Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Chapter One

"Your coming has been foretold... You are part of the culmination. But not the end of it. You shall show the way, the path that must be taken, the realigning of old truths no longer valid. Yours is not the hand, but your very existence provides necessary instruction."

"Damn it." She cursed to herself.

This mission was supposed to go smoothly. The plan was simple: Go in. Get a sample. And then leave. No evidence. No trance. Like a ghost. Definitely like a Ghost. Everything was going on as planned at the start. The abandoned space platform, according to their Intel, was stocked with Terrazine or as the Protoss calls it: The Breath of Creation. So it was no surprise to find the fanatical Tal'darim here thought it was easy enough to avoid detection. It was easy. Too easy. That was until they discovered that there was something more than the Terrazine here, something they did not even expect to find. Because what they found wasn't supposed to exist; was never supposed to exist. How wrong they were. And then a bomb exploded, and suddenly everything went full throttle into chaos.

1 Hour and 32 Minutes Ago...

Cloaked and silent, they made their way to the lower levels to search where the Terrazine was being stored. Every corridor they passed was eerie quiet and dark, no power, no lights, just as expected. From time to time, they would see some roaming patrols, usually a pair of Tal'darim Zealots. They passed them by unseen and succeeded to evade confrontations. The security cameras weren't even online, that saved them a lot of trouble as well. Floor by floor, room by room, their search went on slowly but surely.

'It's not here either.'

They communicated telepathically.

'We need to keep searching.'

'They must have stored in a place more secured.' A third voice commented.

'Agreed. We press on then.'

The facility was large, and even though the darkness provided easy cover for them, it would take some time for three Ghosts to make a complete sweep of the place. There would be several possible and ideal places where the Tal'darim would store the Terrazine. It would be obviously very well guarded as well, though she was beginning to doubt that. They encountered very little Protoss so far. It seems as if the Tal'darim were very confident that no one discovered their presence in Terran space yet. She smiled inwardly.

'They'll never know what hit them.'

Eventually they arrived in front of two large double doors, and unlike the previous ones they encountered, this one was closed and the switch panel was online. Perfect. They're close to the package now. She read the mark on the steel doors.

Laboratory 02-B.

The doors suddenly parted to their surprise as two Stalkers slowly marched out from the door way. They backed to the wall as the Stalkers passed by and disappeared in the darkness of the next corridor. To more surprise, and some stroke of luck, the doors remained open. They silently rushed inside and found out that this section of the facility was online. Good. But from this point on, things will be trickier.

'Move with caution.' She sent a mental order to her team.

Further down the aisle, a High Templar was giving orders to several probes carrying what appeared to be large barrels. It was the Terrazine.

"Place them in the storage with the other supplies. Everything must be accounted for."

'Bingo!'

'Easy, Fang. We wait until the Templar leaves.'

Sure enough, the Templar left as the last of the Probes disappeared further down the halls. That was where the storage room was then. She gave the signal and they moved forward. They saw some of experiments the Protoss were conducting, several imprisoned species and specimens – some Zerg and other alien life forms. There was even a large Yeti Matriarch inside one of the larger cells. This place was perfect for the distraction, she decided.

'Fang, go on ahead and take a sample.'

Her companion nodded in reply.

' Vanille, you and I will place the charges for our distraction. You take the west wing of the lab. Arm it for five minutes. That should be enough for us to meet and the main doors of this level and escape. Be careful.'

They went to their respective locations, Fang going to the storage room, Vanille to the west wing of the lab, and she to the east. She searched for the appropriate spot to set the charge, somewhere where the damage would be enough for those Tal'darim to be occupied. She found it strange though that this part of the lab was a bit deserted even though the equipment were on. Not a single Protoss did she encounter so far. Perhaps this part wasn't a good idea. Maybe she needed to go back and search for another location to place the bomb. But before she could turn back, she noticed an eerie glow coming from inside one of the sections of the lab. A chill ran up her spine. She paused. What was that? Her curiosity getting the better of her, she went on. The temperature began to drop the closer she came and she noticed that the ground was covered in smoke. No, Fog. From the cold. A few steps inside and she saw two very large Stasis Cells. But it was not their size that caused her body to freeze in place nor was it the crippling cold in their vicinity. It was what was contained inside them.

A sudden explosion suddenly rocked the whole level and snapped her back to her composure. She steadied herself, and then judging by the sound of the explosion concluded that it came from the west of the lab. Her thoughts suddenly raced to Vanille. Too far for mental telepathy, so opted for the communication device of her visor but only received static. She cursed. But before she could turn back, she heard a low growl coming from one of the Stasis Cells. She made a slow stepped back as the growl became louder than usual. And then suddenly the Stasis Cell cracked and shattered, and the abomination slumbering within awoke. In the creature's glowing eyes, she saw only rage and fury.

Present…

A deafening roar rumbled through the halls. She stopped and backed to the wall and to the cover of the shadows. Her suit was damaged, if it weren't she would have been cloaked right now. Every few minutes another roar would erupt and she would once again back to a corner to hide.

'They're looking for us.'

She tried her communications device but no avail.

'Static.'

The monster damaged her suit as well. She regretted not running when she had the chance, they wouldn't have been separated. She reached for her weapon - a scoped C-20A canister rifle. She still has twenty rounds left and two extra magazines. She was good to go if only not for the broken rib and bleeding shoulder on her right side when one of those abominations from the lab swatted here like a fly. A few cuts here and there, but they were manageable.

'Hybrids… Why were they here?'

Another roar shook the floors. Her hunters are getting nearer by the second. She needed to move fast. She must find Vanille and Fang and get the hell out of this place. If the Tal'darim won't find them first, the Hybrids surely will. She paused at the sound of marching footsteps.

"Search the level. He's around here somewhere." She heard one of the Zealots say.

The Tal'darim said 'him' which didn't make any sense. Something was wrong here. A movement from behind here triggered her instinct to turn which was fortunate because behind her was a Stalker, its particle disruptors readied.

Utilizing her speed, she rolled out of the Stalkers blasts and fired back with her rifle. The Stalker quickly angled its body to block her attacks with its shield. Its plasma shields were down, Lightning noted. This stalker was fresh from another confrontation. Good. The moment the Stalker repositioned itself to fire its weapon, Lightning was already launching a lockdown device. It hit the Stalker square in the head and after a few seconds of shaking, died down. However, her short battle immediately drew the attention of the other Zealots. With little time left, she went for her only option of escape – the vent.

If she had stayed a little longer, she would have witnessed how the Zealots were blasted by an EMP and shot in the head one by one from someone in the shadows.

37 Hours Earlier.

[Destination: Platform MF-032.]

[Location: Koprulu Sector.]

[Our intel indicates that a small fleet of Tal'darim Protoss has been constantly spotted on the facility. Scouts report that the Protoss seem to be stocking an ample supply of Terrazine in the old abandoned science platform. A considerable number of armed forces are confirmed to be present.]

The Adjutant displayed several photos in the screen. Zealots. Stakers. Sentries. And Probes carrying a dozen or more of those Terrazine gas.

"Whatever they're up to, it's too close for comfort." Nova said.

With the fall of Arcturus Mengsk reign, the Dominion has been left in shambles from it former power and the entire planet is in disarray. The battle with the Queen of Blades has completely taxed the Dominion both in resources and in spirit. In the aftermath, what remained was only the shadow of the Terran nation's former glory. Perhaps the only reason that the people of Korhal held on to hope was because of the solid determination and the hard work of the young prince Valerian Mengsk who stepped up to restore the battered empire and correct his father's mistakes. Restoring the damages the battle caused was not easy for the young prince but slowly and surely his efforts were paying off. Months of hard work gave the steady rise of a new order, everyone was busy. And that included the Ghosts – eliminating threats to the new empire from the shadows. Rumors about a certain group called the 'Shadow Corps' were circulating in the shadows of Augustgrad and the Ghosts were quick and busy to prevent the rise of this new source of threat as best as they could. So it was only natural that Lightning was now currently being briefed with a sudden new mission. Although, this mission was a little different from what she expected.

"You will take two with you. Your mission is to infiltrate. Take a sample. Then leave. Any additional information you can grab, you're welcome to take it. No traces." Nova said. Lately she has been busy assigning missions than going on one, Lightning noticed.

"Any questions, Agent Farron?" her superior asked.

Lightning thought out her question for a moment and asked, "What's the sample for?"

She wasn't expecting any answers, well, not other than 'you have your orders and that's all' or something along those lines. "Apparently, the Mobius Foundation seems to be interested in it for some reason. They didn't say why though." Nova answered, which was quite unexpected. "But if they're going use it for something… unsavory… Well, we'll know. And we will deal with it accordingly."

Lightning didn't miss the hint of contempt in her superior's voice. She had a good idea why and it involved both Terrazine and Jorium. Obviously it was 'that' matter. But she kept silent and nodded to acknowledge that her question was answered.

"Keep the killing to a minimum. Better to leave no traces. You are only there for the sample. When we have enough intel, that's when we'll deploy a sweeper team. Gather your squad and report to the Star Port in four hours. Amodar will take you from there. Good luck, Shadowguards." Nova said.

She saluted and left the briefing room to find Vanille and Fang.

27 Hours Earlier

"What's an old isolated space platform doing in the outskirts of the sector anyways?" Fang asked. Of all the five Shadowguards, Fang's the one with the strongest personality – stronger than Lightning's although not as stubborn. Strong-minded and usually unenthusiastic to concern herself with life's minor trivialities, she is usually more bite than bark. And when it comes to things concerning Vanille, people rarely hear the bark of the tall woman with the dark wavy brown hair and end up with their throats in front of her spear. One would think that the two were sisters or perhaps even closer because of the bond they share. The two Shadowguards were the most inseparable to say the least.

'Sisters… Serah.'

Lightning suddenly felt guilty for leaving without a word. The mission was sudden and she had no more time to go see her.

'I'll be back before you know it.'

"It was once an old science installation." Vanille replied while accessing a computer. "It was long abandoned by the old Dominion when an accident occurred five years ago. The database says that the damage was too much for the facility to remain operational and thus it was abandoned. Or so they say."

Bright red hair tied in curled pigtails with eyes as green as Fang's, Vanille has a childlike innocence and is very empathetic which usually causes other people to think that she is out of place in the Shadowguard. Endearing and coupled with a sunny disposition, one would think this smiling lady couldn't even fire a gun. Well, not until they're shot between the eyes either from a hundred meters away with a scoped canister rifle or in the face with SR-8 shotgun. The other four member of the Shadowguards knew by heart that Vanille's bright personality gives no hint of the dark resolve that lies within.

"I'll make this clear." Lightning caught their attention. "We get a sample and then get out. We avoid confrontations as much as possible."

"Got it, Sunshine", Fang smiled. Vanille just nodded before failing to contain her giggle at Fang's nickname for Lightning.

Lightning simple spared a slight smile then continued recheck her equipment.

The Shadowguards were armed and ready.

Present...

Going to the hangars was slow and painful. Not only did Lightning need to stop from time to time because of her injury, she had to watch out where the next enemy might pop out. The corridors and the halls were dark and unlit, only a few selected parts of the facility had some power on. Only the storage room and the laboratories had their systems on. The storage was where the Tal'darim kept the Terrazine. But what Lightning and the others discovered in the labs was something they didn't expect to find.

'Hybrids.'

She read some reports taken from some of the crew from the Hyperion of the infamous James Raynor. The higher ups treated such information as rumors although most of the Mobius Foundation backed up the report albeit without any concrete proof. The Shadowguards disregarded such shaky intel. They valued facts, never fiction or speculations. How gravely mistaken they were. The abominations – a grotesque cross between the essences of a Zerg and a Protoss – truly existed, and was frozen in two very large stasis cells. A creature with the intellect of a Protoss and the cunning of a Zerg, it was a being born from one's deepest nightmares.

Another roar rumbled through the dark hallways causing the steel plated floors to vibrate. She cursed, this one was close. Too close. She sharpened her senses telepathically and scanned her surroundings, searching for any life signature on the level. She found none, she was safe. She tried to communicate with Fang or Vanille again, this time reaching for them telepathically. No luck.

Then the floor beneath her burst open without warning, steel plating being ripped apart like paper. A Hybrid popped out. The force threw away to the far end of the hall and she fell on her back. The Hybrid quickly regarded her presence and moved towards here with claws as sharp as a Hunterkiller's readied. Without hesitation, she fired her rifle to the last bullet. But it was futile. The Hybrid did not seem to mind the rain of bullets. Her rifle clicked, she was out of ammo and the Hybrid was already towering over her. It raised its claw to strike but before the aberration could impale her to the ground, a Spectre suddenly appeared by her side, slowly uncloaking. She was caught surprised but the Spectre didn't seem to notice her reaction. Instead, the Spectre threw a small metallic orb towards the Hybrid's face.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Lightning's mind suddenly raced. That small globe was obviously an explosive. And judging from the blinking red light, it was armed! This Spectre was mad! As the orb landed on the Hybrid's snout, four claws activated and dug deep into the creature's skin, the bomb attaching itself to its prey. After a second, it started to beep real fast signaling its detonation. No time to run, Lightning closed her eyes and braced herself.

Boom!

The bombed exploded, she was sure of it. She found herself dizzy and nauseated. A splitting headache was starting to form in her temples. Was she dead? No, it couldn't be. She sensed movement. She was moving but she knew her legs weren't. She cracked open her eyes and saw that she was being carried by the Spectre.

'He saved me? Why? And… how?'

She tried to look around, everything was blurry. They were going up to another level, perhaps towards the hangars where their dropship was stealthed and docked. Her vision started to settle a little. She realized they were in another part of the facility. How fast did this Spectre moved to get them this far in a few seconds, she could not fathom. They reached the large double doors, the hangar's outer entrance. There was another Spectre waiting for them – or more like for the Spectre that was carrying her like a damsel.

Damn, if she could only move. She hated being helpless.

She picked up the sound of a readied rifle, probably from the second Spectre seeing her – a Ghost. It was natural. Ghosts and Spectres never got along. Not just because the Dominion forbade Spectres being made but because of a silent but strong rivalry.

"Stop," her savior spoke, his voice a little muffled due to his mask and visor. "She's with me. And she's injured."

''With her?' What is this guy doing?'

"We need to get out of here." She heard the second Spectre said.

"I know," the first Spectre replied then handed her over to his comrade. "Take her to the ship. She needs some first aid."

'What is he doing?' Why was this Spectre helping her? She's a Ghost! A Shadowguard! But they couldn't have possible known that, not if they didn't see her mark. And there was no way she'd be showing them.

"Okay," the second Spectre replied, "Prompto should be here by now."

"You take care of her. I'll go find him. Wait for us at the ship."

"Wait." Lightning finally found the strength to speak, although barely a whisper. The pain on her right side was registering more than ever now, perhaps it was because she was moved around too much that furthered her injuries. "Wait…" she called out one more time before the Spectre could leave.

"My team… Find them… Please."

It was all she could do right now. Damn that Hybrid. Damn this mission for getting out of hand. If she was able, she'd be out there herself searching for Fang and Vanille – especially for Vanille. The explosion was closest to her location. If something happened to her, to both of them, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"Plea-"

"I will." The Spectre replied, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. "I promise." And in a blink he was gone.

And so was her consciousness, though not before she noticed that something was off of how that Spectre turned invisible.

No cloaking device was that fast.

Appearing in a different level, Noctis rushed back towards the location of the laboratory with haste and with caution. Wary of those Hybrids' abilities, he's not one to take those monstrosities lightly. And then there were those Tal'darim fanatics to watch out for as well. He gritted his teeth. How did it come to this anyway? How did the enemy know they were coming?

The infiltration was easy. There were only a few patrols even though their information indicated that they should be expecting about fifty armed Protoss within the facility, not counting the Tal'darim researchers and scientists. It was off but they used it to their advantage to get the mission done quicker. The moment they located where the Stasis Cells were held, they split up so he and Prompto could place the charges while Gladiolus remained to watch the main doors to the laboratory just in case. Ignis on the other hand was near the hangars ready for a quick escape.

However, the Tal'darim had been waiting for them inside the west wing of the lab where the Hybrid Destroyers were kept. It was a trap. They were surrounded and he was cut off from Prompto who rushed towards the Stasis Cells. After that came the explosion from inside. He could have gone after him until he heard a familiar roar coming from the opposite wing. It was the roar of a Hybrid. There was another set of Stasis Cells. He was forced to leave to deal with the remaining threat. He'll be back for Prompto, he swore.

When he arrived at his destination, what he saw surprised him. There was a Ghost fending off a Hybrid Ravager. The abomination was going wild, enraged. The Ghost was barely handling it. For a moment he hesitate going to her aid. He was a Spectre, she might fire at him. But then the Tal'darim came, obviously drawn by the roar of the Ravager. Seeing the Ghost, the Stalkers fired at her but she dodged to a blind spot placing herself behind the Hybrid. One of the Stalkers accidentally fire at the Hybrid which caused the creature to switch target. Perhaps it was out of blind rage but it was a stroke of luck for the Ghost. She didn't however expect being swatted like a fly before the Hybrid turned to chase down the Stalkers who were quickly fleeing away.

'Wait!' He paused in thought. 'Were they expecting us or… the Ghosts?'

Screw it. It didn't matter now, he considered. Their priority was to get out of this place and fast. But first he needed to find Prompto.

My team… Find them… Please.

He suddenly remembered his promise to that pink haired Ghost. Why'd he done that anyway? He was just following her to know what she was up to until the Hybrid Ravager came to attack her, the next moment his body was moving on its own rushing to her rescue. Perhaps it was because she was injured. He settled for that.

He stopped at the sound of several footsteps up ahead.

"Find him!"

A Tal'darim High Templar was issuing orders to four Zealots. "Go! The master wants him alive!"

The Zealots, having received their orders, split in two groups and disappeared through the dark hallways leaving the High Templar alone. Noctis saw this as an opportunity. He aimed his custom AGR-15 rifle.

'Perfect.'

But before he could pull the trigger, a hologram appeared in front of the High Templar. He stopped.

"Master," the High Templar dipped his head in respect. "The search continues. The experiment has nowhere to run."

It was a familiar face. Albeit a bit distorted because of the communication device, it was a face he will never forget. And suddenly, his blood began to boil with anger.

'It's him.'

"Excellent. Make sure he does not escape. I have great plans for him." The image on the hologram said.

The High Templar momentarily hesitated before replying. "There is some problem. He attempted to destroy the stasis cells and has accidentally disturbed the Hybrids from their slumber. We lost the two Destroyers. The two Ravagers were also awoken prematurely than planned."

"It matters not. They maybe currently unstable right now but the Hybrids will help hasten the search. Now go! And do not fail me!" The image flickered and then disappeared.

Then Noctis went for the kill. No regard for the plasma shields, he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew straight through the Tal'darim High Templar's head.

Poof!

A smoke of blue hue was left in its wake. It was an illusion. He didn't expect that. Letting it go, he moved on and arrived inside the laboratory. There was no one here, nothing but damaged equipment, and to his far left, two large stasis cells – empty and unused.

He inspected them further before moving on.

Boom!

An explosion shook the lab. Various equipment falling and crashing to the ground and was followed by a monstrous roar.

'The storage room,' He guessed and rushed towards the nearest entrance. 'Prompto, you better not be doing anything rash.'

Reaching the open doors, he peeked inside and inspected every corner. It was easy to sneak and maintain his invisibility with the Nyx-Class Cloaking Module but he knew that those Hybrids have ways to detect a presence no matter how faint. The sound of clashing psionic blades in the far end of the dimly lit room caught his attention.

A female Ghost, her psionic weapon was a twin tipped spear, was battling three Tal'darim Zealots. Though the odds were against her favor, she was holding out quite well. Her spear danced around her, parrying and countering any attempts the Zealots made to strike. One Zealot found what he considered an opening and lunged for it. It was a mistake. The Ghost was baiting him to strike. The moment the Zealot's attacked missed her by a few breaths; the spear was already piercing his throat. The two other Tal'darim didn't give her a moment to recover her stance however and advanced on her. But the ceiling suddenly fell on top of them, crushing them with the heavy metal's weight.

Noctis smiled inwardly.

But the rubble was not finished collapsing from above. And after a few large rumbles, out came a different Hybrid Ravager. Lady Luck's not on their side today. But he noticed that the Hybrid's front carapace was damaged and the creature had cuts everywhere.

'It appears to be limping a bit as well.' Who could have caused such damage? He was sure this wasn't the Hybrid he encountered when he saved the pink-haired Ghost. Whoever did it wasn't alone; this much damage was caused by perhaps two or more people – experienced and coordinated.

The Hybrid's roar broke his trail of thought. It was eyeing the Ghost warily, perhaps having learned its lesson of taking a Terran lightly after being wounded to this extent. Taking this as a chance, Noctis armed his rifle's grenade launcher and, aiming for the Hybrid's wounds, launched the explosive.

The sudden attack caught both the Hybrid and the Ghost by surprise. As the Hybrid crashed to the nearest wall, Noctis took the chance to run towards the female Ghost. He slowly uncloaked in front of her which caused her to reflexively reach for her spear.

"Wait, I'm on your side." He raised both of his hands to signal he meant no harm. "We need to leave while that thing is distracted."

The female Ghost didn't move nor stood down.

"Your pink-haired friend asked me to find yo-"

The Hybrid's roar both of agony and fury interrupted him. Even a clear shot of Uranium grenade wasn't enough to knock the creature out cold. It shook its head to clear its bearings. And then it rushed towards them enraged. "Shit." He cursed and turned back to face the charging abomination. He aimed his rifle at the monster's right eye. When the Hybrid got close enough, he pulled the trigger. The Hybrid howled in pain and roared, angrier the ever; he was expecting this. In swift motion, he threw to metal canisters into the creatures open maw. The Hybrid choked. Without warning, he grabbed the female Ghost's arm and ran towards the exit while the creature was still choking.

Beep. Beep. Beep…

And then they disappeared into thin air.

BOOM!

"Where are they? They should be here by now."

Gladiolus could sense the concern in Ignis' voice.

For a man who's usually composed, serious, and cool headed, Ignis wasn't someone you get to see acting so out of character. But perhaps with the current situation, Gladiolus thought that there is always a first time for everything.

"Calm down, Ignis. Prompto's just probably causing some trouble again." The large man reassured his friend.

Ignis however didn't seem comforted. A loud thud from outside the ship roused the man from his seat and Gladiolus instinctively readied his specialized Torrent SR-8 shotgun in case they get a nasty surprise.

Thud. Thud.

"Open up!"

"Noctis!" they called in unison. Ignis quickly reached for the switch for the ship's rear hatch. Gladiolus quickly relieved Nocits of his burden, another unconscious female Ghost. This one was taller with dark wavy hair. Gladiolus whistled. "Someone's playing knight in a shining armor today." The large Spectre gently placed the second Ghost beside the first one Noctis rescued and strapped her in another stretcher.

"She just lost consciousness after my last jump." Noctis spoke in deep breathes, evidently exhausted.

"Here, drink some water." Ignis passed him a bottle which he finished in three gulps.

"I need to go back. I need to find Prompto. We leave af-"

"I'll go find him. You need to rest." Gladiolus squeezed his shoulder with a firm hand and regarded him with determined eyes. Noctis conceded with a nod. "Ignis, open the hatch again for me, will ya?"

Ignis flipped the switch and the hatched opened, the exact same moment the large double doors of the hangar exploded with sparks of plasma. Noct almost fell to the floor but was able to grab on to something to steady himself.

From the smoke and rubble emerged a dozen Tal'darim Zealots, psi blades glowing green and readied. Behind them, a floating High Templar emerged.

"Shit," he heard Gladiolus curse and armed his weapon. "We got company."

Ignis stood up and retrieved his rifle, arming himself as well. "Noct, start the ship. We'll hold them off."

"But what about Prompto?"

"I reckon his on his way, his smart enough to know what that explosion meant. Now go. We're running out of time."

Although in doubt, he complied with Ignis orders – the man was the leader of this mission – and rushed to the pilot seat.

Before the Zealots could come charging, Ignis quickly launched an EMP disabling the Tal'darim's plasma Shields. The Protoss wasn't fazed and attacked. When they advanced, Ignis easily sniped some of them one by one. Those that got too close were taken care by Gladiolus. A single shot from his weapon sent the Zealots flying, their armors splintered and caked with blood. They we're holding out well enough as the ship's engine slowly hummed to life. Noctis, armed with his own rifle, went out to assist his friends.

"Prompto's not here yet! What's taking him so long?"

"You are not going anywhere, Terran!" the High Templar called out and hovered closer. "The Master demands that his favorite specimen be brought back to him."

"Tell Xer'ath I'm done being his lab rat!" He shouted back in anger.

The High Templar laughed. "Your resistance is futile, Terran!"

More Tal'darim forces came, and this time the Zealots were with Stalkers and Sentries which immediately activated their Guardian Shields rendering Ignis and Noctis' long range attacks feeble.

"Restrain him. And kill the rest!"

The Protoss reinforcement advanced.

"Go back to the ship!" Ignis commanded. "Now!"

"But Prompto-"

"Prompto is a soldier, Noct. And those are your orders. Now go! I'll delay them!"

Noct was about to argue but Gladiolus grabbed his arm. "Let's go, Noct. We need to trust Ignis."

He went inside the ship followed closely by Gladiolus.

"You think you can escape? Foolish Terran! This platform will be your tomb." The High Templar taunted Ignis but he remained collected. "The moment your ship takes flight, my forces will shoot you down!"

"We'll see." Ignis exchanged with a smirk which infuriated the Templar.

"Advance! Kill these fools!"

The Tal'darim forces' pace quickened. But Ignis was simply waiting for the right moment. He reached for the three medium sized canisters packed behind him and quickly threw them far in front in the directions where the Tal'darim where advancing. The High Templar noticed too late what Ignis was planning.

"Fall back! Fall ba-!"

BOOM!

The bridge connecting the entrance and the landing platform exploded along with the Terrazine canisters. The damage was so strong it was enough to sever the landing platform from the main installation and decimating the rest of the Tal'darim reinforcement.

"Foolish Terran!" the High Templar roared in anger. "We do not part empty handed! We may have not captured the Gestalt, but the master will be pleased with two new promising specimens."

Ignis expression didn't betray anything although his stare turned cold. If the Tal'darim could grin, one would be plastered on his feature now.

"We will not meet again, human. This place will be your tomb." And Templar was Recalled in a flash of blue light. It took a moment for Ignis to register what the High Templar meant. He quickly rushed inside the ship and closed the hatch.

"Noct, fly! Get us out of here! As far away! Now!"

"But Prompto-"

Ignis rarely, very rarely, raised his voice. "NOW!"

In two minutes they were so far that the space platform was just the size of Lego, which was good because after a few second then, the platform erupted into a large ring of plasma. The ship rocked as the shockwaves rippled out past them but luckily they were far enough that no debris were flying towards the ship. In the wake of the dying explosion was Noctis' remorseful expression. He failed to save Prompto. He should have disobeyed Ignis. He could have found him. He could have saved him.

"Why?" he heard Gladiolus asked; it was aimed at Ignis. Noctis could feel the slight coldness in his tone. Gladiolus never spoke to anyone that way. This was a first.

"It's fine." Ignis replied, replacing his glasses. "He-"

"Fine? FINE!?" Noctis couldn't contain his emotions any longer. "We left Prompto! He was one of us!"

"Calm down, Noct." Gladiolus tried to gently push him back to his seat.

"How could I-"

"Prompto is alive, Noctis" Ignis gaze fell on him, hard and serious. He's not making it up. "Before we escaped, the High Templar revealed that he had captured two new specimens. I'm guessing, no, I'm sure one of them is Prompto. And the other one could be a Ghost – one of them." Ignis pointed to the two unconscious women lying on the stretchers.

"Then we need to rescue him… Them!"

"We will, Noct, in due time. But right now we need to get back to base and report. We need to recover and prepare as well."

"Damn right we do!" Gladiolus chimed in while he was removing his helm. "I had the feeling that that mission was a somehow a trap. Those Protoss fanatics were somehow expecting us in a way."

Nocits' hands curled into a fist.

"They were," His companions' eyes were instantly on him. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before continuing. "That Tal'darim High Templar, he answers to Xer'ath. I saw them talking through a hologram when I was searching for Prompto after I saved the first Ghost."

"So that mad scientist is hunting you down." Ignis said as he adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps he found out that you're still alive and active ever since we started doing these missions."

"Perhaps, but that will not stop me – not from going on this missions and definitely not from saving Prompto."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now let's go and report back to Tosh. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can begin our search for Prompto."

Sigma Quadrant - Tal'darim Mother Ship

The hologram came to life showing the features of a High Templar the he had contacted not a long while ago.

"Report, Executor." He beckoned.

Much like the very place where the Mother Ship drifted, his voice was dark, distant, and shadowed. And yet it resonated with enough authority that neither Tal'darim nor Hybrid could challenge. No. Nobody challenged him. He had equals amongst the Dark One's loyal thralls, but none of them dared to even challenge anything he claimed or beheld. Not the mighty Maar who enslaved the Preservers. Not even the cunning Narud.

"We failed to capture the Gestalt, Master."

He narrowed his eyes at the Tempar, so easily he sensed the fear emanating from him.

"However, we have acquired a new specimen just as you directed."

His mood suddenly changed from this development. The Templar seemed to have sensed the shift of the air in the conversation as well and went on more eager to deliver the one success of his mission and hoping that it would stay his wrath.

'We shall see.'

"We have acquired a Terran Spectre. A male, just as you specifically required. And also…"

'There's more?' This was unprecedented. He disliked surprises, the sort of ones you did not take into account for. If this turned out problematic, he'll reconsider not executing his Executor. The sudden glow of his eyes instantly silenced the High Templar.

"Yes?"

"A Ghost – female. And with promising psionic levels as well."

This was unprecedented indeed. But the turn of events was favorable, very favorable.

"You have done well, Executor Rek'han. I am pleased. Deliver them to me."

"It is an honor great one."

The image flickered off, and only the sinister and eerie light of his glowing eyes remained in the darkness of his ship. No one has ever seen Xer'ath smile, and obviously because he has no mouth for the expression to be shown. But if he had one right now, it would show an evil grin, one that paints how very please he was indeed.

His plans were going better than expected.

If you spot any errors that I might have missed out, feel free to correct me.

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