Core of the Problem (GDI)

Core of the Problem is ninth and last GDI mission of. It takes place in the final battle of the Firestorm Conflict.

EVA briefing
We've tracked down CABAL and are ready to engage his forces on all fronts. This is an all-out assault. Nod forces have reluctantly agreed to a temporary cease-fire and are launching their own simultaneous offensive against CABAL. Destruction of the core is essential to our victory.

END TRANSMISSION.


 * First Objective: Build a base and repel initial attacks.
 * Second Objective: Capture the 3 control stations to shut down the laser fences and firestorm defense system protecting CABAL.
 * Third Objective: Destroy CABAL's Core.

Background
Despite the uneasiness of the alliance between GDI and Nod, both factions were able to cooperate and succeeded in destroying CABAL's auxiliary bases. The time was now ripe to destroy the CABAL Core in Libya but it still had a heavy impenetrable defense perimeter in which GDI and Nod had little information on. However General Cortez gave the Firestorm Taskforce commander the job to destroy CABAL once and for all, while a Nod strike team would distract CABAL from GDI's arrival.

Events
Arriving deep inside CABAL held territory, GDI built its base hastily after crossing the bridge. GDI still needed to find CABAL's core's location by capturing several relay stations. Not waiting for long, CABAL welcomed GDI to its "Horror show" by introducing all Nod derived, without any non cybernetic infantry, player to the theater. Even a full brunt of Multi Missiles sparks the day for GDI. Nearly overwhelmed, GDI managed to send in scouts to a direction. One of the scouts discover a Nod Missile silo complex, protected by a Cyborg Reaper group, and a SAM site near one of the relay stations. Facing this handicap, a Mammoth Mk. II walker sent via a carryall transport. Surviving the harsh landing, the walker quickly dispatched CABAL's forces before a team of engineers was sent to claim the station.

All is not well yet as GDI still has their hands full of CABAL's forces in the area. The position of GDI forces is put on a disadvantage as their base is established in an unevent area, blocking a perfect Pavement to take effect and left behind holes that CABAL used to infiltrate the GDI base. To add difficulties, CABAL extensively used Nod defense and Stealth Generator to cover its majority area. Facing this, GDI deployed their sensors to detect any stealthed object and handled the results to the group of Juggernaut artillery walkers.

After all of the bloody hard work, the horror show has reached its climax. The last relay station was captured, shining the area of CABAL's core. But CABAL, not willing to go down without a bloodshed, deployed the Core Defender to the battlefield. The first GDI team sent in was massacred and the accompanying air support was downed by a combination of Obelisk of Darkness and CABAL Obelisk defenses. The commander forcefully resorted to utilizing Nod's Stealth generator and its mobile counterpart. MCV's were quickly constructed, then sent to a nearby area separated by river and with the connecting bridges demolished, with the bulk of units and structures out of harm's way.

Studying the defender, the commander deducted that an air strike to the defender far outside the range of CABAL's obelisks may give fruition. A trap is then laid when an Electromagnetic pulse cannon is erected nearby, while a pair of Wolverines navigates outside the stealth generator radius to lure the core. The defender takes the trap and is ambushed by multiple ground and air units, remaining helpless by the EMP impact from the combined strike of the cannon and Mobile EMP's.

With the Core Defender decommissioned, GDI now had control over the area and proceeded to assault CABAL with forces. Once again the EMP cannon is put into commission to disable CABAL's base defenses, giving ample time to for Orca Bombers to scrap the remaining power plant. The result; CABAL helplessly watching its mainframe being demolished to rubble by the combined strength of both GDI and Nod forces.

Aftermath
GDI managed to destroy CABAL's Core and retrieved the two pieces of the Tacitus among the ruins. The device was immediately sent to Dr. Boudreau and the Daedalus Team to interface, and discovered that when joined together it yielded a large amount of information relating to Tiberium. At the same time the ion storm dissipated, and contact with the Philadelphia was re-established. While Boudreau left to research the information, Cortez congratulated the commander and prepared to inform the Philadelphia on the good news.

CABAL was not completely destroyed, however, as several of his signals were detected at several medical facilities. The last supposedly known signal of CABAL was destroyed in a bunker in 2043. Nod went underground following the Firestorm Crisis under the leadership of Anton Slavik, but a schism quickly developed that led to Slavik's assassination, fracturing the Brotherhood for a second time.

In the years that passed, the Daedalus Team uncovered information from the Tacitus on how to (at least) contain the Tiberium substance. Sonic technology, like the Disruptor tank GDI deployed since the middle stages of the Second Tiberium War, was able to break down the crystal at molecular levels, so GDI was able to reclaim selected areas suffering from Tiberium contamination using sonic-based weapons. However the Tacitus also contained a warning - about a future alien invasion.

Trivia

 * It is possible to destroy CABAL's core without shutting down the Firestorm defense and activating the Core Defender. Simply deploy an MCV close to the core, which will allow you to place production structures inside the Firestorm perimeter. Spamming enough disc launchers would allow you to destroy the CABAL Core and/or the Core Guardian without the three code fragments. Alternatively, a group of Disruptors can be used, by directly attacking the core they can level it within a second or two, ignoring the Firestorm as well.