"This had better be good," Anton
Slavik threatened as he walked into the research area.
"I believe you will be pleased,"
the nervous tech was almost visibly trembling as Slavik glared at him. The Nod commander was never known as the
most stable of men. "We have found
signs that the Chronosphere could potentially be used for purposes greater than
those for which we have applied it."
"Spare me the senseless
rambling. What have you found?"
"We believe-and again keep in
mind that at this stage it is only theoretical-that we can open a rift, if you
will, into another, alternate universe."
"That could be useful. With the earth all but ours, we will still
be in need of broader endeavors. Something to unite the planetary population behind our cause. Can it really be done?"
"We believe…"
"Can it really be done?"
"…Yes."
"Good. I'm placing you in charge of the project. I expect results within the month."
"Yes sir." The tech was on the verge of outright panic.
"Give me regular status
reports. We have only one more major
obstacle in our way. It's time we took
Hammerfest."
* * *
Several years passed rather
quickly for Alex as he learned about his abilities from his Protoss
allies. He still amazed them with his
incredible natural power. He lost track
of how many times he defeated even High Templars in combat training. As far as he knew, his power was only
surpassed by that of the legendary Archons.
At long last, it was time to
return home…
The Protoss carrier dropped out
of warp space over Umoja. It was
decided that the Protoss ambassador would be Alex's friend, Arathes. The duo boarded a shuttle and went down to
the surface. There they met with a
surprise. Expecting to see the
leadership of the Protectorate, the out-of-touch companions found that the
entire Terran sector had fallen under the command of the new Terran
Dominion. They sent up a message to the
commander of their vessel regarding the unexpected development. Meanwhile, Alex was finally reunited with
his parents. After a round of hugs and
tears, he filled them in.
"We ran into some trouble with
the Confederates and ended up in the middle of a confrontation with the
Protoss. I was in a cloaked Wraith at
the time, so I docked with one of their ships because I felt drawn to them. They taught me how to use my psionic
abilities."
"Psi…" his father started, "then
you know?"
"Now, yes. And I understand your reasons for not
telling me. So what's this Dominion?"
"Another alien race, the Zerg,
attacked the Confederate capitol. Then
Arcturus Mengsk formed the Dominion and declared himself Emperor."
"Mengsk? As in the Sons of Korhal?"
"Yes. He's actually done a decent job of it."
Suddenly, Alex's expression
turned extremely solemn. "What is it?"
his mother asked.
"I'm not sure. Wait here." He went to the spot where the Protoss commander's shuttle was
landing. After the gray alien
disembarked, Alex approached. "En taro
Adun, Commander."
"En taro Adun, Alexander."
"Sir, there is something wrong
here. Can you feel it?"
The tall alien stared off into
empty space, deeply focused. "It cannot
be…"
"What is it?" Alex's ignorance
of the cause frustrated him immensely. "What's wrong?"
"A Zerg Cerebrate is here…" an
angered edge entered his voice as he turned to the Dominion's representatives,
"And you knew…"
Just then the ground exploded
with a Zerg horde, the fractured pavement showing a fully developed creep
growing beneath.
"We have been deceived!" the
commander shouted.
A hydralisk burst up directly
beneath him, throwing him into the air. He soared directly into the jaws of a waiting guardian and was promptly
devoured. Arathes focused his power and
called up a psionic storm. Destructive
energy rained down on the growing swarm. Zerglings exploded and hydralisks were slaughtered by the dozens. Mutalisks flew in shrieking. Alex summoned winds so forceful that the
winged beasts were torn to pieces.
The few Protoss zealots standing
guard waded into the fray, psionic blades flashing. Pieces of Zerg beasts fell as the valiant warriors
enthusiastically went about their task. Newly arrived shuttles offloaded powerful reavers. The caterpillar-like machines spewed scarab
drones, which created massive explosions, creating huge gaps in the Zerg
lines. A number of interceptors rained
down from the carrier, removing the aerial threats. Guardians that remained in flight pounded ground units
relentlessly. A number of dragoons were
shipped down, adding to the chaos. The
spider-like exoskeletons blasted away at any Zerg foolhardy enough to get
close.
Alex and Arathes worked in
unison, wiping out dozens of Zerg at a time, even a number of massive
ultralisks. Despite their efforts, the
Zerg numbers were simply overwhelming. Even infested Terrans wreaked havoc. It became painfully clear that the Protoss forces were doomed. Alex hoped, prayed that something
would happen. Anything. Just then, a bright, shimmering hole
in space appeared in the middle of the battlefield.
"What is that?" Alex shouted.
"I do not know!" Arathes's reply
could barely be heard.
The Zerg came on…
* * *
Slavik sat patiently in the
Montauk as it burrowed deep within the earth. Behind it, he knew, several mobile stealth generators followed. His plan was fairly simple, though he knew
it would still be difficult to pull off. If it succeeded, GDI would altogether cease to be a threat. Kane would have been proud. After a time, the Montauk slowed to a
stop. A special team was unloaded to
assist in moving the MSG's to the surface.
Several cyborgs equipped with
newly developed drilling appendages began the process of digging upwards. Slavik waited patiently as special lifts
were constructed and the MSG's were moved into place. The cyborgs finally broke through to the snowy surface in
northern Europe, just outside of the range of Hammerfest's sensor arrays. Dropping back down, they made way for the
MSG's, which were moved into place and instantly deployed. Lastly, a mobile construction vehicle was
moved into place within range of the MSGs' cloaking effect.
"EVA," Slavik ordered, "initiate
battle command protocols." A
specialized screen came up on which Slavik could view his forces from a safe
difference. A special communication
link was established so that he could directly issue orders.
After deployment, the MCV began
its work. Workers carefully established
a small base within the effects of the MSGs, as harvesters collected tiberium
carefully out of view of the GDI forces. Finally, a full-scale stealth generator was constructed. Slavik then ordered full-scale production of
an attack force. Several APCs filled
with troops arrived, and vehicles were both rapidly constructed and
chronoshifted in. Finally, a specially
trained chameleon spy was moved into position. Slavik knew that because of the vast amounts of power it used, GDI had
to occasionally shut down its firestorm defense system. This coupled with the fact that there was a
slight gap in their sensor array gave Nod all the opportunity it needed.
The spy moved to the edge of the
sensor gap at a previously designated time. As soon as the defensive energy field went down, he darted into the
interior of the base. He discreetly
entered the GDI construction yard and the firestorm generator respectively,
placing explosives in both. Moving out
to the perimeter again, he triggered the detonations. The construction yard was completely destroyed, but the firestorm
generator, as planned, was merely crippled. He then went about destroying the sensor arrays as Nod forces swarmed in
to attack. The attacking force made
relatively short work of the RPG and Vulcan gun emplacements. Deployed tick
tanks and artillery rained heavy shells on defenses, structures, and slow
moving units. Several titans were
pounded into scrap at the start.
Banshees and Orcas met in the
air, wreckage raining down on ground troops. Groups of infantry met in massive bloodbaths, falling almost as quickly
as they clashed. A small team of
wolverines blazed away at Nod rocket infantry. A pair of stealth tanks decloaked behind them and unleashed a barrage of
rockets. Pieces of the wolverines
scattered as the yellow mechs were obliterated. Several multi-missiles exploded over the base, wreaking even more
havoc. Structures exploded violently,
other simply burned away. The battle
raged for hours, until Slavik saw the last of the GDI defenders die. A team of engineers was sent in to dissect
whatever technology could be found, especially that of the firestorm
system. Satisfied, Slavik ordered that
the Montauk return to his main base. En
route, he received a message from the tech that had been working on his newest
project.
"Sir, we've done it!" the
excited scientist was practically bursting with enthusiasm. "We've managed to determine how to use the
Chronosphere for inter-dimensional travel. It's amazing that the original developers stumbled onto it, if they
actually did, simply by accident. Of
course, we still don't know where exactly the device came from originally, but–"
"Has it been tested?"
"Actually, we were just about
to, but assumed you would like to watch."
"Then get to it."
"Yes sir."
On the Montauk's main screen,
technicians scrambled, entering coordinates, checking power systems, and going
about many other tasks. In the
background, the Chronosphere hummed with power. Lights flashed about on its hemispherical front end. A small glimmer of light appeared in midair
in the testing area. Slowly, it grew,
the process taking longer that normal, simply because of the unusual nature of what
they were attempting. The shimmering
hole in space and time reached rather large proportions and stopped
growing. Slavik's attention was riveted
on the rift, wondering what would happen next. A surprised smile crept across his face as a fairly large, serpent-like
creature with scythe arms emerged from the rift. His surprise turned to shock as another slithered out…and
another…and another…
Soon the entire test area was
filled with the bizarre monsters. A
pair of them bent forward…and suddenly, sharp spines shot from them, piercing
the protective barrier. The beasts
swarmed into the research area, and Slavik watched as they slaughtered the
technicians, and even more creatures came through…
