The Tacitus

“I have the Tacitus. I am invincible. The Tacitus has told me of Tiberium Core Missiles, invulnerable flying ships, and real-time genetic mutation. More than alien. More than human! The next stage in our evolution as a species!” – Kane

The Tacitus is a data storage device of extraterrestrial origin and unknown age, brought to Earth by an alien species known as the Scrin. It contains a vast amount of information, particularly on advanced technologies, making it the most coveted object for both the GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod.

Origins

It is not known how or when the Tacitus arrived on Earth. At some point in ancient history, a fragment broke away from it and was placed in the Temple of the Tacitus in Bolivia. Before the Second Tiberium War, The Forgotten seized the device and studied it in the hope of finding a cure for their Tiberium mutation. But Tratos, their leader, was tricked and eventually translated its contents on Kane’s behalf, assisted in this task by C.A.B.A.L., Nod’s artificial intelligence.

Second Tiberium War

Using the knowledge gleaned from the Tacitus, Nod developed Chemical Missiles capable of ‘reforming’ the Earth into pure Tiberium. After being rescued by the GDI, Tratos warns his rescuers that Kane’s ultimate goal is to transform the planet so that it can no longer support anything but Tiberian life forms – bitterly regretting that, through his translation, he has betrayed the whole world.

After Umagon is captured by Nod forces, Kane takes him to his pyramid-shaped headquarters in Cairo and shows him the Global Transformation Missile, a Tiberium weapon with enough Charge to convert the entire planet in a single strike. During the GDI’s assault on Cairo, Kane boasts to Cdr. Michael McNeil that he has become invincible thanks to the Tacitus – which he claims has revealed to him not only the secrets of Tiberium Core Missiles, but also those of invulnerable flying craft and real-time genetic mutation. Cdr. McNeil, however, takes advantage of a moment’s distraction to stab Kane with a piece of debris, apparently killing him, before seizing the Tacitus and fleeing the ruined pyramid with Umagon.

Restoring the Tacitus

Although the GDI has won the war, Tiberium contamination has reached critical levels. Team Daedalus believes that the Tacitus remains the best lead for acquiring the knowledge needed to combat the scourge. The device is loaded onto the Kodiak in Cairo, but the ship is destroyed by an ion storm whilst in flight – coinciding with the start of Hydra Missions. Tratos is assassinated by Nod on C.A.B.A.L.’s orders before he can receive the device, and the translation progresses slowly.

Dr Gabriela Boudreau then proposes using C.A.B.A.L. itself as a substitute translator, as the Nod’s AI had already assisted Tratos in the past. The GDI captures its core in Poland – something C.A.B.A.L. had in fact anticipated, knowing that the translation remained stalled due to the absence of a second segment, which the Nod had failed to recover. C.A.B.A.L. reveals its location in Northern Bolivia, within a complex of step pyramids occupied by a small religious group. Once the device is complete, C.A.B.A.L. retrieves it and unleashes its Cyborgs on the GDI.

Ironically, the Tacitus is subsequently stolen from C.A.B.A.L. by The Forgotten, before being recaptured by Nod on the orders of the AI – whose growing independence eventually prompts the Inner Circle to break ties with it for good. The Tacitus is finally recovered by the GDI from a C.A.B.A.L. stronghold at the end of C&C: Tiberian Sun - Firestorm, but interfacing with it remains slow and laborious despite Dr Boudreau’s advances.

Signs and Omens

Once recovered, the Tacitus was stored in the fortified complex on Cheyenne Mountain for analysis. During the interwar period, GDI research uncovers references to the Scrins and their future invasion – though the GDI fails to realise that the Scrins are a key factor in Kane’s strategy for the Third Tiberium War. Although the device was then in the hands of the GDI, Kane – who had secretly been resurrected – continued to draw on fragments of the Tacitus, which assisted him in creating LEGION, the successor to C.A.B.A.L.

When the Scrins invade Earth, the translation of the Tacitus is entrusted to the GDI’s InOps division, which notes that the structure of the Scrin data transmissions follows a pattern similar to that of the Tacitus – though not identical, making it unlikely that the Scrins were its original creators.

Nod locates the Tacitus in China, just as the GDI is preparing to evacuate it by sea. On Kane’s orders, LEGION intercepts and captures the land convoy transporting the device – but the AI is deliberately deactivated by Abbess Alexa Kovacs before its contents can be extracted.

The Key to Ascension

Following this failure, the Tacitus returns to GDI control and is transferred to the Rocky Mountains base. However, its condition deteriorates with every new test, worrying Kane, who fears that the GDI may have damaged it beyond repair – nevertheless, he chooses to wait for LEGION’s reactivation in 2052. Nod, considerably weakened by the Third Tiberium War, mustered the forces necessary for the assault thanks to the Mark of Kane. LEGION finally managed to recover the Tacitus and interface directly with it.

Hello

In 2062, Kane publicly presented the Tacitus to the GDI – his interface with LEGION having presumably stabilised the device, allowing him to display it without fear. The advanced knowledge gleaned from the Tacitus would later be used to create both the Tiberium Control Network and the optical implants.

Trivia

The name ‘Tacitus’ refers to the Roman historian of the same name, who wrote a detailed account of the reign of Emperor Tiberius – the very same figure after whom Tiberium is named.