Sons of Korhal
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The Sons of Korhal are a military organization in the fictional StarCraft universe, founded after the destruction of the colony world of Korhal. They were branded as terrorists by their enemy, the Terran Confederacy.
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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. 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.
Foundation of the Sons of Korhal
The attack on Korhal wiped out the majority of the rebellion, but a small number of outraged recruits from Umoja and even the Fringe Worlds joined Arcturus Mengsk's organization. Mengsk called his rebellion the Sons of Korhal.
One of the rebellion's first missions was to infiltrate a facility on Vyctor 5, called the Fujita Facility. It was hidden in a stable and violent weather formation called the Fujita Pinnacle. The planet's security was formidable. Nonetheless, Mengsk's daring tactics enabled the rebels to destroy the facility's defenses and raid it. Within, they discovered a young psychic named Sarah Kerrigan, a scientist, Dr. Flanx, and xenomorphs, the latter slain by Pollock Rimes. Kerrigan's memory had been wiped, and her psychic abilities restrained like those of most other Terran Ghost's, but she quickly became a valuable member of Mengsk's team, to the irritation of Rimes.
Mengsk was annoyed at the Confederate coverup of his attack, however. The media reported that terrorists had attacked an "environmental facility", and did not name the attackers.
Mengsk's hidden information sources led him to openly appear in the space of the Terran Confederacy in the Hyperion. As he did so, he told Kerrigan that he hadn't retrieved her because of the secrets of Vyctor 5, but because she knew the layout of the Ghost Academy on Tarsonis. Kerrigan's memory was returning, and soon she would remember how to get through it and perform a special mission for Mengsk.
A traitor drew the attention of Edmund Duke, a high-ranking Terran Confederacy military officer commanding his battlecruiser, the Norad II. Duke expertly blocked the Hyperion from exiting into warp space and sent a detachment of Terran Marines onto the Hyperion.
The Hyperion attempted to escape, and inside Mengsk laid the plans for an ambush of both the Marines and the Norad II. In the end, the Marines were slain, Dr. Flanx was dead, the Norad II was heavily damaged and the Hyperion had escaped.
Duke had sent a Ghost secretly onto the Hyperion, however, which started to kill rebels. Sarah Kerrigan took Mengsk's sidearm and fought the Ghost. She eventually killed it with a large knife. When informing Mengsk of this development, she was able to read some of his thoughts. He believed it was "one of the three", but carefully blanked his mind, preventing Kerrigan from reading anything else.
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 were identified as a dangerous terrorist group.
Sara's Xenomorphs
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 had been 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 about to massacre the civilians. The Confederates made no move to assist, and the 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 rebels could arrive. The colonists were up to the task, and were able to 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 suprised 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 the things as a weapon 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.
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.
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 ringed with Zerg, and Alpha Squadron's ground forces were unable to rescue him.
The Sons of Korhal sent their own forces to assist the General, which greatly surprised Raynor and Kerrigan. Alpha Squadron was willing to temporarily ally with their former enemies to rescue their leader. While successful, Duke didn't show any gratitude. Mengsk gave him the choice of joining his cabinet, or a government 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. 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 things 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. The Protoss arrived and once against sterilized a Terran world.
Political Transformations
The Sons of Korhal prepared to defeat the Terran Confederacy for good by attacking the capital, Tarsonis. It was still too small to attack Tarsonis directly, however. 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, but now they arrived in large numbers. 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, devastating the Terran Confederacy. The Protoss 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 complained that she didn't have any backup - both himself and General Edmund Duke were ordered to remain on on Mengsk's command ship. Fending off occasional Zerg attacks, she defeated the Protoss fleet. At this point, the Zerg began a massive attack against her forces. Mengsk ordered the Sons of Korhal to leave the system, however, abandoning Kerrigan to a horrible fate.
Jim Raynor took the Hyerion 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 spar, first verbally, then physically. General Duke has taken control of the Ion Cannon, a powerful anti-ship weapon that prevents Raynor's forces from escaping.
Raynor is forced to fight the Sons of Korhal, cutting a path the the Ion Cannon and destroying it. Shortly thereafter, his forces escape from Tarsonis.
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 suceeded 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.
Crowning himself "Emperor" of the Terran Dominion, Arcturus Mengsk, with General Edmund Duke as his military advisor, claimed control and was unopposed by any legal Terran faction to his rule. With few exceptions, such as an elite commando squad led by one Samir Duran, the Dominion ruled over the Koprulu Sector without any threat to its control. 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 invasionary force 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 backstabbing of Samir Duran, who had originally joined the UED as an ally, the UED failed in its agenda and was eventually overwhelmed by Infested Kerrigan, Jim Raynor, Fenix and Arcturus Mengsk who were working together to rid themselves of the UED. Mengsk had a more stand-by 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.
By the end of the Brood War, the UED Expeditionary Force had been annihilated, leaving behind a ruined Dominion. Having been driven to the brink of annihilation by various UED, Zerg, and Protoss assaults, it nevertheless survived. Indeed, four years later, it has largely rebuilt its armies and still skirmishes with the Zerg. It is also involved in battle with the Koprulu Liberation Front.
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.
References
- StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment (http://www.blizzard.com/starcraft/)
- Battle.net StarCraft Compendium (http://www.battle.net/scc/)
- 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.
