2503

Early

• Numerous protoss are abducted and used as test subjects in Project Gestalt as far back as the previous year.^[1]

January

• January 15:^[2]Nova terminates Cliff Nadaner, graduating from the Ghost Program. She is subsequently subjected to a memory wipe.^{[3] [4][note 1]}

After

• The zerg evolve the baneling at the Siege of Cask.^[5][6]

April

• Gestalt Zero, a prototype terran/protoss hybrid, incapacitates high templar Muadun and delivers him to Dr. Stanley Burgess. He becomes the latest test subject in Project Gestalt.^[1]
  • April 6:^{[note 2]} Burgess reports on the project's progress.^[1]
  • Gestalt Zero carries out a successful raid on a LarsCorp facility while the experiments continue. Muadun manages to summon protoss forces to the project's base, who subsequently destroy it.^[1]

Later Events

• Jake Ramsey and his team are hired by Valerian Mengsk to excavate a strange artifact on the world of Nemaka. He discovers a protoss preserver, Zamara, who embeds herself in his mind. From her, he learns much about protoss history. However, this knowledge makes him a target for Valerian Mengsk. He and his companion Rosemary Dahl took shelter with crime lord Ethan Stewart at the independent world of Dead Man's Rock, only to be betrayed by Stewart.^[7] Unleashing a psionic distraction to escape from Stewart and the Dominion, Ramsey draws the attention of the Queen of Blades and the powerful dark archon, Ulrezaj. The former's forces devastate Dead Man's Rock and she infests Stewart. Ramsey travels to Aiur to collect technology, becoming embroiled in a civil war between Ulrezaj's minions and Khalai loyalists stranded on the planet, all the while dodging the zerg. He manages to escape through a warp gate, intending to travel to Shakuras.^[8][9]

• Project Shadowblade is crippled by Nova Terra. However, Gabriel Tosh escapes to continue his anti-Dominion activities.^[10]

• Ramsey ends up far from Shakuras. He and Zamara locate Zeratul and convince him to help separate them. They also discuss a number of secrets, including the life cycle of the xel'naga and the creation of the hybrids. Zeratul brings them to a shrine on Ehlna, a Nerazim sanctuary where Ramsey's life could be saved, while he traveled to Pegasus, observing an energy creature hatching from a fresh temple and following it to a wormhole with a mysterious planet at the end. Meanwhile, Rosemary Dahl and a protoss force led by Selendis arrive at the shrine, while forces under the command of Ethan Stewart, Valerian Mengsk, Selendis and the dark archon converge on the site and fight over Ramsey. Zamara is successfully removed, only to immediately seal Ulrezaj into her crystal. Stewart is killed in combat, and the Dominion achieves victory. Valerian Mengsk is able to protect Ramsey from his father and also kept some knowledge from the shrine he had acquired before the protoss returns in force and drive the Dominion away.^[11][9]

• A Moebius Foundation research team on KL-2 accidentally release a malevolent entity from a xel'naga-crafted prison, who bends the scientists to its will. Protoss forces arrive soon after and do battle with the entity's minions. Despite their assumptions to the contrary, the entity escapes their wrath.^[12][9]

• A protoss team seek out the colossus.^[13][6]

• Umojan Protectorate shadowguard Pandora investigates the Simonson Munitions Factory, discovering the secrets of the Thor. After her escape, the Umojans plant evidence to in the blame on the Koprulu Liberation Front and tracks the Odin prototype to the Valhalla installation.^[14][6]

• Nero escapes from Gannemuck Prison and begins hunting down the members of his old reaper squad who betrayed him. Eventually he tracks down the last one, Kern, to Roxara. However, the Nerazim Lassatar has arrived in search of a xel'naga artifact and defeats the criminal, saving Kern and his family.^[15][9]

• Starry Lace, unknowingly controlled by the zerg, helps the Swarm recover a xel'naga artifact from Meteor Station.^[16][9]

• The Dominion experiments with the changeling.^{[17][6][note 3]}

Misc. Events

• At some point between her memory wipe and her actions against Shadowblade, Nova frees an advanced munitions factory on New Sydney from the Koprulu Liberation Front.^[3][4]

• A heavily armed group of pirates storm Agria, intent on stealing its hi-tech scientific equipment. Dominion marines engage the pirates to protect these valuable assets, carelessly slaughtering colonists who are caught in the crossfire. Doctor Ariel Hanson risks her life to save dozens of innocent bystanders trapped in areas of heavy fighting. The pirates are eventually driven off Agria.^[18]

• The Bucephalus is commissioned.^[19]

• The Axiom Corporation discontinues one of its tool lines.^[20]

• The Daelaam place satellites around Gystt to monitor for any sign of Kerrigan's return.^[21]

Contradictions

The timeline provided in StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils places the events of The Dark Templar Saga and Ghost/StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres in 2503. This stands in contrast to the timeframes presented in the books and comments made by Chris Metzen, who placed the saga in the same year as StarCraft II (many months, if not a year before it)^[22] and the saga itself.^[8][11]

The next article in this series is 2504.

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Elder, Josh (w), Ramanda Kamarga (p), Angie Nathalia (i), Junadi (i). "Do No Harm." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 3 (paperback binding), pp. 48-89. Tokyopop, July 14, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80832-5. ↑ Ghost Profile: Nova. Ghost Profile: Nova, accessed on 2016-03-24 ↑ 3.0 3.1 DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-47134-3. ↑ 4.0 4.1 (November 28, 2006). "Historian's Note" (2500-2503 establishment). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-47134-3. ↑ Dayton, Cameron. "Broken Wide". (March 5, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Broken Wide Accessed 2010-03-05. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 September 27, 2011. "Timeline". StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 393-416. ISBN 978-1439-10938-0. ↑ Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7125-3. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Golden, Christie (November 27, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #2: Shadow Hunters. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7126-8. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 April 6, 2010. "Timeline". StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. ↑ Kenyon, Nate. (September 27, 2011). StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1439-10938-0. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Golden, Christie (June 30, 2009). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #3: Twilight. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7129-9. ↑ Elder, Josh (w), Ramanda Kamarga (p). "Voice in the Darkness." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 4 (paperback binding), pp. 72-113. Tokyopop, October 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-81698-6. ↑ Watrous, Valerie. "Colossus." (Apr. 07, 2011). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: Colossus Accessed 2011-04-11. ↑ Burns, Matt. "Collateral Damage". (May 13, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Collateral Damage Accessed 2010-05-16. ↑ Gerrold, David (w), Ruben de Vela (p). "Fear the Reaper." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 4 (paperback binding), pp. 28-71. Tokyopop, October 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-81698-6. ↑ Randolph, Grace (w), Seung-hui Kye (p, i). "Last Call." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 3 (paperback binding), pp. 90-131. Tokyopop, July 14, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80832-5. ↑ Waugh, James. "Changeling." (November 18, 2009). Blizzard Entertainment. Changeling: A Short Story by James Waugh Accessed 2009-11-18. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment staff. 2010-07-24. Cast of Characters: Ariel Hanson. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010. ↑ Derived from time in Project Blackstone Tweets. Cameron Dayton's Twitter, accessed on 2013-05-20 ↑ Derived from time in Zahn, Timothy (November 8, 2016). StarCraft: Evolution. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0425284735. ↑ Chris Metzen, StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-07-20 July 20, 2009 Metzen Interview. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-09-07.

Notes