Starcraft: The Sodon Trilogy
Part 2 - Blood of the Oppressed
What has gone before - Lieutenant Sodon was serving on the Terran Battlecruiser, the Lost One, when the Protoss High Templar, Tassadar, intercepted them accidentally with his fleet. Captain Nabal invited Tassadar aboard, and they discussed the current situation. When Tassadar revealed his orders to eradicate all life on Chau Sara, Nabal became furious and kicked Tassadar off the ship. Tassadar didn’t want Nabal warning the Terran colonies, and he warned Nabal to not try and go. Nabal did so anyway. Lieutenant Sodon piloted the Glory’s Fire and killed one of the Protoss fighters. The other Terran fighter squadrons were destroyed, but they took out three Protoss ships. Nabal used the Battlecruiser to weaken one of the Carriers, but the Gantrithor finished it off before it could destroy the Carrier. Sodon shot his advanced missiles at the damaged Carrier, destroying it. He then headed off to Korhal to join the rebellion there. Tassadar, sad at the loss of life, headed for Chau Sara to carry out his orders…this was just a few months ago.
***
Char. Located on the farthest side of the galaxy, the planet Char could be described in one word: hell. The place where volcanic eruptions were a daily occurrence. The place where ravines full of molten lava were common sightings. The place where no plant life exists at all, destroyed by some mysterious natural disaster centuries ago. The place of unconceivable darkness…
As he ducked behind a rock, he silently wished there were some trees somewhere on this hellish planet. Hearing a soft splash behind him, the Zerg Drone leaped to his feet and out from behind the rock. He growled with relief as needle spines pelted his ex-shelter. Snarling with rage, the Drone, preparing his own spines, turned to his attacker.
“MY CHILDREN, QUICKEN TO YOUR FALLEN BROTHER’S ROTTING FORM. OUR PREY MUST NOT BE FAR!”
Following their master’s words, hundreds upon hundreds of Zerg, by air, by ground rumbled through the land, searching for blood.
The Drone turned away from the fallen Hydralisk’s bloodied form. Spying a land bridge, he quickly ran towards it. As he neared the bridge, he saw an unnatural bump in front of it. Realizing almost too late what it was, he jumped in the air, just as a rabid Zergling jumped out of the ground, slashing wildly. He landed about a meter past the Zergling, then jumped again, dodging yet another appearance of Zerglings. The Drone swung around and pelted the mindless creatures with his spines, killing them quickly. He then skittered over a small crest where he had been stockpiling raw resources. He made sure the area was safe, then began to metamorphose into a Hive, directly skipping the previous evolutionary strains.
The Hive was completed quickly and within seconds one of the Larvae spun itself into an Egg. Minutes later, the same Drone came out. Acting as the Cerebrate, the Drone started metamorphosing his Larvae into Zerglings, adding in his own special touch. Christening them the Ultraling, he set to work building his defense. That done, he went into his Hive to think.
“YOU DEFECT! YOU ACTUALLY THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE MY WRATH?” The
Overmind’s words startled the Drone out of his meditation. Seething with rage, he sent back his own telepathic reply. “Defect? Is this why you are hunting me down? Is it because your perfect creation turned against you? You obviously can’t handle failure. The prophecy spoken by you is wrong: “
“BEHOLD, THE CHOSEN ONE WILL ENTER THE SWARM, AND IT WILL STRIKE DOWN MY ENEMIES. TOGETHER WE WILL RULE ETERNAL AS THE SWARM!”
“You are wrong. I am the Chosen One, but I have rebelled!”
“HA! THE CHOSEN ONE? YOU ARE NOT THE CHOSEN ONE! YOU ARE MERELY A DEFECT, CREATED TO BE MY LEFT HAND, MY WORKER. A PITY YOU’VE REBELLED, BUT AS I SPEAK, YOUR CLUSTER IS SURROUNDED. SOON, I WILL ELIMINATE THIS…GENETIC GLITCH!”
“Glitch? I am not a glitch! I am your conscience, the one who will stop your madness, and the release the Zerg from their tyrant. I am…The Lone Drone!”
***
Lieutenant Sodon awoke with a start as his navigation computer beeped to alert him of his proximity to Zerg space. He rubbed his eyes as he started to wake up, then flicked his weapon systems online. He flipped another switch. With a glooping sound, a blue bubble surrounded the Glory’s Fire, then disappeared. His computer beeped: SHIELDS ONLINE.
Sodon smiled. He had managed to snag a shield generator from the wreckage of the Scout he destroyed before leaving the battle with the Protoss fleet. It took some favors and credits, but once he reached Korhal, he had some engineers integrate it into his ship, no questions asked.
The Protoss fleets were a valid threat now. Just weeks ago, right on schedule, the Protoss fleet arrived at Chau Sara. It then proceeded to destroy the Zerg infestation. The Terran colonies on the planet were decimated.
By the time Sodon got to Korhal, news of the disaster had already arrived. In denial, many of the citizens blamed the Confederates for the tragedy. Even so, they knew that whoever was responsible, it threatened them all.
Sodon located Arcturus Mengsk, then offered to join the Sons of Korhal. However, Mengsk distrusted him and for good reason. First he was a rebel, then a Confederate, then a rebel again. Mengsk didn’t want to risk betrayal.
Sodon was offered a place in the Sons of Korhal, but not at the level he wanted. After he swore to Mengsk that he’d never attack a rebel ship he left.
He contacted some friends. They formed a single-army resistance cell, which Sodon led, dubbing them Sodon’s Infantry. Their purpose would to rid the sector of evil and corruption, anyway possible.
His first ‘target’ was the Zerg. Probably his last too, he mused. He looked out the cockpit window as the planet Char became bigger. He did a double take. Was that a Protoss ship out there?
Indeed it was. One of the Carriers. To his surprise, it did not fire on him as he flew past. In fact, it did not even acknowledge him. It looked almost…lifeless.
His heart jumped in his throat as he realized why. The Carrier was heavily damaged, but instead of flames it was covered with some kind of organic tissue. It was very unnerving. Crawling all over the ‘Creep’ were Zerg, Sodon could only assume. One of them detached themselves and flew towards him.
He didn’t know what it was doing, but it couldn’t be good. He put all available power into the engines and accelerated towards Char. Despite his speed, the Zerg still moved towards him, getting closer second by second. He had only one chance…
He switched the engines to reverse, bring the Glory’s Fire to a bone-jarring halt. The maneuver was perfect. Any Terran pilot following him would have flown past him right into his guns. The Zerg creature, however, was not a Terran pilot. It collided with his ship, exploding on the shields. They crackled with energy, then went out.
The feedback from the shield collapse caused explosions to ripple through the ship. His computer beeped warnings at him:
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Sodon grabbed whatever he could, bracing himself for the inevitable impact with the surface.
***
The Lone Drone growled a sigh of relief. The Overmind’s initial attack had been foiled. For a moment there, the Lone Drone thought he was doomed, but his independent forces proved more valiant than the Swarm.
There was one minor problem though. He may have fought off the Overmind now, but the Swarm would eventually overrun him. He’d have to get off this hellhole and soon.
The Lone Drone glanced over the horizon. Some sort of flaming debris had just entered Char’s atmosphere. It looked like some sort of ship! This could be the way off Char! The Lone Drone summoned his Ultralings and headed off for the crash site.
***
Sodon pulled himself from the wreckage. He surveyed the damage, both to himself and the Glory’s Fire. He himself had suffered only minor damage, just some bruises and cuts. As for his ship…
“Oh boy,” Sodon muttered to himself as he looked over his Wraith. The wings were ripped off, lying in a wrecked heap on either side of the ship. The laser fin on the bottom had been smashed completely. Where the engine had once been, there was only a gaping hole. The cockpit was shattered. That’s not surprising, considering the impact had flung him through the window. Only his helmet and pilot suit had protected him. The ship was utterly totaled. Terrible thing too. He liked that ship.
Sodon did manage to find the distress beacon intact. He dragged it out to a clearing then activated it. The rest of his men should arrive in a few hours once they got the call.
Pulling out his supply box, Sodon discovered a huge gaping hole in the side. Only a few ration bars and a sleeping bag were left. Figuring the rest flew into the lava pit the box was sitting next too, Sodon gulped down a ration bar. It was twenty-two hundred hours. He laid out the sleeping bag, set a life sign alarm next to his ‘bed’ and went to sleep.
***
The Lone Drone had almost arrived at the crash site. Already he could here noises and yells. He wondered what was going on over there. His Ultraling brought the Lone Drone’s attention back to the path and to the Overmind’s trap. Several Ultralisks and Hydralisks stood in his way. They must have been advanced. The Overmind was no fool. The Lone Drone shouted at them to move. Naturally they did not.
The battle that ensued was quite bloody. The Zerg the Lone Drone brought with him outnumbered the Overmind’s but they were stronger.
He leapt at the lead Hydralisk, tearing at its armor with his claws. The Hydralisk flung him off, growling at him.
…Fool! Do you think you can evade the Overmind’s wrath. You will die, along with your Zerg traitors!…
The Hydralisk dived after the Lone Drone. He jumped to his right, launching several spines of his own The needle’s stuck, drew blood, and yet the Hydralisk was unfazed.
The Ultraling dived at the Ultralisk. He tore at its flesh, ripping out chunks. Blood went all over the Ultraling’s claws. The Ultralisk tried his best to fling him off, but to no avail. The other Ultralings tackled the other Ultralisks in much the same way, subduing them.
The lead Hydralisk was not fazed by the odds. He grabbed an Ultraling, ripping it to pieces. Seething with rage, the Lone Drone dived at the Hydralisk, driving his claws into the creature’s heart. It collapsed in a heap, moaned for a few seconds, then died. Wiping the blood off his claws, the Lone Drone calmly walked over the ridge. What he saw amazed him.
***
Lieutenant Sodon spotted a Zerg Drone staring down at his base. His men had arrived a few hours ago. Filling them in, Sodon and his men built a base. Within days their fleet may be big enough to challenge the Overmind. All they had to do was stay out of sight. So far so good, but with that Drone staring at him, things could go very wrong.
Sodon flew down the ladder of the watchtower, running towards the Drone. He got in range. The Drone appeared too terrified to react. He swung his rifle at the thing.
“Prepare to die, Zerg scum!” He pressed his finger on the trigger.
“Wait! Do not fire! I am on your side!” Startled by a talking Zerg, Sodon lowered his gun.
“Oh yeah? Why should I believe you?” An honest question, considering the circumstances.
“I am the Lone Drone. I have been fleeing from the Overmind’s forces for a few days now. I can tell you too are here to destroy him. We can help each other.”
Sodon peered over the edge, then gulped. A Protoss army was assembling there. They must have been survivors from whatever battle had taken place in orbit. If they destroyed this Drone, which they surely would, Sodon may lose his chance. The Overmind’s only defector and the Protoss both going to the same area? If Sodon’s men weren’t detected now, they would be soon.
“Look pal, we’ve got to get out of here. I don’t have room to get you off the planet on my ship though. Any ideas?”
Staring down at the Protoss gathered below, the Lone Drone looked in agreement. “I have only one idea. My original purpose was to morph into buildings and back again. If may be able to morph into an air unit, permanently or not, by it’s only a theory. It could take several hours to complete the process however…”
“I don’t know if we have that long. My men will protect you, that’s for sure. Get started so we can get going.” This is perfect. A Zerg ally? Sodon thought as the Drone moved into the camp, followed by some tough-looking minions. Considering the Zerg’s success against the Confederacy, this could be a great asset to the war against the Confeds. He looked over as the drone walked down into the base, his Zerg following him.
“Hey!” Sodon shouted. The drone turned around. “The name’s Sodon!”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Sodon.” The Lone Drone replied. Sodon stared at him. Did that Zerg just smile? Sodon smiled. This could lead to a very fruitful friendship…
