Sons of Korhal
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The Sons of Korhal are a terrorist organization in the fictional StarCraft universe, founded after the destruction of the colony world of Korhal.
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[edit] History
The roots of the Sons of Korhal was the foundation of colonies by the Terran Confederacy, based on Tarsonis. Korhal IV, one of the colonies, became the "jewel" of the Confederacy.
However, the people of Korhal felt oppressed by the corrupt Confederate Senators, and eventually rioted against the Confederates. Martial law was imposed, but the revolt did not stop.
Korhalian Senator Angus Mengsk became a leader of the Korhalian revolt, issuing fiery statements declaring that the Confederacy no longer held any claim over the world of Korhal.
The Confederates eventually withdrew from the planet, but sent three assassins to kill Angus Mengsk in the capital, Styrling. His head was never found.
Arcturus Mengsk, Angus's son, a former Confederate Colonel and prospector, was embarrassed by his father's actions, and while aware of Confederate corruption, was generally uninterested in Koprulu Sector politics. However, he was outraged by the death of his family and returned to Korhal to continue the rebellion. With the assistance of Ailin Pasteur, an Umojan diplomat whose life had been saved by Angus Mengsk and later became a part of the rebellion's Ruling Council, Arcturus Mengsk was put in charge of the rebellion.
He rallied the militant groups that had followed his father and created an army which struck at various Confederate bases and installations. He also struck up an alliance with Umoja, which distrusted the Terran Confederacy. When a Confederate battlecruiser crashed in Umojan territory, well out of the range of Confederate hailing frequencies, Mengsk pressed it into the service of his rebellion. Its captain, Pollock Rimes, and crew also joined the rebellion.
When Mengsk was gone to visit Umoja, an important rival of the Terran Confederacy, the Confederates fired a thousand Apocalypse-class nuclear missiles at Korhal, wiping out all life on the surface.
[edit] Public and Covert Actions
With the assistance of a mining guild, Arcturus Mengsk planned an attack on the Ghost Academy on Tarsonis. He told his rebels the primary purpose of the attack was to draw media attention, hopefully creating support for his group. While many people were opposed to Terran Confederacy policies, they didn't know of any outlets for their frustrations.
Mengsk privately informed Kerrigan that he wanted her to retrieve a specific Terran Ghost. Doing so would require her to attack Major Rumm, a figure from her past whom she bore great hatred for.
The attack was something of a disaster. The group did not have enough force to destroy the Academy and fight their way out, and were hindered by a traitor. Their most capable soldier was on a separate mission.
Only Kerrigan made it out alive, after the Academy's fusion reactor had been destroyed, with the captive Ghost. She was safely retrieved by Mengsk, who quickly escaped the Confederates. Mengsk revealed his private motivations to Kerrigan, who reaffirmed her loyalty to him.
The actions resulted in media coverage of the Sons of Korhal, which was identified as a dangerous terrorist group.
[edit] Chau and Mar Sara
Late in 2499, Alpha Squadron returned to Chau Sara in order to put down a local uprising by the Sons of Korhal. Its first foes, however, were xenomorphs, which were quickly defeated. Shortly thereafter, Alpha Squadron made contact with the secretive Cerberus Recon Squad, whose leader claimed knowledge of these xenomorphs. The squad assisted Alpha Squadron in destroying the Sons of Korhal base. The Sons of Korhal fled from Chau Sara, and it was later attacked by an unknown alien species under unusual circumstances.
The next month, Mar Sara was invaded by Zerg, and the populace was put under lockdown. The defense of the world was overseen by Alpha Squadron, which had escaped the devastation of its home base on Chau Sara, but the Confederate Squadron made little effort to defend the world against the Zerg. Indeed, they began to round up local militias that had been attacking the Zerg. One of their highest profile prisoners was former Marshall Jim Raynor.
The Zerg massed against the core city of Mar Sara, and were preparing to massacre the civilians. The Confederates made no move to assist, and the recently installed Magistrate of Mar Sara could only find one military organization which could hold off the Zerg - the Sons of Korhal.
Mengsk promised to help the colonists evacuate, although they would have to defend themselves until the dropships could arrive. He warned that accepting his help would be tantamount to treason in the eyes of the Confederacy. The Magistrate would accept this offer nevertheless, and managed to hold back the advance of the Zerg until the colonists could escape. The Sons of Korhal planned to leave the planet soon, and so did the Confederates.
Meanwhile, Jim Raynor had been freed from his prison ship and joined the rebel organization. He was willing to work with the colonists in a raid on the Jacobs Installation, a well-defended Confederate outpost which contained exotic technologies. The Colonial Magistrate had been fired, pending an investigation, and he was quite willing to help out.
Raynor personally led the raid, defeating the Confederates within. He was surprised by the Zerg, but Mengsk told him that this was not the first time he had seen Zerg in a Confederate facility. He said he believed the Confederates might be breeding them as weapons against their political enemies. Raynor completed the mission, acquiring the technology.
Hours after the final evacuations, the Protoss attacked the planet, wiping out all life on its surface.
[edit] Rebellion of Antiga Prime
Mengsk's next target were the rebels of Antiga Prime, which were being suppressed by the Terran Confederacy's premier military force, Alpha Squadron. Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan, now a lieutenant in the Sons of Korhal, were sent to the surface. They assassinated the Confederate officer in charge of suppressing the rebels and defeated a Confederate strike force which was preparing to take back control of the colony.
[edit] Great Gifts
General Edmund Duke, leader of Alpha Squadron, was orbiting Antiga Prime in his battlecruiser, the Norad II, directing a battle against the Zerg. The aliens had arrived. The Norad II was heavily damaged during the fighting, and crashed on the planet. It was quickly surrounded by Zerg, and the majority of Alpha Squadron's ground forces were cut off and unable to rescue him.
The Sons of Korhal sent their own forces to assist the General, which greatly surprised Raynor and Kerrigan. Alpha Squadron proved willing to temporarily ally with their former enemies to rescue their leader. Despite the success, Duke showed little gratitude at first, doubting Mengsk's "angle". Mengsk gave him the choice of joining his cabinet, or going back to the crumbling Confederacy, which was failing as its colonies revolted. Duke grudgingly joined the rebellion, an act which sent shockwaves through the Terran Confederacy. Delta Squadron was sent to Antiga Prime to put down the rebellion for good, and punish Alpha Squadron for this betrayal. The Delta Squadron force was very large, posing a significant threat to the Sons of Korhal, despite the addition of a well-trained military squadron. However, Mengsk had other matters on his mind.
The data disk stolen from the Jacobs Installation had been deciphered. They contained plans for the psi-emitter, a device which used psionics to attract the attention of the Zerg. Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan was ordered to take the emitter to Delta Squadron's base and activate it. When Kerrigan did so, waves of Zerg approached the location and destroyed the Confederate army there.
The Sons of Korhal evacuated as many colonists as possible, then fled. Once again, the Protoss arrived and sterilized the Terran world.
[edit] Political Transformations
The Sons of Korhal prepared to deliver a mortal blow to the Terran Confederacy by attacking the capital, Tarsonis. Lacking the numbers needed for a direct assault on Tarsonis, an alternate strategy was devised. General Edmund Duke had fought in a number of major battles on the orbital space platforms over Tarsonis and knew its defenses. He masterminded a raid on the central platform against Delta Squadron and Omega Squadron, with the expressed purpose of confusing the Confederates long enough to send a small force to the surface. While these surface forces, if any, are subject to rumor, Sons of Korhal Ghosts activated a number of psi-emitters.
No Zerg had been observed near the planet so far, but now they arrived numbering in the billions. Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan were alienated by this tactic. Raynor accused Arcturus Mengsk of "selling out the planet" to the Zerg, and was more vocal about his objections than Kerrigan.
Meanwhile, the Zerg landed on the space platforms, effectively ending the Terran Confederacy as a political entity. The Protoss swiftly followed, and Kerrigan believed they were going to destroy all life on the planet, including the Terrans still on the surface.
Arcturus Mengsk ordered her to defend the Zerg from the Protoss. He didn't want any Confederates to escape, and if the Zerg were defeated, that could happen. She was sent with a detachment of the Sons of Korhal to the Zerg-occupied space platform. Jim Raynor angrily objected, both to the mission itself and sending Kerrigan without any backup - both himself and General Edmund Duke were ordered to remain on Mengsk's command ship. He was overruled by Mengsk. Fending off occasional Zerg attacks, Kerrigan defeated the Protoss fleet. At this point, the Zerg began a massive attack against her forces, overwhelming her defenses. She contacted Mengsk, asking for immediate evacuation. Mengsk ordered the Sons of Korhal to leave the system, however, abandoning Kerrigan to a horrible fate.
Jim Raynor took the Hyperion and people no longer loyal to Mengsk and remained nearby, however. He wanted to rescue Kerrigan, but it was impossible.
Upon Mengsk's return to the Tarsonis system, he and Raynor sparred, first verbally, then physically. Any attempt to escape would prove futile, since General Duke had taken control of the Ion Cannon, a powerful anti-ship weapon that would prevent Raynor's forces from escaping.
Raynor's forces were forced to fight the Sons of Korhal, cutting a path the to Ion Cannon and destroying it. Shortly thereafter, his forces escaped from Tarsonis.
[edit] Terran Dominion
The Terran Dominion was created after the fall of the Confederacy at the height of the war between the Terrans, the Zerg and the Protoss. Headed by Arcturus Mengsk, the former leader of the Sons of Korhal, the Terran Dominion succeeded in gaining control of much of the Koprulu Sector, and in particular, older Protoss colonies, such as Khyrador. Korhal IV was made the throne world of the Dominion, with Augustgrad designated as the capital.
Crowning himself "Emperor" of the Terran Dominion, Arcturus Mengsk, with General Edmund Duke as his military advisor, claimed supreme power and was unopposed by any legal Terran faction to his rule. By the time of the Brood War, all of the Terran colonies within the Koprulu Sector were united under one sovereign ruler for the first time. With few exceptions, such as an elite commando squad led by one Samir Duran, the Dominion controlled the Koprulu Sector without any significant human resistance to its rule. However, despite the forgotten promise that the dictorial rule of the Confederacy would be replaced with the "prosperity" of the Dominion, Mengsk seemed obsessed with power (signs were shown when he abandoned Kerrigan) and the Dominion proved to be just as ruthless as the Confederacy. The Dominion gained its military supremacy by forcefully conscripting the remaining soldiers of the old Confederate armies.
At the time of the Brood War, the Terran Dominion came under siege from an expeditionary force from the United Earth Directorate, an armada sent by Earth to pacify the Koprulu Sector. The Dominion lost the worlds Braxis and Dylar IV before Korhal itself was conquered.
The UED had a hidden agenda as well: to take control of the Zerg Overmind and use the Zerg to pacify all conflict in the region. The UED's Admiral DuGalle successfully captured the Zerg Overmind on Char and used it to maintain a number of Zerg on Korhal.
Due to the treachery of Samir Duran, who had originally joined the UED as an ally, the UED failed in its agenda and was eventually defeated through the combined actions of Infested Kerrigan, Jim Raynor, Fenix and Arcturus Mengsk. Mengsk had a somewhat secondary position in this temporary alliance, as all he wanted was to retake his capital planet, Korhal. Although Arcturus Mengsk succeeded, he (along with Raynor and Fenix) were betrayed by Kerrigan and he lost his military advisor, General Edmund Duke. Kerrigan left the planet after inflicting heavy losses on both Mengsk and Raynor.
Shortly after the destruction of the second Overmind by Infested Kerrigan and the Dark Templar Zeratul, Kerrigan's enemies found her in a weakened position on a space platform over Char. Mengsk was among these enemies. Without the time and resources to assemble a full-sized army and fleet, Mengsk was forced to call in favors, sign concessions, and make deals with a number of Terran "special interest groups" throughout the Sector who wanted Kerrigan dead. However, Kerrigan was able to defeat the attacking forces. Vowing that he would watch her and strike at the first sign of weakness, Mengsk retreated to Korhal to rebuild his shattered Dominion.
[edit] Current status
The Dominion, having been driven to the brink of annihilation by various UED, Zerg, and Protoss assaults, has nevertheless survived. Indeed, four years later, it has to some extent rebuilt its armies and still skirmishes with the Zerg. It is also involved in battle with the Koprulu Liberation Front. It uses robotics and even stolen Protoss technology to support its weakened forces. Mengsk's military has retaken a number of Terran worlds.
The Dominion is opposed to both the Protoss and the Zerg and is in favor of stopping all warfare between humans in the Koprulu Sector.
[edit] References
- ↑ Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
- ↑ Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
- ↑ StarCraft: Loomings campaign
- ↑ Neilson, Micky. StarCraft: Uprising. New York and Toronto, Ontario: Pocket Books, 2000. ISBN B00005AS12 (eBook only)
- ↑ Warboards storyline update
[edit] External links
| StarCraft by Blizzard Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| StarCraft Universe | Gameplay of StarCraft • StarCraft storyline • Psionic technology |
| Species | Terran • Protoss • Zerg • Xel'Naga • Hybrid |
| Factions and Organizations | Judicator Caste • Kel-Morian Combine • Khalai Caste • Protoss Conclave • Pirate Militias • Raynor's Raiders • Sons of Korhal • Templar Caste • Terran Confederacy • Umojan Protectorate • United Earth Directorate • Zerg Brood |
| Locations | Aiur • Antiga Prime • Braxis • Char • Chau Sara • Korhal • Mar Sara • Moria • Shakuras • Talematros • Tarsonis • Umoja • Zerus |
| Characters | Aldaris • Artanis • Gerard DuGalle • Edmund Duke • Samir Duran • Fenix • Sarah Kerrigan • Arcturus Mengsk • Nova • Raszagal • Jim Raynor • Alexei Stukov • Tassadar • Zeratul • Zerg Overmind • Minor Characters |
