Prequel
The Battlefield
It was a Nightmare.
Explosions going off all around. Gunfire never-ending, Terrans dying left and right... and the blood... oh god, the blood.
My name is John. John "A" Rayden. The "A" part stands for "Annihilator", but it's just a nickname I guess. I'm a Ghost working for a small group of mercenaries that are currently helping out a small military division on this world. My convoy was heading to a nearby settlement, to deliver them some crucial supplies. We walked right into their trap. It was as crude a trap as ever I saw one – but it was enough. Strategically placed Hydralisks rained down onto a group of our Marines – turning them into living pincushions. Then came the Zerglings...
The terrain was well-made to suit a trap as crude as theirs. All the rock in every direction was brownish orange and dry, never flat for more than a few meters until it became jagged and craggy. A perfect colour for the Zerg's natural camouflage. We never even caught a glimpse until it was too late. They had a pretty primitive strategy; distract us with the Hydralisks, then rush right in with a horde of Zerglings. It didn't go so well for them, but the distraction lasted long enough. Just enough time for them to toss an Ultralisk behind our lines. I've never seen so much gore in my life.
A few of us managed to set up a makeshift bunker – using bodies and sandbags. It didn't last long. The whole place was a mess of Zerg and Terrans, with countless bodies thrown in. Lucky for me, I managed to Cloak myself and get onto a nearby ridge – where the other Ghost in our group had already settled in. Unfortunately, as i was about to uncloak... The other Ghost suddenly stood up. He had this look in his eyes – a look I knew all too well. Not a moment later, he collapsed onto the floor in front of me, a line of Hydralisk spikes sticking out of the back of his head. Suffice to say, I ran. I figured I had to warn the settlement, help them set up a defence, and fast.
It's too bad that I ran into one Huge-ass Hydralisk that swatted at me with one of its claws, disabling my Cloak and sending me flying. It was only then that I noticed their Overseer, floating menacingly in the air. They surrounded me, and the last thing I remembered was a Zergling staring me in the face, ready to rend me in half.
Suffice to say, much more was waiting in store for me. It only got worse when I awoke.