Summary: A year after the fall of the Defenders of Man, Nova Terra finds herself caught up trying to identify and prevent a deadly terrorist plot against the Dominion by the newly formed Angels of Tarsonis under the leadership of the enigmatic Angel. Now Nova must find allies and rebuild her forces to prevent disaster from occurring!
Disclaimer: I own only a few characters but little else. Everything else is owned by Blizzard Entertainment.
A/N: Blizzard games hold a particular soft spot in my heart. The first RTS game I ever played was WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness. I loved it so much that I got StarCraft not long after it came out and I've been a fan ever since. I got to thinking about what Nova's story would be after the events of the Nova Covert Ops missions and this story gradually formed in my mind. The End War against Amon is over but as the Defenders of Man proved, there are still threats to galactic peace and plenty of loose ends left unaccounted for.
Timeline wise, this story takes place a year after the Covert Ops missions which takes place in 2508. Just as a quick recap for those who don't know the timeline of the StarCraft games…
The SC1 campaigns, colloquially known as the Great War took place in 2499-2500. StarCraft Brood War took place in 2500. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm (the Second Great War) took place in 2504 and 2505 respectively. Legacy of the Void (The End War) took place in 2506. And as stated, Nova Covert Ops (the Defenders of Man Incident) took place in 2508. This story takes place in 2509. We're ignoring the established canon that comes after 2509 since it's largely irrelevant to the story and wouldn't have happened yet anyway.
StarCraft Enthusiasts Please Note: This story is being written from a lore perspective, not gameplay. For example, it takes multiple missiles from a missile turret to kill a Mutalisk in game. In this it takes only one with a direct hit, maybe two depending on how strong the carapace is. So, ignore gameplay factors in this.
One more thing, there will likely be some crossover with other Blizzard Titles such as WarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and even Heroes of the Storm. You'll likely see what I mean as the story progresses. Some will be clever references while others will be more overt such as Sgt. Hammer or Lt. Morales.
So with that said, enjoy…
City of Raynor, Mar Sara Colony
December 12th, 2509
12:23 PM
The City of Raynor was the first settlement on Mar Sara after its second purification during the Second Great War. It was named after Mar Sara's local hero: James E. Raynor, and a statue of him astride his Vulture sat out front the City Hall/Command Center. The city was not only the colony's first settlement but also its largest city while small towns and farms dotted the wasteland.
However, the otherwise sleepy city was not to sleep for long today as, outside the First Dominion Bank, a pair of illegally modified Vultures followed by a customized civilian cargo truck, all three in black, roared up to the bank entrance, the vulture drivers whooping and hollering, firing semi-automatic pistols into the air. The drivers holstered their pistols and grabbed the SMGs and assault rifles they carried, charging into the bank through the front doors, firing off several rounds into the air, the civilians and bank workers ducking for cover out of fear.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! No reason to be afraid unless someone decides to be a hero, then in that case, be afraid!" one of the criminals yelled into the room, as two more of his gang came running in followed closely by a fully suited Marauder.
"Now here's how this is going to work people! We here you've got a surplus of raw minerals and credits in stock here so we're here to take that surplus off your hands! Oh, and same goes for any valuables you might have, so wallets, jewelry, purses, credit chips, everything goes in the bags!" the crook yelled as he waved his gun around, two of his goons moving in with empty sacks towards the cowering customers and employees, beginning to collect their valuables, while the other stood watch with an assault rifle. The lead goon then turned towards the Marauder.
"Get to work on the safe. Make it fast." The crook said as the Marauder gave a nod.
"Oh, it's on." The Marauder said as he lumbered towards the wall safe, the lead goon following after him. The Marauder raised his right arm, aiming it at the safe before firing off one of his K12 "Punishers," at the safe door. The blast caused many of the civilians to start screaming in fear. The first blast put a light dent in the door.
"Pipe down or you'll be put against the wall!" one of the crooks yelled at the crowd, silencing them.
"Again! Keep firing until we crack it!" the lead crook ordered, the Marauder chuckling darkly.
"Don't need to tell me twice." The Maruader said, raising both arms towards the vault, starting to fire at the vault at a steady rate. As the two crooks collecting the valuables moved around the room, and with the lead crook and Marauder distracted, the fourth was left to patrol, keeping a look out for trouble. He then noticed something strange moving nearby, a strange distortion near one of the counters that had the various bank slips for the customers, complete with the pens on the little chains. As he approached, the distortion suddenly vanished.
"What the-?" he asked softly to himself. One of the civilians, a young girl with a plush purple Zergling clutched to her chest looked at the goon as he investigated. Suddenly he staggered upright before his head spun unnaturally to the right with a sickening crack that was muffled by the explosions from the vault door. The girl gasped in fear and alarm as the crook was mysteriously dragged behind the counter, out of sight from the others.
"Mama, the man, he fell over." She said, not quite understanding what had happened.
"Shh, quiet honey." Her mother whispered.
"Hey! No talking!" one of the crooks with the bags ordered, shoving his SMG in their faces, the two holding each other close in fear.
"Yeah, that's right, keep quiet or you'll be-gah-muph!" the crook screamed but it sounded like his mouth was being muffled as he struggled against an unseen force. His neck was suddenly snapped and he fell limp to the ground, landing behind another counter, out of sight of his partners, his body landing at the same time as another explosion from the Marauder so it went unnoticed.
"Gah, this vault's thicker than anticipated!" the lead crook groaned as the Marauder let out a noticeable sigh through his suit's speakers.
"Time's a wastin'." The marauder said as the crook groaned and started to turn away from the vault.
"Why does every Marauder I know say tha-…wait a minute, where's Jimbo and Louie?" the crook asked as the third crook, stopped and looked around, confused.
"I dunno, they were just here a second ago, boss!" the third said as the boss raised his rifle, cocking it.
"Somethin' ain't right. Keep your eyes peeled, somethin' fishy is goin' on around here." The boss commented as he started looking around. The Marauder stepped away from the vault, his grenade launchers loaded and ready to fire again as they swept the room. The third goon then found the other bag goon lying dead on the ground.
"Holy hell! Louie!" he exclaimed, dropping to one knee to check for a pulse, the Boss rushing to him while the Marauder looked around with both arms raised. The goon looked up at the boss, a look of disbelief on his face.
"He's dead, neck's snapped." The goon said as the boss looked their hostages over, each of them looking confused but fearful.
"This is professional. I've seen this before." The boss said as he turned away, listening closely but all he heard was the metallic thumping of the Marauder's feet as it walked around, looking for a trace of the intruder.
"What is it, boss?" the remaining goon asked as the boss swallowed in fear.
"Ghost." He muttered before hearing a thud behind him, he spun around with his gun raised but saw nothing. He looked down and saw the third goon slumped over on the floor, blood running from a fresh through-and-through hole in the side of his cranium.
"Mother mercy." The boss hissed as he cocked his rifle, sweat running down his brow as he backed up towards the marauder in fear.
"Damn it, head for the car, we're bugging out." The goon said before he heard a loud metallic pinging sound behind him. He spun around in time to see the Marauder lower his arms, swaying a little before dropping to its knees and falling to the floor, blood starting to flow from a hole in the Marauder's helmet.
"Oh hell." He said before hearing an electronic hissing sound behind him. He instinctively dropped his rifle, raising his hand in surrender as he dropped to his knees. He then felt the metal ring of a C-20A Canister Rifle pressed against his neck.
"That side-arm you're thinking about reaching for, forget it." A woman's voice said. The Boss's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before narrowing.
"Damn telepaths." He muttered as a pair of fully armored Spec. Ops Marines entered with their rifles trained on the Boss. On their shoulder plates was their original Special Operations decal but with a Hawk insignia emblazoned behind it.
"Area's secured, commander. We've got it from here." One of the marines said. The Ghost, a blonde haired woman in the skin-tight hostile environment suit of a Terran Ghost shouldered her rifle, pulling the goggles up from over her eyes.
"Good. Make sure the hostages get their belongings returned and take whatever arms these crooks brought with them. Vultures and the Marauder too. Probably could salvage some of its equipment." Nova ordered as one of the Marines saluted.
"Got it." The marine replied as Nova started out of bank, putting a hand to her earpiece.
"Nova to Griffin. Targets eliminated or in custody. Mission accomplished." Nova said into the earpiece.
"Great job out there, Chief. Reigel's already at the Magistrate's office. He's reported your success and the Magistrate wants to meet." A young woman's voice replied. Nova took a breath and looked down the street towards where the nearby Dominion base was located, the City Hall/Command Center sitting right smack in the center of it.
"Thanks for the update, Corporal. Let Reigel know I'm on my way." Nova said into her earpiece, eyeing one of the criminal's vultures.
"Way ahead of you, Chief. Our SCVs just got the mineral and vespene shipment from the colonists. Should we start the repairs?" the Corporal asked.
"No. We'll start repairs when we arrive on Deadman's Rock. Go ahead and start the preflight checks, we'll leave as soon as we're all aboard." Nova replied.
"Araso! Wheels can go up in thirty minutes, Chief." The Corporal said as Nova climbed onto the vulture, starting it up. The vulture was already hotwired by its previous owner so she didn't have to do it a second time.
"Keep the engines running, Song. Nova out." Nova replied before veering the Vulture away from the bank and towards the base.
…
Magistrate's Office, Raynor City Hall/Command Center
Ten minutes later.
Nova emerged from the elevator into the office of the Colony's Magistrate. The Magistrate was a man in his early forties with a neatly kept beard and goatee with connecting sideburns. He wore an old military uniform with a few medals native to both the Dominion and even the old Confederacy. He stood by an old audio emitter playing a recording of American Trilogy. Reigel stood nearby with his hands behind his back as Nova approached. The Magistrate then turned towards her with a smile of relief on his face.
"Ah, there she is. Ms. Terra, on behalf of the people of Mar Sara, I thank you for your efforts in eradicatin' that filth for us." The Magistrate said in a typical drawl as Nova slid her rifle off her shoulder, setting it down, butt first on the ground and leaning slightly on the barrel.
"It wasn't easy. Took some work to extract the information on their next hit from one of their flunkies. Once we knew where they would hit, it was a simple matter of lying in wait and taking them down one by one." Nova explained as the Magistrate chuckled, pushing an open box of cigars towards her but she shook her head in polite refusal.
"Well now, the last time I heard of someone operatin' the way you do, he got made Marshal of these here parts. Of course, we all know how that turned out. Got a whole damn town named after him." The Magistrate said, smiling fondly at a photograph on the wall of his younger self standing next to Jim Raynor, circa the Great War. Raynor was still wearing his Confederate Marshal's badge in the photograph but there were Sons of Korhal Dropships in the background. The Magistrate then turned towards Nova and was about to say something but Nova raised a hand, signaling to stop.
"I'm not interested in becoming your new Marshal. I understand the Dominion's sending a new one anyway. Should be here any minute." Nova said before looking over her shoulder at Reigel, motioning towards the door with her head. Reigel understood the signal and gave a nod, heading for the elevator.
"Ah, telepaths. Heh. You remind me of the first Ghost I ever met. Didn't turn out too well for her though…well…at least at first." The Magistrate said as Nova shouldered her rifle.
"We appreciate the minerals, gas, and supplies. That, plus the arms and equipment that we've taken off the Junkrats, are adequate to cover our fees." Nova said as the Magistrate gave a nod and a slight bow.
"And we appreciate the restoration of law and order you've given us in return, Ms. Terra. If ever you need a place to lay low, you can expect the Mar Sara Militia to turn a blind eye to your presence. We have a reputation for standin' up for the folk who fight the good fight." The Magistrate said as Nova smirked slightly.
"If only the fight of me and my crew were so good. For us, it's just survival." Nova said but the Magistrate wasn't convinced.
"My dear, survival is just as good a fight as any. Now I don't know about you, but I'd skedaddle before the new Marshal arrives. His ship arrives in the system twenty minutes from now. Don't want you gettin' caught in the noose." The Magistrate said as Nova backed away into the elevator.
"We'll keep in touch, Magistrate." Nova said before the doors closed.
…
Griffin – Bridge
Mar Sara Surface
Fifteen Minutes Later
Nova and Reigel emerged onto the bridge just as proximity alarms started going off.
"It's about time you showed up! Dominion Battlecruiser just dropped out of warp in high orbit! Dropship with Viking escort inbound for the surface! Trajectory indicates they're heading for the Capital!" a young Terran female said from one of the forward consoles. The woman had long brown hair and wore a green Goliath Pilot jumpsuit but she wore a small headset. Her facial features were distinctly Asian in origin.
"Have they detected us, Corporal?" Nova asked but the girl gave her a cocky glare in exchange.
"I raised the cloaking field after you came on board. So far, no sign that we've been made. We've done this, like a million times! They've never detected us before." the Corporal argued.
"Then get us flying, and off world before they break our streak." Nova ordered. The Corporal smirked and cracked her knuckles.
"Nal-la-gan-da! All hands, standby for takeoff!" the Corporal said into her headset as the station alarms started going off, the crew scrambling to their stations. The Griffin started to shake as its engines fired up, raising up off the ground before suddenly starting to rocket forward, headed for the atmosphere. To anyone standing outside though, all they could see with the naked eye was a large cloud of dust and hear a deafening roar of the engines.
"Battlecruiser is maintaining course. Looks like they didn't notice us." The Corporal reported.
"As long as we keep out of range of those missile towers, they won't notice us." Reigel added.
"Oh those have been offline for 'scheduled maintenance' for about an hour. Magistrate ordered it I think." The Corporal reported as the Griffin started to break atmosphere.
"The Magistrate of Mar Sara's got a reputation for playing fast and loose with the rules so long as it benefits his people. He's a good leader." Nova said before turning to Reigel.
"Alright, as soon as we're out of sensor range, we make the jump to Deadman's Rock. Signal Graven, let him know our job on Mar Sara is done. Ask him for a meet up to discuss new job opportunities. Corporal, as soon as we're away, I want to know what our status is." Nova said as the Corporal picked up a tablet off her console, holding it up for the Ghost but Reigel was closer and took the report.
"Already ahead of you. Everything's here in the notes." The Corporal said as Reigel looked it over.
"We have enough minerals to make our usual repairs and maintenance with enough leftover to produce a few replacement SCVs and replenish some of our arms and ammunition. Our Vespene stores will give us the fuel we need to keep flying for roughly two more weeks before needing to resupply. Our supplies will last us two more weeks after that. The small arms we took from the Junkrats are being inventoried but the ammunition packs we took off of them are compatible with the P-38s for our Reapers. The Maruader's 5-4 armor is being stripped for parts. The previous occupant left some bio-waste behind, rendering the suit unsafe." Reigel explained as Nova rolled her eyes.
"Wonderful. First time we might've been able to field a Marauder in months and the previous operator didn't maintain the septic systems in it." Nova grumbled.
"Well, we at least have a few punisher grenades in stock for when we can field them." Reigel said as Nova slung her rifle over her shoulder.
"Whenever that may be." Nova muttered as she started for the back. Reigel let out a slight sigh through his nose, feeling helpless to help the former Ghost overcome her melancholy.
"Chief's really bummed out right now, huh?" the Corporal asked, not taking her eyes off the screens.
"It's been almost a year since we became fugitives from the Dominion. We've lost people, equipment, every day our situation seems worse and worse. And Nova blames herself for it." Reigel said as the Corporal looked over her shoulder at him.
"It's not so bad, I mean you have gained people, like me for instance." The Corporal said with a cheery grin. Reigel smiled slightly.
"Yes but in doing so, you too are a fugitive from your people now. I doubt the Umojans will be any more forgiving for your stealing a Goliath and going rogue." Reigel said as the Corporal shrugged.
"We didn't have a good synergy. Besides, micromanaging a base safe and sound within Umojan space was boring. My APM was sadness. It's much more exciting here though." The Corporal replied as Reigel chuckled slightly.
"Still, you might feel comfortable here, but the Commander doesn't." Reigel said, looking back towards the doors.
…
Graven's Hollow – Deadman's Port
Deadman's Rock
8:32 PM – Local Time
Graven's Hollow was a district of the criminal and lawless Deadman's Port owned and run wholly by the mercenary recruiter Graven Hill. Here he maintained his own base not too far from the base run by Mira Han. It used to be the area occupied by Colonel Orlan before Mira and Raynor's Raiders teamed up to bring him down. Now Graven ran the area. The Griffin started to touch down in one of the many makeshift landing areas near the base, a squad of the Griffin's Marines disembarking and setting up a security perimeter to keep any scavengers or other mercs away from the ship. Nova, Reigel, and Corporal
Song disembarked close behind.
"Graven said he's not at his base. He's at his club in the Moonguard District." Corporal Song reported as Nova scowled.
"Goldshire's. I always feel the need to cloak through that place." Nova muttered as one of the Griffin's technicians pushed one of the impounded Vultures down the boarding ramp for her.
"We'll see if we can find more supplies and resources. We'll get the SCVs on the repairs as well." Reigel said as Nova mounted the bike, pulling the goggles over her eyes, revving the bike's engines.
"And I'll see if we can find some work worth a damn." Nova replied before riding off into town, leaving the Griffin and its crew behind.
…
Goldshire's Gentleman's Club – Moonguard District – Deadman's Port
Deadman's Rock
20 Minutes Later
Goldshire's was one of the seediest places on Deadman's Rock. It was a strip club, bar, and brothel rolled into one and built into a refurbished First Great War era Command Center. Nova regularly cloaked and made her way into the club, passing through the repurposed Command Bay where the bar and at least four stages with dancing polls were set up, scantily clad Terran women doing their thing while the crowd of patrons cheered and threw credit chips at the women. Nova wasn't particularly repulsed by the sights but didn't favor them either, instead just cloaking and making her way through to the elevator where a fully armored Marine stood guard. She then decloaked in front of him, the Marine not acting particularly surprised to see her.
"Oh, Terra. Go on in. Boss is expecting you." The Marine said as Nova gave a quiet nod, stepping into the elevator. It was a slow ride up to the Observation Deck/Commander's Office. This was where Graven operated his businesses the most often although he had at least two secondary locations he could work from. The elevator doors opened and Nova stepped out into Graven's office where Graven sat with a scantily clad Terran woman on his lap. The woman had artificially pigmented her skin in a shade of purple, dyed her hair green, had glowing white contact lenses in her eyes, and had gotten her ears artificially elongated. Graven noticed Nova's arrival and smirked at her briefly before looking back at the woman on his lap.
"Right, well, I think you'll make a good show. I'll talk to Dave. Get you scheduled." Graven said as the woman stood up off his lap, blowing him a kiss as she sashayed out of the office. Nova could read her thoughts and rolled her eyes as she passed.
"Part of a new fad that's sweeping some of the Dominion youth. They call it Nelfing. They get their skin pigmented in shades of purple, get their ears elongated, and make themselves look like elves from some fantasy universe. Goes over really well with the customers." Graven chuckled as Nova looked at him.
"I thought it was called Belfing." Nova commented.
"Same idea except Belfing doesn't involve skin pigmentation. But enough about pleasure, let's get down to business. I take it you've seen the news reports out of Mar Sara?" Graven asked, turning a monitor hanging overhead around towards her, the monitor showing a UNN news report with Kate Lockwell reporting on the recent capture of the Junkrats Mercenary Gang on Mar Sara.
"What's the story?" Nova asked.
"Junkrat himself is pissed. You took down his squad on Mar Sara. He was looking forward to becoming the de-facto ruler of the colony but you kinda interfered. Good news is, he doesn't know it was you. News claims it was the local militia that stopped him. No mention of a Ghost." Graven explained as Nova smirked.
"That's how we like to keep it." Nova said as Graven chuckled.
"Maybe but it doesn't exactly help you build a rep. I mean you and I know the truth, but your rep doesn't change and a mediocre rep doesn't help with the job offers. Speaking of which, I've got four for you that might interest you." Graven said, spreading four tablets across his desk in front of him. Nova picked up one and started to look it over.
"Forsaken Force offering one hundred grand to partner on raid of Dominion Resear-. No way. We don't go up against the Dominion, and you keep pushing this same job. Is this Forsaken Force having that hard a time with this job?" Nova asked as Graven shrugged.
"Job's been posted for about a month, only a few takers but everyone who's gotten involved has never come back alive. The target research facility hasn't reported any break-ins either so odds are that the takers don't even make it to the facility." Graven said as Nova discarded the tablet and picked up another.
"I really don't care if they do or not. My crew and I don't fight the Dominion." Nova said, scanning over the tablet before discarding it and picking up another.
"Your call, but you're making it harder on yourself. A lot of the high paying jobs involve crossing the Dominion in some way." Graven said as Nova discarded the third tablet.
"We'll manage. Isn't there anything that doesn't involve crossing the Dominion?" Nova asked. Graven merely smirked at her, pushing forward the fourth tablet.
"Saved this one especially for you. Dominion Black Ops team dispatched to Athena. It's a jungle planet near Cavir. Largely uninhabited but reports mention a Feral Zerg hive. Intercepted the transmission using Orlan's old comm-sat station." Graven said as Nova looked the tablet over. She then saw something that made her pause, a look of concern on her face.
"Black marked." She muttered.
"Meaning?" Graven asked, confused.
"The team they deployed, they've been black marked so if they call for back-up or extraction, Dominion Forces aren't allowed to respond. Instead they deny they ever existed or the claim they operated without orders from Command." Nova said as Graven sat back in his chair.
"Deniability. Sounds rough. Would hate to be those guys right now." Graven said as Nova lowered the tablet, looking at him.
"Dominion's not offering any rewards are they?" Nova asked.
"No, but you have mentioned that you've needed more manpower. That team, if things go sideways, will effectively be out of a job. Might be able to add a few extra hands to your crew of…what do you call them, the Nighthawks?" Graven asked as Nova gave a nod.
"That's right. And thanks, Graven. Keep your ears open for any other jobs, even if they aren't high paying. So long as they don't cross swords with the Dominion, we'll take it." Nova said before turning and heading for the elevator.
"A pleasure doing business with you, as always." Graven said as his eyes went towards Nova's rear, admiring how her suit fit her. Nova could hear his thoughts but ignored them, only rolling her eyes.
"And Graven. I wouldn't hire the Nelf. She's…let's just say she's infested." Nova said as Graven scowled.
"Noted." Graven said, picking up a pistol and making sure it was loaded as Nova stepped into the elevator.
…
Griffin - Bridge
Athena High Orbit
10:31 PM, Shipboard Time
Nova and Reigel stood on the bridge of the Griffin, looking out towards the jungle planet before them. Corporal Song sat at the helm controls, taking readings of the surface.
"Atmosphere is rated safe for humans, picking up a few small Zerg Hive Clusters but they seem Feral and far away from our landing zone." Corporal Song reported.
"Any sign of the Black Ops team?" Nova asked.
"None yet but I am picking up residual exhaust in the upper atmosphere. They arrived maybe an hour ago by my estimates." Song replied as Nova narrowed her eyes towards the planet.
"Take us in quietly. Keep comm channels open on the known Dominion Covert Channels." Nova said as they heard the Griffin's cloaking field activating.
"I'm not picking up anything on the Dominion channels but…that's interesting." Reigel said as he put a headset to his right ear.
"What is it?" Nova asked.
"I'm picking up a signal on channel R945." Reigel reported as Nova and Song both looked towards him.
"R945? But that's an old pirate channel." Song replied but Nova had a disturbed look on her face.
"Not just any channel, it's the one used by Raynor's Raiders before they dissolved! What are they saying?" Nova asked as Reigel pressed a button, allowing a static garbled transmission to start playing through the bridge speakers.
"Mayday-mayday! This is (garbled) pinned down by Zerg! Repeat we are pinned down by Zerg in sector Phi-Delta-Foxtrot-32! Need immediate evac!" a man's voice yelled into the radio.
"Can we respond?" Nova asked as Reigel gave a nod.
"Channel open." Reigel said as Nova stepped up to the console which displayed a waveform of the incoming signal.
"This is Agent X41822N, we've received your transmission and we're coming in to assist. Standby for extraction." Nova said. She waited for a response but got nothing but dead air.
"We just lost the signal, but we've got a lock on their location! Still picking up Terran life signs and a few Zerg!" Song replied.
"Terrain scans show two possible paths from our landing area. Long path is along a cliff edge and seems fairly clear. Short path runs near a small Hive Cluster." Reigel reported as Nova gave a nod
"Song! Alert the Reaper team! We'll be able to cross the distance a lot faster with them than the Marines and Vultures. I'm suiting up." Nova said as Reigel gave a nod.
…
Black Ops Landing Area
Athena
Five Minutes Later
The Black Ops team was practically wiped out. Only two Special Operations Marines stood defending the burning remains of their dropship. The corpses of three other Covert Ops Marines, two Marauders, and a Ghost lay around them. The two Marines were holding their ground as Feral Zerglings came charging at them, getting gunned down with relative ease by the Marines. One of the Marines though was wearing a visibly older model of the CMC armor, the armor being all black with teal shoulder plating but using the modern variant of the C-14 Rifle.
"Sergeant, on your right!" the Marine in the older armor yelled as the other Marine turned and fired at an approaching Zergling, killing it just as it attempted to pounce at him.
"There's too many of them, Cap! When's evac coming?!" the Sergeant asked over the gunfire. The Captain looked towards him briefly before answering.
"They'll get here soon." The Captain lied, knowing that no such rescue was coming.
"Good, because we've gotta get this intel to Command, otherwise we're fu-OUGH!" the Marine cried out just as a Hydralisk spine smashed through his helmet visor, killing him instantly.
"Mother mercy!" the Captain yelped as he ducked down behind his cover, blind firing over the cover at the Zerg before taking a breath.
"Well…so this is how it ends." The Captain said softly. He was about to leap up from behind his cover for a final heroic charge when he heard gunfire coming from nearby.
"What in the-…" the Captain asked as he popped out of cover in time to see a squad of Covert Ops Reapers descending from a nearby cliff, firing their guns at the attacking Zerg, a certain blonde Ghost on a jump-pack of her own leading the charge with her C-20A in hand. The Marine stood in quiet awe as the Zerg were gunned down, the Ghost rocketing towards him and sliding to a stop.
"Someone call for an exterminator?" Nova asked as she raised her visor.
"You?" he asked softly. Nova immediately tried to read his thoughts and for a brief moment she saw Tarsonis, a large tower, the back of a blonde haired woman, but suddenly his thoughts became shielded, as if something cut her off. Playing it calm, she rested her rifle on her shoulder while the Reapers took up a defensive position, one of them checking for survivors.
"We got your distress call. We're here to extract you." Nova said as the Captain remained silent for a moment. His visor then opened with a hiss, revealing a man in his mid-twenties with short brown hair, a stubble beard, and an otherwise clean cut appearance.
"We weren't supposed to get extraction if our ship got destroyed. But then, you probably know that Agent X41822N. Real name: November Terra." The Captain said as Nova narrowed her eyes. She tightened the grip on her gun and her Nighthawk Reapers were all staring at him, their guns in hand.
"So you know who I am." She said, the Captain giving a nod before tossing aside his rifle.
"Captain Miles Kunis. Dominion Special Operations. Call me Ace, ma'am." The Captain said with a salute.
"That didn't answer my question, Captain." Nova said as the Captain gave a nod.
"Ma'am, the whole Dominion Special Ops. Division knows who you are. We know the story of what went down between you and General Davis. We're all on your side morally, but legally, we have orders to treat you as a rogue agent. You know what that means, right?" Miles asked before noticing several blue targeting lasers shimmering across his armor. He looked and saw the Nighthawk Reapers training their pistols on him.
"Oh put those guns down boys, I'm not going to do a damn thing, not to the Commander or to you." The Captain said without a hint of fear. The Reapers looked at each other as Nova smirked a little, amused by his gumption.
"You said your name was Ace?" Nova asked as the Captain looked back down at her.
"Yes ma'am. That's what everyone calls me. Listen, if you came here to rescue me, then much obliged. But we need to get this intelligence data to the Dominion as soon as possible." Ace said as he held up a metal satchel with a strap on it. The satchel had an upside-down elongated egg shape, a mask perhaps, with what appeared to be a shimmering halo behind the fat end and angel wings extending from the sides.
"What is it?" Nova asked.
"Not sure. This was just a drop-off point for a deep cover agent. Our mission was just to recover it and return it to HQ on Korhal." Ace replied as Nova took the satchel, looking it over. They then heard the distant screech of a Zergling, causing them all to look around in alarm.
"Ma'am, I don't mean to rush you but we're kinda pressed for time. The natives are restless." Ace said as Nova gave a nod, putting the satchel on before cocking her rifle.
"Can you keep up, Captain?" Nova asked as Ace smirked, picking up his rifle.
"I haven't lived through four wars just to die to a bunch of Feral Zerg on some jungle backwater." Ace said, cocking his rifle.
"Let's go!" Nova ordered, firing up her jump pack as they started back off towards the landing area.
…
Unknown Location
Ten Minutes Later
A Terran man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a white naval uniform, approached a pair of metal doors that had been decorated with white plating and with golden angelic symbolism, including the strange decal of the white mask with wings and halo in gold on the doors. The doors opened to reveal a round room with white metal paneling, a curved white couch facing away from the door, facing the windows looking out over the blackness of space. The room was adorned with various upper-class amenities and fixtures, all white or gold colored with a distinct angelic theme. Among the amenities was a white grand piano with gold painted trim.
Stood near the windows was a hooded figure clad in large white and gold robes and white gloves.
"Our intel was correct, my lady. We discovered a spy in our midst. He has been apprehended and interrogated but reports say that he managed to pass information along to the Dominion about our efforts." The man said with a Russian accent as the figure glanced over its shoulder slightly.
"And what information got out?" the figure asked, a feminine voice coming from the figure, her voice filtered through some kind of speaker.
"We are not sure. We discovered he left an intel packet on the planet Athena and signaled the Dominion for pickup. We've already routed one of our cells to investigate and while their report indicates that a Feral Zerg hive managed to down their transport, they were rescued by a mercenary force." The man explained as the figure turned towards him. She wore a smooth dome-like mask over her face like the one on the sigil.
"Which mercenary force?" the figure asked.
"A relatively new group known as Nova's Nighthawks. They're led by an ex-Dominion Ghost named Nova Terra. We believe they rescued any survivors and may have obtained the intelligence the spy left for them." The man reported as the woman looked away.
"Nova…" she muttered slightly. She then looked back at him.
"Set a course for Deadman's Rock. I need to speak with our associates." The woman said as the man bowed.
"Right away, Angel." The man said before turning to leave, the woman turning back towards the windows as the doors shut behind her.
"After all these years…she reappears." The woman muttered softly as the blast shields over the windows raised into place as the Behemoth class Battlecruiser she was on prepared to jump to warp.
End Chapter 1.
Please R&R…
A few things…
First, the Mar Sara Magistrate is supposed to be the player character from the Terran Campaign in StarCraft (Not Brood War).
Second, Corporal Song is indeed the StarCraft version of Dva from Overwatch. The reason for this is because of her Heroes of the Storm variant. As I see it, Heroes of the Storm can act as a window into alternate timelines and universes, for instance with Dva as a Terran Goliath pilot so if you need to visualize Dva in this universe, you're safe in assuming she's using the default Goliath skin. She doesn't really go by Dva in this universe though, being referred to as Corporal Hana Song.
Third, there will be plenty of Blizzard universe crossovers such as references to the Junkrats being a reference to the character Junkrat from Overwatch. Belfing and Nelfing being references to Blood Elves and Night Elves in WoW, Graven's Hollow being a reference to the realm Raven's Hollow from Heroes of the Storm (there will be more of these later on), and I won't even explain the Moonguard and Goldshire references.