Jim checked his ammo, although already knowing that his C-14 was full, so was his C-11 sidearm. He had checked it just two minutes ago. It just didn't feel right…
"No contact with main base yet, Sir!"
Jim Raynor turned around. A young and eager marine looked nervously at him. Jim recognized him, as one of the few of his loyal troops who followed him against the Confederacy about a year ago that was still alive. "Thanks", he replied.
"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" The marine asked.
"Of course", Jim replied.
"Sir, honestly, do you think we're gonna make it outta here?"
Jim had asked himself the same question several times. "I don't know. I don't think I want to know."
"Oh." The marine looked down.
Jim checked his weapon yet another time. He had spent a huge amount of time to upgrade his gauss rifle. It would be a shame if he never got to use it again…
"Why doncha check the communications again", he said to the private. "They've gotta respond some time."
The private saluted. "Sir, yes Sir!"
And he was gone. Jim Raynor stood there, inspecting his line of defense. There were the cliffs, leaving a passage in to the small, improvised base he was currently stuck in. By the cliff walls they had set up a bunker on each side. Four marines in one, three in the other. Just about enough space for himself…
He checked on the privates back in the Barracks. Nine men. Jim sighed. "Well, if they come trough here, we're screwed." He wandered back to the bunkers, walked over to the left bunker, opened the hatch and walked in. The privates saluted, Raynor dismissed them. They sat down, waiting. Nobody spoke for hours. There they sat, near the former city of Los Andares on the world of Siuon, as tension rose trough the air…
"Sir! Incoming Zerg at eleven o'clock!"
Jim woke up, surprised that he ever fell asleep, uncocked his rifle and looked out trough the bunker's firing hole. He didn't see them at first, but there they were. Six
Zerglings.
"Zerglings never travel in this few", Jim wondered. "Where's the rest?"
The answer became clear soon enough. Eight Hydralisks appeared at 1 o'clock, as well as twelve more Zerglings, who unburrowed themselves near the first six. It was clear that the creatures were aware of the humans nervously staring at them, and it was also clear that they were getting ready to attack. Jim ordered an SCV to repair duty behind the bunkers. The nine marines in the barracks were ordered to stay on guard in front of the bunkers. "We'll cover you", he said seeing the white faces of the privates.
Forty-five minutes later the Zerg seemed to get ready for a direct attack on the base. Another six Zerglings and four Hydralisks, making them twenty-four Zerglings and twelve Hydralisks now reinforced them. Not good odds…
The first wave of Zerglings, twelve of them, attacked the base. Most of them never made it to the bunkers, and those who did didn't live long enough to damage anything. The troops in the bunkers took a first sigh of relief. It wasn't over yet, though. Now the rest of the Zerglings attacked, and the Hydralisks supported them. Jim didn't see much, as the privates in front of the bunker stood in the way. Then they bursted into a massive bloodbath. The Zerglings' claws teared trough both the marines' CMC-400 armor and their flesh like a psi-blade trough hot butter. The screams were louder than the salvos of bullets aimed at the Zerg. Jim fired his gauss rifle like a madman, and most of them hit home. When the Zerglings were slaughtered, all the marines outside the bunkers were dead. And still eight of the Hydralisks remained, spitting their spines at the terran buildings. Jim looked at the private to his right. His face had been hit by one of the spines.
Then he saw his own armor. It was hit several times by the Zergling claws, and now he barely had an armor. He fired his C-14 at the Hydralisks, taking down five of them.
- Click -
He was out of ammo. In a matter of thirty seconds, Jim had fired all the three hundred and forty five rounds of his Gauss Rifle. And still the Hydralisks remained...
***
Meantime, numerous light years away, Zeratul watched over his Brethren.
They had left the Dark Templar homeworld of Shakuras, banned for the slaughter of the matriarch, Raszagal. Zeratul, however, was used to be alone with only the empty space as his friend – and it was quite a powerful friend, too. He had been allowed to take eight loyal Dark Templars with him in his Exile from New Antioch. He didn’t really need them, though. Zeratul was already on his way on his lonesome journey throughout the galaxy, after the Protoss’ defeat to Kerrigan some time ago, when the re-established Conclave called for his trial.
Well, here he was, stuck with his Brethren on the remote world of Azariah. Though there wasn’t any Zerg on Azariah, nor was there any resource to repair their damaged shuttles or, more accurately, their destroyed shuttles. As if they really could have mined it without the particle beams used by probes. No matter how effective a Warp Blade was in battle, they would damage the delicate structure of the Minerals. His only hope was for a friendly soul to find him…
***
Jim Raynor didn’t move. In fact he hadn’t moved for hours. There was a small beep in his CMC-450 suit. Oxygen supply was low. Now he had a choice. Suffocate or get killed by the Hydralisks. He watched the dead men to his right. Tough choice…
He took a C-14 from a private.
