Author's notes:

Greetings, readers and potential readers.

Addition summary notes that I couldn't fit into the summary: Kerrigan remains Primal Queen of Blades, Zeratul lives.

I began writing this story back in late 2014, a year before the release of 'Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void', but after a few rough drafts, the work was suspended, as I decided to focus all my effort on one story. Besides, real life demands a lot of time, and I had none to spare back in those days.

Now I have had a change of heart, and I'd like to give this one a try. Besides, LOTV has helped putting up a perfect setting for a few of my subplots that I have had problems with. Though it also ruined the setting for some of the main points in my story, so I will write this story as an Alternative Universe. It will have slight difference from how LOTV ended: Kerrigan remains Primal Queen of Blades, and Zeratul lives. Personally, I thought the canon ending was fine, but it doesn't fit with the plot I've decided for in this story (which I have wanted to do for a while, even before we knew the outcome of LOTV).

I focus on the growing next generation, after SC2 (that is in human terms, protoss live way too long for that). Hence, the boring title "Starcraft: A New Generation", that should hopefully score high on the searching list (Muahaha).

First comes the prologue chapter, and I shall give you a taste of my story in this chapter and in the next, before I go some more into details of what type of story I'm working for.

Thanks to Warchief for beta reading this story. You should definitely check out his SC story, "When One Domino Falls". Highly recommended.

I do not own Starcraft or any of its characters.

Different communication, thought patterns and sounds:

"Speaking"

'Thinking or speaking mentally'

*Sound effect*

Starcraft: Generation

Chapter 1: Prologue - New dawn

'So… bright… so peaceful…'

'I feel… so… weak…'

'There's… light… only light…?'

"Sarah!"

'The pain… no more…. I don't need to carry it anymore…'

'All the deaths… all the blood… no more…'

'Will I finally… rest?…… be at peace…?'

"We're loosing her! She's going into cardiac arrest!"

'So….weak…..tired…'

"Her pulse is gone!"

'I… I hear… someone?…'

'Voices so… far… away…'

'So… peaceful here… stay…'

'Am I…… redeemed?……'

"It's not working, Dr. Hanson!"

'I… hear… something…?…'

"Damn it! Stetmann, prepare the serum!"

'Peaceful…'

"Full doze ready! But we still don't know if it will work!"

'No pain…'

"We have no other choice, inject it now!"

'No… what it this… noise….'

'So… tired… need rest…'

'What is… what is going on?'

'Where am I? What's happening?…'

'It…burns…'

'It burns!'

'IT BURNS!'

Suddenly her eyes were opened wide, and she jerked up from the operation table, gasping for air.

"AAH!" a startled Egon Stetmann screamed, jumping back from the table.

"Sarah!" Jim's voice echoed across the room, loud and clearly.

She fell back on the table again, gasping for more air, only to cry out in painful screams.

"It hurts!" she shrieked. "It's burning!"

Jim had been present and had witnessed everything, and he quickly walked over to the table, and reached out to grab her hand.

"No Jim, don't!" Dr. Ariel Hanson shouted at him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Don't touch her!" she said as she pointed at Sarah's clawed hands, that quickly swapped between wide open palms and clenched fists, as she writhed in pain.

Her fists clenched so hard each time that her claws were piercing through the hard skin above her wrist joints, to the point where she bled. If he grabbed her hand, she could cut into his own flesh. Clearly, whatever was happening to her made her body reflexes and limbs going haywire, doing anything to fight against the pain.

"What the hell is happening to her?" he asked Hanson.

"Happening to her?!" Ariel stared at Jim in disbelief.

"Didn't that Xel'naga of yours warn that its powers would do to her? And now you're asking what is happening to her?!"

"D-Doctor Hanson, not helping t-the situation!" Stetmann interjected in near panic, already feeling overwhelmed by the tense situation in the room.

Jim thought of it as he replayed that conversation inside his head, the one they had freed Ourus, the last shephard of the cycle. That Kerrigan was the closest match, but still no near enough to ascend. She could carry the Xel'naga's power, but it was at a high cost. Nonetheless, Amon had to be stopped.

After the blast that finally destroyed the dark god, once and for all, he had found her lying lifeless there on the ground in this state. All broken.

"Everything was torn apart inside," Dr. Hanson continued.

"Now it's the serum. It's based on some cells she gave me earlier in the war, when the Swarm intervened against the Moebius Corps on Haven, I have found a way to greatly amplifies her regenerative abilities."

She looked back at the agonized zerg woman.

"Though only in theory, I haven't been able to test it out on a zerg sample, yet. And there are clearly side effects, she's in great pain. There was no choice, her wounds from… whether it was that xel'naga power or from the battle itself, they are too extensive, even for her. We lost the pulse and… hell, I was out of options!" she finished, exclaiming.

"AAARGH!" Sarah hissed, gritting her teeth with her body all tensed up. The remains of her right bone-wing flexed in and out, and toppled over a nearby tray with medical tools.

"Sarah," Jim whispered.

It pained him greatly to see her in this state. So many open wounds, so much bleeding, not even her body itself was recognizable. As human, he hadn't seen her in this badly wounded before, and now here was a zerg with much more resilience than any terran. Her regenerative abilities had been impressive to this point, but the powers she just had carried, along with the one she had faced, had taxed greatly on the zerg queen.

Her left bone-wing was all gone. Torn off, leaving an opening in her back that kept bleeding. Her right one had only had barely anything left, with only one bladed bone left, connected to the main bone that barely hung on the woman. Blood transfusion tubes were connected to her body, in an attempt to at providing blood to the most vital parts of her body. In all honesty, they had no idea if it worked or not, since all they had was human blood, and she was a hybrid between their race and primal zerg. But at least they hoped her being part human would help, and so far there were no signs of negative effects either.

Suddenly, a nearby glass jar shattered, spreading all it's liquid all over the tray it stood on, and a nearby bed was also sent into the wall with a bang.

"AIIEE!" Egon Stetmann screamed, while Ariel and Jim looked around Kerrigan in apprehension, standing in a ready stance in case something were to happen the next moment.

"I feel so out of place here," Stetmann uttered.

'Hold on…' Jim thought, realizing something.

'From what I know, she could have blasted the room around us by now… Is she…?'

He now noticed that some of the wounds began to close up, in contrast to earlier. Her body was covered in it, with red fluid leaking out. But now, one by one, they slowly disappeared.

'It's working?' he thought to himself, daring to hope for her life, before finishing the previous line of thought.

'And… is she fighting to not harm us?'

He slowly stepped over to Kerrigan, and in spite of Hanson's warning, he gently grabbed her hand, slowly snuggling his fingers in between hers, while subtly avoiding her claws. Somehow she noticed, and forced her hand to relax to avoid hurting Jim.

"It's going to be all right, Sarah. It's going to be all right," he whispered to her, trying to calm both himself and her.

"Jim…" she spoke up in a pained voice.

"Is… Is Amon…?"

"He is gone," Jim replied, as he began stroking her arm hand with his other free hand.

"Dead. And hopefully permanent this time."

Even if the carapace on her skin felt hard and cold, Jim could tell that she felt it. Even while gritting her teeth in pain, she fought with all her remaining strength to not make any sudden moves or outburst that could hurt her beloved.

"Dead… that's… that's good…" she whispered.

" 'Hopefully'… you and… your optimism…" she manage to add with a tiny forced smile, before she allowed her eyes to close, and pass out not before long.

The pain was too much, and the exhaustion overcame her. But it was done. The war was won. The dark God was slain. They lived. She lived. But for what future?

They were counted as three wars.

The first Great War introduced the Zerg Swarm, as they laid entire worlds to waste with millions in the death tolls. The protoss made themselves known, by burning the terran worlds. Trying to prevent the zerg infestation from spreading, the cost being the lives of any remaining survivors, believed to be increasing the already devastating death tolls.

The war brought the fall of the Confederacy of Man and gave rise to the Terran Dominion. The zerg Overmind invaded the protoss home world of Aiur, but was slain in a valiant effort by a band of Khalai protoss, Dark Templars and an aiding group of terrans. Yet Aiur was lost to the Swarm, and the surviving protoss fled to Shakuras, home of the Dark Templar. The being known as the Queen of Blades would rise up to rule the Swarm and bring destruction and grief to protoss and terrans alike.

Then came the Second Great War, mainly a conflict between the Terran Dominion and the Zerg Swarm, the latter retuning to the terran systems in search of the pieces of a Xel'naga artifact. It ended with Emperor Arcturus Mengsk getting slain by the Queen of Blades, though by the aid of James Raynor, leader of the Raynor's Raiders, a rebel group opposed to the Dominion. Oddly enough, civilian casualties was low in the final battle.

And at last came the Hybrid War, which quickly grew into a full-scale war against dreadful abominations known as the hybrids. They were the combination of protoss and zerg DNA, creating monstrous beings with unimaginable powers. And above all, they served the fallen Xel'naga known as Amon, having returned to the universe to destroy everything that was known and held dear.

Amon had in the past desired the protoss, and later the zerg, as his weapons. He had corrupted the zerg at the creation of the Swarm, the same corruption that later twisted Sarah Kerrigan as she became the infamous Queen of Blades. But she found redemption, and was freed from his vile influence. She found herself fighting against the hybrids over the control of the Zerg Swarm, turning a large amount of the race against him. She had thus became a great thorn to Amon's plans. Not only she, but James Raynor of the terrans, and Artanis, Hierarch of the Daelaam, led their forces, and stood their ground against overwhelming odds.

The Hybrids bid the control over vast forces, over enslaved terrans, over zerg under their control, and over the corrupted Templar of the Khalai, causing massive destruction in the Korprulu sector. The death tolls of the war were catastrophic for everyone, for terrans, zerg and protoss alike. Many worlds burned. Korhal's capital, Augustgrad, had seen the greatest destruction ever, and Shakuras was lost.

Hierarch Artanis lost the Golden Armada when Amon corrupted the Khala and enslaved the Templar. But slowly he would forge a new army, and hope returned. Consisting of old and new allies, them being the remnants of the remaining free Templars, the Nerazim, the Tal'darim led by Highlord Alarak, and the Purifiers with Talandar as representative.

Not only the protoss, but the terran factions had rallied together as well, for the first time under a single banner, to resist the onslaught from the Hybrid armies. The first time, ever since they came to the Koprulu Sector. The Terran Dominion, the Umojan Protectorate, the Kel-Morian Combine, and various surviving militias and mercenary groups.

There were points where the Zerg Swarm, led by Kerrigan, fought together with protoss and terrans alike.

The turning point came on Aiur. Artanis's new allied forces came and stood their ground as they fought against overwhelming odds. They destroyed the host body that Amon was creating, and then freed the Khalai from his grip, banishing the dark god back into the void. Artanis was from the first moment hailed as the Savior of all protoss.

Then came the time, when the three races that started out as bitter enemies, joined forces together in a final attempt to destroy Amon once and for all. James Raynor, Matthew Horner, Sarah Kerrigan, Alexei Stukov, Zagara, Izsha, Artanis, Selendis, Vorazun, Alarak, Karax, Talandar. All their efforts, their valor, shrewdness, leadership, and any other capabilities they possessed as they led the forced, whether from the front or from behind, led to the final victory inside the realm known as the Void. Amon was slain by Kerrigan, who at the moment housed the power of Ourus, the other last xel'naga before Amon.

Without his will and power to guide them, the remaining hybrids were greatly weakened, and the allied forces overcame what remained of them. A few escaped destruction in the end, only to be hunted down, one by one. The final few remain in the shadows.

The war, which would be remembered as the Hybrid War, were won by the allied forces of the terrans, zerg and protoss. The cost had been high, and the races beheld the ruins the war had left them. Slowly, they began to rebuild.

Sarah Kerrigan was mortally wounded after the final battle with Amon, but survived thanks to the ingenious effort from Dr. Ariel Hanson and Egon Stetmann. She soon resumed her role as the Queen of the zerg.

Valerian Mengsk continued his rule as Emperor of the Terran Dominion. While his father had been bent on making the Empire strong and secure, with himself as the head ruler, Valerian had a different goal. Security in the aftermath of the war was important, but he envisioned an empire where justice, truth and civility were valued above all. And a thirst for knowledge. Lack of justice and brutal violence were not traits worthy for an enlightened society.

Rebuilding the terran worlds came first, but as the years went on, laws that would benefit the people before the Emperor were passed, and he shared some of his power with the Senate. Nevertheless, he remained as the head Emperor of the Dominion, with the highest authority. He would watch as peace and prosperity slowly grew within the Dominion.

Artanis began the rebuilding of the protoss civilization on Aiur, and continued his role as Hierarch of the united Daelaam, and leading the protoss council. With the loss of Shakuras, the Dark Templar moved in with the Khalai to rebuild together, but they would keep their identity as the Nerazim and continue their own traditions. Some of the Nerazim left for the stars to continue exploring the secrets of the universe, as they had done before.

One of them was prelate Zeratul. Mortally wounded by a possessed Artanis in the beginning of the Hybrid War, he was kept in animated suspense as a fraction of Amon's powers had entered his body and threatened his life. Revived after Amon was banished, and after a long recovery in which he had to stay out of the final battle in the Void, the Dark Prelate continued his journey, first traveling to Ulnar to search for clues left by Ourus. Clues on how to continue the Infinite Cycle without any living Xel'naga.

The Purifiers settled down in a system called Terulia, not far from Aiur and their Khalai brethren. Rich on resources, and once under early colonization from the Khalai before the zerg invasion, the Purifiers claimed the rich worlds as their own, with blessing from the rest of the Daelaam. Talandar and a few of his brethren remained on Aiur as liaisons and he would represent the Purifiers in the protoss council.

Highlord Alarak of the Tal'darim declined and alliance with the unified Protoss, and his people left Aiur to establish their own homeworld. Any Tal'darim who opposed his decision were permitted one opportunity to join the Templar.

All the three races acknowledged that they were truly dependent on each other during their strife to bring down the fallen xel'naga. Even the most stubborn among the zerg broodmothers were forced to admit that without the terrans and the protoss, they, along with their Queen, would have fallen by the hands of the hybrids and their master, sooner or later. As such, and because they were all weakened from the war, the three races remained on a truce after the war, and focused on rebuilding their own civilizations.

Peace, however, proved to be difficult to maintain. At times, it would prove fragile.

Old hatreds die hard, and while most of their leaders were open for diplomacy, there were many who could not forget the past. Especially when the zerg was in question. Among the terrans and the protoss, many refused to let go of their hatred against the Queen of Blades for her past sins. To trust the zerg for peace was like trusting a goat with a sack of grain, that was the common idea among the terrans.

Everyone knew that Kerrigan held the zerg at her leash, for now. But there was always the chance that she one day, for any reason, could turn against the other races. Her minions would gladly consume their prey at her first whim, as they hungered for new flesh to consume. And even if the Queen of Blades kept her end of the deal, her successor certainly would not.

Terrans and protoss furthermore had their issues with each other. In spite of the Hierarch's efforts at persuasion, several notable protoss viewed the terrans with disdain, due to the greedy ways of the terrans, both past and present. Their weaknesses as a race mattered more than their impressive ingenuity and ability to adapt, as they had shown during the war. Many of the older protoss had problems of letting go of their past.

The Emperor had not succeeded better either. Many terrans felt distrust against the protoss, a courtesy from the First Great War. In spite of Artanis and the deeds of other noble protoss, many terrans came to view the protoss to be arrogant, stubborn and to have superiority-issues. Perhaps more than they really were. Many questioned the goal behind their aid at Korhal during the Hybrid War. Some were convinced that they cared only for the artifact, not for their lives. And the failures of establishing a lasting peace treaty the first few years cemented the views. Negative rumors easily swayed the terrans, one of the clear weaknesses of their culture and race.

Even if Valerian, Artanis and Kerrigan could see eye-to-eye with each other, a lot of it also credited to their connections with Jim Raynor, each leader had their primary responsibility to their own races.

The alliance was after all out of necessity to avoid future annihilation. Few, if any, were those who agreed out of idealism. Some people carried the hope that the past alliance was a beginning change for the better, but only time would tell what would stand out: Hope or distrust. Lasting peace or inevitable war.

And then came the avions.

The introduction of a fourth race only helped increase the tension in the Korprulu sector. If the terrans were greedy, the zerg hungering, and the protoss arrogant, then the avions had a dangerous mix of these three, not to mention that they were an expansionistic people. While the first encounter had been far more graceful than it had been between the three rivaling races back in the days, the Avion Dynasty turned out to be even more difficult to negotiate with, than even the Queen of Blades herself. Pride and their own 'rightful place' in the center of creation were what guided their actions. Whenever they demanded something, whether it being through territorial expansion or in diplomatic negotiation, it would always be for their own benefit, not others. At least the Queen of Blades could be reasoned with, sometimes.

If, or perhaps when, a new war would come, who would trigger it? The terrans from crossing too many lines with any of the other races? The protoss, for their own superiority issues? The zerg, led by their Queen, wanting to become the dominant forces once again? Perhaps hatred against Kerrigan would be the catalyst, due to her past sins? Or maybe the newcomers, the avions, would declare war on any of the other races, using any reason for justification, while exploiting the tension between the races for their own end? Given the existing distrust, would the avions expect any intervention from any of the other races if they chose to make war? Would the protoss or the terrans even consider aiding the zerg, the ones their people hated so much? Unless they already broke into war themselves?

Only time would tell what tomorrow held, and whether war once again would loom on the races, or if someone would dare to break the cycle, and stand up for something different.

But in spite of the tension, Valerian, Artanis and Kerrigan managed to keep the peace for years, as the smoke from the Hybrid War began to clear away. A new dawn awaited all. For old heroes and new people alike. For James Raynor. For Valerian Mengsk. For Artanis. For Zeratul. Even for the Queen of Blades.

— 16 years after the Hybrid War —
— 18th September 2522 —
— Location: Unknown —

A great dark hall. Dim light of dark blue, radiating from energy crystals along the pillars that stood near the walls. In the center, on a throne, sat the dark being. His eyes glowing deep red, as he gazed out to his trusted servant who entered his presence.

"Lord Raan," the servant addressed him, "I bring you news."

The dark one gazed upon his servant, and waited in silence for him to proceed.

"We have located the heiress. She is on Korhal, the capital world of the Terran Dominion."

"Korhal?" Raan asked, with a small tinge of surprise in his voice.

"Hmm… Clever. If the heiress has inherited anything close to the powers of her mother, the terrans will want someone like her. A priced possession. They will guard her well."

"I have your permission to proceed then?" the servant asked.

"You may proceed with the plan you proposed, Zul'dan," Raan answered.

"Make contact with the mercenaries you spoke of. If they are anything like what you were told, they should prove useful for us. Serve me well, Zul'dan."

"As you wish, my Lord," Zul'dan bowed, before leaving his presence.

The dark one remained on his throne, as his servant disappeared out of sight, leaving him to his own.

"The time shall come," the dark one spoke out.

"Yes, the time shall come, when the Artifact comes into my possession, and I master its powers. The old ways shall disappear, and I shall bring a new order, one that will last forever. All the races shall join under my guidance. Terran, zerg, protoss, avion… we shall all become… one."

"You may have thwarted my plans in the past, Alora, but I am patient. In the end, I will shall become the absolute. You have only delayed the inevitable, and everything you have done shall be for naught."

Author's notes:

Let it be said, I do not plan to explore the war much. There will be additions, there will be difference. The Zerg Swarm gave more aid to the terrans and the protoss than explicitly stated in LOTV. But first and foremost, this is a next-gen fic, and first chapter serves more of a prologue chapter that briefly sums Hybrid War, with basis on LOTV ended.

The new race, the avions, will be described part by part as they are encountered. Though I could say that they are like the Roman Empire of the old: enlightened but expansionistic species, viewing themselves as the center of the world.

As for the focus, or style of writing: Let's just say that while others jump early into space battles and write space operas, I plan to explore the lives of the main characters. See next chapter to get an idea of where I am going with this. I won't spoil anything big here and now.

Until next time