Full Starcraft 2 Guide

Full Starcraft 2 Guide
y Start off with a one page brief guide for each league, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. y After that we have a full Starcraft unit chart with range, costs, energy, etc. ( This may not be as accurate as possible because of patches). y Then we have a full list of the Starcraft 2 Achievements ( This may not be as accurate as possible because of patches). y Then we go to a full out Zerg guide y Then we go to a full out Protoss guide y Then we go to a full out Terran guide y Finally we end with some short stories aka starcraft Lores, Which is also on Starcraft2.com o Titles of Stories
Mothership Colossus Changling Collateral Damage Stealing Thunder
This is put together by Jason Lin with information from Starcraft2.com, Google images, and various other websites.
Bronze: Never. Stop. Making. Workers. (Unless you are about to get attacked and don't have enough money for units.) Seriously, I have seen so many bronze players say "I don't get it, i've been doing the same strategies as the pros but I can't get out of bronze". Lo and behold, I watch them play and they stop making workers at 20-25. Also, stop worrying so much about controlling your units. When you are "microing" and end up building up 2000 minerals, you are hurting yourself much more than if you had just a+moved your units and hope for the best. Seriously, just keep making units while you are fighting battles, it's much more important than unit control. Try to keep spending all of your resources. If you can't spend them fast enough, make more unit producing structures and get more upgrades. Silver: Usually have the idea of making workers spending resources, but the problem generally lies in build orders. I see a lot of people trying to do too much off of one base. I also see people one basing or two basing for far longer than necessary. This is the time where you need to learn when to expand. The hardest timing to learn is when to get your third base. Basically the general rule of thumb is to get your third base whenever you can defend it. This is also when you should learn the idea behind attack timings. You should begin to notice when your opponent is vulnerable to attack, and when your optimum "timing" is to attack. This will be much more important later, but for now you should just know that when you expand you are very vulnerable, and around 3-4 minutes after your expansion finishes is when you begin to benefit from the expansion. Gold: This is the point where APM and unit control start to become important. People who are stuck in gold usually have trouble multitasking or remaining cool in tough situations. This is also when you should start to learn about which builds do well against which other builds. That means you should work on learning how to figure out which build your opponent is going to go as early as possible. SCOUTING is the biggest thing in this phase, especially for zerg players. If you want to get out of gold, you need to practice being able to micro your units and reinforce at the same time, as well as read up on build orders so that you know what to look for when you are scouting. Platinum: Platinum is a weird skill level. At first glance the way platinums play looks very similar to the way diamonds play, but diamonds still win against platinums very convincingly. This is the phase where decision making comes into play. Most platinums have a hard time figuring out why they lose, and it takes some close inspection to see why. When I was platinum I would go attack my opponents base with an even army count and still get destroyed and not understand why. Decision making is what separates diamond players from platinums. Knowing exactly when the best time to attack and expand is, and knowing what your opponent is doing without even having to scout is what separates the men from the boys. Platinums usually have the apm, the macro, and the micro to be diamond players, they just need to start thinking about the STRATEGY part of this RTS game instead of playing like a robot. Deception and mind games also become useful in this stage, because people start behaving in predictable ways. Anything you can do to trick your opponent will help you out. The way I see most platinum players fail is when they make incorrect decisions without knowing why these decisions are incorrect. For example, they will engage with a gateway protoss army against an even barracks terran army without realizing that gateway units aren't meant to be used that way. You really need to start thinking about how units work together, and that it's sometimes perfectly ok to just sit back and defend instead of attack.
Starcraft 2 Unit Comparison Chart

Name Minerals Gas Supply Hit Shields Energy Range Armor Points DPS
Zergling
50
35
7.25 1
Zealot
100
100
50
6.67 1
Warp Prism
200
100
40
Void Ray
250
150
150
100
10
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Hit Shields Energy Range Armor Points DPS
Viking
150
75
125
8.5
7.5
Ultralisk
300
200
500
17.44 1
Thor
300
200
400
12.72 8.5
Stalker
125
50
80
80
6.94 6
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Siege Tank
150
125
160
13.04 10
Sentry
50
100
40
40
200
SCV
50
45
3.33 -
Roach
75
25
145
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Reaper
50
50
50
10.15 4.75
Raven
100
200
140
200
Queen
150
175
200
6.5
Probe
50
20
20
3.33 -
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Point Defense Drone
50
200
Phoenix
150
100
120
60
200
4.55 4
Overseer
50
100 -
200
200
Overlord
100
200
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Observer
50
100
20
40
Mutalisk
100
100
120
5.92 3
MULE
60
Mothership
400
400
350
350
200
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Medivac
100
100
150
200
Marine
50
45
6.98 5
Marauder
100
25
125
6.67 6
Larva
25
10
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Interceptor
25
1.67 8
Infestor
100
150
90
200
Infested Terrans
50
Immortal
250
100
200
100
13.79 5
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Hydralisk
100
50
80
14.46 5
High Templar
50
150
40
40
200
Hellion
100
90
3.2
Ghost
150
150
100
200
6.67 6
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Drone
50
40
3.33 1
Dark Templar
125
125
40
80
26.63 -
Corruptor
150
100
200
7.37 6
Colossus
300
200
200
150
9.09 6
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Changeling -
Carrier
350
250
300
150
10
Broodling
30
6.25 -
Brood Lord
150
150
225
Name
Minerals Gas Supply
Battlecruiser
400
300
550
200
30.43 6
Banshee
150
100
140
200
9.6
Baneling
25
25
30
24.1 1
Archon
10
350
14.29 2
StarCraft 2: Achievements List

Exploration
Guide One Custom Game Novice (10) - Win 3 solo evenly matched Custom Games against any A.I. opponents. Cooperative Novice (10) - Win 3 Cooperative games. Medal of Combat (20) - Complete all the Guide One achievements. Guide Two Custom Game Zerg (10) - Win 3 solo evenly matched Custom Games as Zerg against any A.I. opponents. Qualified For Action (10) - Play enough qualifying games to get placed in a Quick Match league. Custom Game Protoss (10) - Win 3 solo evenly matched Custom Games as Protoss against any A.I. opponents. Medal of Valor (20) - Complete all the Guide Two achievements. Guide Three Play Replay (10) - Watch any Battle.net replay. Flying Solo (10) - Win 5 1v1 league Quick Match games. That's Teamwork (10) - Win 5 Team league Quick Match games. Medal of Honor (20) - Complete all the Guide Three achievements. Medium A.I. Medium FFA (10) - Win a Free-For-All Custom Game against 7 Medium A.I. opponents. Medium Blitz (10) - Win a 1v1 Custom Game against a Medium A.I. opponent in under 5 minutes. Terran AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games as Terran against Medium A.I. opponents. Zerg AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games as Zerg against Medium A.I. opponents. Protoss AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games as Protoss against Medium A.I. opponents. Random AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games as Random against Medium A.I. opponents. Medium A.I. Crusher (20) - Complete all the Medium A.I. achievements. Hard A.I. Hard FFA (10) - Win a Free-For-All Custom Game against 7 Hard A.I. opponents. Hard Blitz (10) - Win a 1v1 Custom Game against a Hard A.I. opponent in under 5 minutes. 3v3 Mix vs Hard AI (10) - Win a 3v3 Custom Game with Hard A.I. allies using all three races against Hard A.I opponents. 3V3 vs Hard AI Mix (10) - Win a 3v3 Custom Game with Hard A.I. allies against all three races of Hard A.I opponents. 4v4 Kin vs Hard AI (10) - Win a 4v4 Custom Game with Hard A.I. allies using the following
race combinations against Hard A.I opponents. 4v4 vs Hard AI Kin (10) - Win a 4v4 Custom Game with Hard A.I. allies against the following race combinations using Hard A.I. opponents. Hard AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games against Hard A.I. opponents. Hard AI Crusher (20) - Complete all the Hard A.I. achievements. Very Hard A.I. Very Hard FFA (10) - Win a Free-For-All Custom Game against 7 Very Hard A.I. opponents. Very Hard Blitz (10) - Win a 1v1 Custom Game against a Very Hard A.I. opponent in under 5 minutes. 3v3 Mix vs Very Hard AI (10) - Win a 3v3 Custom Game with Very Hard A.I. allies using all three races against Very Hard A.I opponents. 3v3 vs Very Hard AI Mix (10) - Win a 3v3 Custom Game with Very Hard A.I. allies against all three races of Very Hard A.I opponents. 4v4 Kin vs Very Hard AI (10) - Win a 4v4 Custom Game with Very Hard A.I. allies using the following race combinations against Very Hard A.I opponents. 4v4 vs Very Hard AI Kin (10) - Win a 4v4 Custom Game with Very Hard A.I. allies against the following race combinations using Very Hard A.I. opponents. Very Hard AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games against Very Hard A.I. opponents. Very Hard AI Crusher (10) - Complete all the Very Hard A.I. achievements. Insane A.I. Insane FFA (10) - Win a Free-For-All Custom Game against 7 Insane A.I. opponents. Insane Blitz (10) - Win a 1v1 Custom Game against an Insane A.I. opponent in under 5 minutes. 3v3 Mix vs Insane AI (10) - Win a 3v3 Custom Game with Insane A.I. allies using all three races against Insane A.I opponents. 3v3 vs Insane AI Mix (10) - Win a 3v3 Custom Game with Insane A.I. allies against all three races of Insane A.I opponents. 4v4 Kin vs Insane AI (10) - Win a 4v4 Custom Game with Insane A.I. allies using the following race combinations against Insane A.I opponents. 4v4 vs Insane AI Kin (10) - Win a 4v4 Custom Game with Insane A.I. allies against the following race combinations using Insane A.I. opponents. Insane AI Romp: (10) - Win 10 solo evenly matched Custom Games against Insane A.I. opponents. Insane AI Crusher (20) - Complete all the Insane A.I. achievements. Outmatched A.I. Outmatched: 2 Medium AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 2 Custom Game with no Allies against 2 Medium A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 3 Medium AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 3 Custom Game with no Allies against 3 Medium A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 4 Medium AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 4 Custom Game with no Allies against 4 Medium A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 2 Hard AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 2 Custom Game with no Allies against 2 Hard A.I.
opponents. Outmatched: 3 Hard AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 3 Custom Game with no Allies against 3 Hard A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 4 Hard AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 4 Custom Game with no Allies against 4 Hard A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 2 Very Hard AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 2 Custom Game with no Allies against 2 Very Hard A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 3 Very Hard AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 3 Custom Game with no Allies against 3 Very Hard A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 4 Very Hard AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 4 Custom Game with no Allies against 4 Very Hard A.I. opponents. Outmatched: 2 Insane AI (10) - Win a 1 vs 2 Custom Game with no Allies against 2 Insane A.I. opponents. Outmatched Crusher (20) - Complete all the Outmatched achievements. Medium A.I. Co-op Stomp: Medium (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250 Cooperative games against Medium A.I. opponents. 2v2 Co-op Streak: Medium (10) - Win 5/10/15 2v2 Cooperative games in a row against Medium A.I. opponents. 3v3 Co-op Streak: Medium (10) - Win 5/10/15 3v3 Cooperative games in a row against Medium A.I. opponents. 2v2 Stomp Coverage: Medium (10) - Win a 2v2 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Medium A.I. 3v3 Stomp Coverage: Medium (10) - Win a 3v3 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Medium A.I. Gosu Comp Stomp: Medium (20) - Complete all the Medium A.I. achievements. Hard A.I. Co-op Stomp: Hard (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250 Cooperative games against Hard A.I. opponents. 2v2 Co-op Streak: Hard (10) - Win 5/10/15 2v2 Cooperative games in a row against Hard A.I. opponents. 3v3 Co-op Streak: Hard (10) - Win 5/10/15 3v3 Cooperative games in a row against Hard A.I. opponents. 2v2 Stomp Coverage: Hard (10) - Win a 2v2 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Hard A.I. 3v3 Stomp Coverage: Hard (10) - Win a 3v3 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Hard A.I. Gosu Comp Stomp: Hard (20) - Complete all the Hard A.I. achievements. Very Hard A.I. Co-op Stomp: Very Hard (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250 Cooperative games against Very Hard A.I. opponents. 2v2 Co-op Streak: Very Hard (10) - Win 5/10/15 2v2 Cooperative games in a row against Very Hard A.I. opponents.
3v3 Co-op Streak: Very Hard (10) - Win 5/10/15 3v3 Cooperative games in a row against Very Hard A.I. opponents. 2v2 Stomp Coverage: Very Hard (10) - Win a 2v2 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Very Hard A.I. 3v3 Stomp Coverage: Very Hard (10) - Win a 3v3 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Very Hard A.I. Gosu Comp Stomp: Very Hard (20) - Complete all the Very Hard A.I. achievements. Insane A.I. Co-op Stomp: Insane (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250 Cooperative games against Insane A.I. opponents. 2v2 Co-op Streak: Insane (10) - Win 5/10/15 2v2 Cooperative games in a row against Insane A.I. opponents. 3v3 Co-op Streak: Insane (10) - Win 5/10/15 3v3 Cooperative games in a row against Insane A.I. opponents. 2v2 Stomp Coverage: Insane (10) - Win a 2v2 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Insane A.I. 3v3 Stomp Coverage: Insane (10) - Win a 3v3 Cooperative game as all possibilites against Insane A.I. Gosu Comp Stomp: Insane (20) - Complete all the Insane A.I. achievements. Race A.I. Terran Command: (10) - Win 10 Cooperative games as Terran against Medium A.I. opponents. Protoss Command: (10) - Win 10 Cooperative games as Protoss against Medium A.I. opponents. Zerg Command: (10) - Win 10 Cooperative games as Zerg against Medium A.I. opponents. Random Command: (10) - Win 10 Cooperative games as Random against Medium A.I. opponents. Supreme Command (20) - Complete all the Race A.I. achievements.
Quick Match
Solo League Solo Terran (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 1v1 league Quick Match games as Terran. Solo Zerg (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 1v1 league Quick Match games as Zerg. Solo Protoss (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 1v1 league Quick Match games as Protoss. Solo Random (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 1v1 league Quick Match games as Random. Solo Zen Master (10) - Win 1000 1v1 league Quick Match games as each race option. Team League Team Terran (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 Team league Quick Match games as Terran. Team Protoss (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 Team league Quick Match games as Protoss.
Team Random (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 Team league Quick Match games as Random. Team Hot Streak (10) - Win 3/5 Team league Quick Match games in a row. Team Zerg (10) - Win 10/25/50/100/250/500/750/1000 Team league Quick Match games as Zerg. Team Zen Master (20) - Win 1000 Team league Quick Match games as each race option. Competitive FFA Gladiator (10) - Destroy a total of 5,000 enemy units in Free-for-All Quick Match games. FFA Destroyer (10) - Win a Free-For-All Quick Match game as each race option. FFA Wins: (10) - Win 5/10/25/50/100/200/400/800 Free-For-All Quick Match games. League Qualifier (10) - Qualify for league Quick Match in each of the following modes: Two-way Dominant (10) - Win a 2v2 league Quick Match game playing all race possibilities. Three-way Dominant (10) - Win a 3v3 league Quick Match game playing all race possibilities. Competitive Zen Master (20) - Complete the following "Competitive" Quick Match achievements. Economy Zealot Push (10) - Warp in 5 Zealots during the first 250 seconds of a single Melee game. Fast Expand (10) - Expand during the first 225 seconds of a Melee game. The Rich Get Richer (10) - Deplete 10 Rich Mineral Fields in a single Melee game. Training Day (10) - Train 10 Marines during the first 320 seconds of a single Melee game. Zergling Rush (10) - Morph 20 Zerglings during the first 255 seconds of a single Melee game. Erector Time (10) - Build a Factory during the first 270 seconds of a Melee game. Warp In Time (10) - Warp in a Twilight Council during the first 275 seconds of a Melee game. It's Morphing Time (10) - Mutate a Lair during the first 285 seconds of a Melee game. Just a Scratch (10) - Repair 1,000 life on allied structures in a single Melee game. City Builder (20) - Complete all the Economy achievements. Melee Combat I See Dead Units (10) - Destroy 10 cloaked or burrowed units in a single Melee game. Meatgrinder (10) - Kill 50 supply worth of units within 15 seconds in a Melee game. One-Finger Discount (10) - Cancel construction of a structure that is being destroyed by an opponent in a Melee game. Psionic Death (10) - Destroy 20 units with a single High Templar in a Melee game. The Back Door (10) - Using Warp Prisms, warp in 50 units in a single Melee game. Zerglot (10) - While playing as Zerg, warp in a Zealot in a Melee game. Distorted Reality (10) - Capture 50 enemy units in a single Vortex in a Melee game. To the Shadows I Run (10) - Use Blink to save a Stalker in a Melee game. Can't Touch This! (10) - Dodge a Raven Seeker Missile in a Melee game. Fire Fighter (10) - Save 8 burning Terran structures in a single Melee game. Just an Illusion (10) - Control 15 hallucinations at once in a Melee game. Welcome Back, Commander (20) - Complete all the Melee Combat achievements. League Combat Infested Terror (10) - Destroy 30 units with Infested Terrans in a single League game. Would You Kindly... (10) - Destroy 5 units with a single Neural Parasited unit in a League game.
Terran Macro Master (10) - Have 9 Terran units training simultaneously in a League game. Zerg Macro Master (10) - Have 21 Zerg units morphing simultaneously in a League game. Warp In Madness (10) - Warp in 100 units with Warp Gates in a single League game. Centurion Queen (10) - Create 100 Larvae with Queens in a single League game. The Flying Heal Bus (10) - Heal 5,000 life with Medivacs in a single League game. Counter-Proof (10) - Attack for 20 seconds with no counterattacks in a League game. Carnage Hall (10) - Destroy 4 Command Centers, Hatcheries, or Nexuses in a single League game. Denied (10) - Destroy an enemy Command Center, Hatchery, or Nexus while it is under construction in a League game. Hot Pickup (10) - Load a Dropship with a unit that is under attack in a League game. Big Brother Is Watching (10) - Hold a Xel'Naga Tower for 5 consecutive minutes in a League game. Meet the Spy (10) - Kill 5 Changelings in a single League game. Work, Work (10) - Win a League game withot exceeding 30 seconds of total idle harvester time. Yamato Master Blaster (10) - Destroy 20 units with Yamato blasts in a single League game. Professionals Have Standards (10) - Destroy 20 units with Sniper Rounds in a single League game. Beep, Beep, Boom! (10) - Destroy 6 units with a single Seeker Missile in a League game. Unbreakable! (10) - Destroy 40 units with a single unit in a single League game. Auto-Kill (10) - Using Auto-Turrets, destroy 20 SCVs in a single League game. Raining Blood (10) - Destroy a fully loaded transport in a League game. Nuclear Launch Detected (10) - Kill 15 enemy units with a single Nuke in a League game. Protoss Macro Master (10) - Have 9 Protoss units warping in simultaneously in a League game. Neighborly Help (10) - Heal 300 life on friendly units in a single League game. Frugal Fighter (10) - Regenerate 500 shield energy on a single unit without taking friendly fire in a League game. A Roach's Life (10) - Regenerate 500 life on a single Roach without taking friendly fire in a League game. Shroom Absorption (10) - Absorb 1,000 damage with hallucinations in a single League game. MULE X'ing (10) - Call down 30 MULEs in a single League game. Supreme Being (20) - Complete all the League Combat achievements. MAR SARA MISSIONS Achievements: * Mar Sara Missions: Complete the mission Zero Hour * Mar Sara Mastery: Complete all nine Mar Sara achievements Mar Sara Mission 1: Liberation Day * Liberation Day: Destroy 6 Dominion Holoboards * Raynor's Back: Kill 5 enemy units with Raynor on Normal * Down with Mengsk: Kill every enemy unit on Hard
Mar Sara Mission 2: The Outlaws * The Outlaws: Rescue the rebels * Cash Reward: Collect all Mineral and Gas Pallet pickups on Normal * Be Quick or Be Dead: Complete on Hard in less than 10 minutes Mar Sara Mission 3: Zero Hour * Zero Hour: Rescue 3 groups of rebels * Hold the Line: Complete on Normal without losing or salvaging a structure * The Best Defense...: Destroy 4 Zerg Hatcheries on Hard
COLONIST MISSIONS Colonist Mission 1: The Evacutation Achievements: * The Evacuation: Collect 3 Chrysalis DNA * Handled with Care: Complete on Normal without losing a Transport Truck * Sacrifice Nothing: Complete on Hard without losing or salvaging a structure Colonist Mission 2: Outbreak Achievements: * Outbreak: Complete all objectives * 28 Minutes Later: Complete on Normal before the 5th night * Army of Darkness: Destroy 15 Infested structures at nighttime on Hard Colonist Mission 3a: Safe Haven Achievements: * Safe Haven: Complete all objectives * You Shall Not Pass: Save 3 Colonist Outposts on Normal * My Precious!: Save 2 Colonist Outposts on Hard
Colonist Mission 3b: Haven's Fall Achievements: * Haven's Fall: Complete all objectives * Outpatient: Complete with 3 settlements protected on Normal * House Call: Complete with 5 settlements protected on Hard COVERT MISSIONS Achievements: Covert Mission 1: The Devil's Playground Achievements: * The Devil's Playground: Complete all objectives * Red Lobster: Kill the Brutalisk with lava on Normal * Reaper Man: Locate all of Tosh's Crew on Hard
Covert Mission 2: Welcome to the Jungle Achievements: * Welcome to the Jungle: Complete all objectives * Appetite for Destruction: Prevent the Protoss from killing an SCV on Normal * It's So Easy: Prevent the Protoss from capping a Tal'darim Altar on Hard Covert Mission 3a: Breakout Achievements: * Breakout: Complete all objectives * Cool Hand Tosh: Complete without Tosh going below 100 life on Normal * Jailhouse Rock: Complete on Hard in less than 25 minutes Covert Mission 3b: Ghost of a Chance * Ghost of a Chance: Complete all objectives * Dominate Tricks: Use Dominated units to kill at least 15 enemy troops on Normal * Total Protonic Reversal: Kill every enemy on Hard REBELLION MISSIONS Rebellion Mission 1: The Great Train Robbery Achievements: * The Great Train Robbery: Complete all objectives * Bully the Bullies: Kill the Marauder Kill Team on Normal * Silver Streak: Complete without letting a Train pass by on Hard Rebellion Mission 2: Cutthroat Achievements: * Cutthroat: Complete all objectives * Minesweeper: Kill 25 total units with Spider Mines on Normal * Solitaire: Don't train additional SCVs before purchasing Han's contract on Har
Rebellion Mission 3: Engine of Destruction Achievements: * Engine of Destruction: Complete all objectives * Kicking Asgard: Destroy the Loki on Normal * Ragnarok & Roll: Don't let the Odin drop below 30% of its total life on Hard Rebellion Mission 4: Media Blitz Achievements: * Media Blitz: Complete all objectives * Seek & Destroy: Destroy an enemy Barracks, Factory, and Starport during the sneak attack on Normal * Blitzkrieg: Complete the mission on Hard in less than 20 minutes
Rebellion Mission SECRET: Piercing the Shroud Achievements: * Piercing the Shroud: Complete all objectives * Not So Brutalisk: Kill the Brutalisk without losing a unit on Normal * Lock and Load: Locate all 13 weapon pickups on Hard ARTIFACT MISSIONS Achievements: * The Artifact: Complete the mission Maw of the Void * Artifact Mastery: Complete all fifteen Artifact achievements Artifact Mission 1: Smash and Grab Achievements: * Smash and Grab: Find 4 Protoss Relics * Rock Solid: Complete the mission on Normal without losing a unit to a Protoss Stone Guardian * Hit & Run: Complete the mission on Hard in less than 15 minutes Artifact Mission 2: The Dig Achievements: * The Dig: Complete all objectives * Drill Hard: Kill 20 enemy units with the Laser Drill on Normal * Yippie-ki-yay...: Destroy 50 Protoss structures on Hard Artifact Mission 3: The Moebius Factor Achievements: * The Moebius Factor: Complete all objectives * Alive Inside!: Locate all the Moebius survivors on Normal * Hard Core: Complete before Kerrigan destroys 6 Abandoned Structures on Hard Artifact Mission 4: Supernova Achievements: * Supernova: Complete all objectives * Cool Running: Complete on Normal without losing a unit to the wall of fire * Shock 'n' Awe: Kill 75 enemy units or structures with cloaked Banshees on Hard Artifact Mission 5: Maw of the Void Achievements: * Maw of the Void: Complete all objectives * I Have the Power: Destroy all Rip-Field Generators on Normal * Master of the Universe: Complete without losing a unit inside the Rip-Field on Hard PROPHECY MISSIONS * Ihan Crystal: Acquire an Ihan Crystal * Zeratul Missions: Complete the mission In Utter Darkness * Prophecy Mastery: Complete all twelve Prophecy achievements
Prophecy Mission 1: Whispers of Doom Achievements: * Whispers of Doom: Complete all objectives * Stalker Delight: Complete on Normal with 3 or more Stalkers * Merely a Flesh Wound: Complete on Hard without Zeratul suffering life damage Prophecy Mission 2: A Sinister Turn Achievements: * A Sinister Turn: Complete all objectives * Out for Justice: Kill all Protoss on Normal * Maar-ked for Death: Complete on Hard in less than 25 minutes Prophecy Mission 3: Echoes of the Future Achievements: * Echoes of the Future: Complete all objectives * Army of One: Complete with Zeratul killing 50 Zerg units on Normal * Overmind Dead Body: Complete on Hard in less than 20 minutes Prophecy Mission 4: In Utter Darkness Achievements: * In Utter Darkness: Complete all objectives * Semi-Glorious: Kill 1750 Zerg units on Normal * Blaze of Glory: Kill 2250 Zerg units on Normal FINAL MISSIONS Achievements: * Wings of Liberty: Complete the mission All In * Final Mastery: Complete all twelve Final achievements Final Mission 1: Gates of Hell Achievements: * Gates of Hell: Complete all objectives * The Big Bang Cannon: Destroy all the Spore Cannons on Normal * Dominion Roundup: Rescue 10 Drop-Pods of Dominion Troops on Hard Final Mission 2a: Belly of the Beast Achievements: * Belly of the Beast: No optional objectives, just beat the mission * Unbreakable: Complete without letting a hero fall Incapacitated on Normal * One Shot, Fifty Kills!: Kill 50 units with a single Penetrator Round on Hard Final Mission 2b: Shatter the Sky Achievements: * Shatter the Sky: Complete all objectives * Demolition Man: Complete without losing a unit to a Platform explosion on Normal * Speed Too!: Complete on Hard in less than 25 minutes
Final Mission 3: All In Achievements: * All In: Complete all objectives * Burn and Turn: Kill 150 Zerg units with the Artifact on Normal * Aces High: Use the Artifact only once on Hard MISCELLANEOUS ACHIEVEMENT LIST CAMPAIGN COMPLETION ACHIEVEMENTS * Liberty Completionist Normal: Complete all 29 missions on Normal * Hard 5/10/15/20/25: Complete 5/10/15/20/25 missions on Hard * Brutal 5/10/15/20/25: Complete 5/10/15/20/25 missions on Brutal * Liberty Completionist Hard: Complete all 29 missions on Hard * Liberty Completionist Brutal: Complete all 29 missions on Brutal
SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS * Nice Suit: Talk to Findlay after boarding the Hyperion * Dead Man's Hand: Talk to Horner when the Cutthroat mission becomes available * Couch Surfer: View 10 television news broadcasts * Just check the TV in the cantina after every mission * Stay Awhile and Listen: Start a conversation with each of the following: * Dr. Ariel Hanson (before finishing Colonist missions) * Matt Horner (before entering Final missions) * Horace Warfield (Final missions only) * Rory Swann (before entering Final missions) * Gabriel Tosh (before finishing Covert missions) * Tychus Findlay (any time) LOST VIKING ACHIEVEMENTS * Lost Viking Bronze/Silver/Gold: Score 125000/250000/500000 points on Lost Viking * Terra-tron Terrorized: Beat the Terra-tron on Lost Viking PURCHASE ACHIEVEMENTS * Base Tech Master: Purchase 8 base upgrades * Infantry Tech Master: Purchase 10 infantry upgrades * Vehicle Tech Master: Purchase 10 vehicle upgrades * Starship Tech Master: Purchase 10 starship upgrades * Dominion Tech Master: Purchase 4 Dominion upgrades
Zerg Guide
Starcraft 2 Zerg Build Orders Zerg has its own unique method for describing build orders. In particular, Zerg build orders are commonly called a "XX Pool", where XX refers to the number of drones the Spawning Pool is built at. For example, a "14 Pool" means that while the 14th Drone is being trained, you will build a Spawning Pool. Additionally, economic builds (very popular for Zerg in 1v1 games) also note the position of the first expansion. "XX Pool XX Hatch" means that the Spawning Pool is built first, where "XX Hatch XX Pool" indicates that the first Zerg structure is actually a second Hatchery. As a general rule of thumb, the earlier the Spawning Pool is built, the more aggressive the Zerg build order. Early Pools are used for rushing, whereas late Pools are more economical. Any Pool built before 10 is a rushing build. It is not optimal and you are banking on being able to do some damage with your early Zerglings. Any Pool at 14 or later is an economical build. In this situation, the player is depending on the enemy not rushing. In the long run, this is the most economical build, but it is susceptible to the Zealot rush. Below, I will list some common Starcraft 2 Zerg Build orders and when they are best used. I will also include some common Zergling rush build orders. 14 Pool - This standard Zerg opener is great on 2 player maps and is my go-to build order in Zerg vs Zerg matches. This build allows you to safely grab your natural or pour on the aggression early and is great for both ZvT and ZvZ. 15 Hatch / 15 Pool - This is the current "flavor of the month" build and has been used by many top Zergs lately. It seems to be especially effective versus Terran and Protoss players. Click the article link for more information on this build. 6 Pool The riskiest of all is the 6 Pool, which involves building nothing and just harvesting at the start of the game until you can build a Spawning Pool. While the Spawning Pool is building, you can train 2 more Drones to get up to 7/10 supplies. As soon as the Spawning Pool is finished, build 3 pairs of Zerglings and send them on the offensive. This strategy is typically reserved for playing as "Random" versus a Terran player. Zerglings can do a lot of damage versus a Terran player if they can sneak in before the wall is being built. The reason you want to only use this technique when playing as "Random" is because any decent player will scout Zerg early, whereas some mid-ranked players will wait a bit to scout versus Random. The 6 Pool also works best on very small maps, as you need to be able to quickly get your Zerglings in before the Terran player finishes his wall. If you manage to get in the Terran player's base before the wall is finished, resist the urge to go for the minerals. Instead, attack the wall. Kill the Supply Depot to halt the Terran's unit production and then go for the Barracks. The SCVs should be able to kill all your Zerglings, so avoid them and instead attack the means of production. Build more Zerglings while the Terran player is slowed and then send them in to finish the job. Overpool When you see "Overpool" this refers to getting to 10/10 supplies, building an Overlord, and then building a Spawning Pool. This is a defensive build which is not entirely crippling. It is a good build if the enemy is rushing; your Queen and first set of Zerglings should be ready by the time the enemy gets to your base.
Note that when I say "rushing", I am referring to some really early pressure such as a Proxy Barracks or Gateways. You should still be able to go for a fast expand 13 Pool This is a "balanced" Zerg build order. You get an Overlord at 10/10 supplies and then your Spawning Pool at 13/18 supplies. As far as your next move, it depends if you need defense (more Zerglings) or if you can tech (gas) or if you want to pull a fast expansion (if the enemy is turtling and teching). Many more advanced Zerg players actually will almost always take one of the more economical build orders. A 13 Pool will help you out in the lower-ranked leagues since players in those leagues are more predisposed to rushing and cheesing. This is also useful in Zerg vs Zerg matches, as an early Roach push can punish a Zerg for going for a fast expansion. You can also use this build to tech into a 1-Base Mutalisk rush as well.
15 Pool / 16 Hatch This is one of my favorite Zerg build orders, however, it is not for everyone. It is a bit risky and if the enemy decides to go for a cheesy rush such as an all in Zealot rush, you could be in trouble. This involves getting a Spawning Pool at 15/18 supplies, building 2 more Drones (you lose a Drone due to building the Spawning Pool), and then building a Hatchery at your natural expansion. Here is the summary: 10/10 - Overlord 15/18 - Spawning Pool 16/18 - Hatchery 15/18 - Overlord 15/18 - Queen 17/18 - Zergling
1. THE BASICS: 1.1. OL TimingTiming your overlords is one of the most important and possibly the most common mistake in many Zerg's game play. Many of you can keep up with overlord buildings only as far as your assured build order tells you too. Meaning once you have passed the 20-40 food mark you find yourself forgetting to create this funny little creature. One of the best ways to stay on top of your Overlord production is to count food while youre making units. Now when I say count food sure you can look up at your supply but that may not always be where your attention wants to be at the time. The best rule of thumb to remember is everything but zerglings require 2 food until the late game by which point most players will have reached the 200 cap anyway. So for every 4 units you make create 1 overlord. This will keep you ahead of the game for when you start needing more units fast. Exceptions are early game where managing your resources is more important and you will be making mostly 1 supply units. 1.2. SaturationThe thing to remember here is 3 drones per gas and 2.5 per mineral field, but little things make a big difference when it comes to saturating your mineral fields. You can cut seconds off your initial mining by using good rally points. During the beginning of the game for instance you have 6 drones for 8 mineral patches meaning 2 of them will not be mined. Set your rally point to one of that then switch to the other once that one has been started on. Another thing to note is larvae placement at your hatchery; it will always be on the southern side of your hatchery meaning the drones will have to move around any obstacle to get to a mineral field from where they hatch. One good way to set your hatchery's rally point is to the closest mineral field to the corresponding egg. When taking drones for gas its always a good idea to try to take them from mineral patches that already have 2 mining drones as to not end up with a mineral patch not being mined. 1.3. Larvae Injection + CreepLarvae and creep are one of the most essential needs of the zerg's arsenal of abilities and special bonus's As you know Larvae allow you to create every unit within the zerg's tech tree with the exception of broodlings, queens, infested terran and changelings. In order to stay on top of unit production and ahead of your opponent you must be avid in your inject larvae use age. A good way to practice this is to play vs. a very easy computer and kill all but 1 of his none unit producing structures then practice moving a zergling around the map while keeping your queen below 50 energy. Creep Highways are also an essential part of zerg game play as it allows you vision of the entire area covered in creep via the creep tumors as well as a speed bonus to every unit with the exception of drones. Another thing to realize is that if the enemy wants to remove this threatening infrastructure from the map they have to invest in detection which is money that they may have spent on another unit. 1.4. HotkeysHotkeys are the quickest way to accomplish anything that needs to be done in any scenario of the game. They control things such as groups of units, abilities, commands, and building of infrastructure and units. One of the best things to start learning is the hotkeys for every building and unit as well as upgrades. Another thing to remember is some units abilities override others such as say you have a queen and an infester in your control group, the queens spells take presidency over the queens so it is important to get used to using multiple hotkeys for spell casters within your main army composition. 1.5. ScoutingScouting is one of the most important things to utilize as a zerg player. A proper scout can be the difference between winning a game and losing it. Scouting with an early drone is always a fail safe way to make sure your not getting cheesed and allow you to prepare for any sort of early pressure build. Scouting
however does not always pertain to what you see at that exact moment. It includes understanding what will come from what you scout allowing you to predict what your opponent is doing even after your scout has been killed or fled. 2. Understanding the swarm 2.1. Resources you didn't know you had When people think of resources they usually think of only vespane gas and minerals, But when referring to balancing your resources you need to take many things into consideration. A list of the most basic resources would be minerals, vespane gas, Larvae, and supply. And each is used in unison with the other. With the exception of supply no resource is reusable once minerals, vespane, or larvae have been used you cannot get them all back. In the best case you can get a percentage of minerals and vespine back at the loss of a larvae or time a building could have been under construction. The most important thing to remember when considering any option open to you within the game is do I have the resource to accomplish my goal. This is includes mainly Drones, Energy, Larvae, Income, Time, and units. They must all be considered within the regards of resources. Learning to balance them all is an important part of understanding the Real time Strategy style of game play. One of the easiest ways to balance your resources is to remember that each building you make costs 1 drone, every unit costs one larva, and every larvae costs time to spawn. Every resource compliments the others, there is no expendable resource. 2.2. Larvae management One of the biggest issues many zerg's have understands when they can build what. But the way they look for the answer is by only considering what their opponent has. While scouting and reacting to your opponent plays the biggest part in using your larvae you also need to take into consideration what using those larvae really means. I wish I could tell you can always make this many drones, this many zerglings, this many roaches etc. But life just isn't that simple as a rule of thumb learns how many units it takes to stop 1 of each of the enemies units. This may be different for each person for instance I can kill a zlot with 3 zerglings if its alone some people need 4. I can kill 3 slots with 2 roaches in a timely fashion, some people it will take 3-4 if they can't kite very well or cant manage marooning while doing it. The most important thing to remember however is that without queen's spawning larvae you only get 1 larvae every roughly 15 in game seconds (off the top of my head may be off by a second or 2) This 1 larvae will become either another worker which will allow you to get more money, higher tech, or static defense costs you 1 larvae and a certain amount of time to make. This means that scouting what your opponent has and understanding what you need to beat it are important in balancing what these larvae will become. 2.3. Small timing's within your own build Its important to watch your replays within your build and note when your opponent is ahead, behind and around the same to you in income, supply, worker count, and unit count. Noting certain times can allow you to learn certain times when you could have made more drones attacked and killed an expansion or a key building safely or simply harassed successfully not necessarily doing heavy damage to your opponent. It will also allow you to learn times in which you could have techs up safely or expanded without risk. One thing to note is when you started getting an excess of minerals and gas and noting that during those times you could have gotten upgrades or another expansion or attack to get a slightly lower supply of units you don't need at the moment. 2.4. Balancing Queen Energy Queen energy is one of the most important resources in the game to remember to use. The reason being the time it takes for a larvae injection to spawn is the same time it takes to recharge 23 queen energy. Meaning if you forget a spawn for as little as 5 seconds that 1 queen will have missed the ability to spawn larvae without gaining excess energy wasting time each time you forget. Another important thing to
remember is that queens are the units that spawn your creep highways, but at the cost of 1 spawn larvae. A good way to start on that is to either make 1 extra queen or use your first 25 energy while you can't actually spend the energy. Don't forget to balance your energy with your larvae, if you for instance use spawn larvae early on and don't have the money to spend it all that that many larvae that the hatchery will never spawn and you can never get back. It's important to remember that larvae is the base behind everything you will do as zerg meaning you need to know that you can spend your larvae in order for your queen's energy to have been used in a way that will benefit you rather then hurt you. However you must also keep in mind the hatchery itself produces at max 3 larvae but you can stockpile larvae for important situations with a queen only if you spawn larvae. Unfortunately you cannot stack spawn larvae. 3. The things you want to know 3.1. Building Placement and Management An important thing to remember is despite the recent patch your buildings are still rather weak and easy to snipe so the safest place to put your buildings is usually out of the line of fire or in a place easily assessable by your main army. However there are acceptations to this rule building placement on some structures can be used to block patching of enemy harassment units such as hellions or zerglings. A common thing for me to do is place my spawning pool behind my natural and use my evolution chambers to block off the quick access to my ramp via using a small gap with friendly units blocking the path through. Many zerg players like to hide their spire in-between there main and natural as to stop easy scouting but sometimes you may want to use your overlord to spawn creep in a discreet location to hide some of your tech and catch the enemy unaware. You should however never rely on hiding your tech as it may still be scouted but it is still a viable tactic to use as long as you arent dependant on it remaining hidden. 3.2. Drone transferring and ExpandingA key thing to remember when transferring drones is not to transfer to many but that there is a good amount, personally I like to Transfer all but 8 unless I have over 16 drones mining on minerals, In other words I will transfer 8 maximum unless I am over saturated on a base in which case I transfer over 8 only till Im at 16-20 on my current mineral field I am transferring for. The reason for this is your income is slightly higher if you have 8 mining from 2 bases then 16 from 1 base as you are constantly getting mining from each mineral patch with 0 delays. Another key thing to remember is as a rule of thumb you want to stay 1 base ahead of your opponent, scouting can give you reliable timings on when to expand but in most cases it will be to either expand with the enemy or while you attack or beat there push. You may however based off scouting information lean that there are timings in which you can expand safely and sometimes use it as a way to force your enemy to become aggressive in a situation in which they should remain passive.
3.3. Unit compositions Now Unit compositions depend entirely on your opponents so I won't be going into it too much yet, but it is an important thing to know which units compliment others and what they are good for. An important rule of thumb to remember is what you are using that unit for at this point in time and how many do I need to accomplish that. There is no set limit to exactly how many units you need for each but a basic understanding of what each unit will be used for against your opponent is a good place to start. In most cases Zerglings are used to surround while banelings move in to kill any light units they can get there chubby little face into, another good thing to remember is Zerglings deal A #%%%LOAD of dps to any unit they can reach meaning the bigger the size of the unit to more zerglings can attack it and the
more damage that unit will take from zerglings. Roaches are used as a combination of a meat shield and focus firing priority targets that are defended while in combat, there high life makes them essential for getting at priority targets surrounded by heavy hitting units as well as absorbing damage from high dps units do to their higher life. T2 units comprise of very light units that can deal heavy dps, the hydra's dps is extremely high and does well behind a roach and zergling wall do to their ability to deal allot of damage fast, but they are also extremely low on life and die quickly if on their own especially to most high priority targets such as colossi, templars, infestors, and tanks. The mutalisk is a good harassment unit but can also be used in a fight to deal high dps to the enemy's army without blocking your ground armys path of movement. Infestors are also very weak but there spells can be deceptive and the difference between victory and defeat in a battle. Ultralisks and Broodlords are heavy life heavy hitting but are also not that well on their own in most cases. While they deal massive damage and tank quite a few hits left alone they can get sniped and picked off very easily. 3.4. Counters and Counter measures Learning your unit counters is important but one of the things to remember is sometimes you can't prepare for everything so you should try to find ways of countering your enemies units with what you already have even if it isn't an exact counter to what your enemy is currently using. This includes but is not limited to things such as self detonating banelings to kill dt's without detection, using transfusion on queens to help defend a banshee harass or enemy unit push, Spreading units our as to avoid splash from units such as siege tanks and colossi, and Using the magic box with your muta's to kill a thor. It's also important to remember that blizzards unit counter chart isn't always the most opportune counter. Take for instance they have a bunch of thors and hellions, blizzard's sheet would say lings and roaches to counter it but maybe you only have a few lings, you should note that banelings can kill hellions leaving there thor alone to be picked off by roaches that do quite well vs. thors even though they are not the best counter. Note of course this is an example and may not be the best in each scenario. Its important to practice and learn how to counter certain things that may catch you off guard. The most important counter measure by far however is scouting so you can prepare to counter what he is throwing at you.
4. Advanced game play for the avid gamer 4.1. Builds The numbers next to the unit/building represent the supply number in which you build that specific unit/building Remember that builds will need to be adapted to suit what your opponent is doing. 4.1. A opening vs. Terran The most common opening vs. T is as followed 9OL 15Hatch 14Pool 13Gas 16OL 16 queen First 100 gas on lair Then get 2 more extractors
Allows you to get muta's out within 8 minutes and before the cloaked banshee timing, not safe to use vs. aggressive openers 9OL 14Hatch 14Pool 16Gas 16OL 18queen This is the safer of the fast expansion builds and can allow you to have that expansion up earlier without risking losing it that too much 9OL 15Hatch 16Pool 16Gas 16OL 16queen 18queen This is the more economic of the Fast Expand builds leaves you a little bit more at risk but you will have a better income later if you can pull it off 9OL 14pool 14gas 16Hatch (optional) Safest build that allows you to get an early hatch or pressure your opponent early if they expand or do not wall.
4.1. B Opening vs. Protoss Same as above with addition to my safe P opening 9OL 15Hatch 14Pool 16Gas 16OL 16queen 18Roachwarren 20Queen Will leave you vulnerable for about 25 seconds to very fast zlot push, but you can usually throw in a spine crawler or use a few zerglings earlier to delay the roach warren. The point is once the roach warren is up you are able to pump a few roaches to stop further zlot harass 4.1.C Openings vs. Zerg 9ol 14gas
14pool 16OL 16queen 16Banelings nest Common defensive baneling build allows you to have banelings out before a 12 pool baneling build reaches your base 9OL 14Hatch 14Pool 16OL 16Queen 18queen 20 spine crawlerx3 at expansion This allows you to have a fast expansion +2 queens to block the ramp Usually not long after this you will get your gas then a roach warren and from there drone up the spine crawlers shut down harass at the expo and you can send your drones back to the main if they try to get in while the spine crawlers kill the offending lings/blings 4.2. Timings Windows and playing off what you scout. Timing windows are times in which you can safely tech, attack, or expand based off the knowledge that your opponent cant have x at this time Keep in mind the timings below are the common safe play timings and the enemy may send them later or sooner depending on how they play earlier Also keep in mind this will not include proxy play as the timing on that differs based off location and risk they are willing to take 4.2. A Timings Vs Terran 2rax push comes around 5:30-6:00 minutes if you see this coming you generally need 20-24 lings and your queen to hold this giving you the ability to push back if they are trying to expand behind it. 1port and 2 port cloak banshee is capable of coming from 7:40+ depending on what they build beforehand if you scout 1-2 marines at the front then it will be the fastest time Reactor hellions can come by 5:15 and blue flame by 5:45 third expo for you can usually be set up around the time your lair starts along with 2 evo chambers safely, exceptions to this are marine all ins in which case its better to just +1 him in expo's and infestors banelings ling. 4.2. B Timings Vs Protoss 2 gate zlot push can come within 4:20 and 2 gate stalkers can come within 4:40 if they go 2 gate stalkers its safe to push back with 15-20 lings and drone like crazy 3 gate robot 1 colossi no range can come within 7:40 safest bet vs. this is ling and roaches as usually your hydra den wont be finished let alone a spire 2 gate robo 1 colossi can come within 7:00 but will be very lacking on gateway units and usually they do it to expand behind 1 port phoenixs can have 3 phoenixes by 6:25
4.2. C Timings Vs Zerg Its allot harder to judge timings vs. Zerg, if they do 15FE you have a window between 2:15 and 3:20 when they will have nothing but drones A roach rush can be at your doorstep by 6:00 but can be held off by 30 lings which can usually end the game afterwards if you keep massing units Banelings can be at your doorstep anywhere between 3:30+ depending on how early the pool was 4.3. Concaves and Unit Management A concave is when your units are in a semi circle allowing more of your units to attack, the use of this is to allow you to get max dps and not have units dancing behind yours letting your front line just die. When scouting and seeing a push come in it is sometimes best to manually spread your units out so you start with a concave attacking, the bigger your conclave is the smaller threes will be. When attacking with a majority of ranged units its important to fight in a location in which you can get a large conclave. In small micro battle it can sometimes be important to pull back units they are focus firing, this will force them to chance that unit until the opponent changes target and allows you to get 1-2 more hits off then they do in the end. Its also important to keep in mind things such as colossi splash, a good way to counter this if your short on corrupters to help deal with it is to spread your units out, not in a straight line but rather into smaller groups in a large half circle so the splash damage has minimal effect. The same can also be said about siege tanks, when rolling blings into a tank line to kill the marine support it is often wiser to send in lings first or spread them out with a 1x1 gap between each unit minimizing the splash damage a siege tank shell can do. Its also important to not streamline your units into an enemies position, streamlining refers to the act of moving your units into an enemy army in a way in which they arrive 1 at a time, not only does this allow your enemy to get more hits off faster on your first few units but allows them to get a much better and larger conclave then you are capable. Another important thing to remember is things like Zerglings surrounds, fungal growth, and roach regeneration. A few short tips with roaches is you can retreat with burrow movement or also use them to burrow under your enemies army, when they pop up it will cause your enemy's units to reposition themselves losing them 1-2 attack cycles depending on the unit. You can also when in an engagement with an enemy use fungal growth to allow your lings to get a better surround or sometimes back up and regen your units health so you meet them with a fresher army.
Rushing build orders 1. The Zergling Rush Ah, the Zergling rush. Probably the most standard rush the Zerg have, not to mention the most infamous. I'll post the build order that I personally use for this rush, and it works great for me. Drones until 10 10 - Extractor (put three Drones on when it finishes) 9 - Drone 10 - Spawning Pool 9 - Overlord 10 - Drone (use him to scout) 11, 12 - Drones 13 - Zergling Speed upgrade (the Pool should finish around now, and this upgrade is CRUCIAL to the rush) 13 - Queen 14, 15, 16 - Zerglings 16 - Overlord After this, mass Zerglings until the speed upgrade finishes. When it does, set your Hatchery's rally point to just outside your opponent's ramp, and send 'em in. If your first push fails, don't worry. This is supposed to happen. During the first push, run past any units or buildings you see - go straight to his mineral line. Take out as many Probes or SCVs as you possibly can. Continue to Spawn Larva with your Queen, and just continue to make Zerglings. Somehow, the 12 Drones seems to be enough to provide an endless supply of Zerglings, so you can go on like this indefinitely. If your opponent is walled off and you can't get in at all, you have two options - cut your losses, and try to play the game out, or go for a Baneling Bust. See below. 2. The Baneling Bust This is a build that incorporates Banelings to take down your opponent's wall, so your Zerglings can stream in and take out his harvesters. 9 - Overlord 14 - Pool 13 - Extractor 15 - Overlord 15 - Queen 17 - Zerglings At 17, just start pumping out the Zerglings. You'll need quite a few, because a lot of them will have to morph into Banelings. With your first 100 gas, buy the Zergling speed upgrade, and with the 50 after that, throw down your Baneling Nest. After that, stockpile gas so you can morph a lot of Banelings. Once you've got about 25 Zerglings, move them to your opponent's ramp. If he walled off with a Barracks and a Factory, you'll need to morph about 10 Banelings. If walled off with a Barracks and two Supply Depots, you only need 6. Send them right at a building, and make sure the Zerglings rush in on their heels. Proceed to his mineral line first. 3. The Six Pool
This build is kind of cheesy, but it's a rush nonetheless. It's really simple. 6 - Harvest until you can afford a Spawning Pool, then throw it down 5, 6, 7 - Zerglings Move your first six Zerglings to his base and go straight for his SCVs or Probes. The idea is to get your units to his base before his unit producing buildings are even finished. If you can manage to wipe out his SCVs or Probes before he builds a unit producing structure, you win. If you can't, you'll probably lose. Economic Build Orders These build orders are much more economically stable than the rushes, but are very open to early aggression, so scouting is EXTREMELY important. If you can pull one off, you'll almost certainly be at a large economic advantage over your opponent. 1. The 15 Pool This is the build order I most commonly use. Its purpose is to put the Zerg player at an economic advantage early on. 9 - Overlord 10 - Drone (scout) 15 - Spawning Pool 16 - Drone (rally him to your natural expansion, and build a Hatchery when you can afford it) 16 - Extractor 17 - Hatchery (^^ this Drone) 17 - Overlord After this, you proceed into whatever mid-game composition you need to counter your opponent. Refer to Antpile's post for information about stopping rushes. 2. The 14 Pool This is IdrA's version of the 15 Pool build. I think the reason he uses it is because he likes to get Zerglings out early to scout, establish map control, and harass where he can. It's really just a matter of preference between this and the 15 Pool. 9 - Overlord 14 - Pool 15 - Hatchery 16 - Queen 16 - Extractor 18 - Overlord There are more builds I could add, but already, I can tell this guide is going to be overwhelmingly long. I'll stop there, because those are the standard ones.
Zerg Micro As most of you probably know, the Zerg's units are typically weaker than their Protoss or Terran counterpart. As such, it is essential to micro them properly to get the most use out of them. Zerg micro is very different than Protoss or Terran, because both Protoss and Terran have a lot of key abilities (Force Field, Psi Storm, Guardian Shield, Grav Beam, EMP, Stim Pack, etc.) that they have to
use during the battle. Zerg, however, have almost no abilities like that, save for the Infestor. As such, Zerg micro is largely dependent on positioning. Control Groups Control groups are technically a big part of micro and macro, so I'm including them in both sections. Basically, I would suggest using your 1, 2, and 3 buttons for all of your army units. The way I set mine up are as follows - 1) Melee or tank units (Roaches, Ultralisks) 2) Ranged, fragile damage dealers and/or flying units (Hydralisks, Mutalisks, Corruptors, Infestors) and 3) Usually Zerglings, if not, Infestors. Find your own control group setup that works for you. The idea is to separate your tanks and melee fighters from your fragile units. A lot of people might be wondering why I keep my Zerglings in a separate group, and I'll talk about that in the flanking section. Retreating Now, the word retreating might lead you to believe that I'm talking about the entire army backing out from a fight. I'm not. I'm talking about retreating individual units from a fight, so that they stop taking fire momentarily and then can get back into the fight. The process I use for this is pretty simple. The most common use of this tactic is when you're firing with your Hydralisks, Mutalisks, or Corruptors, though it also technically applies to Roaches. What I do is put these units in a control group, and send them to attack. Select the control group, and watch the portraits at the bottom. If one turns yellow, it's taking fire - select it, move it a few feet back, and send him back in. What this does is it moves the hurt unit out of the range of the opposing army, so they automatically target a new unit. After the hurt unit has moved back and forth again, select the control group again, and repeat. Make sure you aren't moving units that you already moved and are just low on health - a way to check this is to hover over the unit portrait, and the HP is displayed. If it's decreasing, select it and retreat. Note that you will not be able to keep an entire army at full strength doing this. You can, however, save a few units that otherwise would have died, and every unit counts. Flanking Flanking is extremely important to the Zerg, as their entire M.O. is to surround the opponent. This is the reason I like to keep my Zerglings in their own control group. Any unit that has a weakness to Zerglings (Immortals, Stalkers, Siege Tanks to an extent) will almost always be backed by units that can decimate Zerglings. As such, if you send them right through the front lines, they'll be decimated before they can even reach their target. This is where it becomes very important to fight your battles on creep. When you see your opponent's army coming, or you're moving out to attack, take your Zerglings (and any other unit you'd like to flank with) and put them off to the side, behind a chasm or rock or something. Then, draw your opponent's army to you with your tank units. The second he moves up to attack, send those Zerglings right up behind him. Now he's trapped, he doesn't know which units to target, and you're in a great position to win the battle.
Zerg Macro The Zerg are a very macro-oriented race. However, surprisingly, Zerg macro is technically easy - the hard part is remembering to do everything you need to do. If you watch Day9, this will sound familiar. You need to establish a "mental checklist" for each game - the fundamental things that you NEED to be doing constantly. Once you establish this "checklist", run it through your head over, and over, and over, and over. My checklist is composed of the following questions. 1) Do I have too much money? 2) Do I know what my opponent's army consists of, and where it is? 3) Do I know how many bases my opponent has?
4) Are all of my bases saturated? 5) Am I buying upgrades? 6) Am I spawning larvae? 7) Am I continuing to spread Creep? This may seem like a lot to handle, but when you get it firmly in your brain, it's really just second nature. For the macro section, I'll just briefly describe every point on my mental checklist. Why? Because I believe that if you do all of these things, winning will come naturally just because your mechanics were so great. Money It's common knowledge that you have to keep your money low. A lot of Zerg players will find that they expand fast, and then have way too much money than they can use. First of all - make sure you're constantly building army units and Drones. If you can't make units fast enough to keep your money low but you aren't comfortable expanding again, there's nothing wrong with throwing a second Hatchery down in one of your existing bases for the increased larvae production. Remember to put a Queen on your new Hatchery if you do this. I keep all of my Hatcheries hot keyed to 4 - you can hotkey them to whatever number you like, but it is generally a good thing to keep them all on one hotkey so you have one large pool of larvae rather than a bunch of little pools. If your money is still too high, buy upgrades for your units. Send units on scouting/harassment missions. Even if they die, it's ok - you probably took out something and you've got the money to replace the lost units, anyway. Base Saturation Again, this is a pretty simple concept. If your bases aren't fully saturated and you aren't in danger of any imminent attack, just pump Drones. It's worth noting that a fully saturated base will have a total of 30 Drones mining at once. (6 Drones on gas, 24 on Minerals) It takes three Drones to fully saturate one mineral patch or Vespene geyser - any more and you're just wasting a Drone. One thing to be careful of is to not get your Drone count get too high. With two or three bases, this isn't a problem. However, four fully saturated bases is a total of 120 Drones. That is WAY too many. I try to keep my Drone count from going over 80, to save room for my army. If you've got three fully saturated bases and expand a fourth time, I would just put three Drones on each gas and one Drone on each mineral patch. Another thing to remember is the "Maynard Transfer". The Maynard Transfer is something you've seen before, but might not know by name. It's when you build an expansion, and you take some of the Drones from your main to begin mining the expansion right away. For your natural expansion, I usually send 7 Drones. Why? Well, a lot of players don't realize something about mineral saturation. It's always better to have 8 Drones at each base (one for each patch) than it is to have a fully saturated base and a base with one Drone. Drones collect minerals more and more slowly in direct relation to how many are on one patch - I.E., if you have three Drones and three patches, they will collect faster if you put them each on their own patch rather than putting them all on one. I'm not really sure why this is true, but I know for a fact that it is, so take heed. Upgrades Another very simple thing to keep on your mind. You should constantly be upgrading any unit you plan on using in bulk in your army. If you've got the cash to spare, upgrades NEVER hurt. Spawning Larva This is one of the most commonly asked questions around the Zerg forums. "How do you keep up with spawning larvae?" It's actually really simple. Just remember to do it. There are a few different ways to hotkey your Queens, but I think this is the best. Put all of your Queens in one control group. I use 4 for Hatcheries, 5 for Queens. When you aren't fighting, you should constantly monitor your base to make sure there is still spawned larva. When it's time to spawn again, you just press 5, and then hold shift and
press "V". Then, target every one of your Hatcheries on the minimap. It seems like so many people don't know you can do this, and it really makes spawning larvae a hundred times easier, because you can do it from anywhere on the map. Spreading Creep Spreading Creep, I would say, is the 2nd most important caveat to Zerg macro, just behind spawning larvae. The reason is simple - like I said in the micro section, a Zerg army relies so much on mobility and flanking, and the Creep bonus to speed is HUGE. The unit that I would say benefits most from being on Creep (save for the Queen) would be the Hydralisk, as it makes it so much easier to pull injured units out and stage hit and run attacks. In addition, Creep provides vision. That alone makes Creep SO, SO useful. You can scout nearly the entire map...without scouting! There are two ways to spread Creep - Creep Tumors, which are produced by Queens, and the tier 2 Overlord ability to generate a big pile of Creep below them, affectionately referred to as "pooping". Now, a lot of people like to use their Overlords to make "Creep highways". Basically, you spread your Overlords out between your bases in intervals, and have them all generate Creep. Personally, I'm not a fan of this method. The only time I'll use Creep highways is to connect my bases until I can put a Creep Tumor there. Now, let's talk about Creep Tumors. Creep Tumors are little...things that generate a relatively large circle of Creep around them when placed. They are placed by Queens, and every Creep Tumor has the ability to generate one more Tumor within its vicinity. Basically, this means you could take over an entire map, in time, simply with 25 of your Queen's energy. However, that takes too long. Now, when I make my first Queen, I like to make a second Queen as soon as possible for two reasons - early anti-air, and spreading Creep. I'll use that Queen to place a Creep Tumor at every exit to my base, and then use those tumors to spread all around. Honestly, I think spreading Creep is downright fun. Nothing says Zerg domination like a minimap full of purple, oozing biomass. That's how I remember to do it - it's like a little mini-game in the middle of every game I play. When a Creep Tumor reaches a fork, and I can't spread both ways, I'll go one way and use my Creep Queen to place a new Tumor on the other side. Please, please don't underestimate the usefulness of Creep. It is HUGE. Also, note that Creep Tumors can generate down (and I think up) cliffs, and across chasms. Now, we'll talk a moment about the Overlord's Generate Creep ability. There are two basic uses (other than the Creep highway), in my opinion, for this ability. One of them is hiding tech. If you really don't want your opponent to see that you're going Mutalisks or Hydralisks or what have you, you can generate a bit of Creep on some random spot on the map, then build your building there. Note that if they randomly scout that building, it'll go down easy and your production will be crippled momentarily, so be careful when using this. The second use for Generate Creep is expansion prevention. Now, if you read the Scouting Compendium or you're like me, you send your first Overlord directly to your opponent's natural so that you know when/if they expand. When you hit tier 2, go ahead and have him generate some Creep. That way, when they try to expand and they kill your Overlord, the Creep remains for 30-45 seconds. That's enough time to organize a force that can shut that expansion down immediately, or slow it down at the very least.
Spanishiwa Build Order # First overlord scout "close air" position # Drone to 9 - Build an overlord send to good scouting place (opponents expo or attack path) # 10th drone hotkey and scout close rush-position (looking for six/seven pools*) # Drone to 13 and save up 200 minerals # @ 200 minerals, send drone (sometimes scout drone returns around 200 minerals) to build your expo hatch, by the time he gets there you'll have 300minerals** # Drone to 15 # Save for spawning pool (build @200minerals) # Drone to 18 # @ 18 make your 3rd overlord - send to a good scouting place # Overlrod pops/SP finishes/Hatch finishes all at the ~ same time Maynard 6-8 drones to expo... build 2 queens # Build 2 crawlers at your expo (creep should still be limited - but start the crawlers early cuz they take a while to build # Keep droning # First two queens put down creep tumors (1 at each base) Main - to connect expo and expo out towards opponent*** # Build 2 more queens! # Build more drones / overlords**** # Drone to about 34-36. And build 4 geysers (2 in main 2 in natural) # Build 12 more drones (to suppliment geyser transfer) # Build roach warren + Lair @100 gas # Throw down 2 evo chambers # Build overlords/roaches + infestation pit # Either upgrade roaches or get infestors (or both) # Grab a 3rd expansion (or macro-hatch if your money is getting high) # Fungal + Roach your way to victory
Protoss Guide
In-Depth Guide to Protoss units. 1.The Gateway Units 1.1 Zealot Overview: In any match up,zealot should be the first unit you make unless you have a special strat in mind(stalker rush for example) Zealot are primarly tanking units,having nice hp/shields.You should aways have some zealots to tank damage for your more valuable units at any stage of the game.Zealots themselves can deal very nice amounts of damage if they do get close in enemy target,and thus can be effective early game where they can get up close to enemy unit without being vaporized.However the fac that they are melee units means that their use is limted mid late game as they will have hard time getting close to the enemy army and rarely could they get a surrond on the enemy. PvP Earlygame: the primary use of zealots are either to be used in a quick rush to damage the opponet's eco while you proceed to 4gate/tech.Or more commonly used in a 4gate push to support your stalker.The value of zealot early game is that since they deal quite a bit of damage,they will force the enemy stalker to kite them,while this is happening,your stalker will be getting free shots off enemy stalker. In early game skirmish,a nice ratio of zealot+stalker is almost always better then pure zealot/stalker.If his really heavy on stalkers,you'd want a couple zealot to kill his,then force his stalkers to kite.If his zealot heavy,you want a feel zealot to tank while your stalker kill his,then you can kite his zealots no problem.In the case where your opponet pushed up your ramp and you have a sentry,or if your just able to trp his stalker with forcfield,zealot will easily destory stalkers that cannot kite them. Zealot can be used to harass economy early,you can go for a fairly fast 10/12 gates,,and make 3-5 zealot and send them to the enemy's base.While he probably will have stalkers out to kite them,you can simply ignore the stalkers and charge into the worker line,dealing lots of damage.Or when your 4gating,if it looks like the battle is in his favored,send a few zealot into his mineral line,if you take out enough probe you can turn the game around. PvP Mid-Late Game.: At this stage of the game where colossi come into picture,zealot's effectiveness drasticly reduce as a good number colossi will easily melt through zealots.However I perfer them over stalker in a mid-late game colossi.First of all,they cost no gas,which is vital and should be spent entirely on colossi,and a bit on sentry/upgrades most of the time.Zealots are better tank then stalkers,and since they charge into the enemy line,that means immortals,which is a threat to your colossi mid-game,cannot get in range if you have the zealots to tank.
Another use of zealot in PvP mid-late game is to harass,since you will almost always have robo tech in pvp.A good idea is to get a warprism and drop a couple zealot in the mineral line of your opponets.This
can do some decent eco damage and can sometime force your opponet's main army out of posistion,giving you a good chance to attack. PvT Earlygame: In early game PvT,the importance of zealot is sometime over looked.While it is true that conc-shell allow a small mm force to kite zealot infinately,your stalkers will be able to get free shots off the mm while he is kitng.Since marauder only deal 10 dmg to zealot,it can absorb 16 hits from a marauder while a stalker can only take 9. This means that you should always have 2-3 zealot in ur gateway army early game to absorb the fire from terran mm.Should he choose not to kite,zealot can do a suprising amount of damage to a small sized mm ball.If you have sentrys to cut his army in half,zealot will be able to deal with anything on your side of the forcefield while take damage from all his mm thats at the otherside of it. PvT Midgame: In mid game,getting zealot charge is a very very important thing if you decides to go High Templar or you seems to be facing terran tech push(ban/rave/raine or tank/raine etc..).If you decide to go for colossi you can wait a bit on the charge upgrade as getting colo will be your top priority.But going HT means there is a timing window where you lack any splash at all,therefore chargelot are the bestway to hold off mm push till you have HT out. When facing a terran who is teching(indicated by bunker at ramp,early gas,lack of marauder,starport/factory with tech lab).You will want to get lots of zealot to prepare for the push to come while scouting for what exactly the terran is up to.In the case of siegetank,your zealot,with or without charge can take about 5 hits from siegetank,while forcing his siegetank to splash his marines when they get close.They can also tank damage for your vray/phoenix/immortal which will deal with the tanks.The zealots themselves with charge are also great counter to tank.(Even better then immortal late game) Against banshee/raven/raine push,the zealots will cut up the marines fairly easily as they wont be supported with marauder and are unlikely to have stimm(if they dealy to go for stimm then you should have charge anyway).By then your phoenix can deal with the banshee/raven. PvT Lategame: Lategame PvT zealots are again taking the role of meatshield.While they can be used in warpprism harass,it is often better to drop HTs.Otherwise their role is to tank damage from the mm ball,while your HT storms the ^*$& out of them.When going colossi however,you want a smaller number of zealots as you need stalker to deal with the viking(alternatively u can use phoenix instead).However you should still get charge eventully as when the viking reaches a critical mass you need to switch to templar,at which point zealot can be useful since you need all the gas you can afford. Against terran mech,zealot is a very good unit to have.Despite being light unit,they do great against blue flame hellions with charge and storm support,and they can deal with tanks easily as they charge into them
while your ht storm the tanks as well.They will also tank the mass marine and the thors while your immortal/voidray/templar deal with them. PvZ Early Game: Zealots are vital early game to complete a wall-in to prevent any zergling runbys.They can also deal with mass zergling very effectively when supported by sentries.If you see your zerg opponet goes zergling heavy,it is a good idea to grab +1 attack as this allow a zealot kill zerglins in 2 attack.Normaly a zealot will lose to 4 zergling without the +1 attack bouns. Zealot rushes are viable if the zerg took a very fast expo(before he even builds a spawning pool) on a small map or close spawn.At which point you can send some zealot to kill his workers. When 4gating a zerg(which I wouldn recommand),you should focus on zealot and sentry when the zerg doesnt have roach.As zealot are highly effective against both spine and zergling when supported with sentrys.When there are roaches however,zealot arent as effective,but can still do some damage if you cut up the roaches with forcefield to prevent kite. When dealing with early roach push/rush,zealot have limited use,however combined with sentries they can deal with roach fairly well if you can prevent kite.Inaddtion,they can tank for your stalkers to get a few extra shots off. PvZ Midgame-Lategame: At mid-late game,zealots use are limited to tanking.As most zerg units are highly effective against them.However since most pvz build are very gas heavy(vr+colo,IST etc.)you should always dump excess mineral into zealots. Getting Charge in PvZ is not really that important,however charge lot will do decent against hydras without roach support,however it is pretty rare for a zerg to go for hydra timing push or pure hydra. 1.2 Stalkers Role: Stalker are basicly the jack-of-all-trade of the toss army.They should be the 2nd unit u make in all matchups(again unless you are doing some specific early game builds).They can almost do everything that needs done,if you are a much better marco player then your opponet,you can win games by just making stalkers and nothing else.Sadly,while they can do everything that needs done,they cant get anything done well....Their main role are early game damage dealers and mid-late game support/harass/tank. PvP: Earlygame Stalker's role,as talked about in the zealo section,are to deal damage to enemy stalker while they are forced to kite your zealot.Again the key is to keep a healthy mix of stalker and zealot and you should do fine.
Alternatively,stalker can be and should be used to snipe any probe that the enemy send to your base,and you should scout around ur base with your first stalker for any possible proxies.Beyond that you can get out 3 stalker really fast and send them to pressure your opponet,while this is much more micro intensive then the zealot rush,it will deal more pressure and damage. PvP Mid-Late game: Once colossi/immortal starts to hit the field,the effectiveness of stalker drasticly reduces,they should only be made if you have spare gas from your colos.Blink stalker are great for sniping enemy colossi in midgame or to harass with the support of a obeservor,how ever this will set you behind in your only colo tech and unless you can do enough damage,you will be in a bad position. The only time where you really need stalker is when your opponet decides to get voidray,at that point you'd want to cut colo production for a bunch of stalker.Since his going voidray,he will not have much,if any colossi to deal with your groud army,so all you need to do is use your colossi to decimate his ground army while stalker focus down the voidrays. PvT Early Game: As I 've mentioned in the zealot section,the primary use of stalker is to deal damage to mm while your zealot force the mm to kite them and tank. In addtion, stalkers can be used to kite marines in the case of a marine rush and to snipe scv in a bunker rush. The most important use of stalker in PvT early game is probably to poke up a terran's ramp and get a few shot off his marines.This allow you to see what unit comp he have and whether he got a bunker or not.The prescene of a bunker means the terran is intending on going some tech build instead off mm.If you see marauder then you can be pretty sure that his gonna go for mm. PvT Midgame: Midgame stalker are mostly just support dps for your tier 3.When going colossi some stalker is a good unit to use to fend off small numbers of vikings.But when your going HT stalker's gas cost means that you wouldn want too many since you will be restrained on gas. Stalker is a vialbe,though poor counter to the banshee/raven/raine push or most other play that involves a banshee.First of all their dps can be drasticly reduced by a raven's PDD.Inaddtion,they will lose to banshees in a 1v1 fight and will not contribute much against marines.They also only have limited use against tank and thor as both unit can deal massive amounts of damage to stalkers.However,when facing a teching terran,stalker can be used to deal with hellion drops.If you suspect a terran is teching,is a good idea to station 2-3 stalker at your mineral line incase of drops. PvT Late Game: At late game stalker have very little use.Since they will get shredded by mm ball and mech play while contributing little.Their gas cost also means by making stalkers you will have less valuable tier 2-3 units
which is vital in late game PvT.While stalker Harass is viable it certainly isnt really worth the investment against T compared to HT drops. PvZ Earlygame: Their main purpose it to help against early game roach and deny overlord scouting,otherwise your early game army should be focused on sentry+zealot. PvZ Mid-Lategame: The main purpose of the stalkers is to deal with the mutas before you can get phoenix or HT out.Stalker supported with guardian shield will do great against muta and with blink you can chase them down to prevent the zerg from accumlate a muta deathball. However stalkers arent really useful besides fighting mutas and harass with blink as again, late game you would want all your gas devoted to your tier2-3 units and senties, thus stalker late game is generally a bad choice. 1.3 Sentries Generally,in all your match up, you should have no less then 2 sentries before going for any kind of expo/tech unless your plan involves rushing to them(15 nexus,1g expo,2g robo fast colo etc..).You would want to make a sentries right after your first stalker and zealot when your not rushing/4gating.After that you should make at least two more after warpgate research is done. Sentries are especially important when going the colo tech path, and if lost them in battle, you should cut 1 colossi to replace 2-3 sentries due to the immense use of the forcefield. Against MM/Muta 1-2 sentries are also needed late game due to the huge benefit it brings,and sentries are abosolutely vital in stopping mm/roach push early,as you will be able to divide his mm/roach ball in to chunks and to prevent kite. 1.4 Dark Templar Overview: While can be used as a 1 shot cheese unit,dark templar is also a great way to contain enemies without mobile detections or to take your opponet by surpirse late game.They are very fragile in actual combat,but if you manage to snipe enemy detector they can do huge damage to a army. PvP: Generally speaking DT's use in PvP is limited due to observor.However DT can be used effectively mainly in 2 ways. First of all,if you scout a opponet going for 4gate.You can defend with a 4gate of your own,while teching to DT.Or if you manage to hold off a 4gate but cant finish him off,then DT will destroy the 4gater.However while teching to DT you are extrmely vunlerable and thus DT should never be used as a response to 4gate,but rather something to transec into once you hold off the 4gate or your 4gate went bad.
Alternatively,DT can be used to punish stargate play.If your observor scouts enemy going stargate.You can drop a darkshrine,but be very careful to not let your enemy scout it.Since phoenix have limited pvp use,your opponet is most likely to be going voidray.So after the DT harass you can follow up with blink stalkers. Also If you manage to snipe his observor with yours/cannon,you can warp in dt which can deal tons of damage if he didn have a back up ob anywhere.This can also be used defensively if you can snipe his ob with cannon/stalker. PvT PvT is where DT really shines.DT rush doesnt work so well due to wall-in and scan,however by sending in dt in waves,you can force 1 scan,and since terran will usually only have enough for 1,you can the proceed to devastate his eco.However this can be easily stopped by 1 missile turret,and thus I wouldnt suggest DT all-in. But the main use of DT is to force the terran to get a raven before he can really make any attack at all.He can defend his base fine with turrets,but without raven,he cant move out.This basicly give you a safe time period to tech to HT,or alternatively colossi if you want to suprise him.Should he push out without a raven you can just warp in 1-2 dt,force a scan,then warp in 1-2 more.Usually the terran cant make any push untill he gets a raven out,which will take quite some time unless the terran starts off with some banshee play,at which point you shouldn be going dt anyway. PvZ In PvZ again DT have limited use due to overseers,like ob,they are very easy to get can basicly shut down DT.The main use of DT in this map is a possilbe mid-late game suprise for zergs who decides to not get detection in favor of larger army.But otherwise their use is fairly limited. 1.5 High Templar Role: Just like colossi HT is our other way to effecitvely deal splash damage.With the possible upcoming amulet nerf their use maybe limited,however they have certain adavantge compared to the colossi that makes them more favorable in certain siutaions.Unlike colo,HT CANNOT be supported from 1 base in any matchup,however they are a reasonabel switch from 1 base DT play. PvP This is a match up where you simply never sees HT.While viabe as drops to harass workers,their damage is way too low since most protoss unit have high hp,and the fact that storm cant stack while colossi damage can made them useless in PvP in general. PvT While with the upcoming amulet nerf their usefulness against mm will drasticly reduce,right now they remain a excellent counter to mm supported with chargelot.Careful spacing between them,and back some
up in a seperate control group can effectively reduce the effect of emp.Once amulet is researched you'd want proxy pylon before you attack so you can warp in storm even if he got a few good emp off.Against marauder heavy terran they arent as good a option compared to the colossi,but when viking becomes a problem you should make the switch. However with or without the amulet nerf,HT remains a vital part in countering terran mech play late game.Since mech play always involve large number of tanks,sometime mass marine and banshee.All of which are countered effecitviely by HT.With chargelot as tank,the HT will get in safe range to storm,which are devastating to staioned tank if supported by voidray/immorta/chargelot.They can also devastate mass raine which often accompany mech play,and do well aginst hellion mass too.If the terran throw banshee/viking/raven in the mix,storm will destory banshee/viking while raven can be easily feedbacked.So if a terran decides to go mech play its a good idea to cosider the HT tech path over colossi. HT is also a good transaction from DT contain,since the terran will be contain until he got a detector,you will be able to safely tech to HT and even feedback his raven in battle to exploit DT. PvZ Again the upcoming Amulet nerf will hurt HT's use in PvZ.However since zerg do not have a counter to HT,you can simply warp them in ahead and storm when needed.When going for HT in PvZ its important to know that they are very ineffective against roach,and if you see a zerg going roach heavy you want to get 2 robo pumping immortal and use HT only if you see him adding hydra,otherwise 3-4 HT for support is enough.Against Mutas late game HT is also highly effective,both by merging into archon or just storm.However HTs are by no mean a viable counter to early-mid game mutaling/muta roach play.You should focus on stalker/sentry or phoenix instead. 1.6 Archon Archons are,basicly your recycle bin for HT/DTs.They are great tanks and hard counter large swarm of low hp bio units,and ofcourse are the key to archon toilet.But otherwise they arent really great unit to make on purpose and are mostly resorted to DT become useless due to large amount of detection,or more commonly,when HT run of out energy.
PvPDue to the limted use of DT/HT in PvP archon rarely seen use.DT are often better left to harass.However I've seen PvP archon plays where archon can be used as tank and deal good damage too.However I haven really seen these play enough to judge =/. PvT Archon's use in PvT is very limited due to concussive shell.While they are supposed to be effective counter to mm,their splash is simply limited and conc-shell allow them to be easily kited.However,each archon can take up to 37 conc-shell each,thus making them excellent tanks.So it is worthwhile to merge a couple useless HT into archon. Archons are also decent tanks to mech play,placing them in the front of your army can soak up quite a bit of tank/hellion fire.However there really is no reason for you to make them besides recycling energyless HT.
PvZ This is the only match up where archon are actully decent combat units.If your opponet is massing mutaa/ling,and you manage to get HT out.Merge a few of them into archon will destory mass of mutaling at ease with some ff/guardianshield support. Against Hydra roach they can again be resorted to as tanks and they would do suprising amount of damage to hydra if they manage to get close.But still there really is no reason to get them on purpose.However their ranged attack will allow them to attack even after you forcefielded back the zerg army,which is a thing worth taking note on. 2.Robotic Facilty Units 2.1 Immortal Role: Immortals are the protoss anti-armor unit,they are fairy tough and deals huge amount of damage to armored units.Hardened shield is also a great ablity against Small number of heavy hitting units like siegetank.Inaddtion,hardened shield will stack with guardianshield,meaning your immortal will then only take maximum of 8 damage per shot. PvP Earlygame Immortal will absolutely destory stalker early game,so if you scout a 1 base twilight council,a good idea is to grab a robo and get immortals,which will do great against blink rush,and if he goes DT you should have a ob ready.Immortals are also great unit for early push if neither player 4gated(which is so damn rare >.>).In battle always have your immortal target the stalkers,and if you have sentry ff back the enemy immortal will also turn battle to your favor. When the other player rush for colossi,immortal can easily take out colo without range upgrades,and in decent number will beat a small colo/gateway army.There is also the possiblty of immortal drop,coupled with warpprism and sentry.While I've only seen limited use,if you manage to take your opponet by suprise you can deal considerable damage. Mid-Lategame Once the game enter the colo war era,it is the time to stop making immortals.Once the other player have about 3 colo with range upgrade immortals are no longer viable,good forcefield and zealot will make sure they never get in range of the colossi,and they will soon get melted since multiple colo deplete their shield very quickly.At this stage if you wants to snipe enemy colo then voidray is a far better choice. PvT Early-Midgame
Against terran,early game immortal will destory marauder without stim,and even after stimm is researched they will help a ton in holding off a push,so long they are supported with gateway units. But the main use of immortal imo is to hold off tank pushes early game.With zealot cutting up marines immortal can easily destroy the tanks.Especially if you can catch the tanks unsieged.Against thor rush immortals are still viable,but due to 250mm cannon voidray is probably a better choice.But if you see a thor rush very early then you can still hold it off so long you have more immortal then he have thors,and still have a gateway ball to beat the marines. Mid-Lategame At this stage immortal have only very limited use against mm ball,if your going ht+chargelot and have a idle robo it isnt a bad idea to throw some immortal in the mix,If your going colossi then you should focus solely on colossi instead of making immortals. Against mech play however,late game mix of voidray+immortal+chargelot+ht will destory a mech ball at ease.Since thor micro in a end game battle is quite hard,it is difficult for him to use 250mm on all your immortals,and they help greatly in sniping tanks while zealot tanking the damage.They alone however,cannot handle a end game tank army.Once there is enough tank their shield simply become useless,especially if there are marine support.
PvZ Early Game The only time where you need immortals early game is against a roach rush/push.However both can be held off with cannnon or just ff micro with stalker/zealot.So its not really that important to get fast immo pvz. Mid-Lategame Immortal have quite a bit of use mid-late game in PvZ.After fending off roach push,or simply scouted the zerg going roach,if you don intend to go for stargate play into colossi,you should start getting immortals.Scout to make sure he isnt going hydra,if he is,then get templar first.However immortals are still useful against hydra even if you haven scouted them in time.You will have a harder time against hydras without the storms.but immortal actully does quite well against hydra compared to stalkers,they arent great ofc,but they should hold long enough for you to get HT out. If the zerg is going roach,you can pressure him quite hard with a bunch of immortal in your army,however you want to start the HT path as soon as you can,as the zerg will react with hydra/muta fairly quickly.You want to control the ratio of HT and immortal according to the zerg comp.More roach means more immo and more hydra means more ht.Once you took a 3rd/4th its a good idea to throw in voidray into the mix to counter broodlord as well.The VISTA(Voidray+immortal+stalker(zealot/sentry)+Templar+archon) comp is very very hard for the zerg to beat.While vr+colo is much simpler,and argublely better,the VISTA comp is fairly rare,and can often take your opponent by suprise.
It also benefit from greater recovery speed late game should you lose many units lategame.So while this build is harder to pull off early-midgame,it is more forgiving in terms of marco/micro late game,as you wont instnatly lose if you lose too much of your deathball. 2.2 Colossus The colossus is your primary damage dealer in the army,as well as your only way of splash damage beside HT and Archon.They are however,extrmely fragile,and should never be left unsupported. PvT In PvT colossi will be your most effecitive method in dealing with MM ball since the HT nerf.While HT is still viable,colossi is probably a much simpler solution to MMM.You should never rush for colossi in a PvT match,infact sometime you can start making them after you have a expo mostly saturated.If you go for a really fast colossi,it will lack support,and can be easily sniped off by a stimmed mm ball. Once you have 2base,you can drop double robo and start pumping out colossi in large number,even when there are vikings,they cant effectively take out your colossi before they melt his ground force.In battle,you need to use ff and keep the mm away from your colossi,or,if you have big enough a wall of zealot tanking damage,ff so they cant kite/escape.Or simply cut his army in half.If your colossi is being hit by his MM,IMMEDIATELY pull it back,colossi are very expensive,and thus you should always do your best to protect them.Cliff walk can also help you get away from MM range. Once viking starts to accumlate you should switch to the templar tech path,however you can still stick with colossi,and after the templar nerf,this maybe a decent idea as well.You will want some stalker in the army to deal with the vikings,or if you have a stargate up for some reason(against banshees,for example)then making phoenix is a even better idea.Phoneix colossi is also a reasonable comp against terran.While Phoenix cant always beat the terrans viking(which will be in greater number)They can tank damage for colossi,and can be used to harass and deal with tanks/drops if needed. Against Mech play,colossi have less use in general.Tanks can do well against colossi in large number,and thor are also effective unless you have a critical mass of colossi.The only unit in a mech comp that colossi effectively counter is marine.So if you do intend on using colossi rather then templar against mech play,you want heavy stargate support.With voidray/phoenix dealing with thor/tank/banshee/viking.Which is really gas intensive,thus Immortal/phoenix/vr/chargelot/ht is often better. PvP Here is where colossi dominate everything...However again you never want to rush for colossi,if you do you will most likely die to a 4g.If you survived a 4g,or seeing the other player going for 2nd gas(indicator that he isnt 4gating)you may proceed to tech to robo fairly safely.You usually want at least 3gate before robo to hold off possible attacks.Going colo tech will leave you weak for a moment,and a immortal+gateway push can be deadly.So try to pick timing where it is safe.Such as when your opponet taking a expansion.Also due to the importance of colossi in PvP,once you secured 2 base,you want 2 robo making colossi non-stop,even if you have to cut stalkers/sentry in favor of more colossi.Unless you scout voidray you shouldn be needing much stalkers.
When in battle,protect your colossi at all cost,use ff to keep dangerous unit like immortals away from colossi,and be extra careful if your enemy is going blink stalker.If your enemy is going voidray play,you may want to reduce the number of colossi in favor of stalkers.However some are still needed to deal with mass zealot that he will likely have. Later in game,before a battle start space out your colossi to reduce enemy splash,as well as providing a better concave to attack the enemy with.If you have mothership,use vortex to force his army to clump up,after that,even with 1.5sec immunity to damage,his clumped army will still suffer huge damage. PvZ In PvZ,best way to use colossi is together with voidray.You can either start by harassing with voidray,or just start standard with robo.In either case,if you see muta play,you should then use your existing stargate rather then getting colossi.As it is useless against mutaling/mutaroach,and will be weak against corrputors if zerg decides to make them.Colossi are also not very effecitive aginst roach in smaller numbers.Thus voidray will make excellent support if the zerg goes very roach heavy.Against normal roach/hydra play colossi+voidray will easily tear through it.You want to be more heavy on the voidrays,and keep your colo count at 4-6,as their only job is to take out the hydra and some roach,while zealot tank damage and voidray kill corrputor/roach. You can also use colossi without voidray in PvZ,however corrputor are highly effective against colossi,and a corrputor+roach play can be very effective.Good forcefield is needed to keep his roach away from your colossi,adn you need stalkers to deal with the corrputor,if the corrputor start to pose to big a threat you should consider adding more stalker,or simply try to mass produce colo,and decimate his ground army so that his corrputor is useless.However I'd suggest you to go for Immortal+templar instead of pure colossi.As colossi alone are not highly effective against any zerg unit besides hydra and zergling.
Protoss Micro Note: If you are a bronze or silver player, macro is still much more important than micro. Focus on just having more units than your enemy, rather than controlling the few units you have. General Micro Tips: 1. Are your zealots in front of your stalkers? 2. Are your low-health units in the back of your army before you attack? 3. Are your immortals attacking armored units? 4. Are your colossus attacking clumped up units? If the entire enemy army is clumped, than focus on attacking light units (marines, hydras, zealots) 5. When defending your ramp, A. Are you units in a concave at the top of your ramp? B. Are you cutting his army into bite-size pieces? C. Are your zealots on hold so they arent attacked by the units beneath your forcefield? D. Are your stalks far back enough to not get hit by the units beneath the forcefield? 6. Are you moving units under fire to the back of your army? 7. You can somewhat kite-attack marines, roaches (assuming they dont have movement speed yet), and zealots with stalkers 8. You can forcefield the enemy ramp to prevent him from reinforcing the units that are at his natural expansion. 9. When chasing down an enemy, pull your zealots back to prevent kiting (from maruaders, roaches, hydras) 10. In order to bunker, cannon, or spine crawler bust move your army just outside the range of the static defense and put them on hold, then, attack move your colossus (with the range upgrade) into the static defense. 11. Put health bars on, so you can see which units are low health. 12. Psionic Storm does not stack, so do not throw down more than 1 storm in the same place. 13. Before an attack, put your units in a quick concave with zealots in front to help get a concave sooner when the attack begins. 14. Colossus can abuse high ground by attacking units on the low ground and then moving back once the units move in to attack the colossus. 15. Against fleeing units, stalkers can shoot, move closer, then shoot again, move closer, shoot again, etc. 16. Do you have functional control groups? (For example, I have 1 as my army, 2 as my sentries, 3 for HTs or colossus, 4 for nexuses, 5 for building probe, 6 for observer, 7 for robo bay, 8 for stargate) 17. Remember to move your HTs back once they have stormed to prevent them from running into the enemy army. 18. Make sure your sentries aren't tanking damage for stalkers. Your sentries are spell casters, not dps dealers or tanks, so once your zealots are dead, MOVE THEM BACK. 19. With the interceptor upgrade, carriers can launch their interceptors and move away from the enemy. Rinse and repeat. 20. Spread out your dark templar to force the enemy to react to different locations. Also, the enemy will need multiple sources of detection in order to counter your harass. 21. Blink can be used to blink back the stalkers with lowest health to the back of the army. Also, Blink can be used to get a faster concave against the enemy. Additionally, You can ensure that all your stalkers will blink to high ground or low ground by right clicking to the point where you want to blink FROM, hold shift and click B at the place where you want your stalkers to blink TO, then right click past that point which will make the stalkers move thus giving the other stalkers room to blink. 22. Moving your sentry forward with guardian shield popped can cover your zealots with guardian shield, which will help them last a lot longer against ranged units and especially marine armies.
23. You can keep your charge on your v rays by quickly attacking your own units then moving closer to the target you want to kill. Also, you can pre-charge your void rays on your own nexus if an enemy attack is imminent. 24.Morph your HTs into archons if they are out of energy or just got EMPed. You can also do this with DTs, if they have mobile detection. Protoss versus Zerg Micro Tips The goal of micro versus zerg is to allow the majority of your units to attack while only a few zerg units can attack. 1. Are you keeping your units in a ball to prevent speedling surround? 2. Are you attacking through constricted pathways? (attacking in the open makes it harder to forcefield and you need more forcefields) 3. Are you cutting his roach army and hydra army into bite size chunks with ffs to prevent most of them from attacking? 4. Sometimes it makes sense to not allow your zealots to attack because otherwise all the zerg's units can attack the zealots (if you pull off a nice ff, and the zerg has a lot of units running around doing nothing) 5. Make sure your colossus are attacking lings or hydras. 6. Make sure your army is not attacking broodlings, but actual units. 7. Against Mutas: A. Is your army split in half? (One half in one mineral line, the other half in the other mineral line) B. When attacking mutas, Is guardian shield up? (very important) C. Try to make your stalkers attack the mutas and let your zealots handle the zerglings D. Phoenix can be microed away from mutas and still fire at them. I. When microing away from mutas with phoenix, pull the damaged phoenix to the back when their shields are gone 8. Keep your stalkers near your zealots when speedlings are near (the zealots can easily run back to the stalkers, to prevent them from getting surrounded) 9. In retreat, throw down ffs behind you because your sentries are going to die anyways, and you might be able to save them. 10. You can ff over burrowed roaches to prevent them from unborrowing. (if they don't have tunneling claws) 11. Running your probe around at the natural of the zerg can delay an expansion from going down. Once your probe is low on health, throw up a pylon which you can later cancel or let it finish. 12. If you are pressuring the zerg in the early game (with one or two zeals) you can position your zealots between mineral fields so only 2 or 3 zerglings can attack a zealot at a time. This can delay the zerg from mining off of his expansion for a bit. Protoss versus Terran Micro Tips 1. Stalkers are laughable against maruaders :) 2. A stim + concave army= death for protoss so do not let this happen with forcefields. 3. GUARDIAN SHIELD IS SO GOOD AGAINST MARINES 4. If no medivacs are present, forcing a stim and backing off is a great idea. Attacking a terran army after it has already stimmed a few times helps a lot in battle. 5. SPREAD YOUR HIGH TEMPLAR AND SENTRIES . If you are just macroing up, make sure your spellcasters are spread to prevent 1 ghost with cloak to land a money emp on all your HTs and sentries. 6. Have an observer parked in front of your army to prevent cloak emps from going off. 7. Before attacking, A. Move your zealots in front of your army. B. Move an immortal in front of your zealots if tanks are in siege mode. C. Right before you engage, pop guardian shield D. Stagger your high templar, so when the battle commences you have HTs arriving in like one second intervals (to prevent one money emp). 8. If he is dropping in your base, keep a few zeals plus one or two high temps in each of your bases
9. You can ff behind bunkers and Planetary Fortresses (I think you can to PFs) to prevent mass repairing from scvs. 10. Chargelots are awesome. 11. Do not attack a planetary fortress without sentries for ffs or HTs for storms or else mass repair will ruin your day. Protoss versus Protoss Micro Tips 1. See general tips 2. Spread out your colossus to prevent colossus-to-colossus splash damage. 3. Spread out your units to prevent devastating colossus splash damage.
Standard Protoss Build Order
Protoss Fast Expand Build 1. Zerg Player Goes for a Spawning Pool Prior to Expanding 9/10: Pylon 12/18 Forge 16/18: Photon Cannon 16/18: Pylon 17/18: Gateway 18/26: Photon Cannon #2 20/26: Nexus 2. Zerg Player Goes For a Hatchery Prior to Expanding 9/10: Pylon 12/18: Forge ..pump Probes at your main; set them to harvest minerals 16/18: Pylon #2 20/26: Nexus 20/26: Photon Cannon (behind your buildings) 20/26: Gateway (to further wall off your base) 20/26: Photon Cannon #2 4-Gate Opening 9 Pylon (scout with this Probe) 12 Gateway (Chrono-Boost Probes upon building) 14 Assimilator 16 Pylon 18 Cybernetics Core 20 Assimilator 20 Warp Gate Technology (Chrono-Boost research 1 time) 22 Stalker 24 Pylon 25 3x Gateway Standard Starcraft 2 Protoss Build Order The standard build order for Protoss is a 9 Pylon and 13 Gateway. The Probe you used to build your first Pylon can then scout. This is fairly balanced for versus all races and can work into a variety of builds. From here, this is generally progressed into 2 builds: 17 Cybernetics Core - This is great versus Terran as it allows the Protoss player to get an early Stalker to prevent the Reaper rush. Alternatively, players can: I use the 17 Cybernetics Core most of the time unless 1) I scout the enemy and see he is cheesing or 2) I have a particular strategy I am going for. With that said, this a fairly vanilla build and is not a risky build at all. The alternative is to build a second Gateway at 13 to 15 supplies - This is best versus Protoss and Zerg players as it gives the Protoss player access to more Zealots in case the enemy decides to rush with Zealots or Zerglings.
Fast Robotics Bay This is a standard Protoss vs Terran build. Since Terran players tend to get Infantry versus Protoss players, the idea is to get an early Observer, scout the enemy, and then most likely build Colossi (should you see Marines and Marauders). Here is the build order: - 9 Pylon - 13 Gateway - 15 Assimilator - 18 Cybernetics Core - 18 Pylon - 19 Assimilator - 20 Robotics Facility (or sooner if possible)* - 23 Observer - 25 Robotics Bay This can be subject to change. For example, you may have to get a Stalker at 18 if you scout a Reaper rush. Additionally, some build call for the Observer a little later, but I think this is too late. You need to be very careful against a quick 6-8 Marines and 3-4 Marauder push. When you scout with your Observer, take a look at the enemy's unit composition. If you see a lot of air units, you are going to want to grab some Stalkers (rare). In this situation, throw down another 2 Gateways. If you see a Marine, Marauder, and Siege Tank mix (most common), start building Immortals and Colossi. The more Marines you see, the more Colossi you will need. The more Marauders and Siege Tanks, the more Immortals you will need. Additionally, throw down another Robotics Facility to speed up unit production. Zealot Rush This build is most effective versus Zerg players. Start out as usual with the standard 9 Pylon / 1213 Gateway build. Send in a scout at around 10 supplies to see what the enemy is up to. If the enemy is attempting to tech, expand early, or otherwise attempt to not get units, you want to go with this build order: 9 Pylon 13 Gateway 14 Gateway 14 Zealot 16 Probe ..and now start pumping Zealots. You should have enough Probes to use Chrono Boost to pump out Zealots out of these two buildings. I prefer to get ~6 Zealots to make this work. Zerg can be pretty resilient and with a Queen they can pump out 8-10 Zerglings at once. Any less than 6 Zealots and there is a solid chance you will not inflict major damage. After your initial rush, either send in more Zealots (if you are successful and still alive) or continue to tech into a normal build. A standard build versus Zerg players as Protoss is to get 2 Gateways and 2 Robotics Bays, focusing on Sentries, Immortals and Colossi, and then adding in either Zealots (if ground unit heavy) or Stalkers (if air unit heavy).
4 Gate The 4 Gate is a standard Starcraft 2 Protoss build order that is meant to put pressure on the enemy with a combination of Stalkers, Sentries, and Zealots. It is very effective in all match-ups. It can also be run without an expansion. Here is a sample build order: 9 Pylon 13 Gateway 14 Assimilator
16 Cybernetics Core 17 Pylon 19 Sentry 19 Assimilator 19 Gateway 19 Gateway 22 Gateway At this point, you should have a lot of extra vespene gas given that you had spent quite a bit of minerals on Gateways. As a result, your first few units should be Sentries. Getting Sentries early in the game is key as it gives them plenty of energy to use on Force Fields. You can also use Force Field on your ramp to hold off an early Zealot rush. Favorite Protoss Build Order Personally, if I am not being rushed, I prefer to run with this build order versus nearly all players: 9 Pylon 12 Gateway 13 Assimilator 15 Cybernetics Core 17 Pylon 18 Stalker 20 Gateway 23 Gateway This is all approximate, and may change based on harassment. A Sentry plus a Stalker can stop all kinds of rushes. One force field can literally hold off dozens of Zerglings and give you time to Chrono Boost out a Zealot or two to plug any gaps in your wall. Versus Terran and Zerg players, an early Zealot/Sentry push is very effective. Zealots and Sentries will destroy MMM with well-placed Force Fields. Versus Protoss players, I prefer Sentry/Stalker. Good force-field placement utterly destroys any Zealot rush.
Terran Guide
1: Macro- What It Is Macro, in its simplest form, could be considered large control, or more simply: your base. When we talk about macro, we refer to how you are managing the income of your base/bases. It revolves around expanding, and building more structures to handle the additional income. Sounds simple, right? Well, not necessarily . It can take awhile to gain understanding of just how this works, and how it is so important, because macro can let your enter the late game and hold your own. Stay with me if this next part is too in-depth and seems like too many numbers. I will clarify and make it make sense afterward 1.1 Income This is probably to key to understanding Macro. Income refers to the amount of minerals and gas SCV's bring into your base, and I believe it's based off each game minute. No matter what it is based off of, your SCV's are bringing in minerals and gas at a measurable rate. You can find this rate by watching your replays and going to the income tab. I'll call it RPM (resources per minute) to make it easier I made a game up against a very easy computer and just tested the rates of income on one fully saturated base, then two bases, both with and without mules added in. I kept building workers then watched the replay and saw where the income pretty much stabilized . 1 Fully Saturated Base: Harvesters: 28-30 - 6 on gas, 22-24 on mineral line Income- gas: Stayed stable between 220 and 240 RPM with 6 SCV's Income- Mineral Between 760-800 RPM Time to saturation: 8 Minutes nonstop SCV production Mineral Income with 1 Mule: Between 1000 to 1150 RPM for 90 seconds 2 Fully Saturated Bases: Harvesters: 54-60 Income-Gas: Between 400 and 460 RPM Income Minerals: 1400-1500 RPM Time to saturation: 13 minutes nonstop SCV production Mineral Income with 2 Mules: 1800-2000 RPM for 90 seconds 1.2: Output Now that you understand income, it's time to talk about output. Too often I see players que units. This is a bad thing, which I'll talk about in section 2, but for now, think about these questions: You have all this income flowing into your base, right? So how do you use it? Build more structures right? Yes, but this is where it can get complicated. How many structures do you build? When do you build them to take advantage of this income without hurting your unit production? When it comes to the early game, I always add structures when I have the income to build something out of everything I already have and still have minerals and gas left over to build something new. What I recommend is going into the Single Player vs AI and practicing a build. Set a goal, and find out how to best get to that goal. Make it smooth, and by that I mean not missing an scv, not getting supply blocked, and adding buildings so that it doesn't kill your unit production. If you can get to that point, you have a strong build indeed. But the biggest question is how much can you really support on one base? On two bases? Well, that depends on what tech path you are using in your game 1.2.1 Unit Costs Let's look at each Terran unit cost and production time
Infantry: Marine- 50 m, 25 sec Marauder- 100m/25g, 30 sec Reaper - 50m/50g, 45 sec Ghost- 150m/150g, 40 sec Mech Hellion- 100m, 30sec Siege Tank- 150m/125g, 45 sec Thor- 300m/200g, 60 sec Air Viking- 150m/75g, 42 sec Medivac- 100m/100g, 42 sec Raven- 100m/200g, 60 sec Banshee- 150m/100g, 60 sec Battle Cruiser- 400m, 300g, 90 sec 1.2.2- Example of income vs. output in a build Let's say you wanted to go 3 rax,2 tech for heavy marauders, 1 reactor'd for marines, with siege tanks and medivacs for a heavy 1 base push. Can you do that reliably on one base? Let's see based on production per minute: Base1: 2 tech rax, 1 reactor rax, 1 factory, 1 starport without reactor Marauders are 100/25, 30 sec built time =400m/100 gas, 4 marauders per minute Marines are 50 m, 25 sec build time = 200 m, 4 marines per minute Siege tanks are 150m/125g, 45 sec build time = 150m/125 g, 1 tank per minute Medivacs are 100m/100g, 42 sec build time = 100m/100g, 1 medivac per minute Now as this is a very supply heavy build, you'll need to build at least 2 supply each minute to keep up Supply = 100m, 30 sec = 200 minerals per minute Total cost per minute= 1150 minerals, 325 gas per minute (with mule) Total income for one base =1150, 240 gas. So you can see you cannot support this on one base...not really, and you'll have nothing left over for upgrades. You'll have to research any upgrades such as stim or siege before you start production like that. And you won't be able to keep it up for long, because your main will start to mine out soon, especially with heavy mule usage. You will have to cut production to expand, and that leaves you weak mid-late game. Now, I'm not saying that you need to calculate all this crap out for yourself when you try a new build. Not at all. But I say all that to make a point, because you do have to THINK about what you build. You're are limited by gas early game on one base. If you reactor your startport to build two medivacs at a time, you won't have enough gas to build siege reliably. If you go double factory on one base, you won't be able to build out of both at the same time for long. Do you see where this starts to get important? If you build random things it can hurt you. You have to nail down what it is you want to do and how to do it. If you plan on doing a heavy mech or air build, you will have to be on two bases, minimum
2: The Macro Game Too often I see Terran players complaining that they keep losing games, because whatever they do gets countered in late game. But then when I see the replay or hear a recant of what happened, I realize it's because you've limited yourself in what you can do because you opted for 1 base heavy pressure, instead of a macro game that allows you to enter the late game, and gives you so many more options for what tech you want to use.
There are a few things I'll call the Rules of Macro that I want ingrained into your head: 1: Always build SCV's 2: Build more production structures 3: Build enough supply 4: Always know where your next expo is going to be, and how to secure it The reasons for each will be covered in this section. 2.1: What is a Macro Game? Most of the higher platinum and diamond players already know what a macro game is, but a lot of people struggling to learn in the lower bronze, silver, and gold leagues still have trouble grasping the concept. This section is for you my friends A macro game refers to a game where the primary focus is not necessarily early pressure, but on expanding and taking advantage over your opponent by using the additional income to build up a powerful army and crush your enemy. It is a game where you have a plan, and are always thinking about the next move. Now, that does not mean that there can be no early pressure. Building up a force of units and going to put pressure is fine, as long as you take advantage of that pressure by expanding, as I'll talk about next. But the plan is what is important, and not just how and when to expand. You have to decide what you want to do and stick to it throughout the whole game. This is important for several reasons. First, it teaches you to be consistent, and second you have something to keep you focused if you get thrown a loop during early or mid game. When thinking about plans, I recommend watching LiquidTLO vs WhiteRA on Jungle Basin. In that game, TLO had a plan to secure both middle expos, splitting WhiteRA's bases, making him weak, and he pulled it off beautifully. THAT is an example of a plan. The mid game is where this plan for your overall game strategy is going to start taking shape, as you'll see. If you are bouncing all around, building things randomly, and can't come up with a plan to save your life, you need to work on mechanics more than macro, because to be good with Terran you need to have solid play. There is little room for forgiveness in the higher leagues. In fact, most games aren't won by your opponent, they are lost by you because of mistakes, and that can hold true for ALL races. Focus on nailing down build orders and unit compositions, as well as be consistently building SCV's and never being supply blocked. 2.3 Mid Game Macro You've got your expo up, and now we are in the mid game. This is a very important phase, possibly the most important, because this is not only where the engagements start happening and the game starts heating up, but where you have to prepare to enter the late game as well. You do this in two ways: Building production structures and taking a 3'rd expo 2.3.1 Production There are two main areas that people make mistakes in the macro game, and this is one of them: they don't have enough production to take advantage of the income. The one thing you do want to be building is more units as quickly as you can. This is because Terran has the worst reinforcement in the game. Protoss can Warp in gateway units across the battlefield instantly, and Zerg can build 21 units at a time on 3 bases, but Terran has to build 1 unit at a time out of each structure and they has to travel across the battle field to reinforce. THAT is why queing hurts you so bad. If you have the minerals to que units, you have the minerals to build two units at a time, and make two units instead of one. You should build another structure and build as many units at a time from each structure as you can. This makes your reinforcement better and your army larger. Also remember to make your rally point either on one of your existing units, or at your front line.
If you've been constantly making SCV's, then when your expo is done you can transfer a good bit of them to the expo and gain an instant boost in economy, as you keep building more SCV's to help saturate both again. This is going to give you some extra money to build some more structures with. Now, remember when I said you needed to have an overall game plan? This is where that gets important, because you need to build the buildings to make that plan come through. One thing I like to do is go for a mech build, either ground or air, supported by infantry. Then, mid or late game, I try to hurt them, and then overwhelm them with infantry, because it is the quickest to build and fastest to cross the map. I love my Thors, but lets face it: A Thor can't outrun a fat man encased in cement being pulled backwards by a freight train. So to do that, I'll add on either another factory or 2 if I go tanks or thors, or starport or 2 if I go banshee/raven/viking, and about 3 more barracks, because you need the meat shield. As my third gets up, I'll usually add on several rax, bring the total up to 6-9. This allows me to build between 9 and 15 units every 30 seconds. You don't have to switch to infantry if you don't want to. You can keep building the same unit compositions as well if it's working for you. It all depends on your plan. If you are going heavy mech build, make sure you go double gas on the expo as soon as those SCV's get there, and throw down another factory or two, or some more starports. If you go infantry heavy, go ahead and get the gas anyway for upgrades, if not right away. If you need to switch late game to mech, you don't want to be gas blocked. Managing the income on two bases can be hard, but as you practice it, you'll start getting the hang of it. You'll know when it's time to throw down more structures. But for now, keep all your structures on hot keys, and build out of them constantly. While you do that keep an eye on your minerals. You don't want them above 500. And queing units doesn't solve the problem. Building more structures does. Also, now is the time to be getting upgrades. DO NOT underestimate the power of upgrades late game. For some reason, most Terrans don't get upgrades. In late game against a halfway competent Protoss or Zerg player you will be facing upgraded troops. That is why your guys can melt like a snowball in hells outhouse. I will throw down a second engy bay and two armories and start upgrading whatever it is I'm going with once I'm on two bases. You have to keep a close eye on your gas here. You want upgrades but not at the cost of building units, because it's in the late mid game stuff usually hits the fan. 2.3.2: Taking your Third Expo Another problem I see is lot of players get focused on the two base pushes. They get their second fine, then they charge out and attack, attack, ATTACK..... and all of a sudden, they start getting "Not enough minerals" and they can't build as much. That's because while they were so busy attacking, their main mined out, and they are back to one base income. This is the second huge mistake people make, and it can cost you the game. I know it's cost me...many times before I learned. I'm going to spend some time here because it is so important. Remember when I said that a macro game is about planning? This is an important part of it: Knowing when and how to take your third expo. This is harder than your natural, because the 3'rd expo is almost always harder to defend. And the map you are playing on is going to factor heavily into how you secure your expo, and the way you have to change your game play to compensate. You always want to be on at least two bases throughout the game. Regardless of the map, you have to expand soon after your natural gets fully saturated, because you main will run out shortly. You MUST be on three bases before that happens. The minute you hear "Mineral Field Depleted" or you see missing patches from your main you need to start building your third near your natural, and behind your army. There are two types of maps when it comes to third expos: easy, and hard difficulty to defend Easy Maps:
These maps are where your third expo is close by your main and natural, and map control is easy. For example: Steppes of War, Delta Quadrant, and Shakuras Plateau all have close 3'rd expos, and there is middle ground that you can take and make it hard for your enemy to slip around you and hurt your economy. Quite frankly, Shakuras is a macro gamers dream, providing you keep an eye on the back door. Lost Temple can also be considered an easy map, because the entrance to the gold is right next to your main and natural entrance, making it easy to set up a front line at the nearby tower, depending on your opponent's positioning. But it can also be hard if close positions force you to expand far away from your base. On easy maps, you can expand with limited worry. You will probably have to cut unit production for a brief time, but over all your general game play does not have to change. You do need to extend your front line further out though. You cannot simply sit in your base. Hard Difficulty Maps: These maps are where your third expo is close to your base usually, but there are several path ways around the map, making defending both the 3'rd and the natural harder. Metalopolis is one of the easier to defend harder maps, because even though there are 2 paths to your 3'rd/natural, you can react very quickly to both places. But what makes these maps difficult is the fact that when you push one side, they could push the other side and you can get in a base trade situation, which is bad for the macro game. This is where map control of the towers becomes important, and why you need to stay on top of his army by saving energy for scans. Xel'Naga Caverns is another example of this type of map. Not only can they slip around the back of the map, they can march around the back of a Xel'Naga Tower and hit you at a weak point. Jungle Basin is another that is hard to take a third. Either you have to expand to the middle, and put up a strong front, leaving your back door open, or knock down that back door and expand up the side, leaving your main vulnerable. Blistering Sands is a map that is annoying as hell to take a 3'rd expo. Either choice, the gold or the blue patch near the back door of your base, leaves you somewhere vulnerable, and controlling all three paths is almost impossible. 2.3.3: Put Pressure Instead of turtling the third expo, you can try hitting them instead, if the map positions are good for it. Remember, constant aggression is not a bad thing, if you do it well, and if he is reacting to and defending himself from you, odds are he isn't attacking your bases. You build your macro game around your style. If you are an aggressive player, then be aggressive. If you are more defensive, then be defensive. Mold it around your style. I usually build a third when I make a large push. Here is another important thing: Through my gaming experience, more large battles and game changing events happen when you take your 3'rd expo. If they see you expand again odds are they will try to hit you, and hard. Some will just expand with you, but in my experience over 70% opt to try to own you before you can get that 3'rd up and running, while trying to get their own built. Be ready for that. Once I get my third up, I usually transfer the SCV's from my main to my third, because the main is almost mined out anyway. That keeps me on two base incomes, except for the short time it takes for them to get to the new expo. I hope you've followed me so far and build those structures and taken that 3'rd expo. You're about to need them, because now is where macro gets tricky, because we've just entered the late game 2.4: Late Game Macro A lot of Terrans have trouble late game, because quite frankly, we don't have much experience here. We're used to winning or losing in the early or mid game, because since the days of the beta Terrans have been hard and fast hitters. But our enemies have learned to defend that hard hit, and the pressure that follows. They evolved, and we haven't. Too many players try the same unit compositions and wonder why they lose. Maybe it's because those strats have been used since the beta and they are well prepared for them. And so when games hit the late game mark and we haven't crippled our opponent yet, we get lost on how to continue. But you CAN survive the late game if you've prepared yourself enough in the
mid game by following me up to this point. The reason is because if you plan a macro game, you have the resources and ability to actually BUILD units that are viable in late game. You can go mass Thor, you can go mass air, you can go Thor - air, thor- tank infantry, and you can go banshee-thor-tank-marinemarauder. You have so many options to do something that is different from the everyday large infantrytank pushes that your enemy expects you to do. The late game is where your plan solidifies. When I'm on my third, I'll be throwing down another 4 or 5 barracks if I've chosen to overwhelm, and I'll throw them up around my 3'rd expo. This does two things: 1) allows quicker reinforcement, and 2) provides a metal shield to help protect the third expo if they attack it before my troops can get back. The Late game usually sees a significant amount of minerals and a smaller amount of gas start building up, especially if you have a gold expo. This is usually due to the fact that populations start maxing out late game, unless it's been a constant battle from the mid game. When this happens your minerals and gas will go up...a lot, because you can't spend them. This is not a bad thing when you are maxed out, and in fact, can give you an edge. If I get maxed out, I will throw down a crap ton more structures. Barracks, usually, but factories, starports, whatever, it doesn't matter because I know that late game, whoever wins is usually the one who can rebuild faster. I want to be able to build 20 or 30 units at once after that battle. Then I'm going to go find him, try to get good position, and let the battle begin. In late game you also need to finish your upgrades. This is beyond important. If you are not upgraded, you had better have been in a nonstop crazy fight that has required you to spend every mineral and drop of gas on units. If you enter a large late game battle with guys that aren't fully upgraded, odds are you are going to die, painfully. Another thing to think about in the late game is the fact you might need to take a 4'th expo. Your natural is probably close to being mined out, and you might need to cash you can build up. If you've gone mech heavy, you also probably need the gas. Oh, another thing...you can stop building SCV's around the end of the middle game, when you get your 3'rd fully saturated. Any more, you run the risk of limiting your army size. I try not to go above 50-60 workers, because I want units that can actually shoot things. Now, no two late games are the same, because of different unit compositions and different maps, but there do seem to be three trends that late games can seem to follow: 200/200 armies, hit and run, and turtle. How you react to each is important. 2.4.1: 200/200 armies Some games reach a point where both players are pretty much maxed out. The bad thing is there is going to be a battle...a LARGE one. How can you give yourself an advantage? During that battle, I'll be trying to build as many units as I can as I start losing them. I try to either win that battle, or take out a HUGE chunk of his army. If I didn't take out that huge chunk, there are usually three reasons why: I had bad position (got caught moving while tanks were unsieged, got surrounded, etc), I wasn't upgraded enough, or I was a retard with my unit composition and got countered. Regardless of whether or not I won that battle, I am going to be rebuilding as quickly as I can and putting nonstop pressure to keep him from building up again. That is what wins you the game, if you aren't stupid. If he still has a significant chunk of his army left, you can't engage with anything less than equal numbers. If the big battle lands in a stalemate, it can either go back to the 200/200, and you need to take a 4'th expo, or it can turn into a hit and run game 2.4.2: Hit and Run Games Hit and run tactics are designed to hurt your opponent while trying not to hurt yourself. Sending in a small force to take out an expo, slipping around the back, drops in a base, are all examples of this. If you take out an expo, they have to spend 400 minerals (300 for Zerg) and the time to rebuild it. They might not feel it at first, because late game odds are you have a cash reserve, but if you can keep doing that, it will hurt later on. But the biggest thing about this tactic is the psychological impact. If you can put pressure on them, take out this expo, drop in a base, you can hold him in place. Psychological he'll be on the defensive now, trying to figure out where you are coming from. This can also be used to lure his army out of position and smash them on the move, because most people tend to move their whole army, or a large part of it, and you can take them out piece by piece. The biggest risk in this is the fact that you split
your forces, and if you leave yourself too weak he can rick roll you. You need a very strong front to hold if he hits you. AND the buildings to rebuild no matter what happen. You will also need buildings to tech switch if need be. Also, trust me; you do not want to be on the receiving end of this. It sucks. If you are, rebuild right then, and move out to secure yourself as much as you can, or hit back if you are able. 2.4.3 Dealing with Turtlers Most of the people who turtle are doing so to get out tier 3 tech of some kind quickly during the middle game. A few scans can keep you on top of that and let you know how you need to react. Late game turtlers seem to want you to break your army on their anvil and then they move out to crush you. One way to break this is to contain them, then build up a lot of structures and start wearing down at their defenses. Don't make that mistake thinking you can rebuild up quick enough every time though. I've been on 4 bases with 13 rax and still couldn't build up enough to stop a Terran counter. I thought my 3/3 infantry had what it took to break his 6 siege tanks and 50 marines. Nope, or I just failed at microing them. And once that tide broke, he rolled me because I couldn't pop enough units. Be smart, and don't take any risks. Macro up, take another expo, and get ready to rebuild or tech switch quickly if need be. You can also turn it into a hit and run game. Drops all over the base/expos, running away at the first sign of counter attack. Bleed him slowly. You have the map, you will win if you keep your head. 3: A look at the macro of the different races Now, I'm no expert on the macro of different races, but I do understand the basic concepts. We'll break it down by race and explain how this affects late game play 3.1 Zerg Zerg is the most different from the other two races. Whereas Protoss and Terran macro revolves around taking more bases and building more production structures to build more units, Zerg macro revolves around taking more bases to build units, as the hatcheries are their production centers. One base with a queen can spawn 7 larva every minute or so. I don't know the exact timings on that. These larvas are used for both workers and combat units. The term "Droning" refers to the Zerg using all larvas to make drones, as there is no pressure to build combat units. So, if you get this trend, Zerg players can make 7 units at once on one base, 14 on two bases, and 21 on 3 bases, and the number goes up and up. This allows them to rebuild armys very quickly late game and overrun opponents, hence the name "The Swarm." I heard it put best this way one time: "In a match, the goal of Zerg is to keep expanding. The goal of their opponent is to stop them." If you can limit the number of bases a Zerg can get, you can out macro him, both in income and production. He gets on 4 bases...good luck. You can destroy his entire army and it'll be back up by the time you get to his base. You have to limit the amount of units he can produce. 3.2 Protoss Protoss Macro is much similar to Terran, in the fact that they also have to expand and build more structures to help manage that income. The difference is chrono-boost and warp gates. With Chrono boost, they can saturate expansions quicker, which is why we have mules to help keep up, until saturation. Then you can use the energy for scans. Chrono-boost can also be used on buildings, allowing quicker research, unit production, and decreased cool-down time. Warp gates also allow them to warp in gateway units anywhere there is a pylon, allowing for instant reinforcement of every unit except those built from a robo bay or stargate. This is why they will throw down a proxy pylon nearby your base when they push. They can warp in reinforcements across the map quicker than you can rebuild, especially with chronoboosting. With Protoss, like Terran, you want to limit the number of expansions they have. This can make some of their buildings worthless, because they won't have the income to build out of them. Once they get 8+ gates, they can reinforce so quickly that you will have a hard time breaking them. This is where your own high level of production structures can come in handy. Have a steady stream of reinforcements rolling in every 30-60 seconds.
A Comprehensive Look At Terran Micro Table Of Contents 1 Introduction 2 The 4 main unit advantages 2.1 Range 2.2 Speed 2.3 Position 2.3.1 High ground vs Low ground 2.3.2 Arcs and Chokes 2.3.3 Army Order 2.4 Targeting 3 Commonly used techniques for micro 3.1 Stutter Step 3.2 Staggering Tanks 3.3 Hellions 3.4 Marine Splits 3.5 Pre-arcing 4 Conclusion 1) Introduction When most people think about micro they think of something small, however in starcraft it is short for micromanagement which is a misnomer for the most part. Micro refers to unit control more specifically relating to increasing their cost efficency when in a battle by using the 4 main unit advantages to help you. Micro can range from something as small as moving a group of units not in combat the the epic marine spread that has wowed many people. 2) The 4 main unit advantages Now when we are talking about micro these are the four main aspects that people seek to use to gain an advantage in combat. The four advantages are Range, Speed, Positioning and Targeting. Positioning is usually the most important one as it is the advantage you are most directly in control of. Now I will explain these advantages into more detail 2.1) Range Range advantage is a very simple advantage to explain on paper as it simply means you can hit your opponents units farther away than they can hit yours. Good examples of this are Bio vs Zerglings, Bio vs Roaches, Bio vs Zealots, Vikings vs Ever other air unit ect. The main way to use this advantage in your favor is to use a technique called the stutter step which is going to be covered later in this post. To counter a range disadvantage you can do three things: keep moving forward or retreat or fake a retreat then turn around when he chases after you. As a terran you usually have the advantage of range on your side with units like viking with 9 range and tanks with a whopping 13 range. 2.2) Speed The speed advantage is also very cut and dry, your units are faster than your opponents units. Examples of this are Reapers vs pretty much every unit and hellions vs pretty much every other units. There are several ways to use this advantage to your favor. If you have a speed and range advantage you can kite your opponents units and take very little damage to your own, however if thats not possible, you can use the speed to run around your opponents army and harass his base and force him to be pinned next to his base until he throws up a ton of static defense. To counter speed disadvantages you will need to leave some units back from your army or have some static defense to protect your base. Terran usually has a speed disadvantage in both matchup. 2.3) Positioning Positioning is an exceptionally important advantage that Terrans need in order to win most battles. The difference between engaging in a good and bad spot is usually the difference between winning and losing. There are several sections of positioning to discuss:
2.3.1) High ground vs Low Ground Engaging the high ground from the low ground has changed since BW. If you have a unit on the high ground and your enemy runs up to it on the low ground without a way to spot up the cliff your unit can kill all of theirs without taking any damage. Using this to your advantage includes using tanks on cliffs to cover areas like your natural or your ramp and take some shots at an approaching army. Another way to use this is reapers, harassing an area then jump up a cliff and kill your attackers, this proves extremely annoying to defend against. 2.3.2) Arcs and Chokes Now the best way to describe an arc is that it is a C shape for your fighting units rotated however many degrees. This is optimal, because it provides a large area for your units to attack with and a much smaller for your enemy to attack with meaning more DPS for you even if your army is the same size. Chokes come into play because if you arc at the opening of a choke, you further increase this advantage. A choke is an area where units are funneled like a small ramp or a walled area. If you find yourself on the bad ends of an arc or choke, you should stutter step your way up so all of your units start firing. When engaging you always want the big arc on them, and you always want to engage with them in a choken whenever possible. 2.3.3) Army Order Army order is another imporant aspect of the terran army. In most cases you are going to want your shortest range units up front, however if you are fighting a bunch of lings and banelings you instead will want your longer range marauders up front to soak the baneling damage while the marines dps from behind. Aother example is if you have marines and tanks you are going to want the marines to be around the tanks to prevent mutas from picking the tanks off. Flanking with units is also very helpful as it not only prevents a retreat but ups the DPS of your army and prevents reinforcements. 2.4) Targetting This as our final advantage you can have and its a fairly brief one, Although the AI has improved significantly since BW, you can still play the targetting AI to your advantage. For example putting an insignificant unit in front of your push (SCV) can will cause the opposing army to target them first and allow you to do some damage to the army before it returns fire on you. Another big example is that Thors target air as a higher priority so you can fly a medivac or a viking over a thor and prevent its ground dps. To counter this its pretty simple, just control your units. 3) Commonly Used Micro Techniques Here I'm going to describe when, when not, and how to use some common micro techniques you may see in games as well as the theory behind it. 3.1) Stutter Step WHEN: You want to use this when you have a range advantage over your opponents units or if you are caught in a bad arc to increase the dps of your army. WHEN NOT: When you have a good arc you don't want to use this and ruin it as well as potentially increasing the dps of your opponents army. HOW: There are 2 main ways to stutter step: 1) Move command (right click) in the direction you wish to go, (If you want to kite, move away, if you are in a bad arc, move forward) then attack move and issue the move command after the firing animation starts. 2) Same thing with the move commands, but instead of attack moving hit stop button (s).
THEORY: The theory behind this is that you are cutting the useless parts of the attack animation out and using it to cover distance, preventing or delaying melee or shorter range units from hitting you. Both methods of doing this are equally valid and it comes down to preference. 3.2) Staggering Tanks WHEN: When you are pushing out with your tanks in TvP/TvZ WHEN NOT: TvT or if you are being defensive with your tanks HOW: The method I use is that I move command the tanks to a far location, box the back 3-4 and hit e, wait a second, box the back 3-4 and repeat until all are sieged. Unsiege the back 3-4 move the up ahead of the front 3-4 and siege, repeat until you get to desired location or get into combat. THEORY: The theory behind staggering tanks is that if you get into an engagement while moving all your tanks you will likely die a horrible death and lose the game, doing this would only mean 3-4 tanks would get quickly murdered. The other part to this is that if fast melee units attack a tank ball, you can easily kill lots of your own tanks with FF or have a bunch of them rendered unable to fire, so you stagger them which allows them to fire if you are chased. You don't want to do this in TvT because a bio army could easily overrun small tank groups, and if they are going a tank viking strategy they will be able to spot and quickly clear the back tanks. 3.3) Hellions WHEN: Always micro your hellions. WHEN NOT: Never HOW: This is one of those hard things to describe, but you want your hellions line damage to hit as much as possible. For example if someone comes with a wall of marines, you want to get up the side of the wall when you shot so you hit as many as possible. For zerglings/banelings its mainly about the stutter step as that will line them up pretty well. If you are attacking a mineral line with hellions or fleeing workers you are going to want to click on a worker a few units up the Congo line so that the splash hits as many workers as possible or just move command all the way up to the bottom of the line then attack move. THEORY: The hellion splash is a fairly unique mechanic in SC2, if you just attack move hellions they will only hit the first unit in range which is fine when fighting melee units attacking back but makes them do very poorly against ranged units. With proper control hellions murder any light unit cost for cost, but without proper control they are simply 100 mineral gifts to your opponent. 3.4) Marine Splits WHEN: Large amounts of banelings are rolling at marines that don't have the ability to escape to a unit that can help them. WHEN NOT: Small amounts of banelings and lots of speedlings, When tank cover is close enough to run to, when you can pick them up in medivacs. HOW: There are 2 real ways to do the splitting, both of them are extremely APM intensive. 1) Have all your marines in one control group, quickly box and move command several marines after they are all stimmed to different areas, once you have 4-5 large groups split them into smaller groups and keep repeating till each marine is standing by itself or banelings die. 2) Have 3 control groups to pre split your army into 3rds, then box split from there. This doesn't necessary mean that splitting is with the intention of fighting, if you have speedlings and banelings moving at you and you have tank cover but its pretty far away you can split a box off to suicide to keep the rest of your marines alive. THEORY: Splitting marines means that it takes more banelings to kill them which can raise it to the point of being extremely cost ineffective for zerg, however speedlings become extremely effective once you split your marines so its a judgement call whether you want to or not. 3.5) Pre-arcing WHEN: Anytime you have a bunch of ranged units and free time to arrange them. WHEN NOT: If you are a slower player and can't move units without sacrificing macro.
HOW: Its really simply, just move units from your rally points into an arc and see how much more effective them become when an attack comes at you especially on maps when they come up a choke (XC, ST ect). THEORY: By prearcing your units get more firing time and less running to fire time, you obviously don't have to make each unit stand in a line, but making clumps in an arc shape can help tremendously compared to the ball shape. 4) Conclusion There is obviously so much more that can be added to a discussion like this, I encourage everyone an anyone to come up and add suggestions about what can be added into this. Keep in mind this is about MICRO, not macro or strategy. I do intend to get videos or at least pictures demonstrating micro techniques listed here in the future and I hope this helps at least some people out.
Standard Terran Build Orders The "standard" build order refers to the path you will take if you have no particular strategy you are planning to execute. Here is the standard order: 10/11: Supply Depot 12/19: Barracks 13/19: Refinery 15/19: Orbital Command 17/19: Supply Depot ..and then it is open from there. You will find build orders like this spread around the internet on various forums, guides, and videos. This build order would be interpreted to read: - Build 10 SCVs and while the 10th SCV is training build a Supply Depot - While the 12th SCV is training build a Barracks - After the 15th SCV finishes build a Orbital Command - While the Orbital Command is building train a Marine (or build a Tech Lab) - Build a Supply Depot while the Marine is training and the Orbital Command is finishing up. You are required to read between the lines on most build orders. Now, as far as other Terran build orders are concerned, it really depends on what your enemy is doing. Here are some common scenarios you will find yourself in and the build order you can use: Getting Zealot or Zergling Rushed If you scout the enemy and determine he is going to Zealot rush, your build order might look something like this: 10/11: Supply Depot 11/11: Barracks (hint: 2 SCVs are building at once) 12/19: Marine 12/19: Supply Depot ..and progress from there. The reason you would grab a second Supply Depot so early is because you generally will need a Barracks and 2 Supply Depots to wall off the entrance to your base. A single Marine and SCVs repairing your wall can easily fend off a Zergling or Zealot rush. However, not all build orders need to be reactive. For example, here is a standard Marine and Marauder push build: Marine and Marauder Push 10/11: Supply Depot 12/19: Barracks (add Tech Lab when finished) 15/19: Barracks (add Reactor when finished) 16/19: Orbital Command 17/19: Supply Depot From there, have 1 Barracks constantly pump out Marauders and the Reactor Barracks constantly pump out Marines. Increase your SCV count to 22 harvesters (2 per mineral node and 3 per vespene gas) and build Supply Depots as needed. You can quickly turn out 8-10 Marauders and 24 Marines with this strategy. It is very effective for an early push in 2v2 play. It is also great as an early attack versus Zerg and Protoss players. I recommend this build if you spot the Zerg going for an early expansion. It will be nearly impossible for him to counter this attack if he opts for the early expand build. It does not work as well versus Terran (since they will be walled in). For Terran players, I recommend this Terran build order: Mech Build Order
Mech is a very popular build as it is incredibly effective versus nearly all races. It involves getting Siege Tanks and Thors, and Hellions, Marines and/or air units (depending on who you are playing, see below): 10/11: Supply Depot 12/19: Barracks 13/19: Refinery* 15/19: Marine 16/19: Factory* 16/19: Orbital Command* 17/19: Refinery 18/19: Supply Depot 22/27: Factory * The build listed above is if you want to produce mech units right away, such as for an early Siege Tank push. At a larger map, you could get away with getting the Orbital Command prior to your first Factory. This is a more efficient build but also leaves you more vulnerable to attack. It is up to you what you want to do. As far as progressions, you might get a 3rd Factory (versus Zerg) or a Starport (versus Terran or Protoss). It depends whether you want to go all ground or have some air control. 1/1/1 - My Favorite Terran Build Order As Terran now, I prefer the 1/1/1 build order when playing against most players. This build offers a lot of flexibility and allows the Terran player to move into whatever counters the enemy's units very easily. Here is the build order: 10/11: Supply Depot 12/19: Barracks 13/19: Refinery 15/19: Orbital Command 17/19: Supply Depot 19/27: Factory (as soon as you have 100 gas, throw down the Factory) 19/27: Refinery #2 22/27: Starport (as soon as Factory is finished) Now, I would recommend putting a Reactor on the Barracks and pumping out Marines so you have some defense while teching to the Starport. I would also try to get out a few fast Siege Tanks and a Medivac or two as soon as possible. With a few fast Siege Tanks, a group of Marines, and a Medivac or two, you have a solid, balanced army that will allow you to take down your natural expansion. Once you get your natural expansion up and running, you can build more units, tailoring those units to whatever your enemy is building (see the Counters section for more info). You can also play this build very effectively off of 1 base. A few Siege Tanks and a Marine ball can make for a very effective early push. You will have to scout and take the best opportunity to attack.
Fast Expand Build Order: 10/11: Supply Depot 12/19: Barracks 14/19: Refinery 15/19: Orbital Command (or 16/19 - personal preference)
16/19: Marine (need to kill off scouting worker as soon as it spawns) 17/19: Supply Depot 17/19: Tech Lab on first Barracks 17/19: Barracks 20/27: Marauder 20/27: Concussive Shells (research Stim or Combat Shields when this finishes - see strategy sections for more details.) 24/27: Marauder #2 24/27: Reactor on 2nd Barracks (as soon as it finishes) 24/27: Command Center (build this inside your base and move out later) 24/27: Supply Depot 26/27: Marauder (..training Marines, Marauders, and SCVs) 31/35: Barracks (or Factory - depending on strategy - see below) Note: I like to get an early Marauder + Concussive Shells as you can micro around any Zealots and outright kill any Stalkers that might come for some early harass. By about 7:00 (or 7:30 if you build Orbital Command in your base first), you should land your Command Center at your expansion.
3 Rax Build Order: 9/11: Supply Depot 12/19: Barracks (train 1 Marine as soon as it is done then attach a tech lab; research Concussive Shells as soon as it if finished) 13/19: Refinery 15/19: Orbital Command 17/19: Barracks (tech lab as soon as it is done) 17/19: Supply Depot ..continue to pump SCVs 19/27: Stimpacks 25/27: Barracks #3 (with Reactor) ..continue to pump SCVs, Supply Depots, and infantry. Grab Combat Shields on the second Barracks when you have the resources.
We have arrived at the Starcraft Lores, They go in order

Mothership Colossus Changling Collateral Damage Stealing Thunder
MOTHERSHIP
The zerg would be in soon. They tore at the door, the walls, the ceiling. Erekul could feel the other high templar, his brothers and sisters, fighting and dying. Buying him precious seconds. He closed his eyes; the Khala pulsed within. The collective thoughts and feelings of his people were filled with chaos, terror, and pain. The zerg had control of Erekul s beloved home world of Aiur. The invaders likely thought themselves ascendant; they did not know that the fight was far from over. Erekul moved through the dark chamber to the console, his hands bathed in its soft blue glow. He entered the codes with serene grace. Behind him the door began to shudder. At the edge of protoss-known space, the signal was received and noted. Crystals long dormant began to glow; energy wells raised open. Power flowed. Erekul turned as the door finally crumpled. Two high templar, already dead, flew across the room and slid down the far wall. A mass of brown and grey flesh poured in: small, fast-moving zerglings all spittle and mouth. Next came hydralisks, larger creatures bristling with spines and fury. Erekul s eyes glowed icy blue, and he bowed his head, gathering his psionic energy. They came at him, a furious whirlwind of hate. He threw his arms wide, opening the floodgates. The zerg writhed, their bodies breaking and tearing. More poured through the door, choking it with their numbers. Erekul brought his psionic energy to bear on the largest of the slavering hydralisks, tearing its brain apart. More zerg spilled into the room, crawling over the quivering hydralisk, snarling. They moved to surround him. Erekul was spent there would not be another psionic storm. With a mental scream of rage and pride, he threw himself at the zerg, tearing at them with his hands. Teeth and spines pierced his flesh, zerglings and hydralisks poured over him until he was gone. Juras opened eyes that had not seen for centuries. The engineers had told him that awakening from stasis was unpleasant. They d lied it was horrible. His skin, his eyes, his nerve cords all hurt. He stumbled from the waking chamber, shielding his eyes from the soft glow on the bridge of the Moratun. He d been slated to wake only when his ship detected intelligent life. It was a moment Juras had dreamed of since he d first designed this enormous vessel. Contact with rational alien intelligence would bring the protoss to another golden age, would spur a renaissance of art and culture. And Juras would be there to see it. He moved cautiously to the main control console and studied the readout. The ship was moving, shields at full strength, weapons primed. Juras had designed the motherships as peaceful exploration vessels, but space was a dangerous place, and the massive ships were heavily armored and shielded. They also boasted the deadliest weapons the protoss had ever designed. Juras had opposed the inclusion of weapons, but the Templar caste had insisted. The templar had even converted some of the vessels to command ships leading armadas. But Juras had kept his beloved prototype, the Moratun, for exploration. He was sure the weapons would never be needed; it was impossible to imagine a species achieving interplanetary travel unless it was driven by the need to reach out to others, to understand, share, and learn. And the protoss must never repeat the mistakes of the past. Juras recited this imperative in his thoughts: the protoss would not repeat the mistakes of the past. He touched the console. In a moment he would see the first communication from a new species. As the image came up, his brow furrowed. It was a simple burst transmission sent to all the dormant motherships: Come home. We are lost. Fear coiled in Juras chest. Instinctively, he reached for the Khala and felt the reassuring touch his people were out there somewhere. He closed his eyes, feeling at one with his ship as it hurtled through the darkness. Although he was an explorer and used to solitude, it would be nice to return to the calm, warm embrace of his people. He settled into a meditation stance. Juras was concerned about what he would find at the conclusion of his journey, but under that concern was serenity. His people were the Firstborn: they had the Khala, and they had the Conclave. Any problem could be surmounted. Juras mind wandered, flowing through the depths of his many memories. He heard psionic screams, saw a flash of light. The kalathi had gathered at dawn, two great armies bent on destroying each other. Protoss researchers had watched the young species from an enclosure, protected by their shields. Juras heard his own voice saying the fateful words, We must stop them, Executor. They are like children; let us use our weapon to scare them into submission. We cannot stand by and let them destroy each other. Juras flinched. He did not want to remember this.
Walking through a devastated city. Slabs of stone lying askew, kalathi bodies strewn everywhere. Splintered bones protruding at odd angles, torn flesh sagging as blood drained from young and old, male and female. All dead. The executor had indeed used a powerful weapon as a warning, but the kalathi had not desisted; they had turned on the protoss researchers. Kalathi Bloodreavers had attacked the shields, screaming their bloodlust. Outnumbered and surrounded, the protoss had let loose their mighty weapon, and the kalathi had died. That was the flashpoint. The kalathi attacked protoss at every opportunity thereafter. General war had erupted and Colossi had been deployed. By the end of it all, hundreds of thousands of kalathi were dead. Later Juras had walked alone in the kalathi s great city, letting the images of death, of lives shattered and ended too soon, burn into his mind. He would never forget: the protoss had used a terrifying weapon on another intelligent species. A weapon designed by Juras. He was pulled from his reverie by an insistent beeping. The Moratun had warped into a system for a course adjustment and detected a protoss outpost. He was still some distance from Aiur, and it seemed like a good idea to pick up compatriots to serve on the ship. He could pilot it for simple warps, but anything more taxing would require a crew. Juras took manual control of the ship and brought it down into the atmosphere of planet Samiku. He d been in stasis a long time; would the protoss of today be very different? Martul leapt through the air. Spines came at her: a hydralisk. She spun, nerve cords fanning out, and brought her blades up, into the hydralisk s underbelly. They swept through the flesh in a blue streak, and purplish ichor exploded around her. She landed on one knee, ducked under the spines that she knew were converging on her from either side, and rolled forward to the next beast. All around, her zealots fought off the implacable zerg. They couldn t keep this up. Martul and her comrades had all felt a change in the Khala recently; a strange and troubling sensation. Now the promised reinforcements from Aiur were overdue. That combination of factors worried Martul a great deal. There was nothing on the backwater planet of Samiku worth fighting for, and Martul would have been happy to evacuate. But it did not look as if that were going to happen soon. To her left, Xulata went down under a pile of zerglings, his blades thrashing and cutting. The zerglings swarmed, and he was gone. Martul came to her feet, extending her blades to either side as two zerglings leapt at her; they impaled themselves and fell away. Her shields were sputtering, giving off the telltale sparkle. They would fail soon. She felt a vibration beneath her feet, and three hydralisks burst from the ground in a shower of mud meters away. She raised her blades, taking a step back. The hydralisks mistook her action for fear and rushed forward, mandibles twitching. They never saw the two zealots charging in from the flanks. In an instant two hydralisks lay dead and twitching. Martul leapt into the attack of the last, stepping lightly on a large scythe-like arm and propelling herself up past the hydralisk s dripping mouth. As she flipped over its head, she plunged her blades down, splitting its skull in two. She landed gracefully behind the still-falling hydralisk and collapsed. Her leg had a long gash running down one side, deep into the muscle. She scrambled back to her feet as a wave of zerglings poured over the horizon. The air cooled; a shadow fell over her. The sky was filled by a giant disc with three great wings of metal. A thing of gold and blue, it shimmered with the telltale glow of shields. Martul knew every type of ship and vehicle the protoss military could field, and this was something different. It bristled with weapons, and it moved slowly forward, rotating in perfect silence. Juras looked on in horror. The readouts showed the devastation below with too much clarity. Protoss zealots lay dead, strewn across a battlefield of craters and wreckage. A small band of them huddled on a hilltop fighting off an alien intelligence. The aliens were incredibly varied so much so that Juras immediately deduced that they must assimilate other species into their own. More importantly, he could sense their minds. Unthinking feelings of hunger washed over him: a desire to consume or assimilate all. They were naturally a collective conscious. The creatures on the hillside were simple organisms that should operate under a greater intelligence. But they moved and fought with no direction, tearing at each other as much as the protoss. It was as if their guiding intelligence had abandoned them. Clearly the protoss had met another intelligence while Juras slept. And the result was carnage.
Blood and ichor mingled freely; chunks of meat and bone stuck out of the mud alongside scorched rubble. Light flashed off of protoss shields and alien claws alike. Once again, protoss weapons were being used against an alien intelligence. Juras saw himself walking through a deserted city, past the charred corpse of a kalathi. It must not happen again. Juras brought the ship completely over the battlefield, casting it all into shadow. An eerie moment of calm descended as combatants on both sides looked up. There was silence. The moment ended; with a rush of action, the aliens resumed their attack. Through a haze of anguish, Juras felt the psionic screams of every zealot who perished. Those screams wrenched him to action he reached out to the protoss below with his mind. The response was immediate and hard-edged: I am Commander Martul. You are Juras. But where are you from, and why are you here? I am a researcher, he said. How have you come to violence? Can you not just avoid these creatures? Are you mad? If you have weapons, use them! The weapons on this ship are for self-defense. We are surrounded. Either the zerg die or we do. Juras saw that she was correct. He could not let his fellow protoss die. And the creatures below had been cut off from their guiding intelligence perhaps it would be a kindness to end their lives. With shaking fingers, Juras activated the Moratun s khaydarin crystal and brought the purifier beams to bear. A buzz filled the battlefield as molecules in the air ionized. The light seemed to rush away only to burst forth again from the bottom of the ship. Pure energy poured down onto the muddied, bloodied battlefield. The zerg writhed as the beams ripped them to pieces. Some creatures simply ceased to exist. Juras felt the joy of the zealots as they saw their foes disintegrate, and it mingled with his own shame. Once he d cleared a space near the crown of the hill, he brought the ship in low and activated the shortrange teleport beam. Seeing their chance, the zealots charged. The aliens came at them from all sides, determined to keep the trapped protoss where they were. The zealots cut a swath through them, a few of their number falling. Juras saw the protoss reach the blue column of light that represented safety. As they approached the warp, the mothership s cloaking hid them from view. The young zealot commander, Martul, reached the warp first, but stood next to it and fought off the ravening aliens while her people rushed past. Juras could not use the Moratun s more exotic weapons, such as the vortex or the temporal rift, this close to his own people, but the purifier beams kept the aliens at bay. The final zealot arrived at the gate. The pursuing zerg surged forward. Martul cut down two of them. The last zealot hesitated just outside the cloaked area, ready to help. A hooked arm caught him up and dragged him back into the maelstrom of writhing zerg flesh. Martul s blades whirled toward the arm, but it was too late: the zealot was dragged into the tightly packed aliens. Martul leapt after the zealot, heedless of her injury, blades whirling. She felled three, then four. But the aliens were numberless, and the other zealot disappeared into the chaos. Martul registered the death of her comrade, then swung her blades in a great arc and leapt back into the cloaking field. Martul limped onto the bridge. There are more down there, she said. Eliminate them. You re welcome, Commander, Juras replied. Even with the reassuring touch of the Khala, Juras habitual irritation with others had returned in full force. It was not a request, Martul said. This was Juras ship. He d designed it and piloted it. He d rescued this young one with it, and he was not going to let her use it for more carnage. If the zealot thought he would submit simply because she was a warrior and he was a scientist, she had much to learn. Her eyes narrowed as she sensed these feelings welling up in him. Those things killed my warriors, she said. My friends. And you have the power to destroy them. We are at war. I saved you, Commander. That will have to suffice for now. We will go to Aiur, and I will speak to the Conclave. We must learn more about these zerg perhaps we can find a way to avoid them, to leave them in peace. There will be no peace. I will speak to the Conclave about it.
Martul spun and stalked to the door. Let us just get to Aiur then. I will be in the crew quarters, studying the schematics of this ship. Do not think you will take control of the Moratun from me. I will always know it better than you, and I answer to the Conclave. You have been too long away from your people, scientist. You have gone mad, she said. When we destroyed the kalathi, we thought we were doing the right thing. We thought our motives were the best and we had no other choice. When we realized our mistake, it was too late. Once you have destroyed an alien intelligence, you cannot bring it back. As terrible as the zerg seem, we must learn more; we must understand them. The stakes are too high. Martul stared at Juras for a moment, her gaze a mix of anger and pity. She turned and left the bridge without another word. Juras took the Moratun up, away from the planet, from the zerg, from the devastation. He looked out into the depths of space. The universe in which he found himself was not as he d imagined. The Moratun warped into the home system, outside the orbit of Aleun, the farthest planet. The bridge bustled with life: zealots worked at various stations and consoles, monitoring energy levels, crystalline fluctuations, and weapons readiness. Martul stood next to Juras. Tension still simmered between them, discomfiting the other protoss. It was clear to Juras that the universe had become a harder, more violent place. And the protoss had changed along with it or perhaps in reaction to it. The young zealot by his side was an example of that. Perhaps Juras presence could have a balancing influence on his people. Martul began to tremble. Juras looked askance at her. Aiur, she said. Aiur and the Khala. Juras had felt the comforting presence of the Khala since he d awoken. But this close to Aiur, it should have filled him with the warmth and comfort of billions of protoss minds. Instead there was an emptiness. Hundreds of thousands of protoss had died, and their absence left a hole in the Khala. Juras realized he was shaking as well. Unthinking, he turned to Martul and touched her shoulder. It was an unheard-of gesture of intimacy, but both protoss were shattered by the terrible realization. In that moment of contact a rare event transpired: Juras could see deep into Martul as if they were joined in the Khala. He could see her overwhelming determination to defend her people, her compassion for her fallen allies, her anger at the zerg for the pain they had inflicted. Beneath it all was an instinctive abhorrence at the existence of the mindless Swarm. After a time, Juras turned to the console. We must get to Aiur, he said, feeling the wordless agreement of Martul and all the other protoss. He brought the ship into the system and accelerated toward Aiur, his dread growing. The planet appeared at peace from this distance. Martul hobbled over to a weapons console and took control of some of the Moratun s more exotic weapons. She locked eyes with Jurasfor a moment. The tension was back: she was prepared to use the weapons of his ship for aggression. And he was prepared to stop her. There must be hope for the zerg. They entered Aiur s atmosphere and neared the cloud layer. The clouds erupted as winged zerg spiraled out to surround the ship. Devourers dived in, spitting corrosive acid, while mutalisks circled to the flanks. Dozens of tiny scourge crashed into the shields and exploded. More of the mutalisks banked, wings flapping and circular mouths pulsing as they tried to find the right vector to do more damage. Contact! cried one of the crew. Shields are dropping faster than the crystal can regenerate. We must destroy these beasts! We shall, Martul said, her hands flying across the console. Then she stopped. Weapons are not responding. Juras, what is wrong with your ship? Nothing, he said calmly, guiding the ship through the swarming zerg. I have overridden the weapons systems. We are here to find out what happened to our people and to offer assistance. We do not yet know enough about the zerg to simply consign them to genocide. I was right: you have gone mad! Those scourge will destroy the shields, then the mutalisks and devourers will be all over your precious ship! Shields at eighty percent.
The Moratun can take a good deal more damage and survive. We are almost through the cloud cover, Juras said. He accelerated, leaving some of the zerg behind. A new squadron of the creatures dove out of the sun in an attack pattern. Juras banked as hard as possible. The enormous mothership was not designed to be maneuverable, and the zerg compensated easily. Shields at sixty. Release weapons, Juras! My creation will not be used for genocide! Dozens of the creatures emerged from the clouds on an intercept vector. Juras put the ship into a steep dive, straining the inertial nullifiers. The zealots had to grab onto their consoles to avoid being knocked over. They entered the lowest cloud layer only to be met by more tiny scourge that slammed into the ship, giving their lives to do a little more damage. Shields at fifty forty! Juras leveled out the Moratun, picking up more speed and gradually losing altitude. Almost under the cloud layer, he thought, and then he froze, feeling a pinprick on the back of his head where his nerve cords met his skull. In the reflective surface of a console, he could see Martul behind him, standing stiffly, one arm outstretched, holding a psi blade very close to the back of his head. Our homeworld is under attack by the zerg, and we are going to fight them, she said coldly. Activate weapons systems. I will not do it, Commander. There is another way. Zerg of all shapes and sizes chased them. Dozens more swept down to intercept them. Even more rose ahead to meet them. Shields at twenty. I will kill you. Then the weapons systems will be locked forever, and you will have returned us to the Aeon of Strife. They emerged from the bottom of the cloud layer. The surface of their homeworld lay revealed. A roiling mass of grey organic matter covered the ground from one horizon to the other. Lumps appeared here and there, the remains of once-proud buildings: temples, homes, universities. Forests, lakes, mountains, all were gone. Veiny, pulsing matter covered everything. Tiny creatures trundled along the surface, burrowing into and out of it, moving mindlessly. Martul was wrong; their homeworld was not under attack. It was under occupation. Shields at ten. Activate those weapons! New hordes of zerg flew at the ship, destroying the shields, trying to get at the armored surface underneath. Juras eyes were drawn to motion on the surface below: a protoss was running toward them. She d been hiding but had broken cover at the sight of them, hoping for rescue. Juras brought the ship in low, toward her. He could see from her markings that she was of the Khalai caste, likely an artisan or craftsman. Zerglings boiled up out of the ground around her, cutting her off. Juras accelerated, knowing he could not make it to her in time. He let out a wordless cry of horror: this protoss was no threat to the zerg. She was not a warrior, not a templar. She would not even be able to fight to defend herself. They didn t need to kill her. It would gain them nothing. They swarmed all over her, and a plume of protoss blood shot up from the squirming mass of zerg. She was gone. Time slowed for Juras. He sensed the urgency of those around him, felt the ship shuddering under the relentless attacks, felt the tip of Martul s blade pressing harder against the back of his head. But it all had a disconnected quality, as if it couldn t possibly be as important as what he was seeing through the console. The zerg had killed a fleeing, defenseless being. And they d done it for no gain; it simply had to happen because she was not zerg. Juras had known that other intelligent life might be hostile, that it might put its own interests ahead of all else. But he d believed that behind any intelligence was a guiding spirit, an understanding of commonality. In this moment Juras finally understood. There was no empathy in the zerg, no compromise. Anything that was not zerg must be destroyed. Sentience came in many forms, and this one was the opposite of all that he cherished.
This one was his enemy in every way possible. Juras activated the weapons systems including the vortex, the temporal rift, and the wormhole transit, which Martul likely didn t know about. Go! he roared. The systems are online. Kill them; kill them all. Martul stumbled back to her console, and all the zealots began to do what they did best: fight. Juras guided the ship lower so its weapons could take out the disgusting creatures on the ground as well. Light and power blazed from the Moratun in all directions. The full power of the mothership was finally unleashed. Zerg writhed, combusted, exploded. Zerg ichor showered the Moratun s shields; zerg meat and viscera dripped from the bottom of the ship. Shields are stabilized. More incoming, another zealot reported. Bringing weapons systems to bear, Martul said. Take the helm, Juras said. I have another task. He moved to another console and accessed the scan readouts. He noticed that other motherships, having received the same burst transmission as the Moratun, had begun to arrive. They sat quiet and empty at the edge of the solar system. But that wasn t what Juras was looking for. He scanned the surface for life. A massive number of readings came back, but he sorted through the data, looking for anything not zerg. There had to be survivors hiding or fighting somewhere. There had to be someone who could tell him the fate of his people. Juras would rescue them and withdraw. Aiur belonged to the zerg now. Juras and Martul stood in the med-bay. The Moratun now led a fleet of motherships through the blackness. The ships had skeleton crews: the original zealots he d rescued, augmented by a few survivors from Aiur and a few more out-world garrisons they d found. They were occasionally intercepted by zerg leviathans, but the fleet made short work of them. A protoss lay before Martul and Juras, eyes dulled with pain as the med-bay quietly worked to heal his many wounds. When they d found him, his pain-soaked thoughts had hinted at protoss escaping Aiur, but he d lost consciousness before they could get the story from him. The other survivors they d found had heard the call for evacuation but had not been able to get to the warpgate. They had no idea where the protoss had gone. Juras was impatient to interrogate him, but Martul had forced Juras to wait until the med-bay readings indicated that the protoss was well enough. That time had finally come. I do not know how long I . His thoughts were clouded by pain, unclear. I was underground often . I could hear them burrowing. Images poured from him: hiding in cramped spaces underground, hours of listening for the telltale scritching of zerg digging. Nightmarish moments, fleeing through the darkness, expecting hydralisks around each corner. Leaving the fallen behind, sensing their fear and pain as they were ripped to pieces. Juras had to draw back for a moment or else get trapped in the spiraling nightmare. And everyone else is dead? Martul asked, her tone flat, hopeless. No not gone . Just too far, the protoss thought. Juras leaned forward, a tiny flame of hope awakening. Warp gate. During invasion dark templar . The injured protoss trailed off. Juras and Martul shared a look the dark templar were an offshoot of the protoss, renegades who d fled Aiur long ago. Could this protoss be hallucinating? They opened warp gate to world. What world? Martul asked gently, her touch on the wounded protoss mind feather light. Far away. Where? Juras asked more urgently, stepping forward. "Far . " Could you sense anything while the warp gate was open? he asked forcefully. We must find our people. Do not know Juras felt Martul s hand on his arm, pulling him back. He turned to regard her. Perhaps he had brought a sense of balance to her view of the world. But she d brought a sense of balance to his view as well. Their people still lived, somewhere far away. Juras and Martul would lead the motherships through the darkness of space until they found their people, even if it took years. Then Juras would deliver the motherships into the hands of the protoss, and they would bring fire and death down on the zerg. They would take back what was theirs. Juras had dreamed of meeting an alien intelligence, of washing away the shame of the Kalath Intercession. Now he d met an alien intelligence, and his only dream was to see its destruction.
StarCraft Lore: Colossus There was no way out. The screams made him certain of that. He could sense the dark templar huddled together in panic, their structure surrounded on all sides, but he was powerless to intervene. Their fear burned into his mind until his consciousness was pierced with it, each sensation bright and distinct before bleeding away into the abyss. He already knew how it would end. The machines were coming.... "Commander, we are reaching the borders of the security zone." Aldrion's eyes snapped open, and after a moment's hesitation, the high templar collected his thoughts enough to return the pilot's message through the ship's communicator. "On my way, Zoraya." He wondered why the alarm he'd set earlier hadn't roused him, even though he could feel its pulse resonating against his skin. The visions had been troublesome even before he had left Shakuras, and his current mission only seemed to add to their weight. But Executor Selendis had entrusted this decision to him after conversing with the Hierarchy. He would not disappoint his people. Still deep in thought, he made his way from the small meditation chamber to the ship's bridge. The crew had already assembled an unusual party consisting of two other Aiur warriors like him and a lone dark templar pilot. They were the only ones who could be spared, despite the fact that he scarcely knew them. Even the ship was unfamiliar; he merely recognized that it was of dark templar construction. He glanced up to survey the viewscreen. "This area has not been patrolled for some time. We may encounter resistance," Aldrion warned. For the sake of the dark templar, he was obliged to use words in his psionic communications instead of conveying his emotions through the Khala. His Aiur brethren had long defined themselves by the mental connection that allowed them to convey their thoughts and feelings to one another effortlessly. Those who opposed the Khala, seeking to retain their individuality, had become exiles: the dark templar. Their long estrangement had ended when Aiur had fallen to the zerg some years ago, but the peace was a tenuous one. Unlike many Aiur protoss of similar rank and experience, Aldrion did not mind accommodating the dark templar's foreign ways when the occasion called for it. With times like these, he no longer had the luxury of intolerance. Still, he could always sense the barriers within the minds of the dark templar, even as he reached out to touch their thoughts. They seemed cold. "Activate the cloaking field," he ordered. Zoraya gratified him with a short affirmative. The dark templar were not known for being verbose. There was a low hum, and the interior lights dimmed as the pilot skillfully manipulated the ship's energy resources to hide its presence. Any viewers outside the ship would have sworn it had melted into the starry expanse. "Do not be concerned, Commander." Telbrus, the second-in-command, turned to him from across the bridge. "The Aiur protoss do not need to hide in the shadows to fight!" "Surely, your Aurigan kin have honored us too graciously by sparing you, Telbrus," Aldrion replied dryly, surveying his hulking companion with a hint of mirth. In many ways Telbrus was emblematic of his relatives strong, brave, and a bit too proud. "But we must not betray our mission with any unnecessary displays of combat." Zoraya turned from her control panel to address the pair of high templar farther back on the bridge. "I am reading life signatures ahead dozens of them...." She paused to read the ship's scans. "Confirmed. They are zerg." Darsiris, the youngest member of the crew, glanced up anxiously from the data console on the rear wall of the bridge. Though he had completed the rigorous instruction required for a zealot, his inexperience still showed in his features and mannerisms. Now his first taste of battle was seconds away, and Darsiris's mind was thick with excitement and fear.
"Prepare for combat," Aldrion ordered. "Defensive only," he added, noting how eagerly Telbrus had moved to the weapons station. Darsiris followed him nervously. "Brace yourselves," Zoraya warned before the ship plunged into a gut-pinching spiral, looping beneath a large group of writhing monsters. They were difficult to identify when they massed together, but from experience Aldrion guessed they were mutalisks. The creatures paused in their patrol, chittering suspiciously among themselves, and then resumed their course. The dark templar took advantage of the opening to surge upward, negotiating two more groups before reaching another safe point. Aldrion was becoming quite impressed with her skill when a hard stop brought his thoughts back to their predicament. Another group of mutalisks streamed before them in a flurry of wings and teeth. Zoraya waited intently, her eyes fixed on the viewscreen. Just when their route seemed clear, one of the grotesque creatures spun backward, making contact with the ship's shields. Its mouth gaped as if to emit a single great cry, and suddenly the ship was covered in zerg. "Fire!" Aldrion commanded, his urgency crackling through the crew members' minds like electricity. Zoraya reacted swiftly, sending the ship ducking and spinning away from the mutalisks' assault, but Telbrus and Darsiris still managed to strike their targets with surgical precision. Their weapons sent eyes, teeth, and delicate leathery wings dissolving into space as the vessel surged forward. It was then that Aldrion sensed Telbrus's growing agitation. This was the first combat that the Aurigan had seen since Aiur due to his extensive injuries, and he was relishing his chance at vengeance against the zerg. Aldrion reached out to him psionically and winced at the unexpected intensity of his subordinate's emotions. He had never felt such white-hot fury in a protoss's mind before. Aldrion fought against Telbrus's anger, sending thoughts of calm and focus to his crew member. But Telbrus only closed himself off in response, refusing to communicate. His shots rained down through a dozen more targets, leaving a shimmering curtain of blood in their wake. There was no time to revel in victory. Even as the pulverized remains drifted away, a fresh group of zerg surged toward them, encircling the vessel on all sides and pummeling the shields. They were trapped. "Zoraya, get us out of here!" Aldrion called. "Back to Shakuras?" "No... we have come this far. Identify the safest known coordinates near our destination." "There is not much time, Commander!" Darsiris interjected. "I have no data for that vicinity." Zoraya was still trying to steer defensively, but the growing number of enemies limited her options. "Searching the neighboring systems.... If we hold our fire, I can re-route power to the navigation matrix. It may be able to finish the search before the next wave arrives." "See it done," Aldrion answered, fixing his gaze on Telbrus. The massive high templar pulled himself away from the weapons station angrily enough to startle Darsiris. Zoraya set to work, dimming the lights to the lowest functional level and minimizing any other energy output. Without warning, the mutalisks altered their strategy and began expelling glave wurms in a concentrated area. The parasites rammed into the ship hard enough to penetrate the last of the shields. The dark templar vessel was well-crafted, but it could not withstand several blows from such a vast force. Another impact sent the ship shuddering as several of the crystal energy systems fell to half power. "The shields are down." Zoraya was hurrying, but they were taking heavy damage. Darsiris examined the view screen. He could see some of the smaller creatures assaulting the vessel's broken metal casing. It was impossible to shoot them now without damaging the ship as well. He caught
movement from the corner of his eye and noticed a large dark shape shifting through the mutalisks, hardly visible against the beating wings. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to make out... an overlord? "How long?" Aldrion demanded. "Almost complete..." Darsiris shuddered as the creature advanced, its numerous crimson eyes seeming to center on him through the ship's viewscreen. With a massive groan, the hull began to crack, and all of the zerg rushed toward the opening. They were so close, he could count the teeth between their viciously curved fangs. He felt the ship shake as the damaged sector became depressurized for a few seconds before automatically sealing the breach. Zoraya concentrated on the progress monitor as she counted seconds, half-seconds.... "Now!" The ship winked into darkness. ***** Darsiris suppressed his initial disgust as he opened his eyes to see a dark templar's severed nerve cords immediately before him. The cranial appendages allowed the protoss to enter the Khala, but only when they were intact. He knew that the dark templar had chosen to truncate them, but it was still jarring to see the mutilation up close. He would rather lose his life than the link to his people. He realized that he and the rest of the crew must have fallen in the confusion. Zoraya had scarcely waited for the ship to seal itself before she had warped it away from the zerg. Relaxing, he began to examine her more leisurely. Aside from the cords, her dark features were symmetrical and marked with intelligence. Even beauty. Wincing, she regained consciousness. Her large opalescent eyes opened to meet his. "Are you alright?" he asked. Her brow furrowed, and she seemed confused by his consideration. "I am." Darsiris tilted his head gently in a protoss gesture of kindness. He saw that Aldrion and Telbrus were uninjured across the bridge. "What are the damages, Zoraya?" Aldrion inquired, rising to his feet gingerly. "Part of the hull has been destroyed.... Many of the ship's non-essential systems are not functioning or are working at reduced capacity.... I was able to isolate the compromised portion of the hull, but I do not know how effective it will be, given the damage to the surrounding areas...." She paused to read the ship's latest updates on the control panel in front of her. "The shattered crystals seem to be causing the scanners to fail." "Can we reach our objective?" Aldrion leaned against one of the banisters that divided the command center from Zoraya's seat at the navigation console below. "With a few adjustments. It may not be the smoothest ride, but I think it will suffice." "If only we had a proper ship from Aiur," Telbrus lamented before Aldrion silenced him with a warning look. "Let us proceed." Aldrion turned back to Zoraya. "Telbrus and I will check the damaged area to ensure that it is properly sealed. Darsiris, keep an eye out for any unusual activity along our course." He quit the room silently, his movement marked by the peculiar elegance native to the protoss. ***** "You did very well," Darsiris said to the dark templar pilot after Aldrion and Telbrus left. "Do not be concerned about Telbrus; his situation is complicated." Darsiris had seen the Aurigan before in one of the rehabilitation wards on Shakuras. They had not been formally introduced at that time, but Darsiris couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward another injured refugee of Aiur especially a fellow warrior. "Indeed," she said stonily. "None of our ships could have done better in that situation... and certainly none of our pilots."
Zoraya glanced up at him in surprise. The zealot was young, and she supposed that his time on Shakuras had altered some of the traditional prejudices. "Thank you. Sometimes I worry that reunification has only widened the gap between our two peoples." "But here we are a mixed crew on a vital mission. Maybe change is upon us." "Yet I am the only dark templar." Darsiris shifted uncomfortably. "The executor is not overly fond of your people. But she will learn in time." "Like Telbrus?" Zoraya remarked unhappily. "The executor appointed Aldrion to lead this mission. He has fought beside the dark templar with dignity and honor in many missions." "He is one of few." "Maybe that is why she wants him to decide whether or not we will reactivate the colossi, starting with this one," Darsiris said. "Though in his heart, I think Aldrion would rather leave them all at rest." "Perhaps his wish will be granted. Any number of disasters could have occurred since the Kalath Intercession." "That is true, of course," Darsiris replied, privately amused that his pilot companion would think of such technicalities. "The craftsmanship of our people was unequalled even then, but time favors the unexpected." "The colossi's destructive power was enough that they were sealed away for centuries, and yet they may not even be operational now." "You feel our mission is in vain?" "No. My people have always loved Aiur. We share the devastation of the refugees on Shakuras. A weapon that can help us fight the zerg must be investigated, no matter how dangerous or uncertain it is." She lowered her head gently and met Darsiris's gaze. Her strange appearance had made him uncomfortable at first, but conversing with her was proving to be deeply interesting. "Besides, there is a certain excitement in uncovering a weapon after hundreds of years." Darsiris was pleased with her answer. "Who knows what the Conclave would think if they saw us here, desperate enough to reactivate what they forbade?" He stared up into the ship's oval viewscreen, brilliant with the light of distant galaxies. It reminded him of an old childhood dream that the stars themselves were an ancient code, cut into the dark parchment of the sky by the creators and then gradually forgotten over time.... ***** "I do not think Executor Selendis could have found anyone who would worry about this more than you do," Telbrus said, staring at his commander. The ship's corridors were littered with debris, requiring the two warriors to walk single file. Aldrion was quick to take the lead. "I think that is precisely why she found me," Aldrion replied. The ship's ongoing journey seemed to be aggravating some of the damage on the vessel, and the ceiling rumbled in periodic despair. When he focused on the noise, he felt sure that it was getting louder.... "Wait, Telbrus " "What?" As Telbrus glanced upward, an unexpected vibration caught him off guard. One of the ceiling panels worked itself loose, spilling luminescent coils beside the two protoss. "We are not alone here." Aldrion stared at the ceiling warily. Telbrus followed his commander's gaze. "I will head in." With easy grace, he grasped the sides of the empty frame where the panel had been and lifted himself into the narrow service passage. After a moment, Aldrion followed. "Search this side. I will take the other," Aldrion said, crouching to fit himself in the small space. He wasn't sure what he would encounter in the unfamiliar vessel, but the majority of the tunnel seemed to be undamaged, making the persistent rattling all the more bewildering.
Telbrus gave an affirmative and crawled away from Aldrion. His wide-set shoulders pressed against the walls uncomfortably, but he was far too concerned to let that stall him. Then his hand slid against something wet and thick. He looked down at his palm slowly, watching the liquid slide between his fingers in horror. He could just make out a fanged mouth in the darkness ahead, its teeth gleaming as it rushed toward him. ***** "We have arrived," Zoraya stated, shifting the ship's engines into a neutral state. Darsiris moved toward the viewscreen to survey their location. A handful of planets was scattered amid a field of asteroids scarred, rocky spheres devoid of life and atmosphere. The sun was in its death throes, lacking the energy to emit more than a thin red light from its depleted core. Within a few centuries, the entire system would be plunged into darkness. "This is the resting place of a colossus?" he exclaimed. "This is one of the recorded coordinates," Zoraya affirmed quietly. "They must have chosen this region for its remoteness.... There are so few warp gates, and it is particularly far from any of them. Searching these asteroids individually would take lifetimes." "The positioning has shifted in some areas, but the colossus should be easy enough to locate with the information from the preserver," Zoraya replied, referring to one of the rare, gifted Aiur protoss who were capable of carrying the memories of their people. Few preservers had survived the chaos of recent years, and their knowledge was more valuable than ever. Unexpectedly, Telbrus's voice cut into Darsiris's thoughts. "The ship's scanners are they up yet?" Darsiris paused to examine the status updates. "Not in your location. The damage will take some time to repair. Is everything alright?" "There is something on the ship...." Telbrus's thoughts shifted abruptly as a sudden movement drew his attention. "Telbrus!" Darsiris cried, reaching out psionically to the high templar. Telbrus was too distracted to respond to him directly, but Darsiris felt the Aurigan's surge of might as he gathered his psionic energy and focused it on his enemy?then, a jolt of grim satisfaction. ***** "It is dead," Telbrus said, twisting backward to catch a glimpse of Aldrion in the narrow tunnel, but there was only darkness. "There are more of them on my side." Aldrion's thoughts streamed urgently to the entire crew. "We need to land the ship. Now!" Zoraya accelerated into the asteroid field, swerving expertly to avoid numerous meteors and planetoids. The proximity beacon began to flash enthusiastically on the viewscreen as the ship's destination a hollowed tooth of an asteroid spun closer into view. With a swift corkscrew spin, Zoraya drove the vessel toward the center of the rock and stopped just above the surface. She was readying the landing gear when a sudden observation made her pause. "Darsiris, there is a gravitational field on this part of the asteroid! The energy signature is faint probably very old but I believe it is protoss in origin." She began powering down the ship's thrusters, allowing the artificial gravity to pull the vessel to the ground. "It seems we have come to the right place, then," Darsiris replied, his eyes wide with excitement. He started to collect the equipment they would need for the expedition, not hesitating to get his own armor in case more zerg were found on the ship. He nearly had everything together when Aldrion and Telbrus returned to the bridge. Both were splattered with a noxious substance that made Darsiris wince as he handed them their battle armor. "Did you get all of them?"
"There are too many passages to search them individually, but I believe so," Aldrion replied, cleaning himself off brusquely before donning his armor. He took special care in fitting the collar with a small crystalline device that functioned as a respirator in hostile environments, and briefly ensured that the others followed suit. When everything was in place, he lowered the exit ramp and stepped off the ship, the crew trailing behind him. "Most of the creatures were injured, but they were able to get deeper into the ship than I had expected...." "None of us could have known," Darsiris finished. Telbrus rounded on him with narrowed eyes. "Of course we could have, if this worthless dark templar vessel had been built properly." He slammed his fist into one of the asteroid's larger rocks emphatically. Zoraya stepped forward, but she stopped after catching a desperate glance from Darsiris. There is no time for that nonsense now." Aldrion laid his hand firmly on Telbrus's shoulder. "We are on this mission to investigate whether the colossus can help us save protoss lives. It is not my intention to endanger any of yours." Telbrus shrugged dismissively and strode forward into a large tunnel, illuminating the darkness with one of his psi blades. The data had indicated that the colossus was hidden away here, just below the asteroid's surface. After a short distance, the psi blade's eerie blue light revealed a classic protoss structure, its smooth, polished metal contrasting strangely with the asteroid's corrugated surface. Each elegant golden archway was punctuated with metallic discs and azure accents. He moved closer, drawing the blade in an arc over the sealed doorway as he searched for the security panel. "Here!" he exclaimed, but his next step revealed only a twisted, damaged interface. Telbrus continued, tracing the length of the wall. The ceiling had begun caving in on the far side, ruining most of the framework around the panel. Aldrion paused, glancing warily at the ruins, then joined Telbrus and attempted to enter the pass code detailed in Executor Selendis's instructions. All eyes were on the panel. A red light flashed and then dimmed out. Aldrion began again, entering the code precisely and deliberately. Another pause. The red light flashed and dimmed out. Aldrion tried entering the code once more with the same result, and he turned to his crew with a mix of frustration and relief. "It seems the damage has been too great to allow us entry into the vault." Perhaps it was the levelness of Aldrion's thoughts, or his easy resignation, but Telbrus could not remain silent. "Maybe you are not entering the code properly. There must be some error!" "The preservers do not make errors." "But you do. Selendis sent you here to make a decision, not to abandon the mission at the first opportunity!" "No one is abandoning anything," Darsiris interrupted, his eyes flashing. "We can contact the executor and receive her counsel. Surely she will have a solution." "I already have a solution," Telbrus said, brandishing his psi blade fiercely. "We break down the door and get the colossus by force." He was ready to begin his assault when Aldrion dashed forward and laid a restraining hand on his arm. "Such an act would be immeasurably foolish! Do you not realize how closely guarded this structure is? Even with half of its defenses destroyed, we could all die in an instant from your recklessness!" "Better than dying from the zerg because of your indecision." "There are more consequences to my decision than you are willing to see," Aldrion returned darkly. "The colossus can kill more than just zerg. It is not a wise weapon to bring to a troubled people." "What are we to do then, when the zerg come? Rely on the weaponry of our allies?" Telbrus sneered, glaring at Zoraya, who returned his gaze with undisguised contempt. "The dark templar lost Aiur for us, Aldrion. They watched it burn and did nothing!" "Ignorant wretch! You would defile the sacrifices of Tassadar and Adun?" Aldrion demanded.
"Nearly everyone I knew died on Aiur," Telbrus replied slowly, and fragments of his memories filtered through the mental link as he became too agitated to repress them. "They tore me from them.... My family..." The kindly elders of the Auriga, their heads tilted in amusement as they watched the young ones play... a companion's arms wrapped warmly around him in the replenishing afternoon sun... a hopeful novice who loved to hear legends of heroic templar... "... my friends..." A sparring partner whose favorite move was a swift overhand jab... a quiet classmate who studied late into the night... a stern teacher and his first recognition of Telbrus's skill in battle... "... lost...." The zerg covered their homes like a rushing tide. Longing, straining to save them, but someone held him back. A dark templar. Then more of the shadowy warriors came, pulling him away from the ones who needed him most. Empty words filled his head.... Evacuation.... You cannot save them.... Too late.... Retreat to the warp gate.... But the war was already over. He was already dead. Stunned, Darsiris turned to Zoraya, hoping to offer her some reassurance. But the pilot didn't notice him; all of her energy was focused on a wide crystalline band around her wrist that had illuminated with a warning violet glow. He recognized it as a communicator that was linked with the ship's sensors. "Commander," Zoraya said haltingly, "I have detected dozens of zerg signals in our proximity. It is not clear how they identified our position " "Is there a colony near this system?" Darsiris asked. "We cannot be certain. There is no recent data for this area," Aldrion said. "And even when we do send out scouts, they are often killed before their intelligence can reach us...." His words hung in their thoughts like a grim prophecy. "They are heading for this asteroid; we must act swiftly." Zoraya met Aldrion's gaze, and he sensed a tentative trust in her words. Aldrion lowered his head. "Then my choice has been made for me." ***** Despite the lingering tension, the greatest chance of success rested on sending the two most experienced warriors to infiltrate the colossus's holding chamber while the other two covered them with the ship's weaponry. Unable to hide his lingering reluctance, Aldrion shuttered his thoughts and ordered his crew members back to the ship to make the final preparations. At his command, Zoraya gingerly guided the vessel down into the asteroid's narrow tunnel, parking it within optimal firing range of the crumbling facade. Darsiris stood before the ship's weapons station at nervous attention. "We are ready, then?" Aldrion inquired. He gazed at his crew thoughtfully for a moment, then headed down the exit ramp. Telbrus followed him closely. The interior of the tunnel was scarred from numerous collapses, but that suited their tactics. Aldrion chose one of the larger rock formations near the facade and motioned for Telbrus to join him behind it. When everyone was prepared, Darsiris took aim and fired the ship's weaponry at the massive metal door. Unexpectedly, a holographic image of a judicator appeared before the facade wall. Transparent and riddled with static, the protoss began to speak in an authoritative tone befitting his caste. "Warning, traveler! You have approached a forbidden area. Intruders will be severely punished." "Rather polite for a security alert, is it not? Maybe this will not be so difficult," Darsiris mused as he watched through the viewscreen. He was quietly pleased with having another chance to share the bridge with Zoraya, who had joined him at the weapons station.
"We shall see." She opened fire on the door. The weakened metal panel was falling in readily when the iridescent discs above it fluttered like the wings of insects, revealing row after row of photon cannons. "Fire at the other rocks! They need some cover! Hurry!" Darsiris cried. Seconds later, the cannons began to aim at any moving object, nearly annihilating the entire area. Each shot bit deep into the ground, and even with the debris, it was a matter of seconds before Aldrion and Telbrus's cover had been reduced to dust. Darsiris and Zoraya fired at the door a few more times, creating a hole large enough for the others to enter. "Go!" Aldrion ordered. He and Telbrus leapt as one, narrowly avoiding dozens of bolts. When they reached the doorway, Aldrion shoved Telbrus through the opening as several cannons turned toward them. Darsiris reacted quickly, unleashing all of the ship's weapons in a full-out barrage that brought down half the ceiling. Aldrion had just enough time to pull himself through the door before the falling rocks blocked off the entire entryway. "I thought I was the reckless one!" Telbrus exclaimed, trying to suppress his concern as he helped Aldrion to his feet. "Recklessness is necessary at certain times." The two templar began running down the dark hall, both pairs of their psi blades illuminating the path. The structure's high ceilings were supported by rows of slim columns, none of which looked particularly sturdy after their long service. "We are nearly there!" A warning rumble vibrated through the hall, fracturing a column near them. Telbrus seized Aldrion's arm and dragged him to safety just as stone crumbled behind him. Gratitude, warm and earnest, flooded Telbrus's mind, but he was too distracted to register it. "The structure is self-destructing." Telbrus glanced around anxiously as he continued. "And the zerg will be here soon." "You are not doing this just to save the crew, are you?" Telbrus paused to examine his commander. "Keep going. We haven't much time. I know that the zerg are an enemy like no other. Their ruthlessness challenges every preconceived notion of warfare that we possess. But I cannot let my people lose themselves in battle even a battle as important as this." The hall widened before them. They had entered the vault. In the distance, Telbrus could just make out the ominous silhouette of the colossus. "The protoss fight honorably," Aldrion continued. "A templar's blade is as pure as his heart. But the colossus is a war machine with no function except to destroy. I believe it can destroy the zerg utterly. And what then?" He turned to Telbrus. "What of the ongoing tension between the dark templar and the Aiur protoss? Will we survive as the Daelaam, one united people? Or will a thousand years of fear and hatred continue to separate us? How dangerous will this weapon be with those emotions running rampant?" "Protoss will not kill protoss," Telbrus said quietly. "Not now, no. But they have before. And your own words are proof that the bitterness lives on. Perhaps the only way for you to understand is to experience it directly." With a suddenness that burned through him, Aldrion revealed his vision to Telbrus through the Khala. Telbrus was momentarily overwhelmed as the vision overtook his consciousness. The darkened vault faded away, and he found himself within Aldrion's body, resting in the high templar's quarters on Shakuras. However, the familiar building was strangely deserted. His eyes strained to see, and, turning, he moved toward a window. Gazing into it, he saw that the courtyard was empty. Not a single being had emerged to enjoy the peaceful grounds, but he could sense the presence of others across the way deep within a structure that housed many high-ranking dark templar and their kin. He felt their fear threading through him, a sharp sensation that bordered on pain.
"Help!" a female voice called to him from the other side of the structure's walls. "Stop them before more die. Help us!" Telbrus was searching for a reply when the colossi appeared on the horizon, bearing down on a band of shadowy warriors. The dark templar scattered to increase their chances of survival against the machines, running for the shelter of the structure. The colossi followed. "Run!" Telbrus thought furiously. "Hurry!" With a soft mechanical hum, the colossi's twin thermal lances aimed at the dark templar residence and fired. The walls melted in seconds, and those who were not instantly vaporized were reduced to heaps of rubble. Telbrus felt a devastating shock as dozens of lives were lost innocent lives who had only sought unity. Lives the protoss were not supposed to take. One of the colossi turned and fired, leveling a second building, and soon all of the colossi were shooting at once, beams crossing through the air in a frenzied pattern. The psionic cries from the dark templar's deaths battered Telbrus with increasing intensity. He had not felt such anguish since the fall of Aiur. Then stillness. The colossi retreated. Cautiously, he emerged from his untouched vantage point. Only smoldering ruins awaited him across the courtyard, but he kept walking. Already the wind was beginning to carry away the fragments of ash, and a single powerful gust swept the ground fully clear before him. Then he saw it: the shadow of a dark templar who had stood against the rain of ruin. The owner of the voice that had called to him for help. He knew her: it was Zoraya. The assault had pinned her corpse to the ground, incinerating every surrounding molecule until a silhouette, loving in its perfection and detail, had been etched into the earth. He fell to his knees as revulsion and guilt seized him. "Telbrus." Aldrion's hand was steady on his shoulder. "It is only a possibility... only one version of the future that may visit us. But I cannot be the architect of that future. Do you see?" "Our people," Telbrus began weakly, "... we are on the verge of another tragedy.... But I can change. I can show the others how to change...." Aldrion examined his companion's mind with bittersweet satisfaction. Telbrus's headstrong enthusiasm had been tempered into a sense of duty at the expense of great pain. Aldrion gazed up at the colossus, both magnificent and terrifying in its size and power. Four spiny legs towered before him, with a raindrop-shaped structure at its apex that held the machine's twin weapons. "Activate it," Aldrion urged as the sound of zerglings echoed down the hall. "I will shield you." Telbrus hesitated for a moment, confusion muddling his thoughts, and then pressed forward as the network of support beams began to crack overhead. Chunks of splintered metal fell around him, and the zerglings poured in through every opening. Cringing, Telbrus summoned his strength and ascended the giant machine. Aside from a thick coat of dust, it was in excellent condition. His studies had indicated that crystals situated between the lasers powered the colossi. Steadying his hands against the vault's increasingly disruptive tremors, he focused on initiating the activation process. Aldrion was too strained to offer any guidance. Brandishing his psi blades, he charged into the growing zergling assault. The center of the roof was riddled with holes, each crack spreading farther than the last. His eyes caught a flash of light Zoraya's ship? Then a slow, sickening groan began to resonate through the entire vault. "It still works!" exclaimed Telbrus as the colossus began to hum, a gentle glow spreading through its crystalline panels. The giant's long legs, strangely elegant, began picking through the rubble toward the opening that had been cleaved through the ceiling. It was too high for a templar to reach, but the machine was tall enough to have a chance at clearing it.
Aldrion moved to follow, but another group of zerglings, much larger than what he had faced before, rushed to intercept Telbrus's path. The commander leapt forward, drawing the zerglings' attention away from the retreating colossus. "Aldrion! We have to get out of here!" Telbrus twisted back to examine the other high templar as the colossus ascended the wreckage. The zerglings were close on his heels, but Aldrion led them in a wide arc away from the opening. He paused, summoning a psionic storm that decimated many of the zerglings. But there was still too much ground to cover in too little time. A massive pillar began to teeter above him as the last supports of the building started to crumble. "Do not worry, Telbrus," the commander said. "You will do well. Our people will be proud all of our people." The pillar shattered, taking the rest of the structure with it. Fiery bursts of energy leapt up as the last of the entire vault's infrastructure collapsed, sending rock, metal, and zerg corpses flying haphazardly. Zoraya tried to guide the ship closer, but there was no way to intervene without damaging the vessel. Suddenly brilliant energy beams shot through the rubble, blasting away until they left a huge crater. In its center stood Telbrus and the colossus. "Aldrion...?" Darsiris asked, hoping blindly that the emptiness he felt was an accident. "He gave his life so that I could escape." "His remains?" Telbrus could only manage a simple gesture of hopelessness. He stood numbly as Zoraya landed the ship and began loading the colossus that Aldrion had entrusted to him. The machine was dented and scratched but ready for battle. Telbrus was unsure of himself. He did not move until Darsiris approached him. "It is time to return," the zealot said. Zoraya was watching them from the ship's exit ramp. Telbrus tried to communicate with her and found that her thoughts were closed to him, but he could not help but find relief in seeing her alive... strong... not the broken victim in his vision. "Please tell her that I am sorry," Telbrus said. "I am so sorry... for everything I have said and for everything her people have endured since they rescued us." Darsiris agreed to relay the message and hurried back, overcome by emotion. Telbrus boarded the ship, slowly removed his battle regalia, and decided to spend the lengthy voyage in deep meditation. He gazed at the asteroid one last time, noting how their encounter had left it more shattered than ever. But as the ship launched, a strange marking caught his eye. Thinking back, he tried to place it. He had only been a short distance away from the structure when the final cave-in had occurred. Telbrus realized that the colossus's blast must have cleared away the stones where Aldrion had passed his final moments in crushing agony. He knew then that the marking was Aldrion's shadow, etched into the ground by the burning fury of the colossus's lasers. And that shadow would always be at his back.
StarCraft Lore: Changeling It was always the damned KMs. Here they were in the middle of one of humanity s darkest hours, with two alien menaces wreaking havoc on the Koprulu sector, and the Kel-Morians were busy threatening the Dominion s mining interests. Yep, the KMs were why Walden Briggs found himself on this barren moon-mining colony high above Roxara s orbit and seemingly light years away from Korhal IV or anything close to what he considered civilization. Or at least that s what he was thinking as he marched, left foot, then right, with four other marines from Zeta Squad, decked out in heavy CMC-300 power armor toward the mineralfilled caverns some eight miles ahead. Roxara s moon was the least scenic place in the galaxy, nothing but dust and rock beneath an endless canvas of winking stars. Well, nothing but dust, rock, stars, and a mother lode of coveted resources. Hey, Jenkins, Hendrix said, his voice hollow through the com in his helmet. I got one for ya. Oh, here we go again, Wynne interrupted, his usual dim chuckle quick to follow. This one best actually be funny, Jenkins said as he scanned the vast plain in front of him. In the distance he could see refining plants and other structures in various stages of construction. It looked like a city of skeletons, unfinished scaffolding: the bare bones of what could be. Cut the chatter, kids. This one s a yellow. May actually be something this time. Walden knew the reaction he was going to get before he even said it. Nothing about this mission seemed to make sense to any of them, and he knew it. Oh, no, Sarge says this one might just be a yeller. Whatever are we to do? Hendrix laid the sarcasm on thick. Shut it, Hendrix, Walden snapped. Come on, ease off, Sarge. Ain t been a zerg attack in four fekkin years; ain t no one seen them protoss neither; and the Kel-Morian bastards ain t really much of a threat to us after we been through all of that. I mean, otherwise they d have sent more than Zeta Squad and the outdated Confederate junk we call weapons and armor here, Hendrix continued. Outdated junk. There s an understatement. That s a compliment to the garbage we got. That means one time our stuff was actually usable, Jenkins added, flashing that prize-winning smile of his. What s an understatement mean again? Wynne asked, chuckling. I don t know how they let you in the damned military in the first place, Brody, the enforcer of the group, chimed in. Now, listen to the sarge and shut your yaps before I shut em for ya. Brody was the most intimidating man in any group he ever found himself a part of, and he knew it. It wasn t that good of a joke anyway, Hendrix said meekly. Walden liked having Brody around. Those Kel-Morian dirt bags may not be much compared to the zerg, but it doesn t mean their agents can t sabotage our mining here, Walden said. Sides, we have our orders, and we re going to follow them like good little marines; you scan me? Aye aye, sir, Jenkins responded, a flash of sarcasm flaring in his dark eyes. The mission was a simple one. Five members of Zeta Squad were to head to the mining cavern at Binion s Point to make sure there weren t any Kel-Morian agents wiring nuclear devices to the processors inside. Easy enough, if not an odd use of military personnel. By the time Zeta reached the entrance to the cavern, the last hints of daylight were seeping away. The marines long shadows stretched into giants, desperately clinging to the last moments of sunlight before fading into the allconsuming dark. Don t we have scanners for this, boss? I mean, it still don t make a heck of a lotta sense that we was called all the way out here to do some cave exploration. Hendrix peered into the cavern below.
Look, if any of those KM ops are down there, we re sending a message back to Moria that we ain t playin . Sure, it ain t normal, but I can see the logic, Brody said sternly. I don t know. Hendrix is right, Brod: this is strange, Jenkins added. Walden knew that Hendrix and Jenkins had a point. This was an unusual assignment for a squad of marines pulled out of service from a planet a warp-jump away. But despite that, one thing Walden did have faith in was the Dominion. It was the one thing he stood for, the one thing he knew he could trust. Sure, he knew all about the rabble-rousers who saw Emperor Arcturus Mengsk as some sort of tyrant. He knew all about terrorist scum like Jim Raynor and his Raiders. But none of it ever made a lick of sense to him. These were dark times, scary times, times more frightening than any civil liberty violation could ever be. These were times that required a tough leader like Mengsk. When Walden had first heard about Chau Sara all those years ago, his heart felt as if it had fallen into his stomach. He was on Tarsonis. The sky was azure. Perfect. He was in Bennet Park, sitting on a bench and reading an article on his fone. It was a fluff piece about a DJ who had pulled herself from the Gutter of southwest Tarsonis City to become one of the hottest club draws on the planet. He could even remember her name, DJ Atmosphere, and her photo staring up at him, a dark-haired beauty behind overwhelming blue mascara. Then a flashing red scroll snaked across her face: Chau Sara incinerated by an as-yet-unknown alien race. He remembered how surreal it had been even as he read the words. Alien race ? Incinerations? And then, the gravity of it all had hit him: it felt literal. His knees gave out, and he sank off the park bench onto the cool wet grass. He knew someone who had moved to Chau Sara recently, Rudy Russell, a buddy from his childhood who d become a satellite mechanic his buddy who was incinerated. It hadn t taken long for the fear to seep in the anxiety that anywhere could be next and no one was safe. That fear had turned into anger filling his body as if someone had poured a pot of coffee into his veins. Years later he wondered if that headline grabber Jim Raynor ever felt that anger. Dissent from your government was a luxury that could come when people no longer feared the words zerg and protoss. So, no matter how unusual this mission seemed, Walden wasn t going to question its rationale. Jenkins, you don t get paid to question. You get paid to kill. You got that? Now let s go, Walden said, moving forward. Shoot, Sarge, I didn t even know that the piss-poor amount of credits I get was even considered gettin paid. Jenkins smiled, turning on the lamps affixed to his armor. Brody shoved Jenkins from behind. Jenkins knew better than to retaliate. They had split up into parties of two, with one marine, Hendrix, a recon specialist, going at it alone. The cave was damp, and even in their pressurized CMCs the air was thick with the smell of kladdical moss, a pungent plant that grew on the moon and choked its caverns walls. They d been searching for what seemed like an hour, each carefully following the digital map that guided him through his assigned quadrant. All were about to come to the conclusion that the cave was empty. Bandai-Seven to the Rooster all clear down here, Sarge, Wynne said as his lights cut into the dark ahead to reveal little more than an unused SCV. Except for that smell. Remind me to never go into a cave full of this junk again. I ll be sure to do that, cupcake, Brody said, smacking Wynne s shoulder. But I just assumed it was you . Now come on. We re clear. Roger that, Hendrix said over the comm. All clear here too. Walden and Jenkins pressed forward on a different side of the cave. Walden always had a pretty great poker face, one that Jenkins knew better than to throw in against, but at that moment Jenkins
could see right through it. Walden s thick black eyebrows were scrunched up as if they were trying to grab hold of each other. Confusion! Yeah, that s what that look was, thought Jenkins. Sarge is just as confused as the rest of us about why we re out here. Walden clenched his jaw, noticing that Jenkins was trying to read him. Don t give me that look. Just be happy you got yourself an all-expenses-paid vacation to the moon of? But he was interrupted suddenly by the sound of rocks sliding down the dirt. Hold it, boys. We might have a live one here. Heat signature! Jenkins shouted as he aimed his gauss rifle in the direction of the noise. Twelve o clock, down that hole. Maybe we do have ourselves a KM after all. Come on out, boy, because trust me, you don t want me coming in after ya. Whatever was scattering the rocks ahead was moving quickly. The two marines stalked forward. Zeta, rendezvous to this location on my mark. Yes, sir, Brody said, his breath heavy over the comm. Walden s heart rate was through the roof. He d heard that Kel-Morian spies often armed themselves with nuclear detonators and were known to blow themselves up upon capture, taking everyone with them. Savages. The marines were silent with anticipation: just the sound of their hearts throbbed in their ears. Walden took a deep breath and stepped forward. And there it was: a shadow curved over the dirt. Without warning Jenkins fired a barrage of hypersonic spikes. Die, you mother of . The rest was drowned in the heavy chugging sound of gunfire. Hold fire . Hold fire! Walden interrupted. Jenkins released the trigger. Cancel alarm. Walden shined his light on what Jenkins was shooting at: a zick slug, big, slimy, and indigenous to the caves of Roxara s moons. It was nothing but shredded meat now. Nice shooting, Jenkins, Walden said. Then to his comm he said, Nothing but one of them zslugs. Thought they cleared out all the life-forms before they started mining . Nothing to worry about. Hell. Poor thing crossed the wrong marines, Jenkins said, trying to cover his embarrassment. Idiot, Wynne snickered over the comm. All right, men, regroup at Alpha Nine-Tango. Looks like we get to go home early and dine on some fine Dominion rats. Binion s officially clean. Rats was the affectionate slang for rations, the prepackaged meals anyone in the Marine Corps was forced to accept as food. Why don t we fry up some of that z-slug instead damn thing s got to taste better, Wynne added. His chuckle, this time, was infectious. Hendrix was already waiting for them outside, his hulking shadow twisted in the eerie glow of Roxara s planetary light. Well, this is a rare sight if I do say so myself, Brody said gruffly. I ain t never seen you not be the last out, dragging that lazy ass of yours. Hendrix just looked at him. Wynne cackled from behind Brody. Hell, he ain t never been on time a day in his life. Finally Hendrix smiled and said, Jokes, cryptically before pushing down his visor and covering his face. Maybe you can teach an old specialist new tricks . Alright, we re done here. Jenkins, you got the data report? Walden asked. That is correct, sir. Move out. We got ourselves a nice hike under the stars. Walden began to march back. The marines formed a single-file line, with Walden leading the way like the head of a blue neosteel caterpillar crawling into the desolate moon night. Hey, Hendrix, you got a joke for us? Wynne asked, laughing like a naughty schoolboy just waiting to get scolded. Fekking Wynne, Brody said.
Well, excuse me for asking. The command center loomed in the distance, and after an eight-mile hike, Walden thought it might just be one of the more beautiful sights he had ever seen. Once inside, Zeta Squad went through the usual routine: security checks, armor removal, and relief. Alright, ladies. Get some rest. We leave at 2700. I ll uplink the data to Command. They all made cracks as usual before heading off their separate ways. They were a family, a dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless. Think this command center got poker? Wynne asked. I bet it does. If you re playing, so am I I could use a raise this week, Jenkins replied. Everyone was jovial despite the strange mission. Wait, that wasn t right; actually, Hendrix hadn t said much of anything. Now that he was gone, he began to weigh heavy on Walden s thoughts as he walked down the metallic corridors. It s not like him to be so quiet. Why didn t I think of that earlier? I should talk to him in the morning. Maybe the mission spooked him. A good sarge needs to be in tune with his men and willing to show a softer side from time to time. But this line of thought quickly slipped away as he opened the door to his cabin. He liked the fact that there were bunks inside the command center for a change. There was nothing quite like the feeling of the hour or so after having been in a CMC-300 suit all day. It was like being reborn. Walden was down to his boxers and t-shirt, sprawled out on what passed for a bed and watching UNN, the Dominion-run news network, on a holo. It still felt good to be able to stretch out his legs without the cling of neosteel, but he wasn t calm by any means. UNN reporter Kate Lockwell was doing a story about Jim Raynor s most recent terrorist act on Halcyon. The bastard had blown up a school, all in the name of defying what he called a corrupt imperial government that exploits its own citizens. How could a man live with himself after doing something like that? I ll take an imperial regime over a terrorist any day of the week . And to think, some people call him a hero. Raynor s face was emblazoned across the screen. He looked different from the man who was on Dominion-issue targets at the firing range. He d grown out his hair, and his face looked as if the wear and tear of years on the run had taken their toll: he looked older, maybe sadder. A loud scream forced Walden to sit upright. He hadn t heard a cry like that since the last days of the Brood War. Days he d prefer to forget. He leaped up from his bed just in time to answer the thumping on his door. Brody fell on top of him in a heap of red. His stomach was ripped open, and blood was pouring out, blood and literal guts. His face was a pale white, and he clutched desperately at Walden s shirt until it ripped. Oh, fuk, fuk, fuk, fuk. Hang on, Brody! Hang on! Walden knelt down, cradling the shivering corporal. Hendrix, Brody managed to get out, Hendrix isn t Hendrix. He s he s . He s what, Brody? What? Zerg, he said in a whisper, eyes staring up, unmoving. Zerg. The whisper grew softer, and his terse breathing stopped. Zerg? Hendrix is a zerg? That didn t make sense. But then Wynne and Jenkins ran down the hall. Sarge reactor core. That thing is in the reactor core. Come on. They both had needle-guns and were hell-bent on chasing their prey. Without thinking, Walden ran out, leaving his gun. We need to get Brody to the infirmary stat! Walden ordered. It s too late, Sarge: he ain t gonna make it, Jenkins said. We gotta make sure no one else ends up like that. What the fekk are we chasing? Walden asked, panting, heart rate accelerating. Hendrix ain t Hendrix. We just finished poker when we caught him down there in the operations room, scanning for security codes. Jenkins was rambling as he ran at a track star s pace.
When I asked him what the fekk he was doing, he just turned and smiled and walked away. I grabbed his arm, and he punched me harder than I ever been hit. He wasn t lying about that. Jenkins face had a swollen knob over his eye. He ran. Brody Brody, he tackled him, Wynne spat out. Then he oh, fekk he Hendrix changed. He was nothing but ooze and guts, like some sort of inside-out person. He it its hand turned into a bone like a blade and he stabbed Brody in the gut with it. Brody was able to get a shot off, though, and hit it. Hurt it before it ran, Jenkins added. Where the fekk s security? Walden managed to get out. Suiting up, Sarge. They hear zerg and it s all CMCs and gauss after that, Wynne responded. There wasn t the slightest hint of a chuckle in his voice this time. Walden s head was reeling. How could Hendrix be a zerg? What was he going to tell Brody s wife? What the fekk were they talking about? They were following a blood trail scattered across the floor, but that blood sure wasn t terran, no way. It congealed in thick gobs of purple protoplasmic mess that were sickening to the senses. We gotta get this thing before it escapes, Jenkins said as they rounded a corner, following biomatter down the metallic hallway toward a blast door. Wynne hastily opened the door. Inside, lying on the ground in a heap of gore was the fresh corpse of an SCV pilot. His lifeless eyes glared at them. His beard was soaked in his own blood, and his expression was full of shock and regret. It went down there, Wynne said, following the trail of matter toward a hatch. Sarge, you stay here and get them SEC down there as soon as they arrive. We ll go after it, Jenkins insisted. Sorry, marine. Not gonna happen, Walden commanded, even though every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than just to agree. Jenkins, this is my responsibility. You fall back and make sure the SEC knows that Wynne and I gave chase into the processing tunnels. Give me your needler. Yes, sir, Jenkins replied, handing over the weapon. Walden led the way and began his crawl down the ladder into the dark steamy depths of the reactor core. The screeching from below was almost unbearable. SKREEEEE, SKREEEEE, SKREEEEE! It was the sound of a wounded animal desperately looking for some way, any way, out. SKREEEE! That was a zerg, alright; Walden had spent enough time in the trenches, fighting those monstrosities, to know. His bare feet touched the warm metal floor. His toes sizzled as if he were walking on burning coals. Damn fusion processing. He coughed, choking back the steam. Zerg ain t dormant like they say, Sarge. Looks like they walking amongst us now. Wynne moved forward, needler held up and waiting to blast away at the first chance he got. But his words lingered. Looks like they re walking amongst us. For some reason it just didn t seem possible to Walden. SKREEEEE! Was it coming from the left? No, right. Wait! IN FRONT! Charging full bore at Wynne was the creature. It was humanoid in shape, still bearing many of Hendrix s features, but even through the steam it was clear to see that its body was morphing, changing, part human, part zerg: it looked like a person who had been pushed through a meat grinder and come out partially insectoid. Wynne fired only to be knocked on his back by the creature before it drove its bone blade into his guts with a loud animalistic yell. It stabbed repeatedly, twisting the bone blade over and over. Sarge! Oh, fuk, it hurts. Shoot it! Shoot it! Get off me . Sarge! Wynne shrieked, the pain unbearable. Walden was frozen, paralyzed by what he was seeing. This can t be happening. This can t be fuking happening! I ordered him here. I could have had him stay behind. Ahhhhhhhhhh! shrieked Wynne.
Then a jolt of rationality hit Walden, and he squeezed the trigger. But he didn t shoot the zerg. Instead, he put a needle right in Wynne s head, ending his suffering. He couldn t allow Wynne to die like that. He pointed the needler at the zerg, which was now slipping away, melding into the steam. The zerg s face peered back at him. But it wasn t Hendrix s torn face anymore it was Wynne s. Wynne s face glared right at him, eyes burning into Walden s soul, staring in accusation. Walden couldn t pull the trigger and kill Wynne twice. No way. All he could hear was Wynne s god-awful chuckle rattling around his warping mind. And then the creature was gone, vanished in the mist. His heart felt as if it were trying to kick out his ribs. Shhh, he thought, doing his best to suppress the rapid pants jetting from his now-dry mouth. Shhh. Gotta stay calm. In control. Walden had tucked himself into a ball, holding onto the needler like a safety blanket, as if his life depended on it. And maybe it did. He could feel the large pool of Wynne s blood, warm and damp, trickling toward him. It was above him. He knew it. It was sliding on the grates and slithering his way. Where was the security team? The zerg was coming back for him. Bang. Clang. BANG! He could see the jagged light through the grate disappear, then reappear as it moved forward. It was moving fast toward him, as if it knew just as well as he did that they were both trapped and only one of them was going to get out alive. He steeled himself as it came. This was what he had joined the Marine Corps for in the first place: to face up to that which scared him. He used all of his energy to stand up, spin around, and fire a barrage with the needler into the grates just as they gave way and the zerg, half in Wynne s form, smashed down on top of him. Blood was everywhere. Wynne s face stared right at him before morphing into fleshy protoplasmic matter. Walden pushed it off of him, standing up. Then . Sergeant Briggs, you down there? a voice asked from above. That is correct and I m the only thing left alive down here. By the time Walden had crawled back up the ladder to the main bay of the reactor core, he was exhausted, emotionally and physically. He wasn t exactly prepared to deal with what he saw. A team of Dominion scientists stood, arms folded, ready to greet him as if they had been waiting there the entire time. Next to the scientists was a full squad of marines decked out in powered combat armor and large gauss rifles. On the ground in an ocean of blood lay Jenkins, dead. What the hell s going on here? Walden said, trying to assess the situation. Where d this squad come from? They ain t SEC: they re Corps! Take a deep breath, Sergeant Briggs. You have just done a great service to the Dominion. What you ve encountered is what we call a zerg changeling. The Queen of Blades has been busy fine-tuning the capabilities of her disgusting kind. You you know about these things? What the fekk happened to Jenkins? Walden had experienced too much in the last few hours to deal out proper decorum to the scientist whose uniform clearly marked him as an officer, a captain. Watch your tone, Sarge, said one of the marines. He had the blissful look of one of the resocialized criminals who had been redeemed for use in military service. Walden had always believed in the resocialization program. The Dominion said it was taking criminals and giving them the gift of hope, a new beginning. But the marines here didn t look much different from the criminals he d encountered in the seedy Gutter of Tarsonis before the zerg overran the planet, certainly not now that they were aiming their rifles at him, a marine sergeant who had just been through hell. Hand over your pistol, Sergeant; we just want to ask you some questions about your experience, the scientist said, putting out his hand. We need to know all we can about these changelings. They can take on the appearance of our soldiers and infiltrate our institutions. They even send out psionic impressions leading our troops to believe that everything is up to snuff. This is a very dangerous enemy, don t you think? One we need to know all about in order to ensure the Dominion s
safety. Your records indicate extreme loyalty . It was one of the reasons why you Zeta Squad were chosen. Now please, the gun. What happened to Jenkins? Walden asked again, backing up into the cool metal wall behind him. His sanity was slowly slipping away. Corporal Jenkins had to be neutralized. He was resisting a commanding officer. I m going to ask you one more time, Sergeant: hand over the needler. The captain extended his hand forcefully. No oh, no. It was all coming together: the mission that had seemed completely erroneous, Hendrix, the mining cave not being in service during peak time, all of it. This whole thing this was some experiment. So you could see how these things work? Well, we couldn t use the resocs, could we? We needed to see just how adaptable the changelings are. Sergeant, the Dominion needs to make tough choices to protect its people. These are dark times, and extreme measures need to be taken. His words stung Walden. Now hand over BAM! It only took one shot to shut him up. One shot to stop the words that sounded like karmic laughter. His whole life, Walden had always seen the universe in blacks and whites; it was much easier that way. The changeling looked just like Hendrix. Like it was one of us. This thought made him smile as his body was pumped with 8mm spikes. His body was being torn apart as the marines fired, but for some reason the only thing he could think about was the UNN report about Jim Raynor, who d been crying out against the atrocities of the Dominion all this time. It was only now, when the whole universe was going dark, that Walden realized things aren t always what they seem. The universe had zerg that looked like men and men who were far worse than zerg. The bastard killed the cap! one of the marines said. Hell, that s a damn shame, said one of the scientists, ignoring the soldier. We really could have used some more data out of that one. We re fine, said another scientist, wiping the blood spatter from his lab coat. We ve got two more changelings in stasis. Tau Squadron s within travel distance. Make it happen, said the first scientist, turning to leave. And clean this mess up.
Collateral Damage A crowd stands outside the safe house on Anselm, the people shifting and jostling and craning their necks for a chance to see blood. Pandora pushes past the onlookers and through the battered safe house door, which had been blasted open by a concussive grenade half an hour ago. Slabs of flesh cling to a wall above an almost unrecognizable corpse. The ex-Dominion weapons engineer. The deserter. The man she had promised to keep safe. His wife and daughter huddle nearby, bloody and trembling. Both of them are alive. Not by accident. The daughter s arms are gone below the elbows, the raw stumps carefully dressed by the same men who crippled her. The wife s face has been slashed and disfigured to leave scars that only the most expensive nanite surgery will heal. It s a message written in blood for Anselm s populace. This is the price of deserting the Dominion. But to Pandora it s a stinging taunt from her adversaries. We succeeded: you failed. Although she d had a chance to pull the deserter and his family out, she d hesitated. Pandora had let fear take control, and now she sees the grisly result. The wife lifts her head, dried blood caked around her face. You promised us we d be safe. When he warned you the Dominion was coming, you did nothing, she says in a low trembling voice. Pandora doesn t sense rage in the woman; she senses the overwhelming cold nothingness that comes when you ve lost everything that matters. She quickly erects a mental barrier to block out the wife s chilling despair. You re no better than they are. You re a coward, the wife says, her voice suddenly shrill and crazed. She jerks her arm up, a needle-gun clenched in her quivering hand. Two shots. Two painful reminders of failure and its consequences. The first tears through Pandora s right hand and takes her thumb off. She s down on her knees, gritting her teeth, when the next needle grazes her shoulder. The wife adjusts her aim but doesn t fire again. She just sobs. As Pandora struggles to her feet, all she can think about is how she would have come home to Umoja a hero if the deserter were still alive, if she hadn t been so afraid to take a risk . A bump in the road knocks Pandora out of her daydream. She shakes off the memories of Anselm and wonders why now, of all times, she is remembering. Fear dictated her life then, but she is different now. She is fearless. Pandora shifts her hands on the steering wheel of the four-wheeled groundcar as it rumbles through the outskirts of Augustgrad. The surroundings have shifted from the city s monolithic high rises to a network of factories churning out everything from hoverbikes to packaged food. Grimy sweat clings to her palms, between her fingers, and around the synthetic skin covering the hollowed-out neosteel chamber on her right hand, the weapon carefully made to look like the thumb she lost on Anselm. Her body is baking under the tight-fitting black Dominion liaison uniform. She misses being back home in the Umojan Protectorate, where practicality outweighs carefully manicured appearances. Then again, Pandora s profession is all about appearance. She has made an art out of fitting in, of masking who she really is. A wolf in sheep s clothing, her mentor and team leader, Sage, had called her once. But Pandora had corrected him. She s not one of the wolves. She s just walking among them. For four months she has taken on dozens of identities in Augustgrad. Two days ago she was a bright-faced bartender, politely catering to customers until a Dominion military liaison named Colton Miersma died of sudden heart failure after a night of heavy drinking. Yesterday she was a hard-working courier braving Augustgrad s congested streets on a hoverbike until she made a delivery to the apartment of another liaison named Rebecca Schafer.
Today Pandora is Rebecca Schafer. She s so used to taking on different identities that she hardly notices the malleable mask hugging her face. The crucial piece of Umojan tech that channels her psionic energy and makes her appear as someone she is not. The psiweave. The mask has taken on the rough shape and image of Schafer s face, enough to fool holocams and people from afar. But Pandora also keeps up a relentless mental manipulation of anyone close by to seal the illusion. The lone passenger in the backseat coughs and then wipes spittle from his chin with a meaty hand. Commander Bartlett. An obese man dressed in a charcoal gray uniform with red piping. Although the high-ranking commander hasn t spoken a word to Pandora the entire trip, she has caught him staring at her on occasion, his mind filled with lustful thoughts that she quickly blocks out. The groundcar continues past the factories and into a small pocket of unterraformed desert outside Augustgrad. Pandora risks a glance in a side mirror and sees a tan delivery van that has been tailing her the entire trip. As her vehicle ascends a steep hill, the van pulls off the road. Its driver, Pandora s team leader, has come as far as he can. Over the hill, Pandora s destination comes into view: the Simonson munitions facility. She knows the place well, despite having never been there. She studied old schematics of the facility before it was locked down tighter than New Folsom Prison last year. She knows about the large shipments of battlecruiser-weight neosteel. The powerful seismic shocks and electromagnetic discharges originating from somewhere inside. Most likely a new Dominion weapon to be used to pummel stubborn settlements into submission, though marketed as humanity s protection from the alien threats lurking in the Koprulu sector. But the intel ends there. The first reinforced plascrete wall surrounding the Simonson facility approaches. Armed marines in blue CMC armor wave the groundcar through the entrance after Bartlett flashes his credentials, as do the marines posted at the second, innermost, barrier. As Pandora had hoped, the guards offer no more than a passing glance at the commander s lowly driver. But in the back of her mind, she envisions a dozen different ways the guards will make her. The psiweave. The cartridges of poison-laced micro-spikes hidden throughout her uniform. The remote console strapped to her belt, housing a clutch of nanotech micro-spies. She finds an answer for each potential setback, a way to kill the guards and the fat commander and be on a planet-hopper out of Augustgrad before the Dominion is the wiser. Pandora pulls the groundcar into the Simonson facility s main hangar and parks between rows of vulture hoverbikes. Bartlett exits the vehicle and exchanges greetings with a waiting cadre of officials, suddenly jovial and boisterous in the company of his equals. Before the officials can lead Bartlett into the bowels of the facility, Pandora removes the remote console from her belt and steps out of the groundcar. She feigns taking a note on the console s screen and angles the tip of a stylus toward Bartlett s back. She doesn t see the infrared laser shooting from the pen, locked between Bartlett s shoulder blades. She doesn t see the propeller-driven micro-spies exiting the console and flying toward the laserguided destination. She has practiced this moment enough to know everything is working. A light on the console blinks green, signaling that the micro-spies have reached Bartlett. There the stealthed drones will stay, trailing close to the commander and mapping 3-D holovids of everything he sees. As the officials lead the commander into a building connected to the hangar, a guard approaches Pandora and extends an armored glove toward a nearby door with REC FACILITIES stenciled on it in blocky white letters. Take a load off. We ll call you when the big man s finished.
Pandora nods and moves toward the rec area just as the hangar s massive blast door closes, shutting out the intense sunlight. Suddenly, the reality of the situation hits her. She s not just a Umojan shadowguard, an enemy covert agent, working in the Dominion s capital city: she s an enemy agent inside one of the Dominion s most secretive experimental weapons facilities in the Koprulu sector. You still have a chance to leave. Just get in the groundcar and drive out, the voice in her head says. It reminds her of her team leader, Sage. He would want her to leave and avoid risk. Pandora shakes her head. She can t stop. Not after the heinous things she has done to get inside the facility. Not now. The encoded message sent to her fone from Sage had come as a complete surprise. After deciphering the meaning, Pandora rushed to her team leader s apartment. Sage was there, packing up his belongings. The man who had taught Pandora to be so strong and determined had already given up. We ve scrounged up everything we can about the facility. There just isn t anything more we can do here, Sage said. He looked undisturbed that after four months of nail-biting covert work, the team was leaving empty-handed. We re close. Just a little more time and It s too risky. We ve overstayed our welcome here as it is. We re lucky that you haven t been found by a wrangler or a ghost. As the only telepath on her team, Pandora took pride in working undetected in Augustgrad, right under the noses of any of the Dominion s psionic ghosts who, although unlikely, might be in the city. While the shadowguards upheld the Umojan Protectorate s sovereignty through deception and intel gathering, Pandora saw the ghosts as nothing more than mindless weapons used to enforce the Dominion s oppressive rule through fear tactics and assassination. I know how to fly under the radar, Pandora said matter-of-factly. That s not the point. If anything happens to us, it could jeopardize other teams in the city and possibly much more. The truth is, we re no closer to figuring out what s going on inside that facility than we were four months ago. Then we need to take it a step further. We won t get anywhere without taking a risk. We re not in the business of blind risks. We re in the business of acting on hard data. Sure things. We ve acted on less intel than this in the past, Pandora said, irritated. She had always admired Sage s resolve, but at that moment it was infuriating. On Anselm we did, Sage said. Pandora tensed. Sage seemed to regret the comment for a moment, but he continued. That was a careless risk, but we still moved forward, Sage said, taking a passing glance at Pandora s cybernetic thumb. And we suffered for it. No longer able to control her anger, Pandora turned to leave. She knew in her heart that she and her team had suffered on Anselm because they d hesitated. They hadn t taken the risk when it would have actually mattered. Sage put his hand gently on her shoulder. Are you willing to risk everything, even your own life, to find out what s inside that facility? If it means saving other lives in the future, yes. That s why my answer is no. Hours pass. Pandora has walked through the med-bays, crew quarters, and vid rooms of the rec area three times. She has memorized the entrances and exits, all the while avoiding large groups of tech workers that would make it more difficult for her to keep up the appearance of Rebecca Schafer through the psiweave.
Just a few hours more, she tells herself. A few hours more, and she will be out of this neosteel prison with the micro-spies and on her way back to Umoja, knowing that she has succeeded where so many others would have failed. Pandora chooses an empty table in a corner of the rec area s mess hall to pass the time. The scattered facility workers inside lumber about, some disposing of empty food trays and others just sitting down to begin their meals. On a wall-mounted vidscreen a Universal News Network headline scrolls by: Fresh Uprising Quelled on Anselm. Pandora cringes. She can t get away from it, no matter how hard she tries. The Anselm debacle seems so senseless to her now. Back then, if she had been who she is today Suddenly, a security alarm blares. Pandora s eyes dart around the room. The other people in the mess hall groan and continue eating, but they don t move. Their indifference makes the situation all the more unsettling. A dry voice chimes in over a loudspeaker. All non-vital personnel, report to the mess hall for your security check. Tech workers and a handful of guards file into the room. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. More than Pandora had ever seen when she was roaming the rec area. Too many eyes. Too many chances that her telepathic manipulation will falter and someone will see right through the psiweave. She raises her collar tight around her face and pushes through the mass of bodies, out into one of the rec area hallways. You can still leave. Detour to the hangar. Get in the groundcar, the voice says. Pandora shuts it out. She continues down the corridor, slips into a bathroom, and locks herself into a stall. It only takes a few minutes for a guard to come. Security check. Everybody out, a gruff female voice says. The guard checks each stall until she comes to Pandora s and sees the glowing red occupied sign on the door. The guard raps hard on the door. That means you! I m givin you thirty seconds before I disengage the lock and drag your ass out with your pants down. Fear boils inside Pandora. She closes her eyes and breathes deep, remembering every technique that she learned in training to control her fear. The guard is just an obstacle, she repeats in her head. Pandora pulls a cartridge of poison-laced micro-spikes from a false pocket in her uniform. The tip of her right thumb flips open, and she loads the projectiles into the neosteel chamber inside. Time s up! The guard disengages the lock and slides open the door. She s dressed in a lightly armored security uniform with a small comm unit strapped to her ear and a C-7 pistol holstered at her side. Pandora stares back, right hand leveled square at the other woman s face. Before the guard can react, 300 micro-spikes fire out of Pandora s thumb and penetrate the guard s skin, releasing a lethal melange of toxins. The guard stumbles back and gasps, the last sound that escapes her mouth before the poison disables her vocal muscles and then spreads to her vital organs. Purged of fear, Pandora steps over the woman s convulsing body and removes her comm unit and pistol. Just an obstacle. After Sage canceled the mission, Pandora spent the next day creating false intel about the Simonson facility. All the while a voice inside her head poked and prodded her. How far are you willing to go in order to succeed? I thought I was clear about this. We re pulling out, Sage said as Pandora handed him a remote console containing the forged dossiers. The fake data underestimated the number of security personnel at the complex, the unknown that Sage feared most. You taught me never to pass up good intel. I thought maybe if you saw it, you d reconsider.
Sage scanned the data, his brow furrowed. How far are you willing to go? Pandora had crossed a line and broken the one rule that the shadowguards held above all others: never use the powers of deception to deceive your own. Pandora knew that she and her comrades were allowed a great deal of freedom, unlike the Dominion s brain-panned ghosts. In return, the Umojan Protectorate expected its shadowguards to act with integrity. But this was necessary. Pandora knew that when the mission was over, Sage would understand. Look at those security-payment allocations. They can t have more than a dozen guards inside. Sage scratched his face and stared at the dossiers in silence. Pandora suddenly became aware of a slight change in his mind. A crack in his firm resolve to cancel the mission. How far are you willing to go? It s good but I don t know if it s good enough. Almost unconsciously, Pandora focused on the faint whisper of confusion in Sage s head. It was the opening that she had been trained to look for when preparing to manipulate a target. How far? Sage shook his head and smirked. When you ve got something on your mind, you don t stop, do you? I learned from the best, Pandora said. But her thoughts were elsewhere, completely focused on the second-guessing going on in Sage s head. She felt herself give in and feed it. A pale light shines through the slits in the ventilation grate in front of Pandora. Before dead-ending at the vent, she had crawled through the facility s serpentine air ducts from the bathroom for fifteen minutes, repeatedly tapping the controls on her remote console until she came in range of the microspies and recalled them. She should have risked the security check. Too late now, Pandora thinks. She recalls schematics and vids of the facility to find another way out and remembers a massive doorway at the back of the complex. A toxic-material dump. Through the dead guard s comm unit, she listens to security chatter. No word of the missing guard yet. It will take them time to find the body locked in the bathroom stall. Enough time to escape. Pandora removes the grating in front of her and drops down into a cavernous room illuminated by dozens of dim ceiling lights. The floor is coated with a thin layer of dirt. The air is thick with the sulfurous odor of explosives, a smell that reminds her of the safe house on Anselm. From the enormous size, she guesses the room must be the central dome of the complex, which means the waste area is somewhere in a connected building on the other side. As Pandora surveys the room, she makes out what look like the hulls of siege tanks, vultures, and four-wheeled, flame-throwing hellions. Some of them are ripped and torn and scorched; others, only partially damaged. A booming loudspeaker sounds. Project Odin targeting systems test A-37, beginning in 3 2 1. Pandora whirls, searching. The sounds of vehicles starting up echo across the room. A vulture careens around a nearby siege tank, nearly crashing into Pandora. As the wayward hoverbike passes, she notices that there is no driver. The unmanned vulture zooms to the other side of the room, to her left, and Pandora sees the faint outline of something in the distance. A massive mech silhouette standing on two legs. A monster that Pandora can now put a name to: the Odin. A tiny cockpit nestled in the machine s upper torso glints in the faint light like an eye. One arm extends from either side of the bulky body, each limb equipped with a double-barreled cannon. Even from this distance, the thing is impossibly large. A crumpled hellion next to the Odin s legs rises no higher than a third of the way up its neosteel foot.
The Odin trains its cannons on the approaching vulture, and the room turns white. Explosions blast the vehicle, and the hoverbike erupts in a shower of shrapnel. Pandora scrambles for cover behind an overturned siege tank. All around her now, other vehicles zigzag from one side of the room to the other. The Odin steps forward with ground-shaking footfalls and rotates to face Pandora. In the weak light, she sees slow, steady movement. From the Odin s back, four giant guns that look like weapons stripped from a battlecruiser descend over the mech s shoulders. Pandora darts away from the siege tank and locates a slow-moving vulture. The front of the long, slender hoverbike is charred and mangled, but the rest of it looks intact. She leaps on and fumbles with the controls until she finds a small receiver jacked into the ignition switch that she figures is being used to control the vehicle remotely. Pandora rips the device out and guns the vulture to the other side of the room just as the massive cannons on the Odin s back ignite. An inferno erupts around the overturned siege tank where Pandora had taken cover. The shockwave from the barrage flips a nearby hellion and presses Pandora forward. She skirts the edge of the room to the Odin s left and sees the faint outline of a blast door behind the machine. The Odin tracks Pandora with its arm cannons. An explosion behind her lifts the back of the vulture into the air momentarily. She throttles the hoverbike, weaving in between slow-moving siege tanks and hellions, each obstacle subsequently blasted to pieces as the Odin s volleys get closer and closer to hitting her. Pandora cuts hard toward the Odin, circles at the base of its feet, and then speeds toward the blast door. It won t turn in time, Pandora tells herself. It won t. It A hellion explodes to her left in a fiery flash of white and orange. Shrapnel tears through her face. She feels herself fly back and land hard on her shoulder. When she regains her vision, the Odin is towering over her a meter away like a small building. Pain stabs every nerve in her body. She holds her hand to her cheek and feels wet ribbons of flesh and the shredded remnants of the psiweave dangling between her fingers. With her last bit of energy, Pandora cries out for help with her mind, hoping that someone is inside the tiny cockpit of the machine. The Odin s arm cannons readjust their aim, but they don t fire. Pandora pushes her psionic thoughts harder. The machine suddenly lurches forward. Its massive legs bend, and its torso tips down until the glinting cockpit almost touches the ground. The canopy opens in a cloud of pressurized air, and a woman in a sleeveless pilot suit comes out with a medkit at her side. Oh, fuk. What what the hell are you doing in here? Pandora opens her mouth, but she can t muster any words through the pain. Just hold on. The woman digs a pressurized syringe out of the medkit and shoots it into Pandora s neck. The burning pain subsides. Pandora expects the woman to be filled with rage, an extension of the death machine that she pilots, but she s not. Concerned and guilty thoughts swirl in the pilot s mind. You re gonna be alright, the pilot says as she pulls a bottle out of the medkit and moves it across Pandora s face. An acrid-smelling liquid pours out of the bottle, and Pandora recognizes it as plastiscab. After a few seconds, she feels heat on her face as the liquid hardens into a layer of plastic over her shredded flesh. This stuff wasn t made for deep wounds, though it ll stop the bleeding until I get a medical team out here, the pilot says and then turns and thumbs a control on her belt. The room s massive neosteel door creaks open, and Pandora pulls the C-7 tucked inside her uniform and aims it at the other woman s head. She hesitates long enough for the pilot to turn from the door and face Pandora. Long enough for the woman s eyes to widen in terror and etch their gaze in Pandora s memory.
She squeezes the trigger in anger, furious at herself for holding back. The C-7 blows an 8mm spike through the pilot s head, painting a swath of blood and brain across the Odin s foot. Just an obstacle, Pandora says to herself as the woman s body slumps to the ground, the terrorstricken look frozen on her face. An obstacle just like Colton Miersma, Rebecca Schafer, and the guard. Just like Sage. It had started small at first, after Pandora had given Sage the forged dossiers and tinkered away at his apprehensive feelings about the mission. Then it grew until finally Sage agreed to let Pandora go through with her plan: neutralize Colton Miersma, a military liaison scheduled to visit the Simonson facility. Then eliminate and assume the identity of Rebecca Schafer, another liaison who per protocol would take Colton s place in the event he couldn t fulfill his duties. On the outside Sage still looked normal. But when Pandora looked into his eyes, she could see a faint hollowness that she recognized from what was her strongest psionic trait: manipulating thoughts and decisions. Although the act left Sage slightly confused and scatterbrained, Pandora knew that the effects would pass soon after the mission. Regardless, Pandora still avoided his unsettling eyes as she surveyed a 3-D map hovering between her and Sage, depicting the Simonson facility and surrounding area. A glowing red dot in the network of factories near the complex marked where the other three members of Pandora s team would be positioned. Another dot, behind a steep hill close to the Simonson buildings, indicated Sage s location. You don t need to be this close, Pandora said, gesturing to Sage s dot. You re my responsibility. I want to be as close as possible in case anything happens. Besides, from the security reports you ve scrounged up, I don t think it ll be a problem. Pandora had previously tried to dissuade him from being so close, though part of Sage was still strong and decisive. If there s any sign of trouble any just get out. I ll be there, Sage said. I know you will, Pandora said, her eyes still locked on the map. She wondered if Sage suspected that one of his own, the one he trusted most, had deceived him. When I heard what happened on Anselm I didn t know if you were alive or dead. You don t know how I felt when they told me that. It was my decision to let you go in. If you had died, I I lived. And I ll be alive tomorrow night when we re on a ship out of here, Pandora said, and she put her hand on Sage s shoulder. No longer able to avert her gaze, she looked into his eyes, and guilt washed over her. It s all necessary, Pandora convinced herself. The back of Pandora s vulture periodically skids on the ground and sends a shower of sparks behind her as she reaches the waste room. It s filled with neosteel crates plastered with hazardous material labels and piled next to a massive blast door leading out of the facility. The sight of Pandora s bloody face and the C-7 pistol raised in her hand is enough for a lone worker in a hazmat suit to key open the door. Outside, Pandora guns the hoverbike parallel to the facility, toward the low-lying factories. She hears a whining alarm coming from the Simonson complex that she thinks must have been tripped by the waste room worker. A few moments later, groups of security guards and vultures begin streaming through the front gates of the facility. As Pandora nears the factories, she catches something out of the corner of her eye and brings the hoverbike to an abrupt stop. Sage s vehicle sits behind the embankment on the road to the Simonson facility in the path of the approaching guards and vultures, right where he said he would be waiting. Move! Pandora waves her arms at the van, but there s no response. Get the fekk out of there. She throttles the vulture toward Sage s vehicle but then stops. The guards will make it to him before she can. Maybe, though, she can get close enough to get his attention. Maybe
The remote console hangs heavy on her belt. It seems to pull her away from Sage and toward the factories. He d want me to get out, Pandora convinces herself. He d want me to protect the data. As the Simonson security personnel ascend the hill opposite Sage, Pandora forces herself to turn away and speed into the factory area. He ll make it. Pandora repeats the words in her head even after the first shots ring out from the direction of the hill. Pandora ditches the vulture in an alley between two factories and stumbles through the area on foot, propping herself up against buildings. The unbearable pain returns in full force, but she welcomes it. It drowns out the guilt she feels for leaving Sage behind. She keeps moving until her knees give out. Everything becomes a blur. Shouts from the alleys. The clank of CMC armor. A four-wheeled vehicle pulls up beside her. Three armed figures emerge, moving toward her fast. They grab at her and drag her into the vehicle. Outside she hears gunfire. Pop. Pop. Pop. It s drawn out like a vid playing back at half speed. The sounds become slower and slower until the last pop stretches out into infinity and she loses consciousness. It takes Pandora s eyes a few minutes to adjust to the glowing white room. Monitors attached to the walls. Robotic arms with surgical lasers overhead. A med-bay, or a torture chamber. It isn t until Pandora sees a bearded man she recognizes as Jacob Kang dressed in the practical gray Umojan Ruling Council uniform and standing at the foot of her bed that she knows she s safe. Ulli, he says, and he steps forward. She hardly recognizes her real name. It brings her back to reality, to another life that seems so alien after spending months under cover. Your team was just here. It s too bad they missed seeing you wake up. The details of the last few months are a blur. Augustgrad the Simonson facility the Odin. She reaches up and touches her face, expecting something hideous. It feels smooth, soft. Kang smiles. The doctors performed some reconstructive surgery when you came in. If you hadn t put the plastiscab on, it would ve been more difficult to repair. The revelation offers no relief, only a sense of cruel irony for the Odin pilot who had helped her. As Pandora thinks more about the past few months, she remembers deceiving Sage with the forged intel. There s something else, though, a troubling blank patch in her memory. The micro-spies were they damaged? The words come out of Pandora s mouth in a whisper. They re perfect, the official says, and he sets a small disc on a tray near Pandora s bed. A holovid of one of the Odin s tests captured by the micro-spies winks into existence, a looping image of the machine turning left and right while its arm cannons blast away at unseen targets. Your team s timing was impeccable. We received information that the Odin may have been shipped to the Dominion s Valhalla facility near Sigmaris Prime to undergo final testing. You should see the other Ruling Council members. They re completely terrified. However, now that we know what it is, we can be prepared if the Dominion ever decides to use it against us. Kang pulls a small black box from his uniform and sets it at Pandora s bedside. The Ruling Council has a formal ceremony planned, but I persuaded them to let you keep this until then. You ve earned it. She opens the box. Inside is the Guardian s Order a brilliant gold engraving of Umoja set against a featureless black shield. This award is rare even among our best agents. It s a great honor, Ulli, and one that you deserve. You re a hero. Pandora stares at the medal awarded to shadowguards who have shown bravery and sacrificed for the safety and future of Umojan society. She has overcome all of the obstacles. The difficult decisions on Augustgrad have been worth it.
She should be rejoicing, but something she can t remember still nags at her. She thinks back to leaving the facility, heading out into the desert on the vulture, her body wracked with pain. Was anyone injured when we escaped? The official pauses. She senses the man trying to hide something in his mind. Casualties. The Dominion mobilized after what happened at the facility and combed Augustgrad for any signs of our other agents. Seven of them haven t reported in since the sweeps. A chill runs up Pandora s spine. She remembers Sage s van behind a hill outside the facility. Guards and vultures approaching it. Gunfire. Pandora driving away, abandoning him. We ve been sending out transmissions to link the captured agents and the Simonson incident to the Koprulu Liberation Front instead of us, the official says. I think we Where s Sage? Pandora asks, her voice still a whisper. Kang s face pales. He opens his mouth, stammers, searching for words. Pandora cautiously probes his mind, afraid of what she will find. Let me get your team. They should be the ones to Tell me! she shouts, strong and commanding. The force of it surprises her, and it surprises the official even more. When you were extracted, Dominion security personnel were in pursuit. Your team managed to get you and the data out safely, but Sage The official swallows hard. He went missing. We followed up on his whereabouts after the mission and believe he was killed near the facility. Despite Kang s diplomatic words, Pandora sees the stark truth in the man s head. A brief flash of a holo-image: Sage s spike-riddled corpse. His dead eyes stare back at her with a look that reminds Pandora of the hollowness she saw in Sage the last time he was alive. He was one of our best team leaders. When he made his decisions, he carried out his responsibility to ensure his team s safety at any cost. He would be he was proud of what you accomplished. Pandora says nothing, thinks nothing. She is numb. We re all upset about what happened. But despite the cost, what you ve found has been worth it, Kang says as he edges toward the doorway. I ll go find your team and let them know you re awake. They ll want to see you. He leaves when Pandora doesn t acknowledge the words. The Odin repeats its movements in the holovid at her bedside, cannons blasting in an unending cycle of destruction. As Pandora stares blankly at the semi-translucent image, she rubs her fingers over the medal in her hand, the representation of everything she has worked so hard to overcome, and feels only a chilling emptiness inside.
Stealing Thunder
Just another glorious day in the Corps.
Despite the sweltering heat on Gamma Dorian, Isaac White stayed cool. No matter what, Isaac White always stayed cool. Not just because he wore a temperature-controlled hardskin. No, he stayed cool because in his line of work, if you didn't stay cool, you could kiss your sweet ass goodbye. Someday, maybe some chump would build a bomb capable of rattling Isaac's cage, but that day was damn sure not today. Those panbrained, fekk-head Kel-Morians hadn't even done a respectable job of hiding the detonator. Isaac could think of at least fifteen spots along the underside of the massive bridge that would have provided better concealment. But no, the idiots had placed the device just under the lip of a baseplate, practically in plain view. Descending the dry gulch's southern embankment had taken all of 30 seconds, and now Isaac found himself lying on his side, getting his first glance at the detonation system. The setup wasn't just simple: it was archaic. An electronic time-delay device set to ignite several charges placed at intervals beneath the girders. The KMs had held the bridge and the territory surrounding it until a few days ago. They could have blown the bridge as they retreated, but instead they had opted to make a play at taking out the bridge and some Confed forces with it. And they didn't think the Confederacy would check the bridge before crossing it? Stupid. Just plain stupid. This stupidity was exactly why the Confederacy was sure to win the Guild Wars. The wars may have been dragging on for three years now, but there'd never been a doubt in Isaac's mind that the home team would pull out the big "W" in the end. "What in the crap is takin' so long, niner?" One of the transpo boys had stepped out of his truck and was shouting. The other folks awaiting the all clear, sitting in vehicles in a queue that stretched a mile down the blacktop, were getting restless. Isaac waved a hand. Disarming the bomb would be a breeze. This was what Isaac did. What he was born to do. "Stealing thunder" was what the other ordnance disposal agents called it. And he was the best of the best. One snip, and then back to the barracks for some quality time with Kandis. Or Lexa. Or Dorinda... Isaac held out the wire cutters, positioned them on the proper wire, and cut. Seconds later he'd removed the device. Isaac stepped away from the support and gave the thumbs up to Sergeant Ruxby, who was standing in his combat hardskin at the top of the embankment opposite the queue. The loose dirt made ascending a slow process. Above Isaac the rumble of the trucks and other waiting vehicles grew louder. The bridge groaned as the first of the transports eased onto the span. Isaac was halfway up the embankment when a series of electronic notes sounded from within the device he held. What the fuk was that? Then, from somewhere on the bridge: BEEP... Isaac's brain scrambled to make sense of what was happening, identifying and eliminating possible causes until he landed on one that turned his blood cold: a digital relay. But that would mean the bomb was a decoy, a trap... ... and he had fallen for it. BEEP... The sound was coming from the middle of the bridge. The hardskin's servos boosted Isaac's movement as he raced up the embankment, waving his hands and yelling into the squad frequency, but he was moving too fast, and his boot slipped on the loose dirt. BEEP... Sergeant Ruxby's face registered understanding. He shouted orders, and the vehicles on the bridge came to a stop. As the dirt beneath Isaac gave way, he slid farther down the embankment, ending up on the bed of the gulch as the high-pitched signals grew slightly longer in duration and shorter in between. BEEP! BEEP! Isaac's instinct for self-preservation kicked in. He put distance between himself and the bridge, running along the floor of the wash, servos boosting his momentum. BEEEEEEEEEEPHe dove, pressing his body as tightly to the packed earth as he could, hoping the suit would take the worst of the explosion, hoping the concussion wouldn't rip his heart loose inside his chest. He waited, but nothing
happened. Then the ground shuddered. A thundering boom blew out the suit's external audio sensors. A wall of dirt raced past as the shock wave rolled over him. Debris rained down. Isaac pushed himself onto his side. An arm encased in CMC armor struck the ground less than a foot away and bounced out of sight. Isaac rolled to his back, then sat up, staring at the decimation of the bridge, a horrific scene of smoke and twisted metal, of blood and body parts and screams.
SIXTEEN YEARS LATER

Shila felt soft against him. Isaac stirred and turned his bulk to one side and then the other. Shila mumbled and rolled over, taking the sheets with her. The air was cool against his chest. Isaac closed his eyes, but it was no use. He was awake. The battlecruiser Tahoe was returning from a deep-space escort and security mission that had gone smoothly. Isaac was eligible for some R and R; he had been able to spend some quality time with his woman... ... and still he felt like crap. As he sat up, his eyes drifted to the digital calendar readout on the far wall, counting down the time until the ship's arrival at the planet Haven. 04:56:23. Below the countdown he had set, Isaac glimpsed the date: 02.06.2504. Sixteen years since the catastrophe at Gamma Dorian. Sure, the Confederacy had basically won the wars, and sure, Isaac had found a place within the new order of the Dominion when the Confederacy had been wiped out by the former rebel leader Arcturus Mengsk. But Gamma Dorian lingered always in the back of his mind, an unwelcome guest that refused to get the hell out. Isaac hefted his 280-pound frame out of the bed and plodded to the bathroom mirror. His earnest, doleful brown eyes stared back at him as he stuffed a sonic toothbrush into his mouth. After Gamma Dorian, he had spoken to the families of the victims, accepted the forgiveness of some, weathered the scorn of others-or perhaps accepted the scorn and weathered the forgiveness, now that he thought about it-hoping it would help. He had stood trial for negligence, but with the aid of his company commander, Zeke Turner, he had been found not guilty... though he'd been busted back down to private. There was a part of Isaac, perhaps the most honest part, that wished the verdict had been guilty. Turner, however, had believed in him. He'd told Isaac that he could make a difference, maybe atone somehow. Slowly, bucking the system every step of the way, he had worked back up through the ranks.... He had parlayed his experience as a bomb technician (or "niner," as the grunts called it, jokingly asserting that all bomb technicians possessed only nine fingers) into a role as a Marine Corps marauder, a kind of one-man artillery battery. But the guilt was always there, just under the surface. Isaac had fought it until, just under a year ago, Commander Turner was murdered during a furlough on Bacchus Moon. It was then, for the first time, that a voice inside Isaac's head told him to stop fighting, to go and get resocialized. He knew that the Dominion could do things with your brain, mess with your memories: reprogram you, in a way. Out with the bad, in with the good. But there was still a small part of him, just enough, that wasn't ready to give up. He decided that resocialization would be like running away all over again. He wasn't ready to let the guilt win. Not yet. "Go back to sleep," Shila muttered. "Can't." With a long exhale, Shila turned, looked at Isaac, then looked at the calendar. "Gotta let it go, babe." She rolled to her other side. "You still got hatred in your heart. That tree won't bear no fruit." No one else could read him like she could. It was why he and Shila had been exclusive for nearly two years. She was right, of course. Even after all this time, he was still stuck in the Guild Wars, still battling the KMs. Maybe he and his guilt were good company after all. Isaac's thoughts were interrupted by a chirping melody on a nearby console, where a holographic adjutant head-robotic, with a human-like female face-blinked on. The soothing voice intoned, "First Sergeant White: incoming message from Master Sergeant Sousa." Put him through." The adjutant's pale, kind of human, kind of machine head wavered and was replaced by Sousa's farm-boy features."Sarge! How's life treatin' ya?" Shitty, Isaac wanted to say, but he refrained. Sousa was always so damned chipper. Of course he was: he had been resocialized. Not that it was advertised, but some things were just obvious. "Livin' the dream, Master Sarge," Isaac replied, knowing the sarcasm would be lost on his younger superior.
"Glad to hear it! I need you geared up for a mission briefing on the flight deck at 0700. Commander's orders." Isaac swore to himself. Looked like his leave was postponed. No doubt this was Commander Rindge's doing. Rindge was Turner's replacement. The new CO hated Isaac with a passion, which was okay, because Isaac didn't like the CO either. Rindge... even the man's name grated on Isaac's nerves. "What's the mission?" Isaac asked. "We got pirates to kill! Mining operation in this corner of space got attacked by a group called the Players' Club... and it looks like we're the only muscle in the neighborhood." Isaac nodded. "I'm always up for lendin' our boys a hand." The holographic image flickered. "Damn straight! 'Cept these miners ain't our boys." "No? Then who exactly we savin'?" Sousa's smile widened as his eyes lit up. "Kel-Morians!" Chanuk was a large asteroid, 616 kilometers in diameter. At some point in the distant past it had been captured by the gravitational pull of a gas giant known as Gantuan VI, and afterward Chanuk had settled into a fairly smooth, steady, and predictable orbit. It had been roughly five years since the Kel-Morians had discovered the rock (not-so-lovingly referred to as "Chunk" by the miners who worked it) and started extracting from its highyield veins of minerals. Many of these veins were now depleted, but Chanuk had not given up its full bounty just yet. There was still a few years' worth of the "good stuff" to be mined. Deep excavations, shafts, slopes, and adits riddled the asteroid, resulting in a stony mass not unlike a giant worm-ridden apple. Inclines connected the active workings to the subsurface, where a spiderweb of passageways linked to central hubs-domed enclosures with regulated oxygen and gravitational acceleration. It was in one of the passages connecting two excavation tunnels in Deep Core 2 that Isaac now waited, poised in an entry that intersected with a larger adit just ahead. A digital readout on the heads-up display inside his visor revealed the Mission Elapsed Time thus far. 02:35:52 The whole show would be over soon enough. In front of Isaac, hypersonic spikes split the air, smashing into the solid rock at the adit's end and providing a heavy deterrent for any marines wishing to advance on the position where the pirates had barricaded themselves. A deterrent for regular marines, maybe, but not for Isaac. This was what the marauder armor had been built for. Still, dark thoughts passed through Isaac's mind, and not, unfortunately, for the first time: why not just bounce on the KMs? Let the pirates have 'em? Yeah, odds were that most of these chumps had never served in the Guild Wars all those years ago, but still... Isaac hated that he was here, actually helping them... risking his own damn life. Sousa's exuberant voice blurted over the squad freq, "Sergeant White, you ready to roust these boys?" Isaac did a final systems check. Good to go. Looked like it was the KMs' lucky day. "Ain't nothin' but a thing. Let's do this." Four marines rushed into the tunnel and laid down a withering suppressing fire. Isaac's suit auto-loaded two Punisher grenades as he rounded the corner. Ventilation was maintained in the asteroid core, but gravity was not, so Isaac relied on the micro-gravity accelerators in his boots while pressing forward, servos propelling the modified heavy armor. A few spikes ricocheted off his hardskin as Isaac pushed past the marines. A microsecond later he'd locked on target, and a Punisher rocketed from each arm to pass final judgment on the luckless bastards who had dared to piss off the Dominion Marine Corps. The ground and walls quaked. Smoke billowed down the passage. Isaac allowed himself a smile... somewhat prematurely, as it turned out. Out of the smoke stepped a red monstrosity, an armored beast roughly the same size as Isaac. The word SMOKIN' was written on one shoulder pad; JOE, on the other. The firebat's arms shot up to chest height, and a gravelly voice issued from the suit's external speakers. "Need a light?" Within another half second, Isaac's hardskin was baking in the scorching fury of the firebat's Perdition flamethrowers.
Isaac's arms locked into a defensive position. His HUD flashed red. An instant more, and the heat would be enough to detonate the explosives stored in the marauder's forearm compartments. He needed a countermeasure. And fast. A massive boulder nearby provided the only possible cover, but more than that, a shield. Emergency warning systems neared critical as Isaac dislodged the boulder and rushed forward, the giant stone clamped between his massive arms and thrust out before him like a battering ram. Within six strides the boulder had parted the firebat's arms and smashed into his crimson chest piece. "Joe" stumbled backward through the wreckage of the barricade. Instantly, he seized the top and bottom of the massive stone and rotated his body, spinning Isaac around. Now Isaac was the one backpedaling, dimly aware that they were headed for a boarded-up vertical shaft. There was the sound of splintering wood as they crashed through the barrier, followed by a serene sense of weightlessness as they were swallowed by the yawning abyss. They continued to tussle, the boulder forced aside, as they tumbled through the near-zero gravity. The firebat managed to spew flame once again, and Isaac knew that at least one of the grenades in his left arm was set to blow. He had to launch it now. He pushed "Joe" away and fired the grenade. There was a flash of white, and then there was only darkness. Isaac awoke. His HUD readout informed him that his vitals were all within normal range, but a few of the suit's systems were compromised, and one or two were completely inactive. Sousa's voice squawked over the com, "Hang tight, Sarge: we're workin' on gettin' the elevator functional." Surrounding Isaac was something that resembled a giant metal spider gone belly up. It was an elevator, or at least it had been until the explosion had blown Isaac into it. There were protracted groans of metal, then a lurch, more protest from the hoist and cable... and then finally some upward movement. Less than a minute later he was at the top of the shaft, staring at the visor of Sousa's CMC armor. "Great to have you back, Sarge!" Sousa helped Isaac maneuver back into the now-empty tunnel. Isaac eyed his HUD and realized he had been out for almost forty minutes. "Where is everyone?" "Cleared out a half hour ago. Commander Rindge had me stay and work on gettin' you extracted. Techs were monitoring your vitals from the Tahoe. Commander didn't seem too worried." "'Course he didn't," Isaac answered gruffly. They made their way to the next sublevel, past access ports to the massive laser drill silos, then through a maze of passages, and ultimately up to one of the many hubs. Sousa chattered busily the entire time, giving a detailed account of how the remaining pirates had been eliminated and how the KMs had suffered heavy losses, including the entirety of their medical personnel. Inside the hub, Isaac raised his faceplate. The two men had stepped into what was normally a cafeteria but now served as a triage center for wounded and dying miners. Isaac slowed down as he passed a table where a Kel-Morian lay; two other miners were busily trying to stuff his insides back into his mutilated torso. Isaac didn't want to look. Why should he care whether some Gutter-sucking KM lived or died? He stopped anyway. The man had a death grip on the sleeve of the miner nearest him. "You get a message... to my wife and kid on Moria. You tell 'em I love 'em... tell 'em I'm sorry...." Isaac turned to leave, stopped, took one more look, and pressed on. Similar scenes were being played out at various points all through the cavernous room. The smell of blood hung heavy in the air, and way too much of it coated the green tile floor. Isaac's eyes landed on a nearby wall monitor and a series of numbers. 01:09:30 He glanced at another monitor on the far wall and saw the last number change. 01:09:29 It was a countdown. And in Isaac's experience, that was almost never a good thing. "What's with the timer?" Isaac asked Sousa, who now had his own visor raised. "Started about fifteen minutes ago.... Bunch of the KMs have been holed up in the ops center, tryin' to figure it out. CO told us to stay out of it. We gotta be on the surface level for extraction in five minutes." Isaac stopped, eyeballing the countdown on the monitors. He wanted to know more. Although he couldn't say exactly why, he needed to know more. "You go. I'll catch up."
"Roger that, Sarge!" Sousa strode purposefully through the exit while Isaac headed back the way they had come in. Near the cafeteria entrance, he turned to see the table where the Kel-Morian had pleaded for a message to be relayed to his family. The two assisting miners were now pulling a coat over the man's face. One arm hung limply off the side of the table. Isaac heard the man's words again. You tell 'em I love 'em... tell 'em I'm sorry. He grunted softly and kept walking. The ops center was another hive of activity. None of the KMs seemed to notice Isaac when he stepped in, caught up as they were in their heated conversation. A swarthy, rosy-cheeked miner with long hair bellowed above the other voices. "Think about it! All them charges went unaccounted for a month ago, right?" A thin man in coveralls shot back, "Park said that was an oversight!" "Yeah, and where's Park now?" No one answered. "Park was in on it!" the rosy-cheeked man blurted. "Fuk! Figures... it's always the quiet ones." "Park, Shoberg, and fukin' Gonsales! How long ago'd Gonsales seal up Deep Core 6? Two weeks ago? That's where the damn charges went! And now they're set to blow our asses from here to Moria!" There was silence for a moment. "Rosy-Cheeked Man" (as Isaac had started referring to him) ran a hand through his thick hair. "All our demo boys are dead. Even if we could get to Deep Core 6... this rock is fekked. I say we cut and run." The thin man turned to Isaac, eyes suddenly wide. He looked Isaac up and down. "You! You gotta help us clear out.... We need dropships! The damn Players' Club sabotaged all our cargo vessels... transports, everything." A moment later, and Isaac had been ushered into a slightly more private storeroom. He contacted Sousa on the squad frequency and demanded to talk to Rindge. Isaac could see a readout on the ops center wall, through the doorway. 01:04:16 Static cut in, and Rindge's high-pitched voice barked, "You alone, White?" "Yes, sir. Got us a situation.... KMs are crappin' themselves, sayin' the pirates had men on the inside... claimin' there's a whole lotta explosives at the core of this hunk o' junk, enough to split this mother and send every damn body on a one-way trip to kiss-your-ass-goodbye." "I've heard this sob story already, White." "Roger that. I'll prioritize the wounded first and-" "Look, you just tell 'em whatever you gotta tell 'em... but tell 'em to sit tight, and then you get your ass to the extraction site." "When will the rest of the dropships be-?" "What fekking dropships? Why do I need to spell this out to you, of all people? These are Kel-Morians, for fekk's sake! The only reason we stuck our noses in this shitstorm was to put a dent in the Players' Club because they've been a pain in the Dominion's ass for damn near four years. Mission accomplished. Now get to the fekking extraction site." Suddenly, and most certainly unexpectedly, a whole barrage of thoughts invaded Isaac's head: he thought about the fact that no amount of apologizing, soul-searching, quiet reflection, and seemingly interminable time since the incident at Gamma Dorian had eased his conscience. He thought about the Kel-Morian miner who had died with his guts hastily stuffed back into his body, his only concern being that of the family he was about to leave behind. He thought, though he hated to admit it, that maybe not all Kel-Morians were animals. The inside of his brain was a whirlwind, but the one thing that hit him like a meteor was this: he had sought forgiveness from the families of the victims, but he himself had never forgiven the KMs. It was always so much easier to just keep on hating them... to not even think of them as human. Maybe this was his chance to make a difference. To balance the scales, to atone, just as Zeke Turner had said. All he had to do was survive. And then save everyone else. 01:00:23 If anyone could find and disarm the explosives, it was Isaac. It was what he'd been born to do: steal thunder. "I'm not coming back," Isaac voiced into his mic.
"Repeat that," Rindge demanded. He sounded legitimately confused. "I'm not coming back. If you leave, you're goin' without me." "Stop wasting my time and clear out. That's an order, Sergeant!" Isaac smiled slightly. And damned if it didn't feel genuine. "Afraid I'm gonna have to respectfully disobey that order, sir." "I don't get you, White. What are you, stupid? Suicidal?" "I'm a complicated man." There was a long pause. Isaac hoped that Commander Rindge would make the right choice, that he'd agree to take everyone, but the realist in him knew better. He thought about Shila and knew that she'd be okay, that she wouldn't be swayed by the crap Rindge was sure to fling her way... that she would understand. After all, no one understood him like his woman. "My official record's gonna state that you're a coward and a deserter. You'll die for nothing." "The record can show whatever you please," Isaac retorted. "The two of us will always know the truth. And by the way, I always thought you were a bitch." There was a click just then, and Sousa's cheerful voice interrupted. "Master Sergeant Sousa here, sir. I'm at the extraction site, awaiting the arrival of First Sergeant White." "Fuk White!" Rindge snapped back. There was a click as the CO disconnected. It had taken Isaac several precious minutes to A) impress upon the Kel-Morians that Commander Rindge and the Dominion had actually left them all to be blown up, B) convince them that he himself had been left behind, C) convince them further that, yes, he really intended to save all their asses, and finally, D) come up with something resembling a plan as to how he might be able to do that. The answer to the last problem, as it turned out, was the FAFNR. If there was one thing the Kel-Morians were known for, it was taking parts from seemingly incompatible objects and machines and cobbling together something functional, if not always completely reliable. The FAFNR was no exception. The acronym stood for Forward-Accelerating Fragmentation/Navigation Rover. Not many of these contraptions were still in use on Chunk, and in fact this specific beast had been undergoing repairs for a busted seal to the cab. The seat and various other non-essentials were hastily ripped out to allow for Isaac's bulky suit, which Isaac wore not for ventilation in the pressurized core, but for gravity assistance. The noise of the various motors would have been deafening if Isaac hadn't turned down the gain on his external pickups. The vehicle was being driven remotely as six laser drills disintegrated the solid rock before him and massive side intakes sucked up the debris and shot it out the rear. Normally the waste would have been relayed to a cumbersome bucket/conveyor system that would transport it back for disposal, but in this case there was no time, so the fragments were simply piled up behind the FAFNR as the vehicle bored deeper like some kind of great metal earthworm. Isaac had synchronized his HUD's chronometer with the countdown timer. He glanced at it now. 00:37:22 He had been drilling for 13 minutes. Deep Core 6, the deepest of the excavation levels, had been sealed up tighter than a Umojan airlock. Philbin Gonsales, the supervising engineer, had ordered all access points to be backfilled. In most cases this was standard practice, meant to reinforce the core's integrity. In this particular case, it was a method of safekeeping enough ordnance to level half of New Gettysburg. While waiting for the FAFNR to be prepped, Isaac had learned a bit more about Philbin and his cronies. There was a band of them, a tight-knit group of workers who had grown disgruntled with the meager pay and long hours of their jobs. Their grievances dated back several years, and their puppet master, the man behind what was now the Players' Club, was named Trevor Joe Jacobs. "Smokin' Joe" worked with the mining crew on its last assignment six years ago, a relatively cushy gig on a temperate planet called Boone. Jacobs had performed several jobs, including demolition and, for a time, extermination. Boone was crawling with large dog-sized insects called mine weevils. TJ had been known for wading into the deepest shafts alone, trying out all manner of poisons. When that had failed, Jacobs had resorted to donning a firebat suit and burning the critters to cinders.
Unfortunately, at that point "Smokin' Joe" had already contracted cancer from his own toxic concoctions. TJ was fired, and according to the KMs' accounts, he'd had to fight like mad to get any kind of medical compensation from the mining guild, which argued that his condition was self-imposed. It wasn't long after these events that Jacobs partnered with a band of thugs and formed the Players' Club, a pirate group bent on plundering any and all targets of opportunity. Gonsales, Shoberg, and several others who had been friends with TJ all claimed to have severed ties with him once their outfit had moved to Chunk. Turned out that wasn't true. The other miners had pieced together the rest, just as Isaac did while they told him the story: Gonsales and Jacobs had planned the attack together, and the ordnance was one last "fekk you" from the Players' Club, and from "Smokin' Joe" specifically, to the guild. He had fought obstinately against his cancer for years, but rumor had it that his time was just about up, and he had known it. Once "Rosy-Cheeked Man" (whose name, Isaac learned, was Sammy) had gotten to this point in the story, it was finally time for Isaac to climb aboard the FAFNR. The KM engineers had plotted a course that would take Isaac through a backfilled crosscut. They estimated it would take 30 to 35 minutes to drill to the main haulageway of Deep Core 6, leaving Isaac 15 to 20 minutes to find and defuse the explosives. The trick, of course, was that no one knew exactly where Gonsales had stashed the ordnance. 00:26:16 So far, so good. There was a loud click, followed by all six lasers shutting off and the motors winding down, and then darkness. The FAFNR came to a complete stop. "Sammy, what's the defect?" Isaac waited. No answer. This was about the time any normal man would have been crapping plascrete and crying for his mommy. Stay cool, Isaac. Stay cool. Solid as a rock, baby. Sammy came on a few seconds later. "Uh... we got us a backup power failure. Whole system's shut down. We gotta reroute." More time passed. Isaac received a few more updates, frantic and desperate, but the situation wasn't improving on their end. The last transmission was cut off in the middle of a shouting match. Isaac concentrated on his breathing. Slow and steady. He glanced at the chrono. 00:23:56 No time to waste. Isaac needed to free his right hand. He unlocked the grenade launcher and auto-loader assembly, removed them, stashed them beside his leg, then punched the FAFNR's ignition button. The engines kicked on. "I'm movin' to manual." After a moment, Sammy's voice came on, sounding tired, shaky. "Well, uh, well, if you get off course we have no way of knowing and-" "No choice." Isaac ran through the brief tutorial he had been given. The controls of the FAFNR were not overly complex, but he still had to recall some information from Sammy-who had rattled off instructions so fast, it had made Isaac's head spin-before the lasers could be reactivated and the accelerator could be engaged. He completed the necessary actions, and the FAFNR crawled forward steadily. The tricky part would be holding his bearing. The spike treads that provided the forward acceleration could desync, operating out of unison and altering his trajectory. Normally the computer would correct for this, but with backup systems off-line... Isaac focused on the positive. He would make it out of this. His eyes flicked to the chrono every few seconds until he willed himself to stop looking at it. Seconds ticked by. Moments came and went and were lost forever. Sammy had opted to fill the silence by talking about life back home, about his six kids. Tell 'em I love 'em.... Isaac looked at the chrono. 00:12:13 Had it really been that long? He should have punched through already. Something was wrong. The treads must have desynced. How far off was he?
Sammy apparently had the same thought. "You shoulda been there by now. We're fekked. We are seriously fekked...." Isaac kept his voice even. "Just take it nice and easy. This ain't over yet." Time's passage seemed to quicken. Dread turned into fear; fear threatened to explode into full-on panic. Hold on. 00:08:04 Please... please... There was a lurch, then a hiss followed by a WHOOSHING sound as the FAFNR finally broke through. "I'm here!" Isaac reported. He heard cheers on the other end of the line. Isaac cut off the lasers and practically ripped his way out of the rig. He was ready to go... but he was already faced with a dilemma. Which way? "Head to your right," Sammy advised. "You'll see refuge holes off to the side of the passage every so often.... He mighta hid the charges in there... but my guess is he'd stash 'em in one o' the rooms... places where the minerals have been cleaned out." Isaac raced as fast as his boots' micro-gravity accelerators would allow, telling himself he could still pull through this.... 00:07:49 Darkness receded before his suit's lamps as he plunged ahead, stopping briefly at each hollow he came to and shining light inside. Time continued to slip away. At last Isaac reached the "rooms." There were several open spaces on his left side. He glimpsed each one briefly, only vaguely aware that he was approaching the end of the passage. He resisted the urge to look at the chrono. Isaac reached the end. The final room. He shined his light inside, and... ... nothing. Just a large empty space. Isaac's heart fell through his stomach. He would have to go back the way he came.... 00:05:44 He'd never make it in time. Sammy broke in. "Talk to me.... We're mighty nervous on this end." "Just hang tight, Sammy." Isaac turned around, and as he did, he saw it: one room on his left... a space that he had passed by without realizing, not seeing it on the other side of the passage. He rushed to the final room, and there, inside, were row upon row of highly unstable deuterium charges. Atop each charge was a small black antenna with a blinking red light on top. What he didn't see was the transmitter. Where, exactly, was the countdown being initiated? As long as he disconnected the cords from the blasting caps, it wouldn't matter. Unfortunately, there were at least 30 of the damned things to blaze through. Nothin' to it but to do it. I found the stash. I'm gonna do what I gotta do... but I need quiet." Isaac heard Sammy swallow hard. "You got it, boss." The line went dead. Isaac set to work, grateful that he had already removed the auto-loader to free his right hand. He didn't have time to remove the assembly from his left, so he had to perform the entire operation one-handed. Delicately, gingerly, he set about disconnecting detonation cords from blasting caps, knowing full well that it was all or nothing: even if he disconnected every single one except the last, the detonation of that one would be enough to blow the others, and that'd be it. The fat lady would be singing her ass off. He marked how long it took him to disarm one: ten seconds, roughly. It was going to be close, but he could make it. He would make it. It took nerves of steel and the steady hand of a surgeon, but Isaac worked his way through.... 00:02:41 Halfway there. Solid. Steady. One by one. No need to rush....
Three quarters of the way. The end was in sight. 00:01:18 Five charges left. No worries. More than a moment to spare. It had been a long while since Isaac had experienced time's passage this way, measuring his life in the space between microseconds. He thought of Shila. He thought of the KM who had died on the table. He thought of Sammy and his six kids. 00:00:38 The final charge was next. This was it. Isaac reached out... ... and felt an impact on his right side. It was like being struck by a maglev train at full speed. Isaac slammed against the wall. He reoriented himself, fighting in the zero-G to get his boots realigned with the ground, trying desperately to see what hit him.... There stood Trevor "Smokin' Joe" Jacobs in all his black-stained crimson glory. That same gravelly voice broke through the firebat's external speakers. "Let's burn!" TJ turned to set the explosives ablaze. Isaac bum-rushed Jacobs, dislodging him just as twin jets of flame shot outward. Both men ended up in a clench in the haulageway. 00:00:28 Isaac reached his right hand down to one of the large air hoses protruding from TJ's chest armor and closed his fist around it. He twisted and pulled, but to no avail. "Smokin' Joe" swung his right arm in a downward arc onto Isaac's headpiece, the power of the blow dropping the marauder to one knee and forcing Isaac's hand loose. Isaac rose to his feet and kicked at the air hose coupling, damaging it, but not enough. The two metal behemoths continued trading blows. TJ slipped backward as Isaac swung with all his might, throwing himself off balance. Jacobs turned toward the entryway. Isaac shot out his hand and clutched at one of Jacobs' rear-mounted fuel tanks. 00:00:15 Jacobs spun around and threw a knee that Isaac deflected. TJ raised his right arm. Flames engulfed the marauder armor. Isaac leaned down and in, allowing the flames to bake the suit's top and back and creating a barrier for his hand as he reached for the ventilation hose once again. The neosteel skin of Isaac's suit blistered. His HUD flared a furious red. It wasn't about to end like this. No way. Isaac had found his path to redemption at last, and he'd be damned if some podunk weevil exterminator was gonna take that from him. Systems reached critical. He wouldn't give up. Not now. Now it all came down to these final few seconds.... TEN. Isaac yanked the hose with all of his remaining strength. At last it came free. He kicked out. Jacobs sailed down the haulageway, pedaling with his legs to try to get his boots back on the ground, the escaping ventilation propelling him backward as the gouts of flame from his wrist died out. FIVE. Isaac rushed back into the room. No time to pull the det. cord. He grasped the charge... FOUR. ... and ran for the access. It would end here, one way or another. He gained the haulageway. Jacobs was nowhere in sight. Isaac threw the charge as hard as he could. THREE. It was a gamble, he knew. The final charge's explosion could still set off the other ordnance.... TWO. But it was his only play. All or nothing. His chance to steal thunder... ONE. Last. Time. Isaac ducked back into the room as-BOOOM!!-the world around him threatened to come apart. A massive wall of flame shot past, billowing, spreading outward.... If the charges were going to blow, this would be it....
Isaac had a brief, horrific vision of the passage around him disintegrating, of his lifeless form pinwheeling through the emptiness of space. The flames dissipated. Seconds later the rumbling stopped, and at last, mercifully, it was over. There was a burst of static followed by unrestrained whooping and hollering from the other end of the line. Sammy's voice nearly blew the speaker. "We're alive! HA HAAA!! We're alive! You did it, you magnificent son of a bitch! You did it! You saved us all!" Isaac backed up against the wall and took a seat. Yes, he'd done it. He had saved them. He had stayed cool. Just as he was born to do, just like the old Isaac. No more weight of the world bearing down on him, no more hatred in his heart. He had saved them. He leaned his head back inside his helmet, closing his eyes, waiting. It would take the KMs a while to dig his ass out, but that was okay.... He had time.

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Minerals Gas Supply

Hit Shields Energy Range Armor Points DPS

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Hit Shields Energy Range Armor Points DPS

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StarCraft 2: Achievements List

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