Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain is the main support superweapon of the Socialist Union of Voshkod. When activated the Iron Curtain can make a group of units or buildings completely invincible.

Tactical analysis

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Overview
The previous iteration of the Iron Curtain Device form GVAW was a huge success for the Voshkod and warranted an upgrade. Now capable of making up to nine vehicles or a few buildings impervious to damage, with an increased shield duration and immunity to mind control, the Iron Curtain is a bigger threat than ever.

History
The first thing to be known about the Iron Curtain is that it is the result of what was formerly considered to be a failed project. In 1952 V.C., a year before the conflict, a team of top Voshkod scientists consisting of Maxim Rusakov, Jacob Vanger, the last two students of Dobrilo Tesla and a few others, (assisted by a then-unknown Igor Leonidov) worked on a top-secret project in the outskirts of Moscow. They were told to find a method that effectively strengthens and hardens steel to make it at least four times more durable at relatively low costs. After trying some chemical and mechanical methods they very quickly came to magnets. Basically, they tried to power up magnets with Tesla generators and then compress steel with them. As they found out, it wasn't THAT easy. The solution came one evening.

Rusakov was sitting in the main lab after a day of wasted and frustrating work. He had tried all day to clean a pair of high-voltage contacts with a spoon, ending up with the spoon bent and stuck between the contacts (When later asked why he did so he replied he had no idea). They still had an endless series of experiments to find out if slight modifications to the alloy of the tank steel would make it more cooperative. So the frustrated scientist took the biggest vodka bottle he could find and went on testing. At the third test, something interesting happened. When Rusakov activated the big contraction magnets, the alloy sample began to glow a dark red and a thin beam of red light emerged through a weak point of the magnetic field. The beam hit the spoon, making it glow the same color as the alloy. Due to his drunkenness by now he threw away all safety protocols and tried to touch it with bare hands. He burnt his fingers in the attempt. As a result he tried it with a pair of raw iron pliers. The glow spread on the pliers and he got his fingers burnt again. In sudden drunk anger, he went to the tool room and to the surprise of the technician busy sorting out some nuts and bolts there, took a big sledgehammer with a wooden handle to "show the damn spoon the might of the people's hammer". He returned to his lab and put himself up in front of the glowing corpus delicti, ready to slay it with 7 kilograms of antimagnetic steel.

He ended up with the hammer pinned on the spoon, which consisted of aluminum and thus should not have been nearly as hard as it was. Even in his dazed condition, he realized he found a way to make metal indestructible (or at least close to that) albeit not in the way he thought. In a cheerful mood, he called his colleagues to look at his sudden success. To celebrate they took several bottles, emptied them in short time, and made some very foolish decisions. The first was to get even more vodka, second they had a Ursa Tank driven next to the wall of the lab, and third, they made a hole into the said wall with the sledgehammer to radiate the tank. While the tank glowed brightly in the dark Eorzean night the scientists fell into a deep sleep. The next morning with a straight hangover and some mild frostbite they deactivated the magnets and noticed that the tank had heated up to 250°C, which was a good temperature for an oven, but a bad one for a tank. They decided to fix that later, for first they had to show the important people what they created.

In the evening a VIP bunker had been set up, the Ursa Tank put on the testing field, and a Tu-2 Bomber already circling overhead by the time the convoy carrying the members of the Voshkod High Command arrived. Jacob promised them a wonder, and what they got were fireworks. The Ursa exploded in a bright ball of fire, which did not amuse the observers. If the scientists wouldn't have been so worthy they would have definitely gone straight to the Gulag. As it was, they should just have immediately ceased working on the project. Finally, it was Vagner who saved the day, or rather a week. He reminded his comrades of something quite obvious. "The device did make the spoon indestructible, didn't it? As long as the beam had contact with the metal, right? So why didn't we just let it stay activated?"

"Because the tank was turned into an oven," he received in reply.

"But that took 10 hours. One of us could wrap himself into one of the suits we use for channeling the Cyclosarin and sit in there for the demonstration." Rusakov then made a step forward and said, "I will deal with that. I already know how to get the High Command right back here, too." His colleagues admired his bravery.

"You are sure on this?"

"Yes, of course."

While the others prepared a EG-3 tank and transported their device out of the lab and put it up 500 meters away from the tank, Rusakov called the High Command. He talked directly to General Georgi Reznov and told him to bring his Command Tank. "You sit in your Command Tank and I will be in a modified Ursa Tank. You will be unable to defeat me, but if you do will you don't need to think about a way of punishing me for my incompetence. You will get your will anyway!"

Reznov ordered his aides to ready his Command Tank and started driving to the lab, at full speed. When the rest of the High Command heard about the outrageous challenge of a duel, they hurried to get to the site of the event. The duel took place at the testing field which was still partially scorched by the explosion of the EG-3. Rusakov's much smaller tank stood in front of Reznov’s mighty EG-11, and the generals had no doubt about the outcome of the fight/test. Then Jacob activated the device and as the smaller tank began to glow the spectators let out a grasp of astonishment. Reznov ordered both cannons and all rocket launchers to be fired to end the whole thing, but shells and rockets smashed into the tank without even causing a scratch. Everyone just gazed at the unaffected Anvil for a moment. General Reznov himself broke the silence, snatching the controls from his gunner and unleashing the tank’s entire firepower onto the Ursa Tank. But still, there was no effect. And so Reznov ordered the driver to crush Rusakov's tank under the weight of the Command Tank. The Elephant Tank advanced, crushing the Ursa Tank into the ground. By the time the Elephant had driven over the Ursa had created a deep depression in the ground, and yet the Ursa Tank was still completely intact. Rusakov wanted to make the demonstration perfect and managed to turn the turret and fire one HEAT round into the tracks forcing Reznov's tank to an undignified halt. After Reznov had calmed down (it took twenty soldiers to stop him from tearing Rusakov into small pieces), he began to realize the power he just had experienced.

In the next months, the phenomenon Rusakov discovered came to be researched and better understood. It was found that the effect was caused by a special particle which was named the Rusakov Quantum. However, as a result of its unique properties, the particle came to be better known as the Iron Quantum or simply Iron Energy. The invention was later credited to Leonidov after the mysterious death of Maxim and the total destruction of his lab where he had been working on a "plasma projector", as he called it. Speculations say it was Reznov's revenge, but there was no evidence pointing to such a conclusion. Also, as Reznov said, he would have killed him the very day after the demonstration if he had wanted to.

Trivia

 * The Iron Curtain's design is based off the Red Alert 2, by proxy Mental Omega design

Guardians of the Tacitus

 * Hawk Strike Relay (Aquila)
 * Chronosphere (Alliance)
 * EM Pulse Cannon (ADI)
 * Nanoswarm (Protectorate)
 * Iced Age Beam (Andora)
 * Hack Centre (Empire)
 * ... (Community)

Destroyers of Balthazar

 * Iron Curtain (Voshkod)
 * Chemical Missile (Brotherhood)
 * Rage Inductor (Horde)
 * Cloak Array (MLA)
 * Genetic Mutator (Collective)
 * Power of Diwata (Encantadia)
 * Tiberium Cloud (Scrin)

Neutrals

 * Steel Rain (Coalition)
 * Chaos Missile (Heralds)
 * Shield of Faith (Order)
 * Ambriarc Cannon
 * Irradiation Missile (Survivors)
 * Digitech Aura Projector (Syndicate)
 * Blasticade (Conglomerate)
 * EMSP (Legion)

DLC

 * ... (Federation)
 * Armistice Field (Corona)
 * Wild Hunt (Party)
 * ... (Skynet)
 * ... (Dominion)
 * Planet Befall (Elemental)
 * ... (Autocracy)
 * ... (League)
 * ... (Swarm)
 * ... (Pirates)
 * ... (Elona)
 * ... (Ascalia)
 * ... (Confederation)
 * ... (Kingdom)
 * ... (Goo)
 * ... (Security)
 * ... (Imperium)
 * ... (Dynasty)
 * ... (Warlords)
 * Mass Revive (Cult)
 * ... (Raiders)
 * ... (Theocracy)
 * ... (ASA)
 * ... (Insurgents)
 * ... (Bastion)
 * ... (Guardians)
 * ... (Hierarchy)
 * ... (Sundered)
 * ... (Ecumene)
 * ... (Concordat)
 * Diplomancy Bureau (Contingent)
 * ... (Rangers)
 * ... (Eden)
 * ... (InGen)
 * ... (Hallows)
 * ... (Commune)