Sorry man but no way that GDI will do that because that's borderline animal cruelty, I'll make the cold but not cruel. However, the good news is that I think I found the perfect mobile suit fitting GDI's shock-and-awe approach including the Gundam but I think need more time to think about it.
Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 6th, 9:35 p.m.
Eurasian Federation, Italy, GDI Alpha Base, Medical Bay
It had been a week since the event.
In the medical bay, deep within the armored bulk of the station, the sole survivor from EBN News helicopter 11 lay comatose, embedded within a network of monitoring and life-support equipment. For a week, the figure lay motionless as a network of tubes and IVs fed his body the medicine, nutrients, and processed Tiberium it now required to heal itself, while a medical EVA unit kept vigil.
The beeping of medical devices was the first thing that John Woods heard after a week of pain and shadowy shapes. He felt like hell, his body heavy and barely responsive. As for his vision and his other senses, they slowly returned, but how long it took, he didn't know as time passed in a gray haze of pain.
He woke with a start hours later, staring at the bare metallic ceiling. With a massive effort, he managed to tilt his head slightly downward, finding the rest of the room as sterile and spartan as the ceiling.
"Am I in a hospital?" He subvocalized, finding his throat responding oddly.
Woods tried again to shift his body, with the same lackluster results as before. Increasingly alarmed and agitated, he tried frantically to move his head to get an idea of how badly he was injured. Thankfully, his futile struggle was stopped by the slight hiss of air announcing the arrival of a nurse clad in an armored hazmat suit.
"Please stay calm," the nurse said reassuringly as her arms came to rest on his leg, arm, and chest, gently pushing him back onto the bed. "You were hurt when the aircraft you were in crashed."
I... was involved in an accident? Woods reflected as he remembered distorted images of chaos and pain.
"Right," Woods answered softly, finding his voice slightly different. Dismissing it as a result of the accident, he pushed it out of his mind for the time being.
"Please try to rest until you feel better, sir." The nurse said so in a calm tone as her hands gently rested on him.
Just tell me, "W-where am I?" Woods asked weakly.
"You're in southern Italy, at Alpha Base." The nurse's reassuring smile was visible even through a polarized faceplate. "Don't worry, you're safe now."
"But what about my friend and the..." The look on the nurse's face was enough to shut him up.
"They didn't make it; you were the only survivor."
Woods sagged down on his bed, stumped by the revelation. He'd been partners with the SOB for the past eight years, and now he was dead.
His head slumped into his pillow as he closed his eyes, hoping that this was a bad dream.
"I'm sorry," the nurse said sadly as her footsteps faded into the distance.
"Damn it, Ruth, you son of a bitch..." he whispered as unconsciousness claimed him.
Eurasian Federation, Belgium, Brussels, Cabinet meeting.
AD 2070/CE 70, February 12th, 3:00 a.m.
Julia Borski, the president of the Eurasian Federation, quietly messaged her head as her inner cabinet and two members of the Federal military oversight committee glared at each other over the implications of "the event" and the Global Defense Initiative.
The days since "the event" had not been kind to her; dealing with the fallout of the initiative's appearance had taken up most of the time she had left after her usual workload. First, of course, was damage control: ensuring the public didn't break down into mass hysteria and providing the guidance the nation needed to face the challenges posed by the "Tegmark event."
She chuckled in the confines of her mind; as usual, the media just had to give "The Event" a stupid name. She still didn't know why they had chosen to name it the "Tegmark Event." after pre-Cosmic Era cosmologists.
She'd been briefed on "the event" by scientists before having to endure the self-serving blabbering of the members of the Federal Council about the political and religious impacts of the event and the threats and opportunities it represented for hours at an emergency council session two days ago.
As usual, the meeting had been hijacked by old political disputes; there were senseless and idiotic demands, as exemplified by the United People's Party (UPP) that GDI should be disbanded like the United Nations or the Eurasian People's Democratic Alliance (EPDA), and their attempts to use the crisis to enact their own radical agenda.
Both parties had been a thorn in her side for the last few days as they bombarded the media with their views on what should have been done about the situation to bring down her government. Which brought her to the issues of her own party, the Eurasian Liberal Party, a centrist party that was only in power because they formed a coalition with the other smaller parties who were under pressure from the extremists on both the left and right wings.
The lack of scientific explanations for the event, as well as any hints as to what caused it, was already causing unrest as people sought an explanation. She'd heard it called everything from an act of God to a product of advanced science that they just couldn't understand. On top of this, the threat of Tiberium was ignored while they focused on the more visible issue of GDI.
Why can't politicians and people understand that she didn't care about any of that and that she was more concerned about the threat Tiberium posed to all life on the planet?
Of course, through all this, the various media outlets were being as "useful" as always, adding fuel to the fire by bombarding the public around the clock with baseless conjectures and analyses. To make matters worse, they were giving the Initiative a lot of attention but not enough to the disaster zone that was once Italy, she grumbled before sighing. They weren't really at fault. They were simply reacting to the demands of the public.
"I've been thinking about the situation in Italy. "Thoughts?" she finally said after 10 minutes of silent glares.
"We don't know anything about the United Nations Global Defense Initiative, and you went ahead and agreed to create a special joint zone in Italy." "What the hell were you thinking?!" "Bark!" cried the secretary of defense, Howard Kowalski.
"The situation was dire, Howard, as the transcript from the meeting demonstrates." You can clearly see that if we don't move swiftly, all life on earth may be threatened. I'd rather not risk it." Borski sighed, looking at her short-tempered secretary of defense.
"And I'm impressed and approve of your actions, president, but the secretary still has a point." We didn't really know anything about the Initiative then, and even now we still don't know much about them aside from their claims of being the military arm of a "United Nation." Councilman Smith stated, looking at the president.
"Judging by their actions in immediately deploying forces to evacuate civilians and contain the threat in Italy despite finding themselves in a new reality, I'd say they are friendly." "Their actions speak well of them." Councilwoman Alana Agha said, eyeing the councilman before shifting over to the president, "And of course, we have to consider the impact that the Initiative's presence will have on us, our allies, and the rest of the solar system."
"A good point, Councilwoman Agha," the secretary of state, Luke Albina, said. "The initiative will no doubt impact the military and political situation for everyone, but we have to consider the impact of Tiberium."
"If this is the United Nations we're talking about?" "Besides, they can't do anything without the approval of the Security Council, and as far as I can tell, there is no Security Council," Howard snorted.
"You assume, Howard, that in a reality infected with this Tiberium, the United Nations would remain the same?" Luke shot back in annoyance.
"No, Luke, in a world threatened with green rock, I expect all nations to take action and deal with the situation themselves and not trust an organization as pathetic and useless as the UN, whose only major achievement in the last century was the colonization of space."
Luke was about to answer but closed his mouth as he saw the growing frown on his president's face, as did Howard, who likewise shut up.
"So could the Initiative be a threat?" The president asked, voicing the thought that was beginning to form in the minds of everyone present in the room.
"Yes, that's why we need to know about the initiative, Madam President; with the threat that Tiberium presents to all life on this planet, their security council could have authorized them not only to contain Tiberium but to maintain world order," Luke stated.
"That's bullshit-" Howard started but was interrupted by his colleague.
"Damn it, Howard! "Can't you see that if GDI is the United Nations' formalized military, they are potentially as dangerous as a united PLANT?"Luke snarled, having lost his patience at his longtime colleague, "If they have the full support of their Security Council, then for all intents and purposes they are their world OMNI." "And you should know what types of resources you can bring to bear!" He finished, slamming his hand on the table in frustration.
"THIS IS MY POINT!"Howard threw his copy of the report onto the table to emphasize his point: "No nations would be stupid enough to surrender their own sovereignty to the United Nations, let alone a military organization founded by the UN." They must have seized control of the world; it's the only explanation. And we're allowing them to build fully functional military bases in Italy! "Am I the only one who sees that as a threat to our national security?!"
"God damn it, Howard! That doesn't matter; have you seen the reports coming out of Italy? "The reports from the Nuclear Emergency Support Team and from CERN!" Alexander Romanov, the science and environmental advisor, countered, "This Tiberium is every bit as dangerous as the UNGDI told us, and they are the ones risking their people to clean it up without any official compensation from our government!"
As the meeting devolved into a shouting match between her cabinet members, Julia messaged the bridge of her . Where did they get this energy at this hour of the night?
"GENTLEMEN! ENOUGH!" "I know we all had a stressful week, but either debate like civilized people or else!" President Borski exclaimed in an uncharacteristic outburst.
Luke's eyes lingered on Howard, aggravated but with a hint of respect, before they finally came to rest on the president. "I fully support your actions and advise that you go ahead with establishing the special joint zone." Furthermore, I would advise that we move forward with the initiative's request to be introduced to the international community and the rest of the solar system. I also support developing closer ties with them."
"Howard?" Julia inquired, her gaze drawn to her secretary of defense, whose face began to show various emotions as he considered Luke's point of view, eventually settling into a grump of resignation.
"I still think we're making a big mistake, Julia," Howard answered with a sigh, "but since it's your decision, I will support you all the way... "I'd also like your permission to move the 3rd and 7th Guard Divisions to Northern Italy in case GDI tries anything."
"Permission granted," Borski sighed deeply before continuing, "a diplomatic team with a few reporters tagging along will be leaving for Italy tomorrow." I insisted that the meeting take place there so that the media can get a firsthand look at the "'red zone," as the Initiative calls the region around the tower. Maybe that will shift the spotlight onto the danger of that damn crystal. Any objections?"
"None, Madam President, we will support you in this," Agha said as her fellow council members nodded in agreement.
For a brief moment, silence enveloped the room before it was broken by Howard's secretary, Halen Ohabzee, rushing into the room clutching a pile of files and a heavy-looking armored laptop.
"I apologize for being late, Madam President, Councillors; the briefing took longer to prepare than anticipated."
"Don't worry about it, Helen," Howard waved it away, "I assume these are the latest estimates on GDI capabilities?"
"Yes, sir, may I begin?"
"Go ahead." President Borski ordered.
"OMNI satellite imaging and scans of the new landmass in the Pacific show a number of cities surrounded by immense fortification and heavy military presence in each, judging by the number of bases within them," Helen explained, pushing her glasses higher on her nose, a relic of her more shy days."In addition, data from OMNI, DSSD, and our own agencies indicate that about 600 satellites of various sizes and masses appeared in geosynchronous orbit during "the event." Information received three days ago from the initiative confirms that they own all of them.
"However, in addition to these satellites, we also received reports from Mars," Helen added, pausing to take a breath.
"Mars?" Councilman Smith said it in surprise.
"Yes, councilman, the Martian Confederation reports detecting the appearance of several satellites in orbit. "In addition, our space telescopes also detected what seem to be artificial satellites appearing near the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt," Halen said as everyone reacted to the news. "I followed up on this information, and GDI confirms that they also own all of these satellites as part of their Deep Space Network."
"Deep Space Network?" The president repeated, caught off guard by this development.
"Yes, madam president, according to GDI, it was built by them 32 years ago to detect and keep track of asteroids and comets in the solar system."
"Anything else, Halen?" the president asked, as she considered this new information.
"Yes, shortly after the event, GDI deployed what they called a "crawler" and a ship to Italy. The Crawler was sighted entering the atmosphere in what we've been able to determine as an orbital drop pod that was seen returning to the station within half an hour of dropping the Crawler. The only conclusion we can draw from this is that the initiative does not need mass drivers, even for heavy payloads. Halen said, finishing.
"But that's impossible!" Howard objected.
"Not according to the footage we have," Halen said simply, letting this fact sink into the minds of every person in the room.
"Access to this technology could completely revolutionize surface-to-space travel." Councilwoman Agha whispered to herself.
"Is the alliance aware of everything that you just mentioned, Halen?" Julia asked, her eyes locked on the woman.
"We are not sure, but it is highly likely that the Alliance knows about GDI's cities, orbital net, and surface-to-space capability; beyond that, we can only speculate; it is unlikely that they know anything else."
"Good, keep it that way," Julia replied. She had a bad gut feeling about the Earth Alliance ever since reading the intel report on Blue Cosmos. "Now, what about the stations and fleet in orbit?"
"Data OMNI received from GDI shows that three of the five stations in orbit are military, while the other two are civilian; one is a space colony with civilians, and the other two are food production facilities." As for the fleet, the Initiative has identified it as their First Fleet, the one charged with protecting Earth. "From what we've gathered, the most powerful fleet they have is the US, though that is a moot point." Halen nodded at the president.
"A space colony," Luke chuckled, staring at OMNI's image of the GDI space colony, "it doesn't look like one."If anything, it looks more like an armored military installation."
"So, any other input?" inquired the lady president.
"No Madam."
"Councilors?" Julia looked around the room. A quick shake of the head by each person in the room was enough for her until she got to Howard.
"Howard?"
"I-no, never mind, Madam President." He sighed.
"Now I believe that covers everything for tonight." Julia finished, looking around at the assembled faces. "Thank you all for coming to this meeting."
Date: AD/CE 2070, February 13th, 8:00 a.m.
Eurasia Federation, Italy, Joint Special Zone, Phoenix Base
When the transport arrived at Ramstein Air Base, Maja Helgaa knew that his next assignment was something out of the ordinary. For one thing, the aircraft's angular, armor-clad yet oddly graceful form wasn't something OMNI or ZAFT would ever build; that much was apparent as the massive craft gingerly hovered (yes,h overed!) over the runway before landing. Then there was the silver-and-gold insignia of a diving eagle proudly displayed on the vehicle's sid— one he didn't recognize. That was saying a lot given that he was one of the top correspondents of the Euro-Zone Press Group.
He'd just spent a couple of weeks working undercover on an article that dealt with illegal underground doctors who claimed to be able to create "perfect" coordinator children. It hadn't been easy, but he'd been able to learn that while most of it was bullsh*t, the stories held a kernel of truth like most urban legends. There were, indeed, a few doctors who were willing to operate out of greed or a personal belief hidden away in the medical system's underbelly.
Sighing as he looked out the holographic window, he continued his internal monologue.
He had just submitted his story and was planning a much-needed vacation to Hawaii when he was unexpectedly assigned this story. In hindsight, being the only experienced reporter in the newsroom at four in the morning might have something to do with it. Lucky for him, he wasn't the only journalist on board; the compartment was filled with two other reporters from other media outlets in addition to two diplomats. Sitting with him were Bruce Lipton from the Earth Broadcasting Network (EBN) and Viktoria Bernhardt from the Scandinavian Broadcasting Network (SBN).
"So, I'm going to Italy, which is now a hellhole because of some science fiction event, to cover this GDI, which came here because of said science fiction event... "I hate my life." Maja muttered morosely, leaning back against his chair only to hear the soft "thump" of metal against the cloth.
Maja ignored it, instead concentrating on how responsive and comfortable his armored suit, or more accurately, his power armor, was. When they said that he would be provided with power armor to protect against this "Tiberium," he had expected something clunky and unreliable like the Atlantic Federation prototypes, which he covered a few years ago.
Maja wasn't too sure what "Tiberium" was, but he figured that he would find out about it later.
lurch, There was a slight lurch and a female voice echoed through the passenger cabin from hidden speakers: "Attention all passengers, we are currently a few minutes out from Phoenix base." Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. The current local condition is moderate for a Yellow Zone, with heavy cloud cover and wind speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. We would like to take this opportunity to remind our passengers not to remove their armor until it is safe to do so. If you require any assistance, please press the red button on the holographic interface nearest to you. "Thank you, and we hope you enjoyed flying with us."
A small red button glowed as he felt the dropship decrease its speed and begin to swiftly descend toward the waiting buildings before coming to an abrupt halt.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now landed." Please remain in your seats until an attendant escorts you to the exit. Thank you."
The diplomats got up with help from the GDI attendants while he and his co-workers retrieved the armored cases that held their gear. It took a few minutes before everyone was ready to exit the dropship.
Viktoria chuckled, prompting Maja and Lipton to stare at her.
"What's so funny?" Lipton asked.
"Well, it is just a sense of deja vu..." I mean, we are on a ship out of sci-fi, we are clad in hi-tech power armor, and yet everything is just so...normal! "I bet that we'd have to pass through customs later." Viktoria smirked.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, man," Maja replied as an armored soldier escorted them to the ramp, revealing white concrete and more people outside in armor waiting for them.
The moment he stepped outside, he was greeted with the sight of alien purple clouds, alive with the flicker of lighting. In the opposite direction, in the north, was the sight of clouds, both white and purple, smashing into each other. It felt completely unnatural.
Adding to the incredible sight was the stunning view of the ground below; the transports had landed on a raised platform above a full-scale military base alive with the movement of armor-clad troops, aircraft, and vehicles, marching around the numerous monolithic buildings. It was something out of a dream, as if he had been transported to the fields of Valhalla, where the armies of the Einherjar prepared for the final battle of Ragnarok.
In the direction of the tower, hidden behind the mountains, he could see an unearthly green glow reflecting off the violet clouds there. He remembered getting a quick look at the map in the briefing at the base after walking at the end; Phoenix base was hidden in one of the many valleys in southern Italy near a place called Cutro, only a 5-minute flight from the tower.
Maja really wished that he could snap out his camera and take photos, to capture the mood he was feeling, but he didn't because, as he remembered, at the start of the flight, they had all been informed that they weren't allowed to take anything out of the cases that they were given or take off their headgear because of the high chance of contamination, death, or mutation. The tone that the attendant used bugged him because it sounded as if this was just another day for her.
He followed the group as it was led by GDI personnel into a door right next to the landing pad. As they entered the building, the door closed behind them, leaving them in a room with no apparent exit. A quick look around the room for an exit led to Maja noticing some kind of devices on the walls.
"Please stay calm while the emitters check everyone for Tiberium." "This is standard containment procedure to ensure Tiberium does not contaminate the interior of the base," Maja heard a soft female voice in his helmet as a soft hum began.
Claimer, now that he'd heard the explanation, berated himself for panicking.
"What are these emitters?" one of the diplomats asked, fascinated.
"Harmonic resonance emitters, or sonic emitters, as they are usually called. "We developed them to contain Tiberium until it underwent an unexpected evolution."
"Uh..." was the response he heard over the radio... or so Maja thought.
"Wait, I have a question. We've been communicating via radio ever since we left the transport, right?" Maja asked, thinking it was a stupid question as soon as it left his mouth.
"Yes, we are."
"Huh, okay," Maja answered, looking around the room. The soft hum disappeared, and the other side of the room opened, revealing another room similar in size to the one that they were currently in; however, this time people were waiting inside, and GDI's golden insignia could be seen clearly on their shoulder patches.
"Please head to an available counter; the individual there will help remove your armor before we proceed any further."
He did as he was told and joined one of the waiting lines before the next announcement made him duck out in mild embarrassment.
"To all press personnel, there is a tour scheduled in 30 minutes, so please do not remove your suits."
Maja paused, grateful for the helmet, which helped hide his embarrassment. Standing off to one side with the rest of the reporters, he passed the time watching the diplomats take off their armor with help until he noticed a man of Indian descent holding the helmet of his own armor approaching them.
"Hello, my name is Kathi Shelagh, and I'm with GDI's Press Corps. "I have been assigned to be your guide and liaison for today."
"Nice to meet you; I am Maja Helga from the Euro-Zone Press group," Maja said, shaking the armored hand of the man, followed by his colleague.
"Victoria Bernhardt, Scandinavian Broadcasting, "It's a pleasure to meet you." With a smile, the northern man said.
"Bruce Lipton, Earth Broadcasting Network, It's nice to meet you too. Sorry, but it sounds like we have a different schedule from the dignitaries." Bruce asked, smiling.
"We do," Kathi said, motioning to the diplomats, "after the welcoming ceremony for the diplomatic team." "Your president wanted the media to see how hostile Tiberium is to the environment and humanity, so our tour today will begin in this base before we head over to Mobius Station in a dropship."Once there, we'll drop by the medical lab before joining up with a patrol team in the area near the tower.
"However, before we go on, I assume these are the tools you're using?" Kathi continued, nodding in the direction of the cases the reporters were holding.
"Right," Maja acknowledged, but in all the excitement he'd almost forgotten about it.
"Alright then, I would assume that they are not shielded against electromagnetic radiation, correct?" Kathi asked.
"Er... "Some of my equipment is supposed to be shielded by industrial standards, but most of them aren't; I assume it's the same for you two?" Viktoria asked, looking at Bruce and Maja.
"Yeah, will that be a problem?" Maja replied, while Bruce just nodded.
"Yes. Tiberium crystals sometimes release powerful radiation and electromagnet pulses that damage electronic equipment. This release of energy is responsible for the lighting you all noticed as you exited the dropship. Kathi explained to them, "I'm assuming that the cases you're all carrying have your equipment?"
"Yes." Viktoria nodded, which caused Kathi to smile as if at some private joke. "Good. If you all will please open them and retrieve what you need, I'll arrange for some hardened equipment for your use later. If you need help, just let me know.
Maja did as he was told, opening the case and taking out his datapad to take notes on and his camera. When he was finished, he handed the case to the man and then slung the camera strap over his neck, leaving the camera hanging off his neck.
Kathi looked over at the three reporters.
"You're a little on the small side; I was expecting a larger group of journalists."
"We didn't get much warning from the government," Bruce answered for all of them.
"Well, then, this makes my job a lot easier since I don't have to deal with a carnival." Anyway, are you guys ready to go?"
"Yeah, we're ready," Bruce acknowledged as they readied the equipment of their trade.
"Ok, I'll lead you three to go to the press box now," Kathi said, leading the group out the door and into the hallways of the base proper.
"I've been meaning to ask ever since we got here, but how did you guys manage to build this base so quickly?" Viktoria asked as they walked down the corridor.
"Well, when your government allowed us to start operations in Italy, we deployed the GST Al-Azif—a Global Stratospheric Transport—carrying prefabricated parts and the 7th Engineering Division into this theater of operations. "I guessed they worked overtime to finish this outpost on time." Kathi replied smoothly.
The three journalists shared a significant look; being veterans, they felt that the explanation was a bit off, yet from what they could tell, Kathi was telling the truth. Shrugging, they continued to follow their guide.
As it turned out, the press box was nothing more than a cordoned-off area on the left of the second level of the next room, overlooking a massive room that was a cross between a theater and a hallway with stairs leading up to rooms with glass windows on the opposite level.
Maja watched the ceremony take place without much fanfare. It was a rather straightforward ceremony without much embellishment. The only real detail of interest was the dress uniform of the soldiers lining the hallway. It appears to consist of a navy-colored coat, navy trousers, and a dark blue service cap. It looked surprisingly utilitarian for a dress uniform.
"Okay, now that is over, do you have any requests or questions?" Kathi asked them.
"Do you mind if we walk around and get some interviews?" Bruce asked.
"No problem; just don't wander off and get lost," Kathi replied with a smile at the journalist. Maja watched as his co-workers from the industry wandered off to interview people while he stayed put beside Kathi.
"Do you mind answering a few questions for me?" Maja asked the man beside him:
"Go ahead; as long as it does not infringe on operational security, I'll be glad to answer your questions. After all, it's my job," Kathi answered.
"Well then, I was wondering how your guys are doing." Maja said, gesturing to his surroundings in uncertainty before continuing, "I had no idea what was happening until I was assigned this story when I walked into the newsroom at four in the morning."
Kathi laughed out loud at the man's words. "Not much different from your own media outlets." I am afraid; we've had to deal with reporters from W3N and BNN asking us stupid questions about the event non-stop. So far, we still have no clear explanation for what caused the event. "We do have a hypothesis, but no proof as of yet."
"I..see." So some things do remain the same, no matter what universe you're in. "Is it possible for me to get more details concerning the possible explanations that you have?" Maja probed, hoping to get more details, but failed as the man shook his head. "At this point, GDI would like to gather information and evidence before we publicly announce our theories."
"I understand then," Maja said, "so moving on, what is GDI Press Corp?"
"GDI established the Press Corps to handle our relations with the media, so if you need interviews or information sometime in the future, contact us," Kathi said as Maja jolted his digital notepad. "Just let us know, and we'll set everything up."
"And the treaty has been signed today. Do you know any details about it?" Maja asked, finishing the last line of his notes from the previous question and looking up, waiting for the answer.
"Well, the treaty here is about the preliminary establishment of a "special joint zone" in southern Italy and to enable us to build TNC hubs to remove any Tiberium that spreads into your government's territory," Kathi said, pausing to allow Maja to catch up with his notes. "We'll also be providing medical equipment and specialist supplies to deal with health and environmental issues related to Tiberium." Maja finished the word "Tiberium" with a question mark at the end.
"Tiberium?" Maja questioned, remembering that word had been mentioned before what is it?" "I mean, we've been told that it is dangerous, but what is it really?"
"We don't know; as far as we can tell, the damn thing is a dense metastable "dynamic proton lattice" held together by exotic heavy particles." It absorbs just about any form of matter and most forms of energy to make more of itself. No one knows how it does that except for maybe the "shiva-be-damn Scrin."
"Anyway, I'll be explaining this again later during the tour," Kathi sighed as he went into detail. "Tiberium is an alien crystal that is named after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar Augustus Tiberius, although officially it's named after the Tiber river in Italy, where it first landed in December 1995."
"Wait, Scrin?" Maja looked up and asked, "Who are they?"
Kathi tried to resist a snarl but failed as he spat the name out: "As far as we can tell, they are an interstellar type II civilization, which created Tiberium and the tower. Bastard's bugs invaded in 47, believing that humanity had been wiped out by their small gift."We proved them wrong." He finished with a savage smile, freaking Maja a little.
"Er..ok. "So why did Tiberium spread if it's so hostile to human life?" He paused as he continued to take notes and asked, "Didn't anyone try to stop it?"
"Simple, we didn't realize it was a threat until it was too late," Kathi explained, her tone solemn, before shaking his head sadly.
"What about GDI?" Maja asked next.
"The Global Defense Initiative?" It was founded by the United Nations on October 12, 1995, in accordance with the United Nations Global Defense Act (UNGDA) as its formalized military. Kathi answered, staring curiously at the notes Maja was taking.
"Wait, you said GDI; shouldn't you have said UNGDI?" Maja inquired and was interested.
"No, it's been GDI for a long time," Kathi sighed, staring into the man's confused eyes. "The UNGDI was initially mandated to eliminate international terrorism and preserve freedom and world order. And as the situation turned out, it was formed at the right moment as the Brotherhood of Nod made its presence felt by starting what amounted to a world war a few years later, in 1999. We later discovered it was because they believed the alien crystal to be the next stage of human evolution, and that's just the start of a century-long story of warfare and struggle. Even the Nod-GDI alliance of 2062, which has proven to be tremendously beneficial in the long run for humanity, had an unexpected side effect of splintering both GDI and Nod, which led to the 12-year incursion war and the short but bloody fourth Tiberium war because of years of resentment for each other.
"That's..." Maja spoke, not knowing what to say. "Wait, what about the tower?" "I don't know much, but Bruce told me that there is a tower, and you mentioned a "Scrin" tower."
"The tower, I... Kathi began but stopped as he spotted Bruce and Viktoria walking up the stairs toward them.
"We'll finish talking about this later." Kathi nodded at Maja before turning to face the approaching journalists.
"Are we ready to go?"
The three journalists acknowledged each other with a nod.
"Okay then," Kathi said, leading them down the stairs to the ground floor.
"So first of all, I'd like to welcome you all back to Phoenix Base again," Kathi repeated, a smile on his face as he turned to look at them before continuing. "First thing first, the tour of the base." "The underground tunnels aren't completed yet, so we'll be taking the tour through the more dangerous route outside." He continued, nodding in the direction of the main entrance that they had entered earlier.
"Before we head out, there are some things that the three of you need to know. First, as I told you just now, you can't carry anything with you when we're outside because there is a good chance that your equipment will be trashed because of Tiberium contamination. This leads me to my next point. Kathi paused for a moment as he took a small case from a compartment next to the door and opened it.
"I see that you brought cameras and datapads with you, and judging by your faces, I'm sure that you've figured out that we can't allow you to carry them while we're outside by now. So you'll have to put them in these cases here." Kathi said, grabbing several cases and handing them to the reporters.
"You seem paranoid about "Tiberium" contamination." Lipton quipped as he complied.
"You'll be paranoid too before this tour is over."
Maja frowned as he unslung his camera from his neck and put it into the campsite case, hesitating slightly as experience told him that state-provided equipment might be tampered with.
"So what now?"
"We'll be leaving it here," Kathi responded, to the surprise of the three.
"There's no need to worry; we will be leaving everything alone." he continued reassuringly as the cases were handed to the armored figure, who then placed them carefully into a locker on a trolley cart.
"I'll be equipping all of you with these shoulder-mounted cameras," Kathi said as he took the small cameras out of another compartment and then made his way to the reporters.
"The containers will be delivered to your rooms once we leave." Kathi opens a small indentation on the shoulder of Viktoria's armor and plugs in the camera before moving on.
"One last thing before we head out. I'll need to teach you all how to use these cameras." Kathi continued while fitting the camera onto Bruce's suit.
"What is T-armor?" Bruce wondered out loud, looking closely at the markings on the camera.
"T-armor is a composite that's resistant to Tiberium and slows down its growth rate," Kathi explained, finishing and moving on. "As you can probably tell, it stands for Tiberium armor."
"So is that why the camera looks like a box and we're wearing power armor?" Viktoria said she was rather surprised as the armor automatically compensated for the extra weight on her.
"Yes," Kathi said as the camera connected with Maja's armor, bringing to life a HUD on the left side of his visor. "The cameras are covered in about a centimeter of t-armor."
"That's a little thick."
"Standard design for Mil-Spec cameras, especially since we will be visiting a red zone," Kathi replied, moving back to the metal containers that the cameras arrived in.
"Now that is out of the way, here are the instructions. "The Otani-Lincoln D-24 is rather simple to use; just look in the direction you want to film and say "record," and it will start recording," Kathi explained. "Saying "stop" will stop recording. You can switch between video and camera modes by saying "Vid" and "Cam." Alternatively, you can use the manual controls on the wrist."
He tapped the buttons on his wrist armor for emphasis. "The HUD will display what mode the camera is in, and you've got over 36 hours of battery life and about two terabytes worth of memory." So practice with the camera here to make sure you get the hang of it before we get going.
"What about focusing?" Maja asked.
"Don't worry, the camera is linked to the suit with the suit's optical package, which tracks your eyes," Kathi replied, "so all you'd have to do is look at the target."
They took almost 20 minutes to get used to the cameras before finally starting the tour.
The wait in the decontamination chamber wasn't as long, but it was enough for Maja to start recording, thinking that he may as well record the whole trip and look it over later.
As the main doors opened, a barrage of sound assaulted the group: the powerful "hum" of passing vehicles and the deep crack of thunder in the distance created a cacophony on the base that was audible even through their powered armor. This surrealistic vision was enhanced by the unnatural purple-green tint filtering through the clouds overhead.
Maja shuddered slightly at the sight as Kathi led them through a maze of walkways and passageways, passing by buildings until they arrived in front of a massive metal door marked with a simple "TML-01." Like the previous building, they had to pass through a decontamination chamber before they could enter the main building.
"This building is one of four that we have set up to manufacture and store medicine and medical equipment to support our humanitarian operations," Kathi said, leading the group into the building and through corridors until they arrived at their destination, a bare room with equipment to the side and a table in the middle with a square object on it and a white cross inside a circle on it.
"Wait, manufacture? "Are you saying you make your medicine here?" Lipton asked in surprise.
"Yes and no." We're shipping in everything we need to produce medicine, like antiseptics, antibiotics, specialized drugs like Tiberium suppressors, and other consumables. Our first fleet has been shipping in supplies from our stockpiles in the Pacific and distributing them in this area. In addition, our research facilities didn't come through, so Phoenix base will be housing our main research facilities for now.
"Isn't that dangerous, considering the weather?" Lipton asked.
"It's a risk that we're willing to take, especially since all of the supplies are urgently needed in the Zone."
"The first fleet?" Maja asked, confused by the term. "Do you mean your first fleet, not the OMNI's first fleet?"
Kathi chuckled in response to the question. "Yeah, sorry about that. GDI had been the world government for so long that it kind of slipped my mind." He was rather surprised when the three reporters typed frantically to ensure that they had recorded the statement.
"Anyway, moving on," Kathi continued, a little puzzled, typing into a keypad on his wrist, causing a box to hiss open. "This here is a sample of a Tiberium suppressor, Thermodizine, which is one of the few that we've developed that is still effective against Tiberium in its current form."
"A few years ago, in 65, one of our most prominent scientists, Dr. Allyn Mobius, proposed what had become known as the "Mobius theory," Kathi observed in the eyes of all three reporters. He theorized that Tiberium has four stages of growth, throughout which it will xenoform a terrestrial world into one that is hostile to the native life forms and habitable to the Scrin, whom we encountered during the Third Tiberium War.
"Xenoform? Does that mean that Tiberium and the "Scrin" are extraterrestrial? Bruce asked, surprised, while Maja listened as he considered everything he'd heard so far.
"Yes, our first contact with them was towards the latter half of the war when our Deep Space Network detected their vessels entering the Kuiper belt at high relativistic speed, approximately 50 AU from the sun. We were still recovering from the devastation caused by a liquid Tiberium explosion in Eastern Europe at the time, so former director Boyle ordered them shot down without first attempting to contact them.
"Ah, so you fought them?" Bruce asked, looking closely for any sign of deceit on the officer's face.
"Well, not me personally, but yeah, we did." We'll provide more details on the war and our history later. anyway," Kathi replied, returning to the drug box and sealing it. "In addition to medicine, we're shipping in our stockpile of emergency kits and shelters that we've designed for Red Zone and Yellow Zone operations here for the population to use." "We've also established a 40-kilometer radius centered around the tower, and perhaps even further out once the treaty is signed."
"You can't be serious?" Viktoria said so in disbelief.
"No, this isn't a joke; Tiberium is extremely hazardous to all organic life, and setting up an exclusion zone is simply a precaution on our part." "It naturally produces its own ecosystem and actively spreads into the surrounding environment, making containment nearly impossible." Kathi exclaimed, his tone serious, "The presence of ion storms near the red zones around the tower also means structures that aren't designed to handle extreme weather conditions will be most likely annihilated when the next storm moves out."
"Seriously, you've been establishing a 40-kilometer exclusion zone and just moving people out, displacing thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people from their homes?" Bruce muttered in disbelief.
"Just a precaution; the details are being worked out right now by the diplomats," Kathi stated solemnly.
"But that's almost cutting the country in half!" Viktoria protested.
"We have no choice, humanitarian speaking, considering how dangerous conditions are in the 60 to 80 km zone around the tower." The Tiberium crystal formations actively launch particles and shards into the lower atmosphere, exposure to which will kill an unshielded adult in about 60 seconds. And then there are the ion storms. A class Ion storm, the mildest class, is comparable to a category 5 hurricane. The class 3 ion storms forming around the tower have an average wind speed of up to 340 km/h, and thanks to the Tiberium-saturated atmosphere, these storms will be slinging around lightning bolts, which have more in common with weaponized particle beams than any lighting, and Tiberium shards that will rip through anything short of reinforced structures.
Kathi sighed tiredly. "If we leave the civilians in that zone, we might as well be signing their death sentence."
The blank look on Bruce's face was enough to show his skepticism at Kath's rant. It was something Maja could understand. A good reporter didn't believe anything without proof, but a gut feeling told him that the man wasn't lying.
"Look, I don't expect you to believe me right now, but we'll be seeing the conditions ourselves shortly." "I only ask that you report the facts fairly and honestly." Kathi continued.
"Moving on, the medical equipment you see here is a sample of what we're using." Kathi pointed in the general direction of the machines.
"They look familiar," Helga said softly, recognizing some of the machines by their design, but there were a few he didn't recognize. "I'm assuming that these are used to treat Tiberium..."
"Yes," Kathi nodded, stepping back to allow all three reporters to have a closer look. "We can move on when you are done."
Maja wasn't really interested in looking at the medical equipment, so, after a quick look, the man made his way to the GDI representative's side while the other two reporters took their time.
"I was wondering if I could get some details on that," Maja asked, gesturing at the gray plastic-metal coating covering all the equipment.
"All equipment and structures we use here are layered with t-armor. "The only exceptions are items designed for indoor use."Kathi informed.
"I'm done here," Bruce said, satisfied, moments before Viktoria rejoined them.
"Okay," Kathi said, looking at the journalists.
"I'll take you to the airfield and then to Mobius Station," she says. He turned and led the group through the corridors until they were once again outside. The three journalists followed the Press Corps officer while the sound of jet engines increased gradually until their bones vibrated in response to the sound of the aircraft lifting off.
Passing a checkpoint as they approached the airfield, the sight of aircraft of various shapes and sizes being loaded with materials and what looked like Red Cross supplies greeted them.
"This airfield here is the nexus of our humanitarian operations until the treaty is signed." From here, we've been shipping humanitarian supplies out to the various stations we've set up throughout the 40-kilometer evacuation zone and further beyond. In addition, we're also building up stockpiles of supplies to begin shipping out to the Eurasian Federation as soon as the final treaty is rectified," Kathi yelled over the sound of the aircraft.
People clad in power armor and what looked like bulky powered exoskeletons were loading pallets of cargo into the massive waiting transports all around the airfield. Kathi waited a few moments for any questions. Receiving none, he turned and boarded the nearest transport, leading the party to the bench's forward cargo hold.
The transport lifted off without any trouble as the ramp closed with the smooth, soft hum of the electrical motors. Maja dropped down onto the bench next to the GDI liaison while his colleagues sat on the opposite side, where they began speaking into their recorders.
Maja quickly followed suit, typing the key points of his report into a notepad on the suit's computer.
Kathi watched the reporters at work while silently reflecting on the day's operations so far.
"Kathi I'm assuming that we're heading to the tower, right?" Maja confirmed this after he finished the recording.
"Yes, we are," Kathi said.
"Is this the tower we were talking about earlier after the ceremony?"
"Yes. The tower was built by the Scrin during the war, and as we discovered at the end of the war, it phased into another dimension, rendering all known weapon systems useless; nothing we have can even touch it," Kathi said, looking at the journalists and how they have perked up in interest at this fact.
"At first, we didn't know anything about what the tower's original function was meant to be." The scientists at Mobius had been studying it since the end of the last war. While there were a few theories about using the tower for some sort of control network, it is useless to us until we can touch the megastructure. But all that changed with the Nod-GDI alliance in 2062, where with Nod's help, we were able to create the technology to finally push back the spread of Tiberium.
To Maja, it sounded like something from science fiction, but considering the trip so far, it wouldn't be out of place.
"You mentioned earlier about the extraterrestrial race called the Scrin and the Third Tiberium War," Maja asked, hoping to get more information.
"The Scrin are responsible for seeding Earth with Tiberium," Kathi said. "During the war, we were able to discover a few interesting details about them as a species." "We've been able to determine that they need Tiberium to survive, and they can utilize and manipulate it in ways that, frankly, seem like magic. Kathi explained to the reporters, pausing momentarily as he was interrupted by the pilot on his radio.
"Sorry, we'll have to stop for now. It seems that we're about to arrive at Mobius station. Kathi said as he took off his safety harness and stood up, making his way to the rear while maintaining a firm grip on the handrails overhead.
The transport slowed and began its descent until it finally landed with a soft thump.
The sound of thunder greeted everyone onboard as the loading ramp opened. "Before the three of you follow me, take a moment to take a breath; this can be overwhelming for the first-timer." Kathi laughed as she descended the ramp, only to come to a halt again."Also, please be careful and don't panic; the conditions outside are a little extreme."
Maja took the press officer's advice and took a moment while his colleagues pressed forward only to freeze, staring dumbfounded at the sight before them. Maja smiled at his colleague's reactions before finally beginning his descent down the ramp.
The world outside was alien. The sky was purple and alive with twisting ropes of electrical energy, burning through the clouds while wind shears laced with glowing particles carved incomprehensible shapes into the atmosphere. It was almost as if the sky was shattered like some insane kaleidoscope. The land was no better—a blasted and barren plateau of rock lanced with glowing green and blue veins of Tiberium that emitted a beautiful and deadly glow into the open air above it.
His breath came to a halt as he realized how surreal it was.
"It's beautiful."
It was then that, out of the corner of his eye, Maja could barely make out the engineers who were busy building something in the distance near the massive tower. Ships that were coming out of the tower were either bringing in supplies for the relief effort or construction materials to construct some type of structure.
"Excuse me, but what is that vehicle over there?"
"Hmph, looks like the new director is getting serious if they're turning Alpha Station into a full-fledged military base," Kathi muttered.
"Alpha station? "I thought this was the main research installation," Maja asked
"It is, but Alpha station was supposed to be the new research facility while Mobius here was about to be decommissioned since it was getting too old, but because of the Fourth Tiberium War some days ago, Alpha was quickly turned into a full-fledged military base. Thus keeping Mobius Station as the main research facility of the Scrin for the time being."
"That was until the Tegmark event happened, and with the desperate need for a staging area large enough for humanitarian aid and search and rescue, Alpha Station was in the perfect spot in the right place and moment at the time," Kathi explained to them all.
Bruce was about to respond to another question when a GDI battle cruiser flew over them, its massive twin ion engines so loud that even their suits couldn't muffle the sound, defining the surrounding noises and forcing the reporters to look up in awe and fear as such a warship. Maja could see the GDI warship's large battleship guns along its armored hull, followed by the Vulcan turrets, as it flew through the purple clouds like it was nothing. Fortunately for him, he was able to record it on his camera, getting good footage of the entire moment while the others were trying (but failing) to cover their ears. The ship was surprisingly fast for its size, and the warship soon disappeared into the clouds as lighting harmlessly hit its armor plating.
Unlike the OMNI ships, GDI's warships look more heavily armored and can dish out ten times more punishment than any ship the Earth Alliance or ZAFT could field.
"First time seeing a Kodiak battlecruiser?" Kathi asked.
"A what?" Bruce said in shock.
"A Kodiak battlecruiser," Kathi repeated to the reporter, "was the predecessor of the original Orca command aircraft from the Second Tiberium War, but it was later mothballed by the GDI Council, leaving the Initiative without any large aircraft to guard the skies for a time."
"Why's that?" Viktoria questioned, not understanding why such an advanced military would not capitalize on such powerful vessels.
Kathi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, the OCV was incredibly expensive to build and maintain. As such, GDI opted not to continue the development of large-scale airships in the aftermath of TW2, mothballing the OCVs and focusing on smaller aircraft like the Oca gunships and Firehawk fighters. It wasn't until the aftermath of the Third Tiberium War that this decision was "reconsidered."
Ah, budget cuts. The bane of all military projects around the world, or universes, depends on your perspective because politicians would either redirect it to something else. such as health care or transportation, but leave the majority of the Earth's military with reliable but questionable equipment when confronted with the PLANTS Mobile suits in real combat. Strangely, the Tegmark Event and the appearance of GDI temporarily halted any sort of fighting of any kind, but not permanently.
"By reconsider, you mean getting a reality check from the Scrin and Nod?" Viktoria guessed.
Kathi gave the women from SBN a firm nod: "Correct. In the thirteen long years that followed, Nod maintained a low profile in GDI's eyes, all the while the latter grew complacent and overly dependent on their orbital facilities and defensive platforms. Despite protests by high-profile veterans like Nick Parker, GDI shifted focus to the containment of Tiberium, ecological recovery, space research, and economic prosperity instead of military goals. Due to decreased NOD activity, 60% of GDI's military bases worldwide were closed down by 2043.
Maja almost choked on his spit upon hearing that statistic: "Sorry, but I think that Kodiak damaged my hearing because I thought you said GDI abandoned almost half of the entire world to a highly militarized and dangerous terrorist group."
"You heard me right, Mr. Maja, and it was a mistake that cost GDI millions of lives as it not only resulted in a decline in GDI's capabilities but also led to the retirement of several military technologies that could tip the tables in our favor, due to cost and reliability concerns."
The reporter could hear some distaste in the man's voice, meaning it was some type of sour spot for him to talk about.
"I bet that didn't sit well with the military higher-ups at all."
"That would be the understatement of a lifetime, as several high-ranking military officials were unsatisfied with how the majority of GDI's budget was shifted toward Tiberium control, to be exact." But most notably, General Joshua Mitchel, a decorated veteran of the second Tiberium War, campaigned for increased research spending for new combat technology. He argued that while Nod may have been defeated, it would be foolish to assume that no successor would take its place.
"Did General Mitchel get the funding he required?"
"Partially, but despite GDI's refusal to divert a significant portion of its R&D budget to the General cause, they did agree to fund a new experimental combat division under the good general, dubbing it "I-" he was interrupted mid-sentence when a squadron of Paladin medium gunships soured over their heads, as the aircraft headed towards them.
"It looks like it's getting more active out here." "Let's get inside; I doubt you want me to answer questions with all this noise," Kathi said, with the reporters agreeing to see that inside was much safer.
Maja took one last look at the massive towers; he took a single picture before following the group inside.
Hours later at the Phoenix base, the first round of talks between the Global Defense Initiative and the representative of the Eurasian Federation had concluded. It was time for a break, so refreshments had been brought out for the diplomats and their assistants while the diplomats of the Initiative conferred on the other side of the room. The break gave the two Eurasian diplomats time to consider everything the Initiative diplomats had laid out.
It was insane and incredible, to say the least.
"Well, that didn't go too badly," Stanly D. Jeremiah of the Eurasian State Department muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"Except at the end, at least we got the final treaty ironed and ready to be signed," Caryn Glenna replied with a sigh of relief and exhaustion before knocking back a cup of coffee like a shot of whisky. "At least they didn't freak out too badly over the plants."
"What else do you expect? They had practically wandered into a war," Stan answered, taking a sip from his cup of tea.
"It's more of a phony war than a real one," Caryn chuckled, relief obvious in her voice. "And thank God for that."
"Don't be too complacent; you know what the military situation is between us and Plants if we decided to have a go at each other." Stan said, slightly annoyed, "We may have the numbers and older, more reliable technology, but they are fielding the newest technology in the whole solar system."
As a career diplomat and a member of a government at war, he understood that it was a position that was unfavorable, to say the least, and one that the Federal and Alliance militaries were painfully aware of and were attempting to correct at all costs.
Cary smirked maliciously. And she wasn't wrong, Stan realized, because although the Initiative refused to share their technology, especially as a state of war existed between Earth and PLANTS, what little of it they had exposed could potentially tip the balance of power on Earth, and if not managed well, it could well destroy the various economies throughout the solar system. And that was only the technology the Initiative had disclosed so far.
"True, but with the general international public dislike of coordinators and a terrorist attack that wiped out the United Nations, the only organization that seems to be interested in peace in this damn solar system, we are at war with the PLANTs now, and GDI isn't exactly forthcoming with their technology," Stan said in frustration, taking another sip of tea from his cup.
"They have engines powerful enough to push a one-kilometer ship into orbit." Caryn said her eyes were bright with possibilities. "And you do know that access to that technology and the energy generation behind it could not only revolutionize our lives but also possibly crash our economy and pull the rest of the world into recession, right?"
"The mention of that subject "Seriously, the EPDA is not going to be happy about what that will mean for Gibraltar." Stan covered his face with his hand and took a deep breath. The development of mass drivers not only allowed for more effective cargo launch into space, but also facilitated an explosion in international trade because large cargo could be moved from one point on the planet to any other in an hour relatively cheaply and effectively.
It brought the world even closer together and made the mass drivers and those who control them the integral centers of the world economy. All of that could well be rendered obsolete overnight if GDI decided to recklessly disclose their technology. Then there were the military and potential terrorism aspects to consider with unregulated, easy space launches...
"No one is going to be happy with this treaty; we are effectively cutting out a 75-km radius around the tower, essentially cutting Italy in half." There is also the possibility of the Special Joint Zone (SJZ) being widened if the situation gets worse," Caryn said with a scowl on her face. "Nobody is going to be happy about that, especially since it includes international waters."
"And from the update from CERN and the Ministero dell'Ambiente, we'll probably have to increase the size of the zone in a few days," Caryn concluded, sighing in sorrow at both her now-empty cup and the world in general. "It's going to cause problems." "Hell, I didn't think it would get this bad."
It was an understatement, to say the least, Stan thought, remembering the rather graphic videos and updates that GDI gave them. It wasn't pretty; the whole area after the tower was changed beyond recognition, and this was only the beginning. However, the worst part of it all was the haunted look on the civilian's face as he died.
There was the look in the man's eyes, one of fear and the certainty of his own death, as the man's own body turned into green crystals from his feet and slowly crystallized until it turned his eyes into solid mishap lumps of Tiberium. The man was a civilian who lived in what the Initiative called a "Yellow Zone" and was unlucky enough to be caught in an ion storm without his tib-suppressors.
The disturbing thing was the sheer speed at which the infection moved; it took just 60 seconds from initial exposure for Tiberium to consume the man. As far as the Initiative was concerned, the best protection against Tiberium was prevention, as the chances of surviving exposure to Tiberium without immediate treatment were less than one percent. It also led to the topic of mutants, as the only survivors of Tiberium exposure were mutants.
That revelation, Stan knew, was going to cause problems as it tied directly into the issue of coordinators.
"At least the media that came along for the ride is getting a tour of the place," Caryn sighed, getting up to refill the coffee trays."You want anything?"
"Another cup of tea, please." Stan smiled tiredly as she nodded in acknowledgment.
At least the treaty laid the foundation for future relations between their two nations, and that was something he was thankful for. Now, all that he needed to do was talk to them about the international conference that was part of the initial deal made by the president. On the bright side, there were only 11 major powers in the solar system aside from the plants. It should be easy to set up, right?
Stan smiled self-deprecatingly as Caryn returned with another cup for him. Just as he took his first mouthful of tea, he faintly registered that the GDI diplomats had ended their conference and were moving towards the negotiation table.
Whelp, it's time to head back to the salt mines.
Inops Archive: Mobius Theory
The Mobius theory is a theory concerning the evolution of Tiberium. Proposed in 2065 by one of G-Lab's most prominent scientists, Dr. Allyn Mobius, a descendent of Dr. Ingatio Mobius, the theory hypothesizes that Tiberium has four stages of development, each with its own set of characteristics that are deliberately engineered.
Stage one: This is the initial and most benign form of Tiberium. It is characterized by being relatively harmless while still maintaining Tiberium's core characteristic of leaching minerals and other useful materials out of the soil into easily collected and refined crystals. The Mobius theory concludes that this is most likely a deliberately engineered characteristic, designed to lure a species into willingly using and spreading Tiberium to increase their industrial output.
Stage two: This stage begins the process of transforming the planetary environment via the growth of Tiberium-friendly foliage, beginning the terraforming process of the planet. In the process, Tiberium's internal structure begins to change, becoming more complex and resilient. In addition, this stage of Tiberium is active toward organic matter and begins the process of expanding roots deep underground and releasing airborne Tiberium particulates.
Stage three: This stage is considered the most dangerous and is characterized by its ability to rapidly turn infected areas into hostile alien landscapes. This form of Tiberium is extremely dangerous to organic life forms, capable of killing a fully grown adult within a minute of exposure to even a single milligram-sized particle. In addition, the initial Tiberium roots of the first and second stages begin to expand deep into the Earth's crust and start the formation of liquid Tiberium.
However, the main threat of this stage arises from the formation of deep liquid Tiberium deposits, which form when Tiberium comes under the immense heat and pressure of the lower crust. Such deposits of Tiberium can easily be triggered to explode, as evidenced by the events of Operation Titus during the Third Tiberium War. During the operation, a GDI ion cannon strike managed to detonate a relatively small deposit of liquid Tiberium under Temple Prime, causing an explosion with an estimated yield of 1.8 gigatons—an event that released 10 times more energy than the most powerful nuclear device ever built by humanity.
Stage Four: In the final stage of Tiberium, it now possesses a macro-scale quantum metastable structure while retaining the same lethality for organic life. Unlike the other stages, Tiberium in this form is theoretically capable of self-replication from any form of baryonic matter as well as an energy-mass new set of properties that are widely believed to be the cause of decreasing ocean levels and a generally worsening situation worldwide in the period between 2048 and 2060. The deep roots
The deep roots formed during the previous stages have, by this point, extended deep within the crust to the point that they almost touch the Earth's mantle layer, making the planet almost impossible to reclaim permanently.
G-Lab private theories: Dr. Allyn Mobius
Excerpt from the Memoirs of Dr. Allyn Mobius (C) 2068
...Tiberium is a dangerous substance, but that in and of itself is nothing new. Scientists in my grandfather's time were able to isolate 28 percent of Tiberium's propertie) that they could notexplain,n and over 50 years of research, the Initiativewasn able to decrease that percentage down to 15percent,t allowing them to develop a medical treatment to treat those who were infected with Tiberium.
However, when Tiberium mutated after the Third Tiberium War, everything changed. It gave me the chance to gather data and further develop a theory that I had been slowly building up over the years as a researcher with G-Labs. My research was further boosted by the appearance of the Scrin, from whom GDI was able to gather additional technology and intelligence over the course of the war.
My own analysis of this data leads me to suspect that the Scrin was on Earth to harvest Tiberium, which logically leads to the question of the invader's towers. What are their functions? Are they some kind of transportation device? Massive refineries? or perhaps a means to control Tiberium? I have no solid proof and only circumstantial evidence to support any of these hypotheses; it wasn't until Kane himself gave us the Tacitus that questions began to be slowly answered.
Tiberium is a highly fascinating substance or crystal that we've only begun to barely understand. Every engineered stage of its life cycle represents an understanding of physics and microengineering that is generations more advanced than our own.
Tiberium appears to be designed to develop in four stages, forcing native species to adapt in a predetermined path as it becomes more complex, eventually leading to the breakdown of their civilization and extinction, based on our observations.
I believe that this is an intentional design, and as such, I believe that the Board of Directors' decision to push forward with adopting the new technologies found in the Alien device is ultimately wrong; however, it is a decision that I can understand considering the dire situation then.
Though superficially similar to our sonic technology used to combat Tiberium before it evolved, our basic theory behind this new technology is spotty, practically nonexistent in some places. Given the poor state of our understanding, we have no way of predicting how Tiberium might react to this new technology or even whether this technology is a Trojan horse left by a race allied to the Scrin.
This is why I continue my research into Tiberium and this new containment technology. I'm afraid we're nearing the end, and all it takes is a push to finish us as a species: for this new containment technology to fail, or worse, for the Tiberium Control Network to turn against us.
{Unauthorized reproduction of this text will result in the most severe penalties possible under the GDI anti-piracy convention of 2047. }