“So, wanna talk about why Blondie was dragging you around like a weak pup?” Raynor asked me, his grin evident with his visor raised. I chose to ignore him and the cough that sounded more like a chuckle from Walter beside him. Assholes.

“No, I do not. How did you guys fair? Only a bit of your com traffic came through my end.” I asked instead, they still showed their humor at the situation leading me to this tent and a Medic so old I half expected the man to give me a lollipop and call me a good boy.

“Better than you, by all accounts. We had only a few of those big brains in the sky, think you called them Overlords. The ground forces managed a break or two but we only lost around six Marines in the chaos. All reports I’ve gotten from my men with you were two Marines dead. Honestly, with what they said you faced, I’m amazed. Your side was meant to be the less active of the two.”

I scoffed a bit at that. My fucking difficulty rating at work right there. It was a bit of news for me though, it seemed that the difficulty was mostly centered around where I actually was, not the entire map. I could use that, for now at least. “Yea, I’m just lucky that way I guess. Enjoy the Condor?”

Walter spoke before Raynor could begin, judging by the sheer look of delight on Raynor’s face it was to gush a bit. I smiled at that, seeing him before everything that had happened to Sarah was nice. “Yes, our Marshal here took out your gift and decimated scores of the smaller Zerg, simply ran them over. The larger Hydralisks did some damage, superficial mostly, but were met with one of those powerful grenades it launched.”

“I know! Oh, this gift of yours will be a game changer for Vulture pilots everywhere. Cost efficient compared to a fleet of Siege Tanks as well. According to Walters mechanic anyway.” Yea, he was gushing a bit.

“The Condor aside, any idea on when we might be hit again? I don’t think they can sustain the number of enemies they threw at us this first wave for long. Took us four hours to clear them out.” I said it only to keep going, I knew The System would likely make the waves harder and larger each time. I just needed a time frame on what they thought.

“Judging by all the activity a few long range sensors have picked up, we have about two hours before we get hit again. We can fortify and build up a bit more with that time. I have SCV’s working on a better blockade at each choke point now. If I could I’d make it a damn funnel where only two Zerglings could move at a time and one Hydralisk. The issue is time. Too little of it to go around right now.”

Not to mention a larger blockade made the crushing power of my Condor’s a bit obsolete. Two hours though...The red mark on everyone surviving with my bonus was gone, but I still had a chance at those creep Tumors. The question is, was it worth it? I came here specifically to earn rewards to help my people at Bastion survive the coming storm, hopefully, the Confederacy would be stuck fighting the Zerg assaults, or leave Mar Sara alone while it was hammered. I had no clue, I just knew that eventually, the Zerg would come to Terran space, even in the Game Universe. I just didn’t know how they would do it. Tactics, sure, the methodology not so much.

The problem with actively attacking in those two hours was the unknown on how it would pan out. I’d be taking both Condors and I would go ahead and have Nova and a few of the Firebats loaded onto the sides when I went, but would it be enough? I had a feeling that the retaliation would be painful. High risk, high reward...at least that was the hope.

Sink or swim I suppose. I moved my arm around experimentally for a moment, wincing at the tightness in the healed muscle. “Alright, I’m heading out with a few Firebats and my two Condors. I want to try and take out a few more before they hit us again, limit their numbers as much as we can.”

“I don’t advise that course of action, honestly.” Walter came in with that one. I mean, neither did I, but it was either do everything I could or die regardless. “Yea, it isn’t the smartest option in the world. I need to try something though, anything to lessen the death count for when help finally arrives.”

Walter became thoughtful, regarding me in a manner that made me feel a bit like he was looking through me, rather than at me. “Count me in.” was Raynor’s reply. Admittedly, having him out there as a third Condor, and a Hero, would probably make my life easier I knew him dying would mean I died. Was it worth the risk?

“Get that look off of your face, I’m going whether you want me there or not. Can’t have our miraculous savior risking himself without doin the same.” Alrighty then! I nodded, fuck it. Let’s do what we can, he’d make it more likely to succeed.

“I could use a few Firebats if you don’t mind Walter. I have a feeling they will be more useful than we think against anything we find out there.”

“You’ll get six, two per Condor. That’s all I can spare.” It was more than enough, I hoped. I got up, with the aid of Raynor, and shook Walters' hand. “Thank you, Walter. Here’s hoping it all works out, yea?”

He snorted but took my hand in his own and then went about getting things prepared for the next wave. “You’re going to be an idiot again, aren't you?” came a soft feminine voice from behind me, totally not making me jump in shock.

“Well, to be fair you’re going with me to keep my ass alive,” I said, half joking and trying very hard to cover the little jump I did. Nova let out a long-suffering sigh before looking at me, ignoring Raynor snickering something about Blondie and a whip. “Indeed, if you die and leave me alone with Fernando I’m going to bring you back to life and kill you myself.” was her only response before moving toward our flank and the Condors.

“You got it rough, don’t ya?” I nodded at Raynor while watching her move away. Shaking my mind free from that I clapped a hand on his own shoulder. “If you don’t mind, for my own health, I’ll be hitching a ride with you on your Condor.”

“Nope, Blondie looks the sort to hurt me if something happens to you under my watch. Go with one of your own men, don’t place me in more danger.” So much for that increased friendship rating. Traitor.

----

When we were all loaded up about twenty minutes later I was on a Condor with two Firebats, and a very angry looking Nova who had latched both of our restraint straps personally. I was beginning to wonder why the hell she was so pissed, but it could be addressed later when we were back at Bastion.

I slammed my armored fist against our Condor twice and shouted: “Roll out!” Raynor had intel about some odd fleshy structures about thirty minutes out that reminded me of Creep Tumors by their description. The problem was that they apparently had a few dozen Zerg wondering around them, defending them.

I’d reached my kill count for this mission at least, went over it for the Zerglings by a rather large amount as well. I hoped it would give resources based on that at the end of this. We had finally stabilized our income with the natural resources from the game, but having more never hurt.

The first portion of our ride was uneventful, though Nova remained alert while Raynor shot the shit with my Condor’s pilots. I had spent it working my arm, loosening the tight muscles and enjoying the fact I had my own weapon back in hand, good ol’ Saddie. I grinned at the name, once a long-dead canine. At least she wouldn’t take out some emotional problems on me like some people.

“Whatever you thought, I know it wasn’t pleasant.” Came Nova’s unexpected reply...could she actually read my fucking mind?

“No, I cannot read your mind so please stop scrunching up your face like that. I felt a thought that was aimed at me, and it was strong enough the feeling came through. It’s like background noise, difficult to explain.”

Right, no more thinking about her ass when she was near for a while I think. “Fine, yes, I was thinking about your attitude.” She made an hmm noise, absently looking around us with her headset down before going still and raising her rifle, using the scope.

“Incoming, ten at our three-o'clock!” She hefted her weapon and took a shot at one, forcing it to hit the ground head first, rolling a few more feet with its momentum. After that Raynor turned his Condor into the oncoming Zerg and I got to see first hand what the Zerg version of a half rolled toothpaste looked like as he just ran them over, whooping over the com as he did.

Yea, Swann was getting a raise or something for these bad boys, and a lot more research and development funding. “This beauty is outstanding!” came Raynor’s happy acknowledgment after squishing the Zerglings into goo.

We ran into another two or three groups over the course of our little journey, each one just as easily dispatched as the first. The problem came with what lay before us. A Creep Tumor, remarkably larger than I expected. The fucking thing was taller than the Condor I was on, and wide a god damn semi-truck.

“Would ya look at that ugly ass thing. The fuck is it?” I looked toward Raynors Condor and then to Nova who was hopping down, moving her body, gun at the ready, in a sweeping arc around us.

“That would be a Creep Tumor. Intel reported them as spreading this purple shit beneath us and being a staging ground for Zerg forces. We take these out Raynor, and we might just stop the majority of the threat on the planet before we leave.” Wrong as hell, the threat never left, but it would help our current situation a bit I think.

Raynor was silent a bit, leaning out of the Condor before nodding. “Let’s light it up then. I’ll pop a grenade in there to stir up the next and thin some of their numbers. Don’t wanna risk our boys here.”

He did just as he said a moment later and everything kinda went to shit. Zerg that even Nova didn’t detect, probably an issue with the creep, suddenly launched themselves up, screeching in anger and defiance at being attacked. “Oh fuck!” I screamed, starting to shoot the closest to us, Nova joining me. “Unload on that tumor guys, Firebats up front. I want a constant stream to keep the Zerg back!”

Twenty minutes, two clips, and three fuel refills on the Firebats later the Creep Tumor burst like a fucking blister, the goop that was inside it showering everything in a thirty-foot radius as it let out an odd screech of its own, almost like it had been alive. Not surprising if it was, from what I knew about the Zerg.

“That was fun.” Came Nova’s calm reply. She had taken more Zerg out with her mind than the weapon in the end. I knew it strained her a great deal to use it back to back like that. She hid it well though.

“Blondie got it in one. That was more fun than I thought. There are more here I think, keep going?” I was only really listening to them halfway, preoccupied with the message I was given a bit concerned that The System was actively using them in a Campaign Map rather than after now. “Yea, we keep going.”

System Announcement!

Creep Tumor showed to be destroyed, next Zerg wave delayed by twenty minutes. Number of Zerg in the wave depleted by one-hundred.

I’d found a way to ensure victory, even though it was a bonus it went hand in hand with the main objective. Thinking back, they all had...I just was far too idiotic to notice. “We are taking out any Creep Tumor near us. Lead the way Raynor, we have a lot of work ahead of us.