Chapter 12
"Captain, I am afraid I have some bad news", Stukov said. "The Psi Disruptor was damaged in an attack, and many of the critical components was destroyed. It is no longer functional. Fortunately, when the Psi Disruptor was disassembled and reassembled, we took detailed notes. So, we will be able to repair it given enough time. However, it will likely take several weeks for us to manufacture the specific parts and install them."
"That is unfortunate. While the Psi Disruptor is down, Kerrigan while be able to strike at us with her zerg", Flash noted glumly. "How did this happen? Wasn't the Psi Disruptor supposed to be well guarded?"
"It seems that the protoss were a part of this attack", Stukov said. "They infiltrated Korhal and attacked the Psi Disruptor. It seems that they had detailed knowledge of our security systems as they managed to hack them and render our defenses inoperable. I suspect that Kerrigan was responsible, as the records we captured from the previous government indicates that she was once a ghost working for the Confederacy."
"That is concerning", Flash said. "The protoss and Kerrigan are working together. With this recent attack, it seems that they will be striking at us soon."
"Indeed", Stukov replied. "This time period where the Psi Disruptor is offline will be critical. Do you think they mean to strike at Korhal?"
Flash thought for a moment. "I know where they are going. I am taking the fleet to Char. They are striking at the Overmind. Stukov, you stay here with a portion of our forces just in case they do decide to strike at Korhal. You have enough men to hold on until we can reinforce. Although it isn't likely, we should be prepared."
Flash's fleet arrived over Char. His forces began to reinforce the defenses around the overmind, in anticipation of the coming battle. Though his time was limited, he managed to set up ample preparations. It wasn't long before two fleets warped in over Char.
There was a massive fleet of zerg coming in toward Char. This was Kerrigan's force. Among the zerg fleet was a contingent of protoss ships. Since a dark templar was needed to kill the overmind, it was clear that the protoss would be a part of the fight.
The UED fleet and the overmind's zerg were in position over Char to defend the planet. The two fleets clashed and a brutal fight ensued. The massive flocks of zerg clashed against each other; the fight was in total chaos. Though the UED forces were strong, a portion of the attackers managed to break through and land on the surface.
The protoss and Kerrigan set up bases on the surface of Char as their forces disembarked. It was a sizable force, enough to be very threatening. Flash immediately sent his forces to strike at the invaders, hoping to throw them off the planet before they could entrench themselves. The first target struck was the protoss, as their presence would be necessary to kill the overmind.
A swarm of zerg struck at the protoss from the south while a UED force attacked from the north. The zerg attacking force immediately hit an obstacle as the protoss defense was airtight. Fenix was on the front lines of the battle and he and his warriors fought valiantly against the zerg without giving a single inch.
On the other side, the UED attack force had a bit more success. They had broken through the outlying photon cannons and were preparing to assault the main protoss base. However, at this moment Kerrigan's zerg arrived to attack the UED's army. The attack force was forced to retreat lest they be trapped between two armies.
Once the initial assault was thwarted, Kerrigan and the Protoss were able to secure their landing area and gather their forces. It wasn't long before they moved to attack. Protoss and Zerg marched alongside each other, a strange sight. Equally strange was the Terran and Zerg force arrayed against them.
Valkyries and vultures were sent to harass the attacking army by air and by ground. Spider mine traps were quite useful and they were able to whittle down the attacking army down through the course of multiple detonations. Valkyrie frigates were exceptional at destroying flocks of mutalisks, but against the heavier protoss fleet it was less effective.
Though the harassment was annoying, Kerrigan and the protoss were soon able to find countermeasures. An arbiter had managed to trap a fleet of valkyrie frigates in stasis. The zerg moved to surround the valkyries, and it seemed likely that the fleet would be lost once they came out of stasis.
Only a desperate trick saved them. A nuclear missile was launched toward the valkyries, forcing the zerg around them to scatter. The missile detonated, not affecting the valkyries kept in stasis. Then, the valkyries came out of stasis and were able to flee before the zerg came back. After that incident, the Kerrigan and the protoss made extensive patrols of their surroundings to prevent a ghost from sneaking up.
The attacking army finally reached the outlying defenses, where they were met by rows of sunken colonies backed up by siege tanks. Under the cover of dark swarm, the ultralisks and zealots charged through, braving the tank fire to advance. With backup from Kerrigan's guardians which were bombarding the defensive line, they were finally able to break through.
Still, the first line of defenses had accomplished its job at picking away at the attacking force. The UED defenders quickly began withdrawing to the main defensive line. Although some of Kerrigan's zerg broke off to try to pursue, nuclear missiles were employed to cover the retreat as the zerg would not be able to follow without getting caught up in a blast.
Meanwhile, the UED launched raids on the bases of Kerrigan and the protoss. Dropships were employed to drop marines and a flock of the overmind's mutalisks were also sent to do some harassment. As a result, Kerrigan and the protoss were forced to split off a portion of their forces to guard their bases. Despite this, the size of their army was still considerable and they continued to advance toward the overmind.
The area they were passing through was filled with spider mines. In order to get through the minefield, observers were used to spot them to allow the dragoons to destroy the mines from a distance. However, this effort was frustrated by constant raids from UED forces which retreated into the minefield which recognized friendly units.
Finally, Kerrigan and the protoss came upon the plateau where the overmind was situated. It was well guarded by extensive defenses, but the attacking army was strong as well. It would be the fight to determine the fate of the sector.
The first to charge forward were the ultralisks. Both Kerrigan's ultralisks and the overmind's ultralisks were in the fight. As the ultralisks were locked with each other in combat, zealots swarmed the overmind's ultralisks and began cutting away at their legs. The combination proved to be deadly effective as the stalling of the ultralisks gave the zealots free reign. However, they were not the only ones experimenting with combination tactics. The UED had decided to strap marines atop ultralisks so that the ultralisks could charge in and allow the marines to shoot from above toward the smaller enemies below the ultralisk. Such a prospect was quite risky, so the marines chosen were among the most fearless of the resocialized marines.
As the ground forces clashed against each other, the fleets were already engaged in combat. The arbiters were the largest threat, as they could take parts of the fleet out of action with a stasis field, so Flash ordered the battlecruisers to strike at the arbiters with yamato guns as soon as they came into range. Once the arbiters were destroyed, the full fleet moved in to engage.
The valkyrie frigates were extremely effective against Kerrigan's mutalisks and the protoss scouts. Meanwhile, the battlecruisers focused their attacks on the carriers and Kerrigan's guardians and several supporting science vessels used their defensive matrix on the battlecruisers. Some of the overmind's scourge were employed to help destroy some of the carriers. Slowly, the UED was able to gain the advantage in the skies.
Meanwhile, the battle on the ground was in full swing. The tanks proved to be effective, but so did the protoss reavers. Psionic storms blanketed the battlefield, inflicting substantial losses on the UED defenders.. Meanwhile, guardians on both sides were bombarding the battlefield. The battle lines were mostly stagnant, as the defenses were able to hold back the repeated assaults, although barely. It was becoming difficult for the defenders to cling on, but as the fleet gained the upper hand, they were able to provide fire support for the defenders.
Then, a massive force of zerg struck the west side of the defenses. Under the cover of dark swarm, a group of ultralisks struck the bunkers, though they were once again met with an opposing ground of ultralisks. However, a massive blast of psionic energy blew a hole through a portion of the line, ripping apart bunkers and ultralisks. Kerrigan had taken to the front lines, and she had charged up a powerful attack that allowed her zerg to gain the upper hand.
Zerglings flooded through the gap and tore into the tank lines. With the tanks destroyed, the zerg began flooding in with increased speed. Bunkers were surrounded and torn apart. Meanwhile, Kerrigan began ripping through a squadron of goliaths, tearing them apart savagely. The defenses began to crack open as zerg flooded through.
However, the possibility of a breakthrough was anticipated, so Flash had kept some forces as a strategic reserve. These forces now moved in to try to plug the gap. But with Kerrigan supporting her forces in that area, it would be quite the difficult task.
Flash instructed the fleet to begin focusing their fire on the area of the breakthrough. Battlecruisers began pelting the area with laser fire, burning through zerg forces. The science vessels utilized irradiate to clear away large clusters of zerg. The attackers were being whittled down, but they still continued to fight as they clashed against the relief force.
Though a renewed offensive from the protoss and Kerrigan's fleet forced the UED fleet's attention back toward the skies, a few of the battlecruisers were able to break off and fire their yamato guns toward the ground. The yamato gun shots were able to kill some of the ultralisks to give the UED's ground forces some more breathing room. Furthermore, Kerrigan was sent sprawling after being hit. The attack had did a number on her, leaving her with serious wounds. As a renewed UED offensive targeted Kerrigan, she decided it would be best for her to retreat.
After Kerrigan retreated from the battlefield, the UED was able to stabilize their battle lines. The protoss and Kerrigan's zerg fought on for a little while longer, but eventually they retreated.
The now vastly diminished attack force was holed up in their base, apparently preparing for evacuation. Now on the offensive, the UED and the overmind's zerg surrounded the enemy bases and began to launch attacks. However, the protoss and Kerrigan's zerg held and the battle was beginning to drag on.
Flash realized that something wasn't right. It was as if the enemy were doing a delaying tactic. He had his forces stop their attacks and he dispatched all of his science vessels to scout the area around the overmind.
During the earlier battle, when the defensive line had been temporarily broken, Zeratul had managed to sneak through. Now, he was on his way to the overmind, hoping to kill the creature. Currently, he was in a narrow valley leading toward the overmind's position, and it wouldn't be long before he was there.
Suddenly, he saw a science vessel fly overhead. It had spotted him. The science vessel unleashed an EMP shockwave which shorted disabled Zeratul's cloaking equipment. At this moment, Zeratul knew that he had been found.
He quickly began to run away, hoping to escape before the UED's forces caught up. As he passed through a narrow gap to exit the valley, he noticed some movement. Upon looking around, he saw a spider mine before a sudden explosion lit up the area. Zeratul was dead.
After Zeratul's death, the protoss went into a full retreat. They began loading up into shuttles, preparing to leave Char. However, at this moment a massive offensive came from the UED and the overmind's zerg. And this time, Kerrigan wouldn't be relieving the protoss as she was busy fleeing as well.
The UED's tanks pummeled the protoss base while ultralisks ran rampant. The protoss defense was broken and they were simply trying to evacuate as many as possible. A rearguard stayed behind to protect the retreat. Among them was Fenix, dedicated to protecting his comrades in his final moments. Though he fought valiantly, killing countless zerg and terrans, eventually he was felled by yamato blasts coming from the UED battlecruisers.
The tattered fleet of the protoss fled from Char along with the remainder of Kerrigan's zerg. The UED had emerged victorious, and with this victory their control over the overmind was solidified. It was a victory which would set the destiny of the sector.