The Reckoning – Finale
"We all have choices to make and whatever the choices it will be, we will have to deal with the consequences it brings."
Marshal Jim Raynor remembering Myles Hammond, ex-magistrate of Mar Sara circa 2499.
"It's hard to get really good help these days," Mengsk drooled. "In the end, you just have to do it yourself."
Jim could feel the point of the gun being pushed harder on his forehead. Mengsk eyes sparked with malice.
Meanwhile Sarah had fallen back onto the floor due to Mengsk's unexpected manoeuvre. Jim could see that she was still weak. That artefact must have drained both her strength and her powers. "Acturus! Don't you dare!" warned Sarah.
Mengsk let out a cruel, mocking laugh. "Dare what? Kill him? Un-kill him?"
"The consequences, Acturus," said Sarah. "If he dies, there would be nothing that would prevent me-."
"From killing dear old me?" cut Mengsk. He shook his head. His laughter continues. "Look at your boyfriend, Kerrigan. Does he look dead to you? And yet you still come here with everything that you got just to get back at me. If I decided not to pull the trigger, what's in it for me?"
Sarah did not answer.
Mengsk saw her reaction. "I thought so." Mengsk then turned his gaze to Raynor. "Let him live, let him die, I'm still gonna get fucked up in the end. That's what you're trying to say, isn't it? You're just too afraid to mention it."
"I'm not afraid of anything!" countered Sarah. "Not even you!"
Mengsk chuckled. "Of course you're not afraid of me. That's why you're here. But this man." Acturus turned his gaze to Jim. "You're afraid for him. You're afraid that he's going to leave you. You can't handle the fact that he's-, dead. What's the point of this whole deal, Kerrigan? You're a Zerg now and this time it is by your own choice. Do you really think that a happily ever after ending is gonna wait for you at the end of the tunnel? Be reasonable, Kerrigan. Stop dreaming. Wake up and smell the sweet scent of reality."
Sarah did not answer at first. Pain was still coursing through her body and she was visibly shaking. That artefact certainly did a number on her. Luckily she was not wounded. But her powers did go haywire and up until that point, she was still struggling to put a firm grip on it. "It isn't just about him, Acturus."
"Oh really?" Acturus raised his eyebrows. "But I figure he would still be the catalyst in everything. Am I right, Kerrigan?"
Sarah glanced at Raynor. Their eyes met. She took a deep breath amidst of all the pain and said, "He is my everything."
Mengsk smiled. "And there's the confession. You must be so proud Raynor, having able to capture the heart of the most powerful woman throughout the whole sector. Oh, I'm not being sarcastic. She is really powerful. A murderer and an evil one too. I told you before that she's a lost cause. I told you before that beneath all those beauty, she's a monster. I'm trying to save you from her but you never listen. And now look at you, lying on the floor with a gun pointed at your head. All those wasted time fighting a losing battle when you could have achieved more. Pathetic."
Jim at that moment wasn't looking at Mengsk. Instead his eyes were fixed on Sarah. "Sarah, stop listening to him. Don't let his taunt get to you. This ain't the time for hesitation. You have come all the way for this. Do what you have to. End of all these."
But Sarah remained fixed to where she is. Her eyes darted between Mengsk and Jim.
"Of course, listen to him, Kerrigan. Do what he says. You can end all of these. Me and him as well. It will save a lot of trouble," taunted Mengsk.
"Sarah," called out Jim. "You can do it. I know you can. Use your powers."
"Unfortunately, she can't," cut in Acturus, smiling. "Just like what Narud predicted, that artefact interferes with her power as well. That is why she stays put. I could have killed her if it wasn't for you."
"Then why you stay here? Why don't you run away?" Asked Jim. "Narud won't be able to help you, Mengsk. Not anymore. Sarah killed him."
"Yes, I know," replied Mengsk. "I know what she did to him. He was supposed to deliver a few of those hybrids here in anticipation of her attack."
"You're insane, Mengsk!" said Jim. "Planting those hybrids here?! You can't control them!"
"Says who?" asked Mengsk. "You're calling me insane. You failed to look at the bigger picture, Raynor. All I did was for the greater good of our people. We need something to defend the human from the like of the Zerg and the Protoss. Has history tells nothing to you? I am so very disappointed with you. You choose conflict when you should have working with me. You choose revenge that wasn't even yours to begin with."
"You meddling with something that should have been left alone, Mengsk," countered Jim. "You will only bring destruction to all of us. You thought you could control those hybrids. If that is true, tell me why your scientist had to put them under induced sleep and keep them inside energy barrier? Why?!"
"Some measure of precaution has to be taken."
"Or that you already knew that you can't control them," said Jim. "It's simple isn't it? No longer the Dominion military has to deal with its own casualties. Just unleashed those hybrids and let them do the job for you. Clean and easy. You're not really protecting humanity, Mengsk. You're simply seeking a way to strengthen your grip on this whole goddamn sector. You did it once. You're going to do that again. Mark my word."
"History will prove that I'm right, Jim Raynor," said Mengsk. He then sighed. "Unfortunately, thanks to you two, everything that I work for had been destroyed. But unlike you Jim, I'm not going to run away and become a fugitive. Hunted down like rabid dogs. No, I'm going to stay and accept what's coming to me." He then turned towards Sarah. "You're going to kill me, Kerrigan. I accept that. But I won't be going alone. I'm taking your Jim Raynor with me. I want you to suffer despite your illusion of victory. I want you to feel what it's like when the only one you cared about gone forever. And I want you to know that in spite of my death, I still win."
"Don't count on it, Mengsk," said Jim all of a sudden.
Mengsk raised his eyebrows. "And why is that, I might ask?"
"That!" Jim answered while at the same time glancing at the entrance to the throne room.
Mengsk looked at the same direction. His eyes widened. But before he could say anything, a gunshot was heard. He screamed in pain as a bullet hit his gun wielding hand. The gun dropped to the floor and Jim took that advantage by pushing Mengsk off him. He then slowly stood up.
"It's about time," he said.
Mengsk meanwhile was still gawking at the door as he held his bloodied hand in pain.
The figure at the entrance slowly walked, still training his gun towards the emperor. His clothes were torn all over the place. Dried blood covered his face. And he was limping.
"Valerian!" Mengsk croaked. "How could you? I'm your father!"
Valerian was silent for a moment. He simply looked at his father with pure hatred. "A father would never try to kill his own son," he said moments later. "That wasn't the first time you try to kill me. If I let you live, that won't probably be the last. You're a lost cause, father. You can never be saved. There won't be any redemption for you. Not within a thousand years."
Mengsk tried to plea. "Valerian, don't do this. I'm the only family that you have. You're not thinking of killing your own father!"
"How ironic, father. Just a while ago you said you don't care that if you're dead. Now you're pleading for your life to me." Valerian shook his head. "I much rather be alone than having you by my side."
"You're not thinking straight!"
"No! It's you who aren't thinking straight," retorted Valerian. "You did all of these just so that you could rule for thousands of years. You kill my men. You killed your own people just to get what you want. These have to stop." Valerian then raised his gun higher, aiming it in between Mengsk's eyes.
"Valerian, don't!"
"I love you, father. But I can't let you hurt anyone anymore. Them." Valerian nudged his head towards Jim and Sarah. "Our people. And me."
"Valerian!"
Valerian let out three burst, each of them hit Mengsk right between his eyes and Mengsk later lay dead on the floor in the pool of his own blood.
Silence engulfed the three of them for a few moments.
Valerian gazed at his gun for a few moments. He later shook his head and threw it away. The gun skidded a few meters away from him. His eyes then fell on Sarah who, with the help from Jim, was now standing up a few distances from him. "I'm sorry for taking away your revenge, Miss Kerrigan," he said. "But enough blood had been spill on your account. Let it be no more."
Sarah said nothing. She simply stared at Valerian. She was still surprised by the changed in the outcome.
"You promised me that you will allow me to rule in peace," Valerian continued. Not once his eyes left that of hers. "But for as long as you are here, I won't be able to do that. I hope that you will keep your word Miss Kerrigan, as I will of mine."
Valerian then gave Jim a nod. He was about to make the exit from the throne room when Jim called out to him, "Valerian, wait."
Valerian turned to look at him.
Jim walked up to him. He proceeded to put his hand on Valerian's shoulder. "You're sure gonna be okay, kid?" asked Jim. "That's not an easy decision to make."
Valerian let out a small smile. A few weeks ago, the bearded man in front of him was public enemy number one. Hated by all except for very few within the Dominion. In fact, Valerian only intended to use him initially. But now, Jim Raynor, the leader of the Raiders who rebelled against his father, had become his friend. And he won't trade it with anything else.
"Life goes on, Mister Raynor." He simply replied. His smile widened. "It will go on."
Rain had stopped falling. Rays of sunshine broke through the cloud cover, blessing the surface of Korhal and everything on it with its comforting warmth and a promise of a better tomorrow.
There on the balcony outside the throne room, stood Sarah Louise Kerrigan. Leader of the Zerg. A former Ghost operative. An assassin who grieved and once a human. The warmth was certainly comforting. It had been a long time since the last she felt that way. She was contented and completely at peace.
A chapter within the story of her life had come to a close. The journey had ended. It was full of ups and downs. Betrayal, lost, anger, resentment and love coloured the path she took to get to where she is now. The time has come to write a new one. It's time to leave everything behind and start on a new journey. And it is time for her to embrace her own destiny. She did not know to where the path will lead from there. She did not know what her fate will be and what kind of adventure she will undertake. But she knew that she will face it all with courage and a strong will to survive.
Her gaze fell towards the farthest reach of the horizon as the Zerg all around the capital city were lifted up towards a Leviathan that was now hovering high above the city. Her main base of operation on the surface had begun to dismantle. It would still take weeks before the creep truly disappeared though.
They were now preparing to leave Korhal. She would leave Korhal and everyone else behind. Including Jim. That thought of leaving him broke her heart a little somehow. But she cannot show it to him. She knew that he would want her to be strong. And strong she will be.
Sarah heard footsteps coming in from behind. It was Jim. He was out of his armor suit and stood beside her. Both of them did not speak for a moment. They were simply relishing the moment where everything had come to a close.
Something that floated nearby caught Jim's attention. He quickly grabbed it. He smiled as he saw what was on his palm.
"Sarah."
Sarah turned towards him. "Jim."
Jim took her hand and placed what he caught in her hand.
Sarah looked down and saw what Jim had placed on the palm of her hand. Her eyebrows rise. She looked back at Jim. She recognized what it was. "Dandelion," she whispered.
Jim nodded and smiled. "Dandelion seeds. It probably came from a beautiful flower field far away. Someday, somewhere, it will grow into a beautiful flower tree. But before that, it would have taken a long, probably treacherous journey just to get here. Its own courage and strength will be tested. Everything around it will conspire to destroy its own will and determination. But I know that it will survive and will get over every challenge that yet to come. It will not lose any hope. You know why?"
Sarah looked curiously at him. Slowly she shook her head and waited for Jim to answer his own question.
"Because it's still white in colour and perfect in shape. There isn't any taint that you can see from it. After thousands of miles of journey, it's still very much a dandelion," said Jim.
A gust of wind blew the dandelion seeds off Sarah's palm. Both of them simply looked on as the seeds floated away from them.
"There it goes," he said. Jim then turned back towards Sarah. "And it will keep on going. Sarah, I don't know if we will ever meet again. I don't know to where you're going or what you're gonna do but I want you to remember this: Don't ever lose hope and if ever you find yourself losing it, remember the dandelions."
Sarah put on a sad smile. She nodded. "I won't forget, Jim. I promise."
Jim smiled. He then leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Jim's bearded and beloved face drew farther and farther away as she continued to float towards the Leviathan. She kept her eyes on him, intending to draw every moment from it to the last until Jim was nothing but a small speck of dust.
The air grew thinner and colder the higher she went. But the memory of Jim Raynor, the tenderness of his touch, the softness of his kiss and the stunning purity of his soul kept her heart warm from the inside. Despite everything that he did and had been done to him, he remained a dandelion.
James Eugene Raynor. Ex-marshal of Mar Sara. The commander of the Raiders. He was her rock and a pillar that she could always depend on.
And now she's leaving him.
One thing shall remain though. That would be her love for the widow that caught her heart.
That love shall stay with her from there to eternity.
Next: The Epilogue.
A/n: It had been more than two years since this story published and now it had come to a close. To be honest, I don't know what I feel at this moment. Sad? Probably. Fulfilment? Definitely. But before anything else, let get on with the reviews for the last chapter first:-
To timberwolf1337, anonymous guest, pt1oef and The Night Hunter – thank you for your reviews and for your support for this story. Thank you very much.
To Redwings019 – congratulation for managing to see what I intended to do. And a whole of thanks for your unwavering support and dedication for this story. It really means a lot to me.
To Leaf Ranger – There you go. Hope this will address your disappointment. I don't know what else I could do really.
To MP36PH3S – I know something was odd from the way I described that Odin. Thanks for clearing that up. Unfortunately, I had very little material I could work with when writing that chapter. That was why it came out like that. I've made a few corrections and maybe a few extra additions to it. Yes I do aware of the scene jump that you saw within the last chapter. To be honest, I would have love to spread the final events of the Korhal invasion to a few more chapters. Unfortunately, Blizzard won't allow me. Well, it's their fault that they set 10th. November as the launching date for LotV.
I would like to explain a little bit of the process I used when writing this story. You see, whenever an idea came up to me (trust me, it's a lot) and I decided to use it, it will always resulted in a series of chain reaction of future events that would create a huge impact to the path of the story. Valerian ended up killing his father is one of them and it all originates from my desire to have him present at the location where Kerrigan would kill Mengsk. Trust me when I said that when I first wrote this story, not once I envision that Valerian would be the one who would deliver the killer blow. And trust me when I said that this story was supposed to be no more than 35 chapters. Now it had blown up to 48. Phew!
Before I end this author note, I would like to answer one last question from Sithdoom. Yes, actually I do have a line of future stories for StarCraft. Most of it would consist of one shorts and at least one will be multi-chapter. However, I can't say when those will come out. The earliest would probably around early 2016. For now though, I'm intending to divert my attention to somewhere else but still within this website of course. Halo and Harry Potter had caught my attention for quite a while. A Halo one short will come out sometime next month and it will revolve around Captain Thomas Lasky. A multi chaptered story on Harry Potter is in the oven. Fans of Halo and Harry Potter, stay tune.
Next chapter will be dedicated to tie in a few aspect of this story. Look for it within a week or two. It would be quite a long one.
Once again, please read and keep the reviews coming in. I'll see you in the next and final chapter.
