A/N: This is my first Starcraft Fan fic it follows the events of the Confederacy's fall ad the beginning of the Terran Dominion. This is the story of Jake Carter and his battle of survival this is Tales of the Confederacy.
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Radio"
Disclaimer: Don't own Starcraft thats Blizzard. Jake and anything I make up thats not in Starcraft Game or Book is mine though.
StarCraft
Shadows of the True Threat
The darkness and emptiness of space stretched on as far as the eye could see. A huge Battlecruiser flew silently through the darkness the small one pilot wraiths flew closely to the Battlecruiser then alternated flight patterns and flew behind it. Inside the cruiser the commander sat on the command deck looking over various Vid screens. Captain Jake Carter was twenty-one years old with short sandy blond hair soldiers build and blue eyes. He was the youngest soldier to attain the rank and had been giving the honor of taking command of the new Battlecruiser the Ranmyaku. After that he'd found himself on the hunt for the rebel group the Sons of Korhal the newest of various rebel factions that was against the Confederacy, led by Arcturus Mengsk the group had become very powerful. Jake had originally planned to tkae a look around the ruins of Korhal but due to to much red tape he'd been forced to go to the fringes of the Core worlds.
"Just another reason why I'm stll floating around in space." Jake thought this almost hourly as he glanced the new data coming from his scouts. "They send me out to find them but only put blocks and protocol in my way." Jake felt his eyes drift to the Vid screen of the Universal News Network or UNN, it was another good story by a man named Liberty who had found more corruption amoung the old families. Jake smiled to himself and made a mental note to send flowers to the mans grave, no one messed with the families and lived very long after wards. "And so life goes on I fly around looking for rebels while they sit around getting fatter and happier..."
He yawned then winced thanks to the fact that his headache was getting worse. He quickly raised his hand to the back of his ear and discreetly took a small device from his ear. With that a wave of voices quickly assalted his mind. He winced slightly at the mental strain then with a smile the voices disappeared. Jake was a Captain but also a very powerful telepath, he'd kept it a secret by wearing a very powerful blocker. Of course it caused him to get headaches when ever he wore it for a certain amount of time. He wasn't a normal Telepath though unlike the various telepaths he was only able to read minds and block other telepaths from reading minds. He could also control Pan brained Marines well but it was hard. "Receiving incoming transmission."
Jake snapped out of his own thoughts and turned towards the screen where the message was coming up. One of his scouts was reporting back. "Captain we have a slight problem." Jake gave the man a look,"What's the problem Corporal?" He looked at his instruments a second time and confirmed it. "We have a Battlecruiser heading in... looks hostile." Jake quickly looked over his own screens and gave the order for his men to get ready. A minute later a huge crusier was in view.
Jake motioned for his First lieutenant Kingsley to come over to him. "Get the Yamato gun ready to fire but do it quietly. I want to see what they want." Kingsley nodded and quickly walked over to the Yamato guns controls. "Receiving incoming transmission." A man with a scar across his cheek he smiled smuggly at Jake. "Well well a Confed in our space what should we do." Jake noted the man was talking to his crew, he turned to see his men were set for a battle but a plan. "I am Captain Jake Carter I'm in this part of space looking for the Sons of Korhal. If you have any information on them it would be greatly rewarded." The man gave Jake a confused look then caught himself. He smiled and turned to his men Jake couldn't hear what he was saying but he had an idea.
"Get that new virus ready for transfer." His computer AI activated and brought up the virus. He turned and gave the man his fake smile, "So do you have any information?" The man seemed to get irritated by Jake's tone but turned back to the same look. "I got info but if you want it it will cost you." Jake smiled and brought up his funds. "Will five thousand work?" The man blanched then started nodding. "Alright here send it over we'll tell ya don't worry." Jake noted the man was telling the truth and a quick scan showed him that the man's cruiser was lacking power as it was. "Send the funds protocol two nine zero." The money was sent along with a secret bit of data encoded with it Jake smiled then turned to the man who was ecstatic.
"So that information?" The man smiled, "Alright about a week ago we got a hold of one of the bastards he had all kinds of data on him here yeah go." Jake noted the man was sending the data over and then with a ping the data was recieved and transferred to his own data base. "Now if you'll excuse me-" The room began flashing red and he spun around Jake could make out the words "What the hell!" Then with a smile he noted that the money was back without the bit of extra he'd sent. Jake noticed the man was yelling at him.
"What the hell did you do!?" Jake looked over the data. "Fire the Yamato gun." Kingsley nodded and with prepared to fire Jake heard the men screaming as the powerful gun charged Jake shut the comm off and continued to look over the data. As he did the gun fired and the powerful Yamato gun burst slammed into the cruiser. Then for a small second nothing happened, then explosions from inside started to light up the dark of space and then the cruiser exploded. "Target destroyed." Jake only nodded and looked at the data a irritated look on his face. "This is almost nothing...only a bit here and report there." He looked it over again and noticed one specific detail that was small but significant. "Set a course for the Sara system seems I found a lead. Oh and call back the scouts quickly." They saluted and Jake stood and left for is quarters it was time to make his report.
Jake's quarters were standard issue for a Captain he had a computer and a vid screen that connected him through out the entire ship allowing him to be awoken or told if something was coming. He had a bed and also a window allowing him to see outside along withhis own showering room and toilet he was comfortable. But he usally wasn't in here but on the bridge giving orders and it was where he truly felt at home. "Now to get that report over with." Jake walked over to the small table and took out a holo recorder and set it to record.
"Captain Jake Carter's log. Eight months and two days of searching have led to little more then small scrmishes and irritation. But today after the defeat of a pirate and his crew we were able to gain corroded data of a rebel. This data though badly corroded has what I needed and that is a location. It seems that the Sons of Korhal have made a base of operations on the Core world of Mar Sara. We will arrive in the Sara system in a months time and then if my and the crews luck holds will get the bastards and end another vain attempt at a rebellion."
Jake rewound and listened then with a nod made a copy and sent it to Tarsonis. He turned and looked out into space in the darkness of his quarters and felt himself smile slightly. The emptyness of space always calmed him and he would always do this before every big mission but now he had a month of travel before anything would start. "One month and then the hunt may be over and I can get back to Tarsonis." Jake smiled at the thought of finally getting promoted from captain to Major and getting more authority to cut through the red tape. But that was another day he had work to do and plans to draw up. A month was a long time to most but he knew that when you needed time it tended not to be there.
The days passed as they had always he would make his way to the bridge and occasionally sit with the men and play cards or have a beer. But most of the time he'd move to the bridge and make sure nothing was wrong. He ate only when he was hungry and drank only water or the occasional beer. His men would get riled and occasionally fight and he would only send them to the brig and wait a day then let them out and take their Cigs. Jake slept only when he had to but on the last day he felt he would require all his wits to be with him and gave Kingsley command until he woke or if anything significant were to happen.
Jake was asleep on his bed his shirt removed and bare chested the tatoo of a red raven with the confederate flag on his arm, he had on his pants and boots but had chosen to take off his uniformed shirt and had hanged it onto his chair. He slept soundly when the Vidscreen began to chime loudly. Jake shot up with his side arm aimed at the screen then sighed and stood while slipping his gun in the holster. He quickly pressedthe open comm button to find Kingsley's worried face he was pale and Jake knew something was wrong. "What is it Kingsley." Kingsley looked back at the Vid screen then back at Jake, "Captain we need you up here now."
Jake nodded and turned and grabbed his uniform and slipped it on as he walked towards the bridge his men all saluted him as he walked past but he noted they all had disturbed looks on their faces. Even some of the marines that had been pan brained had the same look. He entered the bridge it was silent all his men and women were looking at the pulled up screen on the view Jake looked up at the screen.
Chau Sara had been a Rain forest world contrast to its sister world Mar Sara which was more a wilderness. It was lush and a good colony most of the fruits of the Confederacy had come from this world. What Jake was looking at wasn't a lush forest or jungle but a world turned into slag. Its crust burned and melted to the mantel which spilled over turning the world into a molton rock. It's sea's and oceans where molton lava Jake looked at a world more of a Hell then a world. "Kingsley go to alert status I want the pilots in their wraiths, the marines suited up and all my men ready for battle."
Kingsley saluted then turned to the intercom. "This is lieutenent Kingsley we are at level one battle station standby I repeat level one standby." Jake moved quickly to his chair and pulled up ever screen and looked it over. "Sir we have an incoming transmission it's from...Uh sir I don't know what this is?" Jake looked at the man then nodded. "Open the channel." The private nodded and opened the channel Jake expected a human or rebel what he got shocked him. On the screen was a being that's skin was smooth it had no mouth and glowing eyes it was like looking at a higher being. "I am Tassadar of the High templar and I wish to express my regret for this destruction." Jake looked at the alien the thing hadn't talked as it had thought Jake looked at Chau Sara then the screen.
"Are you telling me you did this...That you destroyed this world." Tassadar sighed if that was what you could call it and nodded. "I have said what I wish good bye Jake Carter Captain of the Ranmyaku."With that the screen was gone and Jake was left sitting there all his men looked at him and each had the same thought, Jake had never said his name or rank.
The crew was silent as they flew towards Mar Sara the encounter with the alien had been terrifying but to Jake it had been anything but that. He sat looking over the conversation again trying to find where the alien... Tassadar had read his mind Jake was a telepath had trained himself with out the ghost program without any ones knowledge to block that and had proven on many occasions that not even the best ghost could break his walls. But that alien had broken them without his knowledge and without any thing then a second thought. Jake still was shaken by that, he turned off the screen. He had other things to do and that was for another time.
"We are entering Mar Sara space." Jake nodded and turned to the intercomm. "We're in Confederate territory we standby is lifted as of now." Kingsley and the rest breathed a sigh of relief but Jake only turned and looked at the screen with the picture of Chau Sara. "That thing said it regreted the destruction... so that means it was the cause..." He was ripped from his thoughts by the chime of his comm system. "Recieving incoming transmission from the Norad II." Jake looked over towards the vid screen and saw the looming figure of the Confederacy Battlecruiser. He also saw a very annoying conversation coming, "Put it through."
The Vid screen clicked and Jake was looking at a man that most would see as a violent tough soldier he had thinning gray hair was stout his eyes were squinted in a never ending glare. He was Colonel Edmund Duke, Jake sighed as the man glared daggers at him. Duke was a member of the old famlies and should've gained his general stars but a incdent involving rebels had gained him nothing but a reputation of being a failure. Of course the same rebels had gained Jake a reputation of being the best so the man blamed him for his late promotion. "What the hell are you doing here boy?" Jake sighed, "Here we go." He saluted waited for the same when he didn't get it he sighed and brought his hand down. "Colonel Duke I happen to be on the trail of the rebels."
Duke gave him a surprised look then glared. "I expected as much the people have been acting weird." Jake noted the quick knowledge and as irritated."It's your damn sector and your telling me the rebels were here and you didn't report it!" Duke only sighed and shook his head. "Boy my boys can handle a couple of rebels." Jake really got angry at that comment. "Oh I'm sure they can just like at the Delarian Rebelion where your boy's did so well." Duke's face changed from smug to furious so quickly most men would've laughed. "Boy you know that was not my fault." Jake sighed the man still hid the fact he was a lousy Colonel and even worse a shit of a man.
"Listen I'm headed to Mar Sara now to investigate the planet. If you want to help stay out of the way and cover me if I require help." Duke fumed and with a bellow shut off the comm and left Jake laughing on his seat. "That was very good got Duke so pissed off he didn't notice the fact I was hacking his computers for data the entire time." Jake looked down to see his second lieutenent Jimmy holding a data file to him. He reached down and removed the data disk from his han and with a smile slipped it into his vid screen. Data filled the screen but not on the rebels but something far worse, he read with a dark look and when he finished he turned towards the planet Mar Sara.
"It seems I had better hurry and get to those rebels, the game just got difficult." He turned, "Kingsley I want marines ready for the drop and my wraith ready to fly in one hour." Kingsley nodded and began barking orders Jake on the other hand stood and headed down to his quarters and quickly closed the door and placed the data on his personal computer. The data opened up and pictures of twisted beasts and monsters appeared on the screen, "This will make things down there alot more hectic... and we have those damn other ones..." He brought up three profiles one was of the first aliens the Protoss, next was of the beasts that seemed like a twisted gods toy the Zerg, the last profile was of Arcturus and the rebels that followed him. "The enemies of the Confedracy seem to be growing... and it seems like this war may be more than we can handle."
Jake turned and walked out of the room leaveing the screen on as it flickered and turned off leaving the room in darkness Jake had work to do and people to find he was headed down to Mar Sara and to a planet where he knew was going to be where the true battles would begin.
A/N: Well here we are the revised form the new form with better time lapses. Next Chapter Mar Sara Surface of Death.
