nHyperion Medical Bay
30 minutes later
The moment Jimenez stepped into the medical bay, both Raynor and Horner knew something was wrong. The thin man was barely able to keep his own footing, his black skin somehow appeared to be pale and he constantly ran a hand through his short cut hair.
"Lieutenant Jimenez?! Are you alright?" Matt Horner approached the man and led him to a nearby bed. "Come on, sit down and tell us what's wrong."
"Nothing...I can't handle sir." The man replied, his voice shaken. "I'll get over it, don't worry."
"Don't worry?" Raynor repeated. "Boy, you look like you got chased by an Ultralisk throughout the entire ship."
"Yeah and I feel like it." Jimenez let out a small sigh before continuing. "To explain my condition, sir, I've tried to get inside Kerrigan's head" the look his superiors gave him, told the Ghost everything about what they thought about this idea. "And well...the best way I can explain it, it felt like she's trying to hold back a fucking supernova."
Matt and Raynor gave each other a look.
"What exactly do you mean?" The rebel leader asked.
"I wanted to see what exactly was attacking Kerrigan. See if I could pinpoint what exactly attacked her so that we possibly could bombard it from orbit." The Ghost shook his head, a painful expression appearing on his face. "I have no idea how she's holding like she is, but I know she won't last forever. That...whatever it was, just slapped me out of her head, for the lack of a better term."
"What were you thinking in the first place?!" Matt Horner exclaimed. "We know so little about the Zerg, they might have killed you!"
"Well, someone had to do something!" Jimenez retorted. "I'm the only one on this ship who knows something about psionics!"
"Hey, hey, cool down, both of you!" Raynor interjected before things possibly went out of hand. "Whether this was a brilliant or a stupid idea is debatable at this point. Jimenez, you came here because you have something to say to us. So spit it out already! What do you have in mind?"
Jimenez took in a deep breath, calming himself down. "As I said, it's practically a miracle that Kerrigan is not being overwhelmed right now. However, I don't think that she'll last. I would say we get away from this planet as fast as possible."
"Hmm..." Matt put a hand under his chin. "The warp engines will need some time to warm up. Not to mention the hours it takes to calculate our new destination. We'll be vulnerable to attacks from both the Protoss and the Zerg. General Duke's Battlecruiser is still in High Orbit around Char, but given the losses he's obviously taken, he won't be much of a threat to us. Unless he decides to ram the Norad III into the Hyperion. Given the man's temper, I'd say it's entirely possible."
Raynor chuckled. "Ah, I don't think even he's that crazy. I haven't insulted him enough for that to happen."
"Sirs?" Jimenez tried to get the attention of his officers back. "While we're waiting for the ship to be ready, I'd suggest we increase Kerrigan's fighting capability."
"Increase how?" Raynor asked.
"It's simple, really. Though the effects will be significant." The Ghost made a small pause before continuing. "You see, during our Ghost training, our minds will be pushed to our absolute limits. "Training purposes" as those scientists called it. It was actually also part of our mental conditioning, in order to turn us into living weapons. This process also damages our minds in a way, so we don't get too powerful and break our mental conditioning. However, the damage is not irreparable."
"So you suggest we repair the damage?" Horner asked.
"Yes, though we would need direct access to an old confederacy data storage. And guess who was stationed around such a storage facility? And guess where it is right now?"
"You gotta be shitting me." the rebel leader swore. "Here? Around what's obviously the home planet of the Zerg?"
Jimenez nodded. "Before Mengsk...recruited me, I was stationed here as a simple guard. As far as my knowledge goes, the Confederacy found the Zerg here and started experimenting on them. Not sure why the Zerg didn't shot the thing down as of now, but hey. Better for us. Though I'm sure they're all working for Mengsk now. So, we'll have to fight, that's for sure."
"Hmm..." Raynor looked to the side, thinking about the suggestion.
"One more thing." Jimenez raised. "Kerrigan will have to come with us."
"WHAT?!" The other two men in the room exclaimed.
Jimenez gaze hardened. "Any attempt to copy the data will lead to immediate termination of the hard drives it's stored on. Even if I break my own conditioning, I won't be able to help Kerrigan. It's hard to explain to a non-Ghost, but she will have to come with us."
"Can't we just leave this planet?" Horner asked. "Even the Zerg have a limit, surely."
The Ghost shrugged. "Sure, though I'm sure whenever we encounter Zerg, they'll try to take control of her all over again. And it doesn't look like those fuckers are done with our worlds just yet."
Raynor and Matt looked at each other once again.
Hyperion, Quarantine Area
12:14 Board Time
The Marines watching over Kerrigan, turned their heads when they heard the elevator doors opening. They weren't particularly surprised to see their leader, sitting in a wheelchair and rolling out of the said elevator.
Raynor stopped his movements when he was positioned in between the two marines. He looked directly through the looking glass and at Kerrigan's meditating form.
"She hasn't moved an inch, ever since we put her in." One of the guards informed him. "Sir, are you sure we shouldn't just shoot her."
"She's the first infested who stayed sane. If we bring her to the right person, there might be a chance we find a cure for that virus and help the people in the long run."
"You so rehearsed that line in front of a mirror." the other marine commented.
"Guilty as charged," Raynor smirked "though I had to do it without the mirror. I used the screen on the elevator panel."
The two marines chuckled at those words.
"Give us ten minutes," Raynor told the other two in a more serious tone.
"Sir, are you sure?"
"Just cut off the air supply, if you see anything going on through the cameras. And just to be sure, burn the place down."
The two marines looked at each other for a moment, before they complied with the order and went into the monitoring room nearby. As soon as the doors closed, Raynor rolled towards the glass and pressed a button on a console.
"This is a bad idea, Jim," Kerrigan said without even opening her eyes.
"Hey, remember the talk we had about reading my mind like this?" Raynor asked.
"Jim, this is serious. This is exactly what that thing wants. It wants me to become stronger, Jim. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to fight back."
"Come on, Sarah. You're having a conversation with me while holding back this what's-his-name? Overmind?"
At this, Kerrigan opened her eyes, surprised. "How do you know it's named?"
Raynor shrugged. "I'm...not really sure. I just had these...dreams. I was trapped inside...something. There were those shadows that looked like Zerg, but different. And sometimes...I could hear it talk. When we landed on Char I could somehow tell where you're, as if you had a tracking device with you. And when I was inside the cave, I could hear it talk again...after you, you know..." He looked uncomfortably to the side.
"I...see," she said slowly, casting her eyes down. "Jim...you know what you need to do. If I lose control-"
"Enough of this bullshit already." Raynor slammed his fist against the controls. "You're the toughest Terran in the entire fucking sector, Sarah. Believe me, I have met a lot of tough bastards in my life, but you top them all. There's no way Mr. Buglord is going to take control of you."
Sarah snorted and laughed really loud and for a long time. So long in fact that Raynor himself chortled a little.
"Come on, darling. It wasn't that funny."
"It's...it's not that." Sarah struggled to breathe. "It's...the Overmind apparently doesn't like being called by that name."
"Does Cockroach Pope sound better? Cock-Pope, maybe?"
Kerrigan guffawed, losing her meditation position.
"I-I think you broke him, hahaha."
"Hehe, ah I knew I should have gone into the comedy business."
"You, a comedian? They'd throw you into a pit full of Zerglings before your first performance is over."
"Is that an idea from Mr. Buglord?" he asked half-serious.
Kerrigan finally caught herself and took in some deep breaths in order to calm down completely. "In all seriousness, though, there's no way for us to find a cure to this virus. I'm a danger to all of you and you know it."
"So what? You're a looker at least, so there's our compensation."
Kerrigan looked at Raynor with a serious expression. "You pig."
"Well, can't deny it, why not embrace it?" Raynor asked with a shrug.
"Urgh, you're an impossible man, Jim Raynor. There's no way I can convince you, can I?"
"You already know the answer to that."
Kerrigan sighed. "Fine. But if I go on a rampage, I'll make sure to cut off your balls first."
"Duly noted."
Hyperion, Hangar Nr. 2
13:00 Board Time
"Alright, listen up," Jimenez spoke to the Marines and Firebats standing ready in front of the drop ships. "We'll be leaving this planet in a couple of hours, but we need to do something first. As you all know, Kerrigan has been infested, yet somehow she's still holding on to what humanity is left in her. However, that won't last forever." The Ghost tried to ignore the worried thoughts going through all of the rebels. Not easy, since he couldn't just shut off their surface thoughts. "In order to prevent her from butchering us, we need to make sure she stays herself. The only way to do that is to get important data from the Ghost Program, so we can repair whatever damage has been done to her mind during the training. There's a catch to that, however. The storage devices are rigged in a way that copying or removing them will cause them to explode. And none of us can possibly remember all of the stuff that's written there, so we have no choice but to take Kerrigan with us."
"What?!"
"Are you insane?!"
"She's gonna-"
"SHUT IT, ALREADY!" The Ghost shouted. "Look, Kerrigan is the reason we even got so far with our revolution. If Mengsk wouldn't have been such an asshole, we'd be all living a better life as of now and she wouldn't be what she is now. Besides, she every single one of your asses down there including the Commander's. It's-"
"That's enough, Lieutenant." Everyone turned their heads and some even readied their weapons, when they found Raynor and Kerrigan approaching the people. Raynor, of course, being forced to sit in the wheelchair. "If you have a problem with the mission, you can stay here. No one forces you to come along. I won't hold it against you. I also won't hold it against you if you plan to leave after this is over."
He looked over all men and women while speaking. Kerrigan had an impassive expression on her face.
"We're on a strict timetable here, folks. Everyone who doesn't want to go leaves the hangar now. The ship leaves in five minutes."
In the end, only two people left. No one was scorning at them or something similar. When it came to Raynor's Raiders, you weren't forced to participate in a mission. Mengsk technically had the same policy, for a time at least, as he had a way of talking people into things. Jim Raynor just told them the facts of the mission and nothing more. Just like he did before they went to Char. He had told them that they were on a rescue mission and that there was a high chance of them dying while trying. And they almost did die, the leader included.
"Listen up." Jimenez brought everyone out of their thoughts. "The Amerigo has a lot of defensive measures, in case of someone unauthorized trying to get in. Expect hidden sentry guns, armored vehicles, enemy Ghosts and even captured Zerg. I haven't seen anything bigger than Hydralisks in there, but that might have changed. Be on your guard in there."
Amerigo
21:00 Board Time
Because the dropships couldn't just land inside, the Raiders had to get out outside the flying station. Kerrigan needed to stay inside the shuttle until the Raiders blew a hole in the station's walls and shot everyone in sight. Thanks to the surprise advantage, no Raider lost his or her life. After killing the guards in the hangar, the bay doors were opened for the rebel shuttles to get inside. After unloading Kerrigan, the pilots flew outside again, ready to pick their comrades up later. Else they risked being killed by the Dominion Marines. There were just not enough rebels present to guard the ships inside a Dominion facility.
"Alright, that was the easy part," Jimenez said after the bay was secured. "By now, the whole base is probably alerted. Keep your eyes open. The terminal we're looking for is in the middle of the station. Follow me."
Jimenez ran ahead, followed by Kerrigan and the firebats and then the marines. It didn't take long for them to encounter their first obstacle. Two sentry guns appeared out of the ground and almost shot at them, if not for Jimenez throwing an EMP grenade, rendering those things useless.
"Yup, they still haven't upgraded the towers. Seriously, those were supposed to get EMP protection years ago." The Ghost informed the others.
"How many EMPs do you have?" asked the Zerg woman in their midst. "Only four more. Not enough for all of them, but I remember where each and every one is stationed. Don't worry, I'll tell you when we come to the next ones, which will be around this corner, on the right wall. Marines, turn them into swiss cheese."
On his command, the blue-suited rebels formed a line in front of the rest and readied their weapons. The group approached the corner slowly, before swiftly turning around and opening fire, before the guns were even out. 3/4 of the shells missed, though it just took some adjusting to destroy the guns before they could open fire.
"Nice job, guys," Jimenez commented. "Let's go."
"Wait." Kerrigan stepped in front of them. "There are Ghosts further down the hall, waiting to ambush us."
"Really? Damn. They'll have the height advantage." the Ghost cursed.
"You can't sense them?" Kerrigan asked, surprised.
"I'm only a level eight Psion," Jiminez informed her. "They focused on my weapon training back at the Academy. Besides, you're like a sun next to a few lightbulbs."
"Uh, what are you talking about?" One of the firebats asked.
"You know these guys are psychics?" A marine spoke up. "They can sense people like a radar can sense enemy ships and the such?"
"Really? Wow."
"Have you been living under a rock?"
"Shut it, you two." The Ghost ordered his subordinates. "So, how many are there?"
Kerrigan closed her eyes and focused, expanding her mind towards the waiting Ghosts. The Raiders waited uncomfortably for the Zerg woman to give her report, some of them tapping the triggers of their weapons, while others kept watch on the hallways. By now the Dominion grunts surely must have identified them and sent troops to their position, ambush waiting or not. The soldiers were torn out of their thoughts, when they heard a series of screams coming from further down the hallway, sending chills down the soldiers' spines. What made the experience worse was Kerrigan's low chuckle, before the screaming ultimately stopped.
"What the fuck did you do?" whispered Jimenez.
"Do you really want to know?"
"...Fuck it. Let's get this over with." The Ghost shook his head and lead on, Kerrigan close behind. The others only followed the two reluctantly. The Firebats especially kept their distance from the bone wings, as they had seen what she could do with those.
It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the ramp Jimenez mentioned earlier. There they found no less than six Ghost corpses, blood, and some strange gray stuff leaking out of their ears.
"Damn."
"How did she do that?"
"Maybe we shouldn't do this-"
"If you won't shut your traps right this moment, I'm gonna personally launch you onto Char through the Yamato Cannon." The Ghost in the front threatened the others.
"Strike Team, this is Hyperion. Come in, Strike Team."
Jimenez hit the communication button. "This is Strike Team, Hyperion. What's up, Captain?"
"Things just got more complicated." Matt Horner informed the rebels. "The Zerg are sending Mutalisks and multiple Overlords to the Amerigo. We suspect the Overlords are transporting troops to infiltrate the station and capture Kerrigan."
The Raiders murmured among each other, clearly distraught over this new development.
"If the Zerg attack, the guards will be forced to split up, meaning we can get through faster," Jimenez concluded.
"Don't underestimate the Zerg," Horner advised. "We'll shoot as many Overlords as we can, but prepare for Zerg engagement."
"Understood Hyperion. Strike Team-"
"Wait a minute, Strike Team. We're picking up new contacts. Protoss transport ships are en route to the Amerigo."
"Are you fucking serious?" Jimenez groaned. "What are they doing here?"
"We don't know, but be careful. For all we know, they might have the same objective, as the Zerg."
"Understood Hyperion. Strike Team out."
The Ghost let out a sigh and looked over to Kerrigan. "Well, you got a lot of fans out there, that's for sure."
"No wonder with that ass. OW!"
