Author's Note: This is still beta. Any pointers or criticism will be gladly accepted.

AESEARIA

Shakuras was a dark and foreboding planet. Eternal twilight settled over a featureless desert, and vegetation was virtually non-existent. The Nera'zim would not have even settled here had it not been for the Xel'Naga artifacts scattered about the face of the planet. After the Fall of Aiur, there was no choice but for the Protoss to escape to this desolate hellish place away from the Zerg, who had savagely defiled their homeworld like every other they come upon.

There was one thing the vast sand plains were good for, however; there was plenty space for an entire Protoss army to stand, awaiting Mass Recall from the Mothership that was quickly approaching Aiur. The Protoss had bid their time for quite a while now, and the strength they had mustered was quite formidable. Countless Colossi towered over Zealots who seemed miniscule in comparison, casting their shadows over Dark and High Templar alike.

This discrimination and hatred is quite bothersome, Aesearia noted duly, scanning the tense faces of her Protoss brethren about her. She, being of higher rank, stood at the forefront of a Zealot section platoon, and had a good vantage point for seeing other officers. The tension in their faces was not only a sign of anxiety for the upcoming battle, but also one that betrayed their feelings towards their "brothers in arms". Nera'zim who had been the outcasts and foes of the Templar not too long ago now had to fight side by side with the same group who had alienated them, and old hatred and distrusts ran deep within the soul. Only a handful were accepting of their new allies, and few faces she saw spoke of that. There was still fear of betrayal ripe upon the air, almost like a tangible thing. All this was apparent when Nera'zim engineers had, some weeks ago, demanded to view the programming of all robotic units within the army and to lock them down for Recall after inspection. The command (for it was clear that the term "request" was too weak) was taken none too lightly by the Templar, and outrage stank amongst the Khala.

Personally, Aesearia had no tastes for such foolish folly. Even from a logical point of view, they had no choice now but to trust one another, for divided they were surely too weak. As to what happens after the battle, she cared not a bit; after all, even if a betrayal were to come, it would be after the battle, for surely even the Nera'zim would not be so foolish as to stab the back of the Templar while the Zerg stood undefeated.

The few Warp Prisms that stayed behind displayed the approximate wait time to be another 120 seconds. The quiet in the air was almost deafening as a different kind of unease ran itself through the army. There were many young warriors amongst their ranks, green and unblooded. Doubtless that many and more would commit some kind of act of cowardice before the battle was done, Aesearia thought sadly. Since the Fall of Aiur Zealot training simply was not as rigorous as it used to be, as the army's need of Zealots had never been higher before. Training that used to last for a century was now cut to nearly a quarter of that time, even though many mentors have argued that green Zealots were as good as no Zealots in battle. Nonetheless, Aesearia had somehow managed to secure many veteran Zealots in her platoon.

The screen closest to her now displayed less than 50 seconds left. She had experienced Recall once, and it was not the most pleasant experience. She braced herself for the mental confusion that would surely follow the teleportation –

– there was a bright flash of brilliant blue –

– disorientation –