GDI Platoon Commander: A "GDI Edition" side-quest (non-canon)

"Well... " you begin, intending to touch upon a few things. By the end, you're out of breath and are dehydrated. You're pretty sure you've told Leila basically every positive and negative characteristic you could imagine in a partner, including a lot that conflict with one another.

She walks over with a sympathetic smile, putting a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry, Violet. You'll figure it out eventually. But I wouldn't take up a career in playing poker or infiltration, if I were you." she adds with a smirk. "When you described your interactions with your uh... release facilitator... " she chortles, "... your, might I add, incredibly obvious, indicators light up the same way the do when talking about your desired partner's characteristics."

"Indicators?" you ask, your ears starting to burn.

"Sorry, trade secret." she replies, plopping back down on your bed. "But you should be able to figure it out if you pay attention to how you're acting around someone you like."

You feel your ears burning a lot. "No fair, Leila. I spilled the beans on myself, your turn now. What's your approach?"

She bobs her head side to side, then shrugs. "In two words?" she lifts her left hand and wags her index finger. "No commitment!"

You raise an eyebrow.

"You may have noticed that I wield a considerable amount of power in my role." Leila begins. "Within my area of responsibility, I say jump, and, one way or the other, people ask how high." she looks down at the floor a little, reaching back with her hands to tighten her ponytail. "I've tried, and I can't give that up in my personal life. But a healthy long-term relationship requires at least some kind of power-sharing compromise." she looks back up with a smirk. "So my only options are short-term or doormats, and the latter bore me quickly."

She lifts her left hand again and wags her finger. "Thus, no commitment!"

"That's a little rough." you say. You can't exactly say you understand, but suddenly the complete lack of clarity you have on your own desires, despite having just blurted every single one of them out, doesn't seem so bad.

"So how come you're willing to share all this stuff? Seems like you'd be exposing a potential weakness." you ask, genuinely curious.

Leila smirks. "Call it overcompensation for the secrets I do have to keep." she gets up, patting you on the shoulder. "Good luck, Violet. I'll be in touch, especially if I need someone to seduce a certain Nod commander." she adds with a smirk before flitting out of the room.

---

The gist of that conversation replays in your head as you look up at Lenny, who's gone back to staring at some point through the flickering screen of your G-Pad and the wall behind it, his eyes unfocused.

You sniff and throw your arms around him, holding on tightly. "You're probably right. No commitment for now." you respond quietly. "Just... promise me, when I get lost in the yellow zone again, you'll come find me." Kane's left nut, what a lame thing to say, you think to yourself.

He smiles, looking down at you. "Sure thing, Violet."

The rest of the night has a kind of manic quality to it, reminding you of squirrels hoarding nuts for the coming winter (a joke which you immediately share with Lenny, who bursts out laughing). In the morning, he departs for his re-deployment with a smile, a limp and promises of keeping in touch when reasonable, but no regrets on either side. As for you, everything aches and chafes, causing you to walk extremely gingerly and wince a lot, and, for once, you're thankful to be on light administrative duty so you can just sit nearly motionless while typing and swiping away. Emotionally, it still stings, but in a bittersweet sort of way that you don't mind.

---

January 31, 2059

"So, as I mentioned before, as part of Operation Steel Vanguard, we are pushing west and then south along the Ob river. Command wants a bridge built across the river... here." Captain Kovalchuk points at the map projection. "Two bridges, actually - one from this road to this sandbar island, then one from the island to this beach. It would be highly inappropriate for me to comment on the choice of location, as my opinion has already been taken under advisement." he pauses, and you think you detect a little bit of sarcasm in his tone. "Thus, you are to take a detachment and secure both the northern shore and the sandbar."

Kovalchuk points to a couple of icons on the projection, one showing a Firehawk, the other a Rapier hydrofoil. "We will have some support available, if we can convince the air force and navy that they won't get blown up right away - it seems that they've lost a Firehawk to an anti-air installation in the northwest region here, while the navy has had a hydrofoil take severe damage from concealed turrets on both the northern shore and the sandbar. So, if you can get a precise fix on the anti-air installations, the air force will fly some sorties for you; if you can get a fix on the anti-ground installations, the navy will send hydrofoils in to clean up."

"What about this village over here?" you ask, pointing at a section of the satellite image that clearly has a small cluster of buildings, maybe seven or eight, huddled together on a small island near the only copse of trees for kilometers, a fishing pier extending out into the Ob. A Tiberium field can be seen to the east of it, blocking access to the village from a small bridge from the island to the northern shore.

Kovalchuk shakes his head. "Abandoned, as far as we know. If there is someone there, contact me, and we will see how to resolve it." he begins pacing back and forth. "Recon reports light recon units and medium armor, utilizing binary propellant cannons - they are susceptible to point defense still, but hit harder. The ammunition is much more volatile, however."

"Lasers?" you ask.

Kovalchuk shrugs. "In some proportion. We have also had reports of artillery and Centurion-class mechs in the area. And, of course, never discount the possibility of seeing GDI equipment." he pauses and drills you with a withering stare. "Keep your infantry in transports or shelter when not deployed, or requisition appropriate winterized gear. If I get even a single report of a trooper freezing to death because of circumstances under your control, it will be investigated and dealt with fully. Understood?"

"Yes sir." you reply, straightening out.

"Any questions?"

"What about ion cannon strikes? Mammoth tanks? Other heavy support?" you ask.

"If neccesary and as they become available. You are, however, authorized to set up an orbital uplink if necessary so that you may coordinate with orbital drop teams as they become necessary available. I expect that if you order them to drop into a Nod base without support, you will be asked to 'иди на хуй', as they say, so use with care. Additionally, the A-16 Orca is now the standard, so I hope you've familiarized yourself with the specifications and capabilities."

"Yes sir. That's all I had." you say, pleased with the support you *will* be receiving.

"Very well. Lieutenant Richter will be dispatched to the south side of the river to coordinate with GDI outpost seven-gamma here," he points, "where the bridge construction crews will be staging. The rest of the company will be standing by for further command requests. Of which I am sure there will be many." Kovalchuk throws a brief salute. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."

You return the salute, turning on your heels and marching out the door in as dignified fashion as you can muster.

---

Operational Area Map:

In addition to light admin duty, over the last several months, you were able to squeeze in a few continuing development courses - nothing with field exercises, but you're able to improve an aspect of your logistical or unit management skills.

[] Advanced Troop Housing Methodologies:
How to utilize existing model barracks to house troops more efficiently. +1 to housing capacity of Barracks buildings.

[] T-Glass Requisition and Utilization:
Covers the proper deployment and usage of T-Glass, a newly rolled out, transparent, Tiberium-resistant material. Reduces costs and power usage of Tiberium-related buildings and units by 10% - this includes Harvesters, Refineries and Silos.

[] History and Moral Philosophy:
Why does this even keep coming up? Goddammit, EVA.

[] Command Ethics Refresher:
What the hell, EVA. Did you let Erewhon pick these?

[] Vehicle Repair Practicum:
Spend several months in the hangars with the engineers and maintenance techs, learning the ins and outs of vehicle and aircraft repairs. Allows engineer squads (even non-veteran ones) to "tune-up" damaged units undergoing repairs, for a +5 to all rolls during the first round of their next combat.

[] Fixed Defense Doctrine Practicum:
Spend several months supervising security for yellow zone fortress town construction, letting you learn from experts about optimal turret placement, as well as the ins and outs of maintenance and supply requirements for standard-model fixed defense installations. Reduces costs and power usage of all fixed defenses by 10% and grants them an additional +5 on combat rolls.

---

The MCV is being escorted by two infantry squads equipped with winterized gear. Additionally, you will have two V-35 Ox aircraft and two winterized-gear infantry squads on call for when you attempt to secure the sandbar and have confirmed and established a flight corridor.

The Navy will send hydrofoils up the river when you have located the turrets reported on the sandbar and north shore of the Ob river, while the airforce will supply Firehawk attack runs once you have located any anti-air installations in the northwest sector of the operational area.

So, your main remaining decision is what units you brought with you. Obviously, you're bringing Corporal Arias' mega-elite APC. However, you had quite a substantial choice of other units to bring in. Too bad you could only bring four. Plus any transported infantry. Lt. Richter had enough Pitbulls at the end of the last mission that she's in high heaven at this point, only breaking it up by bringing an APC with an engineering team for field repairs.

Starting Credits: 4000
Default deployment zone: F1
Infantry Transport Capacity: 1
Pick up to 3 vehicles, plus a number of infantry equal to transport capacity after picking vehicles. All vehicles have the following option:

-[] Ablative Plating (+50 credits if not chosen)

[] APC (Elite)
+1 transport capacity; modular loadout
[] APC (Veteran)
+1 transport capacity; modular loadout
[] APC:
+1 transport capacity; modular loadout
[] Predator Tank (Veteran); up to 2
-[] Point Defence (+100 credits if not chosen)
Extremely effective vs vehicles; point defense shoots down incoming rockets or shells to a point
[] Rig (Veteran)
Twin railguns and missile launcher; local repair capability
[] Harvester (Railgun)
Effective vs vehicles, sneak in 800 extra credits worth of Tiberium
[] Pacifier MAV (Veteran); up to 3
Medium-speed artillery
[] Pitbull (Veteran, Mortar, Detector)
High-speed recon vehicle

Infantry choices.
[] Zone Trooper Squad (Veteran)
Jump Pack, Detector, Advanced Medkits
[] Zone Defender Squad (Veteran); up to 2
Advanced Medkits, 2x weapon systems
[] Sniper Team
-[] Winterized Gear (+100 credits if not chosen)
Stealth, Detector, Advanced Medkits
[] Engineer Team
-[] Winterized Gear (+100 credits if not chosen)
Repair or building capture capability, Advanced Medkits

You also have the option to equip the "extra" infantry squads you've been assigned with advanced medkits (skipping winterized gear is not an option here). Or pocket the credits.

[] Pick a number 0-4; receive 50 credits for each # less than 4.

Oh, and one last thing. Let's name this operation:
[] Write-in

AN:

Raw Plan/Resolution:

February 1, 2060
Ob River Estuary

The first think you note about the mouth of the Ob river is that it's not frozen. Now, you're not an expert in any scientific field, but you're pretty sure that -30C is way below the freezing point of water. Usually, when "water" fails to freeze like that, it's because it's substantively mixed with something else. Your first guess is Tiberium, but it could also be any number of other pollutants. Long story short, you're not going to be going for a swim. Too bad, I had my swimsuit packed and everything, you think to yourself as your APC trundles along to your designated rendezvous point with the MCV, Corporal Arias' ballads blaring at top volume. You consider asking him if he ever got around to seeing this girlfriend of his that he misses so much, but you're not feeling that social at the moment. Instead, you spend your time reviewing the specs on the upgraded sensor system rollout - it'll make it a lot easier for your people driving Pitbulls and such to manage their high-end sensors; rather than have to get out and fiddle with the RADAR dish controller every time they want to adjust the active frequencies, they can just do it via software from the relative comfort of the driver's seat. Nice.

The operational area is a frozen wasteland as expected. Low, scattered rocks are present to the west, while to the south it's mostly clear until you hit a big Tiberium patch. And then the river. Your EVA helpfully informs you that long-range communications are severely impaired due to likely Nod jamming (thanks, EVA).

Having done this a few times before, you get to work. Well, your construction teams get to work - you sit in your APC, watching the map for sensor pings and looking at progress bars. Your plan is to have your MCV trundle back and forth between the site where you're putting your main group of buildings and where your refinery will live (the latter being right next to a Tiberium patch). So, from the cramped discomfort of your APC, you watch the cooling towers of the power plant come up, then drive south to observe the refinery and silo emerge overnight to watch over the Tiberium field. Then drive north again to supervise the digging and construction of the barracks as the harvester begins its scooping routine. The Rig sits just outside the Tiberium field for the moment, covering the harvester and Tiberium-related buildings.

The griping from the MCV construction crew over comms is non-stop, and eventually you lose your patience and interject a comment that, if they've got a spare 1500 credits, you'll happily allocate a day for them to put together a Surveyor.

"Well, at least you didn't make them hand-scan the barracks for Tiberium this time, Lieutenant." Corporal Arias comments with a snide grin.

"Ah, yes." You recall with a fond smile. "Next time."

---

Battlefield control... established.

Current Objective Status:
Secure Bridge Sites at A4 and A5 OR
Secure Bridge Sites at B4 and B5 (primary command directive)
Sweep northwestern area for SAM sites (secondary command directive)
Sweep river banks (A-F4, A-F5) for fixed emplacements (secondary command directive)
Establish unit requisition (self-entered)
Nod jamming active - long-range comms disabled - establish Command Post (self-entered)

Base Status:
Power (available/total): 45/100
Logistics (available/total): 0/8 (requisition disabled)
Building Slots F2: 4/8
Building Slots F3: 1/4 (-2 rocky, -2 Tiberium)
Tiberium Credits: 2500 (+1600 overspend)
Tiberium Storage Capacity: 1100/2000
Tiberium Income: 800/turn for 15 turns
Construction Capacity: 1/turn
Infantry Requisition Capacity: 1/turn (disabled until additional logistics available)
Buildings:
F2: Conyard, Power Plant, Barracks
F3: Refinery, Silo

Miscellaneous Options:
[] Lay Minefields (one per APC per speed, 300 credits each, anywhere an APC can get go)
As usual, you consider putting down minefields around your base. Given Nod's widespread use of attack bikes and dozer-blade-equipped Scorpions, this is more for early warning than inflicting actual damage.

[] Relocate MCV
Have your MCV pack up and move, allowing for construction work elsewhere.
-[] Write-in destination sector within one move of F2

Double Turn
Construction Options (pick 2; valid locations are F2 or relocation destination if applicable)

[] Sandbags: -450 credits, +5 to defensive infantry rolls, mutually exclusive with concrete walls
You know it, you love it. Lets your infantry have something to shiver behind while they get shot at by incoming Nod forces.

[] Concrete Walls: -900 credits, sector has "concrete walls"
For some reason you can't fathom, you've previously been locked out of building simple concrete walls around your base. Now you can - this will let you keep wandering saboteurs and tanks out of your base, or at least force them to blow the walls first or come in via glider, jump pack or airdrop. Meanwhile, your rocket and mortar-equipped units, as well as sentry towers, may engage incoming hostiles.

[] Power Plant: -500 credits, +100 power, -1 building slot
The standard pre-fabricated GDI nuclear fission power plant. Your power levels are in the green for now and you do not need any more at the moment. But you will, soon enough.

[] Barracks: -500 credits, -15 power, -1 building slot, +4 logistics, +1 infantry requisition capacity
A place to put the various fighting and support personnel you'll need when you go to requisition additional units; it's a place to eat, sleep or socialize. And don't forget the decontamination facilities. You could build one for the logistics capacity increase, but there are other ways of doing that.

[] Command Post: -1000 credits, -50 power, -1 building slot, +5 to all rolls due to comms advantage
Unlocks extra satellite scan/day
A building housing a large communications array and computational equipment. With Nod jamming active in the area, you'll need one to cut through the noise and re-establish long range comms. Doing so will also let you consider putting down an airfield and possibly a tech lab (so you'll have the logistical support for Zone Troopers). You'll need a power plant for this as well.

[] War Factory: -2000 credits, -40 power, -2 building slots, +4 logistics; +1 vehicle requisition capacity
A structure containing the equipment necessary to manufacture replacement parts and reasonable amounts of ammunition for all of GDI's vehicles and heavy weapons. While expensive, it will allow you to bring more vehicles onto the field, including extra harvesters for more rapid Tiberium gathering.

[] Armory: -1000 credits, -40 power, -1 building slot, +4 logistics;
allows some advanced infantry requisitions (zone defender squads, snipers)
This facility contains storage space and limited manufacturing capability for advanced infantry equipment, such as "the paste" for medkits, sniper rifles and zone defender powered armor - the latter being a stripped down version of the expensive zone trooper armor without all the fancy gear but still providing excellent protection and firepower.

[] Surveyor: -1500 credits, speed 2, -1 building slot when deployed;
-provides detection when deployed
A vehicle that, when deployed, contains the comms and power routing gear to enable building structures far away from your construction yard.

[] Crane: -1500 credits, -55 power, -1 building slot; +1 construction pick
An expansion of the crew, tools and vehicles provided by your construction yard, this will roughly double your construction capability. You'll still need additional income to make full use of it, however.

[] Defensive Turret: -540 credits, -9 power, stealth detector/long range sensors
A weapon on a stationary mount, along with a sophisticated sensor and targeting package. A great option for securing your bases against direct attack. Comes in minigun, anti-air and railgun flavors; or, the all-new fixed point defence laser mount. They also come with extensive sensor systems to detect incoming vehicle contacts and stealthed units trying to sneak into your base.
-[] Machine gun: +5 vs infantry, -10 vs vehicles, aircraft, tall (may fire over walls)
-[] Anti-aircraft: +10 vs aircraft, -10 vs ground targets
-[] Railgun: +15 vs vehicles, cannot engage aircraft
-[] Fixed Point Defence: Negates damage from a single projectile attack vs supported unit


Infantry Requisitions (pick up to 2):
All infantry may be transported by APC
All infantry may swap loadout prior to battle or at beginning of turn at barracks or APC
All infantry automatically include winterized gear for +50 credits

[] Infantry Squad: -500 credits, -1 logistics, 1 speed
A basic infantry squad, armed with rifles, squad assault weapons, grenade launchers and anti-tank/anti-air rockets. Can be transported by APC and excel at combat in non-open terrain, especially when they have time to set up fighting positions. While they have some environmental protection, they cannot survive extended periods of Tiberium exposure. Winterized gear is mandatory in this environment.
-[] Standard Loadout: cannot engage aircraft
-[] Rockets: +15 vs vehicles/aircraft, -15 vs infantry
-[] Grenade Launchers: +15 vs infantry, -15 vs vehicles, cannot engage aircraft

[] Engineering Squad: -500 credits, -1 logistics, 1 speed
A specialized infantry squad carrying equipment for field repair of various GDI mechanized units. May be issued small arms and specialized equipment to aid in clearing building interiors of Nod personnel and boobytraps; said weaponry does not perform well against armored units. Unable to survive extended Tiberium exposure. Winterized gear is mandatory in this environment.
-20 vs non-structures; cannot engage aircraft
-[] Repair Gear: May repair 2x vehicle per turn, cannot capture buildings
-[] Standard Loadout: May repair 1x vehicle per turn, can capture buildings

-----
Vehicle Requisition Options: (pick up to 1, assuming War Factory is built on the first turn)
Vehicles will arrive in F2
Any vehicle can be upgraded with:
-[] Ablative plating: 50 credits, negates first received laser damage; degrades upon receiving any damage

[] Guardian APC: -600 credits, -1 logistics, 3 speed
You can never go wrong with a Guardian APC, with its flexible turret mount, good speed and reasonable armor protection. Ideally, you want an APC for each infantry unit you're planning to field, at least in an assault capacity.
Loadout options (1 weapon slot):
-[] Rotary cannon (default): +10 vs infantry, -5 vs armored units/aircraft
-[] Guided missiles: -5 vs infantry, +10 vs fast units/aircraft
-[] Grenade launcher: +15 vs infantry, -15 vs armored units, cannot engage aircraft
-[] Point Defence: negates first projectile attack against this or supported unit

[] Pitbull: -600 credits, -1 logistics, 4 speed, detects stealthed units, +10 vs aircraft, -10 vs infantry
This fast little recon vehicle has two purposes - one, to fire guided missiles at vehicles and aircraft and two, to detect Nod stealth units with its advanced sensor system. It can also be shipped with a mounted mortar for an additional resource cost. The sensor system can detect stealthed units at close range or non-stealthed vehicle sensor contacts at long range.
Add-on options:
-[] Mortar: Secondary weapon, +10 vs infantry/buildings, may engage two units simultaneously, costs additional 100 credits

[] Predator: -800 credits, -1 logistics, 2 speed, support attacks vs this unit are more effective, +20 vs vehicles, cannot engage aircraft, hit points at 125%.
This heavily armored tank's railgun can punch through just about any armor the brotherhood can bring to bear and can target fast-moving vehicles effectively due to the projectile's incredible launch velocity, but it struggles against infantry and fixed defenses. Its armor is pretty thick, but designers opted to put most of it in the front of the tank, so it performs best when it has support. Recent models have been re-fitted with point defense systems which excel at shooting down low rate of fire Nod projectiles, but tend to be overwhelmed by concentrated fire from multiple angles and have no effect against lasers or rapid-fire weapons.
Upgrade option:
-[] Point Defense: 100 credits, negates first received rocket or shell damage per combat round

[] Overseer Self-Propelled Gun: -800 credits, -1 logistics, 1 speed
Targets units up to 1 hex away; may target units in same sector by spending a combat round to "reposition"; +25 vs infantry/structures; +10 from hill
This is a slow, plodding artillery piece that does the bare minimum required, which is that it is mobile and can deliver firepower at long distances by firing a high-explosive shell at a high arc. This enables GDI commanders to reduce enemy strongpoints without having to re-enact the Charge of the Light Brigade, force river and other narrow passage crossings, and engage incoming hostiles to degrade their combat effectiveness prior to them closing in. While recent upgrades from a re-purposed 152mm barrel to a 155mm barrel specifically designed for the purpose have increased its accuracy, it still requires up-close protection and takes a significant amount of time to get to its destination. Additionally, its effectiveness against mobile targets is greatly reduced without some kind of spotting assistance. The major upside is that it does not require any high-tech components and thus can be requisitioned and supported without the presence of a Tech Center.

[] Harvester: -1200 credits, 1 speed, -10 vs non-infantry units, harvests Tiberium at 800/load/turn, self-supporting
-[] Equip with railgun: -100 additional credits; +15 vs vehicles
A slow, heavy-duty vehicle capable of scooping up Tiberium, grinding it up and delivering it to a refinery for processing. The standard model comes armed with a machine gun to deter very casual raiders, but railgun-equipped models are becoming increasingly common for extra deterrence against vehicle-based raiders, although it's still not recommended to use these highly expensive pieces of equipment as front-line combat vehicles.

Operational Area Map:

Current Force Status:

First, it turns out that the Pitbull driver you took with you is actually a show-off. The smug bastard does circles around your formation, popping wheelies and careening around ice patches. You decide to leave him alone for the moment, feeling no need to test your authority.
[] Pick specialization - the narrower the higher the bonus

Now, you'll want to decide on what you want to do with your strike force. You've got four objectives you can take care of on this side of the river, which overlap somewhat. First, you've got reported SAM site(s?) in the northwest. Perhaps a quick sweep in that direction so you can get at least some "off-board" air support is in order.

Second, you need to sweep the northern bank of the river for turrets and secure the designated bridge sites. The "island" immediately to your south doesn't look like the kind of place where Nod would have any room to set up a base, but does look like the kind of place where they might try to hide turrets, so sweeping in that direction is an option. This will also let you say that you've established a clear air corridor to the sandbar, which will allow you to call in the Ox transports with two additional infantry units.

Or, you could go "straight for the jugular" and pay a visit to the bridge sites, figure out which one is better, maybe drop some mines for security.

Regardless, you'll be leaving the two infantry squads and the Rig at the main base for defense.

[] Sweep northwest for SAM sites
[] Sweep D4-E4-F4 "island" for turrets
[] Visit the B4 bridge site

AN:

Raw Plan/Resolution:

February 6, 2060

Laying enough mines to control access to a base over relatively flat terrain is a long, boring, mind-numbing task. In a way, you wish you'd stayed in the construction yard closet instead, at least there you'd be able to take a nap or review terrain reports or think about what you intend to do with the credits rolling in from the harvesting operation in F3. But no, you wanted to ride along and see how it actually works.

The way it works is that the APC drives a few meters along a pre-planned route, you hear a "ka-chunk" and feel a slight thump, then the APC drives a few more meters. Eventually, Corporal Arias gets bored with starting and stopping smoothly. Instead, he squeezes the gas pedal as hard as he can for about one second, causing your head to snap back, then mashes the brake, causing your head to snap forward. After several hours of this you feel pretty nauseous, and it is to your (and probably everyone else's) great relief that your EVA announces that you now have sufficient minefield coverage - anything coming at your base from the west will hit at least one mine, one way or another.

You order your vehicles south so you can finally carry out the sweep of the D4-E4-F4 island as you planned. As you're coming up on the bridge, Corporal Arias slams on the brakes, nearly causing you to lose your lunch.

"What the hell, Corporal, I thought we stopped laying mines." you state, somewhat miserably.

"Nah, mira Lieutenant - we got some people on the bridge."

"Ugh, fine. Halt." you order the column, securing your helmet. Maybe the walk will stop you being about to puke.

---

"Куда идешь, скотина? Иди назад." the man asks and states as you approach. He's backed up by another seven people behind him - all holding previous-generation weapons, dressed in a mixture of salvaged body armor and GDI-issue civilian winter survival gear. The leader has a gray beard sticking out from underneath a thick beanie. You feel fairly confident that you can take them, between your APCs, Pitbull and the Zone Troopers flanking you.

Still, you'd prefer to resolve this without shooting random civilians. The only problem is you actually don't speak Russian. EVA helpfully displays a translation, which, you're pretty sure is a little bit too literal - "where are you going, farm animal? go back." Still, given the guy's posture, you're pretty sure he doesn't want you crossing the bridge. They don't quite have their guns pointed at you, but they're spread out and obviously ready for a fight.

"Hey guys, anyone speak Russian?" you ask, quietly, over the comms.

"Sure, I do." the spotter part of your sniper team volunteers.

You call him up with a sense of relief - the only thing worse than trying to figure out what someone is saying given EVA's lame-ass translations is trying to talk a foreign language with said translations as your only guide. "Explain to him that we need to sweep this island, and see if you can find out what him and his buddies are doing here. And why they won't let us through." you instruct the spotter.

The two of them get into an animated conversation that your EVA isn't quite able to follow, displaying random word salad. You de-activate the translation routine. Both gesticulate a lot, and you catch a few instances of "G. D. I." being thrown around.

"I guess these guys live here?" the spotter tells you after coming back to your side. "Anyway, they're claiming sovereign yellow zone territory, yadda yadda yadda."

You grind your teeth. "Great. Let me get command on the horn, maybe we can get some diplomatic corps people down here?" you ask, more yourself than anyone else, grasping at straws.

"I dunno, Lieutenant." the spotter says. "I don't like 'em."

"Me either, Corporal." you respond. "But at this point, our options are to forget it, or wait for backup."

The spotter shrugs. "I dunno, Lieutenant. I think me and my other half could sneak across here at night, scope the place out."

You grind your teeth some more. "What if those turrets are down there and you get detected?"

"Then you roll in and rescue us." the spotter replies, no doubt grinning behind the helmet.

---

Current Objective Status:
Secure Bridge Sites at A4 and A5 OR
Secure Bridge Sites at B4 and B5 (primary command directive, approximate timeline: 19 days)
Sweep northwestern area for SAM sites (secondary command directive)
Sweep river banks (A-F4, A-F5) for fixed emplacements (secondary command directive, being impeded)
Establish unit requisition (self-entered)
Nod jamming active - long-range comms disabled - establish Command Post (self-entered, completed)

Base Status:
Power (available/total): 105/200
Logistics (available/total): 0/8 (requisition disabled)
Building Slots F2: 2/8
Building Slots F3: 1/4 (-2 rocky, -2 Tiberium)
Tiberium Credits: 2000 (+1600 overspend)
Tiberium Storage Capacity: 1600/2000
Tiberium Income: 800/turn for 13 turns
Construction Capacity: 1/turn
Infantry Requisition Capacity: 1/turn (disabled until additional logistics available)
Buildings:
F2: Conyard, 2x Power Plant, Barracks, Command Post
F3: Refinery, Silo

Miscellaneous Options:
[] Lay Minefields (one per APC per speed, 300 credits each, anywhere an APC can get go)
You can never have enough minefields? Well, that's not true. But you suppose there's one more place you can reasonably put minefields to secure your base and give yourself early warning of incoming attacks. Or you could push your minefield perimeter out, but you feel like there are better uses of your resources.

[] Satellite Scan (limit 1 per turn; so 2 on a double turn, 500 credits each, reveals all contents of designated sector)
With your command post online, you can task any overhead GDI satellites that pass overhead with taking pictures and then get your computational equipment analyzing them for the presence of any Nod units or structures, concealed or not.

[] Relocate MCV
Have your MCV pack up and move, allowing for construction work elsewhere.
-[] Write-in destination sector within one move of F2

Double Turn
Construction Options (pick 2; valid locations are F2 or relocation destination if applicable)

[] Sandbags: -450 credits, +5 to defensive infantry rolls, mutually exclusive with concrete walls
You know it, you love it. Lets your infantry have something to shiver behind while they get shot at by incoming Nod forces.

[] Concrete Walls: -900 credits, sector has "concrete walls"
For some reason you can't fathom, you've previously been locked out of building simple concrete walls around your base. Now you can - this will let you keep wandering saboteurs and tanks out of your base, or at least force them to blow the walls first or come in via glider, jump pack or airdrop. Meanwhile, your rocket and mortar-equipped units, as well as sentry towers, may engage incoming hostiles.

[] Power Plant: -500 credits, +100 power, -1 building slot
The standard pre-fabricated GDI nuclear fission power plant. Your power levels are again in the green for now and you do not need any more at the moment. But you probably will again.

[] Barracks: -500 credits, -15 power, -1 building slot, +4 logistics, +1 infantry requisition capacity
A place to put the various fighting and support personnel you'll need when you go to requisition additional units; it's a place to eat, sleep or socialize. And don't forget the decontamination facilities. You could build one for the logistics capacity increase, but there are other ways of doing that.

[] Command Post Expansion: -1000 credits, -50 power, -1 building slot, +5 to all rolls due to comms advantage
Unlocks extra satellite scan/day
A building housing a large communications array and computational equipment. A second one with hardline connections to the first one will give you a comms advantage over the Brotherhood and let you coordinate more satellite scans. But, it's a heavy power and credit investment.

[] War Factory: -2000 credits, -40 power, -2 building slots, +4 logistics; +1 vehicle requisition capacity
A structure containing the equipment necessary to manufacture replacement parts and reasonable amounts of ammunition for all of GDI's vehicles and heavy weapons. While expensive, it will allow you to bring more vehicles onto the field, including extra harvesters for more rapid Tiberium gathering.

[] Airfield: -1000 credits, -45 power, -1 building slot, +4 logistics; +1 aircraft requisition capacity
Four VTOL landing pads, an air traffic control tower and some minor fabrication capability for spare parts will let you have aircraft temporarily attached to your command. Additionally, you will be able to call in air support over areas known to be clear of SAM sites.

[] Tech Center: -4000 credits, -60 power, -1 building slot, +4 logistics;
Unlocks advanced zone armor requisition when combined with armory
Unlocks Pacifier MAV requisition from War Factory
Unlocks Power Plant Turbine Upgrade
Unlocks Sonic Emitter defenses
This facility contains high-end fabrication equipment that allows you to manufacture supplies and replacement parts for advanced GDI units. For example, the standard Zone Trooper suits, as well as Commander, Raider and Marauder variants. It is an expensive investment to be sure, but the power armored infantry is leaps and bounds more effective than their unarmored counterparts. Additionally, you will be able to deploy Pacifier mobile artillery vehicles, which can easily navigate over the Ob river and its minor offshoots or tributaries. Finally, these can fabricate the equipment you need to fine-tune adding a second turbine to your existing power plants. Oh, and don't forget the ability to manufacture the parts necessary to get sonic emitters working. Is there anything this structure can't do? Other than actually build the stuff it enables.

[] Armory: -1000 credits, -40 power, -1 building slot, +4 logistics;
allows some advanced infantry requisitions (zone defender squads, snipers)
This facility contains storage space and limited manufacturing capability for advanced infantry equipment, such as "the paste" for medkits, sniper rifles and zone defender powered armor - the latter being a stripped down version of the expensive zone trooper armor without all the fancy gear but still providing excellent protection and firepower.

[] Surveyor: -1500 credits, speed 2, -1 building slot when deployed;
-provides detection when deployed
A vehicle that, when deployed, contains the comms and power routing gear to enable building structures far away from your construction yard.

[] Crane: -1500 credits, -55 power, -1 building slot; +1 construction pick
An expansion of the crew, tools and vehicles provided by your construction yard, this will roughly double your construction capability. You'll still need additional income to make full use of it, however.

[] Defensive Turret: -540 credits, -9 power, stealth detector/long range sensors
A weapon on a stationary mount, along with a sophisticated sensor and targeting package. A great option for securing your bases against direct attack. Comes in minigun, anti-air and railgun flavors; or, the all-new fixed point defence laser mount.
-[] Machine gun: +5 vs infantry, -10 vs vehicles, aircraft, tall (may fire over walls)
-[] Anti-aircraft: +10 vs aircraft, -10 vs ground targets
-[] Railgun: +15 vs vehicles, cannot engage aircraft
-[] Fixed Point Defence: Negates damage from a single projectile attack vs supported unit


Infantry Requisitions (pick up to 1, assuming logistics structure is built):
All infantry may be transported by APC
All infantry may swap loadout prior to battle or at beginning of turn at barracks or APC

[] Infantry Squad: -500 credits, -1 logistics, 1 speed
A basic infantry squad, armed with rifles, squad assault weapons, grenade launchers and anti-tank/anti-air rockets. Can be transported by APC and excel at combat in non-open terrain, especially when they have time to set up fighting positions. While they have some environmental protection, they cannot survive extended periods of Tiberium exposure. Winterized gear is mandatory in this environment.
-[] Standard Loadout: cannot engage aircraft
-[] Rockets: +15 vs vehicles/aircraft, -15 vs infantry
-[] Grenade Launchers: +15 vs infantry, -15 vs vehicles, cannot engage aircraft

[] Engineering Squad: -500 credits, -1 logistics, 1 speed
A specialized infantry squad carrying equipment for field repair of various GDI mechanized units. May be issued small arms and specialized equipment to aid in clearing building interiors of Nod personnel and boobytraps; said weaponry does not perform well against armored units. Unable to survive extended Tiberium exposure. Winterized gear is mandatory in this environment.
-20 vs non-structures; cannot engage aircraft
-[] Repair Gear: May repair 2x vehicle per turn, cannot capture buildings
-[] Standard Loadout: May repair 1x vehicle per turn, can capture buildings

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Vehicle Requisition Options: (pick up to 1, assuming War Factory is built on the first turn)
Vehicles will arrive in F2
Any vehicle can be upgraded with:
-[] Ablative plating: 50 credits, negates first received laser damage; degrades upon receiving any damage

[] Guardian APC: -600 credits, -1 logistics, 3 speed
You can never go wrong with a Guardian APC, with its flexible turret mount, good speed and reasonable armor protection. Ideally, you want an APC for each infantry unit you're planning to field, at least in an assault capacity.
Loadout options (1 weapon slot):
-[] Rotary cannon (default): +10 vs infantry, -5 vs armored units/aircraft
-[] Guided missiles: -5 vs infantry, +10 vs fast units/aircraft
-[] Grenade launcher: +15 vs infantry, -15 vs armored units, cannot engage aircraft
-[] Point Defence: negates first projectile attack against this or supported unit

[] Pitbull: -600 credits, -1 logistics, 4 speed, detects stealthed units, +10 vs aircraft, -10 vs infantry
This fast little recon vehicle has two purposes - one, to fire guided missiles at vehicles and aircraft and two, to detect Nod stealth units with its advanced sensor system. It can also be shipped with a mounted mortar for an additional resource cost. The sensor system can detect stealthed units at close range or non-stealthed vehicle sensor contacts at long range.
Add-on options:
-[] Mortar: Secondary weapon, +10 vs infantry/buildings, may engage two units simultaneously, costs additional 100 credits

[] Predator: -800 credits, -1 logistics, 2 speed, support attacks vs this unit are more effective, +20 vs vehicles, cannot engage aircraft, hit points at 125%.
This heavily armored tank's railgun can punch through just about any armor the brotherhood can bring to bear and can target fast-moving vehicles effectively due to the projectile's incredible launch velocity, but it struggles against infantry and fixed defenses. Its armor is pretty thick, but designers opted to put most of it in the front of the tank, so it performs best when it has support. Recent models have been re-fitted with point defense systems which excel at shooting down low rate of fire Nod projectiles, but tend to be overwhelmed by concentrated fire from multiple angles and have no effect against lasers or rapid-fire weapons.
Upgrade option:
-[] Point Defense: 100 credits, negates first received rocket or shell damage per combat round

[] Overseer Self-Propelled Gun: -800 credits, -1 logistics, 1 speed
Targets units up to 1 hex away; may target units in same sector by spending a combat round to "reposition"; +25 vs infantry/structures; +10 from hill
This is a slow, plodding artillery piece that does the bare minimum required, which is that it is mobile and can deliver firepower at long distances by firing a high-explosive shell at a high arc. This enables GDI commanders to reduce enemy strongpoints without having to re-enact the Charge of the Light Brigade, force river and other narrow passage crossings, and engage incoming hostiles to degrade their combat effectiveness prior to them closing in. While recent upgrades from a re-purposed 152mm barrel to a 155mm barrel specifically designed for the purpose have increased its accuracy, it still requires up-close protection and takes a significant amount of time to get to its destination. Additionally, its effectiveness against mobile targets is greatly reduced without some kind of spotting assistance. The major upside is that it does not require any high-tech components and thus can be requisitioned and supported without the presence of a Tech Center.

[] Harvester: -1200 credits, 1 speed, -10 vs non-infantry units, harvests Tiberium at 800/load/turn, self-supporting
-[] Equip with railgun: -100 additional credits; +15 vs vehicles
A slow, heavy-duty vehicle capable of scooping up Tiberium, grinding it up and delivering it to a refinery for processing. The standard model comes armed with a machine gun to deter very casual raiders, but railgun-equipped models are becoming increasingly common for extra deterrence against vehicle-based raiders, although it's still not recommended to use these highly-expensive pieces of equipment as front-line combat vehicles.


Operational Area Map:

Current Force Status:

With the command post up, you are able to communicate with both your superior officer and Lt. Richter. The former reports that advances everywhere are proceeding as planned for the moment, while Lt. Richter reports that her assigned outpost has repelled a light Brotherhood of Nod attack. Coming from two directions, three Scorpion tanks, two buggies, two bikes, multiple militant squads and four saboteurs staged a raid. While almost everything was eliminated (except a lone Saboteur and one of the tanks), the facility lost its airfield and a power plant. Given the low density state of local Tiberium fields, Lt. Richter estimates it will take approximately three weeks to get everything back up and running. So that's your rough time frame in terms of when the bridge construction is expected to start. Any further, and people will be waiting on you instead. You probably don't want that.

Now, what to do about these guys getting in the way of your island sweep?

Well, you've got a few options. First, you could simply plow past them. What exactly are a bunch of nimrods with last-generation rifles going to do against your APCs? Of course, you don't feel too good about that option - you're not usually given to violating unaligned territory indiscriminately without an overriding concern (let alone blasting them indiscriminately). Even if they're in your way. You're also not really confident about the legal ground you're standing on in that case. Maybe you'll call your superior officer before doing that.

Second, you could send your sniper team to take a peek into the village. There's a chance that turrets are hidden there, in which case your snipers are going to be in trouble for a little bit while you move forces in to extract them. Parallel to that, you could send your zone trooper squad into the Tiberium field to the east of the village.

Another option that occurs to you, now that you've got the command post up and running, is to get your satellites to scan that island. It'll be a little expensive, but carries very little risk for your troops.

Finally, it's not a primary command directive. You could just turn around and do something else.

Pick 1:
[] Plow through these scrubs
-[] Call commanding officer prior to doing so; nominate an alternate approach just in case
[] Send snipers to take a peek
-[] Send zone troopers to look to the east of the village as well
[] Use satellite scans to get the info you need (up to 1500 credits)
May combine with sending snipers/zone troopers to reduce cost by 500 per sector
[] Forget about it