I. The MarineI never thought I'd get involved in the games. I hate the Games; I'd rather be fightin' for real, maybe against the Sons of Korhal or the Protoss. Not the Zerg, though. They scare the crap outtah me . . .
I didn't mean that.
But the Zerg, aw they're somethin' else. Slimy, scaly, nasty little bugs. I hate 'em almost as I hate the Games.
Almost.
The Games are different all the time. Some Games you need to build, others to defend, or attack . . .
I hate 'em all, each and every one.
Getting into the Games depends on who's above you. If they're nice they keep you for the realfights. If they're not, one bad move and BAM! To the Games.
My sarge wasn't nice. He's dead now, actually; you don't curse my momma an' live.
This Game's called 'Bunker Wars.' At least I get to fight someof the time, but I still hate it. 'Cause I know I'll die. I won't ever be able to fight for real, Momma won' ever get any "We Regret to Inform You" visits . . . She probably won't mind that, actually.
I still hatethe Games.
Bunker Wars has four teams: one Zerg an' Protoss force, an' two Terran forces. The Protoss are like us, guys who got in bad with their higher-ups. The Zerg are some random Brood that got separated from the Overmind – or somethin'. I don't really care. It's our job to protect our Bunker and destroy everyone else's bases . . . Not our allies, though. Yeah we got allies. Each team has two forces. They're supposedto work together, but I've heard rumors of backstabbers. . .
I hate backstabbers. Almost as much as I hate the Games.
I just hate it all.
I am the Leader. I can take any form I wish. I can be male or female, good or bad, Zerg, Terran, Protoss, or nothing.
The Leader is just a name, an entity, controlling the lives of those that have been to my command. Inevitably, all perish.
Today I have been assigned to partake in a game of Bunker Wars. Excitement flows through me; combat is my specialty.
I will enjoy today. The sun rose over the barren wasteland of the planet, casting shadows shaped like the deteriorating Orbital Stations locked in position all around, which eventually crashed into the planet below or floated into oblivion.
In brighter times, some might have actually voiced dissent against the Games and their locations, but these were certainly not bright times. With the Protoss home world of Aiur in ruins and Terran installations next on the Zerg agenda, few have reason to fight against the Games.
Four Transports suddenly appeared from the darkness, all centering upon one floating Station. Two Terran Dropships, a Protoss Shuttle and a Zerg Overlord calmly floated though the black space. They eventually touched down in the middle of the metal behemoth, the horizons buzzing with the war cries of those unfortunate enough to be here.
The Transports unloaded their cargo and waited patiently for the Leaders to settle their terms.
Dark shadows of men floated from the Transports, shimmering in the sun's early glow. Arms, legs, and skin grew out from these shadows, as the Leaders chose their avatars. Only one appeared different than the rest, choosing a personal avatar over those provided by the Games. Gui Montag carefully folded his arms across his chest while his ally formed into a creature he'd never seen before. Ebony hair flowed from a place set by two horns; a beak protruded where a nose might have sat. A pair of wings sprouted from the back, tri-clawed and brown inside; a tail kept its balance, and three talons made do instead of actual feet. The creature chose an orange skin color, perhaps in ominous respect to the old Earth tradition of Halloween.
"You done yet?" Gui grumbled.
The creature glanced over at its ally, her feline eyes taking in his avatar. "I be quite finished, aeruh."
Gui nodded, then turned to the rest of the Leaders: the Protoss had chosen both the Zealot and Dragoon version of their Hero Fenix, while the Zerg were content with a Hunter-Killer Hydralisk and . The other Terran force decided likewise, with a Ghost impatiently waiting for the game to begin. As the small crowd began to shuffle, the Ghost dropped a black box onto the ground.
The Hydralisk nodded and growled.
"Teams are as is," the box translated as the Hyrdalisk continued to speak, "Backstabbing is discouraged, and there will be no Free-For-Alls. We are agreed?"
The avatars nodded. "We are in agreement," the two Fenix Heroes replied in unison.
"Then let the game begin."We were tucked into the far corner of the Station; if someone flew over, they'd see us in the upper left. Ahead of us loomed the disgusting Creep of the Zerg; below us, our allies the Firebats prepared for battle.
Above, the Dropship carrying our Leader whizzed by, landing upon the raised metalwork behind our Bunker. Here the Leader would conduct his business. A few minutes after that the com in my helmet crackled to life.
"We shall fight well today, my troops. Prepare yourselves, and may Andus smile upon you."Andus?I wondered. "And what the heck is an Andus?" I grumbled with a sly grin. We couldn't switch our coms to communicate with the Leaders, so he hadn't heard what I said.
"Word is our Leader's a strange one, not even Terran," someone answered as they stepped out of the Bunker. Another Marine followed seconds after, followed by another.
"The heck? Isn't there a rule about that?"
My new mate shrugged. "As long as we don't get our asses kicked."
I had to agree with him there.
The Bunker's alarm system wailed and our Leader spoke into our coms again. "The Zerg be about to attack our ally. Make sure they do not reach him."I grinned as I charged up my rifle; as long as I got to grease some Zerg, maybe the Games wouldn't be so bad after all.My ally and I were lucky that first round. For the Games, very few maps allow for covert intelligence; you must rely upon your wits and the stupidity of your opponents.
Today the stupidity of others would come quite in handy.
As a general rule, one the game begins, Leaders restrict outside communications to between their allies. Sometimes, however, people forget to switch to such a channel in their console. All profit from this stupidity because all transmissions are translated so that all that hear can understand. One such transmission rang out in my command center: "Get Purple."The Zerglings had spoken, and I had listened. My ally would not be attacked. As I directed my Terran Civillian Masser to my ally's Beacon I flipped the switch that allowed for communications to my men."The Zerg be about to attack our ally. Make sure they do not reach him."On the Station the Zerg forces moved as one. Zerglings and Hydralisks quickly moved towards their target, the Firebats.
"Here they come," Gui Montag muttered as he ordered his forces to stand ready.
"You want a piece o' me, boy?"a Marine growled over the general CommSystem. Gui sighed in relief; his ally was coming to his aid.
Gui's forces would do fine against the Zerglings, as they both fought at close range; it was the Hydralisks that worried the Leader. But he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
All four units met simultaneously, and the blood flowed freely. Both Zerg forces fell easily to the combined might of heavily-upgraded Marines and Firebats. Barely ten minutes passed and the small skirmish was over. As the Marines and Firebats mingled briefly, only one thought passed through their minds:
Today's Game would be theirs.
Before their Leader ordered them to return, the Marines watched a Science Vessel zoom past the Firebat Bunker; the Marines' Leader has a general message for all.
"YOU DON'T MESS WITH MAH HOMIE!"As the Science Vessel flew around the Orbital Station, the Marines' rifles began to beep incessantly; as each second passed the schematics changed, showing an increased amount of damage per shot. Armor beeped as well, indicating that it could withstand more damage.
The Leader was upgrading.I was worried. Both Zerg forces had relentlessly attacked both my ally and myself, and there exhibited no signs of stopping anytime soon. With all my time concentrated upon defending my Bunker and that of my ally's, I had as of yet no time in which to make any offensive gestures of my own.
I soon realized, however, that my worry was unnecessary. Each time the Zerg forces attacked I was more than ready to defend myself; not once Zergling or Hydralisk made it through my heavily-upgraded Marine defense. In no time at all I had a Siege Tank at my disposal, a reinforcement gift as per the Game's rules. This in addition to my 'super' Marines helped me stave off even more attacks from the Zerg. In little time I had more than three-thousand Minerals at my disposal, each of which going into Upgrading my forces. I narrowed my eyes; on the horizon I could see the Zerg forces organizing for another attack. I groaned and shuddered; I still hate the little buggers.
Another Marine next to me laughed and slapped my shoulder. "No worries, man, we'll get 'em this time, too, like we got 'em all the other times. We're the ones getting' the money, not them. Good thing our Leader's not a newb, huh?"
I chuckled nervously. My comrade had a point; if our Leader hadn't been aware of the Minerals collected we would have been outtah the Game a long time ago.
Our Leader came onto the ComSys. "It would appear that our Zerg opponents have not yet decided to give up. Show them what happens when they provoke us."Seconds later the Zerglings were upon us like flies to rancid meat. Panicking, I opened fire on anything in front of me; lucky for me, I guess, I was on the front lines.
Not a single Zergling or Hydralisk hit me; I was amazed. We were that strong?
There was a loud explosion behind me and, deafened briefly, I turned around to see who had broken our line of defense.
I should'ah known; the Leader was smart enough and survived long enough to get a Siege Tank in return for bustin' everyone else's asses. Not a second passed after I turned around when all I could see was red, oozing blood. Siege Tanks carry quite a punch.
Five minutes passed; no Zerg had yet tried to attack us. I let out a breath I hadn't known I held. Maybe now I could relax for a few seconds.
Wrong. The Leader's voice snarled into our ears. "The Dragoons be massing towards our ally, and he be not ready. Intercept and protect our Firebat comrades."I growled as I powered up my rifle again; those Dragoons were gonna pay for messin' with my downtime.There is an adage that, in a game of BunkerWars, only certain units will possibly survive for any long amount of time; they are the Marines, the Firebats, the Hydralisks, the Zerglings, and the Ghosts. Everyone else just falls to the wayside because of defunct firepower and armor.
There are times, however, when fate smiles upon those hapless Dragoons, Zealots, and Vultures, and gives them a chance to be powerful enemies. Today the Dragoons had been very lucky, and the marched upon the Firebats with a vigor rarely seen.
Gui Montag, his eyes like slits as he surveyed the Station's horizon, waited for the inevitable.
But he, too, had an ace in the hole. Once again his allies the Marines came calling.It is a rare occasion when Dragoon forces are actually something to fear. I usually attempt to choose a different force before the Game begins, for the dragoons are easy targets. Today, however, was different. The Dragoon force, upgraded and ready, began to mass towards my Firebat allies.
I worried that my Marines would be no match for these Dragoons, but I was duty bound to assist my ally. I commanded my Civillian to activate the 'Move to Purple' Beacon while I said to my troops, "The Dragoons be massing towards our ally, and he be not ready. Intercept and protect our Firebat comrades."I was on a high, even though my Leader hadn't opted to give me a Stimulant. I was powerful, and I knew it; man, I waspower, we all were. And we were going to stick it to the Dragoons for trying to mess with our ally.
As soon as I arrived on the scene I opened fire on the towering, four-legged behemoths. Those things are as huge as Siege Tanks! This was the first time I had ever seen a Dragoon, much less one firing at me. But I didn't care; those lowly Protoss units couldn't hurt me if they tried, I was much too tough for them.
Within minutes the Dragoons were nothing but puddles of blue lubricating fluids and mangled exoskeletons.
I grinned. Soon our Leader would realize we were at a distinct advantage, send us to attack everyone, and the Game would be ours.I stared in disbelief at the live-feed coming from the patrolling Science Vessel; my Marines had completely decimated the Dragoons! It was only a matter of time before I sent my Marines on a rampage against all our opponents.
But the Zerg forces had something else in mind. In the Zergling camp a single Egg writhed and pulsed as the creature within hibernated. Hordes of Zerglings scampered around the Egg, prepared to protect it at any cost.
Suddenly a high-pitched shriek emitted from the Egg, and a Zerg Mutalisk hatched and flew into the sky, huge drops of placenta-like material raining onto the ground as the Mutalisk shook itself dry.
Its entrance was short-lived, however, as the Zergling Leader commanded the Mutalisk to enter hibernation once again. A Mutalisk would not do well for the Leader's plan; no, he needed a Guardian.I watched my live-feed closely as the Zerg Guardian laboriously made its way across the Station. it appeared not to be heading in my direction, and I took comfort in that fact.
A beep signaled that Researching a better Upgrade had finished, and that my Marines were slightly stronger than a minute before. I pressed the button once more, watched my Mineral count decrease a sum, and the Upgrade timer begin to tick down.
As I turned back to the live-feed, my eyes widened in horror; the Guardian was heading towards the Protoss Zealots! Zealots have no air attack whatsoever, and the Guardian's attack range outranked that of the Protoss Photon Cannon; if the Zerg covert attack continued, the Zealots would be dead in a matter of minutes.
Once again I commanded my Civillian to move to the Brown Beacon. That Guardian would not survive my Marines. The MassAttack command in my helmet flashed a dark brown and an image of a Protoss Zealot.
"Time to go," someone standing next to me declared. I nodded and powered up my rifle as I began to move. It would be a long trek down, but our Leader had the right idea.
I soon realized, however, that our Leader had other things in mind. As we trudged along towards the Zealot base, up in the air floated the most grotesque, ugly, disgusting thing I ever saw. It looked like a huge floating crab, but it barked like a dog.
"Guardian," someone nearby hissed. I could tell by the tone of their voice that they were as repulsed as me.
I sneered and raised my rifle. "It won't get far."
But apparently the Zergling Leader was aware of our presence, 'cause the Guardian started to float away.
"Should we follow it?" I asked.
"Why bother?" someone ahead of me answered. "Now's our chance to take care of these puny Zealots!"
I grinned as I lowered my rifle; the guy had a point. Screaming loud and in a giddy tone I opened fire on the helpless Protoss.I should have expected this outcome: the Zealots, without upgrades and unequipped with a ranged attack, fell quickly to the Marines I had originally sent on a mission of mercy. But could I be blamed for their slaughter? It was the entire point of today's Game. I smiled as the Mineral count on my monitor rose to new heights. They would be useful for my eventual attack upon the Zerg forces; they were certainly a thorn in my side.
Curious, I ordered the Science Vessel to pinpoint the current location of the Zerg Guardian. It appeared to be floating in the White-Ghost's territory, Ghosts who had since been slaughtered. Unfortunately the Guardian waited in the safety of that Leader's former Command Center and Upgrade/Research apparatus. My Marines' range was not enough to reach the creature.
By now I had received quite a few reinforcements: Sarah Kerrigan the Sniper; a Dark Sorcerer in the form of an Infested Terran; a Terran Wraith; a Mutalisk of my own to control; a Reaver robot; and a Protoss Arbiter.
I sat within my Command Center, contemplating what I should send to destroy the Guardian. Nothing would have quite the flair of an Arbiter Recalling some powerful Marines into the area. And with the Guardian only having the ability to attack units on the ground, my Arbiter would be safe from harm.
With a grin I directed my Arbiter within the Guardian's place of sanctuary. "Get ready," someone next to me said, "We're about to be Recalled."
"Recalled? I thought only the Protoss--"
But I didn't finish what I wanted to say. A blue vortex suddenly appeared in the sky above us and drifted down, enclosing a lot of us within its shimmering cocoon.
"Oh crap," I managed to choke out as my sphincter threatened to relax.
I immediately felt weightless, drifting in Nowhere, without anything to protect me; my gun, my armor, even my clothes were gone. When I screamed nothing came out. I was sure I was dead.
But then, just as suddenly as it all happened, it was over. I was miles away from the Bunker, with that disgusting Guardian floating above me.
With the 'Recall' sequence gone from my mind, all that mattered now was that I wipe this disgusting turd off the face of the universe. Roaring, I shoved my gun, which I suddenly had in my arms again, into the sky and pulled the trigger. My comrades did the same, and we made short work of that Guardian.It soon became clear who would win this Game. The White-Ghosts, not having an ally in the first place, were the first to go. Teal's Marines, toting heavy firepower, made short work of Brown's Zealots during its mission against the Blue-Zergling's Guardian. Now only two forces remained, the Terrans and the Zerg. The Dragoons were alone, and it was only a matter of time before they fell as well.
The Dragoon's Leader directed its Civillian to activate the 'Move to Purple' Beacon. Teal's Civillian watched with narrowed eyes, for he knew he would be commanded to intercept soon.
The sky suddenly darkened, and lightning streaked across the sky; someone's connection was faltering.
Seconds later an agonized, high-pitched whine filled the ComSys of the remaining Command Centers; the Dragoon's Leader had disappeared.
Gui Montag grinned wickedly as the mindless Dragoons continued to march towards his men; with their Leader gone, they could do nothing. Gui's Firebats would finally have something to do.
With the sounds of flaming gas filling his personal ComSys, Gui's ally attempted to speak above the commotion. "Will the now-mindless Dragoons be enough to boost your defenses?"Gui nodded to himself, responding, "We'll kick those Zerg asses back to the Stone Age."
Montag's ally rumbled in agreement. "Then let us go and win this game."
II. The Leader
III.
IV. The Marine
V. The Leader
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VII. The Leader
VIII. The Marine
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X. The Leader
XI. The Marine
XII. The Leader
XIII.
XIV. The Leader
XV. The Marine
XVI. The Leader
XVII. The Marine
XVIII.
