Chapter 2 – The Forgotten Platform

February 5th 2502, 3 PM
Raynor's Raiders Command Ship Hyperion
Deep Space

The two walked through the corridors and got in an elevator. A few moments later, they exited it on another deck and after a short walk Raynor opened a sturdy metal door, revealing an ample, lavishly decorated chamber, with a large oak table at the center, rich red tapestries covering the metal floor.

The walls were lined with maps, astrogation charts and massive bookcases filled with leather-bound tomes, and a collection of sabers rested in a large glass case. The chamber spoke of luxury and refined taste, contrasting with Raynor's plain and spartan appearance.

Upon closer inspection, Raziel noticed the overabundance of a peculiar crest in the shape of two wolf heads looking away from each other. It was on the carpets, on several tapestries that were hanging from the walls, on the large chandelier that lit the chamber. Raziel raised an eyebrow, mentally comparing the lavish decoration with the luxury he had seen at the height of Kain's empire.

"This is one of the ship's break rooms." Raynor said. "Make yourself at home. I've gotta go check something."

He then walked to the table and activated a device on its surface. A round opening appeared in the center, and a holographic projector came to life, showing the neighboring systems. The Hyperion appeared as a tiny icon near one of Korhal IV's moons, and there were also several even smaller shapes moving on the other side of the system.

"A Dominion patrol no doubt." he said, pointing at them. Mengsk is as paranoid as ever. Come on, have a seat."

The wraith nodded and sat on one of the chairs, watching the projection with curiosity. He felt tempted to prod it with one of his claws, but he could tell the image wasn't solid, and didn't want to look like an imbecile.

"Well, last I checked, we didn't have any souls in stock." Raynor said, still thinking the wraith was joking. "But we can ask the Protoss to check you and see if they have anything you can… uh eat. From what I gather, those folks absorb energy or somethin' like that."

He then pointed at the Hyperion's image moving towards the edge of the system.

"This is where we are. Shakuras is all the way there." he said, moving his finger to a distant spot where Raziel saw a sphere in dark shades of blue. "But first, we have a little detour."

Raynor pointed at a small icon near another planet near Korhal.

"Someone is waiting for us in a space platform in this location. A Protoss by the name of Pharon. He's been monitoring transmissions in a small hidden base, but it looks like he's got a little problem. He's also requested a ship to take him to Shakuras so he can personally deliver a report. The trip is gonna take a while, so we have plenty of time to talk and get a bit of rest. But first..."

The rebel leader then walked to a strange device that was set against one of the walls, almost like a metallic closet without a door, and stepped inside. Raziel watched curiously as mechanical arms appeared out of concealed slits and began disassembling the bulky suit of armor, exposing the human's average frame apart from the clearly toned arms with some tattoos and the general signs of someone who had lived a harsh life. Stripped of the armor, Raynor was down to a simple white shirt, with a black sleeveless vest, blue trousers and heavily worn black hiking boots.

"Much better..." Raynor said, stretching his arms before promptly scratching an itch on the back of his neck. He then stepped back to the table and pulled an empty chair.

"As I said, I am not quite a Protoss, so you will understand if some of this still feels rather new and unusual to me." Raziel said, unable to recall the last time he had so casually sat down to converse with anyone at all.

"I'll answer what I can." Raynor said with a shrug. "The folks at Shakuras will probably be able to explain some things a little better, but… Well, by the looks of it, you've already been through some rough spots yourself."

"That would be a rather gross understatement." the wraith retorted. "Though I would say the same about you."

"Yeah..." Raynor said with a sigh, suddenly looking incredibly tired. "Thing is, I've got some debts that have to be repaid in blood. Can't let myself kick the bucket before doin' what needs to be done."

"It appears that I am not the only one around here with a vengeance to fulfill then." Raziel noted.

"Seein' how you're lookin' like a fish out of water right now, why not you tell me a bit about your situation?" the rebel leader suggested. "Might as well help you find your bearings, or at least take a load off for now. Don't take it the wrong way but you're lookin' pretty wound up."

"I have to admit that I never intended to write any memoirs." the wraith said in a sarcastic tone. "But as you said, it appears that this journey will take quite some time… and I do not sleep."

Raziel spent the next few hours telling his story, from his days as a vampire to the confrontation with his 'father' in the Chronoplast chamber. Raynor was quite intrigued, and often asked interesting questions about Nosgoth's history, the remaining humans and the degenerate vampires. Talking about Kain often made the wraith slam his cloven fists on the table, but he realized that once he'd started talking, the rest kept flowing easily.

"… and that was when you appeared." the wraith finished. "I wondered what you were doing in that place, and being completely lost, I thought to follow the one person who seemed almost as out of place as I was."

"Well, I was meeting a contact. Like I said before, we need to stir things up a bit."

"To topple a tyrant, you said?"

"It's a long story… but we still have plenty of time."

Then it was the former Colonial Marshal to tell his tale, from his humble beginnings and checkered past to his tenure in law enforcement and the events that had led to the fall of the Confederacy and then his current situation. As he went on, Raziel saw in the man the same familiar rage and resentment that festered in himself.

Some time later...

"That bastard Mengsk took over after the Confederacy's capital world was overrun by the Zerg." Raynor growled as he got up and retrieved a chilled canned drink from a large fridge.

"All that talk about revolution, about freeing the people from the Confederacy's grip, and then that bastard proclaimed himself Emperor and tried to grab what was left." Raynor continued as he opened the can and downed a few gulps of beer. "He used us all. Even some of the people who stuck with him in the Sons of Korhal aren't too happy about the way things turned out."

Raynor paused for a moment, before shaking his fist.

"First he was out for revenge because of the way the Confederates turned the planet into a desert, and somewhere along the way he became just like them…. No, worse."

"It's his damn fault the Zerg are all over the place." he added, finishing the drink and crumpling the empty can in his hand. "The Queen Bitch of the Universe… Kerrigan… that's on him too."

"It appears that the events at Tarsonis are still quite fresh in your memory." the wraith remarked.

"It wasn't supposed to be that way." Raynor remarked bitterly. "Tarsonis was in sight. We thought we were gonna change things for the better. Then he lured the Zerg there by the billions with psi emitters. As if that wasn't enough, when the Protoss showed up to toast the Zerg, he had Kerrigan go down there and take 'em on just to keep the Confederates from escaping. The son of a bitch abandoned her there to die, and then the Zerg caught her and she ended up being turned into a complete monster."

"I see." Raziel said with a nod. "The reasons for your vendetta are becoming quite clear now."

He had seen such things before, and understood something else even if Raynor did not spell it out. This was not just about being personally betrayed, but also about watching someone else being defiled and twisted into a mockery of their former selves. After both the betrayal he had suffered at the hands of Kain and the shock of discovering his former life as a Sarafan, Raziel found himself in a position where he could almost feel a bit of sympathy for another's predicament – even a human, which in the eyes of Kain and his former brethren were no better than cattle.

"The last time I tried to take her down, I lost a lot of good people." Raynor said somberly. "As for that bastard Mengsk, he's too well protected behind his armies and fleets, just like she is behind her Zerg. I'm still lookin' for a way to get strong enough to take them both out."

"Ah..." Raziel mused. "The cruel jab of impotent anger. But despite being a mere human, this man has strength of conviction. I wonder how far that will carry him."

"It may not be tomorrow." Raynor said. "It may not be with an army at my back. But I can't let myself stop until I've set things straight."

"Sometimes all it takes is one man." Raziel pointed out. "One with enough determination and resources… or enough power and skill."

"Maybe. If I could catch Mengsk one on one without his usual tricks, a bullet would be enough. Kerrigan is the real challenge. After she became the monster she is now, she keeps gettin' stronger by the day. Her psionics are downright ungodly these days from what I've heard. I'd need one hell of a weapon to deal with her."

Then a thought crossed his mind.

"By the way, what happened to that Soul Reaver you mentioned?"

"It appears that I am able to maintain it in a dormant state until it is needed." Raziel said. "Strange. It is as if I had suddenly learned how to do it for no reason."

To demonstrate, Raziel placed his right hand on the table and the Reaver emerged with a low hum. The blue energy blade intertwined with his arm amazed Raynor with its eerie radiance.

"Hmmmm… The Protoss use weapons that look a lot like that thing." Raynor noted. "But the ones they have need a power source. Yours looks like a natural extension."

"It is suspicious, to say the least." Raziel said, still a little taken aback by how compatible he seemed to be with the weapon. "Now that I think about it, Kain did have a strange expression when the blade shattered. Perhaps this is just another game he is playing."

Suddenly, the door opened again and a figure in a slim blue armored suit walked in. Raziel recognized the model, since it was similar to the one worn by Raynor's contact. The helmet, however, was rather odd, with glowing green circular visors over the eyes and tubes around the neck. The figure inhaled and exhaled loudly a couple of times before removing the helmet, revealing Rowena's face.

"Just thought I'd let you know that we've arrived." she said, turning to Raynor. She then looked at Raziel with an intrigued expression.

"Thanks." Raynor said appreciatively. "I'd lost track of time."

He then nodded towards his guest.

"Rowena, this is Raziel. He'll be traveling with us for a while."

The wraith just looked at her for a while, unsure of how the humans in this place greeted one another. She understood what was going on and shook his hand, trying not to get her fingers too close to the Reaver. Raziel just stared at her and dismissed the blade.

"Welcome aboard." she said. "If you have any questions or there's anything you need, let me know."

"So, what's going on down there?" Raynor asked.

"Well, it looks like our friends are dealing with a bit of an infestation." she explained "We've picked up a small Zerg hive cluster on the far end of the platform. Pharon is online. I'll have the transmission patched through."

With the push of a button, the image on the holographic projector was replaced by that of a young-looking Protoss with a slightly bluish light gray skin and glowing blue eyes, wearing a golden suit of armor. Raziel stared at the creature for a few moments, understanding why he had been mistaken for one of their race.

"En Taro Tassadar, Jim Raynor. It is good to see you again." the Protoss said.

"You look tired, Pharon." Raynor replied. "Been up all night swatting those goddamn Zerg cockroaches?"

"It would appear that they have not detected this base yet, but if they are allowed to expand, then we will be in trouble. As you know, this is merely a listening post. Calling the Fleet would take far too much time, and its presence in this area would draw unwanted attention... especially in this case. This brood is small, but we believe there is a Cerebrate in the area."

"Kerrigan's lackeys?" Rowena asked.

"It is possible." Pharon replied. "Which means that unless we can dispose of it swiftly and discreetly, more of her forces might move into the area. Every living Zerg here is a set of eyes on her behalf. We must blind her as swiftly as we can."

"Too bad there's not a single Dark Templar aboard right now." Raynor said. "That thing will just regenerate if we hit it with normal weapons."

"How is that possible?" Raziel asked.

"We're still not entirely sure how they do it, but it looks like the only thing that can permanently kill those things is Dark Templar energy." Rowena said.

Raziel looked at his hand and summoned the Reaver again.

"Perhaps this will be of use. I do not think any creature will be able to regenerate itself after having its soul torn out and consumed."

"Some kinda soul eating spirit, right?" Raynor said, recalling Raziel's tale, much to his adjutant's surprise. "Well, it's worth a shot. I've got some people experimenting with the crystals the Protoss use, but it's gonna be a while before we have anything we can actually use."

"Are we going by the usual playbook?" Rowena asked, warily eyeing the strange blade and its wielder for a moment.

"Yeah." Raynor replied as he slipped into a different suit of armor, this time black with a yellow visor decorated with a skull painting. "Keep the ship ready, in case something unexpected happens down there. We're taking a shuttle."

Rowena nodded.

"Good luck out there."

With that, she left the chamber.

Raynor led Raziel back to the Hyperion's hangar, where they boarded the same shuttle they had taken on the way in. A few minutes later, they were landing near the small Protoss outpost. Raziel took a few moments to look at the strange architecture of the building, and the crystalline blue pylons powering the outpost's defenses caught his eye.

"What exactly are those structures?" he asked Raynor.

"Those are pylons." the rebel commander explained. "The Protoss power their buildings with them."

The rebel leader then pointed to the secondary golden structures arranged around the pylons.

"Those things you see built around each of them are photon cannons. They fire energy bolts at any hostile targets that come into range. Handy if you want to detect stealth units too."

"Intriguing…" the wraith mused. "I do not see any physical tethers between them. How does one convey power to the other?"

"Still figurin' that bit out myself. I'm sure Pharon or one of the other folks will be able to give you a better explanation but first we need to get 'em out of the fire."

Raziel took a few steps towards one of the pylons, and then he felt something strange. There was a slight tingling at the edge of his mind, and then for a moment, the sensation extended to his right arm. Before he had the time to ponder this, Pharon stepped out of what appeared to be the main building, followed by two zealots, also wearing golden armor.

"Welcome to Outpost 15." Pharon said. "We have learned much from Terran tactics in recent times, and these listening posts have turned out to be a sound investment. For the purposes of gathering information on other races, their transmissions can be quite enlightening."

"You're pretty quick on the uptake." Raynor replied.

"Our people do not lack for intellect." Pharon pointed out. "We are simply stubborn and take time to change… for the most part."

"Well, time to flush out some bugs." Raynor said, bringing up his gauss rifle.

He then activated his armor's communicator.

"All right Rowena, we're going in. I'm gonna need my Vulture for this."

"Understood." her voice replied.

A few moments later, Rowena's modified Valkyrie came down and dropped Raynor's Vulture with a parachute.

"Give 'em hell!" she said over the communicator. "I'll keep the Yamato Gun charged up in case things get ugly."

"Oh they will… for them." Raynor thought as he waited for the Vulture to land. As soon as it touched the ground, he detached the parachute and got on.

Raziel looked at him and then at Pharon. The Protoss didn't seem to find his appearance strange, so he stepped closer to see if they made any remark.

"I do not recall seeing you during Raynor's last visit." Pharon said. "Were you transferred here recently?"

"I suppose one could say that." Raziel hesitantly replied.

"There is something odd about you though. Which part of Shakuras are you from?"

"Actually, this is going to be my first visit to that place. I am not exactly one of the Protoss, even if some have already remarked upon a passing resemblance."

"I thought it was odd that you would have claws… and some of your features look almost human…"

"It is a long story... and it involves time traveling, the supernatural and a tremendous amount of anger." Raziel replied. "But since seem to share some similarities to the Protoss, perhaps I can learn a few things while I am here."

"I have the feeling that you are about to make this day much more interesting…" Pharon said.

"Perhaps. I am still getting used to the thought of being in a colossal metallic structure hundreds of miles above the surface of an alien world."

"Ah yes…" Pharon mused. "No matter how many times one does this, it always feels a little odd. The fact that nearly every space platform has its own artificial gravity and atmosphere can only do so much to ease that feeling."

Raynor started the Vulture's engine, and the two zealots ran to his sides.

"Think you can keep up?" he asked with a smile.

"Always." one of the zealots eagerly replied.

"All right boys, let's kick ass!" Raynor said as the Vulture sprang to life, darting at a maddening speed. The two zealots did their best to keep up, running at a speed that would put some land vehicles to shame.

"We should make haste." Pharon said, hurrying after them.

Raziel followed, sprinting almost as fast as the zealots, which caught them by surprise.

Around twenty minutes later, Raynor stopped. The first signs of Zerg presence were already evident, with a large area of the ground before him covered by a putrid biological mass. The zealots stopped as well, and Pharon and Raziel soon caught up with them.

"Ugly things, don't you think?" Raynor said to Raziel, pointing at a couple of zerglings in the distance.

Raziel nodded. While the first sight of them had reminded him of Melchiah, there was also something about them reminiscent of Zephon's hideous insect form and his deranged wall climbing spawn.

"I ran into a few of them before meeting you. I was unsure at the time whether they were some sort of half-reptilian mongrels."

"They come in different shapes, but they're all a bunch of pesky bugs." Raynor said, pointing out a few slithering hydralisks in the distance. "Zerglings are the least of your concerns."

Raynor grabbed his gauss rifle and pointed it forward, holding it with his right hand while the left still gripped the Vulture's controls.

"Time to do some pest control." he muttered, right before driving over the creep at a few hundred miles per hour, running over the two zerglings before they knew what hit them.

The others followed as Raynor shot a few incoming hydralisks with his gauss rifle and ran over a drone. The zealots activated their psi blades and grappled with a few more hydralisks, cutting through them with a wild fury.

Pharon noticed a group of zerglings heading towards him and, despite the situation, decided to toy with them a bit before finishing them off. In a second, he seemed to be in twenty places at the same time. The hallucinatory replicas confused the creatures, and zerglings threw themselves against them only to go right through and fall down. At the same time, the real Pharon activated a psi blade that was as long as the Dark Templar's warp blades, and sliced a few zerglings in half before blasting another into a bloody pulp with a psychic attack.

"Impressive." Raziel said. "But I did not come here to spectate."

With a tremendous leap worthy of Kain himself, he clenched his cloven fists and punched right through a hydralisk's face, cracking its carapace and knocking the creature flying. A vicious kick, and the beast's neck snapped. Meanwhile, the two zealots were chasing a few zerglings, slicing at the creatures with impunity while their shields took the brunt of the retaliation.

Raynor watched Raziel's performance as he drove around, turning more Zerg into blood splats.

"Not bad…" he thought.

He then turned his attention to a creep colony. He pushed a button in his Vulture's control panel, and a fragmentation bomb was fired though a small opening, exploding against the organic structure and tearing through it, opening several wounds that started bleeding abundantly.

"Living buildings?" Raziel thought as he watched the strange structure bleed out and collapse into a heap of blood and guts. "These creatures are truly unlike anything I have ever seen… An infestation even more insidious than vampirism."

Pharon made short work of a nearby spawning pool, driving his energy blade into it until the organic walls were bleeding dry.

They kept going, making their way to the center of the hive cluster, when they suddenly heard a loud roar. The two zealots had just finished off a few more zerglings when an ultralisk charged towards them. They barely had time to dodge, narrowly avoiding the creature's sharp tusks.

Before the beast could try again, Raziel jumped in front of it and grabbed it by the tusks. Using his unnatural strength, he was able to lift it by the tusks and throw it around. The surprised ultralisk ended up hitting the hive, the impact knocking it unconscious.

The two zealots just stared at him for a few seconds, unable to believe what they had just seen. Once they regained their composure, they turned their attention to a nearby sunken colony. Raziel joined them, severing the massive tentacle once it came out of the ground to strike at them. They made short work of the structure while Raynor went on a killing spree, riddling a few drones and hydralisks with bullets.

Pharon made his way deeper into the hive cluster, sensing psionic activity when he found a very large throbbing mass with a filthy stench.

"Cerebrate… You shall not live another day!" he proclaimed, staring at it.

"So that's where that ugly thing is!" Raynor said, running over a few drones. "Raziel, your turn!"

The blue wraith ran after them, followed by the zealots.

"So this is the creature you mentioned before?" he asked. "It is difficult to believe that something so hideous would cause so much trouble."

He could sense the creature's psychic hold on the entire hive cluster, like an insidious puppeteer.

"They have this nasty habit of regenerating." Raynor replied. "Let's see what you can do."

Without waiting another moment, Raziel leaped towards the pulsating mass and started tearing at it with his claws, opening hideous wounds. A few seconds later, it burst in a shower of blood, but as soon as Raziel stepped back, it started growing again, regenerating its mass at an alarming pace.

"You certainly were not exaggerating…" Raziel said as the mass quickly regained its original size. "Very well… let us see if it can do that again."

The wraith summoned the Reaver and started driving it into the cerebrate. Once it was all the way in, he tore through the creature with a rising slice. He then continued his vicious assault, and with each blow he delivered, he could feel a disruption in the psychic emanations. Soon, the cerebrate was covered in horrible wounds, and the psionic activity reached almost undetectable levels. The Reaver's energies seemed to have been too much for it to handle, and now it looked as though the ravenous spirit had dealt irreparable damage.

"Looks like you rendered that thing comatose." Raynor said. "I've never seen anyone do it like that."

"I am not done yet." Raziel replied with an altered voice.

The Reaver seemed to be building up energy for a second, and then he delivered a mighty blow, cleaving through the bloody carcass. It was then that he saw something seeping out of the creature. Something black, almost offensive to his senses, something vile and filthy. The creature's soul was finally torn out. He stared at it for a moment, while the others wondered what he was doing.

"Uh… Raziel?" Raynor said.

"Can you not see it?" Raziel asked, reaching for his cowl.

The sight of the alien soul had reminded Raziel of the darker craving that had replaced his thirst for blood. And even though the soul before him appeared revolting, he could not resist the impulse. Pulling his cowl, he revealed his mouth, with the vampire fangs and the missing lower jaw with the gaping hole in his throat. Raynor stared at him, touching his own lower jaw in shock as he beheld the mutilation. The Protoss were just as startled as they watched.

"Your soul is forfeit." Raziel said as he started drawing it in with an irresistible pull.

His eyes seemed to glow for a moment as the soul entered the gaping hole, and then he was still. He felt the usual rush he had experienced while devouring a soul, but this time, it was different, warped. Suddenly he started feeling something stirring in his mind, so intensely it was actually painful. He felt as if he was looking at the putrescence of the Zerg from the inside.

"What is this?" he asked with a groan, clutching his head in shock.

He had experienced some bizarre sensations when he had consumed the souls of his degenerate brothers, but this was different. The being he had just consumed was even stranger, utterly alien, viciously warped. He could suddenly see through eyes that were not his own. He could see through the eyes of the remaining Zerg in the platform, which were now catatonic and motionless. He could see a blasted, scorched landscape, inhabited by massive droves of the same beasts he had just encountered. He could see more of their vile living buildings, disgusting flying creatures, and more of their horde, covering the ground and spreading their carpet of putrefaction along with their corruption, leaving more and more of their offspring and countless deaths in their wake. It was then that he felt it. A pair of eyes, staring right at him. He felt he was touching another mind, powerful and warped. A mind that felt almost human in a way, but twisted beyond recognition.

And then, he felt tired, exhausted from the mental strain, and he collapsed. The two zealots moved closer, still in shock from what they had seen and from the psionic disturbance he had unleashed in that altered state.

"Raziel?" Raynor called.

"He seems to be unconscious." one of the zealots said.

Raynor activated his communicator.

"Rowena, we're done here. The Zerg won't be threatening this outpost anytime soon… We're going to need a couple of medics though."

"Are you all right?" her voice asked with concern.

"Just fine… But I don't know if I can say the same about our blue friend."