chapter 2-
Artanis awoke to find himself crudely lashed over a large grate, the area
smelled dank, and moldy. Dirty streams of water trailed down the walls,
even the mess of computer monitors and terminals, had the filthy chitinous
zerg look. He struggled against the bonds on his hands and feet, and
realized to his great embarrassment, and shame that both his loincloth, and
his shoulder armor were gone, and he could do nothing to cover himself. The
thought of returning to his people naked, was not a pleasant one, even less
pleasant was the thought of never returning. He struggled harder, the
disgusting bonds only held him tighter, her then realized that he was
probably struggling against living bonds. The thought repulsed him even
more than his realization that he was naked. (Ah so you are awake, my
little protoss pet.( Kerrigan had entered the room, gloating as was her
custom whenever she won anything. Artanis for once was counting on the fact
that she could not read protoss emotions, because he was quite embarrassed
by being seen like this by ANYONE of ANY species, particularly female who
also happened to be his worst enemy. *Kerrigan.* he was able to keep his
voice even through luck. (So I am called.( she responded walking to a
bulkhead with a sheaf of papers. Flipping with distaste through row after
row of figures. (After all these years, I truly see how pointless half of
my ghost training exercises were.(
She commented lightly. Artanis kept silent, struggling secretly at his
bonds. Kerrigan paused and turned around with a wicked smirk (but the ones
on interrogation of enemies, are absolutely a must.( she smiled viper-like
at Artanis (and I haven(t had a good opportunity to practice in so long.(
she knelt down near his ear (It is going to be so much fun to break you,
mighty praetor.( she whispered.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
*executor! Look to the east!* there was a massive row of mutalisks, gray-
pink tongues panting in anticipation. * I see them gantrithor, danithmor,
do we have enough energy for a mass stasis?*
Danithmor(s eyes glowed in amusement *have you learned nothing in your
century or so?*
The mutalisks lay in faceted glories. *Gantrithor, you may cause your
chaos.*
*En Taro Tassadar my friends, wish me well in battle.*
*adun be with you Gantrithor.* the arbiters turned to go back to the base,
cloaking units in their wake all across the feild.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Artanis shuddered as Kerrigan traced one of her many blades across his
back. *what do you hope to gain by kidnapping me Kerrigan?* Artanis asked,
as much to keep her from doing anything to him, as out of true curiosity.
(Ah, my little praetor, does not seem to know of his own importance.( she
knelt by his ear and whispered (how cute.( He felt a squirm of discomfort
somewhere in his gut. *why do you not answer and gloat over your own
cleverness Kerrigan, it seems to be all you(re good at.* her face went cold
in fury. She slapped him with one of her (wings( the blow sent him reeling,
a throbbing pain was now in his back, and he saw blue blood drip into the
drain, his blood. She cursed him. ( I am surprised that a protoss can be
sarcastic,( she glared at him again ( I don(t suppose Zeratul, or Fenix are
sarcastic...well I(m sure we can beat it out of you before the end of
this.( she remarked with a casual air. Just as casually kicking him in the
gut. *oof!* she had knocked the wind out of him and it didn(t look as
though she was even trying. (Oh and you are rather pathetic you know.
Breaking you should be rather easy, now first question which you WILL
answer.( she cleaned under one of her fingernails with one of the
unbloodied blades. She paused seeming to think carefully. (I want the
leader of the protoss, I(m pretty sure it(s Zeratul, but you can(t be too
sure.( she kicked him again. (I want a name my little protoss pet.( Artanis
panted *never.* she slashed his back again *ungh...* she cleaned another
fingernail (the name Artanis.( he ducked his head *I...I don(t know.* her
face reflected cold fury, she grabbed him by his tied back (hair(.
Something panted in the grate below, lapping up the drops of Artanis(s
blood. (You are the Praetor, the fill in-however questionably pushed in-
for your late hero Tassadar...( a slow smile filled her face (he never told
you others did he?( Artanis felt rage bubble up in his chest. He was still
panting though and could barely speak, so he held his tongue. His hero had
been hiding something! He dreaded what she was saying. (Oh yes, I remember,
he wanted to actually destroy the overmind, but all he really did was die
needlessly. in fact, if jim hadn(t placed charges in the ship, he would
have caused no damage to the overmind at all. And Jim did it merely to kill
Tassadar, he hated him you know-(
*YOU LIE!* Artanis finally gasped *COMMANDER RAYNOR AND THE MIGHTY TASSADAR
WERE THE GREATEST OF FRIENDS! THE MIGHTY TASSADAR DESTROYED YOUR OVERMIND
BY UNITING OUR LIGHT AND DARK ENERGIES!!! NEVER SPEAK HIS NAME AGAIN, YOU
FOUL, DESPICABLE ZERG WORM!!!!*
Kerrigan stared at hi with a pleased expression, then calmly sliced another
cut into his back with a lightning fast whip of her blades. When he didn(t
cry out, she sliced him again, and again, until he finally cried out in
pain, his eyes blazing with the overwhelming sense of pain. She laughed (oh
you high and mighty protoss are so predictable.( she giggled again, then
was arrogantly serious, (now the name my little predictable pet.( Artanis
panted harder than before, blood splattering to the floor, staining the
grate bright blue, the creature below was gleefully slurping. *I- Will-
Never-give-their-names-to-you-worm.* Kerrigan stared at him with an almost
gleeful smile on her face, (oh you are going to be FUN, I honestly expected
you to break down long before this, I am impressed Artanis. But soon it
will no longer matter, you will tell me eventually, I have all the time in
the world.( she licked her lips in anticipation (prepare yourself templar
for your death, and resign yourself to asking me to let you die, thus( she
clenched a mutated hand into a fist ( I will steal your honor, and you will
let me, prepare my little toy, for it will not be long.( with that she left
the room. And artanis could only sit there and dread the last portion of
his life. To beg to die, and to have his body most likely fed to the
creature slurping his blood. Glowing red eyes peered at his from the grate.
And he shuddered and panted, feeling the throbbing in his back, and the
slowly running trails of blood dripping from the trails running to his
stomach, to drop on the creature below him. A rain of life to the creature
damned to the cell below him, a slow fading of it to him. He could only
wonder what or who was below him, and what Kerrigan had done to them.
For they were surely her prisoner too.
Artanis decided therefore that this dungeon of Kerrigan(s was not a place
he could ever expect to leave. And he would probably never be found
therefore. Never see Fenix, or raynor, or Zeratul, or even the executor.
Artanis felt a slight stir of laughter remembering the executor(s reaction
to the speed and freedom of a scout. Zeratul(s gruff voice when he told the
eager executor that the scout could only be borrowed for a short amount of
time. Danithmor(s laughter at the eager executor. Gantrithor(s little robot
fighters blasting a few zerglings out of the path of the recklessly joyful
executor, as he would have probably run right into them otherwise in his
eagerness to get off the landing pad, then his own...STUPIDITY in not
looking out for the infernal scourges, his crash, his capture, and now his
current predicament. He settled finally into an uneasy sleep plagued by
nightmares.
Artanis awoke to find himself crudely lashed over a large grate, the area
smelled dank, and moldy. Dirty streams of water trailed down the walls,
even the mess of computer monitors and terminals, had the filthy chitinous
zerg look. He struggled against the bonds on his hands and feet, and
realized to his great embarrassment, and shame that both his loincloth, and
his shoulder armor were gone, and he could do nothing to cover himself. The
thought of returning to his people naked, was not a pleasant one, even less
pleasant was the thought of never returning. He struggled harder, the
disgusting bonds only held him tighter, her then realized that he was
probably struggling against living bonds. The thought repulsed him even
more than his realization that he was naked. (Ah so you are awake, my
little protoss pet.( Kerrigan had entered the room, gloating as was her
custom whenever she won anything. Artanis for once was counting on the fact
that she could not read protoss emotions, because he was quite embarrassed
by being seen like this by ANYONE of ANY species, particularly female who
also happened to be his worst enemy. *Kerrigan.* he was able to keep his
voice even through luck. (So I am called.( she responded walking to a
bulkhead with a sheaf of papers. Flipping with distaste through row after
row of figures. (After all these years, I truly see how pointless half of
my ghost training exercises were.(
She commented lightly. Artanis kept silent, struggling secretly at his
bonds. Kerrigan paused and turned around with a wicked smirk (but the ones
on interrogation of enemies, are absolutely a must.( she smiled viper-like
at Artanis (and I haven(t had a good opportunity to practice in so long.(
she knelt down near his ear (It is going to be so much fun to break you,
mighty praetor.( she whispered.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
*executor! Look to the east!* there was a massive row of mutalisks, gray-
pink tongues panting in anticipation. * I see them gantrithor, danithmor,
do we have enough energy for a mass stasis?*
Danithmor(s eyes glowed in amusement *have you learned nothing in your
century or so?*
The mutalisks lay in faceted glories. *Gantrithor, you may cause your
chaos.*
*En Taro Tassadar my friends, wish me well in battle.*
*adun be with you Gantrithor.* the arbiters turned to go back to the base,
cloaking units in their wake all across the feild.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Artanis shuddered as Kerrigan traced one of her many blades across his
back. *what do you hope to gain by kidnapping me Kerrigan?* Artanis asked,
as much to keep her from doing anything to him, as out of true curiosity.
(Ah, my little praetor, does not seem to know of his own importance.( she
knelt by his ear and whispered (how cute.( He felt a squirm of discomfort
somewhere in his gut. *why do you not answer and gloat over your own
cleverness Kerrigan, it seems to be all you(re good at.* her face went cold
in fury. She slapped him with one of her (wings( the blow sent him reeling,
a throbbing pain was now in his back, and he saw blue blood drip into the
drain, his blood. She cursed him. ( I am surprised that a protoss can be
sarcastic,( she glared at him again ( I don(t suppose Zeratul, or Fenix are
sarcastic...well I(m sure we can beat it out of you before the end of
this.( she remarked with a casual air. Just as casually kicking him in the
gut. *oof!* she had knocked the wind out of him and it didn(t look as
though she was even trying. (Oh and you are rather pathetic you know.
Breaking you should be rather easy, now first question which you WILL
answer.( she cleaned under one of her fingernails with one of the
unbloodied blades. She paused seeming to think carefully. (I want the
leader of the protoss, I(m pretty sure it(s Zeratul, but you can(t be too
sure.( she kicked him again. (I want a name my little protoss pet.( Artanis
panted *never.* she slashed his back again *ungh...* she cleaned another
fingernail (the name Artanis.( he ducked his head *I...I don(t know.* her
face reflected cold fury, she grabbed him by his tied back (hair(.
Something panted in the grate below, lapping up the drops of Artanis(s
blood. (You are the Praetor, the fill in-however questionably pushed in-
for your late hero Tassadar...( a slow smile filled her face (he never told
you others did he?( Artanis felt rage bubble up in his chest. He was still
panting though and could barely speak, so he held his tongue. His hero had
been hiding something! He dreaded what she was saying. (Oh yes, I remember,
he wanted to actually destroy the overmind, but all he really did was die
needlessly. in fact, if jim hadn(t placed charges in the ship, he would
have caused no damage to the overmind at all. And Jim did it merely to kill
Tassadar, he hated him you know-(
*YOU LIE!* Artanis finally gasped *COMMANDER RAYNOR AND THE MIGHTY TASSADAR
WERE THE GREATEST OF FRIENDS! THE MIGHTY TASSADAR DESTROYED YOUR OVERMIND
BY UNITING OUR LIGHT AND DARK ENERGIES!!! NEVER SPEAK HIS NAME AGAIN, YOU
FOUL, DESPICABLE ZERG WORM!!!!*
Kerrigan stared at hi with a pleased expression, then calmly sliced another
cut into his back with a lightning fast whip of her blades. When he didn(t
cry out, she sliced him again, and again, until he finally cried out in
pain, his eyes blazing with the overwhelming sense of pain. She laughed (oh
you high and mighty protoss are so predictable.( she giggled again, then
was arrogantly serious, (now the name my little predictable pet.( Artanis
panted harder than before, blood splattering to the floor, staining the
grate bright blue, the creature below was gleefully slurping. *I- Will-
Never-give-their-names-to-you-worm.* Kerrigan stared at him with an almost
gleeful smile on her face, (oh you are going to be FUN, I honestly expected
you to break down long before this, I am impressed Artanis. But soon it
will no longer matter, you will tell me eventually, I have all the time in
the world.( she licked her lips in anticipation (prepare yourself templar
for your death, and resign yourself to asking me to let you die, thus( she
clenched a mutated hand into a fist ( I will steal your honor, and you will
let me, prepare my little toy, for it will not be long.( with that she left
the room. And artanis could only sit there and dread the last portion of
his life. To beg to die, and to have his body most likely fed to the
creature slurping his blood. Glowing red eyes peered at his from the grate.
And he shuddered and panted, feeling the throbbing in his back, and the
slowly running trails of blood dripping from the trails running to his
stomach, to drop on the creature below him. A rain of life to the creature
damned to the cell below him, a slow fading of it to him. He could only
wonder what or who was below him, and what Kerrigan had done to them.
For they were surely her prisoner too.
Artanis decided therefore that this dungeon of Kerrigan(s was not a place
he could ever expect to leave. And he would probably never be found
therefore. Never see Fenix, or raynor, or Zeratul, or even the executor.
Artanis felt a slight stir of laughter remembering the executor(s reaction
to the speed and freedom of a scout. Zeratul(s gruff voice when he told the
eager executor that the scout could only be borrowed for a short amount of
time. Danithmor(s laughter at the eager executor. Gantrithor(s little robot
fighters blasting a few zerglings out of the path of the recklessly joyful
executor, as he would have probably run right into them otherwise in his
eagerness to get off the landing pad, then his own...STUPIDITY in not
looking out for the infernal scourges, his crash, his capture, and now his
current predicament. He settled finally into an uneasy sleep plagued by
nightmares.