A New Family

Adrian and Nova's Quarters a few hours later…

Kaylee and Nova had passed out about two hours after getting back to the ship. Adrian couldn't help but smile as he saw them sleeping. Kaylee could sleep at least, which came as a relief to him. He hadn't slept in years.

Content that they were alright Adrian thought it best to go talk to Jim. There had been some concerns about Kaylee. Doctor Hanson wanted to take a look at her, but Adrian sidelined her for the moment. After he got free, he wanted to stay as far away from any doctors as possible and while Kaylee hadn't had the traumas he did, she would be wary of doctors for a while. Mind reading might help but he didn't know just how developed his Daughter's powers were.

Adrian was still in shock that he had a daughter and that Nova was her mother. He flashed to a memory of his younger brother Alex talking with him when they were kids. His brother was two years younger, but you'd swear you were talking to someone who's lived for over a hundred years. "I think everyone has a soulmate somewhere. It's just a matter of time until you meet yours Adrian." A tear fell down his cheek as he remembered that was the last thing his brother had said to him before he was killed. Adrian felt a rage against Cutter. He had planned to find him and repay him for all the cruelty he inflicted. But now he was dead and his sick research with him.

"Well at least Kaylee is safe now." He said to himself as he passed the armory. Swann was just walking out and saw him.

"Hey, Adrian, what's this I hear about you and Nova having a kid? I thought she wasn't ah…"

"It's a long story Swann. But yes, we have a daughter. You'll meet Kaylee soon enough. After we check a few things over."

"Hmm, oh in the meantime I pulled some favors and got some new gear and weapons for you, Nova and the rest of our ghosts. I still have some upgrades to make to them first though, they should be ready tomorrow."

"Thanks, let us know when they're ready."

"Will do. In the meantime, I'm going to get some shuteye." Swann said as he yawned and headed to his room.

"Sleep well my friend." Adrian said as he continued to make his way to the bridge, he could hear the concerned thoughts of the crew. This was going to be interesting.

Several hours later….

Nova and Kaylee woke up from their nap. Nova had made sure her daughter was alright. She had very few thoughts at the moment beyond her child's wellbeing. Kaylee was overjoyed to be in her mother's arms. She never dreamed she would feel as safe as she did now. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder while Nova brushed her hair and hummed a soothing melody.

Kaylee could also feel her mother softly entering her mind. Doing her best to remove any fear she had. She enjoyed the closeness and wished her father was there too. 'Wish granted' she heard in her mind as Adrian entered the room. He sat next to them and pulled them into a hug.

'Everything alright Adrian?'

'Yes but Dr. Hanson wants to check Kaylee to make sure she's ok.' Kaylee felt uneasy. She hadn't known many good doctors in her sort life. Adrian could feel her fears. 'Don't worry sweetie your mother and I will be right there with you.'

'Promise?'

'We promise sweetie.' Nova thought as the family made their way to the lab. Kaylee was carried by Adrian while Nova walked beside holding Adrian's hand. The three made their way to the lab passing a few people on the way. Any ghosts saluted them as they passed. When they reached their destination Kaylee still felt nervous but less so then before. Having her parents with her helped a lot.

Ariel was very careful when looking Kaylee over. She made no threatening moves or thought of anything unpleasant. Kaylee was very confused. All of the doctors she had known in the lab were very bad people. But Dr. Hanson's mind was very good.

Kaylee could find no sinister or wicked thoughts in her mind. She relaxed a bit. She looked around the room. The lab had many interesting things in it. Including a tube with zerg biomass inside of it. She wondered if it would respond to her like the zerg in her former prison. She decided it would be better to test that later.

"Well as far as I can tell, Kaylee is perfectly healthy." Ariel said as she adjusted her glasses. Adrian and Nova were deeply relieved to hear her say that.

Kaylee could hear the thoughts of her parents. She heard the relieved thoughts and tears started to fall down her face. She could feel her parents love for her and it was a truly wonderful feeling. Though she started to hear some of the darker thoughts in Ariel's mind.

'How could someone do this to a sweet little girl? It's just…just…' the doctor couldn't even finish her thought because Kaylee gave her a hug.

Adrian was rather surprised at this. But then again, this is Ariel Hanson. She is most likely one of the most caring doctors' humanity had. Ariel returned the hug. A call from an injured crewman called her away. Adrian and Nova walked Kaylee back to their quarters. A new family was born.

three weeks Later…

Kaylee was reading an old story book on her bed. Her father had a good collection of books in their quarters and Kaylee had discovered a love of reading. She found a few of the words difficult to make out but she got through the stories well enough.

A few things had changed in the three weeks she had been here.

Her parents had joined their two rooms together by knocking down the wall between them. With a bit of work this was now perfect for the three of them.

Nova slept in Adrian's bed while Kaylee slept in the bed that used to be Nova's. Though after what she had been through Kaylee found herself waking up in her parents arms pretty much every time she woke up. She went to her parents because a part of her was scared this was all some sort of lie and that she would wake up in that stupid tank again. Nova and Adrian did their best to put her mind at ease.

The crew found Kaylee a morale booster. Her cheerful attitude was a major help during these troubled times. She was using her abilities to keep the crew in high spirits. Thanks to her everyone was getting actual sleep. Instead of tossing and turning from the nightmares that had hunted them all.

Kaylee spent most of the night taking to her father. After her first week it was discovered that she only needed a few hours of sleep. Doctor Hanson had discovered that while Kaylee was similar to her father in certain respects Kaylee would most likely still need sleep as she grew up. She speculated that Kaylee might need less sleep as an adult, but she couldn't say for certain. On the bright side she had many things to do while on the ship.

Like studying genetics. She found it a fun subject and it could prove useful. She was interested in the Zerg biomass in the lab. It held some potential use and it would be a good start to expanding her control over her unique gifts.

She didn't know why she had them. Her best guess was instead of the technical knowledge of protoss weapons she got a massive influx of knowledge regarding Zerg biology. She could see herself as either a doctor, or as a ghost like her mommy and daddy. She did already have a small ghost suit. Her parents made it for her a few days after they found her. It was styled similarly to her mothers, but it had the same colour scheme as her fathers. If nothing else, it was could keep her safe should the ship be boarded.

She was waiting for her parents to return from a mission. They were on some planet checking in on doctor Hanson's people. Some Zerg virus had infected other settlement camps on the planet. They went down in shifts with other ghosts. They would come back every few hours to spend time with her.

When they were on the ground, she would either spend time in her room or spend time in the lab. She tried her best to remove Dr. Hanson's fears, but the good doctor was very worried for her people. Kaylee was noticing she looked very tired. She started to fall. Luckily Kaylee was able to levitate her back to her feet.

"Thank you, Kaylee. That was a bit close."

"Are you okay? You seem really tired. Maybe you should go lie down?"

"I'm alright Kaylee really."

"No, you not. You haven't gotten any sleep. I may be young, but I know the effects of lack of sleep. Please get some rest." Kaylee made puppy dog eyes at Ariel and pouted slightly.

She couldn't help but stare into those little red eyes. What should look menacing. Looked really cute and impossible to resist.

"You don't fight fair." Ariel said as she went to her quarters. Kaylee followed her. Just to make sure the good doctor actually went to bed.

Kaylee sat with Ariel until she fell asleep. Kaylee moved Ariel's blanket using her mind. Now Ariel was nice and warm. Kaylee fill her mind with dreams then left the room. She went back to her room and looked through the books.

She sighed; she didn't feel like reading right now. So, she went to play with toys her parents had somehow gotten for her. She played out scenes from her imagination. Using her telekinetic abilities to move them. It was good practice for her, plus it was really fun.

Nova came into the room and watched her daughter play. She smiled at her little girl. Not a care in the world right now. Kaylee looked up at her mother.

"The mission is over sweetie. Your daddy's just talking with Swan." Kaylee nodded and looked back at her toys.

"Do you want to play with me mommy?"

"Sure sweetie." Nova and Kaylee spent the next few hours playing. It was a new experience for Nova as her mother never had time for childish games. Once they were done playing Nova Picked Kaylee up and took her to a spot where they could look and the stars.

The Bridge a day later…

Jim was overlooking his map. "Well Ariel, found a world for your people yet?"

"Yes! An unclaimed planet called Haven. It's near the edge of protoss space, but it seems safe enough."

"It'll have to do. Your people need to lay low for a while."

Matt walks up to the two of them. "Aren't either of you worried the colonists might be infested?"

"How could you even suggest that? They're perfectly healthy!"

"I hope so, Ariel. The protoss don't mess around when it comes to infestation. Just in case, maybe you should start looking into some kind of cure for the zerg virus."

"That would be a good idea. The protoss will burn the colony to ash if they even catch the smallest sign of infestation." Adrian comments as he looks over some logs.

Ariel taps her hand on a console in thought. "Conventional wisdom says a cure is impossible - the virus mutates too fast. But I'll look into it."

Jim just patted her on her shoulder. "Just do what you can. That's all anyone's askin'."

Ariel nodded and headed down to the lab.

"Kerrigan's learning some new tricks. The infestation on Meinhoff seemed particularly... virulent."

"You could say that again Matt." Adrian said putting in more logs. As well as updating certain tactics.

"It's about the worst thing I can imagine - losing who you are like that, all the while being slowly twisted into a damn monster." Jim looked out at the stars thinking about Sarah. Adrian's hand cruelled up into a fist.

"We'll just have to hope that they aren't infected. If they are…" Matt let the sentence hang in the air.

"I know - it's just a matter of time before the protoss come looking for them. Still, Adrian and I have a history with the protoss. If it comes to that, maybe we can talk 'em down."

Adrian headed back to Nova and Kaylee. While Jim headed to the armory.

In the Armory

"Never thought we'd be back on Meinhoff again. Ugh. We broke our backs tryin' to make a life on that rock... Kel-Morians squeezing us dry. 'Day we rose up... we just couldn't take it anymore, y'know?"

"I feel ya'. Man's got a duty to stand up and be counted sometimes."

"Ah hell, we were stupid. Havin' right on your side ain't no match for gauss guns and combat walkers. Lotta' folks died for nothin'. If you hadn't shown up when you did..."

"Hey, your people bought their own freedom - paid for it in blood. Me and Matt, we were just glad to help."

Swann looked at his console and turned it off. "Hey cowboy up for some drinking?"

"After the last few days' hell yes brother."

They headed to the cantina and grabbed some whisky.

"Thanks for joining us. Our own Kate Lockwell is reporting live from the refugee ship Skynyrd II, in orbit around the planet Meinhoff."

"Donny, the death toll out here is soaring. Massive refugee fleets like this one are struggling to reach the safety of the core worlds. Many of them won't. They're short on food, water and hope-"

"Kate, we'll discuss how the Dominion will rescue those worlds when we get there!"

"There's a lot of talk about rescue among the refugees, but they are pinning their hopes on para-military and rebel groups such as Raynor's Rai-"

"Great report Kate! Live from a refugee ship over Meinhoff, where everyone eagerly awaits the Dominion's return. Up next, a Vermillion commentary: refugees, are they really our responsibility?"

Jim shakes his head and takes a drink. "You're all heart, Donny."

Meanwhile…

Doctor Ashley Cutter was not in a good mood. Oh no, In the past month she had several failures with her work, her main experiment was being difficult, and to top it all off her brother was dead.

Her dear brother was always overreaching for a legacy. Trying to leave his mark on history. She just wanted to do her experiments and didn't care who for. She knew Mengsk had gotten the technology for her work from somewhere beyond most terrans reach. A small part of her scientific mind was very interested in the source of such wonders but at the end of the day, she really didn't care where it came from.

She looked over her notes. Trying to decide what experiment to try today.

"Well my dear test subject. What shall we try today?" She could see the pair of brown eyes glaring at her. "Now, now. No need to be so silent." Her test subject was still glaring back at her. "Hmm I'm thing we try plasma rifles today. It's a shame that the lab on Castanar was destroyed, so many brilliant minds lost. But at least now we have a large pool of more human weapons to plug into you. But you don't seem to mind the protoss weapons much." Again, she waited for a comment from her test subject. But again, she was only met with a glare. She sighed. "Oh well we might as well get started. I'll disable your pain receptors and we can begin." Ashly Cutter began using the various machines to install the plasma weapons into her cyborg.

She was very proud of her cyborg! But this was no normal cyborg, no this was a cyborg made with protoss technology. He was her Revenant! She found a way to store all manner of things into him. Her creation could build anything and store a true arsenal of weapons within his very body. Using nanotechnology to build or switch out whichever weapon or device he needs. Sadly, Ashly has limited success in making more than one cyborg with this technology. The other test subjects seem to die a lot during the initial phases of the augmentation and the ones that survived died during combat tests, or killed each other in a blind rage.

After a few hours she had placed all of the new schematics into his systems and tested their construction. "Alright, time to see what you can do now." She locked most of the doors. Her test subject knew the drill. He walked down the corridors to the arena.

He tried to remember his full name. But no matter how hard he tried he could only remember his first name. Alex…that was…no, is his name. His mind was clouded by the buzzing of the machines in his brain. He needed to find a way to get control over them. If he had a second, he could gain permanent control over himself. But the good doctor had a constant lock on him. He needed something. He had to find his brother. So much time had passed, and he was so different. He caught his reflection in a glass panel.

He looked like a ghost but instead of goggles there was a V shaped visor over his eyes. And his armor looked very protoss minus any floating parts. Gold metal with green lights all around him.

He continued his way to the arena. He guessed he would be fighting captured zerg. It could be protoss. He had been forced to fight them in the past. His mind reflected on his years in captivity. The slow torture, the metal abuse, he would have Dr. Ashley Cutter's head. Thankfully she loved to talk during the work. So, Alex knew his brother was alive and well. Not only that he had a daughter! Alex had lost his old family but now he had a chance to get a new family. Plus, he would hopefully find Adrian before he got married to the mother of their child. Her name is November as he recalled, but Dr. Cutter called her Nova. Alex smiled to himself as he enjoyed the fact, he was an uncle.

Alex had been wondering how he would be able to join the raiders. He had many useful skills he could offer them. Upgraded weapons and gear to start. He still needed a way out of here… but that would have to wait until after this combat test.

He entered the arena. The dome had been set up to look like a destroyed city. It was ready for his weapons test. He primed the new plasma weapons. One thing he could control was whether or not he morphed his arm into the weapons or generated handheld versions. This time he made for his hands because he enjoyed the feeling of a weapon in hand rather than it being his hand. A plasma rifle that looked like a protoss version of a C-14 rifle. He readied himself for the bloody conflict. The massive doors on the other side of the arena. A swarm of Zerglings came at him.

He aimed and fired. Each plasma bolt tears through the Zerglings like a hot knife through butter and caused small explosions which damaged others in close range. One thing about a Zergling charge is that it is vulnerable to explosives due to their close formation.

"Very good. But let's try something bigger." A second pair of doors opened. Dozens of hydralisks came out. They fired their spikes at him. He moved out of the way ducking and rolling into ruble for makeshift cover.

Alex continued moving from cover to cover. He moved and fought with a certain flare. His machine parts moved almost on their own accord.

The doctor loved watching these tests. She loved watching her favorite experiment fight. The power she had given him…had added to him. Like his older brother Alex had a Psi rating of 10. It's a shame their sisters didn't hold a rating at all. It took a great deal of effort to ensure that Adrian thought his younger brother was dead. Ironically her own brother was now dead.

Ashly sighed to herself. She had to admit she missed her brother to a degree. They were never close do to the sixteen-year age gap between them. Her elder brother was a prick and didn't speak with her often. But they were still family and that did count for something. She continued to watch the battle. A flawless test of combat. Based on battle she determined that her plasma weapon designs were ready for phase two testing. She would need to build actual prototypes then get a few marines to test them. Then phase three would be having ghosts test them for their effectiveness in covert and spec ops.

She laughed as she thought of the quick victories her new weapons would bring. The zerg and protoss would fall and then every terran world would fall under the dominion. Then they could push out of the sector and maybe take over Earth itself.

After looking at the carnage she ended the test and ordered her test subject back to his room. She had some post combat tests to run.

A few hours later…

The doctor had finished her rather invasive tests and had left the room. Leaving Alex on a metal slab all alone. He looked around the room. The cameras were watching him.

He had to be careful as they were no doubt monitoring his vitals. He carefully tested the machines plugged into his skull. He probed the defenses as best as he could.

His efforts were interrupted by a large blast which shook the whole base. It was big enough to knock out the power for a few moments.

'Finally!' Alex thought as he took full control of the machines in his brain. He made it seem like they were working normally but now, he was the one with full control.

The power came back on and alarms sounded all over the base. Alex hacked into the camera feeds and saw protoss attacking the base. From what he could see these protoss wore black and red armor and they were wreaking havoc. Alex took the opportunity to break out of his prison and start his escape.

He moved down the corridors with a protoss beam cannon in his right hand. He moved as fast as he could, dodging incoming fire from both terrans and protoss alike while responding in kind. He blasted his way through them leaving piles of gore or ash in his wake. Now Alex, didn't care who or what he shot. He just wanted his freedom and it was within reach. Plus, it's not like anyone in this place was remotely innocent.

He continued down the halls only to be stopped by Ashly Cutter. "Now, now Alex. You've already had some exercise today, there's no need for you to overdo it." She expected Alex to remain silent and glare at her but what happened next truthy shocked her. He laughed. It was a deep joyful laugh. Ashly stood still almost in awe. She had never heard him laugh! She cleared her thoughts and decided that she wasn't going to tolerate this. "That's enough! Override code delta omega seventy-six!" She knew the shutdown would kill him but that didn't matter right now she would just rip him apart and build something new.

But to her horror, nothing happened. Alex just continued to stand there and laugh. He stopped laughing after a minute. "I haven't laughed like that in years. Now doctor I have more than enough reason to give you a very slow and painful death…but I don't have a lot of time so any last words?" He asked her as he raised his weapon.

"Please don't kill me! I…I can make you even stronger! I can…I…uh, …um." She fell to her knees and cried. She begged for her life repeatedly. She had done horrible things to him but…she could have been much crueler. Alex had to admit he felt a bit sorry for her. She seemed to be stuck in her brother's shadow and had many issues. It was in this moment Alex made a choice. He changed the weapon on his right arm to a different device. He fired a swarm of bots at her. The bots entered her body and she looked terrified.

"Those were nanobots. I'm going to let you live but make no mistake. If you so much as step a pinky toe out of line those bots are programed to take over every single one of your senses and you will find yourself in a nightmare from which you will never awaken. You're going to spend the rest of your days helping people. Do I make myself perfectly crystal clear?" She nodded very rapidly. "Now get out of here while you can. Before I change my mind."

She didn't say a word as she bolted away from him. Alex shook his head and moved for the exit. The dominion would most likely be pulling out soon he needed a way off this planet. He could find some broken ship and repair it. It wouldn't take that long. He scanned the horizon and used his visor to zoom beyond the atmosphere. There were a lot more protoss ships coming.

"Ok not much time then." The battle continued with massive explosions going off in the distance. He spotted a protoss scout ship on the ground. "That'll do nicely." He snuck aboard and got rid of the crew. "Now to make this place a little homelier." He began to plug into the ship's systems changing things around to make things he'll need. It took about ten minutes to get everything the way he needed it to be but now he had a ship and was ready to find his brother.

He left the world that had been his prison for years. He was free. But now he was alone and while he could make a difference on his own, if he was to help against the zerg or the dominion in any significant way…He would need an army, or at least some forces. He saw a nearby asteroid field full raw materials that he could use. He sighed and set a course.

"Sorry Adrian. Our family reunion will have to wait."

A week later…

The Raiders had been called to help evac another colony.

"Ok Boys and girls that's half the colony. We need to keep this up just a little longer!" Jim yelled over the massive amounts of gunfire.

Adrian and Nova were calling down nuke strikes like no tomorrow. "I'm not sure how long we can keep this up Jim!" Adrian called out.

"We're starting to get overwhelmed!" Nova said as she fired multiple shots. Into a pack of Zerglings.

"Hold tight Raiders!" Jim called over the radio.

Suddenly a ship flew in from orbit and began firing some sort of energy blasts at the swarm. At first glance it looked like a Protoss ship but none they've never seen before. However, the troops that started coming down were definitely not Protoss.

"Raiders take cover!" A voice said over the comms. The machines that came from the ship wasted no time in attacking the swarm. They were able to push the swarm back and allowed the colonists to get to their ships. Within an hour all the colonists escaped the planet.

The Raiders Looked at the machine forms that helped them. They stood silently just watching them. Until a man walked up to the raiders base. He looked like a ghost only with protoss tech. Jim, Tychus, Adrian, and Nova went out to meet him.

"Thanks for the help." Jim said as he extended his hand. The man shook it.

"It was my pleasure Commander Raynor."

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but, who the hell are you?" Tychus asked as he sat down on a nearby large rock. The man removed his helmet and Adrian's heart nearly stopped. Standing there was his dead brother. Jim and Nova were equally surprised while Tychus was confused.

Alex just stood there waiting for his brother to say something. Adrian just stared at his brother. Then it hit him. Alex was alive, his brother was ALIVE! He didn't know how it was possible but there he stood. His thoughts where out in the open

"How…are you…still?" Adrian was struggling with the words. His memories of the event were crystal clear. He remembered watching Alex get shot through the heart.

"Alive?" Alex answered. "Well they fixed my heart after they took you away. Technically I was dead for about three and a half minutes…give or take a few seconds. I have to admit I spent years trying to figure out how this would go. Didn't really picture like this but I'm not complaining." Adrian ran to his younger brother and hugged him tight. Alex wasted no time in returning the embrace.

In the background, everyone else just watched on in silence. The two brothers reunited. Nova wanted to say something, but she didn't feel like she should interrupt the reunion. When they broke apart Alex looked at Nova.

"So, care to fill me in on my future sister in law?" That got a laugh out of Jim and Tychus. Nova and Adrian blushed a deep red. The thoughts running through their minds caused Alex to smile.

The Hyperion 10 hours later…

"Oh my god Adrian, she's precious." Alex said looking at his niece. Kaylee giggled at the attention. "And she's got your eyes." He ruffled her hair and moved back to his chair. Kaylee skipped back to her drawing she was working on humming a little tune while she worked.

"Yep that's our little angel." Adrian smiled as his daughter continued to draw. "It was a surprise, but I think we've adjusted well enough. I have no complaints." Nova walked in after getting the new ghosts started on their training. She knelt down and placed a kiss on the top Kaylee's head then sat next to Adrian planting a small kiss on his lips on her way down.

"So how are the new recruits looking dear?"

"Decent but it's not like we have a long line of people ready to sign up. But I think they'll fit in soon enough. So, Alex, getting used to this bunch of misfits?"

"Yeah feeling right at home. I think I can help Swann with the upgrades by making the tech needed out of raw materials mined from around the sector. Should free up some funds for other projects." A beep from Alex's comm link made him smile. "And that would be the shipment of some new weapons for you guys. Care to come and take a look?"

"New toys, now you're talking." Nova said as she and Adrian rose for the seat. "Sweetie are you gonna be ok here for a few minutes by yourself?"

"Yes mommy." She said sweetly as she continued her drawing.

The Armory five minutes later…

Nova let out a small whistle while holding the plasma rifle Alex had handed to her. It was well balanced and fit her like a glove. Alex spawned some holographic targets for her to shoot. Unsurprisingly she hit the bullseye on each target.

The raiders were head over heels with their new arsenal. While they were checking things over the two brothers were looking over Adrian's designs.

"Adrian these things are works of art!" Alex said. As the downloaded the plans to his ship. "They'll need a bit of tweaking but once that's done oh boy are these things gonna helpful." Adrian noticed a large box that was starting to wiggle.

"Alex what is that?" He asked pointing to said box. Alex turned around.

"Hmm?... Oh that? It's a surprise for Kaylee." He said simply.

"What kind of surprise?" Nova asked as she'd come over to check on her boyfriend.

"Might as well get Kaylee down here." He said as he laid out a few more weapons for the marines.

After getting Kaylee down to the Armory. Alex opened the heavy metallic lid and out came a robotic dragon. It was about Kaylee's size, with blue chrome coloured metal covering its entire body and glowing bright blue eyes. It stretched its wings and looked around. Once it saw Kaylee it immediately moved to her side and started to nuzzle her face.

"Her name is Crystal and she's all yours." Kaylee started petting Crystal then went to hug her uncle.

"Thank you, Uncle Alex!" She said as she went back to playing with her new pet. Nova and Adrian looked at Alex.

"What? It's not like she has any other kids to play with around here. I figured she could use a pet and a protector."

"Protector?" Adrian asked as he heard Kaylee giggle with her new pet happily running around her.

"Oh yes. I built in several defensive systems. Crystal can go toe to toe with a vast array of threats if needed."

Nova raised an eyebrow at him. "When did you even have the time to build her a pet?"

"Well I came up with the base design during my captivity. Crystal is the newest version through. She has nanobot generators built into her. Similar to the ones built into me. It'll allow her to increase her size and armament when needed. I built her a few hours ago when I was getting the rest of the gear ready. I figured might as well put the design to use. Plus, dragons have always been important to our family." Alex stated as he pulled out a big ass gun. "Hey Tychus, could you come over here?"

Tychus walked over to him a bit annoyed cause he was flirting with a couple of female marines.

"What is it kid? You're disturbing very important morale issues here." Alex just rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Oh? So, you won't be needing this then?" He said as he held the big ass gun in front of him. "Well I guess I'll just put it back in storage. Sorry that I disrupted your very important duties." Alex said with more than a drop of sass in his voice. Tychus's eyes went wide at the sight of such a beautiful weapon.

"Now let's not be too hasty kid. I was just uh…" Alex shook his head and tossed the weapon to him. "Whoa this thing is a monster! What's it do?"

"Well it's a plasma chain gun. You'll be able to melt through armor very quickly and with the power source inside you be firing about two hundred thousand shots before needing to cool the power source off. That should take about ten seconds then you'll be ready to shoot some more. Here try it out on the holo targets." Alex spawned a few targets and within five seconds they were gone.

Tychus had a mile grin has he held the weapon affectionately. "Sweet Christmas this is a thing of true beauty." He seemed like he was on the verge of tears.

"Okay this just got weird." Nova said as she shook her head.

Another beep came from his comm link.

"Already? Well that's timely." Alex noted Nova and Adrian were watching Kaylee playing with Crystal. He called for another dropship to get the next set of gear that had just finished. Within minutes the ship had landed, and the gear offloaded.

Nova looked at the new crates. "And what's in these?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "New ghost suits. I thought they'd come in handy." He opened one of the creates and handed Nova her new suit. *

She went to get into the suit, and she had to admit she liked it. Adrian had to admit. The new suit looked really good. Adrian's new suit like Nova's had a bit more armored plating than before. The rest of the ghosts got their new suits as well. Alex had then started on designing upgraded weapon systems for the Hyperion as well as a smaller ghost suit for Kaylee.

Another week went by as Alex had begun fully tuning his forces. He had set out scouting units to build shipyards and bases around the sector. He needed a larger ship if he was going to be useful. A nearby ship graveyard that the Hyperion was close to offered more than enough materials he could use.

It took a day to break down all the parts and scrap into what he needed. But now his ship was three times the size of a protoss carrier. With a more human look though. With machines being able to work around the clock grand projects could be made rather quickly.

Alex stood on the bridge of his ship overlooking the construction of smaller ships. A handful of frigates and corvettes plus upgrading the Hyperion's weapon systems.

Alex realized he'd neglected to name his ship. It seemed unimportant that the time but when Kaylee asked him what the name of his ship was, he felt the need to fix the oversight. Alex paced the floor of the bridge thinking it over in his head.

His AI crew had tried to assist him, but they were still coming into themselves and their lives. His mind jumped to what this ship represented. It was a representation of the freedom he now had, a sword in the stars that would avenge the wrongs that were done to him and his kin by the powers that be. 'An Avenger? Hmm'

He typed the words into the terminal in front of him. The Avenger. That's what his ship would be called. Now that the ship had a name, he turned his focus to his forces. He could replicate drone variants of terran vehicles and troops. He added his own modifications to improve them, of course. At present he was constructing a more powerful variant of Vikings with twin linked plasma gatling cannons, Cluster plasma torpedo launchers, and shielding systems. He had a feeling they would be needed soon. Next day proved him right.

A day later…

Ariel Hanson was worried. All contact with Haven had been lost. Jim had agreed to go check up on the colony and so here they were. Ten minutes away from Haven. Kaylee's knowledge and abilities with zerg genetics had been a godsend in getting a cure going. It wasn't ready yet, however. She stood on the bridge looking at the map.

"My people established a new colony on Haven. It was going well, but now the colony's gone dark. They're not responding on any frequency. We need to get there and see what the situation is. They might have been exposed to the zerg virus, and they are on the verge of protoss space. Jim, I'm worried that something has gone very wrong."

Matt stood and looked at Jim. "We're almost to Haven, but there's still been no contact from…sir, there's a protoss fleet holding in orbit They're disrupting all communications to the surface - and it looks like they're powering up their main weapons!"

"Jim! You have to stop this!"

"Matt, open a channel to the protoss. Let's see how diplomatic they're feelin'." A female protoss appeared.

"En Taro Tassadar, James Raynor. I am Executor Selendis. Your bravery and service to Aiur are known to us."

"En Taro Tassadar, Selendis. Listen - with all due respect, your fleet needs to pull back. The people on Haven are no threat to you."

"Our Observers detected zerg hive spores infesting the colonists. They must be purified. If you wish to undertake this mission in our stead, we will permit it." Looking over at Ariel, Jim saw a data-pad in her hand.

"Jim, some of my people are infested but you can't let the protoss just destroy them all! If you keep the protoss at bay, I know I can find a cure for the infestation."

"The only cure for zerg infestation is purification by fire. You know this to be true, James Raynor."

"I can cure them, Jim - believe me!"

"If you choose to resist us, we will meet in glorious combat. The choice is yours, James Raynor. We await your answer."

Jim looked Selendis right in her eyes. "I ain't gonna stand by while you wipe out a whole colony, Selendis. Not while there's still a chance we can save 'em."

"Then it shall be an honor to meet you on the field of battle. Your reputation as a commander is most impressive. I trust you will live up to it." With that she cut the feed and began to move in.

"Thank you, Jim, Thank you so much. Whatever's happening on Haven, my people don't deserve to be wiped out. We'll make this right. I'll find a cure." Alarms went off around them. "Jim, the protoss are already closing in on the colony! My people don't stand a chance!"

"We're gonna have to stop that 'Purifier' of theirs before it can wipe the whole place out. Get everyone evacuated to the main base, Ariel. If the Purifier gets that far - we're done. Well, 'least we can we can count on 'em bein' methodical. They'll stop to burn every settlement along the way."

"You sure know how to pick a fight, Cowboy. I got something that'll help ya. I called in some favors and got us Viking schematics and Alex was able to upgrade them. Remember, they can change from a jet into a combat walker and back again. Pretty nifty stuff."

"Jim... The Purifier's drawing power from several protoss Nexus - its shields are completely impenetrable! How can you stop something like that?"

"Easy: we knock out those Nexii first, then we take down the Purifier. Don't worry Ariel, we'll stop 'em!"

The Raiders deployed as quickly as they could.

"I've located the protoss Nexuses that are channeling power to the Purifier's shields. We'll have to destroy them before we can stop the Purifier! Some of the colonists didn't make it to our base in time. We should be ready to assist them when the protoss attack."

"My forces will keep the colonists safe." The various mechanical soldiers charged at the Protoss. Matching them blow for blow. They did a good job protecting the colonists whilst the Raiders got set up.

The Protoss had not expected this kind of defense and were given pause. It had been awhile since they saw a challenge like this, and they really didn't like it. Alex was still ironing out his designs and tactics, so he lost more units then he had expected despite the recent upgrades.

"Okay people we're up and ready to go."

"That's good commander. Because the Purifier is on the move!" Alex said over the comms. "I'm sending some fighters to try and stall it, but I don't know how long they can keep it back.

"Right, Ok people we need to hit the Nexii. Once you get in range let 'em have it!"

Back on the Hyperion,

Dr. Hanson wasn't looking too good. Kaylee knew she was sick. The young girl was currently putting her knowledge of the zerg to use. She was using her telekinetic abilities to help Ariel stay up right.

"I need to finish…this." The cure was close, but Kaylee knew she wasn't going to last much longer. She lifted Ariel into a chair and went to the computer. All she needed to do was finish the cure. Kaylee looked at the genetic structure of the virus. To her it was like reading a book. She found the last sequence the cure would need to be able to destroy the virus. She adjusted the cure and began to synthesize it. Doctor Hanson began coughing roughly. Blood could be seen coming out of her mouth. Kaylee quickly grabbed a hypodermic needle and injected Ariel with it.

The doctor collapsed out of her chair and clutched her stomach. Kaylee was worried she messed up. She started to panic as Ariel curled up into a ball and groaned.

"Doctor? Oh no!" Kaylee started to panic. Crystal got closer to Kaylee as she knew that if the cure didn't work the doctor would become a threat to Kaylee and would need to be deal with.

Back on Haven.

"Push them back!" Alex ordered his cyber marines and knights. They held the protoss back, but Alex wasn't too sure they could hold forever. He was worried for his creations. He didn't like watching them get hurt. But he knew it would be impossible to keep them out of the fight. They were apart of him and they held his drive to fight.

He led a charge against a group of templars. Plasma blades clashed as they combatants engaged. Alex was doing his best to not kill them as they could be potential allies in the war to come. Soon a colossus came into view.

"Ok so you guys want to play it that way. Fine by me." Alex radioed to the Titan he had built. The massive kilometer tall bot made the ground shake. Its shoulder cannons targeted protoss buildings while it other weapons began bombarding the colossus. "Really hope you guys give up soon. This is a really nice planet."

Raynor came onto the comm with some much-needed good news. "All right people the doc's found a cure to the Virus and we've crippled the purifier." Selendis came over the comm.

"You are as cunning as the stories say, James Raynor. I hope your belief in these colonists will be vindicated." The protoss forces withdrew from the planet and the colonists were given the cure.

The Hyperion had landed on Haven to drop off some supplies and people. Ariel was packing her things when Adrian, Nova came in to say goodbye.

"Well doctor looks like this is goodbye for now." Adrian shook her hand. Ariel pulled him and Nova into a hug. Kaylee joined in by wrapping her arms around their legs as best she could.

"You know you three could stay and build a life here." Ariel spoke softly. Her thoughts were clear and honest. The two ghosts would be lying if they said the offer wasn't tempting. They wanted Kaylee to grow up in a safe environment and Haven was a beautiful world. But they had commitment to the raiders. However, things were only going to get more dangerous from here. They couldn't put their little girl in danger by staying.

'But I don't want to leave.' Kaylee said to her parents mentally. Adrian and Nova thought it over. They knew they couldn't leave Kaylee on Haven alone.

'I know it's dangerous, but Kaylee does know a lot about Zerg biology. Once all is said and done, we could come back here and raise her properly.' Nova thought, and Adrian nodded.

"We can't stay right now doctor. But once this is all done…" Adrian let the thought trail of.

"I understand. You'll always be welcome." Ariel close her final box and was about to head out of the lab when Alex waked in.

"Ah doctor I was looking for you. Some of my troops would like to stay and provide a defense force. The two frigates would be staying as well if that's alright with you?"

"Oh, of course they'd be welcome."

"Good. I assure you they'll be very helpful. Anyway, I'll see to it they're set up and ready to assist you with anything you need. Good luck." With that he left the room.

Kaylee gave her one last hug before she left the lab.

Things were peaceful for the next few days. There was a small sense of relief as the zerg invasions seemed to out right stop. As the Alex began to add ships the Hyperion now had permeate reinforcements which was one hell of morale boost for the crew.

All in all, things seemed to look up. Until Valerian called. "Commander, our mutual friends at the Moebius Foundation have located the last artifact fragment. When this final piece is secured, we can proceed to Char and confront Kerrigan. Good luck, Mr. Raynor, I fear you'll need it."

Jim looked at the map and called everyone to the bridge. Alex and Valerian joined in via vid call. "My Moebius associates have finally tracked down the last piece of the artifact. It's on a derelict Xel'Naga ship located within the Sigma Quadrant."

"Pretty far off the beaten path, junior..."

"The artifact is...here. The ship has several Rip-field generators which disintegrate everything at a molecular level in a matter of moments. Fortunately, our new Minotaur class battlecruisers should be able to survive the fields long enough to destroy the generators."

"That seems like a major waste of personal." Alex commented.

"Well do you have a better way to deal with them?" Valerian retorted. Alex turned his attention to another screen for a moment. "Actually, I do. I can construct remote controlled smart bombs which will be able to get past the fields and destroy them trouble is I'll need someone to man the cannon and will fire them. Care to give it a shot Tychus? You seem good with weapons of mass destruction."

Alex could sense Tychus's fear and thought it best to appeal to his skills at mass destruction. This would allow him to be a part of the action without endangering his life.

"You got yourself a gunner kid." Tychus was rubbing his hands together and grinned from ear to ear.

"Good please head onto the Avenger. I'll get you used to the controls."

"Anything else we should know?" Jim asked Valerian.

"Well, long range scans have identified a sizable Tal'darim force holding in the area."

"Well looks like we'll get to test those new toys after all. Adjutant prep the ship for jump. Let's get this over with." Raynor ordered.

20 minutes later…

"My forces are on the move. They've set up artillery to keep some of the Tal'darim forces pinned down, but others are making it through." Alex stated.

"Don't worry Jimmy I got 'em in my sights. This beauty has lots of ways to destroy things. Now let's blow these guys away!" Tychus turned the secondary plasma cannons attached to the main cannon at the approaching enemy troops. They were destroyed in a magnificent display of plasma.

"Hot damn I love this beauty! Main payload is ready to fire. Oh, this is gonna be good!" The first smart bomb was launched, and the generator was destroyed. "BOOM!"

"Nice shot Tychus. Just try not to blow us up."

"Aw Jimmy you worry to much."

The enemy forces pressed their attack. Chaos followed as the battle grew more and more intense. Alex's forces had to pulled back a bit in order to nail the enemy with some heavier firepower. He was about to target an enemy encampment but noticed something on the scanners.

"Interesting. Jim, I think I've found something."

"Whatcha find Alex?"

"I'm reading Dark Templar energies near and enemy encampment. You might wish to investigate."

Sure, enough Alex was correct. A group of dark templars were being held in a containment field.

"En taro Tassadar, friend Raynor! The Tal'darim have imprisoned all who oppose them. Release us and we will gladly fight at your side against them."

"Ok hold tight. Nova Adrian see if you can get this field down."

"You got it."
"On it!"
Adrian and Nova called out.

It took some doing they were able to deactivate the field.

"Our thanks, James Raynor, The Tal'darim will pay for their treachery." The leader spoke.

"We will join the hunt for the Tal'darim." Said another.

"My blades thirst for vengeance!" Called a third.

"Truly you bring freedom to all, friend Raynor."

"Alright let's get that artifact."

The attack began again and they pressed toward the vault. As they drew close a Tal'darim Executor spoke out on all comm channels. "Your presence is an abomination to this place! You shall feel the wrath of the chosen!" A mothership appeared and began to attack the battle cursers.

"Well somebody seems upset." Alex responded. His forces moved to intercept the Tal'darim.

"You will die out here in the darkness." The Executor claimed as his ship continued it's onslaught.

"Tychus would you mind shutting him up?" Alex asked as he shifted his forces around.

"With pleasure kid." Tychus took aim and fired at the mothership. In a spectacular display of light, the ship broke apart.

"Fools! My...spirit returns to the Xel'Naga..." The Executor called out as death came for him.

With their leader dead the Tal'darim were routed and ran form the battle as fast as they could.

"Alright, we're clear. Grab that thing and set a course to rendezvous with Valerian." Jim ordered.

Once all was said and done the artifact piece was secured. Everyone knew what was going to happen next and it had some of the crew…unsettled.

Hyperion Cantina a few hours later…

"You boys gotta wake up! Raynor sold us out! I joined this outfit to fight the Dominion not work for 'em." Milo Kachinsky an engineer that worked under Swann said and some of his crewmates agreed.

Swann however was trying to calm the crew members that had gathered down. "Everybody simmer down! We trusted the commander before - we should trust him now!"

A couple of marines however weren't convinced that their leader had their best interests at heart. They hadn't even removed their armor which meant they were considering doing something rather stupid.

"Why? That drunk is gonna get us all killed and for what? To try and get his girlfriend back. We're nothing but pawns on the board to him!"

"We don't need that kinda poison on this crate!" Swann called as he pinched the air with his mechanical arm pointing at the lead marine.

"That right?" The marine asked as he grabbed Swann and tossed him back at the table knocking it and Kachinsky over.

"At this point a man's only able to trust himself the sooner you morons figure that out-"

"'Heard about enough of this." Jim said standing in the doorway with Tychus armored up behind him.

"You might have the rest of them fooled Raynor. But we know that when shit hits the fan you'll cut and run. Be it Tychus, us, or the murderer you insist can be saved." Jim took the cigarette he was currently smoking and flicked it at the lead marine and then shit started. Tychus took on the two other marines while Jim ducked out of the way of the leader's attacks. As the fight went on and the marine couldn't get a hit in, he reached for the jukebox.

"Don't do something you'll regret son." Jim warned but it was too late. The Jukebox had been torn from it's place and thrown at Jim. He ducked out of the way and grabbed the now exposed power cable and fried the marine's armor.

"Cheap…Shot…" He said as he collapsed to the floor. Tychus had just finished beating the absolute crap out of the other two marines and placed his boot on one of them.

Jim turned to his crew. "You think he's right? That I'm just gonna run out on ya?"

"You've got us working for the Dominion now, Commander. Taking us back to Char. It's like you're gone already." Kachinsky said as he was trying to help Swann to his feet. Jim moved over and gave Swann his hand and got him onto his feet. Everyone in the room was now gathered around and listened in.

"This ain't about the Dominion. Our war's has always been about savin' lives. If the zerg wipe everyone out, it's all been for nothing. So I'm going back to Char. If you're with me, it's your choice. Just like it's always been." Jim said and then walked toward the marine.

Kachinsky turned to his friend Annabelle Thatcher. "Now that's the commander I've been waitin' on!"

"Satisfied?" Swann asked looking back at the crew.

Kachinsky chuckled. "Let's get back to work, boys." With that the crew members left the room.

Jim placed his boot square on the Marine's chest plate. "I don't wanna have to have this conversation again." His head turned to the destroyed jukebox still slightly sparking against the wall. "And fix my damn jukebox!"

With that Jim and Tychus left the room and the marines were left on their backs. "Uh…little help? ...Anybody?"

A few ghosts got the marines out of their armor and escorted them to the brig.

Alex had sent over a repair bot which looked like a teched out spider to fix the jukebox. It took mere minutes and some of the engineers couldn't help but watch as the (as they had dubbed it) spider bot worked. After a few minutes the jukebox was repaired and back in its place.

Hyperion bridge 2 hours later…

Jim looked out over the stars. He knew what was coming, this thoughts hung thickly in the air. Adrian walked up behind him.

"So I guess this is it?" He asked leaning against the navigation console.

Jim turned to him. "Yeah, this is it. Look Adrian…you and Nova have a kid to look after, No one would think-"

"Nova and I are planning to see this through. Kaylee is going to be safe on one of Alex's support ships out of the system though she was rather fussy about it. Jim Nova and I are with you all the way brother."

Jim smiled.

"Well then I guess all that's left is for you and Nova to get our ghosts ready as this is gonna be a long couple of days."

Adrian nodded and left the room. With that Jim gave the order.

"Alright boys and girls set a course for Char."

…...

*I got the Idea for Nova's new suit from a piece of fanart. It's called Starcraft Ghost Nova Final on Deviant Art. It's by Zeronis. If you need a visual for Nova go check it out. It's the pic that inspired this fic. And while not exact it's a very good image.

December 30th 2020

And I finally managed to get this chapter done. I hope it was worth the wait. So next chapter will wrap up Char and depending on feedback may start the heart of the swarm storyline but after that Legacy of the void will be a bit altered.

Well hope those of you that follow this story enjoyed the chapter and feel free to message me with thoughts and comments

Happy New year everyone!