The Battle of Tyrador IX was a conflict that occurred on Tyrador IX when controlled zerg under the Cerberus Program invaded the planet.[1]
Background
Thousands of years ago, the Ihan-rii held Tyrador IX as their homeworld, but were forced to abandon it when they went into stasis on the fringes of the sector.[1] It was later repopulated by the terrans of the Terran Confederacy,[2] which became the Terran Dominion, and used as a resort world for the wealthy among their race. However, after the Defenders of Man Insurgency, the tourism industry was devastated as people feared for their safety in the wake of the zerg attack on the world. In order to maintain the illusion of security, the Knights of Tyrador were formed, armed with bombastic and shining equipment. However, in spite of their appearance, corners were cut in their combat effectiveness.[3]
The Cerberus Program, once an elite wing of the Terran Dominion, was forced to go underground when the former Emperor of the Terran Dominion, Arcturus Mengsk, was killed. They since went into the business of using technology to control and enhance zerg breeds, and selling them to the highest bidder.
After the End War, the Ihan-rii were awakened from their stasis by a distress beacon from a figure named "the Zeratul." However, they were unable to ascertain the origin of this signal, and instead opted to return to their homeworld.[1]
Course of the Battle
Some time after the Defenders of Man Insurgency, Cerberus was hired by Tyrador's rival systems to attack the world in an act of corporate espionage.[3] Zerg under the control of the Cerberus Program launched an assault on Tyrador IX, blindsiding the Knights of Tyrador. A reaper, who was taking a long route back to base to avoid the dust storms, was the first to spot the incoming zerg advance. The defenders of the city of New Canaan at first thought the lamps attacked to the eyes of the Cerberus hydralisks were the lights of dune buggies, and did not engage until it was too late.
The defenders were quickly overwhelmed. Mutalisks destroyed many defending vikings, and the Knight's banshee corps were nearly wiped out, though one seasoned pilot managed to kill three ultralisks first. Ravagers battered the Knight's defensive line. Many of the Knight's cyclones were being used as amusement park displays, and went into battle armed with nothing but harmless fireworks.
As all seemed lost, a Knights raven detected the Ihan-rii fleet in the gravity well of Tyrador IX. They sent out a Behemoth-class battlecruiser to meet with the Ihan-rii, and the protoss dispatched oracles to investigate them.
The Ihan-rii blindsided the Cerberus zerg with their massive stone ships and void beams. However, initial landings were rocky, as a group of Ihan-rii were slaughtered by lurkers at a drop site. Soon the Cerberus fliers, once uncontested in the skies, found their match in the Ihan-rii's stone fleet.
The combined forces of the Ihan-rii and the Knights of Tyrador halted the Cerberus invasion.[1]
Aftermath
As the dust settled from the battle, diplomatic functions were hosted in Tyrador command centers between the Ihan-rii and the powers of the sector, who sought to recruit the newcomers for their own agenda. It was agreed upon that joint ownership of Tyrador between the Terran Dominion and Ihan-rii, and that the terrans could continue to mine resources on the planet. The Ihan-rii began to create settlements and begin searching for other survivors of their great civilization. Meanwhile, the Knights hired a team of mercenary ghosts to hunt down the Cerberus Program leadership behind the attack.
However, tensions between the two factions rose as the two attempted to coexist. A terran dignitary visiting their settlements was vaporized when they touched a void-powered gateway. Factories on the disputed zone mysteriously were destroyed in craters of green energy. Ihan-rii protoss were accused of espionage as they wandered into Knights of Tyrador armories.
The council elders of the Ihan-rii meanwhile were displeased at the changes the terrans mistreatment of their world om their absence, wiping out many indigenous and honored creatures and destroying the planet's air quality. The Ihan-rii began warping in a large number of robotic constructs and capital ships, as well as forming a defensive shield battery network, which they claimed was for "defense against unruly wildlife." In response, the Knights of Tyrador began fortifying their own defenses, including accelerated starport production and a vast missile turret network.
Meanwhile, the Cerberus Program infiltrated the lava tubes under Tyrador IX and seeded them with remote-controlled hatcheries, unwilling to give up on their attack on Tyrador as they needed to demonstrate real-world metrics to earn further funding agreements. Baneling nests were planted under key points to collapse the cave networks under terran fortifications. Extractors diverted vast quantities vespene gas from Tyrador's reservoirs into the Cerberus hive clusters. Neural parasites were used to seize control of any adventurous spelunkers who happened upon their operation, forcing them to report technical difficulties before they vanish forever. Tyrador gigabats were assimilated into the Cerberus mutalisk strains while spine crawlers and spore crawlers were deployed through the tubes. A vast number of lurker dens were created as a first line of defense.
Nydus networks were deployed to ensure that when inevitably, the second invasion of Tyrador IX came, Cerberus would be able to strike from anywhere.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Collections Tab: Skins. July 19, 2017
- ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-47134-3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 2020-02-18. War Chest Skins 5 StarCraft Store. Accessed 2020-02-18.