Mirage (mission)

"Desperate for some success, Soviet forces have counterattacked our European allies in Germany, moving deep into the Black Forest. No doubt their commanders hope that they will find and capture Einstein's laboratory. Your special talents have been asked for. The Germans fear they will be defeated without your strategic skills."

- Mission briefing

Operation: Mirage is the tenth mission in the Allied campaign of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. The mission saw the introduction of the and its first use for the.

Background
Although the invasion of the United States was failing, the Soviets did not relent. They invaded Western Europe and pushed deeper into Germany towards Einstein's laboratory, located at Black Forest (Schwarzwald). Their ultimate goal was to kill the acclaimed scientist in an attempt to end his supplement of weapons and technology to the Allies, as it was his alliance with the West that ultimately turned the tide against the Soviet Union.

Additional U.S. forces began deploying to Europe and the Allies perceived victory to be the likelier outcome. General George Carville, along with the Commander, was ordered to Germany to help defend the laboratory. The Germans feared defeat without their strategic skills. However, before Carville could leave the Pentagon, he was killed by a Crazy Ivan in a suicide attack on his quarters.

Events

 * At the beginning of the mission, Professor Einstein will contact the commander and describe the new to him.
 * A few moments later, the three border outposts of Germany will be leveled by an attack from three different Soviet formations.
 * Einstein will interject throughout the mission, offering comic relief and pointing out attackers on three occasions.
 * Once a spy satellite uplink is constructed, Apocalypse Tanks will arrive on the battlefield, prompting a warning from intel officer Eva Lee.

Aftermath
"Impressed by your efficiency, German Commanders have asked you to train their officers in strategy and command."

- The mission debriefing when played faster than at par time

"The Black Forest lab has been saved, Einstein's work can continue."

- The mission debriefing when played slower than at par time

With General Carville dead, the Allied Commander was effectively in charge of all Allied forces worldwide. Professor Einstein thanked the commander for protecting his home and shared with him the purpose of the Chronosphere. However the perfect place for such a superweapon was in Florida Keys, "just a few short kilometers from Soviet Cuba..." The Allied Commander returned to the United States to prepare the Allies' ultimate superweapon for the final confrontation with the Soviets.

Walkthrough
There are two important sites in the vicinity: Einstein's lab and the commander's base. Three Mirage Tanks are introduced and operational. While this is happening, three Soviet commanders will sneak in and destroy the nearby German outposts. (For convenience, an MCV should be sent back to the lab to start a mining and defence operation at this point).

The Soviets will pour in a flavour of Rhinos, conscripts, and, in later waves, V3s and Apocalypse Tanks. With some little micromanagement of the Allies' existing arsenal and an array of prism towers the strike is handled with ease. Depending on the commander's choice, the counterattack can be spearheaded by prism tanks, air power, and/or the old flavor of cavalry/infantry mix. The Soviet assault will wane sometime after the Apocalypse tanks introduce themselves, as the Soviet commanders will focus on base construction instead.

The commander needs to be careful to level the Soviet bases as three nuclear reactors are provocatively placed in the vicinity, one at each base.

Valuable assets

 * A tech outpost to north of Einstein's lab.
 * An abandoned Ore Refinery southeast of the map that gives a crate with a Chrono Miner once captured.
 * A crate containing funds can be located in a small pond to the west of the Tech Outpost. It can only be obtained by landing a NightHawk Transport with an infantry unit picking it up or by using a Navy SEAL.

Trivia

 * Although a Chronosphere is present at Einstein's lab, it is still in development and thus not operational.
 * The Soviet mission Deja Vu in Yuri's Revenge is essentially the same map though this time the commander has to destroy the lab as well as the Chronosphere.
 * It is possible to save the outpost with the Tank Destroyers, blocking off an invading force until the base is destroyed.