Raynor's Raiders

Raynor's Raiders are a unit of Terran troops led by Jim Raynor. The group frequently includes Protoss among its number, especially when Fenix was a part of the group. The group formed after Raynor felt betrayed when Sons of Korhal leader Arcturus Mengsk abandoned Sarah Kerrigan to the Zerg, and its core includes former residents of Mar Sara.

Raynor's Raiders is an independent pirate group that makes its home in the Koprulu Sector, possessing no one headquarters of operation; rather, the group operates from its flagship, the Hyperion, a Behemoth-class battlecruiser captured and refitted by the Sons of Korhal before StarCraft and then hijacked by Jim Raynor at the end of StarCraft Episode I.

Rebellion against the Sons of Korhal
Raynor's Raiders existed as an unofficial organization within the Sons of Korhal.

After the debacle over Tarsonis, Sons of Korhal Captain James Raynor left the terrorist organization after feeling betrayed and used by its dissembling leader Arcturus Mengsk. Many others felt the same way, and some of the deserters were former Mar Sara militia members under the command of Raynor.

Arcturus Mengsk and Alpha Squadron General Edmund Duke returned to the orbital platforms over Tarsonis to punish the Raynor's Raiders. The Raiders were heavily outnumbered. In order to escape from Tarsonis's space platforms, Raynor's Raiders had to destroy the powerful Ion Cannon which had been activated by General Duke. The Cannon would destroy Raynor's forces as they fled. With a daring thrust against the Sons of Korhal, Raynor was able to destroy the Cannon, and then make good his escape. However, he left with more troops than expected, and didn't have sufficient transport, so he traveled to shipyards of Dylar IV to steal the Sons of Korhal ships docked there. Mengsk had foreseen the move, sending General Duke there to stop Raynor, but in the cramped confines of the shipyard the Raiders got the upper hand and stole the Hyperion along with several other ships before they escaped.

Conflict with the Zerg
The small armada found its way to Char after its leader, Raynor, was psychically called to the burnt-out world. Alpha Squadron General Edmund Duke was also in the area, acting as a Terran Dominion enforcer.

Both had been lured there by psychic emissions produced by Sarah Kerrigan, who had been encased in a cocoon by a new Zerg Brood, where she was undergoing a metamorphosis into a special Infested Terran. Duke attacked the new Zerg Brood but was defeated. He was pursued by the Tiamat Brood.

Raynor's forces arrived, avoiding Duke's forces. They also came into conflict with the Zerg. During the battle, Infested Kerrigan emerged from the cocoon and heavily defeated his forces. Kerrigan allowed Jim Raynor to leave Char alive.

The remnants of Raynor's Raiders fled to an orbital station over Char. It would be here that the renegade group would meet up with and join the Protoss fleet under the command of former Protoss Executor Tassadar. Raynor said that Tassadar "laid it on the line for me and my crew on Char".

Alliance with the Protoss
Raynor provided some assistance to Tassadar when Aldaris traveled to Char seeking Tassadar's arrest. Raynor witnessed the beginning of the Templar Caste rebellion against the Judicators and also assisted Tassadar in rescuing Zeratul.

This alliance would lead Raynor to Aiur where he would befriend the Protoss people and gain their respect, as well as the friendship of Praetor Fenix, a respected Templar hero.

During the battle to rescue Tassadar from the Judicator Caste, Raynor provided assistance from the Hyperion, although the rest of his forces did not assist. This was the first time Raynor fought alongside Fenix.

Raynor provided major assistance in the final battle against the first Zerg Overmind. His forces maintained a base on the northwest flank of the Zerg forces, while Tassadar, Fenix and Zeratul attacked from the southeast. Together their pincer attack drove the Zerg into disarray. Unfortunately, the Dark Templar could not approach the Overmind so they could assassinate it, and Tassadar's Carrier, the Gantrithor, was heavily damaged. Tassadar drew upon his Dark Templar training to destroy the Overmind in a suicidal attack.

Raynor's Raiders in the Brood War
From Aiur the group would continue to serve alongside Protoss warriors under the direction of Captain Raynor, and helped defend the flank of refugee Khalai as they abandoned their homeworld. After the evacuation of the Protoss, Fenix refused to leave Aiur, and Raynor remained with him.

The Raiders had come to an agreement with Infested Kerrigan. She offered assistance in combating the United Earth Directorate, which had entered the Koprulu Sector and was conquering the Terran Dominion. Arcturus Mengsk, Emperor of the Dominion, had been deposed by the United Earth Directorate on the Throne World of Korhal IV. The Raiders, with the assistance of Protoss forces and flying the Hyperion, rescued Mengsk. He was placed in stasis. The Raiders then fled to Aiur, where the Protoss maintained a small outpost near the planet's Warp Gate.

The United Earth Directorate arrived on Aiur, seeking Mengsk for execution. They discovered the Warp Gate, which was protected by a small Protoss outpost. It appeared to be all the Protoss had left on Aiur. Raynor's outpost was a short distance away - the majority of his forces weren't there, and the Hyperion was nowhere to be seen. The Gate was surrounded by several Zerg Hive Clusters, which were dormant. When the Gate was activated, these Zerg started attacking the Protoss and the UED. Despite these odds, the UED destroyed the Protoss outposts, along with Raynor's Command Center.

Kerrigan provided direct aid to the Raiders - using her secret agent, Infested Duran, supposedly a special advisor to the United Earth Directorate, she created a hole in the UED's defenses. Her Zerg drove the UED away from the Warp Gate, allowing Raynor and Mengsk to escape again.

The Psi Disrupter and Kerrigan's Weakness
Despite Infested Duran's best efforts, the United Earth Directorate activated the powerful anti-Zerg weapon, the Psi Disrupter, revealing Duran as an Infested Terran. They also captured the second Zerg Overmind, putting themselves in control of most Zerg in the Koprulu Sector. Many other Zerg were left uncontrolled. Infested Kerrigan herself could barely keep her own Zerg in line on Tarsonis, where she was hiding out.

In return for destroying the Psi Disrupter, she promised Jim Raynor and Fenix that she would topple the United Earth Directorate fleet in the Koprulu Sector. To do this she needed the help of Arcturus Mengsk. Mengsk was "defrosted" and offered a choice - work with Kerrigan, or perpetual imprisonment in stasis.

Fenix and Raynor agreed to work with Kerrigan (and Mengsk had no real choice in the matter), but they believed Kerrigan would betray them. Jim Raynor felt the United Earth Directorate was a greater threat than Kerrigan - he knew someting of Earth's history.

Kerrigan's plan called for an attack on Braxis, where the Psi Disrupter had been relocated by Vice Admiral Stukov of the UED. Raynor's Raiders would destroy the Disrupter's fusion reactors, which were poorly guarded, while one of Mengsk's SCVs would carry a psi-emitter to lure the uncontrolled Zerg in the area. These Zerg would fall under the control of Infested Kerrigan, enabling her to rebuild her forces once the Psi Disrupter was destroyed.

The Raiders' attack shut down the Disrupter, and with her tiny reinforcements, Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm quickly grew large enough to destroy the UED forces guarding the Disrupter. Finally, she destroyed the Disrupter itself. The UED Expeditionary Force was doomed, even if it did not know it yet.

True Colors
The Raiders, Terran Dominion and Infested Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm cooperated in an attack against Korhal. The United Earth Directorate only had a small number of Zerg forces on the planet to assist them. The coalition defeated the UED, driving them from the planet.

This was when Kerrigan turned on her former allies - while they were resting from their attack on the UED. Her forces fell upon the Protoss contingent of Raynor's Raiders, defeating them and killing Fenix. The Raiders lost most if not all of their Protoss support. Raynor swore revenge for the killing of his friend Fenix, and left the region destitute of any speculation of his whereabouts.

Aftermath
Raynor's Raiders did make a reappearance in Resurrection IV. The Raiders worked with the Protoss, Artanis and Taldarin, to right a terrible wrong on Braxis.

During the evolution of the war the renegade Raynor's Raiders would continue to refine their skills, moving from a small group employing conventional military tactics to a more subversive, special-operations commando unit.

StarCraft II
Four years after the Brood War, the Raiders have become a mercenary/freedom fighter group that fight against the Terran Dominion. They are the most wanted criminals in the Sector due to the efforts of the media darling, Arcturus Mengsk. The group is running out of money and belief, and Jim Raynor himself may be drinking heavily.

The group has associated itself with the secret Moebius Foundation, which is paying it to retrieve alien artifacts from worlds such as Mar Sara and Jotun.

StarCraft the Board Game
Raynor's Raiders appear as one of the main factions in StarCraft the Board Game. In StarCraft Adventures, Raynor is seen leading a group called the Alliance. This is probably an extension of the Raiders, but as such, membership shall be specified.

Known Raiders
At the time of his defection from Mengsk, Raynor had slightly over 300 soldiers following him, later supplemented by the Hyperion and other ships from the Dylarian Shipyards. However, due to heavy casulties on Char, the number had been brought down to around 40 by the time Aldaris and the Protoss Executor arrived. Whether that number has risen or fallen significantly since then is unknown.

Known Raiders include;

Heroes

 * Captain James Raynor: Leader of the Raiders.
 * The Commander: The player's character in StarCraft, who defected along with Raynor. Current position and status are unknown, but prior to the the end of the Terran campaign in StarCraft, the Commander served as the Magistrate of Mar Sara Chief and a Sons of Korhal Tactician and the Field Commander. Rank in Raynor's Raiders may be equal or second only to Raynor. The character concept is being removed from StarCraft II.
 * Tychus Findlay: Seemingly a member of the Raiders in StarCraft II.
 * Lieutenant Matt Horner: Raynor's second-in-command and the captain of the Hyperion.
 * Sergeant Bud Morris: Possibly a member, he was at least aquainted with Raynor. KIA on Braxis.

The Alliance Special Squad
Several members of "the Alliance", seemingly connected to Raynor's Raiders, featured in StarCraft Adventures. They conducted a mission to Dylar IV.
 * Captain Julian Byrne: A Wraith and Dropship pilot, Byrne comes from a wealthy philanthropist family and is convinced that he is "better than everyone else." Joined the military as an enlisted man but was eventually promoted to commissioned officer status.
 * Sistask: The product of an experiment involving a captured Zerg Brood, Sistask has a mix of Terran and Zerg genes. With her violent urges kept in check by nanites (barely), she must speak through an electronic voicebox. Armed with claws and a spine-throwing organ in her chest, she has the skills of a hunter.
 * Lieutenant Mari Suzek: A medic with remarkable pistol skills. She acts as her squad's "morale officer."
 * Specialist Kare Vaessen: A female Ghost of college age. Her psychic dampeners malfunctioned under mysterious circumstances, giving her more powerful psionic abilities than most other Ghosts.
 * Private Dennis Wiker: A young Marine, Wiker went into law and business before his homeworld of Chau Sara was destroyed. In the aftermath, he enlisted in the military, seeking revenge. He's already won a medal of valor.

Other Minor Members

 * Lieutenant Abernathy: Seemingly the captain of the Chandler; one of the Hyperion's shuttles, Abernathy has long blond hair. Although slightly less independent than her counterpart Cavez (see below), she was less xenophobic towards the Protoss.
 * Belloc: The captain of one of the Hyperion's shuttles. A short, round man, he was known to laugh a lot, often at the most inappropriate times.
 * Lieutenant Deke Cavez: Tall, slight and "fast enough to chase down a hoverbike on foot," Cavez was the youngest member of Raynor's first team to set foot on Char. He was given the rank of lieutenant during the Char campaign, acting as one of Raynor's executive officers on the surface after being stranded there. While initially perhaps the most suspicious of the Protoss, Cavez eventually warmed up to them.
 * Chitsny: One of the Hyperion's grease monkeys who works alongside Swan. As of StarCraft II, he's come to resent Raynor, as the Raiders haven't been paid in three months and are overworked.
 * McMurty: A former chaplain.
 * Engineer's Mate Aaren Ruth: Visited the world of Shakuras, finding it surreal.
 * Chief Engineer Swan: Provides info on technology and units in StarCraft II, posessing a cybernetic arm. Found in the Hyperion's armory.

Deceased Members

 * Private Chuck Ayers: A short, older man, Ayers had served as a career soldier under General Duke before joining the Sons of Korhal and later following Raynor. KIA by a Hydralisk on Char.
 * Leanda Bluth: The captain of the shuttle Harrison, which was overrun by the Zerg. Short and rounded with blond hair streaked with brown, she was known smoking cigars, drinking a homebrew of her own invention and cheating outrageously in poker. Killed by a Protoss ship's energy beam which destroyed the shuttle.
 * Private Deslan: KIA in the final stages of the Char campaign.
 * Gina Elani: One of the team's medics. Described as petite, she was sliced in half by a Hydralisk on Char while trying to help a teammate.
 * Fedders: KIA on Char.
 * Private Ling: Survived until the final stages of the Char campaign, where he was KIA by the Zerg.
 * Sergeant Lisa Mannix: Almost always calm, Mannix was known for being friendly, easygoing and almost playful outside of combat and incredibly focussed when in it. Unable to stomach what the Sons of Korhal had done to Tarsonis, she'd followed Raynor in his defection. Chosen as Raynor's second-in-command in the initial stages of the Raiders' exploration of Char, she was decapitated by a Hydralisk.
 * Sergeant Lance Messener: The leader of one of Raynor's initial teams sent to Char who served onboard the shuttle Nemesis. Literally ripped apart by Zerglings.
 * Private Non: A thick bodied man, Non survived until the final stages of the Char campaign, where he was KIA by the Zerg.
 * Patel: KIA on Char by a Zergling.
 * Sanchez: The captain of one of the Hyperion's shuttles, he was torn apart by the Zerg.
 * Private Melinda Squire: KIA by a horde of Hydralisks on Char.
 * Warriton: Served onboard the Chandler and reported the Zerg attack on it. Presumably KIA, since he isn't mentioned again.