Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay in chapters. Summer school has been absolutely busy as hell, with no let up of any kind, and it's only going to get worse from this point on. I was lucky to squeeze out enough time to write this chapter out, so hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as my other chapters (and plus deep down I had kind of hope the fic would have reached like 100 reviews by now, but it didn't).

Again, I apologize for the wait in this update, but academics have to come first. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll see you in the next one.

Chapter 20

Bridge, Shield of Aiur

Artanis looked down at the console and read the reports that has been constantly pouring in from the Observers, recording everything they could find on the battlefield, and providing tactical data for the Protoss ground and air forces. The battle had been turning out quite well for the Protoss on Aiur. When they had first set foot on their homeworld for reclamation, the orbital scans from the Motherships had indicated there were approximately 1.7 billion Zerg still on Aiur. When it became clear the Protoss foothold could not be dislodged, the Zerg had concentrated their forces at Antioch and the Overmind's final resting site. Some 250 million Zerg defenders were still entrenched in the Protoss capital city, with 600 million more protecting their dead master.

This was exactly the reason Artanis ordered that those two targets will be the last to strike, as enough Protoss had to have securely settled on Aiur for the assault to be a success. Despite the protests of many Khalai brethren wanting to see their capital liberated as quickly as possible, most were content to settle for liberating the rest of the Aiur for the time being.

The remaining 850 million Zerg were spread all across the planet. With almost all of the primary Zerg hive clusters concentrated at Antioch and the remains of the Overmind, the other Zerg on Aiur were divided into secondary and tertiary hive clusters. The largest of these was the hive cluster at Scion, at 25 million strong, but the province had already been liberated, although orders had been issued not to repopulate it yet Aiur must be completely purified first.

By now, the Observer reports have recorded some 661 million Zerg dead. This came as a great satisfaction for the Zerg killing 70 percent of the Protoss population on Aiur, but a Zerg army in the millions could be replaced almost overnight if they were decimated, the Protoss could not. To that end, every Protoss warrior fallen would be crucial when the final phase of the reclamation began. Although without their leadership the Protoss casualties had been lighter than what had been expected, hundreds of thousands of Khalai Protoss have already found their damaged bodies been transplanted into the cybernetic bodies of Immortals to be fed back into battle. The Nerazim Protoss fared better, but they too had thousands of Dark Templar fused into the cold robotic shells of Stalkers. Despite more than 75 percent of the scattered Zerg had been cleansed, the continued Zerg resistance had nevertheless killed more than 14 million Protoss already.

However, such battlefield statistics were not what concerned Artanis. Instead, he had found something else interesting recorded by an Observer that strayed away from the sounds of battle, searching for Protoss survivors on Aiur.

Although the recording was very brief, there was no doubt that it had confirmed the presence of a terran base. Given that no terran had set foot on Aiur since its fall and the death of the Overmind, Artanis knew this meant the group of terrans had arrived only recently. Prior to this, the last terrans on Aiur belonged to Jim Raynor, and he had assisted the Protoss armies in slaying the Zerg Overmind. However his forces too had suffered greatly, and by the time Zeratul returned to Aiur and encountered Tassadar again, many of the dilapidated terran structures had been infested. All of the terrans encountered since the invasion begun have been infested ones, and the Zealots and Dark Templars have taken care of that.

There was no way that some of Raynor's forces could have survived on Aiur for the past 4 years. He and Fenix had defended the Warp Gate to allow most of the Khalai Protoss to escape to Shakuras. Artanis knew Raynor was a man of honor, and he would never simply abandon the soldiers under his command to the Zerg. If they had been his men, he never would have left Aiur without them.

Because Raynor had agreed to meet up with him and the rest of the Protoss once Kerrigan had fully recovered and had begun to make up for all that she did during her time as the Queen of Blades, it would seem illogical he would suddenly arrive on Aiur completely unannounced. Therefore, Artanis had to conclude that the terrans currently on Aiur belonged to a different faction, and therefore might not be Protoss friendly. The nearby Tal'darim base that has been mobilizing their forces to confront them might be an indication of that, but thus far no encounter with any Tal'darim survivors on Aiur has been met with a non-hostile reaction.

He pressed a button on his communicator console. "Executor Selendis, there has been a sighting of a functional terran base on Aiur. Our Observer only had a brief glimpse at it and therefore was unable to record any data about their intentions."

Selendis picked up on his message immediately. "Do you believe they are a threat?"

"Impossible to say right now. We need more information about them. Divert some of your Carriers away from our mighty fleet to investigate. I do not believe the terrans belong to Jim Raynor, as they would have made contact to us by now. This could only mean they do not want us or the Zerg to know of their presence here."

"Ever since the end of the Brood War, there has been virtually no terran presence on Aiur at all," Selendis said, looking over the recordings transmitted to her Carrier. "The terran base here appears to be too small to carry out any offensive operations. That would explain its secrecy."

"Its secrecy could mean it came to our world to steal from the Protoss," Mohandar replied. "I could see no reason behind it though. Most of our technology is far too advanced and beyond terran comprehension, while much of the relics that belong to the Xel'Naga that have remained on Aiur are still beyond our full understanding."

"Do not be quick to underestimate the terrans, Prelate Mohandar," Artanis warned. "They may know more about such technology than we dare to believe. Selendis, I am sending you the coordinates of the terran base."

"I will take some of my Carriers there immediately," Selendis said. "If these terrans prove hostile as speculated, they shall be purified the same way that is happening to the Zerg right now."

Redstone III

General Madison watched as the last of the Zerg in the attack wave retreated away from their base, regrouping with other Zerg further away for another attack. However, this last victory still had its cost to his boys. Although casualties had been much lighter now that the usage of the rich minerals had been authorized, the continued Zerg attacks were wearing the soldiers down. By now, most marines were utterly exhausted and were only able to keep going due to sheer adrenaline. The Zerg, however, remained relatively fresh due to the new ranks that filled in the ones that had been killed.

Even worse, by now the ammunition supply levels were nearing critical. Although the Wraiths have done an excellent job in escorting the ammunition carrier dropships down to the planet's surface, the fact remains that ammunition was being expended faster than the facilities on the BattleCruisers could replenish them. Attacks by the Wraiths against the Zerg hive cluster near their base was suicide, as there were just too many anti-air defenses positioned there. The Yamato Cannon orbital attacks from the BattleCruisers had destroyed some of the Zerg hatcheries, but enough remained to continue to offer heavy resistance.

Madison tapped his comm-link to speak to one of his mining SCV personnel. "What is the status of the mining so far?"

"Not good, sir. These Zerg attacks are making it far too dangerous to go down to the low ground and mine the rich mineral crystals. Ever since you authorized their usage, we have used up more than 20,000 of such just to hold off the Zerg."

"That's almost a third of what we've already mined!"

"The low grounds still have quite a bit of rich minerals in this area, but just how much are we needing here?"

"My orders are to acquire at least 500,000 here so we can extract as much jorium as we can out of these crystals."

"General, that's madness! The orbital scans had clearly indicated there was less than half that number in the area we landed! You're proposing we have to go elsewhere on Redstone III to mine more?"

"If that's what it comes down to, then yes. I don't know what Emperor Mengsk has planned for all this, but it's probably not for us to know anyway."

Madison then switched his channel to speak to his intelligence officer. "Colonel, what do you think of our status?"

"The recent Zerg attacks have slackened somewhat, so maybe we're winning in terms of resources. We brought resources of our own before landing on Redstone III, after all. Since all the minerals here are on the low ground, it's a simple matter of who's existing cache runs out first. If that's the case, I'd expect the Zerg to become more and more desperate, and start launching winner-take-all kinds of attacks on us."

At this point, the general alarm sounded again. "General, we've got another Zerg attack wave incoming!" A marine shouted. "This time they're bringing in Ultralisks with them!"

Madison scowled in anger. "Order the few ghosts we've brought with us into position immediately! Hit the monsters with all the irradiation rounds we've got!"

Minutes later, the sounds of battle could be heard as terran artillery shells rocked the lava grounds.

Giant Khaydarin Crystal Chamber, Xel'Naga Caverns

The Dark Templars stood in shock at the sight they were beholding, many of them still unable to believe what they were seeing. Just as they had detected the psionic emanations from living creatures, they had also detected a psionic signature almost similar to that of a heartbeat resonating throughout the caverns. As they had moved deeper in, the heartbeats became stronger. Now, at last, they had discovered the source of where it had been coming from.

"Mighty Zeratul, this is supposed purely legend!" A Dark Templar exclaimed. "During the time we had spent on Aiur before our exile, and even our times on Shakuras, there has never once been a Khaydarin Crystal of this scale!"

"This must be one of the very first Khaydarin Crystals ever forged on Aiur," Zeratul observed, looking up at the huge, floating monolith. Although a warrior himself, he was also an adventurer before the conflict with the Zerg. During his journeys back then, he had seen the Khaydarin Crystals seeded on other worlds, although Aiur still appeared to be the primary source, Shakuras being the only other planet that rivaled it in numbers.

The Khaydarin Crystal he saw on Ehlna when speaking to Zamara had been one of the largest he had ever seen, but the one in front of him made it look like a fragment in comparison. Now Zeratul understood why as he and his brethren had to continuously descend deeper underground even upon entering the caverns. At over 5000 feet tall, the giant floating Khaydarin Crystal had to be well hidden to prevent its enemies from exploiting its power.

Zeratul recalled what he and Zamara had spoken about when he was still at Ehlna. This was the same Khaydarin Crystal that Zamara had carved a fragment off of regarding her plan of the essence transfer. Because her essence had been slowly killing Jake Ramsey, she used this crystal shard in the hopes that once her spirit had been transferred to the crystal, Ramsey would be able to survive. This of course was upset by the continued interference from the Zerg, as well as the Dark Archon Ulrezaj, and later by the Terran Dominion. Fortunately, the majority of the Alysaar secrets were saved, as the terran Rosemary Dahl and the former Tal'darim warrior Vartanil helped the Alysaar Dark Templars transport most of the Khaydarin Memory Crystals into a Protoss ship, where they were then delivered to the safety of Shakuras.

The damage inflicted to the Alys'aril Nexus was painful for the Alysaar to see, but they conceded that as long as enough secrets were saved, it will be considered a success. To honor the agreement, the memory crystals were transported back after the nexus had been rebuilt a few months later.

Nevertheless, Zeratul knew the Protoss still had a long way to go before they fully understood the true nature and potential of these Khaydarin Crystals. According to the Shelak Protoss as they were the closest to the Xel'Naga, their creators had forged these psionic artifacts for the purpose of experimentation, although it was unclear what the experiments were really for. The artifacts were also used for information storage, a purpose only the Alysaar seemed to have been able to mimic.

In comparison, the Khalai Protoss have only been able to use the crystals as an energy source, powering the Pylons for Protoss buildings, enhancing their psionic energy, and using it as a power core for their spacecraft such as the Mothership. Khas was one of the few exceptions, using the artifacts to link the Protoss psionic energies to the Khala and uniting the people, but unfortunately his actions had also forged traditions to the Protoss people that very few seem to realize may no longer hold true. If the apocalyptic vision from the Overmind was accurate, then the window of opportunity for the Protoss to embrace change is rapidly closing.

To that end, Zeratul wondered if the giant Khaydarin Crystal before him and the other Dark Templars was part of the grand scheme of the greater picture, as well as what Zamara had asked him to seek out. He had seen a shard of the crystal already at Ehlna, shortly before Zamara had intended to begin the essence transfer into it. He did not remain to see the details, having left the moon to travel to the world of Pegasus due to the discovery of a Xel'Naga temple and witnessing the emergence of an energy being. Nevertheless, during the time he had seen the crystal, the energy signature he had experienced from it rendered it vastly more powerful in comparison to the Uraj and Khalis crystals he had retrieved a few years prior.

The twin crystals were clear proof that the Xel'Naga understood their power far better than the Protoss did. Both the Uraj and Khalis were carved from the Khaydarin Crystals themselves, and therefore this meant that they represented only a small fraction of the true power of the Khaydarin Crystals. The Khalis in particular was known to be a weapon even before it has been used on the Xel'Naga temple on Shakuras to clear the planet of Zerg infestation. When it was forged, it was entrusted to the Sargas Tribe of the Protoss on Aiur. But since most of the Sargas Protoss then had rejected the Khala, much of the energies that were infused into the Khalis belonged to the Void instead. After the exile of the Dark Templar from Aiur, the Khalis had been taken with them.

Upon discovering the Zerg on Char, the Nerazims had originally intended to use the power of the Khalis against the Zerg, as the power of the Khala had only minor effect on them in comparison to the Void. However due to the overwhelming Zerg presence, the crystal had been lost. It was only with Kerrigan's assistance in the Brood War that the Khalis had been retrieved, though by then most Protoss had trusted her reform.

The Uraj on the other hand had been an unfortunate victim of the Protoss space explorations and splinter fracture. Despite it was infused with Khala energies, it was not as stable as it was thought to be. When the Akilae Tribe entrusted with it took the crystal to Khyrador, it was meant to be used for meditation purposes. However, the Aeon of Strife had caused Protoss to hastily abandon the planet, while the Uraj was left behind, only retrieved during the Brood War.

Yet while it had been known that wielding significant amounts of the Khala and the Void simultaneously would result in almost certain death, it was also the combination of the powers that grant individual Protoss incredible power. It was via this concept that prompted Zeratul to teach Tassadar the powers of the Void, and the latter's usage of it that resulted in the death of the Zerg Overmind.

In the aftermath of the Brood War and the reality set in of Kerrigan's ascension to supreme ruler of the Zerg, it had become clear to many Protoss, Khalai and Nerazim alike, that when the swarm returned, it was probable that the powers of the Khala and the Void were needed simultaneously to ensure survival. Despite Protoss heroes such as Adun and Tassadar that wielded both powers, the energies they had channeled within themselves were still insignificant in comparison to the Uraj and Khalis. Indeed, many Protoss saw the purification of Shakuras as the peak of the combined powers of the Khala and the Void, as their powers when combined with the ancient Xel'Naga temple there prevented the Zerg from overrunning their world as they had on Aiur and fully cleansed their veil presence from the planet.

Zeratul had been informed that in the years following, while enormous efforts were made to rebuild the Protoss civilization, the Uraj and Khalis crystals and they powers they had displayed had not been forgotten. Instead, while not top priority in comparison to rebuilding the Great Fleets, efforts had been made in secret to harness their power and to determine what they were capable of on their own. After witnessing Raynor's victory on Char recorded by his Observer, Zeratul wondered if the experiments conducted on the Uraj and Khalis were meant to rival the effects done by the Xel'Naga artifact and the havoc it unleashed at the Zerg hive cluster there.

If the theories about the Uraj and the Khalis are correct, then the Khaydarin Crystals that they had been carved from would hold far greater power, and if the Protoss had learned how to harness it, they might have been able to purify the Zerg presence on Shakuras without the need for the Xel'Naga temple at all.

Given such theories, the power of the Khaydarin Crystal he and his Dark Templar brethren were standing before could have powers beyond their imagination, and Zeratul had no doubt that the relic would have a role to play in the events ahead.

His thoughts were quickly cast aside, however, as the sounds of footsteps were heard. As all of the Dark Templar were still gazing at the sight of the Khaydarin Crystal, it meant there were not alone in this chamber.

"Greetings, Prelate Zeratul," a deep voice spoke. "I knew you would discover this place eventually."

"Show yourself immediately!" Zeratul demanded.

A lone Khalai Protoss Templar stumbled into sight. It was immediately clear to Zeratul and the others that he was badly wounded, yet still had the strength to carry on.

"I am Felanis, the rightful leader of the Tal'darim."