Rescue and Contribution

Ariel Hanson did NOT expect this.

But she thanked the gods Agria has ONE psychic who managed to escape Dominion Detection and a powerful one at that, defending Lark's Crossing from Zerg Attacks, but she can't do this alone.

So Hanson supported her by building bunkers equipped with Shrike Turrets, as nobody dared to volunteer to fight the Zerg. Too scared to do so.

The turrets were to give the unknown psychic time to rest as overusing psychic powers cause brain strain.

For now, she keeps sending distress calls as her people keep coming, and factories still working using up remaining raw materials to produce goods for evacuation...

...until someone FINALLY called back.

Its from a Commander James Raynor of the famed Raynor's Raiders. Condemned as terrorists by the self-proclaimed Emperor, Arcturus-effing-Mengsk. His flagship is the Battlecruiser Hyperion.

Funny, they were allies before until Raynor split off for some reason.

She's not gonna be picky now!

'Thank you for responding to our distress call commander. I'm Dr. Ariel Hanson, and I represent the people of Agria Colony.' she spoke to James Raynor whose appearance indicated that the years weren't kind to him since Mengsk declared him a criminal just for leaving the Sons of Korhal. He wasn't alone. He was with some men on his bridge. Is that a marine with a really old equipment?

/Glad to meet'cha doc. You can call me Jim./ said Raynor. /What's the situation?/

'The Zerg have overwhelmed our Planetary Defenses. The colony is lost.' Hanson told him in distress. 'For the past twelve hours we've been evacuating to the starport. But even with a volunteer, she is overwhelmed in just keeping Lark's Crossing safe. She can't escort our refugees.'

/She?/

Hanson showed them footages of a young woman flying or teleporting all over the place, and dealing with the Zerg by herself. Four jaws dropped.

/Wow./

/Sir, I don't think any known Ghost can do what she can.../ the younger man with forehead crease in a military uniform sounded very amazed.

'...we have no idea we have a psychic citizen that managed to evade forced conscription as my father once told me that psychics are conscripted even as soon as you're born back when he used to work for the confederates as the Ghost Program checks newborns' PI levels. Parents cannot refuse or they're killed.' Hanson admitted as the crew did a double-take. 'So its a miracle this girl evaded all that somehow.'

'She was our only volunteer but she's just one person. From our records, she was originally from Tarsonis, and moved here with her mother, applied citizenship and just recently graduated Vocational School. Really civilian. So her abilities are self-trained. But she is human, not machine. Overusing psychic powers causes her crippling migraines.' she said, showing footage that she would be found clutching her head tightly, curled up on the ground Medics had to quickly tend to her. 'We built Shrike Turrets but they take too much time she didn't have to even sleep. We need evac before her brain gives up on her.' she stressed seriously.

/Alright doc, we'll get your folks to safety./ Jim promised. /We'll land and prepare for an Escort Mission./

'Thank you so much commander...the zerg are even more terrible than I imagined.'

And so, upon landing with their entire crew, the Hyperion remained in orbit to intercept what they can.

He was given command of the small base.

Jim took control of the mission as well, and he started by checking on the girl tended to by the medics with Tosh.

'How is she?' Raynor asked the medics who made a makeshift emergency tent just for one patient who was hooked up to help her live.

'All we can do is brain scan and act based on results, other than painkillers and injecting Vitamin B-Complex into her to help her out by healing her brain and nerves. And too much instant moving is stressful to her cardiovascular system if too much, so we're keeping an eye on her heart too.' said a medic. 'Sigh...if only men volunteered to ease her workload somehow but nooo, cowards are perfectly fine with making this poor kid do all the work till she crumbled...fekking Dominion, leaving us in the lurch.' she said, grumbling.

'Well, now we know NOT to date any man in our colony for showing true colors huh? Unreliable.' said another medic in disgust.

'Sorry to hear that darlings.' Raynor tut-tutted just as disgusted with their revelations. 'Does she have family?'

'Yup. Her mother. Their house is nearby and she feeds us in return for watching over her kid.' said the second medic. 'Mrs. Brooke's a nice lady and a mean cook.'

After leaving the ladies, the Raiders escorted the colonists to the starport, before having a Medivac pick up the crew, and the medics tending to Elaine Brooke, and the mother-daughter pair wound up in the Hyperion with Dr. Hanson.

xxx

Hyperion Bridge...

After getting out of his suit, Raynor returned to the bridge to see a short woman talking to Hanson. She was clearly anxious.

'..don't worry ma'am, Ella will be alright. Given Tosh's diagnosis of her, she'll wake in a few hours.'

'R-really? That means a lot...' Mrs. Brooke stammered out in choked relief. 'My daughter's all I have...I never even knew she's a psychic...she never told me because she feared the Wranglers or worse, Fagin's attention...'

'Fagin?'

'We used to live in The Gutter, the slums outside Tarsonis City.' Mrs. Brooke deadpanned. 'Fagin the Crimelord rules the Gutter with a ruthless iron fist. He won't hesitate to sell my girl for money to the government if he knew...its a dog-eat-dog in the slums and Ella began pickpocketing to help us out as my earnings is too meager, that I have to sacrifice food just to be able to make it for monthly rent or Fagin's goons will throw us out in the street.' she said glumly, shuddering at the old days. 'But she's very lucky with her sideline...or so I thought...even I can figure out her ability to appear in many places helps her fish wallets.' she deadpanned.

'She amassed enough money so we can leave Tarsonis and Gutter life...because she figured out that Tarsonis will fall soon as where the Sons of Korhal went, the Zerg and Protoss follow. Its a recurring pattern and Antiga Prime was near Tarsonis...she figured we're next, that she ensured we leave before that happens...and she was horribly right...because when we arrived in Agria, we saw newspapers about Tarsonis' fall to the zerg...we missed that by a hair!'

Raynor recalled that time with a grimace.

That was almost four years ago.

And there was a reason he splintered from Mengsk.

'Sorry to hear that ma'am...at least you're safe and in a better life.' said Raynor in sympathy. 'I suppose that money went to vocational school?'

'Yes...I wanted to quit the only job Fagin allows women in his turf to have,' Mrs. Brooke grunted in contempt. '...and I want Ella to have school and a normal life like kids do, instead of gambling with her chances all the time. That was before I knew about her powers though.' she snorted. 'She didn't fear the farce of a law in Tarsonis, the police are more worthless than toilet shit since they never helped nor saved anyone from the syndicate. She feared the Wranglers and the Ghost Program more. But since nobody barged in our home for years...I guess she kills and dumps them somewhere.'

When they were done with Mrs. Brooke, Raynor sighed and looked at Tosh.

'What did you get?'

Tosh shook his head.

'The Gutter earned its name indeed, nasty place.' said Tosh. 'She was forced to be a woman of the night, to raise a daughter whose father could be anyone.' his words says it all. 'But still, she loved her daughter who repaid that love back by making things easier at home if only through good food that's not laced with drugs, unlike in the brothel where food and drink, is always drugged.' he said, in his eyes seeing images of Mrs. Brooke's memories. 'And given her daughter's ability, she recovered better from all those drugs compared to the efforts of Rehab Centers.'

'I see...and Ella?'

'Very very pragmatic, and logical survivalist. She studied healthy eating, a rare multipowered Psychic.' said Tosh. 'Other than a typical Teek and Teep, she can read anything she touches thus has more knowledge of groceries and its effects on the human body than even scientists. Her mother recovered from drugs from that knowledge. And she obtained high-class education from an Old Family Member in exchange for teaching her how to use her powers. That girl was also a PI 10. These two girls are that strong with a creatively-vicious streak a mile wide. And both girls obtained the knowledge and skills of a marine, medic and driving skills by stealing data and reprogramming a Resoc Tank for their use to avoid the nasty parts and they deleted everything afterward. They'll do and take anything to be away from the Program, by knowing how to fight back by all means necessary.'

'Wow.' Tychus whistled in amazement. 'That means she can do a lot.'

'If she wishes.' said Raynor in emphasis.

'Ohhh she will. That girl is pissed, Mistah Raynor.' Tosh smirked. 'Pissed at the Dominion for abandoning Agria, thus ruining the first peaceful home she and her mother ever had after years in filthy slums. If she hears our goals, she's in, and you got the power of a pissed-off PI 10 Psychic on your back.'

'PI 10...it seems the new generation is getting stronger now.' Raynor commented. 'Two PI 10s. They can lay waste to a city if they bothered to try. What about the other girl?'

'Safe and away from Tarsonis as well.' said Tosh. 'For extra insurance, they don't know where the other will be upon leaving Tarsonis behind. They never told anyone of the incoming danger as let's face it, who'll believe them? And then there's the government...both Confederacy and the Dominion. Conspiracies brew and bubble. If people talk too much...'

'Yeah, those girls will keep quiet alright.' said Hanson wryly. 'They can only save themselves and their families, and get out of dodge.'

'Sigh...then what about you doc?' Raynor asked her. 'How're you going to pitch in?'

'Well, upon inspecting the medical facilities here...they're sort of medieval and your science expertise non-existent...perhaps I can start there?' Hanson chuckled jokingly.

'Ouch~' Raynor snorted with a cringe at the blatant call-out. 'Well, I guess you might be able to teach Stetmann a thing or two...'

xxx

Next day...

Ella woke up in an infirmary, hooked up to IV Drips with her mother by her bedside.

'Mom?'

'We're aboard the Hyperion...the flagship of Raynor's Raiders who rescued us all.' said Claire. 'You were here for treatment as the Hercules Ships are solely a passenger ship. No clinic there. You were asleep through the whole thing.'

'Oh...well, that was the first time I overworked my powers...' Ella admitted, summoning an outfit of choice from her luggage upon seeing their tied-up boxes in the hospital. She consumed what was left in the drips by porting them in and took the needles out, so she can go to the shower stalls. 'But what now?'

'Well, we have yet to get a room for ourselves in this large ship dear.' said Claire. 'The Raiders' numbers are a handful compared to the size of this ship that can take in 6000 crewmembers. We can take any room we want actually. We just need permission first at the bridge.'

'Right...'

And so...

'Glad to see you awake, kiddo.' said Raynor as the Brookes arrived at the bridge. 'How will you ladies help out though?'

'Well, get me to a nearest Dominion City and I'll empty their supermarkets to fill up the almost-empty pantry and a list of things this ship direly needs, but lacks, and I can clean your blood vessels and brains off of drugs so rehab can get easier, excess ldl in arteries and thrombus if you have any, and excess uric acid to avoid Gout.' Ella joked as several eyebrows went all the way up.

'Wow, that's quite the offer.' Hanson whistled. 'We have yet to invent technology for a thorough blood vessel cleansing! That could have decreased Stroke and Cardiac Disease Patients by large amounts!' she exclaimed, giddy at the idea.

'What alien language is she saying?' Tychus wondered aloud.

'Beats me, ask the scientists.' said Tosh, just-as-clueless but at least he understood drug cleansing.

'And I'll be an extra hand in the forces if direly needed...so I can do that. And mom can make Cantina life a lot sweeter.'

'Wow, that's a lot...' Raynor whistled.

Needless to say, everyone gave Ella their 'shopping list'. Personal needs and what the ship and facilities need for repairs and upgrades, and they have a long list. Upon obtaining all the goods needed, morale in the Battlecruiser improved immensely.

As for food?

It had to be organized. It had to be. The state of the kitchen is nothing short of horrific that the Raiders couldn't be bothered to fix it that they subsided off of MREs.

Rust, Mildew and other 'mystery substances' were ported out of Hyperion that also effectively cleaned the kitchen. All that was left, was to sterilize everything before use by Hanson for Mrs. Brooke. Food Safety Practices and all!

And then food indeed 'became a lot sweeter'.

The new food trays are understandably bigger and deeper to satisfy large, beefy men.

Carbs took the largest space, followed by meat, vegetable, and fruit, and a bowl of soup. As for drinks, it's solely 'icy-chilled water'. To quote Mrs. Brooke, 'If you want booze, you know where to go.' she would tell people. That meant the Cantina. And it's a different dish per mealtime for a week straight, set menu. Planned for complete health benefits, after Ella was through with the crew.

Hanson can only grimace at 'how much she's got from one person alone' in regard to 'blood vessel gunk plus drugs and stress hormones' and 'a chunk of Raynor's beer belly'. The catch was disorientation from 'a sudden drop in blood pressure which they were warned about before the procedure, before they ported it out of the Hyperion. So high rankers first so they have a day or two of rest, before the rest of the Raiders.

The tough part, was Findlay. He was 'sealed in his armor' till he pays his debt off and any try to remove it without authorization, he dies. So Ella had to port out and port in what he needs. Raynor wasn't too happy. He was very upset. Not with Tychus.

'Are your employers that heartless?!'

'Well, I needed a job after prison pardner. Can't afford to get picky, with a record like mine.'

Well...nobody can refute him.