This is it. After this, I'll be able to get the story rolling again with Book 22.
PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
High orbit over Char
120 Dominion Navy vessels, 25 Raider-loyal ships (including the Hyperion), and the Starshot gazed upon the ball of fire below them.
"Char. If Hell ever existed, this is it. Oceans of fire, tectonic storms, and an atmosphere that'll burn a man alive. But we've planned for all of that."
"You can't plan for the Zerg, General Warfield. They ain't gonna fit into your nice, clean timetable."
"I've led five separate invasions against the swarm, held the line while you and your 'freedom fighters' hid under a rock."
"We're all aware of your victories, General" Valerian interrupted as he walked onto the bridge. "I've invited Commander Raynor here to assist us with any… unforeseen contingencies."
"Well, it sounds like you got it all figured out, Junior."
"I have far too much invested in this undertaking to see it fail. Speaking of which, you might particularly enjoy this next step."
He walked over to the projection table and pressed a button… and Arcturus Mengsk appeared on-screen.
"Valerian! I've just received a report you've taken half the Navy! Care to explain yourself, boy?"
"Father, I am about to accomplish that which you never could. Today I will defeat the Queen of Blades and secure peace throughout the Dominion. By this act, the people will finally know that I am a worthy successor to you."
"I love your gumption, son, but you're in way over your head. What makes you think you have the experience to-"
"He ain't alone, Arcturus."
"Raynor… I don't know what gutter my son fished you out of, but even you've got to realize that treacherous bitch cannot be saved… and neither can you."
"We'll see about that. And when this is over… you an' me got a score to settle."
He reached over and shut off the comm. Valerian laughed.
"Everything I could've hoped for…"
"You're playin' a dangerous game here, kid."
Alarms suddenly sounded.
"Prince Valerian, we have Zerg attack waves incoming!"
"Already?"
Swarms of Mutalisks came up from the planet, and every ship in range opened fire with their point-defense guns. The Starshot and the Hyperion activated their vastly-superior shields, effortlessly tanking the Zerg's hits, but the Dominion ships began to take damage, and two battlecruisers accidentally collided when one of their captains panicked.
"Clear the bridge! I've got a battle to win."
"I'll see you boys on the ground."
-SCENE BREAK-
Groundside Raider/Dominion Base
Team Raynor and Gamma Team, having been orbital-dropped from the Starshot, watched the devastation on the holo-screen, listening to the reports. The Starshot hovered 300 meters ahead, shields still holding and ventral guns blazing, a few scorch marks and small hull ruptures marring its surface from the space battle.
"Teams Bravo, Echo, and Delta have gone dark. Repeat: Alpha has lost contact with all elements-"
"On the right, on the right! They're comin' around!"
"Where's command? I got no support! I got Zerg comin' outta my ass he-"
"We're on fire. Repeat: we've lost all thruster power-"
"They're comin' out of the ground!"
"Any station this net, any station this net, we need fire support, and we need it now- AAGH!"
"Damnit!" Jim said. "I told 'em a frontal assault wasn't gonna work! She was playin' with us the whole time!"
"Well, brother," Tychus replied, "we're alive at least. Looks like the few battlegroups that did make it to the surface are scattered all over the place."
"Do you think death is the worst thing that can happen to you here? Infestation is what's coming for you. Soon, all will serve the Swarm."
"She's… tryin' to get in our heads, man! We gotta keep it together!"
"If we're gonna pull this caper off, we need to rally as many survivors as we can."
"Commander," Matt contacted them, "Dominion battlegroups are still landing all around you, but they're in pretty bad shape and coming under heavy attack from the Zerg."
"Alright, let's get out there and rescue their sorry asses. We need to pull together a real fightin' force, or we won't have a prayer of stoppin' Kerrigan."
-SCENE BREAK-
"Commander, tactical analysis indicates the Zerg greatly outmatch your current forces" the Adjutant reported.
The two siege tanks at the base blew away a pair of small Zerg attack waves, as Marauders and marines manned the bunkers.
"Matt, keep me updated on those drop-pods as they get to Char. If we can reach enough of them before the Zerg, we might just have a chance of fightin' our way through this."
"Yes, sir. I'm already tracking an incoming drop-pod. It should be landing close to your position any second."
"Alright. Let's get out there and find 'em before the Zerg do."
A force of marines, medics, and Marauders led by Marie moved north. They carved through a pack of Zerglings, Marie and her BR55 leading the charge, and soon reached five of Warfield's marines.
"Raynor's Raiders… we sure are glad to see you boys! But where's General Warfield?"
"I'm assuming command here" Raynor replied. "You men fall in with us, and we'll see to findin' your General."
"There's a surface-to-orbit Spore Launcher up ahead" one of the marines pointed north. "We should kill it before it makes things even worse for the fleet."
The group moved north, the marines' assault rifles shredding the Zergling pack guarding the massive spore launcher. Marie attached a few det-packs, and the resulting explosion gutted the organic structure, taking it out of commission. With that done, the group returned south to base.
"I so love the way you kindle their hope, Jim. By all means, bring them all to my doorstep. Like lambs to the slaughter…"
"Don't listen to her! Stay focused, and we'll make it out of here together!"
The siege tanks blew away another attack force, as an SCV constructed a second barracks and a missile defense turret, and a few Marauders were dropped in.
The next pod landed to the southeast, and the marines from within started fighting their way towards the Raider base, with Marie's group heading down to meet them halfway. One of the marines fell, taking a Hydralisk spine through the brain, but the rest managed to regroup with the Raider force and follow them back to base. The force moved north to destroy another spore launcher, and then went back to base again. An SCV set up a pair of Psi Disruptors, and another drop-pod landed to the west. The attack group moved in that direction, the Marauders clearing the way of Spine Crawlers. At the pod site, they found three Vultures as well as an auto-factory, all of which followed them back to the base.
Another, larger Zerg force attacked the Raider base from the north. The two Siege Tanks and marine-filled bunker there, soon joined by Marie's group. Firebats emerged from the barracks and lent their fire to the cause, roasting many Zerglings. As soon as the attack was repulsed, Marie's group headed east toward the newly-landed Pod 4. They got there just as a pair of Valerian's Siege Tanks blew away a pack of Hydralisks attacking them. The tanks followed them back to base. Suddenly, though, as they returned to base, a Minotaur-class battlecruiser flew overhead, flames spewing from several large rents in its hull, pieces falling off as it quickly lost altitude.
"Mayday! Mayday! This is General Warfield! My ship has taken terrible… terrible damage!"
In the distance, the once-mighty vessel hit the ground and slid for several hundred meters, shedding parts and squishing quite a few Zerg as it bled off its momentum. Once it came to a stop, survivors piled out and set up defense, as a static-clouded message came over the comm.
"…is Gen… Warfield. To any Dominion ship in range: my ship is down, and we've sustained heavy losses. We're holding position, but we need support soon."
"We're on our way, General! Just hold on! …Damn, he can't even hear us. There's too much anti-air for the Longswords to make a bombing run or the dropships to fly in. The only way we're gettin' to Warfield is straight through those Nydus Worms."
"Some invasion…"
"We should mobilize everything we've got and try to break through to Warfield."
"Warfield won't be alive for very much longer. My Zerg will be drawn to his fear and that of his men. There's absolutely nothing you can do."
"You're sure talkin' a lot, Kerrigan. Maybe the fear you sense is your own."
For the next several minutes, the barracks and factory churned out more units, building up the attack force. Finally, with multiple Goliaths, Marauders, a few Siege Tanks, a Banshee squadron, and more marines than you could shake a stick at, all led by Raynor, Tychus, Teana, and Marie, they moved south. Two spore cannons were blown to bits by the tanks, and the attack group then moved east, as back at base two more tanks bolstered defense. An Infested Terran base was up ahead; the Banshees began pounding it with ASM strikes, while the tanks shifted to Siege Mode and joined in. The 'artillery' strike wiped out almost the entirety of the base and its defenders, and the rest of the strike force moved in to mop up what was left. A squad of Sangheili, along with three of their T-26 Ghosts, dropped in from a Spirit, led by Zhal Arum, who joined Raynor and the others in leading the attack force.
They went east and then north, the Banshees and Siege Tanks using their rockets and heavy mortars to clear the way. Once the Nydus Worms were within range, the flyers and tanks started pounding them, while everyone else took care of the myriad Zerg in the area that tried to attack them; a pack of Mutalisks going for the Banshees got blown out of the sky by the Goliaths, while Zerglings and Roaches going after the Siege Tanks were cut down by the marines' massed fire. Before long, the three Nydus Worms fell, clearing the way to the battlecruiser's landing zone.
"We've reached the crash site!" Raynor said. "With any luck, Warfield's still alive…"
-SCENE BREAK-
Hundreds of spent shell casings littered the ground. Assault rifles blazed, firing at the charging Zerglings. Warfield's rifle ran out of ammo, so he triggered the bayonet and speared a charging Zergling as it leapt over him. A trio of Mutalisks flew closer, their shots hitting nearby and blowing him off his feet.
"Fall back! We're cut off!"
"Belay that order!" he yelled. "Stand your ground!"
Suddenly a fusillade of Hydralisk spines shot through, killing all the marines except Warfield. The old General was thrown back when the ground beneath him erupted, a Hydralisk surfacing and towering over him, while a second one clawed its way through the barricade. A barrage of spines shot forth, Warfield blocking them with his arm. The nearby Hydralisk struck, and he grabbed its claw, stopping it inches from his face. He then cocked his other arm and threw a left cross that KO'ed the beast. However, the other one pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. Its jaws snapped in front of his face, trying and failing to bite through his helmet, and it then raised its claw.
A hypersonic bullet tore through the claw's joint, tearing it off. Another shot, smaller but much faster, punched through the beast's chest, blowing the Hydralisk apart from the chest up. Warfield looked, and saw a black-armored marine with a skull etched into his visor hefting an MX-9 "Zergslayer" rifle, and the smaller red-armored female holding a massive UNSC M99 Stanchion.
"Heard you boys needed some help" the black-armored one said, the visor depolarizing to reveal Jim Raynor. "We came as fast as we could."
A huge blue-armored Terran marine and a white-armored Sangheili leapt down, prying the dead Hydralisk off of Warfield.
"Ain't no time to be lyin' around on the job, General" Tychus said.
Jim held out his hand to the General, who laughed.
"You magnificent son of a bitch! You're about the last person I expected to see."
"Uh, folks, I hate to interrupt, but, uh… the natives are gettin' restless!"
The ground began to shake, and in the distance a horde of Zerglings came charging.
"Thanks for the rescue," Warfield said, "but I hope it ain't just the four of ya."
"General, you know I always have a card to play…"
A squadron of Terran and Sangheili Banshees flew overhead, firing rockets and fuel rod guns to decimate the charging horde. Warfield yanked the last spine from his arm.
"You might be a damn pirate, Raynor, but whatever else happens, you saved my boys today… and I won't forget that."
"All in a day's work, General" Raynor replied as a Banshee and a dropship flew in.
-SCENE BREAK-
Groundside Base
"I must admit, Lanstar. You're a hell of a lot tougher than you look. I got caught off-guard considerin' how small you are in that armor compared to the rest of us, but you proved me wrong."
"Big things come in small packages, Mr. Warfield."
As Teana walked away, Marie muttered – in earshot of Warfield – "Big things… easy for you to say, Ms. D-Cup."
Warfield busted out laughing at that, only to be cut off by a wince as the stump of his right arm throbbed.
"How you holdin' up, General?" Raynor asked.
"Ahh… damn poison. I told those pansy-ass medics to lop off my arm so I could get back to the front. Even so, I'm in pretty bad shape. I've decided to hand over all command to you."
"I understand. I know that ain't easy for you."
"Easy? Son… I'm getting' off easy compared to what you got ahead of you. To reach the main hive, you'll have to choose, between takin' out their ground reinforcements or their air support. There ain't time for both."
"Don't worry, General. I'll deal with the Zerg. First chance you get, head back to the ship and get patched up. That's an order." He turned to his big buddy in the big gun. "How's it goin', Tychus?"
"Lock and load, Jimmy-boy! These blasted critters just keep comin'! What we got here's the biggest turkey shoot in the galaxy!"
"Hate to spoil all your fun, Tychus, but we gotta start pushin' toward the primary hive cluster, pronto!"
"That's a tall order, ol' buddy. 'Tween them Nydus Worms and the ground and that swarm o' fliers overhead, we ain't in no position to push against anything!"
"You're always an inspiration, Tychus…"
"Hey, we got somethin' on the news!" Ahsoka said.
"This is Kate Lockwell reporting live for UNN. Stunning news tonight as massive numbers of Zerg began pulling back to their main hive on the planet Char. While they aren't giving up the worlds they conquered, most of the aliens appear to be massing near the fiery planet."
"What can it mean, Kate?"
"We really don't know, Donny. We'll keep you posted with any further developments."
"I know what it means," Jim said, "and it ain't good."
"So we're gonna get hit with nearly the entire damn Zerg army soon?" Marie asked. "Great…"
Jim turned his attention to the C&C computer.
"Y'know," Tychus said as he walked up, "I been thinking…"
"Scares me more than the Zerg" Jim snarked.
"We're gonna have to take out those Nydus Worms before we can make a move on the main hive. Them Zerg burstin' up under us wherever they please ain't exactly conducive to our health and well-bein'."
"Well, placing charges in the right spots in their Nydus network could flood the whole system with lava. What's your take, General?"
"It's dangerous, but it could work. Bigger problem's still their fliers. Even if we could move our units forward, we can't provide adequate air cover while the skies are contested."
"Any suggestions?"
"Intel shows 80% of the Zerg fliers nest on an infested platform hanging in low orbit. We take that down, we'll own the air."
"Hell, if this platform's so important, why not just nuke it?" Tychus asked.
"The nests are burrowed deep into the superstructure. Surface detonations won't do it. We'd need to land a strike force on the platform and take it apart piece by piece. It's your call, Raynor."
"Hmm… We can deal with the Nydus Worms when they surface," Jim said, "but there ain't no way we can advance without air support. We gotta take that platform down."
"We came all the way down here just to head back up into space?" Tychus asked in an annoyed tone.
"I only wish I could go with you. Give 'em hell, Raynor! Now, the Zerg fliers are usin' this old orbital platform as their base of operations. It's actually made up of several smaller platforms tethered together in geostationary orbit. The nests are too deep inside to destroy with a bombardment, but clearing the whole thing with ground forces will be costly."
"Adjutant, what's keepin' that thing in orbit? Has it got power?"
"Affirmative. Thermal readings indicate intense heat coming from the platforms. Core temperatures are kept stable by a series of coolant towers, still functional despite the Zerg infestation."
"Perfect. There's our answer, General. We get onboard and destroy the coolant towers on each section. The reactors'll go off and take care of the Zerg for us."
"Excellent plan. You missed your calling, Raynor – you would've made an outstanding staff officer."
"I reckon I'm right where I'm meant to be, General. Now let's get saddled up and hit that platform. Kerrigan won't be givin' us a second chance."
-SCENE BREAK-
Compound Orbital Platform J
Geostationary Orbit over Char
"I've got the tower locations" Matt radioed. "I'll mark them on your TACMAP."
"Damn, Jimmy… This whole place is… writhing!"
"Once we blow those coolant towers, it won't matter. The platforms'll burn up and kill everything on 'em."
Resources were gathered, buildings assembled, and war vehicles began construction. A siege tank rolled out from the factory and took up Siege Mode at the western entrance, where SCVs were constructing a Psi Disruptor, a missile turret, and two Perdition flame turrets. A pack of Zerglings attacked from the west, but were barbecued and blown to bits. Two Science Vessels emerged from the starport, joining the squadron of five Banshees and the Raider-loyal Minotaur-class battlecruiser Ephemeral. A group of Hydralisks and Mutalisks attacked from the south; the Ephemeral's guns wiped out the flyers and most of the Hydralisks, leaving the few survivors for the marines to deal with.
The flight of Banshees flew southwest, weaving around to dodge fire from the Hydralisks below as they headed for the cooling tower of the central platform. They unleashed a barrage of missiles that destroyed the cooling tower, and then u-turned and flew back as fast as possible, ignoring the (organic bug-reptile-monster equivalent of) small-arms fire sent their way. They flew back to base, where a third science vessel, two UNSC Falcons, and a fighter-mode Viking joined them. 20 seconds later, the central platform's reactor went up, triggering a chain of explosions that ripped the platform open and wiped out the Zerg stationed on it.
"I'm picking up signs of heavy air defenses on the south-most platform," Matt reported, "and there are a lot of ground defenses on the northern platform."
The three science vessels, Viking, Falcons, and Banshees headed west, finding a small Zerg base that the Banshees and Falcons quickly wiped out. A few SCVs came over to the empty real estate and constructed auto-refineries on the vents there. The air force moved to the devastated central platform, linking up with four more Vikings and taking out a small Zerg air attack force gathered there.
Soon, a force of 10 Vikings, two Falcons, three Terran Banshees, and the three science vessels moved west, attacking the ground-defense-heavy platform. The Vikings took out the few Overseers and Mutalisks in the area, allowing the Banshees to swoop in and bombard the cooling tower, destroying it. The flyers fell back, and soon the northern platform was ripped apart by cascading explosions. Suddenly, from the west came Zerg reinforcements… led by a flying titan of a Zerg.
ZERG LEVIATHAN – 8000 METERS
"Warning: Unidentified Zerg organism detected inbound. Largest on record."
"Damn! That's all we need! We better take that thing down or it's gonna cause some havoc!"
The air strike force returned to base, meeting up with more Vikings, the Starshot, and three more battlecruisers (the Euphrates, the Cassiopeia, and the Troy) and wiping out a Zerg air attack from the southwest. The force of four battlecruisers, destroyer, three science vessels, and 13 Vikings then headed southwest, with the Starshot firing its particle-beam cannon at full charge, punching a hole clean through the Leviathan but not killing it; the titanic beast roared as it fired an explosive glob of something that struck the Euphrates, doing a surprising amount of damage. Its tentacles then lunged forward and ripped the vessel apart, while Mutalisks emerged from its body to be engaged by the Vikings and ships' point-defense guns. Fusion cannon shots aimed at the creature's head by the three remaining battlecruisers, coupled with plasma torpedoes from the Starshot, finally managed to burn through the Leviathan's skull and destroy its brain, slaying the organic supercarrier.
The air forces then met up over the central platform – five science vessels, four Banshees, three Falcons, two Vikings, the Starshot, and three battlecruisers. They went southwest, bypassing a small Zerg base and heading for the southwest platform. A long-range particle beam shot from the Forerunner destroyer took out the cooling tower from a safe distance. The ships hung back and waited… and waited…
"Yeah, so… any second now… any second… There it goes!"
The chained explosions tore the platform apart, same as the last two times.
"You're doin' great out there, Raynor! Three down, one to go!"
A force of Dominion frigates flew in and wiped out a small Zerg base south of Raider Base 1, and then joined up with the main air attack force. The now-very-large force flew south, heading for the final, southeast platform. The capital ships' guns overwhelmed the Zerg base, the ships protecting each other as they advanced, point-defense and ventral guns clearing the way. Finally, the battlecruisers fired their fusion cannons at the final cooling tower, blowing it to bits. The platform's destruction soon followed.
"Yeeha!" a Banshee pilot cheered. "The fly-boys planet-side are gonna love us for this!"
-SCENE BREAK-
Surface of Char
The tattered Dominion flag flew in the hot wind. Bodies of fallen men & women littered the ground in various positions. Overhead, storm clouds rumbled and parted, showering the battlefield with rain. Jim Raynor walked up to a fallen Raider, grabbing the man's dog-tags and examining them.
M. KOITER
20.05.54
MAR SARA TVN
A Dominion dropship flew in, and Jim, Teana, and Tychus walked up to meet it. General Warfield stepped out, his right arm a black robotic appendage.
"Good to see ya on your feet, General."
"Yeah. Well, we'll see how long that lasts. I brought you boys a present."
Two Dominion marines walked out, carrying a large rectangular case. It opened, revealing the five-foot-long black monolith, light-blue light glowing from within.
"The Xel'Naga artifact's been assembled. I hope to God it does what we think it does."
"Damn straight" Tychus said. "Bettin' our lives on some alien piece o' crap don't sight right with me."
"I hear ya, Tychus. But if I was bankin' everything on that, I'd be quit already. 'Cause here we are in the mouth of Hell, and we made it this far by leanin' on each other."
"Heh. Whether it's blind luck or damn-fool courage, in all my years, I've never seen anything like what you jokers have pulled off."
"That thing's the key to stoppin' the Queen of Blades… but it's our sweat and blood that'll make it happen. After everything we've been through… past all the fire and fury… the one thing I know is that we can count on each other to get the job done. Or die trying, if that's what it takes."
As the soldiers across the battlefield were uplifted by these words, the clouds broke and pure sunlight touched the ground, as if to accentuate what James had said. He looked down at the dog-tags still in his hand.
"Because some things are just worth fighting for."
-SCENE BREAK-
"We spent a lotta time huntin' down all them pieces" Tychus said. "Now that it's all together, this thang gives me the willies somethin' awful."
"I know what ya mean" Jim replied. "When I look at it, it's… it's like I can hear voices in my head. …The sooner we're done with this thing, the better."
"Agreed" Warfield said. "Right now this artifact is the most important weapon in the galaxy, and we're going to use it."
"I just wish the damn thing came with an instruction manual. For all we know, we could be upsettin' the entire space-time continuum!"
"Easy, Tychus. This ain't science fiction."
Warfield sighed. "All these years, Raynor, Mengsk made you out to be the Devil himself. But I've seen you put it on the line for men who'd otherwise be huntin' you down."
"Your Emperor's the one who should be brought to justice. All I ever wanted was for folks to live free."
"Charging into battle with a stranger, taking enemy fire, holding the line shoulder-to-shoulder, that's the great equalizer of war. It's an honor to fight at your side."
"I sure do appreciate that, General."
Jim walked over to Tychus. "Final push. You ready for this?"
"That I am, partner. Hell, we're gonna be the guys that de-Zerg the Queen o' Blades an' cut the head off the Zerg leadership! Genuine heroes! Ol' Mengsk might even give you a pardon!"
"Who knows? Probably not, though."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a sad day for us at UNN. I regret to inform you that, last night, Donny Vermillion had himself committed to the Dominion Mental Health Center here on Korhal. While the nature of his abrupt mental breakdown remains unknown, we do know that he was clad only in his socks and rumored to be in possession of Emperor Mengsk's manifesto… and a pound of peanut butter. We wish you all the best, Donny, and hope for your speedy recovery. In the meantime, I'll be taking over as chief anchor here at UNN. For UNN, I'm Kate Lockwell. …WOO!-! YES! Woo!"
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy…" Ahsoka remarked.
"You girls ready for this?" Teana asked her six. "The Zerg are probably gonna throw everything they have at us. Kerrigan herself might even join in. Last chance to back out and sit things out back on the Starshot."
"Are you nuts, Boss?" Marie said. "After all we've been through? We'll follow you to hell and back."
The other girls nodded their agreement. Behind her visor, Teana smiled.
"I gotta say, you gals are the best spec-ops team I've ever known" Warfield said. "I know you're gonna go places in the future."
"Thank you, sir."
"The Engineer Corps is moving the Xel'Naga artifact to the base of the primary hive cluster. We'll entrench the last of our defenses all around it. Unfortunately, it's gonna take some time to charge up the device for a strike against the Queen of Blades. Intel provided by the Moebius Foundation suggests that the Zerg will be attracted by the artifact's pulse emanations. Once it's activated, all nearby Zerg will go into a frenzy tryin' to reach it."
"There's no way we can beat a sustained Zerg attack with what we've got left."
"The artifact itself may help with that. According to intel, it can discharge what they're calling an 'energy nova' that should kill any Zerg within its radius. It takes time to recharge after each use; otherwise, this'd be easy. You'll have to activate the energy nova manually. Fortunately, it pulses on a subsonic frequency, so humans – and Ahsoka, and the Sangheili and their forces – will be immune to its effects."
"Recharge or no, I'll take all the help we can get right now, General. Remember: Kerrigan's still out there waitin' for us."
"How could we forget?"
-SCENE BREAK-
Raider/Dominion Base six kilometers southeast of primary hive cluster
"You've brought me the Xel'Naga artifact. It was good of you to save me the trouble of finding it myself."
"Warning: Massive Zerg force incoming."
"We're not ready for this many!" Matt said. "We'll have to use the artifact."
The artifact fragmented into its four components, sending out a pulse that killed every Zerg within 1,100 meters. The four pieces ever so slowly began to spontaneously reassemble.
"An impressive defense… but not nearly impressive enough. My forces number in the tens of billions, and yours are thinning by the minute. This can only end one way."
At the base, bunkers and siege tanks guarded the two main entrances, with Psi Disruptors soon being constructed. Teana and Captain Rex were near the center of the base; Shion and Capt. Cody led the artifact's guard team; Marie, Kaede, and Ahsoka guarded the western front, while a group of Sangheili Alliance forces helped hold the east. The Starshot hovered 150 meters over the artifact, ready to use its bomber squadrons and its ventral guns to attack anything that got close enough. The two battlecruisers Ephemeral and Bucephalus were positioned to provide protective fire for both the artifact and the northern routes. The starport worked to churn out Banshees for the inevitable Nydus Worm attacks. Two more siege tanks rolled out from the factory and took position to guard the western flank, ready to blast anything in their considerable range, and two more took position on the east section of the artifact's rocky platform.
"Warning: Seismic disturbance detected. Nydus Worm inbound."
Three Nydus Worms popped up; one was quickly killed by the Ephemeral's guns, the second was blown apart by siege tank fire, and the third was brought down by Banshee rockets to the face. Two more siege tanks rolled into position atop the artifact platform's western section. Three Hell's Angels mercenary Vikings were called in, and two Thor walkers emerged from the factory while two science vessels came from the starport. Another wave of Nydus Worms popped up, but the Starshot's ventral guns and the Terran Banshee squadron took them out. Two more Thors took defensive position.
"Alert! Class-12 psionic waveform detected. The Queen of Blades is inbound."
"I'm tired of working through others. It's time I took a personal hand in your demise."
"Everyone, stay back!" Teana radioed. "We'll handle this, just like I planned! Shion, Ahsoka, let's go!"
"What the hell are you doing, Lanstar?-!"
"The girls and I will keep her occupied in a three-on-one fight. If things get hairy, Shion'll teleport us back to the base."
With that, Ahsoka and Teana met up with Shion, and the trio disappeared in a whorl of black smoke, appearing right in front of Kerrigan.
"A human Dark Templar? Interesting… but not worth my time. Step aside, girls."
In response, Ahsoka threw her lightsaber, Kerrigan narrowly avoiding decapitation and losing her right claw-wing. She growled and lashed out with a psionic bullet, but Teana sliced it out of the air with Mirage Longsword, and then charged the ex-human. Kerrigan summoned a blade of psionic energy to surround her right hand and blocked the swing, surprised by the strength behind the blow.
"What are you? …Such advanced cybernetics, and that armor… and those eyes…"
Teana's eyes, blood-red with two comma-like marks in them, stared angrily through a depolarized visor at Kerrigan's glowing gold eyes. Shion leapt in and tried to slice Kerrigan down the middle, and the infested woman back-flipped out of the way. The trio formed up, weapons drawn and bodies channeling power.
"…Fine, then. I guess I'll have to play with you."
At the base, an artifact pulse wiped out a Zerg attack wave, and shortly after another Nydus Worm wave surfaced. The Mgalekgolo's cannons reduced Zerglings and Hydralisks to charred corpses, and Sangheili plasma swords cleaved through Zerg bone-blades and the Zerg they were attached to. The Thor walkers bombarded a Nydus Worm to the northwest, blowing it to chunks. From high orbit, the mercenary battlecruiser Jackson's Revenge descended to the battlefield, lending its firepower to defense of the base.
"Commander Raynor," Col. Holland radioed, "we're picking up a mass of Overlords heading your way! Ready your air defenses!"
From the southeast, a squadron of Zerg Overlords flew in, dropping off many Zerglings before being shot down by missile turrets and Vikings. Meanwhile, out in the field, the three-on-one continued. Kerrigan and Ahsoka leapt in close to each other and simultaneously lashed out with a psionic push. The two opposing forces met between their hands, less than six inches away from each other, and quickly destabilized, sending both of them flying backward. Shion gathered power into her body and channeled it into her psi-blade, causing it to grow to over 10 feet in length.
She swung it sideways, and a thin green wave of energy shot forth at Kerrigan, who called forth a shield that barely withstood it. The massive green blade then struck again, narrowly avoiding cleaving Kerrigan in half and leaving a deep scar in the ground. The red-armored Spartan leapt in with her two orange blades, making a flurry of strikes that Kerrigan had to move at superhuman speeds to avoid by scant millimeters. A repulsion wave from the corrupted woman sent the trio hurtling back, but they again got to their feet and rejoined the fight.
Another pulse from the artifact wiped out another Zerg attack wave, giving the base defense a little room to breathe. The Thor walkers and siege tanks halted an attack from the northwest, while the Sangheili continued to hold the line at the east, a barrage of plasma grenades from the Unggoy wiping out a Zergling rush. The factory and barracks continued to churn out additional forces to replace those lost. Three more Hell's Angels Vikings were called in.
As Teana saw the massive sphere of deadly psionic energy approaching her, her vision suddenly became clearer and more acute, and she easily dodged it. She charged in, and found that she could now slightly predict Kerrigan's movements. Kerrigan saw through the visor, and was surprised that the girl's red eyes each now had three comma-like marks instead of two. She was more surprised when she knocked Teana away, briefly knocking one of the swords from her hand, and Teana suddenly summoned a psi-blade on that hand, using it to deflect Kerrigan's attacks until her other sword teleported back into her hand. Shion fired a Dark Impulse, knocking Kerrigan for a loop but not out of the fight. She summoned a second psi-blade on her other arm and charged in.
A pair of Sangheili Phantoms flew in, lending their fire to the northeast defense and roasting a Zerg attack wave. The Starshot's ventral guns wiped out a trio of Nydus Worms to the northwest. The Banshee squadron flew out and took out two more. Minutes later, another Nydus wave surfaced and was wiped out by the Banshees and starships.
"Artifact's 85% charged! Hang in there!"
Two mores waves of Nydus Worms attacked, and were in turn pushed back. A pulse from the artifact wiped the area clean of Zerg, sparing the Sangheili forces from death by Ultralisk.
Out in the battlefield, the trio was nearing their limit. Out on the battlefield, Teana – using her eyes' new level of predictive ability – rolled underneath a psi-blade strike and dealt a crushing punch to Kerrigan's midsection. She followed up with a barrage of blows that – unbeknownst to her – Cross Mirage supercharged with magical energy. Kerrigan, now exhausted and fairly wounded, teleported back to her hive. A UNSC Falcon swooped in, picking up the exhausted girls and bringing them back to base.
"You will all pay for this!"
"Don't give up…"
"I… I hear Sarah…"
"She's losin' it!"
A huge group of Nydus Worms surfaced all around the base, disgorging hundreds of Zerg. Every gun in the base, from rifle to ship's cannon, opened fire as fast as it could, slaughtering dozens within the first second. Finally, however, the artifact came together and began to glow blue.
"Artifact power at full capacity" the Adjutant reported.
"It's now or never! HIT IT!-!"
The artifact glowed so brightly it almost hurt to look at, and then let loose a massive wave of energy. For thousands of kilometers in every direction, everything Zerg died.
-SCENE BREAK-
"…Jim?"
"It's okay. I gotcha."
From the ruined Hive Palace, a black-armored figure walked carefully into the sunlight, carrying a nude form. The woman was somewhat pale, had antenna-like structures in place of hair, but was otherwise human. She looked up at her savior, smiled, and went to sleep. Behind him walked his faithful warriors – Tychus Findlay, Gabriel Tosh, and the six girls of Gamma Team. They were all filled with pride; they'd saved the entire sector, and saved the life & freedom of the one person who could stop the coming apocalypse. Overhead, dozens of ships – the 65 vessels that had survived the Battle of Char – filled the sky.
After so many bad breaks, James Raynor had finally scored a no-strings-attached big-time victory in his life.
-SCENE BREAK-
Hyperion Hangar
2 Days Later
"You sure you folks can't stick around?"
"We would love to, Mr. Raynor," Colonel Holland said, "but the currents of trans-dimensional slipspace are shifting. If we don't leave soon, we'll be stuck here forever. It was a great honor assisting you and your men this last month. As soon as the currents have stabilized, we'll send envoys to talk things official with you and the Protoss."
"Much obliged, Colonel."
"I understand Ms. Kerrigan down in the med-bay is doing alright. I pray she'll retain enough power over the Zerg to stop the Hybrids."
"You an' me both, sir. Y'all come back to visit, now, y'hear?"
"Hm. Sure thing."
The two men shook hands, and Colonel Holland boarded the Pelican, which lifted off and flew over to the Starshot. The influential personnel of the Hyperion waved them off.
Over in the Starshot, technicians got to work maintaining the technology that the Raiders and Warfield's Dominion forces had given them – powered armor, weapons, vehicles & fighters, and a couple hundred volunteers. At the bridge, Zhal Arum leaned back in his chair, satisfied at another job well done. The girls of Gamma Team had already said their goodbyes earlier, being wished luck and given gifts by their new friends as they left.
The Starshot pulled away from Char and triggered its slipspace drive. Space-time parted, and the ship slipped into the Ways Between.
-BOOK 2 REWRITE END-
Okay, then. Next I'm gonna read StarCraft: Flashpoint, and then I'll get to work on Book 22: Heart of the Swarm. Keep a look-out, folks.