Chapter 6 – Cave Crawling

June 7th 2502, 12:30 AM

Second Moon of Shakuras

Raziel made his way through the ravaged hive cluster, treading in creep and pieces of Zerg biomass to his knees. Casually blasting the odd surviving Zerg with a telekinetic blast, he followed his instincts towards a rocky formation in the distance. Gliding over a few impact craters from stray bombs, he arrived at what appeared to be a simple pile of large stones against the rock wall. He quirked an eyebrow as he stared at them, as if trying to see through. It was then that he noticed a gray-brown mass seeping between a couple of the largest stones.

"More creep..." he thought. "There is definitely something here."

Raziel quickly reached for the portable communicator Selendis had given him and activated it.

"I have found something suspicious." he said as soon as the Executor's holographic image appeared. "Possibly a hidden cave. I shall attempt to expose it now."

During his stay in Shakuras, Raziel had almost forgotten about the strange magical glyphs he had picked up during his journey through Nosgoth. He was reluctant to use them because he didn't know when he'd be able to recharge them, not that he needed the devices most of the time anyway. He could have simply waited for the Protoss to home in on his signal and blast the rocks into atoms, but for some reason he felt a growing sense of urgency, almost as if something was calling at the edge of his consciousness. Examining the rocks, he found their appearance familiar. Though many chunks were too heavy for even him to lift, they reminded him of a particularly brittle kind of stone he had encountered in his journey.

"Yes... The sound glyph should take care of the pieces I cannot move." he thought as he got to work moving the smaller rocks out of the way, blasting some of them with his telekinetic bolts to break them into a more manageable size. He regretted not having Kain's level of telekinetic prowess, which would have likely allowed him to simply levitate everything out of the way. The Protoss who had helped him in this training had told him there was some sort of mental block that prevented him from accessing his full abilities as well as the memories of his time as a human.

After a few minutes, only three of the largest chunks of rock remained. Raziel summoned the small device and set it against the nearest mass before activating it. After a short energy buildup, a violent shockwave erupted from the glyph, shattering the rocks in an instant. What little was left was so riddled with cracks a simple punch would break it apart. A couple of telekinetic blasts finished the job, finally exposing a small cave mouth. The strange feeling intensified as Raziel unsummoned the glyph and crossed the threshold.

The air in the cave was cold and fetid. The ground was completely covered with creep and strange fungi littered the walls, casting an eerie purple glow. Raziel sensed movement in the distance and dashed forward, coming upon a cluster of Zerg eggs and a couple of hydralisks. Making quick work of the creatures, he crushed the eggs and moved on, the strange feeling intensifying with every step.

June 7th 2502, 12:35 AM

Dominion Mining Facility

Dalgor III

"What a fucking mess..." the sergeant muttered, looking at the mangled corpses of a group of miners the marines had just pulled out of a ruined supply depot.

"Report." Kain said as he stepped closer.

"Sir, the main base has been overrun. No survivors so far. They didn't bother infesting anything though. It's like they were going for something else. Since we can't pick anything on our scanners, my guess is they're in the mining tunnels."

"Then that's where we're headed." Kain replied. "Have the mechanized units secure the area and look for survivors. I shall take a squadron down there myself."

"Just one squadron? Sir, are you sure?"

"I would very much rather go alone without having to babysit a bunch of humans, but one must keep a low profile... for now." Kain thought.

"Just make sure the Zerg did not leave any surprises on what's left of the base. Besides, those tanks look rather clumsy for a fight in crowded spaces." the vampire said before gesturing at the soldiers. Taking four marines, two firebats and two Ghosts with him, he headed into the personnel elevator. The elevator itself appeared to be working, likely through a backup generator located in the mines, but there was no telling if the lights below were working. Kain pushed a button and the cabin descended into the foreboding darkness.

"Weird guy, that one." the sergeant thought. "Most people would want to take some tanks or Goliaths down there. Oh well..."

After a couple of minutes the elevator's loud grinding stopped and the cabin's chainlink doors opened, allowing access to an ample chamber carved into the rock, with the walls reinforced by metal plates. Kain heard the rattle of the ventilation systems and saw a lit corridor ahead, but as soon as he stepped closer, the lights went out.

"Switch to thermal imaging and get in formation." he said to the men. "Watch your step and you may make it out of here alive."

After a few hundred yards, the path forked. Kain grabbed his portable communicator and pushed a button.

"Upload the schematics for this place and see if you can salvage any logs from the facility." he whispered. From what he had learned of the Zerg in the past few months, such an incursion was incoherent with their previous movements. His instincts told him there was something strange going on.

As soon as the communications officer complied with his request, Kain paused to study the digital map. He was adapting well to the technology, and found himself amused by the variety of toys at his disposal. Finally, making up his mind, he took a right turn, and the squadron followed. They soon came upon a long corridor with several arms stretching to the sides. According to the map, this was a maintenance area where parts and broken machinery were kept. He could make out the outline of an SCV leaning against the doorway at the other end of the corridor. Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of movement and he started scanning the area. Specks of red appeared in his infrared vision in the distance.

"Not a sound." he telepathically ordered the men. "Ready some fragmentation charges and follow me."

The men were startled to suddenly hear his voice in their minds, but they assumed he was some sort of Ghost and complied, following him closely. They too started picking up the heat signals in the distance and knew that combat was imminent. Swiftly and silently, they moved across the maintenance area and reached yet another corridor. Kain gestured at them and they fired the fragmentation charges, which exploded a few yards ahead with loud bangs.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose. As soon as they heard the sound of the charges shredding flesh, loud growls started echoing and a group of zerglings rushed at them, leaving a trail of blood behind them. The squadron opened fire, while Kain dashed forward with his claws bared, tearing off a hydralisk's head.

"What the hell is that crazy son of a bitch doing?!" one of the marines shouted as he watched Kain wade into a pack of Zerg.

"Kickin' ass, that's what he's doin'!" a firebat replied, before burning a zergling to a crisp. "Follow the boss!"

As the squadron caught up to Kain, something suddenly burst out of the ground, impaling one of the marines and grazing the others.

"Son of a bitch!" the man yelled in pain. "What the fuck is that shit?!"

"Lurkers!" a firebat replied.

"In here? This is solid rock for fuck's sake!" a Ghost said.

"Fall back!" Kain ordered. "I will handle this."

The men picked up the wounded marine and beat a hasty retreat, leaving Kain free to act. Turning his gaze down, he shut out the background noise until he heard a heartbeat coming from under the rock.

"I have you now." he whispered.

The lurker growled and shot another torrent of spikes up through the rock, but Kain deftly dodged them. Concentrating on the heartbeat, Kain focused his telekinetic powers and ripped the creature out of the ground, slamming it against the ceiling, walls and ground with such violence its carapace practically exploded. Ignoring the men's awe, he stomped the lurker's head like a ripe watermelon.

"I hear more of them ahead." he said, wiping his boot. "Hold on."

With the same inhuman ease, he ripped two more lurkers out of the ground and hurled them at the walls with enough force to crack their skulls. The soldiers cheered, but the wounded marine suddenly started coughing. Kain approached and examined the man. The spike had gone through the left side of his torso and apparently punctured a lung.

"Two of you, get him out of here. The rest, follow me."

Two of the marines nodded and carried him to the elevator.

June 7th 2502, 13:00

Second Moon of Shakuras

"What in blazes is this thing?" Raziel thought, looking at the strange object before him. It looked like a khaydarin crystal mounted on a tripod, but it was partially covered by a brown biological goo. As he approached it, the image of a strange woman with an alien voice invaded his mind.

"Who dares interfere with the Queen of Blades?! You will pay for this insolence, Protoss!"

"Kerrigan, I presume?" Raziel replied. "As if I or the Protoss would fear some infested harlot! Show yourself!"

Suddenly the goo burst into flames and the crystal fell down, shattering into pieces.

"Is that it?" Raziel asked, blinking. "Uninspired threats and a useless toy?"

He reached for his wrist communicator and opened a channel to Selendis.

"Executor, I have found something down here. It appears to be a bizarre half biological, half mineral construct, but it is broken to pieces now."

"Hybrid technology... Selendis muttered. But who would place such a thing there?"

"Kerrigan, I believe. She just telepathically threatened me, so I can only assume that this thing is some sort of relay for her psychic powers."

"By Adun... What could that mad wench be plotting this time? You have done well, Raziel. We shall send a probe to retreive the remains."

June 7th 2502, 13:15

Dominion Mining Facility

Dalgor III

After a few more skirmishes against the Zerg, and losing one of the firebats to an accident with his fuel tank, Kain came upon a large square chamber filled with harvested minerals stacked on a conveyor belt. According to the schematics, they weren't too far from one of the larger belts that transported the minerals to the surface. Something in the middle of the chamber caught his eye, obviously out of place. It looked like a crystal on a tripod, partially covered with a mass of brown biological goo. As he stepped closer to examine it, the image of a strange woman with an alien voice invaded his mind.

"Foolish humans!" the woman hissed. "You dare to interfere with the Queen of Blades?! I will come for you soon!"

Just as fast as it had appeared, the image faded and the device burst into flames with a sickening stench. Kain reached for his communicator.

"Get me a secure line to Mengsk. Now."