In the black abyss of space, a suffocating tide of Zerg surged forward.
Tens of thousands of bio-ships crawled through the vacuum, their purple-black carapaces coated in mucus that glistened with a nauseating sheen under the starlight.
Even more terrifying were the swarms of Scourge-like aerial Zerg, numbering in the millions—perhaps tens of millions—forming a dense, sky-darkening "cloud" beyond the atmosphere.
Aboard the bridge of the Bucephalus, the air seemed to freeze once more.
Valerian's left hand clenched so tightly his fingernails dug deep into his palm, while his right hand left several white streaks scratched across the alloy of the tactical console.
General Warfield's visor zoomed in and out repeatedly. The tactical screen was now a sea of red dots, so dense they had become a blood-hued mass. The old general's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
According to their original plan, they were to use the Terran fleet as bait, drawing the swarm's attention while Marine forces, alongside Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay's Raiders, escorted the artifact to the surface and activated it—purifying or even killing the Queen of Blades.
But now, even the swarm's vanguard forces looked enough to overwhelm the entire Dominion fleet.
"All ships, prepare for combat!" Valerian's voice rang through the comms. "Form a defensive perimeter and hold position until receiving further orders from the Human Empire!"
As Dominion gunners scrambled to lock on targets, a sudden blue light flared across the void—
Ri~SHUU————!!
A horizontal light beam over 3,000 kilometers wide—nearly a third the diameter of Char—erupted from the prow of the Black Templar's Pilgrim-class dreadnought, cutting clean through the Zerg formation.
This unmistakably Forerunner-origin energy matrix beam reduced entire bio-ships to vapor like dew under a scorching sun. The flying swarms of Scourge didn't even leave ashes behind.
High-energy particle flows along the beam's edge generated a deadly radiation storm, ionizing every Zerg within hundreds of kilometers into subatomic particles. In a single volley, a third of the vanguard swarm was annihilated.
Yet just before the beam could reach Char's atmosphere, it dissipated automatically—sparing the planet from obliteration.
!!!
Valerian's pupils shrank violently as red dots on the tactical screen vanished en masse.
The annihilation beam lasted over ten seconds, and when it finally faded, all that remained in space were floating clumps of organic residue and twisted fragments of carapace.
Even more horrifying, the Pilgrim-class dreadnought was only now revealing its true power—
Its armored plating slowly parted, exposing honeycomb-shaped launch bays, from which twelve kilometer-long metallic spires were deployed, forming a new matrix at the ship's prow. Their flickering energy glows signaled a second strike was already charging.
"This... this is the enemy's mainline firepower?"
Warfield's voice was dry as sandpaper, his power-armored arms trembling uncontrollably. The kill data on the tactical screen had already surpassed calculable limits.
After all, the Pilgrim-class dreadnoughts had once gone toe-to-toe with Flood capital ships 100,000 years ago in the Halo universe—facing Zerg-like horrors head-on. Naturally, dealing with these Zerg was almost... effortless.
CLANG!
A datapad clattered to the floor in the bridge corner.
A young comms officer collapsed into his seat, lips quivering. "We... we actually thought we could fight against something like that…"
Valerian suddenly realized his back was soaked in cold sweat.
He looked out the window at the blade-like warship, now adjusting its orientation for a second volley.
The crown prince couldn't help recalling his father Arcturus Mengsk's prideful demeanor—
That man, so convinced of his own control over everything—what expression would he wear if he saw this firepower?
"Recalculate our survival probability in a hypothetical war against the Human Empire," Warfield instructed the AI adjutant.
"Result: 0.003%," the female synthetic voice reported calmly. "Note: This estimate assumes the enemy only uses conventional weapons."
Ri~SHUU————————!!!
A second matrix beam tore through the void.
This time the beam took on a spiral structure, drilling into the swarm's center like a monstrous screw.
Hundreds of thousands of Zerg were torn apart in an instant. The resulting bio-matter condensed in vacuum into coral-like clumps. A few surviving Overlords at the beam's fringes attempted to release escape spores, only to be shredded into pulp by radiation shockwaves.
Valerian noticed that the Human Empire's other ships hadn't even opened fire yet.
The Astartes warriors inside those warships merely watched the slaughter unfold—this massacre wasn't even worth their full attention.
The realization twisted Valerian's stomach into knots.
The fleet he had assembled—by gambling the entire Dominion's future—probably wasn't even considered a warm-up to them.
"All ships, maintain current formation." Valerian's voice was suddenly calm—more composed, more resolved. "Await further instructions from the Human Empire."
The oppressive tension in the bridge subtly eased.
Several officers exchanged quiet glances of relief. Some even began trying to record the matrix beam's energy signatures, though they knew full well the Dominion's tech couldn't begin to decipher such weaponry in the short term.
The space outside still burned, but everyone aboard knew—the outcome of this war had already been decided.
Then, the comms channel exploded with chatter, snapping everyone back to focus.
Several comms officers danced across their holo-keyboards, projecting incoming data onto the main screen.
"Your Highness! General!" the chief comms officer's voice was high with urgency. "We've received updated operational orders from the Human Empire. They request all ground units prepare for immediate atmospheric drop and coordinate with their surface operations!"
Valerian gave a small nod and tapped the console to bring up the Marine deployment interface.
His movements were steadier now, his eyes flickering with complex emotion. General Warfield straightened his spine, scanning the drop sequence with a focused gaze.
"Notify all squads—load equipment according to Alpha protocol," Warfield ordered crisply. "Have the siege tank companies board first. The Marines will need that 180mm firepower."
And then, to everyone's surprise, the general turned and walked toward the bridge exit, his golden-plated boots echoing heavily on the deck.
"I'll lead the assault myself." Before leaving, he glanced back at Valerian. "Your Highness should remain—"
"I understand," Valerian interrupted, sweeping his gaze across the bridge. "The Bucephalus will provide orbital fire support."
"Yes, sir."
With that, the Dominion fleet began moving like a finely tuned machine.
The lower armor plates of Dominion ships opened in sequence. Tens of thousands of drop pods, each bearing unique unit insignias, launched from magnetic rails—an iron rain descending into Char's blood-red sky.
Meanwhile, the Human Empire's fleet demonstrated suffocating battlefield dominance.
During the Pilgrim's third matrix barrage, the beam split into twelve branches, carving radial death corridors through the swarm.
Flame Lizard strike cruisers deployed swarms of drone fighters, each armed with hardlight weaponry designed to pick off Zerg trying to intercept the drop.
"Window for optimal drop: 47 seconds!" a tactical officer shouted over the fleet channel. "All transports, full speed ahead!"
The Human Empire's drop pods led the charge into the atmosphere. Friction scorched their outer shells crimson, leaving trails like falling stars across Char's murky sky.
Behind them followed the Dominion's CMC Marine drop pods and both fleets' dropships and transports.
With cover fire from orbit, the drop waves had little to fear. They dove straight toward their designated zones.
The surface of Char resembled a hellscape.
Purple-black creep covered every inch. Pulsing organic structures rose like tumors from volcanic rock. Billions of Zerg scurried between hives, the ground itself writhing with motion.
Then—
BOOM! BOOOOM!
The first wave of orbital bombardment arrived on schedule.
Thousands of cluster bombs split mid-air into hundreds of submunitions. The resulting metal storms shredded every Zerg within 200 kilometers.
The heat carbonized the creep into ash, revealing the fractured basalt beneath.
A lucky Zergling clawed its way from the gore pile, its carapace cracked by shockwaves, greenish blood leaking from the gaps.
The "survivor" raised its deformed head to emit a warning screech—
BOOM! SQUELCH—!!
But a descending drop pod crushed it flat, cratering the rock beneath as well.
The pod's impact deployed its hydraulic stabilizers, six massive legs driving into Char's blazing surface.
THUMP~!
"Heh-heh, boys, curtain's up!"
With the detonation of its explosive bolts, the drop pod's hatch burst open—and Tychus Findlay's iconic drawl rang out.
Wearing his signature CMC power armor and wielding a rotary minigun, Tychus charged out with several blue-painted Raiders behind him. More and more drop pods landed around them.
Low rumbles echoed overhead as blinding white light speared down from orbit, piercing Char's ash-laden skies.
Meteor-like bulk drops followed—
These units came from the Hyperion, deploying modular engineering constructs onto the surface.
Within seconds of landing, they expanded automatically, unfolding like mechanical beasts to form forward command centers, auto-repair bays, armed sentry posts, and munitions platforms.
Though not capable of producing units like a StarCraft barracks or factory, these structures boasted powerful sensors, fire support systems, and energy disruption modules—perfect for establishing strongholds and tactical superiority.
As ash swirled, Jim Raynor appeared, clad in his iconic power armor, carrying a heavy-caliber anti-materiel rifle. He walked steadily toward Tychus.
Nearby, Leon, Mike, and Chris escorted a large sealed container holding the artifact.
Upon reaching the drop zone's center, they opened the container, revealing the artifact within.
Roughly two meters long, it was etched with complex runes and energy conduits. Its core glowed faintly, like a star, whispering echoes from a higher dimension.
Once embedded in the ground and fully assembled, the surrounding air began to shudder unnaturally—as if Char's very gravity was being disturbed.
"According to Intelligence Division data—"
Leon stood at the command console, eyes on the screen, voice calm. "The artifact will fully activate in approximately three hours. During that time, the energy fluctuations are almost certain to lure the Queen of Blades."
He turned to the others, his gaze sharp and unquestioning.
"Our true objective is for the Goddess of War—Athena herself—to descend and capture the Queen. The artifact is just bait."
Tychus's tactical armor hissed as he turned to Leon in disbelief.
"Dear God… you mean we're supposed to hold out three hours just to lure that crazy woman out?"
"That's right," Leon nodded without hesitation. "The artifact may be single-use. Besides, with Athena leading the capture, it's the safest option."
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!
Heavy thuds rang from the distance.
Then, like a pack of sharks swimming through a sea of lava, figures burst through the haze.
Tyberos and his Carcharodons had arrived in force.
Their Astartes, clad in sea beast bone-patterned armor, lined up like machines of war. Chainswords and power blades hummed eagerly—they were itching to rip into the swarm.
Tyberos's shark-faced helm remained cold and grim. "Relax. With us here, nothing's interrupting those three hours."
Even more forces soon reached the drop zone—
The Flame Lizards, Weepers, Black Templar captains, Helljumpers—all deployed and ready. Additional support units and armor divisions continued to arrive.
General Warfield's Marines had nearly completed their surface assembly. Tens of thousands of CMC soldiers lined up for deployment. Most of them now bore no doubts about the Human Empire—its divine beings and overwhelming strength had silenced any skepticism.
Now, all that remained was to fight—to end the Zerg once and for all, and secure their homes.
As the front lines solidified, the tactical sensor arrays suddenly shrieked!
"Swarm reaction!"
"It's the Zerg! They're coming!"
Electronic alarms blared across all channels. The ground began to quake. Volcanic ash clouds rolled in like awakened beasts.
And from the convergence of heat and arcing energy, shadows emerged at the horizon—
The swarm surged like a tidal wave, blanketing the earth, devouring the light...
(End of Chapter)
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