Relay Node

The Relay Node was a large structure constructed by the Scrin on Earth that was instrumental to their invasion. Its destruction by GDI ended the Third Tiberium War.

While GDI troops battled relentlessly to drive the Scrin back to Ground Zero, GDI InOps also worked around-the-clock to discover more about the aliens and, more specifically, their weaknesses. It was discovered that while the Scrin could only survive in Tiberium-rich environments, they had devised a highly technologically advanced system for distributing Tiberium to their forces planetwide. The Relay Node formed the hub of this system, which presumably involved teleportation technology (which the Scrin are known to have mastered) or similar. The Relay Node, built close to Ground Zero itself in Italy, was designed to exploit the Earth's richest deposits of Tiberium and aid the Scrin's invasion force.

Following the destruction of the majority of the alien 'Gateway' towers, which were considered the most immediate threat, GDI moved on to what they perceived to be the aliens' ultimate Achilles' heel. However, the Scrin were well prepared for GDI's assault and battled ferociously, deploying all of their most advanced weapons including the Mothership and Rift Generator as well as vast masses of smaller units. Nod had also established a presence in the region and proved problematic. In the end, however, the brilliance of GDI's Commander helped ensure the destruction of the Relay Node. With their source of Tiberium cut off the Scrin began to falter immediately and, in their weakened state, proved easy pickings.