Epilogue: Life and Death

Everything became very complicated, very fast. If all of it were to be written down, it would have taken a lifetime to finish. And every single one of them would have been a good sleep aid. Future generations would no doubt mark the Battle of Char as the official endpoint of the war. But skirmishes continued for years afterward, given the number of renegade zerg.

The immediate problems, food, water, and maintaining the UED occupation, were easy enough. Raynor had enough favors stored up to get them supplies. And in exchange, the UED sent troops to train colonial militia. But as more and more zerg flocked to Braxis, the battles dried up.

The battlefield became a wasteland of misery and hatred.

Pretty soon, the Hyperion and their small fleet had turned into an escort for food supplies. Raynor, Mark, and Serena commanded one operation after another. At the same time, there was a great deal of negotiation with the Dominion.

That was when Zeratul turned up again, and he was pissed.

He explained in detail that he had been trying to link with Artanis' fleet and come across a Terran Facility. It had been experimenting with merging protoss and zerg into a sort of hybrid race. Zeratul had destroyed the facility and killed the specimens. But apparently, Duran had been there, and he'd gloated about having seeded them to many worlds.

Zeratul would never find them all before the hybrid awakened.

Unfortunately for Duran, Serena knew a thing or two about paper trails. She immediately headed to the facility with Raynor. Raiding the abandoned place. They'd figured out it was operating on behalf of the Moebius Foundation. It was an organization that the Confederacy had funded. They had taken their orders from the Old Families.

When Tarsonis had fallen, the corporation had continued experiments and became self-sufficient. Even now, their leader, an Emile Narud, was making contact with Arcturus to negotiate.

No such arrangement would ever come to pass.

The protoss were enraged by what they had learned, and Admiral Dugalle regarded it as unnatural. Raynor and Serena were only too happy to back them, and a covert meeting was made with Mengsk. Mengsk listened to what they had to say. He realized that no corporate support was worth the price he'd be liable to pay.

So, he stalled on negotiations and got a list of facilities from Narud. At the same time, Serena gave the protoss a list of all planets the Confederacy had known of. Once they had that, the protoss sent out observers to all of them. They located the facilities without striking. They consulted with the Kel'Morian Combine, and Tavish Kerr was able to find out who was supplying them.

Eventually, when they'd had Narud tied down on Korhal and knew the location of all his labs and bases, they struck. The Dominion, UED, Raynor's Raiders, the Protoss all struck at once. Seizing the weakly defended bases, they captured those on them. From there, they immediately began a series of interrogations.

It turned out that Duran had been getting protoss captives from a group of Protoss called the Tal'Darim. A lost clan, exiled from Aiur for dark power, only for real this time. They'd been sending weak specimens and those they seized in raids—something to do with the belief that Narud was a chosen servant of their god.

Narud himself was supposed to be arrested as soon as he got onto Korhal.

However, he turned out to have the powers of a demigod. He blasted his way to the starport before forcing a crew to fly him away. When he realized that all of his bases had been shut down, he tried fleeing to Moria. But Tavish sent a fleet to seize, and he had to flee from there. By this time, however, documentation on just what Emile Narud had been doing had gotten out.

No one was willing to shelter him, especially not with so many powerful people out for his blood. Eventually, he resorted to fleeing to the zerg on Braxis. There, Kaloth had been mustering forces. Kaloth invited him in and then immediately invited the UED and Protoss to come and get him.

Apparently, Emile Narud was actually Samir Duran, and he was some kind of shapeshifter. Duran had done all the dirty work necessary to get his operations set up. And Narud would reap the benefits and be an affable and polite scientist. One who committed the worst crimes imaginable. But Kaloth knew him for what he was at once, and Emile was not able to escape him.

This touched off still more negotiations.

Zeratul, at this point, revealed that Kaloth had actually let him and Raszagal go. He had allied with Kerrigan largely because he had no alternative besides the UED. And while he had won her battles, the breaking of her deal with Zeratul was the last straw. He'd simply allowed the Dark Templar to walk out with her.

Duran, of course, had foiled that plan by revealing her escape to Kerrigan.

This put the protoss in enough of a good mood to listen to what Kaloth had to say. Kaloth more or less argued that he had lost his entire family to the Protoss and the Terrans. His Father, his brothers, and his adopted sister, meaning Kerrigan.

He argued that he personally had suffered more than anyone among them. He also noted that the zerg had taken untold billions more casualties than their enemies. From here, he concluded that while none of this made up for what had been done, it could be worth a ceasefire. And to Admiral Dugalle, he offered a resurrected Alexei Stukov.

This had been a controversial gift, to say the least.

Kaloth more or less invited them to try and restore him to his former self. He gave them leave to do with Stukov as they willed. Apparently, plans had been in motion for a cure for some time, and Dugalle pushed for the process to be stepped up.

In the end, Kaloth got his truce.

Though Serena suspected it had more to do with the fact that no one had been able to beat him so far. And now he was far stronger than he'd been on Char Aleph.

Emile Narud was finally captured. Analysis quickly revealed that he was not human, or protoss, or anything else. In fact, he was not even a being, simply an avatar for... something else. Terran science, combined with Protoss experts, deduced the being existed beyond normal space.

In the void. Some dark god or something like that.

Stukov, now de-infested, suggested torturing him to death, but Zeratul had a use for him. As an avatar, Narud had a natural connection to his greater self, whatever it was. Just as the death of Zasz connected to the Overmind, so to did Narud connect to whatever he really was.

So machinery and plans were set in motion.

It was all very complex, but Narud was used as a channel to attack the brain of whatever was controlling him. There was a lot of screaming, and several ghosts died in the attempt, but the operation succeeded. Those in charge of the attack reported feelings of absolute malevolence and hatred. They were confident they'd killed it.

Narud, meanwhile, remained in perfect health but collapsed like a puppet. Stukov put a bullet in him a moment later.

So far as anyone could figure, Narud's plan had been this:

Initially, he'd hoped to use the Confederacy to create his hybrid. All while the Old Families controlled the zerg with his inventions. Duran having provided much of the impetus for the Psi Technology. Using the Confederacy as a shield, he'd grow his hybrid and do... whatever he wanted to do with them.

It probably involved a lot of genocide and horror, given what he'd done to get her.

When Mengsk had destroyed Tarsonis, however, it threw everything into disarray. He had to get together funding and keep his holdings intact. That had involved aligning himself with the Confederate remnants. The UED here had been an unexpected boon, and he'd entered their service with the expectation they'd crash and burn.

At the same time, he set up a connection with Kerrigan.

Unfortunately, he underestimated just how effective the UED was. And it rapidly began to look like they were going to win. This had forced him to act openly, psionically nudging Dugalle into assassinating Stukov. But the Psi Disruptor had remained intact, and the Second Overmind had been captured.

As such, Duran had become an agent for Kerrigan, utilizing her as a blunt object to destroy the monster he'd created. And once it had become apparent that he'd stopped the UED, he simply abandoned her. From there, he'd planned to join the Dominion under a new alias, and become a valued partner for Arcturus Mengsk.

One whose only request was making wonderful weapons. In such a galaxy, Moebius would have divided the Dominion from the Protoss by its actions. And Kerrigan would be an ever-present distraction from anything he was doing.

If it had worked out, it would have been very impressive.

But it hadn't worked.

Kerrigan had died too soon, and all his plans had come to ruin.

But that wasn't even the end of it because the Tal'Darim Death Fleet launched a full-blown holy war.

It failed miserably.

Everyone was battle-hardened, sick to death of war, and were 110% done with Narud's nonsense. The Mar Sara colonial militia crushed the initial attack of the Tal'Darim's finest warriors. From there began a series of battles that turned the Tal'Darim into a protectorate of the Khalai.

Aldaris proceeded to more or less abolish the more horrific aspects of their culture. Usually at the point of a psi-blade.

But it was a culture of ritual sacrifice where people could kill each other to get a promotion. So no one really cared. All for the entertainment of some Dark God called Amon, who was apparently Narud's master.

In all honesty, not even the Tal'Darim. One who actually enjoyed not living in constant terror of the knife. There were one or two die-hards, but the Tal'Darim were really rather pathetic.

So it went on.

Days turned into weeks, turned into months turned into years. One crisis after another appeared and had to be dealt with. Admiral Dugalle retired and returned Earth a hero and died at home with his wife. Stukov departed a little bit after, as reinforcements arrived from Earth. Mark took his place, and over time, many of the colonies became nicer places to live. The knowledge that all those peaceful colonists had guns deterred most pirate groups.

The larger ones were caught and destroyed one by one.

And Arcturus Mengsk, eager to remain the benevolent Emperor, released many politicals prisoners. Many other, more guilty people were released in exchange for community service. Raynor made sure these ones were well-treated. And during this time was reunited with an old friend, Tychus Findlay.

The two ended up working together as partners.

Tychus had been a criminal once, but now he used what he'd learned to help Jim catch them. And he was very good about it. Serena, for her part, largely stayed on hand to help out, but things were largely a blur. They shut down three entire pirate groups with their cooperation. Mark took this as a challenge and started his hunt in earnest.

Everything was going great until Raynor asked her to marry her.

The question had happened some years in. Given that she didn't have much else in the way of options, she accepted. It was a private service, only a few people. The honeymoon consisted of doing work in some of the more pleasant locals. This was probably for the best; neither one knew what to do when they weren't working. There was always work to do, but even so, she ended up having to take maternity leave a few months in.

Being coddled was not something Serena usually liked, but she accepted it.

It happened several more times over the years, and they ended up having several children. Serena made a point of cooking and cleaning, as was custom. But she was also firm about instilling discipline. The only good news was that Serena was able to take a great deal more time off.

Raynor often taught them to shoot, and Tychus was like an uncle to them.

None of them were getting any younger.

And of course, there were more problems. Mostly in the form of ungrateful youth. Ones' who did not have a clue of the horrors they'd been spared. Serena often advocated for colonizing further afield. But part of the problem was that the Dominion and the UED were starting to clash a bit.

Mark had always been a hothead, and at some point, he'd married a woman called Ariel Hansen. The two apparently got on very well, and their children were much better disciplined. This probably had to do with him having chosen a volcanic planet as his base of operations. You couldn't afford to be careless in a world called Abaddon.

Life went on and became a burden, but she bore it to ensure things continued to operate. Her joints didn't move as well as they did. But she had it better than Mengsk, who had the worst happen during the midst of his golden reign. Someone leaked footage across the net documenting his actions on Tarsonis.

Raynor was quick to confirm what happened and everyone else did as well.

There weren't any riots, but Mengsk endured years of scathing criticism. Eventually, desiring peace, he yielded control of his Dominion over to Valerian. His worthless son was only too happy to take over.

Serena had to spend years fighting the idiot.

He wanted to cut the military budget and focus on archeology and scientific discovery. Apparently, he had a passion for Xel'Naga artifacts. He was so passionate that he dispatched a large group of men to raid Xel'Naga temples in Tal'Darim territory.

Serena immediately called Aldaris, and he was able to head the thing off. His fleets blocked the Dominion expedition. They told him that any attempt to violate Xel'Naga Temples would be considered sacrilege. Valerian quickly and reluctantly adopted a new policy of archeology. One which didn't involve blowing up the sacred sites of an indigenous population.

He ended up turning to social reform and did very well in this regard. Serena had to repeatedly fight, cutting the military, and slowly but she began to lose. There had been peace for too long, two generations of people without a major war.

Reluctantly, she began to withdraw from public life and speak more with her children.

She couldn't begin to imagine why they were so fond of her. All she'd done was what was proper for her to do at the time. But, with her joints getting more of a problem and her hair getting gray, she didn't have as much energy. Raynor often went out hunting with them and often had good advice. But there was a real sense things were moving beyond them now; they were old.

Serena had never wanted to get old.

She'd wanted to stand in brutal defiance of a horrific universe for all eternity. She wasn't supposed to win.

Then Arcturus Mengsk died.

It was of old age; he'd fallen and broken a leg. Valerian had been away on some trip, and by the time he returned, Mengsk was dead. No one had visited him, and he'd just passed away on life support. And that bastard Valerian didn't even make a grand ceremony of his funeral.

It wasn't right!

He was Arcturus Mengsk. He was the magnificent leader of the Sons of Korhal! He'd destroyed the Confederacy and conquered an Empire from nothing! And when the UED had wrecked it with Kerrigan, he'd built it up again! He'd helped kill the Queen of Blades!

He ought to have gone down in some final battle against those he'd wronged?! Or died killing some hated enemy in the name of humanity! Not die alone on a hospital breath with nothing but employees for the company.

And now that worthless, privileged little brat Valerian was talking about the end of an era. In an interview, he even talked about not being like his Father.

She made contact with as many members of the original Sons of Korhal as she could. Together they sent a simple message to Valerian:

Dear Boy who Inherited the title of Emperor,

The very ground upon which your throne rests was built by the man you scorn. The Dominion is safe because of those he commanded, those you seek to distance yourself from. You are spineless, effeminate, weakling, and you should want to be half the man your Father ever was.

Fuck you.

-Sincerely,

The Sons of Korhal.

Apparently, it caused a major ruckus in the media, and a lot of other people voiced their problems. It set those bastard progressives back by years, but it wasn't any help. Serena just cried that night, cried and cried in Raynor's arms for the first time in years.

After that... people started to go away.

Tychus died in an accident, shot during a training exercise during the militia. The court ruled it manslaughter, and the charges were dropped at Raynor's request. The kid who did it had dropped his gun, and the safety hadn't been on.

That would never have happened ages ago.

Funerals were held, and Serena knew they'd all be dead soon enough. It was Mark, oddly, who died next. He'd been the most active of them, seeking new battles to fight and going further and further afield. Until, at last, he died in battle with a feral zerg brood. A lurker caught him off guard and put a tentacle through his stomach.

He sent a psionic lash down the tentacle that burned it alive, and the colony was conquered. Kaloth had moved away to some other place long ago. Apparently, he'd wanted to hunt down whatever was controlling Narud. Attending the funeral was the last time Serena and Jim would leave Mar Sara.

After that, it was just time.

They made the best of it, though some of their kids, now adults in their own right, had to come to help them. It was Raynor, of course, who died first. He'd always had the less healthy lifestyle, and she'd found him cold beside her one night.

Not knowing what else to do, Serena walked out and straightened up the house a bit. Moving out onto the porch, she sat down.

They'd had a lot of houses over the years; the truth was that the stars were more house than this place. They'd spent so long amongst them on one mission of doom or another, but they'd won every mission. They'd triumphed long enough to get to the end.

Serena stared at the rising sun ahead of her and thought back to all that had happened. And she wondered what would happen after she was dead. She wished she could be there for it. Artanis was now Hierarch, but he was considered young. Her entire life was a few years to him.

He and Raynor had talked over the years, but as he realized Raynor was an old man, the conversations had died down. Perhaps there weren't any words you could use.

Then she realized something.

Ahead of her was that same canyon she and the refugees had come down through from the north. There was a bridge up there she'd driven across many times, buying supplies from a market. There were a lot more houses now, not shelters but real houses and billboards and businesses. Was this the same place she'd run into an uppity fringe yokel? One practicing his Knight-in-Shining-Armor routine?

Gradually, she became aware of a presence near her. Looking up, she saw Tassadar. He was difficult to discern. But she had an idea of who he was. "Where the hell have you been?"

"You always seem to enjoy pragmatic solutions. I thought you'd resent knowing of my presence," said Tassadar, coming forward.

Wonderful, she was hearing ghosts now. "Is Jim well?"

"Better than ever," said Tassadar. "I'm afraid his penchant for alcohol claimed him a bit earlier than you.

"Still, he is home.

"Actually, he's waiting for you, as well as many others. If you're finished here, I was wondering if you'd like to join them."

Serena looked out to the town around here. Barren wasteland had become green fields; there was a central park. Kids were playing ball in it, and she wondered if her own children had been like that a little ago.

"Don't worry," said Tassadar. "They'll be alright. Them and many others like them."

Serena considered the situation. "I don't care as long as Valerian is not the hero of the future."

"You might be surprised at what the future holds," said Tassadar.

Serena smiled.

And finally, in this one thing, admitted defeat.

She felt her body slump forward as she herself stood. Vaguely she was aware of someone at the door behind her.

"Mom?" asked a voice.

And so Serena Calabas, the greatest Scion of the Calabas Family, succumbed to death. Behind her, she left many children who took the lessons she taught them to heart. And she became known as a founding figure in every new regime of their era.

And when she fell, there good men and women ready to take up her standard.