Author's Note: Since everyone had to wait so long for the last chapter, I thought I'd make a faster update this time. Got lucky with summer school and was able to pull out the time to make it happen, I thought why not.

I hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter of mine. Please read and review and I'll see you next time.

Chapter 21

Giant Khaydarin Crystal Chamber, Xel'Naga Caverns

Despite seeing another Protoss survivor, Zeratul did not welcome the Templar. Although there was evidence to prove that not all of the Tal'darim had permanently succumbed to insanity due to Sundrop, the ones that regained their original selves nevertheless proved far too few in number. Zamara had told him of the Protoss survivors she had encountered on Aiur, and how the Tal'darim even attacked such Protoss.

He had seen it himself when he returned to Aiur some time ago with Artanis and Selendis. The Tal'darim was not the only surviving Protoss tribe still on Aiur. There was another one known as Shel'na Kryhas. Now he greatly regretted not making a greater effort to rescue the tribe as he had told Zamara that all Protoss were his brothers, even the Tal'darim. The destruction of the Warp Gate that lead to Shakuras should not have made him change his mind.

Zamara had told him that the Shel'na Kryhas continued to collect other Protoss survivors on Aiur, but were continuously opposed by the Tal'darim. Although the Shel'na Kryhas has befriended Zamara when she arrived at the Aiur Caverns, the Tal'darim had refused to listen to a preserver and fought against her. After the intervention of the Zerg to capture Zamara and the Terran Dominion's added interference, the Shel'na Kryhas had sacrificed themselves to ensure the terran Rosemary Dahl, along with Jake Ramsey and Zamara, to use the restored Warp Gate to escape to Shakuras.

Zamara told Zeratul the leader of the Shel'an Kryhas was a fierce warrior known as Ladranix, and he had willingly gave his life for her to prevent capture by the Zerg, as well as by Ulrezaj. Although this was done with the combined might of th Shel'nas Kryhas and some of the reformed Tal'darim, Zamara also told the Nerazim that the Tal'darim had split into two different factions on Aiur, where among the ones who died in that battle had opposed Ulrezaj, while the other remained loyal to the Dark Archon.

According to the female preserver, Felanis was the leader of the Tal'darim that had remained loyal to Ulrezaj, and Zeratul was unsure if that loyalty remained. His reaction would have been very different had the Protoss encountered been Alzadar, the leader of the Tal'darim that opposed Ulrezaj. Zamara told him that Alzadar was once a friend of Felanis, but that splintered as the Tal'darim had split in two. The Templar Alzadar had also been affected by the Sundrop drug, but Ladranix and the Shel'na Kryhas severed that addiction and restored Alzadar's connection to the Khala. Once he had learned the truth about Ulrezaj, he turned the tribe of Tal'darim under his command against him. Although Alzadar had survived the battle with the Dark Archon, he had been killed by the Zerg when he refused to show them how to use the Warp Gate to pursue Zamara to Shakuras.

For that reason, Zeratul was unsure how to react to Felanis. Zamara had informed him that Alzadar tried to convince the other Tal'darim to turn against him, but there was no evidence to show what happened in that aspect. He had to admit it was too much to hope to turn the Tal'darim completely back to the side of the Khala, but it would still have been a starting step. While there was proof that Alzadar and the other Tal'darim were capable of being reformed in this manner, this did not mean that it would apply to every Protoss of the Tal'darim. The hostility to the Daelaam Protoss shown so far by all the Tal'darim survivors on Aiur proves they are either beyond influence, or there is still a long way to go before reformation.

In the case with Felanis, although it has more than likely been a year since he has encountered Protoss of any tribe, there was no assurance that he was different from the way he was when Zamara had encountered him. He was the founder of the Tal'darim in the first place, and therefore it would be very likely to remain hostile to those around him. Alzadar remained with the Tal'darim forces that had been converted in the caverns, and although he had emerged from the caverns alive with such Tal'darim followers, nothing was said about what had happened to Felanis.

Now, it was clear Felanis had indeed survived the confrontation in the caverns, although not unscathed. The injuries he had sustained is clear proof that he is no longer the capable warrior he once was, but that may change should he fully recover.

"Your silence intrigues me, dark one," Felanis said, snapping Zeratul out of his thoughts. "That you do not appear relieved to see another Protoss survivor on Aiur shows me you already know of my reputation."

"Few Tal'darim Protoss have ever been returned to their former selves after the corruption," the Dark Templar said in a warning tone, his Warp Blade still ignited. "All the ones we have encountered on Aiur have so far been hostile to us, despite the fact we should be working together to scour the planet of the Zerg infestation."

The Templar laughed bitterly. "And how to you intend to accomplish that? You seem to forget that there are still countless Zerg on this world, and if attacked could call in reinforcements to overrun you all."

"Has your time in isolation made you a coward, Templar?"

"Were it not for my wounds you would see it differently, Zeratul. I am still a capable warrior, and many have fallen for their arrogant thinking in they can best me."

"The Zerg leadership has been crippled as of recently. The Swarm is now leaderless and divided now that the Queen of Blades has been defeated. This has presented us with the perfect chance to take back our homeworld. As I speak Protoss brethren are battling it all over the planet against the Zerg, and much of Aiur is already back in our hands."

"The Zerg are but a part of something more at hand. I seriously doubt it is something you are able to comprehend and learn. This chamber is the heart of the caverns, but it houses more than just the Khaydarin Crystal you see before you. As the Xava'kai group of the Tal'darim, we had been forbidden to enter this chamber on the pain of death by our Xava'tor."

"You had worshipped a false leader, Felanis. All of you had only heard his voice, but had never once seen his face. He offered to save you and your people, while none of you realized his true identity or his purposes."

"I am the exception," Felanis replied. "I know all about our Xava'tor is in reality the Dark Archon Ulrezaj. He never planned to save us at all, he merely wanted the Protoss preservers for his own usage. The Tal'darim was ordered to provide him with it, and that is why we had obeyed our master to bring Zamara in when she had come to Aiur a year ago."

"Yet you remained loyal to him. The Templar Alzadar spoke to the other Tal'darim Protoss about his identity and many of them had turned against him. If you had known about Ulrezaj all along, why did you not turn against him like the others?"

"You have no comprehension of the method he had used to corrupt us. Your Dark Templar brethren embrace the power of the Void, not the Khala. What do you know of being cut off from the psionic link that you had been associated with for so long?"

"Perhaps, but the Sundrop effect is not a permanent one. It can be broken, just as Ulrezaj severed your Khala link."

"I need no help from you in such a restoration, Zeratul. This chamber has already done the task for me."

Dominion Base, Aiur

The ground shook with the sounds of battle as the marines repeatedly fired into their attackers. General Ridgeway fought beside them on the frontlines, deeply frustrated. When he had been ordered by Mengsk to come to Aiur, he had initially protested, as there would be far too much Zerg still inhabiting the planet for the Dominion to handle with such a small attack force. The Dominion emperor assured him that the Zerg will have their hands full fighting others to focus their attention on them.

So far, Mengsk had been right, but what Ridgeway hadn't expected was hostility from the Protoss. Contrary to what the media had said, the reality was the Zerg was the real enemy. The Protoss on the other hand, while not on friendly terms with the Dominion, were technically not at war with them. He had hoped that if worse came to worse and they came in contact with the Protoss, he could talk them out of it and say that they would only be here momentarily and be gone very quickly.

Nevertheless, Ridgeway also knew that this was an acquisition mission, and to the Protoss, this would be seen as an act of theft. While not a religious man himself, the general had known all about the acts of desecration of holy sites. While desecration may mean differently from the Protoss perspective, the fact remained that no matter how little damage they did, the Protoss would guard their relics with tenacity. If stolen, there's little doubt that they would hunt down thieves to get it back. Considering by now entire Protoss legions would have to be on Aiur trying to get their homeworld back, the last thing Ridgeway wanted was to stir up trouble with them.

Looking around at the battlefield, he could see the while the defenses were still holding, the battle was nevertheless taking its toll on his soldiers. Mengsk had forbidden him from using the gestalts on the frontlines, and it was after much persuasion that the emperor finally relented. However the general was given the order to protect the gestalts at all costs, as they are needed for Mengsk's grand plan.

This did not sit well with his men, and despite the fact the gestalts have greatly helped in holding the defensive line, most of the marines were displeased that they were expendable assets, to be sacrificed for the greater picture.

"General, we've got more Stalkers incoming!" A marine shouted.

"Siege tanks, destroy them all!" Ridgeway ordered.

The siege tanks situated on the high ground opened up with their 120mm shock cannons, but while some of the Stalkers were blown apart, others blinked away to avoid the explosions. The gestalts on the frontlines opened up with their Gatling guns grafted to their arms, as the Stalkers returned fire with their particle disruptors. One by one the gestalts were hit, but the strength they had inherited spliced Protoss characteristics allowed them to keep fighting. As the marines provided fire support, some of the gestalts used their psionic speed capabilities to run up quickly to the Stalkers. Without the ability to engage in hand to hand combat, they were sliced apart by the gestalts' psionic blades.

More continued to blink about the battlefield to avoid the siege tanks, as Zealots and Immortals joined in with them. The siege tanks did what they could against them, but the Immortals' hardened shields activated, preventing the heavy damage that would have been inflicted upon them. The gestalts had their hands full firing at the Zealots, who also used their psionic speed to close the distance to the trenches, allow them to use their psionic blades to effect.

This left the marauders to deal with the Immortals, but their punisher grenades were weak compared to the phase disruptors. A single accurate shot from an Immortal struck home, as several marauders were sent hurling backwards from the force of the blast. Ridgeway and a squad of reapers filled their place, firing everything they had at the cybernetic walkers. Being non-heavy attacks, the general knew this would prevent their shields from activating. As he had predicted, the Immortals immediately began to take heavy damage, as Zealots charged in against them.

"Detonate the charges immediately!" An officer shouted.

The reapers complied, and within moments, all Zealots unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast radius were blown apart by the sheer explosive power. However as the smoke cleared, Ridgeway's face fell. Protoss Warp Prisms were approaching the frontlines, escorted by Scouts, Phoenixes, and Void Rays. Because they were yet within an adequate range, none of the Warp Prisms have entered phase mode yet, but the general knew all too well that they would enter it out of range of the missile turrets.

The turrets themselves were taking a pounding as well. Despite continuously firing their longbolt missiles at the Protoss air units, they were outnumbered by the Void Rays. As their prismatic beams increased in intensity, many of the turrets succumbed to it. This allowed the Warp Prisms to fly in closer than they should have been able to, as Zealot after Zealot warped onto the battlefield and charged at the frontlines.

Firebats were deployed to engage the Protoss warriors, as it was known the Zealots were very vulnerable to flame attacks. However this was stopped quickly as firebats did not have any defense against aerial opponents, and the Scouts flew it and unleashed their photon blasters upon them. There was little need to fire continuously, as the Protoss had learned of the vulnerable gasoline tank on the firebats' backs. A single shot is enough to penetrate it and within moments, many of the firebats exploded, killing marines and reapers nearby.

"Goliaths, destroy those Void Rays!" Ridgeway shouted. "We have to reach the Warp Prisms!"

The mechanical combat walkers moved in on the Protoss positions, their autocannons blazing at the Zealots. However only a few were able to fire their hellfire missiles at the Void Rays, as the Phoenix fighters used their graviton beams to suspend the goliaths in mid-air, where they were easy prey for their ion cannon blasters.

As Ridgeway and the other marines were slowly pushed back, orders were issued for the remaining marines in the bunkers to evacuate the defense line. But by then it was too late, as the Zealots overwhelmed the firing ports and closed in. The sounds of screaming marines told the general that there was no hope of rescue if they retook the positions back right away.

"Where is the air support?" He demanded. "The Protoss are hammering us out here! We need those Vikings and Banshees now!"

"The ships are on their way, general," the reply came. "ETA 10 minutes."

"We're not going to last that long!" Ridgeway shouted, as the Zealots and Stalkers closed in on his position. The gestalts were firing every round they have at the attackers, but the Protoss numbers were overwhelming. With the Scouts also adding their fire to assist them, the gestalts were also being slowly pushed back.

"We ran into heavy Protoss air resistance along the way, sir. You're going to make it, but you have to hold out a bit longer."

Ridgeway pounded his fist on the trench walls in frustration, as marines, firebats, reapers, and marauders were being overrun and slaughtered by Protoss ships. Without the ability to fire on air units, the siege tanks will no longer be able to provide the artillery support. He did have a few Thors on hand, but they didn't have strong anti-air capabilities and there were too many Protoss ships for them to handle by themselves anyway.

He nodded to a nearby Dominion officer, as the rest of the infantry and gestalts continued to fire on the Protoss ground units. "Get everyone to fall back to the second defensive line. Deploy all the remaining marines and goliaths there to support the Thors. Have the marines concentrate on the Void Rays and the goliaths on the Scouts. The Thors can then deal with the Phoenixes themselves."

Agria

"Well Jim, this is the last of my people," Dr. Hanson announced, as the Agria colonists descended from the colony ships. "With Agria cleared of the Zerg, there's going to be long haul for rebuilding."

"I'm sure they'll be just fine, Doc," Jim replied. Nearby, Dominion soldiers were boarding the dropships to return to the BattleCruisers. Only he, Sarah and Nova are left with Ariel, with the last dropship standing by for them. "I just hope they aren't going to call for your expertise at a moment's notice. I need you for far bigger goals."

"I've already taught the doctors here in how to synthesize a cure for the virus should it come up again," Ariel explained.

"Let's hope it works. The virus I've encountered this time is much more advanced than when I fought the Zerg 4 years before, and it's clear the virus is constantly evolving."

"You shouldn't be surprised if you find other worlds with the same infestation," Sarah pointed out. "The invasion I had launched also had its purposes to assimilate people into the Zerg to serve the swarm."

"Sarah, I'm going to have to agree with Jim on this one," Ariel stated. "You have to stop seeing yourself as the Queen of Blades. I know you still have the memories of everything that monster did, but you and her are not the same person. Everything that has happened in the invasion was her doing, not yours."

Kerrigan looked down, still suffering from the guilt. "Even if that's true, the fact remains I wasn't strong enough to stop her."

"Sarah," Nova said softly. "Every bit counts for something. Most of the infested terrans turned into total monsters. You were still able to retain your free will and parts of your humanity during all those years. That alone is plenty right there."

"The Protoss will never accept that as an excuse. You'll see what I mean when we reach Aiur."

"That's actually another reason to bust open New Folsom," Jim said. "We need the manpower. Something tells me by the time we reach Aiur there's still going to be fighting going on over the planet, and I'm in no mood for you to go down there to be attacked by the Zerg again, Sarah. Your accelerated healing rate will help, but that can only protect you so far."

"I may not even end up fighting the Zerg, Jim. You honestly think the Protoss will really allow me to get close to the Zerg again? You said it yourself they aren't yet convinced I'm no longer infested anymore."

"They won't have a choice in the matter. Even if all the Zerg on Aiur are dead by the time we arrive, we still have to go to the corpse of the Overmind. It has more clues about what we're going up against in this prophecy, and I'm pretty sure you'd want to know why it did what it did to you all those years ago."

Just then, Jim's comm-link went off. "Raynor, have all the colonists departed yet?"

"They have, general," Jim answered, before turning back to Sarah and Nova. "We're done here on Agria. Let's saddle up, it's time to head to New Folsom. Mengsk locked far too many people up because they either posed a threat to him or was just a weapon to him that had served its purpose. Time we go there and open their cages."