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 11
Castor System (Planetary Orbit of Planet Castor)
The Protoss fleet that was flying with the Judicator had received a message from one of the Terrans aboard the Cruiser New Hope. He offered a treaty and since more Terran Cruisers kept coming through the Jump Node, it didn't seem like Judicator Armadais had a choice.
"Very well, Terran. We will try to get along with the Dark Templar you harbor. The other Terran fleet, the UED I believe, tell them that we are, sorry for what we have done," Armadais said painfully. He found himself going against everything the Judicators lived for. "We accept your Alliance offer."
"Thank you. The Zerg are really starting to pound us badly. My name is Jim Raynor. If you do your part, then you don't have anything to worry about man," the Terran said relieved by the alliance they made.
Armadais shook his head only slightly. "We need to land our ships on your planet for repairs and refueling. Would that be okay with you, Raynor?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
He shook his head. "No, actually it wouldn't be okay. We have a few space platforms you can use. Just in case the Zerg jump in after us, we will need your help in holding them off. Plus we have what's left of the Protoss taking off now and we don't want any "accidents" you know what I mean?" he spoke with the same sarcasm in his voice.
Armadais held in the fury he was feeling towards this inferior human. He could only nod and quickly turned off the intercom. He received the coordinates from one of the Alliance ships for the docking and rearming process. A few SCV's brought over some Vespene gas for fuel and some spare parts to patch up the damage on a few of their Carriers.
He swallowed the fury and hate he had for them for now. He knew they were right after scanning the worlds of Mar and Chau Sara before jumping out. The UED tried to contain them too late. The Zerg had grown stronger with every passing day and now they were forced to make these "alliances" to try and hold them off. The Koprulu Sector was on its last leg and the big push by the Zerg was yet to come.
New Hope (Castor Orbit)
Jim got off the line with the Judicator. He did not like the Protoss nor did he trust him. But he knew we wouldn't make a move now. The Zerg were going to be coming for them very soon and they would have to be ready for when they did. God only knew when Mengsk would arrive with his fleet, if he would even come at all. The last of their Protoss fleet on Castor was lifting off now.
Jim sighed as he sat in his room alone. Sarah was still being checked out by the medical team in the med. bay. Zeratul had almost killed Sarah and he could only watch, but he thought that those actions might have been a way for Zeratul to vent out some of his anger.
The door suddenly opened and Jim had jumped slightly. He turned to see the figure of Latura, standing in the doorway. She raised her brow and spoke in a majestic tone that all the Protoss spoke in.
"I am sorry I have startled you. I will go," she said turning around leaving.
"No, hey. It's okay. You can come in if you want to," Jim said standing up offering her a seat. He knew it would be awkward for her because he didn't have any modified chairs for her to sit in, but she entered back in anyway. "So, still following me, eh? Heh, it's okay, I'm kidding."
She chuckled slightly. "Jim, if we are to go to Shakurus, we should do so soon. We might be able to convert Sarah and be back before the Zerg arrive," she suggested. She seemed afraid though. Jim wasn't telepathic, but he could tell something was up.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" he asked with concern. He walked over to her and knelt beside her. "Don't worry about the Zerg or Sarah for that matter. We will take care of everything."
She seemed to lighten up a bit. "Don't you ever get scared of fighting the Zerg?" she asked trying to make a casual conversation.
Jim nodded. "Yeah, sometimes. Not that I get scared any more, just tired. I want this war to end. The Zerg just tire me out now. But I can feel that the war will be ending one way or another. How is Monera? She is the Protoss with the busted leg?" Jim asked trying to make her feel more comfortable.
"She is okay. Do you think the Zerg will be here soon?" she asked with more concern in her voice.
Jim took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm sure the Zerg will be here soon. You're quite the warrior I hear though, so I'm sure you won't have any problems in dealing with them," he said patting her on her shoulder. She seemed to relax a little by his touch.
"I'm sorry, I must be interrupting what you were doing. Thank you for the talk, Jim," she said standing up.
"No, you really weren't interrupting anything but my thoughts. If you ever need to talk or anything, I'm sure you know where to find me," he replied with a smile. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
Latura nodded and quickly left the room. Jim laid back on his bed wondering about the young Protoss female. The times had changed so much in the last few months, they really had. He dimmed the lights in the small room with just enough light to make out the shapes of the objects lying around. He started to doze into another night-mare no doubt. Right before he completely drifted into a lost sleep, the New Hope began to shake violently. The emergency lighting came on a few seconds afterwards and the alarms began to let out their high pitched annoying wale. The Zerg had arrived.
Jim quickly got out of the room to see several pipes broken with steam blowing out of them. A few sparks fell from a mainframe that was shorted and saw the body of a Protoss lying on it's back, with a pipe embedded in its chest. As Jim approached the fallen Protoss, he knew immediately that it was Latura.
He felt his heart skip a beat as he ran to her side. Her robe was shredded and soaked with her blood. "No, Latura. I'm sorry," he spoke quietly and he placed a hand on her head.
She raised her left arm and held onto that hand. "Jim, you have a fleet to command. This is-nothing but a-scratch," she spoke with slurring words.
"You know that's bullshit Latura. Just hang in there," he whispered as the ship rattled again. Artanis came from the hallway behind Jim running at full speed.
"Jim, you're alive. Latura.." he said trailing off. "Go to the bridge. I will help her. Don't worry Jim, I'll get her to the medical bay. She will be fine," he said taking Jim's place as he ran down the hallway. Artanis' Psi Blade extended cutting the pipe that was sticking out of her chest. He then gently lifted her off the remaining pipe as more blood oozed out of the now completely exposed opening.
"Of all the things, tell me I will not die like this Artanis. I-I want to be on t-the battlefield. Not-t l-like this." she trailed off closing her eyes. Artanis shook her in an attempt to wake her up.
"Not like this, Latura," he spoke in a whisper laying her down on the metal flooring. He placed both of his hands on both sides of her head and closed his eyes. He passed some energy onto her body through hands. She jerked to up clutching her chest. The blood was slowing down considerably.
"You are trying to s-save me. Get o-out of here and f-fight," she said struggling with the words.
Artanis shook his head in disagreement. "No, I can't do that," he said as he lifted her up and ran down the hallway with her in his arms. "Just stay awake till we get there," he said as he continued to head toward the medical bay.
Latura nodded weakly trying to remain awake. The pain in her chest was unbearable. Her robe clung to the outsides of the open wound from the blood. They reached the medical bay with out any problems. Artanis handed her over to one of the medics and looked at her one last time.
"Take care of yourself, Artanis," she spoke as they took her into another room. Artanis stood there for a few moments watching them take care of the wounds. He prayed that she would be all right. He ran out of the room into the hanger. He saw his Scout was the only fighter left in the bay. Even Zelsasha had left already. The Cruiser rattled again, much lighter then the first two hits.
Artanis ran to his Scout powering the ship up before the glass shielding came down fully. He then gave power to the small thrusters underneath the ship to give it lift. The landing clamps retracted and he gave max. power to the ship. The lone Scout flew out of the hanger and made a hard left. He eventually flew past the New Hope and saw the oncoming wave of Zerg flyers. The other UED vessels near Chau Sara were obviously destroyed.
"Artanis, glad to see you could join us," Zelsasha said flying by him with a Mutalisk close behind. Artanis took aim and began firing his Photon Cannons at the beast. The blasts shredded the creatures left wing, incapacitating it.
"Just tightening up one of your lose ends, Zelsasha," he replied picking his next target.
Zelsasha grunted by the remark. "You wish, my friend," he replied firing a missile at a Scourge, killing it before it rammed into a Wraith.
"Everyone stay together. Squad leaders, take out the oncoming Overlords. All other fighters, take down the heavy hitters like Devourers and Scourges. Take out Mutalisks last, they don't hit that badly," a Terran pilot ordered. Many of the ships began to due as was ordered. Only a few brief moments later, that pilot was hit by a Scourge.
"Those Protoss that are with the Judicator are not launching fighters!" a Valkyrie pilot exclaimed as the Zerg began taking the advantage.
As if on cue, a wave of interceptors and Scouts emerged firing profusely at a large group of Devourers and Mutalisks. The shots finding their targets with a swift and lethal force, killed almost all of the Zerg flyers that were fired at. Soon afterwards, multiple Corsairs emerged from the Judicator Fleet.
"Are laser batteries ready?" Jim asked the man at the control station. Despite the fact they were really hitting the Zerg hard, a large group had broken through and were heading their way.
"No sir. Maybe half or online right now. The other half will be charged in two minutes," the man replied.
"We don't have two minutes!" Jim screamed as a Scourge took flight heading straight for the bridge. Jim watched as the beast roared closer to the ship. He saw a few shots fly past it but nothing had hit it. "Damn," he whispered quietly. He closed his eyes to wait for the quick death that was knocking at his door.
"YEEEE HAW!" a voice cracked through the intercom of the New Hope. The Scourge was floating right in front of the bridge, blown in several pieces.
"Dominion has arrived, sir!" cried the scanning officer. Jim opened his eyes and exhaled.
He didn't believe they were here already, but he wasn't complaining. "Thank God for those fly boys," he said out loud. The men and women in the room cheered as several squads of Wraiths and Valkyries flew by followed closely by Science Vessels.
"Captain Raynor, sorry for this interruption. Believe me or not, but I am sorry for what I have done and intend to make up for it with what I can," the face of Mengsk appeared on the screen. Jim for the first time since he met the former rebel, was glad to see him.
"Thanks Arcturus. We ain't friends still, got me?" he said letting a smile build on his face.
He nodded letting a laugh escape. "Well, if it has to be that way, fine by me," he said flicking off. Several large blasts came from a few of the Dominion Cruisers killing off some Overlords.
Zeratul had silently walked onto the bridge. "Jim, I just want to tell you I am sorry for, well, back at the hanger. Seeing Sarah again has caused me, pain," he said with many regrets in his eyes.
Jim placed a hand on him. "Look man, I know what she made you do. Don't worry. Things will be different, I promise," he said with complete sincerity in his voice. Zeratul nodded feeling slightly better by his words.
"NO!" cried a pilot as the Devourers acid hit his fuel line. The Wraith exploded right in front of Zelsasha's ship. Some of the parts hit the shields making the blue wall appear.
"Not a moment too soon," Zelsasha said as he saw several more Dominion fighters along with a few more Judicator support ships help contain the Zerg attack.
"Admiral, communications have been disabled!" the officer on board the Blue Nose cried out. The Admiral nodded.
"Go broad sided. That will allow more turret fire to penetrate the Zerg lines," Admiral Gray ordered.
"Broad sided, sir? That leaves more targets for them to hit," Tab said unsure of the current choice of action.
"Let them hit us. We can take the hits. It's the fighters that I am worried about. We can handle it, Tab," he replied as the vision of the Zerg flyers and the Alliance fighters disappeared. "We need to contact the Third Wing on Aster Prime. We lost Second and Fourth Wing over Chau Sara and we could use their support," he spoke out loud to some one that could reply to him.
"Aye sir. We can use a Dropship to get us to another Cruiser and then contact them," one man said standing from his seat facing the Admiral.
"Good. Your idea, you get it done," he replied. With that, the young man ran off to the hangers.
A Devourer flew past the observation window of the Blue Nose. It stopped to face the ship and was getting ready to spit up the acid it used as a weapon.
"Fire forward cannon!" Tab ordered and with that order, the creature vanished from existence. A few of the people in the bridge cheered until four more flew past. The ship rattled as a Scourge rammed into the neck of the ship. Fire erupted from the wound placed on the ship.
"Charge up Yamoto Cannon," the Admiral ordered. A moment later, the blast tore through the creatures. More cheers came from the bridge. A voice called through the cries of victory.
"Admiral, we have hit the Excalibor, sir," the room fell silent at the news. Admiral Gray watched as the head of the Cruiser exploded sending a cascade effect to the neck and the body of the Cruiser.
"My God," he whispered as the blast hurled towards the Blue Nose and several other ships, both fighters and other Cruisers.
The shock wave slammed into the Blue Nose knocking the power out and throwing several men from their posts. The main consul exploded sending small sharp pieces of debris in all directions and a fire began to spread rapidly over people and other stations.
The shock wave had killed more Zerg then could have been hoped. The loss was not in vain. A few fighters were caught in the blast, but those loses were worth the damage inflicted on the Zerg. Even with more then half of their counter parts destroyed, they charged on. Zelsasha was amazed at their blind devotion to the task at hand. He fired another missile killing a Mutalisk that was chasing a Wraith.
"How did you like that shot, Artanis?" he asked in a cocky tone. He was joking of course and meant nothing by it, but he would like to see how Artanis would respond to it.
"You show your youth, Templar," he replied. He laughed lightly by the remark though. But that was quickly changed. Zelsasha saw a pair of Scourges flying for Artanis low and fast.
"Artanis, two blood suckers, low and fast! Pull up! Pull up!" he screamed trying to get a clear shot. He couldn't get a shot off without the chance of hitting Artanis or another one of their fighters.
"They are gaining, Zelsasha! Lets see some of your shooting!" he yelled trying in vain to pull up. The first of the pair rammed the ship killing the shields. A few sparks came from on of the thrusters. The second rammed into the engines of the ship. The Scout rattled for a moment before an explosion consumed the ship.
"Artanis, no!" Zelsasha screamed as the rest of the Scout went up in flames. The battle died out as the last of the Zerg were rounded up and killed. Zelsasha watched the wreckage slowly drift apart. Artanis was gone.
"Well done, fighters. We beat the crap outta them Zerg," one of the Terran pilots said over the intercom. "Lets head back to the Cruisers now. Good work boys and girls," he said as the channel fell silent. Zelsasha only watched as the ruined Scout drifted through space.
"Zelsasha, it was not your fault. Artanis is gone, but the battle is ours," Zeratul said from the intercom. "We grieve f-for his loss. Come back to the New Hope," Zeratul said with a cracking voice.
"I could have taken a shot. I could have stopped it from happening," he whispered more to himself then to Zeratul.
"Artanis lived and died as a Protoss! It is the way it had to be. Zelsasha, you were not in control of his destiny. Only your own. Get back to the New Hope and live on. You would have wanted Artanis to if the positions were reversed," Zeratul said more heartbroken then before.
"That is no way for a Protoss or for that matter anyone to die. The Zerg must be stopped. I had the shot.." Zelsasha said drifting off into a world of hate. He saw a few of the Zerg heading back to the Jump Node that led back to the Sara System. He gave max. thrust and targeted them. The group he was about to attack could destroy a Cruiser.
"Zelsasha!" Zeratul screamed. In a swift motion, Zelsasha killed the intercom with his large fist. He got within range of two Devourers and fired. The two anti-particle missiles finding their marks, killing both of the desired targets. He fired his Photon Cannons blindly into a large group of Mutalisks hitting several of them and killing three. He pulled up and noticed two Scourges taking flight behind him. He kept firing, this time targeting an Overlord. The blasts smacking into the creatures belly, killing it slowly. He continued firing until he had to pulled up, making sure the creature was dead.
"This is for Artanis," he whispered as he fired another missile at a Devourer. The missile hit the creature directly in the head, sending large bloody chunks of raw flesh through space. Two Mutalisks began flight directly in front of him. He sped up as much as he could. Right before he reached them, he used his thrusters he would use for take off. The extra thrust brought him straight up without pulling the nose up. The two Scourges were stunned temporally by that course of action and when they tried to move out of the path of the Mutalisks, it was too late. The pair of Scourges crashed into the two Mutalisks killing both of them. Another Devourer spit a large douse of acid at his ship from behind, but he pulled up avoiding it just barely. The acid found another target, an Overlord. The acid landed on the face of the defenseless creature killing it. Zelsasha then turned off the smaller thrusters in the nose and mid-section of the Scout leaving only the ones near the engines on. He then hit the thrusters. The ship then flipped over facing the target. He fired two missiles at it before the target disappeared as he continued to flip until he was heading the way he was before. The creature screamed and died as the missiles detonated.
All was silent near the Jump Node. He had killed them all, alone. He rested for a few moments before he went back to join up with the Cruisers. Zelsasha docked with the New Hope and landed the Scout. He rested more before he had powered down the Scout and left it behind. He was glad he killed them. He was glad he brought them pain. It was the least he could do for his fallen comrade. It was the least he could do for his tortured soul. He would make sure he would survive to see the Zerg's downfall and undoing.
Chapter 11
Castor System (Planetary Orbit of Planet Castor)
The Protoss fleet that was flying with the Judicator had received a message from one of the Terrans aboard the Cruiser New Hope. He offered a treaty and since more Terran Cruisers kept coming through the Jump Node, it didn't seem like Judicator Armadais had a choice.
"Very well, Terran. We will try to get along with the Dark Templar you harbor. The other Terran fleet, the UED I believe, tell them that we are, sorry for what we have done," Armadais said painfully. He found himself going against everything the Judicators lived for. "We accept your Alliance offer."
"Thank you. The Zerg are really starting to pound us badly. My name is Jim Raynor. If you do your part, then you don't have anything to worry about man," the Terran said relieved by the alliance they made.
Armadais shook his head only slightly. "We need to land our ships on your planet for repairs and refueling. Would that be okay with you, Raynor?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
He shook his head. "No, actually it wouldn't be okay. We have a few space platforms you can use. Just in case the Zerg jump in after us, we will need your help in holding them off. Plus we have what's left of the Protoss taking off now and we don't want any "accidents" you know what I mean?" he spoke with the same sarcasm in his voice.
Armadais held in the fury he was feeling towards this inferior human. He could only nod and quickly turned off the intercom. He received the coordinates from one of the Alliance ships for the docking and rearming process. A few SCV's brought over some Vespene gas for fuel and some spare parts to patch up the damage on a few of their Carriers.
He swallowed the fury and hate he had for them for now. He knew they were right after scanning the worlds of Mar and Chau Sara before jumping out. The UED tried to contain them too late. The Zerg had grown stronger with every passing day and now they were forced to make these "alliances" to try and hold them off. The Koprulu Sector was on its last leg and the big push by the Zerg was yet to come.
New Hope (Castor Orbit)
Jim got off the line with the Judicator. He did not like the Protoss nor did he trust him. But he knew we wouldn't make a move now. The Zerg were going to be coming for them very soon and they would have to be ready for when they did. God only knew when Mengsk would arrive with his fleet, if he would even come at all. The last of their Protoss fleet on Castor was lifting off now.
Jim sighed as he sat in his room alone. Sarah was still being checked out by the medical team in the med. bay. Zeratul had almost killed Sarah and he could only watch, but he thought that those actions might have been a way for Zeratul to vent out some of his anger.
The door suddenly opened and Jim had jumped slightly. He turned to see the figure of Latura, standing in the doorway. She raised her brow and spoke in a majestic tone that all the Protoss spoke in.
"I am sorry I have startled you. I will go," she said turning around leaving.
"No, hey. It's okay. You can come in if you want to," Jim said standing up offering her a seat. He knew it would be awkward for her because he didn't have any modified chairs for her to sit in, but she entered back in anyway. "So, still following me, eh? Heh, it's okay, I'm kidding."
She chuckled slightly. "Jim, if we are to go to Shakurus, we should do so soon. We might be able to convert Sarah and be back before the Zerg arrive," she suggested. She seemed afraid though. Jim wasn't telepathic, but he could tell something was up.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" he asked with concern. He walked over to her and knelt beside her. "Don't worry about the Zerg or Sarah for that matter. We will take care of everything."
She seemed to lighten up a bit. "Don't you ever get scared of fighting the Zerg?" she asked trying to make a casual conversation.
Jim nodded. "Yeah, sometimes. Not that I get scared any more, just tired. I want this war to end. The Zerg just tire me out now. But I can feel that the war will be ending one way or another. How is Monera? She is the Protoss with the busted leg?" Jim asked trying to make her feel more comfortable.
"She is okay. Do you think the Zerg will be here soon?" she asked with more concern in her voice.
Jim took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm sure the Zerg will be here soon. You're quite the warrior I hear though, so I'm sure you won't have any problems in dealing with them," he said patting her on her shoulder. She seemed to relax a little by his touch.
"I'm sorry, I must be interrupting what you were doing. Thank you for the talk, Jim," she said standing up.
"No, you really weren't interrupting anything but my thoughts. If you ever need to talk or anything, I'm sure you know where to find me," he replied with a smile. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
Latura nodded and quickly left the room. Jim laid back on his bed wondering about the young Protoss female. The times had changed so much in the last few months, they really had. He dimmed the lights in the small room with just enough light to make out the shapes of the objects lying around. He started to doze into another night-mare no doubt. Right before he completely drifted into a lost sleep, the New Hope began to shake violently. The emergency lighting came on a few seconds afterwards and the alarms began to let out their high pitched annoying wale. The Zerg had arrived.
Jim quickly got out of the room to see several pipes broken with steam blowing out of them. A few sparks fell from a mainframe that was shorted and saw the body of a Protoss lying on it's back, with a pipe embedded in its chest. As Jim approached the fallen Protoss, he knew immediately that it was Latura.
He felt his heart skip a beat as he ran to her side. Her robe was shredded and soaked with her blood. "No, Latura. I'm sorry," he spoke quietly and he placed a hand on her head.
She raised her left arm and held onto that hand. "Jim, you have a fleet to command. This is-nothing but a-scratch," she spoke with slurring words.
"You know that's bullshit Latura. Just hang in there," he whispered as the ship rattled again. Artanis came from the hallway behind Jim running at full speed.
"Jim, you're alive. Latura.." he said trailing off. "Go to the bridge. I will help her. Don't worry Jim, I'll get her to the medical bay. She will be fine," he said taking Jim's place as he ran down the hallway. Artanis' Psi Blade extended cutting the pipe that was sticking out of her chest. He then gently lifted her off the remaining pipe as more blood oozed out of the now completely exposed opening.
"Of all the things, tell me I will not die like this Artanis. I-I want to be on t-the battlefield. Not-t l-like this." she trailed off closing her eyes. Artanis shook her in an attempt to wake her up.
"Not like this, Latura," he spoke in a whisper laying her down on the metal flooring. He placed both of his hands on both sides of her head and closed his eyes. He passed some energy onto her body through hands. She jerked to up clutching her chest. The blood was slowing down considerably.
"You are trying to s-save me. Get o-out of here and f-fight," she said struggling with the words.
Artanis shook his head in disagreement. "No, I can't do that," he said as he lifted her up and ran down the hallway with her in his arms. "Just stay awake till we get there," he said as he continued to head toward the medical bay.
Latura nodded weakly trying to remain awake. The pain in her chest was unbearable. Her robe clung to the outsides of the open wound from the blood. They reached the medical bay with out any problems. Artanis handed her over to one of the medics and looked at her one last time.
"Take care of yourself, Artanis," she spoke as they took her into another room. Artanis stood there for a few moments watching them take care of the wounds. He prayed that she would be all right. He ran out of the room into the hanger. He saw his Scout was the only fighter left in the bay. Even Zelsasha had left already. The Cruiser rattled again, much lighter then the first two hits.
Artanis ran to his Scout powering the ship up before the glass shielding came down fully. He then gave power to the small thrusters underneath the ship to give it lift. The landing clamps retracted and he gave max. power to the ship. The lone Scout flew out of the hanger and made a hard left. He eventually flew past the New Hope and saw the oncoming wave of Zerg flyers. The other UED vessels near Chau Sara were obviously destroyed.
"Artanis, glad to see you could join us," Zelsasha said flying by him with a Mutalisk close behind. Artanis took aim and began firing his Photon Cannons at the beast. The blasts shredded the creatures left wing, incapacitating it.
"Just tightening up one of your lose ends, Zelsasha," he replied picking his next target.
Zelsasha grunted by the remark. "You wish, my friend," he replied firing a missile at a Scourge, killing it before it rammed into a Wraith.
"Everyone stay together. Squad leaders, take out the oncoming Overlords. All other fighters, take down the heavy hitters like Devourers and Scourges. Take out Mutalisks last, they don't hit that badly," a Terran pilot ordered. Many of the ships began to due as was ordered. Only a few brief moments later, that pilot was hit by a Scourge.
"Those Protoss that are with the Judicator are not launching fighters!" a Valkyrie pilot exclaimed as the Zerg began taking the advantage.
As if on cue, a wave of interceptors and Scouts emerged firing profusely at a large group of Devourers and Mutalisks. The shots finding their targets with a swift and lethal force, killed almost all of the Zerg flyers that were fired at. Soon afterwards, multiple Corsairs emerged from the Judicator Fleet.
"Are laser batteries ready?" Jim asked the man at the control station. Despite the fact they were really hitting the Zerg hard, a large group had broken through and were heading their way.
"No sir. Maybe half or online right now. The other half will be charged in two minutes," the man replied.
"We don't have two minutes!" Jim screamed as a Scourge took flight heading straight for the bridge. Jim watched as the beast roared closer to the ship. He saw a few shots fly past it but nothing had hit it. "Damn," he whispered quietly. He closed his eyes to wait for the quick death that was knocking at his door.
"YEEEE HAW!" a voice cracked through the intercom of the New Hope. The Scourge was floating right in front of the bridge, blown in several pieces.
"Dominion has arrived, sir!" cried the scanning officer. Jim opened his eyes and exhaled.
He didn't believe they were here already, but he wasn't complaining. "Thank God for those fly boys," he said out loud. The men and women in the room cheered as several squads of Wraiths and Valkyries flew by followed closely by Science Vessels.
"Captain Raynor, sorry for this interruption. Believe me or not, but I am sorry for what I have done and intend to make up for it with what I can," the face of Mengsk appeared on the screen. Jim for the first time since he met the former rebel, was glad to see him.
"Thanks Arcturus. We ain't friends still, got me?" he said letting a smile build on his face.
He nodded letting a laugh escape. "Well, if it has to be that way, fine by me," he said flicking off. Several large blasts came from a few of the Dominion Cruisers killing off some Overlords.
Zeratul had silently walked onto the bridge. "Jim, I just want to tell you I am sorry for, well, back at the hanger. Seeing Sarah again has caused me, pain," he said with many regrets in his eyes.
Jim placed a hand on him. "Look man, I know what she made you do. Don't worry. Things will be different, I promise," he said with complete sincerity in his voice. Zeratul nodded feeling slightly better by his words.
"NO!" cried a pilot as the Devourers acid hit his fuel line. The Wraith exploded right in front of Zelsasha's ship. Some of the parts hit the shields making the blue wall appear.
"Not a moment too soon," Zelsasha said as he saw several more Dominion fighters along with a few more Judicator support ships help contain the Zerg attack.
"Admiral, communications have been disabled!" the officer on board the Blue Nose cried out. The Admiral nodded.
"Go broad sided. That will allow more turret fire to penetrate the Zerg lines," Admiral Gray ordered.
"Broad sided, sir? That leaves more targets for them to hit," Tab said unsure of the current choice of action.
"Let them hit us. We can take the hits. It's the fighters that I am worried about. We can handle it, Tab," he replied as the vision of the Zerg flyers and the Alliance fighters disappeared. "We need to contact the Third Wing on Aster Prime. We lost Second and Fourth Wing over Chau Sara and we could use their support," he spoke out loud to some one that could reply to him.
"Aye sir. We can use a Dropship to get us to another Cruiser and then contact them," one man said standing from his seat facing the Admiral.
"Good. Your idea, you get it done," he replied. With that, the young man ran off to the hangers.
A Devourer flew past the observation window of the Blue Nose. It stopped to face the ship and was getting ready to spit up the acid it used as a weapon.
"Fire forward cannon!" Tab ordered and with that order, the creature vanished from existence. A few of the people in the bridge cheered until four more flew past. The ship rattled as a Scourge rammed into the neck of the ship. Fire erupted from the wound placed on the ship.
"Charge up Yamoto Cannon," the Admiral ordered. A moment later, the blast tore through the creatures. More cheers came from the bridge. A voice called through the cries of victory.
"Admiral, we have hit the Excalibor, sir," the room fell silent at the news. Admiral Gray watched as the head of the Cruiser exploded sending a cascade effect to the neck and the body of the Cruiser.
"My God," he whispered as the blast hurled towards the Blue Nose and several other ships, both fighters and other Cruisers.
The shock wave slammed into the Blue Nose knocking the power out and throwing several men from their posts. The main consul exploded sending small sharp pieces of debris in all directions and a fire began to spread rapidly over people and other stations.
The shock wave had killed more Zerg then could have been hoped. The loss was not in vain. A few fighters were caught in the blast, but those loses were worth the damage inflicted on the Zerg. Even with more then half of their counter parts destroyed, they charged on. Zelsasha was amazed at their blind devotion to the task at hand. He fired another missile killing a Mutalisk that was chasing a Wraith.
"How did you like that shot, Artanis?" he asked in a cocky tone. He was joking of course and meant nothing by it, but he would like to see how Artanis would respond to it.
"You show your youth, Templar," he replied. He laughed lightly by the remark though. But that was quickly changed. Zelsasha saw a pair of Scourges flying for Artanis low and fast.
"Artanis, two blood suckers, low and fast! Pull up! Pull up!" he screamed trying to get a clear shot. He couldn't get a shot off without the chance of hitting Artanis or another one of their fighters.
"They are gaining, Zelsasha! Lets see some of your shooting!" he yelled trying in vain to pull up. The first of the pair rammed the ship killing the shields. A few sparks came from on of the thrusters. The second rammed into the engines of the ship. The Scout rattled for a moment before an explosion consumed the ship.
"Artanis, no!" Zelsasha screamed as the rest of the Scout went up in flames. The battle died out as the last of the Zerg were rounded up and killed. Zelsasha watched the wreckage slowly drift apart. Artanis was gone.
"Well done, fighters. We beat the crap outta them Zerg," one of the Terran pilots said over the intercom. "Lets head back to the Cruisers now. Good work boys and girls," he said as the channel fell silent. Zelsasha only watched as the ruined Scout drifted through space.
"Zelsasha, it was not your fault. Artanis is gone, but the battle is ours," Zeratul said from the intercom. "We grieve f-for his loss. Come back to the New Hope," Zeratul said with a cracking voice.
"I could have taken a shot. I could have stopped it from happening," he whispered more to himself then to Zeratul.
"Artanis lived and died as a Protoss! It is the way it had to be. Zelsasha, you were not in control of his destiny. Only your own. Get back to the New Hope and live on. You would have wanted Artanis to if the positions were reversed," Zeratul said more heartbroken then before.
"That is no way for a Protoss or for that matter anyone to die. The Zerg must be stopped. I had the shot.." Zelsasha said drifting off into a world of hate. He saw a few of the Zerg heading back to the Jump Node that led back to the Sara System. He gave max. thrust and targeted them. The group he was about to attack could destroy a Cruiser.
"Zelsasha!" Zeratul screamed. In a swift motion, Zelsasha killed the intercom with his large fist. He got within range of two Devourers and fired. The two anti-particle missiles finding their marks, killing both of the desired targets. He fired his Photon Cannons blindly into a large group of Mutalisks hitting several of them and killing three. He pulled up and noticed two Scourges taking flight behind him. He kept firing, this time targeting an Overlord. The blasts smacking into the creatures belly, killing it slowly. He continued firing until he had to pulled up, making sure the creature was dead.
"This is for Artanis," he whispered as he fired another missile at a Devourer. The missile hit the creature directly in the head, sending large bloody chunks of raw flesh through space. Two Mutalisks began flight directly in front of him. He sped up as much as he could. Right before he reached them, he used his thrusters he would use for take off. The extra thrust brought him straight up without pulling the nose up. The two Scourges were stunned temporally by that course of action and when they tried to move out of the path of the Mutalisks, it was too late. The pair of Scourges crashed into the two Mutalisks killing both of them. Another Devourer spit a large douse of acid at his ship from behind, but he pulled up avoiding it just barely. The acid found another target, an Overlord. The acid landed on the face of the defenseless creature killing it. Zelsasha then turned off the smaller thrusters in the nose and mid-section of the Scout leaving only the ones near the engines on. He then hit the thrusters. The ship then flipped over facing the target. He fired two missiles at it before the target disappeared as he continued to flip until he was heading the way he was before. The creature screamed and died as the missiles detonated.
All was silent near the Jump Node. He had killed them all, alone. He rested for a few moments before he went back to join up with the Cruisers. Zelsasha docked with the New Hope and landed the Scout. He rested more before he had powered down the Scout and left it behind. He was glad he killed them. He was glad he brought them pain. It was the least he could do for his fallen comrade. It was the least he could do for his tortured soul. He would make sure he would survive to see the Zerg's downfall and undoing.