I've returned.

Legacy of the MANTLE

The Gates of Hell.

The Char invasion. Part 1

A/N

First, I did not mean to publish the previous chapter before I finished it... it would seem that I somehow managed to put it up here, instead of saving it into the chapter template that I use... I blame alcohol, darn you, you fermented liquid. Now I can't find it anywhere so I decided to leave it like it is.

Second, I'm sorry that this happened.


The Protoss could be accused of many things, pride, wrath, and a sense of superiority that didn't always stand true. Sloth was not one of them. For the past four years after the great war, the Protoss had undergone some rather radical changes. The loss of the Conclave and the high command had left a power vacuum that needed to be filled, and soon. Another loss was their home world of Aiur and the civilian population. Losing their artist and philosophers had caused a decline that most Protoss refused to acknowledge or simply ignored.

Artanis had eventually managed to rally the tribes under his own, the Akilae tribe. Together with their Nerazim brethren he formed the Daelaam, the united Protoss. The Daelaam, under the leadership of Hierarch Artanis, had been rebuilding and recovering on the Dark Templar home world of Shakuras ever since. As much as he would like to think otherwise, the truth is that the Protoss are in a deep decline and if drastic measures aren't implemented soon the Protoss, the Firstborn, will end them self. With or without the aid of the zerg.

The Terrans, on the other hand seemed to do just fine, despite their monumental losses. They simply adapted to the situation and made the best of it. This was a trait that the Hierarch would love to see his waning civilization adopt. The problem was that the terrans were partially to blame for the current situation and even those who had proven them self to the Protoss, like Raynor, were belittled or ignored. Making it even harder for Artanis to get his people to change. this was the reason why he had asked the human, David Anderson, for help.

Help his people needed, before they were beyond salvation. To learn to change their ways, without loosing their culture. What was left of it at least. If only the Pride wouldn't get in the way so often, then his job would be so much easier.

All of this and more was told to Anderson as he talked to Artanis. He could understand the problem the Protoss was facing. Humanity would probably be crippled if Earth was lost, but not terribly so. The UNSC HQ was located on Reach, and the wealthiest systems could outmatch the Sol system with ease. Yes, loosing Earth would be bad, but over all, Humanity as a species would hardly be affected. Though they would mourn the loss.

With a species not as populous, like the Protoss, loosing their home world would be a severe blow. They might even start to return to the horror of the Aeon of Strife. And this time there would be no great Khas to bring unity to the Protoss.

As the two observed some Nerazim practice their blink talents, they found some stone benches to sit down on.

"Hierarch, I can not promise that the UED will aid the Koprulu sector, but the UNSC will likely send some fleets out here just to stabilize it. However, I don't understand exactly what we humans could do to help your species with anything. As far as I can see, YOU are the ones that could teach US a thing or two."

"Your words are true, but you miss the subject without knowing it, Admiral. You are willing to learn from us, yet WE are not willing to learn from you. We are stuck in the ways of the Conclave, clinging to the ideals of what had once been our greatness, and therefore, we are failing to rise up and face the challenges that the universe has presented us with." With that, the Hierarch let lose a mental sigh. Being the one responsible for maintaining the fragile peace between the Khalai and the Nerazim was not a easy job, nor was it appreciated. Too many Khalai still held the old mistrust of the Nerazim.

"Admiral, I would like for you to take one of my praetors with you when you return home. Let him represent our kind as an ambassador and hopefully, he could learn what it is that makes your kind so malleable."

Artanis could only hope that this endeavor would pay off. He had spoken to Fenix about the terrans before his death, and had learned that Fenix had started to respect them as brothers in arms. Not something he would ever have suspected from someone as great as him.

The templar Fenix was regarded as the greatest warrior in history. His feats were the stuff of legends. With time they would probably make their way into the myths of the once bright time, before the zerg.

Fenix had told him that anyone that was willing to face nearly insurmountable odds with nothing but a prayer and a weapon should be worthy of respect. The Humans should not be underestimated.

Anderson may not be psychic but he could tell that the Protoss before him only sought the best for his people. A trait that Anderson wished he could place next to more than a scant few humans. The five fleet admirals and the Director of the UED, Anita Goyle, would probably be the only ones he could name with that attribute.

"Hierarch, It would be an honor to have a Protoss ambassador accompany us back to the UED. I am glad that I could properly complete one of my goals here in the Koprulu sector." Anderson really was happy, and Artanis didn't even need to read his mind to know that as it was practically radiating of off him.

"The time has come for you to return to your fleet admiral. Your time to shine and make a lasting impression on the terrans here will soon come." With that last cryptic message the Hierarch left him alone in the park. The perpetual twilight of Shakuras cast the land in a almost ethereal shadow. David had never been one to love the night but this world had a beauty to it that couldn't be ignored.


For the week that the admiral stayed with the Protoss, Shepard studied and practiced her newfound power. While she had become significantly more powerful, her most used ability was something that the ONI group defined as 'Empowerment', it enhanced her psi sensitive Nyx-Class suit to a degree where even a spartan would have to work hard to surpass. This was a very significant upgrade to her physical performance. Even without the suit, Shepard could still enhance her performance. Though not as much.

The thing that she struggled with however was control. Just because the Jedi enhancement had given her a stronger ability did not mean that it had also given her better control. If anything then she had lost some instead. Now she had to cope with the fact that every use of her power needed more focus just so that she wouldn't overdo it.

A test where she would levitate some balls in the gym had ended with one of the guards getting knocked out by a stray toss that went in the opposite of her targeted direction. With time, she would probably learn to control her powers to a higher degree, but for now she was still to inexperienced.

The only positive enhancement was her melee prowess which had been brought up to a level were only the Protoss, the Spartans and the two Azerothian species, the Tauren and the Worgen, could properly stand against her. Still, only the Protoss and the Spartans could keep her out of their head due to their supreme focus.

When she fought with one of the Spartans, 276, she had to let go of her surroundings and focus on perceiving her opponents moves. Even when she could foretell the fight she had a difficult time taking advantage of these glimpses into the future. The pacing was entirely to fast for her to continue fighting for any prolonged time.

The Tauren and the Worgen contrasted almost by design. The Tauren relied almost entirely on their physical strength with some surprisingly fast moves one would not expect from something that was nearly nine feet tall. The Worgen on the other hand relied on speed yet they were much stronger then the average human. Both of them could take punches that would have taken down even big humans. And their natural regeneration was far above a normal Human, and it was even higher than a Spartan.

The Protoss had the strength of the Tauren, the speed of the Worgen and a highly advanced armor that put the Mjolnir system to shame. And that was without their psionic powers. Protoss just seemed to ignore the fact that they were hurt and just kept going. Even when they were properly pummeled, they healed over night.

On the topic of the Protoss, Shepard had become interested in their psionic blades. Forming these blades demanded a formidable amount of power, something only the Protoss could do. The psi-blades in use by the ghost and spectre program differed by energizing actual knives. Though they were energy weapons they didn't match the Protoss originals.

Shepard had Mojo show her how his arm mounted units aided in forming these by channeling his power through a khaydarin matrix. This would allow him to fight long after he should have lost the strength. This was an upgrade that all Protoss adapted after Praetor Fenix met his end when he became to tired to form his blades without aid.

It took Shepard and Mojo most of a day before they managed to build a prototype that would enable her to form a blade. This was a rather simple thing as she just needed one argus jewel to act as a power focus and one khaydarin crystal matrix to shape this power into a functional blade. The resulting blade had a golden color and was about three feet long.

On the topic of the blade, she preferred that the blade be made a separate unit she could wield with one hand or two. The simplest way was just to put it in a metal pipe. By doing this she could simply hold it and form the blade only when she would focus on it.

This 'Force Saber' as one ODST had jokingly called it, could only be wielded by those Terran's who had received the Jedi upgrade, or those who were unusually strong like Tosh. The blade was so simple that the design consisted of nothing but two crystals inside a handle, no wires or any form of electronics at all.

The Jedi upgrade would eventually be adopted by all of the spectres of the Raiders and prove to be the right step into the future. With the safer enhancements that the Midi-chlorians provided, Tosh could enhance more Psionically gifted Terrans and provide some much needed aid for Raynor.


Captain Cray had just lost his eleventh game of chess against the Protoss named Mojo when a message came in. Raynor was calling all available fleets to join with the Heir apparent; Valerian Mengsk, in assaulting the zerg fortress world Char and bring an end to their leader, the Queen of Blades.

Mojo had already started to leave the room before the message was delivered as he had read the mind of the officer. He would be damned if Raynor didn't receive any aid from the Protoss.

The captain, on the other hand, was hesitant. The mission briefing had clearly stated that the threat of the zerg was to be assessed and severely crippling them by evicting them from their seat of power and killing their leader would undoubtedly apply to that order. Then again, HE wasn't in command of the fleet and he may not like it, but the UNSC ships would stay out of it.

Shepard had heard Mojo call for his escorts to return and prepare for joining Raynor at Char. She was waiting at the shuttle when he got there and without asking merely allowed her to enter it before he did.

"This is Mojo hailing the fleet. Take us to Char and let us aid Raynor in this endeavor."

From the bridge of his flagship came several cheers and soon the fleet left the system.

Deep inside the bowels of Mojo's carrier, Shepard was preparing for the eventual combat. Her Nyx-Class armor was ready and just waited for her. The force saber functioned flawlessly and the AGR 14 rifle by her feet had been cleaned and loaded. All that was left was to meditate and rest. The coming battle could very well change the future.

"Magistrate, we will arrive soon. The Praetor requests you presence on the bridge." The Zealot spoke with the normal reverberating tone of his people. There was a sense of urgency in his voice that caught Shepard's attention. A desire to fight.

After putting her armor on she collected her weapons and made way for the bridge. She passed many Zealots and Templar readying for the coming battle by putting on their armor and checking the weapons. They all looked eager and ready, desiring to let the swarm feel the wrath of the Firstborn. Aiur would be avenged this day.

Once she got to the bridge and saw Mojo standing at the command station she asked telepathically when they would arrive.

"Soon, young one. Your enthusiasm is commendable but you need to focus." He nodded at her and continued. "I can see your thoughts as if you had no defenses. Don't loose control when others depend on you."

Taking his warning to heart Shepard concentrated and managed to close her mind to his will. She sighed deeply. "Thank you for teaching me, Mojo. I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it, Magistrate. You have proven yourself to be a friend of the Protoss and as such, it would honor me to show you the way." He seemed to pause at that before he recited a ancient poem.

"There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no fear; there is power.
I am the heart of the Force.
I am the revealing fire of light.
I am the mystery of darkness.
In balance with chaos and harmony.
Immortal in the Khalai."

His voice was clear and strong, carrying a certain declaration of who he was and all he represented. He then turned his conversation away from the privacy of just the two of them to speak to everyone of his men and women under his command.

"Hear me, warriors of the Protoss. Soon we will enact revenge on the Zerg for their desecration of Aiur, our ancient home world. Though we may now live on Shakuras, united with our brothers, the Nerazim, we will remember our home. And the shame we suffered when we lost it."

Loud cheers echoed across the telepathic spectrum as several Zealots loudly agreed with the Praetor's words. Once they calmed down he continued.

"Now we have been presented with the opportunity to act. The friend of the Protoss, Raynor, has called for help. His target is Char and the Queen of Blades herself. AND THE PROTOSS WILL ANSWER."

The cheers were so loud that Shepard nearly lost her ability to shield her mind. Then the fleet dropped out of warp space and into the war zone that was Char.

"I sense Raynor and his fleet engaging the zerg in orbit." Mojo spoke up to explain the situation to Shepard. She might be stronger than most, but the ability to perceive one life force from the many millions that surrounded the Terran force was still far beyond her current level.

Next to the Protoss fleet came several more battlecruisers.

"Praetor, we are receiving a transmission from the new arrivals" The unusually tall Protoss manning the comm suit stated.

"On screen." Mojo knew who had come but still wanted to talk to the newcomers.

The large screen in the front changed from showing the fight to instead show a clean shaven face of a Dominion officer.

"Are you receiving? Mojo can you hear me? This is Kaidan Alenko, Commander of the Alpha Squadron separatists."

Mojo seemed pleased by his arrival. "I am happy to hear from you again Alenko. What say you we join forces again and take our place next to Raynor?"

Kaidan smiled widely at that and nodded. "Sounds good to me." He then looked beyond the screen and addressed his crew. "What do you guys say? Want to storm Char with me, Mojo and Raynor and teach the Queen of Blades that the Koprulu sector truly does belong to us?" The roars of affirmations made Shepard cringe as her ears rang.

"Good, then let the Zerg feel the wrath of the Protoss. Take us into battle."

As one, the combined fleet of the Praetor and the Alpha squadron moved in to assist Raynor and the rest of the Dominion fleet.


Raynor had been standing on the bridge of the Bucephalus with Valerian Mengsk and general Warfield when the zerg decided to take the fight to them. He was just about to head back to the Hyperion when Valerian called out to him.

"Raynor look. We have a Protoss fleet that just warped in along with several more Battlecruisers that identify as Alpha squadron."

At hearing of this Raynor couldn't help but smile. "So my message was heard after all. Good, now that I have my backup, lets go and win this thing."

As he left, Warfield walked up to the prince and looked at the tactical map. It showed a significant fleet of Protoss and Terran ships moving to engage the approaching zerg. "I have to get to the Helios. I have a battle to win. You should take the Bucephalus into high orbit and stay out of the shooting range, your highness." The generals voice brook no argument.

The Dominion prince just chuckled. "Everything I could hope for.." He was playing a dangerous game and had brought as many players to the scene as he could get his hands on, and now they had just gotten an unexpected addition. By now he should have come to expect such things when Raynor was involved. Things just seemed to work out for him.

The Dominion fleet was shortly joined by the Protoss and Alpha squadron fleet and began it's counter. Ships were taking position and formations worked to safeguard each other. Though some ships were lost due to the initial attack, most had formed some form of coherent group move under the leadership of the general.

Raynor, who had a lot more experience with taking fortified zerg positions simply bypassed the primary force and made landfall. With him were some of the Alpha squadron Battlecruisers and four Protoss carriers. The extremely heavy armor plating and the shields let the large ships shake of the lethal fire sent their way. Though the zerg ground based anti-air had begun to take it's toll on the ships still fighting in space.

Raynor stepped out of the landing ramp and began setting up a base of operation from which he intended to launch his attack on the main zerg hive. With him was his old friend Tychus and the two were eagerly awaiting the Alpha squardon commander, Kaidan Alenko.

The first one to reach him however were not someone he expected. Former Colonial Magistrate, Jane Shepard. And with her were a company of nearly a thousand Zealots and Templar.
He was more than happy and greeted her warmly.

"Magistrate? I certainly did not expect to see you here. I thought you would be with the UNSC admiral. I'm not complaining though, you and those protoss will be of great help." Tychus, for his part, got his first up close view of an actual protoss. They varied in size from seven feet up to nearly ten. and looked as if they could pick up a CMC clad marine and toss him clear across the camp. And if less than half of what he had heard about them were true, he would like to avoid making them upset.

"Marshal." She greeted him with a friendly smile. "Mind telling me how you managed to get half of the Dominion fleet to follow you into this mad assault on the gates of hell?"

"Well..." He began. "Long story short, Domion Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk wanted to out class his dear old dad and prove to the Dominion that he is better than him. Also he is apparently dating Kate Lockwell." His joke did not fall on deaf ears as the newly erected comm central at the heart of the FOB sparked to life.

"I can hear you, Commander." Even though Valerian scowled on the screen, his voice didn't carry nearly as much heat as the flush on his cheeks made it seem like. "And for your information, I haven't seen miss Lockwell since the interview."

"I don't hear you denying it either, junior. And you are a public figure now." Raynor laughed heartily and was joined by the others shortly.

"I have staked my reputation and my life on this endeavor, Raynor. My father WILL fall, and when he does, I will rise. Not you, nor the other major groups in this sector have any problems with me. I intend to use this fact to it's fullest and repair the damage my father has caused."

Raynor was about to continue the talk when shattered communications interrupted him.

"Mayday, mayday. This is group four. our transport was shot out of the sky and now were stranded. Someone help!"

Raynor just shook his head. They honestly think that the zerg will just let them land with shuttles? Have the Dominion command really not studied common zerg patterns yet?" The invasion required that a significant amount of the landing party survived if they would ever be able to secure a proper base.

Turning to Shepard he gave her his orders. "Magistrate, take the Protoss out there and find the lost crews before the zerg can launch a major assault on our position. I want as many marines here as possible when that time comes."

Shepard nodded and them turned to face the Protoss that Mojo had ordered to land. "Comaz, take your group north. Tarath, you go east. I'll take the west. I can't sense any dropships to our south so we're clear from that direction at least." Without any fuss. the Protoss divided and began heading in the direction of the nearest SOS beacon.

Shepard found herself leading some 250 Zealots. Not a bad number, and the relatively minor zerg defense hardly did any damage to her force. Several times did the zerg attempt to ambush her, but like the rest of the zealots, she could sense the strike beforehand and move into position in time to either avoid them or strike first.

One crafty Hydralisk slipped by the large rocks on the side and managed to come close enough to strike directly at Shepard. She notice it only when one spike missed her by an inch. Far to close for comfort, but she grabbed her force saber and with a simple command of her will, Ignited the blade and sliced at the Hydra.

It backed up and managed to avoid getting bisected. Only one of its scythes was caught in the strike and landed on the burnt ground with a slight thud. Shepard did not give it any time to recover and continued her attack with abandon. A slice up removed the second scythe and on the following down strike the Hydra was cut down.

She dismissed the blade and brought up her AGR. Several rounds pummeled the charging zerglings in front of her. Not once did she stop moving. The Zealots with her did the same on their mad dash to reach the downed transport. It came into view shortly and she approached the group leader.

"Help at last. Ma'am we need to destroy the nearby Spore Canon. It's wreaking havoc on the fleet." He pointed at something in the distance just as a massive glob of irradiated plasma was launched into space. Shepard imagined that the target was one of the ships and agreed.

You will come with us. Safety in numbers and all that. Keep our rear clear. Now MOVE OUT. New target is the Canon." The Dominion marines obeyed and followed without question, though that was probably because of the hundreds of Protoss behind her. Even those with a bone to pick with them would rather not anger that many at the same time.

Whilst running, Shepard mentally commanded her comm unit to connect to Raynor.

"Raynor here, make it short."

"This is Shepard. Found the first transport. We'll be destroying a target of opportunity, one of the Spore Canons, before we RTB."

Raynor nodded in approval. "Good, I'll tell the other to do the same if they get the chance."

Disconnecting from the call brought something to Shepard's attention. The smell of vespene had gotten rather potent and she realized that the massive artillery piece had been grown right on top of a large geyser. One stray round or missed Psi-blade strike could leave a big crater and many dead.

"Mind your targets, this vespene could blow at any time." The leader of the rescued marines, a Master Sergeant Howard, approached her to talk.

"If that thing is likely to blow if we sneeze at it, then how are we supposed to kill it?" He clearly didn't like their options at the moment.

"Simple. We let the ones with the most experience handle it." She didn't need to tell him that she had already relayed her order to the Protoss who charge forward like a tide of golden armored death dealers. The zerg defenders stood little chance against so many Zealots and were swiftly swept away in a storm of psionic power as two high templar joined their powers and cast a psionic storm.

As soon as the Zealots had cleared the ground, the two templar merged and a massive Archon strode forward, ready to erase the offending canon. It did not last long against that much power and soon the thing erupted, showering the attackers in it's foul smelling innards.

The Protoss and Shepard used their psionics to shield them from getting hit. The marines, on the other hand, were not so lucky and the resulting mess made them look unusually miserable. Not that a small group of Terran marines surrounded by a few hundred Protoss Zealots would look particularly pleased anyway. These just looked more miserable then usual.

"That was even worse then when we tried to clear out the zerg from Hyrath 4." Howard proclaimed. Shepard merely glanced at his memory of that disaster and shuddered. The Dominion had not prepared to face a zerg force that large and the battle had turned into a battle of attrition. The Dominion's attempt to gain some nice press had failed spectacularly as the film crew had transmitted their own demise on live, prime time TV.

Shepard had to force herself to return to her own mind as the short, in her mind anyway, glance had turned into a very vivid replay of his life. Keep calm and move on Shepard, she berated herself. Now was not the time to lose control.

The two templar dissolved their Archon ascension and returned to their original forms. They were showing clear signs of fatigue, the act having taken it's toll on them.

"We are done here, lets get back to Raynor and plan our next move." The group moved swiftly and combined their different abilities to deal with the resistance. The sight of the ships on the ground and the defenses setup by the others was a welcomed gift to the now tired group.

Once inside, Shepard began looking for Raynor. But the man was nowhere to be found and eventually she asked his second in command, Matt Horner.

"We received an emergency transmission from the Helios. It had been hit by several Spore Canon blasts and received terrible, terrible damage. Raynor left with Tychus to rescue the Dominion general." Matt didn't look to happy to know that his commander had left the camp with nothing but a token force and some banshee support.

"How are we fairing, Matt?" Shepard had only been down on the surface for a hour and already the fatigue of battle were rearing it's ugly head in her direction.

"We are doing far better then if you and you Protoss hadn't come here. Even the battle in space is going so far above the predictions that our Adjutant unit is having trouble creating reasonable scenarios. If it keeps going this well, then we will have won by tomorrow night." Matt sighed deeply. "Which means that Kerrigan isn't even trying to repel us."

That got the attention of the Master Sergeant. "You mean that all the zerg we have fought until now doesn't even count? Are you blind boy? We are clearly decimating her forces and here you are stating that we aren't? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are wrong." The Dominion officer stated clearly not happy that the effort of his men had been dismissed that casually.

Matt took his time to observe the man. He had the typical drawl that general Edmund Duke once sported. He was also shorter then expected. The most telling feature was his eyes. They told of resoc. In short, he was a misinformed canon fodder made from some resocced bastard. Time to teach him something new.

"What do you think that my words mean, Sergeant? You've never faced a full swarm rush before, have you. The zerg knows where we are, and instead of taking us out before we can fortify, they merely send some distractions our way. I don't know what their real plan is and that frightens me. They are acting far more smartly than expected. They have a plan and are feeling content to just wait for us."

Howard stood mute, not really having understood the larger picture until this rebel scum just showed him what the difference between a soldier on the ground is and what a commander is. He could claim no knowledge about advanced tactics, but he still had pride in his men and it had just been shamed.

"You are clearly underestimating the might of the Dominion if you think these stupid pests could ever hope to defeat us." There, that should shut him up. Howard was feeling rather proud of himself having defended the honor of his men.

"Half the fleet in orbit has been reduced to scrap metal and less than 40% of the dropships managed to land. We still haven't located all of them yet. In short, we are only OK so long as the zerg keeps ignoring us."

Howard just stood there. Matt, realizing that the poor marine probably didn't need to hear that, turned and instead focused on Shepard.

"We have a problem." Matt shook his head and walked over to a console. "The assault on the main Hive could theoretically begin as soon a Raynor returns with the general, but we don't have enough soldiers to mount a frontal assault on the Hive." He pointed to a part on the screen showing a platform in space. "The scans from the fleet shows that this platform is their main airborne spawn site. but if we return to space just to take the platform then we lose the ground we have gained. If we don't then we will have to cope with the fact that the path to Kerrigan is going to be filled with threats from the sky."

He then pointed to another part on the screen and began explaining. "If we want to protect our ground advance, then we will have to take the Nydus network out and sonar readings shows that this point here connects to the rest of the tunnels. Chief engineer Swann assures me that he could construct several seismic bombs that should cause the tunnels to flood with lava, killing the Nydus worms. But that means leaving the surface and descend into zerg infested tunnels without the possibility of backup within any acceptable time frame."

He shook his head and added. "To spend time on either is not what I would like, but then again, I don't want to face both the fliers and the Nydus worms. I wish Raynor was here to tell me what to do..." Matt whispered the last part.

Shepard spoke up at that point. "I know what to do."


A/N

Kaidan Alenko... Well, he is a Biotic and as Humanity just won't utilize them is this story in favor of psionic humans from the Koprulu Sector, I needed to add him somehow. By the way, we never did learn the Identity or the rank of the Alpha Squadron Commander from the Enslavers campaign. And Kaidan had no problem with any Alien so I assume that he has good relations to them.

Next chapter will come soon...er I mean when it's done. Yea, lets go with that.