Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Starcraft or the characters, but
the story is mine. I was not paid or not receiving any money from
Blizzard.
Chapter 8
The room was dark and cold. Jim woke up in a cold sweat as he was not aware of his surroundings. He realized he was not on board the ship any more. He was at his home. At least he thought of the little shack as a home. It was better then living in a large beautiful home with a perfect view of the sun and a grand waterfall running in the middle of a large lushes garden, being ruled over by some crooked politician. He was free here at least.
He dreamt of Sarah being human once again. She was so beautiful when she was. Her long beautiful read hair and her sharp green eyes were so full of color.
Jim saw a pair bluish eyes looking at him. The rest of the body was completely hidden in the darkness. "Glad to see your up," the voice said with relief. "Zeratul told me to remain by your side till you awoke," the voice said again. It was a female.
Jim could only stare into her eyes. "What's your name?" he asked sounding groggy.
"Pardon my manners. My name is Latura. Nightmares is it?" she asked moving. Jim couldn't see her really moving, just her eyes.
"What time is it? Sure is dark," he said reaching for the lamp that was placed on a dresser next to the bed. After a few seconds he found the lamp and turned it on revealing the dark blue Protoss female in front of him.
She walked over to him. She held out a glass of water. Jim took the glass and swallowed the water in one gulp. "It is 01:24 hours. You went to sleep at least six or seven hours ago," she said walking back to her chair.
"Oh. That long, huh?" he asked rubbing his eyes. He got up and stretched out his back. "Sorry, you don't need to stay anymore. You can go to sleep now or whatever you do," Jim said nodding to her.
"If you ever need me, Captain Raynor, Zeratul appointed me to assist you in whatever it is you need," she said walking over to him. "Is there anything you need?" She wasn't kidding. Zeratul had gave him an assistant.
"Nah, I'm good. You can go now. I'm probably going to just take a walk or something," he replied grabbing his jacket and walking out the door followed by Latura. "Thanks though. Maybe I'll see you around sometime," he said walking down the newly paved road.
"Very well. Enjoy your walk Captain," she said and like that was gone.
It was cold out. Jim could only think about when he first met Sarah and what he had thought about. How she being a telepath, picked it up embarrassing him in front of his men. "Ah, the good ole' days." When he then thought about it more, he was falling in love with Sarah again. It was a strange thought because she wasn't human any more. That's when it hit him. That device Zeratul was talking about. He was going to have to figure out how to convince her to go to Shakurus willingly.
He walked down the road to see the small shacks shaping up nicely. They were more like homes now actually. It was getting colder and there must have been a recent rain because the road and the grass were slick with water. He shuddered as he continued to walk down the deserted street. He found himself walking into a bar. It was the same bar he was in before just outside of Starport 319.
"Jim? What brings you here at this time?" Jack Anderson said sitting in one of the bar stools taking a sip from his drink.
Jim walked up to him. "You know, I really don't know why I'm here. Just felt like going for a walk and ended up here," he knew that sounded kind of off. But it was the truth.
Jack did look confused but shrugged. "Yeah, that happened to me one night. Did all kinds of weird things and when I woke up the next day, I was married," he replied smiling. "Hey bartender, give me a drink for my friend here. Come on Jim, have a drink," he said motioning Jim to take a seat.
"Why not," Jim said sitting next to Jack. "Why are you here at this time?" Jim asked curiously.
He took another sip of his drink and sighed. "We picked up a few signals. It's a bunch of Protoss gibberish. Thing about it is, it's in the Sara System. But get this, we don't have any Protoss ships left in that Sector. We got a hold of some of their messages and figured out that they are some Judicator Fleet hunting some Dark Templars." Jack finished speaking and downed the last of his drink.
Jim took the glass the bartender gave him. He shook his hand picking up the glass and drinking more then half of it in one gulp. "Well, that figures. Just gotta get used to it man. We are the underdogs and everyone hates us. Title comes with the territory," he said finishing the drink.
Jack looked over at him. "Yeah, but you better not drink so fast without any food in your stomach. You'll make yourself sick you know," Jack said standing up. "He placed some money on the bar counter. "Keep the change. I'll talk with you tomorrow Jim," he said as he walked to the door. He opened it and vanished into the darkness outside.
Jim put his head down on the counter. He knew it was going to be a long night. He stood up and walked out of the bar as well. He wasn't sure, but he wasn't really heading to the bar. He was going somewhere. Where he did not yet know.
Aster System
The UED made their way back to the Aster System and landed the giant Cruisers on the Surface of Aster Prime. They thought about going to the Antigian System but decided against it. They had only lost two ships in a heavy engagement in the Sara System which could have gone better but the price was worth it. Hundreds of Zerg were dead. The victory did have a price but one they could afford. They still had more then four-dozen Cruisers left.
The H.Q. was reestablished within only a few hours. Admiral Gray watched from the Blue Nose as the crews below put up large structures. He saw a Command Center being lowered from one of the other Cruisers. He was going to have to report to Holland in a few hours.
"Sir, the base defenses are up and running. We have Marines patrolling the perimeter now. Also several Bunkers and Missile Turrets have been placed. Tanks are rolling up now as well," Tab reported. "We have also located a rather large resource node that we just couldn't help but notice. Mining it would take weeks maybe even months, but that would do more then triple our current funds, sir."
"Triple?! Well, that must be a hell of a large resource node. Get to it then Mr. Tab. I want you to oversee the project and you will have full command of the operation," he replied shocked. Their funds would last an extremely large amount of time without the resource node, but they could go on almost for a three years now.
Tab left the room as he went to overtake the project at hand. Admiral Gray went to give report to President Holland. He opened a file and began typing his report. It read: 'President Holland, things have turned out for the better as we have just overtaken the Aster System without any problems. Also the Sara System will only be a matter of time for the Zerg controlling that area were hit hard by our forces this morning. After we take the Sara System, we will be heading towards Aiur, ruined home world of the Protoss. Our scanners report stray Broods in that area under the control of a Cerebrate. More information on that at a later date. If the Zerg continue to fight they way they have been, we will expect to have this entire System clamped down by next Christmas. As for other rebel fleets such as the Dominion and this "Alliance," they will be dealt with accordingly if they will not join the strongest military power in the known universe.'
He sent the report back to Earth. He knew it would take a day or so due to the distance they were from it. He watched as the crew below continued setting up a few minior details like fencing, trenches and barbed wire.
The planet was just like any other. It had some trees that did give some cover. Also a few cliffs that did give some more cover as well. The air was cold, that's why he stayed on the Blue Nose. This planets winter season must already be coming. He walked away from his observation window and sat at his desk. He flipped an intercom switch and spoke with authority. "Attention Fleet, this is Admiral Gray, all Cruises except from the Third Wing, are to prepare for departure. Third Wing, you are to protect the Head Quarters. All other ships, prepare for take off," he said clicking the switch off. He saw the crews down below move to safer locations as the rest of the Grand Pacific Fleet took off.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Grand Pacific was in orbit heading for the Sara System. A few patches placed on the Cruisers acting as a temporary repair from the damage of the previous encounter with the Zerg. The made their way to the jump node and warped out of the Aster System.
The Sara System was just how they left it. Some of the debris was still there from the other Cruisers that had not been as fortunate. The Cruisers crept farther along to meet no resistance.
Admiral Gray was now on the bridge looking at the blackness of space. "Take orbit near Mar Sara. We will take the twin planets and then lock down the System," he ordered calmly and quickly. "First wing is to stay with us. Second Wing and Fourth Wing are to go to Chua Sara and take control of that planet," he spoke to one of the communication officers. He replayed the message to the rest of the fleet and they began breaking formation to do what was ordered.
"Sir, we will be in Mar Sara's orbit in the next ten minutes. Shall we get the land forces ready?" Mr. Perry asked. He was the tactical advisor with dealing with Zerg ground forces.
"Yes. Have them ready for departure as soon as we are closer," Admiral Gray ordered. He watched the planet approach quickly from the observation window. "Get to it Mr. Perry. Take the Zerg down and take them down hard," he said. Mr. Perry then stood and saluted him. Perry had quickly ran off the bridge to suit up in the hanger. "All land based units, this is Admiral Gray, suit up and take Mar Sara for the sake of mankind!" he ordered on the intercom.
The Marines ran to the hanger to suit up along with pilots of vehicles and fighters. Mr. Perry was among them. He was suited up in full battle armor holding his Gauss rifle.
"Listen up! Stay in close. The Zerg like to pick men off one at a time. We have readings of Hive clusters in the works down here, so stay sharp for Lurkers and Sunken Colonies." He looked at the men in front of him. They were as ready as they would ever be. "When hitting the bases, stay near the Tanks, let them do the dirty work. We provide cover then. Got me?" he asked.
"Sir, yes sir!" the room echoed together. They filed into the Dropships as a few Tanks, Goliath's, and Vulture vehicles drove onboard. It was a tight squeeze on some of the ships due to the vehicles onboard but they were glad to have them with them for the mission.
The Dropships left the giant Cruisers behind and reached Mar Sara's atmosphere. The small ships rocked back and forth shaking the occupants a little. The vehicles didn't budge though. They were locked down by cables.
The first Dropship reached the ground letting the soldiers run out. Once all of the troops were out a large Siege Tank rolled out afterwards. More Dropships landed on the surface with dozens of Marines charging out. A few of them were Firebats, with large napalm tanks on their backs. The Vulture hover bikes came out with incredible speeds. In other Dropships, the walking armored units named Goliath's walked out slowly.
"All right, Zerg Hive clusters should be just over that ridge," Mr. Perry called out. He looked at the surroundings they were in now. It was half field, half was old and dead trees covering some of the ships from view. "Second fire team, left flank. First fire team, stay with me. Dropships, get out of here," he ordered. The men did what they were told and the Dropships blasted back into the sky from where they came.
"What are we doing, sir," one of the marines asked stepping up to where Perry was.
"We move hard and fast. Like I said before, let the Tanks blast their defenses. We only protect them if any Zerg come near. After main defenses are disabled, we finish up with the Goliath's and Vultures," he spoke quietly but quickly.
"Right," the marine said in reply. "Okay, First fire team, move up!" he ordered following the rest of the men.
The attack force broke into a run. The Vultures and Goliath's walking on both sides of the First fire team. The Tanks rolled from the rear making good time. As the reached the ridge, they watched as there was a line of Zerg staring them down. Zerglings, Hydralisks, Ultralisks, and a few flyers.
"Shit," Perry whispered. "Tanks, siege mode now! Everyone else, open fire! Second fire team, open up! Everything you got!" he screamed into the intercom. As if hell broke through the surface, all the men began firing. The Goliath's massive Auto-Cannons spewing tons of rounds into the enemy. The Vultures firing round after round of fragmentation grenades at the now speeding herd of monsters.
The Tanks had finished placing the clamps down. The first Article shell had killed maybe a dozen of the Zerg that were charging. More shots came from the large tanks hitting the larger targets. They were aiming for the Ultralisks. The giant tank-like beasts were large and tough. If those things reached the marines, they were dead. The Zerglings had reached the men. The first soldier went down as two claws tore through the armor as if it were tissue paper.
"Controlled bursts!" Perry cried but the words were lost in the chaos. Another man went down by the needles of a Hydralisk. Perry's fear was occurring right above them. The large crab-like Guardians began to rain down their acid on the troops below. "Goliath's! Take them down!" he screamed into his intercom. The message got through as the armored walkers began firing at the large creatures in the sky above them.
The battle began taking a turn for the better. Their fire power outmatched the Zerg and began to drive them back. Two Hellfire missiles hit one of the Guardians. The hurt creature began to fall to the ground unable to fight anymore. Another Ultralisk fell victim to the blasts of the Siege Tanks Article fire. The Zerglings were pushed back by the Firebats and the Hydralisks caught up in the Gauss rifle fire coming from the marines.
The attack force moved up pushing the aliens back farther and farther. Perry realized the ground beneath them now was softer and made a crunching sound as he stepped on it. "Wait! Fall back to the Tanks! We are on their turf," he screamed recognizing the Creep below them. One man went down screaming as something came from under the ground. Perry saw the man dead. His body was pieced by a subterranean tentacle from one of the Sunken Colonies. He also witnessed six men become fatally wounded by more spines coming from the ground. This was from a Lurker. It was send up more spines to finish off the wounded men that had survived.
"Stay back men! Let the Tanks mop this one up," Perry spoke into the intercom. It was a well fought victory. He would to a report on causalities as soon as this Hive was destroyed.
He turned to face his men when something had cut one of the men standing next to him in half. He quickly turned to see nothing there but he backed up more until he was with a small batch of troops. Another man cried as something invisible struck him down.
"Fire!" Perry ordered as the bullets hit nothing but air. Something had killed the man just to the right of him. He instinctively brought his weapon in a wicked arc and swung blindly next to him. He was expecting to hit nothing but air and become the next victim but he had hit something. He had hit something very, very hard.
Sara System (Jump Node)
The Fleet of the Judicator had just finished warping in for the Antigian System. The ride was much longer then the jump to Antiga, but it was tolerable. They found debris of the conflict that was taking place before, but could not find any ships in tact. The Fleet quickly approached Chau Sara from the dark side.
"Judicator Armadais, we have several readings on the opposite side of the planet. Terrans are trying to engage the Zerg in this Sector," one of the scanning Templars called out.
"Let them fight it out, Templar. We are here to find any renegade Protoss, not the Terran or even the Zerg from now. We will move on. Engage only if they attack us first," Armadais ordered. He walked back and forth near the command chair.
The Templar at the scanning station looked up confused. "But Judicator, and action is quicker then a reaction."
"Heh," Armadais laughed slightly. "I doubt that. Keep on course. They won't risk attacking us if they are engaging the Zerg below," again he spoke and walked with a grace that was frightening.
The Templar then nodded, not fully understanding but doing as ordered. The were heading to another system now in hoped of finding the Dark Templars. They were going to check the Castor System. Maybe they would turn something up there.
"Judicator Armadais, receiving message from Vetari. I have patched it through to your quarters," one Templar said from the Communication Consul.
Armadais nodded and walked of the bridge. He slowly made his way to his room, he had all the time in the universe. He opened the door leading to his room. The lights were still on, but they were very dim. He walked over to his work station and sat down in a specially made chair given to him on Vetari. He turned on his comm. and watched the figure of Judicator Belarus appear.
"Judicator Armadais, I hope you have something to report. The only reason we sent you is because we believed something would get accomplished," he spoke with the irritation and disbelief rising in him.
"Belarus, you sent me to do this job and I will do it the way I see fit. We are in the Sara System now heading towards Castor. If you do not like the way I am conducting this mission, send someone else to do it," he said holding no respect for the elder.
"Every passing day you turn more and more like Tassadar. Rebellious and disobedient. You better find some of those Dark Templars or I will hold you for treason!" Belarus yelled killing the link.
Armadais chuckled. "Anyone that goes on a mission gets put down. No wonder Tassadar fled and hid with the Dark Templars." He stood straightening his robe. He had made this himself and treasured it. It was his finest work yet.
"Judicator, I think you might want to join us in the bridge," a voice called from the intercom. It rudely took Armadais away from his dreaming.
"This better be worth it," he sighed as he walked out of his quarters. When he reached the bridge he went and stood over his monitor. "By the Gods, I see now," he whispered as the scans from the Castor System came back. The readings of Protoss and Dark Templars were incredible, except they were together along with a large group of Terrans.
"Should we launch fighters and power up our engines?" one of the pilots asked not looking back at Armadais.
"No, the Terrans may think we are going hostile to them. Power up engines and launch fighters once we reach the Castor jump node," he said standing up straight staring straight ahead. "How long before the node?" Armadais asked looking at the navigation Templar.
He looked up reading off the information. "In ten minutes maybe more or less. That depends on what those Terrans might do," he said looking at the Terran Fleet. The Protoss were starting to pass Chau Sara and saw the Terran Fleet.
Armadais knew better but he couldn't resist the chance to target something. "Power up the new energy cannon we have."
"Judicator? Are you sure?" one Templar asked standing behind him.
He nodded. "Power up the Nakata. We will see how the cannon fares against Terran armor," he said looking at the new firing controls installed on the Fury.
"Nakata is powered and ready to be fired," the weapons speacialist reported.
"Have the rest of the Fleet stay on course. Aim for a ship in the middle. Maybe we can inflict more damage on the other ships as well," he spoke walking over to the firing controls.
The rest of the Fleet continued to the jump node. The lone Carrier Fury took aim. The weapon charged up and was ready to fire.
"Send them a message. Tell them, if they are to engage, we will continue to fire this weapon until their entire fleet is destroyed," Armadais said.
"But Judicator, we cannot fire the weapon that many times without overload," the firing specialist announced.
Armadais turned to him and spoke calmly. "They don't know that."
The Templar nodded. The message was sent and the Cruisers began turning to face the Carrier. The order came that they were all awaiting.
"Fire," Armadais said. With that command a large beam of energy came from right below the bridge. The blue energy screamed as it approached its target. As the beam hit the Cruiser it was targeting nothing happened. The Cruisers still came closer.
"Armadais, what do we do? The blast was ineffective!" cried the firing speacialist.
"Not exactly," he spoke and as he did the Cruiser exploded send a blue shock wave crashing into several other Cruisers. While only one Cruiser went down, at least seven more had taken some substantial damage. "Let's head to the jump node," he whispered as the Cruisers stopped pursuing the target.
The crew continued working as the Cruisers went closer to Chau Sara now ignoring the Carriers. After a short amount of time, the Carriers were almost to the jump node. They were going to find the Dark Templars.
"Judicator, we are receiving a message from their commander," the Templar sitting at the communications post said.
The man appeared on the monitor. "You may have scared some of my men, but you do not scare me. We have a weapon similar to that of yours. Would you care to see?" the man asked as he turned the link off himself. Several Carriers were hit hard by the blasts of the familiar Yamoto cannons. The Fury was one of them. The shields flickered as the blasts of energy hit the shield.
"Oh well. Looks like we get to kill some humans," the Judicator said as he picked up the intercom. "All fighters scramble and protect the Carriers." This conflict would take only a matter of time. The Terrans here were finished.
Chapter 8
The room was dark and cold. Jim woke up in a cold sweat as he was not aware of his surroundings. He realized he was not on board the ship any more. He was at his home. At least he thought of the little shack as a home. It was better then living in a large beautiful home with a perfect view of the sun and a grand waterfall running in the middle of a large lushes garden, being ruled over by some crooked politician. He was free here at least.
He dreamt of Sarah being human once again. She was so beautiful when she was. Her long beautiful read hair and her sharp green eyes were so full of color.
Jim saw a pair bluish eyes looking at him. The rest of the body was completely hidden in the darkness. "Glad to see your up," the voice said with relief. "Zeratul told me to remain by your side till you awoke," the voice said again. It was a female.
Jim could only stare into her eyes. "What's your name?" he asked sounding groggy.
"Pardon my manners. My name is Latura. Nightmares is it?" she asked moving. Jim couldn't see her really moving, just her eyes.
"What time is it? Sure is dark," he said reaching for the lamp that was placed on a dresser next to the bed. After a few seconds he found the lamp and turned it on revealing the dark blue Protoss female in front of him.
She walked over to him. She held out a glass of water. Jim took the glass and swallowed the water in one gulp. "It is 01:24 hours. You went to sleep at least six or seven hours ago," she said walking back to her chair.
"Oh. That long, huh?" he asked rubbing his eyes. He got up and stretched out his back. "Sorry, you don't need to stay anymore. You can go to sleep now or whatever you do," Jim said nodding to her.
"If you ever need me, Captain Raynor, Zeratul appointed me to assist you in whatever it is you need," she said walking over to him. "Is there anything you need?" She wasn't kidding. Zeratul had gave him an assistant.
"Nah, I'm good. You can go now. I'm probably going to just take a walk or something," he replied grabbing his jacket and walking out the door followed by Latura. "Thanks though. Maybe I'll see you around sometime," he said walking down the newly paved road.
"Very well. Enjoy your walk Captain," she said and like that was gone.
It was cold out. Jim could only think about when he first met Sarah and what he had thought about. How she being a telepath, picked it up embarrassing him in front of his men. "Ah, the good ole' days." When he then thought about it more, he was falling in love with Sarah again. It was a strange thought because she wasn't human any more. That's when it hit him. That device Zeratul was talking about. He was going to have to figure out how to convince her to go to Shakurus willingly.
He walked down the road to see the small shacks shaping up nicely. They were more like homes now actually. It was getting colder and there must have been a recent rain because the road and the grass were slick with water. He shuddered as he continued to walk down the deserted street. He found himself walking into a bar. It was the same bar he was in before just outside of Starport 319.
"Jim? What brings you here at this time?" Jack Anderson said sitting in one of the bar stools taking a sip from his drink.
Jim walked up to him. "You know, I really don't know why I'm here. Just felt like going for a walk and ended up here," he knew that sounded kind of off. But it was the truth.
Jack did look confused but shrugged. "Yeah, that happened to me one night. Did all kinds of weird things and when I woke up the next day, I was married," he replied smiling. "Hey bartender, give me a drink for my friend here. Come on Jim, have a drink," he said motioning Jim to take a seat.
"Why not," Jim said sitting next to Jack. "Why are you here at this time?" Jim asked curiously.
He took another sip of his drink and sighed. "We picked up a few signals. It's a bunch of Protoss gibberish. Thing about it is, it's in the Sara System. But get this, we don't have any Protoss ships left in that Sector. We got a hold of some of their messages and figured out that they are some Judicator Fleet hunting some Dark Templars." Jack finished speaking and downed the last of his drink.
Jim took the glass the bartender gave him. He shook his hand picking up the glass and drinking more then half of it in one gulp. "Well, that figures. Just gotta get used to it man. We are the underdogs and everyone hates us. Title comes with the territory," he said finishing the drink.
Jack looked over at him. "Yeah, but you better not drink so fast without any food in your stomach. You'll make yourself sick you know," Jack said standing up. "He placed some money on the bar counter. "Keep the change. I'll talk with you tomorrow Jim," he said as he walked to the door. He opened it and vanished into the darkness outside.
Jim put his head down on the counter. He knew it was going to be a long night. He stood up and walked out of the bar as well. He wasn't sure, but he wasn't really heading to the bar. He was going somewhere. Where he did not yet know.
Aster System
The UED made their way back to the Aster System and landed the giant Cruisers on the Surface of Aster Prime. They thought about going to the Antigian System but decided against it. They had only lost two ships in a heavy engagement in the Sara System which could have gone better but the price was worth it. Hundreds of Zerg were dead. The victory did have a price but one they could afford. They still had more then four-dozen Cruisers left.
The H.Q. was reestablished within only a few hours. Admiral Gray watched from the Blue Nose as the crews below put up large structures. He saw a Command Center being lowered from one of the other Cruisers. He was going to have to report to Holland in a few hours.
"Sir, the base defenses are up and running. We have Marines patrolling the perimeter now. Also several Bunkers and Missile Turrets have been placed. Tanks are rolling up now as well," Tab reported. "We have also located a rather large resource node that we just couldn't help but notice. Mining it would take weeks maybe even months, but that would do more then triple our current funds, sir."
"Triple?! Well, that must be a hell of a large resource node. Get to it then Mr. Tab. I want you to oversee the project and you will have full command of the operation," he replied shocked. Their funds would last an extremely large amount of time without the resource node, but they could go on almost for a three years now.
Tab left the room as he went to overtake the project at hand. Admiral Gray went to give report to President Holland. He opened a file and began typing his report. It read: 'President Holland, things have turned out for the better as we have just overtaken the Aster System without any problems. Also the Sara System will only be a matter of time for the Zerg controlling that area were hit hard by our forces this morning. After we take the Sara System, we will be heading towards Aiur, ruined home world of the Protoss. Our scanners report stray Broods in that area under the control of a Cerebrate. More information on that at a later date. If the Zerg continue to fight they way they have been, we will expect to have this entire System clamped down by next Christmas. As for other rebel fleets such as the Dominion and this "Alliance," they will be dealt with accordingly if they will not join the strongest military power in the known universe.'
He sent the report back to Earth. He knew it would take a day or so due to the distance they were from it. He watched as the crew below continued setting up a few minior details like fencing, trenches and barbed wire.
The planet was just like any other. It had some trees that did give some cover. Also a few cliffs that did give some more cover as well. The air was cold, that's why he stayed on the Blue Nose. This planets winter season must already be coming. He walked away from his observation window and sat at his desk. He flipped an intercom switch and spoke with authority. "Attention Fleet, this is Admiral Gray, all Cruises except from the Third Wing, are to prepare for departure. Third Wing, you are to protect the Head Quarters. All other ships, prepare for take off," he said clicking the switch off. He saw the crews down below move to safer locations as the rest of the Grand Pacific Fleet took off.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Grand Pacific was in orbit heading for the Sara System. A few patches placed on the Cruisers acting as a temporary repair from the damage of the previous encounter with the Zerg. The made their way to the jump node and warped out of the Aster System.
The Sara System was just how they left it. Some of the debris was still there from the other Cruisers that had not been as fortunate. The Cruisers crept farther along to meet no resistance.
Admiral Gray was now on the bridge looking at the blackness of space. "Take orbit near Mar Sara. We will take the twin planets and then lock down the System," he ordered calmly and quickly. "First wing is to stay with us. Second Wing and Fourth Wing are to go to Chua Sara and take control of that planet," he spoke to one of the communication officers. He replayed the message to the rest of the fleet and they began breaking formation to do what was ordered.
"Sir, we will be in Mar Sara's orbit in the next ten minutes. Shall we get the land forces ready?" Mr. Perry asked. He was the tactical advisor with dealing with Zerg ground forces.
"Yes. Have them ready for departure as soon as we are closer," Admiral Gray ordered. He watched the planet approach quickly from the observation window. "Get to it Mr. Perry. Take the Zerg down and take them down hard," he said. Mr. Perry then stood and saluted him. Perry had quickly ran off the bridge to suit up in the hanger. "All land based units, this is Admiral Gray, suit up and take Mar Sara for the sake of mankind!" he ordered on the intercom.
The Marines ran to the hanger to suit up along with pilots of vehicles and fighters. Mr. Perry was among them. He was suited up in full battle armor holding his Gauss rifle.
"Listen up! Stay in close. The Zerg like to pick men off one at a time. We have readings of Hive clusters in the works down here, so stay sharp for Lurkers and Sunken Colonies." He looked at the men in front of him. They were as ready as they would ever be. "When hitting the bases, stay near the Tanks, let them do the dirty work. We provide cover then. Got me?" he asked.
"Sir, yes sir!" the room echoed together. They filed into the Dropships as a few Tanks, Goliath's, and Vulture vehicles drove onboard. It was a tight squeeze on some of the ships due to the vehicles onboard but they were glad to have them with them for the mission.
The Dropships left the giant Cruisers behind and reached Mar Sara's atmosphere. The small ships rocked back and forth shaking the occupants a little. The vehicles didn't budge though. They were locked down by cables.
The first Dropship reached the ground letting the soldiers run out. Once all of the troops were out a large Siege Tank rolled out afterwards. More Dropships landed on the surface with dozens of Marines charging out. A few of them were Firebats, with large napalm tanks on their backs. The Vulture hover bikes came out with incredible speeds. In other Dropships, the walking armored units named Goliath's walked out slowly.
"All right, Zerg Hive clusters should be just over that ridge," Mr. Perry called out. He looked at the surroundings they were in now. It was half field, half was old and dead trees covering some of the ships from view. "Second fire team, left flank. First fire team, stay with me. Dropships, get out of here," he ordered. The men did what they were told and the Dropships blasted back into the sky from where they came.
"What are we doing, sir," one of the marines asked stepping up to where Perry was.
"We move hard and fast. Like I said before, let the Tanks blast their defenses. We only protect them if any Zerg come near. After main defenses are disabled, we finish up with the Goliath's and Vultures," he spoke quietly but quickly.
"Right," the marine said in reply. "Okay, First fire team, move up!" he ordered following the rest of the men.
The attack force broke into a run. The Vultures and Goliath's walking on both sides of the First fire team. The Tanks rolled from the rear making good time. As the reached the ridge, they watched as there was a line of Zerg staring them down. Zerglings, Hydralisks, Ultralisks, and a few flyers.
"Shit," Perry whispered. "Tanks, siege mode now! Everyone else, open fire! Second fire team, open up! Everything you got!" he screamed into the intercom. As if hell broke through the surface, all the men began firing. The Goliath's massive Auto-Cannons spewing tons of rounds into the enemy. The Vultures firing round after round of fragmentation grenades at the now speeding herd of monsters.
The Tanks had finished placing the clamps down. The first Article shell had killed maybe a dozen of the Zerg that were charging. More shots came from the large tanks hitting the larger targets. They were aiming for the Ultralisks. The giant tank-like beasts were large and tough. If those things reached the marines, they were dead. The Zerglings had reached the men. The first soldier went down as two claws tore through the armor as if it were tissue paper.
"Controlled bursts!" Perry cried but the words were lost in the chaos. Another man went down by the needles of a Hydralisk. Perry's fear was occurring right above them. The large crab-like Guardians began to rain down their acid on the troops below. "Goliath's! Take them down!" he screamed into his intercom. The message got through as the armored walkers began firing at the large creatures in the sky above them.
The battle began taking a turn for the better. Their fire power outmatched the Zerg and began to drive them back. Two Hellfire missiles hit one of the Guardians. The hurt creature began to fall to the ground unable to fight anymore. Another Ultralisk fell victim to the blasts of the Siege Tanks Article fire. The Zerglings were pushed back by the Firebats and the Hydralisks caught up in the Gauss rifle fire coming from the marines.
The attack force moved up pushing the aliens back farther and farther. Perry realized the ground beneath them now was softer and made a crunching sound as he stepped on it. "Wait! Fall back to the Tanks! We are on their turf," he screamed recognizing the Creep below them. One man went down screaming as something came from under the ground. Perry saw the man dead. His body was pieced by a subterranean tentacle from one of the Sunken Colonies. He also witnessed six men become fatally wounded by more spines coming from the ground. This was from a Lurker. It was send up more spines to finish off the wounded men that had survived.
"Stay back men! Let the Tanks mop this one up," Perry spoke into the intercom. It was a well fought victory. He would to a report on causalities as soon as this Hive was destroyed.
He turned to face his men when something had cut one of the men standing next to him in half. He quickly turned to see nothing there but he backed up more until he was with a small batch of troops. Another man cried as something invisible struck him down.
"Fire!" Perry ordered as the bullets hit nothing but air. Something had killed the man just to the right of him. He instinctively brought his weapon in a wicked arc and swung blindly next to him. He was expecting to hit nothing but air and become the next victim but he had hit something. He had hit something very, very hard.
Sara System (Jump Node)
The Fleet of the Judicator had just finished warping in for the Antigian System. The ride was much longer then the jump to Antiga, but it was tolerable. They found debris of the conflict that was taking place before, but could not find any ships in tact. The Fleet quickly approached Chau Sara from the dark side.
"Judicator Armadais, we have several readings on the opposite side of the planet. Terrans are trying to engage the Zerg in this Sector," one of the scanning Templars called out.
"Let them fight it out, Templar. We are here to find any renegade Protoss, not the Terran or even the Zerg from now. We will move on. Engage only if they attack us first," Armadais ordered. He walked back and forth near the command chair.
The Templar at the scanning station looked up confused. "But Judicator, and action is quicker then a reaction."
"Heh," Armadais laughed slightly. "I doubt that. Keep on course. They won't risk attacking us if they are engaging the Zerg below," again he spoke and walked with a grace that was frightening.
The Templar then nodded, not fully understanding but doing as ordered. The were heading to another system now in hoped of finding the Dark Templars. They were going to check the Castor System. Maybe they would turn something up there.
"Judicator Armadais, receiving message from Vetari. I have patched it through to your quarters," one Templar said from the Communication Consul.
Armadais nodded and walked of the bridge. He slowly made his way to his room, he had all the time in the universe. He opened the door leading to his room. The lights were still on, but they were very dim. He walked over to his work station and sat down in a specially made chair given to him on Vetari. He turned on his comm. and watched the figure of Judicator Belarus appear.
"Judicator Armadais, I hope you have something to report. The only reason we sent you is because we believed something would get accomplished," he spoke with the irritation and disbelief rising in him.
"Belarus, you sent me to do this job and I will do it the way I see fit. We are in the Sara System now heading towards Castor. If you do not like the way I am conducting this mission, send someone else to do it," he said holding no respect for the elder.
"Every passing day you turn more and more like Tassadar. Rebellious and disobedient. You better find some of those Dark Templars or I will hold you for treason!" Belarus yelled killing the link.
Armadais chuckled. "Anyone that goes on a mission gets put down. No wonder Tassadar fled and hid with the Dark Templars." He stood straightening his robe. He had made this himself and treasured it. It was his finest work yet.
"Judicator, I think you might want to join us in the bridge," a voice called from the intercom. It rudely took Armadais away from his dreaming.
"This better be worth it," he sighed as he walked out of his quarters. When he reached the bridge he went and stood over his monitor. "By the Gods, I see now," he whispered as the scans from the Castor System came back. The readings of Protoss and Dark Templars were incredible, except they were together along with a large group of Terrans.
"Should we launch fighters and power up our engines?" one of the pilots asked not looking back at Armadais.
"No, the Terrans may think we are going hostile to them. Power up engines and launch fighters once we reach the Castor jump node," he said standing up straight staring straight ahead. "How long before the node?" Armadais asked looking at the navigation Templar.
He looked up reading off the information. "In ten minutes maybe more or less. That depends on what those Terrans might do," he said looking at the Terran Fleet. The Protoss were starting to pass Chau Sara and saw the Terran Fleet.
Armadais knew better but he couldn't resist the chance to target something. "Power up the new energy cannon we have."
"Judicator? Are you sure?" one Templar asked standing behind him.
He nodded. "Power up the Nakata. We will see how the cannon fares against Terran armor," he said looking at the new firing controls installed on the Fury.
"Nakata is powered and ready to be fired," the weapons speacialist reported.
"Have the rest of the Fleet stay on course. Aim for a ship in the middle. Maybe we can inflict more damage on the other ships as well," he spoke walking over to the firing controls.
The rest of the Fleet continued to the jump node. The lone Carrier Fury took aim. The weapon charged up and was ready to fire.
"Send them a message. Tell them, if they are to engage, we will continue to fire this weapon until their entire fleet is destroyed," Armadais said.
"But Judicator, we cannot fire the weapon that many times without overload," the firing specialist announced.
Armadais turned to him and spoke calmly. "They don't know that."
The Templar nodded. The message was sent and the Cruisers began turning to face the Carrier. The order came that they were all awaiting.
"Fire," Armadais said. With that command a large beam of energy came from right below the bridge. The blue energy screamed as it approached its target. As the beam hit the Cruiser it was targeting nothing happened. The Cruisers still came closer.
"Armadais, what do we do? The blast was ineffective!" cried the firing speacialist.
"Not exactly," he spoke and as he did the Cruiser exploded send a blue shock wave crashing into several other Cruisers. While only one Cruiser went down, at least seven more had taken some substantial damage. "Let's head to the jump node," he whispered as the Cruisers stopped pursuing the target.
The crew continued working as the Cruisers went closer to Chau Sara now ignoring the Carriers. After a short amount of time, the Carriers were almost to the jump node. They were going to find the Dark Templars.
"Judicator, we are receiving a message from their commander," the Templar sitting at the communications post said.
The man appeared on the monitor. "You may have scared some of my men, but you do not scare me. We have a weapon similar to that of yours. Would you care to see?" the man asked as he turned the link off himself. Several Carriers were hit hard by the blasts of the familiar Yamoto cannons. The Fury was one of them. The shields flickered as the blasts of energy hit the shield.
"Oh well. Looks like we get to kill some humans," the Judicator said as he picked up the intercom. "All fighters scramble and protect the Carriers." This conflict would take only a matter of time. The Terrans here were finished.