In a sector far beyond the influence of the Dominion lies a vast area filled with nothing but the traces of mass destruction. A battle most fierce and beyond imagination took place between the remnants of the once mighty UED fleet and that of the Zerg horde. Blasted body parts and shattered spacecraft clutter this region so much so that the lights from distant burning stars are barely able to pierce the shroud of death that marks this place. The few remaining survivors of that terrible ordeal have thus come to consider this region a place of honor for their fallen comrades; a place to go and remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. Fate as it seems, continues to test the extent of death that this patch of space can be party to. Only moments ago, Jim Raynor’s fleet reverted back into real-space as they continued to follow a force they believed to be the survivors of the UED expedition. Never did they ever expect that their fortunes would turn so bad so quickly.
“OH SHIT!” yells Raynor as he witnesses a fiery blast lance across space towards his cruiser.
“RIG SHIP FOR IMPACT!” Alarms begin to blare throughout the cruiser as hatches and corridors seal in preparation of a hull breach.
Quickly gauging the distance, he realizes that any action now would be too little… too late. He grabs for a nearby railing and braces as he awaits the impending blast of energy to rip through his beloved ship. He stares outward and witnesses the massive beam continues to grow in size, rapidly eating the distance between the two ships. The entire bridge is lit red-white as the light emitted from the intense energy filters through the forward viewscreen. Raynor screws his eyes tightly and waits for the inevitable impact. He feels his ship rocks slightly and his eyes flash open in confusion.
“What the hell?! Damage report! Did we sustain any damage?””
“It didn’t hit! It didn’t hit!” cries the damage control officer, “It was just close enough to singe our armor but didn’t do any damage!”
Quickly keying the fleet-wide comm, Raynor rapidly issues orders to his forces as they move to attack. “Everyone stand-fast! Take no action unless ordered! Hold your positions! I say again, everyone hold your damn positions!” yells Raynor. The vessels and fighters outside reluctantly power down their systems and hold position as they wonder about the reasons behind such an order.
“Damnmit…” whispers Janick as he tries to shake off his brush with death. “They’ve got to REALLY work on their people skills!” he adds as he continues to swear quietly to himself.
“They’re just trying to scare the hell out of us,” replies Raynor.
“Yeah… well guess what? It worked Jim!”
“A warning shot across our bow, a damn good one at that too,” replies Raynor with admiration as his mind begins to work out the tactical situation. He glances over at his XO and sees as he struggles to control his shaking.
“You going to be alright Bill?”
“Yeah… I’m ok,” he replies with a dismissive wave to drop the topic, “that’s not important right now… what do we do now Jim?”
“Let’s see if we still have some options open to us.” Raynor moves over to the tactical display and checks the positions of his fleet and that of the UED. “You see any detection vessels in the area Brad? Any sign of fighters either?”
“Nope… nothing showing from the feed from our vessel but they’re probably holding them back it seems… guess they thought we wouldn’t be able to get our fighters off without their knowledge,” he says as he smiles slyly.
“Too bad for them huh? Instruct Commander LaRouche that she’s to slowly position her wing so that they can hit that lead cruiser… tell her to await my order to decloak.”
“Did you say decloak Cap’n?” asks the comm officer with a confused look on his face.
“Trust me on this Tommie,” responds Raynor with a small smile. The order is received, with a less than enthusiastic response but nonetheless followed. Out in space, fifty-six wraiths quickly adjust their positions as seeker heads on their missiles begin to lock on their still unaware target.
“Any word from our friends out there, Bill?” Raynor nods towards the drifting cruisers which they had first considered to be abandoned.
“Nope… they’ve been awfully quiet since that first shot Jim.”
“Probably wondering what we’re up to,” replies Raynor as he snorts with amusement.
***
On the bridge of the Aleksander, Captain Torral shares Raynor’s exact thoughts on the situation.
“What are they up to?” asks Torral as he continues to stare at the tactical display.
“I’m not sure sir,” answers Hamilton with a slight hesitation, “they’re being rather confident seeing as to how we have the upper hand here.”
“Any fighters detected or launched?”
“Negative sir… nothing since they first came in system. If they launched any fighters, we would have seen them leave.”
“I know Erik… wraiths can’t cloak while in the cradles, too many power issues crop up… we could never get it to work but I wonder if they found a way around that problem?” wonders Torral out loud.
“I doubt it sir; they don’t look that advanced for that type of tech work. However—“
“However, looks can be deceiving as we just proved to them,” finishes Torral. “How soon before our vessels get here?”
“We left them roughly a system back sir,” answers Hamilton as he looks down at a display, “at maximum they could be here in under nine minutes.”
“Tell them to get here at best possible speed. In the meantime, let’s have a chat with our guests,” says Torral as he gestures for the comm officer to open a channel.
“You’re ready to transmit on all channels sir.” Torral keys his comm and begins to speak in a tone of command and authority, a tone that distantly reminds him of days long past.
***
“We’re pickin’ up a broadband transmission coming from the lead cruiser Cap’n,” states the comm officer of the Hyperion.
“About time,” whispers Raynor under his breath. “Patch it in Tommie.”
An image of a stern looking man in his late fifties with slightly grayish dark hair slowly materializes on the main screen. The image and audio fuzzes for a second and then clears to leave a voice laced with authority speaking in a commanding tone.
“Attention unidentified vessels! This is Captain Jeffrey Torral in command of the United Earth Directorate fleet that is currently surrounding your forces. You have entered our space and are thus now under Directorate authority. You are hereby ordered to power down your systems and prepare to receive boarding parties. You will then be placed into our custody and your vessels and any cargo found will be seized. Any act of non-compliance, any attempt to resist or escape will be met with extreme force. Do you copy over?”
“Just like that huh?” snorts Janick with contempt. “Like I said, they really need to work on their people skills.”
“Is our link established Tommie?”
“All set Cap’n, you’re ready to send.”
“Is Tam’s wing in position and ready?”
“She’s ready Jim. Her wing is holding steady off our bow and she says her fighters have full lock-on the lead cruiser,” answers Janick with a thumbs-up.
Raynor visibly braces himself and clears his throat noisily before he keys his comm.
***
“We have an incoming signal from the lead enemy cruiser,” announces the comm officer onboard the Aleksander.
“Let’s see it,” states Torral.
“Howdy boys. I guess you don’t get many visitors out here because you aren’t being very neighborly by firing on my ship.”
“This is Captain Torral speaking. To whom am I addressing?”
“Well Admiral… you can call me Captain Raynor… Captain James Raynor.”
Torral’s expression twists slightly with annoyance from the incorrect stating of his rank. He glances brief towards Hamilton and with a small nod the XO begins to run a search on the name Raynor to find any information.
“Well Captain Raynor, I hope you and your people will find your new accommodations to your liking once we transfer them off and assume control of your vessels.”
“I don’t think so Admiral… you see it’s like this… we’ve become rather fond of our ships… in a way they’ve become our homes and we don’t really feel like moving,” replies Raynor with a taunting smile.
“I do not believe we gave you a choice in the matter Captain,” stresses Torral as his voice hardens, “In case you might have failed to notice… we have your small fleet outnumbered and outgunned. If you care for the well being of your people… you WILL power your systems to standby and surrender.”
“Sorry Admiral—“
“The rank is Captain Mr. Raynor,” corrects Torral harshly, “I generally prefer to be addressed properly.”
“Whatever you say Captain,” replies Raynor as his own voice hardens to an edge, “but my people and I won’t just roll over and surrender our ships without a fight!”
“I’m sorry to hear that… truly I am,” softly responds Torral, “I had hoped to avoid any unnecessary loss of life here, too much blood has been spilled here already, but it appears you have given me little choice in the matter. If it is a fight you want then I can’t stop you.”
“We didn’t come here for a fight Torral, we came here to talk.”
“We’re talking now Captain Raynor and I promise you we will talk more later when you are in our custody.”
“You’ll forgive me if I decline your offer. I was rather hoping we could talk on equal ground instead.”
“I’m afraid to tell you this but you are in no position whatsoever to dictate terms to me,” replies Torral smugly. “Need I remind you that you are currently targeted by my cruisers… one command and your ships are reduced to floating particles. I’d rather not give that order since I would rather add them to our fleet.”
“Then perhaps this will change your mind. Right now I have a wing of fighters currently cloaked and deployed with you having a big bulls-eye painted on the side of your ship. If you give that order, I promise YOU that you’ll go down right along with us!”
***
On the small image, Torral’s confident expression cracks slightly from Raynor’s last words. He gestures slightly to his side and the transmitted image is blanked out as the comm signal is silenced at its source.
“Whew…” sighs Raynor with relief, “that got him thinking now…”
“Do you think he believed you?” asks Janick.
“Not sure… but he’s not as confident anymore… now it’s his move.”
***
On board the Aleksander, a heated discussion is taking place in hushed tones.
“He’s bluffing sir,” whispers Hamilton, “we didn’t detect any fighters being launched and we’ve had them under constant surveillance since then! There is no way he could have deployed fighters!”
“He seems rather confident about the situation though Erik. How soon before our vessels get here now?”
“At least another four to five minutes sir. If he does have fighters out there we—“
“We could have a serious problem on our hands since our fighters aren’t here to counter them,” finishes Torral as he silently curses himself for that tactical slip and contemplates his options. “Do you believe he is bluffing then?”
“He has to be sir,” responds Hamilton, “He’s probably just stalling for time.”
“Let’s see what happens if we call his bluff.” Torral gestures and the distant image of Raynor appears again, except this time he’s smiling.
“Have you decided on whether to have that talk with me yet Captain?” calmly asks Raynor.
“Yes… I believe we’ll move in now to claim your vessels and if you DO offer any resistance then we will vaporize you along with your people. We’ve had your forces under constant observation since you entered this region and we believe there’s no way you could have deployed fighters without our knowledge. You bluffed, Captain Raynor… I’m calling it.”
“Then it looks like you need some more convincing Captain,” states Raynor as he gestures slightly to his side, “if you wanted proof then you’ve got it!”
Torral waits for the proof of Raynor’s claim but sees nothing happening. He’s about to speak but is stopped before he can utter a word as a warning laced with surprise comes from his tactical officer.
“Multiple contacts sir! Enemy fighters! We’re detecting what looks like at least a wing’s worth of fighters decloaking between the enemy fleet and us! I don’t know where they came from sir… they just appeared out of nowhere! Wait… they’re recloaking… we’re losing tracks… they’re gone sir!”
“It looks like your theory was right Captain,” somberly states Hamilton.
“So it would appear,” responds Torral dryly, “status on our vessels?”
“They won’t make it in time if they decide to hit us sir. Not before we take severe damage.”
“Then it appears Captain Raynor shall get his wish. Comm, reopen the link if you would please.” The connection is reestablished as the blanked screen is replaced with the smiling image of Raynor.
“You were saying Captain?” asks Raynor sweetly.
“Touché… it would appear that we have a bit of a standoff here. I could still give that order to fire,” quietly threatens Torral.
“And like I said before Captain… you’d go down with right us,” states Raynor with conviction. “But we didn’t come here to fight… I’m here to talk.”
”You’ve piqued my curiosity Captain Raynor,” says Torral with a brief smile as he gestures to his side. On his order, the UED cruisers power down their weapon systems. “As you may no doubt have detected, I have just ordered my forces to stand down. I trust that you will do the same on your end as well?”
“Of course… like I said, we’re here to talk Captain,” replies Raynor as he instructs his forces to do the same. Weapon systems are placed on standby as the fighters decloak and shift into a passive formation.
“What is it that you wish to discuss?” asks Torral intently.
“Something that will probably benefit all involved but I’d rather do this face-to-face if you don’t mind. Shall we discuss this on your ship or mine.”
“We shall meet on your ship then. I’ll be coming over on a transport with an aide. I shall look forward to meeting you then Captain Raynor.”
***
A short time later, a small transport is launched and finally docks with the Hyperion as the two fleets continue to eye each other suspiciously across the void. Several hours have passed as the two leaders attempt to reach an understanding.
“I’m sorry Captain Raynor,” says Torral as he shakes his head in disagreement for the fifth time, “but I will not risk exposing my people needlessly by entering into this alliance.”
“And you think what I’m proposing will result in that?” asks Raynor as he tries to hide his growing frustration. “Listen Captain, you are an isolated group… you’ve got no friends in this sector. Just how long do you expect to stay hidden if the Dominion finds out you’re still around?”
Torral remains silent as Raynor’s words play through his mind. Although the words were not his, they are almost the same thoughts he’s been contemplating over the past few years. “Just exactly what is it that you want from us?”
“Finally,” states Raynor with relief, “a straight forward question!” he states as he throws his arms up in celebration. “I’m proposing a pooling of resources Captain. It’s quite simple really… we’ve got the contacts, access to recent intelligence reports, supplies, equipment… you name it. You’ve obviously got the firepower and trained personnel,” explains Raynor.
“Yes but what is your stake in all of this Captain?” asks Torral as he stares intently. “If we do forge this alliance, what do you want the ultimate outcome to be?”
“Well now… that depends on what you and your boys were planning out her now doesn’t it?” retorts Raynor. “You still planning on trying to conquer this entire sector? Because if that’s your intention then let’s end this discussion now.”
Torral’s face twists slightly with annoyance and he pauses for a moment to organize his thoughts.
“We were sent out here to assume control of this sector, control the threat that the Zerg may pose to Earth and it’s outlying colonies and perform whatever steps necessary to ensure Earth’s safety.”
“And one of the first steps was by trying to turn the Zerg into some kind of biological weapon?!” exclaims Raynor. “Sorry Captain, but instead of trying to do that… you should’ve concentrated on the Zerg when you had the opportunity… they were the REAL threats!”
“I know Captain,” sighs Torral softly, “many of us in the fleet did not agree with the Admiral’s plan but we were only following orders. I tried, along with several other captains, to voice our concerns… tried to explain that the Zerg were too dangerous to try and control and were best eliminated… but we were silenced. As you can see, we paid the price for our folly,” adds Torral as he gestures out towards the debris field.
“So if you did ultimately assume control of this sector… then what? Did you plan on continuing the persecutions that others before me had to endure?”
“Despite what your history may have told you regarding early Earth and the UPL, a lot has changed since then. Earth’s policies have evolved… we are a united planet and people. The UPL is long gone, as are the old ways. We only sought to extend our sphere of influence and security. We were only trying to help here Captain Raynor,” states Torral as his expression softens some. “Sometimes the best intentions don’t always turn out right.”
“Tell me about it,” grumbles Raynor.
“And what of you Captain Raynor? What do you seek from this proposal?”
“Justice Torral… plain and simple,” flatly states Raynor. “Justice for all those lost at the hands of an inept government and for those still suffering under the yoke of a would-be dictator. These people deserve better than that.”
“I’m sorry to tell you this Captain but what we have left now barely qualifies as a strike force. Even if we combine forces, the Dominion outnumbers us twenty to one… those are long odds in my book.”
“The UED came here to help right? If your intention was to bring order and equality to this region you’re being given a second chance here. What’s it going to be Captain?”
Torral sits quietly for a moment as he dwells on Raynor words. When he finally answers, he does so with a small smile. “You do realize that we’ll all probably wind up either as heroes or martyrs,” replies Torral sarcastically.
“Playing a martyr isn’t so bad… me and my crew should’ve been dead long ago,” replies Raynor with a smirk, “besides, I’m not one to go out without a fight.”
“Yes… I noticed,” answers Torral with a broad smile. “Very well Captain Raynor, you have yourself new allies then,” states Torral as he rises from his chair and extends his hand.
“Thanks Captain,” says Raynor as he to rises from his chair and takes the offered hand,” but I do have one final request.”
“What might that be?” asks Torral cautiously.
Smiling broadly as his fortunes have turned around from bad to good, Raynor says, “Call me Jim instead ok? I was never into titles much.”
“Fair enough,” replies Torral with a chuckle, “time to head home then… we still have a lot of details to work out and I’m just dying to know how you pulled that move with the fighters off.”
“That’s just one of our many tricks,” says Raynor as he leads the way, “not bad for a bunch of dumb colonists huh?”
“No… not bad at all Jim. Things will be getting interesting around here now I take it?”
“Captain, you have no idea,” says Raynor with chuckle as they both walk out into the busy corridor.
