The Brood War was a civil war between zerg factions, one led by Daggoth and the Second Overmind, and one led by Infested Kerrigan, the latter manipulating the protoss in order to get an advantage against the former.
The civil war was interrupted by an invasion of the United Earth Directorate which defeated the Terran Dominion and captured the Second Overmind. Kerrigan struck alliances with other powers in the sector to defeat the combined UED/zerg forces.
Background
Protoss
Dark Templar split (Ulrezaj?)
Earth
Approximately 270 years before the Brood War, most of Earth (barring certain unstable Latin American countries) came under the control of the United Powers League (briefly describe who they are).
The UPL launched Project Purification, an attempt to remove (describe the "criminals") and other undesirables from society. Scientist Doran Routhe took control of thousands of the prisoners, eventually attempting to colonize the world of Gantris VI with 40,000 of them via supercarriers. The experiment failed, and the prisoners ended up in the Koprulu Sector.[1]
The UPL was aware of the colonists, but made no attempt to control or contact them until they made disastrous first contact with alien species—the zerg and the protoss. The UPL panicked.
The United Earth Directorate was formed from the UPL and the few formerly independent Earth nations. The Directorate began a months-long research project on the aliens.[2]
Terrans in the Koprulu Sector
A remnant of the Terran Confederacy military, the Confederate Resistance Forces led by Samir Duran and Angelina Emillian, escaped from Tarsonis during its final days. The force, which contained numerous neurally resocialized marines, hid in a barely-spaceworthy battlecruiser.[3]
Arcturus Mengsk's Sons of Korhal had defeated the Terran Confederacy and co-opted many of its colonies and much of its military power. Mengsk created a new organization to govern the terran colonists—the Terran Dominion. The Dominion absorbed other governments into its ranks,[2] such as the Kel-Morian Combine,[4][5] and became the strongest terran power. General Edmund Duke assisted Emperor Mengsk in his efforts.[2]
The Dominion became based out of the formerly devastated world of Korhal, which had been detoxified.[6] Its capital, Augustgrad, was considered one of the most heavily fortified locations in the Dominion.[7]
The Battle of Bhekar Ro
Shortly before the Brood War, the colonists of Bhekar Ro discovered a xel'naga temple, which had been unearthed in a storm. When it was activated, it unleashed a signal which lured a protoss fleet and a portion of Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm, the Kukulkan Brood, to its location. The colonists came under attack, and contacted the Terran Dominion for assistance. Alpha Squadron, under the command of General Edmund Duke, arrived and immediately engaged in combat with the aliens. As the battles came to the ground, the various forces engaged in an all-out war, ending only when forces from each side invaded the temple, which absorbed them. When an Alpha Squadron ghost dropped a nuclear weapon on the temple, a phoenix creature emerged. It began absorbing the nearby forces. However, it only wished to absorb protoss and zerg essences, so it released the terrans which had been absorbed by the temple itself. The creature flew away, decimating the protoss and zerg and leaving a crippled Alpha Squadron behind.[8] It took months for Duke to be rescued.[9]
Prelude
The Great War concluded with a protoss force under the commands of Executor Tassadar, Praetor Fenix, and Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul, allied with Jim Raynor's Raiders defeating the Zerg Swarm on Aiur. Tassadar sacrificed himself, using Dark Templar energies, to destroy the Overmind.[10]
Aiur had been left a smoking ruin by the conflict.[11] Meanwhile the zerg rampaged across Aiur, destroying 70% of the protoss population.[2] The Conclave had been wiped out in the conflict.[2][12]
The Zerg Response
Following the destruction of the original Overmind, many zerg cerebrates, commanded by Daggoth, merged into a new Overmind.[13] However, Infested Kerrigan, now in charge of approximately half of the Zerg Swarm,[14] began a campaign aimed at eliminating these cerebrates in order to rule over the Swarms by herself.
As part of her plan, Kerrigan mentally subverted Raszagal[12] even before the protoss could retreat to Shakuras.[15]
Directorate Incursion
The United Earth Directorate dispatched an expeditionary fleet to the Koprulu Sector, commanded by Admiral Gerard DuGalle and Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov (the latter focusing on researching the zerg). They planned to conquer the Terran Dominion and other terran colonies, capture the Overmind and thus take control of the zerg, then use the zerg to pacify the protoss.[2]
One of the fleet's first actions was to conduct a "weapons test" in which Admiral DuGalle observed a battle between zerg he had released onto an unsuspecting Dominion colony, believing they would learn more about the zerg this way than from Stukov's lab research. When the zerg overran the Dominion forces, DuGalle ordered his fleet to move away rather than rescue them.[16]
Course of the War
Protoss Retreat and Zerg Civil War (Phase One)
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 tried to stop them at the warp gate itself, but Fenix and Raynor personally defended it as Zeratul and the refugees fled.[17]
Dunes of Shakuras (approx these two missions, numerous protoss stranded - info from Shadow Hunters)
- Some zerg were able to follow the protoss to Shakuras, where the refugees would establish a settlement, New Antioch. Jim Raynor and Fenix were able to temporarily regain control of their side of the gate to apprise Artanis of their situation. He promised them as many warriors as he could spare.[18]
- Three days after the evacuation commenced, Jim Raynor, Fenix and Ladranix shut down the gate. Raynor deliberately damaged it with his rifle to prevent it from reactivating. The protoss left on Aiur scattered into several groups.[19]
- Protoss heroes stranded.[20]
Unknown to the protoss, Raszagal had already fallen under Kerrigan's control.[15]
The Quest for the Crystals
Raid on Braxis
Escape from Braxis
Return to Char
Downfall at Shakuras
Aldaris' Revolt
Activation of the Temple
The UED Invasion
Alliance with Confederates
Battle of Boralis/Alliance with the Confederates
Confederate Raid on Umoja
UED Raid on the Dylarian Shipyards
UED Skirmish on Tarsonis
Conquest of the Dominion
Battle of Korhal
Siege of Augustgrad
Raid on Aiur
Conquest of the Renegade Zerg
First Raid on the Psi Disrupter
The Capture of the Overmind
Enslavers II
Ulrezaj's Dark Vengeance
Rebirth of the Swarm or Zerg Alliances
- Main article: Tarsonis Zerg Revolt
The Psi Disrupter's effects weakened Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm, causing Infested Kerrigan to lose control of many of her minions.[21]
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.[21][22] Her allies would rescue the remains of the Terran Dominion fleet from the UED after it conquered Korhal.[22] 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.[21]
(Describe the revolt here)[21]
- Main article: Second Raid on the Psi Disrupter
Kerrigan arranged for Arcturus Mengsk to be transported in a cryostasis chamber over Braxis by Fenix and Raynor.
Kerrigan claimed that she bore Arcturus Mengsk no ill will. 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 to the deal.[23]
Raid on the Kel-Morian Combine
The Liberation of Korhal
Betrayal on Korhal
Zerg Civil War (Phase Two)
Second UED Raid on Tarsonis
Destruction of Talematros
Destruction of the Second Overmind
Following the death of the second Overmind, the remaining cerebrates were killed[24] by the Dark Templar which had been manipulated by Kerrigan.[25]
The War Ends
The Reckoning
Dark Origin
Battle of Char Aleph
References
|