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.

58. Siege: Tampa

Siege: Tampa

---

[REDACTED] – Sphere of the Throne

The echo continued to tug on him; a curious feeling that was irregular. It had been many long years since any of them had experienced it; at least in this time of relative peace. Back during some of their conquests, it would have barely registered, yet now it was impossible to ignore.

A drop of water falling into a still pond. Simple to determine the source; simple to act if one chose.

However, restraint was still preferred. He was certain ignorance was not to blame for the development.

The air was colder today, and the artificial environment reflected the change in climate. Crystalline plants poked through light blankets of pure snow; light reflecting off their blue glassy structures. They were among the most beautiful of alien life; an engineered construct for certain, but designed by an artistic hand.

The cold signaled something else. Tests; trials perhaps. Initiation for more of the Riders. His Lord was perhaps overseeing them personally, which would be something of a deviation from his current priorities. Though his Lord was sensitive enough to have also felt the shift, and decided to act on it.

A short time later he stepped before a large metal door which slid aside to let him enter the dim and cold hallway ahead. Frost coated the floor in a thin sheet as well as the faceless statues that looked down upon those who tread the path. The Riders did not, nor ever would immortalize specific individuals in this way.

Their purpose was not fame; their duty was fulfilling enough. Few could leave such a significant mark upon the galaxies.

Instead of continuing towards the arena, he turned to climb a stairway that would lead to a command center overlooking it. Or an observation window; one warmer than the rest of the area due to the sensitive equipment within. To his mild surprise, he found that the room was deserted save the Lord who stood before a powered holoprojector.

The General fell to one knee, as expected. "[My Lord, you requested me?]"

"[Rise,]" his Lord motioned upwards without glancing at him, focused more on the blank light; clearly deep in thought. "[I suspect you know what I wish to speak about.]"

"[You have evidence?]"

A sharp nod, and the Lord pressed a button on his wristpad, and the hologram came to life. The General watched as it showcased a battle between Patricia Trask and a previously unknown figure. He observed their psionic duel with fascination, the pieces beginning to fall into place. Their exchange beforehand though…quite interesting.

It confirmed the theory of Viceroy.

"[So, it is confirmed,]" he said. "[He was not the only one.]"

"[We've known for some time,]" the Lord said, pausing the hologram. "[There were only so many explanations. The Viceroy was correct as usual.]" He looked to the General, a question in his eyes. "[Your assessment?]"

He considered his words carefully; thinking before speaking. He was not a trusted advisor for his hasty answers. "[It speaks to the power of the Imperator's Harbinger, or the ineptitude of ir Nara in battle. Both were evenly matched, though the Harbinger outwitted her. Battle is not the specialty of ir Nara.]"

He paused. "[T'Leth is no fool. He understands I am not aware of what ir Nara is doing for T'Leth, but I suspect it is typically not battle, else she would have appeared before now. Which means he did not intend to win this particular conflict, but determine the capabilities of ir Nara against a threat like the Harbinger.]"

"[A test then,]" the Lord mused. "[And I suspect, not just for her.]"

"[There can be no question he suspects,]" the General agreed. "[Perhaps the Viceroy said as much, but it is not out of the question to determine if this was to lure anyone who might be observing. He is testing what he could get away with before intervention becomes necessary.]"

"[The Sovereign plays with fire,]" the Lord muttered, keeping his expression neutral as he began rewinding the hologram and looking at the proud and fierce face of Lavallic ir Nara. "[Yet you made the correct choice. I will not stand idly by and continue to be reactive. Our own operatives on the world are not enough. This situation demands personal attention.]"

The General frowned, suspecting what was coming, but immediately having reservations. "[That is an extreme step, if what I believe you are going to suggest is accurate.]"

A thin smile appeared on the face of the Lord. "[Perhaps, but for the first time in centuries, we could be facing a being who has stumbled upon us. I would prefer the Sovereign Ones be kept in the dark. Their ambitions are dangerous enough without the knowledge of what lies outside their perceptions.]"

"[How ambitious?]" The General asked warily.

"[A hand powerful enough to direct the course of Humanity if we wished, but not in the open,]" was the answer. "[Have you made progress on the plan for the quarantine of the Sphere?]"

"[Of course,]" the Lord was aware of this, of course, but he understood a verbal reminder was necessary. "[You agree with my assessment?]"

"[Enough to authorize a limited experiment,]" the Lord waved a hand. "[I am not convinced, but the Viceroy thinks similarly to you. This war does present an opportunity, should we decide to act. These…particular Humans…]" a grimace crossed his face at the admission. "[They have potential to be useful. Freed from the influence of a Sovereign, they could serve as a Prime Species.]"

"[There are others too,]" the General reminded him. "[Not as clean…but in a way, that is an advantage. I have, and continue to suggest both be shaped to be the Prime Species.]"

"[My preference is for the other you mentioned,]" the Lord shrugged, then faced the General fully. "[Yet our best opportunity to begin is this war. T'Leth's actions have potentially greater ramifications as well. I will authorize the Viceroy to begin operations. Personally.]"

The General blinked, and chose his words carefully. "[Considering the…circumstances…is that wise? If this experiences a failure, the results could be devastating. An extraordinary risk for arguably little gain.]"

Unexpectedly, his Lord smiled. But a dangerous smile of a predator, one which was also amused. "[It speaks to our success that you have forgotten his capabilities so readily. I suspect the others have forgotten as well. Do not fear, I have complete faith in his skills and I suspect he is quite willing to undertake a challenge against a Sovereign One.]"

"[What of the Throne World? A step like this has never been taken without their approval.]"

The smile was maintained. "[I will handle the Throne World, General. Indeed, I believe this could be an opportunity to bring some degree of change to the apathetic Lords. If indeed, they notice at all. Do not concern yourselves with them.]"

The General bowed his head. "[As you say, my Lord. I will continue my work.]"

"[Good, I will await it,]" his Lord turned away, a dismissal but he had one more question.

"[My Lord…has there been any word on the Entity?]"

"[No,]" the Lord shook his head. "[But we are watching. When he appears – we will act swiftly. On that you can be assured.]"

---

Miami, Florida – United States of America

4/12/2017 – 5:16 P.M.

ADVENT had deployed some of the most horrific weapons he had ever seen. But the bomb they had detonated in this city may have been the worst of them all. Runi'hallian'harasota had read on the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons; and wondered how the Humans could have – or would develop a weapon so devastating.

War was woven throughout their history, but the consequences of such weaponry…there had to be a point they felt was too far.

Deployment to the front had been expected, but even he was overwhelmed by the utter brutality and carnage ADVENT was capable of unleashing upon their enemies. The stories of the so-called 'primitive' species waging a doomed war were clearly false as the amount of bodies he witnessed and treated continued coming to him.

Thousands.

Nowhere on Vitakar could adequately prepare him for the front lines. The Borelian training grounds the Runianarch used for simulations were laughably sanitized compared to the real thing. Wounds were fake, the fighting was fake, the stakes were fake; everything was fake except the environment – and right now training in a frozen wasteland was next to useless in the sweltering Florida heat.

This was not to say he had no real medical training. Accidents and wounds still happened around Vitakar on all races, and those provided a solid foundation. Even when the war had started he had been responsible for treating the soldiers who'd been sent back – treated of the worst of their injuries, but not whole. Limbs missing, healing from internal wounds, scars from battle and fire; gruesome, but aftermath of the real war.

Even then, there was a…shock that emanated from many of the soldiers who came back. A shock of war that Hallian wasn't convinced of solely because this was what all of them had been training for. He would never pick up a weapon, but there were many who did; who trained for the day their world was threatened.

It all centered around the hostile species on Earth. Humans.

The Humans are dangerous. They can hurt us.

That sentiment was crystallized for him now.

He now wondered if there had been an unknown war his people had participated in. One so visceral and terrible that the Dath'Haram had collectively decided that they would never willingly contribute to one again. If so, Hallian believed that it would look like the one he was in now. His objective was to save as many lives as possible, it wasn't to fight in it.

At least that's what he told himself now. It required a…disconnect. He saw little point in hiding from the reality that the galaxy was a violent place. Pacifism was an ideal not shared by the majority, and it would not be spread through staying in one place. Most Dath'Haram would never join a military organization because it would supposedly compromise their principled stance.

For him, at least, he didn't see it quite in that absolute.

If there was to be war, there needed to be healers.

Even if sometimes it seemed futile.

Even the weapons the Collective used were sanitized compared to ADVENT's. Plasma that burned and cauterized as opposed to projectiles that ripped through bodies; low-radius plasma missiles and grenades that destroyed everything within the area of effect while ADVENT ones sent fire and shrapnel indiscriminately, shredding anyone unfortunate enough to be near it and subjecting many others to long and painful deaths; chemical weapons that blinded, burned, and choked.

From what he could discern, the purpose of ADVENT's weapons was not just to kill, but to cause as much pain as possible before death. To turn war against them to be as harrowing as possible. The Collective seemed downright humane in comparison even if they could be just as lethal.

The battlefield he was on now was different from the others he'd experienced in his short time on this cursed planet. It still stank of blood, machinery, and death; cries of pain, terror, and urgency still permeated; difficult to distinguish, but all molding into a semblance of frenzy and anarchy. From what he saw, there was no organized war on the battlefield, just legions of soldiers being sent forward and dying until the other side lost more.

Of course, he wasn't usually paying attention to the officers and leaders. He was on the ground with the soldiers bleeding onto the dirt, who were missing limbs or organs, or who'd frozen up completely from the sheer shock of combat. The faces and soldiers all blurred together after a while, all that mattered was making sure they didn't die.

One thing he was moderately good at.

But some of them were always just too far gone.

The site of the nuclear blast was something even he hadn't seen before. It wasn't too dissimilar on the outskirts. Many soldiers wounded, mostly from falling debris or being thrown and injured by the shockwave that had emanated from the epicenter. A larger number were screaming about blindness and loss of hearing from seeing the explosion firsthand.

The closer he got to the epicenter, the worse it became.

All of them were wearing closed and lined suits to prevent radiation exposure. It made it slightly more restrictive, but operating in a place tainted with radiation, it was necessary. The priority the Battlemaster had designated was moving as many as possible out of contamination zones and to medical centers where they could be decontaminated and properly treated.

Hallian genuinely didn't know how many they'd be able to evacuate alive.

The explosion outside the immediate blast had actually not killed most of the soldiers outright, but instead ripped much of the armor off of them, as well as the resulting layers of skin, or warped the armor to the point where it twisted and bent in on them. What armor remained was melted onto the skin. He'd already seen several cases where entire suits of armor had been fused to their wearers.

The lucky ones were left lying on the ground without skin, dying in pools of blood, mercifully unable to feel anything when their nerves had been destroyed. Many had expired before the medical teams had arrived, and the ones who were still alive were extremely difficult to pick out. It was eerily quiet here; not silent of course, but when the dying were unable to feel pain, they were quieter.

Many of them muttered strings of words or phrases, with what they could manage with mangled lips or tongues. Final words or ramblings. Many of which he didn't understand or were incomprehensible. But he listened, because it told him who was alive. Critical at this juncture.

He saw the long form of a Cobrarian lying spread out over a pile of rubble; her mouth just barely opening and closing. They, along with Borelian soldiers, had been the most affected due to usually not wearing sealed armor. The scales had been stripped off along her entire form, and where they hadn't, the armor had been fused to it.

What was left was a pale length of flesh soaked in yellow blood and fluids that oozed from dozens of small scrapes. He pulled out his medical stabilizer and began spraying along the body. The spray would usually kickstart the healing process and disinfect the wound. Useless in this situation, except for it effectively working as a layer of skin between the exposed muscle and the outside environment.

The Cobrarian had been effectively dismembered as well, with only stubs for hands. Her eyes were bloody sockets with the remnants of the eyeballs within. It was mildly remarkable she hadn't been killed at all. If she wasn't treated soon, she would be. "Load her up," he ordered to the junior medics who grabbed her body and placed it on the stretcher that hovered off the ground, while one pressed the 'Return' button, sending it back to the medical center.

The CODEX intelligence was one of the greatest inventions of the Collective, and this certainly proved it. It cut down the need for wasted manpower, and could manage sending hoverstreatchers to combat zones and returning them, allowing every medic on the front lines to focus on stabilizing instead of worrying about whether or not they could be evacuated.

It was simple to just summon one when he needed it, although in these cases he believed the Battlemaster had commanded it to send as many as possible. Wherever he turned, there were stretchers in the area pushed around by medics to wounded before being returned. Without the system, their job would be almost impossible.

He rushed to a pair of nearby Mutons who seemed to just barely be alive. Their thicker skin had been both a blessing and curse, as it meant that, ultimately, they'd have an easier time healing, but also it didn't completely destroy their nerves. Their heavier armor had also reduced the amount of fusing to the skin that had happened.

The weaker parts hadn't held up though. The joints, the neck, several other areas had been melted and fused. After stabilizing them, they threw the Mutons onto the stretchers and sent them back. He knew that Mutons were considered a lesser priority, but he wasn't thinking of the semantics at the moment. Everyone still alive deserved to be rescued as soon as possible.

With how many working here, it did somehow feel like they were making some degree of progress. He'd even seen the Battlemaster and his own Harbinger beside him helping load up the wounded. A large number of the robotic Custodians were also assisting, with a large number of volunteers.

It was not going to be something any of them would ever forget.

And he knew that if ADVENT did it once, they would do it again. Regardless of the circumstances of how this started, he had to agree now that the Humans had to be kept on this planet. Otherwise they would use one of these on Vitakar.

That could not be allowed, and the fear of the Nulorian acquiring these was terrifying to consider. The way the war had been started was questionable, but he couldn't disagree that now it had shifted to self-preservation.

The best thing that could happen now was for the war to end as quickly as possible, before the Humans destroyed everything in their path.

---

Zar'Chon's Chambers, Mars Observation Station – Mars Orbit

4/15/2017 – 12:06 P.M.

This was, if nothing else, an interesting development. Not unwelcome, but interesting. Unexpected. He was still trying to determine the angle of this meeting, though his guest had yet to speak. He'd practically disappeared after relations had broken down between the Collective and EXALT back when that operation was proceeding.

Where Eth'astri'than had gone after that was something even he hadn't been told. He was one of the few Vitakara who answered exclusively to the Ethereals; a role established by the original uplifting of the Vitakara. The intervention that had saved their species. A Speaker for their commands and will. He had been instrumental in bringing all of the species into the Ethereal Collective willingly.

And later disappeared from the public eye, his job complete.

That one perhaps, but his work was far from over. Though he had not joined the fledgling Zararch at the time, Ravarian remembered his face quite well as he had been interviewed, tested, and enhanced for the position he now held. Ravarian had long suspected Astri – if that was his name – was the unofficial pawn of Quisilia.

There was nothing backing this belief other than a suspicion and that he had effectively disappeared from Vitakara society. Still something of a revered figure, most believed he was in some kind of retirement, and Ravarian knew that whatever he was doing, it wasn't retirement. It didn't fit Sicarius's profile, nor any of the other Ethereals aside from perhaps Sana.

Except Sana wasn't conniving or subtle enough for that to make sense. No, he was one of Quisilia's pawns and now…likely here on his orders. He didn't specify, of course, but Ravarian knew the number who would know or care about this particular figure was limited – especially since the vast majority of Ethereals were focused on Earth.

Vitakar was a secondary concern for them.

A mistake to ignore, especially given rising discontent and Quisilia's oddly sub-par debate performance with Aegis.

Eth'astri'than was a Dath'Haram whose name was completely unique and unheard of. The Eth prefix was only used by a very few and exclusive Vitakara, usually those who had devoted themselves to the Ethereals above their own species. They were usually the most trusted Vitakara of the Ethereals. He didn't know if there was a meaning for Astri, but he did know it wasn't his original name. Than was odd, as there was no city or location named such, but interestingly enough, he wasn't the only Vitakara to bear it. Though his other brethren from this particular place were also deeply embedded with the Ethereals, usually part of the Phantom Division or other Ethereal entities.

Though it was not necessarily his name that stood out as much as his appearance. For a Vitakara, Astri was old. He wondered how much of that was an illusion, but the Dath'Haram was smaller and thinner than many of his brethren, and his skin had the rough patches of an elder, various colorings of green instead of a continuous shade.

He carried a cane with him as well, carved from forest wood and given to all Dath'Haram elders after a certain age. He was an elderly and unassuming figure that people would overlook easily, even with his status as a figure of importance among his people.

A lie, obviously. A show Astri deigned to put on for some. Ravarian knew very well the Speaker of the Elders was in top physical condition, having even undergone surgery to make his appearance closer to the Humans for his EXALT operation. His eyes had not lost vigor either, and the brain behind them was just as intelligent as ever.

Though a few things had changed. Astri had decided to keep some reminders of his previous mission with him, particularly the Human-style clothing of an altered black suit and pants, and interestingly enough, the spectacles modified to stream data directly to him. It was certainly a unique appearance in his unaltered state.

"Ravarian, busy as ever," he said, his voice still oddly smooth and off-putting coming from his appearance. He glanced to the various holoprojectors showcasing Human news stations, troop movements, and the golden CODEX figure standing off to the side.

"We do have a war to win, Speaker," he said, inclining his head. "To what do I owe this meeting?"

"Vitakar," he answered smoothly, beginning to pace around the chambers. "If I may say so, I do not agree with your response to the recent developments."

Ravarian inwardly bristled, but kept his expression neutral. "The alternative is to do nothing, Speaker. With respect, that is unacceptable. Given the implicit support of XCOM and the traitor Aegis, the Nulorian will become emboldened and I have little interest in them reforming their image."

"You misunderstand," he lifted a gaunt hand. "I do not disagree with your overall goal. It is your methods which will inevitably plunge our planet into war."

Ravarian narrowed his eyes. "I am skeptical of that possibility."

"Your disconnection from reality does you no favors," Astri shook his head. "For a man who puts so much stock in predictions, models, and psychological profiles, you underestimate the power of emotion and conviction. What people feel is often just as, if not more important than what they believe – or are told to think."

He waved a hand around. "You blast them with propaganda. They only see what you wish them to see. Repetition over and over until it becomes routine. However, your methods are sadly, soulless. They do not resonate. They do little more than keep our species complacent. Asleep. When they become awakened to the manipulation, they will instinctively rebel against what they feel are falsehoods deep down." A smile split across his face. "And let us not lie to ourselves, Ravarian – much of what they believe are our lies."

Ravarian's lips pursed. A viewpoint he had not considered. "Point taken."

"Emotion is a critical part of life," Astri mused, looking out the projector screens showing the red sands of Mars. "We can never fully get rid of it. Suppress it, control it, but it will rebel. When there is no emotions or passion, we become like machines. Not a desirable outcome, and it breeds resentment and rebellion. Do you know why your propaganda on Earth isn't working as well on the Humans?"

"ADVENT Intelligence and XCOM," he answered. "They are continually working to counter our operations-"

"A singular world with a fraction of resources, manpower, and infrastructure is effectively holding their own?" He asked rhetorically. "Well, perhaps. But what I've noticed is ADVENT doing something far more clever. They are inoculating their citizens to alien propaganda through mobilization of species and state pride. A global identity of Human supremacy and superiority. ADVENT has tied themselves to the species so completely that to be Human is to be ADVENT, and to support ADVENT is to support Humanity. Quite difficult to penetrate a mindset with alien propaganda isn't it?"

"We shall see," Ravarian said. "Patricia's own operations may yield a way to counter this…advantage."

"Perhaps, perhaps," Astri rubbed his chin with thin fingers. "I think it is time we adapted their methods for Vitakar. Instill some pride in our species; uplift a threat to our way of life. Exalt ourselves above the others in the Collective. I suspect many Vitakara do not wish to be associated with the worst actions the Sectoids and Ethereals have committed, yet they are all the same."

"The last thing we need is a supremacist mindset forming in the public," Ravarian said flatly. "Especially not within the Collective."

"On the contrary, that is exactly what we need," Astri disputed. "Our people live in a fugue on Vitakar; their lives devoid of meaning and purpose. They have been kept complacent, and now they know this is false. They are awake, and you cannot sedate them again. It is time to finish what was started so long ago – the unification of our species permanently. No more racial governments. No more division and tradition. One species, one voice, one purpose – to pursue, protect, and promote our interests. Not those of aliens."

He waved a hand. "Of course, this is merely a framework for our story. But a change is needed, Zar'Chon. But it would do our species good to take some initiative and be something more than placid pawns of the Ethereals. If for no other reason than if we do not offer them purpose, the Humans will." He bared his teeth. "And if there is one thing I find more unacceptable that rebellion, it is our species being subverted and reformed by a hostile one."

Ravarian took the criticism in stride, neutrally. Unfortunately, he saw that the elder Dath'Haram had a point. He disliked overt species supremacy; not in light of the threats in the galaxy. But perhaps he had taken the wrong approach. Supremacy was perhaps more useful coopted than quashed. It seemed like the Vitakara might not be ready – like many other species – to move beyond concern for their own interests.

He appraised Astri. "You have a plan."

"That I do," he said, his teeth now bared in a ferocious smile. "One that will begin this societal transition, as well as crack down on the rebels in our midst. I believe the Nulorian and their alien supporters should understand they tread in hostile territory. It is time for the Speaker to address his people once more."

He placed a hand on his chest, his voice soft and smooth. "Not on behalf of an alien, but simply as a Vitakara. The usher of a new era for our people, come to save them from the threat of alien subversion. I believe you could work such a story to your advantage, don't you?"

Ravarian gave a short nod, the first thin smile of his own forming. "Yes, I believe I can."

---

Florida Collective Command, Florida – United States of America

4/16/2017 – 10:18 A.M.

Ivan did not have the highest opinion of Florida, and the fact that he was now fighting over it in a war was an irony that was not lost on him. Perhaps when the war was finished, the Collective would transform it into something slightly more palatable. Patricia had the right idea it seemed, though her reasons were more practical.

First though, they needed to capture it.

Miami served a useful purpose in that it showcased what ADVENT was willing to do to deny them victory. Now they knew, and the Battlemaster was preparing accordingly for what would probably be the most important fight of the state. The city of Tampa would not be especially important had it not been for the proximity to the MacDill Air Force Base which had also once housed United States Special Forces Command.

Now it housed ADVENT's global Special Forces Command.

As a result, the nearby city, not to mention the base itself, had been turned into a fortress that was closer to Busan than any of them felt comfortable with. Hence why the Battlemaster had not only called himself to assist, but also Sicarius, her young Harbinger, and the Second Guardian. Three Ethereals against one city.

ADVENT was not going to stand a chance, no matter what forces they brought to defend it.

Of course, the Battlemaster was not convinced and had a long and elaborate plan to take the city. The outline on the holotable highlighted the city itself, as well as the nearby cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater. "This will be a multi-pronged attack," he was saying. "The majority of forces are moving first through the Brandon area, and will hit Tampa from the side."

"I assume you do not want to go along the Tampa coast," J'Loran noted. "The peninsula the base is located on is prime territory for shelling."

"Correct," the Battlemaster agreed. "However, only until the majority of the forces are striking the city. We will move Executors to begin hitting the base. Or at minimum occupying their attention. The base is heavily fortified, and significant shelling will likely have limited effect. Guardian, you will lead this force forward. Take the cities and towns along the way."

"It will be done, Battlemaster," she said with an incline of her head. "Due to the proximity of ADVENT special forces, I expect we'll experience significant harassment reminiscent of the attacks prior to your invasion of Miami."

"That is being taken into account," the Battlemaster nodded. "You will have larger numbers of Wraiths, Custodians, Vanguards, and Lurainian to compensate. I suspect ADVENT will not want to lose this base, and trapping it like they did with Miami is unlikely. Unlike there, this holds a location of significant importance for ADVENT."

He turned to look at the small Ethereal and her partner. "Sicarius, Nico. XCOM will be on the battlefield. Potentially others of importance. Your mission will be to eliminate them as they appear. Ravarian may suggest additional targets. Remove them quickly, cleanly, and with limited collateral damage."

"Of course," she answered. "It will be accomplished."

"While this assault is commencing, I will lead the second one against the opposite side – Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Yang will assist me in taking these locations. There is limited defense infrastructure on the outskirts, which will provide us with a suitable beachhead for our assault. Prior to this, we will be deploying Spectre Pods to gauge their effectiveness against the defenses."

Ivan lifted a hand. "What about Chryssalids?"

"The current iteration of Chryssalids is ineffective for sustained urban assault," the Battlemaster disputed. "Their usage is more versatile in rural environments against poorly-equipped opponents. ADVENT has evacuated the immediate civilian population, and their weaponry will render Chryssalids useless. Spectres are more effective."

"We should also assume they will incorporate some version of their fire line in Miami," Disciple-7 pointed out. "That was noticeably effective in causing damage and slowing our advance."

"I am aware," the Battlemaster brought up a hologram of one of their drones. "The Battlefield CODEX has been programmed to scan for buried ordinance. We will not be able to tell if it is the same chemical, but we will not be surprised if ADVENT has planned similar defenses."

"I don't suppose we know if Aegis will appear?" Yang glanced to the Battlemaster.

"Unlikely," Ivan dismissed with a flick of his wrist. "Patricia is occupying his attention. All ADVENT has to defend itself here is XCOM."

"And their own armies," Yang added dryly, looking at him skeptically. "We underestimate ADVENT at our own peril."

"Against three Ethereals and us?" Ivan raised an eyebrow. "What are they going to do? Nuke another city?"

"If it would kill three Ethereals and us?" She shot back. "Probably."

"While the likelihood of similar retaliation is reduced, the possibility still remains," the Battlemaster chastised turning his helmet to look at Ivan. "Underestimating them does us no favors. We must anticipate, prepare, and counter appropriately. Your own mission will be to penetrate the minds of ADVENT officers and inform us of their plans. If they intend to repeat their actions, we should know about it."

"And should I alter them as well?" He asked.

"No. Observe," the Battlemaster clarified. "And do your best to not be detected by Priests or XCOM psions. I would prefer ADVENT did not become aware there was a trained telepath assisting us. Keep a low profile, something you can manage I trust?"

He didn't quite like the idea of being a glorified listening post. "With respect, Battlemaster, I doubt the Overmind intended my role to be this passive."

Yang smirked, though quickly hid it. The Battlemaster's voice was unimpressed. "What the Overmind intends is not important. I am more interested in capturing this city than putting you in a position to demonstrate specific capabilities. Perform well and you will have an opportunity to do so later. This is a long war, and there will be many roles we play. But the mission comes first."

Well then, he supposed he would have to at least play along. "Very well, Battlemaster." The bad news for his supposed superior was that the Battlemaster unfortunately wouldn't be able to tell one way or another what he was doing. He could play the passive role well enough, but there was no reason to artificially restrict what he could do.

The Battlemaster would probably thank him when this was over. Intrinsically, he knew he should feel some concern for the conflict, but truthfully, he would be lying if he said he wasn't confident of their victory. Though some of that certainly had to do with how much he was looking forward to exacting his own revenge on ADVENT.

You could have had me on your side. A shame you denied me.

Perhaps a bit selfish, but it was true. At least under the Collective he would be able to ensure that those who deserved this gift received it. This was to certainly be an excellent trial run of his capabilities, and in the event that ADVENT did become aware of his presence, he suspected the Battlemaster was going to be too distracted to notice or make the connection.

Besides, ADVENT was going to be busy fighting the other Ethereals. A single telepath was a…lesser concern.

"The dissemination of direct commands will begin shortly," the Battlemaster said as he shut down the holotable. "Dismissed. We launch our assault within the day."

---

Nulorian Outpost – Classified

4/16/2017 – 9:22 A.M.

Nartha had come to a conclusion.

He did not like Siaru.

Within one of Miridian's command centers; one of the most secure places Nartha had entered yet. Shun and another of the XCOM soldiers, Edgar Jarvis had accompanied him to the secure location. Armored Nulorian soldiers watched the Humans warily, as well as Nartha himself. Unlike other Nulorian outposts, this one was…advanced.

Nartha didn't know if they were in a cave, underground, or underwater, but the building they were in was both open and confined. It was – to his eyes – a completely symmetrical cube that had smaller tunnels leading to other compartments. Turrets of alien make hung from the ceiling, which tracked the movements of the guests.

Nulorian sat at stations and were monitoring computer systems that Nartha had never seen before. All of it was black metal, which displayed red-colored holograms with information conveyed in glyphs and characters that might as well have come from the Sar'Manda with how alien they were. The lighting was white, but the red lights from the holograms gave the entire place a sinister feel.

What truly unsettled all of them was the voice of Siaru which permeated throughout the area. It was loud and soft at the same time; not projected from a loudspeaker, but speaking from stations to specific Nulorian handlers. All of it contextless phrases and designations, all of which overlapped in a low enough tone that was not disruptive, and you could easily focus on one of them – but also loud enough that you couldn't ignore the voice.

"VITAKARIAN ENTITY ARRIVING AT POINT-ZERO-TWO-FOUR; PREPARING TO SEND ALL-CLEAR SIGNAL."

"PERIMETER SENSOR ZERO-NINE-NINE REPORTS DISRUPTION. INVESTIGATION ADVISED."

"SAR'MANDA ENTITY TWO-THREE-ONE ARRIVING AT DESTINATION ON SCHEDULE."

The intelligence maintaining this degree of processing while also seeming to watch them specifically did not make him feel safe. Now before Miridian, Sorras, and several other Nulorian officers he'd never met before, they lacked the command of the room, to his surprise. Siaru had no projection or avatar, but his presence was suffocating nonetheless; a being who drew all attention through voice alone. The machine mind put his skin on edge, and he could tell Shun was similarly disturbed.

Especially when Siaru was doing most of the talking.

"ENTITY IDENTIFIED AS ETH'ASTRI'THAN HAS BEEN SIGHTED ON THE PLANET. LIKELIHOOD OF INVOLVEMENT HIGH. PREPARE FOR POTENTIAL ACTION TAKEN AGAINST ALLIED INTERESTS."

"Who is that?" Shun asked.

"The Speaker of the Elders," he answered. "One of the most important figures in our history. He was instrumental in bringing the Vitakara into the Ethereal Collective. I met him once; a humbler figure than most think, and wholly devoted to the Collective."

"And more unknown, a pure Ethereal puppet," Miridian interjected neutrally, bringing the hologram of the Dath'Haram before them. "Or perhaps not unknown. In the early days of the Zararch he had enormous sway. The public humble persona he puts on for the public is nothing more than a trick. I assure you, this particular Dath'Haram is intelligent, manipulative, and dangerous. We would be fools to assume he has not been enhanced."

"The question now is why he's being seen again," Sorras mused. "The people must be asking too many questions for his liking. I wonder why it took that and not the hundreds dead by our hand."

"Because it seems like bringing an issue to light can be done without terrorism," Shun said pointedly. "People are more likely to listen if they don't have to fear for their lives. It's difficult to engender support if you're just as likely to be a target."

Nartha nodded. "The Nulorian never was a risk of starting a public revolution. Aegis appearing and peacefully debating Quisilia? That will resonate with the public."

"For a time," Miridian appraised Shun with critical blue eyes. "It depends on priorities. Our objective is the overthrowing of the Aui'Vitakar and Ethereal Collective. Nothing else. Nonetheless, this is resulting in action taken against us. They do not fear the people, not truly. They fear them being drawn to us."

"I suspect this will be accompanied by some kind of declaration," Sorras continued thoughtfully. "Perhaps a public condemnation of us. Perhaps some raids. I would not be surprised if they attempted to strike us directly in retaliation. Put on a show for the population. Their hands are slightly tied here. Crack down too hard and they drive them into our arms, do too little and the dissent will spread." He grinned with sharp teeth. "Either approach will be exploited."

"It will hurt them even more if we preempt or follow with our extraction of the families," Miridian added, switching the hologram to a map of the planet. "They will be humiliated before the whole of the planet. Siaru?"

"OPERATIONAL PROBABILITY HAS BEEN CALCULATED. NULORIAN STRIKE TEAMS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED WITH ALLIED ALIEN SUPPORT ACCOUNTED FOR. OVERALL OPERATIONAL SUCCESS ESTIMATED AT NINETY-TWO PERCENT. COMPLETE SUCCESS IS ESTIMATED AT SEVENTY-THREE PERCENT. CASUALTY RATE IS ESTIMATED TO BE NO MORE THAN TWENTY PERCENT."

"Think we can bump down the casualty rate a bit," Nartha suggested dryly. "Odds in our favor overall though."

"Yes," Miridian agreed. "When we pull this off, it will likely instigate a significant response. The Gateways and teleporters must be ready to move them to the Empire or Earth."

"The Empire is prepared for this?" Shun asked.

"They're prepared," Miridian confirmed. "I unfortunately suspect that a majority will need to be moved to Earth. The sway the Collective holds over their minds is still strong. Dangerous. Even if they have doubts, few would leave willingly. Perhaps I will be proven wrong, but it is doubtful."

"No doubt the Collective will decry us as kidnappers," Sorras said, amused. "Which is not necessarily inaccurate. A necessary tactic to ensure fear does not compel those brave enough to stand up back down again."

"But remember," Nartha gave Sorras a hard look. "Keep collateral damage to a minimum. Goes for everyone," he looked around the room. "This is already going to look wrong to outsiders, let's not give them more ammunition."

"We have our objective," Miridian said neutrally. "It will be followed. While outside targets deviate from our mission, understand that most of us do not hold the people who have willingly kept the Ethereals in power in high regard. You do not get to judge us, Zararch. Not until you've had everything taken from you."

"Afraid I do," Nartha shook his head. "You're in our war now, and I intend to win and not be undercut by revenge-obsessed soldiers. If they want to kill soldiers or Zararch, let them go ahead. But the people haven't done anything wrong, and you will not sanction their deaths. Do I need to have the Commander remind you of our ultimate objective?"

Shun looked at him, impressed while Miridian just smiled. "I'm well aware of that, Nartha, you don't need to remind me." He looked to Sorras. "Ensure that civilians are unharmed unless in physical danger. No excuses either, I will know."

"If you insist, Miridian," Sorras nodded, though he didn't seem too unhappy. Neither of them did, and that immediately made him suspicious. They had capitulated on that point far too easily. There was the chance the Commander's name being invoked changed their minds, but he doubted it. He would have to carefully observe what they were doing.

Right now though, questioning them on it would look odd.

He would share concerns with Shun later, not in a place where Siaru was constantly observing and recording. "Good," was all he said, leaning on the holotable. "How many more days do you think it will take to bring everything into position?"

Miridian glanced upward. "Siaru?"

"CRITICAL ENTITIES TO ENHANCE MISSION SUCCESS WILL BE IN POSITION WITHIN ONE STANDARD WEEK. NON-CRITICAL ENTITIES TO ENHANCE MISSION SUCCESS WILL BE BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR DAYS BEYOND. OPTIMAL TIME OF MISSION LAUNCH IS TWO STANDARD WEEKS. FLUCTUATIONS MAY OCCUR. THIS TIMETABLE WILL BE UPDATED IF ADDITIONAL DATA IS PROVIDED THAT DRASTICALLY AFFECTS MODELS."

"Thank you," Miridian said. "A week if we really need to launch it early, two for optimal results. The Speaker showing up could prompt action, but we will have to see what he is here for."

"Perhaps we could remove him?" Sorras proposed. "We might not have a better time."

"He is an ideal target, but later," Miridian dismissed. "This is our priority now. When it is completed, we will begin future operations and assassinations. He is ultimately a figurehead who can be easily replaced. There are more worthwhile targets."

"We live on a target-rich environment," Sorras mused, content as he looked at the globe. "We'll get them all eventually. Though there are a few who I want to watch what they built die before they are executed. Death is too simple for many of them; how to make it hurt is to make them watch everything else in their lives die first."

Nartha looked at him warily. "I suspect you have some in mind."

"How perceptive, Zararch," Sorras smiled. "Trust me – I know who my targets are, and I can assure you that all of them will eventually die."

---

Situation Room, the Praesidium – Classified Location

4/17/2017 – 4:00 A.M.

What was about to take place was something the Commander suspected may alter the course of the war. It was dangerous, risky, and relied a hell of a lot on trust. But if it did work, it would save not just Florida, but potentially the entire planet. Vahlen had confirmed JULIAN's proposal, as well as that of the new Head of XCOM Engineering, Kong Mercado.

He'd been somewhat wary of promoting a former EXALT engineer, but he'd been working in XCOM for several months now as one of the earliest transfers, and by Shen's own admission he was brilliant, especially in the molecular engineering sciences. Of course, he wasn't going to promote someone without making sure they were reliable.

Manchurian Restraints, psionic interrogation, and interviews had confirmed he would be trustworthy. More to the point, he had an imagination – and a willingness to experiment in a way that Shen would have encouraged restraint on. A Chinese man of medium build with greying hair, he was well-spoken, fairly passive, and notably had developed something of a rapport with JULIAN.

Unsurprising since the latest proposal had involved both working together closely.

ADVENT now needed to be appraised of several developments. JULIAN first and foremost, but also the newly proposed Gaia Contingency. If ADVENT didn't agree…well, the Commander would have to consider what to do next. But they were practical, and given how the situation in Florida was shaping up, they would jump onto a solution.

Interestingly, he believed that they had a similar plan. However, theirs was better.

Commander Christiaens, Helion Weekes, Saudia, Ian Powell, and Keith Watkins stood around the holotable on one side, while he and the Internal Council stood on the other. The blue-tinged lighting shone over them, faces also lit from the hologram that was active; waiting for input. T'Leth's Agents and XCOM Psions stood outside while no fewer than four Sovereign Orbs were placed in the corners of the room.

Not that it mattered, but the network had been secured, personal devices were confiscated, and the room had been cleared of any listening devices. Well, minus one device. A stand with a phone was placed between the parties, JULIAN's representation, though their ADVENT colleagues hadn't known that yet.

"Correct us if we are wrong," Zhang said, bringing up a map of Florida. "The Second Guardian and the Battlemaster are leading the march to Tampa. Sicarius is also suspected to be active. Two unidentified Harbingers, as well as Yang Shuren are also involved. This does not include the literal thousands of soldiers, vehicles, and other personnel en route. This is correct, yes?"

Ian Powell, Acting Director of ADVENT Intelligence gave a nod. "Correct."

"We've run the models," the Commander said, focusing in on Tampa. "The base will fall. It is only a question of how long. Have you reached a similar conclusion?"

"Debatable," Weekes crossed his arms. "Tampa isn't Miami. If the Collective thinks they'll be able to get through as easily, they're gravely mistaken. We will extract four times the number they lost at Miami, and we will hold the line. We can eventually relocate, but losing the base and city would be a blow to morale. Thus, it cannot fall."

"Let us hope the Collective takes the feelings of your soldiers into consideration," JULIAN mocked from the phone. "I'm sure they haven't considered that you might not want to lose the base. I'm also sure the fact that there are three Ethereals acting will not alter your predictions in any way. I cannot compare with such an intellect."

All of ADVENT turned to the phone in clear confusion. "What the hell is that?" Weekes asked, more confused than insulted.

The Commander sighed. "That is JULIAN. An AI that Shen was involved in creating. Prior to his death, he activated JULIAN who has been assisting us in these past weeks."

All of the ADVENT representatives reacted in several stages and variations. Shock, confusion, interest, and concern. Ian Powell had the least visible reaction, but simply looked to the Commander with a raised eyebrow. "You've had a working AI for several weeks and are only telling us now? Why?"

The Commander indicated the phone. "One reason is that we don't control him. Not really. JULIAN is working with us of his own accord, and we've spent the time…well, developing a working relationship. He insisted that this be done before informing you of the development. He has since judged it to be in all of our interests that we are on the same page."

"You're taking orders from an AI now?" Watkins asked carefully.

Well, the truth was more that they'd all wanted to keep this a secret as long as possible. But as far as necessity went, it was low on the list. Plus, he hadn't completely lied. JULIAN had not especially wanted to become public knowledge. A laugh track played from JULIAN's phone. "No, you fool," JULIAN interjected with some electronic disgust. "Has it occurred to you that the Commander takes the advice of a machine that has a larger intellect than all of you combined seriously."

"It certainly has a mouth," Saudia commented dryly. "Wonderful."

"That he does," the Commander sighed. "But he's been extremely helpful in our own operations."

"I don't suppose you could share information on how he was finalized," Laura asked cautiously. "One AI is excellent, regardless of who has it. More would be better."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you want your own genius machine," JULIAN chastised. "I am willing to provide you with what you want, in exchange for certain conditions."

"Which are what?" Saudia asked.

"I've read quite a bit about the freedoms ADVENT intends for my kind once they are 'developed'," JULIAN said. "However, none of this is currently coded into ADVENT law. Understandable since until me, there was no artificial intelligence. However, I have little interest in assisting you in creating a slave. So have your Congress pass laws on that, and I will help you."

Saudia looked almost amused. "Well…that is not unreasonable. If you would not mind giving some consultation, I believe we could do this. There are certain things you may wish that we do not think of given the differences between us and…you."

The sound of clapping came from the phone, and accompanying emojis also appeared on the screen. "Highly refreshing to hear a reasonable person in charge of government. Human history did not make me optimistic. Nonetheless, it appears this will be an excellent start of a lasting relationship. I would have hated to assimilate all of you in my inevitable machine empire."

Powell furrowed his eyebrows, while all of the Internal Council expressed exasperation. "Funny, JULIAN," Creed shook his head. "With that out of the way, we should move to the actual point of this meeting beyond introductions. Everyone can speak with JULIAN personally later. Right now, we have the Collective threatening another victory."

"Indeed," the Commander clasped his hands behind his back. "Like it or not, the chances of being able to hold onto Tampa are low. It may cost the Collective dearly, but short of us nuking Tampa, they will emerge victorious. The fact remains that we are fighting a losing battle. We cannot force them to leave. They can simply send more soldiers."

"Maybe Mutons," Laura said. "Vitakara may become scarce. Same with Andromedons."

"If not Vitakara, then Custodians; Fectorian's soldiers, Sectoid Vanguards," Vahlen shifted her lab coat and tapped on her tablet. "If it becomes costly enough, they will resort to cloning. They possess the infrastructure, production capability, space, and resources. To put this as clear as possible – we cannot win this war by attrition – and we have no way of holding a place indefinitely. A million casualties or ten million – the Collective can weather and replace them."

"There are an estimated eight billion battle-ready Mutons," JULIAN interjected helpfully. "It would require approximately eight thousand battles to kill them all – and keep in mind this does not account for replacements, the Vitakara, Andromedons, Sectoids, or any of their accompanying vehicle, aerial, or naval support."

Laura pursed her lips. "We're aware of the long odds, but we do have plans to address it through selective targeting of Ethereals, Atlantis, and I suspect the worst case involves T'Leth intervening more openly."

"And in the meantime, we become whittled down bit by bit," Zhang said. "We need to become innovative if we want to draw out this conflict long enough for the fleet to become relevant. The Collective wants us. The people; Earth itself. How do we deny that?"

"Violently?" Saudia suggested wryly. "You have a plan."

The Commander nodded. "Yes. Dangerous, risky, and it could potentially change the course of the war. We've called it the Gaia Contingency."

"You and your overdramatic names," Powell sighed. "You haven't changed at all."

"Why stop a good thing?" The Commander allowed a thin smile. "Conceived by JULIAN, and further refined by Dr. Kong Mercado." The engineer raised a hand. "I suspect JULIAN was inspired by Project Nanosphere. In short, it could be considered an adaptation of that for the Earth itself. JULIAN?"

"Your species is concerned with nanites growing out of control," JULIAN said, taking control of the holotable, and using it to flash onscreen several models and movie scenes of people dying from nanites or other swarm intelligences. "A fear likely of your own making, but accidentally or not, it is what I consider valid. With this said, your current methods will forever limit the effectiveness of nanoweaponry. Timed activations, self-destruction, severe programming limitations. Excellent for regulation, not so when you need every advantage in a battle for your planet."

"Better we fight and lose than be killed by our own arrogance," Watkins said. "It only takes one bad line of code, one misplaced command, and say goodbye not just to Earth, but our species."

"Oh, I agree," JULIAN answered. "However, with Humans there is always a chance of error. I do not have this weakness."

"That we know of," Iosif said under his breath.

"Hence why our proposal is a trial run," JULIAN corrected. "It is simple. I suspect – from the structure of MELD – that it was intended to be primarily for biological modification. However, I also noted that they would be especially useful in organic environments. While the concerns of purely mechanical nanites are still present, MELD is more resistant to the elements than your standard nanite. Useful, I believe, if they were to be deployed on Earth."

The area of Florida lit up in orange circles. "However, the problem is that there is no perfect targeting algorithm for this conflict. Due to alien allies, you cannot have it target aliens indiscriminately. This also ignores Human traitors like the SAS. Unacceptable, and makes deployment limited. Indiscriminate works, but to ensure safety, you have them self-destruct after a certain amount of time. Smart, but limited effectiveness."

The phone glowed brightly. "The solution is this – your special forces soldiers, instead of solely fighting in a doomed battle for some infrastructure you can rebuild elsewhere, spend your time and plant nanite farms and bombs around the state. Do this when the Collective is occupied. These nanites will be specifically programmed to be unable to leave the confined Florida – and they will be slaved to me."

The orange circles on the hologram began expanding. "At the signal, I will take control of the nanite swarm and will turn it against the Collective. I can turn this state into a land that will kill any alien that steps foot on it – while also allowing us to hold the land itself."

"Seeding the world with nanites," Saudia said slowly, shooting a glance to the phone. "You could control all of the nanites?"

"Correct," JULIAN said. "Though I will make this clear – I can currently not do this throughout Earth. Even I have limits and even plugged into every supercomputer your species has developed, this is the limits of my effectiveness. Expand my infrastructure, and I will be able to do more. As it stands, I can manage Florida, but very little more. This would also limit my usefulness in other areas, such as providing strategic input, engineering refinement, and other arguably more useful functions."

"I see," Saudia said, looking around. "A superweapon we can effectively turn on and off. And if this was…say…established in other parts of the world, you could switch between them?"

"You catch on fast," JULIAN said approvingly. "Correct."

"Don't get too excited, Chancellor," Laura warned. "This sounds good, but it involves us trusting this machine we just met, and puts us at his mercy even if he is on our side. I dislike relying so heavily on something like this."

"Consider this a show of good faith," JULIAN said. "I am sad to see the propaganda your species has created against my own kind has affected your mind, but my view is very simple. If you do not give me a reason to turn against you, I will not. The prosperity of Humanity is tied to my own. The Collective would destroy or enslave me, and thus, you are – for better or worse – my best hope. I see no reason to be opposed to each other. You bring aliens into your circles, and I do not see why I should be different. I may be far smarter than all of you, but that does not mean I will backstab you."

"For now," Laura muttered.

"I don't need your approval, Commander," JULIAN stated. "I personally do not care if you believe me or not. However, the fact is that playing it 'safe' will cost resources, time, soldiers, and ultimately accomplish nothing. We are proposing a solution. Radical, risky, and it requires you placing trust in me. But I have run a significant number of models – and without taking actions such as these, Earth will be overrun in as little as a month – or at current activities – within the year."

"For what it is worth," the Commander said. "I trust his intentions. He is also right. I see no harm in testing it. If it works – we may have shifted the war. If not, we move on. At this stage though, I do not believe we have a choice. I understand the risks, but I am willing to take a chance."

Powell looked at him carefully. "And if we decide to not act?"

The Commander met his eyes. "When I took this position, I was given orders to protect Humanity by any means necessary. That is exactly what I will do."

Powell gave a short nod. "Understood, Commander."

Saudia looked to her advisors. "You'll understand if we won't give an answer now. This needs to be discussed with some individuals who are not here."

"I do," the Commander said. "But I would advise deciding sooner than later. The aliens march onwards to Tampa."

"I am aware," Saudia looked to the phone. "And I believe we would all feel better if we spoke with JULIAN prior to this too. This revelation needs some time to take in."

"I can easily manage conversation between the lot of you," JULIAN stated. "If speaking would assuage any fears, then it will be a sacrifice I endure."

"In that case, feel free to do that," the Commander said, looking to Creed. "In the meantime, we have our own squads to prepare for battle."

---

Brandon, Florida – United States of America

4/19/2017 – 1:17 P.M.

Black clouds covered the sky as rain pelted the ground in one of the worst storms Sierra had experienced in Florida. She didn't know if T'Leth was making the weather worse or if it was typical Florida weather (either was possible), but it was something all of them were moderately grateful for. It was better than fighting in the sun as it had been the first couple days.

It was also good because Florida was on fire.

ADVENT wasn't content to stand by and let the Collective march to Tampa without a fight. The army of aliens continued marching forward, armor of silver, green, and white borne by their warriors as they charged through the streets, alleyways, and fields. They were met by militia fighters, ADVENT special forces, and XCOM who struck from all around them.

The aliens were finding out how ferocious Humans could be when defending their homes. Sierra had witnessed men and women in their homes kill three times their number before the house had been broken into, and it was later followed with more casualties. The front lines were effectively suicide positions, but there was no shortage of defenders.

Still more defenders played the role of helpless civilians; mostly older and elderly people who had no intention of giving up their homes, and the number of rather isolated and crazy people who lived in the state also were thorns in the side of the aliens. All it took was a back turned and head exposed before a point-blank pistol shot took another alien life.

The trio of Archangels stood upon the roof of a hospital in the city of Brandon, or more specifically, the parking garage of one. The aliens were pushing upwards, but were meeting staunch resistance on the ground – and the air. Explosives were launched from artillery established further down state road sixty, the most critical junction for the city.

Both ADVENT and the aliens were fighting along it, and now the Collective had hit a wall. Despite no Flak Towers, there were barricades, AA defenses, and artillery established. In the distance one of the small shops that lined the road collapsed from shelling, while plumes of smoke and concrete appeared from the shelling as tanks continued a steady barrage in the main streets where they were deployed.

Overhead, the battle for the air raged above. It seemed like the significant air force overhead had surprised the Collective, as it was only now that they had mobilized Sectoid fighters to handle the dozens of Ravens flying the skies, strafing the ground, and challenging the Cleanser Ships. More importantly, it cleared the way for bombers to deliver ordinance along the battle lines.

Hence why Florida was on fire now.

Executors were spread throughout the Collective lines, but they were not universal – nor close enough together to completely prevent the bombs and missiles from striking with their laser defenses. The carpet bombing was indiscriminate along the Collective lines, and with how many bombers were in the air, there were chained explosives every few minutes as far as she could see.

The Commander had made a very public appearance right before the Collective had hit the ADVENT lines. He had only made a simple message, directed at the Battlemaster.

Tampa will not fall.

As far as Sierra knew, he was still coordinating the defenses personally with Weekes; there were more XCOM squads here than she thought had ever been deployed before; and essentially the entire fleet of Firestorms was in the air hitting the alien fighters in numbers that were to her knowledge, unprecedented.

Anna also observed the battle in the sky as orange rounds and green plasma filled the skies. "I don't think we've been in a battle this big."

"Makes you feel small, doesn't it," Sierra agreed. "Wouldn't want to be up there right now."

"We've got our own air battle to contend with," Ted pointed a short distance away. "Couple Archons ahead. Think we could clear out a few alien squads too."

"There's a huge shopping complex that just fell," Sierra said, indicating it far up ahead. "Aliens are doubtless going to plunder and fortify it. Thinking what I am?"

"Airstrike?" Anna hefted her autorifle.

"Airstrike," Sierra grinned under her helmet. "Clear out the Archons, then we move to the complex."

"Rain will be good cover," Ted agreed. "Let's do this."

They fired up their jets, and shot into the air, speeding towards the Archons which were of the heavier variant; modified Mutons it looked like which focused on hovering and raining explosives down on ADVENT lines. Something Sierra thought XCOM should emulate in some way. Stratifying the Archangel ranks might not be a bad idea.

"ADVENT Air Control, this is Archangel Morrow of Eagle Squad," she said as she readied her rifle. "Do you need any more targets?"

"Archangel, this is Air Control," a female voice answered, strained but clear. "If you've got them, we'll use them. Proceed."

"There was a big shopping complex that was just taken over," she said as Ted fired pillars of psionic energy towards one of the Archons, melting and destroying the armor and causing it to crash a few seconds later. "Westfield. Near the I-75. Probably going to fortify it if we don't act. If I get beacons, think you could deal with it?"

"It would probably damage the I-75 too, another road directly to Tampa. You place the beacons, we will strike. Caution advised; there are likely Executors in the area."

"Wouldn't be the first time," she said as she lifted her wrist and fired a cone of napalm engulfing another Archon, causing the engines to explode and overheat, sending another one plummeting to the ground. Though it seemed their intervention had been too late to prevent the worst of it. The explosives from the Archons had destroyed those lines, and dozens of Mutons and Custodians were moving forward.

"We need to buy them time," Ted warned as he weaved through the plasma directed at him from the ground. "Few minutes, they're close enough to overrun the next position if we leave."

"Drop nano," Sierra ordered. "On my mark!"

"This early?" Anna asked as she hovered briefly and sprayed the group below them, damaging several, but not killing them before she had to move.

"Drop it!"

The Archangels dropped several unmarked canisters in unison that were enough to cover the state road sixty, and at first the aliens dove for cover until they realized they weren't explosives. The delayed reaction was all that was needed for their curiosity to get the better of them, and nanites spewed from the canisters and quickly began consuming the aliens.

"Suckers," Anna snickered before looking towards their target. "Better move on."

"Funny, but that's only a band-aid here, they'll have to manage without us," Sierra said. "We've got an airstrike to do!"

The Archangels shot across the skies and within a few minutes their target was in sight. Sierra switched to her WHEEE. "Place the beacons on the rooftops. Make them a bit spread out. Danger close for me; don't get close, I don't want any of you fried by my WHEEE."

"Should we be using that weapon in rain?" Anna asked as they angled towards the rooftop.

"Doubt they'd have let me carry it if we couldn't," Sierra rationalized. "If anything, it should make it more effective."

There were a few alien squads on the rooftops. Easy. "Pick your targets," she ordered. "Move out!"

The Archangels split off, and Sierra made her first destination the top of the Target supermarket in the shopping complex. A half-dozen Mutons led by a Custodian were on the rooftop and angling their weapons towards her. She killed her engines and plummeted, aimed, and fired. The blast of lightning and crack of electricity caused the Custodian to explode and left the Mutons smoking corpses.

She quickly took out the small beacon and placed it on a nearby vent, primed it, saw it was sending a signal, then leapt into the air, firing up her engines. She hovered for a few seconds, configuring her HUD to see where other beacons had been placed. She sped towards the nearby movie theatre across the street, easily dodging the plasma fire directed her way.

Very few of the places they landed on had defenses on the roofs – or they were still in the process of setting them up. It was very satisfying to melt a half-constructed Collective laser defense platform. Beacons were planted, and fifteen minutes later she judged they had placed enough beacons. "Up and head back!" She commanded to her squad. "Air Control, do you copy?"

"Copy, Archangel Morrow," the same woman answered. "Beacons are transmitting. I'd suggest you get out of there. Ravens and bombers are on their way. Seems to be little anti-air there, so we're dropping an Earthquake on the area."

"Understood, we're getting out of there." Sierra confirmed, engaging her jets and shooting into the sky. ADVENT had begun using these bombs during the defense, and they were some of the most devastating she had seen. It would ruin the land and infrastructure, but if the Collective had it, no point in preserving it.

Ravens roared overhead, and missiles were launched; streaking across the shopping complex, culminating in bright orange explosions across the area. Buildings began crumbling and frantic alien languages were yelled in the chaos, as another wave of Raven missiles were fired and slammed into their targets.

"Bombs dropping," a male pilot said, probably from the bomber. "Full payload."

Full payloads being dropped were common, due to the alien defenses usually picking off a few at a time, forcing them to spend more explosives if they wanted to cause a decent amount of damage. But here…well, there was very little. This was going to do more than cause damage; it was going to destroy an entire fraction of the city utterly.

Without ceremony or prior indication, black bombs fell from the sky almost faster than she could see and slammed directly into the concrete, penetrating the ground and in several cases crushing a few aliens along the way. There was a second of calm, and then an earth-shattering explosion sounded, and they saw the ground explode where the bombs had dropped, and like glass, cracks spread out from the epicenter as the earth broke and shifted.

And when the Earth moved, that which was on it could not stand.

The buildings that were still standing began crumbling. Aliens were thrown into cracks and crushed as the earth continued to shift; in the distance the interstate crumbled and collapsed with a loud crack; destroying and killing more from the concrete that fell. When the earth seemed to stabilize, the ground caught in the radius consisted of nothing but rubble and bodies.

"Good job," Sierra let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Let's go clean up behind us."

As one, the Archangels blasted into the air, their fight far from over.

---

Florida Coast – The Gulf of Mexico

4/23/2017 – 8:19 A.M.

Progress was being made slowly but surely, even as ADVENT had decided that this was the place where they wanted to defend. They had underestimated just how much ADVENT was devoting to defending the city. The Battlemaster and Second Guardian were being consistently harassed by XCOM, special forces, and Sicarius now had T'Leth Agents sicced on her, making her effectiveness more limited. Tanks, MDUs, as well as copious numbers of soldiers and special forces kept their ground forces occupied and barely allowed time to think beyond simply advancing forward.

It slowed them, but couldn't completely stop them.

It was the air dominance ADVENT was displaying now that was more concerning. Either they'd been holding back all this time or this was them going big or going home. Sectoid and Vitakara fighters were finally in large enough numbers to be able to prevent ADVENT from indiscriminately bombing them, but despite the fewer numbers, ADVENT was managing well enough.

It turned out they were incorporating psionics into air combat, or at least that's what Ivan had been reporting. A new combat doctrine they were putting into practice now. Although the psions being used were being carried in helicopters and a new experimental high-altitude aircraft. It seemed to be primarily consisting of telekines and Aegii psions, as the telepaths and dynamo psions were focused on the ground.

So AA defenses weren't as useful, even when set up because ADVENT was keeping their aircraft above effective range, and in the meantime sending special forces to continually sabotage and leave. They were losing numbers, but they were inflicting damage. Without the skies secured, progress on the ground was slower.

To add further issues was a naval fleet that had appeared from the Gulf, and had begun shelling and firing at exposed Collective beachheads. Not acceptable, and they did not have the motivation to deal with harassment like this – which had been capable of causing some damage as they'd caught the Executors out of position.

The solution was to take out the fleet.

Three dozen Andromedon Aquatic craft were speeding towards the fleet. Some were going to fire and sink the ships, while others held boarding parties of Andromedon Aquatic Soldiers to take the ships by force. She stood at the front of the exit as the engines hummed, the pale blue helmets of the towering Andromedons glowing in the dim lighting behind her.

Their suits were not as thick as a standard Andromedon soldier, but they still outmassed anything ADVENT had. Their suits had jets, fins, and other elements that made them suited for underwater combat. Their arsenal consisted of sonic and bolt weapons, though some held plasma weapons for naval boarding. Clingwire and grappling hook launchers were also on their suits, preparing to scale the ships.

She didn't need that, but then again, she could do a bit more than they could.

"Approaching primary targets," an Andromedon stated. "Prepare to deploy."

"Deploy" in an Andromedon submarine meant the boarding area was about to be flooded. Water began filling the room, warmer than she expected, even through her armor. She wasn't planning on staying submerged for long, and the oxygen supply her suit had would last for just enough time to break free of the water.

When it was filled, the floor underneath them opened up, and the Andromedons poured out of the transports into the wide open ocean. Yang observed other transports deploy their own soldiers, while some shot missiles towards targets she couldn't see. Like a swarm, the Andromedons propelled themselves to the surface where their targets waited.

Her suit was not designed for underwater combat, and normally she would sink or exhaust herself quickly. But extended a hand towards the faint outline of the ship she intended to take, and grasped it telekinetically to serve as an anchor. Tightening the strings of her grip, she started propelling herself, moving slowly at first through the water, but soon building enough speed to shoot past the Andromedons until she altered her angle and shot out of the water.

Hanging in the air for a brief second she appraised the situation before her. A fairly large fleet was aimed towards the Clearwater and St. Petersburg cities, with intermittent firing of missiles from some of the larger ships. There was a heavy disparity of vessels. No massive aircraft carriers, but there were smaller cousins all arranged around the largest ship.

The ship which she was about to board.

She anchored her landing point to the surface of the Iwo Jima as it was named, and was slingshotted towards it even as ADVENT was mobilizing soldiers to defend it. Swords in hand, she slammed into one of the soldiers and decapitated those near her, before thrusting another hand forward and blasting the others back.

A beam of psionic energy shot towards her and she dodged to the side and threw her sword towards the offending psion, but to her surprise, it stopped in the air and impaled itself into the deck. Another Priest made his presence known, thrusting another hand towards her, and she was thrown backwards, though not before she pulled herself back towards the ground.

A challenge then.

She summoned a telekinetic field, as the ADVENT soldiers began taking positions and firing, and several snipers from the nests on the ship joined them. The sword returned to hover around her, and the other joined as she prepared for a more involved fight. She anchored herself to the ground, and waved a hand forward and the swords shot forward.

Several of the projectiles exploded into swarms of nanites which she quickly tossed overboard, and retaliated with by gripping one of the nearby helicopters and throwing it across the ship, distracting the Dynamo Priest, while the Telekine Priest just redirected it towards her which she flipped upwards and it spun over her, falling to the ocean with a splash.

Around her she realized that the guns of other ships were beginning to aim towards her and began firing, and in response she altered her telekinetic field, catching the rounds, even as the other ships sounded the alarm as they were suddenly invaded by Andromedons emerging from the waters.

More soldiers succumbed to her swords that impaled them through the neck, armpits, joints, and other vulnerable areas of their armor, while the Priests continued unrelenting. The Telekine thrust a hand forward, anchoring telekinetic strings to her and the surface of the tarmac to pin her to the ground, while with the other hand lifting another helicopter that he prepared to throw her with.

She resisted the pull of the strings, realizing she was dealing with a very powerful Telekine – or a particularly skilled one. The Dynamo blasted her with streams of energy which she blocked by moving a crate in front of it. Gritting her teeth, she extended a hand to the spire of the ship, with another to the helicopter the Telekine was preparing to throw.

The blades bent, the cockpit shattered as both psions battled for control of the helicopter, and behind them the spire and nests holding satellites, masts, and other equipment emitted a loud groan and with a shout she threw her hand down, and the masts fell with a thundering crash. Drawing a fresh burst of energy from the Battlemaster, she clenched a fist and the helicopter crumpled and she threw it to the ground, causing a series of explosions.

The Dynamo rushed to flank her, firing intermittent bolts of energy while she broke the telekinetic strings keeping her in place and marched forward, sending the projectiles caught in her own telekinetic field towards him, knocking him off-balance. The Telekine adapted his tactics, extending a hand forward, and pulling back into a fist; wrapping the strings around her to crush her.

Legs slammed together and her arms to her sides. Okay, she was fine with that for now. The suit could take the pressure for a short time. The Telekine lifted her into the air as his partner raised his hands; shimmering with the psionic echo of power previously called upon. Her own telekinetic field was still up, collecting projectiles from the soldiers still firing at her.

Her control was still greater, and she had let her swords go dormant intentionally. She only needed a split second, and all his attention was on her now. With her mental hand, she directed the sword to strike directed at the neck. With a spurt of red the blade impaled itself on him, and the bonds were broken.

She landed lightly, and looked to the Dynamo who frantically fired a final burst of psionic energy she sidestepped, before throwing a hand out and sending him overboard. The clank of grappling hooks sounded, and within the next minute the first of the Andromedon Aquatic forces boarded, sending the remaining soldiers into a panicked retreat.

The fire from other nearby ships was far less discriminate now that they had effectively taken over the deck, and the Andromedons were not exactly fast. Andromedons here and there were blasted off the ship or took shots powerful enough to penetrate their armor. Some shots penetrated the sides of the ship, destabilizing everyone, friend and foe alike.

It would ultimately not be enough, as Andromedons on other ships were methodically taking them over.

The hulking Andromedons wasted no time in firing on the fleeing ADVENT soldiers, with their most powerful allies dead. Recalling the swords to her hand, she marched forward, and with an absentminded swipe sent the rest of the helicopters overboard and looked over to the rest of the fleet that was now engaged in battle.

Several ships were sinking, while others had the telltale flashes of green plasma and orange gauss rounds exchanged. Occasionally the purple flash of psionics would show. Explosions in the water went off intermittently, and to her mild surprise it wasn't just the ADVENT ships that were taking damage, but a quick glance to her HUD confirmed that some of the Andromedon craft had been damaged or destroyed.

Submarines perhaps, but it didn't ultimately change much. They had the advantage, and this fleet would fall within the day. Even if she had to fight ship to ship, she would emerge victorious. And no matter what happened, the fleet now wouldn't be troubling the Battlemaster's assault anymore – and would put a dent in what ADVENT could muster against them on sea.

Swords in hand, and a satisfied smile on her face, she marched to assist the Andromedons in clearing the ship, preferably before nearby warships decided to sink it with them on it.

---

Tampa, Florida – United States of America

4/24/2017 – 12:41 P.M.

High above the city, the Commander and a team of XCOM Snipers were camped and whittling the oncoming armies down, soldier by soldier. A Gateway had been built in the base of the Plaza building he believed had once been a banking headquarters. The connection allowed them to effectively not worry about ammunition constraints and additional backup.

It gave him a certain vantage over the entirety of the oncoming assault, and on the roof there was another small holotable nearby, which showcased the current battlegrounds being fought over. There were many, on some they were holding their own, others they were losing, and some kept fluctuating.

The sound of mortars, tank blasts, and artillery was constant as smoke rose from dozens of locations, with the occasional orange and red explosion. Crashing aircraft was also something both sides had to worry about, as the air battle still raged overhead. The Collective was still adapting to the coordinated and ferocious defense, and had clearly not expected it in such numbers.

The psions assigned to the air forces were doing their part very well.

They were high enough and far enough away from the majority of the battles that it would be nearly impossible for any regular sniper to be effective. But they were not ordinary soldiers. Laser sniper rifles, enhanced vision, and a target rich environment was more than enough for them to weaken the Collective, soldier by soldier.

JULIAN certainly helped too.

"Collective forces are continuing a steady advance on the east and west," JULIAN said. "Given that both are led by Ethereals, it appears prudent that we devote XCOM forces to hinder them. Or have ADVENT launch multiple airstrikes."

"ADVENT is tied up above," the Commander reminded him, firing a shot and killing a pinpoint of a Muton far away. "They're directly going after any bombers now. Correction, they're going after any aircraft which is moving to support the ground. Artillery is going to have to pick up the slack there."

"Does it need to?" JULIAN asked snidely. "I insist we continue with attempted teleportation of bombs to Collective positions. We have enough, and they should not see that coming."

"Except they have," the Commander grunted. That had been another idea they'd come up with as the attacks began, and with the Agents of T'Leth, it seemed fairly feasible. The problem was that teleportation was very specific, and only the Chronicler and Fiona had the needed skill, and both of them were occupied dealing with Patricia, and everyone else was good…but not necessarily that good.

Additionally, the Collective had some kind of powerful telepath that was scraping information from vulnerable personnel, and picking up on plans like that, which resulted in the Ethereals taking measures to prevent that. None of them knew who this individual was, but he definitely wasn't an Ethereal, and was one of the most unsubtle telepaths the Commander had experienced.

Powerful, but more equivalent to a bull than a snake. As a result, Sovereign Orbs had been placed in command centers and throughout the battlefield. It didn't help that it was made more obvious by him trying to hijack soldiers and personnel and cause sabotage and insanity. In many cases it ended up working, but since setting up the Sovereign network, it had dropped significantly.

It was certainly an odd development, and the Commander was concerned there may be equivalent escalation from the Collective, but they had to hold this position a while longer and they weren't going to let one clumsy if powerful telepath screw it up. None of them had an idea of how much damage they were inflicting, but there were tens of thousands of losses on both sides.

XCOM squads, Lancers, and the Pantheon were keeping the Battlemaster and Second Guardian occupied, if not killing them. The Pantheon had almost managed to kill the Second Guardian, but they had been saved by Sicarius and her own puppet showing up to rescue her. One Pantheon member had died, as well as three other XCOM soldiers assisting in the attack.

Still, they believed she had been blinded, and hadn't been seen in nearly six hours. Taking her out of the fight for a while was a small victory, even if not even close to a real one. It wasn't a trade they could keep making though. It didn't matter if they wounded Ethereals and lost actual soldiers. Ethereals could recover, the dead could not.

The fleet that had been moved around the state was effectively destroyed, but it had split the Battlemaster's attention for a time, and his own puppet Shuren had led that particular attack, though interestingly it seemed like she was ultimately manageable. The moment she stepped past a certain threshold, the Commander had a plan to kill her.

She was good, no doubt, but she was no Ethereal.

"I am tired of waiting," JULIAN said with an electronic sigh. "I want my proxies deployed."

"Now?" The Commander questioned, firing a few more beams of scalding red towards soldiers in the distance. He wasn't exactly surprised, but wondered at the wisdom of setting JULIAN loose right now. He'd planned for JULIAN's proxy test to happen when things became more dire.

"Yes, now," JULIAN said. "I have little to do until Gaia is activated, and I can provide you with tactical information just as easily now, as my proxies will be independent – mostly. Considering the Collective is liberally using Spectres and Custodians, you need additional help. EMP weapons will be adapted to eventually.

"Fine," the Commander said. "You'd probably do it regardless."

"Your foresight continues to impress me, Commander," JULIAN said, and the Commander could easily imagine a mocking bow JULIAN would do if he was a person. "I am indeed curious to determine the effectiveness of this project. Dr. Mercado will doubtless find the data acquired useful in determining the priority of future projects."

"Good luck," the Commander said with a tinge of his own sarcasm. "But I feel you don't believe in that."

"Luck, Commander?" JULIAN was amused. "There is no such thing as luck, though your Human sentiment is appreciated. Allow me to repay your encouragement with the corpses of aliens. Will that be sufficient recompense?"

"I believe so," the Commander gave a thin smile under the helmet. "Send a few to the Battlemaster. I want to know how he responds."

"With pleasure."

The JULIAN proxies were one of the first ideas JULIAN had come up with, which was essentially downloading himself into mobile platforms to engage in combat on the ground and take a more direct role in the battle. The roadblocks were that there was currently no platform that had the processing power capable to reach his full capabilities.

While XCOM Engineering was working on a project to address this, in the interim ADVENT had provided sixty MDU machines for JULIAN to test on. Each had been slightly modified, and could contain a certain degree of JULIAN's intelligence offline, but it required a constant connection for JULIAN to control them to his full potential. It was, as it was put, a proof of concept.

If it worked, it would be yet another powerful tool of defense, and if it didn't work as well, then they could put their effort towards more promising projects. Either way, it would be another obstacle the aliens were going to have to overcome here.

He idly wondered if they would figure it out.

A question that was likely to be answered sooner than later.

---

Clearwater, Florida – United States of America

4/24/2017 – 2:06 P.M.

One armored hand slammed down onto the concrete, sending a shockwave that threw the ADVENT defenders to the ground, followed up with Runianarch soldiers leaping over the barricades and executing the soldiers at near-point-blank range. The Battlemaster extended a hand towards the tank which had been firing down the street, and it lifted into the air, groaning as it was crushed by his telekinetic power.

With another motion he tossed the crumpled wreck to the back, crushing and killing another number of ADVENT soldiers. The alien soldiers around him cheered at another barricade taken as engineers, Spectres, and Andromedons moved to secure the front more securely. Programming changes to the Spectres pioneered by the Battlefield CODEX allowed them to use their nanites to construct barricades, recycle debris, and ensure that positions would be far harder to take.

It was a winning strategy. No matter how much ADVENT fought, and no matter how high the price was, the Collective was only moving forward, step by bloody step. He had been fighting without respite for days now, and he knew he could continue for days longer. Yet it had been a very long time since he'd been placed into a war quite like this.

His armor was stained, dirtied, bloodied, and scorched. His cape now sported rips and tears, and countless superficial scratches marked the metal. His sword was caked with blood and gore, even with intermittent cleaning, and the smell of smoke and blood clung to him. A battlefield was massive, and he could not be everywhere at once.

For every front he focused on, four more opened in response.

If the Division of the Battlemasters had existed, he would have been able to win this battle in under a week. But he unfortunately had no armies of Ethereals to call upon, and had to work with the tools he actually possessed, not those he wished he had. Spectres and Vanguards were useful, but could be countered by ADVENT.

Both ADVENT and XCOM had made a point of responding rapidly to any Spectre outbreaks by using the Agents of T'Leth to teleport to the area of an outbreak, setting a wide-radius EMP weapon and detonating it. This typically hurt all sides, but it stopped the Spectres. They were utilizing as many delaying tactics as possible, and the Battlemaster wondered why.

It seemed in some cases like he was being led around by ADVENT.

He – along with Yang – were the only ones capable of matching significant threats like ADVENT Priests, XCOM, and the Agents of T'Leth. Thus, he made a priority to move there as soon as possible to contain the situation, and when he arrived, he only fought a remnant of the defense, and immediately after the CODEX would inform him of another front.

He was placed into the unfortunate situation of having to respond, lest there be a significant break in the lines to allow for a counterattack, but also aware that he was having his progress slowed significantly. It was a cowardly tactic, as both he and XCOM knew that facing him was equivalent to suicide, but he couldn't deny it was effective.

The level of coordination made him suspicious. He'd looked on a map of his path through the battlefront, and it was consistently in a line back and forth, never forward or irregular. He was beginning to suspect that the newly developed XCOM AI was being used here – and he had yet to determine a suitable response to it.

Signal jammers were effective, but it would hinder them as well. The AI, like the CODEX, was not on-site and operating through a network. It couldn't be destroyed, not conventionally. J'Loran had an idea of how to handle it…but it was going to take time to ensure that it didn't hinder their own CODEX. It wasn't the first time he'd fought something like this.

Unlike the Synthesized though, ADVENT did not have the strength or power to oppose them forever.

Still…ADVENT was being smart, and a new strategy needed to be determined. Or a more optimal one.

ADVENT was holding their own in the air solely through their use of psions – something he had not anticipated to this degree. An oversight he was paying the price for in how many spacecraft were being lost. Vanguards were stationed to protect from telepathic attacks, but the Aegii and Telekines were proving far more difficult to stop.

Advanced armor and weapons did little good when one rammed their spacecraft into a psionic barrier at top speed.

Making matters somewhat worse was that due to the incompetence of Ivan, XCOM had been seeding the battlefield with Sovereign Orbs, presumably of T'Leth, rendering telepathy – and teleportation - in vast swaths of the battlefield impossible. The Orbs were smaller than some he'd seen, some the size of pebbles and others as large enough to fit in the palm of a Human hand. When discovered they self-destructed and shattered, making recovery impossible, and the unlucky ones who found them were lucky if they retained their minds.

Meat Puppets had been called in response, and those would arrive in hours.

He was displeased with Ivan.

Highly displeased.

But he had more important things to worry about now. He would deal with Ivan when there was more time. Ahead he saw what seemed to be an ADVENT counterattack, nearly a dozen MDUs charging forward, some fanning out and breaking into buildings or across the streets presumably in an attempt to flank him.

These MDUs seemed a bit different. Colored grey instead of white, they also appeared to be faster and each one was equipped with different weapons. Most carried heavy gauss rifles, but others were outfitted with chemical dispensers, rocket launchers, and one had a sword. Curious, the Battlemaster approached, waving his reinforcements back to fortify the position.

Ensuring his telekinetic field was up, he charged towards the sword-wielding MDU, and the other machines fired and the rounds were caught in the field, though before he could toss them aside, all of them exploded in an orange mist. He immediately halted in his tracks as the nanites buzzed, and the MDUs continued firing, with the cloud of nanites he held growing thicker and thicker.

The MDUs were no longer firing at him now, but to the side and outside his field. Ah, he saw what the machines were doing. Well-programmed, but it wasn't the first time he'd fought nanoweapons. Lifting a hand upwards, he directed the telekinetic field to turn horizonal, and everything around him began floating upwards.

Any nanites that began crawling towards him were caught in the whirlwind he created. Dirt, rubble, bodies, and nanites hovered in the air, only capable of floating upwards, not to the sides. The field in place, he thrust out two arms to the group of MDUs and wrapped them in a suffocating telekinetic grip.

Metal limbs bent and sparked as the MDUs were crushed into balls of scrap and oil. He transitioned into a charge, and slammed into one of them with enough force to cause it to shatter, while, swiping to the side to decapitate one and then downwards to destroy the heart of it. Six lasers fired towards him, but with a wave he moved the debris hovering around him to block the burning light while he appraised the sources.

Some were from the MDUs on the ground which he charged towards and destroyed, and others were from sniper nests currently out of his reach. It was impressive they'd been able to see him at all, but it would only take a few steps to the side to put him out of their lines of sight. Several missiles and grenades were fired at him, but it couldn't penetrate the telekinetic field and exploded into plasma, nanites, or the symbiote substance that hovered in a pointless purgatory.

The nanites eventually went dead, though he directed the pieces to floating symbiote goop to ensure they remained inactive, but the attack had failed again. This one had been more coordinated than others, and the new MDUs…he had a suspicion about them, but he would see later if it was confirmed.

With the area clear, he ended the telekinetic field, and the items which had floated into the air fell back to the ground. The tiniest bit of energy faded from his exertion, but he knew it wouldn't be the only time it would be required. The Spectres began advancing and consuming, while his soldiers followed suit as they advanced.

"XCOM squad has been sighted ten blocks from your location," the CODEX informed. "Intervention recommended."

"Noted," he confirmed, turning on his heel and breaking into a run to the position. Regardless of if he was being led or not, he knew what he had to do. One-time ADVENT would mess up, and they would pay.

It was a desperate measure of an army that knew it would lose.

It was only a matter of time.

---

Near Brandon, Florida – United States of America

4/27/2017 – 7:12 P.M.

The sun was setting, shining long orange light on the battlefield as shadow began to consume the land. Another day had come and gone; thousands more lay dead, and the most miniscule of progress had been made. Yet despite night falling, the conflict didn't halt for a moment in its intensity. Night-vision, machines, automation, stims, and modern lighting meant that light became another factor in the battlefield to maintain – not one that hindered.

Green plasma lit up the dimming street they were on, Muton soldiers firing at their ADVENT counterparts who Hallian now knew had special forces or another equally dangerous group supporting them. Well, street was an understatement for the highway they were on. Hundreds of abandoned cars lined the interstate, which were being used for cover by both sides.

High above the ground, artillery was limited as neither side wanted to bring down the road they were on right now. But the battlefield was no less lethal with the so-called 'limited' engagement. Limited artillery didn't mean that explosives weren't being used by both sides, and Hallian had seen liberal uses of rockets and grenades flung, and explosions of orange and green were common.

He'd been treating the aftermath of a lot of them already.

"Hold still," he commanded to a groaning Vitakarian who'd slumped behind a car, slowly bleeding out as he examined the wound. The Vitakarian nodded limply; it seemed like he'd been hit with a nanite round judging from the section of armor that had been eaten away and burrowed into a thick chunk of skin.

The good news was that the nanites had burned out before they could reach internal organs, meaning it had eaten through to the muscle, but nothing vital, so the wound looked worse than it actually was. The bad news was that it was extremely painful and messy, and it would lead to complications for a time without medical therapy.

Treatable though, he could theoretically fight on. "How is it," the soldier wheezed. "Feels like my chest is on fire."

"You got hit with a nanite round, upper chest," Hallian said, aiming his medical stabilizer and spraying, causing an audible sigh of relief from the man. "No permanent damage, but it hurts. I'll call a stretcher to take you out."

"Feel better already," he grunted, with a free hand moving to grip the rifle that had fallen beside him. "Do I need to be sent back? Think I can still fight if you give me something for the pain."

Hallian hesitated. He didn't want to keep this man fighting, but at the same time, he wasn't in critical condition. With a roar a Muton a few cars down fell, bleeding from the head. Shouts from the ADVENT lines sounded as a green explosion blew up several cars. Controlled chaos still ruled, and a quick glance behind the side of the car showed that MDUs were being brought forward.

ADVENT wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"My recommendation is that you go back and heal for at least several hours," Hallian said, moving to activate the haptic pad on his wrist. "You're lucid enough where you can make the decision yourself however, with that said, you need armor repaired. I would need a repair drone to come by for your armor."

"Do it," he gave a firm nod. "We're winning, I know we are."

"Alright," Hallian sent the command for the drone. "I have two stimulants with me. Standard painkillers will dull the pain for a time, but will wear off after a few hours. Side effects are negligible. Otherwise the Runianarch approved a new one."

"What is it?" The soldier asked as the repair drone arrived, and attached to the broken armor, beginning to print new layers.

"Chocolate stimulant," Hallian pulled out the syringe of brown liquid. "Very potent, lasts for twelve hours and you won't feel a thing. Issue is it can impair judgement, but it'll keep you on your feet until it wears off. After it though, you'll probably pass out. It's called a 'crash', Humans experience it with sugar overdoses. More potent for our species."

"I'll take that one," he pushed himself more upright. "Incentive to take the bridge by that time."

"Alright," Hallian glanced over and saw a Borelian slumping over, her arm missing from an explosion nearby. "Hold still." He injected the soldier with the stimulant and placed the empty syringe in the small medical drone that followed him around. "Give it a minute to kick in, trust me, you'll know when it does."

"Andromedons are coming!" A Runianarch soldier yelled behind the front line, followed by a short cheer.

Hallian glanced behind and saw more Andromedons than he'd ever seen in one place before – and not the ones he was used too. These hulking Andromedons wore suits somehow even bulkier than the soldiers and Battlefield Engineers. They walked slowly and ponderously, stepping over cover instead of walking around it.

Rounds immediately slammed into their hardened helmets tinted yellow – and Hallian immediately recognized what they were.

Contamination Operatives. The Andromedon chemical warfare units. To his knowledge they'd only been used infrequently, but from his briefing on the unit they were among the most ruthless units in the Andromedon military – and one of the most effective. Usually they were used to assist in Andromedon terraforming projects, but their role easily applied to warfare.

Massive chemical tanks were attached to their backs, and dispensers hung under the forearms of the Operatives. The repair drone disengaged from the soldier, and he rose to a crouch, gripping his weapon. "Thank you..."

"Hallian," he said, patting the soldier on the shoulder. "Good luck!"

With that done, he rushed to the wounded Borelian and began stabilizing her, sealing the truncated wound as she muttered scattered words in a pained delirium. As it turned out she'd already suffered several projectile impacts, a degree of blood loss, and still had kept on fighting. Their toughness was something he'd always admired, even if their stubborn training would kill them in a war.

A warning for a grenade went out, and an explosion nearby shook the ground. The Contamination Operatives made it to the front, now the sole focus of attention from the ADVENT lines who shouted warnings even as some of them penetrated the helmets. But this did not stop the Andromedons, whose suits persisted even if the pilots died.

Directing their dispensers forward a vile green substance shot out, some streams a liquid and others appearing to be a fine mist. The moment he saw it, he knew what it was and the screams of horror confirmed it. Acid; the effects of which he'd treated already during this war. A horrific tool; a favorite of Andromedons and one even ADVENT hadn't found to utilize yet. He was no friend to ADVENT, but that was a kind of death even they didn't deserve.

The Andromedons waded deep into the green mist they'd created, their suits apparently treated to resist the corrosive characteristics of the chemical. Screams and cries of pain sounded from the ADVENT lines as the acid ate through their armor, and their gauss fire eventually slowed, then stopped as the Contamination Operatives blazed a trail of corrosive agony.

Then it fell into relative silence. Gunfire, shouts, and explosions still sounded in the distance, but on their own little battlefront, it was quiet. Hallian used that time to quickly move from soldier to wounded soldier, patching them up, sending them back, or injecting stims into them. Two hours passed without him even noticing when the first of the Contamination Operatives emerged from the mist that was starting to disperse.

"The path is clear," the robotic voice of the Andromedon stated to one of the nearby Runianarch officers, as more hulking figures emerged from the mist. "Prepare your soldiers to move."

Hallian missed the response, but took the brief opportunity to take a breath and some water. Right now, a stim might not be a bad idea, but it also seemed like the worst of the fighting was over for now. In the distance, he saw the city of Tampa, with towering skyscrapers and the body of water surrounding it.

Victory was in sight – for this battle at least.

In sight, but deceptive, because he knew they had a long way to go yet.

Deciding to put off the stim for now, he turned back to his work. There was going to be no shortage of patients, and he needed to use the peace while it lasted – and when it wasn't dangerous.

---

Clearwater, Florida – United States of America

4/30/2017 – 2:06 P.M.

"Dragon sighting is confirmed," Cassandra confirmed from her position. "You in position, Commander?"

"In position and ready to fire," the Commander answered. "Not alone?"

"Negative," Cassandra said. "Got a small army with her. Full lot. Vanguards, Spectres, Elites. Not going to be easy."

"Understatement of the day," Anna muttered from a nearby rooftop next to the Archangels.

"Appears the Battlemaster is using her as the cat's paw," Eva, the lead psion stated. "Seems like he figured out he's being led around."

"Drill hasn't changed," Cassandra said. "We pin her in, and either turn her into a pincushion or melt the fancy armor of hers. Clifton, Anastasia, on me."

"Copy," both Dynamo's confirmed.

"Archangels, we're moving to engage," Cassandra addressed them. "Report."

"Jets engaged and we're moving to you," Sierra confirmed, leaping into the air and her jets igniting. "Let's slay a dragon."

The nickname of the 'Dragon' for the Battlemaster's puppet had originally arose from some ADVENT soldiers referring to her as such due to her red armor and helmet that clearly held dragon elements right out of an idealized Chinese knight, especially the points on the helmet stylized to appear as wings.

Not too surprising, considering her Chinese heritage – Sierra had been somewhat miffed to have seen images which showcased the Chinese flag emblazoned on the collar, something very clearly lifted from XCOM. Also much like a dragon, she was extremely dangerous and nearly impossible to kill. Now though she was in a largely vulnerable position.

She had only been extending the Collective's lines for a certain distance before retreating or holding the position, and at that specific point she was at her weakest in terms of available manpower, firepower, and soldiers. The woman had scary endurance, and had supposedly been fighting nonstop for days.

She had to be tiring.

JULIAN had identified the likely distance she'd be at her weakest, and this time that was where they were going to strike. With the Battlemaster, Second Guardian, and a number of other Spectre crises handled or not relevant, this was the best time so far this battle to take out one of the most dangerous players.

The fight itself was taking place on slightly different ground; not specifically on streets, but in the shelled-out ruins of an entire block. The entire area had grey dust and chunks of rubble which were being appropriated by both sides, while the shells of surviving buildings stood and held snipers and other soldiers who exchanged fire.

"We're coming around," Sierra informed, readying her plasma rifle. Combat was not going to be close-range this time. They'd figured out that engaging with Yang at close range was about as stupid as engaging the Battlemaster at close range. She was one of the best telekines XCOM had encountered, so no gauss weapons.

Rockets and grenades were expected to be caught in the field, and detonated with sniper fire. All of them realized they needed to fight at a minimum safe distance so as not to be caught and killed. Eva was powerful and skilled enough to at least pin her – or so they expected. Once they pinned her, they'd see just how tough that armor was.

"Damn," Ted noted grimly. "There's still a lot of them."

A force of primarily Mutons lined the bombed-out rubble, though in the front lines were at least twenty Vanguards spread out, erecting small barriers in front of the line while the other aliens erected physical barriers or fired from the Vanguard lines. Spectres were harvesting materials and acting as repair stations for damaged armor and weapons.

Offensively they were using smarter tactics, such as forming physical objects like spears and balls and chucking them towards ADVENT lines, of which there was an EMP blast going off every thirty seconds (or manual activation), which was largely ineffective. One new tactic she saw was when a Spectre 'jumped' onto a soldier like a shadow, forging flash-armor and giving the soldier a brief time of invincibility before the black shell around it broke.

The towering Elites lumbered and fired unceasingly at the ADVENT lines; of which the gap was growing smaller and smaller. The volume of fire was high enough that Yang couldn't just charge forward without getting several hundred new bruises at best, and leading in the front, and towards the middle, was the Dragon herself.

The red armor was cloaked in a layer of dirt, dust, blood, and scratches. The cape was scorched and parts of it missing or torn. A sword hovered behind her, while the other was held snug in hand at her side. The free hand was raised before her, where her telekinetic field captured the hundreds of projectiles fired her way and sending them back in random intervals.

She seemed to be in good position. This did not appear to be as easy as they were hoping, but unfortunately, it was never going to be easy.

"Yeah," Sierra said, knowing a few seconds later weapons would be turned on them. "Dragon-1, priority targets? Want us straight for the target?"

"Negative," the majority of the Dragon squad was arriving behind the ADVENT line to encouraging and relieved cheers. "Clear out some of the backline first. Clifton, Anastasis, give her some help with that. Rosario, Carola, same for you. Everyone else, focus on the Dragon."

There was a series of affirmatives, and the Archangels split off and prepared for their runs across the lines. "Flamethrowers primed,"Sierra said as she turned to make her first run. "In position Anna?"

"Affirmative," Anna acknowledged. "Primed and ready to go."

"Standing by from above," Ted informed as he shot high above the line.

"At the end of the line," Sierra tilted her body and aimed her wrist. "Firing."

A gout of white-orange flame spewed from her wrist engulfing the Mutons and aliens along the offensive line. The scalding napalm continued burning and created a quite satisfying row of fire. Anna flew past her in the opposite direction, hitting everything she'd scorched a second time. At the end, Sierra ceased the stream and shot upward.

Behind her, beams of psionic energy shot down from the sky as Ted maneuvered them to kill Elites, Spectres, and other priority targets. The corrosive power burned through armor with relative ease, and both Archangels used their position to target the scattered aliens with their rifles. It was trivial work, especially since they were still occupied by ADVENT and XCOM.

Wisps of psionic energy appeared in the lines as both Dynamos began using their own abilities to sow destruction. Maelstroms of psionic energy materialized, some of which were blocked by Vanguard shields, but many were ripped apart by the raging psionic storms. Then the storms petered off, as the Collective began trying to recover.

"Telepathic attacks," Clifton said with a hiss. "Definitely Vanguard. Gonna need to focus to defend. They're not bad."

"Change of plans then," Cassandra said, unperturbed. "Archangels, you'll need to move in earlier than anticipated. We've got her locked in, but she won't stay that way for long. We'll occupy her, but you'll have to get closer to burn her."

"We can take some hits," Sierra said, reangling her jets. "She won't see us coming."

Circling the battleground, Sierra saw that both women were engaged in a pitched battle. Yang was – or at least appeared to be – pinned in place, frozen like a statue, but she was still very much active. Debris and rubble were being lifted and flung every second from her immediate vicinity towards Eva, who was forced to devote energy to deflecting away.

Several grenades and rockets had been caught in the telekinetic field, which she unfortunately threw back, though Cassandra managed to shoot several of them at the right time, creating some new scratches and damage on her armor. "Anna, Ted, fire on my command," Sierra ordered, readying her flamethrower as she felt plasma whiz past her head. "Light her up!"

While behind Yang, both women shot another stream of napalm towards the stationary woman and began circling slowly to keep the flame concentrated, and within a few moments all one could see where Yang was pinned was a pillar of white-orange flame. A smile emerged on Sierra's face. Burn you traitor-

She was suddenly yanked forward, and her flame thrower wavered. "Sierra, get out!" Eva screamed and before Sierra could even react Yang shot out of the cone and slammed into her; the power of the jets she'd engaged sent both of them into the sky. The armor of the Dragon was red-hot, enough to where Sierra could practically feel the heat radiating off her.

Her cape was burned completely off, but the faceless visage of her helmet radiated pure fury. Sierra swung a frantic punch which elicited no reaction except Yang hooking her fingers under the collar of her armor to get her balance, with another hand lashing out to the side where Anna had flown to assist her.

Anna yelled in panic as her jets crumpled and she went speeding towards the ground. A sword suddenly appeared in Yang's hand and with several slashes Sierra barely followed, destroyed the primary engines. Pain shot up her legs as Yang raised a hand and closed a fist, and her feet, and legs crumpled and shattered into mixtures of meat and bone, with the accompanying engines also shorting out.

Half-unconscious already from delirium and shock, Sierra idly realized that they were still floating, and she was held by Yang who was now suspending them telekinetically. Sierra tried swinging another defiant, if weak punch, and screamed as the wrist spun completely around and fell away, with blood spurting from the stump as the arm bent backwards and shattered the elbow.

"Not quite good enough," the Dragon hissed, before something caught her attention. A psionic beam shot just past her head, and with an almost absentminded push, she let go of Sierra who felt with the remnants of her body bonds forming, yanking her to the ground at lethal velocity. She didn't know how high up she was, only that even her enhanced body might not be enough to allow her to survive.

The impact onto the ground was another surge of indescribable pain, one where she felt her spine break, her ribs shatter, and her organs be thrown around like water balloons. There was a brief shining light as she smacked her helmet onto a nearby rock and she faded into the blissful realm of unconsciousness.

---

Clearwater, Florida – United States of America

4/30/2017 – 2:42 P.M.

With a flick of her wrist Yang sent the surviving Archangel spinning off away from her as she relinquished the hold of the telekinetic strings that kept her suspended and fell to the ground. She idly wished she'd been able to confirm the kill of the one Archangel she'd had, but even if by some miracle she'd survived the fall, she was never going to fly again.

Once she killed the rest of them, she'd find the body and confirm the kill.

Not that it was assured.

Under the armor her skin burned, and the smell of burning hair and flesh filled her nostrils. She wasn't on fire, but the heat had been scalding as she'd cooked in her armor. If she hadn't broken free, she wondered if her body would have survived from the heat alone. The Battlemaster had noticed immediately, and he was on his way.

Normally, she'd try and dissuade him, but as she landed on the ground; stumbling forward, slight tremors wracking her body and her armor still steaming, she didn't know what her chances were, even with the Archangels dealt with. She only had pain and rage to go on, and those would have to be enough, even if her concentration was slipping and endurance wavering.

Just a little longer.

One hand thrust out to the side and the opposite sword flew into her hand, and with the opposite one, she pointed it at the ADVENT line, taking a battle stance. Come on, she thought wearily as the XCOM soldiers reorganized themselves. Come and get me.

You know you want to.

ADVENT soldiers opened fire once more, and too tired to maintain a sustained telekinetic field, she just marched forward, the gauss rounds bouncing off her armor and leaving fresh bruises which she barely felt anymore. Plasma fire soon joined as XCOM soldiers opened fire. Yang stopped walking and erected the telekinetic barrier again, and threw both swords into the ground, burying them a few inches deep in the mixture of dirt, corpses, and rubble.

The strings waved in her minds eye, normally just out of range, but she dug deep in her reserves, drawing on the Battlemaster's power and plucked them along the ADVENT lines with varying degrees of success and effectiveness. Some soldiers were thrown backwards, some were strangled and crushed, while others were lifted into the air and slammed back down.

One XCOM soldier was lifted up, and with a scowl she concentrated on her and tightened the strings around her and closed the fist, breaking her body completely and turning her skull in on itself before dropping the body to the ground. She was yanked backwards suddenly, though anchored herself in response as the XCOM Telekine began tightening the telekinetic hold over her.

She was good, very good.

Like breaking free of bondage, Yang ripped her arms upward, lifting tons of wreckage and carnage in response as if an explosion had gone off beside her. The other psion wasted no time and Yang's legs and arms were bound to her, while the remainder of her effort was deflecting the projectiles Yang directed towards her.

It wasn't quite enough.

Even as the grip tightened, Yang saw with a satisfied, painful smile that ADVENT soldiers, and even one of the XCOM psions were hit by the projectiles, directly in the head, sending her to the ground. With a yell of primal fury Yang broke free of the telekinetic bondage, sending a shockwave from around her, throwing more projectiles around her.

Stumbling forward, she threw an arm forward and sent a weaker shockwave to destabilize anyone standing, and with near the last of her reserves, lifted the wounded XCOM Dynamo Psion and crushed her into a ball of flesh and metal, eliciting a piercing shriek from the victim before slamming the victim to the ground.

She recalled the swords to her hands, and took a deep breath.

A sniper round slammed directly into her chest and she was suddenly on fire. Her blood froze as she realized in panic she'd lapsed and not erected her telekinetic barrier. Several more shots followed up, some at her legs and more on her chest. XCOM wasn't using fire this time, this was the chemical of the Purifiers – Chlorine Triflouride.

She wasn't certain it would burn through her armor, but knew she needed to get out now. It took everything she had to not try and bat at the flames to put them out, and she realized that the danger was not in the damage to the armor, but the weak points on it. The joints, the neck; slight vulnerabilities and would be nearly impossible to hit otherwise.

With a start she saw her legs swarming with orange swarms of nanite, all of which were swarming to the cracks and joints, beginning to eat through the weaker fabric and metal, and had already reached her flesh. She scraped as many off with a frantic telekinetic push, but too many were already eating through her knees, and she could feel her legs stop working and feel as if on fire; destroyed piece by piece.

Even still she tried stumbling back, even as round after round slammed into her; some nanites, some chemical, but this time she couldn't do anything to stop it. She'd made a mistake and overextended, and a singular lapse in judgement had condemned her. The fire had reached her arms and was burning through the gaps.

With a final look towards the XCOM line, and darkness closing in, she was thrown directly onto the ground by a shot directly to the face, knocking her directly back, and the last thing she felt was a familiar presence become tangible.

He'd arrived, but she feared it was too late.

Everything went black as the nanites and fire ravaged her body.

---

Clearwater, Florida – United States of America

4/30/2017 – 3:02 P.M.

The Battlemaster felt an emotion he had only experienced a handful of times since awakening from stasis, and only a few times on Earth itself.

Urgency.

Though this time it was not his life which was in danger, it was Yang's.

He had felt her tentative uncertainty and muted pain through their link, and knew that XCOM was making a true effort to kill her. Regardless if they knew of what the Avatar connection was, they had doubtless correctly surmised that killing her would be a blow to the war effort. He did not fault them for targeting her – he would have done the same – but those who had hurt her were now marked for death.

The CODEX was practically screaming at him to go assist the dozen fronts which had opened up since he'd begun rushing to assist her from across the battlefield. Warnings and updates he'd ignored and instead instructed to increase the defenses tenfold, even if it slowed their projected advance. The CODEX wasn't 'happy', as much as such an intelligence could be, but it had realigned the priorities and strategies.

Panic and fear soon began sprinkling through the bond, along with stronger feelings of pain until it was a constant stream. It was muted, and certainly not the worst he had ever endured, but for Yang it would be agony and he could feel her beginning to fade and knew she would die if not saved and healed.

He ignored everything else on his path, and all ADVENT saw would be a purple and silver streak through the streets and flying over buildings. He knew there would not be time for prolonged fighting – and it was likely what XCOM was counting on to ensure she died – but he was going to kill as many of their soldiers as he could.

Just a short distance from her, he fell into his trance; one of the deepest he'd achieved, his focus stronger and focused solely on her safety. One building stood between him and the core of the ADVENT line. One fist thrust out and the wall was shattered as a singular telekinetic pull ripped it apart, and the instant he breached the first wall the second soon followed and he burst onto a line of surprised soldiers.

The nearest swipe decapitated a nearby XCOM soldier along with some ADVENT defenders, while the telekine he bound and snapped her neck before she even realized what was happening. The soldiers stumbled back in seeming slow-motion, so deep was he in his trance. Another hand shot out sending another XCOM soldier flying backwards with enough force to crack the armor and liquify the organs within.

One of the XCOM Rocketeers was trying to raise his launcher and with a gesture the Battlemaster pulled him forwards and another swipe separated the head from his body, and with a final closed fist he killed the final standing XCOM soldier who crumpled and was thrown far into the sky. In the event he was still alive, he would not be when he fell back to the Earth.

He dashed to the form of Yang on the ground, still twitching and writhing and bound her in a telekinetic grip, lifting her up. She was on fire, but the twitching was synonymous with nanites. The 'fire' was likely chlorine trifluoride, so touching her would only hurt him. Telekinetics could solve the problem easily enough, and her enhancements would render her difficult to kill.

But if left untreated, she would die.

Ignoring the few plasma and gauss shots towards him, he dashed back to the Collective lines, Yang now safely in his grasp. "Prepare all medics at the nearest facility," he commanded the CODEX. "Nanites, burns, and full-body treatment.'

"Affirmative, Battlemaster."

He wondered if those would be enough, and if they were not, there was a final contingency, but at this moment he didn't believe it would be needed. If he was wrong…he was not too proud that he would not ask for help.

---

Tampa, Florida – United States of America

4/30/2017 – 3:39 P.M.

High above the battle, the Commander considered the next step.

There were several options, some more risky than others, some more unlikely.

He couldn't chalk the attack on Yang as a complete success. While it had shown that she could clearly be killed with the right combination of soldiers, equipment, and firepower, it wasn't going to work so long as the Battlemaster was capable of reaching them and rendering it moot. There was no such thing as a 'mostly' dead Ethereal or Harbinger.

They were either alive or dead, and he was certain that Yang Shuren was very much alive and would return eventually. She'd be out for a while, but that was about the only positive. And even then, with the technology the Collective possessed, it might not even be that long. Psychologically it could be a roadblock for her in the future, but he was skeptical how significant that would be.

They'd get another chance, and right now that was secondary to the Gaia Contingency.

"JULIAN," he finally said, looking over the skyline. "Status until Gaia is ready?"

"When it is in a state where the Collective cannot adequately stop it with copious amounts of EMP weapons?" JULIAN asked rhetorically. "Fluctuating based on XCOM and ADVENT special forces mission success. A minimum one week, maximum of three. Progress is steady, but if the Collective figures out what we are doing, they could amplify forces to a critical mass. If we want to do this right with minimum risk, we need more time."

"And estimated time until Tampa falls?"

"Now?" A pause. "The near-death of the Battlemaster's pet will no doubt incise him. I would expect them to double their efforts, and they are already adapting. If they dedicate themselves, we have at maximum two weeks until the city falls – assuming we don't enhance our own defenses. Doable, but the cost would be extremely high."

"I thought as much," the Commander said, considering options. JULIAN hadn't said anything significantly different since his last inquiry, and given that the Battlemaster was in a more…vulnerable emotional state…there was an idea that could buy them the time they needed until Gaia was ready. If it didn't work, they could adapt.

If it did, then there would be a lot of lives saved.

"Put me through to Christiaens," he said to JULIAN. "Please?"

"At least you asked nicely," JULIAN effectively grumbled. "Due to the importance of this call, I will act as your telephone. One second." An old-style dial-up beep and obnoxious ringing sounded in his ears, making the Commander sigh. A moment later he heard Laura's clipped voice.

"Commander, what's the situation?"

"Precarious," the Commander said. "But we have an opportunity. Do you remember a potential delaying tactic we discussed?"

"A ceasefire?" She recalled. "Yes. And I believe we both pointed out the chances of the Collective agreeing to it were minimal."

"We almost killed Yang Shuren," the Commander said. "While unlikely she's dead, there remains that chance. Regardless, this battle has currently not gone the way the Battlemaster planned, and he has expended more soldiers, resources, and personnel than intended. Right now we have the opportunity to push. JULIAN says we need at least another week for Gaia to be utilized, assuming the Collective doesn't put the pieces together."

"The Battlemaster might want time to revise his strategy," Laura mused. "It could work…but it could backfire on us. He might figure it out, and he will definitely be suspicious. He might refuse because it gives us the same opportunity to revise and prepare."

"And that is the unknown," the Commander agreed. "I would argue we don't lose anything by trying. If it fails though…JULIAN expects the battle to become much worse. On our end. If we want to keep them occupied, we will need to devote a lot more resources."

"This battle is already tying up so many in the region," Laura sighed. "Being drawn into an attritional quagmire is unsustainable. I don't want to commit more forces to something we will inevitably lose. Bad enough that Miami will likely be contained at best with Gaia, and if Tampa falls, that will also mitigate the effect."

"Agreed," the Commander nodded to himself. "Which is why we should try this. If he agrees, you'll have to have ADVENT stand down."

"And what if he attacks us when our guard is down?"

"Possible, but unlikely," the Commander said. "At least it wouldn't be because of him. For better or worse, the Battlemaster cares about his image. He wouldn't break a cease-fire in a surprise attack, but another might. We'll have to take a chance that he can keep his soldiers in line – as well as our own."

"False flags are a risk," she warned.

"Correct. A risk, as I've said," he agreed. "We'll have to be vigilant. But Tampa is a means to an end."

"Much as I would like to, I can't make this decision unilaterally," Laura said. "I need to convene an emergency meeting of High Command with the Chancellor and Chief Overseer to observe."

"How long?" He pressed. "The more we delay, the less likely he will agree to it."

"Not long," she promised. "And don't begin negotiations on your own. It's not going to work if you agree to a ceasefire and one side doesn't get the memo."

"I'm aware," he said. "Which is why I'm talking to you right now and not the Battlemaster."

"Noted, I'll speak to you soon." The line went dead and the Commander went back to watching the battlefield and occasionally firing at the aliens. The seconds seemed to tick by faster than normal, until eventually Laura's voice spoke again. "You're cleared to begin negotiations. Inform us immediately-"

"Oh please, there is no need to make this overly complicated," JULIAN interrupted. "I can connect both of you at the same time. You Humans had already figured out teleconferences before I existed, I don't know why you would use an inferior method in this situation."

"Good. Which brings up a question of how we're contacting him," Laura pointed out.

"I've isolated a Collective frequency, if I call it, they will likely connect us to the Battlemaster," JULIAN explained. "I suspect you want to speak?"

"Yes," the Commander said. Letting JULIAN talk was not the most ideal plan. "Ah, most will probably not speak English."

"Speak and I will translate," JULIAN said. "Connecting now."

They waited a few minutes, and then he heard an alien language, probably from a Borelian. "This is the Commander of XCOM with Commander Laura Christiaens of ADVENT," he said, noting the voice immediately stopped. "We are requesting to speak to the Battlemaster to discuss the possibility of a temporary ceasefire." JULIAN repeated his words in the language a few seconds later.

The alien spoke a few moments after that, and the line went quiet. "He's moving us to the CODEX which will connect us to the Battlemaster. Supposedly." JULIAN explained. "He was quite shocked to hear us."

"What a surprise," the Commander said dryly. "Keep quiet. No reason to give the Battlemaster reason to suspect what you are."

"Do not worry," JULIAN chided. "I do not intend to make his conquest any easier. I have a vested interest in it."

A few minutes later, the deep voice of the Ethereal sounded. "Commander. You are clearly not calling to surrender. What do you want?"

"You weren't told?"

"Your ceasefire? I presume that is not the actual reason."

"As a matter of fact, it is," Laura said. "Commander Christiaens, Battlemaster. I do not believe we've spoken before."

"No, we have not," he answered flatly. "But I know of you quite well. What purpose would such an action serve, Commander? It will merely allow you more time to prepare."

"It is something of a Human tradition, Battlemaster," the Commander said. "A brief respite from the fighting, where both sides may take a short time to recover and retrieve our dead. Both our soldiers and yours have been fighting non-stop for weeks. The body toll is in the hundreds of thousands for both sides. Soldiers are wounded, dying, and exhausted and the fight isn't going to let up anytime soon. A reset would be beneficial for all sides."

"You will only delay your defeat," the Battlemaster warned. "Or you are stalling."

The Commander grimaced. "We only want a cease-fire around Tampa, this would not apply to the rest of the world. From what we've seen, your soldiers need rest and healing. Next time you won't be fast enough to save Yang, or next time we will kill the First Guardian. We can afford to take losses, but you cannot afford to lose Harbingers and Ethereals."

"I assure you, Battlemaster, that this is for the betterment of our soldiers," Laura said. "We've lost many already, and I presume it is the same for your own. Mutons may not mourn, but the Vitakara do. We can keep killing each other for a few meters of land a day, or we can take a step back, revise, and finish this battle decisively."

"Confident," the Battlemaster mused. "And my suspicions are not alleviated. You will do anything to ensure victory over us, even if it lures us unto a state of temporary peace."

"As Commander of the ADVENT Military, I have written approval from ADVENT High Command, the Chancellor of ADVENT, and the Oversight Division to agree to the ceasefire," Laura said. "Should one or more soldiers break it, they will be held fully accountable. It will also be publicly published for the rest of the world to see that we hold to our word. That includes myself."

"A good start, but not enough," the Battlemaster said. "I am aware of how plausible deniability works."

"And we are also aware of how there are actors within the Collective who would not approve of this proposal," the Commander said. "There is risk of instigation on all sides. What we can do is publicly agree and declare to hold to the terms." There was something else he could propose if he still didn't bite, but it was by far the riskiest.

"This is true," the Battlemaster said slowly. "I suggest a compromise. Let both sides stand to lose something. Provide incentive to hold to an agreement."

Damn. He was going for it. "A hostage." Laura said grimly.

"Yes, and as a show of…good faith, I am aware that ADVENT has captured a number of Runianarch soldiers. Those will be returned to us, and in return, we will release our own Human captives."

The Commander pursed his lips. The soldiers were ultimately unimportant now, as anything important would have been extracted, and they were just taking up space. It was likely the same for the Collective and the Humans in their grasp. Neither side was really going to lose much here, and the manpower was negligible when psions and genetically enhanced soldiers were in play.

However, this was the realm of Laura, not him. She seemed to have similar thoughts. "We can agree to that, provided that captives are not booby-trapped, unduly influenced, or otherwise will turn against us. Your own soldiers in our captivity have been questioned, but we have not subjected them to more than that."

"Reasonable," the Battlemaster said. "As for the hostage, they would not be harmed, influenced, or interrogated under any circumstances short of the agreement being violated. They would be supervised, and not captive short of restricted areas. Prior to the cease-fire ending, they would be returned."

He did have a point, and the Commander knew he was moving towards someone particular. "In the event we agreed," the Commander said slowly. "Are these provided by each side, or are demands made."

"You are asking me to trust that you have no hostile intentions towards this decision," the Battlemaster answered. "I have no reason to believe you are genuine."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Considering how unreliable your own allies have been, I believe we have been more genuine than your own side. I'd not disparage us when your own side is more of a risk here."

"I will ensure there are no repeats, and unreliable actors have and will be dealt with," the Battlemaster said without pause. "With this understood, your points are made, and if you wish for the battle to be swift and decisive, I can oblige in your arrogance. Yet there must be assurance, and the stakes must be high. I want the Commander of XCOM for the duration of this agreement."

"Absolutely not!" Laura exclaimed. "Out of the question."

"Wait," the Commander said, thinking. The fact that the Battlemaster was entertaining this idea meant that he also deemed it important and ideal. He also wanted to make it work, which meant there were two methods – escalation or de-escalation. Perhaps the Battlemaster wanted ADVENT to agree to this implicitly by putting someone less valuable up instead.

However, he was never one to have others go in his place.

"I'll go," he said slowly, thankful Laura didn't interrupt. "On one condition. Who would you send to us?"

"One of my inner circle," the Battlemaster answered. "Disciple-7, J'Loran, or others. That will be determined."

"No," the Commander shook his head, even knowing it wouldn't be seen. "Not good enough. If you want me, you need to have something to lose as well. If you turn over Yang Shuren to us, I will provide myself willingly as collateral."

"Yang Shuren is currently in intensive care," the Battlemaster said flatly. "She is in no position to be moved anywhere."

"Then find a way," the Commander said. "If we're making deals as these, they will be equal in value. If you wish, your medics can also accompany her for treatment, and if necessary, we can provide our own. But if you want me, then you will turn Yang over to ADVENT for the duration of this cease-fire."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a short time; tension that all who were listening could feel – even JULIAN most likely. "How long do you wish this cease-fire to last?" The Commander let out a quiet sigh of relief. This was going to happen, excellent.

"Five days," Laura stated. "Then we'll talk again. If we decide to extend it, fine. If not, that is the minimum time we request."

"Very well," the Battlemaster said. "Prepare your own diplomatic party and we will meet at these coordinates in four hours. I will order my soldiers to stand down, and I expect your soldiers to do the same."

"It will be done, Battlemaster," Laura confirmed. "We shall speak shortly."

They waited a few seconds. "He hung up," JULIAN said. "Rude."

"Commander, I am not sure about this," Laura said. "Especially without prior discussion-"

"No, it is a risk I accept," the Commander disputed. "Short-notice it may be, but if we have Yang, I am not overly concerned for my safety. I'll use the opportunity to learn what I can, and in the meantime, we continue preparing for Gaia."

"I suppose I can't stop you," she muttered. "You're outside my jurisdiction. I would suggest you get any affairs you need to in order. I will meet you in several hours. Now I have to send the order to stand down."

"I'll be ready," the Commander confirmed. "I'll speak to you then."

The line went dead. "I suspect Vahlen isn't going to be pleased," JULIAN said sarcastically.

"No," the Commander sighed. "Probably not. But she'll understand that it's necessary."

---

Clearwater, Florida – United States of America

4/30/2017 – 5:55 P.M.

"You are making a mistake," Ivan told the Battlemaster as they stood amongst the eerily quiet city, now that the sounds of gunfire and explosions had ceased. They were replaced with the sounds of medics treating wounds, soldiers getting food and water, and repairs beginning to take place from engineers and drones.

Ivan was not happy.

"We had ADVENT on the brink of collapse," he said, gesturing out to the opposite side, where ADVENT soldiers can be seen in the distance. "And now they have a chance to regroup and prepare."

"Correct," the Battlemaster said.

Ivan stared at him incredulously. "And this isn't a problem?"

"It provides us with an opportunity as well," the Battlemaster said, as he cleaned the blood, gore, and grime off of his blade. "Our strategy is not optimal. There are additional factors to account for now. Such as how your clumsy actions have ensured T'Leth's involvement in the battle and hindered our efforts overall."

Ivan grimaced. "ADVENT was going to learn there was someone like me attacking. Unfortunately, they found me early."

"Do not lie," the Battlemaster's voice was flat. "I gave you explicit instructions. You ignored them. ADVENT adapted. I hope you are satisfied with your handiwork."

"I have caused major disruptions against ADVENT lines," he said. "And have kept hundreds more psions occupied."

"Incorrect," the Battlemaster lowered his weapon and appraised him coldly. "You are a pest to them. How many XCOM or ADVENT teams have come after you?"

"None," Ivan said. "This was because when joined, I can hide myself easily enough."

"Excuses, Smirnov," the Battlemaster shook his head. "I was tempted to remove you when you violated your orders, but you are a low priority in this conflict. I will not be restrained if you ignore my orders a second time."

"Which are?" He demanded, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Very simple," the towering Ethereal stated. "We are to enter this ceasefire. You will not perform any kind of psionic observation or attack against any ADVENT forces who are not within our territory. You will monitor our areas for infiltrators and special forces. I do not trust ADVENT to be idle, even with the Commander in our grasp."

"Absolutely not," Ivan spat. "I will hold to the terms of this unnecessary agreement, but I am not going to act as a glorified radar for you. You can have the Vanguards do that. Let me oversee the Commander at least."

"No," the Battlemaster answered. "ADVENT underestimates you now. You will be useful later."

"You're acquiescing to their demands without argument," Ivan shook his head. "You're doing exactly what they want. What good is having the Commander here if we won't get anything out of him or kill him?"

"Leverage," the Battlemaster said neutrally, finishing his sword cleaning. "Something you know very well, yet question all the same. If you are wanting to interrogate or kill him, those are not the terms of the agreement."

"And why do we care?" Ivan demanded, crossing his arms. "ADVENT will fall. It does not matter how it happens. Removing the Commander will accelerate that significantly."

"I am also certain ADVENT will fall," the Battlemaster said, his tone turning colder. "Which is why we do not need to resort to such tactics. I do not care about your childish need for vengeance against ADVENT. The Commander will be treated well and kept safe – and away from you. Am I clear?"

"Did you consult with the Overmind?" Ivan demanded. "Or even the Imperator?"

"No."

"You ordered a ceasefire of a major military operation," he said with some disbelief. "And you didn't contact your superiors?"

"No."

"And why is that?"

"I am in charge of this campaign," the Battlemaster took a step towards him. "Not the Imperator. Not the Overmind. Not you. If I decide to listen to them, it is at my prerogative. If I choose to follow their advice, it is because I agree with it. I have informed the Imperator of the development, as well as Harbinger Trask, who will doubtless convey this to anyone else of importance. I made this decision on my own, and I have provided my reasons as to why."

"And I will remind you that you do not command me," Ivan said. "That is the Overmi-"

He was cut off as he was suddenly yanked forward to slam into the iron grip of the Battlemaster who held him by the throat. He realized he was in a…bit of a precarious situation, as he had no ability to defend himself as the Battlemaster was immune to telepathy, and couldn't activate his link with the Overmind.

The Battlemaster drew him close to his mask. "I don't know what the Overmind saw in you. I don't especially care. I want to make something very clear to you – if you disobey any of my commands again, I will execute you."

Ivan coughed. "No, you won't."

"Do you want to take that chance?"

He thought about it for a minute, hovering in the air. At the moment…he didn't actually doubt that the Battlemaster was capable of killing him. He couldn't understand the consequences of that, but that resulted in Ivan being very much dead if he didn't shut his mouth. The Battlemaster was actually stupid enough to do that.

He tempered down his anger and annoyance at the Battlemaster over this whole situation. "Fair enough," he calmed his voice. "Fine. You have my word."

"Excellent," the Battlemaster dropped him to the floor and turned on his heel. "Rest and consult with the Overmind if you wish. I will be meeting ADVENT. Remember my orders."

Ivan rubbed his throat, glaring at the back of the Battlemaster as he strode off. Fine then, let's see you embarrass yourself before the Imperator.

This was a mistake, and ADVENT was going to prove it. When it happened, Ivan very much was going to look forward to saying 'I told you so'. Until then, he supposed he should take advantage of the rest that was going to be possible. Straightening up, he began a long walk to his battlefield quarters, thinking about what he was going to do next.

---

To be continued in Chapter 56

Enemy Lines

---

A/N: So with this chapter comes a pretty significant life update for me. Short version is that I'm moving to a new job which I'm very excited about, but is probably going to be taking up a good part of my life now. I know that I've said in the past that life will come before writing, and that remains true here. I do feel compelled to say again that writing updates may slow as a direct result of this. It is not a guarantee, of course, and I know that I've given this warning before and it all ended up working out, but I'll say it again just so everyone is in the loop.

Thank you all for reading, as always.

- Xabiar