Chapter 3 – Spires of Shakuras
February 5th 2502, 20:00 Ship Time
Raynor's Raiders Command Ship Hyperion
En Route to Shakuras
Raziel drifted in and out of consciousness, his mind straining to handle the strange and overwhelming sensations that kept pouring in. Due to his unique physiology, there was little anyone could do but wait and watch. He felt as if his mind was in countless places at the same time, touching billions of beings. It took all the will he could muster to break free. He suddenly sat up, startling the medics that had been monitoring his condition, and found himself in the Hyperion's medical facilities.
"What happened down there?" Raynor asked. "I've never seen anything like it."
Raziel turned to him.
"I have no idea. I had never imagined a being such as me could still get headaches." he replied, still showing signs of weariness.
"Did you see anything while you were in that state?" Pharon asked.
"More of those wretched creatures. Countless hordes, scattered across many worlds. I could see through their eyes, and I heard strange thoughts all around me."
Pharon was silent for a moment.
"Could it be?" he thought. "Could this one be in tune with those energies as well?"
Raziel jumped off the padded metal bed and stretched his arms for a second.
"I take it we succeeded then?" he asked Raynor.
"Couldn't have been easier. And now we're almost there."
Raynor led them to the navigation room, where they saw a holographic projection of a strange bluish world in perpetual twilight. A small fleet of Corsairs and Scouts moved aside at their arrival, as if already expecting them. After a few more minutes of descent, the Hyperion touched the ground.
"And here we are." Raynor said. "Don't worry, Raziel, you'll fit right in."
As one of the Hyperion's massive airlocks opened, Raziel beheld a bizarre new world. The ground beneath his feet seemed to be made of blue and golden metal, along with the rest of the structure they had landed in. Through its large windows, he could see blue soil as far as the horizon, dotted with tall black structures that seemed to blend in with the landscape and strange machines, both in the ground and in the air. He was so intrigued by what was before his eyes that he failed to notice another tall young Protoss with the same gray skin, glowing golden eyes and slightly fish-like features enter the chamber.
"As you humans say, those who are alive, eventually show up." Artanis said. "I imagine the Dominion is going to have a lot of problems to deal with, considering the time you have spent sneaking into their territory."
"It doesn't take a lot of effort to make things hard on that paranoid old bastard." Raynor said with a laugh. "I still enjoy it more than ever, and you wouldn't believe how many people in his own government are sick of him. But look at you! Hierarch of Shakuras! You've come a long way since Aiur. I thought you'd be more comfortable in the front lines instead of leading everyone."
"I have to admit that this position has given me some more confidence, though it will probably age me prematurely. But who am I to complain? Someone has to take care of things while Zeratul is away."
"Still no news on that old rascal?" Raynor asked.
"Nothing. Either he is still blaming himself for that incident with the Matriarch, or there is something else lurking beyond what we can see that required his attention. Either way, he remains unaccounted for."
Pharon stepped forward, carrying what appeared to be a data storage device.
"Hierarch, I have come personally to deliver this report, due to the gravity of the situation."
"Ah, Templar Pharon, you are always fulfilling your duties with such eagerness. Let us hear that report, which made you come all the way here."
Artanis motioned at them to follow, and led them through a series of corridors. Raziel could feel that they were not alone. As he looked around, he had the feeling he was being watched, and he could even tell where those unseen eyes were. He counted two presences standing by every single door, and though it made him slightly nervous for some reason, he saw that the others were moving in a perfectly natural and relaxed way, so he assumed they knew something about it. He took a moment to observe Artanis and Pharon, noticing that their every gesture seemed pondered, their every step perfectly measured.
They eventually reached a larger door, which led to an ample chamber with a large round table and several high technology devices laden with glowing crystals. Several holographic projectors were connected to them, displaying long strings of text alternating with images from several different worlds and a few transmissions from scouting parties.
Artanis and the others sat down at the table. Pharon shifted around the chair for a moment, betraying a certain discomfort at what he was about to say.
"We have a problem. It may not seem very significant at the moment, but it could become a threat unless we act soon enough. According to the transmissions we have intercepted at that listening post, not only is the Dominion consolidating its position and rebuilding after the Directorate invasion and its aftermath, but they are also turning to less conventional methods. Recently, a small fleet was sent to the outskirts of the Omega platform. Besides the fact that it was already strange that they were not obliterated by the Zerg on sight, I believe their mission was to plunder the wreckage of our taskforce that was unfortunately defeated there."
"So they're turning to technology theft again?" Raynor said. "I thought we'd taken care of that after that thing on Aiur."
"There is more." Pharon said. "They also seem to have taken an interest in induced mutations and psionics. After they took over the Confederacy's Ghost program, there have been several reports of people with psionic potential suddenly disappearing. I believe they are restoring that program completely, and perhaps even going farther than their predecessors. We have also intercepted a coded transmission that indicated the Dominion is moving a lot of vespene gas and other mutagens to a still unknown location."
"Can't say I'm surprised." Raynor said. "That son of a bitch always uses everything he can grab, no matter how immoral. We're talking about the guy who lured the Zerg into two worlds just to get rid of his enemies."
"And finally, that prototype decoder we were testing at the listening post turned out to be a failure." Pharon continued. "At the moment, it is still impossible to decode Zerg transmissions. It is my recommendation that we look for a way to tap into their telepathic network, since it would be a waste of time and effort to keep scanning the frequencies we are currently able to access."
"I see. Thank you for your report, Pharon." Artanis said. "And do not worry too much about the decoder. I know how much you want to help, but certain things just take time. Remember, it took nearly five hundred years to correct all the design flaws in the first Carrier model's power core. I believe that at one point they even considered abandoning the project."
Pharon nodded, mentally reviewing his plans and trying to figure out how to get around yet another obstacle. Artanis looked at Raziel for a while, intrigued by the being's odd appearance and the unusual psionic aura he projected.
"Some Dark Templar eagerly joined Raynor's group, and word of their deeds has reached us. I do not recognize this one however. Are you a recent addition?"
"Yes, I have been told I could easily impersonate one of your people." Raziel replied. "And I do believe there were some of them in that corridor, watching our every move."
"Impressive…"Artanis said. "Sometimes even I have trouble keeping track of all the Dark Templar guards. "But what should I call you?"
"I am Raziel. I believe that some would call me a wraith, though like everything else about me, that definition is debatable."
"I ran into him on Korhal when I was meeting a contact there." Raynor said. "You wouldn't believe some of the things he can do. I gave our Dark Templar the week off so they could attend some religious festivity, and when we got to the platform to pick up Pharon we ran into some Zerg. It turns out that our buddy here can kill Cerebrates, and even eat them for breakfast."
Artanis was shocked at what he had just heard.
"Are you saying that he can wield the Void?"
"As well as any of them. Or at least something very similar. He's a natural Zerg exterminator."
"Intriguing…" Artanis said, before turning to Raziel. "I would like to know more about you. You have displayed bravery and skill, and we are still trying to make sure the Zerg will not threaten our people again. Would you be interested in helping us?"
"I have no idea how I found myself on Korhal, and all of this is still new to me." Raziel replied. "My primary concern is revenge, and therefore I do not know how long I will stay. However, I have seen firsthand what happens to a world when it has been tainted, corrupted and warped by dark forces. Though I do not know much about your people, I will do what I can to make sure it does not happen again."
Artanis got up from his chair, staring at the wraith.
"You have our thanks, Raziel. I welcome you to Shakuras. You will probably find this place quite interesting."
Meanwhile, on Korhal…
Kain was not pleased. Much to his surprise, Raziel did not seem to be following his trail. The ancient vampire could no longer sense his presence, and he felt that something was amiss. He had seen the wraith boarding the strange flying machine, and since then he had no idea where he could be. Therefore, he decided to do what seemed logical to him. Sneaking into a troop carrier in mist form, he had made his way into the vast city of Augustgrad. The sprawling metropolis was lavishly decorated with marble architecture. Statues were on practically every corner, along with flags of the Sons of Korhal. On the walls and on large screens set on the sides of the towering buildings, propaganda glorifying the Dominion and vilifying Jim Raynor and his Raiders was constantly being displayed. Guards in bulky powered armor patrolled the streets as countless craft moved on the roads and through the air.
"This is like Meridian all over again…" he thought with disgust.
Even though his vulnerability to sunlight was not as extreme as that of his degenerate vampiric offspring, he still felt a great discomfort. For a moment, he wondered how the humans could stand the scorching, suffocating heat.
Probing the weak minds of the humans he ran into, he eventually found out where he wanted to go. A few minutes later, he found himself in front of a large fortified palace, surrounded by guards and filled with gun emplacements. The rooftops were filled with snipers and though the structure was surrounded by sturdy, thick concrete walls, there was an additional layer of sandbags and razor wire around them.
"The air reeks of paranoia." Kain thought. "Perhaps I can use that."
Sneaking into the palace undetected, he skimmed through the corridors and made his way to the throne room.
