Defenders of Man

"The zerg have always been a threat, and today the emperor's forces have proved they are too weak to protect the people of Borea. But the Defenders of Man are here for you. We will do all we can to safeguard your future."

- A Defenders of Man officer

The Defenders of Man are a terran anti-Dominion separatist group. Its stated intent is to protect humanity from alien threats.

Origins
The Defenders of Man were formed at some point after the End War. With Valerian Mengsk allowing more freedoms to his people (e.g. freedom of the press), an opportunity was presented for anti-Dominion factions to come together. The DoM was the foremost anti-Dominion group that formed as a result, and argued for the security of humanity. Drawing on the events of the Second Great War and End War, they were able to gain ground. It was secretly organized by General Carolina Davis, a prominent general of the Terran Dominion loyal to the late Arcturus Mengsk.

Unleashing the Zerg
"If my colony is attacked, I know the Defenders of Man will be dying to save us, while the Dominion debates about it."

- Magistrate Grayson

In their early stages, Defenders of Man agents in the Terran Dominion engineered for the transfer of several ghost agents to aid with the Defenders of Man's activities, including Nova Terra and Stone. Nova worked with the wrangler Maxwell, who sent her on a mission to plant anti-zerg devices in New Andasar on Antiga Prime. In reality however, these devices were psi-emitters set to attract specific breeds of zerg. Stone mentioned that he did not wipe the mission backup files from their operations center, and they could use those as evidence against the Defenders of Man. However, before they could escape they were captured, and General Davis subjected Nova to a mind wipe.

When the Zerg Swarm attacked the colony of Bountiful, the Defenders of Man moved to save the colony, repelling the zerg before the Terran Dominion could respond. The Dominion began to debate whether the vigilante justice tactics of the Defenders of Man were justified, as popular opinion turned toward them as they were the fastest to respond to the zerg attacks on the Outer Colonies. More and more people flocked to hear their message, and UNN reported that the group was growing in number.

A Radio Liberty team was lead to an access point into the Defenders of Man database by Michael Liberty. There, they found files on Stone, Theodore Pierce, Delta Emblock and Nova Terra, as well as footage of Nova killing undercover Dominion agents. This footage was taken to Admiral Matt Horner and leaked to Universal News Network.

Nova later awoke with no memory in a Defenders of Man facility in Sharpsburg. As the overseer performed examinations on her, Nova received a warning on her visor that her captors intend to execute her, prompting her to escape, along her fellow captured ghosts, Stone, Theodore Pierce, and Delta Emblock. The Defenders of Man unsuccessfully attempt to thwart her escape as they scuttled their facility and chased her through the city streets.

The Defenders of Man later followed Nova to Borea during a zerg attack. As they engaged the zerg, they broadcasted a message to the planet's population, proclaiming Emperor Valerian unfit to defend humanity against the zerg, and that only the Defenders could protect humanity. The Defenders then contacted Admiral Horner directly and demanded that he hand over Nova. Horner refused and ordered a retreat. The Defenders of Man were unable to pursue, being preoccupied with the zerg.

Nova later recovered part of her missing memories, learning that she had been in the ruins of Tarsonis City. After establishing a foothold, Nova found a Defenders of Man outpost. She infiltrated the facility, and the Defenders activated a psi-emitter to lure the zerg in as a means to scuttle the facility. Nova reached the comms room, where she discovered that the Defenders of Man were using psi-emitters to attract feral zerg to Tyrador IX in a bid to make Valerian's regime appear ineffectual.

Heroes of the People
At some point, a Defenders of Man force attacked a Tal'darim fringe outpost, hitting it and leaving before the Death Fleet could arrive and destroy them.

Using a Viking, the Defenders of Man released psi-emitters on Tyrador IX, luring feral zerg to the planet. The population was overwhelmed, and the planet suffered high casualties. The Defenders of Man then arrived, offering to evacuate any civilians that needed rescuing. Nova and her Covert Ops Crew followed suit, and stealthily made their way onto the planet.

The Defenders of Man set up a fortification around one of the stadiums protecting a number of civilians, and began to ward away the zerg. Nova sent a force to attack the zerg hatcheries. However, soon after the Tal'darim arrived to Tyrador IX under First Ascendant Ji'nara, seeking vengeance against the Defenders of Man for their attack. Ji'nara released a Tal'darim mothership against the Defenders' defensive line, but this was stopped by Nova, who knew that the Tal'darim would destroy the civilians the Defenders were protecting as well as the Defenders of Man. After disabling its shields, Nova destroyed the mothership, forcing the Tal'darim to fall back. With the Tal'darim gone, the Defenders of Man rallied and repelled the feral zerg. The Defenders of Man were given credit for saving Tyrador IX, and membership began to grow.

In response to the lack of known Dominion response, protests began outside of Korhal Palace. Nova meanwhile allied herself with the Tal'darim, and using terrazine was able to recover her memories of aiding the Defenders of Man in their efforts to lure the zerg to Antiga Prime. Nova retrieved the backup files of their mission, and with one last dose recovered her memory of seeing General Davis as the Defenders' leader. Nova reported this to Emperor Valerian Mengsk, who said that he had a plan to stop them, and that Nova needed to play her role to prevent other innocents from dying. Valerian contacted General Davis, and stated that he intended to step down as Emperor of the Dominion.

Known Members

 * General Carolina Davis
 * Wrangler Maxell
 * Technician
 * Agent Nova Terra (temporarily)
 * Agent Stone (temporarily)