Battle of Char (Dangerous Game)

The Battle of Char was fought during the Second Great War, between a joint Terran Dominion and Raynor's Raiders force against the Zerg Swarm. It was instigated by Prince Valerian Mengsk but executed by Jim Raynor. The terrans struck at the primary hive and used a xel'naga device to deinfest Sarah Kerrigan.

Kingly Asperations
Prince Valerian developed an interest in xel'naga archaeology prior to the war. Emperor Arcturus Mengsk was aware of this, and Valerian sought to keep his involvement in certain avenues of investigation secret from the public and from his father. To this end, the prince privately sponsored the. The Foundation went about acquiring components to a xel'naga device that the prince believed could deinfest Kerrigan. He believed such a feat would prove his worthiness to be the next leader of the Terran Dominion. Valerian did not tell his father of his objectives.

Raynor's Cooperation
The scheme ran into difficulties on the eve of war. The Dominion was attempting to acquire alien artifacts for itself. Valerian was not to be stopped, and he turned to illegal means. Through recently freed Tychus Findlay, the Foundation recruited anti-Dominion rebel Jim Raynor and Raynor's Raiders to continue acquiring the xel'naga components. The Raiders were unaware of the Foundation's true master, and accepted for they needed the income. The war broke out as the Raiders acquired the first component and from then on it was a race to retrieve the rest before Infested Kerrigan did. The prince continued to support the Raiders even after an official Dominion edict banning the private possession of alien artifacts.

Valerian's faith in the Raiders abilities was rewarded as the rebels delivered the components they were sent to find. However, the prince had more uses for the Raiders. The prince revealed his involvement with the Foundation and his plan to deinfest Kerrigan to Jim Raynor, and then boldly proposed the Raiders help to carry it out. Raynor agreed, Valerian having correctly wagered on the rebel's personal interest in saving Kerrigan. The Raiders were initially despondent at helping their mortal enemy, but were quickly persuaded by the logic that the zerg as well as the Dominion were a danger to terran freedom.

Final Preparations
Having lost the race to the components, the Queen of Blades returned to Char. The assembled device's range was limited and required it to be brought almost right up to the proverbial front door of the primary hive. The prince requisitioned half the Dominion Fleet, including the flagship Bucephalus and the services of General Horace Warfield; this was done without informing the emperor. Warfield confidently planned a frontal assault on the defenses; the general's opinion of the Raiders was low and refused to consider Raynor's advice that the plan was ill-conceived.

Prince Valerian formally informed Emperor Arcturus Mengsk of the offensive and of his aspirations only after the fleet arrived at Char. The emperor was impressed by his son's ambition, but was uncertain Valerian had the experience to carry it out. Arcturus was also unpleasantly surprised by the alliance with Jim Raynor. Nonetheless, the offensive was allowed to continue.

Struggle for the Foothold
Infested Kerrigan did not wait for the terrans to strike. Zerg attack waves launched a spoiling attack on the orbiting fleet even as terran commanders were in conference. The battlecruisers were engaged at close range by mutalisks, and by the powerful surface-to-orbit batteries. The fleet responded by bombarding the surface with weapons of mass destruction.

Terran troops and equipment struggled to make land fall even as near-Char space was being contested. As Raynor had warned, the zerg were better prepared than planned. Most battlegroups were destroyed in mid-drop or quickly overrun after landing. Those that survived the gauntlet were badly scattered. Some units were forced underground into the more defensible tunnels. The situation was excerbated by a breakdown in communications. Ground units had difficulty reaching higher command, and General Warfield was temporarily unavailable after transferring to the battlecruiser Helios and coming under attack himself. Despite heavy casualties, little progress was made toward establishing a secure landing zone. Isolated units fought on as their intended support literally crashed around them.

Jim Raynor and Raynor's Raiders landed relatively intact and established a base in the landing zone, despite of the disaster unfolding around them. The rebel leader quickly took in the chaotic situation and began impressing troops and equipment landing nearby. Raynor's initiative paid off. A terran force, sufficient to secure a perimeter, slowly snowballed around the Raiders, and a nominal foothold was established. It happened not a moment too soon. The battlecruiser Helios, with General Warfield aboard, was disabled and crashed near the Raiders. The survivors dug in and were rescued by the Raiders as the zerg began overrunning their position. A surrounded Warfield was rescued personally by Raynor and Tychus Findlay.

The general was impressed by the Raiders and his previous animosity quickly faded. Warfield was wounded and willingly handed over command to Raynor.

Push to the Hive
The foothold was renamed Warfield Forward Base. Warfield met with Raynor there at 16:58 to discus strategy. Zerg strength was too great for a direct push on the primary hive cluster, and the Queen of Blades was recalling zerg forces back to Char from worlds conquered earlier in the war. The terran understood the window of opportunity was rapidly dwindling. A secondary attack to weaken the defenses was required to clear the way for the main assault.