César Vega

Actor: Francesco Quinn

Full name: Cesar Vega*Affiliation:* Brotherhood of Nod*Rank:* General*Role:* Commander of Nod’s forces in the Western Hemisphere, drug lord*Eastern counterpart:* General Hassan*Superior:* Kane*Rival:* Anton Slavik*Brother:* Javier Vega*Nephew:* Ricardo Vega - information sourced from material related to the cancelled game Tiberium
Drug:‘Eye Candy’*Main base:* Island complex in Honduras*Main enemy:* Cdr. McNeil*Conflict:* Second Tiberian Dawn*Appearance:* Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
Status: Died in 2030, following an overdose of Eye Candy.Cesar Vega, usually referred to simply as General Vega, is one of the principal leaders of the Brotherhood of Nod at the start of the Second Tiberium War. He controls the majority of Nod’s factions in the Western Hemisphere, whilst Hassan holds a similar position in the Eastern Hemisphere. As much a drug trafficker as a military leader, Vega is also addicted to his own substance, ‘Eye Candy’, an addiction that will ultimately play a part in his death.

Lord of Nod in the Western Hemisphere

Following Kane’s apparent disappearance at the end of the First Tiberium War, the Brotherhood fragmented into numerous factions. Against this backdrop, Vega succeeded in seizing control of the majority of Nod’s forces in the Western Hemisphere.

His power was such that he could have laid claim to leadership of the entire Brotherhood of Nod before Kane’s return. His main rival at the time was Anton Slavik, leader of the Black Hand and an absolute loyalist to the Messiah of Nod. Vega regards Slavik as the greatest threat to his ambitions and works to weaken his position.

But behind Nod’s internal strife lies a different reality: Vega is secretly allied with Kane, who is preparing his return whilst the rest of the world still believes him to be dead.

Drug Baron

Vega is not merely a General. He is also a major drug baron, producing and distributing a substance known as Eye Candy.

Ironically, he is himself addicted to this drug.

This sets Vega apart from many other Nod leaders: his involvement with the Brotherhood of Nod goes hand in hand with a veritable personal criminal empire. His addiction gradually becomes one of his main weaknesses and directly contributes to his downfall.

The Honduras Base

Vega’s headquarters are located in Honduras, on an island built around an ancient pre-Columbian pyramid.

This imposing facility serves as the centre of his power in the region. Its electricity supply relies mainly on a hydroelectric Barrage in southern Mexico, which later provides the GDI with a means of neutralising a large part of his defences.

The attack on Phoenix Base

When Kane finally reveals his return in 2030, Vega’s forces immediately play a part in triggering the Second Tiberium War.

His troops launch a surprise attack on Phoenix Base, a GDI facility commanded by Peter Tao. The assault is swift enough to overwhelm the garrison before Cdr. McNeil’s reinforcements arrive.

Vega is personally present during the operation.

After the capture of Peter Tao, he has the Officer tortured and then executes him himself in front of a camera, turning his death into a message intended for Cdr. McNeil and the GDI.

This execution immediately establishes a personal rivalry between Vega and Cdr. McNeil.

The alien spacecraft

Kane then entrusts Vega with a mission of considerable importance: to recover a mysterious alien spacecraft dating from the First Tiberium War, discovered near the former Temple of Nod in Sarajevo, and bring it back to Cairo.

However, Vega disobeys his orders.

Instead of delivering the ship directly to Kane, he diverts it to South America in order to settle an old personal score. The operation turns into a disaster and the craft eventually crashes in the southern United States.

The GDI subsequently seizes the crash site. Although Nod manages to recover some of the craft’s technology, Kane regards Vega’s failure as an extremely serious offence.

Tratos reveals his location

Meanwhile, Cdr. McNeil meets with the Forgotten and agrees to free their leader Tratos, who is being held by Nod.

In exchange, the mutants reveal the emplacement of Vega’s headquarters in Honduras to the GDI.

Cdr. McNeil now has everything he needs to eliminate one of Kane’s top generals.

The assault on Vega

The GDI begins by striking the complex’s weak point: its power supply.

Cdr. McNeil’s forces attack and neutralise the hydroelectric Barrage that supplies the power needed for Vega’s defences. Once these have been weakened, the GDI can launch a direct assault on his island and pyramid.

Vega desperately calls on Kane for reinforcements.

But Kane has not forgotten the disaster involving the alien spacecraft and refuses to save his General. On the contrary, he decides that Vega has become useless.

Abandoned by Kane

Kane informs Vega that no help is coming and decides to destroy the base himself with a Nuclear Missile Silo. The aim is both to punish his subordinate for his incompetence and to eliminate Cdr. McNeil, who is currently in the complex.

Vega realises he is doomed.

Rather than wait for the nuclear strike or his capture, he consumes a massive amount of Eye Candy.

By the time Cdr. McNeil finally reaches the General, Vega is already severely intoxicated. The GDI Commander briefly attempts to interrogate him to obtain Kane’s Emplacement and information about the Tacitus, but Vega is unable to provide any truly actionable intelligence. He eventually succumbs to his overdose.

Cdr. McNeil then manages to leave the island before the missile launched by Kane destroys the complex.

Javier and Ricardo Vega

The history of the Vega family presents an interesting peculiarity: not all its members serve Nod.

The novel Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars states that Javier Vega, Cesar’s brother, joins the GDI. However, this information comes from the spin-off novel and may contradict certain elements of the games’ canon.

Ricardo Vega, associated with the Tiberium project, is presented as Cesar’s nephew and also becomes a prominent GDI Soldier. However, this family connection stems from material from the cancelled game Tiberiumand is therefore not confirmed by any published canonical work.

A clear distinction must therefore be made between these sources:Javier is linked to Cesar via the novel, whilst Ricardo, as Cesar’s nephew, features in material from a cancelled game.## Personality

Vega comes across as an ambitious, cruel, opportunistic and deeply self-centred man. He is powerful enough to contemplate taking control of Nod whilst Kane is away and regards Slavik as a rival who must be politically eliminated.

His personal execution of Peter Tao also demonstrates his penchant for intimidation and violence.

But Vega has one major weakness: unlike Slavik, whose loyalty to Kane is almost religious, his personal ambitions regularly get the better of him. His hijacking of the alien spacecraft to settle an old feud proves to be his fatal mistake. Kane does not forgive him for this failure and abandons him when the GDI attacks his fortress.