Chapter 1
Korhal, 2500
The last remnants of the once glorious and impressive Protoss army fell pathetically to the relentless onslaught of the Swarm. Even in their last breaths, they fought to take as much zerg to the grave with them. It was pitiful really, to watch them slay a mere zergling and believe that could make any difference to her endless Swarm.
At last, all of the golden-clad warriors succumbed to the attack except one, Praetor Fenix. Stories of his feats as an indomitable warrior had spread all across his people and even to some of the Terrans. He had died once to the Zerg before and was resurrected by encasing it in the clunky body of a dragoon. But today would be his second and final death, used and discarded like a tool that outlived its purpose. There was no hope of surviving for him now.
The Queen of Blades let her zerg fall back and stepped forward towards the lone warrior. She was unmistakably human yet unmistakably Zerg, the ultimate killing machine, perfectly designed from combining the best features of both species to be a weapon of war.
Boldly, Fenix spoke into her mind first.
"This treachery will define you, Kerrigan. I had my misgivings about you, but I foolishly ignored them. My brethren have fallen proudly in battle. Will you able to say the same?"
"Send my regards to your brethren for their contributions to the Swarm, Praetor Fenix. It cannot be said that the Protoss are a weak and unreliable race. The next time I require entertainment, I'll send for more of your kind." It was amusing to torment the warrior with the loss of his comrades. He had commanded them and led them to their demise.
She saw her words penetrate the Protoss's hardened mind. Though the mechanic dragoon could show no outward emotion at her words, the torrent of grief and fury emanating from inside his mind could not be ignored by even the most mindless Zerg minions.
The Queen's eyes glowed unnaturally yellow as she changed from a derogatory tone into something more inhumane.
"Are you ready to die once more?"
"I fear no death. The Khala awaits me."
Fenix grew quiet for a second.
"All this bloodshed… just so you can cling to your power. When will the carnage stop? When will you be satisfied? Have you been utterly stripped of any compassion?"
Kerrigan abruptly darted forward towards him, wings extended fully in front of her. Fenix powered up his phase disruptor, preparing one last shot even though he knew it was useless. As she reached her striking distance, he fired directly towards Kerrigan's torso at point blank range. She effortlessly twisted in the air to evade the blast and slashed her wings through the center of Fenix's body, shredding it in half.
She had felt invincible then, with her dead enemy's body in front of her and the comforting presence of the billions of zerg minds intertwined with her own. Nothing would take away her place with the Zerg and stop her from cementing her power. Victory tasted sweet to her and her Swarm.
But as she turned away from the carcass, her contented mind was disrupted.
"How will he think of you now?"
Dominion Base, Char, 2504
Emptiness and sadness.
The two sensations entered Sarah's mind as she woke up from her deep slumber. As she blinked away tears, the last visages of her dream quickly faded away to leave her with nothing but melancholic confusion.
She tried to shake away her distracting emotions as she noticed an unfamiliar place around her and studied her surroundings. She was in a fully enclosed room with a pair of heavy metal doors blocking her way out. Though easily breaking out was normally an option, there was a dome-shaped energy force field around the room that would stop anything, including her, from passing through. The only piece of furniture in the room was the bed she had been sleeping on.
How did she get here? Her thoughts regarding the past were muddled. James Raynor... and a Xel'naga artifact? She vaguely remembered being carried by him from the warm, dark depths to the outside and then...?
She looked down at herself and saw only human until her "hair" suddenly came into view. Instead of long, flowing red locks of hair from before, she now had thick rigid nerve cords. As she tried to delve further into her memories to answer her questions, only faint emotions and images started to appear to her.
Becoming hopeless yet angry at being betrayed and left to die at New Gettysburg.
Emerging from a chrysalis, intoxicated with newfound powers.
Becoming detached as she carved her bloody path through the stars.
Feeling pricklings of guilt and grief at the words shouted to her, "I'll see you dead for this, Kerrigan!"
She was interrupted from her musings by the doors of her room opening. An aristocratic looking young man flanked by two ghosts stood at the doorway. Immediately after seeing him, she narrowed her gaze imperceptibly and freed her face from emotions; this man carried a pleasant mask over a cold and calculating exterior.
"Greetings." His polished voice carried with it a refined air that complemented his immaculate appearance. "What can you remember from before?"
She hesitated for a second, thinking of what to tell him.
"Bits and pieces. Nothing much." She tried to seem confused and uncertain instead of reluctant to provide information. Who was he and what was his goal?
"You are Sarah Kerrigan, a former human ghost that was infested by the Zerg, an alien species. You became the Queen of Blades, an unstoppable terror that plagued the entire galaxy. My men rescued you by manipulating an ancient alien artifact to purify your body of the Zerg."
The Zerg. She had spent the last four years as the Queen of Blades. Was the Zerg what she was missing...? No, now was not the time to get distracted. A potential enemy was in front of her, and she still had to find a way to get out of her prison. It was time to gather some information. Her eyes flicked questioning over the man and his bodyguards.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Valerian. I am the owner of the Moebius Foundation, an organization that collects and researches ancient alien artifacts."
She didn't recognize any of the names but still tried to act polite.
"Thank you for saving me, Valerian." She wasn't sure if that came out sarcastic or not.
Nonetheless, he waved her thanks away with a thin smile.
"It is of unnecessary concern. In a few hours, we will be conducting a few research tests to accurately gauge your powers. I apologize, but you will have to remain in this room for some time. It is just a precautionary measure; I am sure you understand."
So they were going to experiment on her. Just like when...
She watched horrified, as the man injected the kitten with the chemical. He had told her it was fast-acting agent that produced fatal tumors quickly enough to cause death within a few hours.
He allowed her to get a good look, letting it hang by the scruff of its neck.
"Kill it now. Save it from a painful death." He urged.
His sickening smile revolted her.
Sarah shook her head. This was just a ploy to get her to display her psionic powers, to prove she could be useful. She wouldn't fall for this.
"No?"
He walked to a cage embedded in the wall and threw the kitten inside. Locking the opening shut, he turned back to her sneering, "Then I'm sure a couple hours with it will help convince you."
He left then, leaving the girl and a kitten alone in the room to contemplate their fate.
She nervously watched her doomed companion, desperately hoping the man was lying, but it was in vain. Within a few minutes, the kitten started squeaking in discomfort, attempting to scratch out the area where the needle had gone in.
She felt powerless then, unable to save the kitten, unable to do anything to control her situation at the mercy of the emotionless scientists that held her captive.
Within the hour, the kitten started screaming and wailing as the pain grew deeper and spread across its body.
"Sarah?"The man, Valerian, was looking at her probingly.
She mentally shook herself. "Yes?"
Hopefully he didn't read too much into her inadvertent reverie.
He slightly bowed his head. "My apologies. You must be tired. I will leave you to rest until we begin."
He turned and walked away, letting the doors close shut behind him.
Sarah sat back down on her bed and closed her eyes. So she was back to before now: trapped and pressured to partake in experiments that would determine her worth. With the Zerg, she had been more. She had been powerful and loved with them.
But those were dangerous thoughts to follow. The Queen of Blades had been a ruthless creature born directly from the bowels of hell. She had precipitated the death of billions and that could not be forgiven. Surely being that was worse than her current position.
Before much time passed, she was once again drawn out of her thoughts by the door opening. Looking up, she saw a completely different figure in front of her. Instead of the rich and classy attire Valerian dressed in, this man looked prepared to wage war. He wore a full body camouflage combat suit decorated with numerous military honors. A robotic arm replaced his original right arm, exemplifying his experience with war and its sacrifices.
They studied each other for a moment.
"Do you remember anything?" The man broke the silence.
Didn't she just have a similar conversation with Valerian?
"Valerian asked the same question. Who are you?" Obviously, the two men weren't well acquainted.
"General Warfield. I'm Prince Valerian's—"
Sarah cut him off sharply as she stood up. "Prince Valerian?" The words rolled off her tongue like a roach's acid saliva. This threw an entire new light upon the researcher.
"Emperor Mengsk's son." Warfield confirmed, looking at her oddly.
Her instincts about Valerian were correct. He was a traitorous bastard who was attempting to use her just like his father had. And this man was a general under Valerian's command. Her voice turned cold at this new revelation.
"Why are you here?"
He suddenly looked as nervous as he could be at that question. "Listen, you remember your past, right? With Raynor and all that?"
She could almost taste the fear and apprehension permeating from his body. But why was he so afraid?
"Yes. What of it?"
"I'm breaking him out."
That was news. Maybe this general was better than she thought.
"So Jim is behind bars. By Valerian?" It was more obvious now why Warfield was so on edge.
He grunted in affirmation. "We worked together to make this invasion work. When Raynor finally found you and pulled you out from the Zerg, Valerian displayed his true colors. His real objective was obtaining you as a prize to present to his father. As soon as Raynor emerged from the Zerg hive with you, Valerian ordered you, Raynor, and the rest of his crew arrested and placed under guard immediately."
She paused, somberly accepting this information. So Jim was betrayed again. She probably shouldn't even feel surprised by that anymore. Everyone managed to majorly screw him over somehow: the former Confederacy, Arcturus, her, Valerian, and probably countless other people he hadn't told her about.
"So what's your plan?"
"I have the access codes to release you. After that, I'll take as much men as possible out of the base on a mission to kill off the rest of the feral zerg. The base will be mostly empty after that so you can break Jim and the Hyperion outta here. He's going to be in a solitary confinement cell while the rest of the crew are in the main prison."
He wasn't going as far as she would have hoped, but this plan was still better than nothing. One question still nagged at her though, what was his motivation for committing treason and helping her and Jim?
"So why this… disloyalty all of a sudden?"
For the first time since the beginning of the conversation, Warfield stood up straight and focused directly at her, acting every inch of the veteran three-star general he was.
"Raynor proved to be a good man and someone I respect. I'll be damned if he gets what Valerian plans for him. He saved me and my boys once; I'll do my best to return the favor."
She was going to have to ask Jim about that later. Turning loyal generals against the Dominion was an extremely useful skill.
"It seems like this rescue mission is pretty cut and dry, but I doubt it's going to be as easy as you think it is."
The general smiled wryly. "I distinctly remember Raynor mentioning something like that before. It turned out he was right."
"Well, let's hope I'm wrong this time."