Mercenaries II

Mercenaries II is a Blizzard Map of the Month, a series of free maps released by Blizzard Entertainment for StarCraft. However, it leads up to the secret mission Resurrection IV.

Similar to the previous Mercenaries map, you can play this one with one to three players. The number of players determines the number and strength of enemy forces you must defeat.

You are introduced to an infested Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov, who is paying you well to remove some of his enemies which have gathered on the dark planet below.

Stukov provides you with your choice of mercenaries. Depending on the head mercenary that you choose, you can play with the StarCraft race of your choice. If you choose Terrans, you can gain access to the Skullder Unit 004, a similar unit to the Skullder Unit 001 found in the map Deceptions.

Stukov's Speech

 * "Good evening my friends. You are here because you want to help me. I need to get rid of a little problem I have with certain outside parties. You see, this planet we are orbiting is very suitable for various enemies of mine and I need them to be... removed."


 * "You will be paid handsomely for your assistance in this matter, and I will be providing you with a selection of the most gruesome mercenaries this side of the galaxy. The leader of the mercenary you hire has a group of followers that will fight for you, so long as you pay for them."


 * "Be sure not to dally. It is important that you strike quickly, or you may be overrun. These people have mercenaries of their own who are at least as ruthless as you..."

Enemy Forces
Stukov's enemies consist of Protoss, Terrans and Zerg; he considers them all to be "detestable vermin".

The Zerg are led by "Cardis the Destroyer", a super-powered Mutalisk. The Protoss are led by "Merlick the Mauler", an Archon with a very appropriate name.

Top Secret
If you play the three player version of the map, the white Terrans in the southwest have a surprise. Click on their battlecruiser, and you'll notice one of them is the Kimeran Juggernaut. If the Kimeran Juggernaut is destroyed, there is a message indicating the fact.

The white Terrans are, presumably, the same Kimeran Pirates from Deception, and Stukov has managed to track them down. Now he wants them eliminated. In order to achieve victory, you must destroy them.

Trivia
Cardis the Destroyer may be named for Kardis the Destroyer, an evil goddess in the anime "Record of Lodoss War".