Leviathan, Deep Space

While Kerrigan had grown quite comfortable on Kaldir, she knew the Swarm couldn't stay there for long. The Protoss fleet would probably wait for a week or so more before actually bothering to investigate the distant moon, but the Queen didn't want to press her luck. She had ordered the surface hives to breed as many Zerg as the leviathans could carry before decommissioning them. The subterranean hives were sealed off from the surface and rendered dormant, hopefully hiding them from the inevitable Protoss retaliation force. Kerrigan figured that they might come in handy later. With the leviathans filled to bursting, the Zerg fleet took off and left the frozen moon behind them.

With Izsha's help and some star maps 'borrowed' from the Protoss, the Zerg found a place for a more permanent settlement. The planet they were looking for was called Marrakesh by the Protoss. It was a relatively young planet with few life-forms more advanced than single-celled bacteria until the Protoss tried to terraform it centuries ago. The place was tectonically unstable in some places, revealing huge, easily accessible deposits of vespene gas. Hoping to make a profitable mining colony and attract colonists, the Protoss attempted to seed trees and wildlife from their homeworld. However, things did not go as planned. First, most of the vespene gas they found was contaminated with hydrogen sulfide, which made it explosive until it was refined. Second, vespene gas accelerates the metabolism of some species, including a few of the species they had seeded on the planet. Trees the size of skyscrapers and wildlife strong enough to rip a tank apart were the result, making effective mining operations and colonization impossible. Trying to undo their mistake with orbital fire only made things worse: the vespene deposits detonated, adding lava flows to the long list of reasons no one wanted to live there. Eventually, the Protoss realized that planet had beaten them and that the only way to fix it was a planet-wide bombardment. However, the first-born respect life and decide to leave the world to its own devices, trying to forget their failure and hoping that the rest of the of the galaxy would do the same.

A resource-rich deathworld where everything was trying to kill you was an opportunity the Swarm could not pass by. To them, a planet with thick jungles and vicious beasts, side-by-side with lava flows and suffocating volcanic gasses is a small slice of Zerg heaven. With near limitless funding, they could quickly fortify the planet, hopefully acting as a deterrent for the Protoss fleets. Kerrigan knew that if the other Protoss were as fanatical as the ones that tried to kill her on Kaldir, a cold war was probably the closest thing to peace she could ever hope for. When she thought about it, the resulting arms race might end up strengthening both factions, giving the sector a better chance when the inevitable Hybrid invasion struck.

The trip to Marrakesh was a long one, giving Kerrigan some time to give her suit a much needed inspection. Although the cold should have destroyed it, she managed to keep most of her suit intact thanks to her abilities. The gloves weren't so fortunate, however. Several of the armor plates were gone, lost somewhere on the frozen moon. Replacing them probably wasn't possible. At best, she could make sure the damage wasn't going to get any worse. This wasn't the real issue that was bothering her, however. The cause of the damage was far more worrisome: somehow, the organ growing within her arm was able to launch a small cluster of eggs with enough force to penetrate an immortal's armor from at least 50 paces away. Most of her abilities thus far had been high-powered versions of the talents she had as a ghost, but this was another thing altogether. Strangest of all, why didn't it bother her before? Being scared out of your mind because a bunch of vicious creatures launching themselves out of your body seems like an entirely appropriate response to a situation like that. Perhaps it was her training that told her to keep going no matter how strange the world around her became. The burning pain that was slowly creeping up her arms became a secondary concern when bullets started flying. On the other hand, it could also be something else, something far more terrifying. Commanding Zerg, evolving new strains, alien powers, all these didn't really feel unnatural to Kerrigan any more. She began to realize that the only reason she considered even them unnatural is because she knew humans weren't supposed to be able to do things like that. To her, however, they had become second nature.

Could she learn to live with that? Would she even want to live with that? The thought of ripping the bloody things out and praying that they wouldn't come back crossed her mind again. The more pragmatic part of her mind, however, stopped her, knowing full well that denial was pointless. Her infestation had been so thorough that it was unlikely that she'd ever truly be human again, not even with Xel'Naga space magic. Her best option was to make use of her abilities and do as much good as possible. The Zerg may have claimed her body, but they didn't control her will. Not yet, anyway. As long as her mind was still her own, Kerrigan reasoned, she'd still be able to direct the Zerg towards a less destructive path, away from the past, and away from the Queen of Blades.

The burning in her limbs flared up again, as if to challenge her resolve. Kerrigan didn't mind. Nothing in the universe comes without a struggle, and as far as the art of fighting was concerned, she was a master.

Prison Hold, Leviathan

"Well, that's the lights working…Let's see…Yep, I think you have everything you need." Tai said with a degree of pride. He and a group of drones had been 'redecorating' one of the holds to 'accommodate' their Protoss 'guests'. To him, it seemed comfortable enough, though he'd doubt the prisoners would agree. He even managed to put together a water filter out of spare parts and cast-offs from Abathur's research, providing a pool of mostly clean water for the Protoss to drink. Or absorb through their skin, whatever these aliens did. Kerrigan ordered him to provide, so he did what he could to be the best host possible, given the situation. A task that's quite difficult when the only one willing to talk to you hates your guts.

"It certainly took you long enough, I suppose." Lassara muttered. She had been appointed as the de-facto leader and spokesperson of the group, by virtue of being the only one with the courage to look the infested Terran in the eye for longer than two seconds. Much to Cain's annoyance, her demeanor hasn't changed at all since they got on board. She looked at the pool and said: "Do you expect us to bathe in that filthy hole you've produced? Surely you can do better."

"I apologize, princess. If you find your accommodations lacking, there is a public pool downstairs. I'm sure the zerglings would love some to see some new faces…" When he realized that Lassara wasn't amused with his attempt at sarcasm, he said: "Oh, what do you want from me, woman! We're on a warship, not a cruise liner. It's clean enough, I checked. We're not completely oblivious to Protoss physiology, you know. It's as clean as the pools found on Aiur."

"That is not surprising, for your wretched kind have infested our homeworld for years."

Tiberias looked at her for about a minute when he realized what she was truly talking about. "This has nothing to do with your living arrangements, does it? We've insulted your Protoss honor by showing you mercy, haven't we?"

"Hmph, you are observant. Is it so difficult to believe that would rather not be your mistress' plaything? That death may be more preferable to us than continued existence as her slaves?"

"If you don't want to live anymore, why not just ritually disembowel yourself? Better yet, try to escape and get shot into glorious little pieces by yours truly. Certainly would save me a lot of trouble."

"Perhaps causing such trouble is worth bearing your torment. We are not templar, creature. A pointless death in battle is not worthy of the Khalai. We are the foundation of our people. If we throw our lives away, our people will perish with us."

Cain rubbed his forehead. "So instead of killing yourself with your Protoss honor in case of capture, you only get to annoy your jailor as he opens up a can of horribleness onto you. Looks like someone drew the short end of the stick."

"Inflict whatever tortures you must, monstrosity. Though we are not warriors, we shall bear them with grace and honor." The terrified looks of her companions made her words seem hollow.

"Well, lucky for you, her majesty ordered me not to harm you. In other words, the only one getting tortured today is me with your incessant moaning."

Lassara paused for a while, tired of talking. She was still on edge, for obvious reasons, and seemed uncertain. She probably did not expect to have lived this long already. "The Queen of Blades has quite the reputation. What is she planning? Are we to play some part in her treacherous schemes?"

"Doubt it, she's not that malicious. Killing or torturing defenseless prisoners doesn't really strike me as her thing."

The Protoss looked at him, confused. "Are we speaking of the same being?"

"Well, are you talking about the Queen of Blades or the lady in the ghost uniform?"

"As if there is any difference…"

"Well, yes…" The Protoss didn't buy it. Tai simply shrugged. "Believe me or don't, I really don't care. Right now, I got bigger things to worry about. Probably should be cleaning my gun…"

Cain turned around and left the room. Before he passed through the 'door', Lassara called him back. "Wait. Can you tell us where we are going?"

He thought for a while before replying. "Ah, why not? By the time you lot are able to escape, we'll have fortified the crap out of the place anyway. We're going to a planet called Marrakesh. Probably set up a base of operations there. Might even be able to find you are more comfortable cell…"

Lassara's eyes widened. "Marrakesh? Are you mad?"

"Probably. Why, have you heard of it?" The infested Terran suddenly realized why the Queen wanted to keep them around. If they slip their 'tongue', who knows what secrets they might unintentionally reveal?

"The world is mentioned as a cautionary tale for our young. It is a living monument to what happens when we are blinded by our greed and interfere in a world's affairs without forethought. It is part of the reason why we do not colonize worlds at the rate the Terrans do. Unlike them, we know the effects of our folly. Marrakesh is a world of death and despair. The beasts upon it will, without doubt, destroy you."

Tiberias simply laughed. "You know, I used to think the humans would end up destroying the Zerg. Never in my life did I expect to end up as one of them, but here I am. We'll be fine, don't worry."

"It is not for your fate that I fear, creature."

"Hey, if I'm wrong and we all die horribly, you have a chance to escape! Try looking on the bright side for once." With that, he turned around and left, leaving a few lesser Zerg to watch over the prisoners.

One of the other Protoss walked up to Lassara and said in a dismissive tone: "Arrogant creature. That we could have lost so much to the likes of him…"

"Do not underestimate them, Tallis. Those far greater than us have done so and our people have paid dearly for it. The chance that we may leave their clutches alive is slim, but it is still a possibility. 'Faith before fear', as our Hierarch is so fond of saying. We should interfere in any way possible, as well as learn as much as we can from them. If one of us makes it back, that knowledge may save lives. We cannot throw away such advantages is times like these."

"Wisely said, Lassara. Speaking of knowledge, did you notice how the abomination claimed that his ruler and the Queen of Blades were two different beings?"

"I have. Most curious, I must say, and intriguing."

"Indeed. Do you believe he spoke the truth?"

Lassara shook her head. "Unlikely. The Queen of Blades has tricked us before and I have little doubt that we are but pawns in her games. Yet, I do not see what course she has set, and the uncertainty frightens me. Thus far, we have not been harmed, but that does not mean she will not change her mind in the future."

"Assuming, of course, she survives Marrakesh…"

"Arrogant though they may be, Tallis, they are not fools. It's not the chance of failure that frightens me. If they succeed, how much stronger could they become?"