”Second wave, go.”

Another three thousand drop pods were flung out. This time, half of them were filled with more expensive S-2 units.

This time, the orbital defenses around that area were pretty much gone. F-1 fighters turned their attention to the Dominion reinforcement and started dropping torpedo after torpedo on the Sons of Korhal and Dominion security forces. Explosion after explosion tore open the Dominion lines. The elite Dominion troopers fired back and took cover, lowering their casualties as much as possible but still taking quite the losses.

The second wave landed practically uncontested. Fifteen thousand more S-1 units joined the battlefield and added to the depleted Warden numbers, but what really mattered was the six thousand S-2s.

Also, there’s Kerrigan.

The Queen of Blades arrived in an Umojan drop pod. As soon as the pod hit the floor, Kerrigan ripped through the metal walls with her bare claws and charged out into the battlefield.

Almost as soon as she stepped out, a ghost shot her in the head.

Kerrigan’s head barely tilted. She growled slightly before walking straight for the ghost, knocking over anyone and anything in her way. S-1 striders were simply pushed to the side. Dominion units had it worse. After Kerrigan walked past them, the Dominion units were rarely in one piece.

She crushed the ghost’s psionic blade and ripped the ghost in two.

Dominion forces encountered attack from all directions. Warden reinforcement and Kerrigan slowly and steadily pushed forward. Sons of Korhal could hold their ground and fight to the last dying breath, but normal Dominion Armed Forces couldn’t. Things got even worse when the battlecruisers took care of the last of the orbital defenses and moved onto the Dominion army.

Laser batteries poured down from the sky and landed in the middle of the Dominion lines. Jean ordered heavy mech and artillery to be focus fired. This meant the siege tanks and thors would be blasted by hundreds of batteries while the marines and marauders would be safe from the heavenly rage.

But without the artilleries, the Dominion couldn’t hold their ground.

More Dominion reinforcement arrived, but S-2 striders held their ground. Ground to ground missiles were projected out from the side and slammed into the Dominion lines. Shrapnel shells exploded and send every terran within its blast range to the ground. Even the most elite of the Sons of Korhal couldn’t take a piece of metal to the head and live. Anti-armor guns blasted through CMC armor like paper. The Warden AIs controlling the shots, and they rarely miss.

Valerian’s forces took part in the war of attrition as well. Dozens of battlecruisers, in fewer numbers than those of Jean, descended on the Crown Prince’s designated landing zone. Most of the Dominion forces in that vicinity were focused on Jean’s assault. Before they could act, Valerian’s ships took out the orbital defenses and his armed forces seized the position.

While Jean’s Warden units were still exchanging punches with the best of the Dominion, Valerian’s forces immediately proceeded with the plan. SCVs constructed bunkers and missile towers while dropships delivered dozens of siege tanks to the ground.

When the siege tanks entered siege mode, most of the Dominion forces were in firing range.

“Light them up.” An officer ordered.

The siege tanks roared.

Following the horrifying sound of something piercing the air with incredible speed, shell after shell landed all around the Dominion forces. A squad of fifty marines just ran dozens of miles to get to the battlefield when one of the shells landed in the middle of the squad. The explosion consumed a dozen men and the shrapnel killed another dozen. The rest were wounded or knocked out. Red blood stained the muddy floor. The group of fresh reinforcement was crippled before even firing a single bullet.

A ghost sensed something. He looked up into the air briefly before his entire body disappeared, and a large pit was at where the ghost used to be.

At the beginning the Dominion continued to push forward in a futile attempt to get the filthy rebels off the planet, but as more and more shells hit the ground, the Dominion losses increased exponentially. Eventually, the common soldiers started to falter. Their footsteps toward the battlefield got slower. Their gaze grew more hesitant. The officers screamed in the radio, prompting them to go to their death quicker, but the soldiers answered with silence. It was only when the officers started to execute those who refused to go forward when the soldiers picked up their pace and tossed themselves into the meat grinder.

These men were the best of the best in terms of training, but those positioned on Korhal weren’t as experienced in war and death as those positioned on Char. It has been years since Korhal was under threat, and the Korhal Defense Corps was gradually turned from an army of elite combatants to a place where soldiers who don’t want to risk their lives ask to be transferred to. Plus, this was a slaughter. These men were facing the Queen of Blades and were trading life with an army of machines that knew neither fear nor pain. More importantly, they were constantly bombarded by hostile artillery from the back.

Even the Sons of Korhal were rapidly dropping in number. Their expertise didn't protect them from shells or bullets or infested-terran-ghost-hell-bent-on-avenging-dead-lover. Eventually, realizing the cause was lost, Mengsk himself ordered a retreat.

The Sons of Korhal were able to fall back with order. Some men were left to provide cover while others moved. Unfortunately, the common Dominion soldiers soon went from retreating to fleeing.

Jean didn't hesitate to push the victory.

“All S-2 striders and all intact S-1 striders maintain position around the designated area. The rest of the S-1 striders pursue the Dominion forces. Deploy wave three.”

The order was carried out. The third wave, unlike the first two, was made up of dropships and even hercules. With more carrying capacity than drop pods, these transports were able to get dozens of S-3 striders to the ground. Another five thousand S-2s and ten thousand S-1s got to the ground and added to the defenses.

Meanwhile, around ten thousand S-1s, previously damaged in the battle, chased after the retreating Dominion forces. Jean had no intention of seeing them return. The Umojan factories could replace these striders in a couple days, and the third wave was enough to keep the defenses. Having these S-1s form the defenses would merely occupy precious space that could be spent on putting S-3s.

Jean might as well expand on the opportunity and trade these cannon fodders for Dominion forces.

The sea of white separated into two groups. The larger group stayed behind while the smaller group continued to advance. Without having to worry about casualties, these S-1s overwhelmed the rear guard of the retreat with sheer numbers and caught up to the Dominion retreating forces. Screams and cries filled the Dominion radio as men collapsed and died. Thanks to the CMC armors, they wouldn’t get taken down by their fatigue, but some of the soldiers were injured during the previous battle, and the fractured armor and the wounds slowed them down and allowed the S-1s to slaughtered them.

Kerrigan tried to follow the pursuers when a C-1, Warden Command Unit, stopped her. The queen was covered in the blood of the Dominion units she massacred. She glanced at the C-1 unit, almost as if judging if it was friend or foe, but she restrained herself nonetheless. Nodding, she sat down, restoring her strength for a future slaughter.

The pursuers overwhelmed another fraction of several hundred Dominion forces when the sound of artillery appeared again. Only this time, the artillery came from the Dominion side.

Hundreds of cannon rounds landed among the S-1s. In the ideal case, a single round could destroy twenty S-1s. The S-1s were clumped up, and every shot dealt near maximum damage. The S-1 count dropped drastically with every explosion.

But the S-1s kept on going. Jean never gave the order to retreat, and the Warden units simply continued to carry out the last order it received.

Finally, as the dust settled, all the S-1s on the charge were destroyed. As a result, the Sons of Korhal were less than twenty percent of the number they arrived with. Out of the ten thousand Dominion Armed Forces initially on the offensive, only two thousand returned to the Dominion position.

At the end of the day, despite heavy losses on both sides, Jean was the winner. Her forces successfully established a foothold on Korhal.

For the next three days, Jean’s forces continued to push forward and expand on the original foothold. First, the Fleet plowed over the Dominion position and targeted down the heavy vehicles to lower resistance for the assault. After the bombardment, Warden striders moved forward and mopped the floor, overrunning any Dominion survivors and seizing the field.

Mengsk tried to push back. On the second day, he managed to launch an offensive. Armies and armies of heavy mechanical vehicles and biological forces pushed forward on the Warden lines. Whatever fighters Mengsk had left were thrown into the battle. Their sole purpose was to distract the Umojan Fleet long enough for the ground forces to take the field.

Unfortunately, Jean saw everything from the scanners on the Umojan ravens. When the Dominion forces struck, the Wardens were ready.

F-1 fighters overwhelmed Dominion fighters and turned on the ground forces. S-3s unloaded on the Dominion with their Crucio Shock Cannons. S-1s and S-2s held their ground. The Dominion took back half the lost territories, but their losses prevented them from continuing to push forward. When the Umojan Fleet got rid of the Dominion fighters, the Dominion assault party was forced to retreat back to behind the orbital defenses, and the Wardens retook the lost territories.

Both sides took massive losses in this exchange, but the Umojan casualties were replenished in just a couple of days. The Dominion, on the other hand, were short of ammunition, equipment, and manpower. That offensive costed them more than they could afford.

The emperor’s days were numbered.

Before the Dominion offensive, just as the Wardens and the Dominion fought over every inch of ground of Korhal, Nova and her special task force exited warp space near Char.

“Establish communication with General Warfield at once.”

“Yes sir.”

This time, unlike on Korhal, Nova was able to open up a hologram with Warfield. Staring the general in the eyes, the ghost demanded.

“General, Emperor Mengsk has summoned you and your fleet to return to Korhal to counter the zerg threat. That was a week ago. Why didn't you take action?”

Warfield frowned. “I didn't receive the order, but I will mobilize the fleet at once. Remain where you are. We will return to Korhal at once, and when we do, we will get rid of the zerg once and for all.”

“Very well, general.” Nova still didn't know why the Char Fleet didn't take action, but that was not as important as bringing the fleet back to Korhal and save the Dominion. A mole hunt could wait. “Be quick. Every second we waste is a second foreign invaders are ravaging our land.”

Warfield nodded, but as he turned off the transmission, he immediately turned to his officers. The general hesitated for a moment before gathering the strength to speak.

“Trace the call back to the location of that Dominion ship.”

The officers inside the bridge obeyed without a single question. Within minutes, they returned the coordinates back to Warfield.

The general glanced at the pair of coordinates before sending them to an unknown source.

It was too late to turn back now. Everyone inside the bridge was loyal to him. They wouldn’t say anything to anyone. But if this ghost continued to press the issue, then eventually the entire fleet would know what was going on. The emperor’s loyalists wouldn’t hesitate to relieve him of his command and bring the Char Fleet back to Korhal.

If that happens, all would be lost. He would’ve committed treason and condemned tens of thousands to die for nothing.

This ghost has to die.

Nova Terra has to die.