Terran Confederacy
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In the fictional StarCraft universe, the Terran Confederacy, also known as the Confederacy of Man, was an interstellar confederacy established by the Terrans of the Koprulu Sector. The home of the Confederacy was the colony of Tarsonis.
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[edit] History
Tarsonis was one of the three original Terran colonies founded in the Koprulu Sector. The colonists of Tarsonis enjoyed a technological advantage over the colonists of the other two original colony worlds, Moria and Umoja, due to the artificial intelligence ATLAS. ATLAS contained much technological information from Earth.
Even so, it took them sixty years to build second generation subwarp engines and explore the rest of the system, discovering the other two colonies.
Tarsonis attempted to convince the other two colonies to join in a conglomerate government (they refused) even as its prospectors helped to create a large number of new colonies. Tarsonis and its colonies formed an interstellar government which they called the Terran Confederacy.
The government of the Confederacy came to be dominated by the "Old Families", descendants of the commanders of the Nagglfar (according to StarCraft: Queen of Blades). The government consisted of a senate, which was considered corrupt by many of its colonies.
[edit] The Guild Wars
The Confederacy came into conflict with Moria as the Morian government believed the Confederates would try to "regulate" its rich mining industry. The Morians founded the Kel-Morian Combine in order to protect itself. The tensions broke into open war, which lasted four years. The Guild Wars, as the conflict was called, resulted in bitter defeat for the Kel-Morian Combine. The Confederates annexed the Combine's supporting guilds, but allowed the Morians to maintain their independence.
As a result of this war, Umoja formed its own military body, the Umojan Protectorate, in order to defend itself from the Confederacy.
Since the defeat, Moria has founded new mining colonies and provided the Terran Confederacy with so much money that they are effectively immune to Confederate laws.
Meanwhile, Confederates prospectors founded many new colonies and Confederate enforcement agencies abused the colonists, causing many rebel groups, such as the Colonial Liberation Army, to rise up against the Confederates, but they were rarely any match for the Confederate forces. By the time of the Korhal incident, the Terran Confederacy controlled seven prosperous colonies in the originally settled star system.
[edit] Rebellion of Korhal
Korhal IV, one of the oldest Terran Confederacy colonies, was a world of affluence. Its people, however, resented their affiliation with the corrupt Confederate senators.
The citizenry revolted against the local Confederate militia. The Confederates imposed martial law, but the revolt continued. Angus Mengsk, a Korhalian senator, came to lead the revolt. The Confederates decided to withdraw their military from the planet, while three covert assassins called Ghosts slew Angus Mengsk, his wife and youngest child. Angus Mengsk's head was never found. This did much to weaken the revolt.
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. He rallied the militant groups that had followed his father and created an army which struck at various Confederate bases and installations. When he 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] Beginning of the End
Arcturus Mengsk named the remnants of his rebels the Sons of Korhal, and again began to strike at the Confederates.
During his raids, he discovered Sarah Kerrigan and xenomorphs at Vyctor 5, where experiments were being conducted on Ghosts. At the time, these xenomorphs seemed insignificant.
His forces were largely ignored by the Confederate-controlled media until he launched a daring attack against the Confederate Ghost Academy on Tarsonis. After this incident, the Confederates declared the Sons of Khorhal to be outlaws and relentlessly hunted them down. Rebellious colonies, however, often secretly allied with them.
Confederate experiments with these xenomorphs continued, often getting out of control. One such test area was Chau Sara, an important colony and headquarters of Alpha Squadron. The Squadron was recalled when the Sons of Korhal invaded the world, and were posing too much of a threat to the local militia. Alpha Squadron defeated the Sons of Korhal, but encountered these xenomorphs and Cerberus Recon Squad during the battle.
The creatures were the subject of high-level research, but had taken over the Flannum Installation where they were being studied and had surrounded it. Cerberus Recon Squad and Alpha Squadron defeated the xenomorphs and entered the facility. Inside, they discovered evidence that the xenomorphs may have been more intelligent than previously believed (they were holding the scientists prisoner, an ironic turn of events). Nonetheless, the xenomorphs were defeated.
The xenomorphs besieged the capital city of Los Andares, forcing Alpha Squadron to come to the rescue. Once again the xenomorphs were defeated. The Colonial Magistrate believed that establishing a tight perimeter around the city would further protect it, but Cerberus Recon Squad preferred to attack their primary Hive Clusters instead, and forced Alpha Squadron to cooperate with them. After defeating the xenomorphs, Cerberus Recon Squad ordered all witnesses to the battles not to inform anyone else of what had happened. The Squad then departed the planet, followed shortly thereafter by Alpha Squadron, a month before the start of the game StarCraft.
[edit] End of Hegemony
Left to its own devices and unable to call for reinforcements or even warn the other Terrans, Chau Sara could not defend itself from the xenomorphs. They infested and killed virtually all of the Terrans on the planet. At this time, Executor Tassadar and his Protoss Expeditionary Fleet searched for the xenomorphs, which they had independently discovered. Discovering the infected planet, his fleet sterilized its surface of life.
The Terrans were shocked. This was their first public contact with alien lifeforms.
Shortly thereafter, the existence of the xenomorphs, now called Zerg, was made public. They had infested the nearby planet of Mar Sara. The Protoss fleet also arrived at the planet however, Tassadar, unwilling to slay Terrans en masse told the local population to evacuate. Due to the poor tactics of Alpha Squadron, the planet was lost to the Zerg. The Confederates did not even attempt to rescue the colonists - this task fell to the Sons of Korhal. In a last-minute raid, the Sons of Korhal raided the Jacobs Installation and acquired plans for a piece of technology which would change the course of the civil war - the psi-emitter. The terrorists seemed to have little idea of what they had acquired - the data discs containing the plans were encrypted. During the raid they had also discovered Zerg being held captive in the installation. Tassadar's fleet arrived, several hours after the evacuation, and sterilized the surface of the planet.
[edit] The Changing Face of War
The Confederate colony of Antiga Prime rebelled against the Confederates. Alpha Squadron was sent to lock it down, while the Sons of Korhal assisted the Antigans. The Sons of Korhal defeated Alpha Squadron for the first time in open battle. The Confederates panicked, but could not immediately respond due to conflict with Zerg, which had appeared and attacked the world. The Zerg shot down the Norad II, command ship of General Edmund Duke of Alpha Squadron. The Sons of Korhal decided to rescue him, as an excuse to recruit him to their cause. Arcturus Mengsk convinced General Duke that the Confederacy was failing, and Duke inducted Alpha Squadron into the Sons of Korhal.
Alpha Squadron was a small but elite Confederate Squadron, and this act of rebellion shook the Confederacy to its very core. They hastily sent Delta Squadron to recapture the world, despite the presence of the Zerg. The Sons of Korhal planted the psi-emitter in Delta Squadron's base - it used Sarah Kerrigan's psionic energies to lure Zerg to the Confederate army and destroy it.
The Zerg swiftly overtook the planet, which the Protoss sterilized shortly afterwards.
[edit] Crushing Defeat
Flushed with the success of their new weapon, the Sons of Korhal moved directly against the Confederate capital of Tarsonis. With the help of General Edmund Duke, the Sons of Korhal were able to engage the Confederates long enough to activate psi-emitters, calling a flood of Zerg to the capital. The Sons of Korhal tried to weaken the Confederate war factories first, in order to prevent a strong counterattack against the Zerg. The Confederates were unable to utilize their hidden anti-Zerg weapon, the Psi Disruptor.
The Protoss fleet arrived, once again, to sterilize a world. However, there were still Confederates alive on the surface, including members of the powerful "Old Families", and if the Protoss destroyed the Zerg, the Confederates could escape. Arcturus Mengsk decided to defend the Zerg against the Protoss until the Zerg could destroy the Confederates. The Sons of Korhal were successful in their mission.
The remnants of the Confederates found themselves battling Zerg and Protoss on the surface of the world. Eventually the Zerg were victorious against both these forces, but abandoned the world.
[edit] The Remnants
The Confederacy was succeeded by the Terran Dominion, the name of the empire founded by the Sons of Korhal. Much of the remnants of the Confederacy joined the Dominion, willingly or otherwise. However, pockets of Confederate resistance remain.
One such pocket, calling itself the Confederate Resistance Forces, joined forces with the United Earth Directorate during the Brood War, but its current fate is unknown.
In Deceptions, more Confederates were observed researching Zerg, Protoss and advanced technology by the Kimeran Pirates. They appeared to be working with the formerly deceased Vice Admiral Stukov, who was obviously infested. The facility was destroyed by Stukov's forces, however.
[edit] Confederacy Government
The Terran Confederacy government consisted of a Senate and a Council (the latter referred to in StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade and StarCraft Ghost: Nova). The former had representatives from a number of worlds (Angus Mengsk of Korhal was a Confederate senator). The Senate was generally viewed as corrupt, but so was the Council.
Another powerful body within the Confederacy government were the rich and powerful "Old Families", the descendants of the leaders of the prisoners on the Nagglfar. Famous Old Families included the Calabas and Kusinis families, along with the Dukes, Terras and Tygores.
The Old Families maintained businesses and had representation on multiple worlds. They were largely immune to all but the most important laws and knew the secrets of the Council (indeed, many Council members belonged to the Old Families). Many members of the Old Families married members of other families in order to forge a stronger genetic and financial union. As these weren't love matches, both parents generally had mistresses and "jigs" and offspring were produced through artificial insemination.
The Old Families were largely wiped out by the destruction of Tarsonis.
References to "Confederate High Command" were made in StarCraft: Loomings by Cereberus Recon Squad.
[edit] Confederacy Flag
The flag of the Terran Confederacy is the naval jack of the historical Confederate States. The design of the flag (and the name behind Terran "Confederacy") were discovered when Terrans of the planet Tarsonis researched their history using ATLAS.
[edit] Confederacy Squadrons
The StarCraft games and books feature a number of military wings called Squadrons, which are originally placed under the authority of the Confederacy command but enjoy a great autonomy. After the fall of the Confederacy, some of these Squadrons were absorbed into the Terran Dominion.
[edit] Alpha Squadron
Alpha Squadron, also referred to as the Blood Hawks in the StarCraft instruction booklet, is commanded by General Edmund Duke. Alpha Squadron units are colored in white in the game. It is described as the most efficient wing of the Confederate armed forces. The Squadron motto is "first in, first out". Once based on Chau Sara, the Squadron had to evacuate the planet when the Protoss and Zerg wiped out all life on the planet.
[edit] History
Alpha Squadron was summoned to Chau Sara to deal with an attack by Sons of Korhal insurgents. They were instructed to take no prisoners. However, they also encountered xenomorphs and Cerberus Recon Squad during the assault. Alpha Squadron found itself following Cerberus' orders and defending the planet from the xenomorphs. General Duke himself led Alpha Squadron in its defense of Chau Sara's capital, Los Andares. Alpha Squadron later left the planet, allowing the xenomorphs to expand. At least some members of Alpha Squadron remained behind on Chau Sara, however.
[edit] See also
[edit] Against the Zerg and the Sons of Korhal
Alpha Squadron moved towards Mar Sara and clumsily "repelled" the powerful Protoss invasion force, led by Executor Tassadar and capable of wiping out all life on the surface of the planet. In reality, Tassadar simply identified himself and his species, then left, as he was unwilling to sterilize Mar Sara until the humans had time to flee.
On Mar Sara Alpha Squadron took control of the planet in order to fight the Zerg infestation, moving colonists to concentration points in the wastelands and eventually arresting the colonial militias. However, it avoided action against the Zerg, didn't defend the core city and wouldn't even help the civilians to escape. Instead, it seemed more interested in defending scientific installations being used to study the Zerg.
[edit] Change in Loyalty
Alpha Squadron left before Mar Sara was sterilized and travelled to Antiga Prime to put down a Sons of Korhal-sponsored rebellion. Over the planet, General Edmund Duke's battlecruiser, the Norad II, was attacked by the Zerg and crash-landed on the planet. Arcturus Mengsk ordered his forces to rescue the general, who in turn had no choice but to join the Sons of Korhal. Duke took his men with him. Alpha Squadron became Mengsk's elite military unit, and they went on to see much action throughout the StarCraft universe as part of the Sons of Korhal and the Terran Dominion.
[edit] Cerberus Recon Squad
Cerberus Recon Squad is a black ops Terran military and scientific organization in the fictional StarCraft universe.
They were first introduced immediately after Sons of Korhal and xenomorph incursions on Chau Sara, when Alpha Squadron arrived to help eliminate the Sons of Korhal. The Cerberus commander did not accompany his small force, which consisted of four Firebat heavy shock troops and two Goliaths. They assisted in the attack against the Sons of Korhal, who were defeated and fled the planet.
The Cerberus commander had an adversarial relationship with Magistrate Collins, who disagreed with his authority and tactics. Collins revealed that the Confederacy has known of the xenomorph's existence for quite some time, and they were the subject of extensive research. However, he had lost communications with the Flannum Installation, where they were being studied. The Installation was surrounded by xenomorphs. Alpha Squadron and Cerberus Recon Squad cooperated in attacking the xenomorphs in order to gain access to the installation.
The Cerberus commander only sent his own forces into the installation. He said his squad knew the code for the installation (something only Magistrate Collins should have known), which enabled them to use the bio-scanners and confirm the presence of the scientists. The xenomorphs were able to hide from the scanners, however. They had managed to imprison the scientists and security guards.
Cerberus was able to defeat the xenomorphs and rescue the scientists with the aid of imprisoned security personnel.
The xenomorphs fell upon Los Andares, capital of Chau Sara, after this incident. General Edmund Duke of Alpha Squadron personally took part in the defense of the city. Upon this victory by the Terrans, Magistrate Collins believed the Alpha Squadron forces should surround Los Andares with a tight perimeter, defending it and its people from the alien menace. However, the Cerberus commander overruled him, actually taking command of the colony from the Magistrate, under the Confederate Colonial Crisis Act, sub-section 1602, allowing the commander to supersede the Magistrates authority in any matter.
Cerberus felt now was a good time to attack the primary Hive Clusters of the xenomorphs. Alpha Squadron and General Duke had to go along with this plan.
Cerberus' plan appeared to be successful, as the xenomorphs were defeated. The Cerberus commander claimed authority from the Confederate High Command when executing his final orders. After the battle he made it clear to all Confederate personnel involved that the incident did not officially happen, and that anyone who made reference to the events on Chau Sara would be terminated.
[edit] See also
[edit] Delta Squadron
Little information is given about this Squadron in the StarCraft game, but it appears to be larger than Alpha Squadron. According to General Duke, it is less professional than Alpha Squadron. Delta Squadron was involved in major battles against the Sons of Korhal on Antiga Prime and Tarsonis and was defeated in both encounters. It is associated with the orange color.
[edit] Epsilon Squadron
Little information is given about this Squadron in the StarCraft manual. It operated a surveillance network of Science Vessels at the borders of the Terran Confederacy. Its game color is yellow, and its current status is unknown.
- In the campaigns, the color of Epsilon Squadron is typically used for enemy heroes. Enemy buildings and units of importance will be colored yellow. For example, the enemy Command Center in the Mission "Emperor's Fall" is yellow, as is the battlecruiser Arcturus Mengsk flies. The only time Epsilon Squadron actively appears is in "Episode VI", guarding the Psi Disruptor as part of the UED.
[edit] Gamma Squadron
Little information is given about this Squadron in StarCraft, and is only known from a web page at the Blizzard Entertainment web site. The Squadron had Marines, SCVs and Valkyrie Frigates.
The Valkyrie was introduced to the Koprulu Sector during the Brood War as a result of the United Earth Directorate invasion. This suggests that the squadron survived contact with the Terran Dominion and was probably absorbed into that organization. Its color is unknown.
[edit] Nova Squadron
Nova Squadron is numerically inferior to other wings of the Confederacy forces, but its units are well-trained, much like those of the Alpha Squadron. Its main purpose is to spy on other organizations, including other Terran Confederacy Squadrons. The Squadron's leader is Colonel Jackson Hauler and its game color is purple.
Nova Squadron is seen in a hidden map in StarCraft, which is generally not considered canon. Before activating the psi-emitters over Tarsonis, Arcturus Mengsk sent the Sons of Korhal down to the surface of Tarsonis in order to disrupt the ability of Nova Squadron, Delta Squadron and Omega Squadron to wage war. They were successful in this regard, but later Nova Squadron was able to escape, launching Nova Station into space.
However, Nova Squadron was eventually brought under the power of the Terran Dominion and is at least nominally under its control. It may control the remnants of Omega Squadron as well, as Hauler's insignia includes the symbol for Omega Squadron.
[edit] See also
[edit] Omega Squadron
Omega Squadron is less professional than Alpha Squadron according to General Duke. They are however referred to as the "Death Head's Legion." The Legion consists mainly of "neurally resocialized" people, who are often mentally unstable criminals. While not professional, these soldiers are among the Confederacy's toughest (and most destructive) soldiers, and are only released in a desperate scenario.
Omega Squadron was involved in major battles against the Sons of Korhal at Tarsonis and also faced down the Zerg later on the surface (losing both times).
At least some members, such as Major Gui Montag, are members of the Terran Dominion, suggesting a few left or actually surrendered despite their neural treatments. It is now rumored to be a part of Nova Squadron, which submitted to the Terran Dominion. The manual says Omega Squadron's color is black, but its game color is brown.
[edit] Confederate Worlds
The capitol world of the Confederacy was Tarsonis, and the next four most important worlds were Brontes, Chau Sara, Dylar IV and Tyrador IX. Other colonies included Antiga Prime, Halcyon, Mar Sara, Pridewater, Tyrador VIII, Ursa and Vyctor 5, some of which are in the belt of Fringe Worlds. The Confederacy was listed as occupying about twelve worlds, but the number has expanded due to Maps of the Month and various novels.
[edit] Former Confederacy members
- General Edmund Duke - Former commander of Alpha Squadron.
- Lieutenant Samir Duran - Former Alpha Squadron officer.
- Colonel Jackson Hauler- Former commander of Nova Squadron.
- Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan - Former Confederate Ghost agent.
- Arcturus Mengsk - Former Confederate prospector.
- First Sergeant Gui Montag - Former Omega Squadron NCO.
- Marshal Jim Raynor - Former colonial marshal to the Mar Sara Badlands region.
[edit] References
- Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
- StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment
- Battle.net StarCraft Compendium
- Nova Station - provides information about the Nova Squadron.
- Information on Gamma Squadron - hold the mouse cursor over the SCV, Marine, and Valkyrie
| 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 |
