Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the rights to SoA, SoAL, or Starcraft; Sega and overworks do. I own the plot and any new characters or ships.
This story takes place in an alternate version of SoA, but continues the story of Starcraft.
This is my first fic, so don't flame me. Please R&R so I know how I did!
---Chapter 2---
On the bridge of the Terran Battlecruiser Hyperion…
Jim Raynor looked out the wide window on the bridge of his flagship at the planet below him. It had been 3 hours since he sent out Kazansky's scouting mission. An ace pilot like Kazansky should have been able to survey a good area and return by now, and Raynor was worried about his best pilot.
Raynor turned to his communications officer. "Contact Kazansky with out ship-to-planet radio and find out what's taking him so long."
The communications officer bent over his controls, then looked up with a worried look on his face. "I can't get through, sir. We're being jammed." The officer resumed tinkering with his controls, then added, "Communication to the rest of the fleet is being jammed too."
"By who?"
"I'm not sure. It seems like some combination of Protoss and Zerg technology. It's almost like what Zeratul says the energy from the Xel'Naga temple was like, but where could that be coming from?"
"I don't know, Lieutenant. Unless the Prophecy is here…"
At that moment, the entire ship was rocked by a blast from a massive weapons salvo. Raynor could see the dark triangular shape of Duran's ship, the Prophecy, in front of him.
"The Prophecy has just decloaked off the bow," said the weapons officer, a tad unnecessarily. "We have lost all forward weapons." The officer did not add that without these, their only way of fighting back was with weak turret-mounted lasers on the main hull.
"What about our engines?" the Admiral inquired.
"They are down to 30 power, sir. We are not able to maintain orbit," the chief engineer reported.
"Alright then, bring the ship down into the atmosphere. What about the rest of the fleet?"
"It looks like they have been similarly disabled. Duran must be using some new Xel'Naga ionization technology to be able to incapacitate this entire fleet so quickly," reported the weapons officer. "If we can get down into the atmosphere quick enough, the air will provide some protection from that kind of weapon. We won't be able to make it back up, though. We could be stuck on this new planet for a long time."
Raynor considered this. "Is there any other way to protect ourselves?"
"No. If we don't get down now, and fast, we will be totally disabled."
"Then get us into the atmosphere with every drop of power we have left! Fire what weapons we have left to buy us some time."
The Hyperion descended towards the surface, with the fleet straggling behind it. By the time they got to within 40 miles of the surface, the ionization wore off. Raynor ordered a laser blast to be fired at Duran, but the Prophecy dodged. After seeing that the whole fleet had their weapons back, though, Duran fled, leaving the Terran Expeditionary force stranded in Arcadia.
An hour later, Kazansky finally brought his Wraith back to the fleet, with his tale of disaster.