Starcraft 2 Fanfiction: Angels of War **

My name is Gabriel Conley. I am a Marine, just a regular Marine in Raynors Raiders. All I have of importance is my rifle, the C !"!a Impalers and my armour, the CMC #$$. I %as a simply guy previously in my life. Caucasian s&in, blue eyes %ith supple thin body ma&e me %hat I am. I %anted to be an engineer or scientist. I %anted to build ne% things, things that are good for humanity. 'ot those things that let us destroy ourselves li&e those Apocalypse nuclear %arheads that desolated (orhal or the )attlecruisers %hich decimated %hole to%ns and cities. *o%ever, I lost my chance in such a life.

My family %as murdered. 'ot out of an assassination plot or anything. It %as simple slave labour acts by the +erran ,ominion on the planet -aralta. My parents resisted and they %ere punished %ith death for it. I %as just a young man then. I %as na.ve to life. I didnt %ant to die but I didnt %ant to be a slave either. +hat %as %hen I %as saved by the one man I didnt e/pect to save me. 0im Raynor. *e %as branded a villain, a terrorist by the media constantly over and over.

I even believed it until that very day. *e %as my angel of metal. *e and a small band of men had attac&ed and &illed the murderers of my parents. *e had saved me and several others from %hat %ould be my plight for years. It %as a year then after the )rood 1ars. I %as just eighteen, an eighteen year old freshman %ith no family and a goal that is shattered. I sa% only one destiny for me, to give paybac& at Arcturus Mengs&. 0im Raynor %as the man to that destiny and I signed up on the fly.

'o%, its been three years since I enrolled into Raynors Raiders. Ive %or&ed hard and smart, putting do%n long hours of training. 2rom %eapons to physical training to use of electronics, Ive learned to prepare for %hat I must be. 'o% Ive become stronger, tough, confident, enduring and li&e a Marine, al%ays ready for a fight.

I felt an empty can of metal struc& me in the bac&. I pulled out of the zone. 34on of a bitch5 *erminio5 ,o you %ant to die657 I %as alone in the armory of the *yperion until no%.

*erminio 4al stepped into the armory. *e is pale, si/ feet tall, e8ually fit li&e me soldier. *is fitness %asnt visible from the blac& armour he %ore. *es a s8uad mate %hether I li&e it or not. *e said casually in his 4panish accent. 3Come on, you &no% it isnt going to hurt.7 +hats true since Im already in my armour. *e has a %ay of jo&ing around the s8uad. In my opinion, it is annoying. 4till, *erminio is a marine that is essential to the s8uad.

1hat is that s8uad I &eep mentioning about6 I may be a Marine but %e are a special s8uad. 'o, %ere not those )lac& 9ps type li&e Ghosts. Man, those spoo&s are just creepy sometimes. +hey can read your thoughts and &ill you using psychic po%ers. If that %asnt enough, theyve been trained to &ill %ith all &inds of %eapons. +hey can slice your nec& %ith a &nife. +hey could poison you or blo% your head off %ith a sniper rifle several &ilometers a%ay. +hey could even &ill you someho% %ith a spoon. 1ait a second, a spoon6 ,amn, they must be messing %ith my mind.

'evertheless, the Ghosts get the dangerous solo missions %hich %ould be suicide for Marines li&e me. )etter them than me. 4till, their efforts help us greatly so I maintain some%hat respect for the Ghosts in Raynors Raiders. 1hat about the other ghosts6 +hey can eat my bullets. 4o the Ghost gets the lethal dangerous jobs. My team of five has another job, still very dangerous. 1e are the 2irst -athfinder :nit, a team dedicated in guiding primarily orbital drop pods for any operation the )oss Raynor %ould get us into. +here is only one unit of pathfinders, us. *ence, our s8uad is called Angels by the others aboard the *yperion. 4ure, it sounds girlish but it %asnt an insult. It %as an appreciation for %hat %e do.

'e%comers to Raynors Raiders despite ho% fe% they may be %ould al%ays as& this 8uestion. 31hy is there only one -athfinder unit67 +he ans%er is just grim.

As my captain, Chad ;e%is once said. 3+he others are dead.7 Raynors Raiders once had four -athfinder units. +hree teams are dead, &illed over time. 1ere all thats left. -athfinders are e/tremely vulnerable, isolated and usually outgunned, outnumbered throughout most of an operation. It ta&es s&ill, e/perience, good judgment and hell a lot of luc& to pull through.

3;ess tal&ing, more %or&.7 4pea&ing of my captain, here he is. 2rom an African descent, full of muscles, si/ feet four tall. *e is one lean mean &ic&ass s8uad leader. *es one reason %hy %ere alive and &ic&ing %hile the others are dead. 4ad to say but they just didnt have such a talent of leadership. *e %as my first s8uad leader since my induction into Raynors Raiders. I personally am glad to have him as my s8uad leader throughout the past three years. *erminio gave a casual but respecting salute and %ent bac& to arming himself for our upcoming mission.

I as&ed as I grabbed another maga<ine for storage. 3-ermission to thro% *erminio out an airloc&67

3,enied.7 ,amn, thats the si/ty seventh time so far.

9ur mission is to again secure a landing <one and guide the ground troops thatll be coming do%n by both orbital drop pods and medivacs. 'ormally it %ould be a normal operation scratch for t%o things. 2irst, the +erran ,ominion is %or&ing %ith us in this operation. 1hen I first heard of it, it pissed me right off. +he little hunt for artifacts turned out to be for Arcturus Mengs&s son, =alerian. A lot of the cre% %as disgruntled %hen 0im agreed to help out the ,ominion, the very enemy %e %ere against. 2ights popped out but li&e a boss, 0im put a stop to it. I have to say the man has some balls %hen he fought +ychus 2indlay apparently his old combat buddy %ithout the use of a suit. +hat put a nail do%n on the issue. 'o% %ere bac& together and ready to get bac& to fighting the ,ominion after this operation.

+hat %as one issue. +he ne/t issue is that %ere dropping into Char. +he planet is literally a planet of volcanoes. ;ava and dust is plentiful. Its li&e a real life version of *ell. 1ith our armour and high resistant systems, the planet is survivable at least for some time. +he problem in Char is the >erg, fuc&ing s%arms of >erg. Char is the frea&ing home %orld of the >erg. 2rom the gathered reports, a lot of >erg are out on some other god be damned planets but theres still bound to have a shit load of them. If my )oss %asnt 0im Raynor, I %ould literally hand him my gun and as& him to shoot me in the face. It %ould be faster and a lot less painful. >erg are beatable but not on their o%n fuc&ing home planet5 I did hear the artifacts %eve been collecting %ould be the &ey for this entire assault. I doubt those stuff %ould be that useful but its 0ims call. I trust him.

I slapped a maga<ine into my rifle. My ammunition is stored %ithin the non motor sections of the armour. I have li&e forty maga<ines of fifty rounds each. It is normally enough to fight against any +erran or -rotoss fanatics if it came to be. +he >erg is a different case. +hey have the numbers and forty maga<ines is a piecemeal to %hat I %ill re8uire. My armour is just ma/ed out on space so I %ill have to ma&e do %ith it. It %as then %hen %e heard the ship intercom come alive. It is the Captain of the *yperion, Matt *orner. 3>erg attac& %aves incoming5 Man your stations57 +hat also included us and our stations are at the drop pods. 1e never said a %ord as %e moved? there %as no need for one.

A minute later, %e arrived at the drop pods as the ship shoo& slightly from the attac&s from and onto the *yperion. +he other half of the team %as already ready inside the pod. ,amn those early birds. 9ur regular technician, (achins&y %aved as he yelled amidst the thunderclaps of metal boots, roars of engines and mechanoids. 3@oure clear for drop5 4chedules a bit tight57

Chad yelled bac&, barely hearing each other. 3*o% much time657

3+en minutes57 +he three of us entered the pod and it closed shut immediately. It isnt very spacious inside but enough to fit at least si/ fully armored marines. 1e %ere launched

just seconds after %e sat do%n in our bul&y armour and affi/ed the pod restraints a&a seat belts. +hey %ere certainly in a rush. 9ur drop pod has no %indo%s for cost efficiency and structural integrity, so it is dar& inside. +he only light %e have is via the small screen at the side of the pod. +he screen displayed the %orld beyond our tiny pod through a small camera installed to the outside under thermal and stress protection.

9utside, the battle rages heavily. Mutalis&s, 4courge and Corruptors attac& the )attlecruiser =i&ing fleet of the +erran ,ominion. A fe% outdated %raiths %ere also present in the fight. +housands of >erg fliers blan&eted the s&ies and space of Char. 9ur )ritish li&e heavy %eapons specialist 4ha% 1ymond said in both deep fear and a%e. 3,ear lord.7 +he )attlecruisers and =i&ings unleashed a heavy barrage of %eaponry at the huge ball of >erg. +heres literally no %ay to miss. +he )attlecruisers have the advantage of range, firepo%er and toughness. Auantity though can be a deciding factor, the trademar& of the >erg. >erg are &illed but the tide never ceased.

+han& God 0im Raynor is smart. +he *yperion had stationed itself to%ards the far rear end of the fleet. 0im had deployed our pod to%ards the %est from our position. +he >erg air concentrations are at the eastern approach of the fleet. +his %ay, %ell get onto the planet untouched if it goes according to the supposed plans.

As 4pore cannons from the surface fired their green acid at the )attlecruisers, our team had a gathering of faith. Chad said to all of us. 3Remember the usual and let us pray.7

34t. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle.7 3)e our defence against the %ic&edness and snares of the devil.7 3May God rebu&e him, %e humbly pray7 3,o thouB7 39 -rince of the heavenly host7 3)y the po%er of God7 3+hrust into hell 4atan and the other evil spirits %ho pro%l about the %orld for the ruin of 4ouls.7 3Amen7

1e completed our %ords of faith as the computer %arned. 3+ouchdo%n in thirty seconds.7 1e are breaching the atmospheres of Char no%. +he pod started to heat up from the reentry. 1ere becoming a little meteorite for those do%n on the ground to see. My heart

starts to beat an/iously. 1eve all done this before. 4tillB the un&no%ing ris& of anything going %rong or even being shot do%n can be terrifying even for us hardened soldiers.

3+ouchdo%n in t%enty seconds.7

I barely noticed a blob of acid coming e/tremely near us. I s%ore as the spore cannon round struc& the side of the pod. +he pod shoo& and veered slightly. 4econds of adrenaline %ent by as %e %aited for the moment of life and death. +he pod %as silent as seconds %ent by one by one. After %hat %as a good five seconds, %e felt relief. +he pod held up against that close call.

3It must have been a gra<e.7 4ha% e/plained. +hat made sense.

3If it is, then it is fuc&ing close.7 +he reverse thrusters engaged. Its role is to slo% do%n the flying coffin of death.

3+ouchdo%n in ten seconds.7

9ur mighty Captain yelled. 3;oc& and load5 Cloc&s tic&ing57 +he drop pod hit the Carth hard. +he door burst open automatically from e/plosive bolts. I %as the first one out of the pod, &eeping an eye out for >erg. +he air is dusty, ma&ing my nose t%itchy. It smells %arm and burning, its effects lingering in my lungs. +he air filters need a fi/ or is it just too much stuff for them6 ,amn it.

+he ashes %ere on the ground and in the air. +hey are plentiful li&e sand. Ashes of the dead it probably is. I recalled hearing stories %here entire armies of -rotoss and good old fashion humans %ere completely %iped out by the >erg here on Char. +hat gave me a shiver that tingles along my s&in. +he air %as silent e/cept the %ind flo%ing through the crevices and rivers of lava. +he ground felt soft but it %ill definitely hold against our heavy %eight. My eyes scanned for targets. My ears strained for noise. My touch felt for tremors. +here %asnt anything yet but it %ont be in a very short %hile. +he landing <one is empty, giving us time to set up.

Chad pointed at a roc&y high ground position several hundred metres a%ay to my left. 31ell set up the beacon there.7 1e high tailed it %ay to the better terrain. It had large chun&s of roc&s at the top. +he beacon that %ill be guiding the drop pods needs a good spot for transmitting. 4econd, %e need the place to be defensible for its going to attract a lot of

attention. *igh vision, plentiful of cover %ill be essential %hich resonated in my thoughts and certainly in my s8uad mates.

3Ma&e it 8uic&57 9ur technical man D marine Alec& ,odge placed the drum si<ed beacon onto the ground. *es the one %ho handles the device, so its our job to pull guard duty. +he Asian s&inned guy %or&ed his magic by inputting several codes and instructions into the radar dish li&e device. +he beacon flic&ered to life, broadcasting infra red signals for the landing ships to follo%. I gripped my rifle tightly. +he >erg are already on the %ay. I could hear Chad behind me 34ha%5 4et up the gun57 I could hear a loud clan& of metal as 4ha% set up a Commando class sniper rifle on a roc&. )eing right at the tip of an offensive, %e got the rifle to fight against the larger si<ed >ergs such as Roaches and :ltralis&s. +he Mar& !E -enetrator round is just a beauty and a beast. I li&e.

I could feel the tremors of movement. It %as gro%ing stronger constantly li&e a flood of %ater. +here is no other e/planation. 3*ere they come57 I yelled. >erglings are coming by the do<ens. I opened fire %ith my rifle at them. My gun thundered in the full automatic tempo of %ar. 1hen %e see >erg in any of our ops, %e dont need to as& for orders. Its permanently set on our minds to shoot on sight.

+he hills %ere on have several roc&y areas. +his limited their path of approach do%n to three directions of north, south%est and southeast. I had the southeast path in my control. My bullets struc& out far to%ards the oncoming >erg. It hit some in many places. C!" ammunition can &ill >erglings %ith one shot if you stri&e the right spot, the head. >erglings die in trios and 8uadruples as *erminio and I laid do%n a heavy barrage of hot metal projectiles.

)ehind me, I can hear the guns of my s8uad mates. +he thunder of my gun is muffled by the armour I %ore. I felt every bit of recoil from every bullet I fire. In %hat %as li&e t%o seconds, I felt the gun go empty and instantly reloaded a ne% maga<ine %ithout leaving my eyes on the >erg. I could see far behind those that Ive &illed are a lot more >erg, particularly the more dangerous strains li&e the Roach and *ydralis&s. I fired at the >erglings, 4ha% %ill deal %ith those Roaches and *ydralis&s.

)99M5

+he Commando Rifle fired, creating an open s%ath of space in the >erg lines. I could barely see the piles of bullet casings %e are creating at the edge of my vision. I never cared, I just shoot somemore.

Alec& said, firing his o%n rifle in the process. 31e have about t%o minutes57 +%o minutes of *ell left. 1e just need to hold out until then. ,espite my barrage of fire, the >erglings are advancing closer and 8uic&ly. I could clearly tell %e %ould be overrun if %e cannot &ill them fast enough.

3Grenades57 All of us tossed our shredder grenades into the nearest <ergling pac&s. Its the latest money can buy grenade in the mar&et. 9ur businessman D revolutionist 0im too& it up %ith the earnings from the artifacts. It is not effective. It is fuc&ing effective.

)99M5

Another %ave of <erglings %as %iped out. Another do<en %as already on the climb up the hill. Chad ordered. 34tim pac&s57 It %as in these cases %hen %e use our last resort. I triggered my armour to let it inject me %ith the neural drug 4tim. It %ill improve our neural response and speed, giving us the ability to do things faster accurately at the cost of deep thin&ing. It isnt healthy for the human body, hence a double edged s%ord. I rather die later of the drug abuse than no% being shredded to pieces of meat so the point is moot

I felt the %orld slo%ing do%n around me. I maintain my fire to the point its almost constant %ith a second delay. In my dull thoughts of mind, I sa% the >erglings die even faster. +heir bodies %ent tumbling do%n the hill, being obstacles for those behind. +heir advance is slo%ing. It is slo%ing but it %ont stop5 I felt my supply of ammunition diminishing rapidly. )y the count of reloads Ive made, Im certain I have si/ maga<ines left. I yelled to the particular man behind me. 3)ernie5 I need some ammo57

)ernie *aveloc& in his larger marauder armour could be heard turning around from the noisier servomotors. 3*eres another bandolier57 *e tossed me a long belt of maga<ines attached. )ernie is our strongest man %ith 4ha% being the close second. In situations li&e this %here bullets 8uic&ly run scarce, he is our lifesaver. Instead of using concussion grenades li&e a standard Marauder, )ernie uses a standard C!" rifle. +he e/tra space freed is used for storing a lot of ammo for us.

I caught it single handed in midair. 3+han&s57 Another fast reloads and my gun has no %orries of running empty at least for a fe% minutes. I hear the others yelling for more ammo. )ernie is certainly being 4anta Claus today, e/tra generous %hile still shooting his rifle single handed. I &no% he %ont let his rifle stop shooting as it counts. I barely notice movement of something flying to%ards me. I duc&ed as the sounds of a hiss near my ears. +he projectile %ent past and another t%o spears of spine struc& the roc&s I hid behind. 4ei<ing the chance,

I stood up from my roc&y cover to shoot a *ydralis& that entered firing range. Its carapace too& a good amount of bullet but it isnt enough especially in a concentrated spread.

A grenade %ent off to my left at the north cho&e point. +he *ydralis&s are getting in range and >erglings up front. 1e need to inflict terrible damage before %ere overrun and then the subse8uent landing troops. I tossed my last shredder grenade at the s%arm. Im getting close to empty as %ell. ,amn5

I heard more hisses of spines flying up the hill. I hear a ding of metal follo%ed by )ernies s%earing. 32uc& you piece of shit57 I turned around to see him still standing, a large dent on his curved shoulder plate. +he spine didnt penetrate into him. )ernie fired bac& as the spine landed beside me. I did not lose focus on my targets. I am their &iller and they %ill not &ill me.

39ne minute57 9ne minute to go5 4i/ty seconds and less no%5 My heart is raging from the mi/ of blood, adrenaline and 4tim. I yelled that an/iety and rage along %ith bullets. 3I 1I;; 4:R=I=C +*I4 *C;; A', @9: 2:C(I'G >CRG 1I;; '9+ 2:C(I'G GC+ MC57

I could hear far in the distance the sounds of manmade propulsion. +he drop pods are incoming5 +hey must be %ithin the t%enty second timeframe. +he >erg are all around us, the >erglings already reaching the pea& of the hill %here %e are holding. I felt my gun stop empty and reached for a fresh maga<ine. A >ergling entered from the left. My thoughts yelled me a %arning.

TOO CLOSE

A maga<ine %ill not be fast enough. I s%itched to my rifles bayonet attachment and stabbed the large critter in the eye. :sing its momentum, I s%ung and thre% it to the side. Another >ergling %as closing in but I have enough time to refer to my C !F$ pistol at my side. I fired the pistol once, t%ice, thrice and it made sure the >ergling stayed dead. A feral cry got my attention.

I turned to see a >ergling already in mid lunge at me. My mouth started to form foul language %hen the >ergling had a trajectory change to the left. *erminio said coc&ily at my right. 31atch your fuc&ing sides man57 I %anted to give the finger %hen I noticed a *ydralis& to%ering above him. I raised my pistol as I started to %arn him. *o%ever, someone beaten me to it.

A Mar& !E -enetrator Round %ent through the *ydralis&s nec&, decapitating it. 1e both loo&ed left li&e idiots. 1e sa% a ne%comer in blac& CMC "$$ armour holding a Commando Rifle. *is orange visor had a painted s&ull. I instantly &ne% %ho it %as. 0im Raynor ordered as marines climbed up the north cho&e. 3+han&s for holding this place Angels. 4ecure this ;> and set up a defensive perimeter57 4everal aircraft fle% in a nosedive through the clouds to%ards us.

A %oman spo&e on the radio. 3Air cavalry has arrived.7 A trio of )anshees delivered their shoc&%ave missiles payload at the 4outh%est cho&epoint. +hey completed their strafe run and fle% a%ay from us. 3A couple of pods are off course, heading to assist.7 Marines too& defensive positions beside me, firing a larger barrage of ammunition. I too& the lu/ury to reload all my %eapons. I heard the %hine of Medivacs flying above. +hey made a 8uic& landing at an open spot do%n the northern side of the hill %here the drop pods landed. 9ut came one of my favourite things, siege tan&s.

I cheered as several tan&s rolled out the medivacs before activating their fearsome siege mode. Crucio shoc& cannons roared as the >erg %aves reduced in numbers. I opened my visor and %iped the s%eat off my bro%s. I didnt even reali<e I had s%eated so much. More drop pods entered their %ay into the atmosphere as the battle in space ensues. Marines started setting up sandbags and machine gun emplacements as several =i&ings fle% past. ,amn I love being alive. 4ha% said as he too& a drin& of %ater from his canteen. 31e live for another day.7

I grabbed my o%n canteen from a small compartment in my armour. It is al%ays on the bring list for any soldier. I too& a long pull from it. God blessed %ater flo%ed do%n my throat, refreshing it %ith life. I gave a sigh of satisfaction. Its good to be alive. 1hile %e too& a breather, apparently 0im Raynor had been coo&ing up a plan. *e ordered his troops. 31e have incoming drop pods that are off course5 1e %ill need to rally everyone and regroup if %e are to survive this57 2ar out in the s&ies %ere tiny flares falling out of the s&ies. 3+imes short, so lets move it boys57 1e cheered as %e moved out.

Chad yelled as he ran up front. 3Angels leading the %ay57 1e just gave a %ar cry and too& point. 1eve brought most of everyone do%n into *ell and no% %ere going to get the job done.