Chapter 3
"Yesterday's operation went well", Flash thought to himself. The objective had been completed swiftly and efficiently with minimal casualties. All of this was going as he hoped. He would no doubt be recognized for his skill and being able to lead effective operations would allow him to become a valued member of the force. He would have to have a position of influence if he is to be able to effect change on the sector.
At the present moment, he was being called in for another mission briefing. It seemed that things would proceed as expected, as his performance had been satisfactory enough to allow the Admiral to trust him with this next operation.
Finally, the briefing started. Admiral DuGalle was the first to speak.
"Captain, Vice Admiral Stukov has informed me of your flawless sortie upon Braxis. I must commend you for beginning our campaign with such a decisive victory. Our Tac Teams have decrypted the Dominion's datalink and have gained access to Mengsk's most guarded files. However, our work is not yet complete." DuGalle paused for a moment before continuing. "We have ascertained the location of the Dylarian shipyards. These shipyards, serving as a fueling and repair station for the Dominion, house a number of functional Battlecruisers in dry-dock. To assure that our domination of this sector remains uncontested, you are to assault the shipyards and liberate as many of these capital ships as possible."
At this moment, Lieutenant Duran interjected. "Gentlemen, I recommend that you launch this attack using the utmost caution. Dominion Command can typically reinforce its outlying bases within sixteen standard hours. You should expect some sort of reprisal from Emperor Mengsk shortly."
Admiral DuGalle did not appear particularly impressed with Duran however, despite Duran making every effort to be helpful. "Ah, the turncoat", DuGalle addressed Duran dismissively. "I suggest that you pay keen attention to rank when you address the Captain and myself, Lieutenant Duran. Is that understood?"
"Of course, Admiral." Duran then left the room.
During this exchange, Flash couldn't help but find it odd that DuGalle had such hatred for Duran in the beginning, yet he had ended up trusting him in the end.
After Duran's departure, Stukov chuckled. "You're beginning show your age, Gerard. Give the boy some credit. He just tipped us off to a preeminent attack."
"However useful he may prove to be, Alexei, he will always be a traitor in my eyes. And you know that I cannot abide a traitor", DuGalle responded.
"Only too well, Gerard", Stukov answered before turning to face Flash. "Captain, when you are ready, you may commence with the operation. Once you have commandeered the enemy's battlecruisers, be prepared to repel the Dominion reinforcements when they arrive."
It was ironic. Here Stukov was, defending Duran while DuGalle was hostile to him. Stukov thought favorably of Duran, though ultimately DuGalle would be the one supporting Duran and Stukov would die.
Flash was filled with thoughts about the future, about Duran, Stukov, the Zerg. But he put these thoughts out of his mind to focus on his current task. He would need to lead their forces to take over the battlecruisers.
As the dropships began moving into the shipyard, he received a message from Stukov. "Once your forces have landed, Captain, you'll need to escort our pilots to the battlecruisers themselves. They will be able to commandeer the ships and turn them over to our control."
"Understood", Flash replied. This would be a critical mission as the fleet here would be central toward defeating the Dominion. It was a mission involving a few small forces rather than large armies as they had little time and would need to perform a surgical strike to capture the battlecruisers.
The first strike force landed and it consisted of a group of marines backed up with some medics. After landing, they immediately began advancing. Already the defenders were becoming aware of the attack and they needed to finish up quickly before the Dominion fleet arrived. The battlecruisers were in dock and it was their job to seize them.
Each of the docking areas of the battlecruisers were guarded by a bunker. Ordinarily, there would be many casualties from assaulting several bunkers in succession, but fortunately the medics were able to heal up the marines when they got injured. Injured soldiers were rotated back to be healed before being sent back into the fight. Through this, they were able to defeat the first groups of Dominion forces in their path to allow the pilots to enter the battlecruisers.
The second infiltration team consisted of several medics and ghosts. When they advanced, they were soon met with a problem. There was a siege tank on the high ground near their landing zone. Assaulting the tank would be difficult, but fortunately they were able to blind the tank with an optical flare to prevent the tank from seeing them.
The team quickly ran past the tank before the Dominion could call any forces to help spot for the tank. The pilots were able to get through and enter the battlecruisers.
Soon afterwards, Flash was informed that a team had secured the nuclear silos, giving them access to the weapons contained within. The next team, which included ghosts, would be able to make use of these nukes.
The ghosts could cloak, allowing them to slip past enemy lines. However, there was a science vessel ahead, which could detect the ghosts. The science vessel was clearly there to spot for the Dominion forces guarding the area. One of the medics threw an optical flare which caused a malfunction in the science vessel's sensors. Now, a ghost could slip by undetected.
The area was defended by several sets of defenses. These hard points consisted of several bunkers and siege tanks. As news of the UED's attack spread, the defenders had become more prepared and now they have set up a strong defense near these battlecruisers. However, nuclear missiles from the ghosts was able to wipe out these large clusters of units. With the way ahead clear, the pilots were able to swiftly reach the battlecruisers.
When the next infiltration team landed, they were quickly beset upon by a ghost which locked down the two tanks supporting them. Fortunately, a quick reaction allowed the medics to use Restoration to fix the tanks and allow them to repel the attackers. Once they threw back the initial assault, the team began to advance.
A ghost scouting up ahead had spotted a siege tank. The ghost was able to hit it with a lockdown and the rest of their forces swept in to destroy the tank. There were several more siege tanks in the area, but the ghosts were invaluable here, locking down the tanks so the rest of their forces could destroy them.
However, there was one target that couldn't be locked down - a bunker. Fortunately, the siege tanks were able to blast it from afar and destroy it, clearing the way forward. The combination of lockdown and siege tanks quickly cleared out the area, allowing the pilots to seize the battlecruisers.
The seized battlecruisers were quickly brought online and they began gathering with the rest of the UED's fleet. Suddenly, the Adjutant gave a warning. "Captain, we are tracking a large fleet of Dominion ships in you vicinity."
It was the Dominion fleet that had come to defend the Dylarian shipyards.
DuGalle gave his next orders. "Ah, these must be the reinforcements that Lieutenant Duran warned us about. Captain, prepare our newly acquired fleet to battle the intruders."
The fleet arrayed itself in formation and prepared to enter combat. The yamato guns began charging as the Dominion battlecruisers approached.
They were soon hailed by a transmission from the flagship of the Dominion fleet, Norad III. "Well, now. I don't know which militia you all are from, but I advise y'all to back down... NOW! I'm General Edmund Duke of the Dominion armada. And in the name of Emperor Mengsk, I order you to surrender you forces immediately and unconditionally."
Stukov was quick with his response. "Ah, General Duke. I had expected your forces to arrive sooner. You should know that we represent not one of your rag-tag peasant militias, but the combined might of the United Earth Directorate."
Duke seemed flabbergasted. "Earth Directorate? You mean to tell me that you've come all the way out here from Earth?"
"That is correct, General. We're here to take control over this sector and its occupants for the betterment of mankind", Stukov said smugly.
Duke quickly recovered from his shock and shouted, "Over my dead body. I don't care where yer' from, son. No one pushes around the Terran Dominion on my watch! All units, fire at will!"
A wave of yamato gun shots hit the Dominion battlecruisers the moment they came within range. A large portion of the Dominion fleet was wiped out and they were quickly beset upon by the numerically superior UED fleet.
It was clear that General Duke had not expected to meet such strong opposition and they had been unprepared for such a tough fight. Soon, his fleet was in shambles and they were forced to retreat, not before sustaining great losses however.
The battle was won and the UED had managed to seize most of the Dominion's fleet. Soon, they would be able to take the fight directly to the Dominion.