Hey guess what. I own Starcraft*
----[Artanis's perspective, after Brood War]----
I cannot believe the way things are presently going. The universe is in shambles, and it can only get worse from here. The zerg run rampant, we are not strong enough to stop them. Our past has rendered the Terran Dominion weak, and they are our only allies after the destruction of the UED forces.
Strange. I cannot remember how many times I have been told not to trust Arcturus Mensk. Raynor told me several times, Zeratul once or twice, the former Matriarch likely, and even Aldaris. But now we work together, to an extent. At this moment I am receiving a report from our scouts, who have been observing Kerrigan's actions.
The files came in through the computer, and I read them with little interest. As had been expected, the zerg had not acted. Things have been this way for a month now. Though I do not believe Kerrigan will attack soon, it is a terrible fear that she is planning a sort of surprise. Indeed, this is the working theory. The reports show that she is doubling her forces, despite her inaction otherwise.
But as for the conditions of Shakuras, things could hardly be worse. We do not have the resources required to rebuild our largest cities, agriculture is trailing, and our population is struggling. But our greatest struggle is this: fear is winning.
Yet we survive. I have no doubt it is the same with Mensk. He has grown just as weary as myself. How does he stand this? His leadership has been marked in greed, his downfall. Bitterness must consume him.
I have spent this morning doing what I can to ease the problems concerning Shakuras's reconstruction and defense. Time is necessary for completion, but that is simply something we do not posess. It feels like the end. The end of glorious times, of glorious events. There are no more heros.
Must I spend my life in this tired role, ever to serve in futility under the watch of zerg? Is there not chance for me to recover from this past? I am far to young to be under such responsibility. Every day I desire to battle with the zerg, that I might be proven worthy of the title I hold. No, I do not wish for this title. I wish for the fame of the noble Tassadar. I wish for his heroic death most of all. Today's pain is beyond bearing.
I have to get out. Perhaps I should take a short walk. I need to clear my mind.
"I shall return shortly, Zhanos." I tell my assistant.
"Very well."
I walk outside, but what do I see? More despair. The ground is merely dust, the city is crumbles, and the air is putrid. The only relief I receive is from the sky, the same sky I have looked upon since my arrival to Shakuras.
Unconsciously wandering, I find myself in a burial ground. I continue, observing some of the names on the markers. I recognise most; they were my closest friends, who have the envious luck of attaining peace.
My thoughts return to Tassadar. He was fated for glory, it seemed. I remember the story Aldaris once told me, in the short days of his tolerance of the Dark Templar...
///Flashback///
The corsairs had arrived. I waited as they landed. This was an important moment in the history of the Protoss, for this would be the first time the Khalai and the Dark Templar were ever united. Raszagal stood beside me, eager to greet the arriving Judicatora.
Finally the corsairs had touched down, and the doors had opened. Out came the important nobles of the past age, humbled by the present. We greeted them, and I approached a tall, cloaked figure, only his burning eyes visible under the rim of the hood. This Judicator, Aldaris, removed his hood, spoke a small salutation to the Matriarch, and followed us into the nexus.
There we prepared for a defense against the zerg, those that had followed from Aiur. This was completed quite quickly. None seemed eager to contradict another. It was a bit uncomfortable. But it was over.
Knowing that he was familiar with the hero Tassadar, I went over to Aldaris, hoping to learn more. He acknowledged my presense with a calm, "Yes?"
"If you would, please tell me of Tassadar."
"There is little to tell that you do not already know. Tassadar was an exceptional student, a strong warrior, and a noble Templar."
"So his reluctency to obey orders was unexpected?"
Aldaris's eyes focused out a bit, remembering. "Not quite. One incident in his younger years should have indicated it, but the Conclave had not remembered it until his rebellion.
"It was a little more than three hundred years ago, when Tassadar was only the age of five. He and his parents had been out in the country, I believe visiting relatives. But by some circumstance, he was lost in the forest. It was strange to think how this could have happened, and to this day none are certain.
"Search parties went out, but the child was not found. Not until that night did we find him, or rather he was brought to us.
"I was not formerly involved in the situation, but was attending my own business at the outskirts of a city near the forest where the boy was lost. And, emerging from the forest, there came a young human girl, holding the baby Tassadar, singing him some Terran lullaby. As for the boy, he was almost asleep, snuggled against the girl, his right hand firmly grasping a lock of her blond hair.
"It was the strangest thing my companions and I had ever seen. The girl silenced when she saw us, immediately coming to me, her face expressing worry. As she approached, I found that she was different. Her mind was not easily examinable; indeed it was quite resistant to psionic emanations. Nor did she show any surprise at our species. It was as if she knew of Protoss.
"'I think he's sick.' the girl said, indicating Tassadar. 'he's frozen cold, and he won't warm up.'
"I took Tassadar and noticed that the girl was right. He was quickly wrapped in one of the cloaks and taken away. The girl, nervous and for the moment ignored, turned away to the woods. But she was stopped and taken.
"As we continued to the city, some of the group discussed how the child could have found Tassadar. One, Tuslinar, spoke his guess, that the girl, on some insane whim, had taken the boy for her own amusement, returning him when he fell ill.
"Though we spoke not aloud and not in English, the girl seemed to understand the conversation. She became instantly offended and gave an ugly look, uttering 'bloody Toss' before she decided it would be best to ignore our speech.
"She was brought before members of the Conclave, but she never answered seriously. We soon grew frustrated, for the girl paid little attention, and had the habit of calling us by strange names in her head. I was 'the demented gingerbread man'.
"Our patience was worn thin, and guards were called to have her put in a stasis cell. But as soon as she passed the door, she promptly jumped out of a window. We ran to it, but she was gone, quite literally disappeared. We considered this sort of an omen for Tassadar, but it was all but forgotten until he left."
I was amazed. "Did you ever find out anything about the girl?"
"Yes, she reappeared about a month ago on Aiur, somehow looking younger than-" Aldaris was interrupted by a psionic thought of the Matriarch. "Excuse me, it seems I have business. We shall continue this conversation later."
But later never came. The arrival of Kerrigan, the search for the crystals, the UED, the betrayal-our betrayal or his?. The times passed by Aldaris, leaving him to die.
Once again I am envious.
///End flashback///
This is all. The future has been taken by those who hate. It is futile to continue, for the day of our destruction will soon come. We struggle to rebuild, but it is all for naught. The only hope is to die honorably, while there still is a chance.
As I turn back to exit the burial grounds, a figure interrupts my thoughts. It is a human girl, sitting with her head bowed, and her back against someone's stone marker. I approach her, and she lifts her blonde head, giving a little smile.
"Hello." she said. "What's new in the K-sector?"
--------
*I'm lying.
----[Artanis's perspective, after Brood War]----
I cannot believe the way things are presently going. The universe is in shambles, and it can only get worse from here. The zerg run rampant, we are not strong enough to stop them. Our past has rendered the Terran Dominion weak, and they are our only allies after the destruction of the UED forces.
Strange. I cannot remember how many times I have been told not to trust Arcturus Mensk. Raynor told me several times, Zeratul once or twice, the former Matriarch likely, and even Aldaris. But now we work together, to an extent. At this moment I am receiving a report from our scouts, who have been observing Kerrigan's actions.
The files came in through the computer, and I read them with little interest. As had been expected, the zerg had not acted. Things have been this way for a month now. Though I do not believe Kerrigan will attack soon, it is a terrible fear that she is planning a sort of surprise. Indeed, this is the working theory. The reports show that she is doubling her forces, despite her inaction otherwise.
But as for the conditions of Shakuras, things could hardly be worse. We do not have the resources required to rebuild our largest cities, agriculture is trailing, and our population is struggling. But our greatest struggle is this: fear is winning.
Yet we survive. I have no doubt it is the same with Mensk. He has grown just as weary as myself. How does he stand this? His leadership has been marked in greed, his downfall. Bitterness must consume him.
I have spent this morning doing what I can to ease the problems concerning Shakuras's reconstruction and defense. Time is necessary for completion, but that is simply something we do not posess. It feels like the end. The end of glorious times, of glorious events. There are no more heros.
Must I spend my life in this tired role, ever to serve in futility under the watch of zerg? Is there not chance for me to recover from this past? I am far to young to be under such responsibility. Every day I desire to battle with the zerg, that I might be proven worthy of the title I hold. No, I do not wish for this title. I wish for the fame of the noble Tassadar. I wish for his heroic death most of all. Today's pain is beyond bearing.
I have to get out. Perhaps I should take a short walk. I need to clear my mind.
"I shall return shortly, Zhanos." I tell my assistant.
"Very well."
I walk outside, but what do I see? More despair. The ground is merely dust, the city is crumbles, and the air is putrid. The only relief I receive is from the sky, the same sky I have looked upon since my arrival to Shakuras.
Unconsciously wandering, I find myself in a burial ground. I continue, observing some of the names on the markers. I recognise most; they were my closest friends, who have the envious luck of attaining peace.
My thoughts return to Tassadar. He was fated for glory, it seemed. I remember the story Aldaris once told me, in the short days of his tolerance of the Dark Templar...
///Flashback///
The corsairs had arrived. I waited as they landed. This was an important moment in the history of the Protoss, for this would be the first time the Khalai and the Dark Templar were ever united. Raszagal stood beside me, eager to greet the arriving Judicatora.
Finally the corsairs had touched down, and the doors had opened. Out came the important nobles of the past age, humbled by the present. We greeted them, and I approached a tall, cloaked figure, only his burning eyes visible under the rim of the hood. This Judicator, Aldaris, removed his hood, spoke a small salutation to the Matriarch, and followed us into the nexus.
There we prepared for a defense against the zerg, those that had followed from Aiur. This was completed quite quickly. None seemed eager to contradict another. It was a bit uncomfortable. But it was over.
Knowing that he was familiar with the hero Tassadar, I went over to Aldaris, hoping to learn more. He acknowledged my presense with a calm, "Yes?"
"If you would, please tell me of Tassadar."
"There is little to tell that you do not already know. Tassadar was an exceptional student, a strong warrior, and a noble Templar."
"So his reluctency to obey orders was unexpected?"
Aldaris's eyes focused out a bit, remembering. "Not quite. One incident in his younger years should have indicated it, but the Conclave had not remembered it until his rebellion.
"It was a little more than three hundred years ago, when Tassadar was only the age of five. He and his parents had been out in the country, I believe visiting relatives. But by some circumstance, he was lost in the forest. It was strange to think how this could have happened, and to this day none are certain.
"Search parties went out, but the child was not found. Not until that night did we find him, or rather he was brought to us.
"I was not formerly involved in the situation, but was attending my own business at the outskirts of a city near the forest where the boy was lost. And, emerging from the forest, there came a young human girl, holding the baby Tassadar, singing him some Terran lullaby. As for the boy, he was almost asleep, snuggled against the girl, his right hand firmly grasping a lock of her blond hair.
"It was the strangest thing my companions and I had ever seen. The girl silenced when she saw us, immediately coming to me, her face expressing worry. As she approached, I found that she was different. Her mind was not easily examinable; indeed it was quite resistant to psionic emanations. Nor did she show any surprise at our species. It was as if she knew of Protoss.
"'I think he's sick.' the girl said, indicating Tassadar. 'he's frozen cold, and he won't warm up.'
"I took Tassadar and noticed that the girl was right. He was quickly wrapped in one of the cloaks and taken away. The girl, nervous and for the moment ignored, turned away to the woods. But she was stopped and taken.
"As we continued to the city, some of the group discussed how the child could have found Tassadar. One, Tuslinar, spoke his guess, that the girl, on some insane whim, had taken the boy for her own amusement, returning him when he fell ill.
"Though we spoke not aloud and not in English, the girl seemed to understand the conversation. She became instantly offended and gave an ugly look, uttering 'bloody Toss' before she decided it would be best to ignore our speech.
"She was brought before members of the Conclave, but she never answered seriously. We soon grew frustrated, for the girl paid little attention, and had the habit of calling us by strange names in her head. I was 'the demented gingerbread man'.
"Our patience was worn thin, and guards were called to have her put in a stasis cell. But as soon as she passed the door, she promptly jumped out of a window. We ran to it, but she was gone, quite literally disappeared. We considered this sort of an omen for Tassadar, but it was all but forgotten until he left."
I was amazed. "Did you ever find out anything about the girl?"
"Yes, she reappeared about a month ago on Aiur, somehow looking younger than-" Aldaris was interrupted by a psionic thought of the Matriarch. "Excuse me, it seems I have business. We shall continue this conversation later."
But later never came. The arrival of Kerrigan, the search for the crystals, the UED, the betrayal-our betrayal or his?. The times passed by Aldaris, leaving him to die.
Once again I am envious.
///End flashback///
This is all. The future has been taken by those who hate. It is futile to continue, for the day of our destruction will soon come. We struggle to rebuild, but it is all for naught. The only hope is to die honorably, while there still is a chance.
As I turn back to exit the burial grounds, a figure interrupts my thoughts. It is a human girl, sitting with her head bowed, and her back against someone's stone marker. I approach her, and she lifts her blonde head, giving a little smile.
"Hello." she said. "What's new in the K-sector?"
--------
*I'm lying.