Chapter 18: For the Glory of Humanity
The fleet of the United Earth Directorate arrived over Char, unyieldingly advancing against the swarms of zerg without the slightest hesitation. As the attack began, Admiral Gerard Dugalle addressed the fleet.
"We have gathered here today, both men of Earth and the colonies, to fight the zerg menace which threatens us all. Our enemy will not rest until they see us all destroyed and have consumed all remnants of civilization. We must all stand together, as they will not discriminate between man, woman, child, or ideology. If they are not defeated, humanity will be doomed to an existence of an eternal war for survival. Should we win, our heroic deeds today will go down in history as mankind's greatest triumph. Should we lose, there will be nothing standing between the aliens and our homes."
"This is not a time for hesitation or doubt. I expect every man to do his duty. Look beside you and see the comrades you fight alongside. Know that the full will of humanity is backing all of us and that we are bound together in a higher purpose. We will not waver, nor falter in pursuit of our mission to secure the future of all mankind. There is no force standing in our way which we cannot overcome."
"However, I shall be blunt here. Not all of us will survive the coming battle. The zerg are no trivial pests for us to sweep away. They are a malevolent and intelligent force which seeks our destruction. They will push us to our limit and do their best to stymie us. But we will not be deterred by hardship and sacrifice. We owe it to those who have died for the cause, those who will die in this coming battle, and those who would die if we fail here to see our mission through to the very end. This shall be humanity's finest hour."
"Each of you knows the duties to which you have been assigned. Carry them out in the name of humanity."
The transmission ended and the battle began in earnest. The swarms of zerg fliers came toward the formation of terran ships, but the zerg were rather scattered, almost to the point of being in disarray. Some groups meandered away in random directions as they split off from the main flock. They didn't attack in unison but rather came in piecemeal. Mutalisks rushed to their death, with scourges coming in afterward meeting the same fate. The zerg assault paused to reorient themselves for another attempt, but even as they shifted formation, the UED fleet adjusted as well to counter the shift. While the main bulk of the fleet weathered the zerg attack, the assault teams descended toward the surface to begin the attack.
Roland watched with anticipation as his ships cleared out a landing zone for his army. Along with the Borealis, two other battlecruisers, the Moroz and the Skadi, had been assigned to his command, along with numerous transport ships filled with soldiers. After they landed, he gave a short speech to his men.
"You have all heard the admiral's address, so I shall be brief. Our task here is critical. We will be assaulting the primary zerg hive cluster, one that occupies a vital area and which is well guarded. We are the tip of the spear, the glorious vanguard that will blaze a path forward for others to follow. We are the heroes who will secure mankind's place in the stars and bring about a new age in which we shall not fear the capricious whims of the alien races. For humanity!"
The soldiers cheered as they began the work of constructing a fortified encampment. Facilities were set up to maintain and repair equipment and vehicles while bunkers and missile turrets were constructed to defend against attacks. But so far, the zerg appeared content to wait.
From his ship, Roland looked over the results of the latest scans of the area. The main zerg hive to the north was separated from them by rivers of lava, with the nearest passable location being a pair of volcanoes and a narrow pass that separated them.
"The zerg have a well defended location," Roland muttered. "I wouldn't want to force my way through that pass. There is no limit to tricks and ambushes that could befall us there. Fortunately, the volcanoes are quite massive, so large in fact that they have multiple vents and craters. The slopes aren't so steep as to make them unscalable so our men should be able to advance along a wider front. The volcanoes to the west seem to have ceased their eruption and should be safe to pass over. What do you think of this, Hector?"
"It is indeed true that there will not be an eruption there," Hector replied. "In fact, the scans show that the magma chamber is totally depleted by the eruptions that ended recently. But there is a greater risk at work here. With such a large hollow area beneath the ground, there is a chance the entire volcano might collapse in sort of a large scale sinkhole, forming a caldera. I've never seen an active volcano this large and I wouldn't know how such a collapse would play out. But it probably wouldn't be good."
Roland had a look of understanding. "So that is why the zerg have not extensively built up there. Moving our forces across that area would be far too risky. I'd rather not place our chances on the whims of geology. But the volcano to the east is still erupting and that could pose a danger too."
"Well, the lava coming from that region appears to be quite viscous," Hector noted. "Most hazards from there should be telegraphed well enough in advance for us to avoid it, though we will be forced to back up quite a lot if that occurs, possibly putting us in an unfavorable location. Of course, if the volcano explodes then all bets are off."
"Hmmm, do you think that we might be able to induce some volcanoes to erupt?" Roland asked. "If we time it right we could do some serious damage to the zerg."
"It would be extremely risky," Hector said. "The only option would be to use large explosives to set off the fault lines, but it is not possible to accurately model the effects. We cannot guarantee any outcome and it could backfire on us."
"I see. Best not to take such risks then. Thank you Hector. Your knowledge is most useful," Roland said. "You seem to know quite a lot about volcanoes."
"Well, I did my best to study up before the mission," Hector said. "And I've always held an interest in volcanoes ever since the Tambora eruption in '70. I was still young at the time and I recall seeing the eruption from a distance when my family had to evacuate the area. Volcanoes are quite fascinating things. Very dangerous, but attractive all the same."
"Well, you will have plenty of time to observe the unique geological phenomenon here if we finish our mission," Roland said. "Which we must."
Kerrigan observed the approaching armies with concern. "The terrans are coming at us from three sides. The north, east, and the south. When it rains it really pours. And this psi disruptor is already straining our control and limiting how much we can deploy."
"Allow me to manage our strategy," Kaloth said. "We must divide our forces to hold back each group. You should guard the southern region, and once you defeat the attackers there you can reinforce the other areas and eliminate them in turn."
"The terrans will pay the price for their impudence," Kerrigan said with a snarl. "I'll slaughter them to the last and none shall dare attack us again."
She followed her zerg as they began to rush down the slopes toward the approaching column of terran soldiers. The zerg came from the front and the sides as they sought to envelop their enemy. This almost brutish rush didn't require the fine maneuvering that would be difficult under the effects of the psi disruptor, but it was hardly a poor strategy. The dark swarm emitted by the defilers obscured the zerg from vision, forcing the terrans to rely on indirect fire from the siege tanks.
Kerrigan watched with anticipation as the zerg were soon to burst out from beneath their cover to tear into the terrans directly. But as they approached, the frontline soldiers began to pull back, appearing to know the imminent danger they were in even though the exact progress of the zerg under the haze couldn't be seen. Dropships helped to collect the siege tanks closest to the front and bring them to safety ahead of the incoming zerg attack. Meanwhile, the tanks in the back could continue their bombardment while the zerg were forced to slow down and expand the coverage of the dark swarm. The loss of several defilers to the bombardment further slowed their progress.
The mutalisks were sent forward to harass the retreating soldiers and pick off any dropships to hinder the tactical flexibility of the terrans. But the valkyrie frigates proved to be devastating against the clusters of mutalisks, wiping them out in droves. The devourers, a new bulkier zerg flier that was recently designed to stand up to these valkyries, proved to be too few in number to have an impact and squads of wraith fighters quickly took them out as they appeared.
Kerrigan pulled back the mutalisks away from a group of valkyries as she prepared to use a psionic storm to destroy them, but the valkyries immediately spread out, only drawing together again once the mutalisks returned. Frustrated, she simply began using psionic storms anyways, killing both the nearby mutalisks along with the terran fighters. This produced better casualty ratios than mutalisks fighting valkyries, but the overall balance of the aerial battle was still unfavorable.
With the loose formation of the UED soldiers and their flexible deployment, they minimized their casualties while constantly whittling away at the zerg chasing them. Without any clusters of high priority targets, even Kerrigan felt as helpless as any of her minions as she looked upon the enemies that were just within sight yet felt so far.
Seeing this, Kaloth instructed Kerrigan and her zerg to alter the tempo of their attack to try to make it harder to predict their next move and overwhelm them before they could move. Under the direction of the cerebrate, the zerg forced the terrans into a confrontation as ultralisks charged the groups of marines, cutting through them while zerglings swarmed past and attacked the vulnerable tanks.
Even then, the UED armies calmly continued their maneuvers and extricated themselves while whittling away at the zerg further with mines. The terran army constantly appeared to be on the verge of being stretched beyond its limits, yet at the same time it could not be broken. Slowly, the zerg assault lost steam.
"We cannot maintain this offensive," Kaloth told Kerrigan. "You must make a withdrawal while delaying the terrans as long as possible. I will need the time."
As the zerg began retreating, the UED assault force didn't immediately follow, instead advancing as methodically as they retreated, making sure to deal with any lingering traps the zerg may have left burrowed beneath the ground. Though Kaloth searched for an opening to attack the approaching army, he found none. Delay was the only option here.
Roland smiled as he watched the zerg wilt before the power of the UED army and scurry back to their dens. As his men advanced he observed the map display with the same scrutinizing attention as before. One by one each ridge and basin was crossed as his forces moved inexorably forward.
Just as they were leaving the shadow of the volcanoes, the zerg shifted their course and began to move up the slopes to the east, walking over the scattered tephra under the shadow of the ever growing plume of ash and debris. Roland found it strange as the zerg were moving away from the hive clusters they were supposed to be defending. He ordered his soldiers not to pursue and instead continue gathering on the other side of the pass.
"Could the zerg be waiting for us to move past while they hit us from the rear?" Roland wondered. "That would be foolish. We could leave a force to block them while constructing some bunkers to hold the area. But an even easier way to deal with them would be to attack directly since they have backed themselves against the wall, or in this case a river of lava. It is almost as if they want us to attack."
Roland turned to his aide. "Hector, lava is just as lethal to zerg as to us right?" If the volcano begins erupting more violently, or if it explodes, they would be hit even worse than we would. I can't imagine what their goal would be here. It is not as though they could bait us into any hazards that they themselves would be able to avoid, unless somehow they were able to make lava erupt from the sides of the volcano through vents that were below them but above us."
"That does not seem likely sir," Hector replied. "Our geological scans and observations don't seem to indicate that the pressure within the magma chamber is sufficient to cause such a blowout, nor could the zerg dig tunnels to channel the magma. Though they are more heat resistant than humans, the temperature of magma is still beyond them." He paused. "Although, there is one other thing."
Roland waited patiently as Hector gazed up into the sky in thought. Then, he spoke. "This volcano is far larger than any on Earth. Everything about it is bigger, the size of the lava flows, the size of the ash cloud, and the size of the vents. But it looks like the plume might be growing a bit too large. It doesn't seem to be rising as vigorously any more, almost looking as though it can't keep itself together. If it collapses, the ash and tephra will rush down the slopes of the volcano like a dense moving cloud. Like an avalanche but hot. A pyroclastic flow would be far too fast for us to get out of the way of and we would be buried and burned alive."
Roland's eyes lit up in realization. "Ah, so that is it. The zerg can simply burrow underground and wait for the flow to pass. Meanwhile, we would have taken severe losses. Well, we clearly can't fall into this trap. In their attempts to lure us in, the zerg have left themselves more vulnerable. We shall split our forces and send one contingent to lay siege to the hives and the zerg within while another contingent will keep watch over the zerg army."
The pyroclastic flow came and went. Once the ground had cooled enough, the zerg emerged from under the ground while the UED began to cautiously test the waters and skirmish with the zerg as they tightened their net. Meanwhile, the assault against the zerg hives was beginning as the bombardment began to destroy the sunken colonies and burrowed lurkers in the area.
"Captain, I'm afraid I have bad news," Hector said. "Colonel Richardson's assault group has been routed and the zerg will likely be redeploying their forces against us. We should expect for another zerg army to come at us from the northeast."
"Damn it, how did this happen?" Roland's finger tapped against the metal rapidly. "We shouldn't have suffered such a defeat so soon. This zerg commander, they certainly are formidable. We've been put in a very difficult position here."
"What shall we do?" Hector asked.
"We need to buy as much time as we can," Roland said. "Our battlecruisers must enter the battle and support the attack against the zerg hive. The enemy fliers should be reduced enough by now for us to proceed safely. We also need to divert the zerg reinforcements. Have our forces begin an attack on the army led by the zerg queen. She probably can't swim through lava but just in case have wraith fighters and science vessels patrol the lava channel and have a few battalions on the other side just in case. We will force the zerg commander to make a choice."
Roland looked out toward the battlefield below while the ship began to move. "Our forces should be ready to withdraw in good order if the zerg reinforcements arrive, but until then we shall do all we can to crush them. This time they won't leave here alive."
He grinned as the attack began.
Kerrigan watched as the terrans began closing in around her. The terrans seemed bold at times and timid at other times, but their strategy was effective. Things had not gone as planned for her and now their options were limited. Even Kaloth had no trick left here.
"I need you to hold out as long as you can, maybe even break through the encirclement." That was all that he said.
Now it was up to her to win here. Though there were few fliers left to provide cover and her ground forces had taken severe losses, at least the reduction in forces made it significantly easier to handle her minions even under the psi disruptor's effect. It wasn't much of a silver lining though.
As she saw a group of infantry approach, Kerrigan leapt down from her perch atop an outcropping of rock and attacked. She crushed a firebat beneath her feet before quickly rolling away as its fuel tanks exploded, sending the marines next to it scrambling away. Before they could properly reorient themselves, the marines were killed in rapid succession.
Nearby groups of soldiers began gathering together and moving toward her as they noticed the deaths of their comrades. She let them chase her as she kept moving, going after another small group of marines, deflecting their bullets before getting in close and cutting them apart with her wings and claws.
As her pursuers passed by an alcove where in the past a vent spewed out lava, a group of hydralisk and zerglings emerged and descended up the terrans. The UED soldiers braced themselves for the ambush, but they were quickly surrounded.
However, even as the zerg began tearing into the detachment of soldiers, fiery death came from the skies as the terran siege tanks began to fire. The zerg finished their job as quickly as they could, but Kerrigan could soon see more groups of soldiers approaching from all sides, even more numerous than before. All the while thundering explosions filled the air.
Kerrigan sent the zerg rushing forward against the enemies on the right, hoping to seek a breakthrough as she joined in the attack as well. It almost felt like running into a steel wall, one formed of ranks of unwavering marines along with large goliath walkers behind them. She let out a blast of psionic energy which tore a hole into the formation, allowing the zerg to stream into the gap. But still the terrans held their ground even in the face of these losses.
As she jumped into the cockpit of another goliath, killing the pilot inside, a shot from a tank hit the fallen goliath, knocking her out of it all the while the bombardment pelted the area indiscriminately, killing terrans and zerg alike. As Kerrigan landed on the ground, an explosion from behind knocked her forward again, sending her sprawling as the shrapnel tore up the carapace on her back and snapped off her wings.
She got to her feet in a daze as several shots from some surviving marines peppered the armor on her chest, leaving it cracked in places as bullets embedded themselves in her. Her body's regenerative capabilities were working to push out the foreign objects, but it was slower than she would have liked as the battle had taken quite the toll.
She willed her zerg forward to sweep through the enemies in front of her while she took slow steps forward. As she walked past a fallen firebat, it suddenly moved and jumped onto her. Her initial reflex to stab the man through with her wings failed as they had not yet grown back fully, and she was forced to resort to prying the man off with her claws. The man died in agony and the tank of fuel on his back exploded, showering the area in burning fluid.
Kerrigan screamed as the burning fuel seeped into the cracks in her carapace and her wounds, burning exposed flesh and cauterizing it. She fell to the ground as she tried desperately to scrape the fire off of her even as flames smoldered in her wounds. Several of her minions nearby gathered around to shield her from view while the remaining nearby enemies were killed.
Finally, she staggered to her feet, leaning on the hydralisk next to her as she observed the situation. Even though this detachment of soldiers was killed, there were more groups in the distance while others were coming from behind.
Kerrigan reached out to her cerebrate again. "I can't do it, Kaloth. They were too much to handle."
Kaloth paused as he considered his options. "Pull back further for now. I'll divert my forces to push the terrans away."
Kerrigan turned and gathered up the remaining energy she had to hit the group of terrans behind her with a psionic storm while the remnants of her army charged in to clear the path. The weight of her failure set in as she retreated.
"So the zerg have diverted a significant portion of their forces to save their queen," Roland noted. "Then we should have mostly a free hand to eliminate their production and cut off their source of reinforcements."
He ordered his forces that were about to be beset upon by the zerg reinforcements to halt their offensive and take on a defensive posture as they prepared to make a fighting withdrawal.
Roland smiled as he looked over the battlefield. "Good, good. We are making progress in attacking the hives and our defenses and spider mines ought to keep the zerg away long enough. Hector, there aren't any other volcanic hazards we ought to worry about right?"
"None that I am aware of," his aide replied.
Roland sighed. "That is not as reassuring as I would hope. But I'd be more upset if you made a fate tempting declaration saying that we had nothing to worry about. Just be sure to keep an eye out if anything changes."
He continued to watch the battle and issue orders, but his face began to twist into a frown as he observed a detachment of zerg begin effectively clearing out the mines and defense he had put in place. He sent forces to chase them off, but his main focus was still the primary attack. The zerg were able to turn the tables and defeat the UED detachment despite their numbers seeming insufficient.
Meanwhile, disaster had almost struck the other half of his army as the ferocious zerg attack made it difficult to disengage in the rugged terrain around the volcanoes. Smaller groups were sacrificed to buy time and maneuvers were made to avoid the main force being trapped. The withdrawal was hasty but completed just barely. However, the zerg's relief army was now heading over to defend the hives.
"Send the Moroz to reinforce our flank," Roland ordered. "We cannot let the zerg get through."
A fierce battle was developing as the zerg continued to rush forward while the UED forces were determined to hold their ground. Roland and the rest of the staff were barely keeping up with the rapid shifts in the situation on the ground as the zerg maneuvered and attacked along the entire front simultaneously.
A distress call sounded momentarily before being silenced. "The Moroz has fallen," Roland muttered as he watched the battlecruiser crash to the ground. "Divert some more reinforcements to hold the line. Have our secondary force attack the zerg flanks more aggressively. We must not fail here."
Roland's fists were clenched as his eyes were affixed to the screens, watching each development. Their defenses held as the zerg offensive seemed to lose steam, but he was nonetheless forced to issue multiple withdrawal orders as each division had to give some ground.
Finally, the UED forces broke through the last defenses around the hives and began to lay waste to the zerg structures. Any remaining zerg within was killed from overlords to larva. The buildings were blasted apart and burned to the ground. As the purge continued the zerg slackened in their advance and began to withdraw.
Roland let out a sigh of relief and clasped his hands together as he looked out the window of his ship. "Your move now," he said with a grin.
Kerrigan met with Kaloth in the secondary holdout that the cerebrate had relocated himself to. She sat on the ground, leaning on the fleshy outer surface of the cerebrate with her head resting on her knees.
"What now? What can we do?" she muttered.
"I… I do not know," Kaloth said. "We cannot abandon our fight here. This is where the zerg have made our home. All of the other cerebrates are still out there fighting. There is no better place for us to make a stand. Yet…"
"Yet I have failed," Kerrigan said. "Even now the terrans are reorganizing to begin their next attack. Their strength is growing by the minute while ours have only dwindled. We can't win here."
Kaloth had no response and all he could do was continue stewing in contemplation.
"How could this have happened? How?" Kerrigan howled. "The zerg were unstoppable. I was unstoppable. How did it come to this?"
Her voice became more shrill as she pounded the ground. "This can't be happening. It can't!"
"We'll find a way," Kaloth said hesitantly. "Surely there is something."
"And what do you suggest?" Kerrigan asked, her voice weary.
"Maybe we could link up with some of the other cerebrates," Kaloth said. "They are under a lot of pressure but maybe we could relieve them if the terrans here don't pursue us too closely. Maybe an eruption might turn the tides of the battle. Maybe something could happen."
"There really is nothing then…" Kerrigan's voice turned quiet. "If even you can only think of relying on fortune. It really is over."
Suddenly, they felt another presence intrude into their conversation to speak to them.
"You have failed," Daggoth said. "The terrans are advancing on all fronts. Your forces have been swept aside. Several other cerebrates have already fallen. Even I am barely holding back the enemies attacking me. This is what your leadership has brought us."
"I don't need to hear this from you, Daggoth. Have you just come to gloat at me before the end comes for us all?" Kerrigan said.
"Since you have recognized the reality of our situation, I shall tell you that there is only one path forward," Daggoth said. "You had mentioned to us before that these terrans sought to control us. Then we shall let them."
"It is most unlike you to seek to submit to the terrans," Kaloth said.
"I have no desire to do this, but there is no other choice," Daggoth said. "The psi disruptor is too strong of a weapon. While it is still in play we cannot resist effectively. But time and time again terrans have the hubris to think they can control the zerg. Yet each time it has been met with their downfall. These terrans shall be no different. Let them believe themselves in control, and once we have finished using them for our own ends, we can discard them and let the power of the swarm show once more."
"You should not underestimate terrans," Kerrigan said. "They are more dangerous than you think."
"I do not take them lightly, not after one such as you usurped the will of the swarm," Daggoth said bitterly. "But once again, it seems I have little choice in this matter."
Kerrigan bristled at Daggoth showing that he still viewed her as an outsider. "If this goes poorly you have only yourself to blame," she said. "As for myself, I will be leaving. While they may spare you, they won't extend any courtesy to me. Kaloth, you'll be coming with me."
"You seized the swarm through colluding with outsiders," Daggoth said. "That seems to be your only talent. Perhaps you can put that to use. See to it that the psi disruptor is destroyed."
Now, Daggoth turned his attention toward reaching out to the officer commanding the enemies in his area. Interfacing with the terran communication systems using psionics, what emerged was an eerie and unnatural voice.
"What is this?" the UED officer exclaimed.
"I am the cerebrate Daggoth commanding the zerg in this area," Daggoth said. "I wish to speak with your commanding officer to discuss terms of surrender."
"Surrender? From a zerg? How can I know this isn't a trap?"
"If I intended deception, then the blame would fall on your superior, would it not?" Daggoth replied.
"Very well, I guess I'll kick this upstairs." He opened up a separate transmission on his terminal.
Stukov's face appeared on the screen. "Captain Krenz, have you encountered difficulties in your attack?"
"It's not that, vice admiral," Krenz replied. "The cerebrate commanding these zerg spoke to me. It wished to surrender to us."
"Patch it through to me," Stukov said.
"Vice admiral Stukov, the zerg under my influence and the other cerebrates are willing to submit yourselves to the authority of the United Earth Directorate in exchange for our lives," Daggoth said.
"This is most interesting," Stukov said. "Now, why should I entertain a request from a creature such as yourself who is no doubt responsible for the deaths of countless terrans?"
"It is in the nature of all creatures to wish to survive," Daggoth said. "The zerg are no different. We expanded to fuel our growth. But you have demonstrated your superiority and made it clear that the path to survival lies with you. You may direct our growth in the manner you see fit."
Stukov looked on impassively. "And what do we gain from letting you live?"
"You are new to this sector, far away from your homes. The other factions no doubt would rather you be gone. While your strength and capabilities are vast, your numbers are few. We would make up for that weakness. With the zerg under your command, none will be able to stand against you. Your enemies will have no choice but to recognize your supremacy and your dominance will be assured."
Stukov chuckled. "You sure know how to be a flatterer. I certainly didn't expect this from an inhuman creature like you. Though perhaps you have mistaken me for one with delusions of grandeur. Is that what you expected?"
"I've had experience dealing with such," Daggoth said. "After all, the so-called queen of the zerg was hardly our first choice to be a leader."
"Oh, is this dissent within the ranks I am hearing?" Stukov noted with a smile. "So I take it you will have no issue with us removing that troublesome individual?"
"I wish only for the survival of the cerebrates and the zerg as a whole," Daggoth said.
"Then I shall accept your submission as a vassal of the United Earth Directorate," Stukov said. "Serve loyally and you may live."
Roland watched as the zerg once again fled from him and he let out a mocking laugh. "How pitiful. I'd been told the zerg would give their lives for the swarm, yet it seems they are a bunch of cowards. What do they even plan to achieve? One day, there will be nowhere left for them to hide and I will be there to see them wiped out to the last. I will not rest until every last threat to humanity has been eliminated, no matter what it takes."
He turned back toward his officers. "Congratulations, we have prevailed. Now, all that is left is to finish the job. After they rest, have our men begin to march toward the zerg hives to the east."
Roland opened up communications to an officer in charge of that group, Erich Krenz. "Well hello there. I see that you seem to be having a lot of trouble there. So long and you've hardly made any progress. Don't worry, I'll be sending my men to help out. I'll have those zerg taken care of in no time."
Krenz scoffed. "There is no need, I have everything handled. This cerebrate, Daggoth he called himself, spoke to me. He offered to surrender in exchange for clemency."
"Surrender? What an absurd notion. If you are incapable of dealing with the zerg, then I will," Roland said.
"I'm afraid the vice admiral himself has authorized this," Krenz replied. "If you have any objections you must speak to him."
Roland closed the transmission and took a few seconds to calm himself. Then, he called Stukov.
"Vice admiral, my forces have finished eliminating the main zerg hive cluster and the zerg queen has fled, again. We are in position to start operations against the rest of the zerg on Char."
"There will be no need for that, Captain," Stukov replied. "Some of these cerebrates have proven to be pliable once it was made clear to them where the true power resides. They have agreed to serve the Directorate and as such we will be making use of them."
"You can't be serious, sir. These zerg cannot be trusted! They must be stamped out," Roland said. "To rely on these zerg is an act of folly and no doubt they will turn on us when they see fit. No good will come of using them."
Stukov's voice turned cold. "Captain, I understand your concerns. Rest assured, we will take appropriate measures to ensure they will not be able to turn on us. These zerg will be an asset for us to make use of in securing this sector, and we will take them into custody. This is an order. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, vice admiral," Roland replied.
"Very well then. I shall overlook your tone this time because of your service, but know that the Directorate is set on its course," Stukov said. "Now, let us celebrate the glorious victory won this day."
Roland nodded, though he couldn't dismiss the doubts he still had in his mind.