The Present: Dylar IV, Rim World of the Terran Dominion
The light from the twin stars nearby beats mercilessly down upon the barren world. The few clouds that do manage to form in the atmosphere bring precious rain to the moisture-deprived soil. From space, the planet has almost a uniform color of yellow-brown. Vegetation is sparse and what little of there is abundant only in certain spheres. This planet has been subjected to much abuse since the day of its colonization. Early Terran prospectors claimed this uninhabited planet during the age of the Confederacy. The rich deposits of minerals and gas lured many here seeking to lay claim to the land even despite the harsh conditions. Those colonists went to work immediately in harvesting the precious ores and the end result was a planet scarred from the reckless strip mining. The large deposits of minerals disappeared, as did those who laid claim to them. Only those who truly called the planet as their home stayed there. Unfortunately for them, Dylar IV was one of the initial worlds seeded by the Zerg during their invasion almost four years ago. The colonists and Confederate forces that were there held out as long as they could but the outcome was never in question. Many were assimilated into the swarm; the rest were promptly slaughtered. The Zerg now overruns the once human populated areas of the planet. Former colonies and cities are coated with a thick carpet of bio matter dubbed the “creep” secreted by the foul Zerg buildings. For too long this once Terran world has been under control by the Zerg; that changes today.
Emperor Mengsk seeks to reestablish the borders of the Dominion and that means retaking planets back from the Zerg. Over the past three years, the Terran forces have been rebuilding and refitting themselves in preparation when the Zerg return. Best to fortify now than to wait before it is too late. Above the planet, a fleet of Dominion vessels fires down upon the planetside Zerg. The planet is abused yet again as massive energy beams lance down from the heavens laying waste to all. On board the Mengsk’s Fist, flagship of the fleet, General Christopher Ames leads the reformed Alpha Squadron. Ames was once a colonel under General Edmund Duke and had coveted the general’s position for a long time. Smiling tightly, he remembers how relieved he was to hear that the pompous bastard bought it and that he was now in command. “Always told you I would take your command Duke,” he whispers to himself. He watches with interest as yet another Yamato blast surges forth to strike a target below. I’m going to kill every one of these monsters he thinks. Further thoughts are interrupted as he spots an aide approaching.
“What is it Colonel,” he asks with irritation in his voice. “Can’t you see that I’m busy enjoying the view,” he says as he gestures out the viewscreen toward the planet. On the surface, numerous flashes explode like a string of firecrackers across the Zerg structures.
Colonel Nicholas Stewart suppresses a grimace as he reports to his so-called commander. “Most of the Zerg defenses around the Hive have been destroyed sir. The assault teams report that they are ready to go.”
“Good. I’m glad to see that MY assault plan is working,” he says gleaming with pride in his voice.
Stewart resists the urge to say something that would get him court-martialed. If everyone thought Duke was bad, Ames was five times as worse. He had never met anyone so in love with their own voice until he was assigned to Ames. Despite being a genius tactically, Ames’ personality more than detracts from that advantage. Someday soon general, you’ll buy it and then I’ll be in your place, Stewart thoughts. Bracing himself, he continues on with his report.
“Shall I order the assault in now sir?”
“In a moment Colonel, I wish to enjoy the view for a little while,” replies Ames wistfully.
“Sir,” says Stewart with a slight edge of insubordination in his tone. “The assault teams have been waiting to go for almost two hours. If we wait any longer they’ll start to lose their fighting edge.”
“Oh very well then, order the assault teams in,” replies Ames with a sigh.
Firing off a quick yes sir, Stewart turns to issues the orders and leaves the man’s presence. Before he can leave, the general adds one more comment.
“And Colonel,” he says with an edge of menace to his tone. “Do not presume to dictate orders to me again,” he says eyeing him intensely. “Need I remind you that I’m in overall command here?”
“No sir,” replies Stewart as his tone flattened.
Holding eye contact for a few more seconds, Ames nods and then speaks. “Good, I believe you have duties to perform then Colonel. Get to them.” Stewart walks off muttering swears to himself as the General turns back to his viewing.
Throughout the fleet, over a hundred dropships escorted by dozens of fighters surge forth and form up for the descent to the planet’s surface. The assault teams have been waiting for almost two hours and these are not patient men and women. After being handed many defeats at the hands of the Zerg and the Protoss, the members of Alpha Squadron seek retribution. Despite the apparent disdain for their commander, they can’t argue with his success. Since taking command three years ago, Ames has won every encounter with the Zerg. He has whipped the squadron into the premiere attack force of the Dominion and the squad’s motto now holds true: First in, Last out. The Alphas are the first wave to head in to any conflict. The landing zone of the assault is on the outskirts of a Zerg Hive. Glancing out the window on the dropship, a young lieutenant watches the leading craft pull into the landing zone. Lieutenant Emanuel “Manny” Ramirez shields his eyes as several of the landing craft ahead are blasted out of the sky by some of the Zerg bizarre anti-air structures. The dropship bucks violently from a nearby explosion. Getting up, he yells for his platoon to get ready. “We’re going in hot people! Look sharp!”
The dropships land with a thump on the edge of the Zerg colony as they disgorge their contents. A bugle charge plays on the loudspeakers as the members of Alpha Squadron enter the fray. One unfortunate DropShip, on the verge of landing is struck by a blast from a spore colony. The ship wheels in mid-air and plummets to the ground to explode brilliantly. Debris and body parts rain down on the troops as they form up for the attack. Behind the line of troops, the “heavies” roll off the transports. Dozens of Goliaths and siege tanks move into position to provide support fire for the attack. The sounds of metal shifting are heard along the line as the tanks change modes. Within mere moments, the thunderous blasts roar forth from the tanks as they fire into the Zerg defenses. Oddly enough, no Zerg appear in defense of the colony.
As the outer edge of the Zerg defenses crumble before the might of the tanks, the company commanders feel the time is right to advance towards the central Hive. With a sound that carries above the din of combat, the battle cries of the assault teams resound as they advance on the Zerg. The colonies of the Zerg, sunkens and spores, disappear in blood soaked explosions as the tanks lay waste to them. The foul carpet of bio matter recedes as their sources are destroyed. The troops feel the moist ground beneath them sink slightly as they advance over the creep. Captain Briggs, commander of Company A feels an uneasiness creep into him as he leads his troop on the Zerg. This is too easy he thinks to himself. Calling into the command net, he requests that a science vessel over-flight is made along the line of advance. His request is acknowledged and acted upon almost immediately as a group of science vessels with their accompanying fighters fly over the troops.
“See anything ahead of us,” asks Briggs.
“Nothing so far, just a lot of creep and some minor defenses,” responds the commander aboard the science vessel Venture. “Nothing you boys can’t handle with your toys,” he adds.
“Ok then,” replies Briggs. Adding further to his transmission, he asks, “You guys wouldn’t mind sticking around for a bit do you?”
“Not at all, that’s what they pay us for Captain. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing—“ The words barely escape his mouth as he gasps with surprise. “Burrowed Zergs!” he screams. “Thousands of them!”
As if knowing that their ambush has failed the Zerg emerge from the ground ahead of the troops and with a series of fierce, animalistic screams they attack. One science vessel is struck by ground fire from a mass of now revealed hydras and spews wreckage from the damage. The commander of the vessel reacts immediately and blasts the offending group with a massive cloud of irradiated matter. The hydras seeking to run from the noxious cloud do not leave fast enough. Their bodies explode into clouds of pink and red as their blood boils from the lethal doses assaulting them.
“Looks like you boys are going to earn your pay today,” says the commander of the Venture grimly.
“No shit fly boy!” growls Briggs. “Cook as many of them as you can with your vessels while we dig in down here.”
“Roger that and good luck,” comes the reply. The vessels immediate set to work on whittling the masses of the Zerg with bombardments of radiation. The air fills with the cries of the Zerg as they are literally cooked alive from the lethal doses.
The ground rumbles from the approaching Zerg as they charge the invaders to their home. The Terrans dig-in to fight the swarm as they have only mere moments before contact is made. Dozens of SCVs rush to complete fortifications as a dark mass on the horizon indicates the advance of the Zerg. Despite exacting a heavy toll on the Zergs, the science vessels are forced to withdrawal to recharge their energy reserves. Once the science vessels move behind the line of troops, the fleet begins its bombardment of the rushing mass. Dozens of lances of pure energy rain down on the hapless Zerg. The ground trembles from the resulting blasts and the bodies of the blasted Zerg litter the landscape. With their fortifications established, the troops ready themselves for the assault. Siege tanks open fire as the leading edge of the swarm comes into range.
Along the line arraigned against the coming mass, commanders scream almost as one as they utter one word.
“FIRE!”
Rifle fire and the roars of cannons fill the air and are immediately drowned out by the piercing cries of Zerg as they fall before the onslaught. All along the leading edge, hundreds of Zerg are mowed down like blades of grass from the intense fire. The science vessels join the fray as their energy reserves are replenished. Green clouds taint the attacking swarm as yet more Zerg fall before the onslaught. Despite the severe losses, the Zerg continue to close on the defensive network of the Terrans.
The radio channels are filled with sporadic reports and curses as the Terrans lean into the Zerg. Lieutenant Ramirez shouts words of encouragement to his troops as he fires into a mass of approaching Zerg. He watches with satisfaction as a shell from a tank lands amongst a cluster of Zerg and explode violently. A blinding flash of light and a deafening sound wave passes over him like a massive crushing hand. He listens intently to the reports from the other elements of the assault.
“The Zerg are fifty yards from our line! We’re about to be overrun—“
“Hammer 3, engage that cluster to your immediate right—“
“Come and get some you muthas—“
The radio is clogged with so many reports it’s impossible to keep up. To his left, Manny sees intense fire from a group of hydras shred several bunkers. The bunker occupants run out, some of them on fire, and are immediately set upon by the Zerg. Several tanks shift their fire to cover the breach in the lines and the invading Zerg disappear in a white-hot explosion. Manny witnesses several Zerg queens fly past the leading edge and fire cocoons at some tanks. The cocoons pierce the tanks armored hull and then they explode violently outward. A hideous layer of tendrils begins to engulf the targeted tanks as they seek to use the now doomed occupants as food. Several supporting wraiths leap on the retreating queens and nail them with missiles. The queens’ bulbous bodies are pierced and then ruptured by the resulting impacts; raining blood and gore over their fellow Zerg. The attacking Zerg swarm suddenly appears to falter in its advance and then begins to withdrawal. Rifle fire and tanks shells chase them the whole time, dropping many of the retreating swarms. Over the comm, General Ames orders a counter attack on the fleeing swarm. With a fierce battle cry, the Terran pursues the Zerg into the heart of their colony.
The troops file out of their defensive lines and our hot on their tails. Manny and his platoon run past the many bodies of the broken Zerg and he stops to fire into a fleeing hydra. His rounds trace along the back of the hydra causing blood to be sprayed outward on the ground. The wounded hydra turns to fire as he dodges behind a nearby spore colony. He feels the spikes from the hydra impacting on his cover. Activating his stim system, he rolls out from behind cover and fires his rifle mercilessly into the offending creature. With his system filled with adrenaline, his actions are lightning quick and the hydra moved as if it were frozen in time. Several members of his platoon engage the poor creature at the same time and the Zerg is literally ripped apart.
A marine extends a hand to help Manny up. “Damn boss,” comments Hal Frost, his platoon sergeant. “Think we used enough ammo on that one,” he asks with a touch of sarcasm.
“Sarge, there are two things you can never have enough of: money and firepower,” Manny adds with a touch of humor.
“I heard that,” replies Frost.
“Let’s join the party sarge,” says Manny as he runs to join the pursuit of the Zerg. Frost runs behind him and kicks the dead hydra in the head as he passes.
The line of troops continues to force the Zerg back to defend their hive. Some Zerg turn to engage and are promptly blasted. Two lone marines run firing into a mass of fleeing zerglings when all of the sudden they turn to attack. Three of the attacking Zerglings are felled by the intense rifle fire but four managed to make it through. Both marines stim themselves and one rolls out of the way of two leaping zerglings. He fires as he rolls and stitches a line of shots, killing it and then the other. The other marine is less fortunate as the leaping Zerg force him down and begin to tear into his body. His cries fill the radio, as his body is ripped apart. A nearby Firebat opens up on the creatures and sets them ablaze; their cries filling the air. The stink of burning flesh fills the air and adds to the smell of cordite and smoke.
Dozens of Terran troops continue to fall to the advance despite their losses, the Zerg are forced back until the hive is within sight. Suddenly the spikes of several unseen foes spear an advancing platoon of marines. The cries of the wounded fill the comm as several medics rush to the aid of the wounded troops while a call for backup is issued. A passing science vessel braves the sporadic ground fire and reveals the location of the hidden lurkers. Several tanks following the assault fire immediately on the creatures and they disappear in a brilliant flash as the shells blast them apart. Over the command channel, Ames issues an order for the assault force to contain the Zerg but to not let them break out. The order is acknowledged with some questions but carried out none the less.
“Why the hell are we stopping Manny,” asks a private breathlessly.
“General high and mighty just wants us to contain them near the hive and not advance. Guess he has a surprise in store for them,” he says with a shrug.
“Hope it is a good one sir, I’d hate to think that we whipped them this hard only to let them off the hook,” replies the private with a sour look on his face.
***
Above the planet an order is given and several heavy rockets are fired. The rockets streak downward towards their intended target, the Zerg hive. Warnings are passed down and the troops on the ground prepare themselves for the impact. The rockets slam into the Zerg colony and then explode in a blinding flash of light. The blast wave tears through the structures, as they are ripped apart by the intense explosion. The Zerg around the hive simply disappear. A massive thunderclap passes over the troops as the blast energies are spent outward and eventually subsides. Someone lets out a low whistle.
“Damn,” says Captain Briggs with awe in his voice. “That’s a hell of a way to clear them out huh?”
“Better than a massive can of bug spray sir,” replies Manny. They both laugh as the adrenaline in their blood bleeds off.
“One down, a couple more to go,” replies Briggs.
“We’re going to take this world back sir and they aren’t going to get it again,” replies Manny with pride in his voice.
“You got that right,” agrees Briggs. “You got that right.” The assault groups set about to secure the area as EVAC ships come to clear the wounded. In a nearby collection of clouds, a single overlord floats observing the Terran forces above the lost colony. Observing and reporting back to its master.
***
On the planet of Char, deep within the bowels of a monstrous living fortress, several beings consider the new developments. “As you can see my queen, the Terrans are on the verge of reclaiming the last remaining worlds within their borders. Soon they will begin to pose a threat to our plans once more.”
“I have eyes Chazz. I can see through the eyes of the swarm lest you forget,” replies Kerrigan with an edge to her voice.
“My apologies my queen. I meant no disrespect.”
“Apology accepted cerebrate, you are right of course. The Terrans have been left alone for far too long.” Getting up to stretch her wings menacingly, Kerrigan continues. “I have spent too much time reestablishing the swarm and I have neglected my neighbors,” she says as she gestures toward the wavery image. “Arcturus has grown far too big with himself over these past years, I think it is time to remind him just how small he really is.”
“Will we be moving to attack my queen?”
“Not yet but soon. I wish to repay the Protoss first for their meddling,” she says as her eyes flash with anger. “Any word on the search for their hidden world?”
“Scouting broods have been dispatched but they report nothing my queen. Shall we call off the search?”
“No,” she commands. “The Protoss are the greatest threat to us. First we hunt them down and then I pay a visit to my old friend Arcturus.”
