PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
High orbit over New Folsom
"Where's Tosh?" he asked Matt. "I thought he'd be here by now."
"He already left the ship" Mat replied. "I thought you-"
An alert sounded suddenly.
"Sir, we have an incoming transmission. It's highly encrypted."
"Patch it through."
On screen was a blond-haired, blue-eyed young woman wearing the uniform of a Dominion Ghost, which Jim, Matt, Teana, and Ahsoka were wary upon recognizing.
"Well, well," she said, "the infamous Jim Raynor. My name is Nova. We should talk."
"Now what would one of Mengsk's pet Ghosts have to say to me?" Jim asked.
"Tosh is lying to you."
"…Get Tosh on comms" Jim ordered. "I'm sure he's listenin' anyway, encrypted or not."
Tosh's face came up on the screen next to Nova's.
"We Spectres be the future!" he said. "You just couldn't handle it, little girl."
"Every Ghost that became a Spectre has gone on a psychotic killing spree" Nova said. "The ones I've captured are held in New Folsom."
"Don't listen to her, brother. Help me bust my Spectres from New Folsom, and we'll bring Mengsk down together!"
"Tosh wants to reactivate his Spectre buddies, using the substances youhelped him collect. New Folsom is full of psychopathic killers. Do you really want to release them into the galaxy?"
"I be helpin' you against Mengsk, and my people will too. She won't even join you."
"He's a psychotic time bomb. He'll be on your side right up until he puts a knife in your back."
"This be de moment of truth. Make your choice."
Ahsoka put a hand on Jim's shoulder, and made an almost-imperceptible gesture at Nova, along with a telepathic word:
"Liar"
"You should have told me what you were really planning, Tosh" Jim said. "But I'll take your word over that of the Dominion's indoctrinated assassin any day. We've come this far together. May as well see it through."
"You've made a poor choice, Mr. Raynor" Nova said, and cut the transmission.
"I knew I could count on you, brotha! Now let's go and bust open New Folsom!"
Two minutes in
"Uploadin' New Folsom data now. Feast your eyes on this, brotha."
The screen showed the facility, which was sealed up and crawling with guards.
"They're locked down tight" Teana said. "Nova must have tipped them off."
"We're gonna need an army to break into that place now" Jim said.
"Even an army couldn't get you in dere. But one man – one Spectre in the right place – can find a way in."
"Then our progress is all up to you, Tosh. I'll push my boys as hard as I can, but they're gonna need your help to gain ground."
"Sure. You sit back this time. I'll take the lead and clear the way. Just keep sendin' troops to keep de pressure on, and I'll do the rest."
"Tosh," Teana said, "I'm sending Shion to assist you. With her Dark Templar powers, she's our best stealther."
"I will join you as well" radioed Erohn Kilkar.
"There are two cell blocks containing military prisoners outside the main compound" Matt reported. "If we break those open, we could probably count on help from the inmates. Also, there's a Dominion base right by the prison entrance. Take that out, and the guards will retreat. The prisoners can handle it from there."
"Alright, Tosh. You ready for this?"
"I been waitin' a longtime for this. I'm ready."
-SCENE BREAK-
New Folsom
Just outside the primary prison complex
The three cloaked figures moved forward quietly, Shion and Erohn armed with two of Tosh's spare silenced rifles, seeing as the bright-beam-shooting Sangheili Type-50 particle-beam rifle and the cannon-volume UNSC SRS99D were not fit for stealth ops. Each of them fired a shot to take out a trio of guards up ahead, and as they neared the entrance Tosh used an attack he called 'Mindblast' to quickly and quietly fry the brains of the half-dozen guards there. As they moved inside, they spotted four troops guarding a detector-class missile turret. The three operatives fired their suppressed rifles, Shion's bullet killing two targets, and then quickly disabled the turret. Ahead, another turret was guarded by two marines and a Crucio tank in Siege Mode. Shion teleported in on top of the tank, used her energy blade to slice open the top, and tossed a grenade in. She warped back to the others just as the blast went off, killing the marines and heavily damaging the missile turret enough to put it out of commission.
"Hang in there, guys" Raynor radioed. "Our forces are movin' in to back you up."
They continued on, standing atop a platform just outside a turret's detection range, firing AP rounds at vital spots on the tank and bunker below, taking both out. A squad of Raider marines backed by a medic came in, while a Dominion Hellion rolled up and squeezed in between the missile turret and a bunker, opening fire and killing two of the Raiders in the first few seconds. One of the marines fired a few rounds from a grenade launcher at the detector turret, destroying it; this enabled Tosh, Shion, & Kilkar to move in closer and open fire on the Hellion. Even with their help, though, all but three of the Raider marines were killed by the Hellion's flames and the fire from the occupied bunker before the fire-spewing vehicle's driver was killed. Shion then Void-Jumped into the bunker and used her psi-blade to carve the unsuspecting Dominion marines apart, allowing the Raider survivors to fall back a little and catch their breath.
The stealth trio moved ahead, picking off a few Hellions with precision shots to their flame-fuel tanks, and reaching a small Dominion auto-factory that was churning the flamethrower-equipped buggies out. They quickly attached some precisely-placed detonation charges. All the while, Dominion soldiers rushed by, aiming to engage the Raiders attacking from the entrance. The trio took position as the Raiders broke in, using their rifles to even the odds, and then set off the charges, destroying the factory that had been churning out Hellions. Allied drop pods and dropships flew in, and the Raiders began setting up a secondary base. The trio snuck around a detector turret's range while the allied forces kept the Dominion occupied, getting behind a pair of Dominion siege tanks and destroying them.
"Tosh, your team is nearing the first military cell block now" Col. Holland reported. "Releasing the prisoners might get us some allies."
As the main Raiders/UNSC/Sangheili forces kept the Dominion's attention and killed the Mengsk-loyalists who got too close to the base, Tosh, Shion, & Erohn snuck north. Tosh used a Mindblast to kill a squad of Dominion marines, and Shion used her Void-Jump/grenade trick to take out another siege tank, while Erohn disabled another missile turret.
"Nice work, guys" Raynor radioed them. "Freein' those prisoners will really help us out."
As a few prisoners commandeered a handful of tanks to assist the Raiders with, the trio returned to the secondary base and restocked on ammo, grenades, and det-charges. They then moved south with a Dominion attack squad, helping to clear the way. An attack wave of Vikings and Warthogs backed up by a Sangheili Wraith and a Diamondback tank captured from the Dominion cleared out the next way, taking out the Dominion Raven that could have made trouble for the stealth trio. The attack force and stealth trio advanced south, carving through resistance, a plasma mortar from the Wraith taking out the next detector turret, allowing Erohn to move forward and destroy a Dominion siege tank while the Wraith and Diamondback took out the enemy factory, while Tosh's Mindblast brain-fried another squad of Dominion marines. They moved west.
"You're close to the second military cell-block, team" Matt radioed. "Feel like making some new friends?"
"Don't you worry 'bout us" Raynor added. "We'll keep 'em busy while you free the prisoners."
The trio moved west, reaching a heavily-guarded area with a Dominion Raven patrolling back & forth. Tosh took out a squad of Dominion marines with Mindblast, while Erohn waited for the Raven to pass before sprinting over to one of the two siege tanks, leaping on, ripping the top hatch open, and tossing a grenade down. He ran out and back to the others as the explosive gutted the tank behind him. Tosh then used his sniper rifle to shoot through the canopy of a Dominion Goliath, blowing the pilot's brains out. Finally, Shion pulled off some fancy work, teleporting onto the moving Raven and using her psi-blade to slice its thrusters apart, and then jumping off and landing atop a Dominion marine, knocking him to the ground and stabbing his head with her blade. Erohn destroyed the remaining siege tank with another grenade. The cell doors in this wing all unlocked.
"Now that those boys are free, we can bust this place wide open. Great job, Tosh!"
As the prisoners manned a depot of siege tanks nearby, the stealth trio advanced north, killing the stragglers of a Dominion marine group that passed by, and concentrated tank fire took out the enemy barricade up ahead. In the next area, siege tanks, Dominion marines, turrets, and even two Thor mecha awaited ("Hey, those sons of bitches stole my design!" Swann complained). Tosh responded by calling in a tactical nuke, the four-kiloton blast obliterating the enemy forces. The attack force then struck the main base ahead in full – the tanks rolled over everything in their path, while Tosh dropped another tac-nuke on the enemy command center. The Raiders lost five tanks to the advance, but the Dominion couldn't even hope to stop the onslaught. New Folsom was now in Raider hands.
"You just unleashed a nightmare on all of us, Raynor!" Nova contacted them. "God help you now."
The maximum-security containment cell unlocked.
"And de walls come tumblin' down" Tosh said. "Be free, my brothers and sisters! Your new life awaits!"
-SCENE BREAK-
Hyperion bridge
High orbit over New Folsom
Several vessels – corvettes, frigates, destroyers, and battlecruisers, all Raider-friendly – circled the planet.
TERRAN JACOB-CLASS CORVETTE – 166 METERS
TERRAN ISAIAH-CLASS FRIGATE – 366 METERS
TERRAN EZEKIEL-CLASS DESTROYER – 440 METERS
"50 years and no-one's escaped from New Folsom," Jim said, "but we broke it open in an afternoon."
"I can hardly believe we pulled it off" Matt said as he walked up to Raynor's side. Tosh suddenly materialized several meters away.
"You guys did good" he said. "Now me and my Spectres'll finish de job. We'll kill Mengsk, and burn his Dominion to de ground."
"Overthrowing Mengsk is just the start" Matt said as he walked over to the star-chart. "This is about building a better tomorrow." He opened the holo-screen, and names & portraits scrolled across it. "Don't you see? We just released every scientist, philosopher, and free thinker that ever challenged Mengsk's rule. That was our real victory today."
In response, Tosh threw his knife, embedding it in the table's decorative corner.
"You really dat naïve?" He asked. "Tomorrow dere'll be a new Mengsk… and another one after that. Your great, shining dream o' de future is just an illusion."
Jim frowned and walked over, pulling the butterfly knife free and folding it shut.
"So if it's all so bleak," he said, "why are you here, Tosh? What do you get out of all this?"
"Same thing as you, brotha: revenge. I don't quit 'til Mengsk is dead."
Jim looked down at the folded knife, thinking.
"Vengeance doesn't factor into this" Matt said. "Our revolution's about freedom."
Jim walked up, placing his hand on Matt's shoulder.
"You'll see that better future, Matt." He turned to Tosh. "But it ain't for the likes of us." He handed Tosh his knife, and then walked out of the bridge. Tosh smiled and faded to invisibility, and Matt deactivated the projector.
-SCENE BREAK-
"I took a big chance with you and your Spectres, Tosh. I hope Nova wasn't right about you…"
"Don't go believin' dat little girl's lies. De Spectre procedure affects everyone differently, but we're all still human. It's our choice whether to become Spectres – not hers, not yours, and not Mengsk's. Choice be de only true freedom anyone gets."
"But can I trust 'em? Can I trust you?"
"Don't you worry none. We'll fight for you right to the end. All my brothas and sistas… we owe you everything."
Jim accepted this and headed down to the main floor of the cantina, sitting down with Tychus.
"Thought you'd wanna hear" he told his big buddy. "Tosh has officially thrown in with our little revolution. He's gonna lend us his Spectres to help out."
"You sure got a soft spot for wayward psychics, Jimmy. Settin' those freaks loose ain't smart. Ol' Mengsk had 'em locked up for a reason."
"Mengsk locked 'em up 'cause they were just weapons to him. They deserve a shot at livin' their lives outside of a cage, just like anyone else."
He headed to the laboratory, finding Dr. Hanson still at work.
[ERROR: CANNOT LOCATE YOUTUBE VID OF POST-'BREAKOUT' DR. HANSON CONVERSATION, WHICH WAS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL FIC AND SO CAN'T BE TRANSPLANTED HERE]
Jim then headed to the armory.
"That Tosh character gave me the data for buildin' more Spectre gear" Swann said. "You sure we can trust that guy? I heard he was into brainwashin' or somethin'."
"Tosh can only recruit volunteers to become Spectres. That's the deal. He works 'em hard so they won't go off the rails when they get their full Spectre powers. No brainwashing involved."
"Good to know. Wouldn't want any of those freaks runnin' loose causin' trouble… aside from Tosh, that is."
As Jim headed up to the bridge, he found Dr. Hanson waiting for him.
"My people established a new colony on Haven" she said. "It was going well, but now the colony's gone dark. They're not responding on any frequency. We need to get out there and see what the situation is. They might have been exposed to the Zerg virus, and they are on the verge of Protoss space, Jim. I'm worried that something has gone very wrong."
-SCENE BREAK-
"We're almost to Haven," Matt said, "but there's still been no contact from-"
An alarm suddenly sounded.
"Sir, there's a Protoss fleet holding in orbit! They're disrupting all communications to the surface, and it looks like they're powering up their main weapons!"
"Matt, open a channel to the Protoss. Let's see how diplomatic they're feelin'."
"En Taro Tassadar, James Raynor" a female Protoss greeted. "I am Executor Selendis. I served under Artanis four years ago after the fall of Aiur. Remember me?"
"Yes I do, Selendis. Listen – with all due respect, your fleet needs to pull back. The people on Haven are no threat to you."
"Our Observers detected Zerg hive spores infesting the colonists. They must be purified. If you wish to undertake in our stead, we will permit it."
"Jim," Dr. Hanson cut in, "some of my people are infested, but you can't let the Protoss just kill them all! If you keep the Protoss at bay, I know I can find a cure for the infestation."
"The only cure for Zerg infestation is purification by fire!" Selendis replied. "You know this to be true, James."
"I can cure them, Jim. Believe me!"
"If you choose to resist us, we shall meet in glorious combat. The choice is yours, Raynor. We await your answer."
Jim called Matt and Teana over, and opened a private channel to Urban Holland and Zhal Arum over on the Starshot. After much deliberation, they reached their choice.
"I ain't gonna stand by while you wipe out a whole colony, Selendis" Jim said. "Not while there's still a chance we can save 'em."
"Then it shall be an honor to meet you on the field of battle. Your reputation as a commander precedes you. I trust you will live up to it."
The channel with the Protoss closed.
"Thank you, Jim. Thank you so much. Whatever's happening on Haven, my people don't deserve to be wiped out. We'll make this right. I'll find a cure."
Five minutes of preparation later
"Jim, the Protoss are already closing in on the colony. My people don't stand a chance!"
"We're gonna have to stop that 'Purifier' of theirs before it can wipe the whole place out" Raynor replied. "Ariel, get everyone evacuated to the main base. If the Purifier gets that far… we're done. …At least we can count on 'em bein' methodical. They'll stop to burn every settlement along the way."
"You sure know how to pick a fight, cowboy" Swann cut in on a channel from the armory. "I got somethin' that'll help ya. I called in a few favors and got us Viking schematics. Remember, they can change from a jet to a combat walker and back again. Pretty nifty stuff."
"Jim," Hanson reported, "the Purifier is drawing power from several Protoss Nexuses. Its shields are completely impenetrable; even the Starshot's particle cannon can't break through them as they are now. How can you stop something like that?"
"Easy. We knock out those nexuses first, and then we take down the Purifier. Don't worry, Ariel. We'll stop 'em."
"We will send dropships to assist on the evacuation," Ship-Master Arum said, "and our warriors will assist you in holding back Lady Selendis'."
"Gamma Team, get down there" Col. Holland ordered. "We'll stay in high orbit, and as soon as the Purifier's shield is down we'll blast it with the particle beam cannon."
"You heard 'em, girls!" Teana rallied her team. "Let's move!"
As Teana issued orders, Tosh looked at Gamma Team and chuckled. "Cry havoc, and let slip the girls of war."
-SCENE BREAK-
Haven's surface
Primary Colony Zone 1
SCVs were hard at work gathering minerals, while three Vikings, two squads of Sangheili, and Gamma Team comprised the current defense. More Vikings were under construction at the starport. Several Terran marines emerged from the two barracks.
"Some of the colonists didn't make it to our base in time" Matt reported. "We should be ready to assist them when the Protoss attack."
A force of nine marines, two medics, and three Vikings in Walker Mode headed east to attack the Nexus nearest to the Raider base.
"Sir, the Purifier has arrived and is on the move!"
The attack force reached the northeast Nexus, which was guarded by Zealots, Stalkers, and Sentries. The Vikings quickly shredded the Sentries before they could erect barriers, while the marines fired upon the Zealots while dodging the Stalkers' blaster-fire. The Vikings shifted fire to the Stalkers, keeping them off the marines while they dealt with the Zealots. One marine fell to a psi-blade through the head, but the rest were kept alive by the medics' medical nanites as Selendis' warriors were all dealt with. Once that was done with, heavy weapons and detonation charges brought the small Nexus down within a couple of minutes.
Meanwhile, a squad of Selendis' Zealots supported by a pair of Stalkers attacked the Raider base from the southwest, and Gamma Team stood in their way. Marie and Kaede were both carrying Sangheili T-33 Fuel-Rod Guns, and used them to scrap the Stalkers and kill a few of the Zealots. Teana and Mai used Mirage Rifle full-auto and an MA5C to chip away at the Zealots' shields and bring a few down, while Shion and Ahsoka used their abilities and energy blades to fight and slay more of the hostile Protoss up-close. Some assistance from one of the Sangheili squads finished them off. The attack force returned to base, linking up with five more Vikings, a Sangheili Spectre, and a UNSC Gauss Warthog. An SCV got to work repairing the damage to the returning Vikings, as more Vikings underwent construction at the starport.
"Sir, I'm detecting a massive energy spike! The Purifier is about to fire!"
To the south, the massive Protoss ship hovered over an abandoned settlement. After several seconds, it fired, glassing the area beneath it in seconds.
"Commander, a pair of Protoss warships is going after the colony ships. Those people don't stand a chance unless we stop them!"
A flight of nine Vikings and two UNSC Sabres headed to the southwest colony, arriving half a minute before two Protoss Archon-class cruisers. The fighters managed to dodge most of the capital ships' point-defense fire and deal enough missile hits to important parts to bring the two vessels down. The colony ship promptly lifted off and flew away, and the Vikings briefly touched down to gather the resources left behind before heading east, joined by four more. A pair of Stalkers attacked the main base from the southeast, but Marie and Kaede blew them away with fuel rod guns.
The attack flight (13 Vikings, two Sabres) approached the southeast Nexus, which was defended by many Stalkers and a Colossus. They hit the massive walker with a barrage of missiles, bringing it down first, and then the Vikings shifted to walker mode and engaged the Stalkers, aided by strafing runs from the Sabres. The Protoss combat mechs were quickly destroyed, though they managed to destroy two of the Vikings before being annihilated. The combat vehicles then focused fire on the Nexus, bringing it down within a couple minutes. They then returned to base, where three more Vikings and another Sabre joined their ranks. The Protoss Purifier soon reached the previously-abandoned settlement, and burned it to the ground.
The flight of 14 Vikings and three Sabres headed south and then west, attacking the final nexus, which was guarded by two Archons, a Void Ray, multiple Zealots on the ground, and a Khaydar-class frigate. After shooting down the Void Ray, all vessels started pounding the Nexus with missiles, ignoring the other threats as much as they could so as to take out the last thing standing between them and saving the colony. Three Vikings went down to all the fire being thrown their way, but the mission was completed, as the Nexus went up in a ball of fire. To the east, the Purifier's defenses fizzled out.
"Its shields are down!" Jim radioed the Starshot. "Hit it now!"
High up in the sky, the Starshot entered the atmosphere, rapidly descending until it was level with the Purifier. The weapon that ran along its spine thrummed with power, and soon the gathering spark of light exploded into a thick purple-white beam that speared straight through the Purifier. Secondary explosions cascaded throughout the Protoss ship, which plummeted to the ground, never to fly again. Across the planet, Protoss ships began to pull back.
"The Protoss are retreating!" Dr. Hanson said. "We've done it!"
"You are as cunning as I remember, Raynor" Selendis said from the bridge of her flagship, the supercarrier Purity's Blade. "I hope you belief in these colonists will be vindicated."
-SCENE BREAK-
Haven
Hyperion Airlock 36
"So I guess this is goodbye, doc" Jim said. "I know you got a lotta cleanin' up to do out there."
"We'll manage somehow" Ariel said with a smile. "I just hope you boys stay out of trouble. Those Protoss are bound to be upset."
"Well," Jim replied as he pulled out a cigarette, "me an' the Protoss go way back. I've helped 'em out a few times… Figure they might cut me some slack."
Dr. Hanson walked up to the door, which opened to reveal the peaceful forest outside, but then turned to face Raynor, pulling off her glasses.
"You know… you could always stay here" she said. "Settle down, make a fresh start."
Jim chuckled. "Guys like me don't get second chances, darlin'. We just gotta finish what we begun."
In response, she kissed him on the cheek and then turned and walked away. "You're a good man, Jim Raynor."
The door closed.
"Hmph. I ain't that good."
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Artifact-Hunting