H1CENTERChapter 3: Suicide Run/CENTER/H1
I[ ] = Telepathy or thoughts/I/P
[But Executor,] protested Praetor Halos, [I've been here for five years! I deserve a transfer!]/P
The Executor's eye-ridges rose. Halos could feel the scorn through the transmission. [You've done nothing. You've held a post on that island for five years, and in those years, the Zerg have only gotten stronger. Why should I transfer you from one incompetent post to another? At least at your present position, you know what is going on around you. At least, I hope you know.]/P
[But I don't -]/P
[Don't what? Don't know what is going on? Are you really that incompetent? Or perhaps you don't want to fight the Zerg, as is our mission?]/P
[Of course I do, but -]/P
[Then the matter is settled. En Taro Adun, Praetor.] The image on the screen before Halos vanished./P
Halos slammed his fists on the desk in frustration. This mission had been a disaster since they arrived. They had followed the Zerg through hyperspace, with almost no time to gather sufficient forces. Now, years later, with their resources severely depleted, they could not transport in enough troops to counter the massive numbers of the Zerg. The could not even get reinforcements from other Protoss bases around the globe because of the blockade of Terran ships around the island./P
He stared at the map, trying to think of a way out of the predicament his people were in. Surrounded by Zerg on three sides and humans on the fourth, the situation seemed bleak. The Zerg were too powerful to attack on their bases, but his own troops and static defenses made it impossible for the Zerg to attack them and win. Combine that with the humans who eagerly killed both Protoss and Zerg, created the position he hated the most - a stalemate./P
The muted beep of his door chime interrupted his thoughts. [Come!] he called. The doors opened smoothly, and in walked Judicator Raetor. His dark blue robes flowed behind him, giving him a regal bearing. He paused just inside the doors, and they closed./P
Raetor noted Halos's posture and the suppressed emotions radiating from him. [I take it the conversation with the Executor did not go well?] Halos merely glared at his advisor. [Well then, I may have something that may make you happier.] He handed over a datapad./P
Halos read the report. He looked up at Raetor. [Are you sure of this?]/P
[Yes. It seems the humans are going to attack the Zerg base directly east of us.]/P
[But how? Their power does not even match ours. How can they hope to win?]/P
[As you will note in paragraph four, it mentions that the attack will be using elements from the 'Ghost Project' as well as some prototype weapons that we have been previously unaware of.]/P
['Ghost Project'. Have we discovered what that is?]/P
[No Praetor. Only that several human psions have been involved.]/P
[What about the prototype weapons?]/P
[I am unsure. However, a logical speculation leads me to believe that the weapons are ones of mass destruction to counter the numbers of the Zerg, probably nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.] The Judicator paused, then continued. [Praetor, it is my advice that we join with the humans and attack the base.]/P
[Are you insane? Join with the humans? They want to rid this planet of all alien life, including our own!]/P
[Halos, neither we or the humans alone are able to destroy any of the bases on this island. Our forces combined, however might give us a chance.]/P
[Our forces are thin enough as it is! We cannot afford it. And if you do not like it, then complain to the Executor!]/P
Raetor stiffened. [I...already have, Praetor. Last night.]/P
Halos stood there, stunned. ['At least, I hope you know,' he said.] He grabbed the front of the Judicator's robes. [You went over my head, damn you!]/P
Raetor stood unmoved. [Praetor, you have listened to my advice sixteen out of the last fifty engagements. Of those sixteen, we have won thirteen battles. Of the remaining thirty four, we won ten. In your arrogance you were, as the humans say, 'running us into the ground.' For the sake of the soldiers stationed here, I was compelled to speak to the Executor. I daresay that my report influenced him to reject your request for a transfer.]/P
Halos let go, but his hand shook with suppressed rage. [What would you have me do?]/P
[Join the attack with the humans. Destroy the base, and take it's resources to be our own. We'll have a new supply line, provide us with some safety on one of our borders, and separate the human's bases from each other.]/P
[But how? We simply do not have enough troops to mount an attack sufficient to destroy the base, and protect our own.]/P
[That is a risk we will have to take.]/P
Halos brooded over the problem. How to ensure the protection of this base while deploying enough forces to destroy the other? [What of Phoenix?]/P
Raetor's face contorted to one of distaste. [Phoenix? Why would you be interested in her?]/P
[What if we deployed her to attack the base with a smaller force to aid her?]/P
[Praetor, might I remind you that the memory blocks have just been completed. We haven't had time to install the subliminal controls. While her fighting and psionic abilities are impressive, especially when augmented by her armor, we have no way of controlling her if she goes wild.]/P
[She does what she is told, does she not?]/P
[Yes...] The Judicator's mind-voice was reluctant./P
[Very well.] Halos went to his armor and stepped into it, which folded around him, sealing him in it's protective embrace. There was a brief flare of energies as the armor's forcefield was activated. [Send a squad of Zealots and Dragoons, and six Reavers. Place them on the northern ridge. Engage the Zerg after the humans have begun their attack. The Zealots will attack first followed by Phoenix. The Dragoons will provide anti-air support and the Reavers will stay on the ridge attacking buildings and Ultralisks.] He walked out of his office into the main compound/P
Raetor followed. [Praetor, I advise strongly against this -] Halos turned and faced his advisor./P
[No, Judicator! I will follow your advice and join with the humans this once, but this base is still mine to command. Phoenix will join the attack. Then we shall see if the years and resources we have spent have been wasted.] He turned, and walked to the Gateway to transport the troops necessary for the attack. To himself he thought, Then we shall know who really is the incompetent!/P
Judicator Raetor watched his commander depart, then went to the Citadel of Adun to prepare for the attack./P
BR
Ranma and Nabiki crept up to the top of the ridge. Nabiki looked around, determining their position. "Okay, I think we're close enough. Time to cloak." She gave Ranma one last peck on the cheek, then slowly faded out of view. Ranma smiled and put on his visor. Nabiki reappeared in front of him, although instead of being solid, she looked translucent, a shadow of her former self. After a moment of concentration, Ranma, too, became invisible./P
"Nabiki, can you hear me?" he whispered into his comm. /P
Nabiki nodded. "It's about 0710. Let's split up and do a quick recon of the ridge."/P
Being careful to stay out of sight of the Overlords, they moved slowly around the ridge. They met back five minutes later. "See anything?" asked Ranma./P
"No. You?"/P
"Well, it might be nothing, but I saw a squad of zerglings bury themselves just outside the south west entrance."/P
"They're probably just a guard."/P
"That's what I thought, but I saw three ultralisks there too."/P
Nabiki frowned. "Three ultralisks? That's a bit much for a single entrance." She pressed a record button on her belt and spoke into her comm. "Command, this is Major Saotome. We need a sat-scan of the south west entrance." Pressing the send button, the message was transmitted back to base in an encrypted high speed burst. A five minutes later, they received a return transmission. Keying the file, she opened the scanned image./P
The south west path was filled with Zerg, most of them buried underneath the ground. Zerglings, Hydralisks, Lurkers, almost every conceivable ground unit was buried there. A second image showed a squad of twelve Ultralisks just inside the entrance, with several Guardians and Devourers flying overhead./P
"My God," whispered Nabiki. "That's easily enough to take out our base. They must have been growing their forces for months."/P
"They're probably getting ready to attack," said Ranma. "There's no way we can take out the base with all those troops. What now?"/P
"There's another file here. I'll open it."/P
"Major Saotome, this is Command." General Moroto's voice was tight and clipped, a sure sign of the stress he was under. "We're aware of the situation, and have authorized you, Major Saotome, to change you target to this sight." A red dot appeared on the map where the massed Zerg forces were. "We will be sending up the 5th mechanized division, to take out the Spore Colonies and the 16th mechanized infantry for air support. Until they are destroyed, we cannot send air cover. The rest of the attack will proceed as normal. Command out."/P
Ranma and Nabiki looked at each other. "Well," Nabiki finally said. "We have our orders. See you in five." They parted ways./P
Ranma crept up to the top of the ridge overlooking the Sunken Colonies. No Overlords were nearby, and Intel was sure that the Spore Colonies could not see over the ridge. Setting his laser scope he set his target. "Here goes nothing." Ranma pulled the trigger. The laser shot out, painting the center of the Sunken Colonies. Almost immediately, Command broadcast its warning./P
"Warning: Nuclear launch initiated. All civilians are to seek shelter immediately. Repeat, warning: Nuclear launch initiated..." The alert continued to repeat itself. Below, the Zerg became agitated. Zerlings swept the grounds, and Mutalisks searched the sky. For four minutes, Ranma remained undetected./P
Ranma first thought that the Overlord was going to miss him. He knew the range of the Overlord's telepathic radius, and knew that he was outside it. But the Overlord suddenly turned towards him, and that's when Ranma noticed two antennae coming out of its front. They were not in any specs on Overlords that he had read. Below him, Hydralisks began to swarm the base of the ridge, trying to get a good shot, while Mutalisks closed in from above./P
"Come on, come on...!" The Mutalisks would be in range in moments. Ranma could hear a dull roar from the south that grew louder and louder. Ranma saw the bright glow of the missile fly over him and angle down towards Zerg. Ranma's laser shut itself off, and he dove for cover just ahead of the Glav Wyrm that shot though the space were he had been moments before./P
The Zerg forces and troops closest to ground zero were obliterated by the blast. Further away, superheated gases burned flesh to the boiling point. Finally, the shock wave blew them apart, scattering the remains over the landscape./P
Further down the ridge, another nuclear explosion lit up the sky./P
Ranma looked up, and saw that the Overlord and most of the Mutalisks had been within the blast zone. He got to his feet and ran towards Nabiki's position. She met him halfway there. With a smug smile on her face, she pulled off her goggles and deactivated her cloak. Ranma did likewise./P
"So, how'd it go?" Nabiki asked./P
Ranma shrugged. "Nothing much."/P
"Nothing much!" she exclaimed. "When I saw the antennae on the Overlords, I thought my heart would stop! I was afraid that they might be able to see me."/P
"They could. They saw me, but couldn't get to me in time." They watched and the 5th mechanized division rumbled towards them. Massive tanks each armed with dual arclite cannons arrayed themselves around the top of the ridge. One of the crew on a tank near the Saotome couple poked his head out./P
"Good shot guys! Still plenty for us I hope?" he called waving./P
Ranma and Nabiki waved back. "Not if you don't hurry!" answered Ranma. The crewman laughed and ducked back inside. Large stabilizers slid out from the side of the tanks and pressed against the ground, while the arclite cannons sunk into the front of the turret and a large launching tube protruded out the back. By sacrificing their mobility, the tanks could fire devastating artillery into the Zerg forces. And they did so. Zerglings were vaporized by the dozens as artillery rained down from above the ridge. An Ultralisk, a mammoth beetle-like creature, staggered to the side as a shell slammed into its armored surface. A second shell created a gaping wound in it's exoskeleton, and a third pulverized its innards./P
Below them, human soldiers arrayed themselves in loose formations, blasting the Zerg to bits. Goliaths, large egg shaped pods on legs with machine guns and missile launchers, knocked down both ground and air units with equal facility./P
Ranma and Nabiki watched the carnage around them with grim satisfaction. The humans, for now at least, seemed to be holding their own against the numerically superior Zerg. Ranma glanced at his wife. "Order's sir?" he asked with a grin./P
Nabiki tossed her gun aside and cracked her knuckles. "We kill Zerg."/P
BR
The Protoss commander watched the twin mushroom clouds in amazement. Nuclear weapons! He could not believe it! The humans were willing to poison their planet to eradicate the Zerg menace on their little backward planet. In a way, he had to admire their determination. The Protoss would never go to such extremes on their own home planet of Aiur. He watched the battle progress through the eyes of Observers, small invisible automated spy drones. He was impressed by the humans tenacity in the face of such adversity. Even if he were not ordered to, he would be inclined to join the battle with them. But not yet. He must wait for the proper time. He looked over his own forces while he waited./P
While easily smaller than the humans forces by several magnitudes, they still contained an impressive amount of firepower. First were Zealots, armed with wicked blades constructed of psionic energy. Then, Dragoons, four legged artillery platforms that fired phased energy blasts followed by Reavers, large caterpillar tanks which attacked with Scarabs, small homing explosive shells. Finally, there was Phoenix./P
Phoenix was shorter than any Protoss, which was not surprising given her background. The thin lithe body was encased in a modified form of Protoss armor, equipped with an enhanced forcefield and powerful psi-blades./P
[The Zealots will go first, followed by the Dragoons and Reavers. The Zealots will form a protective perimeter allowing the Dragoons and Reavers to attack without interference. Understood?] When the acknowledgments came back, he turned to Phoenix. [The Praetor wishes me to give you free reign, so I shall. When the protective perimeter is in place, you may engage the enemy at your discretion.]/P
Phoenix's brown eyes glittered. A look of satisfaction came to her face, and she nodded once. Her black hair, which was tied into a tight braid that ran down her back, bobbed with the movement. [As you command,] she answered./P
No sooner had he finished when his second in command called the alert. [The humans are being pushed back!]/P
[Prepare to engage! Get into formation!] The Protoss forces quickly arrayed themselves, then attacked. Psi-blades flared into existence, and the Zealots began driving through the Zerg defenses. Since most of the defenders were busy engaging the humans, the Zealots managed to get through the base's static defenses almost unscathed./P
When they had finished cleaning up, Phoenix jumped high over the Protoss perimeter and ran to engage the enemy, moving faster than any Protoss ever could./P
[For the glory of Adun!] The commander's mind voice rang through the minds of the assembled Protoss. He lifted his arm. His psi-blade glowed a bright blue, and his armor shone in the rising sun. [Charge!]/P
BR
Ryoga Hibiki wandered among the hills and valleys of Japan. At least, he thought it was Japan. He could never be sure. Ever since the coming of the invaders, Ryoga had searched for Akane. She had to be somewhere. He knew that Ranma would never let something happen to her. He had spent the last five years looking for her, but no one knew of her. He had talked to anyone he met. Travellers, hermits, small communities, he had even managed to find an X-Com base in China, but they did not know anything either./P
Sitting down on a rock, Ryoga sloughed off his pack and umbrella. Stretching his sore muscles, he pushed back his black spotted yellow bandanna and scratched his itchy scalp. He needed a bath, and his stomach reminded him of his missed breakfast. Game was scarce these days. The Zerg grabbed up anything organic to use at their bases. He sighed. He was so tired. Tired of searching, tired of being hungry, tired of being dirty, just tired of everything. But he had to find Akane. Then everything would be better. But until then.../P
"Akane where are you?" he cried out into the uncaring world. His words echoed back and forth among the cliffs of the valley he was in./P
As if in answer to his cry, to the north, two mushroom clouds burst up into the atmosphere. The detonation rumbled though the air and the earth, shaking both. When the sound subsided, Ryoga began to hear smaller explosions and other sounds of battle./P
Ryoga quickly put his pack back on and began running towards the fight. Might as well as look, he thought. You never know, Akane might be there fighting./P
BR
Ranma tore through a dozen Zerglings with experienced ease, then killed an Ultralisk by breaking through its exoskeleton with a Möko Takabisha blast and throwing in a thermite grenade. He met up with Nabiki, who had just finished mopping up a number of Hydralisks. "So how's it going?" he asked./P
Nabiki shrugged. "Pretty routine. Don't these things ever learn?"/P
Ranma grinned. "Doesn't look like it. How're we doing?"/P
"Not good. A fair percentage of the infantry's gone, and the tanks are almost wiped out."/P
"We're losing then. Even with the help of the Protoss."/P
"Well, I guess we'd better get -" He was interrupted by a loud bellow from above./P
"RANMA SAOTOME PREPARE TO DIE!" Ranma stepped aside just as Ryoga's fist slammed into the ground where he had been a moment ago./P
"Ryoga? Is that you?" said Ranma./P
"That's right, Ranma! And now you're going to pay for hiding Akane from me for all these years!" Ryoga swung his umbrella, which Ramna dodged. "Where is she?!"/P
Ranma was stunned. Of course he would not know. "Ryoga, I'm sorry man, but...she's dead."/P
Ryoga froze in mid-swing. "Wh - what?" He dropped his umbrella, and grabbed Ranma by the collar and started to shake him. "You're lying! You just want her all to herself! Tell me where she is, damn you!"/P
Nabiki pulled him off. "He's not lying. The Zerg killed her when they invaded five years ago."/P
"But...But you - " Ryoga stammered, but Nabiki interrupted./P
"There was nothing Ranma could have done, Ryoga."/P
"She's right. Now we've got a battle to fight. Are you going to help us or not?" Without waiting for an answer, Ranma left to fight the Zerg, and Nabiki followed./P
Ryoga was not even aware of where he was going. His world had become an empty hole, devoid of anything worthwhile. He stumbled through the battlefield, tripping on a Zergling corpse here, a human body there. The Zerg seemed to ignore him as more reinforcements were hatched and moved to defend the base./P
He did not know why he stopped but he did eventually. Some part of him registered that he was near several large Zerg buildings. Not that it mattered. Akane was dead. All the years, all the pain, the hunger, the hope, it was now all nothing. He had nothing, he was nothing. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing./P
"If Akane isn't alive," Ryoga started, his voice starting as a whisper and rising to a roar, "then I DON'T WANT TO BE, EITHER!" A dark purple haze began to manifest around him, swirling like a whirlpool. Now the Zerg began to take notice. Zerglings tried to move closer, but they were pushed back. Hydralisks tried to fire their spines at him, but they too were stopped. Nothing could reach him. He began to glow the same dark purple. Brighter and brighter, until he glowed like a small star. Lifting his arms above his head he cried, "Final attack, Shishi Höködan!"/P
BR
Ranma back flipped up to the top of a small cliff moments ahead of a group of Zerglings, who tried to claw their way up the sheer face, with no success. Lashing out with a Möko Takabisha, he blew them to bits. "Heh. Losers." Then he noticed the bright star that was Ryoga. "Great, just great!" he said sarcastically. Activating his comlink he said, "Fall back! All units fall back, immediately!"/P
"We can't do that! If we do, the Zerg will decimate us!" replied Command./P
"If you don't, then you'll be decimated! If you fall back, then we just might be able to win this one. Tell me, are you reading anything strange?"/P
"There's a strange energy signature west of you but it's not...what's that?" There was a sound of someone talking on the other end. "Good Lord! Get all of our telepaths to shield themselves, and order the troops to fall back, now! Ranma, you and Nabiki had better shield yourselves. The psionic backlash could kill you."/P
"Already done." He switched to another frequency. "Nabiki got that?"/P
"Got it. Meet you at Sector 5."/P
"Roger that."/P
A few minutes later, a purple half sphere of energy appeared and expanded rapidly, quickly overtaking most of the Zerg and the remaining structures. The people in the human army who were psionically sensitive, but were not powerful enough for any training, ended up with painful headaches. For sensitives like Ranma and Nabiki, it was all they could do to stay conscious, as wave after wave of pain swept over them./P
When it was over, Ranma and Nabiki managed to climb to their feet, with the aid of some of the other soldiers./P
"How do you feel?" asked Nabiki weakly./P
"Like Ukyo hit me over the head with her biggest spatula. Over, and over and over..."/P
Nabiki chuckled weakly. "I suppose we should go see if he's still alive in there."/P
"I'd hate to leave him. He and I were friends. Sort of."/P
Nabiki chuckled again. "If he's a friend, don't ever make him an enemy. Let's go."/P
They split up, the other troops cleaning up. Occasionally they would spot some Zerglings or Hydralisks, but with the Overlords killed, and the psionic interference put out by Ryoga's final attack cutting them off from their Cerebrate controller, the creatures were on their own./P
Ten minutes later, Ranma got a call from Nabiki over the comm system./P
"I found him," she said./P
"Is he still alive?"/P
"Yeah, but not for much longer if we don't get him to a hospital. Medics are coming."/P
"I'm on my way." Ranma turned to go, when he noticed a flash of gold buried in the remains of a Hydralisk Den. "Wait a sec. I think I just found a Protoss body. I bet Intel would love some more toys. I'm picking it up." He went over and pulled the warrior out of organic mass. His jaw dropped when he saw who it was. "Nabiki, get over here!" he said./P
"What? What did you find?"/P
"You have to see it for yourself. Just get over here! And get some medics to come with you." He was so occupied with talking to Nabiki that he almost did not notice that Phoenix had opened her eyes. She lashed out with a psi-blade, barely missing Ranma who managed to get out of the way. She continued her attack, moving almost faster than he could. All the while he pleaded with her to stop./P
"Wait! Wait a sec! Stop! I don't want to hurt you! Don't you remem - " He was interrupted as a green beam of energy sent Phoenix rolling. She sprang to her feet just in time to meet Nabiki's furious attack. Shutting off her blades, she went defensive as Nabiki struck again and again with the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken. Breaking the rhythm of the attack, Phoenix slammed a fist into Nabiki's stomach. Nabiki doubled over, and Phoenix grabbed her around the throat. Lifting her up off the ground, Phoenix glared at her adversary./P
Nabiki's eyes widened with shock as she finally realized who it was. Her hands scraped against the golden armor and her mouth opened as she tried to talk, but only choking sounds emerged. Ranma was about to go help, when Phoenix threw Nabiki back. Ranma ran to his wife's aid, who was lying on the ground gasping, trying to get breath past her injured throat./P
"How - how is it possible?" she gasped. Ranma helped her to her feet./P
Phoenix cupped her hands together, and a bright yellow ball appeared. Her mind voice echoed through their heads. [Möko Takabisha!] The ball became a beam of energy directed at the two humans./P
"NO!" cried Ranma. He pushed Nabiki away, and the beam struck him full in the chest. He flew back through a ruined spore colony, and did not rise./P
"Ranma!" cried Nabiki, she started to run to him, but Phoenix's mind voice stopped her in her tracks./P
[Do not interfere with us again human, or we will put you in the same grave that we will dig for the Zerg.] She jumped up onto the top of a small cliff and ran./P
"No! Come back!" Nabiki ran to the base of the cliff. "Akane! Come back! Akane!"/P
End of Chapter 3
I[ ] = Telepathy or thoughts/I/P
[But Executor,] protested Praetor Halos, [I've been here for five years! I deserve a transfer!]/P
The Executor's eye-ridges rose. Halos could feel the scorn through the transmission. [You've done nothing. You've held a post on that island for five years, and in those years, the Zerg have only gotten stronger. Why should I transfer you from one incompetent post to another? At least at your present position, you know what is going on around you. At least, I hope you know.]/P
[But I don't -]/P
[Don't what? Don't know what is going on? Are you really that incompetent? Or perhaps you don't want to fight the Zerg, as is our mission?]/P
[Of course I do, but -]/P
[Then the matter is settled. En Taro Adun, Praetor.] The image on the screen before Halos vanished./P
Halos slammed his fists on the desk in frustration. This mission had been a disaster since they arrived. They had followed the Zerg through hyperspace, with almost no time to gather sufficient forces. Now, years later, with their resources severely depleted, they could not transport in enough troops to counter the massive numbers of the Zerg. The could not even get reinforcements from other Protoss bases around the globe because of the blockade of Terran ships around the island./P
He stared at the map, trying to think of a way out of the predicament his people were in. Surrounded by Zerg on three sides and humans on the fourth, the situation seemed bleak. The Zerg were too powerful to attack on their bases, but his own troops and static defenses made it impossible for the Zerg to attack them and win. Combine that with the humans who eagerly killed both Protoss and Zerg, created the position he hated the most - a stalemate./P
The muted beep of his door chime interrupted his thoughts. [Come!] he called. The doors opened smoothly, and in walked Judicator Raetor. His dark blue robes flowed behind him, giving him a regal bearing. He paused just inside the doors, and they closed./P
Raetor noted Halos's posture and the suppressed emotions radiating from him. [I take it the conversation with the Executor did not go well?] Halos merely glared at his advisor. [Well then, I may have something that may make you happier.] He handed over a datapad./P
Halos read the report. He looked up at Raetor. [Are you sure of this?]/P
[Yes. It seems the humans are going to attack the Zerg base directly east of us.]/P
[But how? Their power does not even match ours. How can they hope to win?]/P
[As you will note in paragraph four, it mentions that the attack will be using elements from the 'Ghost Project' as well as some prototype weapons that we have been previously unaware of.]/P
['Ghost Project'. Have we discovered what that is?]/P
[No Praetor. Only that several human psions have been involved.]/P
[What about the prototype weapons?]/P
[I am unsure. However, a logical speculation leads me to believe that the weapons are ones of mass destruction to counter the numbers of the Zerg, probably nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.] The Judicator paused, then continued. [Praetor, it is my advice that we join with the humans and attack the base.]/P
[Are you insane? Join with the humans? They want to rid this planet of all alien life, including our own!]/P
[Halos, neither we or the humans alone are able to destroy any of the bases on this island. Our forces combined, however might give us a chance.]/P
[Our forces are thin enough as it is! We cannot afford it. And if you do not like it, then complain to the Executor!]/P
Raetor stiffened. [I...already have, Praetor. Last night.]/P
Halos stood there, stunned. ['At least, I hope you know,' he said.] He grabbed the front of the Judicator's robes. [You went over my head, damn you!]/P
Raetor stood unmoved. [Praetor, you have listened to my advice sixteen out of the last fifty engagements. Of those sixteen, we have won thirteen battles. Of the remaining thirty four, we won ten. In your arrogance you were, as the humans say, 'running us into the ground.' For the sake of the soldiers stationed here, I was compelled to speak to the Executor. I daresay that my report influenced him to reject your request for a transfer.]/P
Halos let go, but his hand shook with suppressed rage. [What would you have me do?]/P
[Join the attack with the humans. Destroy the base, and take it's resources to be our own. We'll have a new supply line, provide us with some safety on one of our borders, and separate the human's bases from each other.]/P
[But how? We simply do not have enough troops to mount an attack sufficient to destroy the base, and protect our own.]/P
[That is a risk we will have to take.]/P
Halos brooded over the problem. How to ensure the protection of this base while deploying enough forces to destroy the other? [What of Phoenix?]/P
Raetor's face contorted to one of distaste. [Phoenix? Why would you be interested in her?]/P
[What if we deployed her to attack the base with a smaller force to aid her?]/P
[Praetor, might I remind you that the memory blocks have just been completed. We haven't had time to install the subliminal controls. While her fighting and psionic abilities are impressive, especially when augmented by her armor, we have no way of controlling her if she goes wild.]/P
[She does what she is told, does she not?]/P
[Yes...] The Judicator's mind-voice was reluctant./P
[Very well.] Halos went to his armor and stepped into it, which folded around him, sealing him in it's protective embrace. There was a brief flare of energies as the armor's forcefield was activated. [Send a squad of Zealots and Dragoons, and six Reavers. Place them on the northern ridge. Engage the Zerg after the humans have begun their attack. The Zealots will attack first followed by Phoenix. The Dragoons will provide anti-air support and the Reavers will stay on the ridge attacking buildings and Ultralisks.] He walked out of his office into the main compound/P
Raetor followed. [Praetor, I advise strongly against this -] Halos turned and faced his advisor./P
[No, Judicator! I will follow your advice and join with the humans this once, but this base is still mine to command. Phoenix will join the attack. Then we shall see if the years and resources we have spent have been wasted.] He turned, and walked to the Gateway to transport the troops necessary for the attack. To himself he thought, Then we shall know who really is the incompetent!/P
Judicator Raetor watched his commander depart, then went to the Citadel of Adun to prepare for the attack./P
BR
Ranma and Nabiki crept up to the top of the ridge. Nabiki looked around, determining their position. "Okay, I think we're close enough. Time to cloak." She gave Ranma one last peck on the cheek, then slowly faded out of view. Ranma smiled and put on his visor. Nabiki reappeared in front of him, although instead of being solid, she looked translucent, a shadow of her former self. After a moment of concentration, Ranma, too, became invisible./P
"Nabiki, can you hear me?" he whispered into his comm. /P
Nabiki nodded. "It's about 0710. Let's split up and do a quick recon of the ridge."/P
Being careful to stay out of sight of the Overlords, they moved slowly around the ridge. They met back five minutes later. "See anything?" asked Ranma./P
"No. You?"/P
"Well, it might be nothing, but I saw a squad of zerglings bury themselves just outside the south west entrance."/P
"They're probably just a guard."/P
"That's what I thought, but I saw three ultralisks there too."/P
Nabiki frowned. "Three ultralisks? That's a bit much for a single entrance." She pressed a record button on her belt and spoke into her comm. "Command, this is Major Saotome. We need a sat-scan of the south west entrance." Pressing the send button, the message was transmitted back to base in an encrypted high speed burst. A five minutes later, they received a return transmission. Keying the file, she opened the scanned image./P
The south west path was filled with Zerg, most of them buried underneath the ground. Zerglings, Hydralisks, Lurkers, almost every conceivable ground unit was buried there. A second image showed a squad of twelve Ultralisks just inside the entrance, with several Guardians and Devourers flying overhead./P
"My God," whispered Nabiki. "That's easily enough to take out our base. They must have been growing their forces for months."/P
"They're probably getting ready to attack," said Ranma. "There's no way we can take out the base with all those troops. What now?"/P
"There's another file here. I'll open it."/P
"Major Saotome, this is Command." General Moroto's voice was tight and clipped, a sure sign of the stress he was under. "We're aware of the situation, and have authorized you, Major Saotome, to change you target to this sight." A red dot appeared on the map where the massed Zerg forces were. "We will be sending up the 5th mechanized division, to take out the Spore Colonies and the 16th mechanized infantry for air support. Until they are destroyed, we cannot send air cover. The rest of the attack will proceed as normal. Command out."/P
Ranma and Nabiki looked at each other. "Well," Nabiki finally said. "We have our orders. See you in five." They parted ways./P
Ranma crept up to the top of the ridge overlooking the Sunken Colonies. No Overlords were nearby, and Intel was sure that the Spore Colonies could not see over the ridge. Setting his laser scope he set his target. "Here goes nothing." Ranma pulled the trigger. The laser shot out, painting the center of the Sunken Colonies. Almost immediately, Command broadcast its warning./P
"Warning: Nuclear launch initiated. All civilians are to seek shelter immediately. Repeat, warning: Nuclear launch initiated..." The alert continued to repeat itself. Below, the Zerg became agitated. Zerlings swept the grounds, and Mutalisks searched the sky. For four minutes, Ranma remained undetected./P
Ranma first thought that the Overlord was going to miss him. He knew the range of the Overlord's telepathic radius, and knew that he was outside it. But the Overlord suddenly turned towards him, and that's when Ranma noticed two antennae coming out of its front. They were not in any specs on Overlords that he had read. Below him, Hydralisks began to swarm the base of the ridge, trying to get a good shot, while Mutalisks closed in from above./P
"Come on, come on...!" The Mutalisks would be in range in moments. Ranma could hear a dull roar from the south that grew louder and louder. Ranma saw the bright glow of the missile fly over him and angle down towards Zerg. Ranma's laser shut itself off, and he dove for cover just ahead of the Glav Wyrm that shot though the space were he had been moments before./P
The Zerg forces and troops closest to ground zero were obliterated by the blast. Further away, superheated gases burned flesh to the boiling point. Finally, the shock wave blew them apart, scattering the remains over the landscape./P
Further down the ridge, another nuclear explosion lit up the sky./P
Ranma looked up, and saw that the Overlord and most of the Mutalisks had been within the blast zone. He got to his feet and ran towards Nabiki's position. She met him halfway there. With a smug smile on her face, she pulled off her goggles and deactivated her cloak. Ranma did likewise./P
"So, how'd it go?" Nabiki asked./P
Ranma shrugged. "Nothing much."/P
"Nothing much!" she exclaimed. "When I saw the antennae on the Overlords, I thought my heart would stop! I was afraid that they might be able to see me."/P
"They could. They saw me, but couldn't get to me in time." They watched and the 5th mechanized division rumbled towards them. Massive tanks each armed with dual arclite cannons arrayed themselves around the top of the ridge. One of the crew on a tank near the Saotome couple poked his head out./P
"Good shot guys! Still plenty for us I hope?" he called waving./P
Ranma and Nabiki waved back. "Not if you don't hurry!" answered Ranma. The crewman laughed and ducked back inside. Large stabilizers slid out from the side of the tanks and pressed against the ground, while the arclite cannons sunk into the front of the turret and a large launching tube protruded out the back. By sacrificing their mobility, the tanks could fire devastating artillery into the Zerg forces. And they did so. Zerglings were vaporized by the dozens as artillery rained down from above the ridge. An Ultralisk, a mammoth beetle-like creature, staggered to the side as a shell slammed into its armored surface. A second shell created a gaping wound in it's exoskeleton, and a third pulverized its innards./P
Below them, human soldiers arrayed themselves in loose formations, blasting the Zerg to bits. Goliaths, large egg shaped pods on legs with machine guns and missile launchers, knocked down both ground and air units with equal facility./P
Ranma and Nabiki watched the carnage around them with grim satisfaction. The humans, for now at least, seemed to be holding their own against the numerically superior Zerg. Ranma glanced at his wife. "Order's sir?" he asked with a grin./P
Nabiki tossed her gun aside and cracked her knuckles. "We kill Zerg."/P
BR
The Protoss commander watched the twin mushroom clouds in amazement. Nuclear weapons! He could not believe it! The humans were willing to poison their planet to eradicate the Zerg menace on their little backward planet. In a way, he had to admire their determination. The Protoss would never go to such extremes on their own home planet of Aiur. He watched the battle progress through the eyes of Observers, small invisible automated spy drones. He was impressed by the humans tenacity in the face of such adversity. Even if he were not ordered to, he would be inclined to join the battle with them. But not yet. He must wait for the proper time. He looked over his own forces while he waited./P
While easily smaller than the humans forces by several magnitudes, they still contained an impressive amount of firepower. First were Zealots, armed with wicked blades constructed of psionic energy. Then, Dragoons, four legged artillery platforms that fired phased energy blasts followed by Reavers, large caterpillar tanks which attacked with Scarabs, small homing explosive shells. Finally, there was Phoenix./P
Phoenix was shorter than any Protoss, which was not surprising given her background. The thin lithe body was encased in a modified form of Protoss armor, equipped with an enhanced forcefield and powerful psi-blades./P
[The Zealots will go first, followed by the Dragoons and Reavers. The Zealots will form a protective perimeter allowing the Dragoons and Reavers to attack without interference. Understood?] When the acknowledgments came back, he turned to Phoenix. [The Praetor wishes me to give you free reign, so I shall. When the protective perimeter is in place, you may engage the enemy at your discretion.]/P
Phoenix's brown eyes glittered. A look of satisfaction came to her face, and she nodded once. Her black hair, which was tied into a tight braid that ran down her back, bobbed with the movement. [As you command,] she answered./P
No sooner had he finished when his second in command called the alert. [The humans are being pushed back!]/P
[Prepare to engage! Get into formation!] The Protoss forces quickly arrayed themselves, then attacked. Psi-blades flared into existence, and the Zealots began driving through the Zerg defenses. Since most of the defenders were busy engaging the humans, the Zealots managed to get through the base's static defenses almost unscathed./P
When they had finished cleaning up, Phoenix jumped high over the Protoss perimeter and ran to engage the enemy, moving faster than any Protoss ever could./P
[For the glory of Adun!] The commander's mind voice rang through the minds of the assembled Protoss. He lifted his arm. His psi-blade glowed a bright blue, and his armor shone in the rising sun. [Charge!]/P
BR
Ryoga Hibiki wandered among the hills and valleys of Japan. At least, he thought it was Japan. He could never be sure. Ever since the coming of the invaders, Ryoga had searched for Akane. She had to be somewhere. He knew that Ranma would never let something happen to her. He had spent the last five years looking for her, but no one knew of her. He had talked to anyone he met. Travellers, hermits, small communities, he had even managed to find an X-Com base in China, but they did not know anything either./P
Sitting down on a rock, Ryoga sloughed off his pack and umbrella. Stretching his sore muscles, he pushed back his black spotted yellow bandanna and scratched his itchy scalp. He needed a bath, and his stomach reminded him of his missed breakfast. Game was scarce these days. The Zerg grabbed up anything organic to use at their bases. He sighed. He was so tired. Tired of searching, tired of being hungry, tired of being dirty, just tired of everything. But he had to find Akane. Then everything would be better. But until then.../P
"Akane where are you?" he cried out into the uncaring world. His words echoed back and forth among the cliffs of the valley he was in./P
As if in answer to his cry, to the north, two mushroom clouds burst up into the atmosphere. The detonation rumbled though the air and the earth, shaking both. When the sound subsided, Ryoga began to hear smaller explosions and other sounds of battle./P
Ryoga quickly put his pack back on and began running towards the fight. Might as well as look, he thought. You never know, Akane might be there fighting./P
BR
Ranma tore through a dozen Zerglings with experienced ease, then killed an Ultralisk by breaking through its exoskeleton with a Möko Takabisha blast and throwing in a thermite grenade. He met up with Nabiki, who had just finished mopping up a number of Hydralisks. "So how's it going?" he asked./P
Nabiki shrugged. "Pretty routine. Don't these things ever learn?"/P
Ranma grinned. "Doesn't look like it. How're we doing?"/P
"Not good. A fair percentage of the infantry's gone, and the tanks are almost wiped out."/P
"We're losing then. Even with the help of the Protoss."/P
"Well, I guess we'd better get -" He was interrupted by a loud bellow from above./P
"RANMA SAOTOME PREPARE TO DIE!" Ranma stepped aside just as Ryoga's fist slammed into the ground where he had been a moment ago./P
"Ryoga? Is that you?" said Ranma./P
"That's right, Ranma! And now you're going to pay for hiding Akane from me for all these years!" Ryoga swung his umbrella, which Ramna dodged. "Where is she?!"/P
Ranma was stunned. Of course he would not know. "Ryoga, I'm sorry man, but...she's dead."/P
Ryoga froze in mid-swing. "Wh - what?" He dropped his umbrella, and grabbed Ranma by the collar and started to shake him. "You're lying! You just want her all to herself! Tell me where she is, damn you!"/P
Nabiki pulled him off. "He's not lying. The Zerg killed her when they invaded five years ago."/P
"But...But you - " Ryoga stammered, but Nabiki interrupted./P
"There was nothing Ranma could have done, Ryoga."/P
"She's right. Now we've got a battle to fight. Are you going to help us or not?" Without waiting for an answer, Ranma left to fight the Zerg, and Nabiki followed./P
Ryoga was not even aware of where he was going. His world had become an empty hole, devoid of anything worthwhile. He stumbled through the battlefield, tripping on a Zergling corpse here, a human body there. The Zerg seemed to ignore him as more reinforcements were hatched and moved to defend the base./P
He did not know why he stopped but he did eventually. Some part of him registered that he was near several large Zerg buildings. Not that it mattered. Akane was dead. All the years, all the pain, the hunger, the hope, it was now all nothing. He had nothing, he was nothing. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing./P
"If Akane isn't alive," Ryoga started, his voice starting as a whisper and rising to a roar, "then I DON'T WANT TO BE, EITHER!" A dark purple haze began to manifest around him, swirling like a whirlpool. Now the Zerg began to take notice. Zerglings tried to move closer, but they were pushed back. Hydralisks tried to fire their spines at him, but they too were stopped. Nothing could reach him. He began to glow the same dark purple. Brighter and brighter, until he glowed like a small star. Lifting his arms above his head he cried, "Final attack, Shishi Höködan!"/P
BR
Ranma back flipped up to the top of a small cliff moments ahead of a group of Zerglings, who tried to claw their way up the sheer face, with no success. Lashing out with a Möko Takabisha, he blew them to bits. "Heh. Losers." Then he noticed the bright star that was Ryoga. "Great, just great!" he said sarcastically. Activating his comlink he said, "Fall back! All units fall back, immediately!"/P
"We can't do that! If we do, the Zerg will decimate us!" replied Command./P
"If you don't, then you'll be decimated! If you fall back, then we just might be able to win this one. Tell me, are you reading anything strange?"/P
"There's a strange energy signature west of you but it's not...what's that?" There was a sound of someone talking on the other end. "Good Lord! Get all of our telepaths to shield themselves, and order the troops to fall back, now! Ranma, you and Nabiki had better shield yourselves. The psionic backlash could kill you."/P
"Already done." He switched to another frequency. "Nabiki got that?"/P
"Got it. Meet you at Sector 5."/P
"Roger that."/P
A few minutes later, a purple half sphere of energy appeared and expanded rapidly, quickly overtaking most of the Zerg and the remaining structures. The people in the human army who were psionically sensitive, but were not powerful enough for any training, ended up with painful headaches. For sensitives like Ranma and Nabiki, it was all they could do to stay conscious, as wave after wave of pain swept over them./P
When it was over, Ranma and Nabiki managed to climb to their feet, with the aid of some of the other soldiers./P
"How do you feel?" asked Nabiki weakly./P
"Like Ukyo hit me over the head with her biggest spatula. Over, and over and over..."/P
Nabiki chuckled weakly. "I suppose we should go see if he's still alive in there."/P
"I'd hate to leave him. He and I were friends. Sort of."/P
Nabiki chuckled again. "If he's a friend, don't ever make him an enemy. Let's go."/P
They split up, the other troops cleaning up. Occasionally they would spot some Zerglings or Hydralisks, but with the Overlords killed, and the psionic interference put out by Ryoga's final attack cutting them off from their Cerebrate controller, the creatures were on their own./P
Ten minutes later, Ranma got a call from Nabiki over the comm system./P
"I found him," she said./P
"Is he still alive?"/P
"Yeah, but not for much longer if we don't get him to a hospital. Medics are coming."/P
"I'm on my way." Ranma turned to go, when he noticed a flash of gold buried in the remains of a Hydralisk Den. "Wait a sec. I think I just found a Protoss body. I bet Intel would love some more toys. I'm picking it up." He went over and pulled the warrior out of organic mass. His jaw dropped when he saw who it was. "Nabiki, get over here!" he said./P
"What? What did you find?"/P
"You have to see it for yourself. Just get over here! And get some medics to come with you." He was so occupied with talking to Nabiki that he almost did not notice that Phoenix had opened her eyes. She lashed out with a psi-blade, barely missing Ranma who managed to get out of the way. She continued her attack, moving almost faster than he could. All the while he pleaded with her to stop./P
"Wait! Wait a sec! Stop! I don't want to hurt you! Don't you remem - " He was interrupted as a green beam of energy sent Phoenix rolling. She sprang to her feet just in time to meet Nabiki's furious attack. Shutting off her blades, she went defensive as Nabiki struck again and again with the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken. Breaking the rhythm of the attack, Phoenix slammed a fist into Nabiki's stomach. Nabiki doubled over, and Phoenix grabbed her around the throat. Lifting her up off the ground, Phoenix glared at her adversary./P
Nabiki's eyes widened with shock as she finally realized who it was. Her hands scraped against the golden armor and her mouth opened as she tried to talk, but only choking sounds emerged. Ranma was about to go help, when Phoenix threw Nabiki back. Ranma ran to his wife's aid, who was lying on the ground gasping, trying to get breath past her injured throat./P
"How - how is it possible?" she gasped. Ranma helped her to her feet./P
Phoenix cupped her hands together, and a bright yellow ball appeared. Her mind voice echoed through their heads. [Möko Takabisha!] The ball became a beam of energy directed at the two humans./P
"NO!" cried Ranma. He pushed Nabiki away, and the beam struck him full in the chest. He flew back through a ruined spore colony, and did not rise./P
"Ranma!" cried Nabiki, she started to run to him, but Phoenix's mind voice stopped her in her tracks./P
[Do not interfere with us again human, or we will put you in the same grave that we will dig for the Zerg.] She jumped up onto the top of a small cliff and ran./P
"No! Come back!" Nabiki ran to the base of the cliff. "Akane! Come back! Akane!"/P
End of Chapter 3