Scrin

[Lukas]

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Faction Name: "Scrin" - Visitors/Invaders - (Personal Identifier - Ichor-Blessed)
Subfaction Name: Traveler-21
Government: (Alien) Corporate Structure
Capital: [Unknown]
Territories: Claim staked on all Tiberium-Seeded areas.
Goals: Successful 'Mining' of all Tiberium on Planet Earth. Siezure and Containment of the Object designated as 'Tacitus'.

History:

The "Scrin" are a collection of interplanetary miners and constructs, known in some areas of the galaxy only for their obsessive pursuit of the mineral identified by humanity as Tiberium. They scorn active outside contact, actively refusing to maintain communications with any species that has reached out to them and reacting violently to any intrusion into systems occupied by their habitats and 'Cities'.

Scrin incursions against other Civilisations have only been recorded in the direct aftermath of Tiberium infestation on a planet reaching a critical level, which generate unique emissions the species is quick to pick up on. Once the Tiberium has begun to obtain a volatile liquid form they invade en-masse with a large fleet, lashing out randomly at the local population while constructing massive towers on the planet's surface. Once construction is complete the towers are activated to generate a wormhole into Scin-occupied space, climaxing in a final detonation that wipes the planet clean of Tiberium - and causes the unfortunate demise of any local lifeforms infected or mutated by the substance.

Intercepted and translated Scrin transmissions have revealed a highly heirarchical structure, more akin to a Corporation or Cult than any conventional government. They idenfity themselves as the "Ichor-Blessed", revering the material the way many civlisations do their gods or greatest leaders. No internal conflict within the Scrin has ever been recorded, but their seemingly escalating conflicts with the BETA have given rise to two Factions within the species. "Travelers", who attempt to harvest Tiberium-infested planets before the BETA can finish mining them, and "Reapers" who try to wipe them out to allow a tiberium-seeded planet to mature.

?̷̜͔̘̩̬͗ͥ̎̑?̰̞̟̍ͣ͌ͅ?̨̻͓͔̞͂̈̚?̥̮̥̾͋ͩ̋͂: Ichor Seeded on planet 3 of system [Sol]

2ͫ̒ͪ̉͛ͭͪ҉̥̝̕͞8̰̩͔͐͢͠5͍̝̦̟̲͙ͥ͂̇̒͠0͈̬̻̮̦̘ͩ̑͆̑̎ͦ̊́͝: Ichor-LQ Detonation detected. Observational unit assembled.

2̪̟͖͕͎͛͋8ͣ͌͏̻̜̭̝̀́7̝͉̜͕̄͂͝5̷̢͍̳͂: Silicon Lifeform B̷̦̼͔̤̿́e̴̙̪͉tͪ̑̾҉̺̻͍̝͇̮a̎ͤ̐̎̕ detected. Monitor-102 assigned for rapid threshold mining operation. Monitor-102 requests additional forces due to Silicon presence. DENIED.

2̟̟̠̐ͫ̂ͮ8̺̤̖̬̦͓ͪͬ̌̊ͣͅ7̨̖̤͓͈͍9̌͂ͦ: CRITICAL ALERT - S̢̱̩̞̘̻̝̠͑̂̑̐͟C̶̨̨̪͖͓̻͉͇͙̐ͧ͑̊ͅṞ̥͈͚̊͆̄ͧ͝I̻͚͕̋̎ͣ̾̄N̦̭̤̣̫̦͔̠ͯͫͫ̈̀͊ͥ͑͟ CONTAINMENT DETECTED. Overseer requests reprioritisation of mission parameters. APPROVED. Monitor-102 reassigned to containment operation. Additional forces granted.

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Notable Individuals:

Name: Monitor 105



Monitor 105 has displayed exceptional success results with minimal resources. Performance record includes (3) successful threshold harvests in BETA-infested operational sites while 25% understaffed. Low yield is cause for concern, but Supervisor Audit confirmed that without 105's intervention all ichor would have been lost in the sectors he operated within. [Sol] Sector is a departure from the Monitor's past roles, but Overlord has confidence in his ability to succeed at this task as he has before. Preliminary assessment positive - Monitor displayed exceptional judgement in requesting Reaper support should [Scrin] containment breach under indigenous posesssion.

Concerns have been raised regarding their usage of malfunctioning infiltration units, but Overlord is unwilling to censure for successful operations.

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Name: Mothership AI



Standard-pattern Artificial Mothership Intelligence. Optimised for investigation and supervision of non-standard operations.

Prority 1 OVERIDDEN: Monitor Survival

Priority 2 : Mission Objective - <Reclamation of Containment Unit>

Priority 3 : Threshold Construction

PRIORITY 4 : Ichor Harvest - <LQ Detonation recorded, but yield otherwise below minimum surplus harvest. >

===

Name: "Pilgrim"
Height: 1m75cm
Appearance:


Unit 'pilgrim' is an abberation within our Ranks, one of the few Masterminds warped enough to consider direct contact with indigenous lifeforms. It frequently goes off-task to gather information or establish communications with sentient indigenous populations, submitting bizarre and entirely useless reports on their culture and history. After a third infraction it was transferred to Traveler-21, as to avoid further disruption of mining operations.

Off-task activities have decreased by 75% following reassignment, although reports are still frequently contain disturbing content. Recommend corrective action if performance does not improve during this operation.

Combat Style: Subversive, and heavily reliant on controlled individuals for self defence. While it was fitted with an anti-biological disintigrator, so far has refused to use this weapon for its intended purpose.

 

[Lukas]

Look and feel:



The Ichor-blessed use an unusual mix of Biological and Mechanical weapons, with most vehicles and spacecraft being living machines with metal exoskeletons. Tiberium is saturated through their bodies, and most structures look vaguely 'Alive' and will twitch in response to incoming fire. Many structures are built around self-sustaining wormholes that troops and materiel are moved through, to the point where Scrin spaceships are incapable of leaving and re-entering orbit under their own power - instead relying on specialised drone ships that will construct a beachhead portal their craft can warp through.



Biological ground troops are a mix of bioengineered weapons and "Shock Troopers", large quadruped creatures with metal shells. These are theorised to be the true form of the Scrin leadership as well as their elite forces.

One exception to this common design trend has been noted - Threshold towers. Such structures are a sign of a long-term Scrin operation, dominating the horizon in Tiberium infested areas. These colossal towers are hives of activity, seemingly the staging areas for scrin operations as well as their most fiercely defended strategic locations.

 

[Lukas]

Ion Storms

Ion storms are one of the biggest dangers of red zones. "Natural" storms caused by a high concentration of Tiberium based gases in the atmosphere, Ion storms can be detected and tracked by the huge quantity of charged ions present in the air. This buildup of electrical charge makes radar imaging ineffective within the storm, and is enough to literally knock most known aircraft out of the sky. During an ion storm all forms of known human flight are impossible, and alongside hover technology. Terrestrial vehicles can still function, but remain at risk of lightning strikes.

For a storm shelter to be considered "Safe" against Ion storms, it must be situated at least 10m underground and have a 1ft thick steel outer shell, with integrated sonic emitters to ensure Tiberium does not assimilate and weaken the overall structure. A power generator of some sort is also recommended, as storms can last for multiple hours in some circumstances.

Small Ion storms can also be generated through the detonation of large quantities of crystalline Tiberium, but such a storm is short-lived and will last several minutes at most.

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Notable Technology and Units

Forcefield Generators

Some larger Scrin craft and vehicles are fitted with forcefields that can absorb kinetic impact or (in emergencies) EMP weaponry. These shields will swiftly overheat and shut down once a moderate amount of damage is sustained - or to block a single, massive blow - and take two minutes to reboot once depleted. Smaller versions of these forcefields have been sighted on smaller scrin craft, but these can only lessen the impact of weaponry or absorb a single Electromagnetic pulse before collapsing.

Plasma Weaponry

Most Scrin weapons utilize some degree of plasma weaponry, whether in the form of traditional lasers or projectile 'Disks', which detonate on impact to produce a superheated explosive compound. Plasma disks display some degree of homing ability, turning in midair to chase down fleeing craft or personnel. These discs vary in size betwen units, with larger disks containing more plasma and proving significantly more destructive. Vehicle mounted disk launchers only pose a threat against lightly armoured vehicles and helicopters, but the "Zeus*" launchers mounted on Devastator Warships can level buildings in a single barrage.

*Dramatic License applied, original term roughly translates to "Blessed Lightning"

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Planetary Assault Carrier

Length: ~500m
Width: ~150m
Height: ~200m
Weight: Impossible to Measure
Equipment: Ion storm Generator, Forcefield Generator (Large)
Capacity: Eight Invader Fighters

These flagships are fitted with vents and conductors that allow them to fill the atmosphere around them with Tiberium Gas and charged ions, generating an artificial Ion storm in an area of up to a mile around them. This storm is just as harmful as a natural Ion Storm, but Scrin craft seem to be mostly immune to the negative effects of the electromagnetic disturbances generated.

Planetary Assault Carriers have been witnessed repairing themselves while within a storm they have generated, leeching tiberium gas out of the air and using it to close breaches in the hull and seemingly regrow damaged plating.

Spoiler: Meta notes

5% Regeneration per second ingame - HP Regen(S) feels most appropriate as a comparison. Also has +25% damage dealt and -25% damage taken while within a storm. The Carrier must be immobile to generate a storm.

Devastator Warship

Length: 230m
Width: 70m
Height: 65m
Weight: Impossible to Measure
Armaments & Equipment: "Zeus" Plasma Disk Launcher (6-8 shots per barrage), Forcefield Generator (Large)

Primarily designed for conflict in space, these siege warships still have their uses in-atmosphere. Their sensor systems are somewhat lacking, placing them in the same role as conventional artillery - incredible firepower at long range but with a reliance on other units to spot for them. The entire ship is built around a massive plasma disk launcher, with the remainder of the craft made up of armour plating and supporting equipment for the launcher.

Invader Fighter

Length: 2m
Height: 10m
Width: 2m

Armaments: 1 * Rapid-fire plasma cannon

Fragile but typically deployed in swarms, Invader Fighters work as an active defense and offense for planetary assault carriers. Like all Scrin in-atmosphere craft, they draw power from ion storms rather than being disabled by them. Presumed to be remote-controlled drones. Directly manufactured and refueled on the carriers, and thus never seen without one nearby.

Stormrider

Length: 10m
Height: 2m
Width:5m

Armaments: 2* Plasma Autocannon (wing mounted, 4 shots per burst)

Larger version of the Invader fighter, capable of operating independently from a carrier as a VTOL fighter.

The stormrider is one of the few scrin craft recorded in human records prior to the invasion, and technology reversed engineered from it can be seen in some human designs. These reproductions lack its ability to draw power from Ion storms, with the craft seemingly reaching mach 3 within stormy conditions - although reports vary due to the lack of accurade recording data. Their weapons drop significantly in power outside of storms, but care should still be taken.

Spoiler: Meta notes

5% Regeneration per second ingame while inside a storm - see PAC. Also +25% damage dealt and -25% damage taken.

 

[Lukas]

Mothership

Diameter: ~25km
Height: 500m

Armaments & Equipment: Forcefield Generator (Large), Catalyst Cannon

For a second, everything is silent, as if the gigantic thing had sucked the sound right out of the air. Then light, everywhere, all consuming. I fall, shielding my eyes. Light, light and silence. When I come to, there...there is no central Berne, no worker family housing. All gone. Just a pit, gouged from the earth, a pit where a city used to be.

Equal parts superweapon and command hub for Scrin fleets, the Mothership's design as a weapon of last resort seems deliberate. The Catalyst cannon causes all Tiberium within its vicinity to detonate violently, causing a chain reaction that can spread for miles in the worst-case scenario. Holds the entire Scrin command structure within it, and is functionally unarmed otherwise. Standing underneath is inadvisable.

Spoiler: Notes for GEAR

Diameter is approximate and inspired by its original inspiration (independence day!), because this fucking thing deserves to be more than a one-off toy. Also they never explain the whole Catalyst Cannon part, but considering naming similarities with various other Catalyst weapons this makes sense as "Why it chains" despite not being fully mechanics-accurate - in the game it just has an absurd AoE instead of igniting tiberium.

Rift Generator

Scrin wormhole technology provides their sole source of FTL travel, with smaller temporary wormholes allowing for a form of teleportation outside of combat situations. With proper containment, these wormholes can even allow for safe travel in and out of a planet's atmosphere.

But what if it wasn't contained?

Uncontained wormholes rapidly collapse in on themselves, and a wormhole generated from a planet into space would collapse with only minor disturbances to the air pressure around it. To properly open a hole into deep space requires a dedicated installation, and must be built within some proximity of the planet-side wormhole to ensure it lasts long enough to do enough damage.

Such devices are a massive investment almost on par with a Threshold tower, and authorization for use can only be granted by Overlord regardless of circumstances.

Spoiler: Notes for Gear

Superweapons are superweapons! Going by Global Conquest rules this has infinite range, but that's crossing a great many lines. Also took the chance to explain why Scrin FTL isn't just a quick and easy method to yeet anything they don't like into orbit.

 

[Lukas]

Annihilator Tripod



Height: 50ft (Approximately, varies due to Proton Cannon array).
Weight: Unknown
Armaments & Equipment: Proton Cannon Array (Three independent Cannons), EMP Burst, Forcefield Generator (Medium), Buzzer Swarm

The largest Mass-Produced ground unit in the Scrin Arsenal. Looking like something out of an old-earth science fiction show, the Annihilator Tripod is the central backbone of any ground-based Scrin force. The tentacle-mounted Proton Cannons provide a 360-degree coverage and redunancies to its main weapon, and are optimsied for the destruction and melting of conventional building materials. Should the cannons prove unable to wipe out a target intent on closing in - or if the Tripod simply gets close enough to its foe - the central 'eye' can generate a short-range EMP blast to shut down a foe immediately in front of it. This is incompatible with the optional forcefield generator, as firing it while shielded would simply shut off the shield otherwise protecting the tripod.

Variants of this tripod are theorised to exist, but have not yet been sighted.