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 15
Zelsasha and Latura were outside on a small hill, sitting, waiting for the sun to set. They had made small talk from when the left the Carrier. Talking about their pasts, childhood's, what they were interested in, etc. Zelsasha was stunned by some of the things so does and what she liked to do. From what she told him, she was very interested in mechanics and engineering. She also said she was fond of writing poetry and other little works. Zelsasha immediately took a liking to her.
"The sun is beginning to set," Zelsasha said as Latura looked up at the giant star. The orange orb began sinking into the horizon. The blue sky began turning a majestic orange and velvet. The sky suddenly flashed red several times. Latura was stunned by the beauty of it. There are no words to describe it, only the eyes can reveal the true magnificent scene.
"It's like this every time?" she asked not taking her eyes off of the happenings.
Zelsasha only nodded. It got him every time. The scene was so relaxing, so calming. He could always watch this and have all his troubles, no matter how big or small, fade away. He turned and watched Latura gaze into the sunset. She was more beautiful then before. He wondered what life would be like without the war. That is what life was now, only war. Death, hate, love, hopelessness, depression all rolled into one. Then add in the Zerg. They had their own category because the name alone stroke fear into Zelsasha.
With a deep breath, we began to speak. "Latura, after the way comes to an end, after all this passes, would you like to be one, with me?" he asked shaking a little. He never before felt this way about any other females, but she had something speacail to her. She was the only Protoss he had seen with a deep blue skin like that before, for one thing. Those eyes she had, they were extremely rare.
"Do you think the war will end?" she asked turning away from the sky for a moment. She was saddened by the talk of war. Everyone loses some one in war. This one was no different.
Zelsasha nodded briskly. "All things come to an end. Not even the stars live forever. I doubt the war will outlive everything. But if you don't want to, I understand," he said looking back at the sky.
Immediately after he said that she broke in. "No, no. I would really like that, actually. You aren't like a lot of the other males I have met," she said narrowing her eyes a little.
"Oh," he whispered.
"No, I meant that in a good way," she said placing her right hand on his left shoulder. Zelsasha looked down at her hand and placed his right hand on top of hers.
They locked eyes for a moment before they both looked away, blushing a little. Latura had pulled her hand back and rested it on the soft ground of the planet. Her long tendrils rested on the ground, held together by a silver clamp. Zelsasha then wondered about his. They were cut short so they would not have to be one with the Conclave. Then again, she wasn't with the Conclave, so what did it matter.
"Maybe it's time we head back to the ship before it leaves without us," Zelsasha said jokingly.
"A little longer. Lets stay a little longer," she said watching the sun continue on its downward path. She might not get another chance at it, for in the morning they were leaving Shakuras. Latura watched as the last flicker of light faded away behind the mass of land. She stood up brushing some grass and dirt off her robe. Zelsasha did the same and they both slowly walked back to the Carrier Lone Wolf.
"You won't be able to fly for a while with your injury, will you?" Zelsasha asked hoping she couldn't. He felt like he had to protect her now. She had now become one of his priorities in life and in this war.
"I'm sure I could. I fought with you well enough, did I not?" she asked taking careful steps on the ground. Her grace and balance was perfect. Zelsasha was taken by her.
Zelsasha carefully watched her studying the soft blue ground. There was such a positive aura about her. He could tell that she loved the planet. Zelsasha was afraid to lose her now, especially since this was the first female he felt this way for. She looked over at him, knowing something was wrong.
"What is on your mind, Zelsasha?" she asked stopping. The sky was quickly darkening.
With a great sigh, he began talking. "You are the first I have felt this way about. I-I don't want you to get hurt. Could you stay out of the next few engagements we get involved in?" he asked studying her reaction carefully.
"I almost won that fight with you. I am fine. I can fight," she said with a stern voice. This would be harder then he thought.
"Please, just the next few fights. You are injured and I want you to be one hundred percent when you do fight," he said watching her give in.
Latura gave in and nodded. "Three. I will sit out the next three fights, no more, no less," she said. Zelsasha could tell by her voice that was not negotiable.
"Fine. I just want you to be at the fullest when you do engage the Zerg or Terran or even other Protoss. Please, take care of yourself when you do fight as well," he said as she nodded. Zelsasha lost control of himself for a brief moment and embraced the female Protoss that was next to him.
Latura was taken by the sudden action, but was glad to see that he had the nerve to take the initiative. She too, wrapped her arms around him and held tightly for a moment. Zelsasha then woke from his sudden urge, broke away from her. Latura raised her brow.
"That was bold," she said chuckling slightly. Zelsasha blushed and placed a hand on his head.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that. I really don't know what came over me," he said but then was hugged by Latura. He too was taken back slightly by the burst. He did not need any more of an invitation then that. He wrapped his arms around her as well hoping the moment would never end.
Uncharted Space Protoss Carrier Beginnings
They were the last of the great fleet. They were what was left of an expedition to chart another galaxy. Many long years have past since the beginning of the expedition. The Carrier Beginnings stayed to refuel itself with a Vespene geyser they had found and called the fleet to move on ahead. None of them were ever seen again. The Beginnings then turned around to make the long way home. They were almost there now.
Ka'Krisha, one of the greatest Dark Templars to ever lived, manned the helm of the Carrier. When they did get home, the Carrier could use a lot of work. Cleaning, repairs, changing a few parts, and a few other things.
"A few more weeks according to our scanners, we will reach the Vega System. From Vega, we can jump to Ribos and once at Ribos we are practically home free," a Templar spoke from the scanning post. Ka'Krisha wondered if the warp gate on Ribos V were still functioning. The Ribos system was large, but most of the planets were fairly small and when the expedition started, the Dark Templar had set up many posts on Ribos V for research.
"Can you scan for any movement on Ribos V?" Ka'Krisha asked hoping they would find the other Dark Templars studying the planet still. True years had passed, but the Dark Templar really studied artifacts and took their time in uncovering things.
"Scanners are out of range for complete detection, but we are picking up strong life signals. It almost appears to be thousands, but as I said, the scans are weak. There must be more if we are picking up thousands now," the Templar said in shock.
"Have they settled Ribos?" Ka'Krisha wondered. Maybe they found an ancient ruin and remained to study it, like on Shakuras.
"It is possible. We have been gone well over half a century. But that is the bad news as well. I cannot do any more for the engines. They are breaking down and we must get there as soon as possible," the maintenance officer said from behind him. He was covered in grease and was sweating profusely. "The engines can't take the constant running. We have to stop for now. Land on a planet and rest the engines would be the best thing for now. If we don't, we won't get back to Ribos V and go through the warp gate."
Ka'Krisha nodded. He didn't know much about maintenance but this Templar did. "Land us on the next habitable planet you can find. We will rest there for a few days and let our engines recover," he said. He hated having to stop now when they were so close, but he took the maintenance officers word for it.
"Patriarch, I am trying to upload files that should have been updated around the time we left. This system should be charted by our Brethren, but it is not. We are very close to the Ribos System and they should have been able to have an up-link somewhere in the area. But strangely enough, there is not," a Templar relayed from his post.
Ka'Krisha was extremely puzzled. "What?" Was all he could mutter.
"We can't find any traces of anything. This System too should be under examination by our people as well, but it is not. Something doesn't feel right," the Templar said looking a little worried.
"Could it be the Judicators?" Ka'Krisha asked trying to find an answer. His large hand rubbed at his chin for a moment. "I'm sure there is an explanation for it. Land us on the nearest habitable planet. I am going to my chamber," he said walking towards the door of the helm. He walked off quietly. The inside of the ship was well maintained. The inner walls shown brightly with the gold and silver linings it had. Several doors were decorated personally by the owners. Everyone aboard had their own style of decoration and Ka'Krisha supported that.
Ka'Krisha walked down the halls of the Carrier and stopped at a door. It wasn't any door, it was his. Inscribed on the metal door was a phrase he used quite often and believed in very much. 'Kala tu blanka wei zhu ni ana ki. Blas tu nara kalie an barada.' 'Live with peace in mind, love with the heart. Die with compassion, not fear, not hate.'
Ka'Krisha loved the saying not because he thought of it. He loved it because it was true. The past days of conflict and peace he had learned much from. He placed his hand on a panel next to the door. The panel flickered to life and scanned the hand. The panel flashed green and the door opened. His room was filled with treasures he had found. Artifacts, rare jewels, tablets of the ancient ones and more. He studied them whenever he could.
Ka'Krisha loosened his light velvet robe. He stretched and let out a low sigh. He walked across the small room and sat at his desk on the opposite side from where the door was. He had a small pylon that would emit light for him placed on the surface of the desk. It sat next to a tablet that had a few engravings on it. He sat down and examined the piece of stone carefully.
He could not come to a conclusion about the translation of the artifact. He rubbed his gold eyes with his long fingers. He couldn't figure out this piece of work for a long time now. Ka'Krisha wished he could come up with the answer as easily as he came up with his slogan he had outside his door. He called it the Sun Script.
As suddenly as he thought of the Sun Script, it hit him. He remember when he was younger he and his master had translated something very similar if not in-fact just like this. He quickly got up and rummaged through his old reports and documents he had. He found it with little difficulty since it was one of the very first assignments he had.
Ka'Krisha held up the scroll and began reading the notes he took. He brought them back to the desk and began reading. He confidently matched many of the symbols and began translating them. He gasped when he realized it was a Xel'Naga manuscript. It read:
"The long years have passed, our people, a proud people, wanted to strive for perfection. We for so long pondered and experimented with many life forms. But we failed in the perfection process many times. Even the creation of the Protoss race had failed."
Ka'Krisha knew that the Xel'Naga created many races and worked vigorously to make them perfect. He knew the Xel'Naga created the Protoss and also knew that they had deemed them as failures as the broke into war with one another. He continued reading and translating.
"Then, in all of our planning had we found what we were looking for. We had managed to create a race that could survive anywhere. Upon boiling surfaces, to frozen planets. The could travel through space with out needing anything to support breathing or nothing of the sort. They could survive the cold temperatures of space as well. But that was also the problem. Our creation, the Zerg, have grown beyond our handling capabilities. They have grown strong, too strong."
Ka'Krisha kept translating the stone slab. He was reading about something that had been on his mind almost his entire life. He was reading about the downfall of the Xel'Naga race.
"Ours was a proud people. We let them grow more and more. Soon they had become aggressive and intelligent. No longer could we control them. We are the last of our people and soon our time will come. The perfect race has become all that we feared. They have grown hive brains and begin planning attacks and evolving. Soon we will be gone and nothing will be left of our people. No legacy, no memory. The Zerg continue to grow and spread into other systems and other galaxies. We pray that one day, some other intelligent species will come across this. Hopefully one day, the Zerg will no longer be perfect. Hopefully one day, they will fall before another. In time will they encounter THEM.."
"Them?" Ka'Krisha whispered. They put a big strain on "them." Ka'Krisha sat back in his chair staring at the dimly lit wall. "What does this mean? The perfect Zerg, THEM? Are we 'them?'" Ka'Krisha asked out loud to no one in general. He suddenly thought of the life forms they scanned on Ribos V. Was that the 'Zerg' or was that 'them?' Something in all of this didn't sit right. This was a last testament they left behind. They knew someone would find it. But if they knew the Protoss would find it, why did the Xel'Naga refer them as 'them?'
"Them, they must be another race.." he said shocked. He stood up quickly taking the scroll and the tablet with him. He would have to share the find with the others and he would have to do it now.
Shakuras Terran Cruiser New Hope
The room was still very dimly lit. Sarah Kerrigan laid on her bed with her back against a wall, sitting her straight up. She tried reading several books, random miscellaneous books. She tried so hard to focus on the tasks, but found it much harder then she thought it would be. She could find nothing to keep her occupied for more then five minutes. She sighed placed the book on the dresser near the bed. Jim had come back earlier on, but was called off again soon after.
She was confined to her quarters for now and found nothing to keep herself entertained. That was an odd way for her to put it; entertained, but it seemed like the only word she could find. The buzzing in her ears had finally stopped and what she thought to be the Zerg calling out to her stopped as well.
Her hands rubbed her face and eyes roughly trying to fight off the boredom. She had to find something to do or she would go crazy. She knew she was under some kind of observation for now and she could understand why. But she had absolutly nothing to do. Just when she was about to pick up another book and try reading in vain, there was a knock on the door.
Sarah jumped slightly. "Grow up, Sarah," she whispered to herself. "Who is it?" she asked standing up from the bed. She walked over to the door and had this bad feeling wash over her. She tried sensing with her mind who or what was beyond the door but she could feel something pushing her out. She carefully walked back to the bed and lifted the mattress and found a 9 millimeter tucked neatly underneath it. She picked it up and checked to see if it was loaded. It was.
There was a knock again. This time a little louder. Sarah gently pulled back the action of the gun, loading a round into the chamber. She then carefully pulled back the hammer of the gun until there was a click. She watched as the handle turned very slowly. She felt her heart speed it and felt fear build in her stomach. She aimed carefully at the door and said a silent prayer.
The door swung open revealing nothing behind it. Sarah still had the weapon trained dead center of the open doorway. A minute had passed and still nothing. She crouched down and began walking slowly and carefully toward the open door. Once she had reached the doorway, she peeked out to the left and then the right very quickly finding nothing but an empty corridor. She saw two men to the right talking. One of them had a clipboard in his hand and work an orange jumpsuit.
"Maybe they were just checking the hull or pipes or something like that," she said reassuringly to herself. She let out a sigh and stood up. She was slightly embarrassed by her childish actions on something so ridiculous. She turned and closed the door. She placed the 9 mm on the dresser and fell lazily on the bed. She turned so she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling of the room. That is when she saw the outlines of something large and cloaked standing over her. "Oh Jesus," she spoke softly.
In one swift motion, a large hand grabbed her by the neck and lifted her effortlessly from the small bed. The large figure slammed her into the wall knocking over the lamp and the dresser. "Why should you be kept alive after all you have done to us?" the angry voice said. It was a Dark Templar.
Her hands clutched at the invisible figures hand trying to stop him from choking her. She was afraid that no one would want to stop him either for what she had done if she did manage to escape. Maybe they would want to help kill her.
"Ple-ase, it wa-sn't my fau-lt," she said with her lungs burning for air. As she said that, in an act of rage the Dark Templar slammed her into the wall again. Sarah hit her head fairly hard and lost grip of the large hand of her attacker.
"Not your fault? I'm sure it wasn't. They made you do it. They FORCED you to do it. Tell me, then why did you freely decide to rise up to lead the Zerg?" he asked with heavy sarcasm and hate in his voice.
"The-y twisted m-y mi-nd. P-please, you hav-e to-to believe m-e," she said as the grip tightened. She was about to start kicking the attacker but felt so weak and helpless without air in her body. The colors in the room began to blend with one another and she felt her life starting to slip away.
The door opened and Jim walked in holding a few items. "Hey Sarah, I got some things-Whoa!" he said dropping the papers and books. Jim pulled out his Slug Thrower and aimed blindly. "Drop her man or I drop you," he said with authority.
"Captain Raynor, fire if you will. Chances are you may hit her. And if you don't I'll make sure I cut her instead," the voice called out. Sarah's hands fell away from the hand holding her by the neck. "You want her, take her," he said throwing her into the bathroom with as much might as he could muster. There was a loud thud and a shattering of something.
Jim fired three times. Two of the shots hit air, but the third hit something. Blue blood sprayed on the wall and a cry came out from the invisible being. Jim just got out of the way as he saw the outlined figure charge for the door. Once he was sure the Dark Templar was gone, he looked out into the corridor. He saw two men running toward him from the right and saw several more come from the left.
"Sound the alarm! We got a DT in here that tried to kill Sarah and took a swing at me!" he ordered out. As soon as he said that, several men pulled out their side arms and began sweeping the corridor. If the Dark Templar was in the corridor, he would surely be found.
Jim ran back into the room and turned left to get into the bath room. He gasped when he saw her limp form lying motionless and saw a small pool of blood near her head. He saw the shower curtain had fallen and saw blood on the wall inside the shower. "Christ," he whispered as he knelt down beside her. Her left side of her face was facing up. That side seemed fine. He was afraid of what may lye on the other. He carefully studied her for a few moments. He saw her back rise and fall repeatedly. 'At least she is breathing,' he thought.
Jim placed his hands gently on her shoulders and began turning her over slowly. His right hand grabbed her head so it would just flop around as he continued turning her over. He braced himself for the worst and finished turning her over. Her right cheek had a huge gash and was sure to be broken. Blood seeped out of her right ear as well. He whimpered as he continued inspecting her. She had a huge bump on her right temple as well. He looked at the large hand print on her neck. "That son of a bitch," he murmured.
Another man walked into the room. "Jim, the DT must have gotten away. Oh my God," the man said as he walked into the bath room. "I'll get a medic!" he said hurrying out of the room.
Only then did Jim see it. A small section of tile was embedded in her neck. "Damn," he said as he slowly reached to pull it out. He tried tugging on it gently but it would not budge. He felt sick by the sight, but swallowed it all down. He a deep breath and pulled hard. The tile came out of her neck, as well as blood. Blood began pouring out of the wound. "Oh shit," he said as he immediately placed his left hand on the wound. He looked around frantically for something he could use to help stop the bleeding. He saw a towel on the sink and reached for it with his right hand. He was afraid to move to far because he didn't want his hand to slip. He knew that may cost her-her life.
Jim stretched his right arm out and finally grasped the towel. He quickly pulled his arm back and removed his hand replacing it with the towel. As soon as he did that, the towel was becoming damp with the fresh blood leaking from her neck.
Jim heard several foot steps enter the room and saw two medics wheeling a stretcher with them. "Okay, move. We have it from here," one medic said.
"Head trauma and a broken cheek. We have a gasp to the throat, too," the other said quickly checking her vital signs. Jim stood up as the picked her up and placed her on the stretcher. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. The medics wheeled her out of the room and headed for the infirmary.
Jim sat in the bath room for a minute. He looked at the blood on the wall, the floor, and on his hands. He felt fire and hate rise inside him. He looked at the Protoss blood on the wall and stood up. He walked into the room and saw Zeratul just enter the room. "Where have you been?" he asked accusingly.
"Jim, I am on another Carrier now. You know that. I would not hurt Sarah in any-," he said but was cut off.
"Remember a couple of days ago, in the hanger? You tried to then. Tried strangling her. When I walked into the room, same thing was happening. Someone was trying to strangle her," he said with his eyes narrowing. His hand hovered near his side arm.
Zeratul stood shocked by the accusation. "Raynor, I would never do that and you know that. I will be honest, I do not trust Sarah, yet. Given time I will. You must come to realize though, I had no part in this and did not know about it," he said tensing up as well.
Jim brought a hand up to his face and wiped a tear that was forming away. He dropped to his knees and let his head hang low. "Zeratul, when I find out who did this, and I will find out, I will kill him," he said with sincerity.
"Jim, do not overreact. Our men need time to adjust to this some. Do not-," he began but again was interrupted.
"And if I find you knew about this, or you are harboring the one that did this, I will kill you too. That is a promise," he said looking up at him, the hate in his eyes not dying.
Zeratul nodded. "If it troubles you so much, I will help you in your search then. Jim, relax, everything will be okay, I assure you," Zeratul said kneeling next to him. "She has a fighting spirit. She will survive this if she could survive what the Zerg have done to her."
Jim nodded. "Yeah, your right. Look, I'm sorry. I just can't lose her now. I mean after all we went through to get her here. I couldn't live with myself if someone took her now," he said calming.
"I understand. May I suggest that I leave two Protoss here to guard her? There two I trust, personally," he said putting an arm on his shoulder.
"Fine," Jim said looking up. "But I am placing guards of my own as well. Just in case," he said standing up walking out of the room.
Zeratul would have taken it as an insult, but let it go. Jim had been stressed out to his breaking point lately. He would have to take a vacation or something before he got himself killed. Zeratul looked at the blood on the wall of the Protoss that had been shot. "We will find you. Count on it," he said removing a small device from his robe. He pulled out a small cotton ball and soaked it with Protoss blood. He then placed it in a triangular device and put it back in his robe. "We will find you."
Chapter 15
Zelsasha and Latura were outside on a small hill, sitting, waiting for the sun to set. They had made small talk from when the left the Carrier. Talking about their pasts, childhood's, what they were interested in, etc. Zelsasha was stunned by some of the things so does and what she liked to do. From what she told him, she was very interested in mechanics and engineering. She also said she was fond of writing poetry and other little works. Zelsasha immediately took a liking to her.
"The sun is beginning to set," Zelsasha said as Latura looked up at the giant star. The orange orb began sinking into the horizon. The blue sky began turning a majestic orange and velvet. The sky suddenly flashed red several times. Latura was stunned by the beauty of it. There are no words to describe it, only the eyes can reveal the true magnificent scene.
"It's like this every time?" she asked not taking her eyes off of the happenings.
Zelsasha only nodded. It got him every time. The scene was so relaxing, so calming. He could always watch this and have all his troubles, no matter how big or small, fade away. He turned and watched Latura gaze into the sunset. She was more beautiful then before. He wondered what life would be like without the war. That is what life was now, only war. Death, hate, love, hopelessness, depression all rolled into one. Then add in the Zerg. They had their own category because the name alone stroke fear into Zelsasha.
With a deep breath, we began to speak. "Latura, after the way comes to an end, after all this passes, would you like to be one, with me?" he asked shaking a little. He never before felt this way about any other females, but she had something speacail to her. She was the only Protoss he had seen with a deep blue skin like that before, for one thing. Those eyes she had, they were extremely rare.
"Do you think the war will end?" she asked turning away from the sky for a moment. She was saddened by the talk of war. Everyone loses some one in war. This one was no different.
Zelsasha nodded briskly. "All things come to an end. Not even the stars live forever. I doubt the war will outlive everything. But if you don't want to, I understand," he said looking back at the sky.
Immediately after he said that she broke in. "No, no. I would really like that, actually. You aren't like a lot of the other males I have met," she said narrowing her eyes a little.
"Oh," he whispered.
"No, I meant that in a good way," she said placing her right hand on his left shoulder. Zelsasha looked down at her hand and placed his right hand on top of hers.
They locked eyes for a moment before they both looked away, blushing a little. Latura had pulled her hand back and rested it on the soft ground of the planet. Her long tendrils rested on the ground, held together by a silver clamp. Zelsasha then wondered about his. They were cut short so they would not have to be one with the Conclave. Then again, she wasn't with the Conclave, so what did it matter.
"Maybe it's time we head back to the ship before it leaves without us," Zelsasha said jokingly.
"A little longer. Lets stay a little longer," she said watching the sun continue on its downward path. She might not get another chance at it, for in the morning they were leaving Shakuras. Latura watched as the last flicker of light faded away behind the mass of land. She stood up brushing some grass and dirt off her robe. Zelsasha did the same and they both slowly walked back to the Carrier Lone Wolf.
"You won't be able to fly for a while with your injury, will you?" Zelsasha asked hoping she couldn't. He felt like he had to protect her now. She had now become one of his priorities in life and in this war.
"I'm sure I could. I fought with you well enough, did I not?" she asked taking careful steps on the ground. Her grace and balance was perfect. Zelsasha was taken by her.
Zelsasha carefully watched her studying the soft blue ground. There was such a positive aura about her. He could tell that she loved the planet. Zelsasha was afraid to lose her now, especially since this was the first female he felt this way for. She looked over at him, knowing something was wrong.
"What is on your mind, Zelsasha?" she asked stopping. The sky was quickly darkening.
With a great sigh, he began talking. "You are the first I have felt this way about. I-I don't want you to get hurt. Could you stay out of the next few engagements we get involved in?" he asked studying her reaction carefully.
"I almost won that fight with you. I am fine. I can fight," she said with a stern voice. This would be harder then he thought.
"Please, just the next few fights. You are injured and I want you to be one hundred percent when you do fight," he said watching her give in.
Latura gave in and nodded. "Three. I will sit out the next three fights, no more, no less," she said. Zelsasha could tell by her voice that was not negotiable.
"Fine. I just want you to be at the fullest when you do engage the Zerg or Terran or even other Protoss. Please, take care of yourself when you do fight as well," he said as she nodded. Zelsasha lost control of himself for a brief moment and embraced the female Protoss that was next to him.
Latura was taken by the sudden action, but was glad to see that he had the nerve to take the initiative. She too, wrapped her arms around him and held tightly for a moment. Zelsasha then woke from his sudden urge, broke away from her. Latura raised her brow.
"That was bold," she said chuckling slightly. Zelsasha blushed and placed a hand on his head.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that. I really don't know what came over me," he said but then was hugged by Latura. He too was taken back slightly by the burst. He did not need any more of an invitation then that. He wrapped his arms around her as well hoping the moment would never end.
Uncharted Space Protoss Carrier Beginnings
They were the last of the great fleet. They were what was left of an expedition to chart another galaxy. Many long years have past since the beginning of the expedition. The Carrier Beginnings stayed to refuel itself with a Vespene geyser they had found and called the fleet to move on ahead. None of them were ever seen again. The Beginnings then turned around to make the long way home. They were almost there now.
Ka'Krisha, one of the greatest Dark Templars to ever lived, manned the helm of the Carrier. When they did get home, the Carrier could use a lot of work. Cleaning, repairs, changing a few parts, and a few other things.
"A few more weeks according to our scanners, we will reach the Vega System. From Vega, we can jump to Ribos and once at Ribos we are practically home free," a Templar spoke from the scanning post. Ka'Krisha wondered if the warp gate on Ribos V were still functioning. The Ribos system was large, but most of the planets were fairly small and when the expedition started, the Dark Templar had set up many posts on Ribos V for research.
"Can you scan for any movement on Ribos V?" Ka'Krisha asked hoping they would find the other Dark Templars studying the planet still. True years had passed, but the Dark Templar really studied artifacts and took their time in uncovering things.
"Scanners are out of range for complete detection, but we are picking up strong life signals. It almost appears to be thousands, but as I said, the scans are weak. There must be more if we are picking up thousands now," the Templar said in shock.
"Have they settled Ribos?" Ka'Krisha wondered. Maybe they found an ancient ruin and remained to study it, like on Shakuras.
"It is possible. We have been gone well over half a century. But that is the bad news as well. I cannot do any more for the engines. They are breaking down and we must get there as soon as possible," the maintenance officer said from behind him. He was covered in grease and was sweating profusely. "The engines can't take the constant running. We have to stop for now. Land on a planet and rest the engines would be the best thing for now. If we don't, we won't get back to Ribos V and go through the warp gate."
Ka'Krisha nodded. He didn't know much about maintenance but this Templar did. "Land us on the next habitable planet you can find. We will rest there for a few days and let our engines recover," he said. He hated having to stop now when they were so close, but he took the maintenance officers word for it.
"Patriarch, I am trying to upload files that should have been updated around the time we left. This system should be charted by our Brethren, but it is not. We are very close to the Ribos System and they should have been able to have an up-link somewhere in the area. But strangely enough, there is not," a Templar relayed from his post.
Ka'Krisha was extremely puzzled. "What?" Was all he could mutter.
"We can't find any traces of anything. This System too should be under examination by our people as well, but it is not. Something doesn't feel right," the Templar said looking a little worried.
"Could it be the Judicators?" Ka'Krisha asked trying to find an answer. His large hand rubbed at his chin for a moment. "I'm sure there is an explanation for it. Land us on the nearest habitable planet. I am going to my chamber," he said walking towards the door of the helm. He walked off quietly. The inside of the ship was well maintained. The inner walls shown brightly with the gold and silver linings it had. Several doors were decorated personally by the owners. Everyone aboard had their own style of decoration and Ka'Krisha supported that.
Ka'Krisha walked down the halls of the Carrier and stopped at a door. It wasn't any door, it was his. Inscribed on the metal door was a phrase he used quite often and believed in very much. 'Kala tu blanka wei zhu ni ana ki. Blas tu nara kalie an barada.' 'Live with peace in mind, love with the heart. Die with compassion, not fear, not hate.'
Ka'Krisha loved the saying not because he thought of it. He loved it because it was true. The past days of conflict and peace he had learned much from. He placed his hand on a panel next to the door. The panel flickered to life and scanned the hand. The panel flashed green and the door opened. His room was filled with treasures he had found. Artifacts, rare jewels, tablets of the ancient ones and more. He studied them whenever he could.
Ka'Krisha loosened his light velvet robe. He stretched and let out a low sigh. He walked across the small room and sat at his desk on the opposite side from where the door was. He had a small pylon that would emit light for him placed on the surface of the desk. It sat next to a tablet that had a few engravings on it. He sat down and examined the piece of stone carefully.
He could not come to a conclusion about the translation of the artifact. He rubbed his gold eyes with his long fingers. He couldn't figure out this piece of work for a long time now. Ka'Krisha wished he could come up with the answer as easily as he came up with his slogan he had outside his door. He called it the Sun Script.
As suddenly as he thought of the Sun Script, it hit him. He remember when he was younger he and his master had translated something very similar if not in-fact just like this. He quickly got up and rummaged through his old reports and documents he had. He found it with little difficulty since it was one of the very first assignments he had.
Ka'Krisha held up the scroll and began reading the notes he took. He brought them back to the desk and began reading. He confidently matched many of the symbols and began translating them. He gasped when he realized it was a Xel'Naga manuscript. It read:
"The long years have passed, our people, a proud people, wanted to strive for perfection. We for so long pondered and experimented with many life forms. But we failed in the perfection process many times. Even the creation of the Protoss race had failed."
Ka'Krisha knew that the Xel'Naga created many races and worked vigorously to make them perfect. He knew the Xel'Naga created the Protoss and also knew that they had deemed them as failures as the broke into war with one another. He continued reading and translating.
"Then, in all of our planning had we found what we were looking for. We had managed to create a race that could survive anywhere. Upon boiling surfaces, to frozen planets. The could travel through space with out needing anything to support breathing or nothing of the sort. They could survive the cold temperatures of space as well. But that was also the problem. Our creation, the Zerg, have grown beyond our handling capabilities. They have grown strong, too strong."
Ka'Krisha kept translating the stone slab. He was reading about something that had been on his mind almost his entire life. He was reading about the downfall of the Xel'Naga race.
"Ours was a proud people. We let them grow more and more. Soon they had become aggressive and intelligent. No longer could we control them. We are the last of our people and soon our time will come. The perfect race has become all that we feared. They have grown hive brains and begin planning attacks and evolving. Soon we will be gone and nothing will be left of our people. No legacy, no memory. The Zerg continue to grow and spread into other systems and other galaxies. We pray that one day, some other intelligent species will come across this. Hopefully one day, the Zerg will no longer be perfect. Hopefully one day, they will fall before another. In time will they encounter THEM.."
"Them?" Ka'Krisha whispered. They put a big strain on "them." Ka'Krisha sat back in his chair staring at the dimly lit wall. "What does this mean? The perfect Zerg, THEM? Are we 'them?'" Ka'Krisha asked out loud to no one in general. He suddenly thought of the life forms they scanned on Ribos V. Was that the 'Zerg' or was that 'them?' Something in all of this didn't sit right. This was a last testament they left behind. They knew someone would find it. But if they knew the Protoss would find it, why did the Xel'Naga refer them as 'them?'
"Them, they must be another race.." he said shocked. He stood up quickly taking the scroll and the tablet with him. He would have to share the find with the others and he would have to do it now.
Shakuras Terran Cruiser New Hope
The room was still very dimly lit. Sarah Kerrigan laid on her bed with her back against a wall, sitting her straight up. She tried reading several books, random miscellaneous books. She tried so hard to focus on the tasks, but found it much harder then she thought it would be. She could find nothing to keep her occupied for more then five minutes. She sighed placed the book on the dresser near the bed. Jim had come back earlier on, but was called off again soon after.
She was confined to her quarters for now and found nothing to keep herself entertained. That was an odd way for her to put it; entertained, but it seemed like the only word she could find. The buzzing in her ears had finally stopped and what she thought to be the Zerg calling out to her stopped as well.
Her hands rubbed her face and eyes roughly trying to fight off the boredom. She had to find something to do or she would go crazy. She knew she was under some kind of observation for now and she could understand why. But she had absolutly nothing to do. Just when she was about to pick up another book and try reading in vain, there was a knock on the door.
Sarah jumped slightly. "Grow up, Sarah," she whispered to herself. "Who is it?" she asked standing up from the bed. She walked over to the door and had this bad feeling wash over her. She tried sensing with her mind who or what was beyond the door but she could feel something pushing her out. She carefully walked back to the bed and lifted the mattress and found a 9 millimeter tucked neatly underneath it. She picked it up and checked to see if it was loaded. It was.
There was a knock again. This time a little louder. Sarah gently pulled back the action of the gun, loading a round into the chamber. She then carefully pulled back the hammer of the gun until there was a click. She watched as the handle turned very slowly. She felt her heart speed it and felt fear build in her stomach. She aimed carefully at the door and said a silent prayer.
The door swung open revealing nothing behind it. Sarah still had the weapon trained dead center of the open doorway. A minute had passed and still nothing. She crouched down and began walking slowly and carefully toward the open door. Once she had reached the doorway, she peeked out to the left and then the right very quickly finding nothing but an empty corridor. She saw two men to the right talking. One of them had a clipboard in his hand and work an orange jumpsuit.
"Maybe they were just checking the hull or pipes or something like that," she said reassuringly to herself. She let out a sigh and stood up. She was slightly embarrassed by her childish actions on something so ridiculous. She turned and closed the door. She placed the 9 mm on the dresser and fell lazily on the bed. She turned so she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling of the room. That is when she saw the outlines of something large and cloaked standing over her. "Oh Jesus," she spoke softly.
In one swift motion, a large hand grabbed her by the neck and lifted her effortlessly from the small bed. The large figure slammed her into the wall knocking over the lamp and the dresser. "Why should you be kept alive after all you have done to us?" the angry voice said. It was a Dark Templar.
Her hands clutched at the invisible figures hand trying to stop him from choking her. She was afraid that no one would want to stop him either for what she had done if she did manage to escape. Maybe they would want to help kill her.
"Ple-ase, it wa-sn't my fau-lt," she said with her lungs burning for air. As she said that, in an act of rage the Dark Templar slammed her into the wall again. Sarah hit her head fairly hard and lost grip of the large hand of her attacker.
"Not your fault? I'm sure it wasn't. They made you do it. They FORCED you to do it. Tell me, then why did you freely decide to rise up to lead the Zerg?" he asked with heavy sarcasm and hate in his voice.
"The-y twisted m-y mi-nd. P-please, you hav-e to-to believe m-e," she said as the grip tightened. She was about to start kicking the attacker but felt so weak and helpless without air in her body. The colors in the room began to blend with one another and she felt her life starting to slip away.
The door opened and Jim walked in holding a few items. "Hey Sarah, I got some things-Whoa!" he said dropping the papers and books. Jim pulled out his Slug Thrower and aimed blindly. "Drop her man or I drop you," he said with authority.
"Captain Raynor, fire if you will. Chances are you may hit her. And if you don't I'll make sure I cut her instead," the voice called out. Sarah's hands fell away from the hand holding her by the neck. "You want her, take her," he said throwing her into the bathroom with as much might as he could muster. There was a loud thud and a shattering of something.
Jim fired three times. Two of the shots hit air, but the third hit something. Blue blood sprayed on the wall and a cry came out from the invisible being. Jim just got out of the way as he saw the outlined figure charge for the door. Once he was sure the Dark Templar was gone, he looked out into the corridor. He saw two men running toward him from the right and saw several more come from the left.
"Sound the alarm! We got a DT in here that tried to kill Sarah and took a swing at me!" he ordered out. As soon as he said that, several men pulled out their side arms and began sweeping the corridor. If the Dark Templar was in the corridor, he would surely be found.
Jim ran back into the room and turned left to get into the bath room. He gasped when he saw her limp form lying motionless and saw a small pool of blood near her head. He saw the shower curtain had fallen and saw blood on the wall inside the shower. "Christ," he whispered as he knelt down beside her. Her left side of her face was facing up. That side seemed fine. He was afraid of what may lye on the other. He carefully studied her for a few moments. He saw her back rise and fall repeatedly. 'At least she is breathing,' he thought.
Jim placed his hands gently on her shoulders and began turning her over slowly. His right hand grabbed her head so it would just flop around as he continued turning her over. He braced himself for the worst and finished turning her over. Her right cheek had a huge gash and was sure to be broken. Blood seeped out of her right ear as well. He whimpered as he continued inspecting her. She had a huge bump on her right temple as well. He looked at the large hand print on her neck. "That son of a bitch," he murmured.
Another man walked into the room. "Jim, the DT must have gotten away. Oh my God," the man said as he walked into the bath room. "I'll get a medic!" he said hurrying out of the room.
Only then did Jim see it. A small section of tile was embedded in her neck. "Damn," he said as he slowly reached to pull it out. He tried tugging on it gently but it would not budge. He felt sick by the sight, but swallowed it all down. He a deep breath and pulled hard. The tile came out of her neck, as well as blood. Blood began pouring out of the wound. "Oh shit," he said as he immediately placed his left hand on the wound. He looked around frantically for something he could use to help stop the bleeding. He saw a towel on the sink and reached for it with his right hand. He was afraid to move to far because he didn't want his hand to slip. He knew that may cost her-her life.
Jim stretched his right arm out and finally grasped the towel. He quickly pulled his arm back and removed his hand replacing it with the towel. As soon as he did that, the towel was becoming damp with the fresh blood leaking from her neck.
Jim heard several foot steps enter the room and saw two medics wheeling a stretcher with them. "Okay, move. We have it from here," one medic said.
"Head trauma and a broken cheek. We have a gasp to the throat, too," the other said quickly checking her vital signs. Jim stood up as the picked her up and placed her on the stretcher. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. The medics wheeled her out of the room and headed for the infirmary.
Jim sat in the bath room for a minute. He looked at the blood on the wall, the floor, and on his hands. He felt fire and hate rise inside him. He looked at the Protoss blood on the wall and stood up. He walked into the room and saw Zeratul just enter the room. "Where have you been?" he asked accusingly.
"Jim, I am on another Carrier now. You know that. I would not hurt Sarah in any-," he said but was cut off.
"Remember a couple of days ago, in the hanger? You tried to then. Tried strangling her. When I walked into the room, same thing was happening. Someone was trying to strangle her," he said with his eyes narrowing. His hand hovered near his side arm.
Zeratul stood shocked by the accusation. "Raynor, I would never do that and you know that. I will be honest, I do not trust Sarah, yet. Given time I will. You must come to realize though, I had no part in this and did not know about it," he said tensing up as well.
Jim brought a hand up to his face and wiped a tear that was forming away. He dropped to his knees and let his head hang low. "Zeratul, when I find out who did this, and I will find out, I will kill him," he said with sincerity.
"Jim, do not overreact. Our men need time to adjust to this some. Do not-," he began but again was interrupted.
"And if I find you knew about this, or you are harboring the one that did this, I will kill you too. That is a promise," he said looking up at him, the hate in his eyes not dying.
Zeratul nodded. "If it troubles you so much, I will help you in your search then. Jim, relax, everything will be okay, I assure you," Zeratul said kneeling next to him. "She has a fighting spirit. She will survive this if she could survive what the Zerg have done to her."
Jim nodded. "Yeah, your right. Look, I'm sorry. I just can't lose her now. I mean after all we went through to get her here. I couldn't live with myself if someone took her now," he said calming.
"I understand. May I suggest that I leave two Protoss here to guard her? There two I trust, personally," he said putting an arm on his shoulder.
"Fine," Jim said looking up. "But I am placing guards of my own as well. Just in case," he said standing up walking out of the room.
Zeratul would have taken it as an insult, but let it go. Jim had been stressed out to his breaking point lately. He would have to take a vacation or something before he got himself killed. Zeratul looked at the blood on the wall of the Protoss that had been shot. "We will find you. Count on it," he said removing a small device from his robe. He pulled out a small cotton ball and soaked it with Protoss blood. He then placed it in a triangular device and put it back in his robe. "We will find you."