Imperium by Forever Jake
Chapter Seven
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Thoth was very pleased at the success of the attack thus far – not that he was surprised, of course, but then one could hardly expect him to be after the invasion of so many selfsame planets already, all gloriously taken in exactly the same fashion? His mind, inexorably linked to the Overmind itself, constantly reinformed him of just how excited he was to be capturing with his brood one more world for the glory of the Swarm... but deep down, he was beginning to suspect that he was in fact quite bored.
It was always the same. Seven planets had he and his children conquered from these petty humans already, and still they threw the same makeshift, helpless defense in vain hope of it finally working on this, the eighth attempt.
They might as well have held up olive branches and twigs before the surging armies of the Swarm. Thoth and his brood would not be stopped, not by a thousand tiny toy spaceships.
The endless rush had punctured the Terran shield already. The surviving ships were beginning to fall back; it was too late for them to be of any use in deterring the attack. Dozens of Overlords bound for the surface, full to bursting with drones and warriors, passed through the holes in the human fleet's defenses, holes that gaped like festering wounds, hopelessly incurable.
The battle in space was over; the humans had lost, and lost dearly. Now came the battle on the ground. Thoth awaited that victory with all the patience of an ageless demigod, weary of his aeons-long existence yet all the more resigned to the remainder of his life and work.
There was no doubt in his mind that Korhal would be his; it would fall like Tarsonis, like Antiga, like Chau Sara. He needed only watch and wait and direct... the outcome was inevitable.
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"You what?"
"We failed, Emperor. Our fleet was still somewhat in disrepair after our long campaign against the Confederacy, and besides that we were outnumbered many to one. We're lucky to have salvaged any of our ships, let alone held them for this long."
Mengsk was shaking; whether in anger or fear, Duke couldn't be sure. There was something in the politician's eyes that made him suddenly appear as mad as he had sounded in all of the Confederate propaganda Duke had read. The General was certainly the elder of the two, but Mengsk's high hairline and wild expression made him look far older than he truly was. He's every bit the addled old madman, Duke thought to himself.
"And where were you in all of this?" The question caught Duke by surprise.
"Wh-why, I was behind, in the command ship, directing the battle," he stammered.
"I see. So while our forces were being crushed by the Zerg, you were on the other side of the planet, watching it all play out?"
"I was directing our defenses, which is a hell of a lot easier when I don't have to worry about protecting my own ship. In case you've forgotten, I've been on the front lines before, Your Majesty, and it wasn't pretty. I seem to recall being stranded at the mercy of the Zerg because my ship was out in plain view. It's kind of hard to organize a whole fleet when you're stranded in the middle of an entire hive cluster."
"And I seem to recall saving you and your worthless ship when no one else would bother, so I'd appreciate it if you showed me some respect, General." Mengsk cleared his throat and inhaled deeply. Duke waited, silent. After a moment, the Emperor's expression softened somewhat, and he opened his mouth again. "At this moment, where do the Zerg forces seem to be headed?"
"Out into the desert, your highness. There are a lot of high-mineral zones in the northern regions, so we expect they'll try to build there to marshal their forces."
"Then that's where we'll strike, before they have a chance to regroup. I won't have this city plowed under the way our fleet was. You, General Duke, are going lead that attack; no more hanging back when you have firepower you can contribute. Take all the ships that still work from orbit and pick up any infantry or artillery you need from Augustgrad, and head out. You will alert me as soon as the Zerg presence has been removed, is that clear?"
"And if we fail, again?"
Mengsk laughed.
"Do whatever you like. If you fail, you're going die along with me and everyone else on this planet."
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End of Chapter Seven
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