Oxanna Kristos
Actress: Monica Schnarre
Name: Oxanna Kristos*Affiliation:* Brotherhood of Nod*Organisation:* Black Hand*Rank:* Lieutenant, later Lieutenant-Colonel during the Nod campaign*Roles:* Chief propagandist, intelligence Officer*Superior and close associate:* Anton Slavik*Enemies:* Hassan, GDI, The Forgotten*Conflict:* Second Tiberian Dawn*Appearances:* Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Command & Conquer: Rivals
Status: Fate unknown after the Second Tiberium War.Oxanna Kristos is an officer of the Black Hand and Nod’s chief propagandist during the Second Tiberium War. Extremely loyal to Kane, she works closely with Anton Slavik and plays a decisive role in the overthrow of Hassan and subsequently in the reunification of the Brotherhood. Her talent for manipulating the media enables her to turn propaganda into a genuine political weapon.
A loyal follower of Kane
Following Kane’s apparent disappearance, Nod fragmented and came partly under the authority of Hassan, who was secretly supported by the GDI. Oxanna, however, remained loyal to Kane and to Anton Slavik, one of the Black Hand’s leading figures.
She conceals her true beliefs by working, in particular, as a journalist for ‘Today’s Execution’, a propaganda programme that publicly broadcasts the executions of Nod’s enemies and traitors.
This cover allows her to operate at the heart of Hassan’s regime without revealing her allegiance to the loyalist camp.
The Rescue of Anton Slavik
Hassan has Slavik arrested on a false charge of spying for the GDI and sentences him to a public execution.
Oxanna then reveals her true allegiance.
Just before the execution, she helps to free Slavik, enabling the Black Hand Commander to escape from Hassan’s men. To cover up this failure, the regime subsequently claims that Slavik was executed and cremated, whilst Oxanna is said to have perished in a Tunnel collapse.
The two ‘dead’ figures can thus prepare their counter-attack.
The propaganda war
Slavik quickly realises that overthrowing Hassan requires controlling the information as much as winning battles.
His forces therefore seize the television station used by the regime. Oxanna then reappears live on air, much to the surprise of her former colleague Maychek, before shooting him dead in front of the cameras.
She then uses the broadcast to call on Kane’s true supporters to rise up against Hassan.
The operation succeeds: many Nod members join the loyalists and provide Slavik with the forces needed to overthrow his opponent. Shortly after Hassan’s downfall, Kane publicly reveals that he is still alive and regains control of the Brotherhood of Nod.
Alongside Slavik
During the Nod campaign, Oxanna becomes one of Slavik’s key aides. She attends briefings and regularly provides intelligence on targets, GDI forces and The Forgotten.
She also shares the deep contempt felt by some within Nod for mutants, regarding Umagaan in particular as weak and repulsive.
In this branch of the story, Oxanna and Slavik take part in the search for the Tacitus and the alien vessel discovered by Nod. Both are eventually captured by Cdr. McNeil and Umagaan, before being freed during an operation led by a Cyborg Commando.
After the war
Oxanna’s fate following the events of Tiberian Sun remains unclear.
She does not appear during the Firestorm Conflict, and her absence from subsequent conflicts has never been definitively explained. She may have perished during the C.A.B.A.L. rebellion or in the internal strife that ravaged Nod after the war, but these possibilities remain hypothetical.
She does, however, reappear as a playable Commander in Command & Conquer: Rivals, where her abilities are, unsurprisingly, based on her talent for propaganda: she can drive Nod’s troops to Fanaticism, temporarily boosting their combat performance at the cost of increased vulnerability.
Personality
Oxanna is charismatic, manipulative, fanatical and utterly devoted to Kane. Her primary weapon is not merely military: she is a master of propaganda and understands how to use the media to instil fear, enthusiasm and fervour amongst Nod’s members.
Her relationship with Slavik is based on a very strong sense of loyalty. Both remain loyal to Kane during his absence and play a key role in the destruction of Hassan’s regime.
She also possesses a particularly cruel nature, as demonstrated by her role in Today’s Execution and the live execution of Maychek.
