"This is Cobra King, Cobra's do you copy?" Mikhail said, fiddling with the radio on his head. All sixty pilots reported in, all systems were running at full capacity. They were winging across the jungle lands of Khan'Alas towards the Zerg base. The ground was covered in vegetation, all the lively green was refreshing. Up ahead Mikhail saw Boris flying right above the tree line.
"You might want to get a little bit more altitude old timer, or you'll be in ashes on the ground before we even get to the battle!" Mikhail jeered, pulling up beside him.
"You worry about your own flying, its bad enough as it is." Boris retorted, but never the less he pulled up.
"All right Cobra's were almost there. Zero in on the Centauri Quadrant, coordinates 68.378.911. Were receiving a bit of tailwind, we should be there in no time. Get yourselves prepared boys, `cause this is it." Mikhail said, punching in the coordinates on his computer. The autopilot readjusted his direction by a few degrees, so that he was flying straight towards the plain. Out of the side of the window he saw the Kolorina Wraiths, flying level with his own boys. From over a ridge a huge aircraft appeared, at least four hundred feet long.
"This is Volamose Protectorate Team Cobra Leader, do you copy Kolorina leader?" Mikhail asked, keeping his gaze locked on the peculiar aircraft.
"This is Kolorina Team Alpha Leader, I read you loud and clear Cobra Leader." The Alpha Leader's voice greeted Mikhail's ears.
"You seem to be towing a lil' something extra."
The pilot laughed. "Yeah, on General Miller's orders. That's an airborne aircraft carrier. We got some Wraith's in there, along with rookie pilots, in case we need them. But, I think with my boys and yours combined should we able to take these Zergs out."
"Let's certainly hope so. Cobra Leader out." Mikhail shut down the transmission, turning his attention to the Zerg base that had appeared over the horizon. Mikhail readjusted the knobs on his radio until he was on General Gray's frequency. "This is Cobra King, target is in sight."
"All right Lieutenant this is the real thing, lets show these freaks what humans are made of."
"I won't let you down General. Boy's you heard the man, lets wax these critters!" Mikhail commanded, jamming forward on the throttle. He heard the screeching of Mutalisks as twenty of them appeared, their jagged wings flapping madly to keep their long, worm like bodies in the air. Mikhail flipped open the cap on his stick, and pressed the red button that was there. Immediately two Gemini missiles streaked out towards the nearest Mutalisk. Gore flew everywhere as the missile's connected with the Mutalisk dead on. Blood whipped against the side of his plane, covering it in an oozing red.
"Come on you bastards, where are the rest of you?" Mikhail wondered. They had certainly figured on their being more than twenty defenders. Then, as if on cure, thirty-six Hydralisks unburrowed from directly beneath them. Mikhail watched in anguish as Needle Spines tore through the hull of one of his men. The plane began smoking, then dropped towards the ground like a rock.
"This is Cobra six, I'm hit, preparing to eject!" The pilot's frantic voice came over the com-link, and then he ejected his seat. The seat rocketed up in there as the Wraith exploded on the ground. A parachute flew out from the backside of the seat, and the pilot began slowly drifting to the ground, but not for long. A Glave Worm tore through the parachute, creating a huge hole in the fabric. The pilot screamed as he hurtled to the ground. If he wasn't dead upon impact, he certainly died when six Zerglings unburrowed and massacred the unconscious or dead pilot.
Mikhail fought back tears of anger, and immediately winged towards the Mutalisks that had ripped his chute. He fired off two more Gemini Missiles, a grim smile of satisfaction appearing on his lips as the missiles exploded into the Mutalisk's chest. The corpse, or what was left of it, fell to the ground, right next to the body of the man it had killed.
"This is Cobra King, team give me your status reports." Two planes were down, both pilots killed in the explosion. Cobra Fourteen had its shields knocked offline, so Mikhail flew over to protect it. On the ground, the Zerg continued to spawn, the favor of them Hydralisks. Mikhail spotted a large group of them clumped together, taking shots at one of the Kalorian fighters. He fired off several burst lasers, and much to his satisfaction, two of the Hydralisks heads were blown off. The other Hydralisks panicked and scrambled, making them easy targets for the other planes. Within seconds they were dead, victims of the Volamose Protectorate.
Mikhail saw another one of his Wraiths go down as three Seeker Spores slammed into its hull. The plane exploded in mid-air, sending burning shrapnel everywhere. Mikhail watched as a flaming piece of metal imbedded in a Mutalisks midsection, and soon the Zerg was completely ablaze. Mikhail shielded his eyes from the extreme light as the flaming corpse smashed into a Hive. Mikhail immediately turned his attention to the Spore Colony that had loosed the Spores. It was about forty yards away, right on the fringe of the Creep.
Angling his Wraith for a fly-by, Mikhail went full throttle at the building. It loosed Seeker Spore's at him, but the plane was too fast. All the Spores went behind him. Mikhail readied his Burst Lasers, and once he was in range he fired six quick shots. Two missed, but the other four quickly reduced the building to a heap of organic flesh. The Creep shriveled away from where the colony just was, revealing a barren patch of dirt.
"Alpha Leader, this is Cobra King, how are your boys doing." Mikhail asked as he picked off another Hydralisk with his lasers.
"Four down, but we've dished out three times as much as we've received." The pilot responded, and out of the corner of his eye Mikhail saw him rip apart a Mutalisk.
"General, how long until the Infantry Unit is ready?"
"We've had some engine problems on three of the Dropships, you'll have to hold out for a few more minutes." The General responded, a ting of worry in his gruff voice.
"Not a problem General, we outnumber these critters three to one. Cobra King out." Mikhail turned his attention back to the battle, and flew towards a Mutalisk that was rapidly firing Glave Worms at him. None even got close, Mikhail was too skilled. He loosed another set of Gemini Missiles at the Mutalisk, watching as it tried to avoid it. One of the missiles missed, but the other took the Zerg through the wing, sending it hurtling to the ground. Mikhail winced as the crippled Mutalisk screeched all the way down, until it smashed with so much force that Mikhail could hear the bones breaking from fifty feet up.
"This is still too easy, something's up. Be watchful boys." Mikhail advised. He was getting very suspicious. The General said that once the Zerg picked up their signal, the area would be swarming. However, he only counted thirteen remaining Mutalisks and twenty Hydralisks.
"Mikhail the Infantry Unit is set up, you can pull back now, turn all your attention to the airborne Zerg's." General Gray's voice came over the comlink.
"Alright boys the Infantry is ready, retreat to cover them." Mikhail turned sharply around, and saw the Infantry on the ridge. At the very top, thirty tanks had been deployed into Siege mode. A mixture of Marines and Firebats stood guard by them, with a small unit of Ghosts, with Sniper Rifle's at the ready. Mikhail thought he saw Major O'Connor among them, but he wasn't sure
"King Cobra this is Alpha Leader, I got a little message from General Miller for you." The Kolorian leader said.
"I don't really care what that bastards got to say." Mikhail snapped, not wanting to speak to the man in the least.
"I think its something your going to want to hear Lieutenant." The man persisted, and Mikhail insisted that he heard the man snicker.
"Fine, patch the bastard through." He sighed, giving in. A moment later, an image of Miller flashed on the computer screen.
"Greetings, Lieutenant. I am General Edward Mille..."
"I know who you are. Say your piece and be gone." Mikhail snapped. Just the sound of the treacherous man's voice made him angry. All the men knew of his past betrayals, though he had always found a way to worm out of trouble.
"Such disrespect to your commanding Officers! I see the incompetent General Gray is as soft as ever, if this is how he allows his men to speak to their superiors." The General snickered, he and Colin had issues in the past.
"You're not my commanding Officer, nor are you my superior. Your scum." Mikhail replied.
"How dare you speak to me in that manner! If anyone is scu..." Then the General stopped. "Not that what you say matters, you'll be defeated in a few minutes."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're fighting a for a loosing cause Lieutenant. The human race is coming to an end, the new Overmind is the one true galactic leader!"
"You treacherous bitch! You've allied with the Zerg!"
"Allied? I prefer to call it a union for mutual gain. You see, soon the Zerg will be one the one true force in the Universe, and the only remaining humans will be my men and I, Emperor Edward Miller!"
"Emperor? Not likely, traitor! Besides, haven't you forgotten about the Protoss?" Mikhail pointed out indignantly.
"The Protoss? Ha! When was the last time you heard from them? After the events that took place during the Brood Wars, I'd be surprised if there is any will to fight in any of them." The General laughed, enjoying his betrayal.
"Your insane!"
"Some people would call me insane, some would call me genius. I am not betraying the human race, I am merely preserving what will be left of it. If I did not side with the Zerg, I would be wiped out, just like you are about to be!" The General flashed an evil grin. "I am merely batting for the winning team Lieutenant."
"And then what happens when the Zerg turn on you, just like you will eventually to them?"
"I don't think that will happen. There would be no benefit to destroying us, they would merely lose a powerful ally."
"A powerful ally against what? The Protoss? Its like you said, the Protoss are defeated. If you wipe us out, you'll be the only other military force left! Do you actually believe the Zerg fight because they want control of the universe? Ha! They fight because they're bloodthirsty freaks! Once were dead, they'll target whats left of the Protoss, and then what? Do you think they'll be content knowing they're the rulers of the universe?" It was Mikhail's turn to laugh, apparently Miller overlooked that.
"Uhh.." The general was stunned.
"Ha! You didn't think of that, did you, Emperor Miller?" Mikhail added a heavy dose of sarcasm to the last two words.
"Bah! What you saw does not matter to me! If that happens, I'll deal with it then! But if I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about the future, because you're not going to be a part of it!" The General retorted. "I grow tired of this arguing! Alpha Leader!"
"Yes, General?" The pilot responded.
Miller paused for a second. "Blow them out of the sky."
"With pleasure General." The man laughed, and Mikhail heard him order his squadrons to attack.
"Do you actually think you will beat us? We outnumber and outskill your squadrons." Mikhail said nervously.
"Not quite! Remember the carrier? It didn't have Wraiths on it." Miller smirked.
"Then what is?"
Miller picked up a radio, all the while grinning evilly at Mikhail. "Team Bravo! Attaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
"Team Bravo! What the hell!" Mikhail shouted, searching frantically around for other Kolorina units. Then he noticed the huge door on the carrier slid open, revealing a space hundreds of feet wide. Mikhail heard the powering up of engines, and the next thing he saw was hundreds of Valkyrie planes fly out of the aircraft and unleash waves of rockets on the Volamose Wraiths.
"You might want to get a little bit more altitude old timer, or you'll be in ashes on the ground before we even get to the battle!" Mikhail jeered, pulling up beside him.
"You worry about your own flying, its bad enough as it is." Boris retorted, but never the less he pulled up.
"All right Cobra's were almost there. Zero in on the Centauri Quadrant, coordinates 68.378.911. Were receiving a bit of tailwind, we should be there in no time. Get yourselves prepared boys, `cause this is it." Mikhail said, punching in the coordinates on his computer. The autopilot readjusted his direction by a few degrees, so that he was flying straight towards the plain. Out of the side of the window he saw the Kolorina Wraiths, flying level with his own boys. From over a ridge a huge aircraft appeared, at least four hundred feet long.
"This is Volamose Protectorate Team Cobra Leader, do you copy Kolorina leader?" Mikhail asked, keeping his gaze locked on the peculiar aircraft.
"This is Kolorina Team Alpha Leader, I read you loud and clear Cobra Leader." The Alpha Leader's voice greeted Mikhail's ears.
"You seem to be towing a lil' something extra."
The pilot laughed. "Yeah, on General Miller's orders. That's an airborne aircraft carrier. We got some Wraith's in there, along with rookie pilots, in case we need them. But, I think with my boys and yours combined should we able to take these Zergs out."
"Let's certainly hope so. Cobra Leader out." Mikhail shut down the transmission, turning his attention to the Zerg base that had appeared over the horizon. Mikhail readjusted the knobs on his radio until he was on General Gray's frequency. "This is Cobra King, target is in sight."
"All right Lieutenant this is the real thing, lets show these freaks what humans are made of."
"I won't let you down General. Boy's you heard the man, lets wax these critters!" Mikhail commanded, jamming forward on the throttle. He heard the screeching of Mutalisks as twenty of them appeared, their jagged wings flapping madly to keep their long, worm like bodies in the air. Mikhail flipped open the cap on his stick, and pressed the red button that was there. Immediately two Gemini missiles streaked out towards the nearest Mutalisk. Gore flew everywhere as the missile's connected with the Mutalisk dead on. Blood whipped against the side of his plane, covering it in an oozing red.
"Come on you bastards, where are the rest of you?" Mikhail wondered. They had certainly figured on their being more than twenty defenders. Then, as if on cure, thirty-six Hydralisks unburrowed from directly beneath them. Mikhail watched in anguish as Needle Spines tore through the hull of one of his men. The plane began smoking, then dropped towards the ground like a rock.
"This is Cobra six, I'm hit, preparing to eject!" The pilot's frantic voice came over the com-link, and then he ejected his seat. The seat rocketed up in there as the Wraith exploded on the ground. A parachute flew out from the backside of the seat, and the pilot began slowly drifting to the ground, but not for long. A Glave Worm tore through the parachute, creating a huge hole in the fabric. The pilot screamed as he hurtled to the ground. If he wasn't dead upon impact, he certainly died when six Zerglings unburrowed and massacred the unconscious or dead pilot.
Mikhail fought back tears of anger, and immediately winged towards the Mutalisks that had ripped his chute. He fired off two more Gemini Missiles, a grim smile of satisfaction appearing on his lips as the missiles exploded into the Mutalisk's chest. The corpse, or what was left of it, fell to the ground, right next to the body of the man it had killed.
"This is Cobra King, team give me your status reports." Two planes were down, both pilots killed in the explosion. Cobra Fourteen had its shields knocked offline, so Mikhail flew over to protect it. On the ground, the Zerg continued to spawn, the favor of them Hydralisks. Mikhail spotted a large group of them clumped together, taking shots at one of the Kalorian fighters. He fired off several burst lasers, and much to his satisfaction, two of the Hydralisks heads were blown off. The other Hydralisks panicked and scrambled, making them easy targets for the other planes. Within seconds they were dead, victims of the Volamose Protectorate.
Mikhail saw another one of his Wraiths go down as three Seeker Spores slammed into its hull. The plane exploded in mid-air, sending burning shrapnel everywhere. Mikhail watched as a flaming piece of metal imbedded in a Mutalisks midsection, and soon the Zerg was completely ablaze. Mikhail shielded his eyes from the extreme light as the flaming corpse smashed into a Hive. Mikhail immediately turned his attention to the Spore Colony that had loosed the Spores. It was about forty yards away, right on the fringe of the Creep.
Angling his Wraith for a fly-by, Mikhail went full throttle at the building. It loosed Seeker Spore's at him, but the plane was too fast. All the Spores went behind him. Mikhail readied his Burst Lasers, and once he was in range he fired six quick shots. Two missed, but the other four quickly reduced the building to a heap of organic flesh. The Creep shriveled away from where the colony just was, revealing a barren patch of dirt.
"Alpha Leader, this is Cobra King, how are your boys doing." Mikhail asked as he picked off another Hydralisk with his lasers.
"Four down, but we've dished out three times as much as we've received." The pilot responded, and out of the corner of his eye Mikhail saw him rip apart a Mutalisk.
"General, how long until the Infantry Unit is ready?"
"We've had some engine problems on three of the Dropships, you'll have to hold out for a few more minutes." The General responded, a ting of worry in his gruff voice.
"Not a problem General, we outnumber these critters three to one. Cobra King out." Mikhail turned his attention back to the battle, and flew towards a Mutalisk that was rapidly firing Glave Worms at him. None even got close, Mikhail was too skilled. He loosed another set of Gemini Missiles at the Mutalisk, watching as it tried to avoid it. One of the missiles missed, but the other took the Zerg through the wing, sending it hurtling to the ground. Mikhail winced as the crippled Mutalisk screeched all the way down, until it smashed with so much force that Mikhail could hear the bones breaking from fifty feet up.
"This is still too easy, something's up. Be watchful boys." Mikhail advised. He was getting very suspicious. The General said that once the Zerg picked up their signal, the area would be swarming. However, he only counted thirteen remaining Mutalisks and twenty Hydralisks.
"Mikhail the Infantry Unit is set up, you can pull back now, turn all your attention to the airborne Zerg's." General Gray's voice came over the comlink.
"Alright boys the Infantry is ready, retreat to cover them." Mikhail turned sharply around, and saw the Infantry on the ridge. At the very top, thirty tanks had been deployed into Siege mode. A mixture of Marines and Firebats stood guard by them, with a small unit of Ghosts, with Sniper Rifle's at the ready. Mikhail thought he saw Major O'Connor among them, but he wasn't sure
"King Cobra this is Alpha Leader, I got a little message from General Miller for you." The Kolorian leader said.
"I don't really care what that bastards got to say." Mikhail snapped, not wanting to speak to the man in the least.
"I think its something your going to want to hear Lieutenant." The man persisted, and Mikhail insisted that he heard the man snicker.
"Fine, patch the bastard through." He sighed, giving in. A moment later, an image of Miller flashed on the computer screen.
"Greetings, Lieutenant. I am General Edward Mille..."
"I know who you are. Say your piece and be gone." Mikhail snapped. Just the sound of the treacherous man's voice made him angry. All the men knew of his past betrayals, though he had always found a way to worm out of trouble.
"Such disrespect to your commanding Officers! I see the incompetent General Gray is as soft as ever, if this is how he allows his men to speak to their superiors." The General snickered, he and Colin had issues in the past.
"You're not my commanding Officer, nor are you my superior. Your scum." Mikhail replied.
"How dare you speak to me in that manner! If anyone is scu..." Then the General stopped. "Not that what you say matters, you'll be defeated in a few minutes."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're fighting a for a loosing cause Lieutenant. The human race is coming to an end, the new Overmind is the one true galactic leader!"
"You treacherous bitch! You've allied with the Zerg!"
"Allied? I prefer to call it a union for mutual gain. You see, soon the Zerg will be one the one true force in the Universe, and the only remaining humans will be my men and I, Emperor Edward Miller!"
"Emperor? Not likely, traitor! Besides, haven't you forgotten about the Protoss?" Mikhail pointed out indignantly.
"The Protoss? Ha! When was the last time you heard from them? After the events that took place during the Brood Wars, I'd be surprised if there is any will to fight in any of them." The General laughed, enjoying his betrayal.
"Your insane!"
"Some people would call me insane, some would call me genius. I am not betraying the human race, I am merely preserving what will be left of it. If I did not side with the Zerg, I would be wiped out, just like you are about to be!" The General flashed an evil grin. "I am merely batting for the winning team Lieutenant."
"And then what happens when the Zerg turn on you, just like you will eventually to them?"
"I don't think that will happen. There would be no benefit to destroying us, they would merely lose a powerful ally."
"A powerful ally against what? The Protoss? Its like you said, the Protoss are defeated. If you wipe us out, you'll be the only other military force left! Do you actually believe the Zerg fight because they want control of the universe? Ha! They fight because they're bloodthirsty freaks! Once were dead, they'll target whats left of the Protoss, and then what? Do you think they'll be content knowing they're the rulers of the universe?" It was Mikhail's turn to laugh, apparently Miller overlooked that.
"Uhh.." The general was stunned.
"Ha! You didn't think of that, did you, Emperor Miller?" Mikhail added a heavy dose of sarcasm to the last two words.
"Bah! What you saw does not matter to me! If that happens, I'll deal with it then! But if I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about the future, because you're not going to be a part of it!" The General retorted. "I grow tired of this arguing! Alpha Leader!"
"Yes, General?" The pilot responded.
Miller paused for a second. "Blow them out of the sky."
"With pleasure General." The man laughed, and Mikhail heard him order his squadrons to attack.
"Do you actually think you will beat us? We outnumber and outskill your squadrons." Mikhail said nervously.
"Not quite! Remember the carrier? It didn't have Wraiths on it." Miller smirked.
"Then what is?"
Miller picked up a radio, all the while grinning evilly at Mikhail. "Team Bravo! Attaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
"Team Bravo! What the hell!" Mikhail shouted, searching frantically around for other Kolorina units. Then he noticed the huge door on the carrier slid open, revealing a space hundreds of feet wide. Mikhail heard the powering up of engines, and the next thing he saw was hundreds of Valkyrie planes fly out of the aircraft and unleash waves of rockets on the Volamose Wraiths.