Chapter 4: The Invasion of Braxis
As the UED strike force unpacked their equipment and supplies on the snowy surface of Braxis, Roland Harker looked around in concern. "Where is our vespene gas?"
"Captain, the supply ship carrying it was destroyed when we skirted past the orbital defenses," Hector said. "While our main fleet was able to keep the defenders distracted enough for our strike force to make it through mostly intact, there were some lucky shots."
"That is unfortunate," Roland said. "And since our landing zone doesn't have any gas either, we won't be able to operate our tanks for very long. We'll have to secure a source quickly if we are to proceed. There is no hope of taking Boralis without artillery support." He didn't mention that even if things had gone to plan, it would have been an exceedingly difficult fight. The capital was defended very well.
It would be an absolute nightmare to break through in a direct attack. Roland really wished he could have had some more assets, but his orders were orders. If this did fail, he supposed that the fleet would have to come in for another pass to launch a second wave through the orbital defense. In such a case, he would probably have taken the remainder of his troops and hidden in the wilderness while the second wave came to bail him out. It was a distinct possibility, which is why he made sure to get some information about the landscape.
"We've taken some scans of the surrounding area as we were landing," Hector said.
"I see." Roland examined the maps. "It seems that we will have to take a detour from our target to first secure additional supplies before we can proceed to take Boralis. We are moving out to the east. There is a Dominion outpost there that we must eliminate first."
It didn't take long before they were just out of sight of the Dominion outpost. The UED forces waited, hidden near the side of the road heading toward Boralis.
A voice reported from a communicator. "Captain, we've attacked the Dominion patrol and have them pinned down as you requested."
"Good work," Roland said. "Keep up the pressure and keep them engaged. We'll come support you once our work here is done."
Just a little while later, Dominion soldiers merged from the outpost, heading north to reinforce their patrol group. In their haste, they hadn't expected to be ambushed before even coming close to their destination. From behind the trees, the UED soldiers struck. The Dominion force found itself being shot at from both sides of the road, and with their commander falling within the first moments, the survivors quickly broke and ran, retreating back to the outpost.
The UED were hot on the heels of the surviving Dominion soldiers. As they emerged from the trees, the full size of the UED force became clear. Seeing that they were now greatly outnumbered, the Dominion garrison manning the outpost surrendered as the UED drew near.
After leaving a few soldiers to secure the prisoners and the outpost, it was time to move on. "We don't have time to waste," Roland said. "We'll link up with the detachment we left in the north and then proceed to take over the refinery. The supplies there will be of utmost importance for us."
It didn't take long for the sounds of battle to approach. The diversionary force had been locked in a stalemate with the Dominion patrol, with both sides entrenching themselves. Of course, with the arrival of the rest of the UED strike force, the remaining Dominion soldiers in the area were quickly overrun.
"Alright, next up is the refinery," Roland said. "We'll have to hit it quickly and take it with minimal damage. Every barrel of gas in there will be invaluable."
However, before they even reached the refinery, a singular marine approached the UED forces, holding a flag of parley. He didn't seem to have any weapons on him, though he did have a large box.
"Take him in and search him," Roland said. "I want that box examined as well in case it's a trap."
The marine calmly submitted to the examination, and the box was revealed to be a communicator. "My commander would like to speak with you," he said.
"Fascinating. Hector, bring me the communicator." Roland watched as the screen lit up.
"Captain, I am Lieutenant Samir Duran of the Confederate Resistance Forces. I've been monitoring your attack against the Dominion, and I'd like to offer you my services and skills in return for amnesty."
Roland certainly found this unexpected. It could be a great boon if this offer was true. Still, he couldn't be sure that they could be trusted. He called up the vice admiral to explain the situation.
Stukov got on the line with Duran. "Intriguing. Lieutenant, you have absolutely no ideas as to who we are or what we have come here to do. Why do you wish to side with us?"
"Because my men and I have sworn to fight against the Dominion and its Emperor. Seeing as how your forces have been laying into the Dominion base, I figured we were on the same side," Duran said.
"I see," Stukov said, considering the offer. "How exactly do you propose to be of service to us, Lieutenant?"
"Well, I possess intimate knowledge of the surrounding area. I can show you an alternate route that leads to the rear of the main Dominion base."
Stukov nodded. "Very well, Lieutenant. Consider yourself and your men the first colonial conscripts of the United Earth Directorate. Captain, see that the Lieutenant is given our full cooperation. We shall see if he's worth the effort."
The UED soon arrived at Duran's base, at which point they could begin loading up on vespene gas to supply their tanks. Duran welcomed them as they arrived.
"Lieutenant Duran, while our men are preparing I'd like for you to accompany me to take a look around," Roland said.
"Of course captain, I am familiar with the surrounding area and my men can escort us," Duran said. "Where do you wish to go?"
"I want to observe the city of Boralis for myself," Roland said. "Personal observation has a quality that maps and markers simply does not."
Roland got in one of Duran's trucks which began driving off to Boralis. By now, the Dominion soldiers had withdrawn to the city as the UED secured the countryside, surrounding the city and beginning the siege.
Roland breathed in the chilly air of Braxis as the truck traveled over the rocky hills. The air was fresh, a far cry from the atmosphere of Earth which had been polluted over the course of many centuries. He felt that a place like Braxis was rather nice, perhaps even suitable for retirement, if he ever made it that far. It was rather cold, but that was just to his liking.
As the truck passed over a river, covered in ice, Roland looked down in concern. "Are you sure that driving here is safe?"
"The ice here is quite thick during this time of the year," Duran said. "There is no danger of it breaking. And these vehicles are designed to have good traction on these surfaces."
Finally, the truck reached the top of a small hill near the outskirts of Boralis. There it stopped while Roland got out and began looking toward the city with his binoculars.
"The city sure is sturdily built, fortified more than they could have accomplished in the short time we arrived," Roland said.
"Well, my forces had been fighting the Dominion for some time," Duran said. "We never were able to capture the city, though we came close once."
"I can see why," Roland said. "Those bunkers are positioned well, easily supported by the tanks positioned behind them. It is quite meticulous. And I would bet that the open ground in front of those bunkers is filled with mines."
Roland returned to the vehicle. "It is a good thing that we won't be attacking the city head on. Let's head back now. Our men should be ready by the time we return."
After arriving back at the base, Roland shook Duran's hand. "Lieutenant Duran, I must thank you for your help," said Roland.
Duran laughed. "I like your style friend, but I think you're getting a little too familiar. My associates and I are more interested in striking a blow against the Dominion, than putting in power a force we know nothing about."
"Understandable," said Roland. "Though I'd be interested to know what vendetta drove you to such a point."
"My men and I are committed to fighting the tyranny of the Dominion," Duran said. "We see the emperor as illegitimate and his rule must be ended. He was quite the scheming fellow. In a few short months he went from a terrorist to the ruler of most of Terran space. We are some of the few that continue to resist his power grab."
"Interesting, but why do you fly the banner of the Confederacy?" Roland asked. "From what I've heard, they were hardly the paragon of good governance. Don't you find the idea of fighting against tyranny while also fighting for the Confederacy to be quite incongruous?"
Duran paused for a moment, thinking over his response. "Well, it is better to use an existing banner to gain more support. I've been able to obtain aid from those who are interested in the revival of the Confederacy, such as some of the remnants of the Old Families. Every little bit helps. Of course, this is all in the past. We are all now proud servants of the United Earth Directorate."
"Indeed." It seemed to Roland that Duran was somewhat of an opportunist. In fact, it was surprising that he hadn't jumped ship to the Dominion like the rest of the sector, instead tying himself to the sinking ship of the Confederacy. The UED's arrival probably bailed him out. He really didn't see what Duran was hoping of accomplishing stuck here on Braxis.
A thought came to Roland. "Do you know any other groups that are fighting the Dominion?"
Duran thought for a few moments. "Well, there is Raynor. He originally fought for Mengsk in the Sons of Korhal, but Mengsk crowning himself emperor was a step too far. Last I heard he went to join the protoss in fighting the zerg. Raynor is an idealist, an inspiring leader of men, but all that's led him to be is a fugitive with few resources fighting in the fringes."
Roland sighed. "While some aspects were less than ideal, the establishment of the Dominion was a stabilizing influence on the sector after the fall of the Confederacy. It allowed the colonies to resist the zerg invasion. For Raynor to abandon the terrans to go fight for the protoss, it is very disappointing."
Suddenly, Hector approached. "Captain, our men are ready."
"Excellent, we'll follow the mountain path that Duran has informed us of," Roland said. "There may be some patrols as we approach Boralis, so have some of the men disguise themselves with the armor and vulture bikes we captured from the Dominion. They are to eliminate the enemy scouts."
"Yes sir." Some of Duran's men moved out into the pass on the vultures. They were familiar with the geography of the area, having skirmished with the Dominion frequently here, so navigation wasn't going to be too much of an issue.
The main force progressed slower though. The pass was narrow and precarious and the weather was cold, with snow drifting down from above. The terrain made it impossible to bring tanks up in this direction. For all that they had tried to secure the gas for their tanks, it seems they wouldn't be needing it in the end. Instead, the tanks would be serving as decoy along with a detachment of soldiers who would be laying siege to Boralis, shelling the outer defense from the tanks. It would be sure to attract the enemy's attention. Though the UED would be without heavy weaponry in this attack, they would succeed through stealth and speed.
Looking up from the map of Boralis that Duran provided, Roland saw that they were almost to their destination. So far, they've remained undetected.
Roland marked several areas on the map and passed it to Hector. "After we successfully capture the command center, have the men set up mines at these locations and prepare an ambush."
They entered the city from the back of the plateau. Guarding the back of the city were a few bunkers. The bunkers were unsupported as the Dominion had not expected an attack from this direction, but since the strike force couldn't bring their tanks here, it would still be a significant hindrance.
"Charge the bunkers," Roland ordered. "We must take them at any cost."
It wasn't a pretty battle. Men charging fortified positions unsupported never was. If the Dominion had more guards or some tanks here, things would have gone very differently. But the UED numbers were sufficient to overwhelm the bunkers.
The UED force moved quickly, but even so a group of Dominion soldiers had reacted in time to block their assault, holing up in one of the tall buildings. Whenever the UED marines would approach, they would fire through the windows at them.
Roland gave his command. "Blow up the building. Lay down suppressive fire while our engineers lay the explosives."
"Sir, the building is still filled with civilians," Hector reminded.
"I know. Do you think I want to collapse the entire building?" Roland said through gritted teeth. "But what else can we do? Clearing the building door by door will take far too long. By the time we are done with that, the Dominion would have sent reinforcements and the next building would also be fortified. Then we would have to repeat the process and kill more civilians in the crossfire. In war, the people suffer. That is an unavoidable fact."
Once the building was destroyed, the path was open to the command center. The few guards outside were easily cleared away, allowing the UED forces to blow open the entrance to the command center with some explosives.
Then, the marines were sent in. After the building was secured, Roland entered. The screen in the main command room showed a map of the city with unit placements marked. The defenders were holding out quite well at the moment against the UED forces outside the city.
This command center had authority over all of Braxis's military forces. Roland approached the console and got to work. To facilitate the invasion, Braxis's orbital defenses had to be disabled to allow the bulk of the fleet to come in.
With the task done, he opened the communications line with Stukov. "Vice Admiral, the weapons of the orbital platform have been disabled. Our forces may begin repossessing it now."
"Good work Captain," Stukov replied. "Our dropships will be arriving with more reinforcements soon."
"Understood, send the locations to me." Roland ended the transmission and focused on the command console.
"Send orders for these groups of soldiers to retreat to defend the command center. As they approach, have our teams ready to take them out"
The Dominion soldiers who thought they were reinforcing the command center would instead be bogged down fighting in the city, and there would now be vulnerabilities left in the defensive lines. Roland contacted the commander arriving with the secondary assault group and informed him of the current situation and discussed the best plan of attack.
"Impressive work Captain," Duran said. "In such a short amount of time you would have taken over the entire planet."
"I do what is needed," Roland replied. "This is only a small step in the greater struggle."
"And what is that? Earlier you asked me about my goals, now I'd like to hear about yours." Duran seemed curious, with some amusement.
"To claim this sector in the name of humanity. We will unite the colonies and defeat the aliens that plague us. The Zerg, Protoss, they are our obstacles," Roland said.
"Well, you seem to be fighting Terrans right now?" Duran said.
"It is necessary," Roland said. "The colonies must be united under the UED if we are to prevail in this fight. A famous leader once said, a house divided cannot stand. So, we must first eliminate our internal divisions before we can defeat the outside threat. We have caused loss today, but we fight now so that in the future we will not have to."
Roland paused as he noticed an incoming distress call. He directed one of his men who were working on analyzing the data to pick up the call.
"Outpost Zeta-3, report your status."
A panicked voice was heard from the other end. "The outpost is under attack, and there isn't much time before we are overrun. You need to send support immediately. We are being attacked by a sizable force of Protoss and they have breached our defenses. Please, you have to send reinforcements or else-"
The man speaking was interrupted by what seemed to be an explosion. There was some muffled gurgling and then only silence. The communication line closed a few moments later.
"Do we have any forces close enough to aid the outpost?" Roland asked Hector.
Hector changed the screen to show the army distribution on the planet. "All of our forces are engaged in battle."
"Are there any Dominion forces that can be redirected to help?"
"No sir, they are all occupied as well."
Roland sighed. "Then there is nothing we can do to save them. But we can avenge their deaths." He opened communications with Stukov.
"Captain, why have you contacted me?" Stukov asked.
"Have your men finished securing the platform, Vice Admiral?" Roland asked.
"We've just about finished up," Stukov said.
"Then I will be releasing control over the weapons systems and allowing your men to take control," Roland said. "We will need it soon."
"What do you mean?" Stukov's mood changed.
"A Dominion outpost reported being attacked by the protoss. The outpost was destroyed and the protoss are going to be trying to leave Braxis soon. We don't know what they came here for, but it must be something valuable if they are willing to travel all this way. It would be invaluable if we could capture their ship and find out their purpose."
"Indeed Captain, the presence of the protoss is most disturbing," Stukov said. "I will have the fleet move into position and have the defense platform activated in order to block the retreat of the protoss fleet. We won't let them get away."