Come on, come on! Close the gate, close the damn gate now! 😫
"I'm trying but there's something forcing it open!"
*Creeeee!*
Get back you vile creature!
*Kick!* *Kick!* *Wham!* *Pow!*
*Raw!?*
"See ya' later never you freaky punk!"
*Portal closing noises*
Finally, away from that hell. That is the last time I'm letting you bring anything to my house without my permission.ðŸ˜
"Come on, it wasn't that bad."
We fought through 3 different Armageddons with the last one being the worse all because of the hydralisk! I've aged about a decade thanks to all that shit!
"Okay, okay. It was bad. But at least we came back to all our viewers alive and well."
I don't know about the last one- oh wait the viewers that's right! How long has it been? *Checks time* Good lord almost 3 years!? Geez, sorry about that, a lot of stuff happened on my end. But here I am with another update on this earworm of a story. You guys waited long enough. Let's get started!
"Yeeee haaaaw!" ヾ(≧▽≦*)o
Chapter 45: Mournful Return
The quiet.
The silence before the storm.
This is the worst part of war for Isaac; it gives time for his own thoughts to plague him with ideas of the future, what could go wrong, the lives he'll need to take, or whether he and his fellow soldiers in the belly of the dropship will even make it back.
It's an even worse situation here as he finds himself returning to the graveyard world that is Tarsonis, a place where he had raised his family; where he watched both his children, Davidson and Isabel, be born and grown. A place where he promised to protect November Terra and even began to see like a daughter. A place where he felt the warm embrace of Maria and the gentleness of May. All the memories he had made with them, the good and the bad.
Will he find Maria's and November's bones lying in the dirt somewhere; or are they already scattered to the wind? Perhaps they're already used as a meal for the Zerg?
'No, focus!' He shakes his head, banishing the thoughts from his mind.
Thankfully he has ways of staving these thoughts off until they are all deployed by inspecting the C-20A rifle in his hands. Despite having inspected it time after time before, looking at each individual component of the weapon keeps his mind preoccupied for the fight ahead.
Checking the trigger switch, finger's off and safety's on, safe to handle.
He looks at the barrel, it's cleaned and polished, good.
He pulls the bolt back, first shots in the chamber, good.
He pulls the clip out, all other twenty-three rounds inside, optimal.
Feeling out the equipment belt, ensuring that the five spare clips are with him, all is present.
He gives out a heavy sigh as his twelfth repeated checkup comes to an end leaving him with a slightly fidgeting leg. No matter how much he studies his weapon there's always time to think about the fight ahead. So, despite already knowing the weapon from barrel to stock he continues to study it, cleaning and inspecting his tool often enough to make himself look like a clean freak among his peers.
He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, just as long as he's keeping his mind intact.
"You okay?" His examination was cut short when he turned to companion, Hunk next to him.
While others would be intimidated by an eight-foot-tall hulking soldier staring down at them with glowing rectangular, orange eyes; Isaac just stared back. By meeting the man underneath the armor he could see past the robotic face and easily imagine a worried look from the marauder.
"Yes, I'm fine." He coldly responded, not wanting to indulge in his more private thoughts.
"If something's on your mind just tell me. It'll be between us…and Thomas." They looked over to Hunk's right-hand man sitting right next to hunk. The marine gave a quick look and shrugged.
"Look, I appreciate it, but we should focus on the mission."
The soldiers reluctantly complied to his request and stood silent for the rest of the trip.
It was for a short while before the silence was broken again as the ship's intercom filled the entire cabin.
"I'm receiving a transmission from commander Raynor, patching him through." Their pilot, Tina, announced before a holographic projection of Raynor's full figure emitted from the ceiling.
"Alright squad, I have a special mission in mind for you all specifically." Isaac's eyebrow raised at the mention of this statement, and when he looked to Hunk for answers he just shrugs in response.
"Name it, Commander." The hulking squad leader answers.
"For the past few missions our newest recruits, Janusar and Cronos, have been getting themselves in trouble and we had to bail them out. I want you all to stick with them on all subsequent missions from here on out each time we deploy and make sure that they don't get themselves into any unneeded trouble. I'm picking you guys specifically because of your prior experience with them."
This news was certainly surprising; but considering the temperament of the protoss-zerg hybrids he's more surprised that Raynor hadn't dedicated a supervising force already.
"Babysitting duty, got it."
"Good man. I'm also aware that one of you has a more personal connection with the two." The commander's eyes turn to his position. "Mind giving them some insight?"
Isaac's not thrilled to suddenly have the spotlight, but he gets up in front of the whole squad regardless to comply with his commander's request.
"Which hybrid are we deploying with?"
"Janusar." His eyes narrowed at the idea of working with that particular brother.
"Well, all I can say is he has a bit of an…attitude. He doesn't like being told what to do."
"That is clear enough. Anymore?"
"He's the most conniving of the group, always looking for a way to gain an advantage. Also is extremely protective of his two siblings. Mind if I ask you something now, sir?"
"Go ahead."
"How's he like on the battlefield, and does he already know about this?"
"Yes, he does. And when out he's the same as you've said about him, always wondering off to do his own thing. He seems to at least tolerate the troops, best to stay safe and not push it."
"We may not have a choice in the matter."
"Approaching Tarsonis' atmosphere, I suggest you all strap in." Tina advises.
"You all have your mission, and I've already told him about this, so good luck out there. Raynor out."
The hologram flickers out and Isaac is quick to get back into his seat and securely strap himself and his weapon in. Moments later the cabin begins to shake violently swaying their bodies back and forth as the turbulence from reentry takes it tole. Just as fast as it begins, it ends, leaving the ship as calm as before. No matter how many times he's deployed, the sudden whiplash will never stop being jarring to him.
"So then, never thought I'd actually have to fight alongside one of those hybrids, let alone babysit one. This will be interesting." Hunk mutters to him, rather unamused by the idea.
"Don't worry, if they start any trouble, I'll do all the talking."
"And how do you think you're gonna' convince them?"
"When you're a father for long enough you know how to deal with children."
"I don't see how that's relevant."
"Believe it or not they're just above four years old."
"Geez, really? That's one hell ov'a growth spurt." Thomas exclaims is his signature country accent.
"I guess that's what happens you're born in a lab."
He's not surprised by their shock. He felt a similar way after finding out about their story, to think that two of them grew to almost match a goliath in size in such a short time. In the case of Ares, he looks like he's in his early teens. The Zerg influence definitely had a part in that.
"Approaching the drop zone in t-minus 20 seconds, looks clear from here so you'll have an easy time for once."
"Where's the fun in that?" A marine responds causing the group to chuckle.
"We'll find some when we get there. Now get ready, we're going to show those Dominion goons why leaving us behind is the worst mistake they've ever made!" They all cheer to their leader's words with some even pumping their rifles in the air. It didn't take long before the pilot chimed again.
"We're here. You're free to depart."
The ship thumps as it lands, and the cabin wide door opens to the wider world.
"Let's move!"
Hunk was the first to exit the ship, followed by Thomas, then himself along with the rest of the squad. They all fan out securing the drop zone and quickly ensuring that the area is clear.
The sight before him was unsurprisingly grim, crumbling ruins of once great skyscrapers silhouetting against the dead, orange sky above them. Whatever pristine they've had is now covered by years of dust in the wind. Once a shining example of humanity's resilience against the cruelty of the Kapurlu sector, now just a husk as dead as its confederacy.
He looks over to see another dropship land next to theirs and the familiar blue face of Janusar emerges from the cargo hold shielding his eyes from the planet's sun.
"Janusar!" Isaac calls out.
His head snaps towards him, giving the group a sharp glare with glowing blue eyes showing his less than content attitude towards them; the lack of a mouth certainly not helping.
"Well, if it isn't the man of the hour!" The protoss-like hybrid rolls his eyes at Hunk's remark. "I'm sure the boss told you already but we're going to watch over you from here on out so let's get friendly with one another." His eyes narrowed further.
"He has, let's get this over with." Janusar's voice hissed in his mind with clear disappointment as he turns around and floats near the end of the plateau before stopping.
"Well, this will be fun." Hunk grumbles.
They look back to see the entire base beginning to come in and land with SCVs deploying from the command center immediately afterwards before starting tasks while the factory and barracks land nearby.
It wasn't long into the construction effort before their comms sound off.
"Alright boys, we've picked up on some Confederate diamondbacks nearby in the cliffs, Swann says that they'll be useful with their railguns, sending locations for the few we know of now. Find them and get them back up for us."
"Ooo, that sounds hella' nice. point us the way!" Thomas cheers right before three small green waypoints lights up with two in the distance and one beyond a path right next to them.
They make their way through the corpses of fallen buildings to quickly find themselves before a dormant and surprisingly intact vehicle that contrasts with the rest of their conventional equipment by being sleek and angled as it tappers into a narrow arrow-like shape. Two large guns sit either side of its peak turret, and four relatively small engines grafted at the bottom by both ends.
"Hot damn baby, where've you've been all my life? I got dibs!"
Their mutual companion didn't waste time as he ran ahead of his compatriots and began climbing its angled metallic surface with surprising agility, finding a hatch on top, and opening it before jumping in. The vehicle whirled to life as the four engines light up and pushed it off the ground before keeping it stable at about a meter off the ground.
"So, how does she handle?"
"Let's see, uh…maybe like this." The diamondback suddenly jolts backwards bumping against the debris and knocking a few chunks of scrap down much to the amusement of the whole squad. "Come on baby work with mea'." It swayed back and forth for a good few moments before settling down. "I think I got it." He chuckled like a kid before they set back out through the trail back to base.
They see that the base itself is now up and running with the SCVs already hard at work collecting minerals and vespine for their cause. Meanwhile, Janusar is still hanging at the same spot as where they left him but this time looking at them with an impatient look with his skeletal arms crossed.
"Now that you got your toy, can we proceed now?"
"Uh huh, got it." Isaac looks over to Hunk and sees him staring off in the distance for a few moments before refocusing on the present. "Alright, we're heading off to that waypoint over there." He points his gauntlet at the farthest point away from them. "Another squad will get the other diamondback, let's hustle it before a train arrives." They all nod before following their commander down a natural ramp nearby with the hybrid in tow.
As they ran across the dessert field and past what looks like a metal rail track, the squad marches up the ramp ahead only to be met with two paths with the right showing a visible Dimondback.
"Alright, Isaac you scout out left side, we'll head down and retrieve the vehicle."
"On it."
He ran ahead, his light armor allowing him to sprint faster than the others while they go their separate ways. Checking his motion sensor before continuing on he sees a single red blip near the edge of the radius pop up and he begun moving more cautiously through the rubble as two more dots appear. Upon spotting the familiar red armor of a Dominion marine he swiftly takes cover in a nearby pile of rubble before they could see him.
Peeking over, he eyes more soldiers guarding a line of mineral patches which he quickly takes note of before ducking back down and accessing his comms.
"I've spotted a squad of Dominion forces. Five marines and two medics alongside an auto turret. Requesting backup."
"Copy that, on our way."
He continues to eye the hostiles, making sure that they remain unaware of his position.
"We're getting close, get ready to pop em'."
"Copy, taking aim."
He raises his rifle up and settles it on a sturdy piece of debris, making sure his reticle lands on a medic's head.
No, not a medic, just a target. A target among many, one that he won't miss.
"We're closing in. Have a target?"
"Affirmative."
"Pop it."
As swiftly as Hunk said the order, he pulls the trigger hitting the target straight on the dot. The white armor falls limply on the ground startling the rest of the targets before his group moves in. The field erupts in gunfire as the two squads engage one another. He takes aim at the other white target and brings it down, ridding the enemy of their support. Two more hostiles get gunned down while the sniper shifts for another spot. It didn't take long for the enemy to fall to their firepower as the fourth crimson target falls before the last dies by his hands.
The field falls silent as fast as the fight started and he takes a headcount. Hunk, the two medics, the two newly acquired diamondbacks, and the remaining marines are all present with the troops now getting their wounds patched up. However, there's one missing:
Their hybrid.
"Where's Janusar?" In response Hunk looks back and finally realizes their absent comrade.
"What? But he was right behind us. Thomas?"
"Sorry, was looking over the controls on this thing before the fight."
"Anyone?" No response came earning a frustrated sigh from their leader. "Great, barely a few minutes in and he's already gone. Let's go find him before he gets into any trouble." Suddenly their comms chimed loudly.
"A train is coming through the Northern track." The adjutant said.
"All forces meet up at these coordinates now!" More waypoints pinged on the field that they were at just moments ago.
"Well crap. Let's go everyone and keep a lookout for the hybrid."
They follow Hunk down the ramp and back towards the tracks where another group of soldiers primarily comprised of diamondbacks and a few infantry met up with him. Isaac continues to survey the area for Janusar, but he's nowhere in sight.
There was no time to be frustrated as the large silhouette of the train of the Dominion train soon comes into sight, thankfully with no escorts, meaning that engagement hasn't set off any alarms yet.
"There it is, let's light it up!"
The who group aims and fires their weapons in a hail of bullets ensuring that the train's hull takes as much damage as possible. He aims his own rifle to hit the large engines in the hopes of slowing it down, but his weapon was not made to damage such heavy armor. It doesn't help that the train is moving too fast for him.
It soon passes the group leaving them behind in flames, but still intact enough to get by. Only the diamondbacks could keep up, and like a pursuing pack of predators they stay with the train as the blue streams of their railguns break away its armor.
"Yee haw!" Thomas' excited cheer comes through their comms as the train finally succumbs to the damage and crashes to the ground, bursting into flames and falling apart into thousands of chunks. All that is left behind are dozens of pallets of usable scrap and vespine tanks behind. Such a sight admittedly brings a wave of satisfaction to him.
The satisfaction was cut short when a familiar face finally decided to show itself from around a nearby cliff face.
"Janusar, where have you been?" Hunk sternly asked while approaching the floating creature.
"None of your concern, terran." He brushes off the marauder's advances and moves past him. This response got under Isaac's skin. New or not, Janusar should address a superior rank with more respect. He approaches the hybrid and looks straight up into his glowing eyes.
"Listen Janusar, like it or not we're all in this together so you need to pull you weight if you want this to end sooner. Got it?" He spoke with the authority of a father, not at all fazed by the sheer height difference.
The recipient rolls his eyes before attempting to move away once again.
"Don't you…" He sighs, trying to find a way to speak to him. But nothing comes up as the hybrid floats away. Frustration builds up in his mind at the childish disobedience of the hybrid as Hunk walks beside him.
"Well, that could've gone better."
"Yeah, ain't he just a party pooper." Thomas added as he drives on close to them.
"Isabel wasn't this bad, even on a bad day."
"Well, it seems you have your work cut out for you."
"Seriously?" The sniper gave a sharp look from under his helmet at his companion.
"Look, I'm good with people without a doubt, but I'm not so sure with ten-foot-tall freaky alien hybrid things. You honestly have the best chance out of all of us to get through to him and his brother."
He was about to retort before reluctantly staying his tongue. The marauder commander was right. Out of all the troops in this squad he is the with the most familiarity with them, and if anyone has a chance to even talk to them, it's him.
Suddenly more green pings light up on his visor, this time from across the map and into the fog of war.
"Welp let's get back to looking for more diamondbacks then. I'm sure that last train tipped them off." The troops followed their orders without complaint towards their next objective.
Is this it?
Is training and waiting all he's going to do on this ship?
Ares hoped by escaping the space station of his birth he could explore more of the Koprulu Sector, see new worlds, discover exotic creatures, have new experiences. But instead, he's back where he started, in a metal room focusing solely on his abilities, that's all he does. Things were supposed to change but nothing really did and it's frustrating.
He stared intently at the closed door thinking about what Isabel and her family are doing beyond it. Whatever it is it's more exciting than what his existence has come to.
"Focus Ares!" The voice of his brother, Cronos, snaps him back into reality allowing him to narrowly dodge a bladed tendril that was aimed right at his body.
He recovers with a hand on the ground and dashes towards a nearby crate to avoid another strike from a second tendril.
"Never lose focus in the heat of battle!" The monstrous form of the zerg-like hybrid charged into him forcing the much smaller sibling to move out of the way. A bellowing roar was let out of his toothy maw before readying another charge.
Ares' objective was to somehow subdue his brother before it's the other way around, but how could he? While he has the body and strength of a terran adolescence, Cronos' frame is much larger, sturdier, and covered in chitinous plating. His claws on both his upper arms and all his tendrils are large enough to bisect a fully grown human in half with ease. What can he possibly do against such a superior foe?
Cronos leaps almost as high as the room's roof and descends right towards his position forcing the child to move again before he was crushed by his monstrous sibling. He lets out a deep chuckle as they begin to circle each other. While others would be unnerved by this, Ares just sees it as his brother being like a teasing child to him.
"You are enjoying this way too much." He lets out a deep breath before having to avoid another lunging strike.
A tendril swings almost immediately forcing him to use his psionic prowess to fling himself out of the way avoiding the strike by mere inches. He lands high on the crates and regains his footing for a brief moment before turning back around. Ares was shocked at the force of that swing; it was like he was actually trying to kill him that time.
They stared each other down, but this time his bright shiny eyes were different, they gave off a more feral feel, and he could feel it in his mind. All his grievances were replaced with a deep sense of concern as his brother slowly approaches him on all six of his main limbs like a predator with its prey.
"Cronos?" He asked nervously, but no response came, only an animalistic growl past his teeth.
At this moment his fight-or-flight instincts kicked in as his brother leaps again, this time with the full intention of tearing him apart like a piece of meat. The large creature crashed into where the boy stood as he began to descent the tower. Over a dozen metal crates collapse down upon him as he barely skims past all but one which hits him by the left shoulder causing him to spin to the ground.
Landing harshly on the cold metal flood he was left dazed as he tried to get back up. Before he could however, the now crumpled pile of crates erupts as Cronos forces his way out throwing even more debris near the cowering fledgling. Another moment of a shared glance was shared before an ear-shattering roar filled the entire room.
For the first time, he felt genuine fear towards Cronos.
He tries to get back up to avoid another leaping strike, but the sheer impact of the landing forced him to fall again. With so little distance between the two he couldn't move in time as the more dexterous lower limbs grabbed onto his shoulder and abdomen and pinned him against a large crate. He squirmed helplessly as his feral brother lowered his head to meet his gaze. A sizzling hiss escaped his tooth filled maw as ten sharp claws begin to dig into his flesh.
Agonizing cries were let out as the boy flailed even more desperately to escape his grasp.
"C-Cronos, you're h-hurting me!" He pleads to his sibling with tear filled eyes. And yet no response came.
The claws went deeper sending waves of unbearable pain throughout his body forcing out more cries from within. Then slowly, Cronos leans in, his mandibles parting way to the dozens of large, razor-sharp teeth ready to bite into him for the killing blow.
A primal fear enveloped Ares, an overwhelming sensation overwriting any sense of reason in the young hybrid as the jaws come closer.
With instinct guiding his actions his free arm swells with psionic energy, more than even he thought possible, until the limb was completely enveloped with swirling power.
"LET ME GO!"
All at once his energy erupts from his hand into a blinding beam of light hitting straight into one of the beast's eyes. Cronos screams in pain as he lurches back and letting go of his prey to tend to his new wound.
Without hesitation Ares scrambles to his feet and begins limping away quickly despite his grievous wounds with nothing but adrenaline and the need to survive pushing him forward through the scattered crates.
He just moved and moved in what felt like a blur until he found a secluded spot that he felt was far enough away from his wayward brother before collapsing against one of the crates as a fearful heap. With labored breath he looks down to see all the deep bleeding wounds across his left shoulder and gut leaking out crimson liquid from each gash. As a sight too much to bear he looks away and begins focusing on healing them before he is found. The pain begins to return as he heals, making the task all the more difficult, and before he made much progress, he begins to hear footsteps.
Heavy footsteps.
Panic begins to set in again as a dark silhouette glides from around the corner. He tries to get up to move again when something stops him.
"Ares…" It was the voice of his brother, back to normal, but filled with remorse.
He watched as Cronos emerged from the cover, still holding his injured eye, and when their eyes met, he could see that they were back to how they used to be before, but as he stared deeper only a great sense of pain was felt.
"Ares, are you okay?" His brother tried to reach out, but residual traces of his instincts caused him to flinch back in response causing the larger hybrid to retract in confusion.
Cronos then looked at his claws and sees to his horror just how drenched in blood they are.
In his blood.
He took his other hand off his eye, revealing a scorched area where it used to be, to examine his other limb which only adds to his shock.
"No…NO!" For the first time in his short life Ares has seen the ferocious, battle loving monster of a brother shake in total fear and shock as his mind breaks down, and before he could react his brother dashed away out of sight. Moments later he could hear him roaring in anger as he smashed and shredded everything around him.
With little else he could do, he remained where he is and focused on recovering from his wounds.
Junk, nothing but junk.
Janusar felt frustration with the lack of anything useful in the piles of scrap and debris he had to dig through. As he used his telekinesis to move a pile of rocks and building remains out of the way he uncovers more zerg defiler bones, creatures that the terrans claim to be support units for the alien army. With the power to cast a shroud that negates any range attack and lethal spores that can bring one to near death, they sound like rather troublesome creatures, hopefully he comes across none of them. Unless he can take one as his own.
Regardless, there's nothing useful here either making him question the value of this dead world as he begins to move on to another spot. Looking over near the train tracks he spots a group of his "allies" rummaging through the remains of a newly felled train, and among them the terran named Isaac. He couldn't see his face, but it bugged him none the less knowing the sheer audacity of the man that tried to tell him what to do like the rest of his kind. He wanted to exert his superiority over these simple creatures, but that would put his brothers back on board in danger of retaliation, and even he isn't foolish enough to invoke that, so he tolerates the indignity for now.
He moves forward to a nearby cliffside in hopes of finding something useful on this planet, even if it's a smidge of a resource he can use.
Suddenly a loud boom echoed in the distance confusing the protoss alike hybrid for a moment of brief silence. Without warning an explosion crashed onto his shield sending a new but already irritating wave of sensations across his body. He barely had time to process what he felt before another shot impacted harshly against him like a drum making him wince again from the feeling. He looked around to find the source of these strikes but another hits him before long. Already agitated to the point beyond his desired threshold Janusar quickly evacuated the area hoping to get away from this new aggressor. Avoiding another strike, he levitated away as far as he could until he heard no more shots being fired.
Shaking his head both in frustration and need to regain his senses, he looked around again in hopes of finding what was responsible, but found nothing to his irritation.
"First time with a siege tank I give it?"
He jolts his gaze to the new but familiar voice, coming face to face with Isaac once again. He rolled his eyes expecting to be chastised by the smaller terran yet again. But he felt something else instead…sympathy?
"Those things are a pain to deal with, especially if they have spotters with them. I've seen lot of firefights start with a shell hitting a poor bastard where he stood. The rest often follow suit. Honestly, I'm lucky one hasn't nailed me yet." This was the first time he hadn't felt any aggression in his voice, in fact he felt a smidge of pain with each word spoken. This pain was quickly shaken off before he spoke again.
"Happen to spot where the tank was?"
He shook his head.
"How about when you first started getting shelled?" The question was easily answered as the hybrid turned and pointed at the cliffside he was just at moments ago. The terran sniper studied the region for a few seconds, calculations running and rerunning quicker than the hybrid thought he could before.
"Alright. Hunk, over here!" Looking over he sees the heavy soldier walking to his words.
"What do we got?" He asked.
"Siege tank, somewhere over there. My best guess, up and over that ramp."
"Thought I heard something. Commander, come in." Janusar looked into the man's head to hear what was going on.
"Raynor here, what's the sit rep?"
"We have a siege tank out of view. Requesting overwatch at my coordinates."
"Request received; a Hel's Angle is en route."
It didn't take long for a viking to soar over them, the roar of its engines fading quickly as it circled through the area ahead. Through the eyes of the soldiers he saw a faint outline of a siege tank and quite a few soldiers standing near it up in the elevated plateau.
"Crap, they look pretty dug in. Ain't going in there without taking casualties. We could try sending in the Vikings, but the infantry will make it hectic for them."
"Plus they're needed for the banshees patrolling the area. And a forward assault isn't ideal, none of us are durable enough to get close enough. Unless…" Isaac slowly turns to him, and Janusar is already not liking what it means.
"Don't you dare…" He tries to interject.
"You're the only one of us who can survive a shot from that tank. We just need you to take point and we'll provide support. If we all do our part we can end this before it can fire three more rounds. Sound fair?"
If the protoss-alike hybrid had a mouth it would be bearing a grimace expression right now. But this expression began to fade when the logic of the situation began to settle in his mind. As strong as he is now, taking on this contingent alone would not be wise, especially with the blatant advantage they have. The feeling of the siege tank alone was enough to rattle him so all the infantry on top of that would feel overwhelming to him. He gave a mental sigh and conceded to the logic.
"Then let's make it quick." Isaac just nods and looks to his commander who nods in return.
"Listen up everyone!" Hunk bellowed. "Up there is another diamondback that will help us on this mission but there's a Dominion force blocking the way. Janusar will take point and draw the tank's fire while we follow behind and provide fire support. Everyone clear?!"
"Yes sir!" The marines shouted.
"Alright, let's move out!"
Though he still disagrees with the plan, the hybrid takes the lead back towards the ramp with the soldiers trending close behind. As he approaches, he braces himself for the incoming fire, tensing more and more the closer he got. He never felt much fear in fighting others, even against the Protoss and Zerg which are far more threatening than terrans can ever hope to be, yet he felt fear now.
Why? It's such a small force. Is it the tank? Sure, it annoys him but not as threatening as say a brutalisk. So why does he feel tense suddenly?
He peeked behind him and confirms that all the Raiders are right behind him, if just a few meters behind. So, they are sticking to their words, good. That somehow brought a bit of relief.
Only metallic footsteps filled the air for the few moments that they approached the ramp, but then a familiar distant boom echoed in the air.
"Here we go!"
Despite his shield Janusar instinctively braced himself for the blast. It came seconds later and his whole world shoke once again.
"Just keep moving forwards, you got this!"
Just keep moving forward, that's right, that's all he needs to do. Don't focus on the shaky world, just keep moving forward up the ramp.
Another shell slams against him.
And kill that damnable tank!
With haste the hybrid travels up the ramp hoping to end this as quickly as possible. Finally he has visual on the Dominion forces. Marines, firebats, medics. And that tank. Pushing forwards he prepares himself for a fight just as the tank fires again.
The shell hits but this time with a target to focus on he can bear with the intense feeling. Charging forwards a flurry of gunfire rang out filling the air with speeding lead that whizzed through the air and pelted against his shield like heavy rain.
The tank fired again connecting directly with him forcing a thick cloud of shrapnel to blind him for a moment. He pushed past the smoke witnessing a red marine get gunned down by bullet fire before a firebat begun charging at him. It was thrown to the side like trash into a nearby pile of rubble, he's not stopping until the tank does. The remaining enemies tried to gun him down, but he ignores them, solely focused in the tank.
And…There! Right within reach and out of his range.
Before it had the chance to fire another shot, he focused his mind towards the vehicle's operator. Like a snare trap his mind snaps around theirs, dominating the terran effortlessly. With the threat finally eliminated he could turn his attention to the rest of his foes. To his surprise and relief, they have all been taken care of by the Raiders. As the terrans predicted the fight was over quickly, and he didn't need do to too much during it.
His thoughts were interrupted when the firebat from before dug itself out of the rubble to discover that they were the sole survivor.
The hybrid takes this as an opportunity to try out his new acquisition. He ordered the pilot to turn on its former ally, and without a moment of hesitation the turret spun around and fired a booming shot resulting in the unfortunate soldier exploding in a fiery ball of dust and armor with a flame gauntlet landing near him. He couldn't help but feel amused at seeing the terrans now being victim to their own weaponry.
"Yeesh." He looks over to see one of the marines nervously staring at the carnage. He ran with the rest after a moment processing it.
With the skirmish over Janusar wanted to clear his mind for the moment after being around all the terrans. After un-sieging his tank, he brought it along towards the edge of the elevated plane and looked over the distance analyzing the ruined remains of the city.
He couldn't see sense in the value of this world, what is there to actually gain? No worthwhile essence or resources, just some scrap the terrans somehow find valuable. This world is dead, filthy, and overall unappealing as a home for he and his brothers. When their time with these Raiders comes to an end, he wants them all to grow on a world rich with life, a world like Agria. And he would've had them stay there if it weren't for the Zerg driving them out. He'd recently felt their eagerness to explore beyond the confines of metal and wires after just having escaped their birth station, but with these terran all about, he can't risk it now. At least they're safe in that storage room.
Then there's the sector wide conflict with the Zerg and Protoss. Whether he likes it or not this alliance is the best way to keep them safe for the time being.
"You did good out there." A familiar voice intrudes his thoughts. Looking over he confirms it is the terran sniper steadily walking beside the floating hybrid. "That tank will be useful in out fight, smart thinking."
"What do you want?" He doesn't know the full intricacies of human nature, but he knows just enough to see he's trying to appease him for another gain and he isn't having it.
"I just want us to get along." Isaac said bluntly. "We serve the same cause, and we need to work together to achieve it."
"I don't intend to rebel against the Dominion for the foreseeable future."
"I meant to each other, not the Raiders. We both want to keep our families safe and frankly joining the rebellion was a last resort for us too. But the only way we can ensure we come back to everyone alive is to work together."
Janusar could only squint his eyes at the mere thought of this.
"I get that you don't like us, and I don't blame you. I'm not asking you to place trust in all of humanity, even I can't do that. I'm asking to place your trust in me and my family."
"Just days ago you were so adverse to us. Why do you seek our presence now?"
"As I said before, we have the same goal. And frankly we have more in common than either of us can admit." How can they? They both differ in too many ways. "Plus, I trust you with my daughter, and I don't say that lightly."
"Why would you take your chance with a creature like me over your own kind?"
"To be honest, you're the best option available. And I haven't forgotten what Ares has done for me on Agria. That level of care is rare in the Kaprulu Sector, and I'm not quick to forget it."
Is that it? He couldn't fully grasp why his younger sibling would continue to help the terrans despite all they'd done to them. But he can't deny the effect it has caused. Perhaps there's a practical merit in such a mindset?
Before he could continue the thought, a beeping came from his communicator disk forcing him to bring it out to respond.
"A train is coming from the western tunnel." The robotic adjutant informed.
"We'll continue this after the mission, at least this train will be easy too."
As if in response to this statement the voice Tychus' came over the comns.
"Looks like they ran out of whatever they were juicing the trains up with. They're bringing heavier escorts though."
"Never mind then. Let's get this over with."
Isaac wasn't sure if he had gotten through to Janusar in that instant. Time was too short, and the mission takes priority. He merged back into his squad as they passed by with the floating Janusar and his siege tank following suit. As they come down the ramp, he looks through the crowd and took note of the green pings marking the train tracks ahead. As to why the commander would put them right on the path of the train itself still confused him. But they were able to safely evade it regardless.
Isn't this like the seventh train already though? Not that's he's complaining, the salvage they found was pretty substantial and he certainly enjoyed watching each of the Dominion's trains crash and burn. But his opinions are irrelevant, he just needs to help complete the mission, get off this graveyard of a planet, and make it back safely to May and Isabel.
As the ramp leading to their base was in sight, they were met with additional forces comprising of a trio of dimondbacks, two goliaths, and the other half of the local forces ready to assist. It didn't take long for the army to form up.
The accompanying siege tanks moved near the base of the valley and set themselves up behind the bulk of the army. This reminded him to look towards Janusar's siege tank for the extra fire power. Looking up towards the floating zerg-protoss hybrid, he readies his suggestion.
"I suggest placing your tank with theirs. They'll be safe while shelling the enemy for afar." He expected some form of pushback from the protoss-alike hybrid. But instead he just took another look at the tanks and had his tank move in. Though not exactly in the spot he suggested it was good enough to provide support to the rest of the army.
Geen pings light up in his HUD marking a location to the left of the tracks by some nearby debris.
"Got it Boss. Everyone move in!" Through Hunk's orders the squad coop themselves up in the debris pile which was thankfully high enough to sufficiently cover even a crouching marauder. Thomas on the other hand was separated to meet up with the rest of the diamondback to hunt down the next train.
Isaac took a spot at the back of the formation and readied his rifle down range ready to pick off the first Dominion trooper. He knows his weapon has little effect on the trains themselves so he prioritizes the infantry, especially marauders after seeing a diamondback getting pulverized by them, to give the others a clear shot to the objective.
To his right he could see Janusar hovering near him, spindly arms crossed against his chest waiting for the next fight like a businessman waiting for a meeting. It's assuring to see the hybrid stand next to them in a battle for once, perhaps he is getting through to him.
With all troops set up they didn't have to wait long for their target train to arrive. Past a nearby cliff face the large and bulky frame of the train emerges, and along with it a pair of hellions keeping pace with the slower vehicle near the front. There more enemy marines, marauders, and even firebats are seen escorting their target in greater numbers than last time.
Supporting them is a contingent of armored units comprising of 3 goliaths and even an elite siege tank near the rear of the formation. Though he can only see left side of the train, he can easily assume that the units he does see are mirrored to the right making their numbers quite formidable.
Then he looks above in response to distant roaring of engines in the sky and see the large four finned silhouette of a Raven flanked by two banshees. Between the raven's arsenal of turrets and hunter seeker missiles and the banshee's rocket pods, this is going to be a tough fight.
But unfortunately for the Dominion, the Raiders are ready and waiting with nearly every available weapon at their disposal. Isaac took aim at the nearest marauder, and by the time the train was within a hundred meters of them, the first shot was made.
The trooper hits the ground a whole firefight ensues, bullets rockets, and tank shells flying every which way as the two sides clash. Despite the chaos Isaac still kept his sights trained on his targets putting down a firebat in the process.
Vikings overhead began their strafing runs against the Raven, pelting it's hull with barrage after barrage of rockets, keeping it from using it's weapon systems against the infantry as it focuses on them instead. However, one banshee slipped past the dogfight to engage the ground forces.
"Banshee! Hit the deck!" Isaac and his group moved out the way as it zoomed past a nearby squad of marines and killing a few unlucky soldiers with rockets before darting away.
It quickly rotated around and began another run, this time towards the dimondbacks engaging the train.
"Thomas you got a banshee, 3 o'clock! Move!" Hunk cried out.
The diamondback Thomas was driving suddenly lurched back from the rest of the group barely avoiding the fate of another diamondback that was demolished by the craft.
"That was too damn close! Thanks for the call." Thomas spoke over the radio before reengaging the train.
"We need that thing dead! Got any ideas?" Hunk asked. Isaac looked over to see the goliaths trying to target the banshee but it's moving too fast for a proper lock-on, and he could see the rest of the Vikings now engaging wraiths overhead.
He suddenly caught sight of Janusar floating just ahead of him, focusing on the aircraft that is now coming in for another run. His two spindly hands come together before a bright bule ball of energy begins to form between them. Issaac quickly catches on and runs next to the hybrid to assist.
"Aim for either the cockpit or one for the engines. We'll cover you." The hybrid only gave a quick glance before refocusing on his effort. Isaac then places a hand to his helmet radio.
"Everyone! Janusar is going to take the banshee down! Let's keep him covered until he does!"
"You got it! Everyone, form a defensive behind Janusar, keep these Dominion goons from interfering!"
As ordered all the troops in the squad began forming up behind the protoss-alike hybrid into a concave formation facing away from him with Hunk and the marines forming the arc forming a wall with their combat shields while their two medics and Isaac take the back.
It wasn't long before a small dominion force consisting of a marauder, 5 marines, and a hellion catching up from a distance begun barreling towards them. He took aim, intending to take out the marauder to leave the others open to his troops. After lining up the shot, he pulls the trigger, blowing the head clean off its shoulders and dropping the grey armor to the ground.
The rest open fire with both sides sending a hail of bullets at each other. However, thanks to the efforts of the medics alternating between the injured soldiers all the Raiders lived through the engagement while the enemy troopers were all slaughtered in seconds.
But the hellion from before caught up and before they could react it shoots a stream of fire towards the group. An already injured marine was unlucky enough to get caught in the flames and was burnt to a crisp inside his armor before the medics could tend to him. The blood curdling screams of the solider shot into Isaac as he succumbed to a painful death.
"Shit! Scatter!" The entire squad, including Isaac, quickly spread out to avoid the flame and surround the hellion. Unfortunately, the four-wheeler decided to target him next, letting out a torrent of flame that roared towards the sniper.
He tried to duck out of the way, but the flames still struck him, consuming his left arm in orange fury. His entire arm was replaced with a sensation of agonizing pain causing him to stop running as he could feel his own skin boil from the immense heat even from under the suit.
He laid helplessly on the ground as his enemy was about to finish him off, but the large frame of Hunk got in the way just as the vehicle fired. His heavy armor dispersed the flame before it could reach him.
"Don't worry. I got you." The female voice of a medic assured as he begins to feel his pain fading away with the aid of her healing beam.
Once he recovered, he could see the rest of the troops firing away at the hellion, tearing away at it's light armor rapidly as it continued to try to burn hunk to a crisp, but the aid of the same medic kept that from happening. It was nearing destruction when it tried to run, but a well-placed concussion shell slowed it down long enough to allow the others to finish it off, causing it to explode into nothing but scrap.
With the threat eliminated Isaac turn back towards his hybrid fellow and see a now bigger orb of energy in his hands arcing with power. At the same time the banshee is seen heading their way for another run. The closer it gets the stronger the urge to move out of the way becomes as he can feel his legs readying to throw himself to safety.
But before he could do that Janusar finally fired the energy ball, sending it hurling as a streak of blue light. The banshee saw the attack and tried to veer to the side to avoid it, however, the hybrid made a gesture with his hand right before the bolt suddenly veered along with the aircraft. Despite the vehicle's best attempt, the bolt homed in like an angered hornet before making contact with it's right engine causing the area to explode.
Propelled by its own momentum, the banshee spins out of control as it rapidly descends towards the ground as a plume of smoke now leaks from its broken wing. When it finally hit the ground, it harshly skipped once across it leaving a cloud of brown dirt behind before becoming airborne again only to crash straight into one of the train cars. It violently explodes against the durasteel frame leaving the impacted cart severely damaged and flaming in the process. Despite the damage, their target still trudged on, but now without an escort.
His comns suddenly chimed. "Everyone, focus all fire on to the train before it escapes!" Commander Raynor ordered.
"Got it. Let's light it up everyone!" Hunk proclaimed and the entire squad, even Janusar, begun pursuing their target with the rest of the Raiders.
Tanks shells pound the hull from above and opening new flaming wounds, only stopping to readjust positions. Dimondbacks pierce the train's hide with their dual rail cannons all while keeping up. The infantry fall further behind meanwhile, pelting it with shots whenever they can. Even Isaac tries to pitch in with his canaster rifle despite how ineffective it is against the train's heavy armor. Janausar contributed by firing psionic bolts at one of the engines causing enough damage to make it erupt into flames before moving onto the next.
With the combined might of the Raiders the train quickly began to crumble under the immense firepower, flaming on nearly all the cars, and even going slower with the majority of its engines destroyed.
After another intense minute of constant fire, the train finally capitulates as it collapses violently into a heap of fire and durasteel, scattering all of its carts and their cargo across the track and beyond.
The Raiders cheered at their success as the smoldering remains of the Dominion train settled in their place. Isaac couldn't help but give a small smirk of satisfaction at the sight, but quickly retracts it as he refocuses on his surroundings and scours the wreckage for any useful scrap with the rest of the troops soon following suit.
It didn't take even a minute of searching for something to stand out from the rest of the remains in the form of a large metal canister that is easily large enough to comfortably fit an average person inside.
"Sir, we're detecting electrical activity in the wreckage." Captain Horner reported over the commns.
"Then let's see what they were so fired up to get their hands on. Search that object." Raynor responded as the aforementioned canister was highlighted by a green digital maker in the sniper's HUD.
He was the first to reach the pod, and when he began investigating it, the mechanical human face of and adjutant dimly lit up the dark interior.
"Adjutant 23-46…online…system recording…N-N-New Gettysburg Defense Initiative…S-Submit access codes." Isaac raised an eyebrow at the mechanical humanoid's response. The machine itself was pretty beat up. He's surprised it can function at all, so why was the Dominion so desperate to defend it?
'My thoughts exactly. What value could this worthless machine hold?' He turned to see Janusar surveying their quarry with an unimpressed look.
"Information. Their whole purpose is to essentially be a mechanical assistant to a commander. Ranging from logistics, history, administration, you name it. Any wise commander would have one to oversee any operation. Question is: what kind of info does this one have that's so important to retrieve?"
Janusar remains unresponsive as he continues to observe the machine, but now with something Isaac could've swore was a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"All troops, we're done here. Get ready to evacuate with our cargo." Their commander ordered them all.
"Copy that, secure the cargo and ready it for pickup." Another marine squad leader Hollard as his own squad begins their preparations to carry it.
He takes another look at the wreckage for anything else only to see something small, something he alone recognized. It was a toy of a goliath resembling the one Isabel had once played with as a kid. He picks it up and examines it, and despite the years of neglect and dirt buildup, the blue figurine was surprisingly still intact. He still remembers the times when he was able to play with her, pretending to be all sorts of characters to satiate her wild imagination.
"Incoming monsters! I must protect the miners!" He recalled his daughter's voice.
"You can't stop us all commander Davis! There's too many of us!" He remembers responding.
"Then I'll use my special ability to defeat you all. Super Rocket Pods go!"
"Gaah curse you commander Davis!"
He couldn't help but chuckle at the fond memory with Isabel, only for a sense of melancholy to wash over him to replace the joy.
"Hey, Isaac. Ships arrived. Let's get going." He was snapped out of his daydream by Hunk who was urging him along with the rest of the troops into a nearby dropship that had arrived with the rest.
Taking a quick look back he could see the closest one was used as the courier of the adjutant while the rest begun the boarding of the troops with Janusar going alone on his own ship. Isaac's own squad was one of the last to embark as they all begun to secure their weapons before taking their seats.
As the engines whirled up, he took one last look outside the cargo bay, surveying the brown, desolate world. This was once his home, his family's home, now gone and withering away into a husk of its former self. If only he could've saved Maria and November that day, perhaps that would ease the pain of Tarsonis' destruction. But there's nothing he can do to change that now; they're now part of the past. He took a deep breath thinking this as the bay door closes and the familiar jolt of takeoff is felt.
"Come one people, get those machines in place. We got the ships arriving in T-minus 2 minute!" Isabel heard Swann bellow out to the rest of the engineering corps as she and Annabelle pushed a heavy cargo cart away from the hanger landing sight.
It's barely been minutes ago since the order to disengage had been given, yet there were engineers of every type scrambling all over the place like ants after having to set up so many supplies military hardware to send down to the troops on Tarsonis's surface. The amount of traffic around them was overwhelming especially with have to move from task to task so many times such as from transporting cargo straight towards repairing a goliath. She's barely keeping up with her more experienced mentor.
Eventually though they did complete their task by snuggling their cargo into another batch of supplies keeping it well clear of the inbound dropship's landing zone. With their task done Isabel leans against the box to catch her breath as beads of sweat drip down her forehead.
"Okay, that should be it for now." The dirt blonde girl sighed in relief towards Anabelle's words. She was used to physically asserting herself back when she farmed on Agria with her family, but the worst day there was tame compared to her new role with the Raiders. "Don't worry little miss, you'll get used to it all. You're not doing too bad for your first day though."
"Thanks." Isabel exhaled. "So, what's next?"
"For now, we wait until the ships arrive to inspect them once they're completely empty." Isabel affirms with some loose nods until she can finally catch her breath.
"T-minus 30 seconds!" She looks back at the large hanger entrance to see the silhouettes of almost a dozen dropships approaching the shielded entrance. Now that they are close, she just realized something, would her father be alive?
While she was up in the Hyperion, Isaac was down on Tarsonis' surface fighting the Dominion firsthand. She had heard the stories of what her father had been through, the war and death that took so many lives away. What if he didn't make it? What if he was unlucky and was killed in the middle of a fight? Would she be left alone on this ship with a bedridden May and with both parents now dead? She doesn't want to be alone again like in Haven.
"Hey, Isabel." She felt a hand on her shoulder that pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Annabelle with a concerned look on her face. "You alrgh't there? You were starting to panic a little there."
"Y-yeah, just…just worried."
"About your pa?" The girl was surprised by her accuracy.
"How did you know?"
"Who else would it be? Listen, if he's as seasoned as I've heard, I'm sure he'll pull through. But…" She felt the woman's hesitance to continue for a few moments. "…I'm not going to sugarcoat it, there'll be casualties with each mission, and we'll face death with each day. But we can't let that get to us. You need to keep a steady nerve in the heat of the moment, it could mean life or death." The brunette's mouth then curled into a small smile. "But you got us, remember that. We'll pull through together like we've always done."
Isabel nods, somewhat comforted by her words, as the two watch the dropships enter the hanger in two files.
The closest one extended its landing gear and hit the ground first before the rest did the same almost in a wave-like synchrony that the young girl stared in awe at until the very last pair landed in the back completing the two rows. Their ramps opened and their passengers began to march out with the first thing she'd noticed was a large, metal, ovular canaster being carried by four marines, each one having to use both hands just to comfortably carry it. They were quickly attended to by an engineer team bringing over a hovering trolly that the marines lifted onto to finally relieve themselves of the weight.
She briefly watched the object being trotted away before turning back to the rest of the soldiers leaving their ships hoping to hopefully find her father among them. Entire squads passed them yet there was no sign of Isaac. She even saw Janusar pass by who only gave her a wordless stare before moving on into a nearby hallway entrance.
She began to worry even as she try to shift through all the thoughts of the soldiers but here was too many to sort through, it was like trying to find a lone marble in a stuffed toy bin. She stopped using her telepathy and stuck to using her eyes to search again. She continued hoping to find her father alright, but her worry kept winning out.
Then to her immense relief she finally saw Isaac in his camo suit walking alongside Hunk and his squad; his visor opened and seemingly fine from their fight.
"Dad!" She called out, not even thinking of waiting another moment.
"Isabel!" Isaac called back giving a wide and visible smile back at her. She ran up to him and gave him a warm hug that was held for a few moments before separating.
"Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Need any help?" She rapidly asked as she inspects his body for any injuries like a concerned caretaker.
"Isabel I'm alright. Calm down." He instructed firmly and gently while restraining her by the shoulder as Annabelle chuckled at the sight.
"S-sorry, I was just so worried."
"Well, you don't have to be." Hunk intervened. "He showed just how good he was with that rifle. Dropping Dominion goons left and right, they never knew what hit 'em! He's someone I'd like to have watching my back!" Despite her worries, she could feel that the marauder's praise and admiration for Isaac was genuine, and she couldn't help but smile in secondhand recognition of her father's achievement to which Hunk chuckled knowing he succeeded.
"Even so, this won't be our last fight, Isabel. We all must be strong in the days to come. You're a soldier now so you must be ready to fight at any moment. And most importantly, focus on your role, when it all hits the fanz you must be able to carry out your duty no matter what. Do you understand?"
Isabel took a moment to process her father's advice before solemnly nodding. She wanted to avenge her mother and kill Mengsk, but this was a reminder that their whole foreseeable life ahead will be filled with death and conflict on a near constant basis. Each day a new chance to die.
She took a deep breath to finally process the reality they were all in but took comfort knowing she isn't facing it alone.
"Sorry to rush this, but we got to go and check on the ships with the others." Annabelle pipped in.
"Alright, just one more thing." Isaac searched through on of his ammo pouches before pulling out a dust covered object she instantly recognized as a goliath toy. "I found this in one of the trains we wrecked, thought you might want it since it was your favorite."
She takes the toy and inspects it. It's obviously not the one she played with back as a kid, but it's the same model that's bringing back fond memories of a time before the invasion of her home.
"Thanks dad. I'll go clean it up when I have a chance."
"You're welcome. You should go now, Annabelle's waiting." Isabel nods again and the two began to go their separate ways to their respective stations.
After putting the toy in her left breast pocket, she looked up towards the distant dust colored planet she once called home, remembering the people she lost there, and how this may be her last time seeing their final resting place.
"Goodbye November. Goodbye mom." She muttered under breath before joining her senior for her next task within her new life.
Janusar floated down the hallway all alone as desired to finally return to his brothers after a rather disappointing mission. He hopes that the next mission will bare more fruit for the trio as no doubt this sector-wide conflict will only escalate and they need the strength to match.
With the Zerg invading every planet possible, staying mobile is the only way they can survive, and the only plausible way that can be achieved is with the Raiders unfortunately. At the very least he was able to cooperate with them on the field, he preferred to stay away from them; but as the terran sniper put it, he would need to work with them to stand a chance.
He mentally sighed at the idea that the man was probably right; after taking a glimpse at the power of all three factions, this outcome was the best-case scenario for the hybrid family. He admits though that the terrans here do know how to survive despite such perilous odds which is fortunate.
He took the last turn needed to reach his destination, but something felt…off. There was a certain tension in the air he hadn't felt before which left the protoss-alike hybrid rather concerned.
'Cronos, do you hear me?' He thought out, but no response came. 'Cronos?' Only more silence responded. This is odd and worrying, it's not like his brother to be so quiet.
He begins to move faster and tries to reach out again.
'Ares, are you there?'
'J-Janusar? Y-yes I'm here.' To his relief he hears his younger brother respond, but he sounded meek and trembling.
'What's going on? I felt something was wrong and Cronos won't respond.'
'It is Cronos. We were training, and…and…' There was a momentary hesitance in his voice before continuing '…I don't know what happened. He just suddenly lost himself and he was trying to kill me.' Janusars hearts suddenly spiked in pace and eyes widened upon hearing these words.
'T-that's not right! are you sure that was his intent?'
'I couldn't tell, there was no thoughts I could read when he attacked, like he stopped being himself. I don't know what happened. It was so sudden. He was hurting me so badly!' His voice trembled again to the point of being on the verge of sobbing.
'Calm yourself Ares. Are you okay now?'
'Yes, I healed while I hid.'
'Good. Do you know where Cronos is?'
'I know that he's still in the room. He's back to normal, but he hasn't tried to approach me ever since he saw what he's done.'
'Ok. Stay where you are, I'm growing near.'
After disconnecting he picked up his pace to a equivalent of a sprint as he hurried towards his brothers' aid. His entire body went into overdrive just thinking about what Ares said. What could've drove Cronos to harm his brother to begin with. He knew he could get aggressive in battle like on Redstone and Xil, but he never expected it to reach to that extent with their youngest sibling. He needs to figure out what to do before it gets worse.
Seeing the entrance straight ahead, he rushes to it and forces the metal frame open swiftly with his telekinesis. He wasted no time scanning the room for both his siblings.
'Where are you Ares?'
'Over here!' He felt a psionic ping in his mind allowing him to locate his brother who was behind a large set of stacked crates.
He hovered over all the other crates that were messily strewn across the whole floor as if a storm had roll over the entire area and navigated past the following stack until he was able to see Ares who was huddled in the corner with his legs tucked up to his chest with a gloomy expression across his face.
'Ares.' His voice was laced with genuine concern as he approached the scared child before gently cupping his face with both of his thin, three-digit hands. Their blue eyes looked into each other before he inspected his brother's body for injury. Immediately she sees the cloths given to him by the terran family are torn and soaked in now dark, dried blood that clung what little was left of his shirt to his body. And past that are fresh scaring still pale from the healing. Such a sight
'What happened to you?' He solemnly asked, and he knew the most accurate answer would be in his memories.
He closes his eyes and reaches out to enter his brother's mind with the boy offering no resistance to his intrusions, and from there it all starts flowing in. The sparing between Ares and Cronos. The sudden shift in Cronos' actions and the resulting shock of it. The immense pain of his serrated claws digging into flesh and the panic of fighting. Fear and confusion as he ran and hid to heal with. Then the last sight of Cronos, claws covered in Ares' blood.
"No…Nooo!" It pained Janusar to hear the guilt and anguish overcome his brother's naturally booming and strong voice in that moment as he ran off from Ares' sight.
He opened his eyes and looked back into Ares', and within them he only saw worry involving their brother with not even a single sliver of resentment towards him. He knows what he has to do.
'Rest here for now. I will attend to our brother.' After caressing his sibling's hair, he arches back up and heads back out to search for Cronos.
Looking out into the room again, his brother's presence isn't as noticeable. Perhaps he's trying to hide himself? Why, Janusar doesn't know, but that won't stop him from finding him regardless, they are all connected after all. Concentrating his mind he begins to scan the entire room for his brother's presence; and it didn't take long for him to be found. He was indeed suppressing his psionic mark, but their innate connection still lingers.
Following the mark through the darken room, he soon comes upon a large pile of crates haphazardly placed together forming a sort of half shell against a wall. The presence of his brother is at it's strongest here showing that he is indeed blocking himself off.
'Chonos….'
….
No response.
'Chronos, speak to me.'
….
He's starting to get annoyed.
'Let me in, let me help.'
….
'Listen, I am aware of what happened. I want to help resolve this, but only if you allow me.'
'How?' A shaken and doubtful response finally came. 'Don't you see, I'm a threat. To Ares, and even to you. How can you help?'
'I'm sure there's a solution we can find, some way to stem your urges. We just need to know where it comes from.'
'It's this itch. This damn itch in my mind. The urge to feed and consume. It gets worse with every fleeting moment away from battle until I… I break.'
This deeply concerns Janusar, just what is the origin of this? Was it from contact with the Zerg? Or is it from the heat of combat itself? Or is it even genetic, but how can that be connected, isn't this problem behavioral based? He's running through every possible answer he can think of, but nothing's coming up conclusive with the info of themselves he possesses now.
Frustrations fill his mind with each dead end he runs into. Just what can he do?
'I'm a threat to both of you. We can't risk me presence here any further.' His hearts jumped at the despairing implication.
'No!' He snapped back. 'We will find a way, no matter how long it takes! We will find it.' He still his mind with a mental sigh before continuing. 'I promise brother, we will. You must remain strong; we still need you.'
No response came, but he could feel a sense of complacency rather than resistance form in his brother's mind setting his own mind somewhat at ease. The question still remains though:
What is he supposed to do now?
Within the black void of space, Zeratul's Void Seeker is seen cutting through vast space between solar systems in a great hurry as its pilot came to a mind-rattling discovery. In all his centuries of exploring the cosmos and discovering the most secluded secrets that only the stars have witnessed, nothing prepared him for the frightening visons he bore witnessed to, and what he had to endure. From the Queen of Blades on Ulaan; to the Zerg-Protoss Hybrid Maar on Zhakul; and the Overmind's vision of Kerrigan of all beings being the savior of all. But there was a second vision even worse than that: the destruction of all life at the hands of a dark entity and it's army of hybrid abominations.
The revelation paired with what Kerrigan's role in it all still leaves the Dark Prelette shaken even long after seeing them. He's still trying to shape his mind around how a being as vile as the Queen of Blades could possibly be the one to save all life after all she had done. But after all he had seen, his personal feelings on the matter seem so trivial now. There's too much at stake for him to falter, and he needs to find a way to prepare the sector for what is to come.
With it so divided, however, this will be a harrowing task. It is not yet time to speak to his kin about what he saw, after being branded a traitor for mercy killing Rashagal to free her from Kerrigan and inadvertently leading the Zerg to Auir; there's no guarantee they will listen, even with Artanis' word. There's only one person he knows will heed his warning: Raynor.
With some hope the terran commander will take action and be a crucial steppingstone in preparing all within the sector for what is to come.
He looks to his hand still gripping the Ihan Crystal fresh from inheriting his memories of the whole ordeal. He needs Raynor to look into this, and quickly, time for salvation grows ever shorter for the galaxy, and as the only one who knows the truth, he cannot falter, no matter what. There are plans he must set in motion himself.
Honestly, it's good to be back after a while. So, here's the one piece on info I can guarantee about myself, and it's that I will likely publish on the weekends if possible, if not then I'll post whenever I want if it's convenient.
So now here's your developer fact of the day:
The biggest reason I was caught in a standstill when writing this was because of the dimondbacks. Yep, I was concerned about how they suddenly becoming operational without anyone getting into them is what stopped me. Pair with my procrastination, I essentially stopped after a while.
"It was funny honestly!" XD
Yeah, yeah laugh it up.😒 But know that I haven't given up on this story, I'm just slow, and that how I prefer to work.
Leaving off with that, I thank you all who have visited my story and all the newbies that joined while I was away. You all have a great day or night wherever you may be.
"See ya all next time! Todaloo!" *^_^*