After the Void

After Sarah Kerrigan defeated Amon inside the void, peace slowly returned to the Koprulu Sector. Terran Dominion and Protoss Daelaam began to rebuild their shattered world, while the Zerg Swarm under their new queen, Zagara took the systems surrounding Char as their own. Each factions tried hard to not disturb the fragile stability. Yet the incidents could happen.

The Appearing

Aiur

The Protoss Daelaam

Year 2506

While the protoss were rebuild their cities, their activities was interrupted abruptly with the appearence of their shuttle ark above the skies of Aiur. They managed to learn that the shuttle came from Kaldir. However, nobody inside the vessel made any contact to the Daelaam below. The silence was disturbing. The officers reported this to the local praetor.

"Praetor Gal'c, we tried to contact the shuttle ark's crew but no reply!" The praetor turned to them, asking.

"Have you asked our Templars to probe the vessel? There must be someone inside!"

"Yes, they said that they felt something terrible inside the vessel." Gal'c couldn't hide his concern when the zealot continued. "They said whatever inside the shuttle ark, it looks like a zerg."

=o00o=

Meanwhile at Antioch, Capital of the Executor

Selendis was supervising reconstruction the capital, when the transmission came to her nexus.

"En Taro Tassadar, Executor!" the praetor said. "I am Praetor Gal'c! We would like inform you about the mysterious appearence of a shuttle ark above Aiur. We tried to contact its crew, but no reply came. When our templars contact them through psionics, instead we sense something terrible inside."

"What did you sense inside the shuttle?" the Khalai asked, unfazed.

"It looks like a zerg, Executor…" the praetor replied nervously. "Should I order to purify the vessel?"

"No!" The female Executor replied. " I will handle this. Someone must take responsibility for this!"

"Should we inform The Hierarch as well?" Instead, he received Selendis' stare.

"Don't bother Hierarch for this matter! As I said, I will handle this myself, Praetor!" the Executor emphasized her point to him.

"Yes, Executor! En Taro Adun! " With that, the transmission was terminated. The Executor glanced to her attendants.

"Prepare our fleet! We will visit Char's systems!"

=o00o=

Char

The Zerg Swarm

Inside the Leviathan, the clicking sound was heard when the creature walked inside the living Brood Mother Zagara watched her Swarm's progress from above. She savored the feeling of superiority inside. Before, she used to be with the Queen of Blade, Sarah Kerrigan and acted as her right hand together with the primal Dehaka and the infested Stukov. After their fight against the Great Devourer in the void, she was appointed by Kerrigan as her successor.

Now I am the Queen of the Swarm! I am the Swarm! The Brood Mother pondered herself until a voice broke her musings.

"As now, the Swarm almost completed their domination of the surrounding system. However, there were several planets that belongs to the Terran and they were well-defended. Should the Brood continue?" Zagara glanced to the serpent-like Izsha nearby. Formerly Terran, she was mutated into her present form now. The Brood Mother used to ignore her, when Queen of Blade talked with this creature. Now she inherited her as well, and Zagara cursed her incompetence to deal with her. She wasn't used to receive advices. Yet her Queen's words rang inside her cortex.

Remember your lessons, Zagara!

That's right! Everyone was a tool! She had to remember, that everyone, including Izsha were tools for the Swarm. She could use their experience with her Queen, to make herself a better one. Now it was not a good time to make trouble with the Terrans.

"No, Izsha! I will tell the Brood Mothers to left those world for now, at least until now." she said.

"Very well, my Queen!" Izsha nodded. "However, I had received transmission coming from the Protoss! It said they wished to talk with you!"

The Protoss! What do they want now? After the Void, she had left them in peace to respect her Queen's wishes and they did the same in return. Her instinct wanted to attack them now, but she decided to hold the urge for now.

"I will talk with them!" she said.

Izsha replied. "You can use our transmitter to talk with them, My Queen!" Zagara glanced to the transmitter. Another reminder of her Queen! She wasn't familiar with the Terran's device.

Realizing that, the serpentine Zerg said. "You just press the red button gently, my Queen…"

"I know that!" Then she pressed the tiny red button at the transmitter and immediately

made contact with the Protoss Executor.

"Greetings, Protoss! I am Zagara, the new Queen of the Swarm. Why are you here?"

The reply came instanteously: "En Taro Adun, I am Executor Selendis! Perhaps not so well, O Queen! My purpose to contact you is to heard your explanation about the presence of your ilk inside our ark shuttle from Kaldir!"

Kaldir! That's the frozen world where her Queen went to reclaim the Nafash's Brood. They encountered the Protoss Expedition there and fought them. She was present there when her Queen implanted a larva inside the hapless Protoss prisoner.

Recognizing that, Iszha said "It must be the growing larva from Kaldir, my Queen! Queen of Blades was implanting it inside our Protoss prisoner. It seemed that it did its job well!" She continued. "However, the Queen was regretted such thing must happened."

Zagara answered. "The zerg must be coming from the larva that my Queen implanted inside our prisoner during the time. It was regrettable incident…"

"Regrettable?" Selendis glared furiously ."Killing our people is punishable with death, zerg! Whether it was an accident or not! Yet, in honor of Kerrigan's deed during the End War, we, the Daelaam will tolerate this for once. However, you have to take the Brood Mother by yourself or you could sent another to take it."

Her base instinct stirred, the new Queen tried to kept calm: "So be it, but could you guarantee our safety, Executor Selendis? Perhaps you might stick your blade to our back when it was done."

"By Hierarch Artanis' honor, I would guarantee your…safety! To make sure that, we would provide the escort to yours!" Zagara allowed some satisfaction.

"That's kind of you, Executor! I will send someone to take the Brood Mother out and Iszha will provide you with the coordinates to warp them."

"Let's hope that, Queen! En Taro Tassadar!" Then the contact was broken. Zagara turned around to face Iszha.

"Queen, I suggest to not send another Brood Mother to do this! It is so delicate that we might not invoke the Protoss 'wrath to the Swarm."

Annoyed, the Queen asked . "Could I ask Abathur to create something to do that?"

Izsha reminded. "It would take a long time and the Protoss was not in the mood to wait…" The serpentine creature countered. "We need someone with psionic abilities and Terran's way of diplomacy."

Zagara narrowed her sight. "You are suggesting…Stukov?"

"Yes, my Queen! That's the option that we have now, besides Stukov also lead the Infested Terran Brood. Perhaps you had witnessed him killing the Xel'naga Narud/Duran during the time."

"You're right, Iszha! Summon Stukov to come at once!"

=o00o=

Back to the Protoss' Golden Fleet

While waiting Zagara's response, the Executor was met with another Protoss. Its body was stocky and slightly shorter than Selendis. In place of the severed nerve cords, there was mechanical arms. He watched the shuttle ark at the monitor and asked.

"Is this the shuttle ark from Kaldir?" Karax the Phase-smith asked.

"Yes." Selendis replied. "I'd asked the responsibility from the new Queen of the Swarm. She promised to send her ilk to retrieve the creature inside."

Karax continued. "It would be wise, if you sent the Purifiers instead."

Not for long, another Protoss joined them. He wore the dark armor with spikes, unlike the Khalai and the Nerazim used. The skin is sickly pale and a black, heavy visor covered his eyes. Yet, he stood facing the Khalai Executor and Templar without any hesitation. In fact, the Phase-smith considered him too bold.

"Do you summoned me, Executor?" the other Protoss asked with heavy tone.

"Yes, Zarc!" Selendis replied. "I want to know why you leave Alarak. Only few of Tal'Darim left him. If I was not mistaken, you are the Fourth Ascendant in Alarak's fold." The Ascendant was silent before he answered.

"I left Highlord Alarak because I saw the opportunity! He separated Tal'Darim from the Daelaam, and left Aiur for his own sake! The Tal'Darim prospered through the adversity. He believed that we would grow weak by staying with you, while I beg to differ. We would stay to preserve the Tal'Darim's tradition in Aiur. By then, we would grow stronger!"

Hearing Zarc's thought, Karax could only winced.

Selendis said. "I see, that's why you are also learn from the Khalai Templar. A noble cause, but you might be assimilated into our society like the Nerazim."

Zarc countered with a scoffing tone. "It had to be seen, Executor! The Nerazim whined for losing their unique way of life, while we, the Tal'Darim would persist! Yes, we were once chosen by the Dark God himself, but now we overthrew him! On that point, I agree with Highlord Alarak!"

Selendis sighed. She had heard much about Alarak from Hierarch and Karax, but unable to interact with him, thanks to Adun. Yet, she could imagine the Highlord looked like from this one. All of the Tal'Darim were the same.

"Very well!" she continued. "Zarc, I will assigned you to watch the Zerg contingent when they were inside the shuttle ark to retrieve their kind."

The Tal'Darim replied. "Shall I stain the corridor inside the vessel with their blood once the mission was done?"

"No!" The Executor commanded. "Only they betray us first! You must not harm them until the mission is over! Not only that, I will assigned you with several Nerazim and Purifiers!" It was hard to read Zarc's expression behind the heavy visor, but his word was full of displeasure.

"You are assigning me with them? I work well with my brethren…" His word was cut by Karax who showed his displeasure.

"You spoke boldly toward my brethren, Tal' Darim. It is unacceptable."

Zarc replied by igniting his psi-blade, yet the Executor broke them before the fight ensued.

"Enough!" Selendis said. "Tal'Darim, I won't brook any objections! If you refuse, I could assign someone else for this task." Zarc was silent momentarily, and then chuckled.

"Of course, I will lead them! Then I could prove my worthiness to you, Executor!"

"Good! They were waiting at the bay now and you will be warped with them to the appointed coordinates." The Executor said. "Do not disappoint me and the Daelaam! En Taro Adun!"

"I won't!" The former Ascendant replied curtly. "En Taro Alarak!"

After Zarc left, Karax turned. "If you ask my opinion, he is worse than Alarak. I won't even entrust him with this mission."

Selendis sighed. "Do you have any good idea? For sure, ask your brethren to monitor him."

"I will! En Taro Artanis!"

=o00o=

Meanwhile inside the Leviathan,

Alexei Stukov mused inwardly as he walked toward the center of leviathan. He took a cigar from his pocket, while his appendages hold a lighter to lit it. The former vice admiral wondered why Zagara summoned him to come. As far as he know, the Broodmother had not want anything to do with him. He was with the Swarm, because of Kerrigan's invitation. Now his benefactor was gone and Duran or Narud or whoever he is, was dead. He had no reason to stay with the Swarm, yet he had no other reason to leave. Simply, because he was Infested Terran who has no place to return.

He wasn't alone! Amongst the Swarm, there was several Infested who had control to their thought, almost like him. Then he took initiative to gather those infested under his leadership and dubbed them as "Stukov's Brood"

Stukov's Brood? The vice admiral found that quite ironic, since his so-called "brood" is not numerous as the others. In fact, they were the weakest link among the Zerg Swarm. The Zerg tolerated him because Queen of Blade ordered them to do. Few months passed after Kerrigan's ascension, he had received no call from Zagara until today.

"Let's hope it is something good!" he said while puffed a ring of smoke.

=o00o=

Not for long, Stukov already faced the new Queen of the Swarm. The Broodmother regarded him disdainfully.

"It is a good day, my Queen…" the infested Terran greeted, before the Broodmother cut him.

"Enough with Terran's pleasantries, Stukov! I had enough problem at my hand now!" However, the Russian looked unmindful with the lash.

"How I could help you, Queen Zagara?"

Zagara pointed to the image of shuttle ark. "The Protoss asked me to retrieve our kind from the vessel. Iszha recommended you for this assignment." Stukov went closer to check the shuttle ark and tried to sense anything through his psionic ability.

"I sense…a Broodmother like you, Queen." He said. "Her name is Niadra! I tried to ask her to come out, she refused!"

"Then I should beat her into submission!" Zagara responded. "However you have to drag her out from the vessel together with the Protoss."

"It might be…difficult, my Queen!" Stukov advised. "I am not only sensed him, but her brood as well. She might developed her own brood inside the vessel. It will be get bloody before you can take her."

"I don't care!" The Broodmother replied. "Do whatever you can to drag Niadra out and let the insufferable Protoss to do the killing as long as she survives!"

Then Iszha called. "My Queen, the Protoss commander called us! He said that his team was ready to escort us to the shuttle ark. I will give the coordinate to them you once you are ready, Stukov."

Stukov pondered awhile and then said. "I will assemble my Infested Terrans and then you could ask them to warp us there."

"Do it quickly, Stukov!" Zagara said. "The sooner it done, the better the Protoss would leave us."

The Infested commander bowed. "As your wish, My Queen. Long live the Swarm!"

=o00o=

A/N: After long time hiatus in FF, I decide to write again. This is first time I write SC fanfiction. This story was inspired from 'Legacy of the Void' Expansion ending. Alarak is my favorite character, too bad he left Aiur with the others. To replace Alarak, I made Zarc as Tal'Darim character who stays with the Khalai. As a foil, I decide to have Stukov since very few FF about him after the infestation. Please give your comments, critics or flame. Wait for the next chapter.