Enslavers Redux Story Guide
This page is intended to be a comprehensive achievement guide through all the missions:
The story so far...
(Enslavers Redux is a story that takes place in between the history of Starcraft 1 and Starcraft 2. We begin with the story of Starcraft 1, and the events leading up to and during the Great War, also known as the First Contact War. This was a destructive conflict fought between the Protoss and Zerg, ancient enemies both created by a progenitor race, the Xel'naga, with several factions of Terrans being caught in between. Our story of Enslavers Redux takes place in and around the First Contact War after the formation of the Dominion, through the death of the Overmind and the Brood Wars, and finally leading up to the beginning moments of the Second Great War....
Xel'Naga
(
Ouros, the last surviving Xel'naga loyal to the Cycle)
The Xel'naga were a highly advanced race. Described as "the most powerful species the universe has ever known," the xel'naga have been referred to as "wanderers from afar," but it has also been described as being their true name. The protoss referred to the xel'naga as the "Ihan-rii", the "Great Teachers", the "Makers", and the "Guardians", during the Aeon of Strife, and prior to it, worshiped them as gods. Some protoss still refer to them as such. According to protoss tradition, the xel'naga were peaceful, benevolent and utterly consumed with studying and propagating sentient evolution within the universe.
Originating from the Void, the xel'naga were incredibly long-lived even by protoss standards, but not immortal; eventually their species would come to an end. In the interest of survival they planned to create new xel'naga by uplifting two species. A pair of qualities was required and these were defined by the xel'naga as purity of essence and purity of form, and each uplifted species would be targeted for one of them. Over an extraordinarily long period of time, the two species would naturally come together and merge, forming the next generation of xel'naga and beginning the cycle anew.
The cycle was repeated in numerous universes; at the start of a universe's creation, the xel'naga would take on physical form and enter the universe, seeding it with life. The cycle repeated so many times that time itself was affected by it. Using khaydarin crystals, the xel'naga carefully steered the delicate evolutionary processes of their budding species for millennia, keeping a detailed genetic history of each race. Their protracted experiments produced many intriguing deviants and mutations, but the races that they cultivated always fell short of their enormous expectations.
Still driven to perfect their science of proto-genetic evolution, the xel'naga focused their frustrated efforts on Aiur, one of their engineered worlds. Pleased with the progress of its most advanced native life-forms, the xel'naga conceded that their latest creation was their first of all their experiments to evolve beyond the feral constraints of baser life-forms. They gave the new race the name of protoss, or 'the firstborn'.
The xel'naga slumbered within the Chamber of Ascension as they waited for the two destined races to assemble the Keystone and find their way to Ulnar. Meanwhile, Amon and his followers traveled to Aiur. Unsatisfied with the slow progress of the protoss, they accelerated their evolution and spent a millennium subtly guiding their steps. They even used devices such as the Kassia crystal to enhance their rate of reproduction. Eventually, Amon's xel'naga succeeded in leading the protoss to the state of total sentience and awareness. When the protoss became highly intellectual and introspective, Amon and his followers were exhilarated by their seeming success. Attempting to discern the full extent of protoss evolution, they made themselves known to the protoss and integrated into their culture. Amon's xel'naga constructed a temple to mark the site where they first set foot upon Aiur. They also dug vast subterranean caverns. The protoss were united by their fascination with these new "gods." They called their new benefactors the Ihan-rii, the "Great Teachers", the "Makers", and the "Guardians". Amon's xel'naga marveled at how driven the protoss were to plumb the mysteries of the universe around them. However, they reeled in frustration when the protoss tribes grew further and further apart. At first, Amon's xel'naga were intrigued by this ideological development, and conducted an experiment to see what effects the diverging tribes might have on khaydarin crystals. They created twin crystals, the Khalis and Uraj, from a monolithic crystal and gifted them to the Sargas and Akilae Tribe respectively. The crystals' powers and appearance diverged with their tribes.
Amon's xel'naga speculated that perhaps they had pushed protoss evolution too far. As individual egos arose to overpower the once primary communal link, many of Amon's followers believed that the protoss had lost their greatest strengths. With the loss of the primal psychic link, which the xel'naga considered the most fundamental element of their greatness, they deemed that the purity of form they sought to create had been sullied by a conflict of essence and thus decreed that the protoss were a failed creation as a result of their sentience being pushed too quickly. Amon's xel'naga were already done with the protoss, and needed to work on a new species. Hundreds of Amon's were killed in a protoss attack when they tried to leave, but they were fended off long enough for the greater number of their worldships to be launched. They left behind khaydarin crystals and at least one ship.
(Amon, the rogue Xel'naga bent on remaking the physical universe in his image)
Amon and his followers traveled to Zerus, where they dismissed their tenets of physical form and focused chiefly on the pursuit of a distinct purity of essence. They labored to advance the evolution of the zerg, which was the most insignificant life form on Zerus until their proto-genetic manipulations enabled the zerg to survive the torrential firestorms and thrive.The zerg ultimately developed the ability to assimilate other races into themselves, and Amon knew that they had achieved their goal when the zerg became conditioned to survive the harshness of space. However, the xel'naga were alarmed to discover that the original races assimilated by the zerg were almost unrecognizable after only a few generations of their inception. Amon desired their ability to steal essence, but the zerg were independent. Remembering their failure with the protoss, Amon's xel'naga attempted to waylay the potential hazards of differing egos by structuring the collective sentience of the zerg into a unified, amalgamated hive mind, creating a separate entity called the Overmind to control the swarm.
They kept a constant watch on the Overmind via a psychic link. Feeling an absence within the Void itself as the protoss created the Khala, the other xel'naga were disturbed from their slumber. Discovering Amon and his followers at Zerus, a war erupted among the xel'naga; in response, Amon unleashed the zerg. The xel'naga attempted to stem the tide of the ever-advancing onslaught, but the reinforced hulls of their worldships were battered by wave after wave of zerg swarms with no signs of abatement. The xel'naga defenses were overrun within a few hours and the greater whole of the xel'naga race was consumed, an action which threw the xel'naga plan into turmoil. A fraction of the xel'naga remained within Ulnar, however, and Amon himself was felled in the final confrontation. He was thrust back into the Void and twisted it with his hatred, though the zerg continued to feel his influence. One of his surviving servants, known only as Na'dur, thereafter sought a body to sustain Amon. The Overmind assimilated some of the xel'naga's knowledge as it processed thousands of xel'naga into itself, and decided that the protoss would become the zerg's ultimate target...
Protoss
The protoss are an ancient race, and they consider themselves to be the "firstborn" race of the universe. The protoss were discovered by Amon and his followers on Aiur, a world the xel'naga had previously engineered.
The xel'naga, who were nearing the end of their life cycle, were in need of a race to achieve purity of form and intrigued by their mental connection, chose to use the protoss. Amon uplifted the protoss and manipulated their essence. Pushing the evolution of the protoss, the purity of form was achieved and the xel'naga eventually descended to Aiur. The protoss, who revered the Amon and his followers as gods, learned much from them. But in time, they began to grow wary of their creators, and rebelled from them, attacking their ships and killing hundreds. Amon and his followers left the planet as the protoss fell into the Aeon of Strife, a period of brutal civil war. Until the End War, history would hold that it was the xel'naga as a whole that were responsible for this uplift. The destructive civil war ended when Khas, using xel'naga-derived artifacts called khaydarin crystals, re-created the psionic link. It became the basis of a new philosophy called the Khala.
Approximately 1500 by terran reckoning, the Conclave attempted to exterminate rogue heretics who had deliberately cut themselves off from the Khala and would later become known as the Dark Templar. They ordered Executor Adun to execute them, but Adun refused, instead teaching the rogues to hide from the Conclave. Eventually the rogues lost control of their powers, alerting the Conclave. They were secretly banished on a xel'naga ship.
By 2499 the protoss became aware of a xenomorphic threat, the zerg, another alien species also created by the xel'naga. The zerg were attacking the terrans, a species which had traveled to the Koprulu Sector two hundred years previously. The Conclave dispatched Tassadar and a force of protoss to destroy the infestation by purifying the infested worlds.
Tassadar's force failed in its mission, and the remnants traveled to the new zerg homeworld, Char. There, Tassadar struck an alliance with the Dark Templar prelate, Zeratul. They discovered a weakness in the zerg command structure which could be exploited only by the Dark Templar, and clashed with their new leader, the Queen of Blades. Meanwhile, the majority of the zerg force traveled to Aiur. The protoss were losing the battle, but when Tassadar brought Zeratul to Aiur, a protoss civil war broke out between Tassadar's followers and the followers of the Conclave. Eventually Tassadar's faction won. Unimpeded by the Conclave, Tassadar's followers attacked the Overmind itself.
Protoss advanced technology complements and enhances their psionic mastery. The main protoss cultural groups are the Khalai, who adhere to the communal Khala, and the Nerazim, who reject the Khala. In addition, another branch of the protoss separate from the Khala called the Tal'darim lives in various places in the galaxy.
Alongside the zerg and terrans, the protoss stand as one of the three dominant species of the Milky Way.Protoss are not found outside the Koprulu sector.
Zerg
The zerg were a species of parasitic worms which evolved on the ash world of Zerus near the galactic center.
Amon's xel'naga discovered the original zerg on Zerus. The fallen xel'naga directly intervened in the zerg's development to gift them with the purity of essence, making them the counterparts of the protoss, gifted with the purity of form; the zerg and protoss were intended to eventually merge to form a hybrid army for Amon. At this point the zerg species diverged into two distinct branches; the Zerg Swarm that had been altered and the primal zerg that managed to avoid the tampering of Amon's xel'naga. The xel'naga created the Overmind to control the zerg swarm and prevent a repeat of the protoss' Aeon of Strife. The Overmind oversaw the zerg swarm's rapid evolution, created the cerebrates, and divided the Swarm into broods. The primal zerg, meanwhile, went into hiding to preserve their individuality.
However, the xel'naga in Ulnar caught wind of Amon's plan, and sought to stop Amon from ending the Infinite Cycle. The two factions fought in the space above Zerus, and the swarm was released on the xel'naga. Most were slain and their knowledge was assimilated by the swarm. Through this, the Overmind became aware of the existence of the protoss, and through them sought to make the Zerg Swarm perfect. However, it was aware of the directive implanted into it by Amon, and sought ways to subvert Amon's plans.
Having assimilated multiple species and evolved during the journey, the Swarm arrived at the Koprulu sector near the Protoss Empire. The Overmind ordered the assimilation of the terrans; their psionic potential was needed to fight the protoss. The protoss detected the zerg, learned of their xel'naga origins, and dispatched the Koprulu Expeditionary Force under Executor Tassadar to deny the zerg a foothold.
The Great War broke out with the zerg invasion of the terran worlds. Protoss purification, and terran internal strife, failed to contain the invasion. The terran rebel group, the Sons of Korhal, used and manipulated the invasion to overthrow the Terran Confederacy and form the Terran Dominion. The zerg captured Sarah Kerrigan at the Battle of Tarsonis and withdrew to Char to transform her into the Queen of Blades. The Overmind intended Kerrigan to succeed it as the Swarm's leader, freeing the zerg from Amon. It had no concern over the other races of the galaxy.
The zerg were attacked on Char by the protoss; a renegade Tassadar joined forces with Dark Prelate Zeratul on Char. Zeratul, wielding the Dark Templar's power of the Void, permanently slew Zasz. This created a brief mental link between Zeratul and the Overmind, through which the Overmind learned the exact location of Aiur. Kerrigan remained on Char while the Swarm invaded Aiur. Resistance against the zerg invasion was hampered by the protoss Conclave's overconfidence and a short protoss civil war. The planet was devastated as the Overmind relocated to Aiur.
Terrans
The term terran generally refers to the humans descending from the survivors of the "Long Sleep" and consequently to the human inhabitants of the Koprulu Sector. The term may be used synonymously with human and terrans of the sector may extend its meaning to encompass those not descending from the "Long Sleep".
Humans originated on the planet Earth some 1.5 million years ago. The Xel'naga who first guided the species into conscience thought were disappointed in the slow evolution and constant infighting among early genetic variations of humans and deemed them a "failed" cycle. They traveled away from the Sol system. However, one Xel'naga, Ouros, became suspicious of a newly created Xel'naga, Amon. His desire to end the Cycle and attempt to convince others of his vision were alarming. Ouros feared Amon would seek to corrupt other species without his brothers knowledge. He returned to Earth in secret many times over the next million years and continued to shepard their evolution away from the Neanderthal into the dominant homo-erectus species that is common today. Once satisfied they could become a self-sustaining species, the Xel'naga left Earth in secret, hoping one day humanity could be used as a defense against the inevitable threat posed by Amon that only he could see.
Many thousands of years later, the first terrans arrived in the Koprulu sector via supercarriers in 2259, landing on three separate planets – Tarsonis, Moria and Umoja. They were cut off from Earth. The terran colonists had access to stores of fertilized eggs and frozen embryos, and even extensive cloning, using technologies found on the supercarriers. The terran population expanded rapidly for at least three generations, and for the first five or six generations there was pressure to have many children. Eventually the supercarrier technology broke down.
Prior to the Great War, the terrans were primarily divided into three factions in the Koprulu sector, each based on one of the original settled planets – the Terran Confederacy, Kel-Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate. The Confederacy was the strongest faction.
The terrans were discovered by the zerg approximately sixty years before the Great War although the terrans themselves would not know about them for five decades, and even then kept their findings secret. The strongest terran faction, the Terran Confederacy, consisted of Tarsonis (the capital world) and numerous colonies. Corruption by the Old Families (the economic leaders of the Confederacy), economic repression of the colonists and general poor treatment sparked numerous rebel movements. The most important of these was the Rebellion of Korhal, a secret movement led by Senator Angus Mengsk and heavily supported by Umoja. After the Confederacy defeated the Kel-Morian Combine in an economic and military conflict, the Guild Wars, in 2480, using numerous neurally resocialized criminals as troops, Korhal declared its independence. Senator Mengsk was killed by ghosts and his genius son, Arcturus, became the rebellion's new leader.
The Confederacy discovered a zerg infestation on a remote fringe world and went to great lengths to destroy the initial infestation, which was found on multiple fringe worlds, but kept a number of the xenomorphs for study. By 2491 they were using psychics in experiments with the creatures. In 2491 the new Rebellion of Korhal became so strong under Arcturus Mengsk's leadership that the Confederacy retaliated with a massive nuclear strike. The movement was renamed the Sons of Korhal. Confederate experiments with the zerg became known to Mengsk after he stumbled upon them while pursuing his insurgency against the Confederacy. One of the psychic test subjects, Sarah Kerrigan, was rescued by Mengsk, eventually becoming his second-in-command. Mengsk would spend the next eight years leading the Sons of Korhal in attacking the Confederacy. Soon, everything would come to a head that would eventually become known as 'The First Great War'.
Prelude to the Great War
(The destruction of Chau Sara)
By 2499, the Confederacy had developed a number of devices called psi emitters, which would broadcast the telepathic signal of a ghost across interplanetary distances. Activated in the Sara System, the Confederacy intended to lure more zerg (which they called xenomorphs) into their traps in order to fashion them into a weapon-one that could put an end to their rivals, but without any of the bad press. Indeed, with the Confederacy coming in and destroying the xenomorphs after they'd done their work, they'd be lauded as heroes. However, by November of this year, the xenomorphs had arrived en masse in the outskirts of the Koprulu Sector. And with the psi emitters activated, what had started out as isolated zerg became an entire species.
Sending in a scouting brood, the Overmind ascertained the location of over a dozen worlds on which terrans were present. It began a subtle invasion of the world of Chau Sara, seeding the atmosphere with spores that made their way down to the surface, giving rise to creep and allowing the zerg to construct their hive clusters. The zerg also invaded other Confederate colony worlds, such as nearby Mar Sara, as well as Brontes and Dylar IV. In November, the Terran Confederacy lost control of one of its experiments on the zerg at the Flannum Installation on Chau Sara. The Confederate forces eventually defeated the zerg, beating them back from the capital, Los Andares. The Confederacy controlled all communication and travel to the planet, hiding the events of the battles.
The Zerg Swarm took over Chau Sara, but by next month, Tassadar's Koprulu Expeditionary Force arrived there. The Conclave ordered the fleet to begin a purification operation against the planet. The Overmind ordered its forces to hold back so it could observe the operation. All life on the surface of the planet was extinguished. Although Tassadar was successful, there was no doubt that the zerg had established a presence on other worlds. Tassadar was ordered to burn them and any terran colony with even the slightest possibility of infestation. Making his way to the world of Mar Sara, Tassadar began to question the morality behind his genocidal orders.
Course of the War
(Mar and Chau Sara)
Reactions to the knowledge that humanity was not the only sentient species in the galaxy, not to mention that said other species had vaporized an entire world, was varied. Initially the Confederacy placed censorship on what could be reported concerning the protoss attack in the Sara System, though rumors still made their way all the way back to the Confederate capital of Tarsonis, Universe News Network running sensationalist pieces about how an alien species was going to wipe humanity out. On the personal level, reactions were varied. Some quarters reacted in horror, others with religious ecstasy. Some wanted to greet the aliens with open arms, others prepared for war. And right up to the fall of the Confederacy, there were some who refused to believe that the aliens even existed. The panic generated by the news inflicted an economic slowdown on the Confederacy, reversing the economic prosperity that it had been enjoying since their victory in the Guild Wars.
Confederate colonel Edmund Duke, fearing an attack against the nearby colony of Mar Sara, launched a clumsy counterattack against the protoss fleet. Tassadar retreated out of respect for the terrans' bravery. Struggling with his inner doubts, Tassadar could not bring himself to destroy Mar Sara or the fleet that had come to protect it. Refusing to follow the Conclave's genocidal orders, he sought a way to defeat the zerg without arbitrarily wiping out humanity in the process. Thus, he pulled his fleet back beyond the range of terran sensors. Mar Sara had been spared, but with the zerg infestation gaining ground, a fact known to both the Confederacy and protoss fleet, how long it would remain a viable world was unknown.
Battles of Mar Sara
(Mar Sara)
The Confederacy knew of Mar Sara's infestation; outland colonist stations had begun going silent in early December and the day before Chau Sara's destruction, a reconnaissance-in-force had confirmed the zerg presence. Although the existence of the zerg was still kept a secret, known only to certain Confederates and a few members of the Old Families, it appeared that the protoss were more interested in defeating the zerg than humanity, that terrans were destined to get caught up in a war between the two races. Unofficially, Mar Sara, and the Sara System as a whole, would be the place to test this theory. As such, while carrying down a lockdown of the Fringe Worlds, Mar Sara's new magistrate was ordered by Edmund Duke to relocate Mar Saran colonists to the Wasteland and other wilderness areas, supposedly to allow easier evacuation, although some cities, such as the planet's capital, remained inhabited. However, while Duke began uprooting the Confederacy's assets from Mar Sara, its people were effectively left to the wolves. Or rather the zerg, who had already been subject to the occasional sighting and rumor and were perfectly willing to take part in the odd mutilation of cattle. Yet despite the Confederacy's heavy handed relocation of the Mar Sarans, there was a definite fear that came from the knowledge that mankind was no longer alone in the universe and that Mar Sara could follow a similar fate as Chau Sara, despite Confederacy propaganda portraying the protoss as cowards as per their withdrawal.
Adding fuel to the fire, hostilities broke out between the Confederacy and the Sons of Korhal. The Mar Sara Colonial Militia fended off an attack against one of their command centers, then destroyed the nearby rebel base.
Loss of Support
(Marshal James Raynor on his personal Vulture craft)
A team of Confederate marines, firebats and SCVs at Backwater Station fell under attack from the zerg. Colonial marshal Jim Raynor offered to help rescue them, but Edmund Duke ordered him to stay away. Raynor insisted on taking his forces to the rescue anyway. During the battle, the terran combatants discovered an infested command center and destroyed it. Reports about the battle from Universe News Network reporter Michael Liberty prompted the Confederate military to arrest Raynor's militia branch, imprisoning them in a prison ship in orbit.
Fall of Mar Sara
(The Zerg invade)
Meanwhile, the Confederacy planned to evacuate the planet, but had final operations to attend to. The Sons of Korhal had stolen a secret psi emitter in a box from them, which lured zerg to its location in Oasis Station. The zerg had already taken the city. The 417th Confederate Marine Platoon was ordered to retrieve the item, but wasn't told of its properties. The platoon succeeded, capturing the box and a rebel operator, but were forced to flee to their base at Bunker Complex 3847, aka "Scenic". During the retreat they lost half the platoon, and the Confederacy attempted to kill them (and destroy the box) by dropping a tactical nuke on them. However, the attempt failed, leaving the platoon initially unaware they had been targeted for death. They took shelter in the mysteriously abandoned bunker complex.
Arcturus Mengsk and his new ally Michael Liberty embarked on a strategy to gain the colonists' support. He promised to rescue them from the zerg, which the Confederacy was conspicuously failing to do, even though his dropships were unlikely to reach Mar Sara City in time; they were five hours away. The rebel operative informed the platoon of the emitter's properties, and they became aware of the situation at Mar Sara City. By activating the device, they could lure flying zerg to their location rather than the city, delaying the zerg long enough to allow its evacuation. They activated the device and transformed the bunker complex into a defensive-oriented death trap during the hour-and-a-half they had before the zerg arrived. Then they fought a battle to the death, delaying the zerg as long as they could — enough time for the dropships to reach Mar Sara City — before being completely wiped out.
(The Sons of Korhal rescue Mar Sara)
Mengsk struck an alliance with the magistrate. His militia had to hold out against the zerg for half an hour until the Sons of Korhal dropships could arrive. Due to the delays imposed by the 417th Confederate Marine Platoon on the zerg, the militia was successful in keeping the zerg away from the civilians until they could be evacuated. Meanwhile, the Sons of Korhal rescued Jim Raynor from the prison ship, inducting him into their organization.
(Mar Sara's last stand)
The Sons of Korhal planned their own evacuation of the planet, but not before stealing weapons designs from the Confederacy. Jim Raynor was selected to lead a team of marines and firebats into the Jacobs Installation. The team fought their way inside, killing Alpha Squadron soldiers and even captive zerg and retrieved a data disk, but this prompted the installation's self-destruct sequence. The team escaped shortly before the structure exploded.
At the very end, Fire Base Chimera came under attack. The zerg emerged triumphant, but protoss forces, personally led by Executor Tassadar, descended to the surface and aided the remaining terran present.
The Sons of Korhal fled to the colony world of Antiga Prime. Thirteen hours later, the protoss purified Mar Sara.
Battle of Antiga Prime
(Sons of Korhal staging area)
The Sons of Korhal moved to Antiga Prime's second moon in order to support a colonial revolt. The Terran Confederacy, however, was prepared for a move, taking control of the primary Antigan command center and a nearby road. The Sons of Korhal became aware of a stealthy zerg presence.
Arcturus Mengsk dispatched Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan (a ghost), Captain Jim Raynor and renegade reporter Michael Liberty to deal with the problem, along with extra troops. Raynor's troops destroyed the defense structures around the base, enabling Kerrigan to sneak into the command center and slay many Alpha Squadron soldiers. As Liberty followed her inside, Kerrigan killed the Confederate officer in charge. Liberty reported on the event, then played pro-Mengsk propaganda.
Alpha Squadron responded with a strike force, which moved on the combined Sons of Korhal/Antigan position, but the coalition's forces not only defeated them, but also destroyed the nearby Confederate base. This threw the Confederates into a state of panic.
The Battle of the Norad II
(Norad II crashing)
During the chaos, Alpha Squadron's flagship, the Norad II, was shot down by zerg attacks. Duke was forced to call for help. Arcturus Mengsk, seeing an opportunity, ordered Captain Raynor to rescue Duke. The Sons of Korhal linked up with nearby Alpha Squadron forces, and the joint operation was able to free Duke from the zerg. Mengsk then persuaded Duke to switch sides to the Sons of Korhal.
The Confederacy imposed a massive blockade on the planet using elements of the Colonial Fleet and Confederate Army. Confederate propaganda claimed the rebels were using volatile mind-control drugs on Antigans and Alpha Squadron, and that Duke was a "mentally reprogrammed zombie" whose image was being used to demoralize the Confederacy. The rebels were also portrayed as allied with the protoss and zerg to enslave mankind. The blockade was officially expected to bring a swift victory. The Confederates used Liberty's image to broadcast propaganda. For their part, the rebel propaganda continued to claim the zerg were Confederate weapons.
The Sons of Korhal took the time to fully integrate Alpha Squadron into their own forces and changing their organization to more closely align with those of Alpha Squadron while continuing to fight the Confederacy for a significant period of time before achieving a breakthrough. The true extant of the war, and the full power of the zerg and protoss, remained a secret within the Confederacy. The defection of Alpha Squadron caused additional concern for the Old Families, especially as General Duke was one of their number. As a contingency against domestic unrest and future invasion, some families began evacuating their children from Tarsonis to Tyrador IX. The relocations were disguised as vacations.
Fall of Antiga Prime
(Fighting on Atticus Minor)
During an attack by Delta Squadron on the Sons of Korhal, the rebels constructed a psi emitter from the technology stolen from the Jacobs Installation. The device could attract zerg from a considerable distance. Sarah Kerrigan was ordered to take it into the Confederate base menacing their current position. Kerrigan successfully carried out her mission despite interference from the zerg.
Masses of zerg traveled to Antiga Prime from light years away, falling upon the Confederate positions and destroying the blockade. The Confederates stood their ground rather than retreating, enabling the Sons of Korhal to escape. The protoss arrived, briefly engaging the zerg on the ground alongside Jim Raynor in a mission to rescue some colonists before surrounding them. They eventually purified the planet, sterilizing all life on the surface.
The Confederacy changed their propaganda in light of the loss. They claimed that Mengsk had made a deal with the aliens (which they then reneged, explaining the rebels' flight). While calling upon citizens to enlist, the Confederacy moved forces to Halcyon, a point between Antiga Prime and Tarsonis, in order to stop the rebel and alien advances.
The Fall of Tarsonis
(Tarsonis)
The anti-Confederate insurrection spearheaded by the Sons of Korhal gained intractable momentum after the Revolution of Antiga Prime. That battle saw the defection of Alpha Squadron to the rebel cause and validated the effectiveness of the psi-emitters. Thus strengthened, Arcturus Mengsk, leader of the Sons of Korhal, planned to strike Tarsonis and destroy the heart of Confederate power. He kept the exact nature of the plan secret from subordinates such as Sarah Kerrigan and Jim Raynor.
Sons of Korhal Invasion
The orbital defenses over Tarsonis were considered formidable, and high-ranking Confederate officials believed the Sons of Korhal couldn't break through. However, General Edmund Duke had fought in over thirty battles over Tarsonis, and knew his way past their defenses. Leading from the Norad II, Duke led a Sons of Korhal strike force onto the center of three platforms, which were sloppily defended by Delta and Omega Squadrons. The Sons of Korhal were able to break through; Duke intended to raise a "ruckus" with them.
(
Urban combat)
A Sons of Korhal force led by Sarah Kerrigan and Jim Raynor descended to the surface, destroying war factories operated by Nova Squadron, Delta Squadron and Omega Squadron. They received reinforcements from General Duke, whose own forces also set up psi-emitters. Confederate General Ledbetter coordinated the Confederate response, but they were defeated. Heavy fighting also took place between the Sons of Korhal and the Confederate military in the streets of Tarsonis City.
Zerg and Protoss Invasions
(Zerg invasion of Tarsonis)
The active psi-emitters drew the zerg to the planet and began overrunning the surprised Confederates and rebels on the surface. Tassadar's expeditionary force arrived in pursuit of the zerg sooner than Mengsk expected. The protoss were initially interested in only fighting the zerg, but nevertheless were also engaged by the Confederates.
(Kerrigan at New Gettysburg)
The protoss efforts against the zerg alarmed Arcturus Mengsk. The rebel leader feared the Confederates would escape while the zerg were diverted. Mengsk ordered Sarah Kerrigan to defend the zerg hives at New Gettysburg from the protoss over the objections of Kerrigan and Jim Raynor. Fighting in the city degenerated into a four-way melee between the rebels, Confederates, zerg, and protoss. The rebels eventually forced the protoss to withdraw but were in turn overrun by the zerg. Kerrigan was lost after requests for support and retrieval by the rebel fleet were ignored, much to the horror of Jim Raynor and other followers.
As Mengsk ordered the rebel fleet to withdraw, Raynor and reporter Michael Liberty disobeyed orders and commandeered a dropship to New Gettysburg. Despite the retrieval team's efforts, Kerrigan was not among the rescued. The dropship rendezvoused with the battlecruiser Thunder Child which also acted as a safe haven for refugees before departing from Tarsonis after destroying the Ion Cannon. Mengsk took the opportunity to rescue potential assets such as Handy Anderson (editor-in-chief of UNN), the Annihilators and powerful psychic Nova Terra.
The Confederate Resistance Forces managed to escape at this time. The zerg continued to attack the Confederacy and protoss in order to protect their prize before departing for Char.
Establishment of the Dominion
(The Dominion Armed Forces fight the zerg)
The successful destruction of Tarsonis caused the fall of the Confederacy. Most Confederate survivors joined the Sons of Korhal, including the remaining Confederate squadrons, which were forcefully conscripted, giving the former rebels military supremacy. Mengsk's organization saved many terran lives, but refused to assist worlds that did not welcome their intervention, as Mengsk remarked that the planet's local government had ultimate authority on that planet. Many survivors were taken to Ursa.
When terraformers, surveyors and soldiers landed on Ursa, it became the site of a massive battle against the zerg as Jon Dyre won the campaign virtually single-handedly (after killing off his own men, believing them to have been infested).
It was during this period that Jim Raynor's Raiders launched a daring raid on the Dylarian Shipyards, hoping to steal enough ships to move far from Mengsk. General Edmund Duke had been sent by Mengsk in the flagship, the Hyperion, in order to prevent the assault, but the Raiders prevailed, stealing the flagship and numerous other vessels. Duke was left behind, alive but tied up. Mengsk's government suffered a defeat before it could even declare itself.
Mengsk announced that a new government, the Terran Dominion, was necessary to keep watch over the terran worlds asking for help. He promised victory over the aliens. For the first time, all of the terran colonies within the Koprulu Sector were united under one sovereign ruler. This included the Kel-Morian Combine. The newly formed Dominion Marine Corps continued the war against the zerg.
The zerg took Sarah Kerrigan with them to Char. While there, she mentally contacted her old allies Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk, alerting them to her location.
Battles of Char and Aiur
(The zerg inflitrate the Amerigo)
Having sensed Kerrigan via her psionc emminations, Mengsk sent General Duke and Alpha Squadron to Char to retrieve her and flush out the zerg. They were beaten back by the Swarm. Shortly afterward, Raynor's Raiders arrived, landing forces on Char and fighting their way to Kerrigan's location. However, Kerrigan emerged from a chrysalis as the Queen of Blades. The heavily damaged Raiders forces were allowed to retreat alive.
As the Raiders consolidated their position on Char's surface, Kerrigan led the zerg on infiltration attacks against Alpha Squadron and Raiders' ships, forcing both flagships to flee. She personally boarded the Amerigo, a Dominion science vessel, seeking information on the Ghost Program. During the battles, protoss forces under the command of Tassadar, seeking the source of psionic emanations, attacked the remaining infested ships from both sides.
An Unusual Alliance
(Zeratul on Car)
In short order, Raynor struck an alliance with Tassadar and Zeratul, a Dark Templar prelate who assassinated Zasz, cerebrate of the Garm Brood while fighting against the zerg. The death of Zasz threw the zerg into a panic, forcing them to destroy the now-renegade Garm Brood and also prompted them to destroy the primary protoss ships. However, in both cases the zerg destroyed illusory copies.
When Zeratul killed Zasz, he unknowingly made mental contact with the Overmind, which learned from him the location of Aiur. The zerg quickly began the invasion of Aiur based on this information, leaving Kerrigan behind on Char to lead a smaller number of zerg forces against the Dark Templar.
The Fall of Aiur
(The zerg invade Aiur)
As Kerrigan led zerg forces against Tassadar, Zeratul and Raynor, the majority Zerg Swarm engaged the Vanguard of Aiur, defeating them in a battle in which they acquired a khaydarin crystal and then using the crystal to establish the Overmind physically on Aiur.
Meanwhile as the Zerg rampaged on Aiur...our story begins...
Episode I - Shadow of Deception
OTHER GUIDES:
- Episode 1 Achievement Guide
- Episode 2 Achievement Guide
- Episode 3 Achievement Guide
- Epilogue Achievement Guide