Havana, Cuba

Early November 2017

Adrenaline shot through my body, my enhanced reflexes allowing me to immediately raise my gun and look around the forest, trying to find the source of the voice. It was definitely human, with a Hispanic accent.

"Identify yourself!" I shouted.

The voice chuckled. "Relax. I'm not here looking for a fight. If I wanted you dead, you would be already. I'm just here to talk." The voice reverberated in different directions: north, south, east, west; it was coming from everywhere. My mind couldn't feel anything, which was very odd. "I've been following you for a while. Your tactics aren't half bad."

"Show yourself, or I'm gonna shoot!" I yelled.

"If you're going to shoot, you need to pick a direction. Calm down. No need to be so aggressive." The voice was closer this time. Much closer. My mind felt something at the edge of the trees, coming closer. I heard twigs crack and trees rustle as whoever was talking got closer and closer. "I want to help. After all…"

The figure stepped out from the forest, hands up. He was dressed in black armor, with his face fully exposed. He grinned as he slightly cocked his head, his slick-black hair and brown skin contrasting as he stood in front of the greenery.

I growled, tightening the trigger and preparing my psionics. I used my neural link in the helmet to trigger my SOS signal.

It's fucking him!

"I'd like to meet. More formally than last time." Nico Murillo said.

My would-be killer stood before me, hands raised, staring right through my helmet and ignoring the psionic rifle aimed right at his forehead.

"I know you're probably thinking of killing me with your biopathy or with that weapon." He shrugged. "It'd work on the soldiers you've been killing on the island. I wouldn't recommend it against me."

"Bold you think you'd win."

"No matter what happens, it wouldn't end well for you," he promised. "I kill you, or you kill me, and some very dangerous people come after you. With everything going on, I don't want that to happen to you right now."

"Maybe I will shoot." I said. "Slicing my throat open and screaming about how evil I am for killing a cartel drug lord isn't exactly a way to say hello."

His lips twitched, turning into a grimace. "That's…not going to work right now. Irrelevant to both of us." I saw him slightly scowl at the not-so-subtle reference towards his uncle. "For all you know, Sicarius could be anywhere. Right behind you, even."

I still kept the gun aimed at him. I used my neural link to the suit to activate its built-in distress signal.

"It is." I said, stepping away from him as my heart pounded. "Back in Alaska, you tried to wipe out my team. You almost killed me, you fucking psycho."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Of course I tried to kill you. We are on two very different sides of the war. You have zero right to be offended when you'd have tried to do the same thing. You think it's any different with your little attack on the island? Think the Vitakarians have the right to complain about an unfair ambush?"

He gestured around, before returning his attention to her. "Psycho is unfair, from the woman who likes melting the skin off people, but I don't care. If you want a dramatic story, call me

a broken orphan who found a new purpose in life. But that's besides the point."

"That's how you want to put it?" I asked. "You're a v-"

"No." Nico said, exhaling, and holding up a hand. "We do not need to do this right now. I know you want to kill me-"

"Damn right."

"And in any other circumstance besides this, I'd very much kill you. But not today, or for the foreseeable future. I'm here to give you information," he said. "Not to kill you."

"Intel?" I paused. "Really?"

He nodded. "Some things you probably know. Others you don't. The first is the SAS. You've probably wondering why they're here. They're working on something that will lead to the deaths of millions."

"I thought that's what the Collective wanted." I said. "Not like the Imperator's bitch has tried to hide that."

He crossed his arms. "You are either being intentionally dense, or you have no idea what's going on. If the Imperator wanted everyone wiped out, things would be very different. You're right about one thing - I don't agree with some of the decisions being made, be they from my teacher or not. I do have my own lines, and what is being planned is one of them."

Now that took me off guard. "She's your teacher?"

"Among other things, yes. But that's not important." Eyeing my gun, he slowly reached to his waist, pulling out an envelope and throwing it on the ground at my feet. I took a step back, my suit systems scanning it.

"What is this?"

"Proof." He said. "Of something that your mercenary friend from the SAS is planning."

"Knaag? What's he have to do with this?"

He smirked. "Everything." He looked up at the sky. "He's planning something that's intended to change the course of the war."

"And why should I trust you?" I asked. "Why should I believe in anything you say, after you've proven to be vehemently against us?"

"I don't care if you believe me, I only need you to get this to the people making the decisions," he said. "You have no reason to believe me, and if it makes you feel better, assuming I'm lying until proven otherwise. Besides…"

He paused. "I didn't sign up to starve billions of one is innocent in war, but this is…" He shook his head. "Some days I wonder if Betos was handled correctly. She is an ideal choice, but they never wanted her forever. Not when someone like Kaan comes along."

I cocked my head. "I don't know much about Knaag."

Nico pursed his lips. "Your people have intel on him. Ask for it. All you need to know is that Knaag will kill a billion people and not bat an eye. He wants to cripple ADVENT, and that starts by going after their food."

"How?"

"You know, if you opened the envelope, this would be a lot easier to explain."

I took a step back. He sighed, pulling out a hologram, projecting a surprisingly familiar insect.

"Locusts." He explained

I frowned. "His secret weapon is bugs?"

"More or less. He's been working very closely with Dath'Haram scientists to improve their efficiency and reproduction rate. Enough of them could devastate fields upon fields of crops. He plans to release them everywhere," He paused. "Locust swarms are nothing new, and at first people probably won't be concerned. But when the crops dry up…" He trailed off. "Well, I think you and I both know what would happen. Tens of millions would die, if not more. Perhaps hundreds. ADVENT will respond, but not before a lot of people die."

"Isn't he concerned about retaliation?" I asked. Part of me didn't want to believe what my attempted killer was saying. This seemed like a cartoonishly evil plan from a bad movie. But at the same time, it wasn't exactly beyond what the Collective had done in the past.

"Not enough to alter anything, and he's not doing this on a whim," Nico said. "Important people are backing him. Macula, the Zararch officer embedded in the SAS, Kaan," he paused. "Betos doesn't know, but she isn't in charge of much these days. He doesn't know the truth about your leader, either. Not that I think much would change if he did."

"The Commander?"

He shook his head. "The other one."

"You mean the Sovereign."

He only looked at me.

"Then why not tell the Battlemaster?" I asked. "We both know he would never approve this."

"The Battlemaster considers the SAS a frivolous side project that won't change the war. It's Macula's pet project," Nico said. "You think that everything is being shared? This, frankly, is not important enough for even the Imperator to know about. Maybe Macula thinks it'll fail, or that the impact will be more minimal. In the grand scheme of things, ten million people dying isn't important - but straining the entire ADVENT food supply? That is enough to shift the entire war."

He shrugged. "Besides, the Battlemaster is…occupied. And I don't want to poke something that I shouldn't right now."

"Ah." I cocked my head. "You don't want the revelation of this to cause conflict among the Ethereals, so you're bypassing them and giving the information to us. That's why."

"That's one way to put it." He said. "But yes. I figured this was the least risky way to handle this. If we intervened personally, having the Imperator's adopted daughter sabotage this wouldn't go well for us."

"Ethereal infighting." I chuckled. "You trying to give the Commander an early anniversary gift?"

"You like making jokes, don't you," he said, unamused. "You're welcome."

"I find it helps the mood." I said. "And your side hasn't been kind and forthcoming."

"Yes." He said. "Mock me for abandoning the brutality of this shithole that spat me out and taking the side of the people that took me in."

"Spat you out?" I asked. "You were raised by drug lords that terrorized the people of Mexico. Your uncle that I killed was a serial rapist-"

The air pulsed around him. "No!" He growled, exhibiting some real emotion for the first time. "It's not just that. My family support structure, all of our friends - when ADVENT came knocking, they didn't protect us. We gave them gods know how much wealth, resources, and protection. Our best sicarios kept them in power, under our influence, kept them fat and happy."

His voice was bitter. "We had a system. And when we had to stand together against them, they fucked us. They stabbed us in the back and left to die. ADVENT killed everyone in my family. I watched them die!"

He took a step forward. "I read the reports Sicarius showed me. I wanted to believe that my uncle was still alive. He had no children - he called me Mijo, treated me like a son, taught me how to drive." He trailed off. "I would have dealt with him eventually, but I didn't even get to say goodbye. I knew they were bad people, but they were my family, damnit."

He pursed his lips, giving a little smirk. "And you took my opportunity to rip my uncle's damned throat out."

What?

"Oh, you didn't know?" He said, with a hint of venom in his voice. "He was the one that sold me and my family out. As the bastard fled Mexico, he had his informants sell us out to you guys so he might get off easy. Then when he found out ADVENT actually wasn't going to let him off the hook, he fled south to keep a part of his empire alive."

He grimaced. "I had it all planned out. I'd swoop in, give him the warm welcome, get all emotional, and when he'd look away, I'd slice his throat open with my blade." He sighed, closing his eyes before opening them again. "But that's all in the past."

"Yet you're giving me this vital information. Why?"

"To get XCOM's attention. If I was some anonymous leaker, it would take them too long to respond, and by then the plan would've come into action."

"Wait." I stopped him. "So he's got these locusts, but how does it work?"

"It's not rocket science," he said. "They place capsules near crops and farmlands. I don't know how many are prepared, or if that's started at all. Each one is on a timer and will kick off at a designated point. He might do it in waves, he might do it all at once. I don't even know how much it can be stopped, but…" He trailed off. "I figured if I confronted you, that might get his attention."

I looked down at the package, still on the ground. "And what's in the package?"

"Information. Most of it for something else. The locust plan is a part of it, which Sicarius doesn't care about," he said. "There's something more important we intended to share."

"We?"

"What, you think I did this all by myself? Sicarius isn't just an assassin."

The Imperator's own daughter going against him. Aegis is gonna love this.

"And you're not concerned about the Imperator catching you?"

"That's my problem, not yours." He sighed. "I've gotten this far without drawing much attention from the others."

"So what's the actual thing you wanted to share?"

"I'll get there, but I have one more question before I ask." He said. "Why him?"

"I don't-"

But I did. The Commander.

"You know. Him. Guy with a lot of scars, married a German egghead who's a freak in more ways than one. Why fight with him?"

"I-"

"Why do you fight with him?" He repeated. "Your psychological profiles are virtually the opposite. By all accounts, you should be despising him. I can understand the adult soldiers but you?"

He paused. "I'm not insulting you. Honestly. I'm genuinely curious. By all accounts, your political leanings show that you should really hate a lot of what ADVENT does. But you fight with them, support them. I'm curious why."

"And please tell me you know who he is." He suddenly added. "I have to deal with enough naivety on my side. The Vitakara are far too trusting. They can make good soldiers, but they're not especially perceptive."

I sighed. For a guy who supposedly wanted to kill me, he sure was inquisitive. And yet, I respected it. This was probably the only time we were going to meet face-to-face without killing each other. So why not learn something?

I almost bit my lip as I thought of the best way to respond to his question.

"Because I'm not fighting for him." I said. He waited for me to continue.

"The Commander is many things." I continued. "I hate to say this, but as much as I look up to him, he's…not normal. He made the world into what it is today, but I can't say it's the world I wanted."

"I didn't want to believe it, but I do." I said. "I used to blame him for what happened to my uncle. To be honest, a part of me still does. I…I wanted to confront him about it. A small part of me still wants to. But if I'm gonna, it's going to have to happen after this war is over. But honestly, it probably never will. As much as I respect him, there's still something about him that isn't right. He's not normal."

"But on the other hand, I know men like him are very rare. And maybe that's why I can't understand him. The politicians and leaders that came before, I could figure them out enough. But him - I don't even think the Chancellor fully understands him." I said. "I've felt his mind, and it's nothing like any other Human one. Even after what he did in the past, I can't help but feel like that was only the tip of the iceberg."

Nico said nothing, simply deciding to watch me talk.

"As skilled as he is, he's not normal." I repeated, not sure else to articulate my point. "The world he shaped isn't normal, and it shows. You and I both have seen it. The coldness. The brutality. The inhumanity. He is ADVENT. And despite the years, much of the man that turned Mecca glass is still there."

I smiled under my helmet. "And I did not join the boys in red and black. I joined XCOM because it is more than ADVENT. It's more than just one man. It is an idea. The idea of protecting mankind. And an idea is much more than one person. Part of me when joining figured in XCOM, I could get some influence, maybe help change things on the inside, but what he's done is nearly impossible to change without something short of a coup."

I shrugged. "One day he will have to step down. He's smart enough to understand he can't stay in power forever. But at the same time, he is an…aberration. A very useful one. And you can't just throw that away."

He cocked his head, the neutral look on his face morphing into one of confusion, then one of satisfaction. "Very well spoken. I will give you that much." He looked away for a moment. He sighed, his eyes squinting and muttered something in Spanish. "You've said your part, so I'll say mine."

"And that is?"

"This entire campaign has grown completely out of control. You've probably figured it out by now, but things have, to put it mildly, gone far beyond what was originally intended."

"Big deal." I shrugged. "You can just throw more people at it."

He snorted. "Be careful what you wish for. What you've been experiencing is a fraction of what the Collective could mobilize if we wanted. So far we haven't. Things are changing now. Decisions are being made, and things are much more divided at the top than anyone knows.."

"You mean-"

"The Battlemaster for one. He's been acting suspicious lately. I've been informed of this behavior by… a trusted source."

That got my attention. "What do you mean?"

"He hasn't been acting like himself lately. He's been going to places that make no sense for him to be at, movements and timetables that don't add up. He's involving himself where he normally wouldn't." he said. "Everyone thinks they know the reason for it, but I don't think so. No one thinks he's subtle, and so they ignore it."

"And you're telling me this why?"

"Two reasons." He said. "I know your Commander and the Battlemaster are more alike than they want to admit. And knowing that he's going to ask you quite a few questions about this, he'll be interested. Secondly…our sword-wielding friend may not be in power for long if he does what I and some others suspect he may do."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"He's a soldier, not a politician. He's going to try and fix things the only way he knows how - a coup."

"What?" I managed, legitimately shocked. "No. That's impossible?"

"Which is why no one thinks about it. Even Sicarius is doubtful," he shook his head. "I'm not sure it's as impossible as they expect. Maybe your higher-ups know more."

"I thought you were one of the higher-ups."

"In some matters, not in others, but it's more than just that," he said. "Everything is being unraveled among the Ethereals. This is the real reason I'm here."

He pulled out a hologram in his palm and turned it on. It was a picture of the Imperator's throne room. No big deal - I had seen a construction of it before. But this was different. At the very center, in front of the throne, was a construct clearly not of Ethereal design. It was a small pillar, made of shifting nanomachines. And on top was…

A Sovereign Orb.

I gasped. "Mosrimor-"

"The Imperator and Patricia went to speak with them some time ago. When they came back - things began changing. He wasn't the same." His tone was quiet. Hushed. "The Imperator isn't in charge anymore. Mosrimor is, and he is preparing for a war much, much larger than Earth."

His features darkened. "We've become a Sovereign puppet. The damn thing the Imperator promised us we would fight!" He hissed. "Patricia. That bitch. When she got the power, she promised me this wouldn't happen. That we wouldn't fall into the trap like so many did before.

He paced. "She sold it to us all. That we were going to be the ones to break the cycle, not to be a part of it

"How do I know this isn't a fake?" I said. "You could be bullshitting me, some kind of elaborate scheme-"

He dropped the hologram on the floor. "Look at me!" He yelled. "You are not just fighting the Imperator anymore. He's become Mosrimor's puppet, just like all the rest." He growled. "All the spying we did, everyone we killed- it was supposed to be for something, goddamnit. But he screwed us all."

He inhaled. Exhaled. "They lied. Or they overestimated themselves. Neither of them are in control. And both gave it up without a fight, or a plan." The amount of rage and anger I felt in his voice told him all I needed to know. He felt betrayed - very betrayed.

The air around him shimmering. "I don't think I have much time left. I gave you everything Sicarius and I know about Mosrimor and his plans. Make sure it gets to the Commander, or to your Sovereign. That's the only chance any of us have."

"I don't understand!" I shouted. "Why are you telling me this? Doesn't Sicarius know what this could mean?"

"Yes," he ground out. "As far as she is concerned, this is the only way to save him. There is only one thing that can stop Mosrimor now, and it's not us. T'Leth isn't any better than Mosrimor, but it's the only option. The alternative facing us is worse."

"You're using us."

"Of course I am, unless you have another Sovereign lying around," he said. "You want Mosrimor gone. So do I. We have this single aligned interest. I know if you win, we lose, but like I said - we don't have options. I'd place bets on you doing more than whatever the Battlemaster may be planning."

As he turned to leave, I spoke again.

"One more thing."

"Make it quick."

"The Bringer." I said flatly. "You've seen what it does. I wouldn't doubt if you've taken a trip to his home yourself. So answer this, because I'm really curious. Do you think he can control it? Do you honestly believe he has that thing chained up and ready to obey him? And for the love of god, don't give me that 'rogue actor' bullshit Quisilia spewed."

He paused, looking away as if he didn't want to answer. I didn't know if it was deception or not, but I could feel some emotion from him for the first time in this conversation. It wasn't confusion, pride, deception, or even contempt.

It was fear. Worry.

As if what I'd said brought back memories.

"No." He said, his tone of voice much different than before. "No, he can't. So few of the Ethereals realize this. I don't think even Mosrimor can either. They pretend like everything will work out, but it won't."

"They know how bad things have gotten."

"Call it a classic case of the sunk-cost fallacy." He said. "One of many problems to deal with right now."

"So why don't you tell him?" I asked. "Why don't the others confront him?"

He didn't answer, still looking away.

"Because you're afraid, aren't you?" I asked. "Because you and the others are afraid of being thrown away by him, isn't it? Just like the Ravaged One and Aegis."

"Not that," he said quietly. "Because as I said, he's not in charge anymore. I don't fear the Imperator. Mosrimor is another story. If he can humble the Imperator, none of us can change course. Nothing we can do matters. Not openly."

He shook his head. "Don't waste what I gave you. Use it to hurt Mosrimor. Don't expect to see me anytime soon."

With that, he teleported away.

The hologram he left flickered to life, and began to play. It showed an admittedly pretty alien world, the camera shaking, obviously being worn by someone. It panned, showing a crowd of…

I gasped.

All the Ethereals.

Seeing images of them was one thing, but to see them like this, almost in-person was…something else. Everyone from Cogitian all the way to the Imperator. He towered over everyone else, staring down at them like they were subjects. And in a way, they were.

I felt so taken aback by all the armors each Ethereal wore, how different they all looked. Sana's dress looked oddly similar to a wedding gown, while Fectorian looked like he'd replaced half his body with machines. The Overmind's was the most odd; a simple orange cloak that covered his entire body and kinda made him look like an orange soda bottle.

Then the Imperator began to speak.

"Mosrimor demanded an audience a short time ago," He began, his voice almost booming. Even technically being younger than Caelior, he sounded so much older, it was very off-putting.

"It was given through Regisora," He continued. "She is not to be trusted, relied upon, or considered one of us. She is lost fully to the Sovereign, as Amareoux is to the Bringer. She is not here for this reason. She is to be considered a full extension of Mosrimor – and his authority."

What is this?

"What has happened, Imperator?" the First Guardian asked him. "This is not a command made lightly. There are so few of us, and Regisora appears to maintain her mind, if not her loyalty."

"My command is clear," the Imperator responded. "Much has happened. Patricia and I went to speak to Mosrimor upon his request. He spoke, and… has determined that he will be taking a more active role in the Collective. The continued escalation of T'Leth has prompted his decision."

For a moment, no one spoke, as everyone on the recording seemed to figure it out - as I had.

Oh my god, he isn't is he?

I almost fell to my knees when my mind connected the dots.

He's telling him Mosrimor took control, didn't he?

He's letting the mask drop.

As my mind was trying to process this world-shattering revelation, another Ethereal spoke, the camera rotating to the speaker.

The Battlemaster.

"You lost control." His voice was low and full of rage, making me shiver. He put a hand on his weapon, almost growling as if he was a raging attack dog begging to be let off his leash.

Which kind of was the case, really.

"You have subordinated us to a Sovereign One."

"Not subordinated," Quisilia said, his voice showing levels of concern and worry he'd never displayed in any of his videos. "Not truly."

The Battlemaster gave Quisilia a death stare. "I did not ask you," the Battlemaster hissed. "I asked him."

Kill him, you pussy. I know you want to.

I'd learned a lot about Ethereal body language from Aegis and Caelior, and though the Imperator was hiding it, his tone showed he was clearly intimidated. "There is little point in ignoring inconvenient truths. Mosrimor has made it clear his instructions are to be followed. There is no formal change, even as the understanding that the Sovereign should not be denied is in force. Not if we wish to retain our place."

My Ethereal counterpart spoke out with a cry of borderline rage, nowhere near as constrained as the Battlemaster. "What have you done? After everything you have done and justified in the name of breaking this cycle, you now have placed us under one of them?"

Holy shit, we're actually agreeing on something, dead man. Look at that.

"I did none of this intentionally," the Imperator snapped back, causing the ground to shake. "Do not insinuate I did. I was in his domain – there was little choice in the matter. We cannot afford to war with two Sovereigns instead of one."

"Everything you have done has led to this, everything," The Battlemaster spat. "Earth. Paradise. This entire war. Mosrimor. Regisora. You gambled and sacrificed us in pursuit of a plan we didn't know until recently. In an attempt to influence and manipulate powers older than we can fathom. You have given and given and promised us it would be worth it."

"And now," he continued, his voice very low. "You tell us it was all for nothing?"

"I have followed you, tolerated your decisions, because it was my duty, and it was for the Collective," the Battlemaster's voice remained low. "And all that we have achieved, all that we have built, has resulted in nothing but a final subversion to an alien power. An end brought about by your arrogance and faulty vision. You never considered Mosrimor would see your plan, and counter appropriately, did you?"

"I concur. This is unacceptable," Fectorian spoke up. "You may submit to this Sovereign, but I will not. Mosrimor will never find a willing servant in me."

"Nor I." Mortis said with conviction.

Everyone stayed quiet for a minute, all of them looking at the Overmind.

He must be talking.

"And what will you suggest?" Mortis demanded. "Another plot against a Sovereign?"

"Unwise at this juncture." Deusian agreed, speaking for the first time. Being the second most destructive Ethereal around, she seemed oddly quiet.

"No." The Imperator shook his head. "We cannot do so while engaged in another war. For now, we must continue as we have. Defeat the Humans, T'Leth – and then proceed. We must sacrifice, and endure, and prepare. This will not be a permanent arrangement – but there cannot be rebellion now. Not unless you wish to put everything remaining at risk."

The meeting ended a minute later, the feed cutting off.

Replacing the video with a still picture shot of the Imperator's Throne room.

In front of the massive throne of the Imperator was a small statue, with a Sovereign Orb on top.

One clearly made of constantly shifting nanomachines.

Oh my god.

He's really in control. Mosrimor finally did it.

"Dawn!"

A green flash lit up behind me as Fiona's voice echoed behind me. She startled me by grabbing my shoulder with one hand, holding her sword in the other.

"I came as quickly as I could. We got your distress signal and-" She stopped, looking at the hologram. She was absolutely silent for a minute, before turning to me.

"Dawn?" She asked, her voice rife with caution and concern. "What happened?"

"I need to see the Commander. I need to see the Council. Now."

Praesidium

Early November 2017

Awkwardly still in my armor, I stood outside the door to the Situation Room. I'd asked to change, but my request was shut down. Whatever was going on in there, they wanted it with the utmost time in mind.

After Fiona had picked me up, it was all chaos from there. She'd grabbed everything Nico left with that green stuff of hers and teleported me to the Praesidium. She told me to wait here - the Internal Council more than likely wanted to hear what I had to say about this.

I was still processing the fact that the conversation had even happened in the first place, honestly. Months ago he wants to kill me, and now he wants my help in…what? What does he want from this? Does he want his side to lose? None of this makes any sense at all.

The video…the video.

It looked so real, but it could've definitely been faked. Could all of this be a psyop to trick me and the others?

What the hell was going on?

The door slid open, with Fiona walking out. "They want to talk to you."

"Right now?"

"Yes. They're discussing everything. Knaag's plan using locusts…it's like something out of a bad movie."

"I know. Let me guess. Patricia approved this?"

"I'd be surprised if she didn't know," Fiona said. "For the rest of it, Abigail, JULIAN, they both seem to think it's genuine. All of it."

I still wasn't at all comfortable letting an AI based off a dead woman walk around the Praesidium. Her tale was insane enough, but that fact alone was the cherry on top of that shit sundae.

"I won't keep you. Good luck."

Sha waved goodbye, and walked away. I sighed, cursed under my breath, and walked in, the door closing behind me.

As she said, the Council was already in session, around the holotable and in the midst of conversation. The Commander was the first to notice me.

"Ah, Dawn. Welcome. Please take a seat."

I obeyed, hoping the chair could hold both me and my armor. I grew even more uncomfortable as all of their eyes stared directly at me. Aegis, the Chronicler, and I was certain JULIAN was also listening.

Play it cool, play it cool…

"We've reviewed the information concerning you and your…encounter," the Commander said. "We're working to confirm some details with ADVENT, and other sources, but it all appears genuine. We wanted to debrief you since you were the only one present."

"You've seen the footage from my camera." I said. "You've seen everything."

"Correct." Aegis said. "However, you and him have had a previous encounter, and no one else has interacted with him and survived. We want your thoughts on the encounter."

"How do you know I haven't been psionically compromised?"

"If you had been affected in such a way, we would know," the Chronicler said. "Nor has the young Avatar demonstrated that kind of proficiency. What he shared lines up with some of what we knew about the internal Ethereal dynamics."

O-kay.

"Where do you want me to begin?" I asked. "What he said? The evidence?"

"Whatever you like." Nartha said.

I gulped. "Well." I said. "I guess if I have to start somewhere, what grabbed my attention the most was the feelings of betrayal he let on. And obviously since he's Sicarius' Avatar, he'd never be able to hide it without her knowing, which means Sicarius was involved. He was… very upset. He said Patricia and the Imperator. had betrayed them, all of them. He felt angrier than when he tried to kill me in Alaska."

"Do you believe he was attempting to manipulate you?" Zhang asked.

"If he was, I couldn't detect it. From my perspective, his emotions felt genuine. Especially when he said we and T'Leth are his only option." I said. "Funny for him to say that when he and his compatriots have been trying to kill him for so long. He was clearly unhappy about it, but that…also didn't stop him."

"Did you believe at any point he or Sicarius would try to abduct or kill you?"

"No." I shook my head. "He seemed more distracted with telling me all that info. And with our…past, it seemed from his perspective that I could be trusted with telling y'all."

"So he was in control of himself."

I nodded, trying not to shake with worry. "Yes. He seemed pretty stable, but he seemed to go almost off the deep end with anger at the Imperator - not us. What ADVENT did to his family was peanuts compared to this. From what I understand - or guess, it looks like Patricia took him under his wing and trained him a lot. It hit him hard, sirs."

The Commander thought for a moment. "And the evidence he presented?"

"Frankly sir, I was scared shit-scared a lot, sir. But it looked to me like he genuinely didn't want it to happen. He knew the consequences of tens of millions of humans starving to death." I paused. "Do we know if Knaag knows about the Sovereigns?"

The Commander glanced at Zhang. There was a non-commital grunt. "Impossible to say. Unlikely. Few outside the Ethereals and their most trusted subordinates know from what we understand. Knaag almost certainly does not."

"But this was signed off by Patricia-"

"Who told you that?" Vahlen interjected, almost snapping at me.

"Fiona. Outside." I pointed behind me. "Was that not supposed to happen?"

She just shook her head. The Commander gave his wife a look before continuing. "It's likely. We don't know for sure. And I'm not convinced that Nico knows the entirety of Knaag - or Macula's plan. It's incomplete in effect - especially now that we know. Everything being left to this one plan working is…"

"Uncharacteristic," Zhang surmised.

I looked at the Chronicler. "Sir, what would T'Leth do in response if these locusts were activated?"

The Chronicler seemed to be deliberating what to say. "It depends on the impact. If it truly becomes a doomsday scenario, it would not go unanswered. However, this is also a Human-originated plot. It's no worse than what T'Leth has done to other species before."

He paused. "T'Leth thinks on a scale you do not, and is difficult to grasp. Myself and the Agents would certainly take part in retaliation, but T'Leth himself…with what we learned concerning Mosrimor, that is the priority."

My face went white when I heard that- both his guess and the casual manner in which he said it.

"This could bring the war into a MAD phase if it succeeds." I thought out loud.

"Indeed, which is why we need to stop this before it happens." The Chronicler said. "I doubt this is some master plot by Patricia, but I also agree with the Commander. This seems like there may be more to it.."

"Dawn, please continue." The Commander motioned.

"Well, I was also intrigued by the video." I continued. "Seeing such dissent from other Ethereals was shocking, to say the least. I wasn't surprised to see Mortis act like that, but the Battlemaster seemed angry. Furious."

Several members of the Council looked at each other with some concern. Do they know something I don't?

Of course they probably do.

"If I had to guess, it looks like the Collective's starting to fall apart from the inside."

"I am equally surprised at his demeanor." Aegis interjected. "He usually is not so emotive. Especially not in front of the others."

The Commander said nothing, obviously deep in thought. "Do you think Nico and Sicarius may do something like this in the future? You are, after all, familiar with them."

I shrugged. "I can't give you a clear answer, sir. He said not to expect him again, but there's way too many unknowns."

He nodded, seeming to come to some conclusion. "Thank you Dawn, you're dismissed."

I quickly walked out of the room, doing my best not to hide my worry. As soon as the door closed behind me, almost gasping with a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall.

There's so much going on right now.

I didn't even know if I had time to get food or a shower. Everything was moving so quickly. This had gone from a simple island invasion to prevent what could be the greatest famine in human history.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

Praesidium

Early November 2017

Once again, the whole squad was in the Praesidium's briefing room- with the Commander here in person this time.

What was different was the three other whole XCOM squads that'd been brought in the room, making it even more cramped. What was also odd was one of our resident Andromedons, V'Thrask standing next to the Commander.

He didn't waste time once they were assembled. "Welcome, this will be short, since we're on a timer. Thanks to some developments, we know what the SAS is developing here. In short, they intend to release genetically-modified locusts into major agricultural regions across the world. I don't need to explain the consequences if this succeeds."

Two pictures appeared on the hologram table. "Fortunately, we can limit the damage. The locust deployment mechanisms, and their growth, can be hit and halted. We know where to hit them. On the left is a massive underground science lab hidden under several cane plantations. This is where the majority of locusts are being developed and grown."

The lab was like a maze, dozens of underground hallways snaking around each other into the ground, all surrounding a central reactor.

"The facility has hidden defenses outside, but you're going to be teleported into the facility as time's of the essence. Your goals here are threefold," the Commander said. "Capture as many scientists and staff alive as possible. Secondly, retrieve as much information as you can. Thirdly, see if you can recover any samples. Our intel tells us this is where the locusts were designed, so getting any specimens will go a long way in developing an effective pesticide."

"The second half is assaulting this base, in southern Cuba." The map zoomed in. "Originally, this was going to be an Andromedon Aquatic Forces base. But after Scipio, it was left abandoned. V'Thrask?"

The Andromedon 'nodded', slightly angling the large tank that was the 'head' of his suit. "After it was left abandoned, Union Haruma annexed it and turned it into a base for their lead biological scientist." A picture appeared above the table of an Andromedon in a suit thinner than most. "This is H'Xanna, Haruma's chief biological engineer, a prodigy in all aspects of his work. He is responsible for creating these bioweapons, and is your primary target of the base."

He looked at the Commander. "In the interest of our alliance, the Unions associated with me would prefer if he was taken alive. His knowledge will greatly assist our Unions in countering ones like his."

The Commander nodded. "Once we have interrogated him, he will be handed over to your people."

The Andromedon nodded. "His base has a light cruiser he uses for transportation. If he is to be captured, it must be disabled or destroyed. You must also target any Gateways in the area to ensure he cannot get away."

With that he stepped back, letting the Commander take charge again.

"For the sake of time, we will be hitting both bases one after the other. The lab first, then the base. We'll launch missiles with EMP warheads over each one to disable any communications they have. Since we know the databases are EMP-hardened, we'll be able to retrieve the data without any issues."

He turned to the picture of the scientist's base. "The base is heavily defended by air, but we've found a way in. Parts of the Aquatic force's construction still remain, most importantly this." He zoomed in on an underwater tunnel inside the base. "This tunnel was meant to be a deployment area for Aquatic forces and craft. Now, it's been left abandoned. However, it gives us an opportunity to perform an underwater insertion here. We can infiltrate the base from there and attack it directly, giving us the element of surprise."

He looked at us. "Any questions?"

No one said a word. We all knew what was on the line here, what would happen if these locusts could be developed without interruption.

"No. Very well. In the unlikely event the operation fails, ADVENT forces assets will launch short-range missiles to destroy both facilities involved," the Commander said. "Currently, if the locusts are activated, we're increasing security around the world."

He nodded to them. "Operation Final Judgement is a go. Good luck."

To be continued in:

Operation: Final Judgment