The Story so Far

From Starcraft2.com

First Contact



Terrans first journeyed to the far edge of the galaxy when a navigational malfunction sent their automated colony vessels hurtling off course. Bypassing their intended target, the ships crash-landed on three worlds scattered across the Koprulu sector.

Over several decades the terrans established colonies, spread to other planets, and came into conflict with one another. In the decade after the end of the Guild Wars, the Terran Confederacy stood unchallenged in its supremacy over colonial space.

The terran colonies first became aware they were not alone in the universe when a gleaming fleet of protoss warships suddenly emerged over the Confederate world of Chau Sara. The advanced alien ships incinerated the planet's surface without warning.

[img width=646 height=177]http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8941/ssfchausaraswp1.png[/img]​

Reeling from the unprovoked attack, the Confederacy sent a fleet led by Colonel Edmund Duke, to protect the nearby colony of Mar Sara. Surprisingly the protoss retreated, and Colonel Duke proudly declared the retreat a Confederate victory.





Mar Sara



Back on Mar Sara, Marshal Jim Raynor responded to a distress call out in the wastelands. He found a terran outpost that had been infested by unknown alien organisms. Realizing there could be no survivors, he and his men destroyed it.

The Confederacy reacted by imprisoning Raynor and his men. Further alien attacks broke out on the planet. It took the arrival of an anti-Confederacy rebel group called the Sons of Korhal to begin any sort of organized resistance to the aliens, which had become known as the zerg.

The bestial zerg spread too swiftly to be stopped. Freed by the rebels, Raynor uncovered proof that the Confederacy had anticipated the zerg's arrival. He and the rebel leader, Arcturus Mengsk, evacuated everyone they could from Mar Sara before the protoss fleet reappeared and incinerated the planet.[img width=288 height=276]http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7015/ssfterransgs9.png[/img]





Antiga Prime



Thoroughly disillusioned, Raynor joined the Sons of Korhal. On the planet of Antiga Prime he worked with Mengsk's second-in-command, Sarah Kerrigan--formerly a ghost, one of the Confederacy's elite psionic assassins--whom Mengsk had liberated from the government's neural conditioning. Raynor and Kerrigan developed into a formidable team.

Mengsk quickly stirred up a full-scale revolt against Confederate forces on Antiga Prime. Now a general, Duke tried to intervene, but his ship fell victim to a zerg attack. In a stunning coup Mengsk persuaded the general to join the Sons of Korhal in exchange for saving Duke's command and his life from the rampaging aliens.

Hastily the Confederacy sent reinforcement troops to the planet. However, Kerrigan and Mengsk discovered a terrible secret: Confederate scientists had constructed a "psi emitter", a device that acted as a beacon for the zerg. Tests of this new doomsday weapon had drawn the zerg to Mar Sara and other colonies.

Mengsk ordered a psi emitter to be planted in the Confederate base on Antiga Prime, and the zerg swarmed in to destroy the Confederate forces. Soon afterwards the protoss incinerated the planet from orbit, just as they had Chau Sara and Mar Sara.





Tarsonis



Next Mengsk struck at the ultimate prize, the world of Tarsonis, capital of the Confederacy. He overrode his lieutenants' misgivings and had General Duke place psi emitters on the unblemished and densely populated world. As the zerg descended on Tarsonis, Raynor began to question Mengsk's sanity: no measure seemed too extreme for Mengsk if it achieved his goals. Even so, Raynor did not fully understand the depths of Mengsk's malice.

This time the leader of the protoss fleet, Executor Tassadar, deployed ground forces in an effort to save the planet. There was every chance the protoss could succeed, and so Mengsk ordered Kerrigan to vanquish the protoss on Tarsonis. Despite her concerns Kerrigan obeyed and ensured that the planet would fall to the zerg.

Surrounded by zerg, she called for evac from the doomed planet. However, in a shocking betrayal, Mengsk abandoned Kerrigan and her troops to their fate. Furious, Raynor departed Mengsk's flagship, the Hyperion, and returned to Tarsonis, but he arrived too late to prevent Kerrigan's capture by the zerg.





The rise of the Terran Dominion



Despite this minor setback Arcturus Mengsk's victory was all but complete. With Tarsonis destroyed the Confederacy collapsed. Most Confederate survivors quickly joined the Sons of Korhal, which became the primary military force opposing the alien invaders. The former rebels saved many terran lives. They only hesitated when a planet did not welcome their intervention. After all, as Mengsk remarked sadly, a planet's local government had ultimate authority on that planet. Besides, the Sons of Korhal had limited resources, and it was a time of war.

As planet after planet appealed to the Sons of Korhal for aid, Mengsk announced that a new government, the Terran Dominion, was necessary to keep watch over these worlds. He declared himself emperor of the Dominion, and he promised victory over the aliens.

Meanwhile, Raynor realized too late that he had begun to fall in love with Sarah Kerrigan. Unable to save her now, he resolved to seek justice in her name.

[img width=646 height=177]http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/892/ssfmengsksyv0.png[/img]​

Overmind



Terrans mistakenly believed that the zerg were an instinct-driven hive society, but in fact a supreme sentience, the Overmind, controlled the zerg via intermediaries called cerebrates. Moreover, the Overmind had acquired a promising creature on Tarsonis, a creature that would serve the Swarm in new ways.

This creature was wrapped in a protective chrysalis and transported to the remote ash world of Char, where it awaited its rebirth into the Swarm. The creature's powerful psionic emanations drew terran and protoss forces to Char, but the zerg fought off the interlopers and protected the chrysalis until it opened. A new being emerged: someone who would alter the future of the entire Koprulu sector forever.

Sarah Kerrigan emerged from the chrysalis a loyal servant of the Overmind. Her evolution had unlocked the fantastic potential of her psionic powers and incredible strength. Stripped of human ethics and morality, she was ruthlessly dedicated to the Swarm's survival.






The Queen of Blades



During her time in the chrysalis, Kerrigan had been confused and distressed. She had reached out telepathically to her former comrades, Arcturus Mengsk and Jim Raynor. Raynor had come to Char to save her. Mengsk had sent General Duke, perhaps hoping to regain Kerrigan as an ally, perhaps simply wanting to capture and study whatever remained of her. Whatever their hopes, both men arrived too late. Her confusion was gone, and she easily drove the terrans away.

Yet the Overmind also suffered a terrible blow. Protoss led by Executor Tassadar kept the Queen of Blades and a number of other zerg busy while a dark templar named Zeratul assassinated one of the Overmind's cerebrates. The zerg formerly controlled by the slain lieutenant ran amok, turning on the rest of the Swarm, which were forced to destroy them.

[img width=256 height=389]http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/5094/ssfkerrigansvc9.png[/img]

Yet all was not lost for the zerg. When Zeratul had killed the cerebrate, he had made a fleeting telepathic contact with the Overmind. In that moment, the Overmind had discovered the secret location of the protoss homeworld, Aiur.

Long had the Overmind sought the protoss homeworld. With the location of Aiur and the terrans to serve as the zerg's newest servants, the Overmind was confident that the Swarm could finally defeat and assimilate the protoss. Using protoss DNA, the Overmind would produce the perfect killing machines: a new strain of zerg that would conquer the rest of creation.





The infestation of Aiur



The Queen of Blades hunted down the protoss on Char while the main force of the zerg departed to assault Aiur. Although Aiur's inhabitants resisted valiantly, the zerg established a foothold among the planet's lush jungles, and the Overmind embedded itself in the planet's surface.

As the ruling caste of the protoss, the Judicator caste held authority over all protoss on Aiur. The caste's governing body, the Conclave, was in furor. Executor Tassadar, leader of the protoss warrior caste, was fighting on distant Char and defying the Conclave's orders to incinerate any terran world infested by the zerg. Now the zerg threatened to overrun Aiur.

A new executor, Artanis, was chosen and sent into battle, winning a crucial victory in the province of Antioch. Soon afterward Tassadar contacted Artanis and spoke of the battles upon Char, the discovery of the dark templar, and Zeratul's victory against the cerebrate.http://youtube.com/watch?v=6UFV9HwgS6s





Dark brethren



[img width=240 height=292]http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7227/ssffenixsir9.png[/img]The dark templar had been banished from Aiur long ago for refusing to become part of the Khala, a deep telepathic connection that had ]





The trial of Tassadar



Confident of their final victory, the Conclave dispatched Executor Artanis to bring Tassadar back to Aiur for judgment. Artanis journeyed to Char and regretfully informed his predecessor of the Conclave's wishes. Tassadar agreed to return peacefully if the executor helped him free Zeratul and the other dark templar from a terran installation where they had been trapped by the zerg.

Artanis agreed, and Jim Raynor and his crew also joined the fight. Raynor and the dark templar then accompanied Tassadar back to Aiur, where they planned to help fight the invasion. Unfortunately the Conclave proved intractable in refusing to work with the dark templar. The Judicator caste came to blows with Tassadar's loyal followers and their allies.

Unable to bear the sight of his people destroying themselves, Tassadar surrendered himself to Judicator justice. Even so, his allies swiftly liberated him from imprisonment to face the approaching crisis.

[img width=646 height=177]http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/3669/ssfliberatesfc4.png[/img]​

Death of the Overmind



The Conclave had seriously underestimated the zerg. The protoss military was almost exhausted, whereas the zerg seemed more numerous than ever. Whole continents were being overrun, and Zeratul had worse news to impart. When he had slain the cerebrate on Char, a telepathic ]Ultimately the Overmind had outgrown the xel'naga's control and devoured that ancient race. Now the Overmind intended to consume the protoss as well. If it succeeded, no one would be able to stand against the zerg.

Tassadar rallied the flagging protoss for one last push against their foes, making peace with the failing Conclave shortly before the battle. He and the other heroes only weakened the zerg while sustaining heavy losses themselves. In a last desperate gamble, Tassadar channeled the energy of the dark templar through the hull of his ship, the Gantrithor, and steered it on a collision course with the monstrous Overmind.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dY4-wZq0HR0​

The resulting massive explosion killed the Overmind and threw its minions on Aiur into disarray. The protoss had little cause to rejoice, though, for much of Aiur was left in ruins. Furthermore, the zerg race itself was undefeated. Far away on the planet Char, Kerrigan felt the death of the Overmind and finally grasped the true purpose of her creation. The reign of the Queen of Blades was about to begin.

To be continued...



Bonus 500 minerals for a New Thread of Extreme Interest

 

What blasphemy is this? I don't think i can believe this. When Rosenburg mentioned this in Queen of Blades i thought he was on crack! But now Blizzard itself is adopting this! The executor you played in brood war had to have been someone else then. Yeah, i guess the executor character is a plothole when you make him Artanis. =\

 

Nice i think this should go to the announcement thread

 

This is pure awesome. I love the cinematics. This is certainly helpful.

 

I need someone to do me a favor:

can someone find me the Url of the pictures and videos so I can put them into the post

 

OH MY GOODNESS GREAT BALLS OF FIRE

this is awsome, im gonna look at this every day until starcraft 2 comes out i love it!

i wanna learn how to get URLs and stuff so i can be helpful too

 

http://www.starcraft2.com/features/images/ssf-chausara.gif
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/images/ssf-terran.gif
http://us.media.blizzard.com/starcraft2/flash/global/cinematicplayer_small.swf
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/images/ssf-mengsk.gif
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/images/ssf-kerrigan.gif
http://us.media.blizzard.com/starcraft2/flash/global/cinematicplayer_small.swf
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/images/ssf-fenix.gif
http://www.starcraft2.com/features/images/ssf-liberate.gif
http://us.media.blizzard.com/starcraft2/flash/global/cinematicplayer_large.swf

Here are the images and the flash footages in their original size.

 

I'm posting a totally new thread on the Front Page simply because this thing is so long. So I'm going to just start the story and put a "read the rest here" link to save some space.

But great find!

 

Thanks Kuvasz owerup:

Those pictures will need some tweaking so I will put them up when I get home after cutting out the frame

 

Done.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8941/ssfchausaraswp1.png
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7015/ssfterransgs9.png
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/892/ssfmengsksyv0.png
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/5094/ssfkerrigansvc9.png
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7227/ssffenixsir9.png
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/3669/ssfliberatesfc4.png

Gif compression would've messed up the colours.

edit: maybe I should've just attached them... anyway

 

The real action starts in Brood Wars, hurry and add please!

 

I can't believe either that the executor in SCI is Artanis! That would mean, that he actually got a lower rank in brood war, than the one he had before. Also, I think the manual says that Artanis was "just" 260 or so years old, and he was the youngest to reach the rank of praetor.

 

I think executor is a higher rank than preator but im not positive. Either its still gonna mess with the story line because if you remember in SC1 they always talked as if you were an older Protoss that new Tassadar and Fenix real well. Then in BW how are you cmmanding all of your soldiers if your inside the Xel'naga temple preparing the blow the Zerg off of Sakuras.

 

The Artanis thing does mess with stuff since it said he was a Praetor in BW which is a lower rank plus why would the younger artanis be promoted before Fenix?

 

i told you over 3 times that you were artanis and still you are surprised tssssssssss

 

Lol. Wow BirdofPrey you sure did your research did you read the books for Starcraft? I didn't read them yet but I'd like too. This really helped me understand the story more even thought I played it over and over again to understand THX

 

Yeah, the whole artanis thing is a bit rough around the edges. Wouldn't it have been simpler to say that the executor or whatever the player was...well...died?

 

that would be unoriginal, that already happened to the cerebrate you played as a zerg

 

Hey ijff, you are actually of use That makes perfect sense yet I wouldn't have been able to put that together.

 

Lol, Kuvasz is sounding a little bit TO suprised there.

But this is great stuff, having the whole story online on this site is great!
owerup: for doing this BirdofPrey!

edit: lol, I have to wait, I already powered you up yesterday. 8)