Author's Note: Quicker update for today. This chapter will explore more of what is currently happening on Aiur, as well as go further into Kerrigan's role in finding redemption. Here, I tried to get her to earn the trust of more people, so let me know how you think I did in that.

Please read and review!

Chapter 14

Aiur

"Hierarch, are you certain it is safe for you to come down here?" Mohandar asked, as he and his Void Rays escorted Artanis's Mothership across the open plains of Aiur. "The Zerg air threat may have been greatly weakened, but they remain dangerous!"

"As long as their forces remain concentrated around Antioch and the body of the Overmind, it is safe for me to come to the surface," Artanis replied calmly. "We shall deal with their presence accordingly when the time comes. It is clear that without the leadership from the Queen of Blades, their offensive abilities are no longer as effective as before. It is why we have sustained fewer losses in retaking other sectors of our world."

"Executor Selendis has secured the outer suburbs of Scion Province. The latest Observer scans indicate that the Zerg there are falling back to the center of the city for their last stand."

"She is a strong warrior, Mohandar. I know she will be able scour the Zerg from the rest of Scion quickly. Our brethren from other parts of Aiur have been reporting similar success. Soon all that the Zerg will have are their two strongholds they had fortified during the initial stages of the invasion."

"I do not understand, Hierarch. Why did we not attack the Zerg at our capital immediately? We could have dealt a crushing blow to them and weakened their hold on Aiur even sooner."

"I have learned from my time with the terrans that not all combat is as glorious as we proclaim it to be," Artanis said slowly. "Attacking Antioch would have resulted in losses far too great for us to bear. Now that the Zerg can no longer cut off our reinforcements from warping in, we are able to safely muster our forces until we have the strength necessary for such an assault."

"Do you believe the terran James Raynor will arrive to help us in the endeavor?"

"I do. He wishes to know more about the prophecy just as we do. I have no doubt he will come to Aiur as soon as he has helped the former Queen of Blades recover."

"There are many of us who are outraged of putting our trust in her yet again, Hierarch. Confiding with a veil creature such as her is heresy."

"Our Judicator Aldaris spoke in a similar manner when Tassadar first associated with Prelate Zeratul. He admitted the error of his ways after the destruction of the Overmind on Aiur. Perhaps if James Raynor is correct, so shall I about Kerrigan."

"After the death of our Matriarch I find it impossible the Queen of Blades would help us in our goals. I cannot believe she would assist us in any way unless she had her own gain to benefit from it."

"She had made it clear to me she would accept the charges brought up against her once she has done her part," Artanis assured. "She even told James Raynor not to defend her should our sentence be execution, though I fear he would not listen to that."

"Why did you believe her?" Mohandar pressed. "Many of our brethren are concerned that she had manipulated you, just as she did to Raszagal."

"I have my doubts. But in her human form, she was certainly nothing like what I had been expecting. She seemed very fragile and frightened, horrified of all she had done during her time with the Zerg. Although experience has taught me that human emotions are difficult to read, it would appear this time there is an element of truth in her eyes."

"I still have my doubts. Do you honestly believe James Raynor will protect her if some of our brethren seek their retribution?"

"That I do not doubt at all. His feelings for Kerrigan existed even when she was with the Zerg. And he is correct that he knows her better than myself, just as I know Tassadar better than him."

"Mighty Tassadar is a hero of the Protoss! The former Queen of Blades is nothing more than a traitor to all creation!"

Artanis sighed in irritation. Although he was getting used to the waves of protest from his brethren of trusting Kerrigan, it did not make things any easier. It wouldn't be surprising if Jim Raynor held off coming to Aiur simply because of his fear of how the Protoss will react to her presence.

Still, the Protoss on Haven did not make any assassination attempts on the former Queen of Blades, which had greatly surprised him. But as he had learned from his experience with the terrans, they are never to be underestimated. He had no doubt that even if Kerrigan lost all the power she once possessed as the Queen of Blades, she would still be dangerous to them. This of course only reinforced the factor of distrust, but Jim Raynor was right in that everyone deserves a chance at redemption.

"Prelate Mohandar, we have reached the River of Light," a Dark Templar announced.

"What is the concentration of Zerg present?" Mohandar asked.

"Our Observers have detected a large Zerg colony to the north. They are staying away from the river itself as they are unable to adapt to the water. If we stay close to the river, it can be used to great benefit."

"That is not the way of the Protoss!" A Zealot exclaimed. "It is our right to engage the veil creatures in glorious combat!"

"There is nothing glorious about being killed," Artanis pointed out. "We are here to reclaim our homeworld. That is more important that clinging to our traditions."

"Hierarch, we have Zerg flyers incoming!" A Stalker announced.

"Void Rays, to arms!" Mohandar announced, as the individual Void Rays powered up their prismatic beams. Within minutes, the skies were filled with the sounds of battle, as Corruptors and Mutalisks were shot out of the sky.

"Stalkers, defend the riverbank!" Artanis ordered, as Warp Prisms were launched from his Mothership. "Do not allow our Warp Prisms to be destroyed!"

The individual Stalkers fanned out, as swarms of Zerglings charged to annihilate the intruders. Many were killed by their particle disruptors, but others were able to get through. The Zealots warped in from the Warp Prisms were doing their best to protect the Stalkers, but as Hydralisks and Roaches joined in, they began to get overwhelmed.

"Withdrawal to the river edge!" Mohandar commanded. "Force the Zerg to the one place they are at their weakest!"

The Protoss warriors fell back, and as predicted, the Zerg instantly gave chase. Most of their ground forces hesitated well short of the river itself, but Mutalisks and Brood Lords continued to hound the Protoss. The Void Rays above did what they could against the Brood Lords, but the Mutalisk attacks continued.

"Warp in the Sentries immediately!" Artanis ordered. "Templars, release the full might of your storms!"

Amidst the sounds of crackling lighting, the Zealots and Stalkers continued fighting on the ground, as individual Zerg minions were torn apart by the Templars' power. By now, the Sentries have been warped in and their disruption beams added to the sounds of battle.

Artanis turned to a communicator console. "Executor Selendis, has Scion been reclaimed?"

"It has, Hierarch. With the exception of minor Zerg stragglers, the city is ours again," the female executor stated.

"Direct your Carrier fleet to the River of Light immediately. Mohandar and I are already engaged in combat against the Zerg here."

"It will be done, Hierarch."

Larks' Crossing, Agria

"All right everyone, it appears we're in luck," Nova announced, as the squad finished setting up the barricade to the power station entrance. "Looks like the Zerg destroyed the generators powering the auto-turrets, but they never did anything about the back-up generators. We get them operating, the turrets will be online again."

"The Ultralisks will be here in a matter of minutes!" A firebat exclaimed. "There's no way the barricade will hold off a Zerg monster that size for long!"

"And it'd be stupid to assume they'd be coming alone!" A marauder added. "I'm sure it's smart enough to bring other Zerg to the party as well!"

"Then quit your complaining and get the generators online already!" Franklin shouted, as Sarah and nearby marines looked over the power station generator blueprints. They appear to be discussing the strategies for how to lure the Zerg here, although none of the marines looked too happy about going face to face against Ultralisks without any heavy support.

Sarah looked up suddenly from the blueprints. "Franklin, this power station should also be a console for the manual override for the auto-turrets. I need you to locate them."

Franklin frowned. "What for? All we have to do is turn the generators on, the turrets will take care of the Zerg for us."

"They may rely on overwhelming numbers, but they're not cannon fodder," Sarah replied. "They have minds of their own too."

Franklin gestured for some of the marines to proceed further into the station for the generators, before turning to Sarah again. "So what are you saying? They may not come into auto turrets' line of fire at all?"

"It's possible, that's all I'm saying. When they arrive, they'll know we're in this area, and will continue to search for us until they find us. There aren't any turrets defending the power station itself, so if they find out we're in here, they'll stop at nothing to break the door down."

Franklin nodded grimly. "So you're saying someone needs to go out there to make them think we're out in the open."

"See? She's going to get us all killed!" A marauder shouted. "She got us here, and now she expects us to be the bait for the Zerg!"

"Will you shut up and listen?" Franklin seethed, irritated. "We're going to have a real fight on our hands soon if this goes south, last thing we need is to accuse each other!"

He sighed and directed his attention to Sarah again. "He's got a point though. These are Ultralisks we're dealing with here. I didn't think about it before, but these turrets have gauss cannons. They're stronger than the C-14 rifles we've got, but they're still designed only infantry and lightly armored vehicle defense. The Ultralisk is essentially a biological super tank, and we don't even know how many of them will be coming. Even if there's no other Zerg with them, sending someone out there is virtually a death sentence."

"I know," Sarah said softly, before picking up her C-20 Canister Rifle. "That's why I'll do it myself."

Nova looked up, startled. "Sarah, you can't be serious! I know you're good but there's going to be dozens of Zerg out there! You can't fight them alone!"

The red head shook her head slowly. "It was my idea to come to the power station to begin with, remember?"

"That doesn't mean you also have to be the bait! I can go with you!"

"Enough people have died over me already. I'm not adding any more casualties to the list," Sarah explained, looking over at the marauders and firebats. "They would have wanted me to be the bait anyway, so I'm saving them the trouble."

Franklin was having a hard time digesting all this. He didn't want to risk the lives of his men, but Raynor would have his head on a platter if Kerrigan was killed. From what he could see, everyone else in the squad was expendable compared to the former Queen of Blades. He could already see the expression on some of his men. Some were relieved that they didn't have to put their lives on the line for this, but some seem to be opposed to her being the bait. Possibly because they had higher morals than letting one lone person go out there, but most likely because they think she's still the Queen of Blades and therefore the moment she goes out there alone she'd take control of the Zerg and slaughter them all.

Nova seemed to have picked up on his thoughts, and walked up to him. "She can lure the Zerg away from us, lieutenant. We'll all be safe in here while she takes the risks, even though I don't want her to."

"The Zerg are attracted to the psionic emanations of ghosts," Sarah explained. "I have a higher signature than Nova, so if I stay in here it's quite possible the Zerg will be attracted to the station anyway."

"Ok, if that's true, then even if you go out there the Zerg will still be attracted to her," A marine pointed out, gesturing to Nova.

"Not if my signature is high enough," Sarah countered.

"Look people, we can debate this all day, or we can let her go on with the plan," Franklin intervened, as the sounds of the Zerg from beyond the door clearly indicated that they had arrived in the vicinity.

Sarah nodded to him. "I know the turrets won't have much effect on the Ultralisks. But remember, as a ghost I have abilities that you don't. I have a better chance of surviving."

Nova sighed. There was no point to argue further, as Sarah had clearly made up her mind. "Then why do you need us to activate the manual override on the turrets?"

"They're programmed to attack anything non-friendly. Remember, I still have some Zerg blood in me, so the turrets could think I'm an infested terran or something. If that happens I'll get shot at as well."

Franklin gestured to his marines, and tossed his C-14 rifle to Sarah. "Take this then."

"What for? I already have a gun." The ghost said.

"Once you go out there it's clear you're not coming back in until all the Zerg are dead. I don't care how skilled you are, even you need the bullets."

"You expect us to hand over our spare ammo cartridges to her?" A marine asked, aghast.

"I'm ordering it," Franklin shot back. "We're not leaving the station, so we won't need it anyway."

"Assuming the Zerg really won't barge in here!"

"They certainly will if we don't do something soon," Franklin countered, as the other marines obediently handed their ammunition to Sarah.

He turned back to Sarah once more. "I guess we'll all have to trust you as some point. Good luck out there."

"I'll keep you safe, I promise," Sarah replied, picking up her newly acquired goods and headed for the back door. "You'll be able to see everything from the monitors here, so you'll know when to shoot."

Xel'Naga Caverns Entrance, Aiur

"Incredible," Zeratul breathed, as he and his Dark Templar brethren stood at the giant entrance to the Aiur Caverns. "An entire underground city created by the Xel'Naga themselves right here on Aiur, and yet so few Protoss have entered or even know of its very existence."

"What significance does this sacred providence hold, great one?" A Dark Templar asked.

"That information was not known to me," the Nerazim replied. "The preserver Zamara only informed me to see this place out, and that whatever I discover within will play its role in the upcoming struggle ahead."

"I must say, this is unlike anything I have yet seen on our homeworld," Urun observed, as his Phoenix ships continued to patrol the underground entrance. "Before, I had always believed that the Cave of Relics was the most holy site of our fathers."

"That location had been frequently used by my Shelak Tribe before the fall of Aiur," a Templar commented from one of the Phoenix ships flying above. "Most of our Protoss brethren did not have the respect of the Xel'Naga as we did, not after the Aeon of Strife. Even today, we are the closest Khalai Protoss to our fathers. Yet most of us only believed this location to be a myth."

"Perhaps in time, you and the rest of your people will be allowed to further explore this sacred place, Zekrath," Zeratul explained. "I understand your people's desire for extended knowledge of the Xel'Naga, but our mission now is to focus on the retaking of Aiur itself, and this location will be among the steps necessary to complete this task."

Zekrath nodded. Even before the return of the Zerg, he had been seeking further information of their creators. It was why he had greatly desired to travel to the moon of Ehlna, the very first world the Dark Templar had set foot on after their exile from Aiur. The Alys'aril Sanctuary was forged out of altered Khaydarin Crystals from the Xel'Naga, and such knowledge was invaluable to the Protoss. However, he was denied the chance for knowledge due to the impending dangers ahead for the Protoss Preserver Zamara.

Now, it was possible that before them lies a sanctuary that far exceeded the imaginations of most of his brethren. A part of him wanted to go with Zeratul to explore the caverns and explore its secrets, but the Dark Templar was right: the reclamation of Aiur is the more important task. If what lies down there could assist them, then that has to take top priority.

"Zeratul, did the preserver Zamara reveal to you what you are seeking?" He asked.

The Nerazim shook his head slowly. "All she explained to me was that when I come across what I seek, I will know it immediately. I do not know what lies within these caverns, but they must be thoroughly explored. My Dark Templar brethren will accompany me in this journey. You must remain out here and ensure that no veil Zerg creatures defile this holy sanctum."

"The Sehlak Guardians stand ready," Zekrath said proudly, as the Zealots and Stalkers gathered around the entrance. "More of my brethren will be arriving to reinforce our positions soon. As long as one of us still breathes, no intruder will set foot in the Xel'Naga providence."

"Zamara spoke of a secret rear entrance to the caverns. Urun, Zekrath, the entrance we stand before now is the front, an obvious entrance for intruders. They must not be allowed to know there is a 2nd way in. I will lead my Dark Templar brethren to enter from the secret passageway."

"My Phoenix interceptors will guard such an entrance," Urun announced. "Proceed with caution, great Zeratul. There is no telling what secrets our fathers may reveal."

Without another word Zeratul gathered his Dark Templar and headed towards where Zamara had informed him where the secret entrance is. With the concentrations of Zerg being beaten back all across the planet, all that will remain are their strongholds at Antioch and the Overmind's final resting site. Entering and exploring the caverns, therefore, should be relatively safe.

What neither Zeratul nor the rest of the Protoss realized, however, was that from a relatively safe distance away, hidden in the foliage of the dense Aiur jungle, a pair of glowing blue eyes was watching, and waiting.