Chapter 11
On a remote planet, several individuals met, discussing their plans for the future. They were somewhat unlikely allies, but the necessity created by the UED invasion had forced them together.
Kerrigan was the first to speak. "Now, I know most of you aren't happy to see me, and we have had our differences in the past, but the reality of our current situation makes the need for cooperation self evident. The UED has conquered the Terran Dominion and they have also enslaved the young overmind. With those two forces combined, they will dominate the sector, as their use of the Psi Disruptor has crippled my forces."
"You seem rather irritated. It seems that the terrans have dealt you a serious blow", Zeratul noted.
Kerrigan gnashed her teeth. "Yes, they have pushed my out of Tarsonis and my armies have taken serious losses."
"What do you propose we do, Kerrigan?", Artanis asked.
"The first step is to take the Psi Disruptor out of the equation. We will need both of our forces combined if we are to defeat the UED", Kerrigan said.
"And I suppose you have a plan for that, and you need our help?", Artanis said.
"The Psi Disruptor is located on Korhal, and it is among the most guarded locations in the sector. Vice Admiral Stukov is personally managing the defenses", Kerrigan explained. "There is no way that a conventional assault can succeed without my Swarm. However, I won't be able to utilize my forces unless the Psi Disruptor is disabled. Therein lies the problem. However, a frontal attack isn't the only method available to us. That is where you come in, Zeratul."
"You and your dark templar are masters of infiltration. I want you to help me to sabotage the Psi Disruptor." Kerrigan began explaining our plan. "We will get onto Korhal under the guise of a terran vessel. The minds of ordinary terrans are easily fooled by someone of our caliber. Then, we can sneak in and destroy critical components of the Psi Disruptor."
"What shall we do after we disable the Psi Disruptor?", Fenix asked.
"We will have to kill the overmind", Kerrigan answered. "The overmind is a threat to all of us and absolutely must be killed."
"You simply wish to control the entirety of the zerg", Zeratul retorted.
"I will not deny that it will be of benefit to me", Kerrigan said. "But it is in your interest as well. The UED have come to control the sector, once they defeat me, you will be next."
"The UED are indeed dangerous foes", Fenix acknowledged. "They are resourceful and are led by a skilled commander. On Aiur they managed to thwart our escape. If they keep their control over the overmind then we cannot defeat them in a conventional battle."
"Much as I remain apprehensive, I see your point Kerrigan", Zeratul said reluctantly. "I shall have to return to Shakurus and consult with the matriarch before making the decision."
"Very well", Kerrigan said. "Our meeting here is done then."
After Zeratul returned the Shakurus, he obtained authorization from Raszagal to gather several skilled dark templar to go on the mission. A few days later, the operation was to begin.
Kerrigan, Zeratul, and several trusted dark templar were gathered in Augustgrad to strike at the Psi Disruptor. The Psi Disruptor was in the area of the city filled with military installations. It was at the core of the UED defenses on Korhal, well defended from an enemy attack. Mighty walls, scores of bunkers and siege tanks surrounded the compound. Even the mightiest army would find it almost impossible to break into this place. But a strike from the shadows was a different matter.
Their method of entry was through a delivery truck which was bringing supplies to the compound. Upon arriving at the gate, a guard came to inspect the contents of the truck. The guard entered the truck and saw some boxes of food, as was to be expected. As he went further in, he discovered that most of the truck was empty. The confused guard was about to trigger an alarm, before he froze. Then, he turned around and said that there was nothing to report. The guard, who was a normal human, had no resistance to Kerrigan's mind control.
Once the truck made its way into the compound, the infiltrators activated their cloaking before sneaking out of the truck. They were quiet as they walked through the hallways, avoiding contact with people who were passing by. Unnoticed, they began moving closer to their objective.
However, they soon paused as they saw that up ahead there was a sensor network, capable of detecting cloaked individuals. Trying to pass through would likely trigger an alert. This wasn't too much of an obstacle for them. Kerrigan manipulated the insides of the device psionically, causing what seemed to be a simple circuit short. This wouldn't seem overly suspicious until a detailed investigation was made, and by then they would be long gone.
Finally, they came upon the first objective, the central security room. From here, the rest of the compound was monitored and the entire security system was controlled from this location. The security room was well guarded, having a set of blast doors guarded by sizable division of marines and bunkers in front of it. There were also wall mounted turrets that contained a high tech sensors.
It was time to take action. With a swift leap, Kerrigan landed among the surprised marines while Zeratul and the dark templar moved through the shadows and appeared next to the defenders before they could even blink. The swings of blades decapitated several of the marines, jerking the rest of the defenders into action. The marines turned to face the attackers while the wall mounted turrets pivoted to begin firing.
Zeratul moved swiftly through the ranks of the marines, his blade slicing them apart. His shield held against the attacks for the time being. Kerrigan nimbly dodged the shots from the wall mounted guns, before retaliating with a psionic blast which blew one turret to pieces. Then, she dashed in, seeking to tear the turrets from the walls. As she got closer, there was less time to dodge the bullets, allowing the shots from the turrets to hit Kerrigan, but the damage was merely an annoyance to the Queen of Blades, who soon took her revenge on the turrets by tearing them apart with her wings.
A sudden shot tore into Kerrigan's shoulder, and she turned around to face the assailant, a ghost. He was cloaked, but that wasn't of much use against Kerrigan, who was easily able to sense the psionic signature of the ghost. Kerrigan dashed forward, intent on ripping the ghost to pieces. The ghost quickly reloaded another round, firing it at the approaching queen. The psionically propelled sniper round slammed into Kerrigan's midsection, breaking through the carapace and embedding itself in her body.
Kerrigan hissed in annoyance but now that she had reached the ghost he would not have another chance to fire. Her arm grabbed the ghost's rifle, tearing it from his grip as her knee slammed into his chest, breaking several ribs. The ghost drew his knife, but a quick swipe from Kerrigan's claw tore his hand off, and the knife dropped to the ground. Finally, Kerrigan's wings impaled themselves through the ghost's body, killing him instantly.
Very soon, the men standing out in the open had all been slaughtered, and the only remaining resistance came from the bunkers, within which huddled several frightened marines. Zeratul's blade cut a hole through the door hinges of the bunker. The door fell to the side, and Zeratul entered, killing the occupants of the bunker. The other bunkers were soon destroyed as well, eliminating the last of the defenders.
Now, all that was left was the doors. The doors were made out of thick reinforced neosteel, and it was locked tight. There was a time for subtlety, and there was a time for force, and now was a time for force. Kerrigan unleashed a focused blast of psionic energy at the door, cutting a hole through it. Then, they entered through the opening.
The security room was filled with a bunch of panicked guards. None of them put up any effective resistance as Kerrigan and the dark templar slaughtered them.
Kerrigan sat down in front of the computer, with a room full of warm corpses around her. She quickly began accessing the security system, disabling the alarms and automated defenses. The camera network was set to loop yesterday's footage and the secured doors were unlocked.
"The Psi Disruptor was first built by the Confederacy", Kerrigan told Zeratul. "This facility is still running on their security architecture. I am familiar with Confederate security, this shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
Kerrigan was true to her word. Once the facility's defenses were taken offline, she explained the next task to Zeratul. "There are three important components to the Psi Disruptor. If we destroy them, then the Psi Disruptor will be unable to function. Firstly, there is the power generator, I will take care of that. Next, there is the broadcast array, Zeratul you will go destroy it. Lastly, there is the signal calibration system. The rest of the dark templar will destroy it."
"Very well", Zeratul said. "We must move swiftly. Soon the Terrans will discover our attack."
Zeratul had arrived at the chamber for the Psi Disruptor's broadcast array. The journey through the hallways had been trivial after the detection sensors had been disabled. He clicked the button next to the door, and it quickly sprang open. The men behind the door were surprised by the sudden opening, as they would usually be notified before the door opened. They looked out, and saw no one there.
"What the hell?" The marine appeared quite confused. "Why did th-"
His statement was quickly cut off as his head fell from his shoulders. The rest of the guards gaped in shock before fumbling for their weapons. But as they looked around, they didn't see anyone. Yet, one by one they were dying.
"Attack!", one marine screamed, before he was cut off by a blade through his throat.
The panicked marines scattered while other guards began streaming into the room. Men were falling to the ground, one by one.
"What is going on? Who is attacking us?" The guards were in a state of total chaos. Some of them began randomly shooting, hoping to hit the invisible enemy by luck. Their shots mostly ended up in their own allies, and those that did strike Zeratul were blocked by his shield.
"I think I saw it right there!", a marine shouted. "I saw a shimmer!"
Everyone began shooting in that direction, but by the time they did, Zeratul was long gone. And while they were shooting, yet more of them died. It didn't take long before the rest of the guards were killed.
Explosives had been prepared for this mission, and now Zeratul took several out and affixed them to the massive piece of equipment in the center of the room. With his mission complete, Zeratul left the room. Not long after, the bombs detonated.
A scientist was at his computer, monitoring the output of the signal calibration system. He heard the door open behind him. He spoke as he began turning around. "Hey Casper, thanks for bringing me the-"
He paused, recognizing that the intruders was not his assistant. His eyes widened in shock, but before he could let out a cry, the blade of a dark templar severed his head from his shoulders.
A marine was standing guard outside the main reactor core along with several of his comrades. He began speaking to one of his friends. "Hey Billy, it sure is quiet around here. We've had to stand here for weeks, and nothing ever happens."
"Yeah, I dunno why we even need to be here", Billy said. "It's not like anyone is going to attack us here. They would have to get through all of the defenses outside. I don't see the point of all this tight security. The Vice Admiral sure is strict. Who is even going to attack us-"
To everyone's shock, Billy's head fell to the ground, his neck gushing blood. The surrounding marines froze, hardly believing what they just saw. Then, a figure appeared next to them, the air shimmering as the cloaking deactivated.
Kerrigan smirked. "I overheard your little conversation. You little Terrans are so amusing."
The marines screamed. "What is that thing? Shoot it!"
A hail of bullets soared through the air toward Kerrigan but halfway through their flight, they froze. Then, the bullets shot back in the other direction, killing the marines that shot them.
Leaving the dead marines behind, Kerrigan stepped into the main reactor room. The gunshots outside had alerted the people inside and now they were in complete pandemonium. Scientists ran in every direction, trying to get away. Meanwhile, several other marines approached, backed up by a goliath.
The goliath aimed its guns toward Kerrigan, but before it could begin firing, the pilot found the machine escape from his control as Kerrigan grasped it telekinetically. The goliath toppled over, crushing the marines in front of it.
The final marine looked down at the wreckage mere inches from him in shock. Then, he turned to face Kerrigan. Raising his gun, he began firing, only to find his gun jam.
"Now now, we couldn't have you do that", Kerrigan said, mockingly. She strode up to the terrified marine.
The marine turned to run, but before he could even get a few steps, he discovered Kerrigan's wings sticking out of his chest, having pierced through his back and out the front.
With the remainder of the guards dead, Kerrigan planted the explosives.
The reactor exploded in flames, and the facility plunged into darkness, having lost its power. In the darkness, Kerrigan, Zeratul, and the dark templar escaped, having accomplished their mission.