As the combined forces of the Protoss, the Terran Dominion, and the UED were defeated atop the space platforms above Char, a man watched in terror. He saw the remnants of the United Earth Directorate flee the platform, only to be chased by the Zerg. He saw the bright flashes of the Protoss psychic abilities, and the deep blue spherical warp portals as the Protoss warriors began to retreat via recall. His own men, being relentlessly slaughtered by the Zerg. He had been defeated, once again. The words echoed through his mind.
"And I want you to remember, in your most private moments, that it was you who turned me loose in the first place."
Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades. Arcturus Mengsk could not forget what she had said to him on Korhal. She had been correct. If he didn't betray her at New Gettysburg, this...none of this would have happened. Though too prideful to admit it, the man knew he had been responsible. Just out the large window, he could see his men. Or rather his "associates" that he had rallied to take out Kerrigan. A Battlecruiser, severely damaged, tried to escape Char's atmosphere. Such was not possible, as moments later, Scourge and Mutalisks stormed the cruiser. No chance. Arcturus Mengsk now faced another problem. In fact, two problems. He had to answer for his defeat at the hands of the Zerg. Surely, the people who provided him with their men and equipment want those back, and the reassuring news that Kerrigan had been dealt with. It was not going to happen. The second problem he faced was rebuilding his shattered empire. Judging by Kerrigan's motives and past deeds, it was questionable as to whether or not she actually removed her forces from Korhal. However, it was something that needed to be answered, and quickly. If Kerrigan didn't pull out of Korhal, he would need to force her out. With the remainder of his fleet, very little of which were actually Dominion forces, they would never be able to stand up to the swarm alone. Arcturus Mengsk closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
"You're directly responsible for the hell I've been through!"
The man's eyes winced. He could not set aside what was said to him by Kerrigan on Korhal. She had not only physically defeated his forces, but she had mentally crippled his resolve. His view shifted to the chess board across the room. Most of the black pieces were in tact, save for a few pawns and a rook. In the case of the white pieces, many pawns lay spread out across the board, and the knights had fallen as well. In some ways, this was symbolic to the previous battle, except that it wasn't even. No matter how many Zerg were killed in the previous battle, they would all be replaced soon. The Terran and Protoss were a different story, of course.
"And I want you to remember, in your most private moments, that it was you who turned me loose in the first place..."
"Gah!" he screamed. Mengsk slammed his fist into his desk lamp, sending it tumbling down to the floor. The room went dark, illuminated only by the blue light given off by the many terminals in his quarters. The cyborg advisor appeared on the screen.
"Emperor Mengsk, our forces are being pushed back on the space platforms. Casualties are high. Our forces will not be able to hold out much longer...What shall our course of action be?"
Arcturus Mengsk brought his hands to his face and rubbed his forehead.
"Estimated time before the base is overrun?"
"Judging by the elevating offense by the Zerg, one and a half standard hours, sir."
Arcturus Mengsk sighed, trying to think of the best possible plan of action.
"Very well." he said finally. " Send dropships to the surface, and evacuate the remainder of our soldiers and equipment. Signal the commander, and take the fleet out of orbit. Keep a battlecruiser in orbit to wait for the dropships."
"Yes, Emperor Mengsk."
Arcturus Mengsk thought for a moment. Where had Jim Raynor run off to? Arcturus turned back to the computer.
"One more thing. Activate the tracking device on Captain Raynor's ship, the Hyperion, and set a course for the ship." he finished.
"Yes, Emperor Mengsk."
The cyborg's face disappeared from the computer screen, and Arcturus Mengsk continued his observation of the battle below. Complying with his orders, Battlecruisers were turning around to regroup with the fleet, except for one. Dropships could be seen exiting the Battlecruiser, as they descended towards the space platforms to extract their forces. As this was happening, a massive swarm of Mutalisks and Devourers bolted into space, but they were not tailing his ships. They were after something else. The United Earth Directorate. Arcturus Mengsk chuckled under his breath, unable to believe how foolish Earth had been to send a fleet all the way from Earth to the Koprulu sector. Attempting to tame the Overmind had been a foolish move indeed, along with trying to rally the various colonies under their sway. Lawlessness and aggression filled the colonies after the fall of the Terran Confederacy. The ones that were not allied with the Sons of Korhal, at least.
Through another computer screen, Mengsk watched as the Protoss continued the recall of their warriors, while their buildings continued to fall one by one. As he watched this, his capital ship slowly began to turn away from the smoldering planet, towards space. Squadrons of Wraiths could be seen flying across the Battlecruiser's window, and Arcturus saw his honor guard squadron, called Hammer Squadron, led by the one Tom Kazansky. Tom Kazansky could possibly be the best Terran Wraith pilot in all of the Korpulu Sector. His squadron's task was to safeguard the Dominion-I flagship from any possible threats. Sadly, though, the Wraith fighter may be obsolete. Rumors abound that a new and improved fighter is being produced, along with other Terrran technology. Needless to say, the Dominion could benefit greatly from this technology.
"Sir!" the cyborg reappeared on the screen, startling him.
"Yes, what is it?" Mengsk asked.
"We've located James Raynor's Battlecruiser, the Hyperion. They recently left Korhal after their defeat, and judging by their direction, it seems they are on a course to the Moria System."
"The Kel Morian Combine..." replied Arcturus Mengsk. "Very well then. Set a course for the Moria system.
"Yes sir."
The cyborg faded out once again. Arcturus Mengsk returned to his desk chair, deep in though. "Why would Raynor be going to Moria?" he thought to himself. Mengsk didn't even know if Moria would be hostile to the Dominion. He did participate in the invasion of Moria by Kerrigan, surely they had seen or picked up his ship on their radar systems. However, Moria could be a very powerful ally, seeing as it possesses one of the largest mineral concentration in all of the Koprulu sector. They might even know a thing or two about the new Terran technologies. With those technologies, the Dominion may be able to remove the Zerg from Korhal, assuming there are Zerg there.
Arcturus Mengsk walked across the room, scratching his messy beard. His view shifted from the window to the small table with the chess board below. He picked up the pieces and placed them in their respectful spots, one by one, until both sides were standing, ready to continue the fight. He enjoyed chess immensely, but found little time to play. He often called the commander in for a round of chess, but it has been a very long time since last he did. After the pieces were set up, Mengsk continued walking back to his main desk, and observed the floor where the lamp he had hit landed during his fit of rage.
"Damn my anger.." he said to himself.
Mengsk picked up the remainder of the lamp. The shade had been dented, and the gold trim around the bottom had been chipped. The lightbulb had been destroyed, but it could be replaced. Arcturus Mengsk set the lamp on his desk, poured himself some wine, and sat down watching Char fade into the darkness of space.
"Emperor Mengsk." the cyborg appeared on the screen yet again.
"Yes, what is it?" he replied, head down.
"The commander wishes an audience with you."
Arcturus Mengsk brought his head up. "Very well, send him in."
Arcturus Mengsk waited intently for the commanders arrival. Five minutes later, the door slid open, and revealed a dark silhouette of a man. He stood there for a moment until Mengsk spo
"Ah, commander, come in." said Mengsk. "Take a seat."
The commander walked in slowly, and quietly pulled up a seat in front of Arcturus Mengsk's desk.
"So, what was it you needed?" Mengsk asked.
"I wanted to know why you decided to tail Raynor, instead of returning to korhal. What of your associates?"
Mengsk sat with his eyes closed, considering his next words. A moment passed.
"Well..." mengsk broke the silence. " We cannot return to Korhal...not yet, that is. If we do, we risk everything. Kerrigan may still have Zerg there, and with the size of our fleet as it is now, even a small brood will tear us apart. I am not going to risk it."
"And your associ..."
"My associates." Mengsk cut him off.. " Surely, they will be disappointed when they learn of this defeat. They want their men, weapons, and hardware back, which is a problem, because I cannot provide that. Not now. Not in this current position.
"We run?" the commander asked.
"We run." Mengsk confirmed. "For now, I see it as our only option."
The commander was quiet for a minute, studying Mengsk's quarters. The old Sons of Korhal flag could be seen hung over a wall.
"And what of Raynor?"
"Ah." Mengsk replied. "There are a couple reasons why we are tailing him. Reason one, we are tracking him on a direct course to Moria, and there may be opportunities there. Second, I want Raynor back as a captain for the Dominion."
"The Kel Morian Combine?"
"Yes, indeed." Mengsk said. "Seeing as how Moria is one of the largest resource nodes in the Koprulu sector, I'm thinking we may be able to make a pact with them. A sort of alliance...Coffee?"
"No thank you. So, you expect Raynor just to rejoin you without any hesitation or resistance?" the commander asked.
Mengsk chuckled. "Raynor? Of course he will resist." Mengsk brought his index finger up. "...But I have anticipated that, and will deal with it accordingly."
" I see..." was the commanders reply.
"Now, is there any other knowledge you seek on this matter?" Mengsk asked.
"Nothing beyond clarification, which you provided." the commander replied.
"Very well then, commander. Dismissed." Mengsk said.
With that, the commander lifted himself from the cair in front of Arcturus mengsk's desk, and exited the room. Mengsk was alone to gather his thoughts.
Bam!
The gunshot could be heard throughout the rooms closest to the Admiral's quarters. A pistol shot.
"The hell was that?" someone yelled.
"It came from the admiral's room!" other screamed.
A man came running down the corridor, past the confused security guard in front of the Admiral's room. What the man saw was the dead body of Gerard DuGalle, and a Luger pistol had fallen to the floor. A sad song on an old record player came to a stop. The man picked up the weapon, examined it, and burst into a fit of anger. He ran out of the Admiral's quarters in the corridor.
"Alright, who was it? Which one of you dosed shits did this?" he screamed, waving the Luger in the air.
"Alex! Calm the hell down!" Someone yelled.
" Shut it!" Alex yelled back.
"Put it down, boy. Put it down!" the security guard intervened.
"Over my Zerg infested body, asshole!" replied Alex.
Alex pointed the gun straight at the security guard, and the guard lunged at Alex in a tackle. Two Luger shots fired and hit the ceiling. Things went calm. The Luger went sliding across the floor, out of Alex's reach. The intercom sparked to life.
"Admiral! A wave of Zerg is advancing!"
Silence. Everyone in the room was still.
"Admiral! Zerg forces approaching our fleet!"
No response by Admiral Dugalle.
"Admiral!" Interference could be heard over the intercom as someone shoved the speaker aside. "...He's not responding you idiot! Everyone listen, get the hell off the ship, any way you can! We can't fight that many Zerg!"
"You heard him!" Alex screamed. "We gotta get off the ship!!"
Alex waited for some crowd support. Five people other than himself were in the room. They all shifted their focus to the security guard.
"Everyone grab somethin', a gun, anything." the security guard said. "We're gettin' the hell out of here!" He pointed to Alex. "You! Don't go crazy again, you hear?"
Alex nodded his head as he scrambled around the room looking for the Luger. After grabbing it, he ran back into the admiral's room to take the remaining ammo. The security guard and Alex were the only two with weapons, and likewise the only two who could protect their little group.
"All of you listen, we're going to the dropship hangars. Pretty much out only chance of getting out of this alive." said the security guard.
"Zerg in the ventilation ducts! God dammit!" someone yelled further down the corridor. Firing. A Zergling had been splattered all over the wall, and the man got up off the floor and ran down the hallway to join the others.
"Get going, all of you! We're dead if we don't move!" he said, waving the gauss rifle wildly. He glanced at Alex's weapon. "Haha, you think that will penetrate the Zerg's skin?" He pulled out his side-arm pistol and handed it to Alex, with three spare magazines. "There, now you have a good pistol and a crappy pistol. Knock yourself out. Name's Ben." he finished.
"Alex."
"Nice to meet you. Let's get going, all of you. Only three of us have weapons, meaning the rest of you need to suit up." Ben said.
"But I don't know how to operate Marine armor! Man, I didn't sign up for this." someone yelled.
"You wanna die?" asked Ben.
"No.."
"Then you can get used to the Marine armor. Quit bitching son." Ben turned to the security guard. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Tucker."
"Nice to meet you. Tucker, you're in front. I'm in back. Alex is in the middle. Let's get in formation, and move to the Armory." Ben ordered.
At that, they ran down the wall. Alarms went off every so often in the halls, and a dark red light filled the room. The lights failed, and the room went dark. Then they flickered back on.
"The hell is going on?" Alex yelled.
"Zerg. Messing around in the ventilation ducts. They are close, keep a watchful eye." Ben answered.
Just then, a pair of Zerglings smashed through one of the ventilation ducts, the covering making a loud clanking sound, alerting everyone to their location. Tucker was the first to open fire on them with his gauss rifle. The spike rounds slaughtered the first one, going straight through in the wall behind it. The second one fell to the spike rounds just as the Zergling was lunging for the kill. All of the sudden, more clanking noise. Zerglings were approaching from the front and rear.
"Hurry up! Press forward! Alex, get up in front with Tucker!" Ben yelled.
Alex sprinted to the front as the group kept moving. They ran into five Zerglings, and they were met by a spray of gauss rifle spikes. All but one died, and the remaining Zergling brought its claws over its head and jumped. Alex took aim with ben's pistol and fired. The Zergling flew off to the side.
"Take a right! Ben said. "The Armory is just around the corner!" He turned around and fired on two advancing Zerglings, killing them both. The group finally reached the Armory door.
"Tucker, open the door!" Ben yelled.
Tucker proceeded to the keypad to the right of the door, and bent over in the bulky Marine armor. Six Zerglings approached from the rear. Ben fired on them, killing them all in the narrow corridor.
"Dammit, hurry up! I'm almost out of ammo!"
"Give me your rifle, Tucker!" Alex demanded.
Tucker handed the gauss rifle to Alex, and continued on the keypad. Alex ran past the rest of the group to the back with Ben.
"What the hell is taking so long?" Alex yelled.
Tucker signed. "Hold on."
"Hurry up." Ben said. "Can't hold em all day."
A reassuring green light appeared above the door, and it opened.
"Get in, close the door." Ben said.
They all entered the Armory. There were chairs, tables, weapon racks, but everything was in disarray. The Marines had left in a hurry. Everyone scurried about, and took what weapons and ammo they could find. No more Marine armor was left. Alex handed Tucker the gauss rifle, and went off to find his own. As soon as everyone had their gauss rifle and ammo, they lined up in front of another door. A door that leads almost directly to the dropship hangars. Tucker made his way to the keypad, and all of the sudden a huge explosion could be heard not far away. The ship destabilized and shifted to its side. The group was swept off their feet and slit across the floor.
"Zerg hit a weak spot, the supercomputer should re-stabilize the ship in a few seconds." Ben assured them. He had been right, the ship re-stabilized in mere seconds. "Don't know how many of those the ship can recover from before she blows. Better get going."
With that, they brought themselves up form the floor, and once again made their way for the door. Tucker opened the door via the keypad, and they slowly walked out, one by one, pointing their gauss rifles forward, then scanned the rest of the hallway.
"Looks clear." Alex said.
"Looks can be deceiving." Ben shot back.
They continued slowly into the darkened hallway. The jolt of the ship had knocked out the lights here permanently. The only light that was given off was that of the gauss rifle flashlights.
"The hell was that?" Alex said. "Did anyone see that?"
"See what?" Ben asked.
"That figure down the hall." Alex replied.
"Everyone be ready." Ben ordered.
All of them now had their rifles pointed toward the end of the hallway where Alex had seem some "figure." As they inched further down, they could hear dripping. And footsteps that weren't theirs.
"Don't tell me you didn't hear that." Alex said.
"Oh I did, I did." Ben replied.
There was slight movement down the hall. Some of the group gasped. Whatever it was, they were closing in on it.
"Stand by." Ben said.
The dripping and footsteps grew louder and more frequent. Whatever it was, it was getting closer, closer...
"Live for the Swarm!!"
"Open fire!!!" Yelled Ben.
The figure blew into pieces, and the remainder of it fell to the ground.
"Too close, just too damn close." Alex said, shaking his head. "What the hell was it?"
The group walked up to the splattered figure. It had been human, once. It had fought in the name of humanity against the rampaging Zerg, only to be assimilated into the Swarm itself. Ben, Tucker, Alex and the rest stared down at the abomination.
"Infested Terran..." Ben trailed off.
"Poor soul." added Tucker.
After a moment, they began walking towards the end of the hallway. Once again, alarms, explosions, and screams could all be heard in the background. Soon, they reached the hangar. Not all of the dropships have been ejected, thankfully. Ben led the group to the nearest dropship, hopped in, and activated the dropship.
"Everyone get in, sit down, and strap in. We're gettin' the hell out of this ship." Ben ordered.
The rest of the group boarded, and Ben ejected the dropship out into space. Now that they were outside the ship, they could see firsthand the destruction. The Alexander was being hit hard, the Mutalisk acid tearing through the hull. It would not be long until the ship exploded. Around the Alexander, occasional squads of Wraiths flew by, trying to hold back the advancing Zerg. The other Battlecruisers were taking a beating as well, and one even exploded, sending a shockwave of energy to nearby Battlecruisers. The small group within the dropship watched in terror as they watched the once powerful and dominating United Earth Directorate being crushed to ashes.