The day began at the crack of dawn, as par the norm. I awoke to a comforting breakfast of synthetic bacon and taste-like-cardboard eggs. My juice was orange in colour but not in flavour. I poured some rum in to give me an extra kick to get going (yes, I know alcohol is a depressant). For I was a Terran Commander and this is how we did things. It wasn’t written anywhere, we weren’t taught it… it was just one of those things that just… was.

I abstained from showering and proceeded directly to the Bridge on the SS Nancy, the name of my beloved BattleCruiser. The flying fortress had consumed my life. Wife, family, friends… all were a forgotten past. My BattleCruiser was my life now. It had slayed countless foes and saved thousands of lives. Rivaled only by the heroism of the Norad and Norad II my noble BattleCruiser was well known throughout Confederate space.

This particular morning I woke to the abrasive, yet mysteriously pleasant voice of that beloved Terran computer voice that had instructed me countless times how "we require more minerals" and the crowd favourite "your forces have engaged the enemy."

"Good morning, Commander. Ready to begin the day’s procedures?" questioned Nancy (what I called the computer).

A hesitant sigh. "Yes Nancy. What’s on today’s agenda?" I replied.

"Today we’re going in for a tactical strike on a Zerg establishment. Preliminary Comsat Sweeps have revealed an undetected mineral patch away from the budding Zerg base. They already outnumber our income-derisive expansions in other sectors such as Koprulu and Armada. This expansion could, as usual, change the outcome of this monotonous battle."

"Ah, yes. An exciting day indeed, I presume?"

"As usual Commander. Oh, it appears we are receiving an incoming transmission from the initial workers and Command Center…"

Incoming Transmission

Received from co-ordinates bearing 3,3,0. The area is described as The Lost Temple.

Transcript:

Greetings, Commander Mogalin. Initial establishment established. Our base consists of multiple Space Construction Vehicles and a specialized Command Center. It floated into orbit around 2 hours ago and a scout named Deon has been sent out to search the surrounding areas. Back to work, sir.

End Transmission

"Well isn’t that just peachy. Prepare a dropship, Nancy and get me down there quick."

"Sir, I have located the enemy base." Deon reports.

"Elaborate soldier!" I cry.

"Well there’s lots of purple shit on the ground, and some sort of things convulsing on the ground. Oh wait - one just headed over the Vespene geyser and began convulsing too."

Deon, always cursing. "O.K. Private, that’s enough for now. Pretend to make a run for the choke point then double back to an edge of the plateau. If you are detected retreat immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Deon exclaims, mimicking a Siege Tank driver.

And so ends his transmission. Funds are incoming quite nicely from my dozen or so mining SCV’s so I queue up tow Barracks to complete the wallin. A wallin is a very strategic placement of 2 to 3 structures at a choke point to completely, well, wall yourself in. Very few enemy troops can sneak past.

I ordered the construction of multiple Marines once the dual Barracks’es were constructed. A new Supply Depot and an Academy are started shortly after. Income is flowing and I have a small force of Marines, constantly increasing.

I remember Deon. He is quickly instructed to enter the Zerg base once again. He agile suit allows him to see the main Hatchery convulsing. This is an obvious sign of Lair morphing, which most probably meant Lurkers or Mutalisks. The latter was preferred. Lurkers introduced a whole new problem of detection and necessary Tanks.

Deon is once again sent out and then to double back, for hopes of future reconnaissance.

Deon moves in swiftly. He gets smacked by a sunken colony and trips to the ground. The next hit knocks out visual contact. Deon is … dead. However, just before dying he saw a Hydralisk Den. After many years of battling the Zerg it’s almost a guarantee that the equation Hydra Den + Lair = Lurkers. I queue up a Factory and more SCV’s.

My SCV’s are beginning to have difficulty mining chunks off the minerals. This only means that they are reaching the core, and the core is worthless. Soon the base will have no income. And expansion is in order. A new Command Center begins construction.

I send Deon’s brother, Jaws, out to get some essential recon. He succeeds only in dying and alerting me of an incoming attack of Lurkers and Zerglings. I only have two Tanks without Siege Mode and a handful of Marines. Things most definitely are not looking up.