Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Barracks

Athena slowly made her way past the pile of zerg corpses in the corridor and into the armory she spent so much time and resources trying to seize. She knew the zerg corpses wouldn’t be there for long. Sooner or later, they would disappear without a trace.

After the zerg assault failed, she turned to one of the two terran units she recently unlocked with the factory. The widow mine. In the game, widow mines were required to be buried underground before they could fire their weapons. Given how vulnerable they were, marching these mines into the enemy army and then burying them underground was impossible. That was why the mines were almost exclusively used as ambush units.

But after going from the game to the real world, many units in Starcraft have become more real and more reasonable considering the lore. Drones now harvest biomass instead of minerals. Likewise, despite technically being a mine, widow mines were hardly the traditional type of landmine that would explode when someone stepped on it. Instead, they were miniature automated weapons factories that produced and fired missiles at enemy targets that got close using their missile launchers. In the game, widow mines had to be underground to fire, but in the real world, there was no real technical requirement that required them to be underground before they use their arsenals. 

Of course, they would still be the most effective if they were burrowed. Most enemies would shoot at and destroy the mine before it got close enough to fire, but Athena had a hunch that the Guard soldiers who came across the widow mine for the first time might not be so trigger-happy. It turned out she was correct. 

The pair of widow mines wandered into the corridor, and before the rebels realized what they were staring at, fired two sentinel missiles into the armory. While sentinel missiles are usually for short-range targets, they could travel more than far enough to reach their targets in the armory. The resulting explosion and shrapnel hit almost every single rebel in the armory. All the rebels were gathered at the main gate to repel potential xenomorph attacks, making them the perfect target for the missiles.

Most were killed in the blasts. The few survivors were put out of their misery by the zerglings.

As Athena walked past one of the bodies, she paused. Despite the severe burns and shrapnel cuts, she still recognized the man. Captain Hanson. The highest-ranking Imperial officer on the planet. Captain of the 432nd Company. Apparently, also a member of the Venya Revolutionary Guard. 

Despite all that has happened between them, Athena believed she harbored no ill will toward the captain or the Venya Revolutionary Guard. It was fate that forced her hands on killing them in self-preservation. Granted, she didn't necessarily have to terminate the rebels in the armory, but she had to unlock more buildings as soon as she could. This world was all too dangerous and her current situation was far from safe. If Corporal Kendrick refused to vouch for her…if his words didn't work…there were so many possible situations where unlocking new structures now could save her life very soon. 

For better or for worse, Athena was getting more and more used to making life-and-death decisions. The first few times were difficult for her, but as more and more died under her command, for better or for worse, giving these orders started to become more…casual. 

The young woman sighed and turned her attention to her prize. The armory, and the weapons within.

Sentinel missiles were known for their subtle nature, not necessarily their damage. For context, sentinel missiles were constructed inside the widow mines. Given how small the mines were, it should be no surprise that these missiles were quite crude. They did the most damage to things within one meter of the blast center of the missile. Anything outside of that was only covered by shrapnels. Most heavily armored targets could easily survive the shrapnels. If the missiles hit the targets directly in the undercarriage…that would be a different story.

“Let’s see…” Athena whispered to herself as she walked past the equipment in the armory. Just like with the factory, Nova informed her in her head that she didn't need to use SCVs to dissect any of the technologies around her. That would only be needed for more complex technologies like starships, starfighters, or heavy vehicles and armor.

The rebels used some of the weapons from the armory to defend themselves, but their numbers were limited. The armory held enough weapons to arm the entire company to the teeth. Say what you will about the Imperium, but they were never cheap when it came to military spending.

Defender-class Automatic Rifles…

Decimator-class Shrapnel Grenades…

Eradicator-class Heavy Machine Guns…

Purifier-class Light Machine Guns…

Guardian-class Power Armors…

Indominated-class Power Armors…

Champion-class Power Armors…

Athena paused as she saw the last two types of power armors. The Guardian-class armors were issued to common troopers and marines. Indominated-class armors were commonly issued to NCOs and officers in the Imperial Army. They offered much better protection and comfort to the wearer, but they often took longer to put on. 

Champion-class power armors, on the other hand, were almost exclusively used to equip operatives of the Imperial Security Corps. They were renowned for their expensive cost, as well as additional communication capabilities, protection, and strength enhancement. It was rumored one of these armors was worth as much as a dozen Guardian-class armors.

The Champion-class armors still in the armory likely belonged to Corporal Kendrick and his men who were off their shift when the betrayal occurred. They never got the chance to go to the armory and put on their armor. 

At the same time, the rebels didn't have the access or the training needed to equip themselves with their superior armor. This was how the armors were still resting in the room all the way until now.

As Athena was marveling at the engineering masterpiece that was the Champion-class armor, she suddenly heard a familiar voice in her head. One that was the very reason she spent so much effort to seize this armory.

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“Human technologies detected in close proximity to the host…”

“Analyzing technology…”

“Analysis complete. Technologies show resemblance to Terran engineering…”

“Terran structure Barracks has been unlocked…”

As much as it felt inappropriate in the armory with so many bodies not far from her, Athena couldn’t help but grin. Barracks! The Barracks was unlocked, which meant she now had access to the terran marines! Before she could enter the game and try producing marines, she was hit by another reminder. 

“Human technologies detected in close proximity to the host…”

“Analyzing technology…”

“Analysis complete. Technologies show resemblance to Terran engineering…”

“Terran structure Tech Lab has been unlocked…”

Now, this really made Athena smile. Two terran buildings unlocked at once! This was better than anything she expected! She wasted no time entering the game and selecting an SCV. In the build structure tab, the barracks was now lit up and able to be produced. She quickly placed a barracks next to the command center. The construction was completed instantly, and soon Athena found herself staring at the familiar form of a terran barracks.

As she clicked on the barracks, the tech lab attachment to the structure was lit up too. It seemed like the tech lab Athena unlocked was for the barracks. 

Terran barracks produced terran infantry units. A barracks with no add-ons could produce marines and reapers. With an attached tech lab, a barracks could produce marauders. With a tech lab and a ghost academy, a barracks would be able to produce its final and the most elite infantry unit, the ghost.

Marines were the general purpose infantry units of the terran. Armed with C-14 Impaler gauss rifles and protected by CMC power armors, marines were often the first line of defense against incoming threats. In the Starcraft lore, marines were normally brainwashed convicts pressed into service. They were often insignificant compared to the enemies they faced on the battlefield, but marines were usually deployed in the hundreds or even thousands, and all but some of the toughest protoss and zerg units would think twice before charging a thousand C-14 gauss rifles head-on. 

Marines cost 50 minerals, the same as a pair of zerglings. Each marine was worth 1 supply. 

Marines had two upgrades in the tech lab. Stimpack and Combat Shield. 

Reapers were terran light infantry units armed with jetpacks that allowed them to jump up and down cliffs and traverse more difficult terrain. Each reaper was equipped with dual P-38 Scythe gauss pistols to gun down light enemy targets and KD-8 charges to supplement their pistols. Reapers were trained in hit-and-run skirmishes and close-quarter combat. They were also known to use combat drugs to improve their performance in combat and heal their injuries. 

Reapers cost 50 minerals and 50 vespene gas. They were each worth 1 supply. 

The last unit now unlocked for Athena was the marauder. 

Marauders were meant to support marines and help with taking out heavy ground targets. Their power armors were the 5-4 Armored Infantry Suit. When used together with kinetic foam, these enhanced armors could keep the marauders alive against much more punishments compared to the marine’s CMC armors. Their main weapon was a pair of Quad K12 grenade launchers designed for armor-piercing roles.  

Marauders cost 100 minerals and 25 vespene gas. They were each worth 2 supplies. 

Marauder had one upgrade in the tech lab. Concussive shell. Marauders also benefited from stim packs. 

With these three new additions to her arsenals, Athena finally had units that could engage in firefights with Imperial forces. If she had these units before storming the armory, she could use marauders to tank the Eradicator machine gun long enough to blow it up with their grenade launchers. Or she could try to use the KD8 charges of the reapers to blow through the walls leading to the armory and outflank the defenders. Hell, even marines pushing forward could do better than using the queens as tanks.

Athena contemplated building some terran units to try them out before quickly realizing there were no more enemies in the facility. The only people still alive were the Wolves, Doctor Payton, and a few other survivors she kept alive on purpose. Now that she unlocked everything she could hope to unlock, her first priority should be getting off this planet. 

She went through her plans in her head once again. After making sure everything was going according to the plan, she turned and made her way out of the armory. If she still wanted to hitch a ride off this rock, she needed to be quick. 

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