Chapter 14: The Warrior of Peace
Duran, now completely treated, was now in one of the infirmary beds. Sure, he felt much better, but his treatment was a mere excuse to get information. He shrugged at what he had been forced to do to get Raynor to trust him. It wasn't his style to act all weak and unsure of himself. However, he got the information he wanted, as Raynor and Kerrigan had come by to speak to him earlier. Kerrigan, though she was still in her infested body, was looking completely different from before. She was smiling. Not one of those sadistic, evil smiles, but a real, tender, happy smile. Duran couldn't help but think that it wasn't Kerrigan; there were so many differences with the one he had once known as the Queen of Blades. He permeated Kerrigan's mind to assure himself of her identity, and what he saw made him feel relief. It also showed him that Raynor wasn't the only "pig" around.
Now, Raynor had left and Kerrigan was sleeping in another bed of the infirmary. Nevertheless, Duran was still trying to process the recent events and to grasp all he had discovered. From what he knew, all of the K- sector's factions had united, except the Terran Dominion. Even if now he was about to face an incredibly huge force, Mengsk wouldn't surrender. He was too foolishly proud. Because of that, there would be a war, which would cost thousands, even millions of lives. Duran was starting to feel bad. His mission was precisely to avoid this kind of bloody conflict. A mission he would need to accomplish at all costs.
Flashback
Duran, serving Kerrigan, was starting to prepare for the final battle of the Brood War, but he felt something calling him, something too strong to resist. Even though he realized that Kerrigan would probably kill him for such an act of desertion, he left to answer the call. Days later, he managed to reach to an aquatic planet of the source, which was in an uncharted solar system. The planet contained a huge Xel' Naga structure, similar to one in the Dark Templar home world Shakuras, with the difference that it was hidden in a valley of green flora, with vines enveloping its walls and doors.
Duran went in, anxious, but fearless for some reason. As he climbed up toward the decrepit temple's tower, voices began to stir whispers; voices that he deduced belonged to the architects of this sacred temple. When he reached the top of the tower, a sudden overwhelming sense of fear engulfed him. He needed to flee. He needed to leave now.
It was actually a Déjà vu.
He paused for a long moment, until finally it dawned upon him; it was similar to the temple summit where Atlantis and Zeratul stood with the light and dark crystals during the Brood War. He had never seen it, but somehow he knew.
Soon, the whispers stopped for a moment, then a clear voice shook him. "Duran" The name echoed throughout the valley. "Duran"
The voices revealed themselves as the ancient ones of the Xel' Naga, the ones who created the three species at war. Curious, Duran wondered. Was humanity the product of the Xel' Naga?
They sensed his inquisition. "Indeed" It was as if the word was spoken an ancient language and Duran, though he didn't know why, understood effortlessly. It was so strange.
The Xel' Naga requested Duran to bring the three species together, to protect the galaxy. They explained that it was their original purpose to do so, as the K-sector was, according to them, in danger. It was supposedly a threat that all species would have to face together. To finish, one of the voices had said,
"You are our warrior out there. The warrior of peace."
Duran did not understand it, but it was as if every cell in his body told him to obey instinctively. It was as if the genetic product cultured within him after millions of years of evolution was beckoning him to learn and listen, with his undivided attention.
And so, the spirits touched him.
He stared into infinity, not caring if his eyes were strained or his pupil had dilated significantly. A powerful psychic wave surged throughout the temple, the globe, spanning across the entire solar system, and who knows how far.
Duran had felt a sense of completion he had never felt before, pride he would have never acknowledged in his human ancestry. He was spirited, in a state of Elysium.
The former ghost operative, the former soldier of Kerrigan, Samir Duran, was 'reborn'.
He was the child emerging from his mother's womb, having to breathe life for the first time, so intense that his legs gave away and his knees caught the floor, and finally he broke into a storm of tears.
Even if the cold wind blew across his face on the temple summit, he was still weeping, as the night's light shone on him.
Finally the first light of day dawned on his face. He tasted his salty lips, as his tears had dried. He had been kneeing for hours on a solid rock pavement. Sure, his knees ached, but it didn't matter, as the voice of truth was very present in his mind. He had found it. He did not need to think, nor doubt those words from his creator. This was his birthright, his fate. Duran had been endowed with a celestial mission, one that he would live to accomplish, as he went to find allies.
Duran started by getting one of Kerrigan's best broods to follow him. Soon after, he freed the imprisoned Salaha tribe from the Prison planet Termanot- pulah. Then he heard of the battle on Char. Though he didn't have many allies, he went there with them, determined to stop this war once and for all. He saw Kerrigan escape in a wraith, followed her, and tried to bring her to him by mind-controlling Kalis when he was near her, though the protoss warrior took control of his body again just in time to take Kerrigan back to the terran base, leading to the events you already know of (see the two previous chapters).
Flashback end
Duran, though his mission was nearly complete, just couldn't find a way to take Mengsk out of the picture. He was too strong mentally to be mind- controlled, he never would be alone in a vulnerable position and all his troops always had a special psychic-deflector chip surgically placed in their heads. Besides, he had let the Salaha go, as they had accomplished their part of the deal, while his renegade brood was far away. "Damn it." He thought, "The only way to make it would be to sneak inside his mansion and shoot him, but even that's impossible: his mansion's so well equipped; even a mosquito would have trouble sneaking through." He then lost patience and yelled out loud: "This is impossible!"
Kerrigan, which was looking as though Duran had just woken her up with his yelling, said, "Ghosts aren't supposed to be afraid of some difficulty. Duran, aren't you supposed to be one of the best? Anyway, about whatever is that hard, do what you want but let me sleep." And with that, Kerrigan lay in her bed and tried to sleep once more. She couldn't and, noticing that, said, "How about I help you out? I can't sleep anyway."
Duran nodded and explained everything to her, causing her to open her mouth in awe. She said,
"Wow. Now this is big. Anyway, I can't stand Mengsk either, so count me in." After she said that, they both went to take their things and headed out of the base. This would be hard, but Kerrigan was right: ghosts aren't supposed to be afraid of anything.
Kalis was thrashing around his quarters. How could he have not guessed that Mengsk wanted to kill all of Raynor's Raiders? First, he fails to guess Kirger's true allegiance, and now this. This time, though, it wouldn't be Raynor who would take care of the traitor. Kalis promised to take care of it himself, not knowing the consequences or caring about his own safety. He ran to the door of his quarters, opened it, and saw Zeratul waiting in front of it. Zeratul said, looking suspiciously at Kalis,
"En Taro Adun, Kalis. Now, did I not say that you should never go out on your own? What are you intentions?"
"What do you think? I want the head of the terran emperor Arcturus Mengsk."
Zeratul sighed and said, "It is unwise. Do you not know that Mengsk's manor is heavily guarded?"
Kalis calmed down and answered reluctantly "No. I do not think of such things."
Zeratul sighed once more, "Yet you still want to kill him. Indeed, we all share this deep hatred for the treacherous emperor. But stop acting like a terran! You mustn't let anger blind you. You can't kill him alone. To do so, you'll need help. My help." He said, a glow in his eyes showing his will to fight.
Kalis nodded, as eager to fight as Zeratul was, and walked out of the base with him. Destination: Korhal.
Duran, now completely treated, was now in one of the infirmary beds. Sure, he felt much better, but his treatment was a mere excuse to get information. He shrugged at what he had been forced to do to get Raynor to trust him. It wasn't his style to act all weak and unsure of himself. However, he got the information he wanted, as Raynor and Kerrigan had come by to speak to him earlier. Kerrigan, though she was still in her infested body, was looking completely different from before. She was smiling. Not one of those sadistic, evil smiles, but a real, tender, happy smile. Duran couldn't help but think that it wasn't Kerrigan; there were so many differences with the one he had once known as the Queen of Blades. He permeated Kerrigan's mind to assure himself of her identity, and what he saw made him feel relief. It also showed him that Raynor wasn't the only "pig" around.
Now, Raynor had left and Kerrigan was sleeping in another bed of the infirmary. Nevertheless, Duran was still trying to process the recent events and to grasp all he had discovered. From what he knew, all of the K- sector's factions had united, except the Terran Dominion. Even if now he was about to face an incredibly huge force, Mengsk wouldn't surrender. He was too foolishly proud. Because of that, there would be a war, which would cost thousands, even millions of lives. Duran was starting to feel bad. His mission was precisely to avoid this kind of bloody conflict. A mission he would need to accomplish at all costs.
Flashback
Duran, serving Kerrigan, was starting to prepare for the final battle of the Brood War, but he felt something calling him, something too strong to resist. Even though he realized that Kerrigan would probably kill him for such an act of desertion, he left to answer the call. Days later, he managed to reach to an aquatic planet of the source, which was in an uncharted solar system. The planet contained a huge Xel' Naga structure, similar to one in the Dark Templar home world Shakuras, with the difference that it was hidden in a valley of green flora, with vines enveloping its walls and doors.
Duran went in, anxious, but fearless for some reason. As he climbed up toward the decrepit temple's tower, voices began to stir whispers; voices that he deduced belonged to the architects of this sacred temple. When he reached the top of the tower, a sudden overwhelming sense of fear engulfed him. He needed to flee. He needed to leave now.
It was actually a Déjà vu.
He paused for a long moment, until finally it dawned upon him; it was similar to the temple summit where Atlantis and Zeratul stood with the light and dark crystals during the Brood War. He had never seen it, but somehow he knew.
Soon, the whispers stopped for a moment, then a clear voice shook him. "Duran" The name echoed throughout the valley. "Duran"
The voices revealed themselves as the ancient ones of the Xel' Naga, the ones who created the three species at war. Curious, Duran wondered. Was humanity the product of the Xel' Naga?
They sensed his inquisition. "Indeed" It was as if the word was spoken an ancient language and Duran, though he didn't know why, understood effortlessly. It was so strange.
The Xel' Naga requested Duran to bring the three species together, to protect the galaxy. They explained that it was their original purpose to do so, as the K-sector was, according to them, in danger. It was supposedly a threat that all species would have to face together. To finish, one of the voices had said,
"You are our warrior out there. The warrior of peace."
Duran did not understand it, but it was as if every cell in his body told him to obey instinctively. It was as if the genetic product cultured within him after millions of years of evolution was beckoning him to learn and listen, with his undivided attention.
And so, the spirits touched him.
He stared into infinity, not caring if his eyes were strained or his pupil had dilated significantly. A powerful psychic wave surged throughout the temple, the globe, spanning across the entire solar system, and who knows how far.
Duran had felt a sense of completion he had never felt before, pride he would have never acknowledged in his human ancestry. He was spirited, in a state of Elysium.
The former ghost operative, the former soldier of Kerrigan, Samir Duran, was 'reborn'.
He was the child emerging from his mother's womb, having to breathe life for the first time, so intense that his legs gave away and his knees caught the floor, and finally he broke into a storm of tears.
Even if the cold wind blew across his face on the temple summit, he was still weeping, as the night's light shone on him.
Finally the first light of day dawned on his face. He tasted his salty lips, as his tears had dried. He had been kneeing for hours on a solid rock pavement. Sure, his knees ached, but it didn't matter, as the voice of truth was very present in his mind. He had found it. He did not need to think, nor doubt those words from his creator. This was his birthright, his fate. Duran had been endowed with a celestial mission, one that he would live to accomplish, as he went to find allies.
Duran started by getting one of Kerrigan's best broods to follow him. Soon after, he freed the imprisoned Salaha tribe from the Prison planet Termanot- pulah. Then he heard of the battle on Char. Though he didn't have many allies, he went there with them, determined to stop this war once and for all. He saw Kerrigan escape in a wraith, followed her, and tried to bring her to him by mind-controlling Kalis when he was near her, though the protoss warrior took control of his body again just in time to take Kerrigan back to the terran base, leading to the events you already know of (see the two previous chapters).
Flashback end
Duran, though his mission was nearly complete, just couldn't find a way to take Mengsk out of the picture. He was too strong mentally to be mind- controlled, he never would be alone in a vulnerable position and all his troops always had a special psychic-deflector chip surgically placed in their heads. Besides, he had let the Salaha go, as they had accomplished their part of the deal, while his renegade brood was far away. "Damn it." He thought, "The only way to make it would be to sneak inside his mansion and shoot him, but even that's impossible: his mansion's so well equipped; even a mosquito would have trouble sneaking through." He then lost patience and yelled out loud: "This is impossible!"
Kerrigan, which was looking as though Duran had just woken her up with his yelling, said, "Ghosts aren't supposed to be afraid of some difficulty. Duran, aren't you supposed to be one of the best? Anyway, about whatever is that hard, do what you want but let me sleep." And with that, Kerrigan lay in her bed and tried to sleep once more. She couldn't and, noticing that, said, "How about I help you out? I can't sleep anyway."
Duran nodded and explained everything to her, causing her to open her mouth in awe. She said,
"Wow. Now this is big. Anyway, I can't stand Mengsk either, so count me in." After she said that, they both went to take their things and headed out of the base. This would be hard, but Kerrigan was right: ghosts aren't supposed to be afraid of anything.
Kalis was thrashing around his quarters. How could he have not guessed that Mengsk wanted to kill all of Raynor's Raiders? First, he fails to guess Kirger's true allegiance, and now this. This time, though, it wouldn't be Raynor who would take care of the traitor. Kalis promised to take care of it himself, not knowing the consequences or caring about his own safety. He ran to the door of his quarters, opened it, and saw Zeratul waiting in front of it. Zeratul said, looking suspiciously at Kalis,
"En Taro Adun, Kalis. Now, did I not say that you should never go out on your own? What are you intentions?"
"What do you think? I want the head of the terran emperor Arcturus Mengsk."
Zeratul sighed and said, "It is unwise. Do you not know that Mengsk's manor is heavily guarded?"
Kalis calmed down and answered reluctantly "No. I do not think of such things."
Zeratul sighed once more, "Yet you still want to kill him. Indeed, we all share this deep hatred for the treacherous emperor. But stop acting like a terran! You mustn't let anger blind you. You can't kill him alone. To do so, you'll need help. My help." He said, a glow in his eyes showing his will to fight.
Kalis nodded, as eager to fight as Zeratul was, and walked out of the base with him. Destination: Korhal.