Didn't have time to answer any questions last time cause I had already
uploaded the thing. Anyways, putting Nova in is because Nova Squadron is
in my story and Nova is part of that Squadron, so I might as well drop her
in.
Chapter 4: Initiation
General Henry Orion had seen the destruction of worlds because of the Zerg and it was hardly a pleasant memory. To see the Zerg being protected by some kind of energy shield, one very similar to that of the Protoss, was enough to make a man go mad. While still in the Confederacy, he had learned from the research data that the Protoss, Zerg, and Ghosts all channeled a very similar energy. Though this research resulted in the Psi Emitter and Disrupter, none of that helped him now. Three battlecruisers had already gone down and a fourth was taking heavy fire. The Zerg Scourges were now far more dangerous with their shields, withstanding a great deal of fire before either smashing into their targets or finally being blown apart. It wasn't too long before they would start hitting the platforms and the unfinished shipyards, which Henry could not afford.
"Where are the reserve Valkyries?" he asked.
"Preparing to launch sir. Where shall I direct them?"
"Get them to sector 2. Lay down cover fire so the remaining battlecruisers can fall back."
"Yes sir."
Two squadrons of Valkyries took off and opened fire almost immediately. Their first two salvos punched through the Zergs' shields and a third salvo ripped them apart. The damaged battlecruisers pulled back and flew behind the defensive line. However, they quickly turned around and every single one of them fired off their Yamato cannons. The blast caught the Zerg forces off guard and decimated their first wave. This was quickly followed up by a salvo of tactical nukes. They blew apart the Overlords transporting soldiers for the invasion, forcing the Zerg units to pull back and regroup.
Henry let out a sigh of relief and prepared to regroup his own tattered forces. Without waiting, he immediately fired off the Ion Cannons on his platforms, hitting the Zerg forces in five locations and blowing holes in their formations. The energy beam of the Cannons cut through the Zerg units like a laser scalpel, burning through the Zerg shields before roasting them.
"Are the Zerg attempting another attack?" Henry asked his officer.
"Negative. The Zerg units are holding their position."
"Did any of the probes get through?"
The officer examined her sensors and other data before answering. "Only one probe made it out sir, and it was one headed towards Tarsonis."
Henry nodded. He had sent a total of six probes, three to Tarsonis and three to Korhal. Each probe held a message asking for reinforcements and help. He did not really trust Mengsk to actually send forces and possibly weakening Korhal's defenses so asking the Alliance for assistance was a good backup. But with only one probe having survived to escape, that meant he could only hope for the Alliance to come and aid him.
"I think it's time we tried something new," Henry said. "Is the plasma- pulse cannon ready?"
The few officers who knew what he was talking about stared at him in surprise. Originally developed by Dominion scientists on Korhal, the plasma-pulse cannon was supposed to be the next breakthrough in weapons technology. However, a renegade scientist that had been trying to curry the favor of the UED sabotaged the weapon during its final testing stage, destroying the weapon and the entire facility. It was originally assumed that the designs of the weapon had been lost as well, but Alpha Squadron had gotten a copy of the earlier designs. Building up from that, they had developed their own plasma-pulse cannon in secret.
"It hasn't been tested yet," one of the officers pointed out.
"This is as good a time as any," said Henry. "If it works, we might just get a reprieve and survive this attack long enough for reinforcements to come. If it fails, we're as good as dead anyways. Activate it."
The men started issuing orders to have the cannon brought online. The cannon itself was actually on the planet's surface and fortunately it was facing the Zerg fleet. A massive barrel pointed upwards, magnetic containment generators ringing the entire thing. Plasma was extremely unstable and it required a powerful electromagnetic containment field to hold it properly. Now the reserves of plasma flowed into the capacitor as it prepared to fire. The power generators and cooling systems were running at full power as they tried to keep the weapon stable. Perhaps this time it would work.
Without warning a bolt of plasma shot out of the barrel, blowing right past the defense fleet and platforms, spiraling towards the Zerg units. They saw it come and attempted to run but the plasma-pulse detonated upon reaching its destination. The pulse erupted and what looked like solar flares sliced through the Zerg units. It burned through whatever shields the Zerg units could erect, so powerful that it disrupted them before even coming into contact. The bulk of the second wave was burned out and not much was left of them except for a few appendages. However, the jubilation in the command center was cut short as another Zerg force appeared.
"Bloody hell," Henry muttered. "How many units are they planning on throwing at us?"
"Sir! A report from Chau Sara."
"What is it?"
"The Zerg units there are not moving," the officer reported. "They show no signs of even being aware of this battle."
That certainly seemed strange, Henry thought. If the Zerg were truly serious about attacking him, their forces on Chau Sara would have launched the attack and would have immediately moved against him once they saw the power of his plasma-pulse weapon. Unless this was another brood. Or something else entirely.
"We'll worry about that later," he said. "Is the cannon ready for another shot?"
The officer shook his head. "We're having problems."
Suddenly one of the screens activated with Magellan on it.
"General, the plasma-pulse cannon's barrel has been fused," he said. "The cooling systems weren't enough to keep it from overheating. We need to replace it."
"How long?"
"Five hours," Magellan answered. "We have to take apart a lot of systems."
"Then get on it," Henry ordered. "Do we have the forces to hold off the Zerg for five hours."
"Unlikely," said Walker. "If the Zerg attack in full force again, we're in trouble."
Henry considered his options and looked over the inventory. Looking for anything that would give him a strategic, even a tactical edge, he scrolled down the weapons and technologies he had at his disposal. Finally, he came to a reluctant conclusion.
"We have to deploy a full strategic nuclear bombardment," he stated.
Again he surprised his officers. They all knew how desperate the situation was but none of them had considered it. Once said though, they simply accepted it and began preparations.
Each of the defensive platforms was equipped with fifty tactical nuclear weapons, as large-scale strategic nukes were banned after the Massacre of Korhal. However, a total of 250 tactical nukes would work. The other nuclear weapons they had used before had been deployed from several battlecruisers, a launching system that he had kept secret from Dominion Command. But now, this meant he had another salvo ready to launch and could possibly save his troops.
"The battlecruisers," Henry said. "How is recharging going?"
"Energy reserves at 60% and increasing."
"Okay, that means we have another salvo ready to go if needed," Henry muttered. "What's the status on our forces?"
Images appeared, showing the planet and the position of the fleet.
"Current strength of the fleet is eleven battlecruisers, one heavily damaged. It has little maneuvering capabilities and it's currently docked and undergoing emergency repairs. The Valkyrie formation is currently reloading and all twenty-five frigates are operational. Little damage to them. Our Wraith squadrons are a different story. We have only four squadrons left from the original sixteen."
"Hell," Henry muttered. "Are our pilots ready to fight?"
A few seconds passed before the officer nodded. "They've recovered somewhat from the battle fatigue and the wing commander assures me his men are ready to go."
Henry nodded. "Good, good. Do long range sensors detect any other Zerg units coming?"
"No sir. It looks like this might actually be the last force, though hopefully the Zerg on Chau Sara won't try anything."
"Sir! Zerg units are advancing!"
"Have the Valkyries lay down a barrage," Henry ordered. "Keep shooting until the Zerg start shooting back, then pull them behind the battlecruisers."
The Valkyrie pilots quickly shot forward. They let loose their missiles and the salvos crashed into the Zerg Scourges. Due to their small size, the Scourges couldn't produce a shield powerful enough to protect themselves. However, the Mutalisks behind them were tougher and unharmed. The Scourges had provided a screen for the Mutalisks and they came forward with great fury. The Valkyries started falling back but not before they unloaded three more barrages, decimating a good deal more of the Mutalisks. However, several still got through and attacked them. One Valkyrie got its wing blown off and as it tried to turn three more Mutalisks attacked, tearing it apart. Two others were hit by several Scourges that followed up behind the Mutalisks and exploded. The rest beat a hasty retreat as the battlecruisers and platforms unloaded on the Zerg.
Laser fire and missiles struck the shields and quickly depleted them. However, as the Zerg units tried to attack, they found that three nearby science vessels had activated their defense matrix. Their attacks had great deal of trouble penetrating before the Terran defenders decimated them. And yet more Scourges poured through and smashed into the defense matrixes. Finally they were brought down and a dozen of them smashed into the first battlecruiser. It snapped at its neck and the hammerhead broke off, exploding moments later. The engines flared for a few seconds later before another Scourge dove into it, igniting the fuel and destroying what was left of the ship.
The Ion Cannons opened fire again, cutting down the Zerg units. However, they were getting too close and it wouldn't be long before the Cannons were helpless to the melee attacks of the Zerg ground troops. But this was when Henry revealed his ace. The tactical nukes were launched with the battlecruisers using their laser systems to guide them. They flew past the first few waves of Zerg and went straight for the Overlords. They detonated, creating a nuclear firestorm in the void of space. Nuclear fire charred the Zerg units and vaporized a good deal of the units caught near the center of the blasts. The bright light blinded a few of the Zerg units but they weren't left in that state for long. The shockwave tore apart any Zerg unit still alive in that area, finally ending the threat of invasion.
Unfortunately, the remaining Zerg air units weren't done just yet. A few of the Mutalisks had been evolving and they suddenly erupted from their cocoons into Devourers. They spewed their acid on the battlecruisers, the spores eating through the hull of NeoSteel. The three battlecruisers that were struck quickly pulled back but continued to lay down fire. Two other battlecruisers opened fire with their Yamato cannons, taking down several Devourers in one shot. Finally the ion cannons finished the job, destroying the Zerg assault force.
Henry let out a sigh of relief and sank into his chair. His uniform was sweaty from all the anxiety from the battle and it looked like everyone here was tense. The officers cheered and congratulated each other at seeing the massive Zerg assault beaten back. However, it had been extremely costly. They had lost five battlecruisers, three Valkyries frigates, almost a hundred Wraith fighters, and how many good men and women? It would take quite a while to rebuild Alpha Squadron's forces.
"Sir, I'm detecting incoming."
All celebration stopped as the officers went back to their station. Henry swore that no one took a breath until they saw a fleet of ten battlecruisers appear. At the lead was the Hyperion.
"They're hailing."
"On screen."
"This is Admiral Raynor of the Terran Alliance," he began. "We got your distress call and came as fast as we could."
"I thank you for coming," said Henry. "We just faced a massive Zerg assault and our forces are weakened. I hope you don't mind staying for a little while just to make sure the Zerg don't attack again."
Raynor shook his head. "Not at all. We'd be glad to help our fellow Terrans. It is a surprise, though, that you asked us for help and not Dominion Command."
"None of the probes headed for Korhal got through," said Henry, "and I doubt Mengsk would have sent much in the way of help anyways."
"True enough," Raynor agreed. Suddenly he was cut off by another fleet entering the system.
"Sir, it's a Dominion battle group," Walker reported.
"That's interesting," said Henry. "How did they know we needed help?"
"What's going on here?" Raynor demanded. "Is this some kind of trap?"
Henry turned his attention back to Raynor. "I assure you this is not a trick on my part. It is possible Dominion Command was monitoring us."
Suddenly a transmission was broadcasted on all general frequencies.
"This is General Ulysses of the Terran Dominion. General Orion, you are under arrest for high treason. Anyone who assists Henry Orion will face the same charge and sentenced to death."
That statement probably stunned most of the officers and soldiers of Alpha Squadron. Henry looked at the hologram intensely and stood. Glaring at Ulysses, he quickly came up with a response.
"This is General Orion. If you seriously expect me to surrender that easily you will be sorely disappointed. All troops that are loyal to humanity, join me. Any officer that wishes to return to Mengsk, I suggest you leave now."
No one in the command center moved.
"Very well then. I know this is asking a lot from all of you, but now we must fight for our lives. All units, engage the Dominion fleet. If we fail, we all die."
Surprisingly every remaining warship started an attack run. The five Ion Cannons re-aimed and opened fire, striking three of the Dominion's warships and quickly blowing them apart. The Dominion responded and opened fire with their Yamato cannon. They blasted apart two of Alpha Squadron's battlecruisers but the others continued to advance. Three surviving battlecruisers responded in kind, unloading their Yamato cannon and taking out three more Dominion ships.
Then five more Yamato blasts streaked past the Alpha Squadron forces. They struck several other Dominion warships, destroying them and forcing the others to fall back. Now there were only three enemy battlecruisers left to face the combined wrath of seven Alpha Squadron battlecruisers and the ten Raynor brought with him. This was more than enough to make the Dominion commander turn and flee. They quickly warped out of the system and left the Alliance and Alpha Squadron behind.
"It's seems I've misjudged you," Raynor said. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Henry replied. "And it looks like we don't have much else to do but join your Alliance."
"Are you sure about this?" Raynor asked.
Henry nodded. "Yeah. Mengsk has to be stopped, and I know about you. You're honorable, and maybe the Alliance will be a symbol of justice and peace."
Raynor nodded. "Let's hope so."
Nova and the Marines went through possibly ten clips before the Hunter Killer finally succumbed to their firepower. After reloading yet again they went deeper. It was fortunate the hallways allowed enough space to bring down some of the Goliaths as otherwise the battle would have been far bloodier. Down the hallway they heard more gunfire and proceeded. Around the corner two Goliaths were shooting up several Zerglings that had survived the initial sweep. However, without warning two more popped out from the ventilation shafts and landed on the units. They started ripping apart the armor but several shots from the Marines blew them off. The autocannons quickly finished them off.
"Thanks," one of the Goliath pilots said.
With so many Zergs around, Nova was tempted to just order the entire place leveled. However, the techs were still salvaging material that they might need and this installation was too valuable to just destroy outright.
"Look out!"
Two Hunter Killers rounded another corner and spied the Goliaths. They roared and needle spines shot out. One Goliath's leg was damaged and the unit fell back, off-balance. The other targeted the first Hunter Killer and peppered it with 30mm rounds. The Marines aimed for the second one and the two Zergs retreated under the onslaught. One soldier threw a grenade down and the explosion rocked the hallways. They gave chase but two massive claws cleaved the first Marine in half. His comrades opened fire and the Hunter Killer screamed. Nova took aim carefully and sent three shots down the hall. It blasted apart the thing's skull and brain splattered on the walls.
"I hate this shit," another Marine muttered.
The second Hunter Killer had disappeared, leaving them with no target. However, the quiet growling told them it was still around.
"Stay alert, heat sensors aren't picking up anything but the thing's still here."
As Nova walked forward she thought she heard something above and looked up. Just as she did the Hunter Killer fell down and sliced at her. None of the soldiers expected her to survive but in a burst of speed Nova dodged the swing, jumped over the Hunter Killer and sliced through its spine with some kind of psi blade. She then fired three rounds at pointblank range and killed the thing. All of the Marines were clearly impressed but Nova just went on. The soldiers quickly followed.
Veronica was being fussy again, though fortunately it wasn't because of being sick or anything. Samantha lifted her daughter out of the crib and held her close to her breast.
"What's the matter dear?" she asked, humming and trying to get her to calm down.
Slowly Veronica did just that and fell asleep in her mother's arms. She carried her daughter around a bit longer, singing away before putting her back in her crib. There was a gentle knock on her door and Samantha walked over. James was on the other side.
"Hey. There's a new development that I think you'll be interested in."
"Something go wrong?" she asked worriedly.
James smiled. "No. This time, you're going to like it."
After checking on Veronica one more time and waking up the nurse, Samantha followed James to the conference room. Inside Jackson and Henry were waiting for them, a hologram of some kind of weapon active on the table.
"What is that?" Samantha said as she took a seat. "And who are you?"
Henry smiled and answered. "These are the designs for the plasma-pulse cannon Alpha Squadron developed. And I'm General Henry Orion, commander of Alpha Squadron.
Samantha paused for a moment before finally sitting down. She looked over the image and then at Orion and blinked a few times.
"Wow."
"I see you've heard of it," said Henry. "And me."
"All I know is that it was destroyed by sabotage," Samantha replied. "Also I heard that you didn't really like Mengsk. You decide to join the Alliance now?"
Henry nodded.
"That's good. We could always use new members. So how powerful is this weapon?"
"According to our sensors, it is the equivalent of fifteen Yamato cannon blasts," Henry explained. "Of course, it had to go through atmosphere and we're pretty sure that if it's mounted in space it would be far more powerful."
Now that truly was impressive. Samantha looked at the designs one more time before turning to face Jackson.
"Can we incorporate this into the Millennium?" she asked.
Jackson nodded. "Our engineers and scientists are confident they can make the modifications. And considering we haven't begun construction, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Excuse me, but what's the Millennium?" Henry asked.
Jackson looked at Samantha and she nodded.
"The Millennium is the flagship we're preparing to build," said Jackson. "It is to be approximately four kilometers long and is equipped with enough firepower to blast the Zerg Swarm to hell in orbit of Char. Or at least that's the plan."
"I see," said Henry. "What's it made out of?"
"It's a new composite alloy of titanium-graphite," said Jackson, "though I'm still not sure how everything works on the thing. The engineers assure me it does so I have to trust them."
"You people are ambitious," said Henry. "What are you planning to do?"
"Take out all of the Zerg in our region of the galaxy and prepare to fight Kerrigan if she succeeds in taking Earth," Samantha stated. "Hopefully the UED will be able to stop her and I pray they do. They couldn't stop her in the Koprulu Sector, though maybe if my husband gets through with the information they might win."
"Your husband?" Henry said questioningly.
"Admiral Jonathan Kris," Samantha answered. "Commander of the UED Remnant heading back to Earth."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Jonathan Kris? Hmm. He gave me a lot of trouble when he attacked Korhal. A bloody brilliant tactician. I see geniuses are attracted to each other."
Raynor burst out laughing as Samantha blushed. Jackson simply grinned and waited for them to continue on with business.
"Thanks," Samantha muttered. "Can we move on?"
"Of course," Henry said with a smile. "As things stand, my forces took quite a beating at the hands of the Zerg forces. They also were able to produce psionic shields, something that was worrisome."
Sarah nodded. "Duran. We're pretty sure he developed them. As far as we know he's on Braxis right now and-"
"Hold it," Henry interrupted. "Did you say Braxis?"
Samantha nodded.
Leaning back, Henry thought it over. "Yes. It does make sense. Mengsk sent a large amount of supplies and resources to Braxis not too long before the attack. It's possible he made some kind of deal with Duran to get me out of power?"
"Were you a threat to Mengsk?"
Henry nodded. "Alpha Squadron was loyal to me and Mengsk knew it. I controlled the second largest military faction under his command as well as a planet."
"This might be more serious than we thought," said Samantha. "The Protoss are preparing to attack Duran to try to finish him off. He's been a pain for both of us."
"Duran just got a big supply shipment," said Henry. "That means he's probably better prepared to take on the Protoss."
"Exactly."
"Shall we warn them?" Jackson asked.
"Yes. Also, we need to do something about Mengsk," said Samantha. "Send him a clear message that we want him out of the picture for good."
"Too bad we can't do away with him like the Confederacy did away with his father," Jackson muttered.
"Was that Nova Squadron that pulled it off?" Samantha asked.
Jackson shrugged. "I actually don't know. While we are in charge of espionage and other covert operations, I'm pretty sure it was another unit that took care of them."
"How do we hurt Mengsk bad?" Samantha asked.
"By cutting off his suppliers," Henry stated.
They looked at him and waited for him to continue.
"Korhal isn't that rich in natural resources," Henry explained. "Therefore, Mengsk has to keep himself supplied in order to maintain power. Now, the Kel-Morian Combine is still very loyal to Mengsk, or at least their leader still is. He sees him as the only stable Terran power in this sector."
"How strong is the Combine right now?" James asked.
"Strong enough," said Jackson. "They were hurt pretty badly after that little raid Fenix pulled off. A good many of their ships and troops were killed trying to hold back the Zerg Cerebrate infesting and taking their Command Centers. However, they've recovered enough to put together a defensive fleet of twenty battlecruisers and three defensive platforms with Ion Cannons."
"It seems like everyone has those Cannons nowadays," James said.
"That means they're strong enough to hold off the Zerg somewhat," said Samantha, "but would still be overrun by a concentrated attack."
Jackson nodded. "That's where we come in. We have an alliance with the Protoss and we also have some pretty advanced weapons. Once we finish upgrading all of our battlecruisers, each ship will be a match for three other conventional battlecruisers."
"That would be nice," said Henry. "But keep in mind of one little problem. The leader of the Kel-Morian Combine is still a Mengsk loyalist. In order to get the Combine on your side, you have to kill him. Once that's done, the new leader will probably lean towards the Alliance as you're currently much more powerful than Mengsk. Heck, with the addition of Mar Sara, you control three planets. That's over 25% of known Terran space."
"How hard will it be to kill Gen Mah Sakai?" Samantha asked.
"The Combine has a lot of military hardware," said Jackson. "For their ground troops that is. Landing a strike team down there is out of the question. We'd have to assassinate him. And this time, I think I can use a Ghost or three."
"Good," said Samantha. "And we could definitely use the Combine's resources. How long will it take you to complete your shipyard?"
"With enough resources, three weeks. Then we can turn out a battlecruiser every month or so."
"Impressive," said Jackson. "We should exchange some personnel to see if we can improve on what we each have."
"That is acceptable," said Henry. "Now, I have a question for you. What exactly are you people preparing to do?"
The three officers traded looks before Samantha answered.
"Very well. As you are well aware of, the Zerg have only five Broods in this sector at the moment. Three of them are big ones, powerful enough to wipe us out if they actually tried. However, fortunately for us, one of the major Cerebrates and the two minor ones are on Char. This means once everything is in place, we can go in and wipe out all three of them."
"There is more," Jackson continued. "Before we can move on Char we'll need to weaken the Zerg forces considerably. The second major Cerebrate is based on Chau Sara. It is in fact on the primary orbital platform but is surrounded by a legion of Zerg warriors."
"You want to take that out?" Henry asked, incredulous. "I don't know if that's a good idea at the moment. If you attack, they're going to come after me."
"Actually, we're planning on testing a new weapon on it," Samantha explained. "It's a strategic nuclear missile. A fifteen megaton warhead. We're hoping it will kill the Cerebrate."
Henry frowned. "I thought Cerebrates could only be killed by Dark Templars."
"Normally that is true," said Jorgensen. "However, with the Overmind dead and Kerrigan off chasing the UED fleet, there's no one to reincarnate it. Therefore, we hope it will be vaporized in the blast."
"We're testing three of them actually," Samantha added. "Because we're timing our test at the same time as the Protoss attack on Duran, we have the time to build two more."
After several seconds Henry let out a long low whistle. "You people are bloody ambitious."
"We're only going to do this once," said Sarah, "After that, we won't need anymore. The new titanium graphite alloy will be good enough for the other battlecruisers we will build."
"Interesting," said Henry. "You people certainly will have a lot of new toys to play around with."
"There is something else," said Samantha. "Something that you need to be told about. We are currently setting up a cloning facility."
"Oh bloody hell," Henry muttered. "Now you people are playing God?"
"The Xel'Naga played God, and they unleashed the Zerg upon the galaxy," said Samantha. "We are not going to make the same mistake."
"I hope not," said Henry. "Okay, I can accept that for now. I assume this has something to do with matching the Zerg in numbers?"
Samantha nodded. "The Zerg have always had an advantage over us in terms of sheer numbers. Even with our military technology designed for mass killings, we still can't level the playing field. However, our factories are able to turn out a very large surplus of equipment and supplies for soldiers, so we're going to set up a Clone Corps. It will probably make up the bulk of our troops so we can field a larger army faster."
"But you're going to discontinue it once the Zerg threat is gone," said Henry.
"Of course," said Samantha. "We're not going to mess around like that just for the hell of it."
A nod. "Good. I don't want to create more monsters to destroy one."
And that was that. With the addition of another world to the Alliance and the potential to force Combine into their fold, the Terran Alliance might very well succeed in protecting humanity.
Massive energy beams lashed out and burned the planet Braxis. Several Protoss warships were bombarding the Zerg bases, wiping out everything as they slowly scorched the permafrost. They had not touched the Terran bases yet but the attack would come.
Scourges took off and exited the atmosphere, preparing to engage the massive Protoss fleet. Entire swarms of them were on the Protoss sensors, almost too many to count.
"All right boys, let's clean house!"
Out of nowhere formations of Valkyries flew out of the cloaking field of a Protoss Arbiter and fired a hailstorm of missiles. The overwhelming firepower caught the Scourges off guard and easily destroyed their shields, taking out the first wave. Yet more appeared and started smashing into the Protoss ships, weakening their shields as the Terran ships reloaded. As the third wave approached they fired another salvo, decimating it as Protoss Corsairs mopped up any that got through.
Several flights of Scouts flew ahead as point guards for the many shuttles following behind. They broke through the atmosphere and engaged the Mutalisks waiting for them. However, by now the Protoss had the edge and made sort work of the modified Zergs. They secured a landing zone and Dragoons and Zealots poured out. Probes appeared and quickly started setting up a base so the foothold could be secured.
Artanis looked down at the forces spreading out as several Reavers were unloading. The force the Protoss had amassed for this operation was rather large, but Shakuras was hardly left without defenses. Now Vindicator units started pouring out and the first structures finished warping through. Dozens of Pylons had been set up and now a Gateway and Forge were being brought it.
Suddenly Zerg units started pouring towards the fledging base but the Protoss defenders immediately met them head-on. The Reavers fired off their Scarabs and the detonations shook the ground. Dragoons then opened fire on those that got through and a good many had, their shields having allowed them to survive the initial bombardment. Still, the phase disruptors vaporized many of the Zergs that had penetrated so far. Without warning bolts of plasma streaked forward and burned down more Zerg. The Vindicators were ready to prove their prowess and quickly drove the Zerg back. Zealots then charged forward and sliced apart the last of the attackers.
"The area is secure, Praetor Artanis," one of the Vindicators reported.
"Good work. Now we must hold this blasted place until reinforcements can be warped in."
It didn't take long for an entire base to be constructed. Zealots, Vindicators, and Dragoons poured out from the Gateways and amassed for the assault on the Terran base. Two carriers and a Tassadar-class battleship provided cover, accompanied by squadrons of Scouts and Corsairs. Finally, the Hyperion and two other Terran battlecruisers descended and waited.
Raynor watched as the Hyperion took in the rest of the fighters that had participated in the action. He was impressed with the Tassadar-class battleships. They were a union of Templar and Dark Templar technologies and far greater than anything he'd seen before. Perhaps someday humanity would build something as powerful, and maybe it would be needed too.
"Admiral, the Protoss are preparing to attack Duran's Terran base. They are asking us to accompany them."
Raynor nodded. "Very well. Once we defeat his troops we'll seize control of his structures. I want the engineers to secure anything that looks out of place or odd."
Dropships left the holds of the three battlecruisers and followed the Protoss shuttles and fighters. Duran's base was well defended with many Siege Tanks, bunkers, and Missile Turrets protecting it. However, the Yamato Guns from the three battlecruisers quickly destroyed an entire section of the base's defenses and the Protoss warriors rushed in immediately. The Terran Marines and Firebats stood no chance and were quickly dealt with. Many of the engineers and SCVs within the base quickly surrendered and Raynor's Marines gathered them together. They then helped the Protoss pick through the wreckage. More engineers quickly took control of the automated defenses and the Turrets fell silent. At the center of the base was a massive complex that one of the prisoners identified as a genetics lab. Carefully Terran and Protoss teams went down to clean it out. After what seemed like hours, the entire base was secured. With the majority of the Zerg dead and the Protoss and Terran forces working together to hunt the rest down, Braxis was now secured.
The Protoss didn't mind lending another Arbiter to the Terrans again, especially since it was for a strike on a Cerebrate. The Science Vessel and its screen of fighters and frigates stayed within the cloaking barrier. They were a lot closer to Chau Sara thanks to the Arbiter and there was less risk of the Zerg intercepting the missiles now.
"Warheads are armed," the science officer reported.
On Mar Sara, Henry had mustered what forces he could still project and was prepared for a slaughter just in case. He had five more battleships from the Alliance waiting to help him as well, so he felt somewhat secure. Hopefully it wouldn't result in a massive slaughter.
"Fire," the captain ordered."
Three dots appeared but quickly disappeared as they went shot off. The new sub-warp engine launched the missiles into warp space but only at a diminished speed. It was more like the area between realspace and subspace. However, in three minutes they would know if the new technology was a success or not.
"Shit, we have incoming!"
An Overlord that had been on patrol came too close and its enhanced senses picked up the taskforce. It immediately raced back towards Chau Sara, calling for reinforcements.
"We must destroy it before more Zerg approach," the Protoss commander ordered.
The engines on the Arbiter flared and it sped off, giving chase. The Wraiths also took off and opened fire with their lasers, scorching the hide of the creature. Several shots from the Disruptor Cannon slowed it down but the creature refused to stop. Suddenly a bright nova erupted in orbit of Chau Sara and everything stopped. The Overlord suddenly seemed to lose its sense of direction and tried to run every other way. The Valkyries finally caught up and a single salvo ended it.
"Report," the captain ordered.
"I'm reading detonations from all three warheads," the science officer reported.
On board the Arbiter, with its more advanced sensors, the Protoss were also finding out the good news.
"Judicator, the platform has been melted away. I am reading no signs whatsoever of the Cerebrate. It appears as if the Terran weapon has succeeded."
"We shall wait and see," the Protoss commander simply said.
It didn't take long. They stayed in the cloaking field for several more hours but nothing moved on the platform. The Zerg around Chau Sara were completely disorganized and started fighting each other. Soon the entire planet was bathed in their blood and their numbers had been dramatically reduced.
Duran watched the screen as the Protoss and Terran fleet took over Braxis. It was a minor setback, the destruction of his forces on the planet. However, other things required his attention at the moment. On this distant and cold moon, something was being created here that would become one of the greatest of the Ancients.
Terran scientists were working quietly, doing their best to not draw the attention of Duran. He was a hard taskmaster and this project was far too important for mistakes. As the odd infested Ghost walked about the lab, he took the time to admire the broken body within the tank. Once he had been the greatest warrior ever, so powerful that even the Overmind had succumbed to his power. Originally many had assumed his body had been consumed by the energy, Duran had in fact moved in and extracted it immediately. There was no point in allowing such a power go to waste.
Even though there was no life in this husk, power still flowed forward. Zerg DNA was slowly being written in and soon enough, Tassadar would be reborn.
End of Chapter 4
Wonder who wants to kill me for that last scene?
Z98
Chapter 4: Initiation
General Henry Orion had seen the destruction of worlds because of the Zerg and it was hardly a pleasant memory. To see the Zerg being protected by some kind of energy shield, one very similar to that of the Protoss, was enough to make a man go mad. While still in the Confederacy, he had learned from the research data that the Protoss, Zerg, and Ghosts all channeled a very similar energy. Though this research resulted in the Psi Emitter and Disrupter, none of that helped him now. Three battlecruisers had already gone down and a fourth was taking heavy fire. The Zerg Scourges were now far more dangerous with their shields, withstanding a great deal of fire before either smashing into their targets or finally being blown apart. It wasn't too long before they would start hitting the platforms and the unfinished shipyards, which Henry could not afford.
"Where are the reserve Valkyries?" he asked.
"Preparing to launch sir. Where shall I direct them?"
"Get them to sector 2. Lay down cover fire so the remaining battlecruisers can fall back."
"Yes sir."
Two squadrons of Valkyries took off and opened fire almost immediately. Their first two salvos punched through the Zergs' shields and a third salvo ripped them apart. The damaged battlecruisers pulled back and flew behind the defensive line. However, they quickly turned around and every single one of them fired off their Yamato cannons. The blast caught the Zerg forces off guard and decimated their first wave. This was quickly followed up by a salvo of tactical nukes. They blew apart the Overlords transporting soldiers for the invasion, forcing the Zerg units to pull back and regroup.
Henry let out a sigh of relief and prepared to regroup his own tattered forces. Without waiting, he immediately fired off the Ion Cannons on his platforms, hitting the Zerg forces in five locations and blowing holes in their formations. The energy beam of the Cannons cut through the Zerg units like a laser scalpel, burning through the Zerg shields before roasting them.
"Are the Zerg attempting another attack?" Henry asked his officer.
"Negative. The Zerg units are holding their position."
"Did any of the probes get through?"
The officer examined her sensors and other data before answering. "Only one probe made it out sir, and it was one headed towards Tarsonis."
Henry nodded. He had sent a total of six probes, three to Tarsonis and three to Korhal. Each probe held a message asking for reinforcements and help. He did not really trust Mengsk to actually send forces and possibly weakening Korhal's defenses so asking the Alliance for assistance was a good backup. But with only one probe having survived to escape, that meant he could only hope for the Alliance to come and aid him.
"I think it's time we tried something new," Henry said. "Is the plasma- pulse cannon ready?"
The few officers who knew what he was talking about stared at him in surprise. Originally developed by Dominion scientists on Korhal, the plasma-pulse cannon was supposed to be the next breakthrough in weapons technology. However, a renegade scientist that had been trying to curry the favor of the UED sabotaged the weapon during its final testing stage, destroying the weapon and the entire facility. It was originally assumed that the designs of the weapon had been lost as well, but Alpha Squadron had gotten a copy of the earlier designs. Building up from that, they had developed their own plasma-pulse cannon in secret.
"It hasn't been tested yet," one of the officers pointed out.
"This is as good a time as any," said Henry. "If it works, we might just get a reprieve and survive this attack long enough for reinforcements to come. If it fails, we're as good as dead anyways. Activate it."
The men started issuing orders to have the cannon brought online. The cannon itself was actually on the planet's surface and fortunately it was facing the Zerg fleet. A massive barrel pointed upwards, magnetic containment generators ringing the entire thing. Plasma was extremely unstable and it required a powerful electromagnetic containment field to hold it properly. Now the reserves of plasma flowed into the capacitor as it prepared to fire. The power generators and cooling systems were running at full power as they tried to keep the weapon stable. Perhaps this time it would work.
Without warning a bolt of plasma shot out of the barrel, blowing right past the defense fleet and platforms, spiraling towards the Zerg units. They saw it come and attempted to run but the plasma-pulse detonated upon reaching its destination. The pulse erupted and what looked like solar flares sliced through the Zerg units. It burned through whatever shields the Zerg units could erect, so powerful that it disrupted them before even coming into contact. The bulk of the second wave was burned out and not much was left of them except for a few appendages. However, the jubilation in the command center was cut short as another Zerg force appeared.
"Bloody hell," Henry muttered. "How many units are they planning on throwing at us?"
"Sir! A report from Chau Sara."
"What is it?"
"The Zerg units there are not moving," the officer reported. "They show no signs of even being aware of this battle."
That certainly seemed strange, Henry thought. If the Zerg were truly serious about attacking him, their forces on Chau Sara would have launched the attack and would have immediately moved against him once they saw the power of his plasma-pulse weapon. Unless this was another brood. Or something else entirely.
"We'll worry about that later," he said. "Is the cannon ready for another shot?"
The officer shook his head. "We're having problems."
Suddenly one of the screens activated with Magellan on it.
"General, the plasma-pulse cannon's barrel has been fused," he said. "The cooling systems weren't enough to keep it from overheating. We need to replace it."
"How long?"
"Five hours," Magellan answered. "We have to take apart a lot of systems."
"Then get on it," Henry ordered. "Do we have the forces to hold off the Zerg for five hours."
"Unlikely," said Walker. "If the Zerg attack in full force again, we're in trouble."
Henry considered his options and looked over the inventory. Looking for anything that would give him a strategic, even a tactical edge, he scrolled down the weapons and technologies he had at his disposal. Finally, he came to a reluctant conclusion.
"We have to deploy a full strategic nuclear bombardment," he stated.
Again he surprised his officers. They all knew how desperate the situation was but none of them had considered it. Once said though, they simply accepted it and began preparations.
Each of the defensive platforms was equipped with fifty tactical nuclear weapons, as large-scale strategic nukes were banned after the Massacre of Korhal. However, a total of 250 tactical nukes would work. The other nuclear weapons they had used before had been deployed from several battlecruisers, a launching system that he had kept secret from Dominion Command. But now, this meant he had another salvo ready to launch and could possibly save his troops.
"The battlecruisers," Henry said. "How is recharging going?"
"Energy reserves at 60% and increasing."
"Okay, that means we have another salvo ready to go if needed," Henry muttered. "What's the status on our forces?"
Images appeared, showing the planet and the position of the fleet.
"Current strength of the fleet is eleven battlecruisers, one heavily damaged. It has little maneuvering capabilities and it's currently docked and undergoing emergency repairs. The Valkyrie formation is currently reloading and all twenty-five frigates are operational. Little damage to them. Our Wraith squadrons are a different story. We have only four squadrons left from the original sixteen."
"Hell," Henry muttered. "Are our pilots ready to fight?"
A few seconds passed before the officer nodded. "They've recovered somewhat from the battle fatigue and the wing commander assures me his men are ready to go."
Henry nodded. "Good, good. Do long range sensors detect any other Zerg units coming?"
"No sir. It looks like this might actually be the last force, though hopefully the Zerg on Chau Sara won't try anything."
"Sir! Zerg units are advancing!"
"Have the Valkyries lay down a barrage," Henry ordered. "Keep shooting until the Zerg start shooting back, then pull them behind the battlecruisers."
The Valkyrie pilots quickly shot forward. They let loose their missiles and the salvos crashed into the Zerg Scourges. Due to their small size, the Scourges couldn't produce a shield powerful enough to protect themselves. However, the Mutalisks behind them were tougher and unharmed. The Scourges had provided a screen for the Mutalisks and they came forward with great fury. The Valkyries started falling back but not before they unloaded three more barrages, decimating a good deal more of the Mutalisks. However, several still got through and attacked them. One Valkyrie got its wing blown off and as it tried to turn three more Mutalisks attacked, tearing it apart. Two others were hit by several Scourges that followed up behind the Mutalisks and exploded. The rest beat a hasty retreat as the battlecruisers and platforms unloaded on the Zerg.
Laser fire and missiles struck the shields and quickly depleted them. However, as the Zerg units tried to attack, they found that three nearby science vessels had activated their defense matrix. Their attacks had great deal of trouble penetrating before the Terran defenders decimated them. And yet more Scourges poured through and smashed into the defense matrixes. Finally they were brought down and a dozen of them smashed into the first battlecruiser. It snapped at its neck and the hammerhead broke off, exploding moments later. The engines flared for a few seconds later before another Scourge dove into it, igniting the fuel and destroying what was left of the ship.
The Ion Cannons opened fire again, cutting down the Zerg units. However, they were getting too close and it wouldn't be long before the Cannons were helpless to the melee attacks of the Zerg ground troops. But this was when Henry revealed his ace. The tactical nukes were launched with the battlecruisers using their laser systems to guide them. They flew past the first few waves of Zerg and went straight for the Overlords. They detonated, creating a nuclear firestorm in the void of space. Nuclear fire charred the Zerg units and vaporized a good deal of the units caught near the center of the blasts. The bright light blinded a few of the Zerg units but they weren't left in that state for long. The shockwave tore apart any Zerg unit still alive in that area, finally ending the threat of invasion.
Unfortunately, the remaining Zerg air units weren't done just yet. A few of the Mutalisks had been evolving and they suddenly erupted from their cocoons into Devourers. They spewed their acid on the battlecruisers, the spores eating through the hull of NeoSteel. The three battlecruisers that were struck quickly pulled back but continued to lay down fire. Two other battlecruisers opened fire with their Yamato cannons, taking down several Devourers in one shot. Finally the ion cannons finished the job, destroying the Zerg assault force.
Henry let out a sigh of relief and sank into his chair. His uniform was sweaty from all the anxiety from the battle and it looked like everyone here was tense. The officers cheered and congratulated each other at seeing the massive Zerg assault beaten back. However, it had been extremely costly. They had lost five battlecruisers, three Valkyries frigates, almost a hundred Wraith fighters, and how many good men and women? It would take quite a while to rebuild Alpha Squadron's forces.
"Sir, I'm detecting incoming."
All celebration stopped as the officers went back to their station. Henry swore that no one took a breath until they saw a fleet of ten battlecruisers appear. At the lead was the Hyperion.
"They're hailing."
"On screen."
"This is Admiral Raynor of the Terran Alliance," he began. "We got your distress call and came as fast as we could."
"I thank you for coming," said Henry. "We just faced a massive Zerg assault and our forces are weakened. I hope you don't mind staying for a little while just to make sure the Zerg don't attack again."
Raynor shook his head. "Not at all. We'd be glad to help our fellow Terrans. It is a surprise, though, that you asked us for help and not Dominion Command."
"None of the probes headed for Korhal got through," said Henry, "and I doubt Mengsk would have sent much in the way of help anyways."
"True enough," Raynor agreed. Suddenly he was cut off by another fleet entering the system.
"Sir, it's a Dominion battle group," Walker reported.
"That's interesting," said Henry. "How did they know we needed help?"
"What's going on here?" Raynor demanded. "Is this some kind of trap?"
Henry turned his attention back to Raynor. "I assure you this is not a trick on my part. It is possible Dominion Command was monitoring us."
Suddenly a transmission was broadcasted on all general frequencies.
"This is General Ulysses of the Terran Dominion. General Orion, you are under arrest for high treason. Anyone who assists Henry Orion will face the same charge and sentenced to death."
That statement probably stunned most of the officers and soldiers of Alpha Squadron. Henry looked at the hologram intensely and stood. Glaring at Ulysses, he quickly came up with a response.
"This is General Orion. If you seriously expect me to surrender that easily you will be sorely disappointed. All troops that are loyal to humanity, join me. Any officer that wishes to return to Mengsk, I suggest you leave now."
No one in the command center moved.
"Very well then. I know this is asking a lot from all of you, but now we must fight for our lives. All units, engage the Dominion fleet. If we fail, we all die."
Surprisingly every remaining warship started an attack run. The five Ion Cannons re-aimed and opened fire, striking three of the Dominion's warships and quickly blowing them apart. The Dominion responded and opened fire with their Yamato cannon. They blasted apart two of Alpha Squadron's battlecruisers but the others continued to advance. Three surviving battlecruisers responded in kind, unloading their Yamato cannon and taking out three more Dominion ships.
Then five more Yamato blasts streaked past the Alpha Squadron forces. They struck several other Dominion warships, destroying them and forcing the others to fall back. Now there were only three enemy battlecruisers left to face the combined wrath of seven Alpha Squadron battlecruisers and the ten Raynor brought with him. This was more than enough to make the Dominion commander turn and flee. They quickly warped out of the system and left the Alliance and Alpha Squadron behind.
"It's seems I've misjudged you," Raynor said. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Henry replied. "And it looks like we don't have much else to do but join your Alliance."
"Are you sure about this?" Raynor asked.
Henry nodded. "Yeah. Mengsk has to be stopped, and I know about you. You're honorable, and maybe the Alliance will be a symbol of justice and peace."
Raynor nodded. "Let's hope so."
Nova and the Marines went through possibly ten clips before the Hunter Killer finally succumbed to their firepower. After reloading yet again they went deeper. It was fortunate the hallways allowed enough space to bring down some of the Goliaths as otherwise the battle would have been far bloodier. Down the hallway they heard more gunfire and proceeded. Around the corner two Goliaths were shooting up several Zerglings that had survived the initial sweep. However, without warning two more popped out from the ventilation shafts and landed on the units. They started ripping apart the armor but several shots from the Marines blew them off. The autocannons quickly finished them off.
"Thanks," one of the Goliath pilots said.
With so many Zergs around, Nova was tempted to just order the entire place leveled. However, the techs were still salvaging material that they might need and this installation was too valuable to just destroy outright.
"Look out!"
Two Hunter Killers rounded another corner and spied the Goliaths. They roared and needle spines shot out. One Goliath's leg was damaged and the unit fell back, off-balance. The other targeted the first Hunter Killer and peppered it with 30mm rounds. The Marines aimed for the second one and the two Zergs retreated under the onslaught. One soldier threw a grenade down and the explosion rocked the hallways. They gave chase but two massive claws cleaved the first Marine in half. His comrades opened fire and the Hunter Killer screamed. Nova took aim carefully and sent three shots down the hall. It blasted apart the thing's skull and brain splattered on the walls.
"I hate this shit," another Marine muttered.
The second Hunter Killer had disappeared, leaving them with no target. However, the quiet growling told them it was still around.
"Stay alert, heat sensors aren't picking up anything but the thing's still here."
As Nova walked forward she thought she heard something above and looked up. Just as she did the Hunter Killer fell down and sliced at her. None of the soldiers expected her to survive but in a burst of speed Nova dodged the swing, jumped over the Hunter Killer and sliced through its spine with some kind of psi blade. She then fired three rounds at pointblank range and killed the thing. All of the Marines were clearly impressed but Nova just went on. The soldiers quickly followed.
Veronica was being fussy again, though fortunately it wasn't because of being sick or anything. Samantha lifted her daughter out of the crib and held her close to her breast.
"What's the matter dear?" she asked, humming and trying to get her to calm down.
Slowly Veronica did just that and fell asleep in her mother's arms. She carried her daughter around a bit longer, singing away before putting her back in her crib. There was a gentle knock on her door and Samantha walked over. James was on the other side.
"Hey. There's a new development that I think you'll be interested in."
"Something go wrong?" she asked worriedly.
James smiled. "No. This time, you're going to like it."
After checking on Veronica one more time and waking up the nurse, Samantha followed James to the conference room. Inside Jackson and Henry were waiting for them, a hologram of some kind of weapon active on the table.
"What is that?" Samantha said as she took a seat. "And who are you?"
Henry smiled and answered. "These are the designs for the plasma-pulse cannon Alpha Squadron developed. And I'm General Henry Orion, commander of Alpha Squadron.
Samantha paused for a moment before finally sitting down. She looked over the image and then at Orion and blinked a few times.
"Wow."
"I see you've heard of it," said Henry. "And me."
"All I know is that it was destroyed by sabotage," Samantha replied. "Also I heard that you didn't really like Mengsk. You decide to join the Alliance now?"
Henry nodded.
"That's good. We could always use new members. So how powerful is this weapon?"
"According to our sensors, it is the equivalent of fifteen Yamato cannon blasts," Henry explained. "Of course, it had to go through atmosphere and we're pretty sure that if it's mounted in space it would be far more powerful."
Now that truly was impressive. Samantha looked at the designs one more time before turning to face Jackson.
"Can we incorporate this into the Millennium?" she asked.
Jackson nodded. "Our engineers and scientists are confident they can make the modifications. And considering we haven't begun construction, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Excuse me, but what's the Millennium?" Henry asked.
Jackson looked at Samantha and she nodded.
"The Millennium is the flagship we're preparing to build," said Jackson. "It is to be approximately four kilometers long and is equipped with enough firepower to blast the Zerg Swarm to hell in orbit of Char. Or at least that's the plan."
"I see," said Henry. "What's it made out of?"
"It's a new composite alloy of titanium-graphite," said Jackson, "though I'm still not sure how everything works on the thing. The engineers assure me it does so I have to trust them."
"You people are ambitious," said Henry. "What are you planning to do?"
"Take out all of the Zerg in our region of the galaxy and prepare to fight Kerrigan if she succeeds in taking Earth," Samantha stated. "Hopefully the UED will be able to stop her and I pray they do. They couldn't stop her in the Koprulu Sector, though maybe if my husband gets through with the information they might win."
"Your husband?" Henry said questioningly.
"Admiral Jonathan Kris," Samantha answered. "Commander of the UED Remnant heading back to Earth."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Jonathan Kris? Hmm. He gave me a lot of trouble when he attacked Korhal. A bloody brilliant tactician. I see geniuses are attracted to each other."
Raynor burst out laughing as Samantha blushed. Jackson simply grinned and waited for them to continue on with business.
"Thanks," Samantha muttered. "Can we move on?"
"Of course," Henry said with a smile. "As things stand, my forces took quite a beating at the hands of the Zerg forces. They also were able to produce psionic shields, something that was worrisome."
Sarah nodded. "Duran. We're pretty sure he developed them. As far as we know he's on Braxis right now and-"
"Hold it," Henry interrupted. "Did you say Braxis?"
Samantha nodded.
Leaning back, Henry thought it over. "Yes. It does make sense. Mengsk sent a large amount of supplies and resources to Braxis not too long before the attack. It's possible he made some kind of deal with Duran to get me out of power?"
"Were you a threat to Mengsk?"
Henry nodded. "Alpha Squadron was loyal to me and Mengsk knew it. I controlled the second largest military faction under his command as well as a planet."
"This might be more serious than we thought," said Samantha. "The Protoss are preparing to attack Duran to try to finish him off. He's been a pain for both of us."
"Duran just got a big supply shipment," said Henry. "That means he's probably better prepared to take on the Protoss."
"Exactly."
"Shall we warn them?" Jackson asked.
"Yes. Also, we need to do something about Mengsk," said Samantha. "Send him a clear message that we want him out of the picture for good."
"Too bad we can't do away with him like the Confederacy did away with his father," Jackson muttered.
"Was that Nova Squadron that pulled it off?" Samantha asked.
Jackson shrugged. "I actually don't know. While we are in charge of espionage and other covert operations, I'm pretty sure it was another unit that took care of them."
"How do we hurt Mengsk bad?" Samantha asked.
"By cutting off his suppliers," Henry stated.
They looked at him and waited for him to continue.
"Korhal isn't that rich in natural resources," Henry explained. "Therefore, Mengsk has to keep himself supplied in order to maintain power. Now, the Kel-Morian Combine is still very loyal to Mengsk, or at least their leader still is. He sees him as the only stable Terran power in this sector."
"How strong is the Combine right now?" James asked.
"Strong enough," said Jackson. "They were hurt pretty badly after that little raid Fenix pulled off. A good many of their ships and troops were killed trying to hold back the Zerg Cerebrate infesting and taking their Command Centers. However, they've recovered enough to put together a defensive fleet of twenty battlecruisers and three defensive platforms with Ion Cannons."
"It seems like everyone has those Cannons nowadays," James said.
"That means they're strong enough to hold off the Zerg somewhat," said Samantha, "but would still be overrun by a concentrated attack."
Jackson nodded. "That's where we come in. We have an alliance with the Protoss and we also have some pretty advanced weapons. Once we finish upgrading all of our battlecruisers, each ship will be a match for three other conventional battlecruisers."
"That would be nice," said Henry. "But keep in mind of one little problem. The leader of the Kel-Morian Combine is still a Mengsk loyalist. In order to get the Combine on your side, you have to kill him. Once that's done, the new leader will probably lean towards the Alliance as you're currently much more powerful than Mengsk. Heck, with the addition of Mar Sara, you control three planets. That's over 25% of known Terran space."
"How hard will it be to kill Gen Mah Sakai?" Samantha asked.
"The Combine has a lot of military hardware," said Jackson. "For their ground troops that is. Landing a strike team down there is out of the question. We'd have to assassinate him. And this time, I think I can use a Ghost or three."
"Good," said Samantha. "And we could definitely use the Combine's resources. How long will it take you to complete your shipyard?"
"With enough resources, three weeks. Then we can turn out a battlecruiser every month or so."
"Impressive," said Jackson. "We should exchange some personnel to see if we can improve on what we each have."
"That is acceptable," said Henry. "Now, I have a question for you. What exactly are you people preparing to do?"
The three officers traded looks before Samantha answered.
"Very well. As you are well aware of, the Zerg have only five Broods in this sector at the moment. Three of them are big ones, powerful enough to wipe us out if they actually tried. However, fortunately for us, one of the major Cerebrates and the two minor ones are on Char. This means once everything is in place, we can go in and wipe out all three of them."
"There is more," Jackson continued. "Before we can move on Char we'll need to weaken the Zerg forces considerably. The second major Cerebrate is based on Chau Sara. It is in fact on the primary orbital platform but is surrounded by a legion of Zerg warriors."
"You want to take that out?" Henry asked, incredulous. "I don't know if that's a good idea at the moment. If you attack, they're going to come after me."
"Actually, we're planning on testing a new weapon on it," Samantha explained. "It's a strategic nuclear missile. A fifteen megaton warhead. We're hoping it will kill the Cerebrate."
Henry frowned. "I thought Cerebrates could only be killed by Dark Templars."
"Normally that is true," said Jorgensen. "However, with the Overmind dead and Kerrigan off chasing the UED fleet, there's no one to reincarnate it. Therefore, we hope it will be vaporized in the blast."
"We're testing three of them actually," Samantha added. "Because we're timing our test at the same time as the Protoss attack on Duran, we have the time to build two more."
After several seconds Henry let out a long low whistle. "You people are bloody ambitious."
"We're only going to do this once," said Sarah, "After that, we won't need anymore. The new titanium graphite alloy will be good enough for the other battlecruisers we will build."
"Interesting," said Henry. "You people certainly will have a lot of new toys to play around with."
"There is something else," said Samantha. "Something that you need to be told about. We are currently setting up a cloning facility."
"Oh bloody hell," Henry muttered. "Now you people are playing God?"
"The Xel'Naga played God, and they unleashed the Zerg upon the galaxy," said Samantha. "We are not going to make the same mistake."
"I hope not," said Henry. "Okay, I can accept that for now. I assume this has something to do with matching the Zerg in numbers?"
Samantha nodded. "The Zerg have always had an advantage over us in terms of sheer numbers. Even with our military technology designed for mass killings, we still can't level the playing field. However, our factories are able to turn out a very large surplus of equipment and supplies for soldiers, so we're going to set up a Clone Corps. It will probably make up the bulk of our troops so we can field a larger army faster."
"But you're going to discontinue it once the Zerg threat is gone," said Henry.
"Of course," said Samantha. "We're not going to mess around like that just for the hell of it."
A nod. "Good. I don't want to create more monsters to destroy one."
And that was that. With the addition of another world to the Alliance and the potential to force Combine into their fold, the Terran Alliance might very well succeed in protecting humanity.
Massive energy beams lashed out and burned the planet Braxis. Several Protoss warships were bombarding the Zerg bases, wiping out everything as they slowly scorched the permafrost. They had not touched the Terran bases yet but the attack would come.
Scourges took off and exited the atmosphere, preparing to engage the massive Protoss fleet. Entire swarms of them were on the Protoss sensors, almost too many to count.
"All right boys, let's clean house!"
Out of nowhere formations of Valkyries flew out of the cloaking field of a Protoss Arbiter and fired a hailstorm of missiles. The overwhelming firepower caught the Scourges off guard and easily destroyed their shields, taking out the first wave. Yet more appeared and started smashing into the Protoss ships, weakening their shields as the Terran ships reloaded. As the third wave approached they fired another salvo, decimating it as Protoss Corsairs mopped up any that got through.
Several flights of Scouts flew ahead as point guards for the many shuttles following behind. They broke through the atmosphere and engaged the Mutalisks waiting for them. However, by now the Protoss had the edge and made sort work of the modified Zergs. They secured a landing zone and Dragoons and Zealots poured out. Probes appeared and quickly started setting up a base so the foothold could be secured.
Artanis looked down at the forces spreading out as several Reavers were unloading. The force the Protoss had amassed for this operation was rather large, but Shakuras was hardly left without defenses. Now Vindicator units started pouring out and the first structures finished warping through. Dozens of Pylons had been set up and now a Gateway and Forge were being brought it.
Suddenly Zerg units started pouring towards the fledging base but the Protoss defenders immediately met them head-on. The Reavers fired off their Scarabs and the detonations shook the ground. Dragoons then opened fire on those that got through and a good many had, their shields having allowed them to survive the initial bombardment. Still, the phase disruptors vaporized many of the Zergs that had penetrated so far. Without warning bolts of plasma streaked forward and burned down more Zerg. The Vindicators were ready to prove their prowess and quickly drove the Zerg back. Zealots then charged forward and sliced apart the last of the attackers.
"The area is secure, Praetor Artanis," one of the Vindicators reported.
"Good work. Now we must hold this blasted place until reinforcements can be warped in."
It didn't take long for an entire base to be constructed. Zealots, Vindicators, and Dragoons poured out from the Gateways and amassed for the assault on the Terran base. Two carriers and a Tassadar-class battleship provided cover, accompanied by squadrons of Scouts and Corsairs. Finally, the Hyperion and two other Terran battlecruisers descended and waited.
Raynor watched as the Hyperion took in the rest of the fighters that had participated in the action. He was impressed with the Tassadar-class battleships. They were a union of Templar and Dark Templar technologies and far greater than anything he'd seen before. Perhaps someday humanity would build something as powerful, and maybe it would be needed too.
"Admiral, the Protoss are preparing to attack Duran's Terran base. They are asking us to accompany them."
Raynor nodded. "Very well. Once we defeat his troops we'll seize control of his structures. I want the engineers to secure anything that looks out of place or odd."
Dropships left the holds of the three battlecruisers and followed the Protoss shuttles and fighters. Duran's base was well defended with many Siege Tanks, bunkers, and Missile Turrets protecting it. However, the Yamato Guns from the three battlecruisers quickly destroyed an entire section of the base's defenses and the Protoss warriors rushed in immediately. The Terran Marines and Firebats stood no chance and were quickly dealt with. Many of the engineers and SCVs within the base quickly surrendered and Raynor's Marines gathered them together. They then helped the Protoss pick through the wreckage. More engineers quickly took control of the automated defenses and the Turrets fell silent. At the center of the base was a massive complex that one of the prisoners identified as a genetics lab. Carefully Terran and Protoss teams went down to clean it out. After what seemed like hours, the entire base was secured. With the majority of the Zerg dead and the Protoss and Terran forces working together to hunt the rest down, Braxis was now secured.
The Protoss didn't mind lending another Arbiter to the Terrans again, especially since it was for a strike on a Cerebrate. The Science Vessel and its screen of fighters and frigates stayed within the cloaking barrier. They were a lot closer to Chau Sara thanks to the Arbiter and there was less risk of the Zerg intercepting the missiles now.
"Warheads are armed," the science officer reported.
On Mar Sara, Henry had mustered what forces he could still project and was prepared for a slaughter just in case. He had five more battleships from the Alliance waiting to help him as well, so he felt somewhat secure. Hopefully it wouldn't result in a massive slaughter.
"Fire," the captain ordered."
Three dots appeared but quickly disappeared as they went shot off. The new sub-warp engine launched the missiles into warp space but only at a diminished speed. It was more like the area between realspace and subspace. However, in three minutes they would know if the new technology was a success or not.
"Shit, we have incoming!"
An Overlord that had been on patrol came too close and its enhanced senses picked up the taskforce. It immediately raced back towards Chau Sara, calling for reinforcements.
"We must destroy it before more Zerg approach," the Protoss commander ordered.
The engines on the Arbiter flared and it sped off, giving chase. The Wraiths also took off and opened fire with their lasers, scorching the hide of the creature. Several shots from the Disruptor Cannon slowed it down but the creature refused to stop. Suddenly a bright nova erupted in orbit of Chau Sara and everything stopped. The Overlord suddenly seemed to lose its sense of direction and tried to run every other way. The Valkyries finally caught up and a single salvo ended it.
"Report," the captain ordered.
"I'm reading detonations from all three warheads," the science officer reported.
On board the Arbiter, with its more advanced sensors, the Protoss were also finding out the good news.
"Judicator, the platform has been melted away. I am reading no signs whatsoever of the Cerebrate. It appears as if the Terran weapon has succeeded."
"We shall wait and see," the Protoss commander simply said.
It didn't take long. They stayed in the cloaking field for several more hours but nothing moved on the platform. The Zerg around Chau Sara were completely disorganized and started fighting each other. Soon the entire planet was bathed in their blood and their numbers had been dramatically reduced.
Duran watched the screen as the Protoss and Terran fleet took over Braxis. It was a minor setback, the destruction of his forces on the planet. However, other things required his attention at the moment. On this distant and cold moon, something was being created here that would become one of the greatest of the Ancients.
Terran scientists were working quietly, doing their best to not draw the attention of Duran. He was a hard taskmaster and this project was far too important for mistakes. As the odd infested Ghost walked about the lab, he took the time to admire the broken body within the tank. Once he had been the greatest warrior ever, so powerful that even the Overmind had succumbed to his power. Originally many had assumed his body had been consumed by the energy, Duran had in fact moved in and extracted it immediately. There was no point in allowing such a power go to waste.
Even though there was no life in this husk, power still flowed forward. Zerg DNA was slowly being written in and soon enough, Tassadar would be reborn.
End of Chapter 4
Wonder who wants to kill me for that last scene?
Z98