A StarCraft Original Fanfiction, Sequel to Ghost: Zero
Thanks go out to the reviewers of the original fiction Ghost: Zero, and to Vampwriter for being my Beta reader for this fiction.
StarCraft is property of Blizzard Entertainment of Vivendi Universal.
Chapter 1:
For the Future o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Like a vivid dream, Selece had remembered that night. The night the Protoss came to save Miira, the night she had confessed her inner most secrets, facing the prospects of never being able to reveal them again. It was a nightmare, and yet, it turned out well in the end, and Selece knew she would never forget it.
The blood-stained jumpsuits had been thrown away, and Miira s wound had fully healed, not even leaving the slightest trace of injury thanks to Protoss first aid technology. Selece really didn t know how much different it was from Terran technology, but it worked, and that was all that mattered. The next few mornings, it was like their life had begun anew. High Templar Yah'zugar of the Haz'rad deep space fleet, along with the ever faithful Taliz, had formed a pact with both of the young girls to save the Terran and Protoss races, if not from the evil spreading throughout the universe, then from the cruel New Confederacy, whose oppressive society had driven Selece and Miira to revolt years before.
Their two Protoss companions had left to oversee the deployment of an undersea base, as Tarsonis B was primarily a water world. Selece and Miira remained, resting on their makeshift bed regaining psionic energy. Thankfully, Taliz had left them with several blankets, so they would no longer be cold during the nights.
A dull, simple light filled the cavern, barely illuminating them. Selece was a pale girl with long white hair. She was seventeen years old, but had seen more combat then the most of the New Confederate soldiers, her enemy. She was growing taller as of late, but still, short in comparison to the majority of the Terran race for her age, standing at only five and a half feet. She sat up, walking slowly over to two sets of jumpsuits that Taliz had brought with him on his last visit. They were equipped with tracking and health measurement systems, along with a radio, connected directly to the main computer of the Yulag'ya, the Carrier S-class mothership of the Protoss fleet. Selece removed the majority of her ragged clothing. She had clothed herself in it after having tossed the stained jumpsuit she had been using for the last year.
This material is darker then the Confederate suits, commented Selece as she slipped the outerwear on. It fit her well, and Selece figured it was sensitive to body heat, allowing it to mold itself into a more appropriate shape. As she could feel it tightening around her form, she stretched her arms in several directions. The joints are good too.
Miira was watching Selece intently from a short distance away. She too had silvery white hair, which she had recently trimmed to shoulder length. Her skin was not as white as Selece s, but it was still pale neither of them received much sunlight, not to mention the suits blocked most of the local star s radiation when they were under it. Miira stood up and made her way over to Selece, who held out her own black-as-night jumpsuit.
Thank you, Selece. Miira said softly, and she removed her own dirty shirt and pants. Like Selece, Miira s jumpsuit was visibly changing shape to match her body. These are so much nicer then our old ones. Selece and Miira blended into the shadowy cave as the dark material they wore absorbed the little light present.
In a couple days, we can test them out, can t we? Selece replied, moving forward to hug the younger girl. The night that Miira was teetering on the edge of survival had changed both of them, and they could not bring themselves to regard their relationship, nor their lives, for granted anymore. No longer did they want it to be a silent love. So many times they had shared fleeting glances in blushing wordlessness, but after that night... They couldn t imagine going an hour without showing, and acknowledging, affection for each other. They were an army of two soldiers, an army of two against a world of hate. Their life could be abruptly ended at any time.
A couple more days sounds about right, Miira replied, sensing her psionic potential. They had fully depleted their energy just a couple days ago, and regaining energy when starting from zero took considerably longer. Though, we should probably go out and find some food today. Selece nodded, and without another word, they left the underground lair after slinging their rifles onto their backs. Being close to each other, psionically, and otherwise, allowed them to read each other s minds, and simple thoughts were shared without any effort. Not to mention they were becoming tired of eating the same bread rations everyday.
Hunting was little more then detecting the presence of a creature and shooting with a psionically aimed shot, hence the only real time consuming method of gathering food was picking various fruits and digging up roots. While it would have been easy to just eat meat, some fruit in the diet was certainly welcome. Having been gathering from this specific region for two years now, both girls knew exactly where the best spots were.
Selece and Miira walked quietly through the undergrowth. The sound of Wraith Bees could be heard the distance, and the girls hurried over to a small hole in the ground they had used in the past to avoid thermal detection. It was fairly normal. Patrols were always flying over this area now, it had become more suspicious in the last couple days with everything that had happened. Confederate air command was probably wondering why they were occasionally seeing psionic activity.
The hole was dug into the side of a hill, covered by brush, and nearly eight feet deep. It was not very large in width, however, and Selece crawled in feet first before assisting Miira in on top of her, weapon at the ready. It was certainly entertaining, both of them aware of their hearts. In the past, it was standard for them to share small spaces. But now, now that they had confided their feelings in each other, every time their bodies made contact, a warm energy raced through their skin and neither took the effort to hide it.
The Bee s raced overhead moments later. As they waited for the fighters to loop back around, Selece pulled out a small pouch where they had been keeping the berries they had been picking minutes earlier. She set it on her upper chest and opened it, and the both of them took turns removing the small orange fruits, eating them quietly as they scanned the area for enemies with their psionic talents.
Miira, we will need to destroy the facility where the Observer was taken. Do you remember if we have enough charges for the Bay Road building? I have a feeling that s where it is. Selece said, though in her thoughts, projecting them forward to Miira.
Probably not, its pretty big. I guess we could steal a few more. Miira replied in a similar way. While their eyes made contact, their lips were still. Their breathing was the only thing that could be heard besides the quiet scream of engines in the distance, and a slight wind whipping at the hillside.
I doubt they have analyzed the wreckage yet... Well, at least not completely. The Protoss technology is significantly different from the Terran technology, I d imagine it would be difficult to fully understand it even after several years. Selece nibbled on a berry. The Protoss use forms of nano-machinery, so the Confederates would be forced to develop tools just to be able to see the inner workings of parts of the probe, more specifically the psionic generator. And with no generator, the pieces that create the cloaking and psionic shield are useless. They are incompatible with electrical energy.
You certainly know a lot about the Protoss for only having met one in person less then a week ago, Selece. Miira smiled as she sent the thought to the girl she rested on.
I was taught quite a bit about the Protoss for one reason or another. Although, of course, I was trained by veterans of the old wars. Amazing they were still alive, really. The one who taught me about the Protoss had scars all over the place. The sound of Bee s could be heard again as the aircraft began the return trip to Fairhold. It was tempting to just continue laying there with Miira though, perhaps taking a nap for a little while, but food was substantially more important at the moment. The comforts of being able to eat fresh meat and fruit for meals were too much to resist.
The sound of the Confederate squadron disappeared and Selece helped Miira out of the glorified foxhole. Selece began to extricate herself, but Miira told her hastily in thought-speech to stop.
I feel soldiers. Twelve. They are moving along the coast. Miira explained in her thoughts. Selece nodded, and she quietly finished lifting herself out of the hole with Miira s help. They brushed off the dirt and checked their rifles. Safety off.
We can probably avoid contact, but... we should see what they are doing. The higher ups may have sent them out to see if we were still alive. Selece used her own scanning abilities, and sure enough, the soldiers were walking around on the beach. She detected a Psy-Ops unit among them. A soldier that had psionic potential, and one that was trained to use it. She relayed this information to Miira, who nodded.
Haz-rad command to Selece and Miira: We have detected an enemy patrol west of your current position. Recommend avoidance. The thoughts entered the girls minds, the fleet was speaking to them through their thoughts. Selece, understanding the system seconds later, replied by directing a thought to the radio device on her shoulder, which appeared to be a transceiver of sorts.
Understood. Selece redirected her thoughts to Miira. The Psy-Op won t see us with his own talents if we don t alternate our energy usage, his abilities are minimal. Let s inch back home.
Rifles armed, they made their way quietly through the dense forest surrounding their abode, keeping a psionic eye on the Confederate soldiers, who right now appeared to be taking a break and drinking illicit booze. Both Selece and Miira were afraid of the stuff, which was not unlike the fuel the Confederacy used to power its accursed squadrons of fighters and ground vehicles.
A small creature sniffed around the entrance to the underground lair that Selece and Miira called home. A silenced shot hit it squarely in the head, and it flew back into the darkness as the girls approached. They picked up the animal, threw it in a bag, and began their decent into a labyrinth of tunnels that protected their living space.
It was nearly impossible for someone without psionic potential to locate the main chamber, and there was only one correct route. Even after two years of navigating it, Selece and Miira found themselves relying on their talents to find their way home every time they needed to go through the tunnels.
Well, our scavenging was cut short, glad we had something run across our path. Selece commented quietly as they entered the main chamber. The sound of dripping water and air pumps could be heard, but both girls were quite used to it now, and didn t even notice. Miira moved to turn on their small single burner stove. Selece meanwhile pulled out the animal, which lacked a head, and skinned it with a knife that Miira had stolen from a burly soldier not long ago.
Mystery Meat Berry Surprise tonight? Selece asked, smiling. They still didn t know what the animals names were on this planet, though they tasted mighty fine with a bit of native fruit mixed in. Much better then bread at least.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The sun rose, glimmering off the rolling ocean, and shining a short ways into the opening of the tunnels. Selece and Miira were standing in the cold breeze, checking their equipment. They were now fully rested and energized, and it was time to destroy the facility where the probe had been taken.
Silently, the girls became partially invisible and began running, far beyond the normal speed of humans, directly to the capital city of Fairhold. Trees whipped past in a blur, and in no time at all, they were looking at one of the border checkpoints for the city: a bunker.
Full cloak, begin detection. Selece thought, conveying the message to Miira, who nodded and disappeared into thin air. They made their way slowly into the fortification, shorting the electronics of the defensive armaments by pulling wires psionically from a distance. A patrol could be seen in the distance now, though it was safe for Selece and Miira to ignore them: they went off in another direction. As the girls closed in on the bunker, Selece scanned the inside.
I see several satchels of charges, should be enough. Will you stand guard, Miira? Selece asked.
Will do. Miira shorted the circuit on the electrical lock holding the bunker door closed, and stood to the side as Selece slipped in. Two minutes before the patrol comes around.
Aye, Selece strode through the first level before walking down a set of stairs into the basement of the structure. She rummaged through a few boxes before locating the charges, and pulled them out quickly. Attaching several of them to a midnight black belt around her waist alongside extra ammunition, Selece took another charge out of one of the boxes and placed it in the middle of the bunker s main structure, setting the timer for one minute. She left at a quick pace, and exited to a waiting Miira.
I left a present, we should run a bit. Selece explained, and Miira nodded. They dashed off towards Fairhold, running past multiple patrols. Shortly later, an explosion rocked the ground and a plume of dark smoke rose into the sky behind them. Alarms and shouts of surprise could be heard, but the girls paid them no heed.
Several minutes passed, and Selece and Miira arrived in the heart of the military compound, a vast array of non-descript buildings and armaments, patrolled by countless soldiers. Even in the early morning, it seemed busy, and Selece and Miira reminded themselves that they absolutely had to remain undetected.
Might be because of the bunker we destroyed, Selece. Never know though, I guess. Miira thought, and Selece smiled. They found their way to an alley where there seemed to be no regular patrols, and the girls began to look for the remnants of the probe that had been destroyed just days ago.
I have located the psionic generator. It s in the building where we suspected it to be. Miira mentioned several minutes later.
Alright, let s go. I m not resting until it s destroyed. That, and the cloaking device. Probably in pieces somewhere. Selece replied, and they set off.
The main door to the building was being guarded by a handful of marines, and both girls knew it would be better to approach from another entrance. Selece scanned the structure, finding an unprotected air vent on the top of the building. She conveyed the image in her mind to Miira, and they hurried to the side of the building, only feet from another patrol. Of course, the soldiers couldn t see them, nor hear them, so they continued to talk coarsely about their exploits the night before at the local bar as they strode along feeling strong and brutal. It was obvious at least one of them was still drunk.
Using their energy to form tight bonds between their hands and feet against the building, Selece and Miira climbed like spiders swiftly up the side of what seemed to be a three story structure. Finding the grate as they peered over the edge of the top, they hastily moved over to it, pulling it aside. Miira jumped in, followed by Selece, who replaced the covering. They moved a small ways in and decloaked.
There seems to be two separate rooms where the pieces are being held, on the second level for the generator, and one on the third for the rest of the pieces. There are guards in both. Selece whispered in thoughts.
We should probably place charges on the substructure and topple the building as well. Miira added. Selece nodded.
Sneak down into the basement and rig that first I guess. Focusing their energies to muffle the sound of their movements now, they crawled through the small access way towards a route that would put them in the bottom of the facility. It was by chance they had found a small device not unlike the explosives they were carrying with them.
Is this place already rigged? wondered Miira in thoughts. Selece examined the apparatus, reading the information printed on its outside.
It says on the surface: Disruption Charge 100 Kilowatts/1 milli rate 10 milliseconds . I m not sure if you were taught about them, but they blast out a wave of psionic energy that renders psionic sensitive individuals incapacitated for a short period of time. This one would affect anyone in a 10 yard radius. You divide the kilowatts by the pulse count... see? Selece pointed at the numbers. Psionic resonance increases the range. With each pulse, the area of effect becomes larger. Not only that, the device is nearly tamper-proof.
This means that... Miira began, but she already knew the answer.
It means we can t mess up, because if they trigger all of these devices in the building, we re helpless, in upwards of thirty seconds. We need to lay charges and get out of here, while staying cloaked the entire time.
Sounds fun.
I m sure it will be. Selece smiled back at Miira, playfully poking her forehead with a gloved hand. Lets get er done.
Even with their psionic talents focused on the mission ahead, the crawl to the depths of the building was slow. The size of the air ducts varied, and both of the female infiltrators found themselves removing gear to squeeze through the less spacious areas. Of course, removing gear meant psionically muffling the sounds it made when it fell to the floor of the airway. It was tedious, and by the time they reached the substructure, it was time for a break to ease off some of the stress accompanied with long periods of tense activity.
The basement portion of the building was dimly lit. Thick support beams could be seen jutting out of the ground, held firmly by great blocks of concrete. Wires ran every which way above the girls heads, and flowing water could be heard in the rusting pipes that poked through the ceiling. The entire underground room was fairly massive, and to an untrained eye would appear indestructible. Of course, Selece already knew how to down much bigger structures with fewer charges, thanks to the training she received in the past from the individuals she was attempting to eliminate.
Miira scanned the room along with Selece, stopping to point out a staircase that seemed to lead even further into the ground. Selece, that staircase... Miira s thought, and Selece nodded.
I don t understand it. Incidentally, I can t detect anything below where we are standing. Either there is something down there and it s being protected, or those stairs are completely useless. Selece took a few steps back into the darkness, sitting on the dirt floor and leaning against a concrete wall. Miira followed suit, sitting down next to Selece.
A few minutes passed by, and Selece pulled out a canteen to take a few sips of water. She handed it to Miira, but her arm froze in mid-air and the younger girl was bombarded by a hurried whisper in her thoughts. Cloak!
The girls vanished from the room in an instant, barely breathing. Light flooded the room, and voices could be heard coming from the stairs as the sounds of sliding doors resonated through-out the space.
M-B 1, this is not negotiable. Those parts are needed now, spoke a quiet, poisonous voice from the stairs. Selece strained to see the individual, but he was still hidden underground. However, she could feel his presence surprisingly well. You know as well as I do this is for the good of all humanity. Let there be sacrifices if that s what it takes to get the work done.
Yes... Yes, sir... You are quite right. I will see to your wishes. M-B 1 replied gruffly, clearly not liking the situation. He was slightly pink the face, and the little hair he had left was in disarray, as if he had been nervously ruffling with it. He saluted and turned away.
I imagine you will. M-B 1 climbed the stairs and disappeared. A scrawny figure in black as night clothing poked above the edge of the stairway in the ground. He scanned the area with his eyes for a moment. There is something different here... Moments later, he vanished and the doors closed. The light dimmed again, and Selece let out a sigh of relief.
Powerful... Very powerful psionic ability... Selece whispered, beginning to breath again. Even a shared thought would have caught his attention. I doubt he caught my whisper to you, but still...
You don t think he can sense us through whatever this floor is made out of? Miira asked softly. She gazed up to look at Selece.
No, I don t think so. His signature was very strong, and now... I don t feel it at all. In any case, we have work to do. Selece undid the clasps on several charges and set them on the ground. We are going to weaken the substructure before we detonate the charges. Here, Miira, let me show you how. She led the younger girl over to a large beam, and taking both of her hands, placed them on the cold steel.
Now, concentrate. Use your energy to gouge the beam in several places, as deep as half of the thickness. It will still hold long enough for us to do our work and get out of here, though it will be bending pretty soon. Selece explained, and she assisted Miira in sabotaging the column. When it was satisfactorily invalidated, Selece kneeled down, dragging Miira down with her by her hand.
The concrete is easier. Place your hand on it and direct a psionic force straight down, like so. Selece put her free hand on the block of concrete. Moments later, it cracked down the center. This will help to further weaken the main structure. Miira nodded, smiling as Selece was still holding her hand warmly. Let s do this to all the beams.
It was short work once it came to subverting the other steel supports. Twenty minutes passed and several dozen of them were slowly bending under the wait of the building, though not fast enough to warrant concern. Selece handed Miira a few charges, and they rigged them to the decrepit structure. Once they were fixed, she set them to detonate in three hours time.
Can we go do the upper levels now? Miira asked, leaning slightly against Selece as they eyed their handiwork. Selece nodded.
You know where the pieces are on the third level, right? She asked.
Yes, I think I could enter from under a desk, place the charges under the workstations, and get out of there. Currently... Miira paused for a moment, deep in concentration as she read her surroundings. Five people. Four are scientists. One drunk guard. Are we going to be processing the third level first, or... Wait, Selece... It was at this time Miira caught onto her partner s thoughts and looked down at her feet. I really would like you to...
You can do it, Miira. I know it s a bit of a stretch for you, but I know you can do it. Besides, we are running low on energy. We need to get this done and get out. Selece replied, softly. She turned to pull Miira into an embrace. I ll take care of the generator. Just remember, if you run into trouble, whisper me. And, if it s too late to whisper me, use your gun.
Miira wrapped her arms around Selece, seeking reassurance. She looked up with shimmering eyes, only find that Selece had leaned down slightly to kiss her gently on the lips. Suddenly, the world felt light and wonderful, for a brief second. Miira smiled.
I m sorry Selece, I know you d never let anything happen to me. I just like to know you re right next to me through everything.
I am. In your heart, forever I am.
