The Citadel, Shakuras

"Templar, Judicators, Khalai, Dark Templar, thank you for assembling here today. We are here to discuss the transgressions committed by the Auriga tribe: The mobilization of their fleet and waging war upon a foreign power without the Hierarchy's consent." Artanis, Hierarch of the Protoss, said. He was livid that admiral Urun had launched an invasion behind his back. Still, he had to remain calm. The situation he found himself in was messy, but salvageable. It was his hope that, given enough time, he could talk his way out of this, but only by retaining his composure. The Hierarch called upon all his experience as a politician and spoke as calmly as he could manage.

The fact that he still sounded like he was about to blow a gasket showed the gravity of the situation.

"Phah!" Urun, the leader of the accused tribe spat. "You accuse us of treason when all we did was strike back at our greatest enemy. You would rather hide and let the Zerg regain their strength. What we have done may have secured the survival or our people."

"Or you may have doomed us all." The Hierarch continued. "You have forgotten that the only reason any of us are standing here today is because the Zerg have allowed us to live. Even our most optimistic projections have shown that a war between ourselves and the Swarm would result in us being ground into dust through a war of attrition. This…crusade of yours has in all likelihood made us too great a threat to ignore." It was an uncomfortable truth: The Queen of Blades had soundly defeated them before. Had she attacked after the Brood War, the Protoss would almost certainly have been wiped out.

"True Templar do not hide from their enemies and the Zerg were weakened by the Terran armies. By acting now we can wipe the galaxy clean of this threat once and for all."

Mohandar, the Dark Templar's representative, sighed. He and Urun had many dealings before. In spite of their personal differences, the two frequently cooperated on matters of defense. Most notably, the Auriga tribe fielded many Void Ray class capital ships, which by their design had to be at least partially crewed by Dark Templar. That didn't make dealing with the impetuous and often short-sighted admiral any easier. So he responded the way he usually did when things didn't go the way he wanted to: with mild annoyance. "Perhaps the good admiral needs to be reminded that the only Khalai that call Shakuras home are the ones that ran. Perhaps he also needs to be reminded that the Swarm is capable of recuperating from almost any loss within weeks, provided they have a leader to rally behind. As far as I know, the Queen of Blades herself is still alive and leading the Swarms once more. If your tribe has a death wish, so be it, but I would kindly appreciate it if you would refrain from dragging the rest of us into the Void with you!"

The admiral scoffed, furious that his own people denounced him. "All I am guilty off is performing my duty as a Templar. While the Zerg still live, our people are in danger. The defeat of the Queen of Blades was the best opportunity we have had to finish them off, but instead we waste time discussing what we already know. Had we struck immediately, we would already be on Aiur, celebrating our victory. It is your duty to serve your people, to act for the good of all. If you refuse to fight this horror, then I will in your stead."

Artanis was worried that the admiral would say that. In truth, he understood the frustrations of Urun and the Auriga tribe all too well. They were warriors. They were supposed to fight. To be hiding on Shakuras while the Zerg roam the homeworld unchallenged infuriated them. The Hierarch shared that feeling. Contrary to what his political opponents often said, he hadn't forgotten what it's like to be a templar. However, he now had other duties as well. He couldn't charge into battles, heedless of the consequences, and neither could the admiral. "At what cost, Urun? The Auriga tribe represents over a third of the entire Protoss armada. Ships we needed for the reclamation of Aiur, an undertaking you have been demanding for years. We have spent months trying to build up enough of a fleet to take our homeworld back from the Zerg. Without your ships, this project could be set back months, if not years."

"When my fleet returns with Kerrigan in chains, we will have all the time in the universe to take our world back. Besides, 'honored' Hierarch, what use is a homeworld if we lose it again when the Zerg regain their strength?"

"And what use is launching a crusade against the Zerg when it is doomed to failure?" The old Dark Templar interceded. "When the Zerg are finished devouring your brothers and sisters, where will they turn to next?"

"You underestimate the skill and prowess of our warriors, Mohandar."

"And you underestimate the power of the Swarm. Must I remind you again of how close we were to oblivion five years ago? Were it not for the power of the Xel'Naga temple, Shakuras would have been overrun."

"We still have the temple. We still have the Uraj and the Khalis crystals. If the Swarm is foolish enough to attack us here, we can wipe them from the face of the planet in minutes."

"Unless the Zerg start their attack by dragging an asteroid on a collision course with our world, as they did when they struck Aiur. The security of our people would depend on the Queen of Blades not realizing that she could cripple our defenses with a well-aimed rock."

Much to Artanis' annoyance, the discussion kept going like this for hours while never actually getting anywhere. Urun was utterly convinced that his actions were in the right, and the Hierarch could understand why. The Zerg were a threat to everyone and had to be wiped out. No one doubted that. Eventually, all the Hierarch could accomplish was to set up a new meeting where potential sanctions could be discussed.

The Auriga had failed to realize just what was at stake. By striking against the Zerg without the Hierarchy's knowledge or consent, they had upset the tenuous political balance that had kept the Protoss from tearing each other apart since the end of the Brood War. With the loss of their homeworld and without the guidance of the Conclave, a new Aeon of Strife appeared to be on the horizon. The people needed a new government, and they needed it before the tribes started to tear each other apart.

The Hierarchy had been the answer. The tribes would exist as they always have and run the day-to-day affairs of their respective people. Representatives from six of the largest remaining tribes, with Artanis as their Hierarch, would meet to discuss matters that would affect everyone. With a wider range of perspectives in the government, the mistakes of the old Conclave could be avoided without completely destroying their culture. At least, that was the theory.

It depended entirely on the tribes' willingness to cooperate with each other. At first, it seemed like the Protoss were making progress. The Furinax, ever the progressives among the Firstborn, had started working together with the Dark Templar almost immediately, combining Khalai and Nerazim technology into potent new weapons of war. Violence between tribes had been surprisingly limited. At first glance, it seemed like thousands of years of civilization had apparently tempered the worst of the Protoss' savagery.

As time went on, however, cracks started to appear. Artanis had thought that he had gotten used to dealing with strong-willed and arrogant politicians in his days as Praetor, but managing them was nothing compared to his new position. The Hierarchy's greatest strength was also its greatest weakness: having so many different voices speaking against one another made reaching any sort of decision agonizingly difficult. Even simple decisions would require weeks if not months of debate.

Then, of course, there were the leaders themselves…

Nahaan, whose Ara tribe had once dominated the Conclave, openly considered the Hierarchy too inefficient to serve as a worthy government and was usually off Shakuras unless the matter was of great importance. Even now, the Ara's representative had excused himself, stating that this was a military matter and that it wasn't his concern. Artanis didn't know if Nahaan couldn't see the gravity of the situation or if he had completely lost faith in the Hierarchy and simply didn't care anymore.

Tabrenus of the Furinax had stayed strangely silent, neither supporting nor opposing either side. Tabrenus' silence was a particular surprise to the Hierarch. The Furinax had a strong pacifistic streak and Artanis had hoped that their leader would make a stand against the admiral for needlessly endangering them all. On the other hand, the Khalai were very afraid of the Zerg, more so than the other castes. Having never experienced warfare and being forced to abandon their homes, it wasn't surprising that they'd turn to anyone who had a solid chance of defeating the Swarm once and for all. If Urun claimed that he could stop the Zerg, many amongst the Khalai would believe him. Even if there was no majority either way, it would make taking sides tantamount to political suicide.

Zekrath of the Shelak refrained from speaking as well, although his silence was a little more understandable. Leading a tribe of scholars, his attentions were usually turned inward. The current strife didn't affect him or his people much. Not yet, anyway. Artanis hoped that the old man would realize that the Shelak's chances for survival were slim without a unified government and how much Zekrath's wisdom was needed.

While Mohandar was often difficult to read, Artanis could tell that he was frustrated. In many ways, he felt that he was holding a position that shouldn't have been his to begin with, a feeling that the Hierarch could empathize with strongly. With Matriarch Raszagal dead and Zeratul having disappeared, Mohandar was next in line. He had turned out to be a capable and crafty politician, but recent events were taking their toll on his legendary patience. There were many Dark Templar serving aboard the Aurigan ships and he did not take kindly to Urun commandeering them for a mission that he considered too reckless to try in the first place. As much as he wanted the Zerg destroyed and the Queen of Blades brought to justice, he cared more about preserving the living than avenging the dead.

Mohandar's somewhat passive nature had naturally put him at odds with admiral Urun, who had been lobbying for years to take the fight to the enemy before finally taking matters into his own hands. Artanis should have seen it coming. If the Hierarchy wouldn't act, someone else would have eventually. He just wished it had been someone other than the leader of the Auriga tribe. Urun may be an impatient fool, but his aggressive stance had earned him many followers. The Hierarch knew that if he couldn't convince Urun to fall in line, the legitimacy of the government would be undermined. Then again, if the Aurigan fleet returned victoriously, the political situation would be even worse.

Artanis, apart from being Hierarch, was also the leader of his own Akilae tribe. That, in and of itself, put him in a difficult position. Being fellow templar, Urun had plenty of supporters amongst the Akilae. As Hierarch, however, he needed to condemn the admiral. Not only did he start an invasion, one with severe political repercussions, but he also violated the Hierarchy's trust and dishonored his government by striking out on his own. If the Aurigan fleet would enter Dominion space, it could trigger a war with the highly xenophobic Terran government. While Artanis knew that the humans were no match for the full might of the Golden Armada, a war with them was a conflict the Protoss couldn't afford. Of course, he couldn't forget that Tassadar, a man whom Artanis practically worshipped, had done the exact same thing and ended up saving the Protoss species in the process. Urun was not the next Tassadar, however, and the Hierarch couldn't help but fear that the Aurigans had overextended themselves. He didn't know what was worse: that Urun would return with Kerrigan's head and make him look like a fool or that the fleet would be annihilated and leave the Hierarchy's military crippled in the process. Either way, the Hierarchy would suffer.

As Artanis walked back to his personal chambers, he couldn't help but wonder where it all went wrong. Did Urun have more power than he could handle? Has Artanis been too soft over the years? Was the Hierarchy doomed from the beginning and were the Protoss destined for civil war without the rigidity of the Khala? A leader wasn't supposed to second-guess himself, but Artanis couldn't help but do it anyway.

The thought that haunted him the most was that of the Hybrids. Zeratul had warned him of what was coming. In fact, they might already be here: the war had cost the Protoss much of their observer network and they knew very little of what happened beyond their borders. Artanis kept wondering that if he had told the Hierarchy about the coming invasion and Kerrigan's role in stopping it, Urun might have seen sense. Instead, he hid it from them. Artanis knew he wasn't entirely wrong in that respect: all he had as evidence was Zeratul's word. Considering what he would have had to ask of his people, that just wasn't enough. Still, had he been a better speaker or a stronger leader…

Doubt clawed at the young Hierarch's resolve. He had accepted the mantle out of duty, but in his heart, he had always known that he wasn't cut out for this. Now his people were going to pay the price…