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After-Action Report(s)
Due to the evasive nature of this Theoi, and the different sub-Theoi (alternate title, "spawn") it utilized, there will be multiple entries to cover each engagement with this foe.
The initial encounters with Theoi NUN involved sporadic and ecologically-damaging attacks on coastal locations along the Atlantic Ocean, beginning with a U.N. Navy ship off the Côte d'Ivoire, and positively identified as Theoi-related at a power plant in Portugal. At this point, Pharaoh units 01 and 03 were prepped for short-notice transit, as was the prototype hazardous environment armor.
First Engagement, Denmark Reactor
All attacks were following a clear path, and targeted nuclear power sources, so U.N. military forces were sent to secure all such sites along the path. A unit in Denmark reported possible contact, before going silent. The Pharaoh units were immediately dispatched, and arrived to find the soldiers missing and the power plant breached. Pharaoh 01 donned the hazardous environment armor, and entered the plant to determine why the reactor's safety systems had failed. Pharaoh 03 remained outside the facility to stand guard over the cooling and power systems for Pharaoh 01.
Enemy Pharaoh-scale contacts, resembling pistol shrimp, emerged from the ocean and from the reactor core. While Pharaoh 03 held off the ocean attackers, Pharaoh 01 fought its way to the core, and discovered the Theoi had deliberately sabotaged the emergency shutdown system using a strange coral growth. Outside, the attackers destroyed the cooling/power cluster for the Pharaohs, exposing Pharaoh 01 to the reactor's heat and radiation. After manually disabling the reactor and averting explosive meltdown, the two Pharaoh units managed to reconnect to the backup power station just before their batteries ran out. From there, they were able to defeat the stragglers with help from U.N. gunships.
Tactical Analysis Summary, Codename "Nun," First Engagement
Several tactical concerns arose in this fight, but we have suggestions to cope with all of them. If the enemy continues to target Pharaoh power supplies, we can equip spare batteries in a wing dock, buying extra time for the Pharaohs to connect a spare umbilical. There are also plans over at R&E for a fuel cell "backpack" that could provide power for the entirety of a battle. If the enemy continues to deploy these weaker but more numerous units, then the preferred combat styles of our pilots may prove insufficient. Pharaoh 03 has proven its damage output is enough to cripple or destroy such targets, but its rate of attack is low. Pharaoh 01 prefers faster, lighter attacks, which are easier for targets to deflect. If the "shared AT Field" theory is correct, then Pharaoh 01's style may still help, draining the AT Field energy of the enemy group. If Pharaoh 3 then capitalized by using an area-effect weapon, it might allow the destruction of multiple targets at once.
As a strategic matter, we would like to draw attention to a turning point in the fight, when the Theoi changed tactics and struck the cooling station. In previous battles, the Theoi initially appears to be wandering in search of something, briefly responding to threats. Once it is engaged by the Pharaohs, the Theoi turns its full attention to them, and makes no intentional effort to attack their supporting infrastructure. In this case the Theoi hesitated, as if considering their actions or receiving orders, before assaulting the coolant and power cluster. This, combined with the strike-and-fade nature of the previous attacks by this force, suggest the creatures engaged were an "away team," and that their "mothership" may still be out in the ocean. Tactical would also like to note that the pattern of attacks is moving uncomfortably close to [REDACTED], and suggests that all North Atlantic naval forces be consolidated at that site.
- Wu Liang
Biology Analysis Summary, Codename "Nun," First Engagement
This was our first encounter with multiple Theoi at once, or so it seems. Analysis of their AT Fields suggests that they were part of a network, sharing AT Field potential. None of them possessed Core structures, nor did they manipulate AT Fields beyond the nigh-universal basic defensive mode. The creatures seemed to move in a sort of lockstep, and the prevailing theory is that they shared mental faculties as well as AT Field potential; when only one remained, it seemed to act with greater speed and decisiveness.
Their attacks used concentrated sound like a pistol shrimp, though these things can modulate their emissions between concussive blasts and body-liquefying waves. Those poor U.N. troops probably didn't even feel themselves melting. Though possessing a formidable weapon, the shrimp Theoi were individually much more fragile than previous specimens. Their unique biology makes it difficult to tell, but there are markers to suggest the creatures had a limited lifespan, like giant alien mayflies. Also, the coral structures in the reactor rapidly denatured after the fight, but what samples we salvaged were incredibly toxic, and composed of extremely rare compounds and materials we can't identify.
- Dr. O. Salieri
Second Engagement, Bethany Base
The following is a condensed overview of the engagement, which will stand until time and personnel availability permit for a more extensive treatment. In the interest of brevity, this report will attempt to cover both tactical and biological analysis.
Having determined that Theoi NUN would soon attack Bethany Base, the U.N. North Atlantic fleet was summoned, and Pharaoh units 01 and 03 were flown out to the facility. Pharaoh unit 02 was already on-site, for reasons that became apparent later. All units took up positions, and soon made contact with the enemy. As before, a force of Theoi "spawn" did serious damage to the U.N. forces, which were ordered from the battle zone before their complete destruction. These spawn then attempted to destroy the generators powering Bethany Base, and were successfully repulsed by the Pharaohs with only moderate collateral damage to the facility.
Regrettably, even with the generators intact, it seems the Theoi spawn achieved an objective. A new contact, codenamed TEFNUT, was detected inside the base. Its awakening caused the incapacitation of Dr. Moira Vahlen, ATEN Chief Scientist. Further information on Theoi TEFNUT will be covered elsewhere.
Post-battle, we have new questions and new answers regarding Theoi NUN. The spawn that attacked this time were an entirely different species, but with clear relation to the previous type. Rather than Pharaoh-scale pistol shrimp, these were smaller, acid-spewing crustaceans, with coral growths on their shells that helped deflect attacks. It is as if they were made as a response to the Denmark battle. Thankfully, our use of heavy area-effect ordnance countered their advantages. We also managed to catch a glimpse of their "mothership," lurking at the edge of the battlefield, before slipping away into the depths. If NUN tries to approach any of our facilities again, we'll spot her.
- Wu Liang
What were they digging for in Sector 6, that was worth risking an entire fleet? -PROMETHEUS
What were they digging for in Sector 6, that was worth risking an entire fleet? -PROMETHEUS
Third Engagement, Alexandria
After the tragic incapacitation of Doctor Vahlen, and the restructuring that has followed, it has been decided that after-battle summaries will now be provided by the Public Relations team. If and when these events are declassified, it is important that the stories are remembered as the heroic tales they are. Therefore I, Agnes Joubert, will report on the battle against Theoi NUN.
(Automated notification: Items in brackets will be purged before further dissemination.)
After the initial encounters with NUN in the Atlantic Ocean, plans were drawn up to engage the Theoi should it attack ATEN headquarters. The U.N. Mediterranean Fleet was deployed to a point near the sunken city of Alexandria, [to recover a relic with strategic significance, and also] to intercept the Theoi before it could make landfall. Thanks to their prior engagements, ATEN was able to detect NUN's approach, and send the Pharaoh units to the aircraft carriers Illium and Troia. From there, the Pharaohs descended beneath the waves, and took up defensive positions.
NUN and her cetacean children slipped silently through the water, emerging almost by surprise. Lucien and Adam let their torpedoes loose, but the cetacean creatures were too agile, or else too protected by their AT Fields. Even Araceli's gyro-jet shots, though adapted for the water, didn't do enough damage to reliably kill the beasts. NUN drew closer, ensnaring Lucien in her horrible embrace. While Adam and Araceli continued firing at whatever they could, the monsters began their attacks.
Miraculously, Lucien managed to resist NUN's vitriolic acid with his AT Field, but his mind was not similarly shielded from her telepathic wrath. Adam and Araceli kept their shields up, but could only watch as [first the excavation team, then] one of the surface vessels was struck by sonar blasts. Ammunition and time were both running low, but Adam managed [to dig up the relic] while Lucien and Araceli did their best against NUN. The cetaceans shifted to focus on the Pharaohs, but the pilots made good use of the ruins to provide cover. Adam passed [the relic] to Lucien, who activated his emergency float and sped back towards the aircraft carriers. The cetaceans turned in pursuit, leaving the battered Pharaohs and NUN herself behind.
Perhaps NUN believed herself impervious to the Pharaohs, who by this time had no torpedoes remaining, only bullets that could do little against her amorphous mass. This was a mistake. Adam closed the distance, letting himself be ensnared, and overclocked his progressive knife as he slashed at NUN. It was the first time he had ever attempted this technique, and everyone was surprised when the blade managed to resonate at just the right frequency to congeal NUN's viscous mass, revealing a semi-solid Core within. Araceli fired her last remaining gyro-jet round with perfect precision, punching right through NUN's depleted AT Field and splattering the Core. There was a final, telepathic scream of rage and hatred, and then the mass began to separate. The cetaceans drifted, no life left in them. NUN was dead.
[FINAL SECTION REDACTED, CHERUBIC/7H ACCESS REQUIRED]
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