Chapter Four: The Shadow Hunters

Nacdle and Ander had good reasons for being suspicious why the Zerg weren't attacking with their usual force.

Protoss Observer robotic aircraft and Terran scouting science vessels began photomapping the Zerg clusters and territory long before the battle had begun. The slow moving, invisible drones silently mapped the massive area the Zerg broods covered, draining the greenery out of Aiur and replacing it with bright colored patches of Creep.

Headquarters, based on three battlecruisers, the Behemoth-class ships Hyperion and Death's Head and the Victory-class battlecruiser Invincible, as well as three Protoss carriers, were continually fed a stream of data on the Zerg broods on Aiur. What war planners, of both Protoss and Terran origin, began to see as intelligence streamed in was startling.

The Overmind, with its command wing, the crimson Tiamat brood, was nestled in the center of a Protossian valley, north of the Scion province. In the center laid the Overmind, with hundreds of thousands of minions and bizarre structures surrounding it. Surrounding that was four primary Zerg broods, purple Jormungand, white Baelrog, green Fenris, and brown Grendal. Each brood's different colored buildings surrounded the Overmind and protected the Cerebrates, forming a large, surreal rainbow colored territory from a bird's eye view.

Each Cerebrate controlled their respective broods doing various functions; the Cerebrates were the "generals" the Overmind relied on and controlled. The Cerebrates were also protecting the entity with legions of their shock troops. Before the battle, most Zerg units were scattered, protecting various structures and burrowing underground. The whole Zerg Creep covered an area fifty kilometers in diameter, forming a massive circle on Aiur. But now...

More Observers had been sent out an hour after the battle started, when Nacdle and Jones were running to save their men. And when Terran and Protoss war planners looked at both completed photomap displays of the area they were attacking (before and after), they were even more shocked: virtually all Zerg units had suddenly disappeared from their positions, and instead formed an one kilometer "no man's land" protecting the four Cerebrates. In this massive circular zone, Overlords patrolled the air and ground for intruders, and the ground was infested with Zerg, millions packed in a strip of land to protect from intruders. The Overmind had moved the bulk of its forces from an attacking stance to a defensive mode, defending both itself and its Cerebrates. Sensors on both the Observers and science vessels detected massive amounts of biomass around the vicinity of the Cerebrates, bristling with organic born killers.

Raynor and Tassadar were shocked at this new information. It seemed to them that the Overmind had read their minds, and the whole strategy they had laid out was on the brink of failing.

Ever since the Zerg infringement of Terran and Protoss borders, both Terran scientists and Protoss Khalai Iszos, "researchers," had noted Cerebrates, were, for the most part, lesser Overminds, controlling a specific brood. They also noted, when the Dark Templar Zeratul had killed a Cerebrate, all Zerg in that particular brood ceased to function; they either stopped or went wild. The Overmind and the rest of the Cerebrates went into a state of shock, unable to do anything, much less coordinate an attack against the intruders, taking hours to recover and direct broods. The Cerebrate that Zeratul killed had its warriors spread out on different planets, and the death of it caused all to cease functioning, making these troops easy targets for Terran and Protoss warriors.

After this theory had been presented to Tassadar and his Templar, the Fallen Ones, as well as Raynor and his senior officers, they realized the importance of killing the four Cerebrates on Aiur. If even one of the Cerebrates was successfully eradicated, the shock would carry through the whole brood, allowing for the eradication of more Cerebrates and Zerg, instead of waging a massive war of attrition against the beasts.

In the end, the "covert and clandestine" mission that Raynor and Tassadar had planned was not the dropping of thousands of foot troops on the ground, it was landing teams of two Ghost Espionage Agents and three Dark Templar (code-named 'Tango') to each of the Zerg Cerebrate location, letting one or more teams to sneak in and kill a Cerebrate as the marines and Zealots took the brunt of the attack from defending Zerg. These "Tango" teams would kill one Cerebrate, carrying shock through the Overmind and other Cerebrates, letting the other Templar kill other Cerebrates, and allowing the marines and ships to massacre Zerg.

It seemed, however, the Overmind, however, aware of the danger posed to the Cerebrates, and had assigned each one to move the bulk of its legions to protect each one. They would stay there, while small bands of Zerg would harass units, and wait until night to launch a massive attack to wipe ground resistance, while the fleet in the air would be eradicated with Swarm's flyers.

And the Overmind's plan was working.

The plan was something Raynor was regretting now, as he was given reports on the damage the infantry was taking on the Hyperion. Hundreds dead, dozens of dropships destroyed. They were bait being slaughtered, and no one knew about the other plan. He watched the Aiuran sun let its grasp slip from the raging planet, cursed himself softly, and then sauntered off. The sun was being enveloped by the wings of thousands of Zerg flyers. More death was near.

The grief would have to wait as night crept closer.

Near Zerg Cerebrate Araq of the Jormungand Brood

Everything has gone wrong, even before we landed...Ghost Agent Ethan McAllen thought, as he knelt on the ground, a long distance from the Cerebrate designated for assassination, looking at the remains of the fellow Agent he was working with. It seemed like the Overmind had read their minds and strategies, and cunningly had retreated most of the Zerg units in the "no man's land" zone. The Dark Templar and him would not be able to kill the Cerebrate now. Even more distressing was the sudden attack on the fleets above Aiur. Thousands of Zerg flyers were being launched continuously to eliminate the Terran and Protossian fleets, filling the skies with those goddamn insects, McAllen thought.

After dropping from a ship one kilometer from the purple Zerg Cerebrate of the Jormungand Brood, called Araq, he saw a massive formation of Spore colonies and Sunken colonies, Overlords patrolling above the Cerebrate, and through his new "groundhog" detector embedded in his MECH-OP, his right eye, he could see a mass of Zerg burrowed in the Creep. They were unable to penetrate the Cerebrate's zone to kill it.

The marines that landed also faced a problem: most of the Zerg had disappeared, and after destroying any Zerg structures and troops in their vicinity, they waited for their next orders, unable to cross the "no man's land." Many were simply were waiting and defending their positions, unaware of what would happen...

He had contacted other Tango teams that shadowed the other three Cerebrates and they had encountered the same problem. Many of them waited in the cover of dead Protoss trees, outside the Cerebrate's zone of defense, unable to do anything. It was frustrating, how cunning a bloated slug could be. This was a big, unmovable, goddamn insect they were trying to kill! And they couldn't even touch the thing.

McAllen felt vomit coming up his throat as he turn over his dead comrade's body, too mauled to be even recognizable. Remains of his last meal came up, and he spat, trying to get the taste out.

The dead Ghost had landed first, but two Zerglings had pounced on him as he was trying to get his cloaking device to work. He had finally gotten to work, but in a cruel, ironic way, as his last movement before he died was flicking the cloaking device on. Luck wasn't on his side. Luck isn't on any of our sides.

McAllen and the Templar had landed after him, searching for the remains. It wasn't found until one of the Dark Templar almost tripped over it. McAllen sighed, looking at the Dark Templar to his right, in a clump of nutrient deprived trees that hid their team well.

The wind rustled, as the Aiuran dusk looked beautiful through the eyes of one who had never been there. Aragas, had a black veil, a cholas, "killing veil," covering the lower portion of his mouth, and his burning coal eyes looked at the Aiuran dusk; he had only heard about this phenomenon his ancestors, and had never seen. Until now. It felt good to be in the land of his forefathers, the land they had been forcibly ejected from. Shakuras did not have such beautiful sunsets.

He was part of the group known as Jashas, or "Shadow Hunters." It was an appropriate term. The Protoss were born to hunt, to kill their enemies. The psionic force that the Dark Templars embraced from the cold void of space made them invisible to enemies, and he wondered how odd it would seem to hear the wind rustle his cloak and not see it. He stood away from the Ghost, who was still looking at his dead comrades body with a look of disgust and anger.

Aragas was ready to kill. But he could not, as he looked at the massive formations of Zerg, and the Overmind, still miles away, was visible, like a monument mocking him to come closer. He wished he could, come and meet it head-on, but his mission was too important. He sent a thought the Zami, one of the other Dark Templar on the team.

By the gods, what do we do now?

Our mission, Zami responded.

The other teams have met the same trouble we have. They are sitting at the edge of the formation, unable to do anything. And the Terran warriors on the ground have met their fate...they are going to be annihilated. And I sense...I sense the Zerg are massing. After the Moon rises, they will attack with force we have never seen. Aragas' thoughts troubled him.

They are already intent on wiping out the Terran and Protoss spacefleets in the air, Zami noted, with little emotion.

The younger Protoss gave only a question.

Do you think we will die, Zami?

Zami gave no reply. He was older and wiser, sixty-eight cycles old, seven hundred years by the Terran's reckoning. Aragas was young by Protoss standards, only a mere twenty-five junos, cycles, in Protoss years, and two-hundred and fifty-seven in human.

But Zami did not answer. For death, there was no answer.

"You still with me, Aragas?" McAllen walked over to the invisible Dark Templar, seeing him through his detector. He was relatively young by Ghost standards, twenty-five while most Ghosts were in their mid-thirties. He did not possess the legendary raspy, snake-like voice Ghosts were famous for, but instead sounded normal, without an accent, a trait of the upper-class he was raised in, at his homeworld of Umoja. Confederate Ghosts were trained the same way they were depicted on holomovies. Not true for Umojan Ghosts, McAllen thought.

Aragas nodded to the young human. The Protoss were implanted with a special circuit in their ear, a tiny hole on the left side of their head. Through it, the chip translated a variety of different languages, including the homo sapiens basic language, English. It also provided psionically translated thoughts in the Terran tongue.

"Well, have any plans? I've got two nuclear bombs ready to launch and enough testosterone to just march in there and kill all the Zerg on my own." McAllen smiled, but the Protoss looked grim. Not that they could smile...

For the hundredth time, Aragas did not see the humor in his words. He remembered sitting in one of the cold, dark, Terran dropships, as the Ghost intently looking at him, trying to shield his thoughts while giving the young Protoss an overtly curious look. McAllen's first question when he had met him was if Protoss had a sense of humor.

Yes, he told the young human, in our own way, without mouths. The Ghost's grin cracked his face. Aragas had stared in horror for the longest time, just like he stared in horror at him now.

Nuclear bombs! he thought, shielding his thoughts from his fellow Templar and psionically gifted human. He had seen the Terran fight before, and they could kill Protoss with relative ease. But one of their nukes could do even more damage. Each Tango team had been given command of two Atlas nukes, small, interplanetary bombs, which were not as dangerous as the ones that razed the Terran planet Korhal IV, as McAllen had said. To wipe out an entire planet's civilization was unthinkable to the Protossian warrior. But, he remembered, the Templar Tassadar had regretfully wiped out many planets the Terrans inhabited. But to wipe out their own people with these devices...

The nukes were only necessary is they met massed, clustered resistance, which they were meeting now. The problem was actually finding the right place to fire off a nuclear bomb; the Overlords overhead could immediately sense a cloaked Ghost, and the Ghost's C-10 gun, which was used to direct the missile, had a range of only one hundred meters, while the sensors on the Overlords had a one hundred and fifty meter range. There was no way of launching one without getting mauled by Zerg; but it was vital to clear the zone of all Zerg, providing the clearance for the Templar to kill the Cerebrate.

We need a way to launch a nuke without me getting killed, so we can blast all the Zerg in this area...McAllen thought. He too, had learned to shield his thoughts from the Templar, being as psionically capable as they were. They could read minds on those who had no mental shield, providing an unthinkable advantage.

McAllen's thoughts were interrupted by a distress signal from his ICD. "Calling any units," a calm, subdued voice said. "This is first lieutenant Bo Nacdle. We've got a dropship down with men still inside it. Attempting a rescue, but we need more men. All available units, please come..." From the background McAllen could hear the cries of a wounded marine screaming in agony. "Our coordinates are H-6, with company Zulu-1."

McAllen's MECH-OP immediately changed into a 3-D map in front of him, invisible to anyone but him. It was a useful thing, even though his real eye had to be taken out for the artificial one.. H-6...that's pretty close to here. He had a weird feeling that the lieutenant that had just called in was something more than his name suggested...McAllen was suddenly attracted to go there, almost like a Zerg is attracted to a Psi-emitter.

He threw his gun on his back and started to run. Aragas stopped him.

Where are you going?

"To a crash site. There's still some men stuck inside a dropship."

Our mission is too important to worry about that. You cannot go.

"Look man, there's something there that I feel is gonna help blow up that goddamn Cerebrate. It's just that gut-feeling, ok? Night on this planet is coming, and when night comes Zerg are gonna launch a counterattack. Now, are you going to get that hand of yours off my shoulders or what?"

For a moment they stood there, the Ghost, only three-quarters as tall as the Templar, staring up him with the weirdly shaped electronic goggles shielding his piercing gaze. Aragas slipped his hand off of the human's shoulder.

Of course. You are doing this to save your comrades. I understand. I will be here when you return. Do not tarry. You are right about night coming. They will come.

"Thanks." McAllen began running. He checked his chronometer as the sun disappeared on the horizon. 28:28:55. Two more hours of sunlight. They'll be attacking when it's dark.

Headquarters aboard Behemoth-class battlecruiser Hyperion

Strategists at HQ had begun discerning what the Dark Templar, McAllen, Ander, and Nacdle had thought on why the Zerg weren't attacking:

First, they were bent on defending the Cerebrates and had allocated the bulk of their troops to the circular zone of defense. If even one Cerebrate was killed under blades of Dark Templar, all Zerg would run amok.

Second, they were also planning a major assault on marines and firebats entrenched on the perimeter of the zone. They had already intensified the space battle between Terran/Protoss fleets, and were preparing the final drive against resistance.

A strategical officer on the Hyperion looked through the porthole of the ship, below the carnage, at the planet. The Protossian sun's rays were stretching out in a final attempt to ward off the dark on the Zerg infested side of the planet, but slowly, the darkness was covering the planet. He pulled out a cigarette, even though rules regulated a strict "no-smoking" policy. His nerves were shot. The calm before the storm...

Moving towards Company Zulu-1

Corporal Willie "Gee" Hancock was proud of his company, Yankee-1, accomplishments. His bats of one hundred and twenty had successfully landed on Aiur outside the fifty-kilometer limit of Zerg, established and cleared a zone, flaming all the Zerg structures inside of the perimeter, suffering minor casualties. The company waited for Zulu-1 to link up with them, but no troops came.

Now, they had also heard the distress call from Zulu-1, and had decided to join the rescue.

Two units were all converging on Zulu-1's dropship crash site. From the east, Hancock's company was running through the dense foliage of virgin Protossian jungle to Z-1. West, McAllen was sprinting around the Cerebrate's defense zone, to Nacdle. Zulu-1 was outside of the zone, on the fringes, with still an infestation of Zerg buildings surrounding them.

"Fire it up, boys," Hancock said to his squadron. They responded, roaring the company slogan.

"And flame up the rest!"

Rescue was finally coming for the men of Company Zulu.