Terran Dominion

The Terran Dominion was created after the fall of the Confederacy at the height of the war between the Terrans, the Zerg and the Protoss from the the Sons of Korhal and many other Terran factions. It is headed by former Sons of Korhal leader Arcturus Mengsk. Korhal IV is the throne world of the Dominion.

Formation of the Dominion
The roots of the Terran Dominion spring from the Korhalian Rebellion, a "terrorist" faction which emerged when the Terran Confederacy put down a rebellion against them on the world of Korhal. The Confederate attempts to weaken the Rebellion backfired when they slew its first leader; Arcturus Mengsk became its new leader and was even more effective. When Mengsk forged an alliance with the Umojan Protectorate, the Confederates destroyed the world of Korhal using nuclear weaponry. Mengsk renamed the Rebellion the Sons of Korhal. The rebel movement fought against the Confederacy, eventually destroying it using psionic devices to lure the Zerg to the Confederate homeworld of Tarsonis. This action alienated two good-hearted Sons of Korhal officers, Sarah Kerrigan and Jim Raynor. The former was abandoned to the Zerg on a space platform over Tarsonis while the latter defected with a rebel movement.

Consolidating Power
Arcturus Mengsk, with General Edmund Duke as his military advisor, claimed control of all Terrans and was unopposed by any legal Terran faction to his rule. For the first time, all of the Terran colonies within the Koprulu Sector (including Umoja and Moria) were united under one sovereign ruler.

With few exceptions, such as an elite commando squad led by one Samir Duran, the Dominion ruled over the Koprulu Sector without any threat to its control. The Dominion gained its military supremacy by forcefully conscripting the remaining soldiers of the old Confederate armies.

The Dominion government is based out of Augustgrad, the capital of the throne world of Korhal IV. The Dominion set up a powerful defense grid on Korhal consisting of battlecruisers, nukes and other deterrents.

Battles against Zerg and Terrans
During this period Alpha Squadron was sent to the ash world of Char because of psychic visions Emperor Mengsk received from his former lieutenant, Sarah Kerrigan. Alpha Squadron was heavily defeated by the Zerg, however, and forced to pull back. It remained at Char, and even attempted to fight Protoss visitors on a number of occasions. The force eventually left the planet.

Alpha Squadron was also dispatched to deal with notorious smuggler Alan Schezar and his Scavengers, leading to further mysteries when the Dominion discovered that Schezar could somehow control Zerg.

The Brood War
At the beginning of the Brood War, the Terran Dominion came under siege from an expeditionary force from the United Earth Directorate, an invasion force sent by Earth to pacify the Koprulu Sector. The UED Forces started their invasion with a "test" which consisted of observing Dominion troops being slaughtered by Zerg which the UED released upon an unsuspecting colony.

The Dominion world of Braxis was subjected to an unusual Protoss attack, which weakened the garrison. The world was later attacked by the UED, which invaded in the wake of the Protoss retreat. The UED linked up with Samir Duran, a defector from Alpha Squadron, and his Confederate Resistance Forces. Together they destroyed the main Dominion base at the capital, Boralis, where the UED was able to decrypt the Dominion's datalink and gain access to Mengsk's most guarded files.

The next UED target was Dylar IV's shipyards. There, the UED stole a large number of battlecruisers, then defeated a Dominion counterattack. The UED impressed most of the remaining Dylarian defense forces into their fleet.

Finally, the UED cracked Korhal's powerful defenses and conquered it. Arcturus Mengsk escaped due to the surprising assistance of Jim Raynor. Due to Raynor's alliance with Fenix and the backstabbing of Samir Duran, who had originally joined the UED as an ally, the UED failed in its attempts to recapture Mengsk.

The UED had a hidden agenda as well: to seize the Psi Disrupter (a potent anti-Zerg weapon), take control of the Overmind and use the Zerg to pacify all conflict in the region. The UED's Admiral DuGalle successfully captured the Overmind on Char and used it to maintain a number of Zerg on Korhal. The Psi Disrupter also weakened Infested Kerrigan's control over her own Zerg.

Recovery, and Betrayal
Mengsk woke up to find himself at the mercy of Jim Raynor and Infested Kerrigan, both of whom had very personal reasons to hate him, but both feared the UED more than they feared him. They made a deal: if Mengsk would assist Kerrigan in regaining control over her Zerg forces, she would assist him in retaking Korhal. The forces struck Braxis, site of the Psi Disrupter. Mengsk's psi-emitter enabled Kerrigan to rebuild her forces and finally destroy the device. The forces eventually moved against Korhal, with Kerrigan's Zerg spear-heading the attack against the UED.

Although Arcturus Mengsk succeeded in regaining his throne world, he (along with Raynor and Fenix) were betrayed by Kerrigan and he lost his chief military adviser, General Edmund Duke to Kerrigan's Zerg forces. Mengsk swore revenge, but Kerrigan left Korhal alone.

Later, Infested Kerrigan found herself in a weakened position on a space platform over Char when the UED, Protoss and Dominion launched a simultaneous (but uncoordinated) attack. The Dominion forces were cobbled together with help from "special interest groups" who wanted to see Kerrigan dead. Kerrigan defeated all three forces; she allowed the Dominion and Protoss to survive, but took gruesome revenge on the UED.

The Dominion had been driven to the brink of annihilation by various UED, Zerg, and Protoss assaults, but it nevertheless survived.

After the Brood War
Four years later, the Dominion has partially rebuilt its armies and is attempting to re-establish its empire by reconquering worlds. In order to make up for its lack of manpower, the Dominion has begun developing technology stolen from the Protoss. It also activated General Horace Warfield's Project Shadowblade involving Ghosts and terrazine and battles the Koprulu Liberation Front, an anti-Dominion organization. The most significant military development project since the end of the Brood War is Project: Thor, a (formerly) secret superweapon system.

The Dominion is the most powerful Terran force in the Koprulu Sector, but is currently opposed by the Umojan Protectorate and Kel-Morian Combine. It fears Infested Kerrigan and her Zerg, who have been "too quiet" over the past four years.

Recently, Arcturus Mengsk's son, Valerian, was secretly named the "Heir Apparent" to the Dominion. He commands high authority, but this is limited due to the small number of people who know who he really is.

Arcturus Mengsk ordered half of his government's Ghosts eliminated as part of an "overhaul" of the program.

Known Branches
Like the Confederacy, the Dominion has many branches of its military;

Dominion Engineering Corps
The Dominion Engineering Corps is a division of the Kel-Morian Combine. It has taken up the task of rebuilding orbital platforms in order to maintain a supply of commerce. It's doubtful whether it is still in service to the Dominion as the Kel-Morian Combine later left the Dominion when it was weakened due to the Brood War.

Executioner's Guild
The Executioner's Guild is charged with eliminating Mengsk's political rivals.

Imperial Guard
The Imperial Guard is made up of Mengsk's most loyal followers, stationed on Korhal. Presumably made up of many former Sons of Korhal members.

Marine Corps
The Dominion Marine Corps is maintained in much the same way that the Confederacy did. Its color is red. During the UED invasion, another branch of Terran Dominion troops, wearing blue uniforms, helped defend Korhal. Known members include;


 * Captain Bok: A reckless commander, he led a force to an infested terrazine refinery on Mar Sara, leading his men right into a Zerg ambush. Known for a degree of idiocy and never requesting reinforcements. Armed with a flak pistol.
 * Tychus Findlay: Seemingly a former member, he later defected to Raynor's Raiders.
 * Lieutenant Hanks: Bok's second-in-command for the Mar Sar operation. More cautious than his superior.
 * Colonel Francis McCauly: Involved in training on Braxis, his favorite excercise being Mountain Stronghold.
 * Captain Jonathan Rodgers: Rodgers's combat record was impressive, given that he'd traveled to the far reaches of the Koprulu Sector and fought off bandits, rebels, Protoss and Zerg. However, this led to a sense of overconfidence, which led to him refusing to take shelter during a hailstorm on Grnaki Prime, getting himself killed in the process.

Alpha Squadron

 * Main article: Alpha Squadron

Alpha Squadron, formerly a Terran Confederacy squadron led by General Edmund Duke, was inducted into the Sons of Korhal on Antiga Prime when the rebel movement rescued General Duke. It appears that Alpha Corps was an alternate title. The Squadron failed to acquire Infested Kerrigan on Char. The Squadron lost most of its ships on the world of Bhekar Ro.

Nova Squadron

 * Main article: Nova Squadron

Nova Squadron was inducted into the Dominion some time after the defeat of the Terran Confederacy. The squadron's organization remained largely intact from its role in the Confederate era.

Omega Squadron

 * Main article: Omega Squadron

Omega Squadron was inducted into the Dominion after the defeat of the Terran Confederacy.

Reaper Corps
Made up of Reapers, its base of operations presumably being in the Torus system. As of the StarCraft II era, it has existed for five years.

Navy
The Dominion Navy is seemingly an autonomous branch, unlike the Navy and Colonial Fleet of the Terran Confederacy, both of which seemed to have less prominant roles.

The Dominion Navy's baptism of fire occurred in the Dylarian Shipyards, in which, under the command of General Edmund Duke, it engaged ships captured by the United Earth Directorate. After a fierce battle the Dominion fleet was forced to return to Korhal, augmenting the considerable number of Behemoth-class Battlecruisers there. Despite this, the UED was able to capture the planet.

Four years after the Brood War the Navy has seemingly been rebuilt. Known members include;


 * Admiral Gaskavier: Engaged Protoss forces on a space platform above the world of Braxis Alpha.
 * Captain Robert Mason: Captain of the Grey Tiger, Mason is tall, thin, has blonde hair, eyes of an indeterminate colour with dark smudges under them, uneven, off-white teeth and "looked just about as dented and dirtied as the vessel he captained. Perhaps due to the time he served on the vessel, he is extremely pale.

Navy Medical Corps
The Navy Medical Corps was seemingly formed not long after the fall of Tarsonis to the Zerg. Known members include;


 * Commander Hunicutt: The captain of the Pasteur, Hunicutt was tall, had sandy hair, blue eyes and "looked like a recruitment poster model." Debriefed Malcolm Kelerchian.