Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Starcraft or the characters, but
the story is mine. I was not paid or not receiving any money from
Blizzard.
Chapter 4
Alone, the once human was standing on top of a cliff, admiring the ravenous Swarms below, on the planet Char. The beauty of how they moved by only her thoughts was fascinating. The speeds of the Zergling could very well out run that of a Bengalaas. The way that the Hydralisks moved was more then enough to strike fear into the enemies. Not to forget that the raw power of the Ultralisk was undeniable.
Sarah Kerrigan, Queen of Blades, watched her family move by her very thoughts. Her secret was out in the Antiga. She engaged the Protoss, but they managed to escape her only for a short while. The Dominion on the other hand was not so lucky.
"Hah hahah. Fools." she said to no one in particular.
"What is your bidding my Queen?" The telepathic voice came from Cerebrate Barak.
Her next moves were already set. Soon she would destroy the Dominion and the foolish alliance that was created by the Protoss and Terran. No doubt it was Jim and Zeratul working together on it.
She thought of where the Protoss fleet had run too. She linked herself to Barak. "Barak, where is that little Protoss fleet running too?"
"The only way out was the Antigian jump node One. They would be somewhere in the Sara system," he replied. The tone was unchanging. He was completely under her influence.
For a second she slipped out of what she was. She remembered Jim Raynor. She remembered when they had first met.
"Are you all right, my Queen?" Barak asked with a hint of concern. He was a good servant. He did what he was told unquestioningly and got it done the first time.
"Take Grendel Brood to the Sara system. Find our Protoss friends and negotiate with extreme prejudice. Be a good Cerebrate and do that for me will you?" she said in a girlish voice. But that voice was twisted and inhuman.
"As you wish, my Queen," Barak said as he began calling out with his mind. He called to the Brood and they came too him. All of them with the same look of hate and rage twisted on their insect like faces.
The Overlords came near Barak and began picking up the beasts as well as Drones. One by one the Overlords filed out into space with hundreds of Zerg flyers. Barak himself started to harden the outside layer of its jelly-like body. Barak continued to harden and became smaller in size. After he had finished an Overlord had picked him up as well.
"Time to test you Protoss once again," she whispered to herself. Then she thought of Jim Raynor again. She couldn't understand why she could not get his face out of her mind. "Human emotion, how weak."
Sara System
The Vengeance had taken a bad hit. The navigation system was down, along with the communication system. The emergency lighting wasn't much, but it was better then working in the dark.
Zeratul couldn't help but think of the fate they had barely managed to escape. The door leading to the bridge opened and Artanis and Zelsasha had appeared. "Zelsasha, you have disobeyed orders from your squad leader. I told you if you were to follow orders and not do anything heroic." Zeratul said but trailed off.
Zelsasha looked somewhat irritated. "In my defense Zeratul, I told you I could promise nothing. I-," he said before interrupted.
"But, you did manage to kill a few Zerg with some good flying. You also saved many Protoss lives with your brilliant idea. That does more then make up for your. well your actions on the field," he said. But there was something about the way he said it. It sounded like he was proud of him.
"Thank you, Zeratul. I will try and work on "following orders," as you have put it," he said lightening up a bit.
"Fair enough. We must start moving-," he said as a cry came from a young Templar at the radar station.
"Zerg! They are approaching quickly! They are at least 7,000 clicks away, but they are traveling at a rapid pace! The computer suggests they will reach us in twenty-five seconds!" The Templar said looking up at Zeratul.
"Have fighters ready to launch now! Artanis! Zelsasha! You two stay together. We need the best efforts from you. Deploy Arbiters as well for maximum cover." Zeratul ordered.
The sudden reality of the situation sunk in. Anyone that were to engage would not come back to the Carriers. "How far are we to the jump node for Castor?" Zeratul asked shakily.
"We won't make it Zeratul, I'm sorry." the Templar said looking down at the radar.
Zeratul knew that he had to do something. "Send all fighters. After we send the fighters, the Carriers are to make a run for one of the Sara planets. Mar or Chau, it makes no difference. But whatever one it is make sure all the Carriers get there."
"Roger. It make take a few minutes due to the damage, Zeratul," the Templar said.
Zeratul looked down at him. "Very well. Get it done. Artanis and Zelsasha, take care of yourselves."
Zelsasha and Artanis both nodded and looked at each other. They both ran out of the bridge and made their way to hanger. Artanis looked at the young Zelsasha. "If something bad should happen, make sure you get back to the Carriers. Understood?" Artanis said flatly. He wasn't so much asking him. It was more of a statement.
"No I don't understand. I will not abandon the fight," he said looking at Artanis in disbelief. "Why would you say that?"
Artanis looked at him with a dead gaze. "Zeratul thinks highly of you. Just.take care of yourself."
Zelsasha just shook at the thought. Both he and Artanis got in their Scouts like several other Protoss warriors did. The Scouts took off from the Carriers with Interceptors and Corsairs close behind.
The Zerg wave approached them with such stunning speed. It was like they fed off their hate for the Protoss to drive them on. This time more Devourers were among them. There was more of everything. The Protoss fighters scrambled into their formations and held strong together.
Artanis was taking the lead. He opened up his comm. set and began talking low and fast. "Okay, Zerg are coming in high. Corsairs hang back, we will call if we need extra support. Scorpio and Aries wing, take my right flank. Stay with me and back them apart," he said with complete confidence and control. His features were tense. His scales burned with rage with the oncoming Zerg wave. They were not going to get through.
"NO!" Screamed one of the pilots as Scourges rammed into his ship.
Artanis then gave the order. "Take them down! Scorpio and Aries stay with me," he said banking right firing at the wave of flesh. The two squads of fighters followed him firing as well.
Zelsasha was trying to keep up with Artanis firing his photon cannons accurately. He gave max. throttle and pushed forward. He saw a target he could not refuse. An Overlord that was unprotected heading straight for him. He felt tense as he fired two missiles at the target. Too late the Overlord tried to avoid the oncoming projectiles exploded. Large chunks of bloody flesh were sent flying through space.
He pulled up to try and relocated Artanis and the fighters following him and he saw the chaos unfolding. He saw his follow Protoss warriors fighting a lost cause. Scout after Scout was hit by either Scourges or Devourers acid.
"Zelsasha! Get on my wing now!" Artanis ordered with a fierce intensity.
Zelsasha woke up from the chaos and found Artanis and his two wings of fighters. He gave max. power and tried catching up to his comrades. Too late to do anything he saw at least a dozen Scourges collide with most of the fighters he was trying to regroup with. He heard their painful cries as only three of the ten fighters were still on Artanis' wing.
With that done, he rejoined the formation and awaited his orders. When Artanis spoke, it seemed his life had already passed him by.
"The Arbiters can't give us cover because of those Overlords. The Corsairs have now engaged and that may slow them down some. We need to take out those Overlords are we are finished." The desperation could be heard in his voice. He was trying to hold it back but it was impossible from the unspeakable onslaught that was occurring.
"Artanis that's impossible. We ju-ARGH!" the voice cried as another Scourge came from below them. The ship exploded sending debris toward Zelsasha's ship.
The four ships left that were trying to take out the Overlords saw the looming fate. The Corsairs could not outmatch the Devourers. As the last of the fighters fell, the ravenous Zerg made a full speed charge for the Carriers. Zelsasha was heartbroken at the site. He looked away and saw more Zerg still coming. They were on their own.
"Okay, we are on our own. We stick to the plan and head for Mar Sara since its closest," Artanis ordered. The four fighters gave max. power to their engines hoping that they would make it.
The first Carrier went down in a ball of fire. They would not last long without fighter protection. Artanis looked painstakingly as he saw another explode killing thousands of Protoss. There was nothing to be done. The four fighters quickly made their way through the great blackness of space. Then a scream.
"Artanis, look out!" cried out one of the other pilots.
He looked ahead and saw a Scourge making its way for him. Without a moments hesitation he pulled up. Zelsasha was directly behind Artanis and could not maneuver in time. The Scourge hit Zelsasha's ship dead on. The shields went out instantly and the Scout was badly damaged.
"ARGH!" Zelsasha cried. He himself was not hurt but the Scout was heavily damaged. The nose lit up in flames and all of his electronics failed. "I have to land this as soon as possible!"
"Hang on young Templar, you will make it," Aries 2 said comfortingly. "We are almost there, another minute or two and we will be in the atmosphere."
With that said Zelsasha felt like he was losing control of the ship. "I can't hold it much longer." He knew if he couldn't land very soon, he would be dead along with all the other fighter pilots that lost their lives.
"Zeratul, we are in Mar Sara orbit!" said one of the Protoss navigators.
The Carrier had a chance. If they could land they could utilize ground troops and start to assemble base defenses. That changed when something exploded on the ship. The Carrier twisted violently and started descending faster then what it should be.
"We have lost the engines, Zeratul. These Scourges are killing us single handily!" cried the maintenance officer.
Zeratul gripped on the railing on the bridge. He saw the ground approaching quickly. "Brace for impact. By the Gods." he whispered as the Carrier smashed into the ruined world of Mar Sara. Zeratul flew forward losing his grip on the railing. Several of the other workers flew forward from their stations. Sparks and fires erupted inside the broken Carrier. Pipes and vents gave out and fell from their support. The floor they were once standing on was now bent and twisted. The walls caved in slightly and the lights went out completely. As quickly as it came it was gone. Nothing moved in the ruin Vengeance.
Chapter 4
Alone, the once human was standing on top of a cliff, admiring the ravenous Swarms below, on the planet Char. The beauty of how they moved by only her thoughts was fascinating. The speeds of the Zergling could very well out run that of a Bengalaas. The way that the Hydralisks moved was more then enough to strike fear into the enemies. Not to forget that the raw power of the Ultralisk was undeniable.
Sarah Kerrigan, Queen of Blades, watched her family move by her very thoughts. Her secret was out in the Antiga. She engaged the Protoss, but they managed to escape her only for a short while. The Dominion on the other hand was not so lucky.
"Hah hahah. Fools." she said to no one in particular.
"What is your bidding my Queen?" The telepathic voice came from Cerebrate Barak.
Her next moves were already set. Soon she would destroy the Dominion and the foolish alliance that was created by the Protoss and Terran. No doubt it was Jim and Zeratul working together on it.
She thought of where the Protoss fleet had run too. She linked herself to Barak. "Barak, where is that little Protoss fleet running too?"
"The only way out was the Antigian jump node One. They would be somewhere in the Sara system," he replied. The tone was unchanging. He was completely under her influence.
For a second she slipped out of what she was. She remembered Jim Raynor. She remembered when they had first met.
"Are you all right, my Queen?" Barak asked with a hint of concern. He was a good servant. He did what he was told unquestioningly and got it done the first time.
"Take Grendel Brood to the Sara system. Find our Protoss friends and negotiate with extreme prejudice. Be a good Cerebrate and do that for me will you?" she said in a girlish voice. But that voice was twisted and inhuman.
"As you wish, my Queen," Barak said as he began calling out with his mind. He called to the Brood and they came too him. All of them with the same look of hate and rage twisted on their insect like faces.
The Overlords came near Barak and began picking up the beasts as well as Drones. One by one the Overlords filed out into space with hundreds of Zerg flyers. Barak himself started to harden the outside layer of its jelly-like body. Barak continued to harden and became smaller in size. After he had finished an Overlord had picked him up as well.
"Time to test you Protoss once again," she whispered to herself. Then she thought of Jim Raynor again. She couldn't understand why she could not get his face out of her mind. "Human emotion, how weak."
Sara System
The Vengeance had taken a bad hit. The navigation system was down, along with the communication system. The emergency lighting wasn't much, but it was better then working in the dark.
Zeratul couldn't help but think of the fate they had barely managed to escape. The door leading to the bridge opened and Artanis and Zelsasha had appeared. "Zelsasha, you have disobeyed orders from your squad leader. I told you if you were to follow orders and not do anything heroic." Zeratul said but trailed off.
Zelsasha looked somewhat irritated. "In my defense Zeratul, I told you I could promise nothing. I-," he said before interrupted.
"But, you did manage to kill a few Zerg with some good flying. You also saved many Protoss lives with your brilliant idea. That does more then make up for your. well your actions on the field," he said. But there was something about the way he said it. It sounded like he was proud of him.
"Thank you, Zeratul. I will try and work on "following orders," as you have put it," he said lightening up a bit.
"Fair enough. We must start moving-," he said as a cry came from a young Templar at the radar station.
"Zerg! They are approaching quickly! They are at least 7,000 clicks away, but they are traveling at a rapid pace! The computer suggests they will reach us in twenty-five seconds!" The Templar said looking up at Zeratul.
"Have fighters ready to launch now! Artanis! Zelsasha! You two stay together. We need the best efforts from you. Deploy Arbiters as well for maximum cover." Zeratul ordered.
The sudden reality of the situation sunk in. Anyone that were to engage would not come back to the Carriers. "How far are we to the jump node for Castor?" Zeratul asked shakily.
"We won't make it Zeratul, I'm sorry." the Templar said looking down at the radar.
Zeratul knew that he had to do something. "Send all fighters. After we send the fighters, the Carriers are to make a run for one of the Sara planets. Mar or Chau, it makes no difference. But whatever one it is make sure all the Carriers get there."
"Roger. It make take a few minutes due to the damage, Zeratul," the Templar said.
Zeratul looked down at him. "Very well. Get it done. Artanis and Zelsasha, take care of yourselves."
Zelsasha and Artanis both nodded and looked at each other. They both ran out of the bridge and made their way to hanger. Artanis looked at the young Zelsasha. "If something bad should happen, make sure you get back to the Carriers. Understood?" Artanis said flatly. He wasn't so much asking him. It was more of a statement.
"No I don't understand. I will not abandon the fight," he said looking at Artanis in disbelief. "Why would you say that?"
Artanis looked at him with a dead gaze. "Zeratul thinks highly of you. Just.take care of yourself."
Zelsasha just shook at the thought. Both he and Artanis got in their Scouts like several other Protoss warriors did. The Scouts took off from the Carriers with Interceptors and Corsairs close behind.
The Zerg wave approached them with such stunning speed. It was like they fed off their hate for the Protoss to drive them on. This time more Devourers were among them. There was more of everything. The Protoss fighters scrambled into their formations and held strong together.
Artanis was taking the lead. He opened up his comm. set and began talking low and fast. "Okay, Zerg are coming in high. Corsairs hang back, we will call if we need extra support. Scorpio and Aries wing, take my right flank. Stay with me and back them apart," he said with complete confidence and control. His features were tense. His scales burned with rage with the oncoming Zerg wave. They were not going to get through.
"NO!" Screamed one of the pilots as Scourges rammed into his ship.
Artanis then gave the order. "Take them down! Scorpio and Aries stay with me," he said banking right firing at the wave of flesh. The two squads of fighters followed him firing as well.
Zelsasha was trying to keep up with Artanis firing his photon cannons accurately. He gave max. throttle and pushed forward. He saw a target he could not refuse. An Overlord that was unprotected heading straight for him. He felt tense as he fired two missiles at the target. Too late the Overlord tried to avoid the oncoming projectiles exploded. Large chunks of bloody flesh were sent flying through space.
He pulled up to try and relocated Artanis and the fighters following him and he saw the chaos unfolding. He saw his follow Protoss warriors fighting a lost cause. Scout after Scout was hit by either Scourges or Devourers acid.
"Zelsasha! Get on my wing now!" Artanis ordered with a fierce intensity.
Zelsasha woke up from the chaos and found Artanis and his two wings of fighters. He gave max. power and tried catching up to his comrades. Too late to do anything he saw at least a dozen Scourges collide with most of the fighters he was trying to regroup with. He heard their painful cries as only three of the ten fighters were still on Artanis' wing.
With that done, he rejoined the formation and awaited his orders. When Artanis spoke, it seemed his life had already passed him by.
"The Arbiters can't give us cover because of those Overlords. The Corsairs have now engaged and that may slow them down some. We need to take out those Overlords are we are finished." The desperation could be heard in his voice. He was trying to hold it back but it was impossible from the unspeakable onslaught that was occurring.
"Artanis that's impossible. We ju-ARGH!" the voice cried as another Scourge came from below them. The ship exploded sending debris toward Zelsasha's ship.
The four ships left that were trying to take out the Overlords saw the looming fate. The Corsairs could not outmatch the Devourers. As the last of the fighters fell, the ravenous Zerg made a full speed charge for the Carriers. Zelsasha was heartbroken at the site. He looked away and saw more Zerg still coming. They were on their own.
"Okay, we are on our own. We stick to the plan and head for Mar Sara since its closest," Artanis ordered. The four fighters gave max. power to their engines hoping that they would make it.
The first Carrier went down in a ball of fire. They would not last long without fighter protection. Artanis looked painstakingly as he saw another explode killing thousands of Protoss. There was nothing to be done. The four fighters quickly made their way through the great blackness of space. Then a scream.
"Artanis, look out!" cried out one of the other pilots.
He looked ahead and saw a Scourge making its way for him. Without a moments hesitation he pulled up. Zelsasha was directly behind Artanis and could not maneuver in time. The Scourge hit Zelsasha's ship dead on. The shields went out instantly and the Scout was badly damaged.
"ARGH!" Zelsasha cried. He himself was not hurt but the Scout was heavily damaged. The nose lit up in flames and all of his electronics failed. "I have to land this as soon as possible!"
"Hang on young Templar, you will make it," Aries 2 said comfortingly. "We are almost there, another minute or two and we will be in the atmosphere."
With that said Zelsasha felt like he was losing control of the ship. "I can't hold it much longer." He knew if he couldn't land very soon, he would be dead along with all the other fighter pilots that lost their lives.
"Zeratul, we are in Mar Sara orbit!" said one of the Protoss navigators.
The Carrier had a chance. If they could land they could utilize ground troops and start to assemble base defenses. That changed when something exploded on the ship. The Carrier twisted violently and started descending faster then what it should be.
"We have lost the engines, Zeratul. These Scourges are killing us single handily!" cried the maintenance officer.
Zeratul gripped on the railing on the bridge. He saw the ground approaching quickly. "Brace for impact. By the Gods." he whispered as the Carrier smashed into the ruined world of Mar Sara. Zeratul flew forward losing his grip on the railing. Several of the other workers flew forward from their stations. Sparks and fires erupted inside the broken Carrier. Pipes and vents gave out and fell from their support. The floor they were once standing on was now bent and twisted. The walls caved in slightly and the lights went out completely. As quickly as it came it was gone. Nothing moved in the ruin Vengeance.