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.

49. March of the Dread Lord

March of the Dread Lord

---

Busan Military Base, Busan – South Korea

3/7/2017 – 8:12 P.M.

It had been a very long series of hours as ADVENT prepared for a full scale invasion. Initially it had been more of a limited response, since it still wasn't clear if Korea and Busan specifically would be another target. Duri and his squad were held back from going into the trenches to wait, and instead were moved to helping set up the artillery pieces, carry around boxes of ammo and grenades, and other general tasks.

Then the bad news had started rolling in, and the situation got worse and worse. The first bit of news was the fact that Betos had apparently not only proved herself as a deserter to ADVENT and a coward, but a full and legitimate traitor by openly stating her intent to side with the aliens against ADVENT.

As an officer, Duri had to maintain some kind of professionalism when he relayed the news to Aleksandra and Cara who were with him at the time. Both women had been dumbstruck when he told them, and then quite justifiably furious. Aleksandra's voice had dropped to glacial temperatures when she'd expressed her displeasure in a remarkably restrained way.

Cara had been…less restrained. "If I have the displeasure of running into that bitch," she had practically growled as she shoved cases of ammo into boxes. "She's going to find out how it feels to have a plasma grenade shoved down her throat."

He'd allowed a smile at that, glad the helmet could allow him to not have to worry about keeping a stoic blank face. Underneath, he had been seething. He, along with quite a few others, had eventually watched the entire speech the self-righteous traitor had given and he had privately wondered just how brain-damaged she was, assuming she actually believed it and wasn't being mind-controlled.

The fury that built in him when she had the gall to say that it was ADVENT who was the tyrannical evil, instead of the Collective – made him want to do much worse to her than shove a grenade down her throat. The bodies of his family and girls stuck in his mind; senseless deaths caused by aliens, and that was far from the worst they'd done.

Thousands of captured people; experiments on babies; the utter horror that was their Blacksites.

And she stood there with a straight face and said that it was people like him who were the enemy.

He'd heard it said that traitors were often more hated than the actual enemy that was being fought. He understood that now. Hard to believe that even in this conflict, there were those who would rather turn on their own species than get over the differences they had with everyone else and fight back.

Given what he was just learning about, it seemed like something of a sick joke that the Collective had played on their little puppet. He was not quite in pure disbelief, but it was still a difficult thing to accept. "What happened?"

"The Imperial Family…the Emperor…is dead," Nobuatsu said haltingly, slowly lowering the tablet in his hand. "No details right now other than that there was an attack and none of the Imperial Family survived."

Duri couldn't relate to feeling a sense of reverence and loyalty to someone like a monarch. Granted, he knew the Japanese didn't really view the Imperial Family as divine anymore, but they still held them in extremely high regard, essentially a celebrity status. He didn't personally get enamored by those kind of people, but his daughters had of course had their share of people they admired, pop stars and the like. He couldn't relate to that.

But he did understand loss now.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, putting a hand on Nobuatsu's shoulder. "There will be retribution for this."

"It's almost kind of unbelievable," he said numbly, leaning back into a wall and tossing the tablet onto the table. "I'm not sure whatever deity we angered, but the Collective really has it out for my people. We lose Japan, we retake it, we lose it again, they level it from orbit, and now the Emperor is dead." He shrugged. "I guess someone thinks we haven't paid enough for World War II."

"Hey," Duri snapped his fingers. "Cut that out. The world is past all of that now and no one cares, definitely not some mystic deity. Taiwan was just captured too, and Australia hasn't even had the luxury of being reclaimed. Hell, Africa now has aliens controlling part of it. China's about to be fighting an Ethereal who wears a skull for a helmet. Japan isn't special here; everyone has lost something at this point, and the only thing we can do about it is either reclaim or avenge."

His voice hardened after he took a breath. "I can't bring back my family. But you can do more than avenge the Emperor and his family, you can actually take back your country. So make that your goal."

"Yes, you have a point," Nobuatsu rubbed his eyes. "And maybe it isn't all hopeless. They're also saying the two Imperial children are missing, and likely abducted. So they're probably alive and hostages. They can be saved."

"There you go," Duri patted him on the shoulder. "Two goals to follow. Bring back the children, and take back your country. Get angry and have a plan."

Nobuatsu looked over to Duri curiously. "Nice words, but I'm not sure how much of a choice I have here. I don't make the deployment decisions."

"But you do know an Officer who will help," Duri said. "And in the end, you can only do so much."

"And…" he hesitated. "What about you? You have a plan?"

He almost chuckled, but it wouldn't be appropriate and it was a fair question. "Not really, not anything concrete. I don't have anything I can get back now." He picked up his gun. He heard soldiers rushing past him towards the trenches. "The only 'plan' I have is to kill as many aliens as I can and eradicate this Collective piece by piece."

He was mildly surprised Nobuatsu didn't ask what would happen after, but instead just nodded. "Well, I think I'll help you with that plan in addition to my own. It seems you will need it if you want to eradicate the Collective."

Duri smiled grimly as he pulled out his rifle. "I'll take it. Looks like something is happening. Let's check it out."

---

Russian Castle of the Order of Terra, Russian Wilderness – Russia

3/7/2017 – 6:14 P.M.

The mood was tense, but calm. There was a certain isolation to being in the wilderness in what ADVENT liked to call a 'castle'. They were quite dedicated to following through on the pseudo-medieval theme of the Order of Terra, even if what they actually included had quite a few distinct differences. Namely that the supposed 'castle' was more or less a smaller and more fortified military base tailored with training grounds and other necessities of the Order.

Yet there was a kind of homage and aesthetic here that pleased her. Kaya had always been one to appreciate ceremony and rituals; partially because of her upbringing, and partly because she simply loved participating in such events. They were experiences one could not get anywhere else, and while others may have dismissed them as archaic and dated, there was a meaning and history she couldn't help but respect.

It was almost funny in a way; the idea that someone had pitched an idea to ADVENT about creating a modern order of medieval knights. With samurai thrown in too for good measure. Kaya was personally quite unsure who had originally proposed and greenlit the project, since it had also sounded somewhat…odd…to her when it was first proposed.

Wars weren't fought that way anymore. She could see a kind of ceremonial role for something like that, but according to Lord Hamilton, it was intended to be a fully-fledged military branch of ADVENT for use in legitimate combat operations. She admittedly wasn't a military strategist, but it seemed like an odd investment especially during a war.

Hamilton had found that amusing, and promptly showed her some of the actual suits and weapons.

As it turned out, she should have had more faith in the intelligence of ADVENT. While ADVENT may have taken inspirations when naming the various positions in the Order, they were fully kitted out with modern armor, weapons, and tools. Knights carried rifles and grenades in addition to their MELD-enhanced swords; the Unit Standards carried by the Standardbearers were walking PDS fields to deflect plasma, and her own kit included grappling equipment, and a sniper rifle in addition to a katana.

The way they would be used was also tailored to their actual strengths. They were ultimately best for close combat, and that is how they would be used. Leading the charges in choke points, clearing out enclosed buildings and bases, and engaging with the alien units who also had melee forces. The Oyariah Titans were touted as the main threat, and there was also a Dath'Haram equivalent that was much less known.

And all indications suggested that, after several hard months of training, they were going to be deployed very soon. Soon ADVENT would see if this little project was justified or not. Kaya had faith; the men and woman who'd been selected were certainly among the most physically adept of Humans that she had seen. It reminded her more of a special forces unit than a "standard" military branch.

Given the weight of the armor and equipment each member had to wear, the weak were either weeded out or adapted to grow stronger.

After drilling almost nonstop, the majority were quite ready to be deployed against an actual threat. For her own part she wasn't exactly apprehensive…but it was going to be a much more intimate experience than her previous roles in combat. It turned out that she had good aim, and had managed to kill a decent amount of alien soldiers, but that was at range.

She was pretty sure she'd still be the one picking off aliens, but it was going to be closer.

But she trusted her unit. They'd all had to get used to each other quickly after being more or less thrown together in the beginning and forced to work together or get thrashed by some of the established units. But they'd done it, and she was confident they would do well. Still, at times she wondered the wisdom of keeping her actual identity a secret.

They knew her as Tora Sato, with the cover story of a civilian who'd enlisted and proved herself over some of the major battles of the war. Only Genevieve, one of the Gunners from her original squad, had also been asked to participate, and even she didn't know. Unlike her, Genevieve had originally been a British soldier, which was plainly apparent from the fact that she was the largest woman Kaya had ever seen. Her entire family had military service, and her husband was working somewhere in ADVENT Logistics. She was coy about where.

Kaya hadn't pried. Everyone had the right to their secrets. Although in her case, they were more for reasons of personal security than anything else.

So far, no one had guessed that the lithe, short-haired Japanese woman was in fact Kaya Yamato, a Princess of the Japanese Imperial Family. The only thing that might tip people off was her very distinct stone-gray eyes, but no one had yet made a connection. The decision to join the military directly had not been taken especially well, but she wasn't going to be dissuaded, and no one was going to make a public scandal out of the fact that one of the Imperial Family was actually going to do something as opposed to being a historical relic.

Kaya saw very clearly what ADVENT was going to mean and it worried her. ADVENT was meritocracy incarnate, and anything that didn't provide them with benefits was going to either be reduced, removed, or cut off entirely. If the Imperial Family didn't do something to show that they were more than a rich family and cultural icon, ADVENT would reduce them into irrelevance – and not entirely without reason.

Strategically for the family, it was the most practical thing to do. Personally for her, it was the right thing to do.

As she'd told her brother, if the aliens won, there wouldn't be an Imperial Family to survive. They definitely wouldn't want something like her family hanging around.

Her status had made enlisting a bit more of a challenge, because ADVENT actually seemed torn between using her as a combat asset, or as a propaganda one. She'd had no interest in being any more of a celebrity than she already was, and had told them she'd be an actual soldier or not at all. So they'd given her an assumed identity and backstory, and deployed her with a mostly foreign squad who were unlikely to recognize her.

And in the event that they were, she fortunately didn't look much like her public pictures anymore except for the eyes. Her long hair was (sadly) cut off completely. She could have kept a little of the length, but she'd dismissed that for practical and recognition purposes. She also now sported a visible scar on her forehead where shrapnel had scraped her when they'd fled from Japan.

In truth, she doubted anyone really cared. The soldiers were more concerned with what the aliens were doing and how to prepare than if they were serving with a princess or not. But it wasn't worth having attention on her or any kind of preferential treatment which would unfortunately happen, intentionally or not.

She'd wondered how it would feel to see her homeland fall again, this time ravaged by the fire from the sky, but the second time hurt less than the first. Hamilton (who was one of the few to know who she really was) had given his opinion that it would be one of the first countries targeted when the aliens came back and would likely fall because, as he'd said, "The aliens have something to prove now."

How right he was, and it was good she'd emotionally prepared for this.

She'd been mildly irritated that she hadn't been able to help reclaim Japan the first time, but fortunately – or unfortunately in this case – it looked like she would be after all. All the more satisfying to kill the aliens occupying the land that rightfully belonged to her people. Killing aliens, as it turned out, wasn't as hard emotionally as she'd thought it would be.

Maybe because it was psychologically closer to shooting an animal than a living being.

Then again, the aliens were like animals, or perhaps parasites. A quite literal invasive species on the habitat that was Earth. And the only permanent solution to an invasive species was extermination.

Someone walked into the room where she was sitting, the armory in particular, as she found it a good place to think and no one usually loitered around it. To her mild surprise, it was Hamilton. He looked grim, but it wasn't a surprise given everything that had been going on. "We deploying?" She asked, standing.

"Nothing about that yet," he said, shaking his head. "But come with me. We need to talk."

This was highly irregular. He usually only made a point to talk to her in private when the subject matter related to her identity. With growing concern, she followed him, wondering what had happened that they hadn't heard about yet.

---

ADVENT Military Command, Situation Room – Switzerland

3/7/2017 – 8:29 P.M.

The collection of military and intelligence officials was crowded around the holotable as Saudia stood in the center, flanked by Laura and Weekes. The fact that Watkins and a not-insignificant number of operatives of the Oversight Division were present quite rightfully made most of the people – especially those in ADVENT Intelligence – nervous.

Elizabeth was also in the room, though keeping to the back now that the military itself was taking the initiative in this situation. Saudia had already made a short statement to the media, and she was working on writing a more in-depth rebuttal to Betos as her supposed speech. In a morbid way, the assassination of the Imperial Family would serve as a good illustration as to what the Collective actually intended.

One thing Elizabeth had pointed out – and something Saudia found rather interesting – was the fact that none of the leaders of the SAS had been seen since…well, according to reports, quite a while. Which definitely made her quite curious as to their fate. Could they have potentially been considering turning Betos over and she'd promptly sicced the aliens on them in retaliation?

Something else to confirm before she used it properly. For now she would merely float the question.

However, right now she was far more interested and invested in burning the SAS to the ground. Betos being a defector was bad enough, but it took a special kind of selfishness to turn against her own species. And unlike what EXALT had planned, she had no illusions that Betos was seeking to 'use' the aliens to their own advantage. She was too idealistic, too stupid for that to have even entered her mind.

She would have considered that manipulative or wrong.

Fool.

Saudia wondered for a moment which outcome would ultimately be best for ADVENT. The swift assassination of the traitor and taking her out of the picture. She was, for better or worse, the figurehead. She would not be so easily replaced, and the other Humans, specifically the defectors, were probably more loyal to her than the aliens. At best it could cause infighting in the SAS before the aliens inevitably took control.

On the other hand, it would be an especially effective demonstration of ADVENT's intolerance for traitors if she – and the other defectors – were brought back to ADVENT alive, and the world would watch as they were jailed, prosecuted, and sentenced to the Experimentation Labs. It would be both cathartic for the general population, and the traitors would serve some final use before their likely inglorious deaths.

She particularly wanted Betos to be alive to see everything she had worked towards fall apart and die.

Saudia allowed a thin smile at that; eyes with a furious glint in them. The others in the room saw that, and knew she wanted a plan that would make the SAS regret they had ever involved themselves in this conflict. "Thank you for arriving on such short notice, and for coming up with a plan of action to address this development," she nodded to several of the uniformed officials. "We've all been appraised of the aliens massing on the islands, and indications are they will launch their attacks on China in just under twelve hours, in accordance with Isomnum's demands. However, they could launch an attack on Korea before then since they are an ADVENT nation. But we are all here to handle the SAS and determine the response. Commander?"

"Thank you, Chancellor," Laura took the center, and the holotable flared to life and focused on the continent of Africa. "The Sovereign African States have effectively declared war on us. We intend to negate this threat quickly and effectively. Right now, our operations will be to contain and sow chaos throughout the region, and Chief Diplomat Hassan will be leading a blitz to align ADVENT with the remaining independent nations. Yes?"

She nodded to one of the Marshals. "That approach seems too ineffective, Commander," he said. "No disrespect to Hassan and the Diplomatic Corps, but we need to deny the SAS countries now. Is annexation completely off the table?"

"Yes and no," Laura clarified, looking to Saudia. "Chancellor, would you explain."

Saudia nodded. "Annexation is bad from an optics standpoint at the moment, and ADVENT will at least make an attempt to get them on our side. There are requirements to demand the annexation of a nation, and right now the independent African nations have not met them. However, the moment a nation refuses to allow troop movements or is actively allowing SAS traffic, those will be grounds for termination."

"Which I will note are stipulations that we are making in our outreach to the nations," one of the Diplomatic Corps added. "We're giving them demands, yes, but as you said, we're not going to tolerate additional treason. The nations can keep their independence provided they allow us to move through them without issue, and flatly refuse any kind of agreement with the Sovereign African States. We are making it clear to them that failure to do this will result in authorization to annex their country."

"So annexation could very well happen quickly," another Marshal said, her voice grim. "They aren't all going to agree to those demands."

"Possibly not, but it isn't quite just us issuing threats," the Diplomat added. "We're giving them some positive incentive to support us, regardless of their personal opinions."

"Which is?"

"Protection," Laura said. "From hostile incursions, both from the Collective and the SAS. They retain their independence, and they also gain protection so long as they allow us to move and operate in their territory."

"That's somewhat generous," came a comment. "We might as well extend that to everyone in that case. Doesn't this disincentivize joining ADVENT properly?"

"The independent countries are a means to an end," Saudia explained. "All of this is temporary. Assuming that the SAS is inevitably pushed back or destroyed, we have a far stronger position to vie for integration. Not to mention it undercuts the claim Betos introduced about us being simple conquerors."

"We also have yet to fully leverage our economic pressure on neutral nations," came a comment from another diplomat. "Should the independent nations continue to be stubborn after the war, they will be able to be easily pressured into joining when they are sanctioned and their people begin suffering. This is not done now, for obvious reasons, but the nations will eventually join ADVENT. And continuing to refuse ADVENT integration in the event of us defending their country will be enough justification for such actions when the conflict in Africa is mitigated or ended."

"Correct," Laura agreed. "Nonetheless, we will give them all a chance to do the right thing. But the SAS is a disease that needs to be stopped from spreading. However, the diplomatic situation is one that is different from how we are going to handle the SAS directly." Several orange submarine indicators lit up. "Our first operation is the launch of two nuclear weapons which will be detonated over the entirety of the territory of the SAS, disabling any non-hardened electronics and disrupting communications."

"Why not just hit them directly?" Came another question. "Solve the problem immediately."

"Considered and rejected," Laura clarified. "Too much collateral damage, and a far greater risk of being shot down by Collective defenses. Worst case we don't actually kill Betos, and now she has more reason – justified or not – to go after us and will appear more sympathetic to non-aligned individuals. This will hinder the SAS and aliens, as well as send an effective message."

"We are not expecting significant damage to actual critical systems," Weeks interjected, his arms crossed. "We're assuming they learned their lesson from DC and are hardening their vulnerabilities. This will not apply to more general civilian infrastructure and likely their more delicate weapons. It will make her look incapable and weak, and regardless of her defenses, we can insinuate that we refrained from striking because we didn't want to kill the civilians, contrary to what she's said about us."

"This is the first action of Operation Whirlwind," Laura continued, as more submarines appeared on the map near the borders of the SAS. "This will be followed by several dozen missile strikes against various points of the SAS. As we do not have actual hard intel about the defenses, ground, air, or otherwise, these strikes will be to determine the strength and type of defenses. Based on this gathered information, future strikes will be conducted upon weaker, unprotected, or vulnerable points of interest. In the case of valuable primary targets with significant anti-missile defenses, clustered strikes to overwhelm the defenses will be conducted."

As she spoke, the holotable lit up with the predicted strikes across various points of SAS territory. "Hassan is currently engaged in talks with the Egyptian government," Laura said. "We are hoping that at minimum we will be able to use the country as a staging ground for surface-to-surface missiles to be launched against the SAS. Should other nations allow the same, this will be repeated. We intend to continue launching missiles using an irregular system and direction between every half-hour to two hours. We do not want to relent. We anticipate that after two or more weeks, we will have a far better appraisal of their capabilities, and the political situation will be settled. From there we will decide the course of a future ground invasion."

The holotable now showed small graphics of planes. "However, the missile strikes will also be accompanied by nightly airstrikes conducted by the Night Witch bombers carrying ClF3, thermite, and white phosphorus bombs. The chaos caused by these, in particular the ClF3 bombs, will occupy the SAS for some time."

"Ha," one of the officers said. "A few more of those and you could just burn the country down."

There was some chuckling, and Laura gave a slight nod and smile. "Perhaps some more incentive for allying with us, as we can prevent any accidental spread of the fire. Regardless, we are perfectly content to let the SAS burn to the ground and we build over it. That is not our problem. If their entire territory is engulfed by fire, all the better for us. The Night Witches are ideally built to carry this out, and not easily detectable by sensors. Should we judge their defenses vulnerable enough, airstrikes by bombers and fighters will also be authorized."

The hologram ships and planes vanished, and now it just showed the country. "That concludes the basic details of Operation Whirlwind. This has been approved by Chancellor Vyandar, and Congress is being notified of the decision now. The nuclear strikes will commence in two hours, and Chancellor Vyandar will make a statement shortly afterwards contingent on the results."

"Sounds good," an intelligence officer commented. "Has a decision been reached on our satellite coverage over the nation? It's fair to say it's likely been compromised."

"It has been," Elizabeth said. "Teams are working to reclaim it. Should that prove ineffective, we will shoot it down and sent up another within three days."

"Each of you will be given specific orders and information," Saudia stood. "The aliens aren't going easy on us anymore, so we need to give everything we have now. We get through this, and we can weather whatever they throw at us. It is not an exaggeration to say that the future of this war will heavily depend on the course of the next few days. Do not let me, yourself, or your species down. Understood?"

"Yes, Chancellor!" They confirmed with uniform salutes.

She returned them and nodded. "Good. Dismissed."

---

SAS Command, Abuja – Nigeria

1/7/2017 – 11:27 P.M.

"We expect that ADVENT will begin an immediate diplomatic blitz against the independent nations," Keeper was saying to the small group of officials and aliens in the room, including Macula. "Considering how they handled Canada, annexation is likely to be a threat they make."

"And ADVENT has proven they will follow through on those threats," Betos nodded. "So there has to be immediate protection allocated to nations that ally with us."

"Can ADVENT even mobilize enough soldiers to take over all of Africa?" Mox questioned. "Sure, they could take a few nations if they wanted, but if everyone says 'no', can they really take down everyone?"

"ADVENT has entire legions in the European sphere sitting and doing nothing," Keeper shook his head. "Recruitment is growing daily. If they really wanted to, they could invade the continent. But they wouldn't even have to do that to cause havoc. One well-placed assassin or special forces team to arrest or kill the government would be enough to force capitulation with relatively little bloodshed."

"See Operation Deus Vult," Betos added grimly. "They have no issues eliminating who they consider to be in their way."

"Or who oppose them," Macula added. "This is not a surprising tactic for ADVENT to take. They are concerned with removing their enemy, and we should be as dedicated as they are in this respect."

Betos fixed the Ethereal with a hard look. "We will defeat ADVENT, yes, but not by stooping to their tactics. The others will soon see what ADVENT is like first hand, and that will drive them to us; no threats and coups necessary."

Keeper sighed, his unblinking glowing eyes on her. "We are now in a war, Grand Marshal, one where our enemy has no qualms about using whatever methods are needed to defeat us. If you were ignorant watching the response the good Chancellor gave, she was not especially pleased with this development, especially on this day."

Betos had, as a matter of fact, paid close attention to the response the Chancellor had made. She couldn't disagree with Keeper here. Saudia always exerted authority and confidence when she spoke, but her curt speech had a clear undercurrent of fury in it. Saudia had to be completely stressed and furious about how the lauded ADVENT Intelligence hadn't known about this development.

Betos idly wondered if there would be some management changes within ADVENT in the near future. She couldn't help but feel some pride at causing the downfall of Director Falka. If nothing else, that would be a satisfying, if minor victory.

"The Chancellor hasn't been pleased with anything we've done," Betos shrugged. "And the best way to hurt ADVENT is not to go after the other nations, but them directly. Better yet, we can appear as liberators. Should we hear they are annexing a country, we go into it and shut them down." She glanced to Macula. "You've repeatedly said that your soldiers and tech are better than ADVENT's. So I suggest we utilize that unless you're concerned you were mistaken?"

"It isn't our technological advantage that is at issue," Keeper continued coldly. "It is the fact that there are going to be larger amounts of soldiers – ours and yours – who are going to die because of you taking the moral high ground. That is a fact. ADVENT will annex countries or threaten them into submission, and we – who are based in this continent – could very well be on the defensive within days with less territory. Which means we will expend and lose more resources to take these nations because you didn't want to take the initiative."

"Arguing at this point isn't smart," Mox placed his hands on the table. "It's been only hours. Let the diplomats do their job. Let's see where the political situation shakes out in a few days. I agree with Betos that the diplomatic options should be tried first. We lose nothing except a few days – and you already expect ADVENT to do something similar. ADVENT will be hesitant, they don't want to validate Betos so quickly by invading. Everyone is going to wait to see how this plays out for a few days, and then you'll see what ADVENT does."

Keeper's lips twitched. "I would prefer we not be on the defensive. Reactionary tactics will be costly. But in essence, you have a point. In the meantime though, I would have our soldiers begin massing at several locations near the borders, and places ADVENT is likely to strike." He turned on the red-lighted holotable which displayed the continent, as well as locations of interest.

Three countries were highlighted. "Egypt, Libya, and Sudan are likely going to be approached by ADVENT, if they haven't been already," Keeper said. "Any one of those allying with ADVENT, or otherwise allowing them to move through their territory would be an issue. Aside from giving them a direct point of entry into the SAS, they will establish artillery and missile systems which can reach our major cities."

"Which are protected," Mox noted. "ADVENT isn't getting through with a few missiles."

"Protected does not mean invincible, and ADVENT isn't run by the incompetent," Keeper shook his head. "Our fortified bases will be protected, but other areas are vulnerable and it could have the effect of keeping our forces pinned. I would prefer to avoid it if at all possible"

"I presume we have missile systems of our own," Betos motioned to the map. "We return the favor."

"A good solution, but there is more," Keeper said, as several objects were highlighted above the map. "We have Cleanser Ships. It will have the effect of ADVENT intensifying their attack and defense, but they will be especially effective against ground targets. The only issue will be that precision targeting will bring them in range of ADVENT defenses."

"And indiscriminate bombardment doesn't help anyone," Betos shook her head. "Some risk, but that is what combined arms is. Precision strikes in conjunction with missile strikes and armed assault will occupy ADVENT from focusing on the Cleanser Ships."

"Should we be concerned with an approach from the northwest, Algeria?" Mox asked, looking at the map. "If ADVENT goes through Morocco, they could strike us from behind."

"Possible, but unlikely," Keeper answered, though gave an approving nod. "Spain is not part of ADVENT, and unless that changes in the next few days, ADVENT would be more likely to spend their efforts on Africa directly. If they try to move directly through the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas, they will be slow enough that we will know well before they arrive."

"Which reminds me-" Betos began, right before alarms began going off. She'd recognized the sound instantly thanks to her being involved in the early warning systems implemented mere weeks ago.

"An attack?" She swung her head to Keeper and Macula. "ADVENT?"

Keeper's face morphed to thoughtfulness. "It appears so. A faster response than I anticipated."

"It's for this city," Mox said incredulously. "Which means a missile strike."

Betos stiffened, blood draining from her face. "Not a missile strike. A nuclear one."

"Where?" Mox demanded. "How could they reach us?"

"Fuck!" Betos swore as she remembered some very important details that had somehow slipped her mind. "ADVENT has nuclear submarines. Probably off the coast. They have a clear shot to us."

"Calm down," Keeper switched some options on the holotable, and pressed his earpiece. "We don't have that confirmed. I will get that now." A pause. "Status report, now."

"If ADVENT thinks they can bomb this city, they are mistaken," Macula reassured her. "The defenses are capable of destroying any missile fired to this city, even nuclear ones."

"Confirmed," Keeper was saying, glancing to her briefly. "We have Betos with us. We're-"

There was a faint sound of a blast, and the entire room went dark.

A few seconds later, the lights came back on.

Betos looked around at everyone frantically, mentally calming herself down and trying to lower her pulsing heart-rate. This was way too close and fast for ADVENT. "What happened?"

"ADVENT being cute," Keeper actually scowled, taking off his earpiece. "I'd wondered what their plan was with this. They've not used nukes this entire time outside of instances where they didn't actually hit the ground. They just used the EMP capabilities of the nuke."

"How has that hurt us?" Mox crossed his arms. "I know the critical stations were EMP hardened, but beyond that?"

"Not everything," Keeper confirmed grimly. "Defenses, critical power stations, and computers were hardened. Which means the SAS will be able to function and defend itself, but all civilian and non-critical parts of the SAS are out of commission. This is going to tie up additional resources to repair. Wireless communication is severed for now. We won't have a full extent of the damage until at least a few hours."

"No time to waste then," Betos said, coming back under control when she accepted that she wasn't going to die. "But if this was the beginning…ADVENT isn't waiting around for us."

"No, they aren't," Keeper agreed, looking to the holomap. "I suspect this is only the beginning."

---

Russian Castle of the Order of Terra, Russian Wilderness – Russia

3/7/2017 – 6:41 P.M.

Kaya sank into her chair, numb. All sound seemed to fade away into white noise after she'd heard Hamilton say the words she'd never expected to hear; even with everything that was happening.

There was an attack against the Imperial Family. All the members at the safe house are dead. The children are missing.

It didn't make any sense.

Why were they dead?

Kaya racked her brains in anguish, trying to find some kind of justification for why the aliens would target her family; they were important and known, yes, but they didn't have any political power, and weren't even especially vocal ADVENT supporters.

"How?" She finally asked in a broken voice; still feeling too numb to weep. Or maybe it was because she'd seen several friends she'd made be killed around her. She couldn't break down anymore so easily, but now she was at least feeling tears threaten to come out. It was just too…unbelievable.

Hamilton kept his distance and pulled his chair over to sit in front of her. Part of her wished he'd have not been so blunt in telling her everything that happened at once, but at the same time, that was just who he was. Damian Hamilton was not sympathetic or considerate, he was demanding and practical, and overall he was a fair and excellent leader.

This was, ironically, the most sympathy he'd ever shown for her. He'd certainly warmed to her since the first time they'd met. "Still unknown," he said. "ADVENT thinks there was an infiltration into the compound by some kind of infiltrator unit. Whoever did it was quick, careful, and thorough. There was no collateral damage. Not even the soldiers were outright killed."

That was…better. That meant the staff was still alive, the guards, and probably none of the heirlooms or records had been touched. Not a large comfort, in all honesty, but it was better than nothing. "Kiyumi!" She suddenly said. "Is-"

"Alive and under our protection with a PRIEST guard," Hamilton answered with a slight nod. "As is her family. We assume they didn't target her due to her not being a royal, and the reason you also weren't targeted was because no one knows where you actually are." He pursed his lips. "I know you aren't thrilled with keeping your identity a secret all the time, but it very likely saved your life."

"Do not lecture me about that right now!" She snapped at him. "My family is dead! I don't care about that right now." She wiped her eyes, trying to focus on what would happen now.

Hamilton didn't speak right away, nor retort. After a few moments he continued in a calm, but softer voice. Which didn't especially suit him. "Not everyone is dead, Kaya. You're alive, and so is your sister. The children are also likely alive, even if they are in alien custody."

Kaya turned her focus to the children. "Have there been any demands or ransom?"

"None," Hamilton shook his head. "But it's only been hours. They wouldn't take them if they didn't have a plan, otherwise they would have also been killed."

Kaya wasn't entirely convinced of that. Killing children was a line that no one – Human or alien – crossed without an extremely justifiable reason. But it didn't really matter now. The fact was the children were gone, her family except Kiyumi was dead, and it just now struck her that she was now the immediate heir to the Imperial Family.

But she couldn't just…leave. Not now.

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked, looking up at him. "I can't leave here. And I don't want to."

He appraised her, leaning back in his chair. "Normally, you wouldn't. But you're a special case, and have been from the beginning. If there was ever an exception to be made, this would be it. I don't like it, but if you felt you had to return and put your family in order, you could. I've been ordered by people higher up than me to make it clear to you what your options are."

"I want to talk to my sister," she said. "I don't plan on leaving either – I can't kill aliens from a safe house."

A razor-thin smile devoid of humor appeared on his face. "I'm glad to hear it. You can do more good for your family with a sword than sitting in a chair. As for your sister, I've got her on hold and you two can talk and figure things out." He stood and pointed towards a small fob. "That will initiate the connection. Do it when you're ready."

He lowered a hand to her shoulder, his voice becoming ever so softer. "I'm sorry about your family, Kaya, I really am."

"Thank you," she answered quietly. "I appreciate it." He gave her a nod and left the room. A few moments later, after some more consideration, she pressed the fob and initiated the connection. Hamilton's office had a holoprojector and after a few minutes of waiting, she was able to see her sister in washed out colors.

She looked terrible, she'd definitely been crying and her normally well-kept hair was a mess. "[Hey,]" she said quietly. "[Is everyone safe?]"

"[They say we are,]" she answered dejectedly. "[I don't know if I believe them. I don't know what to do now.]"

"[Have they let you see the bodies?]" Kaya asked. "[Or given you any more information?]"

"[No, they say they're 'investigating',]" Kiyumi sniffed. "[All they told me was that everyone is dead and the children are gone. They're saying it was the aliens. I was terrified you had been killed too.]"

"[I was more worried about you,]" Kaya said, glancing around. "[I'm in a secured place with my identity protected. You're…living with your husband and kids.]"

Kiyumi shrugged. "[But I'm not part of the family anymore, officially at least.]"

"[Consider that no longer the case,]" Kaya scowled. "[I don't care what any of the elders or purists say, you're still Imperial blood and so are your children. It wasn't right you had to give up your heritage then, and it's definitely not right now. We're the last of the family! I don't fucking care who you married, and neither will anyone else!]"

"[But-]"

"[No 'buts',]" Kaya dismissed with a wave. "[I will punch anyone who insinuates that you don't have any right to be here. For all intents are purposes, you are the best hope for the future of the Imperial Family since you have children.]"

"[But we need you here, Kaya,]" Kiyumi insisted. "[You're the next in line. I can come back, but everyone needs your help now. We have to be together to work through this.]"

"[And do what?]" Kaya demanded. "[Sit around in a chair acting like an administrator and being a hapless political prop in a role I can't even think of taking right now? And don't give me that 'I'm the next in line' speech. You're older than me. By birthright you have the right to be next in line since the position wasn't directly abdicated to me. And it's safer that I remain here.]"

"[Safer?]" Kiyumi demanded incredulously. "[You're on the front lines of a war! That isn't any safer!]"

"[Safer in that whoever the monster is who attack our family is going to do it again when they realize they didn't succeed,]" Kaya said. "[My…superior…he said that the suppression of my identity was likely the reason I also wasn't targeted. But they will target us again, and it's better if we're not in the same place.]"

"[So whoever takes the role is in danger,]" Kiyumi said with noticeable apprehension. "[I'm not like you. I can't live with that fear. My children can't either. I'm not cut out for this and I don't trust ADVENT to protect us now.]"

Kaya pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think. Kiyumi and her family were going to be in danger regardless, but putting her in the role of Empress would heighten her profile significantly. She didn't know if she could, in good conscience, force that role onto her. She was right that living with this threat hanging over her wasn't something she would deal with well.

Admittedly, Kaya wasn't enamored with that idea either.

But she wasn't going to go back and do nothing and just be a target. And like Kiyumi said, she wasn't going to rely on ADVENT. Oh, they'd fix their protocols and promise that 'this would never happen again', but with respect to them, she didn't – and couldn't – trust them right now. The only way they would prove that is by stopping another attempt.

She was not risking her sister like that.

However…

There wasn't, now that she thought about it, anything stopping the Empress from actually having to stay and manage the family. While that was tradition, perhaps it was time for some of those to be broken. And since Kiyumi had always expressed more of an interest in the administrative side of the family prior to her engagement…

She nodded to herself. There was a plan. Hamilton was going to hate it, but it was the best one she could think up right now.

"[What are you thinking of?]" Kiyumi asked after a few minutes.

"[I'm not going to put you in any more danger than I have to,]" she said firmly. "[I'll take the position.]" She raised a finger to cut off Kiyumi's immediate thankful response. "[With several conditions.]"

---

3/8/2017 – 8:03 A.M.

"The time has come," came the haunting command. "Begin the attack."

Standing on the shores of Taiwan, the Dread Lord stood and waited. Listened and watched.

Felt.

He had not agreed to the delay merely because the Battlemaster demanded it. He would not have bowed to the squeamish Ethereal had it been otherwise. But it had offered him some quite useful time.

Time to seek and explore the populace that would soon be screaming.

Throughout the country soldiers and citizens had been subtly affected by the gentle, yet malicious touch of the ethereal specter. A light probe into the base emotions those were feeling. Some had felt unnaturally paranoid; feeling that they were being watched. Perhaps a shadow or two appeared to jump at them, perhaps they had suffered a minor hallucination.

Those sleeping had been affected the worst, and their dreams were filled with blood, terror, and death. Many had woken up screaming and incoherent, barely able to be calmed down as ADVENT and Chinese officials saw it as a warning of what was beginning to happen. This revelation increased their worry; their fear.

Psions recoiled at the alien touch of the entity; shaken and afraid of the sheer magnitude and power the entity exuded. One that had refused to identify or force itself into their minds, but reveled in their confusion turned fear. The reach and volume of the reports stoked the defenders into a worried frenzy, even as the unleashed plague continued to kill and maim citizens and Chinese soldiers.

The Dread Lord had stood silent and acted for hours. He needed no reprieve or to feel concern for physical limitations. He felt the fear of a nation grow by his subtle hand.

He fed on it.

Hundreds of transport ships sped towards the landing zones designated, which would first be softened with the Cleanser Ships. A lower hand brought up a holodisplay which the Dread Lord appraised to determine the initial impact. Fiery steel and plasma rained down from the sky, targeting the outer borders of the nation of China.

This volley was followed up with Chryssalid and Seeker pods. They would serve their purposes well. Yet this time there was not a complete success rate. Displays showed a significant portion of the coast was not significantly affected.

Psions.

Aegis.

It mattered little. The weak-willed traitor would soon be a broken waste of flesh and power before him. Aegis was all that was holding this species together. His subjugation would ensure that they broke.

For if an Ethereal could be defeated, what chance did these Humans have?

There was no more waiting, no more delaying.

Let them feel the liberation of terror.

Let there be no more lies they tell themselves.

One hand reached out, and the dam broke.

There was no protection for many, and the cities and areas which housed soldiers, civilians, and others never felt anything amiss initially. Then chaos broke out all at once, as their minds conjured the images of their hidden fears and phobias. They responded viscerally, violently. They killed their fears or their fears killed them.

The fears were merely those who existed around them.

And the longer they lasted, the worse they became.

One would not be able to defeat the ethereal fears and shadows that plagued them, they could only pretend to. More would appear around them, morphing and laughing as they taunted the shattered minds. Worlds became twisted dreamscapes of black and warped reality. Friends were revealed to be monstrosities, and the deepest hidden seed of paranoia became reality with limited courses of action.

Some simply attempted to block the horror. They took their own lives or gouged out their eyes, content to live with the simple pain than be subjected to the abject terror they were witnessing. Yet the mind is a malleable organ, and merely clawing their eyes out did not protect them from the fears lurking inside their own minds – and now there was truly no escape; no response.

Only screaming, begging, and sobbing.

And when the legions of Custodians marched upon the cities, led by the black disciples of Isomnum, the Terror troopers and soldiers of his will, in many areas they encountered little more resistance than chaotic and broken Humans scattered, running, and fighting each other. A trifle to put down.

Not kill, not yet.

Armed with surgical equipment and blades, this broken and reformed collection of beings began their work on the subdued humans unfortunate enough to still be alive. They would be reformed as they had been, and become a living symbol of the fate of those who would deny the Dread Lord what he was owed.

Sonoda observed the pacification of Hainan with a bright smile on her face, clad in her black armor from what little threat these Humans posed against her. As the work began on conversion, she unhooked the mask which signified her sole and unique connection to her Lord, and donned it. The euphoria that swept through her as the bond was forged and the two minds merged into a singular entity was impossible to convey.

She closed her eyes and focused on everything around her.

On the pain and screaming of those whose limbs were being removed and grafted onto; as their bodies were opened and replaced with machines and parts which would ensure their servitude; as they remained cognizant and aware as they were broken and reformed into something more, something which had purpose.

They would no longer be empty vessels with meaningless lives.

They were the walking legion of the Dread Lord.

And as more and more were found and began to be converted, the anguish, paid, and terror only fed her more, and in turn fed her master.

A symbiotic, beautiful link.

The Dread Lord fed on what she did, and unleashed this anguish to the holdouts, those who were being protected by ADVENT's weak psions, by Aegis.

But they could not last forever. They would break.

And they would then understand.

---

Busan Trenches, Busan – South Korea

3/8/2017 – 8:41 A.M.

"Here they come!" Duri called as the alien transports began landing. The trenches were filled with soldiers shooting downrange, most not coming close to hitting anything, but still providing a volume of fire that would hinder the Collective, or so they hoped. Miguel had his SHIV over the top of the trenches, and it was also firing downrange.

Unlike previous conflicts, the PRIEST Division had a far greater presence here, and the white-armored soldiers were seen rushing every which way and spread throughout the trenches, and already they had succeeded in blunting the alien offensive. First there was the attempted orbital bombardment of the base, which had been largely negated when psionic shields had appeared over vital structures. The ground had still been shaking and they'd taken casualties and damage, but the worst had been quelled.

Now the ground invasion was beginning in earnest.

"What do you see?" Duri asked Beatriz as she looked through her scope. Slightly above him Cara was manning the newly enhanced ETC Browning, and sending hundreds of propelled rounds towards the encroaching aliens. Some things looked different to him though, even from this range.

"A lot of Andromedons and Mutons," she answered between shots. "And some things I haven't seen before. Vehicles."

"Any Sectopods?"

"Yes, a few," she confirmed. "But these others are different. I don't like the look of the big ones."

Green plasma fire was beginning to be returned to ADVENT, and it was just as inaccurate as what was being sent to the aliens. In the distance Duri could see the red glow of shields the Andromedons were putting up, but in general they seemed to be holding back. A few more minutes passed and he got his first good look at the vehicles Beatriz was talking about using his issued binoculars.

They reminded him of Sectopods, but if Sectoids had been completely redesigned to turn them into siege breakers. They had a somewhat rectangular body, which was covered with missile silos and launchers presumably to serve as a true artillery weapon for the aliens. It was supported by six legs which he noted had crude Andromedon shields around the joints.

A massive gun jutted out of the right side of it, which had to be a railgun of some kind, though he didn't know for sure. It had yet to fire, but had been still for a few minutes as if preparing. Definitely was being readied for an attack. The only good thing he could note was their limited numbers. Twelve in total, all distributed along the front in a largely even manner.

Up above, an air battle was also raging. ADVENT had launched four whole wings of Ravens, and nearly thirty of the XCOM Firestorms were also not only fighting the Sectoid Fighters, but also new V-shaped spacecraft that he could only assume were Vitakara in origin. The Flak Towers were also assisting in the air battle, as well as taking aim at the massive alien units.

ADVENT artillery was also firing from the rear, and it was not reaching far enough back to damage the siege units, and the few shells that did reach back were somehow picked off by laser defenses that emerged from the vehicle. Firing several rounds as a test towards the massive vehicles, he noted that pretty much nothing happened.

"Cara! Focus on the siege units!" He called.

"I'll do my best!" She called. "But they're still way out of range!"

"Woah!" Beatriz breathed. "Snipers are being employed!"

"What!" Mana demanded, but Duri saw it when she did. It looked like several hundred black Seekers had shot into the air and were idly hovering for only seconds before highly accurate plasma lances shot out of them. Several nearby soldiers were struck and Duri himself was already moving down when the highly volatile bolt slammed into his chest.

"Duri!" Beatriz screamed as he stumbled backwards.

"Shields engaged!" Aleksandra yelled, powering up her armor. "Take those things out!"

"Ugh," Duri groaned, feeling the plasma eat away at him like acid. "Nobu-"

"I'm here," the medic dragged him over to the front wall of the trench, out of the range of sniper fire. "Hold still." A medkit was sprayed over the wound which briefly turned the wound freezing cold, before settling into a mild ache.

"Got one," Beatriz called. "These things are tough. It took three shots to take it down!"

"Continue with it," Duri called, also motioning to keep firing. "Nobu, how serious?"

"Looking it over," he said quickly, appraising the wound and repairing the hole in it. "Clean entry and exit. There's a scorch mark on the wall behind you when it hit. These things have enough power to penetrate a fucking tank. It went through your armor like nothing and is oddly thin. If you hadn't moved, it would have turned your head into paste."

"So don't get hit by them in the head," Duri grunted, moving to take his position, ignoring the ache. "Got it."

More soldiers and targets were falling to the thin lances of green plasma, but ADVENT had adapted as the Shieldbearers utilized their suits. More of the Seekers were falling from the sky, but they had been successful in dividing the attention of the snipers, allowing for the deployment of another vehicle the Collective had been working on.

This one was also reminiscent of a Sectopod, if one had taken the main 'pod' and enlarged, elongated, and armored it. It floated along the ground, a massive railgun attached to the top, projecting Andromedon shields in a triangle that reminded him of a train buffer. Additional weapons were mounted on the sides, shooting both plasma and physical projectiles.

It was a vehicle designed for a frontal assault, and it was not idly moving to the trenches. It wasn't what he would call fast, but it wasn't slow either. It moved in irregular patterns, sometimes even stopping or moving backwards to miss or dodge fire. It somehow didn't seem to be triggering any of the mines either; possibly due to sensors to negate this issue.

It had also given ADVENT a very visible target.

The response was near-immediate. The PRIESTs and Dragoons which had also been deployed wasted no time in engaging with these vehicles. The PRIESTs in particular demonstrated their power by shooting psionic energy at them, picking them up telekinetically and then throwing them to the ground, generally resulting in mine explosions and derailment, and blocking their paths with psionic shields.

The vehicles still remained extremely durable, however, and the full arsenal of a Dragoon wasn't enough to destroy one, even if it could noticeably damage it. The closer the vehicles got, the more soldiers began falling, as the medics dragged them out of the trenches and they were continually supplemented with new soldiers waiting in reserve.

"It's firing!" Someone called out, and in unison the alien siege units fired a missile from a compartment in their chassis. It had a green flair and sped upwards into the air, arching until it was headed straight for the trenches.

"Shields!" Someone yelled nearby, and a barrage of psionic shields appeared in the sky and above the trenches. One of the missiles hit and produced a blinding explosion which took out the shields and rocked the ground itself. Some of the missiles were inexplicably caught and redirected towards the aliens lines and the battlefield where the hover vehicles quickly moved out of the way.

But no one emerged from the resulting blasts unscathed.

Duri saw one land on a nearby Flak Tower and the resulting white-green explosion briefly blinded him and threw everyone to the ground and a wave of burning heat and debris swept over all of them. In the chaos when he emerged, the Tower was reduced to a few scraps of metal – in addition to a significant portion of the trench being essentially gone.

He hauled Beatriz to her feet, just as Aleksandra was doing the same to Nobuatsu; gun raised, he looked around at what had happened. There were four large craters in the no man's land, with several dozen wrecks of the vehicles, though the surviving ones were making a run to the trenches in the chaos. The alien line had also suffered some hits, but none of the siege units had been destroyed, although one was noticeably damaged.

How had that thing survived?

"Those things are coming towards us now!" Cara coughed, trying to get back on the turret emplacement. "Get ready!"

But just before they could more accurately focus their fire, a massive maelstrom of psionic energy appeared in the group and began ripping even the heavy armor of the vehicles into pieces, causing many of them to explode. Duri glanced back and, to his surprise, saw an XCOM squad marching down into the trenches.

They'd gotten an upgrade. The suits towered over his own and appeared to be one-man armies on their own. The psion who'd created the maelstrom jumped down into the trench. He gave him – or maybe a her, he couldn't tell – a nod. "Thanks for the save. You came at the right time. Officer Eun-Jung, how can we help?"

"I was going to ask you that," she said, making several hand motions to her squad who mostly began heading to the broken trench lines. "Psion Eriksson, Zeus-1, XCOM. We're here to make sure the Collective doesn't gain a significant foothold here. MEC and Archangel support is incoming."

Duri pointed in the distance. "The Collective has some new tech. Those siege units are priority targets. You saw what they did with one volley, and that was probably a test. They're going to swarm the weak points now."

"Agreed," she confirmed, stepping forward. "Looks like they're confident enough to send in the silver legions."

"What?"

"Look," she pointed in the distance. "Mutons and Custodians are moving forward. Guess that means Isomnum isn't actually focusing here. Good news. It's going to be getting a lot tougher soon."

"We're aware of that," Duri said, then cocked his head as he remembered something. "Sorry, you said your name was Eriksson?"

"Or Mona," she clarified absentmindedly, focusing on the oncoming invaders. "Doesn't matter to me."

Duri blinked, knowing now was not the time to press this, but Johan had failed to mention that his sister was in XCOM. Or maybe he didn't know? "Do I know you?" Mona asked curiously, picking up on his confusion.

"Not exactly," he shook his head. "I'll tell you after we halt this attack."

"Sounds good," she stepped back. "Hold this position until then, we'll reinforce the gap up ahead." With that she dashed away to rejoin her squad, as the aliens continued to advance forward inch by inch.

---

Sanctuary – Classified Location

3/8/2017 – 12:14 P.M.

"No." Sana was adamant. "I will not support this action, and I am disappointed that you went through with it. I thought you forbade the deliberate targeting of civilian families."

The Battlemaster was not happy that she was making this more complicated than he needed at this moment. "I would have preferred a different target be chosen, but the Imperial Family was a valid one, and one the Zar'Chon believed should be followed up on to remind ADVENT of our reach."

Sana turned away to look at the two children, both inside one of the enclosures that was made to resemble a bedroom. They had been placed into a psionically induced sleep until it was decided where they were going to be placed. "This conflict is taking too much of a toll on you. You would not have sanctioned this even one year ago."

"One year ago I was not in a war against an Ethereal and these Sovereign Ones," the Battlemaster growled, jabbing one finger at her. "You are not involved here, Sana; you are not being forced to accept Isomnum, or be under pressure to end this war now with the knowledge that if we're lucky we won't have to fight more of these Sovereigns. I do not want to do this, but I had little choice."

"No, you do have choices," she insisted. "You just do not want to bear the consequences."

He closed his eyes and composed himself before answering. "Would you prefer those two children be dead, Sana? Would you prefer I was not involved to restrain the more indiscriminate of our brethren? Because that is what you're saying I should do. If I do not sanction these operations, then the outcomes become far worse. Do you honestly think that had I been unaware, the Zar'Chon or the Imperator wouldn't have ordered the same thing?"

That at least didn't elicit an immediate response. "I dislike how we are put into this position to begin with…it is not right. We do not need to resort to such tactics. We are above that."

Had they ever been? Had there ever been a war fought using only 'ethical' and 'correct' tactics?

He sat on a nearby chair, looking around the empty white room. "Do you honestly believe that? The only reason you hold our species as above such things is because we had never been in a true conflict prior to the Synthesized. And when we fought ourselves…we were no better than the Humans or any other species. We are not special, Sana, and we never have been."

"Perhaps," she admitted after a short while. "But that does not excuse or justify what we do now."

"No, but we cannot change what has happened," he shook his head. "I would save your outrage for Isomnum, because I will not be able to restrain him, regardless of what he allows. He has not, nor will ever, follow my orders. I have multiple attacks to order in addition to this. The children, while it may be of issue to you, mean very little in the scope of this war. They are safe and protected. We can revisit this issue after the offensives have been launched."

"And will you just let him continue without consequence?" Sana demanded. "You know what he will do unchecked."

"His involvement is by the direct order of the Imperator," the Battlemaster said flatly. "If not for that, I would not have let him be given any significant command. I suspect this is a pointless test by the Imperator to see if I will follow his orders. Should I intervene against him, he will remove me from command. I merely have to provide him an excuse. The only way to effectively stop Isomnum is to kill him."

She appraised him quietly. "But you will not do that."

"No," he said, also subdued. "But not because I couldn't. Or because I would not. I would end his life without hesitation should the opportunity present itself. I would take significant pleasure in ending the life of that monster. But the consequences are too high and far reaching for the Collective at this point. I will have to allow XCOM and ADVENT to do that for me."

She looked at him in surprise. "You intentionally intend for him to die against the Humans?"

"Intentionally? No," he shook his helmet. "But should such an event happen, it will not affect the larger war plan. Isomnum is powerful, but he is arrogant and underestimates the effect his tactics will have on the species. I will not stop him from succumbing to his weaknesses, as I did not stop Caelior."

"I would not say the two are the same," Sana pointed out. "Caelior's issues were due to his youth and inexperience. There is no redemption for Isomnum. Allowing him to be captured was…unfair to him. Even if you could justify it."

He was not interested in debating this at the moment. "You see my intentions. That is the best I can do short of betraying everything I have built here. The next time you criticize me for an action I take, consider yourself in my position and ask yourself if you would do anything differently."

"And I have, Battlemaster," she said. "And I would not do what you did, even if I understand your reasons."

He allowed a shrug. "Then you are better than I am." He stood. "I will return to Mars. We will discuss this later…although I am curious, where is Mortis? I have not seen him for several weeks."

"He is on Vitakar," she answered. "Attempting to learn of the species itself and their history. He went with a Vanguard escort so his aura doesn't make everyone around him die."

"Good." The Battlemaster would have preferred he be more involved, but Mortis was still figuring out where he stood on the whole concept of the Collective, and like Isomnum, Mortis would not follow his orders because he asked. Although he would do the same to the Imperator, where even Isomnum knew better than to cross that line.

He needed to focus now, and prepare Yang for deployment. China was only one aspect of this renewed invasion.

There would be many others.

---

Busan Battlefield – South Korea

3/8/2017 – 9:42 A.M.

This was a battlefield they were coming in hot to. Sierra was glad for all the times they'd trained deploying from a flying Skyranger. It was exhilarating and terrifying to jump into a pitched fight on ground and air. They were low enough to be targeted from the ground, but not high enough to engage the dogfights in the skies.

"And we are clear," Sierra called as she began a wide arc. "Find somewhere safe, Lightning Sky."

"Copy that Host-1," their pilot said as he sped off towards the city proper. "Good hunting down there."

"Anna, Ted, form up behind me," she commanded as she began appraising the situation. "Both of you good?"

"We're good," Ted answered in her ear. "Collective is bringing everything they have here. Never seen anything like this before."

"Yeah," Sierra saw both of the Ballista-class MECs being dropped well behind the ADVENT trench lines, who immediately began advancing towards the pitched fighting. "They're not holding back."

"Host-1, this is Zeus-1 on the ground," Mona's voice came through loud and clear. "We need report from our own eyes in the sky. ADVENT trenches were just hit hard with some kind of plasma explosive."

"Right," Sierra hovered idle for a moment, before swooping downwards. "I'm guessing that came from the big vehicles. Siege breakers from the looks of them. You can handle those other vehicles moving in right?"

"Gonna be messy, but we can. How many?"

She did a ballpark count. "Way more than you can handle everywhere. Over a hundred at least, and they're converging towards the weak points. Looks like ADVENT is also moving to handle them."

"We're headed to one as well, HUD should be updating with our position." Sure enough a few seconds later it lit up in the lower-corner of her HUD. Sierra nodded to herself, even knowing Mona couldn't see her.

"Copy, you want us to reinforce your position?"

"Not currently, let's see how we handle them before we call in backup," Mona grunted, with Sierra hearing yelling in the background. "The MECs are working to target the siege breakers. Are there advancing ground forces right now?"

"Yep," Anna confirmed, as she laid down fire from her plasma cannon. "There's hundreds of them. Mutons leading the front, with Custodians following behind. Elites are interspersed."

"These are the helmeted ones too," Ted added. "No easy headshots this time."

"Copy," Mona confirmed. "Thin them out a little would you?"

"Three Archangels against an army of Mutons and Custodians?" Sierra snorted. "No problem. Good thing we came prepared for company. We'll slow them down for you."

"Acknowledged. Good hunting. Zeus-1 out." The moment she clicked off, Sierra was already thinking how best to approach this. Going too low would get them picked off easily from sheer volume of fire alone. Staying in one place would have the same effect. Archangel armor was good, but it didn't make them invincible.

The Custodians were the largest threat, so they should be prioritized. Mutons could be dealt with easily enough. The Elites were also a problem. "Anna! Grenade and missile compliment?"

"Three thermite missiles, four WP grenades and one ClF3 grenade," she answered. "I predicted we would need at least one."

They would, so they would need to make it count. "Use the thermite to poke some holes in the Custodians. Drop the WP in front of the Mutons and let them choke on it for a while. Save the hellfire for the big one. I'd prefer you get that out of the way now so it isn't clipped and you go down with it."

She swiveled to Ted. "Target the Elites. Take them out one by one. Tell me when you need to go back. Outside the Custodians-"

"I know, I know," he said. "And what about you?"

"Going to emulate Anna," she said, briefly holstering her WHEEE cannon, and pulling out a WP grenade. "Take evasive action and kill as many as you can. Remember – slow them down, don't try and kill all of them at once and pull back if it gets too hot."

They both confirmed, and the Archangels sped off over the pitched battlefield. Anna went right, so she went left. The good and bad news was that there was so much to cover, and not enough soldiers to do it properly. Should have sent two or three hosts to deal with this she thought as she tossed the first WP grenade towards the group of Mutons charging towards a point in the trenches that had been annihilated by one of the massive bombs.

Two more followed it, and she was going fast enough that the Mutons barely had enough time to look up before their faces were melting and loud pained roars met her ears. However the response from the Custodian support was immediate and she had to spin and swoop to dodge the hail of plasma fire shot her direction. A few clipped her, but the suit could easily take that.

Your turn. She sped upwards until she was essentially out of the effective range, pulled out several of the thermite grenades, and maneuvered just over where the bulk of the Custodians would be in that area, and dropped the explosives. Her enhanced vision made this actually feasible, where her normal eyes wouldn't have been able to accurately judge the distance.

Gripping her WHEEE cannon, she decided to follow up with an absurdly risky maneuver. One she'd admittedly practiced – a lot – but doing it over a desert was far different than doing it in a pitched battle. She angled herself downward and cut the engines. Forming her body correctly, and keeping the WHEEE close to her chest, she quickly reached terminal velocity as the thermite exploded below her.

God I'm cutting it close.

At just past the warning point she flipped herself up, fired the jets once and fell the rest of the way, her modded body able to take the force of hitting the ground. She couldn't have planned it better if she'd tried, as there was a moderate clearing of melted Custodian bodies – one of which she utterly crushed under her boots as she landed.

She immediately fired the WHEEE in front of her, spun to the side and fired again, turned a full one-eighty and fired once more, before turning to her right and firing again. Without pausing to see her handiwork, she fired the jets and blasted up into the air before the aliens could even think about responding, laughing hysterically at the fact that had actually worked.

Once safely in the air, she glanced down to see that it had worked perfectly. Just as she'd hoped, the electricity had arced throughout the nearest Custodians, frying their bodies as well as the original target. She hadn't given much thought to aiming since it was so dense, and that turned out to have been the right decision. There was a large pile of dead Custodians where she'd been, and it was safe to say that the brunt of that offensive was blunted.

"Anna! Report!" She called as she sped back towards where they had begun.

"Grenades expended, and I'm trying to mow these things down from behind," she grunted, and ahead, Sierra could see her. Along with something she did not expect chasing her. "And I picked up a tail."

"Is that a Seeker?" It certainly looked like one, but if someone had given it steroids. It was bigger than Anna, and pursuing her at an alarming pace. "Nevermind. Coming in to assist." While she sped towards the duo, she changed the power cell of her WHEEE. Only one fresh one left after this, though recharging would solve that issue relatively soon.

"Dive on my command!" She called, taking aim. She did not want to fry Anna as well as the Seeker. "Now!"

With no hesitation Anna plunged to the surface and Sierra fired. The bolt slammed into the Seeker and it exploded into multiple pieces which fell back to the Earth. "Eliminated," Sierra called, swooping around.

"Thanks," Anna said flying away while firing towards the ground. "Tried using my hellfire grenade on one of the big ones."

"And?"

"Well, it sort of worked," Sierra flew in the direction she had been fighting in and saw that one of the machines was indeed being forced back, and one of it's legs was on fire – as was the surrounding area. "It has some kind of point-laser defenses," Anna explained. "It clipped the grenade I threw. Problem was it just made it rain fire all around. When all is said and done, I think that one is out of the picture."

"Excellent," Sierra said, and saw in the distance Ted firing lances of purple fire from his arms. Glancing briefly at the battlefield, she saw a good number of red-armored corpses, including a fair number of Muton bodies. He hadn't been idle either. "Ted, how is it going?"

"Sixteen of the Elites eliminated," he breathed heavily, as he kept swooping to avoid fire. Sierra saw that he'd definitely taken some direct hits from the scorching on his chest. "Don't know how many more I can take out."

"Just a few," Sierra promised as she pulled out her pistol and took several potshots towards the ground. "We're all expended anyway-"

There was a burst of static.

"Hello ADVENT, hello XCOM," a familiar mocking voice drolled. "It's been a while hasn't it. A lot has happened, and what a coincidence I'm back here."

"Host-1 to Zeus-1," Sierra contacted urgently. "We-"

"We're hearing it too," was the answer. "Get out of there now."

"Unfortunately this time, I've been given strict orders," the Hunter said, voice mockingly upset. "But while the number of things I can actually kill has been reduced, it's still enough of a target rich environment where I can have some fun. And there are a few little flying nuisances that I think need to be culled."

"Back! Back!" Sierra ordered, all of them taking evasive action in varying directions. Ted shot upwards, Sierra tucked into a spin, and Anna took a dive towards the ground as they sped towards the trench lines which now seemed very far away. None of them cared about possible fire from the ground now; grazes were preferable and could be survived.

The Hunter could not.

And he was openly laughing. "Come now, XCOM," he chuckled. "Do you really think you can just fly away? From me?"

Sierra stiffened as she heard Ted scream from above and arch his back as the shot tore right through his armor – and through the rightmost jet. A second shot penetrated directly through his left foot, turning his fall into an uncontrolled spin. "I've got him!" Sierra yelled. "Anna get out of here now!"

Without waiting for a response, she boosted her jets to angle to catch the falling Archangel. They were only a few hundred feet above the ground now, but she slammed into him, catching him in the midsection and eliciting a yell of pain. "Sorry," she breathed, as she immediately tried to course correct herself.

"It's…fine…" he breathed in between grunts.

"Ah, everyone loves a hero!" Her blood ran cold as the Hunter taunted her from his unknown position. "I like you, random Archangel! I like you enough I'm going to give you a chance to fight. Let's see how you do!"

Before she could even think about what that meant, her right primary jet was destroyed and this time there was no stopping the fall to the ground. The good news was that they were close enough that she could ensure they both survived. The bad news was that they were still far from the trenches and they were in an open minefield.

"Anna! Zeus-1! I'm going down!" She called as she made some last-second boosts on her legs right before she crash-landed into the hard dirt. Turning herself around, she fell backwards, slightly cushioning the impact on Ted who would not have survived a direct landing. It slammed her onto her back, and it clearly damaged the suit beyond repair, but she was somewhat alive, if dizzy.

"Come on," she groaned, briefly pushing him off to get up. The Collective was advancing forward, and green plasma fire was whistling around them. Their armor would still take a few hits, but they were getting closer. A brief diagnostic showed that her leg jets were still good. Ted had his foot shot, and was probably running on half a lung, so he couldn't make a run. She was going to have to do this on her own.

A long shot, with the possibility of both of them getting blown up with a mine, but there wasn't a choice.

"Don't move," she told him and picked him up in her arms, trying to adjust slightly for weight distribution. Thank god for strength enhancement gene modding. He was still heavy, but movable. Without wasting time, she took off running. After she'd worked up a good speed, she jumped into the air and activated her leg boosters.

She yelped and almost was flipped over, but her forward momentum was enough to keep her moving, and she cut them so she could land with a running start. "Sierra, we've got a fix on your position and a PRIEST team is coming out to assist you," Mona updated. "Stay alive a few more minutes."

"Copy," she breathed, starting now to feel the strain. It turned out that multiple landings from terminal velocity had consequences even on a modded body. She repeated the jumping maneuver, this time able to better account for the kickback, and landed successfully, even if now her legs were starting to hurt. She probably looked ridiculous, but it was a hell of a lot faster than just running.

The trench was ahead now, close enough that she saw a slew of white armor moving forward out onto the battlefield. It was also useful that there were the wrecks of those hovercraft that served as some kind of cover. Unfortunately not all of them had been destroyed and one suddenly swept towards her, guns firing.

She leapt straight into the air, and was clipped by the plasma cannons sending her flying backwards and directly into the hard hull of one of the wrecks. At the last instant she tossed the limber body of Ted to the ground to prevent his neck from definitely being snapped from the slam. He yelled as his leg twisted underneath him, but she couldn't do much more.

Dazed against the machine bearing down on her, she struggled to rise and her head rang.

Then the machine was lifted into the air, and Anna swept down, firing her plasma cannon into the weapons on its sides, turning them to slag. Corrosive psionic energy appeared around the machine, rending its integrity void as the telekinetics similarly crushed the interior. It was tossed a short distance away and exploded. Sierra rose to see a team of PRIESTs, with Anna landing and firing a few shots behind them into the approaching Muton army.

"Got here just in time," she gasped, stumbling over to the body of Ted and trying to pick him up again. He was completely passed out now, and given how bloody his chest armor was, she hoped he was still alive. "Thanks."

"We can carry him, sir," one of the Priests said. "You've done more than enough."

"Unless you're modded, you're not carrying him on your own," she insisted, stumbling towards the trench lines. "Just…have someone waiting."

The Priest didn't argue, and just began calling for a medical team when they got back. Psionic shields appeared behind them as they made it back inside the dubious safety of the trenches, but a team of medics rushed to Ted who Sierra laid on the stretcher, and began spraying their medkits and calling out their medic lingo.

She was too tired to listen too closely, and took off her helmet, breathing heavily.

"You did it," Anna said, also taking her helmet off as some ADVENT personnel brought them water. "When he started talking…" she shook her head. "I thought we were all dead for sure. We don't just…survive that."

"He still might not," Sierra said wearily, slumping to the ground as her armor felt very heavy. "I probably made everything worse."

"Fuck off with that," Anna grunted, hauling her to her feet. "Now he has a higher-than-comfortable chance of dying in surgery as opposed to definitely dying from terminal velocity. You saved him and yourself. We need to get new gear and rest."

"Alright," Sierra shook her head and absentmindedly realized her WHEEE cannon was gone. Wonderful. "Have there been any casualties?"

"Three wounded enough to be taken for treatment," Anna grunted as they passed through several squads of ADVENT soldiers. "Cho's MEC was taken out by one of those green bombs the siege units shot. Hendrix's was damaged in the blast and is being repaired now. XCOM is going to send a Goliath as backup."

"The Hunter is the larger problem," Sierra said warily. "We need to deal with him."

"XCOM is aware," Anna said. "I think they're working out how to deal with it."

"Well," Sierra took another long drink of water. "They need to figure it out sooner than later."

---

Throne Room of the Imperator – The Temple Ship of the Imperator of the Ethereal Collective

3/7/2017 – 9:08 A.M.

To describe the feeling of psionically mind merging with the Imperator would be nearly impossible. Patricia knew she was one of the most powerful Human psions, but at the same time also knew that compared to even the weakest of Ethereals she was significantly lacking. But until her first merges with the Imperator…she didn't understand how vastly inferior her capabilities were.

While not completely having control, she could comprehend and grasp how much power he could bring to bear in seconds.

Power strong enough to reduce this ship to scrap, telepathically dominate armies, or send a moon crashing into a planet.

It was…fortunate that she didn't have to find this out the hard way, and hopefully humanity would never have to experience just how outmatched they were against the Imperator. To simply describe what the Imperator could do was simply not doing him justice. Yet it was also a sobering reminder that the Imperator could be compared to the Sovereigns like a human could be compared to an Ethereal.

No reminiscing. Focus.

The voice in her head was not her own, not completely, but it was also not the Imperator's It was a merged compilation. The intensity of the voice, be it the lighter or deeper pitch, seemed to depend on the intensity of their connection. It also depending on who ceded control the most. That had been among the first experiments – how to cede or take control.

Incorrect words.

He-she-they were right. It wasn't the correct explanation of what was happening. A mind could not give or take control any more than it could ignore itself…it was closer to deciding which side should take control; what to draw upon. It depended upon what they did. When it came to her body; when that was primarily what she was doing, the part of her that was her was more in control.

But when the vast experience and skill of the Imperator was needed, by instinct her body reacted. It was not as crude as being hijacked, as their merged mind had come to the same conclusion, and the only notable consequence was what it was drawing from; who it was drawing from.

The first few times had been overwhelming, as she'd stood paralyzed or just fell to the ground, trying to comprehend the mind of the vastly older and more powerful being her mind was joining with. It had taken multiple attempts to even begin to start moving on her own; walking was a challenge, much less fighting.

A process that Revelean had assured them was expected and natural.

"Your minds are from different species and chemistries. An Ethereal does not think like a Human and the reverse is true. All that can be done to change this is by exposure. It will not be pleasant, and it will be incoherent and vast for the beginning, but the minds of both Human and Ethereal are malleable and adaptable – it merely requires effort and time."

Nothing had been painful, thankfully. It had been more of a fugue state at first, with her getting bombarded with information, languages, and incomprehensible gibberish that the sheer volume of had forced her mind to simply stop working correctly. Overloaded, Revelean had called it. The Imperator had not been as affected, but that was to be expected.

It probably helped that everything she had seen from the Imperator's mind stayed with her for the most part, which allowed her to think and ponder over it. The first few times she'd barely gotten anything she could understand; mostly images and words in Ethereal Script that she couldn't entirely process.

Now it was becoming easier, and the amount of secrets between them was diminishing each time they merged. It wasn't as though she had many things she could call major secrets – although her time in XCOM could certainly be considered that from a military standpoint – but the Imperator likely knew of them from seeing her memories as well.

As for what she'd learned?

Many long talks, debates, and arguments during the Synthesized War. The rush of vertigo as he had been awakened and immediately thrust into a war; the confusion and stress at being considered the only hope of a species he had never really know; the long and continuous battles against an enemy that more and more seemed less mindless, and more conniving and malicious.

Thousands of Ethereals and worlds sacrificed, and more and more evidence that this enemy could not be defeated. Not now. It was too late.

And a name. His name.

Viatorian.

Destroyer of the Prime.

The name she'd recognized from reading on the Synthesized War, or at least what Cogitian had written. She'd wondered if the Imperator was one of the famous ones in the war; she'd guessed that this Imperator was one of the ten coordinators of the war, although which one she did not know for certain.

But now she did.

The only Imperator to have killed one of the Synthesized Primes was still alive, and had set his sights far higher. Time would tell if they were successful, but there was no possible way for humanity to know just who they were facing.

She realized now that they were lucky that the Imperator was sending his Harbinger to solve such issues. Were the Imperator himself to directly intervene…the war would be over far sooner, although it would awaken T'Leth.

And now was not the time for it.

She looked down at her armored hand, ensheathed in psionic energy, as was her entire body. It felt hot, like an engine with too much power in it. Which in a way, it was. She was a bottleneck to the true power the Imperator could bring to bear…but what power she did have was beyond compare. There felt like there was little that she could not do.

With one motion, we could splinter this ship.

With one command, the legions would become ours.

In one moment, reality can reshape itself.

The power flowed through her; the voices evenly split. Both intertwined and cognizant of the world around them. They had clicked to use a Human term. It would still take time to fully master what they could do, but the difficult part was over, and as Revelean had said, it had only taken time and effort.

Yet it had been worth it.

Human and Ethereal, soldier and Imperator, their minds had overcome the obstacles of their artificial union. They were of one mind in this joining.

The path ahead was clear.

---

Hong Kong, Guangdong – China

3/8/2017 – 10:12 A.M.

To say they were stepping into a nightmare would be an understatement.

It was less of a coordinated attack, and much closer to a free-for-all. The Chinese soldiers initially depending the city had been devastated by the initial psionic attack, even with Aegis protecting them. While they retained their minds, they were paranoid, shaken, and afraid. The ADVENT soldiers deployed were faring better, but they still weren't prepared for the onslaught.

China had lacked the trenches and Flak Towers of other fortified cities. They had defenses, but they were facing the black legions of Custodians led by the black-robed soldiers of Isomnum. As well as strange hovercraft that had come floating over the ocean, and not from the air. Smart, and that was not what Oliver really wanted from the Collective right now.

"There is a significant sustained psionic attack on this city and throughout the border regions of China," Geist stated with a calm coldness. "Aegis is defending against it. That will be what I do as well; to reinforce the cities under assault that are succumbing to him. Many have already fallen and are being overrun."

"You can't help them, can you?" Kane's voice reminded Oliver of an animal just before it struck. Restrained, yet just waiting for the opportunity to strike. Even the question was rhetorical and Geist did not treat it otherwise.

"I do not have time to help them," he shook his head. "They will be put out of their misery. Isomnum's reach is weak to affect as many as possible it will not be difficult to penetrate a mind that is already broken."

Kane nodded. "Better to die than live in the hell Isomnum creates."

"What are we doing?" Oliver asked.

"Either prevent Hong Kong from falling, or eliminate as many of Isomnum's soldiers as possible," Geist said. "Target priorities are the black-cloaked soldiers. All others are secondary. There is too much ground to cover with one squad, so there will be two teams. Chronicler, take Oliver and Kane and investigate any requests for assistance."

He turned to another trio of XCOM soldiers. "David, take Alisa and Kanda. Do the same. Viktoria's Archangel host will provide air support in the same way. MECs will also be operating on their own to provide assistance to ADVENT. That is why we are here. Ensure ADVENT does not fall. Understood?"

"Yes, Overseer!"

Kane unstrapped his massive weapon. The gun seemed almost as long as he was tall, and wasn't standard XCOM gear. He'd asked along the way, and Kane had said it was a specially developed ETC variant of an M2 Browning. Which translated to a Browning that didn't need a stand, but was essentially the same thing. Normally it would be impossible for a regular Human to wield them as heavy weapons, but thanks to gene mods and Kane being the largest person Oliver had ever seen by far, it looked surprisingly natural in his hands.

The Chronicler's wrists had a blueish glow about them as he clenched a fist. "Let's go."

Their first encounter was an overrun ADVENT squad that was fighting off a Custodian advance on a barricaded four-way street. It was being led by one of Isomnum's Sectoids, and just from the glimpse of the area, Oliver saw the effect that alien had. There were soldiers, Chinese and ADVENT, shot in the back, and even now one Chinese soldier was being restrained as he shouted gibberish.

Kane said nothing, but let loose with his weapon. The Custodians were confident enough to have been advancing, and thus were unprotected. The Browning shredded four into pieces before they moved with surprising swiftness to duck into cover within the nearby buildings. The Chronicler waved a hand and two of the Custodians were ripped apart by a blue wave of energy.

The Sectoid chittered as Oliver fired at it, a psionic barrier appearing to absorb the plasma. Glowing with psionic energy, the Chronicler lifted a hand and Oliver felt something…cushion his mind for lack of a better word. There was a presence, but he suddenly found himself able to think more clearly and focus.

The passive effect Isomnum and his minions had placed over the city was not to be scoffed at.

The soldiers were rallying, and firing back with ragged cheers. "No!" Kane roared, glaring briefly back to the Chronicler. "Stay out of my mind! I do not need your protection. Not from him!"

Heedless of the danger, he instead marched forward towards the Sectoid. A psionic barrier had appeared and was absorbing all of the rounds, but he had successfully attracted its attention. Oliver fired multiple shots at an overwhelmed Custodian and it fell to the ground as a smoking wreck. More were brought down by the Chronicler's psionics and the combined ADVENT and Chinese survivors.

The Sectoid had the air distort around him, and directed a hand towards Kane, likely a psionic attack.

But something unexpected happened instead. Not only did it just seem to make Kane angrier, the barrier itself was dissipated and the Sectoid shook his head as if stunned. Only mere seconds was all it took for it to be ripped apart by the unforgiving rounds of Kane's Browning; turning the alien into ground meat leaking ichor blood.

With that fight done, the Chronicler was talking to the leading officer, and Oliver saw Kane go over and smash a boot on top of the head of the Sectoid, turning it into a splat, before walking back while reloading his weapon.

"What happened?" Oliver asked.

"The alien made the mistake of looking into my mind," he said in a low voice. "It didn't like it."

Oliver didn't know much about Kane, but it appeared that he'd had some history with Isomnum. Something he'd have to ask about later, because now was not the time. "Will they be able to hold?" Oliver asked the Chronicler as he walked up.

"For now," was the answer. "We couldn't stay even if we wanted to. Too many other defensive points that will fall without us. Follow me."

Without waiting, they both followed the Chronicler down a winding path of streets until they saw another battle raging ahead. This was a full street battle with ADVENT and the Collective fighting to take control of it. There were two of the hovercraft leading the front, in addition to Outsiders of all things.

"Been a long time since we've seen those," he grunted, readying his weapon. They were coming up behind the Collective assault, so they had the element of surprise. But these Outsiders looked different. They were bigger. Their armor was a dull orange, not the bright crystal they had originally been made out of.

The ones in the back seemed to know something was coming, but before they could do anything, the Chronicler swept his arm across with a yell as the entire street was engulfed in a blue crackling maelstrom of energy from side to side. Oliver fired into the storm at the targets, though he really didn't think he was adding much.

The Outsiders and hovercraft attempted to fight back, but against a psion they were incapable of sufficient retaliation. As it turned out, that was armor the Outsiders had been wearing, and when it broke, it revealed the crystalline form underneath. Not that it protected them any better, as they shattered soon afterwards, and the hovercraft were subsequently rendered destroyed.

Not all the aliens had been taken out, as there were Custodians fighting in the front, but the combined power of a plasma grenade, the Chronicler's telekinesis, and Kane's weapon ripped the entire line of Custodians to pieces. It appeared they had arrived just in time as well; as the Chinese defenders were close to breaking.

Looking back, Oliver saw that there had been several defensive points that had been constantly overrun in short order. Only about ten of the Chinese soldiers were left, and half of them were wounded in some capacity. They didn't speak English, but did make their thanks known as Kane and Oliver helped fortify the area as best they could. The Chronicler looked around the street for a minute, and then proceeded to collapse one of the buildings, and telekinetically moved the debris around to create a near-impenetrable barrier.

"Find allies; retreat," he said with a waved hand to the Chinese.

They began moving off immediately. "Telepathy?" Oliver grunted.

"Yes," the Chronicler said. "No English, so I had to improvise."

"We need to keep going," Kane insisted. "There is too much ground being lost."

Unfortunately he was right. The few battles they had encountered did not paint an optimistic picture of how the attack was going. "We need to change the tide of a major defense," Oliver said. "Can you find one?"

"We're heading to it now," the Chronicler said, motioning them forward. "And if we hurry, we can salvage this as much as possible."

---

Skyranger, En Route to Mission Site

3/8/2017 – 10:05 A.M.

This was going to be a very risky operation, but from the news Nuan had heard…it was necessary. Things were already bad, even with Aegis and the Chronicler working to prevent the worst of it. The attack was fast and overwhelming, and multiple smaller cities had already fallen, with the larger ones being contested – with ADVENT losing.

She didn't necessarily know by how much, but it was far too close for comfort.

"The island of Hainan has been captured by Collective forces," Iosif said, standing in the skyranger; commanding all of their attention. "We suspect it is already being used as a staging ground to the mainland. It's likely that Isomnum will not expect a strike so soon after landing, which means that if we do enough damage, we can significantly affect his operations."

"Without as much infrastructure or defenses in place," Alberta Hill, the MELD Operator accompanying them added. "Easier for us."

"Exactly," Iosif confirmed. "We are still expecting significant defenses, but nothing firmly entrenched yet. We are likely going to be encountering significant amounts of Custodians and Isomnum's personal soldiers. We've heard reports of Collective vehicles, so be prepared for those as well."

"What about civilians?" Analyn asked, clasping her hands together. "The island wasn't completely evacuated in time, and it's possible they're still alive."

"They are not our priority," Iosif shook his head. "And it is unlikely they're even still sane now. Isomnum does not avoid targeting civilians. They may be crazed and attack us. Put them down if you have too. We can deal with them once the region is secured. Gamil, Ellinor, both of you will need to protect us from the worst of Isomnum's effects."

"Will do," Ellinor nodded. "Not exactly my specialty, but for a group this small it can be done."

"Hainan isn't a small island," Nuan commented. "Are we going to be the only ones taking it on? That's dangerous, even for us."

"Just give me time," Alberta said, likely smiling underneath. "And enough materials."

"Until that point, Alberta, we'll still need help," Iosif chided. "The good news is that we've got backup incoming. ADVENT is sending PRIEST, Dragoon, Cuirassier, and Lancer squads to help us secure the island – or cause a lot of damage for the Collective. Some will be dropping in behind us, others will be striking other areas of the island."

"Sounds good." This sounded like a much more plausible scenario. One they could possibly win. ADVENT special forces could definitely handle some of the worst the aliens could throw at them, and the PRIEST Division also being included would help mitigate the worst of Isomnum.

Nuan did wonder how much the aliens had prepared for this possibility. The Battlemaster was likely still behind some of the offensive, and Isomnum was unlikely to be blind enough to not anticipate some kind of response or attack on critical locations. This entire operation would have contingencies, and she supposed that they would find out just how thorough such contingencies were.

It was going to be satisfying though to kill aliens invading her homeland. She'd only visited Hainan a few times in her life, but in the end, it was still a part of China, and she would defend it to the bitter end. She had not expected it would be in quite this way, but she couldn't complain about it. Humanity standing and fighting together against an alien threat.

This was how it should be.

She had been right to initially be suspicious of XCOM and ADVENT, as had most people, but by now it was clear that they intended to do exactly what they promised – defend Humanity through whatever means they could. Didn't matter the nation or people, they would still fight because it was the right – and admittedly strategic – thing to do.

She looked up to Iosif, who gave her a reassuring nod.

She smiled under the helmet. Not that he could see, but maybe he could sense her thanks. If there was someone she wanted by her side right now, it was him.

"This is Rising Sky to Janus Team," their pilot said. "We are coming in on the LZ. Prepare to deploy. Fires in the city, doesn't look like they have it fully under control."

The lights turned to red, and they all stood. "Showtime," Ellinor said, the Templar gripping her ax.

All of them brought out their weapons or drew on their psionic power. They descended with a roar and hit the ground with a shake and a thud. The ramp hissed and lowered, the waiting nightmare beckoning. Nuan could see the ADVENT dropships also in the distance behind them.

"Go!" Iosif commanded, pointing with his mace. "Let them have it!"

And charging into the streets and into the waiting battle; ADVENT forces deploying all around them, the battle to take back Hainan began.

---

The Prism – Unknown Location

3/8/2017 – 4:17 P.M.

The hours were ticking away and Yang felt…disappointed by what she was seeing.

Idiot.

Isomnum was taking the most blunt and ineffective approach to China she could have imagined. His grandstanding at the beginning wasn't going to make anyone actually important afraid of him, and all he was going to achieve was ADVENT getting a whole lot of propaganda to distribute about the evils of the Collective.

This of course would imply the Dread Lord actually cared about the opinions of aliens.

She shivered.

He quite clearly did not.

She had news broadcasts of the attacks playing in the background. It was mostly speculation and some 'front line' interviews with clearly designated officers in Beijing – nowhere close to the 'front lines' unless the media somehow considered 'front lines' to be the same country. It was disingenuous and largely amounted to ADVENT saying "We're prepared if the coast falls."

Which it probably was. Isomnum was at least making progress against ADVENT, and for that she could admit some grudging appreciation. She didn't feel sorry for the brainwashed soldiers and politicians who'd presided over the country for decades, or that they were getting anything less than they deserved. But strategically, Isomnum was not how she wanted to see the Chinese brought low.

It would have preferably been her extracting the confession of President Qin over the hundreds of political dissidents he'd ordered eliminated who dared question his policies, possibly while dangling him over the highest skyscraper in Beijing, but that was unfortunately unlikely to happen.

The best case scenario for her was Isomnum dying well before he reached that point, the Battlemaster stepping in, and both of them finishing the invasion.

Unfortunately she felt like Isomnum was going to blow any impact they had very quickly. Once ADVENT learned what Isomnum was doing to the civilians, things were going to get bad. Bad as in it was going to tarnish the Collective possibly irredeemably if it was just allowed to continue unaddressed. Not to mention it was going to really undercut Betos and her activities.

She hadn't known much about the SAS or their situation until it was announced; unsurprising as it appeared to be a deeply secret mission by Macula, but she was mildly impressed that Betos actually went through with supporting the Collective. And Isomnum was going to very much fuck all of it up if this wasn't handled correctly.

"You are anxious," the Battlemaster said, indicating his return. He must have returned through the Gateway since there had been no other indication of his arrival.

"Because I've been reading the intel reports one of Isomnum's thralls has been so kind as to send back," she said, turning to him and shutting off the news projection. "He needs to be recalled or dealt with. This is just going to make things worse. ADVENT is already furious over the assassinations, but this will send them into an entirely justified uproar."

"Let me see," the datapad floated to his hand and he began reading. She realized that it was probably difficult for him to see since the tablet was made for someone not twelve feet tall. Then again, the amount of modifications he had, he could probably read perfectly fine.

She also realized that his greeting was not exactly standard. He noticed that she was anxious, and aside from a few physical tells, it wasn't very apparent. Likely a result of the deeper bond between them. While it wasn't exactly full merging like what Nico and Patricia had with their respective Anchors, there was still a more intimate understanding of each other that accompanied the merging.

It was…not as debilitating or overwhelming as she was expecting. There was not necessarily a sudden comprehension of psionic abilities or overwhelming power at her fingertips like had been described. There was just a telepathic…connection. That was the simplest explanation. A direct link to the Battlemaster that he was seemingly still getting used too.

No one has touched my mind in centuries. I did not expect that the first to manage it would be an alien.

They hadn't really pried into each other's minds for now. When it came down to it, the Battlemaster respected his mental privacy and that of others. A privilege for a species that relied so heavily on knowing what others were thinking, or at least had that capability. This distance would likely lessen, but when they both were used to it.

They didn't need that to be effective in battle. Already they were far more coordinated when joined than apart. Being able to communicate at the speed of thought took some getting used to, but that was what the hours of training in the Prism would be used for.

In the meantime, the Battlemaster gently floated the datapad over to the nearby table. "Unfortunate that Isomnum continues to squander every opportunity he gets to show some restraint and usefulness to the Collective."

To most people, that would be just a statement. But she could tell very clearly that the Battlemaster was furious with what he had read. As well he should be. "What are you going to do?" She asked as he made his way over to the communications room. She suspected she knew his immediate response, but wanted to confirm.

"I am ordering the immediate withdrawal of himself and his units," the Battlemaster said as he punched in the codes. "The Second Guardian will assume control over the Chinese offensive."

Yang pursed her lips. "And do you really think he will withdraw?"

"He will," the Battlemaster said. "Or when he returns, I will kill him and send his corpse to ADVENT."

"The Imperator-"

"The Imperator will need to decide on what course the Collective will take," he snarled, strong enough that the room shook. "There are no places for creatures such as Isomnum."

A few moments later, the hologram of Isomnum appeared, one hand holding the holocommunicator. "Why are you speaking to me, Battlemaster. I am busy."

"I've been following the reports you have been sending," the Battlemaster said. "What are you thinking?"

"I will break the minds and spirits of all who oppose us," was the answer hissed through static. "Do not act surprised by this, Battlemaster. There are more ways to break minds, lessen morale, and destroy hope than mere telepathy. Psionics cannot block the screams, they cannot blind those with eyes. They will see those who dared resist us and they will break eventually."

"It is unnecessary," the Battlemaster said, taking a threatening step forward. "We do not need such crude tactics. This is directly against our interests. We intend to conquer and assimilate. Fear will only rally the Humans against us; it hinders our operations on this planet. You are in direct violation of this."

"Silence." Isomnum lifted a hand and closed it into a fist. "You seek assimilation; equality with species who are our lesser. They will rally at first, but fear will break eventually. Resilience only survives in the face of hope. Should hope prove to be futile, they will collapse and assimilate. You will have your assimilated aliens, and unlike your pathetic and restrained tactics, they will not dare question the might of the Ethereals."

He cocked his head, the soulless eyes of the death mask looking at them – first to the Battlemaster, and then to her. Even though his mind could no longer affect hers, she looked away. "You are tactical, Battlemaster. Do you really think the Imperator is such a fool as to place me here if he did not intend for me to execute this task as I saw fit? I do not care what violation you believe I am committing. The Imperator placed me here, and I will do as I see necessary with his approval. And when ADVENT crumbles and their will is broken, perhaps you will understand just how wrong you were."

The Battlemaster pointed a finger to him. "The Imperator means nothing at this juncture. You are under my command now, Isomnum. I order you to withdraw along with your soldiers. The Second Guardian will take your place and command the Chinese offensive."

Isomnum laughed.

A long, grating, and horrifying laugh. "Are you threatening me, Battlemaster?"

"Yes." There was no ambiguity in his voice. "Withdraw, or the moment you return to Collective space, I will kill you."

"I look forward to witnessing your removal from Collective military command," Isomnum said. "The Battlemaster ruled by fear – fear of what I have done and will do. Fear that he might be wrong. Fear of meaningless backlash and opinions of aliens. You care too much for the opinion of those beneath you, Battlemaster. Your pet has corrupted you further than I had imagined. This conversation is over."

The hologram vanished. Yang winced. "I'm worried that would happen. The Imperator isn't an idiot."

"We shall see," the Battlemaster said, as he was already putting in another code. An Andromedon appeared.

"Your orders, Battlemaster?"

"Relocate all Cleanser Ships assigned to China to reinforce points of attack in phase two," the Battlemaster ordered. "Do not respond to hails or contact from Isomnum or affiliated subordinates."

The Andromedon seemed confused. "Has there been a development?"

"Isomnum has put his personal goals over the greater good of the Collective," the Battlemaster answered. "The changes in approach will be discussed shortly. No one may countermand this order."

"Understood, Battlemaster."

The hologram winked out, but Yang looked at him with some concern. "It won't stop him from just mind controlling them if he wants it."

"No, but unknown to those on the ships and Isomnum, there is one Special Operator on each ship who will inform me if they become compromised," was the answer as the Battlemaster punched in a code yet again.

This time the image of the Zar'Chon appeared. "I presume this is about the questionable tactics Isomnum is planning to utilize?"

"Indeed," the Battlemaster confirmed. "Our plans are going to undergo some revision."

---

Russian Castle of the Order of Terra, Russian Wilderness – Russia

3/8/2017 – 9:24 A.M.

To say that her revelation was surprising was something of an understatement.

Reinhold, the German of the group and normally the most easygoing of the unit for once didn't have anything to say; instead just showing a blank expression on his face as he processed it. Vicki looked similarly stunned, and only now did Kaya remember that her entire family was second-generation Japanese immigrants.

Funny how those kind of things turned out.

Genevieve's mouth had opened and closed several times after she'd finished, definitely in the most amount of shock since they'd actually spent the most amount of time together. "I'm sorry," she said, still in disbelief. "You're who?"

"The goddamn Princess of Japan is what she is," Terje said, his Norwegian accent even more pronounced than normal. "No point in making her repeat it."

"Empress," Mike, one of the Squires corrected absentmindedly. "Get your titles straight."

"My apologies," Terje lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Empress then. Japanese royalty either way. I mean…is that your title now?"

"Once things are formalized," Kaya shrugged. "Technically I'm acting Empress until a ceremony. For all intents and purposes, that is my position."

"Ah," Terje suddenly winced. "Then that attack on the Japanese royals…"

She gave a sober nod. "Yes. My family."

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "No one deserves what happened to them, but especially not you."

"Appreciated; from all of you," she waved a hand. "I'm not telling you this for sympathy, and I'm sorry I've technically been lying to you this entire time. But there are protocols ADVENT insisted on."

"Technically?" Bethany, another Squire sniffed. "Not sure how 'technically' there is about it. Apparently your name isn't even real."

"Hey, lay off her," Genevieve interrupted. "She said it was protocol. Honestly, this isn't something new. I've heard the British royals doing this all the time."

"It might have saved her life too," Vicki chimed in. "Otherwise she might have been killed too."

"Possibly," Kaya agreed. "It's impossible to say. Hamilton wanted it to stay under wraps even after this."

"Wait, he knew?" Mike demanded, then paused, pinching his nose. "Of course he knew. No wonder he always had some kind of weird interest in you. I thought…well…"

"Oh, do go on," Reinhold said with a raised eyebrow. "I really want to know what you thought it was."

"Not important!" Mike insisted. "Since it's definitely wrong."

Kaya felt a little smile creep on her face. It did feel good to have this out now. "I can say very safely that whatever you might have, ah, thought was going on definitely wasn't."

"How the hell does this even happen?" Vicki asked. "I haven't heard of any kind of royals being in the ADVENT military. And before that you usually only heard of the British. Did you just…ask?"

"More or less," she answered. "Long process, with a lot of back and forth. Name change, false identity, backstory, all of that figured out. No preferential treatment. What you would expect."

"So…" Genevieve sat down on the nearby chair. "Is this a really long way of telling us you're going back to be Empress? Because honestly that's a completely justifiable reason. Didn't think I'd say that, but then again, I didn't know you were actually a monarch."

"What? No, no," Kaya denied immediately. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until the aliens are driven off our planet and the one who killed my family is dead."

"So you're not going to be Empress?" Vicki asked, confused. "Can you even be both? You have a sister right?"

"Normally it's more of an administrative position," she said. "A figurehead. So I'm making some changes. There…well…there isn't anyone to stop me now," she gave a sad smile. "Besides, I know this killer is going to want to finish the job. I'm a better target than my sister, and it's important that my people see me in this position – fighting back."

"Wait, I remember you now!" Vicki said, who'd been appraising her face. "You cut your hair. A lot. No wonder I didn't recognize you. It was some interview you gave a few years ago."

"Probably," Kaya had given quite a few interviews, although she'd only heard of a few that had been given a western release. Probably when she'd addressed the circumstances of her sister leaving. And she'd definitely looked different then. Aside from the hair, she was quite certain the younger her had been more happy. And innocent. "You're likely going to be seeing me on the news in the next few days. I wanted to let all of you know a little beforehand so you weren't too blindsided."

"How?" Terje asked. "Press conference?"

"Something like that," Kaya glanced at the clock. "Hamilton wants to keep details about where I am under wraps. No identifying Order garb, not yet at least. But something to show people that I'm alive. Something hopefully inspiring." She felt her lips curl into an empty smile. "Knowing ADVENT, they'll be waiting for the right moment to propagandize my position in the Order. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

"I mean, it's certainly a good story," Bethany commented, lifting a hand as if illustrating a title. "'Japanese Empress fights to retake Japan.' Not the worst headline in the world."

"No, but still," Kaya shook her head. "I don't want any kind of celebrity treatment here, no matter what ADVENT does to me. I don't deserve that anymore than you; I just happened to be born into the right family. You can even keep calling me Tora if that's what you're comfortable with. But there's also the risk that everyone will be a target if my position is ever revealed."

"Ha!" Terje grinned. "Well, then we will all have the pleasure of killing the bastard who killed your family. Doesn't change anything. We've worked well together so far, and I don't see a reason to change that. Anyone disagree?"

No one spoke up, and there were several nods of confirmation. "Thank you," Kaya said quietly. "All of you. I'm sorry you had the bad luck to be paired with me of all people."

"Nah," Genevieve dismissed, shaking her head. "It just makes things more interesting. Plus, I'm one of the few to actually say I'm friends with the Empress of Japan."

"Or fought with the Empress of Japan," Terje added.

"That too," she nodded. "Well then, let's get to training. I bet that Freya is wondering where we all are. She is going to love this."

Knowing Freya, Kaya expected her to just raise an eyebrow, accept it in stride, and immediately get to work. And maybe talk in private later. "Let's go do that," she agreed. "The aliens aren't going to kill themselves."

---

ADVENT-Chinese Joint Command, Beijing – China

3/8/2017 – 12:19 P.M.

"It's not looking good right now," Laura was saying, shaking her head. "Too many aliens, not enough entrenched defenses, and Isomnum's direct intervention."

"Aegis should have been able to protect them," one of the officers said. "Right?"

"Aegis is the reason ADVENT lines haven't gone insane yet," the Commander clarified. "He's under direct assault from a former Overmind. He can't protect everyone, and is also engaging with the invading forces."

"Which is still leading to problems," General Cheng said, frowning at the holotable. "Isomnum's influence is forcing us to contain and deal with the civilians who are left and subsequently have lost their minds. This is dividing our attention further and it's not improving morale."

"No, it isn't," Saudia said. "And the aliens aren't helping matters by releasing their new toys. I don't suppose you know anything about these, Commander?"

"Unfortunately not," he said, moving to enhance a holographic recreation of the hovercraft and the siege-breaker. "Likely something Fectorian or the Andromedons developed. A direct response to our defenses and fairly impressive. They have the advantage this time, and only our most fortified cities will be able to repel them."

"What is the status of Busan?" Saudia asked Laura.

"Holding well, if suffering casualties," she answered, consulting her tablet. "The first trench is being slowly overrun, but they're causing significant damage to the alien forces."

"The one piece of good news today," she muttered. Losing the first trench was not a major deal, as the aliens would find three more layers behind it, much less the defenses in the city itself. Busan would not fall, but it would not be easily defended, depending on how badly the aliens wanted to claim it. "The only issue is that the Hunter has shown himself," Laura added. "Although he's not the wild card he used to be."

"Not surprising," the Commander grunted. "The Battlemaster wouldn't have deployed him if he was. I'm working on a team to handle him."

"We may need more XCOM teams in China," Laura said, returning their attention to the siege at hand; with many red-lighted areas on the holographic coast of China. "Even if this strike in Hainan works, that isn't going to stop the invasion, nor will it be able to be held indefinitely."

"We need to wait for a few more hours yet," he disputed. "I will not overcommit to this attack; not yet. Right now Isomnum has not done anything we did not expect. I suspect something unexpected is going to happen, and we do not want to overplay our own hands just yet."

"At the same time, I don't want to unnecessarily lose significant portions of China," Cheng pointed out with a frown. "We may need to start preparing euthanasia commands if the insane civilian problem gets worse. There are tank brigades in the cities which are about to engage if the front lines keep falling."

"That is not going to help," Laura said, shaking her head. "The euthanasia. Not the tanks."

"It's preferable to having to worry about being stabbed in the neck by some insane civilian!" Cheng shot back. "We don't have many options here; I do not like it either, but we have to put our own soldiers first before anyone else."

"I have a better idea," the Commander said. "Halt the advance altogether. Have the Purifiers begin creating a line between the armies in as many places as possible. It's possible it could spread, but it would give us time to regroup and solve this issue, and temporarily halt the alien advance – or funnel them into corners. Not even aliens will risk going through ClF3."

"It could also burn down the cities," Cheng added.

"You're right, it could," the Commander nodded grimly. "But it would stop the aliens for now. Concerted bombings along the coast with ClF3 bombs would also help, and more directly impact the alien lines. They have yet to deploy the siege breakers in China yet."

"I wonder why?" Laura mused.

"Possibly so we expend everything on what is already deployed," Saudia guessed, scratching her chin. "However, I agree with the Commander. Extreme, but this advance needs to be halted. We can make decisions on how best to defend the major cities or retreat if needed to more fortified interiors." She glanced to Cheng. "However, you or Qin need to also make the call."

He grimaced, but nodded. "Move your forces into position, I will inform President Qin about these developments."

---

Haikou, Hainan - China

3/8/2017 – 10:47 A.M.

The infrastructure was eerily untouched, likely due to the lack of any significant fighting that had taken place. But that was the only thing Nuan could see that was even remotely normal, because right now they were facing something out of a nightmare. In the middle of the streets there were Isomnum's black-armored soldiers performing surgeries.

Surgeries on civilians.

There wasn't even any slight indication of protocol, sanitation, or comfort. The screaming men, women, and children were being held down by clamps or Custodians as their limbs were removed or replaced with basic prosthetics or were forced onto their backs as their spines were cut open or their brains exposed to the cybernetics that were being meticulously applied.

Custodians guarded the operations sites and moved to defend them as the enraged XCOM soldiers approached. Nuan snapped her gauss rifle up to aim at the nearest Custodian and fired at the head. The rounds tore into it, but she temporarily forgot that was not the actual control center for the machine, and the black humanoid robots moved to defend.

She really needn't have bothered, since Ismail shoved one hand forward, and the entire front line of Custodians was lifted into the air and crushed into scrap metal. Orange-tinted wisps of apparent dust floated off Alberta and converged on the scrap of the Custodians while Isomnum's soldiers stood at attention and directed the converted civilians to begin marching against the XCOM squad.

It was worse seeing them approach, since it was apparent that they were mad from pain and terror, and clearly not wanting to do it, but the machines or psionics in their heads forced them to obey. There was some pattern to how they were outfitted; most had an arm with bladed fingers clearly intending to bludgeon or stab enemy soldiers, possibly relying on the soldiers being unwilling to shoot them.

Others were strapped with devices that looked explosive, and they were hanging towards the back. They were not shambling either, but being forced to run at full speed towards the soldiers. Gamil raised an arm, and several psionic barriers appeared in front of the horde of probably thirty of the converted, with at least a dozen more being finished up by Isomnum's soldiers.

"Grenade out!" Yavin called, and tossed a plasma grenade over the psionic wall, which Ismail assisted by telekinetically grabbing the grenade, and slamming it to the ground with extra force. Nuan winced as the green explosion vaporized a good portion of the converted, but at least they were out of their misery.

"Ellinor, move in with me," Iosif commanded, brandishing his mace. "After Isomnum's minions."

"With pleasure," she agreed, and charged. Gamil removed one of the squares of barriers, and the first thing Iosif did with the revealed space was thrust an arm forward and a horizontal field shot out, slamming into those directly in front of him and even decapitating a few, accompanied by several brief spurts of crimson blood.

Alberta was seemingly doing enough to occupy the majority of the Custodians, as they seemed almost frozen as they retreated, to let the remainder of the converted try and kill them. Gamil lowered the barriers entirely, giving the rest of the XCOM soldiers license to shoot whatever approached them. None of them had even sought cover yet, as there wasn't a significant need.

It did appear that Isomnum's soldiers were in full retreat as the two Templars bore down on them without mercy. One of the black-robed Sectoids tried mustering up a telepathic attack against Iosif before his head was caved in by the mace. A black-robed Human simply elected to run away from Ellinor, and ran straight into a psionic barrier, and as he turned to meet her, she buried the glowing ax in his face and kept cutting down.

"We've got reinforcements coming from behind," Analyn informed, sounding worried. "More of those…converted civilians."

"This is what he plans on doing to all of them," Nuan growled, turning around to see at least several hundred storming forward from around street corners and down the main road. They were interspersed with the black-robed soldiers of Isomnum, primarily Sectoids and Vitakara, with the occasional human.

It didn't make sense why he would go this far? Sure, the practical argument for easy disposable soldiers was pretty straightforward, but he had to know that was only going to make everyone furious? Could this really be something the Collective would sanction? Especially since they were still trying to appeal to other independent nations?

However, as she looked closer at the faces of the converted, whose eyes held only terror and madness, and their faces covered in dried and running blood and gore, she realized that Isomnum simply did not care what anyone, be they Human or Collective, wanted.

He only wanted everyone to feel terror.

Ismail motioned and three of the bomb-converted were thrown backwards and ended up exploding in a red-orange blast, taking out more of the standard converted. So they were suicide bombers, good to know. The best thing to do…the only thing…was to put them out of their misery.

These aren't people anymore. They are tools. Enemies.

Aliens.

"Fire!" Yavin called, green plasma shooting from his rifle into the rushing horde.

You are not killing people. Only things which should be dead.

"Funneling," Gamil said, and he repeated the same psionic barrier technique, only leaving open a gap large enough for a few to get through at a time. Everyone concentrated their fire in that direction. Nuan saw an opportunity to fully exploit their clustered situation.

"Switching to hellfire rounds," she informed, ejecting her half-depleted clip and putting in the Hellfire rounds, which was the unofficial term for the rounds which contained small traces of ClF3. It admittedly turned her gun into something of a primed bomb, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She fired into the horde and was rewarded with a burst of flame as the fire began to take hold and spread.

"Gamil! Lower the shield slightly!" She called, running along the side and taking aim. "Let me fire into the group!"

"Better idea!" Ismail extended a hand to her. "Be ready!"

She barely had time to prepare herself as she was suddenly lifted into the air over the barrier with full vision over the road. Without wasting time she fired a spread across the entire street; and since she didn't need to be extremely accurate, a line of fire took hold and began spreading throughout the ranks. She spent the next few seconds targeting the general area where the black-robed and armored soldiers were, and focused on them.

Her eyesight and aim were good enough that they had difficulty reacting in time, and found themselves suddenly shot and drenched in fire they could not extinguish. She repeated this four or five times before the converted were dying out, and instead Custodians were emerging as reinforcements, in addition to Outsiders.

New Outsiders though. These looked different. She motioned to Ismail to put her down, and was subsequently lowered swiftly. "More reinforcements. Custodians and Outsiders."

"Outsiders?" Analyn asked. "Haven't seen those in a while."

"These look different," Nuan updated, shooting a look back to the other side of the street to see how Iosif, Alberta, and Ellinor were doing. "Probably improved."

As it turned out, Iosif was just finishing off the last of Isomnum's soldiers with a mace swing to the head, turning another Sectoid brain into mush. Ellinor's axe was stained with yellow and red blood, while Alberta's nanites had noticeably stripped the Custodians down to extremely reduced and cannibalized sizes, and were instead constructing barriers and what looked to be ammunition magazines from the remains. As she looked around, she also saw that entire portions of the street – including abandoned cars and light posts, were also being stripped.

"We need to watch from the roofs," Iosif said, returning to them. "And from behind, though it looks like ADVENT will help us with that." Several hundred feet downwards, Nuan saw a Lancer squad establishing a forward position, supported by Hussars and PRIESTs.

"We need to get this back to the Commander," Nuan insisted. "Once they see what Isomnum is doing…"

"No need, Engineer Kun, we're storing all of this now," the Commander's voice was grim. "The implications are unpleasant to say the least, but the Collective will not be able to justify this. We think-" The signal abruptly broke up.

"Jamming us," Iosif tapped his helmet. "Took them long enough. We'll have to find the origin and destroy it. We're lucky at least some of it got to the Commander."

"Orders, Iosif?" Gamil called. "I can maintain this barrier, at least for a while. But they're attacking psionically." He shook his head, even as the barrier held firm. "We need to get rid of them."

"Open a path, and we'll go out there," Iosif commanded. "Nuan, Yavin, provide covering fire. Gamil, reduce the shields to pillar formation. Ismail? Wreck some havoc."

"Yes sir!"

Pillar formation simply meant that there would only be sections of a barrier, which allied (and enemy) soldiers could use as cover. Nuan dashed towards the purple barrier, careful not to lean on it. She wasn't comfortable leaning on something that could vanish at any moment. Not wanting to risk the Templars, she switched back to standard ammunition, and resumed firing at the Custodians and Outsiders.

These Outsiders really were different, especially since there was more than one type now. A dozen were fairly small and lithe, and had formed shields onto their arms, and the opposing limb now had a crystalline blade on the end. They were worryingly fast, and beelined straight for the Templars. The Custodians were content to focus on the remaining soldiers, while also making do with the meager cover on the street.

Yavin shot the plasma rifle one was holding, causing it to explode. Nuan destroyed the head of another. Ismail sent a psionic wave that cleared an entire section of the street, crushing one of the Custodians with a car, while others were just thrown into the wall. Several massive Outsiders from the back stepped forward, and lifted their arm which had a cannon of some kind on it.

Lasers activated from a gadget on its shoulder and a red laser shot out directly into the barriers all of them were hiding behind. Nuan's flickered, and she was slightly concerned until Gamil managed to reestablish the density of it. This needs to be fixed. She switched back to the Hellfire rounds. "Target the back row!" She yelled to Yavin, who nodded as he'd gotten the same idea.

She didn't have the right weapon for long-range sniping, but she didn't need exact precision every time. Only a few shots needed to land. She focused on one of the larger Outsiders, and sent a volley in that direction. Splashes of flame confirmed hits, and more fire appearing on the back row confirmed Yavin had hit as well.

In the center of it, the melee Outsiders were giving Iosif and Ellinor a good fight. For every hit they managed to land on the enemies, or send back with a psionic barrier, the Outsiders managed to take a good shot at the Templars themselves. What was worse is that they hadn't managed to kill any yet, as every time they landed a hit, the Outsider would retreat, regenerate, and return.

There were enough of them attacking that it was a viable strategy.

"We've got trouble from above!" Alberta called, and Nuan directed her attention above to see a dozen massive Seekers descending upon them – or merely hovering.

"Close the gap!" Iosif yelled to Gamil. "We'll handle ourselves!"

The barrier reestablished itself, as the majority of the squad moved to face this new threat. Nuan fired at one of the Seekers, which was surprisingly fast at avoiding her shots, but she clipped one, and that was all that was needed for the fire to start, and it shot back over the buildings before any more damage could be sustained.

One barreled straight for Ismail and knocked him over as it began strangling him. Not wanting to hurt him, Nuan immediately switched to her plasma pistol and opened fire on the Seeker, causing enough damage that it released him and shot into the air. Alberta lifted a hand and the nanites formed into a cloud that the Seekers were suddenly engulfed in.

The few that were left outside reacted immediately. One fired several rounds directly into Alberta, though they did little more than scorch her chest armor, and didn't even come close to penetrating the skin. The others dived toward Yavin and Analyn respectively, both of whom fired at the massive machines barreling towards them.

Nuan joined in shooting down the one targeting Analyn, and it crashed a short distance away. The other one wrapped the tentacles around Yavin, but this time lifted him into the air and began contorting the body in addition to emitting the black gunk into his helmet to overwhelm the sensors. However, Yavin instead used the defenses of the Titan armor to fight back.

The nanites normally dedicated for repair were instead turned to attack the machine, and in minutes the Seeker froze up and let Yavin's body fall nearly fifteen feet into the hard concrete. As the Medic, Analyn rushed towards him and began trying to treat him. He wasn't going to get up for at least a little bit, but with the Seekers falling from the sky as Alberta's nanites consumed them, it seemed that threat had been largely contained.

Nuan swung back to Iosif and Ellinor, both of whom had abandoned taking out the Outsiders for the moment in favor of kiting around the battlefield, and killing everything else. It also seemed like they were adapting well to the Outsiders, as Iosif was easily fighting off three at a time, encasing two more in psionic prisons, while throwing the other one back with a horizontal barrier.

Ellinor was having more of an issue, but she was also dealing with the armored Outsiders, ones that reminded Nuan most of the original ones…except with dull orange armor instead. They were firing on her with notable accuracy at the same time she was fighting off a half-dozen of the other Outsiders.

"We've got a problem!" Alberta suddenly called urgently. "A Mosrimor Avatar!"

Nuan stiffened. She hadn't been on the mission to Argentina, but she'd heard of the Mosrimor…thing…that the Chronicler and Zara had fought. It had taken a lot to beat it, and in their position, she didn't know if they could beat something like that. Especially given what it could supposedly do.

She turned around and it was worse than she'd expected, in addition to the rippling black skin of the nanites in the shape of a thin Ethereal, it was accompanied by the black recreations of Lancer Squads, Hussars, and PRIESTs. They didn't seem to be quite the same as Spectres though, since there was no flash…

No…

Those weren't recreations. Those were the ADVENT soldiers, who were now being puppeted by the Mosrimor Avatar. Behind it was also an uncountable number of Custodians. "We're not prepared to fight one of these," Alberta called, drawing the nanites back to her as the Avatar and Puppets advanced. "Not without backup."

"Can you hold it off?" Iosif called as he slammed the shield of an Outsider away and smashed the head of it in, and another strike to the chests, which this time was enough to seem to kill it.

"Not for long," she said worryingly, as the Mosrimor Avatar began leaking black nanites into a fine mist around it. "We need to call it off. This was way more than we expected."

"Agreed," Iosif confirmed. "Rising Sky, we need an evac…damn it!"

Nuan remembered at the same time. Their comms were being jammed. There wasn't anyone able to hear them, and they had no way to call for help. "Change of plans!" Iosif grunted. "Gamil! Trap the Avatar. Alberta try building around it. Hold it off for us to escape. Everyone else help me kill these things!"

"Copy!" The barrier protecting her vanished and she rushed towards Iosif, firing her plasma pistol to distract it. Ismail was assisting the Aegii and Operator as he telekinetically focused on holding the enemy force in place, which the Avatar seemed content to allow, even as the ADVENT Puppets began acting to destroy the barrier by firing at it with weapons and psionics. The Custodians behind them did the same.

Nuan caught the attention of one of the Outsiders and it swung to face her and jabbed at her face. Sidestepping she grabbed the arm and shoved a plasma pistol in it's 'face' and blew it to pieces and did the same to the heart.

Iosif encased three in stasis fields while they took down another one. "I can't hold them off!" Ellinor yelled frantically as she was stabbed under the armpit with one of the blades, even though she retaliated by burying the axe in the head of the offending Outsider. But it wasn't enough as the continued barrage of attacks from all sides led to her being stabbed in the joints, neck, and more. Even the defenses of the Titan armor were only successfully in dissuading two Outsiders, and their own regeneration proved enough to suffer no lasting effects.

Analyn had Yavin propped up against her, as he still had the wind knocked out of him from the fall, and both of them were firing at the mass of Outsiders, though to minimal effect.

"It's breaking through!" Gamil shouted suddenly. "I can't keep it out!" He clutched his helmet and the barrier collapsed, and with it their hopes of holding back the aliens. The Mosrimor Avatar did nothing, but there was a noticeable psionic glow about it as the black mist of nanites rushed forward, and was met by the far smaller cloud of Alberta's nanites, with the latter being consumed and overwhelmed within mere seconds.

Nuan watched in horror as the nanite cloud washed over first Alberta, then Gamil and Ismail who first tried struggling to get off the cloud of nanites burrowing into them, but soon fell to the ground, writing and screaming in pain. The Outsiders fighting them were still fighting back, and she was too slow to dodge one and felt the blade penetrate a gap in the elbow.

She shot and kicked back, gasping as the nanites from her suit began repairing it, but it was a lost cause. They were all going to die if they didn't get out of here now. "We have to go!" She yelled to Iosif. "Now!"

The nanites from Mosrimor had reached Yavin and Analyn who'd been unable to outrun the black cloud. Nuan knew she only had one chance to really make any sort of difference, and she reached to the one Hellfire grenade she had, and chucked it towards the Mosrimor Avatar who extended a hand, and inexplicably grabbed it almost in amusement.

It was less amused when the grenade exploded and coated the Avatar and the nearby puppets in fire. It must have thought it was an ordinary grenade that it could withstand to show how it couldn't be hurt.

The Outsiders were bearing down on them still. They dashed back to an alleyway, with Iosif doing the majority of the fighting, and he finally created a barrier to block them off, while pulling back his arm, and dissipating the barrier while throwing the other one forward, sending a final horizontal barrier which outright destroyed several of the Outsiders, but sent the majority flying back. Wincing in pain from her wound, Nuan fired the last of her Hellfire rounds along the ground and where they had been hoping it would slow the aliens down.

And with the aliens distracted, if only temporary, they ran.

They were on their own, in enemy territory, and Nuan had a sinking feeling that the Mosrimor Avatar wasn't dead yet.

Or that they couldn't just send another one.

This was bad.

Iosif was also breathing heavier, and she didn't fail to notice the scratches and hits he'd taken during the fight as well.

This was very bad.

---

Collective Military Command – Mars Collective Base

3/8/2017 – 5:17 P.M.

"We are seeing a significant pullback from ADVENT and Chinese forces," came the report. "Isomnum's forces are pushing them back, though he will not be able to maintain this offensive moving forward."

"As expected," the Battlemaster was not surprised by this development. "He has been isolated completely?"

The Vitakarian checked the datapad. "All Gateways have been rendered inoperable and transports returned to your command. He will eventually run out of soldiers and equipment."

"I feel this may have been too much of a drastic step," the Zar'Chon said unhappily. "Regardless of his methods, this should have perhaps been postponed until after China was conquered. I don't deny the need to punish him for his actions-"

"He is no innocent or suffering from naivety," the Battlemaster interrupted bluntly. "He has been given multiple chances, and yet still intends to treat this as a board to play his ideological games. There is no place for it, and I have finished enabling his actions in this manner. We do not require his skills or abilities in this way."

Ravarian's expression didn't change. "And what of the Imperator?"

The Battlemaster looked long and hard at Ravarian, until the Zar'Chon looked away. "The Imperator," he answered slowly. "Will make his opinion known should he decide to do so. The Imperator has shown a distinct lack of tactical and strategic skill thus far, and I am under no obligation to entertain his suggestions until he proves himself worth listening to. If the Imperator contacts you, direct him to me."

A nod. "Yes, Battlemaster."

He had not expected to be placed into this situation; he had thought better of the Imperator, and perhaps the Imperator had some grand plan for Isomnum, but unfortunately that plan would never be realized. The Imperator was not going to exert his influence on this conflict anymore until he could show some competence.

Utilizing Isomnum in any public capacity was the opposite of competence.

There was the risk that the Imperator would just remove him from his position, but that would not happen for a long time yet, and thanks to Isomnum's idiocy, he had provided an excellent excuse for completely cutting him out of the Collective altogether. The Imperator may be displeased with that development, but the blame could be laid solely at the feet of the Dread Lord himself.

How Isomnum was resolved, he didn't especially care. Either the Imperator would extract him via Sicarius, or ADVENT and XCOM would kill him. Or the unlikely happened and Isomnum won. Either way, he would disavow the Dread Lord as a rogue operator, and then proceed with the invasion in a more conventional and effective manner.

The holodisplay flashed to life. "All our forces are in position, Battlemaster," came the update. "We are ready to commence the invasions on your orders."

"Have them stand by," he commanded, looking over the deployment plans for a final time. "I will be boarding shortly."

---

To be continued in Chapter 48:

Dream of the Dread Lord