CHAPTER 6: RIGHT AND WRONG
Mensk had called a meeting.
"There is a Confederate fleet approaching our position. But that shouldn't be news to you all by now. I think it's time to disclose what it was Raynor here stole. Lieutenant Kerrigan, if you will."
"The confederates have been running experiments on the Zerg, as you know. What you stole was a small but crucial piece of the puzzle: the plans for a Psionic Waveform Emitter, or Psi Emitter for short. See, the Zerg are attracted to the waves emitted by ghost brains."
"So the Zerg are here for you, Darlin'? This just keeps gettin better n' better!"
"Shut up!"
Such banter served to disguise their true feelings for one another.
"Anyway, our brains emit only a short distance away. However, the Psi emitter can store and amplify these signals, calling Zerg to them. They can only be charged and activated by a ghost, and it only works for a few hours before the signal dies down and it has to be re-activated."
"We have built a limited number of these Psi Emitters, as Lieutenant Kerrigan calls them. As such, I have decided to plant one in the Confederate base. Raynor and Duke will provide cover."
Months ago, General Edmond Duke of the Confederate's ship, the Norad II, crashed, and he put out a distress call. The Sons of Korhal answered it. Raynor had protested saving his worst enemy who had jailed him so many times, but Mensk had shut him up with "I'm not askin ya to like it. I'm askin you to do it." Raynor and Kerrigan both felt one more protest would end in murder, and NOT Mensk's. Mensk was right, of course. Duke was grateful and joined them with little coaxing.
"But Mensk!"
"General Mensk"
"GENERAL Mensk" her voice just dripped with sarcasm. " We can't do that!!"
" We can. Our technology has sufficiently advanced as to…"
"But it's WRONG!"
"Lieutenant Kerrigan, wrong and right have no place in war." Mensk's voice was cold.
"You mean, all's fair in love and war?" Raynor broke in.
"Who said anything about love?"
"It's just a saying" Mumbled Raynor, blushing.
"But if we use the Zerg against them, what makes us any better than them?" Cried Sarah
"My dear, it is over your head to worry about such matters. I am a commander. I will decide what is right and wrong. You are a soldier. You will obey orders. You will NOT contemplate them."
"Yes sir." What had happened to the kind, generous man who had saved her? Had he no morals? No conscience? She would talk to him after the mission.
Jim caught her before she left, as she was suiting up. "You don't have to do this, Sarah."
"Yes, I do." Her voice scared him. It was cold and impersonal, not the warm, friendly tone she usually reserved for him. It was as if she did not recognize him. He realized she has already steeled herself to do it. He left.
He did not see her on the battlefield. Easy, since she was cloaked. He and Duke sent some Siege Tanks to secure a second area right next to the enemy base, and leapfrogged them up until a way was relatively clear into the heart of the Confederate base. She radioed when the emitter was in place, and snuck out to a dropship, and they left.
On the way back to the fleet of battlecruisers that housed the Sons of Korhal now, she found him.
"I hope we never have to do anything like this again."
She was pale and looked like she would be sick. Raynor knew she had killed nobody on this particular mission, and realized just how strongly she felt about this. He said nothing but comforted her, let her lean on him until the nausea subsided.
When the Dropship pulled in, she immediately went to see Mensk, fuming.
"That was WRONG!!! That was EVIL!! I thought we were the GOOD GUYS!!"
"I was unaware that Ghosts even felt such emotion."
His cold uncaring stunned her. So she read his mind. No, that's too small a phrase. She knew his top level of conscious thought already. But now she did what she had not done since leaving the Academy: she read deep into him, to the thoughts and feelings he could not control, which do not deceive, do not lie. In him she saw a politician hungry for power. She knew then he did not save her for her sake, but because Ghosts are powerful. He craved power. And vengeance. He would send people he cared about to die if it would increase his power. And he did not care about her.
Her face drained of all color. She could not speak. Her world was collapsing around her. It was all she could do not to faint.
"So know you know. I believe you had some grand illusion I was in love with you!! Really, Lieutenant. I'm surprised you did not read me at the start. Don't go getting any ideas of rebellion. My public loves me. The confederacy is falling apart. I will win. All thanks to you, my dear. You are dismissed."
She was dismissed. Like a servant, or a common soldier. She meant to do a mock salute. All she could do was make her feet go out the door and to the bathroom, where she vomited for 20 minutes. When she returned to her room she found a conference in place over the vid screen.
"I believe the Protoss will attempt to interfere with our operations. Lieutenant Kerrigan will go defeat them. Do not harm the Zerg."
"This is BULLSHIT!! Sarah, are you listening to this?!?!"
"I'm here. I'll so it."
She turned off the vid screen and went to the dropship bay. She had already summoned a small squadron. They were planetside before Raynor knew they were gone. He called her personal comlink.
"You don't have to do this, Sarah. Look, I know about your past. I know how Mensk saved you. But hell, Sarah, I saved your butt plenty of times!"
"Drop the knight in shining armor routine, Jim. It suits you sometimes, just… not now." She sounded tired, run down. He worried for her.
"Sarah, come back, don't do this, I love you, SARAH!!!"
But she had shut down her comlink and was gone.
---------------
She defeated the Protoss with little difficulty. But suddenly, a swarm of hundreds of Zerglings, Hydralisks, and the like came swarming down on them! As she desperately battled for her life, she switched on her comlink and called " I need backup! There's too many of them! Raynor, Mensk, HELP!!"
The next call Jim received was from Mensk.
"All personnel get to secured locations for hyperspeed. Leaving in 3 minutes. "
"WHAT!! You can't just leave her there!!!"
"I can and I will. The risk is too great."
Sarah came back on, pale and looking near death.
"Arcturus? Jim? What about that backup?"
He tried to respond but she no longer answered her comlink. Quickly, Jim gathered up a small squadron loyal to him and Sarah and told them what had happened. About half volunteered to come, including a few dropship pilots. They stole out of the ship as it went to hyperspeed.