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Command And Conquer: Dune
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TAK02
General


Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Location: It was Damascus.

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:08 pm    Post subject:  Command And Conquer: Dune
Subject description: How Dune and C&C fit together. In the name of Kane, of course.
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Have you ever wondered if, or how, Dune and C&C fit together? What really happened during all these wars from 1946 onwards?
This is the story of how so much in the Dune universe comes to be, where it's headed, and how it all ends.
In the name of Kane, of course.

Rated "Mature" for language.

---

Trinity, New Mexico, unknown

Turning, twisting knobs.

"Stop playing with that thing."

"I've just got to adjust this..."

Twisting, turning knobs.

"Give me the sequence calculations. Now!"

Hurrying.

"They're already done."

Signing, probably.

"I wonder if it will be raining..."

"Stand by."

Alarms, machine charge-up, folding of space and time itself.

Landsberg, Germany, 1924

Whistling. A nod of acknowledgement.

"Herr Hitler!"

"Ja. Was ist lost? Ich habe keine Zeit hier rum zu stehen!"

"Ja... ich verstehe..."

Hand grabbing, erasure.

Folding of space and time itself.

"Did you find him?"

"Hitler... is out of the way."

"Congratulations professor, with Hitler removed..."

Holding up a hand. Silence. Shivers.

"Time will tell. Sooner or later, time will tell."

Hell March. Westwood Studios proudly presenting the second game to the greatest RTS franchise.

LINE

In the time, before your time, after the Second World War as the rest of humanity remembers it, Einstein decided to attempt averting what once went down in history as the “holocaust” and “second world war”, and a new project was born.
One that'd forever change, and fold, the very fabric of the universe; space and time itself, time and time again:

The
Chronosphere.

The project was finished within about a year; if our maths and the documents' dates are correct.
Using the Chronosphere, Einstein journeyed back to 1924, the year Hitler was released from “prison”, shortly before he became head of what would have become the Nazi party.

Meeting Hitler just as he exited the prison, with no more than a handshake from when the two exchanged pleasantries, the Austrian mad-man (though others say he was actually German) was erased from history.

But doing so had an unforeseen, though logical, consequence: Hitler wasn't the only one obsessed with “world conquest” after all, little-known fact, that is. Another maniac, though a Georgian one (then again, others might say he was Russian), was also interested in a World Domination Tour of his own: Joseph Stalin.

Joseph Stalin was an ambitious, and a smart individual, one who knew when to fight and when to let his enemies destroy each other while he finishes the preparations for his own conquests; one who knew how to draw masses to his cause, be it willingly or forced; yes, Stalin was... interesting.


---

“Comrade Stalin, this our newest recruit from Greece: comrade Dasha. And this is her sister, comrade Nina.”

Stalin gave our faces a quick once-over as Nadia introduced us to the big bear in Russian.

We (my sister, father and I) stood in the rather spacey room where there was a huge screen, seemingly built into the wall and a table for Stalin's generals and merry band of “civilised” people that'd eat each other faster than you can blink.
The big bear himself had been sitting, like Kukov, Gradenko and aunt Nadia, but chose to stand to evaluate our... chassis.
Scattered over the table were some papers, and a few folders, a few papers poking out of some of them. Like someone had put them back in in a hurry rather clumsily.

Stalin's response was silence, probably deciding between throwing us out for not meeting the standards of european and american women (and their racks) and having us work with the others in the factory, in place of all the men that'd go out to the front to meet the allied pigs head-on in the trenches; or using us in more... creative ways.

After a few seconds of examining our bodies with his eyes, he grabbed a folder from the table.
The folder containing the profiles Kane had made up for us.

“According to these profiles, you should both prove useful: top female graduate and student in all subjects, gymnastics included, eldest passed through command school in Greece, you both lost all your family except yourselves...” Stalin trailed off.
Perhaps he saw his past-self, or a past-friend, in our fabricated story?
“What tells me you are not traitors and really were born in Russia?”
Ah, the question that'd decide between success and failure of father's vision.

After all, we couldn't let Stalin win too soon.
His incompetent officers would see to that all on their own, however. But so much so that the USSR might even lose, though...

“I was told we had to escape Russia, running from the Tzar's corrupt rule. Greece became like a second home to us. Then the allied dogs came and destroyed our new home with their so-called european alliance; our friends there are still being tormented, assuming they're still alive. Our parents' wish was revenge. Our wish is revenge. We shall kill them all, or die trying.”

There's nothing more convincing than the truth. Father believed it, knew it, and, understood it.

The fact that Stalin was now smiling proved it.

There was no lie; white, half or otherwise. Only truth; half or full.
Except when I mentioned 'our' friends.

Your siblings' friends are not exactly your own, are they?

“Then I have an assignment which will require special skills.”

All in the room were smiling: Father, sister, aunt Nadia, Stalin... even me.

Oh, how much I was looking forward to this...
My true purpose... The very reason I exist...

Battle. Glorious, all-consuming battle in the name of Kane!
It really, truly, was a privilege I had been granted.

In the name of Kane, of course.

“Russia's borders will stretch from coast to coast! For united Russia is our destiny. The lands that were taken by corrupt Tsarist diplomats and criminal military officers, those... enemies of the people... will belong to Mother Russia again!

“Nadia, tell your spies to get to work. We need all the intelligence we can get if we are to thwart the allied dogs.
“Gradenko, make sure the men are ready and the nerve-gas plants operational. We will be testing it shortly.
“Kukov, I want our border troops pulled into the countryside and hidden, doing reconnaissance. We will surprise the Europeans in three months. Our new lieutenants will lead the first wave of the assault with you then. Nadia, they're yours until then.”

With a chorus of “yes, comrade Stalin” the three officers left the killer, who, in his own words, lived “only to serve the people”, alone in his office with us. And our father; Kane.

Kane, the undisputed leader of the secretive Brotherhood of Nod. Kane, the one who will lead us onto the Golden Path.

Kane, who will guide us to the Golden Future!

No-one knows of Kane's true origins.
Some say he is, in fact, the biblical Cain himself, claiming him to be the first murderer, cursed to walk the Earth until the time after time.
Others claimed he was from an ancient, extra-terrestrial civilisation that once thrived on Mars and was destroyed by another extra-terrestrial race long ago, and then somehow ended up here. Said races' specifics and details being completely unknown and raw speculation, however.
Others say he's a... human of sorts that got his hands on the Tacitus. An artefact with knowledge beyond the comprehension of filth in politics and industry higher-ups.
Last one wouldn't explain why he won't age or die, though. Unless it is claimed Kane found a formula or two for some sort of “ever-young/immortality” concoction or something...

I did not, however, and could not, doubt Kane. To doubt Kane is treachery. And the price for treachery is death.

Kane had watched Stalin order the men (and the woman) around like little soldiers. Unlike Stalin, he noticed how they were all... a bit too eager and anxious to prove themselves worthy of his trust and name. Aunt Nadia included. I really hoped she was on our side and wouldn't betray us...

Our Lord knew there'd be blood shed between the two men (and the woman).
He was counting on it.

“I trust our little agreement will not be forgotten?”

“You shall be rewarded handsomely for your efforts and generosity, Kane. But first, we have a continent to conquer.”

“I suppose that's correct.”

“Get your new psychic division to work. Their abilities will prove invaluable with baiting the Allied forces.”

“I'll see to it they are deployed and working by tomorrow morning. Come, Dasha. We have work to do. Nina, you too.” With that, Stalin was left alone.

---

“Soon,” Stalin thought. “Soon those Allied dogs will pay. And Mother Russia will be whole once more...”

“Soon,” Kane thought. “Soon the Golden Future shall be upon us. And I shall lead humanity to ascension; The Golden Path. Soon...”

“Soon,” thought Gradenko. “Soon I'll have that bitch Nadia exposed for the traitor and conspirator that she is. Soon I'll be the closest one to Stalin again, and then over-throw him. Soon...”

“Soon,” thought Kukov. “Soon I'll have both that wretch Nadia, her new lieutenants and the incompetent fool Grandenko executed. Soon I'll be Stalin's right hand. Soon Mother Russia will flourish under my leadership, that I can assure. Soon...”


---

“So... what now?” asked a curious, pretty young girl. The prettiest girl in my opinion. I might be biased, though...

“We have a meeting with someone we have... acquired a while back. He's been working on a new propulsion system. I have a feeling a certain someone would love to try it.”

“You mean big sis, master?”

“Who else? She is, after all, the one who shall carve out the Golden Path for my brethren.”

“Father, as much I'd honoured, I can't. I already know my true purpose is battle, and only battle. You made it so yourself.”

“For good, or for evil, master?”

“Not something as antiquated as that, little one. For creation or destruction.”

“Yes; we are weapons capable of wiping out all life on the planet. Our purpose is destruction, but we were born from creation. Remember that, sis.”

“Yes, and you two are my greatest, finest creations as of yet.
As for your purpose, my dear Dasha, remember that the Golden Path will not be easy; it shall need to be paved in battle, and the horrors of war. But it shall be worth it, and we will ascend together to the Golden Future that lies in wait at the end of the Golden Path.
Now, go to your rooms and change into something more… casual. I shall fetch you when it is time to meet our... new friend.”

“Yes, my Lord,” we bowed.

Three months.

Three months and the whole world would be set ablaze in the name of Kane!

And a new world shall be born and rise from the ashes!

In the name of Kane, of course.

---

When people read or write, the position - or character - of the narrator (you know, the 'P.O.V. guy') is far too often underestimated.

This is a mistake.

A narrator is, when enough thought is put in, a character on par with the others that appear in a fictional work.
Of course, usually, when non-fictional work is handled, the narrator is the author himself (like in auto-biographies).
But people seem to confuse the way of handling non-fictional texts, like newspaper articles or research books for an assignment, with fictional texts, like that Twilight novel-thing.
This becomes a problem, as the narrator in fiction is not supposed to be the author himself.
It can be done, sure, but in doing so the author loses some of the most valuable weapons in today's world:

Language, voice; things those “teachers” and literature “experts” call “stylistic devices” that they love to force down your throat.

He loses the power of subtly changing the readers' mind (or even sending said reader on wild goose chases that end right where they started). Something journalists, more often than not, are masters at.
Which in turn they're abusing to the fullest.

The narrators' position is not to be underestimated.

The narrator tells the reader what to believe and the author tells the narrator what to believe; the same way the world believes the media, which follows the corrupted governments, the money, plain-destructive mayhem... It's really quite simple.
And it can be very subtle; to the point literally every detail matters, such as choice of punctuation (or lack thereof), spelling/grammar “mistakes”, precision in phrasing, conscious choice in - and alternation of - tenses, extra (but not reader-necessary) words, placement of insertions (and what they're used for), presence or complete lack of a scene-description...

There's a reason why language should be an entire subject all on its own, starting with children to avoid them getting deceived by the media and government.
Of course, that'll never happen. After all, almost 100% of governments, officials, politicians, military, police and journalists are scum-bags that live off the feeding of lies, off stupidity, off robbing kindness, among many other scandals, including backstabbing where you least expect it.

Welcome to the mess that is Earth.

The mess that shall soon be fixed.

For the Golden Future at the end of the Golden Path, and the next stage of human evolution.


---

And so begins the second world war as depicted in C&C 0: Red Alert 1.
In the name of Kane, of course.

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m7 wrote:
I tend to release things I create so that assets are never lost to hard drive problems, accidental deletion, or me having to pretend to care about rippers taking things from my project when it is done. #Tongue

Last edited by TAK02 on Sun Aug 16, 2020 7:21 pm; edited 6 times in total

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Mig Eater
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Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Location: Eindhoven

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

That read more like a conspiratorial rant rather then a structured story :/ Then again you'd have to come up with some crazy long conspiracy to fit C&C & Dune together, considering their events happen roughly 25,000 years apart!

The Dune universe also splits from our own timeline around 2,000 years ago when the Roman Empire insisted of falling it conquers most of the earth. By the time of WW2/RA1 the Empire controls the whole planet & are looking towards the stars...

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TAK02
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Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Location: It was Damascus.

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Mig, give me a break, would you?
It's only the first chapter, playing right before RA1 begins, so before the Sarin Gas business.
Of course there's not going to be much material, historically accurate in way or not.
That, and a bunch ends up getting explained more or less properly sooner or later. Maybe. Time will tell.
Quote:
25,000 years apart
That's why this will be hard. Not only because I have to link the two, but also over this long time-span.
Hence why the way this one will be written will be... unusual, to say the least.
Quote:
The Dune universe also splits from our own timeline around 2,000 years ago when the Roman Empire insisted of falling it conquers most of the earth. By the time of WW2/RA1 the Empire controls the whole planet & are looking towards the stars...

Well, that's something new I've learned today.
I'll see how it goes without that one happening. Thanks for that info tho, I'll be sure to use it, one way or another.

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G-E
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Joined: 09 Feb 2015

PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

In the Dune universe, Earth is destroyed long before the orders you want to link the C&C/RA factions to.

I want to see someone resurrect the Dune-like ORA mod DonutArnold and others were making art for... and keep it purely Dune.

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TAK02
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Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Location: It was Damascus.

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

G-E wrote:
In the Dune universe, Earth is destroyed long before the orders you want to link the C&C/RA factions to.

Confusing statement is confusing.
How can Earth be destroyed so soon?

And how do you know what orders I want to link to the Tib & RA factions?
This is the first chapter, and it's not even RA1 yet, and already G-E sees the future.
Who are you? Kane? #Tongue

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Mig Eater
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Earth was hit by an asteroid which made the planet uninhabitable for humans. By this point humans had terraformed & colonized multiple other planets tho. The same terraforming tech was used to fix earth but once finished the planet was left as a nature preservation.

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G-E
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Joined: 09 Feb 2015

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Mig Eater wrote:
Earth was hit by an asteroid which made the planet uninhabitable for humans. By this point humans had terraformed & colonized multiple other planets tho. The same terraforming tech was used to fix earth but once finished the planet was left as a nature preservation.

In the original there is no mention of how as I recall, just that it's destroyed and gone.

In Butlerian Jihad, the son's continuation, they destroy Earth with atomic weapons to destroy Omnius. No asteroids...

Also unstated, after the great purge, IX seems to be the last remaining Omnius outpost, hence the uneasy acceptance of their tech dependent civilization, as they produce useful goods for the rest of the planets.

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PussyPus
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Joined: 14 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I was even thinking Red Alert universe happened before Tiberium and have relationship, as depending on large warzones that happened in both 20th and 21st century:
-2nd Great War (Red Alert)
-3rd Great War (Red Alert 2)
-Scavenger Disaster (WW's Not Achieved Red Alert 3 & Renegade 2: Battlegrounds)
-1st Tiberium War (C&C & Renegade)
-2nd Tiberium War (Tiberian Sun)
-3rd Tiberium War (Tiberian Incursion)
-"I don't know the other ones, IDK the future."

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Mig Eater
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ah, I'm talking about earth way back 10,000 years before the Jihad or Omnius. Earth is destroyed & rebuilt several times & the galactic empire also falls & rises multiple times during the 25,000 years. Which is kinda my main point, so many large events happen to humanity over such a long period that I dont see how the events in RA1 could be relevant to Dune in anyway.

I guess you could go with Kane hotwiring a chronosphere & travailing 25,000 years into the future, like how Yuri got sent back a few million years to have lunch with a T-rex. But that feels like a cheap way to shoehorn the two universes together.

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TAK02
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Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Location: It was Damascus.

PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
G-E's and Mig Eater's replies. And Mr. PussyPus too.

Laughing  ROFL!  ROFLMAO!!!  LMAO!
In other words, you have absolutely no idea what I have in mind.
Tho that's a good thing.

@Banshee: any way of making a topic only reply-able by the first poster?
This is supposed to a be just a fanfic, without the criticism attached #Tongue

And before you say anything, I'll take what you said here into account for the future chapters.
In fact, I'm copy-pasting all of it for future reference.
This epic piece of a masterpiece of absolute epicness is also posted here: ArchiveOfOurOwn ; FanFiction
^^
Sarcasm

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G-E
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

TAK02 wrote:
In other words, you have absolutely no idea what I have in mind.

If I was a betting man, I'd say all talk, no action... we've been through this before with Millenium #Tongue

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TAK02
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

To be fair, I don't know Dune like the back of my hand, and the fact that the story will have to span all of the way from 1946 till Dune makes it hard.

Although, SPOILER, that scene where the "God Emperor" dies? Yeah, got something special.

Also: G-E and Mig.
You two seem sensible enough, knowing Dune and all, so would you please send a mail to already?

Already asked at least you two, although indirectly.
https://ppmforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=45305

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One and only developer of the Command & Conquer Dune "C&C D" mod.
m7 wrote:
I tend to release things I create so that assets are never lost to hard drive problems, accidental deletion, or me having to pretend to care about rippers taking things from my project when it is done. #Tongue

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Mig Eater
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Eh... why bother with email when you already have two forum threads about this.

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TAK02
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Mig Eater wrote:
Eh... why bother with email when you already have two forum threads about this.

Then reply to those threads and the questions in there, dummy!

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TAK02
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Bumping and updating the first post and reminding everyone of the update or the topic by bumping and confusing readers with overly long sentences is hilarious #Tongue

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One and only developer of the Command & Conquer Dune "C&C D" mod.
m7 wrote:
I tend to release things I create so that assets are never lost to hard drive problems, accidental deletion, or me having to pretend to care about rippers taking things from my project when it is done. #Tongue

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NimoStar
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Tiberium is basically the Spice.

In fact if you realize how Westwood produced CNC1 just after Dune, you will see they are obviously the same thing (even codewise)

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TAK02
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

NimoStar wrote:
Tiberium is basically the Spice.

In fact if you realize how Westwood produced CNC1 just after Dune, you will see they are obviously the same thing (even codewise)

Code-wise: Not sure. Possible.
Role-wise: absolutely.
Lore-wise? Nope. You're bonkers.

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TAK02
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Bumping for the sake of bumping. Also, update: chp1's pacing re-adjusted, chp2 added. Enjoy.

Not everything is as it seems.
There's always plans within plans within plans, contradictions within contradictions within contradictions, plans ending up getting scrapped, either entirely or in part, and then there are plans that don't even exist and then suddenly make it into the bigger plans in either plausible, realistic ways or... 'go 'round the block', so to speak.

If you look close enough, analyse all possible sources, maybe then you can get to the bottom of all of this, or maybe lose your mind somewhere along the way.
Maybe.

-

It had been a while since I had been enrolled into the Soviet military. Not much happened.
What's actually interesting is what happened shortly after my sister finally recovered enough to be let out the tank for longer than an hour.

She was strong.
Or at least attempted to show it, but her legs tended to give out more often than not.

It took a while for her legs to grow strong enough for the job.

But our meeting with the self-proclaimed “prophet/messiah” known as Kane had approached before the re-growth was fully complete.
So my sister was forced to do something she never wanted: she had to show weakness, even if said weakness was temporary, to the one who she considered a completely untrustworthy stranger.

Granted, my father, uncle and I were strangers to her too, but I think she trusted us more because of... what happened when she first awoke after the transfer.

The transfer that took her voice almost completely. The transfer procedure that bastard designed himself.

Oh, how I wish I could rip him apart, piece by piece, and kill him...

But that is neither here nor there.

My sister didn't warm up to anyone at first. And I had tried everything.
From sharing to caring. Well, the latter not so much, but considering who built me (and whom my AS was based on), that wasn't a surprise.

It took a while until she started trusting me to not stab her in the back, at least.
That was something...

One thing I noticed is that she despised physical contact during most of her recovery, though she did relent when she realized she had no choice (other than landing on the floor face-first). Considering her past, that is hardly surprising.
I think the metallic feel of my armour calmed her down enough for her to not register me as a threat. I knew it wasn't that comfortable though. Good thing we had a pillow...

While we were waiting for the meeting with Kane, I had taken it upon myself to help her at least stand again.
It wasn't done fast enough.

One good thing though was that bastard: He sent some nano-machines through.
Said something about “from a possible future” and “making her talk”.

Blasted bastard. What does he think my sister is? A science-experiment?!

The procedure was simple: force the nano-machines into the spine, and wait for them to stabilize.
Then attach the little transmitter he included in the delivery box, and my sister would be able to at least send text messages.

Of course, I was over-joyed: I would finally be able to hear my sister's voice!
She would've been able to talk sooner, but her nerves had been mostly fried, rendering her mute.
I still remember how much she cried that day...

-

“Remind me again, how are we going to do this?”

We are not doing anything. You, my dear, will inject the machines in.”

“Father, I mean no disrespect, but why me?”

“Your sister doesn't trust me or your uncle. Yes, she doesn't trust you either, but think of this as your only opportunity to gain her trust. You're also both girls, and the operation has to be performed on her back. I do not want to risk myself going berserk during the operation, you know how I got that from your uncle. You have a switch for that built in; you were meant to succeed where I can't: modifiable to the point it'd make a... certain “community” blush.”

As I took the syringe, I looked at my sister's exposed back. She was lying down, on her stomach, arms and legs stretched out.
She had covered herself with a thin blanket, one of the many she had been using the past few days.

I approached slowly. I wanted to say something, but my calculator failed to conjure a proper phrase.
What was I supposed to say?

That the operation, if done wrong, could actually create even more damage?
That she might end up losing her legs, or even her life?!

As I reached her, I began to notice something.

My sister was shivering.

“Father? We need to tie her down.”

“Why's that?”

“Didn't the bastard mention it'd be both dangerous and painful?”

“So?” I turned.

“Please, father. I might kill her...” No answer for a moment. Silence.

“Then do it.”

-

My mission was simple: take my battalion and blast my way through the dogs' homes.

I wasn't happy with it. At all.

Our rules of warfare explicitly prohibit me from spilling innocent blood.

But boy was I delighted when I got confirmation through Stalin's and Kane's spies that the ones whose heads I was supposed to blast off were far from innocent.

After all, the ones I was about to kill would give birth to the ones who would later on oppress my people.
And if your children become oppressors...

Then you yourself are far from innocent.

I was in my tank, watching the town with binoculars out of the hatch of a specially designed, standard, double-barrelled Heavy Tank.
The only speciality in the design just being two simple jet engines from Einstein's propulsion system research directly under the chassis, between the two treads.

I had that request run through Kane, who ran it through Stalin who ran it through the mechanics at the Airfield and War Factory.
Pretty hilarious how the circle goes, eh?

To avoid the turret falling apart or fly off the tank, the body and turret would've been welded together, effectively making the tank turret-less. Or the tank itself being the turret, depends if you're the player who gets to enjoy playing around with it or the modder who has to put that thing into the game.
But I told the techies not to do that, meaning the turret was at risk of flying out.
Didn't happen during the test-runs though. And test-runs are generally done so the tested forces or whatever are around... three times higher than what you'd actually expect in real-life.

My sister was watching from another hill nearby; her gaze curious, but also worried.

>You alright, Tarri?

It has been some time since I was enlisted and had run several tests with my special Heavy Tank.
It took a while to find someone capable of handling my commands.
And by handling I mean understanding my... rather “weird” way of saying said commands and acting quickly enough for me.
The main issue was finding someone with a reaction time that was at most half of mine, preferably less.

Simulations, and highly painful first-hand experience, pointed to a bug in our code that made too slow reactions leak memory to where it's not supposed to be, clogging up my RAM, processors and destabilizing my systems. The net-result being sub-par reaction, both time- and action-wise.
The problem is not finding it (I had some loggers handle that one); the problem is fixing it.

I was stranded in the past (for that moment), and couldn't risk going into repair-mode. Not yet.
Not now that my sister finally opened up to me. I had to stay online should she ever need me. At any cost.

>I'm fine, sis.
The “Whiskers” on her back had a short-range communication-module attached to them. It worked in a very similar manner to the future mobile phone, but needed a transmitter built in to not be hijack-able or listened into without it sounding like absolute gibberish, as cell-phone transmitters didn't exist yet. It was the only way she could talk to anyone, as her vocal chords were barely responsive.
Except for that meeting with Kane. There the stupid flaps of flesh decided to respond to the weakened nerves. Screw organic matter and how it can't be fixed easily with no problems with some fresh wiring and part-replacement and/or re-coding...

>You don't sound fine to me.

>You're right. I'm not. But fine enough.

>Nervous for the first live test? I could feel her smile. Those spinal implants (and being a machine on the receiving end) really do wonders at times.
Until you jump into the coding. Then you complain how it's all a bigger mess than your messy room (assuming your room is always a mess).

>Probably. How are handling the cold over there?

> I got a heater. And you forgot a “you”.

>Blame my uncle and how I'm coded to send texts. ...has Kukov tried anything?

>No, he hasn't tried anything.

>Good.

>...You don't have to watch out for me, sis...

>You're right I don't. But I choose to. It was decided on that day. Remember that.

>Heh. How could I forget that day? What happened again?

>Well, you could barely stand, let alone walk or threaten us with your non-existent knife...

>Oh come on, I wasn't that defenceless...

>You were. You literally couldn't do anything before or after I took you up in my arms.

>You were crushing me...

>Really sis?
I didn't hold my smile back.

>Yes, really really, absolutely. I chuckled, and she gave a light laugh. My smile remained as I recalled what happened on that day.

The day it was decided.

>You were scared when you first saw us. What probably went through your mind then was how that bastard set you up and dumped you onto some heavily armed and armoured humans' laps. You didn't even think I was a girl.
Though I don't blame you. I am a copy of my father.

>You're nothing like uncle, sis. If you were, you wouldn't be able to care for me all this time.

>I know. Heh. It's funny how a man and a machine, both incapable of love or caring decide on getting a daughter.

>To be fair, most machines don't need anything except for some oiling from time to time. I think.

>Most machines?

>Tari, please stop. You're not an ordinary machine. You know that!

>Perhaps. But I am much like my father. There's just... so much anger inside me. I want blood-shed. We shouldn't even be together, and yet here we are.
On the polish front, waiting for our enemy's first move.

>Tari...
You're not...

>I'm not what?

>I'm... I'm not sure. BUT!
You do care for me. That is enough to set you apart from all the other machines existing now.
That, and I saw the codes for... that year's “AI”s. You're better than all of them put together in every way. And you'll still be at least 50 years from then!

>Heh, that is true.


“This is General Gradenko. You are clear to proceed with the operation.”

“Roger that. Driver! Fire up the treads and keep your hand on the thrusters! All units, behind me and fire at will!”

>Stay safe, Tari.

>Me? Safe? I was built for this, you know.

>I know! Just...
Please come back to me in one piece.


After some hesitation:
>You too, sis. Keep you hand on the gun.
I didn't notice the typo. Nor did I care.

Hehe. Care.

>I promise.

Now then. Let's see how these racist polish lap-dogs like being treated like the animals they are and will become, cornered, nowhere to go, and slaughtered.

“All units! Get your masks and fire Sarin shells!”

-

During the altered (and seven-year delayed) Second World War, Germany was part of the Allies.
A war the mysterious figure known only as Kane orchestrated.
No idea how Germany managed to become part of the Allies, considering how the blame and overly-high repair-costs were pushed onto the already crippled country's lap.
If anything, they should've been wanting revenge, not join the ones who had crippled them.

Unless Kane..?

As for the war itself: it began with a simple field test of Sarin nerve gas.
I started the war.

With a colourless, odourless, but not painless gas that kills humans agonizingly slow.

According to what transcripts were recovered, Stalin had originally planned to pump Poland and Germany so full of the gas that the West would be forced to surrender.

The test results themselves are... revolting.

Children... dead in not even 15 seconds.

Adults... some might've not made it past 18. But the real agony is reserved for those who push to the limit of 42 seconds, seeing as how the kill-time depends on the human's weight.

But, credit where credit is due, the Allies' spy network would eventually find the lab and bring it all crashing down in a blaze.

Though it should be noted this didn't happen until a long while later.

After Toru? was torn down and swimming in blood... the blood of innocent children.
But I didn't stop that one like I should have. It was too risky...

-

“Go at once to Toru?. Destroy everything and everyone. No prisoners, no survivors. … That is all!”

My back was to the wall. For some reason, my scanners went haywire whenever I was close to the newest officer. A lieutenant.
Why were my scanners going nuts? Because that... thing was powerful. There was something highly familiar about it, but I couldn't seem to figure it out at all.
It was only until much later, when I got the bastard's scent again, that it made sense.

“And what exactly are you doing here, listening in on conversations that do not concern you?”

“I'm worried.”

“A self-proclaimed “ultimate killing-machine” is worried?”

“This is no laughing matter, Kane.” I looked the “man” straight into the eyes. “That officer is highly dangerous.”

“And why is that? Is he another machine like you and your father?”

“Worse. I have nothing on him.”

“...what?”

“The worst enemy of an ultimate killing machine is not an AI with a higher intellect or a machine with more flexibility, speed or strength. But the complete unknown.”

“And..?”

“We need him dead, Kane. Now.”

“He seems quite useful. But rest-assured he will-”

“You don't understand! That thing is not a human! It's... far too... chaotic...”

“You mean the energy signatures?”

“I know I picked up large chunks of his wavelength somewhere, and I found the reference points.”

“Well? What have you found?”

“That my memory core has been heavily tampered with. The sources themselves are all gone.” Kane's eyes widened, but remained completely calm otherwise. “Do you understand what that means?!”

“Yes. However, I doubt any of our actions will have an effect. If he is indeed our... “partner” himself, or just a piece of him... Then anything we do, would have been done before already from his perspective.”

“Not necessarily, but possible, yes. We need to find a way to not be predictable and stab the front, not the back.”

“The opposite of which our new commander might be expecting.”

“That's the thing: I don't think he's aware of anything. It's like a piece of that bastard is inside him, online, but not actively doing anything. Else my sister would've said something by now.”

“You trust your adoptive sister far too much.”

“My beam sabre made it through untampered, Kane. Do not tempt me.”

“For being what you claim to be, you truly are simple-minded, child.” Kane was smiling now.
”Rule of thumb, Tarrina: you can't kill the messiah.”

-

“I'm sorry if it's too tight... Is it too tight?”

My sister was currently strapped to the operation table by arms and legs, covered by another, slightly thicker, blanket, save for her upper back. She could wear trousers, but we couldn't exactly find anything other than a bit too large underwear so enough of her back would remain exposed.

She shook her head.

“I still think we should use the last belt and tie her torso down.”

“...Sis?” Nod.
“Alright...”

“Vitals shouldn't be out of the ordinary, considering what's on her mind...”

“...You afraid, sis?” A very hesitant nod.

“Makes sense: she doesn't know if she'll survive, her legs work, or the Whiskers themselves.
Have you two gone through the theory, at least?”

“Affirmative.”

“Good.
Let's see... vitals, slightly more unstable than your usual average, understandable... body strapped to table... nano-machines loaded... how much of those?”

“If the bastard's papers are correct, enough for three.”

“And your sister wants them all at once?”

Nod.

_________________
One and only developer of the Command & Conquer Dune "C&C D" mod.
m7 wrote:
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Houseplant
Missile Trooper


Joined: 13 Aug 2014

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

So... the Hunter Seeker drone becomes pocket size?

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TAK02
General


Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Location: It was Damascus.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Houseplant wrote:
So... the Hunter Seeker drone becomes pocket size?

?

This is still in 1946, Hunter Seekers won't exist 'til about a century later...
Also, major overhaul soonTM.

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Houseplant
Missile Trooper


Joined: 13 Aug 2014

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I was only jokingly referring to the fact that in TS you have Hunter seeker drones and, so it seems, the far future in the Dune era you have assassination attempts taking place with the usage of.... small remote controlled Hunter seeker projectiles. (They are called Hunter seekers in the novel, can't find that scene from the movie with the HS in youtube).

Obviously the name Hunter Seeker is inspired by Dune.

Last edited by Houseplant on Mon Dec 24, 2018 6:27 pm; edited 1 time in total

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TAK02
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Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Location: It was Damascus.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Huh. Neat.

I am confused as to how this conversation drifted off to HSs, tho...

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G-E
Defense Minister


Joined: 09 Feb 2015

PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

When are you going to publish the book you just wrote?

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