Another chapter already so soon? Well, to be honest, this one is somewhat shorter than the ones before. It is very important for the path this story is going to take, though. Some people asked me how long this story will be. Honestly? I don't know. I have the general storyline already fleshed out, but as I pointed out to someone: When it comes to writing, I like to take the scenic route. So if you feel that this story isn't going anywhere or hangs in the air at certain points, then that's probably because I like to take my sweet time with it. Think of this part so far as the first arc. I might add an index at one point, just as with my other story.

Oh, and there is another flashback in this one. However, this time it is not about something that happened ages ago. From now on the story will leave looking into the past behind and become its very own.

Chapter 17

Covering things up ain't the same Thing as fixin' things

"I swear, I'm gonna dig a hole, place her inside, then shovel her up until only her head is sticking out. And then I will treat her like my potatoes and tomatoes and she will not get back out until she's grown up and reasonable!" Jim snarled and looked over his shoulder at the exhausted Protoss sitting right next to him. "Did you know?"

"That humans grow their children like vegetables? No, I didn't. I hear for the first time of this." she replied.

"No, that she had planned..." He opened up his arms and included the entire place. "...this!"

"I seriously doubt that she has planned this. Or planned anything at all. Paula's mind is like a bag of cats. At least that's what everyone keeps saying. I don't even know what that means. What are cats anyway?"

"Feline creatures from Earth." Jim mumbled.

"Are they like zerglings? Or kriecher?"

"They are worse than zerglings. Worse than even hydralisks if you ask me. Cats are the bane of natural evolution. They were created to torment humans on Earth and enslave them, keeping them in constant pain and misery." That sounded as if he was speaking from experience. Jim had never met a viler kind of creature. One minute they were happily purring while sitting on your lap, the next second they were scratching you up real good.

Zergling weren't skitterish, they were always vicious. It was this sudden change of heart that Jim couldn't comprehend.

Seriously, cats were truly evil. He wondered why the old Swarm hadn't adopted them and turned them into members of its legions.

The old Overmind probably had been scared of them as well...

"I guess then it makes sense." Sirella mused. "Or not. It's not like I care anymore. Paula does what Paula thinks. And she rarely thinks straight for even two seconds."

"It's that bad?" Jim whispered. He took a deep breath and looked at the heavy blast-door. Suddenly his anger subsided and was replaced by something else. Concern. "Why didn't you tell us?" he then asked and looked back at Sirella.

"Tell what?" she asked back.

"That it was this bad?"

"I thought you knew. She's your daughter." For a moment Jim wasn't sure if that was meant as an insult or not. But then he realized that it was actually nothing but the truth. Paula was his child. And that reckless behavior, the total disregard of doing anything that's reasonable or that makes any sense at all...

...it reminded Jim of himself.

And of Paula's mother, back in her young days.

And suddenly that was a very scary thought.

"Damn it, Paula. What were you thinking?" He then took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts. It had been ages since the last time he had found himself in such big troubles. Jim knew that a certain someone would arrive very soon. And he knew that things would probably turn out okay the moment she arrived. Yet he felt no joy at this. Because then he would have to tell Sarah that their daughter was a reckless daredevil. Which was exactly what they had tried to avoid by raising Paula the best way they could. Jim took another deep breath and sighed.

"What about this guy?" he wanted to know.

"What guy?"

"That Marshal. Bowski it was?"

"Yes. What about him?" Sirella said.

"Is he...well...uhm..." This was getting awkward very fast.

"Paula's boyfriend?"

"Not how I would have put it, but yeah." Jim muttered. Gosh, this was stupid. Sirella pulled her shoulders up.

"I don't know that much about human courting behavior, but I'm pretty sure the Marshal would rather shoot Paula than date her."

"Who do you know?" Jim wanted to know.

"Because he said so." Critical hit detected. "The Marshal is...he's just a guy. I don't know why Paula even decided to drag him along. He was ordered to keep the expedition safe by the Magistrate who-"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaithold on a sec!" Jim interrupted her. "Expedition? What expedition?" Sirella stared at him for quite some time before she sighed and shook her head.

"You don't know anything, do you?" All she received as an answer was Jim's blank stare. "Great...well, in that case, I better start at the beginning, shall we?" Since they weren't going anywhere anytime soon, there was probably no better way to waste some time anyway.

A couple of months ago...

Korhal, Capital of the Terran Empire

Sirella sighed when she finally stepped back and put the brush away. The last stroke had done it. Now she was done. Or was she? The young Protoss tilted her head to the side and frowned. It looked okay. The color was just the way she had imagined it, maybe a tiny bit too bright. But when the wet color would dry, it would turn a tiny bit darker anyway, so that was acceptable.

Or was it?

The longer Sirella stared at the painting, the more she started to wonder if this was actually what she had tried to achieve.

"Hmmm..." A thoughtful hum escaped her mind. The blue tones looked alright. Maybe a bit too much white. And the blue on the edges was a bit too dark. But the gold that was surrounding the blue crystal was...

...it was...

"...beautiful!" Sirella's head jerked around when she suddenly heard the voice of a woman right behind her. She looked down and felt a sudden surge of anxiety rushing through her body.

"Oh, Professor! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you, I was just...well..." Yeah, she was really good with words.

"Oh, I hope I didn't startle you, Sirella." the human replied. "I just wanted to see how everyone's doing. The colors are beautiful. I especially like the blue. And the golden ornaments are pretty as well. Is that...Protoss architecture?"

"Uhm, yes. It's a pylon." Sirella explained. "I wanted to paint something with clean edges. I thought about the Imperial Palace here on Korhal but...well, I already saw four other students doing that, so I tried to think of something different, Professor Snyder." And Professor Snyder, who happened to be Sirella's teacher, smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you came up with something different." she explained to the young Protoss. "Frankly, the whole "Imperial Palace"-thing gets boring. It's probably one of the most painted themes I've seen in all the years working here. Students always think they have to paint either the palace or a part of Augustgrad at least once before graduating. I've seen so many variations of the palace that I probably couldn't even count them all."

"I see." Sirella muttered and decided not to tell her teacher that she had planned to paint the palace for over nine months, taking countless pictures to get a feeling for the building. She had even asked her other teacher about the palace. And he was someone who had actually been inside the building, even though it had been a really long time ago.

"So...is this thing real? These...pylons? What does it represent?"

"It's a device to store energy and transmit information. They were used a long time ago by my people. I recently met a phasesmith, err, engineer who actually happens to work with them. He tried to explain to me all the things one can do with them. Even though I didn't understand much." Sirella said with an embarrassed tone in her voice. Even now most people still thought that Protoss were either warriors or brilliant scientists. Well, not anymore, they weren't. Sirella was the best example. Yes, many frowned upon the fact that the great-grandchild of the revered Artanis was not following in his footsteps, but she was no warrior. The very thought that she would wield a psionic blade was utterly idiotic.

So yeah, it was in everyone's interest that Sirella would never become a warrior, hers included. But while that was already a kick to the chin for certain conservative members of the Protoss hierarchy, the fact that she was studying human art was enough to drive some Protoss up the wall. Members of the hierarchy who remembered the past as something glorious, when their kind had been the undisputed champion of this part of the galaxy. They dreamed of great feats, of days of glory. And to them, figures like Artanis were useful symbols. They had tried to use his name for their cause. Well, that ancient and decrepit old warrior had made it clear that to him they were all nothing but cowards and snitches.

"I would enjoy saying that you are just as pathetic and misguided as Aldaris was, but this would be a grave insult to this old fool. For even though he was misguided and caused more harm than good, he always thought that he would serve his people. You, on the other hand, only wish to rule for the sake of ruling. Begone!" Those had been Artanis' words when they had offered him to a position among them. As an "advisor", which was a nice way to describe his position as a useful idiot.

For Sirella none of that truly mattered. She wasn't stupid, she knew that those people could be potentially dangerous. But she was just a young woman who wanted to live her life.

She noticed the confused look on her Professor's face and started to get nervous.

"Uhm, you see, a pylon was once used to power and maintain infrastructure. Almost like a powerplant, but even more than that. It was-"

"I get what you're trying to say, Sirella." Professor Snyder interrupted her. "But what asked is what it does represent? Why did you choose to paint this object? What does it mean to you?" That question caught the young Protoss off-guard.

"I... uhm...you see, I don't...well..." Because it was pretty? Because it was a giant crystal? Because, well, why not? Instead of telling her Professor just that, all Sirella managed to do was to stutter like an idiot. Most of her kind had a hard time reading a human's facial expression. They didn't know what grimace meant fear, pain, happiness. Sirella was a bit different. Technically Korhal was her homeworld. Her parents had been in service of the Protoss' government. Diplomats, if you like. And she knew more about humans than your average Protoss. And that's why she was pretty certain that the expression on her teacher's face was disappointment.

"Well..." Professor Snyder sighed. "...if you figure it out, then I would love to hear. Keep up the good work. Oh, and the blue on the edges is a bit too bright if you ask me." And then she turned around and walked over to the next student who was busy adding the last touches to his work. "Oh, the Imperial Palace! How quaint. Haven't seen that motif in a while..." Sirella's teacher mumbled.

"Thank you, Professor!" the student replied with a cheerful tone in his voice, not noticing the sarcasm in her voice. "It took me quite some time to come up with that idea. I wanted to create something unique, something that hadn't been done to death before."

"Oh boy..." Sirella could hear her Professor mutter but she was simply too busy to care. All she did was to stare at the drawing she had created.

What did it represent? What kind of question was that?

The kind of question that scored a critical hit in an instant, that's what it was...

Suddenly Sirella felt how the insecurity returned. Many had told her that her technique was great. A bit rough around the edge, but there was some real talent involved. The man she referred to as her master had said those words, and she still felt embarrassed just when thinking about it. To be hailed a great talent by one of the greatest artists to have ever existed, someone who had amassed incredible skill and experience of the course of centuries was probably the single greatest compliment anyone had ever given to her.

The fact that no one would believe her didn't matter to Sirella. She knew. That was all that mattered.

Or was it?

"What does it represent?" Sirella mused. Good question. Perhaps she hadn't made it clear enough? Perhaps something was missing, something that was telling people what this drawing stood for?

Yes, that had to be the reason!

Sirella didn't even notice how she grabbed the brush again, dipped it into the color and tried to solve this problem. The edges were too bright? Perhaps by fixing that everything would become clearer. And so Sirella held her breath (well, so to speak) and pressed the brush on the wet canvas once more and-

"Oh, fugdebucket!" the young Protoss groaned and her eyes widened in shock when she saw how red color started to spread through the flawless white of the crystal she had painted. In shock, she looked down and realized that she had put the brush into the wrong color!

Oh no! Ohnononononono!" she stuttered and cleaned her brush before dipping it into the blue color once more. With some quick and hasty brush-strokes, she tried to salvage that which was no longer salvageable. Her strokes became quick and erratic, and all she managed to do was to create more chaos. "Oh, please no!" Sirella knew that she should stop, all she did was to make things worse. But she just couldn't! Panic rose in her chest and she was trying to somehow save this drawing. Until-

"Oh! Interesting." Professor Snyder chirped behind her. "So you're going for something abstract instead? I can't wait to see the final product. Also: red is an interesting choice. I can't wait for you to explain what were you thinking when you came up with that idea. Keep up the good work!" And those words were enough to make Sirella freeze completely. After a while, another student walked past by and noticed her work.

"Hey, that's a good drawing of the Imperial Palace! Very realistic too!" he said. Sirella dropped her shoulders and wondered if this was a good moment so start crying.

"Stupid pylon. Stupid Imperial Palace. Stupid Professor. Stupid "What does it represent?" Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Sirella snarled as she stepped outside and walked towards the dumpsters behind the university's atelier. "It's a stupid pylon, what do you think it represents? It's a giant crystal! Crystals are pretty! Everyone loves pretty things. What other reasons does one have to draw it?" To say that she felt frustrated would have been an understatement.

"If she knew who had told me that I have talent, then she wouldn't have asked that stupid question!" Sirella growled. Yet the moment she spoke out those words, she realized how ridiculous she sounded. Not just cocky or stupid, but downright arrogant. The truth was that she had painted a pylon because she hadn't come up with anything else. Anything meaningful.

"Guess I should have painted the Imperial Palace after all." she sighed when she reached the dumpster. She put the painting down to open the container and shook her head. Perhaps she should have painted the great citadel on Aiur. That way she could have pleased all the Imperial Palace-folks while adding something new to the mix. Sirella sighed again, grabbed the painting and was about to throw it into the dumpster, but not before taking another look at it.

"This looks nothing like the Imperial Palace!" she whined and threw it away. Sirella didn't even bother closing the dumpster. Instead, she turned around and was about to walk back into the building when she heard how someone pulled something out of the dumpster right behind her.

"Whoa! That's so awesome!" an all-too-familiar voice squealed. "That looks exactly like a zergling! You even captured its bloodthirstiness!" Sirella froze. That voice. Not here. Not now. She turned around, slowly. And when she spotted the person that had pulled her drawing out of the dumpster, she didn't know wherever she should be happy...

...or run away screaming.

"Paula?!"

"Hey there. Missed me?" Paula Kerrigan asked.

"Weren't...weren't you supposed to be on Aiur?" the young Protoss asked.

"I was." Paula replied. "2 hours ago. Oh, your grandpa wants me to tell you something."

"Great-grandpa." Sirella corrected her "friend".

"Whatever. Artanis wants me to tell you..." And suddenly Paula's voice changed and became exactly like that of Artanis. Which was creepy as hell.

"Sirella. I hope you do well. Remember to respect your teachers and study well. And whatever you do, do always exactly what Paula tells you to do. Because she is smart and knows everything." Artanis' voice said. When Paula was done, she coughed a couple of times and then she spoke with her own voice again. "The last part was the most important. I thought it was embarrassing, but he demanded that I would tell you."

"I..." Sirella whispered. "...uhm...is there a reason why you are here?"

"Do I need a reason to see my best friend?" Paula replied. Best friend? That was a bold statement Ever since Paula Kerrigan had walked into Sirella's life, things had changed drastically. Artanis had never bothered to brag about his feats during the Great War. But even then Sirella had heard the legends about the mighty and fearsome Queen of Blades, the old Swarm, the heroic Emperor of the humans, Valerian Mengsk. But when she had met Paula, Sirella had learned that some of those legends were in fact true.

It was also the moment when Sirella, who had always aspired to be an artist, had met a man named Jim Raynor, who, over many centuries, had become a master of all forms of art. Simply because "I had nothing else to do". A man that had taken a liking to her, and her quest for becoming a better artist. A man who had taught her a lot of things so far, and who would hopefully continue to do so in the future.

There was just a tiny problem...

Being able to learn from Jim Raynor had a price. One that hadn't been very high. At least in the beginning. But now Sirella was no longer certain that the price was still worth it.

And that price was "being Paula Kerrigan's friend".

"So, what are you doing here?" Sirella mumbled. That's when a creepy grin appeared on Paula's face.

"I found her." she simply replied.

"Found who?"

"The Hyperion."

"What's a hyperion?" the young Protoss asked, which caused Paula to stare at her in disbelief.

"The Hyperion! Come on, you know! It's my Dad's old battlecruiser!" the young woman (who was still way over 90 years old) explained.

"The one that always broke down and was constantly on the brink of exploding?"

"That's the one!" Paula declared and snipped with her finger. "I found out where it is."

"So?" Sirella asked back. "What has that to do with me?"

"Well, I'm putting together a team. And I could use a strong and courageous Protoss at my side." There was a long and awkward moment of silence after that statement.

"Don't you know any strong and courageous Protoss?" Sirella whined.

"I do. But they all don't want to tag along. So, I wanted to ask you for help." Paula smiled. It was probably the most over-the-top-smile she had ever shown to anyone. It was brutally clear that she was hiding something...

"You didn't tell anyone, did you?" Sirella mused.

"I didn't tell anyone." Paula confirmed her friend's suspicions. "Look, I know this is sudden and all, but I want to keep this a secret from the others."

"Why?"

"Because...well...if they knew what I was about to do, then they would tell me that it's a bad idea. And probably lock me up for the rest of my life." Paula admitted.

"I do not feel motivated to help you with your plan. I'd rather stay here. Tell me how it went." the young Protoss mumbled.

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun! Like old times! You and I! Road-trip! Only the girls! It'll be fun!" Paula tried to convince her friend. "I can pay you money!"

"You are as broke as they get, Paula."

"I can cook for you."

"I don't have a mouth. Or a digestive tract that works like yours."

"Fine. You leave me no other choice then." Paula growled. She looked at the drawing of the ruined pylon and sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't force me to play dirty. But I guess it can't be helped. Truly, these are sad times when one friend can't count on the help of another." Even though Sirella knew that she didn't have to be afraid of Paula. Mostly.

"What are you talking abou-" the young Protoss started.

"I won't tell your granddad that you failed the exam on Protoss' history. Twice." Paula declared. And when Sirella heard that-

"W-wait!" Jim stuttered when he heard that. He stared at Sirella in disbelief. "She blackmailed you into coming out here?!" Sirella shrugged her shoulders when she noticed the shocked expression on his face.

"Not really. Yeah, but...she also offered her help." Sirella mumbled.

"Help? How?" Jim demanded to know.

"Here's the deal. You help me, and I will help you. How does that sound?" Paula chirped.

"Like a really bad deal. How can you actually help me with my problem?" Sirella replied. The grin on her friend's face turned absurdly wide.

"It's simple, Siri-"

"Don't call me Siri."

"Whatever. You need to pass the next exam on Protoss' history. If you fail, then you will be exmatriculated. Well, what if I would tell you that I can help you with that and-" Paula suggested, which caused Sirella to burst out in anger.

"I won't cheat! I won't have you take my place and write that test for me! I'd rather fail than do something like that!" Sirella protested, which caused Paula to blink a few times.

"Actually..." the young woman muttered. "...I wanted to offer my help in teaching you. Two of my uncles are Protoss who know a lot about Protoss' history, you know."

"Oh..." Sirella mumbled when she realized that her friend hadn't offered to help her cheating. "Sorry."

"I just pretend I didn't hear what you just said." Paula muttered and shook her head. "Anyway, I have another reason why you should join me. One that you can't say no to."

"If I say "I don't care", will you go away?"

"What do you think, big girl?" That replied caused Sirella to drop her shoulders and sigh in defeat.

"Fine. What is it?"

"Extra credits!" Paula declared with a proud tone in her voice. And that...

...was actually something Sirella was very much interested in.

"Oh, and can I have this drawing? This is truly the best image of a zergling I have ever seen!"

"So, let me get this straight: Paula offered her help in getting you through the history-exam? And she offered you extra credit points?" Jim mumbled. Sirella sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"She told me that she had found out about the potential location of the Hyperion after working her way through old star charts and historical documents from the time of the Great War. I don't know if that's true or if she just through a dart at a map. But she was right, the Hyperion is really here. So, I guess she knew what she was doing." Another sigh escaped Sirella's mind. "She has enrolled herself at the university and is currently studying old koprulean history under Professor Allagan-"

"That name rings a bell..." Jim mumbled. He had heard it before. But where?

"...and somehow she has managed to convince him to come out here to find the Hyperion. She was the one who got all the equipment for the expedition, who planned the trip out here, who even got the help of the Magistrate."

"But...why?" Paula's father muttered. "Why all the effort? She could have come out here by herself! There was no need to drag you along. Or anyone else." And then he added the most important question. "Why didn't she tell us?"

"You have to ask her yourself." Sirella replied. "I just want to go home. I've seen so many things out here, I don't think I will ever sleep again. Especially those dark corridors. I can see them even if I close my eyes. Every detail. I hate this place. Every bolt, every dark corner. It's dreary and without hope. It is a grave, one that shouldn't have been re-discovered. Endless dark corridors, filled with useless stuff. And then there's this huge tentacle-monster chasing us. Yes, I hate this place." She looked at Jim with sparkling eyes. And Jim had spent enough time with Protoss to know that sparkling eyes were the closest thing to being close to crying there was.

So, Jim did the only thing that seemed to be reasonable. He walked over to Sirella, knelt down in front of her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Sirella, I'm so sorry. If I had known that Paula would do something so reckless and stupid, then we would have done something. Stopped her! This is insane!" When Sirella heard that, she chuckled. But it was not an amused chuckle.

"You have no idea what Paula's been up to recently, have you?" the young Protoss mumbled. "That's pretty much all she does. Creating chaos and mischief wherever she appears." When Jim heard that, he pulled his hand back and dropped his shoulders. That was definitely not something he wanted to hear about his daughter. Or that anyone wanted to hear about their child. Jim got back up and stared at the heavy blast-door that was keeping both of them safe and trapped at the same time.

"Hurry up, Sarah. I think there's something seriously wrong with our girl..."

And suddenly James Raynor was very, very, very worried indeed.

"...JUST KILL ME ALREADYYYYYYyyyywhat the hell?" Dan screamed/groaned when he finally regained consciousness. He shot back up and grabbed for his gun, only to feel his own leg. As he looked around, still confused, he was searching for the nearest threat. Either in the form of tentacles, teeth, claws...

...or Paula Kerrigan.

"I understand your frustration, but I would prefer if you wouldn't consider her to be the bane of your existence, young man." Paula's voice reached his ears. He looked around, again, in confusion. But he couldn't see her. There was no one else in his bedroom, he was all by himself and-

Wait a second...

...his bedroom?!

"What the fu-" he tried to say when suddenly something caused his teeth to clench. It was as if someone had electrified his jaw. It didn't hurt, not really. It just felt strange. And weird.

"No cursing either. Please. I'm somewhat picky about that. I don't want my children to inherit their father's bad habits." There was no doubt, someone was speaking to him. Dan rolled off the bed and groaned when every fiber of his body hurt. He landed on all fours and placed his hand on his belly, which felt as if he was suffering from the worst muscle hangover of all time. Which was probably not really that bad considering that his intestines had just tried to consume him and-

Suddenly everything came back to Dan and he screamed in shock. He fell on his butt and pulled his shirt up before brushing with his hands over his stomach, trying to push his angry innards back inside. Only that his innards were no longer angry. Or trying to eat him.

"Wha...what?" Dan whispered and looked at his belly. It was...

...normal again.

"It was actually less dangerous than you might think. I'm sure it hurt like hell but the virus inside you was old. Ancient even. You probably would have kept your mind anyway. Still, don't push yourself too hard for the next couple of weeks." Dan looked around. This was his bedroom, no doubt about it. Just how had Paula managed to get him back here?

And that's when he spotted her...

She had turned his back to him and was looking out of the window of his room.

"That's actually a nice view you have here. Can't imagine that this apartment has been cheap. I guess a marshal's salary has improved a bit over the years." Paula mused. There was something weird about her, though. It was as if she was somehow different. Changed.

"What...what happened. I think I had...had a nightmare. How did I get here? What's with the others? Kerrigan?" he stuttered. None of it made any sense.

"I see you got some questions." Kerrigan replied and finally turned around. Only then Dan realized that there was indeed something wrong with her. This woman, she looked like the spitting image of Paula. Only that her hair wasn't brown but red. And her eyes weren't brown either. They were green...

"Kerrigan?" Dan muttered, still confused.

"Yes." she confirmed. "But not the one you're referring to." She then bowed her head a little, as if to properly introduce herself. "Sarah Kerrigan. A pleasure to meet you."

"Are you...you look like Paula. You are related?" Dan mumbled.

"That obvious? Yes, we get that a lot. You already met my daughter. Intensively." Sarah explained.

"Your...daughter?" Dan asked. This woman didn't look a day older than someone who was in her late twenties. Well, apparently "good genes" wasn't just an empty compliment.

"Thanks for the compliment." Sarah cooed. It was as if she had just read Dan's mind. His eyes widened when he remembered that Paula was psionically gifted. Very much so. So that meant that...

"First of all..." Sarah interrupted his thoughts. "...let me apologize for intruding into your mind. I do understand that it is something most people don't enjoy. I haven't done anything like that in ages, yet I had to know what has happened." And then her expression turned sad. "And I apologize for whatever pain Paula's behavior has caused you."

"I..." Dan started before he closed his mouth. Just what the hell was he supposed to say anyway. But that's when he remembered who he was and what his goddamn job was. "The Professor! Sirella! And the other students! I have to get them out of there and-" he said while getting back on his feet.

"That..." Sarah interrupted him. "...won't be necessary. You can relax, Mister Bowski. The situation is under control. No one else will get hurt, you have my promise."

"You don't understand!" Dan barked at her. "There's a goddamn monster in that wreckage! It's gonna tear these people apart and-"

"I know." the woman that looked so much like Paula interrupted him once more. "I was truly surprised when I found out that Stukov is still alive. Though living is probably not the right term to describe his current form of existence. He's probably caught in an endless living nightmare."

"You...know?" Dan stuttered in disbelief. Sarah shrugged her shoulders when she heard that question.

"Only when I entered the system. That's when I felt his presence. At first, I didn't even recognize it. It has been almost one thousand years since the last time I talked to him. I must say: Time wasn't good to him." Sarah explained. Dan had a hard time to compute that information. A thousand years ago? Was she making fun of him? Was this indeed Paula trying to play him for a fool once more?

"Feel free to believe what you want, Mister Bowski." Sarah declared when she sensed his thoughts. "Wherever you believe me or not, it matters not. What matters is that you have performed your duty, quite well given the circumstances and that you should be proud of yourself. You handled yourself better than most would have. But this situation was nothing anyone could have ever prepared you for. So, I suggest you will just leave the rest to me." Dan had so many questions on his mind. Like what had happened? Why was he no longer about to die? How had he ended up inside his own bed? Who or what was Stukov anyway?

Yet in the end, there was only one question that managed to slip from his mouth.

"Just who are you guys?"

When Sarah heard that question, a sad smile appeared on her face.

"That...is a fair question, one that I'm not sure I can answer so you would believe me."

"Try me." he replied. Sarah's smile became cocky when she heard that.

"Are you sure? No one will believe you, you know. So even if you were to know the truth, it would do you no good."

"How about you let me be the judge about that." Dan growled. "Also: if your story is so fantastic, then why are you willing to tell it to me anyway?"

"Like said:" Sarah replied. "No one will believe you. But after everything you went through, you deserve to know. Once you know, you can choose to believe me or not. Or..."

"Or what?" Dan asked.

"Or I can take away the memories for good. Make sure that you will not remember a thing." Sarah suggested.

"You can do that?" he gasped.

"I can do many things." Sarah explained.

"Except for keeping your own child under control, apparently." Dan growled. For a second Sarah's expression turned sour, but then she simply sighed.

"As I said: I apologize for what happened. I will sort things out and make sure that it won't happen again. It's-"

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place!" Dan barked. "I don't care who you are, what you are...but this was...was..."

"Nothing when compared to the things I did when I was young." Sarah replied coldly. "Listen, I understand that you are angry. Furious even. But the damage that has been done has been undone. Plus, it is not easy for Paula either. She's-"

"Easy? EASY?!" Dan screamed. "Are you kiddin' me? She's a goddamn pest! Her recklessness nearly got me and everyone else killed! Hell, maybe they are all dead! All I got that they are not is your word! And I don't even know you!" Sarah opened her mouth, ready to reply something. But then she didn't. "What?" Dan growled. "Hit a nerve?"

"No." she replied. "Explaining it to you might be too complicated. I don't expect you to understand. It is easy to judge someone who has powers if you don't have them yourself if you don't know what burden they can be. I do not approve of what Paula did, and I will make her work hard to fix the mess she has created. But unlike her mother, who has done a lot of horrible mistakes in her youth, she has not done anything nearly as horrible. So let's keep things in perspective here and-"

"SHE NEARLY HAD ME KILLED!" Dan screamed again. An annoyed look appeared on Sarah's face when she heard that accusation.

"Like said: You weren't in danger of dying. Yes, it was probably a horrible experience. But as I said: If you like, then I can make you forget. It's your choice." What kind of choice was that?

"An honest one." Sarah declared.

"You said that you are sorry for reading my mind, yet stopping doing that doesn't seem to be possible, huh?" the Marshal griped. All Sarah did was to smile at the comment. And after a while, she asked the one question that seemed to be the only thing she was interested in.

"So, what's it gonna be? Go back to sleep and wake up without remembering anything? Or keep your memories. It matters not to me." she told him.

"Others will. The Magistrate will. She will ask what happened. The others, the team, if they are still alive, then they will ask questions too. You can't just hide what happened!" Dan growled. All he received as an answer was another smile, one that told him "Yes I can." And then he asked the question that was only slightly different from the one he had asked before. Yet its implications were on a completely different level.

"What are you?" Dan whispered.

"You..." Sarah chirped. "...would probably not believe a single word. But I said that you deserve to know what has happened to you. Just do me a favor and don't-" That's when she suddenly stopped and turned her head around. Dan frowned when he saw how she looked at a point in the distance, with a worried expression on her face.

"Jim?" Sarah whispered. "What's the matter?" She seemed as if someone was talking to her. Dan looked around if there was someone else inside the room, but they were alone.

"She did what?" Sarah asked. There was no doubt about it, she was talking to someone. Dan didn't see any device, any sort of communicator. So was she using her psionic abilities? Was she talking to someone who was still in the Hyperion? Jim...wait a second, Dan remembered that name. Even with all that pain he had experienced a while ago, he still remembered that man that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A man Paula had called "Dad"...

"Don't draw any conclusions just yet, Jim." Sarah continued. "We will talk to her, find out why she came out here. Hold on, I'm on my way." And then she turned around and walked out of the room.

"H-hey! HEY!" Dan barked when he realized that she was to leave without answering his questions. "You said that-"

"I am sorry, Mister Bowski." Sarah interrupted him while she walked towards the door of his apartment. "But I am needed elsewhere. My daughter needs me. So your questions do not take top-priority right now. I hope you understand." She opened the door and was about to step outside, but then she stopped and looked over her shoulder once more. "You are a good man, Mister Bowski. I can tell that much. I know that this is confusing and that you are looking for answers. Still, you got a second chance. And you are more reasonable than most other men of your age. So just move on. Forget that you ever met me or Paula or anyone else. Go on with your life." And then she simply stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"What? Hold on a second!" Dan barked and ran after her. He ripped the door open and stepped outside, only to realize...

...that Sarah was gone.

"What?" he whispered as he looked around.

"Oh, Marshal!" an old and croaky voice reached his ears and he turned his head around.

"Miss Grayson." he greeted his old and wrinkly neighbor.

"What a nice day! I wasn't aware that you were home. Did you take a day off?" she asked and he frowned when he heard that. Hadn't she heard him yelling like a madman? And that's when...

"Miss Grayson...did you just see someone walk out of my apartment?" he asked.

"Yes. You. Marshal, are you feeling well? You look pale." the old woman wondered.

"Yeah, I'm peachy." Dan growled. He pulled his shirt up once more and looked at his own stomach. There was no sign that anything unusual had ever occurred down there.

"Marshal, it's a bit cold to run around half-naked!" Miss Grayson scolded him. "You will catch death if you run around like this!"

"You're right." Dan growled. He opened the door of his apartment and vanished inside, leaving behind a somewhat confused old lady.

"Such a nice boy. But living all by yourself isn't healthy, son. You should get yourself a nice girlfriend." Grayson sighed and was about to turn around and head back inside her own apartment when suddenly the door to Dan's apartment was opened again. The Marshal stepped outside, this time wearing his uniform. He strapped his holster to his thigh and put his spare pistol in it before taking a deep breath.

"Marshal, where are you going? Isn't today your free day?" Grayson asked. Dan looked at her and frowned.

"Job ain't done yet, Miss Grayson. I'm currently investigating some very weird people. And I want some answers." And this time he would get those answers. There was no chance in hell that he would just sit this one out. And as he stomped towards the stairs leading to the street ahead, he felt how a new sensation grew inside his chest. For the first time in a very long time he felt something that he hadn't felt in ages.

It was determination.

"So, apologize for your daughter's behavior?" Dan muttered mostly to himself. "She can do that herself. I'm coming for you, Kerrigan, and you better have some good answers up and ready!"