"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." Revelation 16:17-18
GDI Intelligence Operations HQ, New Zealand Blue Zone 40 Hours After Kane's Private Delivery
Intelligence Director Samuel Dax stared at the sealed paper envelope, as well as the USB thumb drive, with the same expression a man staring down a hissing cobra might. Standing next to his desk, Deputy Director Terrence Donnelly had the expression of a man who just drank an entire jug of sour milk.
"Hackett warned me about this kind of thing, you know. That he likes to play games like this."
"In this situation, I have to wonder if there's something else going on. With Granger and Hackett, it was more subtle but more direct?"
"Hm. Well. Time to see what the fuss is."
Director Dax slowly reached down and took the letter in hand. It was on thick paper, sealed with wax. The symbol matched previous "gifts" from Kane, which lent credence to this being the genuine article; almost no recent communiques bore this specific symbol, and his analysts had had to go back centuries for it to crop up more than once a decade. The method of delivery lent credence as well. But now, it was time to actually see what this was about.
After opening the letter, he began to read.
==================================================================== To Director Samuel Dax, Whomst I Am Sure Shall Read This First,
These Words That Follow Are The Words Of Kane,
So Mote It Be.
Director,
Now that the niceties of intrigue and formality are satisfied, I shall not overly waste your time on this letter. The method of its delivery serves a twofold purpose. First, it reinforces that you are reading the words of Kane, and not some two-bit imposter or false prophet. Secondly, it shall hopefully impress upon you the raw gravity of the situation; while we all like to treat such undertakings as one of my assumed abilities, to get as far as I did, as quietly as I did, was no mean feat. Thus, I am hopeful you understand that what I am presenting is, in fact, sincere.
I will assume you shall utterly peruse the contents of this letter and the attached data drive, whose contents are quintuple-encrypted with the keyphrase at the bottom of this letter, along with the instructions of how to initiate the decryption; only after they meet your grudging satisfaction shall you pass them on. This is to be expected, and even encouraged; I would be an utter hypocrite to chide someone for caution from their direst foe! However, I must humbly request that you limit who sees the data files once decrypted. Your eyes, the eyes of young master Terrance, and perhaps one or two others, but no more. Loose lips used to sink ships, but what we aim to sail here is far larger and more frangible than a mere water vessel.
Your people have found records of my time on this planet, and at least shadow and echo of my original plans, before the blessing-that-is-a-curse of Tiberium came to this planet. We have clashed for decades over competing visions of the world. Competing methods and means. But the time for clashing is coming to an end.
Tiberium is beginning to mutate. Not tomorrow, but soon, your miners, and ours, will be less and less effective. The crystal will soon begin to spite us in truth and dig deeper. Everything we have done thus far has only slowed it. If we continue the course, or even if we merely united efforts to carry on our efforts to tend the Garden, we would simply be delaying it a few years, time to let you evacuate your people and leave me and mine to choke and die.
But what if there was another way?
The thumb drive contains a video message to be played only in the presence of the Director of GDI, and their Cabinet if needed, as well as a handful of…let us call them previews, of what I offer. The latter can be shown to Seo, or dear Former Treasury Director Granger, to verify their potential.
The time draws near where we shall all step out of the shadow of Tiberium, into the glorious light of the future, to light a beacon against the darkness between the stars.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely, Kane
====================================================================
AccomplishingProvidence
Yes indeed, my children, as both the photographic and video evidence prove for you, I am indeed Kane, First of His Name, Prophet, Messiah, and Leader of the Brotherhood of Nod.
A new era is dawning on this scarred planet, an era in which mankind shall finally achieve true mastery of Tiberium, and what was once a weed shall become a crop, and what was once a fallow field shall become a garden.
Rest assured, I have already opened discussions with the leadership of GDI-yes yes, Mod-bots, I know you're trying to ban me, stop it please-so this is not their first inkling of the matter.
But while the leaders of a nation are important, so too are her people! And what a people you are, having helped transform GDI from a creaking, groaning edificial monument to the worst imperialistic excesses of the 20th Century, into something that could truly usher your people into the galactic stage one day.
So! To celebrate all of these momentous happenings, I have decided to give you all the gift…of me! I had thoughts to preserve this moment for a time down the road, but the thought of not being able to have an open conversation with you all burdened my heart, so here we are.
Ask and I shall answer, within the bounds of reason. Naturally things like military movements or state secrets are right out, and I reserve the right to simply decline to answer. And any silly nonsense like "why won't you just die" will be rightfully ignored. But questions that are genuine, even if "petty"? I shall endeavor to do my best, though I humbly beg of your patience as I am a man called upon for many things.
FloatingWood
… What?
Alright, I'm going to wait a while until the moderators either deal with the obviously hacked account or permaban Providence for being too stupid to live for pretending to be Kane.
YellowZon3r
Not movements. But. I do want to know. Secret Red zone bases. Yes or no?
KneeDeepInTheTib
I've got a question, sure. What in the unholy everloving fuck was the purpose of building a gigantic L-Tib reservoir under Temple Prime, oh glorious Messiah? That blast cost me my entire fucking family.
YellowZon3r
See, we actually already know that from the Qatarites. Big Tiberium boom to call the aliens.
Step 2 was beat them up for tech.
KneeDeepInTheTib
I want to hear it from the man himself.
Se3We3dFa4m3r
Forget secret RZ bases. Is Nod Atlantis real?
InTheZONE
So I've got a lot of questions but most would just lead to me wanting to murder you even more than usual. I'm gonna stick with this one, was this really the best you could do? I mean, thousands of years old, charismatic enough to manipulate your way into positions of power in numerous governments, obviously someone who plans ahead and what, you just figured you'd start a bunch of wars to kill billions? You had no better plan?
GDIWife
Reynaldo attacked schools and hospitals with buzzer swarms, murdering hundreds of innocent people including children. Was he acting according to your wishes then and would you be willing to see him brought to justice for his crimes?
AccomplishingProvidence
#FloatingWood : No games on this subject, my friend. This is, as the younger generations say, "for real".
#YellowZon3r: An excellent ploy based on my momentary wording, but I think we both know this isn't something I would share here.
#KneeDeepInTheTib: I take no enjoyment or undue pride, but #YellowZon3r is correct. The triggering of a Liquid Tiberium deposit explosion was necessary to bring in the Visitor force at a time when this planet could still fight them. I had not necessarily anticipated the…ferocity of the explosion, but the choice was between that, or the entire planet doing the same thing in a century or less. Nod and GDI alike lost many that day, but the species survives. It was akin to having to excise an aggressive tumor; damage was done in the name of preserving more.
#SeWe3dFa4m3r: I appreciate the legalistic interpretation of my wording but I am afraid I must decline to answer in any particular manner.
#InTheZone: Let me ask you this: do you think the initial presence of Tiberium was my plan?
#GDIWife: I certainly never ordered anyone to attack schools especially, though I'm sure you understand that my Warlords have much discretion. As for hypothetical trials, I think you'll understand that such discussions are not something that would occur here of all places. However, I would leave you with this question in return: How swift should the justice be for "rogue" GDI military personnel who ruthlessly attack and hunt columns of refugees from Nod-controlled areas, and/or do not discriminate where their own bombs fall?
Tom Smith
Mr. Kane, why are you bald like my dad? Daddy says only old people go bald, but you don't look old!
AccomplishingProvidence
#Tom Smith: I shave my head. I've tried a lot of hairstyles over the years. Currently I appreciate the sentiment of "bald is handsome". Your father has good taste in hair styles. And yes, I am old. Very old, even.
YellowZon3r
Kane. I've never really been a believer in 'you' personally. As you can tell from my background. I grew up under Nod controlled territory. Did my part. GDI's borders rolled over us and in the absence of anything better to do ended up doing the same job as a harvester pilot for GDI for a while. Then enlisted to be able to go beat back the red zones as much as I could help. Too… 'yellow' shall we say to be trusted to join the likes of Zocom. But. I grew up listening to the radio and the speeches about GDI's greed, I guess my question is, what would you say about the state of GDI today? The way it tries to serve it's people, and those who were brought (or sent) into it such as a number of old folks. That's my question I guess.
DrownedInTheBlue
Okay, I understand You are a leader of a nation and all that, But i Have To ask.
Why cyborgs? there had to be better options, Like you have a fanatical base, why did you need to remove Like half their brain? Surely Power armor or heaven forbid Tib Mutation would have been better? At least then you weren't taking away free will… So… Why?
AccomplishingProvidence
#YellowZon3r: Would it shock you to say that the GDI of today, the one largely shaped by the iron wills of Secretary and Director Grangers, is one that is not overly dissimilar from the rough drafts I worked out decades ago with my inner circles? It's honestly been a pleasant shock, I'm more than a bit proud of how far you've come. The periods of peace that have happened in the last several years are largely owed to how GDI isn't a festering cesspool of heartless, soulless, neo-liberal capitalistic greed, profiteering, and mindless expansion. What is true today for GDI was not true when you were but a child.
#DrownedInTheBlue: My children who volunteered, before or after death, to serve in that capacity, do so well before viable power armor was more than a laboratory pipe dream. Tiberium Mutation, especially at the time, was too unpredictable. The gardens being tended by my children now are, while not tame, better understood by us all, as well as the fruits of the labors there. If you're asking me if I, we, would do the exact same thing today, then likely not. But then again, I'm reasonably confident GDI has been moving away from requiring that their grenadiers have a minor in discus throwing, as well. Time marches on.
YellowZon3r
Yeaahh… The little AI grenades were great. Knew someone who reprogrammed them to chirp and play little songs. Shame the grenadier specialisation has mostly moved to 203's.
FloatingWood
Claiming that GDI is or was a monument to the imperialism of the 20th century is… not entirely inaccurate but to do so in a way that implies Nod wasn't and isn't guilty of the same and worse is quite rich. Across the world, Nod merely absorbed and continued the terror campaigns of old, established terrorism networks and governments, pioneering a hybrid warfare of subverted citizens blowing up hospitals, bus stations and stadiums while soldiers in the black and red murder entire towns at a time.
For all of GDI's sins, it does not praise those who should have known better in their target selection.
I suppose asking you to condemn those that do is too much… but will you stop them from doing any such future attacks?
AccomplishingProvidence
#YellowZon3r: Mankind is so delightfully inventive sometimes.
#FloatingWood: We are not sinless. But one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Terrorism to some is asymmetrical warfare to others. This excuses and absolves nothing, but the world is shades of grey and green, rather than black and white and red. And GDI has more than a few bombs that have landed on weddings, never mind Ion Cannon strikes on barely-armed Islamic pilgrim convoys, for the crimes of having occurred in Yellow Zones. I'm past interest in who cast the first stone, but rather more in if we shall find a way to cast the last amongst mankind.
Stones among the stars are a matter for another day…
CatQueen
First a very important question: Cats or Dogs?
Are you the Cain from the bible? And if so who is/was Able?
Are you an Alien?
What is your favourite food?
What is your favourite holiday destination?
AccomplishingProvidence.
#CatQueen: In order:
-Both.
-No, but also perhaps a bit yes. My brother.
-It's complicated.
-There was a recipe for a lamb stew I stumbled across in Egypt in 1150 AD but it's gone now. So currently I'm partial to a spicy lamb biryani.
-Paris.
KneeDeepInTheTib
#AccomplishingProvidence You're the Messiah. Did it ever for a moment cross your mind to perhaps evacuate civilians? Perhaps find some way of triggering that explosion in some godforsaken pit far away from civilization instead of Temple Prime?
Let me tell you a story. There used to be an angry little Initiate who sang the praises of the Messiah and vowed to end the monster that was GDI, and she took so much pride in learning from her Brothers and Sisters in the Black Hand, one day to become like them. But then her Messiah did something exceptionally foolish - even if maybe with beneficial intentions - and she watched a newborn sun bear the ashes of her mother, father, little sisters and brothers, and everyone she had ever loved to the heavens from a quarter of a world away, and wished she could join them.
She ran. To that hated enemy, no less, because she had nowhere else to go and nothing but shattered faith left to her. They took her in, fed her, clothed her, housed her, and even in those days just after that war ended they kept better care of her than Nod ever had. Things got better. She helped fight the green death crystal, she helped fight her former comrades, and now?
I can forgive Nod for a great many things because I know the people within it are basically good (most of them, anyway) and in need of and deserving help unshackling themselves from the Warlords who dream themselves their masters. But you?
You murdered my family. I know they're just another dozen souls added to your butcher's bill; a statistic. You never knew of them or their faith in you and couldn't care less. I cannot and will not ever forgive that ultimate betrayal, that lack of care or ability to look after your own people and safeguard them from harm.
I hope, some day, you face justice for your many crimes. I pray that I'm the one who gets to deliver it.
AccomplishingProvidence
#KneeDeepInTheTib: I have seen worlds fully consumed by Tiberium. I have seen worlds burned to try and prevent the crystal from reaching so deep the planet exploded into fragments that infected the entire star system. When that meteor landed in 1995, all organic life on this planet, including me, was on a timer to death. Have I made mistakes along the way? Yes. Have many people died both for my mistakes and because of my movements and plans? Yes. I do not exalt in these deaths. They bring me no joy, with a number of exceptions so small they can be counted on two hands with fingers to spare.
The vision I have given to Nod is not false. I saw a world mired in greed and corruption, and reached out to those who wanted better. The people who will carry that vision, that hope, into the next generation, the next century, will be the ones who are praised. If my name is damned in the mouth of all the children of Terra from now to the heat death of the universe, but we are able to keep mankind alive that long, I will consider it worth it.
InTheZone
#AccomplishingProvidence No, I just think your response to it was utterly shite. You really couldn't do better than repeated global wars (that you ended up losing)?
FloatingWood
Well, after all that I can only come to one conclusion… there will be no peace. Kane will neither condemn nor constrain those of his followers who continue the violence.
Even Initiative First knows to at least make the right mouth noises when one of their idiots causes a riot or physically attacks a member of the public, which is the absolute bare minimum needed to maintain some measure of peace.
DrownedInTheBlue
#AccomplishingProvidence Wait, Before or After? How does one volunteer after Death? Other people are hitting on the important Subject matters so I'll avoid those for the sake of showing basic respect, and for the record I did not know about the uh, Unique designs GDI used for Grenades before The switch back to normal grenades, but like, I feel The ability to make choices after Death is a very important thing. So uh, How did you manage that? Or am I just misunderstanding you?
Your point on power armor and the greater understanding of tib is fair though, for me, My first memory is my mom showing me her Zone armor, so I'll own up to kinda just… forgetting that it wasn't always good, let alone perfect.
InTheZONE
#FloatingWood Honestly? I truly hope there can be a lasting peace with Nod. However misled they've been they're still human. Kane on the other hand? At most there can only be a cease-fire, something temporary. He's caused too much death and destruction for anything permanent. When Nod's out from under Kane, then maybe we can have peace.
AccomplishingProvidence
#InTheZone: One shouldn't give up when they fail the first time. As for your second comment, only time will tell.
#FloatingWood: I'm not going to lay out internal domestic policy here, to be frank. All I will say is I do not seek the death of children.
#DrownedInTheBlue: Signing an agreement, or verbally doing so, to either become one, or donate themselves for the cause. I won't speak to the disposition of eternal souls.
Q4 2065 Results
Resources: 1560+650 in reserve (-30 from Reconstruction commissions) (-15 from Bureau of Arcologies) (-15 from Consumer Industrial Development) (-10 Division of Alternative Energy) (-20 Department of Munitions)(-30 Department of Refits) (-240 InOps) (-60 General Pool)(-50 Epsilon Eridani Expedition) (100 in Reserve for Banking)
Tib Spread:
Surface
27.945 (+.96) Blue Zone
.785 (-.895) Green Zone
0.07 (+0.00) Cyan Zone
23.37 (+.065) Yellow Zone (127 points of mitigation)
47.83 (-0.13) Red Zone (110 points of mitigation)
Underground Tiberium infiltration estimates:
0.31 (-0.36) Blue
12.44 (-0.31) Yellow (60 points of mitigation)
88.16 (+.67) Red (29 points of mitigation)
Next Mutation Roll: Q2 2066
Current Economic Issues:
Housing: +101 (+88 LQ, +13 HQ) (1 high-quality housing per turn)
Energy: +28 (+6 in reserve) (+5 per turn from sub-departments)
Logistics: +31 (-14 from military activity)
Food: +69 (+32 backed reserve, +5 unbacked reserve)
Health: +49 (+6 Emergency Health) (-8 from refugees)
Capital Goods: +60 (+2 per turn from Distributed Industrial Authority) (+688 in reserve)
Consumer Goods: +68 (+10 per turn from Private Industry) (+3 per turn from sub-departments) (-15 from realignment) (Net -2 per turn)
Labor: +10 (+3 per turn from medical care) (+2 per turn from Immigrant qualifications) (-3 per turn from other government) (-1 from graying population) (Net +1)
Tiberium Processing Capacity (3090/4200) (740/1850 HG, 1350/1350 IHG, 1000/1000 X) (HG: 1 per 90, IHG: 1 per 80, X: 1 per 40)
Tiberium Reserve (0/500)
STUs: +16
Taxation Per Turn: +240 (no change from economic turbulence)
Space Mining Per Turn: +100
Maintenance Reductions: +50
Increased Refining Efficiency: +100
STU Production and Consumption
Net: +16 per turn
Production: +56 per turn (8.2... HG, 16.875 IHG, 25X, 6 RZ SMARV)
Consumption: -40 per turn
32 Economy
-6 Tiberium (2 Harvesting Tendrils, 2 Sonic Weapons, 2 T-Glass)
-26 Other (9 Structural Alloys, 6 Hovercraft, 2 Gravitic Shipyard, 2 Microfusion Labs, 3 Caravel Shipyard, 4 Fluyt Shipyard)
8 Military
-5 Aircraft (2 Tactical Lasers, 2 Plasma Munitions, 1 NovaHawk Refits)
-1 Ground Vehicles (1 Mastodons [Shimmer Shields, Point Defense Lasers], 0 Havocs [Shimmer Shields])
-1 Strategic Air Defense Networks
-1 Navy (Lasers)
Plan Goals Increase population in space by 550
Spend at least one die on Steel Talons projects every turn
Projects Deploy Governor-A refit
Promises to Litvinov: Do not activate Free Dice (except for Tiberium) unless all Department Dice are active.
Spend no more than two free dice per turn on Military.
Politics
With the public becoming aware of Kane's attempts to make contact and many other problems making themselves known, the Initiative's political scene has become quite agitated. Lines are being drawn and what seemed to be settled arrangements in preparation for the changing of the guard are not.The biggest issue is an obvious one; a split between those who would be willing to hear what Kane has to say about his proposed solution to Tiberium, and those who are not. Those who are not cite his long history of starting wars against the Initiative and its people, some going so far as to refer to him as the cause and origin of humanity's ills in this Tiberium world. While negotiations are one thing, actually working with the man is going to be difficult to sell to anyone who have invested themselves into the struggle between GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod.
Despite this, preparations are underway for the Philadelphia conference, held under secrecy, with only the highest level staff present, including Kane, Seo, Hackett, Litvinov, and Carter, representing the past and future leadership of the Initiative. It is something that is not being widely publicized, but it is a meeting to decide the path the future will take.
[ ] Japan-Korea Tunnel
While building a tunnel underneath the sea of Japan will be a monumental undertaking, it will provide a rail connection between the two areas, joining them together into a single overall rail network, providing for both rapid transit and an easing of logistical linkages. It will likely mostly carry perishable goods that currently require air transport or fast courier ships, along with a regular passenger service.
(Progress 436/350: 20 resources per die) (+3 Logistics)
Digging a tunnel between Japan and Korea is a major project. While the tunnel itself is still far from complete, the preparatory work had already been done, and the tunnel boring machines started digging almost as soon as the paperwork had come down from the top with the needed signatures. The tunnel is being bored from six locations – connecting through two islands to minimize the length, offer stretches of an open sky to the corridor, and maximize boring speed. The eventual route will begin in Korea, at Geojie, then proceed to Tsushima island, then Iki island, and finally coming out in Kyushu near the Hado cape. As with other, major tunneling efforts, it's not actually one tunnel for the entire length; rather, there are three parallel tunnels being dug from each starting point: two outer tunnels for the trains, and a service and evacuation tunnel between them for safety.
Modern tunneling machines make quick work as a result of STU alloy digging blades and sonic projectors aimed at the rock face, but they do run into a number of problems, with one of the more significant ones being the amount of subsurface Tiberium that the project is running into. Each of the tunnels has experienced multiple instances where progress had to be halted in order to bring up harvesters to pull Tiberium out of the walls and floor. There is an ongoing debate as to the question of ongoing maintenance and Tiberium abatement going forward; opinions are divided, and suggestions range from regular inspections and rail-deployable harvesters, to adapting Tiberium spike technology so it can be integrated directly into the tunnel walls.
[ ] U-Series Alloy Foundries (Phase 6)
Shifting goals from bulk alloys to more specialist systems, tib resistant cutting blades will be a relatively minor but significant shift in GDI's ability to harvest Tiberium. While it will be expensive for what GDI gets out of the program, it is also an investment in the core technologies and competencies of working with STU based alloys.
(Progress 499/455: 40 resources per die) (-4 Energy, -1 STUs) (-10 progress requirement on tib mining projects)
Building blade and spring materials from U-series alloys has been a process, and one where one of the earlier examples is now on your desk as a letter opener. While loss rates are still annoyingly high, superhard cutting blades and a wide variety of other tools are starting to come off the production lines. Most of these are high wear components. Something like a diamond core drill bit will only last for between forty to eighty meters of drilling into concrete. Especially for some of the larger constructions, that means that a single building can eat hundreds of drill bits with ease. Making even a twenty percent improvement cuts the total consumption dramatically, and the test bits are commonly doing over a hundred meters.
While the most immediate impacts are primarily in Tib-mining, that is because the U-series alloys are noticeably more Tiberium-resistant than most other methods, while also having the resilience to cut through solid rock. The resistance shown by Tib glass to the crystal is one thing, but a tool that cuts through rock and tib alike without being eaten is another.
[ ] Nuuk Heavy Robotics Foundry (Phase 4)
With the initial production shock labored into existence, further development is predicated on massive investment and expansion of the project, laying massive production lines, and setting them in motion towards one of the largest projects ever envisioned by the Global Defense Initiative.
(Progress 589/935: 20 resources per die) (+32 Capital Goods, -2 Labor, -8 Energy) (+1 to Infrastructure dice)
(Progress 0/1800: 20 resources per die) (+64 Capital Goods, -2 Labor, -16 Energy) (+1 to Infrastructure dice)
Nuuk has been a major project, facing multiple major hurdles in terms of production, most notably, stressing the energy supply for the region. While much of this has been handled and a major expansion of the Greenland energy grid is being prepared to service the planned expansion now underway, there were multiple occasions of power interruption or circuit breakers tripping to protect the broader network due to unexpected surges in demand.
In terms of mass automation, there is a significant amount that can be done, but one of the most troublesome points is interface. EVAs can and do a lot to streamline the connections, yet at the end of the day every system must be able to safely interface with humans, animals, and nature; all of which are sources of significant chaos in what can otherwise be an extremely orderly affair. This requirement for adaptability, more than anything else, has been a major constraint on how much GDI can make physical labor a thing of the past.
[ ] Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Caterium Fabricator (New)
Building a Caterium fabricator will be a relatively minor project, all things considered, with there being (at this time) relatively little demand for the product. However, it is a starting point, and beginning to make the material available will be both a stepping stone towards more advanced versions, and make some substantial amount of the material available to those who could find uses for it.
(Progress 195/160: 25 resources per die) (+3 Capital Goods, +2 Energy)
Caterium, as it turns out, is a pain to make and even more so to use. Not quite as flexible as most standard wires, nor capable of safely channeling the amount of energy as other Bergen production – about a third of production is being sent back due to breakage or burnout. It is in an irritating-to-work-with middle ground, where on one hand it is flexible enough to try to make it work, but that very flexibility also makes it hard to work with. It is prone to getting wear kinks, and repeated bending tends to break the cable even with safeguarding.
The Kamchatka peninsula is historically a major success story of the Initiative, and home to some of the Initiative's more… patriotic citizens. Lightly inhabited before the fall of Tiberium, the region became a settlement site for a mixture of refugee groups from Siberia, and East and South-East Asia in the prelude to the Second Tiberium War, as GDI pulled as many as could be moved towards the poles while the central latitudes became increasingly inhospitable to human life with rapidly increasing levels of Tiberium contamination.
After the Third Tiberium War, it became one of the sites of significant levels of early production prototyping, in large part because it is far from any major warlords' centers of power, and that means that it is more difficult for many in the Brotherhood to push their operatives. While locations like Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, and the UK are more amenable to full scale secure production, Kamchatka has served well as a secure location for early small scale production and development, and supplies a critical outpost to secure the northern Pacific Ocean.
[ ] Adaptive Cloth Factories
While primarily for consumer goods, adaptive cloth is adaptive cloth, and the production will also feed into military procurement among other fields. Mostly, the Initiative will solely be producing the cloth, and then farming it out to private fashion houses, and Initiative backed design studios to do much of the work of integrating it into things that people will actually wear.
(Progress 181/300: 15 resources per die) (+5 Consumer Goods)
Work has continued on adaptive cloth, both for military purposes under the name Chameleoline, and under a variety of names for more civilian uses. Some of the first production batches have gone out to various test units, and come back with mixed reviews. One of the more noticeable negative ones have come from Arctic units, where it seems to be struggling with the cold, and the need to reflect white. Other units mostly have found it to be nice but overall unimpressive. While the ability to change camouflage patterns on the fly can be useful, the vast Tiberian wastes' environment has much less concealment than camouflage is generally designed to exploit; and in many cases, rather than engaging on identification, both sides will simply engage on movement in their front.
[ ] White Goods Programs
White goods are major home appliances. While the state of the art has progressed in the last fifteen to twenty years, nearly all of those appliances in GDI's houses are old models, designed before the Third Tiberium War, and in many cases significantly before then. While wholesale immediate replacement is not viable, looking at the progress in various fields, should allow for GDI to make some efficiencies and conveniences more readily available.
(Progress 204/200: 15 resources per die) (-1 Capital Goods, +4 Consumer Goods, +1 Energy, +1 Labor)
The promise of all white goods has been a more convenient life. A life where you didn't have to worry about your food going bad, hand-washing dishes and clothing, and assorted other promises, some more true than others. In the end however, all of these promises were more than a little empty. Across the mid to late 20th century, household chores did become substantially smaller affairs, but at the same time, the new free time became increasingly taken up by other work. The new generation of machinery has done much the same, focusing on speed and efficiency, but it is something where even saving a few minutes of free time actually makes a significant difference to perceived quality of life.
One of the more significant problems looking forward in terms of white goods, is that any future upgrades are either going to be revolutionary, or merely chipping away at the margins. A high efficiency induction cooktop is already putting nearly 90 percent of the energy used into the cookware. While another percent or two is theoretically possible, any "next step" would largely be switching to another mechanism of cooking entirely, something along the lines of the switch from hearth cooking to wood stoves, or from wood stoves to gas and electric systems, each of which fundamentally changed the mechanisms of cooking, not just iteratively improving on the existing system.
[ ] Bioplastics Development
Bioplastics in various forms have been in use since the 1850s. However, a significant number of them are either low- or limited-performance, or simply difficult to produce in the modern-day environment. Genetically engineering a dedicated plant to produce the precursors to high-performance bioplastics is one element of making the Initiative less reliant on Tiberium.
(progress 111/80: 20 resources per die) (Plant Genetics)
Pushing the edges of bioplastics has been a painstaking process, with many programs publishing limited improvements, if any. Probably the most important program that was pushed for was investigating a series of high temperature plastics. Most GDI weapons systems use some form of polymer cased ammunition, due to trying to cut down on weight wherever possible. Polymer cased rounds weigh between twenty and thirty percent less than their brass or steel cased counterparts, and that can be significant when the average rifleman needs to carry over two hundred rounds of ammunition, and a machine gunner can expect to go through thousands. While switching to a biopolymer basis would do little to impact the end user, it was hoped it would free up industrial assets to do other chemical works, and make some marginal changes in the dynamics of ammunition storage.
Most of the other plastics developed in the project are relatively marginal improvements, or simply marginally cheaper than existing products. Most of them are good enough for use, but the costs of changing over would not pay for itself in any reasonable timeframes. It has become clear that, rather than looking for new plastics, it might be more effective to look towards developing cultivars producing higher concentrations and purities of plastic substrates. Such plants would not have as great an effect as was desired, but still free up some petrochemical refining capacity by decreasing the level of pre-treatment required.
[ ] Terrain Retention Projects
While reforestation and restoration of the biosphere is currently a relatively low priority, especially due to the risks of Tiberium undermining, that does not in fact mean that GDI cannot care about soil retention and otherwise stabilizing the system.
(Progress 227/160: 15 resources per die)
Beyond simple mass planting, in some parts of the world more active terrain retention projects are required. Retention dams, soil stabilization, packed earth walls for wind breaks, and other means of cutting down on the amount of moving air and water. Most of them are various formats of compacted soil, because they need to be able to break down without leaving too much detritus in the environment.
Looking more broadly at Initiative efforts to regreen the earth, they are all, so far, little more than trying to put bandages on bullet wounds. They can help, to be sure, but at the end of the day, it will take much more to make the earth whole again. That fight will be one that takes generations. Even now, if Tiberium is stopped tomorrow, it will take over a century for substantial parts of the world to get past the bare first steps of being more than bare rock and soil. But what has been done matters. It matters because there are kids wandering through fields of flowers, there are adults relearning how to see green without fear.
"So… Hans, those robodozers? Where did you get those from?"
"Buddy of mine worked on one of those automated truck projects, and I asked if it was possible to do the same with construction equipment."
"Only worked with dozers?"
"No. Well, not if you don't mind the risk of some crane swiping everybody off the scaffolds. With the dozers you can just put up a fence and let them work."
[ ] Medical Plant Deployment (New)
Salvebrush and Kingsfoil are far enough along in the development process for them to be seriously deployed. While the Initiative medical system is not under particular strain at the moment, plants like these are steps towards greater self-sufficiency across the Initiative's smaller settlements.
(Progress 223/220: 15 resources per die) (+1 Labor, +4 Health)
Putting medicinal plants out into circulation has more to do with confidence than impact. The ability to do serious, sustainable, medical work when completely cut off is a comfort to a lot of people. Proper modern sieges are a rarity. On a quickly moving battlefield, oftentimes the mass at the point of contact is weighted so far in one direction or another that a position can be simply stormed, bombarded, or otherwise reduced, or beat back an advance with such force the attacker goes for an easier target. However, there are many times when an extended siege can still occur, mostly when neither side has brought up the heavy core forces to that particular engagement. At that point, it becomes a conflict of supply, and medical supplies in the modern day are one of the things that can run out extremely quickly.
However, it is something that happens. In every conflict in the modern age, sieges have occurred, mostly a result of Initiative fortifications, and the Brotherhood holding back heavy assets. One such was the siege of Sydney during the Third Tiberium War. While the city was never cut off for more than a few weeks, the siege lasted over a year, with both sides suffering substantial losses. The Initiative Navy may have kept the sea lanes open, but they lost multiple warships in the process. The siege would be broken not by the Initiative, but by the invasion of the Visitors, and the Brotherhood stealing Initiative nuclear systems in the process. Sieges like this one play large in the public consciousness of the war, with many of them receiving sustained news attention, compared to more rapid conflicts where one side or the other is overwhelmed and destroyed in a matter of days or weeks.
[ ] Enhanced Harvest Tiberium Spikes (Phase 4)
The Enhanced Harvest spikes, while not politically uncomplicated, are becoming a proven technology, and with iterative improvements in the design, are becoming less controversial, especially as they aid in reduction of the problems of subsurface tiberium.
(Progress 447/180: 20 resources per die) (+10 resources per turn) (+1 Underground Red Zone Abatement, +1 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement)
(Progress 267/180: 20 resources per die) (+10 resources per turn) (+1 Underground Red Zone Abatement, +1 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement)
Politically speaking, the EHTS program is a good example of the ability of the Treasury to sway opinions. Part of that means being public about failure. Rather than burying failures, publicizing events like the Springfield Spike Collapse, where a half dozen Tiberium spikes collapsed in short succession due to faulty bolts, is part of ensuring that the public actually has confidence that the Initiative is being public about its failures. Especially in circumstances where people are extremely concerned about major failures, and the potential for the spikes to generate surface Tiberium outbreaks.
"I told you, I told you, these demon spikes would bring ruin, and now a dozen collapsed together in Springfield. A cloud of tiberium dust has spread through the air and will poison and mutate the people of Ohio, just you wait."
Website Garrytheprophet, reporting on the Springfield Spike Collapse.
(Note, the Springfield Spike Collapse incident occurred in Springfield, Ireland, BZ-1)
[ ] Tiberium Inhibitor Deployment
Tiberium inhibitors have by now moved from experimental deployment to serial. While each will be significantly energy-expensive and require a major investment of resources, it is now one of the fastest routes to abate the Tiberian menace.
(For Yellow and Red Zones, project is unlocked once all allocated MARV hubs are completed)
-[ ] Blue Zone 6 Japan (Progress 113/75 (38 rollover): 30 resources per die (-3 Energy) (+2 Yellow Zone Abatement) (+2 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement) (1 Political Support)
-[ ] Blue Zone 14 (Progress 165/75 (90 rollover): 30 resources per die (-3 Energy) (+2 Yellow Zone Abatement) (+2 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement) (1 Political Support)
-[ ] Blue Zone 8 South America (Progress 344/75 (269 rollover): 30 resources per die (-3 Energy) (+2 Yellow Zone Abatement) (+2 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement) (1 Political Support)
-[ ] Blue Zone 12 (Progress 269/75 (194 rollover): 30 resources per die (-3 Energy) (+2 Yellow Zone Abatement) (+2 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement) (1 Political Support)
-[ ] Yellow Zone 10 (Progress 194/100 (94 rollover): 30 resources per die) (+2 Yellow Zone Abatement) (+2 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement)
-[ ] Yellow Zone 11 (Progress 94+90+38=222/100: 30 resources per die) (+2 Yellow Zone Abatement) (+2 Underground Yellow Zone Abatement)
All available inhibitor locations have been completed. A significant milestone in the Initiative's efforts to combat underground Tiberium, and something that has the Brotherhood of Nod paying attention. While there is no movement yet, the constant reversal of surface Tiberium has been extreme, with Initiative efforts cutting corridors through Red Zone after Red Zone, liberating Panama, and making significant dents elsewhere. It is a testament to the ability of the Initiative to conquer the crystal, at long last to make it serve humanity, rather than destroy it. At the same time, in your heart, you know that it is a fragile illusion to hold. The stats are clear, the simulations all end the same way. And then there is the letter on your desk.
Dear Seo,
We are both men who are unsatisfied with this world. It is in that spirit that I am reaching out. Both of us realize that unless something changes, our world is doomed, and are both likely to see the last of humankind. You have done, more than could be asked of you, more than I could have ever hoped for to fight that fate, but you can look at your estimates as well as I can, and it is simply not enough.
. . .
I am reaching out in the spirit of scientific progress, of change, and of hope for a better world. It is time, at long last, to bury the hatchet, and try to work together. You know my past, you know my history. We both know that I have always worked towards a better world, and I need you to help me see that vision completed.
Kane
[ ] GDSS Columbia Bays
-[ ] SCOP Bay
While Columbia is not laid out to take maximum advantage from solar energy, and its organization is not designed for farming, single cell organisms (a mixture of yeast, algae, and a handful of other producers) can be farmed on the station, producing a mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that will keep people alive, and serve as a baseline for outsystem feeding as solar energy becomes increasingly less available.
(Progress 272/250: 20 resources per die) (+3 Food, +6 Food in reserve)
SCOP or single celled organic proteins, are essentially a combination of yeasts and phytoplankton, designed to be a means of converting otherwise wasted energy into food, with multiple keystone strands, for the most part either thermal, or radiation based. In either case, there are a number of products, ranging from essentially a textureless protein paste, which can be cooked and firmed into mildly textured blocks of mostly protein and carbs, somewhat similar in texture to a reasonably firm tofu, and tasting something like chicken, although not particularly much like it. Most of the people who have been offered a chance to test the product don't really like it, but are willing enough to eat it, so long as there are other sources of texture. The dishes that are most well received are various forms of vegetable stir fry, with the SCOP bulking out the sauce. The product does however take very well to various forms of preservation, with much of it being freeze dried for preservation, either into powder formats, or more often, the blocks.
"It is not bad, so much as singularly lacking in any quality that could be considered good"
Test batch feedback form
"It tastes almost, but not entirely, unlike chicken"
A. D., product tester
"At least it's not CRP"
H.D., cook
[ ] GDSS Shala Bays
-[ ] Experimental Crops Bay (Stage 2)
Even with the biosphere on its last legs, there are some ideas that GDI scientists are too nervous about the potential of them getting out. Extremely fast growing crops, biological sources of explosives, medicine, and volatile compounds, and a wide variety of other ideas are potentially too risky to allow out into the wild, but could offer a wide array of benefits..
(Progress 297/215: 20 resources per die) (MS) (Unlocks new development projects)
In terms of experimental crops, much of the efforts thus far are towards microcrops – an array of things that can be grown in useful quantities in window sills and other constrained growing areas. One of the ones that has seen more success so far is spices, which are still something where GDI has a problem. Cinnamon, for example, is effectively unavailable due to the need for a two year growing cycle, and being tree bark. Similarly, nutmeg, mace, and a handful of other tree spices have been effectively absent from the Initiative diet. Initiative bioscientists have aimed to rectify this somewhat, and have successfully engineered a number of cultivars – derived from juniper – that concentrate appropriate flavoring agents in their berries, which can then be picked for use, even without needing to dry them. Although the project is conservative by experimental crop standards, it has been a good Christmas present to Litvinov as she is headed out of office.
On the more radical side are (for example) successors to the Kingsfoil and Salvebrush projects, formulated to provide raw materials for an in-development sealant that is responsive to the human blood coagulation chain. Intended to be deployed as a spray-on product, it might also be possible to put it into the Zone Suits and bodygloves as a safe, automatically deploying sealant that will protect wounds, reduce blood loss, and ideally, prevent sepsis even in cases of gut shots.
-[ ] Animal Husbandry Bay
While most of the effort is going to plants, animals have often been a significant part of human agricultural work. Most animals will be farmed for various forms of animal products, dairy, eggs, and the like, as growing animals for consumption in space conditions is terribly wasteful in most practical terms.
(Progress 236/215: 20 resources per die) (+6 Consumer Goods)
One of the key elements for orbital farming is space efficiency. While battery farming is possible, with a chicken for every cubic foot, that is actually dramatically inefficient in space conditions, because the same life support system that is supporting the humans also has to support the animal population of the station. On top of issues of sickness and cross contamination, happy, healthy animals are also often a good way to augment human morale.
One of the more efficient options being tested is actually ducks, as they are relatively friendly and (if raised correctly) can serve as companion animals, and lay eggs, which means that populations can be effectively controlled without slaughter, and they can be paired with catfish ponds rather than needing nearly as much space of their own.
-[ ] High Efficiency Void Crops Bay
There are a number of extremophile bacteria, lichen, and similar that are able to grow even in the airless, highly irradiated void of space. With extensive genetic engineering and experimentation, it may be possible to engineer human edible crops that can be farmed and harvested with a minimum of material and maintenance.
(Progress 183/180: 20 resources per die)
Space is a place of extremes. When directly in the sun, things can rapidly heat to well above boiling. When in the shadows, they can flash freeze. On the other hand, there are extremes on Earth as well, and many species that have found their niche in the most extreme of conditions. Rhodotorula, for example, is a common spoilage agent, able to thrive in conditions well below zero. On the other extreme, Deinococcus radiodurans,is one of the most radiation resistant organisms in existence known to humanity. Most of these extremophiles are single-celled organisms, and that can be somewhat problematic. However, these organisms can be put in places where nothing else can live, and that makes them incredibly valuable as a basis for engineering useful strains. A water tank as part of the layers of radiation cladding, or on the gantries that link space stations to solar panels – areas like these could become growing spaces without cutting into human habitation. The possibilities are not quite endless, but the promise of making food outside of habitation space makes a lot of people quite happy, because it means that they can provide their own emergency food supplies without needing to be in a large station or settlement.
[ ] Lunar Homesteading (Phase 5)
Continuing Lunar Homesteading projects are a combination of beginning to build basic community facilities, including low gravity pools, community exercise spaces, and other amenities, alongside expansions of living space, primarily in already existing homesteading spaces.
(Progress 351/220: 30 resources per die) (1000 residents)
Putting down roots in Lunar soil is an ongoing process, and one that sees the Initiative now running low on people to stuff into Lunar settlements. While there are slots open, there are not enough people to actually fill them, especially because GDI also wants many of the same populations for vital Earthside roles. For a lot of master machinists, doctors, and assorted other highly skilled professions, getting space qualified is something that they can just do as it's offered as an optional election in addition to classes they are already going to as part of their professional education. For jobs with a less centralized educational system, it often takes them further out of their way, and makes them less likely to actually pursue getting qualified for living in space, despite essentially all sections of the population expressing very high desires to live somewhere off Earth.
A significant part of the problem is that the more speculative, pie-in-the-sky educational efforts are still time intensive and oftentimes do not pay out. Up until the early 60's, going out of their way and getting qualified to go to space and live there was something that few people did, and large portions of the qualified population did so because they could, versus being something that they expected they would ever make actual use of. This is changing and there is an increase in participants, but the need to spend an average of six to seven hours of effort just to get into the program (which is significantly higher than most retraining/career changing programs) has apparently been enough of a barrier to gatekeep portions of the population.
Still a janitor? Sure. But man, the view
Recruiting advertisement
[ ] Fifth Generation Electronic Video Assistant Deployment (Phase 1)
While still extremely expensive, and reliant on massive quantities of isolinear chips, some small trickle of fifth-gen EVAs can be produced and fielded. While the immediate benefits will be somewhat limited, the overall results are likely to be significant, especially as older-model EVAs are displaced into fields that have been considered lower priority.
(Progress 313/250: 40 resources per die) (+1 to all departments)
(Progress 63/250: 40 resources per die) (+2 to all departments)
(Progress 0/250: 40 resources per die) (+3 to all departments)
Putting out substantial numbers of isolinear based EVAs has been something of a problem. Even with Anadyr and Aberdeen almost up to full production capacity, the two critical bottlenecks have been supplies and maintenance staff. While an isolinear computer system is relatively tough, especially when sealed up properly, it still needs a substantial amount of routine maintenance. Scale that up to the hundreds of systems required to make a statistically significant dent in the amount of manhours consumed by paperwork, and things start looking dicy.
[ ] Military Logistics Drone Network (Phase 1)
Adapting drone control to the basics of self-driving trucks and other robotic assistants is not particularly difficult, and will substantially increase the tooth to tail ratio. While it will do little to reduce the need for skilled labor, many of the relatively simple driving tasks can be turned over to drone operators.
(Progress 155/200: 20 resources per die) (+5 Labor, -5 Capital Goods)
(Progress 0/200: 20 resources per die) (+5 Labor, -7 Capital Goods)
(Progress 0/200: 20 resources per die) (+5 Labor, -8 Capital Goods)
At the end of the day, a military is largely a delivery service with guns, and that has only gotten more true as the centuries roll on. A military in the early modern period, would have a very, very, lean tail, oftentimes living off of the land that they were fighting over. While there was something of a logistical system, it was, for the most part, the very most basic of supplies. Hardtack, uniforms, and salted meat. Most other supplies were gleaned from local infrastructure networks.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most nations had centralized and pre-planned their logistics, turning war into timetables, aided by the speed and ease of a railroad system. At the same time, military and civilian requirements started to become ever more distinct. No longer could armies simply seize lead and gunpowder to make bullets, no longer could they rely on looting the countryside for vital military supply, and no longer was it militarily acceptable to have the level of disorganization that such pillaging required.
With this move towards a separate supply network came an ever increasing investment in infrastructure and cargo handling, the biggest being palletization and containerization. Rather than having to move individual shells, palletization allowed the use of forklifts, moving entire sections of supplies at once with a single individual, with some of the earliest patents dating from the 1920s. Containerization soon followed with the ability to stack multiple containers together, again reducing the need for handling. In many ways, it is quite a stroke of fortune, because it is much easier to remotely control a forklift to simply pick up, move, and put down containers, rather than needing to handle each piece of ordnance separately and by hand. At the same time, the sheer scale of military logistics is not to be underestimated, and automated warehouses need significant hardening against hostile action and general lack of attention by humans working there when the goods in storage have a noted disposition to violently becoming everybody else's problem.
In terms of implementation of drones in military logistical planning, there are, broadly, four layers. Starting from intake from the factories, the biggest difference at the warehouse level is that the system is being controlled at a much higher level. Robotic forklifts were already present, but running on a centralized mainframe under an EVA rather than having more manual control. The bigger differences are at the deeper layers, moving from the warehouse to the front.
In the middle the trains are actually the least changed, already highly automated, and largely self managing. While they will likely always need crews to some extent, automated loading and unloading systems make turnarounds fast, a vital commodity, and makes scheduling easier.
In the third layer is the last ten miles, for the most part based on truck convoys and here, internally autonomous self driving vehicles are massive. Reducing the amount of meat required to operate a truck convoy reduces one of the risk points, and means that command staff can send in trucks even if they know that there will be losses to incoming artillery, infiltrator teams, and the like. A lost truck is a lot less valuable than a lost truck crew.
The final layer is the so-called "mules:" six-wheeled rovers capable of moving over a ton of cargo, while being almost completely expendable. Directed by radio, or hand signals, mules will provide a considerable cargo movement capacity right into the front line.
[ ] Initiative Laser Systems Deployment (Phase 2)
While not a system that any particular branch is happy with, a combat deployable laser will find homes among many of the Initiative's assets, from the NovaHawk, to next generation field anti-aircraft systems, and the secondary batteries of Initiative warships. Even in the orbitals will the Infernium laser find a home as GDI builds its first combat capable voidcraft. The second phase of deployment will focus on refitting the Steel Talon's Titans among other systems, including the Initiative's battleships and carriers.
(Progress 116/185: 25 resources per die) (-2 Energy, -1 STU)
(Progress 0/185: 25 resources per die) (-2 Energy, -1 STU)
Putting infernium lasers into mass production may no longer be particularly expensive, but it is certainly something with some very long lead times. In some ways the hardest part is making the lasing rods themselves, primarily because of the logistical web. Even the most productive xenorefinery refinery typically produces no more than a 30 gram nugget of Infernium per day. While STU production is up dramatically since the program was first envisioned, the need for this specific STU – separate and purified from anything else – is still somewhat problematic, given that it requires extremely pure infernium that also needs to be smelted together with Infernium from other refineries.
While it will be doped into a lasing rod, the chemical composition of those rods is a problem, as infernium binds to the atoms and molecules in the rods in highly inconvenient ways, the worst being internal gaseous bubbles that require a complete restart of the process as there is no other way, at this time, of getting those bubbles out. Much as with many other highly advanced components, GDI's poor mastery of beyond cutting edge technology forces it to use its considerable industrial might to exploit statistics by sheer volume of production, recycling anything that does not meet standards and using everything that does.
Looking more broadly at the Initiative laser program, the future is probably in diversification. While having a single laser unit with various add ons is good for logistics, at the end of the day, a combat laser for a Guardian APC that is primarily being used to swat missiles, drones, and (if they get lucky) stop light artillery, is quite a different beast than a high performance air to air design, meant to sweep Barghests, Stormriders, and whatever else the galaxy has to throw at the Initiative from the sky.
[ ] Third Generation Zone Armour Development (New)
With major advances in material sciences and mechanical engineering, and Nod adapting to Zone Armour, a blank slate revision is required to meet the requirements of the future. While the current generation of suits is certainly serviceable, they will need work.
(Progress 94/80: 20 resources per die)
Zone Armor has undergone a fundamental reshaping of its mission. When Zone Armour was first designed in the 2030s, it was intended to be a very narrow tip of the spear, an environmentally sealed platform, Tiberium resistant, and fundamentally a weapon of the special forces meant for high contamination environments, a role it fulfilled with great success during the 2040s and 50's, and will no doubt continue excelling in for decades to come. Over the last decade and a half, it has also been forced into the role of heavy infantry, due to the Initiative's need to stem the bleeding wound that is casualty prone foot infantry, the desperate need for heavier firepower, and, probably most importantly, the need for massed forces that can effectively operate on the edges of the Red Zones.
Beyond the evolving needs, there are evolving technologies. When the current model of Zone Armor was developed, GDI was only beginning its experimentation with myomer technology. Today, nearly every component of the armor is years out of date, and needs replacement, from its jetpack to its armor scheme, to its power cables and artificial musculature.
Operationally, the next generation of Zone Armor is aimed almost to a fault at modularity, both in terms of basic components, but more importantly in terms of outfitting. A Zone Trooper and Zone Raider in the modern day have fairly similar effective roles, but share relatively little in terms of components. Bringing everything under one core design, fitted with an array of multi use hardpoints, will allow GDI to build a combat force that is flexible, and rapidly expandable. The core vision is that GDI can effectively equip any force as needed for the expected threat and target profile with the delivery of whatever component packages are required. At the same time, should supply lines break down, garrison forces and home guard units can be stripped of their armored components to maintain operational tempos in line units in those cases storage is insufficient to cover the deficit.
[ ] NovaHawk Factory Refits (High Priority)
GDI at the moment does not need massive numbers of new airframes, especially given the number of parts shared between the old Firehawks and the new Novahawks. Therefore, it is best to focus almost all efforts on putting in the upgrades, ranging from laser modules and repulsorplate arrays, to the reshaping of the fuselage to accommodate all of the changes.
(Progress 150/150: 25 resources per die) (-1 STUs, -1 Energy) (Refit)
(Progress 0/150: 25 resources per die) (-1 STUs, -1 Energy) (Refit)
The Novahawk is a solidly next generation design, and one that is finally able to not just meet the Barghests in battle, but defeat them. While it will take significant time to actually put them into the field, test squadrons are already racking up impressive kill counts in practice engagements, most commonly through shunting maneuvers, where rather than turning the aircraft, they take manual control of the repulsors, and shove it in another direction, pulling maneuvers that even the Firehawks cannot match. While the G-forces involved are often extreme, to say the least, they are able to put guns on target and avoid incoming fire.
At the same time, they are able to both land and take off from places that Firehawks cannot. A Firehawk's vectored thrust system points the exhaust of an active jet engine at maximum power at a target, with temperatures well north of 600 degrees. While building a runway or landing pad that can handle those temperatures and forces is certainly well practiced at this point, it is still not precisely cheap, and so many runways and landing areas are not built to those high specifications. Comparatively, running on repulsorplates, a Novahawk can land effectively anywhere so long as it can support the weight. This has included a number of Novahawk landings on apartment buildings and other locations with rooftop heliports.
"Jumpy, your wing snapped off. Jumpy. Jumpy!!
-Captain Sarah 'Mouse' Briggs, 3355th Training Squadron
[ ] Thunderbolt II Missile Development (Platform) (Munitions)
The primary difference planned for the second generation of Thunderbolt missiles is in the fueling system. While most of the other parts of the system work well enough, the aggressive maneuvering required to successfully intercept a Barghest, Kelpie, or other high end Brotherhood aircraft puts too much strain on the missile when combined with Visitor and Brotherhood derived fuels.
(Progress 62/60: 15 resources per die)
Development of the Thunderbolt II missile system has largely been split between two camps: bigger, and better. On the 'bigger' side, mostly from naval design bureaus reference anti-shipping missiles in an effort to produce Thunderbolt missiles in the 25 to 35 range, paired with air breathing motors to increase range and decrease fuel weight, although these motors typically (but not always) come with tradeoffs in complexity.
The 'better' side has instead focused primarily on the warheads, attempting to offer up systems that combine effectiveness with cheapness. Expending scarce STUs in plasma warheads is no way to win a generational war, and so one of the more significant efforts has been in finding more efficient ways to fight. One of them has been a design for laser heads. Essentially, this can be thought of as mounting a small crystal beam laser array and capacitor on the tip of the missile, rather than an explosive warhead. Although the angle of attack is rather narrow, the greater stand off range increases the hit chances substantially, so long as the missile can point itself roughly towards the target. While in testing the missiles had reasonable impact, it would be expected to take between three and seven such missiles to ensure a kill on a modern Barghest type fighter, an improvement over the standard plasma missile that is devastating on a hit… but only if it hits.
Overall, the Thunderbolt II series is aimed towards quantity rather than quality. While there are going to be expensive missile types, the vast majority of the use is not going to be hyper-maneuverable high speed air to air missiles. It is going to be long ranged bombardment from warships and MLRS platforms, ones where most of the missiles are surface launched glide bombs more than anything else. In some ways, the missiles as designed are actually a downgrade from the FESSMs that are the standard surface to air missile across the Initiative fleet, unable to take the same g-forces required for sustained maneuvering. On the other hand, the mass production advantages will tell, interoperable missiles of various types that are launch vehicle agnostic and cheap for their performance envelope are expected to degrade Nod's forces for similar or lesser cost compared to current tools, and a ship being able to sustain itself from the same supply of missiles as everyone else fundamentally changes the nature of missile combat for everyone involved.
[ ] Next Generation Armored Vehicle Factories
A new generation of metal, a new breed of machines, for a new kind of war. While the Predator, Guardian, and Pitbull have been the symbols of the height of the Initiative's relative overmatch, that is no longer the case, and it is time for a new generation to take the lead.
Progress 184/450: (30 resources per die) (-6 Energy, -12 Capital Goods, -6 Labor, -3 STUs)
Progress 0/450: (30 resources per die) (-3 Energy, -8 Capital Goods, -2 Labor, -3 STUs) (Refit)
Progress 0/450: (30 resources per die) (-3 Energy, -8 Capital Goods, -2 Labor, -2 STUs) (Refit)
Progress 0/450: (30 resources per die) (-3 Energy, -8 Capital Goods, -2 Labor, -2 STUs) (Refit)
Progress 0/450: (30 resources per die) (-3 Energy, -4 Capital Goods, -1 STUs) (Refit)
Progress 0/450: (30 resources per die) (-3 Energy, -4 Capital Goods, -1 STUs) (Refit)
Looking at the next generation of armored vehicles, one factory complex, located between Birmingham and Leicester, offers an insight into the scale and complexity of the entire operation. On one side, billets of U-series alloys, lasing rods, spark plugs, and a thousand and one other components sourced from factories across the European Blue Zones enter by truck and train. Automated unloaders transfer cargos from the wagons, and move them onto a series of conveyors, and an internal rail system. From there, the hulls are formed, and filled with equipment. Out the other side, come the vehicles, ready for painting into a regional camo scheme, fitted out with optional extras, and shipped to the front lines.
Or at least that is what will happen when the factory is complete. Now however, it is quiet, and in some ways incredibly creepy. Vaulted gantries only partially filled with cyclopean machinery, hanging from ceilings and sprouting from floors, and an unfinished web of narrow catwalks for maintenance teams to scurry along in this cathedral of war stretches into gaping divides where paths should cross.
[ ] Stealth Disruptor Deployment
While overall less effective than the still around nine kilometer range of current generation sensors, the stealth disruptor is still a potentially useful tool, and one that needs further development as both an attack surface against such targets as stealth tanks and Vertigo bombers, and as a means of ensuring that next generation stealth combats remain in the Initiative's favor.
(Progress 192/160: 15 resources per die) (-1 Capital Goods, -2 Energy) (Projected 6 quarters to begin, 8 quarters to complete) (Will time out at end of plan)
The first uses of the Stealth Disruptor have cemented its position as, at least for now, more of a nuisance device than anything else. Disruptor pods hung off of Firehawks have on multiple occasions turned back squadrons of Vertigo bombers in the last weeks over the Indian Ocean. While these disruptors are largely handcrafted prototypes, the actual production line has been kicked into gear. Production rates are expected to reach no more than a few dozen a year, primarily because these are most used on the extreme ends of the conflict curve, either at the lowest of the low intensities, where options other than kinetic are most desirable, and at the most high intensity of operations, where GDI cannot ensure that sensor packages are in the field and operational with all units, and so disruptor runs across Brotherhood formations become not only viable, but desirable.
[ ] Governor-A Deployment (Refits)
With the refit development finally complete, the requirements in tools and materials for the refits are now known, and the shipyards are ready to begin converting their production and maintenance yards over to supporting both building new Governor-As and refitting the existing inventory to the new standard. The refits include a slate of rationalizations to the yards themselves, incorporating far more automation than before, allowing fewer yard workers to do work that used to require many.
(Progress 355/350: 20 resources per die) (-2 Energy, -3 Capital Goods, +1 Labor)
The Governor-A refit is a substantial defensive upgrade, one primarily done by a dedicated shipyard in New Zealand as Governors go through their maintenance cycle. Everything is now also in place to ensure that any new tranches of Governors will be launched with the upgrade package already integrated, ensuring that in a year or two the shipyard in New Zealand will be available for a new task. With the Navy already eyeing a Governor-B program as well as extensive upgrades or replacements for battleships, carriers and frigates, it is not likely to be short on work for long.
Looking more at the long frame of the Initiative's surface navy, there have been substantial doctrinal arguments, mostly looking at doctrinal roles, and more broadly at the roles that each class is expected to fill. Battleships for example, have three main design schools. The first puts the battleship as a central command vessel, the shield of the fleet, combining sensors, countermissiles, and datalinks to centrally direct defensive and offensive actions, something that will not require many battleships, but does make them both large and expensive. A second group sees the future battleships as essentially supercruisers. Effectively splitting the difference in size between the Governors and the current generation Mountain and Summit class vessels, designed around needing substantial missile batteries, more than anything else. Finally, there are the conservatives, who see the current generation of warships as needing a direct successor, with the balance of fire, operational support, and defenses as being a good compromise, not needing much more than new technology slotted in. The battleships are where the most heated debates are, with there even being a camp that says that the existing classes should be allowed to age out of service, replaced with more cruisers, more frigates, and that if heavy throw weight is needed, coastal monitors and drone munitions vessels will serve for this purpose.
[ ] Unmanned Support Ground Vehicle Deployment
While the Talons will not require particularly many vehicles to see a large impact on their total deployable combat force, it will still be a reasonably expensive project simply due to the amount of automation that it requires.
(Progress 277/240: 20 resources per die) (-1 Capital Goods, -1 Energy)
After nearly a year of logistical snarls, the USGVs have begun meeting Steel Talons units in substantial numbers. Most are being attached to garrison units across the Initiative's research networks, bolstering the Talon's numbers, and prompting a number of test organizations to maximize the impact of the vehicles on the effective combat power of the Talons. Most formations seem to be finding that a four mech lance with six support vehicles is a balance which does not overtask any of the people involved.
Looking towards the future of unmanned support, it looks likely that GDI will be investing extensively in the concept of unmanned ground combat assets, not because it wants to, but because it needs to. Metal is simply so much cheaper per meter of frontage than any kind of meat. With the Initiative defending ever more territory there is a need for more combat platforms, including infantry. And even though populations are finally starting to grow, there is a large window of danger. Babies being born now are not going to be military assets on a modern battlefield for a good twenty years. While war is not going to be a first resort, it seems that every generation of the Initiative will find itself on the battlefield, fighting a war for survival. The only thing that can be done is prepare for a Fourth Tiberium War, expected sometime in the 2070's.
A/N1: It has been a long few years since I started writing this project, years in which decades have happened. There are a few updates left, but those are going to be primarily narrative, a culmination of the choices you have made over the course of the quest.
A/N2: This does help a lot if you want to support my work. Ko-fi.com/ithillid
Kane's ship soared into the heavens, born aloft by an unseen force. It was an odd thing for the Brotherhood, a creature of deep reds and brilliant, eye searing whites. A saucer, flanked by two outboard pods. It rose higher and higher, passing above the clouds and the ion storms and lightning raging inside them, above the layer of angelic white covering the dying earth below. The moment it did, the thousand all-seeing eyes of the Eagle perceived it, monitoring its course, lenses whirred into focus, EVA's hummed in their circuits, radar and visual inputs feeding into their systems, manned and automated systems endlessly calculating firing solutions for the hundreds of orbital weapon systems built for the express purpose to maintain GDI space superiority. Lasers and railgun, ion cannons and kinetic interceptors, in quantities to turn anything daring to poke above the clouds without authorization into dust and rubble.
But they did not fire. The ASAT operators watched as the strange vessel continued on its course, carrying an important guest. It rose higher yet, passing by orbital defenses, it matched velocities with the metallic flower that was Enterprise station, as a docking tube extended. Standard Initiative port mating procedures, and, with a series of clicks, it latched itself to the hull.
At the hatch, a tall, pale skinned bald man, clad in robes of black stepped through. Kane himself. There were no bodyguards, no soldiers, merely a man, with supreme confidence striding into the heart of his enemy's power.
. . .
What would one day become the most important diplomatic talks in centuries were held in a room that hardly seemed worthy of such a momentous occasion. It was one of many utilitarian meeting rooms aboard the Enterprise, where work managers and foremen typically discussed shift rotations or took brief moments for a cup of tea. Now, these same unremarkable tables, hastily arranged in a u-shape, played host to a meeting that could reshape the destiny of the world. The section of the station had been meticulously cleared of all unauthorized personnel, leaving only the highest-ranking GDI officials seated at the tables: the now acting Director Carter, Hacket, chief of InOps, Seo, GDI's treasury secretary and Litinov, the former Director on her way out. Their faces were a careful blend of neutrality, skepticism, and barely concealed disdain as they fixed their gaze upon the tall, bald man at their center.
Kane.
To sit across from him was to confront the specter that had haunted humanity for decades. He was the architect of wars that had scarred the Earth, the prophet who had drenched the world in blood and despair. Yet now, with an inscrutable smile and eyes that seemed to pierce through to the soul, Kane held in his hands something extraordinary, a luminous orb, pulsing faintly, the Tacitus. Within it lay the knowledge to master Tiberium, the plague that had reshaped life itself.
"Thank you for allowing me into your halls," Kane began, his voice rich with practiced elegance. It resonated with an unsettling charisma, commanding the room as if he were addressing disciples rather than adversaries. "I am, after all, a guest you never imagined would stand within these walls. Yet, I have hosted Hackett before."
Through the wide viewport, the Earth spun slowly, a wounded blue-green orb marred by dark veins of Tiberium. It seemed almost muted, a grim shadow of the vibrant planet it once was.
Kane's eyes shifted, absorbing the officials' expressions before continuing. "As I mentioned earlier, I come with an offer, a means to command Tiberium, to harness it for the prosperity of all, so that humanity might once again become the gardeners of this world, not its scavengers."
Hacket's voice, sharp and wary, cut through the room. "And what is your price? We know you too well, Kane. You don't deal in altruism."
Kane's smile deepened, a subtle curve that hinted at omniscience. "What I seek," he said, his tone dropping to a near whisper, drawing everyone in, "is peace. A chance to begin again. For me, for my children. And, if you have the vision to see it, for GDI itself."
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the creak of a chair as Director Carter pushed himself up to stand. Age had bent him slightly, lined his face with years of burden, but there was no mistaking the iron will that kept him upright.
"Fuck you, Kane," Carter growled, raw and unsparing.
Gasps rippled around the room, some of the officials exchanging anxious glances. The air crackled with tension as eyes darted to Kane, waiting for a reaction.
Kane merely arched an eyebrow, an amused glint in his eye as he pulled the Tacitus slightly closer, the orb casting strange shadows across his face. "Director," he said, his voice as smooth as silk, "the language of a soldier, not a statesman. But I expected nothing less." He leaned forward slightly, eyes locked with Carter's. "Good. Then I will preface that you will understand that threats, however colorful, are empty here. I did not come unprepared. Only a fool walks into a lion's den without a plan. And we both know, Carter, that you are not foolish enough to test me."
Carter walked around the table, the tension in his steps palpable. "I am the Director of GDI. I will do what I want," he said, voice growing more resolute. "And I am not one of those career politicians or bureaucrats. I am not going to mince words or pretend I tolerate your presence here. The reason why the ten commandos on standby two rooms over aren't swarming this place to confiscate the Tacitus and haul you off to some lab where I'll have you cut into very thin slices for study is because my duty is to humanity. I will consider your offer. But don't think for a moment that I'm blinded by it."
A shadow of admiration flickered in Kane's eyes, a glimmer as fleeting as it was profound. "Crude, but honest," Kane said, his tone dropping into something almost reverential. "In other men, I might have found that admirable. But do not mistake your bravado for leverage, Director. I have dealt with men like you in every age, ambitious, driven, cloaked in the nobility of service. I am the one holding the keys here. If you wish to build a legacy, cast aside the empty threats. Accept the path I am offering, or let history carve its epitaph."
Carter came to a stop directly in front of Kane, glaring down at him. "Maybe I am just brave enough to test you."
"Then do and see the outcome," Kane said, his voice final and unyielding. "But know this: this moment is not about power. It is about vision. And only one of us has seen the future clearly."
Carter narrowed his eyes, taking a single step closer to Kane. The room felt like a coiled spring, tension vibrating through the air. "Is it real?" he asked, nodding at the Tacitus.
Kane's eyes met his, unblinking, the steady pulse of the orb reflected in his irises. "Yes," he said, his voice still velvet-smooth but carrying a hint of metal. "The true artifact. Not a replica, not a shadow of its potential, but the genuine key to humanity's future."
Carter let the confirmation hang in the air for a moment. "Is it stable?" he pressed, his tone low, probing.
A slight inclination of Kane's head. "Perfectly. Its secrets, though vast, are now as safe as they have ever been. It is a gift, one I have nurtured through-"
There was a flicker of something in Carter's eyes, something unreadable, dangerous. Without warning, he swept his hand forward to slap the Tacitus from Kane's grasp. Kane flinched, pulling it close, away from Carter and closer to his chest, protective, concerned.
A ripple of shock coursed through the room. Kane's eyes darkened as he realized he had been had, the Director's hand having stopped long before it could have delivered the glowing orb tumbling to the ground, a brief flash of indignation tightening his features that he had fallen for a feint. Carter returned his hands behind his back. He exhaled slowly, his jaw clenched for a heartbeat too long before he forced a thin smile. The room watched
Kane fixed Carter with a look that could pierce stone. The anger was there now, simmering behind the mask of civility. His voice dropped, carrying in it the weight of ages and the barely-contained wrath of a man who had seen empires rise and fall. "Juvenile," he began, each syllable rolling out with the precision of a guillotine blade. "Crass. To think that you, a self-styled protector of humanity, would stoop to such pathetic theatrics. Do you know what this is, Director? What you so recklessly motioned to cast to the ground?"
He took a step forward, the Tacitus cradled protectively in his hands now, its glow bathing his fingers. "This is not merely a trinket. It is the collected wisdom of those who came before us, those who walked paths you cannot even begin to imagine. It is knowledge that could salvage your world or condemn it to endless ruin. And yet, you toy with it, a child kicking stones, blissfully unaware of what they are made of."
Kane's eyes gleamed with barely restrained fury, though his voice stayed low, measured. "Let me remind you, Carter, that power and legacy are earned, not seized through bluster and bravado. You wish to test me? You wish to challenge the will that has reshaped history itself?" He drew in a sharp breath, steadying himself.
The silence in the room crackled like a live wire, charged and dangerous. Carter's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing into steely slits. He took a half-step closer back to Kane, voice biting as he spoke. "You're going to apologize, Kane."
Kane arched an eyebrow, the faintest trace of amusement shadowing his lips. "Apologize? And for what, precisely, Director? For your wounded pride? Or perhaps your insistence on turning this negotiation into a spectacle?" His tone dripped with sarcasm, subtly mocking Carter's need for dominance.
Carter's hand shot out, pointing past Kane and toward the viewport where the Earth spun, scarred by veins of emerald Tiberium that cut across continents like a blight. "For that," Carter hissed, the word laced with raw anger. "For calling the Scrin here."
A shift in Kane's expression, something dark, almost imperceptible. His eyes followed the line of Carter's finger, taking in the sight of the mutilated planet, then returning to meet the Director's fierce glare. He tilted his head, lips parting as if in contemplation before speaking with the calm precision of a scholar correcting an errant pupil. "The Scrin? No, Director. They are the Visitors. That is their true-"
"Enough!" Carter's shout cut him off, reverberating against the metal walls. The room tensed, every official present leaning forward as though caught in the pull of a magnetic force.
Kane's smile faded, leaving behind a mask as unreadable as it was ominous. He adjusted his stance, standing tall once more, and let out a slow, almost condescending sigh. "Very well," he said, each word deliberate, measured. "If my words are what you seek, then let them carry the weight you so desperately desire." He paused, eyes flickering over Carter, the people behind him, and then to the Earth, bruised and battered beneath them.
"I regret," Kane intoned, his voice deep and rich, each syllable chosen with care, "the consequences of what was set in motion, the trials that came upon this world when the Visitors arrived. It is true that in the pursuit of salvation, I summoned forces that wrought untold suffering. And for that," he inclined his head, ever so slightly, eyes locking with Carter's, "I acknowledge your grievance."
Carter allowed a thin smile to curl on his lips, his posture relaxing as he walked over to the viewport to look at Earth turning below. He clasped his hands behind his back, the silence in the room a testament to his victory. The officials around the table exchanged cautious glances, the tension having shifted ever so slightly in GDI's favor.
Kane straightened, his grip on the Tacitus firm. The brief flash of anger had dulled, replaced by a cold, calculated glint in his eyes. He inclined his head, the gesture almost respectful, but his words sliced through the room with subtle venom. "I see, Director," he began, his tone smooth as a serpent's coil, "that this display was not merely for your benefit. No, you needed them", he glanced around, eyes flickering over each GDI official with practiced ease. "to see that you could draw blood from the infamous 'Messiah' of the Brotherhood."
He took a step forward, the Tacitus glowing softly in his hands, a beacon of both promise and menace. "A show of strength, a reminder of your command over even GDI's most storied adversary. But tell me, Carter, does this ritual of yours give you peace? Does it soothe the shadows that haunt your conscience when you look down at that?" He nodded toward the viewport, where Earth spun.
Kane's smile was razor-thin, cutting and knowing. "Or perhaps it's a balm for your own doubts. After all, the greatest leaders don't need to humiliate, they lead by showing their vision, not their anger."
Carter's shoulders lifted in a casual shrug, his expression unreadable as he looked away from them. His voice, edged with cold certainty, echoed through the room. "You want to see my vision, Kane, look outside. You are in my domain. GDI's domain. Earth's orbit, where our flags mark the horizon and our steel holds the sky, where mankind's true future lies. Yet here you are, crawling to us because, for once, you need something."
Kane tilted his head, eyes narrowing with a hint of amusement. "The future?" he echoed, his voice laced with mockery. "Yes, perhaps for you, Director, for you and the sanctified inhabitants who grew up in the Blue Zones of decades past, swathed in GDI's iron embrace, shielded by the omnipresent eyes of your orbital sentinels, comforted by the blade forever poised above them. Those with the comfort and resources to dream. But what of those outside your bastions of order? To the souls left clawing for survival, scraping through days measured by hunger and the encroachment of the crystal, the skies above are not and might never be a beacon of hope, but the unyielding heel of GDI's boot, a sentiment that still remains even among those you have taken into your embrace. They remember each ion cannon strike launched in pacification operations. You wielded GDI's sword more than once yourself, raining down judgment from the heavens, from your high ground, where the cost of soldiers was deemed too high, or unnecessary."
He paused, letting the room steep in the uncomfortable truth of his words. There was a flash in Kane's eyes, irritation tempered by his iron will, quickly eclipsed by the curve of a practiced smile. "But enough of that," he continued, voice smooth as polished stone. "I come with an offer of peace, Director. Salvation from the relentless, untamed surge of Tiberium. A way to subdue its chaos, harness its boundless energy, and transform it from humanity's scourge to humanity's gift. So that instead of fleeing from the garden, we may yet learn to cultivate it."
Carter cut him off, voice ironclad. "Salvation from Tiberium lies not on Earth, but starbound. In the domed cities of Mars and the subterranean metropoli of Luna, in the sprawling habitats carved out of moons and asteroids. Far outside the reach of your green plague, where its touch cannot reach."
A shadow passed over Kane's face, fleeting but undeniable. He let a moment of silence draw out, the hum of the station filling the void before his voice slithered back in, calm yet insistent. "Evacuation, Director, is a lofty dream. One that will abandon tens millions to the encroaching tendrils of Tiberium. You know as well as I that the rot beneath the Earth's crust will not be content to stay buried. You may keep the surface clean for a time, but it will dig deeper until the whole fruit turns. Earth is a ticking clock, striking closer to midnight with each breath we take."
The room grew heavier, officials exchanging wary glances, their apprehensions laid bare. Carter's still stared outside. "Maybe, but whatever grand solution you're selling, Kane, needs to be considered worth it by me and everyone in this room." He turned around, eyes swept the assembly of GDI's highest-ranking officials, each of them marked by the scars of years fighting the very enemy that Kane had helped unleash. "We're past gestures of peace and reconciliation. There's too much blood on your hands for that." He leaned forward, voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone. "Make your case, and we'll see if it's worth listening to."
Kane moved with deliberate precision, producing a small, ornately adorned stand from the depths of his black coat. Intricate runes shimmered along its surface, catching the cold light of the chamber as he set it on the table before him, a simple nameplate on it simply reading: "Kane." With a reverence bordering on the sacred, he placed the Tacitus atop the stand, fingers lingering on the ancient artifact as if it were an extension of himself. Its ethereal glow reflected in his eyes before he withdrew his touch and sat down, shifting his gaze first to Carter, then to the silent assembly.
Hacket sat back, arms crossed, a sly grin pulling at his lips as his eyes flicked between Kane and Carter. Seo, ever the calculated academic, appeared neutral, fingers folded and refolded, wanting to speak but restraining himself. Only Litinov seemed outwardly tense, stealing nervous glances at Carter before lowering her gaze to avoid eye contact with Kane.
"I know you are all educated, thoughtful people," Kane began, his voice smooth yet edged with an undercurrent of menace. "Are you truly impressed by such displays? Such theatrics?"
Hacket leaned forward, his grin widening into something sharp and predatory. "As he said, he's the Director," he remarked. "He'll do what he wants. And, truth be told, it was satisfying to see you rattled. No offense."
"None taken," Kane replied, his eyes never leaving Carter, a flicker of something darker dancing within them.
Seo shifted, his fingers finding a moment of calm. "This meeting is an unusual situation," hw began, his voice steady. "As a man of science, I respect your intellect, even admire it. But let's not pretend. I understand the Director's position and his conduct, unorthodox as it may be. You've caused untold suffering and atrocities. You're a war criminal and more, an alien , something worthy of study as much as anything you present today. Don't doubt for a moment that Carter's talk of slicing you thin was anything less than a statement of fact. While I am curious to hear the details of your proposed solution to Tiberium, I have no illusions as to what you are."
"And who, exactly, would that be?" Kane asked, his voice dripping with feigned innocence.
"An enemy," Hacket said, leaning back again. "The personification of the Brotherhood,"
"And GDI is my enemy, the force that has always stood in the path of my vision. Yet here I sit, in the very fortress of that adversary, offering peace. Time marches on, the hour glass empties. Yet here I am, the greater man, willing to set aside the past for the sake of humanity. How long must this charade continue? How long must I endure your scorn before we begin what must be done?" His gaze swept the room. "The sons and daughters of Nod are just as human as those you swore to protect. Must we be adversaries forever, even now?"
"Nod is not our enemy," Litinov finally spoke, her voice steady but conflicted. "No one in this room is under any illusions about the timeline Tiberium has imposed on Earth and the need for cooperation, however difficult. No child should perish at the hands of Tiberium, not under the flag of Nod or GDI. At the end of the day, Nod's motivations are human. But you, Kane, your true intentions remain a mystery. Even I question your motive for this gesture."
Carter, eyes fixed on the expanse outside, spoke, sharp. "This petty war over Earth's surface? It's a mere distraction, a footnote in an arc of history so long none of us will live to see its end. My true enemy is Tiberium, the plague rewriting the world under our feet. My true enemy is you, Kane, for the chaos you've sown. But above all, my greatest enemy is the Scrin." The room seemed to tighten with his words, the silence deepened by the soft hum of the air recyclers. "They are the only war that matters. The alien invaders who tore open our skies and showed us what lies beyond, a harbinger of extinction so absolute that it renders all our struggles insignificant. And they will return. Of that, I am certain. And when they do, it won't matter who rules the uninhabitable wastes of Earth. Mankind's future is starbound, a belief I have lobbied for all my life, but there is a catch."
Carter's tone grew icier. "I remember when I was young, standing on the observation deck of the first Philadelphia as a fresh faced officer. I looked up and felt awe, a naive, boundless wonder at the promise of the stars. They were a symbol of hope, of humanity's potential, a future free of the shadows of war and Tiberium. But age, Kane, age has a way of stripping illusions away, one unforgiving layer at a time. Now when I look up, I see only threats. Each star is an enemy, each glimmer a reminder of what nearly brought us to our knees. We dared to ask if we were alone, and the universe answered. Twice. And both answers were drenched in blood."
He turned around to look at Kane. "Do you know what it does to a man, Kane, to stand beneath the infinite and see only the graves of the dreams he once cherished? To understand that every battle we fight, every victory we claim, might be for nothing more than to buy time before they find us again? The Scrin are out there, waiting, calculating. We are but insects under the cosmic gaze of gods who neither know nor care about us. The stars no longer inspire, they haunt."
"So yes, Kane, you are my enemy. But even more so, so is every flickering light in that sky, each one a beacon of potential annihilation. Against that, our feud is meaningless. My true enemy is whatever waits out there, poised to destroy us like we never existed. And for that enemy, we will need to prepare. Because when they come, we will need to be more than divided remnants. We will need to be one humanity, all children of Earth united in purpose. So make no mistake: whatever we do here, whatever games you play, it must serve that singular war. Because when the sky tears open again, there will be no time left for rivalry, only survival. My grievances with you are vented. We may begin."
Barely perceptible and hidden by the hands folded in front of his face, Kane smiled.
. . .
"The most straightforward approach," The Messiah began, his voice smooth and deliberate, "would be a global resonance cascade, an immense network built to ultimately emit a single, unified pulse. Imagine the effect of a Tiberium refinery, magnified and synchronized across the entire planet. Every trace of Tiberium, converted in an instant into stable baryonic matter." He paused, the glow of the Tacitus reflecting in his eyes. "It would solve your Tiberium problem, yes. But it would also leave this world reeling, your civilisation bereft of its most important resource, scrambling to fill the void left behind. A global crisis to replace a global plague. It is the path most aligned with my past...but there are other paths. More promising paths. Paths we could forge together, with the time GDI has bought pushing the inevitable back just a little longer."
With a slow, deliberate motion, Kane swept his hand across the table, scattering small pyramidal stones like seeds. He turned his palm upward, and a shimmering projection of Earth rose before them, rotating lazily in the air. "Consider a more elegant solution. More enduring, more visionary. I call it the Mantle Complex. A system not built to erase Tiberium, but to command it. A network, vast, stretching across the surface of the Earth, while Tiberium itself is locked away, buried deep beneath our feet, its raw potential siphoned and controlled, imprisoned beneath the surface." He gestured toward the globe, and the projection shifted, revealing a brilliant network of tendrils sinking into the planet's crust. "With this system, the danger of Tiberium remains locked away, far beneath the surface, while its potential, its energy, flows freely to you. Unrestricted, pure. Resources at your fingertips, a controlled, limitless source of strength. Order imposed upon disorder."
Kane's eyes gleamed as he made another gesture, sweeping his arm wide across his chest. The projection shifted, and a series of luminous orbital platforms appeared encircling the equator like a halo. "And then, for those with vision, for those who dare reach beyond mere survival, there are the orbital forges. The future forges of human ingenuity, the crown of this garden of Eden, capable of crafting wonders from the very ichor that once threatened to undo it. Tiberium, repurposed into boundless possibility. With technical collaboration and shared purpose, these forges could become beacons, a warm light for all mankind. The choice, as always, lies in your hands."
Carter's eyes darkened as he leaned forward, tapping the table with a slow, deliberate rhythm that seemed to punctuate each word. "I assume you're already aware of the little green problem we've encountered on Venus," he said, the corners of his mouth tightening. "Got a solution for that?"
Kane's expression shifted subtly. "Ah, the Morning Star. I have heard whispers of Tiberium's spread to Venus, yes. Your GDI, Director, is like a vessel perpetually leaking, a steady drip of secrets. But I digress," he said, the mockery curling at the edge of his voice. "I am aware, but the precise manner in which Tiberium has evolved under Venus's searing conditions remained out of my reach. GDI has kept those finer details under lock and key." He paused, letting the tension settle before continuing, eyes flickering with the glimmer of calculation. "Without direct study, I cannot speak with certainty. However, it is possible. This construct before you, derived from the Threshold Tower, can produce a series of targeted effects. Creating additional structures for such purposes would not be, shall we say, exceptionally difficult. Costly, of course, but a resonance cascade design wouldn't require the construction to withstand Venus's hellish environment."
Carter's finger tapping ceased, eyes narrowing as he took in Kane's words. The silence between them was heavy, charged. Kane's expression lightened. "But let me offer you this caution, Director: If you choose to harness the ichor's boundless potential, know this, you may attempt to bend it to your will, but it shall always weave its tendrils through your fate. Tiberium is no servant, it is a master that whispers promises as it tightens its grip."
—
Seo's attention was equally divided between Kane, the holoprojection and the technical data package Kane had sent to his pad, eyes darting back and forth as he spoke, excitement creeping into his voice. "All of these proposals should be possible, despite the global scale. I am not worrying about the amount of foundational infrastructure that will need to be built, nor setting up manufacturing lines for the more advance components. STU demand will be high, but within our expected production rates, especially if we can tap into reserve capacity. From a quick glance, our biggest problem is time, and behind that, likely to be specialized personnel if we want construction to progress with the speed proposed."
"Rest assured, Doctor," Kane's lips curled into a knowing smile as he swept a hand through the air with practiced elegance. "I have not idled away in my ivory tower in solitude. The minds most devoted to my cause have been meticulously prepared for this endeavor, each versed in the intricacies of this engineering feat. And as for the others, the Brotherhood's brightest? They will rally behind this ambition, should I choose the right words to inspire them."
"And can we trust them?" Hackett interjected, his voice laced with skepticism. "I'd rather not contend with sabotage from within."
Kane's eyes glimmered with something between amusement and challenge. "Ah, trust, a commodity always in short supply within the hallowed halls of GDI." He allowed a pause, savoring the weight of his next words. "That hinges on your willingness to accept that even those who carry the banner of Nod have their reasons to cooperate. Not blind fanaticism, but a stark awareness of the stakes. You see, they know well that GDI's ambitions have already cast their gaze starward, to sanctuaries untouchable by Tiberium's green grasp. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood faces a fate anchored to this rotting Eden, unless they prostrate themselves beneath the boot of our dear Director to give up their arms and ambitions," Kane said, glancing pointedly at Carter. "Self-preservation, gentlemen and -woman, can be a powerful unifier."
"And what of afterwards", Litinov cut in, eyes alight. "Once the pressure of extinction has worn off. What then?"
"A profound question indeed. Will the war, mankind's most enduring companion, rise once more when ambition eclipses mere survival? Or will this moment, this rare lesson in unity, etch a final chapter in which the children of Earth transcended their divisions for a cause greater than themselves? I am skeptical of the latter, but knowing you, I suspect you would dare to try."
"I don't need a lecture, Kane," Hackett scoffed. "Your little cult, the Brotherhood of Nod, your attack dogs, will either need to be muzzled or put down. We can't construct this wonder while constantly watching our backs."
"I agree," Carter said, a hard edge in his voice, as he crossed his arms.
"They will obey, to a point," Kane replied smoothly. "They need me, need the gifts, my leadership, my vision, my blessing, all I alone can bestow. Yes, there will be those whose madness drives them to snap at whatever hand reaches out. That, Commander, has always been the nature of humanity."
"That might not be enough," Hackett countered, skepticism darkening his expression. "There are too many wounds for us to rely solely on your assurances."
"There are wounds enough on both sides," Litvinov interjected, voice measured. "If we are to work together, this may well be the moment to forge a peace that holds. Conduct tribunals, ensure accountability for every scar we've given and received."
What would follow were hours upon hours of tense negotiations, oftentimes contentious.
Key Terms
Pick three key terms
[ ] Tiberium Control Network Effect
There are two designs seriously proposed by Kane, a basic and advanced model. While both will work to contain and control tiberium, the advanced model offers a future of industrial and energetic plenty in a way that the basic does not.
[ ] Subordination of the Brotherhood of Nod
While GDI and the Brotherhood will have to work together to build the Tiberium Control Network, the nature of that relationship is one that will have to be decided. Subordinating the Brotherhood into Initiative structures will make few people happy, but it will mean that an outbreak of conflict will be much more difficult in the aftermath of the Tiberium Control Network being completed.
[ ] Construction Share Ratio
While GDI will have to take the lion's share of the construction effort, simply because of its operational scale, forcing the Brotherhood to take on additional duties and industrial commitments will free some Initiative resources to achieve other goals, while limiting the ability of the Brotherhood to fund shenanigans.
[ ] Technology Exchange
Kane has mastery of a number of fields of knowledge that humanity has only scratched the surface of. While pressuring him is difficult, he may well be willing to offer a number of technological data packages to help sweeten the pot.
[ ] Truth and Reconciliation
After four major global wars, and over a half century of chronic low level fighting, there are a massive array of existing grievances, on both sides, ranging from bad calls, to intentional war crimes. While sorting through them will be the work of decades, bilateral and multilateral commissions will help smooth down some of the more egregious burrs.
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 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.
