Information

Tiberium - A mysterious alien substance which landed near Lake Tiber in Italy (hence its name) in 1995 that leeches metals and other heavy minerals out of the soil, concentrating them in crystals which can be easily collected and processed. The leeching process leaves the landscape depleted, leaving the ground underneath effectively useless for agriculture. It is a valuable resource but turns any matter it touches into more of itself, giving off powerful radiation in the process. Generally, exposure to Tiberium (either a single heavy exposure or a long-term light exposure) will cause death by some form of total system failure. Three main factions wage war over this substance. NOD wants to cover the Earth with it, Scrin (an alien faction) wants to harvest it while GDI aims to eradicate it off the face of the Earth.

Steel Talons - The Steel Talons is a unique experimental technology division of GDI that specializes in utilizing untested technologies, providing near overwhelming force and firepower. The Talons were formed after the resolution of Firestorm Crisis, by General Joshua Mitchell. Mitchell's belief in having a substantially more highly advanced weaponry than any Nod opposition shaped the Talons' combat doctrine. Thanks to General Mitchell, the group was a test bed for a variety of the state-of-the-art military technologies, many of which were adopted into regular use by GDI forces by the Third Tiberium War. Notably, the division still uses mechanized walkers, such as the Titan and Wolverine. Both have been redesigned since the Second Tiberium War. Steel Talons is not the official designation of the unit; the name was given to the unit by Mitchell's admirers in the media, notably the famed war hero Nick Parker. Because of their unique purpose, the Division is somewhat autonomous from the rest of GDI.

Titan MK II - The Steel Talons brigade has continued to use a new model of the classic Titan, despite its maintenance and reliability issues. Its design and immense popularity among GDI military personnel have allowed the walker to remain in active service in a number of GDI task forces. The Titan Mk. II has a sturdier design than before. While less nimble than the Predator, the Titan is more heavily armed and can take more damage. The new design was more compatible with newer technologies, such as the railgun upgrade and adaptive armour systems. Despite it's success, only the Steel Talons continue to use the vehicle.

Wolverine MK II - With Steel Talon's attempts to keep walkers within the GDI military a new version of the Wolverine would have to be made in order to have computability with other advancements technologies at the time. It utilized a redesigned version of the Wolverine following the Firestorm Crisis. The new design, while substantially different from the original Wolverine, continued its anti-infantry and scouting roles. The new design can be upgraded with new armor piercing ammunition. The walker continues to stay in service with the Steel Talons, though in core GDI forces it's role was largely replaced by the six-wheeled Guardian Advanced APC.

Avatar - A powerful NOD walker armed with a laser cannon. It can take down many GDI vehicles with ease. There are unconfirmed sightings on such walkers with upgrades. An Australian Steel Talon base defending a liquid tiberium plant was reported being attacked by similar things



Rifleman Squad - The Rifleman Squads are the mainstay of the Global Defense Initiative. They are armed with automatic GD-2 rifles and all are equipped with standard GDI body armor and battle equipment. Their squads are composed of six soldiers, though this may differ between divisions.


Orca Dropship (no picture available) - The Orca Dropship is an experimental aircraft that was later introduced into the Steel talons arsenal to replace the Hammerhead, and although are not a common sight in other GDI bases, the Orca Dropship has nonetheless proven its reliability on the battlefield. Easily the size of three Orca gunships, the Orca drop ship has three seats, two gunner seats in front and a gyroscopic pilots seat behind. The gyroscopic pilot seat allows the pilot to fly the Orca Dropship backwards so that the gunners can stave off enemy attacks with their 50 mm machine guns and rattlesnake missiles. The maximum capacity of the Orca Dropship is 16 men and 1 wolverine, although they can be refitted to be able to carry a half a titan, in the case where heavy firepower is required. The Orca Dropship relies heavily on two fan blade rotors and four Firehawk engines located under either wing.

Prologue

A klaxon rang out, shattering the early morning silence. Spotlights jabbed into the sky, revealing many bat-winged aircraft flying overhead. Tungsten bullets sliced through the air, targeting the intruders. Men and women ran out of the barracks, still dazed by the sudden attack. Several bombers were knocked out of the sky, flaming as they fell. Suddenly, they scattered, opening their bomb-bay doors, releasing their deadly payloads on seemingly random locations, namely the tiberium silos, power plants and firehawk hangars. The bombers then flew off, disappearing as quickly as they came. Mild tremors could be felt on the ground as the GDI infantry armed themselves.

Explosions took place. Raider buggies followed closely by Scorpion Tanks went in through the neutralized base defenses, destroying the sentry patrols. The first group of GDI riflemen made a futile effort to stave off the attack, destroying a Scorpion Tank, two Raider Buggies and a couple of Attack Cycles before getting riddled by bullets that swarms of NOD militants launched at them.

The first company of riflemen exited their armories and headed into battle, their hearts pounding to the beat of the gunfire from the battlefield. The battle had begun...