A/N: I'm baaaack! Sorry I've been gone so long... but I've pretty much abandoned Armada for now, so I won't be writing any new fics on it for awhile. Sooo... I've decided to come to Starcraft instead! as always, please R/R! ^_^ - JediGarurumon
StarCraft: Brood War
Chapter One: Escape from Aiur *FULL VERSION!*
-Isolated Protoss Base, Aiur-
-Two days after the fall of the Overmind-
The Executor of the Protoss forces, standing tall and regal in his High Templar garb, walked through the small, badly damaged base, heading for the relatively undamaged Arbiter Tribunal, where he knew that Aldaris was waiting for him. As he walked, he surveyed the blackened, charred fields of their once-lovely homeworld, a touch of sadness coming over his features. Finally, he reached the Tribunal building, the last remaining sanctum of the Judicator caste on Aiur. Stopping briefly, he gazed up at the nearby Psi Pylon towering over the landscape, then went inside. In a small, well protected room in the center of the building, Aldaris, Zeratul, James Raynor, and another Protoss, as yet unknown to him, sat in a semi-circle, looking up at his approach.
"Greetings Executor," Aldaris begins, noting the sadness haunting his Executor's face. The Executor still lamented Tassadar's death, though he knew his sacrifice was necessary. Aldaris shared his Executor's feeling on that matter. "Though we all grieve for the loss of mighty Tassadar, we must find the resolve to carry on. He sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind, but many Zerg still rampage across our ruined homeworld. With the loss of the Conclave, and without the protection of our great fleets, it seems we must fend for ourselves."
Zeratul's red eyes flashed briefly, turning to yellow, then back to red. "Aldaris is correct, Executor," he admitted grudgingly, glaring at Aldaris. "The Zerg will not halt their rampage until every last one of us is dead. We must retreat to our last functional Warp-Gate, and travel to where the Zerg cannot follow us."
"With all due respect, Noble Zeratul..." the sarcasm in Aldaris' voice was easily discernible, so thick Zeratul could cut it with his warp-blade. "The Protoss do not run from their enemies." His eyes flared blood red with pride for his race. "Aiur is our homeworld, and it is here that we shall make our stand."
Zeratul noted this outburst, remaining strangely calm throughout Aldaris' tirade. "Just as your lamented Conclave did? They are dead now, Aldaris... dead because they allowed their pride to blind their reason." 'Although we didn't help matters with having to fight them to free Tassadar...' he thought grimly. "Only if we learn from their mistakes can we live to avenge them. However, I know of a place we can find solace. It is..." he hesitated slightly at the mention of his people's hidden world. "Shakuras, the secret homeworld of my people, the Dark Templar."
Aldaris bristled at the mention of the Dark Ones, but contained his outburst this time. "We would be seen as tyrants to them! Why would they shelter us?"
Zeratul was on his feet in a second, eyes flashing with anger. "Have I not pledged myself to your cause? Not all beings are as unforgiving as your lamented Conclave, Aldaris."
"You are right, of course," Aldaris said, genuinely surprised by Zeratul's reply. Once Zeratul sat down, calmer, he continued, turning to face the Executor. "Executor, Zeratul shall find us passage to the Warp-Gate. Once there, Fenix and the new Praetor, Artanis," he indicated the other Protoss warrior beside him, "shall assist in evacuating any survivors."
Artanis stood, bowing his head to the Executor, who regarded him coolly, noting he didn't wear the standard armor of a Praetor, as Fenix had done before his demise, requiring his transplantation into a Dragoon shell. "Greetings Executor. I am Artanis. Though I have only recently been appointed Praetor, you can trust that I will uphold the honor and traditions of the Templar."
Aldaris gazed sidelong at Artanis, eyes full of hope, yet worry as well. "We shall see," was all he said.
At that, James Raynor stood, looking around the room. He then cleared his throat. "Hey boys. Mind if I tag along? I figure headin' anywhere has gotta be better than staying here with the Zerg." Almost instantly, four pairs of eyes fell upon him. Zeratul's eyes lit up in a Protoss smile, as did the Executor's, who remembered Raynor's valiant actions in the battle with the Zerg Overmind.
It was Zeratul, however, who spoke first. "Commander Raynor, as ever, your assistance is appreciated. We would be honored if you joined us."
The Executor's gaze swept the room, taking in the four beings before him. There was a squad of three Dragoons and six Zealots outside the Tribunal, as a sort of Honor Guard for him. He turned to Zeratul. "Zeratul, take my forces that are outside, and locate the Warp-Gate. Aldaris, you remain here with me. Artanis, go find Fenix. Tell him to make ready the Khalai survivors for evacuation. Commander Raynor, you go with him."
The four beings nodded in reply, each scurrying off to do as ordered. Aldaris took his place at his Executor's side, Raynor and Artanis walked out of the Tribunal together, Artanis climbing into his landed Scout, and Raynor mounting his Vulture land-bike. The two took off, to find Fenix. Zeratul also left the building, but walked to the small group of warriors that waited outside. He regarded them, pleased. "By order of the Executor, I hereby command you to follow me," he said. The army fell into step behind him, the Zealots shouting 'My life for Aiur!' "We must clear the path of any Zerg, and locate the Warp-Gate."
The small group started off, with Zeratul in the lead. They walked past several very damaged and unpowered buildings, and soon left the base area altogether. They hadn't gone very far when a lone Zergling ran up to them, prepared to attack. Zeratul circled behind the unsuspecting creature, and as it got close to the Zealots, he took one slash with his Warp-blade, cleaving it neatly in half. 'Hmm,' he thought to himself. 'Apparently the Zerg are closer than we thought...'
With a silent hand gesture, he ordered the Dragoons and Zealots to wait where they stood. Then he turned, and ran a bit down the canyon way, seeing two Nydus Canals and a Creep Colony just ahead of him. 'I've got to destroy these Nydus Canals... it'll stem the flow of Zerg reinforcements.' Not seeing any Spore Colonies, which could detect him, but also noting an Overlord hanging off not too far away, he knew he needed to be careful.
He ran up to the first Nydus Canal as fast as he could, and once next to it, raised his right arm and started hacking away at it. With his very strong warp-blade, he made quick work of the Canal. He then moved to the Creep Colony, finishing it off almost as fast, with five mere swipes of his blade. A low whistling sound caught his hearing, and he looked up to see the Overlord coming his way. Before he knew it, three Zerglings were on him, but they posed no major threat. His shields held up under their weak pounding, and he sliced the creatures in half, one-by-one.
Once the Zerglings were dead, he quickly destroyed the other Nydus Canal, cutting off the Zerg from sending reinforcements to that area. Waving his blade high into the air, he signalled the Dragoons and Zealots to join on him. Once in range of the lurking Overlord, the three Dragoons opened fire on it, bringing it down quickly. Zeratul ran quickly around the mountain cliff, peering around it, seeing two Sunken Colonies, a Spore Colony, and two more Nydus Canals.
'Hmm...' he thought to himself. 'This is going to be more difficult...' The Spore Colony was closer to him and his small army than the Sunken Colonies were, so he ordered the three Dragoons to move to just within firing range and take out the detector colony. It fell quickly under their concentrated fire, paving the way for Zeratul to sneak in and destroy the Sunken Colonies. He got up to them, and started slashing at the closest one, when an Overlord hurtled over the mountain, instantly revealing the presence of the cloaked Dark Templar. The twin Sunken Colonies responded in kind, sending out spiked tentacles.
'Great...' shot through Zeratul's head as he fell under serious attack. He knew from bitter experience that his shields wouldn't last forever under this, so he hurried up and dispatched the closest colony, retreating out of range of the other one, to let his shields recharge. The Overlord just hung there, waiting, almost daring him to come back and attack again. He had other plans, though. With a silent gesture, he sent the Dragoons after the Overlord, and the Zealots after the Colony, while he himself ran for the Nydus Canals. Again, the Dragoons easily handled the Overlord, taking a bit of damage from the Colony.
The Zealots, however, were taking more of a pounding as they ran up to slice up the Colony. Two had already been killed, and the others' shields were very low. The Dragoons, seeing this, immediately opened fire as well, and finally the Colony went down. Zeratul, for his part, finished off the twin Nydus Canals with no trouble. He straightened up, looking around him, noting the two dead Zealots. He began to walk back to rejoin his group, when he heard a shout from behind him. "En Taro Adun, Zeratul! There is no time to waste! We must join our brethren in battle!" He whirled around, seeing two more Zealots, of the Velari Tribe, running by.
"Come on!" he shouted back to his group, which immediately took off at full speed behind him. They all ran as fast as they could, following the two Velari Zealots, running through a canyon. The troupe rounded a corner... and ran smack into an army of Hydralisks and Zerglings attacking another, larger group of Zealots. Zeratul's force dove right into the action, with Phase Cannons firing and psi-blades slashing away at the Zerg foes. Zeratul himself attacked fiercely, slicing his way through to the four Nydus Canals that sat behind the army of Zerg. Once through, the Canals were quickly shredded, as before. When the last of the Hydralisks fell, there stood 10 Zealots and 3 Dragoons, ready for orders.
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Meanwhile, back in the damaged base, Aldaris and the Executor kept a close watch over Zeratul and his army via a vid-screen in the wall of the Judicator Sanctum. The Executor's eyes lit up in a smile as he saw Zeratul had rescued a larger group of Zealots. He then watched as that army annihilated four Nydus Canals, his eyes flaring bright red, in pride. Aldaris stood beside him, motionless, silent... watching the warriors' progress. The Executor gazed over at him, sensing his uneasiness and disdain through the psionic link all Protoss shared.
"Aldaris, old friend..." he began, turning to face him fully. Aldaris quickly turned from the screen as well, ignoring it for the time being. "Why do you hate Zeratul so? Especially when you can see that he may be our only salvation?" Aldaris bristled, his yellowish-tinted eyes narrowing dangerously.
"You know why, Executor..." Aldaris growled back. "Zeratul is one of the Dark Ones, completely and utterly devoid of the Khala's light! I cannot and will not ever trust the likes of him!"
At his friend's dangerous tone, the Executor's face took on a look of pure anger itself... "Aldaris, that is ENOUGH! Are you forgetting what happened just two days ago? Zeratul was right about you... you're too set in the ways of the Conclave, even though they're now dead! You have to stop this, or you'll destroy yourself!" He reached out a hand, touching Aldaris' shoulder. On his touch, his friend seemed to calm down noticeably, his eyes losing their angry tint of yellow.
"You are right, Executor..." Aldaris said, no hint of anger evident in his voice now. His eyes smiled at the Executor, who responded in kind, no word being said, as no words were needed. As one, the two Protoss, Templar and Judicator, turned back to the vid-screen to resume tracking Zeratul and his army's progress. They noticed that the army had gone a significant distance in the short time their attention was diverted, tearing their way through two defensive Sunken Colony bottlenecks, and destroying an Ultralisk Cavern as well. 'Excellent...' the Executor thought to himself.
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As Zeratul stood beside the massive Ultralisk Cavern, slashing and hacking away at it with his glowing energy blade, the soft, weak bio-structure soon collapsed. With a sigh of accomplishment, he turned back to face his army, which was locked in combat with four Zerglings, two Hydralisks... and the Ultralisk he'd tried to kill a short time before. With a growl, he ran back toward it, warp-blade raised high to strike. Unfortunately, however, he failed to notice the Overlord lurking just over the horizon, and the Ultralisk turned on him immediately, lashing out with its massive Kaiser Blades.
Zeratul's shields flared brightly under the barrage of the massive blades, and he started hacking and slashing wildly. The group of Zealots, seeing their leader in trouble, wiped out the Zerglings and Hydralisks with quick swipes of their psi-blades. As the Dragoons maneuvered into position to fire on the Overlord, the ten Zealots, with their own shields almost non-existent, swarmed the massive Zerg beast attacking Zeratul, slaughtering it quickly. Zeratul fell to his knees, somewhat weakened, and slightly wounded, blood trickling from a gash on his shoulder. Two of the Zealots ran to him and knelt beside him, checking him for injuries, then helping him stand again.
Off to their left, there was a sudden outburst of Phase Cannon fire as the three Dragoons found their target... and the lurking Overlord exploded in massive chunks of blood and flesh, plunging their area into darkness again to the Zerg. For now. Once on his feet again, Zeratul, flanked by all the Zealots, began slowly trudging on through the canyon again, resuming his search for the warp-gate. Soon, as he trudged along, he saw the massive, towering crystal form... of a Protoss Pylon! His eyes widened at this sight, since he wasn't expecting to find a base out this far...
Soon, the army saw it too, and a chorus of cheers and shouts rose up from the small group. Jubilantly, they broke into a run, transforming from a small, orderly group into a stampede. They pounded up the side of the small mountain, coming over it and seeing a decently sized base, complete with two Shield Batteries, Pylons galore, and most important... reinforcements! There, clustered up beside the Batteries, stood an Archon, two High Templar, six more Zealots, and three more Dragoons.
Zeratul slowed as he approached, as he noticed one of the High Templar begin to float his way. Obscured in shadows, the only thing that could be seen of the Templar's face was his glowing red eyes, and the glowing blue nerve-bundle at the back of his helmet. With his low, booming voice, the Templar spoke. "En Taro Adun, Zeratul... this is all that remains of our forces here on Aiur. Also, we have located the warp-gate..." With a gesture, the Templar pointed off into the distance, at a towering structure. "Unfortunately, there is a sizable Zerg force blocking our way."
Zeratul nodded, recharging his shields at the closest Battery. "Then we must go through them, one way or another." He turned to the group standing there. "Form up! We're going in!" The army quickly assembled itself into a diamond formation, Zealots and Zeratul at the front, Dragoons and the Archon in the middle, and the two High Templar at the back. Then, with a shout from Zeratul, "Charge! For Aiur!", the group tore off at a run, charging with hatred in their eyes toward the last Zerg impediment, a slightly larger bottleneck peppered with Sunken Colonies.
The army hit the Zerg outpost with the force of a hurricane. Each and every warrior fell right into position with a gesture from their leader... Zealots attacking the Sunken Colonies and any Zerg that popped up, Dragoons plastering Spore Colonies and Overlords, the High Templar frying Zerglings to a crisp with their Psionic Storm, and the Archon floating beside Zeratul, smashing anything that came too close.
After a short, but bloody, battle, the small outpost was torn from the face of Aiur, and Zeratul began to tally the casualties. Out of an army of sixteen Zealots, six Dragoons, two High Templar, and the Archon, there remained only five Zealots, two Dragoons, the two High Templar, and the Archon, which was badly wounded.
The way was now clear, and the small group ran as fast as they could to the warp-gate, reaching it quickly and noticing a small Velari base nearby, with Photon Cannons spread all around. As they hurried up to the gate, they heard many high-pitched squeals, almost speaking as one. They looked on in horror as a massive swarm of Zerglings poured into the base, attacking anything in sight. Zeratul's group was about to attack, but he held them back, watching as the Velari defenders swooped on the offensive. Out of the corner of his eye, Zeratul could spot two Protoss Shuttles and a Scout approaching, nearing their position.
The two shuttles quickly landed, disgorging the people they carried. Fenix and Jim Raynor emerged from one, immediately seeing the Zerg and opening fire. Out of the other, came the Executor and Aldaris. Artanis, in his Scout, hovered overhead, firing away at the Zerg invaders as well with his Photon Blasters. Raynor, noticing how massive the Zerg flood was, quickly wheeled his Vulture over to Zeratul and the Executor. "Executor," he said, grinning wildly. "Just worry about getting your people through the gate... I'll stay behind and help take care of the Zerg."
Artanis, hearing this, quickly opened his communications channel. "But Commander Raynor, you would be hopelessly outnumbered... and there would be no one to save you should you be overrun!" He broke off, continuing his assault on the Zerglings. Fenix moved up beside Raynor as well, facing the Executor.
"I shall remain here with Raynor as well, Executor..." he droned in his metallic, mechanical Dragoon voice. My duty IS to Aiur, after all..." And with that, he unleashed barrages of plasma bolts at Zergling after Zergling, blowing them up with great satisfaction.
The Executor nodded at the two heroes, then motioned his forces into the warp-gate. One by one, the warriors ran up to the gate and leapt in, heading for Shakuras. The Executor and Artanis were the last two through the gate, as Raynor, Fenix, and the Velari defenders pulled up tightly around it, barricading it and fighting fiercely.
'Good luck, Executor...' Raynor thought, as he plunged headfirst into the flood of Zerg, firing Frag Grenades left and right, and also unloading with his Gauss Rifle, just for good measure.
*End Chapter One! Next stop, The Dunes of Shakuras!*
A/N: Like? Hate? Constructive Criticism always welcome! Flames will be used as fuel for my Firebats' flamethrowers! ^_^
StarCraft: Brood War
Chapter One: Escape from Aiur *FULL VERSION!*
-Isolated Protoss Base, Aiur-
-Two days after the fall of the Overmind-
The Executor of the Protoss forces, standing tall and regal in his High Templar garb, walked through the small, badly damaged base, heading for the relatively undamaged Arbiter Tribunal, where he knew that Aldaris was waiting for him. As he walked, he surveyed the blackened, charred fields of their once-lovely homeworld, a touch of sadness coming over his features. Finally, he reached the Tribunal building, the last remaining sanctum of the Judicator caste on Aiur. Stopping briefly, he gazed up at the nearby Psi Pylon towering over the landscape, then went inside. In a small, well protected room in the center of the building, Aldaris, Zeratul, James Raynor, and another Protoss, as yet unknown to him, sat in a semi-circle, looking up at his approach.
"Greetings Executor," Aldaris begins, noting the sadness haunting his Executor's face. The Executor still lamented Tassadar's death, though he knew his sacrifice was necessary. Aldaris shared his Executor's feeling on that matter. "Though we all grieve for the loss of mighty Tassadar, we must find the resolve to carry on. He sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind, but many Zerg still rampage across our ruined homeworld. With the loss of the Conclave, and without the protection of our great fleets, it seems we must fend for ourselves."
Zeratul's red eyes flashed briefly, turning to yellow, then back to red. "Aldaris is correct, Executor," he admitted grudgingly, glaring at Aldaris. "The Zerg will not halt their rampage until every last one of us is dead. We must retreat to our last functional Warp-Gate, and travel to where the Zerg cannot follow us."
"With all due respect, Noble Zeratul..." the sarcasm in Aldaris' voice was easily discernible, so thick Zeratul could cut it with his warp-blade. "The Protoss do not run from their enemies." His eyes flared blood red with pride for his race. "Aiur is our homeworld, and it is here that we shall make our stand."
Zeratul noted this outburst, remaining strangely calm throughout Aldaris' tirade. "Just as your lamented Conclave did? They are dead now, Aldaris... dead because they allowed their pride to blind their reason." 'Although we didn't help matters with having to fight them to free Tassadar...' he thought grimly. "Only if we learn from their mistakes can we live to avenge them. However, I know of a place we can find solace. It is..." he hesitated slightly at the mention of his people's hidden world. "Shakuras, the secret homeworld of my people, the Dark Templar."
Aldaris bristled at the mention of the Dark Ones, but contained his outburst this time. "We would be seen as tyrants to them! Why would they shelter us?"
Zeratul was on his feet in a second, eyes flashing with anger. "Have I not pledged myself to your cause? Not all beings are as unforgiving as your lamented Conclave, Aldaris."
"You are right, of course," Aldaris said, genuinely surprised by Zeratul's reply. Once Zeratul sat down, calmer, he continued, turning to face the Executor. "Executor, Zeratul shall find us passage to the Warp-Gate. Once there, Fenix and the new Praetor, Artanis," he indicated the other Protoss warrior beside him, "shall assist in evacuating any survivors."
Artanis stood, bowing his head to the Executor, who regarded him coolly, noting he didn't wear the standard armor of a Praetor, as Fenix had done before his demise, requiring his transplantation into a Dragoon shell. "Greetings Executor. I am Artanis. Though I have only recently been appointed Praetor, you can trust that I will uphold the honor and traditions of the Templar."
Aldaris gazed sidelong at Artanis, eyes full of hope, yet worry as well. "We shall see," was all he said.
At that, James Raynor stood, looking around the room. He then cleared his throat. "Hey boys. Mind if I tag along? I figure headin' anywhere has gotta be better than staying here with the Zerg." Almost instantly, four pairs of eyes fell upon him. Zeratul's eyes lit up in a Protoss smile, as did the Executor's, who remembered Raynor's valiant actions in the battle with the Zerg Overmind.
It was Zeratul, however, who spoke first. "Commander Raynor, as ever, your assistance is appreciated. We would be honored if you joined us."
The Executor's gaze swept the room, taking in the four beings before him. There was a squad of three Dragoons and six Zealots outside the Tribunal, as a sort of Honor Guard for him. He turned to Zeratul. "Zeratul, take my forces that are outside, and locate the Warp-Gate. Aldaris, you remain here with me. Artanis, go find Fenix. Tell him to make ready the Khalai survivors for evacuation. Commander Raynor, you go with him."
The four beings nodded in reply, each scurrying off to do as ordered. Aldaris took his place at his Executor's side, Raynor and Artanis walked out of the Tribunal together, Artanis climbing into his landed Scout, and Raynor mounting his Vulture land-bike. The two took off, to find Fenix. Zeratul also left the building, but walked to the small group of warriors that waited outside. He regarded them, pleased. "By order of the Executor, I hereby command you to follow me," he said. The army fell into step behind him, the Zealots shouting 'My life for Aiur!' "We must clear the path of any Zerg, and locate the Warp-Gate."
The small group started off, with Zeratul in the lead. They walked past several very damaged and unpowered buildings, and soon left the base area altogether. They hadn't gone very far when a lone Zergling ran up to them, prepared to attack. Zeratul circled behind the unsuspecting creature, and as it got close to the Zealots, he took one slash with his Warp-blade, cleaving it neatly in half. 'Hmm,' he thought to himself. 'Apparently the Zerg are closer than we thought...'
With a silent hand gesture, he ordered the Dragoons and Zealots to wait where they stood. Then he turned, and ran a bit down the canyon way, seeing two Nydus Canals and a Creep Colony just ahead of him. 'I've got to destroy these Nydus Canals... it'll stem the flow of Zerg reinforcements.' Not seeing any Spore Colonies, which could detect him, but also noting an Overlord hanging off not too far away, he knew he needed to be careful.
He ran up to the first Nydus Canal as fast as he could, and once next to it, raised his right arm and started hacking away at it. With his very strong warp-blade, he made quick work of the Canal. He then moved to the Creep Colony, finishing it off almost as fast, with five mere swipes of his blade. A low whistling sound caught his hearing, and he looked up to see the Overlord coming his way. Before he knew it, three Zerglings were on him, but they posed no major threat. His shields held up under their weak pounding, and he sliced the creatures in half, one-by-one.
Once the Zerglings were dead, he quickly destroyed the other Nydus Canal, cutting off the Zerg from sending reinforcements to that area. Waving his blade high into the air, he signalled the Dragoons and Zealots to join on him. Once in range of the lurking Overlord, the three Dragoons opened fire on it, bringing it down quickly. Zeratul ran quickly around the mountain cliff, peering around it, seeing two Sunken Colonies, a Spore Colony, and two more Nydus Canals.
'Hmm...' he thought to himself. 'This is going to be more difficult...' The Spore Colony was closer to him and his small army than the Sunken Colonies were, so he ordered the three Dragoons to move to just within firing range and take out the detector colony. It fell quickly under their concentrated fire, paving the way for Zeratul to sneak in and destroy the Sunken Colonies. He got up to them, and started slashing at the closest one, when an Overlord hurtled over the mountain, instantly revealing the presence of the cloaked Dark Templar. The twin Sunken Colonies responded in kind, sending out spiked tentacles.
'Great...' shot through Zeratul's head as he fell under serious attack. He knew from bitter experience that his shields wouldn't last forever under this, so he hurried up and dispatched the closest colony, retreating out of range of the other one, to let his shields recharge. The Overlord just hung there, waiting, almost daring him to come back and attack again. He had other plans, though. With a silent gesture, he sent the Dragoons after the Overlord, and the Zealots after the Colony, while he himself ran for the Nydus Canals. Again, the Dragoons easily handled the Overlord, taking a bit of damage from the Colony.
The Zealots, however, were taking more of a pounding as they ran up to slice up the Colony. Two had already been killed, and the others' shields were very low. The Dragoons, seeing this, immediately opened fire as well, and finally the Colony went down. Zeratul, for his part, finished off the twin Nydus Canals with no trouble. He straightened up, looking around him, noting the two dead Zealots. He began to walk back to rejoin his group, when he heard a shout from behind him. "En Taro Adun, Zeratul! There is no time to waste! We must join our brethren in battle!" He whirled around, seeing two more Zealots, of the Velari Tribe, running by.
"Come on!" he shouted back to his group, which immediately took off at full speed behind him. They all ran as fast as they could, following the two Velari Zealots, running through a canyon. The troupe rounded a corner... and ran smack into an army of Hydralisks and Zerglings attacking another, larger group of Zealots. Zeratul's force dove right into the action, with Phase Cannons firing and psi-blades slashing away at the Zerg foes. Zeratul himself attacked fiercely, slicing his way through to the four Nydus Canals that sat behind the army of Zerg. Once through, the Canals were quickly shredded, as before. When the last of the Hydralisks fell, there stood 10 Zealots and 3 Dragoons, ready for orders.
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Meanwhile, back in the damaged base, Aldaris and the Executor kept a close watch over Zeratul and his army via a vid-screen in the wall of the Judicator Sanctum. The Executor's eyes lit up in a smile as he saw Zeratul had rescued a larger group of Zealots. He then watched as that army annihilated four Nydus Canals, his eyes flaring bright red, in pride. Aldaris stood beside him, motionless, silent... watching the warriors' progress. The Executor gazed over at him, sensing his uneasiness and disdain through the psionic link all Protoss shared.
"Aldaris, old friend..." he began, turning to face him fully. Aldaris quickly turned from the screen as well, ignoring it for the time being. "Why do you hate Zeratul so? Especially when you can see that he may be our only salvation?" Aldaris bristled, his yellowish-tinted eyes narrowing dangerously.
"You know why, Executor..." Aldaris growled back. "Zeratul is one of the Dark Ones, completely and utterly devoid of the Khala's light! I cannot and will not ever trust the likes of him!"
At his friend's dangerous tone, the Executor's face took on a look of pure anger itself... "Aldaris, that is ENOUGH! Are you forgetting what happened just two days ago? Zeratul was right about you... you're too set in the ways of the Conclave, even though they're now dead! You have to stop this, or you'll destroy yourself!" He reached out a hand, touching Aldaris' shoulder. On his touch, his friend seemed to calm down noticeably, his eyes losing their angry tint of yellow.
"You are right, Executor..." Aldaris said, no hint of anger evident in his voice now. His eyes smiled at the Executor, who responded in kind, no word being said, as no words were needed. As one, the two Protoss, Templar and Judicator, turned back to the vid-screen to resume tracking Zeratul and his army's progress. They noticed that the army had gone a significant distance in the short time their attention was diverted, tearing their way through two defensive Sunken Colony bottlenecks, and destroying an Ultralisk Cavern as well. 'Excellent...' the Executor thought to himself.
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As Zeratul stood beside the massive Ultralisk Cavern, slashing and hacking away at it with his glowing energy blade, the soft, weak bio-structure soon collapsed. With a sigh of accomplishment, he turned back to face his army, which was locked in combat with four Zerglings, two Hydralisks... and the Ultralisk he'd tried to kill a short time before. With a growl, he ran back toward it, warp-blade raised high to strike. Unfortunately, however, he failed to notice the Overlord lurking just over the horizon, and the Ultralisk turned on him immediately, lashing out with its massive Kaiser Blades.
Zeratul's shields flared brightly under the barrage of the massive blades, and he started hacking and slashing wildly. The group of Zealots, seeing their leader in trouble, wiped out the Zerglings and Hydralisks with quick swipes of their psi-blades. As the Dragoons maneuvered into position to fire on the Overlord, the ten Zealots, with their own shields almost non-existent, swarmed the massive Zerg beast attacking Zeratul, slaughtering it quickly. Zeratul fell to his knees, somewhat weakened, and slightly wounded, blood trickling from a gash on his shoulder. Two of the Zealots ran to him and knelt beside him, checking him for injuries, then helping him stand again.
Off to their left, there was a sudden outburst of Phase Cannon fire as the three Dragoons found their target... and the lurking Overlord exploded in massive chunks of blood and flesh, plunging their area into darkness again to the Zerg. For now. Once on his feet again, Zeratul, flanked by all the Zealots, began slowly trudging on through the canyon again, resuming his search for the warp-gate. Soon, as he trudged along, he saw the massive, towering crystal form... of a Protoss Pylon! His eyes widened at this sight, since he wasn't expecting to find a base out this far...
Soon, the army saw it too, and a chorus of cheers and shouts rose up from the small group. Jubilantly, they broke into a run, transforming from a small, orderly group into a stampede. They pounded up the side of the small mountain, coming over it and seeing a decently sized base, complete with two Shield Batteries, Pylons galore, and most important... reinforcements! There, clustered up beside the Batteries, stood an Archon, two High Templar, six more Zealots, and three more Dragoons.
Zeratul slowed as he approached, as he noticed one of the High Templar begin to float his way. Obscured in shadows, the only thing that could be seen of the Templar's face was his glowing red eyes, and the glowing blue nerve-bundle at the back of his helmet. With his low, booming voice, the Templar spoke. "En Taro Adun, Zeratul... this is all that remains of our forces here on Aiur. Also, we have located the warp-gate..." With a gesture, the Templar pointed off into the distance, at a towering structure. "Unfortunately, there is a sizable Zerg force blocking our way."
Zeratul nodded, recharging his shields at the closest Battery. "Then we must go through them, one way or another." He turned to the group standing there. "Form up! We're going in!" The army quickly assembled itself into a diamond formation, Zealots and Zeratul at the front, Dragoons and the Archon in the middle, and the two High Templar at the back. Then, with a shout from Zeratul, "Charge! For Aiur!", the group tore off at a run, charging with hatred in their eyes toward the last Zerg impediment, a slightly larger bottleneck peppered with Sunken Colonies.
The army hit the Zerg outpost with the force of a hurricane. Each and every warrior fell right into position with a gesture from their leader... Zealots attacking the Sunken Colonies and any Zerg that popped up, Dragoons plastering Spore Colonies and Overlords, the High Templar frying Zerglings to a crisp with their Psionic Storm, and the Archon floating beside Zeratul, smashing anything that came too close.
After a short, but bloody, battle, the small outpost was torn from the face of Aiur, and Zeratul began to tally the casualties. Out of an army of sixteen Zealots, six Dragoons, two High Templar, and the Archon, there remained only five Zealots, two Dragoons, the two High Templar, and the Archon, which was badly wounded.
The way was now clear, and the small group ran as fast as they could to the warp-gate, reaching it quickly and noticing a small Velari base nearby, with Photon Cannons spread all around. As they hurried up to the gate, they heard many high-pitched squeals, almost speaking as one. They looked on in horror as a massive swarm of Zerglings poured into the base, attacking anything in sight. Zeratul's group was about to attack, but he held them back, watching as the Velari defenders swooped on the offensive. Out of the corner of his eye, Zeratul could spot two Protoss Shuttles and a Scout approaching, nearing their position.
The two shuttles quickly landed, disgorging the people they carried. Fenix and Jim Raynor emerged from one, immediately seeing the Zerg and opening fire. Out of the other, came the Executor and Aldaris. Artanis, in his Scout, hovered overhead, firing away at the Zerg invaders as well with his Photon Blasters. Raynor, noticing how massive the Zerg flood was, quickly wheeled his Vulture over to Zeratul and the Executor. "Executor," he said, grinning wildly. "Just worry about getting your people through the gate... I'll stay behind and help take care of the Zerg."
Artanis, hearing this, quickly opened his communications channel. "But Commander Raynor, you would be hopelessly outnumbered... and there would be no one to save you should you be overrun!" He broke off, continuing his assault on the Zerglings. Fenix moved up beside Raynor as well, facing the Executor.
"I shall remain here with Raynor as well, Executor..." he droned in his metallic, mechanical Dragoon voice. My duty IS to Aiur, after all..." And with that, he unleashed barrages of plasma bolts at Zergling after Zergling, blowing them up with great satisfaction.
The Executor nodded at the two heroes, then motioned his forces into the warp-gate. One by one, the warriors ran up to the gate and leapt in, heading for Shakuras. The Executor and Artanis were the last two through the gate, as Raynor, Fenix, and the Velari defenders pulled up tightly around it, barricading it and fighting fiercely.
'Good luck, Executor...' Raynor thought, as he plunged headfirst into the flood of Zerg, firing Frag Grenades left and right, and also unloading with his Gauss Rifle, just for good measure.
*End Chapter One! Next stop, The Dunes of Shakuras!*
A/N: Like? Hate? Constructive Criticism always welcome! Flames will be used as fuel for my Firebats' flamethrowers! ^_^