Author's Note: Since the last chapter was only the shorter half, I felt it was wrong to have left you guys hanging that way. So, here is now the longer half of the chapter, which was why I had split it up into two chapters instead.

I hope you guys enjoy it!

Please read and review!

Chapter 9

Haven

Jim smiled as he saw another familiar Protoss face appear on the communications screen. "En Taro Tassadar, James Raynor. Our observers had recorded your victory over the Queen of Blades on Char. This victory has had a significant increase in moral among my people, as well as deliver a shattering blow to the Zerg Swarm. It is clear we still have much to learn from you terrans."

"En Taro Tassadar, Artanis," Jim greeted the Protoss Hierarch. "It's been quite a while since the last time we stood against the Zerg, though something tells me you didn't call just to congratulate me."

"You are correct, my friend," Artanis replied. "Your victory on Char has merely sent the Zerg into disarray. Given enough time, they will recover."

"Don't worry, I still have the tool to defeat them should that happen."

"You speak of the mysterious Xel'Naga relic you used to defeat the Queen of Blades?"

"The very one, Artanis. It's still on board my ship, though it's been disassembled back down to fragments like when I first found them. I've learned the device could kill Protoss as well, so maybe as fragments they'd be less dangerous to you. Besides, you're creations of the Xel'Naga yourselves, so obviously you'd have a much better chance of knowing what the relic really is."

"We will see to it when the time comes. I hoped to speak to you regarding the next steps in the wake of this victory."

Jim frowned. "Are you now going to have Kerrigan stand trial and be executed for what she's done?"

Artanis shook his head. "Zeratul has already told us of his sojourn: his discovery of the Xel'Naga prophecy on Ulaan, his battle against the hybrid on Zhakul, his encounter with Tassadar on Aiur, as well as the apocalyptic vision of the future seen by the Overmind."

"Do you believe it?"

"There are many who are skeptical about the prophecy. Others believe Tassadar had been corrupted by the Overmind. Very few could believe that the Queen of Blades will be the one to save us all, and there are virtually none who believe the Zerg were not always the vicious beasts we have fought against for so long."

"You're not the only one. Zeratul showed me the same thing he told you in an ihan crystal he gave me. After fighting the Zerg all these years, being told that they could have once been a noble species is just unthinkable to me. It's hard to see there was ever any good in them, so I don't blame so many of you for not believing it."

"Many feel we should pay no heed to this and focus our intentions elsewhere. There are plenty who want to see the former Queen of Blades executed for her actions against our people."

"True, but I know you, Artanis. Tassadar is more than just a hero of the Protoss to you, he was also your mentor. Do you believe he has been corrupted by the Overmind?"

"He is among the strongest Protoss ever known," Artanis said. "I am not convinced he could succumb so easily. For that matter, the prophecy cannot be ignored. While there are many skeptics, most admit that aside from the Xel'Naga shrines on Ulaan, the only being that seems to hold further clues about the prophecy is the Overmind itself. Therefore, the only way to know more is to return to its desiccated remains on Aiur."

"I thought Zeratul already got all the information he needed during his visit."

"Most of our homeworld is now devoid of Protoss. The small force Zeratul was able to gather was only able to hold off the Zerg forces there for a short period of time. He was thus unable to extract all of the information necessary before being forced to depart Aiur to avoid being overrun. Now Zeratul wishes to return in force to rid the site of Zerg infestation, and to learn more about the prophecy."

"That would seem to tie in well with your plans," Jim pointed out. "I'm sure a lot of Protoss would love the chance to see Tassadar again."

"It is more than that, my friend. During his visit, Zeratul had witnessed that almost all the Zerg legions during the initial invasion have evacuated the planet. The only ones that remain are the considerable number of defenders nestled around the rotting mass of the Overmind itself. With the Queen of Blades gone, the Zerg are now leaderless and divided. Thus the time has come to reclaim Aiur. As we speak, my brethren are mustering their forces on Shakuras. Once we have taken back our homeworld, we can then focus on the prophecy at hand."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"He specifically requested to meet you on Aiur, as well as Kerrigan."

Jim nodded. "It will still have to be a while. Kerrigan hasn't even begun to recover yet from the Xel'Naga artifact's effect. I am helping her here on Haven until she does."

"Very well, friend Raynor. We will be waiting for you on Aiur when you are ready. I have made it clear to my brethren that the former Queen of Blades is to remain alive for now."

Jim frowned deeply. "For now?"

"She has committed countless crimes and atrocities against our kind. She may be needed to stop the apocalypse, but once that is avoided, she will be held accountable for what she had done."

Jim clenched his fists angrily. "There is still good in her, Artanis. I will not allow you to have her executed once she's served your purpose."

"My friend, I would like to remind you of every crime and atrocity she had committed during the last 4 years. The loss of lives is so great that it is impossible to depict an accurate number. Have you forgotten about the death of Fenix and our matriarch Raszagal? Or of all the terran lives she had taken in her insatiable lust for power?"

"She was taken by the Zerg and infested against her will. She didn't choose to become the Queen of Blades. She now has the chance to make up for what she had done in the past."

Artanis sighed. "Friend Raynor, history and experience among the terrans has taught the Protoss that your species has a flawed judge of character. You may still have feelings for Kerrigan, but she has proven herself to be a threat to all living things. Her appearance may no longer resemble the Zerg creature we had fought against, but we should still expect nothing but deception and treachery from her."

Jim was about to counter that when the Hierarch continued, "Fenix and I had fought together for some 200 years, and Kerrigan murdered him in cold blood with satisfaction. She had forced Zeratul to murder his own matriarch, and took sadistic pleasure in doing so. Raszagal's last request was for Zeratul to take her place and watch over her tribe, but he deemed himself unworthy of the task and went into exile. That is the reason why I had been given the position of Hierarch of the Protoss Protectorate."

Artanis paused for a moment, before continuing, "There is much mistrust among my brethren regarding me. They feel I am far too young to lead the people. All over Shakuras, the tensions remain regarding the sects. Most of the Dark Templar tribes are still uneasy about the presence of the Khalai Protoss on this world, as it was we who had banished them from Aiur to begin with. When news spread that Zeratul had went into exile and I was chosen for the position of leadership of both sects, there was utter outrage among the Dark Templar. Following the Brood War, there had been many cases of assassination of Khalai Protoss as the Nerazims feel we are once again usurping power, and plan to exile them from Shakuras just as we had done so on Aiur. The incidents may have declined with the Zerg invasion, but now that the Queen of Blades has been incapacitated, all will be demanding justice be carried out against her."

Jim was about to defend Kerrigan again when a voice suddenly cut him off.

"It's ok, Jim."

He whirled around to see Sarah stumble into the room, an arm slung around Nova as she still didn't have the strength to walk under her own strength. Immediately, he hurried over to help Sarah regain her balance.

"I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted this was the only way," Nova explained.

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Jim asked softly.

Tears flowed from Sarah's face. "You can't defend me against this. And I can't ask you to speak on my behalf. I have to speak to them face to face. Please, let me do it."

Jim was just about to object when Nova shook her head. "Jim, let her speak. She already said she wasn't leaving until she does, so don't make this any harder than it already is."

Jim sighed and gestured Sarah towards the communications console. "Go ahead, Sarah."

Sarah took a deep breath, mustering up whatever courage she still had left, before speaking in a soft voice, "Artanis, what I did to you and your people was unforgivable. During the Brood War, I killed your closest friend, and forced your own kind to kill your leader. Zeratul trusted me that I had changed, at last freed from the Overmind's control, and I betrayed that trust with actions that have forever scarred your race. There is no Protoss alive today who wouldn't demand my death for all the suffering and grieve I've caused to your people, and I know none of you will believe anything I say given my previous treachery. When I first met you and Zeratul on Shakuras claiming reform, you said the Protoss cannot be expected to forgive me for what I did to your people, and you were right. I know nothing I do now will change that, so I will do what I must in the events ahead. Once I have done my part, do what you want to me, I won't try to stop you."

Jim was just about to intervene when she suddenly turned to him. "Jim, promise me you won't defend me. No matter what justice they deem fit, promise me you won't interfere with it."

Artanis looked on at the former Queen of Blades. She was indeed very different from how he pictured her to be. Truth be told, he had been expecting an arrogant terran, still deeming herself as powerful as she was when she was with the Zerg. Instead, he saw a completely shattered and heartbroken woman, her body still carrying the scars of the infestation, her face looking like she had just been through hell, terrified beyond belief, and already resigned to her fate.

Still, it could all just be an act to soften his view on her. If the Xel'Naga artifact had worked the way it was supposed to, then by now Kerrigan has been fully stripped of the power she once possessed when she was the Queen of Blades. She had to be smart enough to know she is now much weaker. But the one thing he wasn't sure of was the mentality. Was her mind human again? Or is the murderous nature still there? During the years he had fought the Zerg, he had known that despite their vast numbers, they are far from mere cannon fodder. Rather, they had proven themselves to be very intelligent creatures in combat. If the advantage of overwhelming numbers is insufficient to prevail in battle, then they will rely on deception instead.

If Kerrigan's murderous nature is still in her mind and she has been stripped of her powers, it was entirely possible she's putting on this show to get him to lower his guard, then betray him again the moment she is able to acquire her powers back. Most of his Protoss brethren would agree that is exactly she is trying to do, but he suddenly remembered what Zeratul had told him when he had been working alongside Kerrigan to acquire the Uraj crystal on Khyrador, now known as the terran world of Braxis.

They had been unable to leave the planet immediately due to a terran force known as the UED. Back then, he was arrogant in thinking the terrans were powerless against the Protoss, as it was they who defeated the Overmind. But Zeratul informed him that this was done with terran assistance, and that they should not be underestimated.

Since then, Artanis had learned there is usually more to terrans than what meets the eye, although he was still distrustful of them. He had been especially distrustful of female terrans given Kerrigan's nature, but that had somewhat changed ever since his encounter with the terran Rosemary Dahl. She had proved to him there are more trustworthy terrans out there, and she had convinced him to launch a rescue mission to save the life of the terran Jake Ramsey, who happened to be carrying the spirit of Zamara, a Protoss preserver.

The difference, however, was that Rosemary Dahl fully human, and there is no proof that Kerrigan currently is. Dahl had been suffering from the effects of the Protoss substance known as Sundrop, but while excessive usage would have rendered it fatal to her, it is completely different in comparison the Zerg virus used for infestation.

Thus Artanis is hesitating on whether he should confide in his former enemy or not. The last thing he wanted to do is make the same deadly mistake twice.

Jim noticed the Hierarch's silence and spoke into the screen, "Artanis, I know how you feel about Sarah and what she did. But you have to look at it this way: you've only known her as the Queen of Blades. None of you know what she was like before that, I do."

"It still does not change the fact your feelings for the former Queen of Blades is affecting your judgment, my friend."

"Are you so caught up in your desire to seek retribution that you refuse to even consider maybe this time she's telling the truth?" Jim asked. "You told me that shortly after Kerrigan met you on Shakuras, Raszagal asked you to give her the benefit of the doubt."

Artanis's eyes darkened dangerously. "We did, we trusted her and look what happened! She took our matriarch and turned her into her personal slave! She used Raszagal to manipulate all of us for her personal ascension to power!"

Sarah lowered her head in guilt. The longer Jim and Artanis debated over this, the more anguished she became of what she had done, what she had become. If it weren't for her promise to help Jim, by now she'd have completely lost the will to live.

Jim, however, was refusing to budge. "Raszagal was right about one thing though: we're all in this together now. She had said for you to give Sarah enough time to prove herself to you, and she might become your ally."

"And she did not become an ally at all!" Artanis shot back.

"She was still under the Zerg influence," Jim pointed out. "The Overmind's death didn't change that. Now the influence is gone, and you have the opportunity to see what Sarah's really like. Are you not even going to give her that chance?"

"She could still be deceiving us in another grab for power."

An idea then struck to Jim. "Artanis, you and I had fought side by side on Braxis against the infested terran known as Alexi Stukov. You asked me to help you restore him by using the nanotech serum developed which would reverse the infestation effect. During that time, you said it yourself that infested terrans did not have free will of their own."

Jim then pointed to Sarah. "If you truly believed that, then who's to say the same isn't true for Sarah's infestation?"

"According to the prophecy, she is supposed to be the savior of the universe. Therefore, it would be logical that her infestation is different compared to others."

"It doesn't matter what type of an infestation it is," Jim countered. "An infestation is an infestation, plain and simple. You told me that human behavior prior to infestation is nothing like the way they act after they've been infested. So what makes you think Sarah will act the same way she did when she was the Queen of Blades?"

"You do not know she is truly human again, friend Raynor. Her appearance may have changed, but that does not mean she no longer possesses the murderous nature she once had."

Jim was getting exasperated. "All right, fine. But the one thing you and I can agree on is that the prophecy that says she is to be the universe's savior cannot be ignored. Therefore, until the time comes where she has to do her part, there is still an opportunity time window."

Artanis nodded, immediately understanding what Raynor was implying. "You believe Kerrigan has changed for the better, and will use this window to prove it to all of us."

"She is a good person, Artanis. I've known there was good in her even when she was the Queen of Blades. Give her one last benefit of the doubt, and let her prove herself to you. I'm not asking you to forgive her for what she's done. I simply hope that if she is able to prove herself, you will at least consider the possibility she is truly a different person now."

The Protoss Hierarch turned his head to Kerrigan. "Friend Raynor is correct in that none of us know what you are like before you became the Queen of Blades, young Kerrigan. He strongly believes in you, even after your actions of betrayal to him. After the deaths of Fenix and Raszagal, trusting you again would seem to be unthinkable. However, if the prophecy is indeed true, then it would appear we have no alternative. But regardless, we will not stand for your treachery ever again. If friend Raynor is correct about you, perhaps in time we will show leniency for your actions. Otherwise, we shall be the end of you, prophecy or not."

Sarah nodded gently. "I will never harm another Protoss again, you've all suffered too much because of me. I will do everything in my power to make up for all I have done to you, even if it takes me the rest of my life."

This seemed to finally satisfy Artanis, as he turned his view back to Jim. "We will now turn our attention to reclaiming Aiur. Join us there when Kerrigan recovers. En Taro Tassadar, my friend."

"En Taro Tassadar, Artanis." Jim bid farewell to his friend and turned off the communicator screen.

He then turned to Sarah with a sad look on his face. "Sarah, why did you say that to him? You know I'd never stand by and let them execute you."

Kerrigan broke down sobbing as she collapsed into Jim's arms. "Jim, promise me! Promise me if they choose that sentence, you won't defend me from it! It's their rightful justice! Don't deny them that!"

"It won't come to that, Sarah," Jim said softly, stroking her red hair. "I know they'll learn to trust you in time."

Sarah, however, did not back down. "Promise me, Jim," she whispered. "You don't know what they'll really do once I've done my part. You've never broken your promises, so promise me this time."

Jim sighed. Sarah was thoroughly convinced once she has played her part in this prophecy, the Protoss will kill her. Trying to convince her otherwise is pointless right now.

"I promise, Sarah. If it comes down to that, I'll keep my word," he whispered into her ear, as Sarah continued to weep into his chest. He may have always been one to keep his promises, but for the first time, he found himself at one which may be an exception.