Hyperion Lab
"I don't normally make house calls, Jim." Stetmann spoke in an amused tone, but his voice was without his normal inflection- it had shifted from one kind of familiar to another. Kerrigan looked down at Raynor as he scrambled to his feet, shaking his head and getting his bearings.
"Sarah? Sarah, listen-" Jim spoke quickly, one hand stretching towards Stetmann before he caught himself. He felt his emotions flying everywhere and a hand had clenched around his heart, the renewed pain was immense.
Raising Stetmann's hand in a shushing gesture, Kerrigan cut him off briskly. Inside, she was pounding at the walls and howling in anger to see what she had done to Jim once again. "I needed to talk to you regardless." Taking control of Egon had been a tactful choice, it all but eliminated the intimacy between herself and Jim. Given the look on Jim's face and the torrent of emotion that was flooding through him, it had been a wise choice indeed.
"Korhal is a trap." Kerrigan stated simply.
"Korhal is a trap!" Jim blurted sharply.
Stetmann's features perked in surprise, his head tilting. "How do you know?" She queried, flitting through the young man's extra layers of vision both out of idle curiosity and to further distance herself from the mans suffering.
Brows furrowing together, Jim muttered. "Could say the same to you, darlin'."
Sarah frowned through Stetmann, cutting to the chase brusquely. "I found a lab where hybrid, creatures that are a mix of protoss and zerg, were being created. It was nearly empty." Letting out a snort, she shook the scientists head. "Mengsk already knew I was coming, and it was his lab. Easy guess he's ready for me, Jim."
It wasn't so surprising that Kerrigan knew about the hybrid, Jim supposed. She did have a lot more... Resources at hand, than him. "There was a news clip for some big reveal that managed to get off Korhal and into space- Mengsk set the hybrid on his own people." His tone darkened as he stared at Stetmann-turned-Kerrigan. "Folks there are already being killed by the people who're supposed to protect them, Sarah. You've got to hold off, let us get people out of there."
Stetmann's eyes narrowed. "This isn't up for discussion, Jim. You can get as many people out of my way as you want, but you only have until I get there." Shoulders shifting in annoyance, she continued. "There was something else I needed to tell you, as well."
She was lost. Truly, Sarah Kerrigan would never have taken this route- she was still as much the Queen of Blades as she had ever been. Jim felt liquid burning in his eyes as he clenched his fists hard, unable to form a reply. How many people died for me to finally see this?
Faltering briefly, Kerrigan swore she could hear the final nail in the coffin of Jim's dogged and hopeless love. Fighting back a lip quiver of her own, her voice pitched lower in emotion. "I found Alexei Stukov; you might remember him from the UED invasion." Steeling her resolve, she held her head-Stetmann's head- high. "He is infested as well, but is not connected to the swarm in any way. No hive-mind, full mental functions."
Jim was staring, and purplish blood had begun to ooze around his claws where he punctured his own hands. Given his lack of response, Kerrigan continued stoically. "I won't make him help you, but I suspect we're going to be seeing one another soon; you may ask him yourself, when that time comes." Brows furrowing, she finally felt outwards and quirked a brow. "Deadman's Rock?"
Focus. Jim reminded himself, this wasn't some personal call. Uncurling his fists, the roller coaster ride his emotions just went through landed firmly on simmering anger, and it would just have to do. "Ship needs repairs before we get to Korhal. Can hardly believe old Stukov wound up infested," and it galled him to say it, but manners won through in the end. "Thanks for that."
"You shouldn't come to Korhal." Sarah said it, even though she already knew the response.
"Like hell we shouldn't!" Jim snapped, lip curling. "Mengsk was bad enough, but hybrid there too? Those nightmares need to be put down. How? Hell if I know, but we ain't just gonna let them kill all those innocents!"
"Well," Kerrigan muttered, glancing at Shlassa over Jim's shoulder before fixing her gaze back on him. "Thanks for the heads up about Korhal, Jim; But the hybrid aren't going to stop me, I can kill them." Her tone had become a touch condescending, but if anyone could get away with it, it was her. "Don't try to stop me."
"There might be only two things in this universe you and me agree on right now Kerrigan, and they are that Mengsk needs to go down and that them hybrid need to be killed. Pronto." Jim both watched and felt as Sarah withdrew from Stetmann, leaving him gasping and falling to his knees. Quickly, Jim knelt down beside him and placed a hand on the younger mans shoulder. "Egon! You alright son?"
Stetmann felt ill and weak, limbs trembling as he fought to even out his breathing. Still, he waved off Jim with a shaky hand. "I'm okay Jim, just need to recover." Panting and getting to his feet slowly, he placed a hand to his forehead and pressed. "I'm sorry."
Quirking a brow in amusement, Jim stood back up and gave the man his space. "Sorry for what? You got a hold of her, you did good."
"Char wasn't your fault, sir." Stetmann said bluntly. "You might not have been doing it for the same reason the rest of us were, but the result would have been the same. Alright? It was statistically nearly impossible." He met Jim's gaze evenly then, and knew the commander would get his honesty- linked minds or no.
The younger man hit a bit close to home, and it was clear he'd been able to keep track of the conversation while he was being controlled. Raynor rubbed his eyes quickly, eager to dispel any hint of his distress, and swiped his bloody hands over his pants while speaking. "What's done is done, Egon. I can't change how I feel about what happened no more than I can change what happened itself."
Watching Stetmann regain his composure and get steadier on his feet, Jim decided to approach the Stukov subject, since Egon was doubtless the person to talk to for it. "You were clearly in on the conversation, what do you think about Stukov?"
"Not knowing anything more than that he exists, it is difficult to say if his condition could reveal any clues to unraveling our own infestation." Stuffing his hands in his lab coat pockets, Stetmann looked thoughtful as he considered what he heard. "At best, we now know it is possible to exist completely separate of the hive-mind with our own minds intact. I would very much like to meet this man."
"Alright, good enough for me." Jim was about to speak further when the ships comm crackled to life.
"Attention. We have arrived at Deadman's Rock and will be landing shortly, enjoy your stay!" An overly bubbly-sounding woman chirped.
"Time to get this party started." Raynor snorted; he hated this place. Clapping a hand to Stetmann's arm quickly, he spoke while walking away. "You rest up."
"Yes sir." Egon watched the commander leave, thoughtful. It came as a surprise when Shlassa, immobile for as long as he could remember, creaked into motion.
"Stetmann." The massive creature seemed to stretch outwards and fill much more space when mobile, easily striding past him and coming to a halt in front of the zerg specimen tank, watching it writhe.
"Uh! Shlassa?" Stetmann cleared the way real fast, watching with alarm as the broodmother placed the tip of a clawed finger against the glass and held it there, more than capable of breaking it.
"You have... Exceeded my expectations of you." She muttered, contemplative. Before Shlassa was not just a collection of specimens lumped together into a mass, but a resource. Egon could feel a pang of hunger from the creature and cringed at the thought. "There is more to learn." She whispered, luminous gaze shifting to the small man.
Hyperion Cantina
Having recovered from Stetmann's shout in short order, the other infested men had listened intently to the exchange between Raynor and Kerrigan; like hell they wouldn't. Horner received a call to the bridge, collected his credits and left, leaving Warfield, Swann and Tychus alone. Jayce had ran out of the room faster than a bullet the second they all reacted to an unknown force.
"You think Raynor's really giving up on the girl, finally?" Swann questioned no one in particular as he tried to gather the credits he and Jayce had amassed- they didn't do too bad, considering Jim and Tychus were a nasty team. Warfield had also proven competent at the game, which was a bit of a surprise to everyone until he reminded them that he was a marine at some point; cards came with the territory.
Tychus was scooping up cards and tossing them back on the tabletop, chuckling without humor at Swann. "I know Jimmy better 'n any man alive, hell, better than I ever wanted to now with all this bug crap in our heads; those two ain't done." He frowned tightly, leaning over the table and shuffling the cards back together. What Jim was willing to do for that creature was the subject of some contention in his mind.
"We'll worry about the Queen of Blades when the time comes. Right now? Best we be ready to deal with whatever this cesspool has in store for us." Warfield muttered, neatly stacking his credits together with the tips of his talons and listening to the click click click noise.
"You're right." Rory finished pocketing his and Jayces credits and let out a huff as the ship gently rocked; they were officially on the ground. "Lets go get some hardskins sorted out for you the two of you- can't see any reason why you couldn't wear one." Thumbing over his shoulder, Swann turned and began his way to the armory.
"You ladies go ahead, I'll catch up." Tychus smirked as he placed the stacked deck neatly in the middle of the table.
"Don't keep us waiting, Findlay." Warfield called back, following Swann.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He muttered darkly, gaze shifting from Warfield's back as the door snapped shut behind him to his own hands as he pressed them flat on the tabletop, glaring at the unnatural discolored flesh and black nails. The last place Tychus Findlay wanted to be, was back in a god damned hardskin. Pushing off from the table after a minute of waiting, he made a beeline for Stetmann and his little lab.
The younger man had taken to watching his back, or more likely just spying on him, and Tychus had begun to do so in turn. It surprised him, had nobody thought to watch the kid before? Sitting in that lab of his all full of creep and with that stupid broodmother, Tychus was not surprised he was witnessing what was going on right now.
Hyperion Armory
"What?" Swann sounded incredulous, eyeing the error Warfield's suit had begun to spit out as soon as he set his feet onto the stabilizers in the boots. "That isn't possible." Glaring at the error wasn't making it go away, and Warfield quirked a brow as he waited for some clarification.
Looking up from the console, Rory eyed Warfield critically. "You're too fat."
"Excuse me?" It was Horus' turn to sound incredulous.
"You heard me, you ate too many zerg wheaties, General." Swann shrugged, still in disbelief. "The CMC-400 is capable of carrying men who weigh over 450 pounds. In order to completely bug out the stabilizers, like you are, you'd have to weigh at least 500." Making a disgusted sound, all Rory could do was shrug. "You can't wear it."
Brows pinching together, Warfield thought about it as he stepped out of the boots and off the small platform. "I think the egghead actually said something about that before." He followed Swann to the lift that would bring them to the well-used storage rooms above. "Increased muscle and bone density, if I remember right." It did make sense that he weighed more, given his clothing was a tight fit now and chairs had a tendency to squeal when he sat on them, unlike prior to his infestation.
"Well I don't know nothin' about that." Swann grumbled. "So here's what we're gonna do: you either get some heavier strap-on armor or you can get one of them creepy spectre suits, like Findlay." The lift threw off sparks and jerked hard as they almost reached the top, to which Swann responded with a swear. "Told them to fix this damn thing!"
Grimacing, Warfield held off on criticizing the state of the ship. It certainly wasn't because Swann didn't try to keep the thing in tip-top shape, the man was excellent at his job from everything Horus had seen so far. He refrained from answering until Swann had gotten the lift working again and it had reached its destination.
Stifling a sigh of relief as he stepped off the lift, Warfield considered the merits of the suit Tychus had taken to wearing and the strap-on body armor. "Think I'd rather have some extra protection, Swann. Findlay wants to sneak around, that's his prerogative."
"Alright cowboy, this way." Swann expertly made his way towards the containers that held what they were looking for, confirming what Warfield already knew: the man did indeed know his stuff.
Hyperion Bridge
Horner checked the small scrambling device on his belt for the 80th time, trying to keep his outward demeanor more calm—if only for the benefit of everyone else. The bridge had several new personnel who were doing a very good job pretending he was just a normal terran. He almost wished they had made more strict no-contact rules, but it just wasn't possible- especially as the captain of the damn ship.
"Incoming transmission." The adjutant finally informed him of the dreaded conversation he could no longer avoid, and he accepted the transmission with as much enthusiasm as a death sentence.
Mira Han's pixie face, red cyborg eye and shock of pink hair erupted above the console in full color, and she smiled brightly for him. "Oh Matthew! It is so good to see you. You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when Mr. V appeared to me earlier and not your handsome face."
"Hello Mira." Matt spoke in an even, flat tone. "The Hyperion wasn't in range yet and we needed to contact you as soon as possible, sorry about that."
"It's alright dear, but I insist you come for a ride in the charming groundcar with me. We have much to talk about and so very much lost time to catch up on." Her smile and tone was teasing, but Matt felt certain that it was less an invitation and more of a demand. He fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Mira, I'd like to but I think it would be best if we just-"
"Matthew Horner, you are going to get out of that ship and in this car with me right this instant; I am already waiting!" Mira grinned wide and, with a shift of her arm, honked the car horn. Keenly, he heard at least one stifled snicker in the room and felt a blush forming.
"Fine! I'll be right down." Closing the comm and looking around sharply, all sound, except for people hard at work, died until the good Captain left his bridge.
Jim, Horner called out, I am going on a car ride with Mira. Maybe I can convince her to help on Korhal. He doubted that very much, but there was no reason to not try.
You two lovebirds try not to have too much fun. Jim mocked playfully; he'd never get enough of that entertaining farce of a relationship.
The Hyperion and Bucephalus had fully bypassed Deadman's Port in favor of the massive sprawling complex that once was Scutter O'Banon's abode and later belonged to the late Ethan Stewart. Only one of the battlecruisers could comfortably fit on the landing pad, and the Hyperion was chosen for ease of reparations. The Bucephalus was a comfortable distance away, having seared large quantities of overgrown garden to char in its wake.
Mira had reasoned that it was too difficult to guarantee any measure of safety beyond the complex itself; the situation of refugees, people preying on them and mercenaries thrown into the mix was a powder keg. As he was lowered to the ground on a lift, he breathed in the unpleasant atmosphere and wondered at the apparent power Mira had amassed for herself. Was she the new crime lord?
The beep beep of the sleek, old fashioned groundcar jarred him from his thoughts, Mira spotted the lift coming down and was driving over the smooth plascrete of the private landing field—a truly massive thing, to be able to house a damn battlecruiser. By the time he stepped off the lift she had pulled up and was waiting inside.
He tried at first to get into the backseat, but she laughed and locked the back door until he took the hint and sheepishly sank into the plush seating in the front, right beside the bubbly pink merc. "Oh Matthew, you can always make me laugh." As soon as he was seated, she began driving them away at a leisurely pace. "You'll pardon my bluntness—but you don't look so good."
"No?" Matt muttered, catching himself from touching the scrambler on his belt and managing to reign his urge to cringe away from the fond pat she gave his leg. "Well, haven't been getting much sun with the whole rebellion thing, you know?" He was doing his best to look off into the distance, anywhere but Mira and her thoughtful cybernetic gaze.
That was how he found a gun steadily leveled at his face, Mira holding it across her chest with her left while she casually brought the vehicle to a stop with her right. "I think it's a bit more than a lack of sunshine, Matthew." Her tone had darkened and as soon as the vehicle was in park, she shifted to face him further, looking dire.
"Uh? Mira?" Matt held his hands up slightly, alarmed at the turn of events. "What are you talking about, and is the gun really necessary?"
"You went to Char." She stated bluntly, seething. "James and his Raiders lost the battle and your ship, the Hyperion, was stuck to some zerg creature." The gun never wavered. "You died."
Half-closing his eyes, Horner pressed his head back into the headrest and couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his luck. Apparently either Arcturus Mengsk hadn't done a very good job of cutting off all the warnings he sent out with the adjutant, or Mira was just good at putting two and two together after having already dealt with Valerian. "How'd you know?"
"You'll remember a particularly resourceful man named Graven Hill." Mira supplied smoothly. "He escaped from your ship before it was too late, and he was the first to bring this news to us here." Casually, she flicked the safety off—Matt hadn't even noticed it was on. "You are zerg, Matthew, and you've come to a place filled with people who've done nothing but suffer under those monsters. Why shouldn't I kill you for this deception and put you out of your misery?"
He almost wished she would pull that trigger, releasing him from his responsibilities and, to a degree, his own suffering; instead, he shook his head. "I am glad that Hill survived; there was only one other person who didn't end up infested, you know." Eyeing the gun, still aimed firmly at him, he sighed.
"It's a bit of a complicated story, Mira. I am willing to tell you it, but let me preface it by saying this: we are in control of ourselves and we are not here to hurt people. We are here to affect repairs to the Hyperion just like we said, and then we're going to try and save Korhal. What we did not tell you is that we're infested and also attempting to find a cure in the midst of all this."
"Show me." She insisted firmly and he quirked a brow.
"I'd really prefer not-" Matt pursed his lips tightly when the gun jerked, indicating that it was most definitely not a request. "Fine, you want to see? Just fine." Testy, he slowly pulled his glove off and held his hand palm-up for her to watch. It was no surprise to see her lip curl in revulsion when he flexed that now-familiar bundle of muscle in his arm and the slippery-looking tendrils pressed upwards and into view.
"Enough." With a flick, the safety of her gun was back on and she withdrew it. Horner couldn't hide his surprise, he honestly thought he was about to eat a bullet. Still, he gladly pulled the disgusting mass back into his arm and slipped the glove back on.
"You asked for it. Look, Mira, I appreciate you giving us shelter and material to repair with, but we wanted to keep the whole infested situation quiet for your safety as much as our own. We're not dumb, we know how people are going to react the second they realize what we are." Horner frowned. How they were going to do anything on Korhal was still anyone's guess. Maybe people would just accept zerg as a lesser evil than the hybrid?
Mira didn't look at him as she took the car out of park and began driving again, still away from the Hyperion. She looked troubled, but considering she did not shoot him, Matt figured he was in the clear in that department. "I want to see James and the others, and I especially want to talk to Princess about the amount of danger he is putting you in." Her tone still brooked no arguments.
Resigned to still having this car ride with her, Matt looked at the overgrown gardens and filled-in pools all around. "Sure, you can see the others. We've been working with Valerian's people for a while now, nothing bad has happened." Yet, he thought to himself. "I can't speak for Valerian, but I'm sure he'll talk to you too."
Jim, Mira already knew about us and she wants to see everyone. Horner called to Jim and the rest, a heads up never hurt.
You suck at keeping secrets. Jim responded quickly. Valerian is coming over here right now, might be best to cut your little tour short if she wants to get in on this.
Mira had been quiet and contemplative during this time. "If you want to see everyone, Valerian included, you might want to turn us back here, Mira. He's on his way over to the Hyperion, probably to talk some strategy about Korhal." Matt smirked then. "First time he'll be on the same ship as us."
Immediately, she redirected them smoothly back towards the Hyperion and sped up a bit. After another minute of silence, she finally spoke up. "I mourned you and James, you know. You are good men and there are precious few of you out there."
That caught Matt off guard and he faltered with his words. He never did think about who would mourn them if they failed, he supposed he would have thought the answer was no one. "I... Thanks, Mira." It was from his heart and he couldn't deny that he felt a deep, warm feeling budding inside him where more guarded emotions had been in regards to the mean mercenary woman. They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.
Hyperion Lab
Tychus had been practicing in earnest ever since they decided that was a good plan, and he was pretty sure Stetmann was the only other man keeping up with that. Closing off his mind was priority number one as far as he was concerned, and now he was putting what he'd learned into action. It felt like withdrawing in on himself, slipping into the dark and going off the grid as surely as he could disappear with the spectre suit on.
Arriving at the lab, he was not surprised to find the door locked. Scowling, he dropped the cover and all but mentally tackled Stetmann; he could hear the man's yelp through the door. Tychus meant to simply take control of Egon and force him to open the door that way, but was surprised when it clearly was not an option: Stetmann was indeed keeping up and more in the mental department.
Changing tactics quickly while Egon was still off-guard, Tychus opted for another blunt approach. Open the door.
Stetmann considered not opening the door and running in the opposite direction, but quickly mastered his unreasonable fear of the big man. Tychus had never really done him harm, after all; and he did not seem to be angry. How much did he know? Egon figured the answers were looming behind the locked door, and so he opened it with some trepidation. "Tychus I-" He was almost bowled over when Findlay stomped in.
"Lock it."
Grimacing, Egon complied. "Why couldn't I feel you coming here?" Sneaking a look over his shoulder as the door shut, he swallowed hard when Findlay was standing exactly where he had been before being interrupted.
Shaking his head in disgust, Tychus looked up from the slimy substance under his feet. Tapping his temple with the pad of a finger tauntingly, he smirked. "You ain't the only one been practicing, egghead..." Lowering his arm, he eyed Stetmann. "But I do think you been the only one cheating."
"Ch-cheating?" Stetmann cautiously approached Findlay, hands hiding in his pockets. If Tychus could hide himself, shield his mind, from the other infested- he could know everything. Egon tried to remember the last time he could really read Tychus, or keep track of him.
"Everyone was so busy keeping an eye on old Tychus; nobody thought to keep an eye on you, did they Egon?" Eyes narrowed to beady little slits, Findlay made his move before Stetmann could react and before he himself could have second doubts. Dropping to a knee, he planted a hand firmly into the creep.
Sucking in a sharp gasp, Egon nearly shouted. "No-wait!" Frozen in place as Tychus dug his hand into the viscous fluids of the creep, Stetmann watched as it immediately clung to his flesh and began crawling up it. Findlay's expression quickly shifted from suspicion to surprise.
"Sweet mother..." Tychus muttered. The effect the creep had was nearly immediate; he had been starving this entire time, there was no other way to explain it. Pure rejuvenating energy was flooding into his hand, up his arm and spreading through him at a rapid rate, his body literally drinking up the sustenance provided. Even gorging on the ursadon matriarch couldn't compare, it was a completely different feeling—visceral pleasure versus revitalization.
They had all been running on empty since waking up on the ship, he realized. All except Stetmann, who was almost exclusively in the lab with the creep. As what felt like literal power filled him to the brim, Tychus glared, pinning Stetmann to the spot. "How long have you been doing this?" The kid had been living off the room like some kind of twisted plant.
This was bad. Egon watched as Tychus, a man who was already in command of a frightening amount of raw power, seemed to surge to a new level of life and vitality. He barely registered the question as possible consequences for this new revelation flitted through his mind. "Almost the whole time, Tychus."
Pulling a hand out of his pocket, he made a placating gesture as Findlay's lip curled. "But I'm a scientist. Asking questions, researching, testing... These are things scientists do." Swallowing hard, he kept his position as Tychus shook off the creep with a wet slap and rose back to his feet. "I've been studying it, nothing more. It isn't about power, Tychus, it is about knowledge."
Tychus didn't bother asking why the kid wouldn't share this particular bit of so-called knowledge. Jimmy would lock the lab up faster than Stetmann could say science. Taking a slow breath, he considered the situation. "Well kid, you've kept it to yourself well enough this whole time; you might want to continue that practice." He smirked then, striding past Stetmann and opening the door back up.
Shlassa locked gazes with Tychus momentarily and he immediately bristled, muttering in a dark tone. "You're almost obsolete, bug. Don't think I've forgotten what I said." The broodmother didn't answer, looking back at Stetmann as the door hissed shut.
Hyperion Bridge
Valerian arrived, unsurprisingly, with a fully-armed escort of marines. Given that he was willing to even be in the same room as the infested men, this was a tolerable precaution on his part. Raynor, Warfield and Findlay were already waiting for the heir apparent on the bridge, loosely surrounding the star map and looking over a large display of Korhal.
All eyes shifted from the floating image to the large doors when they hissed open and Valerian strode in, cape billowing behind him in his haste. Immediately, he raised a hand in a placating gesture when his men filed into the room after him. "Pardon the escort, gentlemen. I would forgo it but, I am often not in charge of my own security measures, you understand."
Jim shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to the map as the suited up marines lined his bridge. "I figure if you wanted to kill us, it would be a bit more impersonal and probably with your person in a much safer position, Junior." He smirked.
With Raynor's blessing, Valerian smoothly strode up to the star map alongside him. It took a great deal of effort to mask his own excitement, and no small amount of fear, at being so close to the infested men. He made a special effort to focus on the image of Korhal, even though Tychus and Warfield were pointedly staring at him.
"I still don't think it's a good idea that you're here, Prince Valerian. Kerrigan is nursing one hell of a grudge for your father, and the only thing stopping her from taking control of us whenever she pleases is her word that she wouldn't." Warfield spoke up, looking over the assembled group pointedly.
Reaching upwards, Valerian pulled a piece of the planet off and placed it aside; as it was zoomed in on, it was clearly the Sky Shield platform. "My advisers heartily agree with you, General. However, if Kerrigan is watching, she needs to see that I am not an aloof and ruthless dictator that my father has proven to be just as much as you men do."
"Alright Valerian," Raynor nodded approvingly and looked at the space platform the kid had pulled up. "We haven't been to Korhal in a while, I imagine Arcturus has since upped security a bit after our little caper with the UNN." Gesturing up at the image of Korhal, Jim chuckled at the memory; it had been such a great victory. "Tell us what you got."
"The Dominion military is at the weakest point it has ever been, gentlemen." Valerian stared at Korhal determinedly. "Excluding the hybrid, of course." He amended quickly. "Between me commandeering half the fleet for the disaster at Char and then my father losing a few battlecruisers chasing after us in the aftermath, it is safe to say the Dominion has little power in space."
"That don't mean Arcturus left Korhal undefended." Jim muttered.
"Correct. However," Valerian allowed himself a small, triumphant smile. "I have a man on the inside who has done us a tremendous favor, at great risk to his person." He gestured at Sky Shield and Korhal once more. "We will be able to land on Korhal uncontested—no Drakken defense network until we've landed safely."
"That is a hell of a blessing." Warfield clasped his hands behind his back. "But Korhal is not short-staffed on military personnel, by any margin."
"We know that with the unveiling of the hybrid, my father lost many men to desertion and that there is a strong rebel force fighting for their lives on Korhal as we speak." Valerian said.
"If we can get in touch with the rebels, assuming they aren't wiped out by the time we get there, we could have a secure area to land in right off the hop." Jim mumbled, scratching his stubble thoughtfully.
"None of you think that this mole of his might not be on our side?" Tychus rumbled, looking at the three men with a quirked a brow, as if this was a glaring problem. "Guy's able to shut down the entire defense network whenever we show up? That don't sit right with me."
"I have the utmost respect for Dr. Narud." Valerian reasoned, holding Tychus' gaze evenly. "He has walked a very fine line, keeping my father believing that the Moebius Foundation remains under his thumb and loyal to him, all throughout this ordeal. His loyalty is proven."
"Not to me." Findlay frowned, and it was clear the response was double-edged.
Valerian caught on immediately and decided to head off Tychus' suspicions as best he could, before it became a bigger problem. "I understand the circumstances surrounding your imprisonment in that suit are related to the Moebius Foundation, Mr. Findlay. Trust that I wouldn't have needed to use such subversive measures to see to my meeting with Mr. Raynor. Strong-arm tactics are very much in my fathers sphere of thinking."
"You have more reason than most here to distrust me in particular, as a result. I'd like to think that this meeting is a step towards a building of mutual trust, however."
Jim hadn't even thought about that. Tychus' release from prison, association with the Moebius Foundation and even leading them to the artifacts... How much of that was Junior and how much was Senior? Sighing in agitation, he planted a hand firmly on the corner of the star map to draw attention back. "Plenty of opportunity ahead to go building trust, Junior, lets leave that be for now. We-" The doors hissed open.
"Sorry we're late." Horner immediately apologized, briskly sweeping into the room with Mira Han in tow.
"James Raynor!" Matt had prepared Mira as best he could, in regards to how everyone else looked, but her expression made it clear that words just couldn't cut it. Her green eye was wide as she looked over the more visually impaired men, lips parted in surprise.
"Hello Mira." Jim gathered his patience and turned to face the pink pixie terror, he even managed a smirk at her reaction. "Staring ain't polite, darlin'."
Tychus chuckled and made a not-very-subtle gesture, wiggling his open palm at Horner. You did the hand trick, didn't you? Matt's face darkened and he did not reply.
"Miss Han, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Valerian had smoothly turned around and watched Mira's composure become rumpled for a second time that day, not that he could blame her.
In a breath, Mira schooled her features and spoke evenly. "I'm so sorry James." Both her cybernetic and real eyes shifted to Valerian then, a spark of anger in them. "Princess. I have been told that you are going to try and take these men to Korhal, you did not strike me as that foolish."
"Someone finally seein' things my way." Tychus spoke approvingly.
"Can it, Findlay." Warfield grumbled, watching the exchange curiously.
"The situation is complex, Miss Han." Valerian reasoned. "My father has made a disastrous move and is killing his own people, he must be stopped at all costs."
"You must replace him at all costs, before someone else does." Mira interjected.
"I make no allusions about wanting the throne, Mira. I will replace my father and I will be a better Emperor than he could ever hope to be." Valerian stated firmly.
"You don't need these men to secure your throne, Princess. They are ill and need medical treatment."
"They are quite possibly the only force left strong enough to put down these monsters my father has created."
"The hybrid..." Mira muttered, walking up beside Valerian and staring at the image of Korhal. Her cybernetic eye looked up at Tychus, and she smirked a touch. "Nice to see you out of your suit."
"In the flesh." Tychus responded jovially. He liked Mira, she was his kind of gal; death sentences in 12 systems and all.
"I know you've been helping the refugees here, Mira." Valerian quickly inserted himself back into the conversation. "You care about people too, our goals are the same in this regard. Perhaps you would consider assisting us on Korhal? You must know the hybrid are bad for everyone."
"You have two battlecruisers, one is an old piece of crap, and a handful of infested men." Mira picked at their situation with brutal efficiency. "I won't fight the Dominion for you, Princess. We've been over this."
"Then we have nothing further to discuss, Miss Han." Valerian folded his well-manicured hands together. "You will be paid for assisting us with reparations and providing safe haven, as discussed previously, and we will be on our way."
Frowning tightly, Mira nodded. "Very well." She shifted her attention to Jim sharply. "My people are already talking with your Chief Engineer, James. I wish you all the best." Without pause, she turned and left.
"Well, that was something." Raynor muttered, exchanging glances with everyone else.
"Let's continue, shall we?" Warfield gestured to the glowing orb, bringing the insurmountable challenge back to the forefront of their minds.