- This is crazy Major, these guys want to kill us and we just help them!?
I concur.
- We’ve got to trust the General knows something we don’t.
- That’ll be the day.
New objectives received.
- Construct a base.
Here is a base of our would-be allies and our research team.
Hmm... are those cargo vehicles? Driving one in the last mission was pretty fun. May I have a ride?
Ooh, it is full of resourses, too! Maybe these guys are not so bad. Maybe there is merit in our cooperation. Maybe...
But I didn't do anything! Honest!
Unpardonable crime? This is carjacking at worst!
What civilian population?! I didn't even get the satisfaction of kicking the driver out!
Screw you, Powell! And screw you, Arabs! Fine, we'll do without your 'help'.
This is all a plot by Powell to slander my good name, I just know it.
- Glad to see you made it.
- So are we!
- I’ve missed you.
- You better have.
- Glad to see you again, captain, lieutenant...Mr. Macmillan!
Oh! Even our kebab physicist from mission 2 is here!
- You must be Paul Khattam?
- (coldly) Hello, Major.
That's an interesting tune you are singing now, buddy. Have you forgotten already that we saved you from certain death?
Let's have a look at our roster.
Plenty of scientists, plenty of soldiers. A solid mix. Well, let's not keep Powell waiting and construct a depot.
New objectives received.
- Build a Siberite laboratory and supply it with power.
We unload the cargo into the depot, and immediately build an armory and a lab. We need to be able to quickly switch professions of our men to assist where help is needed most.
After the lab is done, our scientists scout the land in search of oil. We make first contact with the enemy right as we are finishing the construction of our oil drilling tower.
Two enemy soldiers. Thankfully, they are low-level, and the armory is nearby.
Meanwhile, crates are starting to arrive. We upgrade our lab to the optic one, to research materialization detection and improve our income by being able to see where the crates land immediately. But we need a power generator to run our research, first.
The crates are a bit sparse, so I order a construction of the workshop to recycle our cargo vehicles. We don't need that many anyway.
It is then when a shady-looking Arabian enters our base, no doubt with foul intentions. We watch him warily as he scouts the base.
As if on cue, there is an immediate attack on our installation by automated Russian vehicles. They ignore the Arab and head straight for us. Now, isn't that suspicious?
We make short work of the first tank, but the second one is out of our range. The armory cracks. I pull my soldiers out to lure the tank closer.
If this continues, the armory will be destroyed before long and I will be forced to fight in the field. I might need medics for this. So I also pull my scientists from the lab, and the first thing I hear is a report from one of them that they have sighted a Siberate deposit. Hurray?
Yeah, I have built the lab right on top of it. Thankfully, I have brought enough Siberite with me to last me a lifetime.
The first attack from the Russians is dealt with. My buildings suffer a bit of damage, but nothing my engineers can't fix.
I construct the second armory to the north (you'll never know where you are going to be attacked from, and my scientists need to be able to protect themselves. I also upgrade my workshop and build several non-combat add-ons. Then I get a transmission from our scouts.
New objectives received
- Protect your base at all costs.
Sounds like this is going to be fun.
The number of crates continues to dwindle, and as I recycle all of my cargo vehicles but one, I have to make a decision where to invest the last of my resourses. Thankfully, I have our resident tactician
Azira to consult with.
You just can't go wrong with bulldozers.
Almost as soon as we are finished, we get a chance to test one in action as we are assaulted by a stray soldier. His death was neither merciful nor quick.
It is eerily quiet, as I research all available technologies in peace. Laser sights, Automated turrets... everything but what I've been sent here to do.
I guess I'd better get on with it. I dismantle my lab and build a new one, with different upgrades. I specialize it in Siberite research.
- Finally we can get some research done!
- All you think about is that Siberite. Don’t you guys know there’s a war going on here? Why don’t you do something useful for once?
- (cynical) No problem! We’ve got lead pipes and duct tape, give me an hour, I’ll knock you up a missile.
- We need better anti-personnel weapons, laser sights for starters.
- Build an opto lab and we can look into it sir.
Um... I've just dismantled it.
- And if we had computer controlled vehicles that would free up more personnel to work on the Siberite. And that’s why we’re here!
- OK, I’m sure we can do it, but not without facilities. Give us a computer lab and we’ll start work.
You have just finished your work! Man, and these are the people I have to work with...
I probably did things out of order again. Oh well. I hope it does not break things too much.
New objectives received.
- Research all available Siberite technologies.
- Research laser sights. (done)
- Research artificial intelligence. (done)
A few notes on the mechanics. The discovery of laser sights allows us to upgrade our armory to barracks, which in turn lets us train snipers instead of soldiers. These units have a very long range and do ungodly amount of damage against infantry, but pretty inefficient against buildings or vehicles, to the point where they can shoot a tank driver through the hatch without damaging the tank itself. They are pretty powerless against static defences and automated vehicles, though.
Artificial intelligence in its basic form allows you to construct automatic turrets. As you progress further through the campaign, the game lets you upgrade the efficiency of AI, allowing it to function as a higher level soldiers/drivers. Maximum skill level in the game is 10, and it is doubled if you profession corresponds to the task at hand. Meaning that a scientist with 10 ranks in soldiering skill can operate a cannon at rank 10, while a soldier would be able to go all the way up to rank 20. The highest rank a computer can achieve is 8, which is eqivalent to a 4th level soldier/driver, or an 8th level scientist/engineer. Needless to say, the best computers will never seriously compete with the best of humans.
As we continue our research, the scientists quip between themselves while the Arabs do another sweep around our base.
- Peter Roth told me you’d found something new when you were mining the Siberite.
- That guys got a bigger mouth than a White House aide.
- Peter believes in sharing information...
- He believes in lots of stuff, mostly crazy hippy shit.
- You think wanting peace is mad?
- He doesn’t just want it; he actually thinks he can have it; now that is crazy!
- He’s made more progress on Siberite than anyone except Fergusson. He may be an idealist but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid.
- Forget it. What we found was a new kind of material and it looked like it had been made for a purpose.
- More alien technology?
- I think it’s a part of something, who knows, maybe they left us a way back to the future somewhere.
- You think that? (laughs) Now who’s crazy!?
And funnily enough, another Russian attack comes right after. Ain't that some coinscidence?
We shoot the tanks with relative ease, but right as we are about to deliver a killing blow, the space shifts before our eyes and the tank vanishes into thin air!
- Jesus! That tank was finished and it just leapt out of here.
Meanwhile, in the Arabian base...
- (whisper) What is with this Khattam, he worships Allah and wears the infidels' uniform.
- (whisper) Your religion reaches the darkest corners of the world, Mohammed. Even America!
- (whisper) He belongs with us. Perhaps we can help him see the error of his ways.
- (whisper) If we did he’d be useful. I’ll let Hajji know.
People in our camp are not very excited by the results of our cooperation programme.
- I’m not that happy sharing my research with mercenaries.
- You might be on different sides but you’re all scientists, aren’t you?
- Yes. But we’re telling them all we know and they’re telling us nothing.
- Maybe we’re further down the road.
- And maybe they’re just using us.
- I have the same concern, Dr. But Powell’s given his orders; I can’t take any action without good cause. Keep an eye on them.
There is a man with a bazooka slowly creeping to our base. As my force moves to intercept him, he takes aim and fires a rocket. The next moment, my team finds itself scattered all around the base.
- Sir, the Russians have something new, it just teleports you across space, stops you in time, God knows what else it does.
- (to himself) The mercenaries weren’t lying. I wish to God they were. (to his men) Watch the Russian bazookas. They mess with space and time dimensions. You get hit, you’re finished.
As if we didn't have enough on our plate already, there is another surprise. Thankfully, it is of a pleasant kind.
- (slowly enters the base, exhausted) Who’s in command here?
- Major Macmillan, we've got a visitor.
- Cornell? Jesus, you're alive? What the hell happened?
- Sorry I’m late! Had a bit of trouble... (he falls from his wounds just short of our base)
- Medic, quick. Come on. Move it!
Thankfully, the lab is right there and the medic makes it in time. We bandage him and escort him inside the base.
- How are you doing?
- Feeling better.
- Really? You still look like shit.
- (laughs)
- Want to tell me what happened?
- I got a free vacation in a Russian camp – starvation and torture all included.
- Sounds great. So why’d you leave? They throw you out?
- Guess beating the crap out of me got tiring. And they found themselves a new toy, some Arabic mercenary. Nice looking girl when she got there.
- Are you saying they let you go?
- No, they tried to kill me.
- Looks like they almost succeeded!
Hey, this game has better C&C than modern RPGs!
- You remember Mikhail Berezov? The one who liked burgers? He let me go.
- So the guy was all right.
- I’m not so sure. After weeks eating roots in the wilderness I started to wish they’d finished me off!
- I’m glad they didn’t. We need you here.
And not a moment too soon, it seems.
- The Arabs are attacking sir. I repeat, the Arabs are attacking us.
- Their scientists are heading for the armoury.
- Take them out! I don’t want them stealing our research!
- I said all along the bastards couldn’t be trusted.
New objectives received.
- Kill renegade Arab scientists.
We turn Andy and Macmillan into snipers and go on a little safari. One of the scientists is dead before her bodyguards even reach the armory. Civilian installation, my ass!
But it would be too naive to think that our misadventures would end there...
- Paul! What the hell are you doing?
- My place is with them, not here.
- You can’t go with the bastards!
- I fight for you I fight my own people, my own God. Shoot me if you want. I will go to Allah sooner.
- You want to go then run you little shit. I’m not gonna kill you. Not now.
- Take care of yourself.
- Screw you.
DON'T. EVER. TRUST. KEBABS.
You might not shoot him, Holland, but I will.
Right after I deal with his friends who made him switch sides. Dietrich Genscher. We'll be seeing more of him in the Russian campaign, but in this one, he is going DOWN!
Mortarmen are good, but ultimately powerless before the sniper rifles. Two shots kill a man for good.
Now, about this traitor. Somebody bring me my bulldozer!
Keep him stable, Cathy. And if he tries to run, shoot him again.
NOBODY. DOUBLE-CROSSES. ME. NOT NOW. NOT EVER.
I will recycle the bulldozer that has his guts strewn all over its wheels, dismantle the factory that recycled the bulldozer, load the crates with the remains of the factory on the last cargo vehicle I have left, and send it straight into the Russian base.
Let it be a lesson to every spy out there.
I take over the Arabian base to calm my nerves.
And have a long-overdue ride on their cargo vehicle before I am presented with a victory screen.
Mission Accomplished.
Damn straight they owe me a medal for this!
Just you wait, Powell. I will expose you treacherous kebab-loving nature for everyone to see, you incompetent scum!
Our crew: