Editing Battle of Tarsonis

{{BattleBox
|name=Battle of Tarsonis
|bgcolor={{Blue}}
|fgcolor={{White}}
|prev=
|conc=[[The Big Push]], [[Battle of New Gettysburg]], [[The Hammer Falls]], [[Among the Ruins]], [[Egression]]
|next=[[The New Dominion]]
|image=Tarsonis SC2 DevCine1.jpg
|imgsize=300px
|conflict=[[Great War]]
|campaign=[[StarCraft Episode I|Rebel Yell]]<br/>
[[StarCraft Episode II|The Overmind]]
|date=[[2500]]
|place=[[Tarsonis]]
|result=Strategic [[Zerg Swarm]] and [[Sons of Korhal]] victories, destruction of the [[Terran Confederacy]]
|side1={{FlagSonsKorhal}} [[Sons of Korhal]]
|side2={{FlagConfederacy}} [[Terran Confederacy]] {{dagger}}
|side3={{FlagOvermind}} [[Zerg Swarm]]
|side4=[[Protoss Empire]]
|commanders1={{FlagSonsKorhal}} General/Emperor [[Arcturus Mengsk]]<br/>
{{FlagSonsKorhal}} General [[Edmund Duke]]<br/>
{{FlagSonsKorhal}} Lieutenant [[Sarah Kerrigan]] {{WhiteFlag}}<br/>
{{FlagSonsKorhal}} Captain [[Jim Raynor]]
|commanders2={{FlagConfederacy}} Director [[Ilsa Killiany]] {{WhiteFlag}}<br/>
{{FlagConfederacy}} General [[Ledbetter]]<br/>
{{FlagConfederacy}} Major [[Esmerelda Ndoci]] {{WhiteFlag}}
|commanders3={{FlagOvermind}} [[Overmind]]<br/>
{{FlagOvermind}} [[Cerebrate]] [[Araq]]<br/>
{{FlagOvermind}} [[Cerebrate (Episode II)|Young cerebrate]]
|commanders4={{FlagTassadar}} [[Executor]] [[Tassadar]]
|forces1=Sons of Korhal forces
:[[Raynor's Rangers]]<br/>
:{{FlagAlphaSquadron}} [[Alpha Squadron]]
|forces2=[[Confederate Armed Forces]]
:[[Delta Squadron]]
:{{FlagNovaSquadron}} [[Nova Squadron]]
:{{FlagOmegaSquadron}} [[Omega Squadron]]
:[[Tarsonis Police Force]]
:{{FlagConfederacy}} ''[[Annihilators]]'' {{WhiteFlag}}
|forces3=Zerg broods
|forces4={{FlagTassadar}} [[Koprulu Expeditionary Force]]
|casual1=Moderate
|casual2=Near total
|casual3=Moderate
|casual4=Heavy
|client=
|reqmissnum=
|altmission=
|goal=
|optgoal=
|heroes=
|mercs=
|reward=
|newchar=
|newunit=
|newtech=
|battle=
}}
The '''Battle of Tarsonis''' was a major ground battle between [[protoss]] and [[zerg]] forces, the [[Sons of Korhal]] and the [[Terran Confederacy]] which took place during the [[Fall of Tarsonis]].

==Background==
The [[Sons of Korhal]] brought their force to [[Tarsonis]]. In order to bring ground troops to the surface of Tarsonis, they first had to secure an [[space platform|orbital platform]]. General [[Edmund Duke]] personally led an assault on one of Tarsonis' three primary platforms, a battle area he was quite familiar with, which would create enough of a "ruckus" to enable a small force to reach the surface.<ref name="SC1_E1_M8">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft]].'' Vivendi Games. Mission: [[The Big Push]] (in English). 1998.</ref> 

==Battle==
{{Quote|This is [[Arcturus Mengsk|Mengsk]]. With the psi emitters, he's bigger than worlds.|[[Michael Liberty]] explains Mengsk's thinking.|StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade}}
The Sons of Korhal invasion penetrated the orbital defenses and reached the ground, surprising the Confederacy. Elite ground forces such as the [[Annihilators]] were still conducting unrelated missions on the ground. Confederate General [[Ledbetter]] coordinated the Confederate response.<ref name = "Nova">DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). ''[[StarCraft: Ghost: Nova]].'' Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7134-2.</ref>

[[Raynor's Rangers]], accompanied by renegade reporter [[Michael Liberty]] fought against Confederate forces in [[Tarsonis City]]. [[Sarah Kerrigan]] arrived on the scene, rescuing them from heavy defenses, but the Confederates jammed their communications with the ''[[Hyperion]]''. Liberty proposed using the high-powered communication equipment in the [[UNN Building|Universe News Network Building]]. The unit regained contact with the ''Hyperion'', but upon requesting evacuation, they learned that [[Arcturus Mengsk]] and General Duke planned to use [[psi emitter]]s, upsetting Raynor, Kerrigan and Liberty.

The communication had been detected by Confederate forces which rushed to their location, giving Liberty only a little time to scavenge "dirty" records kept by UNN's editor-in-chief [[Handy Anderson]].

The evacuation ship had carried down a [[ghost]] with technicians and a psi emitter. Upon bringing the Rangers up, Raynor and Liberty provoked an internal battle within the Sons of Korhal.<ref name="SC:LibCru">Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). ''[[StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade]]''. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7.</ref>

[[File:ZergTarsonisApproach SCR Game1.png|thumb|left||The zerg arriving on Tarsonis]]
Billions of [[zerg]] descended upon Tarsonis.<ref name="SC1_E1_M9">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft]].'' Vivendi Games. Mission: [[New Gettysburg (mission)|New Gettysburg]] (in English). 1998.</ref> Shortly after the Sons of Korhal reached the surface, the zerg reached [[Tarsonis City]] itself.<ref name = "Nova"/> The [[Tarsonis Police Force]] took action against the zerg.<ref name="SC:FrntLn_V3_Call">Randolph, Grace (w), Seung-hui Kye (p, i). "[[StarCraft: Frontline: Last Call|Last Call]]." In ''[[StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 3]]'' (paperback binding), pp. 90-131. Tokyopop, July 14, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80832-5.</ref> [[Osborne Port]] became the flashpoint for evacuation, as it was the only secure shipping point left. The [[Sons of Korhal]] rescued some civilians from Tarsonis,<ref name = "Nova"/> such as UNN chief [[Handy Anderson]],<ref name="SC:LibCru"/> and eventually the new organization, the [[Terran Dominion]], would take many to [[Ursa]].<ref name = "Nova"/>

===Battle of New Gettysburg===
{{Main|Battle of New Gettysburg}}
The [[protoss]] quickly arrived, and [[Arcturus Mengsk]] hadn't expected them so soon. He ordered Kerrigan to protect the zerg hive cluster at [[New Gettysburg (city)|New Gettysburg]] from the protoss long enough to prevent the [[Old Families]] from escaping.<ref name="SC:LibCru"/> Kerrigan loyally followed her orders<ref name="SC1_E1_M9"/> but Raynor was upset, not only at the use of psi emitters, but also because Kerrigan was operating without any backup. He proposed a rescue operation, but as he gathered his supporters and moved to a landing bay, Duke personally interrupted, along with a unit of [[neurally resocialized]] [[marine]]s. Duke threatened to have them executed as mutineers. Liberty shot Duke in the shoulder, triggering his marine suit's painkillers, which eventually caused Duke to fall unconscious, then ordered the marines to take Duke to a medical facility.<ref name="SC:LibCru"/>

Meanwhile, Kerrigan had defeated the protoss. The zerg then fell on her position. She asked for evacuation, but Mengsk ordered his fleet to leave orbit, ignoring Raynor's protests.<ref name="SC1_E1_M9"/> Some of his troops considered these orders unusual, and some were even branded as cowards as a result.<ref name = "SC:GA_V3">Gerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). ''[[StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 3]]'' (paperback binding). Tokyopop, March 8, 2011. ISBN 978-1427-81614-6.</ref>

Kerrigan was captured and eventually sealed in a chrysalis for later [[infested terran|infestation]].<ref name="SC1_E2_M4">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft]].'' Vivendi Games. Mission: [[Agent of the Swarm]] (in English). 1998.</ref>

Weapons of mass destruction were deployed on the surface.<ref name ="SC2_CineBetrayal">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty]].'' (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: [[The Betrayal]]. (in English). 2010.</ref>

===Pitched Conflict===
Protoss, terran and zerg forces continued to fight a pitched three-sided battle across the core continent of Tarsonis.<ref name="SC1_E1_M10">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft]].'' Vivendi Games. Mission: [[The Hammer Falls]] (in English). 1998.</ref> The Confederacy set up containment zones to bottle up the zerg, but these eventually failed.<ref name = "SC:GA_V2">Gerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). ''[[StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 2]]'' (paperback binding). Tokyopop, August 10, 2010. ISBN 978-1427-81613-9.</ref> Weapons of mass 

[[Jim Raynor]]'s allied soldiers, along with Liberty, attempted to rescue Kerrigan but didn't make it in time. Instead, they collected stranded soldiers and civilians from all terran factions present and attempted to escape in the former Confederate [[battlecruiser]] ''[[Thunder Child]]''.<ref name="SC:LibCru"/>
{{Main|The Hammer Falls}}
The [[Sons of Korhal]] blocked their path. They had taken control of the [[Ion cannon]], which Raynor's forces had to shut down before they could escape. Raynor was able to cut a path through the Sons of Korhal forces and destroy the weapon, then make their escape.<ref name="SC1_E1_M10"/>

===Mopping Up===
The zerg guarded their new [[Sarah Kerrigan#Queen of Blades|prize]] in a small [[chrysalis]] in a jungle region of Tarsonis. Protecting it from the remnants of [[Omega Squadron]] located there,<ref name="SC1_E2_M1">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft]].'' Vivendi Games. Mission: [[Among the Ruins]] (in English). 1998.</ref> the zerg moved to the platforms orbiting Tarsonis. There, they confronted the [[protoss]], but defeated them and traveled to [[Char]] through [[warp space]].<ref name="SC1_E2_M2">Blizzard Entertainment. ''[[StarCraft]].'' Vivendi Games. Mission: [[Egression]] (in English). 1998.</ref>

==Notes==
According to the non-canon hidden map [[Operation: Silent Scream]], a mobile force led by [[Sarah Kerrigan]] and [[Jim Raynor]] fought in a jungle region of Tarsonis, destroying war factories operated by [[Nova Squadron]], [[Delta Squadron]] and [[Omega Squadron]] in order to cripple the Confederacy's ability to make war. The Sons received periodic reinforcements from General [[Edmund Duke]]. After their victory, the [[psi emitter]]s were activated.<ref name = "OSC">[[Operation: Silent Scream]]</ref>

==References==
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{{Great War}}
[[Category: Great War battles]]