Augustgrad – Unknown location
Waking up on a tiny cot in a small dirty room about as big as a shoebox, was the last thing Nova Terra expected to open her eyes to. It was a surprise that her eyes ever opened again, for that matter. An old light bulb flickered as it dangled by a wire from the plascrete ceiling.
Flicking her eyes back shut, a quick inventory was taken. Rifle was gone. Knives gone. Everything but her suit had been stripped off, including the ear comm and goggles. Extending the search beyond her person and the room she was in proved futile. Not only was she the proud owner of what could be contending for the worst headache in the galaxy, there was something wrapped over this place like a veil- dampening such psionic activity.
Furrowing her brows, Nova sat up slowly and stared at the slightly ajar door. Dim light streamed through it and the sound of muffled, hushed activity echoed beyond. Well, I'm not tied up and the suit is still on. Might not be captive. Nova rose to her feet stiffly and made to see where she had landed after blacking out.
Just beyond the door was a wide open circular room with thick plascrete pillars connecting the floor to a low ceiling, four in all. All around were doors, no doubt leading to simple rooms such as the one she had just walked out of, and on opposite sides of one another were two cold halls leading elsewhere. In the center of that room was the unmistakable form of Gabriel Tosh, hunched over a collapsible table with a small pile of devices relaying information and communications, thick ropes of hair resting on his back like snakes. Behind him and to his right, her rifle rested against one of the plascrete pillars.
Glancing between the object of her desire and the target of assassination, Nova felt her cloaking device wash over her and made for the gun.
"Still plannin' on shootin' me, even after I saved your ass back there?" Tosh muttered in a casual tone, straightening up and picking up her rifle, caressing its long barrel as he turned around to face her where she was hiding. He made no move to fire, waiting.
Letting out a slow breath, Nova dropped the cloak and eyed him warily. "You were there at the ceremony? Why would you save me?" And he certainly did save her, she'd committed treason. If she woke up under Dominion care...
Smirking slightly, Tosh looked down at the gun and back up to her, dead sober. "I felt that thing coming, girl. Had to be there to see it, to see what you'd do when your precious Emperors evil stood before you." Gripping her rifle, he slowly raised his arms and held it out to her. "You did good. Real good."
Reaching up and wrapping her hands around the familiar weight and curves of the gun felt good, and Nova immediately relaxed up receiving it. Lips sealing into a tight line of anger, she murmured. "I couldn't just let that-that thing kill those people. They were innocent. Mengsk is killing innocents with monsters."
"There be more of them girl. Many more." Tosh retreated to the table, gesturing at it. Following curiously, she looked down at the information before her and beheld chaos. Augustgrad was a warzone. Dominion forces and Shadow corp. forces with their hybrids were marked clearly all over.
"Many of them Dominion boys left Mengsk real fast when they saw what those hybrids were doin' to people. Guess food and shelter only be goin' go so far, eh?" Tosh chuckled without humor.
"How long have I been out?" Nova's tone sharpened as her mind assimilated the information it was gathering and turning into strategies and plans. Defenses had to be mounted. Counter offensives. As many lives saved as possible, as many hybrid dead as possible.
"Solid twenty four hours." Nova grimaced at the news, so much can happen in such a large amount of time. "You used up a lot of juice killin' that thing. Should see the kind of firepower it takes."
This was madness, and Nova's eyes focused on Tosh in anger. "Why do you even care? You and your Spectres have been killing innocents since you hit the turf here, before that even."
"Each of us wants Mengsk as dead as the next, and you can bet some innocents are gonna die if they get in the way of that. But this... This be something beyond Mengsk, beyond us simple beings girl. Jim Raynor saw these creatures, dark harbingers." Tosh's hand connected with the edge of the table hard for emphasis. "You really think Mengsk be controllin' them?"
"I'm not sure what I believe right now, Tosh." Fingertips caressed her weapon, soothing her sore mind with repetition. "You and your lot are all a bunch of mad dogs."
"We all got a little madness inside of us. Man, woman, child. All of us." Tosh glared with his glazed eyes, and Nova wondered then if he knew about the voices tickling inside her mind, voices that the terrazine freed.
Composure rumpled, she shook her head slightly. "I remember the recording you sent me. What was this talk about Jim Raynor? What's his part in all this?" Gesturing her hand at the madness arrayed between them, this was a question that had been tumbling around in her mind since he mentioned him.
"I told you girl..." Tosh was disturbed at the thought, that much was clear. His whole demeanor flickered with fear. "That mission of his... Goin' to Char and stoppin' the Queen of Blades. It didn't go so good for him."
"So the Char invasion failed and he's dead." Nova supplied, blunt. It hadn't taken much digging on her part to find out about the Char invasion, though details had been scrubbed away. Sometimes there was just too much blood, and streaks remained.
"No little girl, much worse." Tosh sighed heavily, staring down at a holomap. "Sometimes I think my boys 'n I coulda saved him, helped his mission succeed, if you hadn't chased us halfway across the damn galaxy." Nova bit back the words that threatened, they wouldn't help now. "Course, coulda failed anyway and been infested to the core like him and his are now." Their gazes met, even and dire.
"Infested." She murmured. A sad fate for a man like Jim, even if he was a stubborn terrorist. He did help people and had an oddly large amount of moral fiber, Nova knew that much about him and more.
"Aye, infested. And that Queen of Blades still be out there, as strong and terrible as ever. But we Terrans be having own problems now, don't we?" Nodding his head downwards, Nova nodded in return.
"We need to take these things out, get the Dominion forces that have abandoned Mengsk rallied and start fighting back." Nova said.
"Aye, but it be difficult now. I told you that people was goin' insane everywhere, it was the hybrid back then and it is much worse now. They are psychic vampires girl, suckin' anyone with a thimble of psionic ability dry." It made so much sense, it hurt.
"I was tryin' to train as many as I could find, enough that they could put up the walls and protect themselves. But sadly, it ain't easy smugglin' terrazine and jorium onto the planet." His gaze hardened. "Why, I do believe you just recently liberated a stockpile warehouse we had."
"You are using the drugs to enhance the psionic ability of weaker people, civilians?" Nova quirked a brow, it seemed very unlikely. Tosh had moved away from being for the people a long time ago, she suspected this had a lot more to do with trying to find more brothers and sisters. The addictive nature of the terrazine was cause for concern, not to mention the eccentricities of those who imbibed too much. She eyed him pointedly, knowing full well he could read her.
"Aye. Picked up some new Spectres along the way too. Was a good deal for them, but we ain't got enough to protect everybody. Gotta start usin' tools too." Gesturing around them, Tosh was no doubt talking about the dampening field Nova had noticed.
"I know where the jorium and terrazine went, it isn't something we can't get back if we have to. But right now I want to get out there and start this rebellion, Tosh. Civilian lives and hybrid deaths are my topmost concern." It went without saying that she strongly disagreed with the use of terrazine, given that she still felt a sharp coiling of need at the very thought of it.
For his part, Tosh seemed to be ignoring her thoughts. It was enough that Nova would join the fight. "Well, I share at least one of your concerns. So let's work together, shall we? Like old times." Extending his hand, gloved in the signature dark red and black of the Spectres, Nova clasped it in her own, gray and blue, and they shook on it.
"Got some people for you to meet, too." He added.
Zerus – High orbit
The primal pack leaders lay dead, chewed-on corpses, and Zurvan had fallen in a similar manner after his not very surprising betrayal. Kerrigan surveyed the exodus of the swarm in high orbit, violet eyes gleaming in the low light. Power flooded through her entire being, she had thought for a second that her new form wouldn't be able to contain such might after consuming Zurvan, that millennia old monster, but it held.
Now the Primal Queen of Blades and her children were poised to move once more, back to the Koprulu sector. Power wasn't the only thing that came back from Zerus, though; New allies, chief of which was sloshing through viscous liquids and stomping over to her as she thought, and primal zerg who followed her of their own volition- a new primal pack leader that would take them to the stars.
It was strange, considering creatures that were not connected to the swarm to be allies. Kerrigan was still mulling over it, but there was an unquestionable advantage behind having zerg who were immune to creations that abuse the hive mind and that the enemy has no data on. Scales shifting against one another announced the arrival of Izsha, sliding into view just as Dahaka came to a stop with a thump.
"My Queen, the swarm is ready to go where you will it."
"You go to Essence. I follow. My pack follows." Dahaka's peculiar way of speaking would take some getting used to.
"We go to Korhal, to bring the swarm down upon Mengsk. There will be much essence for you and your pack, Dahaka." Kerrigan turned on her heel to face Izsha and faltered, struck by a sight.
Subject incompatible, zerg hyper-evolutionary virus overwhelming nervous system. A cerebrate was droning. Test failed. A terran woman was writhing on the cold floor tiles of a science platform that the zerg had taken over for their own testing purposes. Those experiments and tests were infesting terrans, and Kerrigan was overseeing them.
Frothing and hissing, the woman who would end up being Izsha had begun to change and shriek in agony.
"My Queen?"
Jerking out of the vivid recalling of Izsha's infestation, Kerrigan refocused on the creature now. Massive and snake-like, human hands had sealed to her flesh and become a part of her, folded demurely together forever. A wave of compassion flooded her senses and it was a struggle to tamp it down. "What, Izsha?"
Dahaka had already left, eager to be under way, but Izsha was staring at her Queen with concern. "We leave as soon as your word is given. Is everything alright, my Queen?"
No, everything was not alright. Kerrigan had been bombarded by human emotions and moral struggles ever since breaking free of that Chrysalis, and it was causing her some great deal of mental strife. "We leave now. And Izsha? I am sorry." Izsha was clearly confused at the sentiment, but just voicing it made Kerrigan feel better, the spark of humanity inside fading to a dull glow, satisfied with the attempt.
"There is nothing to be sorry for, my Queen. The swarm has never been so strong before you, you lead us to glory. To Korhal."
"To Korhal." Kerrigan confirmed, jaw clenching tight, images of settlements and people being overrun rushing through her mind with intensity.
It took some time to wrangle her emotions into a more manageable state, god-like psionic leader of the swarm or no, but there was one other pressing engagement the Primal Queen of Blades had to attend before rest and planning; though Zerus was already a rapidly disappearing orb in the distance.
"Zagara."
The broodmother was settled in a chamber where hundreds of other zerg were waiting, dormant until it was time to cover another world. "My Queen?" Zagara was already battle hardened from Char, but after Zerus and her near defeats there were chips and slices in the creatures chitinous crown and scars crisscrossing her leathery hide.
"You were nearly defeated on Zerus, repeatedly." Coming to a stop, Kerrigan considered her next words a moment before speaking again, the broodmother clearly displeased with her failures made glaring. "I want you to go to Abathur, and he will make you stronger. A kind of strength that you and other broodmothers are not aware of." Abathur had warned that higher intelligence in her broodmothers may endanger her leadership, but Kerrigan had her reasons.
"As my Queen wishes." Zagara made for the evolution master, wondering what he had to give that could make her stronger. No matter what Abathur would give, it would hurt.
No sooner had the spidery creature clicked and clacked out of sight did Izsha intrude. My Queen. We are receiving a broad psionic frequency. It is zerg in nature, but not of the swarm.
An event that she had never experienced before was more than enough to draw her attention, and Kerrigan half closed her dully glowing eyes. Show me.
There was something about the messengers voice and accent that was ringing warning bells in Kerrigan's mind... Izsha was right however, the hybrid would be the doom of her mission on Korhal should Mengsk employ them. Already, adjustments to the plan were being made.
Several leviathans were breaking off from the swarm's mass, broodmothers with their own orders to cripple Dominion supply planets, while the rest of the swarm's might shifted course and ventured into space towards the coordinates their mystery supplier gave.
"Lets find out who you are." Wings shifting in agitation, Kerrigan would spend many of the next hours dedicated to tamping down the deep horror she felt at setting more worlds to the swarm's flame. Such wild emotions were affecting the swarm at large, and it was imperative to maintain control.
Hyperion – Deep space
A tentative peace had settled over the Hyperion seemingly overnight. Lasarra had initially been met with fear by the ships new and very much human crew, but the protoss' uncanny peaceful presence had an immediate and helpful effect.
Shlassa, all too aware of the protoss now wandering the ship, had raged silently and not so silently over it. First they get rid of all the infested and send some to be experimented on, effectively stripping away all their defenses, and then they let loose one of the great enemy! But, keeping the Queens directive in mind at all times, the broodmother determined to adapt to the situation.
"Incoming transmission." The Hyperion adjutant, indifferent sounding as always, chimed to Raynor as he sat and brooded in his luxurious quarters.
"Put him through." Though Raynor had a long list of troubled thoughts and problems to dwell on, whatever Lasarra had done alleviated a great deal of stress for the time being and he was feeling much more receptive to talking. Especially with Valerian, who's display appeared over his desk with a distinctly scared look on his usually too damn perfect face. "What's the matter, junior?"
"Jim. We've picked up a broad wave frequency from Korhal, and everyone needs to see it. Our situation has become much more dire, I'm afraid." There was no trace of jest or teasing in the young man's voice, and Raynor heaved a sigh at the thought of some new terrible problem to deal with.
"I'm not sure my team and I are in the position to help anyone, on Korhal of all places, but lets see it." Beckoning with his gray and clawed hand, Raynor waited for the transmission to be patched through to him and subsequently everyone else on the ship.
Through Raynor, the other infested heard and gravitated to the cantina. Jayce was tipped off by Swann and the new comm techies spread the news like wildfire to their friends aboard the ship. All work stopped and every able-bodied individual glued themselves to a nearby terminal, datapad, anything that could display what was going on.
Curiously the broodmother had stopped all but smothering her psionic presence, and Lasarra became aware of something awful happening through the minds of the crew. Focusing on Jayce, as she knew the woman better than anyone there, Lasarra also emerged ducking through the cantina doorway.
In the cantina was a very odd sight. Swann, Warfield, Tychus and Stetmann occupied one half of the room, several of the braver new crew members were standing on the other half and Jayce sat numbly in the middle, some sort of middle ground. Lasarra, feet clicking softly against the grimy floor, came to stand beside Jayce and looked up at the grainy display that was drawing all eyes.
"Comm guy said that this frequency isn't being broadcast by any news network. Guess the people really wanted everyone to see what happened." It felt like a lump of ice was in her stomach, a terrible sense of dejavu keeping Jayce's eyes glued to the screen.
"Sweet mother of mercy." Tychus uttered. They were watching the unveiling of the hybrid and the chaos that ensued shortly after. Whoever had sent the broadcast out apparently didn't have the time or inclination to sensor Donny Vermillion painting everyone around him with his blood and eye matter.
Lasarra was rigid with shock, rocked to the very core of her being, and her voice flowed over everyone nearby. This cannot be. Such an unholy merger of zerg and protoss cannot exist!
"But it does, and there it is." Warfield exhaled, watching the camera man running away from the hybrid and into a corner to get the best view of the firefight. It boggled his mind now that he used to hold Arcturus in the highest regard.
"Look, the Dominion are firing at it! Does this mean that all the emperor has now are those things?" One man, head to toe in grease and grime that covered his practical overalls, muttered hopefully.
"I think anyone would fire at somethin' like that comin' at 'em, sparky." Swann grumbled, there was a great hopelessness that threatened to swallow him up from inside, and he wasn't sure if he didn't want to welcome it with open arms.
"This creature, hybrid, Jim talked about them before!" Stetmann perked up, gesturing at the screen where the so-called Shadow Corp marines ran off and the glowing hybrid writhed against some unseen foe. "And it looks like someone is fighting it?"
When the hybrid collapsed and its light died out, the cameraman was seized immediately and the picture became static.
"Someone killed it." Jayced stared, wide-eyed. It was hard to believe a creature made out of the two most powerful races could even be taken down at all. Absently, she touched the space between lip and nose where blood had been just the other day, and wondered how close she had been to being a Donny Vermillion.
A pregnant silence filled the ship, threatening to burst at any second, while Raynor opened a private comm with Horner. Raynor had paled considerably, already a sickly gray, he looked corpse-like to Horner- who didn't look much better himself.
"Sir."
"Matt. This changes everything."
"I know sir, I remember what you told me about the hybrid... I wanted to not believe you, but there it is. What do you want me to do?" Horner craved orders and above all, to get his ship moving.
Smacking his fist on the arm of his chair which gave way and sat at an awkward angle, making Raynor scowl even harder, his tone was purely frustrated. "We gotta stop the hybrid. Arcturus is just a pawn to something far more dangerous now, he can wait- if he ain't dead already. Get me on the ship intercom."
"Yes sir!" Thankful to do something, anything at all, Horner only took a moment to get Raynor on the intercom where his voice scratched to life.
Everyone paused in their despair and apocalyptic mind frames, heads tilting and eyes raising to listen.
"Alright boys and girls. I know all of you just saw that broadcast, and I know what you are thinking: What can we do? Focus on the here and now. I want everyone to resume fixing the Hyperion double-time and I expect hourly status reports. Our situation has become very time-sensitive, these hybrid ain't to be taken lightly and a whole lot of folks are in danger right now." There was a scraping sound as Raynor scrubbed at his stubble. "I'll get talkin' with Valerian and we'll get a plan in motion."
"Is he fucking insane?" Tychus, voice grating like an old diesel engine, snapped. His arms remained crossed and his eyes stared up at the television. "Why would anyone accept our help? Hell, why would we give it?"
Lasarra's presence ensured they were in control of themselves, which left Warfield wary. Tychus had a temper and it wouldn't do for him to go scaring the shit out of the few people who were already willing to be in a room with them. Their intrinsic connection, no longer so violently intrusive, did let him know how upset the man was. "Take it easy, Tychus. We don't have the full picture yet, let the people in charge do the thinking, alright?"
Nobody was in charge of Tychus but Tychus himself, and the muscles of his jaw jumped as he fought the urge to say as much back down. Fighting with the old General wasn't going to do any good. Forcing a breath through his nose, he kept his tone even. "They'll gun us down just as surely as they shot at that thing, if we come charging in like some kinda white knight heroes." Letting out a huff of disdain, he gestured towards the men across the room from them. "Hell, they'd shoot at us too if they weren't getting paid an awful lot." Stetmann, Swann and Warfield followed his gesture, thoughtful.
Another man, older and no less greasy and work-worn than the first who had spoken, frowned heavily and shook his head. "If you spent half as much time helping us get this crate up and running as you did sneaking around and scaring people, I'd take a bullet for you myself." Rolling a stiff shoulder, he sighed. "I had a brother in the Raiders, a lot of the people who volunteered to be over here can say the same- or that the Raiders helped them in some way. We want to help you."
Tychus looked surprised, arms slowly unfurling as he took a drag from his cigarette, sending ash cascading down the front of his Spectre suit. "That so?" Keenly, he registered their calm heartbeats and steady expressions. He wasn't sure how he felt about knowing the truth, but he knew how he was going to act on it. "When the bullets start coming my way, I'll remember that." Lurching forwards, he made a point to walk by very closely to the man who had spoken. Without any reactions forthcoming however, he was forced to continue his path out of the room and there was an audible group-wide exhale when he disappeared.
Eyebrows raised, Warfield walked through the room to the tired and worn looking men. "I didn't know it was Dominion policy to hire people who had connections with known terrorists, but nicely done either way."
"Prince Valerian is a smart man," the older man who had confronted Tychus spoke, holding his thick gloved hand out for a shake. "Wouldn't surprise me none if he had been getting ready to side with the Raiders for a very long time, but I meant what I said."
Warfield had no choice but to reciprocate the gesture and clasped his hand, aware of the feeling of a pulse beneath but thankful there was no dark voices whispering in his ear about it. "Well, if everyone else who came over here feels the same as you, then maybe we can get this ship running sooner than later—Got a lot of man power just sitting around."
With conversation budding between Warfield and the uninfested men, Swann looked up at Stetmann and shook his head. "I'm not sure which I don't believe more: hybrid aliens invading Korhal, or Tychus walking away from that." Stetmann chuckled weakly, he was keeping a keen eye on Tychus and wondered if anyone else was too.
"Maybe there is hope for us? Too soon to say that I think, but the scientists on the Bucephalus have all the data and samples I could send them. We should see some results soon, so that's good. I better get back to the lab." The hybrid dominated his thoughts of course, how couldn't it? But the idea of getting back to working on projects he could actually see results from was calming, not to mention Lasarra's presence. It was amazing! Every little thought that wasn't his own, that had been guiding him in strange ways, became visible and dismiss-able. The protoss really were an incredible race. He didn't even hear if anyone else addressed him on his way out.
"Stetmann?" Jayce blinked, watching the scientist go. It wasn't surprising that he was already in his own little world though, he was known for that. She really did want to see the results of the tests though, her own anyway.
"Eh, don't worry about him." Swann rumbled, walking over to the table Jayce was sitting at and Lasarra stood beside. If he knew about her little indiscretion with Tychus, he gave no indication. "When are you getting back to work?"
Lips curling into a smile, Jayce shook her head. "You're a slave driver. No, really, I ain't even getting paid nowadays."
"Hah, well I'm sure prince charming will keep the basics covered for now at least. I expect to see you reporting in later!"
"Yes sir."
Before he turned to go Swann hesitated, then looked up at Lasarra. "And uh, Lasarra was it? Thank you." Jayces eyebrows shot up in surprise, coaxing anything other than grumbling and swearing out of Swann was difficult even if he knew you well. Lasarra accepted it gracefully.
The longer I remain here, the more certain I am that this was the correct course of action. You are welcome, Rory Swann.
A grunt in response and the dour man left. Jayce could feel worry radiating off of Lasarra and wondered if she meant to broadcast her emotions like that, or if that mind reading business had made a connection of sorts. A flicker of amusement tickled her mind and Lasarra looked back down at the scruffy terran woman.
As we communicate in different ways, any feeling you perceive from me is voluntary on my part, Jayce.
"Ah." Sheepish, it was the water cup all over again, she nodded and glanced back up at the screen, knowing full well what caused that worry.
It is likely my people already know of these creatures, but I must warn them regardless. I will go speak with your commander, James Raynor. Bidding Jayce farewell, Lasarra too made her way out of the cantina.
A glance at Warfield and the group of three men who had come in showed him getting introduced to the standard carry-on equipment that the mechanics and engineers wore. Next he'll be in overalls and covered in grease. The thought made her smirk in amusement, which lead to a new thought. Where did Tychus go? Maybe it would be best to just leave him be and go get some rest before she had to get back to work. Nodding to herself and standing into a stretch, that seemed to be the right order of business. Tychus was clearly not in a sociable mood and though the dark bags under her eyes had lessened, they could use some more work.
As the door to her single room hissed open, it was a surprise when a cloud of cigarette smoke wafted out to greet her. Quirking a brow, Jayce saw Tychus sitting on her small metal stool, which would have been comical by itself were it not for a little manual, a glance couldn't show for what, pressed flat before him and small shredded bits of paper showing how he had to work at not ripping it up. He didn't even have the damn lights on.
"You studying for the finals or something?" Flicking the light on and stepping in, Jayce eyed him and the Spectre outfit that fit him more like paint than a suit. Red beams zipped across power strips rhythmically, indicating the powered up status of the suit, and she wondered how often he'd put it to use already.
Tugging her datapad free from her belt, she placed it on the bed stand and wondered if he'd even respond, considering the silence she had been greeted with so far. She was in the process of laying in bed, ready to sleep whether he was there or not, when he finally spoke.
"I'm leaving."
Jerking back up into a sitting position, Jayce stared at his broad back. "Leaving? But what about your," refraining from waving her hand in his direction, his condition need not be pointed out.
Straightening up, he was keeping everything under careful control. The other infested men were all busy, and he'd very pointedly shoved Stetmann out of his mind the second he felt the man's presence. They were alone. Turning on the stool to face Jayce, he took a long drag from his smoke before responding. "Jimmy 'n them want to go running from one apocalypse to the next, that's their prerogative. It isn't mine and if I have to stay like this to not die, then fine."
"Wait, one sec." Standing up, Jayce fiddled with the pin that she had kept on at just about all times. Once removed, it was a simple matter to disable it and toss it on the bedside desk with a minor clatter. "Now we're alone." Turning her eyes back to him, she frowned. "Where would you go then?"
"Don't know, come with me." Jerking his head in the direction of the door, he observed her reaction carefully. Heart rate increasing, expressions flitting across her face, there was clearly some kind of inner struggle going on. "A few little system runners left, not hard to get in one and go." He coaxed, but the blank expression she schooled onto her face didn't look promising.
Trying to generate some saliva for her suddenly dry mouth, Jayce swallowed and shook her head, taking a step towards Tychus. "You're a big man, Tychus. I just didn't realize you were an equal-sized coward." It hurt to say it, and the anger flickering across his face was not helping to steel her resolve.
Tychus was raising himself to a stand, teeth clenched, and Jayces words reaffirmed themselves: yes, Tychus was a very big man indeed, and she'd be damned if he wasn't scary looking when he was angry. Wavering and taking a half step back, sheer belligerence allowed her to keep talking. "Things are just finally starting to look up for you and them and you're gonna cut loose and run because what, some more aliens show up?"
Pinching the hot tip off the remains of his smoke between the claws of his index and thumb, it fell to the ground like a little meteor as he regarded her. Armor was slamming down around his soul, and his inner cynic was giving him a round of I-told-you-so. Still, he held off from walking out just yet. "What do you owe them, huh? Nothing, I bet. Maybe I was wrong about you, Jayce." Dropping the butt of his cigarette, he seethed. Jayce winced at the malice he managed to put behind her name. "Thought you were a little higher than the common rabble, looks like you're just a dirt-pushing fool like the rest. You can let them herd you around all you want, least I offered." Done with the conversation, he made to leave but only got a half step before he noticed her hand slapping against the pistol she kept strapped to her leg. It would have been an amusing gesture, were he not already pissed. "Don't." He warned.
She wasn't going to draw the weapon, not really, but it got his attention and that is what she wanted. Angry in her own right, Jayce all but hissed. "You are barely in control of yourself, even here, Tychus! You get on a ship and get out of range of that Protoss and Broodmother, and you're gonna be nothin' but a real animal: zerg through an through." Tychus wasn't moving, so at least he was listening. "You get on a ship and I swear to you, I'll get on this ships guns and shoot your ass down myself—and that'd be mercy."
Tychus eyed her for a time, weighing options. A little voice, like a devil on his shoulder, whispered. You could just kill her and go. But he knew that wasn't his own, and if he really was his own master, he knew he'd need to ignore it. Finally, he muttered. "Wasted 9 years of my life for being altruistic and saving Jimmy's ass the one time. Threw myself, body and soul, to the Queen of Blades a second. I ain't doin' it a third time, girl." With a step, he was across the small room and in her own space, hand clasped around hers and her gun firmly. There was no sting of fear in his nose and when he looked down at her, Jayce seemed wholly at peace with whatever he was about to choose to do. "They cure me and I'm gone. I don't owe anyone anything, and I'm no coward."
A metallic click followed by two and a half steps and Tychus was gone, leaving Jayce alone. It felt as though his large, and what had become comforting, presence had been replaced by an equal-sized sense of loss. Even as she sank into her too-hard bed and sobbed with renewed misery, she was tugging her datapad off the counter and connecting to surveillance of all the smaller ships that were operable. Later, she would realize he had clicked the gun's safety back on.
"You get that, Matt?" Raynor blew a cloud of smoke towards the holo of Jayce sitting on her bed and sobbing, but dutifully following through with her threat. The moment she had turned off the pin he figured the two would be running for a ship together, and he found himself pleasantly surprised when he took over the security camera.
"Yes, sir. Want me to lock down all ships Tychus is capable of piloting?"
"No." Resting his head against the soft and worn headrest of his chair, he smiled slightly. "Tychus ain't goin' anywhere, and if I'm wrong? She's waiting."
"You think he won't try? But why?"
"He realized his plan was shit." Smirking, he knew how his old friend operated. He was just desperate is all. "I ain't holdin' him here when he's cured though, he was right about all he gave up."
"If you're sure, Jim."
Raynor's hand fell on air when he tried to rest it on his broken arm rest and he sighed, tossing the offending limb to his thigh instead. "I am."
Stetmann didn't even look at Shlassa when he entered the lab and immediately approached his desk, checking to see if the Bucephalus lab had finished the first round of tests. He had paused a few minutes earlier to check up on Tychus, but what he found was the equivalent of a pack of rabid guard dogs coming at him and he had withdrawn immediately.
"Stetmann."
"Hm? What, Shlassa?" Unfortunately they hadn't, and he found himself turning to face Shlassa.
"Something has happened. Show me." The broodmother was oddly subdued sounding, and the tone struck him as ominous.
"Okay well, we received a transmission and it was from Korhal and-"
"Show me, Stetmann." Stressing the words, Shlassa grasped at the straws of patience she barely had.
"Ah. I guess that would be easier." Catching on, Stetmann half closed his eyes and focused. It seemed as though he was watching what happened on the TV through a cloud, and he furrowed his brows.
"The Protoss weakens you." Shlassa muttered scornfully, watching the video through Stetmann's eyes all the same.
"Lasarra helps us think, clears our heads. It is a small price to pay for clarity, Shlassa." Stetmann vaguely registered the sharp clacking of Shlassa's front mandibles colliding with one another, a sound he'd come to know as a very upset gesture.
"Hybrid."
"Do the zerg, and Kerrigan, know about hybrid?" Stetmann was surprised, eager to start asking questions and writing notes already.
"Our Queen has been preparing us for a great war, an end of all things, for years. The hybrid are the beginning, all zerg know this." Glowing eyes stared at Stetmann, calculating, as the shared vision ended. "We must fight, Stetmann."
Blinking rapidly as if to clear the fuzzy vision from his eyes, Stetmann shook his head slightly and refocused on Shlassa with worry. If the broodmother was just as riled about the hybrid as the protoss, this was maybe as serious as Jim indicated and more. "The message was from the Terran capital world, Korhal. We are going there and we are going to fight them."
Overlong fingertips clicking together, Shlassa muttered. "My Queen has charged me with your protection and to follow you, my charges, wherever you may go. I will help you fight the hybrid." It was a simple statement, but it took all she had to say it. Adapt or die, Shlassa reminded herself.
"I'm not really sure how you can help, Shlassa." Stetmann muttered uncomfortably. It was strange to feel a connection to the creature, and acknowledging that he'd feel something other than pleased if she was to die made him feel like a traitor. "There will be millions of terrans on that planet. We don't even know how we're going to get down there yet."
"When the time comes, I will be ready to assist you." Dipping her head, Shlassa indicated the end of their conversation. Already the broodmother had some ideas forming, and she partly blamed her connection with their terran minds for it.
I know you probably wanted to see more of Zerus- but nothing really deviates from the norm there so I decided not to rewrite the wheel, so to speak. You will be seeing more of what's going on in our friendly neighborhood primal queen's head soon enough though. :)