Author's Note: All right everyone, quicker update this time. The other characters still have their role to play in the story, and that is why they're still being developed.

Chapter 6

Haven

Matt Horner was on the communicator with Warfield, trying to plan out the next steps for the revolution. "I don't understand, general. Most of the Dominion worlds are in total riots, why is military still loyal to Mengsk?"

"I don't believe they are," replied the general. "Ever since Raynor broadcasted what happened on Tarsonis, the emperor has been trying to falsify the evidence. Now that it's been confirmed that the evidence is authentic, the riots have only escalated. The military right now wants to undergo some investigations about Mengsk, but that cannot happen until the rioting has been put down. Personally, I don't see that happening any time soon."

"So you're saying once the riots die down, Mengsk will be deposed?"

"Not necessarily. The Zerg invasion may have been stopped, but you heard it on the news yourself: they aren't giving up the worlds they overran. Someone has to go in and take it back."

"Then that will be our next step," Matt concluded. "Even with the mercenaries and your Dominion battle group, the Raiders still aren't strong enough to take on the Dominion fleet. We'll just have to clean the Zerg from some worlds to gain more support."

"We should start with Agria then," Warfield replied. "The Zerg infestation there isn't as bad compared to the other worlds, so it's among the easiest to take back. Besides, that Hanson doctor has already saved hundreds of my boys in her hospital, I owe her that."

"And yourself, general? You know Stetmann can grow your arm back. He did learn something from the Zerg tissue experiments he had been conduction on the ship, you know. That can apply to all of your troops that lost limbs during the Char invasion."

"I'll accept, though I can't speak for my troops in the same way. As far as they're concerned, anything is better than experiencing the Zerg again, benefit or not."

Matt nodded. "How long do you think we'll be ready to head to Agria?"

"Hard to say, captain. Last thing I want is to come back here to rearm and rebuild our forces from those lost. Haven was meant to be a temporary refugee camp for people who lost their homes, not an industrial staging point for military offensive operations. The construction yards here were designed to help build the camps for thousands of refugees in the event of space pirate attacks, not millions of them in the case of a Zerg invasion."

"Is it still possible to build up the fleet?"

"Not at the speed any of us want it. The special grenades, plasma ammo, and chrono-rift device can be mass produced on the battlecruisers here, thanks to your engineer Swann, even though I don't know how the hell he understood the last one given the fact it's probably based on alien technology. For most of the others, we're going to need the help of those construction yards."

"I'd be careful about using those yards to mass produce, general. Even if the refugees don't object, there's no telling how the Protoss will react to all of this. Remember, Haven was once their world. If we attempt a build up at such an accelerated rate, it could give them the impression we're here to kick them out and colonize the planet for ourselves. The more military ships they see, the more they're going to feel threatened."

"I was actually surprised they even allowed the former Queen of Blades to be brought down to the planet. I had been expecting a more hostile reaction."

"It took every ounce of diplomacy Jim had. I wouldn't be surprised if they have only allowed this because Kerrigan hasn't yet regained consciousness. Once she does, well let's just say I strongly recommend you increase the security around her. Jim will be doing the same, but I fear that might not be enough due to too many Protoss out for blood."

"That won't be easy, Horner. I may have ordered my troops not to harm her, but ever since that order went out there's been a lot of grumblings about being denied the chance for retribution. More and more extremists are trying to convince more of my boys it's worth taking a chance at killing her. Though most of my boys aren't convinced, the influence over them is nevertheless spreading."

"We don't have a choice in the matter. According to the prophecy, she is supposed to be the universe's savior. I admit despite Jim's claims that she is a good person, I'd want to see it for myself. I joined the Raiders when he formed it, but unfortunately that was when he broke away from Mengsk, which took place just after Kerrigan had been taken by the Zerg. I've never seen what she's like prior to her infestation."

"You're far from the only one. Few of us even know where the Queen of Blades originated from. Other than Raynor, it appears the only one who knows is Mengsk, and he can't be trusted. Some of Raynor's Protoss buddies might also know, but I don't see them trusting terrans so easily."

"And I don't expect Jim to be able to convince them for help without given something in return. For now, we should just focus on the build up to take back the infested worlds. Mengk's popularity is probably at rock bottom now, and it's my intention for it to stay there."

Hospital, Haven

"Well, Ariel, can you tell me anything about her?" Jim asked, as he and Dr. Hanson observed Kerrigan's sleeping form from the glass platform. Ever since Sarah had been brought down to lab in the settlement he had posted guards outside her room, though part of that reason was more protection for them than her, as there's no telling what could happen when she finally woke up.

"Despite the traces of Zerg DNA in her, she isn't infested, and her body is in healthy condition," Ariel replied. "However there are some things I was able to pick up on that your scientist Stetmann seemed to have missed."

"Such as?"

"The Zerg DNA may be dormant in her right now, but that doesn't mean they can't be reawakened."

Jim frowned. "If that happens, could she become infested again?"

"Unlikely," Ariel assured. "I did some tests from the infested refugee corpses you brought up to the ship during our encounter on Meinhoff. The amount of Zerg in her is far below the minimum levels required to even begin the infestation process, let alone complete it."

"Then what exactly can the Zerg blood do?"

"It's just a theory, but given that they're sticking to her glands, it's possible that they can give her superhuman strength, equivalent to that of a Zerg, as well as the accelerated rate of regeneration that all Zerg seem to have."

"That's not entirely a bad thing, if her humanity is restored," Jim pointed out. "But I'm more concerned about what she'll do when she wakes up. Her mind is more powerful than most people can even imagine."

"So you're saying when she wakes up she's going to be extremely dangerous," Ariel stated.

"Possibly, though not intentionally," Jim assured. "The point is, while both you and Stetmann had learned a lot about the Zerg infestation on what it does to the body, no one seems to know what it does to the mind. You're the best person for the job, but even I can't expect you to know that overnight."

"What do you think, Jim?" Ariel pressed. "You've known her longer than anyone here."

The commander sighed. "What I want to believe is she had been imprisoned in her own mind for the last 4 years. She had seen everything with her own eyes, and therefore has every memory from her time with the Zerg."

"If that's true you should be happy the real Kerrigan is back now."

"I am, but it doesn't change the fact she had experienced every atrocity committed, but couldn't prevent or even deal with. Now that the Zerg influence is finally gone, the moment she wakes up all of what she has bottled up those years will spill out."

Dr. Hanson nodded. She had seen firsthand what the infested refugees were like on Meinhoff. If they had their humanity restored, they'd be driven mad by what they had done under the Zerg influence, and that was for barely a couple of days. In Kerrigan's case, 4 years should be beyond the point of no return. If Jim was right about her and she is still able to retain her free will and humanity, then she would be by far the strongest terran ever known.

"Doc, I'm also worried about the unusual storm activity that's been happening here," Jim said, turning his head back to the platform and to Sarah again. "During the time Sarah was on the ship there had been no such cases, why is it happening around her now?"

"The psionic dampeners used to drain her energy aren't designed for this," the doctor explained. "These Dominion models were only meant for the average ghost, which she is not. This is why you've been seeing cases where more of more of the dampeners have gotten overloaded."

"That still doesn't explain why the storms are happening," Jim pointed out. "Sarah hasn't been conscious ever since I carried her out of the hive cluster on Char. How could she be casting storms asleep?"

"Her brain activity has been increasing exponentially over the past days. This must be an indication that she'll wake up very soon, and part of her subconscious is already awake."

"I spoke with Nova on that matter. She told me all about the brutalities of the ghost program regime. Before the memory wipe, it was common for the ghosts to experience nightmares, but none of them caused storms."

"I agree with that," Ariel replied. "I don't believe nightmares alone can cause her to create these psionic storms. She must be remembering what she had done when she was the Queen of Blades. Those memories, combined with the nightmares she's been having, which more than likely has to do more with her reality than imagination, would have sent her mind over the edge. At least, that's my theory as to why these storms are occurring, and are starting to increase in intensity."

Jim sighed. The doctor's theory made sense, but that didn't make it any easier on him. Sarah wasn't even awake yet, and her actions are already causing trouble in the hospital. He knew this wasn't her fault, but no one else knew her the way he did. Many of his Raiders already felt Kerrigan had too much of an influence over him than he would care to admit. All of them already knew he loved her too much to ever let her go, but some have pointed out this could also be used to manipulate him.

"On another matter," Dr. Hanson continued, "The tests I've run on her has shown something about her which Stetmann seems to have missed completely."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Is it bad?"

"Hard to say, Jim. I think it may have something to do with that Xel'Naga artifact. You became interested in it after I told you the theory that it absorbs Protoss energy, and the same might be true for Zerg."

"Back then I didn't see the artifact as anything more than a means to cure Sarah," Jim stated. "Still, you were right when you told me that the only one who knows what the thing really does is the one that created it."

"I understand. I'm a fast learner, and I knew how you felt about her shortly after your encounter on Monlyth. Your mind was so set on getting her back you weren't thinking of anything else."

Jim nodded, never taking his eyes off Sarah. "It's true, but now that I finally got her back, I seriously wonder just what this artifact really is. What did you find out about Sarah from your tests from its exposure?"

"It would appear that her psionic organs have evolved, it now far exceeds that of any ghost I've seen. The Zerg blood in her isn't taking over the tissue, but it's like her entire body has evolved into something far more than just a human being, almost like a missing link to another species entirely."

"Sarah's psionic potential was off the charts even before her infestation, Ariel. This psionic organ thing you just said is nothing new."

"I know her psionic potential is strong, but the tests have indicated that the levels it has reached is simply not possible for a human being to have. Psionic powers come from the mind's ability to cause paranormal events, but everyone's mind has a mental limit, including Kerrigan's. That is the reason why some of the Dominion's attempts to increase the psionic powers of ghosts have backfired, most of them fatally. If the mind does not have strength necessary to control those powers, they'll simply tear the mind apart."

Jim was not convinced. "Sarah is the strongest person I've known, you really need to give her some credit for her willpower, Doc."

"I don't deny that," Ariel defended. "But even after she became the Queen of Blades, her power was far from infinite. If it was your assault wouldn't have succeeded. Therefore, you know as well as I do there was a limiting factor to all this. The psionic levels in her are now so high that there is no way she would be able to sustain it, unless the artifact evolved her into something more."

The commander sighed. This was getting absolutely nowhere. The only way to know for certain is how Sarah acts, and that isn't going to happen until she wakes up. "Well whatever the case is, I need to be there for her through all this. After everything she's gone through, it's too much for one person to endure alone."

Without another word he began walking towards Sarah's room, gesturing for the guards stationed outside to let him through.

"Where are you going?" Ariel called after him.

"You said it yourself the increasing storm activity is a clear sign that Sarah will wake up soon, so I'm going to be there for her when that happens."

Dr. Hanson made no attempt to stop Jim. "Just be careful, Jim. I know you need her in your life, but there's a lot of people that need your leadership. From what I've seen about what happened on Char, it's obvious this war with the Zerg is still far from over, and a lot of people are counting on you to get them through it all."

"Sir, the attempts to neutralize the hybrid are proving futile," General Ridgeway reported. "Irradiation attacks so far have been the most useful, but the creature's regenerative capabilities are far faster than that of any Zerg I've seen. To put it bluntly, it's healing up faster than we can damage it."

"I don't want the creature damaged too badly," Mengsk said, irritated. "I need it to be in fighting condition upon captured!"

"You've seen its healing abilities yourself, it can handle its own. As long as we don't kill it, it'll fully recover in no time."

"Very well, general. Just how much success have you had against the hybrid?"

"Almost none, sir. Getting up close is suicide, as it can tear apart marines with just one swipe of its claws. It has the ability to spray some sort of slime that slows down anyone unlucky enough to be caught in it, which slows down their movement dramatically. I've tried luring it to more open places where our siege tanks could bombard it, but those tend to cost the lives of all the marines who have to lure it there, and the damage to it is still minimal. Some of my boys are nearing mutiny, unwilling to sacrifice their lives for this project of yours."

Mengsk scowled in anger. "This project could determine the fate of the whole sector! It is imperative that I get the hybrid back under my control again!"

"I understand, sir, but my boys don't see it that way. The neural resocialization may have prevented them from going into a killing rage, but it doesn't turn them into mindless drones. More and more of them are starting to question their officers about the orders to take the hybrid in alive."

"You can tell them they're being paid to obey orders, not interpret them!"

"It may not be enough if the casualties keep mounting like this, sir. If this continues, it'll reach a point where they stop obeying orders all together."

"Fine," Mengsk replied. "Then we'll just need to people that have far better killing power."

"What do you mean? I've already used marines, firebats, and marauders against the hybrid, and none of them have had any success it."

"You'll see in time, general. For now, just keep your troops concentrated fighting the creature. When the reinforcements come to help, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about."

Medbay, Haven

Jim sat next to Sarah's bed, watching her sleeping form. For the first time, she looked completely at peace, something even he had never seen before. Prior to her infestation, he had seen her use rifles with such effectiveness that he thought was completely impossible. During her time as the Queen of Blades, he had seen her tear terrans and Protoss to shreds with frightening effectiveness, something that chilled him to the bone.

This, however, was completely foreign to him. When he first met Kerrigan on Antiga Prime, he already saw her as a fierce warrior. He disapproved of her cold killing methods while serving under Mengsk, but the two of them shared the same dream of a liberated Koprulu sector. After New Gettysburg, he finally realized he had fallen in love with her, and mourned for days about her loss after he had formed the Raiders and escaped from Tarsonis.

But even after 4 years, he still never knew how she felt about him. Sure she valued their friendship during the days under the Sons of Korhal, but that didn't mean she loved him. There were certainly signs that she did, but she never said it to him. Not that he was given the chance to say it to her, but Sarah was a telepath and she could have picked up on his thoughts about that anyway.

Now, those feelings he had wanted to say to her all that time ago were on the verge of pouring out, but he held them in. He had to help her through the pains she endured during her time with the Zerg first. He felt guilty that he had the luxury of being a free man all these years when she had been completely enslaved.

He took her hand in his and gently squeezed. Her skin felt as soft as ever, and a part of him wanted shut out the events of all that had happened in the past weeks. He wanted to forget his revolution against Mengsk, forget the warning he received from Zeratul about the impending Armageddon, and even forget all the people who were waiting for him and his leadership. All he wanted was to be with Sarah. In fact, that part of him wanted it so badly that the rational part of him suddenly felt he really was just a sap, too deeply in love with her to see reason of any kind.

However, he knew what he wanted couldn't happen just yet. The revolution with Mengsk was merely on hold, not cancelled. There were still worlds out there that need to be cleared of the Zerg infestation. And the mysterious enemy that he learned from the ihan crystal, well there's no telling what he'd be going up against in that category.

His thoughts were cast aside, however, when he felt a strange, yet familiar, feeling. And it made his heart suddenly jump to his throat.

Sarah's hand squeezed back, and her eyes suddenly opened.

"Jim..."

Author's Note: And with this chapter, Kerrigan has finally entered the story. She and Raynor will both have quite some interesting things to be encountering soon, so don't worry about that.

As always, please read and review!