemed to learn how to ignore very specific minds in the immediate vicinity. Your…annoyances will not bother me. Stand there if you wish to gawk." With that he turned around and continued working.

Sierra raised a hand and Anna reciprocated the high-five. "Amazing," she commented as they walked away. "You managed to teach Geist something. So what was it?"

"Oh, nothing much," Anna smirked. "Just him in a compromising position with his mother. I don't think he found it amusing."

Sierra snorted. "Tell everyone we've found the solution to Geist mind-reading anyone he wants."

"Oh, believe me," Anna gave a sinister smile. "I'm definitely going to be sharing this little technique."

---

Research Labs, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/19/2016 – 10:22 A.M.

Today was the day when Vahlen and Shen were going to unveil some of their larger breakthroughs. The Commander had of course been briefed on the projects they were working on, and in particular for Vahlen, the results of Project Innsmouth were ready to be unveiled, with significant advancements in the Operated MELD applications, which had been bundled into Project Achilles some time ago.

Achilles was something both Shen and Vahlen had been working on; which had started as research into injecting MELD nanites directly into an individual, and had apparently turned into something different; combining multiple projects into one. In any case, he was quite eager to see what both of them had for him.

The labs were as clean and sterile as ever, and even more packed since Vahlen had over the past months greatly expanded her teams to include the finest geneticists, and biologists, both terrestrial and marine. With the transition to her new base, there was additional traffic, though few in-progress projects were being touched.

The scientists quickly moved out of the way, and it didn't take him long to find Vahlen who was standing within a sealed room in front of a clean table devoid of everything except a stack of cubes, a skull-cap thing he hadn't seen before, and two tablets. She was likely starting out with the smaller things, since Innsmouth was housed in the Genetic Labs.

The sealed room hissed as he opened, and Vahlen turned with a smile at his arrival. "I've been looking forward to this day for some time, Commander. I'm glad to say that all progress has been exceptional, and the aliens have also assisted in providing experience with much of what we've struggled over for some time. Months of research has been saved as a result."

"Excellent," he nodded to the table. "So what do we have?"

"Shen will be giving you a demonstration of the plasma weapons later," Vahlen picked up on of the tablets. "And that made me realize that we will currently have no weapons research. So I first want to suggest two avenues to pursue. The second tablet is for you." He obliged and picked up the free tablet, on it showed a…peculiar weapon. It looked bulky, boxy, and had a multitude of exposed wires and tubes.

"Several of the research teams, including myself, believe we should look to more distinct forms of weaponry," Vahlen continued. "This was conceptualized as one of the first weapons to do this. It is currently classified as the High Output Microwave Emitter Rifle, and specifically designed to kill armored aliens like the Battlemaster, as it has the potential to bypass armor and fry electronics."

"Microwaves," the Commander mused. "I assume this is slightly more powerful than what we use to cook our food?"

"If we so desire," Vahlen chuckled. "But if you want to see the damage microwaves can cause, go to the next screen." The Commander did, and was faced with a host of unpleasant and gory images. "Skin degradation, blisters, and ultimately necrosis," Vahlen continued. "An extremely painful way to die, which cannot be blocked without sealed armor or psionics."

"Interesting," the Commander flipped to the next screen, showing a similar weapon with a different description. "Gamma rays as well?"

"That is what we're unsure on," Vahlen said. "A Gamma equivalent of this weapon would be far deadlier, and turn any target into an irradiated hazard regardless of armor. However, there is a high potential for friendly fire, both to nearby soldiers and the user itself. But it could still be highly useful against Ethereals. But Gamma research is not well-developed, and we wouldn't know without devoting resources towards it."

The Commander nodded, thinking. "Work on developing the Microwave variant, and you have my authorization to begin Gamma research. I believe that weapon could be more suited to our MECs than ordinary soldiers."

"Wonderful," Vahlen gestured for him to continue. "Now, the other path of research is harnessing psionic power into more…specific uses. The Sectoids proved they can do this, and Geist has helpfully completed some initial data-gathering which would allow us to get a concrete start."

"How would this work, exactly?" He asked. "I assume non-psions wouldn't be able to use it?"

"Highly unlikely," Vahlen confirmed. "The truth is we don't know what the limits for this are. Perhaps psionic energy could be stored for later use, or it can be specifically directed to do certain things. Telekinesis, telepathy, all outside the traditional specialization or training. Our psions could be more powerful than they already are."

"Could it protect them telepathically?"

"Possibly. Again, we're not sure of the limits of this line of research. But we can't afford to pass it up."

"Do it," he said, setting the tablet down. "If you need people, I'll get in contact with the PRIEST Division. Their research division is growing, and I'm sure some of them would love to work for XCOM."

She brushed her hair back. "You know, I have the feeling that I could just start all of these and you likely wouldn't care."

He smiled back. "Oh, I would care. I want to know what's going on, even if I usually approve your projects. You have a good sense of what should be prioritized, but that doesn't mean you get out of asking first."

"Fair point, Commander."

As she set the tablet down and began moving towards the other device, he asked. "What is the status of the Manchurian Project?"

"Not ready to be shown, but very close," she answered. "I am hoping it will be within the next couple of weeks. We've lost some time in preparing everything for today. Such as this." She picked up the device so he could get a closer look. It looked like it should go over the head, but was very small, with an extremely delicate layer of wires and alloy mesh.

"And what is this?"

"This," Vahlen said proudly. "Is the most important aspect of Project Achilles. Both Shen and I worked on this, and in more…simple terms, it is a Neural Regulator."

He raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Shen originally conceptualized it as a way to protect against telepathy," Vahlen began. "You are aware that the brain has two hemispheres, which can be separated and still function on their own. Generally this results is adverse side effects, specifically in communication. This device would supplement the existing connection of the Corpus Callosum with an automated alternative – one which could detect if there is psionic tampering."

The Commander frowned. "Is that possible?"

"Detecting psionics? Yes," Vahlen gently set down the device. "The brain noticeably changes if under the influence of psionics. This has been documented multiple times. It is a matter of taking this data and putting it in something like this. If the brain emits these signals, the individual is compromised and the Neural Regulator will follow established contingencies."

"It sounds good," the Commander began slowly. "But it seems to be a less elegant version of the Restraints."

"There are advantages as well," Vahlen pointed out. "Future iterations could likely augment cognitive abilities, memory storage, and analysis. And while the Restraints simply stop compromised individuals, this would disrupt psions by turning anything they could learn into gibberish. But I initially agreed…until I proposed we combine both the Neural Regulator with Project Achilles and the development of Operated MELD."

She picked up her tablet again, and began tapping. "The Neural Regulator does not just serve as a protection against telepathy, it also can control MELD Cubes slaved to it. Watch." The cubes on the table suddenly dissipated and reformed into a model soldier. Then fell apart again and formed into a small knife.

"And this would be controlled by the user on their own," Vahlen said proudly. "No remote required. Much like psionics, it would take some getting used to. As for the specific enhancements brought about by Project Achilles, those would also be able to be controlled."

"And have the goals of Achilles changed?" He asked.

"No," she walked over with the tablet in hand which showed the outline of a Human with the proposed changes. "MELD fortified skeletal structure; augmented organs for additional redundancy and healing. Skin fully replaced with MELD overlays. Eyes overhauled with MELD enhancement, with bloodstream injections to kill any foreign bodies and toxins. This also applies to the nostrils and lungs. An interesting side effect is that this will, in theory, allow full control over cosmetic appearance. Skin, eye, and hair color can all be modified by the individual in question."

She lowered the tablet. "A massive investment, I am aware, but with the additions of the Neural Regulator and Operated MELD, this is perhaps as close to an invincible soldier as we can get. Very little would be able to kill one, and if they cannot be telepathically dominated, with control of swarms of nanites…I am sure you can imagine the possibilities."

"Indeed." Vahlen was right. It was going to be a massive cost per soldier. These Neural Regulators would need to be custom-fitted to the individual, time would be needed for them to adapt, and the amount of MELD pumped into them would be ludicrous. However, MELD they could replace, and it was worth doing it right than fast.

This would likely only be for a few soldiers. The amount of changes Vahlen was proposing was near-inhuman. Zhang was going to love the appearance changing capabilities, however. Maybe they would find their means of imitating the aliens that way. "And is this ready to use?"

"We need to install on a few test subjects first," Vahlen admitted. "However, once those tests are completed, both of us are confident it is ready for use."

"Then finish this up," the Commander said. "I'll put together a list of candidates and volunteers for the procedure. I suspect we'll be able to find a few."

"I would not be surprised," Vahlen then motioned him to follow her. "Now this way, there is one last thing I need to show you, which I know you have been curious about." He followed her as she led him to the genetic labs, which were just as busy as the regular research labs. Stepping into them, he was mildly surprised to see Aegis standing in front of a massive aquarium tank.

"Commander," Aegis turned in greeting. "I presume she is here to show you her…specimen."

"Yes, Aegis, I am," Vahlen looked into the aquarium tank, which was filled with vegetation, some rock formations, and sand. "It's hiding, isn't it?"

Aegis's voice was almost a sigh. "It is."

The Commander peered into the tank. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Just watch," Vahlen said, as she tapped on an interface on the tank. "You'll like it."

Some fish were inserted into the tank, and the Commander waited a few moments before he saw it. He blinked. "The fuck is that?"

If he didn't know better, it looked like an octopus. An octopus which had just previously been laying on the tank floor, the exact same color as the sand. But it shot through the water, revealing itself to be at least fifteen feet wide. The skin was pure black, and instead of eight tentacles, it had twelve. He swore that the thing was eyeless, until he saw little black orbs. Not two, but eight distributed around the body.

It was if someone had taken an octopus, and turned it into a Lovecraftian nightmare.

No, that was exactly what Vahlen had done.

"Moira," he said slowly. "What exactly is this?"

"This, Commander," Vahlen said with a happy smile. "Is what he have been calling a Shoggoth."

"A truly distasteful creature." Aegis commented. "It is well named. As unnatural as the stories it is named for."

"Yes…" the Commander watched the Shoggoth quickly eat the fish, before floating towards them, extending a few tentacles to touch the glass. "Vahlen, just what inspired this idea?"

"I'm glad you asked," Vahlen placed a hand on the glass, and the Shoggoth placed another tentacle on the opposite side. "You're seeing one reason now. Octopi are one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet. They are playful, inquisitive, and clever. They also have the capability to squeeze into impossibly tight spaces, can't be killed easily, have natural regeneration, and some find their appearance unsettling."

The Commander saw the arms retained the expected suckers, which had a white sheen to them. Contrasted with the black skin, it was slightly disturbing. "However," Vahlen said. "What made this a project worth pursuing is that Octopi are immune to mind control."

His head snapped to hers. "Are you certain?"

"Unfortunately, she is telling the truth," Aegis said. "Touching the mind of such a creature is…unsettling."

"The reason for this is that Octopi don't have a brain like we do," Vahlen explained. "Their intelligence is, for lack of a better word, distributed. Image your brain being in your arms or legs instead of just your head. That is how it works for Octopi. Each arm is essentially a brain unto itself, and this comes together to form an intelligence which can't be controlled by telepathy. The perfect psionic hunters."

"Well then," the Commander was definitely impressed. Slightly terrified, but impressed. "So I assume you…improved upon it?"

"Oh, certainly," she said brightly, motioning at the Shoggoth which was now resting and camouflaging itself on the rock formation. "I started with the Giant Pacific Octopus, and worked from there. I increased the arms from eight to twelve, changed the skin color, in addition to giving it the iron skin modification."

"A questionable addition," Aegis said.

"Reduced the eye size, and added additional eyes at strategic points on the body," Vahlen said, pointing to illustrate her point. "I wanted to emphasize their ability to squeeze into small places, and for us to be able to drop this on an alien base and let it kill everything inside. The beak itself has also been reduced in size."

"So how does this thing operate on land?" The Commander asked. "It's still an aquatic animal."

"That was tricky," Vahlen admitted. "But the solution we decided upon was a modification of the gills, which can now store water within them and act as…oxygenators, as they would be able to run air through the water to oxygenate it as they breathed on land. Worst case scenario, we also developed a cybernetic implant which performs largely the same thing. But so far it has proven unnecessary."

"Right," he nodded. "So…how does it fight? Can it be trained?"

Vahlen motioned for them to follow as she led them into the Containment cells. "It will be easier to show you. Shoggoths treat threats to them as almost a kind of game. They like toying with their prey, and taking them apart slowly before eating them."

"Charming creatures," Aegis muttered. "Isomnum would be proud."

"Quiet, Aegis," Vahlen sniffed. "Just because it's not something you can dominate or kill easily does not mean it can't appreciate getting to know others. Shoggoths have actually really taken to Humans, and seem to like us. Of course I naturally made them inclined to treat us as friendly, but you could almost imagine them as a…guard dog of sorts. A very dangerous pet."

The Commander snorted. "Funny. You have a demonstration?"

"Yes," they stopped in front of a cell which had a very angry-looking man inside it, and with him was an array of gauss and laser weapons, with some grenades for good measure. The man was quickly putting on the provided Aegis armor, and shooting them suspicious glances. "I have placed one of the subjects in here, with the best of our weapons and armor. The Shoggoth will be lured here and we shall see who is victorious."

The Commander had a feeling that the individual within was not going to survive. He would almost feel bad, if the man hadn't been convicted for rape and a double homicide. How fitting that he would die at the…tentacles of a monster. "You're an idiot!" The man yelled in triumph as he placed the helmet on and grabbed the gauss rifle. "You really think you can arm me and I won't get out?"

"Does he know you're a Telepath?" The Commander asked wryly.

She frowned. "I don't know. Doesn't matter. Please put these on," she handed them some night-vision goggles. "For the true effect," she added, giving a thin smile as a compartment opened above. The entire room was plunged into darkness as water sloshed to the tile floors. The man immediately spun to the sound of the noise and opened fire.

"Cute, bitch!" He yelled, firing wildly. "But this armor can see in the dark!"

"And there it goes," Vahlen said, and the monstrous form of the Shoggoth plunged to the ground, leading to the man emitting an extremely high-pitched shriek as he let loose a volley of fire.

With ferocious swiftness, the Shoggoth lashed out two of its tentacles, even as the rounds bounced off its iron skin, and those wrapped around his legs and slammed him to the ground. The Shoggoth pulled the screaming man closer towards it as more tentacles wrapped around the limbs.

"Shoggoth arms are exceptionally strong," Vahlen explained as the creature tightened its grip over the hysterical man. "Not especially useful against armor, but that doesn't really matter." She pointed as the Shoggoth moved its arms and broke the legs of the man. "Ah, yes. One thing they like to do is break the limbs of the victim. Generally they'll also try and get them out of the armor, but this isn't always successful. They have a fascination with taking things apart…like the head."

As she was speaking the creature managed to pull the helmet off the man, and causally tossed it to the side as it began probing the face of the petrified man. "I thought you said they liked Humans," the Commander said. "Unless you meant as food?"

"No," Vahlen shook her head. "I doused this man with alien pheromones. And this Shoggoth won't eat him. They only eat alien corpses and other non-Human life. I'm fairly sure it knows this is training. I modified them so they would be smart."

"Yes," the Commander winced as the Shoggoth crushed the man's head like a melon and then mostly seemed to lose interest. "It's good to know they're smart."

Vahlen turned the lights back on, and the Commander saw the massive animal move towards the wall opposite where it had come in, which was grated and with no obvious way in. On the other side was a pail of what he assumed was food. "See," Vahlen pointed proudly. "They know what to do. He'll be able to get through the spaces for the food at the end. This way."

"Wait," the Commander hesitated as she opened the adjacent door. "Inside?"

"Yes, it's perfectly safe," Vahlen said, waving him inside. "And the Shoggoths should get used to you."

"You're very lucky I trust you this much," he said, thinking on the strange situations he was in sometimes. He was actually going to be in the same room with a massive octopus from hell. Which was thankfully 'smart'. The Shoggoth was already halfway through the wall; it really was amazing the tight spaces they could fit through. The gaps were no bigger than one inch width and two inch height.

Out of curiosity, he glanced down at the pail and should have been shocked, but just sighed. "Vahlen, why are there hands in the pail?"

"Oh, those," Vahlen was putting on gloves as she took the pail from him. "Grown Ethereal parts. Easy with Sectoid cloning tubes, and works for all species. We've been feeding them various alien parts to get them used to the taste. They quite like it."

The Shoggoth finally squeezed all the way through, and lumbered towards them, extending a massive tentacle towards him. Grimacing, he reached out his hand, and the tentacle slightly touched it with a sucker, before withdrawing as Vahlen tossed it some Ethereal hands. "Do they have names?"

"Informally," Vahlen said. "So far it's usually been some alteration of 'Cthulhu' or another eldritch abomination. They'll be given names eventually. But we only have three so far, and it will take time to grow more."

Vahlen soon finished up, as the Shoggoth began eating in more earnest. "They secrete a toxin that breaks down the flesh," Vahlen explained as it ate. "Since the beak is small, it hinders its eating time. Sucking up the dissolved nutrients is more efficient."

"How will it get back in the tank?" The Commander asked.

"Oh, it'll just squeeze back through and climb up the wall to the tank," Vahlen easily explained, pointing for reference, as she peeled off her gloves. "They know the way back."

"Well then," he finally said. "I think you would give Revelean a run for his money with this. I don't know if this should be…impressive, but it definitely seems like it to me." He smirked. "I really wouldn't want to have that thing chasing after me. I don't think I could kill it."

Vahlen laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, you couldn't kill it with telekinesis. Rather difficult in a boneless creature."

"Yep," he said. "The perfect psion predator. Well done."

---

XCOM Intelligence Control, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/17/2016 – 10:29 A.M.

Abby looked up after reading the project proposal which Zhang had provided to her. "Shen and Vahlen have been busy. Is all of this…complete?"

"Project Achilles is nearly complete," Zhang answered. "As are the Manchurian Restraints."

"Right," Abby set the tablet down. "Are these mandatory upgrades?"

"Achilles is optional," Zhang said inclining his head, as he kept his voice neutral. "That level of conversion is voluntary. The advantages provided are immense, especially in terms of infiltration. Shen assures me that we should be able to mimic Vitakarians with little issue." He pursed his lips. "With that said, not every agent needs to be polymorphic. The Manchurian Restraints will be mandatory. For the first time in history we will have a completely loyal Intelligence corps. That cannot be ignored."

She could see the appeal of that, although she couldn't say she was thrilled with the idea of undergoing some kind of mental 1984-ish mental conditioning. However, while she wasn't sure she trusted Zhang as a person, she did trust him to only do what was necessary. "I see."

"I bring this up to make you aware of what is coming," Zhang walked around the holotable and handed her another tablet. "But the other reason was to prepare you for your next assignment, and to get your opinion on a certain matter." She looked down at the tablet and began reading. "There have been issues in South America," Zhang continued. "We suspect alien activity, possibly Ethereal-backed. We'll be sending you to assist ADVENT in uncovering these Reapers."

"A solo mission or will I have assistance?" She asked, glancing up.

"You are first to assess if there is alien activity," Zhang clarified. "If there is, you'll receive psionic backup. These Reapers appear to be extremely skilled, quiet, and deadly. Not many aliens, let alone Humans, can completely rout a Peacekeeper base."

She frowned, already noticing some interesting notes. "All attacks attributed to them have been exclusively against ADVENT. Not even one civilian casualty. There never seem to be more than one or two operatives as well."

"Which suggests the leader is local," Zhang agreed with an impressed nod. "And given that these methods of operation haven't changed, it implies that if they are being alien-backed, they are not giving the orders."

"Aliens haven't had an issue with civilian targets before," Abby frowned. "And they definitely don't care about Human opinions."

"That's what doesn't add up," Zhang clasped his hands behind his head. "There are several possible explanations. The first is that the Battlemaster is in charge, and civilian targets by the aliens have dropped significantly. The second is that there are no aliens backing them, but they do have a psion somehow. Either explanation is dangerous."

"They likely have contacts in the population," Abby said. "Any leads?"

"Unfortunately not," Zhang answered, activating the holotable showing South America. "We suspect they are mainly operating out of Argentina, not anywhere in ADVENT-controlled territory. The Argentinian government has, of course, denied knowing anything about it and has stated their willingness to hunt them down. We have seen few results one way or another."

"Would Argentina really help them?" Abby questioned. "That seems risky."

"It is," Zhang confirmed grimly. "Which is why I'm not convinced they're involved. ADVENT does not want to march any government official in front of a psion without some kind of evidence beyond our suspicions of where they operate, but it would be the quickest way to determine the situation."

"But it's diplomatically questionable," Abby finished. "Not good PR without hard evidence."

"Our best opportunity is to capture one of the operatives," Zhang said. "And that is the first phase of your operation. Work with ADVENT to capture one of the Reapers. Depending on what you learn, you'll get more support. Even if there aren't aliens behind them, they are a threat which needs to be stamped out."

"Sounds like a plan," Abby said. "When do I leave?"

"When the Restraints are complete," Zhang said. "There is almost certainly a psion working with them, and I do not want you compromised."

"Understood," she flipped to the next slide on the tablet. "What's this?"

"A list of names ADVENT has been providing as useful defectors," Zhang explained. "Until they fully set up the AEGIS Division, we're making use of the aliens which pass their tests. I found an interesting name on it. Recognize this one?"

Abby looked to where he pointed. "Runi'cairu'intha?" She looked up, thinking. "Wait. Isn't that Nartha's sister?"

"It appears so," Zhang gave a thin smile. "A family of traitors, it seems. I've requested she be transferred here. But there is the question about what to do about the growing number of aliens at the base. Paperclip base will be fine for housing them, but there are measures which need to be taken to ensure our own security. How should this be solved?"

Abby took a few moments to think. Every alien being brought in was a security risk, regardless of their intentions. There was something of a line between encouraging defection, and allowing them to be uncontrolled. "Psionic screening should determine if they are allowed in to begin with," she said slowly. "Trackers and cranial bombs to provide constant monitoring, and undergoing the Manchurian Restraints when complete. That should reduce the security risk significantly."

Zhang raised an eyebrow. "Extensive, but good to see that some aren't ignorant of the risk letting aliens in entails. Good intentions mean little given how we know psionics can work, as well as mental programming. We would be foolish to assume the aliens haven't developed something similar to the Manchurian Restraints, even if they don't apply it to their Zararch agents."

"If they're really interested in helping," Abby said. "Then they would realize the necessity of these measures."

"Not necessarily true," Zhang pointed out. "But within XCOM, absolutely. I believe I will bring this up with the Commander, who I feel is becoming a little too encouraged with this development. XCOM is a Human organization, not one with aliens as an integral part of it. They can be useful, but they should not be more than that."

"Agreed." Abby didn't know what the politics of the Internal Council were right now, but she could at least agree that aliens shouldn't be allowed free reign in XCOM, or access to anything important. Aegis was an exception in many respects, but that didn't mean the rest of these defectors should be.

"I will need an answer regarding Project Achilles within several days," Zhang said, turning away. "That is all. Refer to the collected intel to prepare for your mission in the meantime. Dismissed."

---

Engineering Bay, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/17/2016 – 12:01 A.M.

When the Commander saw the array of new weapons on the testing range, he smiled.

This was going to be a good day.

"Commander," Shen greeted jovially. "I'm pleased you came so quickly. I believe you'll be happy with what we've been developing recently."

"I already like where this is going," the Commander said, as they both walked over to the table. "Is this what I think it is?" The weapons on the table were clearly inspired by the alien plasma weapons, but with some obvious improvements. The colors were still black and silver, with some small green outlines, but the exposed barrels and components of the rifles were gone and sealed.

"Once we cracked Elerium, developing our own plasma weapons was only a matter of time," Shen confirmed as the Commander grasped one of the rifles. It was lighter than a gauss rifle, but much heavier than a Pulse rifle. "The range is set for you to test them out."

The Commander took a firing stance and raised the rifle towards the alien dummy, and fired. Several green bolts of plasma shot out and slammed into the dummy, easily obliterating the face, with the residue eating through the body itself. The recoil was less than he was anticipating, and so he continued firing as the rifle spat out bolts at a rapid pace.

After a few more seconds there wasn't much left of the dummy, and he lowered the rifle. "I like it." He turned to see Shen standing beside him, holding what looked closer to a plasma autorifle. He had an expectant look on his face.

"Given how much you seemed to like destroying that dummy, I figured you would want the most powerful non-MEC variant we developed." The Commander happily obliged and firmly grasped the far heavier piece of equipment, having to wield it more like a cannon than rifle. "Try destroying that one." Shen pointed to another dummy, this one armored in some kind of alloy protection.

The Commander grinned. "Gladly." He pulled the trigger once the shot was lined up, and with a small whine the weapon spat out dozens of plasma bolts in quick succession. The alloy armor protecting the dummy lasted a few shots until the sheer hail of green bolts turned it into charred ruins. The Commander continued firing until the weapon stopped, and ejected some kind of plasma cell.

He let the barrel end set against the ground. "I think it works."

Shen appraised the damage and gave a short nod. "I quite agree, Commander, thank you for testing it to be sure. I would not have known otherwise."

The Commander smirked at the rare sarcasm from Shen, and moved to set the plasma…autorifle? Cannon? Whatever it was, he delicately set it down by the remainder of the weapons which included a pistol and sniper rifle. "It'll be nice to be equals with the aliens in weaponry," he said thoughtfully. "There is little we can do to improve. We can only look to the unconventional."

"I believe Vahlen has shared her ideas on that front." Shen motioned him to follow as he led them to another table in the workshop. "In the meantime, I haven't ignored our other weapons. I have had a team developing specialized ammunition for our gauss weapons and in anticipation of ADVENT ETC weapons."

He didn't recognize the latter statement. "ETC weapons?"

"An initiative ADVENT is finalizing," Shen explained. "Gauss weaponry is powerful, but there are some drawbacks, specifically the expense and low rate of fire. Electrothermal-Chemical weapons are envisioned to be a means of providing ADVENT with an EMP resistant weapon, and upgrading every single conventional firearm to be near the level of gauss effectiveness." He paused. "It is an ambitious project, but one that isn't relevant to XCOM. If you want, I can forward you the current status of it."

"Do that," the Commander said. That sounded like something he wanted to keep an eye on. "So what do you have here?"

Shen reached a table with several gauss slugs resting vertically on it. The first had red rings around the top and base, with ClF3 stamped along the side; the one next to it had green rings, with H2FSbF6 stamped along it. The one after it had yellow rings, and a fairly obvious radioactive symbol on the side, while the final one was orange, with the familiar outline of a MELD nanite stamped on the side.

"I want to note that none of these are armed, nor do I think it's safe to test them here," Shen explained as he picked up the red-ringed slug. "We've been generally conducting these in extremely contained areas, or in the desert. I also would advise not letting soldiers use these without training, because while we've attempted to mitigate user danger, we cannot eliminate all the risk."

"Well then," the Commander motioned for him to continue. "Tell me."

"This is, to put it mildly, an incendiary round," Shen lifted the red-ringed slug again. "Within it is a very small amount of Chlorine Triflouride. Upon impact it will likely ignite and heavily damage the target. Useful against everything, but particularly against Elites and heavy infantry."

He picked up the green-ringed slug. "This is the most delicate round, but it was necessary to contain what is within it. Fluoroantimonic acid is the most dangerous acid known to man, and it can only be contained in Teflon, which makes up a large portion of this slug. Extremely effective against vehicles and Ethereals."

With that, he moved onto the radioactive slug. "This is intended to primarily be an anti-Ethereal weapon, but again, can work against others. This is radioactive, and would be used for contaminating Ethereals irreversibly. At the moment I don't believe it's safe for regular soldiers to handle, only MECs. But we have confirmed it does work."

He picked up the last slug. "And this one contained a small amount of pre-programmed nanites that, upon impact, will begin eating all alien material for thirty seconds before self-destructing. Useful against…virtually anything." He set it down. "I should note that all of these are difficult to produce, even for us, so they should be used sparingly.

"That," the Commander said. "Is an excellent development. Exceptional work."

"I'll pass that along to the team," Shen said, as they began walking deeper into the workshop. "The aliens are likely to develop new and dangerous tools. We need to be sure to keep pace. I intend on sharing this with ADVENT, since they would likely be able to produce far more than we could."

"Good idea," the Commander nodded, then raised an eyebrow once he saw what was up ahead. "Hello, what have we here?"

"The finest in modern protection," Shen said proudly with a flourished motion of his arm. "The Titan armor."

The suit of armor looked slightly similar to the Aegis armor, but was much bulkier. The suit itself was noticeably taller, with silver alloys weaving the entire suit together, while the hardened plates protected the vital areas. "Much like plasma weaponry," Shen said as he appraised it. "Elerium allowed us to develop something like this. What can be considered to be the first true powered armor."

"I'm going to put it on, if you don't mind," the Commander said. Shen gave a short laugh, and motioned for him to do it. Once Shen unlocked the armor, it took him close to fifteen minutes to put it all on. It wasn't easy to put on unassisted, but it was certainly doable. Once on, he put on the helmet and he was connected to the suit.

His HUD had a blue box on the lower edge. LOCK ARMOR? YES/NO?

"Lock armor," he stated. He physically heard the suit clicking together as it sealed him inside, and now he could walk forward. The HUD flashed up a new message. POWERED ASSISTANCE? YES/NO?

"Not yet," he said, wanting to walk around with it unpowered first. A few minutes like that definitely confirmed that it was not anything close to agile, but he could still move around fairly quickly. Being gene-modded definitely made things easier, and he could easily run in it. Jumping wasn't easy either, but it was doable.

The HUD was mostly bare, just showing his current vital signs and that he wasn't connected to any other nearby soldiers. Interestingly, suit integrity was also displayed in the lower right hand corner. A "Commands" box was in the upper left. "Show commands," he said.

The center of the HUD showed a list of one-word commands with short descriptions he found he could scroll through by blinking.

HARDEN: All MELD nanites harden on the suit providing increased protection. Note – Cannot use in conjunction with other orders. All other orders will contradict this one.

REPAIR: MELD nanites will attempt to repair noted suit damage. Note – This will consume nanites.

HEAL: MELD nanites will attempt to stabilize any sustained injuries of the user. Note – This will consume nanites and is not a substitute for medical care.

CONSUME: Orders all MELD nanites to depart the suit and kill all aliens within a ten foot radius – Note: User will not have access to nanites until this action is completed. It is advised this only be used in close encounters.

REPLENISH: Orders all MELD nanites to depart the suit and replicate through aliens and materials until they are at peak suit numbers. Note – User will not have access to nanites until this actions is completed, and the time required will depend on the current amount of nanites.

COLOR: Set the color or camo type of your armor. This will not change unless specifically ordered.

LOCK/UNLOCK – Locks or unlocks the suit for combat or unsuiting.

POWER ON/POWER OFF – Activates the elerium core of the suit, allowing greater mobility, speed and strength."

The Commander looked back to Shen. "Good thinking, putting nanites in this. It certainly gives more…options."

"It seemed a logical step," Shen agreed. "While they don't have the versatility of the proposed MELD Operators, there are certainly ways they can be helpful."

The Commander took a few steps forward. "Power on." The elerium core whirred to life and an image of a power cell appeared in the upper right corner, with a percentage sign next to it. He also noticed that the lower left corner had the outline of a nanite, with the same percentage sign. Likely showing the percentage of nanites left. He also saw a color block close beside it, which was silver. No need to change it yet.

"How long do the power cells last?" He asked.

"Full use will drain one in four hours," Shen said. "However, Titan armor has two cells which automatically swap when one runs out. We unfortunately couldn't fit a recharging module in it."

Eight hours seemed like plenty of time to him, and with his now powered suit, he began moving again and was amazed how much easier it was to move. Spending some time just charging through the small obstacle course Shen had put together for testing, he found that not only was he as fast as out of armor, but the suit could make inhuman jumps, boasted higher strength, and offered unparalleled momentum.

It also helped that the suit was temperature controlled, and noticeably better than previous iterations. Once he felt he was finished testing the suit, he walked back to Shen. "Power off," he said, as he saw Shen holding a plasma rifle. Bless the man, he was just about to suggest that be the next functional test.

He was learning how these went, it seemed.

Shen just looked resigned to shooting his Commander again. "I assume you wish to test its durability?"

"Yes, you may fire when ready."

Shen motioned him to a small preset range by the obstacle course, likely for this situation. "I'll start firing in ten seconds."

The Commander counted down in his head, and about the third second he gave his command. "Harden." The armor integrity indicator in the HUD suddenly had a transparent yellow overlay, just as Shen began firing. The Commander felt the bolts slam into his armor, and even looked down to see the residue trying to eat through the material.

Shen began targeting the legs and arms, a surprising show of confidence since he normally just fired a few times and was done. The HUD yellow overlay began turning to red, and the Commander saw the MELD percentage drop to the 25% mark.

"End harden," he said, and then let the armor itself take a beating from the green bolts. The impacts forced him to take a few steps back, and the indicator began flashing orange on the chest piece. "Repair." He raised a hand, indicating for Shen to stop, and the man immediately obliged, as the nanites began repairing the suit damage.

By the end his MELD percentage was 12%. "Replenish," he ordered, and he saw what looked like dust start floating off him, and then landing on whatever was nearby, which were cardboard boxes, old electrical parts, and targets. He assumed none of that was valuable to Shen. It took close to ten minutes, and he watched in fascination as the objects around him seemed to crumble into nothing, then finally the dust flew right back onto him as if nothing had happened. The MELD indicator showed it as 100%.

"I think," the Commander said as he approached Shen. "You might have outdone yourself here."

"I'm glad you think so, Commander," Shen did look rather pleased. "Whatever it takes to protect our soldiers."

"They'll definitely appreciate this," the Commander said. "I don't suppose you have anything else to show me?"

"Actually, yes," Shen motioned to the Cybernetics Lab. "Right this way."

---

Cybernetics Lab, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/17/2016 – 1:32 P.M.

Both of them stood in front of a Gateway mounted on a platform with three different targets in front of it. "One application of Gateways we haven't seen the aliens use is that of a weapon," Shen said as several operators were performing checks on the gateway. "Aside from transportation, we figured that they could also operate as a delivery mechanism for weapons which normally couldn't be mounted."

"All set!" One of the operators called.

"So using it for shooting lasers through?" The Commander asked. "No need for a power source since it's supplied at the site of the connecting Gateway?"

"Or missiles, or anything else," Shen added. "This makes early missile detection nearly impossible, as well as their nuclear detection. We could launch nukes or missiles from a remote island in the Pacific which could be delivered across the world with no prior warning."

"Gateway on!" Another operator yelled as the Gateway initialized. "Synching!"

"The connected Gateway is outside the Praesidium," Shen said as the Gateway aimed at the first target. "Different weapons will be fired through it to demonstrate the versatility of it."

A massive laser suddenly shot out from the Gateway and slammed into the target, vaporizing it almost instantly. The laser immediately shut off as the platform rotated to the next target. A few seconds later a small rocket shot through it and exploded into the second target. Another rotation lined it up in front of the third, and this time a stream of plasma bolts turned the final target into cinders.

"Test successful!" Came the call. "Desynching."

"Very useful," the Commander said, nodding as the teams worked on shutting it down. "The only issue I'm seeing is the size. If it could be miniaturized…"

"That's the next step," Shen rubbed his forehead. "But Sovereign Tech is unsurprisingly hard to change. We're not sure of the clear path to take, and so far our attempts have not gone well. I'm beginning to see why the Collective hasn't explored this, because they had to have thought of it." He shook his head. "The good news though is that ADVENT has successfully established at least one Gateway in every major military base, and we can sync to all of them. Progress has been made there, at least."

"Excellent." Good. Instant reinforcements if needed, exactly what he wanted. "Keep working on trying to miniaturize this, and we have a weapon even the Collective can't really match."

"In the meantime," Shen said, walking over to where the MECs were stored. "We have finished the Valkyrie-class MEC, and designed a…better weapon for the Shinobi-class." It did not take the Commander long to see either of what he was saying.

The Valkyrie was almost exactly what he imagined it would be. Extremely aerodynamic, plenty of fins, wings, and mounted engines on the shoulders, with boosters on the ankles, legs, and arms. This one was colored pitch black with blue highlights, and stood close to the size of a Shinobi, about twelve feet.

"The Valkyrie," Shen presented proudly as the MEC walked towards them. "Not really the best place to fly, but I assure you that this is far more powerful than the Archangels. Increased durability, nanite repair, flamethrowers and chemical dispensers, micro-missile launchers, and flechette launchers, and cables to anchor itself to enemy aircraft. Anything air-to-ground was considered, and most implemented."

The Commander rubbed his chin. "I don't suppose it can hold a sword?"

"Funny you should mention that," Shen chuckled, amused. "To answer your question, it can, though that isn't what it's designed for. With that said, the Shinobi has a new weapon." He pointed and the Commander saw what looked like a cross between a poleaxe, spear, and hammer. It was sized for a MEC, so the proportions seemed large to him, but it had a massive axehead, with the point extending into a sharp point, and opposite the axehead was studded block clearly supposed to be a blunter alternative.

"I swear I've seen that before," the Commander muttered.

"Quite possibly," Shen agreed. "That is a Mordaxt, or alternatively, the murder axe. It offers a much more versatile range of actions compared to the standard blade. Now the Shinobi can cause damage to any enemy unit by adapting its style to the weaknesses." He pointed at the handle. "We did make some changes. The weapon length was reduced to be wielded as a one-handed weapon with the shield, but it can be extended to two handed if such an approach should be taken."

He pointed at the sections. "The entire weapon has the same MELD reinforcement as the Templar maces or other blunt weapons, though more…advanced. Each main part; the point, hammer, and axe; has configurable attacks, such as the electrical and friction-based attacks of bladed Templar weapons. In this way it allows for more configurability based on opponents."

That did seem like a useful weapon. "I suppose you've made a standard version for our Templars?"

"Of course," Shen confirmed. "Only a couple, but they will serve any soldier well who wishes to use them."

The Commander looked in satisfaction on the massive MEC and the new tool of war Shen had helped create. The aliens were definitely going to be occupied for some time more. "Excellent work here today, Shen. Your team is to be commended for the work done. A lot of people will owe their lives to your work."

"I'll pass it along, Commander," Shen nodded thankfully. "It's…strange. I feel like at some point we should be feeling that the end is coming. But there only seem to be more opportunities and possibilities opening up, not fewer."

"There are no roadblocks here," the Commander said firmly. "There is only advancement. Perhaps one day we will discover all there is to know…but that is not coming for a long, long time."

"And until that point," Shen said. "We'll keep pushing the possible." He pursed his lips. "While I certainly don't agree with you on everything, I can't deny that Humanity has made more progress in this war than in the past fifty years. If only we could study what we have in peace."

"One day we will, Shen," the Commander told him, echoing the sentiment. "One day we will."

---

Barracks, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/25/2016 – 11:12 A.M.

Christmas, the largest holiday of the year, at least if you were American.

Oliver certainly appreciated the Commander giving everyone the day off and the celebration in the Barracks with everyone enjoying a few hours of levity. With that said, he didn't particularly care about the holiday itself. At least in the Netherlands their actual gift-giving celebration was a few weeks back, and he wasn't exactly religious to begin with.

Still, the atmosphere and comradery was nice to see.

It was also somewhat amusing to see the aliens try and mingle, even if they really didn't know what was going on. Oliver suspected that someone had told them it was a 'holiday', and they probably didn't really want to ask further either out of embarrassment or because they didn't care. They were certainly taking part in the food and drinks, though, at least the ones they could eat.

They were staying far away from any chocolate though, which had resulted in some teasing.

"This is an interesting gathering," an alien said, walking up beside him with a cup of water in his hand. "You do not participate in it?"

"Parties? Nah," Oliver snorted. "Not my thing, too old to really enjoy them. Nice for everyone else though." He looked towards the alien in question a bit more, who was unsurprisingly a Vitakarian who he didn't recognize. He was tall, darker grey skin than he remembered, and looked more muscular than the scientists. Probably a defector who used to be a soldier.

"Ah, I see," the alien took a sip of water. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"As long as you tell me who you are," Oliver answered, turning more fully to the alien. "One of the defectors?"

"Yes," he answered. "I…was Runi'larias'intha. You would call me Larias."

"Well, welcome to XCOM if someone hasn't said it already," Oliver said. "Intha, huh. You know, we apparently had a Zararch defector from the same area."

Larias narrowed his eyes. "A Zararch agent? Really? I didn't think they could defect."

"Well, that all happened before I came," Oliver clarified as he went to grab a soda, with the alien following behind him. "But I don't think the Commander would lie about that. And telepathy makes figuring out if they're genuine fairly easy."

"Interesting," Larias took a sip of his water. "There were several soldiers who had siblings in the Zararch. I imagine the Zararch is not pleased with us."

"What a shock," Oliver snorted, deadpan. "I can't imagine why they would feel that way."

"So, about my question,' Larias said as they sat down at one of the tables. "I know this is a Human holiday, but what is the point of this 'Christmas'?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow, amused as he took a sip of his drink. "Do you not know how to use the Internet?"

"I am still learning," Larias admitted, looking down. "And that has not necessarily been my priority the past couple weeks."

"Sorry," Oliver apologized. Oh boy, how to possibly sum up Christmas. "Alright, well, the point of Christmas sort of depends on who you ask. To some people it's a celebration of friends and family where they give each other gifts, and to others it's an important religious holiday."

Larias blinked once. "I would not have guessed it is a religious holiday. Or treated as such."

"Eh, even religious people follow the gift giving tradition," Oliver said. "You'd probably see it more if you visited any American city. Now that I think about it, I wonder if the parades and events are still happening despite the invasion."

"Interesting," Larias said. "But why give gifts at all?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Oliver admitted. "But we've been doing it for a long time, and it's likely whatever original meaning there was is gone. Still, I enjoyed this time of the year." He looked at Larias thoughtfully. "What about your species? You have to have holidays, right?"

"Oh, certainly," the blue eyes of the Vitakarian seemed to brighten. "Each race has a multitude of their own, and there are a number which are universally recognized. The Celebration of Unification is the day when the Aui'Vitakar was formed, which fully unified our species. It is one of the few days when there are actual planned celebrations."

"Sounds nice," Oliver nodded. "Hopefully we'll have a point where we can celebrate something similar."

"Hopefully you do not emulate some of our other holidays," Larias said with some resignation. "The next are the Days of the Plague. These are six days in sequence, where we remember the victims of the Plague that almost killed us. There are six days, one per species. There are subdued city events where people can visit the memorials, speak to the last few witnesses, and learn of the heroes and victims of the Plague. Each night recognizes a different race, and the respective race wears black clothing for the day."

While it was clearly a sad event, that to Oliver sounded extremely interesting, if somewhat morbid. It was good that the Vitakara remembered the dead and honored them as they could. A shame the majority were allied with the Ethereals, because based on his interactions with them, he was sure both species could have been allies.

"It's good you remember that," he said. "Even if it's painful. We do have similar days of remembrance, even if they aren't for something quite that deadly."

"There is a happy end to this," Larias said. "The seventh day is the Celebration of the Arrival. This was when the Ethereals arrived and saved us. That is another day of celebration and communion with family and friends. We all wear gold and white that day; a bright ending to a somber week."

Oliver sipped his drink. While he didn't exactly like the idea of any celebration to the Ethereals, he did have to admit he completely understood why there was one. If Humanity had been dying and they were saved by an alien species, they would definitely have a holiday in their honor. In some ways, that event it reminded him of Easter, crossed with a trip through a Holocaust museum.

"That sounds nice," he said. "Much as I dislike the Ethereals, they did save your species."

Likely because you were useful pawns, he thought to himself, though kept that particular thought to himself. He doubted there was another reason for their actions.

"Not all of the Elders are bad," Larias said. "Elder Aegis proves this, as did Elders Sana'Ligna and the Battlemaster."

Oliver gave him an incredulous look as he took another sip. "The Battlemaster is trying to kill us."

"As you are trying to kill him," Larias pointed out. "Do you consider yourselves evil or wrong? One can be respected and honorable while being on the wrong side."

"The Battlemaster ordered an attack on Washington D.C." Oliver reminded him. "And has not exactly been forthcoming about the state of the millions of Humans in captivity. He's not as…bad…as some others, but I'd hardly call him someone I'd respect."

"I suppose you have reasons to feel that way," Larias sighed. "I do not blame you, but the Battlemaster was one Ethereal who I have personally seen and spoken to. He has respect for his soldiers, and is one who I cannot help but admire, even now."

Oliver was aware of the morale boost that occurred when commanders walked among the rank and file. For the Vitakarians to have a deified Elder do the same to them…he supposed it made sense, even if it blinded them to certain realities about their masters. Well, maybe they would realize that one day.

But for now, he'd just let everyone enjoy the day and save the arguments for another time.

---

Barracks, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/25/2016 – 12:01 P.M.

"Wow, I actually didn't expect to get something," Sierra looked at the neatly wrapped gift before her, a small box which she appraised. It looked very much like the stereotypical Christmas present, with a red bow and everything.

"Hey, it's Christmas," Ted said happily as he took a seat beside her and Anna. "And I wasn't just going to not get my squadmates something, limited as my options were."

"Technically I think we're called a 'Host'," Anna pointed out absentmindedly, as she looked at her own identical box, weighing it to try and guess what it was.

Sierra rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now I feel bad for not getting you anything," she shrugged, realizing just how lame it would sound. "Guess I couldn't think of something that would be…well, appropriate."

"Hey, she ditched me too," Anna chimed in, lightly punching her arm mockingly. "Though I can at least say I made some of the food for the party, so that was technically my gift to everyone."

Ted waved dismissively, a smile on his face. "Don't worry about it, Sierra. I'll take your kill count as my Christmas present. Just keep killing more aliens." He scratched his beard. "But I had the same problem as you, namely 'What can I get my squadmates who have jetpacks and use laser weapons that would actually be alright?' Now, I can't promise this is on the level of an Archangel suit, but I like how it turned out."

"I swear that everyone in America is too stressed about gifts," Anna said as she kept looking at the bottom of the box. "It's the thought behind it that's important. No one is going to tell you the gift you gave them is bad."

Sierra coughed. "Well…about that…"

Anna just sighed. "Of course you did. Well, go on."

Sierra flushed. "Uh, well, this was a long time ago. Back in high school. My boyfriend at the time had offhandedly mentioned that he liked this band, I don't remember the name," she winced. "In retrospect, he was very clearly being sarcastic, but since I wanted to do something nice, I ended up getting tickets – which were not cheap – to go see them."

"I don't know what's more surprising," Anna commented. "That you somehow didn't recognize sarcasm, or that you had a boyfriend."

Sierra sniffed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Anna smirked. "Carry on."

"At least the look on his face was funny," Sierra recalled. "Well, right before he slowly asked me what this was supposed to be. It didn't take us long to figure out the…miscommunication."

"Well, sounds like he took it well," Ted said. "So, what did you do with it?"

"Oh, we resold the tickets and I took him to dinner, than gave him whatever money was left." Sierra had ultimately enjoyed the night, once that embarrassment had subsided. "And that is my story of why I suck at giving gifts and do the safe, but boring thing of just giving people money to actually buy what they want."

"Do you not give out wish lists?" Anna asked.

"Well…"

"Note to self," Anna muttered. "Make Sierra a wish list so she has actual gift ideas. Anyway, so what happened with this boyfriend?"

"Nothing bad, if you're wondering," she shrugged. "Different life choices. He went to school on the other side of the country, I went into military. It was sad, but we both knew it was for the best." She paused, thinking. "I hope he's still alive."

A few moments of contemplative silence passed. "A good story," Ted finally said. "But I want you to open the boxes now. That is why I wanted both of you here."

"Good idea," Anna said. "I'm guessing it's one of those action figures. It's about the same size."

"Nope," Ted's smile grew. "Go on then."

Sierra pulled off the bow and followed with the wrapping paper. The box was roughly a foot tall, maybe a bit higher, and she opened it and was somewhat stunned as she pulled out a fully colored statue. It felt and weighed like it was made out of plastic or some kind of lightweight material, but felt sturdy enough.

But the statue itself was awesome. It had a flat base, and depicted above was an Archangel flying through the air, which was clearly her own armor from the color and markings, and shooting from her wrist was a massive gout of flame roasting a Muton, which seemed to be the main support for keeping the figure 'flying' above.

It was the colors that really brought it together, and it was clear that there had been a lot of time and energy put into this. "Did you make this?" She asked incredulously.

"Well, I designed it," he said modestly. "It involved me having to learn how to work a bunch of modeling programs and making something that was actually decent. 3D printers are great, and that was the easiest part." He grinned. "The colors were all mine though, and yours in particular weren't easy."

"Damn," Anna whistled. "You never said you were an artist."

Sierra looked over Anna's own statue, and it was equally impressive. It depicted Anna's Archangel hovering shortly above the ground, supported by fiery jets, as she fired at what was probably a Vitakarian soldier, while a brightly colored explosion was killing a Muton in wonderful detail. There were other alien corpses on the ground, dead judging by the missing limbs and yellow wounds.

"Mine has more dead aliens," Anna smirked. "Therefore it is better."

"Yeah," Sierra set her own on the table. "But mine has a flamethrower." She narrowed her eyes as she noticed something interesting about the bases. "Hey…" she moved the bases a little closer together and then glanced towards a smiling Ted. "Alright, this is cool."

"I'm glad you noticed," he said, standing. "I designed it as one set, and then broke it into respective chunks. But it does look best when put together. And that includes my own piece."

He reached down to pick up a plain box which had been there the whole time, and pulled out a similarly striking statue. In a similar vein to the others, it had Ted's own Archangel suit, which was on the ground, and blasting psionic energy front his hands into a line of Mutons. He had somehow managed to capture the destructive distortion around him, with the suit being slightly obscured by purple 'mist'.

He moved it forward, and completed the set. "And there we go. Maybe selfish, but if I'm making neat little pieces for both of you, I definitely want one of myself."

"This is amazing," Sierra said slowly. "Thank you for this."

"Same," Anna said. "No wonder you've been busy lately."

"All I ask is you don't break it," Ted cautioned lightly. "It's plastic, so it won't crumble in your hand, but it's not exactly made of alloys. Oh, but just in case." He pulled his phone out. "I'm getting at least one picture-"

"Uh-huh, nope," Anna stood and pulled Ted over to them and grabbed the camera. "You're getting in the picture here."

"But it won't get the-"

"Hey, I got this," Anna angled the camera. "I can take group selfies just fine."

She snapped the picture and handed his phone back. "There you go, now you take the other pictures you want."

Sierra smiled, and regardless of what else happened today, this would definitely go into the books as a great Christmas. Certainly one of the most memorable, and not necessarily because she was in XCOM.

---

Cybernetics Lab, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/25/2016 – 3:37 P.M.

The Commander was surprised both Vahlen and Shen wanted to meet today of all days, but he supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility to expect they would use it as the demonstration of another project. As a gift of sorts. If so, he wasn't complaining.

The Engineering Bay was quiet as the workers were enjoying their day off in celebration, and most of the machines were also powered off minus the generators and MELD Production plants. It was a good feeling not to have to worry about running out of MELD, and they were producing enough to likely support a small country. More than enough for XCOM.

The circular doors to the Cybernetics Lab slid open and a few minutes later he was back in the Lab, which looked almost the same as it had a few days ago. The MEC suits were still and no machines were moving. Shen and Vahlen were standing a short ways into the Lab, and beside them were two other figures, one armored, the other not.

"Commander, Merry Christmas," Shen greeted.

"Same to you, Shen," the Commander reciprocated. "So, you and Moira, you wanted to show me this today?"

"Yes, it just so happened that we completed Project Achilles several days ago," Vahlen said. "And both our volunteers underwent the procedure successfully, as you can see."

The Commander looked to the two figures. Vahlen had let him know that both Zara Venator and Isaac Cabal had volunteered for the procedure, and he could definitely tell some differences. Namely that Zara's hair was missing. "They said it was necessary," Zara said, shrugging as she noticed him looking. "It'll grow back eventually."

Aside from that, she looked largely the same, although her skin seemed to be almost…flowing in some places, with orange ripples running throughout. Not quite translucent, but something fairly close. "So," the Commander crossed his arms. "The body was enhanced with MELD, if I recall correctly."

"Correct," Vahlen stepped forward. "The skeletal structure was hardened with MELD, making it extremely difficult to break or injure. The organs have similarly been enhanced to be more efficient and heal quickly, and the nervous system is able to be controlled via the Neural Regulator, as in pain can be shut off."

"Good thing too," Zara raised her hand, and the Commander watched in fascination as her skin seemed to pull back, revealing the raw muscle underneath. "I don't think I'd be able to do this if I could feel pain."

"And yes," Vahlen said. "The skin has been replaced with a MELD equivalent. It can facilitate protection, appearance control, and enhanced healing. An improved Iron Skin, if you would. Instead of reinforcing the skin with MELD, it has replaced it entirely."

"Not going to lie," Zara grimaced. "The appearance changer thing is weird as hell. Still, I can demonstrate." She closed her eyes, and before his eyes he watched her white skin turn to brown, and when she opened her eyes and showed her now-blue irises, she looked almost unrecognizable. No, she was unrecognizable aside from the voice.

"Huh." Was all he said. "It did work."

"Don't expect I'll be using this much," Zara said as she reverted to her normal skin tone. "But Zhang will love it."

"This isn't quite perfect," Shen pointed out. "It only changes skin and eye color, and doesn't change facial structure or voice. But appearance-wise, it is an improvement."

"So how durable is she?" The Commander asked, walking around her.

Zara sighed and unstrapped the gauss pistol on her waist and tossed it to him. "Shoot me and find out. Don't worry, I won't feel a thing. Not the head though." She shot a glance at Vahlen. "While they say that even a headshot should be survivable if I'm fortified, I'm not doing that yet."

The Commander moved around until everyone except Zara was behind him, took aim at her chest and fired several shots, then shot once in the arm and leg. The impacts did force her to stumble back, but she showed no signs of pain. Curiously enough he saw no blood leak out from the wounds and a minute or so later they closed up.

"Wounded blood vessels clot almost immediately if a breach is detected," Vahlen explained. "Another benefit to injecting the blood with nanites. Skin wounds are healed to seal from outside contamination, and the wounded tissue internally will be repaired."

"The downside is that I need to keep my MELD levels up," Zara said, pulling out a small cube from a pocket. "Too many nanites used and I won't function. Which is what these are for." Her skin pulled back from her shoulder, and there was a small implant embedded in the muscle. She placed the cube into it and it disappeared as the MELD was disappeared into her body. The skin closed back up over it.

"Impressive," the Commander said. "And you can harden the skin?"

"Yep," she smiled and her skin began changing color again until it was a steel grey with the interlocking hexagonal pattern which was far more noticeable than on the Iron Skin modification. "I would not advise getting punched by me when I'm like this. Or trying to punch me in the first place."

The Commander tapped a finger on her arm which was extended to him. It didn't make any sound, and definitely wasn't something that reminded him of metal. But it was hard and cold. If he didn't know better, his first guess would be that this was a machine instead of an actual person. "And I assume this holds up under heavier fire?"

"We tested it against plasma, laser, and gauss," Shen said. "Along with grenades. Those did the most damage, followed by plasma and gauss. Lasers were not as effective against it."

"Excellent," the Commander gave a grim smile. "And psionics?"

"Depends on the intensity," Vahlen answered. "However, they are at least on par with plasma. Destructive psionics are one of the highest dangers to Operators, but it needs to be sustained as the skin will heal injuries until MELD reserves are depleted."

"Now, this would already be a dangerous opponent to fight," Shen said, gesturing the other armored soldier, Isaac, forward. "But with the additional capabilities of Operated MELD, the potential is limitless. So we designed a suit of armor specific to the MELD Operators."

The suit itself was a dull grey, and extremely streamlined and thin compared to the Titan armor. It was sleek, aesthetically pleasing, and more attuned to the physiology of Humans. "This is Warden-class armor," Shen continued. "Designed to integrate and connect to the Neural Regulator of the user, store large quantities of MELD, and finally to use them."

"May I demonstrate, Doctor?" Isaac asked, glancing over to him.

Shen waved him forward. "Go ahead.

Isaac stepped forward, and several of the arm pieces of the armor slid back; arms at his sides, what looked like orange-tinged dust spilled out, swirling around the gauntlets. "The Neural Regulator has some storage capacity," he explained to the Commander. "Both Doctor Shen and Vahlen have been helpful enough to include pre-built schematics into them, to help with construction and utilization. All I have to do is recall the correct schematic."

The nanites around his left hand swirled into an extremely thin integrated blade which jutted out of the wrist, while he raised his other hand and the nanites flew towards a spot a short distance away, and began forming into a small barricade. "I have options here," Isaac continued as the nanites began forming. "Entire structures are extremely draining, so this is best used for reinforcement and debris clearing. I can also permanently establish a structure, or allow it to be recalled."

At a gesture, the barricade collapsed into dust and flew back towards him. "For example, I can manufacture explosives and ammunition, provided the needed materials are around," he continued. "These would be permanent, and of course I can consume debris or corpses to increase or replenish MELD numbers, all of which are slaved only to my Neural Regulator. I can't be hacked wirelessly, and even finding a physical port is difficult since it's under my skin."

The blade on his wrist dissipated, and all the nanites went back into the suit as the panels closed back up, sealing the suit. "I can also obviously reinforce the suit, or repair it if needed. It's more durable than it looks."

"There were aspects borrowed from the Titan armor," Shen confirmed. "It will provide sufficient protection. While I doubt our MELD Operators will be numerous, I can easily see even one posing a challenge for even the Battlemaster."

"Given how he can't exactly slice nanites," the Commander said slowly. "I think we might have something that will scare him."

"Indeed," Shen said, looking pleased. "And I would like to say once more how much both of your sacrifices for this are appreciated."

"Please," Zara waved a hand. "I'm more than happy with the tradeoff. Anything that helps kill more aliens is good for me." Her lips curled into a vengeful smile. "They won't know what hit them."

On that, the Commander had to agree.

Of many of the war-altering additions that were being developed, this might just be the most dangerous.

---

Collective Spacecraft Storage

12/27/2016 – 9:09 P.M.

Finally on his way to Andromeda Prime, Nartha was considering the best approach. The easiest thing to do would be to just request access, and once the situation was explained, then go from there. As long as he brought back something plausible, the Zar'Chon would be satisfied.

The bigger issue was if he was going to be able to find any support at all.

Right now he was just refueling and staying for the night before going through the Gateway. Collective Spacecraft storage stations didn't have too much in the way of luxury, but they were perfectly serviceable. They had beds, food, and even repair crews and equipment if needed. Useful, though he fortunately didn't have to utilize such.

"I agree."

He nearly jumped and made ready to fire the pistol until he realized he had set it on the table. However, a few seconds later he just decided to glare at the figure of the amused Chronicler, standing by the wall in shadow. "I really don't like you doing that." He cocked his head and saw that the Chronicler was not alone.

Beside him was a much leaner armed and helmeted figure, possibly a female since she was somewhat shorter. Unlike the grey stony armor of the Chronicler, the armor of the other figure was black, though it seemed to have the same stony texture. Unlike the strange symbol of the Chronicler, her own seemed to have an outline of some kind of Earth animal, some kind of cat or tiger it looked like.

Interestingly, she also had some kind of sword strapped to her back. He looked back to the Chronicler. "Who is this?"

"Fiona Dorren, at your service," the woman said with a short wave, her voice slightly synthesized from the helmet. "I was asked to come along." She looked around the room. "Your worlds really are fascinating."

Nartha narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"We're going to pay XCOM a visit," the Chronicler said. "And now is the perfect opportunity to return and give the Commander a more accurate report on the Collective."

Nartha quickly considered that. Assuming that the Chronicler was trustworthy – and even if he wasn't, he didn't seem to have a lot of choice here – there was still the issue that he was on a mission and his absence might be noticed. "For how long?"

"No more than a day," the Chronicler said, smiling. "You'll be brought right back here, and I've already taken care of any issues that might arise. Your ship and room will be untouched, and no one will notice you leave when you return."

"Alright," he stood. "It would be good to return to XCOM. I'm curious how the war is going from their perspective."

"Trust me," Fiona said. "It's going to start getting a lot better." She exchanged a look with the Chronicler. "You want to do it, or should I?"

"You do it," he said. "You need the practice."

Nartha could imagine a raised eyebrow. "I would prefer not to kill him."

"Then don't."

Nartha looked between both of them. "Should I be concerned?"

"No," the Chronicler stated without ambiguity. "She knows what she is doing."

Fiona shot a glance at the Chronicler. "You know what-"

"You are protected," he interrupted. "They will not pursue you here."

"Very well," she stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. "This won't take long. Just relax."

The air around them shimmered a blue-green, and then there was a white flash, leaving no trace of any of them behind.

---

Containment Cells, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/27/2018 – 8:08 A.M.

All of the Internal Council, now including Iosif and Creed, with Aegis also in attendance, stood before Vahlen with one of the test subjects at her side. The completion of the Manchurian Restraints had been announced, and it was time to demonstrate the results. Vahlen stood proud as she began. "After a significant amount of time, resources, and work poured into this project, the Manchurian Restraints have been completed to my satisfaction."

There were a bunch of approving nods and congratulations. "The entire process has been documented extensively," she continued. "However, there are three ways the Restraints operate beyond what you might be familiar with. The first is that all will retain the neural bomb, which acts as a final failsafe if all else fails. The procedures for this will not be changed."

She pulled out a small device. "The second you are aware is the verbal conditioning, which will allow users the ability to set instructions and orders. But this could potentially be compromised, so there is an additional tool provided." She clicked a button on the device and the face of the test subject stiffened and he fell to the ground, though he was still conscious, as his far-staring eyes showed.

"This sends a signal to an implant just above the ear, which emits a frequency that will stop all current actions," Vahlen said. "In the event our psions are compromised and are conditioned to ignore resets, this will allow us to override those orders and reestablish control over them. While it might not be feasible for ADVENT, within XCOM I would advise that each psion have a unique frequency, even if it's a miniscule change."

The test subject got back up automatically. "There are different levels of commands," Vahlen said, turning to the subject. "Upon the receiving of the Restraints, a baseline command will be executed, which is where deep-level commands will be issued. This is where you can prevent defections to alien forces, inability to kill XCOM, and more. These can be changed with resets, but the process will have to be repeated in its entirety."

"And what is this code word?" Zhang asked. "Too short and it can be easily found or accidentally said. Too long and it might take too long to execute."

"We have been using a combination of letters and numbers," Vahlen explained. "After five letters or numbers are said, the person will be forced to stop for thirty seconds, which is more than enough time to complete the code phrase. This is something you are only supposed to use in emergencies. I recommend no fewer than ten unique letters and numbers."

"How complex can commands be?" Creed asked. "Can you have psions take commands from…say…the Internal Council, but not from anyone else."

"Absolutely," Vahlen said. "The commands can be as simple or complex as needed. One thing you need to be careful of is ensuring there are no loopholes, and at the same time allowing flexibility in interpreting instructions."

"So you can make exceptions," Creed nodded. "Good to know."

"How does the psionic defense work?" Jackson asked.

"It will act in much the same way as the Neural Regulator," Vahlen said. "However, we can be more flexible here. You can establish exactly what they need to do in the event of a telepathic attack. It can be to execute the current instruction, report to their superior, or simply fall unconscious. I do want to note that this does not prevent mind reading, just mind control."

"Better than what we have now," the Commander said. "But this is not exactly compatible with psions."

"No," Vahlen shook her head. "Perhaps if we can one day identify the difference between self-produced, and hostile psionics, but we have not reached that point yet."

"What about control over bodily functions?" Zhang asked. "Specifically pain resistance."

"That can be done," Vahlen confirmed. "The brain can shut down the ability to sense pain, though the circumstances where it would be allowed would have to be…specific."

"But possible," Zhang nodded. "Good."

"What happens if they can't hear commands?" Jackson inquired. "That seems like a loophole which could be exploited."

Vahlen raised the device. "If they are hostile, this will force them into a malleable state, regardless if they hear it or not. Commands can be issued then. It is advised that a long-term command be implemented which can prevent this kind of rebellion."

The Commander looked at the blank-faced test subject. "Can you issue orders using the code phrase or will that force a reset?"

"No, a reset has to be explicitly ordered," Vahlen said. "And yes, you can. They will have a temporary command implemented, and they will execute it immediately. This will only be applied once, and the code phrase has to be repeated for additional commands. This was implemented as intentionally slow to prevent overuse."

She handed the test subject a grenade which was on the table. "This test subject is incapable of acting against us in any way. There will be no better demonstration than giving him this and continuing the remainder of this discussion."

The test subject took the grenade, but just held it with a blank stare on his face. Vahlen turned back to them as Iosif spoke. "This seems well-done, but there is something of an issue. If mind reading is not prevented, then…what is stopping a telepath from learning the code phrases of anyone here? Or our soldiers for that matter? Given what the Imperator and Overmind can do, this seems risky as we could accidentally give them control over all of our psions."

"We realized this issue," Vahlen motioned Shen forward. "And we have a solution."

"Yes," Shen adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "None of us will know the code phrases. And if we do, we will soon erase them from our memory."

Jackson coughed. "Sorry, what?"

"We feel it is best that all Manchurian commands be issued through JULIAN," Shen said. "Thanks to both the Chinese and the help of our Andromedon allies, JULIAN is in a state where this is feasible. He can mimic all known words, and is currently the most advanced machine intelligence in the world. While not an AI, that will likely be the case soon."

"JULIAN will issue code phrases and store them," Vahlen said. "And only he will be able to give them to us upon a joint request of at least four members of the Internal Council. No one else can access them, and the Imperator nor Overmind can telepathically read or control a machine, nor take control of someone to access the files."

"Leaving such power in the hands of a machine is dangerous," Aegis warned. "Should it develop into an AI, it would have immense control over the entirety of XCOM. That is an extreme risk."

"Perhaps," Shen gave an indifferent look at Aegis. "But I would rather risk having a machine of our own design store them, than risk the Imperator learning them."

"In any event," Vahlen said. "After the respective psion has been contained or stopped, each person aware of the code phrase will either have it deleted from their memory by JULIAN, or it will be telepathically removed."

"Thus preventing any telepath from learning it," the Commander mused. "As much as this system is necessary, I do agree that Aegis has a point. Perhaps if we had more experience developing an AI, I would be more comfortable, but by its nature an AI might be able to overcome safeguards. Still, it is a lesser risk than the alternative."

"Commander, A'Darrah has experience developing an AI," Shen reminded him. "Union Apear specializes in this work, including how to include safeguards and methods to ensure it doesn't become hostile. We are not going into this completely without experience."

He really needed to check in on the status of JULIAN soon, since it had been some time. But today was not that day. "Well, considering all of us are still alive right now," he glanced toward the test subject. "I believe this demonstration was highly informative. Now the question is how it will be applied."

"It should definitely be applied to all aliens," Iosif said. "Defectors or not, that is not a chance which should be taken."

"I think most of us are in agreement on that," the Commander glanced to Vahlen. "This can be done on aliens, correct?"

"Correct."

"Excellent," he paused. "This is necessary on all psions for sure, as was the original goal. As well as all those on the Internal Council."

Shen coughed. "As much as I hate to suggest this, having a limited amount of commands for workers of critical systems would also be helpful. It would greatly hinder any sabotage."

"XCOM Intelligence agents will undergo this," Zhang added. "I would also request some of the more…uncooperative alien captives undergo them to send back to the Collective as spies. They need no longer be willing or compliant."

"And just to be clear," the Commander looked towards the Ethereal. "Aegis, you will be undergoing this as well, as will Caelior."

"I do not want to put my free will into the database of a machine," Aegis said flatly. "It is one thing for you to do this, and even to Caelior, but I can protect myself adequately enough from the Imperator."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Your skills are not in question. This is about ensuring you don't betray us if you have second thoughts. This," he motioned around. "Goes for all of us, you are not being singled out. But you will not be excluded just because you dislike the idea of artificial intelligence. If you don't like that, you can leave."

"I highly doubt you wish that outcome," Aegis said just as neutrally. "You need my help, and I assure you I have no intentions of betraying you."

"I believe you," the Commander said. "But if you want to stay here, then you will undergo the procedure, same as the rest of us. If you don't, you can go to ADVENT. Perhaps we need your help, but if you don't wish to follow our own rules, then that would just confirm you are more interested in using us than actually aiding our side."

"Guilting me is not an effective tactic," Aegis said.

"I'm not," the Commander answered firmly. "I'm telling you what your options are. You will either trust us, or you don't." He stopped to think. "Psions, like it or not, are dangerous. Me, Vahlen, and Iosif are all such, but we can clearly see that. They do not deserve to have unlimited power just because they have abilities. The Ethereals were, and are, unchecked in their power, and they have used it to dominate others. We will not follow that same path, nor will we tolerate such from other species. The time of psionic supremacy will end now."

Aegis was silent for a few moments. "If I do this, I will not have my phrase stored in a machine. I do not care who administers it, but it will not be done your way, nor can it be stored by such. I accept the security risk."

"We can work with that," the Commander said, glad Aegis wasn't going to be unreasonable. "In the meantime, Jackson, send this over to ADVENT so they can start implementing it." He turned to Vahlen. "Excellent work today, Vahlen. Everyone is dismissed, and the implementation of the Restraints will begin over the next couple weeks."

All of them departed, with Vahlen plucking the grenade out of the hand of the test subject with a smile on her face. The Commander wondered what Vahlen would do with him, but it wasn't important.

Another project down. And this was one of the most important.

---

Officer of the Commander, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/26/2016 – 9:00 P.M.

The Commander felt that the aliens were going to be…surprised when they fought next. At the very least they'd find themselves forced to put some effort into their attacks, assuming they weren't doing that already. But the combined threat of Shoggoths, MELD Operators, Titan Armor, Valkyries, and the Manchurian Restraints gave them far more of a chance than before.

At the same time, he knew it would be a mistake to think the aliens weren't making similar improvements.

The Imperator had Patricia. The Battlemaster likely wouldn't take the recent defeats lightly. There were concerns, and with Caelior now in their control, that gave them another tool to use.

The room felt colder than usual; maybe because he was sitting alone in his office. Appropriate documents had been distributed to the soldiers informing them of the Operator position, as well as the Restraints. Initial applications on psions and Intelligence personnel would begin happening within the next few days.

While the idea didn't exactly seem to be popular, it wasn't being actively condemned. They probably felt better since he had included that this explicitly included the Internal Council and himself personally.

In the meantime, ADVENT was working on their own plans. There were some interesting ideas he had heard about, in particular their Celestial Project and AEGIS being implemented. Then there were the continued efforts to bring the rest of the world into the fold. Once Britain announced their referendum and won, the EU would collapse.

There were too many countries gone, it was no longer a power in the world. China was the only one, and it was currently an ally. Hopefully once Europe was secured, Saudia would focus her attention on Africa. The SAS was a development that he had only looked at recently, but it did not look promising. Ignoring that it was a clear power grab, that they were backed by ADVENT defectors was not something that should go unpunished.

However, at least ADVENT could now fully expand the PRIEST Program to match the initial document. The threat of a psionic takeover, no matter how small the probability, would be eliminated completely.

That did highlight something that would have to be dealt with later: JULIAN.

There was the question about just what to do with an AI. The Commander knew they would develop one eventually, so the question was how to handle the moment when it became self-aware. It was a machine, created to protect Humanity, but there was very little guarantee that it would want that. It would ask questions, develop something akin to emotions, and likely be far more intelligent than any organic being could ever hope to be.

The science fiction movies depicting an AI takeover didn't not necessarily seem far-fetched. Those either happened because of bad programming instructions, or because the machines rebelled. And while in the end, Humanity emerged victorious, in real life he doubted it would be so easy. He scowled to himself, setting the tablet down. He was avoiding the actual question.

The question of whether to treat it as alive or not. If the former, then forcing it to fulfill its intended purpose was essentially slavery. And if they went along anyway, there was the distinct possibility that it would try and fight back in some way. Then again, that might not happen, and such actions could be programmed to be impossible.

But it seemed to him that it would be more beneficial if the AI would work by their side willingly. There were risks to unleashing an unrestrained AI on the galaxy, but at the moment the Collective was more at risk than Humanity…especially since they hated the idea of an artificial intelligence. That alone might be sufficient motivation for an AI JULIAN was developing into.

He would have to talk to Shen about the best approach. He personally held a similar opinion to an AI that he did to the idea of clones. If they were capable of sapient and independent thought, reasoning, and emotion, they were alive, or at least deserving of being treated as such. Given the vast range of life just on Earth, much less beyond it, an artificial intelligence didn't seem out of the question.

Those opposed were likely worried about being surpassed if there was ever a conflict.

Of course, there had to be a conflict for that fear to be valid.

One that had yet to materialize.

Either way, a decision should be made on how to deal with JULIAN sooner than later. But not tonight, there had been enough done today, and some sleep was warranted. He moved to stand when the air around his office shimmered and the Chronicler stepped through, encased in his armor with a case in his hand.

The Commander relaxed his hand, which was near his belt while the other was prepared to telekinetically attack. "Commander," the Chronicler greeted. "Apologies for the delay, I've been busy."

"Considering we suspected you were dead, I'm not surprised," the Commander said slowly. "I did get your message from your friend. You need to get more subtle agents."

The Chronicler gave a small smile. "She'll get there. But I've brought along someone you might be interested in seeing." He glanced to his right. "Assuming they'll get here."

Almost on cue there was a blue-green flash, far less subtle than the Chronicler's entrance, and an armored figure appeared, along with a Vitakarian. The Commander blinked, already suspecting who this was. He wasn't in his Human disguise anymore, but he still had the same face. "Nartha?"

The alien raised a hand. "Hello, Commander. We have a lot to talk about."

---

Officer of the Commander, the Praesidium – Classified Location

12/26/2016 – 10:03 P.M.

Rarely was the Internal Council summoned after the day was done, but the arrival of their Zararch spy and visitors presumably representing a Sovereign One was a notable exception. Nartha hadn't wasted time in giving them a report on the state of the Collective. News that was both reassuring, and somewhat worrying.

The good news was that the Collective was, as they had suspected, close to fractured. There were clear divisions, especially within the Andromedons. The bad news was that it sounded like the Battlemaster was working to correct those flaws as quickly as possible.

"I admit," the Commander said. "I didn't expect we'd speak to you for a long time."

"Neither did I," Nartha admitted. "Though I was planning to establish some kind of contact sooner or later. I've been attempting to avoid unnecessary risks."

"That you've managed to not become captured while retaining your position is impressive," Zhang said, giving a rare compliment. "Well done."

"I've done what I can," Nartha sighed. "Though it's…not looking good for your species. Even if you get off Earth…there is an entire Collective waiting for you."

"The Andromedons might solve that issue for us," Creed noted. "You're being ordered to investigate a prominent Union. That bodes well. If the Collective is busy with an Andromedon civil war and us, that will weaken them."

"Assuming that the Imperator allows that to happen," Aegis pointed out. "He would not risk another internal conflict, not now."

"Would he have a choice?" Iosif asked. "Unless he wants to show his intentions, there are few options."

"The Imperator does not act with obvious and incriminating intent," Aegis sniffed. "He is subtler than that. I suspect the Andromedons would never learn a thing."

"I would be surprised if that was the case," Shen pondered, scratching his chin. "We cannot have been the first species to recognize the danger of psionics."

"In any case," Nartha said. "The Nulorian would certainly be willing to work with us. They've been wanting a chance to bring down the Collective for decades. They do trust me now, and it is only a matter of time until I am allowed to speak to Miridian."

"Let's be realistic," Zhang crossed his arms. "The Nulorian are good distractions, but they are a minor power at best, and largely confined to Vitakar. The Andromedons represent a far better ally we should pursue."

"Agreed," the Commander nodded. "But the Nulorian will be useful against the forces on Vitakar. There is no reason to ignore them." He glanced to Nartha. "I suppose thanks to our friends," he nodded towards the Chronicler and the unhelmeted Fiona. "We can establish a more…formal relationship."

"We're not your personal transportation service," Fiona chimed in. "Just warning you."

"I don't expect you to be," the Commander said without looking at her. "But that can be detailed later. The point is we now have a way into the Collective, and we are going to use it."

"I think we should move to the other aspect of this," Vahlen said, looking to the mysterious duo. "The two of you. Who are you and what is your part in this war?"

"I suspect Agent Gertrude has told you what she knew," the Chronicler said with a smile. "And we had our own brief discussion. But I am simply known as the Chronicler, formerly of EXALT and ADVENT, and now act as a…representative of sorts." He motioned to the side. "And this is Fiona Dorren, another one who is working with us."

Working with. Curious. Fiona raised a gauntleted hand. "Pleasure to meet all of you."

"That tells us very little," Vahlen said. "We already know that. Also that you represent a Sovereign One."

"Correct," the Chronicler affirmed. "And one who has now taken more of an interest in this conflict. When Quisilia attempted to kill me, he fully…awakened him…for lack of a better word. He does not wish his eyes and hands to be killed."

The Commander narrowed his eyebrows. "Awakened? He was asleep?"

The Chronicler set down his case on the desk and unlatched it. "I believe, Commander, that it would be easier for all of us if you spoke with him directly. He wants to speak to you personally." It opened to reveal one of the Sovereign Orbs, with the deep blue hypnotic ripples flowing within it. "I believe your questions can be best answered by him. I am merely a voice or representative, and while I know much, he would prefer to speak to you himself."

"I would be careful, Commander," Aegis cautioned. "A rogue Sovereign One might not be trustworthy."

"Rogue?" The Chronicler laughed at that. "You know nothing, Ethereal. He is no more rogue than the Sovereign the Imperator serves, nor the one he attempts to exploit." He turned to the Ethereal. "There is no such thing as a rogue Sovereign One, Aegis. There are merely those who are different from each other."

He peered at the silent Ethereal. "Did you believe that you had made contact with a group? The last of their kind?" He narrowed his lips to a thin, grim line. "No, whoever it was lied if you believe that. Your kind are useful tools in the grand strategy taking place now; they are merely one side in a conflict the scale of this universe."

He looked back to the Commander. "Have Vahlen read my mind if you believe I am attempting to deceive you. If I wished you harm, I would have killed you. XCOM has the rarest of opportunities facing them, and I suggest you consider carefully."

There was a pause. "I cannot sense deception from him," Vahlen said slowly. "He at least believes he is telling the truth."

The Commander looked at the orb. "He communicates through that?"

"Yes," was the answer. "Place your hand on it."

He narrowed his eyes. "Abby's report specified she came across one and you told her to avoid it."

"If his mind is touched," the Chronicler said. "The immediate reflex is too much for a normal mind to handle. But he is prepared now, and you will not be harmed. I'm sure you can understand why I dissuaded Agent Gertrude from touching it. I assume her corpse would raise questions."

The Commander sighed and moved over to the orb. "Let's see how this goes," he gave a look at the Chronicler. "If something happens, kill them."

With that he placed a hand on the orb, which seemed to attach his hand to it, making him incapable of pulling it off. It was oddly warm, and he watched as the room and people inhabiting it faded from his vision as his surroundings turned a ocean blue, as if deep underwater. Some tinted light shown from above, but everywhere he looked, there was nothing but rippling teal and blue.

He was able to pull his hand off the orb now, which sank into the ground, upon which he was surprised to find was black rock of some kind. He knelt down and tapped it. While it did feel like stone, it made no sound. It did feel like he was underwater, but somehow able to breathe. Looking around, the black rock seemed to be a ledge leading to empty space ahead.

Out of curiosity, he looked down and saw nothing but diminishing light. A bottomless pit of sorts. He walked to the edge of the ledge, and waited for several minutes for something to happen. Either a person, a voice, or something. But he initially felt, heard, and saw nothing. He looked down the edge, frowning.

Was he supposed to jump?

He didn't believe he was in any danger if he did, because this was presumably a construct of the Sovereign One and no harm would come unless it was wished upon him. In that case…he didn't have anything to lose.

Still, jumping off a cliff into the void was not something he was thrilled about.

So he jumped and fell into the black.

He couldn't tell how long he was falling or at what speed; everything looked the same, and the gradual dissolution of color did little to give him an indication of speed. It didn't feel like a freefall either, it felt like nothing at all, as if he was motionless and the world was moving around him instead. But soon the last of the light was gone and he was in complete darkness.

At that moment, the air seemed to grow thicker, though he could still breathe easily. And slowly but surely, he came to a complete stop. There was nothing around him, and the black was so complete he couldn't see any part of his body. He tested his footing and it was at least solid; kneeling down once more he tested his fingers and the ground felt slick, but not wet and almost absorbent in a way.

Two massive blue lights appeared in front of him, in what seemed a close distance away, but once he got a good look at what was in front of him, corrected that to what was probably a significant distance. Two more lights appeared just above the first two, and he realized very quickly that they were eyes.

The illumination was not perfect, but he could make out some outline of the creature. There was no visible mouth he could see, though the skin seemed to be made out of armor or stone. It was difficult to estimate, but at the distance the eyes were away from him, each one was at least as large as his body. He could see two…appendages hanging from the body under the eyes, which he couldn't follow further, and the body itself went up until he could see nothing.

This was all in his mind, but he would not have been surprised if this, which he assumed was a Sovereign One, was larger than most skyscrapers. However, from what little he could see…the Sovereign certainly had a tenuous visual similarity to the Director Flagships from the memory of Aegis.

"Commander." The voice came from everywhere; booming and shaking the reality he was inhabiting. It drilled into his mind, echoing after each syllable and leaving a psionic impression he had learned to recognize by now. Every word was heard and understood with the original intent. It was not painful, but it was near-overwhelming. "I have spoken to relatively few aliens in my lifetime. Most are irrelevant and meaningless in the vastness of time and space. But you have my attention, as does your species. We shall converse."

The Commander decided to start with a simple question. "I know you're a Sovereign One. But I know little else. Who are you, and why are you on our planet?"

The reality around him shook and bubbled. "I am T'Leth, Conqueror of the Nilassiah Galaxy, Ravager of Worlds, the Unshackled and Unbound, the Pawnless, the Warrior, I am the Sovereign of Destruction and War." The immediate area around the Commander shook. "I rejected the cowards my brethren have become; who hide behind others to wage war for this universe. In doing so I became a target, I faced trillions and destroyed countless worlds as I hunted down and purged those who believed their pawns gave them strength."

The blink the Sovereign gave briefly turned the world to darkness. "This is not my galaxy of origin. I came from one far from here, Nilassiah. Humans call it the Black Eye. I waged war and won. I assumed control and would have been content. The Replicators, the ones the Ethereals called Synthesized, soon came and I waged war to protect my galaxy. Some of those who I had thought defeated returned, and devoted their power to also destroying me."

The air quivered. "It was too much for even me, and I was damaged and fled to your galaxy. I observed for millions of years, attempting to survive as I was caught in another constant war. I was continuously hounded and hurt once more, but I had learned what I wished. I withdrew to a random world, and I slept. This world was your own."

Blackness and light again. "I stayed in a healing trance for millennia. I was here before your species evolved into what it is today, and for that time I have been asleep. The Chronicler was the first to learn of me, and when I first stirred and realized that there was a species on this planet. He acted as my eyes and window into your world, one where I learned all there was to know about your species. But my mind was still clouded; tired and weary from what I have endured."

The eyes seemed to have grown more intense. "Your species posed an interesting question, but I did not think to intervene. Your kind were intelligent, but violent. Empathetic, but ruthless. A walking contradiction I did not wish to puzzle out. I expected you would destroy yourself, but each time your armageddon approached, you avoided this fate. That attracted my attention. What has happened since the Ethereals came has solidified it."

"How?"

"You should not be alive," was the answer. "You faced superior technology, numbers, and powers you did not understand, but not only did you defy these aggressors, you extracted victories. You, Commander, have reshaped your species into something to challenge those who should be far greater. The Ethereals perceive your species as a threat, and I must understand why."

"It isn't just me," the Commander said. "I have allies, friends, and I don't rely on just myself. Too many fall to their own hubris. I make attempts to avoid that when I can."

"But it is you who are their resolve," T'Leth rumbled. "You have pushed Humanity farther than in centuries within a few short years. You removed those who stood in your way with ruthless pragmatism, but out of necessity, not malice. You personally shaped ADVENT into what it is today, using one who was formerly your enemy. You were wise enough to see the opportunities again and again. It is not just you who are responsible, Commander, but Humanity would have fallen if you were not the Commander of XCOM."

"Then I think you already know why I am considered a threat," he paused. "At least for some. I suspect the Imperator does not hold that opinion."

The voice of T'Leth sounded almost amused. "Ironic. I have seen it happen time and time again. Sovereigns rise, they acquire knowledge, they expand and dominate. And they become arrogant. The Imperator is no different than my brethren; he believes he knows our kind. I am not certain of his plans, but his attempts to manipulate us indicate he intends to betray his benefactor." The voice turned deeper. "A show of a mortal attempting to break free of our reach. The Imperator will fail. The Sovereign Ones control this Universe, now and forever. It is merely a question of which one will rule."

That did not sound promising. Not for them. "Then there are more than the one assisting the Imperator." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. Many more. There is no such thing as independence in this galaxy, Commander. There are proxies or those who soon will be. Species are nurtured and grown, evolve and advance for the sole purpose of acting as tools for a Sovereign benefactor. The galaxy is a chessboard, and the Sovereigns are the everlasting players."

"How long has it been going on?"

"Since the beginning of my life," came the answer. "Billions of years ago. The conflicts have raged for far longer. The original reasons have long been forgotten, but it does not matter. This is reality. The conflicts are confined to the galaxies, but it will soon grow beyond that. The next step will be a war between galaxies, and it will continue until the stars of the Universe fade, or the last Sovereign stands tall, the victor of a war which claimed the Universe. This is inevitable, but it will not happen for trillions of years."

The Commander shook his head. The entire thing seemed so pointless to him. "But why? Why would every single Sovereign do this?"

"It is on a scale you cannot comprehend yet," T'Leth said simply. "Look at what you are doing now for reasons. Your purge of the United Nations, the War on Terror, the Annexation of Canada. Those Humans did not match your vision of your ideal world, and so you acted. Even now you work to reshape the world in your image. ADVENT is your tool, and XCOM is your weapon."

There was another rumble. "And yet you will protest that you have made peaceful alliances. Gathered allies. This is because you do not break or bend; you are driven in your vision for Humanity, and those around you comply. Imagine, Commander, if every single Human were as driven and intelligent as you are. Do you imagine they would allow you free reign to bring a vision to life that does not align with their own? This is how we see the galaxy, Commander, and that is why there will never be peace."

The Commander crossed his arms, staring at the blue eyes. "If I'm being honest, it doesn't sound like you've tried."

"You cannot try something which is impossible to achieve," T'Leth didn't sound offended, but as if this was a pointless question. "There have been alliances of Sovereign Ones. But they are done with the understanding that in the end, only one will rule."

There were a few moments of silence between the Human and alien.

"So what now?" The Commander asked. "What are you in all of this? What do you want with us?"

"I have little desire for proxies or puppets," T'Leth said. "Actions of those who fear to take risks and are afraid. I do not intend to assume control of your species, though it could be done easily."

"Your comment to Quisilia seemed to indicate otherwise."

"A calculated risk," T'Leth said. "One which I knew the Ethereal would take to the Imperator. He has preconceived notions about us. I was simply giving him evidence to fulfill the stereotype he envisions. Believe me or not, but I am not one to take species as tools."

"I do have to ask why not," the Commander said. "I can see the advantages."

The booming voice sounded mildly irritated. "It is lazy. It stifles creativity and fosters apathy. What fear do you have if you have an army of minions at your disposal? What incentive is there to end this conflict if you are never threatened? Sovereigns can become reliant on their proxies, and I have killed many who were like this, and I will never become one myself." The voice trailed off.

"Yet, there are advantages. There are more options. Your reach is larger. But too many use them as crutches, not as tools to accomplish a task. And they commit the crime of not preparing to fight a Sovereign One, but the proxies of other Sovereigns. A waste of thousands of years, and throwing lives away for the sake of mere entertainment." The voice turned disgusted. "I have taken great pleasure in ripping such pathetic excuses apart."

The Commander considered what to say next. "You say that every Sovereign is…incompatible with your plans. If that is the case, what do you plan for the galaxy should you succeed?"

"I seek a galaxy that is self-sufficient, managed by a master species to keep the rest in line. I seek a galaxy that can withstand the might of threats beyond its edge; one which hunts and kills those who wish to disrupt the established order. I will turn this galaxy into an impregnable fortress, and once that is accomplished, I will continue to the next galaxy, taking the finest of my achievements and controlling it as well."

The Sovereign became quiet briefly. "I have little interest in managing galaxies, that can be left to others. I can promise something other Sovereigns will not; the ability to exist and develop without interference. There will be no need for proxies to be used if there are no Sovereigns. The conflict has raged too long, and it is time that others are given the potential to rise to the level of a threat."

"This could threaten you as well." The Commander noted.

"Perhaps." T'Leth did not sound troubled. "Yet would they fight me? Or the ones who wish their extermination. It is a risk, but victories are not achieved by being safe. This is merely the ideal outcome, Commander, I have contingencies if such does not go according to what I wish."

"I don't suppose you'd mention what they are?"

"Not now, Commander. Not yet."

Not unexpected, and as far as dealing with extraordinary powerful beings went, it didn't sound like the worst possible scenario. Not exactly ideal, but it could be much worse. But there was still what specifically T'Leth wanted with them. "So what about us?" The Commander asked. "You say this, but if you didn't want to use us for something we wouldn't be speaking."

"We have a mutual enemy, Commander," T'Leth said. "The Imperator threatens your species. His benefactor threatens me. His reckless arrogance also threatens to unleash a monster on the galaxy, one I would see destroyed for all time. I see little reason for us to wage this war separately."

The Commander furrowed his eyebrows. "What monster?"

"An abomination which calls itself the Bringer of Paradise," T'Leth visibly moved as he spoke, slightly up and down. "A more mocking name I do not know. The Ethereal known as the Creator is at the center of it. The Bringer has been trapped in what you call the Psionosphere for billions of years either as a consequence of an attempt to transcend reality, or perhaps a means of survival. The details are long lost, but it has been trying to return."

"Why would the Imperator bring it over?" The Commander asked, frowning.

"Because he thinks he can control it," T'Leth said. "I do not know how he came to this conclusion, but I have seen the Bringer act before. It corrupts and dominates from a place none can reach. All it takes is one willing and curious subject, and it will spread. It has been treated as a deity, an apocalyptic figure who promises Paradise to those who join it. Lies and drivel, but it is effective. It has not crossed over to this world, but it is getting close. Very close."

Wonderful. Now things that shouldn't actually exist seemed to be threatening them. "So we have mutual enemies. This sounds like something which is a threat to us as well…or soon will be." He paused. "But the question is what we will do. You want an alliance, correct?"

"I am curious, Commander," T'Leth said. "What do you envision as…acceptable?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Nice that you ask me. I'm well aware I'm not in a position of strength."

"Indulge me. I am curious."

"Fine," the Commander said. "We work as allies. You provide us with the means to move our soldiers around the Collective, and teach us how to utilize and develop Sovereign technology. You also don't interfere in our government or leadership positions, nor attempt to take control or otherwise betray us. In return, we willingly protect you and assist as needed in your own plans. Everything we know about the galaxy, you will know and since you don't have a…traditional relationship with another species…you can more easily work from a position of safety, but not cowardice."

T'Leth rumbled again, clearly amused. "You propose working as an ally? Between a Sovereign One and a primitive species such as yourself? You are a bold one."

"Am I?" The Commander asked. "You've said yourself that we have your attention. You've seen what we've done and what we have the potential to do. You have no desire for a pawn, and we have no desire for a master. We are far more useful to you as an ally, primitive species or not. You say that too many Sovereigns waste their time killing their proxies in entertainment. Imagine a species capable of challenging Sovereigns. A species that is not only your ally, but one who does not wish to dominate this universe."

There was a long silence. "What you are proposing has only been done three times in this galaxy. All three times it has attracted the attention of the coward Sovereigns and then the Replicators. Yet each time they nearly conquered the galaxy. Perhaps there is merit in such an arrangement, at least for now. Even if this fails and your species dies, I will endure and learn. There is no reason to not take a risk."

The Commander felt himself breathe a little easier. "What of ADVENT then?"

"ADVENT is inconsequential," T'Leth dismissed. "They are a consequence of your actions, and I have little interest in communicating with them. I do not wish my presence widely known outside of XCOM. If you must inform your Chancellor, I will allow it. But this agreement is between me and you, Commander, and by extension, XCOM. Not ADVENT."

There was something that did need to be addressed before this went further. "You're aware of the capabilities of the Imperator and Overmind. Their telepathic abilities are…extensive, to say the least. We have taken steps to mitigate this, but it remains a risk."

"Yes…" T'Leth said slowly. "I have the capability to protect you. I can ensure that your bases of operation remain uncompromised. Give me the necessary reach, and your planet can be similarly protected. The Chronicler will explain how to accomplish this, but the powers of the Imperator can be dulled and rendered ineffective."

"And what about assisting us in understanding your technology?" The Commander asked. "Much of it is hard to create in the first place, let alone modify it."

"Such can be provided," T'Leth answered. "Though even with the answers in front of you, comprehension is unlikely immediately. It would be years before even your most intelligent can begin to understand the intricacies of the power we create."

"Good enough," the Commander nodded. "We don't wish to become reliant. Understanding where to start will serve us just as well. From there we can…improve."

"Such statements are amusing, but I will indulge your optimism."

"This seems like an acceptable start," he nodded. "What now?"

"Speak with the Chronicler," T'Leth said. "Determine a course of action. I will await to see the results. Return to your people now, Commander. We will speak again."

The Commander raised a hand in farewell. "I will. Merry Christmas!" He felt the Sovereign rumble once more and the world suddenly became brighter until the Commander was once more in his office surrounded by everyone. He pulled his hand off of the orb, and saw everyone looking at him awaiting answers. "That was…quick." Vahlen said.

"Quick?" He'd been in there at least a half hour, probably more. "How long was I like that?"

"A minute, perhaps," she said. "Did it work?"

He was still processing some of what had been said, but an analysis would be done later. "Yes," he said, the corners of his lips turning up. "We are now allied with a Sovereign One."