Garrisoning

Unlocked: The Pentagon, garrison a riflemen squad into a tower

Garrisoning Structures with Infantry

Urban combat is a messy and dangerous business. When fighting in a city environment, Field Commanders should use every advantage to minimize casualties. Garrisoning civilian structures with infantry is a tactic that generates multiple rewards, including massive defensive bonuses and increased safety for the troops. Buildings can provide cover and a fire base for infantry as they shoot at targets outside without being directly exposed to enemy fire. Garrisoned Buildings protect soldiers from heavy Anti-Personnel weapons mounted on vehicles. That being said, Field Commanders should be wary of enemy units that specialise in clearing the Garrisoned Buildings, particularly those equipped with grenades and flamethrowers. Remember: Caught in the cross-fire while you're out in the open? Order your troops into a building.

Calling for Transport

Unlocked:: Langley Air Force Base, capture both airfields

Once a forward base has an airfield, many GDI infantry and vehicles gain the ability to Call for Transport at almost any time. The unit can radio for Transport from the field and a V-35 Ox VTOL airlifter will fly to the unit's location, drop down on its thrust vectored engines, and pick up the unit. Once a destination is communicated to the Ox crew, the aircraft will ferry the airlifted unit to its destination and set it down on target. Keep in mind that units are extremely vulnerable while in their air - an Ox is a juicy target for an enemy unit that has any form of anti-air capability.

Logistic Crates: Targets of Opportunity

Unlocked: Hampton Roads Naval Base, activate a crate

Memo from Supply Sergeant Brock Littleford

Both GDI and Nod rely on mobility and rapid deployment for success. Armies seem to come and go all the time as the balance of power shifts, often very quickly. Given the haste with which these operations are conducted, it's not a surprise that a lot of equipment is being left behind. Our Blue Zones and Yellow Zones are becoming littered with logistics crates filled with military spares, data cores, and other equipment and supplies. Both sides use the modular G-771G Container, a standard crate used by the commercial shipping industry for decades. You'll find these containers everywhere - and they should be considered Targets of Opportunity for our boys in the field. If your troops crack one of these containers open, odds are they'll find something useful. G-771G containers are easy to spot: just look for geometric grey crates trimmed with diagonal stripes. They stick out like a sore thumb and anyone can pop them open with a bit of elbow grease.

Good hunting.

Nod Aircraft

Unlocked: Casabad, when Venoms pass over the base

InOps Field Guide to Nod Aircraft in TW3 Theatres of War

Nod aircraft have evolved considerably since TW2. Nod is fielding the VTOL Venom Scout, the batwing Vertigo Stealth Bomber, a Carryall that can transport troops and equipment, and a high altitude, long range bomber called the Armageddon. Venoms are lightly armed and armored but can take on a wide variety of targets on the ground and in the air - they are even capable of engaging our Orcas in air-to-air combat. The Vertigo evades detection by most GDI sensors and only "de-cloaks" to drop it powerful bombs on target structures and vehicles. The Nod Carryall is the counterpart to our V-35 Ox, a VTOL aircraft that can pick up and transport a wide variety of troops and equipment. Finally, the Armageddon is seen infrequently but when it appears on the battlefield, it is usually bringing bad news. Nod Armageddon aircraft are used to deliver cluster mines and a number of exotic air-to-ground weapons.

Liquid Tiberium Research

Unlocked: Casabad, destroy the Nod Research Lab

Nod Weaponising New Form of Tiberium

An advanced Nod Tiberium weapon research program was recently uncovered when a GDI strike team in North Africa stormed a Nod facility originally thought to be a Chemical Weapons factory. Science division evaluation of the Wreckage subsequently confirmed several large scale Tiberium weaponisation efforts underway. Of most concern to InOps is evidence of significant progress towards the creation of a liquid Tiberium device of unprecedented destructive power. The liquid form of Tiberium is a relatively new manifestation of the alien substance and its properties are not well known. Nod's Liquid Tiberium research appears to be 5 to 10 years ahead of Science Division.

There were also indications that Nod is working on a more conventional airborne Tiberium explosive and a catalyst for detonating existing Tiberium crystal deposits in a sub-critical reaction.

Analysis of past Nod R&D efforts (which tend to be redundant and decentralised in nature) suggests the Nod Lab in North Africa was only one of several facilities participating in the Tiberium weaponisation efforts.

New Nod Flame Tank

Unlocked: Casabad, first flame tank sighting

Nod Deploys New Tool of Terror

Nod has fielded a new version of their classic Anti-Infantry weapon system known as the Flame Tank. The new model carriers heavier amour, has a turret to allow for easier targeting, and uses dual flame-throwers that can stay inaction for long periods of time without refueling. It replaces the older "Devil's Tongue", last used in TW2.

Flame Tanks are devastating against all forms of Infantry and can clear out garrisoned buildings with terrifying efficiency. InOps advises Field Commanders to engage Flame Tanks with armored vehicles or aircraft firing cannons or rockets. The enclosed crew compartments in armored vehicles will also protect against the inferno generated by the flame throwers.

Commandeering Tiberium Spikes

Unlocked: Casabad, capture the second Tiberium Spike

Tiberium Spikes

The landscape of many Blue and Yellow Zones is dotted with tall cylindrical structures known as Tiberium Spikes. These automated extraction platforms slowly pull Tiberium out of subterranean deposits and refine it on location so that resources are available for immediate use. GDI Commanders are encouraged to commandeer Tiberium Spikes in the field to help sustain their forward operating bases. A combat engineer deployed into a Tiberium Spike can channel resources to the production structure of a base.

Commanders are encouraged to provide compensation to the legitimate owners of commandeered Tiberium Spikes in the form of GDI vouchers that can be redeemed in Reykjavik for credits. Note that Spikes extract at different rates depending on the size and nature of the underlying Tiberium deposits, so the flow of resources may vary from location to location.

EMP Control Center

Unlocked: Alexandria, capture the EMP Control center

Electomagnetic Pulse Control center

Field Commanders should stay on the look-out for the four cylindrical towers of the EMP Control center. These odd structures were erected during the last few decades in a number of Yellow Zones and Blue Zones as a deterrent to Nod attacks. The theory was that a volunteer crew would race to the EMP Control center when the civil defence sirens sounded warning of an attack - they would fire off the EMP and disable attacking forces. After years with little Nod activity, the centers were mostly abandoned and are now being used opportunistically by GDI and Nod forces. Deploy a combat engineer into the EMP Control center to capture it and use it against enemy forces.

Cairo Nuclear Launch Facility

Unlocked: Cairo, destroy the silo structures

InOps FLASH Report

Strike on Philadelphia originated at Nod's Cairo Nuclear Launch Facility.

InOps have confirmed that the missile used to destroy the Philadelphia was launched from an underground silo connected to Nod's Nuclear Launch Facility in Cairo. Detection of this facility by sat-surveillance prior to the Philadelphia incident was difficult because most of the structures were buried underground or disguised. Since the start of TW3, Nod has removed the masking above ground to facilitate launch operations. The underground silo that launched the Philadelphia strike is now inactive, with Nod's launch operations transferred to a central raised platform with a much lower cycle time between missile launches.

Nod's Nuclear Arsenal

Unlocked: Cairo, destroy bunkers at the entrance

InOps FLASH Report

Nod has consolidated its nuclear arsenal at its Cairo Nuke Facility. What was once a mobile nuclear force is now a massive central arsenal. The reasons for the centralisation of Nod's nukes is not known, although speculation ranges from paranoia (Kane is afraid that his Commanders might rebel and use nukes on Kane loyalists) to preparation for some unknown operational contingency or a gain in efficiency in operations. Whatever the reason, we do know one thing for sure: Take out the Cairo facility and we deprive Nod of its nuclear capability.

Power Management

Unlocked: Croatia, beginning of the mission

<<Incoming Tech Message>>

Emergency Engineering Report Warrant Officer S. Bowen GDI Forward Operation Base "Echo-2" Croatia

SBowenMonkeyWrench: Power Plants are down and our base grid is compromised - there just isn't enough juice to keep everything running at the same time. The only way you're going to keep those defences online is to power down anything you're not using. If you shut down half of the base defences, we should be able to squeeze enough power to keep the other half online. If one of the active defences get destroyed, it won't draw power, so you can turn on another defence to take over. You may also need to shut down defences that aren't active to re-route power to guns and turrets that are under immediate threat. Juggling power under fire is the key to survival here.

Nod Ion Cannon Disruption Tech

Unlocked: Sarajevo, beginning

Nod deploying Ion Cannon Disruption Technology

GDI's orbital Ion Cannon battle stations have been offline ever since the attack on Goddard Space center. Repairs have now been completed and the Ion Cannons are back in action. However, we are currently unable to strike certain targets due to Nod's deployment of a new countermeasure: Ion Cannon Disruptor Arrays. These structures have been erected in multiple locations.

All Field Commanders should be aware of the existence of Ion Cannon Disruption Technology and be on the lookout for the Disruptor Array Structures. Take out the Disruptors with conventional weapons before you call in an Ion Cannon strike.

Nod Avatar Walker

Unlocked: Sarajevo, destroy the marked Avatar with a Commando

Powerful, resilient, effective, and frightening: The Nod Avatar Walker

Nod has rocketed ahead of GDI in the race to build mechanised combat walkers -solving many of the problems that had GDI engineers scratching their heads. There is speculation that Nod stole the original walker technology from GDI, then took advantage of research in other areas to accelerate the development of new prototypes. Regardless of the origin of Nod's technology, they have invested years of research and development at a ruthlessly fast pace - and now Nod has finally fielded a highly advanced bipedal walker with the adaptive ability to use multiple weapon systems. The Avatar Walker is a very capable all-terrain weapons platform, heavily armored and equipped with a powerful laser. It can also be outfitted with flame throwers, particle beam cannons, stealth detectors, and stealth generators.

Sonic Weapons and the Invaders

Unlocked: Munich, capture the sonic emitter power plant

InOps FLASH Report

Effects of Sonic Weapons on the Invaders

Dispatch from Dr. Elian Schwartzberg, Battlefield Medic, 21st Armored Division

Needless to say, there is very little in the way of hope to be found in the ash covered, body strewn rubble of post-invasion Munich. Even so, as my team covertly made its way through the outskirts of that ruined city, searching for survivors, we stumbled across something that might just be the source of hope.

Crossing the Wastelands under guard of night, we encountered the surviving members of a GDI combat platoon from the 76th Mechanised, apparently flush from a successful rear-guard action that enabled the escape of some VIPs that are somehow key to the war effort. In conversation, it quickly became apparent that much of said success was due to the intervention from a particularly unexpected source - sonics.

To quote, from a transcript recorded on my CommInt Unit:

"We kept firin', but the metallic <expletive> just kept on coming right at us, crawling over their own dead like it were nothing. Then, right when I knew we was about to be killed, right when those <expletive> had us up against the wall, one of those smart <expletive> engineers figured out a way to get the old Munich sonic emitter grid back online and then, BAM!, the damn emitter towers just started chewing up those invading <expletive> like a Visceroid gone rabid. It was a thing of <expletive> beauty..."

Staff Sergeant Arnold P. Coddington, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 76th Mechanised Infantry Division

Yes, it appears that the Sonic Emitters we use to reclaim our land from Tiberium - and to control and regulate Tiberium growth throughout the reclaimed Blue Zones - are capable of inflicting great harm upon our new found enemies. Further investigation is required before we can determine the why - are the aliens structurally similar to the crystal? Is that why they are here? For now, we can certainly make use of the what - Sonics hurt the aliens. Hurt them bad.

We may stand a chance after all.

Alien Origins, Connections to the Tacitus

Unlocked: Stuttgart, capture or destroy the Drone Platform

Results of Initial Investigation into the Origins of the Invaders

R&D Division Attn: Battlefield Commanders

Alien Origins - Connections to the Tacitus

GDI Science Teams have been gathering every possible bit of transmitted data and physical evidence about the Aliens since the moment of invasion. Data Analysis of alien transmissions has indicated some connection between the Tacitus recovered from Kane and the Invaders.

The transmissions recorded from the Invasion Force seem to be patterned in a similar way to the data structure in the Tacitus. This leads us to believe that the Invaders are the Scrin, or perhaps some faction thereof. It is clear upon closer examination that this invasion force demonstrates acute differences from the source of the Tacitus in dialect and physical form. Perhaps they shared some distant connection, or there was some ancient contact between their cultures?

One transmission we decoded using our most advanced decryption computers indicated alien chatter regarding another alien race they had previously encountered. We were unable to translate the word for the other alien race, but the encryption computer returned the terms brother, ascended, enemy and Scrin. This casts some confusion on the nature of the invaders, as they share a multitude of attributes with what we have come to know as the Scrin. It seems unlikely that this is the very same alien race that brought the Tacitus to Earth, but the connection is undeniable.

If this is true, we should consider the Tacitus out most valuable military asset. We must somehow find a way to unlock its secrets.

GDI InOps FLASH Report - Dr. A. Bass, PHD, Director of Extraterrestrial Research

Alien Tripod Captured

Unlocked: N/A (bugged)

Invader weapon system re-activated and used by GDI forces

Front line forces in Europe have managed to capture and reactivate an alien Tripod. A Commando in direct contact with the enemy disabled the Tripod by planting a high explosive charge on the legs of the walker. GDI forces then immediately moved in and established a perimeter around the immobilised alien war machine. Once the area was secure, an Engineer was able to gain access to the Walker, repair the damaged leg, and reactivate the onboard systems. Early reports indicate that the Engineer was able to communicate in a rudimentary fashion with the Walker's control entity by utilizing decryption programs similar to those found in the Tacitus, the alien artefact decoded by GDI several decades ago.

Alien Mastermind

Unlocked: Rome, kill the Mastermind

New Invader military unit given GDI designation - Mastermind

Just when we thought that setting up behind the chasm would make us safer, we were proven wrong. The alien Mastermind, an enemy Commando of sorts, was able to teleport forces across the gap and jeopardise our entire operation. The aliens were able to keep the pressure on with a minimal number of units and crafty use of their Statis Chamber and Mastermind. We believe the Mastermind has more powers than just teleportation, but did not observe any additional capabilities directly.

If Masterminds are deployed to the battlefield, field commanders should make it a priority to eliminate them ASAP. The amount of mobility the Masterminds afford the alien Invaders makes them a very high value target. Alien Masterminds eliminate the advantage of terrain: they virtually guarantee that no place is safe.

Combat Report - Sergeant Major E.H. Jarvis, First Expeditionary Force

Alien Rift Generator

Unlocked: Rome, capture or destroy the Rift Generator

Rift Generator Update

The Rift Generator makes the science behind our own Ion Cannon look downright primitive. It appears to function by opening a portal at the flash point and ejecting anything that's caught in the resulting field into deep space. Some of our more robust structures have been able to hold against such an attack, but the Rift Generator's destructive capabilities are on par with the GDI Ion Cannon and the Nod nuclear missiles.

Dr. Gordon Malou, InOps

Alien Control Node

Unlocked: Ground Zero, damage the control node

InOps FLASH Report

The Alien Control Node at Ground Zero is a unique structure that seems to channel some sort of exotic Tiberium-based radiation to the invader forces. The emissions from the Control Node move easily through all forms of matter, much like neutrino wave/particles, and this one node structure is easily able to bathe every invader unit and structure on Earth with the mysterious radiation. In fact, this one Control Node could easily supply a uniform bath of radiation to alien units as far away as Earth's moon. What is this radiation and why is it needed? Is it for power? Communications? Synchronisation? Coordination and control? Does it provide something essential for the alien machines or the organic matter inside? We don't know the answers to any of these questions, but we do believe that the Control Node is the key vulnerability for the aliens. Take out the Control Node and there is a good chance the whole invasion will end quickly.

The Ghost in the Machine

Unlocked: Hampton Roads Naval Base, automatic

Excerpt from INN Holobrief, May 28th, 2043

One of the more unusual chapters of the Second Tiberium War came to an explosive close yesterday as the GDI Corps of Engineers detonated what is believed to be the last remaining Cabal bunker - the tube-filled underground lairs from which the rogue Artificial Intelligence waged brief war upon humanity.

Contacted for comment, retired war hero and former head of the Bureau of Mutant Affairs, General Paul Cortez, lauded for his role in CABAL's defeat, dismissed his fallen foe as "... a second rate EVA with a goatee and Napoleon complex." Cortez also claimed to have refused a GDI invitation to attend the detonation ceremony, citing his opposition to the current leadership's controversial Tiberium containment policy and "weak kneed" approach to the Brotherhood of Nod.

Rumours that this particular bunker displayed evidence of human or humanoid life forms in suspension capsules were quickly dismissed by GDI spokesperson Arlene Shepherd...

Discontinuation of the Mammoth Mk II Walker

Unlocked: Alexandria, upgrade tanks with railguns

Excerpt from INN Holobrief, March 12th, 2039

It was a sad day for many today as the last Mammoth Mark II Walker to enter active combat duty clanked its way out of GDI's San Pedro war factory and into history. With its twin rail guns, battlefield dominance, and unusual boxy profile, the Mk. II became an iconic symbol of freedom during the Second Tiberium War. Its discontinuation has been greeted by many with anger, notably Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker, retired war hero, popular conservative pundit, and noted proponent of the "Kane lives" theory.

"The Mark II was and continues to be one of our most powerful tools in the war against Nod fanaticism. This discontinuation is nothing but another disgusting example of GDI bureaucratic penny pinching and namby pamby "can't we all just get along" liberalism ... once again, GDI is playing right into Kane's hands."

With protests held at containment areas several miles away, the mood at the factory was more resigned than angry, Production of the controversial new four-tread all-terrain Mark III is scheduled to take place in far off Reykjavik, with many in San Pedro fearing for their jobs and the future of their community ...

The Blunder that Nearly Finished GDI

Unlocked: Cairo, explore the map

W3N Transcript from The Frank Hour

"... we thought our space stations and Ion Cannons were the safest of our military assets. We put our most valuable military personnel, our most important command and control systems, and our most powerful weapons in space for this very reason. Little did we know that our space assets had a deadly vulnerability - a single point of failure located in a poorly defended installation ON THE GROUND. Nod exploited this vulnerability at the worst possible time, when our entire political and military leadership was on board the Philadelphia. This is a scandal of staggering magnitude."

"It gets worse, W3N investigative reporters dug into this story and discovered that the decision to locate our A-SAT control systems on the ground at Goddard Space Center was made because of cost. SpaceCom would have had to build an entire new orbital platform just for the computers and crew at a cost of tens of billions. This is an outrage. Security in space was an illusion all along- and GDI was almost wiped out because SpaceCom wanted to save some money ..."

Kane's Fascination with Eastern Europe

Unlocked: Croatia, deploy the MCV

Excerpt from W3N Special on Kane

"... why is Kane determined to rebuild in Eastern Europe? What is his fascination with Sarajevo? Eastern Europe has been a focal point for Nod activity for decades and the reasons aren't completely clear ..."

GDI Storm Shelters

Unlocked: Munich, capture Future-Tech Lab

Excerpt from GDI Emergency Procedures Packet - Storm Shelter Protocol

GDI Storm Shelters are located throughout all Blue Zones and in select Yellow Zone operation areas. They are generally found in close proximity to population centers and government installations. The earliest shelters were built after Ion Storms decimated population centers, including an incident resulting in the death of the famed Dr. Mobius and his top staff. Ion Storm Shelters are typically located between 10 and 30 meters below ground level, but no closer than 70 meters to significant deposits of underground water or Tiberium. Their construction includes 8 foot thick, steel-reinforced concrete walls with integrated Sonic Emitters to prevent nearby Tiberium growth. Newer shelters include dormitories, cafeterias, medical facilities, vehicle maintenance garages, long-term power generators and redundant Sonic Emitters. In high-risk areas, some shelters have gained cultural significance as centers of social activity from sports to art and music events, gaining nicknames such as "Sector 7", "Old Blue" and "The Hatch".

In recent years, many private organisations have developed smaller shelters for corporations and individuals at exorbitant prices. On rare occasions, these private shelters link with official GDI shelters via underground tunnels. Private citizens with shelters that link to GDI Public Shelters are required by law to allow access to anyone who requests aid during Class C emergencies and above.

Courtesy GDI Emergency Aid Commission.

Alien Tower Destroyed!

Unlocked: Ground Zero, beginning

News Update: GDI Successfully Downs Alien Tower in Rome

Today, the human race witnessed the destruction of a massive Alien Tower in one of the world's worst Red Zones. The success of the mission shows all of us that there is hope - and that GDI is in a position to push back the invaders once and for all. The question remains, however, what was the purpose of the Tower?

Alien towers have been constructed in nineteen Red Zones. Their precise purpose is unknown but their location in the heart of the Tiberium infested hellscapes we call Red Zones indicates that they are somehow connected to the crystalline substance. The Alien retreat to the Towers suggests a serious military realignment or a change of course by the Invaders.

While GDI Scientists have been pushing to get a close-up analysis of the towers, military commanders have insisted their quick destruction is the primary concern. If GDI is able to replicate the quick success of the Rome Tower mission in the other eighteen Tower locations, their purpose may never be known.

Nod Stealth Technology

Unlocked: The White House, destroy the Secret Shrines

InOps ECAP Alert "Know Your Enemy"

Nod's Next-Gen Stealth Technology Poses a Serious Threat

In the First Tiberium War, Nod scientists developed a cloaking device that could be mounted on a vehicle, a stealth generator that created an energy field that could literally bend light around a particular object, rendering it invisible to the eye and radar. Nod first deployed this new technology on the infamous Stealth tank. GDI eventually developed new sensors and countermeasures that neutralised Nod's stealth technology, but Nod continued to evolve the science of stealth and the "Stealth Arms Race" has continued unabated ever since.

Nod's new stealth technology is allowing a number of their vehicles and units to successfully evade detection by most current-gen GDI sensors. As a result, Nod stealth units are proving brutally effective against our forces in the field. Nod has clearly leapfrogged GDI in stealth technology and countermeasures.

GDI field commanders should be aware that the latest G-Tech sensors are required for detection of Nod stealth units. Unfortunately, the newest sensors are not widely deployed. Only GDI Pitbull scout vehicles and base defences come standard with the latest stealth detecting technology. Other units like Zone Troopers must be upgraded with scanner packs, and Orca aircraft can be equipped with sensor pods or use a recharging pulse scan to detect nearby hidden enemies.

Note that units equipped with stealth technology can sustain the stealth field while inactive or moving, but once any offensive action is taken, the field will break down and the unit will become visible. Also, there are reports that Nod has constructed a stealth disruption tower that can project a field large enough to encompass multiple units and even structures. It's conceivable that Nod forces could cloak an entire base.

Nod Base Defences

Unlocked: The White House, mission completion

InOps ECAPS Alert "Know Your Enemy"

Nod Base Defences

Field commanders should be aware that Nod forces have begun deploying new base defences with some unique properties. Each base defence consists of four components: a central hub and three turrets that can be deployed within the radius of the hub (The hub is the heart of the defence system and controls all of the associated turrets). A hub can repair and even rebuild the three turrets that are slaved to it. To take out one of these new base defences, destroy the hub. That's the only way to make sure the structure is neutralised for good. Also, commanders should note that these new defences are being deployed in three distinct flavors, anti-vehicle, anti-infantry and anti-aircraft. Anti-vehicle defences employ lasers, anti-aircraft turrets fire SAM missiles, and the anti-infantry turrets use an array of gun barrels that fire massive blasts of shrapnel almost like giant shotguns.

GDI Field Recon - the Fall of Cologne

Unlocked: Cologne, capture the power plant

Deposition of GDI Watch Commander, detailing the Alien invasion of Cologne

To be honest, even after the <expletive> hit Munich, we didn't think Cologne would draw much in the way of attention. We've been running simulations since 2038 or so and Cologne has never rated anything more than "minor strategic value." We figured that this would count for the aliens too ... guess we were wrong.

By the time we detected the first wave, it was too late to form anything more than a basic defence. Fortunately, we'd been evacuating civilians for the better part of the day, but we were way behind on erecting defensive structures, let alone planning any kind of strategy. Things fell apart fast, those infernal air... uh ... spacecraft came streaking in, wiping out half of our troops before they could even fire a shot. The rest of us scattered, taking shelter in whatever structures we figured were solid enough to withstand fire, at least temporarily. Then the power when out, and with it our communications, our radar and any damn chance of us taking the city back.

At one point, the insane hell of combat calmed down and it was almost quiet on the battlefield - the odd burst of laser fire, a scream, some radio static. Then, all at once, the sky lit up bright green and the silence became a deafening explosive howl. My heart sank ... the <expletive> had taken out the Tib silos, all of them ... the entire reclamation project, years of work, undone in a few seconds ... a giant <expletive> Tib field spawned right at the heart of central Germany.

Then their ground units came... giant walkers and little disintegrators things taking out our tanks, clouds of razor sharp buzzing things reducing our infantry to unidentifiable piles of wet flesh on the sidewalk.

I called a retreat, grabbed my gun and ran ...

Audio Transcript - Deposition of GDI Watch Commander Elliot Gruber, Cologne

GDI Field Recon - the Fall of Berne

Unlocked: Berne, destroy auxiliary Drone Platforms

Deposition of civilian witness, detailing the Alien invasion of Berne

"I was about to go off the clock when the evacuate order came through. Klaxons, sirens, broadcasts on every channel. Even the damn billboards and street signs were telling us to get out of town. I called my wife, or tried, but every network was jammed ... jammed or just static. We lived in the central district, worker family housing. I had been supervising the final touches on my chunk of the anti-Tib wall, out on the east side. Half a city away."

"Within ten minutes, I had abandoned my car and started to run. The vehicle exit points had jammed up less than ten minutes after the first alert, plunging the city into gridlock. Seconds later, I was sprinting past Holovision kiosks, and the ones that were still broadcasting, all I could see was destruction. Death. Fire ..."

(The Subject places head in hands, mutters inaudibly for 48 seconds)

"... so I'm running and I start to hear this low hum. At first I think it's just the static from the Public Address system, gone dead a few minutes earlier. It isn't, it's something more. Like a machine, but alive, also, somehow. It starts to grow, the sound larger and larger as I sprint, and the sky is now dark, and the city walls are falling, the city walls I helped build ... and there are things, things in the sky..."

(The Subject places head in hands, mutters inaudibly for 32 second)

"... glowing, blue and glossy. Machines, but alive. I keep running. My lungs burn, my sides ache, but I'm getting close to the city. There's a thing in the sky, like the others, but huge, noise deafening, a massive ring, rotating around a central object, some kind of control pod. I am too close to take it all in, to know how it works. It's nearly over me, over central Berne, and now it's glowing, drawing up some kind of energy."

"I lower my head and run."

"For a second, everything is silent, as if the gigantic thing had sucked the sound right out of the air. Then light, everywhere, all consuming. I fall, shielding my eyes."

"Light, light and silence."

"When I come to, there ..., there is no Central Berne, no worker family housing. All gone. Just a pit, gouged from the Earth, a pit where a city used to be. At the center, there is something blue ... blue and glittering ..."

Audio Transcript (Translated) - Deposition of Civilian Engineering Corps Foreman Martin Hoffesommer, Berne, Under Hypnotic Regression

GDI Riflemen

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, train a riflemen squad

Field Manual - Basic Infantry

Equipped with the GD2 rifle, GDI Riflemen are the mainstay of GDI military forces. They are deployed to all combat zones and trained in anti-infantry combat techniques. Riflemen are most effective when garrisoned in fortified structures, and are equipped to dig foxholes when the need arises to defend a fixed position. Riflemen should never be deployed against heavy armor, especially flame weapons, without significant Heavy-Weapon Support.

GDI - Units and Weapons

GDI Missile Squad

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, automatic

Field Manual - Basic Infantry

GDI Missile Squads are armed with the FGM-90, which is designed to inflict maximum damage to vehicles and aircraft. Light vehicles like jeeps and buggies are excellent targets for Missile Squads. Missile Squads are normally deployed in tandem with larger Riflemen Squads, but can be used to great effect from garrisoned buildings in civilian buildings or APCs where they are protected from anti-infantry fire.

GDI - Units and Weapons

GDI Engineer

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, automatic

GDI combat engineers are able to capture enemy buildings and repair structures (including bridges and base buildings). Deploy an Engineer into an enemy base structure in order to capture it - or send an Engineer into a damaged building to fix it back up again. Damaged bridges can be repaired by deploying an Engineer into the bridge auto-repair gatehouses.

Engineer Combat Primer Excerpt

- As a Combat Engineer, a few cardinal rules should be kept in mind at all times:

1. Never act alone in hostile territory. Your standard issue body armor is ineffective against most modern weapons.

2. You are equipped with a standard GD45 sidearm. Only use it as a last resort as it will not penetrate most modern body armor.

3. Once you gain access to an enemy structure, be sure to disable the central computer terminal immediately and install your override program to connect the structure to the nearest command post.

4. When entering a damaged structure, be sure to initiate damage control programs for immediate results. Once the automation has kicked in, you will be clear to commence more extensive repairs.

5. Keep your hard-hat on at all time.

GDI - Units and Weapons

Mobile Construction Vehicle

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, automatic

Combat Engineering Primer

Mobile Construction Vehicles, or MCVs, are deployed to all major theaters to serve as the foundation for a forward operating base. The MCV is capable of rolling over any relatively clear terrain. It is not equipped for self-defence. When an MCV reaches it destination, it can immediately unpack into a construction yard capable of building production structures, a Tiberium refinery, and other elements needed for a forward base. The construction yard can be packed up into the MCV at any time, although it is only advised when the base it supports is no longer being used.

GDI - Units and Weapons

Barracks

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, automatic

Field Manual - Logistics

GDI base camps are created using highly portable, modular buildings. This allows for easy construction and tear-down of shelters in harsh climates and remote locations. Personnel stationed at GDI bases will find themselves protected from Tiberium contamination and Ion Storms due to their durable armor plating, but will not have access to advanced weaponry without the support of an armory.

GDI - Units and Weapons

APC

Unlocked: The Pentagon, automatic

Field Manual - APC

The GDI Armored Personnel Carrier, or APC, is a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle that can transport infantry in an armored compartment. Dynamically sized fire slits permit the soldiers riding into the vehicle to shoot at targets outside the APC. Deploy a Missile Squad into an APC and the vehicle effectively gains the ability to fire missiles. Passengers can be evacuated quickly through multiple exits from the APC, so the vehicle can drop soldiers right into a firefight with minimum downtime for unloading.

Grenadier

Unlocked: The Pentagon, automatic

TacOps Field Guide: Grenadier Squad

If you need to clear a garrisoned building fast, deploy a Grenadier Squad and they'll get the job done. Their rocket propelled grenade can even hit the upper stories of taller structures. Even better, their grenades have minimal on-board AI guidance and can steer themselves right through windows. Grenadiers will blow the garrisoned troops right out of the side of the building.

Sniper Team

Unlocked: Langley Air Force Base, rescue Bravo Squad)

TacOps Field Guide: Sniper Team

Sniper Teams are able to take down enemy infantry with deadly precision. They employ stealth so they can't be seen or detected while motionless. Finally, the spotter in a Sniper Team allows you to designate targets for any Juggernaut artillery units for miles around. The Juggernaut crew will be able to see and target enemy units and structures anywhere near active Sniper Teams in the environment.

Command Post

Unlocked: Langley Air Force Base, automatic

Field Manual - Command Structure

GDI Forward Bases act as the hubs for GDI operations in all Zones and weather conditions. The heart of any GDI forward base is the Command Post. From this structure, field commanders can maintain contact with regional GDI resources and centralise intelligence for rapid response. High-powered radar and Communications equipment allow officer real-time feedback from units in the field, but note that this gear will draw significant power from your base grid.

Airfield

Unlocked: Langley Air Force Base, automatic

Field Manual - Forward Air Bases

Air assets are often dedicated to support a particular ground force. The modular GDI Airfield can be established to maintain up to four combat aircraft indefinitely. The facility is capable of refueling, repairing, and rearming Orca Ground Attack Aircraft, but can also sustain Firehawk VTOL attack jets with the addition of advanced technical equipment. Airfields each directly control a small element of aircraft, so without an Airfield these craft may suffer guidance failure and the inability to maintain extended operations considering global Ion Storm interference.

Orca Attack Craft

Unlocked: Langley Air Force Base, automatic

TacOps Field Guide - Mark IV Orca

The highly maneuverable and light-weight Orca aerial weapons platform has supported GDI ground campaigns for decades. The Mk IV version currently deployed with GDI forces worldwide is an all-new, state-of-the-art aircraft. With VTOL capability that allows it to operate from small pads, a high cruising speed, long range, and the ability to hover for extended periods, the Mk IV Orca is truly a versatile weapon system. Its air-to-ground missiles can strike a wide variety of targets, including enemy vehicles and structures. The Mk IV can also be equipped with a sensor array capably of detecting even the most advanced Nod stealth units. Field commanders should note that Orcas are not capable of engaging targets in the air and should be escorted by Firehawk attack jets carrying air-to-air missiles when operating in areas where Nod commands air superiority.

Commando

Unlocked: Hampton Roads Naval Base, automatic

TacOps Field Guide: Commando

The deadliest weapon in the GDI arsenal isn't a tank or an aircraft - it's a human being. GDI's elite Commando is truly an "army of one," backed by 50 years of tradition and trained in a grueling program that has a 22% fatality rate and a 97% drop-out rate for the survivors (even after starting with the very best of the best in all branches of service). Commandos are equipped with special Battle Armor, solid fuel jump jets, a top secret rail gun with a high rate of fire, and det-packs that can take down an entire building with an exotic new explosive. GDI weapon labs equip Commandos with the prototypes of GDI's next-gen weapons, so nobody else on the battlefield has the toy these boys have. The most elite Commandos are also trained to use their det-packs on the legs of large walkers, one of the reasons GDI retired many of the bipedal walkers that were a mainstay in the Second Tiberium War (given that this new vulnerability seemed like it could be exploited by Nod elite units as well).

Predator Battle Tank

Unlocked: White House, construct a Predator

Weapons of the World 2047: GDI Main Battle Tank - MBT-6 Predator

Equipped with a 150mm cannon, this 65 Ton Tank packs an armor-piercing punch against any vehicle or structure. It's also fast and quite maneuverable for a large armored vehicle. Devastating in numbers, Predator tanks can rip through enemy encampments quickly, as well as crush infantry under their tracks. They have excellent armor, but are vulnerable to armor-piercing rocket and cannon attacks.

GDI Base Defences

Unlocked: White House, construct a watchtower or Guardian cannon Excerpt from Technical Manual, March 2047

GDI has 3 basic defences with which to ward off enemy attacks: the Watchtower, The Guardian Cannon, and the AA Battery.

The Watchtower stands 30ft tall with twin 20mm railguns mounted atop it. Equipped with an IR spotlight and a next-gen sensor to detect stealth units, this anti-infantry defence tears enemy infantry to shreds. Programmed to attack any ground unit that comes within its range, the Watchtower is also able to distinguish between infantry and tanks, and will prioritise infantry over tanks so as to maximise the lethality of its anti-personnel ammunition.

The Guardian Cannon is equipped with a 105mm gun capable of ripping through the heavy armor of tanks. The Guardian is an anti-vehicle weapon and is not as effective against infantry.

The Anti-Air Battery has twin 30mm gattling guns firing depleted Uranium shells at air targets. With a deadly accurate fire control system and a staggering rate of fire, the AA Battery is very effective against any form of aircraft.

Crane

Unlocked: White House, construct a crane

Base Logistics Field Guide

If a forward base need to go up fast, consider building a Crane to open up a second production queue at the construction yard. The nano-assemblers, computers, and control units will be able to work on two Base Structures simultaneously.

Zone Troopers

Unlocked: Casabad, automatic TacOps Field Guide: Zone Troopers

GDI Zone Troopers are elite heavy infantry with exceptional mobility, armor, and enough firepower to take out enemy targets ranging from infantry to light vehicles. Equipped with Power Armor, Rail Guns, and Jump Jets that can boost them over obstacles or across rivers, Zone Troopers do the heavy lifting for the GDI Infantry.

War Factory Repair Drones

Unlocked: Alexandria, build a War Factory Capability Update

Everyone knows that War Factories build vehicles. But did you know that a War Factory can also perform repairs? War Factories have been upgraded with autonomous repair drones that can perform even the most complex repairs to severely damaged vehicles in a very short period of time. How does it work? Just get close. Vehicle crews in damaged tanks, APC and Buggies should bring their vehicles back to the War Factory and the drones will begin repair operations when the vehicles are in proximity to the factory structure.

Base Expansion using the Surveyor

Unlocked: Alexandria, deploy a Surveyor

GDI Field Manual

Some Forward Base Construction Yards can build Surveyor Vehicles (found under the Support Structure Tab) which have the capability to deploy into a small Outpost. Surveyors can be given the command to deploy on any terrain where base structures can be built. Once an Expansion Base is established, the Construction Yard in the main base can be used to build any structure nearby, including Refineries, War Factories, base defences, and whatever else might be useful. The Surveyor and the Outpost it creates are supurb tools for claiming territories near strategic targets like remote Tiberium Fields (so refineries can be built nearby, saving harvesters from a long commute through possible enemy-controlled terrain).

Rig Deployment into a Forward Battle Base

Unlocked: Albania, automatic

GDI Field Manual - Holding the Line

GDI field commanders in some forward bases have access to one of the most unique power projection systems in the world: the Rig. The Rig is a vehicle that is designed to roll deep into enemy territory and quickly deploy into a heavily armed Battle Base structure. Equipped with Guardian cannons and a missile launcher, the Battle Base is capable of engaging enemy vehicles and aircraft. As an added bonus, Rigs carry a complement of auto-drones for making field repairs to GDI vehicles. The Rig/Battle Base Combination is ideal for claiming and holding terrain, enabling GDI field commanders to employ a classic "Clear and Hold" strategy for securing Tiberium fields or gradually taking over an objective area.

Firehawk Attack Jets

Unlocked: Albania, automatic

TacOps Field Guide: Firehawk

The Firehawk is a fast and highly maneuverable VTOL attack jet that can carry air-to-ground or air-to-air missiles. Field commanders can make their load-out choices while the Firehawk is on the pad at an Airfield. Forward bases with a Tech center structure can equip Firehawks with special rocket boosters that allow the aircraft to punch into the Stratosphere and go near-orbital in order to hop over enemy air defences. Note that Firehawks are vulnerable to AA Fire in the actual target zone during the re-entry after the boost phase.

GDI Base Closure

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, automatic

Scrap of a News Article from 2043

... as of 2043, GDI has closed over 60% of their military bases around the world, including installations in North Carolina, Brazil, and Eastern Europe. The most recent cutbacks are due to a decrease in Nod activity - with Kane dead, the Brotherhood seems to be splintering apart.

Tiberium Primer

Unlocked: North Carolina Badlands, automatic

Tiberium: A gift or a curse?

Tiberium is a scientific curiosity, a vastly powerful resource, an unprecedented environmental cataclysm, a catalyst for war, and much more. It's like nothing we've ever seen before and it is constantly transforming itself.

We are almost certain Tiberium is extraterrestrial in origin; it is not man-made and there is no evidence of the substance on Earth prior to its first appearance half a century ago. Early forms of Tiberium were almost organic, sprouting out of the ground in what seemed to be plant-like pods, leaching minerals out of the Earth and emitting clouds of toxic gas. Over time, Tiberium showed it had the ability to evolve and change.

By 2047, most Tiberium on Earth has manifested in what we know as its most common form: A self-replicating Proton Lattice that turns any matter it touches into more of itself, giving off powerful radiation in the process. It can change anything it comes into contact with into more Tiberium.

Is Tiberium terraforming the Earth into a planet suitable for alien life? Is it a weapon? It is a creature of some kind? Perhaps some kind of consciousness resides in the crystal lattices, a quantum crystalline brain that grows ever smarter as it grows and grows. There are many theories about what Tiberium actually is... and why it is here. Ultimately, its origin and its purpose - if it has one - are still a mystery.

GDI has not given up on trying to contain the spread of Tiberium. With Tiberium infestation reaching critical levels and new, more sinister variants of the substance turning up, things started to look pretty grim for planet Earth in the middle of the 21st century. However, GDI has found a vulnerability in the green crystal that they have begun to exploit. GDI Engineers have found the resonant frequency for Tiberium... and they have created Sonic Resonators that are capable of breaking up Tiberium crystals.

A high level scientific explanation of the alien substance is included here for students, engineers, and scientists: The most recent form of Tiberium is a dense "Dynamic Proton Lattice" held together by exotic heavy particles. When Tiberium comes into contact with other matter, the heavy particles randomly collide with the nuclei of the target matter, smashing it to pieces (in the case of smaller nuclei) or incrementally knocking off protons and neutrons (in the case of heavier nuclei). Tiberium captures a fraction of the protons that are ejected during this collision process and incorporates them into its own structure, thus transmuting matter into more Tiberium. Whenever one of the heavy particles - a muon or tauon - collides with an atomic nucleus, fission occurs, which results in the production of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma radiation as well as other forms of electromagnetic radiation (like infra-red). During the transmutation process, nuclei that Tiberium has come into contact with may be charged with nuclei with different (usually fewer) numbers of protons or neutrons.

About the Brotherhood of Nod

Unlocked: Pentagon, automatic

GDI views Nod as a dangerous, virulent, and inexplicably self-sustaining terrorist group obsessed with accelerating the worst ecological catastrophe in history, led by a charismatic and brilliant sociopath named Kane. The Brotherhood sees itself quite indifferently. Nod believes that it is the agent of change for a world in the throes of transition to a New Order, the representative of the poor and the oppressed, and a foil to the previously unchecked power of GDI.

Nod has the people, resources, organisation, and raw military power necessary to stand against GDI and wage war on a global scale. Yet the Brotherhood of Nod isn't a country: it's a strange new hybrid organisation that has the combined characteristics of a religious movement, a multinational corporation, and a nation-state. Given the awesome demands of modern warfare, with its terrible cost and vast scale, Nod's ability to go toe-to-toe with GDI is astonishing.

Nod is able to recruit thousands of new members every month from the desperate populations of the borderlands. Their political, military, and logistical operations are decentralised and buried deep inside the crumbling cities, towns, and outposts in the decaying Yellow Zones. A vast and sophisticated infrastructure is disguised from GDI, and Nod has perfected the art of moving military assets and forces quickly over long distances without detection, even by satellite or drone aircraft with the latest generation sensors.

Nod's core organisation is very sophisticated and high-tech but they also have a large guerilla force composed of hastily trained and minimally equipped recruits from the Yellow Zones. Nod's field forces are an interesting mix of low tech "militia" troops and similar numbers of highly trained, elite soldiers equipped with state of the art communications gear and the most advanced weapon systems available.

Nod's military assets are experimental and exotic in both appearance and function, but the durability of their units is suspect. Nod engineers are not afraid to risk human life and will often sacrifice safety and protection for increased ability and speed. Their high-end military hardware runs on Tiberium and tends to be fast but vulnerable, lethal but unstable. Nod offensive weapons deployed in vehicles range from rockets, machine guns, and flame throwers to toxins, lasers, and nuclear weapons. They also have a number of Tiberium-based weapons.

The Global Defense Initiative

Unlocked: Pentagon, automatic

The Global Defense Initiative began as a secret military alliance of advanced nations under the United Nations umbrella. GDI's mission: To contain Tiberium, reverse its spread, and fight the sinister Brotherhood of Nod.

Over time, power and sovereignty have been gradually ceded to GDI and the national identities of the participating countries have faded. In 2047, that process has reached its final stages: while there are still technically individual Member Nations, the reality is that GDI has become a unified political and military super-state.

GDI controls the only areas of the Earth that have not been significantly compromised by Tiberium infestation. The crystalline alien substance is slowly consuming the rest of the planet, causing an environmental cataclysm that has made 30% of the Earth uninhabitable and another 50% of the Earth's surface exceedingly unfriendly to civilisation. GDI's home territories are known as "Blue Zones" since they are mostly clear of Tiberium and have been relatively untouched by war (in contrast to the ecologically ravaged and war-torn "Yellow Zones" and the Tiberium infested hellscapes designated as "Red Zones").

The clash between GDI and Nod has escalated into full World Wars twice before - the First Tiberium War (TWI) erupted when both powers were in their formative states and that terrible war followed by another worldwide firestorm several years later.

Health Effects of Tiberium Contamination

Unlocked: Sarajevo, capture the Nod science ministry

What happens if you're exposed to Tiberium? Nothing good. If you come into direct contact with Tiberium, the green matter will start to fuse with your skin within about 20 seconds. You'll feel an intense burning sensation, similar to touching a hot pan or spilling acid on your skin. A full blown infection will manifest if you aren't treated immediately. Your flesh will begin to crystallise; eventually your internal organs will shut down as Tiberium extends rigid crystalline runners throughout your body. If you breathe in the crystal, then it will become embedded in your lungs. You'll lose the ability to process oxygen as your lung tissue crystallises. Eventually, you'll start coughing up blood and will hemorrhage to death.

In some cases - and for unknown reasons - Tiberium infection will trigger cellular mutation. It's not cancer in that the mutations seem strangely directed; they don't kill you, but your body will begin to transform. The mechanism for this situation is not well understood.

Red, Yellow and Blue Zones

Unlocked: Casabad, automatic

Tiberium infestation has rendered 30% of the planet totally uninhabitable. Large swaths of the Earth's surface has been designated as "Red Zones" - areas that are desolate, swept by storms, and contaminated by vast amounts of Tiberium. Venturing into, over, or even near these wastelands can be extremely dangerous.

Beyond the Red Zones, Tiberium contamination has caused varying levels of Environmental Damage in another 50% of the Earth's populated areas. In the ecologically compromised and war torn Yellow Zones, Tiberium fields are common - growing in the middle of cities, on farmland, and throughout the environment. Tiberium-related climate change has caused an endless cycle of droughts, floods, and severe weather of all types including spectacular category 6 hurricanes, tornadoes with wind speeds of 500 Miles per Hour, and exceedingly violent thunderstorms. Especially destructive Ion Storms occasionally rage out of the Red Zones to wreak havoc on cities and towns in the borderlands.

Only 20% of the Earth's Surface is in relatively pristine condition. The Blue Zones suffer from minimal Tiberium infestation and have been relatively untouched by war. The populations of the Blue Zones live in relative comfort, going about their lives in high-tech futuristic cities that sit in forested valleys or nestle in pastoral farmland.

Life in a Yellow Zone

Unlocked: Sarajevo, capture the mutant hovel

Tiberium contamination affects Yellow Zones directly and indirectly. Climate change, melting glacial ice, extreme weather, Tiberium Field growth, and decades of war have caused social collapse in several Yellow Zones. Many cities in the most affected areas are run by Warlords and Criminal Organisations or have degenerated in anarchy - or they have fallen under the thrall of the sinister Brotherhood of Nod.

Existence in the worst-off Yellow Zones is not pleasant at all. Your home is likely to be in a decaying building with no running water. Power comes on for a few hours a day at erratic times. Food is scarce. Doctors are rare. On a few occasions, food aid or medical care will be provided by humanitarian workers visiting from the pristine and high tech Blue Zones.

A subsistence living is just the start. Tiberium contamination is a fact of life, and thousands die every year from inhaling microscopic crystals that are carried in smog, clouds of dust, and other airborne particulates. Tiberium may even fall out of the sky suspended in rain drops if the clouds overhead have passed through a Red Zone during or after an Ion Storm. Because of the drought conditions in many Yellow Zones, rain showers are often greeted by the local populations with an odd mix of fear, dread, and joy.

In the harsh reality of a Yellow Zone, Tiberium is not the only threat. If Tiberium doesn't get you, then you are likely to fall victim to a violent crime, get caught in the crossfire between warlords clashing over turf, or become a collateral damage statistic in the global war between the armies of the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod.

GDI's Nuclear Weapons

Unlocked: Cairo, automatic

GDI still possesses a nuclear arsenal stored at key locations around the world (including a large nuke base in the desolate outback of Australia, heavily defended silos in North American Yellow Zones, and installations in other remote areas). GDI leaders long ago made a vow not to ever use nuclear weapons no matter how bad the situation got and kept that vow even as Nod acquired its own nuclear capability. GDI's nukes are few in number, but are stored with delivery systems (including ICBMs) and kept at top operational readiness just in case GDI leaders ever change their minds. The most difficult test of GDI nuclear policy came in the early days of TW3 right after the strike on the Philadelphia, but even then it's questionable how effective nukes would have been in stemming the Nod tide given that Nod's forces were highly decentralised and Nod troops were staging operations deep in GDI Blue Zones. Some view GDI's pledge not to use nukes as a cynical one given that they deployed a new precision weapon of mass destruction - the Ion Cannon - right at the time they made their vow.

What is it Like in a Red Zone?

Unlocked: Berne, destroy Scrin air base Excerpt from "International Orthographic's Guide to Our World Today"

If you were to equip yourself with a hardened environment suit and stand in the middle of a Red Zone, you would see a landscape straight out of hell. The ground is a blasted and barren plateau of rock laced with veins of Tiberium that shine through with a malevolent green radiance. On the horizon are massive formations of pure Tiberium that have welled up through the surrounding Earth. These frozen crystalline glaciers cast a sickly emerald glow on the surrounding terrain. Tilt your head and you'll contemplate a cloudy, tortured sky alive with twisting patterns of shimmering light and flickers of lightning. If you wait long enough, you'll see an Ion Storm begin to form, the lightning overhead intensifying until the entire environment is lit with rapid strobing flashes. Eventually, the vast and terrible energy overhead will begin arcing to the ground around you in a terrifying display of destructive force. These fireworks are accompanied by a howling toxic whirlwind that scours the deserted ground and drives shards of Tiberium before it at insane speeds.

Red Zones are like the surface of an alien world. Scientists have speculated that Tiberium is actually a terraforming agent for an alien civilisation, slowly transforming our planet into an environment suitable for beings that have evolved on a different planet. No definitive conclusions have been reached.

Unauthorised reproduction of this text will be met with the harshest possible penalties, under the GDI anti-piracy convention of 2017.

Red Zone Terrain: Tiberium Chasms

Unlocked: Rome, automatic

Excerpt from GDI Red Zone Military Operational Database

Red Zones are the most hostile operational environments on the planet. The abundance of Tiberium fields, the toxic radiation, the intimidating terrain (including chasms and cliffs), the terrible weather, and the huge Tiberium glaciers all contribute to make these hellscapes a nightmare for field commanders. On the bright side, considering our resources and mobility, we have found that Red Zone conditions don't completely jeopardise our fighting ability. The following operational techniques are found to be the most effective in Red Zone Combat actions:

- Jump Jets: Our Commando and Zone Troopers make the best use of GDI technology by simply jumping across the wide swathes of hostile terrain.

- Calling for Transport: The ground terrain poses serious challenges that can be circumvented by bringing in a V35 Ox to move units around.

- Expanding Ground Control: Ground control can sometimes expand build radius beyond the length of a chasm, allowing units to be produced on the other side. In addition, transporting Surveyors across the chasm can allow for base construction on the front lines.

Once Again a Nuclear Power

Unlocked: Outback, automatic

Excerpt from a Message to the Brotherhood

"... the Brotherhood of Nod is once again a nuclear power. We shall use our warheads and delivery systems to cleanse our enemies from the Earth in a bath of nuclear fire ..."

Transmitted upon recapture of nuclear warheads in the Australian Outback

KANE LIVES!

Unlocked: Sydney, automatic

Message to the Brotherhood

I have not abandoned you, my Children. I know that recent events have been unsettling, with the war against GDI taking an unexpected turn, the destruction of Temple Prime, my temporary absence, Kilian's betrayal, and the arrival of the Visitors. Your faith has been tested, as it has been before, and I'm confident that it did not waver.

Know that everything is proceeding exactly as I have foreseen it. The light of a new day shines into every corner of the world.

Unfortunately, there are most tests ahead of us before we fulfill our destiny. I ask you for your continued faith and obedience so that we may all stride into a glorious future together.

The Key to the Future: Part I

Unlocked: Italian Hills, automatic

<<Incoming Transmission>>

Source: Kane Priority: Ultra Scramble Index: Echo-Oscar-5

Ascension: That is the reward that awaits us. Complete these final tasks that I have put before you, and our destiny will be fulfilled.

You must not fail.

<<End Transmission>>

The Towers Sacrosanct

Unlocked: Operation Stiletto, automatic

PRIORITY ORDER

The Visitors are divine instruments. They are not divine in their own right, but because of what they are doing for us, building the sacred towers in the hearts of our Red Zones. The Visitors remain hostile to us because they know not what they do; their vision is limited and they cannot see their own part in a Plan that goes beyond their purpose.

No member of the Brotherhood shall take hostile action against the holy sites where the Towers are rising out of the Red Zones. Defensive action against the Visitors showing hostile intent is understandable, but do not strike first.

Be aware that GDI is conducting military operations against the Visitors all over the world. Such operations help our cause if they keep the Visitors distracted - but if GDI threatens a tower, then we must intervene to help protect the sacred structure.

The Towers are the new homes of the Brotherhood, and their importance - and meaning - is transcendent. Treat them as you would treat your temple.

The Key to the Future: Part II

Unlocked: Kane's Tower, automatic

<<Incoming Transmission>>

Source: Kane Priority: Ultra Scramble Index: November-Kilo-2

One of our sacred Towers is now very close to completion. This magnificent structures in the Mediterranean Red Zone rises thousands of meters into the sky. Once the Visitors finish their work on this tower, it will be utterly impervious to attack by any weapon known to man. We must do everything in our power to ensure that this holy site is not sullied by GDI as the Visitors complete their task.

This Tower is our gateway to the stars. It is the Key to the Future. It must be protected at all costs.

<<End Transmission>>

Tiberium Spikes

Unlocked: White House, capture the Tiberium spikes

Excerpt from the Brotherhood Combat Logistics Guide

Capture Tiberium Spikes in your theatre of war to provide logistical support for combat operations. You'll find these Tiberium mining and processing units deployed by the hundreds in various Yellow and Blue Zones. Send a Saboteur into a Spike and claim it for your own - your forces will benefit from a constant flow of resources as the machine extracts Tiberium from underground deposits and processes it on-site.

Nod Tactical Doctrine

Unlocked: Andrews Air Force Base, automatic

Excerpt from the Brotherhood Combat Operations Manual

"... Nod operational doctrine states that Commanders should control the tempo of combat operations, avoiding direct contact with the enemy until the time and place are just right. Stealth, speed, mobility, force composition, and operational flexability are the key to success ..."

Refinery and Harvesting Operations

Unlocked: Washington DC, automatic

Excerpt from the Brotherhood Combat Logistics Guide

Modular Tiberium refineries can be set up quickly and effectively on-site, using the latest Tiberium processing technology. The Latest Generation Nod harvesters are not just fast, they are also able to avoid detection with on-board Stealth Technology. You'll be able to harvest resources right under the nose of the enemy, leaving GDI Logistics Officers scratching their heads and asking themselves, "where'd that Tiberium Field go? ..."

Peace Through Power!

Calling for Transport

Unlocked: Amazon Desert, build an Air Tower

Excerpt from the Brotherhood Combat Operations Manual

Once aircraft have begun operating from a Nod base, many Nod ground units in the general area gain the ability to Call for Transport. Units can radio in from the field requesting airlift from their current position. Carryalls will deploy, pick up the units needing transportation, and ferry them to a target destination. Be careful about exposing the Carryalls to enemy Anti-Aircraft fire because Carryalls are vulnerable targets and you run the risk of losing your infantry or vehicles in transit.

The Guns of the Amazon

Unlocked: Atlantic Coast, automatic

<<Incoming Transmission>>

Source: Viper's Nest Actual Priority: Monarch Scramble Index: Quebec-Romeo-1

Evacuation routes for convoys in transit from the Amazon Desert have been compromised by Long Range GDI Artillery Emplacements. Convoys designated as Sand Viper, Lancehead, and Bushmaster will hold at markers Echo, Sierra, and Bravo until further notice. Escorts will set up a defensive perimeter around each convoy.

Viper's Nest Actual will advise when the GDI Emplacements have been neutralised.

<<Transmission Offline>>

Intercepted Transmission

Unlocked: Sarajevo, deliver the truck unharmed

<<Incoming Transmission>>

Source: Unknown, possibly airborne over the Indian subcontinent Priority: Able Scramble Index: Uniform-India-9

"*garbled* ... strayed from the path ... *unintelligible* ... brother against brother ... *unintelligible* ... things finally set right, a new course ... *garbled* ... rapid deployment force ... *garbled* ... Copperhead Actual ..."

<<Transmission Offline>>

Black Hand Interrogation Report

Unlocked: Australian Outback, automatic

Black Hand Confessor Barzan Interrogation Report Subject: GDI Nuclear Tech / Broken Hill

"... before expiring, subject confirmed that GDI's A-NZ special weapons detachment will be moving Nuclear Warheads from the base at Broken Hill to a location within the Sydney Zone Border. Multiple Warheads will be transported in a convoy escorted by GDI Military Units. Blast Yields for the Warheads have not been confirmed, but are likely to be in the 100-300 Kiloton range. Date, time, and route information are as follows ..."

Australia-New Zealand Theatre Assessment

Unlocked: Australian Outback, capture the research facility

Nod Intelligence Report 'March 2046

GDI and the Brotherhood both have significant operations in Australia. It seems inevitable that this nation will become a major theatre of war once the offensive against GDI gets under way. Kilian Qatar has personally overseen the preparations in the A-NZ Theatre including the construction of a full regional command facility at Ayers Rock and the establishment of multiple underground bases throughout the Australian Outback. A-NZ infantry and armored divisions have been training intensively for the last three years using weapons and equipment that are manufactured locally at a rapid pace. When the time comes, the Brotherhood's A-NZ Forces will be ready.

An Invasion Global in Scope

Unlocked: Australian Outback, automatic

Excerpt from A-NZ Daily Intelligence Briefing

"... the Invaders have attacked GDI and Nod forces and civilian targets around the world with savage force. The largest scale enemy activity has been reported near Red Zone Borders and in the larger population centers. Fortunately for the Brotherhood, the larger cities tend to be in the Blue Zones, so it looks like GDI strongholds are taking the worst of the punishment ..."

Cease Fire Order

Unlocked: Sydney City Wall, automatic

<<Begin Transmission>>

Source: A-NZ HQ, Copperhead Actual Priority: Able Scramble Index: Charlie-Juilet-4

All A-NZ Commanders will cease offensive operations against GDI military units at 2300 today. A temporary "cease-fire" order will be in effect until further notice. Selected A-NZ commanders will be asked to begin coordinated operations with GDI units against Invader forces in the A-NZ theatre. Copperhead Actual will provide contact information and liaison officers to the affected A-NZ units.

Excerpt from Signal Intelligence Briefing

Unlocked: Sydney City Wall, automatic

Excerpt from A-NZ Theatre Signal Intelligence Briefing

"... Sight ComSec has been compromised in the A-NZ Theatre of War. Data and voice transmissions from an unknown source have resulted in new Operational directives being issued without the knowledge of Copperhead Actual. Commanders are acting on the unauthorised orders and the resulting chaos is compromising our temporary alliance with GDI..."

The Alliance is Off

Unlocked: Downtown Sydney, nuke the GDI base

<<Intercepted GDI Transmission>>

"... Nod has initiated combat operations against GDI forces in the A-NZ Theatre, and they've caught us with out pants down. The alliance of convenience is hereby terminated and all GDI units in the Theatre are free to engage Nod forces. Why did we think we could trust them in the first place? Let's take the fight to them and expel them from this Theatre of War ..."

The Towers Begin to Fall

Unlocked: Italian Hills, automatic

<<Incoming Transmission>>

Source: Basilisk Actual Priority: Ultra Scramble Index: Delta-November-3

GDI strike teams have attacked and destroyed Visitor Towers in multiple Red Zones and their tempo of the combat operations is increasing. They started with the Rome Tower and are now staging strikes in rapid succession all over the world.

Kane needs at least one Tower to survive completion. The Basilisk command team is evaluating the situation and determining the best strategy for ensuring that at least one Tower survives.

<<End Transmission>>

Field Report - Alien Gravity Stabilizer

Unlocked: Operation Stiletto, capture or build a Gravity Stabilizer

Field Recon regarding Alien Technology

<<Connection Opened>>

Received Transmission: Source: Sirius 57 Alpha Priority: Vermillion Scramble Index: Foxtroit-Oscar-8

INTEL SECTION 93 REPORT

- Shadow Team Alpha-22 deployed to enemy Theatre of Operations in Area 11, Vangaurd Sector, coordinates Golf-9-Kilo-5. Mission: Collect radiological and full spectrum data on Visitor Structure Type 8 with intent to discern primary functional capability. Arrived 0200 hours undetected, 320 meters from target. Deployed receptors and gathered data for ~19 hours before "Seeker" patrol ambushed team. Six of the Eight team members eliminated in escape. One subsequently died of injuries sustained during extraction.

- Initial analysis of gathered data shows that Type 8 structure acts as a "Gravity Stabilizer" to compensate for intense gravity fields generated by planetary bodies. This evidently allows alien spacecraft to make short-range teleportation jumps into the Earth's magnetic and gravitic field with maximum precision. Gravity Stabilizers typically appear only in well secured areas where alien operations are highly focused.

- Visitor craft observed utilizing the Gravity Stabilizer include the units designated as "Stormrider", "Planetary Assault Carrier", and "Devastator Warship". These craft appear to be entering the Area of Operations using the Gravity Stabilizer before heading to objectives in the surrounding regions.

Recommendation: Prioritise destruction of Gravity Stabilizer structures in combat zones. In neutral zones, disable via reactor shortage in order to delay deployment of major enemy combat units.

Note: Structure Type 8 now designated as Gravity Stabilizer.

<<Connection Closed>>

Militant and Rocket Troopers

Unlocked: Goddard Space center, automatic

Excerpt from the Brotherhood Combat Operations Manual

"... the Brotherhood's elite soldiers - like the Black Hands or the Shadows - are highly capable but relatively few in number. If the elite soldier is the Brotherhood's scalpel, to be used with devastating precision, then the Militant and Rocket Troopers in their millions are like a great war hammer or battleaxe. The power comes from their sheer numbers, and we continue to recruit them by the hundreds of thousands from the desperate populations of the Yellow Zones. We give them enough training, weapons, and equipment to make them a vast blunt instrument of war for the Brotherhood ..."

Fanatics

Unlocked: Goddard Space center, automatic

Excerpt from the writings of Confessor Marcion

"Behold the noblist of our brothers! They shall suffer not the dread of this meager existence, nor shall they tolerate the tyranny of GDI. Through their sacrifice, they bring liberation to each and every one of us who struggles on in their glorious wake. They will cleanse the land of oppression with the flames of their very souls, as they deliver Kane's word in fire."

- Nod Confessor Marcion

Saboteurs

Unlocked: Goddard Space center, automatic

From "Rites of War"

"Nod's elite society of Combat Engineers - known as the Saboteurs - includes some of the most loyal and brillant Clerics. Saboteurs use their special talents and skills to take over key enemy structures. Saboteurs can also rig certain civilian structures and bridges with proximity-detonated explosive charges. A Saboteur is made by years of training in science and in the dark arts of sabotage, infiltration, appropriation, and hijacking."

Hand of Nod

Unlocked: White House, automatic

From "Rites of War"

The Hand of Nod is not just a Barracks and armory for Nod infantry. It is also a place of learning for militant and rocket troopers, a sanctuary for fanatics as they perform their departure rituals, and an interrogation center for Confessors as they extract secrets from enemy captives and keep the hearts of our own troops pure and true. Saboteurs and Commandos may also choose to bunk down in the Hand of Nod prior to launching their secret operations.

Nod War Factory

Unlocked: White House, automatic

From "Rites of War"

Preparations for the start of the Third Tiberium War required a very high degree of secrecy. The need for concealment and stealth coupled with the ever-increasing number of Ion Storms has forced the Brotherhood to move away from airlift as the primary source for reinforcements for combat units. The Brotherhood is now employing the ultimate in "Just in Time" weapons delivery: vehicles are being built on-site within the Theatre of Operations. Nod war factories are housed mostly underground and use nano-assemblers and heavy industrial robots to construct and repair tanks, bikes, buggies, and other vehicles. Repair drones orbit around the surface features of the war factory; vehicles in proximity to the War Factory will be automatically repaired.

Shadow Team

Unlocked: Andrews Airforce Base, automatic

From summary section of "Elite Infantry Operations Guide"

Trained using many of the same techniques that were used to shape the ancient Ninja, the Nod Shadows are elite Special Forces troops capable of infiltrating well behind enemy lines. Shadows employ Stealth, carry rapid-fire weapons that are deadly against enemy infantry, and are equipped with collapsible powered Hang-Gliders that give them the ability to fly. The most powerful weapon carried by a Shadow is a bomb incorporating a new type of explosive. Shadows can use these bombs to destroy enemy structures with a single blast. The Chemical Composition of the explosive was obtained with espionage, stolen right out of a GDI Lab working on Next-Generation chemical explosives.

Excerpt from an intercepted GDI Intel FLASH Report:

"... GDI Troops are coming up against their worst nightmare in the field: teams of stealthy, flying, high-tech ninjas that can destroy entire buildings. Commanders charged with defensive operations are advised to double up on stealth countermeasures and patrols ..."

Venom Patrol Craft

Unlocked: Hampton Roads Naval Base, automatic

From the "Weapons of the Brotherhood"

"... now that the Brotherhood has deployed the Venom, GDI no longer has a monopoly on VTOL scout aircraft. The Venom is one up on the GDI Orca however, since it can both strike air and ground targets. A Venom can engage ground targets but can also blow Orcas right out of the sky ..."

Peace Through Power!

Flame Weapons

Unlocked: Washington DC, automatic

From "Rites of War"

Flamethrowers are powerful Anti-Infantry weapons that have a staggering psychological effect that sometimes goes beyond their superlative combat effectiveness. Now that our labs have created a form of concentrated fuel that permits extended combat operations, a new generation of flame weapons has been deployed with infantry and on vehicles. Black Hand heavy infantry units carry portable flamethrowers that can wreak havoc on enemy infantry. The next generation flame tank is even more powerful, capable of incinerating enemy infantry by the hundreds and clearing enemy Garrisoned buildings in a matter of seconds. Use these flame weapons well and render GDI infantry useless on the battlefield.

Peace Through Power!

Base Defenses

Unlocked: Washington DC, build a Shredder turret

From "Weapons of the Brotherhood"

"... the Brotherhood is deploying a new generation of base defences for Field Operations. To maximise flexibility, lethality, and survivability, each base defence will consist of four components: A hub and three turrets. The turrets are all slaved to the hub - which acts as the central targeting and fire control system. The hub is also equipped with nano-assemblers to repair or rebuild damaged turrets. These are three different base defence types: anti-aircraft Surface to Air missiles, anti-vehicle lasers, and anti-personnel Shredder guns ..."

Peace Through Power!

Disruption Tower

Unlocked: Amazon Desert, automatic

From "Rites of War"

GDI's dominance of space has complicated our lives. Their ability to leverage their Space-Based Weapon and Sensor Platforms against us is a serious concern. Our primary countermeasure is our Stealth technology, and recently we have begun deploying Disruption Towers around valuable assets. The Disruption Tower creates a large Stealth Bubble over an area, allowing our vehicles and structures to operate undetected. The tower itself is still visible, so be sure to utilise proper security measures to prevent a direct assault. Dummy disruption towers have been erected in remote locations to foil Human-Intelligence gathering efforts.

Vertigo Bomber

Unlocked: Atlantic Coast, automatic

From the "Weapons of the Brotherhood"

"... this batwing Stealth Bomber employs the very latest in optical and radar Stealth Technology. However, the aircraft will experience a moment of vulnerability when it must 'de-cloak' to drop its massively powerful bomb, but as soon as the air-to-ground weapon is away, the stealth field can be reengaged quickly ..."

Stealth Tank

Unlocked: Atlantic Coast, automatic

From the "Weapons of the Brotherhood"

"... the new Stealth Tank is fast, maneuverable, and deadly. Equipped with missile launchers that are effective against both vehicles and structures, this versatile weapon system is most useful when Commanders are aggressive, taking the fight to the enemy and making maximum use of the stealth generators. A deft touch will enhance the survivability and effectiveness of the stealth tank - tank crews should know exactly how close to get before unleashing missiles at an unsuspecting target and how quickly they must leave the scene after firing. Once the stealth bubble has reformed and the tank is safely away from the target zone, the missile launchers can be re-armed and the tank made ready for another strike ..."

Commando

Unlocked: N/A (bugged)

From the "Rites of War"

"... the Commando is the most feared soldier on the Battlefield. Armed with the deadliest of Anti-Infantry weapons and Tiberium-based explosives that can collapse a building in a matter of seconds, the Commando is a one-woman army. She is also ruthless, having survived a training program that one can only describe as sadistic ..."

Obelisk of Light

Unlocked: Slovenia, build and maintain 3 Obelisks

<<Intercepted GDI Transmission>>

... Nod forces are deploying a new generation of their iconic Obelisk of Light along front-line weapons. It appears that the Obelisk's functionality has been improved with additional serial-channel capacitors. Although the basic architecture of the design does not deviate greatly from earlier generations, the core of the laser weapon has been enhanced for increased firing duration when the power output is reduced. Evidently, the tower can now be set to sustained-fire mode when used against unarmored targets such as infantry and civilian vehicles. This allows the laser to fire the limited power in an arc, resulting in a cutting motion that can strike several infantry per emission.

The advanced capacitor also allows over-charging of the tower by Nod's long-range artillery platform, the beam cannon. When one or more beam cannons focus their laser weapons at a receptor on the base of the tower, it can fire over increased range by directly feeding the added energy into its mirror array. The limited targeting ability of the mirror array still suggests aircraft as the optimal answer for any Obelisks encountered on the field ...

Source: GDI InOps Recon Team

Avatar

Unlocked: Slovenia, comandeer technology with an Avatar

Excerpt from the Avatar Crew Briefing

You have the privilege of piloting one of the most fearsome and capable weapon systems in the arsenal of the Brotherhood. You command a bipedal combat walker that stands ten meters tall, an all-terrain war machine so intimidating that its very presence on the Battlefield strikes fear into the hearts of GDI troops.

The base laser weapon on the Avatar is very effective against vehicles and structures, but the Avatar can be upgraded with significantly more combat power. Nod Engineers have built a unique capability into the Avatar: It can adapt key systems from other Nod vehicles for its own use. You can remove the Stealth Generator from a stealth tank, the stealth detector from an attack bike, the anti-infantry flame-thrower from a flame tank, or the beam cannon from an artillery vehicle and use them immediately. An Avatar can equip itself with all four secondary systems. Although the Avatar destroys the donor vehicle and kills the crew in the process of recovering the new system, rest easy in the knowledge that the dead have given their lives for the Brotherhood.

Beam Cannon

Unlocked: Sarajevo, automatic

Excerpt from the "Weapons of the Brotherhood"

"... the Beam Cannon is a fearsome, long range weapon in its own right, but its combinatorial power is staggering. Multiple beam cannons can combine their beams to dramatically increase their combat power. A beam cannon can also drive the capacitors of an Obelisk of Light. Best of all, the beam cannon is mounted on a versatile six-wheeled chassis with speed, agility, and range that is unprecedented for an artillery system ..."

Catalyst Missile

Unlocked: Northern Italy, automatic

<<Incoming Transmission>>

Source: Basilisk Actual Priority: Ultra Scramble Index: India-Bravo-8

Once the Catalyst Missile is secured, begin deployment to all Nod combat units. This weapon is most effective against the Visitors - prioritise use whenever combat operations have been authorised against Visitor forces.

<<Transmission Offline>>

The Brotherhood of Nod

Unlocked: Goddard Space Center, automatic

Excerpt from a Nod Orientation Briefing for new recruits

Welcome to the Brotherhood of Nod. You have joined a global order with million of members all working together in harmony to unite the world in the name of peace - and realise the true potential of mankind.

Our relationship with Tiberium has always been greatly misunderstood. Most people do not realise that the roots of our faith extend back several millennia, long before the emergence of the green crystal on Earth in 1995 ... an event prophesized by our great leader, Kane.

While the fascist political consortium of wealthy nations known as the Global Defense Initiative attempted to control the sacred green crystal, the Brotherhood worked tirelessly to acquire samples of the precious crystal ... to study it, to unlock its potential as a new energy source, to explore its possibilities. Through our research and our faith, we have affirmed that Tiberium is the ultimate gift to mankind. It is the key to the future.

Our movement grew rapidly as Tiberium spread across the Earth. The mainstream media branded us as "terrorists" but we exposed GDI as the real criminals. They unilaterally redrew international border lines, relegating Nod followers into inhospitable Yellow Zones while they claimed the pristine and exclusive Blue Zones all for themselves.

Nod's Place in the World

Unlocked: Goddard Space Center, automatic

From a Yellow Zone information pamphlet

Nod: Representative of the Religious and a foil to a corrupt oppressor

The Brotherhood of Nod champions the common people - the 80% of the world's population that struggles to get by in Yellow Zones torn by war, wracked by poverty, and abandoned by GDI. Using Tiberium to fuel and fund our efforts, Nod works tirelessly to bring order from the chaos. We make the streets safe, distribute food to the hungry, provide emergency medical care, minister to those who feel a spiritual vacuum, and inspire hope in people who would otherwise have none.

GDI casts itself as the world's guardian and savior, but they are neither. GDI is corrupt and unjust: 20% of the world's population - the most wealthy people on the planet - live in the Blue Zones, consuming the majority of the world's natural resources, wielding their vast military power to maintain the status quo by depriving the downtrodden of their God-given right to mine and exploit Tiberium.

The powerful oppress the weak in the hollow name of freedom - and the only counter to GDI's power is the Brotherhood. Nod meets strength with strength in the name of peace and progress. Nod is the only hope against GDI tyranny.

Brotherhood ... Unity ... Peace.

Ground Control for GDI's A-SAT Systems

Unlocked: Goddard Space Center, automatic

Excerpt from "Eyes Only" Inner Circle Intelligence Report

The Inner Circle has long feared GDI's dominance of space. GDI's orbital weapon platforms, command & control systems, and spy satellites are protected by a powerful anti-missile system that seemed invulnerable and invincible. This orbital necklace of death is based on a network of space-based kinetic kill weapons, lasers, and even the Ion Cannons themselves - used to intercept and destroy incoming missiles. GDI space assets have been out of reach of the Brotherhood for years, leading to a sense that the balance of power in a decades-long struggle would eventually tip decisively against the Brotherhood.

But our operatives discovered a flaw in the GDI system: For some unfathomable reason, GDI put the crews and control centers for their Ion Cannons and their A-SAT system on the ground. Even better, the critical personnel and equipment are concentrated in a single facility in the North Eastern Blue Zone. A well-planned surprise strike on Goddard Space Center could take all of GDI's Ion Cannons and their entire A-SAT system offline, giving the Brotherhood days and possibly weeks to conduct combat operations across the planet unhindered by space-based weapons and prying eyes.

As a bonus, the primary GDI world command hub is based on board the space station Philadelphia. A missile strike on the Philadelphia immediately after the destruction of the A-SAT Control Systems could render the entire GDI command and control structure headless and reeling.

Mutant Exodus

Unlocked: Ayers Rock, recruit five marauders

Excerpt from "Passing Thoughts with Constance Fitchaven," INN Holobrief, May 28th, 2043

Six long years have passed since the once burgeoning mutant nation picked up stakes and disappeared into the Tiberium wastelands, their tragic, self imposed exile continuing to this day. Yet now, as humanity struggles to find its place in an ever more blighted world, thoughts again turn to our horribly disfigured brethren - who were they, and why did they leave?

In a show of goodwill towards the vanished mutant population, G-330X habitat modules were deployed on the borders of Red Zones in 2042. Since then, there have been scattered but unconfirmed reports that mutants have taken shelter in the habitat modules.

Another Explosion in the Facility?

Unlocked: A Grand Gesture, automatic

Intercepted GDI Transmission regarding secret Liquid Tiberium research in Australia

To: Dr. James De Groot, Chair, GDI Institute for Liquid Tiberium, [Redacted], Australia

From: Eliot Smith-Johnson, Director, Department of Covert R&D, Washington DC, USA

Subject: Another explosion?!

Jack, I'm running out of excuses here. One more "accident" like that and the Council will have my neck - and your budget. You've lost almost two dozen workers in the last year alone and, as you are WELL aware, these aren't your garden-variety beaker-slingers, these are top-ranked Tib scientists and they're getting harder to replace! You have to understand, Jack, people just don't want to work for you, not with all that's happened already, no matter how many zeroes we add to their paychecks.

I understand the potential you see in Liquid Tiberium, and I applaud your passion, but I'm beginning to side with those in the council who seriously doubt whether this line of inquiry will amount to anything other than billion of credits - and lives - down the drain.

Listen Jack, I'm at the end of my tether here. Get it together and start producing results or we're going to shut you down.

- Eliot

Intercepted by Black Hand Prelate Lucius Bika

Tiberium Explosion Devastates Australia

Unlocked: A Grand Gesture, automatic

Excerpt from Channel 273 Nightly News with Darius Wong

Good Evening, I'm Darius Wong.

Reports are beginning to emerge of a devastating Tiberium explosion in Central Australia, one that may have long term environmental consequences for the Southern Hemisphere - and the world.

We go now to Leanne Downing, reporting to us live from Hobart, Tasmania.

Leanne ...

'Darius.

It all started as a green glow in the sky, visible from as far as Auckland, New Zealand. Now, as panicked citizens attempt to flee what appears to be the largest environmental catastrophe since the Tiber incident, the world is asking one question - who did this? And why?

There are widespread fears that this horrific events is a sign that the long dormant Brotherhood of Nod has returned. However, highly-placed sources within GDI have informed us that the catalyst for this explosion may have been an accident in a top-secret GDI Tiberium research laboratory in the Australian outback.

Now, as millions are driven from their homes, as a continent is consumed by the deadly crystal, one can only ask - why did GDI let this happen? What are they REALLY doing to protect us?

From the Nod Archives

GDI Treasury Damaged in Mysterious Attack

Unlocked: All That Glitters, automatic

Intercepted GDI Transmission regarding Treasury Attack

To: Redmond Boyle, Directory of the Treasury, Washington DC

From: Ramon Vicente, Security Directorate, GDI Treasury, West Virginia

Mr. Boyle,

I know you have warned me in the past not to disturb you during your vacation time, especially during your limited time to spend with Lance, but I feel this is important enough to violate protocol. To put it bluntly - things are bad, very, very bad. Last night - an unidentified entity broke through our defences, shut down our power and triggered an explosive device within the Treasury itself.

The level of damage inflicted is unknown, but initial estimates indicate that the losses might be in the billions. We have no leads, no suspects - although initial evidence gathering has lead us to believe that the culprits may be the "Sons of Umagon", a militant mutant separatist group - and we have no idea how we are going to explain this to the council.

We need you, Mr Boyle, and we need you know.

Yours,

Ramon

From the Nod Archives

Unconfirmed Reports of Cyborg Activity in Central Asia

Unlocked: Will Made Flesh, automatic

QVCX News and Sports Hour with Mike Vanderhaven

Good Evening, I'm Mike Vanderhaven

Nearly two decades have passed since the cyborg armies of CABAL blazed their trail of destruction across a terrified planet. Now, just as the world seems once again at peace, unconfirmed reports of a similar bio-mechanical menace have started to roll in from Central Asia and the Russian Steppes.

[footage of terrified local]

"The ground ... it opened up ... and ... and ... these things, they came pouring out. Like men, but like machines also ... I hid ... they did not see me ... but my village ..."

[flash cut to Mike]

GDI has refused all requests for comment, but an anonymous inside source has informed QVCX that the rumors are being taken quite seriously, with multiple investigation teams being briefed and dispatched as we speak.

More on the breaking story as it happens.

On a lighter note, here's E.J. Brody with the latest in sports ...

Transcript, from the QVCX Archives

Tacitus Destabilised?

Unlocked: Tacitus Regained, automatic

Intercepted GDI Transmission regarding secret Tacitus Research

To: Dr. Johan Hannes-Schmidt, Director of Tacitus Research, [Location Redacted]

From: Theodore M. Bynes, Director, Department of Covert R&D, Washington DC, USA

Johan,

Firstly, let me state that I have every level of respect for the excellence and professionalism for you and your staff. There is no finer research team operating in this country, if not the world. Now, what that said, I have some major concerns regarding your most recent enterprise. Simply put, the latest reports from your facility regarding the Tacitus' stability disturb me - and the Council - to no end.

To hear that the device is estimated as having a 15% chance of self- destruction, with the chance increasing with each test run, is just not acceptable. Look, I understand that you are operating in unknown territory here, but I need to be very clear about one thing - if you are doing anything that risks the stability of the Tacitus, anything at all, you must STOP, immediately.

I'm sorry to speak so strongly, but we cannot risk losing the device. Too many people died to secure it, we have no idea how dangerous the Tacitus' destruction will be and, most importantly, there is no way it can be replaced. In short, to risk the device is to risk everything that we've worked to achieve.

I'll be flying out to discuss this with you Monday. Until then, kid gloves.

Sincerely,

Theo

From the Nod Archives

The Tacitus

Unlocked: The Rio Insurrection, automatic

Intercepted GDI Intelligence Briefing.

An archive of unknown age and alien origin, the Tacitus is key to the ascension prophecies, the core mythology around which Kane built the Brotherhood of Nod. While the device remained safe in GDI's fortified Cheyenne Mountain Complex since its recapture from Nod two years ago, it is believed that Kane managed to extract an unknown amount of information beforehand. This data vanished with Nod at the end of the Second Tiberium War, leaving us with no concrete evidence as to what the so-called Prophet planned it use it for.

Given the lack of Nod activity over the last three years, one can only conclude that he failed.

Despite Dr. Boudreau's breakthroughs in the early 2030's, progress continues to be slow for our own attempts to interface with the device. What information it holds, and what value said information had to Kane, continue to be matters of serious concern for this agency.

Obtained by Nod Intelligence, Date Retacted.

The Awakened

Unlocked: Tacitus Regained, automatic

Details on the Nod Awakened Cyborg Infantry

In the aftermath of his loss in the First Tiberium War, Kane tasked several of his most trusted followers with a project of utmost secrecy - to create an army entirely devoid of free will - one that will obey the Prophet's will without question or conscience. Cloistered away in the wastelands of central Asia, these scientists spent the ensuing decades pursuing that goal, the first results of which became visible with the Cyborg Infantry and Commando utilised by CABAL during the Second Tiberium War.

The Awakened are the end product of this research, deceased Nod soldiers mechanically re-animated and controlled via cyber-neurological implant devices linked to central "control nodes" across the globe. Equipped with arm mounted direct-fire weaponry and a high-impact EMP emitter, these emotionless cybernetic warriors are more than capable of tackling anything GDI can throw at them.

From the Nod Archives

The Enlightened

Unlocked: Tacitus Regained, automatic

Details on the Nod Enlightened elite Cyborg Infantry

The ultimate realisation of Kane's vision of an army stripped of its humanity and free will, the Enlightened are truly a horrifying sight to behold. While their weaker brethren, the Awakened, still bear some traces of humanity in their desiccated flesh, the Enlightened are almost entirely cybernetic, the last vestiges of their prior form encased in layers of bone white battle armor, faces concealed behind eyeless masks devoid of human emotion.

Slower than the Awakened, the Enlightened are also considerably more powerful, capable of withstanding multiple hits from a Mammoth Tank without even breaking their stride, before responding in kind with their devastating supercharged particle beam and EMP emitters.

From the Nod Archives

The Redeemer

Unlocked: MARV Rising, automatic

Details on the massive Nod Redeemer combat robot

The emergence of GDI's MARV in the Central African Red Zone, and its subsequent drubbing of Nod's forces in the area, necessitated an immediate response from the Brotherhood. After ambushing, and, at great cost, eliminating the massive GDI tank, Nod scientists performed an in-depth analysis of the vehicle's construction and applied said knowledge to the construction of an appropriate counterpoint.

The Avatar, with its iconic appearance and heavy firepower, seemed to be the best choice for a platform upon which to build this new combat unit, and thus the Redeemer was born - a massive combat mech equipped with MARV-esque garrison pods, an Obelisk-derived tri-part laser and a "rage generator", designed to push enemy combatants to the brink of insanity via subliminal brainwave modification. Truly a mighty adversary.

From the Nod Archives

Tiberium Trooper

Unlocked: Tacitus Regained, automatic

Details on Nod's Tiberium based short-range combat infantry

With the "defection" of GDI's Dr. Giraud in 2047, Nod's ongoing experiments with Liquid Tiberium begun to bear fruit in the form of portable, battlefield ready weaponry. The Tiberium Trooper is the first Nod combatant to utilise these new armaments. His heavily armored, cybernetically enhanced form is equipped with two large containment tanks and a reinforced spray nozzle, allowing the rapid dispersion of Liquid Tiberium over a large area.

From the Nod Archives

Specter

Unlocked: All That Glitters, automatic

Details on Nod's stealth artillery

Developed during the Second Tiberium War period, Nod's Specter stealth artillery tank was designed as the ultimate evolution of the artillery-based guerilla warfare tactics first developed in South-East Asia during the mid-twentieth century. Alternating between two modes, one high-speed and stealthed, the other visible and static, but capable of launching high-impact artillery from a massive distance, the Specter is a confounding opponent to face in battle. Able to enter occupied territory undetected, deploy, take out key structures and vanish before the enemy can hope to react, it is truly an insidious and dangerous opponent. This is even more the case when the unit is paired with the equally stealthy Nod Shadow Team, which has been equipped with targeting beacons, allowing the Specter to launch bombardment from an even greater distance.

From the Nod Archives

Confessor Cabal

Unlocked: Persuade Him..., kill a Confessor Cabal

Details on Nod's elite confessor infantry

While the Nod Confessor has been an increasingly common sight on the battlefield since the Second Tiberium War, it was not until the establishment of Brother Marcion's post-Slavik Black Hand that these armored priests were considered effective combatants in their own right. Seeking to bolster his own standing as a "pure" religious figure, untainted by the purported heresy of his predecessor, Marcion took the radical step of replacing his standard Nod Militant advance guard with regiments of combat-ready Confessors, armed, as always, with machine guns and psychotropic hallucinogenic grenades, all the better to spread his word ... and put his enemies to the sword.

From the Nod Archives

Purifier

Unlocked: A Grand Gesture, reactivate ALL Purifier husks

Details on Nod's first generation combat robot

A significantly more primitive precursor to Nod's Avatar, the Purifier was inspired by Brother Marcion's first hand urban combat experience during the Second Tiberium War. After using an improvised flamethrower to rout entrenched GDI forces, saving the rest of his regiment from certain death, Marcion was declared a hero of Nod and saw his very presence have an inspirational effect on the Nod Militants that surrounded him.

The Purifier was developed to recreate that experience, representing Marcion on the battlefield in the iconic form of a hulking, flame-toting humanoid, one equipped with a subliminal projection device that would enhance the morale and righteousness of the Black Hand troops surrounding it. While by no means as advanced or flexible as its successor, the Purifier is an effective combat unit in its own right, especially when accompanied by infantry it can "inspire."

Ironically enough, upon its initial deployment, the Purifier was the subject of no small amount of controversy, with many Black Hand hardliners decrying the use of a "soulless machine" within a religious army that otherwise stood opposed to such devices. Marcion, seeking to prevent further schism within the Black Hand, remedied the situation by requiring each machine be blessed by a Black Hand abbot before entering the battlefield.

From the Nod Archives

GDI Zone Raider

Unlocked: MARV Rising, kill a Zone Raider squad

Details on GDI's Zone Raider elite infantry

Sleek, agile and heavily-armored, the Zone Raider was initially intended to function as a lighter, speedier anti-air counterpart to GDI's bulky Zone Trooper elite infantry unit. With the establishment of ZOCOM, the Zone Raider's role evolved into that of a a first response Red Zone scouting unit, with Tiberium-resistant armor, sonic grenades and stealth detection capabilities integrated into their core armor design.

From the GDI Archives

GDI Shatterer

Unlocked: The Doctor Vanishes, capture the spaceport

Details on GDI's sonic-based Shatterer hover vehicle

As with its non-mobile brethen, the Sonic Emitter Defensive Turret, the GDI Shatterer was originally designed with Tiberium abatement in mind, using a modified version of the aforementioned turret to propel concentrated waves of sonic energy deep into Tiberium Fields, operating safely from a HoverTech- derived mobile platform.

However, with Nod's devastating attack on Washington DC, GDI High Command ordered that the vehicle be re-designed as a combat vehicle. With the Sonic Emitter's bulk leaving little room for armor, the slow-moving Shatterer is somewhat of a sitting duck. However, when deployed in unison with GDI's other, more flexible armored elements, the Shatterer is a force to be reckoned with.

From the GDI Archives

GDI Slingshot

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, destroy a Slingshot

Details on GDI's Slingshot anti-air hover vehicle

With GDI's shuttering of its costly, failure prone HoverTech initiative in the aftermath of the Second Tiberium War, the GDI Slingshot was something of an anomaly, the last bastion of this one dominant GDI program, finally out of testing after a decade-long development phase. While this exclusively anti-air vehicle is less vulnerable to Ion Storm interference than its predecessors, the Slingshot remains a relatively fragile unit - trading armor and additional weaponry for high speed, maneuverability and a powerful quad cannon that can quickly bring down even the most powerful aerial opponent crashing to the ground.

From the GDI Archives

GDI Hammerhead

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, automatic

Details on GDI's Hammerhead heavy assault aircraft

A direct descendent of the assault/transport hybrid attack choppers of the 20th century, the large, heavily-armored Hammerhead was designed to act as a longer range compliment to the relatively range-limited GDI Orca. Armed with multiple Vulcan Cannons and enough space to transport an entire infantry regiment, the Hammerhead's secret weapon is its massive supply storage capacity, allowing the aircraft to operate in the field for days at a time without needing to either refuel or rearm.

From the GDI Archives

GDI Mammoth Armored Reclamation Vehicle (MARV)

Unlocked: MARV Rising, destroy the first ZOCOM MARV

Details on GDI's Mammoth-derived anti-Tiberium tank

Born from the same initiative that led to the creation of ZOCOM, the Mammoth Armored Reclamation Vehicle, or MARV, combines the near-impregnable armor and massive firepower of GDI's most potent task designs with a full- capacity Tiberium processing facility. Tasked with single-handedly abating Tiberium in Red Zones currently held by Nod or mutant separatist forces, the MARV was designed with battlefield flexibility in mind. With a powerful main gun and four upgradeable hardpoints, the vehicle can adapt to changing combat situations, take on any mix of enemy forces, and turn the tide of battle in a matter of minutes. The MARV is truly a force to be reckoned with.

From the GDI Archives

GDI Combat Engineer

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, automatic

Details on arming of GDI's Engineer Corps

It has been a longstanding tradition of the GDI Engineering Corps to forego weapons training, with its members preferring to spend their time studying structural engineering and electronic subterfuge. However, Nod infiltration of the civilian population has placed Engineers at increased risk, resulting in a series of devastating casualties that have stripped the Corps of many of their best and brightest.

In response, GDI has initiated a combat training program for any Engineering Corps member facing a battlefield assignment, outfitting each with a pistol and slightly upgraded body armor. The outcome of this effort remains to be seen, but initial reports indicate that the Corps members still prefer to "let the fighters do the fighting."

From the GDI Archives

GDI Behemoth

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, destroy a Behemoth

Details on GDI's modified assault walker

While an essential part of the GDI arsenal, the limited weapon payload of the Juggernaut Mobile Artillery walker's left the vehicle uniquely vulnerable to close-range engagement. After one too many Juggernauts were rendered a smoldering heap by little more than a Nod infantry regiment, a frustrated GDI Engineering Corps jury-rigged an infantry-capable garrison pod onto the walker's chassis. The end result was so successful, not to mention devastating to the ill-fated Nod recon patrols that came across it, that this updated walker, nicknamed the Behemoth, was soon approved for full development. After a period of testing with the Steel Talons, the Behemoth is expected to provide long range artillery support across the globe.

From the GDI Archives

Rocket Harvester

Unlocked: MARV Rising, destroy a Rocket Harvester

Details on GDI's new, combat-ready Harvester

Of all GDI harvesting operations, ZOCOM's Red Zone abatement missions have always been the most vulnerable to Nod and mutant attacks, often delving deep into hostile territory with little more than a few Zone Raiders as an escort. In a bid to cut down on Harvester losses, General Renteria commissioned the development of an upgraded Harvester, outfitted with a high-impact rocket turret that would, at the very least, hold the enemy at bay until backup arrived.

From the GDI Archives

Heavy Harvester

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, destroy a Behemoth

Detail on GDI's new, garrisonable harvester

General Mitchell places a high value on battlefield flexibility, a doctrine that spreads even to the Harvesters his Steel Talons employ for resource gathering. Rather than the standard turret machine gun, the Steel Talon Harvester is outfitted with an infantry capable garrison pod, allowing the vehicle to be adapted to counter whatever threat the commander deems most pressing.

From the GDI Archives

Eradicator

Unlocked: Hearts and Minds, destroy the Eradicator Hexapod

Details on the Scrin's massive combat unit

Rumours of a megalithic Scrin unit have been circulating amongst the populace in recent months. Though there has yet to be a confirmed sighting, tales of a massive, many-legged creature have spread quickly throughout the yellow zones. Ghostly images, mostly taken from the edges of the infested red zones, show an enormous lumbering beast, its insectoid features illuminated by a fierce glow emanating from the center of its arthropodal body. Should these rumors prove to be true, maximum discretion is advised.

[Source Redacted]

Reaper Tripod

Unlocked: Hearts and Minds, destroy a Reaper Tripod

Details on the heavily mutated Scrin Tripod

Reaper-17 have long displayed a disturbing fascination with the act of excessive Tiberium infusion, an obsession considered both self-destructive and needlessly wasteful by their fellow Scrin. However, for all of the downsides, notably madness and death, the process does have its [albeit disturbing] benefits. The most notable example would be the Reaper Tripod, a horrifically mutated assault tripod equipped with a conversion beam, its bulk form even stronger than the Annihilator employed by the conventional Scrin mining force.

[Source Redacted]

Prodigy

Unlocked: Hearts and Minds, automatic

Details on the heavily mutated Traveler mind-control infantry

Focused on infiltration and enslavement, the Traveler sect has long sought to expand the powerful yet limited mind control abilities of the Scrin Mastermind. Years of experimentation, inbreeding and genetic research have finally produced exactly what they seek - the Prodigy, a horrifically mutated Mastermind blessed with the ability to possess not just individual entities, but entire groups. The Prodigy is capable of blink-teleporting itself onto the edges of an enemy encampment, seizing control of an entire regiment and staging a "mutiny" without ever drawing attention to itself.

[Source Redacted]

Shielded Harvester

Unlocked: Tacitus Interruptus, automatic

Details on the heavily shielded Scrin Harvester

While their Scrin brethren choose to avoid direct confrontation except when absolutely necessary, the Cult of Reaper revel in danger and bloodshed. Consequently, even their non-combat units require additional technological support if they are to survive on the frontlines. Case in point, the Shielded Harvester, a standard Scrin Harvester that has been jury rigged with an Annihilator Tripod derived shielding system in the hopes of extending life on the battlefield.

[Source Redacted]

Cultist

Unlocked: Hearts And Minds, save Nod infantry from the cultists

Details on the heavily mutated human abductees

Perhaps the most twisted project of the Traveler sect's quest to control the mind of all those who oppose the Scrin, the Cultist is an unprecedented merging of two species - the heavily mutated, insect-esque spawn of the Prodigy directly implanted into the brain of a human abductee. While the Scrin offspring's massive carapace makes it impossible for the Cultist to invisibly re-assimilate into normal society, their limited mind control abilities and relative disposability make them an increasing common frontline unit for the Traveler.

[Source Redacted]

Shard Walker

Unlocked: Tacitus Interruptus, automatic

Details on the heavily mutated Scrin Gun Walker

Believing the Scrin Gun Walker to be an antiquated relic, barely useful against anything but the most primitive of cultures, the Cult of Reaper took upon themselves the task of returning this once storied combatant to relevance. After a prolonged period of ritualistic, Tiberium fuelled experimentation, the Cult revealed their new Shard Walker. A being of equal parts machinery, flesh and pure Tiberium, the Shard Walker is everything that the Gun Walker was not - fast, tough and capable of projecting chunks of pure Tiberium at a rapid, devastating pace.

[Source Redacted]

The Corruption of Brother Marcion

Unlocked: Persuade Him..., destroy Marcion's statues

Intercepted GDI Transmission

[static]

... Park contacting central GDI Central Command, do you ...

[static]

... mission unfolding as planned. First objective has been met and was an unqualified success. Marcion now regards Agent Park as an orthodox Nod fanatic in his own mold. Target is proving very receptive to messages of distrust re: Kane. Moving on to second objective - laying the groundwork for the "removal" of Slavik.

[static]

Seeds have been planted ...

[static]

Park out.

Intercepted and decoded by Brother Othus Qatar

Mysterious Homestead Attacks Continue

Unlocked: The Betrayal of Kilian Qatar, automatic

Archived Report on massacre of Nod separatists

For the third time this year, a separatist Nod settlement in the Central African region has been brutally attacked. While investigations are still ongoing, initial reports identify the deceased as respected prophecy scholar Caleb Kovacs, his wife Ileana, daughter Alexa and an unidentified number of servants.

While the mainstream media continues to dismiss these attacks as the work of Mutant fundamentalists, the Fist of the Prophet can exclusively reveal that there may be more sinister forces behind the attack - forces stemming from within the Brotherhood itself. Evidence gathered from the ruins [and, according to our sources, suppressed orders on the direct orders of Anton Slavik] has been made available to us.

Analysis of this evidence reveals the attackers not to be Mutants, by Cyborgs, under the direct control of the renegade AI CABAL. The Fist has raised concerns about CABAL's stability and the Brotherhood's general dependence on such soulless machinery in the past, but even as the evidence mounts, Slavik refuses to accept the truth, and now the Prophet's most devout followers are paying the price for his willful blindness.

Excerpt from "Fist of the Prophet", underground Nod Separatist infocast

Brother Marcion, Biography

Unlocked: Persuade Him..., automatic

Biographical Details of Black Hand Leader

Once the leader of the Brotherhood's religious wing, charged with proselytizing the prophecies of Kane, Marcion grew disillusioned with the Brotherhood and its leader as the Second Tiberium War drew to a close. Increasingly outspoken, few within the Inner Circle were surprised when Marcion was the first to break with Nod following their devastating series of losses, branding the decreased Prophet a charlatan and retreating to the Australian outback.

Marcion was not quiet for long; his powerful oratorical skills and deeply ascetic lifestyle won him many devotees in what would come to be known as Yellow Zones. Within a year with his break from Nod, Marcion had organised his followers into a disciplined theocratic army - the "new" Black Hand. Dedicated to spreading "truth and purity of the Tiberium prophecy,” their popular support continues to grow amongst the increasingly splintered Nod survivors.

Rumours that GDI had a hand in Marcion's break with Kane remains unsubstantiated.

Excerpt from "Kane: Visionary or Maniac?" by Carlos Del Mar.

Kane - My Lowest Ebb

Unlocked: The Rio Insurrection, automatic

Excerpt from private audiologs of the prophet Kane

My brothers, the departed, are surely looking down on me in contempt. After millenia, their ultimate vision of my fate has been realised. I have been rendered impotent, a sham, a failure, my very existance a mockery of all that I know to be right and true. Once a prophet, the messiah for this world, now imprisoned. As I lie here, trapped in these tubes, in this twisted, ruined shell of a body, the Brotherhood of Nod has been torn asunder by the infighting and heresy of those who presume to speak in my stead. Is it any wonder my followers have scattered to the four winds?

I think not.

So, has it come to this, that all that I fought for, all that I have sacrificed is as dust?

This cannot be ... I must heal, I must survive, I must claw myself up from this pit ...

... and then, truly, shall this pitiful world - and my dear departed brothers - know my wrath.

[Source Redacted]

Kane - A Spark...

Unlocked: The Rio Insurrection, automatic

Excerpt from private audiologs of the prophet Kane

Curse this mask, these tubes that imprison me, for even as my flesh is restored, my mind is left to wander alone in darkness. This isolation, it weighs heavily upon me. I must focus, think, lest insanity take me once and for all.

I must prepare ... I must plan ...

... and so it is that my thoughts turn to CABAL, that which was my creation and is now, in a way, part of what I have become. In the end, the AI's legacy was little more than wanton destruction, proof to the heretics that I am nothing more but the madman they claim me to be. Yet, deep within that AI, within its very conception, there lies a spark, a light, a sign.

There is something there, something hidden, something ... great. I must think more on this.

[Source Redacted]

Kane - Awakening

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, automatic

Excerpt from private audiologs of the prophet Kane

... and so the day comes, the day when at last I can emerge from this hated appartus and again walk upon the Earth. My face is scarred, true, and thus must be kept hidden from those who seek me, but my hand, my eyes, my mind, these are mine again to command.

Years I have waited, body in ruins, roaming the darkened recesses of my mind, and in those darkened corners I found inspiration ... I found a vision, a plan. Now it is time to make that vision a reality.

The world sleeps, hostage to its own ignorance, for it knows not what is yet to come ...

[Source Redacted]

Kane - Realization

Unlocked: Persuade Him..., destroy Steel Talons' pulse scanners

Excerpt from private audiologs of the prophet Kane

Blessed be he who has preserved these shards of the Tacitus, for within them I find the means to transform the vision of my ... confinement ... into reality. The journey is arduous, true, but with each day spent, each gauntlet passed, I move one step closer to my ultimate goal ... creation!

[Source Redacted]

Kane - Creation

Unlocked: A Grand Gesture, automatic

Excerpt from private audiologs of the prophet Kane

It has all been worth it - the isolation, the failures, the frustration, the agony of years spent devoid of senses, locked in a forsaken tube - all of it. For today I reached out and gave life to something, something new, something the world has never before seen, born from memories of the Tacitus, shaped in my image, created with one vision ...

One purpose.

This creation of mine, it is far more than anything that has come before - no mere AI, no CABAL-esque simulacra, nor a sentient bag of flesh, a mere genetic anomaly laying claim to the Earth through some misguided sense of privilege ...

No, this is something greater. This is ... LEGION.

"For the world shall quake at his footsteps, and all shall begin anew."

[Source Redacted]

Black Hand - Origins

Unlocked: Persuade Him..., complete bonus objectives

Background on the Black Hand Nod splinter faction

A cult within a cult, the origins of the Black Hand date back to soon after the founding of Nod itself. Initially established as a form of religious police and tasked with enforcing adherence to the teachings of Kane, in the ensuing years the Black Hand saw their purview expand significantly. By the time of the Second Tiberium War, the cult had become Kane's chosen wardens of all things religious, charged with the distributing and proselytizing of his prophecies while also maintaining spiritual discipline within the Brotherhood ... by force if necessary.

The Black Hand maintains a parallel organisation within the Brotherhood with political, religious and military wings.

Yet, for all of their power and influence, until recently the Black Hand had managed to maintain a surprisingly low profile, shrouding their rituals, beliefs, and to the world beyond Nod, their very existence in a veil of mystery and obfuscation. However, as the Second Tiberium War drew to a close, all this would change. With Kane's "death", Anton Slavik, a respected military leader, rose to become leader of the Brotherhood of Nod - and revealed himself to be a Black Hand prelate, raised from childhood within the cult. Needless to say, Slavik's ascent drew significant attention to the Black Hand, attention that was not always welcomed.

Unsurprisingly, many within the Black Hand chafed at the cult's new public profile, with internal dissent quickly escalating into a series of impassioned public confrontations between Slavik loyalists and those who claimed the Nod leader to be a traitor to the Black Hand's true purpose. From within the anti-Slavik ranks there soon rose a figure who could stand toe-to-toe with Slavik, an impassioned and popular preacher by the name of Brother Marcion. With leaders chosen and battle-lines drawn, what had started as a doctrinal disagreement had quickly escalated into a schism that threatened the very existence of Nod itself.

Despite the Inner Circle's repeated attempts to heal the rift, the situation soon spun out of control, leaving Slavik dead at the hands of an assassin and Marcion and his followers retreating to self-imposed exile in the Australian outback. These cataclysmic events splintered the remainder of the Brotherhood into countless sub-factions, each claiming to follow the "true" word of the Prophet, with, ironically, Marcion's new Black Hand serving as one of four surviving links to the Brotherhood's storied past.

Now claiming himself to be the one true prophet, and, in turn, branding Kane a heretic and charlatan, Marcion sets forth to make his own mark upon the world.

Excerpt from "Marcion - as I Knew Him" by Elbert Goldman

Steel Talons - Origins

Unlocked: What is Rightfully Ours, After the first attack on your base

Background on the GDI Steel Talons experimental warfare division

With the end of the Second Tiberium War and the Brotherhood of Nod's subsequent implosion, GDI came to believe that the quasi-state and fanatical cult no longer represented a significant threat to Earth's population. Consequently, GDI shifted its strategic goals from defeating Nod to the reclamation of those parts of the planet previously consumed by Tiberium. The vast majority of GDI's research and development budget was repurposed to futher that goal, bringing to a close the period of rapid technological development that had characterized GDI's military over the previous several decades.

Needless to say, there were several within the military who questioned this new directive - notably General Joshua 'Mitch' Michell, a decorated veteran of the Second Tiberium War renowned for his youth, aggressiveness and tactical innovation. Mitchell contended that while Nod may have been defeated, it would be foolish for GDI to assume that no successor would rise from the dispirited populace of an increasingly Tiberium-stricken earth. Therefore, he argued, funds allocated towards Tiberium control should instead be earmarked for the research and development of new combat technology, in anticipation of this next potential conflict.

After a lengthy, volatile hearing, Mitchell emerged with a partial victory. While GDI refused to divert a significant part of its R&D budget to the General's cause, they did agree to fund a new experimental combat tecnology division under Mitchell. Dubbed the 'Steel Talons' by Mitchell's admirers - notably famed war hero Nick 'Havoc' Parker - this elite, unconventional combat battalion quickly rose to prominence in the splinter faction skirmishes that followed Nod's implosion, becoming known both for their ruthless efficiency on the battlefield and for the shroud of secrecy they maintained at all other times.

Excerpt from 'GDI and the Future of War', by Xavier Des Jardins

Alexa Kovacs, Biography

Unlocked: Keys to the Kingdom, complete bonus objectives

Biographical Details of Abbess Kovacs, ward of LEGION project

Raised in near isolation by migratory Nod separatists on the edge of what would become the Central African Red Zone, Alexa Kovacs was orphaned in her pre-teens. After surviving over a year alone in the burnt-out remains of her parents' homestead, Alexa was discovered mute and near-starving by a patrolling group of Nod scavengers.

Intelligent and pragmatic, she quickly took up her rescuers as a rookie zone runner. Kovac's devout religious beliefs and near-preternatural understanding of cybernetics anbd AI quickly garnered attention within the Brotherhood, leading to her enrollment in the Nod Academy.

Rising quickly through the ranks post-graduation, Kovacs quickly developed a reputation for coldness, reserve and near-fanatical religious dogmatism that segregated her from her peers - and drew attention of Kane himself. Despite her youth, Alexa was raised to the level of Abbess and enlisted to participate in one of the Nod's leader most secretive projects - working on the development of LEGION, a CABAL-derived experiment combat AI.

Excerpt from "Nod in the Post-Kane Era", by Ficus Quartermaine, PhD

Marked of Kane - Origins

Unlocked: Will Made Flesh, complete bonus objective

Background on Nod's Marked of Kane Cyborg Cult

As the First Tiberium War drew to a close, pervasive and disturbing rumors began to emerge from the Tiberium wastelands of Central Asia and the Russian Steppes. Nomadic travelers and Nod separatist colonies alike have shared tales of Nod bunkers hidden deep beneath the earth, laboratories where cultish techno-fetishists perform horrific rituals upon the corpses of the Brotherhood's fallen - the goal? Nothing less than raising the dead.

Needless to say, Nod has continually denied all knowledge of any such acts, and even those within the Brotherhood believe these Necromantic tales to be little more than the mutterings of frightened outcasts. The truth, however, is far stranger. In the aftermath of his first defeat at the hands of GDI, Kane spent long days pondering how it was that Nod had been defeated. Ultimately, he formulated a unique hypothesis - the humanity of his soldiers had been their undoing. Thus, the Prophet concluded, to achieve victory he would require an army devoid of free will - of love, hate, fear and regret, of both conscience and consciousness, a legion that could willing and unquestioningly obey his every command.

To that end, Kane initiated the development of an army of emotionless, endlessly malleable cybernetic warriors that would do his bidding without question. Knowing that such research would cause dissension within the ranks of his existing army, the Prophet sequestered this work in the hinterlands of Russia and China, where few would stumble across the project and even fewer would be believed if they shared such tales.

The path was long and arduous, and outside of a few promising developments - the most notable being the cyborg armies of CABAL - far from successful. Eventually, the Second Tiberium War drew to a close, the Marked of Kane finally near completion. However, it was too late to save Nod and the Marked of Kane were left to slumber deep beneath the Earth, awaiting their master's call ...

[Source Redacted]

ZOCOM - Origins

Unlocked: MARV Rising, automatic

Background on the GDI ZOCOM Tiberium eradication division

With a post-Nod GDI shifting its focus to the reduction and eventual elimination of Tiberium, it was natural for the council to establish a branch of the military tasked with the enforcement and execution of that goal - Zone Operations Command, or ZOCOM. Their peacetime mission was threefold; to improve GDI's military capabilities within areas of high Tiberium infestation, to establish "beachheads" within such areas allowing reclamation to commence, and to protect existing reclamation operations from any attacks, be they terrorist or mutant in origin.

Command was given to the eminently qualified C. Elena Renteria, a decorated war hero and one of their first women to rise to the rank of General within GDI. Beyond her reputation as a smart, no-nonsense battlefield commander, Renteria’s unique upbringing provided insight into the task at hand. The daughter of Mexican nationals, the General spent her childhood in the Tiberium wastelands of central Africa, while her parents, both GDI scientists, attempted to understand and contain the deadly crystal. After witnessing firsthand the devastating effect of Tiberium on the human population of those areas, Renteria dedicated the rest of her life to its elimination; first focusing on systematic and ruthless dismantling of the Brotherhood of Nod, and then later through ZOCOM's Tiberium control and reclamation operations.

Few would deny that Red Zone service is perhaps the most demanding of any GDI assignment. Most soldiers cannot endure significant Tiberium exposure for more than a few weeks at a time without risking serious physical and psychological damage. There are exceptions however - men and women who find the experience of living and fighting in a near alien environment to be an energizing, engaging experience. These individuals quickly find themselves assigned to ZOCOM - and few, if any, would be happy anywhere else.

Excerpt from "C. Elena Renteria: My Life" by C. Elena Renteria

Traveler-59 - Origins

Unlocked: Hearts And Minds, automatic

Background on the Scrin Traveler Sect

If Reaper-17 embody the darkest impulses of the Scrin, the benignly named Traveler sect represent something more insidious. Trained from birth in the art of subterfuge, Traveler cells specialise in nothing less than the infiltration, destabilisation and eventual enslavement of entire rival species. Where the Cult of Reaper seek to dominate through brute force, making bloody examples of those who oppose them, Traveler instead attempt to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. Traveler pods will blink- teleport into hostile territory and deploy Prodigy units - Tiberium-mutated Masterminds with significantly enhanced mental faculties - bringing the entire population under Scrin control within days.

Traveler-59 is the most recent cell raised to full active duty, and has yet to be verified as combat-ready on the battlefield. Recently attached to the Scrin mining fleet on the far side of Pluto, the cell has activated far-reaching scanning technology to locate its first host planet. In addition, the cell has been outfitted with a new, more efficient form of enslavement - twisted offspring of the Prodigy capable of being implanted directly into the cerebral cortex of an abducted life form. The victims gain limited mind control abilities ... at the cost of complete subservience.

The Earth shall be their proving ground ...

[Source Unknown]

Reaper-17 - Origins

Unlocked: Tacitus Interruptus, automatic

Background on the Scrin Cult of Reaper

Throughout the many worlds beyond our own, few names have inspired as much fear and fascination as the Cult of Reaper, a mysterious, ritualistic violent Scrin caste that takes as its creed the brutal, public extermination of any being unwise enough to stand in the way of the race's advancement. Believed to have been established in eons past as a first-strike native pacification force, the Cult has since cloaked its purpose in religious overtones. The members regard it as their divine right to cleanse planets of any life forms perceived as potentially dangerous, with that definition determined almost entirely within the cult itself.

Even within the Cult of Reaper, the 17th sect are considered almost preternaturally violent, displaying acts of unparalleled cruelty such that few within the Scrin wish to even acknowledge their existence. Of particular distaste to their fellow Scrin is Reaper-17's penchant for excessive Tiberium infusion, far beyond that which its parent race requires to survive. This deranged form of self-mutilation, a form of religious zealotry, has left many of their members grotesquely mutated as they are immensely powerful. Outcasts even within their own society, Reaper-17 continue to plow their own bloody furrow ... one that will lead them to the planet known as Earth.

[Source Redacted]

All Units Functional

Unlocked: London, automatic

... All escort, combat, transport, construction, and harvesting units functioning normally after arrival on planet surface - no ill effects reported from 9,210 cycles in statis and 1,959 cycles spent in sublight journey from Ichor Hub.

... Primary base established near mature Ichor deposits using nano-assemblers

Unexpected Developments

Unlocked: London, complete Growth Acceleration construction

... Prediction after Ichor LQ detonation: Ichor deposits at expected levels on entire planetary surface and no indigenous population. (Probability of self-destruction or extinction due to Ichor Growth at 97%+).

... Reality after Ichor LQ detonation: Ichor deposits immature, active level IV/V civilisations inhabit most of planetary surface, weapons technology factor at 17.4.

... Hypothesis: Premature Ichor LQ Detonation

A Campaign of Distraction

Unlocked: London, automatic

... Disrupt, disorganise, and destroy indigenous population to divert them from Relay Nodes and Threshold Construction.

... Priority One Targets: Large First Tier indigenous population centers.

... Priority Two Targets: Organised Indigenous Military forces and weapon concentrations.

... Priority Three Targets: Any indigenous presence near mature Ichor deposits.

... Priority Four Targets: Second Tier indigenous population centers

... Note that the intensity of initial operation cannot be sustained - if desired result of disorganisation and diversion away from Relay Nodes and Threshold Construction activity is not achieved quickly, mission will be in danger.

Beyond Blunt Force

Unlocked: Munich, automatic

... Momentum beyond initial diversionary attacks is beginning to wane: tactics must progress beyond the application of blunt force.

... Deployment of Mastermind units authorised - infiltrate behind enemy lines and use special teleportation and manipulation abilities to disrupt military operations of indigenous populations.

Retaliation by Hostile Indigenous Population

Unlocked: Munich, automatic

... Offensives in multiple target zones are stalled.

... Indigenous population has re-organised, re-grouped, and counter-attacked.

... Indigenous population exploiting vulnerabilities and weaknesses discovered during initial combat operations.

... Initial advantage lost.

... Combat is becoming symmetric rather than asymmetric - tactical and strategic superiority now paramount.

Premeditated Ichor LQ Detonation

Unlocked: Croatia, automatic

... Hypothesis: Indigenous species detonated Ichor LQ device to lure harvesting operations.

Why was this done? How was this done? What are the implications for the mission? What are the implications for the Overlord?

... Investigation at Ichor LQ Detonation site overrides all other priorities.

Factions

Unlocked: Croatia, destroy GDI base

... Indigenous population aligned into two major factions.

... These factions continued combat operations between them even as they were threatened with extinction by our initial attack.

... Indigenous population warlike to the extreme - once Threshold construction is complete and gateway is open, entire indigenous population must be cleansed from the surface of the planet.

Threshold Tower Construction

Unlocked: Threshold 19, automatic

... Threshold tower construction is the First Stage of planetary Ichor extraction.

... Thresholds are capable of extracting all Ichor within a large radius: Ichor will be processed and transferred to Hub.

... Connection with Hub takes the form of an interstellar gateway capable of instantaneous matter transmission.

... Threshold assemblies and Signal Transmitters will partially phase out once construction is complete: Phasing will completely protect all Threshold structures and machinery against any form of geologic upheaval, severe Weather phenomena, cometary impact, or use of Conventional, Nuclear, Ichor, or other forms of weaponry.

Attacks by Indigenous Populations Worsening

Unlocked: Croatia, automatic

... Indigenous population becoming more aggressive - Threshold assmeblies are threatened.

... Focus must be shifted from investigation of Ichor LQ detonation source to Threshold assembly protection.

Threshold Assemblies

Unlocked: Threshold 19, automatic

... Several Threshold Assemblies have been destroyed.

... Mission failure imminent.

... At least one Threshold Assembly must survive.