Sic Semper Tyranus
Chapter 1: The Hyperion
By: Duneczan
COMMAND SHIP HYPERION, KOPRULU SECTOR BORDER, TWO YEARS LATER
The cruiser burned its way through space as if the legions of hell were chasing it. This is not very far from the truth. With a loud BOOM, the three drive engines at the back of the ship shut down. The Hyperion was now dead in space. On the bridge of the Hyperion, Jim Raynor, former Colonial Marshal, sighed. Well old friend, he thought, speaking to his ship, we’ve been through a lot together. I guess now is our time to die. He looked over at his second in command, Nathaniel P. Calhoun, a former Colonial Magistrate, and Jim’s one-time superior. “Nate, what’s our current status?” The XO looked up, his face slightly bloodied from when a piece of debris had hit him.
“Not good. All forty laser batteries are off-line. The Yamato Gun is non-operational. Our main drive engines are down; all we have left are maneuvering thrusters.”
“Great. Location of the Zerg force?”
“Five hundred kilometers and closing. ETA, ten minutes.”
“Sound the evac alarm. All hands are to abandon ship. Hopefully they can get away in enough time.”
“Of course. Sounding evac alar...” His voice trailed off as he looked at his screen.
“What?”
“We’re receiving a coded transmission, source unknown. I’m putting it through the decrypt now.”
“What does it say?”
“It says...’Hold on to your butts.’” Before Jim could ask for a better response, another alarm sounded on the bridge. It was the collision alert siren. A ship exited hyperspace right on top of the Hyperion. At two kilometers long, the newcomer was twice the size of the Hyperion. The black hulled ship moved past the Hyperion and took up a defensive position parallel to the crippled battlecruiser. Hull plates slid back to reveal the ships armaments, now tracking the incoming Zerg. Back on the bridge of the Hyperion, Jim Raynor and his crew looked in wonder.
Where the hell did this ship come from, Jim asked himself. “Nate, give me a short firing of the ventral thrusters, then spin us so that the bridge is facing the Zerg. I want to see this fight.” The Hyperion rose from behind the ebony vessel, turning itself to see the action. As the Zerg entered firing range, the starboard side of the ship erupted in light as sheets of yellow-white energy and pulses of orange fire lanced out at the Zerg. Periodically, torpedoes covered in red and blue energy sailed from their launchers, hitting their targets with pin-point accuracy. After two minutes the barrage stopped. The guns went silent and retracted into the ship, the hull plating sliding back into position, hiding the guns. The only thing remaining of the Zerg were body parts and frozen blood. “Hail them Captain.”
“No need, they’re hailing us.” Over the com, a human voice came.
“Commander Raynor, I’m glad to see that we arrived in time. My superior would be very angry had we not.”
“I thank you for coming to our aid. Tell me, who are you, and how do you know who I am?”
“All in due time Commander. How much time do you estimate your ship will take to be repaired?”
“I don’t know. Two, maybe three hours.”
“Very well. I will leave a squadron behind to act as an escort while you repair your ship. When you have completed your repairs, contact the squadron leader. She’ll give you some coordinates. Follow them.”
“Coordinates to where?”
“You will see.” The forward section of the ship opened up and twelve fighters came roaring out. The fighters were silver, with two weapons mounted on the wings, and one on a turret just behind the cockpit. The squadron broke into three groups of four fighters, and took up an escort formation around the Hyperion. With a flicker of pseudo-motion, the large ship jumped to lightspeed.
“Nate, send out the SCV‘s. I want the engines up and running first, then deal with the lasers. Forget about the Yamato for now.” Two hours past. The SCV’s finished their work in record time and went back into the ship. Jim contacted the squadron leader, and she gave him a set of coordinates, leading them to a world in Protoss space. Before he could send her his thanks, the squadron went into lightspeed. “Helm, set course for the given coordinates.” Five minutes later, the Hyperion itself went into hyperspace.
ANTAER, FORMER PROTOSS COLONY, PROTOSS SPACE
The Hyperion came out of hyperspace right in the path of a fierce looking ship. It was 600 meters longer than the average cruiser, with a slightly ribbed exterior and a gray-green paint job. Like the ship that had saved them earlier, hull plating opened to reveal hidden weaponry. This time, however, the weapons were pointed at the Hyperion. The ship moved closer, the voice of its commander came over the com system.
“Unidentified cruiser, this is the Draconic Alliance Destroyer Excalibur state the nature of your presence here. Be warned that any hostile activity will be met in kind.”
“This is Jim Raynor, commander of the Battlecruiser Hyperion. We were invited here.”
“One second Hyperion, while we verify this.”
Jim was kept waiting for five minutes before the gruff voice of the advancing ships commander returned. “Sorry for the inconvenience. We are trying to keep a low profile at the moment, so we try to keep strangers away as much as possible. You are cleared to continue on the our base.”
“I can understand a need for secrecy. You seem to be quite powerful, and in this galaxy, being powerful can create a lot of enemies.”
“Don’t we know it. Head towards the planet. Our command ship is the 800 meter long version of this one. Just don’t let its size fool you.”
“Alright, I’ll take that under advisement. Hyperion out.” The Hyperion’s sublight engines flared, and the cruiser moved forward towards the planet. Like many worlds within Protoss space, it was a green world, covered in jungles and oceans. As the ship neared the planet, the bridge crew saw four vessels in orbit. Two were identical to the one that had rescued them earlier. The other two were similar as well, the only difference being size. The Hyperion pulled into a stationary orbit parallel to the others. “Well, what do you think I should do, wait for an invitation or just go over there now”
“Jim, if you really want a suggestion, I say we leave now. I’m really not comfortable with this situation.”
“Nate, normally I’d take your suggestion under consideration, but not this time. We owe them the benefit of a doubt, especially after they saved our lives.”
“Yes, but we don’t know why they saved us.”
“I’m sure they’ll tell us once we go over there.”
“‘We’ sir?”
“Yes, you’re coming with me.”
“I’m going to guess that I have no choice in the matter.”
“You got that right.”
“I’m beginning to rethink my decision in joining up with you.”
“I think it’s a bit late for that my friend.”
“We’re receiving another transmission, this time it’s not coded.”
“Oh goody, our invitation is here. Put it through.”
“Greetings Commander Raynor. My name is Aren Hale, I am the commander of this force. I would like to speak with you on my ship, the Nova Fire. The landing bay doors are currently open, so feel free to come over whenever you feel like it. Hale out.”
“Nate, get a dropship ready for launch.”
COMMAND SHIP NOVA FIRE, HIGH ORBIT, PLANET ANTAER
The dropship from the Hyperion landed inside the Nova Fire’s landing bay. As they exited the dropship, Jim and Nathaniel noticed that the bay itself seemed to be a cramped space. The bay was empty of personnel, save for a single man working on a dark blue-gray transport that was over 50 meters in length. It appeared to be lightly armed, but they knew from experience that the ships these people use have hidden weapons. They stood still for a minute, hoping the mechanic would notice them. When he didn’t, Jim took action.
“Excuse me, could you help us?” Jim Raynor asked of the mechanic. The man in the gray coveralls began to pull his out of the engine, but he hit his head in the process. Cursing in some unfamiliar language, he began yelling at the ship.
“Noijitat! Scapan san jima, jhella fal toth!” Finally realizing he was not alone when Jim cleared his throat. “Who’re you?” The man asked.
“My name is Jim Raynor, and this is my second in command, Nathaniel Calhoun. We’re here to see someone named Aren Hale.”
“Well ain‘t that sumthin, my names Jim too, though they usually just call me Jimmy. So, yer here to see tha Major huh? Yeah, he tol’ me you wuz comin‘, though he didn’t say when. He says to me ’Jimmy’ he says ‘There’re gonna be these guys comin over lookin fer me. Now, I wan’ ya to stall ‘em as much as possible. I ain’t ready ta speak with no country bumpkins.’ Oh, wait, I wasn’t s’posed ta say that. Ferget I said a thin‘.” Although Jim Raynor remained impassive, Nathaniel was not too happy.
“Are you sure you want to talk with someone who openly insults us, then uses this...this uneducated swine to deal with us?”
“I’m sure Major Hale had his reasons in trying to stall us.”
“Yeah, his reason being, he wants to make us prisoners, then destroy our ship. For all we know, he’s some lackey of Kerrigan‘s or a member of the UED!”
“Aw, now he wouldn’ go an’ do that. He wouldn’ waste good slave labor and material like that. Hey, come wit’ me ta the briefin room hyar in the hangar. I’ll get ya sum nice coffee ta make ya feel better.”
They followed Jimmy to the briefing room, where the squadron commanders meet to prepare for a battle. It was a moderately sized room, about six meters long by five meters wide. The two visitors sat down while Jimmy poured them some coffee.
“Sir, I say we just get back into the dropship and leave.”
“You can go back if you want Nate, but I’m staying here. I want to meet this Major Hale of theirs, no matter what he says about us.”
“Then you will not be waiting long Commander Raynor.” The voice was the same as Jimmy’s, but it sounded far more precise and less confused, like the one they had heard not too long ago on the Hyperion. They looked up, and a change had come over the mechanic. Gone were the grease-stained coveralls and face, replaced by a black military BDU’s and a clean complexion. “For I am Major Aren Hale.”
“I thought you said your name was Jimmy” Nathaniel asked.
“Jimmy is merely a persona of mine, something I use to test potential friends and allies. Since he’s an everyday kind of guy, people tend to open more to him than me.”
“So all those things he said...”
“Were false. Commander Raynor, I merely wanted to see your reaction to my words. I must say, I’m very impressed. Normally, a person called a ‘country bumpkin’ would just get angry and leave, much like your XO wanted to do. You, on the other hand, decided to stay.”
“That’s because I was a ‘country bumpkin’”.
“Yeah, a colony like Mar Sara is a backwater place.”
“Worse than you think” came the simultaneous response from Jim and Nathaniel. Then Jim voiced the question that had been bothering him the moment the black ship came out of nowhere and blasted the Zerg. “Who are you people?”
“Hmm...well, to answer that question, why don’t we retire to a more comfortable location.” In the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a different room. It was sparsely decorated. It had detailed models of two sleek-looking starships, and a large painting of a castle hanging on a wall. “Gentleman, welcome to my ready room.”
“How...how did you do that?” Captain Calhoun asked, his voice filled with a combination of awe and fear.
“There is very little I cannot do on board my ship. As for how, well, it would take more lifetimes than you have left to explain. Now, Commander Raynor, on to your question. For someone who was as close to Lord Tassadar as you were, I am surprised you do not already know. Think about it. Perhaps he told you in some conversation?”
“No, I would have remembered him telling me about someone who could teleport people at will, change shapes, or destroy a large Zerg armada with ease. Wait...” his voice trailed off as he began to think about his conversations with Tassadar more thoroughly. “You were the one who convinced him that the Human race deserved a chance to survive?”
“Close. I merely planted the seed that led to the decision. Lord Tassadar made the choice all by himself.”
“I never thought I’d actually get to meet you. I thought you would have found a way home by now.”
“If only it were that easy. We’ve tried, but there is a barrier preventing us from returning. It would appear that we have a purpose here. Until we have fulfilled that purpose, we’re stuck here.”
“Won’t your people get homesick?” Nathaniel asked.
“Not as long as they know there is a purpose for os being here. Now, you asked who we were. You know only what we told Lord Tassadar. I will now tell you, in more detail, who exactly we are. The five ships here are part of my command back home, the Vranth Sector Fleet. It is commonly called the Chorasian Fleet, due to the fact that our base is the planet Choras. I command nearly three hundred and forty vessels.”
“A major in charge of a fleet that large? It’s hard to believe.”
“My rank is merely a title, but I am getting ahead of myself. The Chorasian Fleet is made up of the elite forces of the Draconis Alliance. The Draconis Alliance is the largest power in the Andromeda Galaxy. It is made up of nearly six hundred federations and four hundred different alien species. The Draconis Alliance itself is an independent commonwealth of a far larger power called the Imperium, of which Earth is a member. Now, here is where things get a little tricky. The Imperium is basically led by a group called the Sovereign Protectors. I am a Sovereign Protector, as is my second in command, Major Michael Powell. His brother, Elim Enteneka, is the Head Sovereign Protector. Michael and I chose to spend most of our time among the people of the Draconis Alliance, so we had to have a military rank. We chose to be majors because we like the way it rolled off the tongue.”
“You’re kidding right?”
“No. Now, in our home universe, a Sovereign Protector has unlimited power. We are immortal as well. I myself have lived for over a millennia. Here, in this universe however, we are cut off from the source of our power, and, therefore, severely weakened.”
“Yeah, I remember Tassadar telling me that after you slammed Aldaris into a bulkhead, you nearly fainted.”
“I was pushing it then. Had I use any more power, I would have collapsed, unconscious.”
“Is there any more to this hard to believe story?” Nathaniel has never believed in parallel realities.
“You’re quite the skeptic aren’t you, Captain Calhoun? Anyway, after my little incident with Aldaris, Michael asked Lord Tassadar if he knew of a place we could call home. He told us to contact a Protoss Praetor by the name of Mojo. We did so, and he led us here, to Antaer. Antaer used to be a Protoss colony, but it was abandoned during the Aeon of Strife. Ever since then, we’ve been here, studying the ways of the natives of this universe. It has been quite the learning experience.” After he finished speaking, Major Hale sat down. Jim took this moment to ask another question.
“So what do you plan to do now? You must have called me here for some reason.”
“All in good time Jim. There are three other players in this game that must show up.”
“‘Players’? What do you mean?”
“There are more things happening in this universe than you know of. There is a darkness looming on the horizon. A darkness the likes of which you have never seen. In order to face it and survive, allies must be made. Even if that means you must ask the devil himself for help.”
“Your words aren’t exactly what I would call comforting.”
“And so they shouldn’t. Now, I can sense that there is another question on your mind. Ask it, for it is one that I can answer, and will do so gladly.”
“When you talk about Tassadar, you call him ‘Lord Tassadar’. Why?”
“Well, where I come from, this title is given to those who prove themselves to be great warriors. Lord Tassadar was noble and honorable. He sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind. If he does not deserve to be called a lord, than no one should.” The doors to the ready room opened and a blonde haired man entered. He also wore black BDU’s, and wore the same rank insignia as Major Hale. “Gentleman, this is my second in command, Michael Powell.”
“Hello Major,” Nathaniel uttered.
“Greetings Major,” Jim said.
“Greetings to you two as well. Aren, the UED has arrived. Captain DuGalle is eager to speak with you again.”
