- Reigel(src)
Reigel is a former Terran Dominion scientist and technology specialist. He was assigned to aid Nova Terra against the Defenders of Man insurgency. He has two cybernetic arms.
Biography[]
Early Service[]
- Reigel(src)
As a teenager, Reigel once saved a cat from a storm grate, even as the cat clawed at his hand. The cat ran off and he never saw it again, and Reigel needed stitches and antibiotics afterwards. However, the experience shaped his desire to help others even in spite of the pain they could cause. Reigel distanced himself from his family and replaced his arms with cybernetics out of a drive to do good for the sector.[2]
Reigel was a member of the Moebius Foundation some time before the Second Great War, and personally knew Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk. He abandoned the Foundation before their assimilation into Amon's Forces. The eventual defection of the Moebius Foundation destroyed Reigel's career, and he felt he had nothing left but servitude to Valerian.[3]
The Defenders of Man Insurgency[]
Lost Memories[]
- Valerian introduces Reigel to Nova(src)
After Nova Terra broke out of a Defenders of Man base and regrouped with Valerian, Reigel was assigned to aid her. He used a device to send a pulse through the neural inhibitor she had in order to restore memories that the Defenders of Man had wiped from her. It was partially successful, as she remembered a destroyed and infested Tarsonis City. Nova and Reigel set out to investigate a Defenders of Man presence there.[4]
Reigel adapted her jump jet technology to her Covert Ops Crew's factory units, impressing Nova. Their squad secured garrisons outside of the Defenders of Man facility as Nova infiltrated the base. Reigel guided her to a communications terminal, where she discovered the Defenders of Man knew she was in the base and was preparing to purge it. Nova moved in further, discovering a psi emitter in the base.[5] After she moved into the command room, Nova relayed to Reigel that the Defenders of Man were using psi emitters to lure feral zerg to civilian worlds, and they were planning to attack Tyrador IX in order to discredit Valerian.[6]
Alliances and Manipulations[]
"Hmph. For creatures with such short life spans, you terrans are always so eager to die."
- Reigel introduces Alarak(src)
Nova and Reigel arrived on Tyrador IX, and Reigel noted the high casualties and overwhelmed Dominion personnel, as well as the Defenders of Man fleet arriving to aid civilians.[7] Nova deployed to the surface to thin the zerg hatcheries around the city of Elsecaro while Reigel set up a base of operations. He noted a strange warp signature he thought was zerg reinforcements, however it ended up being the Tal'darim Death Fleet under First Ascendant Ji'nara. They deployed a mothership, and set up shield projectors to defend it. Reigel noted that though they would destroy the Defenders, civilians would be harmed in the process. Reigel also requested that, if time permitted, Nova clear out the last few zerg hatcheries to collect some samples as they possessed an interesting mutation. He also asked her to investigate an usual energy reading coming from an island near the Tal'darim. Nova was able to destroy the shield projectors and the mothership, allowing the Defenders to rally and defeat the last of the feral zerg. Though Nova was upset that the Defenders of Man would take credit for the defense, Reigel stated he would inform the Emperor of their actions.[8]
Aboard the Griffin, Nova was met by Highlord Alarak. Nova raised her gun against him, but Reigel stopped her, stating he was a guest. The two made a bargain, as the Defenders of Man had attacked a remote Tal'darim outpost and then scurried away before the Death Fleet could retaliate, and he vowed retribution for it.. Alarak would guide Nova to a source of terrazine to restore her memories, and then Nova would guide Alarak to the Defenders of Man. She agreed, and he guided her to Jarban Minor.[9]
On Jarban Minor, Reigel noted the extraction devices that gathered terrazine from the local Jarban gliders. Reigel also noted a cave system and science facility that may contain valuable Umojan technology. Reigel also noted the Tal'darim presence under Ji'nara, and speculated that Alarak deployed her to cull his forces of weakness. Nova was able to retrieve the terrazine and leave the planet.[10]
On the Griffin, Reigel set up microdoses of terrazine in order to mitigate the side effects of the gas. She took a dose, and recovered a memory of being briefed on a mission to Antiga Prime.[11] Nova and Reigel arrived there, and Reigel set up a base for her as she tried to recover her memories while fighting the feral zerg that had overrun the planet. Reigel noted that if the zerg structures in the area were destroyed it would limit what breeds the zerg could send against her. Reigel also noted a subway system that could be cleared to transport her forces around the city, as well as a plasma weapon being stored in the city docks. Nova recovered the mission files from her operation there, as well as memories of her time there and of the Defenders of Man leader, General Carolina Davis.[12] Reigel and Nova took this information to Valerian.[13]
Broken Alliances[]
After Valerian announced his plans to Davis to step down from the Dominion, Reigel played as intelligence for Nova while she attempted to infiltrate Davis's compound. He moved weapons caches into the base, allowing Nova to resupply if need be. He watched as Nova infiltrated through the sewer system, and noted a visor being tested inside the sewers. When Nova escaped the sewers and infiltrated the base, Reigel pointed out the location of the two security rooms that locked Davis's door. In addition, he discovered two experimental technologies within the base that Nova could capture. When Nova found her old comrades Pierce and Delta Emblock in holding pens, Reigel stated he would send a security team for them. Later, Nova fought her former squadmate Stone, and after incapacitating him Nova told Reigel to send a team for him.[14]
Nova captured Davis and brought her before Valerian as he made his speech to the people of Vardona. However, the Tal'darim attacked the city, hoping to exact their revenge on Davis. Reigel helped coordinate the efforts of the Dominion and Defenders of Man lower ranking members as they defended the city, and asked Nova to defend a science facility in the center of the city on the verge of a breakthrough. The Dominion was able to successfully repel Alarak's fleets, but Reigel discovered Davis escaped aboard the Medusa.[15]
Soon after, Valerian ordered Nova to capture Davis alive. Nova disagreed, but Reigel stated that they had their orders. Reigel traced Davis to the Cerros Shipyards,[16] where she and her remaining loyalists established a base and activated the Xanthos, an experimental war machine that Reigel had knowledge of. She sought to use it to destroy the Gorgon-class battlecruisers docked in the shipyards. He gave Nova a plan of attack; though they could not destroy the Xanthos while it was activated, they could destroy its weapons, and it was vulerable while it was repaired. However, when Nova and Admiral Matt Horner assaulted the Xanthos, it revealed a transformation mode even Reigel had no knowledge of, which a large thermal laser. The machine was destroyed nonetheless, and Nova infiltrated the machine. However, much to Reigel's horror, Nova defied orders and killed Davis.[17]
Reigel later found Nova hiding on the Griffin, where he opened up about his past in the Moebius Foundation, and how what they were doing was his only life now. He stated that he and the crew were loyal to her above all, and they would follow her wherever she went. Nova stated that the Dominion would always need protection, and they would do so in their own way without Dominion command. With that, Reigel, now a vigilante and a fugitive, walked to the bridge with Nova and activated the Griffin's warp.[3]
Waking Dreams[]
In the aftermath of the Insurgency, Reigel had Stone, Delta and Pierce extracted aboard the Griffin, where he gave them the option of keeping their memories or having them wiped. Pierce decided to maintain his memories, while Delta opted to have her memories of her working for the Defenders wiped. However, Stone would likely prove to be more stubborn, so Nova opted to try to help him work through his false memories.
Reigel strapped Stone down, and talked with Stone as he woke up, bringing him up to speed on the end of the Insurgency, and telling him that his memories were modified, but told him that they would not wipe his memories. Stone was convinced they were lying to him, and when Reigel left, he escaped confinement. After trying to sneak through the ship, he was found by Delta, who informed Reigel. Reigel sent out an alert that he would decompress the decks that Stone was on, forcing him to find a skinsuit to survive. The warning was a bluff however, and no decompression happened. Stone would eventually be cornered by Nova, who convinced him his memories had been falsified by the Defenders, and that he could choose his own path.
Stone opted to have his neural inhibitor removed, and Reigel performed the operation, noting that Stone had an older model inhibitor in his head. Stone decided that he would go on his own in order to find himself.[18]
Shadow Wars[]
- Reigel(src)
After breaking from the Dominion, Nova prioritized hunting down jorium stockpiles in order to prevent the creation of any future spectres,[2] often to the exclusion of operations against criminal and raider groups. This brought the ire of Reigel, who thought Nova's self-appointed mission regarding jorium was clouding her judgement, though Nova insisted it would save thousands of lives.[19]
Reigel and Nova later visited Last Junction, seeking out renegade Dominion marines and a mercenary named Elms. Elms, who had just killed the infested terran Gary, reacted with shock when Reigel appeared, but he told her to calm down, as he and Nova wished to buy her jorium. Reigel walked with her to her ship, and Nova appeared to the group, saying she wished to buy their stockpile of the mineral.[20] After Nova diffused the crew's violent outburst, Reigel presented the three mercenaries with datapads showing their shell accounts, each with a third of their cut of the sale. Reigel and his crew then took the jorium and departed.[21]
When the three approached again to ask for aid in killing the corrupt Captain Hogarth, Nova agreed. Though Reigel protested, he accepted helping them by monitoring the communications of his base on Aspar. The group was able to assassinate Hogarth, though in the aftermath, Elms said she and her crew wished to go their own way, though they may contact them in the future. As they left, Reigel told Nova to not be upset as that Elms was not that promising. When he told her that the recruitment was a failure, Nova told him "not everything is as it seems."[22]
Nature of the Beast[]
Tartarus[]
"And I intend to. In my own way. If that's a problem, no-one's forcing you to stay."
- Reigel and Nova on Tartarus(src)
Reigel and Nova sent their forces to investigate the planet Tartarus, known to hold secrets from the regime of Arcturus Mengsk as well as a massive jorium stockpile, and they prepared to investigate the planet's surface. While the Griffin was cloaked in orbit, Reigel noticed an escape pod containing Donny Vermillion plummeting toward the planet's surface.[23]
Reigel accompanied Nova to the surface, and the two discussed Vermillion. Reigel wanted to save him, but Nova said they had a mission, and that his propgaganda had cost lives. Reigel insisted that they did not need more blood on their hands, and Nova reluctantly agreed.
The two went off to hunt for him, Nova saving him from being killed by a hydralisk in an alley. Meanwhile, Reigel rescued two civilians nearby, Dr. Evelyn Yoo and her son Jun-Ho Yoo. Nova questioned Evelyn, discovering that the zerg attacked a month ago, and she worked at the jorium refinery they sought. Nova told her she'd get her off the surface if Evelyn guided her to the refinery. This upset Reigel, who took her aside, and told her she was using civilians for her own gain, and that her quest for jorium was blinding her. Nova stated her mission would save thousands, and that if he did not want to follow her he did not have to. This upset Reigel, who stated he had sacerficed so much for her, but he reluctantly agreed to go along with the plan.
With Reigel's grudging approval, Nova told the group they would move on the refinery at dawn.[19] After a night's rest, the group moved on the refinery, with Reigel protesting to Nova that they were bringing civilians in, but Nova insisted something deeper was going on. They went down a cavern that the zerg had tunneled out of, and entered the base of the refinery, only to find it was a training area. While Nova and Evelyn argued, Vermillion opened a door that let loose a zerg queen. Reigel and the group retreated behind another door Evelyn unlocked, only to discover contained a number of pods containing in-stasis spectres.[24]
Nova was shocked and blamed Evelyn for hiding the spectres. It was further revealed that the zerg hadn't invaded Tartarus, but rather, the zerg they'd encountered were ones that had escaped containment. Reigel pointed out that what happened wasn't Evelyn's fault, but Nova responded that Evelyn was the project's lead chemist, and thus didn't get to plead innocence. The group barricaded the door against the onslaught of the queen, but as Reigel noted, it wouldn't hold for long. As they discussed what to do with the spectres, the queen’s claw broke through the door and grabbed Vermillion, and Reigel pointed Nova to the cryo-fluid tubes, which she used to freeze the queen’s claw and free Vermillion. Evelyn told them tall communications were blocked so they could not call for any evacuation, to which Riegel then hacked the planet’s security systems, allowing him to bring the Griffin down on top of the refinery.
As they awaited the arrival of their ship, the discussion on the fate of the spectres continued. Reigel noted their plans were to prevent the creation of future spectres, but not what they would do if they encountered ones that were alive. Nova insisted that they kill the spectres, but Reigel grabbed her hand before she could shut down life support. He stated that they could use the spectres to help on their mission to better the Dominion and that he could fix the flaws in their design, while Nova insisted they would only ever be weapons. Reigel asked if Nova was any different, given her nature as a ghost. He further pointed out that since they'd left the Dominion, they'd actually accomplished very little, and that an army of spectres could allow them to do some "real good." Nova pointed out that Reigel was starting to sound like Vermillion, or worse, Mengsk, but Reigel wasn't swayed. They had plenty of jorium on the Griffin, so therefore, they had a stabilizing agent for the spectres. Nova still wasn't swayed, and accused Reigel of having wanted to make his mark since leaving Moebius. Reigel was enraged at the insinuation, but their argument was interrupted by Vermillion's holo-cam spying on them, which Nova shot.
Evelyn then burst in warning the two that the zerg were amassing near the queen and preparing for an attack. Nova began shutting down the spectres' cryo-tubes, killing them. Reigel ordered her to take Evelyn to the Griffin, while he finished shutting down the pods. Instead, he released six spectres from stasis, and trapped Nova and the Yoos in another room. Nova contacted Riegel as he led the spectres to the roof, angered at his betrayal, but as he tried to convince him they were merely tools, one of the spectres affirmed their mission to continue the legacy of Arcturus Mengsk, and knocked out Riegel with the butt of their rifle, moving to the roof and stealing the Griffin along with Donny Vermillion.
Reigel's unconscious form was recovered by Nova and the survivors, who picked him up. In order to give them time to escape, Evelyn ran at the zerg with a grenade, asking them to save Jun-Ho. The group made it to the roof, only to find the refinery surrounded by zerg. As they accepted their fate, a beam from a Daelaam void ray swept through the zerg lines, belonging to Matriarch Vorazun, who wished to help hunt the spectres as she saw much of the Nerazim in their exiled nature.[2]
Hunting Spectres[]
"I don't know. But you saved me back there. Regardless of what happens next...thank you. We both regret our actions and our failures, right?"
"Maybe."
- Nova and Reigel discuss the events on Tartarus(src)
The group spent nine days aboard the void ray hunting down the spectres, but with little progress other than hearing of the stealth strikes that would be reported on UNN. Nova and Reigel remained angry toward one another, and spoke little, though Vorazun forced them to share quarters. The one thing they did agree on was Jun-Ho, whose infestation had spread through his body and began to turn him zerg. Vorazun wished him killed, but both Reigel and Nova insisted that he be kept alive and to make attempts to cure his infestation. Reigel himself made every effort to try to cure Jun-Ho while on the ship. Over a shared meal, Reigel and Nova started to make amends, though Nova still couldn't full trust him after what he'd done on Tartarus.
The two were called to the bridge, where they discussed with Vorazun their next actions, as well as why Vorazun wished to help them and what she saw in the spectres. Vorazun was able to narrow their location down to twelve planets, though charging in blindly was a grim proposition, given that if they were detected, they could trigger a diplomatic incident at best. Nova came up with an idea: she and Vorazun would psionically influence him to broadcast their location via one of his news reports. Reigel monitored Nova's vitals while she and Vorazun used their psionics. The plan succeeded, and found where the spectres were headed. Nova stated she’d attempt diplomacy with the spectres, though she secretly knew she would have to kill them. Reigel asked Nova to bring him down with her, but she flatly refused, convincing him it was something she had to do.
On the ship, Reigel continued working on Jun-Ho’s cure, when he realized that he had broken out of the medical bay restraints and was now loose. He reported this to Vorazun, and speculated that he may have boarded the warp prism with the warriors going to the surface. Vorazun allowed him to go down to warn the outpost that an infested terran was loose.
Reigel soon arrived on the surface, and found Jun-Ho killed by one of the spectres, with Donny Vermillion over his corpse. Reigel then contacted Nova, giving her access to the void ray’s sensors to detect the cloaking signatures of the spectres. This allowed Nova to confront the spectres, and though she was initially committed to killing them, after a brief fight she decided to convince them to lay down their arms and not die for a dead emperor. Reigel walked over, reminding the spectres that he was the one who'd woken them on Tartarus. He commented on how he'd wanted to use them as a weapon against the evils of the Koprulu sector, while Nova had wanted to kill them. But that neither of them had asked what the spectres themselves wanted. So he would give them a choice now. The spectres could choose to be their own masters, and live their own lives, or choose otherwise, in which case, they'd all pay for their sins. After a long pause, the spectres acquiesced, throwing down their weapons.
Nova and Reigel brought Vermillion, the spectres, and Jun-Ho's body back to their ships, when Vorazun asked the two to join the spectres in recovering with the protoss. Nova accepted the offer, and confessed that Reigel was correct that she was thinking as a weapon and using those around her as tools, and that she was committed to trying to change her outlook on her mission and how she helped save the sector. Meanwhile, Reigel declined, but apologized for his betrayal, and confessed that he similarly used people as objects for his own goals. He decided he needed to do good his own way for the sector for a time, and the two went their separate ways.
Reigel spent some time alone with the Griffin while Nova and the spectres trained on Aiur, with Reigel working to help the needy in the sector. A clip of him rescuing malnourished trapped prisoners was submitted to The Donny Vermillion Show, which made Vermillion smile thinking back on the events of Tartarus. Later, Reigel returned to Aiur with the Griffin, and while Nova was initially worried, her and the spectres rushed up to greet their old friend.[2]
Personality and Traits[]
"You got to be kidding. That's incredible."
"It's science. Use it well, and we shall find what we're looking for."
- Reigel and Nova Terra(src)
Reigel has a genius-level intellect, and is a patient man.[2] He is an intelligent weapons specialist, able to take different technologies found in the field and create powerful tools out of them.[12] He is also proficient in chemistry/virologly.[2] He is conceited, and a bit arrogant, but able to show remorse and pity when the situation calls for it.[12] Reigel always dreamed of impressing the sector with his inventions. In spite of his loyalties to Valerian, Reigel cares about doing the right thing and being able to take action, shown when he finally abandoned Valerian and the Dominion to work for Nova. The destruction of his career after the fall of the Moebius Foundation was very hard on him.[3]
Riegel has a deep drive to do good for the world around him and improve the sector, spurred partially by his failures in the past, the losses he's suffered in order to do good, and the devastation his work did when Moebius fell. Helping others was the one thing that made that loss bearable for him. At Tartarus, he was willing to defy orders in order do so what he thought was right, but later he realized that he was so single-minded in his drive to help the people of the sector that he was ignoring the humanity of those close to him when it was convenient for his goals.[2]
Reigel's cybernetic limbs can hack electronic systems and display holographic data, such as biometrics.[2]
This article or section contains information derived from Co-op Missions, and should not be considered part of the official StarCraft storyline.
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According to his former colleagues at the Moebius Foundation, Reigel always seemed to know more than he let on.[25]
Notes[]
- A promotional image for Reigel prior to the release of Nova Covert Ops depicted him with an eye-patch and different facial structure.[26]
- Reigel's cutscene model was designed by Troy Perry. Concepts exist for different colors for his cybernetic arms, including blue, black, and red.[27]
References[]
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