Introduction

StarCraft Episode III is part of the StarCraft storyline -- the history of the in the fictional universe of StarCraft. StarCraft is a real-time strategy computer game released by Blizzard Entertainment in 1998.

The StarCraft science fiction universe features three races: the renegade human Terrans, the noble cybernetic warrior Protoss, and the horrific bug-like Zerg. The storyline covers the fortunes of these three races and their leaders, fighting for dominance in a remote region of the galaxy.

StarCraft Episode III begins with the invasion of Aiur.

The Fall

Two days after the Zerg Overmind landed on Aiur, the Protoss are marshalling their defenses. As Tassadar is no longer around, a new Executor is appointed by the Protoss Conclave. Aldaris, a Conclave advisor to Tassadar, has returned to Aiur and now acts as the advisor to the new Executor, due to his experiences with the Zerg.

The Province of Antioch was a vital strategic logaction in the war against the Zerg on the Protoss homeworld of Aiur. After the Zerg Overmind forged a bond between itself and Aiur, it sent its minions across the furthest reaches of Aiur; Antioch was among the first locations to be assaulted.

The first Battle of Antioch saw the initial invasion of the region by the Overmind's minions. Elements of the Tiamat Brood were successful in laying siege to the province and cutting it off from the rest of Aiur.

First Battle of Antioch

Aldaris orders the new Executor to defend the province of Antioch, and reinforce the Protoss outpost there. The stalwart Preator of Protoss Defense Forces Fenix, will assist.

After a brief time of relative peace in the region, the blockade was finally broken by forces from the new Executor. Once the central outpost of Antioch was reconnected to the outside world, reinforcements were quickly transported into the fortified base and destroyed all opposition from the inside out. Praetor Fenix was pivotal in the campaign and personally led the Templar to victory, with direction and aid from the new Executor.

A New Strategy

The following night, Aldaris, the new Executor, and Fenix hold a discussion. Aldaris congratulated Fenix and the new Executor for defeating the Zerg, saying Tassadar's desertion had shaken his faith in the Templar Caste . Tassadar suddenly joins the communication, and declared the Aldaris should never have lost faith in the Templar in the first place.

Aldaris did not know where Tassadar had gone. Tassadar informed him that after the Zerg left Tarsonis, he did not know where they had gone. The Conclave ordered Tassadar to return to Aiur. However, he soon felt a powerful psionic call from Char, and felt compelled to remain. He travelled to Char, and discovered others had felt the call as well - the Dark Templar.

Aldaris angrily told Tassadar that "consorting with Fallen Ones is heresy!" but Tassadar told him to be silent. He had learned from the Dark Templar Prelate, Zeratul, that the Zerg Overmind controls the Zerg through agents, called Cerebrates. If the Cerebrates are slain, the Zerg will fall.

Aldaris demands that Tassadar return, as he can feel the influence of the Dark Templar on Tassadar's mind, but Tassadar refuses.

Meanwhile, Fenix agrees with his old friend Tassadar. If the Executor opens a hole in the Zerg defenses, Fenix will directly attack the Cerebrate.

The Protoss plan works. Fenix's forces, complete with Reavers, attack and destroy the Cerebrate. Fenix orders a general withdrawl, to watch from a safe distance as the Zerg become erratic. However, the Zerg Cerebrate reincarnated in front of their very eyes.

Second Battle of Antioch

Two hours later, the new Executor led an attack on Scion, a province overrun with the Zerg. While the Executor was successful in freeing Scion, Antioch was again being overrun.

The second Battle of Antioch was an absolute slaughter. Fenix and a small detachment was left in the province to safegaurd it from further assaults; however, with elements of the Fleet of the Executor caught up in war in the adjacent province of Scion, the Antioch defenders were overrun by a swift strike from the Zerg. When Fenix called for help, Aldaris told him to hold out as long as he could. During the battle with the Zerg, Fenix's psi-blades "shorted out", leaving him vulnerable to attack by a Hydralisk. This was a dark day for the Templar, as Fenix, Hero and Steward of the Templar, was felled and believed slain.

The Search for Heretics

The Conclave was convinced that it was still winning the war against the Zerg, and turned to the matter of Tassadar. Aldaris took a small fleet with him to Char for the purpose of arresting Tassadar and bringing him back to stand trial for treason.

Aldaris proclaimed that Tassadar, rather than the Zerg, posed the truest threat to Aiur. While Tassadar had told him the Zerg had left Char, Aldaris could still sense a lingering darkness.

The Protoss landed on an orbital platform over Char and made their way towards Tassadar's small base. On the way, they encountered some Zerg defense structures, but were able to fight their way through.

Eventually they encountered Tassadar himself, along with a Terran, Jim Raynor. Tassadar was thankful for the "rescue" until Aldaris told him he had arrived to arrest him. Tassadar was angry that Aldaris would leave Aiur while it was being attacked by the Zerg.

Jim Raynor, having been in a similar position, told Tassadar not to let this get to him, but Aldaris scoffs at him.

Aldaris ordered the Executor to arrest Tassadar, but Tassadar explained that only Dark Templar could destroy Zerg Cerebrates and defeat the Zerg, but the Dark Templar had gone missing. Aldaris refused to have anything to do with the "Fallen Ones". The new Executor joined Tassadar's side.

As Tassadar and his allies attempted to escape from the orbital platform, more Zerg appeared and attacked. Tassadar was able to fight past the Zerg and lead his forces to the surface of Char.

Tassadar occupied an "island" surrounded by lava. On a larger island lay an abandoned Terran installation, where the Dark Templar resided. Other islands housed Zerg and even Terrans. The Terran base was on fire, and nearby islands housed infested Terran structures.

Alpha Squadron was still trying to occupy the planet, and confronted the Protoss, declaring their "violation of Terran airspace". Tassadar said his lenience towards Duke had been "in error" and he would "burn the pathetic fleet to the last man". Duke assumed that was a "hostile response" and ordered an attack, which was repulsed.

Tassadar's forces fought their way past numerous Zerg Hive Clusters to get to the installation. Only Tassadar and two Protoss Zealots were able to make it inside.

The installation housed a number of still-living Terrans. However, they did not attack the Protoss; instead, they struck an alliance with them. Together they fought the Zerg within, while Tassadar was able to teleport Protoss reinforcements to aid him. Eventually they neared the core of the installation, where they were attacked by a wave of Zerg. Most of the Terrans and Protoss died, but Tassadar survived. He found Zeratul and the Dark Templar imprisoned within the facility.

Meanwhile, the Terrans continued to cause problems for the Protoss outside, so the Protoss laid an ambush. Using an Arbiter for cloaking cover, a force of Protoss Dragoons wiped out a Terran outpost. Zeratul tells Tassadar that the Dark Templar are still loyal to Aiur, but they fear travelling there because they will not be welcomed. Tassadar, however, asks them to come with him anyway.

Return to Aiur

Tassadar takes his small army to Aiur, where word has travelled of his "treason". Fenix, once thought dead, is marshalling Templar Caste warriors to aid Tassadar. When Tassadar arrives, he is sad to see what happened to Fenix, who now inhabits the cold robotic shell of a Protoss Dragoon.

The Protoss Conclave is opposed to Tassadar's plans, which Tassadar believes can save Aiur from the Zerg. As a result, Tassadar orders an attack on the Heart of the Conclave itself, which is defended by Vanguard of Aiur troops from the Ara and Auriga Tribes. Zeratul and his Dark Templar joined in the attack and were instrumental in the destruction of the Conclave's headquarters.

Tassadar then said he was sick of fighting against his own people when he fell into an ambush. A force of Arbiters, led by Aldaris, attacked from an unsuspected direction and took Tassadar prisoner. The Judicator Caste prepares Tassadar for a trial for treason.

In the aftermath, the Dark Templar vanished. Fenix believed it was wrong for Tassadar to have put any faith in them. However, he feels he must now rescue Tassadar, as the trial won't be fair. Jim Raynor joins Fenix, saying that Tassadar risked himself to save Jim Raynor, and he owes Tassadar a favor.

Controlling his battlecruiser, the Hyperion, Jim Raynor assisted the Protoss. However, more bad news awaited Fenix. The Vanguard of Aiur troops included soldiers of the Furinax Tribe , a member of the Khalai Caste , which includes the majority of the Protoss of Aiur.

Nonetheless Fenix leads the assault. They find Tassadar imprisoned in a Stasis Cell on a well-defended island. However, the Templar Caste has superior leadership, and Fenix and Raynor are able to fight their way to the cell and destroy it, freeing Tassadar.

Tassadar had a little time to thank his rescuers when Aldaris and his Arbiters appeared, ambushing the Templar warriors. However, they are in turn ambushed by Zeratul and his Dark Templar. Aldaris and Zeratul trade insults and begin to fight. The battle takes place "off-screen" but we do know that both Zeratul and Aldaris survived.

Assault on the Overmind

Zeratul and Tassadar discussed their plans with Fenix ... when Zeratul attacked Zasz, he made mental contact with the Zerg Overmind. When the Overmind read Zeratul's mind, Zeratul read the Overmind as well. He discovered that the Overmind was created by the Xel'Naga, the same race which empowered the Protoss in their infancy, but the Overmind grew beyond their constraints, and now seeks to assimilate all life in the universe.

Zeratul plans on "thinning the herd" of Zerg defending the Overmind by assassinating two Cerebrates, driving their Broods into disarray. Fenix will attack the primary Hive Clusters, creating a diversion for Zeratul and his companions to kill the Cerebrates.

Fenix's forces had acquired a small number of Arbiters, crewed by Judicators after the defeat of the Protoss Conclave. The Zerg put up a fierce fight, but in the end the two Cerebrates lay dead, slain by the Dark Templar Zeratul and could not be reincarnated. One of these Cerebrates, Gorn of the Baelrog Brood, had been attacked by Fenix previously.

Now that the path to the Overmind lay open, Tassadar rallied his forces. Jim Raynor and his Raynor's Raiders vowed to assist. Judicators witnessed the successful elimination of Cerebrates and the disarray of the Broods, and so Aldaris apologized to Tassadar. While this came too late to assist Tassadar, it did mean the Judicators would not interfere with Tassadar's quest.

The Overmind was protected by two Broods, but neither of those Cerebrates were present on the battlefield. The Protoss and Terran forces maintained separate, but nearby, military bases, with Tassadar commanding from his Carrier, the Ganthrithor. Together they carved a path to the Overmind when tragedy struck.

The Ganthrithor was heavily damaged by Mutalisks in the battle, and was falling apart near the Overmind. Worse, the Overmind had opened a huge rift into warp space above itself, and was trying to escape. The Zerg fought a fierce delaying action around the Overmind, trying to protect it long enough to warp away. Tassadar could only see one way of ending this battle - he sacrificed himself, transforming into a pulse of destructive Dark Templar energy. This wave crashed into the Overmind, destroying it.

But the threat did not die with the Overmind, for another is poised to take this opportunity to come to power themselves...

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References

• StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment
• Battle.net StarCraft Compendium