Author's Note: Wow, this story broke 1000 views in about two weeks! Thanks guys, and congrats on breaking the record of "Variable X" by a week!
So in addition to school and sports, I've been battling copyright claims on some of my stuff elsewhere. Those claims are dealt with now, so I can devote more of my free time to writing as college application season wraps up.
I don't usually advertise my stories, but I took this long because I finally got around to publishing the first chapter of the StarCraft/Mega Man crossover, "Red and Blue". Regardless of whether you know anything about Mega Man or not, please feel free to read and review that one too: I tried to make it readable to fans of only one franchise.
Deep Space (music - Mega Man X3: Zero's Theme)
The Zerg armada was near-invisible to any passerby without thermal vision. Not that anyone would be traversing this corner of the Korpulu sector incidentally.
A blinding flash of light erupted out of nowhere in the endless void, and seconds later the Hyperion dropped out of warp space.
"Sir, we've arrived at the rendevous point. Looks like the Zerg are already here."
"Thanks, Marcus. Open a transmission to them." Jim suddenly looked over his shoulder as the bridge doors opened and Sarah stepped in, talking to Swann. She was wearing her trademark hostile environment suit and her hair was in its signature ponytail. He suddenly felt as though his brain was turning to mush. "She's so beautiful..."
Sarah concluded their conversation as Swann went to deliver a report to Matt. Meanwhile the ghost turned her attention to Jim, smiling seductively as she read his thoughts and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, Jim."
At the moment, despite her military equipment and his experience fighting alongside and against her, he saw none of the fearsome warrior the rest of the sector did nor any trace of the physical deformities of Zerus and the Overmind. All he saw was a redheaded, shy, caring, and gentle Terran. While her introversion had been much worse during their Sons of Korhal days, she was still timid to engage in conversation with anyone else. Jim couldn't blame her: there were now billions of other reasons for her not to, so it thrilled him that she was still trying to show the crew who she truly was.
And it looked like her efforts might be for something after all. With her contributions against Mengsk, Amon, and the Raiders' various other opponents, his crew were genuinely beginning to see her differently. He was surprised that Swann had been one of the first to reach out to her, and while she was the primal queen at that, but the crew had followed his chief engineer's example, both before and after her return to humanity.
Though she'd made significant inroads, the crew were still far from trusting of her. As some of them had learned the hard way, she was still very sensitive: some of his crew had found themselves in psionic chokeholds or spontaneously half-inside a wall. Since most of them were drunk during those incidents Sarah had simply avoided the bar since the last one. She couldn't help it after losing control, but that still reminded the crew that even without Zerg carapace she was still a potent psionic. Nevertheless, Jim couldn't help but feel a sense of pride every time he saw Sarah talking among the crew; after all, he'd helped her open up during their Sons of Korhal years, though mostly to him.
He gave her a quick peck on the lips and turned to speak with Zagara as the communication was patched through. Sarah backed away so she couldn't be seen. No need for the broodmother to see that she was content amongst Terrans and get ideas about her autonomy. They couldn't afford to back out once they'd promised the Protoss a demonstration, and if they betrayed the Hierarchy again...
"I presume you require the transfer of the additional resources, along with the infested?"
"Yeah. I've got dropships launching now as we agreed upon earlier. Hopefully it'll be worth it."
Zagara nodded and broke the communication link. Jim turned back to Sarah.
"I talked to Junior earlier."
"Oh, right..."
"Don't worry about it; he said he'll offer ex-infested amnesty."
"But he can't stop someone who decides it's worth the risk to step out of line. And punishing someone for killing a former infested isn't going to be too popular with the rest of the Dominion, even if everyone else isn't willing to do the same."
Jim sighed with exasperation. "Sarah, not everyone...did the same things you did," he said carefully. "They also didn't retain their free will."
"I didn't either, Jim. The Queen of Blades did."
"I know, Sarah. But that doesn't change the fact that other infested were bound to the hive mind."
"I just don't feel they deserve to suffer more, Jim."
"They'll have to one way or another. That's the nature of life, darlin'. A rough patch hurts then, but it's worth more later."
That seemed to do it. Her mood immediately lightened. "Cynicism from Jim Raynor?" she asked with feigned shock. "Who are - " she giggled. "Never mind, nobody else would be such a pig," she teased, poking him lightly as she did. Jim lifted her head up before kissing her again. The act drew smiles from the bridge crew, relieved to be seeing their commander happy and at peace after nearly six years of torment and grief.
Nobody wanted to interrupt the moment, but Matt was forced to. "Sir, we have an incoming transmission from Valerian."
Jim and Sarah pulled away simultaneously. "Put it through." He added to Sarah, "...And don't you dare run off, darlin', 'cause we ain't done."
She laughed and stayed by his side as the new Emperor Mengsk's face appeared on the viewscreen.
"I presume you haven't watched UNN yet?" The emperor looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Jim shook his head, though judging by Valerian's state, it wouldn't be good.
His prediction was spot on. "The governors of the Core Worlds have refused to obey the decree. So have a fair number of military officers based on those worlds." Though Valerian's initiative to grant amnesty to former infested (after certain tests to prove they weren't still infested) was met with public support, officials had been quick to spread rumors that he was conspiring with the Zerg to undermine the new democracy and seize power. Public opinion hadn't changed much as a result, but a large number of officers in both the civilian government and the military had been swayed.
"Then I presume you want us to hold off on mass de-infestation?" Jim asked.
Valerian shook his head. "I don't want a repeat of the refugee situation during the last Zerg invasion, but at this point I don't think we have a choice. I'm well aware the Daleaam are growing impatient over the delays in arranging the demonstration and en masse initiation. We don't need to antagonize them now, and the fringe worlds are more than willing to cooperate." The emperor sighed. "But for all their will they don't have the logistical resources to make it happen; the majority of DPs haven't returned yet, so whatever resources the worlds do have are diverted to returning them."
Sarah looked down. This wasn't how she'd imagined things would turn out when she'd first gotten the idea. Granted, she hadn't been thinking about the whole picture when she conjured the idea, but she also hadn't expected the effort to shape up into another fiasco.
"Of course, Valerian. Your people are of higher priority. Besides, the infested aren't going anywhere, and there's still one issue I haven't resolved yet."
"Whether to repress their memories of their infested experiences, yes? May I suggest that we leave it to them to decide?"
"But you saw how that turned out. Even those that Dr. Hanson managed to cure went insane because of the small amounts memories they could register through their comas; they weren't in a position to make any decisions for themselves. How much worse could it become if they have full access to their memories?"
Valerian studied her in silence for a few seconds before replying. "Then we will finally know what you went through."
There was an idle curiosity in his tone, but Sarah wasn't interested in studying the implications of his statement at the moment. "Then be ready for the first group in 48 hours. You already have the rendevous coordinates."
Valerian nodded before disconnecting. Sarah immediately turned to look at Jim, a lost expression on her face. "Jim, what do I do?"
For once, he hadn't the slightest idea.
Shield of Aiur, Aiur orbit
"Surely you cannot be so naive, Artanis! Sending one delegate is one matter, but the entire Hierarchy?"
"This is a risky matter, yes, but we have yet to ascertain that Kerrigan possess an ulterior motive, Nahaan. She cannot hope to corrupt all of us, and the Protectorate is not in immediate need of any decisions."
"As spirited as he is, Nahaan makes a valid point," cautioned Urun. "We did not find out that Kerrigan was using us for her own gain during the Brood War until it was far too late."
"Precautions have been taken, Admiral. But as we have made our decision, now we must see it through, regardless of the consequences. Should Kerrigan be plotting something, we must not make ourselves appear weak."
On cue, the Hyperion warped in. Artanis left the Shield of Aiur's bridge and headed towards a small bay where a transport craft was waiting. Despite their objections moments earlier, the remaining Hierarchy members, along with a heavy escort of Templars, Archons, and Zealots, followed.
Hyperion (music - your choice)
Sarah looked out at the approaching Protoss shuttle, gripping Jim's hand tightly.
He could sense her anxiety, even if she wasn't telepathically broadcasting that. He'd never seen her emotions overflow this way and hoped she wasn't too nervous to follow through with her plan.
Despite his assurances that Sarah meant no harm, it wasn't hard to figure that the Protoss would bring a heavy contingent of warriors to guard the Hierarchy members and station a task group within weapon range. While Jim was confident that they wouldn't use their superior force to wrestle something from him, one wrong word and they would be dead. Or, at least, Sarah would.
"Jim, let's go." Sarah's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "They're getting ready to dock." Despite the calmness in her voice, she never let go of his hand as she led him to the docking bay.
When they reached it the Protoss were already aboard. Immediately they fixed their eyes on Sarah. She froze as their attentions shifted to her and let out a small noise of fear. Any one of them could be her end, and they all had numerous reasons to be.
Jim squeezed her hand and went ahead of her to greet Artanis. The warriors in front of the Hierarch stepped aside to allow Jim to pass.
"En Taro Tassadar, Artanis. Thank you for agreeing to meet on the Hyperion."
The Hierarch's eyes twinkled. "En Taro Tassadar, James Raynor. It is my pleasure, along with the Hierarchy's."
Despite Artanis's tone and expression, Jim wasn't foolish enough to fall for those words. While some members weren't too far off the mark, Nahaan's baleful, unwavering glance at Sarah was an unwelcome counterexample. He mentally sighed and continued. "Shall we proceed, then? Lead the way, Sarah."
For a second she didn't move. Jim could see she was terrified, but that didn't suppress the surge of irritation. Sarah heard his thoughts and lowered her head in shame before starting for the Hyperion's lab. Fear wasn't a reason for acting like this...
"Sarah, where are you going?" She noticed she was about to lead their guests down the wrong corridor. She blushed and corrected herself.
"What's wrong with me today? Why am I so scared of them? They're not here to kill me." Still, the incessant stream of fearful thoughts continued and only got worse as they neared their destination.
"Come on, Sarah, focus!" But try as she might, she couldn't suppress them and was swept away in the riptide.
Suddenly there was a sharp pain in her head and she found herself sprawled on the floor. The Hierarchy members were studying her with interest while Jim was kneeling over her. She tried to sit up, but he gently forced her down.
"Easy, darlin'. No need for them to see you've still got rapid regeneration." She realized she must have hit her head on a bulkhead rim and cursed herself for being distracted. The Hierarchy was just starting to believe she was completely human now; seeing her regenerate a deep gash in seconds would only arouse their suspicions of a trap and undo their shaky trust.
"How are you feeling?" Jim asked after a minute. He gently lifted her head and used a cloth to wipe away the blood on her forehead.
"I'm fine, Jim," she snapped irritatedly. Jim didn't react, but nonetheless a look of regret crossed her face. "Let...Let's just get this over with."
He shook his head as he looked into her eyes. The brilliant emerald irises had lost much of their luster and her eyes were rimmed with red. He should've figured that she wouldn't be able to sleep the night before. He gently took her hand in his and noticed it was shaking slightly.
"You're an nervous wreck right now, Sarah. You'll do more good if you compose yourself and rest. Besides, Ariel and Stetmann can explain the process."
"No, let me come with you," she begged.
Jim sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, darlin'. I can't. There's too much at stake."
"Please!" she begged again. "Jim, you know how important this is to me!"
Jim forced himself to ignore her pleas and motioned for Artanis to follow them. Most of the Protoss stepped around Sarah as she slid aside to make room for them, but Nahaan deliberately stomped on her stomach, causing Sarah to utter a whimper of discomfort. The procession stopped at the noise, but Nahaan had already removed his foot. Without giving anything away, Artanis motioned for them to continue.
Several Ara Archons and a High Templar followed their leader's example, stepping over rather than around Sarah, but the remainder of the Protoss guards passed without further incident, allowing Sarah room to stand up. Mohandar and Zeratul brought up the rear.
The two stopped and regarded her for a second. Sarah looked down, unwilling to meet their eyes. She wondered what they were thinking and instinctively reached out for the answer.
Immediately the two Nerazim had warp blades against her throat.
"Do not dare attempt to enter our minds, Kerrigan!" snapped Zeratul. "Remember your perilous standing amongst our kind!"
She cursed herself for letting her curiosity get the better of her. "I'm sorry," she replied meekly, raising her hands in a placating gesture and keeping her head down.
Mohandar deactivated his blade and Zeratul disappeared, though it didn't take sensors or even a telepath to know he hadn't left the room. Sarah knew that Mohandar wanted a word with her alone, but after Razsagal, the Protoss couldn't be too careful. Deciding to trust the Nerazim, she raised her head to meet the Prelate's gaze.
"Do not judge our kind simply by Nahaan's undecorous behavior, young Kerrigan." She noticed pity in the Prelate's tone. "Should you prove yourself trustworthy, confide in me as your ally."
Sarah blinked. "You...you mean that?"
Mohandar nodded. "Our people do not forget our allies. So you served us in our time of need, we shall do you service now. The obstacle of convincing them that you are not the Queen of the past is all that stands in the way. It does not require telepathy to sense your grief and regret over what she has done, but there are many among us who believe you are falsifying your emotions. And here, you have means to convince the remainder of us of the honesty of your intentions."
Sarah shook her head, unwilling to believe what seemed too good to be true. Mohandar could feel her desperation for a way to prove her repentance and her fear that there wasn't one, but unless someone trusted the other there wasn't anything he could do. Given the fractuous nature of the Protoss's attitude towards her, she would likely have to make that move.
"I..." Sarah began, but Mohandar politely silenced her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sarah stiffed at the touch but Mohandar's tone soon calmed her down.
"Neither side is willing to trust the other, yet trust is the one thing that can spare you our wrath. Are you willing to take the chance?" he asked.
Sarah could tell that the Prelate was sympathetic to her plight, but she still wasn't ready to trust the Protoss so deeply with someone like Nahaan in power. She shook her head slowly. "I...I can't."
Mohandar mentally sighed and turned to enter the lab. Zeratul decloaked and entered as the Prelate made to enter. One-on-one, sensitive-mattered conversation was something best left to Raynor, and the Prelate could tell he'd upset Sarah even more with his words, but he had to finish the conversation.
"Until you do, Kerrigan, we are at an impasse. One that I cannot promise will last." He turned to enter the laboratory and Sarah followed, remembering to duck her head this time.
"...cuts the infested's body off from their circulatory system," Stetmann was saying as they walked in. The congregation was in a side room. Though not connected to the Khala, the two Nerazim were still powerful telepaths, and had tuned in to the scientists' explanation through a link with one of their warriors in the room while Mohandar had lingered outside. A Dark Archon lingering in the back of the lab bowed repsectfully to the two as they entered.
Sarah entered the lab behind them, still in a daze of fear. She slipped on a puddle of liquid and the Archon lowered his hand to help her up. She looked up in surprise before taking his hand and thanking him with a genuine smile. It was reassuring to see that not all Protoss set their opinions of her by Nahaan's word.
(music - Mega Man X4: Dialogue)
In the tank behind her, the Zerg specimen suddenly began trying to break free as it sensed its Queen nearby. There was a cracking noise as it secreted additional acid, the concentration of corrosive substances exploiting the already-present crack in the tank wall and parting it. The organism lashed out with its primitive limbs and the plasteel shattered.
Sarah whirled around and reached for her pistol at the noise, but the specimen latched on to her before she could do anything more than scream. The nearby Protoss also turned at the sound and the Archon that had just helped her up vaporized the lab creature with a psionic blast, but the damage was done.
As it contained the gene of every Zerg, including the dreaded Infestor, the specimen's bite had re-introduced the Zerg Hyperevolutionary Virus to Sarah's system. The dormant Zerg DNA within her suddenly revived as the invading virus began to work its magic. Even though there was no chrysalis this time, her body wasn't stripped of her primal DNA and thus the virus could both work faster and infest her without a chrysalis.
Mohandar stared in shock and cursed himself for not requesting the Zerg specimen to be removed. He knew psionic energies, chiefly the energies of the Void, could slow down the infestation, but though Kerrigan was screaming for her life right now, there was no telling the risk to him if the infestation resurrected the Queen of old...
The Prelate pushed the thoughts from his head and knelt down next to her, focusing his energies. There was no time for denial or reflection; if the Queen of Blades was indeed being resurrected it was all the more reason to aid Sarah. As the energies of the Void were transferred to her body, Sarah felt the process slowing.
"Zeratul, come aid me! The energies of the Void are our best hope at preserving her!" The older Dark Templar immediately kneeled down and also began channeling his powers.
"Have you gone mad, Mohandar?!" demanded Nahaan. "You are making yourself vulnerable to her influence! I warned you all that this was naught but a trap, that she was still a Zerg, and here is the proof! End her now while we still can!"
"For once, can you shut up?" snapped Jim as he ran to her side. Nahaan's eyes glowed dangerously.
"You may have aided our kind in the past, James Raynor, but do not forget you betrayed the Conclave and aided Tassadar in his insurrection!"
"Must we have this conversation now?" roared Artanis over Jim's retort. "Mohandar and Zeratul can slow the infestation, but not indefinitely! Raynor, if you have any faith in your cure, use it!" Artanis waved his hand and the other Protoss left, with the exception of the Dark Templar guards and their leaders. Nahaan seethed but followed his guards out.
The Dark Templar began taking turns to allow their exhausted comrades to recover, but the infestation was still proceeding albeit very slowly.
Sarah suddenly sat up, propping herself up against the ruins of the Zerg specimen tank. "Jim," she called.
He had already reached her side when she called, but the sight that he beheld was anything but comforting. Her face had begun to discolor and those all-too-familiar Zerg psionic nerve chords began to grow in the place of her hair. The hands of her hostile environment suit had cracked open, revealing clawed hands.
She knew they were only delaying the inevitable. Sarah didn't know if the hyperevolutionary virus had adopted to circumvent Ariel's cure, and she wasn't willing to take the chance.
"It's no use. Tell them to stop," she implored. "There's only one way it can be stopped for good."
Jim's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "I can't lose you again, Sarah! Not after I've gotten you back a third time! We can still use Ariel's cure."
"James Raynor is correct," panted Mohandar through his exhaustion. "All is not lost; we can slow the process until your doctor's cure can be administered."
"But what if it doesn't work? Then it'll be those four years all over again. I can't take that chance, Jim."
"Just hold on, Sarah. The Queen of Blades is dead; the only thing changing is your body. We made it together past her, Mengsk, and Amon. I'm not going to lose you to Stetmann's lab rat!"
She briefly smiled at his devotion but it quickly faded. "You're...going to have to if you want to save me." She lifted her pistol to her head and briefly spoke to the Nerazim in the room.
"Your kind will finally have atonement for the Queen's crimes. It's the least I can give you."
The Nerazim studied her for a moment. Zeratul spoke after a few seconds. "I could not imagine not wanting your death even a year before, but your services to our kind will not be forgotten, this least among them. The Void be with you, Kerrigan."
She nodded and turned back to Jim, looking straight in his eyes. "Goodbye, Jim. I love you."
The report rang loudly in the absolute silence that followed.
Author's Note: We're not quite done with the story yet, so just remember this isn't the ending for any of the cast.
This last scene was based on a few lines from Qwerty-Man's "Flight to Freedom" and Ragnarok666's "Aftermath and Revelations," where Kerrigan expresses regret that she let the Zerg take her rather than kill herself. For better or worse, she's not the one to make the same mistake twice...
Thanks to Ragnarok666 for pointing out a few factual errors in this chapter.