Brood War (conflict)

"The Overmind is dead. Now each species must develop all new weapons of war to ensure its survival. Rising from the ashes of defeat, Kerrigan-Queen of Blades-hopes to reunite the Zerg Broods and claim the war-torn Sector as her own... to oppose her will be the ultimate test of power."

The Brood War (also known as the "Galactic War for Domination" in UED circles) occurred in the Koprulu Sector in the wake of the Great War. It was essentially a zerg civil war, with both the cerebrate Daggoth and the Queen of Blades seeking control over the Swarm in the wake of the destruction of the first Overmind. The arrival of a UED expeditionary fleet further complicated matters.

Plight of the Khalai
The Great War left Khalai protoss civilization in disarray. Aiur, the protoss homeworld, was invaded by the Swarm and ruined. The Conclave, long the directing hand of the Khalai, was destroyed. The death of the Overmind only caused the zerg to rampage leaving 70% of the planet's population dead. The survivors became refugees in their own land.

The war was also momentous for reuniting the Khalai with their long-estranged brethren, the Dark Templar. The Dark Templar were the key to slaying the Overmind and the cerebrates. It was Prelate Zeratul who taught Executor Tassadar how to wield Void energies; Tassadar used these energies when he sacrificed himself in order to kill the Overmind.

During the Brood War, the two protoss branches were to experience the first painful steps of reintegration while surviving the continuing zerg onslaught.

A New Power on Earth
Earth was almost totally united under the United Powers League in the 23rd century. UPL scientist Doran Routhe was responsible for the "Long Sleep", the colonization mission that brought terrans to the Koprulu Sector. The UPL monitored the new colonies, but made no attempt establish control or contact. This changed with the Great War. Humanity's first, and disastrous, first contact with alien civilizations caused the UPL to panic. The UPL was subsequently re-organized into the United Earth Directorate and incorporated Earth's few remaining independent nations into the fold. Earth had never been so united. As the Terran Confederacy crumbled under the weight of the invasion, the UED's ruling council determined that now was the perfect time to establish control over its distant cousins.

The Directorate initiated a months-long research project on the zerg and protoss in preperation for its invasion. An expeditionary fleet was entrusted under Admiral Gerard DuGalle and Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov. With the discovery of the existance of the Second Overmind on Char, the fleet was given the following objectives:


 * 1) Conquer all of the "rogue" terran colonies, and capture Arcturus Mengsk, the Emperor of the newly formed Terran Dominion.
 * 2) Take control of the entire Zerg Swarm by capturing the new Overmind with psychics and powerful drugs.
 * 3) Use the captured Zerg Swarm to pacify all protoss and Dominion activity within the sector.

It was planned that the fleet would rely primarily on captured weaponry, allowing the initial invasion force to be small in number.

A New Dominion
Prior to and during the Great War, the Terran Confederacy was the strongest of the three terran governments within the Koprulu Sector. During the war, the rebel Sons of Korhal, led by Arcturus Mengsk, destroyed the Confederacy by using the zerg to devastate the Confederate capital world of Tarsonis. The victorious Mengsk filled the vacuum by establishing the Terran Dominion on Korhal, with himself as its emperor. The Dominion inherited many the Confederacy's surviving colonies, institutions, and military strength. It even succeeded in absorbing other previously independent polities like the Kel-Morian Combine. By the Brood War, the Dominion was the strongest terran power within the Koprulu Sector.

Rebels and Dissidents
Like the Confederacy however, the Dominion had to deal with those opposed to its rule. Tensions had developed with the Umojan Protectorate by the beginning of the conflict and the ghosts of the Confederacy still endured. The Confederate Resistance Forces were a remnant of the Confederate military led by Samir Duran and Angelina Emillian. The CRF's resources were meagre; after the fall of Tarsonis they operated from a barely-spaceworthy battlecruiser and their ranks were killed out by neurally resocialized marines. Meanwhile, former SOK member Jim Raynor had led a rebel movement against Mengsk during the Great War,

During the Brood War, the CRF would ally with the UED&mdash;victory over Mengsk was in both parties' interests. The Raiders meanwhile took the side of the Dominion, choosing to side with the evil they knew over the evil they didn't.

Zerg Disunity
The death of the first Overmind fractured the Swarm. The cerebrate Daggoth rallied half of the Swarm, with the goal of merging the cerebrates to create a new Overmind. Once mature the new Overmind would resume command of the entire Swarm. This was contrary to Kerrigan's desires; with her newly found freedom and the other half of the Swarm, she sought to install herself as the sole ruler of the zerg. ; this had to be done before the new Overmind assumed control of her and the rest of the Swarm.

Kerrigan recruited the Dark Templar to help her eliminate the rival cerebrates. She did this by mentally subverting the Dark Templar Matriarch Raszagal before the Khalai abandoned Aiur for Shakuras.

Directorate Incursion
"You've seen nothing! Dissecting a dead zerg in a lab is one thing. Unleashing them on men is another."

- DuGalle to Stukov

The UED Expeditionary Fleet arrived in the Sector undetected by the Terran Dominion. One of its first activities was to conduct a "weapons test" by unleashing zerg onto a terran colony. Admirals DuGalle and Stukov observed the battle to supplement the data already gathered from laboratories. The UED allowed the colony to be overrun and then abandoned it.

Protoss Retreat
"With all due respect, Zeratul, the Protoss do not run from their enemies. Aiur is our homeworld. It is here that we shall make our stand! Just as your Conclave did? They are dead now, Aldaris, dead because they allowed their pride to blind their reason. Only if we learn from their mistakes can we live to avenge them. Now, Executor, I know of a place where we can find solace. It is Shakuras, the secret homeworld of my people the Dark Templar."

- Aldaris and Zeratul discuss strategy.

In the chaos of the Fall of Aiur, protoss leaders Aldaris, Artanis, Fenix and the terran Jim Raynor banded together to unite the survivors. Zeratul offered to lead the refugees through the last functioning warp gate to Shakuras.

Zeratul collected numerous warriors as he led the refugees to the gate, fighting his way past the zerg. A large zerg force, composed of Daggoth's minions, tried to stop them at the warp gate itself, but Fenix and Raynor personally defended it as Zeratul and the refugees fled. Some of Daggoth's forces followed the refugees to Shakuras. During the battle, Raynor and Fenix lost control of their side of the gate. However, the protoss on Shakuras managed to defeat the local zerg forces.

Three days after the evacuation commenced, Raynor and Fenix disabled the Aiur end of the gate, stranding numerous protoss. The refugees would split into various groups, such as the Shel'na Kryhas, led by Ladranix, and Fenix's refugees. A number of protoss heroes were stranded in stasis cells.

Alliances
The protoss refugees made contact with Matriarch Raszagal, leader of the Dark Templar. Unknown to the protoss, Raszagal had already fallen under Kerrigan's control. Daggoth's Renegade Swarm had meanwhile taken control of the area around the xel'naga temple of Shakuras. Raszagal proposed a solution for ridding her world of the zerg – collect a pair of khaydarin crystals, the Uraj and Khalis, which could be used to active the xel'naga temple. She requested the protoss military clear the area of the zerg. The protoss groups worked in tandem to defeat the zerg, with the Dark Templar destroying the pair of cerebrates present near the temple. In the aftermath of the cerebrates' deaths, Kerrigan appeared on the battlefield. In contrast to the inclinations of her comorades, Raszagal invited the Queen of Blades to her citadel.

Kerrigan claimed she had broken free from zerg control with the death of the first Overmind, but that Daggoth had overseen the creation of a second Overmind on Char. The creature was immature, but would eventually grow powerful enough to control Kerrigan, transforming her back into the monster she once was. She wanted the protoss to destroy it. Aldaris, alienated at Raszagal's acceptance of Kerrigan, abruptly left the meeting. Zeratul wasn't interested in attacking the new Overmind, however, preferring to retrieve the crystals and save Shakuras. Kerrigan promised to help the protoss retrieve the crystals, and with Raszagal's blessing, an unlikely alliance was formed.

Quest for the Crystals
"You have done well, Kerrigan. There is more to you than it seems. Perhaps I have misjudged you. Given our history, I can't say I blame ya'. Let's just get the job done."

- Zeratul and Kerrigan on Braxis The Uraj crystal had been abandoned by the protoss on Braxis long ago, and since then the Terran Dominion had colonized the planet and put the crystal into their own care. The protoss, following Raszagal's orders to destroy anything that blocked them from the crystals, fell upon a number of Dominion bases. Kerrigan personally fought alongside the force, her efforts making Zeratul more trusting of her. The protoss destroyed the larger base which oversaw the crystal and took it away.

The protoss were unable to immediately leave Braxis due to a blockade set up by the newly arrived elements of the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet. The blockade included space platform-based missile turrets powered by fusion power generators. The protoss refused Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov's demands to surrender. Artanis led the breakout and opened a way through by targeting power generators, which disabled the turrets. The protoss made a succesful breakout and the UED gave up pursuing them.

Char was the next point of call in the quest for the crystals. During the Great War, the Khalis had been brought to the world by the Dark Templar in an effort to combat the zerg, but had to be abandoned when the Swarm overwhelmed them. Now, months after its loss, the Khalis now resided in close proximity to the still-infant second Overmind. The protoss, along with some zerg that Kerrigan managed to control, had two options&mdash;either conduct a snatch and grab of the crystal, or inflict enough damage to the Overmind so that the nearby zerg would be pacified, allowing easy retrival of the crystal. Either way, the operation was a success and the allied forces returned to Shakuras.

Scouring of Shakuras
"For too long have we labored in futile defense as our enemies push us further and further away from victory. The time has come to let loose the full fury of our powers! Never again shall Shakuras be despoiled by the foul touch of alien species! These Zerg shall be the first to fall before us!"

- Raszagal before the activation of the xel'naga temple. Aldaris became aware of Kerrigan's mental manipulation of Matriarch Raszagal while the Fleet of the Matriarch was retrieving the crystals. By the time the Fleet had returned, he had raised an entire legion of Khalai survivors, including archons and all avaliable Arbiters. Upon the return of the Fleet, Raszagal demanded that Zeratul and co. terminate Aldaris and quell the uprising, prompting concerns about her behavior from Zeratul. The prelate was disturbed at Raszagal's apparent fervor, but either way, both he and Artanis resigned themselves to the task. To help even the odds, dark archons were created &mdash;the first in a thousand years.

Zeratul and Artanis's forces dissipated Aldaris' hallucinatory copies and corralled him. He refused to surrender and in explanation of his actions, attempted to explain what he'd learnt about Raszagal being in Kerrigan's thrall. Before the judicator could do so however, Kerrigan herself appeared on the battlefield and slew the insurgent. Outraged, Zeratul demanded that she leave Shakuras. To the Queen of Blades, it mattered little&mdash;she'd come to Shakuras to slay Daggoth's cerebrates and the protoss had done the job for her. She thus departed, her objectives complete.

Kerrigan's betrayal was a bitter pill for the protoss to swallow, but they had to focus on the remaining zerg on the world. Zeratul was aware that activating the xel'naga temple of Shakuras to destroy the renegade zerg would play straight into Kerrigan's hands, but the situation was too desperate to not do so. He also continued to observe Raszagal's oddly aggressive behavior.

The protoss fought against the zerg near the temple, clearing the area. Zeratul and Artanis, carrying the Khalis and Uraj crystals respectively, then retreated inside the temple. As the temple charged, the zerg made a final massive attack against it. However, the protoss withstood the assault. The temple destroyed all the zerg on Shakuras, including most of the renegade cerebrates.

UED Invasion
"Attention! Defenders of the United Earth Directorate, this is Admiral DuGalle. You were all briefed before we left Earth, so you know that we have come here to conquer this sector in the name of Humanity. Should any of you have second thoughts about performing your assigned duties, be reminded that if we fail in our mission here, not one of us will be going home. We stand or fall together in this forsaken wasteland!

Serve the Directorate. Serve Humanity. All other priorities are secondary to victory! DuGalle out."

- Gerard DuGalle to his troops at Braxis



At Braxis, on the borders of Dominion space, the UED Expeditionary Fleet arrived in force. In order for their invasion of the Dominion to be succesful, the UED required access to its primary datanet and weapon diagnostics. To this end, Cronus Wing was ordered to capture Braxis's capital city of Boralis. However, the ground troops were poorly placed, as their landing site had no source of vespene gas. Boralis also featured an impressive Dominion force. Both issues were rectified through contact with Samir Duran, leader of the Confederate Resistance Forces. He offered them vespene and could show them a less-defended path to Boralis. He allayed Stukov's suspisions by pointing out that the CRF was dedicated to toppling Mengsk&mdash;allying with the UED seemed only logical. Duran's proposed alliance was accepted and the combined forces fought their way into Boralis, defeating the local Dominion forces.

The UED gained much information about the Dominion from Boralis' computer files. This included the travel schedule of Dominion emperor Arcturus Mengsk, who was traveling to Umoja to visit his son Valerian at the younger Mengsk's home planet, Umoja. They would hold the party at the house of Ailin Pasteur, Valerian's grandfather. A raid was carried out in order to kill Mengsk, but ultimately failed.

The UED Fleet had meanwhile ascertained the location of the Dylarian Shipyards, based on the data taken from Boralis. The yard was home to Dominion battlecruisers in drydock, which the UED would commandeer with pilots. Duran warned DuGalle that Dominion Command could typically reinforce its outlying bases within 16 hours. UED troops stole numerous battlecruisers before being interrupted by the Dominion Armada, commanded by General Edmund Duke. Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov revealed the origin of the UED, but Duke attacked anyway. The UED battlecruisers defeated those of the Dominion. The UED followed up their victory by impressing Dominion troops into their own forces and destroying the shipyards.

With the Dominion forces either conscripted or routed, the fleet could turn its attention to a discovery made by its research team on Tarsonis&mdash;a weapons relay known as the Psi Disrupter. This was a potent device similar to a psi emitter, which the Confederacy had developed in its last days. The Disrupter could disrupt zerg psionic signals. However, it was lost during the Fall of Tarsonis, and the Terran Dominion had never been able to recover it.

Duran suggested the Psi Disrupter was such a powerful and dangerous piece of technology that it should be destroyed before Mengsk could get his hands on it, but Alexei Stukov believed its anti-zerg abilities would greatly assist the UED in defeating the zerg. DuGalle agreed with Duran. The main body of the UED fleet moved against Korhal, but DuGalle ordered Duran to descend to the surface of Tarsonis to reach and destroy the Psi Disrupter.

Duran's force defeated the local zerg and captured the Disrupter. However, ghosts working for Alexei Stukov took over the task of "destroying" the Disruptor. In reality, Stukov had no intention of destroying it, but kept this fact hidden from his comrades.

Emperor's Fall
Korhal, capital world of the Dominion, was the fleet's next target and ultimately the Dominion knew this. As reports of an approaching enemy fleet reached Dominion High Command, testing was ordered of a new plasma-pulse weapon at the Broken Mesa in hopes that the power of this weapon might destroy the UED armada. While in the final testing phase, Senior Scientist Ozmel Dodds turned traitor as he attempted to curry favor with the attacking UED forces. On the day of the final test, Dodds changed the pulse-modulation frequency on the weapon causing the awesome cannon to overload, destroying itself and the research facility that housed it.

The UED invasion of Korhal itself began shortly after Alexei Stukov had "accounted for" the Psi Disrupter. The fleet was presented with two key obstacles in its assault. Firstly, Mengsk possessed a formiddable nuclear arsenal and as Korhal had already been devastated by nuclear fire nearly a decade ago, there would be no compunction against using nuclear missiles against UED ground forces. The second issue was that Korhal's planetary defense featured multiple battlecruisers. Either set of defenses could be compensated for in an attack prior to moving on the capital of Augustgrad but the UED timetable did not allow for disabling both groups of defenses. Either way, the pre-emptive strike was succesful, leaving the way open to Augustgrad. However, Mengsk still possessed a large number of standing forces, even if he couldn't reinforce them.

After weathering Mengk's counterstrike, the UED forces moved on Augustgrad and captured the city. Mengsk, attempting to escape in the Norad III was intercepted and was forced to request a parlay. DuGalle, as impressed as he was at the emperor's defense, had no intention of negotiation, as Mengsk was to be executed along with his senior officers. Before the emperor could be apprehended however, the Hyperion appeared alongside a small protoss fleet. Through dimensional recall, Mengsk was rescued right under the UED's nose.

The UED pursued Raynor and Mengsk to Aiur, where they hid in a protoss encampment based around a functional. Large numbers of zerg prowled the area and while passive, anything could set them off. A captain was assigned to destroy the encampment while forces led by Samir Duran and Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov would seal off the area.

Shortly after the invasion, the warp gate was activated, throwing the zerg into a frenzy. The UED forces fought their way past both protoss and zerg, destroying the protoss encampment. Raynor and Mengsk fled in a transport, but the UED strike force was in position to intercept them. However, to Stukov's astoundment, a force of zerg converged on the location. Duran had moved his troops out of position and feigned ignorance of such actions. An irate Stukov left the battlefield in order to attend to "personal business". This enabled a massive swarm of zerg to move into the area, destroying everything in sight. Raynor and Mengsk escaped and the warp gate self-destructed.

On the Blood of Patriots
"Gerard... old friend. You do indeed have a traitor in your midst... but it's not me. Duran. He has been playing us both from the start... He convinced you to destroy the Psi Disrupter... even though it was our best chance at defeating the Zerg. And then, on Aiur, ...he allowed the Zerg to overrun us even as we had the fugitives in our grasp. I came here... to activate the one hope we have of defeating them... And you killed me for it. Heh, heh... Duran is your enemy Gerard. I suspect... that he may even be infested as well... Use the Disrupter, Gerard... Finish our operation... Let my death have at least some meaning."

- Stukov's dying words. Stukov took his Elite Guard to Braxis where he reconstructed the Psi Disrupter. DuGalle traced him to the world and was perplexed at his actions, especially in light of the detection of a fully functional Psi Disrupter. Duran conviced the admiral that this was an act of treason. In response, DuGalle put Duran in charge of a strikeforce through which Stukov would account for his actions. The force fought their way through the Psi Disrupter to Stukov, whom Duran shot and vanished soon afterwards. As Stukov lay dying, he told DuGalle that he believed Duran was the traitor and may even have been infested. DuGalle realized too late that his friend was telling the truth. The UED was unable to locate Duran but they did encounter large numbers of zerg which had invaded the Disrupter. The Disrupter's core had been set to overload in a short period of time. Duran's former force teamed up with the remains of Stukov's force, fighting their way past the zerg to save the Disrupter. The Disrupter remained on Braxis, protected by a planetary garrison.

The UED fleet traveled to Char for the final push against the zerg. The proved its worth by interfering with zerg communications, causing the zerg to spread over Char in disarray. This enabled the fleet to reach Char's surface. However, the Overmind was still defended by three broods, each commanded by a cerebrate with a special ability. One could enhance the toughness of its sunken colonies, another created infested terrans, and yet another could create a Torrasque, a powerful ultralisk breed, and respawn it when it was killed. The UED forces destroyed each cerebrate in turn, pacifying each brood. This allowed their medics to approach the second Overmind and pacify it with neurostim injections. As the UED reached its victory, Duran appeared on the battlefield. He introduced DuGalle to Kerrigan who taunted him about the death of Stukov. She said she would claim the zerg for herself and destroy the Psi Disrupter. Her forces covered her retreat as the Directorate engaged them.

In the aftermath of their victory, the fleet created a victory report for transmission to Earth, informing their homeworld of the successes against the zerg. The report was laced with propaganda and in regards to the manner of Stukov's death, outright lies. Directorate Project "Black Flag" controlled the Overmind through psychics as well as powerful drugs. In the following period, DuGalle instituted a series of intense training exercises on the forbidding surface of the planet. With the security of the now-tamed Overmind being the linchpin of further military success in the Koprulu sector, DuGalle needed to know that the harsh environment of Char would not make this task impossible. Forces that were able to function on Char stayed and served as a garrison force. Those that couldn't "take the heat" were stationed elsewhere.

Kerrigan's Alliances
"Do you think they suspect anything, my Queen? Of course. They aren't stupid, Duran. They're siding with the evil they know over the evil they don't... They simply don't yet realize what it will cost them."

- Duran and Kerrigan discuss their allies. The Psi Disrupter's effects weakened Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm, causing Kerrigan to lose control of many of her minions. She took control of a new cerebrate and told it if it served her unquestioningly, she would let it live.

Kerrigan had contacted Jim Raynor and Fenix and persuaded them to work with her to overthrow the United Earth Directorate expeditionary fleet, convincing them that the UED had plans beyond conquering the Terran Dominion. She claimed the UED also intended to take control of the zerg and use them to lock down the sector. Her allies would rescue the remains of the Terran Dominion fleet from the UED after it conquered Korhal. While Raynor and Fenix didn't trust her, with Fenix believing her true aim was to be the sole ruler of the zerg, Raynor feared the UED more than the Dominion.

Samir Duran, now openly serving Kerrigan, warned the Queen of Blades that the zerg on Tarsonis had been revolting for hours. The new cerebrate took control of Kerrigan's few remaining minions and, with the use of superior tactics, slowly defeated the rebel zerg, recovering hives as it did so. The hives failed to respond to the cerebrate's orders, and so the associated larvae were unable to be transformed into new minions. Kerrigan's zerg moved from hive to hive, taking them from the rebels' control. Each time, some of the renegade zerg joined Kerrigan's side. Kerrigan recruited a number of Hunter Killers this way; the Queen of Blades managed to put down the rebels and claimed victory.

Kerrigan arranged for Arcturus Mengsk to be transported in cryogenic hibernation to Braxis by Fenix and Raynor. Kerrigan claimed that she bore Mengsk no ill will and proposed a deal. In return for her help in retaking Korhal, he would provide a psi emitter, which would enable her to gather up enough zerg to destroy the Psi Disrupter. Mengsk, having little choice in the matter, agreed.

Raynor's Raiders began the assault, destroying the external power generators powering the Disrupter. Mengsk's SCV, carrying an emitter, then descended. It lured zerg minions, such as drones, as well as powerful minions such as Devouring Ones, Hunter Killers and even a Torrasque to Kerrigan's hive cluster. Kerrigan's forces destroyed the Disrupter, achieving a strategic victory over the UED.

Kerrigan's allies were uneasy, wondering if Kerrigan's now uncontested control of her zerg would signal the end of their alliance. Either way, the assault on Korhal loomed. In order to prepare for the upcoming attack, Kerrigan needed a large quantity of minerals. She chose Moria as her target. Fenix agreed to lead the zerg troops. Kerrigan's forces were instructed to infest as many Kel-Morian Combine defenders as possible. They made off with a large haul of minerals.

True Colors
"I liberated this planet because it was the UED's primary staging point, not because I was under any obligation to you. I used you to destroy the Psi Disrupter. And now that I've got my Broods back, you're no longer necessary for my plans. I think I'll leave you here, Arcturus, among the ashes of your precious Dominion. I want you to live to see me rise to power. And I want you to always remember in your most private moments that it was you who turned me loose in the first place."

- Kerrigan's betrayal of Mengsk

Much planning went into the assault on Korhal, and for good reason&mdash;the UED possessed a substantial ground force, heavy fortifications and even its own zerg, courtesy of its control of the Overmind. While Raynor and Fenix led an assault against the outlying fortifications of Augustgrad, Kerrigan's zerg acted as the tip of the spear, reclaiming the city. Fewer enemy zerg were encountered than expected, leading Kerrigan to wonder if the Overmind was proving difficult to control. Either way, with victory achieved, Mengsk sent General Edmund Duke to establish a base of operations in Augustgrad.

For Kerrigan, the struggle was not over, as the UED forces on Char still had to be dealt with. Before that could occur however, she had to deal with her former allies, seeing them as potentially dangerous. She and Samir Duran plotted their destruction. As the Terran Dominion and Fenix's forces rested after the liberation of Korhal, Kerrigan's zerg attacked them. For six minutes they rampaged almost unchecked before the former allies could retaliate. During the battle, both Duke (in the Norad III) and Fenix himself made personal appearances on the battlefield, but both fell to the zerg. This earned Kerrigan the hatred of both Arcturus Mengsk and Jim Raynor respectively. Kerrigan weary of the slaughter, ordered her forces to return to Tarsonis.

To Slay the Beast
Two days after the massacre on Korhal, The UED Expeditionary Fleet launched an attack by their enslaved zerg against Kerrigan's home base on Tarsonis. The hundreds of zerg were coordinated by scientists, due to the UED's poor control over their enslaved Overmind. In addition, the UED used genetic engineers which experimented on a number of passive zerg.

The UED enslaved zerg overwhelmed many of Kerrigan's hive clusters, but her cerebrate was able to rally the remaining forces. Kerrigan ordered the deaths of the scientists, which caused the passive zerg to run wild. Kerrigan's forces had achieved victory.

In order to slay the Overmind, Kerrigan needed the aid of the Dark Templar. For the aid of the Dark Templar, she needed Raszagal. And in order to retrieve the matriarch, she and Duran returned to Shakuras. However, Raszagal was residing in Talematros, a well defended settlement whose pylons were generating an electromagnetic field, preventing most zerg aerial strains from being fielded. Duran suggested he could plant charges on the pylon clusters and set them to overload. With the destruction of the power grid, the zerg would have ample cover through which they could kidnap Raszagal. Kerrigan approved of the plan.

Duran led ground-based zerg (and overlords) against the protoss defenders, eventually planting charges and detonating all of the clusters. The entire city was destroyed. During the confusion, Raszagal was retrieved.

Kerrigan traveled to Char, where her final plans would be laid. As Kerrigan had anticipated, Zeratul arrived, leading a protoss revenge force. Kerrigan used Raszasgal's status as a hostage to force another alliance with the protoss – if the Dark Templar would slay the Overmind for Kerrigan, she would allow Raszagal to return. Zeratul was outraged, but Raszagal convinced him to agree to Kerrigan's demands, pointing out the Overmind was an enemy for both Kerrigan and the protoss. Kerrigan's zerg and the Dark Templar fought against the UED and its enslaved zerg. Eventually Kerrigan's alliance overwhelmed the UED, with Zeratul personally slaying the Overmind. The remaining cerebrates were also killed by the Nerazim.

Zeratul demanded the return of the Matriarch. Kerrigan allowed this ... but Raszagal, now clearly under Kerrigan's control, would not. Zeratul used an Arbiter to abduct Raszagl, surprising Kerrigan.

Kerrigan gained control over all zerg forces in the Sector. They searched for Zeratul and Raszagal as the remainder of the UED Expeditionary Fleet forces fled. Duran was meanwhile able to locate Zeratul's outpost, near remnants of UED ground troops. It appeared that they were intent on returning to Shakuras with Raszagal, and would do so within thirty minutes. Kerrigan's zerg fought their way past the UED troops and destroyed the protoss base. Raszasgal was located in a stasis cell within. With a heavy heart, Zeratul slew Raszagal in order to prevent Kerrigan from controlling her. Kerrigan was impressed with Zeratul's resolve and allowed him to live, reveling at the guilt the prelate would would be forced to live with.

Dark Origin

 * Main article: Dark Origin

"This creature is the completion of a cycle. It's role in the cosmic order was preordained when the stars were young. Behold the culmination of your history. All I behold is an abomination. Your violence, young prodigal, is typical. As is your inablility to comprehend the greater scheme of things. You can destroy all of the specimens here. It will do you no good. For I have seeded the Hybrid on many, many worlds. You will never find them all before they awaken... And when they do... your universe will be changed... forever."

- Duran and Zeratul discuss the hybrid Following the previous battle on Char, Samir Duran left Kerrigan's side. She was unaware of his location or motives. Zeratul meanwhile led a small warband fleeing from Char. They sought Artanis and other protoss survivors of Kerrigan's attacks. During the search, they located protoss power signatures emanating from a dark moon. Since the protoss had never lived at this moon, Zeratul believed survivors may be located there. However, the power signatures were actually coming from makeshift devices crafted by terrans.

Zeratul personally led a small force of dragoons and dark archons to the dark moon. There, they discovered makeshift stasis cells defended by Clandestine Mercenaries. The terran scientists had been conducting a number of experiments with protoss technology and biology... as well as zerg biology. At the innermost stasis cell, Zeratul discovered the truth – the experiments' aim was to create a protoss-zerg hybrid, which, as the creature within the stasis cell depicted, had been achieved.

As Zeratul reeled with the shock of the discovery, Duran uncloaked and confronted Zeratul. Duran told Zeratul that the creature was the culmination of a cycle and that it would change the universe forever. Duran also said the creatures were spread on many worlds and had not awoken yet. Zeratul saw the creature as an abomination and slew it. He also destroyed the rest of the facility and departed the dark moon, unable to share the information with his companions as he feared what the future might hold.

Omega

 * Main article: Battle of Char Aleph

"At this point, I'm pretty much the Queen Bitch of the Universe. And not all of your little soldiers or space ships will stand in my way again."

- Kerrigan

Kerrigan was left on a weak position at Char, as Duran had disappeared and the majority of her forces were stranded on the surface of the planet when three fleets, commanded by UED Admiral Gerard DuGalle, Terran Dominion Emperor Arcturus Mengsk and protoss leader Artanis, converged on her site of operations, Char Aleph. The Dominion fleet was particularly weak, being made of special interest groups who wanted to see Kerrigan dead. Mengsk had promised them concessions and called in favors in order to implement his strike.

Kerrigan led the defense of the platform. Mengsk's forces were defeated first, forcing the emperor to withdraw. He promised Kerrigan that sooner or later, she would slip-up, and he would be there to exploit her mistake. The protoss were defeated second, with Artanis also vowing vengeance. Finally, the UED forces were defeated. While the protoss and Dominion fleets were able to limp away, Kerrigan refused to accept DuGalle's surrender, pointing out that he had nothing left to barter with. For her own amusement, Kerrigan allowed the fleet a head-start in their retreat to Earth, before she sent the Swarm after them.

As the UED fleet retreated, Admiral DuGalle sent off a final letter to his wife on Earth. Realizing that the zerg could never be tamed, and that his pride had cost him the lives of Stukov and his men, DuGalle commited suicide. The remnants of the UED fleet was destroyed by Kerrigan's forces, with none making it back to Earth.

The Brood War was over.

Other Battles
During the war, Urthos III was the site of numerous skirmishes over its mineral deposits. The UED also attacked the city of Graschek and fought in an area known as the Abattoir. Heavy casualties were suffered in both instances.

At round about the same time as the UED was assaulting Korhal, the Dark Templar terrorist Ulrezaj launched a terror campaign against the Khalai. He was defeated, but managed to elude justice.

Aftermath
"Once again I stand atop the broken bodies of my enemies... - Victorious but not unscarred. - The Earth-borne Directorate has been destroyed. - And the Overmind lies dead and trampled beneath the ashes of Char. - As for my unlikely allies, I think that I shall allow them a reprieve. - For in time I will seek to test their resolve, and their strengths. - They will all be mine in the end, for I am the Queen of Blades. - None shall ever dispute my rule again."

- Kerrigan stands triumphant.

Kerrigan allowed the protoss and Dominion to survive, at least for a time, and felt that a great threat was coming. She refrained from carrying out any overt hostile actions against her enemies over the coming years, leading many to speculate on her motives.

The Terran Dominion was greatly weakened as a result of the Brood War. It lost control of the Kel-Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate. It was forced to rely on mercenaries in order to deal with various military problems. Still, it had effectively recovered from the conflict by 2502.

Protoss society was re-organized into the Protoss Protectorate with Artanis as its leader. Difficult times faced the Firstborn as both Khalai and Nerazim were forced to co-exist. He could not count on Zeratul, who had disapeared, caught up in his guilt.

Jim Raynor initially partook in anti-zerg actions, such as an operation on Braxis. Still, realizing his chances against the zerg were slim, Raynor led the Raiders in an anti-Dominion movement. However, their struggle showed little sign of success.

Ultimately, it would be four years until conflict once again engulfed the Koprulu Sector...