Omega- A Warrior's Grave
Author: Ktan
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Omega.
=======
Artanis looked upon the scene, his efforts to avenge Fenix now crumbling in front of him. DuGalle, Admiral of the UED fleet, also saw his men, buckling under the tides of the Zerg. And, from afar, watched Arcturus Mengsk, former Emperor of the Terran Dominion, reduced to a wreck by the very woman he left to die.
On the surface of Char, Kerrigan smiled, as the three fleets' efforts were undone.
12 hours ago.
===============
Kerrigan spread the sinews across her talons, completing the first creature.
"Arise, Cartak. You will serve me well, my new Cerebrate," she smiled, her blackened lips spreading across her green face. It had almost been a year now, since Mengsk had left her to the will of the Overmind. But the Overmind had wanted her alive. She was reborn as one of the Zerg, a combination between the second grand creation of the Xel'Naga and human. Her hair was like strands of bone, talons spread out behind her once beautiful form like skeletal wings. She was the daughter of the Overmind, the Queen of Blades. And she would finish her work, having now inherited the swarm. The creature had no brain though. She was not yet able to create that.
"All I need now is a mind for you worth assimilating"
Artanis stood on the deck of the Command Carrier Rebirth. He looked into the vastness of space, seeing the Omega platform as a pinprick in space between him and his vengeance. At his right side was the UED flagship Aleksandra, commanded by DuGalle, and to the left the remnants of Mengsk's fleet.
"Have they detected us yet, Templar?" Artanis turned to a relatively old High Templar stood in the corner. He was gazing into a Khaydarin Crystal, watching it pulse. His robes were shredded and his light armour punctured. He had witnessed Fenix's fall. Since that day, his eyes had never glowered their old bright red hue. Instead they were sunken blue pits of dim light.
"Not to my knowledge. If my feelings are correct, the one known as Duran, he is not here" the Templar replied.
"How could you guess this?" Artanis' brow raised on one side.
"I don't know what it is, but Duran has always been visible to me. It is a sign that there is more to him than we suspect. I understand the UED records I received were scant, but I believe even when we thought ourselves Kerrigan's ally, he was there, under my nose. I felt his presence on Shakuras, when he abducted the Matriarch. That is all I know for sure."
"Thank you, Khay-Uh. As ever, I appreciate your guidance."
"I am your willing servant, Artanis, but I ask that I may search for him on the platform."
Gerard DuGalle heard his friend's voice, over and over again.
"To hell with you..."
It was mere days since Duran, whom Gerard had been foolish enough to trust, had shot Alexei Stukov in cold blood. It was then he discovered Duran had been host to a Zerg infestation, just like Kerrigan. Here, he hoped to kill both these abominations. Here is where he would make his stand.
Mengsk looked at the station, drawing ever nearer.
"Are we in range yet?" he barked at his officers.
"We'll be in comms range in 30 seconds, sir."
"Excellent," Mengsk smiled. "Open a channel when ready. And get the men mobilised. They're going down there."
Daniel Griffin sat in the cold Dropship, waiting to be sent down to the platform below, for Mengsk's Dominion. The first wave was already making good progress, he'd heard. He looked around the interior of the Dropship from over the crest of his armour suit. To his left side sat six more men in the heavy-duty armour of Terran Marines and to his right stood his sergeant, a man whose name no one knew. Mustering some courage, he turned to his superior. The man saw Daniel look up towards him and opened his visor, revealing a heavily scarred face. A sore red gash ran down the middle of his nose, clearly still fresh. His eyes were sunken and blackened from fighting and he bared his teeth as the young soldier.
"What do you want, Private?" The Sergeant barked.
"Just wondering what our ETA is. And who are we fighting, sir?"
The veteran grinned and let out a gruff chuckle.
"What's your name, Private?" he smirked a little.
"Daniel Griffin, sir," the young man replied.
"Hmm, well, gentlemen, a good soldier does as he is told. A better soldier finds out what he is being told to do," The Sergeant nodded. "I guess I can give you some Intel. We are currently on route to the Omega platform above Char. We were hoping to stage a final assault against Kerrigan, but her pet Cerebrate is in the way. Of course, there are two advantages we will gain if we win here. One, Kerrigan will be a sitting duck, with the bulk of her broods on the surface, ready to be incinerated by the Protoss. Two, this brood is under the command of the only Cerebrate that Kerrigan still has control of. If we can break its power, she'll have lost her best commander."
The Dropship rocked slightly.
"I guess we're near now"
"What if she has other Cerebrates?" one of the soldiers asked. He was clearly drowning in the sheer size of his suit, and his small glasses were bent about the frames.
"Then that means we should kill her ASAP, soldier. But only the Overmind could have just created Cerebrates out of thin air. No, this will be the last one."
The soldiers looked around, waiting for ship to hit the floor and the ramp to open.
"Right men, we are the second wave to arrive. We will be heading to our base on the outskirts of the hive clusters," The Sergeant bellowed. "Hold tight. The base is currently being attacked by Zerg, and we're gonna drop right in the middle of them. Check your clips, the bastards are gonna be everywhere. Once they're gone from the base, we'll push forwards. The Zerg hold plenty of mining towns, so we need to cover the SCVs while they start gathering. Then we'll make a final push, combined with those UED assholes and the Protoss."
The ship thrusters started to flare; they were entering the platforms atmospheric field.
A huge bald soldier with a chiselled jaw looked at the battle-weary sergeant.
"Why are we fighting alongside those goddamn slope-heads? They'll just turn on us once the Zerg are dead."
"Maybe they will, but that's not the point,"
The soldier stood up and paced towards The Sergeant.
"Oh, I think there is a point to it though, sarge."
In an instant, The Sergeant whipped out his flak pistol and pointed it right in the soldiers face.
"Sit down, you stupid SOB! Carry on like that and you'll be the first to step out, tough guy!"
"You know what sarge, I might well do that."
The thrusters began to slow down and then alternate between on and off at short sporadic intervals. Daniel knew they were landing now.
"It's gonna be dark out there, so get your shoulder lights on so we don't shoot each other!"
"Landing sequence commencing."
"Brace yourselves! Smart arse here will lead the front. If I go down, Griffin gives the orders; he seems to know what he's doing!"
"Ten seconds."
"Check your clips!"
"Nine...Eight...Seven...Six..."
The Dropship touched down and the front ramp slowly opened as Wraiths flew overhead, firing into the ground with their burst lasers. The large soldier at the front opened his visor and smiled at Griffin.
"Easy," he smiled. Slowly he grabbed his Gauss rifle and began spraying impaler rounds into the crowds of waiting Zerg
"C'mon ya stupid bugs!" he began, but then fell to the floor as a Needle spine hit him straight in the face. His armoured body crashed to the ground and the spine could be seen to have penetrated his skull. Blood welled around the wound and toxins poured into his mouth.
"I'll let you give this order Griffin," The Sergeant nodded.
"Visors down men!"
Siege Tanks rolled over the horizon, deploying their shock cannons and firing into the approaching Zerg.
"Tell those guys to watch their fire!" The Sergeant cried, smashing his fist into a Zergling's face. It crashed to the floor and writhed until The Sergeant stamped on its face. He then started walking towards the Zerg lines firing calmly. Griffin ran after him, madly spraying rounds into the enemy lines. Zerglings crashed over the first lines of bunkers like the tides over rocks, ripping them open with their claws and exposing the men inside. Griffin opened his visor and looked back.
"C'mon men, let's back up sarge!" he cried, before closing his visor and trying to catch up with the broad shouldered veteran. The Sergeant carried on running, ducking as spines flew overhead. One member of The Sergeant's squad caught up with him, but a Queen spotted the new soldier, and fired a parasite at him. It burrowed into his suit and the soldier's chest cavity was torn open. The Sergeant grabbed one of the Broodlings and snapped its neck while he stamped on the other. The victim of the Queen fell to his knees and crashed to the hard floor.
"Mutalisks!" the bespectacled Marine cried, as one tore down and swept a soldier into the air, breaking his back and then biting into his suit, rending it open and exposing his body. The Mutalisk ripped a chunk of flesh from its victim, and dropped the limp rag-doll to the floor. Guardians overhead fired acid into the men, dissolving armour and flesh. Griffin fired at the Mutalisks, clipping the wings of one and bringing it crashing to the ground, while The Sergeant finally reached the bunkers. Griffin noticed this and gave his superior cover fire. The Zerglings were amongst the crowds of men and the Hydralisks slithered into the battle, firing spines as they went along. Griffin pulled a grenade from his side and flung it at the approaching Zerg. Under the cover of the dirt, smoke and blood thrown up by the explosion, The Sergeant added his fire to Griffin's. The second wave of Marines had finally made it to the bunkers when the ground behind them crumbled, Hydralisks bursting from the ferrocrete floor. They slashed at the Marines, throwing them into the floor and smashing their armour shells. Wraiths strafed the throngs of serpents, but some fired back, tearing the wings and engines from the ships. The Zerg began to close on the entrapped soldiers when over the ridge appeared twenty Zealots, led by Khay-Uh. With speed that belied his age, the Templar ran at the head of his men, conjuring bolts that ripped the Hydralisks to pieces. The Sergeant's lips curled into a snarling smile, watching the explosions of Zerg chitin.
"C'mon! Add some pepper!" The Sergeant cried, firing with his gun. Griffin clubbed a Hydralisk around the back of the head, but it just paused and turned to face the Marine. Rearing up on its body, it raised its claws, preparing to lunge at the man. Seizing his chance, he shoved the barrel under the Hydralisk's mouth and fired until his clip emptied itself. The Protoss Zealots hit the Hydralisks hard and fought towards The Sergeant. Khay-Uh looked to the soldier.
"Are you in command here?" he cried over the din of battle.
"I am," The Sergeant replied.
"Good. Once these Zerg are dead, there is another hive cluster nearby."
Rath Goldur flew over in his Wraith, watching the red-armoured Marines fight the Zerg.
"This is UED recon flight 27. The Dominion forces are pinned down and receiving help from Protoss. I believe that next, they'll attack sector G5. If their attack is to succeed, I would suggest we attack the other hive clusters, to draw the Zerg away."
The pilot waited for a minute before the response came back.
"Negative, pilot, you are required to return to base for refuelling. Your advice has been noted but at the moment an assault would not be advisable."
"But, sir!"
"You are not in a position to question orders. I question your knowledge of tactics and indeed, you are only a pilot. What do you know?" the commander's harsh voice replied.
"Indeed. Reporting back to base."
It seemed the Zerg were being pushed back on two fronts by the Dominion and the Protoss, but as the UED prepared their defences, they were unaware that the Zerg were creating yet another hive right beneath their noses. Hydralisks and Zerglings rushed to the opening of the UED base and prepared to hold the choke point, while Drones behind prepared to mutate into Nydus Canals. Across the entire platform, huge organs started to sprout, creating quick rally points for the Zerg forces. The Zerg had been underestimated as stupid monsters. But even now, they were sneaking into enemy territory, sprouting Hatcheries and Canals to steal resources and any space the forces would have to expand. The Canals brought fresh Zerg to the front to fight and hold these territories, and as terrified commanders looked on, the Zerg spawned more and more, pushing the coalition forces to the edges of the platform.
Mengsk looked at the platform, spreading masses of Zerg creep covering the platform. For the first time, Mengsk realised that his neglect for his soldier's lives, his lust for power, had cost him so much. It was his overconfidence entering the battle that stopped him paying attention; it was his lack of loyalty that created Kerrigan in the first place
"Sir, the Zerg are spreading too fast."
"Order the retreat," he sighed dejectedly
"I can't, they're jamming us. Any com-towers are being targeted, and even if we sent the rest of the fleet, we'd be crushed."
Mengsk slammed his fist into the armrest and looked on, hoping his men would push back.
But his hope would never save the men's lives
Goldur flew back to base, and saw the Zerg infestation spread to the outskirts of his home base. He tried to call in, but the line was static, and dark swarms stopped him seeing what was actually happening to his base. Under these unnatural clouds, the Zerg tore the camp to pieces. As the mist began to clear, Goldur saw the broken forces of the UED, their last resistance crushed. As he prepared to turn around, spines ripped his Wraith's wings off. Goldur held his flak pistol in a rigor mortis grip, and braced himself to eject. The canopy of his ship tore open and he was thrown into the air, barely staying within the safety of the atmospheric field. Mutalisks headed straight for him, and he opened fire with his pistol. The Mutalisks shrugged off the blows though. Goldur knew his grav-chute would make him an easy target, but at the speed he was falling, he needed to release it. The Mutalisks seemed to break off for a second though, leaving the man to fall to the ground. Nevertheless, he collapsed to the floor surrounded by Zerglings. As he drifted away, he felt a sharp pain pierce his skull.
"Yes," said a woman's voice. "This one will do just fine."
Hundreds of Zerg raced over the wrecked buildings of the Dominion camp. The Protoss base was all but razed. Only The Sergeant's platoon and Khay-Uh's squad left amongst the enemy. The Zerg were now trying to seek out all the survivors. Twelve hours had now passed since Griffin had hit this platform's cold surface. The Sergeant looked over the horizon, jamming one of his last clips into his gun. Griffin walked up to him.
"How long do you think we've got?" The Sergeant looked at the young man. Griffin looked back, realising what was running through The Sergeant's mind.
"Surely, there's a chance," Griffin began, stuttering. Finally, his lips moved a final time.
"Survivors?"
Slowly the hope had faded from his tone, and The Sergeant placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"C'mon kid. D'you know how many battles I've fought in?" The Sergeant smiled, but underneath, he was clearly broken.
"Hundreds, I'd bet, sir," Griffin smiled back.
"I'm the first line, kid, never been the second wave before. For some reason, that signalled the end today. To be honest, it would never have made a difference. The Zerg. There were too many. But anyway, in answer to my own question, ninety-nine. Wanted to make it a hundred. Round number."
Khay-Uh had been listening, and stepped from the shadows.
"Remember, sergeant, it's not how many times you've fought, it is how well you've fought, and how many of your enemies have fallen to your wrath!"
Khay-Uh fired up his blade, and pointed towards the source of the Zerg swarm.
"So let us fight," Khay-Uh's voice was full of defiance. "We may be defeated, but we will not be hunted down and killed like wounded beasts. We will die with honour! For Adun, and all who would follow him!" the Templar cried, breaking into a run. Slowly, the Marines nodded to each other. The Sergeant smiled.
"C'mon men. Let's go and die!" he cried. That was an order that only a man like The Sergeant could give.
Kerrigan took the body of the pilot.
"I could sense him. His intelligence. His...defiance. I will enjoy breaking this man," she smiled. As she drew a long-nailed finger over his cheek, he awoke.
"You," he spat.
"Indeed. I need to create Cerebrates, pilot, but I am not the Overmind. I can make the body, but the mind...that is a different matter. So instead, I must steal that. I am searching, only the survivors will be worthy. I will need the best of them. You are a tactician, but I need to define other broods. The warriors, the young and ambitious, the loyal. These are what I need, and amongst these survivors, I will find Terran minds worthy of manipulation. And I will be surrounded by those like me, once again."
"You want Terran minds for company?" Goldur looked at the pitiful being.
"You wouldn't understand. And you never will, after I mould you. But to complete the process successfully anyway, I need a great Templar, one who can connect with both of our races. That is why I am blessed by the arrival of Khay-Uh. My swarms have fought him once before, on the surface of Korhal when I ordered the death of Fenix. Perhaps Duran's disappearance was not so unfortunate. At least it drew the warrior here and since he could not find Duran, that hunt stranded him here," Kerrigan's black lips moved into a smile.
"But for now," Kerrigan smiled, tentacles whipping around her and binding the pilot.
"You are mine."
Artanis looked from the bridge of the Rebirth. He saw the smoke rising from the Terran buildings and spreading out underneath the atmospheric shield. Down there was Khay-Uh, determined to see if Duran was amongst the Zerg legions, but instead he saw the monsters spread across the platform and, reluctantly, he ordered the fleet to turn around, unable to save a friend.
The Zerg met the warriors head on. The forces crashed into each other, fighting savagely. Hydralisks fired spines into the cluster of Terrans. The Sergeant was hit in the shoulder, and collapsed. It was now clear his body had been ruined by war. Griffin looked into the man's eyes as he called out the order.
"Men! Guard Griffin! You'll need him more than me!" he smiled, collapsing breathlessly to the floor. The bespectacled soldier fired into the Zerg, gritting his teeth.
"Griffin, c'mon!" he cried.
"What's your name?" Griffin bellowed.
"Vyeres. Private Vyeres," he replied.
"Right, we're gonna push for that hive cluster in the north. Now let's go!"
"Right, sir."
Khay-Uh slashed a Hydralisk in two, and the halves collapsed to the floor. Zerglings poured over his men, slashing madly. The Zealots were falling quickly and blue blood ran across the floor. Anger welled up inside Khay-Uh. His shield began to falter, but he fought on, using his psychic powers to push the Zerg away. Above hovered an Overlord, Zerglings rappelling from tubular organs that descended from its body. Khay-Uh slashed madly, before a thick green mucus suddenly covered his faltering body.
As his eyes closed, all he saw was the Zerg advance on, towards the Terrans.
Griffin felt all the blood drain from him. There was no escape now, no rescue. All the other men knew that they were doomed to die. But Griffin did not know his fate. For Kerrigan had spotted the very same spark in him that The Sergeant had, and this would eventually become his curse. As he ran, Hydralisks burst from the ground again. They fired at Griffin, who was at the front, but Vyeres dived upon his new commander. Griffin saw the spine, protruding from the soldier's stomach. The small man rolled over.
"It was his order," the soldier nodded, referring to The Sergeant. "Just wanted to follow it. Just wanted to be...worthy."
"The loyal..." Kerrigan smiled.
Griffin nodded, taking Vyeres' Gauss rifle. The adrenaline stopped him feeling the strain of carrying the two heavy guns, and he fired, hoping he too would have a worthy death. He wanted to prove himself, be like The Sergeant, and slaughter the enemy in ninety-nine battles. Now he would die after his first. But not without a fight.
"The young and ambitious"
The swarms ripped the Marines apart, leaving Griffin collapsed in a suit that was gashed open and covered in blood. He tried to lift himself, but fell into the floor.
Finally the Zerg came across the unconscious body of The Sergeant. The Zerglings sniffed at his body, sensing a lack of movement. Slowly his eyelids flickered and he grabbed the Zergling's throat, ripping it out in an iron grip.
"And the warrior." Kerrigan smiled. Now there would be five Cerebrates to help command the swarm. A Khaydarin Crystal pulsed, showing her The Sergeant. She saw the purple lights dance, showing The Sergeant collapse under a green film, and knew her work was complete.
When Griffin woke up, he couldn't move.
All he could do was think.
Serve the Swarm.
Serve Kerrigan.
Serve, the Queen of Blades.
==============================================================================
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As you should have guessed, this is based on the final BW level, Omega.
There you go. Hope there was enough character development this time, but there probably wasn't. *sigh*
Hope to bring in the first Trainee map soon, and now I'm stuck for what to write for Fiction.
And now I've just spent AGES modifying the text because the quotation marks got messed up!
Tell me if I missed anything else. Even you, DeltaSquad...
With Duty and Service.
K'tan.
=======
Artanis looked upon the scene, his efforts to avenge Fenix now crumbling in front of him. DuGalle, Admiral of the UED fleet, also saw his men, buckling under the tides of the Zerg. And, from afar, watched Arcturus Mengsk, former Emperor of the Terran Dominion, reduced to a wreck by the very woman he left to die.
On the surface of Char, Kerrigan smiled, as the three fleets' efforts were undone.
12 hours ago.
===============
Kerrigan spread the sinews across her talons, completing the first creature.
"Arise, Cartak. You will serve me well, my new Cerebrate," she smiled, her blackened lips spreading across her green face. It had almost been a year now, since Mengsk had left her to the will of the Overmind. But the Overmind had wanted her alive. She was reborn as one of the Zerg, a combination between the second grand creation of the Xel'Naga and human. Her hair was like strands of bone, talons spread out behind her once beautiful form like skeletal wings. She was the daughter of the Overmind, the Queen of Blades. And she would finish her work, having now inherited the swarm. The creature had no brain though. She was not yet able to create that.
"All I need now is a mind for you worth assimilating"
Artanis stood on the deck of the Command Carrier Rebirth. He looked into the vastness of space, seeing the Omega platform as a pinprick in space between him and his vengeance. At his right side was the UED flagship Aleksandra, commanded by DuGalle, and to the left the remnants of Mengsk's fleet.
"Have they detected us yet, Templar?" Artanis turned to a relatively old High Templar stood in the corner. He was gazing into a Khaydarin Crystal, watching it pulse. His robes were shredded and his light armour punctured. He had witnessed Fenix's fall. Since that day, his eyes had never glowered their old bright red hue. Instead they were sunken blue pits of dim light.
"Not to my knowledge. If my feelings are correct, the one known as Duran, he is not here" the Templar replied.
"How could you guess this?" Artanis' brow raised on one side.
"I don't know what it is, but Duran has always been visible to me. It is a sign that there is more to him than we suspect. I understand the UED records I received were scant, but I believe even when we thought ourselves Kerrigan's ally, he was there, under my nose. I felt his presence on Shakuras, when he abducted the Matriarch. That is all I know for sure."
"Thank you, Khay-Uh. As ever, I appreciate your guidance."
"I am your willing servant, Artanis, but I ask that I may search for him on the platform."
Gerard DuGalle heard his friend's voice, over and over again.
"To hell with you..."
It was mere days since Duran, whom Gerard had been foolish enough to trust, had shot Alexei Stukov in cold blood. It was then he discovered Duran had been host to a Zerg infestation, just like Kerrigan. Here, he hoped to kill both these abominations. Here is where he would make his stand.
Mengsk looked at the station, drawing ever nearer.
"Are we in range yet?" he barked at his officers.
"We'll be in comms range in 30 seconds, sir."
"Excellent," Mengsk smiled. "Open a channel when ready. And get the men mobilised. They're going down there."
Daniel Griffin sat in the cold Dropship, waiting to be sent down to the platform below, for Mengsk's Dominion. The first wave was already making good progress, he'd heard. He looked around the interior of the Dropship from over the crest of his armour suit. To his left side sat six more men in the heavy-duty armour of Terran Marines and to his right stood his sergeant, a man whose name no one knew. Mustering some courage, he turned to his superior. The man saw Daniel look up towards him and opened his visor, revealing a heavily scarred face. A sore red gash ran down the middle of his nose, clearly still fresh. His eyes were sunken and blackened from fighting and he bared his teeth as the young soldier.
"What do you want, Private?" The Sergeant barked.
"Just wondering what our ETA is. And who are we fighting, sir?"
The veteran grinned and let out a gruff chuckle.
"What's your name, Private?" he smirked a little.
"Daniel Griffin, sir," the young man replied.
"Hmm, well, gentlemen, a good soldier does as he is told. A better soldier finds out what he is being told to do," The Sergeant nodded. "I guess I can give you some Intel. We are currently on route to the Omega platform above Char. We were hoping to stage a final assault against Kerrigan, but her pet Cerebrate is in the way. Of course, there are two advantages we will gain if we win here. One, Kerrigan will be a sitting duck, with the bulk of her broods on the surface, ready to be incinerated by the Protoss. Two, this brood is under the command of the only Cerebrate that Kerrigan still has control of. If we can break its power, she'll have lost her best commander."
The Dropship rocked slightly.
"I guess we're near now"
"What if she has other Cerebrates?" one of the soldiers asked. He was clearly drowning in the sheer size of his suit, and his small glasses were bent about the frames.
"Then that means we should kill her ASAP, soldier. But only the Overmind could have just created Cerebrates out of thin air. No, this will be the last one."
The soldiers looked around, waiting for ship to hit the floor and the ramp to open.
"Right men, we are the second wave to arrive. We will be heading to our base on the outskirts of the hive clusters," The Sergeant bellowed. "Hold tight. The base is currently being attacked by Zerg, and we're gonna drop right in the middle of them. Check your clips, the bastards are gonna be everywhere. Once they're gone from the base, we'll push forwards. The Zerg hold plenty of mining towns, so we need to cover the SCVs while they start gathering. Then we'll make a final push, combined with those UED assholes and the Protoss."
The ship thrusters started to flare; they were entering the platforms atmospheric field.
A huge bald soldier with a chiselled jaw looked at the battle-weary sergeant.
"Why are we fighting alongside those goddamn slope-heads? They'll just turn on us once the Zerg are dead."
"Maybe they will, but that's not the point,"
The soldier stood up and paced towards The Sergeant.
"Oh, I think there is a point to it though, sarge."
In an instant, The Sergeant whipped out his flak pistol and pointed it right in the soldiers face.
"Sit down, you stupid SOB! Carry on like that and you'll be the first to step out, tough guy!"
"You know what sarge, I might well do that."
The thrusters began to slow down and then alternate between on and off at short sporadic intervals. Daniel knew they were landing now.
"It's gonna be dark out there, so get your shoulder lights on so we don't shoot each other!"
"Landing sequence commencing."
"Brace yourselves! Smart arse here will lead the front. If I go down, Griffin gives the orders; he seems to know what he's doing!"
"Ten seconds."
"Check your clips!"
"Nine...Eight...Seven...Six..."
The Dropship touched down and the front ramp slowly opened as Wraiths flew overhead, firing into the ground with their burst lasers. The large soldier at the front opened his visor and smiled at Griffin.
"Easy," he smiled. Slowly he grabbed his Gauss rifle and began spraying impaler rounds into the crowds of waiting Zerg
"C'mon ya stupid bugs!" he began, but then fell to the floor as a Needle spine hit him straight in the face. His armoured body crashed to the ground and the spine could be seen to have penetrated his skull. Blood welled around the wound and toxins poured into his mouth.
"I'll let you give this order Griffin," The Sergeant nodded.
"Visors down men!"
Siege Tanks rolled over the horizon, deploying their shock cannons and firing into the approaching Zerg.
"Tell those guys to watch their fire!" The Sergeant cried, smashing his fist into a Zergling's face. It crashed to the floor and writhed until The Sergeant stamped on its face. He then started walking towards the Zerg lines firing calmly. Griffin ran after him, madly spraying rounds into the enemy lines. Zerglings crashed over the first lines of bunkers like the tides over rocks, ripping them open with their claws and exposing the men inside. Griffin opened his visor and looked back.
"C'mon men, let's back up sarge!" he cried, before closing his visor and trying to catch up with the broad shouldered veteran. The Sergeant carried on running, ducking as spines flew overhead. One member of The Sergeant's squad caught up with him, but a Queen spotted the new soldier, and fired a parasite at him. It burrowed into his suit and the soldier's chest cavity was torn open. The Sergeant grabbed one of the Broodlings and snapped its neck while he stamped on the other. The victim of the Queen fell to his knees and crashed to the hard floor.
"Mutalisks!" the bespectacled Marine cried, as one tore down and swept a soldier into the air, breaking his back and then biting into his suit, rending it open and exposing his body. The Mutalisk ripped a chunk of flesh from its victim, and dropped the limp rag-doll to the floor. Guardians overhead fired acid into the men, dissolving armour and flesh. Griffin fired at the Mutalisks, clipping the wings of one and bringing it crashing to the ground, while The Sergeant finally reached the bunkers. Griffin noticed this and gave his superior cover fire. The Zerglings were amongst the crowds of men and the Hydralisks slithered into the battle, firing spines as they went along. Griffin pulled a grenade from his side and flung it at the approaching Zerg. Under the cover of the dirt, smoke and blood thrown up by the explosion, The Sergeant added his fire to Griffin's. The second wave of Marines had finally made it to the bunkers when the ground behind them crumbled, Hydralisks bursting from the ferrocrete floor. They slashed at the Marines, throwing them into the floor and smashing their armour shells. Wraiths strafed the throngs of serpents, but some fired back, tearing the wings and engines from the ships. The Zerg began to close on the entrapped soldiers when over the ridge appeared twenty Zealots, led by Khay-Uh. With speed that belied his age, the Templar ran at the head of his men, conjuring bolts that ripped the Hydralisks to pieces. The Sergeant's lips curled into a snarling smile, watching the explosions of Zerg chitin.
"C'mon! Add some pepper!" The Sergeant cried, firing with his gun. Griffin clubbed a Hydralisk around the back of the head, but it just paused and turned to face the Marine. Rearing up on its body, it raised its claws, preparing to lunge at the man. Seizing his chance, he shoved the barrel under the Hydralisk's mouth and fired until his clip emptied itself. The Protoss Zealots hit the Hydralisks hard and fought towards The Sergeant. Khay-Uh looked to the soldier.
"Are you in command here?" he cried over the din of battle.
"I am," The Sergeant replied.
"Good. Once these Zerg are dead, there is another hive cluster nearby."
Rath Goldur flew over in his Wraith, watching the red-armoured Marines fight the Zerg.
"This is UED recon flight 27. The Dominion forces are pinned down and receiving help from Protoss. I believe that next, they'll attack sector G5. If their attack is to succeed, I would suggest we attack the other hive clusters, to draw the Zerg away."
The pilot waited for a minute before the response came back.
"Negative, pilot, you are required to return to base for refuelling. Your advice has been noted but at the moment an assault would not be advisable."
"But, sir!"
"You are not in a position to question orders. I question your knowledge of tactics and indeed, you are only a pilot. What do you know?" the commander's harsh voice replied.
"Indeed. Reporting back to base."
It seemed the Zerg were being pushed back on two fronts by the Dominion and the Protoss, but as the UED prepared their defences, they were unaware that the Zerg were creating yet another hive right beneath their noses. Hydralisks and Zerglings rushed to the opening of the UED base and prepared to hold the choke point, while Drones behind prepared to mutate into Nydus Canals. Across the entire platform, huge organs started to sprout, creating quick rally points for the Zerg forces. The Zerg had been underestimated as stupid monsters. But even now, they were sneaking into enemy territory, sprouting Hatcheries and Canals to steal resources and any space the forces would have to expand. The Canals brought fresh Zerg to the front to fight and hold these territories, and as terrified commanders looked on, the Zerg spawned more and more, pushing the coalition forces to the edges of the platform.
Mengsk looked at the platform, spreading masses of Zerg creep covering the platform. For the first time, Mengsk realised that his neglect for his soldier's lives, his lust for power, had cost him so much. It was his overconfidence entering the battle that stopped him paying attention; it was his lack of loyalty that created Kerrigan in the first place
"Sir, the Zerg are spreading too fast."
"Order the retreat," he sighed dejectedly
"I can't, they're jamming us. Any com-towers are being targeted, and even if we sent the rest of the fleet, we'd be crushed."
Mengsk slammed his fist into the armrest and looked on, hoping his men would push back.
But his hope would never save the men's lives
Goldur flew back to base, and saw the Zerg infestation spread to the outskirts of his home base. He tried to call in, but the line was static, and dark swarms stopped him seeing what was actually happening to his base. Under these unnatural clouds, the Zerg tore the camp to pieces. As the mist began to clear, Goldur saw the broken forces of the UED, their last resistance crushed. As he prepared to turn around, spines ripped his Wraith's wings off. Goldur held his flak pistol in a rigor mortis grip, and braced himself to eject. The canopy of his ship tore open and he was thrown into the air, barely staying within the safety of the atmospheric field. Mutalisks headed straight for him, and he opened fire with his pistol. The Mutalisks shrugged off the blows though. Goldur knew his grav-chute would make him an easy target, but at the speed he was falling, he needed to release it. The Mutalisks seemed to break off for a second though, leaving the man to fall to the ground. Nevertheless, he collapsed to the floor surrounded by Zerglings. As he drifted away, he felt a sharp pain pierce his skull.
"Yes," said a woman's voice. "This one will do just fine."
Hundreds of Zerg raced over the wrecked buildings of the Dominion camp. The Protoss base was all but razed. Only The Sergeant's platoon and Khay-Uh's squad left amongst the enemy. The Zerg were now trying to seek out all the survivors. Twelve hours had now passed since Griffin had hit this platform's cold surface. The Sergeant looked over the horizon, jamming one of his last clips into his gun. Griffin walked up to him.
"How long do you think we've got?" The Sergeant looked at the young man. Griffin looked back, realising what was running through The Sergeant's mind.
"Surely, there's a chance," Griffin began, stuttering. Finally, his lips moved a final time.
"Survivors?"
Slowly the hope had faded from his tone, and The Sergeant placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"C'mon kid. D'you know how many battles I've fought in?" The Sergeant smiled, but underneath, he was clearly broken.
"Hundreds, I'd bet, sir," Griffin smiled back.
"I'm the first line, kid, never been the second wave before. For some reason, that signalled the end today. To be honest, it would never have made a difference. The Zerg. There were too many. But anyway, in answer to my own question, ninety-nine. Wanted to make it a hundred. Round number."
Khay-Uh had been listening, and stepped from the shadows.
"Remember, sergeant, it's not how many times you've fought, it is how well you've fought, and how many of your enemies have fallen to your wrath!"
Khay-Uh fired up his blade, and pointed towards the source of the Zerg swarm.
"So let us fight," Khay-Uh's voice was full of defiance. "We may be defeated, but we will not be hunted down and killed like wounded beasts. We will die with honour! For Adun, and all who would follow him!" the Templar cried, breaking into a run. Slowly, the Marines nodded to each other. The Sergeant smiled.
"C'mon men. Let's go and die!" he cried. That was an order that only a man like The Sergeant could give.
Kerrigan took the body of the pilot.
"I could sense him. His intelligence. His...defiance. I will enjoy breaking this man," she smiled. As she drew a long-nailed finger over his cheek, he awoke.
"You," he spat.
"Indeed. I need to create Cerebrates, pilot, but I am not the Overmind. I can make the body, but the mind...that is a different matter. So instead, I must steal that. I am searching, only the survivors will be worthy. I will need the best of them. You are a tactician, but I need to define other broods. The warriors, the young and ambitious, the loyal. These are what I need, and amongst these survivors, I will find Terran minds worthy of manipulation. And I will be surrounded by those like me, once again."
"You want Terran minds for company?" Goldur looked at the pitiful being.
"You wouldn't understand. And you never will, after I mould you. But to complete the process successfully anyway, I need a great Templar, one who can connect with both of our races. That is why I am blessed by the arrival of Khay-Uh. My swarms have fought him once before, on the surface of Korhal when I ordered the death of Fenix. Perhaps Duran's disappearance was not so unfortunate. At least it drew the warrior here and since he could not find Duran, that hunt stranded him here," Kerrigan's black lips moved into a smile.
"But for now," Kerrigan smiled, tentacles whipping around her and binding the pilot.
"You are mine."
Artanis looked from the bridge of the Rebirth. He saw the smoke rising from the Terran buildings and spreading out underneath the atmospheric shield. Down there was Khay-Uh, determined to see if Duran was amongst the Zerg legions, but instead he saw the monsters spread across the platform and, reluctantly, he ordered the fleet to turn around, unable to save a friend.
The Zerg met the warriors head on. The forces crashed into each other, fighting savagely. Hydralisks fired spines into the cluster of Terrans. The Sergeant was hit in the shoulder, and collapsed. It was now clear his body had been ruined by war. Griffin looked into the man's eyes as he called out the order.
"Men! Guard Griffin! You'll need him more than me!" he smiled, collapsing breathlessly to the floor. The bespectacled soldier fired into the Zerg, gritting his teeth.
"Griffin, c'mon!" he cried.
"What's your name?" Griffin bellowed.
"Vyeres. Private Vyeres," he replied.
"Right, we're gonna push for that hive cluster in the north. Now let's go!"
"Right, sir."
Khay-Uh slashed a Hydralisk in two, and the halves collapsed to the floor. Zerglings poured over his men, slashing madly. The Zealots were falling quickly and blue blood ran across the floor. Anger welled up inside Khay-Uh. His shield began to falter, but he fought on, using his psychic powers to push the Zerg away. Above hovered an Overlord, Zerglings rappelling from tubular organs that descended from its body. Khay-Uh slashed madly, before a thick green mucus suddenly covered his faltering body.
As his eyes closed, all he saw was the Zerg advance on, towards the Terrans.
Griffin felt all the blood drain from him. There was no escape now, no rescue. All the other men knew that they were doomed to die. But Griffin did not know his fate. For Kerrigan had spotted the very same spark in him that The Sergeant had, and this would eventually become his curse. As he ran, Hydralisks burst from the ground again. They fired at Griffin, who was at the front, but Vyeres dived upon his new commander. Griffin saw the spine, protruding from the soldier's stomach. The small man rolled over.
"It was his order," the soldier nodded, referring to The Sergeant. "Just wanted to follow it. Just wanted to be...worthy."
"The loyal..." Kerrigan smiled.
Griffin nodded, taking Vyeres' Gauss rifle. The adrenaline stopped him feeling the strain of carrying the two heavy guns, and he fired, hoping he too would have a worthy death. He wanted to prove himself, be like The Sergeant, and slaughter the enemy in ninety-nine battles. Now he would die after his first. But not without a fight.
"The young and ambitious"
The swarms ripped the Marines apart, leaving Griffin collapsed in a suit that was gashed open and covered in blood. He tried to lift himself, but fell into the floor.
Finally the Zerg came across the unconscious body of The Sergeant. The Zerglings sniffed at his body, sensing a lack of movement. Slowly his eyelids flickered and he grabbed the Zergling's throat, ripping it out in an iron grip.
"And the warrior." Kerrigan smiled. Now there would be five Cerebrates to help command the swarm. A Khaydarin Crystal pulsed, showing her The Sergeant. She saw the purple lights dance, showing The Sergeant collapse under a green film, and knew her work was complete.
When Griffin woke up, he couldn't move.
All he could do was think.
Serve the Swarm.
Serve Kerrigan.
Serve, the Queen of Blades.
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As you should have guessed, this is based on the final BW level, Omega.
There you go. Hope there was enough character development this time, but there probably wasn't. *sigh*
Hope to bring in the first Trainee map soon, and now I'm stuck for what to write for Fiction.
And now I've just spent AGES modifying the text because the quotation marks got messed up!
Tell me if I missed anything else. Even you, DeltaSquad...
With Duty and Service.
K'tan.
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Out of 3 voters, most think this story is Exceptional!
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Other stories by this author: |
| 1, sadone | |||||||
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finally a good starcraft story.A+ | ||||||
| 2, Haladras | |||||||
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There were hardly any mistakes, but there were a few. For example: "Tell those guys to watch their fire!" The Sergeant cried, smashing his fist into a Zergling's face. It crashed to the floor and writhed until The Sergeant stamped on its face. First of all, it should be the Sergeant, not The Sergeant. And also, the word face is repeated in a two sentences that are right next to each other. But other than those mistakes, I think you did an exellent job. A few points off for basing it on an already written plot, but it's good enough for it to win an exceptional. But anyway, I am planning to move on to prequels once I am through with the huge ideas I have for the Blades of Aiur series(aka dividing the entire plot into mini-series with six entries each). I plan to do the plot in which the Protoss and the Terrans first encounter each other. As usual, this will lead to a war between the races(I mean, it did say something about the Terrans already being aware of the Protoss). Then, after that, I'm going to move on with a sequel to the Brood War plot. I suppose it will be enormously complicated(sort of like the overall story I have planned for the Blades of Aiur). So anyway, good job. EXP. Time's Immortal guardian -Haladras The prequel will be complex too, don't worry. |
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