Getting Edmund Duke

(Mars Sara outskirts)

It had been a few weeks since Alexander sent out the pirate broadcast, and the Capital city of Mars Sara was in a uproar.

While the hive city that was once the Capital, that is now cleanse from the Confederacy and the Zerg hive Clusters.

Alexander gave a hard choice.

Evacuation.

Everyone that was a civilian, was to be screened and escort out of Mars Sara and head to the western fringes of Confederate territory.

He can't juggle the lives of civilians and handle the front at the same time.

And all the Militias, planetary defense forces that was locally recruited is to joined their families to a new life.

Those that remain on this planet is by his summoning alone. Which now make a sizable portion of those that remains.

Many protested of his actions, but he gave a simple speech. On a simple platform of wooden boards, he stood before the soldiers that was born on this planet, that joined him willingly.

"Too much blood, too much father, brothers, sons and uncles died... I want you and your people to joined and defend your family, that's why you joined the Mar Sara PDFs."

"Sir, let us fight with you. That we would fight against the confederacy!"

Alexander smiled bitterly. He smiled at the youth enthusiasm. Reminding him when he was younger.

"No... You have your fight, and that is to ensure that your families are safe, when the nightmare is over. I will come to get your families back. I known each and everyone of you that stands before me... Why you wanted to join the PDF forces. Your dreams.

But... This is a war far beyond you can handle. I will ensure that while you are escorted to safety...

Those that truly want to aid me...

On the planets that I provide a safe Haven from the wrath of the Confederacy and the Xenos that is attacking us, there are trainers that will train your blades, sharpen your mind, when you become the true Imperial Guard, Tried and tested by them... Return... Return and join our fight...

Now...your departure is at 0900 sharp. And you are dismissed.

Duty to the living is to remind what we have lost." He gave a salute as he baded the soldiers goodbye.

It was a bittersweet goodbye.

He truly known all of them.

For the past five generations of people living in Mars Sara, he watched the people that grow old and died peacefully.

He saw their parents being born in the hospitals as well as they were brought to life to this planet..

In a sense he was like a bit of a grandparent to the defenders eyes.

The ships that was in the capital underground hanger now flared their engines to life.

Each of this ship held a bit of memories, and pride of the People that lived here.

He stood before the observer lounge with several people by his side. Watching the ships depart from this infested world.

A ArchMagos in charge of the industrial facility in this world spoke to him.

"++Emissary of the Omnissiah, Will this farce of you being a System Governor is over?++" A Magos spoke bluntly.

"Yes, We gain enough Intel of what we are up against. Have the forges and the servitors readied for activation. We going to need the Mechanicus to aid our efforts. This... Terrans are lacked the faith and will to fight against the coming darkness.

Alexander eyes glowed gold as he spoke.

Many flinched of the man sudden change.

"Let them witness, the Enlightenment of the Imperium, By faith or flames, they will understand my plans... Whether they want to.. or not. But first things first..." He gazed at the distant horizon.

"Ready your regiments to cleanse the lands from this infestation of Xenos... And I will deal with the parasite."

A location far away from the now seemingly abandoned capital city of Mars Sar, that Alexander left with his forces after cleansing the hive city as it was better to keep the citizens safe, than holding down a hive city that was overrunning with Zerg infestation, deep into the canyon ranges far away from civilization, a desperate attempt of a defense was made in the now crashed Confederacy Battlecruiser.

Alone and outnumbered a hundred thousand to one. And the Zerg flood into the canyons, the shrieks of living demons echo throughout the night and have spooked the trained soldier of the confederacy. They were trained to kill dissidents or rebels not a full blown xenos race barreling towards them.

While they made extensive checkpoints that surrounded the ship, each hour, the tide of endless monsters crash upon the defenses, ready to reap the people within. And each time the soldiers is slowly running out of bullets and men to toss into the grinders.

The medic bay was filled with dead and dying as the doctors that survive the crash tried to perform triage to their wounded with their dwindling supplies. Body bags was littered across the hallways leading the medic bay and they are slowly growing by the day.

The remaining engineer teams barely survive the crash, managed to fixed their emergency power supply to activate what's left of the defense hardpoints of the ship that survive the crash-landing. The flashes of tracers that bleached out from the remaining barrels gave the defenders a bit of hope...

But even that hope is slowly dwindling as the fire rate is slowing down as they were being noticed by the more perceptive soldiers that stood outside the outpost.

"Go,go,go! Get the bunkers up at checkpoint Delta at 0300!" Yelled a Confederacy marine as he yelled at the SCVs to build a hasty defenses as possible.

These soldiers worked tirelessly as they did whatever they can to stem the tide.

Even the toilet seat was no exceptions as they use whatever they can to block the Xenos advance to claim their lives.

"Fuck , we ain't paid enough for this shit!" Yelled one of the Scv operator.

They were just there to maintain logistics and have a cushy job as part of Alpha squadron that was supposed to be elites, now they were out in the open with aliens that willing to ripped their ass a new one in their machines as they used their SCV to bring piles of scraps to make bunkers for the marines to hunker down.

A klaxon horn was sounded, alerting the beleaguered men as another wave of Zerg descended upon the Battlecruiser.

"Open Fire!" One shouted in the distance

Many raised their gauss rifles and fired back at the horde of Zerglings rushing towards them.

"Time to burn this critters!" A Confederacy Firebat aimed his flamethrowers at a hole that is being dug into their defenses.

He was station on the last remaining Outposts before the crash site and his task is to burn anything that walks and crawls in the dirt.

He sprayed the liquid nalpalm at the horde, he hear the screams beyond his station.

"What's the hell?"

He heard screaming from the skies as the mutalisk rained acid darts upon the defenders and despite his suit is much more armoured than regular marines, due to safety considerations, his body was filled with these darts and he died screaming as one of the darts managed to hit his fuel tanks and turned him into a makeshift bomb damaging the surroundings. Blasting a hole in their defenses.

But the Zerg uncaring for their injured pressed on as they swarm to the crash site.

"Get it off, Get it off me, Michael, Michael Don't Leave me alone!" A Marine yelled as he was left behind as the last outpost closed the door before him. His last gaze upon the remaining squad mates as the doors of the remaining outpost left him alone outside.

He stare blankly as he was bleeding to death, at the monsters behind him as the Zerg swarmed over him and ripped his body apart.

A Soldier arrived at the ship tactical room.

Barely lit as the radar of the ship picked up countless of Zerg arriving into the fray.

Each beacon shown the outpost that Duke had made. But now it's just down to the last five in the peripheral surroundings.

"General Duke, we have managed to barricade all the breaching points and awaited further instructions."

"Captain, what are your estimates on our stockpiles?"

"Permission to speak frankly sir!"

"Granted." Duke is weary of this hellhole he molded himself.

Had he given more leniency to Alexander and the planetary defense forces, perhaps none of this would have mattered.

"I afraid that we might not survive the night or even see the next dawn.

Medical supplies are limited and our logistics captain and the quartermaster told us that we are thoroughly fucked.

The Head chef complain that we are running out of sawdust to put into our rations.

We lost lot of good men from the prison outbreak.... Wished we could used those man now."

Duke, frowned, the situation is more dire than he thought, he lost the long range comms and now he is trapped with the Zerg.

He felt it was karma of letting Alexander under house arrest that force him to rebel and been given orders to loot the Treasury by the Senate...

"What about those weapons we obtained from Mar Sara Armories? Surely we found them to be useful yes?" He spoke as he hoped there was a bit of a clearing in this horizon until his captain spoke with more grim news.

"We are unable to get the machines working and small arms fire is locked with a biometric locks.

One of the engineers tried to hotwire one of the vehicles we captured and it exploded and took him and his team in a flash of nuclear explosion. Causing hangar 7 that housed most of the looted hardware to collapse" The captain stated bringing the general with much less of a hope.

Edmund gritted his teeth.

What kind of sick bastards willing to blow their own military hardware?

He sighed once more.

"Did you arrive to the telecommunications relay in one of the town nearby?" Duke asked.

Mars Sara have a decent communication hub, and due to Alexander escape with the citizens most of the communication consoles was sabotaged. And after learning that he didn't destroy the communication in the Zerg infested towns as it was a hasty retreat, Duke decided to let a squad operate and send a sos.

"We did three days ago, and at 0800 hours, the team that was sent was confirmed kia. But before their last transmission, they confirmed that help is coming along the way."

There was silence at the moment as those men that was sent there was the best of the best.

The communication officer eyes opened as there was a Signal nearby.

"Admiral.... We received the call! It's..." The person face paled as she stared at the screen.

"Well trooper, spit it out!"

"Sons of Korhal led by Acturus Mengsk... And the Celestial Imperium... Alexander Solair... The imperium forces is rapidly encroaching the defensive lines!"

There was a silence pervaded in the room

Both of this organization were hostile towards the confederacy.

Both were screwed by the government and in different reasons.

One had his family killed by the confederacy, and one was not only kept as a prisoner but as a test subject for the Psi Emitters to his planet.

Edmund frown inwardly as he looked at which side to join that will screw him over.

While maintaining a facade that he is loyal to the confederacy.

A rain of danger close barrage artillery landed on the last vestiges of the defenders outpost. It clouded with such a sheer quantities that it blocked out the moonlight.

It was like never ending until the saturation barrage ended.

There was whirling in the air.

Many of the Terran Marines, looked up the skies as dual engine fighters flew from the heavens as they gunned down the Zerg fliers. Flashes of tracers, laser and the missile trail lit up the night skies.

The opponent that leading the brood, realize that they are more dangerous than the cripple ship crew, sent their fliers towards them and any hydralisk nearby to serve as a flak turret.

Broodlings and corruptor rushed towards the graceful fliers, despite it looked boxy and less aerodynamic as hell, it was meant to tank damage for prolonged combat, under the eyes of the mechanicus, they made what imperial arsenals even more deadlier.

The leader of the Zerg was amused as a golden shield began to cover the afflicted aircrafts.

As if it knew that it was similar to the Protoss Shields and it would be a matter of time before it fail.

For the next fifteen minutes, the defenders held with bated breath as the Zerg swarm that surrounded them was thinned out.

As the swarm was distracted, a wing of Giant planes opened their bomb bays and rained nalpalm. Turning the land before the Terran Marines into a inferno hellscape.

A loud sound echoed the night.

A warhorn was heard that almost deafen the soldiers.

It demanded attention, from the flames, a gant machine bigger than any mountain stood within it. The two glaring crimson eyes pierced the confederate soldiers souls.

The warhorn sounded once more as the giant arsenals began to glow as it fired and destroyed kilometers of land in the process with one shot alone.

Robots of Various Sizes rode past the giant as they began the cleansing operations.

The Controller of the Zerg Brood realize something was wrong. And attempted to attack the titan.

The Broodlings crashed themselves on the void shields in a fast pace as if hoping to die with the enemy before them, corruptor spat corrosive spits and mutalisk rained down acid darts.

But that's all they were was, a insignificant roadkill.

The defenses of the titan came to life as barrages of varied caliber rained from the titan like there's no tomorrow. Swatting the Zerg air force out of the skies.

Many shuddered as they gripped their gauss rifles.

Was this the soldiers that they tried to apprehend?

Many saw the rise of daylight breaking through the nightmarish yesterday. The sun rose behind the titan, giving it a somewhat of a holy machine descended from the heavens.

Beneath the robotic legions, a cloud of dust that show armoured columns is heading towards their location

The swarm of Planes arrived at their vicinity and landed in the outpost and unloaded their cargo of walkers and Armed soldiers.

Many noted that these soldiers wore Flak armor and they don't even have power armor in their ranks.

"You are now being detained for the incursion of the Celestial Imperium!" The Commander leading this group barked.

Many raised their guns at the defenders.

Many wanted to repel the intruders, but the officer in charge held back as they knew it was better not to fight back.

They noticed that these men are well rested and well armed. And theirs was fighting for three weeks and barely clinging on what scraps of supplies. And there was tank columns behind them that is making up dust clouds, and if they were crazy, the robots and titans behind them would just obliterated the right then and there.

Many was detained as they were kept to a makeshift facilities. Stripped of weapons and power armor. They were processed.

They were given rations equivalent to K Rations as they were almost starved for days, the Medics of the opposing side tended to their wounded.

They were surprised of the cordiality of their captors.

Never realizing that because they were humans that they been cared well, had they been xenos invading the planet, they would have given shittier options.

Chalk porridge and drinks made from sewage water.

Servitorization or penal battalion was the only options.

While the grunts were taken care of.

The meeting of the higher ups take place.

Each deciding the fate of the general of the confederacy.

Alexander stood before the office desk of General Edmund Duke. James Raynor and Tychus watched from the sidelines. Sarah Kerrigan stood in the room as the representative of Acturus side as she was at the opposite end.

On the holographic screen beside him, show the face of Acturus Mengsk gazing upon the now captured General.

"Now, then, General Duke I would asked that you should join me." Acturus spoke.

"You can't be that serious!" Raynor yelled.

It was because of Duke, he was sent to a prison ship. Had they been warped out before Sarah and Tychus arrive, he would be in new Folsom prison complex.

Alexander raised his eyebrows, but stayed silent. As he have no use of a general that lacked foresight. Much less a overly ambitious one that would kill him in his sleep.

"My duty is to the confederacy and you are a Rebel." Spat Duke.

I'm giving you a choice. You can return to the Confederacy and lose, or you can join us and help save our entire race from being overrun by the Zerg. I don't think it's a difficult decision." Acturus spoke with confidence.

"Join forces? With you? I'm a general, for God's sake!" Duke spat.

"A general without an army, I'm offering you a position in my cabinet, not just some backwater post. Don't test my patience, Edmund."

A sigh of defeat exhaled from the general

"All right, Mengsk. You've got a deal."

"Now then, would you let me see my men?" Duke turned towards the man that changed his fate.

Alexander Solair.

"Of course, your men are well taken care of.

I have some business with Mengsk" He gestures him to leave the office.

After the door was closed behind. Alexander turned towards Mengsk.

"Are you sure you know what are you doing?"

"Of course, with the Confederate general under my.. Our control, we have a insight of the confederacy within."

"What make you guarantee that your new toy would not bite us in the ass later on?"

"He have no place to go anyway. And besides, I will keep the end of my bargain. Mars Sara and the fringe systems are now under your control." Acturus spoke.

"We still haven't got Tarsonis yet. And now you are dividing the spoils so soon?"

"We have plans, Alexander, we will take Tarsonis and this time. With a more legitimate way. I will talk to you...soon." The communication was shut off.

Acturus stared at the desk that held the files.

Acturus Mengsk got Sarah Kerrigan to get schematics in a hidden Confederacy base in Mars Sara and it labeled "Psi-Emitter".

His eyes is filled with ambition. Something that Alexander could not control.

"Soon... The Confederacy would Pay for this." He hummed as he walked towards the Hyperion labs, this ship was still under his control until it was hijacked by James Raynor after the fall of Tarsonis.

Meanwhile the soldiers of the Imperium managed to cleanse the zerg infestation of Mars Sara. And with General Duke orders, the defenders on the orbital Dockyard was relieved from their duties and the ships now returned to service.

The soldiers that was on the ground now taken control of the capital and defended the planet until he returned.

Alexander took a part of the ships, leaving the rest behind and ventured to meet with the Sons of Korhal.

He stood on the command deck gazing at the fleet before him.

Beside him was Tychus. Gazing on the planet he once was born in, that is now slowly disappearing from the view.

"Got something on your mind Tychus?"

"Ya know Boss, seeing my home planet wrecked by the Zerg... I understood why you wanted me and lil Ol' jimmy by your side huh."

"There is more horors to come... And all we could do is to unite the Terran before it's too late."

"I never thought of you as a philanthropist kind of guy..."

"Well, it's more of a personal reasons... If we fractured we would fall, besides, it's nice of you to opened your mind to me, Tychus. I like that kind of trait."

Tychus shrugged.

"You paid me to think outside my own personal space."

"Sure do, how's Jimmy?" Alexander spoke as he contemplating something...

"Oh, that lil fella got gushing his pants over that wee little confederate ghost.... Damm, I never knew he was that thirsty. Sure we could trust that wench?"

"Sure... For now. But keep a eye on Raynor for me? Would ya?" Alexander spoke.

"Seemed like you found something in him... Like you did for me."

"A trait of a Hero."

Tychus laughed.

"Hero? Him?"

"You too, as well. Heroes that would pave the light in the darkness... I trust you." Alexander smiled at the sea of stars.

After Tychus left the deck bridge...

"Trust..." He muttered to himself.

That word caused him to be a dropout in the military because his Officer was a prick and he fragged him, causing him to become a rebel with Raynor, wrecking havoc in the Confederate space... That word caused him no trouble to no end...

He felt a sense of discomfort with Alexander.

He arrived at a hangar that housed his mech, the Odin that was undergoing maintenance.

A beast of a machine that is a walking gun platform and it simply just given to him because he saved his friend.. under orders with cash in his account.

There was a bit of guilt.

He did mention of meeting with Raynor and Sarah at the prison ship... But there was a meeting with him with Mengsk. As soon as they escape from the prison ship, Sarah forwarded a message from Mengsk.

[After releasing James Raynor from the prison ship.]

"How about it... Tychus, would you like to be part of the government I am building?" Mengsk spoke.

"What's in it for me?" Tychus spoke.

Keeping his tone down to not awake a tired friend beside him.

"Money, fame and wealth and your criminal record wiped off the slate. And all you need to do is to pull that trigger when the time is right."

"I will think about it."

"Take your time, Mr.Findley... You are close to the target after all.

After all, he always seemed to appreciate you better than you know yourself..."

[Flashback end]

"Heroes huh?" He gaze at the Machine that was given to him, calmly puffing smoke... As weighing his side of the faction as his cigar slowly faded from his mouth...

Alexander gave him and Jimmy boi, a new leash of life. Money and power was given to him, even forming the Heaven devil Mercenary corps as a source of venture... And given him this rig of a machine... A tangible reward for following him... A sense of freedom.

But Acturus... Tychus frowned.

What did he truly reward Him? A empty promise?

A Betrayal and he knows that assassinating Alexander was insane... And he saw the arsenal that would wipe any form of opposition...

And if he did killed Alexander, he wouldn't be alive or reaped the benefits

Killing another man than Raynor, that trusted him and Raynor the most, without strings attached?

He may be dumb in certain aspects, but he knows that if he did truly betrayed Alexander.

Mengsk would never let a wild dog like him to be free as he would be labeled as a dog that would kill his own master without remorse. Mostly kept him on a leash or outright lie to him. As verbal promises is easily broken.

At least Alexander give him and his friend a place and a home to belong... And Alexander would let out his rampage without restraint...

Why else he got this fine machine known as Odin?

He chewed the cigar as he ventured within the decks of the ship.

As the shadows grow around him as he headed to a location where the ship lights unable to reach, darkness envelope him, there was still ember remaining in his cigar that made his existence...

And his choice.