Chapter 8: The escape
Raynor was doing a checkup on all the ships and units on this assignment. They'd all have to be perfectly ready and perfect in their execution. It was four days ago that Raynor had started planning this operation and it had to succeed. It just had to. He continued his checkup.
The artificial cloaking device was installed on the arbiter that would carry them and the escort (formed of three elite wraiths) were both as ready as they could be. Raynor checked on the ground units he'd have with him. Three ghosts were silently getting ready, not showing any emotion, like any good ghost. Three dark templars were looking nervous in their corner, psi blades ready. Kalis was impeccably ready and was practicing silent running, though he was already good at it. Raynor then looked at his own equipment. It was ready all right. With a grin, he checked his plan over in his head. Kealer, along with a major strike force provided by Mengsk (who still had a broken back), would occupy the zerg on the west section of the base, while Raynor and the rest of the extraction crew would go to the south of the base, sneaking past the main defenses thanks to the weak point noticed on the satcom. They'd have four hours before the cloaking mechanisms on Raynor and Kalis's suits would fail. These four hours would be used to find and extract Kerrigan. Raynor didn't know how he'd carry her back to his base, but he'd at least try.
Kalis walked towards him and said, with an excited and nervous tone to his voice, "We are all ready for departure."
As Raynor silently walked towards the arbiter to be recalled later, he swore that after that mission would be completed, he'd retire from the military. To do what, he had no idea, though.
"This is it, Kerrigan. It's the final battle," He thought.
Kerrigan was sneaking towards the south end of the base, but she didn't use the cloaking, mainly because she'd need it to go through her main defenses and out of the base. When she arrived at the weak point, she activated her cloaking, disappearing from view, and started her escape. Mutalisks, guardians and scourges were over her, and Hydralisks were around her, but she managed it and sneaked past the defences in a couple of hours. When she arrived at the point between the defense lines, something suddenly happened. Explosions were heard in the distance and the zerg suddenly turned their attention to the western end of the base, sending most units and all overlords to that location. Kerrigan smiled. She couldn't have hoped for a better timing. She wondered if Jim Raynor was part of that attack, but quickly dismissed that thought, knowing he wouldn't attack head on. Before she knew it, she heard a faint machine sound. She focused her psionic powers on her sight to locate cloaked units and was stunned by what she saw.
A cloaked arbiter, escorted by three wraiths, was placing itself atop an empty position. After it arrived there, it recalled several terran and protoss units, including Jim Raynor himself. Kerrigan suddenly felt happy. She finally had the best possibility for escaping right in front of her. Or so she thought.
Kerrigan felt a strange feeling for wanting to destroy everything. Her zerg instincts were still very much present in her mind, and they were trying to take over again. Kerrigan, after many hard efforts, managed to control herself again, though Raynor and his crew were already in the base. With Raynor away, Kerrigan had to think quickly. How could she leave? She then noticed that the arbiter and the wraiths had landed. She quickly ran towards a wraith, pulled the pilot out and knocked him out silently before he could speak. She then embarked on the wraith.
Knowing the basics on how to pilot a wraith, she cloaked the wraith and escaped her base, imagining the reaction of her cerebrates when they would discover of her escape. She then thought about how she could contact Raynor. She preferred not to think about it now, as her zerg instincts were surging again at the thought of that man. "Anyway, I'm safe for now," she said to herself. But she was sure she had forgotten a small detail, not knowing exactly what. A cloaked wraith's pilot, who was following her, took his radio and turned it on...
Raynor was doing a checkup on all the ships and units on this assignment. They'd all have to be perfectly ready and perfect in their execution. It was four days ago that Raynor had started planning this operation and it had to succeed. It just had to. He continued his checkup.
The artificial cloaking device was installed on the arbiter that would carry them and the escort (formed of three elite wraiths) were both as ready as they could be. Raynor checked on the ground units he'd have with him. Three ghosts were silently getting ready, not showing any emotion, like any good ghost. Three dark templars were looking nervous in their corner, psi blades ready. Kalis was impeccably ready and was practicing silent running, though he was already good at it. Raynor then looked at his own equipment. It was ready all right. With a grin, he checked his plan over in his head. Kealer, along with a major strike force provided by Mengsk (who still had a broken back), would occupy the zerg on the west section of the base, while Raynor and the rest of the extraction crew would go to the south of the base, sneaking past the main defenses thanks to the weak point noticed on the satcom. They'd have four hours before the cloaking mechanisms on Raynor and Kalis's suits would fail. These four hours would be used to find and extract Kerrigan. Raynor didn't know how he'd carry her back to his base, but he'd at least try.
Kalis walked towards him and said, with an excited and nervous tone to his voice, "We are all ready for departure."
As Raynor silently walked towards the arbiter to be recalled later, he swore that after that mission would be completed, he'd retire from the military. To do what, he had no idea, though.
"This is it, Kerrigan. It's the final battle," He thought.
Kerrigan was sneaking towards the south end of the base, but she didn't use the cloaking, mainly because she'd need it to go through her main defenses and out of the base. When she arrived at the weak point, she activated her cloaking, disappearing from view, and started her escape. Mutalisks, guardians and scourges were over her, and Hydralisks were around her, but she managed it and sneaked past the defences in a couple of hours. When she arrived at the point between the defense lines, something suddenly happened. Explosions were heard in the distance and the zerg suddenly turned their attention to the western end of the base, sending most units and all overlords to that location. Kerrigan smiled. She couldn't have hoped for a better timing. She wondered if Jim Raynor was part of that attack, but quickly dismissed that thought, knowing he wouldn't attack head on. Before she knew it, she heard a faint machine sound. She focused her psionic powers on her sight to locate cloaked units and was stunned by what she saw.
A cloaked arbiter, escorted by three wraiths, was placing itself atop an empty position. After it arrived there, it recalled several terran and protoss units, including Jim Raynor himself. Kerrigan suddenly felt happy. She finally had the best possibility for escaping right in front of her. Or so she thought.
Kerrigan felt a strange feeling for wanting to destroy everything. Her zerg instincts were still very much present in her mind, and they were trying to take over again. Kerrigan, after many hard efforts, managed to control herself again, though Raynor and his crew were already in the base. With Raynor away, Kerrigan had to think quickly. How could she leave? She then noticed that the arbiter and the wraiths had landed. She quickly ran towards a wraith, pulled the pilot out and knocked him out silently before he could speak. She then embarked on the wraith.
Knowing the basics on how to pilot a wraith, she cloaked the wraith and escaped her base, imagining the reaction of her cerebrates when they would discover of her escape. She then thought about how she could contact Raynor. She preferred not to think about it now, as her zerg instincts were surging again at the thought of that man. "Anyway, I'm safe for now," she said to herself. But she was sure she had forgotten a small detail, not knowing exactly what. A cloaked wraith's pilot, who was following her, took his radio and turned it on...