This is my second Starcraft fic, planning to be co-written with a friend of mine, ViolentY2Kplus7. Since our actual chapter distribution strategy is still in the works, expect updates to be fairly slow.

Rating may go up in the future due to violence and/or language.

Neither of us owns Starcraft or Blizzard. I have no money, and I doubt that he does either, so don't sue us.

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Prologue – Belly of the Beast

"Everyone, prepare to leave Tarsonis airspace on my mark," the voice of Arcturus Mengsk rang throughout the fleet's communications array.

"What?!" Jim Raynor, captain of the battle cruiser Hyperion interjected. "We're just going to leave her there?"

"Her sacrifice is regrettable, but we cannot afford the manpower to launch a rescue mission," Mengsk responded. "Now prepare to enter warp space." As the remainder of the fleet drifted into position to leave Tarsonis, Raynor shook his head.

"Screw this," he said to himself before turning to a random ensign. "Ensign, take us down."

"Aye, captain," the ensign said as he entered the coordinates to take them back to the planet. Meanwhile, Raynor ran to the communcations panel and pressed a button.

"Hold tight, Sarah, we're comin' for you," Raynor assured the Ghost operative currently fighting back the Zerg on the planet.

"Make it quick, Jimmy, we're getting ripped apart down here!" Sarah Kerrigan's voice responded, the signal crackling. As Raynor breathed a sigh of relief, Mengsk's voice snapped him back to attention.

"Marshall Raynor, what are you doing?" the Sons of Korhal leader snapped testily.

"Fuck you, Mengsk, I'm not leaving her down there," Raynor before deactivating his communications channel. He squinted his eyes as the atmosphere glowed brightly from the friction of descent.

The Hyperion flew to the coordinates where Kerrigan's strike force was situated to see that most of the structures had been destroyed, and only a handful of marines, a siege tank and Kerrigan herself remained. As the Hyperion hovered above them, firing at the Zerg below, a single dropship, escorted by a fleet of Wraiths flew down to pick up the survivors. The wraiths flew around the dropship, shooting down Zerg Mutalisks that attempted to destroy the dropship.

The dropship touched down and Raynor, along with three Marines ran out to lay down cover fire for Kerrigan. An explosion shook them as the last siege tank was destroyed.

"Sarah!" Raynor yelled, firing his gauss rifle at the wave of Zerglings running over the ramp. "Sarah, we've got to go!" Raynor heard a scream behind him, and he turned around to see the pilot for the dropship with several spines sticking out of her body, the windshield shattered. A loud explosion erupted above them, and he looked up to see the Hyperion's engines explode and watch it drift to the ground helplessly.

The Zerg onslaught pushing them together, Raynor and Kerrigan stood back to back, firing wildly at the alien monsters before them.

"How much ammo you got left?" Raynor asked, loading a magazine into his rifle.

"Five rounds," Kerrigan answered. "You?"

"Last mag," Raynor admitted sullenly as he fired a hail of bullets at the Zerg legions. "This is not how I wanted to die," he groaned as his ammo counter continued to decrease. The wall of Zerg separated to make way for two large Hydralisks. Raynor and Kerrigan took aim and pulled the triggers of their weapons, but they responded with only hollow clicks. The Hydralisks bent down their heads and shot a single barbed spine into their abdomens. Raynor felt his eyelids grow heavy, his grip growing slack, and he collapsed to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.

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As the Zerg watched the two humans collapse, the simple-minded Zerglings shifted anxiously.

"What shall we do with these two humans? Shall we eat them?" one Zergling chittered in the Zerg tongue. One of the Hydralisks snarled at the smaller Zergling, annoyed.

"We shall bring these two to the Cerebrate, as per our orders, pathetic wretch," the Hydralisk growled. The Zerg lifted the two prisoners into the ventral sacs of a nearby Overmind, which drifted slowly to the large, maggot-like Zerg Cerebrate of the massive Jormungand Brood.

What shall we do with these humans, my lord? The Cerebrate asked the Zerg Overmind through its psionic link.

Infest the female, the Overmind responded, scanning their minds. Her psi is strong; she will serve us well when we lay siege on the Protoss.

And the male? The Cerebrate asked as Drones began to drag Kerrigan's unconscious form away.

Kill him, the Overmind responded automatically. A Hydralisk slithered up to Raynor and raised its scythe-like arm. As it was about to bring it down, the Overmind's voice arose again. Wait. I have seen into their minds, and what I have seen intrigues me. The male's psionic potential is almost nonexistent, but he shares another link with the female, a link I am unfamiliar with. Perhaps...perhaps together, they will operate greater than they ever could alone. Infest him as well. More Drones appeared to tear off Raynor's bulky armor and drag his body to an Overlord. Together, they shall lead the Broods to battle against the Protoss, and soon even they shall tremble before the overwhelming might of the Swarm.

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So, there's the prologue. What do you think?

I'll be talking to ViolentY2Kplus7 over XBL in a few days, so hopefully a new chapter will appear soon.

Don't forget to read and review!