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Alpha Squadron

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"First in, first out."
―Alpha Squadron motto.[src]
Alpha Squadron
Political
Type

Advanced tactical strike squadron

Race(s)
Leader

Edmund Duke (formerly)

De facto leader
Affiliation

Terran Confederacy (formerly)
Sons of Korhal (formerly)
Terran Dominion

Societal
Capital/Base
Historical
Date reorganized

July 2500 (as the Dominion advanced tactical strike unit)

Status

Terran Dominion squadron (destroyed?)

Alpha Squadron, also referred to as the Blood Hawks, was a Terran Confederacy military unit commanded by Edmund Duke.[1] Consisting of multiple divisions,[2] Alpha Squadron units wear white. It was described as the most efficient wing of the Confederate armed forces. Once based on Chau Sara,[1] the Squadron survived when the protoss and zerg wiped out all life on the planet, even confronting the protoss which attacked that world.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

Main article: Battle of Noranda Glacier

Captain Edmund Duke of Alpha Squadron brought a unit of Alpha Squadron marines and goliaths to Onuru Sigma. He met with 33rd Ground Assault Division commander Brantigan Fole and promising young captain Arcturus Mengsk. Fole was ordered to combine active squads, and attached the 33rd's Dominion section to Duke's own troops. Duke would hold command authority and would evaluate Dominion section's performance. They were to attack a Kel-Morian Combine-operated mining facility at the Noranda Glacier.

The battle turned into a trap. The dilapidated refinery was a carefully hidden series of strongpoints, and Duke's aggressive tactics resulted in him and his forces being trapped. Mengsk took over command, calling in Wraith fire to strafe the complex before his forces rushed into the complex and rescued Alpha Squadron. The two formations were forced to retreat as a massive Kel-Morian force approached. The Guild Wars were declared as a result of the battle.[4]

[edit] Against the Zerg and the Sons of Korhal

Main article: StarCraft: Loomings

Alpha Squadron was summoned to Chau Sara to deal with an attack by Sons of Korhal insurgents. They were instructed to take no prisoners. There they encountered xenomorphs and Cerberus Recon Squad during the assault.[5] Alpha Squadron found itself following Cerberus' orders and defending the planet from the xenomorphs. Duke himself led Alpha Squadron in its defense of the city of Los Andares, fighting from a siege tank. They successfully defended the city and were then ordered to attack the main xenomorph hive cluster in the planet. The attack was a success.[6] However, these efforts only delayed the inevitable and could not stop the zerg taking control of the planet.[1]

Main article: StarCraft Episode I

Alpha Squadron moved towards Mar Sara and clumsily "repelled" the powerful protoss invasion force led by Executor Tassadar.[3][1] 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.[1]

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[7] 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.[8] Instead, it seemed more interested in defending scientific installations being used to study the zerg.[9] The Squadron evacuated the majority of its troops although several units, such as the troops guarding the Jacobs Installation were left behind and killed.[10]

[edit] Change in Loyalty

Alpha Squadron left before Mar Sara was sterilized and traveled to Antiga Prime to put down a Sons of Korhal-sponsored rebellion.[11] Over the planet, General Edmund Duke's battlecruiser, the Norad II, was attacked by the zerg and crash-landed on the planet. Alpha Squadron attempted to rescue him at some point as they were heavily outnumbered by the zerg presence.[12] Arcturus Mengsk ordered his forces to rescue the general and as a result Duke defected to the Sons of Korhal.[13] The rest of Alpha Squadron followed suit. As part of the Sons of Korhal the squadron fought six more months against Confederate reinforcements and zerg[10] before breaking out and departing for Tarsonis.[14]

Alpha Squadron led the assault on Tarsonis, driving Delta and Omega Squadron forces from the planet's central space platform and breaching the defenses for a landing planetside.[15] The Squadron's troops were then ordered by General Duke to activate the psi emitters, much to the shock of Kerrigan, Raynor, Liberty and many others.[10] Due to the genocidal actions caused by Mengsk and Duke, a number of the Alpha Squadron's troops deserted, joining Raynor's Raiders[16] They later on also helped to secure the orbiting Ion Cannon. However, they were unable to prevent Jim Raynor and his disillusioned followers from destroying the cannon and forcing their way off world.[17]

Alpha Squadron was sent to Char to retrieve Sarah Kerrigan,[18] who had been sending desperate psychic visions to Arcturus Mengsk as she was being infested.[19] The mission was a absolute disaster. Alpha Squadron encountered heavy resistance from both the protoss and zerg and was unable to retrieve Kerrigan. The ground force was dislodged from their drop zone with over fifty percent casualties. The fleet came under attack by zerg and attempted to withdraw. While the Norad III managed to escape much of the remainder was destroyed by the protoss expeditionary force.[16] A small detachment remained on Char under Duke's command but was also defeated by the protoss and pulled out as well.[20]

[edit] The Enslavers Mission

Main article: StarCraft: Enslavers

An element of Alpha Squadron was ordered to attack the notorious smuggling organization, the Schezar's Scavengers, on an unidentified world. The Scavengers were surrounded by zerg which seemed to be cooperating with them, but Alpha Squadron was able to defeat the combined forces.[21] The Squadron then traveled to a larger Scavenger base, where the Scavengers had control of a Cerebrate and also held several protoss prisoner. Mengsk ordered the Cerebrate killed. The protoss praetor Mojo, imprisoned in a Stasis Cell on Aiur, contacted the local commander and asked him to rescue the protoss instead, as Alan Schezar, leader of the Scavengers, could simply acquire another Cerebrate.[22] The Squadron detachment disobeyed orders and eventually traveled to Aiur, rescuing Mojo and working with the protoss.[23][24]

[edit] Interbellum

Main article: Battle of Bhekar Ro

After the Great War, the terran colonists of Bhekar Ro discovered a xel'naga temple. This drew protoss and zerg to the planet. The Dominion replied to the colony's pleas for assistance by dispatching Alpha Squadron. Emperor Mengsk's ulterior motive was to keep General Duke and his men at arm's length. The Squadron regarded the mission as trivial.[25]

The Squadron lost a number of battlecruisers to the protoss in the orbital battle with the protoss and zerg. Terran forces landed just in time to save Free Haven, the world's only town, from the Kukulkan Brood. The town was heavily damaged in the fighting and promptly fortified to serve as Alpha Squadron's headquarters.[25]

Duke ordered a general advance on the temple despite heavy protoss and zerg activity in the area. The terran suffered heavy casualties and were repulsed by the protoss. The general ordered the temple to be nuked, believing the protoss and zerg would withdraw if the temple was destroyed. The temple's destruction released an energy creature that absorbed the protoss and zerg. The remainder of the Squadron's fleet in orbit fired on the departing creature with Yamato Cannon, but the creature merely absorbed the fire and destroyed the ships.[25]

In the immediate aftermath Alpha Squadron's few remaining ships[26] were not interstellar-capable and left the survivors temporarily stranded.[25] It was months before anybody thought to check on them.[26]

[edit] Brood War

Alpha Squadron made no identifiable appearances in the Brood War, although General Duke was seen twice before he was killed in action, which would render the squadron leaderless.

[edit] Known Members

[edit] Notes

In StarCraft: Brood War, the squadron's white color was assumed in-game by the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Force's Cronus Wing.

[edit] References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
  2. ↑ Terran Strategy. StarCraft Compendium.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Blizzard Entertainment Staff. 2007-11-21. The Story so Far... Part 1: StarCraft. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-11-21.
  4. ↑ McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 1416-55083-6.
  5. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Loomings bonus campaign, mission 1: "Strongarm" (in English). 1998-09-03. Map Archives: Precursor Campaign.
  6. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Loomings bonus campaign, mission 4: "Force of Arms" (in English). 1998-09-03. Map Archives: Precursor Campaign.
  7. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Mission (in English). 1998.
  8. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Desperate Alliance (in English). 1998.
  9. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Jacobs Installation (in English). 1998.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7.
  11. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Revolution (in English). 1998.
  12. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Downing of Norad II (in English). 1998.
  13. ↑ StarCraft.Vivendi Games. Mission: Norad II (in English). 1998.
  14. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Trump Card (in English). 1998.
  15. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Big Push (in English). 1998.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Rosenberg, Aaron (June 1, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7133-4.
  17. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Hammer Falls (in English). 1998.
  18. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The New Dominion (in English). 1998.
  19. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Agent of the Swarm (in English). 1998.
  20. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Choosing Sides (in English). 1998.
  21. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Enslavers bonus campaign, mission 1: "Schezar's Scavengers" (in English). 1998.
  22. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Enslavers bonus campaign, mission 2A: "Playing with Fire" (in English). 1998.
  23. ↑ StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Enslavers bonus campaign, mission 3B: "The Final Blow" (in English). 1998.
  24. ↑ 2007-10-08. SC:L Metzen Interview - Lore Exclusive. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-10-08.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Golden, Christie. StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Pocket Star Books, May 2007. ISBN 0-7434-7125-3.
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