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 12
New Hope (Castor System)
The battle was over and they lost four Cruisers. Two were from the UED, one was from the Dominion, and one from the Alliance. One Carrier went done and that to was from the Alliance. The Fleet of the Judicator was the only one that got away without loss of a vessel. Though everyone had lost a number of fighters, that was inevitable. Except this time it was different. They had lost one of their own. Artanis had fallen during the battle.
Jim remembered seeing him when he was with Latura. Maybe if he stayed to help move Latura, he would have been in a different place at a different time. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He knew Artanis had chosen what he wanted to do and Jim had no control over that. He said a silent prayer for the fallen comrade and moved on.
"Damage report," he ordered. The crew then began checking their stations and the integrity of the ship.
"Reading no damage on the bridge, sir. We have minor hull damage, nothing to serious. We lost four small laser batteries on the "neck" though, sir," one of the men called out. Jim nodded to him. They were lucky. Not like the men caught on the Blue Nose. The ship was wrecked pretty badly. They had blasted one of their own ships by mistake.
A voice was calling to him but he felt so distant. The voice was only a whisper that seemed to echo all around him. He felt his knees give in a little and his vision blurred. He gripped the railing on the bridge tightly and then woke from his dream world.
"Jim, Sarah is losing it in the Medical Lab. You better come quick," said one of the doctors. Jim was completely focused again and found himself running down the corridor following the doctor. Once they had reached the medical lab they found papers scattered on the floor along with an overturned bed and several pieces of emergency equipment.
Sarah sat in the corner of the room, with her knees up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, holding them close to her. She gently rocked back in forth with horror screaming on every feature of her face.
She looked up at Jim as he walked in the room. A tear fell from her right eye and slid down her cheek. "Can't you hear them? They are screaming for me again. I can't go back there, I would rather die then go back. Don't let them take me," she spoke with fear rising in the back of her voice.
Jimmy swallowed hard as he approached her. He didn't know what to expect. She could still be clinging on to that little bit of humanity she held inside her or the infectious Zerg genes were taking control. He hoped to God, that if she was slipping, it would be quick. He walked slowly to her and helped her up to her feet. Once she was standing she lounged for him. Her claw-like hand grasped his throat and slammed him into a wall. He tightened up waiting for the final blow. He couldn't believe her strength and her speed. It was ungodly.
"Jim, I can't hold this much longer," she breathed in an attempt to keep the demon within her. Another tear fell from her battered form. "If you can cure this, do it now," she said sounding like she was in agonizing pain. Every bit of her strength was being used to stop her from killing the man she believe she loved.
"Sarah, you have to be completely willing to do this or it won't work. I mean you can't be having these doubts like you are now. You have to want this," he whispered as her grip was released.
"Then we have to go now. I can't hold this any longer. I can feel a new Overmind growing under Daggoth's supervision. It is still young, but the psychic emanations it is producing is driving me closer to their side," she spoke with worry building up. Jim saw how strained some of her muscles were, she was literally trying to stop herself from doing what the "voices" wanted her to.
Jim slowly walked away to go find Zeratul. Except as he left the medical bay, Zeratul was standing there watching her. He walked up to Sarah slowly, but as he did so, she arose to her feet in a defensive stance. "Kerrigan, you must resist a while longer," he spoke quietly. He pulled out a small device and opened it. Zeratul spoke low and fast into the object. He then pressed a small button and a low beeping sound was being generated by the object. "This is an emergency recall device. We will be recalled to Shakurus," Zeratul said turning to inform the others. "This is a locator will give our location to an Arbiter near the crystal formation. Jim, our people have studied it but feared it. We haven't given it a name because of its power. Only you and Sarah will enter the Temple when we arrive," he spoke with a stern and serious tone.
Jim nodded. He went to walk over to where Sarah was when the ship began to shake a little. Before he knew it, it was over. Except a few cries came from the intercom at the bridge. "Zeratul, you better take care of the men and tell them what happened. Can we get back to Castor too?" he asked as he looked up as Zeratul nodded.
"We have one long range Arbiter on Castor as well. We can leave whenever you are ready. Do hurry though, I am certain that the Zerg will not wait forever," he warned and like that, had left.
The New Hope landed on the surface of the Dark Templar home world of Shakurus. Almost as soon as the ship had landed, Jim had taken Sarah down one of the landing ramps. He walked down the ramp with Sarah close behind and before them, stood a large majestic temple. Inside he could see a small bit of light shine out. Jim grabbed Sarah's hand and lead her into the temple. There was nothing inside the large temple except a crystal the size of a tank. It had an eerie glow to it, illuminating the entire room. Then he saw some type of hieroglyphics engraved on the velvet walls.
"My God," Jim whispered in awe at the beauty of the structure. The pictures were lined with gold and strange alien symbols. The crystals light grew brighter as he approached with Sarah now being dragged by him. She had grown weak walking into the temple. "Sarah, come on. Gotta do this on your own darlin," he said trying to stand her up.
"Jim, she must touch the crystal," Zeratul said standing outside the temple. He was serious, he wasn't entering the building. He seemed afraid of it. And the energies coming from the crystal were weakening Sarah. Maybe killing her because she had Zerg in her blood.
"Sarah, you must stand up and touch the crystal," Jim said trying to shake her. She stood weakly on her own, but she stood. She had reached out with one of her clawed hands and touched the beautiful crystal. Except her hand went through it. It almost seemed like it were a liquid. Her yellow eyes opened widely as if in shock and her mouth had dropped. The crystal grew brighter, to the point where you cannot look at it without going blind. Jim immediately covered his eyes and looked the other way.
As the room settled back down and the lights dimmed, Jim turned to see Sarah was gone. She had just disappeared right in front of his eyes basically. Jim quickly ran up to the strange glowing form in front of his and felt it. It was as solid as the plating on the Terran Cruisers.
"She is inside the crystal. Hopefully it is undoing what it can to her tainted mind," Zeratul called from the entrance turned to one side. He wouldn't look in the temple itself.
"Oh, inside the crystal. I knew that," Jim said with a heavy tone of sarcasm. He didn't mean anything offensive by it though and Zeratul knew that.
"We must leave her for a few days, Jim. I am starting the protocol for the recall again back to Castor. I'm sure the Zerg will be attacking soon," Zeratul spoke with a heated intensity. Jim was unsure if he wanted to leave her, but after all, what did he know about this thing? Jim nodded to himself and left the temple behind slowly.
He walked up to Zeratul with concern on his face. "She will, be, okay, right?" he asked breaking the words up slowly. He didn't want to leave her but he knew he had a duty to do back at Castor.
Zeratul looked at him and felt pity. He didn't know why he still loved a monster that had murdered countless people, both Terran and Protoss alike, but it was the same sense he saw with Tassadar willingly sacrificing himself to kill the Overmind.
Zeratul shook his head in honesty. "I don't know. She maybe fine but she may not. What I know for certain is, if she does come out of that looking "normal" again, she will have some Zerg attributes left to her," he spoke with a low tone. "Why don't you wait here. I can arrange shelter for you."
Jim nodded quickly. "I think I will stay. I'll just sleep in the temple thingy over there. Take care of my boys, Zeratul," he said holding out a hand. Zeratul remembered the custom and shook it firmly.
"We will leave some MRE's for you," Zeratul said ordering them up. "Good-bye Raynor," he said standing there a brief moment longer.
"Relax, we will see each other again," he spoke with confidence, smiling slightly. Jim watched as the crew went back into the belly of the large Cruiser. With a sudden flash of light, they had vanished back to Castor. He turned to see crystal glowing dimly every now and then. He could only wonder what was happening to Sarah inside and gave a silent prayer for her.
Castor Orbit
The Alliance ships waited for the next Zerg attack. The Blue Nose was hit badly and several men were killed on the bridge. The emergency power kicked up and the power was restored to the helm. Admiral Gray stood up to see a few of the officers up and working at their posts to give a damage report or to repair their stations. He saw Mr. Tab slowly standing up shaking a few loose pieces of debris off him. He was glad that Tab was okay at least.
"Sir, Navigation Systems are shot and so is the Communication System. Engineering has reported some minor damage to the engines but nothing serious," one officer called from her station reading off the information as it came.
Admiral Gray nodded and accepted what had happened. "We are going to land down on one of those platforms and get repairs underway. We are of no use like this," he ordered. A moment later they were heading towards one of the platforms and landed without authorization, but it didn't matter at the moment.
The giant Cruiser landed in an open service bay. Gray watched as a few SCV's approached the Cruiser carrying various items used for repairs. He couldn't help but think of the Cruiser he destroyed. He ordered the firing of the cannon and cost him greatly.
"Sir, Communications are back online. The Commander of the repair depot is hailing us. He would like to know our status," the same female officer spoke again.
"Tell him, 'Sorry for the unexpected landing. We have suffered heavy damage and needed repairs immediately.' I'm sure he will understand, I hope," he whispered. He was shocked for a brief moment as a Terran Cruiser just suddenly appeared out of no where. 'Recall,' he thought to himself. He was glad they had another Cruiser to join them in the fight at least.
"Sir, Third Wing is in the Sara System. They have met no contacts and mined as much minerals as they could before departing. They estimate they will be in the Castor System in at least thirty minutes," the scanning officer said.
"Very well. If we can hold out till they get here, then the Zerg will have another thing coming to them," he spoke proudly to try and boost the officers morale. "Soon, we will be able to continue our mission on our own as soon as we can defeat the Zerg here," he spoke with a commanding tone, calm but like before they had lost so many ships and men.
"What if Third Wing does not make it here, sir?" Tab asked with his arms folded behind his back. He just stood staring out the large window lost in a thoughtless gaze.
"Mr. Tab, do not fall apart on me now. They will make it here. We must-," he was trying to say but was cut off.
"Zerg! Jesus, there is more then last time!" cried on of the officers.
Admiral Gray choked. Why wouldn't they die? "Launch fighters! We cannot engage until the rest of our repairs are completed," he spoke watching in horror as several fighters in the front were quickly disposed of. He couldn't really tell what kind of fighters they were because he was too far away, but the explosions were enough for him. He was beginning to worry.
"All Dominion ships, hold fast and give them hell. Do not let them through!" Arcturus Mengsk ordered on the bridge of the Foxwood. General Madison was standing behind him watching as more Zerg came through the Jump Node.
"Stand off fighting will get us killed rather quickly, sir. If I may suggest we try flanking them on the right, we may be able to encircle them," Madison spoke still watching the Zerg move on the Protoss and Terran fighters.
Mengsk waited a moment to see if the fighters would be able to do it with the Cruiser back up, but he watched as they fought in vain. All Dominion fighters and Cruisers, move on their right flank and drive on with full speed. We are going to try to encircle them and see if they like it on all sides," he said watching as a few of the fighters began to really drive hard on the right flank of the Zerg attackers. Mengsk also saw a few Cruisers take full charge at the Zerg.
The Zerg flyers moved like an angry hive of bees, moving as one. It was truly a sight to marvel at. The a sudden move, they made their way down on to the planet of Castor. They were far to many and to little time to stop them all. Several Overlords reached the planet being escorted by Guardians and Devourers.
Zeratul only gasped. They had arrived back here a few minutes ago and now the Zerg took no interest in fighting them but instead wanted to ruin their planet. Minutes later several small escape pods were being launched from Castor. The civilians were fleeing. More came through the Jump Node, except these were Terrans. The immediately called in as the UED. They said they tried to engage the Zerg but they took off for the Jump Node.
"Zeratul, what do we do now?" asked one of the officers down below.
"We evacuate the area. All Alliance ships activate emergency recall devices. Adun forgive me," he said as the New Hope activated their recall device. The Alliance ships had vanished from the Castor area. Many civilian transports did as well, but several were destroyed before they reached the orbit. Many of the transports had not only civilians, but supplies and large stocks of minerals and Vespene gas they could use. As the last few transports managed to break away into orbit, a fail safe was triggered. Several large explosions rocked the major settlements destroy anything the Zerg could use that was left behind.
The UED saw the Alliance ships flee the battle. Even though the Third Wing arrived, they wouldn't have enough forces to take down the Zerg. The UED Fleet made there way to the Castor-Sara System Jump Node and fled the battle as well.
Judicator Armadais watched as the remaining UED vessels fled back to where they came from. They had taken a beating between the UED attack and the Zerg onslaught. As much as he didn't want to fall back again, he would have no choice. Except the Castor-Sara Jump Node would be too far for them to travel. They would need another way to escape.
"Break open all Communication lines with the Fleet," Armadais ordered. As he finished speaking a Templar nodded to him.
"Link is open, Judicator," he said turning back to his work.
Armadais stood silent for a few minutes before he made his decision. "All Protoss warships under the Fleet of the Judicator, you are to open up Planetary Bombardment hatches. We are going to burn this world before it is infested," he spoke trembling slightly. He did not want to destroy the planet, but if it meant that the planet was going to be used by the Zerg, he would rather see it burn.
The fleet took orbit and aimed carefully. They targets a few Zerg Hatcheries that were beginning to form up and other settlements that were left unharmed by the explosions the Terrans created. Their weapons began charging for the planetary bombardment they were about to unleash.
A few minutes later, all the remaining Carriers and smaller ships began to rain fire onto the planets surface. Large blue and velvet orbs dropped from some of the ships while other larger beams of blue and teal energy were shot down from a few Carriers and their Capital ship, the Fury. The beams smacked hard into the world, turning the ripe soil into nothing but dry cracked dirt. In some areas molten rock flowed freely out of the dying world like wounds on a helpless animal. One of the orbs crashed into the ground sending a shock wave that crushed mountains and dried lakes. One of the beams made an impact crater four miles deep completely destroying a Zerg settlement and more then half of a Terran Star Port.
Armadais felt sorry for having the planet burned but knew it was for the best. "Has all life been extinguished yet?" he asked not hiding the sorrow he felt. A Templar looked up and shook his head.
"Not yet, Judicator. The planet is fairly large and may take an hour to burn the planet completely," he replied going back to monitering the world.
With a sigh, Armadais watched as the planet slowly, but surely, died. He hoped next time he would burn a Zerg world that had no other life on it.
The Dominion watched as the Protoss decimated the planet. Mengsk had ordered that all ships head back to Korhal until they could contact Raynor again, if at all. There was nothing to be done now except go back to their world and defend it as well.
"Well General, looks like the flanking idea didn't work all to well. All Dominion craft, prepare yourselves for warp. We are getting outta here before the Zerg send in reinforcements," Mengsk ordered. He cursed for not being able to show he was going to "help" out the Alliance and "prove" to them he was serious about it.
The Dominion powered hard till they reached their Jump Node and left the system behind. They would have their day of glory again, Mengsk thought silently. He was certain of that.
Uncharted Planet
'The thoughts of the thoughtless will over come the ones that can think on their own. The time for our rise has begun and we will over come. The minds of the minions are set to think what we think and do what we do. The thoughtless will be controlled by the thinkers that we are and will stop at nothing to do what our bidding is. The day for our glory and honor is again upon us. We will rule absolute and will be uncontested because we are the resolution. We are the ending," the slurred voice called out. Only the thinkers understood truly what was being said. The thoughtless were only moved by the words because their thinkers were.
They had lost the battle that day but would not lose again. That was just to let them know they were coming for them. Finally control was brought back to the rightful ones. No more of the holding back 'it' had done.
'We are free from the strangle hold that was brought on us. Now the true fury will be let loosed onto the enemies that still live and breathe. They will join us or will be slaughtered. Finally will we be able to end the fighting and embrace the others when they submit, because they will submit. The glory is ours and ever will be, for we are the Swarm and we alone will stand triumphant. Go now my children and bring the chaos to the menacing rebels," the voice of the new Overmind called out. The power of the beast was growing rapidly and soon would be able to call back the accursed Kerrigan back under the power of the Overmind.
Daggoth was located near the Overmind but not apart of it. Daggoth wanted to remain a minion of the Swarm, not be the Swarm itself. He alone made sure the Overmind would be able to grow and be unharmed when it was weak. The speech the Overmind made was moving just like the original would have done.
Even now they were mustering up resources and minions for one but fatal blow to their target. They would end the lives of these pathetic creatures because they threatened the Overmind. They threatened the will of the Swarm and would perish like the others had. The would die in the most horrific way possible.
'These new children of the Swarm will bring hell to whoever they engage. No longer will they be known as Hunter Killers and Devouring Ones, no. They will be stronger and faster and more lethal then before. The Hunter Killers will be known as Tormented Ones and the Devouring Ones will be known as Blood Minions. They will planet the seeds of darkness alone and will destroy all our enemies hold dear. Their purpose will be one and will be held sacred," the Overmind called out. The creature pulsed with more life passing through it. It was not in its maturity yet, but soon it would be.
'Yes, of course Overmind. As we speak, they move back to there bases. They are on their last bead of hope and will. And where they dwell, bountiful resources wait for us to take," Daggoth spoke in the same dream like tone.
'Daggoth, your purpose will be one. You watched over me while I grew along with the other Cerebrates. Now those Cerebrates are me. You must find the Sleeper. They must not be able to keep the Sleeper for the power which the Sleeper holds, is far to great for that body," the Overmind spoke with the dream like tone deepening.
'The will and honor is yours. The doing is mine. Even though they are in a area we cannot enter, they will soon be out in the open again to stop us. That will be their undoing. Pride.." Daggoth said letting the word ring out.
'Liberate those resources and take out the enemy first. Then free the Sleeper," the Overmind ordered.
Daggoth understood what the Overmind wanted. Even though the words were unspoken, Daggoth knew what had to be done. Finally the reign of the Zerg would live again as it had before. The reckoning and the ending were near. It was time to kill.
'The Greater Conflict is upon us and I will do whatever it takes to win it for your sake, Overmind,' Daggoth spoke gathering the Broods that would be used to destroy the rebellions they were faced with.
Chapter 12
New Hope (Castor System)
The battle was over and they lost four Cruisers. Two were from the UED, one was from the Dominion, and one from the Alliance. One Carrier went done and that to was from the Alliance. The Fleet of the Judicator was the only one that got away without loss of a vessel. Though everyone had lost a number of fighters, that was inevitable. Except this time it was different. They had lost one of their own. Artanis had fallen during the battle.
Jim remembered seeing him when he was with Latura. Maybe if he stayed to help move Latura, he would have been in a different place at a different time. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He knew Artanis had chosen what he wanted to do and Jim had no control over that. He said a silent prayer for the fallen comrade and moved on.
"Damage report," he ordered. The crew then began checking their stations and the integrity of the ship.
"Reading no damage on the bridge, sir. We have minor hull damage, nothing to serious. We lost four small laser batteries on the "neck" though, sir," one of the men called out. Jim nodded to him. They were lucky. Not like the men caught on the Blue Nose. The ship was wrecked pretty badly. They had blasted one of their own ships by mistake.
A voice was calling to him but he felt so distant. The voice was only a whisper that seemed to echo all around him. He felt his knees give in a little and his vision blurred. He gripped the railing on the bridge tightly and then woke from his dream world.
"Jim, Sarah is losing it in the Medical Lab. You better come quick," said one of the doctors. Jim was completely focused again and found himself running down the corridor following the doctor. Once they had reached the medical lab they found papers scattered on the floor along with an overturned bed and several pieces of emergency equipment.
Sarah sat in the corner of the room, with her knees up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, holding them close to her. She gently rocked back in forth with horror screaming on every feature of her face.
She looked up at Jim as he walked in the room. A tear fell from her right eye and slid down her cheek. "Can't you hear them? They are screaming for me again. I can't go back there, I would rather die then go back. Don't let them take me," she spoke with fear rising in the back of her voice.
Jimmy swallowed hard as he approached her. He didn't know what to expect. She could still be clinging on to that little bit of humanity she held inside her or the infectious Zerg genes were taking control. He hoped to God, that if she was slipping, it would be quick. He walked slowly to her and helped her up to her feet. Once she was standing she lounged for him. Her claw-like hand grasped his throat and slammed him into a wall. He tightened up waiting for the final blow. He couldn't believe her strength and her speed. It was ungodly.
"Jim, I can't hold this much longer," she breathed in an attempt to keep the demon within her. Another tear fell from her battered form. "If you can cure this, do it now," she said sounding like she was in agonizing pain. Every bit of her strength was being used to stop her from killing the man she believe she loved.
"Sarah, you have to be completely willing to do this or it won't work. I mean you can't be having these doubts like you are now. You have to want this," he whispered as her grip was released.
"Then we have to go now. I can't hold this any longer. I can feel a new Overmind growing under Daggoth's supervision. It is still young, but the psychic emanations it is producing is driving me closer to their side," she spoke with worry building up. Jim saw how strained some of her muscles were, she was literally trying to stop herself from doing what the "voices" wanted her to.
Jim slowly walked away to go find Zeratul. Except as he left the medical bay, Zeratul was standing there watching her. He walked up to Sarah slowly, but as he did so, she arose to her feet in a defensive stance. "Kerrigan, you must resist a while longer," he spoke quietly. He pulled out a small device and opened it. Zeratul spoke low and fast into the object. He then pressed a small button and a low beeping sound was being generated by the object. "This is an emergency recall device. We will be recalled to Shakurus," Zeratul said turning to inform the others. "This is a locator will give our location to an Arbiter near the crystal formation. Jim, our people have studied it but feared it. We haven't given it a name because of its power. Only you and Sarah will enter the Temple when we arrive," he spoke with a stern and serious tone.
Jim nodded. He went to walk over to where Sarah was when the ship began to shake a little. Before he knew it, it was over. Except a few cries came from the intercom at the bridge. "Zeratul, you better take care of the men and tell them what happened. Can we get back to Castor too?" he asked as he looked up as Zeratul nodded.
"We have one long range Arbiter on Castor as well. We can leave whenever you are ready. Do hurry though, I am certain that the Zerg will not wait forever," he warned and like that, had left.
The New Hope landed on the surface of the Dark Templar home world of Shakurus. Almost as soon as the ship had landed, Jim had taken Sarah down one of the landing ramps. He walked down the ramp with Sarah close behind and before them, stood a large majestic temple. Inside he could see a small bit of light shine out. Jim grabbed Sarah's hand and lead her into the temple. There was nothing inside the large temple except a crystal the size of a tank. It had an eerie glow to it, illuminating the entire room. Then he saw some type of hieroglyphics engraved on the velvet walls.
"My God," Jim whispered in awe at the beauty of the structure. The pictures were lined with gold and strange alien symbols. The crystals light grew brighter as he approached with Sarah now being dragged by him. She had grown weak walking into the temple. "Sarah, come on. Gotta do this on your own darlin," he said trying to stand her up.
"Jim, she must touch the crystal," Zeratul said standing outside the temple. He was serious, he wasn't entering the building. He seemed afraid of it. And the energies coming from the crystal were weakening Sarah. Maybe killing her because she had Zerg in her blood.
"Sarah, you must stand up and touch the crystal," Jim said trying to shake her. She stood weakly on her own, but she stood. She had reached out with one of her clawed hands and touched the beautiful crystal. Except her hand went through it. It almost seemed like it were a liquid. Her yellow eyes opened widely as if in shock and her mouth had dropped. The crystal grew brighter, to the point where you cannot look at it without going blind. Jim immediately covered his eyes and looked the other way.
As the room settled back down and the lights dimmed, Jim turned to see Sarah was gone. She had just disappeared right in front of his eyes basically. Jim quickly ran up to the strange glowing form in front of his and felt it. It was as solid as the plating on the Terran Cruisers.
"She is inside the crystal. Hopefully it is undoing what it can to her tainted mind," Zeratul called from the entrance turned to one side. He wouldn't look in the temple itself.
"Oh, inside the crystal. I knew that," Jim said with a heavy tone of sarcasm. He didn't mean anything offensive by it though and Zeratul knew that.
"We must leave her for a few days, Jim. I am starting the protocol for the recall again back to Castor. I'm sure the Zerg will be attacking soon," Zeratul spoke with a heated intensity. Jim was unsure if he wanted to leave her, but after all, what did he know about this thing? Jim nodded to himself and left the temple behind slowly.
He walked up to Zeratul with concern on his face. "She will, be, okay, right?" he asked breaking the words up slowly. He didn't want to leave her but he knew he had a duty to do back at Castor.
Zeratul looked at him and felt pity. He didn't know why he still loved a monster that had murdered countless people, both Terran and Protoss alike, but it was the same sense he saw with Tassadar willingly sacrificing himself to kill the Overmind.
Zeratul shook his head in honesty. "I don't know. She maybe fine but she may not. What I know for certain is, if she does come out of that looking "normal" again, she will have some Zerg attributes left to her," he spoke with a low tone. "Why don't you wait here. I can arrange shelter for you."
Jim nodded quickly. "I think I will stay. I'll just sleep in the temple thingy over there. Take care of my boys, Zeratul," he said holding out a hand. Zeratul remembered the custom and shook it firmly.
"We will leave some MRE's for you," Zeratul said ordering them up. "Good-bye Raynor," he said standing there a brief moment longer.
"Relax, we will see each other again," he spoke with confidence, smiling slightly. Jim watched as the crew went back into the belly of the large Cruiser. With a sudden flash of light, they had vanished back to Castor. He turned to see crystal glowing dimly every now and then. He could only wonder what was happening to Sarah inside and gave a silent prayer for her.
Castor Orbit
The Alliance ships waited for the next Zerg attack. The Blue Nose was hit badly and several men were killed on the bridge. The emergency power kicked up and the power was restored to the helm. Admiral Gray stood up to see a few of the officers up and working at their posts to give a damage report or to repair their stations. He saw Mr. Tab slowly standing up shaking a few loose pieces of debris off him. He was glad that Tab was okay at least.
"Sir, Navigation Systems are shot and so is the Communication System. Engineering has reported some minor damage to the engines but nothing serious," one officer called from her station reading off the information as it came.
Admiral Gray nodded and accepted what had happened. "We are going to land down on one of those platforms and get repairs underway. We are of no use like this," he ordered. A moment later they were heading towards one of the platforms and landed without authorization, but it didn't matter at the moment.
The giant Cruiser landed in an open service bay. Gray watched as a few SCV's approached the Cruiser carrying various items used for repairs. He couldn't help but think of the Cruiser he destroyed. He ordered the firing of the cannon and cost him greatly.
"Sir, Communications are back online. The Commander of the repair depot is hailing us. He would like to know our status," the same female officer spoke again.
"Tell him, 'Sorry for the unexpected landing. We have suffered heavy damage and needed repairs immediately.' I'm sure he will understand, I hope," he whispered. He was shocked for a brief moment as a Terran Cruiser just suddenly appeared out of no where. 'Recall,' he thought to himself. He was glad they had another Cruiser to join them in the fight at least.
"Sir, Third Wing is in the Sara System. They have met no contacts and mined as much minerals as they could before departing. They estimate they will be in the Castor System in at least thirty minutes," the scanning officer said.
"Very well. If we can hold out till they get here, then the Zerg will have another thing coming to them," he spoke proudly to try and boost the officers morale. "Soon, we will be able to continue our mission on our own as soon as we can defeat the Zerg here," he spoke with a commanding tone, calm but like before they had lost so many ships and men.
"What if Third Wing does not make it here, sir?" Tab asked with his arms folded behind his back. He just stood staring out the large window lost in a thoughtless gaze.
"Mr. Tab, do not fall apart on me now. They will make it here. We must-," he was trying to say but was cut off.
"Zerg! Jesus, there is more then last time!" cried on of the officers.
Admiral Gray choked. Why wouldn't they die? "Launch fighters! We cannot engage until the rest of our repairs are completed," he spoke watching in horror as several fighters in the front were quickly disposed of. He couldn't really tell what kind of fighters they were because he was too far away, but the explosions were enough for him. He was beginning to worry.
"All Dominion ships, hold fast and give them hell. Do not let them through!" Arcturus Mengsk ordered on the bridge of the Foxwood. General Madison was standing behind him watching as more Zerg came through the Jump Node.
"Stand off fighting will get us killed rather quickly, sir. If I may suggest we try flanking them on the right, we may be able to encircle them," Madison spoke still watching the Zerg move on the Protoss and Terran fighters.
Mengsk waited a moment to see if the fighters would be able to do it with the Cruiser back up, but he watched as they fought in vain. All Dominion fighters and Cruisers, move on their right flank and drive on with full speed. We are going to try to encircle them and see if they like it on all sides," he said watching as a few of the fighters began to really drive hard on the right flank of the Zerg attackers. Mengsk also saw a few Cruisers take full charge at the Zerg.
The Zerg flyers moved like an angry hive of bees, moving as one. It was truly a sight to marvel at. The a sudden move, they made their way down on to the planet of Castor. They were far to many and to little time to stop them all. Several Overlords reached the planet being escorted by Guardians and Devourers.
Zeratul only gasped. They had arrived back here a few minutes ago and now the Zerg took no interest in fighting them but instead wanted to ruin their planet. Minutes later several small escape pods were being launched from Castor. The civilians were fleeing. More came through the Jump Node, except these were Terrans. The immediately called in as the UED. They said they tried to engage the Zerg but they took off for the Jump Node.
"Zeratul, what do we do now?" asked one of the officers down below.
"We evacuate the area. All Alliance ships activate emergency recall devices. Adun forgive me," he said as the New Hope activated their recall device. The Alliance ships had vanished from the Castor area. Many civilian transports did as well, but several were destroyed before they reached the orbit. Many of the transports had not only civilians, but supplies and large stocks of minerals and Vespene gas they could use. As the last few transports managed to break away into orbit, a fail safe was triggered. Several large explosions rocked the major settlements destroy anything the Zerg could use that was left behind.
The UED saw the Alliance ships flee the battle. Even though the Third Wing arrived, they wouldn't have enough forces to take down the Zerg. The UED Fleet made there way to the Castor-Sara System Jump Node and fled the battle as well.
Judicator Armadais watched as the remaining UED vessels fled back to where they came from. They had taken a beating between the UED attack and the Zerg onslaught. As much as he didn't want to fall back again, he would have no choice. Except the Castor-Sara Jump Node would be too far for them to travel. They would need another way to escape.
"Break open all Communication lines with the Fleet," Armadais ordered. As he finished speaking a Templar nodded to him.
"Link is open, Judicator," he said turning back to his work.
Armadais stood silent for a few minutes before he made his decision. "All Protoss warships under the Fleet of the Judicator, you are to open up Planetary Bombardment hatches. We are going to burn this world before it is infested," he spoke trembling slightly. He did not want to destroy the planet, but if it meant that the planet was going to be used by the Zerg, he would rather see it burn.
The fleet took orbit and aimed carefully. They targets a few Zerg Hatcheries that were beginning to form up and other settlements that were left unharmed by the explosions the Terrans created. Their weapons began charging for the planetary bombardment they were about to unleash.
A few minutes later, all the remaining Carriers and smaller ships began to rain fire onto the planets surface. Large blue and velvet orbs dropped from some of the ships while other larger beams of blue and teal energy were shot down from a few Carriers and their Capital ship, the Fury. The beams smacked hard into the world, turning the ripe soil into nothing but dry cracked dirt. In some areas molten rock flowed freely out of the dying world like wounds on a helpless animal. One of the orbs crashed into the ground sending a shock wave that crushed mountains and dried lakes. One of the beams made an impact crater four miles deep completely destroying a Zerg settlement and more then half of a Terran Star Port.
Armadais felt sorry for having the planet burned but knew it was for the best. "Has all life been extinguished yet?" he asked not hiding the sorrow he felt. A Templar looked up and shook his head.
"Not yet, Judicator. The planet is fairly large and may take an hour to burn the planet completely," he replied going back to monitering the world.
With a sigh, Armadais watched as the planet slowly, but surely, died. He hoped next time he would burn a Zerg world that had no other life on it.
The Dominion watched as the Protoss decimated the planet. Mengsk had ordered that all ships head back to Korhal until they could contact Raynor again, if at all. There was nothing to be done now except go back to their world and defend it as well.
"Well General, looks like the flanking idea didn't work all to well. All Dominion craft, prepare yourselves for warp. We are getting outta here before the Zerg send in reinforcements," Mengsk ordered. He cursed for not being able to show he was going to "help" out the Alliance and "prove" to them he was serious about it.
The Dominion powered hard till they reached their Jump Node and left the system behind. They would have their day of glory again, Mengsk thought silently. He was certain of that.
Uncharted Planet
'The thoughts of the thoughtless will over come the ones that can think on their own. The time for our rise has begun and we will over come. The minds of the minions are set to think what we think and do what we do. The thoughtless will be controlled by the thinkers that we are and will stop at nothing to do what our bidding is. The day for our glory and honor is again upon us. We will rule absolute and will be uncontested because we are the resolution. We are the ending," the slurred voice called out. Only the thinkers understood truly what was being said. The thoughtless were only moved by the words because their thinkers were.
They had lost the battle that day but would not lose again. That was just to let them know they were coming for them. Finally control was brought back to the rightful ones. No more of the holding back 'it' had done.
'We are free from the strangle hold that was brought on us. Now the true fury will be let loosed onto the enemies that still live and breathe. They will join us or will be slaughtered. Finally will we be able to end the fighting and embrace the others when they submit, because they will submit. The glory is ours and ever will be, for we are the Swarm and we alone will stand triumphant. Go now my children and bring the chaos to the menacing rebels," the voice of the new Overmind called out. The power of the beast was growing rapidly and soon would be able to call back the accursed Kerrigan back under the power of the Overmind.
Daggoth was located near the Overmind but not apart of it. Daggoth wanted to remain a minion of the Swarm, not be the Swarm itself. He alone made sure the Overmind would be able to grow and be unharmed when it was weak. The speech the Overmind made was moving just like the original would have done.
Even now they were mustering up resources and minions for one but fatal blow to their target. They would end the lives of these pathetic creatures because they threatened the Overmind. They threatened the will of the Swarm and would perish like the others had. The would die in the most horrific way possible.
'These new children of the Swarm will bring hell to whoever they engage. No longer will they be known as Hunter Killers and Devouring Ones, no. They will be stronger and faster and more lethal then before. The Hunter Killers will be known as Tormented Ones and the Devouring Ones will be known as Blood Minions. They will planet the seeds of darkness alone and will destroy all our enemies hold dear. Their purpose will be one and will be held sacred," the Overmind called out. The creature pulsed with more life passing through it. It was not in its maturity yet, but soon it would be.
'Yes, of course Overmind. As we speak, they move back to there bases. They are on their last bead of hope and will. And where they dwell, bountiful resources wait for us to take," Daggoth spoke in the same dream like tone.
'Daggoth, your purpose will be one. You watched over me while I grew along with the other Cerebrates. Now those Cerebrates are me. You must find the Sleeper. They must not be able to keep the Sleeper for the power which the Sleeper holds, is far to great for that body," the Overmind spoke with the dream like tone deepening.
'The will and honor is yours. The doing is mine. Even though they are in a area we cannot enter, they will soon be out in the open again to stop us. That will be their undoing. Pride.." Daggoth said letting the word ring out.
'Liberate those resources and take out the enemy first. Then free the Sleeper," the Overmind ordered.
Daggoth understood what the Overmind wanted. Even though the words were unspoken, Daggoth knew what had to be done. Finally the reign of the Zerg would live again as it had before. The reckoning and the ending were near. It was time to kill.
'The Greater Conflict is upon us and I will do whatever it takes to win it for your sake, Overmind,' Daggoth spoke gathering the Broods that would be used to destroy the rebellions they were faced with.