Abram Cruikshank

Colonel Abram Cruikshank is a ranking officer of the Terran Dominion. He is gruff and blunt, and distrusts other alien races.

Early Service
Cruikshank served under Emperor Arcturus Mengsk during his reign. He served with armored groups of goliaths and warhounds under his command.

In 2512, he served as a council to Emperor Valerian Mengsk. When a leviathan appeared over Korhal, asking that Valerian come to the planet Gystt to aid Overqueen Zagara, he was initially skeptical. However, he was able to rally a force of six battlecruisers, the 934th Marines, reaper support and some of his own goliaths and warhounds to support the Emperor.

When the Hyperion reached Gystt, Cruikshank briefed the survey team being sent to the surface, containing Foster Cray, a marine, Dennis Halkman, a reaper, Tanya Caulfield, a ghost, Ulavu, an exiled protoss researcher, and Erin Wyland, a xenobiologist. Cruikshank expressed displeasure that a civilian such as Ulavu was allowed on such a mission, but did not stop the Emperor's orders. He aided Wyland in getting in her CMC-400 Powered Combat Suit.

After the adostra were discovered, and it was revealed protoss forces were under attack by a renegade offshoot zerg breed named the chitha, Cruikshank was ordered by Admiral Matt Horner to go to the surface, support the protoss and ensure that the adostra nest survives at all costs. Cruikshank was initially excited to engage the protoss forces on the surface, and set out to the position. However, when he arrived at the nest he found that the protoss forces were being overrun. In a last ditch effort, the protoss commander Sagaya told him to activate a nearby disruptor that would destroy both the zerg and the nest. Though hesitant, Cruikshank activated the disruptor, halting the zerg advance but destroying the nest. Only three protoss warriors survived.

After the destruction of the psi emitter, Cruikshank discussed a new strategy with the new protoss ground commander, Commander Rahas. They decided to form a line and block the zerg moving from the psi emitter's location to the last adstora nest. When Matt Horner suggested Cruikshank leave the battlefield, he refused, stating he'd fight beside the protoss. Cruikshank came and discovered that Rahas was wounded in a shuttle crash, and could not be move. The force's new leader, Alikka, was dismissive of the colonel and his forces. Nonetheless, the two stood by and held the line against constant zerg attacks. As his forces took the brunt of the assault, Cruikshank noticed that the zerg would become confused when reaching a certain line on the field. Noting that they were close to the area of broodmother control, Cruikshank considered moving the line back behind that, but knew doing so would condemn the trapped Rahas to die.

Instead, he came up with a plan with Alikka. He would put a terran pilot in a nearby crashed phoenix, and use its ion cannons to attack the zerg as they charged. The plan worked, and the zerg were defeated. This bought the survey team time to arrive at the last adstore nest and save it from destruction.

In the aftermath of the battle, Cruikshank scolded Ulavu for causing Erin Wyland's burns. Ulavu did not correct him, as it was he who technically saved her life, and the colonel stormed off.