Space is extremely cold but deep within the recesses of the Zerg swarm hurling across space, a fury burns at the heart of this living fleet that rivals the intensity of even the largest stars. Kerrigan, the “Queen of Blades” has taken her forces from the planet Char to what she intends to be the inevitable final showdown with the Protoss on their home planet of Aiur. However, recent events have not transpired to her liking. The loss of the commanding cerebrate on Aiur was disturbing but that coupled with the recent aggressions of the Terran Dominion have been enough to push her over the edge into an insane fury. As the forces of the Zerg single-mindedly surge forward, a council of war is taking place at the very heart of the living fleet. Within the center of the fleet, the walls of a monstrous pod are the only obstacles keeping the screams of fury from escaping into the vacuum of space.
“I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR YOUR IMCOMPETANCE!”
“My queen… the Terrans have proven to be far more… powerful… than initially expected,” comes the quivering reply.
“POWERFUL?! POWERFUL YOU SAY?!”
“Y.. ye… yes my queen,” replies Trasa nervously.
“YOUR FORCES OUTNUMBER THE LOW-BORN DOGS” screams Kerrigan as her eyes flash with an insane fury.
“But… but… my queen, I have—“
Staring intensely into the rippling image within her chambers, she fixes Trasa with a hard stare and his words are cut off as his massive form begins to spasms wildly as she asserts her power over his life force. Lacerations begin to form along his mass as blood begins to flow forth from the rapidly expanding wounds. Dropping her voice so that the words come out like an icy finger of death, she continues.
“You will be silent! Or be silenced!” she commands. “Do you know what the price for failing me is Trasa?”
“Ye… ye… yes… my… queen,” answers Trasa as intense energies of pain continue to rack his form.
“See that you do not forget Trasa,” states Kerrigan with a steel edge to her voice as she releases her mental grip on the Cerebrate. Released from the death grip, Trasa’s abused form breathes a spasm of relief.
Standing up to move towards the center of the chamber, Kerrigan eyes flash intensely as she continues. “You are still young and inexperienced and because of that I am willing to let you live. Since your creation, you have had little opportunity to develop your skills of war. It is something that needs to be changed… quickly.”
“Yes my queen,” replies Trasa nervously.
***
“Chazz.”
“My queen?”
“How far away are my forces from the borders of the Terrans?”
“We should be passing within several systems of their outermost planets shortly.”
“Excellent,” she replied as her wings flex menacingly. “When we are at our closest, you are to take your brood with you Chazz and assist Trasa with solidifying our hold on that sector.”
“As you command my queen.”
Turning back towards the image of Trasa, she fixes him with a cold stare. “When Chazz’s forces arrive, he WILL be in command, make no mistake Trasa.”
“But my queen—“
Reaching out across the vastness of space, she reasserts her will on the distant cerebrate and exacts a small amount of punishment for his interruption.
“DO NOT TEST MY PATIENCE AGAIN!”
“I… I… beg for… for… forgiveness my… queen,” comes the pained reply.
Releasing her grip a second time, she continues outlining her plan. “Now, as I was saying,” she says as her eyes flare brilliantly, “Chazz Will be in command when his forces arrive. Until then, you are to hold that sector and the Terrans at bay. Do you understand?”
“Yes my queen. I understand fully. I will not fail you my queen.”
“If you do, it will be for the LAST TIME Trasa! Now be gone for we have much to prepare for.”
“As you so order my queen,” comes the reply as his image distorts and then disappears.
“Idiot!” hisses Kerrigan as she moves towards an opening. The living door opens into a massive corridor with a hiss and then closes slowly behind her. Chazz moves alongside of and behind Kerrigan.
“Trasa may be young and inexperienced but he does have potential and he is completely loyal to you my queen.”
“Which is why I have allowed him to live Chazz,” snaps Kerrigan as she passes a nursery. Literally thousands of larvae squirm along the moist ground as yet more are produced from the reproductive outlets that line the massive cavern. The air is alive with the constant buzzing of hundreds of drones as they scurry about tending to the larvae and eggs.
“Do you have any questions regarding your assignment Chazz?”
“Only a few my queen. Once in the system, do I have permission to continue the attack on the Terrans?”
“Yes,” comes the reply as she watches several eggs rapidly reach maturity and hatch to now spawn several voracious hydras in their place. Turning back to face Chazz, she continues. “But only under the stipulation that you will not spend my forces recklessly. I will not allow you to waste my troops to no gain.”
“Of course my queen.”
“Despite what has happened before, my former comrades have improved their methods in the time I stupidly gave them. They have become a force to be reckoned and not to be taken lightly.”
“You required the time to reassert control over the swarms my queen. It is only reasonable that they would try to be prepared for us again… for what little good it will do them.”
“Thank you Chazz for renewing my faith in your abilities. In any event, once the bulk of our forces have dealt with the Protoss, I shall join your forces there so that I can keep a promise to an old friend.”
“The Terran Emperor Mengsk my queen?”
Her hands flexing menacingly, she answers. “Yes, I haven’t had the chance to thank him properly for his betrayal. Of course, I should be grateful that he allowed the Overmind to lift me up from the frail little creature that I once was into my present form. Perhaps I will not kill him so quickly, that would be too easy on him.”
“As you wish my queen.”
“But that is a small matter I wish to indulge myself in at a later time. We have more important matters that require our attention so Arcturus will have to wait… for now.”
“Was there anything else Chazz,” asks Kerrigan as they she turns to return to the throne room.
“One matter of interest that has recently come to my attention my queen.”
“Explain cerebrate.”
“Several scouts that have returned recently to Char have encountered something of interest.”
“Show me,” she commands as she directs her view onto the central image.
The image distorts and then begins to haze and clear as an overlord sends the distant image. The object is small, complex and definitely of an unknown technology.
“What do you make of this Chazz?”
“I have not seen this technology before my queen. Upon first inspection I had thought it to be some device of Protoss design but it is far to complex. Our scouts fortunately happen to chance upon it when it was damaged by space debris and was revealed. It immediately began to affect repairs to itself and went back into hiding. Our overlord can only track it now by the brief signals it randomly sends. It has apparently been monitoring our activities on Char for sometime now.”
“Interesting… very interesting indeed,” she says thoughtfully. “It would appear that we have some unwanted neighbors.”
“The overlord has detected several signals being transmitted from the device but is incapable of tracking the destinations.”
“Dispatch a tracking brood from our forces to hunt for our ‘visitors’ Chazz. I wish to know more about those who feel that they can watch us with such arrogance.”
“It shall be done my queen.”
“Good,” she says with a nod of satisfaction.
“If these strangers are as advanced as their technology clearly shows, then the absorption of their knowledge into our swarm will further our advantage over our enemies.
“And what if they have nothing more to offer us other than their technology my queen.”
“Then we will slaughter ever last one of them for their arrogance in daring to watch us,” answers Kerrigan with a cold fire to her voice.
“Prepare your forces Chazz, Trasa will need your guidance and I have a date to keep with the Protoss on Aiur.”
“It shall be done my queen.”
***
A scouting brood is dispatched back towards the Zerg home planet of Char on command from their queen. Their orders are to find the destinations of the elusive transmissions and then to mark their prey so that others may join in the hunt. In the meantime, the Zerg continue purposely forward towards the Protoss sector. Upon reaching the outskirts of Terran space, Chazz’s brood breaks from the main Zerg forces and head for the distant planet of Dylar IV.
Meanwhile in a distant corner of the galaxy, recent developments continue to undergo observation. Several beings gathered have just been informed of some disturbing news. It is not received with great enthusiasm.
“What has happened to our probe on Char,” demands one being.
“The observation probe was damaged by an errant piece of space debris.”
“The probe should have been able to repair itself from the damage sustained. What matter of importance is this bit of news,” asks another with a dismissive tone.
“That is not the problem and normally I would not bring up such a trivial matter. However, the cloaking device was damaged and the probe was revealed for an extended period of time.”
“It should not matter. The Zerg have long since left that planet to seek out a confrontation with one of the first-born. There should be little risk of detection involved.”
Those gathered within the chamber tend to share their assessment of their comrade with the exception of one.
“I must disagree.” A recent transmission is displayed and shows an overlord moving within view briefly. “As you can see, not all of the Zerg have left the planet. This creature might well have been able to detect our probe, I suggest that—“
“That will be enough!” commands the Zresa’laz. “One creature is of little consequence. The probe is once again cloaked and we have outposts spread throughout the galaxy. If the Zerg were to attempt to move on us we will know far ahead of time. We have more important matters that require our attention. We must insure that our forces are ready when they are needed. That is our priority now.”
“The Zresa’laz is correct,” agrees another. “Our masters would not be pleased if their plans were to be delayed yet again.”
“Agreed.”
“What new developments are occurring on Shakuras?”
“Our agent in place continues to report that the Protoss are increasing their buildup on Aiur.”
“Which leaves the bulk of their civilization vulnerable?”
“Correct Zresa’laz.”
“Excellent, inform our agent that we will accelerate our plans in accordance with these recent events. Anything further to report?”
“Only one other matter, our agent reports that certain records have been accessed by two Protoss regarding the ancient prophecies.”
“Specifically,” asks the Zresa’laz.
“The passages refer to the coming of our masters and the Xel’Naga’s intended roles of their first-born.”
“This information must not be allowed to continue to EXIST! It could complicate the timeline of the plans of our masters. Instruct the agent that those records must be destroyed at all costs and those who have accessed it must be eliminated as well!”
“It shall be done.”
“What news regarding the events in the Terran sector?”
“It surprises me they still manage to function at all,” comments one being.
“Agreed. They are an unusual, violent species but they have such great potential to become more. They require further observation. Quite an amusing specie.”
“Amusing or not, they are on the verge of removing the Zerg presence from their sector. Their methods though barbaric, have yielded them great results as of late against the Zerg.”
“Yes, the quality of certain cerebrates leaves much to be desired. Still, we can not allow them to ruin the plans of our masters.” Gesturing towards a distant being, he issues an order. “You are to take some of our mature forces and engage these Terrans. Create as much disruption as you can in order to prolong the conflict on their side with the Zerg. They must be kept in chaos.”
“It shall be done,” replies the being as he turns to exit the chamber.
“Instruct our agents there that they must prolong the conflict anyway that they can. We must keep these Terrans from interfering.”
“As you command Zresa’laz.” Those remaining members of the council gathered turn and leave the chamber quietly.
Immediately following the meeting, orders are sent out across the vast reaches of space through a hidden network of relay stations. Agents hidden with the ranks of the Protoss and the Terrans receive their orders.
***
In a small chamber, one agent works quickly to remove any traces of the communication. His work is barely finished as a visitor interrupts him.
“Elder, the council is gathering in the central chambers to discuss the recent events.”
“You have my thanks young Judicator.”
“It is good that soon Aiur will be ours again Elder,” he proclaims with pride.
“Indeed. It has been many seasons since we last saw Aiur young one.”
“It is time these changes began Elder. They have been long overdue.”
“Yes… there are great changes ahead first born, more than you can even imagine,” he whispers quietly as he follows the young Judicator towards the council meeting.
