In the desert where the dimensional gate to Universe "Sixteen" was located, the forward base had evolved well beyond its initial form. It now resembled a heavily industrialized town.
However, the vertical take-off landing pads and underground hangars at the "Sixteen" forward base were largely deserted. Only a few transport and assault craft remained stationed or patrolled the base and its vicinity, performing routine guard and supply duties.
Once Alpharius and Omegon, the twin Primarchs, arrived at the base, leading their Alpha Legion forces along with youth Astartes and auxiliary troops from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies, Captain Price began planning an all-out offensive.
The government and military of Earth in Universe "Sixteen" had already collapsed under Yuri Tchernov's influence.
In this alternate timeline of the Red Alert 2 universe, Yuri's forces had not been defeated by the "Legendary Commander" of the Allies or Soviets.
Now, "Sixteen" Earth and its human inhabitants were essentially Yuri's personal property.
After crossing the dimensional gate, the joint reconnaissance force had launched over a dozen orbital drones.
High-resolution imagery and video captured by the drones confirmed that the dimensional gate was situated in a remote desert within what used to be Egypt.
The footage also revealed that "Sixteen" Earth had fallen under complete subjugation. Former national capitals and major cities were adorned with Yuri's Empire flags, and numerous Psychic Dominators ensured the population's unwavering loyalty to Yuri's regime.
For example, Cairo was home to three Psychic Dominators, their wave frequencies covering most of the densely populated areas. This left between 40 to 70 million residents under mental enslavement, forced to labor for Yuri's empire.
Drone images showed people in Cairo endlessly mining resources and toiling in factories, their faces gaunt and bodies emaciated. Yuri's regime provided only the bare minimum of food and water. The Dominators ensured order, eliminating any threat of large-scale rebellion and exploiting human labor to its fullest potential.
However, despite the Psychic Dominators and Yuri clones, resistance forces still persisted.
The drones captured frequent low- to medium-intensity skirmishes in and around major cities.
The soldiers resisting Yuri were clearly remnants of the Allied and Soviet forces, their equipment and uniforms worn and outdated due to years of neglect and lack of supplies.
Over several days of surveillance, more than thirty skirmishes occurred in and around Cairo.
The resistance's goal was clear: disrupt Yuri's regime by targeting the Psychic Dominators controlling Egypt.
Interestingly, the resistance seemed to possess a remarkable immunity to the Dominators' psychic waves.
According to the intelligence department's analysis, Yuri's psychic technology was ineffective against individuals with exceptionally strong willpower. However, they remained vulnerable to Yuri himself or his clones.
This meant the remaining resistance soldiers were not only elite but also extraordinarily resilient, having survived against overwhelming odds.
Among the resistance near Cairo, one individual stood out—Tanya Adams.
The intelligence department identified her as a top-tier Allied special forces operative, excelling across multiple domains. Most notably, she was described as having an innate immunity to Yuri's psychic control.
Captain Price's plan to liberate Cairo included making contact with Tanya Adams and integrating the resistance forces. If Tanya's unique traits could be studied by Imperial biotechnicians, they might develop countermeasures against psychic control, greatly accelerating the Empire's conquest of Universe "Sixteen."
The primary objective, however, was to liberate Egypt and its millions of enslaved inhabitants, setting an example for the global resistance forces. The Alpha Legion's fleet would then systematically destroy Psychic Dominators worldwide to bolster the resistance's momentum.
At present, a transport fleet equipped with optical camouflage was flying low across the desert west of Cairo, rapidly approaching the city under the blazing sun.
Before entering the Psychic Dominators' range, half the fleet slowed down, hovering in place. The other half continued toward Cairo's core.
Ri~shoo—!
At that moment, three dazzling blue beams of energy streaked across the atmosphere, striking the heart of Cairo—the locations of the three Psychic Dominators.
Simultaneously, dozens of Astartes drop pods pierced the atmosphere, crashing directly into the city's core with minimal braking measures.
This marked the Alpha Legion's formal introduction to the humans of Universe "Sixteen."
---
Inside Cairo's urban area:
Boom—BOOM—!
The blue energy beams, fired by the electromagnetic railguns of three Imperial Paris-class frigates, delivered tungsten needles at 0.2% of light speed. They obliterated the Psychic Dominators with surgical precision.
The ensuing shockwaves and tremors swept through the surrounding area like an earthquake.
Fortunately, the Dominators were located in zones with minimal civilian activity, heavily guarded by Yuri's forces to prevent resistance fighters from infiltrating and sabotaging the structures.
Thus, the Alpha Legion's orbital strike caused minimal civilian casualties. However, precise casualty numbers could only be determined after Imperial forces—including T-800s, Hunters, and Clone Troopers—cleared Cairo of Yuri's troops.
Half of the halted transports above the desert carried these mindless, unfeeling mechanical and biological units immune to psychic control.
The other half carried Price's joint reconnaissance team.
Though the Dominators were destroyed, many of Yuri's psychic facilities and clones remained active within the city. Price planned for mechanical and biological units to handle initial clearing operations while the Alpha Legion swept through the resistance.
---
Cairo's outskirts, near the Great Pyramid:
In a grove outside a war-torn ore refinery, dozens of resistance soldiers staggered under the impact of shockwaves and debris.
"Cough, cough! What the hell just happened?!"
"Was that a nuke?!"
As the tremors subsided, the soldiers began to recover.
Among them was a woman with a toned, athletic build, wearing a sleeveless combat outfit and dual-wielding pistols.
She was none other than Tanya Adams.
Recovering her vision, Tanya used her earpiece to command her team:
"Move forward! Scout the situation!"
"Yes, ma'am!" her soldiers replied, swiftly regrouping and checking their gear.
From the grove's edge, Tanya spotted a drop pod that had landed in front of the refinery's main gate.
As she and her team advanced, six Alpha Legion youth Astartes emerged from the pod, their imposing presence radiating strength and determination.
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