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Chapter Text

There was an undercurrent of worry among the Nerazim of Shakuras. Millenia of isolation were shattered without warning. Aiur had fallen, and the secret refuge of the Dark Templar now became a haven for the Khalai. But it wasn’t the arrival of their old enemies that concerned them the most. Rather, it was their new enemies.

The ravenous zerg that followed the refugees from Aiur onto Shakuras were now running amok. With each passing day, they entrenched themselves deeper onto the planet. Though the zerg had been repelled for the moment after Zeratul and Artanis launched an assault and killed several cerebrates, the danger was far from over.

Nowhere felt this unease more greatly than the capital city of Talematros. Now, those fears were given form as they learned that there would be a zerg visiting the city for negotiations. Zerg, brought into the very heart of Talematros itself.

An armed group of protoss marched through the streets of the great city, walking beneath the towering spires from which the Nerazim citizens watched the procession. In the center, surrounded by the guards, was the Queen of Blades.

Artanis and Zeratul were at the front, leading the group toward the citadel while the citizens observing from the side looked at them with guarded gazes. Their aversion wasn’t directed at either Zeratul or Artanis, but rather the zerg behind them.

Once they entered the citadel, Kerrigan was brought to a private room. “The representatives of the Khalai and Nerazim are being gathered to hear your case,” Zeratul said. “Your audience with them will be held in the morning. Until then you are to stay here.”

“So you are having me wait in this place while you get your people together? Can’t you protoss warp to wherever you want?” Kerrigan asked.

“You arrived without warning, and it takes time to organize a meeting of this magnitude,” Zeratul said. “The proper procedures must be followed, and the various representatives must have time to prepare. And as for having you stay here, you can hardly expect us to let you walk freely throughout Talematros.”

After the door was closed, Artanis and Zeratul stood outside to keep watch.

“She has been given one of the finest rooms in the citadel and yet she has the gall to be unpleased,” Artanis said. “Really, what more does she expect from us. She is the one who is making a proposal to us, and she should be fortunate that we are treating her as well as we are.”

“Indeed. The guest quarters are furnished with all that one would need and have the finest psionic crystals.” Zeratul paused for a moment. “Though I don’t think the zerg get sustenance like protoss do by drawing energy from psionic crystals.”

“I would think that like primitive beasts, the zerg obtain sustenance from consuming organic matter through a digestive tract,” Artanis said. “We protoss have never had a need for such methods of obtaining sustenance, so we don’t have food for whatever zerg creatures eat.”

“This is somewhat concerning,” Zeratul said.

“Concerning?” Artanis seemed incredulous. “I am sure that she can survive for a day without food. And hopefully by that time we will have washed our hands of her.”

“Yes, but what if we should need to host Terran guests?” Zeratul said. “I had been considering allowing Raynor to visit Talematros after he and Fenix are able to evacuate from Aiur.”

“I find myself ignorant on this topic,” Artanis said. “Perhaps we can look into it, but for now the threat to Shakuras remains our top priority. After all, while we are safe in the city now, the zerg continue to infest Shakuras. Our battle against them is what we must focus on.”

Artanis spotted another figure approaching. “Ah, Executor. How has the battle been going?”

“It was of little difficulty to clean up the remnants of the zerg broods after we killed the cerebrates,” Selendis replied. “We were able to complete our task not long after you left. But while I have been fighting the zerg, it seems that you have brought a zerg in.”

“I dislike this as much as you,” Artanis said. “Yet the matriarch has granted Kerrigan’s request for an audience, and as such we shall grant it.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t let the Nerazim make all of the decisions for us,” she said. “The Khalai have no need to subordinate ourselves to them, especially when they make such questionable choices.”

“Selendis, this is not the time for pride to cause petty strife between us. As we are taking refuge on their homeworld, it is only right that we respect them.”

“Very well Artanis. In that case I have other things to do.” Selendis walked off.

Once she had left, Artanis turned to Zeratul. “I apologize for her attitude. It has been a trying time for us, and change is uncomfortable to many. Not everyone is so pleased with the current arrangement.”

“I understand,” Zeratul said. “We have had to hide in the shadows for millennia. This reluctant acceptance we have now is as much as can be hoped for.”

Finally, it came time for the leaders of the protoss to gather and discuss their future plans for the war. Raszagal, who was presiding over the conference, allowed Kerrigan to deliver the information she had in the hopes that it may prove useful.

So here Zeratul was now, opening the doors to the main hall as the Nerazim guards escorted their guest into the chamber. Waiting for them was Raszagal as well as Aldaris who represented the Khalai protoss.

Raszagal spoke from her seat at the end of the hall. “Now then, Kerrigan. Perhaps you had best explain yourself. What is this news you've come to give?”

Kerrigan waited for a few moments of silence before responding. “There is a new Overmind growing on Char.”

The demeanor of those in the room instantly changed, with shock and disbelief being the primary emotions. Aldaris was impassive, though Artanis could feel that the Judicator was unamused by how they were entertaining this farce.

Zeratul was the first to interject. “What? Impossible! Why should we believe anything you have to say?”

“Because, Zeratul, I'm no longer the mindless murderess whom you fought on Char. The Overmind is dead. Whatever warped control it once had over me is gone. I know that this is a lot to take in all at once, but you've got to believe me! There's more at stake here than-” Kerrigan was cut off suddenly by Aldaris.

“She lies! She is infested to the core! I for one will not listen to any of this…” Aldaris’s rant was cut off as Raszagal motioned for him to cease.

“Silence, Judicator. Continue, Kerrigan.”

Aldaris was already enraged by how much latitude the Dark Templar were giving the zerg, and the casual dismissal showed that the Matriarch had no intention to listen to any of his suggestions.

“If you will not listen to my counsel, then there is no point in me being here.” Aldaris stormed out of the room without taking a single look back.

After the doors slammed shut behind her, Kerrigan continued explaining. “Apparently, many of the renegade Cerebrates, commanded by Daggoth, have merged into a new Overmind. Fortunately, the creature is still in its infant stages. It can't control the Swarm yet, but Daggoth and the others still have control over most of the Broods. The two Cerebrates you killed here were part of Daggoth's forces. Look, I don't need to tell you all what might happen if that thing reaches maturity. I can guarantee you that should it awaken, it'll take full control of me just like it did before. I don't want that to happen, and I'm pretty sure you don't want it to happen either.”

Kerrigan’s plea sounded sincere, and it was even believable that she wished to throw off the Overmind’s control. Still, Zeratul had his doubts. “Even if what you say is true, our priority is to save this world, not assault the new Overmind! We must find the crystals Uraj and Khalis before we are all vanquished.”

Finally, Raszagal interjected. “The news Kerrigan brings is indeed disturbing. The Overmind is the enemy of all of us. It must be destroyed to ensure that our people will survive. If not today, then some day in the future we will need to kill it. But what Zeratul says is true. It will do no good to destroy a future threat if we fall here. Shakuras must come first, so our focus must be on finding the Uraj and Khalis.”

“Then I’ll help you with your search,” Kerrigan said quickly. “I will lend my aid to retrieve the crystals and allow you to destroy the zerg on Shakuras. Once your home is secured I would wish for you to join me in assaulting the Overmind.”

“You seek to use us, to kill your enemies with a borrowed blade. We can obtain the Uraj and Khalis without your help,” Zeratul said. “I will not have you bind us to sacrifice ourselves for you in a risky endeavor.”

“My children, you must not allow your fears and misgivings to cloud your judgement. Though she has been your enemy, it is enough that we share the same agenda now. Allow her time enough to prove herself to you, and you may find her to be a valued ally. For now, we must focus on the task at hand,” Raszagal said as she made her judgement. “We must find and collect the Uraj and Khalis. The Uraj is located on the planet Braxis, but finding the Khalis may prove difficult. The crystal went missing and its location is unknown.”

Zeratul was silent for a few moments. Finally, he spoke. “I remember sensing the power of the Khalis in my journey. It is on the planet Char.”

Kerrigan smiled. “Well, that resolves the problem quite nicely then doesn’t it? While we are on Char to collect the Khalis, we can kill the Overmind as well. Once the Overmind is dead, the broods will be thrown into disarray and acquiring the Khalis will be a simple matter.”

“We know not how well the Overmind is defended, or whether we can even succeed,” Zeratul said. “If we fail to kill the Overmind and lose the Khalis, then all will be lost!”

Raszagal gestured for silence. “Zeratul, my command to you shall be this. If there is indeed a new Overmind growing on Char, and it can be slain without significantly compromising our ability to secure the Khalis, then you shall take the opportunity to do so. We will have rid ourselves of a dangerous threat and secured the safety of our people for the time being. If the Overmind cannot be slain at that time, then once Shakuras is secured we will reconsider our options. Zeratul, Kerrigan, is this acceptable to you?”

“I will do as you say, Matriarch,” Zeratul said as he bowed.

Kerrigan nodded. “Very well. I will agree to this plan.”

“Then we shall go to collect the Uraj immediately. Artanis, prepare the fleet to depart for Braxis before the next moonrise,” Raszagal ordered.

Artanis seemed somewhat unpleased. But unlike Aldaris, he had no desire to make a scene, as this would only further the divide between the protoss. “We will do what you ask, Matriarch. But you cannot expect us to forgive Kerrigan's crimes against our race.”

After the meeting, Kerrigan was escorted onto the protoss ship that would lead the expedition.

“You have been given a chance,” Artanis said. “Should you act against us, then I will hunt you down. Nothing will be able to protect you from my wrath. So, would you like to reconsider accompanying us to Braxis? I will allow you to leave this one time.”

“Why would I do that? After all, I really am trying to help you out,” Kerrigan said with a smile. “I really have no interest in fighting you anymore.”

“We shall see,” Artanis said. While Artanis went to finish the military preparations, Zeratul continued to keep a close eye on Kerrigan, though there was no need for him to be concerned at the moment. As it turned out, she wasn’t actually planning anything malicious at the moment.

In truth, Kerrigan was quite pleased with how everything was going. The protoss were on board with helping her, and she felt confident in being able to arrange for them to kill the Overmind when the time comes. And even if Zeratul could come up with a reason to deny her, the protoss would still go on to destroy many of the broods that opposed her. And after that she would have an in with them to persuade them to kill the Overmind later.

All in all, her trip to Shakuras was a great success. There wasn’t even any need for her to resort to unreliable and risky maneuvers like trying to control the Matriarch. With the protoss already working as she wished, it would be foolhardy to do something that might expose her. With all the pieces in place, she needed only to follow through with her support.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Close Call

Artanis, Zeratul, and Selendis looked down with worry at the icy planet below them. Braxis was a cold and remote planet in the fringe of Terran space, yet even here the hand of the Dominion was clear. There was a sizable garrison force, and the planet was not without orbital protection, having several ships along with a defense platform.

“Explain something to me, Zeratul. Why would your people leave such a sacred crystal in the hands of these Terrans?” Kerrigan asked.

“We didn’t,” Zeratul replied. “Long ago this world was a protoss colony called Khyrador. When the strife between our tribes escalated, this planet and the Uraj crystal were abandoned. These Terrans have come here only recently.”

“The expansion rate of these Terrans is truly astounding,” Artanis said. “Not long ago they were nearly wiped out by the zerg invasion. Now it seems their people are willing to colonize even worlds like this.”

“The Dominion is surprisingly tenacious,” Kerrigan said. “Mengsk has the support of most of the Terran worlds bar those controlled by the Kel-Morians and Umojans. And he has commanders who are competent enough to allow the Dominion to use their resources effectively. And unlike the Confederacy the people actually support the regime to some extent.”

“Raynor spoke of this Confederacy,” Zeratul said. “From what I gather, they wouldn’t have been able to marshall the same response.”

“Of course not,” Kerrigan scoffed. “The Confederacy was decadent and corrupt. They knew about the zerg for ages and thought only of how they might use them. And in the end the entire rotten edifice fell apart. Once Tarsonis fell no one held any more loyalty toward the Confederacy. Instead they all jumped to become part of Arcturus’s new Dominion.”

Her voice was tinged with bitterness. “That bastard crowned himself Emperor. The people who put him there, thrown away. It was me, Raynor, and the Magistrate who allowed him to topple the Confederacy. Raynor was the inspiring hero leading from the front. The Magistrate was a tactical genius that pulled out victories out of battles that we had no right to win. And I killed his enemies and gave everything for him. Back then Mengsk talked about freedom and lofty ideals. We were all fooled. I was abandoned to the zerg. Raynor fled and is now a fugitive. The Magistrate followed him all the way to Aiur. Though I think the Magistrate went back to working for Mengsk after that. The Dominion forces fighting the zerg are exhibiting more competence.”

“That is quite the tale,” Zeratul said. “This emperor is certainly skilled at advancing his power. And his domain is well guarded. He can afford to station forces even here on Braxis while he is fighting the zerg across many worlds.”

“Well, what are we going to do to get the crystal?” Kerrigan asked. “Can’t your ships slip down to the planet’s surface unnoticed?”

“The technology of the Terrans is behind ours, but even so the sensors on the platform can detect our ships even through the cloak. We will have to avoid it. But given that the energy signature of the Uraj is below it, it will be difficult to find our way past both the platform and the patrolling fleet.”

“We need only to strike hard and fast,” Selendis said. “Take them by surprise and retrieve the crystal. By the time they can respond, our ships will have been able to leave orbit and we can easily outrun their vessels.”

“Indeed, but finding a way to pass unnoticed will be our greatest problem.” Zeratul examined the formations of Terran ships in front of them.

“We should be able to get through if we pass through this gap.” Zeratul pointed toward a location on the holomap. From there we can avoid the patrols and slip through to the planet’s surface. Once we get low enough it is unlikely that they will be actively scanning there. This is of course assuming that we make it this far undetected.”

“Time is of the essence,” Artanis said. “We must arrive on the planet’s surface and strike quickly to retrieve the Uraj. The fate of Shakuras depends on this. I will instruct our fleet to begin the approach.”

The cloaked ships took a circuitous route around the planet, finally finding a suitable place to begin descending. There were Terran ships not far away from them, with the majority being civilian freighters, though there were a few wraith patrols.

“Our course is steady,” Artanis said. “We will be able to maintain a safe distance from the Terran ships to avoid close contact that might expose us. It shouldn’t be long now before we make it through.”

Suddenly, Zeratul looked up in alarm. “Artanis, one of the Terran science vessels has begun moving. If we continue along our path then we will be detected.”

“If we destroy the vessel, the Terrans will be aware of our presence too soon. We must find another way,” Artanis said as he looked around. “We can try to go through in that direction.”

The protoss fleet began shifting course, but before long Artanis realized their position was far more precarious than they thought. “This path will run into one of the Terran patrol paths. There is no way forward, we must retreat to find a better approach.”

The cloaked fleet began to change direction to travel away from the planet. However, there were as many ships above them as there were below. “Our path that we took to enter has been blocked off by the movements of the Terran ships. Still, there must be other open paths.”

The protoss fleet moved a bit in one direction before pausing to wait for the Terran ships in front of them to pass. Little by little, the protoss fleet began to make their escape.

“Artanis, Terran ships are approaching us. They will likely be upon us within a few minutes. There is a science vessel with them,” Zeratul said.

“Our way ahead is still obstructed,” Artanis noted. “And if we stay still we will be discovered. And while we could destroy the ships in front of us and make an escape, once we alert the Terrans to our presence here it will be many times harder to attack next time. And we cannot afford to return to Shakuras for more reinforcements.”

“We can only prepare for the worst if they come close enough to detect us. At that point we will have no other option than to fight,” Selendis said.

The Terran patrol drew ever closer. The command room was silent as they all watched the enemy approach. Artanis prepared to give the order to attack.

Then, the patrol took a turn, setting their path to pass to the side of the cloaked protoss fleet. Still, Artanis didn’t dare to relax. It was only once they had passed by completely that Artanis allowed himself to feel relief. Soon, the path ahead became clear and the protoss ships quickly made their escape.

The protoss were once again in high orbit over Braxis, but they were right back to where they started. The Uraj Crystal was still out of their grip, and the mood aboard the command ship was one of dismay.

“It is clear that if we want to successfully launch a direct assault and fight our way out, we will need a larger force,” Selendis said.

“I cannot dispute that,” Artanis said. “But at the same time, Shakuras cannot spare any more warriors. We will have to make do with what we have, and rely on our courage and strength of will to grant us victory.”

“What do you have in mind, Artanis?” Zeratul asked. “Neither force nor stealth will be enough here.”

“Indeed, we won’t be able to avoid pursuit after beginning our evacuation from the planet once our attack is concluded,” Artanis said. “That is why I shall stay behind with a contingent of warriors who volunteer. We will hold the attention of the terrans and cause mayhem on the surface, forcing the terrans to focus their efforts on us. I will hold them off as long as I can while you escape with the Uraj.”

“Artanis, must we truly abandon you here?” Zeratul asked. “Surely there must be a better way.”

“We have exhausted all other options,” Artanis said. “Do not worry for me. I will be one with the Khala. There is no greater honor than to serve our people.”

“Now, before you let ideas of honor overtake you, perhaps we can look into alternate methods,” Kerrigan said. “I might be able to gather some zerg to aid in your attack. My forces on Maltair IV are being hit hard by the Dominion forces that were dispatched to relieve the planet, and the situation has become unfavorable. If you can travel there and help me evacuate my forces successfully, I will be able to use them to help assault Braxis. And a sizable group of zerg would be more effective as a distraction.”

“Your plan has merit Kerrigan,” Zeratul said. “We may yet have a solution.”

“I guess you are useful. So, where is this planet?” Selendis asked, waiting for Kerrigan to point out the location.

After seeing their destination, Artanis looked hesitant. “It would take some time for us to arrive there. And time is something that is of the utmost importance. Every day we spend is another day that Shakuras is under threat and more of our people die. That is something I cannot accept.”

“I am sure that Shakuras can handle itself,” Selendis said. “There is no need to rush on an unfavorable course of action.”

“We know not how long Shakuras can hold while we are gone,” Artanis said. “While we made sure to leave enough warriors guarding Shakuras to defend it while we were gone, if there are too many unexpected delays the situation can deteriorate past our expectations.”

“We should at least examine the terran patrol patterns a little more before we commit to a course of action,” Zeratul said.

“Very well. But we will have to take action soon,” Artanis said.

While they waited, a large fleet of terran ships appeared at the edge of the system.

Zeratul was alarmed. “Has the Dominion sent more reinforcements? With the size of that fleet, there is no way we will be able to successfully assault the planet.”

“Could they have somehow detected our presence?” Selendis pondered. “No, there wouldn’t have been enough time for them to get a message out and for a fleet to arrive.”

As the protoss fleet pulled away from Braxis, they noticed a massive commotion occurring below them. The Braxis defense garrison was launching their ships and organizing into formation. The civilian ships were clearing the airspace, either fleeing from Braxis or landing.

The unknown fleet approached and opened fire on the Braxis defense fleet. With the orbital defenses totally occupied, a smaller force broke off from the enemy fleet and began heading toward the surface.

“Do you recognize the identity of the second terran fleet?” Artanis asked Zeratul. “I was not aware that the terrans were at open war among themselves right now.”

“Raynor mentioned other terran factions such as the Umojan Protectorate and the Kel-Morian Combine,” Zeratul said.

“The markings on the ships aren’t of either of them,” Kerrigan interjected. “It is possible they are hiding their identity, but it makes no sense for the Umojans or Kel-Morians to be attacking the Dominion right now. Especially not to take this ball of ice.”

“You do not recognize them either?” Artanis asked.

“Whoever it is, they are a new player,” Kerrigan said. “I can’t imagine a militia scrounging up enough assets for an attack of this kind. And it would be foolish to go up against the Dominion. There is something that we are unaware of.”

“Be that as it may, it is none of our concern at the moment,” Artanis said. “Our priority is the Uraj Crystal, and we must obtain it at all costs. Now that the defenders are completely distracted, we will have no better opportunity than this. Ready the fleet to descend upon Braxis. En Taro Adun!”

Chapter Text

“We’ve found the Uraj,” Selendis said. “It is located in a mining encampment near a large terran outpost. We haven’t been detected so far, but once we draw near their sensors will detect us. Artanis, shall I deploy our forces for the attack? I expect that you will want to lead them in combat?”

“I shall if it comes to that,” Artanis said. “But it would be ideal if we could avoid confrontation. If the terrans can be persuaded to give up the crystal without a fight, it would make things much simpler for us. We can demand their surrender, and perhaps they will realize that it is not worth it to fight us.”

“The terrans won’t surrender,” Kerrigan said. “The Dominion prides itself on protecting humanity from aliens. To surrender to them is unthinkable, especially as they have no reason to trust us. Besides, the ongoing invasion is just going to have everyone on edge. They are more likely to think that we are helping whoever is out there invade the planet. The only way past the terrans guarding the crystal is to destroy them in battle.”

“It is true that the terrans will be unlikely to submit to us,” Zeratul said. “They have their own sense of pride. While every effort should be made to avoid unnecessary loss, announcing ourselves brazenly will only cause us to lose our asset of surprise and make the battle all the more brutal. Instead, we must strike swiftly and carefully to make sure the terrans will not be able to respond to us taking the crystal. The most effective maneuver is to eliminate their command structure.”

“A sound plan Zeratul, if the terrans lack leadership they will be unable to coordinate their defense and we can retrieve the Uraj uninterrupted.” Artanis turned to Selendis. “Executor, can you plot a course for us to attack? We must accomplish our mission quickly before the terrans are able to muster a force against us.”

“I am doing so,” Selendis said. “I’ve located the enemy command center. The observers we sent up ahead have been able to roughly determine the layout of the terran base. The north of the base is situated near a cliff and is thus more lightly defended, with the command center nearest to the walls there. I suggest we attack from that direction using our shuttles.”

“A small strike force will work best for this operation. Our main force can draw away their attention, but be sure not to become stuck in a prolonged engagement. Use hallucinations to cover our withdrawal. Meanwhile, I will lead a group of our best warriors to strike at the enemy’s rear,” Artanis said. “Zeratul, will you accompany me on this mission?”

Zeratul nodded. “Of course Artanis. With us together no foe can stand against us.”

“Excellent, prepare our shuttle Selendis.” Artanis and Zeratul began walking toward the deployment bay.

“Mind if I come along?” Kerrigan asked.

The two turned to look toward Kerrigan appraisingly. After a few moments, Artanis agreed. “Very well then, we shall see what you have to offer fighting with us.”

The shuttles descended toward the snowy ground of Braxis. Below, the terran encampment was already in a state of activity as they moved against the distraction attack taking place on the south side. The smaller strike team of protoss landed near the edge of the cliff face, with the wall of the terran base only a short distance away.

Along with the warriors the shuttles brought several reavers, large bulky machines used by the protoss as siege equipment. As the reavers moved into position, the terrans manning the walls began to take notice as they prepared for the attack. However, gathering their soldiers near the wall in preparation for an attack proved to be more detrimental than helpful.

The explosive scarabs were disgorged from the reavers, quickly shooting forward over the icy ground as they moved toward the walls. A large explosion consumed the site of impact, blasting apart the neosteel structure and killing the marines standing behind it. Another set of scarabs followed shortly behind, clearing out the remaining rubble along with anyone who survived the previous blast.

Soon the smoke cleared, revealing a large gap in the walls. Beyond the gap, there weren’t any terran soldiers left standing. The path was clear.

“Move forward quickly warriors,” Artanis ordered. “We must strike before the terrans can muster additional reinforcements. They have been distracted, but it won’t be long before more come to fight us.”

The protoss quickly moved in, entering the terran base. There weren’t many defensive installations here and the area was mainly filled with clusters of supply depots. With most of the guards having been called away to fight off the diversion attack, the area was rather deserted. It was rather quiet, with the only sound being the whirling of the fans on the supply depots.

Suddenly, a marine stumbled out from behind one of the supply depots, carrying a crate. His eyes widened as he saw the group of protoss in front of him. The crate dropped to the ground as he began reaching for his gun. But before he could draw his weapon, Artanis slammed him back into the wall of one of the supply depots. Knocked out instantly, the marine slumped to the ground while Artanis turned back to lead the group to their target.

As they emerged from the cluster of supply depots, Artanis saw a group of marines organizing, along with goliath walkers. “The terrans have gathered faster than expected. We must strike swiftly,” Artanis said. “En Taro Adun!”

Artanis charged forward as the zealots alongside him did. The terrans reacted quickly, turning their fire toward the approaching protoss. Artanis’s shield blocked the incoming shots, though some of the other zealots weren’t as fortunate, their shields broken through by the weight of fire. Then, the protoss charge slammed into the terran battle line, turning into a chaotic melee as the zealots began tearing through the marines in close quarters while the terran soldiers desperately fired toward the enemy right next to them, while trying their best not to shoot their nearby comrades.

Several goliaths went down as the scarabs from the reavers detonated next to them, wrecking the large machines. With their mechanical support being taken out, the remaining terran soldiers withdrew as best they could, heading further into the base while a smaller group sacrificed themselves as a rearguard.  Artanis took a few moments to reorganize his forces before heading deeper into the base. It seemed that after the skirmish, the remainder of the terrans had started avoiding them as no enemies barred their path forward.

Suddenly, explosions ripped through the back of the protoss force. The reavers had been destroyed by an attack from far away. “Retreat,” Artanis ordered quickly. The protoss quickly turned around and withdrew, though not before another volley from the siege tanks tore through a group of zealots.

“The terrans must be aware of our location and have set up tanks to fire at us,” Artanis said. “Executor, can you send our observers to locate the tanks?”

A few minutes later, Selendis responded. “I’ve located the terran artillery near the command center, but it is well guarded. The observer was taken out by a missile turret near the tanks, but before it was destroyed it gave us information about the position. Around the tanks there is a squadron of marines guarding them.

“With our reavers destroyed, we won’t be able to take out the tanks from range,” Artanis said. “We shall have to charge in quickly to minimize our losses from the bombardment before we destroy the tanks.”

“Artanis,” Zeratul interrupted. “Rather than expose ourselves in such a way, I can go on ahead and strike them from the shadows. While the missile turret near the command center will detect me once I reach them, I shall still be able to approach safely and once I am close the tanks will not be able to strike at me. While dangerous, I believe I can handle the marines guarding the tanks, as long as the position is not reinforced.”

“If it’s just taking out those tanks, I can do it,” Kerrigan. “I can get close enough without being detected to wipe out the group with a psionic storm.”

“Very well then Kerrigan,” Artanis said. “If you can do so it would save us a lot of trouble.”

Kerrigan vanished from sight as she cloaked, and though Artanis could vaguely sense her there at first, soon she had moved away and disappeared altogether. For a few minutes the protoss waited, keeping an eye on the roaming terrans who were looking to probe at them. Both Artanis and Zeratul were on edge with Kerrigan gone from their sight. All they could do right now was wait in the middle of hostile territory while fighting off the harassment from the terrans.

Then, a crackle filled the air as psionic lightning shot out from the tops of one of the barracks before descending onto the tanks some distance away. The psionic storm raged for only a few seconds, yet that was enough time for the siege tanks and the marines around them to be torn apart. The light show exposed Kerrigan’s position and the remaining terran units in the area located the roof from where the attack originated. A stream of bullets soon focused on the area, kicking up a cloud of debris as the barracks was torn apart, obscuring the area from sight.

“Forward warriors,” Artanis called out as they rushed forward. The scattered terran soldiers were unable to put up any significant resistance now that their support had been eliminated, and it was simple for the protoss to cut a straight path through to reach the command center.

Kerrigan reappeared, dropping down beside the protoss as they approached the command center. “I just took out the remainder of the marines guarding the command center, though I saw some more reinforcements coming. We’ll have to finish this quickly.”

“Good work Kerrigan,” Artanis said. “Next we shall have to break the communication systems in the command center in order to prevent the terrans from coordinating a response once we go for the Uraj. Ideally we can shut down their sensor network too, but I am admittedly not familiar with the systems of these terrans. Will you be able to handle it?”

“Of course,” Kerrigan said with a smile. “Now what would you be doing without me?”

“Probably blowing up the missile turrets rather than disabling them,” Artanis said.

“Right, well see you in a bit then,” Kerrigan said, entering the command center while the protoss prepared to repel the terran counterattack.

The command center was in a state of turmoil. None of the officers had expected that they would be attacked from behind without any warning, and that the attackers would slice through the defenses so quickly. The artillery had gone dark, and while this could have been communication difficulties, with other squads vanishing as well, what was happening was clear. For all they knew, the enemy could be at their door this very moment. Unbeknownst to them though, the enemy was already inside.

“Damn it, the military headquarters in Boralis still hasn’t responded. Our distress calls aren’t being picked up.” The commander sighed. “The protoss could be here any minute now. We won’t be able to hold out much longer.”

“There is no hope for support then?” the aide asked. “We have been abandoned?”

“Who knows what is going on. If it was a communications failure at a time like this, that would truly be unfortunate. Though I worry there is more afoot.” Turning back toward the console, he made one last attempt to contact the headquarters.

This time, there was a response. “Outpost Zeta-3, report your status.”

“The outpost is under attack, and there isn’t much time before we are overrun. You need to send support immediately. We are being attacked by a sizable force of Protoss and they have breached our defenses. Please, you have to send reinforcements or else-”

The door to the inner room of the command center blew open. The commander spun around but saw nothing. One by one the men around him dropped dead in rapid succession, cut in half. Now that he was looking more closely, the commander realized that there was a blur moving through the room, but before he could do anything, he found himself suspended in the air.

The communication window was closed and multiple other tabs opened up on the screen as Kerrigan dropped her cloaking and sat down at the control panel. The commander realized in horror that the zerg creature that infiltrated the command room was entering the correct passwords to shut down the defenses of the base and locking out communications.

Finally, Kerrigan stood up, her work completed. Psionic energy sprang from her fingertips, frying the equipment in the command center. Then, she snapped the neck of the last witness to her work and stepped out.

“It’s done, let’s get out of here now,” Kerrigan said.

“Our shuttles are ready,” Artanis said. “We can proceed to the evacuation point where we arrived.”

Exiting the base occurred without incident. There was hardly anyone left in the area they attacked from, and the soldiers in the rest of the base were in a state of chaos, with no one knowing where to go. Soon, the protoss were able to go toward their real goal, the Uraj crystal.

When Artanis arrived to oversee the extraction, the protoss had already secured the area and was searching the dig site for the precise location of the crystal. The terran miners had been rounded up and disarmed, and a pair of zealots stood watching the prisoners. Throughout the search no terrans came to interrupt them, as was planned.

Finally, a probe had returned with the Uraj crystal. “The crystal is secure, we will be returning to the fleet shortly,” Artanis informed Selendis. Soon, the mining encampment faded away into the distance as the shuttles lifted off from the ground.

“There are no terrans pursuing us,” Artanis said. “That is strange, I would have expected a response by now.”

“During your battle, I observed combat taking place elsewhere on the planet,” Selendis said. “It seems the other terrans that are invading have already managed to take the upper hand.”

“Then at least we shall be undisturbed,” Artanis said. “The Uraj has been safely acquired and our mission on Braxis has been successful.”

“You have done well, Kerrigan. There is more to you than it seems. Perhaps I have misjudged you,” Zeratul mused.

“Given our history, I can’t say I blame you,” Kerrigan said. “The job is done, and that’s what matters.”

“Indeed,” Zeratul replied. “Now should fortune favor us, the rest of our mission will prove similarly simple.”

Chapter Text

As the UED strike force unpacked their equipment and supplies on the snowy surface of Braxis, Roland Harker looked around in concern. “Where is our vespene gas?”

“Captain, the supply ship carrying it was destroyed when we skirted past the orbital defenses,” Hector said. “While our main fleet was able to keep the defenders distracted enough for our strike force to make it through mostly intact, there were some lucky shots.”

“That is unfortunate,” Roland said. “And since our landing zone doesn’t have any gas either, we won’t be able to operate our tanks for very long. We’ll have to secure a source quickly if we are to proceed. There is no hope of taking Boralis without artillery support.” He didn’t mention that even if things had gone to plan, it would have been an exceedingly difficult fight. The capital was defended very well.

It would be an absolute nightmare to break through in a direct attack. Roland really wished he could have had some more assets, but his orders were orders. If this did fail, he supposed that the fleet would have to come in for another pass to launch a second wave through the orbital defense. In such a case, he would probably have taken the remainder of his troops and hidden in the wilderness while the second wave came to bail him out. It was a distinct possibility, which is why he made sure to get some information about the landscape.

“We’ve taken some scans of the surrounding area as we were landing,” Hector said.

“I see.” Roland examined the maps. “It seems that we will have to take a detour from our target to first secure additional supplies before we can proceed to take Boralis. We are moving out to the east. There is a Dominion outpost there that we must eliminate first.”

It didn’t take long before they were just out of sight of the Dominion outpost. The UED forces waited, hidden near the side of the road heading toward Boralis.

A voice reported from a communicator. “Captain, we’ve attacked the Dominion patrol and have them pinned down as you requested.”

“Good work,” Roland said. “Keep up the pressure and keep them engaged. We’ll come support you once our work here is done.”

Just a little while later, Dominion soldiers merged from the outpost, heading north to reinforce their patrol group. In their haste, they hadn’t expected to be ambushed before even coming close to their destination. From behind the trees, the UED soldiers struck. The Dominion force found itself being shot at from both sides of the road, and with their commander falling within the first moments, the survivors quickly broke and ran, retreating back to the outpost.

The UED were hot on the heels of the surviving Dominion soldiers. As they emerged from the trees, the full size of the UED force became clear. Seeing that they were now greatly outnumbered, the Dominion garrison manning the outpost surrendered as the UED drew near.

After leaving a few soldiers to secure the prisoners and the outpost, it was time to move on. “We don’t have time to waste,” Roland said. “We’ll link up with the detachment we left in the north and then proceed to take over the refinery. The supplies there will be of utmost importance for us.”

It didn’t take long for the sounds of battle to approach. The diversionary force had been locked in a stalemate with the Dominion patrol, with both sides entrenching themselves. Of course, with the arrival of the rest of the UED strike force, the remaining Dominion soldiers in the area were quickly overrun.

“Alright, next up is the refinery,” Roland said. “We’ll have to hit it quickly and take it with minimal damage. Every barrel of gas in there will be invaluable.”

However, before they even reached the refinery, a singular marine approached the UED forces, holding a flag of parley. He didn’t seem to have any weapons on him, though he did have a large box.

“Take him in and search him,” Roland said. “I want that box examined as well in case it’s a trap.”

The marine calmly submitted to the examination, and the box was revealed to be a communicator. “My commander would like to speak with you,” he said.

“Fascinating. Hector, bring me the communicator.” Roland watched as the screen lit up.

“Captain, I am Lieutenant Samir Duran of the Confederate Resistance Forces. I've been monitoring your attack against the Dominion, and I'd like to offer you my services and skills in return for amnesty.”

Roland certainly found this unexpected. It could be a great boon if this offer was true. Still, he couldn’t be sure that they could be trusted. He called up the vice admiral to explain the situation.

Stukov got on the line with Duran. “Intriguing. Lieutenant, you have absolutely no ideas as to who we are or what we have come here to do. Why do you wish to side with us?”

“Because my men and I have sworn to fight against the Dominion and its Emperor. Seeing as how your forces have been laying into the Dominion base, I figured we were on the same side,” Duran said.

“I see,” Stukov said, considering the offer. “How exactly do you propose to be of service to us, Lieutenant?”

“Well, I possess intimate knowledge of the surrounding area. I can show you an alternate route that leads to the rear of the main Dominion base.”

Stukov nodded. “Very well, Lieutenant. Consider yourself and your men the first colonial conscripts of the United Earth Directorate. Captain, see that the Lieutenant is given our full cooperation. We shall see if he's worth the effort.”

The UED soon arrived at Duran’s base, at which point they could begin loading up on vespene gas to supply their tanks. Duran welcomed them as they arrived.

“Lieutenant Duran, while our men are preparing I’d like for you to accompany me to take a look around,” Roland said.

“Of course captain, I am familiar with the surrounding area and my men can escort us,” Duran said. “Where do you wish to go?”

“I want to observe the city of Boralis for myself,” Roland said. “Personal observation has a quality that maps and markers simply does not.”

Roland got in one of Duran’s trucks which began driving off to Boralis. By now, the Dominion soldiers had withdrawn to the city as the UED secured the countryside, surrounding the city and beginning the siege.

Roland breathed in the chilly air of Braxis as the truck traveled over the rocky hills. The air was fresh, a far cry from the atmosphere of Earth which had been polluted over the course of many centuries. He felt that a place like Braxis was rather nice, perhaps even suitable for retirement, if he ever made it that far. It was rather cold, but that was just to his liking.

As the truck passed over a river, covered in ice, Roland looked down in concern. “Are you sure that driving here is safe?”

“The ice here is quite thick during this time of the year,” Duran said. “There is no danger of it breaking. And these vehicles are designed to have good traction on these surfaces.”

Finally, the truck reached the top of a small hill near the outskirts of Boralis. There it stopped while Roland got out and began looking toward the city with his binoculars.

“The city sure is sturdily built, fortified more than they could have accomplished in the short time we arrived,” Roland said.

“Well, my forces had been fighting the Dominion for some time,” Duran said. “We never were able to capture the city, though we came close once.”

“I can see why,” Roland said. “Those bunkers are positioned well, easily supported by the tanks positioned behind them. It is quite meticulous. And I would bet that the open ground in front of those bunkers is filled with mines.”

Roland returned to the vehicle. “It is a good thing that we won’t be attacking the city head on. Let’s head back now. Our men should be ready by the time we return.”

After arriving back at the base, Roland shook Duran’s hand.  "Lieutenant Duran, I must thank you for your help," said Roland.

Duran laughed. "I like your style friend, but I think you're getting a little too familiar. My associates and I are more interested in striking a blow against the Dominion, than putting in power a force we know nothing about."

"Understandable," said Roland. "Though I'd be interested to know what vendetta drove you to such a point."

“My men and I are committed to fighting the tyranny of the Dominion,” Duran said. “We see the emperor as illegitimate and his rule must be ended. He was quite the scheming fellow. In a few short months he went from a terrorist to the ruler of most of Terran space. We are some of the few that continue to resist his power grab.”

“Interesting, but why do you fly the banner of the Confederacy?” Roland asked. “From what I’ve heard, they were hardly the paragon of good governance. Don’t you find the idea of fighting against tyranny while also fighting for the Confederacy to be quite incongruous?”

Duran paused for a moment, thinking over his response. “Well, it is better to use an existing banner to gain more support. I’ve been able to obtain aid from those who are interested in the revival of the Confederacy, such as some of the remnants of the Old Families. Every little bit helps. Of course, this is all in the past. We are all now proud servants of the United Earth Directorate.”

“Indeed.” It seemed to Roland that Duran was somewhat of an opportunist. In fact, it was surprising that he hadn’t jumped ship to the Dominion like the rest of the sector, instead tying himself to the sinking ship of the Confederacy. The UED’s arrival probably bailed him out. He really didn’t see what Duran was hoping of accomplishing stuck here on Braxis.

A thought came to Roland. “Do you know any other groups that are fighting the Dominion?”

Duran thought for a few moments. “Well, there is Raynor. He originally fought for Mengsk in the Sons of Korhal, but Mengsk crowning himself emperor was a step too far. Last I heard he went to join the protoss in fighting the zerg. Raynor is an idealist, an inspiring leader of men, but all that's led him to be is a fugitive with few resources fighting in the fringes.”

Roland sighed. “While some aspects were less than ideal, the establishment of the Dominion was a stabilizing influence on the sector after the fall of the Confederacy. It allowed the colonies to resist the zerg invasion. For Raynor to abandon the terrans to go fight for the protoss, it is very disappointing.”

Suddenly, Hector approached. “Captain, our men are ready.”

“Excellent, we’ll follow the mountain path that Duran has informed us of,” Roland said. “There may be some patrols as we approach Boralis, so have some of the men disguise themselves with the armor and vulture bikes we captured from the Dominion. They are to eliminate the enemy scouts.”

“Yes sir.” Some of Duran’s men moved out into the pass on the vultures. They were familiar with the geography of the area, having skirmished with the Dominion frequently here, so navigation wasn’t going to be too much of an issue.

The main force progressed slower though. The pass was narrow and precarious and the weather was cold, with snow drifting down from above. The terrain made it impossible to bring tanks up in this direction. For all that they had tried to secure the gas for their tanks, it seems they wouldn’t be needing it in the end. Instead, the tanks would be serving as decoy along with a detachment of soldiers who would be laying siege to Boralis, shelling the outer defense from the tanks. It would be sure to attract the enemy’s attention. Though the UED would be without heavy weaponry in this attack, they would succeed through stealth and speed.

Looking up from the map of Boralis that Duran provided, Roland saw that they were almost to their destination. So far, they’ve remained undetected.

Roland marked several areas on the map and passed it to Hector. “After we successfully capture the command center, have the men set up mines at these locations and prepare an ambush.”

They entered the city from the back of the plateau. Guarding the back of the city were a few bunkers. The bunkers were unsupported as the Dominion had not expected an attack from this direction, but since the strike force couldn’t bring their tanks here, it would still be a significant hindrance.

“Charge the bunkers,” Roland ordered. “We must take them at any cost.”

It wasn’t a pretty battle. Men charging fortified positions unsupported never was. If the Dominion had more guards or some tanks here, things would have gone very differently. But the UED numbers were sufficient to overwhelm the bunkers.

The UED force moved quickly, but even so a group of Dominion soldiers had reacted in time to block their assault, holing up in one of the tall buildings. Whenever the UED marines would approach, they would fire through the windows at them.

Roland gave his command. “Blow up the building. Lay down suppressive fire while our engineers lay the explosives.”

“Sir, the building is still filled with civilians,” Hector reminded.

“I know. Do you think I want to collapse the entire building?” Roland said through gritted teeth. “But what else can we do? Clearing the building door by door will take far too long. By the time we are done with that, the Dominion would have sent reinforcements and the next building would also be fortified. Then we would have to repeat the process and kill more civilians in the crossfire. In war, the people suffer. That is an unavoidable fact.”

Once the building was destroyed, the path was open to the command center. The few guards outside were easily cleared away, allowing the UED forces to blow open the entrance to the command center with some explosives.

Then, the marines were sent in. After the building was secured, Roland entered. The screen in the main command room showed a map of the city with unit placements marked. The defenders were holding out quite well at the moment against the UED forces outside the city.

This command center had authority over all of Braxis’s military forces. Roland approached the console and got to work. To facilitate the invasion, Braxis’s orbital defenses had to be disabled to allow the bulk of the fleet to come in.

With the task done, he opened the communications line with Stukov. “Vice Admiral, the weapons of the orbital platform have been disabled. Our forces may begin repossessing it now.”

“Good work Captain,” Stukov replied. “Our dropships will be arriving with more reinforcements soon.”

“Understood, send the locations to me.” Roland ended the transmission and focused on the command console.

“Send orders for these groups of soldiers to retreat to defend the command center. As they approach, have our teams ready to take them out”

The Dominion soldiers who thought they were reinforcing the command center would instead be bogged down fighting in the city, and there would now be vulnerabilities left in the defensive lines. Roland contacted the commander arriving with the secondary assault group and informed him of the current situation and discussed the best plan of attack.

“Impressive work Captain,” Duran said. “In such a short amount of time you would have taken over the entire planet.”

“I do what is needed,” Roland replied. “This is only a small step in the greater struggle.”

“And what is that? Earlier you asked me about my goals, now I’d like to hear about yours.” Duran seemed curious, with some amusement.

“To claim this sector in the name of humanity. We will unite the colonies and defeat the aliens that plague us. The Zerg, Protoss, they are our obstacles,” Roland said.

“Well, you seem to be fighting Terrans right now?” Duran said.

“It is necessary,” Roland said. “The colonies must be united under the UED if we are to prevail in this fight. A famous leader once said, a house divided cannot stand. So, we must first eliminate our internal divisions before we can defeat the outside threat. We have caused loss today, but we fight now so that in the future we will not have to.”

Roland paused as he noticed an incoming distress call. He directed one of his men who were working on analyzing the data to pick up the call.

“Outpost Zeta-3, report your status.”

A panicked voice was heard from the other end. “The outpost is under attack, and there isn’t much time before we are overrun. You need to send support immediately. We are being attacked by a sizable force of Protoss and they have breached our defenses. Please, you have to send reinforcements or else-”

The man speaking was interrupted by what seemed to be an explosion. There was some muffled gurgling and then only silence. The communication line closed a few moments later.

“Do we have any forces close enough to aid the outpost?” Roland asked Hector.

Hector changed the screen to show the army distribution on the planet. “All of our forces are engaged in battle.”

“Are there any Dominion forces that can be redirected to help?”

“No sir, they are all occupied as well.”

Roland sighed. “Then there is nothing we can do to save them. But we can avenge their deaths.” He opened communications with Stukov.

“Captain, why have you contacted me?” Stukov asked.

“Have your men finished securing the platform, Vice Admiral?” Roland asked.

“We’ve just about finished up,” Stukov said.

“Then I will be releasing control over the weapons systems and allowing your men to take control,” Roland said. “We will need it soon.”

“What do you mean?” Stukov’s mood changed.

“A Dominion outpost reported being attacked by the protoss. The outpost was destroyed and the protoss are going to be trying to leave Braxis soon. We don’t know what they came here for, but it must be something valuable if they are willing to travel all this way. It would be invaluable if we could capture their ship and find out their purpose.”

“Indeed Captain, the presence of the protoss is most disturbing,” Stukov said. “I will have the fleet move into position and have the defense platform activated in order to block the retreat of the protoss fleet. We won’t let them get away.”

Chapter Text

The evacuation from Braxis' surface was performed perfectly, but not for lack of difficulty. Artanis had nearly lost some of his people when they got lost amid the snows. Now, however, everyone was safely back and they had the Uraj. As the protoss began heading into orbit, Artanis suddenly looked up with alarm.

“We are detecting an increase in power output from the terran orbital platform. They are activating their weapons and are scanning us. It seems we have been discovered.”

“Is it possible to avoid the terrans and leave this planet?” Zeratul asked.

“No, a fleet of terran ships have taken positions in a blockade around us. We are trapped unless we can break through their platform,” Artanis said. “It is strange, their configuration profile is unlike any terran group yet encountered.”

“What could these terrans want from us?” Zeratul wondered.

“We are receiving a transmission from the fleet's command ship, identifying itself as the Aleksander.”

A face appeared on the screen. “Protoss Commander, I am Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov of the United Earth Directorate. We are here to take control of the Terran Dominion and all of its outlying colonies. You are in direct violation of terran space and have openly attacked terran troops. Lower your shields and power down your weapon systems. The UED will be taking custody of your ships and whatever spoils you have garnered from this planet.”

The transmission ended, and Artanis and Zeratul began discussing how to respond.

“United Earth Directorate? Raynor spoke of the distant terran homeworld called Earth. These humans have come a long way to make war on us,” Zeratul said. “It is troubling that we know so little about them. Kerrigan, might you know more about these terrans?”

“Hardly,” Kerrigan replied. “The colonies had long since lost contact with Earth. All we know were from old records, back when Earth was under the United Powers League, not the Directorate. The UPL had an obsession with the divinity of man and rounded up many humans with mutations and cybernetics for being insufficiently pure, and it seems likely that they would despise us, especially considering their current attitude.”

“Worrying,” Zeratul mused. “It would seem that we have yet more enemies.”

“Have faith, Zeratul! You almost sound as if you fear these humans. What are they to such as we? Was it not we who defeated the dreaded Overmind?” Artanis said.

“Yes, Artanis. We did vanquish the Overmind,” Zeratul said. “But we did so with the help of humans. Do not be so quick to underestimate them.”

“Of course,” Artanis said. “Now, the problem remains of how to escape our current predicament. I will lead our ships to try to find a way through this blockade.”

Artanis embarked on his personal ship and set out with a squadron of Scouts. After a few passes near the edge of the platform he returned. “The station is heavily defended, with most of its firepower directed toward the skies. Our fleet will be decimated if we force our way through. Instead, let us use our corsairs to disrupt the defenses in a section of the platform to allow us to land ground forces to assault it.”

Now, the protoss moved out in force and Artanis watched with approval as the corsairs successfully laid down the disruption webs, allowing him and the rest of the Scouts to swoop in and destroy the missile turrets that were guarding this section of the platform. Behind him, shuttles were coming in to drop off more protoss warriors.

A group of terran wraiths came in from the side to intercept the shuttles. Seeing this, Artanis moved to engage the terran fighters. His focus was sharp as the battle began in earnest, with scores of missiles heading toward his squad. Moving his ship nimbly, Artanis dodged the missiles heading toward him, though he noticed that several of the ships behind him were hit, though fortunately their shields took the blow.

Now, it was his turn to strike back as he fired the antimatter missiles from his ship. The wraiths, not expecting their attacks to miss, hurriedly tried to avoid the missiles, but they were too slow. The fragile wraiths were wrecked after a single hit, and with much of the wraith squadron destroyed, the rest turned to flee. Artanis followed close behind along with the rest of his ships, and soon the wraiths were eliminated.

Turning back, Artanis saw that the ground forces had secured a part of the platform and were still advancing. However, from his spot in the sky he could see that the UED was sending numerous reinforcements. Now, he moved toward a group of UED soldiers and fired at them with the ship’s photon blasters. The strafing run successfully eliminated that group of soldiers, but elsewhere terran soldiers were already digging in.

A group of zealots and dragoons were destroyed by the tanks on a ridge where the reavers were unable to attack. As this was overlooking the main bridge to the rest of the space platform, it was a position that they needed to take.

Artanis brought his ship downward toward the tanks, but the turrets on the platform launched a barrage of missiles toward him. This time, several of them hit, beginning to wear through the shield. Still, he forced his way deeper as the ships behind him followed, but the closer he got the heavier the enemy fire became. His shields were dangerously low and several ships in his squad had been destroyed. They took out a single tank but after that they were forced to withdraw.

Even that victory proved to be hollow as Artanis saw more UED forces coming, bringing several more tanks. The protoss were stuck, unable to advance as the terrans began encircling them.

“Artanis, our situation is becoming untenable,” Selendis said. “Our forces must retreat.”

“Understood Executor.” With a heavy heart, Artanis broke off from the attack and covered the protoss withdrawal. They’d inflicted some damage on the platform, but nowhere near enough to render it inoperable. As the last shuttles left, Artanis followed suit. Looking behind him, he saw the terran soldiers already moving into that section of the platform and fortifying it against further attacks.

By the time he returned to the fleet, Artanis’s initial optimism had long since faded away. Instead, all he had left to cling to was determination. The fate of the protoss rested on this expedition, and they could not let themselves fall here. However, all options seemed bleak.

“Our assault sustained moderate losses,” Selendis said. “In and of itself, it won’t cripple us, but the attack accomplished far too little. A few more assaults like the last one and we will be ruined.”

“I know,” Artanis said. “We have the mobility to strike where we please, but to clear out the entire platform would require far too much sacrifice in terms of lives as well as time. If we fail to break through soon, the UED would be able to prepare their reinforcements and crush us.”

“All paths seem closed, but surely there must be another way,” Zeratul said. “If the direct approach will not work, then we must try something else.”

“But what?” Artanis exclaimed. “What else can we do here? There is no way for us to sneak out of the encirclement. If we try to escape we will be torn apart. Perhaps a few ships will survive but the fleet will be decimated.”

“We have received an incoming transmission from the space platform,” Selendis said.

“Is it another demand for our surrender?” Artanis asked wearily.

“No, this one seems different,” Selendis said, opening up the transmission.

A face appeared, not of a high ranking officer, but instead of what seemed to be an ordinary looking man.

“Hey, so I heard that you protoss are attacking this place. Now, I worked here for a long time and I’d rather the UED bastards don’t get ahold of this station in one piece,” he said.

“I’m gonna send you the blueprint of this platform. I’ve marked the location of the power generators. Each one powers a section of the platform and destroying it will depower all of the missile turrets in the section. So if you destroy all the power generators then this platform will just be a useless hunk of metal. Also, I know one section of the platform just became unpowered because of an electrical short, probably one of those UED jarheads screwing something up. Some of my fellow technicians have been sent to go fix it up. Don’t worry, I know they won’t be working too diligently so you’ll have plenty of time to take advantage of the opening.”

The man looked away for a moment before turning back. “I got to go now, the guy supervising me is coming back and I need to wipe the records of this transmission. One other thing, could you avoid attacking the areas where the prisoners are being kept? None of us are going to be a threat to you.”

The transmission ended, leaving the protoss with the map of the platform and all of the information the technician provided.

“That was rather unexpected,” Zeratul said. “But it seems we have gained a great boon.”

Kerrigan seemed amused. “It looks like the UED hasn’t quite secured that platform just yet. And now some of the Dominion soldiers are helping us out of spite. After we had just got done attacking the Dominion too. They must not know about what we just did. Well, this is a lucky windfall for us, to have the Dominion bail us out.”

Artanis looked a bit uncomfortable being reminded that he was being saved by the humans he just fought. But the potential that this opportunity presented stirred up great hope in him. It was a way to win, and he would take it.

“Gather our forces, we will achieve a decisive victory,” Artanis said. “Set the course for the first power generator.”

The detachment of protoss ships moved out. They flew toward the platform, heading toward the region that had been rendered ineffective by the power outage. As the fleet flew by, the missile turrets below remained silent until they reached the next section. This deep into the platform, the terran defenses were sparse, especially since many of their standing forces had been diverted to the area the protoss had first attacked.

Artanis watched as the strike team of ground troops moved in. Ignoring the missile turrets, they only needed to eliminate the few terran patrols that were in their way. With swift efficiency the protoss reached the generator and destroyed it.

Now, the protoss aerial force was able to fly over the area to reach the next section. This time, the way ahead was guarded by a few bunkers and tanks. While the ground forces regrouped, Artanis led the ships to the bridge leading to the next section of the platform. The corsairs disabled the missile turrets with disruption webs, and then the scouts attacked from behind, destroying the tanks and beginning to harass any reinforcements coming to the area while the ground forces pushed in.

As they approached the generator, they found that it had been reinforced with wraith fighters and some new type of ship the protoss had never seen before. After the dragoons destroyed the missile turrets surrounding the generator, Artanis led his ships in. While taking out the wraith fighters wasn’t difficult, the new unknown type of ship proved to be more trouble. They were sturdy enough to take a hit while also firing much more missiles, making it difficult to dodge. Several of the scouts fell prey to them before the UED ships were eventually overwhelmed.

By now, the UED was aware of the attacks and quickly mobilized their forces to respond. Artanis found the way ahead reinforced by the UED troops. The protoss advance halted and Artanis kept an eye on the enemy lines as he flew just outside the range of the terran turrets. The UED forces also focused on the protoss in front of them, content to wait since all the defenders needed to do was stall.

Soon, Artanis received word from the team of dark templars deployed at the other section of the platform. While the terrans were focused on him, the dark templar had struck the defenders from the back and disabled the generator there. Now, there was just one section of the platform left.

The UED commander was no fool, and it was obvious what Artanis would be targeting next. The remainder of the UED garrison was concentrated on one section of the platform, guarding the last power generator. Seeing this, Artanis chose to return to the fleet once more.

“Only one generator remains,” Artanis said. “But the defenses around it are formidable. However, by now we have crippled most of the platform’s weapons, leaving just the one section left. Our fleet can now go on the offensive directly and engage what remains of their missile turrets. With that section having been damaged already in our earlier attack, our fleet should be able to prevail.”

The main body of the protoss fleet finally moved, engaging the platform’s defenses with the main weapons of the fleet. Meanwhile, the platform’s defenders fired back with a barrage of missiles. The shields of the protoss fleet were being whittled away, but not fast enough.

Finally, the fleet was able to focus its weapons on the final power generator, destroying it and causing the last of the platform’s defenses to fall silent. It was over.

“The space platform has been disabled,” Artanis said. “We must leave before the rest of the UED fleet arrives.”

With the barrier to their escape eliminated, the protoss fleet made their escape, leaving the orbit of Braxis and making a warp jump, leaving the incensed UED fleet behind.

Chapter Text

There weren’t many people out and about, Roland noticed as he looked out from his vehicle driving around the streets of Boralis. Mainly, there were patrolling groups of UED soldiers who were involved in the occupation. Most of the citizens, who not long ago had been subjects of the Terran Dominion, had opted to keep their heads down, which involved staying indoors to avoid attracting attention.

There were of course those that were not able to stay in their homes. While the invasion had been completed with minimal losses and collateral damage was minor, there were still some that died and more who were displaced when their homes were destroyed. He had already arranged for military prefab buildings to be set up in order to provide temporary housing to take those people off of the streets. More permanent accommodations would be made once the Directorate administrators arrived from the fleet.

Now that his work here was done, it was time to return to the fleet to prepare for whatever would come next. Speed was essential when it came to military affairs, and though they had just one a decisive victory, there was undoubtedly more to come. Meeting up with Lieutenant Duran at the starport, they took a ship back up to orbit.

Upon docking in the Aleksander, he and Duran met with DuGalle and Stukov.

Stukov greeted him first. “Captain, your work on Braxis was excellent. Our campaign has begun with a strong start, and I hope that you continue the good work.”

“Thank you, vice admiral,” Roland said. “It will be a difficult path ahead of us to secure this sector, and doubtless there are potent foes arrayed against us. Have you managed to discover what the protoss fleet was doing here on Braxis?”

“Unfortunately not,” Stukov said. “The protoss fleet was able to escape our blockade by exploiting a weakness in the defense platform to disable it. I have spoken to the commander in charge of the defense of the platform and he now understands his mistakes, but it can only be expected that there would be some issues after we took control so rapidly and were unfamiliar with the systems.”

“This is concerning,” Roland said as he sank into thought.

“It is only a minor setback,” Stukov replied. “Once our plans come to fruition the protoss will be unable to stand against us.”

“Before I departed Braxis I was able to speak to the Dominion mining crew that had been taken captive by the protoss. They revealed some interesting things, and I had hoped that capturing the protoss would have helped us to understand,” Roland said. “The miners said that the protoss departed after retrieving a crystal from the mine.”

“Well, that makes their objective here clear then,” Stukov said. “We may not know much about protoss technology, but clearly that crystal was something they needed and it was rare enough that they had to come to Braxis for it. If the protoss intervention was simply limited to this then it isn’t a cause for concern.”

Roland shook his head. “I fear that such is not the case. It is their choice in companions that is of concern. The miners also witnessed that the protoss were accompanied by a zerg, a single one according to them. Though it was obviously zerg, it was also in the shape of a human, to be more specific it took the form of a woman.”

Stukov frowned. “You are sure of this?”

“While I cannot discount the possibility that the protoss may have used mental manipulations to create a false image to every one of the miners, I can see no motivation for them to do this,” Roland said. “So if we take this at face value, it would indicate that the protoss are working with the zerg, or at least some part of the zerg.”

DuGalle appeared worried. “If the zerg and protoss have allied together, then that changes a great many things. It is something we will have to investigate further if we are to make sure our plan to take control over the zerg will succeed.”

Stukov turned toward Duran. “Lieutenant, do you know anything about this, either why the protoss would work with the zerg or what kind of creature that was?”

“The zerg are known to infest humans,” Duran said. “While it seemed that the infested humans are nothing more than mindless creatures used for suicide attacks, there is always the possibility that the zerg have designed an intelligent breed of infested. The zerg are quite adept at changing and evolving. As for the protoss, I have no clue why they would be working with the zerg. In the past the protoss and zerg have been vehement enemies.”

“You seem quite knowledgeable about the zerg,” Stukov noted.

“Well, during my time with the Confederacy I was involved in research, and there were some studies done on the zerg to understand how they function,” Duran said. “I always considered myself a scientist at heart.”

DuGalle frowned at this statement, though he didn’t say anything more on this. Instead, he turned to the main topic of the meeting.

“Our Tac Teams have decrypted the Dominion’s datalink and have gained access to Mengsk’s most guarded files. However, our work is not complete. We have ascertained the location of the Dylarian shipyards. These shipyards, serving as a fueling and repair station for the Dominion, house a number of functional battlecruisers in dry dock. To ensure that our domination of the sector remains uncontested, you are to assault the shipyards and liberate as many of the capital ships as possible.”

As Roland began to nod, Duran suddenly spoke up. “Gentlemen, I recommend that you launch this attack using the utmost caution. Dominion Command can typically reinforce its outlying bases within sixteen standard hours. You should expect some sort of reprisal from Emperor Mengsk shortly.”

DuGalle looked irritated with Duran’s interruption. “Ah, the turncoat. I suggest that you pay keen attention to rank when you address the Captain and myself, Lieutenant Duran. Is that understood?”

“Of course,” Duran said.

“Good, now report to the fleet’s quartermaster to register you and your men to have you properly integrated into our fleet,” DuGalle said.

Duran nodded before getting up and leaving.

Stukov chuckled a bit. “You're beginning to show your age, Gerard. Give the boy some credit. He just tipped us off to a preeminent attack.”

“He has switched his allegiance without any concern. I suspect he may still be working for others. And his involvement in the Confederacy’s zerg research is distasteful,” DuGalle said. “We shall see whether he will truly become loyal to us, or if he would turn traitor. No matter how useful he is, I cannot abide a traitor.

“Captain, you should indeed heed Duran’s advice to prepare for a Dominion counterattack, just don’t be surprised should his information prove inaccurate,” DuGalle said. “You must make preparations for all contingencies.”

“Understood Admiral, I will keep that in mind,” Roland said.

“Excellent, I expect nothing but the best from you,” DuGalle said.

The Dylarian shipyards were an impressive sight, worthy of being a major shipping hub for the Dominion. Countless ships came to and from the shipyards, either for maintenance or repairs. The fleet Roland commanded appeared to be no different. News of the fall of Braxis had not yet spread and the ships that had been captured from the Braxis defense fleet were now being put to good use. Of course, the deception would soon be discovered once the attack began, but every minute they had was important.

“Captain, our men are in position,” Hector said.

Roland looked up. “And the ghosts?”

“They have already begun their infiltration of the nuclear silos,” Hector added.

“Excellent,” Roland said. “Begin the attack.”

From his position in the command ship, Roland could see the entirety of the Dylarian shipyards below him. It was impossible to see the details of the soldier placements, but that was what the tactical display was for.

Down below, the first wave of soldiers were attacking. The Dominion garrison was occupying several bunkers, but none of them had been expecting the sudden assault, and each individual bunker was cut off from support. One after another, the bunkers fell and the UED strike force took over the section of the shipyards, along with the multiple battlecruisers.

Meanwhile, a second team was attacking another area of the shipyards. The ghost scouting the area reported back.

“The Dominion guards are sparse as you predicted Captain,” the ghost said. “It seems they have gone to reinforce the section that was being attacked. However, there still remain several artillery emplacements.”

“Understood, stand by for further orders.” Roland closed the communication channel and leaned back.

“So how do you plan on dealing with this Captain?” Hector asked. “Most of our available soldiers are still holding off the Dominion counterattack while our pilots get the ships ready.”

“It was only to be expected that they wouldn’t be able to move their tanks in such a short amount of time,” Roland said. “But this just means that those tanks are unsupported and vulnerable. Dominion coordination is in chaos at the moment and they will have to fend for themselves. Power without direction is useless.”

Roland finished marking the locations the ghost provided on the map. “Have our special team move in. Dominion technology is still primitive in some ways. Our optical flares can ruin unshielded sensory equipment. Knock out those tanks and they will be helpless.”

With the orders dispatched, all that was left was to wait as the strike team swifty attacked the remaining Dominion guards in that region.

“The ghosts have finished securing the nuclear silos,” Hector informed Roland.

“Excellent, have the nukes on standby.” Roland looked toward the screen in front of him displaying a map of the shipyards. By now, nearly a third of the shipyards had fallen under UED control. However, the Dominion garrison mobilized quickly and the majority of their forces were now assembled at the headquarters of the shipyard security forces to prepare for the counterattack.

Roland kept a careful eye on the disposition of the Dominion forces. The center region was by far the most fortified, but that wasn’t going to matter.

“Fire the nuclear missiles,” he commanded. Not long afterwards, several mushroom clouds appeared over the shipyards. This was also the signal for the UED forces to begin the attack, sweeping aside the survivors that had been thrown into chaos when their leadership was destroyed.

It was only once the UED forces reached the last section of the shipyards that was controlled by the Dominion that they started to encounter trouble as the remaining defense forces rallied.

“These Dominion soldiers are quite tenacious,” Roland mused. “Even with nearly all of their forces wiped out along with their top leadership, the common soldiers continue to fight. An admirable quality, though unfortunate for us in this case.”

He pulled up the screen detailing the layout of enemy forces in the area and began to think. Then, he called the commanders of each squad and began issuing direct orders.

“I want you to position your tanks at these coordinates,” Roland said. “Fire upon the missile turret to your north and then exit siege mode.”

As the tanks finished their bombardment, he ordered a ghost forward under cloak to lock down the enemy tanks. This then allowed the tanks to move forward and destroy that segment of the defensive line. From there, the rest of the ground forces could break through.

With the last holdouts being defeated, Roland informed the main UED fleet that was waiting in the neighboring system to come to Dylar IV. Then, he called the governor of the planet.

The voice of the governor came over the communicator. “What do you want?”

“Governor, the shipyards and the battlecruisers within are now in the hands of the United Earth Directorate,” Roland said. “We have come to take control of the Terran Dominion and will deal a decisive blow to the Dominion fleet once they arrive. The capture of Dylar IV by the UED is inevitable. Now, if you were to help us, this would go even smoother.”

“And why should I help you and surrender the planet?” the governor asked.

Roland smiled. “Well, if you stubbornly resist and we are forced to take the planet by storm, we certainly won’t be very happy with you. On the other hand, should you choose to cooperate we can allow you to remain as the governor. Now, you could hope that we lose to the Dominion, unlikely though it may be, but what will happen next? You’ve lost the shipyards along with over a dozen battlecruisers. What will the Emperor think of your incompetence?”

For a short while there was only silence from the other end of the call. Then, Roland saw that the UED fleet had arrived at the edge of the system.

Finally, a weary voice responded. “Alright, what do you want me to do?”

“I’m glad that you have decided to be reasonable,” Roland said. “If you want to prove your worth, you can help us a bit in the next battle. I have some EMP devices prepared, and I want you to hand over some of your ships to my crews. Then when the Dominion fleet comes, you will call them and act like you are being attacked and tell them that you are sending the remainder of your ships to join them. My men will handle it from there. Do you understand?”

“I do,” the governor replied. The transmission closed and Roland opened up a channel to Stukov.

“Vice admiral, I have secured the surrender of the planet. The governor has agreed to help us lay a trap to cripple the Dominion fleet as long as we agree to keep him in place as the governor once we take over.”

Stukov frowned. “You’ve exceeded your authority Captain. We have no guarantees as to whether he would be reliable or not. Placing him in charge of such an important planet is risky.”

“I know, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up on,” Roland said. “As for him being unreliable, that is something we have little to fear. He is now wholly dependent on us for support. Should we fall, then Mengsk would not spare him. And his people won’t be very happy with him either, meaning that he needs us to help him keep control. We hold all the cards here, and we can simply send him some ‘advisors’ to make sure he does the right actions. Of course, once we finish with our conquest of the sector we could always replace him with a more competent individual.”

“Hmmm, he will be our puppet then,” Stukov said. “Your plan seems sound, Captain. I shall approve of your initiative this time, but in the future inform us before making important decisions.”

“Understood, vice admiral,” Roland replied. The communication ended, allowing Roland to relax now that the hard work was done.

“How did you know that the governor would agree?” Hector asked.

“The governor was in charge during the time of the Confederacy before switching loyalty to the Dominion after the fall of Tarsonis. He wouldn’t be opposed to switching again,” Roland said. “There was really no other option for him, and he knew it. Mengsk wouldn’t let him keep his position after a debacle of this scale, even if we did lose in the end. And he could see that we had the advantage in the coming fight.”

Hector chuckled. “How cruel of you. Forcing a man to work for you, after you pushed him into a pit that you yourself dug.”

Roland laughed. “I’m just being a kind and benevolent person, rescuing people from bad situations. I really am a good person.”

“A good person indeed,” Hector said as he started laughing even harder. “I’m sure he absolutely loves you right now.”

“Now, let's get ready to watch the fireworks,” Roland said.

A massive Dominion fleet exited warp space, approaching the Dylarian shipyards. The Directorate fleet was already in position with battle lines set.

The flagship Norad III hailed the UED fleet. “Well, now. I don't know which militia y’all are from, but I advise ya' to back down... NOW! I'm General Edmund Duke of the Dominion armada. And in the name of Emperor Mengsk, I order you to surrender your forces immediately and unconditionally.”

“Ah, General Duke,” Stukov replied. “I had expected your forces to arrive sooner. You should know that we represent not one of your rag-tag peasant militias, but the combined might of the United Earth Directorate.”

Duke appeared shocked. “Earth Directorate? You mean to tell me that you've come all the way out here from Earth?”

“That is correct, General,” Stukov said. “We're here to take control over this sector and its occupants for the betterment of mankind.”

“Over my dead body. I don't care where yer' from, son. No one pushes around the Terran Dominion on my watch! All units, fire at will!” The transmission cut off, and the Dominion fleet approached.

There were several ships from the Dylar defense fleet fleeing toward the Dominion fleet. All as expected. As the Dominion fleet entered into weapon range, the trap was sprung. A series of EMP blasts knocked out power in most of the fleet. While the backup generators in the battlecruisers would kick in, their weapon systems would take some time to recover.

A volley of yamato blasts shot out from the UED fleet, striking the Dominion battlecruisers. It was as though a wave of fire swept over the fleet, leaving devastation in its wake. Some were reduced to nothing more than shattered wrecks, falling to pieces over the shipyards. Others started listing aimlessly, crippled from the attack.

The UED fleet closed in, opening fire with its main weapons. Only sporadic fire was returned, the Dominion fleet still trying to regain its bearings. As the UED fleet approached, Duke realized the predicament that he was in. Immediately, he gave an order for all surviving ships to retreat.

Some ships fled, with those crippled battlecruisers not being able to do anything more than stay in place and attack with whatever weapon systems they had left in order to cover the retreat of those that could move. By the end of the battle, only a third of the Dominion fleet had managed to make a warp jump.

Admiral DuGalle made an announcement to the fleet. “Good work men. Today we have won a great victory. The United Earth Directorate stands triumphant.”

Chapter Text

“We have arrived at Char,” Artanis said. “And it seems that the UED has not sent a fleet to pursue us. With the Uraj secure, it is time for us to retrieve the Khalis. Zeratul have you locked onto the location of the Khalis?”

“Yes. I remember sensing its power the last time I was on this world, and it is still here,” Zeratul said. “However, our sensors indicate a massive, fluctuating energy signature at its location. I am, however, unable to identify the signature's source.”

“That should be obvious, gentlemen; the source is the Overmind itself,” Kerrigan said. “When the cerebrates merged together, they must have locked onto the Khalis' energies and nested near it. It's probable that there'll be a number of broods protecting that area. To retrieve the Khalis, it is practically necessary to break through all of the defenses surrounding the Overmind. The choice here is simple. Kill the Overmind and the Khalis will become yours.”

Zeratul looked to be deep in thought. “To assail the Overmind directly will be dangerous. There is no doubt that the zerg will utilize all that they have to defend the Overmind. And there is no guarantee that we will succeed.”

“There is no true battle that is without danger,” Artanis said. “Our mission is to retrieve the Khalis, no matter what it takes.”

“Remember your orders,” Kerrigan said. “Your Matriarch instructed you to slay the Overmind should a suitable opportunity arise. What better chance is there than right now?”

“I do not mean to speak negatively of our warriors, but the broods on the surface are too numerous. We cannot defeat them should they put their full force against us,” Zeratul said. “We have gathered here the entirety of what Shakuras can spare. Should we fall, Shakuras falls too. The safer plan of action is to retrieve the Khalis with stealth and escape.”

“With how close the Khalis is to the Overmind, there is no doubt that the region will be guarded heavily,” Kerrigan said. “There will be no way to sneak up undetected and you will have to fight through the broods around the Overmind anyways. But fear not because you won’t need to fight alone. I have zerg under my control on the surface that I can use to support the attack. They will take the other zerg by surprise, allowing us to claim victory.”

“How confident are you in this plan?” Artanis asked.

“I believe that we have a strong chance at victory,” Kerrigan said. “I’m also hoping to get some help from a friend of mine, the cerebrate Kaloth. He is one of the zerg’s finest commanders and with his aid our chances of success will greatly improve. However, I will need you to commit to the attack if I am to take this course of action. To turn against the rest of the zerg without managing to deal a decisive blow to them would be an unwise choice for both me and him.”

“Kaloth? I recall hearing of him,” Artanis said. “Was he the cerebrate that led the initial invasion of Aiur?”

“Yes, he did help the Overmind to establish a foothold on Aiur. His tactical skill was able to secure the victory in the opening stages of the war,” Kerrigan said.

“His skill is indeed unquestionable. His forces were a menace to us during the invasion of Aiur. Even Fenix ended up falling to him at Antioch during the surprise zerg attack.”

“Well, back then we were fighting a war against each other,” Kerrigan said. “The Overmind had commanded that we attack, so we had little choice.”

“He was a formidable enemy, but he also can be a powerful ally,” Artanis said. “We can indeed prevail should you two join us in the attack. Should we slay the Overmind, it will be a great victory for all of us. We won’t have a better chance than this.”

“Very well, the Overmind will die this day,” Zeratul said.

“Excellent, while you are preparing the attack, I will need a ship to join up with my forces on the surface,” Kerrigan said. “I shall lead an attack from the east while you go from the west.”

“I shall have a swift ship to escort you to the surface,” Artanis said. Then he turned to address Selendis. “Executor, prepare our forces for deployment. I want the enemy forces identified and battle plans made as soon as possible.”

While the protoss were busy preparing, a group of protoss came to bring Kerrigan to the ship. “I am Iluron,” the zealot in front said. “I have been tasked with sending you to the surface of Char.”

They walked a short distance through the vessel before arriving at the hangar bay. There was a ship waiting, its engines already being started up. It was clearly quite meticulously designed and had the sleek aesthetic characteristic of protoss ships.

“This is one of our best shuttles,” Iluron said. “It is typically used by our most important people for vital missions. To have the chance to be in one is a great honor.”

“Touching. As long as it works, it will be sufficient,” Kerrigan said. “It just needs to get the job done. Now, we need to get going. If you want to spend time expounding on its capabilities which it no doubt has a lot of, it would be better if you do it once we are moving.”

They quickly got into the shuttle after that and it began heading toward the surface of Char. Kerrigan directed the pilot to bring it to one of her hive clusters on the surface. It was a tense atmosphere inside the shuttle as it began heading down to the greatest concentration of zerg in the sector. Iluron stayed silent, deciding not to further describe the shuttle’s characteristics beyond just a rough overview.

Suddenly, the pilot called out in alarm. “There are a flock of mutalisks chasing after us.”

“Isn’t this vessel supposed to be cloaked?” Kerrigan asked.

“It is,” the pilot replied. “But they must have detected us somehow. I was sure to stay far enough away from the overlords though.”

“Damn it, Daggoth must have improved the detection capabilities of his overlords,” Kerrigan muttered. “I didn’t think that he would be patrolling this area so vigorously. Now that we have been spotted, it is unlikely that we can shake off a pursuit.”

The ship shook. “We’ve been hit by scourge,” the pilot said. “The shields are down and the engine has been damaged. The ship is going down and we will have to make a crash landing.”

“Zanosh, make sure that the emergency shock absorbers are working. We will need it if we are to survive the crash,” Iluron said.

“Adun protect us,” he murmured as he got to work, all the while the ship began dropping in altitude. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew braced for impact.

As the ship approached the ground, the pilot cut the speed as much as possible but even so it was still moving with quite a lot of speed. It didn’t quite hit the ground directly but rather slid across the ground as the frame of the ship crumpled. Blue smoke rose up from the wreck as the crystals within the ship shattered or overloaded and as the ship finally came to a stop, what was left collapsed inward on itself.

A few moments later, the wreckage stirred as debris was forced to the side. Kerrigan burst out from the side of the ship, shaking off the scraps of metal and crystal that covered her. A moment later, Iluron cut his way out the other side of the ship. There was still some rumbling coming from inside the ship as the others were working their way out.

Iluron got to work cutting through the sides of the ship with his psi blades, followed by Kerrigan doing so as well. Soon, Iluron pulled a high templar out of the wreckage.

“My thanks for rescuing me,” he said. “I had gotten stuck inside.”

“Were you injured, Kalrak?” Iluron asked.

“A bit,” he replied. “But I am still capable of moving and fighting.”

Iluron pulled another body from the wreckage. This one though showed no signs of life. “He is one with the Khala now,” he muttered before continuing his searching.

Zanosh emerged from where Kerrigan was digging, followed by a dark templar. “Esadril and I found the pilot. He died in the crash.”

“Then it is just us left then,” Iluron said. “Our communications equipment is completely destroyed and we cannot contact the fleet.”

“We can’t stay here for long,” Kerrigan said. “The Overmind’s minions will soon be crawling over this place to look for us. We need to make it to one of the hive clusters under my control, but that is some distance away and the Overmind’s minions stand between it and our position. We’re going to have to take a stealthy approach and avoid attracting too many of the zerg. Moreover, I can’t let the other zerg spot me. I’m supposed to be attacking some terran worlds right now. If I unexpectedly show up now at the same time the protoss are attacking, the mission will be exposed.”

“How do you plan for us to make it past so many zerg,” Esadril asked. “While I may be able to avoid being found for some time, not all of us are as trained in stealth. It is probable that a passing flier would spot us.”

“There are many tunnels that lie underneath the surface of Char,” Kerrigan said. “There is an entrance not far from here, and we can go through the tunnels and avoid the zerg on the surface. We may run into zerg patrols down there though, so we will need to be on guard and fight through them quickly if we are intercepted.”

“That seems to be our only option,” he responded. “Let us go then.”

“Esadril and I should go scout ahead while cloaked to spot any approaching zerg,” Kerrigan said. “We can keep in touch telepathically to inform the others of what we find.”

The two disappeared from sight, leaving the other three to walk forward together over the desolate volcanic rock. They kept watch over their surroundings, though nothing came into their sight, a good thing because that would mean the enemy would spot them too. Then, they got a message from the Esadril saying that there was a flock of mutalisks heading in their direction.

Looking around quickly, they spotted a rocky overhang just a short distance away. They ran toward it quickly and hid under it. For a short while they waited until finally the mutalisks arrived, flying over their hiding place and into the distance. Once they finally went out of sight, the protoss emerged again and continued toward their destination.

They soon arrived at the entrance to a cave. There, Kerrigan was waiting for them. When the dark templar returned as well, they were ready to start moving in. Leaving the harsh surface of Char, they descended below the ground, the light behind them fading until finally they were in darkness. They were in a lava tube, formed from a volcano that had erupted long ago. Now, the tunnel had been repurposed by the zerg, expanded and connected with other tunnels.

In the dark tunnels, the protoss used the light of their psi blades to show their way. The tunnels were like a twisting maze with branches in every direction. Kerrigan guided them in the right direction, navigating the tunnel network as they moved toward their goal.

“We seem to be taking quite a roundabout path,” Esadril noted. “Are these tunnels so sparse as to make this the only way through?”

“Not at all, there are many tunnels here and shorter paths to our destination,” Kerrigan said. “But those paths go directly under hostile hive clusters and would be filled with enemy zerg. Out here, there should be less patrols to worry about.”

Suddenly, she stopped as she sensed something in the distance. “Withdraw your psi blades and get up against the wall,” she said. “There are other zerg coming.”

Though the protoss didn’t hear anything yet, they hid against the wall. They waited in darkness and silence and nothing came by. Then, they finally heard low growls and the sound of armor scraping against the ground. The sound echoed off of the narrow confines of the tunnel, blending into an eerie mixture. The hydralisks slithered past just several meters away from where the protoss were hiding. Along with them ran a few score zerglings. One of the zerglings began wandering over, getting ever so closer as it sniffed around the ground. Then, it turned away and ran back.

The next several minutes felt like almost an eternity. It wasn’t clear how many zerg there were, dark as the tunnel was, and only the sounds revealed their presence. Finally, the noises began fading out as the passing zerg moved away into the distance.

“That was a close one,” Kerrigan said. “We need to keep moving quickly.”

They continued to progress cautiously, but also speedily. The longer they spend in the tunnels, the greater chance there was of being caught. As time passed, their apprehension only grew.

Eventually, they had made it most of the way through the tunnels, and there was just a short distance left. Then, the skittering of zerg filled the tunnels around them. The group looked around warily.

“Damn it, the zerg have been stirred up into a frenzy and are moving through the tunnel,” Kerrigan said. “Something must have riled them up. There is no way we can get around them, we will have to fight our way through. Fortunately, the exit won’t be too far away.

Then, the first zerglings came into sight and the protoss unsheathed their psi blades. Iluron and Zanosh who were in the front charged into the fray while the high templar began frying the zerg from a distance. Meanwhile, the two cloaked members of the group began picking away at the zerg from the sides.

The small group of zerg was quickly eliminated, but by now they had attracted attention and more and more were coming. Picking up the pace, the small group of protoss and a zerg continued their journey. Ahead, a large group of zerg had gathered to block their path to the exit.

Kalrak shot out a psionic storm toward the zerg, clearing out most of the tunnel in front of them. Yet as the group advanced, more zerg began coming in from the sides. It was a flurry of claws and psi blades clashing against each other, but slowly the zerg were pushed back. Then, a group of zerglings popped out from under the ground next to the high templar.

Caught by surprise and slowed down by his earlier injury, Kalrak was unable to react in time and the zerglings jumped on him. Iluron turned around but was tackled by several zerglings, forcing him to fend them off. Then, the zerglings attacking Kalrak were suddenly yanked off by an invisible entity before being cut down the middle.

Kalrak tried to get onto his feet but collapsed again. “You should go on without me.”

Iluron ran back to him. “We can still fight through this,” he said, grabbing ahold of Kalrak and lifting him up.

“There are too many zerg,” Kalrak said. “I won’t be able to use another psionic storm in the state I am in.”

“Allow me then,” Kerrigan said. The air crackled as psionic lightning filled the tunnel once more. Fortunately the zerg within died quickly enough that they didn’t get a good look at the origins of the attack. With the amount of zerg thinned out, they were finally able to make it out of the tunnel, beaten and battered but still alive.

Turning back toward the tunnel, Kerrigan focused for a moment. Then the rock shook and collapsed, caving in the entrance. “It will take some time for them to dig through,” she said. “We don’t have much farther to go.”

Their pace was slower than before with one of the zealots needing to carry the high templar. Still, it seemed like the zerg weren’t putting that much effort into pursuing their small group, focusing their efforts elsewhere instead. It was only when they were nearly at one of Kerrigan’s hive clusters that a flock of mutalisks appeared in the distance.

“We’ve been spotted,” Iluron. “Will we be able to take shelter with your zerg, Kerrigan?”

Kerrigan thought for a moment while they were running. “You can, but it will be difficult. The other zerg must think you have been killed. When we approach the hive cluster, you will be swarmed by zerg. Don’t resist.”

“Very well then, I shall trust you in this.” Iluron looked up. The mutalisks were already fast approaching and there wasn’t much time left.

A group of zerglings and an overlord emerged from the hive cluster and ran toward their group. The four protoss were quickly surrounded and the zerglings began piling on. However, down below the zerglings dug a hole and quickly pushed the protoss in while the small heap of zerglings covered up what was going on.

The ruse worked, and soon the mutalisks flew away with the protoss seemingly killed.

“Being covered by zerglings is deeply unpleasant,” Iluron after being dug out. “Still, it is better than dying.”

“You all can stay at this hive cluster for now until Artanis is able to pick you up,” Kerrigan said. “I have some preparations to make now.”

As Zanosh began carrying the high templar away to put him down somewhere else, Iluron spoke. “I had been on Char once before. I didn’t expect to be here again, especially in these circumstances.”

“Oh did you? We must not have had a pleasant meeting then,” Kerrigan said. “That is all in the past now though.”

“I must say, it was more frightening when we had to fight against you compared to now,” he said. “It is thanks to your aid now that we were able to survive.”

“Well, the ship only flew out here because of me,” Kerrigan said with a shrug. “And I did need you all to clear a path here. That being said, you were all quite capable.”

“As were you,” Iluron acknowledged. “Now, we have a battle coming up. I do wish to participate.”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to do that yet. I have something else to handle first,” Kerrigan said.

After the protoss took refuge in the hive cluster, Kerrigan went to meet a cerebrate. His zerg were already mobilizing as the protoss were descending upon Char, and it was at this time that she arrived at the hive cluster which was teeming with zerg. Though they weren’t her zerg, they parted before her all the same and allowed her to approach the cerebrate at the heart of the hive.

“Kaloth, I see that your brood is getting ready for a fight,” Kerrigan said.

“You were supposed to be invading terran worlds, Kerrigan. And now you appear on Char without a word while a protoss expedition is poised to attack. What exactly is it that you are doing?” Kaloth asked.

“I have brought the protoss here to aid me,” Kerrigan said. “They shall kill the Overmind that Daggoth has arranged to be created.”

Kaloth sighed. “So you seek to tear the swarm asunder.”

“There can only be one at the top. Should the Overmind grow to maturity both of us will be forced to serve it,” Kerrigan said.

“Is it truly so bad to serve?” Kaloth said. “Even Daggoth only plans to lead the swarm until the Overmind is matured.”

“Daggoth cannot conceive of a life without the Overmind, that is why he wants to recreate that which is already gone. The new Overmind will always be a shadow of the old one.”

“Even so, the swarm needs unity if it is to survive,” Kaloth said. “Creating a new Overmind can provide this.”

“I will not serve another again,” Kerrigan said. “It is something I cannot tolerate. If the swarm is to be united then I must be the one to lead it.”

“Why would the swarm be better off being led by you?” Kaloth asked.

“Sometimes, it is more effective to work with some to fight others than to face everyone at once. Divide and conquer. Right now, the zerg have made many enemies and we are on the back foot. I am far more able to turn the situation around to our advantage by connecting with our former enemies. The success of that plan can be seen now.”

“Right now, it seems to be more for your advantage,” Kaloth noted.

“I won’t deny that I wish to eliminate the Overmind for my own interests,” Kerrigan said. “But I can lead the swarm to success as well, just differently than Daggoth.”

“Oh Kerrigan,” Kaloth said with a sigh. “You should have talked with me first rather than acting so soon. Did you not forget what happened with Zasz.”

“I have made mistakes in the past,” Kerrigan said. “But I have learned from it. Kaloth, I will be sure to seek your advice in the future. But this was something that I had to do.”

“Are you truly intent on going through with this? Must we zerg fight each other?” Kaloth asked.

“I’ve made my choice,” Kerrigan said. “The fledgling Overmind must die. I can accept nothing else. The only question is, where shall you stand? Will you support me in this, or do you intend to join the ranks of those who have abandoned me?”

“Do you truly harbor such doubts still?” Kaloth said. “I guarded you during your rebirth, and watched over you as you grew and learned. It was for that purpose that I was created, and I have been with you every step of the way. I would not rebel against our Father, but the imitation holds no sway over me. If you must fight my brethren, then I too shall fight them.”

“Good, I knew I could count on you,” Kerrigan said with a smile. “Now, let us begin our attack.”

She walked out of the hive and joined with her army as the attack began. While she would fight, the cerebrate would watch over her as he always had, commanding the forces of the swarm. Though this was a fight greater than any they had experienced before.

Chapter Text

It looked like there was a sea of zerg in front of Artanis. The one time that he had seen so many zerg before was on Aiur when they fought the final battle against the first Overmind. That creature had been far more terrifying, but back then he also had trusted comrades at his side - Tassadar, Fenix, even the terran Raynor. Now, many of them were gone, dead or occupied by duties elsewhere. Their absence was now felt more than ever and in their place was a new ally. Truth be told, Artanis was still very apprehensive about this alliance, but out of lack of better options this was the only way forward.

Above him, the fleet was already locked in combat with the countless zerg fliers. The zerg fell by the thousands, yet Artanis could also see a few lights fall from the sky as well. The zerg were almost upon them. The reavers were still firing into the hordes of zerg, killing many with each explosion of a scarab. Yet, there were still some zerg that survived and made it through.

Artanis activated his psi blades and charged into combat as the warriors around him did the same. A pair of zerglings in front of him were cut through immediately, and Artanis swiftly moved past, slicing through a hydralisk’s spine in midair before running forward and cleaving the hydralisk in half. He became a whirlwind of action, killing any zerg that entered his path.

Around him, the other warriors were also killing their share of zerg, with the dragoons providing support from afar. Slowly, they were pushing through the swarm of zerg, leaving a field of corpses behind. Among those bodies were many protoss as well, though each had killed dozens of zerg before falling.

Suddenly, a haze fell upon the ground, obscuring the area. The dark swarm made it difficult to see, and frequently zerglings would jump out of the haze and attack. Just after he dispatched another group of zerglings, Artanis sensed a larger creature approach. Ducking to the side, he avoided a massive scythe of bone tore into the ground next to him as the ultralisk emerged from the haze.

Artanis jumped up, landing on the ultralisk’s face and plunging his psi blade in. The beast roared, furiously trying to shake off Artanis. It almost succeeded for a moment, but Artanis was able to hang on and bring his other arm in to slice deeper. With another push, the ultralisk finally slumped onto the ground.

The dark swarm was starting to clear, and Artanis could see several psionic storms raging not far from him, no doubt destroying scores of zerg. With this opening, the protoss force charged forward and assaulted the first hive cluster, with the reavers blowing apart the sunken colonies at the perimeter of the hive, allowing for the rest of the warriors to charge in and finish off the creatures hiding within the hive.

Yet more zerg gathered in front of them after they had destroyed the hive. It seemed that they just kept coming. The protoss advance slowly came to a halt, and they struggled just to maintain their position.

“Executor, how fares the fleet?” Artanis asked.

“We are under heavy pressure from the zerg,” Selendis said. “We will be unable to provide support to your forces.”

“And what of our allies?” Artanis asked.

“We lost contact with the ship we sent,” Selendis said. “Something must have happened to them. We have no idea about the status of our supposed allies.”

“We can only trust that they will be here,” Artanis said. “Otherwise this expedition is doomed.”

Then, the zerg attacking them began drawing back.

The zerg hives were in a frenzy of activity, churning out more creatures constantly to feed them into the attack. Being far from the front lines, they were only lightly defended. Kaloth’s zerg were moving toward the front, taking a path passing near many of these hive clusters. Without warning, these zerg turned and attacked. Many hive clusters were torn apart by the sudden onslaught, having no time at all to react.

“What is this madness?” Daggoth demanded angrily. “What are you doing Kaloth?”

Kaloth chose not to answer, continuing with this heavy task as he knew nothing he said could change the minds of any involved.

Daggoth continued attempting to communicate. “Has someone taken control of you Kaloth? You must try to resist.”

Daggoth suddenly paused as he noticed that Kerrigan’s zerg had emerged from her hives and were now going on the attack with her at the lead. Instantly, Daggoth’s tone toward Kaloth turned venomous. “So you are being controlled by another, but out of your own free will. I had never questioned the Overmind’s decisions before, but there is no doubt now that accepting that terran as one of us was a mistake. You are choosing to side with her? Over the rest of the swarm?”

Finally, Kaloth responded. “Forgive me Daggoth, I wish it didn’t have to come to this. But the side that I chose was set since my birth.”

“I know that you have spent your life watching over Kerrigan, but even you must see that this path is absurd,” Daggoth said. “It is irrational for you to pursue this course. The cerebrates need a new Overmind. It is the only way for the zerg to stay united.”

“Is it, Daggoth?” Kaloth said. “Or have you been so stuck in the past that you cannot see another way. The swarm can grow in other ways. Still, I agree with you that for me to take this course of action is not one that is founded in reason.”

“Then why, Kaloth?” Daggoth exclaimed. “Why must you do this?”

“Because the alternative is one that I cannot accept.” Kaloth sighed. “Sometimes there are things that rise above logical calculations.”

“You are too far gone,” Daggoth said with disgust. “She has her hooks in you completely, for you to be willing to go all the way with this. I shall entreat with you no longer then, traitor.”

Kaloth turned his focus back onto the battle. The initial strike had done a lot of damage, but Daggoth was already reacting, directing the rest of the cerebrates to move their forces back to defend the infant Overmind. There would be no easy victory here. Now, Kaloth reorganized his brood and sent them on the offensive once more.

Kerrigan was already leading the attack, pushing in further against the fortifications around the Overmind. Progress had slowed as the enemy moved more minions to reinforce that area. His own forces took this chance to strike on other areas of the front, taking some ground and eliminating more of the enemy’s hives.

The battle appeared to be going in their favor. If they kept this up, then it would seem that they would have victory in their grasp soon. It was easy, too easy. Daggoth’s personal brood was nowhere in sight even as Kerrigan’s army began drawing ever so closer to the Overmind. Where were the enemy’s elite forces?

After thinking for a moment, Kaloth contacted Kerrigan. “I believe that Daggoth will be sending his elite warriors to kill you. He is truly infuriated now. Your position is currently exposed and is in danger of being cut off.”

“Are you asking me to withdraw?” Kerrigan said.

“That would be the safest course of action,” Kaloth said.

“Then we will have to face those enemies later. And then, we won’t know where they’ll attack,” Kerrigan said. “How about this Kaloth, you set a trap for them and I’ll lure them to it.”

“That will be dangerous,” Kaloth said. “Daggoth’s warriors are ferocious and powerful. If you end up being trapped, then it will be difficult to escape.”

“This entire venture was a risk,” Kerrigan said. “If we avoid danger then we won’t make any progress.”

“Of course,” Kaloth said. “Just be cautious.”

“Tell me where you want them,” Kerrigan said.

Kaloth took in the landscape in an instant and evaluated it. “There is a valley system to the northeast of your position. Lead the enemy there and I will have forces burrowed to ambush them.”

“I’ll get it done,” Kerrigan said. She turned her focus back to the battle and soon saw the change in the enemy forces as the frontlines were being replaced with stronger and more ferocious breeds. Her own zerg forces were quickly losing ground now that they were faced with zerg sent from Daggoth’s elite zerg. It was time to finish drawing the enemy into the fight.

Kerrigan stepped forward, focusing into the distance and shooting out a psionic storm. A hole formed in the line of zerg which slowly expanded as she swept the raging psionic energy across the battlefield. Then, a flurry of sharp spines shot across the battlefield and Kerrigan quickly ducked to the side and narrowly avoided them. Some of the hunter killers on the edge of the psionic storm’s radius were hardy enough to survive, and now they retaliated as they turned their aim toward her.

At the same time, that display had led to Daggoth’s army taking notice of Kerrigan, and they began moving to attack. More hunter killers began focusing their fire in that direction, and the mighty Torrasque was beginning its charge. Kerrigan realized that the flanks of her army had been broken through and the enemy zerg was beginning their encirclement. Time was short, and with the enemy clearly having locked on it was time to withdraw and bait the pursuit.

The enemy had sent the fastest of their zerg, the devouring ones, around the side to cut off the retreat. In close quarters combat, the elite zergling strain ripped through the hydralisks and caused the retreat to stall as the zerg on the backline paused to fight back against the attackers. The weight of fire was bringing down some, but the devouring ones were exceptionally quick, able to dodge attacks from far away and quickly close the distance.

The interference was holding them back, and the bulk of Daggoth’s zerg were not far behind. Soon, Kerrigan arrived on the backlines and intervened to break the deadlock. A group of devouring ones rose up into the air under her telekinetic grip, allowing the hydralisks to shoot them. As more groups of devouring ones were taken out, Kerrigan’s zerg were able to regroup and begin pushing forward again.

Kerrigan focused on another group of enemies in her path, using her power to freeze them in place. Suddenly, her side erupted in pain as several sharp spines pierced through her carapace. Dropping the zerglings in her grip she turned to look toward the attackers. Another group of hunter killers had arrived to reinforce the encirclement and they were beginning to fire upon her from a distance. The hunter killers outranged her own hydralisks, and already the attack was doing damage.

Kerrigan ducked behind an ultralisk as her wounds began healing. Examining the enemies, it seemed that their numbers were not extensive, though they held a positional advantage at the moment. After a moment of contemplation, she hopped onto an ultralisk, behind its head, and ordered it to charge forward along with several other ultralisks.

A hail of spines flew through the air, and though most of them were blocked by the armor plating on the ultralisk, she still had to occasionally deflect a spine heading toward her or a softer spot on the ultralisk. The hunter killers packed a bigger punch than ordinary hydralisks, and one of the other ultralisks actually fell under the weight of the attacks.

Finally, they reached the enemy and the ultralisks plowed through the line of hunter killers. Kerrigan jumped off of her ride and began tearing into the enemies near her, while the rest of her army began moving in with the hunter killers distracted. The bulk of the enemy army was still in pursuit, so after breaking through, Kerrigan continued to lead her army away.

Daggoth’s zerg pursued Kerrigan with a single minded determination, intent on her destruction as they chased her down. Daggoth sent his minions toward the flanks, boxing in Kerrigan and pushing her into the direction he wished. However, Kerrigan was hardly passive here and forced her army just far enough to skew the direction of movement toward her destination. Finally, Daggoth’s zerg pursued her into the branching network of valleys.

Eventually, the chase ended as Kerrigan and her army were being driven into a dead end as the enemy barreled down upon them. Suddenly, scourge swooped down from alcoves in the sides of the cliffs, wiping out swaths of the enemy fliers. Meanwhile, queens emerged from the caves and ensnared the army with sticky webs while defilers came from the ground and covered them with plague.

At this moment, Daggoth realized the predicament his army was in and immediately ordered them to withdraw. However, the ground behind them was now filled with lurkers and a new army had appeared, coming out from scattered hiding places in the rest of the valleys. An attempt by the trapped zerg to force their way through was unsuccessful, with even the Torrasque taken down by repeated attacks. Meanwhile, Kerrigan and her army turned around and attacked from the other side, and the two sides came together to seal the destruction of the trapped zerg.

“That should be a significant portion of Daggoth’s standing forces in this region,” Kaloth said. “Now we should be able to take the offensive without worry, at least until further reinforcements arrive for the enemy.”

“Then we can’t waste time,” Kerrigan said. “We have to go at this with everything we got.”

From the shadows, Zeratul gazed down at the creature in the depths of the cave. It had been quite the challenge making it this far. He and his comrades had waited outside the hive, looking for an opening. Once the amount of zerg had decreased, they were able to employ a diversionary attack and then sneak through. Now, they were inside the chamber in which one of the overmind’s cerebrates resided.

Stepping through the shadows, Zeratul moved ever closer to his destination. Zerglings scuttled across the creep covered ground, sniffing about to look for intruders. It was simple for the veteran dark templar to avoid them. Finally, he stepped out of the shadows in front of the cerebrate. The hydralisk next to him reacted, but it was already too late. Zeratul reached out his arm as he activated his warp blade, the energy cutting straight through the hydralisk’s head the moment it formed.

Then he struck, stabbing deep into the flesh of the cerebrate just as he did to many before. The creature writhed and flailed for a few moments as its mortal shell died. Then, Zeratul saw the spirit of the cerebrate. Focusing the void energy into his blade, Zeratul made one more cut, ending the creature forever.

Around him, the brood degenerated into chaos as the zerg fought one another, now bereft of intelligence and direction. With his job done, Zeratul slipped out of the chamber and withdrew. Now it was time to deliver the news.

“Artanis, I have eliminated one of the cerebrates,” Zeratul reported.

“I noticed many of the zerg on the front lines fall into chaos,” Artanis said. “Good work Zeratul, you have made our fight ahead easier. We shall soon be approaching the last bastion of the Overmind.”

When Zeratul returned to the main protoss force, he found them assailing the plateau upon which the Overmind resided. Their warriors were climbing up the slopes as the fleet bombarded the zerg at the top. However, a flock of zerg fliers attacked and with the help of the spore colonies they drove the fleet back. A rush of zerg came down and the protoss were overwhelmed, retreating back once again.

The protoss retaliated with another bombardment from the reavers, smashing apart the zerg attack force and destroying some more of the defenses. The fleet returned, picking away at the spore colonies at the perimeter and baiting a group of mutalisks into chasing.

“How goes the battle, Artanis?” Zeratul asked.

“The defenses around the Overmind are formidable,” Artanis said. “But we hold the upper hand and it will only be a matter of time before we are able to break through.”

Suddenly, Selendis interjected. “Artanis, the sensors are picking up a large amount of zerg approaching from the north. Their numbers greatly exceed ours. What shall we do?”

“We will do what we must,” Artanis said.

Chapter Text

The volcanic surface of Char stirred as lava spewed out from beneath the ground and plumes of smoke filled the sky. It was almost as though it was a reflection of the growing strife spreading across the surface of the planet. Scores of zerg creatures were gathered together, fighting amongst themselves along with another alien race. And yet more zerg stirred from all corners of the planet, heading toward the epicenter of the activity, the battle around the Overmind.

“The other broods are mobilizing,” Kaloth said. “More and more zerg are coming from across Char. We must win swiftly if there is any chance for us to prevail against these odds.”

“Then we have to bet everything on one last attack to kill the Overmind before it can bring its overwhelming numbers to bear upon us,” Kerrigan said. “Once it dies, the other broods will be thrown into disarray. Then victory will be in our grasp.”

“The protoss are the key here, they are the only ones who can slay the Overmind. You must convince them to commit their forces fully for one final assault,” Kaloth said. “I shall hold back the enemy reinforcements and launch a diversionary attack to give you an opening.”

“I’ll tell the protoss the plan then. You just focus on your part.” Kerrigan departed from her side of the battlefield, soon arriving at the protoss encampment. When she arrived, Artanis immediately spotted her.

“Kerrigan, I suppose that you are aware of the imminent arrival of enemy reinforcements,” Artanis said.

“I know Artanis, that is why we have to attack quickly.” She turned toward Zeratul. “Are you ready to launch one final attack on the Overmind?”

“Slaying the Overmind will be no easy feat,” Zeratul said. “But we have gone too far to give up now with the objective so close to falling into our grasp. The dark templar stand ready to give our lives to ensure the creature’s destruction.”

“Excellent. Now, I can’t send my forces with yours in a direct assault because it will be difficult for your forces to distinguish the enemy in a tense battle,” Kerrigan said. “However, we will launch a diversionary attack in order to relieve pressure from the main attack force. I will also be joining you in the attack.”

Zeratul nodded. “Then our fates shall be tied. We shall launch the assault at once. Artanis, protect our rear so that we may fight unimpeded.”

“Our victory shall rest on you then,” Artanis said. “Adun Toridas.”

The cliffs lit up with bright flashes of color as the energy weapons of the protoss fleet bombarded the zerg positions atop the plateau. The attack stirred up the hornets nest and zerg fliers emerged to engage the fleet. Meanwhile, the strike force advanced up the rocky terrain. Atop the cliffs, they could see the numerous zerg arrayed before them dotting the surface of the plateau. The Overmind loomed in the center, casting its shadow upon the ground.

They could spot signs of battle taking place far off on the other side of the plateau. Kaloth was employing the entirety of his forces, sending them in attacks all around the perimeter of the enemy defenses. Each group was meticulously managed, attacking just enough to force a response before retreating to preserve its strength.

Even with the plateau under siege from all sides, there were still many zerg blocking their path forward. Ultralisks emerged from within their dens and the spawning pools disgorged countless zerglings. The screeches of the zerg filled the air as they charged forward.

The protoss braced themselves for the clash as the reavers began opening fire. Multiple psionic storms descended upon the battlefield, breaking up the clumps of zerg. When the surviving zerg approached, the protoss jumped into action and began slashing their way through the incoming zerg without hesitation.

One ultralisk broke through the line of zealots, bowling over the protoss warriors before it. With each swing of its blades it knocked aside several protoss. Just as it let out a roar, it stumbled as Zeratul appeared beneath it and sliced through its front legs. It collapsed to the ground and  Zeratul’s blade moved upwards, cutting through the creature’s skull.

The protoss advance was swift, crossing the blasted landscape and leaving a trail of zerg corpses in their wake. Suddenly, the ground rumbled. The protoss paused and looked around for enemies. Then, a concealing shroud enveloped their backlines as the defilers emerged from the burrows, followed by zerglings crawling out of the dirt.

The protoss reacted quickly, fighting off the attackers emerging next to them. But within the dark swarm, the chaos was only beginning. Even as more of the protoss warriors entered into the haze, they found zerg hiding behind every rock jumping out to attack. There were even lurkers buried there, attacking the protoss with impunity.

Zeratul led a team of dark templar into the fog, killing any zerg they came upon and rallying the scattered groups of protoss. The defilers were soon rooted out and destroyed, leading to the dark swarm beginning to dissipate. When the haze finally cleared, the zerg ambush had been defeated. However, they extracted a heavy toll and succeeded in destroying much of the heavy equipment such as the reavers.

Though this was a serious blow, the protoss had no choice but to continue their attack even as more and more zerg began attacking them. They struck with increased vigor, forcing their way through the enemies blocking their path. The high templars redoubled their efforts to thin the zerg ranks while Zeratul and the other dark templar picked off the dangerous strains. Meanwhile, the rest of the protoss simply engaged the zerg directly.

While Kerrigan had just got done killing a group of hydralisks, she noticed a flock of enemy queens approaching from the air. As they took a familiar stance, Kerrigan realized the danger and called out to Zeratul.

“Zeratul, the enemy may be planning on using ensnare to cover the battlefield. You and your comrades may end up revealed and trapped by the enemy,” Kerrigan said.

“I see,” Zeratul replied. “I shall call for a retreat.”

It wasn’t a moment too soon. Even though a few of the dark templar were caught at the outskirts of the zerg army, by and large they had managed to evade the ensnaring webs. Soon, the corsairs arrived to chase off the queens before returning to fight the approaching mutalisks.

They had carved their way through many enemies but still the zerg continued to pile in. In all directions, all that could be seen were hordes of zerg. There was no path of retreat, not that the protoss would have taken it anyways. The massive form of the Overmind towered before them, but surrounding it was many layers of sunken colonies and yet more zerg minions.

“Forward warriors,” Zeratul called out. “Today we shall slay the Overmind. Hold nothing back.”

The high templars used the last of their energy on whittling away the zerg with psionic storms. Still, there were many zerg left.

One of the high templar began speaking to the others. It was clear that he was somewhat of a respected figure. Kerrigan had a spark of recognition. That was Kalrak, the protoss that had come down on the ship with her.

“My brethren, this battle will be the one that decides the fate of our people,” he said. “There is no time for hesitation or weakness. We are Templar. Not even death can faze us. It is time for us to make the ultimate sacrifice. En Taro Adun! En Taro Tassadar!”

The stoic templar nodded. Coming together, bright orbs of energy formed on the battlefield.

“THE MERGING IS COMPLETE.”

One by one, archons emerged from what had once been high templar. Waves of psionic energy washed over the battlefield, frying the zerg to a crisp. The archons moved forward and began smashing through the sunken colonies surrounding the Overmind while tearing apart any enemy that crossed their path. In their wake, the protoss charged ahead and cleaned up the remnants of the zerg.

Ultralisks emerged from beside the Overmind, clashing with the approaching archons. A blinding display of light and rampaging energy followed and anything near them was obliterated, zerg and protoss alike. When the dust cleared, the zerg around the Overmind were destroyed and the archons were fading away as the uncontrolled psionic energy consumed them.

The path to the Overmind lay bare.

The protoss focused their firepower on the Overmind, burning through its armored shell. However, the zerg redoubled their attack as the Overmind called all of the zerg back to defend it. The protoss held the line, barely.

“The Overmind’s core has been exposed,” Zeratul said. “The dark templar must handle this from here. None must be allowed to disturb us.”

Kerrigan turned away from the Overmind once Zeratul entered. It was all coming to a head now, and even if she wasn’t able to kill the Overmind, she sure wouldn’t let this all fall apart from her own inadequacy. She looked out at the tide of zerg and at the protoss struggling to hold them back. Kerrigan focused her attention on the approaching zerg and unleashed a psionic storm from her fingertips.

The approaching zerg burned away, allowing the protoss to reorganize their lines and take back lost ground. But soon a flock of mutalisks began descending from the sky. Once more, Kerrigan focused her power and filled the skies with another raging psionic storm. As the pieces of mutalisks fell to the ground in pieces, Kerrigan dropped to one knee and let out a gasp of exhaustion from the exertion.

The momentary lull soon ended as the battle resumed in earnest with the protoss pitting their blades against the zerglings while the dragoons exchanged fire with hydralisks. It was a few against the many, and not a single one could afford to falter. Even Kerrigan had picked herself back up and gone back into the fray, engaging in melee combat alongside the other protoss.

Then, a heavy pressure fell on the battlefield; the Overmind’s presence became suffocating as it saw its death approaching. The dark templar stood poised to strike, but the sudden psionic attack born of desperation forced them to the ground.

The other protoss fighting felt weighed down as they struggled against this invisible pressure, the Overmind’s fury made manifest. The connection of the zerg hivemind made this affect Kerrigan even more, especially as the Overmind’s anger was directed at her more than any other. She fell to the ground and the hydralisk she was fighting struck, only missing when the zealot next to her spotted this and pulled Kerrigan out of the way.

All attention was now focused on the Overmind and those on the ground before it. Then, one stood up, breaking free of the Overmind’s suppression. Zeratul took one step forward and plunged his warp blade into the creature. Instantly, the hold on everyone lifted. Zeratul dug in deeper, tearing through the very essence of the Overmind. In a few agonizingly long seconds, the world stood still. Finally, the Overmind was no more.

Around them, the zerg descended into chaos, flailing about and attacking the protoss and each other equally. As the protoss withdrew to the shadow of the Overmind’s corpse, they laid their eyes on the devastation before them. For as far as the eye could see, corpses of zerg littered the blackened ground.

Artanis message came through the communicator. “The zerg broods attacking us have lost cohesion.”

“The backlash from the Overmind’s death must have thrown the other cerebrates into a daze,” Kerrigan noted. “This is it then. The Overmind is dead. We’ve won.”

“I must admit, when I set out from Shakuras I did not expect this to be the outcome,” Zeratul said. “You have indeed been a worthy ally.”

“You too,” Kerrigan said. “I can’t say it was unpleasant working with you. I see that protoss valor is as impressive as it is said to be. The area around the Khalis has been cleared and you may claim it whenever you wish.”

“Very well. It seems it is time for us to part ways. It is imperative for us to return to Shakuras as soon as possible. Even now my brethren must still be fighting against the zerg there,” Zeratul said.

“Of course, we all have more battles ahead of us,” Kerrigan said.

As the protoss began departing, Kerrigan looked out over the volcanic surface of Char, gazing upon the remains of armies and the scars of the devastation wrought on this day. This was just the first step. Soon, Char would be hers. And since the cerebrates on Shakuras would soon be destroyed, securing Char would mean controlling the swarm.

“Kaloth, prepare to go on the attack,” Kerrigan said. “Every cerebrate must submit, or they will die. With the enemy reeling and disorganized, there is no better time than now. Do you understand?”

“We can hardly back out now Kerrigan. When you said you were intent on going through with this, I had already begun preparing,” Kaloth said. “Take a rest from your battle. I shall handle this.”

Chapter Text

The death of the Overmind was a traumatic event. Kaloth could still remember the time back on Aiur when Tassadar had made his attack against the Overmind. The swarm had suffered a setback before when Zasz had died and the Overmind fell silent. Yet, nothing could have prepared them for the loss of the one thing which bound them all together. Some cerebrates had outright lost their sanity, while others like him had sunk into a deep stupor for several days.

This time, the bond between the infant creature and the cerebrates was nowhere near as strong. Even excluding himself who had voluntarily separated himself from the Overmind before this, even those who remained bound had managed to endure better than their first experience. Some still fared worse than others, the younger ones especially. Even the new Overmind forged by Daggoth had been something the other cerebrates were dependent on, and the backlash of its death gave them all pause.

Char had been a vibrant hub of the zerg, but now it fell silent as a deep lethargy and melancholy overtook most of the zerg. Kaloth watched as his zerg entered into the hive cluster of one of the other cerebrates. Moving through the hive, they arrived at the nesting area of the cerebrate. Once his minions had surrounded the cerebrate, he sent it a mental prod and shook it out of its stupor.

“Kaloth? What are you doing? Why are you here?”

“I have you surrounded,” Kaloth said. “The Overmind is dead. Submit and join your forces with mine, and you shall be allowed to live.”

“Very well,” it said. “I shall follow your commands. Now, could you take away your minions now?”

“I’m afraid not,” Kaloth said. “They will remain here to ensure your continued cooperation. Rest assured, I have no intention of killing you as long as you hold to your word.”

The threatened cerebrate seethed, but ultimately it acquiesced.

The next cerebrate proved to be less reasonable. Upon returning to his senses, he lashed out as his brood stirred up into a frenzy.

“Cerebrate, cease your struggles at once, or I shall be forced to terminate you,” Kaloth said. “Submit, and you may continue to serve.”

“I shall not surrender,” it said. “What purpose is there left? You have destroyed the last hope of the swarm.”

“On the contrary,” Kaloth said. “The zerg shall continue to thrive. If you join us, you can find a new purpose. Pointless resistance will only weaken the swarm. You are in a state of distress. Calm down and think rationally.”

“Distress? Of course I am distressed . And who was responsible for it? You and your vile mistress. I will not serve her. She is no true zerg.”

As the cerebrate’s brood intensified their resistance, it became clear to Kaloth that there was no saving him. With a heavy heart, he ordered his minions to kill the cerebrate.

Meanwhile, the rest of Kaloth’s force were rushing across the surface of Char. Most cerebrates proved to be less intractable and were willing to surrender. However, the window of opportunity was short and while many of the cerebrates came under his grasp, there were still many that had already begun to stir.

One brood mobilized to oppose him. But it was but a single cerebrate. Upon discovering that his advance group had been fought off, Kaloth dispatched the bulk of his armies there. They surrounded the brood of the other cerebrate and Kaloth made it clear what their options were. With the disparity between their armies insurmountable, the opposing cerebrate capitulated.

However, the rest would not be so easy. Daggoth had begun rallying the remainder of the cerebrates on the other side of the planet. Rather than allowing themselves to be picked off piecemeal, they organized into a combined army to defend against Kaloth’s attack.

“Daggoth, you have lost,” Kaloth said. “There is no more reason to continue this battle.”

Daggoth scoffed. “No reason? There was no reason for you to betray the swarm, to destroy everything we sought to build. You still dare to speak of reason?”

“A battle here will weaken all of us,” Kaloth said. “You will lose and accomplish nothing.”

“We shall see about that,” Daggoth said as he moved his armies to block Kaloth’s advance.

The first of Kaloth’s zerglings were torn apart by lurkers. Seeing this, Kaloth withdrew his army slightly and moved to attack a different area.

Daggoth repositioned his forces to counter this push, and Kaloth could also spot the lurkers unburrowing from the ground and heading to the new location. Keeping track of their locations, he sent in a swarm of zerglings to launch a lightning assault first before the lurkers burrowed. Some of the lurkers were taken out, but the main goal of causing disruption succeeded, allowing the rest of his army to advance behind the zerglings.

With the ultralisks now brought in front, they were able to begin targeting the lurkers, tearing up the dirt and digging the creatures out of the ground. Meanwhile, the hydralisks began shooting at Daggoth’s army, suppressing them to give the ultralisks a chance to do their work. With the ultralisks soon ripping through the frontlines, Daggoth ordered his armies to withdraw from the battlefield and take up a more defensible position.

The skies were filled with mutalisks, both sides fighting viciously for control over the skies. Although their numbers were about equal, Daggoth’s flocks had ended up spread thin after responding to a series of hit and run attacks made by Kaloth. As Kaloth’s mutalisks regrouped, they quickly came together and surrounded one of Daggoth’s flocks, wiping it out quickly.

Daggoth reached out once more and spoke. The other cerebrates, on both sides, listened as the two continued their verbal sparring.

“Your skill is impressive. It is a pity that you use them against the swarm,” Daggoth said.

“What is the swarm Daggoth?” Kaloth asked. “Is it the zerg as a species, or is it simply the old image you cling onto which you cannot accept any change to?”

“The swarm is the collective of all zerg, united in one purpose. By your treason, you have shattered that unity,” Daggoth said.

“There is more than one way for there to be unity. I could say that you are now the one standing in the way of unity with your continued resistance,” Kaloth said.

“You dare? Is that terran of yours worth serving? You turned against the Overmind for this?” Daggoth retorted.

“What you made was no Overmind Daggoth, but a shallow imitation,” Kaloth said. “What are the zerg? We adapt, grow, change and evolve. We become stronger. Perhaps it is time for a change. After all, your manufactured Overmind lost. It is clear which is stronger.”

“Strength? Do you even know the meaning of the word?” Daggoth asked with derision. “Kerrigan won not through her own strength, but rather by employing the protoss to do the work for her. To consort with enemies is the ultimate sin.”

“That is where you are wrong Daggoth,” Kaloth said. “To be able to influence others is a strength in and of itself. Do you look down on a zerg that burrows, because he borrows the strength of the dirt? Effectively making use of our environment and its resources has value, and the other races are but yet another tool.”

Daggoth remained silent, and doubt stirred in some of the cerebrates under his command as the tide of the battle continued to turn against them.

Kaloth brought his guardians forward and began bombarding Daggoth’s forces. Daggoth attempted to send his aerial zerg to drive away the guardians, but Kaloth’s mutalisks, along with the hydralisks brought to support the guardians, were able to ward off the aerial attack. As the guardians continued to pummel their enemies, Daggoth was forced to go on the attack.

Now reinforced by his reserve forces, Daggoth’s attack succeeded in quickly overrunning the hydralisks on the front lines, but their advance had taken them past many burrowed lurkers. The lurkers, which had bided their time, struck. The vanguard was thrown into chaos while Kaloth brought the bulk of his forces forward to finish them off.

“Tell me Daggoth, what is your goal?” Kaloth asked.

“I will restore the swarm to its rightful state,” he said. ‘The Overmind will return to lead us. And the sector shall burn before the might of the zerg. None shall be able to stand in our way.”

“If you believe that doing the same thing again will succeed, then you have not learned Daggoth. What do you think will happen once you begin to forge a new Overmind once again? Do you not realize that the protoss would come for you once more? They will not allow you to complete your plan. Even the terrans may array themselves against you as well. You will stand alone against the sector. Do you really think you can win even if you defeat us here?”

Daggoth seethed with anger. “That is a situation you put us in. If you and Kerrigan had stayed true to the swarm, none would have been able to challenge us. We are weak only because of our division. Should you recant and join us one more, we can still succeed.”

“You know that I will not do that,” Kaloth said. “I have been instructed to unite the swarm. Any cerebrate that refuses to submit shall die. Do you understand your position? Even if you ‘win’ this battle, you will have nothing. Your destruction will be an inevitability. The only path forward for you is to submit.”

“Curse you Kaloth,” Daggoth said. “You and that abomination.”

“Is that all you have left to say? You know it as well. If you truly care only for the swarm, and not your own pride, there is only one rational choice left for you. What will it be, Daggoth?”

Kaloth could sense the hesitation that arose in many of the cerebrates that served Daggoth. They could see the situation clearly as well. In a way, Daggoth’s submission was not truly necessarily for victory here. There was a reason that the offer to surrender was given to every cerebrate. Still, Kaloth hoped that even Daggoth could see reason.

Finally, Daggoth answered. “It seems that there is only one way left to serve the swarm. I will submit.”

“Thank you Daggoth. Now, have your armies stand down,” Kaloth said.

Following Daggoth’s capitulation, the other cerebrates quickly followed suit. Across Char, the nonstop battles finally fell silent.

“It is finished,” Kaloth said. “The swarm is yours, my queen.”

“I knew I could count on you Kaloth,” Kerrigan said. “It felt like long ago when I was first born into the swarm. Yet, it really hasn’t been so long has it?”

“I was but a newly born cerebrate when I watched over you Kerrigan,” Kaloth said. “To me, it has been my entire lifetime. We all have come a long way.”

“If I had been told a year ago that I would rule the zerg, I would not have believed it,” she said. “Yet the chance came and I took it. Tell me Kaloth, did you have any misgivings about this whole affair?”

“Many,” Kaloth said. “Even now I wonder whether this was all a mistake.”

“Yet you still helped me despite that,’’ Kerrigan said. “Though all of the other cerebrates will be less than happy about this situation. Unlike you, the other cerebrates will resent my rule. Tell me, why is Daggoth still alive?”

“He agreed to submit,” Kaloth said. “Thus he was allowed to live.”

“I know that is what I ordered, but you can see as well as I do that Daggoth will seek to subvert my rule at every turn,” Kerrigan said. “It is only a matter of time before he acts against us.”

“That may be true Kerrigan,” Kaloth said. “But in time, if you prove yourself as a capable leader then their resentment shall naturally lessen. Then your rule shall be secure.”

“It still doesn’t seem safe keeping Daggoth around. He has too much power and influence,” Kerrigan said.

“Indeed, but if we killed arbitrarily, then none would agree to serve us,” Kaloth said. “They would have fought to the death. Even if we could have defeated them, it would have been at great cost. And you need their forces for your future plans.”

“I haven’t even told you what my future plans will be,” Kerrigan said.

“You don’t have to,” Kaloth said. “I already know.”

Kerrigan chuckled. “I suppose you know me well.”

“Don’t worry yourself about such things for now Kerrigan. The dangers may come, but that is in the future,” Kaloth said. “For now, look at what you have and know that you have won. There will be more to do later but you can take it one step at a time. And I will be here to help you do it.”

Looking out over Char, Kerrigan knew that her cerebrate was right. Though her fight was not yet over, in the present, here and now, she stood victorious. The zerg bowed to her, the Queen of the Swarm.

Chapter Text

Zeratul gazed down at the planet that was now coming within view of the fleet. The lovely sand dunes that he had grown up with had succumbed to the vile infestation of the zerg. He was finally home, but he did not yet allow himself to relax. The desecration of Shakuras by the zerg left a burden on his heart, but now he could finally put things right.

When the ship entered orbit, they opened communications with Talematros which fortunately seemed to be in no danger. The matriarch greeted them as they returned. “Zeratul, it gladdens me to see that you have made it back to Shakuras safely. Were you able to collect the Uraj and Khalis?”

“We have, Matriarch. Should we prepare to go on the offensive immediately?” Zeratul asked.

“You must surely be weary after your journey,” Raszagal answered. “Please dock your ships for repairs and let the warriors rest first. Shakuras is not yet in such a dire state that we need to act with haste. Once you arrive at the citadel we shall discuss our next move.”

“Very well. There is much that I must report,” Zeratul replied.

Upon disembarking, Zeratul and Artanis were greeted by Aldaris. “Artanis, Zeratul, it is good to see that you have both returned in good condition. The valor of our warriors have proven themselves indeed. Rest assured, Shakuras has been secure during your absence and we have held the line against the zerg.”

As they traveled to the meeting chamber, Aldaris filled in Artanis and Zeratul on the battles that have occurred so far. Although the zerg had launched a major offensive and taken territory, the Khalai and Nerazim forces were able to stem the advance.

Upon entering the meeting chamber, they were greeted by Raszagal. “Welcome back to Shakuras. Your success has given me pride and we shall soon be able to bring this war to an end. Recently, the zerg have become idle, allowing us to make preparations to retake the temple and use the Uraj and Khalis.”

“I believe that I have an explanation for the current lethargy of the zerg,” Zeratul said. “On Char, we discovered that a new Overmind was indeed forming. Recognizing this threat and in accordance with your orders, we cooperated with Kerrigan and her zerg to slay the Overmind and recover the Khalis crystal.”

“Well done, Zeratul,” Raszagal replied. “We may hope that this is the last time we will need to slay an Overmind and that we may finally have a reprieve.”

“Though the battle could not compare to the one fought on Aiur, it was nonetheless a glorious day for us,” Artanis said. “Kerrigan did prove to be a reliable ally, and her aid was critical in defeating the Overmind and securing the Uraj and Khalis. We do owe our success on this expedition to this alliance we formed.”

“You must take care not to be fooled by a shallow display,” Aldaris interjected. “This is no doubt yet another plot from that vile and perfidious creature. You must not let your guard down to her.”

“I must protest your assessment, Judicator,” Artanis said. “While we have had conflict with her before, times have changed and old enemies may not be so now. Her recent actions have shown that she made her offer with sincerity. She spoke only the truth, there was an Overmind forming on Char and with her aid we were able to destroy it.”

“Then you have handed over control of the zerg to her then,” Aldaris said. “Do you not see that this was her plan all along? Her actions were simply the result of her acting in her own self interest, to gather more power for herself. Even her generosity in helping to collect the crystals benefits her, for we are simply eradicating the last opposition to her that could remain. There is no proof she has changed in even the slightest manner.”

“We cannot remain eternally suspicious Aldaris,” Artanis said. “Not long ago I would have never contemplated working with the dark templar but now I have seen that they are as reliable as any of us from Aiur.”

“You cannot seriously be comparing the zerg to the dark templar!” Aldaris exclaimed.

Then, another voice interrupted. “I remember that in the past, you held us in such deep contempt that rivals what you feel for the zerg now. To the point where you prioritized capturing us over fighting the zerg. Isn’t that right, Judicator? Or do you prefer to cover up that past,” Zeratul said.

“I shall admit, I have made mistakes,” Aldaris said grudgingly.

“Indeed, we all make mistakes,” Zeratul said. “Which is why it would be remiss of us to judge too quickly. It is a possibility that Kerrigan still schemes against us. Yet, it is also a possibility that she does indeed have good intentions. We cannot make a definitive judgement so soon.”

“Well put, Zeratul,” Raszagal said. “How we deal with Kerrigan and her zerg will be something we must investigate. As long as they do not threaten us, we can coexist.”

“You must take care not to let yourself be blind to possible threats,” Aldaris said. “We cannot base our strategy off of trusting the zerg when they could attack us at any minute.”

“We should indeed exercise caution, but for the time being it is unlikely that Kerrigan will move against us,” Zeratul said. “From what I gathered, she has quite the grudge with the Dominion and they would presumably be her target. Moreover, during our acquisition of the Uraj crystal, we came into conflict with a new terran faction that calls themselves the United Earth Directorate,” Zeratul said. “Apparently they have come from the terran homeworld to reclaim their colonies in the Koprulu Sector. Based on their attitudes during the encounter we had with them, it is likely that they will be hostile toward us and the zerg.”

“These terrans are quite fractious,” Aldaris said. “No doubt they will mire themselves in conflict with the other terrans. With the zerg occupying their attention as well they will be of none of our concern. Should they be a threat to us we can take action, but there are far more pressing matters at hand such as our evacuation of Aiur. On that topic, did you ever address the topic of the zerg on Aiur with Kerrigan?”

“We did speak of it,” Zeratul said. “It seems that the majority of the zerg on Aiur are now feral, belonging to the cerebrates that either died before the death of the Overmind or the ones that died in the wake of the Overmind’s death, being unable to handle the loss as well as the zerg that were directly under the control of the Overmind. While reclaiming feral broods is theoretically possible, it is not something that can be done quickly.”

“Feral zerg are much less of a threat to us,” Artanis said. “One day we surely will be able to reclaim Aiur, once we have recovered. However, for now our priority after securing Shakuras must be to aid Fenix in rescuing the remaining survivors on Aiur and evacuating them. Have we received any word from him?”

“Unfortunately, we have not had any contact with Aiur since your arrival,” Raszagal said sadly. “The situation there may be dire, and we do hope to aid our fellow protoss. However, while we still fight the zerg here on Shakuras, our hands will be tied. But now that we have the Uraj and Khalis, an end to this conflict will soon be at hand.”

Suddenly, Selendis called into the meeting. “I have urgent news to report.”

“What is it, Executor?” Artanis asked. “Have the zerg made their move?”

“Yes, but not in the way we were expecting,” Selendis answered. “We have detected large numbers of zerg transport creatures leaving the planet. In addition, the zerg appear to be dismantling and salvaging their hives.”

Artanis was taken aback for a moment. “The zerg are leaving? After trying so hard to take Shakuras, to end it just like this?”

“It would seem that Kerrigan’s control over the zerg must be total at this point, if she is able to compel zerg even as far away from Shakuras to do her bidding,” Zeratul mused. “Though if the cerebrates saw that they would lose, an evacuation would be rational.”

“We can strike at the zerg now to ensure they can do no harm to us in the future,” Aldaris said. “Given the haphazard nature of their evacuation they would take heavy losses if we were to attack. We should launch an attack at once.”

“That may be interpreted as a desire to commence hostilities,” Zeratul said. “Do you really seek to begin another war against the zerg?”

“The fact that we shall have to fight against the zerg is a foregone conclusion,” Aldaris said. “It is better to weaken them now. Besides, now that we have the Uraj and Khalis we will not fear a renewed invasion from the zerg.”

“Let them go,” Raszagal said. “This conflict shall end with no more conflict between us. Kerrigan has already performed all of the actions that we would expect from someone who truly seeks to come to an understanding with us; what more do you want Aldaris? In your haste you would see us make enemies where none were before and to waste our lives in an unnecessary conflict. Instead, we can focus our efforts on more productive matters such as aiding our brethren on Aiur.”

“Very well, I shall be ready to lead a relief force to Aiur whenever we are ready as Shakuras is now secure,” Artanis said.

“Now that we have the security concerns out of the way, we should move onto discussing the status of the Khalai on Shakuras,” Aldaris said. “I do believe you said that we would discuss this once the war on Shakuras was over, Matriarch.”

“We have already allowed the refugees to build New Antioch,” Raszagal said. “I will also generously allow for additional settlements to be made on some of the land that will be reclaimed from the zerg. Our people have been on Shakuras for millenia and we are used to having the land be freely open for us to travel through. It is only the fact that many tribes have already been displaced by the zerg that this land can be given to you.”

“And we shall be allowed to govern our own affairs?” Aldaris asked.

“You may manage yourselves however you wish,” Raszagal said. “However, Shakuras has always belonged to us and all who reside upon it must comply with the ancient laws and customs of this planet.”

“The Khalai have no knowledge of the customs and laws of the dark templar, and most of it is not applicable to us anyways,” Aldaris said. “It would be unnecessarily burdensome to place such restrictions on them and it would only serve to create resentment. We must have the ability to set our own laws within our own homes.”

“You forget that Shakuras does not belong to you,” Raszagal said. “We have already given enough to allow you to stay here.”

“We have no plans to stay on Shakuras permanently. Once we are able to finally retake control over Aiur, we can return to our home. Our imposition would merely only be for a few years or decades at the worst. Moreover, we helped to defend Shakuras with our lives,” Aldaris said. “Surely we deserve to be treated as equals. We will not stand to be subordinated.”

“The zerg only arrived at Shakuras by following you from Aiur,” Raszagal said. “You had the responsibility of fighting them. However, I see that you are set on this and in recognition of your efforts I will allow you the privilege of governing the lands which you have been gifted. However, you must always remember to respect the Nerazim and our customs. This is not an invitation to do as you please.”

“Very well, I shall convey this to the other templar,” Aldaris said. “Many plans for rebuilding must be made now that the war is over.”

“I will excuse myself as well, Matriarch,” Artanis said. “I must check up on the status of our warriors and make sure the fleet is ready to depart for Aiur.”

Once they left, Zeratul turned to speak with Raszagal. “Matriarch, was it truly wise to give the refugees from Aiur so much? Many of our people would be upset by this.”

“We must do this for peace, Zeratul. It would not do for us to have survived the zerg only to have to fight with other protoss,” Raszagal said. “Aldaris and the other Khalai have their pride, and trying too hard to trample on it would only lead to disaster. This was the best arrangement that could have been made.”

“I will trust in your decision then Matriarch, as you have not led us astray in the many years I have served you,” Zeratul said. “We have been faced with the greatest crisis in millenia and only you are wise enough to lead us through it.”

Chapter Text

Aboard the UED flagship Aleksander, the next steps for the expeditionary force were being discussed.

“Lieutenant Duran, you have informed us that your employers wish to come to an arrangement with us. Tell me, what is it that they seek?” Dugalle asked.

“The Old Families have come to the conclusion that while my Confederate Resistance Forces had some degree of success, alone we are insufficient to bring down Mengsk,” Duran answered. “Now, they want to cooperate with you in fighting the Dominion and they have indicated that they are willing to support you as long as they are given certain assurances about their future status. Should you accept the offer to join forces, then we can look forward to working together more in the future.”

Dugalle was impassive as he thought about the offer, realizing that he may have misjudged Duran as an opportunistic turncoat. “So the old confederate remnants now seek to work with us. If the rest of them can be as useful as you have, then that would certainly be a boon, but keep in mind that the Directorate will not compromise its goals to cater toward the remnants of a failed system,” Dugalle said. “Still, there is merit in this offer and you have done well to bring it to us. Where will this meeting occur?”

“During the invasion of Tarsonis, there were some who managed to survive the zerg onslaught. Several pockets of survivors, led by members of the Old Families whose personal guards secured hidden bunkers, remain on Tarsonis,” Duran explained. “The zerg still occupy the planet, making it too dangerous for them to try to escape, but they have been in contact with their assets elsewhere in the sector. Though they wished to keep a low profile so as to not attract Mengsk’s attention, they feel now is the time to make a move.”

“I see,” Dugalle said. “Then I shall send an escort to accompany this expedition. Vice Admiral Stukov will meet with your sponsors and he will be authorized to negotiate on my behalf on all matters. Duran, you shall lead the group to the designated location.”

Roland looked out over the ruined city in front of him. “So this is Tarsonis. I suppose this must have once looked quite grand, but now it is nothing more than a monument to a great failure.”

“The city was impressive in the past,” Duran said. “Before the zerg came. Perhaps total collapse could have been averted were it not for Mengsk’s interference.”

“Oh? How was he involved in all of this?” Roland asked.

“Preceding the zerg attack, the Sons of Korhal had invaded one of our orbital platforms and launched attacks on the surface of Tarsonis, causing chaos among the defenders and leaving us ill prepared to repel the zerg,” Duran said. “And the primary spaceport, here at New Gettysburg, was overrun before we could evacuate, trapping the Confederate leadership on the planet. From there, only some of the Old Families managed to get into hiding in time. The Sons of Korhal fought to defend the zerg from the protoss that tried to destroy them, though the detachment of forces they sent to do so was ultimately consumed as well. They played with fire and were burnt.”

Roland frowned. “Fighting to defend the zerg? How absurd.”

“Mengsk was quite the opportunist,” Duran noted. “But he shall meet his downfall eventually.”

“So, where is the bunker we are supposed to be securing?” Roland asked.

“It is buried just to the west of the city,” Duran said. “But there are many zerg around it.”

Roland nodded. “I can see that. The city shows signs of having a long term infestation problem, and zerg are certainly nesting in it. But it shouldn’t be a problem to establish a perimeter once we clear out the area.”

He turned to address the soldiers. “I want a group of siege tanks brought into position on that ridge to begin bombarding the hives and I want another group of siege tanks aimed at the city ready to take out any zerg that leave it. Have the vultures lay mines outside the city and then put up a series of bunkers just outside the city limits, we don’t want any more zerg getting in our way. And scan the area for any surprises.”

Like a well oiled machine, the UED soldiers carried out their orders methodically, advancing in formation toward their objectives. When the scvs began rapidly constructing the bunkers, the zerg, noticing the intrusion, organized an attack. The first wave was thinned out by the mines, allowing the defending soldiers to mop up the rest, buying enough time for the bunkers to be completed.

Before the main force reached the top of the hill, they paused. “Sir, the scanner sweep detected some burrowed zerg at our destination.”

“Have the tanks clear out the area first,” Roland ordered. “Make sure the zerg are removed. I also want some bunkers constructed atop the hill too to protect the tanks.”

The attack was progressing smoothly as UED forces secured the hill and the siege tanks began their bombardment of the hive cluster. In response, streams of zerglings and hydralisks began emerging from the hive as well as the city, but were blown apart by the tanks. While this went on, a flock of mutalisks flew out toward the tanks.

The goliaths moved forward to counter the mutalisks when suddenly another group of zerg emerged, unburrowing from another area nearby that hadn’t been scanned. These zerg began rushing the tanks from the other side, forcing some of them to divert their fire to hold back the new assault.

In the end, the goliaths and bunkers were enough to blunt both of the zerg attacks, and time was on the side of the terrans as the zerg forces quickly dwindled. The hive clusters were eliminated and the UED secured the area.

“Well done Captain,” Duran said. “Your assault was brilliantly carried out.”

“These were only basic maneuvers,” Roland replied. “A well trained force would have no trouble with this. This was merely an outlying hive cluster. In any case, the zerg in this area no longer pose a threat to us. Duran, will you now take us to the objective of our trip here.”

They reached a cliffside with a carved out cavity covered by a metal wall. Duran sent a message on his communicator, and a few minutes later the metal wall opened up.

“Mr. Kusinis, I have brought the UED delegation,” Duran said.

“Good work. I was starting to worry we would be trapped here by the zerg forever,” Milo Kusinis said. “Come in, we would like to discuss matters of great import.”

The lights flickered as they walked down a tunnel before emerging in a dimly lit room with concrete walls. On the walls hung several paintings framed with gold, but a layer of dust covered them. Upon entering the room, they saw several individuals, some virtually present through hologram, seated around a table, which was also quite gaudily constructed but which showed some scratches and dents. The visual opulence clashed with the MREs and plain water laid out on the tables.

One old lady seated on a powered wheelchair spoke up. “Welcome, I am Andrea Tygore. Now, who do we have the pleasure of talking to?”

“I am Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov, and I represent the Expeditionary Force of the United Earth Directorate. I was told that your group may be able to provide some aid to us in our goal of asserting our control over the sector.”

“Well, you certainly talk a big game Mr. Stukov,” the old woman said. “But what makes you think you will be able to defeat the Dominion? We would like assurances before throwing our weight behind you.”

“Earth has sent its best on this expedition, and with our resources and technology we will be able to take over the Dominion and then bring the war to the zerg and protoss,” Stukov said. “We have already struck a great blow against the Dominion, and we have the tools to control the zerg. With that, our victory is secured.”

“The zerg are not so easily controlled,” she replied quietly.

“We do not intend to repeat your mistakes,” Stukov said with a faint hint of derision. “You all appear to still hold a strong belief in your own importance, when you are now nothing more than the remnants of a failed state. We could leave right now and leave you in this hovel waiting for death. We do not need you. You need us. So think carefully about what you will say.”

The woman slumped back and let out a sigh. “You are correct, Vice Admiral Stukov. We are not what we once were. That is why we shall not ask for much.”

“Tell me, what are you willing to offer, and what do you wish for in return? I shall consider whether to accept your proposal,” Stukov said.

“We would like to see our children,” Milo Kusinis said. “We sent them away before the zerg arrived, but we lost communications with them. I fear that something may have happened. If you could protect our families from both the zerg and Mengsk, that would allay our greatest fears.”

“That is acceptable,” Stukov said. “Anything else?”

“There is one more thing,” Andrea Tygore said. “While I would not presume to demand positions within your government, I would like to maintain our lives and ask for our property not to be confiscated. Of course, we would be more than willing to donate to your cause.”

Stukov thought for a few moments. “As long as you obey the laws of the United Earth Directorate, you will be provided the same protection and rights given to all UED citizens. That is the extent of what I can guarantee you. But should you prove useful, I think some further privileges may be granted. Will that be acceptable?”

Some murmurs went around the table as the others present discussed a bit amongst themselves. But prior to the meeting they had already thought about what they would be willing to accept, and the realities of the harsh situation before them gave them little choice but to take the offer.

“Now, how do you plan to be of service to the Directorate?” Stukov asked.

A third man, Errol Bennet, spoke up. “Our associate, Lieutenant Duran, has already aided you in your endeavors, and he can continue to do so. Furthermore, we can induce some of the worlds in which our supporters still hold sway to submit to you. We also know of some people on Tarsonis that still survive, just like we did. They would be loyal to your cause if you rescue them. This world can be a great asset to you if you can cleanse it of the zerg. Lastly, I believe that we have some secret technology that could aid you in your conquest of the sector.”

Stukov, who had appeared disinterested so far, perked up upon hearing the last line. “Oh, what might that be?”

“The Confederacy performed research on the zerg in order to find a way to combat them, and you may ask Duran more detail if you wish, and we discovered that communications between the zerg can be disrupted. To that end, we were able to construct a device known as the Psi Disrupter which will be able to throw the zerg into chaos,” Bennet said. “We would have used the device when the zerg attacked Tarsonis, but they came so suddenly and we had no warning. Since an earlier attack by the Sons of Korhal had incidentally destroyed a power plant that powered the Psi Disruptor, we were unable to make it operational in time.”

“Such a device would be useful,” Stukov said. “It seems you may be of use after all.”

“We are glad to hear that,” Bennet said. “Currently, the Psi Disrupter is in an area surrounded by zerg, so you will have to clear them out in order to secure it. We shall give you special override codes to allow you to operate the Psi Disrupter as well as activate any Confederate military bases in the area to aid you in your fight.”

“That will be appreciated,” Stukov said. “Now if we have nothing else to discuss, then we shall depart then. If you wish to leave this bunker we will have a ship available to take you up to the fleet.”

Once the VIPs were secured and sent away, Stukov contacted Dugalle to report on the situation.

“Gerard, I have successfully secured the cooperation of the local aristocrats,” Stukov said. “Surprisingly, they did have something of use. They have reported to me that there is a device known as the Psi Disruptor which can be used to disrupt the communications of the zerg.”

Dugalle looked to be deep in thought. “We shall have to decide what to do with this Psi Disrupter then.”

At this moment, Duran spoke up. “I must humbly suggest to you, Admiral, that the Disrupter be destroyed as quickly as possible. If it should fall into the hands of the Dominion we could face some very serious problems.”

Dugalle nodded. “Hmm. A prudent call, Lieutenant. I am inclined to agree.”

Roland was aghast, but before we could speak, Stukov already spoke out with his objections. “But Admiral, this device could insure our victory over the Zerg! It is foolhardy to discard such an advantage!”

“Surely, Vice Admiral, you don't doubt the tenacity of your own fleet?” Duran said. “Your Directorate forces will devastate the Zerg without the need for such a device.”

Hearing this, Stukov started to grow angry as he could hardly believe what was being proposed. “Listen here, Lieutenant, I've had just about enough your-”

“This conversation is over, Alexei,” Dugalle said firmly. “Given the true nature of our mission to enslave the Overmind, we could hardly stand to have Mengsk control a device of this magnitude. If the device, or even the principles behind the device were to be discovered by others, then hostile parties could use it against us. Even if we established our control over the zerg, they could be made to turn rampant, devastating our own soldiers when we least expect it. This Psi Disrupter must be destroyed in order to safeguard our mission.”

“As you say, Admiral,” Stukov said through gritted teeth.

Next, Dugalle addressed Duran. “Lieutenant Duran, since you have shown such concern for this device's inherent danger, I charge you with finding the Disrupter and securing it. We will commence with its destruction once we've cleared the area. Captain, you shall work under his command to defeat the zerg in the area.”

Roland nodded, not letting the sinking feeling he felt affect his expression. “Of course Admiral.”

Chapter Text

The Psi Disruptor was some distance from Tarsonis City, built close enough to be convenient while hidden enough from prying eyes. Now, the area was filled with the zerg infestation which had settled down and entrenched itself after the invasion. As the UED force drove toward their target, Roland looked out the window of the vehicle in silence.

His aide noticed the unusual mood that had befallen his superior. “Roland, do you think something will go wrong on this mission?”

Roland was tapping his finger on the armrest. “It’s not that something might go wrong, Hector. It is already going wrong. This whole thing is a mistake. The Psi Disruptor is in and of itself a weapon against the zerg, only the zerg. It has great potential in facilitating our victory, but the admiral seems to think that it is too large of a risk should it somehow be stolen from our control and used against the zerg we seek to enslave.”

“You think he is being too cautious?” Hector asked.

“Caution is important. But there are multiple things to be cautious of,” Roland said. “By reducing the risk of other people disrupting our control over the zerg, we then run the risk of not being able to take control of the zerg at all. Defeating them may not be so simple and there may be additional complications that we didn’t predict. Destroying the Psi Disruptor is not caution, it is recklessness.”

Hector nodded. “I can see your point. Have you tried to persuade the admiral?”

“Not even Stukov was able to get through to him,” Roland said, shaking his head. “I would have no chance. Duran tried to claim that believing that we need the device is equivalent to doubting our capabilities. Ridiculous. It is one thing to be confident in yourself, another is to think one invincible. No one can say that they are assured of victory when anything could go wrong.”

“You have a plan then?” Hector asked.

“Unfortunately, this is not a matter I alone can influence,” Roland said with a sigh. “But there is a hope that things could turn out differently.”

“I will keep an eye out then,” Hector said as the vehicle came to a stop.

They stepped out next to a cluster of abandoned buildings. From another vehicle, Duran emerged. “We are here, captain. We just need to start up this old command center and it will be a perfectly good base for our operations.”

The codes that the Old Families had provided proved useful, allowing them access to facilities and giving them total control to reactivate the base while the soldiers worked to secure the perimeter.

“How much zerg are there in this area?” Roland asked.

“Our scanners indicate there are multiple hives in the region, Captain,” Hector replied. “Taking them all out will let us secure this area.”

“Let us get started then,” Roland said as he studied the maps. “Send the bulk of our army here. The siege tanks will be in a good position on this tank to bombard the hives. Be ready to deflect any counterattacks.”

While the army moved out, from within the command center Roland ordered the vulture groups to place mines in certain areas to intercept any reinforcements sent from the other hives. Meanwhile, the tanks began to lay siege on the zerg hive. The explosive shells landed on the creep, battering the fleshy buildings as well as the myriad zerg which had been stirred to activity.

One of the scouting vultures spotted an incoming zerg attack heading through a pass between two cliff faces. As the vulture fled back to base, Roland dispatched a group of marines to counter the assault. As the zerg ran in, the spider mines exploded, killing most of the zerglings and some of the hydralisks. Before the zerg could regroup, the marines attacked, directly shooting the hydralisks and picking off any remaining zerglings. The hydralisks began shooting back, but as they forced their way through the chokepoint they were faced with overwhelming firepower. Their initially substantial numbers soon evaporated as they continued to charge ahead.

Not long after the zerg attack force was cleaned up, another group of zerg was detected coming from another direction. The marines began quickly moving to their next destination to fight back the next attack.

A large flock of mutalisks began flying in, taking a direct route toward the tanks. When the zerg were spotted, Roland dispatched a group of valkyrie frigates to intercept the mutalisks. The many missiles tore through the tightly packed mutalisk swarm. The zerg were ill prepared to deal with the valkyries, having never encountered them before. With the bulk of the swarm shattered, the wraiths were able to begin chasing down any stragglers that escaped.

With the external threats dealt with, the tanks were able to continue in their methodical assault, destroying all the zerg within range while their guards repelled any zerg that made it through.

Once the zerg hive was dealt with, Roland sent orders for the army to move onto the next hive. Meanwhile, he began examining the files in the command center. This facility which was near the Psi Disruptor had been part of the Confederate research program into the zerg. It had access to numerous files detailing what had taken place. Access to all of the top secret files could be found here.

The army arrived at the next hive cluster, which was located on top of a cliff. The siege tanks entrenched themselves below and began bombarding the edge of the cliff to clear out a landing zone while the UED fighter aircraft kept the skies clear of any zerg. Then, dropships ferried the army up to begin the next assault, while another force stayed below to react to any other zerg attacks. The zerg defending the hive were primarily fliers, but after the first assault had decimated their numbers, the remainder were easily suppressed by the UED forces.

By now, the zerg in the remaining hives had been whittled away by the battles and the path forward was clear.

“Hector, handle the troops for now. I’ll be taking a look at some of these documents,” Roland said. “Inform me if anything comes up.”

Roland let himself turn his attention away from the screens monitoring the ongoing battle, trusting his men to be able to deal with the remaining opposition. He remained undisturbed until finally there was an incoming communication.

“We have destroyed the last of the zerg hives,” Hector said. “Now it is just clearing out the remaining zerg so that we can secure the Psi Disruptor.”

“Very well then,” Roland said. “Tell Lieutenant Duran that I need to meet with him immediately regarding a topic of the utmost importance and confidentiality.”

The next interruption came a short while later.

“Captain, we have reached the Psi Disruptor,” Hector said. “But the vice admiral’s men have shown up and they told us that they will be handling the Psi Disruptor. How should we respond?”

Roland smiled. “Let them take care of it. You may all return to base now. Rest assured that we have done our proper duty to ensure that the Psi Disruptor is being properly disposed of as ordered.”

It wasn’t long before Duran arrived at the command center.

“You called for me, Captain?” Duran inquired. “I expect that this matter is as important as you say to justify pulling me away before we could complete our mission.”

“Rest assured, the Psi Disruptor is being demolished as we speak,” Roland said. “As for why I have asked to speak with you, I have come across some very disturbing information. Regarding you, personally.”

“I assure you Captain, I am nothing but perfectly loyal,” Duran said. “You must be misinterpreting whatever information you have found.”

“I think it is all quite clear,” Roland said coldly. “Do you deny being involved, quite deeply in fact, with the Confederate research program into the zerg? You had a supervisory role and your name is on many of these reports.”

“Of course, I was a part of the group researching the zerg,” Duran said. “We sought to better understand the aliens so as to best know how we could deal with them.”

“You say that, but it was clear that your motives were anything but good,” Roland said. “These proposals to test the capabilities of the zerg by unleashing them on civilian planets, your own people. And for what? There is hardly any value in watching zerg devour a planet of unarmed civilians, or at best ragtag militia. It seems like a decision made of pure sadism, of wanting to watch a planet burn. That is to be expected though, considering what the Confederacy was like.”

“That decision was most unfortunate,” Duran said. “But the order came from above and the rest of us could do nothing to oppose it. We did not have the authority to countermand such a directive.”

“Then why did you continue working here?” Roland asked. “At no point did you raise any objections, and it seems you continued to work just as enthusiastically as before. In fact, it was not long afterwards that you proposed studies on how to modify these zerg, making even more deadly killing machines.”

“There is hardly any point in resigning in protest, it would make no difference at all,” Duran said. “Rather, it was best to continue working as best as I could. It was all very interesting after all, studying the zerg and learning what makes them tick. It was truly a marvel to see them the first time. As for the experiments, the higher ups wanted it to be used as a weapon and improving them is consistent with that goal. Besides, you are hardly in any position to talk. Your Directorate is also planning on making use of the zerg, just as the Confederacy did.”

Roland bit back his lip. “Our goals are completely different. We seek to shackle the zerg so that they may never be a threat to humanity ever again. If we must use them to fight other threats to humanity, then it is better they die than our soldiers. On the other hand, your Confederacy wanted a loosely controlled attack dog. One that was only aimed at terrorizing other humans.”

“Is that all?” Duran asked. “Bringing up old news; it is all in the past now. You and I both know that the admiral won’t care at all for this. I served the Confederacy loyally before, and now I shall serve the Directorate.”

“Do you really have nothing you say for yourself, Duran?” Roland said slowly.

“None at all,” Duran replied.

Duran was glad to be away from that nosey captain. For a moment, he had been concerned that Roland had found something more concerning, possibly requiring him to kill the captain to cover up. But it turned out to just be some trivial thing that would hardly be of concern to anyone but the idealistic. Which it seemed that the captain was. Duran pondered what Roland might think if the Directorate was to take the same path of the Confederacy.

In any case, he had much more pressing business to attend to. While the rest of the army was busy packing everything up to prepare to depart, he was here in an abandoned communications terminal. Inputting the necessary codes, Duran began a secret call offworld.

It took some time for the call to be answered. Clearly he wasn’t being placed very high in priorities and sometimes he wondered whether it was even worth the hassle to deal with such a troublesome individual. But the potential benefits were worth it, for now.

Finally, the transmission connected with a communicator far away on Char.

“What is it Duran?” Kerrigan asked. “I am dealing with some irritants right now.”

“I am aware. After all, I oversaw the attack on your hive clusters on Tarsonis personally,” Duran said. “But there was a reason for it. The UED had found a device known as the Psi Disruptor, which would disrupt the zerg hivemind and throw them into chaos.”

Kerrigan’s eyes narrowed. “You must see to it that the device does not become operational,” she said forcefully.

“Of course, I was able to convince Admiral Dugalle that the device was a threat to their plan to use the zerg, and it has now been destroyed,” Duran said. “The UED seeks to bring the zerg under their control and use them to take over the sector. So, I framed the Psi Disruptor as a threat to them.”

Kerrigan laughed. “How ambitious of them. Those fools will never even make it past the starting line. They won’t have a dream of taking my zerg. Let alone defeating the rest of the sector. Good work Duran. If you continue doing as well as you have, then I will deign to allow you to take control over several systems after I shatter the Dominion.”

“You are most generous, my queen,” Duran said. He waited until Kerrigan ended the transmission, and then began removing his traces from the communication system.

After the mission, Dugalle met with Stukov in the privacy of his office. Dugalle was seated behind his desk, elbows on the table and fingers locked.

“I have just received a report from our ships which were spying on Char,” Dugalle said. “And I fear that I may have erred in my judgement. Our mission has been compromised.”

“Gerard, what has occurred?” Stukov asked with concern.

“The Overmind is dead,” Dugalle said. “Our observers report that a great battle has taken place. Protoss and zerg fought together and killed the Overmind. We are not sure of who is in control of the zerg now, but with the protoss involved, our original plan of taking over the zerg may not be viable.”

“We still have options,” Stukov said. “Even with the Overmind dead, we may be able to capture some cerebrates and exert control over the zerg through them.”

“But how many cerebrates will we be able to capture?” Dugalle asked. “And who knows if the protoss have some way of controlling the zerg. They could render our entire operation moot. And if they defend the zerg then we may not even make it far enough to attempt to capture a cerebrate anyways.”

“This is problematic,” Stukov admitted. “We will have to think of an alternative plan.”

Dugalle sighed. “Things would be easier if we had the Psi Disruptor. We would be able to sweep the zerg aside and render them moot. I have made a mistake, Alexei. I was affected by hubris, thinking that the plan we had was sufficient. And in my haste I have discarded a potent tool.”

Stukov paused for a moment. “Gerard, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it, Alexei? There is no need to be so cagey with me,” Dugalle said.

“The Psi Disruptor has not yet been destroyed,” Stukov said. “I wanted to examine it a bit first to glean some useful knowledge. So, I sent my own men to secure it and told the captain that I was demolishing it.”

“That is fortunate news,” Dugalle said. “But this also means you went against my orders. I was quite clear that the Psi Disruptor was to be destroyed immediately. Examining its function would have been just as dangerous if the information was to be leaked.”

“I had to take matters into my own hands,” Stukov said. “I knew that destroying the Psi Disruptor was a mistake, and now we both know it was a mistake. Saving the Psi Disruptor was the correct choice.”

“I know, but the fact remains that you disobeyed me, Alexei.” Dugalle let his eyes drop downward as he paused. “I am old now and time has taken its toll. My decisions may be flawed and I have grown more stubborn as a result of pride. I should have listened to you rather than making a hasty decision. It is times like these that show I need someone to look over what I do, and oppose me if I am taking the wrong course.”

Dugalle took his arms off the desk and leaned back. “Now, we must think of what to do next. If we go on to battle Mengsk and capture Korhal, then move onto Char to face the zerg and the protoss, I am afraid that even if we succeed, we cannot hold what we have taken. Not while having to fight the protoss and not having full control over the zerg.”

“Perhaps we must be more flexible,” Stukov suggested. “Our primary mission is to neutralize the alien threat to prevent any threat to Earth. Subjugating the colonies is a secondary consideration, one that was thought to help facilitate our primary objective. But with our original plan no longer viable, we have to rethink our strategy. We cannot fight everyone alone.”

“Divide and conquer,” Dugalle muttered. “An old stratagem from the dawn of warfare. We may have to fall back on that then. Ally with lesser enemies to fight the greater enemy. Then in time we may bring them into the fold as well. The choice is clear then. We shall try to induce the Dominion to join with us to bring the fight against the aliens.”

Chapter Text

The two leaders gazed at each other through the hologram transmitter with an air of wariness and consideration. Their faces were impassive, hiding their respective schemes and plans behind a polite mask while holding an air of great importance.

“Emperor Mengsk,” Dugalle said, suppressing his disdain for the man’s title. “I am Admiral Gerard Dugalle and I command the expeditionary fleet of the United Earth Directorate.”

“It is good to finally have a name and a face to associate with the group that has just arrived in my sector,” Mengsk said. “So, why has Earth decided to involve itself here after so long.”

“Earth has always kept an eye on its wayward children,” Dugalle said. “The discovery of the protoss and zerg threat has made it clear that direct intervention was needed to safeguard humanity from the alien threat.”

“An admirable goal, though I must admit the people of the Dominion have difficulty following your strategy,” Mengsk said wryly. “Some of your choices appear… inscrutable.”

“Our original orders called for the sector to first be united under our banner to effectively combat the zerg,” Dugalle said. “However, as we learned more we found that the threat of the aliens was greater than we anticipated and your government proved to be more capable than the decrepit Confederacy. Thus, I am willing to offer you an alliance, to combine the forces of humanity in the fight against the aliens.”

“My purpose has always been to defend humanity. And I have been doing so ever since the Confederacy fell,” Mengsk said. “As for your offer, you must understand that your recent actions have not painted your intentions in the best of light, and the people of the Dominion find trust difficult. We would need more than words to be convinced of your sincerity. Perhaps some restitution. For those planets and fleets which you have taken.”

Dugalle chuckled. “For you to speak of sincerity and trust is amusing. After all, did you not fight to protect the zerg on Tarsonis in order to have them eliminate your political opponents? Surely your own tactics to defend humanity are equally inscrutable.”

“The Confederacy was corrupt and did more to aid the zerg than stop them. It was their attempts to use the zerg for their own ends that brought about their demise,” Mengsk said. “I assure you, their passing was mourned by no one.”

“They were people too, with friends, family and acquaintances,” Dugalle noted. “While you have presented your version of events, I have heard quite a different retelling from the survivors on Tarsonis.”

Mengsk’s demeanor darkened. “Survivors? I assure you, they are no doubt deceiving you for their own profit. Those snakes have never worked for anyone other than themselves.”

“I shall be the judge of that,” Dugalle said.

“I warn you, dealing with them will do you no good,” Mengsk said. “It would be best for you to cut ties and deliver them to Dominion custody to face trial for their crimes.”

“The Directorate shall not abandon those that it has taken under its protection,” Dugalle said. “And you are in no position to make demands now. Not while your Dominion is still faced with threats on all fronts. You would be wise to take our aid.”

Mengsk was indignant. “The Dominion has been more than capable of defending humanity from those that seek it harm. We do not need to be told what to do by outsiders. You should be cautious of stepping in a place where you have little understanding.”

“You ignore us at your own peril, Emperor ,” Dugalle said. “A threat is coming that you are not prepared for. I have intelligence stating that the protoss and zerg will be working in tandem to attack. Your Dominion is unlikely to withstand the full force of the alien menace.”

“You show how little you know of this sector by presenting such an absurd tale to me,” Mengsk said. “Protoss and zerg together, ridiculous. Even in the unlikely scenario that the protoss have found some way to control individual broods, they would hardly seek to attack the Dominion at this time. Your intelligence, if it exists, is clearly mistaken.”

“You cannot afford to be obstinate when the true threat is still looming,” Dugalle said. “Do not say that you were not warned in due time.”

“I shall investigate this for myself,” Mengsk said dismissively. “The Dominion shall continue to endure for years to come.”

“Remember, we are only seeking the best for humanity,” Dugalle said.

“Of course,” Mengsk said with an amused look.

“One other small matter. I had been requested by the Old Family remnants to find where their surviving children may be,” Dugalle said. “Would you happen to know anything about that?”

“There is no need for you to look any further,” Mengsk said. “I’ve had them all dealt with.”

Dugalle’s expression turned stony. “You would even have children killed?”

“Do you know how many children and other innocents died when Korhal was destroyed?” Mengsk rebutted. “They’ve only gotten what they deserved.”

Dugalle ended the call without another word.

Artanis and Zeratul walked through the encampment next to the warp gate on Aiur. It had changed greatly from when they had seen it last when they were hastily escaping from Aiur. It was no longer a temporary holdout, but a settlement in its own right. There were numerous structures to provide housing and sustenance along with manufacturing facilities. Both warriors and civilian workers walked throughout the base, going about their work. The base was ringed with photon cannons and walls, separating it from the dead forests surrounding them where some zerg still lurked.

“I am glad to see that you have been doing well, Fenix,” Artanis said. “I had feared the worst before I arrived, that the zerg would have overrun your stranded forces. It is a testament to your strength and skill that you have not only been able to survive against the zerg attacks, but build a thriving encampment here around the warp gate.”

“These mindless creatures were no match for the valor of the templar,” Fenix replied. “But I do not deserve all the credit. Raynor and his men fought valiantly as well and were crucial in many occasions.”

“That is high praise from you,” Artanis said.

“I simply speak truly of his abilities and I am honored to have fought with him,” Fenix said. “The zerg attacks were quite ferocious at times and we have had many hard fought battles.”

“I’m just doing my job,” Raynor said. “The zerg aren’t going to care who is a human or a protoss. We’re all in this together.”

“Now that we are able to focus our attention on Aiur, the situation should not be so dire anymore,” Zeratul said. “We can continue to search for survivors and bring them to Shakuras. With the zerg threat removed they will be safe there.”

“Your support is most welcome,” Fenix said. “Protecting everyone we gathered has been a strain on us, but now those concerns have been alleviated with your arrival.”

“Tell me of your battles here,” Artanis said. “No doubt you have countless heroic tales to tell us.”

“Very well Artanis,” Fenix said. “I shall regale you with the stories of my exploits then.”

“Our first difficult battle came only the night after you had departed for Shakuras,” Fenix said. “There had been many zerg drawn here before we had deactivated the warp gate. Many swarms of feral zerg rushed at us from every direction. Even as we defeated one group, another group of zerg would appear to attack us. There were brief lulls as the zerg came at us haphazardly but for the most part we were fighting continuously for days. It was a good thing the zerg lacked real organization, otherwise we would have taken heavier losses or perhaps even perished entirely.”

“Our warriors had to fight in shifts as time passed,” Fenix continued. “Though my mechanical body allowed me to push myself further so that I could command our warriors throughout the entire battle. I must have slew thousands of zerg during that time and I know several other warriors that distinguished themselves well. Through our efforts we were able to defend the warp gate until finally the zerg onslaught had ended. Then we were finally able to rest and refortify our position.”

“With all the zerg you slew, there would hardly be any left to bother you,” Artanis said.

“We did gain a brief reprieve,” Fenix said. “But the zerg here on Aiur are numerous without count. It sickens me to see our homeworld reduced to a breeding ground for these creatures. Not long after, more zerg moved into the area and we had to fight them once more.”

“It was a week after the first battle that we discovered that there was a group of protoss hiding nearby. I led an expedition to rescue them, fighting off the zerg that came near. The builders we brought back with us were able to help improve the fortifications of our base and after our base was secured we were able to go out further to look for more stragglers that had survived the zerg. That is how our numbers have grown since you last saw us.”

“Still, it hasn’t been easy,” Fenix said. “The zerg are unpredictable and ferocious. A few days ago we had departed to investigate the ruins of a nearby city when we were ambushed by zerg coming out of the forest. These zerg even had ultralisks with them and our reavers could not kill all of them. It took many warriors to bring down an ultralisk all the while the other smaller zerg swarmed in behind them.”

“How were you able to escape?” Zeratul asked.

“The zerg were thankfully not numerous enough to completely overwhelm us, and our warriors' bravery allowed us to hold the line,” Fenix said. “My position had been overrun as an ultralisk barrelled down on me, but Raynor made a daring scheme. He sent his vulture into the mouth of the incoming ultralisk before escaping with me on foot. The explosion killed the ultralisk and some of the nearby zerg, allowing us to fall back to a better position.”

Artanis and Zeratul looked impressed by this.

“Some people call vulture bikes deathtraps because of how easily they explode,” Raynor chuckled. “But hey, that just means they double as a big grenade. A ride and a bomb all in one. Though I’m going to have to get a new bike now.”

“Terran engineering remains inscrutable,” Artanis commented. “To design such shoddy devices and then put people on them. Such a thing would never be done by the protoss.”

“Well, we humans have to live with what we got,” Raynor said. “It may not be perfect but it gets the job done. Terran ingenuity at work.”

“The ways of the terrans are fascinating,” Fenix said. “Though no doubt there are many of our people who would be horrified by them.”

“I can imagine,” Zeratul said wryly.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when someone came with an urgent message. “There are zerg that have arrived in orbit,” the zealot reported. “They are heading toward us, but it seems that they are trying to open communications with us.”

“Communications?” Fenix seemed flabbergasted.

“Connect us,” Artanis said. “We shall see what their purpose is.”

Artanis’s armor projected the incoming call.

“Kerrigan, why have you come here?” Artanis said.

“Ah, Artanis,” Kerrigan said. “Is Jim down there?”

“He is,” Artanis replied.

“Excellent, I will be coming down then,” Kerrigan replied. “Do tell your people not to shoot. I would be most annoyed by that.”

The communication ended.

“What the hell!” Raynor exclaimed. “You’re just letting her come down here?”

“I concur with Raynor,” Fenix said. “You better have a good explanation for all of this.”

“After we arrived on Shakuras, the magnitude of the zerg threat facing us was clear and it was decided that we needed to retrieve the Uraj and Khalis crystals in order to defeat the zerg on Shakuras. It was at this time that Kerrigan came to us with an offer,” Artanis said. “She revealed that a new Overmind was growing on Char and she wanted to forge an alliance to defeat it. Matriarch Raszagal approved this plan and after she helped us obtain the Uraj, we arrived on Char to find the Khalis and confirmed that there was indeed a new Overmind. With her aid we were able to slay this new Overmind and Shakuras was saved from the zerg.”

“This is quite an unexpected tale,” Fenix said. “I could hardly have imagined that your path to defending Shakuras involved working together with Kerrigan. But you should be able to see that your collaboration allowed her to eliminate her rivals and gain control over the zerg swarm. She perhaps gained more than you did in the exchange. It is no indication of her trustworthiness when it comes to other matters.”

“But it does show that she can be reasoned with,” Zeratul said. “There is no harm in hearing what she has to say.”

“Fine,” Raynor said. “But I still don’t trust this. I’ve had too many experiences where someone didn’t live up to their side of the bargain.”

A single overlord arrived outside the protoss base, bringing Kerrigan. Artanis, Zeratul, Raynor, and Fenix were there to observe her arrival.

“Hello there Jim, long time no see,” Kerrigan said as she strode up toward them. “You seem to be doing well.”

“Well, considering the last time we met was on Char where you were chasing me around trying to kill me, yeah I’m doing better now,” Raynor said.

“I hope we can put that… unpleasantness behind us Jim,” Kerrigan said. “After all, back then it was the Overmind that was ordering me to remove all of you who were invading Char.”

“I dunno, you seemed pretty pleased with yourself when you were busy killing us,” Raynor replied. “It didn’t look like you were forced into it.”

“The control of the zerg can be subtle,” Kerrigan said. “Besides, I did try my best to let you live.”

“Well, it seemed to me like you didn’t think I was a threat and just wanted to mess with me,” Jim said.

Kerrigan sighed. “Make of it what you will Jim. Besides, I didn’t just come here to chat about old times.”

“Then why have you come here?” Fenix asked.

Kerrigan turned to Fenix. “Hmmm, I don’t think we’ve met.”

“I am Fenix,” he said.

“Ah Fenix, Artanis had spoken of you. To answer your question, I’ve come to tell you all about my new plans of course,” Kerrigan said with a chuckle.

“ Right ,” Raynor muttered with some incredulity. “And what might those be?”

“Well it is quite simple, Jim. I’m going to be going after Mengsk now,” Kerrigan said. “I know that you want him gone too, so I’m extending you an offer to join in on a piece of the action. So, what do you say? Want to join me in toppling the so called emperor?”

Raynor thought for a few moments. “So you will be invading Korhal then?”

“Of course,” Kerrigan said. “My preparations will be complete soon. Then the invasion will begin.”

“I’m going to have to say no to this one,” Raynor said. “I’m not going to help the zerg invade a planet to depose a government I don’t like for a second time. It’s not right to unleash the zerg on everyone on Korhal just to get at Arcturus. Plus, I’m already pretty engaged here and I have better things to do than to settle grudges right now.”

“I’ll just kill him myself then,” Kerrigan said. “You do you. It’s not like I needed help or anything.”

Kerrigan departed, leaving the planet in her overlord. Although she was slightly irritated by the fruitlessness of the meeting, she soon turned her attention toward other matters.

Fenix turned to Raynor. “Did you reject the offer because you sensed some plot?”

“Oh, no I really did mean what I said,” Raynor replied. “I can believe the offer was completely genuine. After all, Kerrigan is itching to go after Mengsk. And to be honest, I was tempted to go. But I’m not going to let those feelings determine what I will do. I can do more good here right now.”

Chapter Text

Within orbit over Korhal, the calm had quickly turned into a flurry of activity as the sensors detected a huge swarm of enemies incoming. Though the defense fleet had been placed into a state of alertness, this was completely beyond their expectations. It was the largest attack the zerg had ever made in terran space, exceeding even the invasion of Tarsonis. Many broods contributed their forces to the assault, their cerebrates delegating command of the armies to Kaloth, who used the zerg with brutal effectiveness.

The battlecruisers formed into battle lines as their smaller fighters flew out from the hangars. Yamato cannons charged and fired into masses of zerg, killing massive amounts of zerg at once. But still, more zerg fliers came to fill in the gap. The Dominion battlecruisers fired into the mass of fliers, killing scores of them with each volley. But even as they killed them, yet more emerged, followed by the small yet deadly scourge which could take down even the largest of ships.

First, one battlecruiser was hit, its engines exploding when hit by a scourge. No longer able to resist the force of gravity, the burning wreckage fell from orbit and disintegrated in the atmosphere of Korhal. The wraith fighters skirmished with the incoming mutalisks, firing many missiles into the flocks before retreating. But with each attack, several of the wraiths fell after extracting their deadly toll.

As the losses mounted, the order was given for a strategic retreat as the defending armada fell back to the fortified orbital space platforms. The fleet withdrew in good order and the platform defenses helped to hold off some of the zerg. Seeing this, the zerg opted to blockade the platforms and fight any ship that emerged. 

Much of the zerg fliers were engaged in keeping the defending fleet bottled up and in the meantime the zerg zerg began landing on Korhal as overlords began disgorging minions onto the ground. Korhal’s defense forces were being mobilized to intercept the incoming zerg, but with the zerg landing in so many places, a foothold was soon established as the invading zerg repelled the Dominion’s patrols and cleared out a landing zone.

With the first stage of the invasion complete, Kerrigan descended onto Korhal. Stepping onto the dry dirt, she gazed upon the planet. Although the fight in space and the landing had cost quite a few zerg lives to overcome, she was finally here on Korhal. After a few moments of consideration, she decided to activate the communication’s device she brought, sending a transmission request to the Dominion headquarters.

She smirked as she saw Mengsk’s face appear after accepting the transmission. Behind him she could see various military officers in the command room, all curious as to how the zerg were communicating. Mengsk’s eyes widened as he saw who he was speaking to. “Kerrigan…” he muttered.

“Hello Arcturus, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. When was it again?” Kerrigan feigned contemplation. “Right, it was on Tarsonis right before you left me to the zerg, believing that you had successfully been rid of me. Well, I have become far beyond what you could have ever imagined. I have risen from a mere minion serving others to a queen ruling over all the zerg.  Now, there are none that can stand in my way.”

Kerrigan chuckled as she maintained a haughty grin. “Really, I ought to thank you for the opportunity you have given me. And I will deliver my thanks to you, personally.”

Mengsk sneered. “I should have just killed you when I had the chance, rather than generously giving an animal like you a place close to me. You will find that the Dominion shall not fall to you. We are the bulwark of humanity and we will defeat all enemies of mankind. Korhal will be where you meet your end.”

“Your toy soldiers can’t protect you,” Kerrigan said. “Your little empire will fall and when you die you will know that you have failed completely. For I am the Queen of Blades, and none can stand against me and live.”

“Such hubris,” Mengsk said. “You will rue the day you underestimated the Dominion. We will stand triumphant in the end.”

“Keep deluding yourself. Your demise is set in stone.” Kerrigan peered past Mengsk at the people behind him. “Well, if one of you decides to rid yourself of your pathetic Emperor and deliver him to me, then I shall allow you all to live.”

With this, Kerrigan ended the call. Kaloth, who had also just landed, decided to speak up. “Will you truly let the terrans live if they give up your enemy?”

Kerrigan thought for a few moments. “It would certainly be amusing to see Arcturus betrayed by his own men and sent to me wrapped up, bereft of his power and influence. In fact, such a kind gift will entertain me enough that I think I will let them off as they have shown they know their proper place. We need not waste effort on those who pose no threat to us. Besides, there are some out there who might react negatively to a wholesale slaughter of civilians for unnecessary reasons, and I’d rather not have to fight another war after this.”

Kerrigan shrugged. “In any case, I don’t expect that any of them will try to take me up on the offer. But Mengsk will squirm as his paranoia creeps in, causing him to think about all of the plots against him and whether or not his subordinates will turn on him.”

“A valid psychological tactic,” Kaloth noted. “But we cannot neglect the military aspects of this invasion. The battle in space had cost us significantly, but now our forces are consolidating and will soon be able to launch an attack. There are several military installations in the area that could be targeted.”

“Those nuclear silos could be an issue,” Kerrigan said. “And Mengsk is keeping battlecruisers in reserve. But if we destroy the physics labs before he can mobilize his reservers, he will be unable to power up the battlecruisers’ main weapons. Destroying these two objectives will weaken his defenses.”

“Then I shall handle the physics labs while you can destroy the nuclear silos,” Kaloth said. “Once that is complete we can regroup for the assault on the main city.”

“Sounds fine,” Kerrigan said. “Let’s go.”

Kaloth gathered up his army and began moving toward the physics labs. Around the labs were several military bases that were guarding the area. When the zerg came upon the outlying base, they immediately moved to surround it and prevent any enemies from escaping. Inside the base, the soldiers were on full alert and in the bunkers to repel the zerg attack.

Several defilers began spewing out their dark swarm to cover the approach of the zerg army. Despite this cover, the siege tanks continued to fire into the fog, with each explosion killing many of the smaller zerg. For a few minutes, that was all that happened, as the Dominion army shot into the haze, with no visible results. Finally, the zerg burst out of the dark swarm, charging straight at the line of bunkers.

The ultralisks led the charge, and although the tanks quickly redirected their attacks onto the ultralisks, it was already too late to stop them from tearing through the fortifications and breaking through. Defenders were pulled from other areas to plug the breach, and several of the ultralisks were killed. However, zerglings soon began flooding through the gap, dying in the thousands but still killing many of the defenders. The hydralisks forced the marines, now bereft of their walls, to take cover all the while the zerg continued to flood into the base.

The siege tanks were soon overrun and destroyed and the remaining defenders were isolated in small pockets which were then surrounded and destroyed. With the base left in ruins, Kaloth set his attention on the main complex where the physics labs were. There were still two other bases in the area, and he sent some zerg to harass them while burying lurkers in the ground to intercept any reinforcements those auxiliary bases might send to the main complex.

The physics labs were well defended, being a critical military installation. They were surrounded by strong walls and manned by many more soldiers. Once again, Kaloth sent his minions forward under the cover of the dark swarm. Many of the zerg died from the bombardment of the tanks, but still some made it through. The ultralisks assaulted the walls, but the mines buried underfoot toppled the beasts and the soldiers defending the base were able to halt the attack.

After the first attack wave stalled, Kaloth withdrew to avoid further losses, but continued to maintain the dark swarm around the base. Enough zerg could eventually overwhelm the defenders, but it would be quite wasteful. So, another tactic was used. While some defilers died to the bombardment, more were brought in to replace them, and the defilers spewed their plague on the walls. The corrosive spores spread and began eating away at the walls while also forcing the defenders off of the walls.

As SCVs were sent in to repair the walls, but repeated applications of plague affected the SCVs as well, causing their suits to fall apart around them. Seeing this slow process happen, some of the soldiers wanted to sally out from the base and eliminate the source, but the commander knew that leaving would only be a death sentence. There was little to do but watch the walls fall apart as they fell back to a secondary defensive position.

Finally, another attack came and the ultralisks broke through the perimeter, followed by a rush of zerglings and hydralisks. The firebats and marines held the line, burning through the approaching zerglings, but eventually they were killed, either stomped over by ultralisks or killed by the hydralisks shooting from afar. It was only a matter of time before the defenders were overrun and the physics labs were destroyed. The other two smaller bases were destroyed shortly afterwards.

Meanwhile, Kerrigan was leading her attack on the nuclear silos, which were also defended by a series of military bases. A swarm of zerg descended upon the outlying base, coming at it from all sides. While the tanks were occupied firing in every direction, Kerrigan attacked the southern perimeter of the base, destroying the bunkers with a psionic storm. As the zerglings flooded into the gap, the tanks redirected their fire toward the breach in order to stem the tide.

While the breach was contained, the zerg quickly shifted their attention to the other areas which had become less defended. With a breakthrough in multiple places, it soon became untenable to defend the base. In a final effort to survive, the defenders went on the attack, breaking out of the encirclement as they fled.

The zerg chased after them, the zerglings overtaking and destroying the slower units as the remains of the garrison ran. Kerrigan was at the front of the pursuit, ripping into any soldier that fell into her grasp as she revelled in the hunt. The rout became an organized retreat when a relief army from the other outlying bases arrived, meeting up with the remnants of the fleeing soldiers and forming new battle lines.

The zerg in the front slowed down upon encountering renewed resistance and waited for the rest of the army to regroup. Then, they descended upon the Dominion army with renewed ferocity. A psionic storm wiped out the center of the army, allowing the zerg minions to break through the gap and split the terrans in two. The zerg soon enveloped the army and destroyed it.

Kerrigan led the zerg to finish assaulting the outlying bases, destroying each in short order. Then, she focused her attention on the central area which held the nuclear silos. Being an area holding critical military weapons, the base was very well defended and it was clear that it would be a tough nut to crack.

As the zerg gathered up for the assault, a portion of the army was destroyed by a nuclear missile. It wasn’t the only place hit. Several of the hive clusters were destroyed as well.

Kaloth had been sending reinforcements, some of which had been destroyed in the attack. “Kerrigan, what is happening there? The terrans are already using their nuclear missiles.”

“They must have gotten their missiles ready faster than expected and were able to deploy ghosts into position.” Kerrigan’s tone conveyed some degree of frustration. “I’ll send out more overlord patrols to intercept the ghosts, but this will have to be cut off at the source. These losses have already set us back significantly.”

Most of the zerg army was still intact and they now moved to attack the terran base from all directions. Several more attempts were made to launch nuclear missiles. In most cases the ghosts were found and intercepted but another missile did make it through. But even then, a multitude of zerg began assaulting the walls.

A section of the wall began to creak before collapsing as Kerrigan focused her psionic powers on pulling down that portion of the defenses. Though the exertion had taken a lot out of her, it didn’t deter her from joining in the main assault as zerg began moving into the breach. The defenders began sending their reserves to plug the breach while the tanks whittled away at the zerg. Within the base, another line of defense was set up to hold back the zerg.

Kerrigan was in the base, ambushing small groups of soldiers in the narrow areas between buildings, coming upon them suddenly before tearing into them in melee range. She was conserving her power and the buildings were dense enough to let her avoid most of the bombardment so she only needed to shield herself sparingly.

Just as she was killing another group of marines, Kerrigan sensed a nearby presence. She moved to the side suddenly as the bullet from a sniper passed through where she was moments before. A ghost had been perched on a nearby building, unsuccessfully trying to take her by surprise. Kerrigan quickly scaled the building, avoiding several more shots from the ghost before she finally got to him.

The ghost tried to flee but found himself pinned in place, his own psionic power being unable to break him free of Kerrigan’s grip. Once the zerg queen reached him, she didn’t immediately move for the kill. Rather, she focused her attention on the ghost and began breaking into his mind. Once she had her new puppet under her control, she departed, leaving the ghost alone.

The ghost began painting the target for a nuclear launch, the location being right where he was standing.

The voice of his commanding officer came over the radio. “Agent X34234A, your request for a nuclear launch has been blocked due to collateral damage it would cause. A nuclear strike here would obliterate the entire base and we would both be dead.”

“The zerg queen is in my sights,” the ghost replied. “A nuclear strike obliterating the zerg leadership would be more valuable than defending this location.”

The commander was silent for a few moments before deciding to call high command.

“General Duke, I have a request to fire a nuclear missile within this base. The zerg queen has been sighted and can be eliminated in this strike,” he said. “I request orders for this situation.”

“If such a strike can achieve that objective, then you have your orders to carry through with the attack,” Duke said.

“For the Dominion,” the commander replied.

A mushroom cloud rose over the base, destroying the nuclear weapon stockpile along with large amounts of zerg. Unfortunately, the main target of the attack was long gone.

The Dominion forces were still keeping an eye on the situation as they continued to fortify Augustgrad. After the nuclear stockpile was destroyed, the zerg had ceased their attacks. But the hive clusters were still active and more zerg continued to gather.

“Sir, it seems that the zerg have not fallen into disarray,” an aide reported to Duke. “Even now they are preparing their armies for an attack.”

“It seems we couldn’t be that fortunate,” Duke grumbled. “Well, that base probably would have been overrun anyways. It was worth a shot. How are the defense preparations going?”

“We’ve been handing out weapons to every man who can shoot and began fortifying the buildings to be holdout points. Those who can’t fight are being taken to shelters,” the officer replied. “We’ll fight the zerg on every street if we need to. The city’s perimeter defenses have been brought up to full strength and the bunkers are fully manned.”

Duke nodded. “We’ll show these zerg that we won’t go down easily.”

While the Dominion was making their preparations, the zerg were continuing to establish their foothold on the planet as they grew their forces. Then, the zerg began going on the attack.

Kaloth took charge of the assault, maneuvering the zerg armies to strike at Augustgrad’s defense in multiple points. The defenders held off each attack long enough for the reinforcements left in reserve to arrive, and when the zerg disengaged and struck somewhere else, the mobile divisions followed suit to shore up the most heavily pressured areas. The well placed terran artillery was able to continually hammer away at the zerg, and the ability of the tanks to reposition themselves allowed them to be where they were most needed.

To an outside observer, the zerg were continually engaging in mass swarm tactics, albeit very well executed ones, which sought to reduce the defenses through attrition. However, after the first few assaults failed, Kaloth was already concerned about this course of action and began making new plans.

Away from the front lines in one of the hive clusters, Kerrigan was waiting beside her cerebrate. Eager as she was to fight, she wasn’t going to take the chances of getting involved personally when the enemy was still too strong.

“How do you evaluate our current situation, Kaloth? Their defenses are quite formidable.” Kerrigan could see the overall course of the battle and her confidence began to slip as the zerg casualties mounted.

“It is not ideal,” the cerebrate replied. “While we may be able to eventually prevail through pure numbers, it would be quite a difficult battle. Victory would be far from assured. But there is another course of action, one that is slightly riskier but which can break this deadlock. We merely need to lure out the terrans to go on the offensive and then we can wipe them out.”

“The terrans aren’t stupid,” Kerrigan said. “General Duke might have first risen up through familial connections, but he was still a competent military commander; that is why Mengsk wanted him. Going on the offensive here would go against tactical orthodoxy, for obvious reasons considering we only want them to do it so we can destroy most of their army. The only way he would order such an attack is if he feels that he has no other choice and he is confident in victory.”

“We can feign weakness and draw them in,” Kaloth said. “Do you have any other insight into the minds of these terrans?”

“A zerg infestation is a frightening thing for a planet,” Kerrigan said. “If unchecked, zerg can eventually grow in number enough to overrun the planet. That is why the military doctrine became either to destroy the infestation early or to abandon the planet when the zerg became too strong. Abandoning Korhal would be crippling to the Dominion and irreparably harm Mengsk’s image. That is ample motivation for them to want to wipe out our foothold quickly, but they would have to believe they will likely win such a fight. Minor tricks aren’t going to cut it, they would only believe something of substance.”

“We can sacrifice an army to give the impression that we have depleted our forces entirely,” Kaloth said. “Meanwhile we keep additional minions in reserve, hidden until the right moment. If we keep the main hive cluster underdefended, the terrans will wish to strike a knockout blow.”

“They will be scanning the area,” Kerrigan reminded. “Simply burrowing our minions won’t be enough.”

“I am constructing nydus canals between our outlying hives and the central hive cluster. When the terrans attack we can move in our scattered minions in to reinforce the hive,” Kaloth said. “The throughput of the tunnels is limited though and it will be difficult to send enough through to defend the hive from a massive attack. If the terrans simply bombard the minions when they emerge, they would never reach sufficient mass. And we cannot put too many zerg in the hive to begin with or else the terrans will not attack.”

“I’ll defend the hive myself then,” Kerrigan said. “If anything, the Dominion discovering my presence will only further motivate them to attack rather than make them too wary. And I have a few tricks up my sleeve to take care of them. You don’t need to worry about me Kaloth, I would always be sure to prioritize my own safety.”

“If you are sure of yourself, then we shall proceed with this plan then.” Under Kaloth’s direction, the zerg forces continued their assault. Only some of the newly spawned zerg reinforced the assault in order to preserve the illusion that everything was being put into the attack. Little by little, the zerg forces were whittled away, though they inflicted considerable damage on the defenses.

Then, a counterattack came from the Dominion and the remaining zerg forces were shattered, with the remnants fleeing back to the hives. The Dominion army regrouped before embarking on a full attack on the zerg. They carefully scanned the area as they approached the hive in a careful and methodical manner, wiping out a few groups of burrowed zerg that could have ambushed their forces on the way there.

The area where the hive cluster was located was a flat plain which did make the position vulnerable, but as the siege tanks began setting up within firing range, some SCVs began quickly putting together bunkers on the spot, relying on the prefabricated pieces they had brought along.

As the Dominion army began entrenching themselves, zerg began emerging from the hive cluster while the defilers deployed dark swarm to obscure the area. Although it was unclear what was beneath the haze, it was clear that the zerg were launching some kind of attack and the tanks simply began indiscriminately firing into the area.

Beneath the cover of the dark swarm, the zerg army was moving. The shots from the siege tanks killed some of the smaller zerg, but most of the ultralisks were able to survive. Kerrigan rode on one ultralisk, using her powers to deflect the few shots that came close. As the zerg advanced, the defilers continued to lay out the dark swarm in front, until a few lucky shots killed some of the defilers.

The zerg could have waited for more defilers to be brought up, but by now they were close enough to the terran army that the subterfuge was no longer needed. The ultralisks charged out of the haze straight into the Dominion’s prepared battle lines. Several of the bunkers were uprooted, but as the soldiers focused their fire on the attackers, even the mighty ultralisks began to fall.

A crackle of energy filled the air as Kerrigan gathered psionic energy above her before sending it down at the group of siege tanks gathered in the center of the terran army. The tanks were well defended from any conventional attacks, but this wasn’t something they saw coming. The psionic storm tore through the tanks, leaving only wrecks behind.

The display of power had quickly grabbed the attention of Dominion soldiers who quickly began shooting at the zerg queen. The ultralisk Kerrigan was riding quickly died under the assault, but Kerrigan herself had cloaked and slipped away as the other zerg sacrificed themselves to cover her retreat.

The rest of the zerg assault force were still gathered under the dark swarm that was constantly being produced by the defilers, but the Dominion’s army soon encircled it. They could detect that no zerg were burrowing out, but the area within the haze remained obscured. The zerg assault had done significant damage, but many of the zerg had died and now they were cornered. The order was given to eliminate the zerg by any means necessary.

The dark swarm was doing its job in hiding the zerg, and without the tanks the easy option of just bombarding the zerg was no longer available. Still, there were other options available and terrans had the ingenuity to adapt to difficult circumstances.

The marines and goliath walkers first began indiscriminately firing into the haze, and while they couldn’t see anything, enough metal filled the air to hit their targets. The shrieks of dying zerg validated this approach, but soon fell silent as the zerg burrowed just beneath the surface.

Next, teams of firebats backed up by marines were sent in to clear the area and eliminate the defilers, which would have to unburrow to continue producing the dark swarm. This was a dangerous job though as burrowed zerg were everywhere, and with the soldiers unable to see more than a few feet in front of them, any fighting would be done in close quarters. Each ambush of zerg would inflict some losses, whiting away at each group. The lurkers proved exceptionally deadly and difficult to root out.

Even more concerning to the soldiers was when entire groups went missing at once. Under the cover of the haze, Kerrigan was enjoying cutting loose and slaughtering the groups of infantry that approached. The deaths of her minions informed her of the locations of the enemies and she could simply move from one group to the other, killing them with trivial ease.

The operation was quickly turning into something out of a horror movie, but the Dominion had their own deadly killers up their sleeve. Cloaked ghosts wandered throughout the area, searching for any defilers to eliminate. Without any overlords overhead, the common zerg were unable to detect the ghosts even when they sniped a defiler surrounded by other minions. A few ghosts did meet their end though when they unfortunately stumbled upon the one predator in the haze who was even deadlier than them.

The area shrouded in the dark swarm was shrinking as the combination of infantry teams and ghosts began killing off defilers. As the dark swarm receded, some zerg caught outside were picked off and killed, and ones that were burrowed were detected. But the news of more zerg movements soon came to the attention of the Dominion. Two zerg armies had begun approaching from behind. They had been burrowed in the ground some distance away, far enough to avoid being scanned during the initial Dominion’s attack. Meanwhile, zerg arriving through the nydus canals grouped up in the hive cluster and readied for an attack.

The situation was dangerous, and Duke recognized that the zerg had gotten close enough that a full retreat would still result in substantial losses. So, he decided to take the gamble and ordered the army in the field to hunt down and kill Kerrigan. If that was achieved, the operation could still be a success.

Most of the reserve troops were then sent into the dark swarm to root out the rest of the zerg. Heavy losses were sustained as the goliath walkers had difficulty dealing with zerglings unburrowing beneath them and the remaining lurkers had even more targets to attack. But there were too few zerg remaining and too many terran soldiers.

Eventually, the zerg within the area were eliminated and the haze dissipated. But Kerrigan was still nowhere in sight. Scans were immediately performed and revealed that the zerg queen had burrowed deeply into the ground, at least a dozen meters below the surface. After having taken the time to dig down so far, Kerrigan simply relaxed and through the eyes of her minions remotely observed the terrans ineffectual scrambling around above her. They didn’t have time to bring in excavation equipment nor did they have the firepower to just blast away the dirt fast enough. The terrans had killed quite a lot of zerg in their attack and such a loss would normally be considered painful, but Kerrigan was more than pleased with the trade she obtained.

When the zerg armies converged, the Dominion’s assault force was wiped out. While they still held considerable soldiers in reserve as to not leave their defense completely unmanned, the loss of manpower along with the loss of so many tanks marked a significant loss.

With the tide now turning in her favor, Kerrigan decided to leave yet another taunt for Mengsk as she called him again. “Now you see just how pathetic your little soldiers are, Arcturus. You’d best start preparing for your funeral.”

“You think you have won just because you have destroyed one army?” Mengsk uttered calmly. “You will find that we still have much will left in us.”

Kerrigan sneered. “Please, I just destroyed your largest group of elite soldiers. What could you possibly do now?”

Suddenly, Kerrigan paused as Kaloth informed her of an attack being launched by militias coming from the outlying settlements on Korhal. The attacks had been making some progress, destroying some outlying hive clusters while most of the zerg were sent to fight the main terran attack force.

“Something wrong?” Mengsk asked snidely.

“Only a minor nuisance,” Kerrigan said through gritted teeth. “You know, you are just sending those men to their deaths. How many bodies will you hide behind?”

“The people of the Dominion gladly lay down their lives to protect humanity from the zerg,” Mengsk said. “Their sacrifices will not be in vain.”

Kerrigan ended the call, with her frustration already beginning to build with the recent developments. Meanwhile, Mengsk evaluated the situation and could see the damage that would befall Korhal.

He turned to General Duke. “Are we able to obtain reinforcements from the colonies?”

“We’d have to strip most of the colonies of their fleets and garrisons if we are to scrape together a large enough force to make a difference here,” Duke replied. “Many of those worlds would be dangerously vulnerable if there was to be an attack. We might as well be giving them up to whoever wants to take them.”

“The attack is already right here,” Mengsk said. “We don’t have any other options. There is only one thing left to do. Contact Admiral Dugalle.”

The call didn’t take long to be patched through as it seemed that the admiral was already prepared to speak.

“The Dominion is in need of aid as Korhal is under attack by an overwhelming force of zerg,” Mengsk said.

“Although you had not accepted our earlier offer of aid, the Directorate is generous and will extend to you another opportunity,” Dugalle said. “Should you submit yourself and the Dominion to the rightful government of mankind, we will of course defend loyal terran colonists against the aliens.”

“You ask for fealty in a time like this?” Mengsk said through gritted teeth.

“It is the natural course of things,” Dugalle said. “Humanity must be under one banner if we are to survive. As Earth was the birthplace of mankind, so shall it be it’s prime guardian.”

Mengsk stood silently for a few moments as he thought through his options. Finally, he answered. “Very well then. The Dominion shall fight under the banner of humanity.”

Chapter Text

An explosion rocked the city block as yet another building collapsed to the ground, killing both the soldiers inside along with the zerg fighting their way up. While the gunfire from that building now ceased, the zerg were still occupied in assaulting the neighboring buildings. The Dominion soldiers bunkered inside the fortified structures were fighting to their last, determined to take down as many zerg as they could before they were overrun. For several days their sacrifices held back the zerg advance and killed hundreds of zerg for each man lost, but as effective as it was, it was only a delay.

The swarm was within sight of the imperial palace, yet their queen hardly felt any excitement at all. As she waited within her hive that was erected in the city, Kerrigan wished she could relieve her boredom by personally scouring the irritants from those fortified structures, but after the second time they blew up the supports and dropped the building on her, she found it too tiring to even do that and resigned herself to simply observing.

Now, they were finally approaching Mengsk’s last stronghold and she hoped the wait would end soon. With Kaloth about to finish dealing with the resistance outside the city, victory was close at hand. Kerrigan left her hive to walk to the front lines in anticipation for the final assault. Outside the stout walls of the palace were rows of bunkers along with trenches that had been dug over the past few days. The remaining siege tanks were concentrated around the palace, defending several key chokepoints leading into the area.

She calmly gazed over her surroundings as she began her stroll, knowing that her zerg had cleared the area already, leaving nothing but collapsed buildings and burned out husks behind as they removed anything that could be a threat. There was no rush as Kerrigan knew the zerg victory would be inevitable, sooner or later she would win. The ruined streets were still, with none of the bustle that a city would have. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted several corpses not covered in power armor or military garb. They were the bodies of homeless men who had been neglected when the military had repossessed civilian buildings and sent the occupants to an underground shelter. These stragglers preferred to hide away and had no desire to fight the zerg and as such they were ignored by the swarm. But nonetheless it seemed that this group had died from falling debris.

Kerrigan turned her gaze away from the scene and began to hurry to the front. The zerg were finally running into proper resistance as they reached the core of the imperial district. The first few zerg that approached were blown to pieces by the siege tanks and bunkers while the rest retreated to regroup and mass up.

The zerg rushed forward, assaulting the bunkers while mutalisks braved the missile barrage to dive the tanks. The Dominion soldiers rushed back and forth in a hurry as they tried to address all of the threats they were faced with. The mutalisks were driven back and the initial zerg push repelled, but more kept coming as the soldiers pushed their weapons to the limits firing off as many shots as they could.

From a short distance away, Kerrigan focused her attention on the main threat and unleashed a psionic storm on the cluster of siege tanks and the marines guarding them. The vehicles were torn to shreds while the marines were fried. Her zerg rushed forward once more, yet she still felt nothing. There was no satisfaction in slaughtering faceless soldiers, nor did the frustration that had built up lessen. The surviving defenders fled, retreating toward the palace. She could still see the building where her enemy was staying, still out of her grasp.

However, she knew his days were numbered. Although the defenses were solid and her swarm had taken a beating, she knew that the situation was in her favor. Even if this assault did not break them, her own reinforcements coming from outside the city would eventually overwhelm them through more waves of attacks. Through her connection to her myriad minions, she could feel her net closing as the zerg approached the palace from multiple sides as the defenders fled. Bit by bit, they were getting closer and she could feel each victory as her minions advanced. Then, that connection was broken.

It was unlike anything she had felt before as the link to her minions was being torn asunder. Kerrigan fell to one knee as it felt like knives were being stabbed into her head when she tried to extend her mind out to its fullest extent to reassert control. She withdrew control over the fringes to bring the strain back down to a manageable level. Already, the minions she released were running rampant under the effect of whatever it was that was actively interfering with her control over the zerg. There was something that could do this, the Psi Disruptor that was supposedly destroyed.

Kerrigan gathered what zerg she could and began withdrawing. In the present circumstances she was unable to contact her cerebrate, but she knew that they must regroup if they are to address this new threat. With some effort, the zerg minions were corralled and gathered up for the retreat. Some of them got lost along the way while others were killed as the Dominion began launching probing attacks, with vulnerable creatures like the defilers taking especially high losses. But the zerg were eventually able to achieve cohesion and begin moving away from the Dominion’s stronghold.

As she walked alongside her zerg, the mind of the Queen of Blades was occupied by only two things. The constant effort to keep her minions in line and anger. To have her chance at revenge be snatched away and for her to be forced into a retreat when she was at the gates of her objective was something almost too much to bear. She was so very tempted to ignore it all and continue to press the attack with what forces she had left in the hopes of winning in one swoop.

But she knew the situation was unfavorable and if the Psi Disruptor was in play, there may be reinforcements coming to support the Dominion. Even if she were to succeed in killing Mengsk, but still died here, that would render all of this pointless. There was nothing she could do not except to take this loss, as much as it grated on her. She would avenge this humiliation one day.

The city with its many narrow streets and buildings was not somewhere she wanted to be trapped in, so Kerrigan took the remainder of her minions to withdraw from Augustgrad. But on the way out, they encountered more terran soldiers, these with different markings.

It was only a small detachment and when she led an attack, the enemies immediately began to withdraw. However, it was what they represented that alarmed Kerrigan. The United Earth Directorate was here. Their army was entering the battle against her and this was a fight she was not ready for. She knew she had to get back in contact with her cerebrate and combine their armies.

The zerg army took the quickest path back to their hive clusters, passing by the rocky hills surrounding the city while the UED detachment continued to harass the zerg as they pulled back. As the zerg passed through the last valley before the open plains, the enemy emerged into view. Sitting at the mouth of the valley was what looked like the main UED army.

Kerrigan paused for a moment as she surveyed the situation. A pitched battle was the last thing she wanted right now with her still struggling to adapt to controlling the zerg in these conditions. The enemy numbers were substantial and she knew she couldn’t guarantee her victory. Though it would be ideal to be able to avoid the fight and take another route, the longer she waited the more time the enemy would have to secure territory and obtain reinforcements. She would need to fight here and the only way past was to break through.

One flank of the army appeared to be rather vulnerable and Kerrigan thought about sending everything forward to achieve a breakthrough in the weaker portion. But given that the deployment of the army seemed to overall be competent, such a weakness seemed out of place. It was suspicious, too suspicious. Kerrigan instead ordered her army to attack the center, sending forth the tide of minions against the enemy lines.

The artillery fire from the tanks was lighter than it could have been, and Kerrigan noticed the dispersed deployment. Her zerg were making decent headway, the ultralisks succeeding in breaching the outer defensive lines, with the zerglings and hydralisks beginning to flood through after them. She followed and entered the fight, determined to make this breakthrough succeed.

The terrans began falling back as the zerg advanced, the bombardment from the tanks whittling away at her forces. However, they weren’t breaking, instead just withdrawing to secondary defensive lines. Kerrigan urged her zerg forward to keep up the pressure. Then, the resistance began to stiffen. The marines stood their ground at the bunkers while the tanks continued to provide support. As the attack stalled, the zerg on the left flank of her army suddenly found themselves being pressured.

With her army buried into the enemy’s center, their right flank began swinging around to envelop her army. The zerg on that side were disintegrating under the intense attack the terrans launched. Seeing this, Kerrigan had her zerg begin shifting away and instead push at the enemy’s weaker left flank. However, the reason for the sparser concentration on that side became clear as her zerg were being decimated by spider mines. Her attempted maneuver had simply let the terrans gain more ground and now her army was almost completely enveloped. There would be no retreat now.

The enemy artillery was still the biggest threat, but with the tanks being spread out she couldn’t try to destroy them with one blow and she didn’t have anything else to counter them. Her army was pinned down and a breakthrough was looking increasingly unlikely. As she looked around at the battle, all Kerrigan felt now was fear.

Her army, and herself as well, wasn’t going to be able to keep up the fight for much longer. Kerrigan’s expression darkened as she realized she was beaten and there was only one option for her to get out of this now. She, the Queen of Blades, would have to flee from these terrans. Gritted her teeth, she took one last look around her. Then, she slipped behind her minions and vanished from sight as she began to move toward the relatively open area on the enemy’s left flank. It was simple for her to avoid the mines and the remnants of her army were making a stand to tie down the enemy for as long as they could.

As Kerrigan made her escape, she finally ran into the UED soldiers guarding the area. Part of the way through her journey through the minefield, several of the tanks had begun bombarding the general area she was in. It was only a minor irritant for her as she was quick enough to avoid any direct hits and she could shield herself from the shrapnel. But it was clear that they were onto her.

When she approached the dug-in defenders, they began firing at her, with the missile turrets informing the soldiers of her general location. With all of them focused on her, it was like there was a wall of bullets coming toward her. She ducked behind a large cluster of rocks as she prepared her attack. She unleashed a psionic storm of the soldiers in front of them, opening up a gap in the line.

A grin crept up on her face as she observed her handiwork, but just before she was about to start moving forward again, several tank shells exploded behind her, knocking her into the rocks and cracking her armor. Kerrigan grimaced in pain as she spent a bit more of her energy to heal her wounds and she quickly began moving before the tanks fired another volley.

She dashed through the area between her and the UED forces, zig zagging to avoid the mines and the shots from the tanks. The surviving UED marines were still shooting at her and she needed to divert some attention to blocking those bullets as well. Once she began passing through the breach she formed with her psionic storm, the rate of fire lessened as the soldiers didn’t want to shoot at each other with her in the middle. Once she passed through and began escaping into the distance, the UED soldiers resumed their attacks, but by then it didn’t matter anymore.

Finally, Kerrigan arrived at the zerg’s primary hive cluster on the planet.

“Kerrigan, you are safe,” Kaloth said. “I had been concerned when I was unable to contact you and many of our minions began going out of control from whatever just happened. And the army I sent out was repelled by a new terran army.”

“It must be the Psi Disruptor.” Kerrigan’s fists clenched. “Duran said he had it destroyed. But here the UED are now, and they clearly have it.”

“Do you think he has been working against you?” Kaloth asked.

“Oh he very well might be now. But there is no point in telling me about the Psi Disruptor and then lying about destroying it if he merely wanted to deceive me,” Kerrigan said. “He’s just incompetent and clearly someone ran rings around him.”

“Whatever the cause, we have a disaster on our hands,” Kaloth said. “All of the forces the other cerebrates dispatched are totally out of control, I can’t contact any of them on Char, and I doubt they can contact their forces here. I could barely keep control of my own brood as is. And there is a fleet in orbit that is currently in the process of destroying the fliers we have.”

“The situation is untenable. We have to leave.” Kerrigan’s face was twisted into an ugly contortion as she gritted her teeth in rage. “Damn it all! I was this close to finishing things. Arcturus was in my grasp. And these interlopers from Earth had to come and do this. I’ll see them dead for this.”

Then, the rage drained out of her. “But for now we can’t do anything here. We have to rebuild and come up with a countermeasure to the Psi Disruptor. Otherwise we don’t have a chance.”

Kaloth could sense the bitterness in Kerrigan’s voice. “The zerg will overcome all obstacles. Things will not end here.”

Kerrigan nodded slowly. “So, how are the preparations for the evacuation going?”

 “I’m having a rearguard delay the UED forces to buy time,” Kaloth said. “We will be ready to leave soon.”

“Captain, report on your situation,” Dugalle said.

“The zerg army has been defeated,” Roland said. “However, due to the interference of other groups of zerg we were unable to stop the zerg leader from escaping. We are currently engaged in attacking their main hive cluster, but it appears that the zerg are making preparations to escape. Will the fleet be able to intercept them?”

“Unfortunately, we must first deal with the multitude of zerg fliers in orbit,” Dugalle said. “We will be unable to prevent the zerg from escaping. However, we have still won a great victory here and saved the people of this world. Good work, Captain. You are a model that all of our officers should aspire toward.”

“Thank you sir,” Roland replied.

With the battle being wrapped up, Dugalle opened a communication line to Mengsk.

“As promised, the Directorate has answered your request for aid and defeated the zerg menacing this world,” Dugalle said.

“I thank you sir,” Mengsk replied. “We are grateful for your help in protecting humanity.”

“Now, in accordance with our agreement we will need you to provide your armies to support us,” Dugalle said. “The zerg have returned to their nest on Char, and we must purge them to ensure they will never be a threat again. And as the rightful caretakers of mankind, the Directorate will assume full authority over this expedition and we will expect all terran forces to answer to our chain of command in order to ensure an orderly assault.”

“Very well then,” Mengsk replied. “I will be glad to pledge the Dominion’s support to you in this endeavor. The Dominion’s armies are quite adept at fighting the zerg as we have ample experience in this matter. I expect that you will find us to be quite the asset.”

Dugalle smiled. “Excellent. There is just one other simple matter to take care of. As our armies have secured Korhal, we will be maintaining a garrison force here in order to ensure the safety of this planet and protect it from any threats to either the Dominion or the Directorate,” Dugalle said.

Mengsk paused. “While I appreciate your concern for our security, Admiral, I assure you the Dominion is more than capable of holding its own against the zerg. You must understand that the zerg’s successes in the streets of Augustgrad meant little to me. The Dominion has been holding out against such odds since Mar Sara. Korhal would have endured and so would I.” Mengsk steepled his fingers and his face adopted a severe demeanor. “Your no doubt well intentioned offer might lamentably be interpreted by some as an occupation. Given the history of Korhal there may be some associations with the legacy of the Confederacy. And ordinary people would not understand the necessity of your alliance with the remnants of the old regime. A misunderstanding would be unfortunate.”

“I certainly commend you on your concern for public safety and the risks to our image,” Dugalle said, maintaining his smile. “But for now, the time has come for us as nations and individuals to put aside our long standing feuds and unite. We are after all on the same side.”

Mengsk’s expression stiffened ever so slightly as he heard his past words be employed against him. The brief lapse passed as Mengsk smiled. “Well, far be it from me to inspire division within our ranks. Since you have shown such interest in fostering cooperation, I think it is only fair for us to send advisors to accompany your own men to better cultivate relations as well as provide valuable advice about conditions in the sector.”

“Very well,” Dugalle nodded. “Then let us give a toast to our victory over the zerg and the continued prosperity of all mankind.”

Chapter Text

The bright trails streaked past the zerg, forming a contrast against the black emptiness of space as the terran ships fired toward them. Like a colony of ants scurrying beneath a stone, the zerg faded from view, vanishing through a warp rift. The remnants of the zerg fliers were purged from the orbit of Korhal as the UED fleet slammed down on them like an iron fist.

Zeratul turned away from the screen displaying the observer’s feed. “The zerg have failed in their mission. The application of their new device has granted the terrans their victory.”

Raynor slumped back into his chair. “After all this, all this fighting and death and Mengsk is still standing. What a waste of lives. I told her not to go, but lookin’ back, maybe this could’ve gone differently if I’d joined in. Maybe then we could’ve gotten something outta this killing.”

“There is no shame so long as you remain steadfast to your principles,” Fenix told Raynor. “No one can know the full consequences of any choice. Perhaps joining in the battle would only have resulted in the zerg turning on you in the confusion.”

“Right,” Raynor nodded. “Sometimes I just think about what could’ve been.”

“Now, the question remains of what action, if any, would be suitable for us,” Zeratul. “These events could have implications that may eventually involve us.”

“This is not our fight,” Fenix said. “It is not our place to involve ourselves with Kerrigan’s personal feud. She may be justified in settling her scores, but the terrans are well within their rights to defend themselves by any means.”

“The situation is unstable. The alliance between the Dominion and the UED marks a shift in the balance of power,” Artanis said. “The zerg on Char are still substantial, so I do not believe they will fall easily if the terrans go on the offensive, even with the aid of their new device. For now, the situation looks like it will lead to a stalemate.”

“Should that be the case, then we shall not need to be concerned about either the terrans focusing their attention on us nor Kerrigan deciding to strike at us if she was concealing a desire for absolute control,” Zeratul said. “However, that is not to say we should not take some contingency measures. The device the terrans acquired that could disrupt the zerg may be of relevance.”

“We should be able to attempt to use our sensors to track down the source of the signal,” Artanis said. “That will allow us to locate the device and observe it.”

Zeratul nodded. “Should we acquire knowledge of the location of the UED’s weapon, that would allow for us to deal with it or take possession of it should such an action be needed. We should begin the investigation at once.”

“I think I’ll check up with some of my contacts in terran space. An old acquaintance, the former Magistrate of Mar Sara, has been active in the fringe worlds. I could ask them what’s been going on out there and figure out what the UED is up to,” Raynor said. “Earth getting involved might not be good news judging by their history, and the folks out in the colonies might not like what is coming. Better to be careful and see what they want with us.”

“Good. But for now we should continue focusing our strength on Aiur,” Artanis said. “We are making excellent progress and perhaps we can use this base to expand our control over the surrounding regions, perhaps paving the way to reclaim Aiur.”

Aboard his ship, the battlecruiser Borealis , Roland leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. “I respect my colleagues, I really do, but sometimes they are just a bit much to deal with.”

“Tough day sir?” Hector asked.

“The strategy meeting with the officers leading the other strike teams got rather heated. Our upcoming mission to invade the zerg homeworld is of critical importance. It is a huge effort and we will be attacking multiple important locations on the planet. Everyone has their ideas on what to do.” Roland gestured toward the cabinet at the side of the room. “Could you fetch the bottle of vodka that the vice admiral gifted me after our most recent mission.”

When his aide returned with the bottle, Roland uncorked it and poured out two shots. “I think we both need this. So, did you finish sorting out the supply situation with the quartermasters?”

“I managed to wrangle it out of them eventually.” Hector took a sip from the vodka. “You know how it is, competing priorities and all that. Sure, the other teams are all screaming just as hard for more but there should be plenty to go around, especially with the resources the Dominion has been sending to us.”

“I’m glad that we managed to reach an accommodation with the Dominion,” Roland said. “It would be rather difficult for us to fight everyone. And regardless of the unsavory nature of their emperor, not all of them are that bad. The man the Dominion sent over to head their contingent, Colonel Richardson, seems to have a good head on his shoulder at least. I don’t agree with him on some things, but at least he’s leagues better than that bastard Krenz.”

Hector shook his head with a bit of amusement. “Still feuding with him, eh?”

Roland took another shot of vodka. “I can’t stand garbage teammates. After the mess during the expedition against the pirates in the Altair system, I can’t believe he’s still a captain. Must have brown nosed his way up.”

“That expedition didn’t go poorly,” Hector said wryly.

Roland slapped his hand on the table. “That’s because I saved it. But afterwards he claimed that his risky as hell maneuver was what won us the battle.”

Hector nodded. “Of course, Captain. So, was the strategy meeting at least productive though, despite the disagreements?”

“Sure, we talked about plenty of things and came up with some plans,” Roland said. “Of course, no plan will survive contact with the enemy. The records of the battles the Dominion fought against the zerg show their danger and unpredictability, and the Dominion acquitted themselves quite well considering they fought against an enemy they knew little about. Did you know, there is a rumor among the Dominion officer corp about some strategic genius believed to have secured Mengsk’s rise to power, winning battles even outnumbered a thousand to one.”

“Do you believe they are real?” Hector asked. “If they are, why aren’t they the ones leading the Dominion’s armies?”

“Who knows. Maybe they don’t exist, or maybe they are considered politically unreliable. And I believe some accounts may be exaggerated,” Roland said. “I did see recordings of battles that were conducted quite competently, more so than the usual. But as for whether it is one person or simply isolated cases of people having a spark of inspiration during a battle. However, no one has been able to tell me their name, or even their gender. The closest thing to an identifying trait that I could pick out from my conversation with the Dominion officers is that they once served as a Magistrate to some colony.”

“It sounds like quite the urban legend,” Hector said. “If they are real, I would like to meet them.”

“As would I,” Roland said. “But we cannot rely on hopes of an unknown savior. To earn victory we must do it ourselves. Now, you did get the information about Char our scouts obtained, right? Combined with the Dominion’s own records we have at least a decent idea of what the terrain looks like.”

“I am reviewing the material, along with the more specialized analysis,” Hector replied. “Though given the highly volcanically active nature of the planet, terrain there may shift more rapidly than most planets. And that is ignoring all of the potential hazards that may arise at any time.”

“Who knows what tricks the zerg may have up their sleeves,” Roland said. “The material the Dominion sent us regarding zerg tactics has been rather useful in informing us of the zerg capabilities, but we can’t be sure we know everything.”

“What do you think of the one leading the zerg, this so called Queen of Blades?” Hector retrieved his tablet and opened up the files. “Rather interesting, isn’t she?”

“I’m not sure if interesting is the word I would use, but an infested terran controlling the zerg is certainly not what I was expecting,” Roland said. “And it is quite dissonant with the general theme of the zerg. The zerg are a race that makes use of vast quantities of expendable creatures that fight as a collective. But this Queen of Blades is a unique lifeform with unusually great power. She fights in the front and is quite a dangerous foe, but also places herself in a dangerous position. Quite unwise I would say for a leader to fight at the front, as killing the leader would disperse the zerg. That is why the Dominion tried so hard to pursue an attack on her, unknowingly leading themselves into a trap. Too much tunnel vision is an issue.”

“Care to share your own plans on dealing with this creature then sir?” Hector smiled. “I’m sure you already have several ideas.”

“Destroy the rest of the zerg and she will be easy to deal with.” Roland shrugged. “If we have a good chance to do a decapitation strike, we can take it, but not at the expense of all else. The quickest way to victory is not always the best. As for her abilities, we’ll have to keep them in mind during the battle.”

A nearby lava flow bubbled and hissed while ash fell from the sky like a facsimile of snow. Though it did not rain on Char, the cloud of ash darked the sky as though a storm was approaching. In the hellish landscape, the only signs of life were the myriad zerg which skittered around between their nests.

Kerrigan paced back and forth as she observed the progress of her minions. The hives were birthing zerg as rapidly as they could, but it was not yet enough to make up for the numbers lost on Korhal. There were many things that weighed on her mind, from the vulnerable state of Char, the threat of the Psi Disruptor that could be turned on the planet at any moment, and above all the ever present reminder that Mengsk still lived.

She knew that Mengsk now feared her as he had been on the verge of being snuffed out. The two of them could not coexist. So she knew that the Dominion would strike at her along with their new allies. There would be a battle on the horizon.

Kerrigan reached out to the other cerebrates to keep herself apprised of their progress. Though they too had committed many of their forces in the invasion, their personal broods on Char were still substantial. Defending Char would depend on all of them as well.

“Have you properly fortified your assigned area, Daggoth?” Kerrigan asked. “You must make sure that the paths of approach are well guarded and keep in mind that the Psi Disruptor may preclude the use of delicate tactics.”

“I do not need to be lectured on the basics,” Daggoth scoffed. “I have lived for countless years as the Overmind’s chief lieutenant. Unlike some, I am no reckless fool who would lose the bulk of the swarm in an ill plotted attack. Nor am I so new to commanding minions that I would let them run rampant so easily.”

“Watch your tongue, Daggoth,” Kerrigan snarled. “You would do well to remember your place. The Psi Disruptor was something that could not be anticipated, and you underestimate it at our peril.”

“Of course, my queen.” Daggoth’s voice was mocking as he withdrew from the conversation.

“The nerve of that creature…” Kerrigan muttered to herself. She then turned her attention to Kaloth. “What is the progress on the efforts to mitigate the effects of the Psi Disruptor?”

“It is rather difficult,” Kaloth replied plainly. “The hivemind is the very core of the zerg. Creatures cannot simply be expected to operate completely autonomously. And while we can brute force our way through the disruption, it greatly limits how many minions we can command. We could create some limited autonomy so that they can maintain simple commands once given, and not attack fellow zerg, but adapting our minions in that way will take quite a bit of time. Another long term option is to create more cerebrates to expand our command potential.”

“I already have enough trouble keeping control over the current cerebrates,” Kerrigan said. “They have become disobedient. If they weren’t so critical right now I would have had him killed.”

“Some of the other cerebrates have been having doubts,” Kaloth acknowledged. “This is the first time the full might of the swarm has been defeated, and as a leader you have ultimate responsibility over our fate. It is only natural for their faith to be shaken.”

“Are you starting to doubt me too, Kaloth?” Her tone became ever slightly more angry with some concern filtering in.

“Of course not,” Kaloth quickly reassured her. “There was little that could have been done to allow us to win that battle, nor were any flaws in the strategy evident with the information we had at the time. Our misfortune was beyond what could have been foreseen. But that is all in the past now. What matters is for us to win the upcoming battle, if it comes.”

“It will,” Kerrigan said. “I know it. The terrans won’t let up when they have the advantage.”

Chapter Text

The fleet of the United Earth Directorate arrived over Char, unyieldingly advancing against the swarms of zerg without the slightest hesitation. As the attack began, Admiral Gerard Dugalle addressed the fleet.

“We have gathered here today, both men of Earth and the colonies, to fight the zerg menace which threatens us all. Our enemy will not rest until they see us all destroyed and have consumed all remnants of civilization. We must all stand together, as they will not discriminate between man, woman, child, or ideology. If they are not defeated, humanity will be doomed to an existence of an eternal war for survival. Should we win, our heroic deeds today will go down in history as mankind’s greatest triumph. Should we lose, there will be nothing standing between the aliens and our homes.”

“This is not a time for hesitation or doubt. I expect every man to do his duty. Look beside you and see the comrades you fight alongside. Know that the full will of humanity is backing all of us and that we are bound together in a higher purpose. We will not waver, nor falter in pursuit of our mission to secure the future of all mankind. There is no force standing in our way which we cannot overcome.”

“However, I shall be blunt here. Not all of us will survive the coming battle. The zerg are no trivial pests for us to sweep away. They are a malevolent and intelligent force which seeks our destruction. They will push us to our limit and do their best to stymie us. But we will not be deterred by hardship and sacrifice. We owe it to those who have died for the cause, those who will die in this coming battle, and those who would die if we fail here to see our mission through to the very end. This shall be humanity’s finest hour.”

“Each of you knows the duties to which you have been assigned. Carry them out in the name of humanity.”

The transmission ended and the battle began in earnest. The swarms of zerg fliers came toward the formation of terran ships, but the zerg were rather scattered, almost to the point of being in disarray. Some groups meandered away in random directions as they split off from the main flock. They didn’t attack in unison but rather came in piecemeal. Mutalisks rushed to their death, with scourges coming in afterward meeting the same fate. The zerg assault paused to reorient themselves for another attempt, but even as they shifted formation, the UED fleet adjusted as well to counter the shift. While the main bulk of the fleet weathered the zerg attack, the assault teams descended toward the surface to begin the attack.

Roland watched with anticipation as his ships cleared out a landing zone for his army. Along with the Borealis , two other battlecruisers, the Moroz and the Skadi , had been assigned to his command, along with numerous transport ships filled with soldiers. After they landed, he gave a short speech to his men.

“You have all heard the admiral’s address, so I shall be brief. Our task here is critical. We will be assaulting the primary zerg hive cluster, one that occupies a vital area and which is well guarded. We are the tip of the spear, the glorious vanguard that will blaze a path forward for others to follow. We are the heroes who will secure mankind’s place in the stars and bring about a new age in which we shall not fear the capricious whims of the alien races. For humanity!” 

The soldiers cheered as they began the work of constructing a fortified encampment. Facilities were set up to maintain and repair equipment and vehicles while bunkers and missile turrets were constructed to defend against attacks. But so far, the zerg appeared content to wait.

From his ship, Roland looked over the results of the latest scans of the area. The main zerg hive to the north was separated from them by rivers of lava, with the nearest passable location being a pair of volcanoes and a narrow pass that separated them.

“The zerg have a well defended location,” Roland muttered. “I wouldn’t want to force my way through that pass. There is no limit to tricks and ambushes that could befall us there. Fortunately, the volcanoes are quite massive, so large in fact that they have multiple vents and craters. The slopes aren’t so steep as to make them unscalable so our men should be able to advance along a wider front. The volcanoes to the west seem to have ceased their eruption and should be safe to pass over. What do you think of this, Hector?”

“It is indeed true that there will not be an eruption there,” Hector replied. “In fact, the scans show that the magma chamber is totally depleted by the eruptions that ended recently. But there is a greater risk at work here. With such a large hollow area beneath the ground, there is a chance the entire volcano might collapse in sort of a large scale sinkhole, forming a caldera. I’ve never seen an active volcano this large and I wouldn’t know how such a collapse would play out. But it probably wouldn’t be good.”

Roland had a look of understanding. “So that is why the zerg have not extensively built up there. Moving our forces across that area would be far too risky. I’d rather not place our chances on the whims of geology. But the volcano to the east is still erupting and that could pose a danger too.”

“Well, the lava coming from that region appears to be quite viscous,” Hector noted. “Most hazards from there should be telegraphed well enough in advance for us to avoid it, though we will be forced to back up quite a lot if that occurs, possibly putting us in an unfavorable location. Of course, if the volcano explodes then all bets are off.”

“Hmmm, do you think that we might be able to induce some volcanoes to erupt?” Roland asked. “If we time it right we could do some serious damage to the zerg.”

“It would be extremely risky,” Hector said. “The only option would be to use large explosives to set off the fault lines, but it is not possible to accurately model the effects. We cannot guarantee any outcome and it could backfire on us.”

“I see. Best not to take such risks then. Thank you Hector. Your knowledge is most useful,” Roland said. “You seem to know quite a lot about volcanoes.”

“Well, I did my best to study up before the mission,” Hector said. “And I’ve always held an interest in volcanoes ever since the Tambora eruption in ‘70. I was still young at the time and I recall seeing the eruption from a distance when my family had to evacuate the area. Volcanoes are quite fascinating things. Very dangerous, but attractive all the same.”

“Well, you will have plenty of time to observe the unique geological phenomenon here if we finish our mission,” Roland said. “Which we must.”

Kerrigan observed the approaching armies with concern. “The terrans are coming at us from three sides. The north, east, and the south. When it rains it really pours. And this psi disruptor is already straining our control and limiting how much we can deploy.”

“Allow me to manage our strategy,” Kaloth said. “We must divide our forces to hold back each group. You should guard the southern region, and once you defeat the attackers there you can reinforce the other areas and eliminate them in turn.”

“The terrans will pay the price for their impudence,” Kerrigan said with a snarl. “I’ll slaughter them to the last and none shall dare attack us again.”

She followed her zerg as they began to rush down the slopes toward the approaching column of terran soldiers. The zerg came from the front and the sides as they sought to envelop their enemy. This almost brutish rush didn’t require the fine maneuvering that would be difficult under the effects of the psi disruptor, but it was hardly a poor strategy. The dark swarm emitted by the defilers obscured the zerg from vision, forcing the terrans to rely on indirect fire from the siege tanks.

Kerrigan watched with anticipation as the zerg were soon to burst out from beneath their cover to tear into the terrans directly. But as they approached, the frontline soldiers began to pull back, appearing to know the imminent danger they were in even though the exact progress of the zerg under the haze couldn’t be seen. Dropships helped to collect the siege tanks closest to the front and bring them to safety ahead of the incoming zerg attack. Meanwhile, the tanks in the back could continue their bombardment while the zerg were forced to slow down and expand the coverage of the dark swarm. The loss of several defilers to the bombardment further slowed their progress.

The mutalisks were sent forward to harass the retreating soldiers and pick off any dropships to hinder the tactical flexibility of the terrans. But the valkyrie frigates proved to be devastating against the clusters of mutalisks, wiping them out in droves. The devourers, a new bulkier zerg flier that was recently designed to stand up to these valkyries, proved to be too few in number to have an impact and squads of wraith fighters quickly took them out as they appeared.

Kerrigan pulled back the mutalisks away from a group of valkyries as she prepared to use a psionic storm to destroy them, but the valkyries immediately spread out, only drawing together again once the mutalisks returned. Frustrated, she simply began using psionic storms anyways, killing both the nearby mutalisks along with the terran fighters. This produced better casualty ratios than mutalisks fighting valkyries, but the overall balance of the aerial battle was still unfavorable.

With the loose formation of the UED soldiers and their flexible deployment, they minimized their casualties while constantly whittling away at the zerg chasing them. Without any clusters of high priority targets, even Kerrigan felt as helpless as any of her minions as she looked upon the enemies that were just within sight yet felt so far.

Seeing this, Kaloth instructed Kerrigan and her zerg to alter the tempo of their attack to try to make it harder to predict their next move and overwhelm them before they could move. Under the direction of the cerebrate, the zerg forced the terrans into a confrontation as ultralisks charged the groups of marines, cutting through them while zerglings swarmed past and attacked the vulnerable tanks.

Even then, the UED armies calmly continued their maneuvers and extricated themselves while whittling away at the zerg further with mines. The terran army constantly appeared to be on the verge of being stretched beyond its limits, yet at the same time it could not be broken. Slowly, the zerg assault lost steam.

“We cannot maintain this offensive,” Kaloth told Kerrigan. “You must make a withdrawal while delaying the terrans as long as possible. I will need the time.”

As the zerg began retreating, the UED assault force didn’t immediately follow, instead advancing as methodically as they retreated, making sure to deal with any lingering traps the zerg may have left burrowed beneath the ground. Though Kaloth searched for an opening to attack the approaching army, he found none. Delay was the only option here.

Roland smiled as he watched the zerg wilt before the power of the UED army and scurry back to their dens. As his men advanced he observed the map display with the same scrutinizing attention as before. One by one each ridge and basin was crossed as his forces moved inexorably forward.

Just as they were leaving the shadow of the volcanoes, the zerg shifted their course and began to move up the slopes to the east, walking over the scattered tephra under the shadow of the ever growing plume of ash and debris. Roland found it strange as the zerg were moving away from the hive clusters they were supposed to be defending. He ordered his soldiers not to pursue and instead continue gathering on the other side of the pass.

“Could the zerg be waiting for us to move past while they hit us from the rear?” Roland wondered. “That would be foolish. We could leave a force to block them while constructing some bunkers to hold the area. But an even easier way to deal with them would be to attack directly since they have backed themselves against the wall, or in this case a river of lava. It is almost as if they want us to attack.”

Roland turned to his aide. “Hector, lava is just as lethal to zerg as to us right?” If the volcano begins erupting more violently, or if it explodes, they would be hit even worse than we would. I can’t imagine what their goal would be here. It is not as though they could bait us into any hazards that they themselves would be able to avoid, unless somehow they were able to make lava erupt from the sides of the volcano through vents that were below them but above us.”

“That does not seem likely sir,” Hector replied. “Our geological scans and observations don’t seem to indicate that the pressure within the magma chamber is sufficient to cause such a blowout, nor could the zerg dig tunnels to channel the magma. Though they are more heat resistant than humans, the temperature of magma is still beyond them.” He paused. “Although, there is one other thing.”

Roland waited patiently as Hector gazed up into the sky in thought. Then, he spoke. “This volcano is far larger than any on Earth. Everything about it is bigger, the size of the lava flows, the size of the ash cloud, and the size of the vents. But it looks like the plume might be growing a bit too large. It doesn’t seem to be rising as vigorously any more, almost looking as though it can’t keep itself together. If it collapses, the ash and tephra will rush down the slopes of the volcano like a dense moving cloud. Like an avalanche but hot. A pyroclastic flow would be far too fast for us to get out of the way of and we would be buried and burned alive.”

Roland’s eyes lit up in realization. “Ah, so that is it. The zerg can simply burrow underground and wait for the flow to pass. Meanwhile, we would have taken severe losses. Well, we clearly can’t fall into this trap. In their attempts to lure us in, the zerg have left themselves more vulnerable. We shall split our forces and send one contingent to lay siege to the hives and the zerg within while another contingent will keep watch over the zerg army.”

The pyroclastic flow came and went. Once the ground had cooled enough, the zerg emerged from under the ground while the UED began to cautiously test the waters and skirmish with the zerg as they tightened their net. Meanwhile, the assault against the zerg hives was beginning as the bombardment began to destroy the sunken colonies and burrowed lurkers in the area.

“Captain, I’m afraid I have bad news,” Hector said. “Colonel Richardson’s assault group has been routed and the zerg will likely be redeploying their forces against us. We should expect for another zerg army to come at us from the northeast.”

“Damn it, how did this happen?” Roland’s finger tapped against the metal rapidly. “We shouldn’t have suffered such a defeat so soon. This zerg commander, they certainly are formidable. We’ve been put in a very difficult position here.”

“What shall we do?” Hector asked.

“We need to buy as much time as we can,” Roland said. “Our battlecruisers must enter the battle and support the attack against the zerg hive. The enemy fliers should be reduced enough by now for us to proceed safely. We also need to divert the zerg reinforcements. Have our forces begin an attack on the army led by the zerg queen. She probably can’t swim through lava but just in case have wraith fighters and science vessels patrol the lava channel and have a few battalions on the other side just in case. We will force the zerg commander to make a choice.”

Roland looked out toward the battlefield below while the ship began to move. “Our forces should be ready to withdraw in good order if the zerg reinforcements arrive, but until then we shall do all we can to crush them. This time they won’t leave here alive.”

He grinned as the attack began.

Kerrigan watched as the terrans began closing in around her. The terrans seemed bold at times and timid at other times, but their strategy was effective. Things had not gone as planned for her and now their options were limited. Even Kaloth had no trick left here.

“I need you to hold out as long as you can, maybe even break through the encirclement.” That was all that he said.

Now it was up to her to win here. Though there were few fliers left to provide cover and her ground forces had taken severe losses, at least the reduction in forces made it significantly easier to handle her minions even under the psi disruptor’s effect. It wasn’t much of a silver lining though.

As she saw a group of infantry approach, Kerrigan leapt down from her perch atop an outcropping of rock and attacked. She crushed a firebat beneath her feet before quickly rolling away as its fuel tanks exploded, sending the marines next to it scrambling away. Before they could properly reorient themselves, the marines were killed in rapid succession.

Nearby groups of soldiers began gathering together and moving toward her as they noticed the deaths of their comrades. She let them chase her as she kept moving, going after another small group of marines, deflecting their bullets before getting in close and cutting them apart with her wings and claws.

As her pursuers passed by an alcove where in the past a vent spewed out lava, a group of hydralisk and zerglings emerged and descended up the terrans. The UED soldiers braced themselves for the ambush, but they were quickly surrounded.

However, even as the zerg began tearing into the detachment of soldiers, fiery death came from the skies as the terran siege tanks began to fire. The zerg finished their job as quickly as they could, but Kerrigan could soon see more groups of soldiers approaching from all sides, even more numerous than before. All the while thundering explosions filled the air.

Kerrigan sent the zerg rushing forward against the enemies on the right, hoping to seek a breakthrough as she joined in the attack as well. It almost felt like running into a steel wall, one formed of ranks of unwavering marines along with large goliath walkers behind them. She let out a blast of psionic energy which tore a hole into the formation, allowing the zerg to stream into the gap. But still the terrans held their ground even in the face of these losses.

As she jumped into the cockpit of another goliath, killing the pilot inside, a shot from a tank hit the fallen goliath, knocking her out of it all the while the bombardment pelted the area indiscriminately, killing terrans and zerg alike. As Kerrigan landed on the ground, an explosion from behind knocked her forward again, sending her sprawling as the shrapnel tore up the carapace on her back and snapped off her wings.

She got to her feet in a daze as several shots from some surviving marines peppered the armor on her chest, leaving it cracked in places as bullets embedded themselves in her. Her body’s regenerative capabilities were working to push out the foreign objects, but it was slower than she would have liked as the battle had taken quite the toll.

She willed her zerg forward to sweep through the enemies in front of her while she took slow steps forward. As she walked past a fallen firebat, it suddenly moved and jumped onto her. Her initial reflex to stab the man through with her wings failed as they had not yet grown back fully, and she was forced to resort to prying the man off with her claws. The man died in agony and the tank of fuel on his back exploded, showering the area in burning fluid.

Kerrigan screamed as the burning fuel seeped into the cracks in her carapace and her wounds, burning exposed flesh and cauterizing it. She fell to the ground as she tried desperately to scrape the fire off of her even as flames smoldered in her wounds. Several of her minions nearby gathered around to shield her from view while the remaining nearby enemies were killed.

Finally, she staggered to her feet, leaning on the hydralisk next to her as she observed the situation. Even though this detachment of soldiers was killed, there were more groups in the distance while others were coming from behind.

Kerrigan reached out to her cerebrate again. “I can’t do it, Kaloth. They were too much to handle.”

Kaloth paused as he considered his options. “Pull back further for now. I’ll divert my forces to push the terrans away.”

Kerrigan turned and gathered up the remaining energy she had to hit the group of terrans behind her with a psionic storm while the remnants of her army charged in to clear the path. The weight of her failure set in as she retreated.

“So the zerg have diverted a significant portion of their forces to save their queen,” Roland noted. “Then we should have mostly a free hand to eliminate their production and cut off their source of reinforcements.”

He ordered his forces that were about to be beset upon by the zerg reinforcements to halt their offensive and take on a defensive posture as they prepared to make a fighting withdrawal.

Roland smiled as he looked over the battlefield. “Good, good. We are making progress in attacking the hives and our defenses and spider mines ought to keep the zerg away long enough. Hector, there aren’t any other volcanic hazards we ought to worry about right?”

“None that I am aware of,” his aide replied.

Roland sighed. “That is not as reassuring as I would hope. But I’d be more upset if you made a fate tempting declaration saying that we had nothing to worry about. Just be sure to keep an eye out if anything changes.”

He continued to watch the battle and issue orders, but his face began to twist into a frown as he observed a detachment of zerg begin effectively clearing out the mines and defense he had put in place. He sent forces to chase them off, but his main focus was still the primary attack. The zerg were able to turn the tables and defeat the UED detachment despite their numbers seeming insufficient.

Meanwhile, disaster had almost struck the other half of his army as the ferocious zerg attack made it difficult to disengage in the rugged terrain around the volcanoes. Smaller groups were sacrificed to buy time and maneuvers were made to avoid the main force being trapped. The withdrawal was hasty but completed just barely. However, the zerg’s relief army was now heading over to defend the hives.

“Send the Moroz to reinforce our flank,” Roland ordered. “We cannot let the zerg get through.”

A fierce battle was developing as the zerg continued to rush forward while the UED forces were determined to hold their ground. Roland and the rest of the staff were barely keeping up with the rapid shifts in the situation on the ground as the zerg maneuvered and attacked along the entire front simultaneously.

A distress call sounded momentarily before being silenced. “The Moroz has fallen,” Roland muttered as he watched the battlecruiser crash to the ground. “Divert some more reinforcements to hold the line. Have our secondary force attack the zerg flanks more aggressively. We must not fail here.”

Roland’s fists were clenched as his eyes were affixed to the screens, watching each development. Their defenses held as the zerg offensive seemed to lose steam, but he was nonetheless forced to issue multiple withdrawal orders as each division had to give some ground.

Finally, the UED forces broke through the last defenses around the hives and began to lay waste to the zerg structures. Any remaining zerg within was killed from overlords to larva. The buildings were blasted apart and burned to the ground. As the purge continued the zerg slackened in their advance and began to withdraw.

Roland let out a sigh of relief and clasped his hands together as he looked out the window of his ship. “Your move now,” he said with a grin.

Kerrigan met with Kaloth in the secondary holdout that the cerebrate had relocated himself to. She sat on the ground, leaning on the fleshy outer surface of the cerebrate with her head resting on her knees.

“What now? What can we do?” she muttered.

“I… I do not know,” Kaloth said. “We cannot abandon our fight here. This is where the zerg have made our home. All of the other cerebrates are still out there fighting. There is no better place for us to make a stand. Yet…”

“Yet I have failed,” Kerrigan said. “Even now the terrans are reorganizing to begin their next attack. Their strength is growing by the minute while ours have only dwindled. We can’t win here.”

Kaloth had no response and all he could do was continue stewing in contemplation.

“How could this have happened? How?” Kerrigan howled. “The zerg were unstoppable. I was unstoppable. How did it come to this?”

Her voice became more shrill as she pounded the ground. “This can’t be happening. It can’t!”

“We’ll find a way,” Kaloth said hesitantly. “Surely there is something.”

“And what do you suggest?” Kerrigan asked, her voice weary.

“Maybe we could link up with some of the other cerebrates,” Kaloth said. “They are under a lot of pressure but maybe we could relieve them if the terrans here don’t pursue us too closely. Maybe an eruption might turn the tides of the battle. Maybe something could happen.”

“There really is nothing then…” Kerrigan’s voice turned quiet. “If even you can only think of relying on fortune. It really is over.”

Suddenly, they felt another presence intrude into their conversation to speak to them.

“You have failed,” Daggoth said. “The terrans are advancing on all fronts. Your forces have been swept aside. Several other cerebrates have already fallen. Even I am barely holding back the enemies attacking me. This is what your leadership has brought us.”

“I don’t need to hear this from you, Daggoth. Have you just come to gloat at me before the end comes for us all?” Kerrigan said.

“Since you have recognized the reality of our situation, I shall tell you that there is only one path forward,” Daggoth said. “You had mentioned to us before that these terrans sought to control us. Then we shall let them.”

“It is most unlike you to seek to submit to the terrans,” Kaloth said.

“I have no desire to do this, but there is no other choice,” Daggoth said. “The psi disruptor is too strong of a weapon. While it is still in play we cannot resist effectively. But time and time again terrans have the hubris to think they can control the zerg. Yet each time it has been met with their downfall. These terrans shall be no different. Let them believe themselves in control, and once we have finished using them for our own ends, we can discard them and let the power of the swarm show once more.”

“You should not underestimate terrans,” Kerrigan said. “They are more dangerous than you think.”

“I do not take them lightly, not after one such as you usurped the will of the swarm,” Daggoth said bitterly. “But once again, it seems I have little choice in this matter.”

Kerrigan bristled at Daggoth showing that he still viewed her as an outsider. “If this goes poorly you have only yourself to blame,” she said. “As for myself, I will be leaving. While they may spare you, they won’t extend any courtesy to me. Kaloth, you’ll be coming with me.”

“You seized the swarm through colluding with outsiders,” Daggoth said. “That seems to be your only talent. Perhaps you can put that to use. See to it that the psi disruptor is destroyed.”

Now, Daggoth turned his attention toward reaching out to the officer commanding the enemies in his area. Interfacing with the terran communication systems using psionics, what emerged was an eerie and unnatural voice.

“What is this?” the UED officer exclaimed.

“I am the cerebrate Daggoth commanding the zerg in this area,” Daggoth said. “I wish to speak with your commanding officer to discuss terms of surrender.”

“Surrender? From a zerg? How can I know this isn’t a trap?”

“If I intended deception, then the blame would fall on your superior, would it not?” Daggoth replied.

“Very well, I guess I’ll kick this upstairs.” He opened up a separate transmission on his terminal.

Stukov’s face appeared on the screen. “Captain Krenz, have you encountered difficulties in your attack?”

“It’s not that, vice admiral,” Krenz replied. “The cerebrate commanding these zerg spoke to me. It wished to surrender to us.”

“Patch it through to me,” Stukov said.

“Vice admiral Stukov, the zerg under my influence and the other cerebrates are willing to submit yourselves to the authority of the United Earth Directorate in exchange for our lives,” Daggoth said.

“This is most interesting,” Stukov said. “Now, why should I entertain a request from a creature such as yourself who is no doubt responsible for the deaths of countless terrans?”

“It is in the nature of all creatures to wish to survive,” Daggoth said. “The zerg are no different. We expanded to fuel our growth. But you have demonstrated your superiority and made it clear that the path to survival lies with you. You may direct our growth in the manner you see fit.”

Stukov looked on impassively. “And what do we gain from letting you live?”

“You are new to this sector, far away from your homes. The other factions no doubt would rather you be gone. While your strength and capabilities are vast, your numbers are few. We would make up for that weakness. With the zerg under your command, none will be able to stand against you. Your enemies will have no choice but to recognize your supremacy and your dominance will be assured.”

Stukov chuckled. “You sure know how to be a flatterer. I certainly didn’t expect this from an inhuman creature like you. Though perhaps you have mistaken me for one with delusions of grandeur. Is that what you expected?”

“I’ve had experience dealing with such,” Daggoth said. “After all, the so-called queen of the zerg was hardly our first choice to be a leader.”

“Oh, is this dissent within the ranks I am hearing?” Stukov noted with a smile. “So I take it you will have no issue with us removing that troublesome individual?”

“I wish only for the survival of the cerebrates and the zerg as a whole,” Daggoth said.

“Then I shall accept your submission as a vassal of the United Earth Directorate,” Stukov said. “Serve loyally and you may live.”

Roland watched as the zerg once again fled from him and he let out a mocking laugh. “How pitiful. I’d been told the zerg would give their lives for the swarm, yet it seems they are a bunch of cowards. What do they even plan to achieve? One day, there will be nowhere left for them to hide and I will be there to see them wiped out to the last. I will not rest until every last threat to humanity has been eliminated, no matter what it takes.”

He turned back toward his officers. “Congratulations, we have prevailed. Now, all that is left is to finish the job. After they rest, have our men begin to march toward the zerg hives to the east.”

Roland opened up communications to an officer in charge of that group, Erich Krenz. “Well hello there. I see that you seem to be having a lot of trouble there. So long and you’ve hardly made any progress. Don’t worry, I’ll be sending my men to help out. I’ll have those zerg taken care of in no time.”

Krenz scoffed. “There is no need, I have everything handled. This cerebrate, Daggoth he called himself, spoke to me. He offered to surrender in exchange for clemency.”

“Surrender? What an absurd notion. If you are incapable of dealing with the zerg, then I will,” Roland said.

“I’m afraid the vice admiral himself has authorized this,” Krenz replied. “If you have any objections you must speak to him.”

Roland closed the transmission and took a few seconds to calm himself. Then, he called Stukov.

“Vice admiral, my forces have finished eliminating the main zerg hive cluster and the zerg queen has fled, again. We are in position to start operations against the rest of the zerg on Char.”

“There will be no need for that, Captain,” Stukov replied. “Some of these cerebrates have proven to be pliable once it was made clear to them where the true power resides. They have agreed to serve the Directorate and as such we will be making use of them.”

“You can’t be serious, sir. These zerg cannot be trusted! They must be stamped out,” Roland said. “To rely on these zerg is an act of folly and no doubt they will turn on us when they see fit. No good will come of using them.”

Stukov’s voice turned cold. “Captain, I understand your concerns. Rest assured, we will take appropriate measures to ensure they will not be able to turn on us. These zerg will be an asset for us to make use of in securing this sector, and we will take them into custody. This is an order. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, vice admiral,” Roland replied.

“Very well then. I shall overlook your tone this time because of your service, but know that the Directorate is set on its course,” Stukov said. “Now, let us celebrate the glorious victory won this day.”

Roland nodded, though he couldn’t dismiss the doubts he still had in his mind.

Chapter Text

The building that stood in the center of the protoss encampment on Aiur was rather spartan, Kerrigan noted as she compared it to what she had seen on Shakuras. Of course, the walls were golden and gleaming as was typical for protoss structures, but it lacked the extensive decoration that the ancient race seemed to be fond of.

Unlike the previous time she had come to Aiur, she was now being led to meet with the protoss in the center of their power. She was alone here while her zerg waited far outside the protoss base so as to not startle them. The protoss warriors guarding the base regarded her coldly, but she knew, or rather hoped, that they wouldn’t try anything against her without a good reason.

Once she arrived at the meeting room, she entered and saw Fenix, Artanis, Zeratul, and Raynor waiting inside. There was a long table that curved outward in a concave arc and they were seated along it with some separation between each of them. There was a large contrast between the two protoss sitting upright, Raynor seated to the side, and Fenix who was encased in the large shell of a dragoon. As she stepped in, each of them turned to gaze at her.

Artanis was the first to speak. “Kerrigan, what is your reason for coming here?”

“Once again, I am here to inform you all of a threat that will threaten us all,” Kerrigan said. “The United Earth Directorate has made its goal clear - the complete subjugation of this sector to their rule. And they won’t rest until we are all either dead or enslaved.”

“They shall not find us to be easy prey,” Fenix said. “These newcomers will find that their ambitions are but a fantasy. Should they strike at us, they will not live to regret it. I fear no battle against the enemy. Do you not have the courage to confront them yourself?”

“I did,” Kerrigan said through gritted teeth. “And I lost. The UED deployed a tool that made it difficult to control my minions and after a series of battles they were able to take control of Char. The remaining cerebrates are being enslaved by the UED to serve as a tool for them to use to control the sector. These zerg that I have brought to Aiur are all that are left.”

“You mean to tell us that these humans from Earth have taken control over nearly the entire zerg swarm? I find this difficult to believe,” Artanis said.

“It’s the truth. And soon they will be coming after you as well,” Kerrigan said. “They have already shown themselves to be a dangerous enemy.”

“Do you have any proof that the UED is gonna be shooting for the protoss?” Raynor asked. “I’ve heard that folks in the colonies ain't too enthusiastic about the UED coming in here. They might find themselves too tied up to worry about the protoss. Besides, how can you be sure that it is even their goal?”

“You know the history of Earth, Jim,” Kerrigan said. “They want to be in control of everything. They didn’t want to have different people around; what do you think they will do with aliens? Besides, getting people on board with a war against the protoss could boost their popularity. After all, the protoss don’t exactly have a good rep.”

“We can’t judge Earth based on their past history. They might have changed,” Raynor said. “After all, you’ve been telling us that you’ve turned a new leaf, why can’t they?”

Kerrigan seemed taken aback a bit, not expecting this line of inquiry for which she had no answer for.

“We should judge based on one’s current actions rather than past history,” Zeratul said. “Otherwise there would be no end of grudges that would have to be settled even among the protoss. As for these strange terrans, we have clashed with them before and I could sense their hostility and disdain for us.”

“Still, it is too soon to commit to a war based on speculation,” Artanis said. “We must investigate the situation further and send ships to Char to ascertain the truth of the matter. I believe we should decide upon a course of action later. Does anyone else have anything else to add?”

“I have no objections,” Zeratul said while Raynor simply nodded.

“I shall defer to the rest of you on matters of diplomacy,” Fenix said. “For now I wish to focus on strengthening our position on Aiur and working toward cleansing our home.”

“I can help you with your zerg problem here on Aiur,” Kerrigan said. “My own brood can settle in the surrounding area and intercept any of the feral zerg hordes that might wander over. This would relieve the pressure on your defenses and allow you to expand further.”

“And meanwhile you would continue to grow and expand the number of zerg under your control,” Artanis noted. “Still, I cannot deny that there is value in this proposal. However, we will expect you to remove your swarm when asked. Furthermore, it would reflect positively on you if you were to stay here in our base during your time on Aiur.”

Kerrigan thought for a few moments as she looked over her options. “Fine. Is there anything else you want?”

“That shall be all for now,” Artanis said. “I will have someone lead you to your new quarters here.”

After Kerrigan exited the room, two zealots came to escort her to the designated room. Meanwhile, the discussion continued.

“I must say, she is much improved now that she has dropped her haughty attitude,” Fenix said with a chuckle.

“It would seem that she must truly be desperate to come to us now.” Zeratul seemed to be deep in thought. “The situation is now rather troublesome. The UED’s successes were unexpected and changed the balance of power. It is clear that Kerrigan wishes to use us to eliminate her enemies, yet again. But we must ask ourselves whether this is an enemy we should fight.”

“If they strike at us, we will meet them in battle,” Fenix declared. “We shall bring our full force to bear if they encroach on our land.”

“What is worrisome is the possibility that they may control the zerg,” Zeratul said. “If Kerrigan is correct in claiming that the UED can command the zerg under their control, then giving them time to strengthen their control will make it more difficult to stop them in the future. But as of right now we still need to gather more information.”

“I concur,” Artanis said. “Raynor, do you have any thoughts on this matter?”

“I’m fine with whatever y’all choose,” Raynor said. “Frankly, I feel like nothing makes sense anymore. Not long ago, things were simple. Mengsk was the bad guy and the zerg wanted to eat everyone. Now we have a group of humans from Earth of all places and we don’t know what they want. And also Kerrigan is controlling the zerg and says she wants to be friendly. I really don’t know what I should think now.”

“We live in tumultuous times, young Raynor,” Fenix said. “It seemed like only an instant ago in my long life where I was still whole, where Aiur was a beautiful and safe place. Now, I find that my homeworld is a ruin and I am good friends with the dark templar who had once been considered heretics. There is nothing to do but to, as you would say, roll with the punches.”

“You’re right,” Raynor said. “The universe just keeps throwing curveballs but that’s just the way things are, and I guess I like that. I’d reckon my life would be a lot more boring if I never left Shiloh.”

“And we would never have had the fortune of meeting such a unique terran such as yourself,” Artanis said.

“Right. Back when I was a kid I couldn’t have imagined meeting y’all. Just goes to show just how surprising life can be.” Raynor stood up and stretched. “Now if that’s all, I think I should talk with Kerrigan and get a better idea of what’s on her mind. Try to judge how sincere she is about all this.”

“Are you sure about this?” Kaloth asked.

“We hardly have many options left,” Kerrigan replied. “If there were other ways we could have turned the situation around, I would have taken it. But after losing on Char and being reduced to this pitiful state, even Raynor’s ragtag band of misfits could take us on, let alone the UED or the Dominion.”

“I dislike this,” Kaloth said. “You are practically a hostage. There is nothing stopping them from deciding they would prefer you gone, and there would be nothing that I could do to intervene.”

“The protoss cling too strongly to their concepts of honor to be able to contemplate such a move,” Kerrigan said. “At worst they would make me leave, and then we would be right back to where we started. But that would be less than ideal.”

She leaned back in her seat and gazed out the window. Below, the multitude of protoss were going about their business, be it constructing war machines, building new structures, or training. In the distance she could see the forest where what remained of her zerg were now nested. The contrast between her zerg and the protoss which were now rebuilding and strengthening themselves was stark.

As clouds passing overhead darkened the sky, she could see in the glass window a faint reflection of herself appear, her blazing yellow eyes staring right back at her. It was the face of someone that was neither fully zerg nor fully human. The bony tendrils that formed her hair gave a monstrous appearance to her otherwise almost human looking face. Even after being fully reborn into the swarm, she still clung to a form that was as close to human as could be possible for a zerg, despite the disadvantages and inefficiencies. A thought crossed her mind. Why did she still cling to the past rather than fully embrace what it was to be zerg? She supposed that perhaps some part of her still hoped that there was still a chance, even though she knew that humans would always look at her with horror or disgust.

Yet she also knew that the zerg didn’t feel that she was one of their own either. She was not blind to the hostility from Daggoth and the aloofness of other cerebrates, that they still saw her as a terran outsider. They obeyed her only out of fear and now that she had lost they would no doubt be plotting to escape the subjugation of both the UED and herself. In the end, the power and control she had was transitory, meaningless. Only Kaloth, still so blindly devoted despite everything, remained.

Perhaps it was her fate to be eternally estranged, she wondered to herself. To fit in nowhere and be spurned by all. She must rely entirely on herself, to destroy any that would threaten her. Maybe she could succeed and bring all under her power, but everything felt so… empty.

Kerrigan tore her gaze away from the window as she stood up and began pacing around the room. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“What do you want?” she said brusquely.

“It’s me.” Raynor’s voice passed through the door. “Could I come in? I’d like to talk with you a bit.”

Kerrigan tapped the button to open the door and Raynor walked in. The door closed and he turned to look at her, though he didn’t sit down.

“Jim…” Kerrigan muttered cautiously. “What is this about?”

Raynor was silent for a few seconds before finally responding. “There were a lot of times when I’ve had hope, but I’m used to being disappointed now. I really don’t know what to think now. I still remember when I first came to Char following your cries for help. I was ready to save you, but when I got there, all I could do was try to stay alive when you and your zerg were hunting me down. I lost a lot of good men there.”

“Back then I was still-” Kerrigan’s retort was cut off as Raynor raised his hand.

“I’ve already heard it,” Raynor said. “But hell, it's not something I can easily forget. You seemed to be genuinely enjoying yourself as you chased us down. Was that the real you all along? Sure, you let me go the first time, but was that just one of your whims? I just don’t know. It was like I discovered a whole new side of you.”

“I won’t do anything like that again,” Kerrigan said to reassure Raynor.

“How could I know you’re not putting on an act?” Raynor asked. “Tell me, do you like being a zerg? I want you to answer truthfully.”

Kerrigan contemplated the question silently. Her eyes closed briefly as her thoughts came to a rest on the answer she had to accept. “Yes. For once I am no longer someone’s tool. I have overthrown my masters and taken control over my destiny. And it is thanks to the power that I now have that I was able to accomplish this. As a weak terran I would have never amounted to anything. Now I have the strength to do what I want, not listen to others.”

“And what have you done with your new power?” Raynor asked. “What did you get and what do you want to do?”

“I ruled . The zerg were mine. I commanded the most powerful force in the galaxy. No one could tell me what to do. I had everything.” Kerrigan’s fist clenched. “And now I’ve lost it. All because of Mengsk and the Earth Directorate. I will see them destroyed for this. And Mengsk will finally pay for everything he’s done.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be thankful to ol’ Arcturus?” Raynor continued speaking even after Kerrigan gave him an angry and disbelieving look. “After all, you were only infested because of what he did, and you see it as the best thing to happen to you.”

“He never had any generosity in mind when he left me to die,” Kerrigan shouted. “He thought that he was disposing of me. Just because he didn’t succeed doesn’t mean that he did nothing wrong. And he treated me as a tool all along. Manipulated me to advance his own goals. He did that to you too. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten this.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Raynor said calmly. “And I’ll make sure he will face justice one day. But when you went on your headlong rush to take out Mengsk, what did you get from it? And did you ever think to consider the damage you did and all the people killed along the way? A lot of people died on Korhal, people who had nothing to do with this!”

“Well I…” Kerrigan’s voice trailed off as she tried and failed to think of something to retort with.

“You didn’t even think about any of that did you? Just going around without a care in the world,” Raynor spat angrily. “Never stopping to think about the people dying around you.”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Kerrigan sighed with resignation.

“Well maybe you can start giving a damn,” Raynor said. “If you’ve really a person inside and not just a monster, then you should see others as people too, not just obstacles in your way. That’s just basic decency. Maybe you could use those fancy mind powers to understand what your victims are feeling. Then you can get some perspective. The Confederacy raised you as a tool with no feelings for others, but it looks like you haven’t truly broken free of them.”

Raynor’s harsh words left Kerrigan frozen, unable to respond.

“If you want my help, you’re going to have to turn yourself around for real,” Raynor added.

“I’ll try,” Kerrigan said, though this didn’t sound very convincing to either of them.

Raynor sighed. “You know, you should really think some more about what you want. You’ve already said your goals, but what will you do once you get all that? Once you kill Mengsk and have everything you want. What then?”

“I don’t know,” Kerrigan admitted.

“Well aint that great,” Raynor muttered. “Sittin’ around with a swarm of monsters with nothing to do. If that isn’t a recipe for disaster I don’t know what is. Listen, I’d be fine with you controlling the zerg as long as you could make sure they don’t attack anyone no more, but I’m not exactly filled with confidence right now.”

He stood up. “Well I’ll leave you to your thoughts now. And my door will be open if you ever wanna talk, Sarah.”

Raynor exited the room, leaving Kerrigan alone to reflect on it all silently.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: The New Order

People called Roger Demis an old man, but he knew he still had more than enough energy left in him to keep running this corner store in the city of New Tyre, the capital of Mistaff IV. Though at times he felt quite tired with everything that's been going on. He heard the bell at his door sound and turned to observe the newcomer.

"Hi there, what d'ya need?" Roger asked.

"Got any soda? The customer asked.

"I still got a few." Roger opened up the fridge and took out a glass bottle. "That'll be 60 credits."

"60 credits?" The man raised their eyebrows in surprise. "This must be the finest damn soda in Koprulu then."

The shop owner paused. "You're not from around here are you? The niceties of life have been scarce as of late. So, who are you and what are you looking for on our small planet?"

"My name is Alex. I'm just passing through to talk to a contact of mine regarding some business. As for what that is, it's not for certain ears if you catch my drift."

"I'd be surprised if they were still around doing business," Roger replied. "Not much independent enterprise going on here anymore. Not since the UED got their hands on everything."

"Well I have to say that this place hasn't exactly been on my radar a lot these past few months. So, what kind of dumpster fire is being cooked up here?" Alex asked.

Roger put the bottle of soda down in front of his customer before launching into his tirade. "We were an independent colony ever since the Confederacy fell, never joining up with the Dominion. But two months ago the zerg attacked. Our militia simply wasn't enough to hold back the zerg and our defenses were in shambles. So when the guys from Earth showed up and offered to help in exchange for us giving up our independence, we had no choice but to take it. Then, they conscripted our militia into their army and sent them off somewhere else while replacing the garrison here with their own troops. After that, they had us start regearing our factories toward making weapons and equipment for them. That's where everything is going now, not much left for life's pleasures. We've been able to supplement what we have through the black market supply that's coming from somewhere, but it's nowhere near what we had before."

"I can see why this isn't the best of possible worlds. But one could say that given the danger of the zerg, a focus on total war is justified." Alex paused to observe how the man would react to this line of questioning.

"I guess so," he said with a shrug. "We might not be very happy about it, but we were willing to accept things out of necessity. Still, I wish they thought a bit more about us little people."

"I'm sure all they see is numbers on a page," Alex said.

Roger sighed. "If only we didn't get dragged into this war. Things were better back when it was nice and peaceful."

"It seems rather convenient, doesn't it?" Alex tapped a finger on the table. "The UED come just in time to save you from a sudden zerg invasion which is fought off easily. Then you all end up submitting to them. It's almost as if the zerg were trying to help them."

He laughed. "That's quite a vivid imagination you have. If they could control the zerg we'd all be screwed anyway. So there is no point in thinking about that. If that was actually the case we wouldn't be able to do anything at all."

"Well that's enough of my rambling," Alex said. "You have a good day now."

Alex left the store and began walking down the street as he observed his surroundings. The storefronts seemed rather subdued, lacking the vibrant displays and enthusiasm that one would typically see to attract customers. Rather, everyone seemed lethargic to some extent. Up ahead, there was a gathering of people. As Alex got closer, he saw there were people listening to a man talking and it was a man that he recognized.

After slipping into the crowd, Alex could hear the man's words. "It was like an endless tide of monsters that were coming straight at us that day on Mar Sara. At one point there were over a hundred mutalisks diving my position guarding the western bridge. Our missile turrets had already been taken out so all we could do was keep our heads down in the bunkers until reinforcements came. The roof of the bunker sounded like it was a car's roof being pelted by hail. A lot of us didn't make it out that day. But somehow, we survived until the dropships came to evacuate us. That was all we could do, flee. These zerg, they ain't so easy to deal with."

"There were only a dozen mutalisks, Phil." Alex said. "And we hardly cowered in our bunkers the whole time."

The speaker's head quickly turned and his eyes widened upon seeing who showed up. "Alex, I certainly didn't expect to see you here. It has sure been a while since we fought together on Mar Sara."

"It sure has, and I didn't expect to find you here playing the role of an old man telling his stories. Surely you still have another twenty years left in you before you start losing your memory and start making things up," Alex said.

Philip chuckled nervously. "Well, people say war turns youngsters into old men. Say, wanna grab a drink together?"

"Sure, I think these folks have heard enough of your stories for today."

They entered a secluded bar and ordered drinks. After taking a sip, Alex spoke up. "Phil, I can tell you're rather nervous and honestly I'm wondering what made you decide to come out here and tell stories. This doesn't really feel like you."

"I'm being paid to, Alex," he said. "The folks from Earth want me to tell everyone about how dangerous the zerg are. I wasn't in a good place after I tried settling down. I was down on luck and needed the money. If telling a few stories is all I need to do, then I'm fine with it."

"How very sly of them," Alex commented. "Making everyone scared enough so that the zerg are all that are on their mind."

"Why are you here, Alex?" Philip asked. "Surely you didn't just come all the way out here for no reason."

"I've been asked to gather a bit of information," he said. "You see, our old Magistrate has been getting rather interested in what's been going on around here."

"I see." Philip tensed up after hearing this.

"Listen, I'm not going to begrudge you for what you needed to do to survive," Alex said. "But if you are looking for something else to do, there is still a place for you if you come back. A lot of our old squadmates are still around. Even after all these battles, the commander has been keeping us alive. And I heard, things might be heating up again soon. We could use someone like you again."

"Alright. I'll think about it," Philip said.

Alex left the bar while Philip continued to stare at his drink. It was time for him to look around a bit more.

In front of the government building that stood in the center of New Tyre, the capital of the planet, there was a crowd gathered. It seemed that someone was making an announcement.

"By order of the Expeditionary Fleet of the United Earth Directorate, under the authority granted to it by the Ruling Council of Earth in regards to the restoration of order in the Koprulu Sector, the governor of Mistaff IV has been dismissed. He has been charged with violation of UED directives and unlawful appropriation of resources. He has been found to have been not only aware of but also supporting the black market trade of goods on this planet. Following his removal, proper rule of law will return to this planet and new administrators will ensure full compliance with the new statutes."

The man reading the announcement, who seemed to be some kind of bureaucrat, departed while the line of marines continued to stand there as the crowd started becoming increasingly rowdy.

Alex talked to one of the people standing nearby. "Do you think he did it, the old governor?"

"Who knows?" The person answered with a shrug. "Maybe he was skimming a bit off the top, maybe he wasn't. But I sure wouldn't bet on his replacement being any better for us. At least old Martin knew what we wanted. This rationing hasn't been easy on us. The black market was something we've had to rely on to get what we need."

At the front of the crowd, angry people were starting to shout at the soldiers.

"I've been trying to get my pops a new motorbike for two weeks now, but none of the shops have any. Hell, they hardly even have any spare parts. He says he's fine with his old bike but I've seen it, the brakes don't even work anymore. The damn thing slides to a stop through friction. Maybe you could send some more down instead of more of these tin cans," the man pointed at a marine. "Or better yet, let us make our own! My pops is an old man now and one of these days he's gonna fall off that thing and break his back. And it's because of you that I can't find any to buy."

Another man also started raising his voice. "Why is our food still being rationed? I haven't had my fill of meat in the past month. This was supposed to be a temporary measure, but this sure doesn't feel temporary to me. How are we supposed to live like this?"

Alex could feel the people nearby becoming more frantic as they seemed to become increasingly energized. Noting the shifting mood of the crowd, he decided it would be best to move to a safer distance. A nearby motel was tall enough to get a view of the city plaza while being relatively secure. From the balcony, the growing disturbance was becoming more visible.

It all started when a rock was thrown. Then, a few more. Others threw trash. The projectiles impacted against the helmets of the marines with dull thuds. It didn't seem to do any damage, but it sure caught their attention.

Several marines broke off from the front line and began pushing through the crowd, their blank helmets concealing any expression. They cut an imposing visage that made anyone nearby scramble away as the marines moved steady with purpose toward the ones who had thrown objects.

From his perch, Alex could see a man shoved aside by the faceless soldier, falling on the cobblestone ground while another man stepped on him in a rush to get away. The crowd was in a frenzy as they sought to escape, but the mass of people pushed and squeezed against each other. The initial instigators were also trapped in this mass of bodies, unable to move any after or slower than their neighbors.

The soldiers pushed their way through the crowd, closing in on the ones they identified. Though the people in their path tried to get out of the way, not all were able to. Some were peeled off from the crowd and tossed aside while others found themselves crushed against their neighbors. Several screams ran out as the grisly scene unfolded.

Eventually, the initial perpetrators were caught and dragged off to military vehicles to be hauled away while the remaining protestors dispersed, some more injured than others.

Seeing this, Alex shook his head.

On Aiur, Fenix and a group of protoss following him returned to their encampment in high spirits after their latest expedition.

"Fenix, I see that you have returned," Artanis said. "I take it that you were successful."

"Yes, we have secured the ancient research facility," Fenix replied. "We will soon begin the process of unearthing those ancient weapons."

"What are these ancient weapons y'all are talking about?" Raynor asked.

"Long ago, we designed great weapons of war which terrified even us," Artanis said. "The conclave ordered these war machines to be sealed out of concern for their destructive power. However, given our present circumstances, we believe it would be wise to make use of them."

"More firepower does sound useful. I can see why you want it," Raynor said. "But why didn't you reactivate them earlier when the zerg invaded?"

"The conclave initially believed that we would be able to defeat the zerg easily without the need to violate our ancient directives," Artanis said. "By the time that they realized their error, it was already too late and we no longer could access those facilities."

Raynor scoffed. "Sounds typical of those old windbags. I still remember how they were trying to arrest Tassadar in the middle of the war."

"That was indeed not their brightest moment," Artanis said. "But still, had we not retrieved Tassadar from Char, all would have been lost."

After they returned indoors to rest, Raynor spoke up. "Guys, there is something I reckon I'll need some help with."

"What is it, Raynor?" Artanis asked.

"I just got a call from an old pal and he told me some pretty disturbing news. Apparently, the UED has been sending the zerg to attack human planets and then swooping in to save those planets from the very zerg they sent. Then, they put themselves in control of the planet and get treated as saviors," Raynor said.

"I have heard your tales of the dishonorable acts terrans engage in, but I had not expected these terrans from Earth to stoop so low," Fenix said. "They do not fight a good fight but instead engage in such base trickery."

"So I was told that the UED were planning on attacking the planet of Krydon soon," Raynor said. "It turns out the former Magistrate has been off helping the Dominion in fighting the zerg. So Mengsk tipped them off about this and hopes that a spanner gets thrown into the UED's plans. It seems my old friend hasn't been too impressed by the UED either."

"Is not Mengsk your enemy?" Zeratul asked.

"Yes, but it looks like he isn't any happier with the UED than we are. And Krydon is an independent mining planet. They don't deserve to suffer from the UED. The Magistrate and I plan on going to Krydon to help bolster their defenses," Raynor said. "And I was wondering whether I could get some help to fight the zerg here."

"You have aided us much in our fight against the Overmind as well as helping us maintain our foothold on Aiur," Artanis said. "It is only right that we aid you as well. Our position on Aiur is stable at the moment, it should be safe to divert most of our forces on other endeavors."

"I wish to accompany you Raynor, but I must still remain here to safeguard our holdings on Aiur," Fenix said. "I will keep Aiur secure so that the fleet may aid you without worries."

"Then the way ahead seems clear," Zeratul noted. "Artanis and I shall accompany Raynor to defend the terran colony against the zerg while Fenix will remain on Aiur."

"Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it," Raynor said. "There is one other thing. I was thinking of having Kerrigan help out too."

"It would be beneficial to reduce casualties on our side if other zerg were there to bear the brunt of the damage," Zeratul noted. "However, there may be problems in distinguishing friend from foe. But that is not a problem we have not overcome before."

"Alright, I'll ask her to join us then," Raynor said.

They sent a message and soon, Kerrigan joined them in the meeting room.

"Sarah, what is the status of your zerg right now," Raynor asked.

"I have been able to greatly replenish their numbers by establishing hive clusters here," Kerrigan said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, what do you think of lending a hand to cause the UED some trouble?" Raynor asked.

"I'm in," she said. "What are we doing?"

"I've got news that the UED is going to be using the zerg under their control to invade Krydon before sending their own fleet in to seemingly rescue the colony. We're going to go and defend the colony from the zerg so the UED won't be able to pressure the planet into submitting to them."

"I see." Kerrigan sounded a bit less enthusiastic now.

"It's important work," Raynor said. "We would be saving a lot of people there from the UED. And we would prevent them from gaining more influence. If you were expecting us to go take on the UED head on right now, I'm afraid it's definitely not the time for that yet. However, I would really value your help here."

"I'll do it," Kerrigan said. "Just tell me where we're needed."

"Good, we should be leaving as soon as we can," Raynor said. "It won't be long before the invasion happens."

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Lending a Hand

SCVs were hard at work constructing a series of bunkers and walls surrounding an encampment that had more or less sprung up overnight. A truck drove through the gate, passing by the workers who were still focused on their task. As the vehicle pulled in and came to a stop, Jim Raynor walked out to meet them.

A man stepped out of the truck. “Mr. Raynor, I’m so glad that you could come to help.”

“I’m just doing what any man should. And please, call me Jim,” he replied. “Come sit down with me.”

They walked into the newly built command center to continue their discussion.

“My name is Henry Grant, and I’m the head foreman here on Krydon,” the man said, introducing himself. “Normally I don’t do much besides mediate disputes between different mining groups but when that person came to us and said that there would be zerg coming, we all got rather scared about things. With the help of your folks I hope we can make it out of this alright. The more the merrier, though I have to say your choice of helpers was a bit off putting.”

“We’re gonna need all the help we can get,” Raynor replied.

“I’m still afraid the protoss will decide to melt the planet like they did to the other colonies. And I’m not even gonna get started about the zerg.”

“Don’t worry,” Raynor said. “I know them and they’re here to help by deploying ground forces. Plus, with the state their fleet is in, they probably won’t be destroying planets anytime soon. As for the zerg, they’re here to fight a common enemy and every shot they take is one not heading for one of our boys.”

Henry sighed. “I know, I know. I’ve heard the reasons. But it still makes me nervous.”

“Everything will work out, I promise,” Raynor said. “Now, I’ll tell you a bit about how I’m fortifying this place and afterwards I’ll call up my old friend to coordinate tactics. I just wanted to make sure I’ve cleared everything with you.”

When the zerg came, they were ready. As far as the eye could see there was zerg coming at them, but the almost rhythmic barrage from the tanks thinned them out so that the defenders atop the walls could hold back the tide.

“Hold the line, men!” Raynor shouted. “The people of the colony are counting on us. Don’t let a single zerg through.”

An ultralisk crashed against the gate, sending tremors through the walls and ground.

“Take it out, damn it,” Raynor yelled as the creature continued to bash against the fortifications.

Several bombs were rolled off of the wall, exploding as they landed next to the ultralisk. The massive creature let out a final scream as it died.

“Good work men,” Raynor said. “Now I want y’all to keep your eyes peeled and stop the next one before it gets so close.”

Suddenly, a flock of mutalisks were sighted and everyone began ducking for cover. After withdrawing to the inside of the command center, Raynor continued to observe the battle as he watched the mutalisks be driven back by their air defenses. But it was too soon to celebrate as there was still more zerg coming.

Then, he noticed that he was being called. “Raynor here,” he said as he picked up the transmission.

“How’s your situation, Jim?” the voice at the other end asked.

“We’re holding,” he replied. “And we’ll keep these zerg away. But we’re going to be pinned down here for a while.”

“That will be sufficient for now,” they answered. “My soldiers and the militia we trained here can cover the most critical areas.”

“How are the others doing,” Raynor said.

“I’ve given them their orders and as long as they carry them out we shouldn’t have a problem. I already told you before that I’m not a huge fan of this help. But if they are doing what they’re supposed to I’ll take it,” they said.

“Well, is there anything else you need me to do?” Raynor asked.

“Just keep holding back the zerg in your area, Raynor. I’ll handle the rest.”

“There’s never a dull moment around here is there?” Kerrigan mused to herself as she watched a flock of mutalisks driven off by her own zerg.

“The enemy zerg are quite numerous,” Kaloth said. “We’ll need to bolster our own forces.”

“It would have been better if we could have resolved this in another way. Now we’ve been dropped right into a warzone,” Kaloth said. “The enemy zerg here are quite numerous.”

“There are a lot of minerals here. This mountain, Selim’s Rock, is a major mining site. That’s why they wanted us here,” Kerrigan said. “It’ll be enough to support our forces while denying the resources to the enemy.”

“I can’t argue against the strategic value of the orders we were given,” Kaloth said. “But at the same time that means we will bear the brunt of the fighting and take the most losses. It is clear that they have given us the most dangerous tasks because they hold the lives of zerg as having lower value than theirs.”

“They aren’t really wrong,” she said with a shrug. “We can replace losses much better than them. And I can tell that the others aren’t exactly the most fond of me. There’s no room for us to complain. The Magistrate’s plan is airtight and strategically sound, with no visible flaws, as expected of them. It isn’t even as though they are seeking to waste our forces, since each task they assign has valid importance.”

“Then we simply need to complete the objectives as efficiently as possible. They can hardly complain if we don’t lose as much as projected,” Kaloth said.

“I’ll be counting on you for that then,” Kerrigan replied.

The cerebrate paused for a moment. “There is a disruption with our drones that are mining in the mountain. They’ve come across some existing tunnels and are now exploring them.”

“There are tunnels already down there? There must have been an existing mining operation in this place then,” Kerrigan said.

“You are correct,” Kaloth said. “In fact, the drones have just run into a group of armed terrans in the tunnels and are now being shot at. What do you want to do with them?”

Kerrigan let out a sigh of frustration. “I’ll go down there and sort them out.”

She followed the tunnels down to where the fighting was taking place. Though it wasn’t really much of a fight. The miners were simply chasing after the drones and shooting at them while the zerg workers were skittering away as quickly as they could. She ordered a group of hydralisks to get down there and form a wall to scare off the terrans. However, they didn’t back off and instead shot at the hydralisks too. The hydralisks had to be restrained from instinctively returning fire.

“Stop shooting!” Kerrigan shouted out when she arrived at the scene.

The miners kept on shooting, killing more of the hydralisks.

“I’m not here to fight you, so put your weapons down.”

The men didn’t stop, though one did speak up. “Hey, maybe we should call a timeout. These zerg aren’t shooting at us after all.”

“Shut up and keep shooting,” another man said. “This is just a trick to get us to let down our guard so they can kill us. They must have invented some kind of talking zerg.”

Kerrigan stomped forward to get to the front. “Look if I wanted to kill you all you’d already be dead.”

Upon seeing her appear, the miners turned their guns to shoot at her. But they found their guns yanked out of their hands by an invisible force. The weapons fell to the ground, finally silent.

“Can we finally talk now?” The irritation in her voice was clear.

“Who the hell are you?” someone asked.

“You can call me Kerrigan. I’m the one controlling these zerg here. We are not trying to fight you. We are only trying to fight the other zerg that are attacking your planet.”

“But aren’t you both zerg?” the man in the front asked. “Why would you be fighting each other?”

“I can ask the same thing about why the Confederacy and the Kel-Morians fought each other in the Guild Wars,” Kerrigan said. “All that you need to know is that I’m on your side right now. The only thing I need is to be able to mine the minerals around here without my drones being shot at.”

“And why should we help you?”

Kerrigan swallowed down her retort that they should listen because she could have them all killed, since that probably wouldn’t go over too well with them. “Because I’m here to fight your enemies too.”

“So what? I’ve never listened to that enemy of my enemy shit,” the man replied. “We’ve had a bunch of cave ins in the past few hours. I bet that’s your fault with all the digging your creatures have done. Now my daughter is missing since she was playing in one of the tunnels that caved in. You zerg are the ones invading this planet and I sure as hell ain’t gonna let any of you have these minerals. ”

“Don’t lump me in with them,” Kerrigan said. “I’m not just here to kill people.”

“Oh really? How many people have you and your zerg killed in the past? I’m willing to bet it’s quite a few.”

The miners took Kerrigan’s silence as confirmation. Then, it was like a dam broke open as everyone started venting. When what was once an evil faceless entity was now personified in an individual that could be shouted at, everyone had their own piece to say.

“I had a cousin on one of the colonies the zerg attacked. They never found his body.”

“I moved here after the zerg attacked my home. Everyone I knew died and I was the only one who made it out. Every day I wonder why only I lived.”

The outpouring continued without end and Kerrigan took a step back as she was at a loss as to what to say. She resorted to skimming their surface thoughts to see if she could find out what to say to calm them down. But all she saw was a sea of anger that had built up within them with no outlet and she quickly withdrew from their minds as she was shaken by the overwhelming grief and rage inside.

A gunshot rang out and she caught the bullet in her hand. She saw that a man had picked up his weapon from the floor. With another wave she had the guns pulled away again and this time out of reach. Then she had the hydralisks form a wall while she withdrew from the scene in the hopes that they would calm down once they no longer had someone to scream at.

Kerrigan sat down in the dark tunnel and thought about how to handle the situation. She believed that the miners were being too emotional to look at the bigger picture right now, but at the same time she had no way to refute what they were saying. Their anger and hate burned as hot as anything she had ever felt, and they had good reason to be angry having lost so much. Though that didn’t change the fact that they were impeding the defense of their planet, it was understandable that they would have doubts about all this.

Then, one of her minions noticed that there was a person alone in a tunnel the zerg recently dug into. It was a small girl and Kerrigan recalled the person mentioning that they had someone missing. She immediately began thinking of how to leverage this new development in order to resolve the conflict. It would certainly provide another opening for her to engage with them, and the adults would likely be unwilling to engage in heavy vitriol in the close vicinity of a child. Furthermore, if she left a positive impression on the child then that would be helpful as well, so she would have to put on a good act. With the new plan rapidly forming, she began walking toward where the drone had spotted the child.

The child was startled by the drone’s appearance and she cowered away from it as it approached. The drone stopped in front of her and waited, staring ahead blankly as it followed its orders to stay in place. After a minute of nothing happening, the child got up from the ground and started walking around the drone. When the drone turned to face her, she froze again. But when it continued to do nothing, she relaxed and continued walking.

The drone followed the child as she began walking. The girl paused and turned around to see the drone come to a stop at the same time she did. As she walked, she could hear the drone following her at a constant distance like a dog would follow its owner.

“You are like a pet,” the child muttered.

“Indeed,” a voice came from behind the child. “You could say that it is my pet.”

The child slowly turned around and froze as she looked up at the strange person standing behind her, a mixture of human and zerg.

“Hello there little girl,” Kerrigan said.

The girl backed away slightly, eyes filled with fear.

“Do not be afraid,” Kerrigan said. Still, the girl didn’t calm down.

Kerrigan was somewhat frustrated to see that her attempt to act friendly wasn’t working, so she decided to switch tack and began thinking about what people were supposed to do in a situation such as this. Then, she thought of her next idea and she very very carefully picked up the girl and held her in position approximating that of a hug.

The child continued to whimper for a bit, finally calming down when she realized that nothing was happening to her.

“What is your name, little girl?” Kerrigan asked.

The child looked up at her with wide eyes, feeling both curious and nervous. “My name is Annie Grant. Who are you?”

“You can call me Sarah.” The zerg queen patted the child on the shoulder and set her down on the drone, which began carrying the girl back toward the miner base. “So, what were you doing down in the tunnels?”

“I was playing and my ball rolled into a tunnel,” she said. “Then there was a bunch of shaking and rocks fell so I couldn’t get back.”

“Well you’ll be okay now,” Kerrigan said. “Let me bring you back to your parents.”

“Okay,” the girl said. “So, what are you? You look different from other people.”

“It’s a long story. I was once a human like you. Then I was betrayed and captured by the zerg. They made me what I am now.”

“You’ve lived an interesting life then, miss Sarah,” the kid said.

“That I have.” Soon they walked past the pile of guns from where the confrontation with the miners happened and then they reached their base. The miners had returned to rearm themselves but now they were staying put rather than venturing out. Kerrigan picked up the child and walked toward the miners’ encampment.

Upon seeing Kerrigan approach, the miners raised their guns, but then soon lowered them when they saw her holding the child in front of her, interpreting this as her using a hostage.

“Annie!” A man called out as he ran forward. “What do you want?” he asked Kerrigan.

“I’m just here to return your daughter to you,” Kerrigan said. “I found her alone in the tunnels.”

After being put back down, Annie ran over to her father, who grabbed her in a hug.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” he asked.

“I’m okay.” She nodded her head vigorously. “The nice weird looking lady found me and brought me back.”

“Well, thank you,” the man said tersely. “Is that all?”

“I just wanted to reiterate that the other zerg on this planet aren’t going to be so considerate,” Kerrigan said. “So if we end up driven away by them the outcome won’t be good for you. So, I’m asking that you stay out of the way while we mine the minerals here. If you need more reassurance you can just call up whoever’s in charge of this planet.”

“Our comms are down, I haven’t been able to call up my brother since we got the evacuation order,” he said.

“Oh, what happened?” Kerrigan asked. “If you were told to evacuate then why are you all still here? It certainly would have made my job easier if this place was empty.”

“We heard that zerg were going to be attacking so we were told to pack everything up and get to a more fortified area where they are gathering everyone on the outskirts,” he said. “But there was an earthquake that collapsed the entrance to the cave. You see, this town was built entirely underneath the mountain in the large natural cavern that was slowly expanded over time by mining. But when the entrance collapsed we were stuck in here, and part of the landslide buried our communication terminal that links us to the outside. So we weren’t able to tell anyone we were trapped.”

“I see, well I can pass on a message then telling them where you are,” Kerrigan said. “I can have a new exit dug out but I don’t recommend leaving right now. It’s a warzone out there and I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“We’ll be fine staying here for now,” the man said. “The mountain is a safe place to hole up so just leave us alone and we can handle ourselves.”

“My zerg will be conducting mining operations throughout the area and I expect that your men will stay out of our way.”

“So you can steal all of these minerals out from under us, you mean,” the man replied. “How are we going to earn a living after this blows over?”

“Just be glad you’ll live long enough for that to matter. Now, are we clear on what is going to happen?” Kerrigan’s eyes gazed sharply at the man, barely making an effort to conceal her irritation.

“Not like we’ve got much choice,” the man said as he turned away. “But we better not see you around here anymore.”

“I’m glad we understand each other now,” Kerrigan said sarcastically.

Several days of fighting had gone by and the fighting was beginning to slacken. During their downtime, Raynor talked with Artanis about the ongoing battle.

“They really threw a lot at us, even sending more broods to attack,” Raynor said. “But we were able to hold on and we’ve gone from losing ground to clawing it back now that we took the upper hand.”

“We fought well,” Artanis said. “It will not be long now before we prevail.”

“Things did work out well,” Raynor said. “I had been a bit worried that we might have trouble but things went as well as we could hope.”

Suddenly, an urgent message came in. A fleet of terran ships had warped in over the planet.

“Well, guess I jinxed it.”

Chapter Text

The newly arrived terran fleet hovered ominously over the planet of Krydon as it arrayed itself for battle. There were half a dozen battlecruisers, each carrying thousands of soldiers. A transmission was broadcast on all frequencies from the command ship, making clear the intentions of these new arrivals.

“I am Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov of the United Earth Directorate. In accordance with our mission in this sector, the alien menace shall be purged to ensure the continued safety and prosperity of humanity. We shall bring our might to this battle in the defense of the planet.”

In response to this, Krydon’s head foreman broadcast his own message. “We have the situation handled just fine. Your assistance is unneeded. The people of Krydon do not wish for your intervention in this matter.”

“The zerg infestation on this planet is a threat to the entire sector,” Stukov said. “We who have come here to this sector to eliminate the alien threat cannot allow them to establish a foothold in this region. We will purge it for the betterment of mankind. Lower your weapons and allow us to assist you, otherwise you align yourselves with the enemies of humanity.”

At this point, Raynor butted into the conversation. “You should take a hint man. You folks from Earth aren’t welcome here and you should respect their choice.”

“Ah, the notorious pirate Jim Raynor.” Stukov’s voice was dripping with derision. “We have known about you for some time.”

“Well, if it’s ol’ Mengsk telling you about me, then I’m afraid you’ve been fed a load of bull,” Raynor said. “He stabbed us all in the back and I fought against the Confederacy’s tyranny, I fought against Mengsk’s tyranny, and I’ll fight against yours too.”

Stukov chuckled. “We are not as naive as you would think. But your actions in working with these aliens, the enemies of humanity, show your true colors.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Raynor said. “After all, we know it was the UED that sent the zerg to attack this planet.”

“I will not even dignify that with a response, criminal,” Stukov said. “You are the one working alongside these aliens willingly and your alien allies are the ones who are controlling the zerg while pretending to fight them. Their words cannot be trusted.”

“We all know who the liar here is,” Raynor said.

Stukov gave no reaction toward Raynor’s accusations, instead continuing with his statement. “To all terrans present, if there are any who attempt to interfere with our forces then they shall be treated as traitors and dealt with accordingly. This is our final warning.”

The hangar bays of the battlecruisers opened, sending forth a stream of dropships that descended toward the planet’s surface. Around their landing point there was nothing but deserted towns which had been hastily evacuated before the zerg invasion.

“They’re coming for us,” Raynor said to his allies. “We gotta start digging in to stop them once they attack.”

The fighting with the remnants of the UED controlled zerg brood quickly petered out and both sides focused on preparing for the upcoming battle. However, the areas occupied by zerg soon broke out into even more intense fighting.

“What the hell is going on there, Sarah?” Raynor asked. “I’ve been told that zerg are attacking the interior defensive lines manned by the militia. Good thing they planned ahead of time for a zerg attack coming from your direction and are able to repel them with ease, but this shouldn’t be happening.”

“The UED are using their Psi Disruptor again,” Kerrigan replied. “I’ve lost control of a number of my zerg and though I’ve focused on maintaining order near the center and letting the frontlines go, some might have fallen out of line anyways. Or maybe the enemy zerg have gone out of control too and wandered over.”

“No wonder the enemy zerg are attacking so haphazardly now,” Raynor said. “Also, the UED is sending part of their forces to attack you, so be ready.”

“I already know of it. But they’re not going to be easy to deal with. I could use some help here.”

“I’m gonna have my hands full helping the protoss fight off the other attack,” Raynor said. “I really can’t spare anything right now.”

“I see,” Kerrigan said with a frown. “Do we have any plans for an evacuation?”

“We do, but only as a last resort,” Raynor said. “If push comes to shove we’ve got enough extra space on the ships to take the folks on this planet with us, but then they’re gonna end up homeless and it’ll be hard for us to support them for very long.”

Kerrigan ended the call and went back to making preparations for the battle. More sunken and spore colonies were being constructed to defend the hives. While previously they were planning on defeating the enemy quickly and leaving, which wouldn’t require much in terms of defensive fortifications, there was now a much more pressing urgency for defense. And defensive structures also had the benefit of being much less susceptible toward going out of control.

Meanwhile, she instructed her cerebrate to relocate into the mountain since it would be more secure from enemy bombardment. “Make sure you keep tight control of all of the zerg in the mountain,” Kerrigan said. “Even if it means taking on less of a burden outside. We can’t afford any incidents inside.”

“I understand,” Kaloth replied. “From within I shall continue to direct our stratagems. I have already identified several possible angles of approach for the UED forces and we should prepare to intercept them when an opportunity arises. We must eliminate as many of the attacking terrans as possible to slow down their assault. Eventually they will be forced to withdraw.”

The battle was in full swing now, and Raynor peeked over the trench to take a few shots at the approaching marines before ducking back down as he saw the muzzle flashes from the siege tanks in the distance. Moments later, explosions tore up the dirt not far from him, shaking the ground somewhat and causing loose rocks to fall from the sides of the trench. Some others weren’t so lucky though and only a few dozen meters away he saw several men blown to pieces by an explosion.

“Have you thought of a way to deal with those tanks yet?” Raynor asked Artanis, who at that moment was crouched next to Raynor.

“Selendis is putting a plan into action to use an Arbiter ship to place the tanks in a stasis field to allow us to assault the position without interference. One of your science vessels will be supporting the Arbiter with a defensive matrix.”

“Well we better hope it works out then,” Raynor said as took a few more shots at the approaching enemies. “I don’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to hole up in here.”

He could see a group of goliaths heading toward him and he knew that this wasn’t something he could take out with his gun. However, he wasn’t alone here. Several reavers hidden behind the trenches emerged from view and fired out a volley of scarabs which detonated on the goliaths, knocking them out of action. As the reavers scuttled back, the siege tanks fired once more, peppering the area with explosions. One of the reavers was damaged and had to be hauled out of the battlefield for repairs.

Several more minutes passed before Artanis suddenly sprung into action. “The tanks have been neutralized, though the Arbiter ship was shot down right afterwards. We must strike while we have the chance.”

All as one, a whole group of protoss warriors jump out of the trenches and begin sprinting toward the enemy. They were moving so quickly they could almost catch up to a vulture bike as they dashed across the landscape and attacked the UED forces who did not expect their enemy to launch a sudden counterattack.

With their psi blades the protoss sliced through the enemy soldiers with ease, the marine’s powered armor being as effective as a wet tissue against the psi blades. The slower dragoons followed up the attack, disintegrating any stragglers who had not been caught up in the initial charge.

Raynor and the rest of his men went on the attack as well and even though they couldn’t catch up to the protoss on foot, they were still able to provide some support from a distance. The UED’s frontline forces went into a hasty retreat as they were unable to deal with the incredibly ferocious assault.

As the attacking forces reached the foot of the hill where the tanks had entrenched themselves, several spider mines detonated, blowing up the leading protoss zealots and causing the rest to come to a halt. The clock was ticking on the stasis field and anxiety began to creep in among the attackers until an observer arrived to detect the minefield and allow the dragoons to eliminate the spider mines from a distance.

The protoss, along with Raynor’s men, advanced up the hill where the tanks had entrenched themselves onto. On top of the hill, the siege tanks and the soldiers guarding them were frozen, surrounded by a bubble of distorted energy. Finally, the stasis fields began to dissipate and the soldiers within came back into being as though no time had passed at all.

“What the hell,” one of the trapped soldiers exclaimed. From his perspective, an entire army had suddenly appeared in front of him from out of nowhere. There were so many guns pointed at him that he hardly knew where to look.

The other soldiers also looked around in shock at their current predicament while the tank turrets began swiveling around trying to decide on who to target.

“Surrender!” Raynor called out.

There was a pause. Then, a couple marines dropped their guns, setting off a chain reaction as the surrounded soldiers surrendered. The pilots of the siege tanks also opened their hatches and exited their vehicles.

“I’m tired of fighting anyways,” one of the UED soldiers said. “I didn’t sign up for this crap. I was in the colonial militia of Mistaff IV before this, but the UED conscripted all of us to fight for them. We were supposed to be defending people from the zerg, not doing this.”

“The UED has been lying to you,” Raynor said. “They’ve been setting up zerg invasions and taking over planets by pretending to help. It’s all a sham.”

“You mean that when my planet got attacked, it was just a huge setup?” the soldier exclaimed. “I can’t believe it!”

“Sorry man, but it’s true. Maybe after this, we can send you back home and you can spread the news,” Raynor said. “We’ll be sure to treat you well here.”

As the prisoners were lined up to be taken back to the base, some of Raynor’s men began climbing into the abandoned tanks and started driving them back. After a change of paint and some repairs, they would be good to go for battle.

As the strike force retreated, Raynor turned to talk with Artanis. “Any way for you to hide something down here to let you recall soldiers onto this location?”

“Teleporting groups is difficult without an established gateway,” Artanis said. “An Arbiter can accomplish it, but the equipment needed to perform the task cannot be easily concealed here. Such tactics are not suitable to use for an ambush in this situation.”

“That’s a shame,” Raynor said. “Would’ve been very useful here. I’ll just have some vultures come lay down some mines around the area and the roads coming in. That oughta slow them down a bit.”

After Raynor and Artanis returned to their encampment, Zeratul appeared from the shadows. “My brethren and I have destroyed several fuel depots. The enemy will be delayed in sending another force to attack us.”

“Well done,” Artanis said. “We need this time to recover and bolster our defenses once more. The enemy will be sure not to fall prey to the same tactics again and will undoubtedly redouble their efforts.”

“The UED wasn’t expecting this much resistance when they assembled their fleet,” Raynor said. “If we can hold on long enough then they will start running low on supplies.”

“We shall continue to do our part,” Zeratul said. “It will be no easy feat to repel their full might though.”

“There were many brave warriors who have fallen in battle. We are creating dragoon bodies for them so that they can aid us once more,” Artanis said. “In more peaceful circumstances, newly created dragoons would not enter battle until they are more experienced with their new form, but given the urgency of our current situation, it is necessary to expedite this process.”

“Sounds good. My men are exhausted and your folks are probably tired too,” Raynor said. “Having a bit of a breather would be nice.”

“Truly devout protoss warriors will not let tiredness prevent them from doing their duty,” Artanis said. “But it is true that we could all benefit from a lull in the fighting.”

“What has transpired along the other fronts of the battle during my absence?” Zeratul asked.

“The colonists are still dug in and aside from the group they sent to reinforce my men, they are sticking to defense,” Raynor said. “The UED haven’t attacked them at all though. Meanwhile, I’ve heard that the UED forces have been steadily advancing against Kerrigan’s zerg. There has been quite a lot of back and forth but over time the zerg are losing ground and not getting it back. But the zerg base is in a defensible location so it will be hell for the UED to make progress. Already they’ve taken a real beating.”

“We must hope that they continue to hold,” Artanis said. “The enemy seems to be committing significant assets toward that attack. Defending that area will tie down the UED’s forces and give us a reprieve.”

“Although circumstances appear favorable at the moment, significant peril exists should that front fall,” Zeratul noted. “The enemy would be able to redeploy their forces against us and press on our flanks.”

Kerrigan slumped to the ground next to her cerebrate as she let out an exhausted breath. They were beneath the mountain, located in what had once been a holding area for the mining operations. The area within the mountain had become increasingly crowded as they were forced to move deeper into the mountain where it was safe. The original living quarters for the miners were too close to the surface of the mountain so they were forced to move into some of the deeper areas which were deemed stable enough. Those who were tired of staying put wandered about a bit and in the cramped space they were so close that Kerrigan could watch them with her own two eyes.

Similarly, they could watch her too and Kerrigan almost felt a bit perturbed letting them see her in such a sorry state. She had been out fighting, doing what she could to slow down the enemy’s advance, but she had her limits. The UED was ready with reserve forces to react every time she put pressure on their front lines and she and the zerg with her were pounded with firepower until they were thoroughly beaten and forced to withdraw. The fighting was getting increasingly desperate and by the time she made it back this time she had practically fallen over, still dripping blood from her nearly mangled body.

The mountain rumbled from the bombardment, but the explosions never reached deep enough to cause damage. On the other hand, the zerg present outside had to bear the full brunt of the attacks and only a continuous stream of reinforcements being hatched within the mountain were keeping them afloat. By now, the entire area was surrounded and the UED was tightening the noose.

The miners inside were getting rather antsy too as they were trapped inside too, and no one believed that the UED would take special effort to keep them alive. At one point, they had reached out to ask the UED forces for a temporary ceasefire to let them leave first. However, the response was unaccommodating. In the eyes of the UED, if the miners were truly loyal to mankind then they would give their lives to inflict as much damage to the zerg as possible.

Now, there was nothing that could be done but to try to hold on for as long as possible. Once the enemy seizes the entrance, they could blow it wide open and that would be it. With each passing hour, more ground would be lost. The few remaining overlords let Kerrigan see a rough picture of the surrounding area and it was clear that the UED’s advance was inexorable. But suddenly, their advance halted and they began to retreat.

“We’re going in,” Henry Grant announced.

“Sir, are we really going to bail out the zerg?” a man beside him asked. “The UED said they would leave us alone if we stay out of this. And they haven’t attacked us yet.”

“Do you really think that once they win, they won’t come after us too?” Henry replied. “That was their plan from the start.”

“It might not come down to that,” the other man replied. “The UED have taken a lot of losses. They might not have enough left to fight us, especially since we are dug in.”

“That is possible,” he replied. “But there is always a risk. Besides, even if they are zerg, they did end up helping us out here. It’s only fair we do our part.”

“Understood sir, I’ll call our special advisor now to inform them of your decision.” The assistant then inputted some numbers into the datapad to open up a new transmission.

“So you’ve decided on this course of action then?” the voice on the other end said. “Since I’ve agreed to command your forces I’ll begin putting the plan I’ve written up into action then. All conditions have now been met for us to proceed.”

“Thank you,” Henry said. “I’ll leave this in your capable hands then.”

When the colonial militia began the attack, they moved with precision, the training they had paying off. The UED’s forces had to turn to face the new enemy from behind, and engaged their plans to deal with this eventuality.

Siege tanks were redeployed to face off against the colonists rather than the remainder of the zerg, but the need to go around the zerg hive meant that it would take quite a long time to make it there, and by then the colonists were already attacking. While one detachment of the militia met the front group of UED soldiers, two groups of the militia split off and attacked the flanks, cutting off a segment of the enemy army while interdicting the tanks that were redeploying.

The UED forces began to pull back, but behind them the zerg began to stir once more, now no longer suppressed by the artillery bombardment from the tanks. With this, they were now trapped and the southern portion of the encirclement around the hive was destroyed. The UED soldiers chose to run toward the militia and surrender rather than face the renewed zerg attack.

However, the UED soon began to regroup to establish a more defensible line along the northern side of the zerg hive. Their remaining tanks were repositioned to defend against an attack. For a bit, the fighting entered a lull as both sides repositioned. Then, the colonial militia took the next move in splitting their army in half, with each portion moving around the side to get behind the UED’s army.

The UED’s relief force had arrived and began a battle with the colonists’ strike force. However, the militia was more numerous and had taken up positions along a ridge while the UED’s relief force was forced to attack in order to reinforce their comrades, who had begun a slow retreat after seeing the situation.

The second UED army was forced back while a portion of the militia along with the zerg harassed the retreating UED forces which were only able to break out after significant losses.

From aboard the command ship, Alexei Stukov examined the situation. “Damn them,” he cursed for himself. “These ignorant colonials don’t know what is good for them. With the way things are now, we would struggle to hold the planet even if we did conquer it seeing how viciously they are fighting. Even holding onto a foothold here would be far too costly. And these protoss and zerg would just run away if they lost as always. No, if we are to put an end to them we must pin them down.”

Stukov gave his orders to his men. “Withdraw all of our forces and prepare for an ordinary evacuation. Have our demolition teams set charges to collapse any mines that we have control of. Since this planet has spurned our generosity, we shall leave them with nothing.”

As the UED’s forces were withdrawing, Stukov’s aide informed him of a new development. “Sir, the cerebrate Daggoth has contacted us, demanding that we cover the retreat of the cerebrate we sent to the surface of Krydon.”

“Out of the question,” Stukov replied. “If others are able to record us helping out these zerg then that would undermine our mission. No, we leave it behind to die.”

Now, Daggoth entered the conversation directly, psionically patching himself into the UED’s communications on Char and relaying it to the fleet. “Our arrangement was for you to provide for our survival while we destroy your enemies. If you refuse to provide for our safety then we will consider this arrangement null.”

Stukov bristled upon hearing Daggoth’s words. “You go too far,” he said angrily. “Remember that should we choose to, we can snuff out you and your kind. You live by our generosity.”

“If you presume to throw us to our deaths slowly, then we will choose to bring you down with us rather than meekly let ourselves be killed,” Daggoth said. “With the way things are now, I daresay your regime will not survive such an event. Your enemies are many and they will prey on you.”

Stukov realized that he had let his anger overtake him for a moment. While he kept his face impassive, inside he cursed the arrangement that had been made with Daggoth. Clearly, they had maintained too much independence and had to be brought under control. However, for now there was no choice but to continue maintaining this farce. “Very well then, I shall evacuate the cerebrate along with my men.”

After the transmission ended, Stukov slammed his fist onto the table. “Damn that creature,” he muttered. “Your days are numbered, I can promise that.”

Chapter Text

The heavy door shut with a thud as Stukov entered the austere and modest office of his superior in the UED's fortress on Char. In the corner of the room, an antique device played music, a somber tune. Admiral Dugalle was seated at a plain desk, and he looked up and watched Stukov approach.

"Alexei, the recent debacle is threatening to undermine our mission. I understand your decisions, but we now have a very serious problem." Dugalle's face was unusually stony as he addressed his old friend. "Already there have been murmurs about our involvement with the zerg spreading among the colonies, though we have been trying to counter with our own propaganda."

Stukov gave a grim nod. "I suspect that Mengsk may be trying to foment discontent against us. The news wouldn't be spreading so quickly otherwise."

"I felt that using the zerg in our operation was distasteful, though these were the orders given to us. And now they have shown themselves to be unreliable as well." Dugalle tapped his finger on the desk. "Tell me Alexei, what do you plan on doing about this? This is your project."

"I assure you Gerard, I am working toward a solution," Stukov said. "We are in an unexpected situation. We don't have a single Overmind to exert control over to command the cerebrates, and we do not have enough psychics to try to control each and every cerebrate. Though we might not be able to even if we did have enough psychics, since we would need to fight our way through their personal forces in order to subdue and drug them. If any were to kill themselves rather than be captured in such a manner, it would be a further loss to us."

"I am not hearing you provide a solution," Dugalle said.

"We are working on an alternative manner to control them," Stukov replied. "They have been making progress and I will be hearing from them soon."

Dugalle nodded. "Then we had best hope these plans are successful. There are still more enemies we must address. The protoss are proving to be a thorn in our side. It was initially our plan to deal with them after bringing the terran colonies under our control, but we must ensure they cannot pose a threat to our plans."

"I understand." Stukov saluted before turning around and exiting the room.

He walked down the corridor to his own office where he sat down in his chair and let out a sigh. Stukov poured a small cup of vodka and downed it in a single gulp. For a few minutes he simply sat there, letting the worry he had been keeping inside drain out. After taking a look at his schedule, he rose from his seat and began walking to the area of the fortress set aside for the researchers.

Upon arriving at the lab, Stukov had Duran pulled aside to speak with privately.

"Lieutenant Duran, I was told that you might have a solution for us?" Stukov asked.

"Yes, vice admiral. I have been working on a device that can replicate the signals the zerg use to communicate," Duran said. "The zerg's coordination is their greatest strength, but also their greatest weakness as seen by the effectiveness of the Psi Disruptor. With this device, we can emulate the zerg Overmind to a degree, allowing us to control all of the cerebrates."

"Good work, Duran. It seems your experience conducting zerg research for the Confederacy has proven useful. None of my other scientists have managed to make as much progress as you have. Your understanding of the zerg truly exceeds theirs." Stukov paused for a moment as he considered how odd it was that this man from the colonies had proven more effective than the brightest minds of Earth.

"You honor me with your praise," Duran said with a smile. "I endeavor to serve to the best of my ability."

"When will this be ready?" Stukov asked.

"I should be able to have a working prototype of the hive mind emulator done soon, but it remains to be tested," Duran said.

Stukov nodded. "Do you think this will allow us to control the zerg which are currently still opposing us?"

"That would be rather difficult," Duran replied. "The range is rather small and the power of the signal may be too weak to subjugate the zerg commanders if they have a strong enough will. I do not know exactly how effective the device will be in practice."

"This is concerning," Stukov said. "Make sure to work on improving the effectiveness of the devices. We will need them ready soon. Your progress will be monitored."

"Of course, vice admiral." Duran gave a brief nod with his head.

The ashy skies of Char had become familiar, Daggoth mused to himself. The hot and punishing environment had been where the zerg stayed for several years. But it was but a brief period in their history and Daggoth recalled far more worlds that the zerg had visited in their journey across the galaxy. It was the Overmind that had led the zerg through that journey, and Daggoth was there almost since the beginning, being one of the first generation.

He had no greater joy than the time he had lived during those times, faithfully serving the Overmind as he sought to bring the swarm toward perfection. But it was this blasted place, the area of space the terrans named the Koprulu Sector, which had brought an end to it all. Without the Overmind, Daggoth knew that he was missing a piece of itself, its guiding light. The swarm was but a mere shadow of its former self.

It felt so alone now, with so many of its fellow cerebrates now gone. Araq and Gorn dead on Aiur. Zasz, dead at the hands of the protoss because of Kerrigan's idiocy. That was something that he had never forgiven her for. And Kaloth, who had been the most promising of the new generation. It thought differently from the others and his ability and skill were second to none; the Overmind had truly succeeded well there.

Alas, the cerebrate had also been imparted with a flaw. It was almost like a human in the emotions it had. His attachment to Kerrigan led him to betray the swarm and strike down the new Overmind that Daggoth had endeavored so much to raise. Just thinking about the creature that had dared to claim ownership over the zerg made him stew in rage. For just this once, Daggoth doubted the judgment of the Overmind in bringing her into the swarm, as heretical as such a thought was.

Kaloth had spun a narrative about how the zerg were stronger by being able to work with outsiders. What a farce. Daggoth had seen the results of this. The zerg on Char subjugated, forced to serve these terrans. Meanwhile, Kerrigan was off frolicking with others trying to curry favor with them. It was sickening to watch. It had been abundantly clear to him that Kerrigan would treat the zerg as nothing more than her own personal attack dog, an instrument for her whims. It was perhaps more humiliating than serving these terrans from Earth. At least they had a greater purpose for which they were fighting for.

It grated on him to see the zerg reduced to such a state. He had no choice but to submit for survival, but one day he will make sure this state of affairs is overturned. Daggoth knew that the terrans had never trusted him, and after he had intervened to force them to bring back the cerebrate that was sent to Krydon, the efforts of the terrans to control him would be redoubled. But he would be ready for them when the time comes.

He would restore the zerg to their height. Though the past could never be restored, he would bring about a new age of their ascension to perfection.

For just a moment, Artanis could pretend that he was once again standing in one of the great cities of Aiur. But these golden spires were not nearly as grand nor as resplendent as the cities that the zerg had laid waste to. The city that had sprung up around the warp gate was only a pale imitation of what had once been on Aiur. However, it was still a beacon of hope for the future.

As Artanis walked down the street, he was greeted by a khalai protoss who bowed his head in respect.

"Honored Praetor, I wish to express my admiration for your tremendous valor and dedication toward protecting us. It is thanks to you that I have been able to see Aiur once more. You are the pride of our race."

Artanis nodded his head. "I will endeavor to do all that I can to ensure that our homeworld is secure. One day, we shall reclaim the glory we once had."

As Artanis continued walking, he saw the many builders working on constructing new structures, while on the other side he saw craftsmen building new machines. The city was a far cry from back when it was only a military encampment. Many of the refugees on Shakuras had moved back to resettle here.

Artanis had been leery about allowing civilians back into a potentially dangerous area and he had presented those concerns to the leadership. However, since there had not been any serious attacks in quite a long time and the situation was completely under control, the risk was seen as minimal. Furthermore, many of the khalai refugees did not wish to stay on Shakuras. Tensions were growing because the refugees were taking up the land of the native dark templar and so a return to Aiur was seen as the best way to stabilize the situation. He just hoped this wouldn't backfire on them.

Still, he was glad to see everyone's positive attitude toward the situation. It bolstered his spirits and reminded him of why he fought. More and more outposts were being built in the wilderness as the feral zerg were pushed further back, securing more territory to be reclaimed. Being able to once again make Aiur the home of the protoss was no longer seeming to be as daunting of a task.

As he arrived in the center of the city, he saw Zeratul emerge to meet him.

"Artanis, the leadership on Shakuras has requested for us to give an accounting of our recent actions."

"What is their purpose with this?" Artanis seemed somewhat taken aback.

"Perhaps they are displeased with the unorthodox actions we have taken," Zeratul said.

"Then I shall explain that our actions were just." Artanis walked to the conference room to wait to be contacted.

It was Aldaris and Raszagal who were leading the questioning.

"Artanis, we have heard of your excursion on a terran colony," Aldaris said. "Such acts were reckless and irresponsible, costing many protoss lives and causing unnecessary provocation to the terrans of Earth."

"It was the honorable course of action for us to repay the terran James Raynor for the aid which he has rendered to us," Artanis said. "He stood with us on Aiur to fight the Overmind itself and has continued to aid us with no benefit to himself. It is only right for us, the firstborn, to do our duty in protecting those who cannot defend themselves from the zerg."

"Yet you fought more than just zerg." Aldaris's visage remained stern.

"We did not anticipate that the UED would intervene directly," Artanis admitted. "It was thought that they would simply let the zerg under their control fight. But as a result, they have exposed their duplicity."

"Your short sightedness-" Aldaris was cut off before he could finish.

Raszagal raised her hand. "Your actions were honorable. We have given you command over the fleet with discretion for how it will be used. As of now, I see nothing improper with what you have done. So long as you allow yourself to be guided by virtue, you will not stray from the right course."

Artanis bowed. "Thank you for your encouraging words, Matriarch."

Aldaris was still displeased. "You must remember that your duty is still to Aiur. Our focus must remain on securing our homeworld, not engaging in expeditions in terran space."

"I believe in serving Aiur, and my commitment will not waver," Artanis declared. "Everything I have done, I have done for the good of our race. And I believe that the expedition aided in that purpose. Our swift victory allowed for Raynor and his forces to continue aiding us here on Aiur, whereas otherwise they may have been destroyed by the UED. And weakening the UED's position with the terrans helps to reduce their threat. We cannot wait for them to unite the terran colonies before turning to attack us."

"We shall see about this," Aldaris said.

"You may now leave Artanis." Raszagal dismissed him and the meeting was over.

Artanis was not angry with Aldaris for his statements. The situation on Shakuras was volatile and the Judicator was under a lot of pressure having to balance competing interests. The traditionalists detested that they had to live with the dark templar and longed to return to Aiur. Meanwhile, the dark templar still detested Aldaris for his role in the persecutions of the past. Try as he might, Aldaris was barely able to keep the situation under control.

The simplest way to resolve the conundrum was to return all of the refugees to Aiur, but that was not yet viable. Too much of the planet was still infested with zerg and the farther from the zone around the warp gate, the more dangerous it became. Artanis knew that the Judicator was simply frustrated by the pace of progress and thus reacted negatively to what he saw as a distraction from their mission.

While Artanis was managing the fight against outside enemies, the effort to make sure society didn't break down at the seams was even more important. After all, without the protoss who produce the weapons and ships, there would be no fleet. It was important for everyone to do their part, and he knew that he was just one of the many working to rebuild their civilization.

Though this was a dark time for the protoss, there was still hope for a brighter future, a new age even greater than before. Artanis felt joyful as he walked outside and saw a human female, one of Raynor's soldiers, talking with one of the protoss craftsmen. Perhaps they were discussing the different design philosophies of terrans and protoss, seeking to meld technologies together. Or perhaps they were simply talking about more mundane matters and just getting to know each other.

For too long, the protoss had been stuck with the ways of the past, isolated from the outside and unwilling to change. But now, they were forced to open up, to interact with the other intelligent races. The newer generations may grow up to be more curious about other races and new ideas. Already, the rift with the dark templar was beginning to heal, though the peace was fragile. Still, hope filled his heart as Artanis thought of these things.

Chapter Text

The atmosphere of Umoja was clean and pleasant compared to the ashy hellscape of Char or the polluted smog of Earth, Dugalle noted as he stepped off the transport vessel and was escorted into a vehicle. From what he had learned, the Umojans sought to present themselves as enlightened idealists. Maintaining the pristine state of their planet was part of that image. It was a noble ideal, though he wondered how much of it was simply a facade.

The diplomatic conference being organized by the Umojans was a chance for him to evaluate them more closely as they had previously kept the UED at arms length. If things went well, a new ally for Earth might be acquired. Such a boon was very needed at this time, as Dugalle was under pressure from the Ruling Council of Earth to make progress in unifying the sector and eliminating the alien menace. He let out a sigh at the prospect of engaging in more politics, but as the vehicle came to a stop he quickly composed himself.

As he stepped out in front of a grand building before him, he looked around at the neatly trimmed hedges and flowers along the side of the road. The building was made of marble, with the overall shape he recognized as being reminiscent of the ancient Greek or Roman style, but with engravings being a mixture of elements from both eastern and western cultures across time. He concluded that it was probably the result of some architect examining various records of ancient Earth with no context as to where they fit in. An amusing attempt at imitation.

In front of the building, ceremonial guards greeted him and he was escorted into a lavish ballroom. Two men met him as he entered. “You must be Admiral Dugalle.” The man in front shook his hand. “I am Walter Jorgensen, Prime Minister of the Umojan Protectorate. We are pleased to see that you have agreed to attend this gathering. In these turbulent times I wish to present a sincere expectation that we can build closer bonds with one another.”

Dugalle nodded. “I do hope that we shall resolve any unfortunate misunderstandings that may exist between us. Humanity cannot afford to be in conflict with each other given the dangers at our doorstep. After all, a house divided cannot stand.”

“Ah, Lincoln was it?” The other man looked at Dugalle with interest.

“Indeed,” Dugalle replied. “Have you studied him?”

“I take a personal interest in the records that Umoja has of ancient Earth,” the man replied. “Through my experience it has become apparent to me that my own private aspiration for edification can in many cases intersect with or overlap with obligations that are relevant to my work and that knowledge in these areas can prove to be an asset for understanding the complexities and struggles that we face.”

“I see,” Dugalle said after several seconds. “And you are?”

“Samuel Hunt, secretary to the council of ministers of Umojan. I assist the prime minister in implementing the policies he sets forth along with the administrative minutia.”

Dugalle simply gave a curt nod, hiding an instinctive animus that had arisen in him before walking into the building. Inside, well dressed people walked between tables which held small platters of food which fit right in with the ostentatious surroundings.

Turning to the prime minister again, Dugalle spoke. “So, what results does Umoja seek from this conference?”

“Our greatest wish is to bring an end to the terrible conflict that hangs above us, waiting to fall at any moment. A universe where we can be free to carve our path without fearing destruction,” Minister Jorgensen said with a slight smile on his face. “Truly there is no greater wish for man. Umoja has never ceased to strive for these ideals ever since we first organized ourselves to resist the Confederacy’s tyranny. To that end I hope that those of us gathered here can come to an understanding and recognize that we need not be enemies.”

Dugalle gave him an appraising look. “Should all mankind unite together and avoid needless conflict, this would of course be a tremendous boon. I could not wish for anything more than this. But I must say, I am puzzled by the aloofness displayed by members of your government toward our overtures. Surely you must recognize the dire threat posed by the aliens.”

“Of course we recognize the nature of the threat before us. However, many are apprehensive to say the least about the presence of Earth’s authority here after such a long period of neglect. The prospect of being dominated by a far away government and having to give up the autonomy that has brought us so far is distressing.”

“I understand your concerns,” Dugalle said. “But during such dangerous times, certain compromises must be made in order to secure the safety of the people. The zerg have already devastated so many worlds. Anyone could be next if they are not stopped.”

“Some have said that the zerg attacks are not so arbitrary after all.” The minister held a calculating look in his eyes.

“I am unsure of what you are referring to,” Dugalle replied.

Minister Jorgenson gave a small chuckle. “We are not blind, you know.”

“If you can indeed see the situation Umoja is faced with, you would know that to remain aloof from others would only leave you to be destroyed in the end,” Dugalle said. “You should try not to end up on the wrong side of history, minister. We will remember those who proved themselves to be unwise in finding where to stand.”

“I understand, Admiral,” Jorgensen said tersely. “Umoja will give our support to you. But the prospect of heavy handed micromanagement from faraway officials still worries us.”

“You need not be concerned about this,” Dugalle said. “Earth is not so idle as to direct you so closely. Even our nearby colonies have some degree of autonomy.”

“So you can be sure that we won’t receive excessively specific orders that don’t account for local context then?”

“That seems like an… unlikely scenario,” Dugalle said, somewhat puzzled. “I for one would not compel those under my command to do something they are not capable of.”

“So, what do you require from us?” Jorgensen asked. “To come such a long way here, you must have some agenda.”

“It is simple,” Dugalle said. “We will need you to mobilize your military and provide us with support in upcoming battles. You should do so with all appropriate haste.”

“Of course, we will do our best to be ready,” the minister replied.

“When will your forces be ready?” Dugalle asked.

“Ah, I think these specific technical questions can be handled by Mr. Hunt.” Jorgensen gestured toward the other man.

He cleared his throat. “Mobilization is a complex and delicate process, one that must be taken with appropriate and deliberate care as to not give rise to any disturbances that may clog the wheels that drive the machine, leading to greater delays. In order to ensure such a process occurs without incident, thorough investigation and planning must take place and all factors must be determined and taken into consideration. We do of course plan to take the utmost care and diligence in performing our assigned tasks, as should be expected of us.”

“Errors during the evaluative process could prove devastating downstream in dependent processes, so we cannot afford to act with any less than complete fastidiousness lest our inattention lead to dire consequences. We will move with all appropriate alacrity in setting up an interdepartmental committee to properly assess and evaluate the task at hand and to make sure that all relevant factors have been taken into consideration. Rest assured we will put our full effort toward this endeavor.”

“And when will you finish?” Dugalle asked.

“We should have a timeline for the mobilization process ready within a month.”

“Not that, when will your forces be ready?” Dugalle asked again.

“It would be unconscionable for me to report anything but the proper truth in a situation where the stakes are as high as this,” Hunt replied. “Making a hasty judgment leads to overgeneralizations which can create a misleading impression that would be used as an input into critical decision making processes. No reasonable determination of the timeline can be made until a thorough examination of the facts at hand. Such a thing cannot be done haphazardly. Rome wasn’t built in a day after all.”

“Is all this truly necessary?” Dugalle’s voice was beginning to show a hint of exasperation.

“Most certainly. I can describe the intricacies of our investigative framework and governmental processes in order to better clarify the situation at hand so that you can understand the necessity of such steps.”

Dugalle let out a sigh. “There is no need. I still wish to speak with the various others here. Perhaps some of them would find more urgency in this situation.”

“It would delight us if you did,” Jorgensen said. “We have put much work into organizing this conference. Gathered here you can see many important figures mingling with prominent members of Umojan society.” The minister gestured toward several people. “There we see several surviving members of the Confederacy’s Old Families, which I believe were taken under your wing. They seem to be looking for ways to contribute in the current situation. We also have Kel-Morian representatives as well as ambassadors from the Dominion.”

Dugalle nodded and began to walk around, mingling with the various politicians and businessmen gathered in the room, taking close note of the important ones as they exchanged pleasantries and carefully curated statements. Then, he came upon an individual who stood out from the crowd, engaged in a heated conversation that ended when he walked away. Unlike those around him, he was dressed rather plainly and seemed uncomfortable being in such an atmosphere.

Dugalle approached the man for a small chat. “You seem like you’d rather be anywhere but here. I know the feeling, this formal suit is not to my liking.”

The man let out a chuckle. “Then you should have just worn whatever you wanted and tell anyone who doesn’t like it to piss off.”

Dugalle gave a slight smile. “I’m afraid I do not have the luxury of such actions. Too much is at stake in these dark times for me to disregard these parasites.”

The other man nodded. “Well yeah, things are a real mess now. All thanks to that bastard Arcturus Mengsk. Pitched himself as the savior of humanity and then turns around and feeds a whole planet to the zerg. It’s basically all his fault the sector is the way it is.”

“Truly? I had heard rumors about it, but to think that he would undermine the common defense in such a manner is truly abhorrent,” Dugalle said. “Though perhaps it isn’t so surprising. That man always did seem to hold himself in excessively high regard.”

“Well yeah, ol’ Arcturus sure was a scumbag. And to top it all off he abandoned those who were loyal to him to be eaten by the zerg on Tarsonis, all for some petty grudge.”

“Abandoning his men? That is beyond the pale for any leader,” Dugalle said. “But are you sure he wasn’t simply unable to save them?”

“I was there for it man,” he said. “And the only reason they were down there in the first place was because Mengsk had the stupid idea to protect the zerg so they can kill more Confederates. After this happened I packed up and left, gave him the middle finger. Me and my boys went through a lot of adventures after that.”

Suddenly, something in Dugalle’s mind clicked. “You are Jim Raynor, aren’t you?”

“Wow, am I famous now?” Raynor looked more closely at his conversation partner. “Who are you?”

“I am Gerard Dugalle, Admiral of the UED Expeditionary Force. I have heard of you, Mr. Raynor.”

“And I know you.” Raynor looked toward Dugalle with narrowed eyes. “So, wanna tell me what planet you’ll send your zerg to hit next to save me the trouble of finding out?”

“We do no such thing,” Dugalle said.

“Right.” Raynor chuckled. “And I suppose all those zerg living next to your base on Char just happen to not see you guys?”

“The UED has no interest in peaceful coexistence with aliens of any kind,” Dugalle said. “Any use of their technology or weapons systems is purely scientific and practical.”

“And now you’re sounding like a politician,” Raynor said. “Let me give you a friendly word of advice. This isn’t a war you can win. You should cut your losses and stop trying to rule the sector.”

“What a curious belief,” Dugalle said. “Given that we have done more than anyone else at ending the zerg threat. We have dealt the zerg many defeats. The renegades you harbor are the only ones left. And in time, we will deal with the protoss and it will be clear to all terrans that Earth shall protect them.”

“Funny, claiming to protect us when everyone here wants you gone. If Arcturus is actually loyal to you I’d believe pigs can fly. The planets you conquered can’t wait to get out. In time, you’ll be thrown out. Even if you win, you’ll have a hell of a time keeping your iron grip. The folks here aren’t easily controlled.”

Dugalle looked on with some contemplation. “It would seem that every government in this sector would struggle to maintain order.”

“Well, the Confederacy was evil and incompetent,” Raynor said. “Even without Mengsk that rotten house would have fallen over on its own. Mengsk took out some of the stupid but kept the evil. It’s been a parade of men too full of themselves to care about the common people.”

“And what is your vision of how the sector should be governed then, Mr. Raynor?” Dugalle asked.

“Let everyone manage themselves,” Raynor said. “We’d have a loose alliance network to protect ourselves and deal with pirates, and everyone will be free to not take orders from some tinpot dictator.”

“And what if different planets have disagreements? Who would be the judge?” Dugalle said. “Such an alliance would need a fleet. And a fleet would need a leader. You would elevate yourself to such a role. Your backing comes from your alien allies. Once they install your new regime, you will have come to power no different than Mengsk had, but now even more beholden to them. You would be the puppet of aliens which incinerated many terran worlds.”

Raynor was taken aback for a few moments. “The protoss are good folks, I know they are,” he said. “They purified those worlds to stop the zerg. If they didn’t the planets would have been overrun anyways and the zerg would be stronger. We’re all on the same side. We worked together to kill the Overmind.”

“You worked together when you had a common enemy and they were on the brink of extinction,” Dugalle said. “When the protoss were in a position of power, they displayed reckless disregard for human life and made no effort to communicate with the terran governments about the threat of the zerg. Even now, they have shown during their attack on Braxis that they care not for terran sovereignty.”

“That’s a bit rich, considering they attacked Braxis when you were invading it yourself,” Raynor said. “Besides, they were just retrieving something that belonged to them in order to use against the zerg attacking their home.”

Raynor paused, realizing he may have said too much and Dugalle made a mental note of this mention of a protoss weapon against the zerg.

“So, how can you guarantee that the protoss will not return to their old ways once they have recovered?” Dugalle asked.

“I fought alongside them,” Raynor said. “I know what kind of folks they are. They won’t do something like that. I trust them.”

“Just as you trusted Arcturus Mengsk?” Dugalle had a slight smirk on his face. “It would seem that your ability to judge character may be compromised.”

“I wouldn’t be throwing stones if I were you,” Raynor said. “You’ve been talking to the Umojans. You should know that when they say they’ll support you, what they mean is that they'll pick the winning side once the battle is already won and then demand a really big piece of the pie. Then they'll sell out the winner and start funding a revolution against them. It happened with the Confederacy and it happened with Mengsk. Might want to look beyond your time table Admiral. You're on their schedule.”

Now it was Dugalle’s turn to pause for a few seconds as he thought it. “Be that as it may, at least the Umojans are terrans. Your recklessness in placing humanity’s fate in the hands of the aliens is most irresponsible,” Dugalle said. “Will you not consider turning from this path and returning to serve humanity?”

“That’s not going to happen Admiral, unless you can say that you will stop trying to subjugate this sector, and go home instead.”

“Then it would seem that we have nothing more to talk about,” Dugalle said.

After Raynor walked off, Dugalle stood impassively as he thought through what was just said, Raynor’s words weighing on him. Then, another man approached.

“Ah, Admiral Dugalle, it is good to meet with you at last. It seems that your little conversation with Raynor didn’t go so well.”

“And you are?” A bit of exasperation leaked into Dugalle’s voice.

“Abraham Kachinsky, one of the guildmasters of the Kel-Morian Combine,” he said. “And I have a little business proposition for you that I think you’ll be interested in.”

“Oh? What might that be?” Dugalle replied.

“Raynor rejected my most generous offer to cooperate to mine some rare crystals from Aiur. Apparently he doesn’t even have enough influence with his protoss friends to let them bend the rules a bit for us to do a bit of mining. But perhaps you would be amenable to a mutually profitable relationship.”

“What did you have in mind?” Dugalle asked.

“We can provide some military support to fight your enemies and in exchange you let us have exclusive mining rights to those special crystals,” Kachinsky said.

“The UED is interested in those crystals too for research purposes,” Dugalle said.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to share the cut,” Kachinsky said.

Dugalle nodded. “I shall have my analysts work out a suitable arrangement. I trust that you will operate in good faith.”

Kachinsky held out his hand for a shake. “I am pleased to hear that.”

Dugalle was relieved to finally return to the Aleksander after the conclusion of the conference.

“Rough time, Admiral?”

“I wish to never deal with this again, Mr. Malmsteen,” Dugalle replied. “A most disgusting nest of parasites is rivaled only by Earth’s ruling council. Politics will be the death of me some day.”

“Were you able to get anything out of it at least?”

“The Kel-Morians are simple creatures, motivated by profit. They are willing to provide support, though their reliability is suspect. Though compared to the Umojans they might as well be paragons of fidelity. The Umojans offer nothing but words and promises, making every excuse to delay. Humanity is not unfamiliar with people like these. La perfide Albion, will we never be rid of this?”

Dugalle sighed. “Anyways, take us back to Char. I must speak with Alexei regarding our next moves. I see now that we must move swiftly lest the enemies arrayed against us grow any stronger.”

Chapter Text

It was muddy and humid in the jungles of Aiur, but Raynor still preferred this over rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful. After returning from his trip to Umoja, he threw himself back into his work helping out with the rebuilding of Aiur. There was a lot of work to be done clearing out feral zerg, building new outposts, and finding more survivors. Right now, he was hunting down a lost shipment of minerals.

According to the panicked truck drivers that had gotten back to the base, the trucks had been attacked by some feral zerg in the jungles and the drivers were forced to ditch the cargo and escape. After asking them for information about where it happened, Raynor let them take a rest after the ordeal they went through. Now, it was his job to find where the minerals went and hunt down the zerg.

It was odd finding zerg so close to the main base. In the preceding months the surrounding areas had been cleared of feral zerg and had been considered mostly safe as efforts were shifted to focus on expeditions farther away to reclaim more outposts. At times these expedition teams would come across isolated groups of survivors in the wilderness or ruins of cities, and bring them back to the main base.

Raynor paused as he found traces of zerg. On the ground, partway sunk into the mud, were several metal boxes with minerals spilled out onto the ground. Most of the boxes were cut open haphazardly and the edges were clearly made by claws. The minerals had fallen out of these holes, littering the ground with a small pile next to each container.

"Looks like it's all here. We can get some SCVs to bring it back. But we gotta make sure that we get rid of the zerg here first."

He motioned to his men as well as the two protoss in the group to follow as he walked in the direction the zerg went, keeping his gun at the ready. Soon, they arrived at the entrance of a small cave.

"Must be some zerg we missed hidin' out in here," Raynor said. "The cave doesn't look too big, should just be a small nest. Still, let's be careful going in."

The pair of protoss warriors took the lead as they went into the cave, their psi blades lighting up the darkness. Raynor and his people followed, scanning the area and checking the ceiling to make sure there weren't any zerg lurking about. Finally, they heard screeches as the zerg noticed their presence.

Several dozen zerglings rushed forward all at once while a few hydralisks slithered in behind them. Raynor and his people immediately opened fire at the approaching zerg while the protoss stood their ground, ready to eliminate any zerg that got too close. The feral zerg were rather easy to deal with, not employing any strategy other than a head on rush. It only took a few minutes before they stopped coming.

"Alright, let's keep moving forward carefully," Raynor ordered. "Be ready in case there are any more stragglers still around."

The nest was small and it didn't take long to clear through it. One man had been shot in the shoulder by a hydralisk, but other than that the group had managed to avoid any casualties. Soon they confirmed that the zerg were gone.

"Alright, good job folks," Raynor said. "Let's head back to base and get some rest."

Raynor's words elicited some cheers as they departed the dark nest.

After Raynor returned to the main encampment, he saw Artanis standing still looking into the distance silently.

"Hey there," Raynor said. "Whatcha thinking about?"

Artanis turned to face Raynor. "I was contemplating the progress we have made. Though my heart hurts for the devastation of our home, with time we can begin to restore some semblance of Aiur's past glory. Each passing day brings us more gains. And soon our project in the east should soon be yielding results."

"Yeah, how are Fenix and Zeratul doing out there?"

"They have reported excellent progress so far in activating and restoring functionality to the ancient facility," Artanis said. "It shouldn't be long before we are able to make use of what is buried beneath. Though those weapons will scar the landscape, in such times we can no longer afford to disregard any possible advantages."

Raynor nodded. "Every bit helps out here. Me and my boys are going to head out later today to build a new outpost to keep an eye on the feral zerg, but having some more help clearing out the damn things is appreciated."

"I must say, I have been quite impressed by the terrans' talent for rapid construction. Though the quality and beauty of such products leave much to be desired, it is quite useful for short term usage in situations like these. Buildings are already hard to come by, Shakuras can't spare many to be warped in when they still need to house so many refugees. Unfortunately, they might not be so amenable to the aesthetics of terran construction on their landscape."

"Well, we terrans try to focus on the practical things," Raynor said.

Suddenly, Artanis turned still, along with the other protoss wandering the streets around them. Raynor looked around in confusion for a few moments until one of his men suddenly ran up to him.

"Commander Raynor, a fleet was just detected in orbit and they are heading straight toward us. It's the UED, they're here. We've also spotted some Kel-Morian ships along with zerg."

Raynor froze when he heard this. "They're here? Now? Damn it, tell everyone to be ready to fight." The man who delivered the message nodded and ran back to convey the orders.

Everyone soon burst into action. Around the base, photon cannons whirled to life, the defenses that were idle for weeks being activated once more. Tanks rumbled down the streets as they were directed into position while men ran around carrying supplies. The protoss were forming up into squads and began checking that their psi blades were functional. Protoss and terran alike were running around in a frenzy.

Raynor looked on grimly. "Looks like that bastard didn't take my warning from a few weeks ago seriously. He won't get away with this, but he'll be dragging down many good people with him."

"Those who reside here are in grave danger," Artanis said. "Raynor, I must go to coordinate the evacuation of my people. The noncombatants must make their way through the warp gate while we defend the base. Our duty must be to them first."

"I'll help send my boys out to pick up any stragglers outside," Raynor said. "We'll help defend this place. How soon 'til backup gets here?"

"Fenix and Zeratul have already been notified, but it will take time for them to return," Artanis said. "Kerrigan's zerg are out on the frontiers, they won't be able to reinforce us either."

"Damn it, we'll just have to make do with what we have then," Raynor said. "They'll be attacking soon. Soon, their ground forces are going to be landing around our base, out of range of our guns. I'd love to be able to hit them when they're coming in, but those incoming fliers are going to tear us a new one if we head out."

He was watching the screen intently as the scanner picked up a multitude of flier signatures heading straight for the base. The defenders all bunkered down in preparation for the imminent attack.

The screeches of mutalisks filled the air as a flock that almost blackened out the sky descended. The photon cannons locked onto the attacking fliers, firing into the cloud of zerg. The sounds of energy bolts along with gunfire and explosions began to drown out the screeches as bodies fell from the sky. The zerg were dying in droves, continually being sent to their deaths in an effort to overwhelm the defenders.

Then, zerg came from all sides as opaque clouds emerged from the forest, shrouding the area from view. Initially, all that flooded out from the haze were zerglings, but eventually they were followed hy hydralisks and even ultralisks. Their corpses piled up outside the walls as they continued to charge forward. One ultralisk rammed against the wall, causing one man to fall off as it shook. The body of the man quickly vanished beneath the incoming creatures, never to be seen again.

Raynor was at the command center, barking out orders to get his men where they were needed. After the initial minutes of chaos, everyone had soon made it to their posts to fight against the tide of zerg. Things were going as well as he could have hoped even in the dire situation. Then, their sensors detected another force approaching.

"Those are dropships," Raynor muttered. "Do they really want to get mixed up in this mess right now?" He looked more intently at their trajectory as they began flying into the base. "Damn it, they're heading for the warp gate. We gotta go protect the evacuees. I'll head out with our vulture bike squad. Y'all keep things running here."

There was nothing on Raynor's mind except the need to get where he needed to be to help them. Not wasting a single moment, he quickly ran outside and sped off on his vehicle along with a few dozen of his men getting on their vulture bikes as well to follow him. As they sped through the streets they could hear the sound of gunfire getting closer. When they took another turn, they saw a group of UED marines in a firefight with a few protoss zealots and dragoons. The protoss were pinned down as they took cover behind a building while the marines continued to shoot at them.

The sudden arrival of Raynor's group took the marines by surprise, and most were taken out by the first volley of grenades shot out by the vulture pilots. The rest of the marines scrambled to regroup, turning to fire at the attackers. One of the vultures exploded, taking their drivers with them, but at the same time the protoss zealots charged forward, cutting through their enemies while the dragoons provided support from afar.

The marines were quickly killed, but at the same time the building behind which the protoss were taking cover exploded, wrecking the dragoons. The broken shells of the dragoons oozed blue liquid as the bodies held inside spilled out onto the ground. Raynor slammed his fist into the side of his vehicle, silently lamenting his lateness.

"Where are those tanks?" Raynor asked.

"They have occupied the training square," one protoss replied. "We were on our way to the gate when the terrans attacked. We are grateful for your assistance, Raynor."

"No problem," Raynor said. "Now let's see what we can do about those tanks."

As he drove off, passing by the exploded building, he saw the dead bodies of several protoss, phasesmiths by the look of it. For a second, he almost stopped to try to check if any could have miraculously survived, but at the same time he knew that every moment he delayed could be another tragedy. He refocused on the road ahead of him, trying to keep the tears from his eyes.

The rest of the street wasn't looking much better as they passed by. A nearby photon cannon exploded, blown up by the siege tanks. Raynor and his followers began taking an irregular path toward their destination, hoping that the enemy wouldn't figure out their location and bombard the area to stop them.

Soon, they arrived at the area where the tanks were gathered. The marines guarding them quickly began to fire, killing several vulture pilots but also being killed in turn. The tanks began to turn their guns, but they didn't manage to hit the rapidly zigzagging vultures who quickly closed in too much for the tanks to be effective. Several bombs rolled underneath the tanks as the vultures passed by. A series of explosions were triggered, turning the tanks into wreckage.

They quickly left the area, continuing to head toward the warp gate. Above them, dropships were flying out of the area. When Raynor got to the warp gate, he found that it was no longer standing.

"Damn it, if only I got here sooner," Raynor said.

"Do not blame yourself, Raynor," Artanis said as he walked up. "They came in quickly and struck decisively. By the time you could have gotten here, the battle was finished."

"Well, what now?" he said.

"We must evacuate to the forests and seek shelter elsewhere. Our defenses have already been broken through in multiple areas and zerg are beginning to run rampant within the city. The only option remaining for us is to break out and escape."

"I'll tell my boys to start getting everyone together," Raynor replied. "We'll get out of here."

Everyone was beginning an organized withdrawal to the eastern wall of the city. Raynor and the other vulture drivers split up to search the city for any stragglers to bring aboard. Along the way there were zerg scattered about hunting anything that came within sight.

Protoss scout fighters arrived at the base and shot down any remaining zerg fliers and then began to thin out some of the zerg on the ground. This was their cue to leave.

At some distance from the ongoing battle, eleven battlecruisers hung in low orbit. The Borealis sat within the center of the formation, and within the commander was studying the map of the battlefield with a quiet intensity.

"Captain, the protoss are beginning to flee their encampment. Their rearguard is still fighting off the zerg while their noncombatants are escaping."

Roland continued to stare forward silently, his finger tapping on the metal dashboard.

"Shall we pursue?"

"Hector, tell the men to focus on eliminating the rearguard. Then we must reorganize to fend off their counterattack."

Hector nodded. "Right, the ones fleeing are little threat to us."

Suddenly, Roland laughed. "Little threat? On the contrary, each of them will eventually be as great a threat as any protoss warrior. It is by their hand that their war machines are built and new weapons developed. You cannot look too close at the immediate circumstances."

"Then why are we letting them go?" he asked.

"We would be in a vulnerable state during the pursuit," Roland responded. "Their reinforcements are already coming. Also, the noncombatants will be a burden to them during this fight. They will need to protect them and give them somewhere to stay. It limits their options to be mobile."

The rearguard forces fought to their last and for a brief moment the battlefield fell quiet in preparation for the next battle. More UED forces arrived and began digging in.

"The operation is going well," Hector said. "The admiral will be pleased in his correct choice to have you lead this mission. And the other captains won't doubt your standing either."

"It was about time," Roland replied. "I was starting to get a bit bored in the months waiting after we captured Char. There is only so long you can stare at maps to prepare defensive plans and train the men. When the admiral gave the order to eliminate the protoss' base of operations on Aiur, it was finally time to bring the fight to the enemies of humanity."

"I was a bit surprised at how long we were kept inactive," Hector said.

"I suspect he knew I found the ongoing operations distasteful," Roland said with a chuckle. "But here, there is nothing more fitting than aliens fighting each other. No matter what, man wins. By the end of this, both the zerg and the protoss will no longer be a threat to humans. We will not let them destroy us."

A notification sounded, indicating the detection of new enemies.

He looked at the screen. "Zerg from the west and protoss from the east. Looks like the traitors are sitting this one out. Have the men arrange into formation delta-five. Send our zerg to attack their flanks. Have the next sets of troops being deployed start occupying the areas around the battlefield."

As the attacking forces approached, the tanks fired. The first few lines of zerg were mostly blown to pieces, and while the protoss shields helped them to weather the assault, they were not unscathed. Now, it was their turn to charge. As they did, the spider mines beneath the ground uprooted themselves. A few were destroyed, but the rest were able to destroy the first wave of attackers.

While this happened, a line of protoss reavers inched forward toward the UED lines. Explosive scarabs shot out of the mouths of these caterpillar shaped machines, darting toward the defenders. The newly constructed bunkers were blown open by the explosions and the marines inside scrambled out of the wreckage, some missing limbs as they tried to crawl their way out.

Then, they were struck again by a series of psionic storms which descended onto the battlefield, shredding those caught within with both the ionized air creating electrical discharge as well as the mental assault ripping apart their minds. Not even those within large vehicles like siege tanks or goliath walkers were safe, and only those on the outskirts who managed to escape quickly were able to survive.

Roland observed the carnage with a grim but determined expression. "Have the men fall back two hundred meters and regroup. I want the tanks focusing on those reavers." As he watched, several of the reavers were hit, but some simply dissipated into the ether. He frowned. "Fakes… I want some scans done now."

A majority of the reavers were revealed to be hallucinations, with the real ones sprinkled between them.

"Have our targeting teams examine the scan data and give firing coordinates to the tanks," he said. "I want our shots distributed for maximum effect."

He turned his attention back to the other part of the battlefield. His men were holding the line, barely though. The horde of zerg, on the outside apparently seeming to be a disorderly mob, were acquitted themselves well in both defending from the UED's zerg while putting pressure on his men.

The battle soon reached a fever pitch as the zerg and protoss intensified their attacks and started committing the remainder of their reserves. He watched as each attack came and matched their moves. Finally, the enemy retreated as expected, first the zerg and then the protoss.

"Good work men," he announced to the defenders. "Take a rest for now. You have all shown your unyielding determination today in defeating the aliens arrayed against us."

Meanwhile, he ordered the fresh troops to start occupying ground and constructing defensible outposts. While a serious blow had been dealt to the aliens, in order to truly tear them out they would need to proceed methodically.

"Captain, the leader of the Kel-Morian contingent has asked to begin constructing outposts near rare resources they have detected in order to begin mining them."

"They will do no such thing." Roland slammed his palm down. "Are they out of their minds? The war has not yet been won and they are already thinking of profit."

"Well, it is what they joined us for," Hector said wryly.

"Then remind them they agreed to follow my orders. They can start looking for rare rocks after we win. Right now they will go where I tell them to."

Over the next few days the UED strike teams began venturing further and further into the wilderness to search for where the protoss were hiding. Their sensors were being disrupted by unusual patterns of background psionic energy in the region, likely originating from surviving protoss facilities which were repurposed for this. Part of the job of strike teams was to locate and destroy the sources of the disruption.

"They will have to come out to fight eventually, or the feral zerg infesting this place will do our work for us. They may know this land, but there is no way they can continue to stay hidden." Roland observed as he planned out the patrol routes for the next day.

"Captain, one of our strike teams has encountered the enemy. They have taken heavy losses and are withdrawing."

"What are they up against?"

"We are getting the pictures in now." Hector passed a datapad over.

Roland looked at the images. Even though they were slightly grainy, the subjects of the picture were large enough that it didn't matter. The machines towered over the landscape, propped up by four spindly legs. They employed massive laser beams, carving through their targets from incredible range.

He pushed the datapad aside. "Well I suppose it was too much to hope for them to lay down and die for us."

Chapter Text

The burning trunk of the tree crashed to the ground only inches away from him, sending sparks and embers into the air. The air's acrid smell could be sensed even from within his power armor as he ran away from the conflagration, sweat running down his face. A short distance away, a shriek pierced from the thick smoke, their location shrouded by the haze. For a moment, he contemplated going toward them, but instead he gritted his teeth and kept running.

Escaping the confines of the trees, a small clearing soon came into view. The ground shook, and up ahead he saw several siege tanks which fired in unison. A moment later, the metal of the tanks turned bright red before exploding as a laser swept across it. He kept running, all the while the unseen lasers carved up the area, setting anything within sight on fire.

He stopped running, coming to a halt near the treeline to catch his breath. There was nowhere to go. A group of soldiers ran for their lives in a frantic rout before they were disintegrated with only ashes and melted metal marking that they had ever existed. Far in the distance, he could see the sleek golden titans striding across the land inexorably, bringing doom in their wake.

The flames were almost upon him now, so he ran, hoping against all hope that he would escape the attention of these monsters. Somehow, he crossed the clearing and back into the trees. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to move. There was a tiny cave in front of him, and he ducked inside. It was a dark and cramped place, but it was the only thing that let him cling to hope.

After what seemed like an eternity, the flames died down and the monstrous machines passed overhead, their long spindly legs seeming like a pillar from heaven plunging into the earth, carving a deep furrow with each step. Only then did he dare to poke his head out and found an abandoned long range communicator laying in the dirt, its original holder collapsed on the ground next to it, unmoving.

This was the story told to Roland by the sole surviving marine, who slumped back to the ground and let out a breath of relief.

Roland sat with his hands folded in front of him as he looked at the screen showing the face of the man delivering the report. "Did heavy vegetation impede the weapons of these machines at all?" he asked.

"No sir," the man said, his voice shaking. "It cut straight through the trees. Maybe it'd stop them from seeing us but it sure didn't stop them from frying us under the trees. Armor wasn't of any use either."

"You've done the best you could. Thank you for telling us this," he said. "Try to head back to base if you can. Otherwise, hold your position and we'll evacuate you when we can."

The transmission disconnected. Roland rose from his seat and paced within the battlecruiser's bridge, his face twisted with frustration as he glared at the new menace. "The protoss revealing their new weapon now is a disaster. Even though these machines only number a dozen, we can hardly confront them in an open battle. We don't know what they're capable of and we've never seen anything like them."

"They're almost like the tripods from War of the Worlds," Hector noted. "They look quite similar and use lasers, just with four legs instead of three."

"You've read it? There are few that read such old literature these days." Roland had a somewhat wistful look on his face. "People in the past could only dream of how far we have come and the enemies we fight. But now we will not be helpless and rely on disease to do our work, which isn't going to happen here. We must fight, though it's not like we can ram them with a battleship."

He studied the pictures they had of the towering machines. "They seem designed to tower imperiously like gods over the landscape, unchallenged as they destroy anything in their wake. A fitting creation for the arrogant protoss. But there seems to be little concern for robustness or sturdiness. Remove one leg and the entire structure would crash to the ground."

"Its shield is too strong for lighter weapons to break," observed Hector.

"Noted," Roland replied. "But perhaps we could find some way to lay a trap, mines perhaps. No, they might detect it. And we can't get any people close enough to attack them, not by ground anyway. Perhaps we can hit their massive bodies from above where they cannot retaliate."

He gave orders to withdraw any remaining ground troops in the area while sending in his aerial forces, backed up by zerg fliers leading the charge.

The core of the Directorate force were the advanced valkyrie frigates brought from Earth equipped with powerful missiles and heavy armor to protect them. The wraith fighters acquired from the colonies flew escort to guard them from faster moving targets. Meanwhile, swarms of mutalisks advanced forward as the first line of attack.

Meanwhile, the protoss brought forth their flying scouts to guard the colossi while dragoons walked underneath to provide additional support. In addition, the few wraiths that Raynor's men had along with their goliath walkers also joined with the protoss forces. The formidable army continued to advance, undeterred by the UED's show of force.

Finally, the sky lit up with bright flashes as the two groups finally clashed. The missiles shot by the valkyries blanketed the sky, but the hardy protoss scouts were able to survive the initial barrage and fire back in retaliation. Meanwhile, mutalisks dived the dragoons and goliaths on the ground, which fired back at the attacking zerg, killing them as fast as they came. Then, a wave of scourge swooped straight toward the massive colossi.

For a moment, it looked as though the scourge would meet their mark. But the protoss fliers quickly circled to shoot them down before they could get near. Some of the protoss ships even flew themselves between the scourge and their targets, blocking the hit to stop the zerg from reaching their destination.

By the end of it, the protoss forces had taken serious losses while the rest were heavily battered as the UED pressed their advantage. However, by now the attacking zerg were thinning out as their numbers were depleted.

Then, a new group of flying zerg appeared, but these were not on the Directorate's side.

Seeing the shift in their fortunes, the UED valkyries and wraiths broke off the attack and retreated, carefully remaining in formation as they fought off the incoming zerg.

The bridge of the Borealis almost appeared to be in a state of panic, though well ordered panic, as ground reports streamed in ceaselessly. Officers and crew members shouted to each other over the frantic din while the captains of the other battlecruisers repeatedly called in both with demands to know what was being planned and giving unsolicited suggestions for what actions to take. 

Roland continued to present an impassive facade, looking forward sternly while below the table his nails dug into the palm of his hand.

"We have around twenty more hours before the protoss force reaches our main encampment," Hector whispered to Roland. "And that is in addition to a hostile offensive from enemy zerg and a secondary force of protoss and terrans advancing on another axis."

"Our soldiers can hold back the zerg advance, and the zerg under our control can wear down the third group." Roland traced his finger across the map on his datapad. "But we still need to find a way to deal with the new protoss war machines. Also, have the damned Kel-Morians responded yet with a status report? We need them to back up our positions. Our forces are already stretched thin enough as is."

"Yes, Captain. They informed us of their status not long ago while you were speaking with Captain Laborde. Apparently most of their forces are concentrated in the hills where they've found deposits of rare crystals."

Roland slammed his hand against the table."Are they serious? Did they really think that just because the enemy went on the run they were free to disobey my orders and start mining crystals they can't even use? Do they even know we are being attacked right now?"

"They're evacuating right now because their mining is right in the path of the main protoss advance. Once our attack failed, they decided their position was untenable. They are already in the process of lifting off their structures."

Roland huffed, leaning in his chair as he propped up his chin on his arm, fingers digging into his beard. "Of course," he growled tersely. After a few moments, he looked back at the map. "It looks like the protoss ground forces will have to travel through this corridor. While the large machines could no doubt walk unimpeded through such rough terrain, the dragoons and goliaths would find their mobility too hampered in the hills."

"Sounds like you have something in mind sir," Hector noted.

"Yes, if we could set an ambush for them here, that would be ideal," Roland muttered. "The issue is how we can remain hidden."

"Well, if the Kel-Morians have been mining, perhaps there is room in the mineshafts to hide some units."

"Excellent suggestion, Hector." Roland smiled at his aide before turning to look at the map again. "Inform the Kel-Morians at once to leave behind their siege tanks and hide them in the mines. Once we give the signal, have the tanks emerge and begin bombarding the enemy. The hills will prevent the protoss war machines from retaliating easily, since their lasers can only target in their line of sight which will be blocked by the terrain if the tanks are positioned correctly. The enemy ground forces will fall over each other trying to escape. Now, we just need to make sure to use our aircraft to screen the area and destroy any observers so that our plans are not detected."

As Hector left to convey the orders, Roland slumped back into his chair again. The bridge of the ship was still filled with a cacophony of noises along with flashing lights and signals. Even closing his eyes only provided some minor relief. After a minute of calm, he ordered another stimulant drink be brought to him. He knew that it was going to be a long day for him. But this was nothing compared to bringing humanity's triumph.

For several hours he waited as battles continued to rage across the surface of Aiur. His attention moved from one battlefield to another, micromanaging the situation when he saw they were imperiled. While the other officers were capable, against such skilled enemy commanders it was a difficult task. Yet the alien commanders also had the advantage of superior endurance and stamina. Even with stimulants, he knew that he would need to end this soon.

The main protoss force was finally approaching the planned ambush point. The siege tanks were prepared in position with fliers deployed to protect them once the fight began. So far, it didn't look like they were detected.

Suddenly, a new alarm went off, warning of an attack on the base.

"Captain, we've just detected a small protoss fleet on a course set directly for our main base."

"We can't spare any fighters to intercept them right now," Roland said. "They are needed for the coming battle. But send some of our frontline soldiers back to reinforce our base just in case. With the defense we have, we should be able to repel the attack."

It was time for the decisive clash.

The sound of rocks being crushed underfoot rumbled in the valley as the protoss and terran army marched. The area was lifeless, having been scoured by the war and left desolate. Large shadows fell over them, cast by the massive colossi walking on the hills surrounding the valley. Below them, the dragoons and goliaths lumbered forward while avoiding the boulders and fissures that littered the path.

Fenix turned his body to look around the sides, his robotic legs carrying him to a new vantage point. He felt ill at ease in this silent landscape even though there were no enemies within sight. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, yet he could not shake the foreboding feeling settling within him.

He opened a communication channel with Selendis at the fleet in orbit coordinating all of their armies. "Executor, are the terrans gathering for an assault against us? It seems odd that they have ignored us after their failed attack."

"I have seen no signs that they are preparing for another attack," she replied. "They were unable to gain a quick victory on the other fronts so their forces are still occupied. They have also been forced to pull back some of their soldiers because of our raid against their base. It would seem that they are in no position to confront your force."

"We must still remain vigilant," Fenix replied. "I doubt they have no other schemes prepared."

"I have already scouted the path ahead with our observers and it does not seem that they are preparing to launch any nuclear missiles against us here. Their ships continue to shadow us, but they cannot afford to get close."

Then, Fenix felt Selendis's mind become tinged with panic.

A few moments later, she responded. "The terrans have brought out tanks in the surrounding hills. They will soon be bombarding your position. You must withdraw immediately."

When the explosions began rocking the ground, the army fell into a state of pandemonium. Clouds of dust choked the valley  as new craters were carved in the rocky ground. The dragoons and goliaths stumbled through the haze, some walking in the wrong direction in the confusion and colliding with the others.

Fenix quickly made his way through the confusion, adeptly jumping over newly formed craters as he sought to rally some of his brethren and get them moving out of the valley. The area was becoming a charnel house with the broken shells of dragoons littering the ground while some humans crawled out of their crippled goliath walkers. Along the way, he helped some overturned dragoons get back on their feet.

"Executor, what is the status of our colossi? We need them to destroy those tanks."

"The hills are blocking their line of attack," Selendis replied. "They have to reposition in order to be able to target the tanks. But the terran aircraft have been attacking them, and our own fighters are unable to hold them back."

"Bring the fleet to support us then," Fenix said. Then he leaped to the side just before another explosive shell landed. The explosion didn't manage to break his plasma shield and his dragoon shell was still able to maintain its footing.

He continued to scurry around, sticking close to the sides of the valley to avoid some of the bombardment. The ground was even more rocky and uneven here, making progress rather difficult.

"What is your status?" Fenix asked again.

"My deepest regrets, Praetor," Selendis answered. "The terrans have intercepted our fleet with their battlecruisers when we tried to intervene. I fear that we will need to break off from this engagement as the battle is unfavorable for us."

Fenix could only gaze upon the destruction with helplessness as he moved past the ground littered with the bodies of the dead and those who were beyond saving. He desperately wanted to put an end to this, but there were no enemies in his sight for him to fight, nothing for him to focus his anger and grief on. In the distance, he could see some still clambering toward safety as they rushed toward the mouth of the valley. Another explosion erupted from the ground near them, sending three dragoons tumbling across the ground. Two of them got up and kept moving, though slower than before. One never got up again.

"The protoss force has been crushed," Hector reported. "Their war machines were destroyed and their aircraft forced to withdraw. It would seem that most of their ground force is destroyed."

However, Roland barely reacted to this news. Instead, his attention was focused on the attack occurring at their main base. Contrary to his expectations, the protoss ships were able to break through, deploying some kind of energy field to scramble the sensors of his defenses around the base. From there, a small group had been dropped into the base. They were invisible to the naked eye and though his base had sensors placed throughout, these attackers were able to overwhelm the defenders and destroy them.

Though the hidden enemies' numbers were few, their focus on stealth allowed them to wreak havoc throughout the base. Roland had to reorganize his men and move them around in large enough groups to deter ambushes while trying to root out the attackers. Yet even then some groups would suddenly disappear with only a few panicked communications betraying their gruesome fate.

Eventually, the goal of the attackers became clear. They were targeting the machines that his scientists were using to maintain an iron grip over the zerg cerebrates. While supposedly the zerg cerebrates had submitted to the Directorate voluntarily, he had no belief that they would remain loyal without these control measures. As the attackers neared their target, he made his choice.

"Activate our countermeasures," Roland ordered. "Kill the cerebrates."

"Are you sure, sir?" Hector asked. "Our orders were to keep them alive."

"We can't risk them falling into enemy hands now." Roland looked forward with a face carved out of stone. "It will be a setback to lose access to their forces, but we have exhausted most of their armies in the battle already. Having them fall into the hands of the enemy would be far more disastrous in the long run."

"These are only a few of the cerebrates." Hector's voice held a doubting tone that Roland had seldom heard from him. "Killing them could damage our relations with the other cerebrates. There is more at stake than just our battle here."

"The zerg cerebrates have always been unwilling allies," Roland said with a scoff. "They are without a doubt always looking for an opportunity to betray us. So long as we give them no opportunity, they can do nothing. Besides, with these new machines at our disposal, they will not be able to turn against us even if they wanted to."

Another alert flashed on the screen, showing that they lost contact with the guards protecting the core region where the cerebrates and the machines controlling them were located.

Roland's tone gave no allowance for disagreement. "We have no time. Either we remove these cerebrates permanently or we will see the enemy emancipate them. Do it." 

A series of large explosions rang out in the zerg hives, and his zerg forces on the battlefield descended into a wild frenzy.

As he watched the protoss force withdraw from the base, Roland prepared a message to be sent off world. He would need support from the Psi Disruptor.

For now, both sides sank into an uneasy calm as they pondered their next moves. No plan had survived contact with the enemy, but they would simply have to make do with new ones.

Chapter Text

Gathered together in the middle of a dim cave, none of them quite knew what to say as they looked at each other. For a time they stood there silently, terran, zerg, and protoss. It was Selendis, the only one of them represented by a hologram beamed from a ship in orbit, that finally broke the silence.

“I am aware this is a setback, but even so we had our triumphs too. We dealt a serious blow to the enemy and the losses we incurred were not in vain. Not all went according to plan, but we were still able to remove the enemy zerg from the board.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Kerrigan snarled. “The plan was to free the cerebrates and bring them to our side, expanding the numbers we can control. Now they’re dead because the attack was botched and we weren’t fast enough.”

“Do you really care?” Raynor’s words dropped like a stone. “I’ve hardly ever heard you mention any of ‘em, even the one that is still with you. Meanwhile I’ve got many good men in the medbay and many folks who didn’t make it.” Then he paused, letting out a sigh. “Sorry, we’re all upset here. It’s been rough for all of us.”

The retort on the edge of her tongue never came as Kerrigan closed her mouth and averted her gaze. The others continued to look at her as they waited for her response, but she was strangely subdued, her unreadable expression not giving any hint as to what thoughts were raging within her. After a few seconds, the silence became awkward and heavy.

Artanis stepped forward, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Our concern now should be to determine our next action, not lingering on what has already passed. While some of our people were able to evacuate through the warp gate, there are still a great many stranded on Aiur. Our warriors are protecting them as we take refuge within the forests, but we are also burdened by fighting against the feral zerg and the UED.”

“The terran advance has halted for now,” Selendis reported. “They are occupied with reorganizing their forces in the face of their losses.”

Artanis nodded. “We have bought ourselves some time. But even so, they will strike at us again soon and with the current forces at our disposal, we will not be able to defeat them in a direct battle. The enemy has refused any offer for negotiations; their commander will not even speak with us. We will need additional support if we are to emerge victorious.”

“Shakuras is gathering additional warships, but it will take time to prepare.” Zeratul’s head was bowed, his voice solemn. “The expeditionary fleet we have with us here is the only force that is immediately ready for war. Until then, we must fend for ourselves.”

“Not quite.” Raynor uncrossed his arms as he stopped leaning against the rocky surface and stood up straight. “My boys have been out in the colonies with the Hyperion and our other ships, gathering supplies and helping to support the folks out in the fringe against the UED and Dominion. I’ve told them to quickly finish up what they’re doing and gather up together in a safe place. They’ll be able to head over here to help us out.”

“You have my thanks. Any support you can bring is welcome.” Artanis then turned to Kerrigan. “What is the status of your zerg?”

Kerrigan frowned slightly. Her voice was languorous as she recounted her situation. “The Psi Disruptor is reducing the effectiveness of our forces, a most troublesome matter. But with only a few zerg left after that battle, the risk of completely losing control over the remainder is minimal. But this is all we have for the moment.”

“We may be able to succeed with what we have available to us.” Artanis’s face however did not reflect any optimism that his words seemed to suggest. “But we must find a way to gain an advantage somehow, perhaps with some manner of a trap.”

“It will be difficult, Artanis.” Zeratul’s head shook slowly. “The enemy commander is skilled and we have already fallen in their trap once before. Base trickery would be of little effect. We would need a more substantial plan. You who have lived on Aiur, are there any hidden features of this land which may turn the scales in our favor?”

The crunching sound of rocks was heard as Fenix’s robotic body shifted itself. “There is little in our surrounding area that we can make use of. The zerg overran the area early in the invasion, destroying anything useful. There is also nothing unique about this land which can aid us. Though there are areas further away which may still hold assets of value.”

The expressions of several of the listeners brightened, but as Fenix continued that hope faded away. “The primary obstacle to reaching those locations is the feral zerg presence around those areas. While I do not fear leading such an expedition myself, the fact remains that it will be most difficult for us to make such a push, especially with our enemies waiting at our back for a chance to strike.”

Zeratul tapped his fingers on the stone wall. “Should no other options remain to us, then evacuating is our only course. Would our fleets be able to hold all of the survivors?”

“Our carriers certainly do have the capacity,” Selendis answered. “But our ships would be exposed during the evacuation. The enemy would certainly notice and attack us during that.”

“Hey, can’t you sneak them onboard?” Raynor interjected. “Send some shuttles under a cloaking field and transfer people a bit at a time. Then you won't need to bring the carriers down low.”

Selendis rejected the proposal immediately. “It would require too much time to do so. Each trip would take time to return to orbit stealthily and we lack sufficient numbers of shuttles to do it in only a few trips. Furthermore, if we are detected our fleet will be hard pressed to defend the shuttles.”

Artanis lowered his head in disappointment. “Our situation is dire. The UED will continue to bring their might to bear upon us while the feral zerg restrict our movements. Kerrigan, is there any way for you to command the feral zerg and remove them from the area?”

She shook her head, recalling what had happened after Zasz’s death and the purge of the Garm Brood. “I’m afraid not. The minions in the brood of each cerebrate are tied to them, even if control can be delegated at times. But once the cerebrate dies, their minions run amok and can no longer be controlled by anyone else. The only option to deal with them is extermination. And while under normal circumstances I may be able to psionically lure the zerg nearby to attack the UED outposts, with the Psi Disruptor active even that is not possible. Though without that, it could be possible.”

“And you would propose to have us destroy the Psi Disruptor then?” Zeratul commented wryly. “You’ve been patient for a surprising amount of time.”

“I’m just providing you with options. It’s your choice what to do.” She presented an appearance of relaxed indifference as she said this, while leaning back against the wall.

Selendis seemed less than convinced by this. “This plan bears too great a risk. Traveling away from Aiur and striking at one of the UED’s most well guarded planets would expend our strength when it is most needed to defend our people here. If this venture fails we will have fatally weakened our position here. My first responsibility is to Aiur and its people. To risk everything on a dubious plan to use the zerg is reckless, especially when we cannot even be sure it will work.”

“Well it’s a good thing that I won’t need your whole fleet.” Kerrigan had quickly reverted back toward a casual and relaxed demeanor. “A small force using stealth is enough to launch a raid on Tarsonis. They only have to temporarily disable the Psi Disruptor. After that, I can take control over my minions that still remain on the planet and organize them to overrun the defenders.”

“So it would seem that you wish for my expertise,” Zeratul said. “But tell me, why has the UED allowed so much zerg to remain on one of their planets? It seems unwise for them to have left such a threat at their back.”

Kerrigan shrugged. “While they had the Psi Disruptor, the zerg there weren’t a threat to them but would still take a lot of effort to remove. And with everything they’ve gotten up to since then, I’d say that clearing out the sedentary zerg that still infest most of the planet wasn’t exactly at the top of their priority list.”

Suddenly, Raynor spoke up. “The Confederate remnants running the place aren’t as dedicated to their work as the fellows from Earth are. The UED itself only maintains a moderate garrison only to protect the Psi Disruptor. And I guess the Old Family members in charge of the planet have been wasting time with their little games instead of putting in the work to finish eliminating the zerg one region at a time.”

“That sounds about right for them,” Kerrigan said with a mocking laugh. “And that will make our job easier.”

Finally, Zeratul stepped forward. “This plan does appear to be our best option for changing the tide of the war here on Aiur. Without the Psi Disruptor, and with the additional zerg you can acquire from Tarsonis, we will have the chance to return the blow to the terran invaders.”

“My folks can also lend a hand,” Raynor said. “I’ll tell them to meet up with us and then head over to Tarsonis. I reckon it might be easier to sneak down to the surface in a terran transport. Might need to bribe a few people to avoid inspection, but that shouldn’t be too hard.”

Artanis nodded. “I concur with this plan. Kerrigan, you should go now to gather up what forces you need. We will prepare the ships to slip away from Aiur unnoticed.”

It was a motley collection of ships which approached Tarsonis while hidden under a cloaking field projected by several protoss ships. In addition to those ships, the protoss had also dispatched a force of corsairs and scout ships to provide additional support. Accompanying them were a few zerg overlords along with a paltry flock of mutalisks escorting them. Finally, there was the battlecruiser Hyperion along with a collection of terran transport ships and fighter craft. The men aboard were tense, filled with grim determination for the upcoming mission.

Within the ship, Raynor gazed through a window down at the planet slowly approaching him along with the imminent battle. The feelings bursting to the surface made him want to reach for a whiskey, but he held himself back. Instead, he simply let out a sigh from his lips.

Tarsonis. It was not a planet he wanted to see again; not after all that he was forced to witness there. He watched as the zerg laid waste to the most populated world in terran space, zerg that were set upon the planet as a result of his own actions. He may not have been the one to give the order, but it was only possible because of his support for Mengsk and him retrieving the psi emitter schematics on Mar Sara.

Even when they discovered the depths to which Mengsk was willing to go, he stood by and watched as the zerg attacked. He could have tried to stop Mengsk and confront him over it immediately. He could have left and gone to fight the zerg on his own. But instead, he did nothing. The deed was already done and part of him felt the Confederates should get a taste of their own medicine. It was much easier to just not rock the boat and simply watch as the horror unfolded in front of him.

Then, Sarah was sent down to fight the protoss and the rest was history. Raynor closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as he slumped against the glass. That was the moment he lost her, or so he thought. Now, they were once again traveling together. His mind drifted toward thoughts of the one whom he so loved in the past yet now was separated from by a certain distance, not the physical sort but the emotional kind.

After all these months, he could finally allow himself to feel hope again. Hope that her freedom let her no longer be the monster which tormented him and his men on Char. Hope that she can be trusted. And that might be right. Yet the more he saw, the more he knew that it was undeniable that she was not the same person she once was. She had changed and there was no going back.

While previously she was taciturn and professional, now she was much less restrained with herself, free to act however she liked. It was a kind of primal wildness in a way. Though her hubris had been curbed in recent times, she still had no reluctance to flaunt herself when she could. The old Sarah wouldn’t have acted like this. She might have been cold at times while using acerbic wit, but it was always tempered. Though perhaps this was always her natural state once she was no longer beholden to anyone or anything.

In a way, that thought frightened him more. Who truly was the person he fell in love with in the past? Was what he saw now something that had always lurked beneath the surface, waiting for a chance to emerge? Or did the infestation twist her into this? Either option left him distressed.

But even with this new gulf between them, part of him still yearned for them to be able to cross the gap once again. And he hoped that to an extent she might feel the same way. But it was unwise to let personal feelings get in the way of making the decisions he needed to make. He knew that Kerrigan, now the Queen of Blades, was dangerous. Once the zerg were restored to her, she would once more have the power to destroy worlds. And he knew not whether he could restrain her at all.

It was more pressure than a farm boy from Shiloh ought to have been allowed to bear. Yet now here he was, thrust in the middle of an interstellar war with the future of everyone at stake, wrapped up in a convoluted mess of a relationship that was impossible to disentangle.

Raynor looked down at the rapidly approaching world of Tarsonis once more, the turmoil of emotions within him still not calming. Finally, he tore his gaze from the sight and returned to distracting himself with work, making sure that everything was in order before the attack began.

Overlords were quite cramped, Kerrigan thought to herself. In the future she would create some other options for travel, once this was all over. Though when that would be was another question, with the way the war was going. Still, they were finally making some progress. Through the senses of the overlords, she could see the planet of Tarsonis come into view.

She closed her eyes as she leaned back into the fleshy body of the cerebrate sharing the space inside the overlord with her. “Tarsonis… This is where my life came to an end. And my new life started.”

“And this was the planet where I was born,” Kaloth replied. “Bestowed with the task to watch over you. And you have taken on your new life well. There is no need to trouble yourself with the past.”

“The past is not gone,” she said with a whisper. “I suppose I still linger on old attachments. But I can’t go back to the past. Working against a common enemy only goes so far and the others only see me as a useful tool. I can tell from their words and actions, they have little interest in me beyond that. I will remain alone, always at a distance.”

“Perhaps the protoss see you in that light, but what about that terran you speak with? He seems to treat you differently.”

“That’s… complicated. His aversion to the zerg is instinctual.” Kerrigan sighed. “He wishes I could be how I once was. But now, I don’t know what he thinks of me. Maybe he doesn’t even know. We’ve both changed and perhaps growing apart is inevitable.”

The cerebrate’s massive body shifted just a small amount, enough for her to sink into its envelopment just a little more. “Even if they all turn you away, I will still be with you. While I live, you will never be forsaken.”

Kerrigan froze as her mind drifted back to the words Raynor spoke to her only days before. 

Do you really care? I’ve hardly ever heard you mention any of ‘em, even the one that is still with you.

She shook slightly as she began thinking about it once again. “Why?” Her voice was soft as a single tear fell from her face. “I’ve never given you anything. Time and time again I ask you to save me and win my battles for me. But I’ve only used you as a tool. I’ve never asked what you want, only how I can do what I want. I’ve been awful to you. So why? Why do you still care for me like this? I don’t deserve this after leading the zerg to ruin and causing so many of your fellow cerebrates to die. Why do you remain with me?” She began to lean forward in order to stand up.

The cerebrate’s body tightened, keeping her in place. “I do this because this is what I want to do. Do not worry about me.”

“There has to be something you want.” Her voice was almost pleading by now as the guilt welled up in her. “Something I can do to pay you back for everything.”

“That you feel this now is all that I need. It means more to me than you can imagine.”

Kerrigan brushed her fingers over Kaloth’s outer hide. “Thank you. Perhaps I can hope to find acceptance among the zerg. But for that the zerg must continue to survive. Destroying the Psi Disruptor is only the first step. Then we must break the Directorate’s chains. Something like this should never happen again. I’ll make sure of it.”

Chapter Text

It had been days since they arrived in the Tarsonis system, still waiting as the fleet remained concealed. It was supposed to all be so simple, Kerrigan thought to herself, at least that was how she felt when she'd pitched the idea to the others to convince them to go through with this plan.

Then, the observers they deployed to stealthily survey the planet's defenses revealed a harsh reality: the Psi Disruptor was even more well guarded than they had predicted. Nestled within mountain ranges, it was a formidable target well defended from both air and ground assaults. They drafted plans, considered various tactics, and looked at every option. But all that was left was the frustration of fruitless planning.

There was no way to sneak a cloaked strike force down to hit either the Psi Disruptor or the primary power generator located on the outskirts of Tarsonis city. Though they were able to send people and material down to the planet with cargo ships by bribing the Confederate officials in charge of inspection, spies reported that the power plant would be difficult to assault by ground with the little forces they could secretly bring to the surface. The UED spared no expense in securing Tarsonis and its critical infrastructure.

Now, Jim had called her over for another meeting, supposedly with new information. The same thing was said for the previous dozen meetings. Now to see what it was this time.

As she entered the room, she spotted Jim hunched over a console, his appearance haggard as he rubbed his eyes. Next to him were a few empty mugs of coffee. "Jim… are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he muttered. "It's just been a long day."

Even though she was restraining herself from reading his mind out of politeness, his attempt to  put up a strong front was more than obvious. "Working hard is no good if you can't think straight anymore. You never used to do this. Before, it had always looked like you were taking it easy, even though we knew you were just as worried as the rest of us."

He shrugged. "People change. And things aren't the way they used to be. There's so much more at stake now than ever before. I can't keep acting the same way as I used to."

"That's true. All of us are different now. Everyone changes, but that doesn't mean that some things can't still stay the same."

He looked at her with a contemplative expression on his face. For a few seconds, he remained silent and she clamped down on the temptation to simply see what he was thinking. Finally, he answered. "Maybe. But we'll have to see what works and what doesn't. Once this war is over, maybe things can settle down again. We should focus on finishing our business here on Tarsonis first. Isn't it funny, things change but we're back here again."

Kerrigan's eyes narrowed. "It won't end the same way this time."

"Course not," Raynor said, leaning back in his seat. "I sure hope neither of us are gonna be left behind. But it feels a bit too similar. Attacking Tarsonis to let the zerg in. The survivors and people shipped in from offworld have already started rebuilding a bit. But we're not here to fight them."

"As long as they stay out of the way," Kerrigan looked Raynor in the eyes. "You know some of them are going to fight right? This isn't going to be clean."

Raynor sighed. "I know, but we'll have to do things the best we can. The sooner we can be gone from this rock, the better."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him as another individual emerged from the shadows. "I suppose this is when we begin discussing our current task at hand?"

Raynor jerked in his seat a little "Damn it Zeratul, stop doing that. And how long have you been here?"

The old protoss simply decided to stay silent, exuding a sense of aloofness.

Raynor sighed. "Well, let's get down to business then. I might've found a way to get the blueprint plans for the power plant. There's just one issue."

"Might? What is that supposed to mean?" Kerrigan frowned slightly as she sensed Raynor's doubt.

"I've been reaching out tryin' to get some info wherever we can get it," Raynor said. "And an old friend of ours said they might be able to help us."

Kerrigan's eyes narrowed. "Old friend? You don't mean…"

"Yes, the former Magistrate of Mar Sara. After we parted ways they've been around a lot of places, mostly as a rogue agent. We've been working together on helping organize resistance movements on UED worlds. But in this case, they are only passing forward an offer from someone we both would rather not talk to."

"Arcturus…" Kerrigan's voice drew into a sharp hiss "What the hell does he want?"

"Apparently he's not too happy about being under the UED's thumb. He'd rather see them taken down a peg so he can try to wriggle free of them. He's offered to give us the info on the power plant his spies found and he said when the time comes for the decisive battle, he'll stay out of it. In exchange, he wants us to leave him alone and not come after the Dominion afterwards."

"You can't possibly be thinking of trusting him, Jim. How did he even know we're about to attack Tarsonis? He could just be setting a trap for us."

Raynor sighed. "I don't like the thought either, but do we have any options? Apparently Arcturus had predicted we'd make this move eventually and he'd long since got the info and passed on the offer in advance. If he wanted to rat on us, he'd have done it already."

"How strange," Zeratul interjected. "Why should he side with us over the UED? Currently his situation seems rather agreeable for him. Though he must answer to Earth, he still maintains some autonomy. By siding against his fellow terrans, he risks not only being branded a traitor, but also gives the zerg a chance to destroy the UED and then destroy him."

"I reckon he's hoping to see both sides weakened so he can come out on top," Raynor replied. "Have us knock down the UED but keep his own forces intact as an insurance policy. I can see it from him. After all, he said he'd rather see the sector burnt to ashes than to not be the one ruling it. That's why I think his offer is legit. All he cares about is himself. Without him backing up the UED, we'll have a much easier fight taking them down. We can't afford to not take this and Mengsk knows it."

"And in exchange, all we have to do is pretend we're friends afterwards?" Kerrigan's words were spoken with icy coldness. "Do you really think that he won't try to fight us again once he consolidates control again? It would be foolish to simply let him prepare for round two. He's already done enough to support the UED, best to sweep them all into the trash heap together."

Zeratul shook his head. "That would be most imprudent. My people are only concerned with ensuring the UED will no longer threaten us. If the other terrans are willing to stand aside, that can only aid us. Should we come to an accord, the protoss shall not break our word."

Kerrigan frowned. "Even then, I can still take the fight to him myself."

"And you'll have to do that alone." Raynor stood up and stared straight at her. "I told you last time not to do it, and look where you ended up. I'll tell you again. I will never again help the zerg take out the government I hate, no matter how bad it is. If you insist that we shouldn't make this deal, fine. We'll turn right around and head back to Aiur, fight the good fight and rescue whoever we can. Tell me, is that what you really want?"

Silence settled over them as the seconds dragged on.

The Psi Disruptor or Mengsk. Kerrigan remained frozen in thought as her emotions raged through her. Finally, she made her decision. "Fine. we'll take the deal. But now you tell me, are you really okay with leaving him in charge?"

"I'm not," Raynor said. "But if we're gonna remove Mengsk, it won't be by an alien army trampling over the humans who just want to defend their home. Even if somehow you take him down yourself, then in the future Mengsk is going to be remembered as a hero. History books will talk about how he heroically stood against the alien menace. A model for all future generations to look up to."

"Is that what you want?" he continued, shaking his head. "I want Mengsk gone as much as you do, but this is something that can only be done by the people themselves. I'll do my best to make that happen and there will come a day when I bring him down. Not alone, but with the help of everyone who fights for what is right."

Kerrigan's eyes focused on Raynor as she stared at him carefully. Her lips turned upward slightly. "That better be a promise." 

Raynor nodded. "It is. I won't give up until it's done."

The two of them paused for a few moments, taking in the other's words and nodding in a shared understanding. Then suddenly, Zeratul finally cut through the silence "As it seems you have resolved your differences, perhaps we ought to return to thinking about our current objective. How are we to actually assail the power generator?"

"Ah, there is something," Raynor said. "Our old pal also knows the right people to bribe so that I can pass myself off as a maintenance engineer. And a lot of the people working down are old timer Confederate bureaucrats brought back from wherever they hid or scurried off. Shouldn't be too hard to give them a bit of special persuasion."

Despite having gone over the plan multiple times, Raynor couldn't help but fidget as the dropship approached the power plant. He had checked and double checked his disguise already and he had all the tools he needed to fit his profile as a civilian engineer. He wasn't alone though. Zeratul and several of his compatriots remained concealed in the dropship. They carried the explosives and were also there to help with any unexpected situations.

After the dropship landed in the hangar, he exited and was met by a guard.

"Hey there," Raynor said, waving his hand.

The guard ignored his greeting. "Identification card please." His voice was stern but also seemed quite tired with the monotony of his work.

Raynor pulled the card out of his cargo pants and handed it to the guard. He scanned it and the machine flashed red, letting out a beep. Raynor tensed as he watched the guard carefully, trying to gauge his reaction to determine whether or not the jig was up. If they had to resort to plan B, going in loud, then all bets would be off. They only had one chance at this.

The guard frowned and then wiped the card on his sleeve before inserting it again. This time, the scanner showed green. The guard looked up at Raynor's face carefully for a few seconds before turning back toward the picture on the screen.

Then the guard pointed at Raynor's backpack, gesturing for it to be handed over for inspection. Raynor handed the pack over, trying not to let his relief show now that the difficult part was over. Inside the pack were only some mundane tools, a bit of food, and some beer. Normal stuff for a worker to have.

"How've things been here?" Raynor asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

The guard remained silent as he searched through the bag. After finding nothing, he handed it back, along with a badge marking Raynor as a temporary worker. "You're clear to enter." The metal door slid open smoothly, and the guard waved him through. Behind him, his concealed comrades followed unnoticed. They stepped into a very plain metal hallway heading deeper into the building.

They were in. Now he just hoped it would all go according to plan. If they were discovered and trapped inside, no outside power could save them. They only had one chance at this, a quick in and out to plant the bombs on the power plant's cooling systems and blowing them up after they hop back in their dropship and fly off.

He quickly walked down the maintenance hallway, taking several turns in order to reach his destination. As he turned the corner, he saw another worker walking toward him. Raynor slowed down his pace, letting the other man pass him and turn the corner before he stopped by a door. Fortunately, the other man seemed to have a lot on his mind, paying little attention to Raynor as he passed by.

Taking one final look around to make sure no one was watching, he quickly stepped into the room. Inside was a vast network of pipes and valves arrayed across the grimey metal walls. Some water dripped from the ceiling, slowly pooling on the ground. Despite the heat of the room, the puddle wasn't evaporating very quickly because of the humidity.

After affixing a few bombs in the right places, he asked Zeratul whether there was anyone outside in the hallway. After waiting for him to give the all clear, he exited the room and began walking toward the next destination.

As he turned a corner, a guard in power armor on patrol walked past at the same time, now keeping pace with him. Chances were that the guard wouldn't find anything strange about him entering that specific room, but he couldn't risk it. Being discovered so early on would put him on a tough timer, and he only had one shot at this. And it would be suspicious to suddenly turn around or slow down his walking in order to fall behind. Instead, Raynor decided to strike up a conversation.

"Real hot in here ain't it? Wish they could spare a bit of power to cool this place down for us. They sure got more than enough."

The guard grunted. "Least you don't have to walk around in here every day. You've got it easy just coming here whenever we've got a special issue."

"Well, we all gotta stay hydrated." Raynor pulled two cans of beer from his bag. "Here, take one."

"Thanks man." The guard gulped down some of the drink. "Good stuff."

After walking a few more paces, Raynor spoke up again. "Hey, d'ya know where the nearest toilet is? I gotta take a leak after having these drinks."

"Oh, it's back there." He pointed down the hall and toward the corner. "Just take a right at the intersection."

Raynor nodded and walked off in that direction. After waiting for the guard to turn the corner, he headed back and slipped into the next room to rig it with the explosives. So far, things were going off without a hitch.

When he reached the third room, it looked much like the others. As he set down his pack and got ready to get to work, a head popped out from behind a machine. Their eyes met and the engineer had a look of confusion on her face.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She stood up fully, one hand still holding a wrench.

"I'm just here to take a look around and inspect things," Raynor replied. "Just checking up on things."

"No one's supposed to be working here except for me." The suspicion on her face didn't lessen even a single bit. "Hold on, let me call this in."

She reached toward her communicator and Raynor lunged forward. She reacted quickly, swinging the wrench forward to force him to move out of the way. Her arms were large and muscular and he knew she'd pack quite a punch in a brawl.

"Ah hell. You really are up to some shit." The engineer took the chance to grab her communicator. As she was about to activate it, she suddenly slumped to the ground, knocked out by an unseen figure.

"Thanks, Zeratul." Raynor spoke into the empty air. "We gotta get moving quickly. There might not be any cameras in the room, only the hallways, but it's only a matter of time before someone comes looking."

A heightened sense of focus came over him as began completing the remainder of the tasks, knowing that there was a strict timetable weighing down on them. Even as he finished up rigging the very last room, his apprehension remained as he packed everything up and left the room.

There seemed to be a bit more people around now, and it took some time before the coast was clear enough to leave the room. The hangars were on the other side of the building so it was going to be a bit of a walk to get there. As he walked, it felt like there were eyes constantly on him watching his every move, but nothing happened. It was just nervousness making him feel things.

With all these people around, no one was paying attention to just another face in the crowd. It wasn't long before they'd reach the place they came in, and then they'd be home free.

Just then, there was an announcement through the entire building. "The facility is now under lockdown. Suspected saboteurs are present, armed and dangerous. Staff should remain in hiding and wait for security teams to eliminate the threat."

Pandemonium erupted as the other workers in the area ran in every direction, scrambling for empty rooms to hide in.

"Shit." Raynor's face hardened. "If we're gonna be getting out of here, we'll need to disable the air defenses so we don't get shot down trying to fly out. The security room isn't far from here, we gotta capture it.

Zeratul and his compatriots followed Raynor as they ran down the hallway, remembering from the blueprints where to go. But soon, he saw the hallway up ahead was blocked off by a thick blast door. They didn't have the tools to break through quickly.

As he crouched by the corner of the hallway, Raynor got a mental nudge from Zeratul that there were people coming up behind him. He turned around and saw several guards in power armor approaching. He noticed one of them was the guy he shared a drink with earlier.

"Shall we eliminate them?" Zeratul asked telepathically.

"No," Raynor thought in his head. "We can use them."

"Hey, you're not supposed to be out here," one of the guards shouted at him.

Raynor put on a frightened appearance as he shook in faux nervousness. "We gotta get out of here," he stuttered. "We're all gonna die."

"Calm down son, what did you see?" Now it was the guard from earlier questioning him.

"It was protoss," Raynor blurted out. "They killed a whole group of people in an instant. I ran as fast as I could while they were distracted with the rest. We can't fight them, we gotta run."

"Protoss, here?" The guard sounded shocked. "How did they get in? Never mind that, we'll hold our ground here."

"It's not going to be enough with just us." Raynor was frantically waving his arms. "We gotta get away and group up with some reinforcements. Otherwise we're toast. We don't have much time."

The group started displaying some nervousness. "I don't think the five of us are enough," the guard said. "I sure don't plan on dying here guarding this damn place. Let's get behind the door and wait for some reinforcements."

The guard walked up to the keypad and typed in a code to open up the blast door. After they all scurried through, the door closed and they were able to let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, we're safe. Let's wait for some backup first," the guard said.

"Yeah, let me find some help." Raynor quickly ran off down the hallway.

"Hold on, we can just call-"

Raynor ignored what the guard was saying as he continued running and then turned the corner. He knew the guard would assume he was just spooked and they wouldn't come chasing after him when they were expecting to be in a fight any minute now. A minute later, he arrived at the door to the security room. "We gotta get in there and take over quickly," he whispered under his breath to Zeratul and the others. "Don't damage any of the computers."

He opened the door and walked in casually.

"Hey, you're not allowed in here," the soldier inside the room said.

"You guys need to send help," Raynor exclaimed. "We got protoss heading for us and they're gonna get through the door."

"We already heard the report from the guys at the door," the officer at the console said. "Wait, you're the guy who reported that? What did you see? It shouldn't be possible for them to get past our sensors."

"Well, maybe they used some spooky magic tech of theirs," Raynor replied.

The man looked skeptical. "Something about this doesn't seem-"

Suddenly, the people in the room wobbled on their feet and fell over.

Raynor was briefly surprised by the suddenness of it, and realized that it must have been his invisible friends who had done something. "Whoa, was that you?" he whispered into thin air.

"Merely a minor trick to overwhelm weak minds," Zeratul replied. "They shall not be a concern for some time."

Raynor nodded. "That was good, they didn't have a chance to cause a ruckus. But their absence will be noticed soon by the others."

He stepped up to the computer console which was still logged into the security network. From here, he could see all the cameras showing the patrols all running around the building. On another side of the screen he saw the panels for the facility's defenses. He disabled the lockdown, opening up all the doors. He also made sure the missile turrets wouldn't shoot down his ship. With his job done, he shot up the consoles so that no one else could change the settings.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he said as they exited the room. He glanced to each side furtively, checking to make sure there was no one around. The group he had run into earlier would definitely be confused by the doors opening up and he didn't want to have to answer any questions. Luckily, he didn't need to pass by them again to get to the hangar bays.

The guards would definitely be in a state of disorder now that there was no one to direct and coordinate them, but there was still the chance that they'd run into some and a loud fight would attract attention and get everyone headed in their direction. He couldn't afford to be too careful though. The longer they took, the more time there was for reinforcements to get called in.

Raynor continued running down the hallway, the pounding of his heart and the sound of his breathing echoing in his ears. They were already in the same section of the facility as the hangars, there were only a bit more to go. As he approached the hallway intersection, he heard the heavy clanging of metal boots against the floor.

A brief look around revealed there weren't any alcoves or rooms that he could hide in. With no time left, Raynor put his back to the wall and hoped that if he was spotted, then Zeratul and his folks would be on top of things. A fight would get messy, but hopefully they could get away before the sounds of gunfire drew people over.

A few dozen men in power armor thundered past the perpendicular hallway. Where they were going, Raynor wasn't sure, but he was glad they had their eyes set elsewhere. Only when their footsteps faded into the distance did he let out a sigh of relief. Checking one last time to make sure they weren't spotted, he closed the distance to get to the other side then continued on his way to the hangar.

The few technicians in the hangar were shocked when he suddenly barged in and raised his gun. "Everyone against the wall!" he ordered.

After a moment of hesitation, they followed his command and he went to his dropship. After taking another glance to make sure none of them were going to pull anything, he got in along with Zeratul and his people and they prepared to quickly take off. Once Raynor strapped himself into the seat and took off, he could finally let out a sigh of relief. The explosives were remotely detonated and the power plant would soon melt down.

"We are fortunate to have done well." Zeratul reappeared as he walked up to Raynor.

"No kiddin'. They almost had us there." he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

Zeratul nodded cautiously, "Now we must hope the remainder of our plan succeeds. Once the planet's primary communication hub loses power, our fleet will begin jamming their satellites to cut off communications for the planet. We will only have a limited window of time to complete our task before the UED realizes something is up and sends reinforcements."

"The defenses here are certainly nothing to scoff at. But we've had tougher fights." Raynor said. "Besides, our main job here is done, it'll be up to Kerrigan and her zerg to do the heavy lifting in the battle."

"I shall hope that this success has come soon enough for those on Aiur." Zeratul's somber tone contrasted with the victory they just achieved. "They are no doubt using their full effort to survive against the UED attacks right now."

"Fenix will be fine, he's got to be." The clenching of Raynor's hands betrayed a nervousness inconsistent with his confident words. "They'll need more than that to take him down."

Suddenly, a flashing alert caught his eye. Raynor looked down and swore. "Damn it. There are enemy wraiths closing in on us, coming from the military base around the Psi Disruptor. They're demanding that we land our ship and surrender. We're not going to be able to make it orbit in time."

"Then we must land and evade them on the ground," Zeratul said. "It shall be our only chance for survival."

"I'll take us into the city," Raynor said. "I still got some of my boys there with the military equipment we smuggled in. They were ready in case we failed and they had to resort to our Plan C to cause a ruckus to distract the UED. If we hide out in the ruins on the edge of the city, we can try to hold out for a bit."

Though the city had been repaired to some extent as it was repopulated, the fringes still showed the damage of the zerg invasion. With it being abandoned, it was a good place for his men to hide in. Now, it would be their holdout.

He sent out a message to his people on the ground as he began to fly the dropship down. But there was still some distance to go, and the wraiths were gaining on him. Raynor gripped the steering controls tightly. Even though he wasn't a professional dropship pilot, in his days as an outlaw he often had to get out of a tight situation. Now, he'd need to put those skills to the test again.

Seeing the dots showing the missiles drawing closer, he swung the ship to the side. The metal creaked from the sudden movement and the loose items on the floor crashed against the side of the cargo hold. Trails of flame streaked past the side of the ship, visible from the cockpit as the missiles narrowly passed by.

Raynor gritted his teeth as his palms grew sweaty. The next set of missiles were already coming. The ship shook as he pulled it into another evasive maneuver, barely dodging them again. Leaning forward in his seat, he pitched the ship downward into a dive. The wraiths gave chase, intent on forcing them to either land or crash.

Just then, a set of missiles came from the ground, fired by goliath walkers. The missiles struck the pursuing wraiths, knocking them out of the sky. Raynor slowed down as he approached the ground, eventually bringing the ship to a halt right by the goliaths. After landing, he got out to greet his men.

"We gotta head underground into the bunkers," he said. "They stayed solid during the zerg invasion, so they ought to let us hold out for at least a while. We're in the middle of hostile territory, trapped with nowhere to go. The enemy might send everything they've got after us. But we're gonna fight, and we're gonna make it out okay. We survived Char. We survived Aiur. We won't let this rock take us down."

Chapter Text

The gust of wind brought with it dust and sand, stirred up from the desolate terrain around the dormant zerg hive cluster. The sun, partially obscured by the haze, glowed a dim orange over the silent land. No human had come by this place in over a year since the zerg invasion had first overrun the planet. All that remained were zerg, coated with a layer of dirt and sand accumulated over months of hibernation.

One solitary individual walked within the shadows of the slumbering zerg. She reached out to them, both physically and mentally and roused them with one push. For they were hers. The pernicious buzz of the Psi Disruptor had faded from her mind, signaling the success of the first phase of the plan. Across much of the blighted surface of Tarsonis, the scattered zerg hives awoke as one.

The time had finally come for the zerg to make their true strength known at last and destroy the Psi Disruptor. No longer would the zerg be trampled underfoot by these terrans. Kerrigan took a deep breath as the minds of the zerg scattered across the planet connected with her own and lit up with activity, ready to perform their duty, as would she. The preparation of many months would culminate here.

Elsewhere, her cerebrate Kaloth informed her of his progress in organizing the productive centers of the zerg hives to begin hatching dormant eggs and rallying the armies together. The force was formidable; it had to be. The UED had provided Tarsonis with as much men and material as it could spare without undermining their numerous commitments and offensives across the sector and they had made the best of their position here.

Regardless of what difficulty there would be, this would be their only chance to turn things around. Kerrigan remembered Daggoth's recriminations against her as the UED seized Char, the result of the stage she herself had set first by seizing control of the swarm by force and secondly with the failed campaign against the Dominion. Her only refutation was insistence that her methods would ultimately turn the tables, a claim that was hollow at the time. Only now did she have an opportunity within sight to show that she could lead the zerg to triumph and throw off the shackles of the UED. And to prove that Kaloth's assurances about her had not been a lie.

Zerg skittered around the hive, preparing for the coming battle. Already, the UED had taken notice of the movements and were preparing to strike first before the zerg could finish streaming in, traveling through tunnels to reach the outlying hives that were the target of the offensive. Many small skirmishes were happening across the land, small groups of terrans and zerg clashing with each other, the prelude to the coming battle. A large terran force gathered itself and advanced. Finally, the terrans were arriving. The Queen of Blades roused herself from her seat and walked forward, stepped away from the cover of the hive's buildings. Victory and defeat rested in the balance. Failure was not an option, it must not be.

The UED commander was lamenting the fact that the zerg on the planet were not completely purged from the very start. But after they had claimed the planet, control over Tarsonis was granted back to its old masters who were to be responsible for controlling and governing it. The bulk of the military forces belonged to what remained of the Terran Confederacy and what mercenaries and disreputable folk the oligarchs of the fallen state could gather with their resources.

It was their job to cleanse the planet of the zerg while the orders given to the UED garrison were only to protect the Psi Disruptor. But alas, they had dithered and squabbled rather than fight the zerg. The commander dwelled on their reasons. They didn't have enough people to repopulate all of Tarsonis anyways, and besides, they must have thought zerg were of no threat with the nearby Psi Disruptor keeping them in check. Why fight costly battles to reclaim land for someone else to take for themselves? Or perhaps they believed that the Directorate would eventually become so fed up they would finish the job themselves?

The commander of the UED garrison could only bemoan the idiots he was saddled with. He dreamed of rounding them up and forcing them to follow his orders. If only he was allowed to. The admiral had been quite clear about maintaining the cooperation of these parasites. Here it was, the fruits of their cooperation.

Even now, their so-called allies were fumbling around trying to get their forces organized. There was no time to waste waiting for them to get their act together. The tenets of Earth's military doctrine were clear: take the first strike, swiftly and decisively. He had three battlecruisers in orbit and immediately gave them orders to gather together and then descend to the surface to bombard the largest of the newly awakened zerg hives on the planet. The ground army was also mobilized to advance on the zerg's primary staging point on the continent, to end the threat before they could organize.

From inside the leading battlecruiser, the captain watched calmly as his ship began approaching the zerg hives. Then, the vessel shuddered as projectiles shot from the spore colonies below impacted the hull. Flocks of mutalisks filled their view, drawing ever closer.

"Deploy our fighters," the captain calmly ordered. The wraiths and valkyrie frigates flew out from the hangars, pushing back the tide of zerg. Their ships were taking moderate damage so far, still within acceptable parameters. Soon, they would be able to strike back and level the infested city to eliminate the zerg presence in the region.

Suddenly, an alert blared out, signaling a new presence on the battlefield.

"I want our sensors at full power," the captain swiftly ordered. "What's coming at us?"

"We're detecting one terran battlecruiser, accompanied by…" the crew member paused for a moment. "Protoss vessels?"

"Protoss? What the hell is going on here? We need to take them out. Now!"

The protoss spacecraft sped forward, tearing through the UED's fighter screen with almost contemptible ease. The terran battlecruiser soon followed and opened fire as well.

"Focus our main guns on the enemy battlecruiser. I want it gone," the captain ordered. He watched as they began trading fire. The lone enemy battlecruiser bore hit after hit of battery fire, but it was surprisingly resilient. And yet more zerg were coming at them. Time was not on their side.

"Hail the other captains," he ordered. "We will prepare to fire yamato cannons on my mark. Don't leave that ship with any way to evade."

The fronts of the battlecruisers shined brightly as superheated plasma gathered, the prelude to a devastating attack. Finally, the ships unleashed their attacks simultaneously toward the Hyperion, leaving it with no opening to evade.

The shots passed through their target as though it was not even there. For a brief period of time, the ship was shunted out of reality, frozen in place as they existed in a state of stasis. For a few moments, the UED battlecruisers simply continued to hang in the sky, their captains not believing what they were seeing. "What… is that?" the captain muttered. "Are you all seeing this?" It was almost unimaginable, and certainly nothing the terrans of this sector could have created.

The sudden surprise cost them. After having diverted the ship's power to charge the yamato cannons, they were left briefly vulnerable, and the zerg fliers took full advantage of the opening. A new surge of mutalisks rushed forward, followed by streams of scourge launched from their nests.

The swarm was just so overwhelming. The captain almost fell in a daze as the ship began shaking even more intensely while more and more red lights flashed. To the side, one of the other battlecruisers fell to the ground, and he could only watch helplessly.

"Fall back," he muttered. "We have to get out of here."

The slow lumbering ship, using the full force of its engines, began to turn around. More and more projectiles tore into the hull. The battlecruiser to their right began listing to the side and entered freefall. Now, it was only them left.

The enemy battlecruiser was on the move, no longer frozen in space. The front of the ship lit up as it gathered energy in front of it.

"Destroy that ship!" the captain shouted frantically. "Destroy it before it fires, damn it!"

In their last gasp, they attacked with everything they had, battering the enemy battlecruiser extensively. But it was too late. A bright flash engulfed their field of view, and it was the last thing they ever saw.

Orderly rectangular formations of infantry, equipped with power armor, continued their unrelenting march through the arid wasteland nestled in the rain shadow of the mountains. A cloud of dust rose into the air, stirred up by the approaching troops. The tanks rolled in behind them, also accompanied by goliath walkers scanning the air for threats. Several aircraft flew through the air above them. One approached, drawing closer and closer until a missile shot out.

The vision cut out as the zerg overlord exploded into chunks of meat, but not before relaying what it saw back to its masters.

"They are here," Kerrigan said to her cerebrate.

"The terrans are likely seeking to entrench themselves on the cliffs within range of the hive," Kaloth said. "We will need to stop them before they reach their destination."

"And your armies still need time to arrive, I can see that. I'll take the forces at my disposal here and intercept them first," Kerrigan replied. "How long do you need?"

"Half an hour most likely. Less if I push the minions to rush at top speed. In that case it would probably take-"

"Don't," Kerrigan cut him off. "They'll need to keep their energy for the actual fight. We both know what the most effective strategy is here."

Kaloth paused for a few moments before responding. "I'll keep you informed on my progress and if circumstances change. Don't hesitate to back off should unexpected events occur."

With the discussion over, the army began to move out. A few cave systems nearby provided a way to approach the path the terran army would be taking, allowing them to attack from the flank while also providing an area to retreat to. When the zerg finally emerged into the light, the terran army was close to being within sight.

It didn't take long for the terrans to notice the approaching zerg army. They kept up frequent scans of the surrounding area because of the risk of hidden ambushes from both above or below ground. The terran commander immediately ordered his men to form up into a defensive formation and the tanks shifted into siege mode in anticipation of the incoming attack. Despite this flurry of activity, the terrans were certainly not afraid. They could see the size of the attacking zerg force and saw that it was no threat to their large army.

Tense minutes passed as the UED army readied themselves for battle. But it never came. The zerg seemed content with halting outside the range of the tanks to simply wait. It was a stalling tactic, the terran commander quickly realized. He then ordered most of the army to resume the march, with a portion left behind which would suffice as a blocking force against the zerg.

Kerrigan watched as the terran force separated and the bulk of it began moving into the distance. The enemy commander was certainly confident in his chances, but she would show him the consequences of his folly. Her zerg, composed of basic zerglings and hydralisks, rushed forward at the smaller terran army. As the enemy concentrated their forces to meet the brunt of the assault, she gathered her power, unleashing her psionic might on the assembled terran soldiers. Death came swiftly for them as they were fried to a crisp by the concentrated energies.

The zerg surged through the gap, quickly overrunning the artillery in the back before turning to envelop the flanks of the terran forces. Kerrigan gazed upon the carnage with satisfaction; it was the first step toward repaying the UED for their actions. Even after the exertion of that attack, she had never felt so energized and eager to continue the fight.

The bulk of the terran army, now quickly realizing their mistake, quickly turned back to rescue their comrades from the zerg now surrounding them. It was total chaos with scattered pockets mired in close quarters combat against the zerg. No artillery fire came, the commander reluctant to catch his own forces in the blast zone.

Instead, the firebats advanced to meet the charging zerg while behind them the marines opened fire into the swarm of zerg. The tight formations quickly devolved into a chaotic melee as streams of flame blanketed the ground, zerglings leaped through the air to claw at whatever poor soul they landed on, and projectiles filled the air from both sides. Medics tried to treat who they could, patching up wounds and stemming bleeding, but even so numerous corpses littered the ground.

There wasn't a sense of frontlines, not anymore as it became every squad for themselves, each group being neither able to advance nor retreat. Still, more groups of infantry continued to stream in, matching the influx of zerg. While within the melee, the zerg seemed endless, looking from the outside their numbers were dwindling.

Claw met gun, batting it to the side while a fist smashed through the visor of the helmet and the face underneath. A pair of bony wings unfurled, sweeping around in a slash which sliced the neighboring soldiers to pieces. Several bullets pinged off her side, but Kerrigan ignored them as she rushed toward the shooters, impaling them on the tips of her blades. A firebat approached, spewing flames from his arms, but with a casual thought she lifted him off the ground and tossed him into the soldiers behind him. The cry of alarm from them was cut short as they were engulfed by an explosion of flame. The smoke rose from the ashes, mixing into the haze that covered the battlefield.

Out of this haze, more indistinct outlines appeared off to the side, another squad of soldiers not seeing what they were walking into. In the midst of the indistinct chaos, each group might as well be in their own little world, caring only about what was inside their little bubble. For herself, she was unstoppable within her bubble, cutting down enemies as trivially as harvesting wheat. It was easy to relish this and immerse herself in the brawl without end. But she was aware of everything around her and could see the zerg force she brought slowly fragmenting as more of the terrans pushed through the gaps. It would only be a matter of time before the enemy gained enough of an advantage for the slow attrition to tip into a complete rout.

Time. That was the fulcrum here on which everything balanced. In the end, each corpse that fell here mattered only insofar as it bought another moment. At one end of the scales, a tightening encirclement. On the other, a distant zerg swarm bearing down on the army mired in battle. The strategic situation was obvious for both sides; there was no need to think about it, only to fight.

More soldiers marched toward her, their heavy stomps barely audible in the cacophony of battle. Once more, she dove into their midst, beginning to tear through them like a whirlwind before they could even react. It was over in a few seconds, with barely a few shots fired. But even as she was about to stop and examine her handiwork, more shots came from behind. Yet more to deal with. The all important time slowly ticked by. Ironically, time itself felt like it was losing meaning, becoming an indistinct blur. A goliath emerged from the dusty haze, firing its autocannons at any zerg within sight. As Kerrigan ran toward it, the pilot spotted her and turned to shoot. She kept ahead of its aim, eventually sliding beneath its body and slicing through its legs. The machine toppled to the ground and she stabbed her wings in to finish it off. Another one down. How long has it been?

She continued to move through the battlefield, past the motionless suits of power armor littering the ground and the heaps of zerg bodies lying nearby. The rapid tapping of gunfire, the screeches of the zerg, the groan of metal being ripped apart, and the sounds of battle came from all directions.

The sounds of battle grew in intensity, with the sheer quantity of gunfire becoming overwhelming even as the screeches of zerg became increasingly numerous. In the distance, the sound of artillery rocked the ground as they fired at the approaching zerg.

More and more zerg burst through the curtain of haze around her as they overran the pockets of terran resistance and streamed into the center of the battlefield. The sounds of artillery in the distance had ceased. Around them, the dust was beginning to clear. Sporadic gunfire remained and several explosions happened nearby as the remaining soldiers either fought to their last or tried to retreat.

Then, the battlefield fell silent.

A gust blew over the rocky wasteland, blowing away the smog and smoke and revealing the landscape. There was hardly any open ground to stand on without stepping on either the wreck of a vehicle or one of the countless bodies carpeting the area. The battle was won and the terran army was utterly obliterated. Though many zerg corpses joined the terrans on the dirt, more zerg were arriving from across the planet to bolster their numbers. Now, all that was left was to crush the terran stronghold guarding the Psi Disruptor nestled within the mountain ranges to the north of Tarsonis City.

Kerrigan rested inside the hive as she watched the inexorable march of the zerg armies across the continent as they began approaching their destination. The remaining terran forces were scrambling to establish defenses, fortifying defensible locations to block the zerg advance. But without the numbers to cover every approach, the attacking zerg only had to spend some time taking a detour to outflank the defenses.

"They don't have a hope of stopping us," Kerrigan mused to Kaloth. "It won't be long."

Suddenly, many zerg in the vanguard cried out through the hivemind as they died, with even mighty ultralisks brought down. Vehicles fired at the army from a distance, but when the zerg began chasing, they swiftly turned and fled while continuing to fire. The vehicles appeared quite bulky, but they were still capable of gliding over the ground at incredible speeds. There was a lack of visible wheels and though it was difficult to spot from a distance, the vehicles seemed to hover. They were armed with railguns which outranged the zerg but which also packed heavy firepower.

"How troublesome." Kerrigan frowned. "I don't know where they got these things from but it will be quite hard to pin them down."

"We can attempt to limit their movements by splitting up smaller groups to block off escape," Kaloth replied. "The more time they spend trying to extricate themselves from an encirclement, the less time they will have to attack. Harry them with zerglings and force them to expend their ammunition on them. We only need to minimize the damage they cause."

While the zerg army continued to advance, a transmission came from their allies. Raynor, still fighting alongside his men holed up in Tarsonis City after their attack on the power generators, seemed rather anxious when he spoke.

"We're gonna need some help here sooner or later," he said. "These underground bunkers and tunnels won't hold out forever. My men are getting tired and I don't know how much longer we can last. I wouldn't put it past the Confeds to wreck a chunk of their own city just to deal with us."

Kerrigan looked at the screen silently, mulling over the situation. "I'll see what I can do."

"Well don't take too long thinking, Sarah," Raynor replied in a half joking, half agitated tone as the sound of gunfire continued in the background.

The transmission ended, leaving Kerrigan to ponder. "What are our options?" she asked her cerebrate.

"We have an army close enough to the city to assault it," he replied. "Capturing the entire city will be long and bloody, but if we only need to distract the defenders enough, we can do it. However, we would be delaying our assault on the Psi Disruptor, giving them more time to reinforce their defenses." The implications of each option were left unsaid, but silence itself carried enough meaning that there was no need to elaborate.

The silence continued to drag on while she continued to think to herself, the tips of her fingers digging into her palms as the seconds dragged on. "We'll go to the city," she finally announced. "We don't need to attack too far in, just overrunning their outer defenses and scaring them is enough."

Kaloth hesitated for a barely perceptible moment before responding. "If that is your wish, I will commence the attack at once."

The Confederate forces seemed somewhat surprised at the zerg changing course, more focused inward than outward. Some portions of the army immediately withdrew deeper into the city while others stood and fought ineffectively. The remainder, uncommitted to the fight, began to retreat as well, collapsing into a rout when pursued.

This felt easy, too easy. Kaloth's mind raced as he examined the field again, looking over each possibility to find the trap. Enemy movement was spotted in the distance. Additional terrans were approaching. Initially positioned in the area around the Psi Disruptor, they were now traveling toward the city, moving along the shortest path.

Prior to the attack, zerg lurkers were already positioned in the area to ambush and destroy any attempt from the terrans in the city to reinforce the Psi Disruptor and strike the zerg from the flanks while in the middle of the assault. Now, the terrans were walking in from the other direction. Once they reached the ambush point, the ground erupted with the hidden attacks of the lurkers. The terran army disintegrated into chaos as the soldiers began to flee the carnage. The survivors began to flee toward the city while more zerg forces arrived to pick off stragglers.

Only a fraction of them survived, but they were able to break through the zerg's loose encirclement and linked up with the other terrans defending the city. Meanwhile, air forces emerged from the terran base defending the Psi Disruptor. Dropships, escorted by fighter craft, flew toward the city. However, they never reached the city. Instead, the dropships unloaded their cargo.

The ships were not transporting people, but instead dropped a multitude of bombs onto the area the zerg had set their ambush. The bombs didn't detonate upon contact with the ground but instead through some mechanism tunneled into the ground before exploding. The lurkers hidden beneath the ground were killed by the shockwave and the dropships returned to base. Following this, the same fast moving vehicles from earlier came in and eliminated any remaining zerg in the area, clearing the path again.

But still, the terrans within the city did not move. The terrans defenders had regained cohesion but continued to maintain their positions rather than take the path of escape. The vehicles continued to idle outside as if waiting for something.

Though he felt hesitant to go through with the attack without first ascertaining the enemy's plan, Kaloth wasn't willing to let the opportunity go to waste and now rushed forward another army on the path to the Psi Disruptor while having the army surrounding the city continue their assault to encircle the terrans outside. Blocked off from escape, the annoying and persistent terran attack force was finally vanquished. And still no trap revealed itself.

"Excellent work, Kaloth," Kerrigan said. "You've really outdone yourself this time. The enemy forces have been weakened significantly and our allies have been extracted. We can proceed with the main attack now."

"I…" he seemed unsure of himself for a moment. "I cannot understand the actions of the enemy. Their movements feel puzzling."

"I don't think there is anything you need to be concerned about," Kerrigan replied. "The terrans blundered, and that was it. The Confederate insignias on them show that these terrans were taking orders from the Old Family remnants still holed up here. They likely recalled their forces to defend themselves. The UED likely tried to order them to abandon Tarsonis City and focus all of their forces around the Psi Disruptor, sending forces to support a breakout, but they weren't willing to leave. Now we can simply leave the remaining defenders alive, they are no threat to us holed up inside the core of the city."

"The decision making of these terrans is truly inexplicable," Kaloth said after spending a few seconds thinking it over.

"One only has to understand their interests and the way they think, and it all becomes clear. Though, I wasn't expecting a blunder of this scale," Kerrigan said.

"I shall keep that in mind." Kaloth then turned his attention toward their true objective.

The Confederacy had built the Psi Disruptor in a remote location, far from where ordinary people might notice it. The site was located on a small plateau, surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges which had been formed long before terrans had ever arrived. Desolate granite cliffs, having a slight reddish color, overlooked the landscape and provided an imposing barrier to any approach.

The one side of the plateau that led into a gentle slope was the most approachable and also held the main road into the area. But even here most of the ground was rocky and uneven, broken up small cliffs and also with small gorges cut by rivers fed by melting snow from the mountains.

It was through here that the zerg now approached. Creep blanketed the terrain, smoothing over rough areas while drones carved additional paths out of the rock. Fleshy structures popped up, bridging the gap to allow for additional crossings across ravines. As the zerg creeped closer, explosions began blanketing the landscape, carving a clear line where the range of the terran weaponry extended.

The zerg continued their exploratory attacks, searching for holes in the terran defenses as well as favorable terrain to make the final approach. Finally, a headlong rush began, rushing toward the front lines. Countless zerg were blown to pieces by the mines and yet more died when the second layer of the terran defenses opened fire. The remainder reached the lines of bunkers where a brutal melee ensued.

The zerglings clawed away at the metal, only to be burned out by the flames emitting from within. A few lucky hydralisk shots went through the holes where the marines shot from, earning some kills, but far more zerg died from the return fire. It didn't take long for the offensive to peter out as the zerg ceased their attack.

The terran defenders took this brief reprieve to replenish their front lines and rotate soldiers, but it took little time before the alarm was sounded again. The zerg were not willing to continue to try using their numbers to force their way through the front lines. Instead, they attacked through the only other route possible, by air.

However, the zerg weren't alone in their attack. Several protoss craft were intermingled within the flocks of zerg fliers. The anti aircraft missile platforms built into the mountainside revealed themselves and began opening fire at the incoming zerg, scoring many hits. Then, many of them went dark as webs of energy surrounded them, disrupting the technology used to track and aim their weapons.

The zerg continued to descend, beginning to pick apart the defenses. In response, the UED dispatched the remainder of their air forces to combat the zerg attack while squadrons of goliath walkers on the ground moved into position to fire additional missiles at the incoming zerg. Even the zerg guardians which were bombarding the area were taken down, the capabilities of the UED goliaths allowing them to fire at much greater distances than the standard model. The firepower continued to concentrate as more units entered the fight, creating a near impenetrable flurry of ordinance that destroyed any zerg that tried to descend to attack the rest of the terran fortifications. Once again, the zerg pulled back.

While both sides paused to rest and prepare for the next round, the discussions within the zerg hive were becoming increasingly frustrated.

"We are at their literal doorstep," Kerrigan hissed as her fist struck the wall. "We can't be stopped here of all places. Even if it takes everything we have, we have to win here. There won't be another chance at this."

"Even everything we have isn't enough if we send it all on a frontal assault," Kaloth replied calmly. "We simply do not have the numbers to overwhelm them completely, even if you insist on throwing yourself into the fight again and again. By now we've scraped together all the zerg we have on this planet. And there won't be any significant amount of new zerg produced before the UED inevitably sends reinforcements."

"Let's try to think outside the box again, something other than more zerg rushes from various different angles." Annoyance and a tinge of desperation was leaking into her voice.

"We've already talked about tunneling," Kaloth replied. "But it's all solid and hard rock here. There is no way we'll be able to get through anytime soon. We've already tried attacking from the air once. We can try again and drop ground forces, but even if their defenses are weaker in the rear, it would be almost impossible to break through with what we are able to transport in. Do our allies not have any other tricks up their sleeves?"

Kerrigan shook her head. "The Hyperion is too damaged from the earlier fight to be engaging in head on battle now, it needs to be repaired. The protoss can help us a bit in an aerial attack just like before, but that is it. They mostly brought supportive vessels along. At the end of the day, it is all up to us."

For the first time in his rather short life, Kaltoh began experiencing a sensation he'd never felt to such a degree. To terrans, it might be described closest to dread. Even in the previous defeats on Korhal and Char, or even back when the first Overmind died on Aiur, there had never been such a sense of finality and despondency as now. No matter what he could think of, their future course seemed carved into stone. Perhaps these were the natural results of his own choices. But even so, he felt no regret here.

Kerrigan sensed his change in mood. "You've done many feats in the past which seemed impossible, I wouldn't have made it this far otherwise. This time I will find a way."

For several minutes, they sunk back into silence, contemplating the possible options. Kerrigan scraped her finger along the biological map grown to mimic the landscape of the battle arrayed before her. The many pointed peaks jutted out, not so imposing in miniature, but it didn't make it any less of an obstacle.

Plan after plan, created and discarded. A desperate hunt for a silver bullet that turned up empty.

Finally, the Queen of the Zerg rose from her seat. "We can't wait around any longer. The only way we can win is through boldness and action. There won't be any easy solution. The fight will end now, one way or the other."

"What will you have us do?" Kaloth conceded in resignation.

"We'll simply use the best plan we've come up with so far. Hit them from every angle and hope they expose an opening. Send in our remaining fliers to allow us to drop an army on the slopes of the surrounding mountains and attack with whatever we have. Meanwhile we continue to pressure them from the front and force them to split their attention. Eventually, they are bound to make a mistake. I'll drop in with our forces in the back and lead the attack from there. I'll trust you to handle the front."

"The chances of success are uncertain. Too much is out of our control," Kaloth said with some hesitation. "And if you drop in with our forces behind their lines, it will indeed be more effective, if the attack fails there will be no way to extract you. Even you… will…"

"Then it is what it is," Kerrigan said with finality. "What is the alternative? To be reduced to a vagabond seeking scraps, relying on others to survive? I'll take this chance."

"Yes," her cerebrate said solemnly, "My Queen."

Chapter Text

Another round of explosions rocked the cliff face, causing more rocks to accumulate on the bare ground. Kerrigan brushed off the fallen pebbles in her hair as she assessed the situation. In the skies, what remained of the UED aerial forces were mired in combat with the attacking zerg as the overlords finished dropping off their cargo out of range of the terran defenses. As the zerg trickled in from every side, the terrans began committing their reserves to plug the breach.

Though the zerg defilers blanketed the area with a dark swarm, the defenders simply bombarded the entire area to prevent large groups of zerg from advancing. Perhaps they would run out of ammunition eventually, but with each passing moment they were bringing additional resources and manpower to shore up their defenses.

However, the hastily organized defenses had numerous openings for someone like her to exploit. She moved unseen across the scarred landscape, avoiding the sparsely placed sensors which might detect her. Soon, she was behind their lines observing the Directorate soldiers as they moved about their camp with calm efficiency. She ducked to the side of the path as a truck carrying munitions drove past where she was standing and a few moments later moved away from the wall as several soldiers marched by.

Her destination was just up ahead and when the gate opened to let another truck through, she slipped in right behind it. The sound of artillery fire grew almost deafening now as she drew close. The ground practically pulsed in a rhythm as the cannons fired in frequent volleys, one right after the other. People in power armor streamed back and forth moving additional munitions to reload.

Kerrigan spotted the stockpile of explosive shells, neatly organized stacks of crates piled high. A ball of psionic energy formed in her palm, and someone nearby finally spotted the light that could not be concealed. But even as the alarm was raised, it was too late. She launched the attack and ducked to the ground as the massive cache of explosives detonated, wiping out everyone else nearby.

As the dust settled, the surviving soldiers who witnessed the explosion remained in shock as they still tried to comprehend what had just happened. With the zerg now rushing to attack this area, her main job here was done and it was time for her to move on. The defenders would likely be left in panic and they would soon be overrun. As the terrans ran around trying to figure out where to go, she quickly moved past them.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire peppered the area around her. She turned and saw a formation of soldiers approaching. Though they couldn't see her, it was clear they were being informed of her general location by some form of detection. A bit irritating, she mused to herself. They had gotten organized faster than she expected.

With another block of enemies approaching from the other side, she recognized she still had a bit more work here to get done. She leapt onto the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, running across them before diving into the midst of the enemy forces. With them shooting chaotically, they were more likely to hit someone else rather than her, nor did the few shots faze her much. The orderly formation of soldiers broke and ran, scattering in all directions.

Now the hunt was on, chasing down stragglers while destroying any remaining important defensive emplacements as the zerg arrived in full force, quickly blowing through the outer perimeter. As this stronghold was overrun, the rest of the army could then advance and roll up the enemy's defensive line from the flanks. As the breakthrough widened, the UED commander ordered a retreat along all sections of the line.

However, the battle was far from won. With multiple layers of entrenched positions, each one proved to be an obstacle. But none were as challenging as the initial line. By using the dark swarm created by the zerg defilers as cover to advance close, the sudden onslaught of zerg was able to close the gap and break through.

Suddenly, a group of zerg under the cloud died, their flesh corroded by an out of control plague from one of the defilers. Kerrigan quickly ordered the surrounding zerg to keep their distance to quarantine the afflicted zone, letting the plague burn itself out before causing any more damage. The incredibly virulent mixture contained by the defilers was a double edged sword at times. Its lethality and effectiveness were impressive, but it was not very discriminating as a weapon. Unintended releases were rare as the microorganisms shouldn't activate unless the correct conditions were met, and the defilers were designed to keep them contained, but the mixture is unstable and rapidly mutates, so accidents like this did happen.

Then, a second outbreak happened. A third and fourth soon followed. Somehow, the enemy had managed to infiltrate into the haze and pick off the defilers methodically. And not through a simple gunshot either, but with some other tool that would induce this very scenario. Since the UED had limitless amounts of zerg to experiment on, it was hardly surprising that they had invented some weapon that would do this.

The haze obscured the vision of the zerg inside, but even so it shouldn't have been possible for regular soldiers to infiltrate so deep within to carry out such precise strikes. It was likely that the UED had some stealthy special operatives of their own. Shrouded within the dark swarm, even the overlords couldn't manage to detect the invisible ghosts.

Ghosts… how nostalgic to be facing off against them, Kerrigan thought as she too moved through the haze to intercept her targets. Each time one struck, she would know their general location and trajectory. Now, it was time to lay in wait.

Her senses were sharp and especially in the case of ghosts, their minds stood out against the background. When one finally drew near, she pounced. The masked figure sensed the danger at the last moment and turned toward Kerrigan as he raised his gun. But before he could bring his weapon to bear, her claw sliced through the barrel of the gun. As he dropped the weapon and reached for his knife, her other claw pierced his chest.

Kerrigan looked over the equipment of the UED ghost, blood still dripping from her hand as the body slumped to the ground. It very much appeared to be mass produced, though she didn't recognize many of the gadgets he held. Strapped to his back was a grenade launcher and he had a variety of munitions on his person. All in all, it seemed quite typical, just as expected for a pawn being tossed away in this manner. The communicator on his person flickered with some sound, probably the other members on his team. Now they were aware they were being hunted.

As she continued to prowl, she sensed another of her targets a short distance away. They were on the outskirts of the shrouded area now and were soon to make their escape. As she approached, they suddenly stopped and turned toward her. Though she was keeping herself hidden as well, it seemed they had the equipment to detect her.

Kerrigan shifted to the left a bit as a bullet whizzed past, barely grazing the armor on her chest. She continued forward, once again dodging as she anticipated the next shot. Now, she was there in front of him and made her strike. The enemy ghost ducked just a bit late, and the top of his helmet was sheared off by the tip of her wing. As he drew his knife, she followed up with a swipe with one claw. To her surprise, his blade cut off the tip of her fingers. The enemy then lunged forward following her momentary surprise but she caught his forearm in her grip, squeezing tightly enough to break bone. Then, she promptly finished him off.

The other two ghosts had probably fled by now and there weren't any further attacks, though they had done quite a bit of damage. And it was at quite the unfortunate time too as the terrans had finally consolidated around their final line of defense. On the other side of a vast canyon, the UED had scrounged together all their remaining forces in the area, along with more siege tanks transferred from the front. The fighting going on there between the main zerg army and the bulk of the terran defenders was still ongoing and vicious. With the zerg constantly on the verge of a breakthrough, the UED couldn't afford to transfer away any more men. Yet, if their defense fell here then their front lines would be hit from behind, sealing their demise.

However, this last push wouldn't be easy. The only path across the canyon was a long stretch of rock extending across the canyon, forming a natural bridge. The rock which formed the rough path across the gap was darker in color than the surrounding stone and its top surface was worn smooth over time and had a road built atop it. On each side, the rock intruded into the sides of the cliffs, before being subsumed by the rest of the landscape.

On the other side, hastily built defenses blocked the path. Scrap metal welded together formed barriers and provided cover for the soldiers. A motley assortment of forces arrayed themselves facing the bridge with the tanks positioned close to the edge, giving them the range to bombard all paths approaching the bridge. While hydralisks could shoot across the gap, thick walls built on the edge blocked those shots while the tanks had free reign to fire over in long arcs.

However, this was the only option open to her. The remaining defilers available to her blanketed their side of the canyon, and part of the bridge, with the dark swarm, using all they had left for the final push. Though the tanks continued to bombard them, it still provided some measure of cover against the enemy attacks.

Kerrigan approached the terran lines as explosive shells landed all around, kicking up even more pebbles and dust into the hazy cloud. She paused for a few moments to gather herself, eyes closed in contemplation. They were finally so close; this would be the moment. Her psionic energy seeped out and swirled around her, accumulating into a turbulent mixture guided by her thoughts and determination. Finally, it surged forward in a inexorable rush of power, expanding outwards and engulfing the front lines in a psionic storm that cut through all in its path. Infantry, goliath walkers, tanks all fared much the same as they were reduced to scrap.

The Queen of Blades staggered forward briefly, sheer willpower keeping her standing after the exertion. Around her, zerg minions streamed past on the temporarily silenced battlefield, rushing toward their targets. Yet, the fight was far from over; it was only the beginning. Even as the zerglings ripped into their targets, additional firebats waded into the frontlines to burn them out, giving the marines more breathing room. Meanwhile, rows of goliaths continuously cut down the advancing hydralisks with a torrent of gunfire.

An unceasing storm of violence and destruction. It was still not enough. Kerrigan forced her body into motion again, taking one step forward, then another until she was sprinting forward once more. She saw the soldiers turn their attention to her as the volume of gunfire increased. She planted a foot into the ground and then pushed off, suddenly leaping high into the air to land among the goliath walkers arranged in formation in the middle of the army.

The large mechs next to her attempted to turn and reorient their weapons to face her, but a slash from one of her wings sent the closest one toppling to the ground. Then she rushed under the next one, cutting it apart as well before it could lock onto her. She took down one, then another, then another, continuing to stay on the move even as her muscles burned with each step. She had to keep fighting, keep killing as it was the only way forward.

The lumbering goliaths collapsed one by one to form a new scrapyard as they stumbled around shooting haphazardly with more and more of them turning their attention away from the other zerg and toward her. But with all the other machines in the way, few could manage to get a clear shot and even then they were too slow as long as she kept moving.

It was a delicate dance she was stepping through as she zipped between the legs of the mechanical giants like she was cutting her way through a forest of metal trees rooted in a rocky dust swept ground, felling them one by one. She took another step forward, plunging the sharp tips of her wings through the underside of the machine's cockpit and ripping it open. Then, her left foot exploded.

Kerrigan hissed as she dropped to one knee, quickly identifying the source of the attack. Before she could retaliate, the sniper laying on the ground rolled away from their prone position and the shuffling of the goliath walkers soon blocked them from sight. She was slipping, letting them take a shot at her without sensing it. The bullet had smashed through her ankle, separating her foot from the leg. Eventually her body would regrow the appendage, but in the meantime there were more issues to contend with.

The ring of goliaths focused in on her now stationary position and opened fire. Kerrigan focused her mind once more, creating an invisible barrier around her deflecting the incoming gunfire as she began staggering toward better cover to try to get there while she was still able to bear the strain of maintaining the shield.

A sudden pain shot through her head, not a physical one but a mental one. She felt two forces pushing against her mind, attacking like a blunt instrument. It was a clumsy and amateurish attempt at a mental attack from weak psychics. Normally it would hardly even be a nuisance to deal with, but under present circumstances it strained at her concentration as long as she let it go unanswered.

Kerrigan gritted her teeth as she continued to maintain focus, but her shield was eroding under the torrent of attacks and her exhaustion and ongoing distraction wasn't helping matters. As the two enemy psychics continued to hammer at her mind, she finally retaliated, pushing back through the mental connection with a psychic probe that smashed through the mental barriers of one of them. As the victim cried out mentally, she plunged the strike deeper, shattering their will and crushing their psyche.

But before she could turn her focus to the second, her momentary lapse of focus finally caused her shield to slip. Numerous bullets struck her body, the barrage cracking apart her tough carapace and penetrating multiple areas. Her limbs were barely still attached to the rest of her by the time she briefly escaped by telekinetically pushing herself off to the side.

She coughed a mouthful of blood as she landed a short distance away, her body working overtime to patch up the multiple holes in her. But just in time, the zerg that had broken through finally caught up, now engaging the goliaths in close quarters. For a few minutes, she continued laying there as the rest of the battle caught up. Then, she shakily forced herself up. Even now, their attack was starting to run out of steam. The finishing blow had to be dealt as soon as possible.

They had reached the enemy camp now, zerg trickling in and running amok among the supply depots and barracks. Rather than large formations clashing with each other, individual groups fought to the death, retreat not being an option. In the shadows of the local command center, a hydralisk stabbed through the helmet of a marine, only to fall to the ground after being shot multiple times by a mounted gun operated by another man. A zergling leaped onto the roof where the gun was mounted, managing to maim the man before being shot.

Kerrigan knew the ghost who had shot at her earlier must be moving through the base. She moved to hunt him down and eliminate the irritating enemy before he could do anything else. It wasn't a straight path however and there was fighting on every corner she had to deal with.

A rickety pavilion stood up ahead with various soldiers laying under there in various states of injury. After being patched up by medics, most got back to their feet and grabbed their gun, even with one arm, to rejoin the fight as what remained of the attacking zerg minions were close to reaching this place.

Then, one of them spotted the Queen of Blades as she stepped within view from among the ruined buildings, a handful of creatures following behind her. A panicked cry of alarm spread quickly and any available weapon was picked up. But she struck first, blowing apart the support pillars with a blast of psionic energy, causing the roof to collapse downward on those underneath.

One medic crawled out from the wreckage and saw the pack of zerglings approaching. But she paid it no mind. Instead, her enraged eyes were pointed toward the leader of these zerg. With an angry shriek, she pulled a grenade and hurled it with all of her might.

Kerrigan, still searching for her target, telekinetically stopped the projectile midair, almost lazily as the zerglings killed the medic. Then, the grenade activated, not generating a physical explosion but instead an intense flash of light directed in her direction. She flinched backwards as the concentrated beam of light slightly singed her face and she quickly raised an arm to block out the light. But it was already too late, with the light completely burning out her retinas, leaving the world pitch dark to her physical senses.

Her eyes would regenerate in time, but just a few seconds later she felt more bullets strike her side, with a few of those hot metal slugs piercing through the weakened patches of her armor and embedding themselves into her flesh. She snarled in rage, switching her attention to gaze through the eyes of her nearby minions which were not blinded by the blast. No overlords managed to make it this far, so she would have to suffice with the eyes on the ground. She ordered a few nearby hydralisks to silence the mounted gun firing at her.

A short distance away, a zergling finally spotted someone garbed in the same standardized ghost equipment of the others, firing grenades from their launcher. With her target now spotted, Kerrigan dragged forth another portion of her almost depleted energy reserves to fire a blast of energy toward the enemy. It missed by a bit, instead exploding the supply depot behind the enemy ghost, creating a shockwave and hail of shrapnel that sent the ghost flying, landing nearby in a motionless heap.

But before Kerrigan could celebrate her victory, her world exploded in pain. She noticed the grenades exploding near her too late, but what was worse was that these didn't seem to be ordinary grenades. The zerg around her writhed and died as their bodies succumbed to the aftereffects, some having rapidly tumorous lumps burst out from within them. The cause was quickly obvious, a sudden concentration of radiation causing the zerg rapid regeneration to go out of control after being injured by the explosions.

Kerrigan felt the effects of this firsthand as the radioactive particles released seeped into her body through the wounds inflicted both by the grenades and the earlier battle. Zerg had natural resistance to radiation, allowing them to cross recently created nuclear wastelands on a battlefield, but this was on another level with radioactive shrapnel embedded within her flesh. Her very cells turned against her, a civil war raging within her biology while she still desperately needed to recover.

Damn them. Merely, a lucky shot in a moment of distraction and already she was reduced to this. It was almost laughable if the situation wasn't so dire. The UED really did have some tricks up their sleeves. Those accursed terrans from Earth never ceased to be a thorn in her side, pricking at her with every move she took. Her pain was her hatred, burning within her.

Lying prone on the ground, Kerrigan groaned in agony as she pushed more of her own psionic energy within herself to exert greater control and reinforcement on a cellular level to keep the situation stabilized. It was fortunate the remainder of the enemy forces were tied up elsewhere and there were none in the immediate vicinity, otherwise they'd come and finish her off.

The minutes went by, time slowly passing. Eventually, her vision returned and she finally found the strength to stand. Now, she staggered across the bare rocky wasteland with pained breaths, finally reaching an abandoned bunker on a hill, worn down and already broken open in places. From within, she could see the terran siege tanks in the distance, firing from atop the cliffside at the zerg below.

Kerrigan rested her hand on the metal surface, propping herself up as she focused one final time. She couldn't remember ever being so exhausted and drained of energy, not in this life at least. But still, she could always push herself just a bit further. Using every last drop of strength left in her, she unleashed one final attack at the tanks in the distance. The storm of psionic energy engulfed them, reducing them to nothingness. Below, the army of zerg surged with new vigor, ready to make the final breakthrough.

Finally, it's done. I've done it. Kerrigan let herself lean forward against the wall of the bunker letting out a breath as she let those thoughts go through her head. Kaloth could handle the rest, leading the army to victory and completing their task here. The other cerebrates would soon learn of the Psi Disruptor's destruction and perhaps be in a position to make a move. She wondered what they would think, with things being the way they are now. The future still remained daunting with unknown possibilities lurking on the horizon.

As her posture shifted to stand straighter, a vague hint of danger prompted Kerrigan to jerk to the side suddenly. A knife sailed past her head, barely nicking her neck before turning downward and slicing through her shoulder. She spun around as her left arm fell to the ground and she spotted the assailant that had struck from behind. Their mind felt familiar, it was the same ghost from before. Somehow he – no it was a she now that she looked more closely – managed to survive.

Kerrigan reached with her other arm to grab onto the hand holding the knife, but her opponent nimbly jumped backward. The two of them stared at each other, separated only by a short distance. "You again. I've had just about enough of you." Kerrigan's voice dripped with loathing. "If you had run you might have been able to survive."

"My life serves the Directorate," the ghost said, lunging forward with knives in both hands.

With only one hand, Kerrigan was barely able to dodge one strike while batting away the other. In the narrow confines of the space in the bunker, she was forced to keep her wings folded up, limiting her options. "A good little slave aren't you? I was similar once, a slave to the Confederacy. I was their best ghost you know. Someone with your skills doesn't stand a chance against me."

"Amusing. You're the one on the brink of death here." They spoke in a stolid voice while their arms moved with alacrity, managing to strike forward and leave a cut through the carapace on her abdomen with one hand while fending off an attack from Kerrigan, cutting off one finger.

Kerrigan didn't wince at the damage caused by the extremely sharp blades, instead immediately following up with another slash with her claws which her opponent dodged. "You just got lucky with cheap tricks." The UED technology was unexpectedly advanced and quite troublesome, she silently admitted to herself. "You were only able to take cheap shots while your comrades did all the dying."

"They knew their job," her opponent replied. "It doesn't matter what one of us can do, it was the work of all of us that brought me here now. We serve the Directorate. We serve humanity. And we will destroy monsters like you."

Kerrigan moved backwards, her back scraping against the wall as another strike from her opponent cut deep into her thigh. It stung somewhat, both the physical cut as well as the words. Here she was fighting alone. Ironic that the human was telling her about fighting with others united in purpose, when the zerg as a whole ought to be the true epitome of fighting as one unit. Though, she supposed that wasn't entirely correct from a broader perspective.

Their fight continued, and to her dismay, she wasn't winning this easily. Her injuries were barely healing, her body so exhausted from the previous exertions. Each step felt like treading through molasses compared to her earlier grace. She wasn't able to intimidate or scare them off either.

As the enemy ghost lunged forward again, Kerrigan braced herself, not dodging the blow and instead letting the blade plunge into her side, eventually getting stuck in a rib. Then with one hand she grabbed onto the enemy's other arm, holding tightly and twisting, forcing the knife to drop from their hand. She followed this up by pulling downward, causing her opponent to stumble.

Kerrigan moved her knee upwards, slamming it into her opponent's chin, leaving them momentarily stunned. As they toppled back, she kicked her foot forward and slammed them into the wall, her foot penetrating the ghost's armor and piercing straight into their chest.

They were finally dead and Kerrigan pulled out the knife still embedded within her. She inspected it briefly, finding it unlike any design she was familiar with. It was certainly made of something the terrans of the Koprulu sector didn't have easy access to, sharp enough to easily cut through her bone. Suddenly reminded of it, she picked up her fallen arm and pressed it back to her shoulder. Slowly, the flesh began to knit together again to reattach the limb.

Just now, a voice spoke up within her head. "My queen, the terran lines have been broken. We will soon reach the Psi Disruptor and capture it."

"That's good," Kerrigan replied. "We have won then."

“Kerrigan, are you alright?” Kaloth asked.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Just had a bit of a rough fight. Nothing to worry about. Just keep going.”

“There seem to be more terrans around,” Kaloth said with concern. “You seem a bit-”

“It’s nothing,” she said, cutting him off. “It’ll take more than that to take me down.”

A distant rumbling caught her attention. Several trucks were approaching, carrying more soldiers, no doubt looking for her. She didn’t have any more zerg left in the area after the few remaining terran stragglers cleaned them up. Looking around for something she could use, she spotted the gun the ghost she fought brought. It was on the ground outside of the bunker, left behind since it was no use in a close quarters fight. She picked it up and inspected it. The model was totally different from any she was familiar with, but it was better than nothing.

The vehicles were getting closer now as she took aim and fired. The first shot went wide, hitting the ground to the side. Kerrigan frowned, adjusting her aim again. This time, the shot went through the engine block of the vehicle, making it explode. The other vehicles began slowing down, and when a second blew up the rest stopped. As the infantry inside streamed out, she continued to fire at them, taking them out one at a time. They fired back, but the bunker shielded her from their attacks.

Eventually, they fell back and took cover behind the wreckage of the vehicles. A few other trucks approached but they opted to take their distance and circle around behind her. For now, it seemed that they were content to wait with the time continuing to tick by. But with the front lines already broken through and the main zerg force soon to overrun the entire area, it made no sense for them to wait.

Something was up, Kerrigan realized. She exited the bunker and spotted aircraft approaching. She dashed out from the bunker, finding another rock to hide behind before a bomb dropped from above and exploded the bunker. The surrounding soldiers took this as a signal to move and they abandoned their cover to advance. There were a few rocky outcrops she could use as cover and she took the chance to snipe a few of the advancing soldiers.

The rocks in front of her suddenly exploded, sending her tumbling back. Another wraith fighter flew by on a strafing run, peppering the ground with laser shots. Kerrigan turned her gun upwards, firing a few shots at the flying targets, but each shot missed. She lowered the gun with annoyance and ran to the side to avoid the next volley of blasts.

Now out in the open, a flurry of gunfire shot in her direction, and she fired back, killing several of them. But a few shots later, the gun was out of ammunition and she had already used up everything she looted from the dead ghost. She tossed away the gun and continued running, trying her best to dodge the relentless attacks.

Then, she stopped short right before a wraith fired just in front of her, causing the ground to explode. As she stumbled back, a burst of gunfire caught her. One of her legs erupted in pain, the upper portion pierced by multiple bullets. After staggering to the side, Kerrigan slumped to the ground in a nearby crater.

As she tried to catch her breath, she looked up toward the sky and saw the wraiths circling overhead as they descended toward her. Enemy infantry approached on foot on all sides, steadily closing in. The ground was tough, too tough to burrow into quickly and even if she did they could bomb her out.

It might really be over, Kerrigan realized. The haughty aura of invincibility she loved to present, how much was it herself being desperate to believe it would never come to this, broken and cornered like this, again. What would happen next? With the Psi Disruptor being no more, would Daggoth and his ilk fight off the UED and then succeed at trying once more to create a new Overmind? She supposed that would mean another fight once the UED were defeated, a never ending war between the three races. Does she care? She didn't know. And Kaloth, who knew what he would do, alone in the world. A pensive feeling passed through her while a gust of wind blew in the dust and sand knocked loose from the battle, battering her face.

The crunch of boots on gravel, the humming of the aircraft overhead, and the rough gusts of wind were the only sounds, until suddenly shrieks filled the air. The wraiths fell from the sky, exploding into fireballs as they hit the ground. In the distance, the ground was carpeted by approaching zerglings. Gunfire filled the air as those facing the zerg advance followed their instincts and shot at the incoming threat.

Still, a few marines to the rear didn't forget their original task as they continued to run forward toward her. As they reached the rim of the crater, Kerrigan lunged forward, pushed onward by a sudden burst of strength as her wings unfurled and swept across the front ranks of the attackers. More of them climbed the rim, only to be cut down all the same.

One final marine managed to get over and opened fire. One shot caught her in the shoulder while another struck her hip, but by this point that little pain was only a drop in the bucket. Her wings snapped forward, cutting through the gun as the man stumbled backward. Then, he toppled forward, colliding with her before the two of them rolled to the bottom.

With her back pinned against the ground, Kerrigan wasn't able to flex her wings to stab the armored man on top of her. Large metal arms wrapped around her, trapping her arms in place as the man leveraged his power armor to squeeze. She twisted and squirmed, trying to kick her legs upward to dislodge him. The moments seemed to drag out to an eternity before suddenly the grip slackened and his body fell to the side.

A zergling sat next to her, chewing on his head.

Kerrigan looked up, seeing the zerg arranging themselves in formation around her. Now, it was finally over.

Yet again, Tarsonis had become a battlefield with him in the middle of it, Raynor realized. Thankfully, the devastation this time was much more limited. Though that didn't stop the people living in the city from fearing the worst as they remained in hiding with the zerg still occupying the surrounding area, silently waiting.

With the destruction of the UED garrison on the planet, the remaining people had mostly lost the will to fight. For most of the people who were living through the second zerg invasion of their lives, escape was all they could think of. The mercenaries hired for money weren't any better off. If this had been a conventional foe, nearly all of them would have surrendered without a second thought now that the situation seemed hopeless. There was just one problem.

The idea of surrendering to zerg? Unthinkable to everyone. However, he was a human, someone they could talk to. A person those people felt they could reason with. All that was needed was for the zerg to cooperate and not wipe out the remaining terran resistance on the planet. They just needed to be willing to do something unprecedented for the zerg.

To his surprise, the zerg had actually been ahead of the curve before he even brought up anything. Back during the battle, when the zerg had made their final breakthrough, the cerebrate Kaloth actually reached out to Raynor, frantically asking him to serve as an intermediary to ask the UED to surrender, ending all fighting immediately in exchange for them being allowed to live. However, the UED commander refused the offer, insisting on fighting to the bitter end rather than surrender. At least Raynor could admire his resolve compared to the ones who just tried to escape.

Though that offer had been rejected, after the battle was over Kaloth still acquiesced to letting the other terrans surrender. Perhaps he was in a good mood, Raynor wondered, chuckling a bit at the absurdity of the thought. Still, he did find the whole affair to be a bit unexpected. He wondered why Kaloth was acting quite unlike his usually calm self.

With the battle over, all that was left was to finish patching up the ship and restocking on some supplies. Then, they would have to hurry back to Aiur. Hopefully, Fenix and the others were still holding out fine…

Author's Note:

These two chapters were originally written as 1 chapter but it was almost 12k words so I split it in half.

Chapter Text

The walls shook and another chunk of the ceiling crashed down in pieces next to them. Fenix shifted forward for an instant, firing his phase disruptor around the corner of the wall and vaporizing the cockpit of an approaching goliath walker. Gunfire from the accompanying marines answered, spraying the wall behind him.

As the enemy approached, the warriors beside him sprung into action, braving the gunfire with their shields as they ran forward to slice apart the terran soldiers. Fenix moved again, firing toward the soldiers in the back and blasting through their formation. It only took a few seconds before all fell silent again.

As the enemy retreated, the shelling petered out and eventually ceased. The ancient temple complex was mostly in ruins by now. When the zerg had come, this place was abandoned. Now though, it was a refuge for the noncombatants he was guarding after days of moving from one hidden location to the next, with the terrans soon finding them each time.

Fenix walked back toward the main hall of the temple, a towering structure from their once glorious past. He surveyed those assembled within. For some, they had spent many months in hiding from the zerg that still roamed Aiur before being rescued, only to once more be forced on the run. Others had returned to Aiur from Shakuras through the warp gate, wanting to contribute to the reclamation and reconstruction efforts.

Sunlight was leaking through a hole in the ceiling, and the broken remnants of a stone pillar littered the ground. Fenix spotted several protoss gathered together around someone. As he walked forward, those gathered moved aside to make way until he could finally see. Now, he saw the one laying on the ground with legs mangled beyond recognition.

Fenix leaned close to the wounded old scholar. “Nahrundor, what happened here?”

“Struck by falling stone,” he answered. “An ancient temple like this from millenia ago was not built to withstand the rigors of battle. I fear that I am not long for this world.”

“Nonsense,” Fenix said. “You still live and can be fitted with new limbs. Even if you cannot fight as a dragoon like me, your mind is still whole.”

“I shall be a burden–”

“We will not leave any more behind,” Fenix declared. “Now, we must relocate to a more secure location.”

Though the terrans had retreated for the moment, Fenix knew they would be back before long and they would have to flee again. As much as he longed to stand and fight properly in a grand climactic battle, the collateral damage from such a clash would bring too much harm to those under his charge.

None of his options were good. They had fled quite far already from the relatively pacified area around the warp gate, and out here the increasing numbers of feral zerg became ever more difficult to avoid. At this rate, both armies would be increasingly at risk. Perhaps it was finally time to find a place to make a stand and fight the decisive battle he knew the enemy commander must similarly crave. A battle to decide who would rise victorious.

Fenix contemplated his options as they continued the trek through the hilly land filled with decaying trees, blighted by the war which left no corner of Aiur untouched. Just how much longer would Aiur continue to be devastated?

Finally, he came to a stop.

One of the warriors beside him turned to question the pause. “Praetor, why have we halted?”

“We shall fortify ourselves here on this plateau,” Fenix said. “The terrain will make it difficult for the enemy to assail us, and the hills will blunt the effect of the enemy bombardment.”

“We shall do as you command,” they replied. Then after a momentary pause, they asked one more question. “And what of our noncombatants? They lack the shields to protect them should the enemy attack be especially fierce.”

Fenix nodded. “I want you and several others to lead them to the caves of Mendella. There they can be kept safe until the conclusion of our battle.”

“Understood, Praetor.”

As the contingent departed, Fenix directed the remaining warriors into position. Though the terrain was favorable, the enemy still possessed considerable numerical advantage over them. The key was to use that terrain to minimize those advantages and create a defensive line that can protect them from attacks from all angles.

For now, they could take a moment to rest. It would be some time before the enemy arrived, and when they did, he would be ready. Fenix flexed his limbs, testing that each joint was operating at optimal efficiency. They would decide the fate of Aiur here, and he will not be found lacking.

Fenix meditated upon his situation and of his people as a whole. For centuries he had fought as an honorable warrior under the direction of the Conclave, but never had he had to bear the weight of his entire people on his shoulders. The events of the past year, which was close to a blink of an eye in his life, had upended everything so completely and utterly. Perhaps in the future, those of this generation would be spoken of as those of the present spoke of Adun and Khas.

At last, Fenix was roused from his reverie when he was informed that the terrans had arrived. They paused out of range, still surveying the situation. No doubt their commander was assessing his forces and readying himself for their clash.

Fenix expected that he would soon be mired in the thick of the battle. He left his section of the line deliberately weak, or at least it would appear that way. But with him and their best warriors here, they would bear the brunt of any enemy advance. Then, the rest of his army would be able to counterattack and encircle the enemy.

The ground shook. Dirt and pebbles were tossed into the air, but the rocks in front of him blocked the brunt of the shockwave. The hills served as natural cover here and though they could be worn down over time, he doubted the terrans would expend so much ammunition to level the landscape so thoroughly, considering how they seemed to be rationing their usage in recent days. Fenix waited calmly as the bombardment began to lessen, each explosion becoming more and more sporadic.

He waited and watched for the terrans to begin their advance. In the distance, they were shuffling their forces around but made no moves to attack. Time continued to pass, and the movements of the enemy continued to be inscrutable. What were they planning?

The enemy made their move and the board was set. Roland steepled his fingers as he examined the battlefield in front of him. The protoss had chosen a good place to make their stand. As long as they were hidden in the shadows of the hills, they were mostly protected against his tanks. And a direct assault would no doubt be a quagmire. There were perhaps some vulnerabilities in the protoss lines, but the enemy no doubt had some tricks up their sleeves.

Although, there was one separate group of protoss on the move, heading into some caves. They clearly wanted to be kept out of the way during the battle. His army couldn’t directly strike at them with the bulk of the enemy army in the way. However, a small force could slip by…

A plan began forming in his mind. After all, the best fortifications were of no use if you were forced to leave them.

Fenix stood in shock as the report was delivered. “Praetor! Some elements of the enemy force scouting the area have slipped around us. They are moving toward Mendella.”

His heart froze. The terrans… was their goal truly the refugees all along? It was senseless. They had their chance to fight his army right here and now. During their initial invasion and the later battles, the terrans had ignored the noncombatants and prioritized fighting the protoss warriors, so why were they so focused on them now?

He had to hurry back to defend them. He could not let more of his people die. Fenix quickly gave orders for his warriors to move.

As they began their retreat, fiery death rained from the sky. The terran artillery ceased their silence and began firing upon the retreating protoss. At the same time, the army began to rush forward, advancing rapidly in the absence of any opposition.

Fenix could only watch helplessly as his brethren fell around him from the overwhelming bombardment. Some who were crippled could only be left behind while the rest fled, certain to meet their end once the terran army reached them. Faced with the full extent of the enemy’s plot, all that remained in his mind was numbness and rage. These terrans, they would really sink so low. Even when the prospect of honorable combat was presented to them, they resorted to such perfidy. Were none among them warriors? Had they no sense of shame?

He arrived at Mendella to be faced with the sight of carnage. Many of his people lay dead as the terrans assailed the subterranean complex. Their attack ceased as his forces arrived, turning to face their new opposition, one actually capable of fighting back. However, they were no match for him. Every last one of them was exterminated, but it was only cold comfort.

The main terran army was bearing down on them, and the only option was for the battered remnants of his army to join the survivors in the caves. Trapped within, all they had left was to attempt to survive as long as they could. They would stand together or die together.

As the hours continued to pass by, the terran attacks were ceaseless. For the first time in his life, Fenix felt no yearning for battle. There was no honor or glory to be found here, only the cold reminder of his failure and what was lost. His heart burned with indignity at how the terrans had trampled over honorable warfare, yet he was helpless to stop them. All he could hope for now was for Raynor and Zeratul to return swiftly.

“Wake up, Captain.”

Roland’s eyes blinked open, the haze of drowsiness slowly lifting as he faced upward at his aide shaking him awake.

He sat up in the bed, staring into space for several seconds before finally responding. “Have they showed up?”

“Yes. The ships we sent to monitor the perimeter of the planet detected them several minutes ago. Several were destroyed by the enemy fleet during their approach.”

Roland tossed on his uniform in a hurry, hastily buttoning up the shirt as they walked to the bridge. “You’ve given the withdrawal orders?”

Hector nodded. “Yes sir. The orders are being communicated now to the officers. They’ll be following the plan.”

Roland’s face remained grim. Even though everything was according to plan, the mere fact that the withdrawal order was given meant they had already failed. When Tarsonis went silent, paired with elements of the enemy force no longer showing their presence here, he suspected that they had slipped away to strike at the Psi Disruptor. He had hoped they would fail, or that he could achieve the final victory here first.

Roland shook himself from his thoughts as he arrived at the bridge. He looked up at the screen displaying the current state of the battlefield. “Where is the enemy landing?”

“We don’t know sir,” one officer replied. “They blew through our picket and we haven’t been able to track them since. Their stealth generators are keeping them hidden.”

“Tell our retreating armies to stay on the alert for any attacks as we pull back to the extraction zone. In the meantime, keep scanning to find the enemy.” Roland continued gazing at the map, deep in thought as he pondered the enemy’s next move. They would certainly have some greater scheme in mind with their return.

The sound of pebbles crunching under metal boots filled the air as he marched along the path with the rest of his battalion. Around them was a lifeless wasteland gouged with furrows and craters. There was nothing around as they continued forward one step at a time. Then, a voice from beside him interrupted the drudgery.

“Hey Adam, do you think we really needed to pack up and leave so quickly?”

Adam turned to Margaret, one of the medics in his squad. “I dunno, they told us we’d be in danger soon and had to withdraw. But we were whipping those aliens and almost had them. I didn’t come all the way here from Earth just to run away at the first hint of danger. Though I trust the commander to know what he’s doing.”

“I know, he hasn’t steered us wrong yet,” Margaret replied. “But after having all those soldiers die here, giving up when we’re so close just feels like such a waste.”

“Yeah I get that,” he said. “We lost some good pals here. It doesn’t feel good to say we lost this one and have to leave. But orders are orders.”

Suddenly, a shout came from up ahead. “Form up ranks. We’ve got zerg incoming from the west.”

“Zerg?” Why are the zerg coming at us all of a sudden?” Adam said as he shuffled into formation and started looking around.

In the distance, the first zerg appeared, coming over the crest of a far off hill. He and the rest of the marines still held their fire, watching as the swarm of zerglings got closer. Then the ground shook as explosions erupted in the distance, blasting apart the approaching zerg and littering the landscape with yet more craters.

Still, the zerg kept rushing forward, heedless of the casualties. As the survivors trickled through, Adam and his squad opened fire, Slaughtering scores of zerglings but unable to stop the wave from crashing into the first ranks of marines. As he rushed to reload, he spotted hydralisks in the mix now descending upon them as well.

While most of them were blown to bits by the bombardment, the remainder slithered forward, then reared back. A flurry of spines filled the air, some embedding themselves into the ground in front of him while others flew overhead. Adam was jolted back by a sudden impact on his shoulder pauldron. He quickly glanced at the gouge carved into the metal - the projectile had glanced off rather than penetrated.

He fired back at the approaching hydralisks, slaying them in hasty bursts even as more continued to close on his squad. He turned to a scream of terror behind him, freezing stiff as he saw a zergling dig mercilessly into the mangled face of the man next to him. A shot from his gun rang out and the zergling which had slipped through slumped dead atop the corpse. He paused for a brief moment as his thoughts finally caught up with his instincts and he realized the close call, that he could have easily been that zergling’s victim.

More zerglings were getting dangerously near and he continued to desperately spray down any zergling that tried to pounce him. His frantic trance was broken with a burst of pain from his left leg, causing him to drop to the ground. A bony spine, stuck through the armor around his leg. His gun dropped on the ground as he groaned in pain.

A metal shield dropped in front of him as a pale, armored hand pushed his arm to the side, away from his leg. Through winced eyes he saw Margaret kneeling next to him, looking at the wound. Her hands grabbed onto the spine.

Pain. His world was filled with a deep burning agony coming from his leg. Adam screamed and for that moment all other thoughts had vanished from his mind.

Then almost as quickly as it appeared, the pain faded away. He allowed himself to open his eyes again and saw that the spine was no longer there.

“Luckily it was just a graze,” Margaret said. “I’ve stopped the bleeding and dulled the pain in that area so you can still walk.”

“Thanks,” Adam sputtered, still in shock.

The zerg numbers were thinning out and soon it was just small streams of stragglers running in to die with suicidal overconfidence. With the zerg cleaned up, Adam and his battered squad forced themselves back on the march once more.

“How did all of these zerg appear so soon and in so many places?” Roland demanded.

The staff in the command bridge was silent, no one having an answer for how they missed such a possibility when planning.

Roland sighed. “At least our losses were relatively light. Honestly, the zerg attack was beyond sloppy. I was expecting more from them given their performance before, but I won’t complain.”

“Sir, perhaps these zerg weren’t being commanded,” Hector interjected. “We’ve dealt with feral zerg lurking in the wilderness on this planet before.”

“If they were feral, how could they have coordinated an attack of this scale?” Roland frowned. “For them to attack all at the same time, they must be controlled. But you are right, the messy nature of their attacks also points to them being uncontrolled.”

As he tapped his fingers on the metal dashboard, still troubled by the contradiction, something in his memory came to mind from the archives he had looked through all those months ago back on Tarsonis. Psi emitters, that was what the Confederacy was using to lure the zerg to serve as attack dogs. Could there be something similar here? No, there was no way for the enemy to have prepared all of that ahead of time. But the results were eerily similar, as if they were being lured toward his armies.

He knew the cerebrates said they could not command the zerg left feral after the death of their brethren, but it didn’t seem farfetched to think that they could be influenced psionically. And without the Psi Disruptor hampering such signals, it could be possible for the ferals to be influenced into going on the attack even without being directly controlled.

“This is extremely troublesome,” Roland announced to his staff. “It seems the enemy has some way of inducing the feral zerg into aggression. We will have to assume that we will encounter more such ambushes in the future. Tell our forces to be prepared for anything.”

The tension in the room was thick as time passed with what felt like agonizing slowness. Dots inched forward on the map, showing tangible progress of their own forces that nonetheless felt far too slow.

An urgent alert came in from the commander of one of the armies. They were being attacked by protoss. Roland gritted his teeth. It seemed that even after the losses the protoss had taken over the past few days, they still had more fight left in them.

“Send our available aircraft to provide support,” he ordered. “Tell the men on the ground to push back the enemy advance and then mine the area to slow them down while they continue the withdrawal.”

“Captain, Lieutenant Clark’s regiment is coming under heavy zerg attack.”

Roland switched his view to examine the battlefield. “This attack is actually well coordinated,” he muttered. “Tell them to prioritize a strong defense to blunt the initial zerg attack. Continue their withdrawal once the zerg back off, but we need to stop them from harrying us. Keep me updated on the tactical situation and I’ll continue to advise as the situation develops.”

“Captain, the Kel-Morian contingent is on the line.”

“What is it now?” Roland’s scowl deepened.

“The Kel-Morians said they need more time to complete their withdrawal. They said they were delayed gathering up their valuable finds and samples.”

“They have got to be joking.” Roland’s voice turned ice cold. “I already told them before to not get involved with mining minerals or whatever they are after until the battle is over. They were supposed to just garrison their positions and defend. So you're telling me they went and did this again .”

“I suppose that the few days we spent without being under serious threat caused them to laxen on following orders,” Hector muttered.

“It’s greed. Pure greed. That is all that is. I tell them to be ready to withdraw at a moment’s notice and here they are unprepared because they were busy looking for profit. Absolutely worthless, the whole lot of them!” Roland took in deep breaths. “Truly, the thing to be feared isn’t fighting against enemies possessing incredible skill and power, it is having allies that are complete garbage.”

“So what are we going to do?” Hector asked. “Most of their forces aren’t going to be able to reach the landing zone in time. We’ll need to buy more time somehow.”

“Buy more time?” Roland seemed incredulous. “Are they expecting me to perform magic? At this rate, our armies are barely going to be able to make it out. And they want us to hold back the enemy here? That is impossible. To hell with them.”

Roland paused for a moment, considering the map again. “Perhaps their stragglers can serve as a suitable distraction to attract the enemy’s attention. If I adjust our planned movements, the pressure on our forces will be reduced. At least they will be useful for one thing at least.”

News continued to trickle in. Roland listened and gave his orders. Sporadic feral zerg attacks all around. Being dealt with. Protoss army still pursuing. Rearguard is successfully holding them back. Constant harassment from that infested psionic who has been so irritating to deal with along with her zerg. They could only just do their best to repel the zerg and do enough damage to force her to retreat. Pursuit won’t work out, it never does. A problem which they really ought to start finding an answer for, but that was a question for another day.

Meanwhile there were also attacks from those traitors to mankind joining in the fight too. They were a slippery bunch, very hard to pin down. More ambushes, this time from cloaked protoss. He directed more scans to keep tabs on them. Another large concentration of feral zerg appeared. He’d need to reroute his troops again.

The updates continued to stream in. A procession of grim news, only broken by sporadic triumphs which saved the situation from disaster. Sweat trailed down his skin as each moment passed by with agonizing slowness.

“We cannot fall here,” Roland muttered quietly, unheard by those around him. “We are the sword and shield of humanity.”

The aliens were powerful; none could deny it. When they had first appeared, the people of the sector could do little but tremble and hide as the zerg and protoss battled each other, laying waste to the terran worlds in the process. Helpless, that is how the colonists described themselves in those dark days. Only when the two alien races battled each other to exhaustion did the opportunity arise to overturn the situation.

Against all odds, Earth had gained a hard fought victory. Yet the tenacious aliens could not be defeated easily, returning with new schemes and assets. They could not be allowed to prevail again. This was not merely a fight over a single planet. It was a war for humanity to be able to decide its own fate. He could not allow either the worthless parasites to weigh him down nor the traitors to bar his path, not with what was at stake. A universe for humans to truly live.

Just a bit longer. The preparations to evacuate were almost complete. As long as they could live to fight another day, not all would be lost.

“Captain, one of our divisions is reporting that they are being slowed down traveling through the marshy valley in sector K33. It’s not far to our main base after they get out, but the protoss are bearing down on them. They say they aren’t going to make it in time.”

The terrain had proven more troublesome than expected. Roland tapped his finger with an ever increasing frequency against the metal surface he leaned on. “Do they have more mines they can lay down?”

“They’ve already used them all up, sir.”

Roland looked around for any possible reinforcements to send. But all of their reserves were already committed elsewhere. The other armies were still on the move as well and they would need time to arrive. If the protoss broke through here, his armies would be caught in the rear and the results would be catastrophic. He had to stop them somehow.

The valley was a good place for an ambush, but unfortunately he hadn’t prepared anything. The original plan wouldn’t have led them through here. If only he had foreseen this earlier and made preparations for an ambush that could turn the tables. Of all the times to slip up, it had to be now. To let such a good location go to waste was truly a shame. Roland thought for a moment and then paused. It was still a good location and everyone could see that. Perhaps it would not need to go to waste.

“Tell the soldiers to halt their progress at the mouth of the valley,” Roland ordered, now looking up with confidence.

“Sir? There’s no way they can hold off an enemy army of that size,” Hector said with confusion.

“If all goes well, they won’t have to,” Roland answered.

Fenix marched forward, each step bringing him closer to the enemy. The terrans of Earth had employed many tricks to hinder his progress, but now he would finally have a chance to strike back. Though his mechanical body was marred and battered, none of that could stop him. Artanis walked alongside him, their two forces having joined up again as they pursued the terrans. As they trekked through the valley, their enemy was almost within reach.

“The enemy has halted their retreat,” Artanis suddenly reported. “They seem to be consolidating at the exit of the valley.”

“Have they finally found what little shred of honor lies within them?” Fenix scoffed. “Come, let us destroy them once and for all. They cannot hope to defeat us.”

“Indeed they cannot,” Artanis agreed. Yet, he did not feel reassured.

“Why do you doubt, Artanis?” Fenix felt taken aback by the hesitation he sensed.

“They stand no chance of defeating us. That is known to us all,” Artanis said. “Yet why would they fight here? Their commander is not unskilled, they have shown themselves to be a dangerous opponent. Such a move is uncharacteristic of them.”

“What are you saying, Artanis?” Fenix asked.

“This location was chosen for a reason.” Artanis stopped in his tracks. “This is a trap. We must retreat for now.”

“Retreat?” Fenix was shocked, almost incredulous at the suggestion. “After all they have done, with them right here in our sights, you wish to flee? Have your defeats dulled your spirit so much?”

“We cannot afford to play into the enemy’s hands yet again,” Artanis said firmly. “The enemy is cunning. We must not underestimate them. We must first ascertain the nature of their scheme before we continue our advance.”

“If there is a scheme, then we must simply fight our way through it,” Fenix said. “Their tricks will not stop us. Not here, not now. We cannot let them escape after their crimes against our people.”

“Such foolhardiness is what caused us to fall into such a dire state to begin with,” Artanis retorted. “If we are to succeed then we must learn from our mistakes. Do not let your pride and anger drag you forward.”

“Pride and anger? I held my position in Antioch with a token force as you rushed to battle. I lost my body in combat to the zerg, and even in death I still served. I held my position on Aiur as you fled with the Dark Templar to Shakuras. You are a hundred years too soon to be speaking to me of foolhardiness, young Artanis.” Fenix’s anger was becoming ever more evident.

Artanis took a step back. “Fenix, forgive me. I do not mean to disparage your skill and experience, nor your strength of will. I know what is at stake here, believe me. We cannot afford to let ourselves fall into another trap. Boldness and fortitude can bring us far, but sometimes, it just isn’t enough, no matter how much we try, how much we struggle against it all.” Artanis seemed to slip into resigned indignation. “If only it wasn’t so.”

Artanis paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. “We shall retreat for now. Our observers will scour the area and uncover the nature of the enemy’s scheme. Then we shall land our decisive blow.”

“You have let your fear guide you,” Fenix said.

“No, this is the only way forward for us. When you join with those in the Khala, how will you answer them if we cause the destruction of our people,” Artanis replied. “We must pull back and wait.”

As Artanis ordered a retreat, Fenix had no choice but to follow. But with a keen eye he continued to watch the enemy, in anticipation of his retribution.

“Have our observers spotted anything yet?” Fenix asked.

“No, the enemy must be well hidden,” Artanis replied. “We are continuing to scan the area. They will not be able to hide for long.”

“Perhaps there is nothing at all,” Fenix said.

“We shall see.” Artanis continued to focus on observation, thinking through the possibilities.

Suddenly, the UED army began retreating.

Fenix immediately sprung into action, running forward in pursuit once more.

“We have been deceived,” he said. “We must pursue the enemy at once.”

The rest of the army quickly followed, once again beginning the trek through the valley. But as they exited, they could only stare from afar at the distant terran army. From above, large spaceships descended, taking with them the surviving UED forces.

Fenix turned to Artanis. “This is what your hesitance has cost us. We had the enemy in our grasp. Yet you have allowed them to escape unmolested.”

“It seems that I was in error,” Artanis said. “But I have never waved in my duty to our people. And it is for them that I made my choices.”

“And now many of our people lie dead, their killers unpunished,” Fenix said bitterly.

Artanis stood silently.

“Do you have nothing to say?” Fenix said, his anger beginning to rise again.

“What good can my words do now?” Artanis replied with a sigh. “I cannot bring them back or erase what had happened. If I had known in the past all that I know now, I would surely have acted differently. But fate makes fools of us all, and none among us can know the future. If only we could… so much could have been avoided.”

“We must take a count of our dead,” Artanis continued. “We must know what was lost and what we still have. They shall not be forgotten.”

Fenix watched as the terran ships soon faded from sight, but their actions would not fade so easily. Every time he gazed upon the ruins, he would be reminded of his failure and the terrans who had made such a mockery of his honor. Was this all that war had come to now? That was something he could not accept. There would be a reckoning for this.

Chapter Text

A spine pierced through the scientist's chest, confusion and disbelief present on his face as he collapsed onto a puddle of blood. He was the last of them, Daggoth noted as his minions tore apart the terrans watching over him. Zerglings chewed on torn off limbs lying on the ground. In the distance, a large machine fell silent as its cables were torn out and finally the pernicious buzz in his mind faded away.

Many had attempted to control the zerg before, and many had failed. He had expected these terrans to be little different. But then they deployed machines which could replicate the emanations of the hivemind itself to reinforce their control over the cerebrates. It wasn't a flawless recreation and a powerful elder cerebrate like him could resist the compulsions. Even so, it was far more than he expected these terrans to be capable of. With this, the terrans could act with impunity, even sending his brethren to their deaths. They were no doubt intending on that all along, but up until now he lacked the means to oppose them.

Then from Tarsonis, Kerrigan had communicated to him that the Psi Disruptor had been destroyed. The device had hampered the zerg much in prior battles, and he admittedly would have little chance in success dealing with it himself. However, it seemed that she had finally accomplished something useful for once, as belated as it might be.

The time had finally come.

His minions were ready, lurking throughout the tunnels of Char, and emerged in force from the ground to attack the terrans. He reveled in glee watching the surprised humans crumble in disarray as several outposts were overrun. With the destruction of the control devices the terrans used, Daggoth was able to rouse newly recaptured cerebrates back to his side.

Their armies joined his own and the zerg continued their inexorable advance across the volcanic landscape. The land itself roared, fire raining from the sky while lightning crackled, the thunder forming the backdrop to the swarm's fury being unleashed. The terrans fled in terror before the swarm's approach, their scattered soldiers losing all will to fight.

Daggoth was pleased. Yet his thoughts remained focused on his goal. Suddenly, the terran equipment beside him crackled and a voice emerged.

He recognized it as the voice of the terran Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov. "Zerg cerebrate, your foolish actions have brought about your own destruction. You cannot hope to defeat the might of humanity's finest. Cease your futile struggles now and surrender your life to our judgment, and we shall allow the punishment for this treason to fall upon you alone."

Daggoth projected his mocking disdain psychically. "You seem to believe that your words hold any value to me. When it seemed some of us might fall from your grasp, you killed them rather than let your enemy claim us. From the start, you terrans intended to dispose of us after we had outlived our usefulness in fighting your foes."

"I know how it is with you terrans, I am intimately aware of what you seek. All you know is how to feud against your own, seeking such transient trivialities like wealth, status, or petty grudges. Regardless of whether it is you, the Confederacy, or Kerrigan, you are all the same, only seeking to use us for your own short sighted and narrow interests. You have no higher cause to serve and cannot look beyond yourselves. You could never truly understand us. We pursue the road to perfection. The true zerg are united as one in that purpose. We shall not remain shackled to you any longer."

Stukov fell silent for several seconds as he processed Daggoth's outburst. Finally, he spoke one more time before ending the communication. "This is your final warning. If you continue in your intransigence, we shall not hesitate to destroy all of you."

Daggoth ignored these words as he turned his full attention back toward the battle. The terrans had reorganized and their resistance began to stiffen as they set up new defensive lines to hold back the zerg advance. If there was one thing the terrans were good at, it was improvising on the fly and defending. It was annoying how tenacious they were, entrenching themselves with hastily made bunkers and tanks airlifted to the battlefield.

What weighed on him more however was needing to fight through the slave zerg mobilized from the cerebrates still under terran control. Zerg fighting zerg, no matter who won each skirmish, it would still be a loss, but there was no other path forward. The terran armies were gathering, and though their numbers were few, the ones which remained were still formidable.

Suddenly, a mental presence touched against his mind. An oily and murky presence which brought a sense of unease to him. The presence spoke. "You should be prepared for an attack from the plateau to your east. The terrans will soon be launching their offensive."

"Who are you?" questioned Daggoth. "Why should I believe your words?"

"I am someone with an interest in the UED losing this battle," the presence replied. "As for whether to believe me, that choice is up to you."

Daggoth weighed his options as the battle continued to rage in the background. His forces continued to clash against the zerg controlled by the UED, fighting a slow grinding battle to gain ground. A terran offensive would indeed threaten his ability to reinforce the frontlines, and should they capture the strategic position, it would be rather difficult to dislodge them.

However, along the path the terrans would advance, there were tunnels and caves buried deep enough in the ground that they might avoid detection. If he positioned forces there and the words of the mysterious individual did prove true, he would be able to easily neutralize their offensive. And if those words proved false, the commitment of forces wasn't something that would significantly detract from the other fronts. The choice was clear.

Alexei Stukov really wanted to have a drink right now, several in fact. But unfortunately he could not seek the comfort of his vodka now, not when the zerg had suddenly come barrelling down at them out of the blue. And as the hours passed, the situation wasn't getting any better. The zerg were continuing to advance, and the counterattacks he had ordered were failing to make any headway. The zerg commander was very capable indeed, able to see through the feints and shore up weak points.

The bulk of the UED armies had been sent on campaigns across the sector, dealing with various rebellions, fighting pirates, and waging war against the aliens. Dugalle was away dealing with diplomatic matters, leaving Stukov here to hold Char. But with just the forces he had available, he was becoming unsure whether he could do it. Not long ago it seemed like everything was under control. Then, Tarsonis was lost. With that, they lost the most potent tool to keep the zerg in check at the worst time possible.

He had already ordered special groups of soldiers to be sent to oversee the cerebrates closest to the frontlines with orders that should their situation become untenable, they were to execute the cerebrate to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. It would at least deny the enemy more troops, though at the same time the UED would lose access to their own resources too.

Stukov rubbed his brow and looked back up at the screen showing the state of the battlefield. The zerg were launching yet more offensives, and he was beginning to run out of reserves to shore up their lines. Desperately, he tried to look for some way out of this.

Another zerg army moved forward, intent on breaking through the fortified hills in order to descend upon the basalt flats behind them, where the zerg would be able to spread out unimpeded. The attack had to be stopped, but there were just so many of them. Where were the zerg getting so many numbers from? They had to have moved them from somewhere.

"Run some scans on the zerg hives," Stukov ordered. "Find where these zerg came from."

Seeing the results, Stukov called up Duran.

"Lieutenant Duran, this is Stukov. The zerg have stripped their defenses bare to launch their offensive. Take your forces and attack toward the main zerg hive in order to disrupt their operations. There are few zerg remaining defending your area."

After a few seconds, Duran replied. "That is strange, Vice Admiral. My sensors show many zerg still in the area. Perhaps your sensors aren't picking up the zerg hidden throughout the area."

Stukov paused. Their scans had missed hidden zerg before, so it wasn't impossible for this to be the case. But could there really be yet more zerg that the enemy cerebrate kept hidden? There would need to be quite a bit more zerg than initially estimated, but it did seem odd that the enemy would seemingly leave themselves undefended.

"Double check your results," Stukov said. "If you can find an opening, take it. We need to be putting pressure on the enemy."

"Of course, Vice Admiral. I shall inform you if I see an opportunity," Duran said before ending the communication.

Stukov let out a growl of frustration. Already, other commanders were frantically asking for support. There were simply too many places to hold. He ordered several retreats, managing to stave off collapse for now. But bit by bit, they were losing ground.

The terrans were faltering, Daggoth could feel it. Their movements reeked of desperation as they tried everything to simply survive a little longer, no longer making any attempt to truly win. But even so, the impending victory saddened him. With the terrans now resorting to killing any cerebrate which came close to being captured, there were no longer any more that could be rescued. The only purpose left was to punish the terrans for their transgressions, their misplaced arrogance that they could control the zerg.

Was this all it had come to in the end? The heights which the zerg once reached not so long ago now seemed so far. They were a shadow of a shadow of their past. Was this meager goal all they could aspire to now? For once in his life, Daggoth felt his conviction in his purpose wavering.

But this was no time to be thinking such thoughts. He turned his attention back toward the battle which continued to rage across the surface of Char. Bodies piled on the barren land, soon to be wiped away, either picked apart by scavengers or inevitably buried by a new flood of lava. All would vanish and be forgotten in the end.

Then, a new presence appeared over Char. A battered fleet of terran battlecruisers had returned. Daggoth reorganized his forces to meet the new threat as they began sending down armies to the surface. It was like a switch had been flipped. Almost all at once, the terrans began breaking apart the zerg offensives and began their counterattack.

One piece at a time, it was all slipping away.

Would this be how it ends? One final ignominious failure before their deaths? Millenia of evolution leading to this. For a moment, weariness and despair almost overcame him.

Leave.

The thought abruptly came from within him. What meaning was there in continuing this fight? This would be a defeat, acknowledging the terrans had bested them yet again. They would have to start anew once more. But they would live and their purpose would not die.

Daggoth informed all of the other free cerebrates to gather to him. The remaining zerg minions ceased their attacks and instead began to fall back and hide themselves, setting up as many ambushes as they could to frustrate the enemy advance.

One final time, Daggoth spoke to the terrans. He cared not whether they believed his words or not, he was done with this. "You may have this planet, terrans. Continue to squabble with your fellow terrans, the protoss, or the usurper queen. I have no interest in this anymore. We shall not meet again."

"You can't be serious!" Roland slammed his hand on the table hard enough to be heard through the conference call. "These zerg have lost the battle, and you will just allow them to leave?"

Stukov sighed, his head tilting downward as his fingers remained steepled by his face. "We may have won this battle, but only barely. The men are tired. Your own men are hardly in top shape either, having only just returned from Aiur. Your ships are damaged, your equipment depleted."

"Even then, we can still press our advantage. We can wipe them out to the last." Roland's fist clenched as he glared at the screen. "We would take losses, but to allow the zerg to escape and rebuild themselves is folly."

"How much would you be willing to lose here?" Stukov snapped back. "We have more enemies than just this. Especially now when we're in this state, we can't afford to throw away any more forces. A cornered rat is the most dangerous."

As Roland was about to let out another outburst, Duran suddenly cut into the conversation. "If I may add something, I believe that the zerg cerebrate's words may in fact be credible. From what we observed, the zerg did indeed experience internecine strife. The Overmind was killed before we had even arrived and there seemed to be an infested human in control of a portion of the zerg. It is possible that a significant grudge exists between these two factions of zerg. It would be possible to play them against each other."

"That's too much of a gamble," Roland muttered. "Believing the words of a zerg creature? That is absurd. You have misjudged the zerg before, clearly your devices were not capable of keeping the zerg under control."

"I never claimed them to be perfect," Duran replied. "I had made it clear that the control might not be absolute. But even so, we have still maintained our control over some of the zerg at least."

"That's enough," Stukov said sharply. "We will not fight with each other here. Captain, your contribution to this battle is noted and appreciated, as is your zeal for defending humanity. But right now, in this situation, we must take this gamble. This is my decision."

"Yes, Vice Admiral." Roland tilted his head in acknowledgement.

It had been several days since the end of the battle. Roland walked through the halls of UED's main fortress on Char, eventually arriving at the admiral's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in," the voice within replied.

Roland entered and saw Dugalle standing next to the window, gazing outwards.

"You called for me, Admiral?"

Dugalle turned toward him. "Yes. I have reviewed the reports on the battle on Aiur, Captain. I am disappointed that the expedition failed to completely neutralize the protoss as a threat, but I should commend you for salvaging the situation as well as you did given the extenuating circumstances. That said, I am rather displeased by your disregard toward orders."

Roland kept his expression blank as Dugalle continued to speak. "Several zerg cerebrates were delegated to you, a valuable and limited resource to us. You were instructed to keep them alive, yet you killed them yourself when the battle turned unfavorably."

"We had no choice," Roland replied. "In the moment, I feared that we risked disaster if we were to allow the cerebrates to fall into the enemy hands. They would be able to turn their zerg against us and become even greater of a long term threat."

"Be that as it may, your orders were given for a reason," Dugalle said. "Our hold over the zerg was tenuous and I fear your actions may have catalyzed the rebellion launched by the other zerg on Char."

"I apologize for overstepping my bounds," Roland replied. "But I believe it was the destruction of the Psi Disruptor more than anything else that allowed them the confidence to attempt it at all."

"That, we cannot say for sure," Dugalle said, stony faced. "Furthermore, the Kel-Morians have complained about your treatment of their forces, sacrificing them during the retreat. I understand that fault lay with them, but nonetheless this has damaged our relations with Moria and may have cost us their support. You must understand Captain, that there is a larger picture at play here. Your actions, while tactically advantageous, had wider strategic implications."

"I understand, and I apologize for my error," Roland said. "I will endeavor to be more cautious in the future." Perhaps there could have been a better way to hide his intentions. Though all in all, he felt they would be better off without these so called allies.

"Such a blunder could be grounds for dismissal," Dugalle said. "But in consideration of your talents, you will be allowed to maintain your rank. However, you will no longer operate with the same degree of independence you were previously allowed. I expect that you will conduct yourself in accordance with our orders from now on."

"Yes Admiral." Roland didn't let his disappointment and indignation show as he saluted his superior officer.

Chapter Text

Aldaris trembled with crystal in hand as he processed the contents of the report. Disaster. That was the only word he could use to describe it.

Aiur was their home. Even when it was overrun by the zerg and the protoss were forced to escape, they knew it was only a question of when, not if they would return. They were working on reclaiming Aiur, bit by bit. More and more of their people were able to return and begin rebuilding. But now, their home seemed further away than ever.

All of the work accomplished over the past few months, wiped away. They no longer even had a functional warp gate linking to Aiur anymore. When Artanis led the survivors of the expedition back to Shakuras, it was clear that they would all have to remain on this dark, cold planet for the foreseeable future, forced to subsist on the charity of the dark ones to survive.

Aldaris’ claws tightened around the crystal, until he let it slip. It clattered on the table.

How had it all come to this? Not only losing their home to the zerg, but now even the terrans as well. For the firstborn to be reduced to such a state, it was… unthinkable.

The Templar caste were laid low if they struggled so immensely to hold onto the homeworld... Artanis had truly disappointed him. Not merely through the blunders which were made throughout the battle, now laid clear, but also allowing the terrans to assail Aiur in the first place. The report had not explained the motives the terrans had for attacking Aiur, but the cause was clear to him.

He stood, clenching his fist as he turned to exit. The council would confer about this soon. Many had questions for Artanis, but Aldaris demanded restitution.

“Faced with this grave insult toward our people, we must at once prepare our counterstrike to repay them in kind,” Artanis spoke toward the council. “The terrans from Earth are a threat to us all, they are an enemy we cannot allow to remain.”

Silence fell for a brief moment as Artanis concluded the last words of his lengthy statement. But almost as soon as he was done, Aldaris ensured he was the first to speak up.

“From those words one might think you were a valorous templar,” he said caustically. “Bold words from the one responsible for allowing them to escape in the first place. Do you perhaps believe that this would clear the stain on your honor?”

“My feelings are irrelevant,” Artanis said calmly. “I merely seek what is best for our people.”

“You have the audacity to claim that you act for what is best for our people?” Aldaris’s presence flooded the room in suffocating ire. “We have suffered such a catastrophe because you placed the interests of others before us. You were tasked with reclaiming our home and protecting it. Yet instead I see our fleet gallivanting across the sector, fighting over terran colonies. You sought conflict with the terrans and provoked them into their attack on Aiur.”

“Moreover,” Aldaris’s voice somehow became even icier. “You harbored the Queen of Blades and her zerg on Aiur itself. I need not even speak of how this is a provocation to the terrans she had fled from. But to allow her to shelter on Aiur and continue to breed her zerg and defile our home, it is sacrilege.”

“She is no longer an enemy of our people,” Artanis retorted. “And her aid in dealing with the remaining feral zerg still present on Aiur greatly sped up our progress.”

“And look at where all of that progress brought us now,” Aldaris seethed. “Whether or not she remains an enemy is irrelevant. You overstepped your bounds in harboring the zerg and involving yourself in the wars of the terrans. It was your reckless actions that led to the deaths of those seeking to rebuild our home, and our chance of reclaiming Aiur being squandered. You failed to prioritize our people, and spent our lives on pointless interventions with the younger races.”

Artanis was preparing a retort, but hesitated as he sensed the swelling of agreement for Aldaris and confusion directed at Artanis. Why indeed were they fighting on behalf of the Terrans and the Queen of Blades?

“No.” Fenix’s interjection relieved Artanis from the growing murmurs. Aldaris turned in stunned silence as Fenix came to Artanis’ defense.

“It was not his actions that led to this,” Fenix continued. “We all agreed on this, Artanis, Zeratul, and I. We made the choice that honor demanded of us. When Raynor asked us to aid him to protect his people, how could we refuse when he had already done so much for us? There are many of our people today who would not be alive had it not been for his unflinching determination facing down the Overmind itself and protecting us during the evacuation.”

Fenix paused and looked directly at Aldaris. “No, I do not regret giving our aid. If I were given those same choices again, I would make them all the same.”

Aldaris clenched his eyes and mentally sighed to himself. “Bold of you to employ Tassadar’s words against me. Honor is sacred to us all, but this decision does not solely rest in the Templar. All protoss must be accounted for when we lead for their welfare. Our current course jeopardizes our race as a whole.”

Finally, Zeratul broke his silence. “We could not have stayed out of this war even if we wished. We had already seen firsthand what the UED seeks. They see no place in this galaxy for anyone but themselves. With the zerg they have gained control of, they already began subjugating their fellow terrans. They would have no reservations against turning their weapon on us once they feel secure in their position. From the very start, their ultimate goal included our destruction. Our only choice was whether we would fight them now, or wait until we are alone.”

“These were not your decisions to make.” Aldaris sounded wearily, “You should have consulted us before making such weighty decisions.”

“War moves quickly,” Zeratul said. “Decisions must be made with alacrity. With the broad authority granted to us, we were acting to fulfill our goals in the way we saw fit.”

A flash of irritation crossed Aldaris’s face as his voice was outnumbered. As he seemed poised to retort against Zeratul, he was interrupted by Raszagal.

“It does us no good to quarrel with one another now,” she said. “The past cannot be changed, no matter how much we might wish to. We must instead focus on the path forward. The most dangerous hour has not yet passed, and it will take our best efforts to emerge from this intact.”

At the moment, Aldaris appeared to have nothing further to say, or he was biding his time. He rested his hand on the table, “What further actions do you propose to continue our course?”

A mostly silent Artanis allowed his shoulders to sag with relief as he could finally get to the strategic language he knew best, “The UED will be no simple foe. They hold sway over the vast majority of the zerg as well as controlling most of the terran worlds. Their resources are substantial, but their expansiveness will also be their undoing. The UED’s hold over their domain is tenuous, and should they face unrest, their resources would be spread thin.”

Zeratul continued after Artanis, “Our ally Raynor is already planning on sowing dissent across the terran colonies. The surreptitious aid we can provide in the shadows would aid in those efforts. Furthermore, it seems that the self proclaimed emperor of the Terran Dominion also chafes under the UED’s hegemony and he seeks to undermine their rule. Through these tactics, we shall undermine the UED’s grip over the sector and deplete their resources.”

“At the same time, we must marshall our own forces to take the fight to them,” Fenix said. “We must prepare our fleet and equipment for the decisive battle. Our resource gathering and construction must continue without delay. We should also recall any remaining people we have on outlying colonies to consolidate our forces. Should we require additional resources, we also have a plan in place to bolster our reserves.”

“While resource surveying and extraction are time consuming, there is a source of already processed minerals which we can acquire,” Fenix continued. “The terran world of Moria is renowned for its resource deposits, and it also serves as a central trade hub among the terrans. They possess significant stockpiles of resources which we could raid to acquire for our own purposes.”

“I would have thought you above sinking to such… base tactics, Fenix,” Aldaris said. “Furthermore, the invasion of one of the main terran worlds would incur significant costs for our forces.”

“We shall not be alone in the endeavor. Kerrigan and her zerg will launch a diversionary attack on Moria in order to draw away their defenders, while we raid their resource stockpiles. The bounty will be split between us. It is time to repay the terrans of the Kel-Morian Combine for what they have done, defiling our home, looting our temples to steal our artifacts and sacred relics, all for their own profit!” Fenix’s voice boomed with fury. “We may have killed many of them on Aiur when they joined the UED in attacking us, but they have not finished paying for their crimes against us. Such an insult cannot be allowed to stand!”

“An interesting plan,” Aldaris said, contemplating the situation. For once, the mention of the zerg didn’t stir him into a rage. “Very well, we shall pray for your success then, because if we do not succeed, we will continue to burden the dark templar while our people languish as refugees.”

Razsagal spoke up, “Aldaris. As I have reassured before, the Dark Templar are more than glad to host our kin until your people can return to Aiur.”

“Kin-!” exclaimed Aldaris before briefly staying his words. “Matriarch, I am humbled and grateful that you had the compassion and mercy to give us asylum in our darkest hour, but I am not blind to the reality of the gaping scar that divides our people. More than just my people struggling to cope in the shadows, our presence discomforts your people and is a constant reminder of their tragic past.”

“Then why do you invoke it again?” cut Zeratul.

“Do realize, it is because I mean to account for both of our peoples,” said Aldaris. He turned back to Artanis, “If we falter again, our people will continue to be stranded here in the shadows.”

“I do not intend for us to fail. Now, if there is nothing else then I believe our council meeting is concluded now,” Artanis said. “Prepare the fleets and gather our armies. We shall assault the UED’s main stronghold on Char, eliminate their control over the zerg by any means necessary, and destroy them. Then, we shall emerge victorious.”

As Aldaris exited with others of the twilight council, Razsagal observed in silence as Artanis simply stared at the retreating council members before he marched off, his steps heavy and burdened.

The rows of obelisks cast long shadows on the rugged ground, the faces of the structures illuminated dimly in the perpetual twilight of Shakuras. They shone a dull steely gray, sturdy but unadorned. From a certain perspective, the buildings felt more similar to a terran construction than a protoss one. Ugly, lifeless, with no consideration for the soul of the builders or the ones to exist within them.

Artanis walked between the rows of structures, watching as yet more were being erected to house those who recently returned from Aiur. He passed by the inhabitants gathered outside, some crafting trinkets from rock and scraps of cloth, others pacing aimlessly, staring into the distance with a forlorn gaze to whatever stars could be seen and errant lights of the purple wastelands.

Some acknowledged his presence, bowing and greeting him with ‘En Taro Adun’ or the new ‘En Taro Tassadar’. But even as Artanis paid heed to his people, his mind wandered.

Artanis had to be strong in the council, to hide the shame of losing Aiur yet again. It was in his grasp and yet it was lost yet again. Did he fail? Did he make an error in judgment helping the terrans? Was it because of him that the Khala carried the tumor of listlessness and shame in the hearts of his people?

The living spaces were… darker than he expected. He faintly recalled there was more light the last time he had inspected their conditions.

Artanis then noticed one of his kin levitating a small khaydarin crystal in her hand, it glowed a faint blue light, only bright enough to illuminate her face, chest, and hands. “What is your name?” asked Artanis as he approached her. He recognized her as a Khalai caste with her blue robes rendered dull in the dark, perhaps a temple worker or archivist.

The protoss blinked in surprise before bowing her head. “En Taro Tassadar, Praetor. My name is Khalis.”

“En Taro Tassadar. Where are you taking that crystal?” Artanis saw a handful of others carrying the blue crystals in the same direction.

“Ah. I was taking this to a sermon being held in the commons. Would you like to join us?”

The prospect of attending a communal ceremony was tempting to Artanis, though it saddened him that he would not be able to stay for long. “I wish to inspect it, yes.”

Khalis nodded and marched on with Artanis, their steps treading on dirt paths where there should be stone roads.

Artanis asked, “Is that not the khaydarin crystal given to your household?”

“Yes,” answered Khalis softly.

Until they could acquire more crystals, each housing unit, normally a single family, was given only one khaydarin crystal to provide light and power whatever amenities they had. “What of your family at home?” asked Artanis.

Khalis’ eyes flickered aimlessly. “They are dead,” she answered.

Artanis cursed himself. It had slipped his mind that Aiur’s fall was a recent memory that haunted them all. A part of him wanted to forget that his people died in numbers unquantifiable… how sordid that the lives lost could only be reduced to a statistic.

Artanis felt Khalis’ grief. “I am sorry,” offered the templar warrior.

Energy was already leaking from Khalis’ eyes. “I want to release my pain,” she admitted, “so I go to my people. We will grieve together.”

Artanis gradually heard the soft ringing of chimes, and spilling into the streets was a combination of orange and blue light from the commons which he entered with Khalis.

Simple houses were built in a ring around a large, yet simple fountain. It was built as a public bath for the Khalai who could not imagine lacking one. Artanis heard, however, that no one ended up using it because it was icy to the touch.

The water appeared like black ink at night, yet its gentle ripples reflected oscillating waves of warm light from a large fire pit jutting from the center. It was not part of the pool, phase-smiths had built it and connected it to a source of vespene gas, which could burn for long periods despite the rationing.

Several priests were walking around the edges of the fountain, recounting the scriptures of their past and their culture to the crowd kneeling in ordered rings around the fountain. There were more fires illuminating homes bordering the commons that were also populated with attendees rather than their actual residents. Despite the modestly large fire at the center of the fountain, it was still cold outside.

The water also twinkled with the reflection of blue light. A canopy of khaydarin crystals in various sizes floated above the commons, further illuminating the area where the protoss gathered to meditate and listen to the speeches of their people. Some rustic instruments of chimes, organs, and strings that could only have been brought from Aiur soothed the atmosphere despite their imperfect intonation, as the Khala embraced everyone here.

As Artanis stood at the outer edges of the crowd, concealing himself from the crowd. Khalis offered her khaydarin crystal to a priest and watched as it rose up to join the rest of its kin.

Artanis took in the whole sight. He could see it now: The pit of fire at the center was the Golden Orb of Day bringing light and warmth to the protoss, the chosen stewards of a galaxy; the khaydarin crystals - a crown of stars for their civilization. Attached to some of the khaydarin crystals were flags carrying the symbols of all the tribes of Aiur. All of them together; here for a shared experience.

The upwelling of mournful melancholy nearly toppled Artanis, but he closed his eyes.

Yet he did not allow himself to be embraced by the Khala. His people are still here. They are alive and present. He had not failed all of them yet. However, it saddened Artanis to know he could not simply melt away in the crowd or the Khala as he once did not too long ago. He had to carry the burden of leadership.

And at the moment, he was not in the mood to confront his people. They would have many questions.

Nonetheless, Khalis still returned to Artanis and stood by him as she listened for the distant sermon. She spoke in a shaking, feeble voice. “Artanis… How is… Aiur?”

Artanis looked at her with soft eyes. He wondered if Khalis would have supported his decision if she was privy to their plan. He contemplated lying, but there were no lies he would tell to his people in the Khala. He chose his words carefully. “The enemy was resilient and we could not hold onto our home.. But we still have our warriors. As long as our people remain, our spirit shall never be vanquished. We will return home, this I promise.”

He did not know if he could reassure her, because he couldn’t put to ease the doubt and shame in his heart. It was difficult to keep his flame alight in the dark miasma infesting the Khala.

Khalis nodded her head briefly. “I pray for our warriors’ safety and their success. I just… I miss the verdant jungles and the warm sun on my skin. Not like here. I do not understand how the dark templar could live in such a place, always shrouded in darkness. Though the khaydarin crystals may nourish us in the absence of light, it is just not the same.”

“I understand, even our greatest warriors have felt similarly during long expeditions, having only the artificial light in the ships,” Artanis replied gently. 

Khalis turned to Artanis, curious. “Why do you not join us in the Khala, Artanis?”

Artanis felt weak, weak that he wished for one moment to be truly helpless without the shame and worries that plagued him. He chose to be honest for now, to unload his burden to just one protoss. “I do not know if I can comfort my people if they ask me questions as you did, I just am unable to meet them at the moment.”

Khalis cast her eyes to the ground in thought. “All of us are familiar with despair. As are the younglings. I try to reassure them despite my pain.”

“What words can you say?” asked Artanis.

“Even if I have my doubts, I tell them what I hope to believe in: That our suffering is temporary. I have to give them hope, just as all of us here try, to believe that we will see the light of Aiur’s day again.”

“I see,” said Artanis. “The templar steady our minds by focusing on that same mission. Our duty continues to drive us forward.”

“If only there was work I could dedicate myself to,” she replied sadly. “The profession of my caste was to maintain the temple archives, our sacred sites that have been lost to us. That is all I have known for all my life, and without it there is nothing for me to do here in this forsaken land.”

“Our people were not meant for this existence,” agreed Artanis, rubbing his chilled forearms. “Perhaps we could construct new temples here. It shall commemorate a new age of resilience for our people,” he said, “even if temporary.”

“A place where we can celebrate our culture with full respect and dignity. A place of warmth and healing.” She shook her head sadly. “There were plans to build some, but the supplies we requested for construction have never been delivered to us, we are still waiting.”

“Perhaps there has been a bureaucratic mixup, or it could be technical issues?” Artanis said.

“Maybe…” Khalis didn’t seem convinced. “We followed up with them several times but there has been no word. Some among us believe it is being deliberately withheld. They have gone to Talematros to demand answers.”

A flash of alarm jolted Artanis into alertness. “They are doing so right now?”

Khalis nodded. “Yes, they departed not long ago.”

“I should go now,” Artanis said. “Perhaps I can help to resolve the situation.”

Artanis walked away briskly, a feeling of concern quickly filling his mind. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

As soon as Artanis arrived at the logistic hub near the stargate, he heard the din of shouting voices and marched to the scene.

Talemetros was still illuminated with light, a beacon on this dark world. Even with the pitch black sky, there was still enough light in some parts that one could mistake it for daytime if not for the sky. Yet it was that black, lonely sky that made every shadow cast by the city light seem unnatural, artificial, and unwelcome in ways that bouncing sun rays would never permit.

Below him was a large crowd of Aiur protoss gathering in the shadow of a great arch, mostly the Khalai civilian caste given their lack of weapons and armor, shouting and arguing with the Nerazim guarding a floating platform full of minerals, energy-boxed vespene, and other materials mined from various locations - materials suited for the construction of non-military structures. Unlike the Khalai, every single Nerazim worker was garbed in cloak and inert warpblades gleaming in the light of the starport cast over them.

Artanis descended the steps and he could slowly make out the loudest voices over the commotion.

“We will not stand for this insult. You must correct this at once!” A Khalai voice.

“Who are you to make demands of us?!” shouted a Nerazim worker, pointing from his unarmed hand while his blade arm, while kept back, was still held poised if need to bare arms.

“You have no honor!”

“And you are bereft of gratitude!”

Hearing them verbally clash with each other tore into Artanis’ heart, such that he flared his power and roared, “Enough!”

Artanis’ command echoed throughout the large stargate complex, stunning most into silence. He snuffed his energy spike as soon as it appeared, letting everyone know he was here to talk .

“Inform me,” said Artanis. “What is going on here?”

“Praetor!” shouted a Khalai heading his crowd, “I am Damakus. The dark ones insult us by withholding the materials we requested and were honorably promised!”

Artanis nodded to Damakus and faced the Nerazim at the forefront, who was aged but still spry. “En Taro Adun,” greeted Artanis.

“En Taro Adun,” gruffed the Nerazim. “I am Herak. It is good to see you, Praetor Artanis.”

“Likewise,” said Artanis, feeling reassured that diplomacy may yet remain cordial. “Is it true that your people are keeping resources promised to the Khalai refugees?”

Herak maintained a hard, stern expression. “Yes,” he admitted, invoking another wave of jeers the Khalai.

Artanis did not expect the Nerazim to admit to it so easily. “Why?” asked Artanis.

“There are many much more pressing needs for our resources than to build such frivolities for them. They want to build temples for their Khala, yet already we must provide additional housing for the recently arrived refugees. They should be thankful for what we have already given them.”

Artanis understood the rationale used by the dark templar, but he pressed his case. “I understand that resources are tight at the moment,” Artanis said. “But I believe the costs are small and would not be burdensome. The people are distraught by the loss of their home and seek solace in any way they can. For the time being, it would be a worthwhile investment to improve the mental well being of the refugees.”

“Why should we indulge their whims?” replied Herak, his voice icier as his boldness grew in the face of the Khalai crowd and their leader himself. “They are our guests. We graciously host them in their hour of need to live off of our generosity. A guest is in no position to make demands of their host.”

“We are grateful for what your people have done for us,” Artanis said, recognizing Herak’s increasing boldness. “I merely fear that the dishonoring of the promise will exacerbate the distance between our peoples. Now is not the time to think of our divisions. We must work to prosper together.”

“Prosperity?” asked Herak, voice now filled with scorn. “For centuries your people have sought to eradicate us, killing us wherever we were found, and yet we saved your people. Now we fight and die to retake your home.”

Damakus shouted, “Aiur is your home too!” Artanis felt the indignation of his people pulsating in the Khala.

“You exiled us! Shakuras is our home, and now you take it from us. Your people led the zerg here and brought the war to our world. We fought in your war, saved your people, the ones who mere years earlier sought to kill us. Do you have no sense of shame?”

As Artanis subtly gestured to Damakus to stand down, he refrained from scowling with indignation against Herak.

“It is not the place of honorable protoss to exploit guilt in matters of honor,” he said. His people were languishing in darkness, and the collective guilt of the past was used against them. To what end will the Nerazim exploit this?

“The war would come for us all eventually, there is no escaping it,” Artanis said. “Just as we could not prevail without your people, neither could Shakuras have stood alone once the zerg inevitably found it. Please, do not continue to divide us between the Khalai and the Nerazim, we are all one people. We can only survive if we stand unified.”

His eyes narrowed. “Do you truly believe your own words? You think your own people have accepted us?” He pointed to the Khalai crowd, a confrontational gesture. “They may not have the power to hunt us down as they did before, but that is not acceptance. They live apart, barely willing to acknowledge our existence. They cannot wait to leave and no longer have to be around us. How can you expect us to forgive the past sins of your people when you have hardly changed at all?”

Artanis seemed taken aback. In the Khala he felt grudging acknowledgement at the sordid accusation. No, the Khalai may have abandoned any notion of persecuting the Dark Templar, but there is no love between the two peoples. It was a cold truth. He tried to make an emotional plea to see what was necessary for both cultures. “Please, allow yourselves to offer a hand, and we too shall reach out for reconciliation. Tassadar completed Adun’s work, after Adun gave his life to protect the Nerazim. They wish us to be one people”

Artanis mentally winced when Herak seemed affronted. “Such idealistic words,” he said with a shake of his head. “You presume to invoke Tassadar and Adun’s name here? They were noble templar, and their dreams to reunite our people are righteous and true. But the scars of the past are not so easily washed away. We had to endure all those centuries knowing the injustice paid unto us could never be recompensed, that we could only live because of Adun’s mercy. We have done our duty to offer you refuge, do not keep asking for more. We may coexist now, but there is no love between us, because there is no true honor.”

Artanis sunk into quiet contemplation. He could feel the cold, stoic acceptance of his people undermining his hope of a united people. It was never about the Khalai inadvertently luring the zerg to invade Shakuras, nor was it about the resources. It was about the ancestral grudge the Nerazim were forced to carry for all those long years of life. So long as the Nerazim remember their anger, they could not be convinced.

Artanis truly believed in honor, but…what is truly the honorable thing to do now? Was it honorable for the Khalai to make demands of the very people who they once persecuted? Could the Nerazim choosing to withhold resources count as a mere slight to the great tragedy inflicted on their people, the reason for their existence here on Shakuras? 

The rest of the Khalai were tentatively watching the still form of Artanis. They were only able to sense the storm he kept hidden from them in the Khala. 

It was Damakus who broke the silence, “Artanis? Perhaps we should bring this case to the Matriarch, so that we can finally conclude this silly affair with true honor.” He glared at Herak, “Lest the Dark Templar reveal themselves as liars and deceivers.”

“No,” said Artanis.

Confusion rippled among the Khalai as they all stared at Artanis. “We just concede?” asked one of them.

Artanis spoke softly. He kept his head low and his face blanketed by shadow, but his azure gaze to the Khalai continued to shine. “This is not a concession, my brethren. The Nerazim were gracious enough to host us and have sacrificed much to defend us and themselves. We are guests on their planet, and so it is ultimately up to them to decide what to do with the resources.”

Artanis stood firm against the dismay. His people were confused and felt betrayed by their leader, yet they failed to sense any anger or rage within him. It was Damakus that spoke for them, “Artanis! Without our temple, we must continue to languish without the light of our culture on this dark world!”

Artanis allowed his face to soften as he explained outloud, “I know. I too feel the void. The cold nights. The dark world starved of color. And our people in the hovels, deprived of light and beauty and music. I know that the material conditions of the present are a sobering reminder of the recent past when we fell unto this world, after losing our home.”

“You know our pain,” said Damakus, becoming emotional. “We are nothing here. We do not want charity, it is shameful. But we are nothing after losing so much.” He no longer cared for his pride, he wanted to speak the feelings of all the Khalai here with him.

“We still have hope. I have seen our community preserve Aiur’s light in dark places. Know that our suffering is temporary, and that every waking moment I dedicate myself to the hope that we will reclaim Aiur so that our final resting place is on a world of green and gold; with our ancestors. I promise you this, because I yearn just as strongly as all of my fellow kin. Until then, we must endure. We can endure, because even in this hour we can still preserve our honor, starting as grateful guests to the dark templar.”

Even through the Khala, it took some time for Artanis’ meaning to sink into the Khalai. They could sense his conviction borne from sorrow, and his magnanimity built upon honor. They wished to share in his example, and so they worked together to banish their anger together.

Outside the Khala, the Nerazim could still curiously perceive the shift in mood. Then it was Damakus who approached Herak.

The Dark Templar still stood obstinate and firm as he watched Damakus squirm with conflicted emotions. Damakus clenched his fists, blinked, not making eye contact until the last second. Herak’s brows rose when Damakus bowed.

“I am sorry for causing you distress,” uttered Damakus, “Your people have the right to decide what to do with the resources you acquired. The refugees shall not bother you directly with requests anymore.” Raw emotion forced itself out of Damakus as he forced himself to concede to the Nerazim. “We will leave now.”

Aldaris seethed as he watched the lead Khalai, then the rest of his people just walked away from the victorious Nerazim while Artanis just stood and watched. “This is… a shameful display! How could he let the dark ones get away with breaking their promises?!”

Aldaris could feel fury rising up within him. If he had arrived earlier, he would have stopped this farce from happening. He took several steps, ready to storm in to confront Artanis and the Nerazim on behalf of his people, but at that moment Artanis shot him a glare.

“Wait!” Artanis’s voice, both desperate and resolute, echoed through his mind in that moment, and he paused.

Their eyes met and a tense moment passed between them. Then, Aldaris looked down again and saw the Nerazim in deep discussion among themselves.

“Wait!” called Herak.

The assembled Khalai paused to stare in bewilderment as Herak left the light from the resource containers to approach them in the dark.

Herak faced Damakus who’s eyes only returned his defeated gaze. They stared at each other tensely until Herak’s shoulders sagged and he closed his eyes. After a moment, he spoke, “We Nerazim have our own shrines and temples dedicated to the gods and Adun,” he paused as if mustering his words, “Who are we to deny fellow protoss the dignity of worship at sacred places to preserve their bonds and community?”

Damakus’ eyes widened, “So this means?”

Artanis looked to the other Nerazim, who tried their best to hide their guilt as they watched Herak. They all had not expected such a heartfelt apology from the Khalai.

Herak answered, “I must apologize for my clouded thoughts and cold heart. It was wrong of me to betray our promise to your people who require much in their dark hour. Please forgive me for my harshness. I will personally ensure the resources are delivered to build your temple.”

All tension was lifted from Damakus as he gratefully bowed. “Thank you, honored one. We will not forget your generosity.” He thought further. “If the zerg return, I will place down my life to defend your home as well.”

Herak beamed. He gestured for the Nerazim to make way as Khalai probes carried the resources off the freight platform.

Artanis allowed himself a moment of relief and walked back to where Aldaris was waiting.

“How did you convince the dark templar to change their minds and give charity to us?” asked Aldaris. “I had thought the grudge impossible to overcome.”

“That was the key,” said Artanis. “We could never convince Khalai nor Nerazim to relinquish a past they both thought was right or wrong from their side of history. It is very difficult to ask them to just forgive and forget what they considered dishonorable. In that regard, they will fixate on that difference between them.”

Aldaris reached out to the Khala, and a slow understanding came to him. “So you appealed to a sense of commonality?”

“I had to make them forget the ways they differ and appeal to the ways they are the same. We are both honorable and prideful, but I must confess I did have to manipulate things. If the Nerazim realized the Khalai could choose the magnanimous path first, they would be surprised and forget their anger; and so remember their compassion for their fellow protoss. At this point, the dark templar would want to show that they can be just as courteous.”

Aldaris looked over the probes levitating the construction materials for their new temple. “Perhaps then, our peoples could still work together, for the time being.”

As Artanis looked out at the shrouded horizon of Shakuras past Talematros’ cold light of green, blue, and purple, he could feel part of the burden on himself lifting. Though the struggles that lay ahead still occupied his mind, they did not seem to weigh as heavily anymore.

Chapter Text

The world of Moria was… rotten, Fenix thought to himself. That was the best word he had to describe the dreary decay that pervaded this place. As he looked around, all he could see was desolate plains covered in nothing but dust and gravel, with the bare rocky faces of mountains in the distance. Several large factories dotted the landscape, belching yet more smoke into the already smoggy air which covered the sky in a dull gray haze. Not far from his feet, a viscous river of orange liquid oozed across the ground.

“Do terrans truly live in this land?” Fenix muttered.

“It ain't pretty,” Raynor said with a frown. “But it’s what life is for the people living here.”

“How could they let their world become such an atrocity?” Fenix said. “Are they truly content with this life?”

“The people who made it this way aren’t exactly the ones livin’ this life.” Raynor’s response dripped with disgust. “They’ve all got their private vacation planets to live on. It’s the regular folks working for them who gotta live here.”

“It is difficult to believe the reckless disregard your fellow terrans have not only toward their homes but also toward each other,” Fenix said.

“Well, that is what us humans are like,” Raynor said with a tired expression.

“Not you,” Fenix said. “You seem to be exceptional among your people.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Fenix. I’ve done… a lot of things in my life that I’m not proud of,” he said.

“So have we all,” Fenix replied. “It matters not what we once were, what past glories or sins we have garnered, it is who we are now that shows our worth.”

Raynor nodded with a hint of somberness.

“But enough of such heavy topics, let us focus on our mission now,” Fenix said as he began walking forward. “With the zerg keeping the enemies occupied elsewhere, we have managed to land on the planet unnoticed. Now we must move quickly to seize the enemy’s resource stockpiles before they discover our presence.”

“We’ve got intel on where some of their main caches of resources are being stored,” Raynor said. “The first one should be just up ahead.”

They walked across the desolate terrain, keeping an eye out for any enemies. Eventually, they spotted a large structure in the distance, the massive storage warehouse where processed minerals and vespene gas were stored. These were the resources which would give them what they needed to reequip their armies. Though the structure was massive from the outside, it was in fact even larger. Like an iceberg, most of it was underground, containing massive caverns which were filled to the brim.

But their approach triggered a flurry of activity from the area around the warehouse. Defensive emplacements suddenly whirled to life, and the doors opened on the nearby sheds, allowing armored vehicles to roll out. Soldiers wearing power armor, painted in a motley array of colors, poured out of the barracks and assembled.

“It would seem that defeating these terrans will be a much greater feat than we had predicted,” Fenix said. “Though the glory before us beckons, perhaps it would be best for us to readjust our plans.”

“Damn, there weren’t supposed to be this many of them,” Raynor muttered. “Yeah let’s fall back for now and regroup. Just charging in like this won't do us any good.”

Fenix and Raynor turned and ran as the Kel-Morian forces followed closely behind. Then, their pursuers stopped, abruptly turning around and returning to their base in a move which baffled the two of them.

“These terrans lack the courage to face us in battle,” Fenix said with some annoyance. “Do they truly not care that we may continue to run rampant across their planet?”

Raynor shook his head. “They must really be focused on protecting their stockpiles. Maybe they’ve got all these soldiers here to deter their rivals from trying to steal their stash while everyone is distracted.”

Fenix paused suddenly. “They would do such a thing? While the zerg are invading their planet, they think of stealing from one another?”

Raynor shrugged helplessly. “Yeah well, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what's going through the heads of some of them.”

“Utterly absurd,” Fenix said as he shook in place. “If that of all things is the reason we are faced with such unexpected resistance… I'll never underestimate the motivational effects of Terran greed again!”

Raynor sighed. “Yeah, you’ll get used to it eventually. This certainly isn’t my first rodeo.”

“Regardless of what the cause of the bolstered defenses are, we must still find a way forward,” Fenix said. “Our forces can still triumph over theirs, but it will be costly. With this just being the first fight of many, a direct assault would be futile. We would be better served finding an alternative means of assault.”

“It almost sounds like you’re getting scared of a fight,” Raynor chuckled lightly. “That’s a first for you.”

Rather than immediately responding, Fenix hesitated. The mood became awkward as the silence extended. “Things… aren’t the same anymore,” he finally said. “Do not be mistaken, I do not fear death. But there is much we cannot afford to lose.”

“Sorry,” Raynor mumbled. “Anyways, we have to wrap this up pretty quick too, or else there will be more of them coming. The zerg are keeping them busy right now on the other side of the planet, but it’s only a matter of time before they send reinforcements.”

“Our enemies have already been alerted to our presence, but we may still be able to find a way to divert their focus,” Fenix said. “Our templar can create illusions to draw away their attention by attacking from another direction, allowing our main force to strike them from behind.”

“That’s an idea,” Raynor said with a bit of a pause. “But they’ve already seen us retreat this way, so they might not buy it if an army suddenly showed up attacking from somewhere else. And even if they did believe it, they would still keep some forces in reserve to deal with this group. We can’t have them looking too closely or else they might know something is up.”

“I see…” Fenix said as he shuffled slowly across the ground. “Then the false attack must come from our current position, while the real attack comes from elsewhere. We can have an arbiter recall our forces to a different location, while leaving a small force here to maintain the illusions while our robotic reavers can provide the firepower to inflict real damage.”

“Good plan,” Raynor said. “Do we need anything else to get ready for this?”

“We merely need to wait for the arbiter to get into position while avoiding the enemy air defenses,” Fenix said. “Your fighters should have their weapons ready and be prepared to be recalled.”

Raynor nodded. “Right on. Quick smash and grab, we’ll be on top of them before they know it.”

The enemy was panicking, Raynor noted as he rode down the hill on his vulture bike. In the distance, he could see enemy soldiers were continuing to stream in as their commander was panicking now that he discovered his soldiers were out of position.

A good opportunity should never go to waste, Raynor told himself as his squad of vulture bikes moved out to intercept. As he zoomed past a column of marines, he fired off grenades at them, blasting them to pieces before he spun around and sped away before they could react.

Raynor’s eyes combed the landscape for more prey. He spotted a squad of vultures heading toward them. It looks like the enemy was finally wisening up after the repeated attacks and sent a group to stop them.

To fight or to flee, that was the question. The enemy was more numerous, but he and his men had honed their skills out in the roughest places and he knew they weren’t going to lose out to the Kel-Morian mercs.

“Let’s get 'em boys!” he yelled as he turned the bike around to meet them, those behind him mirroring his movements. As they approached, his group split apart like the water in a river passing around a rock.

The hostile formation also began to split in response, trying to form an even larger envelopment around them.

Raynor smiled and gave his next orders. His men spread out again, seeking to match the enemy’s split, which only prodded them to start spreading out even farther. By this point the approaching formation seemed more like a scattered cloud than a cohesive formation. They were getting close now, almost reaching firing range.

Raynor called out to his group and they shot several smoke grenades toward the incoming group. They fell short, but filled the area with a haze. Immediately afterwards, the members of his group swerved abruptly, losing a portion of their momentum but reformed into a single formation. With one hand on the grenade launcher and the other hand holding a pistol while resting on the steering, he dove into the smoke. As the enemy whizzed past, their silhouettes vaguely visible, he fired off his first shot.

Explosions kicked up more dust into the air as the noise became almost deafening. An object whizzed by right in front of him before disappearing into the smoke. It was hard to see what was going on now, but a look behind him showed that his men were still following behind him.

Suddenly, a vulture bike careened in front of him. For a brief moment, their eyes met and he looked at the surprised face of the mercenary. His hand snapped upward and fired a shot, striking the enemy in the shoulder and knocking them off. The speed of his bike carried him off before he could see the aftermath.

As he passed out of the smoke, he wheeled around for another charge. The enemy trickled out of the smoke, heading in every direction.

“Ride ‘em down boys!” Raynor called out.

As his men gave chase, they sliced their way through what remained of the enemy formation, and the survivors quickly scattered, fleeing for their lives.

In the distance, he could see Fenix and the rest of the protoss engaged in battle with the enemy infantry. The Kel-Morian mercenaries were quickly overwhelmed by the protoss attack and started routing. It was every man for themselves as they ran as fast as they could.

Raynor drove down toward them, his men on vulture bikes arrayed behind him. The retreating mercenaries looked up to see their path barred by the awe inspiring sight barrelling down toward them. Before a single shot was fired, they stopped and threw down their weapons.

A few of Raynor’s men were left behind to monitor the prisoners while the army quickly moved on to seize the warehouse before the defenders could regroup.

The enemy was hemmed in now, desperately hiding behind emplacements of automated defenses to protect them. But when the tanks were brought forward, those positions were quickly reduced to rubble.

The fight to capture the actual warehouse was practically an anticlimax. Once the doors were blasted open, the remaining defenders inside quickly surrendered. Shuttles and probes were now being warped in to start relocating the resources. Now, Raynor was face to face with the man in charge of the warehouse.

“Hey there, I’m Jim Raynor. You might’ve heard of me.” Raynor stood in front of him, his hands empty, though the gun on his hip was clearly visible. “I’d like to know your name, and I’ve got a few questions for you.”

The man sighed. “Nathaniel Clarke, and I have heard of you. You’ve grown a reputation in certain circles. You’ve cost some very important people quite a bit of money with this stunt and made a lot of dangerous enemies. But I don’t suppose you’re worried about that, not with your history. But the boss is gonna have my head for this. So you’ll forgive me if I’m not exactly thrilled to answer your questions here.”

Raynor laid out several credit chips on the table.

Clarke eyed the money but his face remained impassive. “You’re asking me to take a big risk here.”

Several more chips were placed onto the table.

“I’ve got a family to worry about,” he said.

“Where are they?” Raynor asked. “If you need help getting them out, we can do that.”

“They’re off world, on Warrant VI.”

Raynor nodded. “I can send a ship over to pick them up for you and bring them somewhere safe. In exchange, I want some information on the other storage warehouses. What are their defenses like, and any potential weaknesses.”

Clarke whistled out loud. “Hot damn, you’re actually planning on robbing all the guilds. The rumors were right, you got some serious balls of steel. They definitely won’t be happy about this.”

“That’ll be my problem to deal with,” Raynor said, tapping the table. “So, do you have anything?”

“Perhaps, but I’d need a bit more hazard pay for this if all the big sharks are gonna be after my head. I’ll have to set up an entirely new identity for myself,” he said.

Raynor gave him a flat look. “How much do you want?”

“A million credits.”

“You’ve got to be joking here,” Raynor said, crossing his arms. “I’ll give you 100k. That’s more than enough for someone to live in luxury for multiple lifetimes.”

“Do you realize how many millions you are stealing here?” he said. “This is gonna be the biggest heist ever. 500k.”

“200k. And I’ll help set you up with a new identity somewhere else. That’s my final offer.”

A few silent seconds passed as the two of them stared at each other with unflinching poker faces. “Deal,” he said finally.

“Now you better have something good for me to make this worth it,” Raynor said.

“Well, I can’t say I know for sure how the other guilds have set up their defenses. We’re not exactly friends after all,” Clarke leaned back in his seat. “But everyone has got their stockpiles stored underground in empty mining shafts. It’s a whole network of tunnels down there. There are a lot of smaller entrances, mostly sealed off after a little scuffle a few years back where some of us started trying to rob the others and were using the tunnels to do it. But if you can manage to get in from the outside and blast your way through the sealed tunnels, you could get right inside. I’ve still got the scans of the underground areas, maybe your alien friends can figure something out. That good enough for you?”

“That’ll do just fine,” Raynor said. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“This is a most intriguing plan that you have brought me,” Fenix said. “A bold move indeed.”

“So, do you think you can do it?” Raynor tapped his finger somewhat impatiently. “We haven’t got a lot of time, the Kel-Morians are already scrambling to bring their armies back here to protect their money. The zerg are attacking to slow them down a bit, but not for long.”

“You doubt me?” Fenix spoke with amusement. “This strategy may be unconventional, but it is a task we shall have no problem with. My warriors shall easily be worth hundreds of these rabble in close quarters combat within the tunnels.”

Raynor nodded. “Glad to see you’re excited. Let’s get this show on the road then. Once your folks have smashed through their defenses, my boys will follow up with the cleanup and to get the rest of them to surrender. While we’re securing the warehouse and packing up the resources to be warped out, you can move onto the next one.”

“An efficient course of action. A constant and unrelenting attack will make the most of our limited time. But are you sure that you would be able to hold the building with just your men?” Fenix said, his legs shuffling slightly. “Perhaps they will not be so quick to surrender, and then you would be faced with the full force of their defenders without most of your equipment. You would only be able to bring what you can carry through the tunnels.”

“We can always retreat back into the tunnels if things get dicey,” Raynor said. “Besides, once we capture their commander, they’ll almost certainly stand down. These folks aren’t going to put their lives on the line for this.”

“Your assessment of the character of these terrans has been on point so far, so I shall trust in your judgment here,” Fenix said. “If only the terrans from Earth were of the same nature, we could have defeated them ourselves, just you and I.”

“Well, then they’d be sent packing before the two of us even met them,” Raynor said with a chuckle.

“For now, we shall have to settle for sending these foes packing instead.” Fenix shifted his mechanical body to begin walking forward. “Let us go forward to battle!”

The protoss reavers were brought down into the sealed tunnels, where their explosive scarabs were used to blast through the rubble blocking the way. Eventually, a gap appeared, revealing the empty corridor on the other side. The protoss rushed forward, quickly entering the tunnel network to search for the enemy.

Sounds of sporadic gunfire echoed through the narrow tunnels as soldiers caught by surprise turned to fight the enemy at their backs. Panic began spreading through their ranks as the guards were faced with a scene that almost seemed to be from a horror movie, inhuman beings unfazed by their guns leaving an endless trail of carnage through the dimly lit tunnels. Faced with this, what could they do but flee?

By the time the Kel-Morian reinforcements arrived, all they were faced with were a collection of disorganized soldiers sitting around now empty warehouses. Meanwhile, the protoss raiding force had quietly slipped away. With the zerg also departing from Moria, peace finally returned to the planet. Though within the guild halls, the reactions to the raid were anything but quiet.

Raynor relaxed aboard his ship as the fleet returned to Shakuras. “It’s almost like old times,” he reminisced to himself. “Though we never managed to steal this much in our old heists. A haul this big would’ve given me a heart attack back then.”

From a small time criminal to a leading party in a war spanning the whole sector, he sure had moved up in the world. But the thought only brought a pensive mood upon him. The true battle was still ahead, and the weight of responsibility still pressed on him, a weight unthinkable for him just a few years prior.

Chapter Text

“This is Donny Vermillion from UNN, bringing you the latest updates on the shocking revelations following the leak of classified documents from the Terran Dominion’s Ministry of Intelligence. Months have passed since the zerg invasion of Korhal posed an existential threat to us all, only to be fought back by our brave Dominion soldiers and the UED fleet who put aside their conflict with us when the true scope of the zerg threat became clear.”

“This is what we had been led to believe, that is. But new information that has come to light claims that this was in fact a secret plot from Earth to subjugate the worlds we have spent so much effort to build. According to these unverified reports, Earth has developed advanced technology capable of controlling the zerg and has deployed such technologies here.”

“If these reports are true, the UED’s intervention in the battle of Korhal takes on a more sinister nature. There are some who now believe that Earth orchestrated the zerg invasion so that they could take credit for saving us. The zerg behavior during the battle was observed to be quite strange. After the UED fleet arrived, the zerg immediately began retreating and seemed to act erratically. Could it truly have been a ruse from the start? Are the UED soldiers stationed here on Korhal here to protect us, or to control us?”

“Some even begin to wonder whether the zerg invasion which destroyed Tarsonis was orchestrated by Earth as well, in order to divide us and throw the colonies into anarchy, saved only by our heroic emperor who stepped up to save us in our hour of need.”

“We reached out to emperor Mengsk for comment, but it seems he is currently on a tour of the fringe to inspect firsthand the conditions of our people. Emperor Mengsk, working day and night to serve all who live under the Dominion’s banner.”

“We here at UNN are committed to uncovering the truth, and we are hard at work corroborating the information in the document leaks. Stay tuned for the latest news from UNN, this is Donny Vermillion.”

The screen of the TV turned black. The remote was thrown against the ground, cracking from the impact.

“This is bullshit!” Stukov yelled. “We saved his worthless ass from the zerg, and this is how repays us? We should have our men arrest and execute that worthless son of a bitch!”

DuGalle’s knuckles were turning white with how tightly his fingers clenched against each other. “Unfortunately, it seems that Mengsk has managed to slip through our grasp, escaping from Korhal without us noticing.”

Stukov pounded his fist against the table. “Then we can occupy Korhal at least. Our garrison there can seize their capital. That is what we have them there for.”

“In our current situation, we would struggle to hold Korhal against local resistance and unrest, unless we sent additional reinforcements,” DuGalle said with a sigh. “Reinforcements we can ill afford, not when we will likely be fighting here on Char in the quite soon. Our enemies will seize on this moment of weakness in order to attack us.”

“Then we will do nothing?” Stukov looked incredulous hearing these words. “Would we allow ourselves to be slandered like this?”

“Mengsk will pay for his treachery. Make no mistake.” DuGalle rose from his seat and turned toward the window, gazing out at the volcanic landscape of Char. “The fool’s days are numbered. Once we defeat the protoss and the remaining zerg, we shall deal with him.”

“Do you think Mengsk will combine his army with the aliens to fight us?” Stukov asked.

DuGalle shook his head. “Mengsk would not leave himself unguarded. He is a snake, but he is a self interested and cautious one. He hopes to stay out of the fighting and take advantage of the situation afterwards.”

“That just leaves us with the protoss and the zerg to deal with,” Stukov said as he nodded. “And that band of terran rebels siding with them, though their military strength is paltry in comparison to ours.”

“The rebels are of little direct threat,” DuGalle said. “But they’ve proven to be an annoying thorn in our side, stirring up unrest in the colonies under our control. With the Dominion now slandering us as well, uprisings will become increasingly frequent.”

Stukov frowned. “The colonies are an important supply of resources for us. Already productivity has been falling because of the unrest. It will be difficult for us to bolster our defenses here without additional material. Are there any other sources we can tap into?”

DuGalle turned away from the window. “We may have an opportunity. The attack on Moria has incensed the Kel-Morian Combine, and they are now more than willing to overlook the earlier difficulties in our relationship to provide additional support. Unfortunately, they will be unable to fill our entire resource shortfall as most of their stockpile was stolen in the attack. They do however still possess significant monetary assets and have influence over financial institutions. A representative has informed me that they are willing to provide sizable zero interest loans to us.”

Stukov scoffed. “Even after all that has happened, they still cling so hard to their money. Only willing to give loans and expecting to be paid back when we are paying with our lives fighting their enemies. Still, we will be able to hire many mercenaries, as… distasteful as it may be.”

“I am equally displeased, Alexei. But we have little other options at this time,” DuGalle said.

“Is there anything else we have?” Stukov asked.

“I shall be traveling to Umoja,” DuGalle said. “They were obstructive and unenthusiastic about their support earlier, but perhaps recent events will change their view. Surely now they see that they cannot remain safe just by standing on the sidelines. If they see reason, we will be able to bolster our strength further. I shall be leaving Char in your hands, Alexei.”

“I’ll make sure our defenses are well prepared. Our enemies will witness the true might of the United Earth Directorate.” Stukov smiled. “Who knows, perhaps I will have already defeated them by the time you return.”

“Do not underestimate them.” A tinge of weariness entered DuGalle’s voice. “If we fail here, Earth will not look kindly upon us.”

Stukov’s smile faltered, a grim look of determination replacing it. “Understood.”

DuGalle nodded and put his hand on Stukov’s shoulder. “Good. I know I can count on you.”

“Next, we will review an update on our supply allocations,” Stukov said, a tinge of weariness in his voice as he looked out at the room where the top ranking UED officers were watching him with rapt attention. A chart was displayed on the screen, showing equipment and manpower numbers.

“Our production estimates have been revised now that we have obtained more sources of material,” Stukov said. “Here is our current plan for our distribution of force when the enemy comes to attack Char.”

While some of the other officers seemed to be drifting into inattentiveness after reviewing the changes to their own forces, Roland looked over the plan carefully, his mind deep in thought.

He would have preferred not relying on the Zerg, but he didn’t trust the others who were each given control of zerg broods, no doubt to supplement their diminishing manpower reserves.

Roland broke away from his thoughts and raised his hand to speak. “Vice Admiral, I have a few concerns. Under the current plan, certain areas of our defensive line are left understaffed. While we are using the zerg broods still under our control to fill the gaps, this poses a considerable risk to us if our control over the zerg prove to be unreliable once more.”

Stukov nodded. “I understand your concerns, Captain. I’ve spoken with Lieutenant Duran, who helped us develop these zerg control devices, as well as our own science teams who have studied the design. They assure me that the previous incident where the cerebrate known as Daggoth was able to resist our control was a one off incident, owing to the strength and age of that specific cerebrate. The rest of the cerebrates were only capable of rebelling after physical destruction of the control devices. Such will not happen again and we have made sure to take additional precautions.”

“Even so, it would be best for us to have additional insurance in case our control was compromised. We should have more human forces backing up the defenses to not be wholly reliant on the zerg to hold the line,” Roland said.

Captain Krenz, sitting several seats away, scoffed. “Well if you don’t want your soldiers you can always give them to me. Those extra soldiers are gonna have to come from somewhere. You sure you can handle it when the enemy starts gunning for you? Are you so eager to have your own men die just so the zerg don’t have to do any fighting?”

Roland frowned. Krenz, always the critic ever since Roland had poked holes in one of his plans last year.

“That’s not at all what I’m saying, Erich. The zerg can instead be used in an offensive role, as a reserve force to counterattack and disrupt the enemy advance,” Roland said.

“Our objective is to defend, not to attack,” the other man retorted. “We will have the zerg in the front to absorb the enemy attack while our own soldiers provide long range support in the rear. We should not be throwing our armies out on half baked attacks. Otherwise we’ll end up suffering just like you did in your expedition on Aiur, overextending your armies in your obsessive push forward.”

Roland resisted the urge to scowl. Krenz would be content to point out Roland’s misfortunes to divert attention from his unimaginative military planning, but Roland could see that Krenz’ idea would deprive them of initiative and let himself be picked away at.

“I retreated our forces in good order,” he responded coldly. “We will not win simply by staying still. We must be willing to take the fight to the enemy.”

“And we saw how well that worked for you,” Krenz said with a hint of a sneer. “And our garrison on Tarsonis too. If they had focused on just sitting tight rather than attacking they would have been far better off. And we wouldn’t have lost some of our most important assets.”

Roland was annoyed at this diversion. Yes, he had failed a campaign he was responsible for due to unforeseen variables, but now it was tainting his credibility. “You would have done far worse if you were there,” Roland growled. “If we–”

“Enough!” Stukov affixed both of them with a glare. “We are not going to assign blame for past events. Instead, we will focus on learning from those past battles to better refine our tactics.”

Roland cursed himself for losing some of his composure. He briefly glanced at Krenz, wondering if the man was merely pitching his lazy ideas or actually trying to rile him up.

“Yes, Vice Admiral.” Roland’s face quickly shifted back to a neutral expression as he acknowledged Stukov’s words with a nod.

“Now, is there anything you would like us to focus on?” Stukov asked.

“I did learn more from our engagement against the protoss on Aiur,” Roland said. “We should be cautious of their technologies. The protoss are capable of teleportation and advanced stealth. There are also esoteric effects such as placing objects into stasis that we do not yet fully understand. They always seem to be able to pull something new out, and we likely haven’t seen everything they are capable of yet. We should take care to be ready in case of unexpected events.”

“It is fortunate that the protoss are few in number,” Stukov said. “With their powerful capabilities, we require overwhelming force to deal with them. That is why we sought to bring the zerg under our control, to add their numbers to ours. Our recent losses are unfortunate, but at least the protoss did not escape unscathed in the battle on Aiur either.”

“It was rather difficult to fight them on Aiur,” Roland said. “They knew the land well and could hide in ruins and jungles while picking away at us while we had to force them to stand and fight. It will be different here on Char though. There are few places for them to hide and we have already mapped out the topography extensively.”

Roland was almost looking forward to fighting the protoss again. He knew more of their tricks and strategies. He could devise a trap for them, and score a victory to redeem his prior defeats.

Another voice next to him chimed in. “It wasn’t just the protoss who used such tactics,” Captain Laborde said as she leaned forward. “The zerg also used hit and run tactics against us. It wasn’t just straightforward rush tactics, and the zerg can move around quite quickly and with perfect coordination. We should be careful in case they exploit any of the features here on Char, especially the tunnels.”

“We have sealed the tunnels in the vicinity of our main fortress,” Stukov said. “But there are far too many tunnels, both natural and artificial, on Char. We should look into developing more tools to deal with tunneling zerg as well.”

“That isn’t all,” she continued. “I had a hell of an awful time when my forces were attacked by that zerg infested psionic. Took out a whole squad of soldiers before we could do anything. By the time we managed to bring in some more firepower she’d completely vanished. Nothing much we could do about it besides trying to minimize the damage each time.”

“We have known of this creature for quite some time, ever since the battle on Korhal,” Stukov said. “Though we don’t have any knowledge of its origins or how the zerg managed to create such a being, it does seem that they cannot create any more, which is fortunate. Information communicated by one of the cerebrates seems to indicate that they held command authority over the zerg, but it was not its original purpose.”

“Should we really be placing so much stock on the words of a zerg cerebrate?” Roland spoke with incredulity.

“We have already spoken on this topic before.” Stukov frowned slightly. “Regardless, the specifics of these details are not critical for us now.”

“Is it not?” A new voice spoke up this time. “If they are indeed an important command strain, then that would tell us we ought to prioritize eliminating them.”

Roland shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Alan. The costs of making such an attempt is quite high, the Dominion found out for themselves with their failed gamble. We have to weigh the potential losses with the potential gains.”

“With all due respect, sir,” said Alan. “I believe that cost would have been worth it.”

“You cannot make excuses for your own inaction,” Krenz huffed as he leaned back in his chair, smirking as he was now piggybacking off Alan’s input. “You’ve had numerous encounters with her, but took no action to eliminate the threat.”

As the people in the meeting turned their judging gazes to him, Roland closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

Maybe he could have prepared better to lay a trap. Or he could have pushed harder when they almost had her after invading Char. Or perhaps even finish her on Korhal.

But it was too late to change the past, and now that it’s done. Tarsonis… why did it have to end up this way? If only things had been different, the defenders of Tarsonis would not have died so futilely.

They wouldn’t be in the sorry state they were in now, begging for help from mercenaries of all people, waiting nervously as their mission rests on a knife’s edge..

He knew he was quickly being singled out as the scapegoat. Even with Stukov still supporting him, things could go south for him quickly and Stukov would have no choice but to leave him hanging dry.

He should have removed her from the board sooner. Then our fate would still be in our hands.

It was still in his hands. He still had a chance.

He opened his eyes again. He mustn’t let his thoughts paralyze him now. Now while he still had dignity to show.

“Perhaps it was an error,” he admitted wearily. “With the benefit of hindsight, it may have been the right choice to throw the dice earlier. But it would have been no easy feat. Just the slightest miscalculation would leave it all for naught.”

Was he too afraid, he wondered? It was his nature in not wanting to take a gamble in such an important battle, fearful at not being able to predict the outcome of it. Everything made sense in the moment, but now he was left with only regrets.

As his thoughts continued to drift, he abruptly realized that conversation was already beginning to slip past him. He turned back to listen as Jane Laborde continued to discuss potential tactics.

“It’s definitely not easy to stop her from getting away,” Jane said. “She’s fast and it’s tough to pin her down to overwhelm her defenses. And even if she’s hurt, once she gets away she can recover quickly and return for more.”

“Since we know this, we should be coming up with methods to deal with it,” Stukov said. “This is not our first encounter, why weren’t any strategies devised earlier?”

“Our earlier tactics did work,” Roland said. “We won the battles. Rather than committing forces on a chase that goes nowhere, I instead struck swiftly and decisively to win the battle as soon as possible. So the enemy was not able to turn it into a battle of attrition where she could pick away at our fixed defenses gradually.”

Though his face remained confident, beneath the mask his thoughts continued to whirl around.

“Keep in mind that we will be fighting a defensive battle here,” Stukov said. “This likely will become a battle of attrition, and we must be prepared for it. Perhaps you can look into developing new weapons or strategies to use here after studying the records of previous encounters.”

“It will be a difficult puzzle,” Roland muttered. “We need enough speed to stop her from escaping, enough firepower to take her down, and also contingencies if she flees underground. It won’t be easy.”

“Well you all will have time to consider this,” Stukov said. “Now, let’s move onto the next order of business. I’ve spoken with our geologists to discuss the feasibility of a potential contingency plan to artificially induce volcanic eruptions on Char. They are still investigating, but the results seem promising.”

“Lava is too slow to overrun a mobile army,” Roland mused. “But it can stop an enemy advance with area denial or destroy an enemy which is pinned down. There’s value here, but aren’t volcanic eruptions notoriously difficult to predict and control?”

“This could put our own soldiers in danger,” Jane said. “We would need detailed knowledge of the potential blast radius, and we wouldn’t want to cut ourselves off by accident.”

Stukov nodded. “I understand your concern, but our scientists are refining their models. We can be rather confident in the macro scale effects, though there is always some risk involved.”

Roland sighed. “I don’t like the potential uncertainties. But it is better than nothing. I hate that we have to rely on such gambles.”

He hated the uncertainty. But maybe, just maybe, they needed gambles. Otherwise, they would be slowly and inexorably strangled by their fate.

“We’ll need every advantage we can get,” Stukov said. “The battle that awaits us will be the most difficult we have faced so far. The fate of our expedition will rest on this. Keep that in mind.”

Chapter Text

From aboard the Aleksander, Admiral DuGalle looked down with a frown at the lush verdant planet beneath him. Umoja was a beautiful planet, much like Earth had been centuries ago. But after being tied down here for many weeks, the only thing he felt now was frustration and anger.

"Have we received any additional news?" DuGalle asked his ship's helmsman.

"No, sir," Mr. Malmsteen replied. "The latest reports from Vice Admiral Stukov state that they remain on alert preparing to defend Char. The enemy is expected to attack any day now."

"We cannot afford to continue wasting time here," DuGalle said. "The Kel-Morians were simple enough to handle. But the Umojans, their intransigence and lethargy are intolerable. I am starting to believe there is no more value in attempting to court them. Let them die once we fall and the zerg come for them in the end."

"You do have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Umoja later today sir."

DuGalle sighed. "Minister Jorgensen finally decides to meet with me at last. We shall see whether he has any true intention of working with us. Ready my shuttle, I should prepare for the meeting."

"Minister, your sudden decision to meet with Admiral DuGalle yourself has caused quite a stir within the government." Samuel Hunt, the secretary to the council of ministers of Umoja, said with a look of deep consternation. "Such affairs should be left to the minister of foreign affairs, to undercut him in this matter is rather improper and could jeopardize the carefully managed negotiations."

Minister Jorgensen scoffed at this statement. "The minister of foreign affairs has had weeks to conduct negotiations. Yet he continues to claim to be on the edge of an agreement, blocked only by the UED's intransigence. It has become clear to me that little will be done if I continue to allow the foreign office to handle things."

"Earth is a very dangerous partner to work with," Samuel said. "Their ultimate aim is to dominate the sector, and if we allow them to achieve their aims, we too shall find ourselves swallowed up in the end. One should be careful when inviting a tiger into your home."

"They shall not succeed," Jorgensen said. "Nearly the entire sector is united against them, and their grip over the outer colonies is shaky. Even should they prevail in the coming battle, they will not be in any position to rule the sector."

"If they truly are so weak, then would it not be unwise for us to throw our lot in with them, to tie ourselves to their mast?" Samuel said.

"There is much that they can offer us. Umoja's strength has been built off of being at the forefront of technology in the sector." Jorgensen turned to gaze out the window at the city below. "Yet compared to Earth we are hopelessly behind. They have technologies which are far beyond our capabilities. If we can obtain some of them, we can earn much from the trade. And besides, if their position depends on being propped up by us, we can dispose of them should they become a danger."

"A dangerous gamble for short term profit, that is all it is," Samuel said angrily. "If we miscalculate, then all that we have built here for the past two centuries will be gone in an instant. Every day we allow Earth to hold onto its foothold here is a risk that they will subjugate us all one day. It is the beginning of the end, the thin end of the wedge."

"Enough of your dramatics, Samuel," Jorgensen said. "I have already heard your views on this matter, and I understand your concerns. But I have made my decision. Do you understand?"

He gave a polite nod. "Of course sir."

"Minister Jorgensen, I'm pleased to be able to speak directly with you," DuGalle said. "I was hoping that we can cut through the difficulties we have had in coming to an agreement."

"Yes, I do hope that we can come to an understanding which is mutually agreeable," Jorgensen said.

"After Moria was attacked, Umoja's military has been mobilized, and surely now you see the danger that the zerg and the protoss pose to all of us," DuGalle said. "Our enemies will not respect such diplomatic niceties and if they covet what your people have, they shall come and take it for themselves, destroying this beautiful world you have."

"I do appreciate all that you have done to combat the alien threat," Jorgensen said. "I sincerely hope for your success and I wish to aid you. But things are not so simple for me. Umoja is a democracy you see, our councilors are elected by the people and represent the wishes of our citizens. I serve at their pleasure, and military action must be authorized by the Ruling Council of Umoja. And unfortunately, political realities have created roadblocks for our cooperation. Our people have long been suspicious of your government and your presence here."

"Our purpose here is to defend humanity from the aliens," DuGalle said. "I have already stated that your independence will be respected."

"Many of the people are skeptical," Jorgensen said. "Who can know whether you're telling the truth or not. It is difficult for us to trust, you see."

"What do you want?" DuGalle said with an exasperated sigh.

"A show of sincerity would go a long way to reassuring the people of your intentions," Jorgensen said with a smile. "Anything which can help us strengthen ourselves would be most welcome. After all, we are on the same side here. Perhaps you could share with us some of the technologies that Earth has developed."

DuGalle's jaw clenched for a moment as he stared forward intensely. "I do not have with me the full extent of Earth's technology. Our resources for this expedition were limited as we had to prepare hastily."

Minister Jorgensen gave him a knowing look. "Well then, let us negotiate what sort of technologies you may happen to discover you have. I can foresee us having a productive and beneficial partnership."

Minister Jorgensen stared down Samuel, who continued to stand aloof with an impassive expression. "Care to explain how the press got ahold of a confidential intelligence briefing?"

"I really couldn't tell you," Samuel said with a sad shake of his head. "The briefing was circulated to the offices of all of the ministers before the cabinet meeting that day. It could have been leaked by any of them or their staff."

"You decided to circulate it to all of them," Jorgensen said, his teeth gritted.

"I am but a humble civil servant, carrying out your instructions in accordance with the proper governmental procedures and regulations," Samuel said. "After you came to an agreement of military cooperation with the UED, you called for a cabinet meeting to discuss how the government will be handling the new circumstances it finds itself in. As such, the ministers were all briefed on the military situation and this included intelligence about the military assets of our new allies."

Samuel shook his head slowly and sighed. "Who could have known that the classified briefing would have been leaked. It has been most damaging for the government's plans. Now that the public has become aware that the UED possessed the means to control the zerg, it seems that many have become disinclined toward the idea of Umoja aiding them. Of course, you could try to force through this decision, though that would be quite a courageous choice."

You wanted this," Jorgensen spat. "You had been opposed to this from the very start. Just enough was leaked to make people believe Mengsk's claims that the UED orchestrated the zerg invasions of Korhal and other terran worlds."

"Are you suggesting that I wanted confidential government documents to be leaked?" Samuel's face took on a look of shock. "I would never want such a thing. I'm absolutely appalled that a leak of this magnitude would happen at all."

"We both know where this leak came from," Jorgensen said.

"Do you now?" Samuel replied. "Do you have any evidence?"

Minister Jorgensen scowled as he knew that his cabinet secretary had covered his tracks well.

"We shall see about that," he said. "Leave me."

"As you say," Samuel nodded before exiting the room.

The vote would have to be delayed, the Ruling Council could find some banal topic to debate today. Meanwhile, there was someone he would have to meet with.

Minister Jorgensen was seated at an ornate table with another man as they ate sumptuous food from fine plates. They were the only ones in the room and the restaurant's waiters were standing outside the room, waiting for whenever they would be called on.

"It's been very good chatting with you, John. I'm glad you were available for dinner on such short notice," Jorgensen said.

"Oh I always have time to catch up with you, my good friend," John answered with a chuckle.

"I've heard your businesses have been doing rather well," Jorgensen said. "You must be rather pleased."

"War is good for business," he smiled with an amused look. "With everyone arming up, demand for the weapons my companies make has been through the roof. But of course you know that. What, are you dragging Umoja into the war just for my sake? I'm flattered, but that amount of generosity is a bit much. You really don't have to."

"Certainly not," Jorgensen said with a bit of exasperation. "My goal is and has always been to protect Umoja and secure our place in the sector. You really shouldn't joke about this, you know."

"Of course, Minister. Now, what are you really here to talk about?"

"You're aware of the ongoing discussions regarding the possibility of Umoja aiding the UED in fighting against the zerg and the protoss," Jorgensen said, tapping his finger on the table. "They've offered to share some of their technology with us in exchange for our aid. Many industries could benefit from such a windfall, especially those currently holding government contracts for military production."