Chapter Two: Reclaiming Korhal
Serena Calabas had made her base of operations near an old water treatment plant.
The plant was military-grade, and the machinery was working nonstop. It had remained mostly intact after the zerg killed everyone operating it. However, the ocean of sludge water it was set in would probably take decades to fix.
Even so, Serena had picked the spot not just for strategic value but also symbolism. Terraforming Korhal was one of the dreams of the Dominion. The news reporting this as the spot added a nice narrative touch. It showed fixing the desolate and broken wasteland all around them was a priority.
"People of the Dominion, we stand upon our darkest hour. But do not despair," said Arcturus Mengsk in an address between reports. It was going out across all channels. "Although General Edmund Duke and so many others gave their lives to avert the Zerg onslaught, the battle is not yet won. Even now, our best officers are planning a counterattack on the zerg hive clustered. Working with our elite soldiers and volunteers who have chosen to put aside petty enmities for the common good, I have the utmost confidence that we shall achieve victory.
"However, none of us can afford to stand idle. Work hard and do a day's work for a day's pay. I ask that you tolerate the pains and indignations that have been thrust upon us. I know that many of you have lost your homes, friends, even family. But if we allow our spirit to be broken by these physical defeats. Then generations shall suffer for our weakness.
"Stand tall and proud. We must all sacrifice for the glory of the Dominion."
"Mengsk is getting his mojo back," said Raynor. "But what does he mean the battle 'is not yet won?' We haven't even started it?"
"It's a propaganda technique," said Serena. "If there were three battles of Korhal, then Mengsk lost to the UED, then the zerg. And finally managed to get the ruins back after the two of them had wrecked the place. Only to be left with a shell of his previous empire.
"This after the Confederates nuked the place because of his revolution.
"On the other hand, if there is only one huge battle of Korhal, the narrative is very different. There is a titanic, months-long struggle. The lives of many heroes are claimed, and Arcturus Mengsk was forced to abandon the planet. But in the end, the Emperor returned, and the Dominion triumphed. The zerg are driven off in the very hour of their triumph.
"The one is a humiliation conga that never ends. One that only stopped because outside forces didn't think we were worth the effort. The other is a triumph of the human will over impossible odds.
"Victory and defeat are a matter of mindset. What one man calls a defeat could be considered a victory from another perspective."
"No," said Raynor. "He got his ass kicked. That's a fact."
"Which would you rather have as a founding myth for the empire you live in?" asked Serena.
"Good point," said Raynor.
"Like it or not, Mengsk's propaganda is the only thing that could give us a fighting chance," said Serena. "We have to reinterpret events a bit, or everyone will just give in to despair. Even if we're completely delusional, at least we'll go down fighting, thinking we had a chance."
"Better to go insane than give up on life, huh?" asked Raynor.
"Why not?" asked Serena. "It's the only victory afforded to us so far.
"In all honesty, I think Mengsk is on the verge of a mental breakdown and is channeling it into his work. Being the charismatic rebel leader maybe how he staved off suicide all these years."
"What makes you say that?" asked Raynor.
"I do the same thing with my position as a Commander of the Dominion," said Serena. "I put everything I am into it, until I'm almost a machine. You become a kind of cipher for the army, letting the demands, desires, and plans of the military flow through you.
"All you can do is process them and perform your ability the best you can. And the more you win, the more tasks you get. As long as you are being given assignments, you don't have to think about what you've done. Or who you are." She checked her scanners on her computer screen. There she noticed a column of marines had fallen behind. They were not abiding by the schedule for the coming assault. ""...The rear column is lagging."
"Damn it, not again," said Raynor. "I'm going to take a bike down there and see if I can get them to speed things up. If they stick around there, the zerg might intercept em and wipe em out."
"I've never had to deal with an army this poorly trained," admitted Serena.
"Yeah, well, most of these kids aren't nearly as well-trained as the Mar Sara militia," said Raynor. "A lot of them are city folk who'd never even held a rifle. I had years to teach those kids a trick or two. I had to give a crash course to these guys, and they barely know how to shoot straight. Marching a long, long way while in the hot sun toward certain doom ain't exactly fun."
"Just keep them moving, Jim. We're on a timetable," said Serena.
And Raynor left.
Serena spent the rest of her time alone, making sure the troops were coming. Scanning equipment was being set up, and she remembered Mar Sara. Back then, she'd fought alongside her troops to beat the zerg. Now here she was in a dark room filled with computers, her staff working silently in other rooms.
On she worked. Supply lines were arranged, and Serena continued her scanner sweeps. Several times, zerg probing strikes hit them. But she'd repaired the bunker line quickly and covertly. So she watched as swarms of hundred or so zerglings raced toward them and were mowed down. Some of the doglike creatures started to tear at the doors with their blades. Then they were being blasted off.
"Repair teams, stand by to initiate emergency repair teams," said Serena.
There went the repair teams, welding back the damage even as it was done. Serena had learned that if she stayed calm, the men would stay calm. So she directed troops to the lines and watched as waves of the things came against them. As usual, they were mowed down.
It was a common tactic the zerg used when they didn't have a cerebrate.
Find a weak point and hit it.
If no weak point could be found, hit it over and over with larger forces until it broke.
If it didn't break, bring in higher strains to bypass it.
And if the enemy attacked your hive clusters, redirect swarms to defend them. Individual celebrates used far more creative tactics. But the swarm as a whole operated like that.
Which meant she wasn't fighting Kloth. Kloth usually identified a weak point and hit it with overwhelming force. Or he gradually weakened his opponents by guerilla tactics or simply outmaneuvered them. If he'd been here, she'd have a serious problem.
"Alright, that should take care of that," said Raynor, coming back.
"Good," said Serena. "I was concerned we'd end up lagging behind schedule."
"What's the hurry?" asked Raynor.
"We want to strike just as the UED begins its assault," said Serena. "That'll be the moment of maximum chaos, so Kerrigan will have less time to make a plan. Arcturus has been coordinating with Admiral Dugalle. We're going to strike at exactly the same time.
"My guess is that Mengsk tipped Dugalle off to where Kerrigan was operating."
"Actually, that was me," said Raynor. "The first thing I did after Fenix was telling Dugalle everything he needed to know about Kerrigan. Fenix had convinced me to draw up maps of her hive clusters.
"So I sent them to the UED. When they hit her, they'll be able to hit her hard and fast.
"Mark was very surprised, actually." Raynor paused. "I guess he'd kind of taken me for a race traitor or something." He paused. "So I guess we're allies with the UED now?"
"I would classify us as people who are working with other people they hate, Raynor," said Serena. "We've absorbed UED soldiers into our ranks for their medical technology. That doesn't mean they like us."
"Well, that does sum up the sector pretty well. I've been talking with Matt," said Raynor.
"Where has he been?" asked Serena.
"Oh, I sent the Hyperion away to provide organization and support to a couple of colonies. They were getting hit by the zerg," said Raynor. "We figured they could use a bit of organization. Arcturus wasn't too comfortable having my entire army hanging around. And we weren't doing any good in Augustgrad. Turns out some of those colonies had a huge shipment of vespene gas that were en route to the UED. And the Dominion has kindly decided to buy it for a reasonable price.
"Arcturus is getting fuel for his weapons, at least."
"No, not his weapons. His city," said Serena. "I expect he's looking for fuel for his civilian operation. You don't just use fuel for tanks; you use it for cars and civilian starships. With all the planets that got wrecked, the entire economy is damaged too. I know because I was tasked with getting the vespene for the Dylerian Shipyards. We had a huge operation, and we barely broke even.
"With the Dominion falling to pieces, all the supply chains are too. Mengsk might have enough supply depots to feed people. But he'll need other resources to rebuild Augustgrad."
"Wasn't that Valerian Mengsk who handled Antiga?" asked Raynor.
"Oh, right," said Serena. "Arcturus had been hoping I'd teach his son a few tricks. Some sort of protege relationship.
"I called him a spineless effeminate weakling. I taught him nothing at all and ran the entire operation myself. When he really insisted on getting a chance to prove himself, I sent him into the infantry under an alias.
"That's pretty unprofessional, Serena," said Raynor.
"I'm a professional, but I have to draw the line somewhere," said Serena. "Mengsk murdered a large part of my family. And he's taking the rest hostage. I'm not going to become a family friend.
"Besides, he was in the supply escort core. He was in no real danger."
Raynor shrugged. "I figured you'd want to take a chance like that to instill your ideals or whatever on Mengsk's successor."
"I don't want Arcturus Mengsk to have a successor," said Serena. "And I refuse to play the part of his son's mentor. I want the Dominion to be remembered as a transitionary period. A period between the Confederacy and real democracy.
"Valerian Mengsk can earn his spurs by himself."
"Well, no argument there," said Raynor. "But you did a pretty good job of getting the men fired up."
"I told them what they needed to hear. That's all," said Serena, watching reports file in. "They needed something to believe in. I made them believe in the Dominion. Get to your post. We're about to begin. The UED troops should be arriving in a few minutes.
"We've got four hive clusters to burn and little time to do it."
"You think we can do this, Serena?" asked Raynor.
"Yes," said Serena. "Yes, I can.
"We'll deal with the hives in the plain first. It should be easier to assault. Once done, we'll move on."
Serena looked at the four major masses of creep spreading out. Each one was filled with pulsing flesh, disgusting even from an aerial view—one in a rocky valley, one by the shores of sludge, another in the plains. And finally, one set up on a plateau.
Any minute now, she'd send thousands of men to die against sunken colonies. They'd look like little pieces on a chessboard while they were torn apart. And Serena would acknowledge them as a statistical loss. She couldn't possibly know these men or what brought them here. All she could do was sacrifice them and make sure they made the sacrifice willingly.
"Attention all troops," said Serena. "We are about to begin our assault on the first hive cluster. Fan out in a long formation. Keep an eye out for lurkers, and remember that you can call for comsat sweeps at any time. Remember to fan out and focus your fire on one sunken colony at a time.
"Some of you are certainly going to die.
"But if we lose here, everyone on Korhal will die or worse, become infested. If every single one of you is killed to man for a defeat, you will be better off than under zerg rule. Remember that fact and stand ready. Relent for nothing.
"Obliterate the swarm or die in the attempt."
There could be no retreat.
If they failed here, the Dominion was dead. Korhal would become a dead world, dwelled in by desperate nomads. Even if Mengsk had reserved, the spirit of the Dominion would be broken. And Kerrigan, the zerg, would have won.
"On that note, boys and girls, we've also got some good news," said Raynor. "Arcturus has managed to get the services of some UED medics who survived our liberation. Lieutenant Morales and her subordinates will be doing all they can to keep you alive. Just make sure you return the favor for them.
"We ain't got time for personal vendettas."
There was a bit more time of waiting. Unbearable waiting as everything was put into place. It took only about an hour, but it happened with agonizing slowness.
Abruptly, however, Serena picked up a large task force of goliaths moving into sight. She hadn't been aware that they'd had any goliaths.
"Commander, this is Emperor Mengsk," said Arcturus. "I've managed to procure a large shipment of goliaths to assist in your assault. They should be arriving now."
"Where'd you get those?" asked Serena.
"I'm been organizing salvage teams for some time. They have been searching wreckage to find new material for war," said Arcturus. "Using them, we were able to repair some of our equipment and build others. It sped things up a great deal."
Serena blinked. "You've been raiding salvage dumps?"
It was something she'd never thought Arcturus would stoop to. But apparently, he was just that desperate. Though it was probably the right decision. "If you must say it like that, yes."
Serena nodded. "Well, thank you. This has probably saved a lot of lives.
"Attention all goliath units. I want you to provide fire support for the infantry. Advance to the next hive and keep your eyes peeled for reinforcements. When the hammer falls, I think the zerg will come running to defend the nerve center."
More organization, more replanning.
"Commander," said Mengsk. "The UED has attacked. Begin the operation."
And so the assault began.
Serena watched from her darkroom as men far better than her marched into battle. They formed battle lines under Raynor's direction and mowed down lines of zerg. Lurkers attempted to ambush them, but they pulled back out of range. A moment later, they reformed and fired into the encroaching ranks. However, a few men were too slow and been slaughtered.
"Command, we've got lurkers burrowed. We need a comsat sweep ASAP at our location," said a man.
Serena responded at once, giving the appropriate order. As she did, she reflected the comsat stations were a remarkable invention. Not only did they provide command with the location of hidden enemies, but they also did it for marines. The scanner's results were sent into the sensors of marine suits and machines.
So now they could mow down the lurkers via the scanner sweep outline on their suits.
"The lurkers are waxed, Serena. We're ready to launch the next stage of the assault," said Raynor.
"Good work, Jim. Remove the sunken colonies," said Serena. "Stop at nothing.
"Second wave, begin your assault. Jim, once you've crushed that hive cluster, set up fortifications at the base of that hill. The zerg will probably focus on you."
The second wave was under the command of a UED officer. They moved toward the shoreline to the north and began their assault. Hitting the sunken colonies, their medical staff kept the marines alive. Casualties were actually far lower than Serena had anticipated so far, to be honest. Even so, the usual unending tide of zerg were hitting them, and the advance was getting risky.
"This is Lieutenant Morales; we're hitting heavy zerg resistance here," said Morales. "Requesting permission to stop the advance."
"Permission granted. Reinforcements should be arriving soon," said Serena. "Hold your position and keep the zerg occupied. Jim, take a strike force north and hit the zerg morales was going after."
"Gotcha," said Morales.
The plan worked perfectly. Raynor was able to take a force of goliaths up north and hit the zerg from another direction. An attempt to relieve the shore cluster was made, but it was tepid and mowed down easily.
"Comsat," said Serena. "What's the status on the zerg garrison?"
"Garrison?" asked the man.
"How many zerg do they have at their bases?" asked Serena flatly.
"...Almost nothing, ma'am. They look like they've thrown everything at us," said the man.
Perfect.
The zerg were a perfectly coordinated army. They connected one another constantly and acted in absolute unison. And their sheer numbers and ability to reproduce quickly was very powerful. But they lacked individual creativity, and with Kaloth gone, they were easily outmaneuvered. Their moves were predictable and easily exploited.
Without a cerebrate, they did not stand a chance.
"Good," said Serena. "All troops, prepare to launch an all-out assault on the remaining hive clusters on my mark. Once we've finished here, I'll send in surveyors to estimate the value of the land."
"Why surveyors?" asked Raynor.
"Zerg always make their hive clusters in mineral-rich areas," said Serena. "So destroying a zerg hive cluster is a great way to strike it rich. And we're going to need a lot of money for what next.
"Using the resources we harvest from these bases, we will be able to rebuild this planet. And many others."
Serena hoped what she'd said had brought people a bit of hope. What she had to do was keep people motivated. If she could just get them to go a little bit further with each speech, maybe they could get somewhere. She just hoped it was somewhere better than here.
The assault was launched and smashed through the defenses. The sunken colonies proved ineffective without support. The medics helped the marines survive, and little by little, the enemy were driven in. Soon the hives as a whole were slaughtered, and all it really took was time.
Time and a lot of ammunition.
This had gone... well. Very well.
"The hive clusters are dust, Mengsk," said Raynor over a long-distance transmission.
"Excellent work, all of you," said Mengsk. "The people of Korhal are in your debt."
"Men of the Dominion," said Serena over the com. "You'll be happy to know that the first stage of our counterattack has begun."
The cheers could be heard from her command center.
