Chapter Text
Light reflected off the smooth bottle of vodka, illuminated under the monochromatic glow from the ship’s lamps. Gerard DuGalle, Admiral of the Expeditionary Force dispatched by the United Earth Directorate to the Koprulu Sector, stared blankly at the glass object, one of many which belonged to his old friend.
Alexei was gone now. Swallowed up under the zerg tide as he bought precious moments of time. But in the end, that sacrifice would not be enough to allow their mission to succeed. The government of Earth demanded that he bring the colonies under the control of Earth and to neutralize the threat of the aliens. He had failed at both.
As he stared at the bottle he held, turning it around in his hand, he had never felt more tempted to drink. He had often cautioned Alexei against drinking, and he rarely partook in it himself. Now, he found himself wanting nothing more than to drown it all away in a drunken stupor.
Many of the remaining colonies still under his control were facing revolts and chaos. Substantial garrisons needed to be kept on each planet to keep control, stretching his remaining forces thin. He had to lean on the manpower from allies to maintain order, but that came with its own downsides. When the Kel-Morians took over security on one mining colony, they had virtually repossessed it for themselves.
Mengsk was making his move, using a mixture of subtle infiltration to encourage revolts before sending in his own army to supposedly liberate the colony, placing it under his own control. UNN propaganda continued to spread their slander, accusing Earth of orchestrating the zerg invasions.
How absurd. At this very moment, they were still faced with a life and death battle against the zerg. The Tyrador system was recently lost to them and that traitor Duran now held control over it. He didn’t know what arrangement Duran made with the zerg, or if he somehow became their puppet. Duran’s betrayal during the battle on Char had shocked him. He could not trust anyone from this sector.
DuGalle sighed and put the bottle down. He still had a meeting with the Umojan liaison later in the day. It wouldn’t do to get drunk now.
“Mr. Cadogan, you wished to meet with me?” DuGalle asked.
“Yes, Admiral. The Umojan government asked me to relay a message to you,” he said. “Recent developments have required a shift in our posture in order to better address the changing conditions on the ground, to take into account new security concerns.”
DuGalle’s eyes narrowed, “And what precisely would that entail?”
“Our government has been made aware through our sources that the zerg are planning on invading Umoja,” Cadogan said. “In light of these revelations, we must strengthen our defenses at home in order to better defend our people. As such, we will be repositioning the ships and soldiers we have currently deployed back to Umoja.”
“Surely Umoja has sufficient defenses to hold out against a zerg invasion for at least some time,” DuGalle said. “Rest assured, if such an attack occurs we will immediately move to defend you.”
The Umojan put on an apologetic expression. “The Umojan government must prioritize the well being and safety of its people. Even with your aid, fending off a zerg invasion would lead to tremendous suffering for our people and create terrible, terrible damage to the planet. Thus, we have concluded that we must strengthen our defenses in order to deter an attack from happening in the first place.”
“This is foolish!” DuGalle exclaimed. “If we allow ourselves to be divided, we will only be destroyed piecemeal. We had offered much to Umoja in exchange for your aid, and now you are leaving us to fend for ourselves?”
“I do apologize if this has caused offense,” Cadogan replied. “But this is the position that our government has taken, and I have been asked to convey this to you.”
“What if I relocate my fleet to Umoja?” DuGalle spoke calmly, his voice steady. “It is better to stay together than remain apart.”
Cadogan shook his head. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option. Our people would be most uncomfortable to have the military forces of a foreign power stationed on our soil. And the government is concerned that your presence would attract the focus of the enemies, further motivating an attack against us.”
DuGalle slammed his fist against the table. “Enough! It’s abundantly clear to me that you have no interest in honoring our alliance. You merely seek to toss us to the side as a sacrifice to appease our enemies. Your excuses are transparent, they do not excuse your perfidy! Do you think you will simply be left alone once we have been defeated? That the zerg will not turn on you as well once there is no one else in their path? You are only bringing about your own doom.”
Cadogan listened to this outburst calmly. Once DuGalle had ended his tirade, still breathing heavily, he finally responded. “Currently, the enemy factions are united only by their opposition to you. Do you really think that the zerg, protoss, and the Terran Dominion will coexist so peacefully without a common enemy? Just a friendly word of advice for you, Admiral. While you remain in this sector, they will remain united against you. You can make of that what you will.”
DuGalle remained quiet, his eyes burning with rage and indignation. His fists clenched tightly, with his knuckles turning white. But he had no response.
“If that is all, then I will depart now, Admiral.” Cadogan rose from his seat and turned to leave. “Do carefully consider your choices.”
All of the captains held grim looks as DuGalle finished laying out their situation.
“We have no choice,” DuGalle said. “The enemies arrayed against us are too much to overcome after the losses we suffered. There is no longer any path forward for us except to return to Earth.”
Silence fell over them as the Admiral’s words sunk in.
Then, Roland stood. He took a deep breath and let it out as he gathered his thoughts. “The Ruling Council of Earth gave us explicit instructions. We are not to return to Earth until we have accomplished the mission they set out for us. Admiral DuGalle, when we first arrived you said to all of us, we stand or fall together in this forsaken wasteland.”
Roland let a brief pause linger for just a moment. “All those who have died up until now, if we abandon our mission, they will have died for nothing. It is our duty to see this through to the end, to do anything we can to reverse our plight.”
DuGalle let out a heavy sigh. He stared down at his boots, hands clenched tightly. “What can we do to turn around our fortunes? The sector is united against us, they will not rest until we are gone. Our dead would not want us to throw away our lives in a futile struggle. They died to give us a chance to live.”
Another voice spoke up. “Admiral, if we were to return defeated, we would be shamed,” Captain Krenz muttered. “All of us would be seen as cowards abandoning our duties. We were supposed to be the pride of Earth, now we would be nothing but cowardly deserters.”
“Any responsibility would be mine,” DuGalle said. “I will say that I ordered you all to return to Earth. Any blame for this defeat will fall on me. I alone will bear the burden for this, and the rest of you can survive with your honor intact.”
“Honor? Shame? None of those mean anything.” Roland turned his head and met his eyes with everyone else. “Serve the Directorate. Serve Humanity. All other priorities are secondary to victory. That is what you said to us. We are here to protect humanity, to defeat the alien menace that threatens us. Even if the humans of this sector have proven themselves to be short sighted and treasonous, we still owe it to not only them, but all those who live on Earth as well to continue fighting.”
“This is our duty,” he continued. “For this, we must do whatever it takes to safeguard the future of mankind. If our enemies are too numerous, then we must divide them. If our enemies are too powerful for us to face head on, then we must act from the shadows. If our enemies are willing to make great sacrifices to achieve victory, then we must be willing to sacrifice more. Our will must remain steadfast, unshakable. We must not falter in our duties. While we still draw breath, we cannot abandon hope.”
“I agree,” Captain Laborde said as she also stood. “We can’t give ourselves to despair. If we return home, it shouldn’t be with heads bowed with regret, we should be standing tall knowing we did everything we could.”
Dugalle was feeling old at this moment. While his subordinates were trying to bolster morale, he who held the highest authority was the one who had to bear all their decisions and failures. “And what do you suggest we do?” DuGalle’s voice was tired and despondent. “If you have any plans, then you may speak freely.”
“I am a soldier of Earth,” Roland said. “I owe my allegiance to the Directorate. But I am also a human. My duty is to mankind. If our enemies are determined to tear down our flag, then let it disappear. If I cannot fight under the banner of Earth, then I will fight under no banner at all. Our enemies are united to destroy us, so give them nothing to unite against. The United Earth Directorate will depart from the sector.”
Roland let the statement sink in before continuing. “But those of us who remain will be nameless warriors. Our identity, our history will be wiped clean. They may think of us as mere pirates or mercenaries, but we will never forget our true purpose here. We will bide our time, working from behind the curtain. We will do all that we can to accomplish our goal. Perhaps one day, Earth will return, finding more friendly ground than it did before.”
Roland turned to DuGalle. “You may inform the Ruling Council of Earth that the mission has not been abandoned. Merely a tactical withdrawal to induce our enemies to turn on each other once they believe we were defeated. A ruse to prepare for future operations. The government may accept that explanation.”
DuGalle closed his eyes slowly as his head drooped just a bit. He breathed in and out. Then, he opened his eyes and stood. “Are you truly committed to this, Captain?”
Roland met DuGalle’s eyes. “I am.”
“Then you may do as you wish,” DuGalle said. “But any soldier who does not wish to continue fighting must be allowed to return home. Whoever is willing to join you may do so.”
“I do not wish for half hearted fighters,” Roland said. “Any who remain should be ready to do whatever it takes to secure our future.”
“Then it is decided,” DuGalle said. “I wish you luck, Captain, in your brave and foolish endeavor.”
Raynor wasn’t sure when was the last time he had allowed himself to relax. Probably back when he was still a regular marshal on Mar Sara. Then the zerg invasion happened. He joined up with the Sons of Korhal to fight the Confederacy, then left Mengsk and went to Char before going to Aiur. Then, the UED came in and kicked off another round of wars. Now, they were finally gone.
He was relieved. But inside, he still knew the fight wasn’t done yet. Mengsk was still out there, ready to start reasserting his authority now that the UED were out of the picture. The Dominion would be aiming to bring the various colonies into the fold, and it would be hard for any individual world to stand on its own.
Now, the Umojans were coming in and offering their help in deterring Dominion aggression. They proposed forming an independent bloc of colonies which would band together to push back against the Dominion.
Frankly, Raynor didn’t trust the Umojans one bit. Their games with the UED was just one in a long history of playing both sides. But their offer was very good. Every colony would be governing its own affairs. Umoja was just promising support and coordination, without demanding to rule anyone.
There wasn’t any cost to accepting their help, and the Umojans did have a vested interest in keeping the Dominion weak. It made sense for them to be helping here. But he was still feeling a bit nervous about this whole thing.
There was so much left for him to do. He needed to help the folks living in the recently freed colonies get back onto their feet. Then he needed to start work on toppling Mengsk.
The war against the UED was won, but there was still a long road ahead of him.
Artanis, Fenix, and Zeratul knelt before Raszagal and the protoss elders.
“You have returned victorious,” Raszagal said. “Well done. Your valor and prowess sets an example for all protoss. Now, take your well earned rest.”
“Thank you, Matriarch,” Artanis said. “We are grateful for your support throughout the war. Your leadership has guided us past this crisis.”
Then, Aldaris spoke up. “We must also address the question of the reclamation of Aiur. Our previous efforts were destroyed by the UED, but now that they have been vanquished, we should resume our efforts. It would be best for all of us if our people were able to return to Aiur.”
“I understand your desire to return, Judicator. Indeed, I myself still hold some longing to see Aiur once more,” Raszagal said. “However, our warriors are tired and we will need time to rebuild our strength. And with the warp gate on Aiur destroyed, we no longer have an easy way to move between Shakuras and Aiur. It will take time to prepare another force that can reclaim and hold our homeworld.”
Aldaris seemed somewhat displeased, but still accepted the statement. “So long as we do not forget. One day, we shall reclaim Aiur.”
Kerrigan sat on a large rock, staring out at the volcanic landscape of Char. The UED were gone now, escaped before she could destroy them. But that didn’t mean that all her problems went away.
“Daggoth is still out there. Who knows what he and the rest of the zerg are up to. Perhaps they are still trying to create a new Overmind. I wish we could go destroy him, then the loose ends can finally be tied up.”
“The other cerebrates are not willing to cross that line,” Kaloth said to her. “They are willing to follow you for the sake of survival, but they will not fight him without cause.”
She clenched her fist, the tips of her claws digging into the rock. “Do we have to simply let him do what he wishes?”
“If he tried to form a new Overmind, I would know. We would all know,” her cerebrate said. “If that happens, then you may be able to convince the protoss to put an end to Daggoth’s plans again. I suspect that Daggoth would not take this action until he feels secure enough in his position.”
“Until then, we have to get stronger,” Kerrigan said. “Improve the zerg, develop more capable strains. Figure out how to adjust the hivemind link so that it can’t be disrupted so easily. When the next war begins, we’ll need to be ready.”
Author’s Note:
This is the end of this fic, now that the Brood War timeline has come to an end. For now, the war has settled down and things have entered into a lull in the Koprulu Sector. From just one change at the start of the story, things have changed a lot for the people in the story compared to the original timeline. Whether it is for better or worse for some, that is a matter of perspective.
But things are not over, there are more plot threads yet to be tied up. I’ve done quite a bit of thinking about what I would write for a sequel and I’ve had ideas. Unfortunately, a sequel for this fic would not be what I’m writing next, since my mind has been captured by other ideas which I would be writing first. But perhaps in the future I will get around to writing a sequel for this fic.
It has been over five years since I started writing this story, which is a lot longer than I expected to be writing this for. I’d like to thank all of the readers for sticking with me all of this time. While I’ve always had a vision in mind and knew what to write next, finding the time to actually write this has sometimes been a struggle. But I’ve also learned a lot over the course of writing this and grown as an author. Looking back, a lot of my earlier chapters could have been written a lot better, which is why I plan on rewriting those chapters in order to achieve greater quality.
There may be extensive changes to the prose and specific details in the rewrite, but I will not be changing any of the main plot events of the story. The main events that happen will stay the same, though I may invent additional minor characters for the sake of creating additional points of view to describe events from. For now, this task of rewriting the story is what I will be occupying myself with for the next few months before I move onto my next work.
Also, I know it is kind of late now that this story is over, but I have created a discord server for myself for anyone who wants to talk with me or any of the other readers, or discuss any of the stories I have written or plan on writing in the future. You can join the server through this link: discord . gg / NbpqbdJS89