Chapter 34: The Kel-Morian Combine
The world of Moria was… rotten, Fenix thought to himself. That was the best word he had to describe the dreary decay that pervaded this place. As he looked around, all he could see was desolate plains covered in nothing but dust and gravel, with the bare rocky faces of mountains in the distance. Several large factories dotted the landscape, belching yet more smoke into the already smoggy air which covered the sky in a dull gray haze. Not far from his feet, a viscous river of orange liquid oozed across the ground.
"Do terrans truly live in this land?" Fenix muttered.
"It ain't pretty," Raynor said with a frown. "But it's what life is for the people living here."
"How could they let their world become such an atrocity?" Fenix said. "Are they truly content with this life?"
"The people who made it this way aren't exactly the ones livin' this life." Raynor's response dripped with disgust. "They've all got their private vacation planets to live on. It's the regular folks working for them who gotta live here."
"It is difficult to believe the reckless disregard your fellow terrans have not only toward their homes but also toward each other," Fenix said.
"Well, that is what us humans are like," Raynor said with a tired expression.
"Not you," Fenix said. "You seem to be exceptional among your people."
"I wouldn't say that, Fenix. I've done… a lot of things in my life that I'm not proud of," he said.
"So have we all," Fenix replied. "It matters not what we once were, what past glories or sins we have garnered, it is who we are now that shows our worth."
Raynor nodded with a hint of somberness.
"But enough of such heavy topics, let us focus on our mission now," Fenix said as he began walking forward. "With the zerg keeping the enemies occupied elsewhere, we have managed to land on the planet unnoticed. Now we must move quickly to seize the enemy's resource stockpiles before they discover our presence."
"We've got intel on where some of their main caches of resources are being stored," Raynor said. "The first one should be just up ahead."
They walked across the desolate terrain, keeping an eye out for any enemies. Eventually, they spotted a large structure in the distance, the massive storage warehouse where processed minerals and vespene gas were stored. These were the resources which would give them what they needed to reequip their armies. Though the structure was massive from the outside, it was in fact even larger. Like an iceberg, most of it was underground, containing massive caverns which were filled to the brim.
But their approach triggered a flurry of activity from the area around the warehouse. Defensive emplacements suddenly whirled to life, and the doors opened on the nearby sheds, allowing armored vehicles to roll out. Soldiers wearing power armor, painted in a motley array of colors, poured out of the barracks and assembled.
"It would seem that defeating these terrans will be a much greater feat than we had predicted," Fenix said. "Though the glory before us beckons, perhaps it would be best for us to readjust our plans."
"Damn, there weren't supposed to be this many of them," Raynor muttered. "Yeah let's fall back for now and regroup. Just charging in like this won't do us any good."
Fenix and Raynor turned and ran as the Kel-Morian forces followed closely behind. Then, their pursuers stopped, abruptly turning around and returning to their base in a move which baffled the two of them.
"These terrans lack the courage to face us in battle," Fenix said with some annoyance. "Do they truly not care that we may continue to run rampant across their planet?"
Raynor shook his head. "They must really be focused on protecting their stockpiles. Maybe they've got all these soldiers here to deter their rivals from trying to steal their stash while everyone is distracted."
Fenix paused suddenly. "They would do such a thing? While the zerg are invading their planet, they think of stealing from one another?"
Raynor shrugged helplessly. "Yeah well, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what's going through the heads of some of them."
"Utterly absurd," Fenix said as he shook in place. "If that of all things is the reason we are faced with such unexpected resistance… I'll never underestimate the motivational effects of Terran greed again!"
Raynor sighed. "Yeah, you'll get used to it eventually. This certainly isn't my first rodeo."
"Regardless of what the cause of the bolstered defenses are, we must still find a way forward," Fenix said. "Our forces can still triumph over theirs, but it will be costly. With this just being the first fight of many, a direct assault would be futile. We would be better served finding an alternative means of assault."
"It almost sounds like you're getting scared of a fight," Raynor chuckled lightly. "That's a first for you."
Rather than immediately responding, Fenix hesitated. The mood became awkward as the silence extended. "Things… aren't the same anymore," he finally said. "Do not be mistaken, I do not fear death. But there is much we cannot afford to lose."
"Sorry," Raynor mumbled. "Anyways, we have to wrap this up pretty quick too, or else there will be more of them coming. The zerg are keeping them busy right now on the other side of the planet, but it's only a matter of time before they send reinforcements."
"Our enemies have already been alerted to our presence, but we may still be able to find a way to divert their focus," Fenix said. "Our templar can create illusions to draw away their attention by attacking from another direction, allowing our main force to strike them from behind."
"That's an idea," Raynor said with a bit of a pause. "But they've already seen us retreat this way, so they might not buy it if an army suddenly showed up attacking from somewhere else. And even if they did believe it, they would still keep some forces in reserve to deal with this group. We can't have them looking too closely or else they might know something is up."
"I see…" Fenix said as he shuffled slowly across the ground. "Then the false attack must come from our current position, while the real attack comes from elsewhere. We can have an arbiter recall our forces to a different location, while leaving a small force here to maintain the illusions while our robotic reavers can provide the firepower to inflict real damage."
"Good plan," Raynor said. "Do we need anything else to get ready for this?"
"We merely need to wait for the arbiter to get into position while avoiding the enemy air defenses," Fenix said. "Your fighters should have their weapons ready and be prepared to be recalled."
Raynor nodded. "Right on. Quick smash and grab, we'll be on top of them before they know it."
The enemy was panicking, Raynor noted as he rode down the hill on his vulture bike. In the distance, he could see enemy soldiers were continuing to stream in as their commander was panicking now that he discovered his soldiers were out of position.
A good opportunity should never go to waste, Raynor told himself as his squad of vulture bikes moved out to intercept. As he zoomed past a column of marines, he fired off grenades at them, blasting them to pieces before he spun around and sped away before they could react.
Raynor's eyes combed the landscape for more prey. He spotted a squad of vultures heading toward them. It looks like the enemy was finally wisening up after the repeated attacks and sent a group to stop them.
To fight or to flee, that was the question. The enemy was more numerous, but he and his men had honed their skills out in the roughest places and he knew they weren't going to lose out to the Kel-Morian mercs.
"Let's get 'em boys!" he yelled as he turned the bike around to meet them, those behind him mirroring his movements. As they approached, his group split apart like the water in a river passing around a rock.
The hostile formation also began to split in response, trying to form an even larger envelopment around them.
Raynor smiled and gave his next orders. His men spread out again, seeking to match the enemy's split, which only prodded them to start spreading out even farther. By this point the approaching formation seemed more like a scattered cloud than a cohesive formation. They were getting close now, almost reaching firing range.
Raynor called out to his group and they shot several smoke grenades toward the incoming group. They fell short, but filled the area with a haze. Immediately afterwards, the members of his group swerved abruptly, losing a portion of their momentum but reformed into a single formation. With one hand on the grenade launcher and the other hand holding a pistol while resting on the steering, he dove into the smoke. As the enemy whizzed past, their silhouettes vaguely visible, he fired off his first shot.
Explosions kicked up more dust into the air as the noise became almost deafening. An object whizzed by right in front of him before disappearing into the smoke. It was hard to see what was going on now, but a look behind him showed that his men were still following behind him.
Suddenly, a vulture bike careened in front of him. For a brief moment, their eyes met and he looked at the surprised face of the mercenary. His hand snapped upward and fired a shot, striking the enemy in the shoulder and knocking them off. The speed of his bike carried him off before he could see the aftermath.
As he passed out of the smoke, he wheeled around for another charge. The enemy trickled out of the smoke, heading in every direction.
"Ride 'em down boys!" Raynor called out.
As his men gave chase, they sliced their way through what remained of the enemy formation, and the survivors quickly scattered, fleeing for their lives.
In the distance, he could see Fenix and the rest of the protoss engaged in battle with the enemy infantry. The Kel-Morian mercenaries were quickly overwhelmed by the protoss attack and started routing. It was every man for themselves as they ran as fast as they could.
Raynor drove down toward them, his men on vulture bikes arrayed behind him. The retreating mercenaries looked up to see their path barred by the awe inspiring sight barrelling down toward them. Before a single shot was fired, they stopped and threw down their weapons.
A few of Raynor's men were left behind to monitor the prisoners while the army quickly moved on to seize the warehouse before the defenders could regroup.
The enemy was hemmed in now, desperately hiding behind emplacements of automated defenses to protect them. But when the tanks were brought forward, those positions were quickly reduced to rubble.
The fight to capture the actual warehouse was practically an anticlimax. Once the doors were blasted open, the remaining defenders inside quickly surrendered. Shuttles and probes were now being warped in to start relocating the resources. Now, Raynor was face to face with the man in charge of the warehouse.
"Hey there, I'm Jim Raynor. You might've heard of me." Raynor stood in front of him, his hands empty, though the gun on his hip was clearly visible. "I'd like to know your name, and I've got a few questions for you."
The man sighed. "Nathaniel Clarke, and I have heard of you. You've grown a reputation in certain circles. You've cost some very important people quite a bit of money with this stunt and made a lot of dangerous enemies. But I don't suppose you're worried about that, not with your history. But the boss is gonna have my head for this. So you'll forgive me if I'm not exactly thrilled to answer your questions here."
Raynor laid out several credit chips on the table.
Clarke eyed the money but his face remained impassive. "You're asking me to take a big risk here."
Several more chips were placed onto the table.
"I've got a family to worry about," he said.
"Where are they?" Raynor asked. "If you need help getting them out, we can do that."
"They're off world, on Warrant VI."
Raynor nodded. "I can send a ship over to pick them up for you and bring them somewhere safe. In exchange, I want some information on the other storage warehouses. What are their defenses like, and any potential weaknesses."
Clarke whistled out loud. "Hot damn, you're actually planning on robbing all the guilds. The rumors were right, you got some serious balls of steel. They definitely won't be happy about this."
"That'll be my problem to deal with," Raynor said, tapping the table. "So, do you have anything?"
"Perhaps, but I'd need a bit more hazard pay for this if all the big sharks are gonna be after my head. I'll have to set up an entirely new identity for myself," he said.
Raynor gave him a flat look. "How much do you want?"
"A million credits."
"You've got to be joking here," Raynor said, crossing his arms. "I'll give you 100k. That's more than enough for someone to live in luxury for multiple lifetimes."
"Do you realize how many millions you are stealing here?" he said. "This is gonna be the biggest heist ever. 500k."
"200k. And I'll help set you up with a new identity somewhere else. That's my final offer."
A few silent seconds passed as the two of them stared at each other with unflinching poker faces. "Deal," he said finally.
"Now you better have something good for me to make this worth it," Raynor said.
"Well, I can't say I know for sure how the other guilds have set up their defenses. We're not exactly friends after all," Clarke leaned back in his seat. "But everyone has got their stockpiles stored underground in empty mining shafts. It's a whole network of tunnels down there. There are a lot of smaller entrances, mostly sealed off after a little scuffle a few years back where some of us started trying to rob the others and were using the tunnels to do it. But if you can manage to get in from the outside and blast your way through the sealed tunnels, you could get right inside. I've still got the scans of the underground areas, maybe your alien friends can figure something out. That good enough for you?"
"That'll do just fine," Raynor said. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"This is a most intriguing plan that you have brought me," Fenix said. "A bold move indeed."
"So, do you think you can do it?" Raynor tapped his finger somewhat impatiently. "We haven't got a lot of time, the Kel-Morians are already scrambling to bring their armies back here to protect their money. The zerg are attacking to slow them down a bit, but not for long."
"You doubt me?" Fenix spoke with amusement. "This strategy may be unconventional, but it is a task we shall have no problem with. My warriors shall easily be worth hundreds of these rabble in close quarters combat within the tunnels."
Raynor nodded. "Glad to see you're excited. Let's get this show on the road then. Once your folks have smashed through their defenses, my boys will follow up with the cleanup and to get the rest of them to surrender. While we're securing the warehouse and packing up the resources to be warped out, you can move onto the next one."
"An efficient course of action. A constant and unrelenting attack will make the most of our limited time. But are you sure that you would be able to hold the building with just your men?" Fenix said, his legs shuffling slightly. "Perhaps they will not be so quick to surrender, and then you would be faced with the full force of their defenders without most of your equipment. You would only be able to bring what you can carry through the tunnels."
"We can always retreat back into the tunnels if things get dicey," Raynor said. "Besides, once we capture their commander, they'll almost certainly stand down. These folks aren't going to put their lives on the line for this."
"Your assessment of the character of these terrans has been on point so far, so I shall trust in your judgment here," Fenix said. "If only the terrans from Earth were of the same nature, we could have defeated them ourselves, just you and I."
"Well, then they'd be sent packing before the two of us even met them," Raynor said with a chuckle.
"For now, we shall have to settle for sending these foes packing instead." Fenix shifted his mechanical body to begin walking forward. "Let us go forward to battle!"
The protoss reavers were brought down into the sealed tunnels, where their explosive scarabs were used to blast through the rubble blocking the way. Eventually, a gap appeared, revealing the empty corridor on the other side. The protoss rushed forward, quickly entering the tunnel network to search for the enemy.
Sounds of sporadic gunfire echoed through the narrow tunnels as soldiers caught by surprise turned to fight the enemy at their backs. Panic began spreading through their ranks as the guards were faced with a scene that almost seemed to be from a horror movie, inhuman beings unfazed by their guns leaving an endless trail of carnage through the dimly lit tunnels. Faced with this, what could they do but flee?
By the time the Kel-Morian reinforcements arrived, all they were faced with were a collection of disorganized soldiers sitting around now empty warehouses. Meanwhile, the protoss raiding force had quietly slipped away. With the zerg also departing from Moria, peace finally returned to the planet. Though within the guild halls, the reactions to the raid were anything but quiet.
Raynor relaxed aboard his ship as the fleet returned to Shakuras. "It's almost like old times," he reminisced to himself. "Though we never managed to steal this much in our old heists. A haul this big would've given me a heart attack back then."
From a small time criminal to a leading party in a war spanning the whole sector, he sure had moved up in the world. But the thought only brought a pensive mood upon him. The true battle was still ahead, and the weight of responsibility still pressed on him, a weight unthinkable for him just a few years prior.