Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform

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The Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform (CABAL) was a sinister and highly advanced artificial intelligence in the Tiberian Series of Command & Conquer, which, as its name implies, was augmented by numerous human beings who were kept artificially alive within stasis tubes and whose brains had been integrally linked to, and synchronized with, the AI's system core. Presumably this was done in order to significantly enhance the device its overall potential and abilities in a vast multitude of ways. CABAL was used by the Brotherhood of Nod as their tactical and logistical console throughout the Second Tiberium War. Although essentially gender-neutral, as it was primarily an artificial entity, CABAL was always portrayed as male in both virtual appearance and voice.

Contents 1 Origin 2 Purpose 3 Game Involvement 4 See also

[edit] Origin

CABAL's origin is unknown, with some speculation placing it to be based on a combination of Scrin technology and a captured GDI EVA unit. It was first acquired by the Brotherhood of Nod near the end of the First Tiberium War. When GDI commandos stormed Kane's temple during the Sarajevo battle, it could be heard malfunctioning from the severe damage the Temple had incurred from the Ion Cannon. Between the First and Second Tiberium Wars, Nod agents rehoused CABAL's core somewhere in Egypt. It later assisted Kane's primary loyalists in the overthrowing of the Global Defense Initiative's puppet Nod leader General Hassan, an endeavor which would eventually result in the complete reunification of Nod for the first time since the Brotherhood's defeat at the end of the First Tiberium War.

CABAL's earliest known appearance (at the end of the First Tiberium War) was also at about the same time the construction of the large Scrin ship seen in the Tiberian Sun was completed. Additionally, in Command & Conquer: Renegade a crashed alien saucer is within walking distance of the Temple housing CABAL, its door logo a triangle composed of three smaller ones. In Firestorm, CABAL's core is animated as a similarly-composed pyramid. Seen from the sides, the resemblance is uncanny. Additionally, the earliest reference to CABAL in the Command & Conquer timeline seems to take place in the final level of Renegade. While infiltrating Kane's temple in Sarajevo, one can hear clips of a male Nod EVA unit malfunctioning. While most of these are simply the amusing "Intruder Alert. Alert Cancelled. Intruder Alert. Alert Cancelled. Intruder Alert. Intruder Cancelled. All intruders please report to the detention center", and "Attention: There's no business like show business. Don't throw stones in glass houses without proper protection. That is all.", one of these clips suddenly clearly states; "Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform (CABAL) damaged. Please shut down all non-essential operations.".

[edit] Purpose

CABAL's purpose was twofold: it served as a console interface between Brotherhood of Nod battlefield soldiers and their commanders worldwide, while at the same time utilizing the subsequent and vast network of live intelligence to collate and devise complex strategies of its own, ultimately acting as a potent advisor and right-hand to those highest in command of the Brotherhood's forces. It also proved to have the capability of decoding and translating the Tacitus, an object considered to hold all the recorded knowledge on the mysterious Tiberium substance. CABAL's overall function was parallel to GDI's EVA to a large degree, but was superior; the AI literally had a mind of its own and could both reason and act completely autonomously if it chose to. The EVA unit in comparison gives at best logically-formulated advice based on the sum of the information it is presented with, having no will or sentient mind of its own.

CABAL's personality was that of the stereotypical "Evil AI" present in many science fiction stories. In Tiberian Sun there are several hints of this and its disdain for humanity; it praised the firestorm defenses at GDI's Hammerfest base as technology "without flaw" while pointing out that "as always, the human element is riddled with imperfection". Its overall behaviour was that of a no-nonsense professional, and it showed little to no advance warnings of turning into the omni-malevolent villain seen in Firestorm. The only known exception to this is a mission briefing given by the AI in one of Tiberian Sun's earlier Brotherhood of Nod campaign missions, where it remarks that information gathered during said mission is "vital to my... Your... movement". In several ways the AI can almost be described as a considerably more blunt form of Kane himself, reasoning much like the man but doing away with the mysticism and riddles and getting straight to the point at hand. CABAL's amorality allowed it to consider actions without concern for any and all non-allies, fully including neutral forces and civilians alike. Indeed, at one point in the aforementioned Nod campaign of Tiberian Sun, Slavik ordered CABAL to "define favorable outcome" to which the AI swiftly responded: "They all die.".

In the Firestorm expansion of Tiberian Sun, it showed its true colours. CABAL's master plan forms the backbone of the game's initial missions, manipulating both the GDI and Nod into helping it carry out its plans. Its personality finally manifests, occasionally using poetic speech, mocking people, maintaining a heavy dose of sarcasm, speaking in a highly-patronizing tone and having an overall air of superiority and arrogance. The "Evil AI" persona is complete in the last missions for both GDI and Nod; where every once in a while it can be heard laughing maniacally (usually just before a cyborg rush, an airstrike, or a missle launch).

It should be noted that its virtual appearance changed from the game of Tiberian Sun to its expansion set of Firestorm. In the original game, CABAL is a barely distinguishable, reddish-orange face maintaining a sinister appearance; a hardly-seen mouth, sharp and accented features around the eyes, and similarly-coloured pupils, iris and sclera. Its new appearance in the expansion set however is shown above; a bald, blue head with fully-animated orbital shells for eyes.

[edit] Game Involvement

During the Second Tiberium War CABAL was used as the Brotherhood its tactical, logistical and global communications coordinating console, as well as a potent type of advisor to Kane's top operatives under the command of Anton Slavik. After the end of the second war, GDI forces stationed at the defeated Cairo base deactivated and disassembled CABAL's core and were ordered to move it to Europe to a heavily defended base, in an attempt made by GDI to gain access to the Tacitus datamatrix. Upon reactivation, it immediately began putting its plan into place. This would swiftly result in the assassination of Tratos, the seizure of the Tacitus device, the recovery of the Tacitus' secondary component, the orchestrated collapse of Nod's Inner Circle, and on. The AI proved capable of all this without anyone's knowledge of its overall plan straight up to the point where it itself openly severed contact with all involved parties, and revealed that it had built up a personal cyborg army. This lead to an unholy alliance between Nod and GDI to destroy the renegade AI, which at first glance was successful. GDI received the Tacitus and Nod declared victory against the "single greatest threat to the survival of the Brotherhood".

After the final defeat of CABAL and its cyborg army however, the ending for the Brotherhood of Nod campaign showed Kane's comatose yet living body hooked into a somehow intact CABAL systems core and being kept alive there in a stasis capsule alongside numerous other individuals, with Kane apparently recovering from his injuries sustained at the end of the second war due to the actions of Michael McNeil. The display then begins to continuously splice between the faces of CABAL and Kane, both of them referring to Kane's 'vision' with their disjointed individual voices. Through the two disjointed voices Kane can be heard referring to himself and his vision in the first person using the word my, where CABAL is heard using the word your in what is in an almost respectful manner when referring to Kane and his vision. Finally, the two voices become synchronised, with CABAL suddenly speaking the words: "Our directives must be reassessed.".

In Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars there is no mention of CABAL except a short piece of intel describing the canon ending and the presumable destruction of CABAL. CABAL was voiced by Milton James in both Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and its expansion pack, Firestorm.

[edit] See also

• Electronic Video Agent