Craft among the Stars

Conflict(K+)

Beside the Protoss Nexus, Cassidy was practicing combat.

She wore the executor armor the adjacent showed her previously. Two psi blades were her major weapon. The ark like psi amplifier on her back allowed her the ability to create psionic storms, create hallucination, and use feedback on enemy mechanical units. It also gave her the ability to form a psionic blast and use it as a ranged attack against enemies. A plasma shield was positioned around her body, keeping her safe.

A Protoss zeolet was positioned before her. It's a normal zeolet with two psi blades on his arms and a plasma shield. He was the first Protoss soldier created, and Cassidy turned him to a zeolet after spending 1000 minerals. For now, he's her sparring partner.

Cassidy first dashed at the zeolet, her blades were lifted before her chest to protect herself. The zeolet, however, easily dodged the charge and sliced her on the back, causing a small ripple on her shield.

"Your skills with the blade is weak, Executor." The zeolet communicated with Cassidy through the Khala. True, Cassidy is a great killer, but she hadn't had too much experience with melee combat. Most of her actions were completed via tools like firearm, poison, or the use of the element of surprise. She's no match for a Protoss warrior who had been in training for centuries, at least not in terms of pure melee.

Cassidy nodded and returned to the fight.

Three minutes later, a battered Cassidy was standing in the Nexus, talking with the adjacent. 

"Is there any method that I can become stronger?" She asked. She's fully aware that her main strength lies in her Protoss army, but she doesn't have it yet, which means she'll have to rely on her own skills. She was pretty confident before. Not now. "Is there any way to improve my psionic level?" 

Psionic level is a very interesting thing. The higher level someone is, he or she can not only do more tricks but can also have stronger abilities. For example, the psionic storm created by a level 10 archon is so much stronger by that created by a level 8 high templer.

Cassidy's current psi level is level 8. However, she's not even close to half as good as a high templer simply cause her time with psi had been quite short. A normal high templer would have practiced for centuries before they became a zeolet, and then they'd have to spend hundreds of years more to become a high templer. As a sixteen year old girl, she's young.

In that case, she'd have to use level to supplement her lack of experience.

The adjacent obviously hesitated. "What?" Cassidy pushed. "Say it."

"There is a way to increase the psionic level of an individual. That is by absorbing a substance known as the terrazine. It's first used by a Protoss fraction called the Tal'darim." The mechanical, purifier adjacent is obviously disliking the idea. "The use of terrazine can lead to multiple, severe negative impacts, including hallucination, confusion of thought, and always makes the user overaggressive."

"Is there any terrazine in the base?" Cassidy asked curiously. "Don't look at me like this. Terrazine can be a last resort, used when I'm close to death."

"Terrazine can only be received after you unlock the Tal'darim branch." The adjacent replied.

"Unlock?" Cassidy smirked. "We're not playing a game here. There's no need for balance. Can't you just give me the freaking substance?"

"Only a Tal'darim Nexus is able to formulate the substance." The adjacent said. "This Nexus is a Daelaam Nexus. A Tal'darim Nexus will require 4000 minerals to create and will grant you the ability of creating Tal'darim units and structures."

"Is it worth it?" Cassidy asked.

"Tal'darim are known for their ability in combat and their loyalty towards the strongest." Adjacent said. "But that is the problem. You are weaker than any ascendant in the Tal'darim army. Even a few supplicants can defeat you. If you want to command the Tal'darim, you must be stronger and use the terrazain, which had terrible consequences."

"I see." Cassidy replied as her armor disappeared, and her body exited the protoss base.

---

The Terran base had been enlarged by at least fifty percent. Blue, steel framed structures were placed on an area cleared out by the SCVs.

A few bunkers have been constructed around the perimeter, and ten marines had been positioned in each bunker. Cassidy walked by those bunkers and into the commanding center.

"Report the situation." She ordered.

"Current unit count: 100 marine. 20 elite marine. 3 bunkers. 5 SCVs." The adjacent said. "But the droids are starting to notice us. Their patrol groups have been increasing and are now scouting for our base. It appears that the main droid army have already marched into and have taken control of the capital city of Naboo."

It's been two days since the Jedis left. "Is there are news from the Jedis?" She asked. The droid army is already onto them, and if they fight this battle alone, they will perish.

"Negative." Cassidy nodded and walked into a side room of the commanding center.

A blonde male was in the room. Brian.

"We need to do something about the droids army." Cassidy said matter-of-factly. "If we don't, then sooner or later the droids will be able to discover us, and then we'd be in trouble. Thousands of droids can easily wipe us out. It's not going to matter if we have hundreds of marines and a few bunkers."

Brian signed and touched his eyebrows, frustrated. Cassidy frowned. The man doesn't have what it takes to be a ruler. He's soft and indecisive. He's a nice guy, but leader's aren't supposed to be nice.

Normally it's not her concern, but if she wants to be strong, she has to pest off a stronger figure. That's why she'll do everything that's necessary to make the Terran stronger. And an organization is only as strong as its leader.

Cassidy sat beside Brian. "Is there something that's bothering you?" She asked.

"I am well aware of the danger we are in." Brian said tiredly. "But there's little we can do. The Jedis are not back, but the droid army had been closing in on us. The droids are hundreds of times our forces. We also lack fighters and pretty much anything that can hit air due to the lack of vespine gas. I'm out of tricks." He slammed the table before him.

"You need to calm yourself." Cassidy reassured. "You are our leader. If you lose your confidence, then we are really doomed. But if you keep calm, then we can always find a way out of fire."

"I hope so." Brian said, not really calming down. 

Cassidy signed. If there's something she learned from years of struggle, it is that hiding and ignoring the problem is never a valid option. She took out a piece of paper and a pencil and placed it before the table in front. Brian looked at her, confused.

"The problem we are having," Cassidy started. "Is that the droids outnumber and outgun us. But our marines are more agile and slightly stronger than the droids, yes?"

Brian nodded.

"Then we take down their number advantage." Cassidy drew two sides on the paper. One of them had 100 circles. The other had one square. In a full scale, we can't take the droid army down. But  what happens if we approaches, take a few shots, and then run when the main droid force engages?"

"What?" Brian frowned.

"This is something the rebels did while fighting the empire. The rebel fighters would hide in the empire controlled city. Then they would pop out of hiding, take out a group of empire patrols or even just stray soldiers. Fighting in the cities can be advantageous to our marines as we are way more stronger and quicker than droids. If the reinforcements the Federation sends are too small, then we take them out. But if the reinforcements are too strong for us, then we can set a few charges and bolt. Those clankers can never catch up to us." She finished.

"But we still have no way of taking down the entire droid army." Brian objected. "Picking off random droids can't help by that much. The droids outnumber as a hundred to one. If we get surrounded, then we will have no chance of escape at all. It's too risky."

"No it's not." Cassidy said, slightly annoyed at the cautious of the man. "Eventually the Trade Federation will be suffering so much losses that they must pull back their army and only defend important areas, or they might risk losing too many droids. In that case, we'd be able to take back most of Naboo and be in a dominating situation when the Jedis return."

"You might be right." Brian finally said after a while. "Adjacent, tell the commanders to assemble here."