After the defeat of the Zerg by the Mavericks, Raynor moved his
forces to Braxis where and abandoned Dominion fortress and its satellite
structures and derelict UED outpost waited. Several of the buildings were
complete with addons, so it was easy to bypass automated defenses, take
over buildings, and start mining.
Raynor ordered orbital defense stations to be built, armed to the
teeth with laser batteries, experimental turret mounted Yamato Cannons,
Missile turrets, and even Marine stocked bunkers to be built! For
outstanding duty in the last battle, Tran was awarded a command
Battlecruiser. During the victory celebration, Tran christened it The
Centurion. A new base was built for the Mavericks as well, Fort Aegis,
meant to take the best the enemy could throw and throw some right back.
While Braxis was being fortified, all was not well. A legion of Zerg
were spotted advancing towards Braxis........
0300 hours, one of the four Tropical orbit defense stations in geosynchronous orbit above Braxis...... Marine Pvt. Charles Bradley woke to a blaring Klaxon. Another drill? He hated drills, especially early morning ones. He quickly slapped on his combat armor along with the other Marines, Firebats, Ghosts, and Medics in his barracks. The full force of 40 marched out. 20 Marines, 10 Firebats, 5 Ghosts and 5 Medics in all. It wasn't a drill!! Marines were firing rounds into the air to support the Missile Turrets and Laser Batteries laboring to take out the numerous Mutalisks swarming by the air, firing their Glave Wurms at the Terran forces. A Guardian was destroying the Turrets, but as Bradley watched, a Yamato cannon started charging. Crimson energy streamed into the discharge point and fired at the offending Guardian. The Guardian exploded in a shower of blood and its carcass drifted off into space. Bradley spotted a row of unoccupied Bunkers, amounting over ten, waiting to be loaded. Bradley motioned to his comrades and they entered the Bunkers. Several Mutalisks came by, and the Marines and Ghosts slaughtered them. The Zerg flyers lay in heaps as a grisly testament to the power of bunkered infantry. The initial wave of Mutalisks had been eliminated. But the damage had been done. Several buildings were on fire, and the mangled bodies of Terran infantry were strewn around the wreckage. Many defenses had been destroyed, and the Yamato Cannons had depleted their energy. A wing of thirty Wraiths flew from a burning hangar. Half flew towards Braxis to warn of imminent attack, and half stood by to guard the station, cloaked. Soon, to the squads dismay, overlords began disgorging fresh intruders. An Ultralisk spotted the bunkers, and loped towards them. The defenders fired till their hands blistered, pumping round, after round into its gargantuan body. Due to the unholy punishment the assailant was taking, one thing could be concluded. The Ultralisk was a legendary Torrasque. The entire platoons firepower killed it eventually, but the bunker was totaled, leaving four exposed Marines. The entire team left the protection of the bunkers, as "Stick together through thick and thin" had always been the motto of their barracks. They ran pass the debris of decimated structures, bodies, and killing several Zerglings in their way, although losing several of their numbers. Another Ultralisk loomed ahead. It was destroying a helpless turret while two Wraiths tried, fruitlessly, to deter it with their burst lasers. The last team medic hit it with a well aimed optical flare from her flash-grenade launcher, and the monstrosity flew into a rage, slicing madly at all in its path, eventually finding the medic. It tore her to shreds, leaving body parts everywhere and bits of combat armor. The remaining 10 marines, 6 Firebats, and last Ghost toiled to defeat it. The marines advanced, coming onto a barrage of needle spines from Hydralisks. Eventually, they killed the attackers, but the dwindling squad lost half their Marines. Bradley was one of the last five marines. The group arrived at a crossroad in time to see a flesh-structure mutate. It transformed into a pulsing, gray, blob. Bradley heard a crunch as he moved forward to get in firing range. It was the creep! Bradley simply knew: the blob had to die. It had an ominous feeling to it. The last team ghost cloaked and ran in the directions of the master controls, presumably to set the station to destruct. Bradley knew from this, the outcome predicted by the Ghost was far from a victory. And Ghosts are pretty accurate in their guesses. He poured round after round from his Gauss rifle, and he injected himself with a stimpack. He felt the energizing effects and fired even more furiously, the 8mm spikes flying from his Gauss Rifle's barrel at hypersonic speeds. The remnants of the Firebat/Marine group followed his example and stimmed up. The Firebats' Perdition Flamethrowers spewed gouts of flame into the blob, and marked it ugly black scorches. Bradley could only pray that the Ghost had made it as the mutation completed. But suddenly, the new structure thrust a tongue-like appendage beneath the ground. The emerging spiked tendril punctured Bradleys thick, Neosteel armor as if it were rice paper, and several important organs as well. As blood gushed out of his wound and Bradley lay dying on the ground, Bradley caught a glimpse of an explosion destroying the station, covering the already diminishing cries of dying Marines and the sound of firing with the constant, deafening roar of a nuclear explosion. The Ghost had reached his destination, and he had terminated the compromised station, as well as every living thing on it and within a large radius.
0300 hours, one of the four Tropical orbit defense stations in geosynchronous orbit above Braxis...... Marine Pvt. Charles Bradley woke to a blaring Klaxon. Another drill? He hated drills, especially early morning ones. He quickly slapped on his combat armor along with the other Marines, Firebats, Ghosts, and Medics in his barracks. The full force of 40 marched out. 20 Marines, 10 Firebats, 5 Ghosts and 5 Medics in all. It wasn't a drill!! Marines were firing rounds into the air to support the Missile Turrets and Laser Batteries laboring to take out the numerous Mutalisks swarming by the air, firing their Glave Wurms at the Terran forces. A Guardian was destroying the Turrets, but as Bradley watched, a Yamato cannon started charging. Crimson energy streamed into the discharge point and fired at the offending Guardian. The Guardian exploded in a shower of blood and its carcass drifted off into space. Bradley spotted a row of unoccupied Bunkers, amounting over ten, waiting to be loaded. Bradley motioned to his comrades and they entered the Bunkers. Several Mutalisks came by, and the Marines and Ghosts slaughtered them. The Zerg flyers lay in heaps as a grisly testament to the power of bunkered infantry. The initial wave of Mutalisks had been eliminated. But the damage had been done. Several buildings were on fire, and the mangled bodies of Terran infantry were strewn around the wreckage. Many defenses had been destroyed, and the Yamato Cannons had depleted their energy. A wing of thirty Wraiths flew from a burning hangar. Half flew towards Braxis to warn of imminent attack, and half stood by to guard the station, cloaked. Soon, to the squads dismay, overlords began disgorging fresh intruders. An Ultralisk spotted the bunkers, and loped towards them. The defenders fired till their hands blistered, pumping round, after round into its gargantuan body. Due to the unholy punishment the assailant was taking, one thing could be concluded. The Ultralisk was a legendary Torrasque. The entire platoons firepower killed it eventually, but the bunker was totaled, leaving four exposed Marines. The entire team left the protection of the bunkers, as "Stick together through thick and thin" had always been the motto of their barracks. They ran pass the debris of decimated structures, bodies, and killing several Zerglings in their way, although losing several of their numbers. Another Ultralisk loomed ahead. It was destroying a helpless turret while two Wraiths tried, fruitlessly, to deter it with their burst lasers. The last team medic hit it with a well aimed optical flare from her flash-grenade launcher, and the monstrosity flew into a rage, slicing madly at all in its path, eventually finding the medic. It tore her to shreds, leaving body parts everywhere and bits of combat armor. The remaining 10 marines, 6 Firebats, and last Ghost toiled to defeat it. The marines advanced, coming onto a barrage of needle spines from Hydralisks. Eventually, they killed the attackers, but the dwindling squad lost half their Marines. Bradley was one of the last five marines. The group arrived at a crossroad in time to see a flesh-structure mutate. It transformed into a pulsing, gray, blob. Bradley heard a crunch as he moved forward to get in firing range. It was the creep! Bradley simply knew: the blob had to die. It had an ominous feeling to it. The last team ghost cloaked and ran in the directions of the master controls, presumably to set the station to destruct. Bradley knew from this, the outcome predicted by the Ghost was far from a victory. And Ghosts are pretty accurate in their guesses. He poured round after round from his Gauss rifle, and he injected himself with a stimpack. He felt the energizing effects and fired even more furiously, the 8mm spikes flying from his Gauss Rifle's barrel at hypersonic speeds. The remnants of the Firebat/Marine group followed his example and stimmed up. The Firebats' Perdition Flamethrowers spewed gouts of flame into the blob, and marked it ugly black scorches. Bradley could only pray that the Ghost had made it as the mutation completed. But suddenly, the new structure thrust a tongue-like appendage beneath the ground. The emerging spiked tendril punctured Bradleys thick, Neosteel armor as if it were rice paper, and several important organs as well. As blood gushed out of his wound and Bradley lay dying on the ground, Bradley caught a glimpse of an explosion destroying the station, covering the already diminishing cries of dying Marines and the sound of firing with the constant, deafening roar of a nuclear explosion. The Ghost had reached his destination, and he had terminated the compromised station, as well as every living thing on it and within a large radius.