Back at the settlement, Tom and Alex sat down in the Magistrate office. Tom noticed the tattered red Confederate flags hanging behind Alex's desk, reminding him of the blood that coated his now ruined coat.
"What in God's name is going on here?" Alex asked. Tom poured two glasses of whiskey.
"I hope our new friend here can give us some clues to that exact question," Tom said. He handed Alex a glass and sat down. Stro was standing in a corner with a hologram before him. He tweaked with a few things before dismissing it. He shook his head and looked at the two men.
"My Communication array is damaged and I cannot get a signal to my fleet," Stro said telepathically. Tom chuckled to himself.
"I think that's for the best until you tell me exactly what's going on, like who are you and why you're here," Tom said sternly.
"I concur, you have helped me thus far, you deserve the truth," Stro said. He sat down beside Tom. "As I stated previously, I am one of the Protoss, the firstborn of the Universe. We have been well aware of you since you entered this sector years ago. We have kept an eye on you for some time, but recently, our eyes have been diverted elsewhere," he said. He held up his hand and a hologram of the creatures they killed appeared.
"This is what you Terrans call "Zerg" a hive mind life form bent on infestation and total assimilation of other sentient life." Stro continued. The hologram spun showing every detail of the creature they had faced earlier. Stro flashed his hand over the hologram and projected another creature, this one much larger and fierce. It looked almost like a snake but with large pincers on two arms and a large crested head. Two large mandibles jutted from its maw, thick saliva dripping from the opening. Tom peered at the creature in amazement. Never had he'd seen something so horrific. What in God's name could've made something like that?
"There are many variants of the creatures we have discovered so far, but these two seem to be the most common. We have yet to truly face them in battle, as we are often too late we arrive at a planet that is being infested. Total Annihilation is the only way to stop this swarm," Stro said. Tom looked over at Alex. He took a long drink of his whiskey.
"Why the hell haven't we heard about these things if they're so dangerous? Why hasn't the Confederacy warned us about an invasion?" Alex asked. Tom scoffed to himself. Stro gave Tom a puzzled look, his brow raised.
"You think the Confederacy gives a damn about us? They'd leave us to rot before giving a hand," Tom said. Tom walked across the room to a window. Tom peered outside towards the rest of the town. A group had gathered around Rory who was being held by his mother. He couldn't hear what was being said, the muffled yelling of the town being deafened by the thick walls of the office. Tom cursed to himself.
"So what's our time frame?" Alex asked. Stro's shoulders dropped.
"There is no time," he said. He pressed a button on his arm and a planet popped up on his hologram. Tom recognized it as Chau Sara, the sister planet of Mar Sara. It was far more populous and favored by the Confederacy. The dry hills of Mar Sara were opposed by the jungles and rivers of Chau Sara. It was a sort of hub planet for the sector, with many people deciding that Mar Sara was the ugly sister. The planet looked different this time, however. Huge swathes of firestorms spread across the surface of the planet.
"What the hell?" Alex said, stunned. Tom walked closer to the hologram. "What is this?"
"A planet you call Chau Sara, an infested planet, purified by the Protoss," Stro explained. Tom seethed. He clenched his fist and slammed it down on the desk, rattling the glasses.
"You killed them all!" Tom yelled. He grabbed Stro's armor and threw him against the wall. "That's what you're here for isn't it?!" Tom pulled his sidearm pistol from its holster and held it to Stro's face. Stro's blade ignited and brushed against Tom's throat faster than a blink.
"Yes, we are here to remove the Zerg infestation," Stro said calmly. Tom tightened his grip on the Protoss. Stro didn't move his blade. Alex stood from his desk and began walking towards them. "The Great Executor Tassadar leads our forces to stop this menace. The planet was purified nearly a month ago, yet you still do not know. Tell me, who's your real enemy?" Stro said, now sheathing his blade. Tom dropped the Protoss warrior and stepped back, holstering his pistol. Tom cursed to himself. Stro placed his hand on Tom's shoulder and looked at him kindly.
"What do we do?" Alex said. Stro looked over at him.
"If the infestation is too far gone, there is nothing you can do. The Protoss fleet is already on its way, hence why I am here. I was part of the Koprulu Expeditionary Force, a carrier fleet designed to purify planets. I was knocked down by space-faring Zerg that may have followed me down and killed your friends, for that, I am truly sorry," Stro said. He bowed his head down low and placed his hand on his chest. Tom and Alex looked at each other. On Alex's desk, a small device began beeping. Alex walked over and pressed a button. A hologram of a man popped up above the device.
"Raynor, what do you need dug out this time?" Alex asked. Raynor's face looked tired and beaten. A small bloody scratch lined his jaw. "What the hell happened to you?"
"We've been in a rough spot the past couple of hours, but I got some news for ya fellas, seems the Confederacy is moving out of these parts, some alien invasion as the looks. They ain't doing much against em, but I got news that some boys from Korhal are fittin' to get us colonist's outta here, a few hours from now, figured you'd like to know," Raynor said. He scratched his head and looked at Tom. He gave him a nod that Tom replied in kind.
"Many thanks, Jim, I'm surprised you got through with the storm messin' with our communication equipment. Send me the Evac coordinates and we'll meet up with ya," Alex said. Jim gave him a thumbs up and ended the call. Shortly afterward a small message popped up with a location. Tom glanced at it and plugged the numbers into a device on his wrist.
"That's 10 kilometers from here, that's gonna be a hike," Tom said. Alex rubbed his chin.
"If we can get that old dropship working, we may be able to get everyone over there nice and easy," Alex said. Stro stepped forward.
"If I may make a suggestion, if you have trouble with your machines, I may have a solution," Stro said. Tom and Alex looked at him quizzically. Stro strode out of the office, heading towards the gate they had returned from. Tom and Alex chased after him. They waved at Sam to let the Protoss through but Stro raised his hand and waved them off. He pressed a number of buttons on his armor and stood silently. A few moments passed before a beeping noise could be heard echoing through the town. Sam hurriedly opened the gate before a machine hovered through. It was the same golden color as Stro's armor but featured two large blue lights in its center, almost like eyes. A shimmer surrounded the entire machine as if it was covered in a peculiar energy force. Townsfolk began to emerge from their homes and stared at the machine and the alien standing in their settlement. Stro approached the machine and pressed a few things on it. It beeped in response and hovered slightly lower.
"This probe should be able to fix any machine you need," Stro said. Tom and Alex chuckled. This alien was definitely full of surprises, though not many of them were very pleasant. Alex turned and faced the townsfolk, who all had concerned looks on their faces. Alex motioned for them all to come nearer. Soon a large group had gathered around the two men.
"Listen up everyone, I have a few things to say. I've just received word that there's something comin, something bad, and the Confederacy isn't comin to help," Alex exclaimed. The group erupted into questions and comments.
"Did this alien tell you that?" someone in the crowd yelled. The townspeople began to become louder. Alex shook his head.
"Jim Raynor sent me a message and told me that there is an evacuation happening not far from here, and I want everyone to pack up what they can carry and meet back here in one hour!" Alex yelled over the shouting. Alex waited for the shouting to die down. Even in a rabble, the townsfolk respected Alex. He had gotten them through worse situations. Alex knew they were just scared. If he let panic rise, he would lose them. Tom stepped forward and put his hands in the air.
"Listen, we've seen what's comin, and it ain't pretty," Tom said. "Our friend is here to help us before the worse comes to pass." Whispers began emanating from the crowd.
"Alright, get yer shit and let's get out of here!" Alex yelled. The crowd disbanded quickly, many of them running back to their homes. Tom turned and shook Rory's hand.
"Alright Stro, let's get that probe to work. If we got time, I'd like him to look at the old Goliath we got back there. That drop ship's probably gonna need an escort," Tom said. Stro nodded and waved to the probe. It followed Tom and Alex to an old workshop at the edge of town. Inside, an old ship lay on two large beams holding it above the ground. A large tarp lay partially covering the old machine.
"Think it can do anything with this?" Alex asked. The probe answered his question immediately. It hovered up to the ship and began to work, sparks flying from the hull. Wherever it worked, the ship instantly looked better, rust coming off of the hull and dents and scrapes buffed out revealing brand new metal beneath, as if the ship was being remade. The probe moved quickly, flying all around the ship until it looked as new as the day it left the starport. It finally flew back down to the three of them and beeped happily. Stro pressed a button on his wrist and the probe hovered closer to the ground, almost relaxed.
Alex climbed into the cockpit and brought the ship to life. It lifted off the beams silently and hovered forward. Alex brought it around to the center of the road that ran through town and touched down. He stepped out of the ship with a large smile on his face.
"This baby hasn't run this good in quite a few years," Alex said, patting the ship as he walked away from it.
"The Protoss are masters of technology, there is nothing this probe could not repair," Stro said proudly.
"Then maybe it can take a look at my goliath over here," Tom said, pointing to a large machine sitting next to the workshop. If the dropship was in disrepair, then this machine was scrap. Many electrical parts hung out of the hull. A walker type machine in its prime, one of its legs were bent at such an angle that it was useless. Its two large guns were rusted in place, and the rocket batteries on its back were nearly off their mounts. Stro grimaced at the sight of such a mangled machine. He looked at Tom with judgmental eyes.
"How did you let such a thing happen?" Stro asked. Tom laughed.
"Couple of years back, old Alex here got himself in a bit of a bind up by Mount Jacobs," Tom said, laughing slightly. Alex looked down and a slight groan. "Got caught up with a few bandits that didn't play nice. We starved em out of ammo pretty quickly, but they started using rocks and boulders against us. That Goliath took a big hit on the leg. She still stood tall and gave those lowlifes what was comin to em," Tom said. He patted Alex on the back. "And she got my friend out too." The probe worked diligently on the machine, sparks flying off the old Goliath. The sound of metal being bent and shaped echoed in the empty workshop. The probe seemed to use some sort of blue mineral to remake many of the components. It seemed it had to replace much more of the vehicle than what was there, to begin with. When it was finally done, nearly an hour had passed, but the work it had done was magnificent. The goliath stood tall and proud, its twin guns now rust free and fully powered. The probe hovered back down to Stro and beeped quietly and flashed red.
"It no longer has enough resources to function, it has done all it can," Stro said, punching in a few buttons on the probe. Tom nodded and climbed into the Goliath. It turned over easily and raised up with its newly repaired hydraulics. The cockpit faced a large open window of thick shatterproof glass, protecting Tom from many dangers in his time. He had the walker step forward, its large feet leaving huge prints in the soft dry ground. Tom smiled as he controlled the large machine. He walked it to the front of the town. The streets were filled with people scrambling to and fro, bags and cases stacked outside of the houses. Tom looked around at the panicked townspeople. He hoped he could save them all. The force that was coming, this "Zerg" menace was nothing that they could defeat by themselves. Tom doubted that even the Confederacy would have trouble with such a foe. And this new Protoss race that threatens everything on the planet. As helpful as Stro has been, he still didn't trust him. At the end of the day, humans had to stick together. Tom stopped the Goliath in front of the gate and climbed down from the machine. Alex and Stro were standing nearby. Tom walked over to them and surveyed the town.
"I figure we got another hour before Jim's evacuation plan gets going, so we should get these folks over there and get em nice and comfy," Alex said as Tom approached. Tom nodded in agreement. Stro stepping in front of the two men.
"I will help you escort your people, but I must return to my fleet soon," Stro said. Alex looked slightly disheartened. "I have been working on repairing my communication beacon, and soon I hope to contact my fleet and leave before the true infestation reached here. I shall do everything in my power to help you survive as well." Tom smiled and looked back at the townsfolk.
"We'll get these people outta here, I know it," Tom said proudly. Overhead, a siren began to wail. Tom looked back at Sam who was shouting about something. Tom and Alex scrambled up the ladder on the wall and peered over its side. Before them were hundreds of the Zerg creatures they had seen earlier. Above them, a giant creature of some kind floated slowly towards them. Pulsing sacs littered its body, and it let loose heaps of some sort of liquid on the ground. It spread across the ground and looked to be the same substance as what was on the ground near the structure they had seen earlier. Thick tentacles hung down from the creature, twitching every so often as if they had been shocked. The Zerg clambered over themselves, trampling others around them. None of them crossed in front of the floating creature, however. Tom thought that it was some sort of leader. Stro climbed up the walls and stared at the creatures. He ignited his blade and turned towards Tom.
"The time for flight is now my friend," Stro said. Tom nodded and jumped down off the wall.
"Everyone in the ship now!" Tom yelled, waving for people to get into the dropship. The townspeople hesitated for a moment before running to the ship. Screams and panic began to emanate from the town. Mothers ran with children in their arms, dropping their belongings just to run a bit faster. Alex caught up to Tom and gave him a look of concern and held out his hand. Tom shook his hand and wished him luck, and ran back to the Goliath as Alex climbed into the cockpit of the Dropship. Stro walked calmly to Tom, who was buckling himself into the Goliath.
"I will hold them off as long as I can," Stro said, bowing his head. He turned back towards the gate and kneeled down. Tom started up the Goliath and armed the weapons. If these Zerg were here for war then he would give them a hell of a fight. The dropship began to rise above the town, dust flying in all directions. The ramp into the back of the ship closed and it began to turn. A bang came from the gate. Then another. Even with the panic, an almost silent wave came over the town, with just the bang of the gate piercing through. Tom watched the gate carefully and aimed his guns. Stro stood and readied himself. BANG. Tom looked back at the dropship as it began to rise higher and higher. BANG. Tom switched on his radio and called through.
"We'll let off a volley and run along with you," Tom said. BANG.
"Alright, just don't get left behind," Alex called back through. The gate finally burst open, and dozens of the Zerg poured through the opening. Tom let loose a hail of gunfire at the creatures. Stro dodged through the bullets and bodies and lunged himself into the mass. He cut a swath around him and yelled in some foreign language. He cut down every Zerg that approached him. Tom didn't let up the gunfire, trying his hardest to give Stro support. Dozens and dozens of Zerg fell to them both, yet more and more poured through, an endless stream of bodies. Tom began to back up the Goliath and called to Stro to follow.
"Stro, come on, we gotta follow the ship!" Tom yelled in his mind at Stro. Stro grunted in response. Tom turned the Goliaths legs around and began to walk away from the gate, the body of the walker still pointed at the mass of Zerg, firing as much as he could. The radio crackled with the voice of Alex.
"We're ready, let's get out of here!" he yelled through. The thrusters of the dropship began to heat up, a deep crackle emanated from the engines.
"Stro, let's go!" Tom yelled. The Protoss leaped from the fray into the opening in front of Tom. He looked back at Tom and held his hand to his chest.
"Best of luck my friend, I pray you find your way to safety," Stro said. He pressed a button on his wrist and summoned the probe to his side. Stro pressed another button on his wrist and the probe surged forward towards the Zerg. It hit the wall of monsters and exploded in a flash of white light. Zerg flew in all directions, body parts and blood sprayed the buildings and walls surrounding them. Tom watched in amazement the destruction the probe had caused. The Zerg numbers were diminished slightly, but still more came in through the gate. Stro turned back towards Tom and bowed low before vanishing in a bright flash of blue. Tom turned the Goliath and began to run along with the dropship. Behind him, he could hear the hundreds of Zerg running after him, anxious to tear him limb from limb. The dropship surged forward ahead of Tom. Tom kept his Goliath running at full speed, ahead of the swarm of Zerg behind him. The machine trampled rocks below it, leaving behind a dust cloud. The Zerg seemed unflustered by the dirt flying towards them. The chase continued for many kilometers until the Zerg finally began to fall behind.
"We're losing them, and I can see the Evac center!" Alex yelled through the radio. Ahead of them, a large sign that read "Mar Sara City." Soon the city came into view. Above the city were dozens of large ships with a brand on the side that Tom recognized as the Sons of Korhal group. Tom had never dealt with the Sons of Korhal movement when he was in the Confederacy, but they had always been labeled as terrorists. Ironic now that they would be their saviors. The Dropship sped ahead towards the city. As they approached the city, the dropship dipped hard towards the ground. A large spike stuck outside of the hull. Below them, three of the serpent-like Zerg slithered towards the ship. Another spike shot from the Zerg and hit the ship again, this time taking it down. The ship crashed hard in the rocky plains. The city, not a quarter kilometer away, now seemed like a lost cause. Tom ran his Goliath towards the Zerg. He took one by surprise and crashed into it, knocking it down. Tom sprayed it with bullets as it disintegrated from the volley of gunfire. The other two creatures lunged at Tom, who stepped back and dodged two spikes shot at him. He fired his guns at one, and as it fell, Tom realized that he had used the last of the ammunition for the Goliath. As he stepped back, a shot rang out from his right. Alex, with a large red streak going down his face, held his smoking rifle to his shoulder. The Zerg fell lifelessly in front of him. Behind him, the Zerg force could be seen in the distance. Alex turned back and began to help the townsfolk out of the ship. Many of them began to run towards the city. After the last of the people had gotten out of the ship, Alex ran over to Tom, who opened the glass window of the Goliath.
"You get those people out of there!" Tom yelled.
"I'm not leaving you here!" Alex yelled back. Tom shook his head.
"Those things will overwhelm you, I'll buy you the time you need," Tom replied. In the distance, the large floating creature approached the men. Tom motioned for Alex to go. Alex reluctantly agreed and began to run after the townsfolk. Tom turned towards the swarm. He looked down at his controls. The Hellfire rockets were still operational, but he couldn't ever get them to lock onto a ground target. Those damn engineers always had a loophole. Tom then had an idea. He charged forward towards the swarm. The Zerg ran towards him, their mouths slobbering with a thick goo. Above them, the creature floated forward, its tendrils hanging just above the running creatures. The wall of Zerg hit Tom with the force of an explosion. The thick blades tore into the Goliath, ripping apart its hull. Tom struggled to keep the Goliath upright. He pressed the weapons screen and locked his rockets onto the floating creature. The rockets flew off of the machine and hit the creature. The rockets dug into the creature and exploded, spraying flesh and blood over all of the rest of the creatures. The Zerg stopped immediately. The ones that had leaped onto the Goliath fell off passively. The rest walked around aimlessly, ignoring Tom. He raised the now broken glass shield and stepped out of the Goliath. A few Zerg had gotten through the glass and cut Tom's arm. Blood poured out of the wounds, the white of his bone poking through his ripped shirt. Tom fell to his knees and breathed deeply. He looked back at the evacuation. Many of the ships were now leaving the atmosphere. He hoped that he had bought the townspeople enough time to board the ship. In the Goliath, Tom's radio crackled.
"Tom are you there?" Alex's voice rung out. Tom walked over to the Goliath and reached in and grabbed the radio.
"Yeah, yeah I'm here," he said weakly. Tom sighed and leaned against the machine.
"You made it?!" Alex exclaimed. He could hear a crowd in the background. "I'll try and get the pilot to swing around and pick you up!" Tom chuckled to himself.
"There's no point, I'm hurt pretty bad, and there's plenty of Zerg still around," Tom said. He shifted his weight and looked at his injured arm. "You just get outta here."
"Tom, we're not gonna leave you!" Alex yelled through the radio. Tom could hear Alex arguing with the pilot.
"Alex, don't worry about me, just get those people outta here," Tom said weakly. The radio went silent. Tom looked up and saw the ships warping out of the sky. Tom raised his hand and waved, dropping the radio.
The last of the ships began warping out of the atmosphere as more and more Zerg poured into the city. Tom sat down next to the Goliath. He looked up the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and bright oranges and blues colored the sky. Tom sighed and rested his head back. It was really a long day. Not long after the Sons of Korhal left, other ships warped into the atmosphere. Bright golden ships with bright blue lights appeared in the sky above him. Their rounded hulls almost looked like clouds. The sun gleamed off their plating, shining brightly in the sky. The reminded Tom of Stro broken ship, their magnificence far great than any Terran vessel.
"The Protoss," he thought to himself. "They're finally here."
The ships began to take formation above him, large weapons charging in bright white light. Tom stared at the ships, wondering if Stro was on board, helping them charge their weapons. A large pillar of light shot down from the front ship, hitting the planet. Tom could hear the rumble from where he was. He looked over and saw where the blast had hit, not four kilometers away. A large rumble sound began to resonate. Tom closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Today had been a very long day.