***EDIT: 11/14/2012***

FINALLY! AFTER MONTHS, I'VE FINISHED THE FIGHT SCENE AND THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS STORY! YEAH!

Now, I just gotta finish the introduction to the Quarian Stars of the Show and I can try and update Sins of a Solar Empire: Domination! Huzzah!

Also, to the unknown guy who gave me the idea to glance over the fight, since it's been so long since I last even thought about this story, it'd seem lazy (lazier) and that I was taking the easy way out if I didn't manage to finish it. In other words, I feel obliged to finish it.

Plus, it does establish and showcase some character and stuff for the second half of Protoss main characters and I do believe fight scenes can be a good vehicle for those purposes.

Still, glancing over some stuff is a good idea, and will be kept in mind in the future…

***EDIT: 11/09/2012***

I've changed the names of the two Praetors and changed some of the structure a bit.

Aside from that, I'm still hard at work on the fight scene and trying to come up with the sitch on Rannoch when our stars get there.

***EDIT: 01/28/2012***

I've added in part of the establishment scene for Praetor Esadrok and Edsadix. I say "PART" as I've only managed to write down the pre-fight banter between the two and am approaching the actual fight with caution. This is so because despite my best digging through StarCraft wiki, I can't seem to find just exactly HOW MUCH faster, stronger, agile, etc that a Protoss is to a human and how much such factors and similar ones are increased by their Power Suits. As such, if anyone would care to aid in this endeavor, let me know. I can guarantee you that such action will only increase the rate at which I can finish the Praetor's establishment scene and move on to the Quarian protagonists.

***EDIT: 01/14/2012***

I've decided to change some things about this chapter that I felt needed changing. The additions should be noticeable and should help improve the over-all quality.

Also, know that for some time to come, any additions to the story will be made in the first chapter. For I feel that this chapter should adequately introduce the stars of tonight's show before we continue to the next chapter and admittedly, I'm still working on the "main character" situation. So in other words, expect updates to not include new chapters. However, do expect already existing chapters to have extra story added to them.

The Odyssey of Taldaris: Morning Salvation

In the expanses of timeless space above a distant world, there hung a small fleet of ten ships. Nine of these vessels were known as Carriers and the other, as a "Mothership." They were built and crewed by a race of beings known as The Protoss. Gifted with incredible Psionic power and technology that the people of their Universe's earth haven't even thought of yet, the Protoss have sent this token force to scour the galaxy in search of intelligent life with a level of advancement similar to their own, similar physiology, or similar Psionic potential.

But as they have discovered much to their dismay, out of all of the races they have encountered, only they are currently in possession of Warp technology, such a unique anatomy, and such a high Psionic Gestalt. They will likely continue to be for some time to come.

With heavy hearts burdened by disappointment, those aboard the carriers prepared to return to their homeworld of Aiur. Out of all of them, none were more saddened by this turn of events than this Expeditionary Fleet's leader. A relatively obscure Protoss High Templar by the name of "Taldaris."

From the Mothership, which was known as the "Day Walker," Taldaris looked out at the planet below from the ship's bridge through a psychic holograph. If there were anyone else attuned to the Khala, the source of the majority of Protoss Psionics, they would have "heard" the mental and emotional equivalent of a sigh. A sigh someone actually managed to pick up on, much to his surprise.

"Is something wrong?"

Taldaris turned around to see a familiar, elderly Protoss female standing before him.

"Yes Shiala. There is." He said to her in a sad tone of "voice". "When I began this expedition, it was my solemn hope to find a race, ANY RACE, like us. But…just look at it Preserver."

He turned back to the projection of the world they currently orbited and gestured towards it half-heartedly with one of his hands.

"The dominant species of this planet is pre-industrial, possesses six limbs, ears, mouths, a three foot height on average, and like all of the other species we have discovered on our journey, are prone to fits of violence much like we were before the unity of the Khala." He said, brows creasing in focus. "In all likelihood, they will probably destroy themselves before they even know that travel amongst the stars is possible, much less how to traverse through Warp Space."

He looked down at the ground and shook his head, once again "sighing."

"We have failed, Shiala. That is what is wrong."

For a few moments afterwards, the bridge remained silent. That was until Taldaris felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"There there young one. Do not fret." Shiala said soothingly. "I am sure that it will not be much longer before we discover a species that shares qualities our race can easily relate to. Though it may take decades, centuries, or even millennium, and may at first cause more harm than good, I have little doubt that in the end, we shall learn a great deal from each other and benefit for it."

The templar made the emotional approximation of a sad-smile and turned his head to regard the Preserver.

"Perhaps you are right Shiala. Though part of me believes that I will not live to see such a day dawn, another believes that you are correct."

He turned his back to the projection.

"For you possess the infallible Wisdom of all who have come before…and all I possess is my own."

Once again to his surprise, The Preserver chuckled.

"Hmmm…if it is not too bold, may I ask you what it is you find humor in?" Taldaris asked curiously.

"Oh it is nothing young one. It is just that I still find your humility to be refreshing, especially for one as young as you are and of your…position…"

The High Templar performed the closest equivalent to a smirk he could.

"You wouldn't happen to be referring to Praetor Esadrok or Edsadix would you?"

The Preserver herself sighed and shook her head.

"Yes…actually…" She said with closed eyes as she pinched her brow. "I know more comprehensively than most that the warriors of our people revel in combat Taldaris…but the way those two yearn to surpass the other…does not put me at ease. Especially during their "Heroic charge" during that Fleadian Civil War a few weeks time ago."

The High Templar chortled at the memory and put a hand on her shoulder.

"As you have said to me Shiala, "do not fret." Though their rivalry is legendary and ever present, Esadrok and Edsadix were acting quickly to save those rebels from extinction; and they did emerge victorious."

"True enough." She said with an approximation of Taldaris's sad "smile" earlier. "I just hope that their hubris does not cloud their judgment and lead to disaster. For such has been the case for many of our "well-intentioned" ancestors. Now if you'll permit me young one, I must be getting back to the archives to meditate on this world."

Taldaris removed his hand and bowed respectfully.

"En Taro Khas Shiala."

The preserver returned the gesture.

"En Taro Khas Taldaris."

With that, she left the Bridge and entered into one of the long winding hallways leading out of the Command Center of the Mothership, leaving Taldaris alone once again with the image of the Planet the fleet orbited. He sighed.

Aboard the Golden Carrier bearing the title of "Sun's Wrath," a crowd of Protoss had gathered. Some were technicians, some were medical personnel, and many more were of the Zealot class of Warriors. In one of the carrier's cargo bays, this crowd made a circle around two other Protoss, who in turn, circled around the other like a predator with his prey.

Like all Zealots, they were clad in the ornate and regal power suits that were the standard of the average Protoss foot-soldier. Wrapped in these protective gold and blue examples of Protoss engineering, the two Zealots activated the Psi-Blade emitters on their respective gauntlets and became like statues of themselves. Slowly their eyes narrowed upon the other, stopping only after the one on the left spoke up.

"Are you sure you wish to continue on your current path Edsadix? There is no shame in turning back now. After all, it'll only lead you to the medical ward—or worse—as a Dragoon." He said with a healthy dose of humor and pride that most sapient species, regardless of telepathic ability, could sense.

"So certain Esadrok?" The Zealot on the right asked in an equally smug tone.

"Quite." Esadrok said. "For though many a warrior have fallen at your feet, few of them have matched the power of an observer much less a true Protoss of the Zealot Caste, such as myself."

Edsadix let out a hearty chuckle that echoed across the minds of all those present. "Well then, certainly a warrior of such conviction would not mind demonstrating his so called power against a novice such as I. Unless of course, he fears being bested and becoming a novice himself with all of these eyes baring testimony." He said with as much conceit as he could muster.

Esadrok huffed. "I implied no such thing. I am merely voicing my concern that if I were to unleash my full potential, that you will in all likelihood, be indisposed of for quite some time. Possibly to such an extant, that you will be unfit to serve as a Zealot in battle again."

"Bah!" Yelled Edsadix. "Even if such a thing WERE to occur, I would be content! Consoled in the knowledge that I would still live to serve Auir and her people as a Dragoon!"

Esadrok chuckled. "Now who is the one who is so certain?"

Edsadix growled and was preparing to speak when Esadrok one his long digited hands rose up to halt him.

"Very well brother. I shall keep the promise I made to you many moons ago and shall engage you in combat. After all, you did manage to slay more than I on this expedition. It only seems fair that I uphold my end of the bargain."

Edsadix eyes widened in surprise at first at this statement, but narrowed to their previous position once more.

"Thank you Esadrok."

"You're most welcome." Esadrok said, his own eyes narrowing to their past placement.

The two pointed their arm-blades towards the other.

"I am to understand that save for the energy fueling our blades, our Psionic power is to be excluded from this battle? Shields included?" Esadrok queried.

"You understand correctly."

"Very well."

For several moments afterwards, the two Praetors stood there, watching the other as the assembled crowd watched them both with the Protoss equivalent of bated breath. Then, as suddenly as a bolt of Psionic lightning, the two lowered their arms and let them drag at their sides as they sprinted to meet each other as fast as they could.

"En Taro Khas!" They shouted in Unison.

Edsadix attacked first, stroking forward with both blades aimed towards his brother's chest. Esadok managed to twist around this attack as well as Edsadix and swiped his right arm towards the other Praetor's neck, but he ducked low and let loose a stab meant to disable the out-stretched arm of his opponent. Esadrok however, managed to bring up his left gauntlet just in time for the blade extending from it to parry the blow and countered with his own arm-disabling stab, which his brother also managed to block.

For a while, they stood there, staring the other down as the cyan blue psionic power of their blades sparked and hissed against each other. With perfect synchrony, they jumped back a few feet, and resumed circling each other.

"As always, your speed and technique is excellent, little brother." Commended Esadrok. "But, as always, your eagerness for combat leaves you telegraphing your intent ahead of time to the point where I fear those two will not be there to save you on the day you encounter a foe greater than yourself who, unlike me, truly wishes to harm you."

"My eagerness for combat?" Edsadix asked, disbelievingly. "Last I recall, it was you yourself who suggested we lend our aid to those rebels on Fleadia. How such an action does not indicate a desire for battle eludes me."

"As do so many other things, young Edsadix." The elder of the two sighed, inwardly. "Because it was not a desire for combat that drove me to fighting alongside them brother. There cause was just, and the means the ruling arty of their world were utilizing to silence them…were not so."

Esadrok then gave a humorous snort. "Furthermore, I do not recall you yourself objecting to the opportunity and being found wanting on the subsequent killing fields."

His younger sibling gazed upon him intensely before his look softened and he gave his own snort in response. "Aye. I will give you that."

In unison, they ceased their pacing.

"'Much in the same way I shall hand you your defeat?'" Esadrok said, paraphrasing his brother with his fingers, mockingly.

Instead of giving a verbal response, Edsadix opted to charge his brother in what seemed like the same manner with which he had kicked-off the duel. At the last possible speck of time however, his powerful legs pushed him a good nine feet into the recycled air, over the head of his brother, who had seemingly been expecting the opening attack of the match by the way his footing was placed. Giving a single forward flip, he managed to brun a duet of six inch long cuts, slashed vertically, into the back of his brother's power suit as Esadrok was busy stepping around the attack that never came. Landing with a thud on the polished metal of the bay, Edsadix lunged forward and gauged two more cuts, horizontally, across the front of his brother's armor, yelling, "Aye!"

Luckily for the elder of the two siblings though, Esadrok had managed to lean far enough backwards during this attack to save his hide from being grazed by his brother's attack. Jumping several feet backwards, he stole a quick glance at his suit's chest plate and managed to take in the extent of the damage in that brief moment in time.

"Hmmm…so you have managed to scratch my armor. Impressive. You've certainly come a long way from the days of your instruction." He complemented. "As such, I now believe you to be ready to contend with all that I have in this state."

With wanton cruelty, Edsadix felt the tide of the battle rapidly begin to slam him against some rocky shore. His brother had renewed the battle with a focused fury that he had rarely seen from him. Stabs, slices, slashes, and swipes of the vertical, horizontal, and perpendicular breed came at him with such masterful speed and skill that he was exerting a vast amount of effort into the acts of blocking, dodging, parrying, or otherwise. So much effort, in fact, that the odds of even attempting a counter-offensive, much less a successful one, were remote.

A true pity, for he found his hooves rapidly losing ground and the wall on the other side of the bay getting larger.

"If you admit defeat now Edsadix, there will be no shame in it for you." Esadrok stated calmly, his left arm arcing to lop-off his brother's head.

"Really?" Asked Edsadix, a bit more out of breath than his sibling as he narrowly ducked the arc. "I suspect you are trying to deceive me brother."

"You'd suspect correctly." Confessed Esadrok. "Still, at the very least, you would feel less shame than if you were to fail utterly, which, you shall."

Edsadix "smiled" wryly at this. "Ha! And others know me as the conceited one!"

Esadrok mimicked his brother's 'smile'. "A title that shall stick for so long as you give them reason to, brother."

Now, his back a mere three feet away from the wall, Edsadix would need a miraculous turn of events in order to turn the tables in his favor.

"Attention all masters of the expeditionary fleet." Echoed the voice of High Templar Taldaris through the minds of all those onboard. "Prepare for the warp jump to Auir. You have ten minutes."

As the message from the fleet leader came, Edsadix noticed his brother glance to the side for the briefest of moments, his attack faltering and his mind not yet registering that the message was coming from a mothership hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. By the grace of the gods, this would be all that Edsadix required.

Spinning around on his heels, he thrust his arms outward and propelled himself forward, towards the wall. His blades mere millimeters away from striking its surface, he performed a technique, a new one he had learned since before this trip had begun. He blinked.

Reappearing behind his brother, who had doubtlessly noticed his absence in his frontal view, Edsadix's blades were positioned perfectly so as to sever the emitters on his brother's arms, essentially winning the bout. They would have to…if he didn't feel an armored hoof await his face and send him careening unceremoniously onto his backside.

"Gah!" He yelled out, massaging his aching face with his blades retracted. "By the Xel'Naga Esadrok, what was that!? Have you no shame!? No honor!?"

His brother turned around, his own blades lowering, and he glowered his eyes upon him. "Interesting. You speak of shame and honor, yet you are the one who resorted to breaking our agreement of no psionics, thus forfeiting your match whether or not you managed to beat me. Very interesting." He said in a calm, yet unmistakably cold manner.

His brother was about to make a retort, but the words died in his mind, for his brother was right. He had hoped, at the time, that Esadrok would fail to notice his little…bending of the rules instead of catching him or being told by one of the dozens of observers, by some fortunate turn of events. But, there was no denying it. Esadrok was correct, as ever.

Ignoring the helping hand offered to him by his elder, Edsadix stood once more. "Forgive my transgression Esadrok." He apologized, bowing his head. "In the heat of battle, I thought attacking you by traditional means, even in your momentary distractions, would have not ended things in my favor, so I opted to employ…less traditional means. For this, my sorrow is greater than the size of the "Day Walker."

His brother crossed his arms over his chest and simply said, "Noted. Now, you heard the words of the High Templar. We make for the homeworld in a few minutes time, so return to the "Sunwell," brother. I believe you know the way out."

Bowing apologetically once more, Edsadix took his brother's words to heart and turned towards the nearest exit as the spectators returned to their duties. Stopping by the frame of the bulkhead, a thought occurred to him and he turned his head around towards his elder, saying, "In order to avoid the destruction of your blade emitters, and counter as you did, you had to make use of your psionics, didn't you?"

To his surprise, his brother's response came in the form of a deep and throaty chuckle. "Contrary to whatever you may have been taught little brother, the use of the mind in an active capacity that does not leave one's skull is all that is needed to avoid an amateur attack such as that one."

Eyes widening, Edsadix faced forwards again and continued walking. After a few seconds, if he had a mouth, to a human observer, it would appear obvious that he had a sly grin plastered across his face.

After the ten minutes were up, the ten ships comprising the expeditionary fleet took up a position facing away from the planet below. Using its massive khaydarin crystal, the "Day Walker" opened up a warp rift more than suitable for every vessel to fit inside of.

From their position on the opposite end of the galaxy, it would take the Protoss five to six days to hang in orbit above Auir. Given the nature of warp space upon their entrance, the majority of the fleet would find themselves fortunate to find only four days had passed since the jump was initiated.

The remaining three, the twin carriers "Sun's Wrath" and "Sunwell" and their flagship, the "Day Walker," would not find themselves to be gifted with such luck.

For, due to some miscalculation, mistake, or some ebb in warp space that had an infinitesimal chance of occurring, it was their fate to be removed from the ever onwards flow that is the history of their people, galaxy, and indeed, their very Universe. Their fate was, instead, to enter the historical flow of another people in another version of their galaxy in another Universe entirely, and radically, irrevocably, alter its otherwise inevitable course…