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.

48. Voice of the Dread Lord

Voice of the Dread Lord

---

3/7/2017 – 8:00 A.M.

The room was close to empty and cold; the grey steel walls and floor did little to lower the unease of those who looked within it. From what most people could see, there were no walls or ceiling. Light shown clearly on the occupants, but when viewed in closer detail most wished that they hadn't looked closer.

Yet they would still be drawn to it.

Mesmerized by individuals standing in shadow, wearing cloaks and armor of the blackest paint. Red lights shone from where eyes should be, silent and foreboding; judging and warning. Still as statues, the figures in black stood silently, comprised of various species and specialties. Later viewings would clearly note a Sectoid and Andromedon, though there would be endless speculation as to if the remaining two figures were Vitakara – or Humans.

But they were merely a background element.

A drone floated silently in front of the small gathering; merely waiting for the command to begin transmitting to the planet which would soon be awash in fire, blood, and death. Transmitting to people that would be dead mere days later. A prophecy of their destruction of which there would be no denying.

Two individuals took the center stage; one known, the other new.

The Dread Lord stood silently, an embodiment of death and terror of which few aliens have been able to so easily encapsulate. The death mask of his helmet bored through the cameras, and to the people who found themselves drawn deep into the black sockets of the shining metal skull. Were it not for the voice, some may have suspected that the Ethereal had not moved in the slightest.

Yet for the leaders; the military advisors of ADVENT and the soldiers of XCOM, they would be drawn to something else. Something which did not fully scale to the threat of the Dread Lord himself, but whose implications were far more alarming. Far more terrifying.

A woman, a female stood directly in front of the Dread Lord, far below his stature and the camera was angled in such a way as to make it appear that the Ethereal towered over her. As if she was under his direction; his control. Or perhaps that they were merely one entity, one unified warning and threat.

One voice.

She wore no heavy armor, and resembled something closer to a scientist than a warrior. Stark shades of gray; contrasting light and dark made up her garments. Gloves were worn over hands which were clasped behind her back. The lab coat she wore shimmered as light reflected off the alloy weave which laced through her garments.

Her belt was strapped with syringes and medical tools, and a pistol of unknown make was strapped to her leg. There was also a mask of some kind dangling from her waist, though the video never allowed a clear look at it. At the time, it was unimportant. It paled in comparison to attempting to puzzle out why a Human was standing before the Dread Lord, but not as a prisoner or even a noticeable servant.

But as a willing soldier.

ADVENT facial recognition would later identify the woman as Sonoda Ikuko, an aging woman of clear Japanese heritage. With hair shored grey and equally colored eyes, whatever empathy or care she had once held in them was gone, replaced with a cool, sadistic glint. A disgraced psychologist, she had been assumed to have been a captive or casualty of the First Battle of Japan.

Yet it was clear something far worse had happened instead.

The drone blinked green. All systems were online. Sonoda pressed a button on her wrist. Thirty seconds would pass and the transmission would begin. It would be broadcast to the entirety of Earth; they would not be able to force their way into the networks, but it did not fully matter. For now, only China was important.

Agents within the Chinese had provided a simple solution to bypass the troublesome Intelligence that was monitoring the Great Firewall. While it was not necessary that the Chinese hear firsthand what would befall them, Isomnum had stated that such knowledge would be beneficial. So each Chinese citizen would be sent a link to the transmission; each restaurant and store would receive a command to turn to a station for an emergency broadcast.

And they would watch. Perhaps the Chinese would shut it down before it could be concluded.

But it would be enough.

The rest of the world…

They would watch with rapt attention.

The drone blinked an orange light. The transmission was beginning. They would be silent initially; allow the message to spread so that there were as many individuals watching this as possible, both from their home televisions and online. All across the world. A second drone slowly floated up beside the first one.

A hologram silently displayed a split screen of major television news networks. CNN, FOX, NBC, BBC, Chinese State Media, and more flashed through. The hosts could be visibly seen reacting to the news, and one by one they began switching to their broadcast until all that was seen was a reflection.

She could see the blood drain from their faces when they realized who it was.

None forgot the Dread Lord.

This was addressed to ADVENT in a way, but today they were not their primary audience.

Today that was China.

And so the Dread Lord began speaking.

"I speak today and bring a simple instruction and warning. I address the People's Republic of China. The last of the free nations of Earth; the few who resist the expanding grasp of ADVENT. Your time of independence is over. Your leaders have lied to you, they continue to use and deceive you. They are meek and subservient to ADVENT and XCOM; pawns to give the illusion of your independence. Your inferior nationalism. But you are nothing, and never will be."

The Ethereal paused, and Sonoda spoke; repeating everything he had said in Chinese.

They were their primary audience, after all.

But the Dread Lord needn't stoop to speaking the language of those who would soon be conquered.

"I address the Communist Party of China. President Qin Yijung; General Cheng Zhen; Minister Han Jie. Leaders of your people. You have exactly twenty four hours to surrender to the Ethereal Collective or I will invade your nation and raze your cities to the ground. Your soldiers will abandon their minds and butcher their comrades. Family will turn against family; and sibling against sibling; your country will drown in blood and fire."

A moment of waiting as Sonoda repeated his words.

Millions were now watching the broadcast, and while some stations had gone dark, more were still broadcasting what was being said. In military installations and bases across the world, ADVENT officials and officers watched in concern as they understood that the worst case scenario was coming true.

Commander Christiaens didn't wait for permission to take action. She knew what was coming and the command was given. "We have confirmation of an alien invasion of China. Double the deployment of PRIESTs. We're going to be fighting Isomnum."

"I will march through your streets and set alight those who in their foolishness still remain; their bodies will soon belong to me and your dead will be set upon the living as all that you have come to know descends into a nightmare which shall only worsen. Your last moments will be spent in utter agony and terror, or feasting on your kin as your mind leaves you a broken shell of a person."

Saudia sat quietly in her seat as she watched, and the Human speaking the previous words in Chinese. "Should we stop it?" Kyong asked quietly as she watched alongside her.

The Chancellor shook her head. Far too late for that. "No. Let him finish. I doubt we could stop it even if we wanted to, and it would only show the world we fear what he has to say. He has nothing more than fear and threats – both of which we can deal with. China will be attacked, we know that now."

"What should be done, Chancellor?"

"Get me the Commander, and schedule an emergency cabinet meeting. And tell President Qin we're sending soldiers to help."

"This is what I promise should you refuse to surrender to us. There shall be no more chances. And to ADVENT, I give no warnings. We shall shatter your empire and crush your spirit as we will this entire world, and no more chances shall be allowed to you. You will have only one opportunity chance to surrender with the majority of your world intact, and you shall have mere hours. Should no surrender be forthcoming, the countries of Japan and Taiwan will be turned into rubble in twelve hours."

The soldiers of XCOM all watched silently, some seething at the threats of the Ethereal while mutterings began wishing for death on the Dread Lord and the Human traitor who so easily puppeted his words. Nuan gripped Iosif's hand instinctively as she listened to the threats against her home; Sierra, with Ted and Ana immediately marched out to get ready to deploy.

Oliver just observed the screen in silence, wondering how many were going to soon be dead in the renewed conflict. Kane crushed the glass he held in his hand before storming out, not even seeming to feel the small shards stuck in his hands.

The Commander simply watched calmly, before sending the signal to convene the Internal Council. The war had just been declared anew.

"The time for benevolence and mercy has passed. You have been allowed to exist unmolested for far too long. Your only decision now is how many will die before you accept your place under the Ethereals. The conditions have been stated. Surrender or Earth will burn."

The broadcast lingered on the Dread Lord as Sonoda finished the last words, and then on cue the light on the drone flicked to red, killing the connections.

It was done.

The world knew the demands of the Dread Lord.

It remained to be seen if such words would have an effect.

---

Situation Room, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/7/2017 – 8:24 A.M.

Not much needed to be hashed out now that they were all here. They'd all seen the broadcast. "Not a good sign that Isomnum has a large degree of command," Jackson said grimly, her arms crossed as they stood around the holotable. "Aegis, thoughts on this?"

"Possibly a distraction," Aegis didn't sound entirely convinced. "I have a difficult time imagining the Battlemaster willingly putting him in charge of such a major operation. Isomnum's tactics are…not something he would use unless there was no other choice."

"And there are other choices," Zhang added. "It is not as though the Collective is restricted in their actions."

"Do you think the Battlemaster could have been removed or demoted?" Creed questioned. "Perhaps the Imperator isn't happy with him, and what happened at Paradise wouldn't have improved things."

"It is not out of the question he's been forced to allow others into the conflict," Aegis agreed. "However, the Battlemaster knows what he is doing and is not as blinded by arrogance as other Ethereals. I know that he has some impact on strategy still, because if he didn't, we would not have received the warnings of the bombardment on Taiwan and Japan."

"The Collective is exploiting their space advantage," the Commander said, looking at the holotable which showed the blue globe of Earth with red tokens moving towards it. "It was inevitable, I suppose. There are enough of the Cleanser Ships coming that I'm concerned that Isomnum is only the first of possibly dozens of attacks. You can't be everywhere, Aegis."

"Don't forget their mystery structure on the Moon," Jackson reminded him. "That probably has hundreds of fighters and dozens of ships – at minimum."

"We have quite a few Firestorms now," the Commander said. "But from what we know about Cleanser Ships, that might not be enough. Nor do we have adequate shields or AA defenses to reliably take them down."

"Or enough psions," Vahlen added. "Trained ones, anyhow. And ones who can sustain a barrier for days on a moment's notice."

"I will say there is some good news," Shen adjusted his glassed as he reviewed something on his tablet. "The effectiveness of the Cleanser Ships is directly proportional to how close they are to the surface. For precise bombardment, they would possibly be in range of AA defenses. Indiscriminate bombing is a different story. If they attack China, we will likely be unable to stop them. However, if they wanted a more surgical strike with limited collateral damage…Aegis, this is what the Battlemaster would pursue, correct?"

"Yes, I believe so," the Ethereal confirmed. "I suspect it may be a reason why he insisted a warning be given. Japan only has military personnel stationed there, and Taiwan is small and will have adequate time to evacuate. It sends a message without necessarily compromising how he wages a war. He has given a warning, and assumes no responsibility for those who ignore or refuse it."

Generous," Jackson said with a snort. "Evacuating an entire country in a matter of hours is certainly doable and especially when we don't know what to prioritize. But we have been warned, so I guess it's all fair."

"It's better than the alternative," Aegis said. "Isomnum would not have given such warnings."

"I'm unsure," the Chronicler noted dryly. "This Ethereal is melodramatic enough to do such a thing. Isomnum thrives off the uncertainly, panic and fear which is no doubt happening now. People will die in the stampede to evacuate the country and the soldiers in Japan will be paralyzed and uncertain as their death comes to them. Even if the Battlemaster had not made it a stipulation, this is within Isomnum's expected actions."

"That is correct – and troubling," the Commander wasn't so sure the Battlemaster was behind it when phrased like that. "What is to stop Isomnum from firing an hour or two early? This is not an Ethereal above lying."

"The location of the Cleanser Ships will be a clue," Shen said. "We'll know the moment that they are in range of the stated targets. If they show up hours ahead of time, we should be worried."

"The question we need to answer is what are we going to do," Iosif interjected. "We have two minor bombardment targets, and China is definitely going to follow. ADVENT won't let the Chinese surrender even if they wanted to. And even the Chinese know better than to surrender to an Ethereal who styles himself as the Dread Lord."

"Focus on China for now," the Commander said. "An invasion is coming for sure. We'll need our best there, especially if Isomnum is engaging personally. Chronicler, how feasible would it be for T'Leth to block the worst of Isomnum's telepathy?"

"That depends," the Chronicler answered slowly, scratching his beard. "You want to spook Isomnum and send him running? He could confine Isomnum to his own mind and prevent him from affecting anyone else. Not break or control him, mind you, but there is no way he could be quiet about it. Risky if not done properly. And noticeable."

"Noticeable in what way?"

"Noticeable in that T'Leth would have to move closer to Isomnum's location," the Chronicler said. "T'Leth is skilled, yes, and the Sovereign Orbs will never allow as much direct power as a personal intervention, but the further away a target is, the less precise such attacks become and expend more energy. It is why telepathic communications are easily defended against even by non-psions. It's expending great amounts of energy and concentration over a significant distance. This is not irrelevant simply because there is a Sovereign performing them."

"We don't want people talking about sea monsters right now," Jackson said. "But if we don't have a choice…"

"Here is a better solution," the Chronicler proposed, placing a hand on the table. "Isomnum only directly targets the minds he can sense, mostly a blanket effect if his dossier is any indication. This makes it feasible to hide people from him. We don't have enough Sovereign Orbs to blanket protect the entirety of China, but we can ensure that the important and critical aspects are secure. The soldiers on the front lines, the government, and ADVENT. Psions will have to do the rest."

"And we essentially leave the civilians out to dry," Shen pursed his lips. "We should have the psions protect the critical infrastructure and the Orbs to protect the civilians."

"You didn't hear me," the Chronicler repeated; frustrated. "I said we don't have enough orbs to cover China. Even if we used every single one to protect civilians – civilians who I will note are currently suffering from a plague, probably poorly trained, and ultimately unimportant factors in this conflict. If the lines break, the civilians are as good as lost anyway."

"He's right," the Commander said grimly. "There is also the matter of transporting them to the right areas. That is going to take time and we can't have XCOM squads running around depositing orbs everywhere – and in places where civilians could touch them."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Shen sighed. "I understand, but I don't like it. We have enough psions where this should be possible to accomplish both. It's not the easiest solution, but it is the right one."

"You are assuming that only China will be targeted," Zhang pointed out, motioning to the hologram of Earth. "That is far too many signatures for one country; even China. It's more likely that there is more than one attack planned. Yes, if we pulled everything back into China, your solution is justifiable. But I think that is what they want us to do."

"Ironically relying on fear," Creed nodded. "They know we know Isomnum's reputation and want to do everything to mitigate or kill him. We overreact in China, they more easily attack other nations. China is important, but it's not worth sacrificing the world for."

"No, it isn't, but we can at least make an effort to do what we can," the Commander said. "Chronicler, we'll begin sending teams to fortify infrastructure and military positions with what Sovereign Orbs we have. In the meantime, we'll send a recommendation to China to begin evacuating the country."

Jackson shook her head. "The country? Of over a billion people? That will never happen, not now."

"And ADVENT isn't prepared to handle a refugee wave of that magnitude," Vahlen added. "If even a fraction of the population leaves, that's still more than ADVENT can feasibly handle even in several locations."

"This is ADVENT, not the United Nations," the Commander disputed. "They'll adapt to a refugee wave, and then turn them into productive individuals for the war effort. I'm aware that the country will not be completely evacuated, but more people will be saved if they follow that advice than if they stay and hope for the best. It's the difference between losing the majority of the Chinese population, or a fraction of it. Anything to mitigate the effects of Isomnum should be taken."

"A reasonable approach," Zhang gave a short nod. "The best we can do, given the situation."

"One more thing," Creed coughed. "The woman in the broadcast."

The Commander knew that was going to come up, and none of the possibilities were good. "Only two possibilities for her. She's being controlled, or she is a traitor."

"Or the result of constant psychological manipulation and grooming," Aegis pointed out. "Isomnum enjoys doing such to aliens. Twisting and destroying them, then reforging them into creatures loyal to him without question."

Creed pinched his nose. "None of those bode well for Patricia."

"No, they don't," the Commander agreed. "But until she shows up, we can't worry about her. Ideally, we should try and capture this woman or one of Isomnum's soldiers. That may give us more answers as to what is going on. But we should not focus on Patricia – or her situation – until she either becomes relevant or this situation is resolved."

"Yes, Commander," Creed acknowledged. "Orders?"

"I want no fewer than three squads in China," the Commander said. "Possibly more. Put ten squads together and prepare them for deployment. Jackson, Zhang, Iosif, and Creed; all of you will be coming with me to China to join Saudia and her staff. This is going to be a possibly long-term coordinated defense. Aegis, you and Caelior will need to also prepare to deploy on a moment's notice. Understood?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Dismissed, we have a lot to do."

---

ADVENT Commander – Switzerland

3/7/2017 – 9:09 A.M.

"We are deploying several ADVENT legions to the major cities where we are expecting an attack," Commander Christiaens stated to the small assembled collection of cabinet members and military officials. The overhead hologram depicting the Asian theatre was complete with small graphics and colors to easily distinguish the actions which were taking place.

"Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing are all cities of target," she continued. "The Chinese regions of Fujian, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang are under direct threat due to their proximity to Japan and Taiwan – both nations named in Isomnum's threat. It is also possible that the Hainan region will be targeted for the aliens to use as a staging ground to assault the mainland."

"Should we even expect conventional tactics from Isomnum?" Weekes inquired, frowning in his armor. He was preparing to supervise the operations in China personally. "His dossier paints him as atypical, even for Ethereals. Most of whom don't follow conventional tactics or wisdom with the exception of the Battlemaster."

"We are working under the assumption that Isomnum is working under the Battlemaster," Christiaens clarified. "We have and continue to be in communication with XCOM who have Aegis to give his own insight. They currently believe that it's likely that the warnings against Taiwan and Japan were stipulations the Battlemaster ordered, and Isomnum would not necessarily have stated them."

"But this is speculation," Saudia wanted to clarify.

"Yes, Chancellor," Laura said. "But informed speculation. The dossiers on the Imperator, Battlemaster, and Isomnum all indicate that Isomnum is likely not operating purely on his own, and this is part of a larger plan. While we can't absolutely state that the Collective will follow conventional tactics and wisdom – we can make some logical assumptions."

"Also keep in mind that it is unlikely that there will be a significant organic component to an invasion of China," Elizabeth interjected. "Due to Isomnum's…aura…that would be unwise, and his dossier indicates he enjoys taking part in such activities. We should expect a Custodian-heavy compliment, with additional heavy vehicle support. Sectopods for sure."

"I was getting to that," Laura shot the Director a nod of thanks. "Due to this predicted compliment, ADVENT legions are being primarily equipped with anti-armor equipment and electronic-based weaponry. MDUs are being outfitted with gauss and missile weaponry as well."

"ADVENT Special Forces are being similarly prepared, as well as a select team of soldiers from the Phobos Project," Weeks stepped forward. "There are fewer Hussar and Cuirassier units, and are being supplemented with Dragoon and Lancers, the latter of whom have been augmented to a degree with WHEEE cannons provided by XCOM."

"Sorry, what?" One of the officials asked in a confused voice.

"Electrical-based weapon," Weekes answered immediately with a snort. "Cute name, but the thing fries Andromedon suits. Can't think of a better weapon to use against a mechanically-based army."

"I have also been keeping in contact with President Qin," Saudia said, taking her cue to begin. "He has, at the insistence of XCOM and our own support, begun the evacuation of China, first prioritizing the major cities and regions. Borders are being fortified with ADVENT and PLA soldiers. If Isomnum attacks personally, the fewer people that are there the better, and our focus needs to be supporting and protecting the soldiers."

"Evacuating the entire country is impossible," an official said, shaking her head. "What is he thinking? Especially since there are hundreds of thousands sick?"

"Because unlike the Battlemaster, Isomnum has no qualms about killing civilians," Laura said coldly. "He wasn't putting on a show in that broadcast. He fully meant everything he said. No, it's not feasible to evacuate the entire country, but he frankly doesn't have much of a choice."

"And where are they all going? The ones who get out?" Was the next question.

"That is being decided based on their region of origin," Saudia said. "Out of concern for possible similar invasions, all refugee points will be deep inland. This includes northern India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. These regions are being sent additional personnel as we speak to handle the anticipated large number of refugees."

"Does this include the infected?"

Now that was a touchy subject. Saudia exchanged a look with Laura. "That depends on the region," Saudia said slowly. "Regions and cities inland are moving quarantined individuals out of the country, at least those who are recovering and are somewhat self-sufficient. The ones along the coast are not; they cannot afford to be prioritized. Patients which are failing or dying are in the process of being euthanized and extremely sick individuals are being offered the option. Standing orders are to euthanize all infected non-combat personnel if a city comes under attack."

There was muttering which broke out briefly after that. No one liked the idea, but the Commander had made a good point that it was entirely possible that cities could be under siege for days, and infection could spread rapidly especially if not all individuals were vaccinated. As of a few minutes ago, the PLA was working to transfer all quarantined soldiers further inland to prevent this. She doubted it could be completed in time, but some lives would probably be saved.

"Concerning the threat to Taiwan and Japan, we are taking appropriate actions," Laura said, as the hologram focused on that region of the world. "We are sending ships, aircraft, and personnel to immediately assist in the evacuation of major Taiwanese cities including evacuating the government. Major military bases are also being evacuated and divided into smaller cells to go to pre-designated locations and reconvene when the situation is resolved."

She focused on Japan. "We've initiated similar protocols in Japan, as well as moving several nuclear submarines near the coast. Should Japan come under bombardment, several nukes will be launched to take out the Cleanser Ships – which XCOM has stated will be responsible for the bombardment. With that said, we are anticipating significant infrastructure damage of Taiwan and Japan which will not be recovered easily, and there is a high possibility that the Collective will follow up this bombardment with ground invasions of the countries and use them as further staging points."

"We are also preparing for additional invasions of Korea, and the majority of southeast Asia," Laura added. "Korea can likely hold out for a significant amount of time, but we are not as fortified in countries such as Vietnam and Thailand. We expect China to be the major thrust, and for that conflict to spill over into the nearby regions. Yes?"

The officer she pointed too nodded. "We are assuming that China is the only target. What if there are more?"

"Then we will deal with them," Laura said. "XCOM also suspects that there are multiple offensives, which is why we're being careful not to overcommit to any singular one. We're preparing for a major attack on China, but if there are others, we will be able to defend and respond accordingly."

"Have we identified the woman in the broadcast?" Another officer asked.

"Yes, a certain Sonoda Ikuko," Elizabeth said. "We're not sure how exactly she's ended up with Isomnum, but it surprisingly indicates that at least some of the captives are screened for use. Ikuko was a Japanese psychologist who was stripped of her license and arrested a decade back when she was caught participating in experiments on patients without their consent."

Elizabeth consulted her tablet again. "From what we can tell, she was still serving her prison sentence – from all accounts she was a model prisoner – and when the aliens attacked Japan she was present and still in prison. We had assumed that the aliens had either captured or killed the occupants. She's the first prisoner that has reemerged. In short, she fits an individual like Isomnum surprisingly well. Aside from that, we can only speculate as to what her actual role is. XCOM is unsure as well."

"Mind games, most likely," Weekes snorted. "It makes a compelling image when a Human gleefully repeats the words of a melodramatic alien who unironically calls himself the Dread Lord. Either way, she should be put out of her misery if we ever find her."

"We'll cross that bridge if we actually come to it," Laura said. "That is the current response, and will be updated every half hour until Isomnum's first deadlines pass. Any emergency developments happen, you will all be informed. The Chancellor and myself will be making statements to the public shortly. Good luck, and dismissed."

She gave those in the room a salute, and each of them mirrored the gesture.

Back to work, and back to war.

---

ADVENT Base, Busan – South Korea

3/7/2017 – 10:42 A.M.

"Do you think that we're going to be attacked?" Beatriz asked as they armored up.

"Again?" Aleksandra snorted. "Aliens keep trying. They die again."

"Can't really argue with that," Nobuatsu added, hooking a medkit to his waist. "This would be…attempt two or three to take Korea?"

Duri checked his rifle, and grabbed his helmet. "Unimportant. If they come here, we kill them. They'll be walking into one of the most fortified bases in the entire world. I wish them luck right before we kill them."

"With pleasure," Cara nodded, giving a mock salute. "Looking forward to blasting a few more aliens up."

"Especially that traitor," Aleksandra snarled. "I hope she burns."

Duri pursed his lips; and though he would not actually vocalize it, he felt the same. Everyone knew the Ethereals – the ones who were with the Collective anyway, were malicious, cruel, and faceless monsters. They could be nothing less if they still maintained their position. Not after Seoul or the revelations of their black site they so curiously called Paradise.

At this point he was not surprised at what the Ethereals were capable of. The threats of the one who called himself Isomnum were hardly shocking anymore; merely something he expected from their kind. At least this one was honest about it.

But the traitor which had stood with him was far more sickening. Perhaps she was under his control; a puppet of the alien. But it still made him furious that the slight possibility that there were willing collaborators was actually plausible. Perhaps it was a solace that it would only attract those who were as fucked up as the Ethereals themselves.

Either way, he doubted that she would show her face in battle. Such an individual; a puppet, was a coward. Not to mention that the only nations explicitly named were Japan, Taiwan, and China. Mostly China. He would not be surprised if Korea was attacked after Japan, but he was not expecting it initially. It seemed more likely to him that they'd be transferred to the front lines.

His squad was mostly the same as the start of the war, with only two casualties (something of a miracle, in all honesty), battle-hardened, and he knew they were recognized by some of the higher-ups. Not that he cared so much anymore, it wasn't like he had a home or family to go back to. If he died in combat now…well, he wouldn't have to worry about leaving anyone alone.

Still, he would not intentionally do that to the rest of his squad. They had lives, friends, and futures. If they were moved to the front lines, he would not contest it, but he wouldn't intentionally request it.

"Duri?"

He snapped out of his self-imposed trance when Cara shook his arm, her head cocked and voice mildly concerned. "Yes?" He said, with a short shake of his head. "You were saying?"

"The Chinese," Miguel was saying. "What do you put their chances at?"

It didn't take him long to give an answer. "On their own? Dead. With ADVENT? They have a chance. Depends on how much we want to commit to it."

"Don't know what the Chancellor is thinking here," Cara leaned against the locker, arms crossed. "She's been treating China way too nicely. Diplomacy is one thing, but we shouldn't be putting our soldiers out there to defend a country that isn't even ADVENT. Not until they actually join us. Otherwise, why bother joining ADVENT when you get the benefits anyway."

"Strategy, Cara," Nobuatsu said. "Why force China to join you when it's pretty much guaranteed that they will when all this is done? You really think the Chancellor is going to send several legions to China without a guarantee that by the end, Qin will willingly and happily sign onto ADVENT after we literally save his nation?"

"I don't know," Cara shrugged. "The Chinese have made something of a point to keep themselves out of ADVENT."

"That was before an Ethereal threatened an invasion," Beatriz reminded her.

"Like the Chinese actually thought they could go the whole war without fighting in it."

"Nobuatsu is right," Duri said with a shrug. "China will join ADVENT when this is over. If they don't, I expect they will be annexed for the sheer stupidity such a decision would require. A non-issue. Chinese independence is over, and everyone knows it. The smallpox epidemic essentially guaranteed that."

"Stop making sense," Cara said with a slight smile. "Well, I'll admit I'll be a little disappointed if the Chinese give in without some kind of fight. I've been kind of hoping that the Communist Party is deposed and replaced with Taiwanese leadership. A poetic end, I think."

There were some chuckles from the group at that. "I'd pay to see President Qin sign over the country to Taiwanese leadership," Miguel chuckled. "I'm almost sad that won't happen now."

"Hey, we don't know that," Nobuatsu said. "Knowing our Chancellor, I wouldn't be surprised if she makes the 'ADVENT transition team' or whatever they'll call it majority Taiwanese. What is China going to do about it? Not join ADVENT?"

Duri did crack a smile at that. Personally, he doubted that Saudia would be that petty. She was a professional, and relations with the Chinese were apparently good enough that she was taking the overly nice approach to assimilation. So if the Chinese played their part, he doubted the Chancellor would screw them over, even when she very easily could.

No, the only people who truly deserved to be screwed beyond redemption were Betos and her traitors. Even if they weren't alien collaborators, defectors at this stage were essentially traitors to the species all the same. A shame nothing had been done to them during the lull, but honestly preparing for an actual threat was more warranted.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" He asked, after he did a final check of his equipment. "We've got a lot of preparation to do. We might not think the aliens would attack here right now again, but Command definitely isn't as convinced."

"Ready as we can be, Duri," Cara confirmed, putting her helmet on and giving a thumbs up. "When you are, Officer." The rest of his squad echoed similar affirmations.

"Move out," he ordered as he took the lead. "After me."

---

The Prism – Classified Location

3/2/2017 – 10:17 P.M.

She'd mostly made her way back to the ship numbly after she'd found the actual Forge and made her weapons. It was simpler than she'd expected; merely a matter of following the instructions she'd memorized. In the end it didn't really feel like the construction itself meant much; it was a beautiful set of weapons from a mechanical standpoint, but compared to what she'd experienced previously…

Well, Yang felt almost hollow inside. Alone.

Considering she was now telepathically severed – or blocked – from the Psionosphere, maybe that was the source. It was strange just how used she'd gotten to being able to sense at minimum the emotions of those around her, if not their thoughts. All gone now, and at most she could sense emotions if she actually tried. The Battlemaster had said she would be able to receive direct telepathic contact, but that was it.

It was with only mild interest that she'd confirmed that the so-called "Dead World" was very much not dead and was instead just a very odd planet. This was confirmed when she'd departed the planet, and could look out and see it for herself. It was…well, it had raised questions. Ones she would ask at some point. Perhaps now.

The Battlemaster had been waiting when she'd returned to the Prism. He didn't seem overly surprised at either her armor or emotional state. Maybe this was common back in the Empire, which was why he didn't inquire immediately. He merely gave her his congratulations and took her too the kitchen area where there was some food for her. She didn't ask if he cooked it himself, as it wasn't important.

She wasn't hungry at first, but as she took small bites she did realize that she really did need food. So between all of that, she told him everything. She hadn't necessarily intended to, thinking initially that the trial was a personal experience only to be known by those who participated in it. But now she just needed to talk to someone about what happened, and the Battlemaster was literally the only one who could probably understand.

It took several hours to get through everything, and aside from a few clarifying questions, he mostly just let her talk, moving as fast or slow as she wanted. It was…difficult to convey everything, but he seemed to understand in some capacity. Although the Avatar Project might end up changing this, at least in some way.

The Battlemaster was quiet for a few moments after she'd finished. "Your resolve is admirable even in the face of what you experienced. I suspect many other Ethereals would have succumbed if they were in your place. With what you know, you were far more vulnerable. Well done."

She pursed her lips. "Really? If I remember, most Ethereals who took the Trial passed."

"Correct," the Battlemaster said. "But knowing what I know now – and in what you have described – the Bringer is far stronger now. More dangerous and active. And as I said, you are aware of certain truths about this galaxy that we were not privy too. The Synthesized, the Sovereign Ones – and the Bringer himself. And yet you still resisted him."

"So did you know what it was?" Yang asked. "Did the Battlemasters?"

There was some hesitance as the Battlemaster considered, resting his lower arms on his legs. "Only the highest in the Empire even knew some of the details on the Trial. We didn't know what it was; there was discussion on if it was an actual entity or the effect caused by the removal of the veil of the Psionosphere to reality. All we knew for certain was that it could tailor itself to make Ethereals kill themselves willingly by somehow convincing them – and that those who stayed on the planet long enough would become immune to telepathy."

"You never researched it?" Yang sipped her water. "I'm surprised at that."

"If it was effective enough to make Battlemasters fail," he answered. "There was significant concern that any researchers would kill themselves or others if exposed to it for even a short time. The risk was too great. I suspect that in time, attempts would have been made, but the Synthesized ensured that would never happen."

"And the whole…'dead world'," Yang absently waved a hand. "A lie."

"A lie known only to us," the Battlemaster confirmed. "We saw what everyone saw when the first Ethereals stepped on the planet. A world devoid of all life. Fate or chance led to its discovery, and its story was born from there. We didn't know why the planet memetically forced all individuals to see a dead planet, but it did."

"Probably the Bringer wanting to remain inconspicuous," Yang guessed. "People are unlikely to step on a dead world. And the ones who do are…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "Dead. No way any ordinary people could withstand what he would do to them. I'm surprised he even allowed the Trial to be established at all."

"The situation was different back then," the Battlemaster said. "The Bringer appears…more awake now. More active. Back then…I did not experience the same things you did. There were no cities, and it never seemed like the Bringer directly spoke to me. I saw things, yes. Spoke with individuals I believed were apparitions."

She perked up, not expecting him to reveal details of his own trial. "What did you feel he wanted you to do?"

"I saw aliens which had never been seen in the galaxy," the Battlemaster said wistfully. "They warned that the Empire would die. I saw our destruction, and the destruction of other civilizations by the Synthesized. I didn't know it at the time. The unifying voice insisted that the only way to ensure the survival of the Ethereals was to join the gestalt; to join him."

He looked back to Yang. "A paradise. Their terminology appears to have changed little. I believed it all illusions and lies, of course. I actually considered the possibility that the Overminds were behind the entire Trial. After all, what could possibly threaten the Ethereal Empire? There were none who existed that could come close to our power and size. It was…easier to ignore. My ignorance saved me, and many Ethereals. That, along with a weaker Bringer."

Yang pushed her empty plate away and rested her arms on the table. "You think it would be different if you knew he was telling the truth?"

"If it was the first time I had heard of it, if I hadn't had time to consider it in a more objective light, I do not know," the Battlemaster admitted. "At minimum it would have been more compelling. I would have done much to ensure the survival of the Empire and the eradication of the Synthesized. I would like to think I could resist as you did, but that is something one cannot know until they are placed in that situation."

"Well, if you took the trial today you would pass as easily as I did," she shrugged. "Never thought I'd say that an Ethereal was my moral compass, but it helped me down there. None of us are saints, but you know right from wrong."

"Today? Yes, I am older now. Wiser…" he trailed. "But back in my youth, perhaps I would not have been. Your words are appreciated, it is good that I could assist in that way in your trial. It has been a…long time since I've had a student."

"I guess the Imperator made a rare good choice then," Yang nodded. "I know you weren't exactly thrilled about the idea. With you managing the Collective military and all that. Understandable."

"But it appears to have worked out," the Battlemaster nodded. "You are as worthy of a student as any Ethereal. It is unfortunate the potential of aliens went unrecognized in the Empire. Perhaps then we could have made a more successful stand."

"We have another chance now," Yang said. "Assuming the Imperator doesn't make any more stupid decisions, I have a good feeling about the future. Earth will be conquered and my species will assimilate. A union of Ethereals and Humans. Don't know if even these mysterious inner galactic species can withstand that combination."

"I suspect that at some point we will find out," the Battlemaster agreed. "But right now, let us focus on only one war at a time."

---

War Room 16, Collective Mars Base – Mars

3/6/2017 – 7:10 A.M.

He stood alone in the room. Contemplating on the moves both alien and Human would be making in the coming days. Quite intriguing to see play out, with many possible outcomes and predictions. The Dread Lord fool would serve as an adequate distraction while the main invasion commenced.

With that said, the utilization of Isomnum was yet another questionable decision in this conflict. It would do nothing but ensure the fall of China to ADVENT, and guarantee a wave of condemnation against the Collective. Which appeared to be the opposite of what the Battlemaster and Imperator intended.

Such mishandling.

Too many internal Ethereal politics he was unaware of.

Too many unknowns.

Distasteful.

A hand held a hologram as he looked at the man in the image. Elderly, frail, an old shell of a Human whose time was long past; clinging as the symbol of a country which had fallen and been reclaimed. He studied the old face, the wrinkles and cloudy eye which had supposedly been the result of a failed break-in.

A story he found unlikely.

Humans had an interesting fascination with the past. It was one thing to remember and honor the past, it was another to continue to be stuck in it. It was not strictly ideology and dogma which kept Humans from advancing, but also clothing and smaller things. A slight annoyance, in all honesty. Why Humans, particularly the Asian nations perpetuated the wearing of robes and impractical clothing was something he did not understand.

Yet it would play to their advantage here.

Twilight would finally fall upon the Japanese Emperor and his family as their country would be reset by fire from the sky.

He set the tablet on the table and rolled it away. He knew enough and how he would properly accomplish his task. He would need to return to his station to acquire a temporary face, and briefly shed the Nemo persona. Merely for a day, but it was necessary while Volk and the other aliens dealt with President Shu-chan.

Then he felt it. The tingle in his head which told him an Ethereal was near. They were quite difficult to ignore, as much as he might want to. But this one was different; certainly one he had never met in person before. He turned around slowly; deliberately, and briefly appraised the Ethereals before him.

Ah, yes.

The Ethereal Macula. Another illusionist, though a more competent one than Nebulan. Quite clever in all honesty; capable of trapping victims in their mind as their perception of time was altered. In a way, time certainly was malleable; another aspect of reality that could be twisted and manipulated if only one was intelligent enough.

Unfortunate that he was trapped with the naïve Betos.

Although perhaps that was merely a limitation placed on him.

Is that the truth, Ethereal? Are you merely following orders?

Ethereals did not ask permission before reading minds.

Let him hear the question.

The Ethereal looked at him for a long moment. Nemo moved to replace the papers and equipment he had used during his brief stay here. If the Ethereal wanted answers, he would have to ask him questions. In the back of his mind, he knew that the Ethereals felt they were entitled to respect and attention due to their power.

Power.

Fake power. False power. Rule by fear and intimidation.

Not true power.

Not lasting power.

"You are indeed a curious creature," the Ethereal's voice seemed mildly amused. "Few are brazen enough to hold such beliefs. Much less express them in your…unique way."

"You are not special, Ethereal. I will not pretend otherwise," he saw little point debating this with an Ethereal. "You are no more entitled to my respect or attention than any other alien. I do not know you. I do not respect you. Not yet. Tell me why we are speaking, I have an assignment to prepare for."

"Very well, alien," Macula said. "I have been informed about your intentions with Betos. Intentions which will not come to pass. You are not suicidal, not completely. However I can assure you that such actions will guarantee your death, so if you wish to pursue them, inform me now so I can save some time and eliminate you."

Ah, so Volk – or perhaps Elena – had informed Macula of his intentions. Not surprising, and it served his purpose which was to both gauge Volk, as well as force a meeting with Macula. If that had not happened, the Collective would have been rid of a burden and streamlined their operations in Africa. However, the more likely outcome had come to pass.

"Why is she still alive?" A simple query, but an important one. "You know she is a hindrance to our operations there."

"A former ADVENT officer and a Human with stated principles," Macula said, with some frustration in his voice. "Not ideal, it is true, but she will appear more sympathetic and legitimate to the rest of the world than a clear puppet."

"Then let her die a martyr."

"And there are express orders not to betray our allies," Macula finished. "And on this I will not go against the Battlemaster. That would be a bad idea."

"Then do not tell him."

Macula gave a short noise; perhaps a laugh. "It is not wise to push the Battlemaster right now, creature. There are some things which are simply not worth the risk. I will work on making Betos as efficient as possible. However, should she accidentally find herself on the field of battle, it would be a tragedy if she were to fall defending her people."

Nemo allowed a small nod. "A definite tragedy. You at least understand. That is good."

"And it lectures an Ethereal," he sounded amused again. "Gives it compliments as if its word means anything. If it matters whatsoever."

"Your approval or lack thereof is unimportant," Nemo turned away again and finished straightening the room. "I am under no illusions as to my status. I do not need your approval, nor will I mewl before you simply because your species bears the Gift. I will complete my assignments, but no more than that."

"Quite curious, very," Macula said as he twirled a black blade in his hand. "I'm quite curious as to what the Imperator intends for you."

That gave him some pause. Mostly due to the unexpected nature of it. Perhaps it should not have been a surprise the Imperator was aware of his existence, but his implied interest was slightly unexpected. No one but the Zar'Chon had reason to care about the science experiment. "The Imperator is aware of my operations?"

"He was the one who ordered you be released."

Unexpected.

Surprising. He had thought only the Zar'Chon would release him.

Many implications.

Implications he would dwell on when he changed his face.

But one question appeared clearly in his mind.

"Why?"

"That you will have to ask him," the Ethereal answered. "Complete your assignments well. Once you prove yourself, he will give you the answers you seek. You are not the only one who demands respect and attention be earned."

A day full of surprises. He was curious. He was…almost motivated to do these assignments well, if only to learn why the Imperator had taken an interest in him.

Something to mull over.

He gave a single nod to Macula. "Noted, Ethereal Macula. Your answers are appreciated."

Without giving the alien another word, he walked past him out the door to a gateway which would take him to the familiar white room where he could prepare and think in quiet.

---

Patricia's Quarters – The Temple Ship of the Imperator of the Ethereal Collective

3/4/2017 – 4:19 P.M.

To say that she didn't notice any difference would be a lie.

At the same time, to say that the changes were unpleasant would be incorrect.

She was still somewhat weak, and Revelean had directly advised that they not begin linking attempts until she was fully recovered. But the Avatar mask he had provided to her was alluring, if for no other reason than she wanted to satisfy her curiosity of what it would be like. The mask itself was fairly ordinary, with a clouded white front which would obscure her features.

Others were undergoing, or had undergone the procedure too, and she knew that their uniforms would be slightly different. Designed around the Ethereal in question or the Avatar's own personal taste. She'd had plenty of input into her own uniform, and to her utter lack of surprise, quite a few parts of it were based on XCOM armor – with enhancements of course.

But her body itself was definitely different.

When she'd said for Revelean to make her 'a little taller', she hadn't quite expected him to jack up her height entire inches. She was already a tall woman, and now she could even look down on Saudia. How Revelean had managed to pull that off and proportionally adjust the rest of her body to account for the differences she didn't know.

She didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward in her body. She could move as easily and smoothly as if she had always been this size. Of course, mentally, it was an adjustment to get used to the extra inches the height provided and she had already accidentally bumped her head a few times or knocked something over when she misjudged her reach.

It certainly wasn't a bad feeling though. And everything was adjusted as if she'd always been this way. Subtle things, like her clothes were the correct size, her bed was also a few inches longer and as far as she could tell, only her original Aegis armor was untouched. Out of curiosity she'd tried putting some of it on, and couldn't manage to even squeeze into it.

She was a bit sad that she'd never be able to properly fit into it again, but at least it was being replaced with something just as good.

It also appeared that the Ethereals had also given her essentially any genetic modification XCOM hadn't. Her eyes had been left alone, and from what she had observed, they still worked like normal. It did seem like the Muscle-Fiber Density modifications had been slightly tweaked, as she could definitely jump farther than she remembered and her strength had been augmented as well.

It was an…interesting feeling to be able to throw around heavy objects like they were nothing. Granted, it was something she had technically been able to do for a while now, but had stuck to telepathy. There was something to be said for applying her advantages in a more tangible way though.

The Disease Immunity and Secondary Heart modifications had also been left alone, though Revelean had said that they had been augmented with additional nanite systems to handle internal repairs and hardening the organs themselves from danger.

The largest addition that she knew was that her entire skeletal structure had been augmented with MELD. According to Revelean, it would be nearly impossible for her to break a bone and vital organs (such as her heart and brain) would be protected completely. He had noted that it would make her entire body heavier, but that the other enhancements should negate that almost entirely.

So far it seemed he'd been correct. It didn't seem like she was slower than before, though even if she was, speed had never been something she'd relied upon or needed.

Her skin had also been subtly altered. It no longer had the slightly transparent tint which was a hallmark of the Biomuscular Regeneration, but looked exactly like her original skin tone. A cosmetic change Revelean had added, while insisting that the modification itself hadn't been altered. She had briefly tested it out by making an incision on her arm, and it seemed to have held up.

The pain though seemed dulled. Probably intentional. Sharp enough for her to take note, but not debilitating. An irritant instead of something crippling. A satisfactory middle ground. Of course she probably would get a better idea in combat, but she had a suspicion that it was going to be…difficult to hurt her.

It was not going to be a pleasant experience for reasons that had nothing to do with physical danger.

The moment she revealed herself, she would be seen as a traitor until the end of days for ADVENT and XCOM. Which was deserved, because she was a traitor. She had her reasons, but it wouldn't magically make her not a traitor. But she did feel there was a difference between betraying ADVENT and XCOM, and betraying her species.

One was more important than the other, regardless of what it cost.

A chime outside her door sounded, and she waved it open. She could tell it was Nico outside, since there wasn't anyone who felt remotely like him. He had also recently undergone the procedure, though unlike her, didn't look overly different or taller. Though he very clearly hadn't been informed of her own changes as he took a step back as she stood, towering over him.

"Hi Patricia," he said hesitantly. "You look…different."

"A bit bigger than you remember," she gave him a smile. "Revelean can't resist showing off in some things it seems. Not quite what I had in mind, but I'm not complaining."

"Well, that's good to hear," he said, giving a cough. "So you actually did it. The Imperator choose you to be his Harbinger."

"Or Avatar," she shrugged. "They use the terms interchangeably it seems. Avatar seems more accurate, but yes, I did. I couldn't go back; not with everything I know now." She raised an eyebrow to him. "You would have preferred this position?"

"Being the public face of the Imperator?" He asked in disbelief. "No way. I mean…it's a great honor and you'll be great at it, but that's not what I want." He motioned to his plain black clothing. "I'd rather keep in the background and not have every XCOM squad trying to hunt me down."

She smiled at that, and he gave another awkward cough. "Are you ready for that?"

"For what?"

"XCOM," he clarified, gesturing aimlessly. "Coming after you? You'll have to fight them."

"Yes," she said quietly. "I know. I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to join the Imperator. The best I can do is make it quick and painless for everyone involved and maybe save some of them."

He looked doubtful. "Do you think any of them will listen?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not."

He nodded. "I'm sorry. I know you were close to some of them. Friends or otherwise."

"Appreciated," she said. "I'm not going to mourn yet though. Nothing has happened yet. Even though it likely will go the way I fear it will."

She focused on him. "What about you? Are you ready?"

"Yes, I think so," he said a bit hesitantly. "Me and Sicarius have experimented with the merge. I don't know if Revelean gave you-"

"He gave me pretty much every warning. Several times," she interrupted with a smile.

"Right," Nico cleared his throat. "It's…even more intense than he described. It's impossible to fully explain until you experience it. You see into your partner's mind, but at the same time it's yours. Merging memories and knowledge, but at the same some individual and separate." He shook his head. "It's amazing when you get over the disorientation. The first time I did it I couldn't even walk in a straight line without falling over."

"They said that I would learn abilities he knew quickly," Patricia said, curious. "Did you learn anything new that you didn't before?"

"As a matter of fact, I did learn a fairly useful trick," he said, smiling. "Just a second." He lifted a hand as purple energy coalesced around it, before a small portal appeared before which he stepped into and emerged a short distance away. "Couldn't do that before, always had problems with concentrating," he said as the energy faded. "Turns out all I needed to do was merge with an Ethereal and that problem is solved."

He nodded to her. "You're lucky. With the Imperator as your Anchor you'll know everything. Psionic disciplines you couldn't comprehend before; powers that were too complex, and so on. I do envy that about you. But after the war is over…" he shrugged. "Plenty of time to practice. Yang is back too, by the way."

"She was gone?" Patricia asked.

"Oh, you were still undergoing the procedure," he nodded. "She took the Trial of the Battlemasters. And succeeded."

Huh, that was interesting. "Good for her," Patricia said slowly. "What exactly did that entail?"

"Going to the Dead World," Nico said apologetically. "The details are extremely secretive, so I've heard. I don't know much more than that. But I don't think the fact that the planet is close to Paradise Station is a coincidence, and Yang definitely didn't seem happy when she came back. She looked…shaken. But she survived, which Cogitian was mildly astounded by."

"Aliens breaking barriers," she said dryly. "He probably didn't think she could do it."

"The Trial killed Battlemaster candidates," Nico reminded her. "Most of whom were probably more powerful than her. It's definitely an accomplishment that she did it. The Battlemaster is probably pleased as well."

"He definitely has high expectations for his Avatar," Patricia noted. "All I had to do was say yes."

"The Battlemaster is a bit different from other Ethereals, I've noticed," Nico agreed. "Not necessarily a bad thing, though he has clashed with the Imperator as of late. Regarding the war from my understanding. He doesn't like the Imperator's meddling."

"Makes sense why," Patricia shrugged. "This was his job and only his job for a while, and he doesn't think everyone else is as qualified or smart as he is in this field. He'll get used to it though, I'm sure."

A moment of silence passed between them. "Will you be participating in the operation?" Nico finally asked.

"Not at the beginning," Patricia answered, thinking. "But if it drags on…then likely. What about you?"

"I will be," he nodded, lifting a piece of paper. "The Ethereals are apparently willing to start getting rid of the heads of ADVENT directly. With the direct authorization of the Battlemaster. Guess who my target is?"

"Saudia?" Patricia couldn't think of anyone else at the moment.

"What? No!" He snorted incredulously. "Way too risky right now, so I've been told. No, the target they gave me was Rena Shu-chan."

The name Patricia immediately recognized. "The President of Taiwan."

"Correct," he nodded. "And after the city is razed to the ground by Isomnum, their leadership will fall with it."

---

Administrative Command of the Sovereign African States, Abuja – Nigeria

3/7/2017 – 11:51 A.M.

The day had come, and this was as good as she was going to get. The message given by Isomnum had not exactly been something she was in support of, but Macula had explained that this was in service of intimidation and the war – if one had to be waged – would be far more conventional. He was under the control of the Battlemaster at the end of the day, who had some sense of honor.

The bombardment of military and government locations was one she could accept as justifiable, especially as an actual warning had been given. She would not have ordered such, as the risk of collateral damage was especially high, at least in Taiwan. Right now in Japan it only appeared that there were military targets.

While she couldn't completely get rid of the feeling that there was an ADVENT sniper or operative just waiting for the shot, rationally she knew she had nothing to worry about. The building where the address would be held was completely sealed off by SAS soldiers and personally swept by Macula and his operatives for any spies or traitors.

The room itself was fairly grand, and ironically she realized that in many ways it echoed the red and black color scheme of ADVENT. Although there was more white mixed in than ADVENT had. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling of a room which more closely resembled a ballroom. A podium was placed on an elevated section of the room, with a red carpet leading before it over the marble tiles.

Chairs were filled with the ranking officials in the SAS military, which included all of the former ADVENT soldiers and some of the newly risen native officers. A few select aliens were also seated with the crowd. A civilian crowd was also gathered at the back, and they were being thankfully quiet and respectful. Mostly because they knew that today of all days, interfering would just get them kicked out.

Betos herself was clad in her SAS armor. She was and always had been a soldier, and it was important ADVENT remembered that they were fighting one, even if she was still leading the only effective Human resistance against ADVENT. Her helmet was placed on the podium, and the red cape reminiscent of the one she'd worn while in ADVENT was borne in stark contrast to the night-black of her armor.

Keeper stood off to her left, in his uniform devoid of any markings. Hands clasped behind is head and glowing eyes appraising the room – and soon those watching – he was the ever-watchful alien observer. There had been some discussion on if Macula himself should be in the picture, but it was dismissed because Macula didn't want the public spotlight, and would give ADVENT easy propaganda material.

If an Ethereal stood behind her as she gave a speech, they would just say she was mind controlled.

The message would be undercut.

So Keeper had been the alternative.

Mox stood to her right, helmetless like her and wearing his armor. He'd been with her since the beginning and an instrumental part in the initial defection and forming the SAS, even through its growing pains. It was good that he was here now, even if he wasn't particularly comfortable before a camera. But he didn't need to speak today.

She did.

"We are ready, Grand Marshal," Keeper told her, using her official title as the overseer of the Military Branch of the SAS. "Give the signal when you are."

She nodded, and motioned to the camera crew which would begin filming and broadcasting it around the world. She knew that there would be immediate attention due to the alien by her side. She waited a few minutes for it to propagate, and get the all-clear from the crew in the back who confirmed they were streaming and the link was stable.

"I am Grand Marshal Betos, and Acting President of the Sovereign African States," she began. "The many people who are watching will no doubt know me better as former Marshal Helsa Betos, the defector. I left when I would not continue with ADVENT's unrestricted and harsh measures against the rest of the world. As expected, they have branded me a traitor and condemned my name in the history books."

She rested a gloved hand on the podium. "ADVENT would have you forget their policies of control and deception. They would have you forget the purges of the Middle East, their invasion of Canada, Uruguay and their destabilizing influence on other nations to manipulate them into leaving as we see in the United Kingdom. It is important to understand that ADVENT is focused primarily on deception and lies to achieve their goals."

She opened a palm and made a short wave motion to the cameras, looking in each one briefly. "Consider how much control ADVENT has in your lives if you are even able to watch what I am saying now. Who decides what is acceptable to be shown on the news? Who decides what is taught to your children and what is appropriate civil disagreement? Who decides which candidates are suitable for election? For those who live in ADVENT – how much control do you have in your lives?"

Betos pointed upwards. "ADVENT controls every aspect of your life, and they hide it cleverly, but at the end of the day, you are merely a means to an end. A soldier, a worker, a doctor; you are just a single piece in their war machine. The world under their control will resemble a sterile realization of what it means to be Human. There will be no independence or free will under ADVENT – only what they decide is what is best for you. But despite what they would have you believe, this is not the only option."

Her arm lowered, she continued. "It is no surprise that you will fear and hate the aliens – ADVENT has done much to stoke this fear. But understand that this is not the truth, merely something twisted to served their own purposes as it always is. I have been in contact with the aliens for months now, and they have greatly assisted in the continued development of the nations which have hosted myself and those who made the brave decision to follow me."

Betos put some additional emphasis on the word months, since she derived some joy from the fact that right now Saudia was probably demanding how all of this had happened without her knowing. Someone in ADVENT was going to be getting yelled at very soon, she had a good feeling about it.

"Much of the aliens has been shrouded in mystery and propaganda," she said. "ADVENT would have you believe it is a tyrannical state where the Ethereals rule with an iron fist. This is not the case. As the name implies, it is a Collective of species. Each one is allowed to develop independently and without direct Ethereal control. All these species are prosperous and advanced – and this could be our future. Not one under the authoritarian and Orwellian grip of ADVENT, but one where Humans continue to develop in unique and divergent ways without the fear of going down a 'dangerous path' as ADVENT would say."

She subtly indicated Keeper. "The Sovereign African States have officially formed an alliance with the Ethereal Collective, and they will back us against the inevitable retaliation from ADVENT. They cannot stand the prospect of there being any option aside from themselves, for to them, there is only one path for Humanity. Within the Sovereign African States, there are many. We do not force others to conform, instead we encourage diversity in all aspects of life; of the different states and peoples. A place that is safe, just, and prosperous."

Focusing on the camera, she began her conclusion. "This is a direct invitation to all countries of the world – those outside of ADVENT and the people within – that there is more than just ADVENT. Our alliance ensures that we have the manpower and technology to withstand the reprisals of ADVENT – and this can be yours."

"Each individual and nation faces a choice today – will you choose to stand and defy ADVENT and insist that each Human and nation follow their own path, in their own way? Or will you obey the demands of ADVENT and remain as slaves to their whims; forever bound to their singular and controlling vision of what it means to be Human? I cannot make this decision – it is up to the world to decide what kind of Humanity it wants."

The cameras knew that moment was the time to end it, and after a few more seconds, the stream cut and the broadcast ended. As they were speaking, diplomats were reaching out to all immediate neighbor nations to discuss the possibility of joining the SAS – and sharing news of the aliens in the process.

"Good speech," Mox said. "Assuming ADVENT even allowed it to be played. But you know they won't let anything come of this. Any protest will be crushed."

"Yes, I know," she sighed as the room began getting louder as conversation began. "But it was important to include – especially for the holdouts."

"Regardless of the effect," Keeper said with some amusement as he looked over the crowd. "I think it is safe to say that someone in ADVENT is getting yelled at."

---

Joint ADVENT-Chinese Command Base, Beijing – China

3/7/2017 – 12:10 P.M.

"Get me Director Falka on the line now!"

"Yes Chancellor!"

Of all the things she'd expected to have to deal with today, the traitor Betos and the United States African Edition was not something she wanted or needed in her life right now. That would have been irritating enough, but no, the fact that the aliens were openly backing her turned the situation from an irritation into a very real threat.

In a miraculously short time, the hologram of Elizabeth appeared in the recently-secured room which would serve as a place where she could maintain a presence over the coming conflict. Elizabeth – understandably – looked rather nervous. "Chancellor."

"Elizabeth," Saudia drawled, keeping her voice calm. "As of this moment, I am currently in China preparing to coordinate preparations for an invasion, the upcoming refugee wave, and overseeing the evacuations and reorganizations of two countries at the same time. In addition to that, there is just under four hours until said countries being evacuated are going to be orbitally bombarded to rubble."

She raised a finger. "I just got finished with an initial response press conference – which I think went rather well – and what is the first thing I see when I land in China? I see Helsa Betos giving a speech – surrounded by seemingly advanced soldiers. It wasn't the worst speech I've heard, personally. But I honestly could have had my day be better if she wasn't in it."

Saudia paused while Elizabeth winced. "There was one other thing…" Saudia paused dramatically. "Ah! I remember! Would you care to tell me how the fuck you didn't know the Collective was supporting her!?"

The Chancellor jabbed a finger at her. "I am very tempted to have you expelled for gross incompetence when this situation is stabilized unless you have a very good reason for why we had no indication of this whatsoever. You told me that the SAS wasn't a problem. It's one thing to not know what she's doing every minute of the day, it's much worse if we don't know she's getting support from the aliens!"

Saudia took a deep breath, really wanting to throw something. "Tell me what exactly all of your agents down there have been doing. Now."

Elizabeth swallowed. "I assume responsibility for this Intelligence failure. We don't know what happened. We've been getting reports from our agents documenting the training and development of the SAS military, but nothing even remotely like what was shown. And no mention of any alien involvement whatsoever."

She took a breath. "Our working theory right now is that our agents or communications have somehow been compromised. Almost certainly an Ethereal behind it, perhaps more than one for a deception this major. We didn't anticipate something like this due to the Manchurian Restraints-"

"You of all people should know the Restraints are not completely foolproof!" Saudia practically hissed at her, forcing the Intelligence Director to wince. "I know that. It's your job to know the weaknesses and take them into account."

"I don't dispute that, Chancellor, we are prioritizing this immediately," she answered quickly. "I can assure you that we will determine the cause of the failure and that it will not happen again."

Saudia gave a joyless smile. "I'm so very pleased that we're discovering unaccounted for failings in our operations on the eve of an invasion of China and mere hours away from Cleanser Ships arriving to pound our cities into dust."

"Your concerns are well-founded, Chancellor, we're doing everything we can to mitigate them as quickly as possible," Elizabeth said quickly. "Every agent involved in Africa is going to be questioned by the Inquisitors and Oversight Division. Any compromised or corrupted agents will be purged and our policies completely secured."

"I believe you," Saudia said, shaking her head. "I expected better of you. There could not be a worse time for this to be discovered. So yes, you will fix the problem as soon as possible. But because of your failure, the SAS is now an alien-backed threat that we are going to have to deal with in addition to whatever the aliens have planned now."

To her credit, Elizabeth didn't dispute that. "Yes, Chancellor."

Saudia sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "I'm drafting a response to her little speech since this needs to be dealt with immediately in that way. Get the media talking about that, at least. It's going to pull time away from the evacuations, but I don't really have a choice. The best we can do is damage control now until China is resolved."

"Understood, Chancellor," Elizabeth sharply nodded. "In addition to fixing our intelligence failings, we will assist to the best of our capabilities until this situation is resolved."

"Considering that was what you were going to do anyway, I'm not going to give you praise for actually doing your job," Saudia said coldly. Normally she didn't chew out subordinates like this, but she was stressed and irritated, and Elizabeth had no excuse for missing something this major. "We will deal with the SAS shortly, and if you really want to start making amends you will put together a squad to either capture or execute Betos. Go to Weekes or the Commander if you want to, but don't be surprised if they don't have time right now because of the invasion that is coming up."

"I'll begin work on it immediately, Chancellor," she promised. "Further instructions?"

"Start fixing your mistakes," Saudia scowled. "At the end of this, you will stand before my cabinet, the Oversight Division, and the Congress of Nations and tell them why you deserve to keep your job. You'd best make a miracle happen if you want to keep it. Get to work, I've got a crisis to resolve." With that she cut the feed and sat back down, still fuming.

Shaking her head and expelling another sigh, she returned and began furiously writing. Later she would need to have Aegis or one of the defectors refute Betos's notion that the Collective was somehow better than ADVENT of all things. Because some idiots were going to wonder if the traitor had a point.

She simply did not have time for this, but she couldn't let the traitor have the last word.

---

Temporary Residence of the Japanese Imperial Family – Germany

3/7/2017 – 2:11 P.M.

A temporary new name and face, although unlike Nemo, this face he was only strictly wearing for the job. He doubted his acting skills would need to be put to the test. No one seriously considered the Imperial Family of Japan worth serious consideration, so there was less…protection…for them than there would be for heads of state with actual political power.

As he thought this, looking into the armored compound with no fewer than ten guards outside and four snipers on the room.

Pointless security, for he was just going to walk in, or more accurately, drive in.

The mind-controlled Human driving the limousine drove to the initial checkpoint and would say that Prince Kaneda was returning to the residence. There had been a Zararch spy watching the Imperial Family for some time. Of all the resident members of the Imperial Family, the Prince and eldest son of the Emperor was most prone to leave, likely because he knew that one day he would assume the title of Emperor.

Today, he had predictably left to presumably meet ADVENT officials. The perfect opportunity to enter with his face. The limo taking him to ADVENT had been dealt with, as the Prince had been temporarily mind-controlled to call ADVENT and inform them that he needed to return to the compound. His body would be found later.

But the face of Prince Kaneda would be useful for a little while longer yet.

A simple matter of the driver handing the identification, and they were inside. He knew the schematics of the compound, as they had been psionically extracted from the living Prince and then shown to him. The first order of business was the disabling of internal security. There were far fewer guards on the inside than outside, which would make his job far easier.

Exiting the limo in the garage, he was greeted with one of the family servants. "[Welcome back, my Prince,]" he greeted in Japanese. "[Your meeting with ADVENT was productive?]"

He readied his throat. The language of these people was less straightforward than most other Human languages. While he doubted it would be noticeable to this old Human, he unfortunately had not had enough time to fully perfect the voice. "[Well enough, I need to think.]"

The man didn't seem to notice anything. "[Do you require my assistance?]"

"[No, but there is work I need to do.]" The doppelganger of the now-dead Prince walked past the man and into the main compound while he considered his targets. He stopped to get a glass of water from the open kitchen area while he looked around. No guards, and there shouldn't be any outside the security room. The youngest children – Mashai and Rena – were watching a movie on the television. Good. If they stayed down here it would be easier to grab them.

Today the children would live. He suspected they would be part of some plan the Zar'Chon had regarding the future of Humanity. Or perhaps he would use them as hostages or give them to Isomnum to kill on live television. He didn't know, nor particularly care. All that mattered was the elimination of the Imperial Family, the extraction of the children, and that no unnecessary individuals be killed.

The third aspect he had added himself. It was useful to send a message to ADVENT. The skill of a true assassin at work, and a professional assassin didn't leave any collateral damage and was long gone by the time the bodies were found. While this was admittedly not the most difficult of assignments, it had been a while since he had participated in such an operation.

Drinking a glass of water – for theatre, nothing else, as the water did absolutely nothing to him – he moved to the upstairs and rounded the corner of the balcony which overlooked the main kitchen and room. The security room however, was on the third floor and directly at the end of the hallway. Nemo found it interesting that even in their exile, the Imperial Family still maintained some semblance of their luxury, as the colorful rugs and ornate furniture showed.

Unsurprising, perhaps. Humans born to privilege expected it their whole lives.

He gently tested the door handle, and found it locked. Good, ADVENT had some intelligent staff on hand here then. Normally it would force the outside individual to knock or otherwise get their attention – probably through the intercom just beside the door. Or someone could pick the lock since it wasn't electronic.

He didn't need to resort to any of those things. The less attention, the better. He applied a bit of strength and he heard the mechanisms of the lock click as they broke. Excellent, he softly opened the door and peered in. The men sat facing the shifting displays of screens, as it rotated through each camera. Both were helmetless and chatting about something.

The room itself was bare in furnishings and only held the table of monitors and several large computers. He filtered out their pointless chattering, closed the door behind him, and walked up silently behind them and without warning pulled them onto their backs and applied a hand to their throat. They were flesh and bone, he was not, and soon they stopped struggling, for what little good that had done them.

He stopped, listened. Good, they were breathing. They didn't know what had happened or who had knocked them out. He looked at the one who was roughly his size, and quickly removed the armor and applied it to himself. The helmet resting on the table would provide an excellent disguise and no one would question an ADVENT soldier.

Glancing quickly at the name in case someone inexplicably recognized him, he tied the man up at the wrists and ankles, before applying tape over his eyes and mouth and propped the man behind the wall. Not a good hiding place, but it was better than leaving the body on the ground. For the armored man, he began strapping him to the chair (after removing all weapons and objects he could use to free himself), placed the tape over his eyes and mouth, placed the helmet on him, and propped him up.

A good loyal ADVENT soldier doing his job.

Instead of merely destroying the recording equipment, he shut it down, took out the disks and hard drives and stuffed them into a small sack. Damaged hardware could still contain information, and it was best to take that with him rather than risk it being found. The cameras would still work now, they just couldn't save anything.

He disconnected everything anyway.

Exiting the room, he began his sweep of the third floor. There were only two targets up here, the second daughter to the Emperor Aneka and her husband, Keizo. Their room would be the fourth from the corner. Now he had an easy means of entering, because he would just knock. The woman answered the door, looking concerned when she saw him. "Is there a problem?"

"Possibly," he answered, adopting a more 'normal' voice, primarily German. "There may be a situation. We need to make sure you're safe. Is your husband with you?"

"Yes, he's right-" When she looked back, he reached forward and effortlessly snapped her neck and quickly propped her up on the nearby wardrobe, and closed the door behind him in one smooth motion. Keizo stood up from his desk, looking confused.

"What was it?" He asked, looking very worried. "A situation? Aneka?"

Nemo unexpectedly threw the bag of hard drives at him which was enough to daze him, if not fully knock him out. That was quickly solved with him walking over to the groaning man, leaning down, and snapping his neck in a similar manner to his wife. That out of the way, he lifted the body and walked over to the wardrobe and propped up the body inside, pushing aside the garments stored within.

He grabbed Aneka, and propped her up on the other side. With luck no one would think to check there for a day or so. Well after he was gone. Shutting the wardrobe completely, he stepped back, satisfied. If he could have done so, he would have used the lock, but he didn't intend to waste time finding it, and improvising would be obvious.

He was also pleased he hadn't needed to resort to using bladed weapons so far. Those were too messy and left too much of a trail for them to be optimal. Leaving the bedroom, he shut the door and made his way back to the second floor. There were many targets here, several unmarried or widowed sons and daughters.

As he methodically entered their rooms and killed them, he was slightly annoyed that no matter how it turned out, he would not achieve a perfect clean sweep of the Imperial Family. The daughter who had renounced the Imperial Family to marry a man not of high class didn't quite count, but she was of royal blood. But the other Imperial daughter had inexplicably enlisted in the ADVENT military and he unfortunately hadn't been able to locate where she was.

Unfortunate, but one woman wouldn't likely be able to rebuild and the moment he learned where she was, she would join her family.

Killing everyone else and the Emperor was the most important, and soon he was before the residential room of the Emperor. Fortunately the Empress had died some years back, so this easy job would be even easier. A short polite knock was done, and upon hearing nothing, he stepped inside. Emperor Tamotsu was awake, and in his bed watching the news, which were talking about the impending bombardment of Japan.

"Do you think they will be able to stop it?" He asked, not looking to the man in armor. His voice was old and frail, the voice of a man who was close to giving up. Nemo could understand that the subsequent loss, reclamation, and overall destruction the country one was supposed to preside over would likely be difficult for any individual of any species to properly deal with. Even Emperors were not exempt from this.

"Possibly," he said, moving a little closer. "Chancellor Vyandar and XCOM always manage to think of something."

He wasn't even lying there. Humans were adaptable, and it was going to take more than the poorly-utilized fear that Isomnum brought and the Cleanser Ships to prevent that. No reason to not give the Emperor some positive encouragement in his final seconds. "Is there a problem?" The Emperor asked. "You normally do not enter unless there is a problem – or is it bad news…?"

Ah…such a shame the idea had never occurred to him. Well, he could remedy that. "Not bad news, sir," he said as he walked forward, reaching behind him as if to reach a letter. "We would have received a letter from ADVENT command if that was the case. But she has sent a letter, and I was instructed to bring it to you right away."

The Emperor's eyes lit up. "That is…good. I-"

With a lightning jab to the throat to stun him, Nemo transitioned to a grab and snapped the elderly man's neck. Wasting no time, he hoisted the Emperor up by his neck and carried him to the closet where there was another ornate wardrobe. Propping the Emperor up inside it, he stepped back and closed the door.

Mission accomplished. It was a…pleasant feeling.

All that remained now was to extract the children.

A very simple task now, one he knew he would complete without issue.

---

Taipei ADVENT Command, Taipei – Taiwan

3/7/2017 – 3:01 P.M.

Volk was somewhat uncertain about this mission for two reasons, none of which had to do with the fact that they were about to assassinate the President of Taiwan in addition to whatever ADVENT and government officials were with her. It was a clever way of taking advantage of the situation. Volk wasn't exactly a fan of the other operation Nemo was undertaking, since from his understanding, the Imperial Family was just being housed there, and it wasn't like they had any influence in ADVENT anyway.

No, the first thing he didn't like was how close they were cutting it in regards to the planned bombardment of Taiwan. The city was definitely not evacuated, but the base they were targeting was definitely going to be on the list of orbital strikes. An hour was going to have to be enough, since Nemo wanted the timing done almost perfectly.

Volk had wondered why the President hadn't evacuated already, but she appeared to be one of those noble types that wouldn't leave until the last minute. That, and he was fairly certain she was former military or at minimum had a solid interest in the operations, so she might want to oversee that as much as possible.

He did find it ironic that she was going to be flown to China, and from there, to Russia.

Well, he would have if she wasn't about to be shot in the face.

He did have to admit, that despite preferring good old-fashioned weapons and gear, where his clothes were camouflaged and didn't provide a lot of protection, as well as being mostly strung together, the Collective didn't skimp on their tech. Collective-issue Phantom Division armor was comfortable, durable, and provided a temporary cloaking field.

Elena had asked the details about how it worked, and the answer Volk had not even been able to remotely understand, and he knew Elena hadn't either. The only reason she'd asked was so that later when the mission was over, she could look it up and learn the specifics. Perfect memories were so very useful.

Either way, this had allowed them to set up just outside the base itself; on the roof in fact was where he was staying, and he had yet to be spotted. Snipers including some of his own soldiers and Elena, combined with Phantom Division and Zararch aliens around the area created a noose around ADVENT that they wouldn't realize until it was too late.

Eventually, they would be able to fight back and all of them knew that they couldn't fight an ADVENT army. With that said, they didn't need to. They only needed to kill as many as possible.

"Everyone is in place," the man, if such a generous term could be bestowed upon him, said. "I will begin momentarily."

And this was the second issue he was unsure about. The majority of this operation rested on this boy that until a day or so ago he had no clue existed. He wore the same stealth armor as the rest of them, but it was painfully apparent just how young he was. Nico was his name, and Volk didn't know his story, only that he was a powerful psion and the "Avatar of Sicarius". Or "Harbinger".

A new title for Humans who worked directly with Ethereals?

Either way, he didn't like entrusting the outcome to someone he'd never worked with before, much less someone who looked like he'd just left high school. But he was overruled, and had to deal with it. The plane was out on the tarmac, heavily guarded, but ready for the passengers. ADVENT Ravens were also on standby to protect the plane when it took off.

Volk shot the kid one last look as he placed a mask over his face. It was rather odd, and fully covered it up and to a certain extent reminded him of a scuba mask, if the facemask was pure black. The air seemed to hum when he put it on, and the kid gave him a short nod before lifting a hand and vanishing with a purple-tinged distortion in the air.

"Avatar is in play," he informed the rest of the team. "Await my shot."

From what Nico had said, what he would do is go inside the base and begin killing people. When asked for details about how he was going to do that, Nico had explained that he could just tell people to die 'and they will'. Previously, Volk would think that was the kid saying he wasn't going to tell them because it sounded too ridiculous to think he was serious. But it was also apparent that psions could do a lot of unnatural things.

Maybe telling people to die was something they could do too.

One of two things would happen when people started dying. Either the President would be evacuated on the plane, or she would be moved to a safe room. If the former, that was where they came in. If the latter, then Nico would kill her. Mostly a foolproof plan unless there were unexpected elements they hadn't anticipated.

So far there were no XCOM operatives or Sovereign Agents that they'd seen, so they should be good.

The alarm started blaring.

Nico had started.

"They're aware," he communicated, although that was obvious. "Prepare to attack. Probably five to ten minutes if things go to plan."

ADVENT soldiers below were moving around and yelling to each other. Considering the way they were lining up, it looked like she was being moved out. Volk readied his rifle, quite curious to see how effective his weapons were. Unlike previously, the rounds he was using which were just metal bullets, these ones had a small amount of nanites inside them which would release upon hitting the target.

Possibly taking out others near it.

"She is coming," Elena informed. "Four guards. A full squad behind her." Eight more soldiers.

"Call targets," Volk ordered. "Lining up the shot."

The sooner he took her out, the better. He listened to the snipers call out their targets in quick succession. When the last one was called, he lined up the shot. Her head was just in the sights, and while the slight obscuring the bodyguards provided might pose trouble for some snipers, it was barely an issue for him.

He fired.

President Shu-chan's head splattered in a flash of red.

"Target eliminated," he said. "Fire."

The rounds from a dozen sniper rifles fired from around the base, killing the bodyguards and the ADVENT squad behind them. The nanites were working and he noted that they'd consumed a good portion of the face and the armor of the nearby (now-deceased) bodyguards. He swiveled his weapon to the Ravens.

Might as well make use of this.

He fired a few shots into the cockpits and engines of each plane, enough to drain the clip. He switched to a second one, though this one was just filled with standard armor-penetrating rounds. The base was now in chaos as the surviving ADVENT soldiers were being shot from all directions and had no idea where to go or take cover.

Volk felt cold satisfaction in how he took down several more soldiers who were hiding from sniper fire in one direction, while leaving themselves completely exposed to him. A few headshots took a few more soldiers out of the fight. He let a few more minutes of the pandemonium pass. "We've done enough here, they'll be coming soon. Fall back."

There were choruses of affirmation, and right on cue he looked back to see Nico standing behind him, a hand extended. Volk gave the black-masked individual a short nod. "Not bad kid, was it hard?"

Nico looked down at the ADVENT base in chaos, and answered, his voice layered and almost thoughtful. "Not really…no."

Well, that was good enough for him. He grasped the free hand and with a wave of the other one, Nico teleported both of them away.

---

3/7/2017 – 4:01 P.M.

As the Cleanser Ships hung in orbit around Earth, twenty in total with several dozen more in the system, it was ultimately clear that the time for bluffing was over. Those in ADVENT and XCOM knew as the ships moved into position that the Collective would hold back no longer. They had done all they could to prepare for what was coming.

Each Andromedon Captain awaited the command to commence firing. Each one had been given a designated target, and each one knew the distinct possibility that ADVENT might respond with nuclear force. Something they had prepared for and would deal with should the situation arise. They were not blind to the threat ADVENT posed.

As well as the fact that even now, it was a distraction.

Let ADVENT be occupied with the impending destruction of their cities. There was more in play than they realized yet.

The command came minutes after the deadline, well after they had been moved into position. The raw, awful voice which even made the implacable aliens withdraw further into their suits. "Open fire. Scatter these aliens to the wilderness."

The signal given, the Cleanser Ships opened fire.

They were at the maximum range; excellent for protecting themselves, but poor for precise targeting. Their capabilities were such that if they were close enough, they could destroy a singular building without significant damage to nearby structures. At this range they simply did not have the precise capabilities.

But they would not let ADVENT surprise them again.

Yellow and orange streaks rained down from the sky into cities and military bases across both Taiwan and Japan. The latter country saw the last of their grand skyscrapers and buildings fall into twisted scraps of metal and concrete. Taiwan saw their island pounded by fire from the sky; killing soldiers and civilians who hadn't been able to evacuate in time.

The warning then came. "[Incoming missile.]"

"[Fire countermeasures and raise shields,]" came the immediate command. The bombardment temporarily ceased as the trajectory of the missile was calculated by the onboard computers, and a missile per ship was fired against the incoming one. The shields were raised immediately afterwards, protection which was strong enough that even capital ships would have difficulty penetrating it.

For it had not been the first time such tactics had been tried against the Andromedons.

The missiles collided in a bright explosion, but not a nuclear one. There were no others detected. "[Resume bombardment interspersed with the pods,]" came the order. "[They will not try that again.]"

After some slight maneuvering, the pillars of fire which rained from the sky were interspersed with orange-tipped white streaks; boarding pods to further destroy the survivors who had evacuated. They had known that ADVENT would not be overly hurt by this attack, if that were the case they would have put up a larger fight.

Their error would be shown. The first wave would be pods filled with Chryssalids and Wraith-Class Seekers. Those would hunt down the stragglers and survivors. And with the primary infrastructure of the countries destroyed, there was no defense against the pods.

The locations were secured, and the signal was sent.

From Mars, the fleet of ten thousand strong troop and vehicle transports, discounting the fleet of fighters ten time that number, began to move. Already two hundred were hanging close to the Moon, having arrived hours ago, and they began to descend towards the open ocean, avoiding clustering. In the unlikely event that more nuclear weapons were deployed, they would not lose their invasion force like the last time.

When they had reached a certain altitude, they turned under the command of the guiding CODEX, and sped towards the islands of Japan and Taiwan, carrying thousands of Mutons, Custodians, and vehicles the Collective would debut for the first time. Flanked by several dozen Sectoid Fighters each, they were prepared to take on ADVENT and XCOM in the skies.

Within four hours, the countries of Japan and Taiwan belonged to the Ethereal Collective.

As the Dread Lord stood on the shores of Taiwan, he fixed the soulless eyes of his helmet on the final target in the distance; and reached out. He reached out to feel the fear that was slowly growing in each man, woman and child, he reached out to listen through them as they whispered and yelled in angry and terrified voices.

Just as anticipated. The seeds of collapse had been planted.

It was time to make them grow.

---

To be continued in Chapter 47

March of the Dread Lord

---

A/N: And so the end of Act III is upon us. Been looking forward to this for quite a while. Hope everyone had a good holiday and New Year. I would like to say that this story will be done in 2019, but not quite sure I can make that promise yet. It will be done when it's done. I'm not going to rush it or make cuts for the sake of finishing it up. If anything, I'd imagine that some things will be expanded.

To that end, if you haven't seen it already, one of my editors, Ashardalon125, has recently published the XCOM Files - Technical Addenda which focuses on some aspects of this story from a more technical perspective. So if you want a more scientifically-grounded take on some of the things in the story, that is it. More is planned to be added to it relatively soon. And of course, Edumesh is continuing with his excellently written Chronicles of Salvation. I recommend you check both of these out, not just because they're considered canon as far as in-universe continuity goes, but because they're both legitimately good and worth your time.

Thanks as always for reading. Here's to a good year.

- Xabiar