Mothership Docking Bay
"I don't like this Sarah," Jim said for possibly the hundredth time.
Balancing an earbud on the pad of her finger, Sarah carefully placed the small electronic device in her ear. It felt snug and right, just like it always used to. "Jim, you are not going in my place. Do me a favor and just be supportive," she said.
Morose, Jim pulled her into a short but fierce hug. "Don't let that protoss get you killed," he murmured.
You will find me to be honorable, James Raynor. There was a sour note in Vorazun's mental voice when she approached, it seemed the matriarch was already prepared to leave.
Letting out a sigh as Sarah chuckled, he let her go with a pat on the shoulder. Vorazun was a protoss he'd never met before, honorable or not, he did not trust the unknown. He made sure to think that as loudly as possible, though there was no forthcoming response from the regal nerazim matriarch. "Stay safe you two," he said.
One ahead of the other, the wary companions walked up the extended ramp of the Void Seeker, pointedly separate. "Always," Sarah said.
Jim glanced at Zeratul as he strode by, exchanging a nod with him. Now there was a protoss he both knew and trusted. Twisting knobs and pressing buttons on his comm device, he fervently hoped that Zeratul knew what he was doing with this gamble. "Test," he muttered, relieved to hear Sarah's voice crisp and clear in her confirmation.
Have faith, James Raynor. Victory is closer at hand than it has ever been. Zeratul's eyes smiled at the lone infested terran man as the Void Seeker sealed itself, returning to its needle-like shape.
Inside the Void Seeker, the three faced one another. Sarah noted the protoss just slightly closer to one another as opposed to an even spread.
Put your mind at ease, Queen of Blades, Vorazun said cooly. Treachery is your trait, not ours.
"My concern is your cooperation during the mission, nothing more," Sarah said, listening to Jim whisper I love you in her earbud.
You will have it. Vorazun turned and strode towards the cockpit of the ship.
Zeratul gestured with an open hand to follow. Vorazun is a more than capable warrior of the dark templar, you will find her to be a valuable asset, Kerrigan.
It gave her a wrinkle of discontent to put the protoss at her back, but she reasoned it would happen during the mission anyways. Sarah briskly made her way after Vorazun and found her seat. "The sooner we get on to the Leviathan and kill Abathur, the faster we can end Amon," she said, "I trust you remember how to get on my ship, Zeratul."
With a gentle push, the Void Seeker surged upwards and passed beyond the Mothership's docking bay.
Sarah let out a breath, eyes widening. Instead of space with its twinkling stars, or even the swarm and its locust-like masses, there was a glowing web that expanded beyond sight in all directions. "What are they?" she said.
Xel'naga creations, the phoenix creatures, Zeratul supplied patiently as they flew towards the web rapidly.
She could see now, the energy creatures that devoured protoss, zerg and terrans alike. "They are on our side then? How did you communicate with them?"
Vorazun wanted to know the answers to these questions as badly as the Queen of Blades did and kept quiet. She watched intently then as the massive creatures parted for the Void Seeker, revealing the nightmare behind them.
After I left you on Zerus, he paused briefly, a reminder of her treachery there too, My travels took me to the Alterian Rift and within it, Ulnar.
"A creator world," Sarah murmured, observing the mass of the swarm and looking for the right leviathan. They were each unique individuals, different sounds, markings, shapes. They belonged to her.
Yes. Amon was already there, capturing the phoenix creatures and using their vast energy to twist and corrupt the creator world. They were hanging there in space, waiting for her to find it. Swarms of mutalisks were throwing themselves towards the defenses of the web, disappearing in bright flashes one by one. The swarm would find a way in, in time. Who knows what he would have done with the power of Ulnar and the phoenix creatures combined.
"Third to the left," a voice whispered in her ear. Jim was in position and being coached by the infested then.
Sarah felt a pang of annoyance. Yes, there it was, the eldest of them. It had many visible cracks and craters in its chitinous carapace, battle hardened many times over. "Third to the left," she repeated, though the Void Seeker was already moving towards it. They could read her mind then, as easy as she could have read any terran only a few, what, days before? Her lips tightened into an angry line.
I have no interest in delving through your mind, Vorazun said tartly.
Vorazun can communicate with you and read your intent during this mission. Your silence, and success, are key, Zeratul said as they approached the massive creature.
There was a distinct lack of defenses around the capital ship, Sarah noted. They would be out there on the platform, attacking the perimeter or even on other worlds doing Amon's dirty work, that was where it all went. That was how confident the fallen one was. "I know," she said. This reckless confidence would be his undoing, her lip twitched upwards at the corner.
Take care as to not be overconfident yourself, Zeratul cautioned, maneuvering beneath the Leviathan and watching for a familiar crack in its massive carapace; a weakness he had exploited once before.
"There," Sarah murmured, a jagged crack in the plating catching her eye.
The Void Seeker pulled upwards hard and dipped through the crack, a thread slipping through the needle, guided by Zeratul's steady hands. An ominous scrape nearly deafened them when the shielding of the ship made unexpected contact.
It is as it was before, be at ease, Zeratul reassured his passengers.
Inside the Leviathan was a nightmarish display of fleshy insides and repurposed organs, all throbbing to the beats of multiple unseen hearts. Zeratul brought the ship in close to a discolored mass that was an approximation of flat. This is where you depart, warriors, he said.
Sarah and Vorazun were already standing, checking over their gear one last time before stepping inside circles that lit up on their approach. One recognized them as teleporter pads from innumerable battles with the enemy, the other simply knew.
"Remain near to the Leviathan if you can, Zeratul," Sarah said as her body was engulfed in bright blue-green light, "We will have a limited window of time to escape."
If circumstances allow, I shall. Now go! Zeratul said as they both disappeared. To Vorazun he whispered, Trust the fallen Queen's senses in there, Matriarch. There are horrors within the swarm you have never beheld, she is their creator.
I will not fail, Vorazun said, gripping her stave as fleshy ground materialized under her feet, slick with slime.
Kerrigan was already darting towards a pulsing knob of flesh, which opened, to Vorazun's surprise, with a most disgusting slurp sound.
Beckoning the shadows to her, the Matriarch of the Dark Templar faded from sight and gave chase.
Left, right, right, down- Sarah slid to a stop, toes digging into the flesh of the ship. Around the corner was a zergling, just milling about. Killing it would be easy, but to be seen... The Queen of Blades could not be seen by Abathur. When the creature, large as a panther and many times more deadly, turned and began sauntering away, Sarah crept from the corner with wing blades raised to strike.
A familiar sh-shnk sound went off first, a distortion of air and a flash of green and the zergling's head fell to the ground, neatly severed.
I suggest you stay out of sight and call targets to me, Vorazun said authoritatively.
Pulling her wing blades back just a tad faster than normal, Sarah nodded. Knowing the Dark Templar was listening, she thought out loud. Do keep up if you intend to kill my targets then.
Not rising to the bait, Vorazun flickered down the hellish hallway, avoiding dripping goo and tumorous bulbs of flesh.
Sarah, knowing what to look for, kept a keen eye on the rippling air. From there, the two fell into a pattern of spotting and killing. There are more now, Abathur knew someone was here the moment that zergling died. The density of zerg creatures was certainly rising, but they were not actively hunting, which made her wary.
I feel as though we are being tested, Vorazun said as she lobbed off the head of a loitering hydralisk, its partner beside it falling just the same.
Either he is trying to lure us somewhere, or he is attempting to figure out how many of you there are, Sarah said. With a mental warning, she cautioned Vorazun away from another downward spiraling tunnel and towards a more level looking one with a fleshy doorway. The Matriarch seemed loathe to go through the doors.
Then we must quicken our pace before the target is well defended.
Sarah couldn't help but sniff in contempt. Abathur is always well defended.
Again, their path branched off into multiple twisting directions. Up, down, straight, left, right. Sarah paused at the fork and wondered, Abathur dwelled in more than one place, it was time to reach to outside sources. She placed her fingertip to her ear and spoke quietly, "Jim, I need some guidance here."
The pause before he answered felt too long for her liking, and the signal quality far too bad. "Sarah," Jim's voice cracked and buzzed and her heart sank. Everything else he said came out as garbled nonsense.
"Jim, I can't read you," she whispered urgently. Lips pressing into a long, hard line of anger, she lowered her hand and assessed the paths once more.
Do you not remember? Vorazun prodded.
"There are many places that worm could be hiding," she took a slow breath then nodded towards the narrow, downwards descending path. "Best guess," she said. Jim must be having a fit, she thought wryly, it was just their kind of luck.
The deepest, darkest hole it could hide in. Fitting. Vorazun noted, shouldering past a hanging bundle of fleshy rods, eyes squinting in disgust. There was not one thing about the zerg that was beautiful, soft or kind.
There were no zerg inside this tunnel, Sarah noted. She couldn't hear them or see any telltale signs of burrowing, nothing. It concerned her more than seeing them in such tight quarters would have.
Just a barely discernible blur ahead, Vorazun felt the wariness and paid little heed, stepping forwards in long strides. Surely we have gone the wrong way if it is as you think. This creature knows we are here and is tightening its defenses in anticipation of attack, she rounded a narrow corner that tilted downwards dramatically, we should simply turn back and-
Springing forwards, Sarah slammed her hands down on the dark templars shoulders and yanked her backwards hard. A flash of bright green in the small tunnel and a searing pain erupted from one of her wing blades, a small piece of it falling to the ground- a warning. Baring her teeth, Sarah muttered, "Fool, I just saved your careless life."
When Vorazun did not move from her rigid attack stance, Sarah knelt down slowly and grasped the piece of her wing blade with an impatient huff. The Matriarch's gaze was fixed on the movement, hawklike and judging.
With a flick, Sarah tossed the severed piece of her own self around the corner and took a quick step backwards. Vorazun's eyes widened at the sound of a gurgling snap and a plume of green liquid filling the spot she had almost occupied. Little bits of green spattered on the walls and some landed on Sarah's armored flesh, they all hissed as the acid bit in.
It seems I owe you my life, lowering her blade, Vorazun attempted to digest that fact.
Keep your blades ready, we are going to need more pieces to throw ahead. Sarah's thought came out cold and calculated. We are on the right path, he is this way, I am certain now.
"What do you mean it stopped working?" Egon couldn't contain his alarm.
Jim placed the palm of his hand to his face and pressed at his eyes, an old gesture of frustration. "Just what I said kid, comm stopped workin'. Shoulda known it wouldn't go that far through a zerg ship."
"This Abathur knows they are there," Warfield and Egon exchanged nods, confirming each others thoughts ,"but it hasn't caught anyone. I think we'd know if it did."
Egon swallowed, leaning against the shielding and causing it to ripple and shimmer. "Abathur is a cruel monster Jim, I'm scared for them."
"Don't need you tellin' me to worry more kid," Jim grumbled. "I want to know what this Abathur is doing, where it's going, the need to know info."
Warfield gave his head a shake, "Can't Jim." He grimaced then, "whatever those friends of yours did is blocking most everything, but there's something... wrong. Very, very wrong with the swarm."
"Some kind of seething," Egon wiggled his fingertips upwards, trying to grasp for the words, "evil."
Jim hmphed, "Zerg are evil."
"Not like this," Egon and Warfield spoke at the same time, glancing at one another and looking away quickly.
"Real evil," Egon emphasized, "Amon's evil."
"He's got control of the swarm, I know that," Jim said.
"It isn't just control, he's doing something to it," Warfield said.
Egon cringed, "And it's getting worse."
"Wonderful," Jim looked down at the comm in his hands. How many times had he felt this helpless? To help Sarah? Only once before.
We're getting close, I can smell the reek of the evolution chamber. Sarah said, grimacing as the tip of one of her wing blades grew back for the umpteenth time. Abathur knew about them the moment they touched the ship, she wagered.
What other surprises can we expect from your former subject? Vorazun had warmed marginally, perhaps getting to cut pieces off of Sarah helped, or maybe it was how she had saved her life. Either way, only marginally.
Sarah held her hand up to signal a stop, a sickly green glow had come to illuminate the tunnel. Abathur is the creature in charge of the swarm's evolution, he can create entire new strains and is responsible for nearly all of the zerg creatures you have ever faced.
So... Vorazun thought, Quite literally be prepared for anything, I suppose.
Sarah nodded, gesturing forwards. With no further signs of the toxic nests that had been every other foot down the tunnel, their way was clear.
Vorazun first noticed the silhouettes stretching across the floor, touching Sarah's shoulder before she could step into sight. She slipped into the chamber by herself to see what the shadows belonged to. Her eyes, bright green orbs, widened at the sight.
A spidery creature but with a bulbous thick body, dangled above a churning green pool of fluid. Massive legs that came to deadly points both suspended it and dipped into the pool, she saw then that the foremost legs seemed to be closer to real arms tipped with hands and daggerlike fingers. Though the legs cast shadows this way and that, she felt something amiss. Wary, she pulled back.
Sarah waited expectantly, poised to move.
Our prey is there. Never have I seen such a disgusting creature, but I find myself wary. There are no others, Vorazun relayed what she saw, coupled with mental imagery.
Sarah bared her teeth at the image of Abathur, he'd evolved some it seemed. He would not be the sluggish weakling she knew him to be before. More nests, no doubt.
Perhaps, Vorazun said, but we must enter regardless. I would prefer the more open ground to fight.
Sarah nodded, standing up to her full height then. Remain hidden and find your way near him. Before Vorazun could object, Sarah walked into the room and spread her wings wide. "Abathur," her voice came out loud and commanding, filling the chamber and leaving no mistake who it was.
A burning sensation coursed through her mind as a sinister, familiar, voice insinuated itself within.
Queen of Blades has returned, no longer Queen.
There was something haughty about that oily tone of voice that raised Sarah's hackles. "You have gone against my command Abathur," her wing blades trembled in anticipation, the shimmering form of Vorazun was close to the target now, "the penalty is death."
Death? Essence never dies, swarm always live. The creature that Abathur had become lowered from it's perch, each tip of its blade-like legs resting on either side of the glowing pond beneath it. Terrans. He clasped his hands, small on his now large form. Terrans die.
"We'll see who dies, pathetic slug." Sarah stepped forwards, taunting the enemy.
Design of Queen of blades, always interesting. Though he towered there, still as stone and ready to strike, Abathur continued to talk. With lack of Queen of Blades leadership, experiments commenced.
Something was wrong. Vorazun was in place, waiting for the creature to move from the pit for a clean strike. The air felt charged, and the rumblings of the Leviathan's organs gone quiet. Sarah took another step forwards, testing, searching for the trap. "Hiding behind your nests wont save you now," she said.
Abathur's many small eyes gleamed brightly with malice. Traps ineffective. Tactic must change...Evolve.
A small shift near Vorazun and the trap revealed itself, a creature that blended in so well the Dark Templar stood beside it and never noticed. Sucking in a lungful of air, Sarah roared, "Behind you!"
Abathur struck as the abomination did.
The evolution master was fast and far more formidable than his former form allowed for, Sarah changed up her charge and leaned to the side instead, a gigantic spear-like leg thrusting through where her body was. Lashing out with her blades at the offered underbelly, it came as a surprise when her move was anticipated and avoided by stretching upwards beyond reach for a fraction of a second.
Vorazun was exposed, her cloak remained but the creature, a horrendously twisted terran with a sick semblance of Kerrigan, did not seem to care about it.
"Kill me," it begged as it swung multiple heavy limbs at the protoss, "help me!" Each swing came more frenzied than the last.
Vorazun danced backwards, using the length of her staff to deflect the more vicious blows that were making it through her shielding, back towards Kerrigan and the prime target. Her eyes widened when the green nodules filling the chamber began to visibly quiver and shake as the things inside them were stirred by their master.
Abathur is hatching everything in the chamber! Vorazun said to Sarah with alarm.
Experiments proved unsuccessful, Abathur admitted as he lunged and stabbed and all but chased Sarah across the room. Queen of Blades psionic power cannot be duplicated. His voice dropped, twisting into a mocking tone, No longer detect psionic reading from Queen of Blades.
Baring her teeth, Sarah saw the opportunity to strike as Abathur spoke- a partially extended leg. Leaping forwards, she swung her blades as fast as she could push her body.
It was a trap, a spew of sticky green fluid erupted from a nodule located on the leg and sent her flying backwards, blind and struggling for freedom.
No psionic power, Abathur pressed forwards, keen on further entangling the lively specimen, A useful subject to base further terran forms on remains.
Ducking under a three armed thrust, Vorazun ignited her second blade and shoved upwards in a deadly arc, severing all three limbs. As the abomination fell forwards from the sudden lack of weight, her arc continued into a spin and severed the suffering creatures head. Landing on her feet as the creature fell to its knees, acid blood flooding sluggishly from its wounds and searing the fleshy ground, she spun to look at Sarah take in her situation.
Gurgling cries of agony and pleads for death began to fill the chamber as the eggs erupted outwards, spilling their tortured cargo.
Ripping the slimy webbing from her face, Sarah opened her eyes just in time to see a thick leg ram into her shoulder. Letting out a cry of anguish of her own, she continued to pry at the webbing with her one good arm vigorously. "No!" she snarled.
Amon sends regards. Abathur all but quivered with glee at the display, the former Queen was no comparison without the psionic might she once had. Pressing forwards until his body was level with her, he began to poke and prod and take measurements.
Where was Vorazun? Sarah bared her teeth and took swipes at the thinner blade-like limbs, catching one and neatly snapping it off. Abathur seemed to suffer no ill effects, pausing for a moment for the limb to regenerate before resuming his work.
"Jim..." she murmured as Abathur began to entangle her legs leisurely with more sticky web-like goo, "I'm sorry." Vorazun must have ran away, a coward for true.
As she closed her eyes, hand falling to her side, a familiar note sounded. Her eyes flew open in surprise, her heart soaring when she saw Abathur's purple guts falling out of his abdomen and entire underside, Vorazun approaching swiftly.
"Thought you let me go," Sarah said, wincing as the protoss removed the leg from her shoulder none too gently.
Your last words changed my mind, Vorazun admitted. Allowing Kerrigan to be killed before killing the target was all too tempting, no one would be the wiser. She helped pull Sarah free of the sticky mess as Abathur toppled to the ground, attempting to process the catastrophic damage done to his person.
"Cut off his head, he isn't dead yet," Sarah warned, shouldering away from the protoss and pressing a hand to her shoulder wound. Full of toxins and who-knows-what, the wound was not healing quickly at all. It was very satisfying to hear the deed being done behind her, the wet slap of his head falling to the ground. It was not satisfying, however, to hear the now very close screams of terror and confusion of all the newly hatched infested terrans.
Run, Vorazun said simply. The choice she made was still being digested, a poor meal of the mind, but by the sound of the ship itself letting out a bellow that shook its entire being, they had very little time to be free of this place. Together, they ran for all they were worth now.
Mothership
"There's something wrong..."
"He's got her Jim!"
"There's so many...They are like us."
Jim listened fervently, stomach twisting tighter and tighter with every broken sentence coming out of his infested friends. They had quickly reverted to barely having control of themselves as the mission progressed, claiming Amon was making their minds burn in agony. Only Egon remained now, banging his fists against the shielding as he spoke, fully not in control of his actions, only his words.
"He's...He's...Wrapping her up, Jim," Egon whispered, eyes wide as if he was right there watching. As his control degraded, his vision increased, it seemed.
Suddenly they stopped, all of them, no longer attacking the shielding but standing there with confused looks on their faces, hands falling to their sides.
"Did we win?" Jim asked, heart rising as his hopes did. He knew how stunning the loss of the leader was, he cast a prayer to whoever would listen that this was what that meant.
"I'm," Warfield stared upwards in wonder, "it's so quiet."
"It seems our friends won the day, Raynor," Stukov supplied rather cheerily. He was unaffected, but also not a part of the viewing like the other infested were.
"They are gonna go nuts in a second," Jim jumped lightly on his feet, unsure where to go but needing to get there fast, "I gotta get word to Zeratul! You hang in there!"
He ran through the door as the screaming began.
Egon...Egon! An unfamiliar voice hissed in his burning brain.
My Queen lives? It questioned, probing his mind for answers and leaving him jolting in pain.
"She's-ah-ah-ahlive!" Egon yelled, grasping at his head and praying it wouldn't explode.
I cannot feel her, but you have seen her! Zagara, a new name to him, exclaimed.
"She killed Abathur..." He whispered as the pain receded, the storm of the swarm calming under this new influence.
I will do as my queen commanded! Amon shall fall! Zagara's cry reverberated through the swarm as she grasped the entirety of it in an iron fist of unwavering might.
Swallowing hard, Egon dared to connect with this Zagara creature once more. Wait.
It seemed Zagara did not like to be interrupted, and her attention felt like hot knives. What do you have to say, terran?
We need the swarm to help fight Amon here, don't leave... Kerrigan can explain to you. He slid to his knees, so tired of fighting.
I must establish communication with my Queen immediately. You are imprisoned and of no use to me, Zagara seemed ready to dismiss him once again.
I am on the protoss ship she is coming back to! He shouted in his head, thinking about the situation and trying to cram as much relevant information into the hasty broodmother as fast as he could.
After a brief pause, a painful eternity, Zagara responded, You may stop.
He heaved a sigh of relief.
The swarm will remain, these new creatures that guard you are still killing us. Express our temporary friendship to them as soon as you can.
Egon nodded fervently and began to wave and hollar from where he sat, "Hey! Anyone! We need to talk to Jim and Zeratul or someone quick! Please!"
"You are pretty good at negotiating with zerg you know," Warfield, also sitting, said with a chuckle.
"It seems Zagara is asserting control once again, this is good news for us friends," Stukov smiled and echoed the joviality of Warfield.
Zurthan, Zeratul! The swarm has been disrupted! A nearby pilot called from his controls. An enthusiastic cheer rising up from the gathered protoss refugees at the news.
The swarm is pulling back from our defenses, Zurthan noted clinically, not yet ready to cheer like the others. With a few short gestures he recalled the few pilots they had left, drawing them inside the safety of the golden web.
Another entity must be controlling them, not Amon. Could Kerrigan have assumed control again? Zeratul wondered, pulling back from the console and turning away swiftly. I will return to the Leviathan and bring back our heroes.
"Zeratul!" Jim charged in, the guards already ordered to not bar his way, though there was a seething malice towards the twisted terran.
James Raynor, I trust you have heard the missions has been successful? Zeratul said.
"Hell yes I did! Yeehaw!" Jim pumped his fist and grinned broadly, full of enthusiasm. "You hear what Egon was sayin' too then?"
Egon? No, I have not heard.
"Well then you need to get word to your glowbuddies that the zerg are gonna join with us to fight Amon and to stop blasting them to pieces for now."
Zeratul's eyes crinkled in mirth, I will relay this message.
Who is he to give orders to us? Zurthan turned, looking down on the infested terran with poorly concealed hate.
The mirth faded, replaced with the cold of the void, and Zeratul's voice lowered, James Raynor is a terran of legend, brought low by the Queen of Blades. You would do well to give him the respect you give, if not me, then your peers.
Jim, included in the conversation, eyed Zurthan. "We gonna have a problem?" he said.
Slowly, as if it caused him pain, the massive protoss shook his head.
Then let us move on, Zeratul said, gesturing for Jim to follow. I believe it only fitting you join me in recovering Kerrigan and Vorazun.
"Let's get to it," Jim said.
"We don't have much time before the swarm is taken over again, by Amon or others," Sarah spoke as she ran, Vorazun kept pace and ran beside her now.
Zeratul will deliver us to safety, Vorazun said confidently, I may not have had faith before, but I do now.
They were rapidly closing on their initial landing, the thrill of victory thrummed through every fiber of her being and pushed Sarah on harder. "It wasn't his fault you know," she puffed between breaths.
Who's? Vorazun's eyes narrowed.
"The Overmind glimpsed Aiur through Zeratul when he killed the cerebrate," the fleshy door was around one more corner, "he could not have known that would happen."
Cold disapproval radiated from the Dark Templar then, Do not speak of this to me.
Sarah gave a shrug and ducked through the door, unruffled. Protoss could nurse grudges with the best of them, it came as no surprise. "Here's our ride," she did not break stride, running for the smooth alien ship until a shock of pain made her stagger.
My Queen, the painful connection wrenched at Sarah's brain, we await your command. It was Zagara, reaching out desperately.
Stumbling forwards, Sarah burst into light and was reformed on the Void Seeker where she fell to her knees, holding her head. Zagara...
"Whoa there! What's wrong with her?" Jim knelt beside Sarah and shouted at Vorazun before she was even fully formed. There was a terrible wound on her shoulder, slowly stitching together and bleeding sluggishly, but nothing else he could see.
I know not what is wrong with your Queen, James Raynor. Vorazun replied, cold as the void, and walked past to the cockpit.
"Hell with you," he muttered, "Sarah, say something."
"I'm f-fine," her voice came in a whisper, hands still wrapped up in her hair, a fresh bead of blood dripped from her nose.
"Zeratul, get us outta here!" Jim said.
We are away from the Leviathan, Zeratul reassured.
Give the swarm to these invaders? Zagara wondered if she was not understanding the broken and difficult to read thoughts; how could this be her Queens orders?
You have to let go of me Zagara, Kerrigan's voice sounded weak, desperate, You are breaking my mind. These are my orders.
There was a vast psionic entity, not protoss and not zerg, emanating from that golden web. It seemed to sense the intent, shimmering in Zagara's eyes as she viewed it through millions of zerg, welcoming and ready to embrace.
I trust you, my Queen.
The zerg are embracing us, feeding us! Vornuum cried, appearing as a small orb before Zeratul in the Void Seeker, his tone exultant. We need only take up the khalai and banish Amon with the strength of all.
Zeratul allowed his worry for Jim, who was hovering over the collapsed form of Sarah, to pass for now. This is grand news, how must we proceed to free the khalai people from the grasp of the Dark One? he said. Already he was guiding the Void Seeker to a smooth landing in the Mothership, greeted by many of the severed khalai and nerazim refugees, their cheers and genuine happiness were a great empowering bombardment.
Sarah cringed, their voices hurt. Almost as much as it hurt her pride to appear before them with an arm slung over Jim's shoulder for support. Communicating with Zagara had been torture, but the message she gave was clear. It was up to the broodmother now, to obey her Queen and follow the command to its fruition.
"You alright? What was that all about back there?" Jim's voice was quiet, a deep concern expressed in his tone.
Sarah felt a swell of gratefulness that she could recognize such nuances about Jim without being a mind reader, she allowed him to lead her towards his friends and away from the crowd which kept a respectful distance and closed in on the two protoss of the party, neatly cutting them off. "Zagara contacted me," she ignored Jim's disgruntled grunt, "she will give the swarm to the xel'naga army," she said.
"You sure about this?" his face twisted in concern, recalling the brush he had with the one member of that army.
Sarah nodded, letting out a sigh and leaning off him. The shoulder wound was almost closed and the head pain had faded to a dull roar, no longer a dizzying array of spikes being hammered into her brain. "They are...benevolent, I just know it," she said.
"How do you know...?" He cringed at how the question sounded.
Sarah smirked, feeling the sting from his uncertainty and hating it. "I encountered these things before, they were not a part of any terran, zerg or protoss army. They just consumed biomass and moved on, lost to me," she gave a shrug, "I want this to be over Jim. I want to trust that this is the right path, Zagara isn't strong enough to do it herself," she said.
Jim nodded, they were almost at their destination. Hopefully Egon kept his head screwed on. "Well, I trust you and that's all that matters to me," he said.
Zurthan! Zeratul barked upon returning, the dizzying spiral of golden lines, now tinged with a hazy purple, casting a heavenly glow over the workers on deck and the refugees below. command your Mothership and fighters to move down to the terran platform below.
It is covered in Amon's terran forces and zerg, Zurthan noted, though his obedient fingers began to hesitantly trace out the orders.
Yes, Zeratul said, a golden orb floating by his head and taking its place beside the console. It is time we take back the khala and finish this.
Zurthan could not help but look at the orb, wondering at it and its purpose. What is your plan old one?
I have been told there is a lone protoss aboard the lamed terran ship, Bucephalus. We need this protoss in order to infiltrate the khala, she may have been the one Amon used to corrupt the khala originally, in fact. A frightening thought, how one compromised link could so thoroughly taint an entire race, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Was this protoss a prisoner of the terrans?
No, an ally. Already, the great golden web that surrounded the Mothership began to shift towards the platform, and beyond it so did the buzzing masses of the swarm.
Very strange, but fortunate for us. A sense of awe emanated from the protoss as they watched the web shifting and twisting, We would lose many attempting to extract an in-tact member of the khala directly from the Golden Armada.
At a steady pace, the web slowly pressed into the beleaguered terran platform and created a neat wedge between the pink-shelled forces of Mira Han and the fallen battlecruiser. The front line simply vanished, no match for the consuming power of the xel'naga host.
The terrans are afflicted by Amon's madness, it may be a delicate task to remove our target regardless, Zeratul noted. Already the Mothership's sensors were collecting information about the ship and its inhabitants.
Strange psionic readings, Zurthan's eyes narrowed, not protoss in nature. Visually, it seemed there had been small explosions of psionic energy all over the ship, fading red flares inside a vessel that would otherwise be devoid of higher mental power.
A terran is still fighting! Zeratul relayed, astonished.
Wary, Zurthan watched the stats flying by, We must observe before sending our Dark Templar aboard, I will not risk more of them. The unspoken for a khalai hung heavy between them.
There are other options, Zeratul began the painful process of deliberating and remembered why he was an explorer and scholar, not a leader.