The First Korhal chapter is away. sorry for the late update, but I'm keeping up my record of one a day updates, although only by the most technical of measurements. i'm going on vacation soon, so updates will be sporadic and based on what I'm doing at the time. this was a fun chapter for me, as I actually scared myself during one point. also, yes, there is a cliffhanger here.
Daybreak brings with it exciting news. The Odin has been delivered, with Findlay inside. This time he has a little more training, and knows how to talk to Command. All squads are deploying today, we're taking the UNN complex by storm. Spirits are high today, this is a decisive blow against the Dominion, using their own superweapon against them in a suicidal strike, and when it succeeds, everyone from the highest military official to the lowest worker will know what Mengsk did to Tarsonis to secure his rule. Every marine squad has specific tasks; Golf and Sierra as usual are guarding the base. Epsilon Theta is raiding one of the complexes; Bravo Delta and Barren Zeta are raiding the other two. Echo November, and Alpha squads are hitting targets of opportunity, running interference against the Dominion, and generally making a nuisance of ourselves. I think this mission will be quite enjoyable.
We're prepared and ready to go; the Dropships have us coming in at different points, the Attack squads moving in with the Command Center. The same is true for the Defense squads. We're being dropped off randomly on the outskirts of town in legitimate dominion transports. We're suited up, of course, and will be obvious to any dominion troops once we're out, but that is an eventuality, given my condition. Echo November has two infested members in it as well. We're no longer as inconspicuous as we once were. We touch down, and I move into formation behind the rest of my Squad. "Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war" whispers someone whose voice I don't recognize, one of the new faces from the squad. He's either a fan of Shakespeare, which while unlikely is possible, or, more likely, a Star Trek fan. We move forward, looking around that the great metropolis.
"It's hard to believe that this whole planet used to be an irradiated husk". Blake says.
I respond "yeah, it's quite something. Too bad it comes at such a cost. " everyone is silent after that.
There's a bridge here, past a Dominion command center with mineral supplies around it. The SCVs are watching the Odin's unveiling, and are completely oblivious to our presence. Beyond the bridge is a science facility. This looks like the perfect target, keeps the Dominion off balance, and allows us to pick up something from the ruin. Dominion Bio-Labs are going to have something in them.
We enter the building through its front entrance just as we hear the distinctive cannon-blast of the Odin go off for the first time. The Marines are prepared for a fight, but are disappointed with a receptionist who cowers behind her desk when we enter. We secure the room, and set up Jamming equipment to stop any alarms they have going. It's not a perfect solution, there may have already been an alert sent out, but this way it'll be less clear, and hopefully be slower in coming. I move the Secretary, who screams again when she sees an Infested amongst the raiders, from her chair and begin moving through the Facility's files. All the really important stuff is behind firewalls which the Secretary's profile can't get me through.
I say "they've got something in here, but I can't decrypt it from this station. We need to go in further, find the Administrator".
Andrew nods, and says "Dave, Mark, you hold the doors, radio if there's trouble and we'll try to reinforce you. The rest of you, with me." We move on, through the reception chamber to the beginnings of the laboratory. The Scientists freeze up when they see us, and it is obvious that no coherent warning was sent out. Good. We secure the ones we find, and download their files on a secure channel. We then set the terminals to delete. They're doing bio-weapons research here, otherwise we wouldn't bother.
We keep going through the well-lit halls, when we come to a room we breach, take care of whoever's inside, still no security whatsoever, and download the files. By now the Odin's cannon-blasts have stopped coming. We keep in radio contact, on a specific frequency the Jammer doesn't target, both with each other, and with the outpost onworld. They estimate a twenty-minute upload at each site, and the Odin only managed to destroy one site, although it did partially dismantle another. That should give us at least an hour to find the Administrator. Unfortunately, this facility is large, and he could be anywhere. He has to know something's up, either through hard-wired connections, or through a simple lack of communications from the rest of the facility. We're expecting a trap, but that doesn't mean we'll be ready when it hits.
The second floor is different from the first. The walls are darker here, and the atmosphere more threatening. There's something psychological going on here, something to do with sentients. That's not good, at all. If they're torturing prisoners in here, to test whatever this weapon is, we may have to put them down. One report we found listed using the HEV, or the Zerg Virus. Infested cannot be saved once they are fully converted, I just hope the Dominion didn't do something like that.
We enter the next room in our path, to discover a nightmare. They have been using the HEV. It's as bad as the Infested Station. The veterans of that experience are heavily affected. I feel sick. This is wrong, it's wrong even when the Zerg are the ones infesting innocents, but when it's the dominion, the people who are supposed to be human; it reaches a whole new level. They are in cages, moaning incoherently, acting completely inhuman. Pity and disgust vie for dominance inside me. Disgust wins, and I turn to the scientists who were performing experiments on these things, and are now bound like the rest of the staff. I say "these men are traitors to humanity, they cannot be allowed to live." I raise my gun, before Andrew interrupts me, pushing my hand back down.
"No. I know what they have done, but do you really think you can punish them adequately for their crimes? And more importantly, should you?"
I growl "yes" and shift my aim to the control panel that held the Infested locked in place. Once more I attempt to fire, to leave these men with those they have tortured and deformed in the name of science. Once again, Andrew stops me.
"If you do that, are you any better than them?"
I answer "they did this to themselves."
Finally, he grows fed up. "Julia, as your Commanding Officer, I order you to put that gun down. Whether we like it or not, we need these men. They all have vital pieces of evidence to what they were doing here, pieces that could mean the difference between a rescue, and an execution. I know that you have strong feelings towards Infestation, but killing them won't bring these men back. One way or another, they will never do what they did here again. Let the proper authorities take care of the rest." I growl in frustration, how can he not see it? They won't get a trial. The Dominion's systems are too rigged for that to happen, and we can't take them onboard the Hyperion and try them ourselves. This is the only way.
After a long moment, however, the good soldier in me wins out, and I lower my weapon. Andrew breathes out a sigh of relief. My focus zooms outward, and I see the way the rest of the Marines are arranged. Some, my friends and one other marine, stand behind me, while the rest of the squad backs up Andrew. We were that close to a confrontation. "let's just get out of here" Andrew says, and everyone obviously agrees.
We move through the halls. We've collected a map, and are honing in on the Administrator's office. I'm still unhappy that those men are still alive; however, something was off in that situation. I've never been that confrontational, especially not with Andrew, who I consider second only to Zeke and Blake as a friend. Something about this place… it has everyone on edge. I can feel it. The entire facility seems wrong. It stopped being human on the first level. The angles, the colors, even the sounds themselves are just… off.
The Administrator's office is the heart of the wrong feeling. I am repulsed by the door, instinctively afraid of what's behind it. We all share the same feeling of ominous dread as we walk towards that inconspicuous entrance. Blood is thumping in my ears, my heart is racing, and sweat beads on several of my companion's brows. There. Is. Something. Wrong. It defies all description, it's not Psionic, even with my limited experience I know that. It's a dark, primal fear that worms its way into your head. After what seems to be an eternity, we reach the door. Andrew engages the panel, and my breath catches in my throat as the door hisses slowly open.
It's pitch dark inside the room. Our CMC armor powers on, beams of light seeming ineffectual at cutting out the soul-grinding, all-consuming darkness of that place, illuminate an office space, one that seems average. That… feeling is still there, though The tingle at the back of my neck, someone walking on my grave. Is that… movement? In the corner of my eye? I swear I see… what's going on? I… its cold. Why do I feel cold? I can't see… there's nothing there. Only the darkness. I am small, and it is infinite. I am cold and alone. No one is there, nothing is there. And then… there is, and I am not.
Raynor oversees the movement of troops. The central Dominion base in the complex was destroyed by the Odin in its initial assault. The Dominion has been fighting hard to retain control of this area, though. He has had to micromanage quite a bit during this mission. Attacks would come in randomly, and in the least opportune of times. The Odin continually needs repairs, but has not broken down yet, much to his surprise. He had thought Tychus would have broken the thing by now. It has been useful though. It's smaller counterparts have been good as well. "Thors" they were called, and it is a fitting name. children of the Odin, and the "Gods of thunder". If he wasn't needed here, he might be out driving one of the things himself, although Raynor definitely prefers the maneuverability of a vulture bike to the power of a Thor. Of course, there are other concerns as well. Both Alpha, and Echo November have dropped out of contact. Alpha was investigating a bio-weapons lab, something that had some seriously perverted minds behind it. Echo November was trying to burn out a Dominion strongpoint back beside the first base. Both had gone dark simultaneously, and the Rescue teams were not responding either. He would worry about them later, though.
Raynor was done. The messages had been uploaded. Of course, he had lost three marine teams to Korhal. Epsilon Theta had gone after the two missing teams. What could have taken them all out? It's not good, and he will be remaining onworld to allow for rescue operations, or, if needed, operations to make sure no Data falls into the enemies hands after the squad's death. For now though, they are gone, and he would find out where they went.