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The Taklamakan Desert Siege was the final battle in The Day of the Consortium. A newly reinstated Jason Richter led the assault against a massive Consortium force that even included what appeared to be captured equipment from Task Force Talon.

Background

During the Battle of Cape Canaveral, the newly reinstated Task Force Talon had attempted to stop the launching of the space shuttle liberty carrying the X-357 virus by Consortium forces. While they were initially able to force the launch to cancel, the Consortium was able to rig up something that enabled them to launch anyway.

After the battle, the shuttle was tracked to the Taklamakan Desert where the Consortium had established a massive base where they could work on making the X-357 lethal to humans, Acting President Delaney went to the UN council to form an international coalition against the Consortium while Richter planned the final assault against the Consortium.

Clearing the way

Richter plans to land his forces via a pair of C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, the runway however, it blocked by several SAM sites that need to be cleared first.

A squadron of B-2 Spirits arrive and await Richter's orders, they are directed to destroy the SAM sites which they successfully do, even though several are lost. This clears the runway and enables the airlifters to land and deposit a several units of from the US military and a few TFT vehicles as well.

Setting up

The immediate area has to be cleared first, Abrams and bradleys strike out and with a lightning attack, are able to decimate the nearby Consortium base.

Meanwhile, excavators begin the construction of the base, one is peeled off in order to exploit a slightly distant oil derrick, TFT spinners and strykers escort it, destroying the Consortium oil derrick in the vicinity as well as any nearby Consortium units. A spinner is left to guard the captured oil derrick and refinery as the Consortium launch bombing raids to destroy it.

The Consortium begins its counterattack, using TFT and its own equipment to try and destroy the US base before it can set fully, each assault is thrown back with minor losses, but then as in the final battle of The Oil Crisis, the Consortium brings out the Falling Star Uplink, which has been modified to release toxins on impact.

The US base races to set up a patriot battery to counter the falling star.

Kelly then contacts Richter and tells him about an experimental substance named White Heat that they can use to wipe out the X-357 sample that the Consortium have, it burns the surrounding area down to a subatomic level and could easily destroy the virus, Kelly is hesitant to use it as Richter is in the area, Richter assures him and tells him that he will the clear the way for the airstrike.

Destroying the virus

It's never been field-tested before.
- Kelly telling Richter about the substance

With time running out for the arrival of the aircraft carrying the strike package, the US forces quicken their pace, it is believed that a rapid airstrike of their own might be able to clear the way without a ground assault that might be threatened with friendly fire when the strike package arrives, a trio of B-2s are called in, their strikes are spread out over the shuttle landing area to cover as much ground as possible.

The strike is suprosingly successful, almost all of the defences are eliminated in a single swift stroke, and the F-117 delivers the strike package without resistance.

The blast completely incinerates the shuttle itself and much of the nearby area, however with no allied forces present in the area, Richter is able to confirm his and the force's survival, Kelly then orders him to finish the fight and destroy the Consortium.

Final Call

First, the TFT base has to be destroyed in order to ease the pressure on the US base, repeated airstrikes from B-2s and A-10s slowly reduce the base to rubble until the attacks cease. A rapid assault with heliborne troops and attack helicopters finish off the remainder and the survivors are hauled away for interrogation.

The Consortium base with only a single entrance into the base guarded by multiple railgun turrets with artillery fire able to cover it from deep within the base. The base is also covered by another Electromagnetic Shield Ballistic Defense. To add to this the Consortium is continuing to launch its own ground attacks and heavy air attacks as well without letup.

A number of wolverine silos are built to overwhelm the ballistic defenses while MLRS artillery counterbatterys the artillery coming from within the fort, although a few are lost the artillery inside the fort is at least temporarily silenced.

A vanguard of Abrams tanks move through the entrance, blowing away the railgun turrets as more hidden artillery fires on them, several are destroyed by AT missile teams when their Full-Spectrum Active Protection fails and needs to recharge, but they press on with the MLRS continually countering enemy artillery fire as they go.

Realising that the assault might not make it all the way through, they push as far as they can to destroy the ballistic defenses, then the remainder retreat while a wolverine missile salvo blasts the base into complete destruction.

Aftermath

In the wake of the final assault on the Consortium's stronghold in the Taklamakan Desert, the Consortium is believed to have been scattered and Task Force Talon officers are finally able to catch a break and go on a vacation in the Bahamas islands while the media reports that they may have been killed in the airstrike that destroyed the X-357 virus.

At the same time though, former President Cardiff's body is found in a ditch with a gunshot wound in his head, apparently a victim of the Consortium. Most likely, he was executed by Morelos after being declared that he has gone insane.

Meanwhile, Senator Watts is revealed to be running for President, with his campaign being virtually unopposed.

Trivia

  • The final mission of High Treason is much harder than the final mission of Direct action, as you can only rely on US equipment with only a limited number of Task Force Talon units.
  • No in-game explanation is given as to why you are facing Task Force Talon equipment alongside the Consortium, none of the characters even remark on it. One possible explanation is that the equipment was confiscated when Task Force Talon was disavowed, although it does not stop you from continuing to bring in your own heavy equipment in previous missions.
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