Chapter 2

Flash was called to the briefing room to receive his instructions before departing on his mission. He was somewhat nervous, as this would be his first mission. He hoped that he would be able to succeed.

Upon entering the briefing room, he received a transmission from a man who he recognized as Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov. Flash couldn't help but think of the sorrowful fate of this great man. Despite doing all he could to serve the UED, he was abandoned by DuGalle and executed by Duran. Later, he became infested, living a tortured life, forever cast away from humanity.

"Good morning, Captain. I am Vice Admiral Stukov, tactical advisor to Admiral DuGalle. I see you've already reviewed his proclamation. I'm sure it doesn't cover anything you weren't already familiar with. Once you get to know the Admiral, I'm sure you'll find that he's actually quite personable. At any rate, Captain, I do have orders for you. As we are about to begin our invasion of the Dominion, we will need access to their primary datanet and weapons diagnostics. To this end, you are to assault the outlying planet of Braxis, and take control of its capital city of Boralis. You are to deploy your forces within two standard hours. The Admiral expects perfect results, Captain. Stukov out."

After the transmission ended, Flash gathered his composure and prepared to depart. He and the men he was assigned with were gathered together and they got onto a shuttle. Once the time came, the shuttle departed for the surface of Braxis.

Once they arrived on the surface, he ordered his men to begin setting up their base. Unfortunately, their landing area only had minerals and no vespene gas. It seemed that they would have to make do with just the minerals for now until they could find a geyser somewhere.

After gathering some marines, Flash ordered his forces to scout to the north. They found a few enemy marines guarding some missile turrets. Once the Dominion forces in the area were killed, the UED forces secured the area, which contained some minerals. Unfortunately, there was still no vespene gas.

Once his forces were ready, he had them began moving out. Of course, he first built a bunker by his base and staffed it with marines to guard against any enemy attack. As his forces advanced, they encountered scattered groups of Dominion forces. These small groups of marines and firebats were quickly wiped out by Flash's superior army.

Finally, they came upon a Dominion barracks and took it by surprised. The few forces guarding it were unprepared and were easily wiped out. The barracks was destroyed, removing one of the Dominion's outposts in the area. During this time, the Dominion had launched a small attack on his base, but it did minimal damage to the bunker which was soon repaired by a SCV.

The men rested for a while after their attack, but soon they were on the move once more. They soon stumbled upon a base. They were spotted by the defenders, and the UED forces prepared for a fight. However, no fight came. Instead, it seems that these people wanted to negotiate with them.

The leader of this group spoke. "Captain, I am Lieutenant Samir Duran of the Confederate Resistance Forces. I've been monitoring your attack against the Dominion, and I'd like to offer you my services and skills in return for amnesty."

Vice Admiral Stukov, who had been monitoring their mission, responded to Duran through the communicator. "Intriguing. Lieutenant, you have absolutely no ideas as to who we are or what we have come here to do. Why do you wish to side with us?"

"Because my men and I have sworn to fight against the Dominion and its Emperor", Duran responded. "Seeing as how your forces have been laying into this Dominion base, I figured we were on the same side."

Stukov seemed interested. "I see. How exactly do you propose to be of service to us, Lieutenant?"

Duran smiled. "Well, I possess intimate knowledge of the surrounding area. I can show you an alternate route that leads to the rear of the main Dominion base."

Stukov spent a moment in contemplation before responding. "Very well, Lieutenant. Consider yourself and your men the first colonial conscripts of the United Earth Directorate. Captain, see that the Lieutenant is given our full cooperation. We shall see if he's worth the effort."

Flash listened to this conversation with mixed feelings. Duran… It may have been a long time since Flash played the Starcraft: Brood War campaign, but he remembered enough to know that Duran is a traitor. Flash wanted nothing more than to shoot Duran right now.

However, Vice Admiral Stukov had given Flash a direct order to accept Duran's assistance. Flash was still a mere Captain, and this was his first mission. There was no way that he could countermand Stukov's orders. So, he had to accept Duran's assistance for the time being. Besides, Duran had been helpful in the beginning, so it was alright for now.

Duran's base had a vespene geyser, so they were finally able to obtain some vespene gas to supply their forces. Soon, Flash had amassed a sizeable force consisting of many marines backed up with several siege tanks. With these forces, he began his assault toward the Dominion base.

Duran had informed them about a small valley that led to the rear of the Dominion base. This valley was only lightly defended and their forces able to quickly overwhelm the defenders. There were a few bunkers in the way, but a barrage from the siege tanks quickly leveled them.

Eventually, the army reached the back of the Dominion base. The Dominion were caught by surprise by the attack and the back of their base had been poorly defended. Being hit from the back had thrown the Dominion forces into total confusion and the response to the attack had been scattered and disorganized.

The UED forces attacked the Dominion's command center in the capital city of Boralis and destroyed it. With this, the planet's defenses were crippled and the UED's forces were able to begin wiping out the disorganized resistance. Soon, the planet was secured by the UED Expeditionary Force and Braxis became the first UED territory in the Koprulu Sector.