Chapter 380: Advance on Bysel! Ground War! The Tal'darim Protoss!
At this point, Tychus grumbled with visible dissatisfaction, "This whole thing didn't have to be so complicated. That fragment was originally on a planet called Monlath."
"But now the Zerg have overrun the place. To keep the relic safe, the Tal'darim moved it back to their main stronghold."
"If we'd gotten your message sooner, we could've picked up the artifact before the bugs even got there."
Tychus had never been thrilled about coming here to meet with Universal Megacorp in the first place. His original plan was simple: secure all the artifact fragments as quickly as possible, cash them in, and finish the Foundation's job.
But thanks to this delay, he'd missed his window—now, to get that Keystone fragment, they'd have to go head-to-head with the Tal'darim, which was far riskier than just swooping in and snatching it while no one was looking.
Seeing Tychus's irritation, Raynor quickly stepped in to calm him.
"At least we gained some new allies on this trip. And they've agreed to help us take over a Terran Dominion colony."
"Coming here wasn't a waste."
Then Raynor turned toward Paul. "If we really can't avoid a direct confrontation with the Tal'darim… then we'll just have to fight our way through."
Raynor knew full well his Raiders weren't equipped to go toe-to-toe with the Protoss. If it came to a fight, the ones who'd take the heaviest losses would undoubtedly be Universal Megacorp.
Which meant that no matter how this mission turned out, they'd be the ones carrying the biggest risk.
"Exactly. That's why we need to minimize unnecessary casualties. This operation should be as covert as possible. No spooking the locals."
Paul responded coolly.
Once both sides had agreed on the next objective, the Hyperion and Heberon launched simultaneously from the forward base, heading toward Bysel to seize the second Keystone fragment from the Tal'darim.
Before long, the Heberon activated its warp drive first, jumping into the star system where Bysel was located.
The Hyperion followed close behind, using its FTL engine to make the jump as well.
As they neared Bysel, Tychus glanced at Paul and asked in a probing tone, "Still don't get why you guys want that thing. Are these relics really worth that much?"
It was obvious that he'd already heard from Raynor about their plans to change buyers.
But that was fine—business was business. As long as the money was right, he didn't care who ended up with the goods. If Universal Megacorp was offering a better price, he wasn't about to complain.
Still, he couldn't wrap his head around why these fragments were suddenly so valuable. First the Moebius Foundation was paying out massive bounties, and now Universal Megacorp had jumped in too.
Back when they were flipping other alien relics, nothing like this ever happened.
"It's something our boss wants. He gave the order, so we do the job. Simple as that."
"As for how much it's worth—who cares? Everyone gets paid, and that's what matters."
Paul replied without giving anything away. "Don't worry, Tychus. Whatever your original cut was, we'll pay you ten times that."
"As long as the job gets done, money's no object."
Paul's words oozed wealth and confidence. Seeing that, Tychus didn't press further. He certainly didn't believe this "Universal Megacorp" was some multiversal overlord civilization.
More likely, they were just another Earth-based mega-Megacorp with deep pockets and an eye for opportunity.
"Didn't you say you were bringing reinforcements?" Tychus asked with a smirk, gesturing at the relatively modest force they'd brought. "Just these two battleships? We're gonna get smashed if it comes to a real fight with the Tal'darim."
"They'll be here soon."
Just as the words left Paul's mouth, a colossal fleet of Universal Megacorp expeditionary warships emerged from hyperspace directly above the Heberon.
In the darkness of space, the fleet didn't cast visible shadows—but its scale was unmistakable.
Through the viewports and holographic displays, the Raiders aboard the Heberon looked up to see enormous warships gliding past overhead.
The contrast was staggering. It felt like a tiny wooden dinghy sailing alongside a full carrier strike group—any moment now, the Heberon might get crushed by the sheer wake.
In the StarCraft universe, the only ship that could realistically compare with a Universal Megacorp dreadnought was the Protoss arkship, Spear of Adun.
That vessel measured 74.5 kilometers in length and 17.2 kilometers in width—comparable in size to Universal Megacorp's Mantle of Inception.
Slightly smaller was the Zerg Leviathan, a massive living warship nearly 6 kilometers long.
That made it larger than Universal Megacorp's Infinity-class warships in raw dimensions—but in terms of capability and strategic depth, the Leviathan was no match for Universal Megacorp's armada.
As the expeditionary fleet led by wanderer-class dreadnoughts appeared above the Heberon, the Raiders aboard felt like they were witnessing a swarm of metal leviathans sweeping overhead.
Compared to this, their own flagship wasn't even worthy of being an escort ship.
In truth, by Universal Megacorp expedition standards, the bulky Heberon wasn't even considered combat-grade. It was more of a cargo hauler than anything else.
Once Tychus got a proper look at the size and number of Universal Megacorp warships, he finally shut up. He might be brash and loud, but he wasn't stupid.
If he didn't know how to read the room, he would've never survived working for Mengsk.
Clicking his tongue in resignation as he counted the fleet's ships, he muttered, "Alright, I guess you brought enough muscle to take on the Tal'darim."
"But when this is all over, we'd better get our cut. And remember—we're just here to grab the loot. Fighting is your job."
Tychus' penny-pinching attitude drew a sigh from Jim Raynor.
"Relax. Universal Megacorp already gave us the deposit."
"It was three times what your boss offered. Once we secure the artifact, the rest gets paid immediately—and your payout's ten times higher than before."
Raynor gave Tychus a sidelong glance. No matter how mercenary the guy acted, Raynor didn't believe for a second that Tychus would stab him in the back.
"Gentlemen," Paul said, his tone shifting, "looks like the locals aren't too thrilled about our little visit."
Just then, a crimson prism beam streaked in from the distance.
It grazed the outer hull of the Heberon, leaving a clear scorched groove across the plating.
Moments later, a squadron of Void Ray warships ascended from the surface of Bysel—Tal'darim deathships.
Clearly, the Protoss tribe had no intention of letting these "guests" land unchallenged.
"We just got here, and they're already rolling out the welcome wagon," Paul said, locking eyes with the enemy fleet.
But as he scanned the size of the Tal'darim force, it wasn't quite as overwhelming as he'd feared. He relaxed slightly.
"If that's all they've got, then let's punch through them while we can."
Raynor immediately ordered the Heberon to power up its heavy laser cannon arrays. The main gun at the bow also began charging in preparation to fire on the incoming Tal'darim fleet.
It was true: what they were doing now wasn't much different from what a typical villain might pull.
But in the StarCraft universe, might makes right. As long as they could protect galactic peace and maintain order, a little destruction here and there could be justified—or at least rationalized.
Then came a blinding nuclear flash from the Heberon's main gun, transforming into a crimson plasma surge contained by magnetic fields.
Once the energy had fully gathered at the muzzle, it blasted forward toward the Void Ray squadron—this was the Yamato Cannon.
The cannon worked by converting nuclear detonation energy into plasma via a magnetic field funnel, concentrating it for a devastating strike.
The advantage? It harnessed nuclear-level firepower and couldn't be intercepted by conventional defenses—making it a staple main cannon for Terran fleets.
While Universal Megacorp's flagship dreadnoughts had long since moved beyond such weapons, some destroyers still carried upgraded Yamato Cannons as secondary armament.
"Target lock—fire!"
At Raynor's command, a fiery ball resembling a miniature sun burst forth from the Heberon's main cannon, hurling itself at the Tal'darim formation.
The glowing red plasma trailed a long, blazing tail—like a meteor crashing from the heavens—before slamming into one of the Void Rays.
The moment it struck, the nuclear-fusion energy erupted with tremendous force, instantly shattering the ship's energy shield.
The Tal'darim's shielding systems may as well have been made of paper—completely unable to withstand the Yamato's firepower.
Seeing this, the Universal Megacorp fleet—which had been prepared to step in—now simply backed off to watch.
With a fleet this feeble, a few Universal Megacorp cruisers could easily dismantle them without calling in the heavy hitters.
Meanwhile, the heat from the Yamato Cannon's nuclear blast began melting the enemy Void Ray like wax under a torch, reducing it to slag.
The Taldarim Ships was finally torn apart, quietly sinking into the pitch-black battlefield of space.
Just one shot—and it obliterated a Protoss warship!
This sight greatly boosted the morale of the Raiders aboard the Hyperion, even Paul was a bit stunned. "The Protoss' space power is this weak? Don't they use shield fields or anything?"
Before Anyone could celebrate for long, several more Taldarim Ships began surrounding them. The Protoss warriors calibrated their prism devices and unleashed beams of energy aimed squarely at the Hyperion.
This was the raw, straightforward essence of a space battle—trading blasts back and forth. Only a handful of super-civilizations like Universal Megacorp could casually drop neutron annihilators, Star Reaper cannons, or deploy MD-500 molecular fission weapons.
BOOM—!
A violent tremor rocked the ship, snapping every Raider back to reality. The Taldarim fleet was far more than just one ship.
War is, after all, a numbers game. Destroying a single enemy warship wasn't nearly enough to turn the tide.
The Taldarim Ships' laser beams functioned more like precision cutting tools than large-scale weapons. Their energy beams didn't cause much area damage—but when focused directly on the hull of the Hyperion, even armor plates over ten meters thick were easily sliced through.
At this moment, eight Taldarim Ships were positioned like fixed laser cutters in space, their continuous beams digging deeper into the ship's frame.
If nothing changed, the Hyperion was destined to be carved up into floating debris.
Seeing this, Tychus cursed and shouted at Captain Matt Horner, "What the hell are you waiting for? Fire back already!"
Horner rolled his eyes. "You think the Yamato Cannon is some kind of cheap shotgun? Fire one round and immediately shoot another?"
"Recharging and reloading takes time, you know."
Meanwhile, the Hyperion's other heavy laser turrets were doing all they could to return fire at the surrounding Taldarim ships.
But the limited firepower barely scratched the enemy. It couldn't even break through their shield fields.
"Don't worry. We're about to make our move," Paul said calmly.
As he spoke, Universal Megacorp flagship—the Wanderer-Class Dreadnought—locked onto all eight Taldarim Ships nearby. At the order's execution, a salvo of hardlight beams was unleashed.
Eight hardlight main cannons roared forth like hot knives through butter, vaporizing the Protoss ships with crackling trails of steam and energy, shredding them to fragments.
The scene left the Raiders in shock. They hadn't even seen where the shots were fired from—and the Taldarim Ships that had surrounded them were already reduced to wreckage!
> "Universal Megacorp energy weapons have evolved this much?" Tychus muttered, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.
The Raiders didn't understand the underlying mechanics of the Dreadnought's hardlight cannons, but one thing was certain: those cannons had terrifying penetrative power.
Protoss shields and armor were utterly useless before them.
In the blink of an eye, Taldarim's space forces collapsed. Both Raiders and Protoss alike stared dumbfounded at the dreadnought's main battery.
After a long moment, the Taldarim fleet finally reacted, scrambling to retreat into the planet's atmosphere. They had no choice—they would have to pin their hopes on a ground war.
If they couldn't win in space, they could at least try to defend on the ground. As long as some warships survived, the Taldarim still had a chance.
Paul glanced at the stunned Horner and others, patting them on the shoulder and speaking in a calm voice: "Get the landing operations ready. This is no time to stand around gawking."
Horner snapped out of his daze and quickly issued orders, directing the Raiders to prepare for planetary deployment.
The real battle was only just beginning.
The landing force this time was relatively small. After all, Universal Megacorp wasn't here to conquer the entire planet—they were after the Keystone Fragment.
Thus, most of the units being deployed were AI clones clad in power armor or sentry bots. Only the Hyperion and an Infinity-class Carrier were being sent in.
The Hyperion, along with the Infinity and the dreadnought, descended into Bysel's atmosphere. Soon, a lush green world appeared below, covered in dense vegetation.
It was breathtaking—Bysel rivaled the beauty of Pandora. Its vibrant jungles gave off a serene, soothing vibe.
Scattered across the surface were Protoss sanctuaries, imbuing the planet with a sacred, religious ambiance. The largest sanctuary of all housed the Keystone Fragment—the very objective of this mission.
"I suggest having the other ships lock down the entire planet to prevent any Taldarim from escaping with the fragment. The rest of us can set up a forward base here and push in with ground forces," Jim Raynor proposed, showing the strategic vision of a seasoned commander. It was rare for him to be on the wealthier side of a campaign.
"Agreed," Paul replied.
He relayed the orders to flagship command, and soon, waves of engineers began landing, setting up a forward base on the ground.
Simultaneously, the Hyperion and Infinity deployed drop pods and landing craft, positioning two allied battalions on a plateau with relatively open terrain.
They detected clusters of energy crystals and high-yield vespene gas veins in the area—perfect for resource extraction and refueling operations for the Hyperion.
Before long, the Raiders deployed a Command Center structure from within the ship—like dropping a prefab house straight from the sky.
This was the standard method of base construction in the StarCraft universe: pre-build structures, deploy when needed, and recover them during evacuation.
Once the Command Center landed and locked into position, a group of T-280 Space Construction Vehicles emerged and began building the forward base.
With the Raiders establishing command, Universal Megacorp's engineering teams set up a nearby processing plant to mine minerals and support the frontlines.
Heavily armored marines and AI clones equipped with full-body gear and weaponry emerged from drop pods.
One force carried C-14 Gauss rifles; the other wielded heavy hardlight rifles, forming a perimeter around the base to prevent interference from the Taldarim.
But the enemy moved faster than expected.
A swarm of zealots wielding psionic blades stormed the high ground.
They were the core warriors of the Taldarim military, charging fearlessly into gunfire with glowing blades in hand.
Each was a highly trained elite, their psionic shields rivaling the most advanced powered armor that Universal Megacorp could field.
Their ornate golden battle armor deflected conventional hardlight rounds with ease, and their blades could even deflect bullets—making them eerily similar to Force-wielding Jedi.
As the zealots rushed in, Raider marines quickly raised their Gauss rifles and opened fire.
However, due to resource constraints, the Raiders were still using standard 8mm spike rounds—less effective than the more destructive depleted uranium rounds of the Terran Dominion.
The spike rounds bounced harmlessly off the zealots' energy shields. By the time the shields were worn down, the warriors were already slicing into their ranks.
One zealot swung its blade straight at a Raider. The soldier instinctively raised his riot shield—only to be cut clean in two, shield and all. His comrades were left wide-eyed in horror.
Another was bisected moments later. The battlefield turned brutally bloody. The Raiders' superior firepower never got a chance to shine.
Back at Universal Megacorp's HQ in the Wanjie Base, Li Ang was closely monitoring the entire front via AI drone feeds.
As he expected, Taldarim zealots were no joke.
Their psionic blades rivaled lightsabers in sheer power.
Promoted zealots capable of launching psionic orbs, and High Templars using Psionic Storms, bore uncanny resemblance to Jedi.
Now that the Raiders were facing zealots head-on, there was little hope of winning in a direct clash—these warriors could even trade blows with the Zerg in melee combat.
Seeing the frontline close to collapse, Din Djarin quickly issued an order for the AI clones to deploy gravity grenades.
Several grenades were launched, activating a powerful gravity field that dragged nearby zealots toward its center.
Unable to control their footing, many were pinned in place. Though the grenades didn't distort space or deal direct damage, they immobilized the zealots for over thirty seconds—rendering them sitting ducks.
Seize the moment! Din Djarin ordered all AI clones to focus fire and eliminate targets one by one.
If their rifles couldn't breach the armor quickly, they'd just have to unload on one enemy at a time.
With AI drones providing overhead fire support, Universal Megacorp's troops soon shattered the zealots' shields and then opened fire en masse.
Even with their high-tech armor, the zealots couldn't withstand the concentrated barrage—they were gunned down one after another before the Raiders' defensive line.
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