Author's note: This is a novel adaptation of the Terran campaign on Starcraft 2. Events from the game will therefore take place, but they may be modified or changed in some ways. I also plan to introduce original characters, and perhaps original scenarios that don't happen in the game itself. As you read, I hope you enjoy and leave a review. Thank you.
Prologue
The red dusty sands of Mar Sara blew across the desolate fields, over the sand dunes and cliffs, and the broken and shattered remnants of colonies. Mar Sara had seen a lot of trouble. Just a backwater colony that had settled down on a planet on the fringes of Terran space, it had been the first planet to become invaded by the Zerg Swarm. The nightmare for Mar Sara only began with the Zerg, as a fleet of Protoss came and eradicated all life on the planet from space, coldly annihilating both Zerg and Terran. It was the start of the Great War.
Memories of Mar Sara, of the Great War, flashed through James Raynor's mind, quickly drowned out by another shot of drink. He sat alone in JoeyRay's bar. He had frequented this bar quite often. Apparently the bar had survived the nightmare that devastated the rest of the planet, as had its owner. People had begun to come back to Mar Sara, colonize it again, most of them former inhabitants. People that Jim had saved, all those years ago. Yet for every one saved, hundreds had died. The people that Jim couldn't save weighed on him heavier than the ones he had, and he drowned out that weight with another heavy drink.
Jim Raynor was a muscular, broad-shouldered man. Since the Great War he had let his black hair grow out and scruffy facial hair began to take form. His bright amber eyes had a glint of wisdom behind them, but they were drowned out by a darker shade that betrayed the nightmares that he had seen.
"Emperor Arcturus Mengsk called a press conference today to commemorate the end of the so-called 'Brood Wars' four years ago. Our own Kate Lockwell is on the scene."
Jim looked up. The television was on, probably had been on for a while, but he hadn't noticed. As he looked up, he saw the man he hated above anything else, Arcturus Mengsk.
Arcturus Mengsk stood erect and proud, his hands gripping the podium dramatically. He was the very picture of a regal lord. His light brown hair had just a shade of gray in it, and was cropped closely around his head in a way that made him look professional, along with his small beard. He wore a flashy suit with a huge, regal cape spreading behind him.
"Emperor," a woman said, obviously a reporter, standing up, "the threat of a Zerg invasion is still very real, but instead of expanding our fleets, you've spent trillions tracking down has-been rebels such as Jim Raynor."
Has been? Jim thought, sulkily. But even he admitted that his forces were small. Victory was far away, and the chance of him beating Arcturus was slim.
"I assure you," Mengsk began, and Jim grew angry over the silky voice that Mengsk spoke with, a voice that should have put Jim on alert, should have told him what kind of snake he had been working with, "Jim Raynor still represents a clear and present threat to this Dominion. He is an unscrupulous, lawless revolutionary bent of spreading fear and dissention across the sector…"
Mengsk continued, but Jim stopped listening. Being in Mar Sara brought back memories, and he felt like he was drowning in them now. Looking down at the bar top, Jim picked up a picture that he had kept with him. The picture was of a young woman, about Jim's age, with striking red hair done up in a flowing ponytail. Her eyes were a mixture of green and amber, and it looked to Jim as if they were shining. Her mouth was curved up, as if almost about to smile, in that funny way she did. It was terrible to think about what had happened to her. What had happened to everyone because of her. Because he had let it happen.
"…I assure you, this criminal will be brought to justice, very soon," Mengsk finished, his voice flickering back into Jim's hearing.
Rage came alive inside Jim, sparked like a fire. He wasn't the only one responsible for what had happened. In an instant Jim saw all the things that had happened because of Mengsk, the betrayals, the lies, the deaths. In that moment he knew he would fight Mengsk no matter how distant victory was, or how few troops Raynor had, or how close the Zerg were to wiping them all out. No matter what, Mengsk would pay for his crimes, and Raynor would deliver.
Still filled with his fiery rage and determination, Raynor pulled out his sidearm and spun around, pointing the weapon at the screen. "It's not over till it's over, you son of a bitch!" he snarled, firing a gunshot. The bullet left a large hole in the screen, right where Mengsk was standing.