Now, some warnings are in order. If you read this chapter and think: "This feels as if something is missing", then you are correct. This chapter would benefit from one of the many flashbacks that this story has. However, I am at a point where I have to pick up the pace, since I'm about to have real-life commitments coming up in the next couple of months that will most likely keep me occupied for quite some time. And no, that doesn't mean that I'm about to become a parent...
Point is: I have to finish this story soon since I don't think I will be able to sit down in the next couple of months and work on it, and I don't want to leave anyone hanging in limbo.
So, apologies if this chapter feels a bit rush, or if there are certain developments that seem...sudden. I had planned to flesh it out more, but it is what it is now.
Chapter 34
True Character shows itself in defeat, not in victory
Paula wanted to cry. She wanted to curse the world, and she wanted the world to laugh at her for being stupid. Of course it hadn't worked. Of course! Why should it have worked, huh? Coming up with a plan that was clearly a couple of numbers too big for her. No one tried to stop her. The Nerazim in this place probably had never met a human before, and they sure as hell didn't know why a human would run through their sacred temple while crying. For all they knew it could be an attempt to blow everything up.
But no one dared to stop her.
"Stupid." she whispered to herself. "Stupid git!" All the effort, all of it, wasted.
Sure, it hadn't been a great plan to begin with. Sure, there had been plenty of things that could have gone wrong. And sure, she was aware that pretty much no one had faith enough in her to believe that she could have pulled any of this off herself. Sure, she had had help. But it still had been her plan. And she had pulled everyone together for this gig herself, even Sarah and her sisters. This, for all intents and purposes, was her plan. She had put months of hard work into it, and had kept a low profile so her parents would find out.
Of course she had thought about failing, had accepted that it could be a part of this whole thing. But like this? This close to the finish line?
If she had never found the Hyperion, that would have been disappointing, but she could have lived with that. Chances that the battle cruiser had become debris inside some asteroid belt had been pretty high after all. If the Ihan-crystal had vanished or been destroyed by Stukov, that would have been unfortunate. If Sarah and her sisters hadn't decided to help her, well, she couldn't have blamed them. Even if her mother would have pulled the plug on her little adventure, Paula would have accepted it.
But...
...not like this!
She wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone.
And so, as Paula exited the temple, she didn't even pay attention to her surroundings and instead hurried towards the nearby treeline. There were some Nerazim nearby, and they were guarding something. Paula noticed a tall Protoss who wore different colors. Even from the corner of her eyes, she recognized Evalonis.
"Paula?" she could hear his voice.
Not now.
She knew that she shouldn't run away like this. Artanis was still inside, and he was old and weak. Her actions were utterly selfish. But right now, she didn't care. As she walked away, she noticed other figures as well. Sarah and some of her sisters, who hadn't left yet. The Hyperion was still floating high above them, which came as a surprise. Paula would have imagined that they'd be on their merry way by now. And there were some other figures too. Humans. Four. She knew who they were. Including that dark-skinned woman.
But none of that mattered right now.
Nothing did.
Because she had failed.
"Seriously, is there no way to convince you to let us leave?" Sarah asked the Nerazim, who just stared at her. You would think that such behavior was rude. But only if you didn't know that this was roughly the 92nd time Sarah had asked this question. By now the Nerazim didn't even bother answering that question.
The Hyperion was still floating high above the temple. Evalonis watched at Sarah trying to convince the guards to simply let them go. It was somewhat amusing because he realized how pointless this all was. If these Nerazim took their duties only half as serious as the Templar, then Evalonis had no doubts that they would not allow them to leave.
"I promise that we will even take these guys with us. How does that sound?" Sarah suggested as she pointed with the tip of her tail at the human newcomers.
"I don't know who you are..." the man called Dan Bowski spat out. "...but I won't just go with you because you say so. I came here for Kerrigan, plain and simple. Now where is she?"
Evalonis looked down at the human with a wondering gaze. He didn't like that guy. Something about him felt...wrong. The huge warrior couldn't really describe it. Sometimes you meet someone and you just immediately know that you don't like them. The fact that Bowski hated Paula's guts didn't help either.
"The one called Paula Kerrigan is currently talking to the Grand Preserver." the captain of the Nerazim explained. "Once their conversation is over, we will hand you over to her and you may leave, considering that the Grand Preserver has nothing against it."
"Knowing Paula/Kerrigan..." Sarah and Dan muttered at the exact same time. "...we will be screwed in a few moments." They looked at each other in surprise as they realized that they had just had the same thought. Dan crossed his arms in front of his chest as he regarded Sarah and her sisters. Considering that this human probably had never seen anything like Izsha's children, he sure seemed to be rather casual about it.
"What'd she do to you?" he gruffed.
"Ever since we were born, our mother compared us to Paula. She was allowed to get away with anything, while we had to work our tails off just so we could, one day, become her servants. At least that's what our mother wanted of us." Behind Sarah, her sisters grimaced. "The prodigy is a walking and talking catastrophe, yet we are just supposed to live our lives for her sake, not ours. And what did she do to earn your scorn?"
"Got me infested. Pretty painful stuff. Then she just ditched me and everyone else, leaving us behind with more questions than answers. If her mother hadn't saved my butt, I'd be dead by now."
"Actually..." the other man who went by the name of Stukov chuckled. "...you most likely would have turned into a feral infested creature. And with my state of being back then, we probably would have either torn each other into pieces...or merged into some hideous monstrosity before trying to absorb the other people of that research team." Dan stared at him with nothing but contempt in his gaze.
"Tearing each other apart would have been the better option." he concluded.
The other two humans remained silent. The other man, meek and thin when compared to Stukov and Bowski, tried to hide behind the other figure, a woman with dark skin and crystal-blue eyes. Evalonis could sense some psionic energies emitting from this woman, but it seemed as if she was trying to suppress them. Well, if she was trying to hide her abilities from the Nerazim that were guarding this place someone should probably tell her that it was pointless.
Sarah, who spoke for all of her sisters, looked at Dan and squinted her eyes.
"Our plight seems worse." she concluded. "We win."
"I wasn't aware that this was a contest." Dan muttered.
"Your fault then."
Their squabbles were mildly amusing to Evalonis, at least until he noticed how something in the distance happened. He noticed some movement at the entrance to the temple. Did that mean that Paula and Artanis were done?
Indeed, Paula appeared when she walked out of the temple. Though "walking" was the wrong term to describe it. It was more like "storming". And even from all that distance Evalonis could feel her distress. He wasn't the only one. Sarah and her sisters also looked at the small figure in the distance and frowned.
"Oh no, that can't be good..." he could hear Sarah whisper. And it wasn't just him and Sarah and her sisters who took notice. The dark-skinned woman seemed to realize that something was wrong. The look on her face was one of confusion. And disbelief.
"It can't be..." she whispered.
Instead of joining them, however, Paula headed straight for the nearby treeline.
"Where's she going?" one of Sarah's sisters asked.
"Ugh, the prodigy is throwing a tantrum. Great. Just what we needed."
"Whatever she did, we ain't no part of it!"
"Can we leave now? You can have her! We promise that we don't want her back. Ever!"
"Perhaps we should-"
That's when Sarah put her tail down.
"Enough!" she barked and called her sisters to order. The expression on her face was also mostly annoyed but also worried. She looked at Evalonis.
"Perhaps you should go and check out what's going on." The huge Protoss nodded and turned towards the captain of the guard, who straightened himself.
"I understand that you are under strict orders to not let us roam freely. But please, may I go and see what this is about? This woman is very dear to me." The Nerazim squinted his eyes, and for a moment it seemed as if he was about to decline Evalonis' request. But then...
"You are a member of the Templar, are you not?" the captain of the guard demanded to know. There was a hint of hostility in his voice. He probably had never met a true Templar in his entire life. Which could mean that all he knew were either untrue stories...or the truth. From a certain point of view. Which was probably even worse.
"Yes, indeed."
"Then you are bound by honor and duty."
"I am." Evalonis confirmed.
"In that case..." the Nerazim demanded. "...I require your word that you have no sinister intentions."
"You have my word." the huge warrior declared. The captain of the guard stared into his eyes for a while before he nodded and gestured two of his guards to come closer. "You accompany him." Well, so much for trust. But Evalonis did not mind. Since he truly had no sinister intentions, there was no reason to feel mistrusted. He nodded and turned away. However, he wasn't the only one who wanted to get to Paula. Both Sarah and the human Bowski tried to follow him. The guards immediately moved in and blocked their path.
"No!" the captain of the guard barked. "Only he may see her. You shall remain here until then."
"Now listen, you oversized-" Bowski began, grossly overestimating his own level of intimidation. Thankfully Sarah seemed to understand that this wasn't really the moment to act all defiant. Her tail came around and she wrapped it around Dan's head, shutting him effectively up.
"Just hurry up, yes?" she asked Evalonis, who bowed his head before he turned away and walked towards the place where Paula had vanished into the forest.
Finding Paula wasn't hard. She wasn't even trying to hide. Or if she was, then she was doing a poor job. While Evalonis was a Protoss, and therefore his psionics were much stronger than that of an average human who possessed psionic abilities (save for Paula of course), his abilities were only average when compared to other Protoss. His physical prowess was his forte. Yet he was gifted enough to sense Paula's presence. And her pain and despair.
Though he didn't even need that to find her. All he had to do was to follow his hearing. The sobbing was weak and faint but he had no trouble locating Paula's location.
And if his hearing should fail him, well, then he still got his eyes. All he had to do was to follow the trail of gold.
Literally.
One of the Nerazim that watched over him picked up one small golden pebble and took a good look at it.
"Is that gold?" she wondered. While gold had not the same value to Protoss as it had to humans, it was still a valuable resource.
"Those are tears." Evalonis muttered.
"Tears?" the female guard chuckled. "What kind of creature can produce tears of gold?"
"This one." he replied when he walked around a huge tree and found Paula. She had hunched herself between two huge roots, her legs pulled up to her chest and her head buried between her knees. All around her small golden pebbles of gold littered the landscape.
"By the ancients..." the other guard whispered as he saw how Paula was indeed producing tears of gold. Evalonis looked over his shoulder and squinted his eyes.
"I know that you are under orders...but could you please give us a moment?" The Nerazim exchanged stern looks but then they nodded and stepped back. They would still remain in earshot, Evalonis was aware of that. He didn't mind though. They were just doing their job. And he was pretty certain that his brothers and sisters among the Templar wouldn't have done something like that. He then faced Paula and walked over to her. She didn't react to his approach but Evalonis was pretty certain that she knew that it was him. Instead of saying anything, he stopped right next to her and sat down on one of the huge roots before placed his arms on his knees and interfolded his hands. Paula's sobbing continued for a while and he didn't want to interrupt her. Another human would probably have hugged her. Instead, he just sent out soothing thoughts of compassion. It was the psionic equivalent of a hug. And he knew that Paula could feel it.
Eventually, her sobbing became less and less, and when she had calmed down enough for him to speak up, he had thought about the reason for her behavior. And there was basically only one thing that he could think of for her to react this way.
"Lord Artanis...?" he asked with a soft voice.
"...it didn't work." Paula replied after a while. That answer caused Evalonis to frown. Based on her reaction he had guessed that Artanis had passed away. The age and the poor health of the former Hierarch were undeniable.
"What did not work?" Evalonis asked.
"...everything." Paula whispered before she sniffed a couple of times. It took her a while to calm down some more, and Evalonis was willing to give her that time. She would tell him once she was ready.
"The crystal..." she then mumbled after some time. "...it didn't work."
"You were not able to commune with Zeratul?" Evalonis concluded. He watched how Paula bit her lip and then nodded. "I see."
"It's just..." she started before taking a few deep breaths. "...of course I knew that something could have gone wrong. So many things could have gone south! But like this? Not like this!" she wailed. "We were so close, Evan. So close and then..." Her voice grew hoarse and then she started to cry again. She buried her head between her legs once more as she gave in to her desire to vent her pain and frustration.
This time Evalonis decided not to just use his psionics to comfort her. Protoss weren't really good when it came to showing physical affection, but he knew enough to know what he was supposed to do. He knelt down in front of her and slung his huge arms around the much smaller woman. She seemed so frail, so fragile. He could feel how Paula's whole body was shaking as she cried her eyes out.
Humans were completely different from Protoss. That included their lines of thoughts and how they perceived emotions. Love for a human was not necessarily the same as love was for a Protoss. At least that was what his teachers and comrades had taught him. To them, humans were just as different as Zerg. And while there certainly were points that spoke in favor of such theories, Evalonis had decided that he did not want to believe in them. Because it would mean that the pain displayed by Paula right now wasn't even pain. It was just the approximation of pain, displayed by beings that, while having traits that were comparable to that of Protoss, were actually fundamentally different.
Yet as Evalonis held Paula in his arms, he could only think of a word that humans had invented, that they constantly used in such moments, and whose true meaning had taken some time for him to figure out.
Bullshit.
"What happened?" he asked with a soft voice. Paula sniffed a few more times but then garnered enough self-control to tell him.
"It didn't work." she mumbled. Well, he had figured out that much already.
"Why? What went wrong? Was the crystal broken?" Paula shook her head when she heard that question.
"No. Rohana...the Grand Preserver, she admitted that there was a faint piece of Zeratul's consciousness inside that damn thing. Unfortunately, she can't make contact with it. Guess I grossly overestimated her abilities. Stupid me..." Evalonis weighed his next words carefully. Even for a human, Paula could be exceptionally irrational. And he didn't want to say something that she would misunderstand.
Then again, if there was a chance that Paula could misunderstand something, she would do so.
"I am certain that the Grand Preserver did her best..." he said. "...and sometimes such things just happen." Those words alone were not easy for Evalonis to say. His training as a Templar had taught him that nothing in this universe was guaranteed and that everything could be undone in an instant. As a Templar it was expected of him to sacrifice his life should the situation demand it. And not only to save the universe from a horrific fate. No, it was the duty of a Templar to follow the orders they were given. If that meant to die on a remote world at the end of the galaxy, for no apparent reason, then it was not the place of the warrior to question such an order.
Some accepted it. Some even embraced that way of life. It was...simple. Some warriors would claim that it gave them focus, that the simplicity of such a way of life helped them to achieve some form of tranquility. Truthfully, Evalonis wondered if some people just didn't like to use their brains and wanted others to think for them all the time.
He too had accepted this way of life...once.
Now he wasn't so sure anymore.
Even before he had met Paula, Evalonis had started to question his current path in life. And now those doubts and questions had let him here.
The only problem he had now was...
...that he had no frigging clue on how to fix this.
Thankfully it was Paula herself who would give him an opening. Her crying began to ebb down, and when it was just a weak whimper, she looked at him once more with puffy red eyes. For a moment he wondered if she had some Tal'darim-blood running through her veins.
"I mean...not like this!" she whispered.
"Not like what?"
"Not like this!" Paula just repeated her statement. "Not when we were so close! Every other day, if something would have gone wrong before that I could have handled it. If I never had found the crystal, if it had been busted, even if Mum had pulled the plug on me when she had the chance...I could have handled it. But not like this!" Evalonis started to understand what her plight was all about.
"In the moment of triumph, you tasted bitter defeat." he concluded.
"That's a very Templar-ish way of putting it."
"Well, it is what I am." Evalonis sighed and looked around. The Nerazim were still nearby but kept their distance. He had his doubts that his comrades among the Templar would show the same restraint. He was grateful for that; it gave them at least some piece of privacy.
"How did Artanis react?" he asked, which earned him a choked laugh.
"Better than me I guess." Paula admitted with a bitter grin on her face. "Dunno, I had to get out of there. Fast. Not the honorable way, I know. Guess you're really proud of me now, huh?"
"Why should I not be proud of you?" Evalonis wanted to know.
"Because I ran like a little bi...like a coward." Paula wailed. "Because I did all sorts of crazy things, promised this and that, dragged everyone out here for my own selfish reasons, and now that it didn't work, I can't even face them and tell them that..." She didn't manage to finish her sentence.
"Selfish?"
"Yes, selfish. Because I have no idea what to do next. I can't go out there and face the others, and tell them with a straight face that it was all for nothing. I can't face him..."
"Him? Lord Artanis?" All he received as an answer was a nod. "I think he will understand." he tried to comfort her. "You did your best. More than that even. I do not claim to understand everything you did, but I know you well enough to tell that you had the best intentions."
"The path to hell is paved with good intentions." Paula grunted.
"What?"
"It's a saying, it's just...agh, nevermind." She truly was in a foul mood. Evalonis knew that Paula was driven mostly by instincts. She had no great control over her feelings. Some would call that reckless, or dangerous. But if there was one thing that Paula was, then it was honest. There was simply no room for malice in her soul. Evalonis sighed and sat down right next to her. They sure were a weird couple, but he had come to enjoy that.
"Did I ever tell you why I enjoy your company?" the huge Protoss suddenly began.
"Because you have a weird human fetish?"
"Not really." he sighed. "...when I first met you, I had never truly talked to a human before. I had met a couple of them, but they had always been so..."
"Charming? Stellar? Grand?"
"Dull."
"Oh..." Paula whispered. "...but not me?"
"No. Not you. I might not be an expert on humans, but I was always under the impression that they are trying to claim to be more than they truly are. That they possess secrets that are so important that they can change the fate of the galaxy. Or they desperately try to convince you that they are your equals, even though I never truly cared about that."
"I'm only partially human, you know..." she mumbled.
"But with you it is different. Your thoughts are chaotic, and your words are usually as well. But they are in tune. You are who you claim to be."
"In case you didn't notice: I lied my way out here, kept secrets at every corner, and pretty much ruined my relationship with everyone I know or care for." Paula replied.
"For a noble cause." Evalonis pointed out. "And after what you told me about your mother's reaction, she seemed to understand."
"She will laugh at me for screwing this up. Everyone will. Dad will be furious because I wrecked his garden, Karax angry because I kept him from his precious work, and Uncle Joe will be mad because I helped Sarah and her sisters to get away from him. Oh, and Sarah and her sisters hate me anyway. And at the end of the day, I can't even tell them that it was for a good cause because that cause fell apart in the end. How awesome is that, huh?"
Evalonis didn't really know what to say or do next. He cared for Paula, really, he did. But he was afraid that whatever he would say or do would end in disaster.
Luckily, someone else was about to help. Someone who knew a bit more about humans. And, more importantly, who knew a lot more about Paula...
"Yeah, you always were pretty lousy at everything you did, Prodigy." Evalonis looked to the side and Paula buried her face between her knees once more.
"Not now." she whispered. Another guard appeared, and next to this Nerazim...
"Sarah?" Evalonis asked as he looked at the zerg/snake/woman-hybrid since he wasn't sure if it was truly her or one of her many sisters. Telling them apart was hard!
"Yes, it is me." she sighed. "What is the hold-up? I just had to beg these Protoss to let me see you, and I had to offer the lives of those humans so they would just let me see you. Is there a reason for all of this? Whatever your issue is, Paula, suck it up. We are in a hurry, in case you haven't noticed." Evalonis assumed that she was making a joke, though he wasn't 100% sure about that. Only then Sarah noticed all the golden pebbles surrounding Paula.
"Wait...did something happen? Is something wrong?" she muttered. Paula sniffled a few times and it seemed that Sarah realized that she has stepped into one huge mess. It was Evalonis who broke the silence.
"It seems that the main goal of this plan did not work out after all." he explained, which earned him a puzzled look from Sarah.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that the Grand Preserver was not able to commune with the piece of Zeratul's consciousness inside the Ihan-crystal." Evalonis told her. When Sarah heard that, she squinted her eyes and looked straight at Paula.
"That was the reason for coming here? To talk to a goddamn psionic voicemail?" she growled.
"You...did not know about this?" Evalonis wondered.
"No. Nor did I care. But perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that it's something so...petty."
"Petty..." Paula suddenly laughed out loud. It was not a nice laugh. "Yeah, that's a good way to describe it. Guess you had a point about me after all, Sarah. I am useless after all." Sarah frowned when she heard that. She looked at Evalonis, then at Paula, then at Evalonis, and then at Paula again before she sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Jeez, now of all times? Can't we just skip this whole thing and go back to the Paula who doesn't care about anything and walks through the world with her brain switched off? Because we still need to get back to Sternenheim and up what we left there. And we are in kind of a hurry. So, if you wouldn't mind getting your act together so we may leave?"
"Then leave." Paula mumbled.
"I wish I could, but we can't do that without you. So go and see that Grand Preserver, or whoever is in charge, and tell them that we can leave." Sarah added an unfriendly "Please." Evalonis knew about the bad blood between them, yet he felt Sarah's harsh words to be a bit too much.
"Perhaps you should give her some time and-" he tried to reason with Sarah, however, that's when Paula got back up and wiped some of her golden tears off her cheeks.
"No, she's right. Gotta go. Can't go on failing anymore people, even though that's what I do, right?" she mumbled. Evalonis didn't know how to respond to that. He watched how Paula took a few deep breaths and wiped the gold from the corner of her eyes before sniffing a few times and shaking her head.
"Okay, I got this. Happy face, happy face, happy face." He watched how she pulled herself back together in a way that was worrying. Paula shook her head walked past Evalonis and Sarah. Just when she was about to leave them behind, Sarah's tail suddenly came around and blocked Paula's path.
"Sarah? What the-" Paula started. That's when the snake-like woman placed her hand on Paula's shoulder.
"I am sorry that your plan didn't work out..." Sarah said with a surprisingly soft tone in her voice. "...I...we all...we don't really like you. You know that."
"Uh..." Paula grunted, unsure of what to make of that statement.
"...but we don't hate you for who you are but what you represent."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Paula wondered. "If so: It's not working."
"What I am trying to say is..." Sarah sighed. "...that we know that we only got this far thanks to your...help. And maybe, just maybe...we might become more than what we are right now." The look on Paula's face was one of pure surprise.
"You mean...like friends?!"
"Let's not overdo things." Sarah mumbled. "Let's start at acquaintances." When Paula heard that, she couldn't help it and had to smile.
"Thanks. That actually helps. A bit."
"It wasn't my intention." Izsha's first-born declared. "Now, I know that you have a reputation to uphold, of being useless and irritating. But I have to ask you to suck it up and get over it because we still have a job to do. And should we screw it up, I might actually be tempted to kill you. And no, I'm not joking."
Fair enough.
"So, back to where we started, huh?" Paula muttered and Izsha nodded. Just when Evalonis wanted to ask what that meant, another person arrived. This one was accompanied by a Nerazim as well, but not because he was a danger but because no one wanted him to stumble by accident and break his hip.
"You young folk all do not seem to pay attention to the world around you. Or the old fossil that cannot keep up with you anymore. If anyone else had done that, I might have felt offended." Artanis explained as he stopped next to a tree, the captain of the guard Selaria right next to him. Paula blushed when she realized that she had just stormed off without really checking on him.
"Artanis, I'm..." she tried to say. However, that's when she realized that she didn't really know what to tell him. I'm an idiot? I'm selfish? I dragged your wrinkly butt all over the sector for nothing? I kept secrets from you, like that your long-lost friend is alive and an Archon? So instead...
"I'm sorry." she only managed to say and looked away.
"Hmmm..." Artanis harrumphed before it turned into a chuckle. "Apology accepted." He then held out his hand, balled to a fist, and waited for Paula to open her own hand. She did so and he handed the crystal shard back to her. "Here, I think you should take hold of this." Paula looked at the crystal in her hand and sighed.
"We came so close..." she sighed and wiped another tear from her cheek. Artanis placed his huge hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.
"You are young, Paula Raynor. You have never tasted defeat before. And while I know that you had the best intentions, I am glad that it happened like this." Artanis explained. Paula flashed him a confused look, and he chuckled. "I have not lost my mind, young one. I mean it. Victories shape us, yes. But our defeats shape us even more. How we deal with them is what defines us. You set out on a quest, for a noble reason, and no one was hurt by it-"
"Uhm...that might not be the case..." Paula interrupted him.
"Well, then I am certain that no one died."
"How exactly do you define "died"? I just want to be certain..."
Artanis sighed and placed his other hand on her other shoulder.
"As long as you learn from this, you will come out stronger. And this journey has not been for naught, at least not for me." he explained.
"You got to see Rohana again?" Paula whispered.
"No, that is not it. Well, maybe a part of me is happy to have seen her once more, even though she is no longer...I digress." the ancient Protoss shook his head. "I remember the first time you stepped into my home. A person carrying the name and the powers of Kerrigan. I must admit that I was worried. Scared even. But seeing you like this, what you did and why you did it, it helps me to put my doubts to rest." And then he said something that made Paula swallow hard. "You are a good person, Paula Raynor, and I am glad that I met yo-" Artanis didn't get to finish the sentence. Paula lunged forward and slung her arms around her chest before she started to cry anew. She made sure not to hurt him though. But still...
And so Artanis put his hand on her head and sighed.
"You did well, Paula Raynor. I am proud of you and I am glad that I met you."
And to Paula that was probably the nicest compliment that she could ever have gotten.
Behind them, Sarah was waving with her tail and a look of frustration on her face.
"Awesome! Big moment and all. Can we go now?"
And that idea was probably for the best.
"She better be done soon!" one of Sarah's many sisters snarled.
"Yeah, she better be. Gosh, I want to beat her up so bad!"
"Let's pull her hair out when no one's watching."
"Good idea, let's start with the nose-hairs, I heard those are the most painful ones!"
"Is that true?"
"Dunno, I don't have any hair."
"None of us do."
"And neither do we have noses!"
"Hey, you, human thingie!" one of the strange (and rather obnoxious) snake-women said to Dan, who was doing his best to act like none of this was bothering him. The truth was, however, that it was bothering him. A lot.
"What?" he spat back. Perhaps he should be scared or show some form of respect. Or at least act more carefully. But after everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks, he was done acting all carefully. If anything good had come from all of this, then he was no longer willing to take crap from anyone.
"Is it true what my sister said? Pulling out nose-hair is more painful than pulling them out elsewhere?" When Dan heard that question, he was about to give them an answer that involved certain other body parts, but he then decided against it.
"Hey! Don't ignore us!"
"Yeah, don't ignore us, or we're gonna beat you up and-"
"No one is going to beat anyone up. At least not until I say so." a very tall version of those snake-women declared as she approached them from the temple. It was Sarah. And she wasn't alone.
"Finally!" Dan and all of Sarah's sisters moaned at the same time. He noticed a smug grin on Stukov's face as he looked not only on Sarah, but also a certain biped walking right next to her. The lecherous expression of that old bastard was almost enough to strangle him.
"Don't you even think about trying to hit on her!" Dan hissed.
"Me? Hitting on her? Never..." Alexei cooed. Not only Sarah and Paula were walking up to them, but they were also accompanied by Evalonis and a Protoss that looked so old that Dan thought it was a mummy for a second. Behind them were more guards. Dan could feel how his blood started to boil. There she was...Paula Kerrigan. A woman that he hadn't asked to meet in the first place, who had caused him nothing but pain and misery, and then had left without even explaining herself or apologizing to him. Or anyone. A true menace. So now he finally would get the chance to set things straight.
"There you are, Ke-"
"PAULA?!" Captain Shani Okoi gasped in surprise as she too lay gaze on the young woman. Paula looked up and then a bright smile appeared on her face.
"SHANI!" Paula squealed and ran up to the other woman. She didn't give her a chance and threw herself around the neck of the slightly taller woman. Everyone, Dan, Alexei, Jerome Allagan, even all of Sarah's sisters, looked at the two in surprise. The only one who didn't seem to be fazed was Karax. Probably because he didn't care.
"They know each other?" Jerome Allagan whispered. Next to him, Dan's features darkened.
"Of course they know each other..." he growled. Seriously, by now he shouldn't be surprised anymore. The universe, in form of Paula Kerrigan, loved to pee all over his parade.
"How do they know each other I wonder?" Alexei Stukov mused. The lecherous grin on his face told Dan that he was having dirty thoughts. He so wanted to punch that man in the face. Repeatedly.
"P-Paula? What...what are you doing here?" Shani Okoi asked in disbelief. "And why are there so many Protoss? Is this...oh God, you weren't kidding when you told me that you had friends that were Protoss..."
"These?" Paula wondered and pointed at the Nerazim. "Naaaa, they're just the locals. These three, however..." She then pointed at Evalonis, Artanis and Karax. "...are actually friends. And family. And...more."
"What does that mea-" Shani wanted to ask, until she was interrupted by Dan.
"KERRIGAN!" he roared and stormed up towards her. When he was right in front of her, he looked down at the smaller woman and snorted like some kind of bull that was about to charge right at her. For a moment it seemed that Evalonis was about to stop him, but Paula gave him a sign to not do anything. Like, for example, damaging Dan Bowski.
"Kerrigan?" Shani asked.
"I finally found you! You...you..." Dan growled.
"Oh, hey Dave!" Paula smiled from one end of her face to the other, even though her eyes were reddened. It almost seemed as if she had...cried?
"Dan! THE NAME IS DAN! DAN BOWSKI!"
"Yeah, that's what I said!" Paula replied. "You look well. How has life been since the last time we've met?" Dan was about to throw himself at her throat when Shani stepped in.
"You two...know each other?" she asked in disbelief.
"Oh yeah, we go way back, homies for life and all that!" Paula declared, which earned her a withering glare from Dan.
"This...this...MENACE is the reason for my life turning into one huge nightmare!" he spat. "Not only did she drag me down a rabbit-hole filled with all sorts of horrors in it and got me infested by THIS GUY!" He then pointed at Stukov, who raised his hands in defense.
"I assure you that it was by accident. And completely not in a sexual way!" Alexei explained. What followed was a long and awkward moment of silence. And then all of Sarah's sisters who were surrounding him started to back off.
"And then, when everything was said and done, she just scrambled and left me behind. She didn't even have the decency to apologize!" When Shani heard that, she looked at Paula.
"What is he talking about, Paula? Also...Kerrigan? Who's that?"
"SHE IS!" Dan roared and pointed his finger at Paula. "And how the hell do you know her anyway? Is this some kind of joke?" Shani blinked a few times before she shook her head.
"That's Paula Raynor. We met in the Academy for Psionicially Gifted. She was my roommate for the first six months until she dropped out because she was-" Shani explained until Paula started to giggle.
"-the worst psionic of all times!" Paula declared proudly. "Ah, good times, good times. Remember Professor Watkins? How he would always chastise me for not being able to find my way out of a paperback? And calling your skills a waste of potential since you couldn't really put them to use? Well, the joke was on him because I was just really good at hiding my powers. So who's a loser now, huh Professor? Who is?"
…
…
…
Only then Paula noticed the looks of all the other people around her. She then sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"Okay, fine, I may or may not have visited the Academy for Psionically Gifted a couple of years ago, but it wasn't my jam. Still met some nice people there. Like Shani for example! And now you're here! What a coincidence!"
It was exactly this moment when Dan realized that none of this hadn't been a coincidence at all...
"How...?" he hissed.
As he looked at his mails, Chancellor Harding was not even paying attention to most of them. Meetings, political fundraisers, press releases...and then, of course, a note from the Emperor himself. Harding sighed and he wondered if he should truly open that mail and ruin his day. The Emperor was a goddamn man-child. That in itself was not as bad as one might think, since this empire was still a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the parliament was actually the most important decision-maker. But that man was the face of the Empire, and he was, quite frankly, a git.
"Should have served under his mother." Harding whispered. The late Empress had been a much-revered woman before she had died after an unfortunate riding accident. Though that was probably also one of the reasons why she was still revered. There was a hint of and flair of adventure and recklessness to that. Or had been.
Her son, however, was just an idiot.
Maybe Harding was lucky and the Emperor would never ever have any children. There were a bunch of branch lines that had some good potential candidates among them. Like the current chief of staff of his government. She was a stern and humorless woman, but she at least put service to the Empire on the top of her list.
"Oh Sarah, why can't you just take over?" the Chancellor sighed. "It would make things so much easier." If the former Queen of Blades would take over, negotiating a trade agreement with the Zerg would actually become a possibility! Also, the thought of Izsha holding a press conference was pretty damn hilarious. And even now Paula was already more of a man than the Emperor... figuratively speaking.
Chancellor Harding, of course, was not really a friend of that family. Tesson, however, was. Good thing that they were one and the same.
He looked at the mail and actually read the subject.
"Oh no..." he groaned. Couldn't he just beat someone up?
Regarding Christmas Party Eventually
The Christmas party was an annual event that was probably THE biggest event in the entire Empire. It was a tradition that dated back all the way to the foundation of the Empire, when the legendary Emperor Valerian the First had announced a new path for the people of the Koprulu sector. Well, he had kept his word, and now this damn thing had turned into a goddamn happening. Everyone who was important (or believed that) was supposed to be there. And while that didn't count for Tesson, it sure as hell counted for Chancellor Harding, head of government of the Empire.
"Maybe I should just ditch this job..." he muttered. That's when someone knocked on the door. "Yes?"
His secretary entered his office.
"Sir, I just received a message, for your eyes only." That didn't sound good. Harding frowned and looked up. His secretary was a loyal man and had access to pretty much all of his mails.
"Who sent it? Please don't tell me it's the Emperor, I'm already busy ignoring his "brilliant" ideas for the Christmas party." Harding groaned.
"No, this message isn't from the Emperor. It's from the Ministry of Defense."
"That doesn't sound good." Harding whispered. "Give it to me." And so his secretary handed over a datapad with a secure connection. He then left the room without asking what the message was about. It was not his place to ask or to know. Harding/Tesson looked at the datapad and began to read.
"Chancellor Harding, we hereby have to inform you that Captain Shani Okoi, the officer you requested to be deployed at bla bla bla, was kidnapped by an unknown group of people piloting an...ancient dropship?!" He knew immediately who belonged to this "unknown group". None of that should bother him. But there was one thing that did make his skin crawl.
"...the officer you requested?!" Suddenly Tesson had a very bad feeling about this. He opened his mail account and searched for the name Shani Okoi. It didn't take long for him to find the mail. It was a request for re-deployment. From him. He opened the mail, even though he already knew what he would find. As Tesson read his "request", his eyelid began to twitch. The signature at the end of the request made his blood boil. Oh, he would have a talk with Sarah about this!
"...by order of Chancellor Harding, signed by Paula Kerrigan? PAULAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"I...I don't get it. What's this all about. How do you know these Protoss, and where are we anyway?" Shani Okoi asked. Instead of answering Shani's questions, Paula put her hands on her friend's shoulders.
"How have you been, Shani? It's been some years since we last saw each other." Paula asked with a disarming friendliness.
"I've been...so-so, if I'm honest. But it could be worse. You know me."
"I sure do." Paula sighed. "But you remember what I always said: It doesn't have to be so-so."
"Yeah, you did..." That's when another newcomer approached. One that outshone everyone in the room. Figuratively speaking. But also literally. Even if they were outside.
"Oh. My. Gosh." whispered Sarah, and her sisters too seemed to be utterly stumped by the glowing ball of light approaching. Jerome Allagan's whole body began to shake as he lay eyes upon this ball of pure energy. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words would come out of his throat. He looked like a fish stranded on dry land. Even Dan, who had been raging hard a minute ago, was utterly flabbergasted. The only one who seemed only mildly surprised was Alexei.
"Oh, hey, it's one of those glowie-thingies...what where they called again?" he muttered. Everyone backed away as the orb of energy approached. But it wasn't just a ball made out of light. It had arms...and a head. A protoss-shaped head. Everyone backed away. The Nerazim knelt down and bowed their heads as the Grand Preserver itself approached.
"Wha-what is this?" Shani gasped and tried to get away as well, but Paula grabbed her wrist and looked at her old friend.
"Don't worry! This one is a friend. She's the one you should be talking to."
"Sh-she? Paula, what is this all ab-" And that's when Rohana finally reached them.
"Grand Preserver..." the Nerazim in command spoke up. Next to the Archon was Selaria, not saying a word. "...it is rare to see you out here. Should you not be within the temple? It is dangerous out here."
"Fear not, Captain." the Archon replied. "I have just come here to send off an old friend. And apologize to another one." The Grand Preserver then faced Artanis and bowed its head in respect. "Hierarch, even though we are not the same Rohana that you once knew, we still wish that we had not kept this a secret from you. For that, we beg your forgiveness."
"I suppose I am too old to waste my time with being angry at old friends." He then offered his hand to the Grand Preserver. "Apology accepted."
"And you are always welcome here, Hierarch. In fact, you may stay here if you wish. There are many things that we could discuss." That drew a chuckle from Artanis.
"It sounds tempting, but right now this old fossil just wants to return home and sit on his favorite bench. Speaking of which..." He then looked around and spotted the heavy grav-loader they had used to get down to the surface from the Hyperion. "Ah, there it is. Very well, it is time to return home." And with that Artanis marched forward. Which left one thing to be done...
"Paula Kerrigan." the Archon sighed.
"It does know your name?" Shani whispered into Paula's ears.
"Seems like everyone knows her name..." Dan growled.
"We wish to apologize to you as well. It was not our intention to mislead you, or use you for our own benefit only. It shames us that we were not able to uphold our end of the bargain. If there would be a way for us to repay the debt, then we will do so."
And that's when Paula started to grin.
"Guess this trip wasn't for nothing after all." she muttered and Shani looked at her old friend with a confused expression on her face.
"What? Paula, whaAAA!" Suddenly Paula grabbed Shani and shoved her forward until the Captain stood right in front of this huge glowing orb. "P-Paula, what is this? I am sca-"
"Grand Preserver, this is Shani Okoi. She is a friend of mine. Haven't met in ages, but I vouch for her." Paula declared and Shani froze when she noticed how the Archon looked straight at her.
"I'm scared..." the Captain whispered.
"We welcome you, Shani Okoi." the Grand Preserver replied. "How may we be of service?"
"Service?!" Shani gasped.
"Hey, Shani, you still got problems with your psionics?" Paula whispered into her friend's ear.
"Y-Yes?"
"Good. I mean, not good, just good that you still have them and...ah, nevermind." Paula sighed before she faced the Archon once more. "Shani is psionically gifted, but she suffers from a condition. Her powers always create a huge backlash, which causes her to suffer from a severe form of pain. There's no cure, or at least none that doesn't involve cutting out large chunks of her brain-" Both Paula and Shani visibly shuddered when she said that. "...but I think that a true master of psionics could maybe, you know, well..."
"You wish for us to teach her to overcome her affliction." the Grand Preserver mused.
"Can't think of any better, honestly." Paula said and shrugged her shoulders.
"We understand." the Archon explained and then faced Shani again. "Shani Okoi. Do you wish for us to help you overcome your affliction?"
"Wha...? But...I...I got a job! I have to report back to my people, I have to...I..." she stuttered until Paula placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"No more headaches, Shani." Paula told her friend. "No more pain. You told me that this would be your ultimate dream." And then she pointed her finger at the Grand Preserver. "Well, there's the perfect teacher for helping you with that."
And you know what?
Shani Okoi could not argue with that logic.
"Finally!" Sarah groaned as she and her sisters entered the bridge, where already more of her kind were waiting for them.
"By all that's good and proper, where have you been?!" one of Sarah's sisters asked. "We were about to start an orbital bombardment to find you!" It was an empty threat since the Hyperion had been stripped of all her weapons ages ago.
"Don't, Charleen, just don't. Just...just get us out of here." Sarah growled. "We still have to pick the others up. So, plot a course, and hurry up." Behind them, Paula entered the bridge. And Evalonis. And Artanis. And...Dan, Alexei and Jerome.
"Done and done! We are ready to head out at your command, big sis!" one of Sarah's sisters shouted.
"Head out?" Jerome Allagan whined. "Where...where are you going? Where are you taking us?" It was Sarah who turned around and faced the shorter man.
"We have to pick up someone we left behind." And then she exchanged knowing looks with Paula. "We are going home."