"The last of my forces confirm they have severed their nerve cords Kerrigan, we are ready to return to the fight..." The exhausted voice of Praetor Talis in her mind was a quite literal weight off Kerrigan's mental shoulders, moving from her kneeling position for the first time in what felt like days.
"Not today Praetor, the longer we fight here the longer we risk the Golden Armada coming down on our heads, the Tal'darim are quite enough."
Reaching out with her mind, Kerrigan focussed on the signatures of Nafash and the the other three brood mothers that had been aiding her, passing along the instruction to withdraw their power from the barrier they had created. It was only thanks to the messages she had received from Zeratul, via Jim, that Kerrigan had been even remotely prepared for Amon's assault.
"Captain Mendez, alert all Rifle ships to initiate jump protocols, the Leviathans will form the rear guard against the Tal'darim and the other enemies." She had managed to sense it, as the wave of rage fuelled psionics approached the system they had been in, given the strength of the wave she had called up a psionic barrier around her fleet in the precious minutes she had of forewarning before it hit them.
The force was unrelenting as the wave hit, making her feel like they were in the middle of storm as the hate battered again and again against her shield, requiring her to focus all of her attention in maintaining the thin shell of reality that prevented the energy from sweeping in. Even with the help from the other psionic Zerg leaders it had been an ordeal, so she had seconded command of the fleet to Izsha so that she commit her full attention.
"Understood Kerrigan, Templar losses at three carriers and easily 10 support vessels, hard to keep track with all the chaos ongoing here but it definitely could be worse..." The sudden assault by the Protoss ships that hadn't gotten inside her shield was an unwelcome surprise, but given they were targeting Zerg and other Protoss making up her ramshackle armada indiscriminately she wasn't too concerned about Praetor Talis' men all turning traitor on her.
But even the small number of ships overwhelmed by the psionic attack were enough, allowing Amon to determine where the system they were regrouping in was, and the Tal'darim scouting units were upon them even as they fought to reclaim the Protoss vessels. Between maintaining the shield, to allow the unaffected Protoss to separate themselves and their cyborg immortals and Dragoons from the Khala, and fending off the attacks the strain would have caused disarray in the Swarm only a year ago.
"Pull all fighter level ships inside the shield or back onto the leviathans... Brace the others for impact in 3,2, NOW!" Kerrigan had not spent her time wastefully however, given the gulf of power between herself and Amon she could not afford to be splitting her attention between using her abilities in combat and commanding the swarm.
Every strike against a Moebius base, or a rogue Queen that they suspected would fall under Amon's influence, was treated as a training exercise for her commanders. Her Rifles and the Zerg were made to work together to enforce co-operation and mixed group tactics, whilst she focused almost her entire attention on enhancing her psionic abilities.
This meant in the ten seconds since she gave the order, instructions had been transmitted across the battlefield with almost robotic efficiency and all human fighters had moved to take cover. Some Mutalisks and corrupters remained in space to ensnare the Tal'darim forces, meaning they were caught by surprise when her shield exploded outwards. Compared to whatever power Amon had unleashed in order to take control of the Protoss it was like a raindrop upon a whirlpool, but it was still strong enough to wipe out every scout and phoenix away from the protection of the Tal'darim ships of the line.
Many of the Void Rays and Carriers were protected by their shields as the wave washed over them, though those that had been damaged by her fleet's firepower and were therefore without that extra level of protection were crippled or worse as the psionic energy obliterated metal and flesh in equal measure.
It was only a small respite, as Kerrigan could feel further Protoss signatures warping into the battlefield in slowly increasing numbers, but it was enough.
"All forces, warp to emergency point Alpha now." Kerrigan smiled as the somewhat ragtag mix of Terran, Protoss and Zerg ships departed with almost robotic precision, the capital ships providing cover for the lighter ships as the Tal'darim frantically launched more fighters in an attempt to delay them from escaping.
"They will try and lock onto our signatures to follow us, do we want to try and draw them away from the fleet?" Mendez' question showed that, despite the time she had spent with Sarah and the Zerg as they dethroned Mengsk, the medic had kept her desire to protect others by throwing herself in the forefront of the fight.
"If they do then they will be walking right into our trap, or that's what they will think if their commander is even remotely competent. So either they will be intelligent and cautious, which means that they won't chase us fast enough, or they will be so fanatically blinded to please the dark bastard that we can outsmart them when they do come charging after us. We will find out in a minute..." As the last of her fleet warped out of the fight, Kerrigan could sense the frustration of the Tal'darim Commander and entertained the idea of cutting the head off this particular snake psionically, the confusion such an assassination would cause would definitely disrupt the pursuit.
But if she revealed such a skill now, at the beginning of what would undoubtedly be a long and drawn out war, then even Amon's minions could learn to better protect their commanders in future or plan a trap for her. Better to save it for a far more deserving target, or when she truly needed to end a battle quickly.
There were several tense minutes as the fleet adopted defensive formations as the Terran warp drives cooled and reset, but there was no sign of any form of pursuit from their erstwhile attackers, and as the Battlecruisers reported in that they were ready for another warp jump Sarah let herself relax and start planning their next move.
"Felicity, send a signal to Warfield, if Jim isn't aware already he will need to know that Amon has made his move." Whilst she could contact Jim psionically, maintaining the shield had strained even her psionic reserves, so the conventional method of communication would have to suffice for now.
"Izsha, warn the other fleets and give me an update on our ground forces, now Amon is out in the open he won't waste time being subtle anymore." Which meant the full might of his forces, both Hybrid and more conventional, would be striking at their strongholds and production facilities with the aim of crippling them before the war could truly begin.
A shame then, she thought with a confident smirk as she took in the reports from Izsha's other bodies as a mental image of what was being thrown at them was laid before her, that Amon was basing his attacks on what she had allowed his spies to see and report back to him. Two of the returning broodmothers, who had arrived after she had killed Mengsk, had been under his subtle sway.
If she hadn't been so exposed to his energies during their many conflicts she might have missed the subtle brainwashing, but thanks to this knowledge they had been able to 'control' what the two had seen and therefore would have passed on to the dark 'god'. Now she just had to try and preempt when they would turn on her, so that she could minimise her losses whilst pretending not to have known they were traitors.
She didn't want to give up such an important trump card so soon after all...
!"£$%^&*()_+
"This is it everyone." It was a nice experience, in the most convoluted way Jim could imagine, to be standing at the head of the Hyperion's strategy table looking around at the mixture of people and holograms that were arrayed in front of him.
For once, he wasn't alone, or one of the few as the shit started to hit the fan. Sure, there were the likes of Matt and the rest of his core raider command team who had been with him from nearly the beginning, but it was probably the first time he was leading a group that had two of the most powerful people in the sector in their midst.
"Is this the part where you give one of your inspiring speeches Jim? Given the last time I heard one of them was on Tarsonis, we may want to give it a miss..." Kerrigan's smirking face made it clear she was trying to lighten the mood, even if the poignant reminder pained Raynor more than he'd have thought it would.
"As much as I want to stick around for another one of the two of you's legendary 'fights', I'm sure Matt still has some of my 'emergency popcorn' around here somewhere, reports are already coming in of ships appearing on the edge of Korhal's system. And, given their numbers, they probably aren't friendlies..." Becoming Emperor had been good for Valerian's backbone if nothing else, the man stood confidently in the new Raider armour his father would have killed him for in an instant.
"No speech, no fights, I think the time is passed for both of those. With Amon finally making his move though, I thought it best that we ensure that all of us are working with the same information." And more importantly, to reveal the latest member of their 'Ragtag Group of Renegades' as Arcturus used to call them, though this one would be more contentious than most.
Limping forth from behind him, the pair of them along with Matt having discussed how best to approach this in advance, Selendis drew several sharp noises as she came fully into view. Some of these were no doubt from her appearance, the escape from Aiur's having left its mark in both wounds and marks that Selendis insisted remained untreated, the Protoss Executor still cautious of the new technology they had been developing as Protoss first aid.
"The Golden Armada has fallen into Amon's hands, along with almost 80% of the overall Aiur High Templar forces. The Hierarch has been freed from Amon's control, though it cost Prelate Zeratul his life to achieve this. Estimates were hazy when we left Aiur to contact you friend Raynor, but at least 60% of the Dark Templar forces supporting the invasion were overcome in the first hours of Amon's attack and the confusion that followed."
The blunt and poignant words visibly rocked the assembled commanders, whilst something of such a scale had been considered in various ways, it had never involved Amon wresting control of the High Templar forces so effortlessly.
"We encountered a similar effect after we rescued a group of Protoss from the Tal'darim, given the size and the strength of the wave that hit us, it is probably safe for us to assume that every High Templar Protoss in the sector has been compromised. I assume it has something to do with that shared connection your kind have, that you used to try and hunt Lassara down after we took down Mengsk?" Kerrigan's eyes were cold as she crossed her arms at the end of her contribution.
Despite the fact she was no longer the vengeful monster many of the High Templar believed her to be, she was very protective of those she considered her own. Before Selendis could respond, Lassara spoke up from her own connection, the Protoss scientist having been on Kaldir when the attack occurred, working with the colonists there.
"Infiltrating the Khala would certainly allow Amon access to the minds of every Protoss still connected with their nerve cords, though such a connection could not have been achieved through even a dozen Protoss minds, such a strong attack would have burned out their connection before Amon would have been able to access the Khala. Thankfully all of the colonists here had their nerve cords removed after the first death squads came for me, they didn't want to take the chance that they would be the next targets." So that gave them several thousand High Templar Protoss that were unaffected by the attack at least, though most of them were civilians, and those that weren't would be relegated to defensive operations for the most part.
Jim was about to try and focus the discussion back towards their next steps, but to his surprise Selendis spoke up once more without any prompting. This was considerable progress, compared to the very stilted initial conversation they had, when his rescue crews had brought her and her remaining crew members aboard.
"I think I know how it was done, a large Zerg attack attempted to destabilise our rear defences during the second cycle of the invasion. The main attack, including a pair of Nydus worms that attempted to ambush our defences were rebuked, but a third Nydus passed through our lines in the confusion. After a... Confrontation I had with Prelate Zeratul and the Hierarch the day of the invasion, I was made aware of the risks involved with Amon, so such complex strategies from supposedly feral Zerg made me suspicious." Selendis paused for a moment, obviously trying to consider her words carefully before continuing.
"Upon investigation after the initial threat was dealt with, my forces found that a large group of our High Templar had disappeared from a mustering area where they were charged with heading the reclamation process. Amon must have moved quickly to take control of these High Templar, as the wave hit us less than a minute after I tried to alert Zeratul and the Hierarch." Which meant the Dark One had wanted the Protoss on Aiur, or at least had considered it as one of his plans, meaning Artanis had been right on the money with his scheme.
"And if this occurred whilst you were on Aiur, how did you manage to escape Amon's clutches Executor?" Lasarra's tone was almost as cold as Kerrigan's had been when they confronted Mengsk for the last time, even as she asked the question that most of the room were undoubtedly wanting the answer for as well.
"Thanks to the actions of the Qu… General Kerrigan actually." The revelation raised more than one eyebrow, but Kerrigan's shift in expression to surprise and disbelief was the best, at least to Jim's experienced eyes.
"When General Kerrigan forced me into an Astral projection during our last encounter, it showed me how deficient my mental defences were, in comparison to some of the enemies I expected to encounter. I have spent every day since then doing my best to enhance them, and they bought me the precious seconds I needed when the attack struck, though I think it was only due to Prelate Zeratul's sacrifice that Amon's attention was elsewhere for that short period of time. Of course, I will happily subject myself to full psionic screening to be sure of that fact, the last thing I want is some fraction of that thing's power sat in my head waiting to strike."
The offer, as well as the news that it had been something that Kerrigan didn't even consider as an important action that had effectively 'saved' the Executor, made it clear that Selendis was deadly serious about her desire to prove herself free of corruption. Obviously the failure of the Aiur invasion, and the fact that she now needed to consort with so many of those she had once thought bitter enemies, had done some serious damage to her perception of Protoss superiority.
"The General can scan her later, though I am glad I listened to you Friend Raynor, when you advised my people to depart our Home World prior to the Golden Armada's Invasion. I have no doubt that those who did not listen to you are now lost. The question is, where will the Dark One strike next?" The words of Graneus, the Immortal leader of the Aiur survivors who Kerrigan had encountered during her return to Aiur, brought the attention off the rather sullen Executor and back to the most important matter facing them.
"Given the massing of ships at the edge of Korhal, it is obvious that Amon will strike there soon enough, probably with his Moebius fanatics. What remains of them at least." Whilst the Tal'darim and the corrupted Zerg were not attackable targets, lest they committed Amon to the war earlier than they were prepared for, the crushing of the Moebius Foundation wherever it was found was far easier to carry out without risk.
Emperor Valerian was just securing his new throne after all, and given the number of pirate forces and Kel-Morian outlaws they had hunted down as well, it wasn't as if they had singled Amon's followers out. Whilst Jim didn't think they had destroyed anything near all of Amon's Terran forces, it was still a lot better than if they hadn't done anything at all.
"I will take the Hyperion, along with the Raider's 1st and 2nd task force, and head for Korhal. Amon will expect us to concentrate our forces there, so it would be rude to do anything different. Emperor, I assume that will be sufficient to allow you to keep your fleets from withdrawing to the Core Worlds for now?" Whilst Jim could have let the Dominion Fleets withdraw to the Core Worlds, the appearance of the Raider's at Korhal would hopefully keep Amon's focus on that front in a single place. Admiral Ryker."
The former Dominion Captain had changed a lot since she had defected to Sarah's forces two years before. Having been treated for her injuries, under the tender mercies of Ariel and Abathur, the woman was now a fully revitalised and motivated leader of the Rangers/Rifles 1st combined Fleet. She now commanded the Moros as her flagship, the former prison ship now fully repurposed as a warship and quite possibly the most powerful ship in the Sector, unless Amon had some big surprises waiting to come their way.
"Yes Marshal?" She retained her professionalism though, referring to him by the only official rank he had ever held, despite repeated efforts of the Dominion Bureaucracy to bring him into their military fold.
"You will combine forces with as many of the Blades that Kerrigan can spare, along with whatever Templar Kaldir and Graneus can supply. Amon will not just be trying to overwhelm us in one or two areas, he will try and use his new Templar forces to overwhelm us as a swarm. That means he will be sending out death fleets and patrols of controlled Protoss, to take out fringe colonies and refugees, and in doing so spread terror." Jim pointed at areas that he felt were likely targets, colonies and planets on the edges of Protoss controlled space.
"If they are controlled Protoss forces, deploy jammers to prevent them alerting their overlord, and then board and capture as many ships and men as you can. It will be costly, but the more forces we can rescue in the short term, the better our chances going forward." It was a gambit, that they would be able to rescue more forces with such tactics than they would lose.
"I will accompany those forces with my men, if you will have me Admiral." Selendis' offer, even if the respectful ending sounded a little like an afterthought, made Jim smile as he turned to Sarah.
"I don't presume to order you around Darling, but that's my plan for the Raider forces. Dr Hansen and the IS will remain with the 3rd Task Force and the Old Boys on Haven, always good to have a back up force in case Amon decides not to go quietly…" It was something the two of them had struggled with at first even after reigniting their rocky relationship, two personalities used to leading without questions would always end up in conflict.
But the stubbornness that caused them so many issues also had allowed them to move past these issues, and come to a compromise that both of them could work with, each of them controlling their respective factions within the Alliance as segmented command structures. It didn't work perfectly, and Jim knew there would be times where people on the ground would have to choose whose orders to listen to, but it was the best they had for now.
"If only we would be so lucky. The majority of my Zerg forces are now withdrawing from their combat zones, only Dehaka's force on Mar Sara will remain to keep the Primal happy. I will keep one of my smaller fleets in orbit, just in case Amon does try and overwhelm the Primals, but otherwise most of my forces will be focussed on this…" With a nod to someone off screen, probably Felicity as she wasn't one of the holograms to have joined them, Kerrigan gestured when the map screen changed to an image of… well Jim wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing.
"It is a massive space structure, that reeks of the same energy that Amon emits whenever he is manifesting himself from the Void. This means it is probably a staging point of his, or worse given the efforts that were put to trying to hide it. My scouting forces are reporting high concentrations of Hybrid and corrupted Zerg, unlike anything we have seen in the war so far other than when we took out Narud. So I will lead my forces personally, either we tie up these Hybrid, which will weaken Amon's strike power, or we secure the base entirely. Until the Dark Bastard actually shows himself, it's a good way to kill some time if nothing else." It made sense, and Jim was glad that at least they had found this base before Amon could do whatever he had planned with it.
The last thing he needed was the Dark One gaining another advantage…
A/N: Ah, poor Jim, if only we knew what that 'hidden base' actually was… :P
As you can see, some events are remaining similar to canon, whilst others begin to diverge greatly. Kerrigan and Jim will still be where they need to be for canon events, but both have additional support, troops and abilities that Amon is unaware of right now.
Nothing on Artanis or the High Templar, simply because I have to decide what order I want to follow Canon events now. Any preferences people?
On a more serious note, I have to offer an apology now. I have recently bought a house, which all of a sudden means I have suddenly got to worry about this whole 'being an adult and managing my budget' thing. I know I don't post regularly, but this is me letting you guys know that that rate is going to drop significantly going forward.
I did set up a .on account, but I don't think what I offer on here is going to be worth people spending money on. Though, if you want to check it out, it is the same username as I use here. Perhaps I am being overly pessimistic.
I have muscled through all of my working stories to provide you with a new chapter for each of them, I hope you all enjoy them, and apologies for the bad news.
Defias
