Chapter Twenty-one: Shadow Hunters
The might of the khalai was unleashed.
Fenix hewed down zerg by the dozens. He carved a swath through zerglings and rushed on to attack the zerglings. Power surged through his veins, and he was not alone. He could feel his brethren filled with strength and resolve unlike any other.
He felt as though something within him that had slept his entire life had woken up. As though he had come alive. His blades moved faster; his strokes were stronger. Nothing could stop him.
At last, he stood atop a hill, looking upon the destruction wrought against a hive cluster and laughed. "The zerg fall before us like wheat! This strength, I have never felt anything like it!"
Zeratul appeared. "For the first time, the two sides of our race are as one, Fenix. Light and dark represent different aspects of ourselves. Now those aspects have united.
"The one and the many works in unison toward a common goal. Together the zerg cannot stand against us."
So the battle continued. In the distance, Fenix beheld Tassadar and Artanis' fleet. Scouts launched antimatter missile to obliterate mutalisks. Carriers launched their payloads against the zerg on the ground. They tore the enemy to shreds. Thousands of zerg flyers rushed to attack them, only for half of them to be frozen in place by an arbiter. The rest were laid to waste in mere moments.
As the stasis wore off the others were destroyed. And amidst it the Gantrithor was there. The huge carrier annihilated the zerg by the hundreds with every moment. It obliterated spore colonies and sunken colonies like it was nothing.
Nothing could stop them. It was so easy.
The combat continued for more than half a day. Zeratul and Fenix led their brethren in many desperate assaults. Yet these were successful again and again. For every protoss that fell, it seemed as though armies of zerg were slain. Light and dark welled within the khalai as they carved a path through the enemy.
Laughter echoed among them.
And at last, they came to the cerebrate. It stood cowering at the center of its hive cluster. Fenix and Zeratul hacked through an ultralisk and made for it.
"There is the cerebrate Zeratul!" cried Fenix. "Strike quickly before it can escape!"
"Wretched protoss." said the cerebrate. "The swarm cannot be stopped!" Zeratul drove his blade into the heart of the beast. "All shall be… assimilated…"
And then it faded away, dead.
Zeratul looked in grim satisfaction as the brood fell into disarray. "Your foul taint will be purged from the universe. Tassadar shall see to that."
"We've gained control of this area." said Fenix. "Yet there are still more hives to destroy. Let us press on and burn them. Should we fail, our names shall be remembered-" And then he felt a familiar presence.
He looked up upon a clifftop. There it was. His enemy mocked them. "…Kaloth is over that ridge."
"Are you certain?" asked Zeratul.
"More certain than ever." said Fenix. "He is calling to us."
"Why would that creature makes itself known in such an exposed fashion?" asked Zeratul.
"We will take a force and go to meet him." said Fenix. "We will need only a small one. I do not want to weaken the main assault."
As the offensive continued, Zeratul and Fenix took a shuttle up to the cliffs. There they felt the presence of Kaloth. Yet it seemed different from last time. As if an outline had been colored in on a white canvass.
And then Fenix realized what it was. Kaloth's spirit was manifesting independent of a body. No cerebrate on record had done so. Was this some new evolution?
"So the vaunted Dark Templar has shown himself at last." said Kaloth.
"Kaloth. Today you answer for the destruction wrought upon both our people's." said Zeratul, moving forward.
"As opposed to the destruction wrought on the swarm?" asked Kaloth. "Why is the life of a protoss of more value than that of a thousand zerg?"
"Save your breath, creature." said Zeratul. "The zerg are but mindless extensions of the Overmind's will. As are you."
"And yet you've felt enough of a personal vendetta to come all the way out here to confront one." noted Kaloth. "Your words and deeds are as empty as your vaunted ideology. For who was it that led us here, I ask you?"
Zeratul stopped in place. Fenix noticed how he shuddered. Something Kaloth had said had hit a nerve. "What does he mean?"
"Tassadar did not mention that, did he?" asked Kaloth. "Zeratul gave us the location of Aiur."
"You lie." said Fenix.
"Do I?" asked Kaloth. "How do you think the Overmind was able to find Aiur so quickly. Was it a coincidence that it happened after the Dark Templar started killing cerebrates? Zeratul wanted to reunite his people. What better way of doing so than to create a crisis for him to save them from?
"Did he not tell you that his mind touched with that of the Overmind? What secrets did he give us, do you think?"
"Enough!" cried Zeratul.
The Dark Templar sprang forward, blade in hand. But as he did so, it halted in place. Light and darkness arose to halt the blade. The two wills pressed against each other. Then suddenly Kaloth faded from view. Zeratul fell to one knee beneath the momentum.
Fenix saw the ground beneath Zeratul tremble. "Look out!"
He rushed forward and knocked Zeratul away. As he did massive spines came out of the ground and were driven into him. Fenix screamed in pain as the blades were driven deep. Then they were pulled out.
Fenix hit the ground, seeing his own blood spilling out over the ground.
There was almost childish laughter. "See Daggoth; I told you that combining hydralisks into a super strain would work really well!"
"They appear to have died from shock after their first attack." mused Daggoth. "This strain will require additional mutations before it can be made combat ready."
"Look, I'm just glad it worked, okay." said Kaloth.
Fenix drifted off into blackness.
How foolish had it been to come here? Of course, it had been a trap! And yet Zeratul had allowed them to fall into it. Now Fenix was badly injured!
Zeratul kneeled by the fallen warrior. The wounds were very deep, and he had already lost much blood. He looked to Varsus. "He needs medical attention. We can't treat him here. Take Fenix to the Gantrithor at once."
"Yes, Prelate." said Varsus.
Zeratul then stood. He looked at the blood soaking the ground. Whatever creatures had burrowed within there were dead.
But something was still here. "Show yourself, creature."
"How ironic. The coward who uses other races as a shield for his assassinations now tells me to face him fairly." said Kaloth. "You killed my brother and forced me to destroy all that remained of him.
"We'll meet again Zeratul. Very soon.
"Think on this. We got the location of Aiur from your mind. What else might we have learned?"
Then he faded.
Zeratul shifted. Then he realized the meaning of the cerebrates words. "…Shakuras."
His homeworld. He prayed that Kaloth had merely been bluffing. But what if he wasn't?
Could it be that Zeratul would return to find his home in ashes?
Fenix awoke within the medical bay of the Gantrithor. He'd been here on several occasions. It hurt a lot more than the previous times. His head ached badly, and his body was sore in many places. Still, he seemed whole enough. Zeratul was sitting by his side, hands clasped together. He eyed the Dark Templar tiredly. "Is it done, Zeratul?"
"No." said Zeratul. "Kaloth has escaped. I fear he may cause untold destruction before the end."
Fenix remembered what had been spoken. "Is it true?"
Zeratul remained silent for a very long time. "When I killed Zasz I believed my will strong enough to keep the Overmind out of my mind. I was a fool. And many have paid the price for it.
"I will gladly yield my life when this is over if you desire it."
Fenix sighed. "There is no purpose. All beings make mistakes. The Conclave chose to persecute your brethren. They did so long after their original crime was beyond living memory. Yet there is still great virtue and valor in them."
"For all you know Kaloth could be right." said Zeratul. "What if I was attempting to reunify our people by-"
"Kaloth is my enemy." said Fenix. "You are my ally. I need not say whose word I should trust more.
"And I do not believe that one who possessed such malice as to lure the zerg to Aiur entire would risk all to save it. There are many colonies of the protoss that would be easily corrupted, especially when Aiur was destroyed.
"Had you been what Kaloth claimed you could have left me to die. You need only have said Kaloth was responsible if the Conclave spoke truly.
"The Conclave was wrong about you, Zeratul. I was wrong about you." He looked at his injuries. "I am hardly injured."
"We have combined terran medical technology with our own." said Zeratul. "Our techniques largely revolve around motivating the spirit to heal itself. The terrans have a more… physical approach to healing.
"We have more to learn from them than we thought."
Fenix breathed out. "How goes the battle?"
"With Kaloth's departure the zerg have fallen into disarray." said Zeratul. "And we now have a direct path to the Overmind. There is no news from Raynor, yet."
"All goes well." said Fenix.
"Let us pray our luck holds." said Zeratul.
"There is no luck." said Fenix. "Fortune is made by the one who seeks it."
The swarm was reeling. And yet there was no fear. Many casualties had been suffered, yet there was only a contemplative mood. The ashes of the hive clusters, the deaths of two lesser cerebrates. It was of no account.
Kaloth wondered what their names had been. And what they had been like. Although he had sparred with many cerebrates, none of them had had a name. He did not know them as friends, only brothers.
He missed Zasz. He was sure Zasz would have known them by sight. But would he have mourned?
It didn't matter. All was going as planned. As the Conclave did battle with the will of the Overmind far above Aiur all was silent. Kaloth and Daggoth entered the main hive.
It was sprawling, larger than any other hive cluster in the whole of the universe. The strongest broods of zerg were here, for this was the heart of the swarm — the domain where the spirit of the Overmind was at its strongest.
They had been called.
"Kaloth, Daggoth, come to me." said the Overmind.
They came before him and prostrated themselves. Yet it was not as other cerebrates. If they were terrans, they should have been kneeling. Not lying before him. Both had earned that. Daggoth long ago. Kaloth just recently.
"Mighty Overmind, the protoss are approaching the primary hive cluster." said Daggoth. "We stand ready to do battle with them."
The Overmind said nothing for a moment. "Your courage and ingenuity is a testament to the swarm, Daggoth. However, you have another task. As do you, Kaloth."
Kaloth felt confusion. What was he talking about? "Task? But the terrans and protoss are about to launch their final assault. Shouldn't we stay to defend you?"
Kaloth felt as though the Overmind were smiling. If he were a king upon a throne, he should have risen. "Behold my children. Now comes the hour of reckoning. Soon the culmination of all that we have sought shall come. Even now the Conclave's power wanes before my will.
"Yet the protoss shall put forth all their remaining hopes on a final assault. With its failure shall the last defense be beaten down, and their khalabe laid bare before me. Then shall all the khalai be brought into the fold.
"This shall be their final hour. Yet it shall also be mine."
"What?" said Kaloth. He looked to Daggoth, who seemed to have been expecting this. "You… you're the swarm."
He felt the Overminds will run through his, calming him. "My purpose is to engineer the assimilation of the protoss. Soon shall the form of the protoss fuse with the essence of the swarm. Thus shall our races be made as one and the ultimate strain of zerg wrought.
"Then shall we possess power enough to correct the mistakes of creation. With the culmination of evolution we shall defeat the great enemy. In so doing we shall bring about the triumph of all creation. From there the swarm will have time to contemplate the path forward that we may further evolve.
"For as one evolution is completed new ones shall always open up before."
Kaloth couldn't believe this. This couldn't be happening. "I don't understand. Why do you have to die?"
"I will not die." said the Overmind. "But my presence must be withdrawn. For I have at last discerned the source of purity of form. It is the will of the individual. As one entity the swarm would stagnate. Yet as many it would continually evolve. Thus it was that I created cerebrates.
"My efforts have brought the swarm to the pinnacle of its essence. Yet I can lead you no further. You and you alone must make the next steps.
"The way has been prepared. Soon the Conclave will be destroyed and the will of the protoss broken. Then shall I enter into the khala and fuse my essence wholly into it. Their wills shall become mine to command. For they have given themselves to the khala and through it, they shall give themselves to the swarm.
"From there I shall retreat beyond sight. The swarm shall act as I will, but my voice shall be heard through the many, rather than the one."
He turned to Daggoth and his will gazed upon him. "Daggoth, you are my chosen. When I have departed, you will rule as Overmind in my place."
Daggoth had known of this, hadn't he? He never did let things on. "As you command, mighty Overmind."
Then the Overmind turned back to Kaloth. "Kaloth, my son, your brother will have need of you. You were born from the essence of terrans, and in so doing you have become the greatest of my generals. The experiment which wrought you has yielded fruit beyond even my imagining.
"I now entrust you to lead the armies of the swarm. The terrans will seek to control us. To make our strength their own. You shall bar their path, and purge those who fall away from the swarm."
"Thank you, mighty Overmind." said Kaloth. Wasn't he forgetting someone? Oh right, now he remembered. "Um… is there a plan for Kerrigan?"
The Overmind remained silent for a moment. "…Who?"
Was he joking? Kaloth supposed he would never know. "I'll take that as a no. What of the terrans? The other races?"
"They shall be spared. Essential to all evolution is struggling." said the Overmind. "Thus from this day forth no species shall be wholly exterminated by the swarm. For all have potential to produce traits of value. Instead the weak shall be culled and the strong allowed to thrive. We shall take such specimens from them as will greater ourselves. So the swarm shall have rivals to strive against and in so doing ascend to greater glories.
"These are my final words. After these, I shall speak no more in ears of flesh.
"I am the light and the darkness. The zerg and the protoss. The one and the many. I am all things. I shall be with you to the very ends of the universe. And all that are part of me that fail shall be made anew."
Author's Note:
So this chapter was a lot shorter than I thought it would be.
I guess I skimmed it because it is basically another destroy all enemy buildings mission. Okay, that isn't quite fair. Shadow Hunters does serve a narrative purpose. It makes good on the Dark Templar plotline. It also makes sense to have the final assault on the Overmind have a pre-climax confrontation. Plus you can destroy the cerebrates with a precision strike. I just prefer to wipe out all zerg bases.
Even so, I'm about to have an action-packed climax. Dwelling too long on Shadow Hunters seems like it would take away from things. It is more or less a prologue to the main event.
In my original plan for the cerebrates who fight would be Kaloth and Daggoth.