forum/Where-All-Paths-Lead-Forum-Edition/183541/ - Surprise!


Augustgrad - Rebel Base

"Fall back!" Daren shouted into his comm, hard to hear over the death rattles of fellow rebels now that they were no longer being cut off by the comm kid, Monty. Probably tried to tuck tail and run, he thought bitterly as he shoved the shoulder of a man beside him and gestured forcefully to withdraw.

"We need a medic over here!" Someone bellowed into the comm, barely coherent with fear.

"There are no medics left, moron!" Another voice snapped impatiently.

"Can it!" Daren snarled, leaping atop a hastily thrown together barricade and providing cover fire for the tired men lagging behind. It cut to the bone to see one of them fall under a literal wave of bodies, wading through them until the machine just couldn't fight the inhumanly strong limbs grasping and pounding at it.

"You hear that?" A man beside him said breathlessly between a burst round of gauss bullets.

"I said can it!" Glaring briefly at the silenced soldier, Daren's brows raised up when he suddenly heard it too: An excruciatingly high whining noise easily piercing the sound of gunfire, explosions and shouting. There was only one machine that sound could belong to.

"Wraiths!" Daren yelled in dismay; the rebels didn't have wraiths.

Arriving in tandem with his yell, a smouldering wraith plummeted through the generated atmosphere at a dizzying speed, a line of black smoke trailing through the air behind it as it immediately smashed into the battle-torn field and exploded violently.

"What in the hells?" Immediately confused at the turn of events, Daren almost allowed a silent, smiling man to leap over the barricade and tackle him- the attacker was blown away by a nearby soldier.

The brush with death, or worse, rocked his mind back to reality and Daren gave his head a sharp shake. "Any eyes on what brought that ship down?!"

The first wraith had crashed into the invading enemy, instantly destroying anything standing at or near the impact zone, the second and third did not do the defenders any favors. Daren barely ducked in time when an erratically spinning wraith careened overhead and tumbled clean across the grounds- the heat of its thrusters seared the back of his CMC mercilessly in the half-second of contact.

A low roar, impossibly loud and coming from an as-yet unseen source, made Daren clench his teeth or be forced to chip them from chattering so hard. Falling debris were coming down like meteors and posing even further threat, and there was one person who might not be able to get cover.

Slamming a metal hand down on the shoulder of the man beside him, Daren gave him a shake and yelled hoarsely "I need to check the other side! You hang in there!" The man barely nodded, his eyes were staring through everything, but he was still firing and that was what counted. Daren turned and ran.

A piece of shrapnel ricocheted off the back of his suit with a metallic clang as he scanned the war torn surroundings for a certain ghost. Combat targeting found Nova first, prone and seemingly unconscious in a charred circle of grass and soil. Sucking in a sharp breath, Daren ran for her quickly. If he managed to survive this mess, he didn't think he could forgive himself if she was impaled by some random shrapnel from the sky while defenseless.

It was hard to reconcile the childlike looking woman covered in dirt and smoke grime with the efficient psionic killer he knew her to be, and Daren grit his teeth hard as he carefully but quickly knelt down in the bulky CMC armor beside her body and wondered what step to take next.

Sound faded away, and as he saw the faltering line of defense begin to crumble both through his suit sensors and with his own eyes, Daren sighed and curled a hand beneath Nova's knees and back, sitting up with her in his mechanical arms and accepting the end.

"We fought as best we could, and I know damn well you did too." Daren muttered, looking down at Novas bare face. It was a strange epiphany to realize she had to be so young, maybe even younger than the kid in the comm tower. He wanted to brush the strands of sticky hair out of her face and give comfort- wondering if her own mother or father ever did.

Knocked in to from behind, Daren staggered and tried to protect the woman in his arms before he noticed it was one of his men. "What?" He replied blandly, barely glancing up from Nova.

"Sarge, they want to talk to you! Look!" The younger man pointed upwards, his mouth open in a childlike joyous wonder, even though the missing teeth and scruffy facial hair gave the lie of his age.

Disillusioned, Daren slowly looked upwards and wasn't sure what he was seeing for a few moments.

"Gentlemen, you sure look like you could use a hand! What the hell is goin' on down there?" A voice, familiar only due to its fame, filtered through his comm and pierced the haze that clouded his mind as surely as the fog was shrouding all of Augustgrad.

Red lasers were showering down on the infected civilians with precision, firing down from not one but two massive battlecruisers that were barely inside the gentle glow of the rebels' artificial atmosphere.

The Bucephalus and Hyperion! Daren gaped.

Someone else was bellowing orders and restoring a semblance of control over the rebels in his stead, for which he was thankful. Clearing his throat, Daren's voice was hoarse from yelling regardless. "Jim Raynor, with prince Valerian?" His mind raced. There was so much information that needed to be shared in a short amount of time.

"The one and only," the cocky rebel leader replied. The battlecruisers were maneuvering to land on either side of the park and establish a perimeter of their own - giving the besieged rebels a much needed breather.

"Don't go into the fog and don't come down here without full coverage!" Daren warned ominously, "You need to be briefed on what is going on, but that is the need-to-know info right now. Thank God for you." No longer at peace with an untimely death, Daren smiled and chuckled softly. Not today.

Standing with Nova in his arms, Daren reasserted control over the comms. "The Bucephalus and Hyperion are creating a perimeter- finish falling back to the inner defenses." He paused, looking up at the massive battlecruisers maneuvering for a landing; if they were deafening before, he pitied anyone without a helmet. A pang of guilt struck him and he glanced down at Nova. "Those who can, help the SCVs shore up the defenses while the rest watch for stragglers who made it through the battlecruiser fire." That aught to take care of things until we get some ground backup.

Walking towards the command center with Nova in his arms, Daren spied her shifting weakly in discomfort- the natural movement gave him hope that she was not beyond repair. Who knew what kind of ailments of the mind a psi could get from such a display? Two thunderous crashing sounds indicated the lifts of the battlecruisers hitting the ground. Those pilots must be incredible, he thought.

The door of the command center hissed open, the hairs on the back of Daren's neck raising stiffly as he saw the inside poorly illuminated by blinking red emergency lights. Immediately wary, he stepped backwards and let the door shut itself. "No one enters the command center until backup arrives." He spoke firmly into the comm.

Sensors indicated there were two separate groups, one from either battlecruiser, swiftly approaching his position. Stepping away from the darkened building, Daren turned around to greet his saviors- but not before looking down at Nova one more time. She would be taken by medics and looked after, and he would be damned if she ever knew he held her at all.

The eyes of the rebels blonde, not-quite angelic hero snapped open. They were black.

"No!" Daren yelled hoarsely, flinging Nova out of his arms violently- gauss rifle in hand and aiming before she had even hit the ground.

With the sound of the battlecruisers drowning out all other noise, Daren did not hear the rapid footfalls of the giant who proceeded to shoulder tackle him, causing a three-round burst of bullets to miss their target and spray a line of dirt up from the torn earth.

Struck with a chord of fear, Daren shouted in a panic as the infected Nova began to rise to her feet slowly. "She's infected! Kill her fast or we're all dead!" He looked incredulously into the strange face mask of the monster of a man who was successfully wrangling the gauss rifle out of his hands; the man had a red and black suit with pulsing red power lines, like a twisted ghost outfit. Spectre, his dulled mind supplied.

"Restrain her!" Raynor shouted, a note of uncertainty in his tone.

"Why do I have to restrain her, Jimmy?" The burly man snarled through his mask in a mechanical voice, yet to be identified. Daren stared past him, struggle and weapon forgotten as he locked eyes with Nova. Not Nova. Death- and that all consuming devourer was smiling at him.

"I can't you idiot!" Raynor snapped. Daren was shoved bodily- again left a mite incredulous at the strength required to shove a CMC outfit- and the burly man rounded on Nova, striking without hesitation and an incredible speed. Nova met him head on.

Tychus grunted as he collided with the lithe ghost, registering the unnatural black eyes a split second before contact. Using his superior strength- both natural and unnatural- he caught up Nova's arms in his and bodily spun her around neatly into a huge bear hug. His eyes widened as he was met with an equal unnatural strength, Nova's arms flexing and forcing Tychus to tremble with effort.

"Jimmy! This ain't no normal girl!" Tychus shouted, a note of confusion in his tone. The ghost was a solid foot off the ground in his arms and giving Tychus a run for his money on keeping her restrained.

"Lasarra! Tell me you got somethin' for me!" Daren heard Raynor plead. Odd name, Daren thought.

Her mind is being invaded- feasted upon by a great, hungering parasite. A calm voice flooded through Daren's mind and he immediately snapped his eyes to the source- gobstruck at the sight of his first protoss. The creature exuded an alien and nearly god-like superiority, but the feeling that accompanied it was not hostility and Daren felt himself relaxing despite the situation.

"Well sister, you gonna do something or do we need to put this thing down?!" Tychus snarled, narrowly avoiding being headbutted by the silent and flailing possessed woman.

The protoss, Lasarra, Daren reminded himself, approached with a clawed hand raised outwards. Nova bared her teeth and laughed raggedly, black eyes wide and mad. Daren caught a curious blue glimmer in the air around Lasarra and quickly realized it was a psionic shield the protoss were so famous for.

To separate the two may kill her, the ethereal alien warned, a long finger curling in the air, but to let her be consumed in such a way would be a crime against nature itself. The effect was immediate, Nova's whole body seemed to be tugged forwards into the air, forcing Tychus to tighten his arms and grunt with exertion.

Nova let out a sharp gasp of surprise, black eyes wide and bugging, before her face contorted into pure malefic rage and she snarled at Lasarra, suddenly bent on her destruction; Her full body flailing effort redoubled.

"C'mon darlin'..." Raynor muttered, raising his gauss rifle and taking aim. Either Lasarra saved her or death would take her. Daren knelt down and quickly recovered his discarded rifle, taking aim as well.

Two fingers and two thumbs curled together to form a tight fist, and psionic energy radiated in a visual display from Lasarra. Her voice was strained and tense in their minds. Begone, glutton!

Raynor thought that this was the closest thing to an exorcism he may ever witness, grimacing at the alternating looks of fury and pain flickering across Novas features as Lasarra wrangled with an unseen entity. Their whole group, and more joining them as the spectacle dragged on, watched in silent awe.

Tychus continually adjusted his grip, attempting to be mindful of his concealed claws and to not crush the small body in his arms at the same time- although he was quickly coming to the conclusion that was not a possibility. The spectre helmet he had been forced to put on at the last second was giving him all sorts of strange readings and information, but first and foremost were the sensors identifying a mist beginning to rise out of Nova- as if she was steaming.

"Hurry. It. Up!" Tychus growled, curling a leg as thick as Nova's body over the front of her legs and further pinning her flush against his body to minimize wriggling and flailing. It did not help that both his and her suit were damned slippery!

Lasarra visibly trembled with effort as she mimed pulling harshly at whatever was inside Nova, who looked as though something was about to burst out of her chest as she gasped and snarled wetly.

Get. OUT! With a surprising amount of animation, Lasarra shoved outwards with both her hands and mind- driving the pure energy of the khalai through Nova's mind, like a spotlight on the darkness that had taken hold.

All bystanders were knocked back by the minor psionic shockwave unleashed, Tychus nearly tumbled backwards but managed to regain his footing as Nova gasped sharply and immediately fell limp in his arms. "Hell," he panted raggedly. Sensors no longer showed the strange steam, he wondered if anyone else saw it.

Raynor lowered his gun immediately and piped up, "Need a medic over here!" The bucephalus crew would oblige. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Raynor allowed himself a brief moment of relief as Tychus handed the unconscious Nova off to medical professionals.

It is too early to say if she will be in tact, James Raynor. Lasarra addressed his concerns immediately. She was fighting to come back, but lost in the dark. I showed her the way, it is up to her now.

"Will you-" Raynor said.

Yes, I will follow her to the Bucephalus and see that there is naught amiss. Be careful down here, James Raynor. The chill of the void is deep, I fear for those in the mist beyond if what we saw when we came down was any indication of their health... Lasarra was already following after the medics carrying Nova away.

"Great." Raynor muttered.

Tychus glanced between the marine he'd disarmed and gave a short nod of acknowledgement. "You Daren? Pardon my roughing you up, chief." There was no mistaking his completely not apologetic tone.

Take it easy, Tychus. Jim exchanged a glance with him, at least their swarm connection would come in handy when dealing with other terrans.

Daren seemed in a daze, finally looking towards Tychus and nodding back. The blonde man had a scruffy beard and dirt stains on his face, but the baring of a leader that Tychus was familiar with, and had a small iota of respect for. "It's alright." Daren rasped, "If that protoss really just saved her, then I am more thankful than you can imagine. She saved us."

"That Nova chick?" Tychus hiked his thumb over his shoulder as Jim engaged with Warfield over his comm, adjusting fluidly to the change of events. "Turned over a new leaf, did she?"

"Turned over a-" Daren paused, realizing sheepishly that Nova, and even himself, had been completely at odds with Raynor's Raiders up until very recently. Swallowing, he shrugged inside his suit, the gesture lost. "Suppose we all did."

"Good. Name's Tychus." Tychus spoke decisively, looking around at the trashed compound. "Warfield and his boys are gonna help you get this secured while the big guns," he gestured vaguely towards the massive battlecruisers, "keep things cleared up."

Exhausted, Daren nodded again. "A pleasure. We need all the help we can get." Looking up at the hulk of a terran, Daren felt thrown off. Without seeing the face behind the mask, it was as though he was being stared down by a predator. Immediately uncomfortable, Daren looked away from Tychus.

"Lets start with this here command center then, boys." Raynor said as he walked up and stood between the two men. He was devoid of a suit and lacking so much protection Daren immediately felt worried, but at least the scruffy rebel leader was wearing a transparent face mask. "Saw the red lights flashing for a sec there," he supplied.

"Yeah, lost touch with our comm kid during the battle. No breaches of the inner compound were reported, so I'm not sure what's going on in there." Daren said. All three turned to face the door of the command center.

Eyes glancing over the building, Tychus looked up towards the comm tower when Daren mentioned it, frowning. Nudging Jim's foot with his, he gestured subtly with his head towards a dark stain on the inside of the glass. Blood in there.

Jim followed his friends gaze and also frowned. "Blood on the window up there, Daren. The inside of it."

Daren glanced upwards but was too close to the door to see, his guts knotted up and he gripped his gauss tightly. "Lets go!" Why had the security lights gone on? If the kid really did shoot himself, nothing should have happened. Ignoring Raynors call to wait, Daren charged in through the opened door and ran into the dark for the comm tower. I killed his brother, he thought bitterly.

"Ah hell!" Raynor cursed and flew into the building with Tychus in tow. You go up there with him, Tychus. I'll secure the main floor.

"Alright brother." Tychus muttered verbally as he passed by, the air crackling and shimmering red until he was gone- his heavy footfalls the only indication he was there, but those faded after a moment as well.

Daren crashed through the facility and banged on lift buttons impatiently until he finally stormed into the comm tower. Shouldering through the door with weapon raised, Daren looked in dismay at the scene before him. Lowering his weapon, he walked towards the blood stained glass, looking at the spatter and congealed pools on the floor.

Someone died, but the body was not there, as evidenced by bloody footprints streaking across the floor to the door Daren came from.

"Got a problem with bodies wandering off?" Tychus muttered as he materialized in front of the comm equipment, making Daren jump slightly.

"Not until recently." Daren said, opening his comm and calling out to Raynor in warning, "Raynor- the facility is not secure, there is something in here with us."

"Lock it down until we find this somethin' then." Came the brisk reply.

Tychus was fiddling with buttons and knobs, looking over screens and still trying to figure out what all the fancy readings his spectre mask was giving him meant. "Nothin' wrong with this equipment, chief. At least we can get a new comm brat up here."

Sidling up beside the big spectre warily, Daren tried to school his thoughts. Damn teeps. "Equipment went haywire at one point, I know that much. I'll get one of the wrench jockeys to look at it, just in case." Tychus' plate-sized hands continued to wander across the equipment as Daren spoke, and finally came to a stop on one button.

"Lets see what happened." Tychus smirked, tone leaking superiority as it tended to, as he pressed the button and the camera footage for the comm room began to play. "What time did everything go haywire?" He questioned, looking at Daren through the closed CMC faceplate.

Impressed, Daren glanced at the sensors and timers in his suit, thinking. "About a half-hour ago."

As soon as Tychus set the time of recording back, they each watched with rising apprehension.

"What's the kids name?" Tychus said.

"Monty." Daren supplied, feeling sick as he watched the grainy video of what was a level-headed kid apparently having a mental meltdown over a fully functioning comm system.

"That's some messed up stuff." Tychus grunted, looking at the shadowy masses and flickering equipment. Some real weird crap goin' on around here, Jimmy...

"He was always the brighter of the two brothers, I can't imagine him just melting down like this." Daren sounded perplexed. "It's like he's looking at someone, fighting it."

Tychus glanced sharply at Daren then, sensing that they were no longer on the same page, or even looking at the same video. "You don't say." The shadowy figure that had pressed Monty up against the glass and forced him to blow his own brains out made even him feel uncomfortable watching. "Guess we ain't gonna get to ask him what happened."

Tension built as they waited, watching dark pools form around the cooling body of Monty. Tychus felt twitchy, all senses on high alert.

As soon as the body of Monty stood up sharply of its own accord, Daren shouted into the comm, "Raynor! It's an infected! We're coming!" Making to run for the door, Daren was slammed back in place by a heavy arm blocking the way.

"You keep this floor secure, son." Tychus voice filtered through the grainy speakers in a growl, already starting to fade from view as the suits stealth tech activated. "Let the big dog handle it."

"I'll get the doors guarded, then." Daren submitted easily- if he never saw an infected again he'd be the happiest man alive. Locking down the door behind the frightening spectre, he turned to the comm equipment and got to work.

Any eyes on the bogeyman yet, Jimmy? Tychus' voice filtered into Jim's mind, along with his apparent excitement at the fight coming.

Stepping into a poorly illuminated room, Jim was thankful for any and all extra senses he had just then. Whoever thought dark red lights were good for emergency lighting situations, he'd like to have a talk with them. Not yet. The comm kid is dead?

It is the comm kid! Tychus snapped. Back from the dead, killed by some real spooky shit. That marine, Daren, couldn't see it. I saw it Jim.

So the hybrid are what, possessing people- alive and dead? Jim wondered, turning around in the doorway once he decided the room was clear. He shouted in surprise and fired a three round burst of bullets into the chest of a skinny, grinning man no less than four feet away.

As Jim filled with surprise, Tychus abandoned his brisk room inspection and came barreling through the building. Comin' partner!

Monty was blown against a wall by the blast to his chest and bounced off it, landing face first. Jim grimaced at the quick glance of exposed bone and brain at the back of Monty's head, but the creature rolled to its feet and lunged for him in a hellish flash. Firing off another burst round, the rifle was sharply knocked to the side- bullets clattering through the enclosed space; Jim found himself wrestling with a man easily half his size, never mind weight, for control of his firearm.

A quick shift of weight was all the warning he had to avoid the curled-finger swipe aimed at his mask, tilting his head back sharply to avoid it. As their collective momentum shifted, the shorter man too far forwards against Jim and lacking a grip, he planted one booted foot against Monty's groin and kicked outwards with all of his might. Launched into the air, Monty collided with the ceiling- a wet crunch signalling all sorts of internal damage.

Jim was further caught off guard when the man's arms and legs adjusted during the impact and sent him flying directly back at Jim. With a decisive swipe, the strap that kept the gauss rifle firmly connected to Jim was ripped asunder and a foot shoved the gun straight to the ground violently. The two locked hands and were wrestling for control, a game of roman knuckles with consequences not yet realized, when Jim caught sight of a shimmer.

Panic flooded through Jim as he realized his claws were slicing into the back of Monty's hands and wrists, teeth bared and body straining from effort, he snarled. "Shoot it Tychus!" The barrel of Tychus' gun shimmered into view as the cloaking fell, and his finger was on the trigger before Jim finished shouting.

Hands wet with blood, Monty slipped his fingers through Raynor's grip and caught either side of his mask, grinning like a demon. Gasping, Jim's hands reflexively locked down on the sides of Monty's neck, concealed claws piercing through the flesh like butter. Monty's head disappeared just as Raynor's mask was ripped off.

Stunned, Jim let go of the corpse and watched it fall into a limp heap as Tychus lowered his gun. "Shit, Jimmy." This little charade of ours is going to be over before it began. Tychus pointed out ominously, reaching for the long knife on his belt- Jim only gleaned the grim purpose when the big man carefully grabbed the corpse and began to firmly slice the remains of it's head off, followed by it's hands.

Tychus, what are you doing? Jim scrambled for his mask, forced to hold it on with one hand since the damned straps were broken.

These freaks just keep comin', nobody is gonna question why the damned thing is chopped up. Best we can do after you turned him into swiss cheese, Jimmy you fool! That Tychus was stressed and frustrated was clear, finishing off the grim work and swiping his knife clean on his suit before sticking it back in its sheathe.

Good thinking. Raynor swallowed, looking at the mutilated corpse in distaste. Won't let that happen again. We need to talk to Nova- and soon. Adjusting his mask awkwardly as he retrieved his gun, Jim opened the comm and spoke in a haggard tone. "Building is secure, Daren. Warfield can take over for now- we need to get you to the Bucephalus and discuss what all is going on here."

"Roger." Came the quick reply from Daren.

"Catch up with you in a minute, cupcake." Tychus joked, enjoying the irked feeling that twanged from his friend. His expression sobered quickly as soon as he heard the door closing behind Jim and Daren in the distance. Tugging his spectre mask off, he tilted his head back and breathed deep that candied scent. "Mmm." Nobody saw him licking the blood from his fingertips.

Bucephalus - Rebel Base

"This cursed mist settled in over Augustgrad in the days following the emper-err," Daren stumbled verbally, looking at Valerian Mengsk across the fine table before continuing, Valerian offered him an amused smile of encouragement. "Arcturus' unveiling of the hybrid and my subsequent desertion. There were many of us." Daren leaned back in the unbelievably luxurious chair he was seated on, in front of some of the most powerful men in the galaxy. He was nervous and could feel sweat crawling down his neck.

Gripping the arms of his chair firmly, Daren continued. "Civilian activity plummeted during those first few days, we attributed it to the active war going on and not the mist. They had to be hiding in their homes, waiting for things to settle- martial law was in effect." Fixing his eyes to the smooth wooden surface of the polished table, Daren imagined he was reciting a report to an empty room. "We did not know about the infected until Nova arrived- the attack came within those first few moments. One of our men changed. She managed to reestablish order and repel them initially, then we were dug in and fighting from there on out."

Valerian leaned back in his chair, hands folded together neatly as he absorbed the information. Raynor, Tychus, Warfield and Lasarra were also present, digesting the bad news.

"Nova didn't tell you anything more about them?" Raynor questioned, staring at Daren hard.

Shaking his head negative, Daren couldn't look Jim in the eye. "There was no time for a debrief, best I got was she knew it was the hybrid who did it and that there might be more information in a lab somewhere." He couldn't put his finger on it, but the stares from Raynor, Warfield and Tychus were disconcerting, like they were unblinking statues. Even Lasarra wasn't so off-putting, and she was a damned alien.

"Supplies are limited, even with the two battlecruisers pitching in. We need to make a decision soon- spearhead an attack against Arcturus and his hybrid, or collect the surviving rebels and flee." Warfield said, looking thoroughly displeased.

"We need Agent Nova to shed more light on the situation," Valerian said, resting his hands on the armrests of his chair languidly. "Abandoning my people is not an option. There are billions of people on Korhal. Billions. I won't accept that they are now all dead."

"We're not about to jump ship on these folks just like that, Valerian." Raynor agreed, leaning forwards in his chair heavily to avoid perforating anything with his concealed spines. He'd already caught some funny looks for the position. "Any word on everyone's favorite ghost, Lasarra?"

Ever calm looking, Lasarra stepped forwards and looked down over the assembled. November Terra is recovering well. I fear that she may be weakened against further mental intrusions, however... Only time will tell.

"You might have to make a decision without more info, chief." Tychus piped up, looking over and down at Valerian. "I say we get the hell outta here, but no one listens to me anyway." He grouched, leaning back into his strained chair.

"Thank you for your input, Mr. Findlay." Valerian spoke, a hint of archness in his tone, before looking towards Daren and smoothing out his facade of calmness. "You have given your all to protect your men and fight against a tyrant, Sargent. I couldn't possibly ask you to fight further until you and your men have been given an adequate amount of time to rest and recuperate." He held up a hand quickly when Daren leaned forwards, a protest on his lips.

"I insist, please. If you exit this room you'll be shown your quarters and you can contact any of your men at your leisure. Some are located in the infirmary, I'm sure it would hearten them to see you, Daren." Valerian coaxed patiently, watching as the war-weary man's features softened at the mention of his men.

Finally, Daren nodded and stood to leave. "Thank you, I will go see them."

As soon as Daren left the room the atmosphere changed dramatically, like a great sigh was unleashed.

Warfield placed his folded hands on the table. "We've shored up the defenses, Prince Valerian. The Bucephalus and Hyperion can maintain the outer perimeter indefinitely and a much smaller force with rotating shifts can take care of the inner perimeter for a drawn-out siege. I believe we can wait for Nova to recover if we-"

"Um, hello?" Tychus blurted, tossing his hands on the table and leaning forwards. "Aren't we forgetting a certain Zerg Queen is on a collision course with this rock?"

"Easy, Tychus. Bit hard to forget." Raynor raised a hand in an attempt to placate his unruly friend.

"Mr. Findlay does present a strong point." Valerian cast his voice above the others with the practiced precision of a public speaker. "However, Korhal still has the drakken defense system and a good portion of its remaining fleet- I suspect that we didn't have to contend with more than alpha squadron precisely because of the threat of Kerrigan. There is no scenario in which Arcturus Mengsk doesn't know the swarm is coming."

"The swarm will make landfall regardless of all that, Valerian." Raynor replied warily, the swarm and its leader did not mind losing a few million to achieve that goal, and all it took was one established base for a swarm assault to tip the balance. "We are on a tight schedule."

"I understand, Jim. As such, I'd like to immediately begin planning an aggressive approach- with your help of course. We need to be ready to move on a moments notice." Valerian received approving nods from Raynor and Warfield while Tychus just looked agitated.

"Well, you folks sure got a lot to talk about." Tychus rumbled and rose from his chair to his impressive height, rolling his shoulders. "You let me know when I get to go out and play, Jimmy." He gave a quick nod to Jim and helped himself out of the room.

"Mr. Findlay doesn't seem to appreciate the nuances of planning." Valerian pointed out in a cool tone as soon as the door shut.

"Never was his thing, probably for the best we just let him do his thing for now." Jim shrugged.

They began planning in earnest and Lasarra stood there quietly, listening both to the conversation at hand and all the thoughts flying around freely. While overwhelming in a way, it was very informative and interesting- terrans worried about the strangest things.

Wandering around the Bucephalus unhindered, Tychus managed to nearly bump into Daren in passing. The smaller man already looked ten times better, even though dark rings remained under his eyes- he'd managed to get a sonic shower and a shave in. "Where you headed?" Tychus said.

"Hey, about to check on the men in the infirmary- heard some of them are in rough shape." Daren replied, looking melancholy at the thought.

"Damn shame," Tychus said briskly. "Say, I heard a few whispers goin' 'round about a poker game. I could always use a partner." He offered, a quick and tidy olive branch for nearly beating the piss out of the man.

Daren cracked a small smile at that, chuckling. "I don't know, you might not be able to keep up with me." He grinned as soon as the big spectre grinned hugely at the taunt, then sobered quickly. "We'll see, if I am done my business before it starts I'll be there."

"Fair enough, off you get." Tychus nodded, leaving Daren to his business.

Daren watched him leave, thoughtful. He had cleaned his weapon before grooming and found a thick cut in the metal, he could still recall the texture of the smooth gash under his fingertip when he touched it curiously. It was like a claw mark. Letting out a huff at his own paranoia, Daren returned to what he was originally intending to do- see his men. So he's some kind of super hulk mind reader. At least he's on our side, he thought.