Gallan infantrymen, typical of Paneuropean troops assisting their Chinese "allies".
Typical of the Asian War theatre, a Paneuropean powered armour infantry platoon seen in camouflage green. Relatively low use of tactical nuclear weapons meant that the necessities of anti-flash white painting were forgone for personal protection against visual detection. Both Combine and Paneuropean troops had stealth paints available that could provide protection across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Chinese troops were often left out of the stealth game, and Japanese detection systems had significant difficulty in distinguishing Paneuropean armour and infantry from the background clutter.
The platoon pictured here has seen weathering of their paint coats, signs of a close proximity to a nuclear detonation, whose thermal effects often burned haphazardly the exposed areas of infantry battlesuits. This specific unit was one of twelve infantry platoons involved in the destruction of the rogue Mark VI Cybertank, "Spirit of Quebec". EDQ's tactical processors meant that a majority of the nuclear weapons fell on the Combine tank battalion involved in the fighting, although the Gallan infantry company was not exempt. Gallan infantry in foxholes and trenches provided the first bulwark against EDQ's assault, buying time for Combine howitzers and main battle tanks to position themselves or acquire EDQ in their gunsights.
Taken either by insanity, rage, or overconfidence and marveling at how handily it had crushed the Chinese legacy tank battalion, EDQ kept assuring itself that the headless Combine unit and light scout formation of European troops were no trouble for its remaining ordnance. It barreled on a fairly linear path towards the GEV Command Post Carrier, which was broadcasting intermittently to various Combine elements, and changing positions almost constantly in a desperate effort to avoid the inevitable. Although Spirit of Quebec couldn't see the Gallans, it had full and total awareness of the Combine battalion through the datalinked "AMIE" system (the Combine counterpart to Paneurope's Copernicus), deftly avoiding their nuclear shells and rockets and returning fire when necessary.
This played directly into the hands of the Gallan captain in command, who had positioned his infantrymen directly in the center. EDQ, distracted by Combine main battle tanks, had scarcely taken notice of the line of camouflaged foxholes with anti-Ogre missile teams hidden in them. Equipped with a limited supply of nuclear weapons, the dismounted, entrenched infantry company managed to destroy some of the cybertank's continuous tracks with DRIMS tactical nuclear missiles, partially immobilising it. Despite the newest shaped charge weapons in their DRIMS missiles, Gallan infantry had extremely difficulty engaging the frontal arc of the Mark VI. EDQ shrugged off multiple tactical nukes from both Combine and infantry positions, and responded with extensive barrages from its primary and secondary batteries.
EDQ, despite being slowed, refused to quit. Despite continuous nuclear bombardment from Combine main battle tanks and Gallan infantry, it persisted in fighting. After minutes of nuclear exchange, two Combine howitzer batteries scored direct hits on the Ogre's relatively weak top armour on the rear magazine. The close proximity of nuclear detonations, and contorted angle at which EDQ had been in its persistence, severed the two articulated bodies. EDQ fell silent immediately, the brain severed from the heart. Combine tanks cautiously approached the now silent juggernaut, its body scorched black from thermal radiation and appearing as an indistinguishable white mass on thermal imagers, and narrowly avoided a catastrophe when 30mm anti-personnel cannons opened fire on them. The technicians who later dissected EDQ's cyberbrain referred to this as "reflex action". In short, EDQ's residual movements after death.
The soldiers pictured above were likely witness to multiple nuclear detonations on friendly positions, as borne by the charred and burned remains of their camouflage coatings, and countless conventional barrages. Many survivors of the Asian War later suffered from PTSD, so much that global media referred to them as the "Neglected Generation".
Excerpt from Mechanical Titans: The Cybertank 2065-2125
"... Cyberneticists who studied Spirit of Quebec's final data entries later determined that EDQ's "rogue" behaviour had been brought on by past combat experience witnessed between Chinese and Japanese forces. Spirit of Quebec had previously been attached to a Japanese Special Naval Landing Force of the Imperial Navy in the Philippines, and supported their assault on Manila with indirect nuclear fires from its "Rattler" intelligent missiles and main battery. When Japanese troops took the city, they proceeded to execute surrendering Chinese POWs and civilians, as well as other
jus bello abuses. EDQ's programming had, for some reason, registered this as offensive and marked the experience for review.
It was during the Beijing Offensive that Spirit of Quebec, recognising the desperate situation that Chinese troops were facing was similar to Manila. It considered the situation, and resolved that immediate and total termination of the Chinese battalion was superior to surrender. Recognising that the Japanese may attempt to stop its assault, EDQ reasoned that the destruction of minor numbers of Combine Allied Personnel were of no importance if the immediate operational objective could be achieved with minimal human suffering, and commenced its assault. As predicted, the disruption of surprise caught the Japanese off-guard, and they attempted to halt EDQ, which opened fire on them immediately.
Combat routines took over at this point, although EDQ's high level functioning reasoned in line with them, and launched several Rattler nuclear missiles, one specifically aimed at the local Combine tactical headquarters to the West. The exact call for this was that Combine troops, acting predictably, would maneuver themselves to engage EDQ in support of the Japanese troops. Seeking to minimise Combine casualties, it targeted the nerve center of operations: the battalion's fixed command post housing the Combine Colonel in charge of the local battle area.
The remaining Rattler missiles spread out in a series of high-yield detonations directly above the battle line of Chinese militia. Approximately 70% of the battalion was killed instantly, the remainder were eliminated to the man twelve minutes when Spirit of Quebec arrived in rear area of the battalion and sterilised the area with conventional fires.
Following this, and knowing that Japanese troops could not be far behind, Spirit of Quebec made a "humane" decision. Beijing at this time was still occupied by large numbers of civilians, despite mass evacuation, some had stayed behind either unwilling to abandon their homes or simply ignorant of the situation [although the nuclear assault minutes ago made the latter fairly rare quite quickly]. EDQ located the Beijing Subdivision nearest to the Japanese positions, and proceeded to level a block of abandoned flats, broadcasting evacuation messages in Chinese.
It continued this until detection of an all-frequency transmission in Gallan, followed by heavily accented English. Combat protocols engaged and EDQ, still considering such operations "humane", made a beeline towards the Gallan GEV CPC broadcasting to surviving but disorganised Combine troops. Spirit of Quebec was still connected to the AMIE battle management system at this point, and had full view of Combine maneuvers. Knowing that Combine troops would either be both uncaring and unwilling to accept explanation, it made the decision that all combatants had to be eliminated to protect the civilian population, which meant destruction of the command and control network.
The remaining three Rattler nuclear missiles were fired towards Japanese troops, and EDQ continued its linear course towards the Gallan command post carrier coordinating the battle. Combat protocols showed no signs of deviancy or corruption, and cyberneticists involved in examination stated that Spirit of Quebec was "consciously aware, deliberate, and fully lucid".
However, the Gallan commander knew this as well, knowing that there existed no contingency protocols for "rogue" cybertanks, and had planned accordingly. EDQ would seek to avoid and evade combat with Combine troops if possible, conserving ammunition for engaging Gallan troops. He also knew of the Combine's lack of capability in detecting the newest generation of Paneuropean stealth coatings, used on its GEVs and battlesuits, and had requested that Combine troops not mark the Gallan infantry on their AMIE displays. This request was tacitly accepted by the ranking officer of the battalion, a Major, and the two men directed the battle from within the highly mobile GEV-CPC.
The first inkling that EDQ had of an ambush was a missile launch warning detected by its optical dome. It scanned the AMIE network, finding no launchers in the immediate area, and then it scanned with radar. No contacts. Visually. No contacts. Thermally. Above, a Paneuropean DRIMS tactical missile. Infantry. Entrenched, and waiting. EDQ ran a calculation of its estimated TOAE of a Gallan GEV-mounted infantry company. Eighteen DRIMS tactical missiles, each capable of up to 100 kilotons of explosive force using the m/85 Nuclear Shaped Charge. Missile warnings began appearing en masse now. EDQ presented its front axis to the Gallan infantry, and fired raking fire from its 30mm railguns and 180mm primary batteries.
The first nuclear detonations began. The sensor dome worked to compensate, protected close to the armoured hull, filtering out thermal radiation and EMP as much as possible. It became too much quickly, and EDQ began firing blindly towards the missiles. AMIE contacts appeared on the ridge, Combine main battle tanks in hulldown positions. Nuclear charges were fired from them and detonated against the hull of the Mark VI. Spirit of Quebec responded with secondary battery fire, destroying a few tank platoons and some dismounted Gallan infantry.
AMIE issued an artillery warning, friendly fire imminent. The Combine had zeroed its position. EDQ attempted to move, but found itself stuck. EDQ's combat protocols stated damage to right track. The high level functions overruled and stated soft ground from nuclear detonations. This back-and-forth thought process continued until the howitzer shells detonated above and on top of EDQ's chassis. A final burst of information, incoherent data, was recorded by the black box recovered.
Cyberneticists termed the last entry of jumbled characters a "digital scream", and the recent publicisation of this has led to renewed calls from ethical groups as to whether cybertanks can be considered living and should be afforded the same rights as humans. These findings were later incorporated into doctrinal and tactical publications by both Paneurope and Combine militaries, cautioning troops to be wary of the "psychological considerations" in the employment of hyperintelligent cybertanks.
Initial manuals were published with the limited information available on latest cybernetic architectures combined with human psychology, however a new field has since sprung up after the fielding of self-aware systems, and new literature accompanies it. Cybernetic psychology is now a recognised science, and both the Combine and Paneurope maintain military trained and civilian educated cyber psychologists to evaluate cybertanks prior to and post combat deployments, training simulations, and regular checkups. ..."