Chapter Three: War
"Cheeeeecwaaaaaawaaaaa!"
Artanis woke up startled at the high pitched loud sound. He shot up from his bed and instantly felt his gut explode in pain. He let out a very painful yelp, held his head with his right hand while grasping his wound with his left. He waited at least twenty seconds for the pain to die down a bit and for him to get back to his senses. He looked outside his window on the left to see what made the loud chirp and saw one of his people's most hated animals, the dreaded Checwawa.
It was a harmless animal that was named after the unfortunate sound it made. It looked like a feathery flying lizard with a beak that was two feet long and had two wings on each side of its body. It eerily resembled the size of a pterodactyl and had short feet with talons. The animal was overall harmless and barely attacked anyone. It was famous for the annoying sound that it let out whenever it was hungry which happened quite often. They usually traveled alone and were barely ever seen in herds.
Artanis turned away from the big eyed creature and felt like laying back down. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he would have to get up again later and the pain that he had just endured made him think twice. It was almost a day since his fight with Devakkar and he had been asleep for more than nineteen hours. He looked down to the large dark gray bruise and remembered the beating he had endured. He looked over and saw his battered armour lying in a pile next to his cabinet and felt a bit sad. That suit of armour was the best looking one that he had and now it was dented and cracked beyond repair. Even if he did hire a professional, it would never look the same. He couldn't believe that he had sacrificed his best armour for the chance to get chosen for Dylari's team.
He looked at the sky through his medium sized window and noticed that the bird was gone. The continuous twilight that befell upon the planet caused the planet and the atmosphere to glow a dark violet shade. The clouds on the planet were thin and weren't that opaque. Artanis could see one of Shakuras's moons shining through one of them. The position in where it was at alerted him that it was around late afternoon. He struggled his way out of his bed while trying to find a method that would bring the least amount of pain.
While moving his legs to the edge of his bed, he felt a stinging pain in his gut. He almost let out a scream but held it in. The pain paralyzed his body and when he tried to move, the pain intensified. His skin turned pale as the pain grew unbearable. After a few agonizing seconds, the stinging sensation stopped and he was able to move normally again however, it left Artanis concerned. Artanis wondered whether or not he should go to the recuperation center to check out his wound. There, harmful injuries were treated and healed quickly but patients had to wait multiple days while recuperating in a resting room.
He had an itch appear on the side of his waist. When he went to scratch it, he felt the pain start to return and immediately stopped moving. He thought about it carefully and decided. He was going to the recuperation center. He had faith in Dyarli's words when he told him that he would be alright but he decided to go just in case. He got up and luckily, he didn't face a lot of pain while getting out of bed. He changed into blue robes that covered his shoulders, chest, waist and pelvic regions. His arms and legs remained uncovered. The simple task gave Artanis quite the challenge because doing it the normal way would cause him a lot of pain. When he was done, he walked out the door and made his way to the healing center.
It didn't take that long; he was able to reach it relatively fast. Fortunate for him, it was located only two blocks away so he didn't have to take very long. The hospital itself was a building on its own. It was located between two buildings. One housing the first four blocks while the other housing the next blocks up to ten. They were all connected by large hallways.
After checking into the hospital, he was put in the waiting room for around ten minutes. He sat patiently and looked at the broadcast screen in the room and watched a documentary on Shakuras's closest moon. As it was reaching the most interesting part, Artanis was called into one of the rooms. He hesitantly exited the waiting room and entered into the specialist's room.
The checkup didn't last very long, a maximum of fifteen minutes if anything. The specialist prescribed some pills which would heal the bruises and sore muscles at a faster rate. The stinging pain was said to be normal but he was advised to not strain his abdomen for a few days. Artanis thanked her and left her office. While leaving, Artanis felt much better than he did going in. He didn't have to worry about anything that might severely scar him or affect him later in his life.
He saluted a security guard at the door and started on his way back to his apartment. After three minutes of walking, he started to hear some screaming followed by laughter. It came from the entrance situated between the first building where he lived and the hospital. He walked towards the commotion and saw a group of Protoss that he didn't notice there earlier. He got himself closer without being noticed and saw something that he didn't like.
Artanis saw nine Templar, each wearing the same type of flexible cloth armour. There were a few who wore less armour and others who wore a bit more. Seven of them had Artanis's build. They had broad shoulders but thin arms and chests that narrowed down to their waists. The two others looked bulky and were more physically built than Artanis. They were all followers of the Khala. Artanis could tell by the length of their dreadlocks. Their dreadlocks flowed down to each of their backs.
They all surrounded someone else but Artanis couldn't tell who it was. He heard their laughter and the other distasteful comments that they threw out with little thought. He saw one of them jump onto a hovering chair close by and noticed that he held something in his left hand. By the way that the one on the chair acted, Artanis assumed that he was the leader.
Artanis edged himself closer to get a better visual of what was happening. He soon got close enough to hear what was going on without being spotted. He hid himself around the corner and watched closely as the scene unfolded.
"Give that back to me! It isn't yours!" Artanis heard one of them say.
From what he heard, that voice didn't belong to a male Templar. It had a different pitch and was smoother. The voice was surprisingly soft. It was softer than Bakshan's and sounded more feminine. Artanis quickly concluded that the one whom he couldn't see was a female Templar, stuck in the middle of the circle of hooligans.
"This is a nice amulet. Who gave it to you, a relative? A mate?" the Templar on the chair asked.
"That is none of your business. Just give it back to me already!" she replied.
"Oh come on. I just want to know. I would like to know how much they bought it for. This looks like it would be worth quite the amount of crystals," Mashuk said while looking at the amulet.
"Don't you dare!" she replied.
She dashed towards Mashuk in a futile attempt to get back her necklace but ended up banging into Zalir who was Mashuk's friend and guardian. She tried to get past him but Zalir blocked every one of her advancements.
"Well, aren't you rather touchy," Mashuk said.
The female rookie realized that she would have to get through Zalir first and tried to punch him. Before it could land, Zalir grabbed her wrist and flung her towards the other seven. They began pushing her around while laughing at her predicament. She became aggravated with her bullies and grew sick of being shoved around. She stopped herself mid push and withdrew back to the center
"Ugh! You call yourselves warriors? Are you all really satisfied with doing this to me without good reason?" she screamed out in frustration.
The rookie quickly felt her hands get grabbed and forced behind her back. She looked behind her and saw one of Mashuk's members restraining her. She tried to break her hands free from his grip but it seemed to be futile. She instinctively raised her leg forwards and then swung it backwards as fast and hard as she could towards her captor's leg. The force was enough for the captor to let go of her and hold his shin in pain. She pushed him aside and turned back towards Mashuk.
"Wow, you really are quite feisty...aren't you?" Mashuk asked tauntingly.
"Who cares? Just give me back my amulet and leave me alone!" she demanded.
"Oh, I am sorry. You won't be getting this thing back. It might be worth a lot so I might just take it off of your hands," Mashuk replied.
"Don't you dare try to do something to my mother's necklace! I will make sure you regret it if you do!" she said threateningly.
Mashuk merely scoffed at the threat.
"What's so funny? Are you enjoying harassing a lone female? What's wrong with you? Are you too weak to do this to male warriors so you have to harass innocent female warriors like me! How pathetic of you bunch!" she replied angrily.
Mashuk turned serious at the comment.
"Zalir! Grab her and make sure you don't let her go. Make sure she faces me, I want to make sure she sees this," Mashuk ordered.
Before Hexvanna could react, she felt her arm get pulled with enough force that it caused her to swing around into Zalir's arms. He grabbed her and forced her to the ground on her stomach where her legs couldn't touch him, her hands were held behind her back and her head faced Mashuk. She tried to break free but was unable to move. The other hooligans continued to laugh hysterically.
"Now then, considering that you have struck one of my men and that you have also called us all pathetic, I've decided to not steal your necklace. Instead, I will crush it and turn it into dust right before your very eyes!" Mashuk stated.
"No!" Don't!" Hexvanna pleaded while getting a grasp of her situation. She tried to force herself up but was too restrained to move.
Everyone around her began laughing hysterically at her. She could tell that something was very wrong here. She thought that this tribe would be friendly and welcoming. Instead, she was being bullied, harassed and forced to endure such idiotic and humiliating treatment. She tried to get up again but it was all a wasted effort. She looked up to Mashuk who gave her a dominating stare. Mashuk held out the amulet by the pendant and made it completely visible to Hexvanna's eyes.
"Please, don't!" she begged.
Her eyes began to water and she felt herself trapped in a hopeless situation. She wondered where her shining hope was amidst all of this darkness.
"STOP RIGHT THERE! ALL OF YOU!" Artanis roared while stomping himself into the lobby.
The loud outburst caught everyone's attention. Everyone looked towards Artanis who looked angry. They all shot him a look that told him to get out of there but he wasn't going to. His eyes were full of defiance. After so long, his voice was loud and it felt powerful.
Mashuk stared at him with a look of such arrogance that it turned Artanis's stomach. It reminded him of Devakkar and it made him unhappy.
"What do you think you are all doing?" Artanis screamed towards them all.
Everyone besides Zalir and Mashuk seemed intimidated by the angered Templar. Some even stepped back in fear.
"Are you blind? Isn't it obvious? We are just playing around and having some fun," Mashuk explained.
"Don't try to fool me. I've been watching you from around the corner. I've seen and heard everything. Give her back the amulet and leave her alone!" Artanis said loudly.
"And on whose authority? We have no reason to listen to you, a measly Templar!" Mashuk followed up.
"Authority has nothing to do with this. Can't you see that you are hurting her? Do you all have no pride?" Artanis asked while pointing to Hexvanna.
"Of course we do but it is obvious that you have confused our little fun with a more serious offense," Mashuk said.
"What you consider fun is rather appalling and cruel. I'd hate to think what you regard those two things as," Artanis responded spitefully.
"Hey!" Mashuk said.
He stepped off of the hovering chair and kicked it backwards. He walked over to Artanis with his head leaned forwards and the amulet tight in his hands. He stopped three feet away from Artanis and pointed towards the insignia on the left of his chest.
"Do you have any idea who you are even talking to? I'll have you know that I am Mashuk, Captain of the Eleventh Zealot Sub Division. You should speak to me with more respect. Do you even have a rank?" Mashuk said so ignorantly that it made anyone want to smash his face with a table.
Artanis scanned Mashuk's body carefully to make sure that he didn't have any hidden weapon that could harm him. He noticed that the symbol that Mashuk pointed to was from the Zealot Sub Division as he had stated. The insignia was a Protoss face with two psionic blades crossing behind it. Artanis knew that Mashuk was trying to use his rank as a means of forcing Artanis away but he wasn't going to let that happen.
"Of course I have a rank. I am a part of the High Templar Division of the Eighth Battalion. As you can see here on my shoulder, this is the insignia for High Templars," Artanis said pointing to the symbol on his shoulder.
Mashuk stared unfazed by Artanis's claim. He didn't know what the High Templar symbol look like so he couldn't tell if Artanis was bluffing or if he was serious. His own arrogance led him to believe that Artanis was lying. However, Zalir instantly backed away from Artanis shocked and intimidated. The other seven looked at him and wondered what was wrong with him. Zalir usually was quiet and calm but now he looked stressed out. Hexvanna took the opportunity to get back up onto her feet and to wipe away the tears in her eyes. She took a good look at the symbol on Artanis's shoulder and felt relieved and surprised. She couldn't believe that a High Templar had come to her rescue.
Mashuk noticed Zalir's change and turned back to him.
"Zalir, what is wrong. Speak up," he ordered.
"That symbol. The one with the Protoss head and two lightning bolts crossing the other. That is the mark of the High Templar! I'm certain of it. I have seen it before and it looks exactly like the one I saw!" Zalir said with his back against the wall.
All of Mashuk's men instantly backed away from Artanis as well. They hid behind the other as if there was a monster in front of them. They trembled in fear at the discovery that the one before them was revered as a High Templar. Even Mashuk was now hesitant. Sweat quickly formed on his face. He knew that he was no match for a full-fledged High Templar. Not only that, but Artanis's rank surpassed his own. By Military Code, he would have to listen and respect what he says, even if he didn't want to. He couldn't stand against him both in power and in status. Mashuk found it distasteful.
"By the look on your face, it seems that you finally understand your situation now. I can either deal with you personally or I can report your actions to our superiors. Either way, it will end badly for you unless you give back the amulet and promise to leave her alone," Artanis said.
He purposely stood up straight to make himself look taller and more intimidating despite being skinny. He ignored the slight discomfort in his gut that it caused.
"Very well, I will return the amulet and leave her alone from now on. Just make sure you keep this between the both of us and we have a deal," said the captain.
"As long as you keep your end of this deal, I will do the same," Artanis said.
Artanis gestured to pass over the amulet and Mashuk complied. Artanis quickly grabbed it from him and told him to leave with his group. Mashuk unhappily did as was told and led his group out of the lobby and towards the northern section. All that was left were Hexvanna and Artanis.
Hexvanna felt relieved to see them all gone. She couldn't believe how easy Artanis made it look to make them disappear. She was able to breathe normally and became relaxed again. Artanis walked up and returned the amulet to her. She quickly took it and brought it near her first heart in the left section of her chest.
Artanis took a good look of her while she hugged her necklace. He could tell that she was Khalai ethnicity due to her dreadlocks that went down to her waist. She wore dark blue robes similar to his with flexible metallic pads on her shoulders, knees and wrists. Her eyes were yellow and her skin was the same colour as his. Despite being scaly, her skin looked smooth as a human infant. She was seven feet tall and looked quite pretty when stared long enough.
"Thank you for helping me. I have no words to show how much appreciation I have for you right now. This necklace means a lot to me. I owe you so much," Hexvanna said softly.
"Do not make too much of it. I am sorry for all of the idiotic and cruel things that they put you through. Most Templars here do not act like that. They may have big egos but they aren't like them," Artanis said trying to sound reassuring.
"It is alright. As long as those people are gone, I won't think about it that much, but thank you though," she replied trying to regain her composure.
She saw her things dispersed across the room and began to gather them up. Artanis noticed and decided to help her.
"You don't need to help me anymore. You aren't obligated or anything. You have really done enough," Hexvana said trying to not make Artanis work more than he had to.
"Don't worry, I do not mind," he replied.
As he reached down to pick one up, he felt the pain in his gut start to rise and he stopped. He walked over to Hexvanna as if the box was never there.
"I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for me these past few minutes. May I know your name?" she asked.
"Yes, you can. I am Artanis. What is yours?"
"My name is Hexvanna,"
"Are you new here?"
"Yes actually. I moved over from another tribe around a week ago due to the escalating war. I signed up for the Daelaam military situated in this area and I was sent here," she replied.
"I see, so where is your apartment located?"
"It is in Block Five I believe. I think it is for trainees if I recall," Hexvanna replied.
"You are correct. If you do not mind me asking, what tribe did you transfer over from?"
"I came from the Furinax Tribe," she replied.
"The Furinax Tribe? Is that not the one ruled by Zarvyn himself?"
"Yes it is. I was forced to come here due to the mandatory conscription of new warriors. I tried to keep a low profile because I did not wish to participate in the killing of my own people so I fled here,"
"That is a story that earns my respect. I am happy to know that there are those in the Khalai Alliance who hesitate in fighting, especially in the Furinax Tribe. They are one of the most powerful and technological advanced tribe among the thirty six. As well as the most aggressive and blood thirsty," Artanis said.
"Indeed, how about you? Did you originate in the Akilae Tribe or did you switch over?"
"I was born into this tribe. Back upon Auir, I was born as a noble tribesman, loyal to the Will of the Conclave. However, I sensed something about it that was not right. I was swayed by my master's words of reasoning and joined him, despite knowing the consequences. I betrayed both the Conclave, and my own tribe. However, after the Brood War, I was accepted and allowed to return but my family whom I long waited to see once more was not among the thousands of survivors," Artanis said sounding deeply saddened.
"I am sorry to hear that…as well as making you tell me that," Hexvanna said solemnly.
"Do not worry. I have gotten over my loss. There is nothing that could change it. By the way, were you part of the Furinax Tribe's military or did you avoid everything related to the fighting?"
"I was in training to become similar to your rank of a High Templar. I am planning to continue it here,"
"Really? That is quite intriguing. It won't be as easy as it looks though," Artanis said. "Unfortunately."
Artanis was actually interested in the conversation. He didn't have many friends to talk with and it felt good being able to easily converse with someone else besides Bakshan and ranked officers. Everyone regarded him weaker than they were and never bothered to befriend him. He was enjoying it so much that he didn't mind if it even made him late for something.
Hexvanna looked over to the mechanical clock in the lobby and started to panic.
"Artanis, I hope you can accept my apology but I must get going. Those brutes put me behind schedule and there is much that I still need to do," she said while gathering up all of her things.
"Oh, no, don't worry about it. I understand," Artanis said trying to not sound a bit saddened at her sudden departure.
She gave Artanis a quick hug that caught him by surprise. She then grabbed all of her things and began running towards the fifth block.
"Farewell Artanis! Thank you once again for all you've done!" she said while leaving.
"It was…my pleasure…" he said slowly as she left him alone.
Artanis looked at the ground and then continued on his way. Despite feeling as if he had just gotten ditched, he felt proud of himself. He helped someone else who was in need of help. He also felt better about himself too. True that he was no longer an Executor or a Praetor but at least as a High Templar, he still had some authority over others. Primarily the hot headed ones like those that he had met just before.
He randomly looked up to the ceiling and stared at the crystal lights in the hallway. The amount of power required to light up the entire city must have been immense. To make everything visible enough for everyone to see and survive with the minimum light was quite a feat. He never studied Protoss advance engineering but it was obvious that a lot of changes have been made since the Aeon of Strife those millennia's ago. The amount of Kharyos crystals required to light up the city must have been more than a million tons. It was a good thing that those types of crystals were quite abundant on this world.
He entered his bedroom and slowly changed back into his sleeping attire which basically was a loincloth and some sort of sash on his shoulder. He opened the capsule that was given to him by his doctor and grabbed two small yellow and blue pills. He reached for one of his dreadlocks and brought it and the pills close to each other. The tip of the dreadlock opened and swallowed the pills and closed back up. Artanis didn't feel anything at first but decided to not think about how fast it should work. He carefully got into his bed and rested his head on his three dimensional solid hologram of a pillow. He closed his eyes and thought back to the beginning of his day even though it lasted less than an hour. After a few minutes of feeling happy and proud of himself, he fell fast asleep.
It was two days after Artanis had met Hexvanna but Artanis was feeling a bit disappointed at how he had not heard from her since. Due to a lacking of true friends in his life, he almost latched onto whoever he considered a worthy friend. Since he didn't think it would be wise to train while his gut still gave him pain, he started to read a book to get through the day and to help get Hexvanna off of his mind.
The book that he read was about Khaydarin crystals. It explained how they were not a crystal that the Protoss had modified and altered like the Kharyos crystal. They were blue organic crystals that were forged by their gods, the Xel'naga. Unfortunately they were not something that the Protoss themselves could engineer, replicate or manufacture despite possessing technology thousands of years above humans technology. They were however, able to use them for various purposes that benefitted them greatly. Khaydarin crystals were unique and very peculiar. They were made up of different materials that amplified their power and capable of storing large quantities of it. They were considered important and valuable to the Protoss.
Their value only increased when Auir, the planet being the richest in Khaydarin crystals was abandoned due to the Zerg invasion. Millions of tons were left behind when they fled but luckily, there was some on Shakuras but the quantity paled in comparison to Auir.
Before Artanis could continue onwards, he heard a bleeping noise. He scoured around trying to find the source and soon realized that it came from his transmission device. It was similar to a flip phone used by Terrans but it was larger in size and was thousands of years more advanced. He opened it and pressed the flashing button on the side. A holographic head of Bakshan appeared on the lower half of the device.
"En Taro Adun Artanis," Bakshan greeted.
"En Taro Tassadar Bakshan. How are you?" he replied.
"I apologize, but this is no time to converse over trivial things. Turn on your television and switch it to the global server," Bakshan quickly ordered.
"But why?" Artanis asked.
"You'll see why, just do it," she ordered again.
He got off of his chair, walked over to his television in the living room and turned it on. It brought him a list of servers and he scrolled down to the one that was called Auiras which mean planetary. He pressed it and it brought him a broadcast of Zarvyn from the Khalai Alliance.
"What is this…?" Artanis asked Bakshan.
"Just watch it," she replied.
Artanis turned the volume up and sat down onto a chair watching the screen.
"Thanks to the valiant efforts of our forces, we have captured the Rocky Garden mineral mines, one of the largest mineral fields on Shakuras. With these fields under our control, we will be able to mass produce our newest warship known as Tempest in the dozens! Here is a live clip of the Tempest's power awesome power!" Zarvyn exclaimed.
The broadcast showed a video of a large warship that sped its way towards a Nerazim military fortress. It looked eerily similar to the Carrier with its oval shape but it was too dark to see most of its features. When it got to a mile distance from the fort, hundreds of small flashes of lights began to leave the front of the ship. The video zoomed in closer and the small flashes of light were revealed to be shuriken shaped droids that spun around at a rapid speed. They quickly descended closer to the fortress and lights began to shoot out from all over the base. Artanis saw lasers and flashing projectiles fly from the fort. They all aimed directly at the hundreds of droids who were flying head long into them. At the last second, they all dispersed in every direction and avoided every single anti air attack. They closed in on the fort and began shooting out laser beams at a very fast rate while flying low and using their razor sharp edges to slash through and slice all in their path.
Within moments, explosions were visible and heard from the military base as the droids continued to rain down death from above. Artanis's eyes watched in horror as fire enveloped one section of the base to another until the entire fort was ablaze. The droids began returning to the warship when their job was done. When the last flash of light disappeared into the ship, a very loud explosion was heard from the base. The screen turned towards the mushroom shaped cloud of blue fiery smoke.
The screen switched back to Zarvyn who looked delighted by the Tempest's performance.
"As you have seen, the destructive power that the Tempest has is immense. Being able to strike from outside the defender's range, it rains death and havoc onto its enemies. Within merely minutes, the Nerazim military base was reduced to smoldering ashes. This is one of the finest warships created since the Gantrithor! And thanks to our spies and continuous air raids, we have been able to render their airship production facilities useless. They will have no defense against the onslaught of the Tempest. With it in the sky, the Tempest will bring us a sweet and decisive victory! We will be able to purify this forsaken planet of the Nerazim taint forever! However, now that victory is at our doorstep, we must deal with another threat that endangers our society and way of life! We must turn out attention to the Daelaam Alliance! At the beginning of this war, they stated that they would stay out of this conflict and that they would never support either side but we have found evidence that they have been sending extra resources to the Home Guard Protectorate over the course of this war! Not only are a majority of them of Khalai ethnicity, but they refused to fight alongside their own brothers and turned away our begging hand! They pleaded to keep themselves out of the war to maintain stability but all this time, they have been aiding and giving resources to those who have taken hundreds of our lives! I considered Wargan'us a trusted ally and a Templar of true honor. He had my utmost respect and I looked to him as an equal. We gave them aid whenever they asked. We never failed to safeguard their neutrality and this is how we were repaid. Those who have given sanction to the Nerazim have become tainted and corrupted by them. Portraying us as the true evil and spreading their ways of life to their own people! They too must be purified as well. They pose a threat of another strife breaking out between our people! If they integrate with us, we too will become like them! Their betrayal and their tainted hands have become a sin against us. To save ourselves, and to save them as well, we must purify them and free them from the corruption of the Nerazim! Do not look at it as genocide. Look at it as a way to liberate their spirits in order for them to still embrace the Khala after death. It is the least that we can do. Only when the Nerazim and the tainted are purified, will we be able to lay down our weapons and live in peace and prosperity! I thank you all for listening to what I had to say. I hope that we will be able to bring this bloody conflict to a swift end," Zarvyn said loud and proud.
The broadcast turned to static as it disconnected. Artanis sat in his chair holding his head. His breathing became faster and Bakshan could hear it through her device.
"Artanis, are you alright?" Bakshan asked through the transmission device.
"I don't know Bakshan…I'm sorry but I must go. There is something I must do," Artanis said.
Before Bakshan could respond, he shut off the transmission and closed the device and sat there holding his head.
"This can't be happening…" he muttered to himself.
He could hear other Templars running in the hallway while shouting out things that he didn't pay attention to. Time seemed to slow down. It felt unbearable.
"This is much worse than the last time..." he said to himself again.
He closed his eyes and began remembering what had happened a year ago when the war was declared. He remembered the chaos in the streets. People ran, they protested, cries were heard from almost every corner. Thousands struggled to pack their things and to evacuate out of the city. Their morale was low and their hearts were filled with fear and despair. It was only resolved when Bakshan, who was not a Dark Knight during the time spoke out to her people. She spoke of her dreams, she spoke of what she thought, and she spoke of the will to believe and to overcome any obstacle. She spoke of the future where hands should be held together, not at the throat of another. Amazingly, her speech was able calm her people down, including him. It had such an effect that it was able to give everyone in the city a new hope and a new future to look for and strive to. Instead of leaving, everyone stayed and the Daelaam was quickly formed afterwards.
However, this isn't the same scenario. War wasn't just declared. Extermination of everyone outside the Khalai Alliance was just announced. There was no chance of getting out if it unlike before. There would be no negotiation or any talks of peace. Blood was certain.
What was even worse was that the Tempest was at Zarvyn's disposal. Such a destructive warship was almost unheard of and they were being massed produced. Millions of Protoss would die within mere days. It would be a total massacre.
His transmission device started bleeping again. He grabbed it and hurled it against the wall out of frustration. He held his head again and felt like rolling over and dying. He thought back to everything that Zarvyn said and grew angry. Not at Zarvyn, not at the Dark Templar, but at whoever authorized the transportation of supplies to the Home Guard Protectorate. It was their fault that they were now in this position. They were now going to be accountable for the deaths of millions of innocent people. He wanted to smash something but everything in his room was made of metal and would hurt him if he struck anything. He grew more frustrated at that fact.
He got up and began pacing around his apartment, going from his front door to his storage room to his bedroom back to his front door. He thought about what to do but his mind was too focused on what was just publicly announced for him to think clearly. He decided to stop walking around in loops and went outside.
He walked at a fast pace to wherever his thoughts brought him. He ignored everyone Templar who ran past him and others who tried getting his attention. He wondered if everyone else were taking the news as hard as him.
Walking was all he could do to prevent himself from going insane. He soon got to an exit that brought him outside. He walked a bit to his right and led him behind the hospital. He stood on what looked like a dark open field and stood idly. He stared at one dark thing to the other trying to think of something to do. He looked up and barely saw the clouds looming over the city. He had an idea of where the moon would be but couldn't see past the clouds. He squinted his eyes but still saw nothing. It suddenly got hard to tell the difference between the night and the cloudy dark day.
In a situation like this, someone had to say something. It felt like Wargan'us and the other political figures in the tribe were taking way too long to respond. Deep down, he wanted to do what Bakshan did, to speak his mind and be able to make people listen to what he said. However, he had no idea of how he would do it or what he would even say.
"Cheeeeeeeeeecwaaaaaaaawaaaaaa!" Artanis heard suddenly.
The chirp caught him off guard. He stumbled to the side and almost tripped. He looked behind him to see a Checwawa standing there while licking its feathers. The cyan creature noticed him and stared at him with pleading eyes. He wasn't sure what it wanted but tried to ignore the large annoying thing. He turned away and it chirped again. It made him turn around and it looked at him again with the same look in its eyes. Once more, Artanis turned away only to hear a louder chirp which angered him.
"Silence you ungracious animal!" Artanis yelled out loud to the gawking creature that held its leg up while peeing.
Artanis caught himself yelling at an animal for almost no reason. He scratched the soft spot between his eyes and wondered what he was even doing. What use would yelling at an animal do? He began walking away and left the random Checwawa standing their gawking at him. He walked north through the field of ebony rock.
There were a lot of shark rocks but luckily, his feet had calluses that were thick and hard enough to not harm him He didn't really know where he was going but he wanted to just get away from it all. He wanted to just be alone for a bit. To think to himself and comprehend what was going on outside of the city. He kept his head faced down towards the rocky ground beneath him and looked at things that looked remotely interesting enough to fill his mind. After a few minutes of walking, he heard some gushing and felt a cold wind run through him. They both made him freeze in place. He looked up to see where the sound was coming from and saw large river like lake that was a kilometer away from him.
Artanis hadn't noticed that the river was so close to where he lived. It was a large body of water that ran through the city and cutting in into two portions. One larger side were all of the workers lived and the smaller side where the warriors were. Both parts were split apart from the twenty kilometer wide river.
He felt a fuzzy feeling in the back of his memories at the sight of the river. It caused him to instinctively run towards the noise. He watched out for any sizable jagged edges of rock that might stick out and avoided the ones he saw. The wind felt stronger than before. It blew the opposite direction from where he was running as if it was trying to stop him. He fought against it and pushed himself through them. While the wind was cold, it also felt rejuvenating. He didn't know why but it just did. It felt like one of those moments when you are scorching hot and you suddenly enter a room that is ice cold.
After around seven minutes, he reached the river bank. There was a slope that went from the field down to a beachhead. Artanis walked down it and looked out to the river. The wind blew against him and it started to make him feel cold. Yet, the chilling winds didn't stop him from feeling a sense of nostalgia. In fact, the winds only helped entice it.
The way each one of them moved. How the wind, like a natural force helped push them towards their destinies. The fact that they strove to become bigger and stronger than the ones before them was truly inspiring. Unfortunately, the small ones that always led the larger ones to glory barely got any for themselves. However, every single one of them, no matter how big also had to face reality just like he did. They would all come to an abrupt end eventually, just like how time was every living organism's reality, the beachhead was theirs. The fact was that the things he watched were just like humans and Protoss. He tried to ignore the comparison that he made. Their beauty was too beautiful to be compared.
To him, they were majestic. The sounds that they created, the forms that they took, and how they flowed in water. Artanis loved watching the tidal waves. They looked so soothing and peaceful. It helped remind him of when he was an infant. Playing with his family and watching the tidal waves with them in the evening. It somehow had the ability to help relax his thoughts. It helped prove to him that there was still beauty in the universe despite the monstrous Zerg Swarms.
It had been so long since he had last taken the time to go down to a body of water and watched the waves, too long in his opinion. He closed his eyes and lifted up his arms wide.
"I know you exist…I know you watch us from the stars…You look down upon us just like I do with the waves…Yet, we are your creations. You are like our fathers…How do you simply watch without doing a thing? Millions of us will die…Yet you still watch…Will you not bless me with an answer? Will you strike me down due to my lack of faith? Just tell me. What should I do?" Artanis asked slowly and patiently.
He felt a drop of water land on his head. His eyes opened and looked out to the river that split the city into two. He saw the ripples in the water as the rain started to fall from the purplish sky. Instead of taking shelter, he continued to stand on the beach. Rain was rare on Shakuras. It didn't happen as often as it did on Auir. It was also colder, much colder. To a human, it would feel like their blood would freeze on impact of each drop. Despite this, Artanis stayed. He did not move, he did not whimper. He focused on the waves. Smashing back and forth against the sand and collapsing over each other.
Seconds passed by, then minutes and before Artanis even noticed, time flew by until an hour had passed. He thought about many problems during the short period. Most of them, he didn't find any sort of solution to. All he did was skim through history and thought of things that had caused this. If Zeratul didn't suddenly disappear, maybe his race wouldn't be having this civil war. If the Queen of Blades was never trusted, then tens of thousands would still be alive. He wondered where his people and he would be without Bakshan. It almost terrified him. Not having her as his closest friend felt both painful and inconceivable. The rain started to come down faster and harder. It completely cut off his vision to the other side of the river.
"Artanis, is that you?"
The voice smacked Artanis out of his thoughts. He turned around, his feet pushing against the sand as he moved. He was surprised at who he saw. She wore almost the exact same clothing that she wore when they both met, only it was a different colour. She was at least three feet away and was breathing quite heavily through her skin. He could hear it despite of the rain.
"Hexvanna? What are you doing out here?" Artanis asked.
She held her hands together near her chest, turned her head towards her left and stared at the waves.
"Well, I-I just came here t-to help settle my mind," she said hesitantly.
"I see…So you have seen it too?" Artanis said referring to Zarvyn's broadcast.
Hexvanna nodded her head.
"What do we do? What can one do against their power?" Hexvanna asked solemnly.
"It depends if there is something that we can do. The power of their new warship is almost unmeasurable. It would unleash destruction to everything it comes across. It doesn't seem like something we could actually win against without suffering heavy causalities to our side," Artanis responded.
"B-But, there has to be some sort of way to save ourselves. Do you think they would pursue us if we left Shakuras?" she replied sounding desperate.
"Most likely, Zarvyn said it himself. Unless we are all dead, then peace could never be obtained and it sounded as if he meant it…"
"Then what do we do? Sit back and wait for the inevitable? Is that what we do?" she asked loudly and desperately.
"Maybe…I'm not sure myself. The fact is, after watching that live video of the Tempest, I think that surrendering now would be-" Artanis said before coming to an abrupt stop.
Hexvanna turned to face him. His eyes made contact with hers and it made him stop talking. Her eyes were full of fear and devoid of hope. It reminded him of the eyes of a child, someone who had never witnessed war or experienced the pain that it brought to everyone.
That's when it hit him. She didn't come out in the chilling rain to just settle her thoughts in the matter. She was looking for him. When she saw the broadcast, she went running around to find him and it brought her here. It was why she was breathing heavier when he saw her. She wanted someone to tell her that everything would be okay, to say that everything wasn't lost yet and that things could still change. She came to him seeking a light in the middle of her darkness but got less than she had hoped. His negativity and own self insecurity was making her feel worse. When he looked closely, he saw that she was trembling and he didn't think it was just the shivers from the cold. This wasn't how he was supposed to act. The experienced and older warrior shouldn't belittle their chances to a rookie. It was part of his duty as a High Templar to see through that they are always confident in what they fight for and that their hope never wavers.
"I think that surrendering now would be our own downfall. True, like I said, the Tempest is a fearsome weapon but it still has its own weaknesses," Artanis said.
Hexvanna looked at him with a dumbfounded look.
"We may not see those weaknesses now, but it is still there. Don't forget that the Akilae Tribe is just as advanced as the Furinax Tribe. We have a powerful army like they do and we have things that they don't. We still have eight other tribes backing us up. We are also in close proximities while the Khalai Alliance is spread out across the plains of Shakuras. Besides, the Nerazim won't sit back either. All we got to do is keep our hope. We got to make sure that we are not intimidated by them, that is what they want," Artanis said.
He saw the fear in her eyes slowly fade away. He could tell that his words were getting through to her and felt good for it.
"I know how you feel. I was just like you at the beginning of this war. I was fearful and doubtful of the future but my friend Bakshan helped reassure me. She told me what I would be really fighting for and that it was for our future. Not just for mine, but for our entire race. We wanted a future where both sides could live in harmony and where holding hands would not bring strife or conflict. We cannot falter in the face of adversity. We must fight for what we want," Artanis said feeling confident.
"How would we win though?"
"That is not something I know. We can only wait and see how things progress. In my opinion, we will only lose if we give up on what we fight for and succumb to the evil that faces us in the eye," Artanis replied.
Artanis turned around facing the river. Hexvanna took a step closer.
"Until then, we can only give it our all. We must try our best and do what we can," Artanis followed up.
Hexvanna was in awe. She was astonished at Artanis's will and determination. From what he started off with, she felt that he was being a fool and unreliable. It felt like a completely different Artanis from two days before. She felt more relaxed and calm. Her mind was no longer all over the place while thinking about every horrible scenario. Her breathing was calm as a sleeping child.
"Thank you Artanis, that really helped me, in ways that you can't imagine," Hexvanna said.
"It was my pleasure," Artanis replied full of contempt.
Artanis noticed the change in her previous voice. It felt at ease and more like the one he heard when they first met.
A large flash of light appeared in the sky. It shot across the sky, was very noticeable and lit up the entire sky. It supplied more light than the distant sun did but only for a moment. It was followed by a loud boom of thunder. It roared across the city making pebbles tremble in its power. It sounded like the explosion of five warships bursting into fireballs of death and exploding into millions of tiny pieces. The wind grew stronger and the rain fell harder. The change made Artanis shiver. He looked back and saw Hexvanna rubbing her shoulders trying to keep herself warm enough to stay by Artanis's side.
"It is getting a bit dangerous out here. Let's head back before we freeze," Artanis suggested.
Hexvanna happily agreed while still holding herself. Artanis walked up to her and put his arm over the shoulder in hopes that it would help. It didn't; in fact, his arm was even colder than her. His arm felt freezing due to being out for more than an hour but she didn't move away from him. She kept herself next to Artanis. They started walking back to their homes and left the ever growing waves to fight among themselves in the cold rain.
