This project is complete.
| JCX: Global eXchange | |
|---|---|
| |
| Author | IronClaws |
| Type | Novels, artworks |
| Languages | Russian, English |
| Status | Completed |
Just Cause X: Global Exchange (or simply GlobalEx) is a planned series of fan-fiction novels and artwork made by IronClaws.
Synopsis[]
After the fall of General Di Ravello's regime in Medici, any further developments on Bavarium extraction and refining, as well as any commercial operations with the mineral were considered illegal by the newly created Provisional Government. As expected, it's global market price drastically skyrocketed, creating a wide, international smuggling circle that secured Bavarium sell deals from Medici to global Powers and corporations willing to cough up enough money. Still fighting a war against severely crippled remnants of Di Ravello's forces, Medician police and State security services were unable to effectively fight, let alone prevent small-scale Bavarium extraction and smuggling operations.
In the same time, the Agency investigates reports of the shady "Global Change" project, secretly funded by a vast, international corporate consortium, as well as some major geopolitical power players. As part of investigation, the Agency tracks down major Bavarium shipments with a little "inside help" of Sheldon and Rico's "mutual friend". It leads to a small archipelago in the Caspian Sea, suffering severe drainage in the recent years, akin to the Aral one. It is a part of the Nova Kyungastan, a rogue state unrecognized by international laws, with heavy Russian and Iranian influence and outright military support of various militant groups. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was locked in a continuous civil war, with various factions claiming "victory" over the last decades, before once again descending into chaos. In 2020, it's controlled by a rather "neutral" figure, a puppet dictator Karim Gazibagandov, who managed to satisfy both Russia and Iran with careful diplomatic game. He however strongly suppress any liberal opposition, that tries to bring Kyungastan back to democratic bloc with Georgia and Armenia, NATO members by 2020.
Further investigation leads Rico to assume, that no single power in Kyungastan has nor abilities neither resources for anything as big as supposed "Global Change" program. While Russian Federation definitely takes some part in it, it becomes evident that it does not hold a leading role in the Project. After leading democratic opposition forces to several victories over Gazibagandov's regime, Rico discovers that a new, but familiar power comes to play - the Black Hand. With once again upgraded arsenal, it strengtens key elements of Nova Kyungistan military, and more often then not works along Russian army "specialists". Suspecting a global-scale involvement, the Agency increases it's presence on archipelago, supplying Rico with higher-end tech, weapons and armor, as well as strenghtening the Opposition forces with US shadow operatives, who come to play in liberation of major military bases and cities.
As the conflict escalates, Russia and Black Hand withdraw its forces, destroying key facilities as they evacuate. With the death of Gazibagandov and the fall of regime's capital, it becomes clear that the country was only used as a mere testing grounds for new kind of technology, that is suspected to be responsible for the recent and drastic climate changes of global proportions, as well as drainage of the Caspian Sea. Digging through remaining files and documents of the dictator and Kyungastan State Security Committee, Sheldon and Agency's experts discover that there is a large industrial complex on the Caspian seafloor, now a barren, sandstorm-scorched wasteland, that was supposedly abandoned since Soviet days. It is that complex, which required all the Bavarium that was shipped through Kyungastan. Satellite images indicate, that the entire site is covered with a permanent sandstorm.
As the Agency sends a strike force to stop the mysterious project, the entire group falls into the trap with the "ion storm" raging within the sand vertigo disintegrates military vehicles and personnel, with the expectation of Rico, Sheldon and Maria Kane who survive due Sheldon's last moment "intuition" spark (or some intel that even high ranking officials of the Agency were unaware of, but Sheldon, as always, had in possession). The trio comes up with the new plan of hijacking the Black Hand cargo plane, which, once again, fails; the organization learns from it's past mistakes and adopts to Rico's tactics by shielding it's vehicles with electric current fields, making them invulnerable to kidnapping while mid-air. And once again, Looch comes to help, providing the Agency with Russian Air-Space Forces AWACS plane with it's radar frequencies aligned to cut through mysterious "ion storm" over the Caspian area.
Infiltrating the hidden island in the middle of the barren seafloor, Rico discovers that the Black Hand turned abandoned platform complex into much larger, futuristic looking industrial installation of unknown purpose that seemingly creates both Ion and Sand storms. Fighting through the industrial giant, reffered to as "AirEx" by Black Hand dispatcher, he finds out that it's purpose lies in altering climate of an entire region, exchanging the air to synthetic solution made by nanomachines and energized by enormous, high-energy ionization rods.
Near the end of this journey, Rico faces new kinds of enemies, neither he, nor any other Agency member faced before; the Black Hand utilize top of the line weapons, armor and drones with heavy reliance on Gravity Repulsion technology he supposedly "destroyed" on Lacrima. Not even the US DARPA has access to such advanced tech, let alone Russian government, which once again makes the power behind Black Hand even more mysterious. More to it, at the center of the complex Rico finds himself attacked by genetically engineered supersoldiers, the so called "Shetani", a new breed of troopers equipped with jet-powered wingsuits, regeneration and psychic abilities.
After a long and impressively difficult fight, the protagonists breaks into the AirEx control tower, only to find out that the entire site is set to self-destruct with thirty kiloton nuclear mines. Copying as much data as he can to the PDA from the station's central network, Rico narrowly escapes the blast with the help of Sheldon, riding in the middle of the hellstorm in his jet fighter, supposedly stolen from Black Hand operatives on the ground.
After describing the data from Rico's PDA, the Agency faces a disturbing revelation; the AirEx was merely a test site for a small region, with hundreds of similar facilities being constructed around the worlds in "undisclosed locations". The organization behind the Global Change Project is more powerful than it was ever suspected, and includes hundreds of private companies, splinter groups of first world governments (including the United States) and entire countries like the Russian Federation. It uses the Black Hand as it's own military force, currently rivaling Great Britain in strategic capabilities, nuclear and conventional power. The group is ironically reffered by Sheldon as "Illuminati", however, there are no direct indications that they are the ancient "conspiracy" rather just a cooperating bunch of organizations bent on creating One World "shadow government". The means of doing so is Global Change endevour, utilizing the climate control efforts of Eden corp and Imperial Japan with the purpose of creating a planet-wide ecological disaster, with the Group being the only power to partially "revert" it, as well as monopolistic control over Earth water supply. With a treat unheard since the Cold War, the Agency mobilizes for a global conflict...
Setting[]
Just Cause X: GlobalEx is set in red sand deserts of the partially drained Caspian Sea, which is inspired by the real life Aral. It is a barren wastelands with heavy industrial complexes, similar to another Avalanche game - Mad Max (2015). It's cities and small towns are based on eastern european, late-soviet architecture of the eighties with small portions of traditional middle-eastern themed areas. It is a heavily polluted environment, in a strict contrast to previous Just Cause series which took place at tropical, resort-like areas of the world. Kyungastan skies are often red or looming-orange colored at dusk and dawn (however perfectly, dry-hot blue at high noon), and the areas on the barren seafloor are set on the constant sandstorms with ion lightnings sparkling here and there. It serves in making a darker, more serious dystopian atmosphere, with enemies more vicious and fights more brutal then ever.
Factions[]
- The Nova Kyungastan regime, led by a rather diplomatic dictator Karim Gazibagandov. It's military bolsters it's ranks with Iranian soldiers. They serve as Elite commando teams.
- The United Democratic Opposition (UDO), a pro-western militants with Islamic sunni influence and not quite "democratic" means of engagement.
- The Agency, boosting it's ranks with regular US army troops.
- Russian Federation Armed Forces, which directly controls one of the country's regions and sometimes comes to help the dictator in defence of the key strategic objectives.
- The Black Hand, which elements provide high-end support to it's allied factions. Their presence on the islands is rather shady, but is extremely heavy in AirEx station and it's surrouindings. Once again, upgraded with even higher tech, including self-repairing drones, gravity-repulsion tanks and supersoldiers with powers considered "demonic" by their enemies.
Trivia[]
- This fanfiction is heavilly inspired by the cut chapter of the Half-Life, the Air Exhange (AirEx).
- The "Shetani" super-soldiers concpet actually was born as a roleplay design for author's Just-Cause themed action RPGs played in various messengers such as Skype.
- Overall "conspiracy" theme with darker atmosphere is inspired by Deus Ex installations, Stargate SG1 and TV-series of Hellsing, which is considered a techno-thriller akin to Tom Clancy's novels by some fans (and it's soundtrack is perfectly suitable for this fanfiction, too).
- See Just Cause X2: Defy Extinction for the sequel.
Gallery[]
Main article: Just Cause X Concept and Promotional Art.