Finished Majora's Mask about halfway through writing this chapter, but a hectic schedule meant the rest was still slow going. Also, the release of Pokémon X and Y on the 12th will likely cause even more delays as I delve headlong into the Kalos region.

I've decided that pretty much the only big mission-order change will be moving the "Exposing Mengsk" line of missions to before the final artifact piece and the following alliance with Valerian. That, and having Haven take place after New Folsom.

PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

Hyperion cantina

"Thanks for joining us" Anchorman Vermillion said on the screen. "Our own Kate Lockwell is reporting live from the refugee ship Skynyrd 2, 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 of 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're pinning their hopes on paramilitary and rebel groups such as Raynor's Rai-"

"Great report, Kate" Vermillion abruptly terminated Lockwell's signal. "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?"

"You're all heart, Donny" Raynor snarked as he finished his sandwich.

10 minutes later – Hyperion laboratory

Egon Stetmann looked up from his work as Raynor entered the lab.

"Commander," he said, "the alien artifact is secure in this containment field, sir. You know, seeing it got me to thinking about my special projects-"

"Woah – slow down, Stetmann. What do you mean, 'projects'? What kinda research are you doin' down here?"

"Well, nothing big just yet, sir. I still need some additional specimens to really get things going. Once I get those, we can make some big improvements to our weapons systems and tactics!"

"Well, I'm all for that. Whaddya need?"

"All kinds of things! I've entered the details into our database. If you run into something on a mission that we need, you'll be notified automatically."

"Just try not to blow up the ship, okay Stetmann?" He then looked at the artifact. "Can you tell me anything about this artifact, Dr. Hanson? I gotta admit… it kinda weirds me out…"

"I've done some preliminary studies" the pretty doctor replied. "Your artifact is a few dozen thousand years old, but that makes it pretty 'young' in xeno-archeological terms. Most artifacts found so far are hundreds of thousands, even millions of years old. By comparison, this one was made recently."

"It ain't like anything Protoss-made I've ever seen. But if they didn't make it… who did?"

"Probably the Xel'Naga" Shion replied as she walked in. "According to what Prelate Ulan told me, they were an ancient race on par with the Forerunners from the UNSC's home dimension, though a bit farther in the past. They guided the cultural development of the early Protoss, and then guided the evolution of the Zerg… and got killed by the Zerg as soon as the buggers realized the Xel'Naga were there."

"So I guess that means the owner's manual ain't lyin' around anywhere we can find it?"

"Probably not, Commander."

-Mini-Break-

"Well, Ariel, find a world for your people yet?"

"Yes!" the doctor replied happily. "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."

"Aren't either of you worried the colonists might be infested?" Matt cut in.

"How could you even suggest that?" Ariel snapped at him. "They're perfectly healthy!"

"I hope so, Ariel" Raynor said. "The Protoss don't mess around when it comes to infestation. Just in case, maybe you should start looking into some kinda cure for the Zerg virus."

"Conventional wisdom says a cure is impossible – the virus mutates too fast. But I'll look into it."

"Just do what you can. That's all anyone's askin'."

Jim then walked over to Matt.

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

"It's about the worst thing I can imagine," Jim said, "losin' who you are like that, all the while being slowly twisted into a damn monster."

"If any of Dr. Hanson's people on Haven are infested…"

"I know – it's just a matter of time before the Protoss come lookin' for 'em. Still, I have a history with the Protoss. If it comes to that, maybe I can talk 'em down."

"The Moebius boys think there's another artifact on a world called Monlyth" Tychus said as he walked up to Jim's side. "Supposedly, there's Protoss guardin' it – a group of fanatics, call themselves the Tal'darim. Now, don't get all sentimental thinkin' these Tal'darim are your old Protoss buddies… cause they ain't."

"Yeah" Ahsoka said as she walked up. "According to the data Shion brought us, the Tal'darim are ultra-religious nutjobs who've attacked the more sensible Protoss as well as any human they lay eyes on."

"Great" a UNSC marine guarding the bridge said. "It's the Covenant all over again."

"Did ya catch all that, Colonel, Ship-Master?"

"Yes, Raynor" Arum replied from the Starshot's bridge. "Our warriors are ready, and our slipstream drive will soon be as well."

"Right. Navigations, set course for Monlyth!"

-SCENE BREAK-

High orbit over Monlyth

"There it is, Jimmy" Tychus said as the group looked at the holo-screen, showing another Xel'Naga artifact in a suspension field in the middle of a quartet of huge Protoss stone statues, with a Tal'darim base surrounding the artificial island it was on. "Just like Moebius said. Easy money."

"I don't know…" Raynor replied. "There's a lotta crazy Protoss down there. We're gonna have to- what the?"

Huge amounts of Zerg came into view, attacking the Tal'darim.

"Warning!" the Adjutant announced. "Multiple Zerg bio-signatures detected!"

"Ah, hell…"

"Them critters were just hidin' underground, waitin'?"

"No idea, but you can bet they're headed straight for the shrine."

"Well, that sure complicates things. We can't fight two armies at once, partner…"

"With any luck, we won't have to. We only need to hold the area at the top of the shrine long enough to extract the artifact. So we'll land here," he highlighted an area in the south, "and cut our way through the Tal'darim lines while they're busy with the Zerg. It's only a matter of time before the Zerg overrun the Protoss. We'd best grab the artifact and be long gone by then."

"We'll assist however we can" Col. Holland said. "Gamma-1, Gamma-3, and Gamma-6 will join you down below."

-SCENE BREAK-

"The Zerg severely outnumber the Protoss forces" the Adjutant reported. "It is likely the Protoss will fall shortly."

"Then we've gotta get that artifact before the Zerg overrun this entire place" Raynor said.

Sounds of battle could be heard from the north as the Raider base set up defenses, with a bunker with an auto-turret blocking the northwest entrance, and marines standing by.

"Warning: Protoss 'Stalkers' are gathering at our perimeter."

Indeed, a trio of dark-grey-armored quadrupedal walkers, the edges of their armor plates painted in Tal'darim colors, was gathering at the bottom of the base's entrance ramp. Suddenly, a Seagull dropship flew in.

"I got somethin' new for ya, cowboy" Swann radioed. "Marauders – the latest word in big badda-boom hardware."

"I ain't sure this is the best time to be experimentin', Swann" Raynor replied as the ship dropped off eight heavily-armored soldiers.

"Best time there is! Let the Marauders loose against those Stalkers and you'll see."

The three Tal'darim Stalkers approached, and were promptly blown to scrap by the Marauders' grenade launchers supported by the nearby bunker's auto-turret. A few minutes later, a pack of Zerglings attacking from the northwest met the same fate, being shredded before they could get into attack range of the heavy-armored soldiers. A Pelican flew in, dropping off a Warthog with an MLRS. It then flew slightly west, dropped down to pick up a Protoss artifact, and then flew back up into low orbit and to the Hyperion.

The Starshot sent down an Albatross full of UNSC and Raider marines, who linked up with more Raiders emerging from the groundside barracks. They all grouped up with the Rocket 'Hog (with Kaede manning the launcher), making ready for their first assault. As one, the attack group moved down the base's access ramp and headed for the cluster of Tal'darim guarding the entrance to the nearby light-bridge – a pair of Photon Cannons supported by a squad of Zealots. A barrage of Warthog rockets and Marauder grenades destroyed the Pylon powering the cannons, while massed fire from the marines cut down the Zealots before they could get into melee range. The Marauders were free to then destroy the deactivated Photon Cannons at their leisure.

Back at base, a SAM launcher was completed just in time to shoot down a pack of Mutalisks attacking from the northwest, while a few more marines and Marauders were suiting up in the barracks, heading out to join the group by the bridge once they were ready. Eventually, once the attack force counted 16 marines (nine Raider, seven UNSC), five Raider medics, 10 Marauders, and the Rocket 'Hog with Kaede on the launcher and Ahsoka riding shotgun, they started across the light-bridge. At the other end were two Photon Cannons and two 'Warp Prism' droids. Fortunately, the cannons' power-pylons were closer than the cannons themselves; Kaede used the Warthog's rocket launcher in concert with the Marauder's grenade launchers to shatter the power crystals, de-powering the cannons across the way. Unfortunately, as they neared the other end of the bridge, the two Warp Prisms conjured barriers to block off the exit, trapping the attack force on the bridge. Their fire quickly destroyed the Tal'darim droids, a few medics patching up some wounds amongst the marines, but they would have to wait a few minutes for the barriers to dissipate on their own.

Once the barriers finally faded away, the attack force moved the rest of the way across the bridge and moved southeast. The Warthog raced on ahead, slamming into a Tal'darim Stalker and knocking it over with heavy damage, while Kaede fired the multi-launcher at the other nearby Stalker, overwhelming its shields and blowing it up. The first one staggered to its feet, only to fall to a few grenades from the Marauders as they and the marines caught up. Scans showed a Tal'darim base at the top of a nearby rock ramp, so they hunkered down and waited for reinforcements rather than try to take the base with potentially-inadequate numbers.

Back at base, Teana used Mirage Sniper to kill Hydralisks amongst the moderately-sized pack of Zerg presently attacking the base. A bunker with an auto-turret and four marines helped considerably with the defense, as did the pair of Firebats who had emerged from the barracks a minute ago. Before long, the last smoking Zergling corpse was tumbling down the entrance ramp, and the Firebats, along with eight more Raider marines and a medic, gathered around the little Spartan. The group headed out, heading east across the light-bridge and linking up with the initial attack force. The Warthog and three Marauders moved southwest a little, quickly scrapping a lone Photon Cannon and Warp Prism and nabbing the artifact they'd been guarding; at the same time, a scout team from the base acquired a third artifact to the north of the base.

"What's the size of the Tal'darim base atop the hill?" Teana asked.

"Some Stalkers and a few Warp Prisms," Ahsoka replied, "along with some Photon Cannons, and a small-sized Nexus along the northwest section of the base. It's not a very big base, but it's between us and the artifact we need."

"Then let's scrap it. We'll move along outside the cannons' range and take out their pylons. Kill any units that attack you, but focus on taking down their power grid. Let's go!"

The attack force moved up the rock ramp, staying to the left out of a right-side Photon Cannon's range. Before long they reached the Nexus and opened fire, working on bringing down the command building's shields. Within moments a pack of Tal'darim Stalkers came charging in; their hard-light blasters wounded a Raider marine and killed a UNSC one. A Saber Throw from Ahsoka took out the legs of two of them, leaving them vulnerable to the Marauders' fire, three more fell to the Rocket Hog's MLRS, and the last one tried to bring a few more marines down with it, charging at them even as its shields failed, but a shot from Mirage Sniper punched through the weakened armor and then the skull of its pilot, and it collapsed. The attack force then continued shelling the Nexus, which was soon shieldless and showing increasingly heavy damage. A Sangheili Phantom flew in, dropping off two Ghosts and adding its three cannons' fire to the task, and soon the Nexus went up in a ball of fire.

The eastern side of the base was a bit more heavily-defended – a force of Zealots and Stalkers congregated around Photon Cannons and a pair of Gateways, along with a few other support buildings further south. The attack force targeted the closest Photon Cannon, quickly scrapping it as the medics kept the attackers in fighting shape. The Stalkers and Zealots came running, and everyone shifted fire to them. Kaede used the MLRS to blow three Zealots sky-high, while Teana and the marines, along with the two Sangheili Ghosts, focused fire on the others. One Zealot managed to get in close, ignoring his downed shields and ramming his psi-blade through a Raider marine's chest; the marine's comrades quickly avenged his death, filling the Tal'darim Protoss full of holes. The Marauders, meanwhile, focused on the Stalkers, their heavy armor protecting them from the little walkers' blasters while their grenade launchers made short work of them.

Rather than take the time to destroy everything, they then simply focused on destroying the power pylons, leaving the Gateways and surviving Photon Cannons without any power. One Ghost raced south, past the now-dormant buildings, and nabbed another Protoss artifact before moving back up to join the others. Their final obstacles were a pair of Stalkers and a pair of Warp Prisms; a rocket barrage from the 'Hog scrapped the latter, while the Marauders and Ghosts then dealt with the former before they could get off more than a single volley. The way clear, everyone headed into the next area, up to the ancient artifact. Three massive stone statues of Protoss warriors surrounded it. Everyone looked around, wary of Tal'darim forces or advance Zerg scouts laying in ambush. However, as they approached the artifact, a stone 'cage' sprung up around it, and the sound of shifting stone and flowing energy alerted the group to a rather unexpected final obstacle.

"Oh, come on…" Ahsoka muttered.

The three massive statues had come to life, eyes glowing orange as they took slow, thunderous steps off of their platforms. They stared down at the humans (and two Sangheili and one Togrutan), the glow of their eyes becoming brighter.

"Everyone, move!" Teana shouted.

The force scattered in all directions, just as orange beams of destructive energy lanced out from the animate statues' eyes, scoring the ground. Everyone returned fire – rockets, grenades, vehicle-grade plasma bolts, and lots & lots of bullets all began chipping away at the three statues' bodies. The golems fired again, and one Marauder went down as a thick orange beam burned through his head. The rest of the Marauders focused fire on the statue's head, which soon came apart, the headless golem toppling over backward and breaking apart. A barrage from the Rocket 'Hog took out one of the second statue's legs, leaving it to fall and sustain heavy damage upon impact with the ground; focused armor-piercing rifle fire on its head finished it off. The last golem stepped on two marines, reducing them to bloody smears and chunks of crumpled armor on the ground. The Warthog, Ghosts, and Marauders fired at its neck, the combined explosions blowing its head off to fall into the water off of the edge, the body soon following. Finally, the stone cage surrounding the artifact retracted.

"I got a crew comin' down to pick up the artifact" Swann radioed.

A UNSC 'Albatross' heavy dropship flew in, retrieving the Xel'Naga device and heading back up to the Hyperion.

"We got what we came for!" Raynor said. "Let's high-tail it outta here!"

"I forgot how resourceful you were, Jim' an echoing female voice spoke telepathically to the Raiders. "I won't make that mistake twice."

"Kerrigan…"

The Raiders' base was quickly brought back up to the orbiting starships, just as the last of the Tal'darim resistance crumbled before the swarm.

-SCENE BREAK-

Archives room of the Hyperion

Tychus paused the helmet recording of a doomed marine at the millisecond before Kerrigan, whose glowing-eyed face filled the screen, struck the long-dead man down. He lit his cigar and turned off the screen, and noticed Matt Horner's reflection, showing the man standing right behind him.

"That's funny, convict" Matt said. "I don't recall giving you access to our database."

"Just keepin' up on current events, 'captain'" Tychus responded, as Matt turned the screen back on, revealing the still-paused image of Kerrigan. "Seems this 'Queen o' Blades' got everybody runnin' scared. She don't look so tough."

"You have no idea who she is, do you, Tychus?"

"Don't matter to me none."

Matt looked pensive for a moment, and walked over to the viewport. "Well, it matters to Jim. They were… close once."

"Wait a minute…" Tychus chuckled. "You're tellin' me they were shacked up?"

"Apparently, she was something else… before the Zerg took her. Turned her into that."

"…and Jimmy feels responsible."

"Honestly, if we have to face her again, I don't know what he'll do."

"Woman like that… there's only one thing to do…"

He put the lit end of the cigar to the screen, right between Kerrigan's eyes.

-SCENE BREAK-

Bridge

15 minutes later

Matt Horner walked in to find Jim Raynor studying the star-chart.

"I caught Tychus hacking into our database," Matt reported, "sniffing around about Kerrigan. I don't know what his game is, but we clearly can't trust him."

"Matt," Jim replied, "me and Tychus ran together a long time – got into all sorts of trouble. When the law finally caught up, he took the rap for both of us. Never once ratted me out. I got a second chance, he got locked up."

"I understand your loyalty, sir, but-"

"I owe him, Matt. Leave it be."

"Yes, sir"

Cantina – 47 minutes later

"Your Moebius buddies ever happen to mention that the Queen of Blades wants those artifacts too?" Raynor asked Tychus.

"Hey, they just give me the missions, man" Tychus replied. "What's it matter, anyway? Puttin' that bitch down would be doin' everybody a favor…"

"I thought it was just about the money with you, Tychus."

"Nothin' says I can't do my part for humanity and get paid well for my trouble."

"Right"

"This is Donny Vermillion, live from UNN. Tonight we're going to discuss the infamous Queen of Blades. Scientists and military insiders have long speculated that the enigmatic alien is, in fact, an infested human."

"That's right, Donny. Is it possible that the leader of the Zerg has a human heart?"

"More importantly, Kate: could this mean some kind of Terran/Zerg alliance is possible?"

"Donny, there's never been any evidence – at all – to suggest that infested humans retain their free will."

"You make a good point, Kate. The question is then, how do we kill her?"

"That's one I think we can agree on. If humanity is to survive, the Queen of Blades needs to be dealt with."

Lab – 21 minutes later

"That Zerg woman seemed to know you" Dr. Hanson said. "She really rattled you, didn't she?"

"Me and her... well, we go back a ways" Raynor replied. "She was a Ghost once. Back then, we were hooked up with Mengsk and fighting to get rid of the old Confederacy. We made a pretty good team."

"What happened to her?"

"She was a… casualty of war. No offense, doc, but I really don't like to talk about it."

"I understand."

"I've been hearin' strange stories from the crew of late – unexplained noises, strange visions – voices in the dark. Rumor has it these artifacts are haunted."

"Superstitious nonsense! These artifacts are completely inert and they're contained down here in the lab. There is some trace radiation, but I don't see how they could affect things elsewhere on the ship!"

"Heaven forbid we run across alien tech that messes with our primitive little monkey brains. Just keep a close eye on 'em, doc."

"Oh – Commander!" Stetmann walked up. "I've been giving these artifacts some thought… Oh – don't worry - I know what you're gonna say - I haven't been running diagnostics on them or anything! Well, at least not directly, at any rate..."

"Just spit it out, son."

"Well, sir – when the second piece was added? The ambient containment field spiked drastically. Hm, I know. If we add any more pieces, we'll need to draw even more power from the ship's fusion core to maintain the field."

"So holdin' these things is dangerous and expensive. Well, the sooner we get 'em off my ship, the better."

Bridge – 14 minutes later

"Are you alright, sir?" Matt asked. "Confronting Kerrigan again after all these years…"

"We've gotta stop her, Matt… no matter what she's after."

"Well, we gave her a setback today. The artifacts are obviously important to her; I just wish we knew why. Oh, and there's a message for you, sir."

"Let's hear it."

"I hear de mighty Jim Raynor's on de move, but short on funds" said a man with dreadlocks, a thick beard, glowing eyes, and a Jamaican accent. "De planet Redstone's got de most valuable minerals around, an' with de Zerg invasion, de Kel-Morians packed up an' left it all behind. Some enterprisin' men could turn a big profit there. Meet me at Redstone if you want a piece of de action."

-SCENE BREAK-

High orbit over Redstone

"Redstone. Heck of a place. I ever mention how much I hate volcanic planets?"

"Good to see ya made it" the earlier message-sender contacted them. "Dey call me Tosh. You help me mine de minerals I need, and I'll make it worth your while."

"What's the catch?"

"Well, dis place is a little… unstable. De low ground gets flooded with lava every few minutes. Of course, that's where the richest mineral nodes are found. But that'll be no problem for a big, tough guy like you."

"Sir," Matt reported, "I'm also picking up Zerg bio-signatures on the surface. We'll need to spend some of what we mine just to defend the operation, and the more we spend the longer this is gonna take."

"Huh. Lava and Zerg – two of my favorite things. Let's do this."

"Gamma-1 and Gamma-6 will assist" Col. Holland radioed. "Lanstar's Mjolnir armor and Tano's connection to the Force will protect them from the elements. The rest of the team will have to stay up here, though."

Ahsoka turned to Teana. "First one to toss 20 Zerg into the lava wins."

"You're on."

-Break-

The SCVs were hard at work gathering rich minerals, while the barracks deployed around a dozen marines. Not long after they all set to work, an alarm sounded, and the ground began to shake. The SCVs immediately broke for high ground, making it to safety with plenty of seconds to spare. A Vespene gas refinery was constructed while they waited out the lava surge. As soon as the surge subsided, the SCVs immediately got to work again, and a five-minute timer appeared on everyone's HUDs.

"We're gonna be doin' this shit all day?" one SCV pilot said. "This whole mission is gonna suck balls".

"Hey, at least our rigs have air conditioning" another replied.

Teana led a squad of Raider marines northeast. As they moved across the low ground, a 'small' pack of Zerglings attacked. Teana fired a 40mm grenade from Mirage Rifle's underslung launcher, killing two of the beasts, while the marines' C10 assault rifles dealt with the rest. They hurried to another rocky plateau up ahead, moving up the rock ramp, and found another Command Center with a few SCVs.

"Tosh sent ya to help?" one of the SCV pilots asked. "'Bout time! Let's finish up this contract and get the hell off this planet."

"I got some friends comin' to help you out" Tosh contacted the Raiders. "Shock troops with jump-packs and demo charges; dey call demselves Reapers."

To the east, eight heavily armored figures with jump jets descended from higher ground, joining the assault force and easily dealing with a small pack of Zerglings.

"Reapers, you say?" Swann replied. "We got those with us now? Hell, cowboy, we gotta train more of these guys; they're seriously badass!"

"Coulda called themselves something different…" Marie muttered to herself (her comm. was off), an image of the mechanical eldritch abomination Sovereign appearing in her mind.

The now-airborne command center landed in the low ground to the east, and the SCVs aboard it started gathering minerals from the nearby field. The Reaper squad reached the main base and then headed south, led by Teana who currently had a UNSC jump-pack attached to her armor.

"Ah, sir, sir," Dr. Stetmann contacted the base, "Scanners show a large bio-signature close to your position – a Brutalisk, I think. If you could kill it and grab a couple samples, that'd get my… err, ourresearch off to a flying start!"

The jetpack team moved south from the main base, crossing the low ground and reaching another plateau, making small talk and jokes as they went ("I thought I was signin' up to be a repo man; imagine my surprise!" "Hey, do we get scythes at any point?" "That rock formation looks like a giant dick thrusting toward the sky. …Crap, did I say that over the comm. channel?"). They moved a little further in, and before long they encountered it: a massive Zerg creature, as big as an Ultralisk if not a little bit bigger, with eight huge bone-spike limbs, six of which it used as legs, a nest of huge spikes along its back, a purple-hued tail with a claw of sorts at the tip, and a head crowned with a single, curved central horn above a three-tusked mouth. The Brutalisk let out a deep roar as it spotted the puny humans before it.

But the 'puny humans' had heavy ordinance at their disposal; a barrage of detonation charges from the Reapers and a pair of rockets from the M41 SSR launcher Teana was carrying impacted the massive beast's tank-armor-grade chitinous hide, blowing chunks out of it but not doing enough real damage to do more than piss the monster off. The Brutalisk charged, its six spike-legs carrying it forward with slow acceleration but surprising speed once it got going. The Reapers and Teana used their jump-packs to jet out of the way, narrowly avoiding a swing from its massive scythe-claws. As the group opened fire again, Teana happened to chance a look at the countdown on her HUD, which read less than a minute before the next lava surge.

"Hey, guys!" she said. "I've got an idea!"

The squad began retreating in bursts while continuing to fire at the Brutalisk, luring it down to lower ground; the beast, driven by rage, pursued them even as the ground began to tremble. Soon, the ground heated up, a glow visible in the cracks in the earth. At Teana's signal everyone used their jump-packs to soar to the top of a rock spire. The Brutalisk charged, preparing to ram the stone pillar, when suddenly the lava surge rolled in. It screeched and roared as its lower body was engulfed by the molten rock, thrashing for a few seconds before it then went still, slumping against the stone spire as its body broke apart beneath the lava. When the surge retreated and the ground became solid again, all that was left of the Brutalisk was its head, smoldering and partially skeletonized.

"I think that's a good enough sample for Dr. Stetmann" Teana said.

Back at the bases, the SCVs returned to work, and before long the mineral fields to the immediate north of the main base were soon depleted. The command center lifted off and set down in the low ground to the immediate south, and the SCVs got to work on that mineral field.

"Your men work fast" Tosh radioed. "We already got half of what we need."

Teana and the Reaper squad moved southeast, finding four more Reaper troops. Nearby was a Zerg Hatchery guarded by a single pack of Zerglings; Teana used Mirage Sniper to pick off some of the beasts, and then joined the Reapers in jumping in to mop up the rest of them; the heavily-armored soldiers then proceeded to kill the Hatchery with half a minute's worth of det-charges. At the same time, a force of Zerg launched an attack on the main base. However, the Zerglings and Hydralisks met fierce resistance in the form of three individuals: Ahsoka, and two 'Devil Dogs' Firebat mercs. The flamethrowers easily roasted the Zerglings, while the commanding Hydralisk met its end to Ahsoka's lightsabers cutting it into three pieces.

The northern command center cleared out its nearby mineral fields and flew south, setting down next to another one east of the primary base. Interrupted by one last surge, it didn't take long after this to reach the quota.

"Alright boys, nice work" Raynor broadcasted. "We got what we came for. Now let's get outta this hellhole!"

"Finished already?" Tosh asked, as the dropships and mobile buildings headed back up to orbit. "You really are as good as dey say, Mr. Raynor. I'm tinkin' you and I got a lot more business we can be talking about."

-SCENE BREAK-

Hyperion bridge

"Nice work, sir" Matt said. "The payoff from Redstone really got us back on our feet."

"Why is that Tosh guy aboard?" Raynor gestured to the scary man at the terminal.

"He wanted to talk to you in person, sir. Something about conducting more 'business ventures' together."

"You do any diggin' on him?"

"Of course, and he's no pirate. Rumor has it that he's a renegade Ghost – and until he vanished he was one of the Dominion's top assassins. Now Mengsk hates him almost as much as he hates you."

"Well… I like this guy already. Just the same, we'd best keep an eye on him."

"Yes sir"

Cantina – 20 minutes later

"You ever heard of a guy named Gabriel Tosh?" Raynor asked Tychus.

"Only rumors" the big man replied. "Way I hear it, he was mixed up in some covert branch of the Ghost program that produced some real scary badasses. Word was Tosh snapped and went rogue. I'd play it real cool with that kind. He'd cut your throat soon as look 'atcha."

"I've dealt with rogue Ghosts before" Jim replied. "It's the ones still workin' for Mengsk I got a problem with."

A news update came up on the TV.

"Donny Vermillion, UNN. Your first, last, and only stop for the truth". ("Bullshit" fake-coughed Marie) "Tonight, our own Kate Lockwell uncovers a secret shadow war, waged by our brave Dominion Ghosts against a ruthless, hidden enemy."

"Thanks, Donny. I'm talking live with *BEEP*, a specialist in the Dominion *BEEP*. *BEEP*, I understand that you and your comrades have been *BEEP* against a *BEEP* *BEEP* group of *BEEP*. What can you tell us about that?"

"Well, Kate, I'm not allowed to say much, but I can tell you *BEEP* and his allies will not *BEEP*. We expect to *BEEP* them very soon."

"I think we'll all sleep a little better tonight, knowing our Dominion forces are watching over us. For UNN, I'm Donny Vermillion."

"God, why even mention it if they're gonna censor so much that it makes no sense?" an ODST said. "When ONI had stuff like that, they just kept it in the dark completely from everyone else – even HIGHCOM – until it was relevant and 100% declassifiable."

Laboratory – 10 Minutes Later

"Just out of curiosity," Dr. Hanson said, "I did some tests on the minerals from Redstone. I thought you should know – I found trace quantities of jorium, a rare crystal with very unique properties."

"I'm all ears, doc" Jim replied. "What kind of properties?"

"Jorium resonates at the same frequency as certain brain waves. It's been theorized that it could be used to stimulate brain activity or even produce psionic abilities in human subjects."

"What the hell does Tosh want that for?"

Bridge – 20 Minutes Later

"Ah, here's de man" Tosh said as he spotted Raynor. "We make a good team, me and you."

"Why are you here, Tosh? Our business is done… unless ya got somethin' else for me."

"Yeah, I got another job for us, on a world called Bel'Shir. Interested?"

"Maybe. But what's in it for me? Piracy ain't exactly my chosen path."

"Everyone knows Jim Raynor wants to put the hurt on Mengsk. I can help you with that. I can help you big time."

"I'll think about it. For the time bein', welcome aboard the Hyperion. We'll talk later."

"You ain't the only interestin' person aboard, mon. That team of girls you got helpin' ya… one trained by de Protoss, one cute little alien girl who's a right powerful psychic, and their leader, who I can sense has a lotta locked-up potential in her."

"Yeah, Teana has a bad history with her powers. So she purposefully sealed them up."

"Shame. I coulda taught her a few tricks."

Jim walked over to the star-chart, highlighting Bel'Shir.

"Dere's a rare gas on Bel'Shir the Protoss call de 'breath of creation.' Dey think it be a gift from their gods. Heh-heh. We call it terrazine, and it be worth a fortune to the right bidder. Of course, those Protoss will kill us if they catch us on their holy ground… or, at least they'll try."

-SCENE BREAK-

High orbit over Bel'Shir

"Here we go. Much prettier than Redstone, ya?"

"I don't much like fightin' Protoss if I can avoid it."

"Not just any old Protoss. Fanatics called the Tal'darim. They believe the terrazine is sacred – a gift from the Xel'Naga."

"God, not these guys again… If the Tal'darim bring in their air forces, they're gonna hammer us. Swann, get the Goliath schematics loaded at the factory. If their AA missiles are still any good, we might just pull this off."

"Gotcha, cowboy."

"How do we get to the terrazine?"

"See those altars? Tal'darim mystics set dem up to collect de terrazine. We just need to grab it."

"Well… our SCVs will be able to haul the terrazine. We just gotta keep 'em protected. With any luck, we can pick up what we need before the Tal'darim find us. Alright… let's get to it."

"I'll send Kaede and Marie down to assist you, Commander" Teana said. "Mai and I will make sure the Longswords are ready to fly in and blast shit if things go south."

"Hm. Thanks, kid."

-SCENE BREAK-

"I've got the first canister unlocked, sir!" said the SCV pilot at the altar to the west. "I'm bringin' it to the command center."

The canister was safely delivered, and Raynor set about building up an attack force and setting up defenses. About a minute in, a threatening transmission came in.

"This land was sacred to the Tal'darim before Terrans ever reached the stars. You must depart immediately!"

"Hold on now" Raynor replied. "We just need some of this gas here, and we'll be long gone before you know it."

"No! You shall not defile the Breath of Creation! Tal'darim warriors! Execute all those who would desecrate our altars!"

"The Tal'darim are mobilizing, sir" Comm. Horner reported. "Looks like they're gonna go after our SCVs when we harvest the terrazine. I suggest we only harvest one site at a time, and run with a heavy escort."

Within a minute, a trio of Tal'darim Zealots came in from the northeast. A rocket from Marie's M41 launcher killed one and took down the energy shields of the other two, leaving them vulnerable to a barrage of gunfire from the base's marines. Kaede (currently wearing light-brown reinforced and shielded ODST armor, carrying a fuel rod gun, and piloting a Sangheili Type-32 'Ghost' RAV) helped stand guard over the base entrance, keeping an eye out for any trouble, as an attack force steadily emerged from the base's barracks and factory. Before long, four Goliaths, two medics, and a squad of marines were out & ready, and they followed Kaede northwest. The Ghost's plasma cannons destroyed a Tal'darim Probe droid that was making a beeline for an altar, and an SCV that had traveled in the attack force's wake moved up and got to work. A trio of Tal'darim Stalkers attacked, their hard-light blasters taking down a Raider marine before a barrage of Goliath machinegun fire and explosive green blasts from Kaede's FRG scrapped them.

Sangheili Spec-Ops teams set out to bypass enemy defenses and gather valuable relics for Drs. Stetmann and Hanson. A fireteam of 'War Pigs' mercenary marines was called in, along with a six-man squad of ODSTs, to bolster base defense. Once the SCV had finished gathering the terrazine, it rushed the valuable gas back to base; the attack force, meanwhile, went a little ways north. There, they encountered a force of Stalkers with some light Scout fighter support. The Goliaths fired their SAMs at the aircraft, quickly bringing them down before they could score any kills, while everyone else focused fire on the Stalkers, which unfortunately managed to gang up on and destroy one of the Goliaths before being wiped out. Another SCV rolled up just as the dust settled, and was able to gather the terrazine and hurry back to base, passing an SCV heading the other way to join up with the attack force.

"Three down, four to go" Tosh said. "We're doin' great! Keep it up!"

"You shall not steal the Breath of Creation so easily!"

"Careful. Dey're sending their ships to take out our SCVs. Shoot 'em down quick, or we're finished!"

The western escort force's Goliaths took out a trio of attacking Scout fighters while the SCV got to work on the fourth altar. As the SCV worked, a fair amount of reinforcements came up from the base to join the attack force: two more SCVs, another medic, two Goliaths, three Marauders, and two more War-Pigs merc-marines. With a total of nine marines (two of them War Pigs), three Marauders, three medics, and five Goliaths, along with Kaede and her Ghost, they headed for the eastern altars.

The two close-together eastern altars were heavily defended: several Stalkers and Scouts along with two large, pronged aircraft built around large crystals, known as 'Void Rays'. The marines and Marauders, along with Kaede's Ghost, opened fire on the Stalkers, while the Goliaths began firing missiles at the Scouts. One of the Scouts managed to kill two marines before it was shot down, while two more fell to the Stalkers. The Void Ray opened fire on the Marauders, carving one of the heavily-armored soldiers in half, before the Goliaths then focused fire and brought it down. The last Scout, going down in flames, rammed itself into one of the Goliaths, destroying both craft. The other Marauders and Kaede managed to take down the rest of the Stalkers with no further casualties, and the SCVs got to work on the fifth and sixth altars.

As the SCVs worked, a trio of Void Rays with five Stalkers supporting attacked from the northwest, focusing fire on the Goliaths and ignoring the other Terran forces even as they were shot at by them. The Goliaths put up a good fight, blowing the Void Rays out of the sky, though they were all destroyed by the fire being sent their way, the last Goliath's last missiles shooting down the last Void Ray; the Stalkers were easily dealt with by the Marauders. Meanwhile, back at base, a quartet of Tal'darim Stalkers launched an attack, but three more Goliaths had emerged from the factory, and Marie still had her rocket launcher; the Protoss walkers were scrap in short order. Once the two SCVs were finished, the remainder of the attack force escorted them back to base, losing three marines to a Zealot ambush.

Back at base, another, larger attack force was built up around the survivors of the first one. A Pelican from the Starshot flew in and dropped off an M808 Scorpion tank, which joined with 16 marines, two Marauders, five Medics, two Goliaths, and Kaede's Ghost. The assault force moved north, finding an unguarded altar that an SCV got to work on. Within a minute, however, another pack of Stalkers with a trio of Scouts attacked from the north; the Scorpion's 90mm cannon and Kaede's Fuel-Rod Gun blew Stalkers to bits, while the Goliaths quickly shot down the Scouts at the cost of one Goliath. The SCV finished his work, and it & the escort group rushed back to base.

"That's the last canister! I think we've outstayed our welcome, boys!"

Within 10 minutes, the entire base had evacuated back to the Hyperion and the Starshot, a flight of Longswords wiping out the feeble Tal'darim pursuit force.

-SCENE BREAK-

Hyperion Bridge

"Sir," Matt reported to Raynor, with Tosh listening in, "I received an encrypted transmission from an untraceable source. It claims that Tosh here was part of a classified operation called Project Shadowblade. They used jorium and terrazine to enhance Ghost powers."

"It's true" Tosh replied. "We're called Spectres – next-generation Ghosts."

"And you were gonna tell me all this when?" Raynor asked.

"We all have our secrets, Mr. Raynor. Doesn't mean I'm any threat to you."

"Maybe not, but whoever sent this message could be. Matt, any way to verify the transmission?"

"No sir, but it does end with 'I'll be in touch soon'."

"It's Mengsk, tryin' to turn us against each other. Don't let him."

"I'll let it lie for now – at least 'til I find out who sent this transmission. But I'll be keepin' an eye on you, Tosh."

"You can try" Tosh said with a smile.

Cantina – one hour later

"That Tosh is a whack-job, Jimmy" Tychus said. "Spends all his time mutterin' and playin' around with those damn… dolls of his."

"Well, I need someone to balance out your sophistication and good manners."

"The guy ain't right in the head, brother! I can appreciate some good, honest craziness. But that guy? He's got somethin' broke inside."

Mai walked up. "Can I sit here, sir?"

"Of course, hun. Have a seat."

Mai sat down, carrying a plate with a chicken salad. Due to her past experiences, she wasn't too fond of red meat. The TV overhead came on with another news broadcast, showing Kate Lockwell with a scene of burning devastation behind her.

"I repeat: death toll is in the thousands. A Dominion weapons plant exploded hours ago, causing a chain reaction that has taken out several housing complexes in this working-class neighborhood. Dominion security forces claim it was an act of terror by the notorious Jim Raynor, but our own investigations suggest that the plant must have been infiltrated by forces with sophisticated stealth technologies. It begs the question: could some of the Dominion's Ghost operatives have gone rogue? For UNN, this is Kate Lockwell reporting from core-world Nephor 2."

Jim headed down the laboratory, checking in with Dr. Hanson.

"I've run a few tests on the terrazine gas like you asked" she said. "It's clearly related to vespene gas, but there are some very exotic organics added into the mix."

"Any guesses what it's used for?"

"Well, it would definitely affect brain chemistry, so it could be used as some kind of drug or stimulant, I suppose."

"Drugs, huh? That's just wonderful…"

Bridge – 11 minutes later

"What do you make of that encrypted message, Matt?

"I honestly don't know, sir. If Tosh really is one of these Specters, it's clear Mengsk would try to ruin your partnership. But Tosh isn't telling us everything. If we're going to win this revolution…"

"I know. We have to be sure of our allies."

Jim then turned his attention to the star-chart, as Tychus walked up.

"Moebius wants us to go after another artifact on some dead world called Xil" he said. "Apparently, they sent in a specialist team, but they lost contact with 'em two days ago. Their bad luck, I guess. Figure we'll get hazard pay for this one…"

-SCENE BREAK-

High orbit over Xil

The bridge group looked at the view-screen, showing a dead, rocky area with several ancient structures.

"So here's the deal" Tychus said. "This place is a morgue. Whatever used to live in these ruins up an' died millions of years ago." The view switched to a large temple. "Before they went missin', the Moebius team reported artifact radiation emanating from that big ol' hunk o' rock over yonder. They brought a big damn laser drill to burn their way in."

"Laser drill?" Raynor said as the view switched to the massive machine in question. "That thing's a monster. If the Moebius team had access to that kinda hardware, I'd hate to think about what could've wiped 'em out."

"Reckon we'll find out soon enough, partner."

"Shion and I are coming down with you guys" Teana said.

"Something feels… off" Shion said. "I think we might run into serious trouble down there…"

-SCENE BREAK-

The Pelican dropship flew in, dropping off four Raider marines, two ODSTs, two medics, a Marauder, Raynor, and Teana & Shion.

"Watch your corners, boys and girls" Raynor said. "We don't know who cleaned this place out."

They moved south a little ways, and were suddenly attacked by Protoss in Tal'darim colors.

"More Terran thieves? The mysteries of this place are forbidden! You will pay for this transgression with your lives!"

"Okay…" Raynor said as he and his men took cover. "At least we know what happened to the other expedition."

The Marauder's grenade launcher made short work of the two Stalkers, while Teana and Raynor brought down the pair of Zealots with some automatic fire. The group headed south, following the canyon path as it curved to the east.

"Hold up there!" Raynor said. "Those Protoss cannons up ahead will tear us a new one if we try to advance. Swann? You promised me siege tanks! Where are they?"

"Settle down, hotshot," Swann replied, "they're comin'. These babies'll knock those cannons out from a nice, safe distance."

A Seagull and a Phantom flew in, each dropping off a TX-8 'Crucio' siege tank. The tanks switched to siege mode and started shelling the three photon cannons and their power pylon, quickly destroying all four. The squad, with tank support, continued east, hopping over a hill and following the path north. The tanks switched to siege mode and pounded the Stalkers and Zealots ahead, and then switched back and followed the squad's advance north. They soon reached a mesa, on which was an abandoned Terran base – a command center, a barracks, a factory, an engineering bay, a mercenary camp, a vespene refinery, and a few supply depots.

"Moebius base local net accessed" the Adjutant reported. "Decrypting security overrides. Transferring control of base structures to you, Commander."

"Fire it up!" Tychus said, and the laser drill came to life and unfolded. "174 gigawatts – the power of the Sun at your fingertips! Now get it aimed at that door and let's get cuttin'!"

The laser aimed at the main temple's door and activated, beginning the long process of drilling through the barricade.

"Laser output is good" Matt reported. "Drilling through will take some time, but there's no other way into the temple. …Sir, the Tal'darim are mobilizing their forces against us."

"So we set a perimeter and protect the drill until we're through" Raynor responded. "I'm just glad we've got these siege tanks."

The SCVs got to work harvesting materials, while the two siege tanks took up positions and transformed at the north and south slopes. A third siege tank soon rolled out from the factory, bolstering the southern defenses.

"Commander Raynor, we've managed to access what's left of the Moebius sensor net" Col. Holland radioed. "I'll route it through your TACMAP so you can see what the Tal'darim are up to."

"Much obliged, Colonel."

"Also, Kilkar and his Spec-Ops boys are out in the field gathering artifacts and laying traps, and they'll keep you posted on any trouble that starts brewing."

Another siege tank took up position near the north slope. A pair of Tal'darim Stalkers came in from the north, but they were blown to scrap by the tanks and the Marauder. Another pair of Stalkers coming in from the south met the same fate courtesy of the southern tanks' guns. The base continued to fortify defenses (a third siege tank at each of the two slopes) and increase the number of deployed soldiers, as the drill slowly but surely continued its allotted task, with the occasional attacks by the Tal'darim being thwarted by the siege tanks' shock cannons without the base's other defenders having to lift a finger. Teana, Shion, and Raynor passed the time by playing Go Fish, with Teana occasionally sniping at any Tal'darim Zealots that the siege tanks missed.

A while in, however, the TACMAP highlighted a spot to the northeast. An aerial spy drone spotted something that got everyone who saw it nervous: a trio of Archons.

"You would desecrate that which belongs to the gods?" the Tal'darim Executor broadcasted. "This will not be borne by the faithful!"

"Shit…" Shion said upon seeing the fused Protoss warriors. "They're really taking us seriously now."

"If those Archons get too close," Horner said, "our men won't stand a chance! I'm giving you manual control of the laser drill. See if you can use it against those things!"

Raynor nodded as he keyed in commands, synching with the aerial drones to pick targets. The laser drill ceased its burning through the Xel'Naga temple's doors and swiveled to point at the distant Archons to the northeast. The gigawatt-scale beam fried the most powerful of Protoss warriors in seconds, repeating the process on a trio of them to the southeast before returning to its primary task. Two more siege tanks rolled out from the factory to further strengthen the base's north and south defenses.

"The laser drill has breached the door's outer layer" Adjutant reported. "Alert: enemy air units on approach vector."

"Damn it! 'Air units' nothin' - those are transports! Use the laser and knock 'em down fast!"

"Not necessary, Commander" came a voice over the comm. Seven UNSC Hornets flew into the area, using their missiles to shoot down the incoming Warp Prisms while the missile turrets flanking the drill shot down the Scouts.

"Commander Raynor" Erohn Kilkar's voice came over the comm. "We have retrieved a Xel'Naga artifact from a temple to the northwest. We are now moving to the southeast to raid the two temples there."

"Good huntin', boys. Watch your backs."

The next half an hour was actually not that exciting; a wall of siege tanks (now seven per entrance) at the north and south entrances to the base, backed up by missile turrets and the Hornets, made mincemeat out of any attackers before they could get too close. The drill was used to kill a few more Archons, but was mostly able to continue burning through the temple doors.

Finally, the drill reached 90% completion of its allotted task. In a desperate effort, the Tal'darim sent two Colossi from the northeast, which managed to take out two of the seven northern tanks before being brought down by the Hornets and SAM turrets.

"Breach of the doorway core is imminent" the Adjutant reported. "Structure access imminent."

"It is our sacred duty to stop these defilers!" the Tal'darim Executor called out. "Burn them to ashes!"

A final surge of Tal'darim forces charged in from both directions, but were no match for the 14 siege tanks and eight Hornets guarding the base. Soon, the doorway was finally breached. The Starshot made a micro-jump to about 400 meters off the ground, using its ventral guns to slaughter the attacking hordes of fanatic Protoss. A Raider cargo truck was soon coming out of the temple, artifact in tow, as the Tal'darim retreated.

"You have prevailed… for now" the enemy Executor said. "Word of this sacrilege will echo across the stars, James Raynor. The day of reckoning draws near!"

"These artifacts of yours seem real popular, Tychus" Jim said.

"What do we care, long as the pay's good?" Tychus responded.

"Really? I'd say getting' vaporized by the Tal'darim counts as 'diminishing returns'."

-SCENE BREAK-

Hyperion Access Hall F

Jim Raynor walked down the empty hall, the door sealing behind him. As he walked, the lights suddenly flickered and went out. And then…

"James Raynor…"

He turned in surprise as a Protoss walked out from the shadows, clad in red robes and gold armor.

"Zeratul…"

"I have pierced the veil of the future," he grasped his arm and slumped to the floor, "and beheld only… oblivion."

Jim bent down to face him.

"Yet one spark of hope remains…" the enigmatic Dark Templar continued. "You will hold her life in your hands… And though justice demands that she die for her crimes, only she can save us."

"Wait a second… you're talking about Kerrigan! It's been four years! You show up outta nowhere-"

"Time is short!" Zeratul reached out with one hand to grasp Raynor's arm, and with the other placed a device into the human's palm. It was a triangular, golden device with a green crystal in the center of it. "You must understand!"

"The answers you seek lie within this. Study it well."

The device sprung open, projecting a semi-solid hologram of a green-and-black crystal.

"The fate of creation hangs in the balance…"

Zeratul faded into the shadows. The lights returned, and the old Protoss was nowhere to be found.

"Nice to see you, too…"

-CHAPTER END-

Next Time: Zeratul's discoveries

I'll admit, by the end of this I was just desperate to get it done and posted, so quality control may have slipped a bit. I'm sorry.