At the end of May 2491, Los Andares, the capital of the planet Cha Sara in the Sara system, was facing the greatest catastrophe since the city stood on the green plains.
In less than a month, a sticky, gelatinous zerg blanket, somewhere between mucus and brown lichen, spread across the lush forests and plains of Cha Sara through the spread of spores in the atmosphere.
Breeding. Plants begin to wither, and fungal organisms are assimilated by the zerg carpet and become part of the swarm.
Whether it is the rich green land or the Gobi desert landscape similar to its sister Star Ma Sara, they are covered with thick purple-black germ carpets and buildings infected by zerg. Otherwise, it is completely desolate, with no livelihood, and even
Even the birds in the sky have disappeared. Even the vast oceans and rivers and lakes are covered by the zerg carpet, like a layer of dark brown oil that flows with the waves.
Zergs are eating away at this planet that was once full of life.
Los Andares is the last human city that is still holding on and has not been captured. The other major cities have long been overwhelmed by the swarm. All survivors on the planet have retreated to Andares, using its tall walls and
The fortifications make a last stand.
At this moment, Los Andares, a city of high-rise buildings, factories and large-scale residential areas, is trembling in the local May warm wind mixed with the smell of blood and fishy stench.
The destruction of Cha Sara's environment by the insect swarm has forever changed the planet's landscape and climate. The disappearance of plants has brought about irreversible erosion caused by soil erosion and weathering. The weather has begun to become complex and changeable, sometimes from time to time.
It was cloudy and sometimes stormy.
At this time, Justice Collins of Cha Sara was commanding his only colonial force from the steel and concrete fortifications of Prey to guard humanity's last refuge on the planet.
The land outside the city's protective wall fortifications built with alloys and shaped ceramics has been completely covered by germ carpets. The dark brown land is covered with spiked fleshy spiers of zerg and veins beating like hearts.
Nowadays, the defenses outside Andares have long been devastated. The steel plates that can withstand arc tank impact shells are covered with sharp bone spurs and spines, and the protective plates are full of traces of acid burns.
A few hours ago, a fierce battle took place on the front line of Andares. There were piles of human and Zerg corpses piled up in front of the fortifications, and the smell of burnt protein filled the air. The humans had not had time to clean up the battlefield and recover it.
The remains of the dead, because they know that the enemy may launch the next attack at any time.
Collins used an optical telescope to observe the zerg troops gathering in the distance. The swarms on the horizon were like wriggling black spots. There were a large number of flying zerg creatures flying in the dark blue sky, like slowly moving worms.
The dark clouds are falling.
The judicial officer was surrounded by various signal transceivers and life signal detection instruments, and the entire fortification was filled with harsh static noise.
A few weeks ago, the channels had been filled with the frantic shouts from across the colony, but now there was nothing but disturbing static.
At the same time, several of Collins' information technology soldiers were tirelessly calling for help from other federal troops outside the planet, but there was always silence on the other end of the communication channel.
"How many aliens are there in front of us?" The judicial officer put down his telescope and asked a soldier beside him. He is an unsmiling middle-aged man with a broad square face with a pair of thick eyebrows and dark brown eyes.
and a long, neatly trimmed mustache.
Judge Collins is wearing a dark green army uniform instead of a beautiful judicial officer's uniform. His eyes are sharp and deep under his wide-brimmed military hat. There is no doubt that this judicial officer is more like an iron-blooded soldier.
Not federal officials who are skilled in calculations and intrigues.
"Millions." The soldier said a number that made everyone feel desperate: "There are also millions of alien creatures on the left, right and behind Los Andares."
Although the Terran Federation had discovered and launched a research project on zerg as early as 2491, the Cha Sara people who faced the zerg did not even know what these sudden creatures were, and still regarded them as alien creatures or aliens.
It's "purple nightmarish creatures" as they are called.
"More aliens are still hiding in the caves and lairs they dug underground, and there are more flying zerg creatures in the sky."
"There is really no way to heaven and no way to earth..." Another technical soldier said a proverb from ancient times.
"God's ass! Their number is a hundred times a thousand times more than ours." Someone said.
"Where the hell is this shit fleet?"
More than nine-tenths of Cha Sara's population has been devoured by the swarm. After several weeks of defensive battles, there are only less than 400,000 people left in Los Andalos. Even including the militia
, mobilized soldiers and armed people, Justice Collins could mobilize very few forces.
The situation was so critical that Collins had to release the prisoners in Andares Prison to let them fight against the Zerg. However, without support, the isolated Andares would be overwhelmed sooner or later when faced with the mighty sea of worms.
destiny.
If the zerg were not able to communicate and would not accept human surrender, the surviving Andalos would have surrendered long ago.
"Shut up, Sergeant, or I will throw you out to feed those monsters. You have seen how Rey and Semiro died." The justice roared loudly.
Unlike his other colleagues in the Terran Federation, Justice Collins is a very capable official, which is extremely rare.
The flourishing development of Cha Sara is inseparable from the enlightened policies of this judicial officer. As a planet that was originally mainly used to exile criminals, Cha Sara was once a prison planet with a strict order. If Koprulu humans are
The descendants of the exiles on Earth, then the people living on this planet are the exiles of the exiles.
——Of course, except for those who like to satirize the founding family of the Federation in a bitter tone, no one will admit that they are the descendants of a group of exiles. Whether it is official or historical documents, the Terran Federation people will only proudly claim that they are
From the ancient and sacred earth.
Even as a planet that was once used to exile criminals, Cha Sara's development rate has exceeded that of its sister planet Mar Sara, which implemented the colonization process earlier, and the latter has been considered to be a highly underdeveloped planet over the years.
world.
It is worth mentioning that Judge Collins also has a very tough attitude towards rebel forces such as the Korhal Revolutionary Army and the Sons of Korhal, and has always emphasized that all rebels should be brought to justice. He believes that the only way to sentence these rebels is
The basis is the harshest criminal law, and the only fate waiting for the rebel leader Augustus Mengsk and his associates is to be hanged.
Especially after the rebellion of Mar Sara, the governor of Mar Sara, known as the incompetent pig, and the judicial officer who colluded with the rebels further highlighted Collins' selflessness and deep hatred of the rebels.
"Has anyone responded to our call for help?" The judicial officer looked at the trembling technical soldiers. There was no one available for him, and these soldiers who had been at their posts for several days and nights were already on the verge of emotional collapse.
"No, Judicial Officer, no... no..." replied a sergeant: "Only some of Mar Sara's men responded to us."
"Why didn't you report the response?" the judicial officer asked him.
"The only people who responded to us were the Mar Sara Observatory, the Meteorological Bureau, privately owned interstellar radio stations and several universities...and..." the sergeant replied hesitantly.
"What else?" The judicial officer was already impatient.
"And the Mar Sara rebels..." the sergeant said hesitantly.
"What the greatest irony!" Justice Collins then cursed in some obscure local slang, which definitely didn't sound like a good word. Since the Zerg invaded Cha'Sala, all the calls for help have been in vain.
The federal navy fleet that likes to show off its power seems to have never appeared in this world.
At this moment, everyone could feel the ground shaking.
The swarm's attack begins again.
Collins glanced at the haggard faces and eyes with thick bags under the eyes of the technical soldiers around him, and almost at the same time picked up a C-13 Gauss rifle leaning against the wall and rushed toward the firing port.
Like the rustling sound of insects crawling across the leaves in swarms, the black springtails and Hydra Hydralisks formed an overwhelming army of insects. These violent and deadly alien creatures were covered with sharp spikes and thorns all over their bodies.
The sturdy carapace and frightening roars converged into a terrifying sound that swept across the earth.
The officer's roar immediately came from the fortification, and all the automatic turrets, automatic defense cannons and anti-aircraft missile towers in the front were activated under the remote control of the advanced computer AI system and the operator. An automatic cannon on the top of the fortification where Collins was located
The clanking metal shells were ejected under a series of rattling shots, and the artillery positions in the city fired their remaining ammunition amidst the rumbling sound of artillery fire.
Hundreds of colonial militiamen wearing CMC-200 power armor are entering the position, including conscripts wearing only military camouflage uniforms and men holding automatic rifles.
"It has only been three hours since the last attack..." said the technical sergeant: "The time between their attacks is getting shorter and shorter..."
"There is definitely something commanding them." In many battles with the zerg, Justice Collins has a good understanding of these alien creatures that suddenly appeared in Cha Sara.
The Zergs currently appearing on the frontal battlefield lack obvious intelligence, but it is obvious that for the Zerg swarm as a whole, there must be a Zerg similar to a human commander who is secretly dispatching troops. In this Zerg commander's dispatch
Under the command of Youdu, the attacks launched by the insect swarm follow a certain terrifying pattern. It knows that humans have the habit of sleeping at night, so the insect swarm always launches attacks in the dark.
In Collins' view, the organizational structure of these alien creatures is similar to a termite colony, and there must be a supreme "queen" among them who controls its group members through some kind of pheromones in the caves they dug deep underground in Cha Sara.
And maybe the other aliens are "worker ants" and "soldier ants". They are all children of the "queen" and inherit the same genes.
Once the queen is killed, the alien creatures will be leaderless. But the "queen" must be under strict protection, and they cannot even know its exact location.
"How long can we hold on? Where is the federal fleet?" Seeing the desperate scene in front of them, the federal soldiers who had long been grumbling complained again. They have not yet undergone resocialization, and they still have the ability to
He has self-awareness and is not a wooden person without temper.
"When Augustus Mengsk launched the uprising in Mar Sara, Alpha Squadron arrived not long after. Even counting the distance from Tarsonis to the Sara system, the earliest fleet should have arrived long ago!"
said a soldier.
"They just want us all to die here. I bet the bastards in the fleet must be watching us somewhere - they are observing what kind of damage this newly emerged race can cause, testing how an ordinary colony can
How long can you hold out under their attack?"
"This is impossible." Collins did not angrily rebuke the hysterical soldier. This bizarre speculation could not be the truth, unless the people in the Federal Parliament and the Federal Naval Command were all selfish lunatics.
Either the Federation Navy has already arrived, but they are unable to break through the blockade of the swarm. This may be closer to the truth. After all, even the Alpha Squadron in the Navy, which has a tough and civilized style, is no match for the rebels. They were attacked by the sudden aliens.
It is understandable that the creature beat the rat and caused it to run away.
Once upon a time, human beings thought that they were alone in the universe. They were the only creatures that evolved high intelligence and were the result of the earth's unique natural environment. Human beings thought that they were a race of destiny, and their enemies could only come from the same despicable and greedy people as them.
compatriots.
However, the sudden appearance of alien creatures in Cha Sara easily destroyed the pride of mankind as the leader of all spirits.
Now, for the people of Cha Sara, they have only two choices, either to completely wipe out the tens of millions of zerg on the planet, or to escape from Cha Sara. And if Justice Collins can do it
With these two points, he would not be cowering in this fortification.
"Who can help us...even if it's the rebels, I still have my family..." the nearly collapsed federal soldier said in despair.
"What are you talking about? This is treason!" Even at this time, Collins remained loyal to the Terran Confederacy.
"...Judge, our call for help finally received a response from the fleet." Suddenly, another information technology soldier reported loudly.
"Which fleet is it?" The judge was relieved.
"The feedback I got is...the supporting fleet flagship is the Hyperion -" The information technology soldier obviously did not realize that anything was wrong, nor did he notice the unhappy look on the judicial officer's face.
"Ah - there are Norad II and Norad III -" he said happily.
"I know the names of those two battleships. They are the flagships of Alpha Squadron. Thank God, we are saved." The soldier who was still cursing God's ass laughed loudly.
"Idiot, Alpha Squadron has betrayed the Federation." The Justice shouted angrily.
"Those are rebel warships."
Under the complex eyes of the judicial officer, a dark blue-painted Behemoth-class battlecruiser was falling from the sky in the atmosphere. The ground-attack laser cannon poured bright orange barrage towards the ground, and in an instant it wiped out thousands of running battlecruisers.
Once the zerg is hit by the laser beam, it will turn into a bright fireball like dry firewood.