Second Tiberium War

The Second Tiberium war was another conflict between Nod and GDI. Like before, GDI managed to eke out a victory, however this time, their victory was not nearly as complete, and the war was much more destructive.

Prelude to War
It is now clear that despite GDI's investigations and analyses to the contrary, two things were evident.

1. Nod had amassed an extremely powerful army capable of challenging GDI on a massive scale on multiple continents at once. Nod troop concentrations included Egypt, South America, Central America, Greece, and several other places as well. Somehow, they managed to keep these armies, as well as their massive war preparations, a secret, possibly with the aid of Stealth Generators.

2. GDI protestations to the contrary, Kane had survived. It is very likely that this ability to elude death caused many to fear and respect him, perhaps also to join him. As before, Kane would be a thorn in their side.

During the intirim, GDI and Nod had developed a number of technologies. At the beginning of the war, the Mammoth Mk. II, Cyborg Commando, and various other special technologies were in development, but the researchers were not yet done with their experiments.

Low level action: The Nod civil war
Before Nod could rise from the ashes, it had to be reborn - reforged into a unified force. And doing that meant that Hassan, a traitor to the Brotherhood and a traitor to Kane, had to be eliminated. However, Hassan, a clever strategist, had already laid plans and fabricated evidence to have Slavik, the leader of the Black Hand of Nod, executed, before Slavik could do the same to him. The execution was to have been broadcast live on "Today's Executions." Furthermore, as Hassan was the leader of the Brotherhood, it was not too difficult to have Slavik arrested and executed. Before he could do so, the Nod propogandist Oxanna, as well as two Nod soldiers loyal to Slavik, broke him out of the execution chamber itself as he was being executed by a soltution that was "one hundred percent lethal, and no sedative." Upon returning to friendly forces and the Montauk command craft, Slavik executed the soldier welcoming him back, for being a traitor.

Although Slavik had returned from the executioner, and very nearly from the dead, there was much work to be done. At first, Hassan decided to only send small probes against one of Slavik's bases. This allowed Slavik to clear the area from around his outpost and set into motion his own plans for an offensive. Assisting him in this regard were the services of the AI, Cabal, whose computer resources and intelligence services were invaluable to Slavik's war efforts.

To go on the offensive, Oxanna recommended that Slavik capture a television station with an engineer, which would cause a large portion of Hassan's forces to switch sides to Slavik. As Cabal remarked: "Control the Media, Control the Mind". Slavik was eventually able to get an engineer into the facility, at which point he managed to convince a number of Hassan's forces to switch sides. Interestingly enough, a number of cyborgs switched sides as well - it is highly likely that the transmission included a signal that jammed Hassan's control signal and replaced it with one of Slavik's. With the forces of these turncoats, combined with Slavik's own loyal troops, Hassan was eventually driven from the sector.

Fresh from success, Slavik immediately diverted his attentions toward rescuing a prisoner from Hassan's jails despite the fact that the prisoner was scheduled to be executed and quickly as well. This commander was a defectee of Hassan, and could provide information related to Hassan's plans, allowing the brotherhood to intercept his reinforcements. In addition to the information this prisoner was able to provide Slavik, Cabal mentioned that this prisoner also had information vital for "My ... your plans." Even after the Firestorm Crisis had passed, exactly what this information was has yet to come to light.

Following this victory, Slavik sent in his forces against Hassan's main base. Following a short battle, Hassan was defeated, and his pyramid surrounded. Although he attempted to escape, Nod rocket infantry shot himself from the sky. Miraculously, Hassan survived, only to face capture and death at the hands of Slavik and the rest of the Brotherhood.

With this great victory, Kane revealled himself to the Nod faithful, and in addition, Hassan received a traitor's death: Slavik slit his throat in front of a cheering crowd.



Kane's first directive to Slavik was to seize information from the original Nod temple of the First Tiberium War. The fear was not so much that GDI had gotten the information - they had had the temple for 40+ years without managing to dig it up - the goal was to get that data back. It is believed that this information may have included the Tacitus, regardless, Kane wanted that information back, and wanted to forestall any - however remote - possibility that it might be discovered by GDI. This makes it likely that it was the tacitus. Before this happened though, Slavik decided to attack a secondary base, under the cover of an ion storm - destroying the radar would allow his forces to slip in undetected, and the general damage to the second base would prevent reinforcements from being summoned in large quantity.

Meanwhile, in preparation for this attack and others like it, Kane readied his famous transmission.

McNeil responds to Nod aggression
For some reason, Kane decided to speak directly to his adversaries, the Global Defense Initiative, rather than working from behind the scenes, as he had before. He made his transmission by jamming a supposedly secure channel, and although he broke off communications, it was not before he had been tracked to somewhere in the southwest. However, this transmission was accompanied by numerous attacks against GDI positions all over the world - including a small outpost known as Phoenix base.

General Solomon immediately called for his top commander, Michael McNeil, whose combat exploits were already legendary. Before he was received the transmission from General Solomon, he was nearly killed by a subordinate, Chandra, but everyone managed to get to the Kodiak safely. Once on the Kodiak, McNeil was instructed to take a squad of "our best jump troopers," who were launched from the massive Philadelphia Space station.

McNeil went to work, and managed to rout the Nod forces without too much difficulty - it seemed as if the primary problem was the size of the GDI outpost, so McNeil expanded it by adding a barracks and war factory. He then swept through the Nod forces.

Unfortunately, once the battle was over, it was revealed by General Vega, who was the "King of the eye candy trade," that Nod had succeeding in overruning the base and capturing base commander Tao. Tao's ultimate whereabouts - and more than likely- resting place are unknown. However, given how the Brotherhood treats prisoners, it is reasonable to suppose that Tao was killed.

In retribution, as well as to secure GDI's overall position, McNeil led an attack against a second Nod facility, which was originally responsible for the attack against the Phoenix base. After evacuating the nearby civilian population, a task made more difficult because of the presence of SAM sites, McNeil was successful in leveling that base as well.

Slavik launches his strike
Meanwhile, Slavik was busy attacking the GDI facility. Under the cover of the ion storm, a small force, through the use of Tiberium, as well as the element of surprise, managed to attack and destroy the Radar facility, withdrawing once that objective had been accomplished.

Using the Montauk's command capabilities, Slavik was ready to coordinate the assault on GDI's base. Despite the GDI evacuation of the civilians, the deployment of some re-enforcements, and the GDI use of Titans and Wolverines, Nod managed to break through to the Temple of Nod, as well as level the GDI base. At that point, they witnessed some mutants run away - with some suspicious looking materials. Nod's attention then turned to the mutants, but before Slavik could deal with the mutants, he had to figure out how to deal with Vega.

Kane had sent Slavik on what was supposed to be an easy mission - get to the Alien ship which was placed in a massive hanger at the end of a Nod controlled tunnel - still deep within Nod territory - and bring back the Tacitus from inside. However, General Vega decided to take it for his own use, eventually crashing the ship in South America. Slavik was dispatched to get the ship back. By this point, the Tacitus had been loaded onto a train, so when Slavik came upon it, the train was preparing to leave the region. Slavik had to fight both the GDI forces in the region and Vega's forces in order to get the Tacitus back. Surprisingly, Kane did not have Vega executed for this. Now the Nod forces could turn their attention back to the mutants. As for the Alien ship, a secondary Nod force retrieved it and flew it to a Nod technology center to be analyzed.

GDI: The Alien Ship and aftermath
GDI scouts noticed an important looking alien ship to the east of the Phoenix base, and even further to the east of the Nod facility responsible for that attack. General Solomon ordered an attack: "That ship has secrets, Mac. Secrets Kane does not want to share."

Before McNeil could attack the alien ship itself, he decided to sneak his way in, by stealing a train - in the process crippling a Nod base and preventing Nod reinforcements. He also prevented the trainways from being used as a way to transport information out of the area.

Unfortunately, the forces sent in through the trainways were destroyed by Nod Laser emplacements, so McNeil had to it the old fashioned way - with heavy walkers such as Titans. He was successful with his invasion, capturing both the Scrin Ship and Nod's notes on the technology contained in the technology center.

However, a strong Nod force was able to move in, and assault the ship, under the cover of a powerful ion storm. Although reinforcements were sent in, they were destroyed by the power of the ion storm immediately after the storm commenced. GDI forces were alone during the duration of the storm, although fortunately, they were able to hold out. Once the storm ended, GDI reinforcements arrived - just in time to counter a number of Flame Tanks that were intent on destroying the Scrin ship.

With the ship firmly under GDI control, McNeil took a team into the ship, and began to look around. He was accosted by the mutant Umagon, however, and after a brief discussion, agreed to rescue the mutant leader Tratos from an experimentation facility. In return, Tratos would tell McNeil where Vega's base was, so that GDI could continue to pursue their leads from the assault on Phoenix base.

Obligingly, McNeil led a taskforce against the facility. Commando forces assigned to the mission included Ghost Stalker, Umagon, and the Mutant Hijacker. Through clever stategies and the assistance of a Tiberium Fiend, GDI was able to penetrate the facilities defenses and rescue Tratos. A secondary taskforce was deployed soon after that leveled the remaining Nod forces in the area.

Nod: Dealing with the Mutants
Meanwhile, Nod was putting into effect plans to destroy the mutants, another task that was entrusted to Slavik, and especially to capture Umagon, who had been linked to the data theft from the Temple of Nod. Again, Slavik was able to deliver, capturing Umagon despite the GDI forces that defended her. With her intelligence, Nod decided to 'enlist,' the mutants' support.

In a devious move, Slavik captured a small GDI outpost, then used it to produce tanks and soldiers that looked identical to GDI forces. These soldiers then attacked the mutants. Despite the usage of a captured prototype Obelisk of Light, the mutant soldiers were overwhelmed, and their base was utterly crushed. This seeming attack by the GDI, as well as significant Nod propoganda, caused a significant fraction of the mutants to side with Nod, despite the assistance that GDI had previously shown them.

As a side note, the Cyborg Commando was instrumental in escorting a number of biotoxin trucks through a contested region. The trucks contained ingredients for making Chemical Missiles, which were deployed later during the campaign.

The last move Nod made during the midgame was the destruction of one of GDI's research centers. The center was trying to produce a serum to counteract the effects of Tiberium Poisoning. As Nod was developing a Tiberium Missile, it was felt that this was unacceptable. A Nod Spy contacted a local mutant population, which assisted him in scouting and skirmishing. Bolstered by this additional support, Nod destroyed the facility. However, in order to gain the mutants' support, Nod made the mutants believe that the facility was being used to harm them. When the facility itself was revealed, the mutants guessed the truth, and left the side of Nod, to run back to the GDI.

Sometime around this same period, Umagon was able to escape from a Nod detention centers and make her way back to the GDI lines.

Vega
While Nod was otherwise engaged, GDI saw its chance - it would strike at Vega's command center, which was revealed to be in Central America. First though, McNeil attacked several hydroelectric Dams which provided Vega with massive amounts of power. Through key reinforcements and clever tactics, McNeil was able to break through and destroy the facility. The resulting confusion and a delay in activating backup generators allowed him to sneak a force into the region, bypassing the powered-down SAM sites. Once inside, McNeil proceeded to level the base, eventually coming face to face with McNeil, who personally entered the facility to gain his revenge on Vega. Meanwhile, Vega was desperate, and called for assistance from Kane. The Nod leader seemed to accept, but then responded by activating a 7 minute timer on a nuclear weapon under Vega's facility, instructing Vega that he should learn something from McNeil in the time he had left, which, he commented, wouldn't be very long. Although GDI was able to reach Vega before the explosion, Vega had already drugged himself with 'Eye Candy'; McNeil was only able to get a cryptic response out about something having to do with a 'Tacitus.'

Nod: The plan
By now, Nod's plans were proceeding to completion - a few more strategic steps, and global domination would be achieved. However, GDI forces made things difficult. McNeil succeeded in luring Slavik and Oxanna into a trap, and GDI forces were able to capture the entire command staff of the Montauk, as well as the Montauk itself. Oxanna and Slavik were then sent to solitary confinement. However, a number of spies and accomplices within GDI allowed a packet of C4 to be delivered to Slavik, which he used to escape his prison from the inside. Meanwhile, a stolen cargo truck delivered the Cyborg Commando into the GDI base.

With the power of the Cyborg Commando and other forces, Nod was able to get Slavik and Oxanna to safety. They never were able to get the Montauk back, so another version was constructed.

However, this only delayed the final plan. Nod then tested its chemical missile on some enemy forces in the region, a task again assigned to the brilliant commander Slavik. Not only was the test a success, but Nod forces were able to keep the use of that top secret device - still a secret from GDI. With the success of the weapon, they began to build a central Chemical Missile Facility as well as a Chemical Supply Center, with which to produce far more potent chemical missiles.

After that, things began to move at an accelerated pace. Nod's next action was to infiltrate a GDI research facility, and through the use of rapid construction techniques, build a number of Banshee aircraft. These aircraft rained down plasma onto the Mammoth Mk II prototype that the facility was developing, destroying the prototype utterly, and delaying the project for a short time.

Then, the last stage was implemented: Hammerfest would be infiltrated by Michael's own brother, and then the base itself could be taken. Therefore, a commando team that utilized some stolen GDI Amphibious APCs snuck into a base that Jake McNeil was planning to inspect. Through the use of concentrated drugs, delivered through a gunshot, Jake McNeil was 'persuaded' to go with the Nod forces. Oxanna then convinced him to shut down the GDI's Firestorm Defense. With it down, Slavik and his forces captured the base, and prepared to move in missile launchers, with which to shoot down the Philadelphia space station, and remove any impediments to the launch of the Tiberium Missile. A small team removed the Disruptor crystals from the site even before the ICBMs were deployed. Nod was on the edge of victory.

GDI: The Final Battle
Before they could deploy the ICBMs, a small force of Engineers andHover MLRS's found a way into the supposedly invulnerable base, recapturing it and destroying the Nod base that had been set up while the ICBMs were arriving. This same force of GDI persued the team that had taken the Disruptor crystals away, and thanks to a freak flood that washed a bridge away, recaptured the crystals. GDI forces breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Nod forces did not let them rest. Instead, they launched several massive Chemical Missiles. Far larger than regular Chemical missiles, these weapons destroyed large parts of Europe, including Hammerfest base. General Solomon ordered an immediate counterattack, but unfortunately, the Chemical Missile Facility was heavily defended. First, GDI decided to rescue some mutants, who would assist them in the coming battle.

The mutants were being held in a prison, including mutant women. The GDI task force sent in to solve the problem included the liberated Umagon, who was very helpful in eliminating enemy infantry. Eventually, GDI forces eliminated the SAM sites around the prison, and Orca Transports took the mutants away to safety.

The second base that needed to be eliminated was the powerful Chemical Supply Center. Here, Nod used small Chemical missiles as well as infantry raids to wear down the GDI forces. However, fueled by a supply of blue Tiberium, the GDI forces struck back and leveled the Nod base, despite at least 3 Obelisk of Light structures. They also discovered another train that led to a subterranean Nod base. Commander McNeil immediately ordered a commando team into the train.

It took them to a Nod power station, which GDI took great pleasure in dismantling. Specifically, Ghost Stalker placed C4 explosives on 6 power plants, which when detonated would cause the power for some of the Nod defenses to go offline. Once Ghost Stalker had gotten far enough away, he activated the charges.

But by then, GDI forces had already been deployed to the region, and the battle began. Nod again used Tiberium missiles, but also deployed Banshees and other high technology - the use of Banshees in particular worried GDI, as they had previously only seen Banshees in small scale or sudden strikes - but not as a defensive aircraft. However, the damage the Nod secondary facilities proved to be too much, and GDI forces were again successful. During the attack, several disruptors succeeded in tracking the Nod Banshees to their hidden lair, and destroyed them.

The presence of the Nod Banshees was troublesome, and GDI decided to find the production site. Having located the general area, they sent in a small commando force to find it. Despite the use of Nod's Stealth Generators, GDI forces were able to locate the site, as Nod foolishly lowered the Stealth Generators when they believed the commando team had left. A second prototype Mammoth - whose development had finally been completed, was deployed to the site, and proved beyond doubt its effectiveness, destroying with its cannons a number of enemy forces, and assisting with the complete destruction of the enemy base. Nod did not deploy Banshees again.

By now, Kane had had enough of this. A commando raid again captured Umagon, who was taken to Kane's Cairo command center. Then, Nod got lucky - the Kodiak, with Michael McNeil on board, had been caught in an ion storm and was grounded - Kane ordered an immediate assault. However, McNeil again proved his tactical brilliance. Despite an unrelenting ion storm and a large Nod base, he managed to push back the enemy forces.



But it was just a cover. During this time, Nod had redeployed its ICBMs to the proper positions in Cairo to shoot down the Philadelphia, and also readied a Tiberium missile. Furthermore, Kane still had Umagon, and was in the process of injecting her with more Tiberium. As a distraction, Nod also began a worldwide counterattack, to buy time for the ICBM's to eliminate the Philadelphia, which would let the world altering Tiberium Missile deploy itself over the world.

McNeil saw through this and despite direct orders from his superior not to do this, ordered all available forces deployed to Kane's Cairo command center where the missile was being readied. Due to the concentration of GDI forces and the presence of commander Michael McNeil, Kane's final bases were eliminated. McNeil then raced into the temple itself and confronted Kane. Kane had held Umagon hostage, and threatened to kill her, so McNeil was forced to put down his gun. After Kane began talking about his power, and the power of the Tacitus, McNeil picked up a girder and ran Kane through, rescuing Umagon. Tratos, who was still on the Kodiak command craft, prepared an antidote for Umagon, although it proved effective only in the short term.

Epilogue
Although GDI had won, it was not by a huge margin. Though after the first war, the world had enjoyed over 30 years of peace, after the second war, the world enjoyed barely one month. The events of the Firestorm Crisis and the rising threat of Tiberium would continue to take their toll on the world - and Nod would again prove itself to be a worthy opponent.