The 33rd Ground Assault Division, "Imperial"

Chapter 19: The 33rd Ground Assault Division—Imperial

The 33rd Ground Assault Division belonged to the Fourth Corps of the Onuru Sigma Legion, an army renowned for blitzkrieg tactics and unstoppable assaults.

It had begun as a ground assault unit in the Sigma system. After two full years of grinding warfare against Kel-Morian forces, the unit had been repeatedly broken up, reorganized, and expanded while retaining its designation. It now comprised five army brigades, two armored regiments, and an Engineer Corps.

The division's commander was Arcturus Mengsk, the first Heir of the Mengsk Family of Korhal. Yet ten years ago, the eldest son of the Mengsk Family had been an unknown private.

Arcturus had named the first unit he commanded the Imperial Squad. The tradition had endured to this day: the 33rd Ground Assault Division was also known as the "Imperial" Assault Division, and its insignia was the Sigma Dire Wolf on a red field.

Augustus's brigade was stationed a considerable distance from Turaxis-Prime Base. Even by transport aircraft, it took four hours to get there. Warfield had no reason to come all this way in person. There was no need to guess whose orders he was following.

At 14:45 standard time in the northern hemisphere of Turaxis II, Augustus and the new recruits from Second Platoon boarded an APOD four-engine heavy low-altitude transport. The aircraft could easily carry a platoon of soldiers without Power Armor, but they still had to squeeze into two passenger compartments, while the remaining space was piled high with supply crates and ammunition.

As the transport slowly lifted off, its cabin was completely sealed, with no windows. The recruits had nothing to do but pass the time on their personal terminals and by chatting.

Harnack Hank and Kurt Josephine sat across from Augustus, looking dejected. By contrast, Raynor and the others wore smug grins.

Augustus could almost picture their bewildered faces as Warfield's aide had dragged them out of bed. They had been nestled in someone's arms or sleeping soundly when someone suddenly burst in and told them their leave was over early.

That wasn't even the worst of it. The upright Warfield had looked distinctly displeased when he heard they'd been visiting such places, and had made it clear they weren't to think about doing so again while in service.

The good news, though, was that with a new war looming, leave had been canceled for the entire recruit training camp.

Fortunately, the two didn't let anything bother them for long. In less than five minutes, they'd put the matter behind them and were eagerly boasting to Augustus and the others about their "heroic deeds" from the night before. Then Raynor started telling Second Squad about driving a Vulture, and soon the entire platoon was listening to First Squad brag.

During the flight, Augustus could only browse the Federal Marine Corps' official website, which he'd downloaded in advance. It was filled with reports of clashes between the Terran Confederacy's Marines and Orbital Fleet and the Kel-Morians, from encounters between scouts in the desert towns of Edge Worlds to battles for major cities and even entire planets.

Since it was an official website aimed at the public, all the reports depicted the Confederate military beating the Kel-Morians senseless. Irresponsible holographic news outlets and print publications often reprinted such stories without checking them, all for more clicks and sales.

Under those circumstances, "embellishing" the truth a little was considered acceptable. Even the most authoritative and credible outlet, the UNN Global News Network, was no exception.

The Confederate military was unstoppable and winning victory after victory. The Kel-Morians were routed, retreating at every turn. Most Terran Confederacy citizens believed that it was only a matter of time before the military won the war. Their only concern was that it wouldn't take too long, or the ever-heavier taxes would crush most hardworking people.

Augustus came across several reports about Turaxis II. Even just by checking the dates and the forces each side had publicly committed, he could tell that the fighting was steadily escalating.

The arrival of the 33rd Ground Assault Division and other forces from across the Confederacy proved that the stalemate between the Terran Confederacy and the Kel-Morians on Turaxis was about to break. The Confederacy was still pouring large numbers of troops onto the planet. It was easy to see that Marine Corps Command was planning a decisive battle that would determine who controlled the entire world.

None of this was something the officers at the recruit training camp would tell them. The noncommissioned officers only said that the Kel-Morians were fierce and cunning, but the Marines could handle them. Sweat more during training, and you'd bleed less on the battlefield.

The coming war on Turaxis II was both a danger and an opportunity for Augustus. Whether in the Game or in the StarCraft universe he now inhabited, living Marines were worth less than nothing. But if Augustus could get promoted and become a senior noncommissioned officer or a commander, it would greatly benefit his future as well.

Rather than spend every day praying like a coward that a shell wouldn't land on him, leaving his life or death to fate, Augustus would rather start building his reputation and military record from the ground up.

If he was lucky enough, Augustus might earn a few medals in battle and become a noncommissioned officer before the war ended. If all went well, he could be discharged through the demobilization process, return to Korhal, and inherit the family business. He would persuade his father to abandon the idea of rebelling against the Terran Confederacy and settle down as a nobleman.

Augustus lacked the ambition and desire for control that seemed innate to the Mengsk Family. After all, revolution and salvation had never had anything to do with him. He was long past the age of dreaming of changing the world and becoming its savior.

At first, the transport flew smoothly. But during the second half of the journey, everyone felt severe turbulence, and Augustus had to put down his personal terminal and grab the handrail. Then Warfield came over the loudspeaker and told them that at least two Kel-Morian Hellhound squadrons were chasing them, but there was no need to panic.

"Kel-Morian Hellfire aircraft rarely dare to venture deep into our territory, but there are always exceptions," the lieutenant said.

Most of the recruits began to panic as the transport rolled and spun, making sharp turns to evade missile locks. All they could do was pray the Kel-Morian Hellhounds wouldn't catch their prey, even though they knew it was only a matter of time.

For a while, the transport kept making all sorts of difficult, sharp evasive maneuvers. Augustus felt the world spinning around him, his head and feet flipping end over end. It was far more intense than the suspended roller coaster at the Sterling Central amusement park.

"We're done for..." Tom Omo said, holding his face. "Mom, forgive me. Mom..."

"Oh, this pilot's flying is awful." Raynor had never flown a ship, but that didn't stop him from running his mouth.

At that moment, Harnack was whooping and hollering, Josephine was hollering and whooping, Ward wore an expressionless face, Zander had gone pale, and Benjamin prayed without stopping. Another, even fiercer jolt shook the transport, and Augustus's seat shuddered violently.

If they hadn't been strapped tightly into their seats, they would have been flung against the cabin walls and smashed to a bloody pulp. The warning lights overhead had also changed from a soft blue to a flashing red.

"We've been hit." Lieutenant Warfield's voice grew louder, but he remained calm.

The transport rolled over, and the recruits saw the cabin ceiling spinning above them. Augustus felt himself falling.