Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Starport

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

“Analyzing technology…”

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

“Terran structure Starport has been unlocked…”

Athena grinned to herself. The terran starport itself allowed her to produce vikings, medivacs, and liberators. With some extra terran structures that she had yet to unlock, she could also build ravens and battlecruisers, the latter of which was the capital warship of the terran race and one of the strongest weapons in the terran arsenal. 

She knew the original capabilities of the three terran air units, but the ones she could produce were likely much different. The cost would likely have increased as well. If the cost was the same, Athena could easily build thousands of vikings and liberators and just overrun the Imperial fleet in orbit. 

She briefly shifted her attention to another group of terran forces on the planet. The second phase of her plan was about to begin. Thankfully, that didn't mean she didn't have the time to learn more about the starport units.

The starport itself costs as much as 15,000 minerals and 10,000 vespene gas. This was much higher than both the barracks and the factory, but given that starports produce a variety of powerful terran starships, this cost made sense. 

She planted a starport in the terran base outside of the game. As expected, three of the five air units in the base have become available. 

The first was the vikings, and already Athena was raising her eyebrows. 

“1,000 minerals? 500 vespene gas?” She said quietly. “7 times the original cost.”

“They are well worth their cost, commander.” 

“I know. I have yet to be disappointed by any of the units. A price increase is only to be expected.” Athena replied. She was just a bit concerned about her wallet. 

Vikings were the air superiority starfighters in the terran army. They were capable of operating both in the vacuum of space and in a planet’s atmosphere. Like almost all terran air units, vikings had no shields, instead using thick armored plating to protect the starfighter and the pilot within. That sounded unimpressive until one realized vikings were often going against zerg and protoss aerial units. They weren’t invincible, but they weren’t exactly fragile either. If their armor could protect them against zerg acid and protoss lasers, they likely could do fine against Imperial firepower as well. 

The main anti-air weapon of vikings was the MT50 Lanzer torpedoes, designed to bring down heavily armored enemy targets. Vikings tended to be less effective against light enemy air units.

On top of that, what truly made vikings impressive was their ability to rapidly shift from a fighter to a walker during combat with built-in transformation modules. While in walker state, the vikings used their twin Gatling cannons to provide fire support. 

Each viking cost 6 hours to produce. This was much longer compared to the infantry and mechanical units, but it made sense given how much more advanced vikings were. 

The next unit was the liberators, and when she saw the price for the liberators, even though she was prepared, Athena jumped a little in her seat. She could accept a sevenfold price increase, but the liberator’s new cost was a little absurd. 

“I don’t understand, Nova. In a normal game, a liberator cost 150 minerals and 150 vespene gas. Why is it costing 15,000 minerals and 10,000 vespene gas here? I understand there has to be a markup, but a hundred times the original price? Why is a liberator worth 15 times that of a viking? And it takes 3 days to be produced compared to the 6 hours for the viking?”

“Commander, I would like to clarify what a liberator is,” Nova explained patiently, doing her job of explaining the nature of the system to Athena. “A liberator is classified as a medium-sized gunship. It is ten times the length of a viking and five times the width. While a viking has a single pilot, a liberator has a crew of 30. In fact, a liberator is almost as big as a command center. Its weapon systems, from the anti-air Lexington rockets to the anti-ground Concord cannon, are much more effective than the armaments of vikings.”

“So basically a viking is more like a starfighter and a liberator is more like a starship…not a cruiser. Maybe an escort?”

“Precisely.”

“I see.” Athena nodded in understanding. If a liberator was so expensive, then how much would a battlecruiser cost? “One more question. I don’t see a supply requirement for the liberator. Why is that?”

“Many terran, protoss, and zerg air units are large enough to sustain the crew aboard. Therefore, no supply depots are required. In some cases, such as for terran battlecruisers, protoss motherships, and zerg leviathans, the vessels can supply not only their own crew but also a number of extra units they were transporting.” 

“I was wondering how supply for these large capital ships works,” Athena replied thoughtfully. This answered one of the questions she has always had. How would supply depots support the crew on a battlecruiser? At the same time, this made her really curious about how expensive a terran battlecruiser or a protoss mothership would be. 

The third and final unit available in the starport was the medivac. Medivacs were terran transport ships capable of using a nanite beam to heal injured terran troops while they were in battle. Medivacs were often critical to helping an army of terran infantry troops avoid overdosing on stimpacks. 

Medivacs would no doubt make the terran infantry forces a lot more effective, but Athena was a little hesitant about using them in public at this stage. Medivacs were capable of healing even the most grievous injuries, being far more effective than even the most advanced medical tools in the galaxy. She had yet to test them, but most likely, the medivacs could also heal non-Starcraft human beings, and if the Imperial or the Republic saw this on the battlefield…like with the zerg, it would draw a lot of unwanted attention to the terran troops before Athena was ready. 

As of now, her terran units were simply another one of the many armed groups in the galaxy. Even if they could trade blows with the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy, they would hardly be the only threat out there and the Imperium had more to worry about than some distant mining world. If she showed the medivacs…that could change very quickly. 

Medivacs cost 800 minerals and 400 vespene gas. Each medivac cost 2 supplies and took 4 hours to be produced.

The starport certainly gave Athena a lot more options, but given how long it would take to produce most of these units and how expensive they were, it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to use them in this operation. A shame, but she had planned for this possibility. She wasted no time planting down 2 more starports in the terran base in the remote valley. They were extremely expensive, but it also took quite a while to produce air units.

With the matter of the starport settled, Athena shifted her attention to the other group of terran forces out there. The Imperials might not realize this, but the bloodshed would not end with the fall of Starport Cinder. 

---

A few minutes ago…

“What is the situation at Starport Cinder now?”

After being woken up from his sleep by the officers on night duty, an infuriated General Pierre made his way to the command center of the Raven-class command ship. The Raven had landed in the center of Prosperity and remained the place where the general and his top officers would command the troops from. 

There, inside the command center, a number of officers were already waiting for him. Colonel Kai of the 4th Infantry Regiment was among them. 

“Sir.” The leading lieutenant saluted before starting to explain. “The latest message from Starport Cinder claims that the garrison forces have been pushed back to the hangar. At least one-third of the air base is already lost. As of now, the hangar is still under our control, but they said they need reinforcements immediately.” 

“What?” Within a split second, the general’s face turned red. He admitted he took some time to get dressed before heading here. After all, a general like him couldn’t go around in pajamas, but still…already? “What the hell is the garrison doing? What is the size of the attacking force?”

“Reports put them around one to two hundred. However, they are extremely well armed.” The leading lieutenant clearly did his homework. “The garrison troops have spotted grenade launchers and combat shields. Some of these attackers also seem to be wearing armor capable of withstanding a lot more damage than the Guardians.”

“Have we identified them?” The general demanded. 

“Negative, but we have received videos and images of their combatants. Their uniforms and colors don’t match any major nation in our database.”

“The 4th Regiment is ready for deployment, sir.” Colonel Kai chipped in. His regiment was tasked with maintaining order throughout the city at night. “We are ready to move on Prosperity at your order.” 

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“Go.” General Pierre nodded. “Take every vehicle you need and get your regiment to Starport Cinder as quickly as possible. It can’t fall.” 

“Yes sir.” The colonel left the main command center and headed to one of the many smaller command rooms on the ship given to him. 

Interestingly, while the officers here told Starport Cinder that the 4th Regiment was already on its way a few minutes ago, that was a lie. In situations like this, Colonel Kai needed to ask for permission first before deploying his troops, and he had no intention of putting himself at political risk for the greater good. 

General Pierre snapped back to a hologram projector displaying the map of Prosperity and its surroundings. He could feel anxiety creeping upon him. Combat aircrafts were extremely expensive, and losing all of them was like a stab to the general’s chest. If they were lost in combat against Republic aerial units, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but losing them to a random infiltration unit that came out of nowhere? It wouldn’t reflect well on him at all. 

“What else have you done already?” He turned to the leading lieutenant. 

“I have followed the appropriate protocols, sir. I have notified all the unit commanders, who are waking up their troops as we speak. I have also notified Commander Liam. His officers have assured us that the naval forces are remaining vigilant in case of an attack from enemy ships.”

General Pierre nodded. “Tell…request Commander Liam to deploy marines and air support to Starport Cinder. They should get there faster than the 4th.” 

“Yes sir.”

The leading lieutenant nodded and walked to a communication officer and issued the order. General Pierre paid no attention to him. His eyes moved between several screens as he tried to make sense of all the information he knew so far. 

The door opened again and several sleep-deprived colonels entered. 

“Sir, we came as soon as we could.” Said Colonel Zhao, one of the two female colonels in the division. Her eyes were red. “Starport Cinder is under attack?”

The general simply nodded silently. The leading lieutenant took a step forward and quietly explained the basics to the colonels. By the time he was done, the colonels were as confused as the general. 

“Should we reinforce the 4th?” Colonel Gavin asked cautiously. 

“You underestimate Colonel Kai.” One of the other colonels, a veteran who really didn't like his young colleague, replied. “The reports put the enemies at one to two hundred men. The garrison forces have shaved off some of their numbers already. The 4th has over two thousand troops. You’re telling me that’s not enough? I admit, their arsenal is impressive, but their numbers are too low.”

“There could be more of them out there.” 

“The larger an army, the more difficult it is to deploy and supply them without being discovered by our ships in orbit.” The colonel countered.

“We can deploy additional troops if that is the case. Even if there are more of them out there, which I doubt, the 4th should be able to hold their ground long enough for further reinforcements.” Colonel Zhao explained. “General, as of now we should lock down this city. The attack on Starport Cinder may hint at a larger assault. It could even be a distraction.”

General Pierre nodded. Suddenly, the communication officer ordered to request help from the Navy turned to him, a hesitant expression on his face. 

“General, Commander Liam requests your presence.”

The general frowned and made his way to the desk. There, on the screen, was a man with grey hair in an Imperial naval uniform.

“Commander.” He greeted, doing his best to keep his tone polite. 

“General. I have received your request, but unless the situation on the ground worsens, I will not be deploying marine units or air support.” 

“Why not?” General Pierre demanded. 

“You should know exactly why, general.” The commander’s voice was cold. “There are two possibilities regarding this attack. Either this unit is acting alone, or they are part of a larger operation. In the latter case, deploying air support to Starport Cinder risks leaving my own ships vulnerable.”

Once again, the general’s face turned red in anger. “You insult my intelligence, commander! By your logic, we should just never deploy our assets because someone may attack somewhere else? You’re telling me you can’t even spare a single squad of starbombers to Starport Cinder?”

“I can spare ten squads of starbombers and a thousand marines,” Commander Liam scoffed. “I just choose not to. Starport Cinder? A few squadrons of cheap fighters and gunships? Even if there is just a tiny possibility that is a trap to lure my resources away from my fleet, I will not risk it.”

“You…the Imperial Army Formation Command will hear about this!” At long last, the general snapped. For a split second, he considered threatening to expose him to Commodore Thea before realizing the threat would’ve held little weight. The commodore would likely stand by her navy subordinates. 

“How terrifying.” The naval commander was hardly moved. “But I am merely being cautious, and while you are making the complaint, general, don’t forget to explain how your lack of caution resulted in your entire air wing being exposed and poorly defended. Don’t expect someone else to take risks and help you clean up your own mess.”

The comms cut out, and a split second later General Pierre smashed his fists onto the desk, causing the poor communication officer to shudder in shock. 

“What the fuck is wrong with that guy?” One of the colonels frowned. 

“He doesn’t want to take any chances.” Colonel Zhao quietly explained. “If he doesn’t do anything and we lose Starport Cinder, the blame is on us. He won’t get anything by stepping in. If he does send help and his fleet takes extra casualties as a result, the blame will be on him.”

“He is a commander of the Imperial Navy!” Colonel Gavin almost couldn’t believe what he just saw and heard. “It should be his obligation to do what is best for the Imperium, not worry about his personal gains and losses like a common businessman!”

“That’s enough!” General Pierre raised his voice. The man almost seemed defeated. “Get to your units and secure the entire city. Liam may be a damn clown, but he got one thing right. Our complacency was a mistake. We have already put Starport Cinder at risk with our overconfidence. We can’t risk Prosperity as well!”

“Yes sir!”

Soon, Imperial troops poured onto the streets of Prosperity, supported by tanks and other armored vehicles. This time, the Imperials had a defensive formation, and it would be quite expensive for any attacker to storm the city by force.

Unfortunately for them, while Athena had multiple targets tonight, Prosperity was never one of them. She didn't have the forces to take the city yet, and an assault on the city she was in could risk exposing her cover or even threatening her own life. 

In fact, even if Commander Liam sent air support and marine forces to Starport Cinder, they would never arrive on time to keep Athena’s SCVs from dissecting the aircraft. After that, the terran forces there were instructed to disperse and pull back. However, the air support could’ve posed an issue to Athena’s second phase of the plan. 

The reality was that Colonel Gavin was somewhat right in his concerns. Her target at this phase of the plan was the reinforcements that just left the city. The 4th Imperial Infantry Regiment.

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