**I hope we do not regret this.** Artanis glowered at Alarak, who showed no sign of his unease, Kul holding his desire to hurl profanity much akin to a human as he tried to help remove the armour as pieces were shrugged off or fell away. What appeared to be blood, thick and darker than would be normal of Protoss, coated the sides of the pieces of armour, which sparked and turned to dust as the psionic and physical binding slowly came undone.
**Calm down, let me help!** He exclaimed, thankful that the Hybrid then stopped, giving a shudder that caused the platform to wobble slightly and letting out a deep, hoarse groan of agony. Arska also hopped closer, vocalising concern and lightly tapping the side of the Hybrid's head. It lowered itself cautiously, head and crest gently pressing into Kul's right side, then tilted up to the side away from him, revealing one uncovered spot of hide behind its right jaw and along the base of its skull.
**I forgot you had this… Though it looks like it has… Mutated along with you.** Kul broadcast, gently lifting a piece of carapace that had grown over to protect what appeared to be an implant. Karax, having second thoughts about having come with the group, saw this from a distance, concern shoved aside as he approached, though did not directly acknowledge that Kul briefly pressed the gauntlet on his right forearm against this panel. Artanis and Alarak, though reluctantly, stepped aside to allow Karax to move closer to the bound Hybrid, Arska and Kul.
Vorazun had since picked up on what Rohana was looking at, frowning as she did not appreciate how the shadows expertly obscured the forms of the owners of the eyes peering up at them. Rohana shook her head at Vorazun, motioning for her to just ignore them for now, more interested in the supposed Judicator who appeared to have become a Hybrid, left here and locked away in a time-lost prison.
Kul had since moved, carefully clambering over the armour and platform, attempting to figure out a way to remove the armour without causing too much injury, seeing visible cracks in it in some areas, parts appearing held to flesh through some unknown force. Arska watched him for a long moment, the smaller Hybrid responding to a low rumble from the armoured one, she sounded sad, but nodded.
**The armour is hooked in his flesh…** She explained, Kul stopping his examinations to look at her pointedly, then seemed to sigh, moving to return to the initial platform at the larger Hybrid's feet. Egon and Karax, having moved closer to observe, offering their assistance wordlessly. All eyes went to Arska when she had explained this, Artanis frowning as Alarak did, the two sharing a glance.
**That's definitely troubling, though it explains why there is blood already seeping out from under it in places.** Kul crossed his arms, thinking. As far as he could tell, the bound Hybrid had been either horrifically burned or psionically torn apart before the binding armour was placed on him, and it had healed in that way, though at first glance it appeared to also hinder the natural regeneration of the Zerg. Alarak shuddered, disgust wafting off him almost tangibly at the thought that a Protoss would allow themselves to become such a beast.
**Starlight would help, yet we are too far from it.** Arska offered, moving to gently tap the side of the Hybrid's face. It appeared to sag, as though aware they were uncertain how to help remove the restrictive and imbedded armour. Alarak narrowed his eyes, shaking his head at even thinking of some way to assist, yet could not help the nagging feeling that this Hybrid, while still infested, had some knowledge he would desire. Given Kuls reaction and how easily he had abducted him from the Death Fleet, had Alarak silently concerned at the implications of freeing this supposed Judicator.
Artanis and Vorazun, both more reserved and bordering on skeptical of this whole situation, also felt this Hybrid would be more trouble than their efforts warranted. They wordlessly expressed this to Karax and Rohana, Karax shaking his head, almost discouraging their concern as he trusted this to be the one he had hoped to see again after the fall of Aiur, and had been sorely disappointed when the Judicator had turned out to be either dead or simply gone, as the Conclave had ruled following the incident with Sevorak in Scion Province some centuries earlier.
Rohana also felt mild excitement for the possibility that the Hybrid before them, though heavily bound and weakened, would be able to help alleviate the dark thoughts hovering at the edge of her senses. She had awoken to a universe that had drastically turned on its head when the Spear of Adun had been powered up after so long, able to almost feel the frantic thoughts of her fellows as they realised their connection to the Khala had been severed, that she too would need to do the same, as the influence of Amon had pushed into their inherited psionic connection and used it to control her kin. She had been unable to fully keep the Dark God from controlling her, yet had willingly severed herself when it had come time to cut out the cancerous growth within their midst.
This admittance earned her a trill of concern from Arksa, who met her gaze sadly. Rohana blushing lightly and forcing herself not to laugh when Egon made the comment to her that the Hybrid Zergling showed more emotion than the Highlord with them. Arska grinned at them, seeing Alarak's glare shift to them for a moment, the Hybrid turning her attention back to her trapped companion when a breif rumbling chuckle uttered from him.
**Move. All of you.** Alarak glowered, stepping forward almost angrily, uncrossed his arms, and placed both of his armoured hands on the Hybrid's facial armour. Arska hopped back, chittering a warning which the Hybrid understood, appearing to tense, yet held still as even Kul moved back, staff at the ready.
**He's ready.** Arska said as she moved to sit at Kul's feet, concerned, yet held herself still as Alarak gathered up his strength, the air around him beginning to warp and shimmer. Vorazun chuckled, having seen Alarak do this once before, Rohana intrigued and moved to help Egon not be overwhelmed by the amount of psionic energy being summoned by the Tal'Darim Highlord. Valerian had to lightly shield his eyes, temporarily forgotten by the rest as Alarak almost seemed to glow before he released the wave of energy, feeding it into the Hybrid and directing more of the damage toward the armour.
Alarak stepped back, shaking himself once indignantly, seeing no visible change to the armour. Growling, he began readying for another bolt, before he stopped, the Hybrid slowly raising itself up more, allowing those observing to see the armour was indeed embedded into its flesh, blending together and fitting so tightly that it hindered breathing and movement of any form. Pieces chipped off and more notable cracks slowly formed in some areas of the armour, some sparking with violet or crimson energy as the Hybrid tested which of its joints were capable of motion.
Arska let out another low curious trill, receiving a deep echoing rumble that all the Protoss and Terrans felt in their chests, crimson and violet psionic lightning playing across the surface of the armour. Alarak took another cautious step back, the group bracing as suddenly, one of the limbs bound up and connected to the ceiling of the spherical chamber, tensed, pulled and tore itself free of the armour holding it causing the platform to shake violently underfoot.
Other connecting panels seemed to slough off, falling to the platform and turning to ash as the limb fell limply for a moment, before violet energy could be seen flowing along it, filling out muscle and flesh, regenerating each of the long fingers of a wing, that developed membrane and then scale-like carapace along it with blades along the leading edge nearest what would be considered the wrist of the wing. The other wing tore free after a moment as well, Arska moving to sit closer to the other Hybrid, crooning sadly as she watched him. Kul followed, yet remained a bit further back, ready to assist if needed, watching the now regenerated wings move to rest their bladed wrist-joints on either side of the Hybrid. The surface of its carapace appeared to shimmer, each panel layered with small iridescent scales almost in a feather pattern that continued along the wings, the thumb-claw of each wing curled inward, a long talon with barb like protrusions near the tip hiding beneath the wing carapace and blades.
Artanis, meanwhile, had felt the strange sharp pain once more, though not as severe as earlier. Karax and Rohana sensed this, both moving to steady him. As they reached him, the flash of a memory surfaced; Artanis knew he had to be young, as his perspective in this memory definitely could not have been recent as every console he walked past appeared to be level with his chest.
He walked into a compound much like the prison they had been led into and opened, with rows of stasis cells, many already engaged with Protoss forms inside them. He turned his gaze up to look at his eldest brother, who reassuringly eye-smiled down at him. His brother had stood not much taller than he had been, even as a child, yet Artanis knew, even so young, that his brother was far far stronger than any could imagine.
He focused and saw the support cast on his brothers' left forearm, that linked a related memory, his brother being beaten by another, who had turned to attack his eldest brother's twin when he came to assist. The second eldest about to be backhanded to the ground by their assailant, their father?
**Artanis, you need a healer, now.** Kul turned deadly serious, snapping all of them out of Artanis' memories. Artanis winced, the pain increasing steadily to a point that, under normal circumstances, Artanis would have almost doubled over, Rohana, Karax and Vorazun at a loss for why Kul would suddenly announce that. He sighed, looking at the Hybrid who vocalized, Arska translating.
**There's a… Suppression microchip in the back of his skull.** Arska had to think for a moment to articulate the correct word, sadly watching the others. Kul nodded, looking to his own control gauntlet and sent a file to Karax, who raised a brow and opened it. It showed what must have been a much younger bioscan of Artanis' head, highlighting a node that sat just inside his skull under the base of one of his nervecords. What shocked them most, was this then switched to a live bioscan, showing what appeared to be a growing mass around the node.
**It's likely generated too much scar tissue, or caused a bleed. I… I could remove it, on the 'Flare.** Kul offered, Alarak glaring at him.
**How in the Void do you know all of this?** Vorazun asked, Egon moving closer to look through his equipment to attempt to find something to assist. Karax helped Egon, with Rohana, Valerian watching as another Zergling-Hybrid, larger than Arska but very similar in build, slowly padded up the curved walkway on all fours from the shadows beneath the platform, blue gemfire eyes locked on Valerian. It appeared almost desiccated, withered, its limbs shakily holding it upright, no muscle definition and bones almost visible beneath its hide.
Before Kul could respond to Vorazun, the trapped and bound hybrid rose up, one forelimb rising up, tearing interlocked panels up from the platform and then slamming a two-toed forepaw down upon the open space before it, bleeding lightly as it regenerated flesh, long wicked talons and two bracketing thumbs on either side of the two toes with even longer talons that hooked back and out of the way. It freed its other forelimb, curled back, straining and pushing off the armour from its arms with the regenerating muscles and carapace, the armour cracking, splitting and turning to dust as it detached.
Once its forelimbs were free, the Hybrid freed first its legs and two-toed feet, then a long sinewy tail easily longer than the Hybrid's wings were wide. The tail regenerated slowly, violet psionic lightning arcing across its body as it paused, shuddering in pain, two smaller limbs freeing themselves from heavy binding around its chest, long, slender, with delicate hands akin to those of normal Protoss. It sat back on its haunches, drawing itself up to its full height, giving the others full view of the spread of its wings and belly for a moment before the large head crest, almost as expansive across as its wings, curled down and to the side as it gripped the armour along either side of the crest.
Psionic lightning danced across its hide, all watching as it squeezed, cracking the armour and tore it off, the pieces turning to dust as they came loose. Another panel of armour fell loose from the underside of the expansive crest, the psionic lightning becoming near blinding as segmented nervecords akin to those seen on Sarah, numerous, thick and glowing with violet energy from within regenerated, the crest and throat, now also free of armour, regenerating to be far more elaborately armoured with carapace, almost appearing aesthetically pleasing even to a Protoss, the neck bulking up and thickening to better support the expansive crest. The last piece, or so they assumed, upon its face, seemed to be the one it least wished to remove, pointedly lowering itself to allow Arska to do it. It hunkered down like a beast, forepaws shifting weight once to allow the pawpads to grow back properly on each, areas glowing off and on as it slowly regenerated the flesh and carapace that had once been torn from it before it had been bound and left here.
Carefully Arska pried off the first piece, which broke apart into three, covering the mandibles that had been stripped of flesh and forcibly held closed, quickly tossing the pieces aside as they turned to dust. One last piece, covering the eyes and, likely, mouth, it had to remove itself, reluctantly turning to one side and arching its neck down to obscure the view as it brought the two smaller limbs forward, delicate fingers gently grasping the edges of the armour where it met flesh, and slowly pulled, long thin spikes with tearing barbs tugging at tender spots around its eyes and temples.
With a single swift motion and brief roar of agony, it pulled the piece free, remaining curled up a moment, shuddering. The mask bounced and skittered along the platform to land at Valerian's feet before it too turned to dust.
**Goddess that -hurt-.**