Not much to say about this chapter, honestly. Only that it's a bit on the short side, but hopefully no one will notice it. Even though I just pointed it out. Depending on how the next chapters work out, I think there are 2-3 more left. Unless I get sidetracked.
We'll see.
Chapter 35
Knowing your Child
One moment there was nothing, and the next there was a flash of light and then a battlecruiser suddenly appeared in the sky. It didn't bother to enter real space outside the atmosphere and appeared only a couple of kilometers above the ground, throwing a huge shadow on the land beneath it. The vessel looked very different from when it had left this world. By now most of its hull had been fixed, and they had even managed to put on some paint. Where Sarah and her sisters had gotten hold of paint was a mystery for the ages, and no one had dared to ask them.
The Hyperion didn't really look brand-new...but pretty darn close.
Dan, who had kept his mouth shut for most of the time, had to admit that he was impressed. He remembered the dark and ruined corridors and the dust everywhere. To think that someone, anyone, had been able to fix this was pretty damn impressive.
As he looked at all the same strange snake-women commanding the bridge of this ancient (but finally well-maintained) starship, he was fully aware of the absurdity of the situation. However, if the last couple of weeks had taught him anything, then it was that the galaxy was indeed a weird place.
And in the center of it all stood she...
Kerrigan.
Paula Kerrigan stood in front of a window and stared out of it. Dan itched to grab her, shake her around, put her back on her feet, and then tell her what an irresponsible person she was. By yelling. And maybe shaking his fists in anger. There was only one tiny problem with that. Or rather: A large problem.
A several hundred-kilogram heavy problem that was mostly made out of alien muscle.
The Protoss called Evalonis hadn't left Paula's side ever since they had boarded the Hyperion. And while Dan had a hard time believing that those two were actually a couple, he was in no mood to push his luck. The other Protoss, the ancient one, was not on the bridge. Dan assumed that they had put him in the freezer. Or at least found him a nice place to take a rest. So he could sleep. Maybe. What did Dan know of Protoss anyway?
Aside from the fact that they seemed to have the same issues and problems as humans had. Only on a totally different scale.
Dan hadn't missed that they had called the ancient Protoss "Artanis". Of course, he had heard of the legendary Protoss-warrior that had fought during the Great War. So far, he had always thought that this name belonged to the Protoss-version of Herakles, or any other mythical hero from human lore. Come to think of it...
"Hey, do the Zerg have any mythic heroes?" he asked and looked at Sarah. At least he thought that the snake-woman standing next to him was Sarah.
"Yeah, your mum."
…
…
…
"Fair enough..." Dan whispered and decided to keep his mouth shut. Next to him, Alexei snickered like a little kid. It was Jerome, who was with them, who pointed at the place outside the window.
"What...is that?" Jerome gasped. Both Alexei and Dan looked out of the window and frowned.
"That's a planet." Dan growled. "You've walked on a couple of them in the past."
"No, that's not what I mean. The sky! What's with the sky?" Jerome specified his confusion. Dan squinted his eyes and tried to figure out what the Professor was talking about. And then he saw it. Or rather: He didn't saw it.
"Eh'?" Bowski grunted. He was expecting a blue sky. Or a night sky. But he couldn't see anything. Not even clouds. Instead, what he saw was...
"Trippy." Alexei muttered. They looked at something that appeared like a painting made out of bright red, green and yellow colors. "Is this the afterlife?" It was Sarah who groaned.
"It is a stellar nebula. This planet lies inside of it." she explained.
"That seems physically impossible." Jerome mused.
"What is your profession again?" Sarah asked.
"I am a professor for Koprulean histor-"
"So, a true expert on physics then. Just go sit in a corner and be quiet." she snarled. Dan noticed that her voice sounded strained. Almost as if she was under a lot of stress. Or anxiety. She stared at a monitor right in front of her and frowned. "What the..." Sarah whispered.
"Uhm...guys?" Paula spoke up as she stared out of the window and down on the surface of the planet they had called "home". "You should take a look at that. I think something bad is going on down there." Sarah looked up and stared at the young Kerrigan.
"Define "bad", Prodigy." she snarled. Paula looked Sarah straight into the eyes, and the expression on her face was actually worried.
"I think I see a hive down there. And a lot of fires." Paula explained. "Call me crazy...but I think the Swarm is attacking Sternenheim."
Even in the far future war was still a thing. All across the galaxy, there was a war going on. Most went on unnoticed. Some were fought by species that humanity had never heard of. Some were fought by some local warlords who gave themselves incredible titles, like "Supreme Ruler of all Mankind and every Being under the Stars". The golden rule here is: The weaker and more pathetic the leader, the longer his (or her) title.
War was still a thing, yes.
That didn't mean that everyone knew about its true horrors.
Paula didn't.
And neither did Sarah and her sisters.
Not even Dan had experienced war. Evalonis had a pretty good idea. While he had never fought in a real war, he had experienced a few brawls with human pirates and Tal'darim in the past. But a singular battle was just not the same as an all-out war.
Alexei, however, knew war. He knew it all too well.
So, when they set foot on the world Paula kept calling "Sternenheim", he felt right at home. Only in all the wrong ways.
There are things that you just don't forget. The screams of the wounded, the moans of the dying. The acrid stench of burning flesh and plastic. The stinging smell of ozone produced by laser fire. All of that were memories that Alexei would and could never forget.
This place...was a battlefield. Some things were different though. First thing that he noticed was the lack of gun powder. It was the unmistakable smell that every human battlefield had. He couldn't smell oil either. The thick stench of hydraulics was absent as well. He still knew that this was the place of a battle because of another scent, one that actually wanted him to gag. However, his body still recognized this smell, even after all this time, and refused to do so.
It was blood.
"What is that smell?" Dan asked as he looked around. Hiding behind him was Jerome, while Paula, Evalonis and Artanis stood next to them. Sarah and her sisters had chosen to remain on board of the Hyperion.
"It's blood." Alexei declared and suddenly everyone looked at him.
"B-blood?" Jerome whimpered
"That doesn't smell like blood." Dan growled.
"Because it's not human blood. That's the blood of Zerg." Alexei explained. "And creep. Lots of creep." He shuddered as if he was battling with some unpleasant memories. "Perhaps this isn't the best place to be right now."
"Are you sure?" Dan wanted to know.
"He is correct." Artanis then spoke up. "It is not just the scent. I can sense the minions of the Swarm nearby." Everyone turned towards Paula, who seemed utterly shocked.
"This..." she whispered. "...can't be." And then she stormed forward.
"PAULA!" Evalonis shouted but Artanis placed his withered hand on the warrior's arm.
"No, let her." They watched how she ran up a nearby hill. They saw how she reached the top of the hill, grabbed her head and shook it in disbelief.
"Oh no! Nononono! NO!" she screamed, and it was probably the first time that Dan assumed she was showing her true feelings. It was what he had waited for. Unfortunately, it was the completely wrong moment for that to happen.
"Go!" Artanis ordered, and for a moment Dan thought he was talking to him. Which was, of course, bullshit. Evalonis nodded and walked up the hill. And even though Dan was pretty certain that he was not invited, he too followed the huge warrior. At the very least he wanted to see what was going on in this strange world.
Or to know what would be the end of all of them.
Dan had no high opinion of Paula Kerrigan, that much was certain. However, if she showed true signs of fear and anxiety, then that had to count for something. The only thing that was out of the question was that it couldn't be anything good. As he followed Evalonis, he had to run to keep up with the much taller warrior. The stench of death and destruction became stronger as they were climbing the hill. And when they finally reached Paula...
"Oh my God..." Dan whispered.
Evalonis placed his massive hand on Paula's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.
"What happened here?" Paula whined and stared at the scene right in front of them. A scene that could only be described with one word: Carnage.
"What...are those?" Bowski wanted to know. "Are those Zerg?" Sure, he had seen pictures of Zerg and read about them in school, but he didn't recognize even one of those creatures. What spoke in their favor, however, was the simple fact...
...that they were all dead.
It was a gruesome sight, and Dan was surprised that he didn't feel the urge to vomit. Ripped off limbs, torn off heads, and internal organs everywhere. And blood. So much blood.
"I do not recognize any of these creatures." Evalonis mused. "Are these really Zerg?" Paula nodded, slowly and visibly shaken.
"Y-yes. Those are...Zerglings. And Hydralisks. And over there is...a baneling I think. Or what's left of it." And that's when her eyes widened in horror. "But...those strains are no longer part of the Swarm, why are they here now, and-" And that's when her face lost all color. "Oh no. Nononono!" Without explaining herself, Paula turned around and ran down the hill.
"Paula! What is the meaning of this?" Evalonis yelled but she wasn't even slowing down. She ran past Artanis and Jerome, and straight to some unspecific place that only she knew about. However, the speed at which she ran made it clear that there was no time to waste. "PAULA!" Evalonis yelled after her. "SLOW DOWN!" But Paula wouldn't slow down. She ran. She ran as fast as she could.
Because she was scared...
...scared that something had gone really wrong.
Paula had one thousand thoughts inside her head as she ran like a madwoman. Even though her stamina was not that great, the adrenaline rushing through her veins kept her pushing forward. She thought of all the things that could have happened. Why was the Swarm here? How had it managed to come to Sternenheim? Soon one explanation formed itself inside Paula's brain and she couldn't get rid of it.
What if something had happened to her mother?
What if...what if Sarah Kerrigan had decided to go all "Queen of Blades" again?
The thought seemed utterly ridiculous, stupid even. But what other explanation was there? Paula remembered a certain point in the past where her mother had succumbed to her own powers. It had happened right here, on this world. Her mind had been shattered, and as a result, all her memories and pieces of her own self had become self-aware. It had nearly been the end of Sarah Kerrigan...and Jim Raynor.
All of this was ancient past.
Or so Paula had thought.
What if...?
What if?
WHAT IF?!
And so, Paula ran. She ran across a beach that she knew better than the back of her hand, the same beach where her father had taught her how to swim, the same beach where she had played catch with Moby, the same beach where she had tried to catch squidfishes to eat them. This place...was her home.
And now it was in ruins.
The beach had been a battlefield as well. There were no soldiers, only dead Zerg. And trees. Yes, trees. The locals were still a thing after all. Sternenheim was home to what could be considered "sentient plants". And apparently, they had given the Zerg one hell of a fight. Paula ran past dead Zerglings and Hydralisks that had died being impaled or blunted to death by broken trees. She could even smell the scent of burned wood. And flesh.
It was carnage.
All those happy memories were now replaced by images of untold horror.
"Please...no... please...no!" Paula panted. She ran down the beach as fast as possible.
She imagined the disaster, pictured it inside her mind. Her home, the house her father had built...gone. Torn apart by Zerg, an Ultralisk perhaps. And her father? What about her father? Paula could see a small cliff. Right behind it lay their home. She didn't slow down at all as she ran past it and arrived at the beach where the house with the soft-purple walls stood. And when she spotted her home, the house that Sarah Kerrigan, probably the most powerful being in the history of this galaxy (and maybe beyond) had called home, she stopped and stared in disbelief.
"What?" Paula gasped. Her home...
...was still there.
The place Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the most powerful human psionic (and beyond), called her home was a house. Once she had used a Zerg hive as a home. Many, many years ago. Some might argue that it had been more fitting for a person of her power and standing. Some might be surprised and even insulted by this humble place that Sarah Kerrigan called her home.
It was a house.
An ordinary house with two floors. It had been painted in light purple, except for the doors and window frames that were white. It had a veranda with a bench on it, a place where Paula had spent so many peaceful moments. It was the favorite place of her mother.
Like said; some people would probably be insulted by how mundane this home looked like. Arcturus Mengsk, that bastard, would probably laugh at the simplicity of it. This was no palace. There were no fortifications. No walls. No guards. Just a home with a veranda and a bench in front of it.
And her mother, Sarah Kerrigan, sitting on that bench. And next to her...
"MOM!" Paula yelled and ran over to her mother.
"Weeeeeeeeell, look who's back!" Sarah Kerrigan cheered when she spotted her daughter. "We were just having a snack. You want to join us?"
"S-snack?" Paula stuttered. Next to her mother sat another small figure. It was not a human though. And not really a Zerg either. It was one of Izsha's daughters, the smallest and most adorable one. Rose was happily munching on something that looked like a chocolate cake. Most of it was covering her face, but she seemed to be in heaven.
"I'M ON A SUGAR-HIGH!" Rose yelled before she continued to munch away. Sarah patted the head of her.
"You sure are." Sarah chuckled and looked at her daughter. "You look sweaty. If you want to take a shower, be warned: We are currently out of hot water with all of..." She gestured around "...this going on." Far away in the background you could hear the roar of a Zerg. A big one. Perhaps even an Ultralisk. There was no visible destruction in the area around them. Everything seemed to be as peaceful as ever. Which made the whole scene even weirder.
"Mom..." Paula gasped. "...what happened?"
Sarah Kerrigan sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Marriage issues."
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…
"Wha...what?!" Paula gasped in shock and her face went pale. Oh, this wasn't bad. It was worse! "You mean...you...and Dad...you're gonna...gonna...d... di...div..."
"Div? Div? Div?" Sarah asked.
"Divorce?!" Paula whined. Sarah looked at her in disbelief and then-
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!" Paula's mother burst out in laughter and shook her head before wiping a golden tear from the corner of her eye. "Oh, that's funny! Good one, have to tell your father about that. Maybe that'll lift his spirit, though I doubt it. Don't worry, little one, your father and I won't go separate ways anytime soon. Or at all. You know it's not possible for one of us to live without the other. Nope, your father is fine, he's back in his garden and moping over what happened. Be warned though: He's still not fully over it and you might get an earful." Paula had a hard time processing any of this. She pointed at some dark clouds in the distant, smoke coming from yet another battlefield.
"Then whose marriage issues is responsible for THAT?!" she wanted to know.
"Izsha's. And Joe's. They're-" Sarah started.
"His name is Joseph!" Rose suddenly interrupted Paula's mother. "He's not a damn truUNF!" Her protests were cut short when Sarah grabbed a slice of chocolate cake and shoved it into Rose's mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, here, take another bite and be happy." Sarah sighed and Rose did just that, happily munching at even more sugary goodness. And then she returned her attention towards her own daughter. "What can I say? We got here shortly after you left. Izsha was pretty mad at her daughters, Joseph stood up for them, things escalated from there on out."
"Escalated? ESCALATED?! The Swarm is on Sternenheim! How could it escalate like this?!" Paula gasped.
"Pffffff, that's not the Swarm." Sarah replied. "That's just a brood. Niadra's brood."
"Niadra created a brood?!" Paula asked in disbelief. Niadra, who was still alive and as deranged as ever, was the closest equivalent to a "crazy old cat lady" you could get. Having a broodmother roaming around on your world could be considered a bad idea, but Sarah had kept her around "should I need a broodmother one day". Lovely. Jim had been less than pleased about this.
"Well, Izsha was hellbent on putting Joseph in his place, so she chased after him. As it turns out, he's pretty good at evading her. Vanished in the jungle and played hide and seek with her for days. Until she blew a fuse. So Izsha recruited Niadra and ordered her to be the broodmother she was never meant to be. And now there's a hive nearby. Then she had all the Zerg roam the place to flush out Joseph-"
"That sounds excessive." Paula whispered.
"Fun ain't over yet." her mother cooed. "As it turned out Joseph has made friends throughout the last couple of centuries. Did you know he can actually talk with the locals?"
"He can talk to plants?" Sarah's daughter asked. "Wait, seriously?"
"Seriously. Guess he made a bunch of friends because of all his gardening. From there on out it just all escalated into full-on warfare. It's like the Great War all over again, minus the Overmind and the Confederacy. And anything else that was annoying." Sarah then shrugged her shoulders. "Izsha wanted to drag me into this, and Joseph asked if your father wanted to play commando again, like in the good old days. I put a stop to that and told them that they should deal with their issues themselves. Which they did. In fact, they're still at it from the sound of it."
"And... Dad?"
"Hangs out in his stone garden. Or what's left of it. I declared our home and pretty much everything further to the east a demilitarized zone. No action combat actions allowed. So far, they didn't go against it. Let's see how long that'll last. They seem to have avoided certain issues in their relationship for quite some time. A lot of pent-up frustrations, if you ask me." Sarah sighed. "Anyway, that's what's going while you were gone. How's everything on...your...en...Paula?!" Sarah stopped when she suddenly saw how Paula began to cry. Not just a little bit, but with everything she got. Sarah stood up and hurried over to her daughter. "Paula, what is it? Did something happen?"
"I...I..." Paula sobbed as her mother approached her. "...I failed!"
Even amidst all that carnage, Sarah Kerrigan knew how to be a mother. She took her daughter into her arms and comforted her as Paula began to cry her eyes out...
"...and then...nothing." Paula whispered.
"Nothing?" Sarah asked her daughter.
"Nothing." Paula confirmed. They were both sitting on the bench, with Rose right between them, happily munching at yet another slice of chocolate cake. Where she stored all of that sugar was a mystery for the ages.
Paula took a few deep breaths and pulled the crystal shard out of her pocket. "The Grand Preserver said that she's sorry and all, but still...she totally played me."
"You really think that?" the older Kerrigan asked.
"...no." Paula admitted. "But...I felt so furious. And powerless. And like the biggest idiot in all history of idiots."
"Hmmm..." Sarah hummed. "I know that feeling. What did you want to do back then? Payback? Kill them all? Slaughter everyone and drink their blood, that kind of thing?"
"What?!" Paula gasped and looked at her mother in shock. "No! I... I just wanted to get out of there, as fast as possible, and see no one!"
"Good." Sarah sighed. "Sorry, I was just checking wherever you have inherited some rather nasty habits that I had when I was your age. Everything's okay."
"Nothing is okay." Paula replied and stared at the shard. "Nothing is." And that's when Sarah started to laugh. It was a heartfelt laugh, not evil or mocking, but it certainly hurt nonetheless.
"Yeah, that's right, laugh at your own daughter for being so stupid..." she whispered. That's when Sarah shook her head.
"I'm not laughing at you failing. It's just...you're still young, Paula. You never have truly dealt with misfortune yet. Or real loss. Or if something goes sideways. So, I'm just glad that no one really got hurt."
"Artanis said the exact same thing..." Paula whispered. Sarah's expression turned sour almost immediately after hearing that.
"He did, eh? How nice of him." she griped.
"By the way..." Paula whispered. "...he's here."
"I know." Sarah replied.
"You can sense him, can't you?"
"That, and because he's up ahead." Sarah then pointed at a few figures in the distance that were just walking around the nearby cliff. "And a whole bunch of other people." And when Paula looked up, she realized that her mother was right.
The gang had arrived.
It took a while for the others to finally reach the two Kerrigans. And when they did...
"Well, well, well..." Sarah Kerrigan snarled as she looked at the oldest member of the group. "Look what my daughter dragged to the front porch." She squinted her eyes and fixated Artanis with a withering glare. It wasn't so much hostility that Sarah emitted rather than annoyance.
"Kerrigan..." a tired and exhausted Artanis replied and leaned heavily on his cane.
"You look old, Artanis."
"And you look...less evil I suppose."
"Charming as always." Sarah scoffed. "I heard that you actually managed to produce some offspring. Met your grandchild. Sirella is such a sweet and well-behaving child. Are you sure she's not adopted?" Everyone's eyes went wide and they looked at the two oldest beings among them.
"Sirella is my great-grandchild." Artanis corrected her. "And fear not, she is of my blood. It pleases me to see that she cherishes the peace my generation fought so hard for. Against you, among others."
"Still can't let go of the past, eh?"
"On the contrary, just as I cherish Sirella's choices, I feel amused by the kind soul your offspring carries. I have heard that James Raynor is still alive. Is he here? I would like to commend him on raising such a fine individual." Artanis' comment caused Sarah's eyelid to twitch.
"I raised Paula as well, you know."
"Then you are a horrible teacher, for I found her ability for genocide and betrayal rather unimpressive."
"Well, we can't all be descendants of hypocritical and zealot-minded religious fanatics, so we let Paula figure out a lot of stuff on her own." Sarah snarled.
"Would explain a lot..." Dan Bowski muttered, which lead to Sarah's head snapping around as she fixated him with a withering glare.
"Did you say something, Mister Bowski?" Her eyes suddenly flared up with energy and began to glow purple. Not a good sign. Even Paula made a step back.
"N-no." Dan stuttered. "Just...surprised that you still remember me."
"I remember many people. I might be older than most, but my memory still works a-ok. Right, Alexei? Still an old horn-dog?"
"More than ever." Alexei Stukov sighed.
"See?" Sarah cooed and flashed a smile at Dan. "And I did like your apartment. Had a pretty homey feeling to it. See? I remember all of that. Because I'm not a senile old fart!" She then focused her anger on Artanis again.
"I may be old, and may even be senile..." the ancient Protoss replied. "...but thanks to your daughter I at least now know what a fart is. And let me assure you: We Protoss cannot fart. Therefore, your insult does not bother me."
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…
Sarah looked over at her daughter.
"What's he talking about?" the redhead grunted and watched how Paula blushed.
"N-nothing..." her daughter stuttered.
It was the other huge Protoss who then intervened.
"Lady Kerrigan." Evalonis declared and stepped forward. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Evalonis and your daughter and I are-" Before he could finish the sentence, he noticed how Paula shook her head like crazy and gestured to him to not say what he was about to say.
"Are?" Sarah asked and pulled a brow up.
"...are...both assistants to Lord Artanis. I do apologize for arriving uninvited. And I understand if this is an inopportune timing. Perhaps we-" But he didn't get much further.
"Oh gaaaawd..." Sarah groaned and looked at her daughter. "It's no fun if they're all submissive and stuff." Those words made Paula blush. Hard. "What. Why are you blushing?"
"N-nothing." Sarah's daughter stuttered. "Anyway, we won't be sticking around for too long. We only came here because Izsha's daughters wanted to pick up her." Paula then pointed her finger at Rose. "And they were so nice to drop us off. Though I didn't think we would land in a hot warzone..."
"Pssssshhh, pah-lease!" Sarah chuckled. "You don't know what a hot warzone looks like! He does." She then pointed at Artanis. "And he." And then at Alexei. "That out there? That's just honeymoon gone wrong."
"I take your word for it." Evalonis replied dryly, which earned him a surprised look from Sarah.
"Was that sarcasm? Wait, is there a Protoss standing in front of me who does that? Huh...guess the universe still knows ways to surprise me!" Then Sarah seemed to think about her own statement for a second before she shook her head. "No, wait, there's Tesson. Forget what I said. So, you know my daughter?"
"Yes." Evalonis confirmed.
"And... you know of me."
"...yes." the huge Protoss said again, hesitantly.
"How much do you know of me?"
"Will I be in danger if I say "too much"?" Evalonis asked Paula right away.
"Ha!" Sarah laughed out loud. "I like this one, Artanis. Where did you find him? Or did the Templar decided to breed some sense of humor into their warriors while I wasn't looking?" However, before Artanis got the chance to answer, Sarah turned her direction towards Dan. "And Mister Bowski...I must say that I'm impressed to see you here. Are you stalking my daughter? Are you perhaps interested in her...are you, ohohoho, maybe more than just acquaintances?"
"Me? And her?!" Dan snarled and pointed his finger at Paula. "She's a menace! And besides, she already got thi-" He didn't get much further. Before Dan could finish his sentence, a ball of sand smashed right into his open mouth. Everyone looked at Paula, whose hand was still covered with sand.
"H-he...he called me a menace!" Paula defended herself while Dan was coughing wet sand. "Evan, I mean Evalonis, I mean...you there, warrior, take that man behind the house! There's a barrel filled with some freshwater; he can clear his throat there!" And then she winked at Evalonis, who only shrugged his shoulders and led Dan away as the man was trying not to choke to death.
"So, quite the menagerie you brought back home, I have to admit." Sarah hummed and looked up at the battlecruiser floating high above them. "You even brought your father's old deathtrap back. Great. I so hated that thing. I can sense Izsha's daughters up there. Is there a reason why they're not coming down?"
"They're afraid of Izsha." Paula admitted.
"Yeah, they're probably right." Sarah sighed. "I guess family therapy wasn't meant for the likes of us." That's when Paula looked at her mother with a pleading expression on her face. "What?"
"Mum, I want to ask for a favor..." the young Kerrigan began and looked at the crystal shard in her hand. "Could you...I mean...could you take everyone back to their places? I'm all out of starships and you know that I'm not that good at interstellar travel. Or can do it at all..."
"We're going home?" Jerome Allagan asked with pure relief in his voice. "Oh, thank God!"
"The name's Kerrigan, but don't sweat it, many people get it wrong the first couple of times." Sarah sighed.
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…
…
When she noticed that no one was smiling or laughing, she just sighed again.
"That was a joke." she grunted. "Anyway, so you want me to take everyone back home. Just like that, yes?" Sarah asked her daughter.
"Yes please."
"No."
"Great, so Artanis and Evalonis need to get back to Aiur, the Professor needs to get to Korhal and... wait, what?!" Paula gasped in shock.
"I said no." Sarah repeated her initial statement. She noticed the shocked look on her daughter's face and sighed a third time. "No, Paula, this is not some form of punishment. Yes, I can take them back. But not as long as Izsha and Joseph duke out their relationship issues. I don't want to leave home only to return to the apocalypse." With that, she turned around and walked back to the veranda, where she sat down on the bench and smiled. "Get those two back here so I can tell them to stop this madness."
"But...you could do that yourself. And faster." Paula mused.
"Yeah, but that's not the point." Sarah replied and her smile turned into a big grin. "Call it "hands-on parenting." After everything you've been through, I think you can handle your aunt and uncle. Maybe." That's when Evalonis and Dan returned. For some odd reason, the man seemed to be limping...and he was drenched. It almost seemed as if someone had dunked him into the barrel full of freshwater.
"So... we need to get those two here and end the fighting?" Paula asked.
"Just get them here. I'll handle the rest."
"So, all we have to do to get off this world is to get those two people here?" Dan asked.
"Yes."
"Okay..." Paula sighed. "I'll handle first Izsha. I'll go there alone; she might slaughter everyone else by accident. After that I'm gonna look for Uncle Joseph. Should be doable."
"You do not have to do everything on your own, Paula Raynor-" Artanis explained and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Paula RAYNOR?!" Sarah barked but was ignored by the others.
"...you can leave parts of the task to your friends and comrades." Artanis continued. "I am certain that you do not have to shoulder everything." Paula looked Artanis straight into the eyes and frowned.
"You want to do that?" she whispered.
"Me? What? No!" Artanis chuckled. "I am too old and my bones hurt." He then walked past Paula and sat down on the bench right next to Sarah, whose eyelid began to twitch. "But Evalonis here is young and strong, and I am certain that he can convince whoever this "Joseph" is to join us. Is that not right?" Evalonis then looked at Paula and gave her a thumbs-up.
"I can do this." he said. Paula smiled and nodded.
"Okay...Uncle Joseph is actually quite reasonable. Just tell him that we need him here, and I'm sure he'll come with you. And in case he doesn't..." Paula then walked over to the bench, grabbed Rose, and handed her over to Evalonis. "Here, take this. Might come in handy." That's when Dan spoke up.
"Hey, and what about us? Are we just gonna sit here and wait?!" he protested.
"You can come with me." Evalonis offered. "In fact..." And then he leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. "...I insist on it." Dan swallowed hard and nodded.
"I think that's a very good idea." he whispered and looked at Alexei. "You're with us too, old friend?" The grin on Alexei's face was downright evil.
"Naaaaa, I leave you two to it. I go with her." he explained and pointed at Paula. "At least me and Izsha go way back." And then everyone looked at Jerome, who seemed like he was about to freak out.
"I... I'd like to stay here, if no one minds." he whimpered.
"It's settled then!" Sarah declared. "So, here's a tip. Izsha this way..." She then pointed north. "Joseph's that way." And then west. "Have fun. Don't get killed." And with that the two groups set out in different directions. And just when they were about to vanish from Sarah's and Artanis' sight...
"Oh, Alexei!" Sarah suddenly barked and her old acquaintance stopped and looked back.
"Yes?"
"If you continue to walk behind my daughter to look at her behind, I'm gonna make you wish that I never pulled you out of that wreckage. Got that?"
…
…
…
"Understood!" Alexei shot back and overtook Paula, making sure to walk right in front of her.
"We're gonna die..." Dan muttered as he, Evalonis and Rose wandered off in a different direction. And when they were finally gone...
"W-what about me?" Jerome asked.
"You can stay here. Or go inside. We got a couch; you can sit down there. Don't worry, this shouldn't take long." Sarah told him. She and Artanis watched how Jerome looked around and then, meekly, walked to the door of the house, opened it and stepped inside. And when he vanished inside the building, peace and quiet returned. Except for the occasional sounds of explosions in the distance. How sentient trees and Zerg had managed to create those explosions was beyond Sarah. She didn't have to know everything...
"So..." Sarah said after a while.
"So..." Artanis mumbled.
"...how did she handle herself?" Paula's mother wanted to know.
"...better than I expected." Artanis told her. "She stumbled at every corner but never gave up. And even though her skills and abilities are pitiful-"
"Don't push your luck, old man."
"...she has a pure heart." Those words put a smile on Sarah's face.
"Yeah, well, we did our best to make her not repeat our mistakes." the older Kerrigan mused. "I'm certain that Jim will be delighted to hear that."
"She still has a long way to go though." the old Protoss continued. "But I am certain that she will prevail. If she surrounds herself with friends that have character and courage, then the future of the Raynor-bloodline shall be a bright one."
"I said: Don't push your luck, old man." Sarah growled. Another long moment of silence followed. Until...
"That Evalonis...is he okay?" Sarah suddenly asked.
"Okay? Yes, I believe he is. I do not know his medical records, but I believe that-"
"That's not what I meant." the older Kerrigan interrupted Artanis. "What I mean is...is he honest. Is he a good kid?" Artanis turned his head around and looked at Sarah with weary eyes before he returned his attention towards the horizon.
"He is honorable. Honest. Loyal. And deeply unhappy with his own place in our society. I think they make a fine pair." Those words earned him a snort from Sarah. "You knew. They did not tell you. How did you figure it out?"
"Puh-lease." Sarah shot back. "I'm her mother. Ever since she was little, Jim fed her all those bedtime stories of Tassadar and Fenix and Zeratul. And she loved them. So, I was actually betting money on when Paula would drag a Protoss along and introduce him to us as her boyfriend. Unfortunately, no one was willing to take that bet..." Sarah sighed. "Good thing that all people that could make fun of me for that are dead." And then she looked at Artanis. "Or on their way out."
"Charming as ever I see." Artanis growled.
And so, both of them remained silent. It was a rare moment of unity and tranquility that-
"...ulaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
...naturally didn't last for long.
"Oh boy..." Sarah whispered. "...here we go again."
"Is that who I think it is?" Artanis wanted to know. Before Sarah could answer that question, a figure emerged from the nearby jungle. Though "emerge" was the wrong word to describe it. "Bursting out like an anti-personnel mine into your face" was more appropriate.
"Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?!" James Raynor howled, angry and worried at the same time.
"Why, hello Jim, it is so nice that you finally decided to join us here. Did you finally clean up your stone garden?" Sarah cooed sweetly. Jim stomped over to his lover and stopped in front of her. "THAT'S!" he yelled at the battlecruiser floating high above them. "THE HYPERION!"
"Congratulations, love, you passed your yearly eye-check-up." Sarah replied.
"THAT MEANS PAULA IS BACK!"
"That is a bold assumption. Let's assume that you are correct though. What of it?" Sarah chirped.
"WHERE IS... she..." Only then Jim seemed to notice the ancient Protoss sitting right next to Sarah. He squinted his eyes and frowned. "Tesson? Are you trying out a new disguise?"
"Tesson..." Artanis hummed. "I do remember that name, but for the love of the Ancient, I cannot tell from where." Only then Jim's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"A-A-A-A-" he began to stutter. Artanis looked at Paula and pulled his thick and wrinkly brows up.
"I remember James Raynor to be rather eloquent. Has he lost that ability or did I remember that incorrectly?" Sarah thought a proper response for a while before answering that question.
"He's rusty, that's all. But I already got a plan to fix him up again." she explained.
"ARTANIS?!" Jim finally managed to scream. "But...how...why...here...how...I..." And then he took a good hard look at the ancient Protoss. "Oh Lord...you look old!" That caused Artanis to chuckle.
"I feel old. Perhaps because I am old, Friend Raynor." Artanis mused.
"But...how...why are you here? And... I don't get it. SARAH?!" Jim squealed and looked at her as if he was about to lose his mind. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"
"I could explain it to you, but I really feel like I don't wanna. So how about you ask your daughter. She's..." Sarah then pointed to the west. "...this direction, 7000." Jim looked in the direction Sarah was pointing and you could see how a vein on his forehead began to swell. Without even wasting another word, he turned away and stormed off.
"Just you wait, little one, I'm gonna have a stern talk with you!" he muttered. "You're so grounded. So grounded! For the next couple of...forever!" And when he was gone from their sight, peace and quiet finally returned. The silence was interrupted by Artanis after a while, however.
"Kerrigan..."
"Yes?"
"You told him that your daughter went west."
"Yes."
"But she headed north."
"I am aware."
"So, you lied to him."
"I might have."
And then Artanis chuckled.
"Well, you lying to James Raynor...that certainly brings back memories."
"If you say so..."
And then there was another moment of silence before Artanis spoke up again.
"Kerrigan..."
"What now..." Sarah sighed.
"About your daughter..."
"Yesssssssss?" she asked, a slightly threatening tone in her voice.
"You raised her well." was all that Artanis said. And believe it or not...
...that put a smile on Sarah's face.