The context is set after Heart of the Swarm, before Legacy of the Void.

Chapter 1

"What is it boy?"

Its teeth were starting to show. They had been thoroughly rendered through all kinds of flesh. The drool was getting everywhere. Still, it was cute, at least for its master. Stroking its hairless head with a tender delight, she appeared to be confounded as to why it was acting up. Perhaps it was bored. Truly a long time had passed since any of them seen any excitement. That would certainly explain why the creature was starting to make noises. They weren't the normal hissing one would expect though.

"It's always something."

Her feet sank into every step. If only these were real floors, she thought; then walking might have actually been enjoyable. Funny, of all the things she thought she'd miss, it's the concrete. It was either that or the boredom simply had taken over her mind. Floating in space for years on in was not exactly the most interesting life experiences around. She used to have deep slumbers, but after the metamorphosis, sleeping appeared to make no difference. With her pet going wild, there was nothing else to let out but a groan.

Also applicable was a bullet to the head.

The sensation was brief and foreign, but it was not hard to feel the head getting punctured from across the scene. The swift and cold air rushed through her mind, as she dropped straight down. The beast bellowed, as its attention was directed towards the origin of the shot. Its legs moved with swift, but its own life was quickly met with deliverance. Two silent shots were met with two casualties. It was almost too easy. The place was rather private, thus no reaction from anything outside appeared imminent. With that, the perpetrator emerged from the shadows, gun in one hand and satisfaction on the other.

"You're not so tough." Spoken under true cold blood. Nova had no remorse, of course. It was not easy getting here in the first place. The outfit certainly did not suit her cause, but it stuck. The only thing she had to worry about then was how to get off here. That was of course, provided things were going according to plan.

The Ghost felt her ankles clutched tight, as her stance became compromise. With minimal reaction time, Nova gripped her rifle and fired off another shot, on point as always. However, while visible damage was certainly presence, no lasting impact was detected. As such, her firearm was quickly removed, as she experienced her balance lifted off the ground. Held five feet above ground, Nova was fully aware of what kind of trouble she was in.

"I see you have not taken too kindly to my greetings." Her efforts were met with nothing but the cold stare of those lifeless eyes. They were sharp as well, switching quickly from the downed beast and back to the target at hand. "I am truly sorry about your pet."

Few words were needed, as Nova quickly felt the rugged claw impaling her abdomen. The pain was certainly real, but she had little to say. Blackness overwhelmed. It was over.

…

"This is surprising."

Nova's eyes open, only to see herself being strapped down to what could only be called, lovingly, the ground. The gaping wound in her stomach was still quite visible, and it was definitely hurting. That said, the more alarming presence would be the giant spider-snake creature extending itself over her vision.

"And to whom do I owe this pleasure?"

"Human. High psionic potential. Interesting"

That answered no questions, and raised many more. Before she could ask, however, the spider legs were already tight around her. Her suit was being slowly consumed, and that alone was impressive. There was no time to set off on that train of thought, however, as being both bound and injured did her no favors. Struggling to get out only made it worse, and the dripping acid was going to make contact soon enough.

"Is there any chance we could talk about this dissolving-me-into-liquid thing?"

Perhaps it was a bit too unreasonable to expect a conversation of mutual understanding. Soon enough, she was starting to feel the burn on her skin. Suddenly, being stabbed with a pike did not seem quite as bad. Trying her hardest not to move and make contact, Nova felt herself squeezed even harder.

"Abathur."

The Queen of Blades made her presence known, as she stepped in just in time to stop the absorption from creating any serious damage. That was, of course, relative to the third degree burns the victim was already experiencing at this time.

"I told you, no experiments on human."

Nova felt the grip loosened around her, but she was still nonetheless strapped. The pain was unending, but it also sent her adrenaline sky-high. She knew that voice, of course.

"...Kerrigan."

"Excuse the housekeeper."

The Queen of Blades approached. Eventually, the two were in full view of each other. The gunshot holes from before had all but disappeared without a trace, but blood was still a pinpoint for the punctured abdomen. "Funny, it was not the time to take out the trash."

"Why... am I still alive?"

Nova was mildly surprised that none other than the one she opted to murder halted her imminent and painful death. Still, the logical stepping-stone would of course be so that Kerrigan could deliver that death with in a more interesting manner. Whatever it was, she needed answers.

"I figured blowing a hole in yours and your pet's skull was enough to get you to dislike me."

"Are you trying to get me to kill you?" Said Kerrigan, in the most condescending tone possible. She appeared to be unable to deal with matter at such a pace. There was no point in finishing this fast.

"In case you haven't noticed, yes." Nova continued. If there was anything of her not tangled at the moment, it would be her words. They did not seem to be delivering any sort of weight, however. "I have a bleeding hole in my stomach, my skin is burned in ten different places and worst of all, I have no means of killing you at the moment."

Nova saw nothing else. A blunt hit across the head knocked her out cold.

...

"You're not going to let me die easily, are you?" Nova regained consciousness, only to see Kerrigan within view. There was little for her to do, although it did not seem like her movement was restricted any longer. She appeared to be back in Kerrigan's quarters, lying flat on her back. Nothing changed about her torn up uniform, however. Completely exhausted, the operative simply did not move, feeling no urge to do anything.

"I'm surprised you only think so now." The Queen of Blade rose from her throne. If nothing else, one would claim the look one her face was ecstatic. "You're going to stay right here to make up for what you've done."

"What would that be?" Nova grumbled. Perhaps she was far too confident when it came to the assassination. After all, the only data she had on her target was that taken from the research lab after Kerrigan was purged of her Zerg features. Not expect someone so dangerous to make some alterations after all these times was nothing short of naïve. Still, it was worth a try. "Aside from trying to murder you, of course."

"That I don't mind, but you killed my pet." The incessant smirk was starting to get worrying. Nova was feeling cold sweat. She had recognized by now that she was no longer feeling any kind of pain. In fact, her body was in a numbing state. Reaching over to the wound, she found it shelled by a protein substance. Her burn marks were scarring, but not bothering her at all. "All things considered, I'd say that this isn't such a bad deal."

"To hell with you." Nova boosted on her feet. While she did not possess nearly her normal strength, this should be enough to let her at least run for a bit. Kerrigan's none-reaction to this turn of events was quite disturbing, however. "What makes you think you can inject me with sedatives and expect me to do what you want?"

"Well, the only way for you to be able to resist would be if you killed yourself." Kerrigan made no mistake in asserting her control of the situation. She appeared to have everything in her pocket, figuratively speaking. No risk was perceived in approaching the prey. "So, I made sure you wouldn't."

"You underestimate me." Nova, fully determined to stop the game, had her hands around her neck. She was ready to simply end things with a quick twist, so that she would not have to deal with any of this nonsense. However, just as she tried to carry out, pain struck her mental state. She had no idea what was happening, but was not ready to give up. However, the shock was too much for her to continue, as the captured operative collapsed out of sheer exhaustion.

"Do I?"

"Explain yourself!" Panting, Nova roared in anger. Something was clearly wrong with her, and she was not going to let it go before she had answers. While it was quite obvious she was in absolutely no position to make demands, Kerrigan seemed eager to entertain the idea. "What did you do?"

"Abathur was more than happy to do a little modification. All I had to do was to give the order." The two came face-to-face, one glowing bright red and the other full of anticipation. Kerrigan seemed more than delighted to witness the struggle. "Let's just say... you're never going to talk back to me again."

"You..." The spirit of defiance was certainly admirable, but the pain quickly overtook Nova. She was no longer capable of throwing herself against this current. She felt as if her head was ready to explode at any given moment. It was something no training could prepare her for.

"I suggest you not putting up a fight." As smug as could be, the Queen of Blades was in the mood to play. For her, it simply was sadistically satisfying watching her prey squirming on the ground. "You're only making this harder on yourself."

"Stop it, now!" The Queen offered no retort, simply displaying her smile for all to see. It was a taunt more than anything else. Nova knew it perfectly well, and she would gladly end her own life rather than be subjected to this mental torture. However, she was not allowed to. While physical pain suffered will eventually turn numb, having her brain strained to madness will never go away. "Please."

"Good job." Almost instantaneously, the Ghost stopped struggling. Her entire body slammed onto the ground below, exhausted. A mixture of sweat and tears dribbled across her petite face, signaling total defeat. Everything she had accomplished up to now, all the integrity she felt she needed to keep; was washed away after that one word.

"You bitch!" Those breaths were all of what she had left. Of course, one would not expect Kerrigan to respond favorably to them. Her feet slammed into Nova's chest, causing her to cough furiously, gagging out blood with every stroke. The heel dug deeper with a circling motion, and the victim was simply too weak to retaliate.

"You better watch what you say." The punishment, while severe and damaging, was quickly lifted. Whatever Kerrigan wanted, it would not be to damage her prey beyond the point of recovery. After all, what good would a toy be, if it broke after the first time she played with it? "You'll soon learn that those words would be a mild description of what you're going to view me as."

"Go to hell."

Nova blacked out.