KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
Watching you all squirm, speculate, and theory-craft is just so much fun, how could I not do something like this?
Attempting to Fulfill the Plan: GDI Edition
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
You're absolutely right, but the flip side of that is that there are a LOT of people involved, and that there is no truly 'regular' line of communication from Kane to GDI. The usual way that national leaders handle the issue you describe (making sure messages from the head of state are impossible to fake) is by appointing bureaucracies and special representatives who can be trusted to relay only authentic messages.
Kane can do that within Nod's own internal structures, but he doesn't actually have any formal embassy with GDI, nor are there people GDI knows specifically can be trusted to carry a message from Kane and only Kane. He could tell the Bannerjees or whoever to relay a message, and they'd do it, but it wouldn't be treated by GDI as proof of authenticity.
Whereas this kind of drama-queen thing IS taken as proof of authenticity, while also sending secondary messages like "never forget just how much kompromat Kane has" and "Kane takes this seriously enough to show up in person, and he doesn't have the kind of immortality where getting shot in the face isn't a big problem for him, so that means he's taking this really seriously."
Well, to be fair, most of the conversation centers on how Kane copes with his entirely self-imposed problem of having alienated GDI so badly that there are no viable normal routes of communication he can use to just pick up a phone and call their leadership.
Victim of his own general fuckery, the man is.
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KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
As a reminder to all, for that extra bit of seasoning on the meal all your reactions have been for me, Kane did this well inside of Blue Zone 5. Aka Europe.
Objection! Some of that is being the victim of his subordinates' fuckery. (Which is still his responsibility, granted.)
As a possible draft plan, aiming for among other things, maximum Labor recovery since we are currently at +5 Labor.
Infrastructure 5 dice +27
-[] Japan-Korea Tunnel 0/350 5 dice 100R 89%
Heavy Industry 5 dice +34 5+2 free + 4 AI dice
-[] U Series Alloy Foundries (Phase 6) 411/455 1 die 40R 100%
-[] Nuuk Heavy Robotics Foundry (Phase 4) 143/935 10 dice 200R 87%
Light and Chemical Industry 4 dice +29
-[] Adaptive Cloth Factories 0/300 1 die 15R
-[] Laser Printing Plants 0/150 2 dice 40R 80%
-[] White Goods Programs 182/200 1 die 15R 100%
Agriculture 6 dice +29
-[] Green Belt Projects (New) 0/350 4 dice 40R 36%
-[] Bioplastics Development (New) 52/80 1 die 20R 100%
-[] Terrain Retention Projects (New) 75/160 1 die 15R 69%
Tiberium 7 dice +39 7+2 free dice
-[] Tiberium Vein Mines (Stage 11+12+13) 4/495 6 dice 120R 90%
-[] Hewlett-Gardener Mothballing Phase 3 15/50 1 die 10R 100%
-[] Tiberium Inhibitor Deployment (Blue Zone BZ-14 Madagascar) 71/75 1 die 30R 100%
-[] Tiberium Inhibitor Deployment (Blue Zone BZ-6 Japan) 9/75 1 die 30R 98%
-[] Tiberium Inhibitor Deployment (Blue Zone BZ-8 South America) 0/75 2 dice 60R 100%
Orbital 9 dice +34
-[] SCOP Bay 0/250 3 dice 60R 84%
-[] Animal Husbandry Bay 0/215 3 dice 60R 98%
-[] High Efficiency Void Crops Bay 0/180 2 dice 40R 70%
-[] Lunar Homesteading (Phase 5) 156/220 1 die 30R 96%
Services 4 dice +35
-[] Fifth Generation Electronic Video Assistant Deployment (Phase 1) 0/250 4 dice 160R 100%
Military 6 dice +31 6+2 Free Dice
-[] Military Logistics Drone Network (Phase 1 + 2) 0/400 5 dice 100R 71%
-[] Thunderbolt II Missile Development (Platform) (Munitions) 0/60 1 AA die 15R 100% with dept action
-[] Stealth Disruptor Deployment 0/160 2 dice 30R 74%
-[] Unmanned Support Ground Vehicle Deployment 206/240 1 die 20R 100%
Bureaucracy 4 dice +29
-[] AA die to Military
-[]Other AA die somewhere?
With how much assets he probably had to burn to do that it should be very clear to inops that he is being serious with his opening conversation on that media disc.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I mean, it's an entirely reasonable assumption that if Kane can personally infiltrate any Blue Zone, it'd be the one he can reach literally by walking out his front door assuming the tiberium doesn't poison him.
I'd be more impressed if he'd showed up in Japan, because he'd be taking greater risks of interception and/or showing off that he has a personal teleporter or something like that.
That's why I said his general fuckery, not his particular fuckery.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Honestly, I don't think this was that difficult for him. Nod is still perfectly capable of pulling off extralegal operations on the level of "smuggle two people, one of whom is packing combat gear, into GDI territory." Identifying from his very large library of kompromat on GDI personnel one specific individual who lives in a relatively poorly secured home probably wasn't that difficult. Breaking into that home probably wasn't difficult either.
I don't think this was so much impressive for how much he had to burn, as it was for the fact that he took a personal risk. After all, GDI does intercept some small percentage of those smuggling attempts, no matter how good or reliable the smugglers are. If Kane had gotten caught he'd be in real trouble, and from what we know about him now, his form of personal immortality doesn't actually make him immune to being captured or riddled with bullets, even if he does have SOME hope of coming back from such a fate if his followers retrieve his body.
Kane actually put himself in danger, at least a little danger, to send this message.
Sorry, BZ-5 is Iberia/Iberian Atlantic coast. BZ-1 is Northern Europe, and BZ-3 is the British Isles.
Given how much of Europe in general we have reclaimed, however... troublesome.
But then, OOC we know that Reynaldo (and thus his networks) is Kane's creature, now, so leaning on those to infiltrate, get something done, and exfiltrate, is entirely plausible.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
The bulk of BZ-5 is still "Europe" in the normal sense. It's just that Europe got subdivided into multiple Blue Zones by GDI for administrative reasons. BZ-3 because the British Isles collectively had low tiberium levels I'm guessing, and BZ-1 and BZ-5 because at some point the expanding Yellow Zones spreading out over the Alps from Italy succeeded in reaching the Atlantic, so there was no longer a land connection.
But it's still, geographically, correct to say "BZ-5 is Europe."
Honestly for him to impress me he'd have to turn up on the Philadelphia
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
I've been assuming that's where he's been hiding out this last while.
KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
Patience, Padawan. One must maintain a sense of timing and build up. One does not open an orchestra with the crescendo.
So he is going leave a giant animated neon sign declaring his willingness to make a beneficial deal to gdi in the Philippines capital?
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
Would anyone trust Kane saying he wants to make a deal?
Hence the neon.
KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
Can you afford to simply ignore and distrust the concept out of hand?
In quest GDI's position? yes.
Earth is going to crack like a party popper and he is likely to just hint enough that he might have something that could possibly potentially happen chance do something about it sending some people to see if he is serious is a chance gdi will take.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I really don't think so. We may think we can probably get underground tiberium under control eventually, but there's a reason a significant fraction of our population and planning department are nervously eyeing the exits from the planet and widening them as fast as possible.
If Kane has a technology in mind that would really do a number on tiberium, there's going to be a LOT of pressure within GDI to at least find out what he has to say. Especially if he is clearly making it easy for us to take precautions against betrayal and to some extent acknowledging openly that the outcomes of the recent wars make it clear to him that Nod must cooperate with GDI if the Earth is to survive.
Fear Hath Torment [Canonity pending]
KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
Fear Hath Torment
Mountain Pass, Hindu Kush
Border Between Shah's Territory and Bannerjee Territory
1650 Local Time; Several Months Into War Against Shah
The modern GDI military was, thanks to its formation from many of the most "modern" and "civilized" nation-state militaries of the world, an extremely disciplined group that strictly followed rules of engagement. Usually. There were, unfortunately, some exceptions to that rule, usually out in the edges of GDI operations. It was a sad truth of humanity that there were cruel, heartless men everywhere. And while much of the uppermost reaches of GDI were firmly out of the control of the people who made up groups such as Initiative First, the presence of one such as General Agembe as a flag-rank officer indicated they were present indeed.
For some such individuals, Initiative First was a twistedly noble ideal, a concept of protecting kith, kin, and hearth. Oh, they'd still utter statements that would leave people shocked, appalled, and angry, but they weren't actively cruel. Others, however, had gotten it in their heads that not only was GDI Good And Right, but they were the only possibly right people in the whole world, and anyone Not GDI was bad, evil, and deserving of only one fate. And some of those people had been quiet enough to get in the military, get guns, and end up in a war zone.
The entire Karachi Offensive was a huge mess. GDI's command structure had a great view of the general picture, but sometimes, things on the fringes, small things, got missed. Like incongruities with the numbers of barely-armed refugees leaving the battlespace and heading for Bannerjee territory, versus the numbers who arrived in their territory. Things like that. Things that, to most staff trying to track such things, would be put down to miscounts or Tiberium; the land was treacherous even before the hate-crystal made landfall, and it was only more-so now. However, a small number of these "miscounts" were not thanks to natural causes or human mathematics errors, but rather due to intentional steps taken by a company of GDI troops led by Captain Davlat Phelps and First Sergeant Tadeusz Telford.
This looked to be another day, as Captain Phelps grinned cruelly under his helmet. He was watching a refugee column through his binoculars, tracking the progress of the tired, frightened people. Mostly children and the elderly, with a sadly small proportion being in between; some were clearly injured or disabled, while others were simply not part of the Shah's military forces, or the anemic guard force given to the column. There were trucks and jeeps for most, but some folks were actually riding horses, though the beasts looked a bit off. Probably Bannerjee work.
"Right then. Sergeant Telford, same as before with the troopes, please. I'd like to keep this tidy."
"Yes, sir. All right folks, let's-"
Every member of the entire company froze. Something in the air had changed, and for eternal moments, they couldn't identify what. Then, slowly, the First Sergeant turned and gasped. Captain Phelps turned as well, and he beheld. For there stood a figure as ethereal as a shadow yet as substantial as a rock. It took him a moment to realize that the figure was clad in black armor of some strange design not in use by GDI or Nod, though the color itself suggested he was allied with Nod. The faint green lines along the limbs gave a glow like Tiberium, so this could only be-
"What's a Forgotten piece of shit like you doing out here by your lonesome?"
The figure turned to regard First Sergeant Telford, who had regained his courage and was standing slightly in front of the Captain, his hand slowly shifting toward his rifle, where it currently hung on a sling. The figure tilted its armored head slightly as it regarded Telford, before it, he, spoke. The voice left little doubt, mechanically enhanced that it might be.
"I am observing cowards seeking to slaughter helpless refugees, instead of staying where they were assigned by their commanders on the actual battle front."
The company began to shift to face this strange figure. Captain Phelps frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, confident now that his troops were facing this unknown. He might act all high and mighty, but he was one man. The filthy Noddites behind them were moving slow, they'd be easy pickings no matter what.
"This isn't slaughter, it's cleanup. This whole war's been a messy thing, we're just ensuring resources and personnel don't make it to another Noddie faction. GDI's gonna win this but we might as well help it along, yeah? So, just who are you, rockhead?"
It was a slur reserved for Forgotten, and used only by the most blatantly prejudiced, and only in "safe" company of other such bigots. The armored figure scowled; it didn't matter that his face was obscured behind some kind of weird breath-mask fused with one of those weird Japanese facemask things, as far as Captain Phelps could tell. Everyone there knew the man was scowling.
"My name is Anik Shirazi. I am of the Tribe of the Jade Winds. We seek not war, but only to defend those who cannot do so themselves, and to aid those whose primary goal is the cultivation of the Gardens. Were you wearing the badge of the scorpion, and they the badge of the eagle, I would be saying the same to you. The irony in Noble GDI being the ones who sought murder today is, perhaps, a touch delicious. Though once I send the information on your pads, and pictures of your 'trophies', I'm sure your commanding officers will not seek my head for the service I am about to do them, and all of mankind."
Phelps and Telford laughed, and Phelps gestured at the company of troops, down only a few people from full strength. Everyone had their rifle raised and pointed at the black figure, this "Anik Shirazi", now. Phelps brought his own rifle up to his shoulder as he spoke, contempt dripping in his voice.
"And how are you gonna do that, rockhead? You're one man, you don't even have a gun that I can see, and you're surrounded by an entire company of GDI's finest!"
Anik shifted his shoulders, and the cloak that had obscured most of his body shifted backwards. An actual sword hung from his left hip, and he slowly drew it from his sheath. In their arrogance, the GDI soldiers laughed and let him. The HUD in Captain Phelp's helmet noted the presence of Tiberium in the blade, likely buried in the core of its structure. The edge had a strangely red glint to it, while the rest of the blade was black, and the hilt was a combination of blackened and silvered steel wrapped in dark brown leather. Anik held what should be a two-handed weapon in a casual single-handed grip as he slowly looked back and forth, taking in the entire array of men and women around him. For several moments, he simply stood there, the only sound being the wind blowing, the snap of his cape in the wind, and the occasional shifting gravel beneath a trooper's feet. Finally, he spoke, his voice outwardly calm, but laced with undercurrents of disgust and tightly-leashed anger.
"All I am surrounded by, is fear, and dead men."
Then, suddenly, he moved, and the fight began. Anik was a blur, his armor often deflecting shots that came in at glancing angles, or his sword literally interception shots. A few times, a gesture of his hand, with the lines of green on his suit flaring for a few moments, saw a body tossed around, or even bullets stopped mid-air. In the span of a minute, an entire platoon was dead, most cut down and the rest crushed against the ground.
It took Anik less than 10 minutes to kill everyone but Captain Phelps. The Captain's gun had been torn from his grip by invisible hands, shorn in twain by an offhand slice by Anik. Now the Forgotten warrior strode purposefully toward the errant GDI soldier, casually shoving the impaled body of First Sergeant Tadeusz Telford off of his sword as he did. Finally, he stopped in front of Phelps. For almost a minute, he simply stood there, unmoving; his black armor stained dark red with blood and dirt. The warrior bore no wounds upon his body. His power and skill had seen to that.
Suddenly, Phelps reached for the pistol he kept strapped on his leg. Before he'd even touched the grip, his hand was crushed beneath the warrior's boot, the bones snapping and grinding as Phelps screamed in pain. Anik flicked his free hand with lazy apathy, and the knife Phelps kept in his boot floated into the air, before it blurred and slammed into Phelp's left foot. It struck such that it was painful but missed any bones or blood vessels; a disfiguring wound that might leave a limp, but would not lame the man for life. Then, Anik held that same hand out to his side, palm down, as he spoke.
"You are beaten, Captain. Your men are dead to the last. I have already had everything back in your APC's cataloged and sent back to your command while I dispensed with the unfortunates here today. Your crimes and sins will be known. The question is, do you choose to face them with dignity, or groveling?"
Phelps grimaced in pain, and glared at Anik.
"Do you worst you filthy scorpion-fu-"
The knife in his foot twisted slightly, and Phelps screamed.
"I see you have made your choice. So be it."
Phelps looked over and realized that while they'd been speaking, Anik Shirazi had somehow pulled a shard of raw Tiberium up from the ground, shaped a bit like a spike. It hovered below his hand, and the Forgotten warrior slowly moved said hand to hover over the Captain. Panic showed in Phelp's face as he contemplated dying of rock lung, or just turning to crystal here and now. Instead, Anik showed a sort of dark mercy.
"You will not die today. You will suffer the worst fate a coward can: you shall live with your wickedness, at least for a time. If I were you, I would strive to reach your home base soon. Perhaps you'll only need a new foot, if you do. Either way, Captain…"
The knife suddenly pulled itself out and was flung over into the pile of bodies nearby, and the shard of Tiberium lanced into Davlat's foot as he cried out in pain and terror alike.
"Peace Through Power."
Anik himself simply turned and began walking away, his cloak fluttering a bit in the breeze. A flick of his hand sent all the blood running off his sword onto the thirsty earth, and he sheathed it before glancing down at himself with a heavy sigh.
"I suppose I'll have to clean this before I get dinner tonight. And she was making bhaji and biryani tonight, too! Bah. There's still time."
And with that odd, muttered line, the dark warrior of Nod was gone. Captain Phelps himself was retrieved an hour later, the refugee column long gone. Once he was finished having his foot amputated to prevent further Tiberium infection, he was immediately placed on disciplinary leave, and would soon find himself preparing to serve time in a military prison. Nod-aligned or no, most of GDI Command took a very dim view of attacking refugee columns. No further comment was made by anyone but Davlat about the presence of one Anik Shirazi.
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Author's Note: Bit different from my normal fare but it wouldn't leave my brain alone until I wrote it, so. This wasn't prompted by Ithillid or anyone else, really, just me.
Unless game changing technology is gained, GDI will eventually run out of ways to suppress Tiberium as Tiberium will eventually mutate to render containment technology ineffective. And Earth will explode once liquid Tib deep in the Earth reaches the Mantle and detonates.
- Location
- Northish
If one of our guys was wasting entire refugee columns with troops he took from the battle lines he would not be in prison, the local commander would find few blindfolds real quick.
GDI right now is working on orbital evacuation, will we be able to get everyone? No. Probably not.
But even now, we are reasonably close to reaching a sustainable population off earth, all we need is to focus on diversifying our mining operations and decreasing reliance on earth.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
[eyebrows arch]
Now THAT is a type of Delta Forgotten (or other Forgotten) we haven't seen before. I'm guessing some kind of combat precognition, because that's some Jedi Knight tier "avoided your bullets before you got them there."
Also some hellaciously good body armor, but these troops were probably mostly armed with GD-2s and body armor that can laugh at those is very much NOT beyond Nod these days.
It's just that they have to, absolutely have to, be institutionally aware that they don't know they can pull out a win.
GDI as a whole isn't so fanatical about "not ever even talking to Kane no matter what" that it would casually grunt and write off an offer by Kane to provide truly effective tiberium control tech without even hearing the man out. Especially not in this timeline, where we've already negotiated major deals with specific Nod warlords.
Now THAT is a type of Delta Forgotten (or other Forgotten) we haven't seen before. I'm guessing some kind of combat precognition, because that's some Jedi Knight tier "avoided your bullets before you got them there."
Also some hellaciously good body armor, but these troops were probably mostly armed with GD-2s and body armor that can laugh at those is very much NOT beyond Nod these days.
Yeah, but GDI's invented some fairly bullshit technologies in the last 15 years. They may not unreasonably hope they can still pull out a win.
It's just that they have to, absolutely have to, be institutionally aware that they don't know they can pull out a win.
GDI military justice may take a while to do investigations thoroughly. The guy's still going to be in a military prison until he's shot.
Yeah, well, "we have a sustainable population off Earth" doesn't make it irrelevant whether or not the homeworld blows up with the entire rest of the human species on it.
GDI as a whole isn't so fanatical about "not ever even talking to Kane no matter what" that it would casually grunt and write off an offer by Kane to provide truly effective tiberium control tech without even hearing the man out. Especially not in this timeline, where we've already negotiated major deals with specific Nod warlords.
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