A cry for help

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.

SSV Normandy - Orbit over Edolus

Shepard

He could not save his team then, but he managed to do so now.

While he had his old crew, his new team was still alive.

This brought back some peace to the commander.

…

Shepard was currently standing over the CIC. His report to the alliance brass had him speaking directly with none other than Admiral Hackett, a legend amongst the alliance and by what Anderson and his mother had told him he was the main inspiration for Shepard's father to enlist in the alliance navy.

This rare opportunity came about because of the signs that a rogue human organization had operated in this system for some time and were responsible for the destruction found in both sites and this needed to be brought to the attention of the alliance.

The fate of his missing men had been reported to Admiral Kahoku and in turn their bodies would be recovered and taken to their respective home worlds to be laid to rest.

His little punishment game had become a close call to his team, putting two of them in unnecessary danger.

Shepard felt stupid for what he had done.

He guessed that while the alliance arrived in the system he should make some detours and speak with some of his crew.

Joker would be first.

This was since he owed him a visit and as such the commander made his way to the bridge to meet with him. He unsurprisingly found the pilot within the confine of his chair and with what had to be a sixth sense the pilot felt as the commander approached.

"Hey commander. Finally decided to visit your ace?" Joker said.

"Just wished to see how he was recovering" Shepard smiled at him "Pulled a muscle from sitting on your chair all day?".

"Auch. That's a low blow, commander. But I guessed you would like to thank me for putting up with some strange requests on this journey" he replied with a smile "So… Quite the family we managed to gather" Shepard raised a brow at this "Reminds me of home".

"You mean how your family was composed of several aliens that always managed to quarrel like children and were at each other's throats all the time?" Shepard asked.

"No. Just how boring field trips were" he reclined on his chair as he said this "Tell me when you really need me to put some strain on this baby and I will make her dance".

"Cocky. Aren't we?" Shepard had read the file on Joker thanks to Anderson. He had seen it as convenient for the commander to know the rest of the crew. Jeff's situation was… complicated. But there was an undeniable truth about the pilot's military career and skills that secured him a place in this ship.

"I've earned it, commander" he began "I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet" Shepard trusted that he would one day back his words "You'll see commander" Shepard smiled.

"I'll hold you to that" As Shepard turned to leave the bridge a sudden alert caught the attention of both men.

"That's odd" began Joker as he patched the message. It was a distress call that had just begun to emanate across the sector. "Let me clear it up…" as the static was beginning to transform into a more understandable message.

"T..IS ..S A DIS..RE..S C..LL TO AL.. V..S..EL.. IN R..NGE. W.. AR.. U..DER AT..A..K BY UN..N..WN MO..STERS. S..VE US ..ND T..E DANT..US FA..I..Y SH..LL REWA..D Y..U!" the garbled message only left two things clear: this beacon was active because someone was under attack somewhere in the cluster and they were offering a reward if assistance was given.

"Okay…" Joker began "What are your orders commander?" The pilot looked at Shepard as he waited for an answer.

"Take us to the origin of the signal" Shepard had deemed it appropriate to investigate as to why this particular beacon had been activated in such a remote region "Leave a message for the alliance so they know we answered this distress call".

"Aye aye, commander" joker began to chart a course "The signal is coming from the Macedon system, it will be an 8 hour flight. Better go get some rest" Joker told him as the jump from would indeed take some time.

Shepard would comply with that.

"Thank you Joker" Shepard departed but decided to make a stop while on his way to the Captain's cabin.

Doctor T'soni had not woken up by the time they arrived on Edolus' orbit. Shepard had been worried ever since she separated from his mind. For only a moment they were one, Shepard felt empty after the fact. He deemed it appropriate to visit her in the med-bay and if he was lucky she would be fine by now.

But as he entered he noticed the absence of both Liara and doctor Chakwas. Before he could turn and look for them on another part of the ship he noticed how the door that led to the doctors quarters had opened and revealed the figure of Liara as she exited from it.

She was walking directly towards the exit where Shepard stood. But as she was too absorbed in her own thoughts she failed to realize that Shepard was standing in her path and she proceeded to bump into him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…" Liara saw that it was the commander, this made her perk up a little "Oh commander. I was just looking for you" her smile made Shepard a little more calm in turn.

"What a coincidence" Shepard's words perplexed the asari "I was looking for you too…" Shepard decided to play a little with her.

"I…" she blushed as Shepard's jest was not the answer she expected "Why would you be looking for me? If I may ask" she averted her gaze as a way to hide her reaction. Shepard decided that would be enough… for now.

"Just wanted to see if you were doing okay. Gave us a scare back in the comm's room" he turned his gaze towards the door from where she had emerged "Is there a reason as to why you were visiting the doctor in her quarters?" Liara looked surprised by what she heard.

"I'm sorry commander. I underestimated my condition at that time…" she began to excuse herself sheepishly but seemed to realize something else of what Shepard had said "Oh… I swear, I didn't know that was her quarters" she looked a little flustered by this situation "She said that it was just an office and then offered it to me".

Ah.

Shepard shucked his head while smiling.

"I see no problem with that, Liara. If she gave you that room then she deemed it as appropriate" Shepard answered truthfully what he thought of this "I'm just glad to see that you are okay" Liara smiled this time.

"I thank you, commander. In truth I wanted to know if you were alright as well" she blushed a little as she said this. Her cheeks turned a darker blue in turn. "I was just finishing a report. Might as well go get some rest…"

"But you just…" before Shepard could continue she turned and sped right back back to her new residence.

Shepard decided to go and rest as well. He suffered no nightmares this time as they were replaced by a feeling of serenity.

Xiltar

Xiltar was alone in the cargo bay and this was by design.

Even as his small wounds had been examined and his duties to the commander and his mission were over, the protoss had made his way to his usual spot in the cargo bay with a purpose in mind.

He had waited for the rest of the crew to leave the space so the protoss could 'rest' and even as the surprisingly cheerful Wrex and the ever curious Tali tried to strike a conversation with him he had just dismissed them under the pretense of being tired.

Yet again he had lied with a purpose.

…

Xiltar reached for a compartment in the back of his armor and retrieved a seemingly harmless object as he intended to make use of it for one purpose…

Nebula had eluded him long enough.

Ever since he had made his vow to her and she had made a pledge to aid him, Xiltar would feel as her caring gaze followed him across his journey into these strange stars. As he entered battle, met new companions and even when he faced a galaxy full of strange creatures and strange dangers he could face the sight of a Xel'naga while she observed his actions with undivided attention.

Never judging but always attentive.

Her caring disposition had always reassured the protoss that his cause was still just.

But…

Ever since the discovery of the betrayal made by her kind, Xiltar had not felt her gaze upon his back not even once.

Had she abandoned him?

…

He now wished for her to speak to him once more.

If nothing else but for the truth.

But since he could not rely on her making the contact anymore he decided to reach her himself.

As he clutched the small artifact in his hands he remembered one of the lessons taught to him by one the elders…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Millennia ago…

Xiltar as a hatch of his kind as well as other young protoss had been taken to a world long ago visited by their gods and which was part of his namesake: Xil.

In this now dead world many there still laid many secrets that his kind had decreed should remain hidden from the rest of the galaxy… as well as the rest of their brethren.

There had been troubling reports in recent times from the scouting parties that had left to observe and monitor their ancient homeworld of Aiur. Warriors of both seeker and guardian creeds had been sent back to that world in order to contact and even recruit some of the tribes of that world into an army to oppose the fallen one and his followers should they be deemed worthy.

They thought that if they were to make contact with these lost tribes they could uplift the more devout amongst them and raise the army that the Ihan-rii wished to marshall against their treacherous brethren: the Tal'darim.

This was decided on the knowledge that a millennia before another expedition had found that the protoss of Aiur had regressed to a caveman statelf development in due part thanks to the most bloody civil war the galaxy had ever witnessed…

The aeon of strife.

The most recent reports from the expeditionary fleets however had alluded to the possibility of this civil war being on its deathrows as several of the tribes were in the process of reunifying under a conclave of protoss on a certain continent of Aiur.

But not by any means that the Ihan-rii had expected… nor approved off.

The creation of the Khala was an even that had been felt amongst all of their kind as a sudden jolt of lightning going down through their spines and leaving those adepts in the use of the void in an unnerved state.

His people had been far enough from the homeworld to only feel this event as a distant echo that rippled across the stars as if a stone had been trough in a pond and they were feeling the wave from its other shore.

It had been due to this event that another expedition had been ordained in the first place.

But once they had discovered the nature of the Khala the council of elders in the umbral choir had deemed such a union as a heresy that needed to be culled from their brethren.

This left the Ihan-rii in a complicated position…

They could return to the homeworld to uproot this desecration of individuality but they would most certainly be seen as traitors by these protoss as they had abandoned their homeworld and their people all for the sake of following gods who had abandoned them.

And the Ihan-rii knew they could not fight a war on two fronts at the moment.

In preparation for such a conflict the council of elders had decreed that more warriors would be needed and as such they had lifted an ancient ban that prohibited each clan from holding more than a certain number of members.

This was why Xiltar was born…

Because the Ihan-rii needed warriors now more than ever.

And they would be needing these warriors trained as fast as they irrationaly manage.

That's the reason as to why they were there in the first place… they were there to train.

The hooded elder that had taken them to this world would be the one to decree if they were ready to face the trials that would in turn allow them to join one of the creeds, the sacred orders of the Ihan-rii.

The creeds were an act of service to the Ihan-rii civilization. A vow by which a protoss could make use of his skills in the best way and lend their service in a manner they found fitting for themselves.

Many would vow to the creed of the guardian and launch themselves into war to protect their realm. Others would take the creed of the seekers, fanatical warriors that would scour the galaxy for the presence of the Xel'naga. Some would abandon the path of the warriors and join the ranks of the makers as scientists and engineers, while a few more would take the vow to the creed of the makers and create the mechanisms of war by which their people could face oblivion…

And even less would join the ranks of those that vowed to the creed of the creators.

But Xiltar would be one of the few to join this legion of tinkerers and investigators who would aid in unraveling the gifts of their great benefactors.

Nonetheless he showed great appreciation for the seekers of secrets as he joined them in several expeditions to distant worlds while they taught him some skills in order to sway him to their ranks.

Xiltar remembered fondly how he had faced any Tal'darim resistance they encountered alongside his brethren in this creed.

But that would be for another time.

…

The elder who took them to this world was named Ixton, he who had taken in his youth the creed of a preserver. Abandoning his clan and family to fulfill a service to his kind.

A preserver's duties were clear: gather knowledge, guard it and teach it to the next generation in turn.

And Xiltar knew for a fact that Ixton was a good preserver.

His lesson began by having the group gather near a small triangular wall on the desolated wasteland of Xil. And as they approached the wall many of his companions showed restlessness as the preserver had taken his time to approach the site.

He began to speak with a stern voice (Many of you stand before me because you wonder as to what your call among our people shall be. To where your destiny will lead you as you join the ranks of a creed) he analyzed the group and saw as many of the young showed the restlessness associated with the warrior creed, while others kept glancing around as they showed the curiosity that would allow them to join the seeker creed.

But only one amongst them showed undivided attention to his words, this showed the patience and commitment associated with the creator creed: Xiltar.

(While the creeds are not a permanent association it still remains as a guide for your kind to teach you our ways in this existence) he turned to the wall (While some of you seek the honor of battle as way to show the devotion to your kin and others seek the memories of those devine lords as manner to connect with their great works of those that came before us. You must all know as to why this all forms part of a greater whole) he raised his hand and along his fingered rested a relic of the benefactors that took the shape of black spherical rock: a guidestone.

(Like many relics of our creators this guidestone contains within itself more than one nature) as he said this, psionic energy from the elder was feed to the artifact while a nearby reliquary began to glow (Like you, my young students, the creations of the Xel'naga hold more than one purpose) the light that had emanated from the guidestone began to make its way towards the wall.

A beam of light began to etch at this wall and little by little the flat surface began to be carved and transformed, as chips of stone were removed the shape of a mural began to make itself manifest. This simple mural showed a moment of the past, as protoss from different tribes enjoyed the beauty and wonder of their homeworld together. The young saw as several protoss danced and created as a manner to worship their gods.

It was a thing of beauty.

But these were frivolous actions that were denied to this generation of young warriors.

Peace would only come after the end of Amon.

…

(Essence…) began the elder again (Energy, information, matter and will are all one under the gaze of the great shapers) he turned towards the children once again (As this relic is made for more than one purpose you must never shackle yourselfs to a unique way. Should your efforts be for not) The elder began to depart (Come. There is much more to be taught before you are ready…).

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Xiltar was fond of this memory.

But in it laid another meaning behind his mentor's words.

(All is one… under the gaze of the great makers…) as he said these words he stopped examining the artifact as his eyes rested on a certain spot…

There he saw the mark of the Xel'naga: two distinct lines that curved towards a center where the shape of a diamond represented the unity of these two forces: form and essence.

He scratched the diamond and the voice from the artifact spoke once more as it shined with a dim blue light "We serve you… oh great one".

Before he could wonder why it called him that way a flash of white light overwhelmed his senses and his mind once more.

…

The protoss began to regain his bearings slowly as he blinked ever so slowly.

He still saw nothing but as his eyes began to adjust ever so slightly did the protoss realize that he wasn't in the human vessel anymore.

Xiltar saw that he was standing once again in a world he did not recognize…

He overlooked the horizon and saw that there was nothing save for a sea of white grassland that stretched as far as his eyes could see… a strange sight to him.

He looked down and saw that he was sitting on a black stone with some white engravings adorning its surface… in a scripture he could recognize.

Xiltar looked up… up towards the heavens… and saw something that should have been impossible…

Arakyr.

His home.

The world where he was born.

The world in which he had made his life.

The world for which he had fought.

….

The world he had abandoned.

(I see your companions helped you to attain a guidestone… our all seeing eye) spoke a voice he recognized in the same caring tone as before (It is good to see you, young friend).

Xiltar got up from his seat and turned around to see the origin of the voice.

Nebula.

She was sitting in an oddly symmetrical stone that was next to a small stone table.

(Friendship… that's a concept I thought was beyond the Xel'naga) said Xiltar as he approached the figure while she fiddled with some objects over the table (You lied).

(Not with bad intentions, wayfarer) replied Nebula as she turned to look at him with a glare (Had I spoken of the sin of my people before you revealed your conviction then I could have placed your life in jeopardy) the protoss stopped mere steps away from Nebula before she motioned for him to join her (Come… I owe you more than I could be able to repay you, wayfarer. But to your questions I can more than spare my time…)

(Explain yourself) Xiltar demanded as he walked in front of the Xel'naga so she would face him (I know that the temple wasn't one of Amon and only your people could have built such a place) Nebula stopped thinking with an object she held in her hands but Xiltar did not even register what it was (Why would your kind betray us?) He glared at the creature in a terran's guise as his anger began to flare (Why did so many have to die?).

But he just saw as his hurtful words did nothing but feel a calm face with a look of sadness.

Nebula looked down with a shame filled expression as she took a moment to answer him.

And as her mind graced that of the protoss he felt surprised by what her thoughts reflected.

They were filled with regret and sadness… but with honest intent above all.

(It was all in service of those same prophecies…) she said while looking at the protoss as a parent would if she had wounded her own child (The elders amongst our kind thought that it would be impossible for their own ilk to betray them… They knew of Amon's downfall but few did anything to oppose it…).

Her answer was a surprise to him.

(So your elders knew of this coming danger and did nothing… because they doubted themselves?) Xiltar found this development… perplexing to say the least.

(Not in its entirety…) she said while she motioned for Xiltar to take a seat next to the stone table. He doubted for a moment before humoring his… acquaintance.

She motioned for him to look up towards his world along with her as he sat with his legs bent.

…

Home.

He would miss that world.

The azure jewel of his people that served as a sanctuary as well as the most cherished world of the Ihan-rii.

A world orbited by two moons.

Tanax, the wandering son.

And Jirax… the lost daughter.

Xiltar stopped looking at his world for a moment and searched the firmament for these two celestial bodies.

He saw Tanax. But where was Jirax?

(You are standing atop her) Nebula said as she resumed her tinkering with the object in her hands.

(But… she was destroyed. Even before my people arrived here she had been broken by an asteroid and was nothing but a husk of something greater) Xiltar said as he looked at her.

(Not the whole truth) Nebula raised her gaze and looked over the grassland of white plants (I always loved this place) she then turned to look at Xiltar with a pained expression (As you spared the truth for those you trust I shall do the same for you… as best I can).

(And why is that?) The protoss asked as he looked directly at the disguised goddess.

(Because it is related to forgotten events… and a painful memories) Nebula said while she shook her head (As the dark one abandoned your kind and left you to an epoch of slaughter, the Xel'naga felt the absence of Amon and his followers across the void) Xiltar continued to listen (His trail led us to the zerg homeworld of Xerus. There, he unleashes his monstrosities against his own kind) this revelation broke the spirit of the young Protoss.

So even the zerg with the stolen essence of the Xel'naga were hopeless in their endeavor to free themselves from Amon.

(So they consumed you… and in turn they began their rampage across the stars) Xiltar looked to his world for some semblance of comfort after this dark revelation.

(You misunderstand, Xiltar) this caught his attention immediately and he turned to look at his companion (The zerg did not consume our essence… they could not. We returned to the void, where we found that Amon and his followers had laid many traps in order to imprison our kind and then he used us for our energies…) the air around her began to crackle with golden light before she slammed her clenched fist against the rock table (He… he dared to use us as nothing but BATTERIES!).

The wrath of the divine would have been something that a more naive Xiltar would have shuddered at the mere notion of occuring…

But this confirmed to the protoss that she was truly an ally against the dark one rather than an agent of his will.

(All but you) Xiltar answered with a small amount of contempt in his words but Nebula seemed to not care about his reservations (How did you manage to escape from the dark one's grasp?).

She took a moment to give him an answer (Many of my kind rallied and launched assaults against the betrayer's forces. We robbed him of his lieutenants: Kairon, Fenor and Izaas. But lost much of our strength in turn) she explained with a somber tone (The zerg were relentless in your material realm and his followers hounded us in the void… We were outmatched) she looked straight into the protoss' eyes with a sly look in her face (So a plan was devised by those that remained to oppose him…).

These revelations came as a shock to Xiltar.

The names she mentioned were chronicled as the names of great gods among his kind… The true Xel'naga that were meant to oppose Amon should the true devout find them in their lost homeworld of Ulnar.. To know that they willingly served the dark one shattered his resolve as his gods had never truly existed.

But Nebula was not one of his gods.

(We meddled with the plan of the dark one. Poisoning the mind of his creation, the Overmind, with a concept that the fallen one could not control: the desire for free will) this shocked the protoss. For all he had been told the overmind was a monster of apocalyptic cunning and galactic scope that was made with not but an enslaved will, to know that the Xel'naga planned to turn this abomination against the dark one in the first palace surprised him (We managed to turn the Overmind against his creators for a time. Making it so the young gestalt being felt the taste of freedom for the first time…) Nebula looked at the protoss as she gave him a quick smile before returning her focus on the object in her hands (But eventually the fallen one managed to shackle his will once more) her golden eyes glowed slightly as she looked up back at the protoss (But before he could do so, our retribution was a success. For the overmind had tasted freedom and lashed against Amon's physical form in anger, shattering it. We hoped that he would in turn struggle to gain freedom after this).

(You still haven't explained why you are the last one of your kind) Xiltar cutted harshly as this didn't explain to him why she was the last of the Xel'naga and how they had completely lost.

She took another moment before answering (The void is an endless space, young one. Amon's followers began to assault all the strongholds of our kind, but they could not find them all. Even now they comb through the endless nothingness searching for those that remained… I may as well be the last one) she continued to speak as the sorrow continued to slip from her words (I remained behind under the orders of my elder, Idris, and continued to monitor your kind, the humans… and the swarm).

(For what purpose?) Her observation of his kind was welcomed but the last revelation irritated the protoss.

Did she see all that transpired amongst the terran, protoss and zerg while not interfering?

(To rally your kind when the moment was right. To assault the fallen one from behind as he continued to twist what laid in his reach within the void) Nebula explained as she looked directly at Xiltar.

The protoss lowered his gaze as she said this (But you didn't…).

She shook his head (We could not…) Nebula focused on the object she had been meddling with and as Xiltar followed her gaze he saw that it was the guidestone which he she had been tinkering with (One final piece was stolen… one part of the rightful prophecy could not be spared) the Xel'naga in the shape of a bald human girl with golden eyes looked directly at the mighty alien with sadness (You now of whom I refer… Don't you?).

Xiltar looked down in both regret and sadness.

He knew.

The one who would unshackle the swarm and turn it upon its creator was a terran of all things.

(The queen of blades) Xiltar answered while Nebula did nothing but nod.

The protoss recalled the briefing that had been given to him by the Khalai and Nerazim amongst the survivors of the Daelaam and he recalled how surprised he had been when they told him that the prophecies of the one called Zeratul had pointed towards such a creature being the chosen individual that was destined to save reality.

Xiltar had scoffed the moment that such a preposterous thing had been told…

He wouldn't have done the same after he had been the witness of the prophecy of salvation in its entirety.

Nebula smiled for some reason.

(The time for this conversation is almost over) the young woman said as the dream began to dissipate around the protoss (Search for me after the garden has been silence… and please tell the weary children that they must aid you) Nebula handed the orb back to the protoss (I will leave you with one final gift… champion of the Ihan-rii) the Xel'naga stood up and approached the creature before she placed a hand on his forehead.

She then disappeared in a wisp of white smoke and the dream began to recede. The protoss lost his bearings once again as his consciousness began to slip away from his grasp.

…

As before, he opened his eyes slowly and found that he was in another place once again.

Xiltar found himself once again in the same cargo bay as before and as he turned in search for any other individuals he calmed once the absence of any other life form was confirmed.

But that would change shortly.

The protoss felt as his hand began to shake slightly and as he turned his gaze towards it, he saw that the artifact was in his hand and was acting as if it was consuming void energies.

He did not feel his own reservoir being tampered with but he left the orb in the table he had been sitting in and took some steps away from the shaking artifact.

It continued to shake with even more force until it suddenly stopped.

Silence permeated the chamber for a moment as the protoss just stared at the orb in confusion.

The artifact then began to levitate of its own accord.

No energy had been fed into it by the protoss and this worried him as the artifact was now acting by its own accord.

-Ankhanai Delta-Oran-Taen restored - the voice of a young male echoed directly from the orb and even though he could not listen to the sound of its words he was nonetheless able to understand it as it was also speaking directly into his mind. Holographic lines of light formed over the orb and turned into a pattern of a four pointed star that emanated from the same symbol he had interacted with just mere moments ago -Under the will of… -USER REDACTED. COMPENSATING-... Under the will of 'Nebula the servant of Idris' this unit vows its service to you, Xiltar the wayfarer- so the guidestone was indeed more than he expected it to be.

(...) Xiltar let out a grunt of discomfort (You are the gift of Nebula?) he asked.

-Correct- the orb began as it approached the protoss -This unit has been instructed by lady Nebula to serve as your personal aide. As stated before, this unit's services are at your disposal-.

This was… unheard off.

Not even once in the history of the Ihan-rii had any of the gifts of the Xel'naga taken such a strange and bizarre form.

The Ihan-rii had developed their AIs through interpretation and the study of ancient Xel'naga security measures found along their temples and ruins.

But this… this was something else.

Xiltar had to admit that what his people had developed along the lines of computing and digital existence was rather poor compared to what the Xel'naga had left behind but they would still shadow most races in his own universe and the current one when it came to creating safe artificial beings.

But not once had he heard the tale of a guidestone becoming something along the lines of a pure artificial life form.

(What… what are you?) Xiltar asked the strange machine the nature of its existence but was dumbfounded when the machine replied by creating some holograms with a white and gray light that emanated from it.

-This unit has been designed to act as your personal assistant in your mission, wayfarer- the machine spoke as it began to show a hologram of a galaxy map -Lady Nebula has outfitted this unit with all relevant and accurate data that is required to accomplish your mission… along with several utilities for your use-.

Xiltar remained weary for a moment before he looked at the galaxy map that the machine was showing (What data?).

-Anything from historical records of your original reality to a compass designed to find the relics you will require to form the key to the forge of stars- the machine said as it showed the four images of the relics he would need to find.

An all seeing eye… in the shape of the relic that floated before him.

A whisper from the void… it looked like some sort of void crystal that looked more perfect than anything he had seen before.

The last wish of an old growth… Whatever this was, it took the shape of a long staff but as Xiltar examined it more closely he saw that it was made of the same material as the long lost keystone.

A frozen crown… the artifact did not show what this relic was exactly but if its name was anything to go by then was to find some sort of helm in an icy world.

But wait.

(What is the forge of stars?) Xiltar asked as he looked at the orb.

Tha images of the artifacts were erased as the orb began to spin -Xel'naga bastion built in the world designated as XB-7504- the orb then displayed a sort of scream that showed an oily substance for a moment before it turned to the image of a Xel'naga temple in a pristine and primitive world -Location of installation has been lost to this unit's instruments. However it is registered within this unit's internal records that the Xel'naga structure lies atop a pool of cosmic energies and it was outfitted with a dimensional fissure shaper-.

(Dimensional what?!) Xiltar asked in surprise and confusion.

-Forbidden technology used by the creators to move worlds and species across dimensions to better place them along their designs within the infinite cycle- the orb began to explain -This technology was made forbidden after its abuse by the Xel'naga named Iozo-.

Xiltar… had never heard this name.

(Iozo…) Xiltar repeated that name before he realized something else (A moment… You said that this technology is forbidden. And my people never had any success while unlocking the other technologies that were deemed 'forbidden' by the Xel'naga. How does Nebula intend for us to use this dimensional fissure shaper?)

-Us?- the machine asked in confusion.

(Yes) Xiltar replied plainly.

…

The machine took a moment too long to continue with its explanation.

(Is everything alright?) Xiltar asked with both concern and impatience as he looked over the image and directly at the orb.

-Yes… this unit…- the hologram flickered for a moment -I offer an apology. Lady Nebula has outfitted me with the key to the temple-.

As it said this, the machine stopped showing the image of the temple and began to spin slowly in the air. It continued to spin some more before the sphere began to separate into pieces.

Xiltar saw a small blue diamond like crystal at the center of the construct and around it began to appear the scripture of the Xel'naga.

He could not understand the runes nor what they represented but they must have been the instructions that would allow them the use of the temple.

Xiltar nodded with satisfaction (I thank you… Your services will be more than welcome. But know that there are many precautions we must take while our duties in this realm continue).

-I understand, wayfarer. Your words are my command- the orb said as he began to close itself once again.

Xiltar then began to explain certain truths about this reality to the machine. But as he spoke, his thoughts circled back to the fate of the queen of blades and her progenitor.

How these creatures screamed their suffering across the cosmos and how the cries of the zerg for salvation were never answered.

The fate of the zerg disturbed the young protoss.

Afterword.

Chronicles were scuttled.

:c

Edit - Expand into space.