"Private Taylor remarked 'Deon, you was one of my homies. I will mourn you until I join you.' With that, he proceeded to pour a 40oz bottle of Old English malt liquor onto the spot of the now defunct expansion."
-Heartcutter
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| Phoenix Legion Chronicles: Part III | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 06/27/99 06:06 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | Famous Reporter(1), Starcraft(1), Old Classic(1), Text Only(1), Fan Fiction(1), Series(1) | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 10, Min: 10
Lifetime Rating for .Praetor: 8.2987 |  | Well, I'm finally back to writing another installment of this little story. It's also a great chance to suggest y'all head on over and check out the main story line, at www.sclegacy.com (plug, plug). A bit of a warning, it is a true novella, so there is less action and more character development, etc. Oh, and don't read this alone. If you haven't read parts one and two, go to the Other section and read them first.
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When eighteen marines are sitting by my forward bunker, I start to feel safe. Having plenty of money from two productive bases, I order Sheryl to start on a factory, and leave orders from the infantry officer to queue up six more marines when the money rolls in. Before more marines though, I order machinery from Phoenix Legion headquarters that can be used to retool the production machinery at my barracks. Normally, Legion barracks would be built with all the latest upgrades in weaponry and armour construction, but advanced equipment is expensive, and I'm paying my own way. So with bunkers around, I decide that the weaponry upgrade is more important and pay for that.
Spike looks rather antsy, so I send him and twelve marines to patrol the four open expansions in the valley. I have alot of excess Space Construction Vehicles as well, so I send one to check out Nezalis' position, and one to scout out the Fourriers.
Blessed with a bit of downtime, I contact Legion headquarters. The supply officer looks busy. "Hurry up! I don't have much time. We're barely keeping Zerg raids off the run to Aiur."
Like she worried about that. I hate buearocrats who think they are more important than the actually are. "Thank you for your time then. The Legion soldiers on Ashrigo are going to need U-238 ammunition soon, and I've noticed you're sending regular bullets our way."
The pretentious supply officer shook her head, "Sorry, all the high-quality stuff is being sent to Aiur and those who have paid for it. You're gonna need to fork over some cash if you want your ammo factories retooled to U-238. Though we have plenty of Uranium, you won't need to buy that."
Damn! "How much does the U-238 upgrade cost?"
"One hundred and fifty talents of minerals and the same in vespene gas."
Crap. Not enough in the bank for now. "Well, set me up for some stimpacks then. And I'll be needing factory equipment soon as well. The usual pre-fabricated parts."
"Acknowledged, the stim packs will be one hundred talents both types, and should start coming in with the next shipment off planet."
"You know, I'm really going to be hurting if I don't get those U-238 shells? Can't you pull something? We don't have that large a force here."
"Well then you're obviously not high priority. You don't seem to understand my position here." Don't understand her position? The sanctimonious bitch! She doesn't understand my position! The sort of position where you have to worry about zealots breaking down the door to the command room, or air raids! Lives depend on the equipment sent here!
It takes a few seconds, but I calm down. Lives depend on that same equipment sent elsewhere. Nothing to do about it. Doesn't mean I can't vent my frustration. I sever the communication line with nothing more than a curt "Ashrigo Out."
The supply officer is replaced on the main screen by Spike's group of marines, who have patrolled the west and north valley resource nodes. They find the east expansion occupied, but only by a Fourrier SCV who is constructing a bunker alone. The SCV finishes the bunker in time to hide in it, but Spike's group shoots it full of regular lead and steel bullets and kills the SCV when the bunker collapses in upon itslef. They continue to the south node.
As I'm watching Spike, the reconnaisance officer waves to get my attention. "What is it Ensign?"
"Sir, the SCV scouting the Protoss base has been killed." Damn. I shouldn't have sent a scout, but it was so handy. "From the video sent in by his equipment, Nezalis has placed a strong line of four photon cannons on the high ground above the ramp leading to his main plateau."
"Has the other SCV reached the Fourrier base yet?'
"Almost, sir."
"Very good then, put him on the main screen." And there is the SCV, climbing the ramp to the Fourrier corner. At the top he found an empty bunker, but saw three marines and a firebat heading up from the Fourrier valley. "SCV, move out to your north, head along the ridge until you can exit by the Protoss base." I look at my resources, I have plenty of gas. "Then head towards the western valley expansion and start a bunker." Spike is cooling his heals. "Spike on main screen. Grab your pals and make your way to the Zerg base, I want to see if we can kill what's left."
"Righto." The base officer motions from the left of the operations center. The factory is done.
"Make a machine shop right away, and have Sheryl start on another factory. And make sure we don't fall behind on supply depots. Oh, and have an armoury started." I turned my attention back to the main screen. Spike and his buddies pass another empty Fourrier bunker at the entrance to the Zerg valley. I order them not to kill it. If this attack goes badly, I won't mind Fourrier doing the work containing the Zerg. The way is clear through the Zerg valley. A number of Fourrier are dead at the bottom of the ramp, however. Spike's marines continue, and find a sunken colony positioned at the top of the ramp. Instead of firing uphill, he orderes the march to continue. I keep my jaw clamped and rationalize the three casualties incurred as the forces climp up the ramp. Finally, Spike issues an order, and the entire squad opens up fire at once. The already bleeding sunken colony is destroyed in a few seconds, though not without the loss of another marine. Kerrigan's forces had cleverly used the services of an unmorphed creep colony to begin fortifying the ramp. However, the colony now starts morphing. Spike orders the men past it, and heads for the drones. The Zerg base looks incredibly dead.
Funny how things can change in the blink of an eye. Four drones close to the marines charge, as six zerglings are birthed, and, worst of all, six more zerglings unburrow from under the marine formation. Without the advantage of range, the marines are being torn to pieces. I decide to finally intervene, and order an immediate retreat. Two marines and Spike, who has stimmed, make it down the ramp, where the zerglings cease pursuit. The marines make it out of the area, the last one sustaining some sniping fire by a marine just loaded into the Fourrier bunker. I slam my fist on my armrest. "Good job guys, it wasn't your fault. Fall back to our foward bunker. If your armour is dinged up, you can take up a position in the bunker. Spike, I want you to take ten marines, escort them to the western valley base. Two SCV's will also accompny you." I've decided to wait off on production from the factories. Finding the new officer in charge of running the valley base, I show him what I want. "So have the SCV there start on a Command Center. When Spike shows up, have four marines pop into the bunker, and the two SCV's start more here and here, making room for an add-on. When those are done, load up three marines each, and a firebat, tell the infantry officer to begin construction on new suits. I then want a turret and a refinery."
"There's no geyser there sir."
"Oh, right. Well then, get two turrets."
Things are a bit too quiet. It's hard for me to believe that containing the Zerg is all the Fourriers are capable of, and Nezalis isn't going to sit behind his cannons forever. I decide to use my comsats. The first comsat on the Fourrier base shows that the valley is unoccupied, but he has two barracks and a factory working. The Zerg are still contained, by two bunkers now. Their forces have begun morphing a hatchery near their main ramp, and they have built up to a Lair, with a hydra den. Some burrowed units are scattered around their base. Thinking for a moment, I send to the Fourriers. "Legion forces just scanned the Zerg base, can't see anything but a few scattered burrowed units. You could rack them up, there's not even a sunken." Not expecting a reply, I scanned the Protoss base. The Protoss were warping in a Nexus and a pylon in their valley, and near the cannons stands an infantry unit I haven't seen before. Not enough energy is left in my comsat stations to see farther into their base though.
Turning back to the development of my forces, I order money sent to Legion HQ to arrange for the delivery of mines, and begin the production of two vultures. I had thought about tanks, but wanted to use the large reserve of gas better, and that meant science vessels. So I order Sheryl to build a Starport.
The defensive co-ordinator suddenly yells out. "Sir, the marines at our forward position are dying!"
What the hell? "Main screen! Main screen!" Sure enough, two marines lie on the ground, bleeding profusely. A few seconds later, the other two marines die, split nearly in half. "What the hell is that?" A unit that can kill a marine in one shot? It's unheard of. Two shots, yes, but not one.
The defensive officer looks very frightened. "I don't know sir, we've never seen anything like it."
The bunker is beginning to burn, large chunks of steel plating being sheared off. "How soon until we can scan?"
"Still a little bit sir, the closest station is halfway charged." One good thing about having fifteen officers cluttering up one's ops center, rarely a detail went by someone didn't notice.
It is very painful watching the bunker slowly cut apart. The wall is about to be breached when the scan was ready. It takes a few precious seconds for the information to be relayed, but there are two of the unidentified Protoss units. The bunker immediately opens fire, and the units retreat, shields glowing. "Pull three SCV off mining in the valley base, and send them up to the forward point, have two repair and one build a turret."
This time aware, the marines in the bunker alerted the defense officer of a shifting of ground advancing towards them. I ordered an immediate scan, and the cloaked Protoss units retreated quickly again.
After that minor disaster, I have time to hear the Fourrier transmission. The hook-nosed villian appears on screen, only slightly less impressive for knowing he is a recording. "Think you can trick the Fourrier with impunity, do you? Well think again! You have made an enemy hear today, Legion scum, not just a competitor. You contain the Zerg yourself!" Now how could his attack have failed?
I sit and brood, it's a tough universe, always will be. Because there will always be villians like Fourrier. Of course, cloaking is no longer being reserved for Terrans doesn't help matters.. I check the western expansion, glad to see that the turrets there are up. I order another comsat station, and set all the SCV's there to mining. Seeing a few hundred in the bank, I order two more vultures, and a few SCV from the Command Center at home, to be transferred to the western expansion. When the minerals come, I start a science facility, then a control tower, and have my officers wait on two more vultures.
At the western expansion, the comsat is just finished when four dragoons approach from the north and fire upon the closest bunker. I watch the situation, waiting for the sound of guass rifles. The bunker has begun to burn when I realize that the goons have their range upgrade, and my marines do not. Cursing, I empty all my bunkers to chase the dragoons off. The dragoons retreat, and promptly return once my infantry is back in the bunkers. Cursing again, I pull out my infantry and charge the dragoons, ordering the use of stimpacks this time. I get one dragoon before deeming it prudent to retire to my bunkers again. The same process happens again before the dragoons finally stop harassing my base. I order the range upgrade for my marines, and am broke again.
Unfortunately, Fourrier looks like he is going to be good to his word in making the Legion his personal enemy. He has brought up two tanks to my beleagured western expansion, and protected them with a bunker and turret. I decide to let the tanks pound upon my bunkers for awhile, then empty them and charge the tanks. This promptly proves to be a mistake, as the tanks fire, and fully half of my infantry is killed. I'd forgotten the damage they had sustained due to the use of stim packs. Fourrier unseiges his tanks, which take little damage thanks to the covering fire from his bunker. After my forces have been annihilated, he empties the bunker and advances on my base.
I take this opprotunity to scan his base, finding a Starport under construction, along with a horde of infantry supported by some Golaiths. I assume some tanks remain at his forward position. The last bit of my scan energy goes to the Zerg base, where I see the same as before, with the exception of more burrowed units, and a drone heading towards the valley. What could Fourrier have been ranting about before.? Zealots interrupt my thoughts, as seven of them charge into the fray at my western expansion, presumably having razed the missile tower and bunker. They quickly kill the tanks and four marines, only one of them taking any damage but sheilds. The grunting warriors continue into my base, attacking the empty bunker still burning. I order a transport at home. When the bunker has been destroyed, I lift off my Command Center and move it towards the central island. My SCV's retreat to home, while the rest of the structures are abandoned to the fury of the zealots.
I am still wondering about the odd Fourrier response when an attack warning sounds and my retreating SCV's are thrust onto the main screen. The details arrive just in time for me to see a monster burrowing into the ground, and two lines of thrusting earth causing pain and death among my workers. Lurkers! I had reports of their use on Aiur, but had not personally run into them on the battlefield. They must have killed the Fourrier attack force. Two SCV make it back to my forward position, and begin to repair each other. Grimly, I accept the evidence that the Zerg are again a force on this battlefield.
Cheerfully, the supply officer states that U-238 rounds have arrived, and my six vultures are ready to go, fully loaded with mines. Headquarters will continue to ship three mines with the rest of the pre-fabricated vulture equipment. I am about to simply acknowledge when I realize I haven't heard the thump of landing supplies recently, "how are the supplies coming in? I haven't heard any packages land."
"Oh, the transports are landing at the Starport. Good thing too, they can now take home recoverable bodies. Speaking of such matters, our transport is done."
Recoverable bodes. What a term. I suppose the marines the Protoss sliced are recoverable. Sadly, the infantry I thoughlessly sent into the Fourrier grinder are not. I sit down heavily on my chair, covering my eyes. Three wraith. Three wraith at the beginning of the battle would have settled the whole thing. I harbor a brief but intense hatred of Mengsk. Coming back to my senses, I look at the main screen again.
The secondary shift has taken over in the ops center. "I'm getting some sleep. Just a few hours. Make two tanks, and clear out those lurkers. Also research siege mode. When the lurkers are gone, put a mine field in front of the base, and one mine at each of the valley expansions. Make eight marines, and put them in the transport. I want the comsats saved up unless you are using them against the lurkers, and build a sci vessel. Put the two tanks in siege at the forward point, and make two more for the main base. When you can, get the next level infantry armour ready, as well as upgrading the weapons from factories. Send the marines to the middle island when they are in the transport, and get some bunkers up there. If there's any problem I haven't covered, wake me." No one said anything, so I got up and left the operations center for my sleeping cubicle, just next door. I didn't expect good dreams.
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Some people have argued that there exists a Terran vs. Toss imbalance. I would argue that this is not so, but I can tell you that this match is very imbalanced! As per the story line, where only the UED has access to the new terran units, neither the Fourriers nor the Phoenix Legion are Brood War compatible. Their enemies certainly are!!! As for new installments in this series, they will be worked around my once-a-week commitment to SC legacy (www.sclegacy.com, plug, plug). One will probably come in once every few weeks, depending on how busy I get to be.
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