Author's Note: So with the battle on Aiur mostly done, I thought it was wrong to just have the Protoss swept to the side while the other missions are being played out, so I decided to include them in. You'll get a better perspective on how they're taking all this now that the Zerg threat to Aiur is mostly gone.

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

Chapter 61

Aiur

Behind the Protoss warriors, Felanis observed the actions of the Khalai and Nerazim Protoss as they continued to fight with ferocity to hunt down the scattered remnants of the Zerg still present on Aiur. From all across the planet, news was pouring in that the Zerg forces were being eliminated, and whatever hiding spots they still had left were rapidly diminishing. Soon there would be nowhere left for the vile creatures to run, and the Protoss homeworld would be fully purged of their presence.

Yet he couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty. According to what he had heard from the members of the Protoss Hierarchy, the Zerg are not the true enemy of the Protoss. The ancient Xel'Naga prophecy has made it clear that there was something else out there, manipulating everyone to its own advantage. That the former Queen of Blades was meant to prevent the outcome of Armageddon made even less sense, but he had concurred with the Hierarchy that such a possibility could not be factored out.

Much of the Khalai Protoss tribes were not ready to accept Kerrigan as their savior given everything she had done to them in the past, but they too did not factor out the possibility in itself. The Nerazims were in a similar state of agreement, but their anger towards the former Queen of Blades had not faded. This of course was understandable, after what she had done to Raszagal, and this was something that the former Tal'darim leader did not feel would fade away with time, regardless of Kerrigan's actions.

As for Kerrigan herself, he had been informed by Artanis of the immense measure of guilt she now carried after everything she had done. There were virtually no Protoss that felt any sympathy towards that, which was understandable, but the fact remained that something had to be done to pull her off this destructive path. It wasn't to help her, but as of this moment no one could confirm the Xel'Naga prophecy nor falsify it. In the former's case, if Kerrigan did not have the will to do what was necessary, then she may fail in her assigned role as savior.

Yet not everything Nahaan had informed him was complete nonsense. Despite the fact that the Xel'Naga relic appeared to have restored the former Queen of Blades to her human form, there was no evidence to suggest this was entirely the case. Since arriving on Aiur, there had been no sign that she was mutating back into that vile Zerg creature, but nothing was certain. The remaining Zerg blood still present within her meant that caution was still necessary as it was entirely possible the Zerg influence was still affecting her judgment and behavior. James Raynor felt otherwise, but Nahaan was right in that his feelings for the former Queen of Blades was making him too sympathetic towards her. This was exactly the reason why he had been fooled by her during the Brood War, and Felanis was unsure of James Raynor had learned his lesson from that or not. The terran commander may have been correct in that he knew what she was like prior to infestation, but after four years, Felanis was not convinced that he knew the former Queen of Blades as he used to anymore.

To that end, the terran's argument that only he knew what Kerrigan was like would not hold as much weight as he believed, and Felanis knew that in time, more and more Daelaam Protoss would point that out to him.

Thus it would be essential that they return from their missions that caused both of them to leave Aiur for. He did not understand why Zeratul requested their presence at the husk of the Overmind, but there were some reasons that were better to be left unsaid.

"There are many of us who wish to know more about the prophecy at hand, Felanis," a voice spoke out from behind him. "Yet we must not be too hasty in our attempt to uncover the truth."

The former Tal'darim leader turned around to see Executor Selendis walk up to him, having left her massive golden Carrier. "You should not be here like this, Selendis," he said calmly. "You are among the best students Hierarch Artanis has. He would not want you to put your life at risk."

"All of our lives are at risk, one way or another," the female executor stated. "Even with the loss of the Queen of Blades and the cleansing of their presence on Aiur, the Zerg remain every bit as dangerous. Our war with them is still far from over. In fact, if the prophecy that mighty Zeratul has uncovered proves to be true, then our ordeals have only just begun."

"You appear to be more convinced of the prophecy than others," Felanis observed. "I am surprised at this of you. Many Protoss, both Khalai and Nerazim alike, still harbor the hope that what Zeratul discovered on Ulaan could be falsified so that the former Queen of Blades could be brought to justice."

"I am in agreement with them to that part, but nothing we have learned since the news regarding the prophecy has been brought to our attention seems to prove anything towards falsification. What Zeratul has discovered from the Overmind only seems to confirm its validity."

"That information gathering is not complete though."

"This is why massed numbers of our fleet have been dispatched to its rotting corpse and to eradicate any remaining Zerg still defending their dead master. When the time comes to extract memories from its cortex once more, the Zerg must not be allowed to interfere with the process."

"What do you hope to discover?"

"It is hard to say," Selendis admitted. "It is still my hope that if proven true, then perhaps it would be a sign to the Daelaam Protoss that a greater understanding of the terran female gender is necessary."

"We had encountered very few female terrans," Felanis agreed. "A year ago, there was one such terran by the same of Rosemary Dahl who had arrived on Aiur. She was accompanied by the male terran Jake Ramsey, who possessed the essence of a Protoss preserver named Zamara."

"I had met up with both of them," Selendis explained. "Rosemary Dahl had been brought to Shakuras, along with some of the surviving members of the Tal'darim here on Aiur. We had purged them of their addiction to the Sundrop substance, which she claimed she had been subjected to as well."

"She was. Alzadar and I had personally exposed her to it, as it was our belief that the substance would cause her to crave more of it. In this we had hoped she would bring us the preserver that our Xava'tor had desired."

"Ulrezaj wanted her to be killed because of the knowledge she possessed," Selendis replied. "Fortunately, with the help of the Alysaar, we were able to transfer Zamara's essence into a fragment of the Khaydarin Crystal, the very piece she had carved from the massive crystal that resided within the ancient Xel'Naga caverns that lie beneath the surface of Aiur. Ulrezaj too had been imprisoned within it, but now we have confirming evidence of his escape."

"It is something the Tal'darim on Aiur look forward to their retribution," Felanis explained. "They are still uneasy about joining hands with the Daelaam Protoss, having been separated from the Dark Templar for so many ages."

"Still you hold on to elements of the ancient traditions," the female executor shook her head. "The Nerazim tribes are far more understanding, especially when it comes to the capabilities of the individual."

Off of Felanis's confused look, Selendis continued, "Before the fall of Aiur, the Conclave refused to the position of leadership within the Protoss ruling body to female Protoss. The Dark Templar never harbored such a restriction. Even as the Zerg continued to spread chaos across our homeworld, the Conclave continued to believe their decisions were the right ones and refused to listen to the opinions of others, especially those of the female gender. They saw us as too weak and incapable of carrying out their requests, regardless of the circumstances. Had it not been for their dissolution after many of the Khalai refugees had withdrawn to Shakuras, I would not hold the title I have today, regardless of my capabilities as a Protoss templar warrior."

"The Conclave had its moments of shortsightedness," Felanis agreed. "I did not see it that way until after being abandoned on Aiur, and the Shel'na Kryhas had been formed. As a judicator of the Ara Tribe, I had commanded great authority during the golden days. After the Zerg infestation of our world and entire Protoss civilizations reduced to fending for themselves, such authority became meaningless. It was only then that I had personally experienced the feeling of being judged by higher authorities."

"Nahaan and his Ara Tribe are still unable to let it go," the Protoss executor said in frustration. "Despite numerous requests to be granted a greater say in matters during the Hierarchy meetings, it had been clear to the majority of us that the truth behind his message was that he wanted the Ara Tribe to regain their dominance within the Protoss ruling body and return it to the ways the Conclave had in the past."

"He had spoken to me about this as well. As a former Ara Tribe Protoss, Nahaan had hoped that I would understand and support him in this endeavor. He also hoped that I would rally other Protoss to his cause in bringing immediate and swift justice to the former Queen of Blades. As a judicator, Nahaan believed that I would be very influential towards the Tal'darim here on Aiur in that aspect."

"His second belief is not completely unjustified," Selendis said calmly. "There are many Daelaam Protoss who are concerned that Kerrigan's influence on James Raynor is too strong than he would care to admit. The sheer lack of experience in encountering and dealing with female terrans is only compounding matters."

"I would not blame them," the male Protoss replied. "Nahaan informed me that the Protoss had trusted the Queen of Blades during the Brood War four years ago, and that came extremely close to leading the entire Protoss population on Shakuras to extinction. Under that logic, the risks would simply be too high to trust other female terrans as if they are all like the Queen of Blades, it could mean the total eradication of the Protoss race."

"Such were on the minds of the Protoss Hierarchy when the female terran Rosemary Dahl had been brought before us. There were those that did not believe in trusting her after the impressions that Kerrigan had left on all of us. Nevertheless, she was able to convince us to turn our attention to saving the life of Zamara. She had even assisted us in safeguarding the sacred Khaydarin Memory Crystals within the Alys'aril Nexus on Ehlna from the vicious attacks of the Zerg swarm. In the end, she had proven herself to be a worthy ally of the Protoss, and it was from that experience that led many of us to reconsider the characteristics of terran females, despite the fact there were still so very few of them we had encountered."

"And what do you make of the encounter with the former Queen of Blades recently?" Felanis asked.

"She is difficult to read," the female executor admitted. "I had been greatly concerned that she would try to manipulate the mind of Hierarch Artanis just as she had to Raszagal during the Brood War, and even more so when Zeratul mentally touched her mind to find more answers. Clearly whatever he had uncovered had deeply shaken him. Nevertheless, I have great respect for Zeratul, and I believe in his words when he stated that Kerrigan regretted everything she had done to our people."

"Were you not even suspicious that she may have corrupted his mind?"

"Of course I considered that," Selendis answered. "But Kerrigan had released the psychic barriers and fortifications within her mind during the meeting, and we were all free to look to search for any signs of deception and treachery. She even admitted if we were to have her killed this way, she would accept it. Clearly she believed that we would have simply dismissed the Xel'Naga prophecy and have executed her right then and there."

"Many of us still see it that way," Felanis said. "While I believe we must first determine the details of the prophecy first, I am in agreement with Nahaan that justice be carried out against her once she has served our purpose."

"This has been something that Vartanil had been continuously trying to explain to all of us. He feels that the Zerg infestation that Kerrigan had been subjected to is similar in the way that the Tal'darim had been subjected to the sundrop substance. If that is true, then she would have been nothing more than a tool for the Zerg."

"I can somewhat see his logic, but I find it too distant to be related. As the Tal'darim, we had been loyal to our master Ulrezaj and had killed Zerg in accordance to his orders, yet we did not commit acts of destruction on a genocidal scale as the Queen of Blades had."

"I am inclined to see the same way," Selendis mused. "James Raynor is hoping that other Protoss would see similarly as Vartanil had, but this is extremely unlikely. At best, I can only see this possible in the case with the Tal'darim on Aiur as they had personally experienced corruption by the Sundrop substance. None of the other Daelaam Protoss would be able to relate to such a matter."

Felanis thought about this for a moment, before speaking back up, "Vartanil was one of the Protoss who had personally fought alongside the former Queen of Blades during the assault on the corpse of the Overmind. What did he discover about her from that?"

"She is very pessimistic about the future. She feels that her actions as the Queen of Blades had permanently scarred the Protoss, and that nothing she does now or in the future would earn redemption. Vartanil believed that given enough time the Protoss would eventually forgive, but she wasn't convinced by it."

"Then do you believe Vartanil is simply too sympathetic towards her?"

"It is certainly a possibility," Selendis agreed. "A year ago, the Protoss Hierarchy was understanding towards him in showing similar sympathy towards the female terran Rosemary Dahl, but Artanis had warned him that his fondness for terrans must not override his loyalty as a Protoss. I am concerned that if Kerrigan is not what James Raynor believes she is right now, that Vartanil could be easily manipulated and deceived by her. This is something that the Hierarchy is still in debate about, with regards to state of female terrans as a whole."

Felanis was confused. "I do not understand."

"Rosemary Dahl had given the Hierarchy a slight pause for thought to determine if the female terrans were all like the Queen of Blades, but recent actions during the Zerg invasion had planted doubt amongst the Protoss once again," Selendis explained. "On Haven, James Raynor did not choose to defy my own forces of his own free will. Rather, he had been convinced by the female terran Ariel Hanson. Due to his past services to the Protoss, we had considered him a hero, yet Ariel Hanson asked James Raynor to turn his weapons against our forces because she believed there was another way to deal with the Zerg infestation to her people."

"You had said his actions was later vindicated," Felanis pointed out.

"That is beside the point," the Protoss executor replied. "Haven is a Protoss world, and we would never have allowed it to become infested by the Zerg. My method in purification by fire would have eradicated the Zerg hive spores, whereas the terran Hanson could provide no such guarantee. Under that logic, the risks should have been too high to trust in her, yet James Raynor chose to believe her anyway. Her actions may have proved a success in containing the infestation, but this was not known until later. To that regard, I did not see the female terran any better than the Queen of Blades, manipulating James Raynor into doing her bidding."

"And you believe Kerrigan is still doing similarly to him." It was more of a statement than a question.

Selendis nodded. "James Raynor had always been able to do what was necessary in times of need, but with regards to the Queen of Blades, it would appear to be the exception. If there had not been the Xel'Naga prophecy, I am not entirely convinced that he would be able to take her life to preserve the lives of others. It was upon this doubt that Kerrigan had played on him during the Brood War, and many Protoss saw this as a sign of weakness that must be eliminated from him. There is not enough evidence to suggest that the former Queen of Blades has truly changed, and caution must be taken to ensure that she would not turn James Raynor against us."

"That is still open to debate," Felanis said. "From what I had been informed from Zeratul, it would appear Kerrigan's feelings towards James Raynor is every bit as strong as his for her. If she is no longer the wretched creature she once was, the possibility that she has his best interests at heart cannot be factored out."

Selendis did not look convinced. "That is something that can be determined at a future time. For now, we wait for James Raynor to return to Aiur from whatever mission he has been called to. It is my hope that once we return to the Overmind's body, we will be able to see Tassadar once again. Perhaps he would be able to shed light and reason on everything that had come to pass."

Tarsonis City, Tarsonis

"We've got more Mutalisks incoming!" a Dominion officer shouted. "Marines, hold the line! Don't let them through!"

From behind the lines, Kim scowled in frustration. Her forces where being steadily worn down by the continuous attack waves the Zerg keep throwing at them. Although sandbags had been put up to offer better protection to the infantry, this was only true in the case of ground assault waves. In the case with air attacks, the sandbags could offer no protection at all.

Clearly despite their major defeat on Char, the Zerg remain every bit as deadly. The Stinger vehicles had proven their worth during the initial assault waves, their 35mm high explosive cannon ripping individual Zerglings to shreds long before they could come anywhere near the Dominion marines. Auto turrets had been deployed by the Ravens and added their wall of lead to the Zerg ground threat. Most of the Hydralisks were torn apart before they could get within range to discharge their deadly needle spines. The Roaches proved to be a much tougher adversary, however, as many of them burrowed under the surface and began to move towards their defensive positions.

Fortunately, thanks to the presence of the Ravens, their movements were quickly detected, and the Siege Tanks that had been deployed opened up with their shock cannons. Only a few of the Roaches were able survive the bombardment, and those that emerged from the surface were blown apart by Marauders firing from their Punisher grenade launchers. The Zerg attacks were contained, and many marines were very optimistic about the outcome.

That mood quickly faded, however, as scanners indicated massed formations of Zerg air units heading towards their position. Despite the continued air support from the Goliath walkers, the Mutalisks proved simply too many in number. Massed Zergling attacks continued, but to some of the Dominion troops on the ground, something didn't seem to add up.

The Zerg were known for their flanking maneuvers in battle. Despite the fact that the Dominion troops had fortified their position with their backs to one of the still standing but dilapidated buildings within the city, there were still many different angles the Zerg ground attack waves could come from. Yet all of them all seemed to attack from one direction.

Kim was pondering this when an enormous explosion suddenly knocked her off her feet. As she struggled to stand up, she saw Dominion marines were running about in all directions, and a huge blackened crater was now present well within the confines of their defensive position.

"Status!" she ordered. "What the hell just happened?"

"The Zerg attack wave is withdrawing, but their air attacks just took out one of our main ammunition stockpiles," a Dominion officer reported. "We've got more than 20 injured, but no one was killed, surprisingly enough."

"What about our ammunition supply?"

"The stockpile that the Zerg just destroyed mostly consisted of the 35mm high explosive rounds for our Stingers," came the reply. "Without them, they'll be easy pickings for Roaches and Hydralisks."

"And our Hellfire Missile stocks for our Goliaths?"

"Most of the Mutalisks attacks concentrated on them in order to keep them distracted," the officer answered. "Most of the flyers were shot down, but it would appear they served their purpose. Many of our walkers are in need of repair, and their missile stocks are starting to get low. It's pointless to try to request more ammunition drops by our Dropships right now, the Zerg are waiting for that. Scanners indicate that there's still hundreds of Scourges positioned near our area, so sending any air transport down here is near suicide, the flying Zerg critters will blow them apart with ease."

Kim sighed in frustration. "What's the status on the Zerg attacks on our position now?"

"It appears another group of flyers is heading towards the ones that just withdrew. We can expect another attack wave in less than 30 minutes from now."

"Why are the Zerg attacking in waves? What's stopping them from sending everything they've got at us all at once?" one of the Dominion marines asked.

"I'd say we got lucky, at least for now, soldier," Kim answered. "Looks like the Zerg critters are just probing us, trying to determine how many men we've got and how much ammunition we have to shoot at them. That attack on our ammunition dump was an attempt to weaken us."

"How could they know that was ammunition?" the marine protested. "The Zerg are nothing but a bunch of dumb animals!"

"Never underestimate your opponent in battle," the colonel said. "You're assumptions are just wishful thinking. You fight the Zerg long enough, you'd know they too use clever tricks and deception on the battlefield."

At this point her comm-link went off. "Colonel Kim, we have identified one of the attackers that was shooting at us when we entered the outer edges of Tarsonis City."

"I told you taking the body of that marine that slid down from one of the ruined buildings would come in useful eventually. Now, what did you find out?"

"Are you sure you want to hear it? I don't think you're going to like this, ma'am."

"Right now I could use a break from all the Zerg attacks, so spill already."

"It's confirmed that the marine we killed was part of the Dominion Marine Corps."

Kim was shocked. "How is that possible? Why would our own men be shooting at us? If Dominion marines had gone rogue they would have been put down right away for treason!"

"I did some digging in the database. It looks like this particular marine had been part of General Warfield's forces for the Char invasion a little while back. The surviving Dominion troops in the aftermath of that invasion had turned against the Dominion, so there's only one possible explanation."

The colonel gritted her teeth in anger. "They're now part of Raynor's Raiders, which means James Raynor must be here, on Tarsonis. He is the one who ambushed us."

The voice on the other end went on to explain the implications of this, but Kim wasn't paying any attention to it. Mengsk had given her sufficient forces to command in the event that Raynor would come here and disrupt their salvaging operation, but the Zerg wasn't part of the plan. Now much of the energy that was supposed to used to deal with the rebel commander instead had to be diverted to handle the constant Zerg attacks, and there was no telling when the attacks may stop.

"Colonel, it may not be as bad as we think. The Zerg aren't going to distinguish which faction we're on. All they're going to see is uninvited terrans on Tarsonis, nothing more. Therefore, they wouldn't gather all their strength and focus only on us. I'm sure Raynor and his boys are taking every bit a beating as we are right now. If we get lucky, maybe we can get the Zerg to do the dirty work for us."

Tarsonis City, Tarsonis

"We're not going to be able hold out much longer here!" an officer shouted, as Hydralisk spines tore past him, killing a marine nearby. "We need to move deeper into the city where it'll be harder for the Zerg to get at us!"

Jim looked around him and saw that the whole situation was a mess. Despite the continued support from the Banshees, the Zerg attacks continued and many of them were now within striking distance and tearing at the defenders. The Vikings continued to put up a wall of lead from their gatling cannons, but the Zerg numbers were simply too many. More and more Zerglings and Hydralisks were getting through, and the marines were forced to engage them at near point blank range, often with disastrous results.

An enormous explosion rocked the battlefield as the Reapers detonated the D-8 charges. Pieces of Zerglings, Roaches, and Hydralisks went flying, but this only slowed down the Zerg attacks briefly. As the smoke cleared, it only revealed more of them in the distance, accompanied by Infestors and moving towards their defensive position.

From her elevated position from above, Nova was doing her best in sniping the Zerg, but by now they were starting to smarten up. Ultralisks were being dispatched and heading towards their positions, with many of the Zerglings, Roaches, and Hydralisks hiding behind it and using the behemoths as a protective shield. Due to their extremely thick carapace, the rounds fired from the blond ghost's C-20 Canister Rifle had little effect against them.

Raynor himself fared slightly better, as the rounds from his Mark XII Heavy Penetrator Commando Rifle were strong enough to pierce an Ultralisk's brain. However the rifle's slow firing rate proved to be a weakness that the Zerg were thoroughly exploiting. It wasn't that the rifle couldn't do its job, it was that it couldn't do its job fast enough. By now, dozens of Ultralisks were heading directly towards their position.

Further explosions shook the battlefield as Zerg Banelings exploded. Some of them prematurely, their sacs detonated by the bullets fired by auto turrets deployed by the Ravens. But others were able to get within closer range and detonate directly on the sandbags the infantry were firing behind from, sending marines, Marauders, and Reapers hurling off their feet.

Firebats were letting loose the flames with everything they had, and Pygalisk after Pygalisk succumbed to their perdition flamethrowers, as their carapaces were even weaker than that of a Zergling. However their sheer speed compensated for that, and the Reapers were continuously called upon to give support with their P-39 pistols, lest the creatures get within striking distance and detonate the Firebats' fuel tanks.

Some of the specialized Firebats had napalm rocket firing systems built into their CMC-660 Armor, and they were deployed alongside the Goliath walkers to deal with the heavier Zerg threats. Although their napalm rockets weren't strong enough to quickly burn through the Ultralisks' carapace, the sheer amount of fire caused from the explosions did force them to slow down somewhat as the smaller Zerg critters advancing behind them were briefly disoriented by the fire.

Flaming Betty turrets added their fire to the defenders, but here too the Zerg quickly exploited the turrets' weakness. Despite the efforts made by Rory Swann to turn them into a capable killing machine, their programming were still unable to tell apart the individual threat levels in the event of vast numbers. For that reason, mass swarms of Zerglings were being sent in so that the Flaming Betties would waste all their fire against them, while Roaches and Hydralisks were diverted elsewhere towards the marines.

"Status!" Jim shouted at one of the Dominion officers. "Have you located a good spot for us to withdraw to yet?"

"Yes, sir. It's more than 20 miles from our location, but the place is completely rubble strewn. It'll give us more cover instead of here, where we're more exposed out in the open."

"Then that's where we're going," Jim said. "We've already got most of the boys waiting in the vehicles, so begin the withdrawal of the frontline troops now. Nova and I will cover you guys."

With the Zerg attack waves temporarily stalled, everyone shuffled into the vehicles and Dropships as quickly as possible. No one dared waste a moment, as any second from now the Zerg could come again and finish them off.

However, as Jim and Nova prepared to get in the last Vulture hoverbike and leave, the earth beneath them suddenly began to shake. The blond ghost instantly knew what was coming, and to make matters worse, the tremors appeared to be directly underneath them, which meant that the Zerg were threatening to cut them off from the rest of the troops.

Thinking quickly, she channeled her psionic powers and telekinetically lifted Jim up, throwing him towards the last Dropship still on the ground.

The rebel commander was horrified. "What are you doing?"

"Go! I'll find another way!" Nova shouted, running towards the Vulture bike.

Before Jim had any chance to protest. the Zerg Nydus Worm erupted from the ground. Its massive biological mouth opened, and Jim could hear the Zerg creatures from within. A pair of hands grabbed him from behind.

"There's no time, sir!" One of the marines shouted, before turning his head to the cockpit. "We have to get out of here now! Pilot, get this bird into the air before we're all Zerg chow!"

"No! Nova!" Jim screamed as the Dropship lifted off, leaving the blond ghost behind as Zerglings, Roaches, and Ultralisks emerged from the Nydus Worm. This was not a déjà vu moment he wanted to relive, in fact it's probably the one that haunted him the most. The trauma of Kerrigan being abandoned at New Gettysburg to the Zerg had been almost too much for him to bear, and now he had to experience almost the exact same thing happening with Nova.

He could only pray this time the outcome would be different. Failing to save Kerrigan all those years ago had left him emotionally scarred in ways he never thought possible, and the last thing he wanted was to see history repeating itself in that aspect.