Raynor picks up his rifle. He’s already suited up for his mission to a derelict battlecruiser in orbit of Mar Sara. The battlecruiser had been identified as the Daedulus, the flagship of the colonial fleet that guarded Mar Sara. It was declared lost when the Zerg invaded Mar Sara or if not then, when the Protoss fleet initiated planetary bombardment. Sensors showed it was infested with Zerg. The Colonial Militia intends to clear out the infestation and claim the Daedulus. If the attempts failed they will destroy it, a few less Zerg in the Galaxy, Raynor supposes.
Raynor walks down the corridors of the Hyperion with his boarding party of marines heading for the hanger bay where a transport is waiting to ferry him to the battlecruiser. He arrives at the hanger and is met by Praetor Artanis and Zeratul. They are passengers on the Hyperion, which is crewed by both Protoss and Terran soldiers. It is only the command ship of the joint fleet between the colonial militia and the Protoss forces.
“Raynor, why are you putting yourself and your men at risk for this abandoned Terran vessel?” asks Artanis into Raynors head with his almost trademark worried eyes.
“The Daedulus is a flagship battlecruiser, heavily armed. If we can get it working it could prove useful to us.”
“You already have some of our greatest vessels as part of your fleet, what difference will this one make?” says Zeratul
“As I said it is heavily armed and probably carries advanced weaponry. If we get our hands on that weaponry we equip all our ships with it.”
“But there is something else, something more personal. It is almost as if-”
I think I should get going,” says Raynor cutting off Zeratul and nodding to one of his marines “we’re already behind schedule.”
Zeratul and Artanis looked at each other. “What did you sense from him?” asks Artanis into Zeratuls head.
“I do not know young templar. He cut me off too abruptly and I couldn’t get a clear reading.” replies Zeratul.
Raynor looks back at them, unable to hear what they said. Ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his head, he boards the transport. The hanger doors opens and the small rectangular transport disembarks for the Daedulus.
A couple of minute’s pass and they arrive. They dock at the loading port on the starboard side. As they exit they are met by two Zerglings. The Zerglings leap at them. As the machine guns go off the Zerglings are ripped to pieces by the spray of bullets. “Heh heh, too easy.” says a marine just before a third Zergling leaps at him from behind. The marine is knocked to the ground and the Zergling attempts to tear through his armor. A second marine blows the Zerglings head off and picks up the marine.
“Any injuries?” asks Raynor
“Nuttin’ serious” says the marine, nursing a bruise on his forehead.
“Well no more letting your guard down.”
“Yes, sir!” says all the troops in unison.
The boarding party sets off down the corridor.
Halfway down the passageway Raynor stops. He doesn’t move while a Hydralisk creeps up behind him. Suddenly he whips around and fires a shot into the Hydralisks abdomen. The Hydralisk falls to the ground. A marine named Bobby who heard the gunshot stands next to Raynor. “Let’s go” says Raynor curtly and then walks away. Bobby takes one last look at the Hydralisk then walks after Raynor. As they round the corner the Hydralisk stirs. The party continues down the corridor with Bobby bringing up the rear. Suddenly the Hydralisk grabs him from behind. He tries to scream but something muffles him.
The boarding party arrives at a door. A marine starts working to open the door.
“Where’s Bobby?” one of the marines says suddenly.
“Maybe he got lost,” says Raynor “Joe, go look for him.”
Joe looks apprehensive about this assignment but he follows orders.
“Y-yes sir”
Joe goes down the dimly lit corridors. He wonders why he was sent to find a troop that is in all probability dead. His fears are confirmed when he notices a red substance dripping onto his suit. He samples it on his fingers and smells it.
Blood
Joe looks up. Bobby’s mangled body stuck to the ceiling with some vile substance. And that’s the last thing he ever sees as he is swiftly cut in half.
Back at the door they here Joe’s screams. They decide that he is know doubt dead don’t go looking for him. They manage to get the door open but when a marine takes point two claws reach through the door and pull him inside. The door quickly shuts and people scramble to get it open again. A technician works on a console and a marine tries to shoot the door open, to no avail. They manage to get the door open and come under attack.
“Fire at will!” yells Raynor
The soldiers start gunning down anything that moved.
Additional Zerg forces arrive at the scene.
“Light ‘em up” says a marine
The marine starts mowing down Zerg and notices his head injury is starting to blur his vision. He blinks and a Zergling tears into his face. A marine tosses a grenade into a cluster of Zerg and blows them to pieces.
“I think that’s the last of ‘em.” he says
The two marine bodies are among a graveyard of older corpses. Raynor sighs.
They proceed through the door at the other end of the room. They reach a staircase that takes them to a damp and cold corridor. Raynor surveyed the area. “We need more light.”
“Hey I have an idea, heh.” says a troop lighting a cigarette. A claw comes down and jams through the back of his head coming out his face it pulls him up. The marines look up into a broken ventilation shaft. It is infested with Zerg .The marine’s start firing rapidly. A dead Zergling falls on a troop, he pushes it off only to be hit with needle spines. More Zerg flood into the ventilation shaft.
“Let’s go.” yells Raynor
They start running down the corridor firing all the way. They approach an elevator but Hydralisks burst through the ceiling, blocking the passage with debris. Raynor guns down the Hydralisks but a needle spine shorts out his portable computer and he cant tell his ammo count.
“Somebody help me clear this debris!” Raynor yells, “we need to get to that elevator”
Two marines come while the other three keep guarding their flank. They manage to get a girder clear and they have to disperse the piles of sheet metal and broken pipes.
They get the debris clear just as the Zerg are about to overwhelm them.
“Go! Go! Go!”
They run to the elevator and a Zergling leaps onto one of the marines and stabs him rapidly with its razor sharp claws. The other four make it onto the elevator and finally escape their pursuers. The elevator reaches the next level. The remnants of boarding party heads down corridor with great relief, at least until they round the corner. At that point they see something that makes there blood turn to ice. An infested Terran is standing at the end of the hallway and he turns and faced the party.
“What the?” says the infested Terran
“Oh my god!”
“I must serve the hive!”
“No, you don’t have to do this. You’re Terran, you-”
“I am Zerg! Prepare to die!”
The infested Terran runs at the party and explodes, killing the three marines but throwing Raynor clear.
“NO!” Raynor yells at the burned spot where his comrades used to be. Though he doesn’t have time to grieve. At that moment Zerg come pouring into the corridor. Raynor picks up his two machine guns and begins firing, retreating down the corridor. More Zerg come in the opposite direction. Trapped, Raynor makes a futile attempt to gun down as many enemies as could.
A sudden burst of fire scorches the corridor. The light forces Raynor to shut his eyes, thankful that his suit could offer him protection. He could hear the Zerg around him screaming. Suddenly the fireball subsided, Raynor had to raise his scorched visor in order to see anything. At the end of the corridor there were two firebats and a couple of marines. There suits bore the insignia of the colonial fleet which would suggest that they survivors from the crew.
“Slammin!” says the firebat surveying the flaming bodies of the Zerg.
“You guys from the crew?” asks Raynor
“Yep!” says one of the marines
“How long have you been here?”
“Always with the question aren’t you Jim,” Says a female voice from behind the marines. A female ghost walks out of the shadows. The ghost took off her mask to reveal here face.
