Zerus – first spawning pool
It did not take long for the remainder of Brakk's pack, fighting with Yagdra's for survival, to shift focus and begin assaulting the aliens who killed their leader. Yagdra, sensing an opportunity, directed her own pack to attack from the east and southeast. If anything could unite the primal zerg, it was the chance of killing the Queen of Blades while she was vulnerable and shoving the swarm zerg off their planet.
Izsha! Zagara, currently leading a roaming pack of mutalisks and hydralisks to support the front lines, was feeling a fatigue she didn't know was possible. The enemy has broken through the boulders to the south of the Chrysalis! Even now, a stream of ground forces were tearing up the mountain pass straight for the swarm's vulnerable leader. Left with no choice, Zagara withdrew her forces from the western front- which was still under heavy attack by Brakk's pack, and made to intercept.
Overseeing unit production and resource collection of four hives was Izsha, physically injecting essence into larvae eggs to make them spawn faster. It just wasn't enough. We cannot withstand such attacks for much longer! Our hives can only bring forth new zerg so fast.
Where is Abathur? Zagara snapped, impaling a primal zergling on a long spine with prejudice. The evolution master had been conveniently missing since their duty to defend the Queen began.
He was here, studying the spawning pool. I do not know where he went. Izsha admitted, pausing before speaking again with heightened urgency. Our western defense has fallen. An enraged mass of mixed primal zerg were entering the first spawning pool and approaching the Chrysalis, Zagara responded by splitting her remaining force in two and attempting to hold the enemy at bay across the bubbling battlefield.
The shrieking, bellowing and roaring coming from all the combatants was deafening and all-consuming. No one detected the rising bubbling of the pool or the telltale buzzing, but who would pay attention to that when fighting for their lives?
Desperate, Zagara looked around at her brood being torn apart and feasted upon, like a dam caving in on itself. My Queen... We have failed. Though secure in believing herself defeated, Zagara continued to mend what few of her brood remained and kept fighting. When a lumbering beast, similar to an ultralisk without its signature kaiser blades, bore down on the broodmother, she stood her ground.
It was no small surprise when the green bubbling fluid they were fighting in erupted upwards into the sky explosively- billions of flying insects unleashed in a focused tidal wave of consumption.
Study of catalytic fluid of pool proved useful. Locusts will devour primal zerg. Abathur spoke in his usual matter-of-fact tone as a symbiote of his creation manifested itself on Zagara's back and began rapid reparation of her damaged flesh while the primal ultralisk that was a step away from impaling her was covered, screaming, head to toe in locusts and devoured- along with the entire invading force on the plateau.
Zagara stared around in wonder as the plateau was cleared off in a matter of moments and the locusts fell dead to the ground as their lifespans ran out, covering it in their corpses. Izsha, not having witnessed the event, spoke calmly.
Abathur, your intervention was most timely. I can replenish our forces before more primal zerg arrive, I only hope it will be enough to last.
Essence required to create locust swarm regenerates quickly. Can use again. Burrowed safely beneath the battlefield, Abathur left to inspect the outcropping he had been looking at creating another base at before their defenses had begun crumbling. His long, slug-like body squeezed through a thin fissure in the earth as he cautiously peered around. "Outpost too far. Further points of defense necessary. Not enough resources to be worthwhile." Muttering to himself, Abathur paused when a shape in the east caught his sight. A creature, not like any he had yet encountered, stood atop a cliff and was clearly returning the observing gaze. Abathur yearned to feast on it, to analyze strands and take what was useful, discarding the useless.
Inside her Chrysalis, Kerrigan dreamed. So much had been stripped away and built anew, but the Primal Queen of Blades was almost ready to be reborn- and all of Zerus was beginning to feel it.
Bucephalus – Kaldir Low Orbit
Valerian's ship had warped in some distance from Kaldir and was carefully maneuvered to orbit the moon far enough away from the Hyperion to avoid detection, for the time being. The protoss presence had been noted early on, the Bucephalus' superior scanners and full staff far outstripping the older Hyperion facilities. The fugitive prince now stood with his back to the view of the moon, preparing to make contact with the protoss and hopefully peaceful negotiations.
"Sir! Activity has been detected. The protoss bases are becoming combat active." Captain Vaughn announced, stressing the situation further.
"Hail the protoss base and put the transmission on screen." Clenching his fine jaw for a moment before relaxing it, Valerian wished that Jim himself was there- no man knew more about the protoss and their customs than he did; But his own knowledge and skill at diplomacy would have to do. When the alien face of a stern-looking Judicator, looking decorative in his smooth golden armor, appeared- Valerian could feel the suspicion radiate through the psionic words sent.
Terrans. You are not familiar to us, and you appear in a battle ship. Is it war you seek?
"No!" Raising his hands in a placating gesture, Valerian quickly plead his case. "We have been tracking the Hyperion, a Terran vessel, and are strictly following it until otherwise noted. There is no need for us to fight, perhaps we can be of assistance?"
Glowing blue eyes narrowed to slits, the Judicator raised a screen displaying the Hyperion in orbit. This ship?
Wary, Valerian nodded slightly. "The very same. Jim Raynor is aboard that ship, and-"
Jim Raynor, his ship and his people, are infested to the core. They have landed on Kaldir and are unleashing havoc as we speak. They will be purged. The Judicator paused, skeptically eyeing the young prince. You may assist us in the Hyperion's destruction, if you wish to express your good will.
Suppressing a wince, Valerian's mind raced. "We believe they can be saved, and with your assistance we could capture them safely- your technology far outstrips ours. From what we've observed, they are not aggressive and possibly have full control of themselves."
Infestation cannot be reversed. If the firstborn are unable to undo it, you terrans absolutely cannot. Jim Raynor is an honorable warrior, he does not deserve the fate of becoming a test subject- or left to be a puppet of Kerrigan. Hatred and a deep pain seethed through the Judicator's words, the loss of Jim Raynor was just another great tragedy to be laid at Kerrigan's feet. If you do not wish you assist us in their destruction, then stand aside. Or would you defend such abominations?
Men and women both looked at Valerian, his crew, and awaited his response just as expectantly as the Judicator.
Hyperion – Kaldir Low Orbit
A flurry of activity had erupted on the Hyperion. Horner and Swann had begun moving infested through the ship to battle stations as fast as possible, and Shlassa had set aside the argument to assist them.
"Damnit!" Swann cursed. He was attempting to make some final reparations to the on-display Medivac in the armory so that he could pick up the ground team as fast as possible and it was proving very hard to concentrate on physically taking action while directing so many infested and doing manual tasks on them to boot. Resting his head on the pilot seat and closing his eyes, Swann sighed.
Captain, I don't think any of our ships can handle going down to that moon.
Horner replied waspishly, experiencing similar difficulties. What? How the hell are we going to get them back up here, Swann?!
I don't know. Tensing up in frustration, Swann hated not having the answer.
I will wake the hive and create an overlord for them to ride. Shlassa stated simply.
Frowning and clenching the arms of his chair, Horner thought about it. I absolutely do not want to bring that hive to life, but if we have to in order for them to get out then we will.
What other choice do you have, Terran? Your machines fail you once again.
Talk to the damn protoss, Horner! Swann insisted. Hail them and see if we can work somethin' out.
There's more chance of the protoss agreeing to join the swarm than letting us go without a fight, Swann. Tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling, Horner frowned. Without another thought, he stood up and walked to the comm array and attempted to hail the protoss base. Swann was right, every attempt should be made to get out of this peacefully- even if the protoss had already gone on the offensive against the ground team.
As soon as Jayce had caught wind of the protoss readying to attack, she began rifling through the living quarters of every medical personnel she could recall. It was jarring to see memorabilia showing now infested or dead people alive and happy, but nothing could make you more focused than threat of death at times.
Slamming a small dresser drawer shut and panting from all the running, Jayce slapped the datapad on her belt and scribbled her way to an open comm with Stetmann. "Egon!"
Stetmann had been strictly focused on moving and forcing infested to function, and frowned as he lost his grip on a handful of them when Jayce's voice blared into the Laboratory. "Jayce. Now isn't really the best time-"
"I need my arm back Stetmann! I can't help like this!" Lifting her arm for emphasis, though the scientist couldn't see it, Jayce scowled.
"We don't have any medical supplies Jayce, we've been over this. If it wasn't bolted down it went to Char." Frustrated, Stetmann hovered his finger over the button that would end the call, tempted.
An epiphany struck Jayce then, and she felt truly foolish for not having thought about it until now. "I know you have that tricked out, wacky looking medic suit. You had it fully stocked and ready to deploy for Char when the commander was deciding whether to attack the infested space station or to blow up the tunnels. Where is it now?"
Stetmann froze, utterly embarrassed as his eyes glanced to the floor panel that would lift up and reveal the Selfix armor he had designed, ready to go. "I-uh." Stuttering and frustrated, Stetmann forced himself to just get it out in a jumbled blurt. "It'shereinthelab!"
Having stood up while Stetmann was silent and then stuttering, Jayce's eyes half closed as she attempted to stifle the annoyance she felt at the kind of blunder he had made. How do you forget something that's right there? Taking a steadying breath, she replied calmly. "I'm coming to the Lab. Be ready."
"But Jayce the broodmo-" Jayce had already ended the call and was running for the Lab, Stetmann glanced at Shlassa worriedly and she glared back.
Horner couldn't hide his surprised expression when his hail was responded to and not only did the image of a stern-looking protoss Judicator appear, but the fine features of a very uncomfortable looking Valerian Mengsk did as well.
Jerking his head back slightly in surprise, Horner couldn't keep from sounding flabbergasted. "Valerian?"
"Captain Horner." Valerian inclined his head slightly. "This is... Not exactly how I wanted us to meet again." The corner of his lip twitched of its own accord. This was not going as planned, not at all.
I have only accepted this transmission as a courtesy, more than you deserve as a zerg. Judicator Holrim intoned icily. He had intended for Valerian to see the full extent of their zerg corruption, but the captain of the Hyperion showed the opposite. Unfortunate.
Frowning and ignoring Valerian for the time being, that could be addressed later, Horner focused on the Judicator. "We are not here to fight with protoss, and we are in full control of ourselves. We simply want to pick up our crew from the moon and leave, nothing more." Horner went through the rhetoric, knowing full well in his heart that the protoss were already set on their destruction, even if he lied a bit about being in full control.
"Judicator, please. What has happened to Jim and his men is horrible, but reversible! I have seen with my own two eyes the reversal of infestation." Valerian seized on Horner's words and hoped to drive a crack in the Judicators resolve. All he managed to do was get a curious look from Horner.
No. I see now where your loyalties lie, young Terran. Leave now or prepare for battle, we await your decision. And like that, their talk had ended. Judicator Holrim had ended the three way communication abruptly, and Horner quickly found out why.
A flash freeze had taken the protoss' main base during their talk and the Judicator had ended their negotiations as soon as it had passed. Horner's eyes widened when the massive signature of a Carrier and an escort of Void Rays lifted off and began a steady approach.
Protoss air ships are on their way. Raise our shields and prepare for combat. Horner glared at the display. Nothing could ever go smoothly.
Kaldir – Ice Caves
Arm blades extended, Tychus snarled at the Ursadon and took a long step forwards, taking a stab at the creature. To his surprise, the Ursadon opened its mouth and stumbled backwards, snarling in confusion. "Rah!" Snarling back and following his momentum, Tychus took a second swipe with his next stride and paused, dumbfounded. The Ursadon jerked backwards once more, turning and running into the dark without looking back. "Uh. Well, it's gone."
Eyeing the white creature until it left his sight, Tychus turned around to see Jim struggling to unpin himself from the ice and Warfield sitting up to tentatively touch his sensitive, freshly healed over shoulder.
Snapping one arm free, Jim held his hand up for assistance and Tychus gave him a hard tug upwards. The majority of the spines on his back and thighs being separated from his body made a queer crackling sound, and Jim clenched his teeth at the discomfort of it.
"Need to get movin'. Who knows when them protoss are gonna come pourin' down one of these tunnels for us." Glancing upwards at the hole they fell through, Tychus eyed the dark sky warily.
"Don't care to be hit by one of those cannons again, that's for sure. In all my years, never felt a pain quite like that." Warfield agreed heartily, the horrible burning sensation still fresh on his mind as he looked at their two directional options. "But which way?"
Rolling his shoulders and taking a slow breath, Jim surveyed both directions quickly before nodding in the direction the Ursadon ran. "That Ursadon must've been young. I've seen these things full grown before and they are massive. We need to find ourselves the Matriarch before we can get outta here, so lets follow."
"That was a small one?" Tychus muttered as they began their quick-paced march down the tunnel. That things head was almost level with his, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what a full grown one was like.
The ambiance of the claustrophobic ice tunnels that spanned outwards like a spider webs was enough to set their nerves alight and keep the three on high alert. From the clicking and scraping of claws, not always their own, to the shifting of ice and sharp sighs of wind that managed to find its way down to them, it was hard to focus on the distant heartbeat of the one beast they were tracking. Smells bombarded them at times too, when the wind pulled air up from some deep pit where refuse had piled up and no amount of freezing could kill the stench.
In time, their pace slowed; something was up ahead and all three quietly acknowledged it with their shifts of posture and quieting of footsteps. One rapid heartbeat merged into many slower ones and quick, panting breaths split into so many it became one again.
This whole place is... Breathing. Warfield noted warily. The air had warmed a few notable degrees, pushing and pulling as though the tunnel itself had become some living, breathing thing.
Stink ain't getting any better either. Where are all the Ursadons? Tychus glared ahead, trying to get a bead on anything at all.
Raynor cautiously ran his hand across the icy wall next to him, frowning when he withdrew it and it was covered in thick white hairs. A den. Why wouldn't it be?
With caution, the three scaled a gentle incline that was obscuring their view. Their tunnel opened up into a dark, grand cavern and they were on a shelf of ice overlooking it. Scattered and heaped throughout the whole cave was possibly an entire herd of sleeping Ursadon, the one they had pursued no doubt hiding somewhere in there. In the center of the snoring pit was the biggest, grandest Ursadon any of the three had ever seen or wanted to see.
Ducking down to all fours, eyes wide, they each exchanged nervous glances.
And how do you propose us three kill that thing with its entire pack right there, Jimmy? Tychus was bitter, this mission had done nothing but suck from the get-go.
I have no idea. Jim admitted, looking at their latest hopeless obstacle with rising ire.
Warfield leaned forwards, gazing around thoughtfully. Lure them away from the Matriarch, kill it while it's alone? Or at least with fewer around it.
Jim did a quick double-take when, looking at other tunnel entrances and considering Warfield's idea, he saw two pairs of soft glowing eyes glaring at them. Those eyes were unmistakably Protoss. Ah hell.
Calling Tychus and Warfield's attention, all three were soon glaring back at the protoss across the cavern, an army of Ursadon between the two groups.
Tychus smirked broadly, stifling a chuckle. Looks like the ol' protoss are just as stuck as us. His mirth quickly faded when one, clearly a Zealot of some sort, extended its psi blades and stepped forwards purposefully.
You don't think they'll...? Warfield's eyes widened in alarm before looking at Jim for some sort of confirmation.
Jim kept his eyes on the two protoss, thinking hard. I don't know. Ursadon will attack them just as sure as they'll attack us.
Across the room, Arut and Lassara were taking stock of the situation.
I see them, Lassara. Arut was ready, ready to fight and die for Aiur and all that the zerg had befouled with their touch. But the Ursadon were in the way.
Lassara was looking at the cave in wonder. She knew where their sleeping dens were and had studied them thoroughly of course, but seeing it in person- even if the smell was awful- was a whole new experience. They must be after the Matriarch, Arut. Why else would they come? A powerful creature like that could be a true terror if corrupted. Eyes hardening as she pinpointed the three figures crouched across from them, lumbering and terrifying in their own way, she knew what must be done. I will charm the Ursadon to assist you. Mind the Matriarch- it is well beyond my ability to control, but she should assist her children.
The Ursadon were already stirring, unfamiliar smells and sounds bringing the sleepy creatures to wakefulness. Arut stood tall and readied himself. Should I fall, you will escape and direct reinforcements to this location. Under no circumstances will you remain fighting. Lassara acknowledged her brother wordlessly, straightening and focusing on the Ursadon.
Go now, brother. En taro Tassadar!
En taro Tassadar! Arut roared, simultaneously disbursing into pure energy and appearing on the low ledge the three infested were perched, already swinging his psi blades with lethal accuracy. Within the moment her brother engaged, energy surrounded Lassara as she expanded her conscious to influence the majority of the Ursadon in the cave, leaving her glowing like a beacon and vulnerable as she concentrated. The soft glowing of a received message on her datapad, secure in her armor, went unnoticed.
"HELL!" Tychus bellowed, ensuring every Ursadon within hearing range was now awake. When the Zealot appeared between the three, whirling like some kind of devil, the only thing that saved Tychus' head from being neatly severed was his surprised jerk backwards. As it was, the psi blade had burned a path straight across his collar bone and part of his shoulder, and a few of Jim's spines tumbled to the floor when he had ducked to also avoid a quick beheading.
Stumbling back from the armored alien warrior, the three were immediately locked in a battle to the death while Warfield distanced himself. Though the Zealot was a concern, the remaining protoss across the way and the now roused and snarling Ursadon- including the massive Matriarch, were also a threat. Using the advantage of the high ground, Warfield busied himself slicing and snarling at any Ursadon trying to climb up to them- rendering them sluggish from the paralytic venom on his claws. The glowing protoss would have to wait a moment.
There was no time for reluctance, Jim was at peace with ending this warriors life. He knew the protoss too well to believe there was a peaceful resolution to this altercation. Already he had flung several spines at his foe, watching them ricochet off the standard protoss shielding. The plasma shield would not hold out forever though, so long as Tychus and him could avoid being cut to ribbons before it gave out.
For his part, Tychus had done well in recovering. Inserting himself against Arut's flank and forcing him to focus on his very real melee threat while Jim could fire upon the Zealot unimpeded was working. He had not brought his blades to bear though and Jim couldn't fathom why, especially since he was barely avoiding evisceration and receiving more than a fair share of wounds that steamed in the cold air.
Tychus, use your blades! Jim leaped away from the Zealot's quick dash towards him, dancing along the edge of the ledge and slicing into the muzzle of a massive Ursadon in alarm with his toe claws when it took a snap at his feet.
Not yet Jimmy, get that damn shield down! Snarling, Tychus was swiping furiously at the shield and forcing Jim's attacker away once again. Not normally visible to the eye, Jim could see the plasma shield becoming threadbare, weakening rapidly from the attacks received.
Arut danced along the edge of the ledge, simultaneously defending against Tychus' blows and repaying them in kind with his psi blades. The agony on the mutated Terran's features bolstered his resolve- he was winning, and when the biggest fell the rest would follow. The Ursadon were also climbing, grasping and snarling at Tychus and Jim, forcing Tychus to defend himself on two fronts and Jim to repel them.
Push him towards me Tychus! Warfield cried, spraying an Ursadon in the face with yellowy hallucinogenic paste that erupted from his forearms. The protoss was being drawn towards him and the General had a plan.
Yes sir! Tychus grinned savagely, redoubling his effort and driving the protoss warrior backwards. Though the Ursadon were biting at his ankles and had gotten a few swipes at his leathery hide, Tychus was none the worse for wear from their assault and the protoss was making the mistake of giving the creatures more credit than they were worth. Many had already fallen down, impaled by spines and wailing death cries.
It happened so fast. One second Tychus had made a quick ram against the protoss' plasma shield, officially shattering it, forcing the protoss to stumble backwards slightly. Warfield shifted from defending against the Ursadon to springing at Arut's back and grabbing his power armor in his talons- taking the backwards momentum of the protoss and redirecting it. Arut was unceremoniously hurled into the bodies of the Ursadon below, disappearing.
Breathing hard, the three stood on the ledge and gazed downwards as the Ursadon backed off momentarily to see what had fallen in their midst. To the groups surprise, the Zealot was glaring up at them from the ground, untouched by the beasts around him. Standing up, Arut rolled his shoulders and made to leap back up to them, eager to rejoin the battle. It was his final mistake.
Through minor precognition, Arut saw his demise coming when he was airborne and unable to change course, the huge brute he was about to careen into had arm blades that were flipping into place and the spiny one that had been hurling spikes at him the entire time already had one in hand. The third, who had been defending them from the Ursadon, had his eyes set on a point above the beasts below them- no doubt on Lassara. Without hesitation, Arut urgently called to his sister. Lassara, run!
Tychus' blades snapped into place as he swung his arms together, bringing them down on the Zealot's thin midsection like a giant pincer. Arut's eyes widened as he was neatly severed above the waist, his psi blades disbursing as his torso tumbled over Tychus and was tossed by the upward thrust of his shoulders- his waist and legs falling back downwards, still twitching. The emergency teleportation device in the chest of his power armor began to glow, a final attempt to save him from being completely destroyed. As he reached up to touch it, falling limply to the ice behind Tychus, a long spine impaled his skull from the side and the light of the warriors eyes died as his torso was teleported away. There would be no chance at serving again.
An anguished, uncontrolled scream burst from Lassara and both Jim and Tychus spun around to look at the last protoss remaining. Warfield hadn't wasted any time making his way towards it and was leaping over, on and around stumbling Ursadons that seemed disoriented. The Matriarch, however, was pissed. The massive Ursadon hadn't joined the fray while they were fighting the protoss, thankfully, but now that the scent of blood was in the air and hallucination-wracked ursadon were beginning to attack their own, who were confused by the sudden loss of guidance from Lassara; the Matriarch had caught sight of Warfield and was seeing red, charging after him and even trampling some of it's own in the process.
Watch it Warfield, Momma's angry! Jim called urgently, looking at Tychus and trying to get a bead on what his crazy friend might be thinking.
I'm aware, get this thing off of me Raynor! Can't let that protoss escape! Warfield had leaped onto a low, sloping shelf of ice and tumbled away as a paw bigger than him swung and carved through the entire mass- an explosion of ice and sound mixing with the cacophony of noises that were filling the cavern deafeningly.
"Shit. Lets go partner!" Jim shouted, gesturing for Tychus to follow when he seemed to be waiting for Jim to decide what to do. Together the two charged and leaped down into the newly bloomed battlefield, Tychus acting like a battering ram while Jim hurled spines at anything that looked their way. There would be no better opportunity to bring the Matriarch down than now.
Lassara, stunned by the violent severing of her connection with Arut, stumbled backwards. Her control of the Ursadon had slipped and they were running amok, killing one another in their confusion and pain. Grasping at her face, it only dimly registered that one of the infested was coming- and fast. Turning away, she made to run like ordered, but only managed a numb walk. Arut was gone. There wouldn't even be any glorious service as an Immortal, should he have chosen- she knew he would have.
Warfield kept running. The tunnel that protoss had walked down was far too small for the bulk of this thing chasing him, or at least that's what he was counting on. A massive bellow from behind sprayed thick strips of saliva all over his back, along with a wave of scalding hot breath; his legs pumped for all they were worth, carrying him towards the ledge the two protoss had been standing on. He was going to have to jump and he'd either make it or become a chew toy, it was up in the air which it'd be.
Jim and Tychus erupted into a semi clear area, corpses and beasts too maimed to be a threat were laying all around. "Look out!" Knocking into Tychus' side and shoving him away, Jim ripped a spine off his thigh and took aim as Warfield approached his final jump. The Matriarch was going to catch him, that much was clear from where Jim was standing. At the last second he let fly the spine with as much force as he could muster, letting out a sharp oomph of effort.
Leaping upwards, Warfield focused intensely on the ledge and let fate deal with the rest. Thankfully, one of the Matriarch's eyes erupted in a gory display as Jim's well-aimed spine hit home and rooted deep. Letting out an awful roar, it changed course from Warfield and stumbled backwards on all fours to spin around and face Jim and Tychus, blood oozing out of its eye socket and steaming.
"Well I surely hope you planned a bit farther ahead than just shooting it, Jimmy." Tychus tensed with his blades at the ready, stricken with a feeling of being awfully small- not something the big man could say very often, and not something he was ever comfortable with.
"No." Jim admitted, shrugging and admiring his handy work nonchalantly. The Matriarch charged them with renewed fury while Warfield scrabbled on to the ledge and immediately charged off after the protoss.
I did not want to end this chapter at a 4-way cliffhanger, but the chapter was going to easily get over 7k words if I kept going and I don't really consider that a comfortable reading length. So the next chapter is gonna be the REAL fun one, sorry friends!