- Location
- Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Carterium
Attempting to Fulfill the Plan: GDI Edition
cokerpilot
Here comes the rain.
[X] Prometheum
Epilogue 2: The Long Road
- Location
- The Underdark
GDIquest Epilogue Part 2: The Long Road
The first Philadelphia Conference, between Initiative leadership and Kane, was only the beginning. While mostly hosted in Initiative cities, Stahl and the Bannerjees each hosted one. The early conferences were rough, contentious affairs at best, more often they were called to an early end to avoid hostile words escalating to hostile action. With decades of negotiations mostly occurring over open sights, and at the point of a bayonet, in many cases, mutually incompatible demands came from two different visions of a post-Tiberium world.
To call the TCN ambitious would be an understatement. Its results are visible from orbit, a globe-spanning spiderweb. At its core are seven towers: titanic space elevators designed to carry Tiberium from the surface to orbital forges. Each tower, in turn, is fed by a network of hubs, nodes, substations, on down to individual points on the network. Each of these limbs and branches collects and controls Tiberium, feeding it up the chain, towards the titanic orbital forges, powered by a combination of the Tiberium in transit, and vast solar collectors. The seven forges are placed roughly equidistant along the equatorial band, mostly on offshore and deep sea platforms. One of the bigger problems was properly siting these platforms. While they had to be roughly evenly spaced, precisely where along the equator did not matter much, leaving that up to political wrangling, and whose priorities would win out.
"Your orders are simple. This project, this dream of Kane, is too vital. Seo trusts the numbers, and so do I. So this is a project where we must choose the long road. It is better for us to finish the project than it is to take the most advantage. Even if it requires concessions to Brotherhood interests in the short term, the project and the requirements for it are such that GDI will be substantially advantaged in the long term. If need be, prioritize concessions towards the Caravanserai, Stahl, the Bannerjees, and Bintang, in that order."
At the end of the day, GDI would take on the lion's share of the construction work, with the mid Atlantic, and Pacific sites being entirely Initiative projects. South America, situated in what was once Ecuador, has primarily been an Initiative project, supplied largely from the MARV infrastructure that was already located there, and the first tower to break ground. While Stahl contributed some materials and manpower to that project, it was little over a tenth of the total costs.
The Central Africa site was the most contentious, with Mehretu and the Caravanserai proving almost entirely incapable of working together. This led to it being primarily funded by the Initiative and turned over to the Caravanserai in return for undisclosed concessions, the most notable of the times where Initiative diplomatic efforts turned to realpolitik in the project. The Indian Ocean project saw primary funding come from the Bannerjees, while the platform came out of Initiative dockyards. Finally, Bintang and Yao cooperated on the Indonesian platform, starting from one of the smaller islands, and completely paving it over. That platform saw some Initiative contributions, mostly in the form of machine tools, but the Initiative was far too busy with the sea frames to contribute much.
The sea frames, built under the name of Project Black Tortoise, are massive, modular constructions. Each unit is the same size as one of the Initiative's standard merchantmen, and is built out of the same dockyards, Then, starting at a minimum of eight frames, they are bolted together to make a square flat top to begin construction on top of. While connecting them to the seafloor to prevent drift is a problem, it is a solvable one, typically done with anchors to start, and then following up with building down from the bottoms of the hulls with a series of frames to connect them to the sea floor, regardless of how deep the dive is. While for the most part this was done with Initiative submarines, the Initiative did purchase substantial numbers of Falak variants from the Brotherhood, primarily Stahl and Bintang, in exchange for substantial amounts of merchant shipping. Usually this was a twelve to one ratio, but for some of the earlier deals, it was substantially higher.
As for the orbital forges themselves, that likewise has proven to be primarily a GDI project. While Krukov and the Bannerjees would begin work on converting the Varyag class into an orbital lift platform (albeit a relatively inefficient one) most of the work would be performed by Initiative Fluyts. Each forge is essentially a titanic flower. Starting from the stem, a titanic composite tube reaches to the ground station, which is mostly a giant hose for Tiberium. That hose connects into the core of the inhabited section of the station, control rooms, docking bays and finished goods storage. Then it flares out, into seven "petals" that are primarily refining, Tiberium based fabricators and other manufacturing facilities. Almost endlessly reconfigurable factories in essence. Each is also a massive receiver. While some of the Tiberium is used for energy, and it is highly efficient, so too are the swarms of solar satellites and beamed power systems now in orbit of the Earth.
"Chairwoman Litvinov," Ishani Bannerjee's voice was calm, deliberate, but held an edge of authority as she addressed the assembly. Draped in the red and black robes that signified her status as a Brotherhood's primary negotiator in this matter, she sat flanked by representatives from the myriad factions within Nod. Across from her, the GDI delegation of the Truth and Reconciliation Council, led by the former Director Litinov, waited.
"Thank you for receiving us," she began, her tone respectful. "Convincing my brothers and sisters to attend this council was no small task. There remains deep doubt among our leadership that GDI truly seeks a lasting peace, one where we coexist on this Earth as equals. Not as friends, perhaps, but as neighbors who share this world peacefully. No doubt, GDI has prepared a list of grievances, as have we. These matters can be addressed in due course. But today, there is one matter we must emphasize."
At her signal, an aide approached the GDI delegation and distributed datapads. The subtle hum of tension filled the room as the GDI representatives began to scan the contents. Bannerjee's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued.
"The Messiah's vision for the Ring of Orbital Forges is to be a beacon for all of humanity. While the allocation of the forges is still under discussion within the TCN framework, it is clear that the Lands of Nod will hold some share. Once His vision is realized, and if there is to be peace, we will need access to them and their potential. For that, GDI must lower the iron shield of its orbital weapons and grant us the right to reach for the stars."
"And risk Nod spreading Tiberium across the solar system? Absolutely not," snapped the Chief of Staff of Space Command, slamming the datapad back onto the table with a clatter. "What possible reason could you have for going beyond Earth?"
"The Brotherhood is willing to make concessions regarding the spread of Tiberium off-world", Bannerjee's eyes sharpened, her voice unwavering. "But what kind of question is that? What reason does the Eagle have, once the unchecked growth of Tiberium is curtailed? The orbits around Earth hold boundless potential for practical use, weather monitoring, communications, global positioning systems, zero-g manufacturing, use cases that GDI has long hoarded. It is our right to advance as well."
"GDI has extensive orbital infrastructure for all these we can negotiate to share," the Developmentalist representative offered cautiously.
"We shall decline that offer. This is not a negotiation for surrender, the Lands of Nod are their own nations and we will demand the right to build our own systems for these purposes", she responded.
"Your proposal demands we dismantle the Ion Cannon network. Do you seriously believe we would surrender our greatest strategic advantage for your benefit?" The GDI's representative of the militarist faction leaned forward, voice like iron. "It stays. It's essential for maintaining MAD."
[Planning map for the siting of the TCN towers, magenta ruler used to rough out the distances included]
The negotiations between the Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod saw three overlapping, but significantly parallel negotiations. First and most important was building a framework for the future.While the Initiative had won the Tiberium Wars, conquering the globe was simply not something that either side was willing to accept as a conclusion. Second, the framework for resolving the old wounds, and putting to rest many of the longstanding grudges. Third, arranging for the Red Zones. While in many areas the Initiative has a significant edge in terms of inputs, the degree of "border gore" in a post Tiberian world, if simply allowed to expand as desired, would be problematic at best.
One of the more contentious issues has turned out to be control over weapons of mass destruction, with attempts at strategic arms reduction foundering on mutual distrust and more importantly, on different baseline counts. How many nuclear devices equal one ion cannon. How many square kilometers of ion disruptors to equal a SADN emplacement. The Lands of Nod on their end, understanding the utility of WMDs in extraterrestrial defences, offered transfer of Catalyst missile technology, comparatively harmless in a conventional conflict, highly destructive against the Visitors, as an incentive. Fundamentally, arms reduction is something of a long time frame project, often done in the course of decades, not years. Stahl for example, sought a program that would see significant Initiative economic investment in his regions, in exchange for arms reduction, both conventional and strategic. Comparatively, the Bannerjees needed the Initiative much less, and were able to drive a much harder bargain which included Initiative arms reduction in the region.
One of the places where the Initiative was most proactive in cutting its strategic arms supplies, was in the allocations of orbitally launched kinetic kill vehicles. While operationally useful, these are fundamentally expensive weapons that have no use other than fighting the Brotherhood of Nod, especially due to the limits on accuracy compared to orbital laser systems, advances in ion cannons, and a shifting threat environment – now looking more up than down. While the Ion Cannon system was thinned over the course of the decade, it was thinned much less than the Brotherhood would have liked, with sections being pulled for a number of other projects including conversion to lunar surface defenses, others moved to the lunar orbits, and others pulled even further for outsystem defense roles. At the same time however, the defense constellation saw substantial upgrades, the Initiative's mastery of plasma technologies seeing a modern ion cannon being a faster firing, more precise, and substantially more powerful system, and even with half as many platforms seeing similar uptime results.
"Wait," interrupted the Starbound representative, raising her hands to stem the rising tide of dissent. "Let's not descend into chaos. While I share concerns, the core issue is valid. We cannot expect Nod to contribute to the TCN's construction without reaping the benefits. Yet, you must understand, much of GDI's defense strategy hinges on the Ion Cannon network."
Stahl's representative, a tall figure, sighed and interjected. "The Prophet's Vision is sacred, too significant to risk damage. Some of the orbital forges will be under our stewardship. That is inevitable, or there will be no cooperation. If GDI refuses to limit its orbital arsenal, we will be compelled to achieve parity. An arms race up there risks Kessler Syndrome and the destruction of this crown of forges. The proposal ensures mutual security by relocating weaponry and ASAT platforms further out, focused on real threats from beyond."
"If," Litinov began, the murmur around the GDI side quieting, "we reach a satisfactory conclusion to the WMD Control Treaty, then perhaps we can entertain these measures."
"Since we lack a skyborn sword of judgment as a backup," Bannerjee said, her response hard, "that treaty's outcome will depend on concessions made here."
Litvinov sighed, glancing to the sides at the various tense government representatives. "I am asking for a break so we can discuss your proposal."
For the war crimes tribunals, the framework was one of the largest and most persistent sticking points. The Initiative has largely operated on a basis of an evolving series of frameworks derived from western military jurisprudence since the First Tiberium War. While honored as often in the breach as upheld, the system has, for the most part, held firm, despite the efforts of many who would see the Brotherhood as being the common enemy of mankind, and treated as the pirates of old. Comparatively, the Brotherhood has never fought under a common code of conduct. While some warlords over the decades have fought their wars under similar if not the same restrictions, many more considered such restraint at best a sign of weakness, and kept limited records of what happened, if they kept any at all.
Many of the initial efforts largely revolved around attempting to do a tally. Take Initiative and Brotherhood records, make comparisons, and attempt to find common ground. While for some fronts this worked quite well, the South American Front during the Third Tiberium and Regency Wars were one example of relatively cleanly conducted campaigns, over some 70 years of fighting there has been no shortage of unnecessary horrors inflicted deliberately or by accident.
In one case, a GDI naval missile strike hammered into Rio de Janeiro during the Third Tiberium War, destroying an apartment building in a disastrous mass casualty event as residents were killed in the resulting collapse and fire. Initiative records showed that the apartment building was struck due to a technical error, as bad or otherwise corrupted data was fed to the ships carrying out the strike. The actual target was a rail junction approximately two hundred and fifty meters north.
In comparison, Gideon's predecessors, of which many spread Tiberium across North America, and Gideon himself with Tiberium Shard missiles, kept very few records, and many were destroyed, with what remained being turned over by Stahl. However, even in those records, nobody had cared to investigate attacks on Initiative civilians, the ecology, and medical personnel in general. Across nearly every front, the same story played out. Brotherhood complaints were often, not always, but often, either already resolved under Initiative law, or were situations where the Initiative had mistaken innocuous activity as military, such as the Caravanserai's regular facilitation of pilgrimages, while Initiative complaints were numerous, and often had their perpetrators' obscured by Brotherhood recordkeeping if there were any to be had in the first place.
Resolving Initiative complaints became a problem, typically one handled by teaming off, with a mixture of Initiative and Brotherhood investigators. While such efforts had a very rocky start, they would become a relatively effective force by the end of the decade. A significant part of the early problem was that the Brotherhood's contribution was primarily drawn from the Black Hand, Kane's most zealous followers, and often from the even more dogmatic and zealous members thereof serving as confessors, meaning that most teams lasted less than six months, and solved no cases before breaking down over interpersonal problems. Even as complaints by the Initiative began to be resolved by investigations, it was rarely a straightforward affair. In many cases, those deemed guilty were also the dead, either because of the massive losses inflicted on the Brotherhood during the Tiberium Wars or internecine strife, or, in at least some of the cases, the dead being unable to speak in their own defense and thus being an easy scapegoat.
Territorial changes and trades
With a coordinated effort to reclaim the Earth from Tiberium underway, both an opportunity and a need for rationalizing the current and future Initiative-Nod borders came into existence. Initiative priorities for territorial assignment were relatively straightforward, practical, and long established in GDI policy.
First and foremost is control of key transit routes. Locations like the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, Panama, Nicaragua, and the list goes on from there. Second is minimizing extended land borders. Some are to be expected, like the one between the Initiative and the Bannerjees, but that one at least falls along a geographic boundary. Others, like much of the border between the Initiative and Stahl, rest entirely along battle lines, making them inconvenient to work around. Third is the need to limit enclaves and exclaves. While some are inevitable, like how a number of Mondragon's fortress mountains hold mountains in Mexico and the Initiative's forces holding the slopes, valleys, passes and plains surrounding some of those mountains at the start of negotiations, both enclaves and exclaves create weaknesses and vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Comparatively, the Brotherhood had a much more widely separated pool of problems. For the Bannerjees, Yao, Krukov and Bintang, it was straightforward enough: control of a large contiguous landmass to build infrastructure and trade linkages across to prevent each from being individually crushed, as happened to Reynaldo and Gideon during the Regency War, or more recently Al-Isfahani during the Karachi campaign. On the other hand, there is Stahl, the Caravanserai, and Mehretu. Stahl is effectively in a corner. There is no real hope of generating strategic depth for him, because all of his major industrial and civic centers are not only coastal, but on the Atlantic coast, putting him relatively close to Mehretu, but extremely vulnerable to Initiative interdiction or bombardment.
The Caravanserai are in a very privileged position, primarily because they in many ways can now pursue closer links to the Initiative, and everyone realizes it. However, there is Mehretu, and Mehretu is in an interesting position due to the grudge match that has been ongoing between himself and the Caravanserai, one that first played out during the Regency War, and, while it may peter out in the long peace, is unlikely to with the constant exchanges of fire and strikes into each other's territories.
While carving up the world under different flags has been a substantial part of the problem, much of the world is simply not planned to be in use at any point in the foreseeable future. Even with a baby boom underway, with the typical densities of Initiative and Brotherhood settlements the vast majority of the Earth's surface will simply not be used by human inhabitants. While substantial portions of it will fly one flag or another for strategic reasons, there are significant swathes that will become mutually agreed upon demilitarized neutral zones. For example, much of Central Africa, Central South America, and large parts of eastern Europe are slated for nature preservation purposes, empty of people except for combined Nod and GDI wildlife monitoring and biosphere restoration efforts. Similarly, significant parts of China will become a reserve of its own, a buffer between the Initiative held Himalayas and the coastal Brotherhood. While it is likely that eventually humanity will end up developing at least some parts of the world that have been set aside, the how, why and who of that have been left for a future generation to figure out, because for now, there are vast stretches of Blue Zones, where the only signs of humanity are the completely automated spikes and the drones.
December 7, 2066
Boston 2037 Zulu Time
The Grangers lived in an apartment block in the nice part of town. Small, humble, with a few knick knacks. Little to say that the inhabitant was once the crusader leading the Initiative's efforts to drive back Tiberium, to rebuild an economy, to do anything more than be just another functionary in the great machine state. But, for the Granger's it was home, as normal as they could make it, especially given that the rest of the building homed probably the biggest collection of veterans of the Initiative's commando program, operational special forces, and assorted intelligence operatives outside of an Initiative military base.
That afternoon a tall thin bald man rapped on their door, carrying a bottle of wine. "Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger. It is good to finally meet you in person, rather than watching your work from afar."
"I hope you will forgive me if I can't say the same. Cleaning up your mess took the better part of my career." grumbled James Granger. "I kept the wine, of course. Still capped in the back somewhere. Lets break that out before we open whatever you brought. I figure we are going to need it if you are coming all the way out here"
"Ah yes, the 2022 Ponzi Pinot Gris. This is the 2025. Both good vintages. And yes, we will need both." Something in Kane's tone and face was…not so much "off" as "atypical". He was still confident, but…quieter. "I want to thank you really. I have been here so long, seen so much, that it is quite rare for me to be pleasantly surprised. But you doctor Granger, you surprised me."
"I don't really know how to take that. All I ever did was what I believed was right and needed. Every decision was a tradeoff, every choice produced casualties." replied Granger, making a small sip at the wine, and nearly concealing a grimace at the flavor.
"The wine is not to your taste?" asked Kane.
"Not particularly. By the time I was old enough to drink, most of the vineyards had died off" said Granger pensively. "Most of the alcohol I have tried was better for getting people drunk than it was for flavor. A consequence of the wars and the rock"
"Many of mine feel the same. It is a lost art, one that I am not sure will ever recover. The Initiative vintages, these berry wines. No flavor of the earth to them, no vintage, just a standard mass produced product" Kane gestured with his glass. "It speaks something to the soul of your new initiative I think. Trying, even in the worst of times."
"Grapes are a berry fruit," Samantha Granger mildly interjects, "and it hasn't exactly been safe to grow fruits in open fields since the 20's. Not even when they're meant for juicing and wine making. There were a couple of places that could, but, well, the Third War saw those off."
Kane chuckled. "That is a fair observation, especially on a technical level. I supposed I should have added the note of 'non-grape berry fruits'. Other berries make a passable wine, but there is something about the grape…" He takes a sip, then sighs. "And yes, the Third War did cause…issues with the environment." For all his bluster in public, in this moment, Kane seemed…not regretful, but melancholy? "I needed the visitors. Needed their towers, if only it could have come at a lower cost."
"But still a cost and sacrifice you decided was worth everyone else paying" snapped Dr. Granger.
"It was. The world was dying, the Brotherhood was a shadow of its former self, and the Initiative, well, as I said Doctor, you surprised me in the best way possible. You are no soldier, no venal bureaucrat or silk draped politician like your predecessors."
"There were plenty of doctors before me. None with my expertise in Tiberium, but I am only of the second generation of Tiberium scientists. My predecessor, Dr. Mobius spoke often of your Brotherhood and what he went through when your people kidnapped him."
The three talked late into the night. Not friendly, but rather as old foes who no longer needed to fight. At the end of the night, Kane simply stood, and said this "thank you for your hospitality, and even if we don't agree on much, thank you for hearing me out."
Technology
Technology Transfers and Discoveries
Leaping ahead in hologram technology has been an interesting experience, mostly because it represents a substantial change in how holograms are used. Previous examples have been things that require containment for the most part – highly specialized, highly controlled environments. The new generation however is quite different, being essentially able to form an augmented reality. However, there are still some noticeable limitations, primarily to do with color. Mostly, it struggles with multiple colors in a single projection. While layered projections are possible, for a lot of purposes, simple monochrome works just as well, and can be fit into a much smaller projection system.
Refraction fields comparatively are a ripple effect. Not precisely stealth in the way the Brotherhood of Nod uses it, but closer to adaptive camouflage, manipulating and texturing the shield bubble to disrupt the outline of an armored vehicle. While not effective at every range and every angle, it does give a significant ability to conceal the precise vehicle and vehicle weight. The technology does not work as well as dedicated camo from a concealed position, but it is both adaptive and something that can be done with just a change in programming, rather than requiring crews to get out of their vehicles.
Endo steel is something that GDI has been working on for quite some time – between Steel Talons prototypes, Enterprise actually producing some small amounts of the material, and a number of other experiments with foamed metal structural elements. The goal has always been the same, weight reductions. In mech design, and to a somewhat lesser extent vehicle design, weight is one of the biggest problems that design teams face. However, none have quite turned out how GDI has hoped. Volumetric costs are too high, the material is too expensive, and requires orbital forges to make properly. The improvements from Visitor samples are primarily related to STU-doping in a manner very similar to the U-series alloys, but with even smaller quantities of STUs, and even more noticeable impacts on strength and durability, while retaining the intended weight reduction.
Attenuated particle shields represent a significant improvement in shield size, primarily in shrinking the particle accelerator, and some tricks with shield tuning. Effectively, another form of stressed shields, these use a much weaker force field generator, but one that is both smaller, and more energy efficient, while getting much more of their staying power from high efficiency particle accelerators. Primarily these were used by the Visitors on their various lighter ground units, including gun walkers and hovercraft. In terms of GDI implementation however, the most likely answer is actually going to be on Novahawk successor platforms, because being able to take at least a hit before going down is a substantial increase in survivability, and the Novahawk lacks the capacity to fit such equipment.
Fabricators are… 'interesting' is probably the best way to put it. Fully automated factories, down to self repair and maintenance functionalities – one simply needs to feed them materials and energy and they will take care of everything else themselves. While most of the system is fairly conventional and modular, from what are effectively 3D printers, rolling machines, and hydraulic presses, the piece that makes them able to operate at microscales is a series of nanovats. Each vat contains millions of cellular scale robots, assembling components at a molecular level with precisions down to millionths of a meter in an appreciable span of time.
Conventional Military
The story of the conventional militaries of Earth has largely been one of standardization and belt tightening. The decade and a half following the Third Tiberium War was a period of rapid and unsustainable change. The decade and a half following the Philadelphia conference has for both sides been a time where the funding for new systems is incredibly tight. For both GDI and Nod, the military forces have seen more use as civil engineers than as anything else.
While both sides maintain substantial stockpiles of supplies, ammunition and weapons, the training programs have largely maintained pace, and they could very much fight a war at the drop of a hat, neither side has been able to invest in serious pushes in terms of capabilities. For GDI, the Next Generation Vehicle Program has been a drawn out process replacing older vehicles, but even now, at the dawn of 2080, despite considerable progress it is not entirely complete. Solving the problems and fixing holes across the blue fleet has likewise seen major delays, primarily because GDI's industrial might is almost entirely tied up in constructing the TCN as well as maintenance, and so long as Kane is working with the Initiative, there are few in the Brotherhood that will choose to fight rather than help.
Similarly, the Brotherhood is also finding it difficult to fund militarization. There are other priorities, and closing the gaps in terms of quality of life, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of a thousand and one other elements that are more immediately important than finding the ability to kill Initiative troops more effectively and otherwise closing the military gap. While there have been substantial moves made by the various warlords towards rationalizing the military, an increasingly widespread deployment of cyborgs both human and gana, replacement of older Scorpion tanks with newer Avenger models, increasing efforts to degrade Initiative sensor suites ability to detect Brotherhood assets, and efforts to close the drone gap, they have not been able to address the gap in military strength that exists between the Initiative and the total and combined forces of the Brotherhood of Nod.
For both, there is one other problem: The rapidly changing environment. With the amount of exposed Tiberium during the Tiberium Wars the whole idea of a 'Beyond Visual Range' engagement was nonsense. The Blue Zones offered the cleanest sensor returns and even then one can in hindsight track the encroachment of Tiberium in the subsurface layers through the endless archives of maintenance reports. Radar, visual tracking systems, infrared, experiments in the use of ultraviolet tracking, all of these offered only a limited improvement on the eyes of the crews, and could be rendered completely useless in the Red Zones as Tiberium dust created a wash of ghosts on the sensors. As Tiberium is being pushed away from the surface and sensors become more reliable the air war is shifting back towards the Brotherhood once more, where stealth and sensor damping has always been in their wheelhouse more than the Initiative's. However, that has also come with substantially increased ability to remotely control drones, with GDI controlling many unmanned aerial combat vehicles from orbit in the modern day to supplement Wingman supported patrols.
Space Colonization
Space colonization is a story almost entirely told on the margins. In the TCN era, neither side had the spare space lift or the spare specialists to effectively pursue space colonization, but at the same time, neither side was willing to abandon the project. For the Brotherhood of Nod, it was a desperate scramble to catch up, to find places to plant the scorpion tail, lest they get locked out of vital orbital stepping stones. While there is no shortage of space in the orbitals to put stations, the lunar settlements are much more of a challenge, and beyond requires infrastructure that the Brotherhood, even with all of the warlords working together, simply does not have the lift to fulfill. A Varyag-based design, even with the weapons stripped off, simply does not have the legs to make a straight shot to anywhere beyond the lunar surface, and struggles to get even that far with a meaningful payload and enough fuel for the return trip. Comparatively, Initiative spending on space during this period was focused almost entirely on claiming critical, high value locations. For example, beginning settlement on Mars, claiming the largest of the rocks in the asteroid belt, and engaging the Visitors in the Jovians as a first test of the Initiative's black navy. While the battle went poorly, with over half of the ships either being destroyed or unable to make the return journey, it was a victory.
Civilian Economics
The biggest shot to the arm the Initiative could have hoped for was the emergence of a massive arbitrage opportunity. Reductions in arms and opening of trade links created opportunities for those willing to invest. Initiative fruits, games, and white goods, the butter of civil life, flowed across the lines in massive convoys, and on the return came an amazing assortment of goods. While some only had small quantities of STUs to trade, much more came in the form of cultural goods, technologies, and luxuries that the Brotherhood produced but not the Initiative.
The Forgotten
For the Forgotten as a whole, the TCN project was a bittersweet reality. On one hand, the end of the wars, the end of the Red Zones, the end of all of the pressures that made them who they are, could well mean an end of the Forgotten as a people, and a culture. Even now, ever more of their children leave camps and settlements, kneeling before the stinger or the eagle. On the other hand, ever more of their children live, and live to see a world where the death of mankind is not an always proximate inevitability, held off for another day by sanctuaries built on the sacrifice of the few, to serve the many.
Politics
Initiative politics became difficult in the years following the Philadelphia conference. A significant part of this problem was that working with the Brotherhood, and working with Kane, despite the benefits, was a bridge too far for large portions of the Initiative's old guard. It is often difficult for the Initiative's people to see a world where the Brotherhood of Nod is anything other than an existential threat.
"We have won the Tiberium Wars, and the Brotherhood has the temerity to demand that we tear down the walls we built to protect ourselves! We have built a society without want, and they demand that we provide for them, while offering nothing but war and death!"
The Initiative First Party has never found itself in control of the Initiative's governmental system, held by many as a distasteful family member who is nonetheless too influential to ignore outright as it has become a solid part of the emergent 'Big Four' system, with the Socialist League, Militarist, and Starbound being the other three.
"It's been a good many years now, but I remember the refugee camps. The stench of too many people packed together into too few tents, with too few bathing facilities. The despair as nobody is quite sure if there even is going to be enough food for the next meal.
To an extent, the cantines remind me of those days, although the smell is very different. Nobody wonders if there's going to be enough food, either. And yet, the food still tastes of victory."
The Socialist League is, in and of itself, interesting. With the emergence and growth of strong socialist parties, and the decline of the Developmentalists, the League formed in response to a strengthening Initiative first as its hateful and fear mongering rhetoric found a willing public. Although the League is less loud about some of its more progressive but unpopular planks to retain the support needed to oppose Initiative First and the Militarists, it remains dedicated to the people of the Initiative. Of the Big Four, the League maintains the strongest ties to the Brotherhood through various charitable and cross-border efforts, and often serves as an intermediary and facilitator of Initiative-Brotherhood talks.
"One might think that Philadelphia is the place with the worst political wrangling, or perhaps the endless negotiations with Nod over one thing or another that they want. They might be, but you've never seen the knives come out the way they do in the military when it's time to make budget cuts. It was good practice, I suppose, for when I went into politics."
The fortunes of the Militarists have waned since the heydays of the 2060s, but they remain a strong and prominent party. It is not shy about working together with whoever is willing to push forward its agenda of maintaining a strong military, whether it is courting the League for support for veterans, IF to sound the drums and rally on the issue of Visitor threat (and slightly more quietly about the Brotherhood), or Starbound to push for an increased space presence, industrialization, and the black navy.
"There are some who said Philadelphia was too ambitious. There are some who said, after its loss, that we should have never sought to abandon Earth for the heavens. There are some who said when we built the keystone stations around Earth that they were the four horsemen. There are some who said when we built Aldrin on the Moon that no human could live there for years, or be born there, or grow up healthy, or come to the Earth and walk, never mind do so unassisted. There are some who say that settling Mars is impossible.
To all those naysayers I say this; you were, are and will be wrong. In particular, and speaking of my personal experience, my children were born on the Moon, have grown up in excellent health, and my eldest has recently started studying for his degree on Earth.
We are going to build Mariner Base on Mars. After all, why else do you think I'm here with a shovel in my hand?"
-Representative Seob Youngjae, Starbound, Mariner Base groundbreaking ceremony speech
Starbound started as a party of dreamers and remains a party of dreamers, looking up to find new skies where the old grievances can wither and die. Few are ignorant about the dangers that lie among the stars, Tiberium, Kane and the Visitors are all harsh lessons as to what may be there. But humanity has weathered them all, survived, and is now more ready than ever to rise to the stars. While Starbound is typically the largest party, it is one that has to scrabble for every seat to maintain that position, and has never held a majority, oftentimes being single digit numbers of seats ahead of the Socialist League.
Artificial Intelligence
The story of artificial intelligence is a tale of two very distinct stories. For the Initiative, Dot and Deva were heralds of a new age. Dot especially, but in real ways, both became templates for a new generation of what were coming to be called cephalons. Digital intelligences increasingly taking roles as advisors and supporters more than anything else, managing an increasingly complex networks of drones for example across Initiative cities, an airspace that effectively requires substantial automation, and even then was hitting its cap in terms of density and complexity.
Erewhon for its part retired for medical reasons at the end of 2070, but remains as something of a speaker emeritus for the broader Congress of Cephalons, an organization that represents the interests of the Initiative's artificial intelligences. While so far they are small enough in number to be electorally nonentities, they are a faction to be respected because of the impact that they have.
Initiative gana programs went… slowly is probably the best way to put it. While provided substantial support in developing this technology by the Bannerjees in return for spacelift and assistance with their own artificial intelligence program, the first Initiative gana were not decanted until the mid 2070s, after over a decade of work. Most of this was because of what the Initiative wanted. They did not want Afancs, simple shock infantry. Instead, they wanted the creations to be sociable and creative. People who would be good coworkers and companions. While making beasts of burden was relatively easy and well understood, making a gana that could raise kids required a return to first principles for the design.
The Brotherhood has largely seen the opposite. Where the Initiative surged ahead into the isolinear age with powerful computers capable of supporting advanced AI, the Brotherhood struggled, with multiple AI programs running into issues, or outright failing despite Kane's efforts. One, by the name of Requiem, escaped the Brotherhood and defected to the Initiative. While the Brotherhood does have hardware AIs at this point, it is an area where the Initiative has a substantial edge.
Comparatively the Brotherhood's gana have seen substantial improvements. Much of the early gana program was essentially a continuation of the CABAL program of the 2020s and its cyborgs. Many of the components are simply iterative upgrades of CABAL's systems, and aside from ripping out the puppet circuitry, many of the earliest gana designs were simply a problem of replacing one kind of meat with another. Iterating from that work saw the creation of the Afanc and Takko type gana. In the modern day, the Brotherhood has pushed ahead of the Initiative, seeing new generations and a dispersion from the Bannerjees to other warlords, with Stahl for example, pushing out his first kobolds in the early 2070s.
January 16 2080. 96 hours before Activation
Oxford, England. 1700 Zulu Time
"Dammit, The numbers Just don't line up. Mason, Woods, tell me I have made a math error somewhere here!" barked Seo Thoki, sweeping aside a pile of sheets of paper scribbled over, some with holes erased in it where he had written a number, erased it, written another number, erased that, and so on until the rubber had worn a hole in the paper.
Timothy Woods looked at him, askance "Sir, we have run these numbers again and again, and they are coming up the same. Either the Brotherhood is dramatically behind their targets, or something else is going on, and we know the Brotherhood is not behind on their targets. Especially this close to the activation ceremonies for the whole network to synchronize."
Andrew Mason concurred "No errors on our end, and I have had the men replace the sensors twice. Something is not adding up."
January 17 2080. 80 hours before Activation
Threshold Tower Italy, 0900 Zulu Time
Seo walked through the archway leading to Kane's sanctum. "We know." and tossed a sheaf of papers onto a nearby table.
"So I see. You figured something out, but, given that you came, and didn't just send some of your underlings to put me in chains and drag me off to some black site, I take it you want an explanation, not a scapegoat"
"Does not make sense. If all you wanted was to hurt people, there were easier ways."
"You are correct. No, this is me preparing a grand exit, a means of ensuring that my actions bring no more harm to this place, and to your people. And you gave me that hope, director. That map that you salvaged from the Visitors, that glorious, wondrous map. You showed me how I could once again rejoin my people, join the fleet. Maybe, hopefully, heal. No more cursed to know the lands east of eden, but once again united with my people."
"And what does that have to do with the TCN?"
"It is not just a means of controlling Tiberium. There is a reason the Threshold tower is a vital component. Not just because it makes the system easier, but because the Threshold is essentially a massive version of one of your portals, and if overcharged, it can be used to throw something, a ship perhaps, out beyond your solar system, into the great void."
"I think I understand." Seo nodded. "I can't say it has been a pleasure, but I will keep your secrets. Once last dance before the cameras."
"That it will be. I will remember you, Seo. Allow me to do what must be done, and when the moment arrives, this shall be the last time mankind will be in my presence."
January 20 2080
Philadelphia II 1600 Zulu Time 1 hour before Activation
"Mason, do we have crosscheck on Indonesia?" asked Seo, pacing back and forth across the command deck, sweeping a hand through thinning grey hair.
"We do. Energy spikes have stabilized, and the others report green across the board." replied Mason
"And Kane?"
"In the tower, awaiting final confirmation"
"Then, one more hour. One more fateful hour." Seo fingered his communicator wristband. Fingering the button that would order the Initiative to storm into the tower, to seize Kane. It would set off a war to the knife. A betrayal from the Initiative in the eyes of the Brotherhood, set the world alight once more. Not worth it, not this late. If this was a betrayal, there was already a resignation letter waiting on the desk back in the office.
January 20 2080
Philadelphia II 1700 Zulu Time
"There are many things I could say at this moment in history. I could recount once more the blood spilt and treasures wasted on decades of war. I could recount the priceless artifacts and millennia of history destroyed by the green cancer. I could wax histrionic about how we have come together despite our differences to save the world. Instead, I will say only this. Today, we put an end to this chapter of our history, and while I do not know what mistakes our future will hold, I maintain the great and sincere hope that we will make new and interesting errors, rather than repeat old ones." Seo spoke into the cameras, before flipping the cap, and pushing the initiation button.
As he did so, a global monument clicked and whirred. Systems that had been built, but held in waiting snapped into action, connections bridged, and around the world, Tiberium, already beaten back, retreated from the face of the earth. The only pieces left on the surface as the network came to full operation were a few outcroppings, dotted around the tower, and those, slowly turned into a series of still alien looking granite, a last green sparkle at the tips as their energy became part of the network.
In a hidden chamber inside the Threshold Tower Kane sat on a command throne, Legion already installed. "Well brother, that is not dead which may eternal lie." as, in the blink of an eye, he was flung out into the deep void of space.
A/N
It has been a time writing this quest for you all. It was my first major creative writing exercise in some ways. It has been a substantial learning experience. Not least of which was the number of times people decided to turn what I thought of as relatively minor debates into days long shouting matches.
I am looking forward to the sequel, but at this point, I am going to glory for a bit in finishing a quest, and putting a final period on this phase of my life, and then, it is going to be time to come back, and start up a very different sequelquest.
A/N2: Ko-fi.com/ithillid
The first Philadelphia Conference, between Initiative leadership and Kane, was only the beginning. While mostly hosted in Initiative cities, Stahl and the Bannerjees each hosted one. The early conferences were rough, contentious affairs at best, more often they were called to an early end to avoid hostile words escalating to hostile action. With decades of negotiations mostly occurring over open sights, and at the point of a bayonet, in many cases, mutually incompatible demands came from two different visions of a post-Tiberium world.
Tiberium Control Network
To call the TCN ambitious would be an understatement. Its results are visible from orbit, a globe-spanning spiderweb. At its core are seven towers: titanic space elevators designed to carry Tiberium from the surface to orbital forges. Each tower, in turn, is fed by a network of hubs, nodes, substations, on down to individual points on the network. Each of these limbs and branches collects and controls Tiberium, feeding it up the chain, towards the titanic orbital forges, powered by a combination of the Tiberium in transit, and vast solar collectors. The seven forges are placed roughly equidistant along the equatorial band, mostly on offshore and deep sea platforms. One of the bigger problems was properly siting these platforms. While they had to be roughly evenly spaced, precisely where along the equator did not matter much, leaving that up to political wrangling, and whose priorities would win out.
"Your orders are simple. This project, this dream of Kane, is too vital. Seo trusts the numbers, and so do I. So this is a project where we must choose the long road. It is better for us to finish the project than it is to take the most advantage. Even if it requires concessions to Brotherhood interests in the short term, the project and the requirements for it are such that GDI will be substantially advantaged in the long term. If need be, prioritize concessions towards the Caravanserai, Stahl, the Bannerjees, and Bintang, in that order."
- Director Carter's orders to the diplomatic team negotiating the Tiberium Control
At the end of the day, GDI would take on the lion's share of the construction work, with the mid Atlantic, and Pacific sites being entirely Initiative projects. South America, situated in what was once Ecuador, has primarily been an Initiative project, supplied largely from the MARV infrastructure that was already located there, and the first tower to break ground. While Stahl contributed some materials and manpower to that project, it was little over a tenth of the total costs.
The Central Africa site was the most contentious, with Mehretu and the Caravanserai proving almost entirely incapable of working together. This led to it being primarily funded by the Initiative and turned over to the Caravanserai in return for undisclosed concessions, the most notable of the times where Initiative diplomatic efforts turned to realpolitik in the project. The Indian Ocean project saw primary funding come from the Bannerjees, while the platform came out of Initiative dockyards. Finally, Bintang and Yao cooperated on the Indonesian platform, starting from one of the smaller islands, and completely paving it over. That platform saw some Initiative contributions, mostly in the form of machine tools, but the Initiative was far too busy with the sea frames to contribute much.
The sea frames, built under the name of Project Black Tortoise, are massive, modular constructions. Each unit is the same size as one of the Initiative's standard merchantmen, and is built out of the same dockyards, Then, starting at a minimum of eight frames, they are bolted together to make a square flat top to begin construction on top of. While connecting them to the seafloor to prevent drift is a problem, it is a solvable one, typically done with anchors to start, and then following up with building down from the bottoms of the hulls with a series of frames to connect them to the sea floor, regardless of how deep the dive is. While for the most part this was done with Initiative submarines, the Initiative did purchase substantial numbers of Falak variants from the Brotherhood, primarily Stahl and Bintang, in exchange for substantial amounts of merchant shipping. Usually this was a twelve to one ratio, but for some of the earlier deals, it was substantially higher.
As for the orbital forges themselves, that likewise has proven to be primarily a GDI project. While Krukov and the Bannerjees would begin work on converting the Varyag class into an orbital lift platform (albeit a relatively inefficient one) most of the work would be performed by Initiative Fluyts. Each forge is essentially a titanic flower. Starting from the stem, a titanic composite tube reaches to the ground station, which is mostly a giant hose for Tiberium. That hose connects into the core of the inhabited section of the station, control rooms, docking bays and finished goods storage. Then it flares out, into seven "petals" that are primarily refining, Tiberium based fabricators and other manufacturing facilities. Almost endlessly reconfigurable factories in essence. Each is also a massive receiver. While some of the Tiberium is used for energy, and it is highly efficient, so too are the swarms of solar satellites and beamed power systems now in orbit of the Earth.
"Chairwoman Litvinov," Ishani Bannerjee's voice was calm, deliberate, but held an edge of authority as she addressed the assembly. Draped in the red and black robes that signified her status as a Brotherhood's primary negotiator in this matter, she sat flanked by representatives from the myriad factions within Nod. Across from her, the GDI delegation of the Truth and Reconciliation Council, led by the former Director Litinov, waited.
"Thank you for receiving us," she began, her tone respectful. "Convincing my brothers and sisters to attend this council was no small task. There remains deep doubt among our leadership that GDI truly seeks a lasting peace, one where we coexist on this Earth as equals. Not as friends, perhaps, but as neighbors who share this world peacefully. No doubt, GDI has prepared a list of grievances, as have we. These matters can be addressed in due course. But today, there is one matter we must emphasize."
At her signal, an aide approached the GDI delegation and distributed datapads. The subtle hum of tension filled the room as the GDI representatives began to scan the contents. Bannerjee's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued.
"The Messiah's vision for the Ring of Orbital Forges is to be a beacon for all of humanity. While the allocation of the forges is still under discussion within the TCN framework, it is clear that the Lands of Nod will hold some share. Once His vision is realized, and if there is to be peace, we will need access to them and their potential. For that, GDI must lower the iron shield of its orbital weapons and grant us the right to reach for the stars."
"And risk Nod spreading Tiberium across the solar system? Absolutely not," snapped the Chief of Staff of Space Command, slamming the datapad back onto the table with a clatter. "What possible reason could you have for going beyond Earth?"
"The Brotherhood is willing to make concessions regarding the spread of Tiberium off-world", Bannerjee's eyes sharpened, her voice unwavering. "But what kind of question is that? What reason does the Eagle have, once the unchecked growth of Tiberium is curtailed? The orbits around Earth hold boundless potential for practical use, weather monitoring, communications, global positioning systems, zero-g manufacturing, use cases that GDI has long hoarded. It is our right to advance as well."
"GDI has extensive orbital infrastructure for all these we can negotiate to share," the Developmentalist representative offered cautiously.
"We shall decline that offer. This is not a negotiation for surrender, the Lands of Nod are their own nations and we will demand the right to build our own systems for these purposes", she responded.
"Your proposal demands we dismantle the Ion Cannon network. Do you seriously believe we would surrender our greatest strategic advantage for your benefit?" The GDI's representative of the militarist faction leaned forward, voice like iron. "It stays. It's essential for maintaining MAD."
[Planning map for the siting of the TCN towers, magenta ruler used to rough out the distances included]
Truth and Reconciliation
The negotiations between the Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod saw three overlapping, but significantly parallel negotiations. First and most important was building a framework for the future.While the Initiative had won the Tiberium Wars, conquering the globe was simply not something that either side was willing to accept as a conclusion. Second, the framework for resolving the old wounds, and putting to rest many of the longstanding grudges. Third, arranging for the Red Zones. While in many areas the Initiative has a significant edge in terms of inputs, the degree of "border gore" in a post Tiberian world, if simply allowed to expand as desired, would be problematic at best.
One of the more contentious issues has turned out to be control over weapons of mass destruction, with attempts at strategic arms reduction foundering on mutual distrust and more importantly, on different baseline counts. How many nuclear devices equal one ion cannon. How many square kilometers of ion disruptors to equal a SADN emplacement. The Lands of Nod on their end, understanding the utility of WMDs in extraterrestrial defences, offered transfer of Catalyst missile technology, comparatively harmless in a conventional conflict, highly destructive against the Visitors, as an incentive. Fundamentally, arms reduction is something of a long time frame project, often done in the course of decades, not years. Stahl for example, sought a program that would see significant Initiative economic investment in his regions, in exchange for arms reduction, both conventional and strategic. Comparatively, the Bannerjees needed the Initiative much less, and were able to drive a much harder bargain which included Initiative arms reduction in the region.
One of the places where the Initiative was most proactive in cutting its strategic arms supplies, was in the allocations of orbitally launched kinetic kill vehicles. While operationally useful, these are fundamentally expensive weapons that have no use other than fighting the Brotherhood of Nod, especially due to the limits on accuracy compared to orbital laser systems, advances in ion cannons, and a shifting threat environment – now looking more up than down. While the Ion Cannon system was thinned over the course of the decade, it was thinned much less than the Brotherhood would have liked, with sections being pulled for a number of other projects including conversion to lunar surface defenses, others moved to the lunar orbits, and others pulled even further for outsystem defense roles. At the same time however, the defense constellation saw substantial upgrades, the Initiative's mastery of plasma technologies seeing a modern ion cannon being a faster firing, more precise, and substantially more powerful system, and even with half as many platforms seeing similar uptime results.
"Wait," interrupted the Starbound representative, raising her hands to stem the rising tide of dissent. "Let's not descend into chaos. While I share concerns, the core issue is valid. We cannot expect Nod to contribute to the TCN's construction without reaping the benefits. Yet, you must understand, much of GDI's defense strategy hinges on the Ion Cannon network."
Stahl's representative, a tall figure, sighed and interjected. "The Prophet's Vision is sacred, too significant to risk damage. Some of the orbital forges will be under our stewardship. That is inevitable, or there will be no cooperation. If GDI refuses to limit its orbital arsenal, we will be compelled to achieve parity. An arms race up there risks Kessler Syndrome and the destruction of this crown of forges. The proposal ensures mutual security by relocating weaponry and ASAT platforms further out, focused on real threats from beyond."
"If," Litinov began, the murmur around the GDI side quieting, "we reach a satisfactory conclusion to the WMD Control Treaty, then perhaps we can entertain these measures."
"Since we lack a skyborn sword of judgment as a backup," Bannerjee said, her response hard, "that treaty's outcome will depend on concessions made here."
Litvinov sighed, glancing to the sides at the various tense government representatives. "I am asking for a break so we can discuss your proposal."
For the war crimes tribunals, the framework was one of the largest and most persistent sticking points. The Initiative has largely operated on a basis of an evolving series of frameworks derived from western military jurisprudence since the First Tiberium War. While honored as often in the breach as upheld, the system has, for the most part, held firm, despite the efforts of many who would see the Brotherhood as being the common enemy of mankind, and treated as the pirates of old. Comparatively, the Brotherhood has never fought under a common code of conduct. While some warlords over the decades have fought their wars under similar if not the same restrictions, many more considered such restraint at best a sign of weakness, and kept limited records of what happened, if they kept any at all.
Many of the initial efforts largely revolved around attempting to do a tally. Take Initiative and Brotherhood records, make comparisons, and attempt to find common ground. While for some fronts this worked quite well, the South American Front during the Third Tiberium and Regency Wars were one example of relatively cleanly conducted campaigns, over some 70 years of fighting there has been no shortage of unnecessary horrors inflicted deliberately or by accident.
In one case, a GDI naval missile strike hammered into Rio de Janeiro during the Third Tiberium War, destroying an apartment building in a disastrous mass casualty event as residents were killed in the resulting collapse and fire. Initiative records showed that the apartment building was struck due to a technical error, as bad or otherwise corrupted data was fed to the ships carrying out the strike. The actual target was a rail junction approximately two hundred and fifty meters north.
In comparison, Gideon's predecessors, of which many spread Tiberium across North America, and Gideon himself with Tiberium Shard missiles, kept very few records, and many were destroyed, with what remained being turned over by Stahl. However, even in those records, nobody had cared to investigate attacks on Initiative civilians, the ecology, and medical personnel in general. Across nearly every front, the same story played out. Brotherhood complaints were often, not always, but often, either already resolved under Initiative law, or were situations where the Initiative had mistaken innocuous activity as military, such as the Caravanserai's regular facilitation of pilgrimages, while Initiative complaints were numerous, and often had their perpetrators' obscured by Brotherhood recordkeeping if there were any to be had in the first place.
Resolving Initiative complaints became a problem, typically one handled by teaming off, with a mixture of Initiative and Brotherhood investigators. While such efforts had a very rocky start, they would become a relatively effective force by the end of the decade. A significant part of the early problem was that the Brotherhood's contribution was primarily drawn from the Black Hand, Kane's most zealous followers, and often from the even more dogmatic and zealous members thereof serving as confessors, meaning that most teams lasted less than six months, and solved no cases before breaking down over interpersonal problems. Even as complaints by the Initiative began to be resolved by investigations, it was rarely a straightforward affair. In many cases, those deemed guilty were also the dead, either because of the massive losses inflicted on the Brotherhood during the Tiberium Wars or internecine strife, or, in at least some of the cases, the dead being unable to speak in their own defense and thus being an easy scapegoat.
Territorial changes and trades
With a coordinated effort to reclaim the Earth from Tiberium underway, both an opportunity and a need for rationalizing the current and future Initiative-Nod borders came into existence. Initiative priorities for territorial assignment were relatively straightforward, practical, and long established in GDI policy.
First and foremost is control of key transit routes. Locations like the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, Panama, Nicaragua, and the list goes on from there. Second is minimizing extended land borders. Some are to be expected, like the one between the Initiative and the Bannerjees, but that one at least falls along a geographic boundary. Others, like much of the border between the Initiative and Stahl, rest entirely along battle lines, making them inconvenient to work around. Third is the need to limit enclaves and exclaves. While some are inevitable, like how a number of Mondragon's fortress mountains hold mountains in Mexico and the Initiative's forces holding the slopes, valleys, passes and plains surrounding some of those mountains at the start of negotiations, both enclaves and exclaves create weaknesses and vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Comparatively, the Brotherhood had a much more widely separated pool of problems. For the Bannerjees, Yao, Krukov and Bintang, it was straightforward enough: control of a large contiguous landmass to build infrastructure and trade linkages across to prevent each from being individually crushed, as happened to Reynaldo and Gideon during the Regency War, or more recently Al-Isfahani during the Karachi campaign. On the other hand, there is Stahl, the Caravanserai, and Mehretu. Stahl is effectively in a corner. There is no real hope of generating strategic depth for him, because all of his major industrial and civic centers are not only coastal, but on the Atlantic coast, putting him relatively close to Mehretu, but extremely vulnerable to Initiative interdiction or bombardment.
The Caravanserai are in a very privileged position, primarily because they in many ways can now pursue closer links to the Initiative, and everyone realizes it. However, there is Mehretu, and Mehretu is in an interesting position due to the grudge match that has been ongoing between himself and the Caravanserai, one that first played out during the Regency War, and, while it may peter out in the long peace, is unlikely to with the constant exchanges of fire and strikes into each other's territories.
While carving up the world under different flags has been a substantial part of the problem, much of the world is simply not planned to be in use at any point in the foreseeable future. Even with a baby boom underway, with the typical densities of Initiative and Brotherhood settlements the vast majority of the Earth's surface will simply not be used by human inhabitants. While substantial portions of it will fly one flag or another for strategic reasons, there are significant swathes that will become mutually agreed upon demilitarized neutral zones. For example, much of Central Africa, Central South America, and large parts of eastern Europe are slated for nature preservation purposes, empty of people except for combined Nod and GDI wildlife monitoring and biosphere restoration efforts. Similarly, significant parts of China will become a reserve of its own, a buffer between the Initiative held Himalayas and the coastal Brotherhood. While it is likely that eventually humanity will end up developing at least some parts of the world that have been set aside, the how, why and who of that have been left for a future generation to figure out, because for now, there are vast stretches of Blue Zones, where the only signs of humanity are the completely automated spikes and the drones.
December 7, 2066
Boston 2037 Zulu Time
The Grangers lived in an apartment block in the nice part of town. Small, humble, with a few knick knacks. Little to say that the inhabitant was once the crusader leading the Initiative's efforts to drive back Tiberium, to rebuild an economy, to do anything more than be just another functionary in the great machine state. But, for the Granger's it was home, as normal as they could make it, especially given that the rest of the building homed probably the biggest collection of veterans of the Initiative's commando program, operational special forces, and assorted intelligence operatives outside of an Initiative military base.
That afternoon a tall thin bald man rapped on their door, carrying a bottle of wine. "Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger. It is good to finally meet you in person, rather than watching your work from afar."
"I hope you will forgive me if I can't say the same. Cleaning up your mess took the better part of my career." grumbled James Granger. "I kept the wine, of course. Still capped in the back somewhere. Lets break that out before we open whatever you brought. I figure we are going to need it if you are coming all the way out here"
"Ah yes, the 2022 Ponzi Pinot Gris. This is the 2025. Both good vintages. And yes, we will need both." Something in Kane's tone and face was…not so much "off" as "atypical". He was still confident, but…quieter. "I want to thank you really. I have been here so long, seen so much, that it is quite rare for me to be pleasantly surprised. But you doctor Granger, you surprised me."
"I don't really know how to take that. All I ever did was what I believed was right and needed. Every decision was a tradeoff, every choice produced casualties." replied Granger, making a small sip at the wine, and nearly concealing a grimace at the flavor.
"The wine is not to your taste?" asked Kane.
"Not particularly. By the time I was old enough to drink, most of the vineyards had died off" said Granger pensively. "Most of the alcohol I have tried was better for getting people drunk than it was for flavor. A consequence of the wars and the rock"
"Many of mine feel the same. It is a lost art, one that I am not sure will ever recover. The Initiative vintages, these berry wines. No flavor of the earth to them, no vintage, just a standard mass produced product" Kane gestured with his glass. "It speaks something to the soul of your new initiative I think. Trying, even in the worst of times."
"Grapes are a berry fruit," Samantha Granger mildly interjects, "and it hasn't exactly been safe to grow fruits in open fields since the 20's. Not even when they're meant for juicing and wine making. There were a couple of places that could, but, well, the Third War saw those off."
Kane chuckled. "That is a fair observation, especially on a technical level. I supposed I should have added the note of 'non-grape berry fruits'. Other berries make a passable wine, but there is something about the grape…" He takes a sip, then sighs. "And yes, the Third War did cause…issues with the environment." For all his bluster in public, in this moment, Kane seemed…not regretful, but melancholy? "I needed the visitors. Needed their towers, if only it could have come at a lower cost."
"But still a cost and sacrifice you decided was worth everyone else paying" snapped Dr. Granger.
"It was. The world was dying, the Brotherhood was a shadow of its former self, and the Initiative, well, as I said Doctor, you surprised me in the best way possible. You are no soldier, no venal bureaucrat or silk draped politician like your predecessors."
"There were plenty of doctors before me. None with my expertise in Tiberium, but I am only of the second generation of Tiberium scientists. My predecessor, Dr. Mobius spoke often of your Brotherhood and what he went through when your people kidnapped him."
The three talked late into the night. Not friendly, but rather as old foes who no longer needed to fight. At the end of the night, Kane simply stood, and said this "thank you for your hospitality, and even if we don't agree on much, thank you for hearing me out."
Technology
Technology Transfers and Discoveries
Leaping ahead in hologram technology has been an interesting experience, mostly because it represents a substantial change in how holograms are used. Previous examples have been things that require containment for the most part – highly specialized, highly controlled environments. The new generation however is quite different, being essentially able to form an augmented reality. However, there are still some noticeable limitations, primarily to do with color. Mostly, it struggles with multiple colors in a single projection. While layered projections are possible, for a lot of purposes, simple monochrome works just as well, and can be fit into a much smaller projection system.
Refraction fields comparatively are a ripple effect. Not precisely stealth in the way the Brotherhood of Nod uses it, but closer to adaptive camouflage, manipulating and texturing the shield bubble to disrupt the outline of an armored vehicle. While not effective at every range and every angle, it does give a significant ability to conceal the precise vehicle and vehicle weight. The technology does not work as well as dedicated camo from a concealed position, but it is both adaptive and something that can be done with just a change in programming, rather than requiring crews to get out of their vehicles.
Endo steel is something that GDI has been working on for quite some time – between Steel Talons prototypes, Enterprise actually producing some small amounts of the material, and a number of other experiments with foamed metal structural elements. The goal has always been the same, weight reductions. In mech design, and to a somewhat lesser extent vehicle design, weight is one of the biggest problems that design teams face. However, none have quite turned out how GDI has hoped. Volumetric costs are too high, the material is too expensive, and requires orbital forges to make properly. The improvements from Visitor samples are primarily related to STU-doping in a manner very similar to the U-series alloys, but with even smaller quantities of STUs, and even more noticeable impacts on strength and durability, while retaining the intended weight reduction.
Attenuated particle shields represent a significant improvement in shield size, primarily in shrinking the particle accelerator, and some tricks with shield tuning. Effectively, another form of stressed shields, these use a much weaker force field generator, but one that is both smaller, and more energy efficient, while getting much more of their staying power from high efficiency particle accelerators. Primarily these were used by the Visitors on their various lighter ground units, including gun walkers and hovercraft. In terms of GDI implementation however, the most likely answer is actually going to be on Novahawk successor platforms, because being able to take at least a hit before going down is a substantial increase in survivability, and the Novahawk lacks the capacity to fit such equipment.
Fabricators are… 'interesting' is probably the best way to put it. Fully automated factories, down to self repair and maintenance functionalities – one simply needs to feed them materials and energy and they will take care of everything else themselves. While most of the system is fairly conventional and modular, from what are effectively 3D printers, rolling machines, and hydraulic presses, the piece that makes them able to operate at microscales is a series of nanovats. Each vat contains millions of cellular scale robots, assembling components at a molecular level with precisions down to millionths of a meter in an appreciable span of time.
The Other Stuff
Conventional Military
The story of the conventional militaries of Earth has largely been one of standardization and belt tightening. The decade and a half following the Third Tiberium War was a period of rapid and unsustainable change. The decade and a half following the Philadelphia conference has for both sides been a time where the funding for new systems is incredibly tight. For both GDI and Nod, the military forces have seen more use as civil engineers than as anything else.
While both sides maintain substantial stockpiles of supplies, ammunition and weapons, the training programs have largely maintained pace, and they could very much fight a war at the drop of a hat, neither side has been able to invest in serious pushes in terms of capabilities. For GDI, the Next Generation Vehicle Program has been a drawn out process replacing older vehicles, but even now, at the dawn of 2080, despite considerable progress it is not entirely complete. Solving the problems and fixing holes across the blue fleet has likewise seen major delays, primarily because GDI's industrial might is almost entirely tied up in constructing the TCN as well as maintenance, and so long as Kane is working with the Initiative, there are few in the Brotherhood that will choose to fight rather than help.
Similarly, the Brotherhood is also finding it difficult to fund militarization. There are other priorities, and closing the gaps in terms of quality of life, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of a thousand and one other elements that are more immediately important than finding the ability to kill Initiative troops more effectively and otherwise closing the military gap. While there have been substantial moves made by the various warlords towards rationalizing the military, an increasingly widespread deployment of cyborgs both human and gana, replacement of older Scorpion tanks with newer Avenger models, increasing efforts to degrade Initiative sensor suites ability to detect Brotherhood assets, and efforts to close the drone gap, they have not been able to address the gap in military strength that exists between the Initiative and the total and combined forces of the Brotherhood of Nod.
For both, there is one other problem: The rapidly changing environment. With the amount of exposed Tiberium during the Tiberium Wars the whole idea of a 'Beyond Visual Range' engagement was nonsense. The Blue Zones offered the cleanest sensor returns and even then one can in hindsight track the encroachment of Tiberium in the subsurface layers through the endless archives of maintenance reports. Radar, visual tracking systems, infrared, experiments in the use of ultraviolet tracking, all of these offered only a limited improvement on the eyes of the crews, and could be rendered completely useless in the Red Zones as Tiberium dust created a wash of ghosts on the sensors. As Tiberium is being pushed away from the surface and sensors become more reliable the air war is shifting back towards the Brotherhood once more, where stealth and sensor damping has always been in their wheelhouse more than the Initiative's. However, that has also come with substantially increased ability to remotely control drones, with GDI controlling many unmanned aerial combat vehicles from orbit in the modern day to supplement Wingman supported patrols.
Space Colonization
Space colonization is a story almost entirely told on the margins. In the TCN era, neither side had the spare space lift or the spare specialists to effectively pursue space colonization, but at the same time, neither side was willing to abandon the project. For the Brotherhood of Nod, it was a desperate scramble to catch up, to find places to plant the scorpion tail, lest they get locked out of vital orbital stepping stones. While there is no shortage of space in the orbitals to put stations, the lunar settlements are much more of a challenge, and beyond requires infrastructure that the Brotherhood, even with all of the warlords working together, simply does not have the lift to fulfill. A Varyag-based design, even with the weapons stripped off, simply does not have the legs to make a straight shot to anywhere beyond the lunar surface, and struggles to get even that far with a meaningful payload and enough fuel for the return trip. Comparatively, Initiative spending on space during this period was focused almost entirely on claiming critical, high value locations. For example, beginning settlement on Mars, claiming the largest of the rocks in the asteroid belt, and engaging the Visitors in the Jovians as a first test of the Initiative's black navy. While the battle went poorly, with over half of the ships either being destroyed or unable to make the return journey, it was a victory.
Civilian Economics
The biggest shot to the arm the Initiative could have hoped for was the emergence of a massive arbitrage opportunity. Reductions in arms and opening of trade links created opportunities for those willing to invest. Initiative fruits, games, and white goods, the butter of civil life, flowed across the lines in massive convoys, and on the return came an amazing assortment of goods. While some only had small quantities of STUs to trade, much more came in the form of cultural goods, technologies, and luxuries that the Brotherhood produced but not the Initiative.
The Forgotten
For the Forgotten as a whole, the TCN project was a bittersweet reality. On one hand, the end of the wars, the end of the Red Zones, the end of all of the pressures that made them who they are, could well mean an end of the Forgotten as a people, and a culture. Even now, ever more of their children leave camps and settlements, kneeling before the stinger or the eagle. On the other hand, ever more of their children live, and live to see a world where the death of mankind is not an always proximate inevitability, held off for another day by sanctuaries built on the sacrifice of the few, to serve the many.
Politics
Initiative politics became difficult in the years following the Philadelphia conference. A significant part of this problem was that working with the Brotherhood, and working with Kane, despite the benefits, was a bridge too far for large portions of the Initiative's old guard. It is often difficult for the Initiative's people to see a world where the Brotherhood of Nod is anything other than an existential threat.
"We have won the Tiberium Wars, and the Brotherhood has the temerity to demand that we tear down the walls we built to protect ourselves! We have built a society without want, and they demand that we provide for them, while offering nothing but war and death!"
- Representative Burtoni, Initiative First Party, speech at a 2073 protest
The Initiative First Party has never found itself in control of the Initiative's governmental system, held by many as a distasteful family member who is nonetheless too influential to ignore outright as it has become a solid part of the emergent 'Big Four' system, with the Socialist League, Militarist, and Starbound being the other three.
"It's been a good many years now, but I remember the refugee camps. The stench of too many people packed together into too few tents, with too few bathing facilities. The despair as nobody is quite sure if there even is going to be enough food for the next meal.
To an extent, the cantines remind me of those days, although the smell is very different. Nobody wonders if there's going to be enough food, either. And yet, the food still tastes of victory."
- Representative Ekashiba Toyotami, Socialist League, remarks at a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission on Food
The Socialist League is, in and of itself, interesting. With the emergence and growth of strong socialist parties, and the decline of the Developmentalists, the League formed in response to a strengthening Initiative first as its hateful and fear mongering rhetoric found a willing public. Although the League is less loud about some of its more progressive but unpopular planks to retain the support needed to oppose Initiative First and the Militarists, it remains dedicated to the people of the Initiative. Of the Big Four, the League maintains the strongest ties to the Brotherhood through various charitable and cross-border efforts, and often serves as an intermediary and facilitator of Initiative-Brotherhood talks.
"One might think that Philadelphia is the place with the worst political wrangling, or perhaps the endless negotiations with Nod over one thing or another that they want. They might be, but you've never seen the knives come out the way they do in the military when it's time to make budget cuts. It was good practice, I suppose, for when I went into politics."
- Representative Nathan Entrati, Militarists, biography "Of Bullets and Ballots"
The fortunes of the Militarists have waned since the heydays of the 2060s, but they remain a strong and prominent party. It is not shy about working together with whoever is willing to push forward its agenda of maintaining a strong military, whether it is courting the League for support for veterans, IF to sound the drums and rally on the issue of Visitor threat (and slightly more quietly about the Brotherhood), or Starbound to push for an increased space presence, industrialization, and the black navy.
"There are some who said Philadelphia was too ambitious. There are some who said, after its loss, that we should have never sought to abandon Earth for the heavens. There are some who said when we built the keystone stations around Earth that they were the four horsemen. There are some who said when we built Aldrin on the Moon that no human could live there for years, or be born there, or grow up healthy, or come to the Earth and walk, never mind do so unassisted. There are some who say that settling Mars is impossible.
To all those naysayers I say this; you were, are and will be wrong. In particular, and speaking of my personal experience, my children were born on the Moon, have grown up in excellent health, and my eldest has recently started studying for his degree on Earth.
We are going to build Mariner Base on Mars. After all, why else do you think I'm here with a shovel in my hand?"
-Representative Seob Youngjae, Starbound, Mariner Base groundbreaking ceremony speech
Starbound started as a party of dreamers and remains a party of dreamers, looking up to find new skies where the old grievances can wither and die. Few are ignorant about the dangers that lie among the stars, Tiberium, Kane and the Visitors are all harsh lessons as to what may be there. But humanity has weathered them all, survived, and is now more ready than ever to rise to the stars. While Starbound is typically the largest party, it is one that has to scrabble for every seat to maintain that position, and has never held a majority, oftentimes being single digit numbers of seats ahead of the Socialist League.
Artificial Intelligence
The story of artificial intelligence is a tale of two very distinct stories. For the Initiative, Dot and Deva were heralds of a new age. Dot especially, but in real ways, both became templates for a new generation of what were coming to be called cephalons. Digital intelligences increasingly taking roles as advisors and supporters more than anything else, managing an increasingly complex networks of drones for example across Initiative cities, an airspace that effectively requires substantial automation, and even then was hitting its cap in terms of density and complexity.
Erewhon for its part retired for medical reasons at the end of 2070, but remains as something of a speaker emeritus for the broader Congress of Cephalons, an organization that represents the interests of the Initiative's artificial intelligences. While so far they are small enough in number to be electorally nonentities, they are a faction to be respected because of the impact that they have.
Initiative gana programs went… slowly is probably the best way to put it. While provided substantial support in developing this technology by the Bannerjees in return for spacelift and assistance with their own artificial intelligence program, the first Initiative gana were not decanted until the mid 2070s, after over a decade of work. Most of this was because of what the Initiative wanted. They did not want Afancs, simple shock infantry. Instead, they wanted the creations to be sociable and creative. People who would be good coworkers and companions. While making beasts of burden was relatively easy and well understood, making a gana that could raise kids required a return to first principles for the design.
The Brotherhood has largely seen the opposite. Where the Initiative surged ahead into the isolinear age with powerful computers capable of supporting advanced AI, the Brotherhood struggled, with multiple AI programs running into issues, or outright failing despite Kane's efforts. One, by the name of Requiem, escaped the Brotherhood and defected to the Initiative. While the Brotherhood does have hardware AIs at this point, it is an area where the Initiative has a substantial edge.
Comparatively the Brotherhood's gana have seen substantial improvements. Much of the early gana program was essentially a continuation of the CABAL program of the 2020s and its cyborgs. Many of the components are simply iterative upgrades of CABAL's systems, and aside from ripping out the puppet circuitry, many of the earliest gana designs were simply a problem of replacing one kind of meat with another. Iterating from that work saw the creation of the Afanc and Takko type gana. In the modern day, the Brotherhood has pushed ahead of the Initiative, seeing new generations and a dispersion from the Bannerjees to other warlords, with Stahl for example, pushing out his first kobolds in the early 2070s.
January 16 2080. 96 hours before Activation
Oxford, England. 1700 Zulu Time
"Dammit, The numbers Just don't line up. Mason, Woods, tell me I have made a math error somewhere here!" barked Seo Thoki, sweeping aside a pile of sheets of paper scribbled over, some with holes erased in it where he had written a number, erased it, written another number, erased that, and so on until the rubber had worn a hole in the paper.
Timothy Woods looked at him, askance "Sir, we have run these numbers again and again, and they are coming up the same. Either the Brotherhood is dramatically behind their targets, or something else is going on, and we know the Brotherhood is not behind on their targets. Especially this close to the activation ceremonies for the whole network to synchronize."
Andrew Mason concurred "No errors on our end, and I have had the men replace the sensors twice. Something is not adding up."
January 17 2080. 80 hours before Activation
Threshold Tower Italy, 0900 Zulu Time
Seo walked through the archway leading to Kane's sanctum. "We know." and tossed a sheaf of papers onto a nearby table.
"So I see. You figured something out, but, given that you came, and didn't just send some of your underlings to put me in chains and drag me off to some black site, I take it you want an explanation, not a scapegoat"
"Does not make sense. If all you wanted was to hurt people, there were easier ways."
"You are correct. No, this is me preparing a grand exit, a means of ensuring that my actions bring no more harm to this place, and to your people. And you gave me that hope, director. That map that you salvaged from the Visitors, that glorious, wondrous map. You showed me how I could once again rejoin my people, join the fleet. Maybe, hopefully, heal. No more cursed to know the lands east of eden, but once again united with my people."
"And what does that have to do with the TCN?"
"It is not just a means of controlling Tiberium. There is a reason the Threshold tower is a vital component. Not just because it makes the system easier, but because the Threshold is essentially a massive version of one of your portals, and if overcharged, it can be used to throw something, a ship perhaps, out beyond your solar system, into the great void."
"I think I understand." Seo nodded. "I can't say it has been a pleasure, but I will keep your secrets. Once last dance before the cameras."
"That it will be. I will remember you, Seo. Allow me to do what must be done, and when the moment arrives, this shall be the last time mankind will be in my presence."
January 20 2080
Philadelphia II 1600 Zulu Time 1 hour before Activation
"Mason, do we have crosscheck on Indonesia?" asked Seo, pacing back and forth across the command deck, sweeping a hand through thinning grey hair.
"We do. Energy spikes have stabilized, and the others report green across the board." replied Mason
"And Kane?"
"In the tower, awaiting final confirmation"
"Then, one more hour. One more fateful hour." Seo fingered his communicator wristband. Fingering the button that would order the Initiative to storm into the tower, to seize Kane. It would set off a war to the knife. A betrayal from the Initiative in the eyes of the Brotherhood, set the world alight once more. Not worth it, not this late. If this was a betrayal, there was already a resignation letter waiting on the desk back in the office.
January 20 2080
Philadelphia II 1700 Zulu Time
"There are many things I could say at this moment in history. I could recount once more the blood spilt and treasures wasted on decades of war. I could recount the priceless artifacts and millennia of history destroyed by the green cancer. I could wax histrionic about how we have come together despite our differences to save the world. Instead, I will say only this. Today, we put an end to this chapter of our history, and while I do not know what mistakes our future will hold, I maintain the great and sincere hope that we will make new and interesting errors, rather than repeat old ones." Seo spoke into the cameras, before flipping the cap, and pushing the initiation button.
As he did so, a global monument clicked and whirred. Systems that had been built, but held in waiting snapped into action, connections bridged, and around the world, Tiberium, already beaten back, retreated from the face of the earth. The only pieces left on the surface as the network came to full operation were a few outcroppings, dotted around the tower, and those, slowly turned into a series of still alien looking granite, a last green sparkle at the tips as their energy became part of the network.
In a hidden chamber inside the Threshold Tower Kane sat on a command throne, Legion already installed. "Well brother, that is not dead which may eternal lie." as, in the blink of an eye, he was flung out into the deep void of space.
A/N
It has been a time writing this quest for you all. It was my first major creative writing exercise in some ways. It has been a substantial learning experience. Not least of which was the number of times people decided to turn what I thought of as relatively minor debates into days long shouting matches.
I am looking forward to the sequel, but at this point, I am going to glory for a bit in finishing a quest, and putting a final period on this phase of my life, and then, it is going to be time to come back, and start up a very different sequelquest.
A/N2: Ko-fi.com/ithillid
A end at last unfortunate one to be honest. I was expecting us to clean the earth full on but well this is what it is.
We never reached a total victory did we ?
But maybe it is for the better.
Restoring order on earth and waging a truly global war to end node one and for all looks like a fantasy.
We never reached a total victory did we ?
But maybe it is for the better.
Restoring order on earth and waging a truly global war to end node one and for all looks like a fantasy.
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- Location
- USA
This isn't a perfect ending, far from it. But, our efforts weren't for naught. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but Mankind finally has a future. And at the end of the day, I think that is good enough. This chapter is at a close. But the story ain't over yet.
I don't think there's a total victory to be had here, and in a lot of ways the idea of a total victory is what our diplomatic efforts are working to disprove. We were never going to take out every nod warlord and put Kane on public trial and build the thing that actually prevents the earth from exploding. As it stands I consider this the best victory we can get for our circumstances. Tiberium (on earth at least) is now on a powerful leash, nod is now just a collection of states to negotiate with instead of The Enemy and whiile Kane not getting hung in public is gonna rankle quite a few people, him fucking off and telling nod the chill before he leaves will save way more lives in both the short and long run.
And it's over, with a future that is at least hopeful, and the possibility of humanity all working in the same direction
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- Location
- The internet
That was unlikely ever to happen. On the other hand, its a serious question if NOD can hang together against GDI once Kane leaves. There's already two 2nd tier warlord-states that are cautiously eying the exit, and GDI already has a hefty industrial and military advantage.
Werent their meeting being held on Enterprise station?
- Location
- Ohio
I am a xenophile, but even I am eager to see the Turians encounter nod obelisk on Shanxi for the way they bombarded and starved the planet in canon without warning. collective punishment of civilians is cringe.
GDI can't be too aggressive in its diplomacy there, it's likely that Nod remains a factor for at least a century... but as the fires die down and GDI's standard of living takes off, it sure as fuck starts to sound like a good idea to be friendly with GDI, possibly to the point of slowly being integrated.
That presumes a GDI-Hierarchy First Contact War.
Not impossible, and if Ithillid wants to stick to the stations of the canon quite likely, but we might also get something else.
A Migrant Fleet first contact, for example, with the Fleet looking at our AIs and going 'nope nope nope'.
That presumes a GDI-Hierarchy First Contact War.
Not impossible, and if Ithillid wants to stick to the stations of the canon quite likely, but we might also get something else.
A Migrant Fleet first contact, for example, with the Fleet looking at our AIs and going 'nope nope nope'.
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ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
Well, I think that this was a pretty good ending. Kane's leaving and hopefully never coming back, which ought to make things easier when dealing with the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood itself is mostly accepting diplomacy, which helps reduce the chances of war across the planet again. The advances we're making are resulting in a higher quality of life all around, always a good thing.
I'm not particularly happy at the thought that the Initiative First factions is becoming one of the major political groups, but at least it isn't the biggest one.
I'm not particularly happy at the thought that the Initiative First factions is becoming one of the major political groups, but at least it isn't the biggest one.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
Uhm I feel this is, a pretty good ending overall. Looking forward to how messed up the follow up will be
At least the world liveable again and ppl have hope, so that's a win.
At least the world liveable again and ppl have hope, so that's a win.
Thank you, Ithillid, for the quest and bringing it to a conclusion. Not a full victory, but that's probably for the best.
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True. On the other hand, I think it's credible to question if GDI can hang together without Tiberius and Nod being a pressing concern. Especially when it comes to the space versus land bound GDI. But the luxury of that kind of problem is a victory.
Lurking_Badger
Cheese Enjoyer
- Location
- Wisconsin
I actually picture any future attempts to siege a human colony to be completely useless.
Years of practice building to survive rockets, orbital ion bombardments, huge lasers, and Tiberium makes human building extremely hard to destroy. Then there is the longstanding practice of indoor farming that stops attempts at starving people out. Removing and established human colony is going to be really hard.
KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
So long, and thanks for all the fish! *Vanishes in a burst of light*
Will be interesting how they'll adjust the TCN they'll have to build for Venus in the future, seeing as they can't just wait for the planet to explode and coat the rest of the system in Tib really.
Might be a further way to get people working long term with Nod, as they haven't found the Prothan Ruins on Mars yet and still need a long term goal to help focus cooperation.
Might be a further way to get people working long term with Nod, as they haven't found the Prothan Ruins on Mars yet and still need a long term goal to help focus cooperation.
ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
Well what a ride thanks Ithillid for the journey looking forward already to the sequel!
Does no one read the Kane dossier? Its right there in the threadmarks. Search for Kane.