Arcturus Mengsk

"I will not be stopped. Not by you, or the Confederates, or the Protoss or anyone! I will rule this sector or see it burnt to ashes around me."

- Arcturus Mengsk ranting at Jim Raynor.

Arcturus Mengsk, a Terran from Korhal IV, was the leader of the Sons of Korhal and is now Emperor of the Terran Dominion. During the original StarCraft, he was 38 years old. Mengsk is voiced by Jason Hayes.

Biography
Arcturus Mengsk had dreams of becoming a great leader during his childhood, but he dismissed them. He served time in the Terran Confederacy military until he reached the rank of Colonel, despite having no great desire for leadership. The climate changed and he realized that he was not fighting for what he believed in, so he left the military and became a prospector.

Political Action
Mengsk was a successful Confederate fringe world prospector whose estranged father Angus Mengsk (a Korhalian Senator) declared war upon the Terran Confederacy and caused the Confederates to withdraw from the planet. Alarmed and somewhat embarrassed by his father's actions, he still never suspected the lengths the Confederates would go. In a shocking triple murder, his father, his mother, and his sister were all decapitated. His father's head was never found. This stirred something in Arcturus Mengsk, which would eventually make him the most dangerous enemy the Confederacy faced.

Stirring Rebellion
Rallying the militant groups that followed his father, General Arcturus Mengsk fashioned an impressive, yet somewhat ragtag, army with which he struck boldly at various Confederate bases and installations. He became the leader of the Sons of Korhal with the aid of Umojan ambassador Ailin Pasteur, who helped elect Arcturus Mengsk the leader and General of the revolt. Mengsk had to move quickly to protect the life of his son, Valerian, as the Confederacy targetted him for execution.

With rumors spreading of a secret alliance between Mengsk and the Umojan Protectorate the Confederacy decided upon a final solution; annihilate life on Korhal. One thousand nuclear missiles were launched at Korhal, killing over four million Korhalian people.

Sons of Korhal
Arcturus Mengsk, hiding out in a secret base within the Umojan Protectorate, heard the news. He was devastated as the once prosperous planet of Korhal was reduced to a super-heated sphere of blackened glass and stirring phantoms.

He and those gathered with him of pledged to bring down the Confederacy. Calling themselves the Sons of Korhal, they promised to overthrow the Confederacy and build a new system of government that would benefit all Terrans within the sector. As the group slowly grew in strength, it acquired a Confederacy battlecruiser which had crash-landed in Umojan territory "well outside the range of Confederate hailing" signals. He renamed this vessel the Hyperion. The Sons of Korhal quickly became the most wanted fugitives in the Koprulu Sector as they struck silently and swiftly, winning countless victories over the Confederacy. Heralded by radicals as a visionary and a patriot, Mengsk was portrayed as a madman and a terrorist by the Confederate-controlled media.

Some time later he performed a raid on a small Terran research installation called the Fujita Complex on Vyctor 5 (according to StarCraft: Uprising) when he discovered Sarah Kerrigan, a Terran Ghost. Rescuing her from the Confederate scientists that were performing experiments upon her involving Zerg, he eventually made her second in command of the Sons of Korhal. His purpose for visiting the facility was that he discovered that one of the three Ghosts who had murdered his family was present.

Shortly afterwards, Kerrigan killed one of these Ghosts after Mengsk lured him aboard the Hyperion.

Mengsk took Sarah Kerrigan to Tarsonis in order to attack the primary Ghost Academy (which would create much publicity for his fledgling organization). He also wanted Kerrigan to eliminate one of those Ghosts as well. The attack was a disaster as the very small Sons of Korhal was nearly wiped out. However, Sarah Kerrigan did manage to capture the Ghost and the Academy was destroyed. She also killed Major Rumm, her former instructor who had tormented her. Mengsk promptly killed the captured and nearly helpless Ghost in cold blood. He told Kerrigan she was the third Ghost, and the most important one - the one who had cut off his father's head. Yet he found her useful and kept her as a loyal member of the Sons of Korhal.

Mengsk's curiousity about the Zerg led him to visit Chau Sara, which had been recently invaded by the Zerg. However, Alpha Squadron drove his forces away.

In December 2499, Mengsk's Sons of Korhal show up on Mar Sara as the Confederacy begins to arrest the Colonial Militia and avoid action against the Zerg. He quickly finds himself in demand as the only force there willing to face the Zerg. He endears himself to the Colonial Magistrate of Mar Sara (the player's character) by assisting in the evacuation of the Mar Sara Colony.

Before leaving, Mengsk rescues Colonial Marshal James Raynor from a Confederate prison ship and uses him to lead a strike force against the Jacobs Installation. Within Raynor discovers Zerg being imprisoned, but Mengsk has seen these Zerg before, and is not surprised by the Confederate experiments. Raynor had been sent there to find Confederate technology and retrieved a data disk. The Mar Sara Colonial Militia becomes part of the Sons of Korhal under the command of Captain Jim Raynor and the former Colonial Magistrate, who is referred to as the Commander.

Mengsk's next destination is Antiga Prime, where the colonists are ready to begin open revolt against the Confederacy. However, the Confederates, aware of this as well, station a large detachment of Alpha Squadron troops there to suppress the nascent revolt. To free the Antiga Prime colony, Mengsk sends Raynor and Kerrigan (the latter sneaking in and assassinating the Confederate officer in charge). The Antigan rebels and Sons of Korhal then defeat the Alpha Squadron detachment.

A Gift of a General
Alpha Squadron's General Edmund Duke is unable to respond because his flagship, the Norad II, is attacked by the Zerg in high orbit over Antiga Prime and crash-lands. Mengsk sent Raynor and his troops to save Duke, whom he convinces to join him by offering him a position in his cabinet. Perhaps even more important than the acquisition of Duke's tactical skill, and his Alpha Squadron, is the decoding of the Jacobs Installation data discs, which contains designs for a Transplanar Psionic Waveform Emitter, or psi-emitter. As the disc was only decrypted after General Duke joined forces with the Sons of Korhal, it is possible that Duke decrypted the disk himself.

The Confederates discover Mengsk's position and send a large Delta Squadron strike force, which establishes a base camp within his defensive perimeter. Mengsk decides that it was time the psi-emitter was used as revenge against the Confederacy. Sarah Kerrigan infiltrates the Delta Squadron base camp and activates the device. Soon, the Zerg homed in on the signal, breaking Delta Squadron's blockade and allowing the Sons of Korhal and her allies to escape.

Sometime afterwards the Protoss arrive, wiping out all life on the surface of the planet.

Great Power... and Betrayal
Arcturus Mengsk is now firmly on the path to victory. With a powerful army and the psi-emitter he is nearly unstoppable, but in order to win he has to strike against the Confederacy at Tarsonis. (He did manage to strike against various symbolic targets on Tarsonis, such as the Palombo Valley plant operated by the Terra family.) While Tarsonis had been invaded in the past, it had never fallen. Fortunately for Mengsk, General Duke had defended Tarsonis in over 30 major battles and so knew its defenses inside and out.

Duke's plan is to assault the central of the three primary orbital platforms, causing enough of a ruckus to allow a small force to break through the planetary defenses.

He would use the Psi Emitters to summon the Zerg. Of course, Mengsk does not inform Kerrigan or Raynor of this part of the plan. While successful, causing the destruction of the Confederacy, it alienates both Kerrigan and Raynor.

However, Kerrigan remains loyal and follows his next set of orders... to protect the primary Zerg Hive from the coming Protoss fleet, under the command of Executor Tassadar. Kerrigan knows that the Protoss are there to exterminate all life on Tarsonis, not just the Zerg, so of course she would fight them. She and her strike force defeat the Protoss but, as a wave of Zerg advance on her position, are abandoned as Mengsk orders the immediate disengagement of the Korhal fleet from the Tarsonian system, despite Raynor's protest.

Following the loss of Kerrigan, Raynor and his men, including Commander, leave the Sons of Korhal, taking the command ship Hyperion with them, and form their own rebel group known as Raynor's Raiders. Before leaving with Mengsk, General Duke successfully activates the Ion Cannon, a powerful piece of technology, and Tarsonis' primary defensive weapon, which would shoot down Raynor's forces if they attempted to leave. Raynor is forced to destroy the Ion Cannon in order to escape.

Coronation
The Sons of Korhal becomes the Terran Dominion, Mengsk has himself crowned Emperor of the Terran Dominion and makes Korhal his throne world. All of the Terran colonies within the Koprulu Sector are united under one sovereign rule for the first time. With Duke by his side, he is unopposed by any of the major Terran Militias within the Sector.

Strangely, he is referred to both as "Emperor Mengsk I" and as "Emperor Arcturus." Normal royal naming conventions would dictate that his name would be "Emperor Arcturus I" of the "House of Mengsk."

Coronation Speech of Arcturus I, Emperor of the Terran Dominion
Transcribed from Universe News Network (UNN) Broadcast:


 * Fellow Terrans, I come to you in the wake of recent events to issue a call to reason. Let no human deny the perils of our time. While we battle one another, divided by the petty strife of our common history, the tide of a greater conflict is turning against us, threatening to destroy all that we have accomplished. It is time for us as nations and as individuals to set aside our long-standing feuds and unite. The tides of an unwinnable war are upon us, and we must seek refuge on higher ground, lest we be swept away by the flood.


 * The Confederacy is no more. Whatever semblance of unity and protection it once provided is a phantom; a memory. With our enemies left unchecked, who will you turn to for protection? The devastation wrought by the alien invaders is self-evident. We have seen our homes and communities destroyed by the calculated blows of the Protoss. We have seen first-hand our friends and loved ones consumed by the nightmarish Zerg. Unprecedented and unimaginable though they may be, these are the signs of our time.


 * The time has come my fellow Terrans, to rally to a new banner. In unity lies strength; already many of the dissident factions have joined us. Out of the many, we shall forge an indivisible whole, capitulating only to a single throne. And from that throne, I shall watch over you!


 * From this day forward, let no human make war on any other human. Let no Terran agency conspire against this new beginning. And let no man consort with alien powers. And to all the enemies of humanity, seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through, no matter the cost!

The New Dominion
Mengsk soon receives a psionic call from Sarah Kerrigan on Char. He sends Duke there to reclaim her, but Alpha Squadron is defeated by the Zerg.

Having reinforced the armies of the Dominion by forcefully conscripting the remaining warriors of the defunct Terran Confederacy, Mengsk sets out to fortify the various worlds under his care. He rebuilds Korhal's capital city of Augustgrad, which becomes the most heavily fortified city in all of Dominion space, employing multiple Battlecruisers for his planetary defense and establishing a large cluster of missile silos on the outskirts of Augustgrad. Mengsk reclaims Dylar IV, which had been abandoned by the Zerg, and fortifies it while making use of its orbital shipyards as a fueling and repair station. Finally, Mengsk makes Braxis a Dominion stronghold.

Meanwhile Mengsk also tried to bring to justice a Terran criminal, Alan Schezar, which is covered in StarCraft: Enslavers.

After the death of the Overmind, Mengsk had declared a quarantine and blockade over Aiur.

As the final battle concludes on Auir and the Zerg reel in disarray throughout the Sector, Mengsk is left to wonder what ever became of his former Lieutenant, Sarah Kerrigan.

The United Earth Directorate
Mengsk had built a powerful defense of Korhal, but when the United Earth Directorate's (UED) Expeditionary Force arrives and attacks, it is able to destroy Augustgrad, including his palace. Mengsk tries to escape in the Norad III, but the UED cuts off his escape. Admiral DuGalle threatens him with execution, along with the rest of his ranking officers, but Raynor suddenly appears in the Hyperion and rescues his enemy, leaving DuGalle dumbfounded.

Mengsk and Raynor flee to Aiur, where Raynor has continued his alliance with the Protoss Praetor Fenix, and hide in a Command Center near the Warp Gate. Making matters more complicated, there are multiple Zerg Broods surrounding the Protoss base, which remaines quiet until the Warp Gate is activated. In their efforts to capture these men, the UED force attack Raynor's Command Center. Raynor and Mengsk flee in a Dropship through the Warp Gate, which then explodes. It is unknown where the ship flew too. Worse for the UED, the Zerg suddenly attack and DuGalle has to face possible treachery from two of his subordinates. DuGalle has to leave.

Mengsk is put into cold storage, and when he awakens he is in the power of Infested Kerrigan, who had struck an alliance with Jim Raynor and Fenix. Mengsk is very angry at Kerrigan. In his efforts to kill her, he only made her stronger. Kerrigan needs Mengsk for a favor - Mengsk would use his psi-emitters to gather up enough Zerg for her to destroy the UED's Psi Disrupter and confront the UED. Mengsk agrees in exchange for Kerrigan's help in retaking Korhal from the UED. The ploy works, and the Psi Disrupter is permanently destroyed. This becomes the death knell for the United Earth Directorate's Expeditionary Force in the Koprulu Sector, though it will take time for Admiral DuGalle to realize this. Mengsk still feels that Kerrigan was completely untrustworthy, but worked with her so long as she helped him retake Korhal, which DuGualle had made his capital world.

Another Betrayal
Kerrigan, with the help of Fenix and Raynor, destroys the main UED base at Augustgrad. After the successful attack, Mengsk sends Duke to establish his base of operations in Augustgrad. However, Kerrigan and Samir Duran launch a devastating surprise attack while they are resting after the victory, destroying both General Duke's and Fenix's bases. In the attack, Duke and Fenix are both killed, leaving Mengsk and especially Raynor very bitter.

Kerrigan leaves Mengsk on Korhal, among the ashes of his precious Dominion. She wants him to live to see her rise to power and remember that he had turned her loose in the first place.

Recent Actions
Mengsk, by calling in a few favors and making a few concessions, scrapes up a new fleet of "special interest groups" interested in killing Kerrigan, and attacks her base of operations on the infested platform over Char, along with the UED and the Protoss. His ragtag fleet is beaten and crippled however, but Mengsk, before leaving, states, "Congratulations, Kerrigan. You've beaten me again. Just remember that I'll be out there... waiting for you to slip up. Because sooner or later you'll make a mistake. And when you do..." He then flees back to Korhal to lick his wounds and plan the reconstruction of his Terran Dominion.

Mengsk brought his son Valerian off of a remote backwater planet after the end of the Brood War. His son became an active part of the Terran Dominion government and was named his heir, although his status as Arcturus Mengsk's son is still secret.

Mengsk has taken part in the training of the Ghost Nova, overseen the use of terrazine to create Spectres and led a war against the Koprulu Liberation Front.

Arcturus Mengsk's actions in StarCraft II are currently unknown, but he will almost certainly make an appearance in the game. Some fans claim to have seen Mengsk in a cinematic trailer for StarCraft II. Raynor will be leading his mercenary/freedom fighter group against Mengsk, saying "Mengsk is a vicious tyrant, and he needs to be taken down."

The developers feel that Arcturus Mengsk's story has already been told through StarCraft and Brood War, as he has gone through his revolutionary phase to a tyrant figure. In some ways he is being replaced by his son, Valerian.