Tassadar
Tassadar materialized while the air boiled around him. Heat and light blasted his face at about the same time the noise hit him, and he took the briefest of moments to survey his surroundings. All around him were the familiar and solid forms of his fellow Templar, who were shouting into the Khala with a mix of trepidation and excitement as they were at last allowed to meet the enemy in fully direct terms. It is good that their spirits hold. Being part of the Khundelar is no easy task. Although, gladdened by their enthusiasm, everything else Tassadar saw made his hearts skip beats.
Ash fell from the skies. This side of Thessia was approaching dusk, and the heavens had taken on a dull, burnt orange. The infested ground they stood on felt thick and scaly, and stuck faintly to the undersides of Tassadar's armored boots. The buildings nearby made Tassadar feel sick – they were composed of soft curves and were clearly made with aesthetics in mind, making him realize as he stared at the scabrous zerg growths upon them just what kind of loss Thessia could end up being for the asari people as a whole, for the galaxy as a whole. If they lose their way… it will be our fault.
There was no time for such ruminations. The protoss war machines materialized all around them, and the handfuls of scouts that Artanis could spare flashed by, gathering all the data they could on the march ahead. Their allies were deploying all over Thessaly – the terrans using primitive launching methods, the Council forces via dropship. The air periodically screamed with the terran's fresh arrivals, and Tassadar could feel the countless minds scattering and panicking as they faced their foe. Now is the time.
"Templars!" bellowed Tassadar, louder than he had ever shouted before, causing the Khala to still. "We have our rally point! Push to the Thessaly central hive cluster and burn it!" Tassadar, grimacing in preparation, activated his solitary warp blade. It glowed a vibrant green, the air around it shimmering with the heat. Ignoring the strain, he pointed to the west, down the destroyed streets of Thessaly and toward a great deal of motion.
With a cacophony of clanks, the zealots followed closely behind him. He heard some wondering why he took to the ground with the lesser troops and what kind of weapon he now wielded, but they were not disapproving. He had, after all, lead them to the most glorious battle they would ever likely witness.
"This is General Victus," said the turian from his craft high above. "We're holding high orbit, defensive lines appear steady and the Psi Disruptor is still active. You've got large numbers of ground organisms converging on Thessaly all over the planet. We'll make it difficult for them, but you need to move fast. Barrage incoming."
Tassadar heard the shots long before they pounded the fouled earth. The air began reeking ever more strongly of burned flesh.
"They come!" The cry went up. Hot joy mixed with the occasional jolt of fear shot through the Khala. From behind allies, from below the ground, hissing from the windows of now pulsing asari buildings, the zerg looked upon their foe with a searing hate that chilled Tassadar's spirit. The horde of protoss paused, looking to their leader.
"They are the Second Born!" cried Tassadar. "Fighting them goes beyond our birthright, beyond our duty, beyond our nature! While one of our peoples stand, the other cannot! The Khala is our strength! Reavers, colossi! Attack!"
With a surge of heat, the air boiled as the colossi began their assault. Tassadar ran full pelt across the zerg Creep, the surface of it churning as the Templar advanced. The dragoons followed close behind, and soon Tassadar found himself outpaced by phase disruptor blasts and scarabs. Tassadar heard distant impacts before the ground beneath his feet opened up and he almost tripped. The zerg were among the ranks.
Tassadar struck the hydralisk across the face, cutting it in twain with a diagonal slash. Hot red blood gushed from the wound while its left mandible flew from the creature in a crimson arc. With his other hand, Tassadar grasped a leaping zergling, holding it aloft with telekinesis before crushing it with a clenched fist. His shields flared and he staggered before turning to face his new foe.
This hydralisk stood taller than most others Tassadar had seen, though he knew it was not a hunter killer. Its scales, normally a putrid brown interspaced with colored brood markings, were instead a faintly glowing aqua. Tassadar grunted as he brought his blade to bear. The hydralisk lowered its head, flaps opening.
Tassadar leapt forward, and the hydralisk glowed suddenly with blue. The spines that leapt out actually stung through the shields as Tassadar charged, bringing the blade in a swooping arc. After a moment's resistance the hydralisk fell neatly into two halves, but Tassadar's shields had almost completely collapsed. What in the name of Adun was that?
Around him, Tassadar's zealots began to falter. Zerg glowed blue and resisted the cuts of their psi blades, shrugged off glancing scarab impacts that normally would have liquefied them. Tassadar watched, horrified, as one zealot's shields collapsed under the blows of some infested biped and he was yanked backward in a sudden surge of blue, pulled into the roiling horde. These are not psionics. What fresh hell is this?
The zerg that had burrowed up from below were thinning out, but others were rushing in from every direction, even behind the colossi. The rear guard held the line while the dragoons moved back to provide assistance, but Tassadar's advance found itself stymied. The slug-like reavers had expended their scarabs and were now frantically refilling, and the colossi, fearsome as they were, simply did not have the raw firepower to carry the fight this time. This is not Ilos – that was a mere skirmish. This is the zerg close to the apex of their power. I shudder to think how they will develop if given more time to establish themselves.
Tassadar's shields, barely having recovered, suddenly flickered and almost died as a loud, horrible thudding penetrated his ears. Throwing himself to the side and looking to the blood-soaked ground, it was to find foot-and-a-half long serrated spines sticking out of the area from which he had just left. Not hydralisks. What is this?
"Tassadar! Far behind!" A nearby zealot, shields down, bleeding from several wounds, pointed to the back of the still advancing zerg. Swatting aside a zergling, Tassadar directed his focus. In the distance, great lumbering quadrupeds with a fan of appendages displayed behind them lashed out repeatedly, propelling the spikes at dizzying speed. These are new.
"Colossi! Engage the quadrupeds!" Tassadar charged again, backed by a cadre of High Templar. "Psi storms, here!"
Tassadar relished the feeling of the Khala boiling with near uncontrolled wrath, rejoiced in the sensation of merging with his fellow Templar – though he noted with some anxiety that it was slightly dulled. It was only a single appendage. I am still one with my brothers.
A great mass of zerg disappeared in clouds of blood as one of the largest psi storms Tassadar had ever witnessed materialized in their path. Reinvigorated, Tassadar followed the endpoint of the colossi's beams, a mass of bloody and screaming Templar behind him.
This time, the zerg line wavered. They were pouring in from all directions and their new abilities were deadly beyond belief, but they had clearly not been expecting a ground assault, particularly one of this magnitude. Tassadar listened in on his other allies as his warp blade sliced through carapace and sinew, again and again.
"Captain Filuk, SIU second company," reported a batarian leader. "Got biotic zerg, but gauntlets and submission nets are proving effective. Casualties are about what we expected, making for the protoss."
"Major Darius, Hierarchy third division! We've lost too many vehicles and are encountering biotic zerg backed by infested elcor! Requesting air support!" The turians seem hard pressed. Adrien Victus was quick to respond, though Tassadar did not listen in further.
"This is Lieutenant Kerrigan, we've linked up with Umojan forces but are locked down by sunken colonies. Look for the orange flare and send either tank or air support!"
"Asari third company. Never thought we'd have to employ anti-biotic tactics against the zerg, but here we are. Found a handful of survivors and are closing in on the hive cluster."
The message their allies sent was clear. Experiencing heavy resistance, but they are determined to win through. We must not let them down. I suppose those new abilities of the zerg are biotics...
The zerg were falling away before their onslaught, the sweeping beams of the colossi finally carving a path through their resistance. The strange artillery quadrupeds had ruptured and fell apart in a pile of their own steaming organs, and now all that lay in Tassadar's path were the zerg defensive structures, the sunken colonies. The reavers and colossi made short work of those as well. Beyond that were only the fevered hive defenders and the sickening, pulsating structures of the zerg.
They had cleared away much of a square to make room for the throbbing structural organisms, and the buildings that had not been knocked over and shoved aside were covered in membranous material. Tassadar burned it all without hesitation, defenders, membranes, structures all.
From there, it was a simple matter of calling down a probe and setting up a handful of pylons and photon cannons on what little ground was not covered in creep. Tassadar established a perimeter as best he could at every ruined street corner, deploying the colossi in as even a measure as he could manage. Once he had a measure of security, he began reacting to the cries for help, sending out parties of warriors to dig his allies out of the various quagmires they had fallen into.
Slowly they began trickling in. The batarians were the first to arrive, having sent a smaller and more mobile force. They nodded to the protoss as they passed, their gleaming black armor covered in the viscous blood of their slain foes. Many were carrying wounded brothers between them, and their first action upon arrival was to administer medical attention.
Several turians arrived next. They had brought overwhelming numbers and many were left outside the protective circle of photon cannons and colossi, but their morale appeared relatively high. They elected to bolster the current defenses with their own makeshift emplacements, and before long their guns were scanning the streets behind impressive impromptu fortifications.
The first asari and terrans arrived together, having apparently linked up somewhere to the northeast. From the red coloration of the terran's armor, Tassadar appraised them as Dominion, belonging to the widely hated Arcturus Mengsk. To his dismay, he did not see Raynor or Kerrigan among them. When he felt out with his mind, it was to find them still a half mile away, bogged down by countless smaller zerg organisms.
One of the terran's mind-bogglingly enormous and loud tanks drove up alongside Tassadar, treads coming to a halt before him. A hatch opened from the top, and Tassadar felt out for the person's mind inside only to find it partially blocked.
"You protoss didn't do too badly," said General Edmund Duke as his shining head emerged. He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. "Hadn't had this many targets to shoot at since puttin' down that little rebellion back on Jopar II. Mar Sara was pretty bad too, I guess. How many more aliens we waitin' on? Where're the Umojans? Still draggin' their fat white asses to the rally point?"
"Bogged down and were reporting a need for tank support," said Tassadar, even though this had been quite a while earlier. "We are still waiting on at least one more turian division and a few more asari companies. Once we are ready to move, I will call down Praetor Fenix and his troops, and the push will begin."
"Tank support, eh?" Duke rubbed his large chin. "Figures the damned Umojans wouldn't bring enough armor, too busy writin' damn poetry about sunshine and daisies. Alright, I'll take care of it."
To Tassadar's surprise and slight esteem, the normally irascible and unreasonable Duke lived up to his side of the bargain, venturing forth with a small line of siege tanks supported by a few dragoons and Jiris fighting vehicles. Volunteering batarian SIU troops and Dominion marines alike sat complacently to either side of the siege tank's hull, their legs swinging idly over the murder machine they had hitched a ride on.
"This is General Victus," said Victus again, his voice ringing clear through those on the command channel and the mind of Tassadar. "Good news and bad news. The zerg are moving towards your location all over the planet – which means we're free to hit other locations outside the funnel. Asari Fourth and Sixth fleets will be leading rescue efforts on areas less heavily hit and assaulting secondary and tertiary hive clusters while backed by the few salarians we brought. That's the good news. Bad news is, you've got about an hour and a half before the zerg start moving towards you in such numbers that it will no longer be safe even with orbital support. You need to get out of there!"
"I read you, birdie," replied Duke loudly from wherever he was fighting from. "Tassadar, boy, I know you can hear me. Once I dig these idiots out, I suggest we start making some damn tracks. We get any further intel on that stretch of wasteland?"
Nodding, Tassadar contacted Artanis to find out.
"What have our scouts located, Executor?" asked Tassadar. "The Khundelar has established the foothold. We are almost ready."
"Many scouts were lost," said Artanis, obviously strained. Tassadar had heard of no tragedy striking the protoss fleet, but the pressure still had to be enormous. "The path is covered in both sunken and spore colonies. Close range air support is impossible, and you will experience frequent delays making the push. It is also crawling with zerg, as I am sure you are unsurprised to learn. The first Cerebrate is about ten miles out – the second is much closer to the Overmind."
"They will all have to be destroyed," replied Tassadar before directing a message to Victus. "Can you provide orbital support? The way ahead is crawling with infestation."
"We can help clear the way, but firing directly in your path is inadvisable; you're going to have a hard enough time making that distance already," said Victus. "You won't have to worry as much about getting flanked. As for the Cerebrates, they've been intercepting our shots with clusters of zerg and don't look apt to run out soon. I'm sorry, I did my best."
"I never doubted it," said Tassadar as he heard the distant booms of siege tanks. They'll be back soon. "I will alert Fenix. We will be moving shortly."
Fenix had apparently been listening in, for he materialized alongside Tassadar shortly afterward, his incandescent form solidifying to his old friend's left.
"It is good to have a planet beneath my feet again!" proclaimed Fenix, looking gleefully at the gathered forces around him. "And it is good to be surrounded by the likes such as this! Although… I see the asari are here."
"This is their homeworld, Praetor," said Tassadar, still feeling a twinge of amusement at Fenix's anxiety. "Do the rest of our forces stand ready?"
"They wait with great anticipation, Tassadar!" said Fenix, his enthusiasm not at all extinguished, despite the starkness of their surroundings. "With the two of us leading them, they wonder quite rightly if there is a force in this galaxy – nay, this universe – that can even waylay us."
"The zerg have adapted further," said Tassadar, feeling the presence of Kerrigan shifting closer. Duke picked them up. A few more acts like this and I may even owe him gratitude. "I would not underestimate them. They are taking this time to rally as well. How fare our Nerazim?"
"Here already," chuckled Zeratul from behind Tassadar. I still have much to learn. When he turned to face the Prelate, it was to find him standing alone. "The others scatter amongst the rank and file, all the better to make it harder for the zerg. Kythos and Selak send their greetings." The Prelate stood taller than usual, and had even armored himself with pieces of zerg they had acquired from Char. His eyes glowed from underneath his hydralisk helm.
"We only have six Nerazim," complained Fenix. "Look at them – frail and barely possessing shields and armor-"
"Seven Nerazim, Praetor," said Zeratul, his flicking to Tassadar and his new warp blade. "Wielding the Khala alongside one of our blades, Tassadar. I am… heartened, to see it."
"If Tassadar is among your number now, then we are fine," said Fenix, all doubt vanishing in an instant. Oh, Fenix. You are the only Templar I can imagine who would take such news without being at least slightly perturbed. "I will call down my forces and begin the march, Tassadar. I will leave you with the command of the High Templar while I rally the war machines and foot troops. Khassar de templari!"
Fenix marched off, barking orders through the Khala. The Umojan line had starting trailing in; their white armor, even grimy as it was, still stood out amongst the dull colors of an infested Thessia. Among their number were a small number of terrans clad in freshly-painted blue, and Tassadar's mind met briefly with the ghost among them.
They're fine. They will be fine. Kerrigan's mind retracted. She was worried about Raynor, whose leg was still not fully healed. I am sure he is not alone in being wounded among these soldiers – yet the fight must continue. Tassadar's people were again forming ranks, this time leaving gaps for Fenix's reinforcements. As new protoss warriors appeared within the square, Tassadar looked upon them and realized that the bulk of the people he had taken with him from Chau Sara now stood on this planet with him. If we fail… no. We cannot fail.
Tassadar spread his mind to the people around him, feeling for their emotions, their hopes, their fears.
"Day and a half long forced march… probably longer when the zerg hit us. We got enough food and stimulants?" The turians were concerned only with logistics and victory. Survival seemed too good to be true. Tassadar felt a pang of regret at how the protoss had first met their people. Perhaps I missed something. Am I really that certain they fired first?
"Look at all of 'em, staring at Thessia like it's the end of the world. They haven't seen anything yet." The batarians were more relaxed, as the Hegemony had only sent their best to the surface. Most of them were quite ready to leave.
The asari were consumed either by grief or thoughts of vengeance, and the terrans (as always) were such a baffling mishmash of differing emotions between the lot of them that Tassadar was becoming increasingly uncertain that their various nations were even comprised of the same species. A strange people. It is time to move.
Tassadar took his place among the head of the High Templar. Their numbers were comparatively small to the rest of the force, but there was not a protoss among them that would deny where the true power of the force lay. Here. Where the zerg form unmovable walls, we will rip them aside with the force of a hundred hurricanes.
Fenix's forces moved from the square, abandoning the pylons and fortifications. Tassadar followed close behind, traveling close to the war machines that Fenix commanded. With many a groan and whispered complaint, the other races fell in as well, their many boots thudding in a complete absence of unison behind them.
The first hour was quiet, though Tassadar sensed great movement all around them. Victus's ragged fleet was the only disturbance – twice they reported a sudden surge of overlords to their location, and made haste to intercept. The distant booms and flash of orange among the swiftly falling darkness drew many remarks from the troops as they trudged through the wastes, though Tassadar offered nothing more than momentary attention. Until the Overmind is dead, their numbers are limitless, and their will is unbreakable.
A mile went by. Then another. Periodically, Tassadar heard fragments of some kind of battle hymn or marching song from the turians, and felt a swell of spirits at some of the verses. When he scanned their minds, it was to find it had something to do with "the First Regiment" and some ancient stand. If it keeps their spirits up, good. The noise is irrelevant – the zerg know we are here.
Tassadar did not see when they hit the first sunken colonies. He was only alerted by their presence when the colossi and reavers stopped suddenly to open fire. Distant shrieks and impacts filled the night's air, and Tassadar waited until the noise died away and then continued the advance, his High Templar floating quietly behind him. A short minute later, they found themselves treading on zerg creep once more.
So it begins.
They had four miles of zerg territory to push through, a Cerebrate waiting at the end. Killing it would weaken the Overmind and hopefully give them some time unmolested by the zerg. The turians in the back had quieted. The ground began to bubble and shake.
"THRESHER MAW!" The name was unfamiliar, but the creature really needed no introduction. A great slavering mouth emerged from the creep behind Tassadar with an ungodly scream, scattering the troops unlucky enough to be under it. Tassadar sensed movement from all sides and knew that the real difficulty had begun. Time to fight our way to that Cerebrate.
The Thresher Maw was pelted on all sides by projectiles – dragoons, countless terran and turian guns, reavers – but it barely seemed to notice. With a heave, its gullet sprayed caustic liquid around it, showering those closest with hissing chemicals. The screams were followed by a horrid smell, and the infested Maw retreated as quickly as it had arrived. Tassadar bellowed for his Templar to keep advancing, for they had little time to chase such a burrowing creature… and the bulk of the Swarm was upon them.
From the trees covered in cancerous growths, from behind the hills, from the skies, the zerg came. A great choking orange cloud emerged in Tassadar's line, but he knew where the enemy lay. Psi storms went up, and the protoss found themselves surrounded by energy, an eye in the middle of a raging storm. Spines rained from above, and a High Templar collapsed before vanishing, his suit sensing fatal injuries. The storms ebbed, and Tassadar slid his warp blade free and charged.
Sweeping orange beams crossed Tassadar's path but did not scathe him. Alongside his brothers, he met the zerg full force, his vibrant green blade neatly cutting a zergling in half. Spines enhanced by biotic energy punched through his shield, and one round sheared into his shoulder, prompting the suit to administer antitoxins. Tassadar grunted and lifted a palm, halting the next volley of spines in midair before sending them back in a spray. Pain pulsed through his body, but he could not slow.
The many zerglings were now supported by vicious, fanged bipeds – infested vorcha. The vorcha varied in size but not in temperament – they feared not the Templar, and their claws were only as fearsome as their hate filled red eyes. Tassadar rushed for a zealot who had been surrounded by the creatures, but they pulled him under as soon as the shields had dropped, ignoring their own freshly severed limbs.
The protoss advance had halted, and now the other races were catching up. The staccato of gunshots and harsh shouting was now very close by, and Tassadar had to fight to prevent himself being affected by the raw fear the other soldiers were producing.
"PUSH FORWARD!" screamed Fenix, the Khala thick with his bloodlust. Tassadar grunted and aimed himself towards the now advancing colossi. His blade cut low, high, across, each zerg soon little more than a blurry memory. One foot moved forward, then another. They were cutting themselves free, though now the turians and batarians had caught up with them. I was hoping we could buy them more time free from the attrition of the push.
The next half-hour went through in a daze, and Tassadar had to fight from losing himself to the wrath pulsing through the Khala. To do so was to both lose control of the warp blade and weaken his nearest brothers – his severed psi appendage, even clamped as it was, still bled power. Keep myself at a distance.
The ultralisks set on the protoss first. Their thick armor deterred the worst of the colossi's blasts, and the reaver's scarabs barely slowed them. They came down on the line, roaring, their carapaces alive with the weapon's fire they were attracting. One among the ultralisks caught Tassadar's attention in particular.
Glowing a vibrant blue and half again as large as the others, this ultralisk bore upon the lines in a kind of frenzy Tassadar had never seen before. It brought its bulk to bear directly against the colossi, and the zealots rushed to block it. With a scream, its form shimmered and it tossed its head and sudden force erupted amongst the foot troops, knocking them to either side. It collided with a colossi full force, toppling it effortlessly before stamping hard on its "head." The machine fell still.
"Take it down!" Tassadar did not know who was shouting through the Khala, but he was already there, almost at the foot of the towering creature. Another green blade could be seen in the commotion, and Tassadar also caught a glimpse of a towering warrior. Fenix.
This time there was no war cry. Tassadar dodged neatly to the side as scythe whipped through the air, dizzyingly fast. The ultralisk followed up with more whirling blades, and Tassadar found himself in the distressing position of being a mere distraction while his other warriors went to work on the creature. Psi blades were turned aside by a mix of barriers and carapace. Colossi beams failed. Only the dancing warp blade, barely visible past the ultralisk's shifting blades, seemed to have any effect. A quick cut to the back leg from the Dark Templar made the creature kneel momentarily, bringing its head to Tassadar's level.
Leaping, he swept the blade down, cutting across its face. Smoking pieces of zerg fell away from the creature, but did not seem to slow it. Tassadar drove the blade under its spiked chin, but was promptly shaken away and knocked to the ground. When he looked up, it was to find Fenix had leapt atop the creature and positioned himself on its neck.
His psi blades alight, Fenix tethered his body to the creature with his psionics, letting him stand as the creature rose. His eyes alive with rage, he punched each blade through the back of the creature's enormous head, once, two, three times, his form locked in place by telekinesis. The behemoth tried to shake him off, but Fenix simply drove his blades again and again into where Tassadar hoped its brain was present.
The ultralisk buckled and, with a final yell, lay still alongside too many fallen protoss war machines. Fenix only had time to spare Tassadar a nod before plunging into the fray once again. Tassadar followed wearily, wondering which Dark Templar had helped him bring down the creature.
Darkness had fully fallen, and Tassadar was left wondering how the other races were faring with their lesser vision. Psi blades and flames flickered together in the smothering darkness, and Tassadar could no longer tell what kind of zerg he was fighting against any longer. His endless exhaustion was only tempered by the occasional flash of pride as he witnessed his allies displaying their valor: a batarian ripping a zergling free from a pinned turian before smashing it with some glowing gauntlet, defiant turian chants echoing across the hills and jungle as another unit volunteered to hold some almost lost flank, terran firebats holding off the zerg pushes against the asari commandos, who lifted the smaller zerg into the air and let their allies cook them. What had been a lengthy train of infantry and armor had mushroomed into a roiling crowd of desperate interspecies camaraderie. Where the zerg broke through, the siege tanks and colossi restored order. Where the zerg applied light pressure, the turians and terrans dug in their heels and repelled the assault with force. All the while, the protoss and batarians continued to lead the push, still undeterred.
"You're a mile and a half out," said Victus, sounding out of breath. "You'll see the first Cerebrate soon. The fleets are still holding, but the Psi Disruptor seems to be losing effectiveness. Another few hours, and you'll likely start having to contend with zerg air support. Give them hell!"
Tassadar, ignoring the countless aches and pains that wracked his wounded self, redoubled his efforts. More orange clouds appeared out of nowhere, blinding those reliant on targeting systems. Enormous shapes moved into the foul fog, one of them all too familiar.
Another one? Tassadar recognized the shape of the creature, and then his eyes locked with it through the fog. No. The same!
It glowed blue and knocked a reaver aside without ever touching it – its real goal was the Templar who had helped slay it once before already.
Tassadar reached into the Void and let raw entropy coat his weapon. You will not rise again! He dived between the creature's legs, shields collapsing as a kaiser blade grazed his back, and drove his blade into the ultralisk's underside, running underneath the creature with his weapon buried in its belly.
Tassadar left a yawning, charred wound behind him as he exited the underside, and he heard the ultralisk stagger. Satisfaction warmed his body, and he watched the creature's guts pile up underneath it. Unfortunately, the creature seemed to realize its impending death and took the time to charge off in another direction and out of sight – liquid and putrid smelling organs pouring from it all the way. It has only borrowed time. I hope the others can kill it quickly. Tassadar had other responsibilities.
The creep grew ever thicker here, and the first of the major zerg structures had made their appearance. Though they had lost numerous war machines, the structures still burned quickly, their blood sizzling as they were exposed to the might of the protoss. In the distance, Tassadar could see a yawning pit. There it is.
Now, for the first time, the allied forces were forced to contend with zerg fliers. This close to the Cerebrate, it was all too apparent the Psi Disruptor was having no effect. Above the pit, countless winged organisms shrieked and spat as they filled the night air with their wingbeats. As one, they descended.
Terran Goliaths and turian Jiris Fighting Vehicles met the creature's head on with a withering number of rockets. Explosive and zerg met together in the air with a harsh thunder while Tassadar provided the crackling lightning, ripping the air asunder with another psi storm. On the ground, meanwhile, the terrans were shelling everything in sight while the turians dug in on the edges, trying their best to fortify their position on the Creep.
Overlords swarmed in from all directions, their insides teeming with vile life. One in particular caught Tassadar's interest, as it seemed positively gorged. When it dispensed its payload, it was not by disgorging it from its tendrils, but rather by landing and then splitting open in a shower of blood. The undying ultralisk shook itself free with a bellow and joined the assault, charging away from Tassadar and towards the terran's siege line.
This time the zerg did not give ground. Despite being faced with the might of the galaxy, despite being subjected to continual bombardment by the distant Victus, despite dying by the hundreds and then the thousands, the zerg refused to let the protoss any closer. Tassadar, bleeding from a dozen wounds, shields collapsed, staggered and was caught by a firm hand.
"Almost there, Templar," muttered Zeratul, pushing him back upright. "The end is in sight. Even the zerg cannot hold forever. Not in the face of such sacrifice." Zeratul pointed a thick finger some ways to their right. What Tassadar witnessed made his heart first swell and then falter.
Aurilar and Kedraxis, twins born four centuries ago, had locked arms and eyes. They, too, bled from many wounds, and Tassadar could sense their exhaustion… and desperation.
"Two more for the Archives," said Tassadar, crossing each of his hearts with a tentative finger. "Aurilar and Kedraxis, the only twins in living protoss memory. We may never see their like again."
With a muffled gasp, a rift opened between the two of them where their arms had locked and promptly sucked them in. The air crackled with static, and their energies coalesced as one, taking the shape of a shifting cloud of gas. Reinvigorated, Tassadar strode to their position, reaching it just in time.
"The merging… is… complete!"
An enormous armored figure emerged from the cloud, twenty feet tall. Hands rippling with raw psionic energy, Aurilar-Kedraxis turned their attention to the pit containing the Cerebrate many hundreds of feet away.
"Power… overwhelming!" The heavens shook at this proclamation, and the Archon lifted a heavy hand, sending a boiling shockwave before them, searing the zerg and knocking them aside. They surged forward, Tassadar barely keeping apace.
"All for the empire!" screamed Fenix, barely audible through the Khala's roar. "Witness the Archon! We are eternal! Not a zerg shall stand!"
Mutalisks dived upon Aurilar-Kedraxis and died. Zerglings burned at their mere passing. Only the hydralisks and infested elcor, keeping their distance, were able to strike the Archon's shields with impunity, though Aurilar-Kedraxis barely noticed. They and Tassadar reached the slope together.
Down below, a ring of hunter killers and ultralisks awaited them, surrounding a great, steaming mass of brain tissue. Many of them glowed blue with the hellish energy Thessia had bought them. Their glowing eyes were devoid of fear.
Tassadar looked to his left and found Fenix, wounded but still upright. To his right stood Zeratul, warp blade alight. They spoke not a word. The Archon, shining in their righteous light, charged first. The others followed.
Tassadar tried to recall the last time he had felt the sheer exhilaration of charging a foe down a slope, letting simple gravity propel him to new speeds. Spines pinged off his shields, opening him up to further injury, but he was simply laughing at the sensation of moving so fast. Another shockwave opened up the ring of zerg and Tassadar was upon them.
A hunter killer, head bowed, was firing biotic-infused spines into Tassadar's brothers. With two sure strokes, it fell into two, no longer glowing pieces. An ultralisk wrestled with Aurilar-Kedraxis, arms locked with kaiser blades as the Archon's shields began to falter. Tassadar leapt atop it and drove a searing blade into its back, driving the beast to the ground and leaving Aurilar-Kedraxis to finish it. Fenix wrestled with two hunter killers at once, grunting as he slammed their heads together. Tassadar shouted encouragement as he sought to duplicate the feat. He became vaguely aware of movement at the lip of their little crater.
"Alright boys and girls, aliens and gentlemen, ya'll tired of zerg yet? I know I am. See that big ass brain?" It was Raynor, who had apparently fought his way through with a small group of various marines. "Wax it!"
Impacts from both polonium infused rounds and simple Impaler slugs pounded the earth all around them, although the targeting systems prevented the worst of the friendly fire. Ultralisks roared before weakening from sickness. Hunter killers had fresh wounds opened all over their bodies. They had the opening they needed.
It was a simple thing to witness. Time slowed, and Tassadar wheeled to face the faint form of Zeratul, warp blade raised high over his head. He was standing atop the Cerebrate, feet steady among the shifting tissue. His eyes locked with Tassadar's.
For Aiur.
The blade fell and rose. The zerg screamed in pain around them, thrashing in panic and agony. The hooting of terrans, turians, and batarians alike bounced off the walls of the Cerebrate's nest. Zeratul did not slow. With a final scream, the Cerebrate fell still, and Zeratul clutched his head in both hands. Remembering the last time, Tassadar sprinted for his friend, catching him as he fell.
"Zeratul!" Tassadar tried to help him stand, only to be surprised as his friend grabbed at his face and brought it close. Eyes now shining an unnatural orange, Zeratul clutched Tassadar with a fearsome strength.
"Befoulers… of eternity!" snarled that which was not Zeratul. "Not one more son shall fall to your vile practices. Die, having never known the Swarm's glory!"
A shadow fell over Tassadar. Wrenching himself free from his now comatose mentor, Tassadar looked up, only to be showered in zerg gore. A boom announced the arrival of the undying ultralisk, who uncurled before the sodden Tassadar.
Warp blade lit, Tassadar grunted and charged forward, diving once more for between the beast's legs… only to feel a force holding him in place. Tassadar struggled as he was lifted slowly before the ultralisk's face, held in place by infernal zerg biotics.
Ignoring the shouts and fire from countless enemies, the ultralisk brought Tassadar level with its eyes. With a soft snarl, it tossed its head, and everything blurred. Tassadar slammed into the ground with bone crunching force, his vision going red. When he was lifted again, he was barely aware of it.
Glowing eyes linked with his. Tassadar felt as if he were staring into the Overmind Itself, that the distant yet omnipresent creature was watching him die with glee. The ultralisk glowed blue once more, but whatever followed was lost to Tassadar, who finally gave in to blessed unconsciousness.