Chapter 1: In the Hunt
Dawn greeted the Marines harshly, the light of a strange and unfamiliar sun reflecting off of their helmet visors. Such was the life of the Sons of Korhal, a Terran faction founded by Arcturus Mengsk, and now led by Captain James Raynor. The sun's light was a call to action for the Sons of Korhal, as there was much to do. Under the alien sun's glaring light, men stirred from their camps and began to suit up in their combat gear. Wind gusted through the camps, disturbing cooking utensils left out to dry and articles of clothing hung up on makeshift clotheslines. It was a hectic and busy morning on the planet Char, but nothing could prepare the Marines for the mission that stood before them.
"Alright, Marines," Raynor rumbled over his com-link. "You all have your assignments. We don't have forever to complete this mission, so the sooner we get it over with, the better." Captain Raynor was well-liked by the soldiers, an easy-going and likeable leader. He sat with the troops during mess, and played cards with them during off-duty hours. If a Marine was having difficulties in a relationship, he went to Captain Raynor for advice. If a Marine had recently lost someone to a Zerg invasion, Captain Raynor was the first man to console him. Captain Raynor was the father of the Sons of Korhal, and all of its soldiers were important to him.
As the Korhal boys packed up their equipment and marched out of base camp, Raynor walked off to the West, into an alien, yet familiar base. Entering one of the intricately detailed, highly advanced buildings, he made eye contact with the creature sitting within. It rose, exposing its full height. Red eyes burned within a shrouded face. Light glinted off of its golden, heavy armor. Its arms rested at its sides, and a powerful force radiated from around and within it. "Welcome," spoke the creature. "It is good to see you again, Captain Raynor." Lifting one of its hands, it motioned for Raynor to take a seat. It then resumed its sitting position in the corner of the room.
"Glad to see you too, Tassadar," Raynor replied, taking a seat in one of the high-backed and extraordinary Protoss chairs. "My men are moving out to set up some defenses at the designated meeting point. Are your High Templars prepared for the mission?"
"Indeed they are, Captain Raynor. They have meditated for the past three days, gathering psionic strength for the coming test." Tassadar looked quizzically at Raynor. "Are you sure that your plan will work, Raynor? I have no doubt in my Templar's great ability, but what you are suggesting has never been done before. As much as I want to believe it is possible, I do not see how we are to go about reversing the effects of Zerg infestation."
Raynor scowled and stared unblinkingly at Tassadar. Lightning seemed to fly between their eyes as the tension in the room grew. Finally, Raynor murmured, "It has to work, Tassadar. We've come too far and poured too many resources into this effort for the mission to fail." Raynor got up, saluted his close friend and ally, and exited the Protoss building. As he walked through the Protoss camp, he noted the High Templar completing their preparatory meditating, and the various Zealots, Dragoons, and Reavers making ready for the coming conflict. He flipped his helmet visor down, checked the gauge on his Gauss rifle, and ran off to rejoin his troops.
From the door of his hut, Tassadar watched Raynor go. Is it truly possible to reverse the effects of Zerg infestation? He thought to himself. And, even if it is, will we even last long enough to attempt such a feat? Doubt clouded Tassadar's thoughts, so he walked off to join his fellow Templar in meditation.
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Several hours later, the bustle of Terran SCV's could be made out several miles south of the Sons of Korhal's base camp. An outpost was being busily constructed, and everybody had a job. Siege Tanks rolled into positions on top of high cliffs, while SCV's constructed bunkers in strategic formations. Marines and Firebats were prepped for combat in several Barracks, while a Factory constructed Vultures and Goliaths. More SCV's could be found mining resources and returning them to the outpost's Command Center, while a Starport constructed Science Vessels for scouting purposes. There were Marines and Goliaths patrolled the borders of the camp, while a Comsat Station attached to the Command Center gathered long range data. Supply depots were constructed in order to keep ammunition stocks high, and Missile Turrets could be seen dotted throughout the outpost.
Captain Raynor trudged through the entrenchment, making last minute preparations, and checking to make sure that nobody was slacking off. As he issued orders, Raynor slowly made his way to the Western edge of the base. "Is everything ready?" he asked one of the Templar situated there. The Templar were standing in a circle around a small clearing. A large circle had been drawn in the volcanic dust of Char, and runes had been carved inside the circle. The area was being prepared for the summoning of a large and powerful Protoss building.
"Yes, Captain Raynor," one of the Templar responded. "Our summoning preparations are nearly complete, and we have several Probes nearby in order to make sure that our plan does not fail. As long as your troops complete their half of the mission, we will complete our half." With that, the Templar returned to his meditation, and Raynor walked off to make some more last minute preparations.
The noxious winds of Char's surface blew through the base, and the smell of volcanic activity was prominent. The ground was covered in a thick layer of ash, which was now riddled with Marine-s boot prints. The area where the camp was located had been carefully selected for its strategic location. The main base was overshadowed to the North and South by large cliffs. The cliffs narrowed at the base's location, creating an easily-defendable choke point. Some distance back to the East, the cliffs leveled out enough for the Terrans to move heavy machinery and equipment up on top of them. To the West lay the enemy base, and every preparation was being made to defend against the Zerg onslaught. In order for the mission to be successful, the defenses had to hold. And Raynor was going to make sure they would.
As he retraced his steps back through the camp, Raynor made sure that everything was as it should be. He ordered Siege Tanks forwards or backwards several feet, to make sure they were in optimal firing position. He re-organized the contents of bunkers for optimal defensive capabilities. He checked the Armory to make sure each troop was being issued Stim Packs, as well as U-238 rifles for the Marines. He stopped by the Engineering Bay to check on weapons and armor research. He observed the data that the Comsat Station and Science Vessels were pulling in at the Command Center, and he looked in on the outfitting of troops and construction of vehicles. Everything was ready, and it was time to put their plan in motion.
After taking a moment to say a quick prayer, Raynor motioned for a group of Vulture hover-cycles to advance. The Vultures jetted off to the West, leaving the base in anxious silence. Even the SCV's harvesting minerals had stopped mining, and were silently awaiting the outcome of the entire operation. The entire effort now rested with those four Vultures, racing straight towards their most feared enemies. Seconds turned into minutes, and Raynor began to worry. He thought about all of the horrible different ways a Zergling could kill a man, and he hoped that his soldiers were alright. More time passed, and Raynor was just about to order a search and rescue operation when a cloud of dust appeared on the horizon. At last, he though. He readied his Gauss Rifle and entered the nearest bunker.
Through the slits in the bunker's sides, he could make out the four Vultures, blasting towards them at full throttle. Behind them raced a veritable Zerg army. Raynor could make out large groups of Zerglings in their ranks, as well as numerous Hydralisks and some Lurkers. Mutalisks swarmed across the skies in packs, and Overlords floated intermittently through their minion's ranks. As soon as the small group of Vultures passed the outlying defenses, Raynor gave the order for the Siege tanks to open fire. "Now!," he shouted over his com-link. The sound of twenty-four long-range Arclite cannons unloading at once created a deafening boom inside the Terran camp. Across the desolate plain, explosions erupted everywhere. As the explosive shells made impact, they sent up huge showers of dirt, and anything unlucky enough to be caught in the blast was left in a smoking heap. Zerglings racing towards the base were sent flying backwards by the blast, launched into the air by the sheer explosive force. They collided with their advancing comrades, and created large piles of entangled Zerg which made excellent targets for the powerful Siege Tanks. After several Siege volleys, little remained of the initial Zerg attack force. The few remaining ground units, along with the Mutalisks and Overlords, beat a hasty retreat back out of the range of the Siege Tanks.
Raynor breathed a sigh of relief. They'd survived the initial assault, but things only got worse from here. And the most difficult part of their mission was yet to come. As Raynor ran through the plan in his head for the hundredth time, the Zerg forces re-assembled their ranks and charged again. Looking out to the West was like looking at a dark tidal wave of moving bodies. The number of Zerglings and Hydralisks in the Zerg ranks had nearly tripled, and there were a great many more Mutalisks. And, to Raynor's dread, a large group of Ultralisks could be seen charging towards the base over the tops of the Hydralisk's heads. The Siege Tanks opened fire again, and Zerglings were again sent flying. This time, though, the Zerg kept their stronger warriors behind the Zerglings and let their weakest warriors take the Siege fire. As the Zerglings soaked up the damage from the Tanks, the rest of the army advanced. "Hold, Marines! Don't fire a single shot until you can see their vile, yellow eyes!" ordered Raynor over his com-link.
The Siege Tanks shifted their fire as the Hydralisks advanced, and the Zerglings began to advance again. A large group of Mutalisks tore through the skies and begain assaulting the perimeter defenses. The Missile Turrets put up a thick barrage of anti-air explosions, taking down many of the Mutalisks. The scattered bunkers along the perimeter finished the rest off. During the initial Mutalisk assault, several Turrets were damaged and an SCV rushed to repair them. While the Mutalisks had been distracting the air defense network, several Overlords had flown in and dropped a large group of Hydralisks in the base. Raynor jumped out of his bunker and bounded towards the location of the drop. He arrived on the scene to find several buildings already destroyed or in flames, and a small group of Marines slaughtered. Behind him came a group of Firebats and several more Marines, and they bit into the Hydralisk pack with a vengeance. Raynor let loose with his Gauss Rifle, the explosive rounds of spikes that it put out wreaking havoc on the closely packed Hydralisks. Several Firebats ran up and began unloading their deadly flames into the group. Hydralisks melted instantaneously into oozing piles of flesh.
Raynor left his soldiers to deal with the remaining Zerg, and returned to his bunker. He dove in just seconds before the first wave of Zerg reached it. Locking his Rifle into a firing stud, Raynor began to strafe the approaching lines with Rifle fire. Bits of Zergling and Hydralisk carapace began to fly into the air, and the sound of Zerg death cries brought a malicious smile to his face. The bunkers were holding strong, and Zerg forces were being mowed down in front of him. Suddenly, without warning, an Ultralisk loomed out of the darkness and crashed into Raynor's bunker. Raynor was launched into the opposite wall of the bunker, the resounding collision of his helmet and the bunker's steel plating nearly rendering him unconscious.
Raynor got up slowly, shaking his head to ward off the disorienting force of the collision with the bunker wall. He let out a terrifying cry of battle rage, and charged out of the bunker. Raynor leapt onto the back of the Ultralisk, which was now deeply entangled in the shredded bunker plating. Riding the Ultralisk like an experienced cowboy would ride a wild Bronco, Raynor gained his balance on top of the beast. Rising up from one knee into a standing position, he leveled his Guass Rifle and emptied an entire round of ammunition into the back of the beast's skull. With a shuddering finality, the Ultralisk threw itself against the wall of the bunker and lay still. Raynor jumped off of its back and went off searching for new enemies to engage.
By this time, the battle was raging fiercely. The sheer number of Zerg was beginning to drive the Terran forces back. Raynor ran along the front lines, helping where he could, but he was only one soldier, and could only do so much. As the lines of defenses began to fail, the brave Protoss warriors came charging into battle. Zealots, consumed with lust for battle, trampled hordes of Zerglings and made mincemeat out of groups of Hydralisks. Reavers deployed Scarabs by the hundreds, slaughtering Zerg ground forces left and right. Mammoth Dragoons stalked through the battlefields in their giant mechs, their Photon Cannons wreaking havoc in the Zerg frontlines. The tide of the battle was turning, just as Raynor and Tassadar had planned it would. As the battle raged on, Raynor began sweeping the area with his eyes, searching for a glimpse of his quarry.
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Deep within the Zerg Hive network, a brooding presence lurked, watching the battle from afar. So far, she was very displeased with what she saw. The Terran/Protoss alliance was effectively thwarting her minion's attacks. Even the elite Ultralisks, normally able to slice through enemy defenses with ease, were being slaughtered at the Terran's doorstep. She decided that simply throwing her forces at the enemy was no longer enough in this situation. It was time to take matters into her own hands. The dark, mutated figure quietly got up and stalked out of her lair.
Absorbing the warmth of Char's volcanic surface, she trotted in between the Hive cluster's various buildings. Leaping from rock to rock, she focused her psychic powers and cloaked herself. Picking up speed, she advanced with leaps and bounds across the charred and blackened territory. As she neared the edge of the Hive's creep, she could begin to make out the violent struggle occurring between her warriors and the alien scum. Rage at her foes and her own warrior's failure alike boiled within her, and she swept across the plain, ready to dig her hellish claws into the first thing that got in her way.
Crashing through her minion's front lines, the creature collided with a fully-loaded bunker and exploded through the outer wall. Whipping her appendages out to their full length, she became a whirling ball of spikes. She impaled two Marines on her razor-edged claws, and a third stuck himself on her spiked carapace. The fourth Marine was spraying his weapon blindly, but the shells simply bounced away harmlessly. She walked up to him, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him into the air. With one swift movement, she clenched her fist and snapped his neck. The soldier went limp as a rag doll, and she tossed him into the corner of the bunker. Slashing a hole through the opposite end of the bunker, the creature chose her next target.
Leaping up onto a high ledge, the creature burst through a Siege Tank in mid-fire. Dashing out the opposite side of the now exploding vehicle, she tossed the human head stuck to her shoulder off to one side. She leapt off of the cliff and crashed through the ceiling of another bunker. Within seconds, she was out again, leaving disfigured and maimed soldiers in her wake. She stalked up behind a Zealot and viciously stabbed her claw through the back of its head. Suddenly, a passing Marine seemed to notice her and he began to fire at her. The creature glanced skyward and saw one of the accursed Terran Science Vessels floating overhead. Not waiting for her minions to dispatch it, the creature leapt at the Marine, tackling him and maiming him with her spike-riddled body.
A passing soldier noticed her, shouted "She's here!" at the top of his lungs, and ran off to inform his comrades of her arrival. So they've finally discovered me, she thought. No matter, they'll all wind up dead in the end. She smiled fiendishly and continued to wreak havoc behind the Terran front lines. All around the Terran base, bunkers began to explode. Siege Tanks slid off of the high cliffs, their leg supports sliced out from beneath them. Supply Depots were sliced to shreds in mere seconds. In the midst of all the chaos she was creating, the creature was completely oblivious to the trap that she was walking right into.
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Captain James Raynor was boldly battling three Hydralisks when word of their quarry's arrival reached him. Breaking off from the fire-fight, he turned and made his way towards the source of the destruction within the base, as close as he could estimate. On his way, he passed numerous buildings that had been reduced to piles of rubble. Shattered Dragoons lay everywhere, and the corpses of Zealots were intermingled with dead Terran soldiers. He stopped momentarily at a Supply Depot to re-stock his ammo clip, and that was when he saw her. She flashed by, slicing through a nearby Supply Depot, and was gone again as soon as she had come. Raynor ordered a nearby Science Vessel to track her, and then he was moving, trying to catch up with her.
At first, her trail was easy to track, as simple as following the path of devastation she left in her wake. Eventually, however, the trail criss-crossed and became mingled with previously wasted areas. Raynor stopped briefly to rest, momentarily lost. Suddenly, movement flashed in front of him. He had just enough time to catch a glimpse of a spiked fist aimed high, before he was ducking and rolling forward. He crashed into the creature's legs, and tumbled to the ground with her. He growled in pain when he felt several of her spikes pierce his armor, but he ignored the wounds and continued to struggle with her. Off to his left, Raynor could see the summoning circle that the High Templar had prepared. Using the sheer weight of his body to give him leverage, Raynor lifted the spine-covered beast over his head and hurled her towards the Templar. Leaping after her, he was somehow able to grab her before she could roll away. He grappled with her, all the while trying to lead her closer to the summoning circle mere meters away.
Battle raged around them, and line after line of defense was failing. Because of the brief chaos caused by the arrival of their target, the Terrans were now disorganized and fading fast. Ultralisks rampaged through groups of Marines, crushing them like ants. Hydralisks and Zerglings threatened to overwhelm what little remained of the Terran defense. Several Templar, with a nod from Tassadar, momentarily left the summoning ring to conjure up small Psionic Storms. The power from the Psionic blasts was enough to momentarily repel the Zerg forces, and the Terran defenders took this time to re-group. The Templar returned to the summoning circle, and observed Raynor struggling with the beast. Tassadar spoke telepathically to them. "We must assist Captain Raynor in his struggle," he mind-spoke. "Focus your energies and weaken the creature's mind with Psionic blasts."
The Templar turned as one, and focused their attention on the struggling figures. As Raynor grappled with his adversary, her movements became sluggish and easily predictable. He grabbed her by one of her less spiny appendages and began to drag her towards the summoning circle. Still putting up weak resistance, she hissed and kicked at him, tripping him and nearly causing him to fall over. He caught his balance with his free hand, and pushed himself back up. He twisted her ankle cruelly and continued to drag her. I'm sorry, Sarah, he thought. I don't want to hurt you, but it's for your own good. Dragging her into the summoning circle, he pinned her down by the arms and, with a smart blow from the butt of his Gauss Rifle, rendered her unconscious.
"Excellent work, Captain Raynor," Tassadar murmured from behind Raynor. "You have completed your part of the mission, Kerrigan has been captured. I trust that you will now let us do our part." Raynor nodded, and stepped back out of the summoning circle. A probe whirred into the center of the circle, opened a warp rift, and whirred back out again. The Templar gathered around the circle, blocking Raynor's view of Kerrigan. The Protoss priests began to chant gutturally, and an eerie blue glow emanated from within the circle. The first phase of their plan had been successful, but their job wasn't done yet. Raynor picked up his Gauss Rifle, and with one last glance back at the place where he had left Kerrigan, he returned to the battle.