Alex woke up in the cell, somewhat confused. All he could remember of the last few days was the last cell he was in aboard the Terran battlecruiser. This one was nothing like its predecessor. The walls were of a metal he'd never seen. There was something more, though. There was some sense in the room that was somehow both oppressive and astoundingly open. He had no idea how to describe it.

The only door opened and in walked all he needed to return his memory to him. Whatever it was, it stood well over his height. Its oval head was covered in a pebbled, grayish skin, as were its three-fingered hands. Aside from its yellow armor, what stood out the most were its golden glowing eyes. Alex then remembered landing in the Protoss hangar and being immediately noticed despite his ship's cloaking device. The Protoss, while not cruel in any way, had immediately put him in what he assumed to be a holding cell. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in there, but they'd seemed to be studying him the whole time.

At long last, the Protoss in front of him spoke…in a way.

"I am Arathes," the words formed in his mind, "I apologize for holding you here for so long, but we needed time to learn your language, and understand you."

"Understand me?"

"From what little we have learned, Terrans are not normally psionic in nature-they cannot read or project thoughts as we Protoss do. You, however seem to be extremely strong psionically. As strong, in fact as some of our best warriors."

That could be useful to know. "So what are you going to do with me now?"

"If our information is correct, you are from the Terran group known as the Umojan Protectorate?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Your people, unlike those of the Confederacy, seek to learn from us and create peaceful relations."

"So you won't kill me?

"Hardly. We want you to be our…liaison is it?"

"Will I get to go home again?"

"After a time. We will need to train you, of course, and teach you our ways. This is so that we will be able to better understand each other. Also you will teach us about your people. Then you will occasionally travel between your world and Aiur."

"Aiur?"

"Aiur is our homeworld. It is a beautiful place. We are very proud of it."

"We have something in common already…" Alex started to seriously consider the proposition. What were his other options? Go back to the Confederacy? Go back to Umoja alone? That would only end him back with the Confederates if the Protectorate ever found out. Wandering space didn't seem pleasant. Or they could just space him…

"You would teach me to better use my abilities?"

"Of course. It would help our learning process greatly." If the Protoss could have smiled, Alex guessed, he would have.

"What the hell. Why not?"

Arathes looked at him as quizzically as a Protoss could.

"Just an expression. I'll work with you. When do we start?"

"As soon as you're ready."

Months passed as the Protoss ship wandered space. Their leader apparently had allowed them to break off from the main fleet. Considering that the race tended to live for several hundred years, mere months were of no consequence to them. Alex's abilities grew to such power that even the ship's resident High Templars grew to respect him. He even gained an honorary role among the sect. Alex became so powerful in fact that he found he could, in staged tests, read Terran thoughts without the subject having any inkling he was there. All the while, though, he couldn't shake the feeling he had first gotten just before his kidnapping. At first he assumed it was directed by that event, but since it persisted even afterwards, he became concerned about his newfound "friends". And yet he sensed no malicious intent from them. It was a curious matter, but something he'd have to put aside for the moment. For now, he had to prepare to head home…