Chapter 14: A Talk With "Friends"

The two leaders gazed at each other through the hologram transmitter with an air of wariness and consideration. Their faces were impassive, hiding their respective schemes and plans behind a polite mask while holding an air of great importance.

"Emperor Mengsk," Dugalle said, suppressing his disdain for the man's title. "I am Admiral Gerard Dugalle and I command the expeditionary fleet of the United Earth Directorate."

"It is good to finally have a name and a face to associate with the group that has just arrived in my sector," Mengsk said. "So, why has Earth decided to involve itself here after so long."

"Earth has always kept an eye on its wayward children," Dugalle said. "The discovery of the protoss and zerg threat has made it clear that direct intervention was needed to safeguard humanity from the alien threat."

"An admirable goal, though I must admit the people of the Dominion have difficulty following your strategy," Mengsk said wryly. "Some of your choices appear… inscrutable."

"Our original orders called for the sector to first be united under our banner to effectively combat the zerg," Dugalle said. "However, as we learned more we found that the threat of the aliens was greater than we anticipated and your government proved to be more capable than the decrepit Confederacy. Thus, I am willing to offer you an alliance, to combine the forces of humanity in the fight against the aliens."

"My purpose has always been to defend humanity. And I have been doing so ever since the Confederacy fell," Mengsk said. "As for your offer, you must understand that your recent actions have not painted your intentions in the best of light, and the people of the Dominion find trust difficult. We would need more than words to be convinced of your sincerity. Perhaps some restitution. For those planets and fleets which you have taken."

Dugalle chuckled. "For you to speak of sincerity and trust is amusing. After all, did you not fight to protect the zerg on Tarsonis in order to have them eliminate your political opponents? Surely your own tactics to defend humanity are equally inscrutable."

"The Confederacy was corrupt and did more to aid the zerg than stop them. It was their attempts to use the zerg for their own ends that brought about their demise," Mengsk said. "I assure you, their passing was mourned by no one."

"They were people too, with friends, family and acquaintances," Dugalle noted. "While you have presented your version of events, I have heard quite a different retelling from the survivors on Tarsonis."

Mengsk's demeanor darkened. "Survivors? I assure you, they are no doubt deceiving you for their own profit. Those snakes have never worked for anyone other than themselves."

"I shall be the judge of that," Dugalle said.

"I warn you, dealing with them will do you no good," Mengsk said. "It would be best for you to cut ties and deliver them to Dominion custody to face trial for their crimes."

"The Directorate shall not abandon those that it has taken under its protection," Dugalle said. "And you are in no position to make demands now. Not while your Dominion is still faced with threats on all fronts. You would be wise to take our aid."

Mengsk was indignant. "The Dominion has been more than capable of defending humanity from those that seek it harm. We do not need to be told what to do by outsiders. You should be cautious of stepping in a place where you have little understanding."

"You ignore us at your own peril, Emperor," Dugalle said. "A threat is coming that you are not prepared for. I have intelligence stating that the protoss and zerg will be working in tandem to attack. Your Dominion is unlikely to withstand the full force of the alien menace."

"You show how little you know of this sector by presenting such an absurd tale to me," Mengsk said. "Protoss and zerg together, ridiculous. Even in the unlikely scenario that the protoss have found some way to control individual broods, they would hardly seek to attack the Dominion at this time. Your intelligence, if it exists, is clearly mistaken."

"You cannot afford to be obstinate when the true threat is still looming," Dugalle said. "Do not say that you were not warned in due time."

"I shall investigate this for myself," Mengsk said dismissively. "The Dominion shall continue to endure for years to come."

"Remember, we are only seeking the best for humanity," Dugalle said.

"Of course," Mengsk said with an amused look.

"One other small matter. I had been requested by the Old Family remnants to find where their surviving children may be," Dugalle said. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"There is no need for you to look any further," Mengsk said. "I've had them all dealt with."

Dugalle's expression turned stony. "You would even have children killed?"

"Do you know how many children and other innocents died when Korhal was destroyed?" Mengsk rebutted. "They've only gotten what they deserved."

Dugalle ended the call without another word.

Artanis and Zeratul walked through the encampment next to the warp gate on Aiur. It had changed greatly from when they had seen it last when they were hastily escaping from Aiur. It was no longer a temporary holdout, but a settlement in its own right. There were numerous structures to provide housing and sustenance along with manufacturing facilities. Both warriors and civilian workers walked throughout the base, going about their work. The base was ringed with photon cannons and walls, separating it from the dead forests surrounding them where some zerg still lurked.

"I am glad to see that you have been doing well, Fenix," Artanis said. "I had feared the worst before I arrived, that the zerg would have overrun your stranded forces. It is a testament to your strength and skill that you have not only been able to survive against the zerg attacks, but build a thriving encampment here around the warp gate."

"These mindless creatures were no match for the valor of the templar," Fenix replied. "But I do not deserve all the credit. Raynor and his men fought valiantly as well and were crucial in many occasions."

"That is high praise from you," Artanis said.

"I simply speak truly of his abilities and I am honored to have fought with him," Fenix said. "The zerg attacks were quite ferocious at times and we have had many hard fought battles."

"I'm just doing my job," Raynor said. "The zerg aren't going to care who is a human or a protoss. We're all in this together."

"Now that we are able to focus our attention on Aiur, the situation should not be so dire anymore," Zeratul said. "We can continue to search for survivors and bring them to Shakuras. With the zerg threat removed they will be safe there."

"Your support is most welcome," Fenix said. "Protecting everyone we gathered has been a strain on us, but now those concerns have been alleviated with your arrival."

"Tell me of your battles here," Artanis said. "No doubt you have countless heroic tales to tell us."

"Very well Artanis," Fenix said. "I shall regale you with the stories of my exploits then."

"Our first difficult battle came only the night after you had departed for Shakuras," Fenix said. "There had been many zerg drawn here before we had deactivated the warp gate. Many swarms of feral zerg rushed at us from every direction. Even as we defeated one group, another group of zerg would appear to attack us. There were brief lulls as the zerg came at us haphazardly but for the most part we were fighting continuously for days. It was a good thing the zerg lacked real organization, otherwise we would have taken heavier losses or perhaps even perished entirely."

"Our warriors had to fight in shifts as time passed," Fenix continued. "Though my mechanical body allowed me to push myself further so that I could command our warriors throughout the entire battle. I must have slew thousands of zerg during that time and I know several other warriors that distinguished themselves well. Through our efforts we were able to defend the warp gate until finally the zerg onslaught had ended. Then we were finally able to rest and refortify our position."

"With all the zerg you slew, there would hardly be any left to bother you," Artanis said.

"We did gain a brief reprieve," Fenix said. "But the zerg here on Aiur are numerous without count. It sickens me to see our homeworld reduced to a breeding ground for these creatures. Not long after, more zerg moved into the area and we had to fight them once more."

"It was a week after the first battle that we discovered that there was a group of protoss hiding nearby. I led an expedition to rescue them, fighting off the zerg that came near. The builders we brought back with us were able to help improve the fortifications of our base and after our base was secured we were able to go out further to look for more stragglers that had survived the zerg. That is how our numbers have grown since you last saw us."

"Still, it hasn't been easy," Fenix said. "The zerg are unpredictable and ferocious. A few days ago we had departed to investigate the ruins of a nearby city when we were ambushed by zerg coming out of the forest. These zerg even had ultralisks with them and our reavers could not kill all of them. It took many warriors to bring down an ultralisk all the while the other smaller zerg swarmed in behind them."

"How were you able to escape?" Zeratul asked.

"The zerg were thankfully not numerous enough to completely overwhelm us, and our warriors' bravery allowed us to hold the line," Fenix said. "My position had been overrun as an ultralisk barrelled down on me, but Raynor made a daring scheme. He sent his vulture into the mouth of the incoming ultralisk before escaping with me on foot. The explosion killed the ultralisk and some of the nearby zerg, allowing us to fall back to a better position."

Artanis and Zeratul looked impressed by this.

"Some people call vulture bikes deathtraps because of how easily they explode," Raynor chuckled. "But hey, that just means they double as a big grenade. A ride and a bomb all in one. Though I'm going to have to get a new bike now."

"Terran engineering remains inscrutable," Artanis commented. "To design such shoddy devices and then put people on them. Such a thing would never be done by the protoss."

"Well, we humans have to live with what we got," Raynor said. "It may not be perfect but it gets the job done. Terran ingenuity at work."

"The ways of the terrans are fascinating," Fenix said. "Though no doubt there are many of our people who would be horrified by them."

"I can imagine," Zeratul said wryly.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when someone came with an urgent message. "There are zerg that have arrived in orbit," the zealot reported. "They are heading toward us, but it seems that they are trying to open communications with us."

"Communications?" Fenix seemed flabbergasted.

"Connect us," Artanis said. "We shall see what their purpose is."

Artanis's armor projected the incoming call.

"Kerrigan, why have you come here?" Artanis said.

"Ah, Artanis," Kerrigan said. "Is Jim down there?"

"He is," Artanis replied.

"Excellent, I will be coming down then," Kerrigan replied. "Do tell your people not to shoot. I would be most annoyed by that."

The communication ended.

"What the hell!" Raynor exclaimed. "You're just letting her come down here?"

"I concur with Raynor," Fenix said. "You better have a good explanation for all of this."

"After we arrived on Shakuras, the magnitude of the zerg threat facing us was clear and it was decided that we needed to retrieve the Uraj and Khalis crystals in order to defeat the zerg on Shakuras. It was at this time that Kerrigan came to us with an offer," Artanis said. "She revealed that a new Overmind was growing on Char and she wanted to forge an alliance to defeat it. Matriarch Raszagal approved this plan and after she helped us obtain the Uraj, we arrived on Char to find the Khalis and confirmed that there was indeed a new Overmind. With her aid we were able to slay this new Overmind and Shakuras was saved from the zerg."

"This is quite an unexpected tale," Fenix said. "I could hardly have imagined that your path to defending Shakuras involved working together with Kerrigan. But you should be able to see that your collaboration allowed her to eliminate her rivals and gain control over the zerg swarm. She perhaps gained more than you did in the exchange. It is no indication of her trustworthiness when it comes to other matters."

"But it does show that she can be reasoned with," Zeratul said. "There is no harm in hearing what she has to say."

"Fine," Raynor said. "But I still don't trust this. I've had too many experiences where someone didn't live up to their side of the bargain."

A single overlord arrived outside the protoss base, bringing Kerrigan. Artanis, Zeratul, Raynor, and Fenix were there to observe her arrival.

"Hello there Jim, long time no see," Kerrigan said as she strode up toward them. "You seem to be doing well."

"Well, considering the last time we met was on Char where you were chasing me around trying to kill me, yeah I'm doing better now," Raynor said.

"I hope we can put that… unpleasantness behind us Jim," Kerrigan said. "After all, back then it was the Overmind that was ordering me to remove all of you who were invading Char."

"I dunno, you seemed pretty pleased with yourself when you were busy killing us," Raynor replied. "It didn't look like you were forced into it."

"The control of the zerg can be subtle," Kerrigan said. "Besides, I did try my best to let you live."

"Well, it seemed to me like you didn't think I was a threat and just wanted to mess with me," Jim said.

Kerrigan sighed. "Make of it what you will Jim. Besides, I didn't just come here to chat about old times."

"Then why have you come here?" Fenix asked.

Kerrigan turned to Fenix. "Hmmm, I don't think we've met."

"I am Fenix," he said.

"Ah Fenix, Artanis had spoken of you. To answer your question, I've come to tell you all about my new plans of course," Kerrigan said with a chuckle.

"Right," Raynor muttered with some incredulity. "And what might those be?"

"Well it is quite simple, Jim. I'm going to be going after Mengsk now," Kerrigan said. "I know that you want him gone too, so I'm extending you an offer to join in on a piece of the action. So, what do you say? Want to join me in toppling the so called emperor?"

Raynor thought for a few moments. "So you will be invading Korhal then?"

"Of course," Kerrigan said. "My preparations will be complete soon. Then the invasion will begin."

"I'm going to have to say no to this one," Raynor said. "I'm not going to help the zerg invade a planet to depose a government I don't like for a second time. It's not right to unleash the zerg on everyone on Korhal just to get at Arcturus. Plus, I'm already pretty engaged here and I have better things to do than to settle grudges right now."

"I'll just kill him myself then," Kerrigan said. "You do you. It's not like I needed help or anything."

Kerrigan departed, leaving the planet in her overlord. Although she was slightly irritated by the fruitlessness of the meeting, she soon turned her attention toward other matters.

Fenix turned to Raynor. "Did you reject the offer because you sensed some plot?"

"Oh, no I really did mean what I said," Raynor replied. "I can believe the offer was completely genuine. After all, Kerrigan is itching to go after Mengsk. And to be honest, I was tempted to go. But I'm not going to let those feelings determine what I will do. I can do more good here right now."