Author's Note: This chapter will begin the path of redemption for Kerrigan. It will certainly be a long one for her. Please let me know if you think I started it off well for her here or not.
As always, please read and review!
Chapter 13
En Route to Xel'Naga Caverns
"Great one, we are nearing the designated location, per your request," a Templar announced.
"What is the concentration of Zerg in the area?" Zeratul asked.
"Our Observers have detected a small Zerg colony to the south. Their numbers are in the thousands, insignificant compared to our great fleets, but would post a grave threat to the forces currently at our disposal."
"Has there been any indication that they have ventured to where we are headed?" Admiral Urun asked, as his Phoenix ships continued to advance alongside Zeratul's Void Seeker.
"Only the occasional patrols. It would appear that the Zerg show no interest in what Zeratul is seeking, although we may encounter difficulties with our own brethren. We have picked up the presence of a splinter Protoss tribe called the Tal'darim. There have been reports from our warriors all over Aiur of similar encounters, and all of them showed hostility to both us as well as the Zerg."
"They were once slaves to the traitor Ulrezaj," Zeratul commented. "Although it has been a year since they discovered the true nature of their master, the possibility that his influence remains cannot be factored out. The Tal'darim had proven themselves to be hostile to all that are different from them. Despite his services to Aiur, even Jim Raynor was greeted by such animosity by them."
"It is considered a sin to steal such holy relics created by the Xel'Naga, mighty Zeratul. The Tal'darim were not unreasonable in defending them against the terrans and the Zerg for such crimes. The Daelaam Protoss would have understood such actions."
"You forget the greater picture, Templar. Had he not acquired the relics, we would not be here to reclaim Aiur. Remember, Jim Raynor may have defeated the Queen of Blades on Char, but it was the Xel'Naga artifact itself that reverted her back to her human form. Our traditions may be to explore and safeguard the treasures of our fathers, but during the time I have spent with the terrans, I have also learned that in order to ensure our own survival, some traditions must be broken. Hierarch Artanis has informed me that once the former Queen of Blades has recovered from her incapacitation, Jim Raynor will come to Aiur to assist us in the retaking of our homeworld."
"What of the Tal'darim?" Urun asked. "Have they been corrupted to the point where we must return them to the Khala?"
"They have been greatly weakened after so many confrontations against Jim Raynor," Zeratul explained. "Their leadership is in ruins due to the loss of their executor on a Xel'Naga vessel. However, this does not mean they are no longer dangerous. We must proceed with caution once we arrive at the sacred site, for I fear even as liberators, they will not be welcoming us with open arms. Until proven otherwise, we must assume no Tal'darim tribe is considered an ally."
Suddenly, a transmission came through the Void Seeker. "This land is sacred to the Tal'darim and the knowledge you seek is forbidden! You will evacuate this place immediately or you will perish!"
"Zeratul, our Observers are picking up Tal'darim Scouts being mobilized against us!"
"It is as I feared then," the Dark Templar sighed. "Admiral Urun, prepare your ships for combat. We must gain access to the Aiur Caverns. I have been told what lies beneath the sacred grounds will play its role in our struggles ahead."
Within minutes, the sky was filled with the sound of battle as Scouts and Phoenixes battled for control of the air, as Zeratul continued on with his Protoss ground brethren towards the sacred ground.
Agria
Sarah gripped her C-20 Canister Rifle as she advanced alongside the squad. Other than the hive cluster, the only other heavy concentration of Zerg was located at the starport. Although there weren't many flyers present, there was a very high concentration of Zerg larvae. Due to the rapid metamorphosis time in creating new breeds, attacking it directly by air would result in a bloodbath. Most of the Vikings were needed to neutralize the Zerg air power at the hive cluster, which means air support would be provided by Wraiths only. If the larvae are morphed into Zerg flyers, the terran fighters would be shredded. Although many marines were dissatisfied with the lack of air support, the Zerg tend not to use their air units so much when confronting a ground attack force only. Rather, to satisfy the creatures' thirst for destruction, pure ground units are often deployed in such confrontations. Still, this could lead to attacks from heavy Zerg breeds such as Ultralisks, but the fact that they had two ghosts with them would compensate for that.
Leading the squad, Lieutenant Franklin was not one bit comforted by the presence of the two ghosts. Although Kerrigan looked human again, the fact remains there was no proof she was no longer the Queen of Blades. He had fought with other Dominion troops against the Zerg, and had been part of the defenders at the hive cluster on Char where Raynor activated the alien artifact. He had seen first-hand what the Queen of Blades was capable of, and if she was still alive, she could kill them all in a second.
Then again, Nova never possessed the powers Kerrigan had, and she too was strong enough to kill them all simply by using her ghost powers. Franklin knew the blond ghost had some sort of mind attack ability, which could destroy her opponents' brains, yet leaving everything else perfectly unharmed. Since Kerrigan is psionically stronger than her, she could kill the whole squad just as easily that way, even if all her power when she was the Queen of Blades had been stripped.
Franklin jumped a little as a hand landed on the shoulder of his CMC suit. Nova walked alongside him, shaking her head. "You're being too paranoid. She's not the Queen of Blades anymore. She never was to begin with."
He stared at the former Dominion ghost for a moment. Apparently the time spent with Raynor had really changed her. All the Dominion ghosts are known to be ruthless and cold hearted. They had to be, since they're assassins. While Nova had been somewhat different during her time in the Dominion, the occasional times he had seen her she too had been cold hearted. Now, it would appear the Raiders' influence had turned her into a more compassionate person. He had seen how well she and Kerrigan had been getting along after the former Confederate ghost's recovery, but he couldn't help but wonder if this was just some sort of trick to influence Nova.
"How can you say that?" He said finally. "You and I both fought to defend that alien relic on Char. You saw what she's capable of."
"And you saw your share of infested terrans during that battle," Nova countered. "They were nothing but puppets controlled against their will. Sarah had it the same way. Now she's been cured, and she's fighting on our side against the Zerg."
"Most of the people on the ground are uncomfortable with her here, I wouldn't be surprised if most of our squad here is bracing themselves, thinking any second now she'll turn on us."
"You really have trust issues, all you boys do," Nova scoffed. "Sarah is trying to redeem herself and you're making it sound like all she's trying to do is trick you."
"She's full of deception and treachery when she was that Zerg monster! You know how addictive the lust for power can be. You honestly think she's willing to give it up?"
"Yes I would." Franklin whirled around to see Sarah walk up from behind them. "I know none of you trust me, and I don't expect you to. As far as you're concerned, I'm just a mass murderer who killed 8 billion people."
"You're right in that at times, I reveled in the power the Zerg gave me. But I've learned that power alone isn't enough to conquer everything. And I learned that I lost my mind and soul when I was the Queen of Blades. That means more to me than any amount of power I could obtain, and I wouldn't trade my mind for anything again," Sarah said quietly.
"I'm surprised by this of you. All that strength and you wouldn't even think of it?"
"I've realized now that individual power and brute force alone aren't enough to win battles. If they were, Jim wouldn't have been able to save me on Char. The truth is he's stronger than me, and that's why he prevailed."
Franklin was taken aback. When she was the Queen of Blades she had constantly seen herself as the most powerful being in the universe. Jim Raynor was nothing but a speck of dust in comparison. Now she's admitting he was stronger than her?
Sarah saw that the marine was finally beginning to believe her. "Whether you believe it or not, I'm not here to hurt any of you. I'm here to fight the things that turned me into their slave."
"If you three are done, we've got Zerg signatures detected!" A marauder announced.
"Range?" Franklin asked.
"About a mile away, numbering in the dozens. Looks like they're slowly closing the distance."
"Lock and load, everyone!" Franklin ordered. "Crap will be hitting the fan any minute now!"
Sarah cocked her C-20 Canister Rifle, mentally thanking Nova for giving her the new model instead of her C-10. Unlike the one she used to carry, the C-20 model is fitted with a grenade launcher attachment. Since the Zerg are fully biological, her launcher is stocked with irradiate grenades. Nova explained that the radiation effect from them poisons the Zerg faster than they could heal, and she too had well stocked up on the grenades.
"Sir, we've got multiple targets coming in hot!" A marine exclaimed.
From the distance, Zerglings were racing towards them, snarling in anger and out for blood and gore against their prey.
"All right everyone, light them up!" Franklin shouted, as his marines opened up with their gauss rifles.
Nova and Sarah also opened fire, as their bullets tore into the Zerg attackers. Zergling after Zergling fell, but the swarm continued to press forward. The marauders let loose their punisher grenades, as entire Zerg bodies were blown apart by their sheer explosive power.
However, the Zerg were just as quick to adapt. Almost immediately, the attackers began to disperse in different directions.
"The flanks! Watch the flanks!" Franklin shouted, as the marines began firing from different angles as the Zerglings approached. By now, Roaches were joining the attackers, and many marauders were forced to concentrate their fire on them before they could get within acid spitting range.
As the Roaches got closer, Nova used her telekinetic powers to topple a nearby tree. None of the Zerg were killed, but it did block the corridor they were scurrying from to attack them. The Roaches were able to burrow underground and move under it, but the Zerglings and Hydralisks were stuck behind, angrily tearing at fallen trunk, trying to break it apart as fast as they could.
"Sarah, do it!" Nova shouted.
The red head concentrated her psionic powers and casted a psionic storm of blue lightning. The screams of the Zerg from behind the trunk was a clear indication that the storm had found its target.
"Burn them all!" A firebat shouted, as he let loose the flames on his perdition flamethrower. Some of the Zerglings were fried before they could get in range, but others closed in and began tearing at the firebats. The marines were firing desperately to protect them, but by now they were desperately trying to avoid being shot at by Hydralisk spines.
A firebat next to Nova was hit in the head by one such spine. Reacting quickly, the blond ghost used her telekinetic powers and hurled the body into the advancing Zerg. A few seconds later, the firebat's gasoline tank exploded, as the Hydralisks unlucky enough to be caught in its blast radius screamed in pain, their bodies aflame.
Sarah fired a few irradiate grenades from her grenade launcher, but this was only useful against distant targets. The radiation was every bit as harmful to them as it is to the Zerg, so the ones too close would have to be spared from that. Scowling in frustration, she focused her powers and unleashed pure inertia nearby her. Immediately, the Zerg attackers were forced back from the blast, and as soon as they were out of range, she called out to a nearby firebat.
"Scorch them!" she shouted.
"I'm a little busy right now!" he shouted back, projecting flames onto nearby Zerglings.
Suddenly, the flames from his flamethrower moved away from their targets and turned towards the Zerg creatures Sarah just blasted back. The red head turned around and smiled. Nova was using her telekinetic powers to manipulate the direction of the flames, whilst firing her C-20 Rifle against the Zerglings that tried to rush the confused firebat.
To her left, Franklin was doing what he did best, but with so many other marines cut down by Hydralisk spines, his fire support had been greatly weakened. By now, the marauders were being forced to draw their pistols as the Zerglings got too close for them to use their punisher grenades effectively. Because they were not trained as well for such close quarters combat, many of them were starting to become overwhelmed. The firebats did what they could to force the Zerglings off as the CMC armor of the marauders could withstand more flame punishment compared to the Zergling carapace, but most of them were being forced to divert their attention to the Roaches as they popped up from beneath the ground close to them. Nova used the same inertia attack she just used to forcibly blast the creatures back, but Zerglings kept dispersing their positions to avoid it.
Suddenly, the Zerglings stopped their attacks, and together with the Roaches and Hydralisks, began to fall back, as the ground began to shake.
"We've driven them off!" a marine shouted.
Nova listened carefully as the thumping sounds got closer. "No, I think something else is coming…"
Franklin's eyes widened as he saw the reason why the Zerg attackers withdrew. "Ultralisks inbound!"
"Sir, we have to fall back!" a marauder exclaimed. "We don't have the firepower to take them on!"
Sarah reached up to her comm-link. "Dr. Hanson, come in! Are the defenses still standing from our location?"
"What are you doing?" Franklin demanded.
"We're less than 3 miles from Larks' Crossing," she told him. "That was one of the evacuation areas for the colony ships, other than the starport itself."
Sarah help up her hand as Ariel spoke into the communicator. "They are but non-functional. Their power source has been cut already."
"We'll take care of it," the ghost replied, before turning to Franklin again. "That place has auto turret defenses to protect the colony ships."
"Orbital scans showed they're offline though," Franklin pointed out.
"That's because the power station nearby had been damaged during the Zerg invasion. The Zerg didn't care about destroying the building itself once the auto turrets couldn't fire anymore. If we can restore the power there—"
"—we can channel the Ultralisks into killing zones," the lieutenant finished for her.
Franklin took a deep breath, before turning to the remnants of his squad. "You heard the lady, everyone follow me! We're going on a little detour!"
There were some grumblings about trusting the former Queen of Blades, but with the Ultralisks closing in, there was little room to argue. Sarah sighed in relief as she saw most faces express agreement for her plan.
"Maybe we were wrong about you," Franklin said softly, as they began running towards their destination. "Maybe this time you really have changed for the better."
"I'm just doing my part," Sarah replied. "I'm no great savior at all if I can't even protect a small squad of Dominion infantrymen."
Dominion Lab Complex, Castanar
Gestalt 107 breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the sounds of battle coming from behind the door. Their reinforcements had made it just in time. Another minute at the hybrid would have smashed the door down and the 8 of them would have been slaughtered. Now, it would appear the hybrid is moving away from their location.
He nodded to the other gestalts. "Open the door immediately. Mengsk has delivered on his promise, more gestalts have arrived to help us."
Some of the gestalts looked uneasy. "You really think they'll succeed? The 25 of us were no match for the hybrid at all."
"This time we've got 10 times that number," Gestalt 104 assured. "And our own efforts weren't in vain. The hybrid did take damage from us, there just weren't enough of us to exploit it."
The other gestalts nodded, as Gestalt 112 hit the blast door console, and the door hissed open. "Everyone, lock and load! We're going hybrid hunting!"
Gestalt 104 and 107 ignited their psionic blades, and the others followed seconds after. Without another word they headed down the corridor, as the sounds of battle drew every closer.
When they reached their destination, they saw the hybrid was indeed starting to weaken under the attacks at the docking bay. Because it had no offensive capabilities against aerial targets, it had to wait until the dropships touched down before it could attack the gestalt clones disembarking from it. However, while the artillery attacks from siege tanks did negligible damage to it, the sheer amount of rubble the shells rained down upon itself slowed down its movement considerably as it dug itself from the ruins.
This gave the gestalts the time they needed to safely get out of the dropships, many of them already trying to jump onto the abomination itself to slice at its throat.
"Over here!" a gestalt called to them.
Gestalt 104 hurried over to the new gestalt clone, noticing the number 527 engraved on its arm. "What is the situation?"
Gestalt 527 yanked 104 behind a pile of rubble, away from the hybrid before speaking. "Progress. The creature's taken out 35 guys already, 17 more injured, but we landed with a force 250 strong. We've still got fight left in us."
"And the hybrid?"
"It appears even it can't sustain battle indefinitely. It's attacks have slowed somewhat, and it stopped attacking us with the slime attack. Apparently its energy is starting to run out."
"Remember, Mengsk wants it alive, we're not here to kill it."
"You don't have to worry about that, 104. Our psi blades seem to be the only thing that can hurt it anyway."
Gestalt 104 suddenly noticed the different weapon configuration on 527's left arm. "Are you different from the others? We still have to carry our rifles, but you seem to have them built in to you."
"We're the newer gestalts," 527 replied, pointing to the minigun grafted to the cybernetic plating on his left arm. "Initially we were supposed to be like you, carrying a gun. It was decided we'd stand a better chance by integrating a modified version of the marine wrist cannon for us."
Both of them suddenly looked up, as the hybrid gave a shriek of pain, as gestalts finally succeeded in climbing onto its back and slicing at its neck. The creature threw as many of them off as it could, but more climbed on to take their fellow gestalts' place. Weakened from the psi blade piercings, the hybrid finally collapsed, unable to heal or recover from the relentless attacks.
"Remember, don't kill it!" Gestalt 112 ordered, as the other gestalts gathered around the massive creature, their psi blades still ignited just in case it got back up.
Gestalt 107 reached up to him comm-link. "Emperor, it is done. The hybrid has been subdued, but still breathing, just as you requested."
"Excellent," Mengsk's voice replied on the other end. "I knew the gestalt project would pay off eventually."
"What should we do with it, sir?"
"Load it up into cargo. I'll send a Hercules dropship to the installation right away. Have the creature transported to another installation. General Ridgeway can tell you which one has a containment field strong enough to hold it."
"And what about ourselves?"
"From the bio-readings, it appears there's still some 200 of you left in fighting condition after this. Gather up 150 of you to escort the hybrid to the installation. You'll be needed as security in case the hybrid is able to escape again."
"What of the remainder?"
"I have another task for you to do. With the hybrid in my possession again, I can begin the next phase in putting the sector under my control once more. If I know Raynor, he would be too focused on helping Kerrigan recover than turn his attention to me, so now is the perfect time to strike."
"You want them eliminated?"
"No. Killing Raynor when he's got so much public support will only make things worse, at least by my own hand. I need the public to see their hero fall another way. And with the Zerg weakened, I know exactly how to make that happen. Gather up a few dozen of your fellow gestalts to a ship immediately, I'll be sending you the coordinates for the warp jump."
"Where are we going, sir?"
"The one place I know that has the power to give me what I need: Aiur."