Author's Note: All right, I've done the story from Jim's POV, Mengsk's POV, and even the Dark Voice's POV. Now it is time to do the one POV that hasn't been touched on. This chapter marks the beginning with the picture will widen dramatically. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 7
Alys'aril Nexus, Ehlna
"It is done," Zeratul spoke in a powerful voice to a pure khaydarin crystal. "My observer has recorded proof that the terran James Raynor has defeated the Queen of Blades on Char. With this victory, the Zerg Swarm is now scattered and in disarray. Kerrigan herself has been neutralized, yet not killed, as I had warned him."
The crystal glowed brightly, as a calm, female voice spoke from it, "Then it is exactly what I had learned from the terran Jake Ramsey during the time my essence had spent within him: the terran race is more cunning and more skillful than many Protoss would admit. Jake Ramsey had only heard of this James Raynor, but you have known him personally, even fought side by side with him against the Zerg on Aiur."
"I have long valued his skills and abilities, Zamara," Zeratul replied. "He had accomplished something that I had deemed impossible, even with the aid of the Xel'Naga device. Ever since the fall of Aiur I had realized there is always more to the terrans than what they show on the surface."
"Ever since you had told me about the ancient Xel'Naga prophecy on Ulaan, I had shown a deeper interest in the Queen of Blades, despite her attempts to capture me for her own purposes," the female preserver said. "Even before what you had collected from the Overmind and encountering Tassadar again, I had suspected that she would play a role in the prophecy, though I did not expect her to become the savior of the universe."
"I find it difficult to see the Zerg in a different view," the dark templar admitted. "After so many Zerg had been slain by my own blade, it would seem incomprehensible that they are not the veil creatures we know them as."
"There is a far greater picture than either one of us know, Zeratul. What you had uncovered on Ulaan was merely another piece of the mystery. Now the time has come for both of us to understand the true purpose behind the prophecy. If I had the ability to go with you, I would gladly do so. Alas, I had used my energies and channeled them with that of this moon's nexus to save my Protoss brethren. Now the khaydarin crystal is all that I have to preserve my spirit."
"You have the power to leave your body," Zeratul pointed out. "That was how you were able transfer your spirit from to the terran Jake Ramsey when he had discovered you in the Xel'Naga temple on Nemaka. Why can you not do it again here? You had mentioned that the Khala was not meant for humans, and that was why your presence in him had begun to kill him. Surely you would find success if you transfer your spirit to a Protoss warrior."
"I certainly could, but the end result would bring further suffering amongst our people. Even if it did not, it is something I will not do. My place is here, mighty Zeratul. It is you who must carry on the task ahead."
"What do you mean?"
"The khaydarin crystal holds more than just my spirit. It also contains the spirit of the Dark Archon Ulrezaj. During the great battle on Ehlna, I had sealed him within the khaydarin crystal to prevent him from any more harm on our Protoss brethren, and even that of other terran beings. His spirit still lingers here, trapped within. It is my energies and those of this nexus that hold this barrier. If I leave this place, the barrier to his cell will weaken. If Ulrezaj grows strong from this, he could one day break the barrier altogether and escape. You know the sins he has done to our people, his intention of merely driving the Protoss refugees from Shakuras was nothing but a facade in his lust for power."
"He is a traitor to even his fellow Dark Templar brethren," Zeratul seethed. "He did more than just assassinate numerous Protoss holy preservers, he had tried to enslave our sworn Zerg enemies to do his bidding! There is no telling what he would have done had he succeeded in capturing you for his twisted schemes!"
"And that is why I must stay here, Zeratul. If Ulrezaj cannot be killed, then he must be forever imprisoned. His treachery knows no bounds and he can never be allowed to roam the Void ever again. I will be safe here in the khaydarin crystal, protected by my Dark Templar brethren. The Alys'aril Nexus has been rebuilt since the battle of Ehlna ended, and the Alysaar Dark Templars will always be by my side, fulfilling the role of the preserver."
"I still feel responsible for your safety, Zamara. Ulrezaj was far from the only one who wanted you for personal purposes. The Queen of Blades wanted the same thing, as did certain terrans, which Jake Ramsey spoke of as the Dominion."
"The Queen of Blades is gone now thanks to James Raynor's victory on Char. This Dominion has been silent for months, there has been no activity anywhere near here. The Alysaar Guardians are now much stronger than they had been when I had sealed myself in the khaydarin crystal a year ago. I will be safe, Zeratul. You, however, must take the next step and return to Aiur at once. Seek out what I had informed you about what now lies underground."
Zeratul hesitated. "I swore I would never harm another Protoss again, not after what happened to Raszagal."
"The Tal'darim are no longer the Protoss you used to know," Zamara replied. "They had been utterly corrupted by the substance known as Sundrop. This had been supplied by Ulrezaj, yet another one of his countless treacheries. Unlike your Dark Templar brethren who had no link to the Khala at all, the Tal'darim had formerly depended on its linkage, which Sundrop had severed. This could explain why their tribe became hostile to all those around them, including their own Protoss brethren, and would be the reason for their hatred of James Raynor for taking the Xel'Naga artifacts that they had protected."
"They are still my brothers," the dark prelate insisted. "The exposure to the substance does not change that. I may have agreed to come out of exile to assist regarding the threat of Armageddon, but I have caused enough Protoss deaths already."
"We all must learn from our mistakes, Zeratul," Zamara said softly. "Even now, you still blame yourself for giving away the location of Aiur to the Zerg, but you could not have known that when you slew the cerebrate Zasz. Had it been done by any other Dark Templar, they would have felt the same. You had redeemed yourself by killing further cerebrates, as well as killing the second Overmind."
"The second Overmind made a mockery of the destruction of the first on Aiur! When the first Overmind was slain, it was supposed to have been our total victory against the Zerg, not a temporary respite while another one rises in the former's place! It was I who taught Tassadar how to channel the energies of both the Void and the Khala! Since I had given the location of Aiur to the Zerg, I should have been the one to destroy the first Overmind, not him!"
"I was with Tassadar during his missions to purify the terran worlds due to Zerg infestation," Zamara pointed out. "Like yourself, I too know more about him than just as a legendary Protoss hero. The truth is, you're every bit the hero he is. The Zerg Overmind could not have been killed without the power of the Void, and that was something Tassadar could not have learned on his own. You had every bit a hand in slaying the Overmind as he did. You may not have mentioned such things when you encountered his spirit on Aiur, but Tassadar would have been proud of what you had done."
Zeratul was about to counter that argument, when Zamara continued, "In the case with Raszagal, I agree with Jake Ramsey and what he had said to you on that matter. You did not kill your leader. The Queen of Blades did that by manipulation. You said it yourself that day on Char that it was better to have her killed than remain a slave to Kerrigan. Her last request had been for you to watch over the Dark Templar people. You were her close friend and loyal follower. Honor her by fulfilling her request. If you do not, then you are not the warrior she claimed you to be.
"Think about it, Zeratul. Now that Kerrigan is no longer the Queen of Blades, she is being given the same choice you are. If she is truly human again, do you think she is not suffering from the guilt of so many deaths by her own hand? Do you think she would not regret the pain she had caused you all these years?"
Zeratul was adamant. "Why do you defend her, Zamara? You know nothing about Kerrigan before she was the Queen of Blades!"
"Neither one of us does. Even Tassadar had only encountered her briefly before she was taken by the Zerg. The only person who knows what is Kerrigan really like is James Raynor. You have encountered infested terrans during your battles with the Zerg, Zeratul. You have seen firsthand what it had done to them upon infestation. Although what had happened to Kerrigan must have been different in comparison, can you honestly say the person she was during her time with the Zerg would be exactly the same as prior to her infestation? If you cannot, then I urge you to remember what Raszagal had said when you first encountered Kerrigan on Shakuras, during the Brood War, where she had claimed reform."
Zeratul's eyes widened as Zamara spoke the exact words of his leader, "My children, you must put aside your fears and misgivings to accomplish what must be done. For the time being, Kerrigan will assist you in your endeavors. Though she has been your enemy, it is enough that we share the same agenda now. Allow her time enough to prove herself to you, and you may find her to be a valued ally."
"This time is different as she has returned from her infestation," Zamara continued. "You had made it clear that Kerrigan is to be the savior of all creation. The apocalyptic vision of the Overmind has provided proof what will happen if she is killed. If the threat of the hybrids is real, then all of us are fighting the same enemy. If we fail, then they will run rampant throughout the stars, and consume all light and hope."
Zeratul nodded, understanding. "I had sworn I would never allow that to happen."
"Then your part in this endeavor is not over, Zeratul. If you choose to stop fighting because the past pains have proven too much for you to bear, then that is where your ultimate failure will occur. The one thing I have learned during the time I spent in the mind of Jake Ramsey is that the terrans have a high degree of endurance. While some would shatter under the pain, others hold firm and endure, and grow stronger from it. Now you're being given the same choice. Will you crumble before the pains of your past, or will you endure and fight on to become the hero all Protoss need in times of dire?"
"If I choose the former, everyone who had died before me would have been in vain," Zeratul said with resolve.
Zamara's voice was calm, but determined. "Then you have made your choice, Zeratul. Honor those who had fallen by fighting for those who remain. In time, you will be able to forgive yourself."
Without another word Zeratul turned around and headed back to his Void Seeker. It was time he left the moon of Ehlna and returned to Aiur. He had unfinished business which he had to complete. It was time he learned more about the picture at hand, and this time, he won't be arriving alone.
Medbay, Haven
Jim gently stroked Sarah's hair and whispered words of comfort into her ear, trying to sooth her as the red haired woman cried into his chest. Each time a tear fell from her eyes, Jim felt his heart break for her. It's been almost an hour since she woke up, and she had been crying into him the whole time. He always thought his eyes had been cried out years ago, but Sarah always had the ability to awaken feelings in him he thought no longer existed.
Even so, he had to be strong for her. The pain he endured over the last years was nothing compared to the hell she had gone through. She was the strongest person he had ever known, but even she had breaking points. And right now, she needed him to be there for her.
"It's all right, Sarah," he whispered. "You're safe now. Nobody is going to hurt you. You're not alone anymore."
"No, they're just going to kill me on sight," Sarah whispered, sobbing into Jim.
"That's not going to happen. I won't let them."
She pulled away from him, tears still streaming down her face. "After everything I did to you, you still chose to save me."
"It wasn't you to begin with that murdered all those people. The Queen of Blades did that, and you were never her to begin with. You can't take the blame for what she did," Jim reached out and touched her cheek.
Sarah remained frightened as ever, her faith in Jim had been shaken. "You have always been one to keep your word. After Fenix's death, I remember you had clearly said you would see me dead for everyone caught between my quest for power. You swore you'd be the man to kill me."
Jim held her close to him. "All those years ago I was referring to the Queen of Blades, and she's gone now. I never swore to kill you. You were under the Zerg influence the whole time, controlled against your will. You couldn't have done anything."
The former ghost shook her head sadly. "Yes I could. I chose the coward's way out at New Gettysburg because I was terrified of my own death. All I had to do was save the last bullet in my gun for myself. I could have prevented myself from turning into a monster. Billions of people died because I didn't have the courage to do what was necessary. My cowardice turned me into a Zerg slave, and everyone paid the price."
Sarah tried to push herself away from Jim, but she hadn't fully recovered and her psionic powers had been fully drained as a precaution in the case of more unusual accidents. "I was supposed to have been stronger! Any sane person would have known the Zerg are worse than death! I had been trained to think like that ever since I've first seen the Zerg!"
Jim stroked her hair gently. "You were scared, that's all. None of us are fearless, and you know how fear plays with our judgment at times. When people get scared, it's common that they make illogical decisions. There's no exception to this, not even for you, and the others will understand that."
"You didn't see the fear in the eyes of all the people I killed!" Sarah cried. "Many of them were innocent civilians! There were women and children among them! I murdered completely defenseless people! Many of them begged for their lives, and all I did was make their deaths as slow and as painful as possible! I fed off that fear, pain, and despair! Some of them were subjected to an even worse fate by infestation!"
She wept harder into Jim's chest. "All these years has permanently defined my life by the Zerg! I'll never be the person you first met again! Everyone will see me as nothing more than the Queen of Blades with an appearance change! My reputation as the Zerg leader has been forever imprinted into their minds! They'll never forgive me for all the pain I caused! When they look at me, they'll still see the evil Zerg creature that terrorized them all these years!"
"But that wasn't you! You were being controlled the whole time!" Jim said, exasperated. "The Zerg influence was responsible for those atrocities! You had nothing to do with it!"
"More times than not I had reveled in the power the Zerg gave me! Even though deep down I knew I was a slave, I felt I was in control! I savored the satisfaction of triumph over my enemies! Some of them were my friends and I killed them without even blinking!"
Sarah continued to weep in his arms. "All those people who suffered because of me, you were supposed to have killed me back on Char! Everyone would have told you that!"
"No they wouldn't," Jim said calmly. Sarah looked up at him, suddenly confused.
"Your humanity was taken from you all those years ago, that's the reason why 8 billion people had died. If they had seen what you went through during your time with the Zerg, I'm pretty sure almost all would agree you suffered far more than they did. Do you really think they'd want you suffering to continue?"
Jim cupped her face in his hands. "When I first met you on Antiga Prime, I knew there was a good person in you. Even after you had been taken by the Zerg, I still saw the good in you. So obviously I'm not going to stop seeing that now. Don't torture yourself by grieving over all who had died because of something you didn't even do. You'll drive yourself insane if you do that."
Sarah looked into his eyes, as the tears finally stopped spilling from her own. "I can't just forget all those people, Jim. I can't just make it sound like they never died."
"I'm not asking you to forget them," Jim replied. "That's impossible, the memories will never fade. But it's about fighting for those who are still alive right now. Maybe you're right and they still see you as the evil Zerg queen that ruined their lives, maybe they haven't forgiven you for what the Queen of Blades had done. All that is quite possible, but no one can hold a grudge forever. Fight for them, and in time they'll see you differently. When that time comes, they'll forgive you."
Sarah rested her head on Jim's shoulder and wept. Jim was right, he was always right. He had been through hell himself to bring her humanity back, if she tortured herself over this grief, she'd lose it all over again, and that was something she wouldn't do. She wouldn't allow his efforts to be for nothing. She didn't have to read Jim's mind to know he too had suffered when she was the Queen of Blades, and her actions had only deepened that wound. Now, at long last, she had a chance to heal all the wounds she had caused, and that is exactly what she will do, starting with Jim.
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Unlike Qwerty-Man in "Next Steps", I felt it was wrong for Kerrigan to wake up and not remember a thing she did during her time with the Zerg, it just seemed wrong. With the Protoss finally introduced, the later chapters I plan to explain their plans in the wake of Kerrigan's defeat.
However, given the academic demands I have, this will more than likely be the last update you will see for the month of April. I'm sorry to all the people who have enjoyed my fic so far, but academics must come first.
As always, please read and review!