Magistrate to Commander
Chapter 4: First day of Treachery
"It'll take some getting used to, but hopefully I won't have to pack my things anymore." I tell mengsk jokingly.
"If you do, it'll be because we've won this war and reclaimed Korhal." He says seriously.
"Didn't Korhal get nuked into space dust?"
"It's still there Magistrate, waiting for us to go back and reclaim it." Mengsk takes a cigar and offers me one.
"Can't, Asthma."
"I apologize." Mengsk hastily puts his pack away.
"No worries, what's next?"
Mengsk takes a whiff. "The Zerg have almost overrun the entirety of Mar Sara and the Confederates are scrambling to evacuate, now's the perfect time to raid their installation and take whatever weapon plans and schematics that're there."
"Incoming Transmission." The Hyperion's Adjutant pipes up.
"Perfect timing, patch it through."
"Hey man."
"Raynor!"
"Arcturus's boys sprung me from the prison ship, apparently they're as frustrated with the confederates as we are!"
"I ditched their flag when they condemned us to die on Mar Sara." I sneer. Duke will pay. "We're both Sons of Korhal now it seems, Marshal." I give him a knowing nod.
"As I was saying the Confederates are abandoning the planet, and so are we, but there is one more thing I'd like to do before we leave."
"Raid Jacob's Installation, right?" I can't think of any other Confederate base than that.
Mengsk nods. "I want you to raid it, and take whatever design or weapon schematics that you can find on their network, with the chaos of the evacuation you shouldn't have any trouble getting in." He proposes.
"I'm into it." Raynor shrugs.
"Our first real act of treason, you ready for it Marshal?"
"Please, I'm not a Marshal anymore."
"Cowboy then."
"How about you, Commander?" Raynor asks me.
"No, I'll keep the title of Magistrate if only to spite the Confederates, as the one Magistrate they left to die comes back to be their ultimate undoing." I say with purpose.
"We don't have long, the Zerg are spreading out across the planet and it won't be long until the protoss come by to destroy Mar Sara like they did Chau Sara." Mengsk tells us.
"I'll take care of raiding the installation, Magistrate you make sure there's a dropship for us to get back in."
"Will do."
"Transmission ended."
"I'll be seeing you when you get back, Magistrate." Mengsk walks away.
"I'll go collect a few pilots, and several soldiers then." I rub my chin. I shouldn't get too much backsass in the effort… hopefully.
` I managed to find three troop transport pilots and Raynor managed to round up three dozen soldiers to fill them up. "Are these suits always this heavy?" I ask, shaking the Cowboy's hand.
"You get used to em." Raynor chuckles at my discomfort. His suit is almost entirely black, mine is almost entirely white.
It feels like everything is on a delay but not. "Everyone on board?" I activate my local coms.
"Yes sir, you are cleared for launch." The hangar overseer answers back.
"Alright boys, strap in!" Raynor sits in one of the twelve seats, I head for the cockpit and settle down in the co-copilot seat.
I don't know how to fly these things, so if my pilot falls unconscious we're going to plummet. "Thrusters engaged, ready for take-off."
It'll take half an hour to reach the ground, hopefully the confederate's anti air is disabled or this will be a five minute flight.
"Nervous, Magistrate?" The Pilot asks.
"Yes, for a lot of reasons."
"Don't worry, everyone's nervous on their first flight."
"I flew to get here."
"I meant with me."
Oh no. "I'll just add that to the list." I say as calmly as I can manage.
We take off, the bottom of the transport almost scraping the hangar floor as we launch out the hangar doors at breakneck speeds while the other two are still lifting off. "You are not allowed to put any transports in risk of crashing upon lift off in the future, okay?"
"I thought time was of the essence?" She's making fun of me.
"Our lives aren't worth it." I plug the Adjutant's mobile unit into the dropship.
"Adjutant online."
"Whoa, fancy."
"Yeah, being a Magistrate had its perks."
"Like what?"
"Hot tub Jacuzzi that massages your entire body while you rest."
She whistles. "Sounds like I'll have to swing by your place sometime."
Dead silence for a good minute or so as my mind is racing for a way out of this topic.
"Trying not to imagine me in a bathing suit?"
"Too late."
She belts out a laugh and my cheeks redden.
I let out a cough. "Adjutant, keep the squads informed of what's happening on the ground as it happens."
"Yes Magistrate." The suitcase falls silent as the dropship's speakers pick up. "The Confederate base is almost completely deserted, there are still some security personal onsite, the eastern missile turrets are slowly shutting down."
"Pilot."
"I gotcha." She flicks on the coms. "We're looping around to the eastern edge for easy infiltration."
"As long as you don't kill your passengers, Aaila." The Dropship's radio flickers.
Aaila scoffs. "Hasn't happened yet, won't happen ever." She then flicks off her radio. "Babies, both of them." She glances at me like I've already agreed with her.
"Suddenly wish I was on a different ship."
"Wimp, thought you were a man."
"A man without a death wish." I grip the armrest nervously, hoping that the augmented strength this suit gives me isn't enough to crush it without thinking.
"We'll be fine." Aaila waves off my concern.
I sigh in exasperation, it's useless trying to argue with this woman. "More Confederate dropships are taking off, I can detect the Command Center has lost power." The Adjutant helpfully changes the subject.
"Perfect, they won't see us coming." Little victory.
"How does that work?" Aaila asks.
"The base's Adjutant is tied to the Command Center, if it's off then that means there's no automatic alert for the confederates."
"And your mobile Adjutant can just tell?"
"It used to be a confederate Adjutant, other than that I'm as clueless as to how this works as you are." Knowing how an Adjutant operates wasn't on the magistrate list of things to know. I'd bet an engineer would be able to-
"Wouldn't that mean that they can scan for us since we're using one of their adjutants?"
"Well Adjutant?"
"Yes Magistrate."
"Can they use you to detect us?"
"Yes Magistrate."
"Incognito mode?"
"Seperating from the confederate network would mean that I can no longer track their movements."
"I think it's worth it, as long as their missile turrets are going offline."
"And I'm the one going to get us killed?" Aaila scoffs.
She's right, if they were paying attention in the last ten minutes I'd be turning the missile turrets on rather than turning them off. The question now becomes how much resistance are we going to face upon landing? I activate the ship's coms. "Entry's going smoothe, but there's a chance of a welcoming committee, put together just for us." I take my hand off the intercom.
"And here I was thinking we weren't special." Aaila puts a hand on her chest mockingly.
"We're going to make the worst guests ever." I say with a grin, hidden behind my visor.
"Undoubtedly, I wonder if there's an award for that?" Aaila taps her chin as something peppers the floor.
"Gunshots." I theorize.
"Yup, good luck punching through the armor retards." Aaila flips on the radio. "Don't wuss out on me you pansies."
"We'll follow your lead." The other pilots don't sound to thrilled about following in the same airstream as a daredevil. Can't say I blame them.
We start hovering above the ground, not a single missile turret fired at us. "Doors opening in Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Aaila hits a button and the gunfire ramps up instantly.
"Cowboy take a squad and get into the main facility, I'll take one to take out some missile turrets, the rest stays here and defends our way out."
"I read you." The Marshal says over the radio.
"I'll be here." I stand to leave and Aaila kicks her feet over my chair and stretches. "Close the door on the way out, it's reinforced so I'll be safe from anything so long as it's shut."
It's an automatic door. I roll my shoulders and step out onto the battlefield without a rifle. The armor is more for my protection than to allow me to fight.
Raynor's charging the facility with a detachment of marines and the firebats he brought. "I want a defensive line set up, and mortars pointed at the Missile turrets, just in case!" I yell to the remaining soldiers.
"Contact east!" A marine shouts over the coms.
"They were the ones shooting at us, hold the line!" I watch as mobile cover is deployed and emplacements locked in place.
More gunfire as my troops return fire on the confederates, hopefully we're gone by the time reinforcements arrive. "There's too few of them, we'll easily hold." One of the marines boasts.
"Keep your eyes open, and the confederates suppressed." We should be in and out before the Confederates get word of our incursion on their little research facility.
"This- Jim, we've- plans." Raynor's voice is heavily crackling over the radio.
"I read you, we're holding position."
"They'- experimenting- asap."
"Do you need extraction?" I ask slowly, and worried.
"Have- ready- go!"
"I think I get you." I head back into the dropship I came out of and knock on the pilot's door.
"Need something?" Aaila asks, someone needs to check the intercom on these things, that's far too much static to be usable.
"The boys are on their way back and want the Dropships primed to go."
"In the Pipe, Five by Five." The dropship engines roar to life, but doesn't take off. "You heard him boys and girls."
The other two dropships roar to life. "Be ready to pull back into the dropships!" I tell the soldiers. We've lost two already, but their sacrifices won't be in vain.
Not a minute too soon Raynor and his squad, missing half of what originally went in and- Oh, oh no. "GET TO THE DROPSHIPS!" I shout to the troops.
Behind raynor's squad is a horde of Zerg pouring out after them. "Get us off the ground but low enough to pull them in!"
"Roger." It's a frantic race to get everyone inside the Dropships before being overwhelmed.
The Dropships lift off the ground as Raynor's men reaches us, the marines in the dropship help me in pulling the two firebats at the bottom of the ramp onto the dropship as it takes off. Nobody was left behind.
"Raynor you there?" I ask over the coms.
"It was a close one, but we made it."
"Where did the Zerg come from?"
"They were in pens the Confederates let loose when we got the data disks."
"Sweet mother of mercy." One of the marines says looking over the edge of the ramp.
"Strap in, we're taking off."
I head for the cockpit. On my seat is a bag of chestnuts, with broken shells littering the floor. That explains the 'static' "You had snacks?"
"Want some?" Aaila gestures to the bag.
With a shrug I pick up the bag and sit down on the seat, not like I was going to feel the crumbs anyways.
"I think these hands are too big for getting into this bag."
"Make you a deal, I fish out the goods, you crack em and then we split em."
"Sounds good enough for me." I hand the psychotic pilot the bag and she hands me a few to crack open.
"Adjutant get me the hyperion." I pop one into my mouth, which was a challenge in of itself.
"News Magistrate?" Mengsk's voice comes in the transmission.
"We have the data disks and are on our way back, although with a few empty seats."
"I see, we'll make sure they're remembered for their sacrifices." Mengsk says solemnly. "We'll take a look at the disks when you get back."
"They were experimenting with Zerg in there, what could they possibly be using the Zerg for?"
"This is interesting news indeed, the faster you get back the better."
"Did someone say go faster?" Aaila pipes up.
"Don't you-"
"Hope everyone's strapped in!" Nothing happens. "I was kidding, we're going as fast as we can already."
Pity the only thing I can do is warn her against performing more take offs from the Hyperion in the future, ignoring that only then I can court martial her.
One can hope.
The landing was relatively smooth, compared to the take off at least. "What, now you're not going to crash us?"
"I'd never try to crash my ship!" Aaila retorts appalled. "We're not in a rush, so why rush it?"
I'll let you off the hook this time. "Thank you for your service."
"What about my Chestnuts?"
"And for the Chestnuts." I walk off of the Dropship, her shouting after me.
We lost nine out of thirty six. "I hope those plans were worth it." I mumble "Cowboy!"
Raynor's not hard to find in the midst of red armor. "Mission accomplished." He says flicking his visor up with a grin.
"I'll take the disks to mengsk, you go enjoy some off time." I open my visor.
"Make sure to let me know what's on these things, partner." He hands me the container he's been clutching.
"Will do."
"I'm going to go take a nap, haven't slept in days." Raynor stretches.
"Cowboy."
"Hm?"
"Make sure you take that armor off first."
"I'm not drunk!" He dismisses my concern.
Do they forget to take off their armor if they're drunk? I can only imagine the damages to their rooms as they stumble about. At least those days are behind me.
I'll take my armor off after I report to Mengsk. "I have the Disks Mengsk wanted." I tell the guards at the bridge entrance.
They step aside and let me through. "Magistrate." Mengsk greets.
I put the data disk container on the holo display. "Everything Raynor managed to get is here."
"Good." Mengsk opens the container and inserts one of the disks into the holo display.
Images of Zerg associated with data appears. "Wait, all the Zerg come from Larvae?" I watch as a holographic larvae turns into an egg, and then bursts out into Zergling, then the hologram rewinds and it bursts out into the ranged variant, and then again into the flying variant. Each one has a name.
Zergling. Hydralisk. Mutalisk. Drone. And that's just off in the corner, what's dominating most of the hologram is a device. "Indeed Magistrate, but what in hell is that?" Mengsk points at the device. "Adjutant."
"Scanning Data Disk, it appears to be the blueprints of a device designated as a 'Psi Emitter', able to tune into the psionic link the Zerg share and call them to its location."
"Is it a prototype?"
"Yes, Magistrate."
"Mengsk." I say seriously. "If this thing works as advertised we can't use it, ever. We'd be as bad as the Confederates if we used it, you weren't on the ground fighting the Zerg so you don't know what it was like." I shake my head solemnly.
"I'll keep that in mind, Magistrate." Mengsk straightens his collar.
"Protoss forces detected." The Adjutant pipes up.
"Get us out of here!" Mengsk yells to the pilot.
"Initiating warp."
"Please Mengsk, don't use the Psi Emitter." I plead with him once more.
"When was the last time you got a good night's rest?"
"When I first became Magistrate."
"Go take some time off, you've more than earned it." I can't shake the feeling that he doesn't want me around nagging him about the ethics of using such a weapon.
No, a dinner bell.
With a sigh I leave the bridge, orders are orders. Time to take this thing off, while it's not a hindrance, it adds an extra three feet to my height and almost as much in bulk. Let's not forget the weight it has on it's own.
I swear it takes longer to take off than to put on. After straightening my officer suit out I head for the canteen, maybe their cooks are as good as the ones I had, maybe they've been integrated into the Hyperion's kitchen staff. One can hope.
"Mage!" A drunk calls out to me the moment I enter the canteen. A glance at the shipboard clock tells me that it's actually quite 'late', and people have started getting drunk already. "Everyone it's the Mage!"
The people who aren't in Sons of Korhal civilian, soldier uniforms or staff outfits cheer for me. I graciously take a bow with a hand over my chest.
While I am Sons of Korhal now, these are my people, the refugees of Mar Sara. Once the cheering has subsided I take a seat at a vacant table, which is quickly filled by happy refugees. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have made it inside of Mar Sara City."
"Which group were you a part of?" I ask him.
"The last one." He gets somber. "The General died getting me out of the way of an impaler's attack."
"I see." I then rest a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to stick it to the confederates that thought we were expendable."
The men and women around me cheer. "What can we get you?" A waitress asks, chest puffed out in pride.
"You wouldn't happen to have Sub sandwiches on the menu?" I ask sheepishly.
I ended up getting more than I asked for, but it was okay as I needed something sweet and a drink to wash everything down. "Looks like you're the most popular person here."
"Hey Cowboy." I greet placing a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. "How've you been holding up?"
"Took a nap, now all is right." He stretches.
"That simple eh? Maybe I should let myself crash every once in awhile." I ponder the thought.
One of the semi conscious refugees at the table gurgles, I move my plate of food out of the way just as he hurls the ale he ingested. Close one, but now there's puke on my uniform. "Euch." Raynor scrunches his nose. "Someone clearly can't handle his alcohol."
"Looks like I'm going to have to change." I say with a sigh. "Have we been assigned rooms yet?"
"Magistrate?!" A new person marches into the room. "Magistrate?"
"Need something?" I ask wiping a rag over the stain on my jacket.
"I'm your assigned bodyguard, and once you're ready I'm to take you to your room." He salutes me.
"Most popular and special?" Raynor taps me on the shoulder. "I'm envious."
"Given time you'll be as 'popular' as I am." I promise him.
"What, a Marshal getting arrested is going to outstripe a Magistrate who evacuated a quarter of a planet?" Raynor skoffs.
"It can happen." I promise him as my new bodyguard takes his position by my side. "Where're you from?" I ask the newbie.
"I was born on Tarsonis, but my family moved offworld shortly after I was born."
"Tarsonis?" I turn my full attention to my bodyguard. "That's the capital of the Confederacy, why would any law abiding citizen want to leave?"
"I don't know, sir. My parents never told me." He still hasn't broken that stoic stance he's made. It looks silly.
"Relax a little son." Raynor claps him on the shoulder. "How'd you get mixed up in the Sons of Korhal?"
"Confederates decided that my home on antiga one was full of dissenters." He doesn't need to say anymore, so I don't press it.
"Thank you for sharing… uh."
"Kaleb, Kaleb Vahln." He introduces himself.
"Maxton Durge, but you probably already knew that." I say with a chuckle, lifting the plate off of the table. "I think I'll finish this in my room, where there's no one else's meal can end up becoming attached to mine."
"Yes sir!" This has to be the stiffest soldier I've ever seen.
"Talk to you later." Raynor waves me off.
"Why are you behind me? Aren't you supposed to be the one leading me to my room?"
"Y-yes, Sorry sir!" He speeds up to lead the way.
"New around here?" I ask suppressing a chuckle.
"Few months, but I've never need a guard before."
"Ease up, as long as I'm safe you're doing your job."
"But you could be put in danger at any moment?"
"Aboard the Hyperion?" I raise a doubtful eyebrow.
"A wire could break loose, a drunk marine could fall on you in his armor!"
"Don't be absurd." I reprimand him. "I'm safest onboard the Hyperion."
Kaleb stops in front of a door and stands at attention, I guess this is our stop.
While not as spacious as my manor on Mar Sara, it's more spacious than the rooms I was given for live fire training.
A table dominates the center of the room with a rub under it, this must be the quarters for an officer. "Let me know if you need anything!" Kaleb practically shouts at me from the door.
"First, no need to shout when I'm right here."
"Sorry."
"Second off, if anyone wants to see me let me know who it is, and why they want to see me."
"Yes sir!" He perks up.
"Question."
"Yes, sir?"
"Will you follow me off of the Hyperion when Mengsk sends me away?"
"Indeed I will! I'm to not stray from your side for any reason."
"Are you my only guard?"
"I'm your main guard, but there are others so you always have someone protecting you."
"So you do stray." I tease.
"But not for long!" Kaleb retorts hotly.
"Reassuring." I close the door with my foot and then sigh.
"Welcome back, Magistrate." On the table is my portable Adjutant.
"Adjutant, have the Confederates tried contacting me?" I ask intrigued.
"Your tenure as Magistrate has been suspended due to affiliation with the Sons of Korhal, and a criminal investigation has been opened." The Adjutant answers from its suitcase.
Figures.
Author's Notes: And done, thank you everyone for reading! If you're still reading this then that means you are at least intrigued by the direction I'm taking the Magistrate's journey through Starcraft. Hopefully these in between mission segments aren't unbearable to read, or that my mission segments are unbearable to read. Meh, everyone has differing tastes. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for more!