Imperium by Forever Jake
Chapter Six
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"Get me General Duke immediately!"
Mengsk swore under his breath as the young man in the white jacket ran off around the corner of the office in pursuit of the General's contact number. He was furious. The battle far overhead had apparently been going on for some time (at least an hour, by the estimate of the young woman cadet he had just finished speaking with), and Duke had not reported in. A whole hour of warfare that perhaps was deciding the very fate of the planet Korhal, and the Emperor's hand-picked commander-in-chief could not even spare a few moments to relay the status of the defenders to the palace below?
That was unacceptable. Mengsk would have to share a few choice words with the General upon his return to the surface.
Something was vibrating against his leg; he looked down at his side, curious. He realized he was still in his robe, having not bothered to change after his hastily ended walk along the palace balcony. This irritated him as well; it was still too soon since his coronation, and not everyone knew how seriously to take him yet. It would not do for strangers to see the Emperor loafing about in a bathrobe and slippers. He made a mental note to change into something more authoritative as soon as he succeeded in reaching Duke.
And what was that infernal vibration?
He reached down into his pockets. There, at the bottom of a long chamber that ended conveniently at the top of his left thigh, his fingers closed around a small mechanical device; he pulled it out and examined it.
Oh. His telecomm. He'd deactivated it earlier, when he'd wanted to be alone – or at least he thought he had. He hated the little contraption with a passion, and in an obvious effort to further infuriate him it had simply switched to some sort of 'silent' mode rather than shut off completely. Now it buzzed mutedly again in his hand, a sarcastic alternative to its usual high-pitched chirp.
Sighing in frustration, he brought the thing up to his ear and pressed a button. A familiar lady's voice began to assault his ears, high and loud.
"Later, Therese," he said into the voice-piece, and he shut the little device off again. He had enough to make him angry without that inane woman bothering him about her trivial worries.
The young man in the white jacket had returned, and Mengsk turned slightly to face him as he deposited the loathsome telecomm back in the pocket of his robe; he would be sure to leave the thing behind in his quarters with the robe when he changed.
"I've found a number for Duke, sir," the man in the white jacket said, offering a scrap of yellow paper. It appeared to bear a string of digits scrawled in black ink. Mengsk took it.
His first night as Emperor of this wretched world was turning out wonderfully indeed.
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"He wants what!" yelled Duke above the noise of the bridge. Behind him, rows of datascreens displayed graphical representations of the Terran and Zerg fleets as they battled on the far side of the planet.
"Status report," one the commanders repeated.
"Why that little turd! Bothering me with his nonsense at a time like this... doesn't he know we're in the middle of a battle up here!"
"I can tell him, sir..."
"Just gimme the damn comm." The device was procured, and the General switched it on in annoyance. "What," he barked into the receiver.
"General Duke," came Mengsk's drawling response. "What is the status of our defenses? How well are we succeeding in keeping the aliens at bay?"
As though he would understand any of the figures or descriptions I could give him, Duke thought. He just likes being able to say he was 'in touch with the General during the height of the conflict'. Miserable little toad.
"We're doing fine, Arcturus." Duke could almost feel the Emperor cringe at the use of his first name.
"How are our defenses holding, General?"
"They're just dandy. Would you like to come up to the ship for tea and biscuits and see for yourself what's going on, or do you want to let me get back to my job and maybe save this rock from the Zerg?"
On the other end, Mengsk forced a laugh; it was hoarse and clearly un-bemused. "I leave Korhal in your capable hands," he said, and then there was a click as he switched off.
"Damn right you do," Duke mumbled to himself as he turned back to the datascreens. His eyes widened as he realized what he was looking at. "Oh, shit."
--
"What are we supposed to do?" the helmsman of the Protector asked for the seventh time. The screens showed the desolation; 68 of the Terran fleet had been destroyed, and though the Zerg had felt comparable losses their forces continued to surge into – and through – the defenders' blockade.
"Just keep firing," somebody said. "It's all we can do."
The helmsman looked up from the screens, out through the broad port-window into the acid- and laser-drenched black sea of space. It was madness; ships and Zerg creatures alike careened out of control through the chaos, firing their weapons randomly. Some died by friendly fire, others by lucky shots on the part of the enemy, and others still by unavoidable collisions with others of either side. By sheer attrition, the Terran vanguard was dwindling away, the tides of Zerg invaders effectively unchecked.
A tear rolled down the man's cheek. He raised a sweaty palm to his chest, where, underneath his uniform, he remembered he had long ago hung a simple metal cross.
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Screaming, choking, a Zerg mutalisk fell through the cosmos, its bloody stump of a wing doing little to adjust its course. Presently, its path was ended as it slammed into a wall of glass and metal and screamed no more.
Flames and explosions rocked the bridge of the Protector as the acid from the creature's maw seeped through the computers and other equipment. On General Duke's telescreens, another green dot – a Terran capital ship – winked out of existence.
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End of Chapter Six
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A/N to SmurfKiller:
Thank you very much for your extensive comments – it is not often that a writer receives such feedback, especially so quickly!
Thanks first for the correction of Mengsk's father's name (I didn't remember, and I assumed it was Augustus as the city is named Augustgrad in BroodWar), and thank you as well for the clarification on capitol/capital. I like to pride myself on making few spelling and grammar faux pas, but this one seems to trip me up every time.
About the woman (Therese) – I've made her irritating on purpose. The idea is that Mengsk finds her just as annoying as the rest of us do.
About the coronation – The haste here, as well, was intended. The idea was that Mengsk had already orchestrated the takeover from space, not to mention that the majority of the planet had been in a state of perpetual rebellion and demonstration (tempered somewhat by sheer terror) since the assassination on Mengsk's parents so many years before.
You asked about the setting of the story – it is set during the original StarCraft game, between the Terran and Zerg campaigns (as explained in the summary). Mengsk has just finished toppling the Confederacy (at the end of the Rebel Yell campaign), and is now returning to his homeworld to solidify his rule. The coronation speech is actually taken verbatim from the end-of-campaign cinematic in the game; go destroy the Ion Cannon and watch it again, it's cool.
Finally, thank you for the input about the numbers of the ships, but I don't think I'm really that far off – I think 800 mutalisks and scourge could take 60 battlecruisers and accompanying wraiths without too much trouble. I'd try it in the map editor myself, but the maximum food level is 200.
Thank you very much for your feedback! I hope you enjoy the rest!
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