Chapter 4: The Vipeian Army
I slowly stood on the bridge of my ship, watching the Zerg-infested space around me through my tearstained eyes. I looked at the Zerg, but this time, I felt a new emotion. A sense of peace. I did not fear them anymore. Granted I still hated them but fear was no longer an issue. The bastards had taken too much from me. My home, my family, my friend. I looked out at the abominations, and I felt nothing.
"Alright boys and girls," I yelled, "you can all see we're outgunned, and I'd be lying to you if I said we had a chance to survive this. But I'll be damned if I let these alien bastards walk all over us without a damn good fight! So if we die today, let's give em a fucking good ride to get there!" Cheers resounded throughout the hull of my ship, every soldier on board pumped up on adrenaline and the promise of battle. Orders were relayed and my ships got into defensive positions as the Zerg continuously advanced on us. And then all hell broke loose…
I later found out that it was us who hit them first, but it didn't matter then. All reasoning was lost in the massive bloodbath that ensued. The blackness of space was turned red from the blood of my eternal enemies and the explosions of my troops ships and weapons. And then the zerg used a tactic that almost killed us all.
A zerg Overlord flew above the Iron Fist, and a large thump shook our ship. Fearing for the worst, I immediately cloaked myself and searched for a weapon. I was not to be disappointed. Zerg poured into the ship from the whole they'd torn in the hull, monstrous animals inside the ship itself. The thump that I'd heard, I realized with sickening clarity, was the Overlord depositing its cargo, Zerg warriors craving human flesh. And it was hell.
My technicians scrambled to close the hole in the hell, and just as the hole in the hull was sealed the zerg were upon us. 3 of my technicians died instantly, falling to the floor dead and bleeding in a million places. Hydralisk spines riddled their bodies in a million places, leaving my technicians nothing more than bleeding pincushions. And staring at my dead men, I lost myself in the fury of battle.
Leaping up from my crouched position I grabbed one of my dead marine's gauss rifle and fired round after round into the invaders. Blood splashed against me, rendering me partially visible but I didn't care, I simply held the trigger. Something struck me lightly in the stomach, splashing against my frame and I looked down in horror to see what it was. The brains of one of the fallen marines coated my stomach, rendering myself very visible to the zerg invaders.
I went crazy. Launching myself at the nearest Marine, I grabbed his gauss rifle and held both in front of me and fired continuously. "Die you sons of bitches! DIE!" Bullets hammered into the monsters ceaselessly, but I kept firing, caring nothing for myself or my ammunition, caring only for revenge. I didn't notice that they were dead until I ran out of bullets, my guns clicking, as they had nothing to fire. I threw them to the side and breathed in heavily. The bloodwrath was gone, for now.
Looking back on that horrific battle inside the bridge of my ship, I realized with a start that the battle wasn't as big as I thought it had been. Counting the total carcasses after they were dead, I realized that there had only been a total of 4 Zerglings with a 2 Hydralisk escort. But to my blood coloured self, it could have been millions.
I looked away from the carnage before me, only to realize with a start that the Zerg were gone. Staring out into the blackness in front of me, there were no Zerg, but rather a full-fledged armada composed of Terran and Protoss ships. I sat down slowly in what was left of my command chair, and hoped against hope that their intentions were friendly. Because if they weren't, none of us would be leaving this battlefield alive…
The lead battlecruiser in front of me hailed us, and I immediately sized him up when his face appeared on the screen. Sensing no immediate hostility from this unknown commander, I let go of some of my defenses, and waited for judgement to be passed.
"Terran commander, identify yourself," was the message relayed by my unknown contact, his eyes on me and my bloodstained clothes. "We're not military here pal," I responded coldly," we're a mercenary group. And I won't be talked down to by anyone, not even you." The other commander laughed, aura's of relief flooding out of him in waves after waves of calm.
"My name is SkyBolt, or at least it is what you may call me. We watched you fight, my comrades and I, while waiting to get close enough to launch our own ships. And I am intrigued by something. Despite your chances for survival you fought on without caring to see if you could run away. Why?" "My reasons are my own Bolt, and mine alone. However, I will tell you that my life has been devoted to ridding the universe of those galactic monstrosities. So now tell me, why did you save us?"
"There is an army I belong too, dedicated to survival and, like you, ridding the universe of the Zerg. As of now we are marshalling our forces and recruiting various militant groups, preparing for the battle we both know is coming." "You still haven't answered my question, Bolt." Although my attitude was cold, I was intrigued by this man and his army. I had a large military group, to be sure, but this man commanded entire armies that held the same goal I had harbored in my twisted soul for so long. Perhaps there was hope for a universe I had deemed doomed.
"Yes, you are right. I have come on behalf of this army to offer you a position in it, brilliant tacticians like yourself are in high demand. You will remain in charge of your forces, to be sure, and we will fill in any gaps from your losses with troops and supplies from us. What do you say?"
I heard his offer, but looking at me you wouldn't have thought it, for I put very little thought into my decision. My mind was wandering again, as I often let it do, to past memories. And as I looked back, I realized with a shock what I had become. I was Death itself, taking lives to avenge those that were taken from me. And it was not the Zerg lives that troubled me, but the innocents caught and gunned down in the crossfire, ones that did not deserve to die but that I had killed in my bloodlust. But deep in the depths of my soul, I was a warrior, content and able to identify myself only on the battlefield. I was a soldier from birth, and it was time that I became one again.
"You have me SkyBolt. As for my men I will leave the decision to them, but you have my skills. And I will fight until the Zerg are wiped from this reality, or I will die trying." "Excellent!" clapped my new comrade, "we will send repair crews to your ships and retreat at once to our base of operations. You are now a Major in the Vipeian Army, but I must ask. What is your name?" I turned slowly to face SkyBolt, and I knew that I was undeserving of a name. "I am Death," I said simply, and left the bridge to clean the blood stains from my body.
Later that night, lying in the inky darkness of my ship's quarters, I contemplated life as I used to do with my fallen friend. But I had a new technique now, one that worked better than simply thinking about it. I opened my mind to my telepathic abilities, and I spoke to Tal'Kor as if he were still here, eagerly probing life's mysteries with me as we so often did before.
Well old buddy, we're committed for the long haul now. I know nothing I do to the Zerg will ever bring you or the others I lost back, but it's the only life I have ever known. And somehow, I know you'll understand. But, I will not stop fighting, I will continue to bring swift death to those accursed abominations. And not just for me anymore, but for you as well, a mutual quest spanning our two realms, that of the living and of the dead. And I promise you that they will pay for what they have done! I miss you, old friend. More than any of my men will ever know. You were the only friend I ever had, the only one who understood my rage, my bloodlust, my burning desire for revenge. I will see you again, old friend. But not yet, not yet…