The Griffin – Bridge
Deep Space
8:21 AM – Shipboard Time
Nova, Reigel, Hana, Graven, Ace, and Morales were gathered on the bridge of the Griffin. The Griffin itself was landed on a small asteroid with a mineral deposit on it. The Nighthawk SCVs were busily mining out some of the minerals near their landing spot.
"Alright people we have work to do. We need to take the fight to the Angels of Tarsonis, but to do that, we need to be able to find them. Any suggestions people?" Nova asked.
"Don't suppose Tarsonis is an option, is it?" Morales asked.
"Dominion Special Ops swept the planet already but found nothing but a bunch of Feral Zerg Hives leftover from the Fall nine years ago. They found nothing to indicate the Angels were actually headquartered there." Ace replied.
"Actually, I think I might have a lead." Hana said from her station.
"What've you got, Corporal?" Nova asked.
"Remember that Science Vessel that appeared in orbit over Haven? The Malthael?" Hana asked.
"Yeah?" Nova replied. Ace furrowed his brow at the mention of the name, mouthing it.
"Well I found something a little fishy about its registry number. I traced it back and found out it was stolen from a Dominion Shipyard three months ago." Hana said as Nova crossed her arms over her chest.
"And how does that help us now?" Nova asked as Hana smirked.
"Because it helped me trace its sightings. You can change a ship's name but registry numbers are nearly impossible to change. Its last sightings were over Agria, Meinhoff, and Cavir…do those three planets sound familiar chief?" Hana asked as Nova smirked.
"The planets Mira mentioned. Good work, Corporal!" Nova said as Hana reclined in her seat, popping a small sphere of pink bubblegum into her mouth with smug satisfaction.
"And that's why I'm Gold League." she replied.
"There's another correlation between the Angels and those planets. Remember I mentioned those planets are Zerg infested? It's more than likely that the Angels acquired the Zerg DNA needed to create the virus they used on Haven." Reigel said as Nova pondered.
"When I interrogated the Marine on Haven, his memories recalled a planet with a forest, a Zerg Hive Cluster, and Terran structures that wasn't Haven. I believe he was remembering one of their bases." Nova said, turning to the console and pulling up a display of all three of the planets in question.
"So we're looking for a forest planet, once occupied by Terrans, and infested by the Zerg." Reigel said as the team gathered round.
"Well you can scratch off Meinhoff. It's a wasteland. Besides, the Zerg wouldn't survive there for long. The sun on that planet fries them alive. I was there when Raynor's Raiders purged the colony after it got infested." Morales said.
"And Cavir has never had any record of a Terran occupation. Agria would fit both the terrain and the occupation criteria." Ace added as Nova looked to Hana.
"Corporal, how long will it take us to get to Agria?" Nova asked.
"Couple hours tops." She replied.
"Set a course. We're going to see if the Angels have made it their save haven." Nova said as Hana gave a light salute.
"You got it." She replied. Nova then turned back to the group.
"This is going to be a stealth mission. Ace, ready the troops for a silent op." Nova said as Ace gave a nod.
"I will, but I think I have something that might be useful, or at least educational, in regards to the Angels." Ace said as Nova shrugged.
"Go ahead." She said as Ace reached into a compartment on his armor and pulled out a book decorated with what appeared to be the hilt of a highly ornate broadsword.
"This is a book used by a small religious group known as the Horadrim. The book itself is called the Book of Tyrael. It's one of two used by the Horadrim." Ace explained as he set the book down on the console.
"What's this have to do with anything?" Graven asked.
"Because it might give us some insight into the Angels. They used the term Horseman One to refer to the operation involving the Zerg Virus and Song mentioned the name of the Science Vessel used at Haven was named the Malthael. If I'm correct, they're using a mix of the Judeo-Christian and Horadric faiths for their naming conventions and terminology. Knowing what these terms are could help us predict their next move. For example, Nova mentioned that Horseman One refers to the First Horseman of the Apocalypse, which is the plague of pestilence." Ace explained as Morales looked at him curiously.
"I didn't know you were Horadric." Morales said but Ace shook his head.
"I'm agnostic actually. I did look into the Horadrim at one time, decided against it. But that's beside the point. The Malthael comes from the Horadric faith. Depending on the interpretation, Malthael is either the Archangel of Wisdom or the Archangel of Death. In this case it could be a mix of interpretations here." Ace explained as Nova gave a nod.
"This might prove useful Ace, good thinking." Nova said as Ace turned towards her.
"One more thing. Dominion Intel briefed Special Ops Officers on the Angels recently. We know they have at least one Battlecruiser: The Tyrael." Ace explained.
"I take it Tyrael is…Judeo-Christian?" Graven asked.
"Horadric. He's the Archangel of Justice and is believed to be the one who gave the Great Scholar of the Horadrim, Deckard Cain, knowledge of the Horadrim. That's what the story is for them. In this case, given the Angels' motives against the Dominion, their naming the Battlecruiser, the Tyrael, would seem appropriate if they think they're passing judgement on the Dominion." Ace said as Nova turned to him.
"Okay, so we know they have at least two ships. Any others?" Nova asked.
"Just one and we're not sure if it's even a ship or not. We only know of its existence because of a few intercepted communiques. They call it the Azrael." Ace explained.
"And what's he angel of?" Graven asked as Ace looked at him with a grim expression.
"Death." Ace replied, the bridge falling silent.
"Ten credits says it's a superweapon or a big ass battleship." Hana said from her station.
"I'll see some of that action." Morales commented.
"Ace, this information might prove invaluable. Keep us informed if you can." Nova said as Ace gave a nod.
"You got it." He replied.
"Alright, let's see if we can get the drop on the Angels. Set a course for Agria." Nova said as they started to disperse, Ace picking up the book and following after them.
…
Agria Colony – High Orbit
Two Hours Later…
The Griffin dropped out of warp in high orbit over the planet. Nova and Reigel were stood on the bridge as the Griffin cloaked, rendering them invisible to basic scanners and the naked eye. Nova was fully geared up with her rifle slung over her shoulder, a strap running from below the barrel to the bottom of the stock, allowing her to carry it on her shoulder more easily.
"What've we got down there Corporal?" Nova asked as Hana looked the scanners over.
"Just as expected. A lot of Zerg bio-signs but…that's strange." Hana said as Nova stepped over towards her, looking over her shoulder.
"What's going on?" Nova asked as Hana pointed to a live overhead feed of a Zerg Hive Cluster. The Cluster itself was in chaos with Zerg fighting against other strange looking Zerg that appeared to be encroaching upon the hive.
"They're fighting each other. But those Zerg look different. They are Zerg, the bioscanners are registering them as such, but they don't look like the normal Zerg profiles." Hana said as Nova furrowed her brow, sensing something with her psionics.
"Something's off. Are there any ships in range?" Nova asked as Hana checked the scanners.
"Yeah there is. I've got what looks like…a Zerg Leviathan but…this is weird, it looks…evolved." Hana said as Nova stepped back over towards the main console.
"Can you give us a visual?" she asked. Without a word, Hana forwarded a long-range visual feed of the Leviathan in question to the console. Unlike most Leviathans, it was green instead of purple, its carapace was thicker and had two large pincers dangling below it as well as a set of large yellow fanlike fins down its back.
"Take us in quietly, Hana. Try to avoid any Overseers or Spore Crawlers if you can." Nova said as they started for the surface.
…
Agria Colony – Nighthawk Landing Site
7:22 PM – Local Time
The Nighthawks had established a base on the surface of Agria, setting up in an abandoned spaceport. The Nighthawks had brought in the Barracks and Engineering Bay from Haven while the Factory and Starport was sent to a safe location under Graven's control for safekeeping until they could actually use the facilities. The base itself had only one entrance and it had been fortified with bunkers and a few makeshift barricades. The bunkers were fully staffed by marines, firebats, and marauders and they were already having to contend with a few stray Feral Zerg.
"Looks like the Zerg aren't coordinated." Ace commented as he looked through a set of binoculars, his helmet up as he, Nova, and Morales stood near the entrance, several Nighthawk troops gathering near the entrance. Nova was watching the Zerg through the scope of her rifle.
"I'm not sensing any kind of psionic presence to speak of. These Zerg are feral as I can tell from this distance. I'd need to get closer to be sure." Nova said as Morales approached.
"Song said that the unknown Zerg have completely consumed one hive and are moving on towards another. She said that she found some kind of a match for them in the database though. They seem similar to a brood of Zerg first encountered during the Battle of Korhal during the Second War." Morales said as Nova narrowed her eyes on the horizon.
"Then let's go see what we can find." Nova said as she started down the ramp towards the entrance, Ace signaling for their forces to move out. Nova then put a hand to her earpiece.
"Corporal, can you give us a location on these other Zerg?" Nova asked.
"I'll guide you in, Chief. Follow the road south until you reach an old Terran base. It's where one of the Feral Hives are located. You'll reach these other Zerg first if you move fast enough." Song replied as Nova gave a nod.
"Right, come on! Let's go!" Nova yelled as they took off at a fast-march, hurrying down the road. It took them only a few minutes to put some distance between them and their base, the Nighthawks easily picking off a few stray Feral Zerg. As they ran, Nova began to notice something odd about the Feral Zerg.
"They're conflicted." Nova said, noticing a Zergling mindlessly scratching at a rock wall before it got shot and killed by Ace's rifle.
"Conflicted? They seem crazed to me. I've never seen Zerg acting this way before." Ace said as Nova gave a nod.
"That's what I mean. Their Hive Mind connection is in chaos. It's like they're being told two separate things but they just cannot handle the conflict." Nova said as they marched on.
"Who do you think it is?" Ace asked but Nova seemed unsure.
"I don't know. But I don't think this is where the Angels' base was located. I'm not recognizing any landmarks. We may have chosen the wrong location." Nova said as Ace sighed.
"Well, at least we'll have had the opportunity to stock up on-…hold!" Ace exclaimed as he signaled to halt, the Nighthawks coming to a stop.
"What is it?" Morales asked, Ace motioning to be quiet, his helmet visor closing shut as he raised his rifle.
"I saw something move in the dirt." He said softly before firing into the dirt but nothing happened.
"Congratulations, I think you just killed a June bug." Morales replied sardonically before suddenly there was a series of explosions in the dirt as a large number of strange looking Zerg, the Zerg hissing and roaring at the Terrans. The Nighthawks immediately opened fire, killing a few but the Zerg scattered or took defensive positions.
"Oh hell! We didn't intercept them, they intercepted us!" Ace exclaimed as Nova noticed something.
"They're not attacking! Hold fire!" Nova ordered, the Nighthawks stopping their attack. The Zerg noticed and continued their posturing. Nova cautiously walked towards them, the Zerg all watching her curiously. She tried to stretch out with her psionics towards what she surmised was a Zergling but it only hissed at her, flaring a pair of frills on its neck.
"Strange. They're resistant to psionics." Nova commented before they heard a faint rumbling sound approaching. She turned and saw something moving towards them in the ground, burrowing its way towards them. Nova stood ready, the Nighthawks standing by ready to defend her as the burrowing creature got closer before suddenly erupting from the ground. It was a tall and armored Zerg with a thick carapace, long prehensile tail reminiscent of a scorpion, a pair of mandables on its face, a chin of long grey fur, and at least four glowing yellow eyes. It had two pairs of arms but it looked like one of the larger arms had been torn off at the elbow while a smaller one had similarly been torn off at the bicep. The large Zerg stared at Nova with a slight growl.
"Strong essence. Feel need to speak." The Zerg said in broken English.
"What the hell?! They talk?!" Ace asked.
"What are you?" Nova asked, taken aback by the Zerg's ability to communicate.
"I am Dehaka, one who collects. I kill, take essence, evolve stronger." The Zerg said as Nova looked at him.
"Dehaka? What are you doing here? Are you part of the Swarm or are you Feral?" Nova asked but Dehaka hissed.
"We are not Swarm. We are not Feral. We are True Zerg. We hunt for essence. We evolve." Dehaka replied.
"True Zerg? Oh, primal. I get it. You're not bound by the hive mind. So then why bother speaking with us?" Nova asked.
"Terran has strong essence. Like Queen of Blades but not as strong. Strong but restrained. Terran arrived for reason. I think Terran senses essence for pack." Dehaka said as Nova seemed contemplative.
"Then maybe we can work together. We're looking for other Terrans on this planet. Have you found any?" Nova asked.
"Found no Terrans. Found Terran hives. Hives, empty. Only Liars remain." Dehaka explained as Nova grimaced.
"Dead end, great." Ace mumbled but Nova wasn't convinced.
"Wait, hold on, what do you mean Liars? Do you mean the Feral Zerg?" Nova asked but Dehaka scoffed.
"No Feral Zerg, only Liars. Liars act Feral, Liars still bound to Great Will." Dehaka explained.
"Great Will…wait, you don't mean the Overmind do you?" Nova asked, worried about his answer. Dehaka hissed and shook slightly.
"Great Will, dead. Difficult to say." Dehaka said as Nova realized Dehaka was having difficulty articulating his explanation.
"Take your time. You mean these 'Liars' you call them only act feral but really aren't?" she asked.
"Terran learn quickly." Dehaka said as Nova furrowed her brow suspiciously.
"Then…wait a minute, you mean that the hives across the sector aren't really feral?" Nova asked, alarmed by the revelation.
"Then someone is controlling these hives. Is it Zagara? Does she know what's going on?" Nova asked but Dehaka hissed in disgust.
"Overqueen not strong enough. Overqueen trying to control feral hives. False will, resisting. Only strongest will thrive, weak will be consumed. Dehaka seeks false will, strong essence to be consumed." Dehaka explained as Nova realized something.
"Dehaka, do you know what this False Will is planning?" Nova asked.
"False Will seeks vengeance. False Will serves stronger Essence. False Will calls self 'Last.'" Dehaka replied as Nova glanced at her troops, Ace and Morales along with the other soldiers keeping their weapons trained on the Primal Zerg as they eyed them carefully.
"How do you know this if you're not linked to the hive mind?" Nova asked as Dehaka licked his teeth.
"Knowledge in essence. Dehaka consume essence. Evolve in body, evolve in mind." Dehaka explained as Nova pondered.
"This information is useful. I suppose then we've gotten all we can from each other." Nova said but Dehaka hissed again.
"You have strong essence, Dehaka seeks essence." Dehaka said, eyeing her hungrily but Nova cocked her rifle, aiming it at him.
"Not gonna happen…but maybe we can reach a compromise." Nova said as Dehaka eyed her curiously.
"What is…compromise?" Dehaka asked.
"There's still a feral hive here, right? What if we helped you take it? The knowledge in the essence of these Feral Hives may be of use to us both. We can't read their essence but you can. What if we helped you and your pack take that hive? In exchange, you consume their essence and share whatever knowledge you gain with us. What do you say?" Nova asked as Dehaka glanced away, looking towards the hive in the distance before turning back towards her.
"Dehaka agrees. We fight, we collect essence, we evolve. Dehaka's Pack, Terran pack, we fight as one. We share knowledge." Dehaka said as Nova gave a nod.
"Alright then, let's roll." Nova said as Dehaka turned to his pack and let out a roar, the pack starting to follow after him as he stalked away towards the Hive. Nova quickly fell back to her troops.
"Uh, Commander did we just form an alliance with Zerg?" Ace asked as Nova gave a nod.
"We did. We came here thinking this was a place where the Angels were operating but I wonder if Dehaka hasn't stumbled onto something more serious. I could read his thoughts to some extent and what he's saying is true. These Feral Hives have only been acting Feral. There's something controlling them and Dehaka is on the hunt for them. If we help him, we may end up helping to eliminate a potential threat to the Dominion." Nova said as Morales looked at her curiously.
"I could hear your conversation. The Zerg mentioned a 'false will' that was once part of the 'great will' meaning the Overmind. I have a suspicion that I know what this False Will is but I'm gonna need more information. If the Zerg can get us that information, then I'm onboard." Morales said as Nova nodded in agreement.
"What about you, Captain? You okay with this?" Nova asked as Ace shrugged.
"Hell, this ain't the first time I've fought beside the Zerg. I remember the fighting on Korhal when the Queen of Blades and Raynor's Raiders teamed up to take down Arcturus. If I could handle partnering with the Swarm on that, I can handle partnering with a pack of Primal Zerg on this." Ace said as Nova looked over the rest of the Nighthawks. They were all stood at the ready, seemingly willing to charge into battle beside the Zerg.
"Then I guess it's time for some pest control." Nova said, cocking her rifle before turning and chasing after Dehaka, the rest of the Nighthawks following after her.
…
Agria Colony – Feral Zerg Hive
A few minutes later…
Gunfire and guttural roars filled the air as the combined forces of the Nighthawks and Dehaka's Pack tore into the Feral Zerg. The Feral Zerg were conflicted, scattered by the differing orders they were receiving from the powerful psionic beings attempting to control them, leaving them vulnerable. The Nighthawks were taking great care to avoid shooting or burning the Primal Zerg of Dehaka's Pack. As the Primals and Nighthawks tore through the defenses, Nova saw a Feral Ultralisk charging towards Dehaka.
"Dehaka! Incoming!" Nova yelled, firing at the approaching Ultralisk. Dehaka merely snarled and burrowed down as the Ultralisk approached. Once the ultralisk was nearly on top of him, Dehaka burst from the ground, leaping up and grabbing onto the Ultralisk's face, the massive Zerg starting to thrash its head around, trying to throw Dehaka off as the Primal Pack Leader started ripping into its face. Nova watched with a twinge of disgust yet quiet admiration as Dehaka proceeded to burrow into the ultralisk's face before bursting out the back with a roar, the ultralisk collapsing onto the ground. Dehaka's pack immediately swarmed its corpse, consuming it.
"Well, that's one way to do it." Nova muttered as they fought their way to the Hive itself, the Primal Zerg already snacking on the larval Zerg that congregated near the base of the Hive.
"Steady men! We've got 'em on the-HURGH!" Ace grunted as a Hydralisk spine pierced his armor near the chest, causing him to stagger back. He could feel the spine had pierced his side. He reached for the stim-pack injector on his suit but suddenly felt the pain easing off, a strange green mist around his armor. His suit's bioscanners registered the spine had been mysteriously broken up and ejected from the suit. Morales quickly appeared in front of him, shielding him with her riot shield while two large mechanical arms on her back pointed at Ace, firing a green beam of energy at him from each arm. Ace watched his readings return to normal.
"Thanks for the save, doc." Ace said as Morales smirked back at him.
"Hey, no one messes with my squad!" Morales replied as Ace raised his rifle and charged forward with the rest of his men. He saw the Hydralisk that had hit him had been pounced by a pair of Primal Zerglings and was being ripped apart and devoured. Dehaka himself as well as some of the larger and smarter Primals were leaping onto the hive itself, gorging on the mass of flesh, consuming the essence stored within. While Dehaka and his Pack feasted on the Hive, the rest of the Nighthawks hurried to eliminate whatever stragglers remained. The fight itself had been short, due in no small part to the Feral Zerg's confusion and the combined might of both the Primal Zerg and the Nighthawks.
Finally, the Zerg structures were largely consumed or were being consumed along with the Feral Zerg. The Nighthawks were falling back to regroup and take a headcount. They'd taken some injuries but no casualties thanks to Morales and her crew of medics. As Ace rallied the troops, Nova stood off to the side, quietly surveying the fallen Hive Cluster. The Creep beneath their feet was already starting to recede or dry up. Finally, Dehaka started to approach Nova, his torn lower arm starting to regenerate from the essence he had consumed. He was still chewing on something as he approached.
"Terran pack, strong. Make good allies. Dehaka's Pack, evolves stronger. Dehaka, grateful." Dehaka said in his broken English.
"Did the essence of these Zerg reveal anything useful?" Nova asked as Dehaka swallowed what he had been chewing.
"False Will not alone. False Will serves Other Will. Other Will, not Zerg." Dehaka explained as Nova looked contemplative.
"You mean whoever is controlling the Feral Zerg is being controlled by someone or something else? Something that isn't Zerg?" Nova asked as Dehaka picked his teeth with one of his claws.
"Terran wise." Dehaka said as Morales approached.
"Do you know what this 'false will' is, Dehaka?" Morales asked as Dehaka sniffed her and then let out a hiss.
"Essence weak. Terran not strong." Dehaka grumbled but Nova narrowed her eyes towards him.
"Can you still answer her question. We need to know what this 'false will' is so we know what to look for. We might be able to help you make sense of it." Nova said as Dehaka looked at Morales with quiet disdain before letting out what sounded like a sigh.
"False Will is unknown to Dehaka. Part of Great Will now dead. False Will calls self, Last. Strong mind, weak body." Dehaka explained as Nova and Morales exchanged curious looks.
"Could you describe its shape by any chance? What does it look like?" Morales asked as Dehaka scratched behind his left ear canal with his hind leg.
"False Will is large, bulbous, slow. Cannot fight, cannot move. Relies on brood for protection." Dehaka said as Nova quietly glimpsed into his mind, seeing the shapes he did. It was a large throbbing mound of tan colored flesh with large tendrils and veins sunken into the creep beneath it. Nova recognized it instantly and her eyes widened.
"It can't be." She muttered.
"Commander?" Morales asked as Nova looked at Dehaka.
"You've been invaluable Dehaka. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to work together again." Nova said.
"Queen of Hawks, strong like Queen of Blades. Strong but constrained. Strong essence. Good to follow you." Dehaka said but this caused Nova to pause curiously.
"Wait, what do you mean constrained?" she asked.
"Queen of Hawks, strong in essence but essence is…trapped. Cannot grow, cannot evolve. Dehaka…uncertain how to change." Dehaka replied as Nova looked thoughtful.
"You think I should become like Kerrigan is that it?" she asked, almost insulted by the thought.
"Primal essence unneeded. Dehaka uncertain how to change." Dehaka replied as Nova gave an understanding nod. His thoughts didn't help clarify things so that was a dead end.
"I see. I'll look into that. I thank you again for the help, Dehaka. You've been invaluable. If we find the 'False Will' we'll try and find you to let you know." Nova said as Dehaka licked his teeth hungrily.
"Dehaka appreciates. I look forward to feast." Dehaka said before turning away. Nova similarly turned away and started to follow after the Nighthawks as they fell back to the base, Morales straggling behind to wait for Nova. As Nova caught up to the Medic, the medic looked at her with consternation.
"The False Will he spoke of…is it what I think it is?" Morales asked as Nova gave a grim nod.
"Dehaka didn't come around until after Kerrigan had taken control of the Swarm and reshaped it into what it is now. He wouldn't know what it was which is why he had difficulty describing it. But as I looked inside his mind and saw the memories of the Zerg he'd consumed, I knew exactly what it was." Nova said as Morales took a breath.
"Here we thought the Angels were the main threat to the Dominion, but now it looks like the Zerg have a threat of its own to deal with." Morales said.
"I understand why the False Will calls itself the Last. It means it's the Last of its kind. The Last remnant of the Old Swarm…" Nova said as she looked at the corpse of a partially devoured Feral Zergling.
"…the last of the Cerebrates."
End Chapter 6