Chapter Twenty Four: The Big Push

It shouldn't have been that easy.

I guess Emily was pissed. She has a reputation for a reason.

Either way, Mengsk could not have been any more brutal in how he put down the beast which had become his nemesis. And after he did, nothing was the same anymore.

-Liberty's report, volume I.

It was the meeting room on the Hyperion and they were all there. Yet they were not everyone who had been fighting. Raynor, Kerrigan, and Serena were only among a few who had been of great accomplishment. There was General Warfield, a dark-skinned man with a graying stubble. He had liberated the world of Torus from the Confederacy. From there he had crushed a massive zerg invasion force against all odds. Michael Liberty was here personally, to chronicle events and one other thing. He'd become a well-known face on the news of the fringe worlds. Carolina Davis could be seen as well, though what her contribution had been Serena had not yet heard. Both of them were visible via holoprojectors.

It dawned on her that while she had been fighting, many other heroes had also been fighting. What had begun as a ragtag resistance had become a movement. It had influenced dozens of different worlds for the better. She realized just how influential their actions had been, and how much good had been done by them. She felt a surge of pride. The wave had begun on Mar Sara, with a small army of militia destroying a foe the Confederates had fled from.

There were only two people on the high command who were not in the meeting room. General Duke commanded the Norad III {a truly original name} and Arcturus Mengsk. But finally the door opened and Mengsk entered, looking very pleased. 'The time for our final strike against the Confederacy is close at hand.' he said. 'Before we can strike at Tarsonis itself, however, we must break through the Confederates most potent defenses. General Duke will brief you.'

The screen switched on on the television and Duke appeared. 'I've defended Tarsonis in over thirty major battles. So I know its defenses inside and out. There are three orbital platforms that serve as staging areas for the Confederate Fleet. If we assault the central platform, we should cause enough of a ruckus to allow a small force to break through the planetary defenses.'

'General,' said Raynor, 'I'm impressed. I never figured you for the frontal assault type.'

'Well,' said Duke with a slight smile, 'the Confederates have Omega and Delta Squadron troops defending the platform. They're nothing compared to my Alpha Squadron boys.'

'Right.' said Raynor.

'Kerrigan,' said Mengsk, 'prepare to lead a strike force against the Delta Squadron team. Your task is to use nuclear devices to soften up the defenses while Duke is fighting Omega Squadron. Raynor, I want you to prepare your Ranger's to rush in and support Duke once he's broken open the gate. Commander,' he paused, 'come with me to the bridge. I should like you to join me to parlay with the Confederate Officials. I think you may enjoy the experience.'

As he led them out into the hall, Serena remained silent. She was going to confront her uncle or his representative. Yet something told me it would be her uncle, he'd been the prime mover in the Confederate Old Families. The one who invested in all the black ops and directed the others during crisis. The nuking of Korhal had been his suggestion. The assassination of Angus Mengsk and his family had been on his orders. The ghost program had been his creation. The Old Families had gone along with his schemes but they had been his schemes in the end.

He was the Confederacy, in many ways. He represented that which was worst in the ruling elite, as Mengsk represented the best.

Now Serena was about to stand before Arturro, not the insolent child sent off to fail at Mar Sara. Not the disobedient Magistrate who had interfered with his experiments at Backwater Station. But a fully fledged Commander of a fleet. This was her moment.

They reached the bridge and Serena was given the chair as she opened a channel. 'Attention defenders of Tarsonis! I am Commander Serena Calabas and I speak for the colonies you have abused! You have plundered their mines, laid waste to their fields and poisoned their people!

'We have tried to be reasonable! We have sought to coexist, only to be robbed! We have sought to live by our own laws, only to be arrested and brainwashed!

'Now they have arisen from the ruins you created. They have thrown off the shackles of your tyranny and have come to finish this once and for all! Come forth! Let the Old Families choose their representative and parlay with us if you are not too cowardly!'

She wondered if she was not being a touch flamboyant, but it had been a spur of the moment kind of thing. After a moment on the screen appeared Arturro Calabas looking cold and furious. This was too perfect. 'You seem to have become accustomed to piracy well, traitor.' he said.

'I told you I would return to Tarsonis in grander style than I left.' said Serena, leaning back in her chair and smiling. 'But I haven't come to destroy, but liberate.

'Now, I'd like to offer you the chance to surrender-'

'This is no parlay.' snapped Arturro. 'Just the preening of a spoiled child! You are a traitor to your family and the Confederacy!'

'Yes I am.' shot back Serena. 'And you made me. Just like you made everyone on this ship. We are the manifestation of your sins returned to haunt you. And I should thank you. I would much rather be a traitor to my family and my government than a traitor to humanity itself.'

'I will not speak with you!' roared Arturro. 'You are nothing but an impudent child! A pawn of glorified pirates, unfit to be breeding stock let alone be given any kind of position of authority!'

'Enough!' said Mengsk, emerging from the shadows. 'If you will not parley with my representative then you will speak with me, Arturro.' Utter silence engulfed them, and Mengsk looked at him with a certain clarity. It as was as though a sudden realization had dawned. 'It is a strange thing that one should come face to face with the great nemesis of their life. You more than any other are responsible for the reprehensible state of the sector.' He glanced to Serena, then back up. 'I also take exception to your dismissal of my chosen representative. More than anyone else here she has earned her position.

'The same cannot be same for you.'

Arturro seemed to pale for a moment, almost recoil at what he saw. 'Mengsk, I don't know what you hope to accomplish by this stunt. But it will fail. You have a ragged collection of fringe yokels and deserters. I have the combined might of the Tarsonis defense forces at my disposal.

'Nothing you can do will take Tarsonis.' He didn't sound nearly as certain as he probably wanted to.

'Of all your subordinates which one would not kill you for a pay raise?' asked Mengsk, a hint of amusement in his tone. 'Who among all your armies can you say has not had their loyalty bought at the betrayal of their conscience? Your control over this sector has already slipped and it would take very little effort on my part to break it.

'Yet in light of the already transcendent human cost, I am willing to offer you a chance to give up peacefully. Surrender Arturro Calabas and your family will be spared. I will promise you and your… associates a fair trial.

'Refuse and I promise you that not one Confederate Army will remain on Tarsonis by the end of the day.'

'Never,' said Arturro, 'you'll never take Tarsonis. This is nothing more than a bluff!'

'I'm sorry you feel that way, Arturro.' said Mengsk. 'Stand by to receive us.' He cut the communication. Mengsk suddenly looked very tired suddenly, almost old though he was only middle-aged.

'I really hate that man.' said Serena. 'His atrocities may make him the worst mass murderer in human history, and he doesn't even realize it.'

'This is Duke, we're starting our attack.' said the old general.

'We'll pay him out soon enough.' said Mengsk. 'In full. Take command of your strike team.'

Three minutes later, Norad III began its assault.

The Confederacy had unleashed the zerg on Chau Sara. On its own people. On its own soldiers. Emily and her men had been sent into battle time and again, sent to die. To protect the colonists from an enemy that Cerberus Squadron had called down upon them. Words were insufficient to express her fury.

Guns would instead.

Emily Swallow was the first marine to set foot on the platform as the troop carriers landed. Surging out of them she rushed up from the low ground. She passed dozens of derelict vehicles and structures. Abandoned by the garrison when it broke and fled at the approach of the Norad III.

'I can't believe this!' said Duke. 'Alpha Squadron never would have left this equipment behind! That's what I call sloppy!'

Omega Squadron charged at them as they came up the slope. They roared and howled in a disorganized mob as they fired blindly. Emily and her soldiers formed lines of battle and unleashed a barrage of their own. The Omega Squadron lines melted. Hundreds died in seconds, their equipment poor and their skill poorer. Some dozen or so Alpha Squadron marines were killed in return.

'Advance!' roared Emil.y 'Burn the base! Kill everyone you find!'

With a roar, the new Frontal Company charged forward. Overhead the Norad III unleashed a massive barrage of plasma shots into the enemy base. Many goliaths and marines were torn to pieces in seconds, melted to slag. Those that remained could hardly form a battle line. Frontal Company massacred them.

Incendiary rounds were fired into the buildings which caught fire. Plasma shots shot into them, and one by one they began to explode. Terrified those that remained of the defenders fell to their knees. They put their hands above their heads.

'We surrender!' They cried.

Emily remembered the sight of her entire company slaughtered. Remembered Theodore breathing his last. Remembered being alone, watching as Alpha Squadron was forced to help the zerg. Help them destroy the very people they should have been protecting. And now these animals who were responsible for all this wanted mercy?

'Kill them all!' roared Emily, before gunning down the prisoners.

The rest of the massacre took roughly five minutes. At the end of it what had once been a proud and useful base was all ashes in the solar winds. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough after what these scum had done to her! To who knew how many other innocent and guilty people! To her company, to her friends and the whole damn sector!

'General Duke!' she said. 'Let me lead the assault on Delta Squadron!'

'Not just yet,' said Duke, 'take your forces and seize the area just outside of their encampment. Then watch the show.'

'Understood sir.' said Emily. 'Frontal Company we'll let the other forces take the ground we just took. We advance to destroy Delta Squadron!'

'Ma'am,' said the soldier, 'can we get a breather-'

'Now!' roared Emily.

'…Yes, ma'am.' said the soldier in a small voice.

As a new encampment was established over the blackened ruins of the old. Kill-teams spread out to slaughter any remaining survivors. They destroyed everything that remained of Omega Squadron's presence. Then Emily led her forces in an onslaught across the intervening ground. They found a taskforce of Delta Squadron marines in their path and engaged them in battle.

They performed better than Omega Squadron, maybe they had been drilling. It didn't help them any, however, and they soon all lay dead. Frontal Company marched over their corpses without a second glance. How many of her own had died in that firefight didn't matter to Emily. How many men she had killed didn't matter, the zerg's reaction to all this didn't matter.

Nothing mattered. Nothing except the complete annihilation of the Confederacy of Man and all it stood for. Tyranny would be wiped from the sector, no matter the cost. The Old Families would be made to pay for their crimes against humanity. The banner of the Confederacy would be torn down and thrown into the mud. Its selfish and monstrous agenda discarded to the ashes of history.

As they scaled up a ramp, killing the meager Delta Squadron resistance, they came to the main base. 'Siege tanks set up position and begin bombardment! Marines, take up a position to protect them! Blast them all! No mercy!'

'Ma'am,' said a soldier. 'General Duke ordered us to-'

'I don't give a damn!' snarled Emily. 'Prepare to attack!'

'But-'

Emily raised her gun. 'Don't test me.'

There were a host of brilliant explosions throughout Delta Squadrons compound. Mushrooms clouds rose high into the air, and they were thrown back despite their armor. Emily raised a hand to shield herself from the light. Large sections of Delta Squadron were annihilated and panic spread through their ranks. This was a perfect chance to crush them.

Sarah Kerrigan appeared. 'You… what are you even doing here?' she asked. 'You are supposed to be assaulting Omega Squadron?!'

'We've already killed them all.' said Emily.

Kerrigan, a telepath as always, scanned her and her eyes widened. 'You killed all the prisoners. They were surrendering!'

'Ma'am, I must inform you that you can shove it!' roared Emily 'Press the attack! Kill everyone you find!'

The assault on Delta Squadron more difficult than Omega Squadron. Some of her men were killed, a significant portion of course. But compared to the mountains of bodies they left behind them it was nothing. Emily gunned down three men, then turned around to gun down five more. She wasn't on stims, but she saw nothing but red. She rushed through what remained of the base, shooting everything in sight.

There was an explosion near her which killed several of her men. A siege tank had entered siege mode, and Delta Squadron was rallying around it. With a roar Emily charged at it, firing repeatedly. Each of her shots pierced the face plate of a Confederate soldier, and the shot of the tank was off. Drawing out an explosive designed for use on buildings, Swallow set it to the tank. She rushed off as it came out of siege mode and activated it.

It exploded with white light. Above in the skies, the Norad III was dueling with two other Battlecruisers. One for Omega Squadron and one with Delta Squadron. The Battlecruiser of Omega Squadron was hit and fell downwards towards the platform. It exploded as a final shot from the Norad two blew it to pieces.

The Delta Squadron battlecruiser was damaged and attempted to flee. But Norad III pursued it and blasted. Two Confederate Battlecruisers had been destroyed and two battle groups. How long had it been?

'Soldier,' said Emily, 'how long have we been at this?'

'Ten minutes, ma'am.' said the soldier in a terrified tone.

'General Duke sir.' said Emily. 'Give me another mission!'

It wasn't enough. It would never be enough!

'We're mopping up most of the rest of the Confederates on the platform now.' said Duke. 'But the Commander is taking shelter near the far section of the orbital platform. We've routed the evac group. I want you and your boys to take him prisoner, and all his staff.'

'Understood sir.' said Emily.

She looked to the carnage she had unleashed and shook her head. It would not be enough. It would never be enough. But she'd follow her orders. 'Frontal Company let's move. We have one last mission. Then we can rest. There is a Confederate General we are to capture.

He is lightly guarded. Let's go.'

'Yes, ma'am.' said the soldiers.

Emily led them through the space station. Wherever she went, she found the men of Alpha Squadron arraying themselves. They cheered as she passed by. Alpha Squadron had yet even fully to deploy its forces. Defenses were being erected to deflect a counterattack which would not never come.

Transmissions soon came in from all around as the magnitude of their victory set in. At last, they approached the Confederate outpost. It was completely unguarded, safe for a small force of marines who stepped out to meet them.

At their head was the Cerberus Commander. Emily had never learned his name, and it didn't matter. It was a strange thing that in all the horrors of this war that she should meet him now of all times. If there was such a thing as fate, Emily had reason to believe in it now.

'I am Commander Ethan Morris,' he said, 'of Cerberus Squadron. I wish to offer the formal surrender of all my forces. I ask that my remaining soldiers be treated as prisoners under the rules of war.'

'Do you remember what you did to my men?' asked Emily.

Ethan Morris halted as he heard her voice. There was recognition there and Emily peeled back her faceplate to seal it. 'You.'

'Tell it to Chau Sara, you son of a bitch.' said Emily.

She opened fire and blew his fucking head off. The marines who were guarding him raised their guns, but they too were torn to pieces by gauss rifles. They then set about blasting the now empty bunkers to smithereens.

Then it was over. They were all dead. Her company was avenged. She looked to what remained of her newly formed company. More than half of them had been killed in the onslaught they had unleashed. They were trembling, exhausted, terrified of her as she looked at them. She had dragged them along in a mission of vengeance. She'd gone above and beyond anything which they should have had to go through.

She had nearly repeated the process of her own company's decimation. She looked to the bodies of the men they had massacred. Had it been worth it? Yes, yes it had. She had to believe that.

'This is Emily Swallow.' she said, 'General Duke sir, there is no Confederate General.'

'What do you mean?' asked Duke. 'Intelligence clearly states that-'

'We found him dead.' said Emily. 'I guess some of our men got a bit carried away, sir.'

Duke remained silent, and Swallow guessed that he guessed what had happened. 'Alright then, I'll chide intelligence for weak information.'

'Much appreciated.' said Swallow.

It was over.

Authors Note:

Well, here we have the Big Push.

This mission was the climax of Emily's character arcs. I ultimately decided to have the main battle be a case of unstoppable rage for Emily Swallow. After all, she has more or less learned that everything she had fought for was a lie. She is pissed beyond belief.