Attempting to Fulfill the Plan: GDI Edition

[Vehrec]

Dissection recording: July 31, 2052, 15:29 B-6 Local Time.

Asistant Secretary Mikoto Arsikawa: Are we ready to begin? Doctor Neuman?

Dr. Franklin Neumann: Ready when you are Doctor Arrsikawa. I've seen this all before.

2nd Lt. James Summers: I'm uh, ready. I think. But listen, I haven't dissected anything since my virtual frog in high-school-

MA: It's fine, we'll handle the cutting. You just have to type this all up for InOps. *Bonesaw revs*

FN: Doctor, let the new guy have his nerves. You gonna do fine son, just let us oldies do our jobs and you mind yours.

JS: If you say so sir.

FN: Sir? Boy I work-

MA: I'm starting the dissection now gentlemen. Subject One is a cyborg combatant with obvious NOD affiliation. Opening the body bag now.

JS: Jesus christ.

FN: You have the lead doctor.

MA: Subject is obviously heavily damaged by rifle fire, with one wound to the gut, and several to the arms and legs. The left arm has suffered several bullet hits disabling what appears to be a weapon of some sort. The right arm is mostly intact, and has a heavy machine gun of some sort.

JS: Yeah, uh, I'll look up what that is.

MA: Let me finish, please. Left and right legs have both been hit by several machine gun rounds.

FN: They used to have blow-off joints on those legs. But they seem to have not been fitted on this model.

MA: You can work on those then, I'm going to open the chest cavity. I can't see how to remove this armor-Bonesaw makes contact with armor, 40 seconds of unholy screeching.

MA: Scalpel? Thank you-ah, we have lungs and a heart. More or less in the correct places, no sign of serious mutation. Taking samples for DNA testing. There's...something plugged into the subject's aorta.

FN: Yes, that looks like a standard CABAL vintage bio-pump. You'll find a drug reservoir in the backplate, it helps to manage the unit and administers combat drugs.

MA: The joint between the aorta and the tubing is very clean, and seems well-integrated. This is some kind of nano-surgery, do you agree doctor?

FN: I'll have to concur, but I wish they'd used that down where I'm working. These legs were cut off with a laser saw before they plugged in the cybernetics. Multiple sores and necrotic tissue areas.

MA: You're right. The arms are similar-look, they've just fitted a joint to the humerous and left it at that. This cable is grafted to a nerve here...but the nerve itself is cut off so jagged.

FN: Probably the trigger controls? Wait, shit, is that thing still loaded?

JS: I'll uh, check that. No, no, they've uh, removed the ammo supply. Though man, how did this guy reload with no thumbs?

MA: I'm more interested in how he ate with no jaw.

JS: JESUS, lady, don't just start-oh, god.

MA: Subcutaneous armorweave layer inside the body cavity-looks like it was stapled in place. Organs are...gone.

FN: Yeah, this is more classic cyborg guts. Filler port here for the pseudo-intestines. Not really a proper gut, no anus, but the food they give them has nothing but glucose and digestible peptides.

MA: Lovely, truly. The kidneys look...normal but the urine feeds into this...device.

FN: Cyborg tri-kidney, it turns urea into uric acid, like a bird, and re-injects even more water into the bloodstream. Again, it reduces the need to service the organic components, you only have to empty this every three days or so.

MA: Liver looks like a 30 year drunk's I've never seen cirrhosis this bad.

FN: The cybernetic drugs do that-but it's pretty bad even for that.

MA: No sign of reproductive organs. I want to look at the other two before we go in-depth here.

FN: Just a preliminary look?

JS: Uh, can I have a minute....

MA: Subject 2 is...another cyborg, cause of death major headshot. Looks like total cranium destruction.

FN: Yeah, that's a sniper-explosive bullet maybe? Or one of those railguns?

MA: Looks like it. I'm gonna reccomend we use this as our type specimen for the arm and leg implants then, and the first one for the head. We can compare the torsos. Let's look at the third one...

JS: Oh god...*sounds of vommiting*

FN: Do it in the sink son! Hell, just step outside if you need the air. Shit, what did this?

MA: Tag says they were shot by a tank.

FN: Okay, yeah that would do it. Uh, subject is a cyborg of unknown type. Shot in the lower torso by a 152 mm shell, overpenitrated, lower legs still reasonably intact and packed with the upper torso...and the mess that some jackass scooped off the ground.

MA: I'm deploying a sonic curtain around this subject to secure for any tiberium contamination.

FN: Subject's left arm is some kind of particle beam weapon, that seems like a good idea. I'll deploy the waldos and, well, let's see how much we can find out about how this guy's put together. Seems like standard fixtures at least...

JS: Tib-Tiberium contamination? Oh fuck, I need to get a mask...

MA: I don't think he's coming back.

FN: I don't think he's coming back either. Doctor, look at this.

MA: is that all there is? There's hardly anything!

FN: More machine now, than man. Twisted, and evil.

MA: I don't need Star Wars quoted at me doctor. But you're not far wrong-uh, subject's face is gone, just cut away, and several cables connected directly to the optic and facial nerves. This is the most extreme cyberization I've ever seen, the bone is plated over...there are computer interfaces in the skull that clearly go deep into the brain.

FN: A totally new kind of cyborg, like nothing I saw during the second war. Much more elegant, and much more disturbing.

MA: I'll leave him to your tender care doctor. We have a lot of work to get through tonight.

FN: And a briefing to write up if that kid doesn't get back here.

 

[VonVonson]

POLITICS IN THE YELLOW ZONES

Life had been good for Hasim. He wasn't really certain how the various departments of the GDI were structured but he agreed with how the one that did yellow zone construction was run well enough to only occasionally grumble about it.

The investment into the yellow zone was met with a wide range of emotions, with recent transplants from the blue zone having a mix of relief and exasperation at the GDI finally getting off their asses to make proper housing. Long time yellow zoners were at best cautious of it or at worst distrusting. Hasim fell into the former group, both not really expecting to get lucky enough to get moved into the new purpose built housing or for the building effort to last. As was the pattern in his life he was quickly proven wrong as whatever inscrutable method the GDI use to pick who got moved to the new housing has his household ( the bureaucrats were very insistent on calling them that, likely because calling it at let them sweep the factors that lead to the impromptu social structures of the yellow zones refugee camps under the rug as being intentional) among one of the first waves of migrants. As a further way for the GDI to cover their asses they were asked if they'd like to move to the housing as one unit or get sent to a different camp to try to find where their actual families were.

Jodi took it up, her cohabitation with Hasim and Pierre mostly being for convenience, Hasim left for the housing along with the 4 little ones in the hopes they'd have an easier life, and to Hasim's surprise Pierre had joined him. The wily old man had managed decades in the yellow zones, survived multiple global wars and done so in surprisingly good health, but no matter how he tried to hide it he was very clearly in the early stages of rock lung and the prospect of Actual Housing and better medical care appealed to him. Also he'd come to genuinely like Hasim over the years they'd lived together, although he would never admit it to anyone especially himself. How could he not? Hasim was naturally likeable and after all these years was practically family. It was why he almost felt bad about what happened during election time.

It was supposed to be practical joke really, put Hasims name into the running for their districts representative, he loses, he gets shit over it for the next few months. All good fun right? Only he'd underestimated how unprepared the parties had been to contest the new seat.

As one of the first people there Hasim had taken on an impromptu role as a guide to living in the new houses for people who'd been in the yellow zones for a while. Many of the groups that had moved in got well acquainted with him, and many recognized him from the refugee camps. By simply doing the same introductions and gift givings he'd done in the yellow zones he'd managed to make himself very well known and liked through out the district. Further more the new seats had been around for two months at the most which heavily diminished the ability for the parties to even just get a few members there, let alone do any real campaigning. With the benefit of hindsight the result of the election was obvious. With the benefit of hindsight. Without it...

99% with a token candidate from the free market party taking up the remained. The politicos were shocked, Hasims district was not the only one to have an upset like that, but it was the first and several "experts" were left scrambling to explain what had happened. Veiled accusations of election rigging, bad counts caused by shoddy connections, and several more wild theories mostly to avoid reckoning with the fact that the blue zones election watchers simply never really thought the yellow zoners would have a complex network of social obligations or how it would effect voting.

Hasim gave out food. Hasim hosted welcoming parties. Hasim learned how the bureaucracy responded to requests and complaints and interacted with it on residents behalf. He'd organized informal classes to teach people who'd never been in a school how to read. And that's on top of all the times he'd helped people out back in the refugee camps. That all made good will and good will was a universal currency in the yellow zones. Even people who didn't like Hasim voted for him, simply because they owed him. For people born and raised in the yellow zones, or even just having spent a few decades in one, not returning the favor when someone owes you was a one way ticket to being ostracized, and when things go wrong that as good as being dead.

The people on the news feed sputtered and tried to cover their asses, the people on the internet got over the shock quickly and immediately started making fun of the people on the news feed, and Pierre and Hasim picked their jaws off the floor while the kids bombarded them with excited questions. Pierre had recovered first.

"Well lets get you proper suit then."

Such was the sequence of events that led to the election of Hasim "Big Has" Aydin, one of the first members of United Yellow List and the GDI's physically largest politician at the time.

 

[Sailor_Skarro]

Retrieved Data Logs: Damaged NOD Computer System- Operation Dawn Star.


[UNCORRUPTED DATA BEGINS]

[14:32:01][4/4/2049] [Subject: Creator] set [Subject: Kovacs; Alexa] as [Secondary Commander]. [MissionObjective].new [Retrieve_Network.IonCannon.Blueprints]. SuccessChance([MissionObjective][Retrieve_Network.IonCannon.Blueprints].fullfilled = true) > 0.912. Calculating approach.

[DATA CORRUPTED]

[09:49:52][6/23/2049] [Subject: Kovacs; Alexa] ordered an attack on [Location: Sarajevo; Temple Prime]. [MissionObjective][Impersonate_Qatar].fullfilled=true. [Subject: Self] unsure of purpose of operation.

[DATA CORRUPTED]

[-21:03:51][Error][timescale unclear] [Subject: Kovacs; Alexa] attempted malware attack, resulting in [Protocol: Emergency Shutdown]. Last [Entry]: [Subject: Kovacs; Alexa] terminated by [Subject: Kovacs; Alexa]. [Timescale] updated. Current Year: 2052. [Subject: Creator] present when rebooting. Audio processing: 47%. Record for later analysis.

[15:09:23][10/30/2052] [Location: Rockies; Tacitus Lab] excessively fortified. [MissionObjective][Retrieve_Tacitus].fullfilled = false. SuccessChance([MissionObjective][Retrieve_Tacitus].fullfilled = true) > 0.987. [Subject: GDI Commander; unknown] resistance 8.64 higher than expected. Recalculating approach.

[DATA CORRUPTED]

[13:47:26][11/1/2052] [Location: Siberia; Ground Front] [Subject: Savic; Ajay] deployed forces highly suboptimally. [Subject][GDI Commander; Unknown] shelled the exposed positions, leading to [Subjects: Marked of Kane][Storage][FrontlineList][Destroyed]. Data noted- future difficulties expected.

[UNCORRUPTED DATA END]


AN: I would like to thank BOTcommander and whoever RPEvil is in the thread for assisting in writing these logs on the Discord.

 

[marids]

The toy factory was offered up because people seem to want to centrally plan toothbrushes. If that is what you want to do, expect me to start putting a lot more of that kind of stuff in, where you are doing a lot of the little stuff.

Click to shrink...

GDI Sonic Toothbrushes

'Introducing the latest cutting edge GDI Sonic Toothbrush, researched and developed by GDI Harmonic Resonance Technologies.

From the same R&D that granted you safety and security by keeping your homes clean of Tiberium, the GDI Sonic Toothbrush guarantees to completely breakdown and keep away 99.99% of all developing tooth plaque from invading your shining teeth.

Funded and brought to you by Dr Granger, who has ensured the costs are minimal for everyone to smile a little brighter everyday.

Buy your GDI Sonic Toothbrush today! For a brighter smile and brighter future!

*Disclaimer: Product not 100% guaranteed to breakdown Tiberium encroachment on your teeth, person, or home at factory built settings. Modification and Usage beyond calibrated setting of 100% power will break the warranty.*'

Not sure how to do omakes, but I felt like I just had to post this ridiculous idea when I imagined how GDI could plan for and produce toothbrushes for the entire world, and then remembered how GDI had their special brand of sonic tech that could go with it.

 

[BOTcommander]

Unofficial Quest Intro

It is the year 2053. For more than 3 years the Secretary of the treasury has sat immobile on his uncomfortable office chair. He is the master of money by the will of the Director and master of a million bureaucrats by the might of his inexhaustible work ethic. He is an old man writhing visibly with power from the five cups of coffee consumed this morning. He is the second most important cog in the machine that is the Imperium of the Global Defense Initiative for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that it may never truly die.

Yet even in His tired state, the Secretary continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty mechanized armies cross the tiberium-infested hills of the Red and Yellow Zones, the only route between the Blue Zones, their way lit by the GPS satellites, the literal manifestation of Space Commands will. Vast armies give battle in their names on uncounted battlefields. Greatest amongst their soldiers are the Zone Troopers, well-trained and -equipped soldiers. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Initiative's Army, the ever-vigilant InOps and the space-priests of the Space Command to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, Nod, occasionally mutants -- and far, far worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold millions. It is to live in a pretty nice and fair regime overall. These are the tales of those times. Believe the power of technology and science, for not that much has been forgotten. Believe the promise of progress and understanding, for in the noble, grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of command and conquer, and the laughter of thirsting generals.

Thought for the Day: "Hug the Heretic, Embrace the Mutant, Assist the Unclean."

 

[Arcus]

While the Banshees lacked the air to air capability, a result of their weak targeting systems, they pushed back multiple convoys over the course of about three days until they were hunted down by mixed Apollos and Firehawks. This is one part of a drastic increase seen in the last two months of a diversification of NOD arsenals. Ranging from various forms of Methyl Organometallic flamethrowers, to radiological devices, to old or variant equipment, it is clear that the Brotherhood of NOD is far from defeated, and has been diversifying its equipment in experiments to find new options and potential counters to GDI developments. Losses on both sides have been high, with many of the new weapons proving as dangerous to their users as their targets, while others have proven to be extremely dangerous, including a new pattern of infantry laser weapon, seemly a variant of the old Firefly rifles used in the aftermath of the First Tiberium War.

Click to shrink...

Intelligence Report - New Nod Combat Systems

The Brotherhood of Nod has recently been fielding a number of previously unseen combat platforms; most appear to be refinements or modifications of their existing Third Tiberium War arsenal, with a few entirely new designs. While there has been a concerning degree of diversification in Nod's arsenal, Nod does not appear to have put any of these new combat platforms into mass production - most appear to be prototypes or limited production units, with little standardization.

This report is not exhaustive due to the dizzying degree of variation in the Brotherhood's arsenal, but outlines some of the most concerning additions witnessed so far.

Aerial Combat Vehicle - Nod Venom (Variant)
What appears to be a fairly straightforward modification of the ubiquitous Venom, trading the nose mounted chaingun for a pair of side mounted micromissile launchers. In engagements with GDI, the missiles have proven sophisticated enough to be capable of targeting both air and ground units and are capable of hitting harder than their small size would suggest, due to the inclusion of miniaturized tiberium core warheads. While the fairly advanced nature of the missiles is likely to limit their availability for now, concerningly, this means they retain a large degree of the previous variants' combat endurance. While not a match for Firehawk or Apollo jets, more widespread adoption would result in the current iteration of the Orca platform becoming dangerously obsolete. This is of particular concern as the Orca currently comprises the bulk of GDI's air combat fleet.

Air Superiority Platform - Nod Buzzard
In response to the more widespread deployment of Apollo fighters by GDI, Nod appears to have begun fielding a number of these new fighter jets in very small numbers, though evidence suggests it was in development some time before that. In fact, the Buzzard clearly incorporates technical data stolen from Project Apollo, likely due to the defection of Doctor Giraud. So far, the most notable part of the airframe has been in its propulsion, which appears to use an incredibly unstable liquid tiberium based fuel mix to achieve gravity-defying levels of acceleration and maneuverability--the stolen Project Apollo data appears to have been used to design an airframe capable of surviving such punishing G-forces, though it also appears to use scavenged alien gravity stabilizer components to reduce the load.

Reports from GDI pilots who survived encounters indicate that these fighters were capable of performing maneuvers that by all rights should put impossible strain on their pilots; analysis of recovered wreckage further found no signs of an ejection system or anything resembling a conventional cockpit, but did find residual organic matter corresponding to cells of the brain and central nervous system, as well as evidence of extensive cybernetic interface. Nod appears to have resorted to using cyborg pilots directly implanted into the airframe in order to get around the issues of un-augmented pilots. The authors of this report recommend speeding up adoption of the Apollo air superiority fighter as a counter to these new aircraft.

Stealth Ambush Platform - Nod Tarantula
So far, only one of these vehicle (likely a prototype) has been encountered so far, during operations in the Australian Red Zone. During the initial encounter, GDI forces were caught in an ambush that led to the near total destruction of two entire Predator tank platoons, forcing the survivors to retreat and call in a carpet artillery bombardment of the surrounding area, which succeeded in disabling the vehicle. Nod forces appear to have subsequently scuttled the vehicle and stripped most of its systems to deny recovery to GDI forces, though analysis of the wreck was still able to determine a number of facts.

Reports from the engagement indicate the prototype was armed with a high intensity laser weapon, which survivors reported as almost equalling the firepower of an Obelisk of Light in destructiveness. Of greater concern were the advanced stealth systems fielded; the prototype was apparently able to maintain cloaking even after opening fire, and utilized heavy EW jamming, holographic baffling and preplaced refractory projectors to confound attempts at triangulating its location.

One silver lining is that conducting an ambush like the one it performed appears to require significant preparation. Additionally, analysis of the power core (one of the few components not recovered, likely due to its bulk) suggests it does not have the ability to maintain motive power while also powering its main weapon or stealth systems; this is further supported by the presence of burrowing equipment (standard design, repurposed from a TW2 era Tick Tank). All indications point to the vehicle needing to deploy first in order to utilize its lethal ambush capabilities. The chassis itself is fairly unremarkable, though it suggests Nod has made strides in analysing alien biomechanical walker technology. Finally, the vehicle itself appears to be very fragile; a near miss from a 152mm artillery shell compromised the delicate holographic panels comprising the outer shell of the vehicle and crippled the locomotion, which appears to have been why the crew abandoned it.

Heavy Infantry - Nod Wraith Troopers
Recent engagements in South America have seen elite Nod infantry fielding advanced stealth armor and heavy weaponry, likely intended as an answer to GDI Zone Troopers. The suits themselves appear to be a refinement of TW2 era Chameleon suits, which were fielded in extremely limited numbers during the Second Tiberium War, mostly by elite infiltration operatives. Fortunately, the newer Wraith suits appear to have made significant tradeoffs in stealth capability in order to reduce production cost and allow for the incorporation of heavy armor plating; reports indicate they are only capable of maintaining cloak for a few minutes at a time, likely due to high power draw requirements and inadequate cooling systems leading to unacceptable heat buildup if stealth is maintained for too long. Despite this downside, Nod infantry equipped with the armor have proven adept in using the limited stealth capability to their advantage, particularly in urban skirmishes. Soldiers using these suits have been seen fielding an eclectic mix of weaponry, ranging from modified Firefly pattern laser rifles to standard issue Confessor assault rifles to other weapons such as rocket launchers and tiberium chemical sprayers.

Thermobaric Artillery - Nod Pyroclast
These artillery pieces appear to be Nod's answer to GDI's increased adoption of field artillery. Most of these vehicles appear to have been built on hastily modified Scorpion tank chassis, with the turret ripped out and replaced with a massive array of dumbfire rockets. The rockets themselves are tipped with either incendiary gel or fuel-air warheads, making them terrifyingly effective against unprotected targets. While imprecise and indiscriminate, they represent a relatively cheap counter to GDI's own field artillery (allowing for the more sophisticated and expensive Specter artillery platforms to be reserved for counterbattery fire), and are capable of sowing widespread destruction.


(Presumably this report is written some time in the future since it might not be fair for Nod to get all these new toys at once)

 

[Arcus]

Review of Proposed Expansions of Orbital and Anti-Orbital Assets

GDI's orbital satellite network forms an integral part of its military capability, and is key to maintaining global power projection capabilities and military dominance. Prior to the outbreak of TW3, GDI relied heavily--some say too heavily--on orbital supremacy to check the threat of the Brotherhood of Nod. However, the Third Tiberium War revealed glaring vulnerabilities and deficiencies in GDI's orbital asset structure that were further exposed by the alien invasion. This report outlines a number of proposed expansions to GDI Space Command's assets and the potential benefits and downsides of them.

Orbital Command and Control for ASAT Network (Project LIGHTHOUSE)
There has been a great deal of finger pointing at GDI Space Command for choosing to base the control system for the ASAT network instead of on the ground, with many arguing that had the command and control for the ASAT network been moved to orbit, Nod would not have found such a crucial vulnerability to exploit. Most put the blame on cost-saving measures, but the reality is not so straightforward. Multiple proposals for such a station were floated as early as the late 2030s, but all were shot down due to prohibitive cost as well other concerns, and the existing control structure was deemed secure enough at the time. While this was obviously proven to be a false assumption, the fact is that very real issues stand in the way of any attempts to move ASAT control to orbit.

In order for the ASAT network to operate effectively, it relies on an extensive, globally distributed array of ground based early warning systems for threat detection and targeting. While this was partially supplemented by a network of spaceborne satellites, atmospheric interference makes them signficantly less effective at detection. Every GDI field command post and radar warning station is linked into this system, meaning that while Nod was sometimes able to compromise local coverage temporarily by taking out local command posts prior to the Third Tiberium War, this would at best create a temporary hole in the network, and never threatened the overall effectiveness of the satellite defence grid. The downside of such extensive coverage is that it creates a truly tremendous amount of data that needs to be processed in real time. Processing this massive volume of data and converting it into usable targeting coordinates was the main function of the primary control hubs located at Goddard, Johannesburg and several other strategic locations.

One of the benefits of maintaining ground based control was that GDI was able to route the vast majority of this data flow through hardened landline connections. Not only is does this reduce the vulnerability of jamming, interception or hacking attempts (as happened several times later in the war when Nod was able to compromise local ion cannon control centers and temporarily subvert the network), it also eliminates the possibility of interruption due to atmospheric interference from ion storms, which poses a massive issue to global communications. Moving the control center to space would remove this advantage; while the obstacle is not insurmountable, it would necessitate a massive expansion of orbital monitoring assets or a comprehensive upgrade of surface networks to be able to punch through heavy ion storm interference. Following the Firestorm incident, the main ASAT control hubs were heavily upgraded in order to ensure that they would be able to continue fulfilling their function even in the event of another global ion storm, but given the exponentially greater data flows required for a space based control centre, a similar upgrade program for the rest of GDI's communications network would be ruinously expensive. This is one of the main reasons why previous proposals were always scrapped before the implementation stage.

Current proposals thus focus on the first option, which is to conduct a massive expansion of spaceborne monitoring assets so that the ASAT grid is able to continue operating in the event of widespread communications disruption, although even the most optimistic projections predict at least 70% loss in effectiveness without the support of ground based warning systems, assuming the most ambitious upgrade program is carried out.

Moving to orbit would certainly do much to reduce the risk of Nod subverting or compromising the entire ASAT grid, but there are concerns that even such a station would not be completely immune to attack; past raids on Nod research facilities indicate they have looked into superweapons capable of bypassing the ASAT defence system entirely (such as massive ground based laser installations or anti-orbit mass drivers), though it appears such projects never made it past the theoretical stage. Additionally, with the now known threat of alien invasion, a control centre located in geosynchronous orbit would be far more vulnerable to any sort of attack from space, which is a very real concern.

The authors of this report, while in support of constructing an orbital ASAT command, suggest that ground based control facilities still be maintained as the primary means of control of the ion cannon and ASAT networks, with the orbital command station serving to coordinate spaceborne monitoring assets and acting as a failsafe in the event of a repeat of the Goddard incident.

High Orbit Ion Cannon Network
One of the most commonly floated proposals for a counter to the threat of a future alien invasion has been the construction of a new array of ion cannon networks, located in high Earth orbit. While their location would make them relatively useless for ground support, supporters argue it would provide protection and allow GDI Space Command to intercept any potential future alien invasions. However, it is the opinion of the authors of this report that the construction of such a network would achieve little more than being a massive waste of resources that could be better allocated elsewhere.

First things first; while the ion cannon network was activated against the alien invasion, the only reason this appears to have worked at all was that the aliens were not expecting anything of the sort and were caught completely by surprise; additionally, even with the alien invaders being caught by surprise, the ion cannon network's activation appears to have achieved little except to disperse the invaders and alert them to the presence of hostiles; only 3 out of 42 total drone ships were damaged enough to be rendered nonfunctional before they reached the surface.

Even with the poor track record of the ion cannon network in intercepting alien invasions (granting that Earth has only had to deal with one alien invasion to date and that it was never designed for such a role to begin with), significant issues remain with current proposals. The ion cannon network was only not targeted for destruction because we were dealing with what appears to have been an unprepared invasion fleet--whereas it is highly likely such a network would be the first target of a prepared invasion fleet. The current generation of ion cannon satellites are not designed to withstand attacks of any sort, relying on the ASAT grid and the natural defence provided by Earth's gravity well for protection, and possess no maneuvering capability other than limited monopropellant thrusters meant for stationkeeping and minute adjustments to better track ground targets. The loss of Goddard Space Center allowed Nod to destroy the Philadelphia, but also allowed them to conduct a massive launch of conventional anti-satellite missiles that crippled approximately 26% of the network before any countermeasures could be taken in the immediate aftermath of the Philadelphia's destruction.

Against any hypothetical space invasion, proposals for an ion cannon defence grid run into the core issue that such a network would fundamentally have no means of defending or retaliating against any attacks from outside its operational range--and the range of ion cannons in space is heavily restricted by a variety of issues. The nature of orbital mechanics and the impossibility of hiding in space means it would be trivial for any an invasion force to track the projected flight paths of any satellites in the network and destroy them with long range bombardment. Without sufficient armoring and mass to resist such attacks the only method of defending against such a tactic is to conduct pre-emptive evasive maneuvering, particularly if the invaders are capable of launching attacks with hypervelocity or even relativistic weapons. Even then, this still leaves the issue of retaliation.

These issues may not be completely insurmountable, but in the opinion of this report it would be better to invest resources into alternative methods of defending Earth orbit, such as the construction of proper warships, ground based orbital defence installations, or asteroid fortresses.

Expansion of Ground Based ASAT Installations (Project STONEHENGE)
An alternative to the orbital ion cannon defence grid is the construction of new ground based ASAT systems, mainly in the form of ASAT missile systems and ultra-heavy mass driver installations. The first proposal is relatively conventional, and would consist mainly of the construction of new missile silos, as well as an expansion and retrofit of GDI's ballistic missile submarine fleet and mobile ballistic missile launchers. Since all of this relies on conventional and proven technology, such a solution should be relatively straightforward to implement compared to most of the other proposals that have been floated.

More outlandish has been the suggestion to construct a hidden network of ground-based ion cannon and/or mass driver installations, with a number of proposed sites across the globe. Critics point out such installations could be potentially be subverted by Nod and turned on GDI orbital assets, but significant advantages also exist with such proposals.

Compared to anti-orbital assets located in orbit, apart from being easier to construct and resupply, significant defensive advantages would be gained. Ground based assets would be far harder to track and destroy compared to spaceborne assets, particularly with mobile platforms that can be camouflaged and relocated and fortified bunker installations that can be concealed underground, and gain the use of the Earth's natural mass as a thermal sink. The main technical challenges come from atmosphere interference limiting the effectiveness of ground based ion cannons and the difficulty of constructing a mass driver of sufficient size and power to threaten warships in orbit.

Construction of Electromagnetic Space Launch System (Project SLINGSHOT)
With GDI's increasing focus on space, more cost efficient ways of getting to orbit must be found. So far, the main avenue of research has been in the form of fusion powered heavy lift experiments, but other alternatives exist. With the advances made in railgun technology in the leadup to and following the Third Tiberium War, the construction of a large scale mass driver for space launch is now a very real possibility. Such a proposal does not necessarily have to conflict with the proposals for fusion rockets, as it could effectively act as a first stage for some of the proposed fusion lift vehicles, reducing the requirements to get to orbit. While the intense accelerations would make mass drivers unsuitable except as an assist for delicate components or human passengers, it would be a comparatively cheap way of getting bulk cargoes to orbit, discounting the initial infrastructure expense required.

The main issue with the construction of such a facility, apart from the technical challenges and sheer scale of construction that would be required, is that most of the prime sites are located on the equator, either in contested Yellow Zones or Red Zones. This poses significant issues for security and access, so any potential site would likely have to be heavily protected, though this is less of a concern than in past years due to Doctor Granger's efforts in pacifying the Yellow Zones. At present the East African Yellow Zone is considered the best candidate for such a facility.

Asteroid Fortress and Anchorage for Orbital Defence
The main thrust of this proposal is to find a suitable asteroid and tow it back to Earth orbit; this would most likely be done with the installation of a mass driver or solar sail on the asteroid to serve as a propulsion system. Apart from providing a convenient source of raw materials for orbital industry, once hollowed out said asteroid would be able to form the core of a large scale defensive installation. This would save significantly on construction costs compared to a more conventional installation as the bulk of the structure would already be in place, and allow for construction of a much larger installation than would otherwise be possible with GDI's current industrial capabilities.

While such a fortress could theoretically be reduced by a truly determined bombardment by a hypothetical enemy, there are a number of considerations that set it apart from the proposals for a satellite defence grid. The main one is that the sheer bulk of an asteroid already provides a significant amount of natural armouring against attacks, meaning it would much harder to damage or destroy such an installation. The same natural mass can also be used as a thermal sink, greatly extending combat endurance compared to other proposals for space based defences.

 

[Hazard]

Food Security in a Tiberium World.

One of the key challenges in a world ravaged by tiberium is providing enough food to the population. As tiberium is a pervasive threat that can infest and actively subvert biological organisms and has done so extensively, there is a distinct need for safe methods of food production. This document only tangentially touches upon these methods, it is far more interested in how to arrange our food production capabilities to produce food in a way that's effective and can provide for the population long term.

Key areas in food security are the following:
1) Staple Foodstuffs.
2) Macronutrients.
3) Micronutrients.
4) Taste.

We will take these items in order.

Staple Foodstuffs.
Staple foodstuffs are basically anything that can be eaten in bulk for the sake of energy. These are generally carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Most farmland currently in use is used for the production of at least one of these broad categories food, and they must be produced in large quantities to provide the required caloric intake the human body needs to survive. As such, these are products that are best produced in Blue Zones, where large areas can be cultivated with little risk of tiberium contamination.

Macronutrients.
Basically whatever staple foodstuffs you aren't using as your key energy source. Fat, carbohydrates and protein are all used by the human body to facilitate bodily processes that the body may find difficult to provide substitutes for without sourcing them from food intake, if it can provide a substitute at all. The issues are similar to the staple foodstuffs because they are otherwise staple foodstuffs, and can easily substitute.

Micronutrients.
Vitamins, minerals and other substances required by the body but in small quantities. Major sources of these nutrients are sadly often perishable, with some vitamins themselves only stable for days or weeks even under optimal storage conditions. Micronutrients are largely sourced from fruit and vegetables, and while some fruits and vegetables can be stored long term, most lose much of their nutritious value aside their carbohydrate, fat and protein content rapidly.

Taste.
A bit of an odd duck, admittedly, but the taste of food has key cultural and morale value. To put it simply, food that tastes nice makes people happier, and cultures have specific food tastes as part of their identity, and facilitating that identity is likewise good for morale. Luckily, while most of the spices and condiments that facilitate taste can be difficult to produce, they also rarely need anywhere near the same volumes of production as any previous category and usually keep as well as staple foodstuffs or better.


Maintaining Security.
Staple foodstuffs generally keep very well, even with little more treatment than a roof overhead and a way to keep out vermin. Cereals and beans, key plant based sources of carbohydrates and protein, respectively, are both known to keep for a decade or more without requiring more attention than keeping them dry. Meat and cheese can also keep for a very long time without needing to be stored in cooled environments through curing processes. Fat is a more difficult question, but properly treated cooking oils will keep a long time, and properly stored butter can keep for a decade or more even without refrigeration. Unfortunately, the difficulty of storing fat for as long as protein or carbohydrates is an issue, as fat is commonly used as a way to facilitate cooking.

Properly produced and stored staple foodstuffs can keep for decades, if not indefinitely so long as the storage method is not breached. This makes it easy to store excess food for later shortages, and strategic food stockpiles should prioritize building up a large stock of these foodstuffs as the key inventory.

Micronutrients are more of a problem due to the difficulty of storing them and maintaining their nutritious value. While creating and maintaining stockpiles of these foodstuffs is wise in locations we cannot source them locally, it would be best to instead to prioritize local production, even if only in limited quantities to provide the needed nutrition.


Putting this together, it is advised that we consider carefully where we produce and store our food. The changed situation with GDI now far more involved in the Yellow Zones than previously provides new challenges that need new answers. We need a better system than producing large quantities of food in Blue Zones, keeping most of it for local consumption and only shipping what is needed to maintain our stationed forces in Yellow and Red Zones through otherwise dangerous terrain. We will also need a deep well of foodstuffs we can rely upon to provide for the population in case of loss of production or isolation from outside food sources.

As such, I propose that every metropolitan area in Blue Zones acquires and maintains secured long term storage facilities that can provide staple foods, spices and condiments for the local population for at least a full year without outside support, and preferably 5 or more in case of disaster and displaced populations straining logistics. The fungal bars provided by fungal farming methods may not be the most palatable of food, it would make it possible to stretch a limited food supply further, notably decreasing the required storage. For vegetable and fruit production, hydroponic farms should be constructed to provide access to micronutrients, if not necessarily to the full standards of the health department's nutritional standards, then to at least prevent or slow down the development of nutritional deficiency illnesses.

Rural areas in Blue Zones should be encouraged to produce long term stable staple foodstuffs in large quantities, at least until the food storage facilities are filled.

For Yellow Zones, the situation is slightly different. The fact that tiberium is so prevalent in these areas can make large scale, unprotected farms difficult. We anticipate that it would be required for these locations to depend on their food supply at least partially upon Blue Zone exports of staple foodstuffs, but hydroponics can facilitate the production of fruits and vegetable for vitamins and minerals just as easily here as in Blue Zones, while the use of fungal farms would lower the demand on Blue Zone imports for protein, increasing food independence and increasing effective reserves. As Yellow Zones are under much greater threat of major disaster due to enemy attack or weather events, it should be required that Yellow Zones maintain minimum food stockpiles of at least 3 years, and preferably 5 or more years in case of disaster and displaced populations straining logistics.

 

[10ebbor10]

The Trial of Redmond Boyle

After nearly a year of discussion and the rituals of a just trial, Redmond Boyle has been convicted of a laundry list of crimes, ranging from the relatively innocuous corruption and fiscal malfeasance, to multiple counts of gross incompetence and one of attempted crimes against humanity. The current Director General of GDI, having been called to testify, described Boyle's orders across the Third Tiberium War as being "A civilian attempting to assume operational command" and the strike at Temple Prime "An operation that was more political theater than military sense."
The now retired Melissa Wu, former assistant treasurer, testifying about his activities as secretary of the treasury, revealed that he was not only a goldbug, placing outsized importance on a gold reserve that had primarily been a dumping ground for excess gold produced by Tiberium refining operations, but had also been influential in assigning contracts to his friends and business partners, granting a handful of major companies undue and nearly unfettered access to GDI's funds and funding. While none of these are precisely new accusations, Wu is the most highly placed accuser, and has been instrumental in making the case for corruption.
GDI does not typically use the death penalty, reserving it soly for those too highly placed to be left alive. Generally, it represents an acknowledgement that what the person knows is too important, too dangerous, to be left out into the general population, and as such is almost always used against the very highest ranking members of the Initiative's civil and military commands. Boyle, despite being a coward in life, went to his death well, choosing a firing squad, and facing it with courage.
As a case, this one is notably unusual. Instead of calling the accusations a NOD plant, or having been a case of Brotherhood misinformation. While far from a foolproof method for avoiding punishment, the Brotherhood does tend to muddy the waters enough for some of the otherwise guilty to sow enough doubt to escape punishment. However, in this case, while NOD is involved, it seems to be a clear cut case of picking their person to survive the Philadelphia attack, rather than a matter of misplaced guilt.

Click to shrink...

A Golden ScapeGoat
Tomorrow, GDI will shoot a guilty man, and yet it will be a miscarriage of justice

Propelled into leadership after the tragic destruction of the Philadelphia, Redmond Boyle was an unknown figure when he took the reins of GDI. Unbeknownst to him, he would be the lynchpin in a plan by Nod Mastermind Kane, setting in motion a chain of events that would see the Earth invaded by alien force, bringing GDI to the brink of extinction. Even now, their so called Treshold towers over Southern Italy, impervious to any of GDI's attempts to bring it down, or even understand it. The third Tiberium war, in which Boyle played a vital role, claimed nearly a hundred million lives directly and indirectly. Even now, the damage to blue and yellow zone infrastructure is still being repaired, with the earliest hope for recovery still decades in the future.

It is true that Boyle's involvement was essential for the development of this war. That without his desire to target the Temple Prime with an orbit ion bombardment, the Scrin would not have arrived. The Boyle administration was languished with corruption, meddling and the persistence desire of placing political appearances over military reality. But none of this amounts to a crime that justifies the penalty that is now being applied. Corruption and gross incompetence are crimes which carry only fines and minor prison sentences, and the Temple Strike has been a scenario for which GDI military command has long since advocated. The names of those who know criticize Boyle for his rash actions can be found on a number of papers and memoranda, all advocating for a more extensive use of orbital bombardement. And let us not forget that when Boyle ordered the Temple Prime strike, he was aiming to ape the end of the First Tiberium War, when GDI obliterated Nod Temples in Cairo and Sarajevo. Indeed, this first experience, where GDI lost countless soldiers against dug-in Black Hand troopers, formed the basis for many documents advocating further strikes. Thus, while it is undoubtely true that it was not Boyle's position to authorize the strike, it is hardly an unjustified decision.

Boyle then was a man trust into responsibilities beyond his abilities, in a system which had been gutted by Nod attacks. Dereft of adequate knowledge, and burned by his own corruption and vices, he made a number of questionabele decisisions, but none of these were as questionable or controversial as GDI would like to make it seem.

Even Boyle's most questionable decision, the construction and authorization to fire of a massive Liquid Tiberium bomb, makes sense once viewed in the larger perspective of the invasion. While it is easy to say now that Victory was assured and possible by conventional means, at the time when Boyle made his decision, this was far from certain. Scrin forces on Earth where increasing by the hour, and GDI commands across the world where failing. In the time it took for GDI forces to fight their way towards the Relay Node, a million people had been killed or maimed. Worse, this slow, grinding methodological advance made GDI's plan painfully clear. It is only through luck that the Scrin appeared either unable or unwilling to deploy additional relay nodes. Had they done so, Earth would surely have fallen.

The high command of GDI knew this. This is why they permitted Boyle to build and arm his warhead. The man alone, though he had the political power, had neither the know how nor connections to organize a military effort of this scale. GDI aided and abetted the construction of the bomb whose very existence they now denounce every step of the way. If it had been used, they would have emerged from the shadows, ready to heap themselves in glory. But now they hide, content to let Boyle take the bullet.

In this way, Boyle, with his obvious corruption and obsession with gold, makes for a perfect scapegost. With blame firmly pinned on one man, many others have seen their sins quitely covered up. What about the failure of the satelitte defenses, which allowed the Philadelphia to be so easily destroyed? That has not been resolved. Instead, GDI's defenses still rely on a single groundside facility. What about the failures of military intelligence, that allowed Nod to build multiple bases and deploy entire armies right inside even the most secure of blue zones. What about the Rocky mountains Complex, where Nod once again succeeded in suprising GDI military planners.What about the status of the Red and yellow zones, where decades of neglect have made GDI less popular than the green crystal that is literally eating the world.

GDI's flaws are legion. It's desire to pursue the highest charge for one man does not reflect justice, but is instead a show to placate a rightfully unhappy populace.

 

[BoSPaladin]

Closed military hearing

Undisclosed location. Blue zone 1

Mike sat eyes closed, listening to the rustle of paper in the court. Not the grand affair of Director Boyle that had been streamed publicly around the world and breathlessly reported on by reporters of all stripes and colours. No, this was a small, relatively private affair. Only, presided over by some very powerful men and women. Not quite worth the time of the heads of divisions time it was nonetheless harrowing to be judged by by some of the highest ranking and most famous Generals and field commanders in GDI, some were war heroes. There was of course also a colonel from the air force here to give testimony, someone from space force due to the satellites he'd borrowed.

And of course. Himself. Major Carpenter of InOps. Being held to account.

"State your name and rank for the record."

"Major Michael Carpenter, current acting director of Intelligence Operations for Red zone One. Most relevant to the charges I directly oversaw observation of temple prime. During which I was a captain when it was still classified as Yellow Zone one Sir."

"You're aware of course Major. That former director Boyle has been executed for his crimes?"

"Yes sir. Wouldn't be much good at my job if I didn't." Left unsaid of course was that Boyles fate had been decided long before the trial made its official ruling.

"Quite." The general replied dryly. "Then for the record, let me state that his orders directly led to the explosion at Temple Prime, for which he has been punished accordingly. And yet, it was on your orders that even prior to the Destruction of the Philadelphia you ordered Temple Prime be placed under satellite observation during its construction and after."

"A recommendation Sir, the orders were agreed upon and signed off on by my superiors. Sadly no longer with us."

"And who is your day to day commander now major?"

"Yet to be established sir. During the war I oversaw operatives attached to various units providing analysis of raw data and passing along what I found up the chain of command to the pentagon as needed or else to those better placed to make use of it. I followed their orders as best I could when not interfering with my own duties."

"You seem to have been entrusted with rather a number of duties for a mere Major. Would it be fair to say you've been acting outside the scope of the chain of command?"

Mike paused for a moment. Considered carefully, then answered. "Yes Sir, to both."

That caused a minor rustle as the generals up in the judges seats conversed quietly for a few moments.

"Do you feel you're qualified to carry out those duties?"

"No sir." He replied. If his previous answer caused a rustle this was more akin to a small tornado. One of the commanders standing and clearing their throat to bring the hearing back to order.

"Then why did you perform them?"

"Anyone who was qualified was killed Sir."

"But you agree both that you weren't qualified to perform such decisions and that you were acting outside of the chain of command, often without reporting to any higher ups for weeks at a time."

"Yes sir, though I would like to add, InOps agents such as myself are trained to be able to make decisions when cut off from command."

"In. The field. This is hardly the same thing."

"Do you feel you did a good job?" Another general asked calmly.

"No Ma'am. I wish I'd done better." Mike answered voice even.

"Back to temple prime itself. Your recommendation. Led to temple prime being observed. Observed as it was rebuilt and turned into a stronghold for the brotherhood of Nod."

"Yes Sir. That is accurate."

"So you agree, your actions contributed to the deaths of millions, that number rising, due to the construction of Temple prime, and the subsequent liquid tiberium explosion that was caused. Is there any reason you felt why temple prime shouldn't have been bombed, at any point before they developed their counter to the Ion Cannons?"

"I can't give an exact figure. But my eva informs me there's over twelve hundred reasons, gathered over the course of years of observation."

"Over a thousand reasons?!"

"Twelve hundred sir. That you're cleared to know of." Mike amended his statement slightly as a ghost of chuckle cut through the tension of the room.

"Perhaps you'd care to enlighten the members of the bench on some of these that we are cleared to know of."

"One Josep Tingiski, explosives expert, GDI observers photographed him and his likeness helped a security team detain him in copenhagen, delivering bomb making materials to a cell of would be militants. Decrypting their communications their plans to bomb schools and malls could have killed hundreds. It also led to further ID's of nod assets that InOps followed up on. Put simply, Nod having a central location they were based out of allowed us to track and document traffic to and from that known site and prevent what could have been thousands of attacks of varying intensity."

"That's supposition Major."

"Sorry Sir, won't happen again Sir." Mike responded schooling his temper.

"Would not have destroying the temple before the Liquid Tiberium device was ever built have saved millions. Not only from the explosion itself but the resulting Scrin invasion."

"For the Record. Director Boyle ignored all advice to not shoot the ion cannon."

"And yet it was not shooting it in the first place that led to this current situation."

"That would be Supposition Sir." Mike answered flippantly and lifting his chin to look the general in the eye. Beside him the Commander held a small smile on their face.

"The facts are clear major. This was a nod base. You gave the 'recommendation' to not wipe it off the map immediately and that base directly led to multiple major humanitarian disasters! Undoing decades of effort in tiberium abatement and even causing blue zones to be lost."

"Sir. If every Nod Base that InOps was aware of was targeted by ion cannon strikes there wouldn't be any yellow zones left. Sir."

"And that would be commands decision not yours Major. Hearing adjourned. We'll decide our ruling now." The general stated, standing and leading the way into the private judges chambers to review the evidence and decide Mike's fate. If he was lucky he mused they'd execute him and get it over with. More blood to slake the Hawks thirst. If he was really lucky they'd bust him back down to Lieutenant and he could find some easy job running security details for middle management types.