Arcturus Mengsk

"Arcturus Mengsk. There's a name that is synonymous with terror, betrayal and violence. A living example of the ends justifying the means. The assassin of the Confederacy of Man. The hero of the blasted world of Korhal IV. King of the universe. A savage barbarian who never let anything or anyone get in his way. And yet, he is charming, erudite and intelligent. When you're in his presence you feel that he's really listening to you, that your opinions matter, that you're someone important if you agree with him. It's amazing. I have often wondered if men like Mengsk don't carry around their own reality-warping bubbles, and all who fall in are suddenly transported to another dimension where the hellish things he says and does suddenly make sense. At least, that's the effect he always had on me."

- Michael Liberty

Arcturus Mengsk is a terran from Korhal IV. He was the leader of the anti-Confederate group, the Sons of Korhal, and the founder and emperor of the Confederacy's successor, the Terran Dominion.

Early Life
Arcturus was born to Angus Mengsk, a Confederate Senator for Korhal and Old Family member, and to Katherine Mengsk. As a young boy, his mother told him he would be a great leader, but he would later ignore this encouragement. However, he would often awake from dreams in which he saw himself as a figure of importance, though in the waking world, did not see himself as any such person. Even as a youth, he lacked empathy, something perceptive people such as family servant Achton Feld noticed.

He got along well with his mother and even better with his sister, Dorothy, but his relationship with his father, Angus, was poor. Angus wanted him to follow in his footsteps so he could make the most of his talents, but Arcturus wanted to be his own man and follow his dream of being a prospector, a dream that did not coincide with Angus' dream of a Korhal free from the rule of the Terran Confederacy. While Angus detested the Confederacy with every fiber of his being and feared its ever-tightening sphere of influence, Arcturus was willing to let history take his course and unlike his father, who'd inherited his wealth, make his own fortune among the stars. He wanted people to look at him and know that he had achieved his position through blood, sweat and sacrifice.

Graduation
"I thought you would be man enough to understand what needs to be done, Arcturus, but I can see I was wrong. You're still a child and you still think like a child, unable to see the truth of the world beyond your own selfish little bubble."

- Angus Mengsk's relationship with his son deteriorates further.

Arcturus attended the prestigious Styrling Academy, where he repeatedly clashed with the principal, Isaac Steegman. His profile indicated strong leadershp skills and a distaste for authority figures that he considered inferior to himself, and calculated his IQ at the upper end of genius level. While at the Academy, Mengsk learned fencing from Master Miyamoto, a skill he developed from around the age of seven. However, despite the academy's academic prestige, Arcturus was generally bored there. His level of intelligence allowed him to progress academically without a hitch and the females were politicos who bored him or were no challange to seduce. To make matters worse, many students were antagonistic towards him due to the actions of his father, whose anti-Confederate speeches would do Korhal more harm than good in their minds.

In 2478 Arcturus was attending his last year of the Academy, but was unhappy enough to pull stunts that could jeopardize his position there. He knew this would upset his father. In one such stunt, Arcturus skipped school to sneak into his parents' summer home, not knowing that Umojan ambassador Ailin Pasteur and his daughter Juliana were visiting. He was caught by the Mengsk Dynasty head of security, Achton Feld. However, the stunt inadvertently alerted Feld to other intruders – a "corporate death squad". A battle erupted, nearly killing Mengsk; he was saved by his mother, who shot one of the attackers.

Angus Mengsk and Ambassador Pasteur were worried by the attack, which had been conducted by disguised Confederacy marines. Pasteur offered Umojan assistance to Angus' initiative – a secret armed struggle against the Confederacy. Arcturus overhead the discussion and couldn't agree with his father's aims, which would involve killing people. Arcturus swore never to reveal his father's doings, but the incident only pushed them further apart. Meanwhile, he failed to connect with Juliana Pasteur.

Back at the Academy, the Confederate Marine Corps made a presentation, hoping to enlist students. Mengsk was impressed by Captain Angelina Emillian, who told him he could learn to be a prospector there and might not even see combat. She had read his psychological profile, and felt quite sure that he would join the Corps. When he graduated, he exposed Principal Isaac Steegman's frauds, making him a temporary hero. He also connected with Juliana Pasteur, spending much of the next two months with her, discussing his plans for the future while forsaking the company of his family and evading any talk about his choice of career.

Arcturus enlisted in the Confederate Marine Corps on the morning of the Close of Session speech at the Senator of Korhal. His father, Angus made an anti-Confederate speech there, tearing down their flag. Arcturus, having had enough anti-Confederate rants from "an ordinary, stubborn man who refused to listen," revealed his enlistment to his mother during the speech, leaving despite her protests and the negative reaction of Ailin. He would later correspond with his mother, but Dorothy wouldn't forgive him. Over time, he came to miss them both and even his father. However, he maintained a regular correspondance with Juliana.

Confederate Warrior
"I know you mean what you say, but you don't always say what you think. You keep almost everything of what goes on inside you close to your chest, and you don't let anyone see what you're thinking unless you want them to. And right then, you wanted Baden to know what you're thinking."

- Captain Angelina Emillian debriefs Lieutenant Mengsk.

Training in the Dylarian Shipyards and later serving on Pridewater, Arcturus' early career in the CMC was succesful, his understanding of battle tactics and "making the impossible sound plausible" allowing him to ascend through the ranks. Arcturus became a lieutenant in Captain Angelina Emillian's 33rd Ground Assault Division. He led a team of five other marines which he called Dominion section, the only non-neurally resocialized members of Emillian's company. To ascend further however, he needed to gain some combat experience, which occurred in August, 2480 in Turanga Canyon on the world of Sonyan, where Kel-Morian Combine-associated miners worked at a deep core mining operation the Confederacy intended to capture. They were defended by missile turrets, which shot down the dropship carrying the company. Emillian was badly wounded, and the miners' hired mercenaries fired at them.

Mengsk took command, sending the resocialized soldiers on a suicidal distraction mission while his own troops ambushed and killed the mercenaries. He followed up by convincing mine owner Lemuel Baden to surrender. However, his actions displeased Captain Emillian, which he learned when she debriefed him from her sickbed. His tactics had wasted the lives of her resocialized troops and he had been willing to destroy the mine despite orders to capture it. Furthermore he questioned the morality of stealing the mine from Baden, who turned out to have legitimately owned the mine. Emillian told him to get straightened out when he went on leave.

Mengsk took Juliana Pasteur on a date to Tyrador IX, a resort planet frequented by the wealthy Old Families. While there, anti-Confederate rebels attacked, trying to kill him and other off-duty marines. Pasteur's two guards and Mengsk killed the rebels, and Mengsk was hailed a hero by the local militia. Afterward Mengsk and Pasteur connected on an intimate level.

Mengsk's reunion with his family was less fortunate. He reestablished his relationship with Dorothy, but only strained his relationship with his father, as he still resented Angus for trying to control his life. He left again, and Achton Feld suggested he make a clean break until he was ready to speak with them again. Mengsk decided to make a clean break with Juliana Pasteur as well.

Five years later, Captain Mengsk's unit was ordered to work with a detachment of Alpha Squadron and its captain, Edmund Duke. Alpha Squadron had more troops, and Duke was not only put in command, but would rate Mengsk's unit. Their command styles immediately clashed.

The two fought against Kel-Morian Combine mining operations at Noranda Glacier, Onuru Sigma. The vespene gas was tainted and thus explosive, and the operation looked dilapidated. Duke charged ahead with little caution, only to discover the complex was a well-laid ambush with multiple disguised strongpoints. Duke fought his way into a strongpoint but was trapped. Mengsk moved to the rescue, requesting Wraith air support. The attacks eventually detonated the complex as Mengsk was able to pull Duke to safety, but not without losing troops. He acquired the rifle Mayumi as a result of the battle. The Confederates were pushed back by a large wave of Kel-Morian troops and ships. The Guild Wars had begun.

Revolutionary
Arcturus Mengsk achieved the rank of colonel as the Guild Wars drew to a close. Confederate officers were being promoted at a high rate, but Mengsk decided he wasn't fighting for what he believed and left his division.

By 2489 Mengsk became a prospector along with fellow ex-soldier Dia de Santo. Risking a great deal of money, the two made great hauls, enabling Mengsk to purchase a ship, the Kitty Jay. The two finally discovering a huge lode of high-quality minerals at Pike's Peak, when Mengsk received a communication from Ailin Pasteur, requesting he visit him at Umoja as quickly as possible. The Guild Wars ended – and Angus Mengsk had declared the independence of Korhal. Martial law quickly ensued there.

Arcturus Mengsk traveled to Umoja where he discovered he had a seven-year-old son, Valerian, whose mother, Juliana Pasteur, had kept secret from him and the rest of the family. The initial meeting was awkward, and Mengsk failed to connect with Valerian, thinking him weak, except in the area of swordfighting. He sent a message to his parents, telling them of this new development and began to take over his son's education, throwing out his favorite books and giving him tomes on topics he felt were more appropriate, mirroring his father's treatment of himself. Valerian felt that Arcturus was always trying to find something wrong with him.

Mengsk received dire news from Korhal during the visit – the Confederates had killed his father, mother and sister despite their tight security. Mengsk was consumed by revenge. Ailin Pasteur was shocked, and offered the support of the newly formed Umojan Protectorate. Pasteur, in his capacity as a member of the Umojan Ruling Council, made Mengsk the new leader of the Rebellion of Korhal.

Mengsk took steps to protect the remainder of his family. He immediately had Juliana Pasteur and Valerian sent into hiding within the Umojan Protectorate, and dispatched his former swordfighting instructor, Master Miyamoto, to instruct Valerian in a similar manner to himself. He would only see Valerian again once during the next eight years.

Mengsk began rallying the militant groups who had followed his father. With this impressive, if ragtag, army the rebels struck boldly at various Confederate bases and installations. He also attacked factories belonging to the Old Families.

Over time Mengsk enlarged the size of the rebellion, eventually amassing a "huge" army on Korhal. When the rebellion acquired and repaired a Confederate battlecruiser that had crashed in Umojan territory "well outside the range of Confederate hailing" signals it was Mengsk who renamed it the Hyperion and took it as his flagship.

Sons of Korhal
"Arcturus Mengsk...he had overcome a tragic event in his life, and now it had changed him, forever molded him into a being of single-minded purpose and unshakable determination. Lesser men would have been broken by the tragedy. Lesser men would have just given up. But lesser men did not take their place in the proud annals of Terran history."

The Confederacy could not accept the success of the Korhalian insurrection for it could encourage other worlds to revolt. With rumors spreading of a secret alliance between Korhal and the Umojan Protectorate the Confederacy decided to decisively end the revolt. In 2491 a thousand nuclear missiles were launched at Korhal, killing millions of people.

Unfortunately for the Confederacy, Mengsk was not on Korhal at the time. News of the strike reached Mengsk at a secret base within the Umojan Protectorate. With Mengsk as their head the survivors formed the Sons of Korhal and pledged to overthrow the Terran Confederacy and build a new government that would benefit all terrans within the Koprulu Sector. The Sons of Korhal quickly became the sector's most wanted fugitives as they struck silently and swiftly, winning countless victories over the Confederacy.

The first of these raids was against a small Confederate research installation called the Fujita Facility on Vyctor 5 when he discovered Sarah Kerrigan, a ghost. Rescuing her from the Confederate scientists that were performing experiments upon her involving xenomorphs. His purpose for visiting the facility was that he discovered that one of the three ghosts who had murdered his family was present. However, thoughts of vengeance were put on the backburner, as Kerrigan was no longer willing to serve the Confederacy. In the meantime, Mengsk carefully monitored the rumours about the xenomorphs spreading throughout the ship, knowing that they could fuel his men's conviction in their fight against the Confederacy.

Returning to Umoja, Mengsk planned his next course of action with Protectorate ambassadors.

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 kill Major Rumm, her former instructor who had tormented her; she also capture the ghost Mengsk sought and the Academy was destroyed. 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. Kerrigan's loyalty to him increased.

The attack created publicity for the Sons of Korhal; the attack was subject to a report by Michael Liberty. Heralded by radicals as a visionary and a patriot, Mengsk was portrayed as a madman and a terrorist by the Confederate-controlled media.

Meanwhile, Mengsk was able to visit his now-teenage son once. He said he was proud that Valerian was making his own way in life, and admitted that, by forcing Valerian to suit his own image, he was behaving much like his father had. He exhibited great confidence that he could destroy the Confederacy.

Sara's Zerg
"It would be easy to declare that Arcturus Mengsk was a master manipulator, which he was, or that he regularly deceived others, which was true as well. But it would be a mistake to deny all personal responsibility in falling into his web. It seems now the height of folly ever to have dealt with the man, but think of the situation when the Sara System died. You had the mindless beasts of the zerg on one side. and the unholy fire of the Protoss on the other. And in the middle you had the criminal bureaucracy of the old Confederacy of Man, which was willing to write off the population of two planets in order to learn more about its enemies. With such a surplus of devils in the universe, what did it matter if there was one more?"

- Michael Liberty

Mengsk's troops attacked Chau Sara in November 2499. However, Alpha Squadron drove his forces away.

In December 2499, shortly after the protoss destruction of Chau Sara, Mengsk's Sons of Korhal showed up on Mar Sara; the Colonial Militia defeated one of their minor incursions.

The Confederacy avoided action against the zerg and even arrested the Colonial Militia forces. Mengsk quickly found himself in demand as the only force there willing to face the zerg. Mengsk and Kerrigan made contact with Universe News Network reporter Michael Liberty, whom Mengsk would later use as a propagandist. Mengsk endeared himself to the Colonial Magistrate of Mar Sara by assisting in the evacuation of the Mar Sara Colony, something the Confederates refused to do. Liberty's duties included spreading the word of Mengsk's rescue.

Before leaving Mar Sara, Mengsk and Liberty rescued Colonial Marshal James Raynor from a Confederate prison ship and used him to lead a strike force against the Jacobs Installation. He believed secret Confederate military technology was concealed inside. Within Raynor discovered zerg being imprisoned, but Mengsk had seen Confederate experiments with zerg before. Raynor retrieved a data disk. The Mar Sara Colonial Militia became 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. Raynor's own band of troops were known unofficially as Raynor's Rangers.

Meanwhile the Sons of Korhal struck against various symbolic targets on Tarsonis, such as the Palombo Valley plant operated by Old Family patriarch Constantino Terra through the use of inside agents. Mengsk broadcast video messages after each such attack.

A Gift of a General
Mengsk's next destination was Antiga Prime, where the colonists were ready to begin open revolt against the Confederacy. However, the Confederates, aware of this as well, stationed a large detachment of Alpha Squadron troops there to suppress the nascent revolt. To free the Antiga Prime colony, Mengsk sent a task force with Raynor and Kerrigan (the latter sneaking in and assassinating the Confederate officer in charge). Michael Liberty announced the defeat of the Confederates to the colonists. The Antigan rebels and Sons of Korhal then defeated the Alpha Squadron detachment.

Alpha Squadron's General Edmund Duke was unable to respond to this event because his flagship, the Norad II, was attacked by the zerg in high orbit over Antiga Prime; it crash-landed in a position surrounded by the zerg. Mengsk was determined to rescue General Duke, over the objections of Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan. He sent Raynor and his troops to save Duke, whom he convinced to join him by offering him a position in his cabinet. Even more important than the acquisition of Duke's tactical skill, and his Alpha Squadron, was the decoding of the Jacobs Installation data discs, which contained designs for a Transplanar Psionic Waveform Emitter, or psi-emitter.

The Confederates discovered Mengsk's position and send a large Delta Squadron strike force, which established a base camp within his defensive perimeter, along with a massive Army and Colonial Fleet blockade. Mengsk decided to test the new emitter technology and break the Confederate blockade. Sarah Kerrigan infiltrated the Delta Squadron base camp and activated the device; however, she expressed doubts about unleashing the zerg against anybody, even the Confederates. Soon, the zerg homed in on the signal, breaking the blockade and allowing the Sons of Korhal and allies to escape.

Sometime afterward the protoss arrived, wiping out all life on the surface of the planet. The Confederate force was forced to retreat and redeploy to Halcyon.

Great Power... and Betrayal
As the Sons of Korhal grew ever stronger, Confederate official Tamsen Cauley came to believe Mengsk would win the war. Tamsen sent the War Pigs, a team of outlaws, to assassinate Arcturus Mengsk. They struck in June 2500 as Mengsk personally led his troops on Atticus Minor, a planet the Sons of Korhal had captured from the Confederacy but had fallen under threat from the zerg. The War Pigs hoped to use the chaos of the zerg invasion to kill Mengsk but were driven away by the zerg themselves.

His plan failed, Cauley tried a new tactic&mdash;ingratiating himself to 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.

In order to win the conflict against the Confederacy, Mengsk had to strike against Tarsonis. 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 was 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. Mengsk did not inform Kerrigan or Raynor of this part of the plan. While successful, causing the destruction of the Confederacy, it alienated both Kerrigan and Raynor.

However, Kerrigan remained loyal and followed his next set of orders... to protect the primary zerg hive from the coming protoss fleet, under the command of Executor Tassadar. Kerrigan knew that the protoss were there to exterminate all life on Tarsonis, not just the zerg, so she agreed to follow the orders. She and her strike force defeated the protoss but, as a wave of zerg advanced on her position, were abandoned as Mengsk ordered the immediate disengagement of the Korhal fleet from the Tarsonian system, despite Raynor's protest.

Following the loss of Kerrigan, Raynor and his men left the Sons of Korhal and formed their own rebel group, Raynor's Raiders. They took Liberty with them, but not before a brawl with General Duke. Mengsk offered a media position to Liberty, but was rebuffed.

Before leaving with Mengsk, General Duke successfully activated 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 was forced to destroy the Ion Cannon in order to escape.

The New Dominion
The successful destruction of Tarsonis caused the fall of the Confederacy. Most Confederate survivors joined the Sons of Korhal, including the remaining Confederate squadrons, which were forcefully conscripted, giving the Dominion military supremacy. The former rebels saved many terran lives, but refused to assist worlds that did not welcome their intervention, as Mengsk remarked that the planet's local government had ultimate authority on that planet.

The Sons of Korhal became the Terran Dominion, Mengsk had himself crowned Emperor of the Terran Dominion and made Korhal his throne world. All of the terran colonies within the Koprulu Sector were united under one sovereign rule for the first time. With Duke by his side, he was unopposed by any of the major terran militias within the Sector.

Continuing Military Action
Mengsk received a psionic call from Sarah Kerrigan on Char. He sent General Duke there to reclaim her, but Alpha Squadron was defeated by the zerg.

Having reinforced the armies of the Dominion by forcefully conscripting the remaining warriors of the defunct Terran Confederacy, Mengsk set out to fortify the various worlds under his care. He built Augustgrad, the capital city of Korhal which became 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.

Meanwhile Mengsk also tried to bring to justice a terran criminal, Alan Schezar.

As the final battle concluded on Aiur and the zerg reeled in disarray throughout the Sector, Mengsk was left to wonder what ever became of his former Lieutenant, Sarah Kerrigan.

Mengsk still did not trust General Duke, despite his oaths, so he sent him and his Alpha Squadron on a seemingly unimportant mission to the world of Bhekar Ro, whose colonists sought his help. The mission ended in disaster for Duke.

The United Earth Directorate
Arcturus Mengsk made his first official visit to Umoja six months after his inauguration. He was also there to see his son, Valerian. He took a fleet of Dominion vessels with him, but ambassador Ailin Pasteur demanded he leave the ships beyond the outer markers. Mengsk had to descend in an obsolete gun cutter. He took about twelve soldiers with him.

Shortly after landing, a Confederate Resistance Forces team lead by a vengeful Captain Angelina Emillian attacked. They used jammers to cut off communication with the Dominion fleet and Protectorate military assistance, and outnumbered the defenders. The gun cutter itself was too heavily damage to fly, falling down the shaft of a landing platform.

Mengsk planned on using the gun cutter's powerful communication equipment to call for help, and ordered Valerian and other people to safety, but Valerian insisted on accompanying him. Together with Master Miyamoto, they fled down an underground path to the gun cutter. From this position of relative safety, they were able to hold off the attacking marines for some time. However, Valerian was nearly killed by Captain Emillian, and only the sacrifice of Master Miyamoto gave him the upper hand – he shot her down. As she lay bleeding, Arcturus Mengsk approached her, and after trading hostile words, she told him that the UED would attack him, and would "clean his clock". She died before telling him anything further, leaving Mengsk in the dark about the identity of her mysterious allies. Mengsk would quickly learn more about them when they attacked the Dylarian Shipyards.

Mengsk had built a powerful defense of Korhal, but when the United Earth Directorate's Expeditionary Force arrived there, it was able to destroy Augustgrad, including his palace. Mengsk tried to escape in the Norad III, but the UED cut off his escape. Mengsk remained unfazed and declared he would throw off the UED just as he had the Confederacy. UED Admiral Gerard DuGalle threatened him with execution, along with the rest of his ranking officers, but Jim Raynor suddenly appeared in the Hyperion (along with a small protoss fleet) and rescued Mengsk.

Mengsk and Raynor fled to Aiur, where Raynor has continued his alliance with the protoss Praetor Fenix, and hid in a command center near a warp gate. Making matters more complicated, there were multiple zerg broods surrounding the protoss base, which remained quiet until the warp gate was activated. In their efforts to capture these men, the UED force attacked Raynor's command center. Raynor and Mengsk fled in a dropship through the gate, which then exploded. The destination of the ship was unknown. Worse for the UED, the zerg suddenly attacked and DuGalle had to face possible treachery from two of his subordinates.

Mengsk was put into cold storage, and when he awoke he found himself in the power of Infested Kerrigan, who had struck an alliance with Jim Raynor and Fenix. Kerrigan needed Mengsk for a favor - Mengsk would use his psi-emitters to gather up enough zerg for her to destroy the UED's Psi Disrupter on Braxis and confront the UED. Mengsk agreed in exchange for Kerrigan's help in retaking Korhal from the UED. Kerrigan planned to use the psi emitters to lure uncontrolled zerg on Braxis to her control, then used them to destroy the Psi Disrupter. The ploy worked. This becomes the death knell for the United Earth Directorate's Expeditionary Force in the Koprulu Sector. Mengsk still felt that Kerrigan was completely untrustworthy, but he would with her so long as she helped him retake Korhal.

Another Betrayal
Kerrigan, with the help of Fenix, Raynor, and an impatient Mengsk, destroyed the main UED base at Augustgrad. After the successful attack, Mengsk sent Duke to establish his base of operations in Augustgrad. However, Kerrigan and Samir Duran launched a devastating surprise attack while the Dominion troops were resting after the victory, destroying both General Duke's and Fenix's bases. In the attack, Duke and Fenix were both killed, leaving Mengsk very bitter.

Despite the loss of Duke, Mengsk wasn't out of the fight, calling in a few favors and making a few concessions, scraped up a new fleet of "special interest groups" interested in killing Kerrigan, and attacked her base of operations on the infested platform over Char, along with the UED and the protoss. His ragtag fleet was beaten and crippled however, but Mengsk, before leaving, threatened Kerrigan. He then fled back to Korhal to lick his wounds and plan the reconstruction of his Terran Dominion.

Interbellum
About a year after the Brood War, Juliana passed away, finally losing her battle to cancer. Reuniting with Valerian for the funeral, Arcturus Mengsk related the story of Korhal and the Mengsk Dynasty, the two coming to an understanding. Arcturus told him he didn't want Valerian to be like him, only to be someone Arcturus could be proud of. Sometime later, Mengsk brought his son into the Dominion. His son became an active part of the Terran Dominion government and was named his heir, although his status as Arcturus Mengsk's son was still secret following the Brood War. Valerian's status became public shortly sometime after the re-exploration of the alien artifact of Nemaka.

Mengsk took 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. As part of an "overhaul" of the Ghost Program, he eliminated half of his government's ghosts in a controlled environment. Arcturus Mengsk utilized the Dominion-controlled media, along with oratory and propaganda to marginalize Jim Raynor and his Raiders. While Mengsk refused to assassinate Raynor for fear of turning him into a martyr, he hunted and harried the Raiders, preventing them from resting or rearming. Despite his successes in controlling his enemy, it was not uncommon for him to go into tirades about Raynor's "treachery."

Mengsk sent forces to Artika to acquire a xel'naga artifact (they failed), but he insisted the loss was worth it.

The Quest for Protoss Knowledge
By 2505, the Dominion hadn't heard from the zerg for four years and Mengsk considered them too quiet. His son Valerian had other things on his mind. He convinced his father to fund archaeology expeditions to a strange artifact on the dead world of Nemaka. He used mercenaries led by Rosemary Dahl to provide security for the expedition. The only success Valerian had was when one of his hired archaeologists, a maverick named Jake Ramsey, solved one of the temple's puzzles and ended up with a protoss preserver's spirit in his brain. The "attack" rendered Ramsey unconscious. Valerian tried to arrange safe transports, but (betrayed by his minder, Charles Whittier) Arcturus became aware of it and intended to have Ramsey interrogated by psychics who would destroy his mind in the quest for the information which Ramsey carried. Ramsey escaped with the assistance of Rosemary Dahl and took shelter with Ethan Stewart, a crime lord on Dead Man's Rock, a world outside of Dominion space. The pair believed Valerian had betrayed them.

Stewart was in contact with both Arcturus and Valerian Mengsk, without the latter's knowledge. Ramsey discovered Stewart's connection with Valerian and made another escape with Dahl, using his newfound psionic powers to do so. The zerg suddenly attacked Dead Man's Rock, lured by Ramsey's powers, and Arcturus Mengsk saw this as an attack on the Dominion. He contacted Valerian, demanding to know what the zerg were after. His son gave him very little information, distracting him with his knowledge that Stewart really belonged to Arcturus.

Valerian Mengsk had tracked Ramsey to Aiur and sent a small force to rescue him, led by Devon Starke, a ghost who had barely survived Arcturus Mengks's purge of the Ghost Program. Ramsey, still fearful of Valerian, escaped, but Valerian's forces were able to track Ulrezaj, a dark archon also hunting Ramsey, to Ehlna, a moon sacred to the Dark Templar. Ramsey had gone there to remove Zamara from his mind, as her presence was slowly killing him. Valerian promised protoss intelligence to Arcturus in return for a Dominion force using new technology. The Dominion forces took part in a battle against Ulrezaj and the zerg, and captured the Alys'aril, a trove of protoss knowledge. However, the protoss were able to take the site back relatively quickly, so, having lost the knowledge, Arcturus would take Ramsey as a "consolation prize". Ramsey offered to willingly give up what he had but Arcturus couldn't trust such honesty. Valerian delayed his father for a time, but Starke knew his plan wouldn't work. Starke copied many of Ramsey's memories into his own mind (while leaving many out) and offered to take Ramsey's place as a decoy, making Dominion ghosts have to "dig" for the information. Starke himself said that "at the very least [the process] will shatter [Starke's] mind." Meanwhile Ramsey and Dahl were able to escape Dominion custody (with Valerian's assistance).

The War Beckons
As the next war approached, Arcturus Mengsk became "crazy" for alien artifacts, making trade in these goods illegal. Legitimate scientific organizations such as the found this hard to bear.

Arcturus Mengsk in StarCraft II
"Mengsk is a vicious tyrant, and he needs to be taken down."―Jim Raynorsrc

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, for story purposes.

Skills and Abilities
As a boy, Arcturus Mengsk was labeled a genius.

Arcturus Mengsk rose to the rank of colonel in the Confederate Marine Corps before leaving and has demonstrated considerable tactical skill, leading several of his former compatriots to call him a gifted strategist. Admiral Gerard DuGalle referred to him as an "accomplished tactician".

Mengsk has demonstrated the ability to befriend and manipulate people to his benefit. He claims that other people are unfocused in their thinking, and he acts as a "strong center" for them. He is very skilled at oratory and propaganda and has been described as a "media darling". Mengsk has also demonstrated skill in electronics and studied geology, politics and psychology, becoming a skilled prospector. He does not empathize with other people well, finding those who suffered loss and expressed their sense of it unpleasant to be around.

In addition, Mengsk is very strong-willed. Through careful blanking of his mind, he could prevent telepaths such as Sarah Kerrigan from reading his thoughts. The skill is not perfect, however.

Trivia

 * Arcturus is possibly named after the star Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes (it forms the left foot) and the third brightest star in the night sky. Arcturus means "bear guardian" because its position in the sky makes it appear to guard the Great and Little Bear constellations.


 * Strangely, Arcturus Mengsk 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" of the "House of Mengsk."


 * In public, Arcturus Mengsk prefers the term "Mister Emperor".


 * In older versions of StarCraft Mengsk had a battlecruiser called the Leviathan. The unused, incomplete unit can only be extracted by third-party StarEdit programs such as the Emerald Patch.


 * In the early storyline of StarCraft, it appears that Mengsk's role was radically different. He acted as an ambassador to Korhal, delivering an impassioned speech to his neighboring worlds about the threat of the protoss. Below is a transcript;