Chapter Five: Battle for Khazad

The period of preparation that followed was stressful, to say the least.

Serena sorted through reports. Now and then, he checked to see as Tavish brought in mercenaries. It was all very standard stuff, and ironically not nearly as hurried as it had been on Korhal. Then she'd been putting together disorganized troop manifests. Some of them were for people already dead.

Here virtually all of it had been prepared for in advance.

"Mobilization complete, scouting reports..." mused Serena, checking the last of them. By all accounts, the zerg and Kel'Morians had continued to fight in a pathetic display. The zerg were disorganized and devoid of the will of their Master. Their attacks broke on Kel'Morian bunkers like water on a rock.

Then the Kel'Morians would try some sort of probing strike.

Only they'd lack the willpower to commit. So they'd lose a few men and withdraw. It wasn't that they lacked the power to win. It was a lack of will.

Their operation was a footnote, and they knew it. Attacking the zerg head-on could get them all killed, and then they wouldn't get paid. So even if they could win with decisive action, they'd never take the risk. No one had tried to convince them that they ought to win; no higher cause had been provided.

So they were working for a paycheck. Just like had happened with the Confederacy.

Economic incentives could get a person to change jobs or stay in a job. They couldn't get them to go the extra mile, let alone walk into hell.

"Alright, I've been in communication with my agents," said Tavish, coming back. "Officially, you're here as mercenaries to help us purge the zerg remnants."

So that was why they'd made those attacks. Someone had been afraid they'd lose their job and ordered an assault. Still, Serena raised an eyebrow. "Remnants?"

"It's the term they are using to describe the colonies Kaloth made. That being before, he found better things to do with his time," said Tavish. "If we were fighting him, this conversation never would have happened. You'd have found us all dead.

"Still, we should have a window of opportunity to take out the zerg. If we do it fast enough, we might even be able to win outright."

"Fair enough," said Serena. "What support can you get us?"

"I've arranged for a detachment of mercenaries to support you," said Tavish. "They're loyal to my money, like most mercenaries. But I've tried to make all of my men quietly aware that Moria will die if they fail."

Serena nodded, then turned to her computer screen. It seemed like such a long time ago that she'd gotten this office. Now it was second nature. "Alright then, let's get started."

A channel was opened from the Hyperion. Even now, Matt was organizing troop movements. He'd gotten very good at that kind of thing during his time with Raynor, hadn't he? Either way, he'd appeared before her. "Ma'am?"

"Yes, Mr. Horner, what is it?" asked Serena.

"This may seem a bit of a brute force approach," said Matt. "But the hive cluster we detected on the island is recent. It is defended by spore colonies but not on the western side. I've detected a course in which a dropship might be able to bypass their range.

"It would be threading a needle, but we do have some very good special ops."

Serena checked the map for herself, looking at it. She saw the same weakness Matt saw. "See here. A dropship should be able to avoid the range of Khazad's anti-air while dodging the spore colonies." Serena looked up to where Nova was leaning against the wall silently. "Nova, do you think you could land here and call down a nuclear strike on those locations?"

Nova brushed a lock of hair from in front of her face playfully. "Can fish swim?"

Serena nodded. "Very well then. Do it."

And Nova headed out. Serena, meanwhile, checked to see that Raynor had been setting up a forward base. It sat beneath the cliffs. Even now, he was preparing for the assault with siege tanks at the ready. A few scanner sweets could relay the sunken colonies' location on the ridge so they could be shelled down. Similar scenes were being prepared across Moria as Tavish cooperated with the locals.

Then the assault could begin.

Serena prayed that Kaloth didn't get back from fighting the Overmind or whatever he was doing. If Kerrigan got back, their job would be a lot harder. Not impossible, of course. Kerrigan mostly won through deceit and trickery and would not find her prey at all.

Nova's dropship shot into the air onscreen. "This is Nova; we'd made landfall and are setting up. My team is ready to operate whenever you are."

"Excellent. Standby for orders," said Serena. "Raynor, I want you to take a strikeforce south with siege tanks. Mr. Horner will provide you with comsat support. My scanners indicate that there are numerous zerg biosignatures on the path. So leave a rearguard.

"Don't launch any frontal assaults. Shell the enemy defenses into dust slowly, then advance." She saw a large force of Kel'Morian troops moving toward the ridge to assault. "From the looks of things, the Kel'Morians are about to launch an attack themselves."

"Gotcha, command," said Raynor. "Just give the order."

Serena waited. She wanted the Kel'Morians to assault before she launched her own attack. "Nova, what is your status?"

"We're running the gauntlet now," said Nova. "No sign of detection yet. The mutalisks seem focused on fighting the Kel'Morians."

This was true. The Kel'Morian wraiths that had fought over Korhal were now engaging mutalisks. They were doing quite well—a better use for their time anyway.

"Good," said Serena. "Initiate the nuking. Tell me when it's done."

"Wait for the flash," said Nova.

Serena looked at the screen and saw the Kel'morians doing a frontal assault. They were trying to scale the cliffs. Did their tanks even have siege mode? "...So, the Kel'morians have launched their attack. Sloppy, really sloppy.

"Raynor, give the order."

Then she waited and watched. Raynor's siege tanks destroyed the sunken colonies while the Kel'Morians died. The zerg had already responded to the Kel'Morians and were caught unprepared. Men were being torn in half or ripped to shreds on that side of the cliffs.

Meanwhile, Raynor took the cliffs with half the forces they did and no casualties. A number of zerg were gunned down, then the tanks scaled up. Then he began decimating the next line of sunken colonies. Kaloth had put a lot of defenses here. They would have made a huge difference against skilled Kel'Morians.

"This is Raynor; we've seized the cliffs and waxed the zerg," said Raynor.

As he spoke, Serena noticed more waves of Kel'Morians. She could destroy the hive clusters and save many... but no. She'd have to fight these later anyway. "Permission to begin an assault on the enemy hive?"

"Permission granted," said Serena. "However, don't take out the defenses on the northeastern side of the cliffs. They're keeping the Kel'Morians at bay."

"Right on," said Raynor.

Just like old times. Only with a lot more death and ruins around.

Serena raised a channel. "Matt, get an SCV team down there on the double with siege tanks and portable bunkers. As soon as those defenses have been shelled, I want defenses of our own setup. If we can stalemate the Kel'morians on the cliffs, we'll look far better."

And then there was a huge, satisfying flash on the screen. Serena saw the enemy hives go up. Looking out a window, she also saw the smoke cloud in the distance.

"This is Nova. The hives are dust," said Nova. "Nukes away."

"Good work. Standby to receive reinforcements," said Serena, sending a signal to the second wave. Establish a base camp there and prepare to repel an enemy assault."

"Good news," said Raynor. "The Kel'morians are cutting their losses. They've started attacking less defensible hives nearby. With the chaos we've thrown the swarm into, they are doing pretty well."

Most of those hives were weak and had little in the way of defenses. Most of their garrisons had rushed out to attack them. Idiots, the Kel'Morians ought to have destroyed those at the earliest possible moment. Similar battles were taking place, with similar victories.

Serena observed them in satisfaction. Then she spoke. "Keep a watch on them, Matt."

"Raynor here, the hive cluster is dust, and we are finishing off the rest," said Raynor.

That much was true. Even now, the flaming wreckage of the cliffside hive cluster was shriveling.

Serena nodded. "Good work Jim.

"Prepare to establish a defensive perimeter on the cliffs."

Serena sat back and watched, occasionally relaying instructions to different officers. One by one, forces under Serena's command wiped out the zerg hive clusters. No doubt the Kel'Morian guilds were hearing about this and patting themselves on the back. They'd probably convince themselves they did it themselves.

"That's the last of the zerg, Commander. Moria is safe," said Raynor at last.

"Nice work, commander," said Nova with sarcasm. "Now the Kel'Morians can focus their full attention on destroying us."

"Well, what can we say?" asked Raynor. "We're doomed moral victors."

Serena sighed. "Matt, do the Kel'Morians know we are there yet?

"Not that I can tell," said Matt. "Most of their com chatter is unencrypted and talking about fighting zerg. They seem to be trying to figure our where Tavish got his mercenaries."

Serena checked their numbers. "...We still have two nukes." Then she checked the static defenses. "Nova, I want you to insert into the wilderness outside the town the Guild Leaders are meeting at. Prepare to launch a nuclear strike on my mark."

Nova nodded on the screen. "Right, this should be fun."

And Nova and her team went off, leaving behind them a fortified base camp. If this didn't work, they'd at least be in a strong position. Except Serena realized what they were doing was just like Kerrigan. They'd infiltrated Moria under the promise of being an ally. Now they were going to stab them in the back while their guard was down.

Yes, they'd saved them from the zerg. Yes, Moria would turn around and attack them as soon as they were done. But would that make what Serena was doing right? It was easy to explain why doing the right thing was not practical. Often, when people said doing the right thing was practical, they really meant that it was hard.

Being 'good' was all about taking the hard path. Of staying and fighting the enemy when you could flee along a safer path. Of continuing to do battle with evil, even when all was lost. Of hunting them to the ends of the universe, when you could allow them to escape justice. Doing good was about fighting lost causes, even when it hurt you to do so.

But if you could fight a lost cause while hurting your enemies? That was the best of both worlds.

"Matt, patch me through to the Guild Leaders on an open channel," said Serena, making a decision.

"Are you sure?" asked Matt.

"I'm going to give them an invitation," said Serena. "Tell all our troops to prepare for an assault."

"Alright," said Matt. "You're through."

"Attention leaders of the Kel'morian Guilds," said Serena. "You have violated the national sovereignty of the Dominion during a time of crisis. Your attempts at intimidation were not appreciated.

"As of this moment, the Dominion will be taking control of Khazad to negotiate a settlement. I hereby demand your unconditional surrender. I have already destroyed the zerg that were giving you so much trouble in a day. Do not test my patience any further."

Dead silence.

No response.

"Ma'am, they seem to be trying to initiate an attack. A lot of them," said Matt.

Sure enough, here they came in far greater numbers than against the zerg. Obviously, someone was panicking because the advance was disorganized. Even as they came, Raynor's siege tanks shredded them. Those who got past the initial barrage were mowed down by marines in hastily erected bunkers. Waves of wraiths were sent against Nova's defenses, only to be intercepted and engaged. Missile turrets took down many of them, and soon the rest fled.

"Maybe," said Serena. "But an attack on that kind of defensive position can't be done with just numbers. The Kel'Morians are disorganized.'

"It's a slaughter," said Matt.

"Yes. Yes, it is," said Serena. "Hold on..." She noticed that the marines kept trying to charge a lot closer than they ought to. She wondered if there was some kind of strategy at first and then realized it. "They aren't using U-238 rounds, are they?"

Serena opened a channel. "Raynor, do you think those marines down there are using U-238 rounds?"

"Negative, Commander," said Raynor. "From the looks of things, they're using outdated Guild Wars ammunition."

"Why not?" asked Serena. "Moria hasn't been devastated by war at all. They can't possibly have had their industrial base damaged enough to not afford them."

Raynor shrugged. "Maybe not.

"My guess, some paper pusher decided it was cheaper to avoid them. Human life ain't worth much to them."

Serena stared at the carnage and knew she had to act. "Nova, are you in position?"

"Affirmative, Commander," said Nova. "Give the order."

"Launch the nukes," said Serena.

The slaughter continued for another minute or so. As Serena watched the carnage. Serena wondered if there was a difference between her and Kerrigan. Both of them were causing immense carnage to an ally. Did it really matter how they were doing it?

Of course, it did.

Kerrigan murdered her own allies in a cowardly surprise attack without defiance sent. She took them while they were sleeping and resting. She broke her word of honor and slaughtered those she was in debt to. Serena had kept every word she'd given and declared herself openly. Yes, she'd lured the enemy into a foolish move, and she'd known they would take it. But she had not destroyed her honor.

Honor, justice, oaths. They were the sorts of things Serena had read about in fairy tales. At least before the nuking of Korhal destroyed the fairy tales for good. They'd been conjured up again by Arcturus, then destroyed with Tarsonis. The mutilated survivors had been called up by the UED and murdered by Kerrigan.

Why had Kerrigan killed Fenix and Duke anyway?

Not because they were a threat, certainly. At least they were far less of a threat than an asset.

Mengsk could not have gained Raynor's help without Kerrigan. Fenix would be loyal to Raynor. Kerrigan could have simply left Arcturus alone, and had Raynor and Fenix as loyal allies. She gained nothing by her actions in showing her true colors. Was it for revenge?

Revenge for what?

There was a flash.

"Their defense grid is broken, commander," said Nova.

"Good," said Serena. "Begin infiltration immediately in the chaos."

"So... we're infiltrating the Kel'morian by using a nuke as a distraction," said Nova.

"It worked, didn't it?" asked Serena. "Go."

"Yes, ma'am," said Nova.

So, where was Serena?

Ah yes, Kerrigan was seeking revenge.

Revenge for what, though? Kerrigan, by all accounts, loved being zerg. Her endless speeches and joyous participation in zerg invasions showed that. And what right did she have to revenge when she herself had done all the same things as Arcturus? At what point was she going to stop?

Never was the answer.

Because Kerrigan was not after revenge. She could have done that with a gun and an open window. Or she could have tortured him to death after retaking Korhal. Or talked Raynor and Fenix into killing him.

Instead, Kerrigan had put Arcturus in a far stronger position than before. Alpha Squadron was going to have to be rebuilt anyway, and Duke was getting on in years. He probably would have retired anyway. The death of Fenix would earn Kerrigan Raynor and Artanis' eternal hatred, which more than outweighed the short-term benefits.

Instead, Arcturus had been spared and given a chance to rebuild. He'd even gotten the thing he most wanted, a common enemy to justify his tyranny. And worst of all, the moral high ground. Serena and Raynor would have gladly turned on Arcturus for a better alternative.

Instead, Kerrigan had turned him into the better alternative and herself into the villain.

Was she just seeking power then?

Obviously not.

If Kerrigan was seeking power, she wouldn't have backstabbed everyone. Anyone who paid attention to history knew better. Once you gained the hatred of your neighbors, your empire collapsed. Kerrigan would have been far more powerful if she'd played nice with the protoss. Then she could have worked with them to crush Arcturus.

It would have been easy. Raynor could have been manipulated to go along with it, and Serena would not have cared.

It was never about power or revenge. Nor could she have done what she did for the sake of the swarm, or else she'd have supported the Second Overmind. Daggoth was the legitimate successor to the Overmind. By all accounts, Kerrigan was a usurper using foreign powers. All to stage a hostile takeover of her people.

So why?

Why would she do such a thing? Why would any man do such a thing? Self-interest and morality and society itself all demanded they act otherwise?

"Commander, I'm at the Kel'morian Installation," said Nova. "I'll take care of things inside. These merchants of death won't know what hit them."

"Excellent work," said Serena.

Then it dawned on Serena. It was the same reason the Old Families had nuked Korhal and Mengsk had destroyed Tarsonis. The Old Families could have chosen to destroy only military centers. They gained nothing by killing all those millions of innocent civilians. But a lot of people felt powerful and decisive and in control by saying 'nuke them all.'

Of course, any sane or competent man would have never advocated for such a thing. But the Confederacy hadn't been led by sane or competent men; they'd been led by manchildren in adults' bodies. People who had gotten everything they wanted their entire life and never had to struggle at all. They'd had no understanding of what they were doing. 'Nuke Korhal' was a standard response for little boys when talking about complex geo-political problems they had no desire to understand. Her cousin, Morgan had made that sort of call as a flippant remark.

Many of them hadn't really understood the order, even if they'd convinced themselves they had. No man who understood such an order could genuinely give it so casually. Even the evilest of minds would know it to be PR suicide and opt for something less explosive upon contemplating it.

But someone had spitballed 'let's just nuke them,' and no one had challenged them on it. Or not enough people anyway.

And Arcturus Mengsk had paid the price.

But why had Arcturus chosen to destroy Tarsonis in the end? He was no manchild. For all his flaws, Arcturus Mengsk had built his own fortune and Empire up from nothing. He must have seen that Raynor and Serena would have had their loyalties broken.

Perhaps he had not anticipated Tassadar attempting to save civilians.

It was a self-destructive sort of hatred, Serena decided that drove him. Arcturus Mengsk would rather destroy his Empire than parley with his enemy. Under no circumstances would he allow any of the guilty to escape with their lives. Even if some innocents got caught up in vengeance. He wanted the total eradication of the Confederacy, and he would do anything to get it.

His Empire was in some sense disconnected from his rebellion. It was his just reward for what he had done. So when he was denied it, he lost control for the first time. And was plunged back into nothingness shortly thereafter.

And what of Kerrigan? She'd had a chance to get everything she wanted, revenge, power. If she'd played her cards right, she could have achieved all her goals and been hailed as a hero for it. And she had thrown it all away for...

For what? What had she gotten for her atrocities?

The chance to gloat and make a bunch of people feel awful about themselves? To feel superior while she took away what other people had spent years building? Was it really that simple?

Such contemplations came to an end alongside the battle.

"...Commander, the government of Khazad is online," said Raynor. "They wish to discuss terms of surrender."

Serena nodded. "Excellent."

They had a planet to conquer now.