Author's Note: Hey I'm back everyone!

I apologize for the delay in putting this chapter up, the job searching along with constant calls and interviews have made writing almost impossible lately, and I'm not sure if this will continue later on. Nevertheless, I was able to write up this chapter and hopefully you guys will enjoy it.

Now that Blizzcon has ended, I had been asked if I will show any of the new units that Blizzcon had shown.

Well, let's put it this way: My style is usually to write a few chapters ahead, but have a main structure already drawn out. Nevertheless I did say if any new Heart of the Swarm information I could incorporate into the fic, I would do so.

Do that end, you will see the new units pop up in my fic, it just won't be anytime soon, so please be patient on that.

Chapter 35

Dominion Secret Weapons Factory, New Folsom

Sarah watched as the Dominion warbots were transported from the secret New Folsom underground factory to the Hercules cargo ships, where they were to be taken aboard the BattleCruisers in orbit. Dr. Saunders had made it clear that none of the war machines had been produced on as massive of a scale as Mengsk had liked because of one simple problem: the artificial intelligence factor.

She saw the logic in the scientist's thinking, as on a battlefield some things a soldier has to rely on his gut instinct, and that does not work well if he is remote controlling so many of these warbots, being forced to concentrate on so many of them all at once, and therefore putting himself in greater danger.

Fortunately, Jim had assured her that the A.I. problem was something his science geek Stetmann could easily solve. Apparently during his trips to planets to collect the Xel'Naga artifact fragments, he had come into frequent contact with the Tal'darim Protoss. Granted she herself had encountered them on Monlyth, but she had not anticipated that they would be guarding all of the fragments.

In any case, Jim informed her that during those encounters, he was able to collect Protoss relics for Stetmann to study, including the shards of Khaydarin Crystals. He had kept it in some science tank for his special studies aboard the Hyperion laboratory, and from the recorded log entries, the crystal itself was able to repair one of his faulty nano-fabricators all by itself, almost as if the crystal was intentionally helping him. After Char, Stetmann had theorized that from what he had learned from the crystal, it was possible to design an advanced A.I. system for their weapons.

If it could be done, then the timing for it couldn't be better. Sarah knew that helping the Protoss on Aiur was going to be the last thing he would do before returning to the revolution at hand. Once Aiur was free of the Zerg, it was Jim's hope that the Protoss will aid the Raiders against Mengsk.

Dr. Saunders had explained that as the Dominion was technically not at war with the Protoss, the project had mainly been based on the assumption that the adversaries faced will either be the Zerg swarm or other terrans, enemies of the Dominion. In the event that Protoss adversaries arise, it will have to be played out by ear. Protoss technology had always been superior to that of the Dominion anyway, and therefore the most that could be done is observe how well the warbots play out on the battlefield, before making the necessary modifications if it becomes necessary.

To Sarah, the warbots and their functionalities displayed had proved to be very capable. Although it was done using remote control and not under battlefield conditions, she had no doubt from what she had seen that they would be formidable against terran, Zerg, and Protoss alike on the battlefield.

Dr. Saunders had explained that some of the weapon systems and combat capabilities were taken directly from Zerg and Protoss characteristics, and Kerrigan could easily see them being used to great effect if handled by an advanced enough A.I. The S.E.T.H. warbots, separated into the Alpha-Type, Beta-Type, Gamma-Type, and Omega-Type, and the Cyber Devourer all had devastating potential, and she knew Jim would want more of these to be manufactured to help his cause for liberation.

Unlike the heavy treads of the A.R.E.S. warbot, the S.E.T.H. warbots were bipedal walkers. Such a change was necessary given the nature of battlefield. Although the A.R.E.S. warbot treads were designed to handle rough terrain, the Dominion military had quickly learned that when dealing with the Zerg and fighting on the creep they generate, the treads of Siege Tanks often don't last as long as hoped for. On the other hand, the Goliath and Viking, when in ground mode, are both bipedal, and therefore do not wear out as easily on such terrain.

This had been the basis when the Dominion began work on the Thor Project, and developing the Odin siege walker, and later scaled down into the Thor and mass produced. However despite its behemoth size, heavy weaponry and durable armor, the Thor was far from invincible on the ground. Aside from the fact that it did not possess strong anti-air capabilities, the sheer size of the Thor meant it wasn't very maneuverable under combat conditions. This meant it had to be protected by more agile units, and the Thor's slow speed on the battlefield meant that such units assigned to protect it could not be used to their full potential. Finally, although the Thor had been intended as a frontline combat walker, it was meant to attack massive units like the Ultralisk, as well as enemy buildings and defensive structures. As such, little thought was given to equipping the Thor with machine guns or other lighter weapons in the event of dealing with smaller enemies such as Zerglings, and as the Zerg invasion had progressed, this weakness was thoroughly exploited.

As such, the new Dominion warbots manufactured at New Folsom were a means to correct the weaknesses of the Thor, and the demonstration shown had convinced Sarah of the ingenuity of the Dominion scientists and engineers.

Although smaller than the Thor, the S.E.T.H. warbots, combined with Protoss technology, had made them a force to be reckoned with. Larger than the Goliath and Viking, Kerrigan's initial impression was that these warbots would be only slightly more maneuverable compared to the Thor. She was quickly proved wrong. Inspired by the jet packs of the Reaper, the S.E.T.H. warbots were fitted with similar packs onto their backs for increased speed. Although their jet packs do not allow them to surmount obstacles independently as the Reapers do, the increased movement nevertheless is a significant improvement to their maneuverability.

Added to the improved movement speed was the technology taken from the Protoss Colossus, as the Dominion had worked hard in an attempt to replicate the towering walker's thermal lance ability, capable of incinerating even the strongest of terran ground vehicles to ashes. This had been incorporated into the S.E.T.H. warbots' targeting system in their cybernetic heads. Although significantly less powerful compared to the Colossus's thermal lance and with a shorter range, the heat lasers fired from the warbots' eyes are nevertheless capable of sweeping across the battlefield, capable of killing most infantrymen relatively quickly. As Sarah had pointed out during the time she had spent with the Zerg, even the Roaches, meant to replace the Hydralisk's role in ground assaults, would not be able to last very long against such attacks.

The heat lasers were not the only incorporation of the Colossus technology into the warbots. Obsessed with the idea of creating a thermal lance ability that rivaled that of the mighty Protoss walker, Mengsk had ordered a stronger laser be built into the S.E.T.H. warbots. This had been accomplished by building a power generator into each individual machine, and this had given the S.E.T.H. warbots the ability to fire a chest laser burst, having drawn power from the power generator built into its torso. While still slightly less powerful than the thermal lance of the Colossus, it is much more devastating in comparison to the heat lasers from its eyes. As Dr. Saunders had shown in the demonstration, a single successful hit was capable of making even the Thor walker stagger backwards, and this was the intended method of attack to be used in the event of dealing with large numbers of Zerg Ultralisks.

It is from there that the S.E.T.H. warbots began to differ in their combat capabilities, but as shown in the demonstration, each proved devastating in its own right.

The Alpha S.E.T.H. had incorporated the features of the experimental plasma gun that Raynor had found in the Castanar Installation. According to Dr. Saunders, Mengsk had quickly seen the potential of this weapon and had ordered larger versions of them to be built, and this was exactly what equipped the Alpha S.E.T.H. on its left arm as its main weapon. Although its firing rate was only slightly faster than that of the infantry version, the damage was much greater, as it would only take a few shots from it to knock a Thor walker out of commission.

In addition to its main plasma cannon, the Alpha S.E.T.H. also had a double barreled version of the infantry plasma gun mounted on its right shoulder. This was done because its heat lasers, while formidable, were inferior in comparison to the plasma guns, and when mounted on a warbot and powered by its generator, was capable of firing at a much faster rate than when wielded by regular infantry.

Finally, Sarah had seen the incorporation of the Zerg combat characteristics on the Alpha S.E.T.H. Saunders explained that although easily killed, the Zergling's attack claws proved to be extremely effective against Dominion infantrymen if they can get within range, and this was common given the sheer number of the creatures used in combat. Although there are terran infantry assault rifles capable of killing the Zergling with a single shot, this can often only be done if the Zerg creature is hit in the correct part of the body, and such cases are relatively rare in the heat of battle. As such, for its right arm, the Alpha S.E.T.H. warbot was given a cybernetic claw of a similar design to that of the Zergling's. Larger than the Zergling itself, this was an added protection for the warbot in the event it got tied down in close range fighting. As the demonstration had shown, a single swipe from it was capable of easily tearing through Marauder armor.

The Beta S.E.T.H. warbot was meant to be a means to eventually replace the Firebat and Hellion in the Dominion military. Although the Hellion had heavier armor compared to the Firebat, its infernal flamethrower was not an improvement compared to the Firebat's perdition flamethrower, as both weapons did relatively the same damage on enemy targets. The greatest advantage in the case of the Hellion was its fast speed, but this came at the sacrifice of heavier armor, making it little stronger than the Vulture. As demonstrated in the course of battle against the Zerg, the speed advantage had fallen far short of expectations due to the Zerg usage of Sacs, used to bypass terran defenses and falling directly into areas where the Hellion couldn't maneuver as effectively.

As such, Dominion engineers and scientists had worked to create a stronger flamethrowing unit, with much more durable armor and thus capable of holding out more effectively against the Zerg. This was exactly what had been incorporated into the Beta S.E.T.H. warbot, with a large hellfire flamethrower mounted on its left arm. Capable of using white phosphorous, thermite and napalm, it is vastly more powerful in comparison to the Firebat and Hellion. However it still shared the same weakness found on the Firebat: the huge fuel tanks mounted on its back. Combat experience had shown that if hit by enemy fire, the fuel tank on the Firebat would explode, and this was still the case with the Beta S.E.T.H. Although the neosteel plating on the tanks made it stronger in comparison to those found on the Firebat, it was nevertheless still less durable compared to the rest of the armor on the Beta S.E.T.H.

For that reason, an alternative weapon was mounted on the warbot, in the event its enemies were able to get within range that would negate the flamethrower's effectiveness. Dr. Saunders explained that he had known some of the details regarding the Dominion's Project Gestalt, a project that Sarah quickly pointed out did not die as the Dominion military had been led to believe, and that of particular interest of that project was the usage of the psionic blade, the primary weapon of the Protoss Zealot. Saunders of course had no intention of incorporating such a weapon into a human test subject due to his moral and ethical standards, but machines were a different story.

Thus a similar blade weapon was equipped on the Beta S.E.T.H.'s right arm, similar to the cybernetic claw of the Alpha S.E.T.H. As data records on the Zealot had shown, the psionic blade is generated by psionic energy, and that was something the Beta S.E.T.H. could not do because it was purely mechanical. However, it had been confirmed that such a generation was done via a Zealot's power suit, through a combination of both biological and mechanical means. This confirmed that psionic energy alone was not enough for the formation of such blades, and it was through intense study of this that the energy blade was created and mounted on the Beta S.E.T.H. Without the addition of psionic energy, the energy blade was inferior to the psionic blade of the Protoss, but as the warbot was significantly larger than Zealots, its blade matched its scale and therefore remained a powerful weapon in melee combat.

The Gamma S.E.T.H. had certainly lived up to its name of "going all out in attack", as Dr. Saunders had explained. Unlike the Alpha and Beta S.E.T.H., the Gamma S.E.T.H. had no close range melee combat abilities, but this was more than made up for by the sheer weaponry it possessed. After the Brood War, the weakness of the Goliath had been clearly demonstrated. Although its 30mm autocannon proved very effective against Zerg light and medium breeds, they did not have the quick firing rate that Dominion pilots had hoped for. This led to many of them being overwhelmed by Zerglings, as too many of them were able to get within range, negating the Goliath's effectiveness. The Viking had been built as an attempt to correct this problem in its ground mode, but while its 20mm 6-barreled twin gatling cannons had a faster firing rate, it did not have the stopping power of the autocannon the Goliath possessed. To compound matters, Viking pilots were also relatively rare, as few pilots could master both the air and ground forms of the vehicle. This meant that for each Viking destroyed, it becomes that much harder to replace given the scarcity of pilots.

Thus the Gamma S.E.T.H. was meant to fully correct this problem on the ground, leaving the Vikings to divert their main focus to the air. Unlike the 20mm gatling cannon of the Viking and the 30mm autocannon of the Goliath, the Gamma S.E.T.H. had a vicious 8-barreled 45mm rotary cannon equipped to each of its arms. Being significantly larger than the Goliath and Viking, its size also gave it the advantage of achieving a faster firing rate than both the Goliath and the Viking, and its larger caliber meant it also possessed a greater hitting power than both terran walkers. Unlike the Goliath and Viking's weapons, which could only fire armor piercing rounds, the Gamma S.E.T.H.'s rotary cannons were also capable of firing high explosive and incendiary rounds, making it a truly formidable weapon on the battlefield.

Nevertheless, its superior firing rate still came with the weakness all rotary cannons shared: the overheating factor. Although the Gamma S.E.T.H. also had heat lasers and the chest burst laser, the usage of them drew even more power from the generator, and under conditions if the rotary cannons overheat, would permanently burn the generator out, leaving the Gamma S.E.T.H. defenseless.

To counter this, additional weapons were fitted onto the Gamma S.E.T.H.'s back in the form of rocket pods, with a large 230mm pod mounted directly behind its back and two smaller 110mm pods on its flanks. This concept had been born when the weakness of the 330mm howitzers on the Odin was shown, but nothing was done to correct this problem on the Thor's 250mm Strike Cannons.

As both walkers' cannons were intended for frontline combat and assaulting enemy bases, little thought had been given to their designs for defensive purposes. As such, the artillery shells fired from both the Thor and the Odin were unguided, despite the large area damage it would inflict during such a barrage. As most Zerg ground units had the ability to burrow, this had greatly decreased the effectiveness of the artillery barrage. The Gamma S.E.T.H.'s rocket pods were meant to correct this problem, as virtually all of the Zerg units had to surface to the ground in order to attack.

Initially, Dominion engineers had favored the infrared homing rockets, tracking the Zerg heat signature to guide the rockets to their destination. However, this proved useless in the event of fighting the Zerg on volcanic planets, as the sheer heat from the planet's surface would disrupt this. It was eventually concluded to use the Gamma S.E.T.H.'s targeting system in its head. While both the large and smaller rocket pods did not possess the hitting power of the Thor, the fact that they were guided makes up for this deficiency, able to blast apart enemies on the battlefield when they are performing flanking maneuvers.

The Omega S.E.T.H. warbot had been designed to somewhat assimilate the combat effectiveness of the Protoss Zealot, yet still retain the fighting qualities of the marine. While most Dominion marines still considered fighting the Zerg in hand to hand combat as utter insanity, few could deny the warrior capabilities of the Zealots and their effectiveness at killing the Zerg in such a way. Unlike the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma S.E.T.H., all of which were 25 feet tall, the Omega S.E.T.H. was a 40-foot tall walker designed to provide adequate support for the Dominion infantrymen in the event of ammunition shortages, as was all too often the case when dealing with the Zerg.

Instead of having the conventional weapons such as plasma cannons, flamethrowers, or rotary cannons, the Omega S.E.T.H. possessed an extremely powerful pair of drills on its arms. Although drills were usually meant to be part of mining operations, it did not take very long before Dominion engineers saw their potential as weapons when future conflicts with the Zerg arrive. As shown in the demonstration, the drill proved to be extremely capable, and Sarah concluded that even the thick carapace of the Ultralisk would not be able to withstand it for very long.

Due to the ability to drill through most types of terrain, the Omega S.E.T.H. had also been designed in an attempt to replicate the burrowing capabilities of the Zerg. As seen by Dominion casualties all too often, the ability to move while burrowed led to many Dominion Marines, Firebats, Marauders, and Reapers being slaughtered by Roaches as they popped up from under them at times they had least expected it. Thus the Omega S.E.T.H. had a similar ability, pressing its drills into the ground and tunneling itself into the earth, before emerging behind enemy lines and taking it by surprise.

In addition, as its drills were always in a position for combat, the Omega S.E.T.H. was the only type of the warbots that had a different jet pack model mounted onto its back, granting it greater speed and thus increasing its chances to pursue a retreating enemy and catch it within its deadly drills. Although this speed was still slightly slower in comparison to the Reaper, the Omega S.E.T.H.'s armor was thicker compared to its Alpha, Beta, and Gamma counterparts, and therefore was able to survive longer in the midst of melee combat.

However, this did not mean the Omega S.E.T.H. was defenseless at longer ranges. During its design, it had been quickly pointed out that by replacing the standard weapons with drills, it left the warbot with only its heat leasers and chest laser burst for projectile attacks. This was thus the second reason why the warbot was bigger than its counterparts: the storage space for additional drills. To ensure the walker had the ability to take on Zerg creatures like the Roach and Hydralisk, both of which attack from a distance, the Omega S.E.T.H.'s drills were designed to be removable, and subsequently had smaller versions of the Reaper booster backs attached to their rear ends. This allowed the Omega S.E.T.H. to fire off its drills, where they would be quickly propelled to their target by the rocket packs. This made the warbot a deadly opponent at longer ranges, and as shown in the demonstration by Dr. Saunders, a single shot from a rocket drill was more than enough to tear through a Siege Tank with relative ease.

The Cyber Devourer was unlike any warbot Sarah had ever seen, and Dr. Saunders had explained this was the most specialized of the Dominion projects, created from some of the most brilliant minds of Dominion scientists and engineers, as well as state of the art Dominion technology. Although it had certainly aspects that made it similar to that of the mechanical Predator that the Raiders had used, the Cyber Devourer's abilities put it to shame, although Kerrigan remained convinced that Stetmann could have developed something just as powerful if he had the resources at his disposal.

Quadrupedal in appearance, the Cyber Devourer somewhat resembled that of a robotic Zergling, although its size was far greater, surpassing even that of a Siege Tank. Saunders had explained that its appearance had been inspired by the specialized Zerglings known as the Devouring Ones, and Kerrigan confirmed that they were indeed a specialized strain, their DNA and genetic code proving to be much more difficult to replicate compared to the standard Zergling. There was, however, a critical difference: while the Zergling's tail was positioned at the rear end of its body in a somewhat resting position that points towards the ground, the Cyber Devourer's tail somewhat resembles that of a scorpion, positioned above its body in a striking position.

However, this is no ordinary cybernetic tail. While the Cyber Devourer is capable of attacking with its front claws, it is its tail that forms the core of its offensive and defensive capabilities. Dr. Saunders had explained that the experimental plasma gun derived from the Protoss Colossus and the energy blade from the Beta S.E.T.H. were both incorporated into the Cyber Devourer, and thus it is able to fire concentrated plasma rounds from its tail in such a manner. While not as powerful as the plasma cannon main armament found on the Alpha S.E.T.H., this is compensated by the Cyber Devourer's tail melee attacks.

Inspired by the psionic blades of the Protoss Zealot, Dominion engineers had worked to create something similar onto the Cyber Devourer. This had been done on its tail, as its tip had been designed in the form that somewhat resembled a pincer. Thus when the Cyber Devourer swings its tail in a circular arc about its body, its pincer edges would ignite, activating its energy blades, and slicing through even the toughest armor of terran vehicles.

However, the greatest accomplishment done by Dominion engineers on the Cyber Devourer was taken from the Viking as a double support unit for the air and ground forces. In a similar fashion, the Cyber Devourer also had a second mode, where it was able to stand up on two legs and become bipedal. In this form, the cybernetic tail detaches from its body, and is held in the machine's hands like a war scepter. The energy pincers remain active here, so the Cyber Devourer can wield its detached tail as an energy axe, just as capable of slicing through its targets.

With its tail no longer connected to the Cyber Devourer's main body, and thus the power generator in it, its plasma blasts are weakened by the loss of its power supply. However, Dominion engineers had built a rapid firing system into it in this form, and thus the Cyber Devourer is able to compensate for its weakened plasma shots by firing them in a rapid rate, thus remaining a formidable opponent against any ground enemy.

As Sarah watched these Dominion warbots load up into the cargo ships, she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

"You did great out there, Sarah," Jim said softly. "You saved the lives of so many of my Raiders, as well as Warfield's men, not to mention all the prisoners."

"So we're done here?"

Jim nodded. "Matt arrived with the Hyperion before the assault on the prison complex even began, even though I told him to remain on Haven to continue to watch over the military buildup. As I had requested, Warfield's men have confiscated the stocks of dry ice from the food processing factories, they will come in handy where we're going next."

"Aiur," Sarah said softly, more to herself than to Jim.

He could immediately see the expression of fear on her face. It was clear she was not ready to believe in earning redemption when it came to the Protoss. She was having a hard time believing it for the terran race as it is, and she was still frightened of what they would do to her.

"It'll be all right," Jim assured her. "Fight alongside them, and in time they'll trust you."

Sarah rested her head on his shoulder. The fact that no Protoss had barged in for her head on Haven was miraculous enough. She did not see that possible on Aiur, however. Unlike Haven, which was only a Protoss colony world, Aiur was their homeworld. Given that they had been mobilizing their forces to retake their world back after her defeat on Char, it's likely that there are hundreds of millions of Protoss on Aiur right now, if not more. Artanis may have given the order that she was not to be harmed, but after all the suffering she had caused them, Sarah didn't believe for even a second that no Protoss would defy that order and seek retribution.

Nevertheless, she knew facing the Protoss was inevitable, and that was a demon she couldn't avoid. Given the fact that first impressions go a long way and that history was of vital importance to the Firstborns, it would seem redemption in their eyes would be virtually impossible. Jim wasn't wrong when he told Artanis that none of the Protoss knew what she was like before she became the Queen of Blades, but she was also the first female terran they had encountered, and after all the pain and suffering she had done to them, Sarah was convinced they would still see her the same way.

"Come on," Jim said softly, gently tugging at her arm, gesturing to a nearby Dropship. "It's time we leave New Folsom and help the Protoss in retaking their world."

Sarah nodded, as she followed Jim up the ramp. She could only hope he was right about the Protoss, or she wouldn't last a heartbeat the moment she set foot on Aiur.

Author's Note: All right, so with regards to why I had named the warbots with the name Seth, all you have to do is look at the reason why Blizzard gave their warbots in Wings of Liberty under the name of Ares.

Ares is the Greek god of war, and that is something that perfectly suits the situation on the battlefield.

Similarly, Seth is the Egyptian god of darkness and chaos, and we all know how much havoc is seen in the battlefield in the Starcraft universe.

Anyways, I will try to make the next update come sooner than having you guys wait this long for this one.

As always, please read and review!