Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 18th, 9:34 AM.
Nigeria, Abuja, and Ban'j Coffeehouse
The short, jovial, yet nondescript man leaning back on his chair in the bustling street-side cafe of Abuja wasn't much to look at. Officially, Woodcutter, as the man was known, is the owner of Harcourt International Inc., a steadily growing import/export firm looking to expand into the South American market.
Unofficially, however, he is one of the most powerful names in the African community, having started his business some 20 years prior in the information trade before extending to the rest of the black market throughout the African community and its neighbors, building himself a reputation as one of the most reliable sources of information and other "business items" in the process. That much is evident when he's slipping coffee with a figure such as Dauda Oluwatoyin, the man widely regarded as running the African Community Ministry of Foreign Affairs in his nominal position of deputy assistant minister.
"What do you know about this Global Defense Initiative the Ambassador will be meeting next week?" The deputy minister asked in his heavily accented English between slips from his cup, silently enjoying the nervous twitching of his bodyguards.
Woodcutter studied the slow-moving swarm of traffic highlighted against the blue, clear skies and the sun reflecting off the skyscrapers in the distance even as he considered the question.
"I'm sure she had been watching the news, and she should know everything," Woodcutter replied cheerfully, still gazing at the signs of economic security his ...services had secured for this country over the years. "Seriously, there's not much else; GDI has active patrols around the SJZ on both the land and sea; they're also building a wall on both sides of the Italian peninsula..."
The minister's eyes narrowed in annoyance for a few moments before giving a short bark of false laughter.
Woodcutter continued in the same cheerful tone,"...but there is something else more important afoot, closer to home. I've been informed by a friend that one of their clients is making plans for the meeting next week in Cairo between the ambassador and the GDI Supreme Commander. According to them, they were buying some black market weapons and equipment."
"...and those bastards wouldn't have those..." the minister hissed, his tone now no longer cheerful but coldly level. The outburst was not without reason, for Blue Cosmos has been and still is a major pain in the ass for the African Community, launching attacks that caused major damage and loss of life throughout the super-state ever since their alliance with the PLANTS a decade ago.
"...if it weren't for me and people like me?" The man snickered, cutting off the minister. "Isn't that being hypocritical with "people like me" being responsible for your stability today? Besides, if I wasn't in the business, you'd be dealing with someone who wouldn't be as nice to you as I have been over the years." Woodcutter said, still in his cheerful but lazy tone, "Hey, don't look at me like that; I have a business to run, a family to feed, and all that. Besides, if it weren't for "people like me", you wouldn't be hearing about this 'young and patriotic' man who luckily 'overheard' the plot..."
The minister stared incredulously at the man sitting across the table for a few short seconds before giving a short bark of laughter.
"Damn, I should've expected something like this—the usual price?"
Woodcutter slouched back contently.
"Well, for information this important, I'd usually charge double, but given those morons ruined an old business client from Europe? 30%." Dauda was surprised by the venom in the voice of his old associate. Woodcutter was not the type to let old vendettas get in the way of business.
"I'll check the fund. Anything else?" Dauda replied once he recovered.
"Well... I've also heard whispers from friends in Europe that the Greek and Italian governments are seriously considering leaving the federation..."
The deputy minister chuckled, lighting up the mood between the two men.
"Ha, that would make it so much easier for us. Somewhat. Thank the Lord for suisidal idiots."
Hearing that, Woodcutter broke into an amusing smirk before continuing.
"...and lastly, the EDF is withdrawing the majority of its forces from the Middle East and redeploying them back to Germany."
Hearing this, the minister cheered up some more and said, "What about GDI?" He asked hopefully, testing if his luck was better this time around.
Woodcutter did not miss the tone of the other man's voice, causing another amused smile to cross his lips. "There isn't any more information to be given, Oluwatoyin; the truth can be seen in the files they released; there is nothing more to be said about them."
"Seriously, do they really expect anyone to believe that bullshit?" Oluwatoyin snorted, "Their history reads like the story of some B-grade science fiction author, and even if it's true... it is too unrealistic to be true. Besides, their agreement with the Europeans is too convenient; they must have a hidden agenda."
"You don't trust the UN? I'm not surprised." Woodcutter said with an understanding smile, "But there is nothing else I can tell you that can't be learned from the internet or the news," he said, pausing for a moment. " I will say this; however, you better make plans to move to the moon, Oluwatoyin, because if that treaty with GDI isn't signed, they're all fucked. I already have my family on their way to Copernicus City."
The assistant minister raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"Remember my business; I have friends and strings to pull," Woodcutter answered with a vicious smile on his face. "If you want some help on the subject, I can certainly help if you're willing to do me a favor."
Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 18th, 7:14 PM.
Atlantic Federation, Alaska, Josh City, 14th Street, Maule's Place
"Is there a particular reason why I'm here in the back of a restaurant at the end of nowhere?" David Jae glared at the woman who sat across the table from him.
"None at all; I was just passing through the neighborhood and saw you," the woman started before being cut off.
"Don't give me that bullshit and don't think you can just walk around as if you're just another pretty face; I've been in the game long enough to know who the hell you've got, you Blue Cosmos bitch," said David, his anger simmering beneath his calm facade. He was most assuredly not happy when he was ordered to meet up with this woman from the Alliance 81st Autonomous Mobile Group.
David was fully aware of the nature of the group as a "Special Operations Group" for the Earth Alliance, but learning that he didn't have a choice from his boss just pissed him off. Fuck, he had done enough of that shit in his early days.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Mr. Jae; I'm sure you're aware of the 81st's position within the Alliance." The raven-haired woman smiled predatorily. "We take and use anything and anyone from the Alliance to ensure the safety of Earth, and you are a fine example of this. You've been selected to lead this operation."
"And no, you may not refuse; you have no choice on the matter. This operation is of paramount importance to the safety of the Earth, and you've been drafted by the direct orders of Admiral Greenert to get the job done." The woman paused, donning an innocent smile. "As for our location, don't you love it? It's certainly a nice change from your usual view behind a desk, isn't it?"
"What is this operation, and what assets will I have to complete it?" David grounded out.
"It's called Operation Dispatch Down," the woman answered as she proceeded to explain the key points behind the operation and the role that he was expected to play in it.
Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 20th, 4:57 AM.
Special Joint Zone, the southwest outskirts of Cosenza City, GDI base "Fenrir", Press Module II
Woods sat staring at the words on the laptop screen in front of him while his mind tried to pound its way through the writer's block it had been stuck in for the last hour and a half.
It had only been two days, and he'd already written three stories and taken several videos in addition to taking and annotating pictures for each of said stories. Including editing and compilation, it was a hell of a lot of work for one person, particularly since he hadn't completely recovered from the crash. But on the other hand, he had a suit of armor that kept him functional despite how weary he felt. He'd been drinking coffee to help him stay awake, but it would seem that caffeine no longer had its typical effects on him. Probably another side effect of the Tib in his blood.
He sighed. That simple observation reminded him of what the doctors told him: he was recovering fine, but his mutation had progressed to what GDI called Phase 2. In other words, the containment broke down, effectively dooming the rest of the planet like GDI's own Earth.
Damn it, what about his son? He sighed. It was unfair, but better than the rest of the world, he reasoned. He knew the risks involved when he began his career. Still, it didn't mean that he had to like reality and what fate had in store for him. Shit. Closing his eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, he tried changing the subject.
This problem was the topic of the story that he was writing: the laws GDI had set up in the SJZ and the civilians' reactions. So far, it was a mixed bag, but writing about it now only made his feelings worse, knowing that no one like him will be allowed to leave the SJZ for the remainder of their lives until
Shit, Woods concluded, punching the metal walls had enough to dent it badly.
"Woods! Will you stop that? What's the problem?" Lipton yelled from the seat where he was working on his own story. This returned him to his senses just enough to break out of his rage.
"God, the rules; they're bullshit; it makes sense, but..."
"But it angers you that GDI has deemed you too contaminated to leave the SJZ while others can?" Lipton finished as he typed away on his computer.
"It's not just that? This is going to break up families. Have you considered that the SJZ includes most of southern Italy? And with the increase in size, it only leaves Sicily free? That's 20 million people!" Woods said it heatedly as he turned to face Lipton, who was still typing away on his laptop.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Lipton asked, looking up at his friend and coworker, his tone sympathetic but calm and level. "Facts are facts. Woods, this Tiberium is incredibly dangerous. There is nothing you can do about that. Besides, you have seen the corpses in the city and towns nearby from the B-roll footage I took yesterday, not to mention the footage coming in from the Mediterranean. Have you been to the coastal regions around the tower? Because I have, I don't see the coast of Italy. What I saw was a massive green glacier that didn't belong there!"
"Shit, you're right." Woods sighed, defeated. "So why are you here again?"
"Besides bringing your orders to stay and cover the SJZ for the network as a reporter?" Lipton said, exasperated, looking at Woods, "Well, I'm supposed to be the main reporter here since you were supposed to be injured. Geez, man, you were supposed to take a month off while you recovered. Not that I am not grateful for your help and all, but shouldn't you take a break?"
Lipton slouched back into his chair for a moment and grumbled," Thanks for your help, by the way. I knew that you'd written articles while you were a cameraman, but still...thanks to you, I was able to get this story finished before starting my official job covering the mainland and the area outside of the SJZ while another reporter will cover Sicily."
"Sicily?" Woods asked, confused.
"I guess you haven't heard?" Lipton said, returning to work," The feds are moving people out of Sicily and the mainland region just beyond the SJZ, supposedly 'for their own safety'."
"It sounds like a good idea; GDI did say that the weather is going to spread Tiberium."
"Yes, they did, and it's causing chaos. There have already been a few riots and protests in the last few days, and there is a rumor going around that the Italian government is going to leave the Federation." Lipton paused for a moment to think.
"That wouldn't be the first time," Woods commented, unsurprised.
"Well, what do you expect? All the videos, pictures, and articles written so far on the alien crystal have everyone scared," Lipton answered, waving his left hand around. "The market is panicking, and there are already signs of demand for these modules, power armor, and T-armor."
"I can imagine; I'm assuming that GDI shared the T-armor blue."
"Already done, but it's only been a few days, and the factories aren't really tooled for something like that. Hell, one of my associates at the European Materials Research Society is telling me that some of the components of T-armor are impossible to make outside of 0G."
Lipton paused, looking a bit sheepish.
"Anyway, until production begins on our side, which will probably take a few months at best, we'll be relying on shipments from GDI, and believe me, that should be enough." Lipton continued, disbelief clear in his voice: "I covered GDI's first shipment a few days ago, and the amount of cargo leaving that vessel was unbelievable; even the size of that ship is hard to comprehend; it's really almost impossible to imagine that something that big goes into space without seeing it yourself."
"Well. Shit." Woods said, making his way back to his seat and turning to the computer terminal next to his workspace to search the module's database.
"Shit doesn't even begin to describe it, Woods," Lipton said, his tone changing. "Now get to work and finish that story; the convey is leaving in 50 minutes with me on it."
"Yes, oh great slave master," Woods replied sarcastically, typing away in silence for a few moments before turning back to his co-worker. "Thanks for bringing me my things anyway."
"Not a problem," Lipton answered as he typed.
Back to work, it was, Woods thought, leaning towards his laptop.
"How's the story coming?" Woods asked as he resumed typing.
"Coming along nicely," Lipton answered without stopping his typing, "The UN..."
"It's GDI," Woods interrupted.
"The only difference between the UN and GDI is the difference between red apples and green apples. They're both apples; nothing is going to stop people from calling them the UN now and then," Lipton quipped. " To answer your question, GDI has already finished setting up something called an "Oceanic Sonic Network" on both sides of the Italian boot, and construction is still ongoing with a "Subterranean Sonic Network." Last but not least, GDI began construction of the "Tiberium Control Network"..."
When GDI had informed his employers that he was, in fact, still alive, Lipton had come along and passed down an offer by the EBN for the position of head correspondent for coverage of the SJZ after he'd recovered. And that was something he jumped at, starting work almost immediately despite his "medical vacation", partially to forget all the memories the boredom of recovering was bringing up to the surface but mostly because, without the ability to provide for his family, he would have felt fucked on major levels.
Woods paused for a moment. Though he was divorced and his wife had won custody of their child, he still made sure to provide money for the two. It was the least he could do for them after all the screw-ups he'd made, which led to the divorce in the first place. It really was his fault for putting the job first and his family second. Not that he could help it. He was sure what, but he felt a sense of thrill, of being alive, whether he was writing, taking photos, or whatever else involved providing the public with the information they needed.
It made him feel alive, knowing that he was taking an active role in making history.
Well, every minute lost was another free minute for a competitor to get ahead, Woods thought, but even as that thought passed his mind, a small, nagging voice made him pause. He really should talk to Lipton about checking whether his wife was still getting part of his paycheck given that he was officially "dead" for the better part of two weeks...
Crap, he'd better make sure that they'd received the insurance payout, silently berating himself for almost forgetting in the first place. He supposed he could also check with GDI; maybe he could arrange for some power suits and T-Suppressors sent to them...
"Shit," Lipton said, looking at the time on his laptop. "Woods hurrying up; the convoy is leaving in 38 minutes. Sorry, but until the UN and the government solve the compatibility issues between their computer systems or GDI finishes up the relay system in their embassy in Brussels, we will still be relying on snail mail to get everyone out to the world."
Damn, Woods thought, returning to work on his article.
The world continued to spin, and an hour later, just a few kilometers away, Nod agents were humming to the rhyme of the song playing on the truck stereo while it rumbled down Ionian Highway 106. Seated as they were at the back of a truck covered by plastic sheets (which the agents knew would do nothing to stop or even slow down Tiberium) and surrounded by their gear and the belongings of the driver, the music was the only distraction from the monotonous roar of the wind.
"Kardos, this is wrong; there shouldn't be anyone in this red zone, nor should this be a yellow zone!" Grigol sighed in irritation, his voice fighting to be heard over the roar of the wind passing the vehicle. While the two men had already been briefed on the situation and what to expect on their mission, seeing it for themselves was a whole different thing.
"You think Kane did it, or maybe it was..." Grigol asked irrelevantly.
"Death comes to those who falter in their faith, as they are easily swayed by temptation," Kardos said, his warning clear to his fellow soldier.
"I know, I know, but you have to wonder; I mean, only a god could do so, or else you may soon find yourself on the path of damnation and your place beside the messiah's taken," Kardos said, his emotionless tone utterly serious.
"One of these days, I'm going to make you laugh, Kardos," Grigol said naturally and with a smile before continuing, changing his tone. "So our objective is..."
Grigol didn't get a chance to finish as they heard the sound of something bursting, followed by desperate swerving as the driver tried to correct the vehicle before finding themselves momentarily airborne. The truck flipped over before gravity reasserted itself and smashed them into the ground, their own momentum throwing them off the tumbling vehicle in the process.
The two men slammed into the ground and rolled to a stop while the vehicle they had been traveling in came crashing down onto the asphalt with a metal-rending screech that echoed throughout the surrounding area.
For ten minutes, there was no movement from the vehicle or the two men.
"I told you we shouldn't have taken the risk, but..." Grigol groaned, his tone low and sarcastic, as he slowly flipped over to lay on his back. "Son of a bitch," Grigol hissed at the pain.
"I didn't hear your sorry ass complaining when we boarded," Kardos answered. "Besides, we needed to get information fast."
And Grigol was fully aware of the reasoning behind the need to rush and agreed with it. While there were other ways of sneaking into GDI cities that wouldn't have led to them risking their lives traveling on a vehicle without Tiberium protection, these methods weren't available. He was thankful that they got this far this quickly; he just wished that they could have used the gliders longer.
"So I guess we're walking now?" Grigol asked, slowly crawling onto all fours before turning his head up to look at his partner. Kardos was already putting on his feet, damn time. Even with the tiberium in his blood from the infusion, his body was still nearly crippled with pain.
"Get up and move; we're walking the rest of the way until we reach the nearest city. GDI is bound to be there, helping the weak and the heretics." Kardos ordered as the duo began to pick up their bags.
Grigol slowly and painfully stood up. He'd seen better days, he decided, helping Kardos with collecting their scattered equipment and packing inside their bags.
As they started to walk, they passed the crashed vehicle off to the side, where they could see that Tiberium had eaten the front wheel.
"Shut it," Kardos said before Grigol could voice his thoughts, but it didn't stop the grin appearing on his face. As the two men walked off the highway, an outside observer might be able to see their wounds healing at visible speed...
Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 21st, 5:43 PM.
Atlantic Federation, Alaska, JOSH-A, Level U12, High Command Meeting Chambers
The OMNI Enforcer meeting came to an end as the final members of the Earth Alliance High Command took their seats.
"Why the hell are we having this meeting now? We should have had this meeting last week or sooner!" Admiral Raymond Greenert boomed, not even bothering to hide his irritation.
"Because we needed time to examine what we have in this United Nations. I've gone through..." General Norton Odierno said, leaning back in his seat, massaging his head in an effort to contain his headache. "...the report, and I don't like what I see. They're a threat and one that we need to address immediately."
"Why?" Admiral Greenert protested, leaning forward from his seat," The PLANTs are still more of a threat than the UN."
"Damn it, with all due respect, Admiral," interrupted the J-2, Lieutenant General Martin Winnfield. " We didn't spend all this time preparing the General Staff's report for nothing."
"Calm down, everyone," Vice Chairman Admiral Schwartz L. Amos interrupted, his deep voice harsh with suppressed frustration. "You weren't selected to be part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Alliance so that you can argue like children."
"Thank you," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jonathan Sutherland, said. Now I believe we have all read the report our intelligence division compiled based on the analysis of all available facts we have on our newest problem. We're here today to talk about a new strategy that accounts for GDI in the case of the continuation of the war against the PLANTs."
"It is the professional opinion of the intelligence community that the Global Defense Initiative is a threat that we must take seriously," General Winfield added.
"And? If you didn't notice, we're sst-" reenert began before being cut off.
"And?" General Winfield retorted, fighting his growing desire to smash the other man's head. in,"Look, in their last conflict, they repelled a worldwide alien incursion while fighting a global war. AT THE SAME TIME! The military capability needed to do that is... is immense. Do you need us to go through the report on their "first fleet" again? Perhaps that will finally get you to rub two neurons together and come up with something better besides the PR bullshit that comes out of your mouth!"
Martin didn't give the other man a chance to answer, turning to face the rest of the Joint Chief: "Make no mistake, the UN is more of a threat to us than PLANTs currently are. You don't have to look any further than their degree of militarization and global logistics capability. When combined with the size of their space force and their cargo lift ability, they have the ability to be an existential threat to the Earth Alliance anywhere, even in space. Especially in space."
"Are you proposing that we hit them preemptively and take their technology by force?" asked the vice chairmen.
The question caused Martin to blink in surprise: "What?"No, I'm not saying that we should attack and take the technology by force; even if the Council approves it, with the UN so willing to freely use WMD to arm battalions with them, the most probable outcome we can predict... is mutually assured destruction."
He paused and noted the look of disappointment on some of the faces gathered there.
"But think of the impact that the UN Surface Space technology will have on our war plans; the ability to move massive quantities of supplies and troops from the surface to space with only one ship would be a massive bonus and free our forces from being tied to mass drivers, not t-"
"Yes, Yes. We're all aware of our disadvantages, and that is all the more reason to..."Greenert replied dismissively before his tone changed completely. "Wait, WMDs for battalion formations? Do you actually believe that?"
Martine fought the pleading desire to face palm, and he wasn't the only one.
"Yes, we have enough circumstantial evidence to confirm that both Nod and GDI allow battalion and regiment-level assets access to WMDs. Not that such weapons have a place in the hands of a field commander, but that's another issue entirely."
He paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
"However, none of our weaknesses are disadvantages if we stay friendly with them for now. We've all seen the video showing GDI shipping supplies from their bases in the Pacific to Europe with their ships and what such means for our war plans... What I'm proposing is for us to follow the Council's orders.
"We do follow the Council orders." interrupted the vice chairmen
"Don't bullshit me," Martin replied tiredly. "I've been in the military long enough to know that there is never a limit to what we're willing to do."
"Anyway, our assessment is this: if we don't stay friendly with GDI, we'll be fighting a two-front war, and that is not a fight we will win. We just don't have the forces to cover the whole planet, the moon, the International Space Station, and colonies under our control." Martin continued, "The removal of the EF space force from our control just makes our situation worse. Currently, in addition to our ground forces, we have only seven fleets remaining under our control."
"We don't need to cover the EF," the vice chairmen snarked. " After all, they do have their own forces."
"Fine, ignore them." Martin grounded out, fighting the renewed desire to punch the man in the face. Did he not remember the Alliance's mandate?
"Well then, that's another problem solved," the vice chairmen snarked. "The United Nations and the EF will protect Earth; they have experience and military capability, not to mention their civilian population to protect. I seriously doubt they will let ZAFT launch a sneak attack against Earth if there is even the smallest chance to shift additional fleets to the colonies and the moon, particularly since we don't have any forces stationed in the colonies we control. We could do so with the PR."
Martin resisted the urge to facepalm again at the sheer stupidity of the "plan" as best as he could.
"Such a move risks turning this war hot, Admiral. Moreover, the Council's decision was to cease all hostile actions against the PLANTs," General Norton protested. "And as Martin said, our mandate clearly states that we are to protect Earth and every member of the Alliance. And regardless of their actions, the EF is still a part of the Alliance."
"Do you have a problem with my suggestions, in eneral?" challenged the vice chairmen," moving additional fleets to the colonies will only benefit us, nor does it break any of the Council's commands. After all, such a move is nothing more than us protecting the helpless colonies under threat from those damned coordinators."
"That is true, but the people will still see it for what it is. You know damn well that the colonies are soft targets. It doesn't take a nuke to break one of them," Martin countered, glaring at the admiral.
"I suggest a compromise; we move the seventh and sixth fleets to protect the colonies under our control at L4 and L5. It is not enough to overwhelm ZAFT, but it'll be enough to give them pause and tie up their fleets. We can also move the Fifth to the moon and leave the remaining four fleets in orbit of Earth to prevent ZAFT from landing any additional ground forces planetside," General Norton said, putting forth his suggestion.
"What about our international space station?" Rear Admiral Elizabeth Lushniak, the head of logistics, asked, already knowing the likely answer: " Until our next flight of warships leaves the dock, we're out of ships to protect both the ISS and the trade lanes."
"We don't need it militarily; it's an obvious weak point," answered the vice chairmen. " We'll have to shift ships to escort our shipment of resources from Earth to the Moon, while the escort will have to be heavier with no rest stops to where our shipyards are located; we do have the fleet capacity to do so."
"I like the suggestion, and it makes sense. Any objections?" Chairmen Sutherland asked A quiet round of nods around the table answered his question. "Right. Thank you for your time. I'll present the plan to the council tomorrow and hope we can put it into action before next week. This meeting is over, and good day to everyone. Dismissed."
Without another word, he stood and left the room, followed by the vice chairmen and Admiral Greenert, leaving the rest of the Joint Staff by themselves.
"You shouldn't have annoyed them, you know. Admiral Sutherland and Greensert are both political appointments; they have friends in high places, and the public likes them." General Norton deadpanned at his counterpart, giving him a look that basically said, 'You should know better.'
"Damn, of all the political appointees in the Navy, why did those two baffoons be part of the damn Joint Cheif! They're both pencil pushers with no real field experience," General Martin hissed, trying to keep calm.
"Honestly, do you think that matters?" answered General Norton. "The council needed political support, and both Sutherland and Greensert have that in spades."
"Damn it," General Martin snapped. "I can't stand this sh*t anymore. I joined the Alliance Intelligence to protect the damn planet, not to serve under some pencil pushers and a chairman who should know better but is too eager for a war we can't win."
General Nortan and the rest watched Martin storm out of the room, and while they agreed with the man's sentiment, politics was a factor that was important in war too. Perhaps too important.
A few hours later, on the other side of the planet, the thunder of sonic booms once more echoed through the foreboding skies above the Italian red zone.
With the Ionstorm having cleared in the hours before, the 2nd Raid division, along with the rest of the GDI units assigned to Operation Voturm, was out in force. A heavy command cruiser, the GDS Munich, hovered hidden within the cloud cover, her massive and powerful sensor array burning through the interference to scan the ground down below. Further down, white contrails streaked across the purple skies around the tower as Firehawk Air Superiority fighters escorted specialized AWAC and electronic intelligence crafts to their stations, while closer to earth, the sleek and agile shapes of Orca darted around the landscape. Also sharing the crowded airspace are the lumbering forms of transport and dropships and the fleeing specters of drones, both supporting the armor, infantry, and engineers on the ground. At the same time, frequent traffic of ships going in and out of the portal to support the relief effort by providing medical supplies, food, building materials, brand new habitual Modules, warships, vehicle parts, and troops to replace exhausted home-seek soldiers who wanted to return home
All in all, to an outside observer, it was an awe-inspiring show of GDI's military might directed at a single objective: to gather enough information for the scientists back at Mobius Station to make an analysis of the status of the tower. Not that the infantry teams slowly slogging through the Tiberium field cared for the spectacular display of military might above them...much.
Bravo team was on such a unit.
"Damn it, I am telling you Alpha cheated," Jaya grumbled. "We'd be riding around in comfort instead of babysitting a bunch of boffins if that flush didn't suddenly come out of nowhere."
The rest of the team gave a good-natured laugh at the reminder of Jaya's poker game the night before moving on to other subjects.
"Hey Vahlen, do you know why the captain is with us again today?" asked Shepard, moving one of his helmet's external cameras to keep an eye on his friend while keeping most of his attention on scanning the world in front of him.
"No idea, but you know the captain; he doesn't like staying at HQ," answered Vahlen, smirking inside her armor. "He's always saying the paperwork will kill him before Nod does. Besides, we're at peace right now."
Shepard paused in thought for a moment before answering. "You know that isn't going to last long; Kane's probably still alive...shit" Shepard stopped. He felt a rumble pass through the earth.
"EVA apprises Captain Zu that we're detecting seismic activity," Shepard ordered, and the EVA acknowledged sending the message before cutting the comlink to the Munich. "Watch your step; you don't want to fall and punch a hole through your suit," Shepard continued to jest.
"Right, like I'm going to make a rookie mistake like that," Vahlen rolled her eyes, repositioning her feet as the ground continued to shake, and once more, the two of them fell into silence as they kept one eye on their suit sensors and the other on the alien world around them.
"Max here, us and the engineers are fine; how about the rest of you lot?"
"Pita here, Stevenson just swore that he'd personally find and punch Kane in the face if he's behind this; you want to take him up on his word?"
Vahlen hit the transmit button and said, "Vahlen here, Shepard, and I are bored, looking out for threats bu-hang on. Nope, just a mirage. I thought I saw something."
While the two were fully aware of the threats around them, such as native Tiberium life forms, they were unaware that in the distance, the cloaked form of a familiar foe seethed with helpless rage from behind a spike of Tiberium before slinking away into a dark crevice in the Earth.
With GDI out in force in the area around the tower, what remained of the Brotherhood could only hide in their hidden fortress and watch as their hated foe evacuated the weak civilians from the immediate area around the holy tower, and for what?
So that they could make fools of themselves and stumble about not knowing the truth? Idiots. Idiots and heretics.
Date: AD 2070/CE 70 February 21st, 11:55 PM.
Eurasian Federation, Belgium, Brussels, President Office.
President Borski stared at the intelligence report on her desk and felt the first throbs of a migraine pounding behind her eyes. She'd already talked to Howard about the Intelligence obtained from GDI about the tower and the appropriate course of action for the Eurasian Defense Force.
The end result was the two of them agreeing to move civilians out of Sicily and set up a 5 km buffer zone at the edge of the Special Joint Zone. When she'd announced the decision on the 17th the public...didn't react to the news well with protests breaking out in a number of cities, although thankful none of them turned violent yet. She'd justified the decision by pointing out that wind patterns could easily carry Tiberium into these regions but her opponents are already calling bullshit and they were right.
More importantly, they argued that since the event her administration had been weak and indecisive, citing the lack of progress in combatting Tiberium and the massive forced relocation as examples and it was working; according to the latest opinion polls, her coalition's popularity was down to an all-time low of 54%.
The only thing that even slightly amused her about this entire predicament was the reports of the Italian government pushing forward with their harmless threat of leaving the Federation, a threat that some in the media and local politicians had already pointed out would only end in disaster for the nation. A foolish threat to make but one that she has to consider possible, considering how... erratic the Italian political establishment could be.
She sighed and glanced again at the classified intelligence report before her. The innocent-looking report contained details the GDI decided to share about the tower and while most of the report was a mixture of arcane scientific notations and indecipherable summaries, the words 'threshold' and 'warp gate' stood out to her. This fact was proven true since it open a gateway to their reality.
Having gone through GDI's summarization of the Third Tiberium war she was aware of the alien origins of the tower and it still sent chills down her spine thinking about it. The use of the word "Stargate" to describe the tower brought to mind all sorts of unpleasant possibilities ranging from the creation of an uncontrolled singularity to a full-scale alien invasion...all within the spitting range of Eurasia's vulnerable political and financial heartlands.
Perhaps she shouldn't have brought up the tower with Commander McNeil at the meeting last week, she groused, it would have been more comforting not knowing of the Sword of Damascus hanging over her nation.
Ture, McNeil had reassured her that GDI had several contingency plans in case of a Scrin reemergence but even then she could read between the lines.
Even with GDI and possibly Earth Alliance assistance, how on earth was she supposed to plan for an HONEST TO GOD ALIEN INVASION?!
She cradled her head, slowly messaging her temple.
And that was without considering the sorry state of the world she found her nation was in. It is dismaying on many different levels to find herself wondering if the Earth Alliance could be trusted with this information despite (or perhaps; because of) their close ties with their fellow member nations.
Whatever the hell happened in the future, she just hoped that her nation survived and that whatever measures and actions she had taken were enough to protect it and save the planet.
Maybe some TV and a break will do, she decided, reaching out for the remote control and switching the TV onto the Earth Broadcast only to feel her migraine breaking into a full-scale headache as she listened to the news.
"...In reaction to the Federal government's announcement that the SJZ will be increased by 25 km..." On hearing this, she remembered that the decision to increase the SJZ... fuck,"...bringing its present size to a massive 100 kilometers centered around the now destroyed outskirts of the Italian City of Isola Di Capo Rizzuto. In other news, Greek Prime Minister Samaras Karolos has expressed his support for the Italian government's threat to withdraw from the Federation, calling it "The right decision when confronted by sheer incompetence". He also demanded that the Federation take action to safeguard his country and criticized the Federal government for allowing a foreign power..."
InOps Archive:
GDI Medical Corp.: Tiberium Rehabilitation Treatment
Tiberium rehabilitation can be a long and hard process, depending on the level of contamination in the patient. A high percentage of those exposed to Tiberium suffer immediate medical treatment to keep them alive and from mutating further. While it must be acknowledged that the development and integration of automated medical systems into Zone Trooper, ICS, and LCS armor have increased the survivability of exposure to Tiberium to around 95%, this dramatic fall in fatalities has also increased the number of Phase 1 and 2 cases by 86 and 94 percent, respectively. Tiberium remains an adaptive substance, actively countering the treatments administered by doctors and automated medical systems.
1) Phase 1 cases
Requirement: Level 1 treatment.
Representing up to 24% of all tiberium contamination cases annually, phase 1 tiberium contamination cases are the lightest level of exposure, where the individual in question only needs light to superficial treatment. These cases are rare and only available to the lucky or those with access to quick medical assistance and decontamination.
2) Phase 2 cases
Requirement: Level 2 surgery.
Phase 2 cases are currently the most common, accounting for up to 70% of all cases. 76 percent of these cases see the patient addicted to Tiberium as it slowly becomes part of their metabolism. As a result, the patient dies if they are totally isolated from Tiberium, yet they mutate out of control if their access to Tiberium is not regulated.
Treatment is handled by keeping the subject under watch and administering Tiberium suppressors to control their mutation. Simultaneously, medication is used to slowly decrease the patient's addiction to tiberium until the tiberium present in their body becomes "inert." At that point, the patient requires only small doses of processed Tiberium or periodic exposure to Tiberium radiation to survive.
3) Phase 3 cases:
Requirement Critical: Level 5–6 Nanosurgery
These cases were the most common before the advent of modern Tiberium treatment techniques. Phase 3 contamination typically results in out-of-control mutations, resulting in the patient experiencing extreme mutations such as increases in muscle mass coupled with general degradation in mental capabilities and stability until they become what is commonly known as a 'beserker'. However, given sufficient time and treatment, these "berserkers" may recover their mental facilities and revert back to a phase 2 case.
The worst-case scenario for a phase 3 patient involves their mutation going completely out of control, breaking down their body into an Organic-Tiberium slime, which then reforms into a Tiberium-based lifeform, usually a scleroid, though there are documented cases of more advanced creatures such as Veinhole monsters being created in this way.
It should also be noted that most mutants display several beneficial abilities, such as an increase in strength, regeneration, etc. How strongly these abilities manifest themselves depends on the level of mutation and the amount of Tiberium absorbed. The more advanced the conditions, the stronger the manifestation of these abilities.
*Of the three phases, Phase 2 contained the widest spectrum of patients, ranging from the barely affected to borderline patients in Phase 3 who retained their sanity.
Phase 2 patients are required to wear customs LCS suits at all times to undergo treatment in an isolation facility until the Tiberium in their body is determined to be "inert".
In case of a breach of suit containment, the patient's room will be locked down and internal sonic emitters will be activated to ensure that no tiberium spreads throughout the structure.
Abilities including psychokinesis, precognition, apportion, and telepathy, as well as biologically or psychologically generated plasma and particle beams, have been reported in a number of phase 2 and 3 cases, though none on the level displayed by the Scrin or even the former Forgotten leader Tratos.
All phase 3 patients, as well as 2 patients who are still undergoing treatment and who wish to enter a non-contaminated environment, are required to wear custom heavy-duty LCS suits and to be monitored at all times.
Newpedia: OMNI High Command
Modeled after the former United States Joint Chief of Staff, the OMNI High Command is considered to be the second most powerful group within the Earth Alliance. The OMNI-JCS is subordinate only to the Earth Alliance Council within the structure of the Earth Alliance and is charged with all high-level decision-making within the combined militaries of Earth. While such a group may sound imposing, in reality, they are usually limited by several problems arising from the nature of the alliance.
First, due to the lack of a United OMNI intelligence gathering organization, the OMNI-JCS and, by extension, the entire OMNI are forced to rely upon and coordinate data contributed by the individual intelligence agencies of each member nation, leading to several well-publicized intelligence oversights.
A second problem is the language and doctrinal barriers inherent in a formerly multinational force that is still integrating into the new command system, requiring the combined staff to be careful of the various units they move around, despite English being the most commonly spoken language in the world. Thankfully, in recent months, there has been a marked decrease in such problems as the different forces have gotten used to working with each other.
And finally, the third and most common problem is the different customs across all EA forces. Although a fix was attempted with the EA adapting a common rank, command structure problems still remain.
Newpedia: the African Community
The African Community (AC) was founded in 1992 during the Reconstruction Wars with the single aim of opposing the South African Union, which at that point was seeking to unite the African continent under its flag. The war, however, soon proved to be a stalemate for both sides as war machines came to a halt and neither side had enough petroleum reserves to continue military operations. This development led to the signing of the Treaty of Angola, ending the war in CE 04.
However, with the war ending, the new African Community found itself as its worst enemy. Whereas before, the various members had a common cause uniting them, now that the war is over, that is no longer the case. The situation was worsened by the ever-declining level of resources on Earth and the various ethnic and ideological rivalries left over from the late 20th century. Soon the various tribes, rebel groups, and nations found themselves refusing to submit to the African Community authority, resulting in civil unrest, and the situation was made even worse in CE06 with refugees fleeing from the Caliphate war and the resulting Atlantic-Eurasian intervention.
While civil unrest did slowly grow worse over time, the African Community was slowly stabilizing, deploying its meager military force to deal with one problem after another. That slow recovery was halted in early CE18 when the Eurasian Federation seized control of the Suez Canal and the majority of Cairo. Later in the same year, a civil war broke out in Sudan, and despite the moderating effects of the much-weakened African community, it quickly spread to neighboring countries, including parts of the South African Union (SAU).
In CE25, the South African Union military invaded Sudan in an attempt to put an end to the fighting there. However, that act only led to renewed fighting between the two continental powers as African Community forces and both sides of the Civil War attempted to push back the South African military, sparking off the second African war, which lasted until CE49, when the Union destroyed what remained of the African Community Joint Defense Force in the decisive battle of Keetmanshoop. By the end of the war, the SAUM had successfully taken Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, the southern tip of Namibia, and the majority of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, leaving only the westernmost parts to its rival.
The legacy of the Second African War was threefold: first, it devastated a huge amount of infrastructure on both sides and, in some cases, forced the abandonment of whole regions until the infrastructure was rebuilt. This in turn led to the African Community aligning themselves with the newly established Zodiac Alliance mid-CE50 in order to fund their reconstruction.
Second, it left the ACJDF decimated and the African Community much weakened and unable to use force to manage the secessionist elements within its members. With its main stabilizing factor removed, the AC dissolved into chaos as its member states attempted to grab power for themselves. This situation reached the point where the collective black markets and criminal syndicates acted in concert with the federal government in order to preserve stability and curb the powers of the individual nations.
Finally, it illustrated to the world the new post-fossil fuel military paradigm, which allowed the SAUM to decisively crush the African Community.
Despite having almost two decades to recover, the African Community has only recently managed to consolidate power away from its various members and is currently rearming and increasing the size of the ACJDF for the first time since the end of the Second African War.
Sadly, this recovery has run into a number of problems, such as the lack of internal infrastructure for trade across the various members, warlords, and rebel groups in countries bordering the SAU and the periodic attacks from the terrorist organization Blue Cosmos ever since its alignment with ZAFT.