Traveler-59

Original name: Traveler-59*Affiliation:* Scrin*Type:* Infiltration and pacification unit*Caste:* Traveller*Established:* Prior to the 2047 invasion*Specialities:* Mind control, infiltration, teleportation and mobility*Signature units:* Cultists and Prodigy*Known adversaries:* Brotherhood of Nod*Conflict:* Third Tiberian Dawn*Status:* Unknown after 2047 Traveler-59 is a sub-faction of the Scrins specialising in infiltration, intelligence and mind control. It constitutes the 59th and most recent cell of the Traveller caste, an organisation whose role can be compared to that of an alien intelligence service.

Unlike Reaper-17, which favours brute force and extermination, the Travellers seek to conquer their adversaries with as little fighting as possible.

Their method involves infiltrating a planet, destabilising its population and then gradually taking control of its inhabitants, ultimately transforming the local species into servants of the Scrins.

To carry out this mission, the Travellers use organisms known as Prodigies, which are profoundly modified versions of the Scrin Masterminds and possess considerably superior psychic abilities.

Thanks to their Blink Packs, the Prodigies can appear directly at the heart of enemy territory and simultaneously take mental control of several individuals.

According to available intelligence, a single properly deployed Prodigy could theoretically place an entire population under Scrin domination in just a few days.

The Travellers have also developed a particularly sinister method for transforming human beings into Cultists.

These are created by implanting a Prodigy offspring into the brain of a human prisoner. The parasite gradually neutralises its host’s personality and transforms them into a servant entirely subservient to the Scrin.

The combination of the human Mastermind and the alien organism amplifies the parasite’s psychic abilities, enabling Cultists to take control of enemy units and turn them against their own forces.

Traveler-59 is a particularly recent cell. Prior to 2047, it had never truly been tested in combat and was set to use Earth as its first host planet.

The cell was attached to the Scrin harvesting fleet stationed beyond Pluto and used long-range detection systems to search for a planet suitable for infiltration.

The premature arrival of the Scrin fleet on Earth following the explosion of liquid Tiberium caused by Kane finally provided Traveler-59 with its first real operation.

During the Third Tiberium War, a division of Traveler-59 established itself in Kampala, Uganda, at the heart of a Yellow Zone controlled by Nod.

There, the Scrin demonstrated the effectiveness of their doctrine by mentally taking control of Soldiers from the Black Hand, thereby turning the Brotherhood’s own forces against it.

Kane then tasked LEGIONS with retaking Kampala and freeing his followers from alien control.

Faced with Nod’s advance, Traveler-59 finally abandons its covert methods and deploys a gigantic Eradicator Hexapod to crush LEGION’s forces. The attempt fails and the Scrin presence in the region is eliminated.

Militarily, Traveler-59 therefore prioritises speed and manoeuvrability over firepower. It sacrifices some of the heavy equipment found in the standard Scrin army in order to significantly improve the mobility of its forces.

Its Advanced Articulators upgrades increase the speed of its infantry, whilst Traveller Engines boost the speed of its main heavy aircraft. Its air forces are also less costly than those of other Scrin factions.

On the other hand, Traveler-59 notably lacks both Devourer Tanks and Forcefield Generators, making several of its units less resilient in direct combat.

Its doctrine therefore consists of avoiding attrition battles as much as possible: teleporting its forces, disrupting the enemy, taking control of their best units and turning their own power against them.

Traveler-59 thus represents a particularly worrying facet of the Scrin civilisation. Whilst Reaper-17 embodies their ability to annihilate a civilisation, Traveler-59 reveals that they are also capable of conquering it from within and turning its inhabitants into instruments of their own subjugation.