GDSS Philadelphia

The GDSS Philadelphia was a large orbiting space station, and served as GDI's central command during the Second Tiberium War.

It was shaped roughly like a metal screw, with all central facilities located within the upper, larger section and other, less important facilities located in the lower, smaller part. Philadelphia was outfitted with the most advanced communication technology and equipment available to the Global Defense Initiative as well as a real-time uplink to a network of satellites and Ion Cannons orbiting the Earth. In addition to possessing the most advanced in technology, Philadelphia was outfitted with artificial gravity generators and a number of hangars for specially designed Orca Dropships and several Drop Pod launchers that allowed it to quickly respond to Nod attacks worldwide.

History


The communication networking and centralized command provided by the Philadelphia was used to great success during the Second Tiberium War, as it allowed for coordinating the operations of all GDI forces operating worldwide. When the Philadelphia was cut off by a global ion storm during the Firestorm Crisis it became apparent how important a role the station played in the GDI chain of command.

Following the resolution of the Crisis, GDI expanded it's presence in space as well as refined the technology of space-based warfare, creating an extensive network of Ion Cannons, with the crown jewel of the system becoming the GDSS Philadelphia, dramatically expanded and upgraded. It became a nerve center of all global political activity, with the upcoming world economic conference taking place there.

In the opening moves of the 2047 Third Tiberium War the Philadelphia was destroyed, causing massive casualties on board and confusion and chaos on the planet below. The videotaped destruction of the station clearly shown a nuclear ICBM of the Brotherhood of Nod hitting the station. In the resulting attack, a total of 1,047 passengers were killed. Among those were the GDI's top political and military echelon, as well as civilian workers. Debris from the wrecked station fell to earth, creating a trail of debris and smoke from the Northwest Blue Zone all the way to several remote parts of Africa.

Despite Philadelphia's destruction, it was not a death blow to GDI, as other EVA units were located in different locations. Other GDI space stations were still in operation and could perform the space based fuctions, such as deploying drop pods. However, the lack of a central coordinating command center prevented GDI from opposing   Nod in an organized fashion in the first weeks of the Third Tiberium War.

Construction on a replacement for the space station is unknown at this time. It is unlikely due to the reconstruction and reclamation projects needed on Earth.