//------------------------------//
// Prologue: First Contact 
// Story: Starcraft: Infestation of Equus. 
// by ZarPaulek 
//------------------------------//

Terran date: December 14th, 2409 Anno Domini
Equine date: Summer solstice, 1000 Regnare  Caelestis
Confederate lunar observation post, Equus system
On the dark side of the moon orbiting a shockingly earth-like planet inhabited by a race of sapient equines there was a small Terran base, a very small base in fact, just a command center, a barracks, a few marines, a single dropship, and a science facility.  The Confederacy couldn't be bothered to send more personnel when they needed everyone to deal with the Sons of Korhal, and there were rumors of an attack by aliens too.  There were certainly aliens here but none of them would be achieving space travel for centuries.  Hence a garden world with no colony but a barely manned outpost whose people should have been rotated out weeks ago, the reasons why not were at that moment being discussed by two SCV pilots going out to repair one of the equatorial sensor posts on the light side.
"So, they say that some marshal on Mar Sara went nuts and blew up a Confederate base or something."  One of them told his companion.
"Yeah right," the other stated disbelievingly, "and they couldn't spare one measly cargo transport for us?  I'm telling you, if I have to eat nothing but synth-protein one more time..."  He broke off suddenly as the ground started shaking, "what the hell is going on?"
A dark mist gathered around them, somehow, without atmosphere, then began to coalesce into the shape of a tall figure on four spindly legs, colored black as pure vacuum with clouds of purple like the night sky.  From its shoulders sprouted a pair of feathered wings and from its head a single long horn.  It looked at the two suited humans with a pair of reptilian eyes then an aura of deepest blue formed around them and lifted them off the moon's surface, and crushed them like a couple of beer cans.  Their dying screams echoed across the radio to the base on the other side.  The base dispatched their marines but the Nightmare cut them down with a blade it produced out of that same aura is killed the SCVs with.  In desperation the scientists tried to launch their facilities that were still capable of mobility but it grabbed them and flung them into the moon, where they crumpled and buried themselves in the regolith.  Once it was sure they were dead it leaped into space and turned towards the planet below.