I would like to thank Ragnarok666 for all the ideas for my story and help with all the starcraft lore that I am unfamiliar with. Please check out Ragnarok666's story Aftermath and Revelations. The SC books are tied into the stHeart of the Swarm Chapter 25
Heart of the Swarm chapter 25
"Jim, why don't you come back with me?" Sarah asked him.
They had spent the day on the Hyperion, making final preparations for the upcoming summit. The leaders of Zerg, Protoss, and Terran forces had finally agreed to meet with them. It was a painstaking task. Each decision was scrutinized beyond reason that each step to longer than any of them anticipated.
Time wasted that would have been better used to stem the hybrid advance.
Jim knew he had more preparations to make but the allure of spending time with Sarah was too much for him to resist. When the leaders of the other races started arriving they would likely not have any chance to be alone together.
This was not lost on Sarah as she whispered seductively into his ear. "Come with me."
"We can carry on without you for an hour or so, Commander." Matt recognized the look on Sarah and Jim.
Jim finally relented as Sarah pulled him by the arm into the direction of his room. "Probably going to need more than hour. Call me if anyone arrives."
"I always do." Matt rolled his eyes but he was glad Sarah was able to convince Jim to go with her. The. commander needed to be reminded that there was more to life than just war.
Sarah pulled Jim along the corridor towards his room, ignoring the smiles and winks from the Raiders. They knew full well what the couple was up to. She had discovered early on the it was pointless to try and hide anything from the men under Jim's command. They always seemed to
know what was going on so Sarah simply stopped trying.
Jim on the other hand did not even see the men they passed. He had been so focused on the war effort that he forgot he had one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen willing to please him. No sooner had they entered the room Jim twirled Sarah in his arms and locked his lips onto hers.
Sarah saw Jim's eyes grow dark with lust as she surrendered herself to him. Jim ran his hands over her wings and back, exploring the body he desired so much. He wondered to himself how her body could feel so hard and so soft at the same time. His hands reached her sides and suddenly the carapace was replaced by the softness of human skin.
Sarah moaned at his touch. Everywhere his fingers traced left a tingling sensation that seemed to radiate all the way to the her stomach. She tugged on his shirt, urging him to remove it. She enjoyed feeling the touch of his body just as much as he enjoyed hers.
She gasped as Jim spun her around until her back was to him. He grasped her exposed breasts, kneading them roughly.
He leaned into Sarah more, putting pressure on the small of her back.
She knew what he wanted and she obliged willingly.
Sarah slid off Jim, still panting from exhaustion. Sweat glistened her body and matted red hair. Their lovemaking had always left her exhausted but this was the first time she was truly breathless. He had always been cautious and gentle when they were together but this time it was different. He ravaged her like never before, he held nothing back. It was thrilling for Sarah to say the least, that she elicited such an intense physical reaction from the man she loved.
As Jim continued running his hands around her body, Sarah couldn't help but ponder if his aggressiveness in bed had something to do with his attitude of late. It was hard to focus on that train of thought since Jim had started touching her most sensitive areas again. She had made a mental note to remind herself to tell Jim how much she enjoyed his aggressiveness in bed.
"Commander? Sarah?" Jim hissed at the communicator as Matt's annoying voice interrupted him when he was about to go another round with Sarah.
Sarah smiled at his reaction but grabbed the device before Jim could shut it off or tell Matt to leave them alone. "What is it?"
"We've entered Agria's orbit. We've also received word that the Dominion and Protoss delegations will be arriving shortly." They couldn't help but notice Matt's stressed voice. She knew he had reservations about coming to this meeting with only a single ship but the Protoss and Dominion leaders would never agree to a meeting if she showed up with a large force.
"Prep my drop ship and pick out am escort. We will be ready soon." Jim said while grabbing the communicator from Sarah. He clicked the off switch and quickly positioned himself in between her legs. "We have time for one more, don't we?"
"For you, Jim, we will make time." She grasped his hair and pulled him closer.
Agria was once a beautiful Dominion farming colony. It's lush fields and plains provided plenty of sustenance for the colonists and the Dominion garrison stationed there. At least that's the way it was before the Zerg came. Like many worlds before it the swarm descended on the unsuspecting planet and left nothing but ruin in its wake. After being abandoned by the Dominion the colonists turned to Raynor and his Raiders for aid. Jim and his men successfully held off the Zerg until the colonists were able to get to their transports.
Now Agria was but a shell of itself. There was no Zerg or Terran presence until Jim's ship touched down on Larks' Crossing. It was this place that Jim had chosen as a location for this galactic summit. It had taken days of deliberation just to agree on a simple location. Jim hoped that the threat that looked over their galaxy would be enough for all of them to put aside old Jarred's and bigotries to work together. It was a fool's hope at best.
Along with Jim and Sarah came a select few others. Artanis and Selendis stood directly beside Jim. Matt and Colonel Hastings stood at his left. Jim could not see Nova at the moment but knew she was here somewhere, probably scouting the area.
To their right stood Za'gara, Naktul, and Niadra. These were the broodmothers that Sarah had chosen to lead directly beneath her.
In front of them two other areas were set aside for the Protoss and Dominion delegations. Everything had to be perfect for this meeting. Everything was thought through perfectly down to the the seats that were provided. He made sure that they were all at the same height. He didn't anyone to mistake that they stood above the rest.
Jim always knew that he disliked politics but it wasn't until now that he started to hate it. For someone like him, who was accustomed to fighting on the field, the intricacies and positioning of leaders was shallow and pathetic.
They didn't have to wait long. The area was filled with the sound of an engine as a large drop ship came into view. Unlike Jim's own drop ship the one they watched was state of the art and elaborately decorated which marked it as a ship for the Dominion leaders.
The ships rockets created an uncomfortable gust of wind as it slowly leveled itself for landing. The landing bay opened and a group of men stepped out, decked in full battle gear. Accompanying them was a full complement of marines despite the fact that only days earlier an agreement had been set in place that there would be no show of military force on the ground.
"I hate politics." Jim whispered to Sarah. "This is already off to a bad start."
She tripped closer to him to offer her reassurance but stayed silent.
In true Dominion fashion, the marines escorted the men who him presumed were the Generals of the Dominion. They marched directly to the area that had been indicated for them. A burly faced man that looked to be in his mid thirties sat in the chair that had been clearly reserved for Valerian.
In fact now that Jim saw them clearly none of them seemed to be older than the mid thirties at concerned Jim more than anything else. He knew that the Dominion only appointed the older more experienced soldiers, like Warfield, as Generals. Where was Valerian and why had he not come himself. Matt had assured Jim that he had spoken to Valerian directly and the importance of this meeting was clearly stressed.
"Where is Valerian?" Jim asked the man sitting in Valerian's chair.
He stood angrily. "That is Prince Valerian to you, Raynor." The man clearly did not like Jim.
Sarah put her hand on his shoulder and Jim bit his tongue to prevent himself from uttering words he would regret. This meeting was more than important than his pride. "Where is Prince Valerian?"
"The Prince and the Generals have decided that they can determine the extent of the threat to Dominion worlds it would be best if they not endanger themselves needlessly. I have been sent in their stead. I am Brigadier General Hastings."
Jim was barely able to control his anger. He and those with him had been fighting with everything they had to stem the Hybrid threat and the Dominion leadership refused to even acknowledge the threat.
Jim was so focused on his fury that it took him a few minutes recognize the name the Brigadier General gave him. "Hastings?" Jim looked at the man standing near him.
The Colonel nodded at Jim. "Older brother."
Jim was about to ask another question when a familiar hum echoed in between those gathered. A faint blue light started to emanate. It grew steadily brighter until a single Templar stood before them.
"En Tarro Tassadar." Jim greeted him. "We have space reserved here for the Protoss Hierarchy."
"En Taro Tassadar." The Templar greeted in return but with a solemn and grave voice. Despite the fact that he was facing Raynor the Templar's telepathic voice could be clearly heard by everyone there. "The Protoss Hierarchy does not recognize your authority to call this meeting. They have deemed you and all those with you as corrupted by the Queen of Blades. You are not to be trusted."
The Templar then turned to Artanis and Selendis. "You are in violation of the directives set by the council. You are to return to Shakuras at once. We will asses the situation from there. If the Hybrids threaten us then the Protoss will deal with them without the influence of these outsiders."
Jim could not believe that this was happening. All the men he had lost in attempting to retake Aiur meant nothing to the Protoss.
"You are all fools." Jim hissed at him.
They could all hear the Templar scoff smirk at Jim's statement. "You call us fools yet you are the one standing beside the Queen of blades. She is treachery personified."
"The Dominion agrees. We will only act if these Hybrids, if they even exist, threaten our worlds. We do not need your help." Brig. General Hastings added. "We cannot send you additional forces while still rebuilding the Dominion that your savages destroyed."
Za'gara hissed at that remark. "Savages? You Terrans were doing a fine job of destroying yourselves before you even heard of the Zerg. You slaughter each other over greed, lust, and power. Even without the Zerg you would have driven yourselves to the brink of extinction just as the Protoss have done. They believe themselves to be so much better than all the species around them. You call yourselves first born of the gods but you are just as petty as everyone else."
"That is enough from you. Only the Zerg commit planetary genocide." The Templar fought back.
"You are one to speak. How many Terran worlds did the Protoss burn to stop the Zerg. You have those planets no warning, no chance to flee. You Protoss have as much blood on your hands as the Zerg." Brig. General Hastings shouted at the Templar.
"Why should we? You Terrans are untrustworthy. You even brought an armed escort to this gathering when everyone agreed that no military force was to be present." The Templar pointed at the marines angrily.
All those gathered started screaming and blaming each other at once. Jim's hopes were crumbling down around him. The only thing that the three races could agree in was that they hated one another.
Jim took out his gun and shot a round into the air. Stunned silence filled the area. All eyes were now on him. "The Hybrid threat is real. If it is not stopped they will take the Zerg on Aiur and burn this sector to ashes. I have already been shown the prophecy. The Terran worlds will be the first to fall. All of existence then will turn to the Protoss to defend them. The Protoss will stand valiantly but you will perish. Join Us and we can save out people."
It wasn't the most eloquent of speeches but Jim hoped he got his point across.
"The Hierarchy has made their decision." The Templar said. As it always was for most Protoss, he was stubborn to the end. He warped away without saying another word.
"To hell with saving the other races. They have been killing us for years and now that some wannabe mystic says they are all doomed we should come running to them for help? No, the Dominion and it's leaders must take care of our own. For years they have burned our worlds. We have lost fathers, sons, and brothers. Entire families and bloodlines have been lost. The Protoss and Zerg have already cost us billions of Terran lives and you want us to add to that by coming to their defense? Let them save themselves. I will convey what you have said to Prince Valerian. Have you noticed, Raynor that your so called prophecy makes no mention of us Terrans? So even if we did believe it, it does not say the bitch standing next to you will be the key to saving humanity." With one final glance at his brother he flicked his hand at those with him to indicate that they were returning to their drop ship.
Jim could only watch as the gathering he had planned failed miserably. None of those left knew what to say.
The Dominion drop ship was well out of view before Jim spoke again. "I want our fleet prepared to move out within the hour. Send word to the fringe world to expect an attack soon. Tell them we are recruiting if they wish to fight for their homes. Do not linger on any one world longer than necessary. If they refuse then move on." If he could ask for an army then he would raise one on his own.
He looked at Artanis and Selendis carefully. "If you are still with us the send the same message to any of the outlying Protoss colonies. The easiest way for the Hybrids to destroy the Dominion and Protoss races would be be to start with the outer worlds and work their way inwards. That way when they get to the core worlds there will not be enough to resist them."
"And what of the core worlds and the others that refuse to join us?" Matt asked him.
"Tell them that no aid will be offered to them after this. Tell those who refuse to join us, to fight for themselves that I will do to them the worst possible thing I can think off. I will leave them to their fate." Jim knew he had no other choice. His decision will stain his hands red with the blood of billions but his enemy was ruthless and to win he had to be every bit as ruthless as them.
A/N This should have been a triple post but I ran out of time today. The third one would have been focused on Sarah and Jim including a really cool scene that Ragnarok and I came up with. I will try to write again soon but this week looks to be a busy one. I didn't have time to beta read these yet for errors.
I hope these chapters are okay.