Disclaimer: I do not own Starcraft or Doctor Who.

Chapter Seven: Goodbyes

Korhal IV
Two Years Later

"Whether you thought him a hero or a criminal, James Raynor has irrevocably left his mark on the Koprulu sector. In life and in death, his actions have reshaped the entire Dominion. Two years ago, he sacrificed himself to ensure the destruction of the Dalek flagship, and the people of this sector owe him a debt that can never be repaid. I only knew him in the last years of his life, but I know this would be a fitting tribute to a great man."

Valerian paused to allow the curtains to fall away.

"This academy will be the first of its kind. Where the old Dominion only saw weapons to be molded, we see gifted people in need of guidance. The academy's students will be taught to appreciate their gifts, so that they may pursue whatever future they desire. It is my hope, and indeed the hope of many others, that this academy will ensure the tragedies of the past will never be repeated."

The camera panned away from Valerian's podium to the lettering above the Academy's front door.

JAMES EUGENE RAYNOR PSIONIC ACADEMY


Valerian Mengsk sighed and switched off the television. News stations all over the sector had played the speech on repeat for weeks, and he dearly hoped they would soon find another story to latch on to. The Academy's dedication ceremony remained one of the most-watched recordings in the entire Koprulu sector, so he doubted such a day would come soon. Many prominent Terran and Protoss officials had attended, and Overqueen Zagara even made the long journey from Char.

"The Terran meant much to the Queen of Blades, and so he meant much to the Swarm," the Overqueen had stated simply in the one interview she granted.

A knock signaled Valerian's next appointment, and the door swung open to admit a pair of Protoss.

"En Taro Tassadar, Hierarch Artanis, High Executor Selendis," the emperor greeted.

"En Taro Raynor, Emperor Mengsk," the meaning behind such a tribute was not lost on Valerian.

"Please, have a seat. May I offer you some refreshment? To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Unfortunately nothing good," Artanis accepted a glass of water and set it down before him, "During the Dalek assault, they had us pressed to the breaking point. And yet on the verge of victory, they retreated and opted to reinforce their assault on Korhal. Our warriors from every front bring the same story: the Daleks announced they had detected an unclassifiable psionic presence on this world. Not to mention Preserver Rohana's account of a golden light annihilating the Dalek fleet."

The unasked question hung between them.

"What you read on the official press release is the full extent of publicly-available knowledge at this time," Valerian slipped into the well-rehearsed cover story, "One of our raids on the remaining Mobius Foundation facilities uncovered a second Xel'naga keystone. With all of our options exhausted, we chose to activate it and hope for the best. Its interaction with Dalek technology was unexpected but not unwelcome."

"What of the psionic signature, Emperor Mengsk?" Selendis interjected, "We know of only one entity with such abilities."

"Smoke and mirrors, as the old phrase goes. We only have the mission reports from Gabriel Tosh and November Ter—well, also Tosh now, I suppose—to go on, but they have given me no reason to suspect deception," Valerian waved his hands dismissively, "Simply put, we weren't sure if detonating even an Apocalypse-class warhead inside their flagship would destroy it. The late General Raynor realized this and also sabotaged their flagship's communications array. It was broadcasting all kinds of nonsense, and no doubt that warning was what made it to Dalek forces on Aiur."

"And conveniently, both artifact and Dalek flagship were vaporized at the end of the battle, so there is no way to verify this story," Selendis' eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Surely you must understand our concerns. Better men have been enthralled by the Qu-"

"Executor Selendis, you are out of line!" Artanis roared, causing everyone in earshot to flinch, "I expect you to formally apologize to Emperor Mengsk before we depart this world. For now, you have my leave to oversee the security upgrades to our embassy."

The executor made to say something, then thought better of it. With a slight bow, she excused herself and walked out of the office.

"She meant well," Valerian commented diplomatically as the door closed, "The past years have been stressful for all of us, and I implore you to show her leniency."

"I shall take your request into consideration," Artanis rumbled, "And truly, what we have witnessed was simple trickery born of desperation?"

"If we uncover anything that would suggest otherwise, you would be the first to know," Valerian nodded.

"Very well," the Hierarch's tone indicated he wasn't completely convinced, "I know your time is valuable, Emperor Mengsk, and I shall not take up any more of it."

The door clicked shut, and a silence descended upon the office. The silence was promptly broken by a blue police box materializing in the corner. Valerian's hand ghosted for the silent alarm, hovering over the button for several seconds before he thought better of it. He sighed, sinking in his chair as the Doctor ran through the TARDIS doors carrying a contraption of tubes and metal odds-and-ends.

"Rory, slide that into there and hold that down! Amy, pull that all the way out and turn that crank as fast as you can!" the Doctor ordered as he set the device down, ignoring the Emperor entirely.

"What are you-"

"Not bad. Just a few seconds off," the Doctor muttered as a metallic ding sounded.

"A few seconds off for what?" Valerian demanded, suddenly regretting his choice to not hit the alarm.

The Emperor's question was answered by a crack, a flash, and pair of entwined Terrans, one infested and the other in CMC armor, appearing in midair and crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Darlin', I love you, but never do that again," Jim groaned as he helped Sarah up.

"Though I will probably regret asking," Valerian rubbed his temples, "How are you here?"

"Emergency temporal shift," Sarah stated with no further explanation as she leaned against Jim for support, "What year is it?"

"Adjutant," the Dominion Emperor groaned as he retrieved a bottle of whisky from its hidden drawer and poured himself a generous glass, "Cancel all my remaining appointments for the day."


"He knows," Sarah muttered worriedly.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. However, without proof, Artanis will not jeopardize Aiur's rebuilding or relations with the Dominion in order to chase ghosts," the Emperor chuckled at the unintentional wordplay.

"And you are sure this is what you want?" the younger man asked, already knowing the answer.

"Junior, a nuke detonated next to me," Jim chuckled, "If I was to show up now, it would lead to questions I don't think anyone is prepared to answer."

"I suppose you're right," the Terran Emperor sighed.

Valerian barely resisted the urge to instinctively back away as Sarah Kerrigan crossed the distance between them in a few short strides. Her clawed hands extended, proffering a blank sheet of paper.

"What's this?" the Emperor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There's no guarantee that the Daleks won't come back, and even if they don't, there's plenty of other threats out there just as bad," Sarah gestured towards the paper, "This is a psychic paper. If there's another threat of this scale again, just take this and I'll know where to find you."

"The offer is appreciated," Valerian sincerely hoped he would never have to use the paper, "So what will you do now?"

"I think a quiet retirement," Jim grinned and draped his arms over Sarah's frame, "Find some uninhabited world, build a little house…"

"Well, it's not like I can stop you," the young Emperor nodded back, silently wondering if the Koprulu sector would have to deal with a different sort of hybrid some years down the line.

"Wait, wait! The Doctor stepped between them as Jim and Sarah turned to leave, "There's still one little order of business to attend to."

"And what is that?" Valerian tilted his head, curiosity piqued.

"Well, as Emperor of the Terran Dominion, you have certain legal powers. Legal powers that may not mean very much outside the Koprulu sector, but it'd mean a lot to some people."

He dragged Amy and Rory forward.

"We have enough witnesses," the Doctor retrieved a pair of rings—one dangling from a chain—from his jacket pocket, "And I happened to stumble upon some rings…"

Few could claim they had ever seen the former Queen of Blades utterly at a loss for words. Valerian silently grumbled that he could never publically boast of witnessing such an occasion.


Singing Towers
Darillium

"Alright," the Doctor clapped his hands together as he exited the TARDIS, "Your suite, and I've taken the liberty of putting in a dinner reservation for two at the nearby restaurant."

Sarah shrieked and instinctively tucked her wings in as Jim swept her off her feet and carried her bridal-style out of the TARDIS.

"I'm not so cruel as to deny newlyweds a wedding night," the Doctor and his companions discovered that Zerg, or at least one particular Zerg-human hybrid, were capable of blushing, "But I expect you back at work first thing in the morning."

"How long is a night on this planet?" Jim asked after a moment's silence.

"Oh…" the Doctor did some quick mental calculations, "About thirty Korhal years. It'll pass in an instant."

"And the people here won't mind…" Sarah held up her claws for emphasis.

"Not one bit," the Doctor waved his hand dismissively, "By this time, humans have intermarried with so many species that nobody'll look twice at you."

With that, the Doctor, his companions, and the TARDIS were gone.

Sarah Raynor nèe Kerrigan didn't need psionics to figure out the question on Jim's mind. Without warning, she placed an open palm against his chest, right over his heart, and lightly shoved him. He stumbled backwards, yelping in surprise as he fell onto the bed. Sarah joined him moments later, crawling towards him like a predator presented with a particularly tasty meal.

"You want to know a little secret, Jim?" she whispered as she straddled her husband's hips.

Jim could only gulp in response. Taking it as a sign of encouragement, Sarah leaned down until they were nose-to-nose, her tendrils cascading over their faces like a chitinous curtain. She grabbed his wrist and placed his hand against the plates protecting her stomach.

"Retractable," she whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his skin as she slowly guided his hand downwards.

Jim could feel the rigid plates shifting under his palm.

"Carapace."

His hand met soft flesh, and it would be a long while before either of them could formulate another coherent thought.