The Reckoning – 6
That thing was huge. She realized it as she continued to lay her eyes on it. Its surface was pocked and pitted, lumpy like a thick porridge, and it writhed as she watched. This was no mere vessel. The thing, the drop pod itself, was alive! She could just make out several shapes within, twisting, limbs flailing against the wall of the drop pod. Her hair stood on end but she couldn't back away.
Perhaps it sensed the proximity of its enemies or perhaps due to simple timing, but for whatever reason, Kate stood and watched as the first limb lashed out, then another, striking the drop pod cocoon near the top. A spike drilled itself through and began to make it way down, slicing the skin of the cocoon. Thick oily liquid gushed out of the wound as the rest of the drop pod stretched itself out. Another hard thrust came from within as a second spike tried to make its way out. The top of the drop pod distended farther and before long, it burst like a rotten melon, skin peeling away exposing its contents. Two huge, fully mature hydralisks slowly ascended right in front of the crowd as the skin limped to the ground.
There were cries and screams. The little girl Kate was carrying whimpered. Kate herself was totally oblivious of what happened all around her as she herself was too busy gawking at the towering monstrosities that stood right in front of her. Her brain screamed for her to make the run but her muscles refused to obey. Try with all her might, she just could not pull her eyes away from those flaming red eyes and pairs of scythes the hydralisks raised threateningly towards frightened terrans. Like Kate, everyone else froze with fear.
An ear piercing and hair raising shriek reverberated through the ground, walls, windows, virtually everything surrounding the crowd as one of the hydralisk let out its signature howl. Kate heard tales purportedly told by those who claimed to be the survivors of a Zerg attack. Of how the slithering mutated snakes would make its gruesome kill the moment they let out that cry. Of how it continued to defile its victim even when the laters life long snuffed out.
Kate closes her eyes and tightens her hold on the girl. Her memory flew over the landscape of her life as she began to remember all the happy, sad and embarrassing moments, families, friends and foes. She remembered her hopes and her dreams. All her strength were drawn out. She could not even control her own trembling, knowing that any second from now she will meet her own demise, confident that it would happen in a horrible manner. To think that people had years and years, so much time to waste and yet at that moment she tried as much to cling to the time she got left.
"They turn back," the man beside her spoke. "The Zerg. They're leaving."
Kate opened her eyes. Indeed, all that she was seeing were the receding back of the hydralisks as they slithered their way towards the outskirt of the city. She looked around, expecting to see disemboweled bodies lying around in front of her. None of the disembowelment seemed to happen.
Murmurs broke out as everyone tried to make sense of what had happened. Zerg leaving their would-be-victims alone was virtually unheard of and yet, here it happened right in the middle of a battle to boot. Kate was puzzle as well. Being a reporter and had traveled throughout the sector searching for news and telling real life stories, never she heard nor experienced this kind of thing before.
"Well I'm not going to complaint," the man beside her spoke again. "As long as that damn thing leaves us alone, I'm good. Best we get out of here before our luck really runs out."
Kate silently agrees. She could guess that everyone was relieved, knowing that they were unharmed but still she could detect fear lacing every single word that man spoke. A feeling that was perfectly understandable. But still, despite the 'narrow escape' they just had, she was not so sure that they will be lucky the second time. They should be heading somewhere. The sixty million dollars question would be 'where'? But just as she was trying to figure out what to do next, a wail of siren was heard. She turned around and saw a group of marines and several armored vehicles coming their way.
"Citizens of the City of Augustgrad!" one of the marines spoke through a public address system fixed on top of one of the armored vehicles. "This is a message from Prince Valerian Mengsk and General Johanna Jor-el. As you all know, the city of Augustgrad is now under siege by an extra terrestrial force known as the Zerg. Several extraction points had been setup at several locations at the outskirt of the city. You are to proceed to the nearest extraction point in an orderly manner. Security escorts will be provided along the way to ensure your safety but please do not do anything that will cause harm to you and those around you. I repeat-…"
That announcement trailed off as Kate saw one marine walked towards her location. The marine landed his gaze on to the crater and what was left of the Zerg drop pod in it. His faceplate was open. Kate saw his face hardened.
The marine turned towards Kate. "How many died?" he asked.
"None," she replied. "There were two hydralisks. It simply came out of-, of that thing and leave. That way." She pointed towards the direction the hydralisks went.
The marine quirked his eyebrows. "Are you sure those Zerg didn't kill anyone?"
"Look, I'm not the only one who saw what happened. You can ask any of these people if you don't believe me. If those two Zerg attacked, all you'll find would be dead bodies," she said.
"Alright, alright I believe you but we're running out of time," said the marine putting his hands up. "Right now the Zerg were still amassing at the outer wall of the city but you know as well as I did that won't be long. We need to get as many people out as possible. Would you please follow me, Miss Lockwell."
"Wait! You know me?"
"Who doesn't know you? Anyway, the nearest landing platform is about a couple of miles from here. Unfortunately due to the current circumstances you'll have to walk to get there," came the reply.
"Don't you have transports to pick us up?" asked Kate, mentally slapping herself for forgetting that she was the UNN main anchor. Of course, a lot of people would recognized her.
"We do but we kinda short of it and there's too many people to be evacuated. Using transport will only slow the evacuation," explained the marine.
"That is absurd."
"Believe me my superiors did consider it but unfortunately we need all the transport we have for protection and to ferry those who really in need, patients, people with disabilities, elders. I'm sorry Miss Lockwell but you look healthy and strong. You'll just have to walk your way there. And hurry. We're working on a tight schedule here."
Kate sighed. She had no choice but to let the marine towed her as she rejoined the crowd who already made quite a headway towards the extraction point.
The journey towards the extraction point was uneventful, aside from multiple explosions heard coming in from the city. It had been fifteen minutes since she walked past the border of the city and she walked as fast as her feet could carry her. Marines and various armored vehicles provided the escort from the ground. Several wraiths and medivacs provided air cover. Up ahead, she saw a makeshift landing platform where multiple shuttles continuously landed and took off. She was told that the military had set up seven extraction points located throughout the outskirt of the city. The one she was heading was the first the military managed to set up and from the look of it, it was heavily guarded with several Crucio tanks in siege mode placed strategically around it. She took it that the arrangement would be the same with the other landing platforms as well. From there, all the survivors would be flown towards an orbital platform that was set up specifically to house all the survivors of the Zerg onslaught. Unfortunately though, that was the only information she could gather up to this point. The marine left for his other duties just as she was about to interrogate him further. That was one disappointment. The other was the fact that she totally forgot to mention that she injured her ankle when she shot off that ankle bracelet. She could have got on into one of those medivacs and flew herself all the way to the platform.
Her feet were aching but she finally made it to platform twenty minutes later. She saw right in front of her several long lines of the city survivors waiting their turn to board the shuttles. An officer ushered her towards one of the line. She obliged. The girl she was carrying fell asleep on her shoulder during the journey towards the landing platform, probably tired, probably hungry. Kate made a mental note to cater to all of that once they reach their destination. And to find the girl's parent if they still alive that is. Silently, she prayed for their safety.
As she waited her turn, she watched and listened to her environment. From afar, she could see the aerial battle over Augustgrad sky intensified. She was sure the ground fight has not started yet. The flow of the refugees remains undisrupted. Military rescuers still made their way in and out of the city gathering as many survivors as possible. However, the amount of the Zerg drop pods making their way towards the planet surface had subsided. She was not a military strategies but she knew what that means. Based from what she heard from the marines' conversations, the Zerg had achieved their objective of establishing a ground base on the surface of Korhal and that was as scary as it can get. A ground fight could happen at any moment. Small wonder that she could see enormous desperation plastered on every face of the soldiers as they tried to move as much survivors as possible within a set limited of time.
Inch by inch the line crawled until finally it was her turn to board the shuttle but just as she climbed up the ramp to get into the shuttle, someone yelled, "WE GOT INCOMING!"
Kate turned to look towards the direction the marine was pointing. From the horizon, she could see huge cloud of dust kicking out in the air, not unlike massive sandstorm she experienced before on some of the planets she visited during her assignments. A flurry of activities erupted as the marines took position.
One of the military personnel, Kate assumed he was the commander of the outfit, took out a binocular and began to scan the area. Kate could see his facial expression changed as he lowered the binocular. "Shit! That's a whole lot of them!" he said. He quickly turned towards his men and gave the command, "Shoot them! Shoot them all!"
The soldiers began to empty their clips towards the incoming horde of zerglings. The shuttle shook from the mighty boom that came from the Crucios as they fired their 90mm gun. Behind Kate, all the survivors were panicking. They started pushing her from behind as they tried desperately to get into the shuttle. Not complaining, Kate quickly gets into the shuttle. She took a window seat and peered out through the window. From where she sat, she could clearly see zerglings, thousands of them, racing their way towards the landing platform. "Oh my God!" she whispered. The Zerg would run over them at any moment and yet the shuttle had not taken off. Looking to the front, she saw the reason why. Without the military control, the situation on the landing platform became truly chaotic as the panicking survivors tried to get into any of the available shuttles. The shuttles' pilot could not raise the shuttle ramp and depart. She could not blame the military though. She knew they were trying their best to prevent the Zerg from reaching the platform. Their effort though remained questionable. Either way, whether they concentrated on the survivors or to the Zerg, all of them would still die.
The situation looked bleak. Kate wondered if the shuttle's hull could withstand the Zerg pounding, maybe she would have a chance of surviving. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage. She was not ready to die. Not yet. Meanwhile, the Zerg horde had reached within a mile from the landing platform and within seconds, they would overwhelm everything.
But then, just as the zerglings got within about a few hundred meters from the platform, all of a sudden they changed direction. Instead of blasting their way through the landing platform, they were now going around it and continue their way from there. The shooting meanwhile continued but the soldiers seemed to notice the odd phenomenon as well. A few of them even brought their weapons down and from then on, they simply stood and watched the Zerg raced pass by. It was not until the commander gave the order to stop that the firing ceased.
The shooters become the spectators.
Ten minutes later, the shuttle Kate boarded was high up in the air, escorted by a couple of wraith at each side, on its way to the orbital platform. The soldiers, still wary of the Zerg peculiar behavior, decided to take advantage of the situation and reassert their control on the landing platform and the evacuation process.
The little girl sat on Kate's lap. Kate did not mind it at all. There were not enough seat in the shuttle to cater for all of the passengers. The shuttle itself heaved and groaned as it took off, no doubt from the overloaded cargo it was carrying. Kate could only pray that they would make to their destination safely. She already had enough drama for the day and was not in the mood for more. Both of them were looking out of the window. Kate's eyes lingered on Augustgrad, wondering what fate the city will be in the moment the onslaught was over, questioning on why it began and figuring what are the motives behind the attack. She knew that a lot people would say that the Zerg had no motive, that the only thing that they know was to kill and kill some more. However, she was more than clever enough to realize that this time around, that was not the case.
The shuttle climbed up higher into the upper atmosphere. Kate somehow managed to get a glimpse of the Imperial Palace before it lost beneath the cloud cover.
Pieces of a huge puzzle.
And she think might have found the first piece.
Zerg primary base, Augustgrad eastern sector…
On a cliff she stood, facing the human's capital city. The hot korhalian summer breeze blew in her face. She did not sweat. Her Zerg biological make up prevented her for doing that. Her thought and command flow through to every broodmother currently under her employ and from there it trickled down to every soldier they mobilized. They will do it without question. They will do it without challenging her authority. And the information goes in reverse as well. Through the Zerg eyes she saw what they were doing. She saw whom they killed, she tasted their victories and disregard her minion's death. Behind her, stood the Zerg factory where its assembly line continued to churn out every Zerg creatures she and the broodmothers desire and reinforcing every defensive structure available. It was the first time ever she put her broodmothers to the test in a battle this size. She put out the plan and the rules in general and let the broodmothers work out the small details.
From afar, she could see the silhouette of the pyramid shape Imperial Palace. Acturus Mengsk was still in it. She could feel him. She could almost taste him. That bastard did not run away. Nor did he plan to escape despite the current predicament he was in. Always an arrogant fool he was, thinking that he would be safe in his little fort, thinking that she could be stop. No. She won't stop. She will not be stopped.
Her life. Her dreams. Her love. All of it had been destroyed by this very man. And she was driven insane by it. This had become very personal. If she had her way, she would have destroyed everything and killed everyone in order to get to him. After all, why should she care? Those people out there never cared for her anyway. Those people would never care whether she lives or die. Granted some of it would stem from all of her previous actions. Eight billions souls perished. Millions more remained unaccountable. Their fate unknown. But still, having next to zero connection with her former species means that while she regretted what she had done, lingering her thought on it would not be what she would be doing. What's done is done. There won't be any turning back. At least not for her. It won't matter what kind of good deed she would be doing. It won't even matter the size and the scale of it. No terrans would see her in a different way. No one else will ever see the person beneath the carapace.
But then, she did prevent the hydralisks from harming the civilians. She did that to every Zerg that came out of their drop pod that fell within the city's boundary. And those landing platforms. She spared all seven of it. Granted the platform's defenders did killed hundreds of her own minions but she refused to retaliate. Both Zagarra and Izsha questioned her action in sparing the civilians but she shut both of them out. Both of them might be the closest officers she had under her chain of command but neither of them justified for any information pertaining her personal desire. Besides, none of them would understand anything personal about her that she was doing all of that not for the Zerg but for the one she truly cared and loved most of her life.
Jim.
The only person in the whole universe who saw a girl buried deep beneath all those carapaces. The one who stubbornly believe in her when no one else will. The one man who had defended her against his own allies and enemies. The one who held her close to his heart.
Her eyes lingered on the battlefield. Everything so far had gone within plan. Her broodmothers did their job well. It was in that moment her thought flew to Jim, wondering where he was and what he was doing in that instance. The Korhal invasion was important for both of them. In fact, that was the main reason for the Raiders' existences. Jim was probably watching the event unfolded from somewhere safe. Perhaps it was for the best. It won't be a good idea for the Raiders to join in the battle. Their numbers are too few. The Hyperion would be obliterated the moment they step into the door. Jim's death wasn't something she was prepared to see. She already had the taste of that a few weeks ago. Although it was a bluff, that bluff was more than enough to drive her out of her mind.
"Jimmy," she softly whispered.
Old memories at that point began to resurface and went back as far as she could remember. It wasn't much really. All those memory wipes she had during her days as the Confederacy days had done quite a number on her mind. The first time Acturus freed her, she couldn't even remember her last name. And when she finally remembered, older, horrible memories came out as well. Most of the time, she ended shunning herself up. Never wanted to talk to anyone unless it was important and she only talked to Acturus. At that time she even had little trust on Acturus but since the rebel leader had been nice to her, being rude to him would be a really bad move.
Then Somo Hung came along. He was the one who opened her eyes to the possibility that decency still existed somewhere within the depth of humanity. Somo wasn't a soldier nor he was built as one. He was just a fringe worlder who joined the Son of Korhal just because he wanted to contribute for something he believed in. Somewhere along the way, a spark ignited and although he never mentioned it, she knew that Somo loved her and she felt the same way about him as well. Unfortunately, circumstances tend to stand in the way and before both of them could act on their feelings, Somo's life was puffed out by the one who had made her life a living hell, Major Rumm. She managed to exact her revenge but that did nothing to cure the wound now etched deep within her heart and for the next few years she shunned herself from men advances even further.
Men did try to win her heart, both Son of Korhal and outsiders. Being tall and curvaceous, with those emerald eyes, fair skin and the fiery red hair, she was the prettiest Son of Korhal officer of them all. And her Ghost suit leaves little to the imagination. But being a strong telepath, she pretty much knew what they really desired. There were a few who had decent motives in trying to struck a relationship with her but still the fact that those big bumps on her chest and what between her legs play a role somehow turned her off. She continued to remain single and never wanted to have anything to do with men.
Until Jim made his first appearance.
She hated him with passion and it was all because of what he thought of her the first time they met. He was just like any other man she encountered. But much to her surprise, she found out later that Jim disliked her as well. Working with him was difficult at first. If it wasn't for Acturus's orders, she won't do it. But still, she couldn't deny the chemistry they both had whenever they were working together. The level of understanding they both have. The kind of communication that they both used. It was totally on a whole different level. And as time went by, Jim started being nice to her but it was not after Antiga Prime that they both finally hooked. One thing lead to another and it finally ended up at Sam's Place. That night was incredible and it was at that moment she finally gets to know the real Jim Raynor.
But it didn't last long. She was left on Tarsonis and remade into the Queen of Blades.
She could feel him as he got near her chrysalis but somehow she stopped caring. The moment she burst out of her cocoon, all she could think of was her 'father' and the Zerg cause. She was fill with hatred that resulted in the Raynor Ranger's rescue teams decimated. All except one. She let him lived.
She couldn't understand it at first on why she did that. Jim was just a human and all human are the enemy of the Zerg. Surely killing him would be an easy job. Maybe it was that horrified look he gave the first time he saw her transformation. It could also due the disappointment and that sad look he gave before he turned and left. Or perhaps the fact that she saw in his mind the event that occur the moment she lost to the Zerg, of how Jim desperately tried to get to her on the doomed planet, of how Jim fought Mengsk loyalists when he tried to escape and most importantly, Mengsk's betrayal. Or maybe it was because she still loved him.
For the last four years she spend in preparing the second coming of the Xel Naga. That was basically her main task as the old Queen of Blades. She cranked up the Zerg assembly lines. She spent weeks, months and even years in trying to search for the artifact. She knows not on why she did that. She didn't even know on what purpose the artifact shall served. All that she knew was that it had to be done. No one commanded her. It came in the form of intuition that she felt it was the right thing to do. But even then during those busy time, she would never failed to let her thought wandered to him even though she knew that Jim hated her for her betrayal at the end of Brood War. The betrayal that gave birth to the vow that shook her to the core and caused her so many regrets. She tried hard to forget him from that moment. She achieved some level of success in the effort that by the end of those four years, she finally had no qualm in killing him if she wanted to.
But of course time thought her a lesson the hard way. She lost her sanity the moment she got the news that Jim was 'executed'.
Korhal wasn't a beautiful planet but millions had called it their home, much like what Char was to her.
And now she come to return the favor.
"My Queen." The voice of her adjutant woke her up from her thought.
"What is it, Izsha?"
"The terran Emperor Acturus Mengsk is making contact. He wants to speak to you," came the reply.
What is it this time, she thought. "Patch him through."
The advantage of being a Zerg. She don't have to physically appear in front of a communication apparatus when making contact. A mind link linking her to the holographic table within the hive would be enough. Not only she could hear but she also could see the person she speaks to. The only problem would be the opposite person won't be able to see anything. She cared nothing about that. Strolling back into the hive just to have a chat with the one she wanted to kill wasn't what she was looking forward to. At least not yet.
The mind link established. "Tired of throwing random empty threats every now and then and now you wanted to specifically deliver them to me, Acturus? I'm all ears," she greeted him.
"I can't see you," came the reply.
"Be patient, Acturus," replied Sarah. "You'll see me soon enough. But if you really want to make it quick, just called off all your soldiers and tell them to stay away. I'll try to make it less painful. Can't promise though. I do tend to go overboard." Her eyes transfixed to the Imperial Palace.
"Hah!" scoffed Mengsk. "You're deep within the terran space, Kerrigan. My men have surrounded your base. The Dominion fleets are still pouring in from all over the sector. Being over confident isn't the best idea to be implemented right now. But thanks for the laugh."
"Let see," said Sarah. "I manage to get through your orbital defenses. I manage to construct a base right at your doorstep. The so called invincible Dominion fleets are still stuck at the blockade. Oh, you really need to learn how to properly interpret battlefield situation because what you said doesn't exist! Now what is it that you want, beside the obvious."
It was a momentary of silence. After a while, Mengsk replied, "One of us is going to die. I prefer it to be you to be honest."
"Glad you cleared that up," replied Sarah sarcastically.
"But still," Mengsk continued. "It's best not to keep things left unsaid."
Sarah was slightly taken aback. A heart to heart talk with Mengsk wasn't what she expected. She went into deep thought for a few minutes until finally, she asked, "Why did you left me on Tarsonis, Acturus?"
"There was never any chance to come and rescue you, Sarah," replied Mengsk calmly. "There were never any chances. Believe me, I did consider coming in to get you but we never got the chance."
Hearing this, Sarah's anger spiked. "Death is knocking at your door and still you see the need to lie to me! I know perfectly well what really happened! Everything you did was on purpose! I saw it all clearly in Jim's mind!"
"Have you ever considered that Jim might be lying to you? That he is just as manipulative as anyone else?!" asked Mengsk.
"As you? As me?" asked Sarah. "You and me, we both know that there was never any proof that Jim would lie or manipulate anyone. Even if he did, there was never any proof. He was the most decent person I've ever met. Unlike you. You're nothing but a snake. You befriended anyone who holds the key to your desire. You throw them away once they're spent. Just like what you did to me."
"I liberated you, Sarah. Don't forget that!" interjected Mengsk.
"So that I could fulfill your purposes," replied Sarah. "You saw my potential. You used me. You made your move once an opportunity to revenge your family's death open up."
Silence.
"Indeed. I could never forgive you for what you had done," Mengsk finally confessed.
"You never know how to forgive, Acturus. You don't even know what it's like to love, to care for someone. To you, everyone else is a pawn. No wonder your own flesh and blood deserted you. I never meant to kill your father. You fully realized on how a Ghost operative works but still you see fit to dump everything on me. I had nightmares the moment I regain my memories of all the killing and murder I had committed. You know nothing about that."
Mengsk said nothing. Sarah took this advantage to say her final words, "I hate you, Acturus. I hate you in this life and I will hate you in your death. You have destroyed my life. You have destroyed everything I care about. You have destroyed me. You turn will come. That I can promise you. You sat in that palace like a spider at the center of its web, but that web is falling apart right around you, Acturus. Whatever happens from this moment forward, it will all be on top of your head."
Within an instance, Sarah felt Mengsk's anger boiled. "Yes," he replied. "I have done some great and terrible things and I will do it again if it means to protect innocent life from you."
"Innocent life you say? Or is it you? You use words like a weapon Acturus, but it would no longer save you. Not this time."
Sarah could hear Mengsk chuckled. "Don't feel comfortable, Kerrigan. You will find that I'm full of surprises," he said.
Sarah immediately closed the link. She didn't want to hear anymore of it. A tear flows down her cheek. She gently wiped it away and refocused her attention to the battle ahead of her.
Half an hour later…
"My Queen!"
"What is it, Zaggara?" asked Kerrigan.
"I have lost control of some of our troops, My Queen. Our outline brood have been eradicated!" said Zaggara.
"What?" Sarah immediately focused her attention towards the region specified by Zaggara. Indeed, her brood were dying by thousands in one swoop.
"The terran are deploying a psi destroyer," Stukov suddenly chimed in. "It's interrupting the hivemind and tearing us apart from the inside! The field will quickly kill any Zerg who enters it."
Sarah suddenly understood what Mengsk meant. He indeed was fully prepared for her arrival. That psi destroyer would be the first of his list of surprises. It took her a moment to think. At this time, she was beginning to wish that Jim were there with her.
Stukov meanwhile seemed to realize Kerrigan's dilemma. He knew that she had forgotten something. "What do you think will be the psi destroyer biggest weakness?" he asked Kerrigan.
"Weakness?"
"Yes."
It took her a while before she gets what Stukov was trying to say. Immediately she turned towards Dehaka.
She continued to watch as both the Swarm and the Primal carried out her plan. She had come so far that failure was no longer an option.
The battle raged on. Her thought once again went to Jim.
"This is for the both of us, Jimmy," she whispered.
To be continued…
A/n: Hey guysssss! Its me again! The one and only!
It's been a while since the last time we saw Sarah Kerrigan. I figure why not bring her back in. This chapter was supposed to come out on New Years eve but you know how fun the NYE can be so…..
Anyway, I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter. Please read and review and I'll see you the next time.