Life As A Marine

  We where holding our position for some days waiting for the command to 
push forward on the hostile Zerg colonies.  Waiting was making everyone 
nervous.  I was to alert to go to sleep knowing that we would be attacked 
any minute by the Zerg.  I held my rifle over my lap whilst sitting down 
trying  to get some sleep like the rest of the squadron.  Looking around a 
saw several other Marines and Firebats aware that there would be an attack 
waiting for it to happen.  Our efforts to stay awake where hopeless.  I was 
just about to dose off when I heard the guard from his post call down at the 
commanding First-Sargent.
" What is so important that concerns calling me from my desk?" The Sargent 
got up and walked closer to the guard post.
" Theres a Zerg Drone on the outer perimeter.  Looks hurt." The Sargent gave 
the order to kill it.  The guard took aim and fired off a few shots of his 
silenced sniper rifle not making the slightest sound as the bullets escaped 
from the barrel of the rifle.  I looked over in the direction he was firing 
to see the Drone splatter over the wasteland floor as the speeding rounds 
engaged the injured Drone.  All was calm for a few minutes until I heard a 
quite faded out scream from the direction where the bunkers where.  It had 
just become completely dark and the sound of the flood light switching on 
echoed through the dark and ere night.  I got up on my feet and walked over 
several metres, switching on the light of my rifle.  Arriving at the bunkers 
all looked normal.  I shone some light in through the windows of the bunker, 
crouching down as I got close.  As I looked closer through the the bunker 
window there was a slight pause before I was startled by a Hydralisk 
unburrowing several feet in front of me.  I closed my eyes and stepped back. 
  It was to quick for me to pull my rifle in front of me to shoot at it.  
Just as it’s right blade was about to hit me the guard shot at the Hydralisk 
cutting off it’s blade that was just about to hit me.  A echoing roar came 
from the injured creature throwing it’s head upward.  The guard fired 
another few shots putting it down for good.  Looking out on the wasteland 
hundreds of Zerglings and Hydralisks where sprinting toward to camp.  3 
Marines and 1 Firebat ran past me into the bunker.  The First-Sargent was 
calling for re-enforcement's and a evac.  Large blasts came from the back of 
the camp as the seiged Siege tanks fired into the distance at the incoming 
Ultralisks.  Looking up there where Overlords and Mutalisks positioning 
themselves over our heads.  Thoughts ran through my head that I wasn’t going 
to make it.  Just then the large blast of a Firebat’s fuel pack exploding in 
the bunker bought me out of my day-dream.  Marines where heard screaming in 
the bunker attempting to get out of the blazing furriness.  Over my head I 
heard the sound of decloaking Wraiths, a sound to my ears at the time.  With 
in the first five minutes of their arrival the arriving scourges eliminated 
about half the fleet.  When there where no more scourges the Mutalisks 
continued to attack the out numbered Wraiths.  Then the fleet of Dropships 
arrived with 2 Battlecruisers escorting them.  We all backed off from the 
Zerg forces to get into the Dropships.  The Zerg units attacking our 
buildings stopped and ran towards us preventing some of us from getting 
anywhere near the Dropships.  In the confusion most of the Dropships got 
safely out including mine.  But a few ships where unlucky to get away.  
After we got out of the atmosphere the Zerg forces stopped pursuing us and 
we where safe at last.  For now.  The Dropships took us to the closest 
Terran fleet a few minutes from our present location.  We only had a few 
hours rest before we were called in to assist one of our bases under attack 
by Zerg forces, on a nearby planet.
As we pasted through the clouds I looked out the window to see about 20-30 
Zerglings attacking Marines, Firebats and Vultures.  We hit the earth with a 
thud, at the back of the base.  The rear door opened, me and all the rest of 
the men ran out onto the dry and dusty wasteland.  I got to the bottom of 
the ramp and looked to my right and the to my left for a brief second.  
There where 3 other Dropships, 1 to my left and 2 to my right releasing 
Siege tanks, Firebats and Marines.  I ran forward with the rest of the squad 
past turrets and bunkers.  I got to the action just in time to get the last 
remaining Zerglings.  The SCVs were out rebuilding and repairing the damaged 
or destroyed structures.  Opening my visor.  The few men that were left 
turned and looked at us showing relief on there faces.  One of the Firebats 
exhaled and said
" Thank god...you got here just in time."  One of our Siege tank sargents 
asked
" How many injured?"
" Not many...most are dead."  The medics where walking around the blood 
drenched ground looking for any injured or anyone who they could save from 
death.  We stayed the night, prepared for any attacks.  Tired and weak I lay 
asleep with my back against another Marines back.  We never had many nights 
without interruption so most of us made the best of it.
  We were woken early with new orders.  As I woke and my eyes adjusted to 
the bright light of the sun most of the forces we had at the bases were 
moving out.  Scouts had found the Zerg colony that had been setting the 
attacks in this area.  Our orders were to destroy the colony before it was 
too infected, and while it was at it’s most venerable point.  We all moved 
out onto the wasteland headed for the colonies.  All was fine on the journey 
through the wasteland.  When we came in visual contact of the colony the 
Siege tanks were the first to move in with Marines, Firebats and a few 
Ghosts behind them.  There was little movement around the colony
, as we moved in carefully.  I didn’t like it one bit and, by the look on 
everyone’s faces, they didn’t ether.  There was muttering between two of the 
Ghosts
" Why can’t we just nuke it?" There was I whisper that came from behind me.  
I turned.  He pointed over to a single Drone gathering minerals.  With 
everyone crouched down waiting for what to do next.  There was a moment of 
silence and suspense.  A Ghost picked up the radio on the back of the 
leading siege tank.
" What do we do sir?" The Sargent then replied
" Kill it." The Ghost put down the radio and took aim cloaking himself.  He 
fired a few shots splattering it’s blood and guts over the creep.  We 
quickly advanced on to the creep.  There was something strange about this 
and I flinched as I stepped onto the creep.  It moved under my feet and felt 
soft like flesh, I feeling of walking on water.  A few of the siege tanks 
switched into siege mode and attacked the hatchery while the rest of us 
stood guard and scouted the area.  As the rest of the buildings got blew 
apart by flaming bullets, flames and blasts from the siege tanks the 
structures gushed blood and clumps of infested flesh over all of within a 
few hundred metres.  The creep retreated back to where the hatchery used to 
be before it completely disappeared.  Within a few minutes the area was 
cleared of any Zerg threats without and resistance.  Still I was  suspicious 
of why the Zerg attacked so soon with minimal forces.   We moved on to scout 
the area for remaining Zerg.  About 300 meters away from the now destroyed 
colony there were 3 Zerglings standing and looking around.  They never moved 
as if they never seen us.  Taking no risks the Ghosts where quickly ordered 
to sniper them out.  It was surprising to see that once the first Zergling 
was shot the others never moved a inch.  Once the others were taken out we 
advanced on not coming across any other traces of the Zerg.  With the area 
clear there were SCVs coming in to put up a defensive line of bunkers and 
turrets.  A few day after that the base was becoming one of the permanent 
bases in a active area.  More facilities were built as new soldiers joined 
the base.  The next 5 weeks were paradise, to some of us anyway.  5 weeks 
off the line of duty.  I had my first wash in 2 months and finally got off 
my Marine armoured suit.  No-one tried to make friends with anyone.  Before 
you know it all they are is snacks for the Zerg.
  The weeks flew by with nothing to do but grateful of it.  Once the 5 weeks 
where up I walked into my quarters to find my Marine armour hanging in the 
cupboard, duty and dull.  I stood staring at it for a few minutes.  Just 
seeing the suit hanging there brought back all the horrific memories of 
being on the battle field.
  My weeks off duty had come to an end and so a once again I got into my 
armour and picked up my rifle to go to battle.  It was quiet for a few days, 
unusual for an area so active with Zerg units.  One of the advantages that 
the Zerg have are lack of rest and strength.  No matter what we did it 
didn’t seem to matter.  One after another planets became infested with Zerg 
colonies, they where becoming unstoppable.  The Terran officials started to 
realise that we could not stop the Zerg alone and so the Protoss were asked 
for help.  Shortly after the hearing took place with us and the Protoss 
there where Protoss units reinforcing us right, left and centre.  There 
where soon more Protoss at the our bases than there where us Terrans.  They 
fortified our bases with there advanced technology, building cannons and 
cloaking some of our units across many of our planets that we protected from 
infestation.  With the Protoss on our side we could take back most of the 
sectors and planets that where once ours.  There were a few men that didn’t 
like the idea of fighting with the Protoss.  There where quite a few fights 
between our men and the Protoss’s people.  Many men got punished with extra 
tasks to perform and longer hours of hard work.
  Once there where more defences and forces built up we where assigned new 
missions with the Protoss.  They took all the kills not leaving any for us.  
Many men asked to be reassigned to squads without any Protoss men in them 
but all the time they where refused of there request.  I few attacks went by 
with no problems but we seemed to have alot more problems in store.   I few 
months went by with no injured men.  The Protoss forces where all over the 
place and as more of our men got killed the Protoss forces kept on arriving 
and reinforcing our camps and bases.  It was strange the Protoss just got to 
us in time to stop the Zerg completely taking over our  bases.  There where 
no Protoss air units anywhere just mainly Zealots, Dragoons and Probes.  The 
Protoss stopped all the Zerg’s attacks and before long the Zerg stopped all 
attempts to infiltrate our camps and bases.  A few weeks went by without any 
sign of Zerg units.  We soon got the orders to take back the planets that 
where taken from us by the Zerg.  70% of our forces where sent out to scout 
and guard the plants in this system.  The squads soon checked back in and 
there where reports of the Zerg colonies not being there anymore.  Later on 
in the night, after I heard the report coming in on the radio, I heard the 
Zealot;s energy blades activate and the Dragoon’s  weapons power up.  I 
looked out onto the horizon for any Zerg attackers then heard a fading 
scream from one of the men outside.  I picked up my rifle and slowly walked 
out opening the door slowly.  I peeped around the half open door and seen 
the Zealots and Dragoons attacking Marines and Firebats.  I jumped back into 
my quarters and tough about what to do.  I heard a few Zealots outside my 
door talking to each other.  I got beside my door and waited for the Zealot 
to enter.  Luckily he never seen me hidden behind the opened door and turned 
to close the door and deactivate his energy blades on his wrists.
  I peered out of my window to see hundreds more Protoss units decloaking 
and approaching the base.  There was nothing I could do.  I was outnumbered 
about 4,000 to 1 and I couldn’t try to blend in as I was ½ there  size with 
no cloths or skin to match them.  It became obvious to me that the Protoss 
had this planned for months and hit us when we were at our weakest point.  
They must have destroyed the Zerg colonies when they were low on forces from 
battling us.  They started piling the bodies on top of each other, so I 
waited for the right moment to run and get into the pile of bodies.  I got 
there just before a scouting Dragoon walked by.  It was about 1 hour until 
they had all the bodies on top of me, there was a great amount of weight on 
top of me making it impossible for me to escape from the lying corpses.  I 
was waiting for what was going to happen next.  I few minutes later a bright 
blinding light flashed for a few seconds around me.  Once the bright light 
had gone I was no longer looking out onto the badlands full of scouting 
Protoss units but in a, what looked like, a Protoss facility on a table.  I 
must have been in a recall portal from a Arbiter and transported to this 
facilities.  I was held down by a force over my entire body but didn’t see 
any restraining devises on me.  My Terran uniform and armour had gone and I 
had a wire into my left leg.  I could feel it pumping something into me.  It 
wasn’t long before I passed out.  I came too and seen 2 Protoss people 
examining me before I passed out again.  The 3rd time a woke I was no longer 
on the table and I was free to move but didn’t feel right.  I looked down to 
my hands and seen that they were a blue and purple colour.  I thought to 
myself what did they do to me?  I felt a overwhelming pain in my legs then 
it spread to my arms, I couldn’t stand it and gave out a load and rough 
scream.  My skin on my legs started to stretch and tear as a metal limb 
extended out to replace my leg, the same happened with my arms and before a 
knew it a had metal arms and legs.  The pain had gone and then a felt the 
metal limbs creating a crawling sheet of metal over my back and around my 
entire body.  I was in a kind of metal cocoon and then a Protoss scientist 
entered the room and greeted me.  Saying
" Welcome.  Your are now one of us and will obey our every command." I moved 
over to the reflecting metallic wall and in the reflection I saw a Protoss 
Dragoon...it was me.  I turned to the scientist and said
" What have you do to me?"  He never replied before I felt a slight pain in 
my head that got worse in a instant and once it stopped I was no longer a 
Terran solider or a human for that matter.  They had turned me into a 
Protoss Dragoon and had no way of getting back.  I suddenly felt my voice 
change as I inhaled and exhaled into a deep and Protoss like voice.  It 
became clear that I couldn’t do anything to change or stop this and felt as 
thou I had to fight with them and serve them.  This was ether a new kind of 
testing or technology or it was how they produced Dragoons.  I was willing 
to believe that I was no longer human and under Protoss rules and life I was 
to fight by the side of the Protoss for the rest of my existence.