Chapter 11: Return to Shakuras

Zeratul gazed down at the planet that was now coming within view of the fleet. The lovely sand dunes that he had grown up with had succumbed to the vile infestation of the zerg. He was finally home, but he did not yet allow himself to relax. The desecration of Shakuras by the zerg left a burden on his heart, but now he could finally put things right.

When the ship entered orbit, they opened communications with Talematros which fortunately seemed to be in no danger. The matriarch greeted them as they returned. "Zeratul, it gladdens me to see that you have made it back to Shakuras safely. Were you able to collect the Uraj and Khalis?"

"We have, Matriarch. Should we prepare to go on the offensive immediately?" Zeratul asked.

"You must surely be weary after your journey," Raszagal answered. "Please dock your ships for repairs and let the warriors rest first. Shakuras is not yet in such a dire state that we need to act with haste. Once you arrive at the citadel we shall discuss our next move."

"Very well. There is much that I must report," Zeratul replied.

Upon disembarking, Zeratul and Artanis were greeted by Aldaris. "Artanis, Zeratul, it is good to see that you have both returned in good condition. The valor of our warriors have proven themselves indeed. Rest assured, Shakuras has been secure during your absence and we have held the line against the zerg."

As they traveled to the meeting chamber, Aldaris filled in Artanis and Zeratul on the battles that have occurred so far. Although the zerg had launched a major offensive and taken territory, the Khalai and Nerazim forces were able to stem the advance.

Upon entering the meeting chamber, they were greeted by Raszagal. "Welcome back to Shakuras. Your success has given me pride and we shall soon be able to bring this war to an end. Recently, the zerg have become idle, allowing us to make preparations to retake the temple and use the Uraj and Khalis."

"I believe that I have an explanation for the current lethargy of the zerg," Zeratul said. "On Char, we discovered that a new Overmind was indeed forming. Recognizing this threat and in accordance with your orders, we cooperated with Kerrigan and her zerg to slay the Overmind and recover the Khalis crystal."

"Well done, Zeratul," Raszagal replied. "We may hope that this is the last time we will need to slay an Overmind and that we may finally have a reprieve."

"Though the battle could not compare to the one fought on Aiur, it was nonetheless a glorious day for us," Artanis said. "Kerrigan did prove to be a reliable ally, and her aid was critical in defeating the Overmind and securing the Uraj and Khalis. We do owe our success on this expedition to this alliance we formed."

"You must take care not to be fooled by a shallow display," Aldaris interjected. "This is no doubt yet another plot from that vile and perfidious creature. You must not let your guard down to her."

"I must protest your assessment, Judicator," Artanis said. "While we have had conflict with her before, times have changed and old enemies may not be so now. Her recent actions have shown that she made her offer with sincerity. She spoke only the truth, there was an Overmind forming on Char and with her aid we were able to destroy it."

"Then you have handed over control of the zerg to her then," Aldaris said. "Do you not see that this was her plan all along? Her actions were simply the result of her acting in her own self interest, to gather more power for herself. Even her generosity in helping to collect the crystals benefits her, for we are simply eradicating the last opposition to her that could remain. There is no proof she has changed in even the slightest manner."

"We cannot remain eternally suspicious Aldaris," Artanis said. "Not long ago I would have never contemplated working with the dark templar but now I have seen that they are as reliable as any of us from Aiur."

"You cannot seriously be comparing the zerg to the dark templar!" Aldaris exclaimed.

Then, another voice interrupted. "I remember that in the past, you held us in such deep contempt that rivals what you feel for the zerg now. To the point where you prioritized capturing us over fighting the zerg. Isn't that right, Judicator? Or do you prefer to cover up that past," Zeratul said.

"I shall admit, I have made mistakes," Aldaris said grudgingly.

"Indeed, we all make mistakes," Zeratul said. "Which is why it would be remiss of us to judge too quickly. It is a possibility that Kerrigan still schemes against us. Yet, it is also a possibility that she does indeed have good intentions. We cannot make a definitive judgement so soon."

"Well put, Zeratul," Raszagal said. "How we deal with Kerrigan and her zerg will be something we must investigate. As long as they do not threaten us, we can coexist."

"You must take care not to let yourself be blind to possible threats," Aldaris said. "We cannot base our strategy off of trusting the zerg when they could attack us at any minute."

"We should indeed exercise caution, but for the time being it is unlikely that Kerrigan will move against us," Zeratul said. "From what I gathered, she has quite the grudge with the Dominion and they would presumably be her target. Moreover, during our acquisition of the Uraj crystal, we came into conflict with a new terran faction that calls themselves the United Earth Directorate," Zeratul said. "Apparently they have come from the terran homeworld to reclaim their colonies in the Koprulu Sector. Based on their attitudes during the encounter we had with them, it is likely that they will be hostile toward us and the zerg."

"These terrans are quite fractious," Aldaris said. "No doubt they will mire themselves in conflict with the other terrans. With the zerg occupying their attention as well they will be of none of our concern. Should they be a threat to us we can take action, but there are far more pressing matters at hand such as our evacuation of Aiur. On that topic, did you ever address the topic of the zerg on Aiur with Kerrigan?"

"We did speak of it," Zeratul said. "It seems that the majority of the zerg on Aiur are now feral, belonging to the cerebrates that either died before the death of the Overmind or the ones that died in the wake of the Overmind's death, being unable to handle the loss as well as the zerg that were directly under the control of the Overmind. While reclaiming feral broods is theoretically possible, it is not something that can be done quickly."

"Feral zerg are much less of a threat to us," Artanis said. "One day we surely will be able to reclaim Aiur, once we have recovered. However, for now our priority after securing Shakuras must be to aid Fenix in rescuing the remaining survivors on Aiur and evacuating them. Have we received any word from him?"

"Unfortunately, we have not had any contact with Aiur since your arrival," Raszagal said sadly. "The situation there may be dire, and we do hope to aid our fellow protoss. However, while we still fight the zerg here on Shakuras, our hands will be tied. But now that we have the Uraj and Khalis, an end to this conflict will soon be at hand."

Suddenly, Selendis called into the meeting. "I have urgent news to report."

"What is it, Executor?" Artanis asked. "Have the zerg made their move?"

"Yes, but not in the way we were expecting," Selendis answered. "We have detected large numbers of zerg transport creatures leaving the planet. In addition, the zerg appear to be dismantling and salvaging their hives."

Artanis was taken aback for a moment. "The zerg are leaving? After trying so hard to take Shakuras, to end it just like this?"

"It would seem that Kerrigan's control over the zerg must be total at this point, if she is able to compel zerg even as far away from Shakuras to do her bidding," Zeratul mused. "Though if the cerebrates saw that they would lose, an evacuation would be rational."

"We can strike at the zerg now to ensure they can do no harm to us in the future," Aldaris said. "Given the haphazard nature of their evacuation they would take heavy losses if we were to attack. We should launch an attack at once."

"That may be interpreted as a desire to commence hostilities," Zeratul said. "Do you really seek to begin another war against the zerg?"

"The fact that we shall have to fight against the zerg is a foregone conclusion," Aldaris said. "It is better to weaken them now. Besides, now that we have the Uraj and Khalis we will not fear a renewed invasion from the zerg."

"Let them go," Raszagal said. "This conflict shall end with no more conflict between us. Kerrigan has already performed all of the actions that we would expect from someone who truly seeks to come to an understanding with us; what more do you want Aldaris? In your haste you would see us make enemies where none were before and to waste our lives in an unnecessary conflict. Instead, we can focus our efforts on more productive matters such as aiding our brethren on Aiur."

"Very well, I shall be ready to lead a relief force to Aiur whenever we are ready as Shakuras is now secure," Artanis said.

"Now that we have the security concerns out of the way, we should move onto discussing the status of the Khalai on Shakuras," Aldaris said. "I do believe you said that we would discuss this once the war on Shakuras was over, Matriarch."

"We have already allowed the refugees to build New Antioch," Raszagal said. "I will also generously allow for additional settlements to be made on some of the land that will be reclaimed from the zerg. Our people have been on Shakuras for millenia and we are used to having the land be freely open for us to travel through. It is only the fact that many tribes have already been displaced by the zerg that this land can be given to you."

"And we shall be allowed to govern our own affairs?" Aldaris asked.

"You may manage yourselves however you wish," Raszagal said. "However, Shakuras has always belonged to us and all who reside upon it must comply with the ancient laws and customs of this planet."

"The Khalai have no knowledge of the customs and laws of the dark templar, and most of it is not applicable to us anyways," Aldaris said. "It would be unnecessarily burdensome to place such restrictions on them and it would only serve to create resentment. We must have the ability to set our own laws within our own homes."

"You forget that Shakuras does not belong to you," Raszagal said. "We have already given enough to allow you to stay here."

"We have no plans to stay on Shakuras permanently. Once we are able to finally retake control over Aiur, we can return to our home. Our imposition would merely only be for a few years or decades at the worst. Moreover, we helped to defend Shakuras with our lives," Aldaris said. "Surely we deserve to be treated as equals. We will not stand to be subordinated."

"The zerg only arrived at Shakuras by following you from Aiur," Raszagal said. "You had the responsibility of fighting them. However, I see that you are set on this and in recognition of your efforts I will allow you the privilege of governing the lands which you have been gifted. However, you must always remember to respect the Nerazim and our customs. This is not an invitation to do as you please."

"Very well, I shall convey this to the other templar," Aldaris said. "Many plans for rebuilding must be made now that the war is over."

"I will excuse myself as well, Matriarch," Artanis said. "I must check up on the status of our warriors and make sure the fleet is ready to depart for Aiur."

Once they left, Zeratul turned to speak with Raszagal. "Matriarch, was it truly wise to give the refugees from Aiur so much? Many of our people would be upset by this."

"We must do this for peace, Zeratul. It would not do for us to have survived the zerg only to have to fight with other protoss," Raszagal said. "Aldaris and the other Khalai have their pride, and trying too hard to trample on it would only lead to disaster. This was the best arrangement that could have been made."

"I will trust in your decision then Matriarch, as you have not led us astray in the many years I have served you," Zeratul said. "We have been faced with the greatest crisis in millenia and only you are wise enough to lead us through it."