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"Priority alert! Backwater station under attack by unknown alien organisms. Distress beacon activated at 0658."

- Adjutant(src)

Backwater Station is the second terran mission of Episode I of StarCraft.

History[]

Background[]

With the Terran Confederacy ordering a lockdown of Mar Sara, the colonists under the command of the colonial magistrate were secured under the protection of Marshal Jim Raynor. However, the adjutant received a distress call from another base, Backwater Station, which was under attack by the same alien organisms that the colonists had encountered in the Wasteland. The adjutant contacted the Confederate military, and Edmund Duke informed Raynor and the magistrate the distress call had been received and could be taken care of.

Raynor was skeptical of the Confederates' ability to intervene in a timely manner, and told the magistrate waiting for them to help would doom the colony. Instead, Raynor offered to lead a force of the Mar Sara Colonial Militia to rescue the base.[1]

The Evacuation[]

Raynor and the colonial militia arrived to find a more invasive infestation; the aliens had birthed strange buildings that secreted a purple substance on the nearby ground, and the aliens were greater and more diverse in number. Raynor led the militia in liberating Backwater Station, and pushed the attack to the source of the infestation, a command center that had been taken control of by the aliens. Raynor ordered it burned to stop the aliens.

Though the station was secured, Duke arrested Raynor and his men for the destruction of a Confederate installation. Though Raynor protested the installation has been infested and its destruction saved the colony, his words fell on deaf ears, and he surrendered peacefully to the Confederacy.[2]

The next article in this series is Desperate Alliance.

Walkthrough[]

The player begins in command of two SCVs, four marines, and Raynor in a vulture. This force is large enough to move north and destroy the enemies north by the creep colony, beyond which is the Backwater Station base. Upon taking command of the base, the player receives an additional two barracks, five firebats, two SCVs, and an academy. The player's initial base has a vespene geyser while the rescued base does not, so the player can move their command center closer to the geyser for faster collecting and focus on mineral collection at the rescued base.

The player should begin researching U-238 shells, and build an engineering bay to upgrade their infantry. While these upgrades research, the player can use their three barracks to build up a large force of marines. Approximately a dozen is a good start, two dozen if the player wishes to be sure. The player can lead these forces out the eastern entrance of their base to another cluster of aliens, down into a valley, and then north-east to the source of the infestation, several buildings and an infested command center. While moving out the player should send their firebats and Raynor in first, followed by their marines. When the infested command center is destroyed, the mission is won.

The entire south-east part of the map does not need to be explored at all, but has another mineral patch if the player runs out, behind numerous enemy forces.

Starcraft_-_Terran_Mission_2_Backwater_Station

Starcraft - Terran Mission 2 Backwater Station

Notes[]

  • The dialogue when attacking the infested command center will depend on the units near it. Depending on which unit is closer upon discovering it, either a marine or a firebat will say "what the hell did they do to that command center?" If Raynor is nearby, he will make his reply, but will not if he is not near the command center. If only Raynor is near the command center, the dialogue exchange will not occur.
  • In early builds of StarCraft: Ghost, data exists of this mission being playable. It is unknown if this was for testing purposes or was intended to be available in the final game.[3]

References[]

  1. Edmund Duke: "We've already received the distress beacon from Backwater, and we'll take care of it. You just sit tight. You'll be notified if there's anything we think you need to know." Jim Raynor: "Damn! Listen, if we wait for Confederate reinforcements, that station's dust. I'll head out there now, do what I can. You send in some militia, and we'll save those folks. Trust me." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Backwater Station (in English). 1998.
  2. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Backwater Station (in English). 1998.
  3. 2014-18-12, StarCraft: Ghost Demo Build. Dropbox.com, accessed on 2020-02-16.
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