Upon the ruins of infinity.
Disclaimer
Starcraft is the property of Blizzard entertainment.
Mass effect is the property of Bioware.
Any elements used in this story are used only in order to create a story for no monetary gain nor do I claim any ownership over them, beyond the names and characters unique to this story.
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Adjutant 39-51 online…
Booting cyber warfare initiative…
Hacking countermeasures engaged…
…
…
WARNING!, countermeasures bypassed…
Initiating data pur…
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…
…
Access granted…
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Moebius Hybrid lab - Revanscar
Othan.
"It is done Aspbad, we have gained access to what remains of the Moebius database" said the Khalai zealot as he oversaw the extraction of the database
"Good work Toidanis, make sure X-9951 secures the data for transit as we return to the armada" replied Othan, recently appointed to the rank of Aspbad and by extension the leader of this operation. She had stood guard with the rest of her cohort as they rummaged through the remains of the Moebius lab in accordance with the edict enacted by the last true member of her people's leadership: elder Xiltar.
As her people moved through the now despoiled Korpulu sector with great care, he and what leadership he had brought onto his side had decreed that their people would leave the galaxy towards the darkest reaches of space in order to rebuild what little they could and try to free reality from the desolation brought by the fallen one.
For this quest to take place they needed to arm themselves with what little advantages they could gather. And as such, several teams and expeditions had been sent to gather what everything they could: weapons, resources, intelligence on their enemy or any survivors they could find.
Othan had been commanded with the exploration of Terran installations such as this one with her main goal being the extraction of any data concerning the hybrid.
But they had to tread carefully so as to not alert Amon's forces to the presence of the fleet or any protoss that still existed.
She had accepted the task with great fervor and readied will.
Along with the delegation of this team under her care she had also been ascended to the rank of Aspbad, a position that held both military and religious meaning as she now incarnated some of the virtuous commands of her people: leadership and honor.
The ancestral armor that had been given to her fitted perfectly. It was as if it had been made for her millenia before her people disappeared from the galaxy. A halo of spiritual as well as tactical import floated in her back and a shielded weapon had been given to her: a glaive cannon.
-Extraction complete. Data on project darkened veil has been acquired with a 80% tolerance of integrity- the Khalai sentry chimed with this message as it ended the task.
"Good. Let us leave this place" Othan commanded her cohort as she did not wish to meet any of the hybrid storms that had ravaged most of the sector.
For this was the terrible truth of what threatened her people: Amon would march through the universe as his host consumed all life within it, but such a task would take time and as such make him blind to any actions they may take as long as they remained concealed that is.
As such speed was their greatest ally.
"It will take a moment Aspbad… there, what remains of the database has been compiled and stored aboard the data core, we can leave this accursed place" Toidanis said as Othan felt that the rest of her cohort grew restless.
She turned towards them and analyzed the readiness of her companions. Six warriors as she excluded their technical expert. Ffour being fellow Ihan-rii warriors of the guardian creed who stood ready with their warp-glaves while two veterans of Aiur stood ready as they eyed her peers with suspicion.
Command had been offered to the most senior member amongst them but in reality the burdened of leadership was ill suited towards them as they followed the path of the zealot with such fervor that they were prone to lose themselves in the dance of death, a estate in which a warrior would only snap after the fall of their enemies.
Othan pressed her finger in a crystal that was embedded in her weapon and said crystal called their extraction "Our job here is done, we shall return to the entrance and wait for the Nerazim to retrieve us" She began "Let us hope that this information will be of…".
*clank*
A sudden noise was detected by the sentry and translated for the psionic beings to understand.
"What was that noise?" spoke Toidanis.
"Silence" spoke another zealot.
*CLANK*
*CREEK*
*CLANK*
The sounds originated from the corridor from which they came… and they drew closer.
It continued in repetition as it grew louder. Getting ever so close… closer… and closer.
As they readied themselves for combat their gaze turned to the main corridor from which they originally came and as far as they knew the only exit there was.
"Prepare yourselves" Othan ordered, a moment before another series of sounds overtook the corridor.
*Step*
*Step*
*Splat*
*Step*
*Splat*
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
Then it stopped, mere meters away from them.
The group stood still.
Nothing emerged from the corridor and their robotic support failed to detect the presence of any enemy.
A guardian zealot approached carefully and also failed to detect any enemies as he moved his glaive through the emptiness.
He turned to look at his team and made the last mistake of his existence.
The dark corridor was suddenly lit by a quick trickle of light as a dark figure uncloaked itself while instantly broke through the shield of the zealot and impaled the unexpecting warrior with crackling red veined psionic fire.
The now revealed assailant defiled the corpse of the warrior since whatever it had done disrupted the teleportation of the mortally wounded zealot and prevented any kind of salvation for him.
The corpse was violently thrown against the wall and as the surprised group turned towards said assailant a cackling laugh was heard.
One which emanated from an abomination.
"What is that?" Othan asked in horror as the creature took one more step towards them, revealing its form.
A beast resembling the form of a protoss approached as half of its body corroded with what could have been his own liquidating entrails while tendrils spewed from its back, cybernetic ones, striking blindly in every direction. The only feature that confirmed to her and his warriors that whatever this thing was wasn't solely protoss was what they saw upon its face.
For a greening smile with metallic teeth welcomed their sights…
With which it smiled…
And laughed…
And spoke…
"Found YOU" it screeched into their minds as it let out head splitting assault only with its words.
At a blinding speed, the strongest zealot cleared the gap between him and this abomination, cleaving its head with one fell swoop.
But as he engaged the creature, several pairs of hands and ignited crimson blades launched themselves at him from the darkness, tearing through his shields and dragging him onto the corridor. And as the rest of the cohort reached to try and save him they were quickly stopped as his scream of pain tore through their minds.
Othan reacted by striking with her glaive cannon at the abominations that were quickly filling the corridor, tearing through the most lightly armored targets. Reacting to her actions, the other warriors engaged the abominations as they tried to reach for them. The sentry housing the AI quickly began to recharge the depleting shields of the cohort as they butchered their way though these monsters.
Even as more of them bellowed their screams that were clearly tainted with psionic hostility they somehow managed to contain their advance as the now readied cohort tore through their ranks.
The engagement continued as the creatures continued their attack without allowing the warriors some respire. Othan aided her brethren by activating his armor and creating a mirror image of herself that also attacked the beings with half of her strength.
After they eliminated a little over a dozen of them and cleared their exit, the cohort could finally make sense of what had just attacked them.
Finding the source of the crimson blades that had struck down their companions they found one of these liquidating creatures. Its visage was like most of the other creatures but what set it apart was the clear use of what should have been the black armor of a hated and ancient foe of her people: the Tal'darim.
"Tal'darim…" exclaimed one of the remaining warriors "Their kind was eliminated along Amon's Zerg broods as the war came to an end. What could it be doing in such a place?"
"I… do not know" stated Toidanis, overlooking the other bodies as he moved his gaze across the carnage, he stopped to witness his leader kneeling over a body in particular…
The body of the Khalai templar remained behind just like the one of her Ihan-rii companion. As she reached out with her hand a jolt of red lightning jumped towards her armor and alerts began to tell her that whatever these beings were they could interfere with their teleportation technology.
She turned towards her team and saw as one of her warriors lifted the body of their companion and brought it towards her "I am sorry Udan, we weren't meant to remain here" she stated as she stood once again and approached the corpse "May you watch over our souls with our revered ancestors" she raised the hand and ripped a claw from his still hand "May your standard be raised high along the eternal procession".
What Ihan-rii remained in the cohort scratched a spot under their necks and allowed a small trickle of blood to emanate from it.
The remaining veteran approached the other corpse and lifted him as he would also take his companion back home.
"Why would you desecrate this warrior like this" spat the warrior as he saw the actions taken by her and her people with suspicion
"This is not a desecration, templar. It is the only way to save his memory for those that may come after him" spoke Othan trying to clear his doubts.
As an Aspbad she was mandated by creed and faith to remove a piece of her fallen subordinates as she would mount them in an altar to remember and honor the memory of each warrior as they fell under her care while their soul shard would be delivered to the sanctuaries of repose that existed along the vessels of her people.
The soul shard was a tool of the Ihan-rii by which the soul of the departed may find a way to aid those that remained after them as they imparted small trickles of memory and experience onto younger warriors. It was given to them the moment they were born as this crystal would absorb the most important moments of its wearer as pure information and as such their spirit and memory would live on amongst their people.
"A desecration nonetheless, his deeds and name could have remained amongst our people had he been a part of the Khala" the veteran retorted.
"And who will carry your memory if i may ask?" asked Othan, this outburst came as a manifestation of the distrust that remained within the factions that came together under this uneasy alliance as the Khalai proved themselves to be of the snobby bunch.
But the warrior relented for this was not but a distraction from their current situation.
"I apologize for my comment, templar. But our focus must remain with the task at hand, for we must escape this facility before we are overrun by more abominations" said Othan.
As they took a stride towards the exit they could not fathom what this discovery meant for their kind and reality.
For within the information discovered in this facility came the revelation that this creatures where not wholly of Amon's design as the terrans in their foolishness stole something from a place beyond their comprehension, that which was not meant to be used, what infested this Hybrid rejects was subtle, cunning and synthetic...
But devastating in its purpose nonetheless.
And the ones who had given them this technology had inadvertently dommed themselves to oblivion.
Afterword.
For this chapter I wanted to experiment a little, before I begin to develop what Xiltar may have to do in order to save his people. The next chapter may feel disconnected from this one, but I plan on making good on what I just wrote here. Have a nice day.
Remade the chapter since I felt like it needed a little revision.
Edit - Woop woop. Changed the chapter as I will be remaking the earlier ones since they do not comply with my standards now.