Disclaimer: So long and thanks for all the fish.
AN: Hey guys. Sorry for the long time since updates. I've had a bit of writers block when it comes to the story plus I've been working on another writing project. That's been what's taking up all of my time.
AN2: At the current time and space, there are three different types of Zerg. One is the Normal type that you see in the games. The second is the Anti-Beam type that was over Shakuras. The last type is the Anti-Conventional type that is resistant to guns and swords. This is the least common type.
January 31, 1998: Space
The ship shook slightly as it exited the platform's artificial gravity. Harry yawned as he and Jim Raynor began their journey towards Auir. They were both dressed in Asgard armors, Harry in Excalibur and Raynor in Balmung. Neither of them had their helmets on as they didn't need it at the moment. Raynor was flying while Harry relaxed.
Harry took a glance behind them. The ship was a largish Shuttle that had enough room for plenty of sustenance as well as two mobile suits (I know that I've mentioned this, mobile suits in this story are fourteen to eighteen feet tall). One was Helios and the other was a heavily modified Atlas suit. For some reason, the Dark Templar had given them ten raw fish saying that it was customary.
"We should get to Auir in six hours," Raynor said from the controls to the right of Harry's seat. "I'm glad that the Templar gave us their fastest small ship for us to use. It took two weeks to make a similar journey in the Hyperion." He set the Shuttle on autopilot and got up. Harry followed.
"What kind of food do we have?" Harry asked walking back towards Raynor who was poking his head in a fridge.
"There are a few kinds of ice cream, you want that?" Raynor asked, popping his head out to look at him.
"Sure, throw me some chocolate," Harry said and a moment later, he caught a small pint sized ice cream container. Raynor came over with a coffee flavored pint.
The two friends walked down into the cargo hold that held Helios and the Atlas. (Alright, this thing looks exactly the same as any other Atlas suit (Virgo Mobile Doll) since I don't feel like looking up yet another mobile suit from any series and taking the time to describe it so there.)
Harry made a small leap and with the lowered gravity easily made it to sit on the top of Helios. With spoon and cup in hand, Harry sat down with his back leaning against Helios's shoulder. Raynor did the same on his Aegis. They both started eating.
"So, what happened after the battle over Tarsonis?" Harry asked.
"Well, after you were sucked into the black hole or whatever it was, five other Cruisers were pulled in as well," Jim began. "With the Dominion's forces severely weakened, they pulled a retreat. We didn't pursue. Instead, I ordered all of our remaining ships to set a course for Shakuras, which Zeratul told us about."
"Where were the rest of the Cruisers we stole at Shakuras?" Harry asked taking a bite of ice cream.
"Well, we lost one Cruiser over Tarsonis," Jim said. "After that, we were ambushed by an advance force of Zerg heading for Shakuras and lost our other three ships."
"How many men did you lose?" Harry asked.
"We only lost about twenty men," Raynor said. "That's remarkable for any mission. It was thanks to your enhancements."
"I'm sorry you lost men at all," Harry said. "Now, we must move on to a less sad subject. What's it like to be a badass that never has to raise his voice?"
January 31, 1998: High Orbit around the Planet Auir
An alarm sounded six hours into the flight. Harry and Raynor rushed up to the bridge, now wearing their helmets, and sat down. Harry scanned the horizon while Jim checked the instruments.
"It says that there are at least eighty Terran vessels in orbit around Auir," Jim said. "That's impossible. The Dominion doesn't know where Auir is!" (If they do, don't come crying to me over it.)
"I wouldn't be too sure," Harry said looking out the window. Jim looked and found no less than seventy Battle Cruisers and support craft around Auir. A Cruiser turned to face them and charged its Yamato Cannon.
"Oh shit!" Jim said and grabbed the controls, yanking the shuttle out of the line of fire. Vikings stated to fly in and fire missiles while other Cruisers turned and fired various weapons at them. Jim did a good time avoiding the attacks but he couldn't keep it up for ever, something they both knew.
"Jim, we can't shake them!" Harry screamed over the alert alarms. "Get over the planet and we'll bail out! There's nothing more we can do here!" Jim nodded and set a course for the lower orbit of Auir. He set it on autopilot and the two of them rushed back to the cargo hold.
Harry jumped up into the Helios and started the activation sequence with Jim right behind. Harry closed the cockpit and opened the cargo bay doors. He released the clamps at nearly the same time as Jim and they both fell out of the ship just as it was hit by a Yamato Gun blast.
"Harry, are you sure that these things can handle atmospheric reentry?" Raynor asked over the com as the explosion sent them towards the planet's surface.
"Simulations say that they can," Harry said. "If either of us can't this going to be a really short trip."
Harry's hands flew around the controls making adjustments faster than he'd have wished. The screens began to glow red from the heat of partial reentry. Harry hit one final button that initiated full reentry and placed his hands on the controls. The radio cut out from the thermal interference and the Dominion ships began their own preps for reentry to follow the fugitives.
After two minutes, the heat cleared and the radio crackled to life. "Harry, do you read me?"
"Roger that, Jim," Harry said as he hit a button that released parachutes. The Helios slowed down considerably. "Look around, I don't think we're out of the forest yet." Ironically, they were going to land in a forest.
"Roger," Raynor said. "I've got six bogies coming in fast."
Harry jettisoned his parachutes and activated the engines. Helios stopped and Harry quickly turned around to see six Vikings flying towards them. Harry raised the Helios's right arm and let out a hail of beam shots. Four Vikings managed to break in time while the other two were destroyed.
The Vikings surrounded them. Harry continued to fire but never stayed still for long. He destroyed three of the Vikings before losing sight of the last one. He heard a warning alarm blare and turned around quickly to see the warhead of a Viking missile less than six feet away. He raised his shield just in time to block the blow but the shockwave did wonders to set him off balance.
Raynor destroyed the last Viking as the Helios fell down towards the forest below, completely out of control. It disappeared into the trees and out of sight. Jim would have followed if not for the telltale sound of jet engines behind him. He turned and fired his beam cannon at a formation of the enemies. His cannon easily destroyed two or three in each shot as it lasted for a full second and could be moved.
In time, Raynor was completely outmatched. Harry had not returned from the forest below and more and more Vikings were appearing. It wasn't until he saw the Battle Cruiser that he knew he had lost. In a final move, Raynor set his Atlas to self destruct and ejected. Vikings crowded around the unmoving weapon and didn't see the pilot slip out. The Atlas self detonated in a low power nuclear explosion.
Jim cursed as the shockwave sent him through the trees. The Balmung's thrusters activated quickly and slowed him down. He landed on a rather thick tree branch and observed his surroundings. There were no other sounds in the air above him, all of it muted over the large explosion. The Atlas had been a few thousand feet above and didn't damage the forest in any way.
"Harry where are you?" Jim asked over the secure frequency on the radio.
"It looks like I'm three hundred yards to the southwest of your position," Harry said. "Helios is okay, but I saw what happened to the Atlas. Get down here and get in."
"Roger that," Jim said and activated the thrusters and flew in between the trees towards Harry. He found the young man sitting in the open cockpit of Helios. "What do we do now?" Raynor asked as he got close and landed just outside Helios.
"Well, I had hoped to come up with a game plan from orbit," Harry admitted. "But as we can both see circumstances have changed. That explosion will keep their long range sensors blind for hours so we have a bit of leeway."
"Where do we head towards?"
"Well, you're the proverbial expert on Auir so you'll have to guide me," Harry said. "We should head to the Warp Gate where we first met. There might be something that can jog my memory on the way." (Note, when Harry and Jim first met on Auir when he was just a kid, it was in the start of Brood War just after the first Protoss mission when the latter is guarding the Warp Gate.)
"I guess you would know," Jim said. "Let's roll."
February 1, 1998: Auir; Warp Gate Ruins
Harry looked down from the air at the ruins of the Warp Gate. He was in the seal cockpit of Helios while Raynor sat on its right shoulder. The large Gate had been destroyed after Raynor and Mengsk had escaped through it years before. Jim had already explained the mission to him.
Harry scanned the terrain and got a memory spur. At first it was just random flashes but son in leveled out into a map of sorts, guiding him to an area to the west.
"Do you feel anything?" Jim asked.
"We need to go to the west," Harry said. "There's something there that both of us need. I just don't know what it is."
"West it is, then," Jim said. Harry set the Helios on a westward course. After ten minutes of flying, they appeared over an ancient (not Ancient) temple.
"That's where we need to go," Harry said, beginning a descent. It would have been perfect if not for the Glaive Worm that flew by at that very moment. "Damn it all! Why do the Zerg have to be here of all places?"
"They never left Auir," Raynor said as Harry turned to shoot at the Mutalisk. He immediately found that they were outnumbered eighty to one in terms of flyers. The beams from his Gatling tore through the flyer like butter. "They must be Zerg Normal types," Raynor said.
"Increase your weapon's power and shoot!" Harry yelled as he began to fly around, firing wherever he could. Moments later, Jim was shooting from his energy rifle at 600 percent intensity. "We have to get down into the Temple!" Harry yelled. "Bail out now! I'll set the Helios to self destruct!"
"Are you sure about this?" Raynor asked, slightly scared.
"We don't have time for that! Just jump!" Jim did as he was told but didn't stop shooting.
Harry began to dodge entirely and set a simple automation program that would run the Mobile Suit while he ejected. In the battle zone, it was an amazing achievement to create a low power artificial intelligence but he wasn't really paying attention anymore. He opened the cockpit and prepared to jump out but turned around at the last second.
"Thank you," Harry said before allowing himself to fall backwards away from his Mobile Suit. A moment later of automated fighting, the Suit detonated.
(End Chapter)
Author Babbling
Well, there you have it. The end of Helios has come and gone. This chapter was a bit rushed and I didn't have more than a general game plan and writer's block didn't help either. It's also the shortest chapter I've ever done but I hope that you'll forgive me for that. Please, please, review! Having inspiration like reviews is the only way that I can write so fast! Otherwise it'll take me two weeks like it did today.