Chapter 8: Soldiers and Peacekeepers
GDI Sector Base
Phoenix, Arizona
0021 Local Time
September 2, 2030
Sentry duty was as timeless as anything could be in military service, as there was always someone out there just waiting to kill you. The latter happened to be the other timeless aspect of military service. For this very reason, the soldiers currently on patrol did their damned best to catch anything out of the ordinary. The mood back at base had slowly shifted over the past few days to not a matter of whether the Brotherhood still existed as more than a bunch of drug dealers to when it would be their turn to face a horde of zealots and fanatics. Just a few months ago such a thought would have been laughed at. Now, it was a cold and harsh reality.
"Patrol 2 checking in. All's quiet."
"Acknowledged, patrol 2."
The pair of Wolverines continued their rounds, making their way further and further from the base. In theory, the Wolverines were well armored enough that at least one of them would survive to sound the alert should they be ambushed. However, this assumed that any attacker cared about surprise in mounting an assault. The other problem with the theory was that the attacker wouldn't be able to take out the two walkers before they could get off a warning. This time, it was the former that doomed the GDI soldiers.
Missiles struck the lead walker dead center, blowing a hole into the command module. Sparks and flames splattered from the hit and the walker tumbled forward, its driver already dead. The second soldier barely got a message through when something impacted the back of his unit. Before he could react another explosion caught him from the side and a third penetrated, engulfing him in flames. His scream was cut short as his head snapped to the side with a loud thud.
Not even pausing, soldiers rushed past the wreckage and continued towards the GDI base. The defenders were already scrambling in response to the distress call and klaxons blared throughout. Additional spotlights flared up and scanned the surrounding area, sky and ground. The attackers were still too far for them to be sighted like this, but they were showing up quite clearly on radar.
"Commander Tao! I'm seeing massive incoming!"
The GDI base commander leaned over the console and swallowed. "Request reinforcements from West Coast Command. Tell them we need heavy armor and lots of air support."
"Yes sir." The pause was over too quickly before the lieutenant spoke. "Uh, something's wrong sir. I can't get a signal out!"
A cold sweat washed over Tao. "What? Keep trying."
"Yes sir, but sir, I'm picking up a lot of interference. Whatever they're using to jam us, it's damn strong."
"Keep trying," Tao repeated. "Is it interfering with our short range radios?"
"Somewhat sir, you might end up getting syllables cut off depending on how far away you are."
"That'll have to do," said Tao. "Try using a laser to connect to one of our satellites and get a message out. If we don't get reinforced soon, we're going to get overrun."
"Yes sir!"
Not waiting for the technician to succeed, Tao rushed out of the communications center and towards the war factory. Phoenix Base was by no means a large base, but it was designed to act as a rapid deployment center. It was well defended, with supporting fields of fire for each of its defensive emplacements surrounding the base. Combined with the two platoons on permanent station, it should have been able to withstand most attacks long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The problem here was this was not most attacks and reinforcements might not be coming.
"Get all Wolverines moving now!" Tao shouted to the engineers. "I need all available units in the field immediately!"
Soldiers scrambled to obey, with technicians buttoning down whatever hatch or compartment they were working on. Tao wasted little time climbing into his own unit and began the power up sequence. Just as the systems finished booting, he heard screams through the radio.
"Sub APC! They've breached the base!"
Cursing, Tao pushed his walker forward and joined the other Wolverines lumbering out. The three Nod APCs had just finished surfacing and ground to a halt. The few soldiers close by opened fire but their rounds simply bounced off the transports. In the meantime, Nod soldiers began disembarking. The sound of chainguns erupted and those too close were chewed to pieces. The survivors scrambled away from the hulking monstrosities as cyborgs emerged. Forming a protective screen around the other Nod soldiers, they quickly established a beachhead and continued pouring fire at any GDI unit that dared close in. Fortunately, the Wolverines were a step above the man-machine abominations.
The burst of rounds smashed into the closest cyborg, denting its armor and even piercing it in several places. Turning, it returned fire but the walker's armor was more than a match for the attack. Two more Wolverines moved in and their combined firepower quickly reduced the upper body into a bloody pulp. After teetering for a few seconds the cyborg finally collapsed, a pile of twisted metal and flesh. The walkers quickly switched to other targets but the Nod troops hadn't come completely unprepared.
Missiles greeted the advancing Wolverines, forcing the GDI forces to halt. Here and there a lucky shot took out a leg and incapacitated a walker, but more often than not they struck the frontal armor. The tiny fireballs gave each walker pause, but did not last long as the drivers recovered and responded. Nod soldiers found there was nowhere to hide as the Wolverines opened fire and a hail of bullets cut them down. Those fortunate enough to escape the barrage were now pressed back to the APCs. There was no hope of escape underground as the firefight had crippled the vehicles. The remaining cyborgs were still putting up a fight but it was only a matter of them before they too fell. Of course, that was the entire point of this attack. Winning this battle did not require any of them to make it out alive.
Breaking cover, several Nod soldiers charged forth and slipped through holes in the enclosing defenders. The sudden surge caught the GDI solders by surprise and only a few stray shots chased after them. The rest remained focused on the cyborgs they considered the greater threat. That analysis was quickly reevaluated when they saw what the Nod soldiers were wearing.
"Suicide bombers!" one shouted and took aim.
A shot sounded, but it wasn't his. The surviving cyborgs were now throwing their all at trying to cut off any attacks on their comrades and quickly took advantage of any distractions. The GDI soldier dropped, a bloody hole in his chest.
"Wolverines, take out those bombers!" Tao shouted into his radio. "All other units, bring down the remaining cyborgs!"
As one, all the walkers began marching forth, a thunderous roar echoing as they stomped after the bombers. Incredibly the Nod bombers only ran faster, though even they could not outrun Wolverines. Bullets quickly found their mark but as each one fell they went out in a blaze of fire. Craters soon dotted the area but not all fell victim to the advancing Wolverines. They simply had too much of a head start for GDI forces to take out all of them before they reached their targets.
Cursing, Tao watched as an explosion ripped apart the foundation of a power plant. But he didn't have any time to stand there and gap. Pressing forward, he targeted another suicide bomber and had the satisfaction of watching the man explode before reaching his target. That satisfaction quickly evaporated as another explosion erupted. It was followed by several others, until the ground itself seemed to shake. Something that strong could only mean one thing.
"They got the refinery!" someone shouted over the radio.
"How much Tiberium did we have stored?" Tao queried.
"Almost nothing, sir," came the response. "We just finished processing and shipping out the latest batch."
A minor consolation. Even with the small amount present, the explosion had been that strong. Tao didn't want to know what would have happened had the refinery been full of the rock. Surveying the wreckage, the situation was dire but stable. The destruction wrought upon the base was not terribly extensive. Even the refinery could be repaired given time, but something told Tao they didn't have it.
The remaining cyborgs were falling one by one, finally overcome by the sheer firepower brought to bear. With the momentary reprieve, GDI soldiers rushed forth to put out the various fires that had sprouted. Others saw to the wounded while the dead were left to their resting places. There was simply too much to do before the next attack hit.
"Squads 4, 6, and 9 form up on me," Tao ordered. "Control, have you gotten through to Command yet?"
"Sorry sir, I'm trying! But I'm having trouble aiming the laser. The ionic interference is-"
"I get the picture, lieutenant. Keep trying."
"Yes sir!"
This was just getting worse and worse. The six Wolverines quickly joined him and followed as he approached the base entrance.
"Is the radar still functional?" Tao asked. "Do we have any idea where the enemy force is?"
"Sir! We're detecting a large force east of the base!"
"How large?"
"Sorry sir, but I can't get a firm reading."
Before Tao could get out another word, a hail of missiles ripped through Tao's squadron. The two Wolverines in front of him might have saved Tao, but were left burning wrecks in the process. Scanning the area, Tao caught a glimpse of something disappearing. The presence of stealth tanks was bad enough, but there wasn't even any time to worry about them. Just as the stealth tanks finished cloaking, tick tanks came into visual range. Tao didn't know when his jaw dropped, but when he realized he quickly shut it. Phoenix Base's armor presence was minimal at the best of times. With the cutbacks over the past few years that minimal presence became nonexistent.
"Grenadiers! Forward!"
Technically called disk throwers, they functioned in the same capacity as grenadiers of the last century. However, they possessed a decisive advantage over their ancestors. A dozen or so came forth and hurled a volley of disks at the tanks. No grenadier could have ever hoped for such range, but for disk throwers this was nothing. Their bionic arms leveled the playing field against the tanks as they could now stay out of range of mounted machineguns. Of course, tanks had other weapons to deal with such threats.
Screams sounded as a shell exploded amongst a group of disk throwers. Tao caught a brief glimpse of body parts flying but kept his focus on the incoming tanks. A few had ground to a halt thanks to lucky hits but too many were still advancing. Rounds struck the wall behind Tao, blowing chunks of concrete off. Soldiers scrambled to get out of the way and dispersed their ranks before resuming their bombardment. Explosions continued to blossom along the Nod line but those were paid back in kind.
"Fall back!" Tao shouted into the radio.
The disk throwers were at best delaying the inevitable, but with no natural cover they couldn't hold long. At least with the base they had some protection against the tanks. Combined with the gun emplacements they might be able to blunt the attack. Then again, that was probably all they could probably do.
"Sir!" the radio crackled. "I've gotten an uplink with one of our satellites!"
"Put me on!" Tao shouted. "This is Base Commander Tao reporting! A number of enemy ground forces are hitting us all over the place! They caught us by surprise. We're severely outnumbered! All GDI forces have been destroyed! Repeat, send reinforcements right away!"
Before he could get anything else out, an explosion rocked Tao's unit. Fighting to keep the Wolverine upright, Tao lost the radio link and could only watch as Nod soldiers swarmed forward. The walker flanking him exploded, its arm flying into Tao's. Another blast slammed the commander forward. For a few seconds, everything seemed to go quiet. That passed and he could hear the sound of gunfire in the distance, but Tao just couldn't focus on them. His head felt light and as he touched it, something wet met his hands. Looking down, he saw red covering his fingertips. Even then, his sight grew increasingly hazy. Fighting to maintain focus, Tao looked up and saw the hole in the side of his walker. People were swarming around, people he did not want to meet. The last thing he could see clearly was a Nod soldier peering inside, rifle at the ready. The last thought in his mind was whether that rifle would be used.
The jamming was still in effect but the Kodiak's higher altitude and signal booster managed to compensate. It was certainly strong enough to pick up the screams of a lone GDI soldier running for his life.
"Where the hell are those reinforcements!"
As if answering his pleas, a thunderous boom echoed. Destruction rained down on the two cyborgs chasing him, the pair almost seeming to melt under the onslaught. Seconds later, loud thuds sounded and a flurry of dust was thrown into the air. Where the two Nod cyborgs had been standing was now occupied by a dozen drop pods that were just popping open. The soldiers wasted no time surveying their landing zone, with one kicking aside what was left of a cybernetic arm. The rest of the body was more likely than not under one of the pods.
"Report private," the lead drop trooper said as he approached the soldier.
"It's Nod sir! They came out of nowhere! We have to get back to base and rebuild the refinery before they hit us again!"
The private was definitely still jumpy after what he had just undergone. "Calm down soldier! Reinforcements are right behind us. We're here to take the fight to Nod, not wait for them to come after us!"
Stiffening and then slowly relaxing, the private nodded. "Yes sir."
"Let's move out!"
The drop troops quickly formed up and approached the GDI base. Gun turrets immediately swung around and followed them, but fortunately none opened fire.
"This is Commander McNeil," a voice crackled over the radio. "ETA to touchdown is two minutes. Lieutenant Ramir, secure the immediate area around the base."
"Yes sir!"
Soldiers rushed about in pairs and the six groups ran alongside the walls, taking position around the holes that had been blasted in it. Most already had soldiers guarding them but reinforcements never hurt. The two minutes passed without incident and the roar of drop ships soon filled the air. They landed without incident inside the base and dozens of soldiers and walkers came forth. They cleared out quickly as the drop ships lifted off, making space for the next wave of reinforcements. A massive ship, the Kodiak served as both a command ship as well as a transport. It barely fit inside the landing zone of Phoenix Base but the pilots at the helm proved just why they were there. Ramps lowered and soon four Titans marched down followed by another dozen infantry units. Once its troops were out, the Kodiak lifted off and assumed a higher altitude to coordinate the coming battle. Of course, the commander did not need to be aboard the Kodiak to take advantage of its higher vantage point.
The first to disembark, McNeil signaled his troops to form up around him. "Lieutenant Ramir, regroup your men. Secure the bridge to the east."
"Permission to pursue and destroy if Nod attacks sir?"
"Granted."
"Yes sir!" came an enthusiastic acknowledgement.
The reputation of the drop troops were well earned, as they were widely acknowledged as some of the best light infantry units GDI possessed. The mental discipline required to undergo atmospheric reentry was a rare quality and served them well in many other situations these soldiers often found themselves in. For McNeil, this meant he wouldn't need to babysit them while they were out in the field and could focus on securing the base.
The third wave of reinforcements was here, though instead of soldiers, engineers disembarked the dropships. Gear and other equipment followed and they were quickly directed to the holes in the perimeter. Others began setting down posts for a new refinery. Within an hour, the basic frame would be in place and the processing equipment could be slotted in. Amazing the advances in construction the world had experienced. Though to be frank, no one in their right mind would use such techniques for skyscrapers and the like.
Looking over the wreckage that was the war factory, McNeil let out a curse. Tao's report said nothing about them losing it, so McNeil hadn't brought any replacement parts. To rebuild it would take too long but hopefully the armor he brought would be enough.
"Attack!"
His head snapping towards the source of the cry, McNeil's HUD brought up a map of the base and the surrounding area. Two dots marked incoming Nod units, and they were moving very quickly. The Vulcan cannons let loose and from their cameras McNeil saw that it was a pair of buggies. They were making for one of the repair teams, obviously intent on keeping the holes open.
"Sanchez, Ibanez, get moving!"
Two Wolverines immediately stomped off, rushing through the gap even as others took shelter behind the wall. The presence of the two walkers prevented the buggies from charging in, but didn't stop them from opening fire. Rounds bounced off the armor and concrete but to no avail. The Wolverines responded in kind, their hail of fire easily piercing the light armor on the buggies. Red blood splattered on the windshield and the cars swerved out of control. A steady stream of bullets continued until the wolverines were sure the buggies wouldn't give them any more trouble.
"Get those holes patched up now!" McNeil shouted into the radio. "Ramir, status?"
"A meteor shower just hit sir," came a soft reply. "Took the bridge and a few Nod soldiers that were headed our way. Don't see anyone else."
"What about the second bridge?"
"Intact, sir. Shall we establish a beachhead on the other side?"
"Hold your horses," McNeil replied. "Can't let you have all the fun. Stay put until I get there."
"Yes sir."
With the immediate perimeter secure, McNeil rounded up a few more units and exited the base himself. If there really was a larger Nod base in the area, he intended to see it for himself. Going out meant risking the same fate as Tao, but McNeil was hardly squeamish. War was about taking risks, and you did not win wars by being timid. Reaching Ramir didn't take long and McNeil took a brief moment to examine the sunken bridge. Any corpses were already washed away, but he would see plenty more soon enough.
"Any of your men hurt?"
"No sir," Ramir answered. "We were far away enough to avoid any debris."
Looking across, McNeil couldn't make out anything overtly suspicious.
"Shall I take point, sir?" Ramir asked.
McNeil nodded. As much as he enjoyed being on the front with his men, he was still their commander. That meant staying back far enough to still be able to issue orders as the situation warranted. In fact, he was already too far out.
"I want a sweep of the other side, but do not reveal your presence. If you find the main body, radio for backup. We'll take them out in force."
"Yes sir."
"Chandra, any trouble at the base?" McNeil called as Ramir and his men headed out.
"A few cyborgs tried to take out the cannons, but the Titans took care of that," Chandra replied. "Otherwise, we're not seeing any heavy presence."
"So what happened to all those troops that hit Phoenix before we got here?" McNeil asked his second.
"Maybe they were after something else?" the lieutenant suggested.
"Maybe. Keep monitoring the area. I don't want to get blindsided down here."
"You know, that wouldn't happen if you were up here like you're supposed to be."
"Watch it, Lieutenant," McNeil said, grinning. "Or you might find yourself down here with me."
"Of course sir. Sorry sir." The voice was not apologetic in the least. Then again, that was what made Chandra a damn good second.
McNeil didn't have to wait much longer before a large force of soldiers met up with him. Ramir had yet to report in, but McNeil wasn't going to wait to take the fight to the enemy. Hopefully the radio silence meant Ramir hadn't found anything, which either implied the main Nod force really had moved on or they were being damn sneaky. Deciding it was time to advance, McNeil signaled the troops and they crossed the bridge as quickly as possible. No telling if it too would collapse like its partner. The other side of the river looked surprisingly serene, with no signs of war scarring the earth. Then again, Tiberium was doing such a good job one could easily miss them.
"Continue east," McNeil ordered.
This was one of those moments McNeil sorely missed having a jeep or something to ride on. Hopefully Nod forces weren't too far away.
"Sir!" Looking up, McNeil spotted the soldier waving. "Bodies, sir! Nod troops, with shots to the head."
"Ramir's handiwork, no doubt," McNeil muttered. "Tag them for retrieval later."
"They've already been tagged, sir."
McNeil smirked. The best indeed. "Continue advancing."
He had barely taken another step when the radio crackled.
"Sir, we've located a small Nod outpost," Ramir's voice echoed. "Minimal guards present, but they have Hand of Nod present. Might be an entrance to their tunnels. Orders?"
"Hold position," McNeil said. As much as he respected the skill of Ramir and his men, he wasn't about to send them in without backup just quite yet. "We're five minutes away from your position, at most. Stay put until we get there."
"Yes sir."
Accessing his command interface again, McNeil checked the status of the base. Apparently Nod had made another run at it, but with heavy armor present nothing they had thrown at it made even a dent. McNeil grimaced. If this was really all Nod had in the area, then they were definitely after something else. Why else breach the base but not finish it off?
Setting those thoughts aside, McNeil turned his attention back to the task at hand. He was almost upon Ramir when the radio crackled again.
"Sir, we've got cyborgs on us!" Ramir shouted. "I count eight of them and they've got us pinned down!"
Cursing, McNeil picked up the pace. "Wolverines to the front! Disk throwers, next! Infantry, watch our rear!"
Though McNeil himself only carried a rifle, he kept pace with the disk throwers. All the better to see what exactly was going on. The sound of gunfire soon filled the air, with the almost deafening roar of chainguns going ceaselessly. From time to time a pulse rifle could be heard answering but the infrequency became worrying. Finally catching sight of the firefight, McNeil swore. Ramir wasn't kidding when he said his men were pinned down. Seven cyborgs were advancing upon them, pinning them against the Nod base. With nowhere to run, Ramir's troops were fighting back as best they could. The twisted heap of a fallen cyborg attested to that, but they were still outgunned. That changed quickly as the Wolverines opened fire, raining lead into the back of the cyborgs. Two fell almost immediately while the others staggered and tried to turn and face this new foe.
Taking advantage of the reprieve, Ramir's men opened fire themselves. The head of another cyborg exploded while blood splattered from the neck of another. McNeil could only admire their skill as a third cyborg lost its head. Unlike regular forces that simply sprayed out bullets and hoped to take down their opponents by sheer attrition, members of the Special Warfare Division were trained to be brutally efficient and kill quickly and accurately.
The disk throwers were finally in range and unleashed a storm of fire on the surviving cyborgs. The explosions ripped apart the Nod soldiers, blowing off limbs and carved craters in their chests. Even then, some doggedly continued fighting until another volley of disks reduced them to scrap.
"Go, go, go!"
Shouting as he waved his troops forward, McNeil leveled his own rifle at the Nod troops now engaging Ramir's troops. With the cyborgs off their back, the SWD operatives were dealing death to their other attackers. However, even they were human as one fell, a bloody mess splattered across his shoulder. Wolverines moved to flank the attackers as the other infantry pressed forward, joining their comrades. Faced with overwhelming numbers, the Nod soldiers quickly decided this wasn't a winnable battle and tried to pull back. They soon discovered this too was futile, as they were too deeply engaged. Mere minutes later the last one fell and a quiet settled upon the battlefield. The moment passed quickly as cries of pain brought the assembled back to reality.
Running over, McNeil watched as a medic attended to the wounded soldier. The shot had gone through his shoulder, mercifully missing any vitals. The man would live, assuming they could get him out of here and disinfected. The grunts of pain faded away as the painkiller took effect and the soldier was lifted onto a stretcher.
"Marcus, Ramsey, take your men and get him back to base. Watch out for any ambushes."
"Sir!"
With his only casualty on his way back, McNeil turned again to the Nod outpost. "O'Reilly, Ramir, search the base. Tag traps for removal and let me know if you find anything interesting. I want to know why the Brotherhood hit Phoenix."
"Sir!"
Maybe now they could sort out this insanity and nip this before things really got out of hand. A sigh escaped McNeil. Then again, considering everything happening in Europe, it was already too late for that.
GDI Sector Command
Paris, France
1300 Local Time
September 2, 2030
"Phoenix was retaken?" Langley said, more statement than question.
"Yes sir," Jackson answered regardless. "Commander McNeil retook it with minimal difficulty. He's currently trying to figure out where the force that hit it disappeared to."
"And they didn't even approach the city?"
"No sir."
Looking at the situation map, Langley tilted his head. The attack made very little sense from a strategic or tactical perspective. While it was true Phoenix Base protected the city of its namesake, that obviously was not the Brotherhood's objective as they had left the city alone even after jamming communications and effectively neutralizing the base. That they managed to do so also meant a fairly large force was involved in the attack, but now had disappeared again.
"Very curious indeed. The attack's obviously a diversion, but what exactly are they trying to divert us from?"
"Commander McNeil has already dispatched scouts, but ion activity is making satellite scans and aerial reconnaissance spotty at best. We won't know more until the ground teams report back in."
"Sir," another officer said, "Colonel Winczyk is reporting in. He says he's deployed the first deep scan array and has found something."
"Already? That was quick." Even when saying that, a hint of glee could be detected in Langley's voice.
Jackson nodded in agreement. "Put him on, lieutenant."
"Ma'am."
One of the screens shifted to display the colonel's face. He was in full combat gear, but the internal cameras in his helmet provided an up close look.
"Colonel, status?" Langley asked.
"We're uploading the telemetry now, sir. It looks like the Brotherhood managed to tunnel even deeper than we originally thought. Even the deep scans are only picking up what seems like the top of it."
"How long would it take to dig down there?"
"A couple of days, once the heavy equipment gets here. But sir, that kind of equipment is going to be extremely vulnerable to attack, and I can't imagine Nod being very happy with us going at their infrastructure directly."
"Your concern is noted, Colonel. However, all of my other reserves have already been committed. I'll assign two more squadrons of gunships to provide cover, but that's it for reinforcements."
"I'll take anything I can get, sir. However, there may be a way around our manpower limits."
"Such as?"
"The resistance has plenty of volunteers, but they lack heavy weapons. If you can get some to me, I can arm them to reinforce my position."
"And you think we can trust them with such equipment?"
"Yes sir." There was no hesitation in Winczyk's voice but the colonel could hardly be considered impartial, as much as he tried to be.
Langley considered the consequences of arming the fighters with heavy weapons. GDI had long provided them with light arms, but there was always the concern that when GDI moved in, those same weapons could be turned against the new 'aggressors.' Whether that happened hinged upon the competency of whoever ultimately succeeded Langley and however the bureaucrats in Brussels and New York decided to integrate more of Poland into GDI.
"I can lift in enough weapons for two companies," Langley finally said. "But they'll be tagged and when this is over, I want a full accounting of every last cartridge. That will be your responsibility, colonel."
"Sir!" The screen blinked to black as the connection terminated.
"Any further updates from Russia?" Langley asked, moving onto the next matter.
"There's been increasing activity around the Novgorod region and Sector Command believes the Brotherhood is preparing for a major push aimed at Moscow. As such, Philadelphia Command has diverted several ion cannon satellites to cover the region."
Langley growled slightly. Those diversions had all come from Europe Command, resulting in major holes in his operational area. While he understood the logic, keeping those satellites tied down protecting a hypothetical, though granted very likely attack on Novgorod meant his own forces could not take advantage of the weapon as they pursued Nod across Europe. This, combined with the occupation of large parts of Germany, meant his strategic flexibility was severely hindered.
"Russia Command is also moving two divisions to reinforce the Novgorod garrison," Jackson continued. "General Khukov intends to have them sweep the area and force Nod forces into battle."
"Good enough. And Operation Maginot?"
"On schedule. 5th Battalion expects to reach their jump-off point by tomorrow and can commence operations the day after."
"Excellent."
Operation Maginot, named after the rather ridiculous fortifications France had constructed after the conclusion of the First World War along the Franco-German border. While she never did end up needing it to fend off the Germans, it had been equally useless when the Soviet Union invaded and bypassed the defenses by going through Belgium. The Belgian fortifications that linked into the Maginot Line proved to be insufficient and fell thanks to some rather creative tactics on the part of the Soviets. Had the German army not managed to successfully drive north and cut off Soviet forces advancing into France, Paris might well have fallen.
This time however, Maginot would stand for something considerably different. With Nod forces thoroughly entangled in Germany, it offered Langley an opportunity to actually engage the Brotherhood in open battle. Currently Nod forces were engaged in operations across Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Expelling them out of southern Germany would cut off Nod forces in the north, especially with the progress GDI was making in Poland. An attack into Germany from the French border would be the most direct way of accomplishing that objective and Langley saw little need for subtlety at the moment.
"And Nod activity in Germany?"
"The usual. They seem to have settled around Hamburg however and appear to be building something. We still haven't confirmed what exactly they're doing."
A frown crossed Langley's face. "Show me."
"EVA, display sat-recon of the Hamburg area, date 8-23-2030," Jackson said, "main screen four."
"Processing," the cool feminine voice replied.
A large photo appeared moments later on one of the primary displays. Tapping her console, Jackson zoomed in on the points of interest.
"It looks like they intend to stay for the long term," she said. "They've set up multiple Tiberium refineries and begun raising walls along a fairly large perimeter. Several large holes are also being dug, but we're not sure what purpose they serve. One possibility is they are expanding their subterranean network."
Squinting, Langley examined the image. "No. The holes are too small, and they're already pouring in concrete."
"InOps hasn't come up with anything else though, and attempts to get a closer look have been met with severe resistance."
"What about their supply routes?"
"That InOps was able to pinpoint. The Brotherhood is bringing in a lot of equipment and they aren't being terribly subtle about it. It's as if they're rushing to complete whatever they're building at Hamburg."
"Then let's do our best to disrupt their schedule. I want air strikes on their convoys whenever the opportunity presents itself. Once Maginot reaches the Czech Republic, we can hopefully cut off the supplies entirely."
"Yes sir," Jackson said, making note of the directive. "Anything else in relation to Hamburg?"
"That'll have to do until I get enough troops there to dislodge them."
Rubbing his eyes, Langley leaned back into the chair. It had been a hell of a week, what with O'Connor's advances towards Novgorod and Kane's reappearance. That last one was still highly classified and not even Jackson was privy to it just yet. Philadelphia Command was still digesting the fact that Kane had somehow survived an ion cannon strike, but at least this explained why the various factions had stopped fighting amongst themselves and how Slavik had managed to take down Hassan so quickly. It seemed Langley had assumed command of the European theater just in time for Nod to launch a major offensive against GDI. Interesting times indeed. The only question now was would he survive long enough to be bored again.
End of Chapter 8
It's rather interesting, looking at the statistics page on for the respective chapters and stories. This one is definitely getting a lot of hits, and from around the world too. I wonder what it is about this story that appeals to each nationality. So far I've concentrated a great deal on Europe with only this chapter really shifting to the Americas. I haven't even touched Asia and to be honest I'm not even sure how to, since none of the Tiberian series games ever deal with that part of the world. I suppose I'll just have to be creative.
The thing about Tiberium is that, no matter what type it is, it is reactive. We've seen this in both Tiberian Sun and C&C3. Specifically, when you blew up a refinery, there's generally a rather large explosion that showers Tiberium all over a base. In C&C3, there's the catalyst missile that can cause a chain reaction with Tiberium. Considering the concentrations of the rock stored in refineries and silos, you don't want those blowing up in your base.
This chapter took a while not because it's that long or it was hard to write, though the ending of it is very rough. It was because I spent most of the semester designing and debugging a, relatively simple processor for my computer architecture class. School takes precedence, and I just couldn't find the time to wrap up the chapter. But the break allowed me to think through more about what I want to do with this story, and it won't be following the missions of the GDI campaign as closely as I did the first few Nod missions in the earlier chapters. It will be far broader, dealing with major campaigns around the world. Let's see if I can pull it off. The next chapter at least I intend to deal with the Russian theater in more detail than I've done previously. And let's be frank here. Who really wants to read a detailed walkthrough of missions most of us have beaten to death?
Z98
