StarCraft: High Yield
Chapter 1
Char – 2 years after the Brood War, year 2502
The Queen of Blades looked out over the broken surface of Char. The scatterings of the Zerg swarm, her swarm, were agitated. They had lain restless, waiting for the time to strike.
The entirety of the swarm was prepared from the dog-sized zerglings to the fearsome spine-shooting hydralisks; the gargantuan ultralisks to the explosive flying scourge. They had lain dormant for nearly 2 years, resting, preparing. Their carapaces had hardened under the volcanic activity of the planet, now they looked once again to rise up strike fear into the hearts of the Terrans and Protoss once again.
Kerrigan, the fallen ghost, the Queen of Blades, was ready to kill them all.
Korhal –Terran Dominion Throne World, Korhal System
Arcturus Mengsk was not having a good day.
The Emperor of the Terran Dominion, the ruler of hundreds of worlds with nearly unlimitless resources, could not find a single ship out in the void of space. Mengsk missed the battlecruiser James Raynor had stolen from him nearly 2 years ago, but still the traitor eluded him. Besides, it was not just out of nostalgia that Mengsk longed after the Hyperion, it was because of the numerous secrets locked away aboard the vessel.
Mengsk had to find that ship. But he still had to find an appropriate general. He needed to replace the great, fallen, Edmund Duke. And when the last report came in, Mengsk discovered that his chosen candidate had been killed in a skirmish with the infernal Protoss.
A small red light began blinking next to Arcturus' intercom. He sighed and pressed the button next to it. "What is it?" he snapped.
"General Gemui of Theta Squadron is here to see you," the voice on the speaker said.
Mengsk folded his hands in a steeple and leaned his head against them. Gemui was supposed to be out on patrol with the rest of Theta Squadron out by the rebel factions. What was he doing here? Mengsk's mind rapidly flew through hundreds of possibilities, before arriving at the one that seemed most likely.
"My lord?" the voice on the intercom said.
"Send him in," Mengsk ordered. He realized he had been thinking for several minutes. I can't get caught up like that again, he thought. He wrote down a note to practice his thinking and put in his desk just before the general walked in.
Gemui walked with the rigid motions of a subordinate approaching a superior. He came to a stop several feet away from Mengsk's throne and saluted. His hand fell to his side at a small gesture from Mengsk.
"So the Protoss have attacked the Kel-Morian Combine, have they?" Mengsk said, studying Gemui's face.
"Actually, sir, it's not the Protoss, it's the Zerg," Gemui replied, standing at attention.
Mengsk's eyes flew wide in shock. "The Zerg, you're sure? Perhaps a slave brood controlled by some rebels?"
"No, sir. It was a full brood. From some of the markings on the behemoths, it seemed to be the Nidhogg Brood. They came from an unknown vector and struck at the Kel-Morians before seizing the entire planet. Several rescue ships made it off, but not many. The Kel-Morian leader, General Mah Sakai organized a counter attacked, but was forced to flee. Theta Squadron was also forced to retreat, under the Zerg onslaught."
Mengsk rested his head against his hands once again. Instead of considering all possible scenarios like before, he already had a plan. It formed in his head as he compared troop strengths and enemy responses. Less than ten seconds later, he raised his head and looked at General Gemui.
"I'm sending Theta Squadron to deal with this infestation. You'll be re-equipped and sent out to destroy the Zerg. Gamma Squadron and Alpha Squadron will also be sent with you. Gamma Squadron will deal with evacuating civilians while Alpha Squadron will deal with the inevitable Protoss response. We both know that they will glass the world."
"On a side note, I want you to dispatch several Ghosts to do some, reconnaissance at Kel-Morian Headquarters on the planet, discreetly, of course. Any questions?"
"One, sir," Gemui said. "What do we do if the Kel-Morians try to stop the investigation?"
"Well," Mengsk said casually. "It's about time they joined the Dominion."