Author's Note: All right people, the next chapter is here! This chapter is a little bit different from the other chapters because none of the main characters are in it, but it will foreshadow future chapters to come, although some will be way into the future and all that. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 22

Xel'Naga Caverns Entrance, Aiur

Zekrath unleashed the power of the graviton beams from his Phoenix to suspend a Zerg Infestor into the air, where the other Phoenixes made short work of it. On the ground, Vartanil and the other Zealots continued to hold against the oncoming Zerglings and Roaches, while the Hydralisks moved in to attack the Phoenixes as their graviton beams have a limited amount of energy and therefore could only be used so many times before the need to recharge.

"These Purifiers, Soul Hunters, and Vindicators are indeed formidable, Templar," the former Tal'darim warrior observed, as the new Protoss warriors wrecked havoc on the Zerg minions. "Perhaps I was wrong about the terrans and their combat characteristics."

"This is their first time in proving their power in the midst of combat," the Shelak Tribe leader replied. "Despite the training they had received in the past, the silence from the Zerg denied them their chance. Now they have been provided with the best opportunity: showing off their potential in the retaking of our homeworld."

"I still find it somewhat dishonorable that we have chosen to learn from the terrans," Urun stated, as the ion cannons from his Phoenix ripped apart a Mutalisk. "Their technology is nothing compared to our own, as it was our powers that defeated the Overmind in the first place, not theirs."

"There is still much to be learned from them, Urun," Ataldis replied, his Star Relic adding fire to the battle against the Zerg Corruptors. "Power and technology alone are not enough to determine the course of the battle. There are the terrans who understand that, and all of the Protoss should learn that as well."

Zekrath watched proudly as attack after attack was broken apart by his Shelak Guardians, assisted by his new warriors. Indeed, it had been his attention to appeal to the Hierarchy to train them on a mass scale should they prove their worth on Aiur. Artanis had initially hesitated on using them here due to their lack of combat experience, but Zekrath had eventually persuaded him in that the Zerg can never be underestimated. The Hierarch had said it himself that Jim Raynor's victory on Char was not a fatal blow to the Zerg, and therefore they would recover if given enough time. Thus it was probable that once the attack to scour the Zerg from Aiur began, there was no turning back. If the Protoss failed to take back the homeworld here, then they would not be given another chance because the Zerg would have recovered by the time their warriors replenished their numbers.

Artanis may be young, but he was no fool. He had known all along that eventually the Protoss would return to Aiur for reclamation. Like many other Protoss brethren, he too understood that in such an endeavor, it was worth the breaking of the traditions. Although Zerg resistance has remained fierce all over Aiur, there was no denying that they were being exterminated all across the planet. From the Observer reports that had been endlessly flowing in, very soon there will be nothing left except for the concentrations nestled at Antioch and the Overmind's resting site.

Despite being exiled from Aiur for many years, the Nerazim Protoss still shared their love of Aiur like their Khalai counterparts. Both sects knew if it meant seeing the sun rise over a free and liberated Aiur, they were willing to put aside their differences. Although many of them had their prided wounded that their capital city of Antioch was still in Zerg hands, Artanis had promised them that once the rest of the Zerg have been cleared, they will focus all their energies on the city.

Zekrath knew that victory at any cost here against the Zerg would weaken the swarm even more, although that was not on the minds of most Protoss warriors. Every one of them was willing to give their lives for all who had died against the swarm, just as Tassadar had done. However, their forfeiture would mean nothing if they did not prevail, and it was this that convinced Artanis to allow the Vindicators, Soul Hunters, and Purifiers to be brought along.

They had originally been meant to take part in attacking the Zerg in the event the Protoss numbers were insufficient, not defending certain positions against the savage Zerg offensives. Nevertheless, the Shelak leader was firmly convinced that whatever Zeratul discovered in the ancient Xel'Naga city could end up decided far more than the fate of Aiur, it could also determine the fate of the entire universe. Therefore, it was vital that no Zerg be allowed to set foot in the sacred underground site.

By now, most of the other Protoss had grown to respect these new additions to combating the Zerg. They had been somewhat based on the terran ground warriors known as marines. Though the blasters they wield contain far less power in comparison to the Soul Hunters, Vindicators, and Purifiers, Zekrath had seen the potential in ranged combat, rather than the melee combat done by the Zealots, still claimed as glorious by the Protoss.

The Soul Hunter design had been based on the intent to combine the blasters from the marines with the psionic blades of the Zealots. Because the latter had not yet reached the upper levels of the Khala, they did not yet have the discipline necessary to control psionic storms like the High Templar could. However as the Zerg had been incorporating more and more creatures into the swarm that utilize ranged attacks, it meant that Zealots would be greatly weakened before they could get within psionic blade range. The Soul Hunter therefore had their power suits modified and the psionic blades were taken out, replaced instead by disruption energy cannons, similar to the disruption beam wielded by the Sentry. Similar to the marine design, these cannons were capable of attacking ground and air units from a distance, and a number of Soul Hunters using their disruption energy lasers in unison would be considered extremely deadly even to Zerg Ultralisks given their slow speed compared to other Zerg units.

The Purifiers on the other hand were much more closely based on the terran marine design, as their power suits also had their psionic blades removed, but were not replaced with any weapon grafted onto it. Instead, they were given a long energy lance, large enough that it had to be held with both hands. It had been quickly discovered by Zealots that the ability of the psionic storm casted could be controlled based on its size and magnitude. However to most Zealots, this made no sense to them as without the upper levels of the Khala, the size of the storm that they were able to control was too weak to kill, even individual Zerglings were able to survive such storms.

However, members of the Furinax Tribe thought differently. Throughout Protoss history, they had been known to be craftsmen, artisans, builders, and weaponsmiths. Even after the fall of Aiur, they had remained obsessed with understanding the power of the sacred Khaydarin Crystals with Protoss technology. Before becoming part of the Tal'darim, Vartanil was a member of the Furinax Tribe. He had known about the Furinax desire to make further advances in Protoss technology, particularly that of the psionic storm which had proven so deadly to their enemies. However despite their desire to combine the storm power with technology, this had been forbidden by the Judicator Caste, controlled by the Conclave. The Conclave had feared the uncontrollable psionic storms would prove to be far too great a threat to the Khalai Protoss, just as uncontrolled storms from the Dark Templar did.

Now that the Conclave no longer existed after the unification of the Khalai and Nerazim Protoss, these restrictions had been somewhat lifted. Artanis knew the Conclave had justification for their concern, and therefore allowed the Furinax tribe to proceed only on a limited scale on the Purifiers, and only in utter secrecy. Now, the fruits of the work of the Furinax Tribe could be brought to light. The energy lances forged by them and given to the Purifiers had harnessed the raw psionic power of the storms, although to be discharged in a more focused way. Zekrath had seen with his own eyes the power of the lightning arcs of these weapons, as they used the psionic storm of a High Templar and focused it into a thinner more concentrated line of energy, instantly tearing apart Zerglings, Roaches, Hydralisks, and Infestors alike. Similar to the psionic storms, these lightning arcs were also capable reaching up to Zerg air units, though the Furinax were unable to remove the energy cost in using the lightning ability. As such, in Sentries' disruption beam ability had also been built into the energy lances. While much less powerful as the concentrated psionic lightning, it nevertheless provided the Purifiers with offensive and defensive capabilities should their energy run low in the midst of battle.

The Vindicator was the most difficult of the new warriors to forge. While the Soul Hunter and Purifier were given the longer range attacks, it had sacrificed the usage of the standard psionic blades. Although confidence had run high in that they would be protected by Zealots, there was no guarantee this would work in practice. As such, the Soul Hunters and Purifiers would be left defenseless from swarms of Zergling attacks, as eventually enough would get through to kill them with their claws. For that reason, it was decided that the Vindicator will only sacrifice the psionic blade on the left arm, but will retain it on the right arm. Unlike the Zealot, Soul Hunter, and Purifier, however, the Vindicator had something unique that the others did not: flight.

The Furinax Tribe had also forged a hovering platform for the Vindicators to stand upon. While the platform's speed is only slightly faster than that of Zealot when not using the psionic charge ability, the platform was able to fly up into the air for short periods of time. This because especially vital against the Brood Lords. Although not as easy to breed in comparison to the Mutalisks, the Brood Lords had the advantage of conducting their broodling strikes from a much further distance. Despite the continued efforts from all the Phoenixes, and Urun and Zekrath in particular, enough were still able to get through to launch their deadly cargo at the Protoss ground warriors. This had forced them to focus on the broodlings, while the Brood Lords themselves were able to remain in relative safety.

The Vindicator provided the means to counter this. As the Brood Lords had no defense against aerial opponents, the Vindicators have been able to simply move in under them, then use the hover platform to boost themselves up and use their psionic blades to slice and the creatures' underbellies. Because getting in such a range also put the Vindicator within Mutalisk attacks, an energy lance type cannon was grafted onto the Vindicator's left arm, similar to that of the energy lance of the Purifier. However, because the cannon was smaller in scale in comparison, it also meant that the lightning arcs it discharged were much weaker than that of the Purifier, and this made it ineffective in combat.

To find a way around this, the Furinax Tribe had turned to Dark Templar technology to be incorporated into the Vindicator. Of particular interest to them was the Void Ray, which had been built two years prior to the Zerg invasion. Although the Soul Hunters and Purifiers both had the disruption energy attacks, it required groups of them to handle the large Zerg creatures, especially in the case of assaulting Zerg hive clusters, where Observers have frequently reported clashes with Ultralisks backed up by Queens. As the Void Rays' prismatic energy beam becomes more powerful over time, the Furinax sought to incorporate this ability into individual Protoss power suits. Ultralisks seldom run from their enemies if they could fight back, and it was hoped that by adding the prismatic beam capability into the Vindicator, the large Zerg breeds will become easier to deal with and avoid the loss of Protoss life.

Although the prismatic beam incorporation ultimately proved unsuccessful, it nevertheless had an unexpected benefit to the Vindicators. As the Void Rays were of Nerazim design, it meant they channeled the energies of the Void. Because the energy lance cannon on the Vindicator was of Khalai design, it channeled the energies of the Khala. Both sects had known the dangers of wielding enormous amounts of both powers simultaneously, but due to the failure of assimilating the prismatic beam, most were assured that no harm would come to the Vindicators. However, traces of Void energy had remained behind after the attempt, and its combination with the Khala had greatly improved the lightning ability of the energy lance cannon. Although still slightly weaker in comparison to that of the Purifier, the Vindicator's lightning arc was able to split into three, allowing multiple target attacks and bringing it somewhat closer to resemblance of the psionic storm the High Templars are able to cast. Combined with the hovering platform that had the ability to boost them into the air to attack Zerg flyers, it has made the Vindicator a formidable opponent in the midst of combat.

It was from these three types of new Protoss warriors that Zekrath had hoped would turn the tide once battle was joined. However their relatively small numbers mean they are unable to be used to their full potential. Even now, thousands of Protoss brethren are being warped to Aiur via the Mass Recall ability of the Motherships because the Warp Gate on Aiur had been too badly damaged. Of course a straight warp to Aiur would have been suicide anyways, but many Protoss brethren had grown overconfident that with the Zerg leaderless, they wouldn't be able to attack the Warp Gate effectively.

Regardless, despite the tens of millions of Protoss warriors that have been joining the Daelaam Protoss for the reclamation of Aiur, only a few thousand of them had been comprised of Soul Hunters, Purifiers, and Vindicators. Even they are not able to fight effectively when pitted up against millions of Zerg, and despite the fact the massive numbers of Zerg casualties, the orbital scans clearly show other than the two massive Zerg strongholds, there are still well over 100 million Zerg scattered over Aiur.

"The latest Zerg wave has been repelled," Vartanil announced, watching the retreating minions. "Your new warriors have performed superbly, Zekrath."

"As long as a single one of us still breathes, no Zerg will never enter the Xel'Naga sanctuary," a Purifier declared, holding his energy lance into the air.

"Zekrath, is it your intention to train more of such warriors in the future?" Urun asked.

The Shelak Tribe leader nodded. "The Zealots were far from the only type of Protoss warrior during our early histories. There had been others, but the Zealot had proven to be the most effective of them. The Observers here have recorded every detail of the battle. It is my intention that if the Vindicators, Soul Hunters, and Purifiers prove their worth here, I will give my recommendations to Hierarch Artanis. With his approval, once our culture begins to reform on Aiur, a new generation of Protoss warriors will emerge. With them, we will cleanse every world of the Zerg, so that they will never be able to threaten life again."

Redstone III

"That was the last of the Ultralisks, general," A marine reported, as the firing died down.

General Madison sighed in relief from inside the Command Center. That last Zerg attack had taken a heavy toll on their ammunition reserves. By now, most of the siege tanks were no longer able to provide artillery support as they have run out of shells. Vikings had been sent down to provide fire support via their Gatling cannons, but their continuous usage had rendered too many of them to overheat. If another Zerg attack wave came in a few minutes, they won't be in a position to support them.

On the lava high grounds, the terrain was covered with the corpses of Zerglings, Roaches, Infestors, Hydralisks, Ultralisks, and downed Mutalisks and Overlords. Scans from the BattleCruisers orbiting Redstone III have indicated that the Zerg ranks in their hive cluster base have essentially been depleted. As such, the scans had also shown that the Zerg Queen activities had increased dramatically at their hatcheries, rapidly increasing the production building's time to spawn larvae. Even as the marines were catching their breaths and collapsing on the ground from the sheer exhaustion from battle, reports were coming in that eggs were being formed and hatching at a steady rate.

To Madison, this was dire news indeed. The moment the firing died down, he had ordered every single SCV and transport truck that could be spared down to the low grounds to mine, and carry back all the rich mineral crystals they could carry. The few Vikings that were fortunate enough not to become overheating victims provided the escort, along with many of the goliaths that still had adequate ammo for their autocannons and hellfire missiles. He would have used the Thors as well, but they couldn't move as fast. With the lava flooding the low grounds every few minutes, having them venture down there was an automatic death sentence. The irradiation rounds fired from the ghosts may have down their job in stopping the Zerg attacks, but it also left a high radiation concentration on the low grounds. This meant no infantry could venture down there, as they would succumb too easily to radiation poisoning, while the SCVs had much better shielding and therefore could withstand the radiation.

Despite the rapid healing rate the Zerg possess, the radiation levels were too high even for their ground units. Only the Ultralisks were strong enough to withstand the poisoning and still keep fighting, but their slower speed made them vulnerable to flanking attacks. Nevertheless, this did not apply to Zerg flyers, as the radiation levels were no longer as harmful at 175 feet and above, and as such Mutalisks and Brood Lords could easily fly over the contaminated area and head for their base. By now, the Wraith fighters providing the air cover were also running low on ammunition, having had frequent clashes with Mutalisks. This had forced the ammunition facilities on the BattleCruisers to shift their priority to manufacturing ammo for the Wraiths so that they could better escort the supply ships sent down to the base. As such, it meant that Madison and his soldiers on the ground were now receiving less and less ammo with every supply ship that came down. If the Zerg air attacks continue like this, pretty soon they wouldn't be receiving ammo at all.

The general opened open the communications channel with the lead SCV. "What is the status of our mining so far?"

"We've collected more than 5,000 mineral crystals already, sir. This whole low ground area has barely 150,000 of them left, way below what you require."

"Any more in the immediate area?"

"Only on the other side of the canyon. It has just enough for what we need. There's no Zerg in the area, so as long as they don't follow us there, we should be fine."

"How fast you think you can harvest the minerals here?"

"Give it a couple of hours, why?"

"We're in a race against the clock right now. The Zerg are replenishing their numbers as we speak, and we barely have the numbers to keep fighting them like this. It's all going to have to boil down to can you mine faster than they can breed or not."

"We're going as fast as we can, sir. The radiation levels should prevent the Zerg from attacking us down here. As long as you can keep the skies above our heads clear, we should be able to handle it."

Dominion Prison HQ, New Folsom

Colonel Winters was on the communications channel with Mengsk. "Emperor, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I thought I might take an interest on how the neosteel production is coming along at New Folsom," the Dominion emperor replied.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. The increase in forced laborers is getting done nicely."

"Have they given you any problems?"

Winters laughed. "My boys will put a bullet in their heads if they do, sir. Besides, most of them have been too badly weakened by starvation to fight effectively. Those that are strong enough to keep going are simply worked to their deaths in the neosteel production factories. Others are sent to the vehicle factories to be worked to death there, and more are send to the dockyards where they go through the same process."

"I can see I made the right choice in making you the security commander of the prison, colonel. I'm glad you're ruthless towards them, it helps keep them in line."

"You don't have to worry about me starving them deliberately, sir. I know you still want the industrial production to be at the maximum output, so I keep the prisoners just strong enough to work, nothing more."

"And the ammunition factories there?"

"It's the same procedure. They're expendable assets anyway, so the daily death rate of thousands mean nothing to me. Besides, there's plenty to fill in their spots."

"I'm glad you see it that way. The prison's security remains strong since there hasn't been any Zerg attacks on it, but just to add another layer, I'm sending you a package of special soldiers. Call it a matter of scaring the prisoners into line even more."

"Great, more toys for me to play with."

"These aren't for you to break and expect to get away with it, Colonel. These are special to me, not expendable cannon fodder like the security marines you've got. If you're going to use them, do it carefully. They'll be arriving within the hour."

"Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure these soldiers are treated well. If anyone is foolish enough to come to New Folsom, I'd be more than happy to tear them a new one with my security force."

Author's Note: The Purifiers, Soul Hunters, and Vindicators I had taken off Starcraft Ghost Protoss units and tried incorporating them into the fic myself. When I looked over the proposals on them, it appeared for Starcraft Ghost, and Wings of Liberty, they only wanted one new Protoss unit, but they had given it three different names, as well as three different designs for how they wanted this new unit.

So, I simply did it the easy way: just turn them into three different units, each with the design that Blizzard had proposed (but was later cancelled).

I tried to explain in this chapter how the Protoss Purifiers, Vindicators, and Soul Hunters came to be, because let's be honest: not all Protoss are so arrogant as to think there's nothing they can possibly learn from terran technology.

So yeah, please read and review and tell me if you think my descriptions of how they originated worked out or not, k?