STARCRAFT2: The War of Ecumene.
I own nothing you recognize. The rest, however, is mine and is not to be used without permission (not that I'm optimistic about my chances).
Prologue: The sleeping power.
It was night. Perhaps the events would have fitted better a dead planet but this one was not. It had a developed ecology and there, in a quiet, deserted place, stood sarcophagi.
Thousands of them.
A single creature stood in their midst and reflected. He thought of the past. His most recent name was Samir Duran, of the Terrans. Before that, He had, as he said, many names.
He recalled the most important ones.
Judicator Deramin, of the Protoss. Executor Lagiron, again of the Protoss. Refd'Lix, Cariaagh, and Xparim'Nex'Lid, of the Xel'Naga. His true name, however, could not be pronounced or written down by any Terran. The same was true for the name of his race.
The Dawn Sentients was a rough translation. The time of the dawn was past, and he was the only one to see the beginning of the Day. The Day he had the intellect to foresee and the determination to bring about.
His race were fools. So what if they would have been destroyed. Was that not worth it to bring the Day? Conflict issued over whether or not to clear way for the Foreseen Ones, the conflict turned into war, and when it was over, he was the only one left. So carefully manipulated to just that effect, so no one will disturb him, and then Him using the younger races to bring about the finishing of his experiments. The practical fulfillment of his theory.
The theory of the UltiGenes.
He dared not tell the whole theory to the Xel'Naga, so he fed them bits of it. The Experiment was only half finished when the results turned upon the experimenters – and again he managed to manipulate them into extinction.
The Protoss were not prepared to start the experiments at all. He did, however, managed to seed among them the distrust to the Dark Templars – so they will not endanger the Zerg.
But now, the Experiment was complete. Any minute now…
One of the sarcophagi opened. Out of it slowly rose a strange creature. It had the shape of a Protoss warrior. Its face, however, had none of the nobility of the Protoss. None of their smoothness. It was a picture of horror and ugliness beyond even the Zerg. To Samir, however, it was The Beauty… and a millennia old dream come true.
The other sarcophagi opened as well. Creatures rose from them, all alike – as much as that can be said about any species. One of them came to Samir. The latter went to his knees. The Hybrid raised its clawed arm to strike Duran down… but then lowered it.
The Dawn Sentient understood. He had valuable information which could be used by his creations. It didn't matter to him when he will die. Although this way it is better.
He may see the beginning of their ascension.
He rose from his knees. Raising his head to the sky, he screamed in his old language:
THE CIRCLE IS COMPLETE!
He didn't know of another circle, which shall be complete in several years – and which was not much younger.