The ground rushes beneath them as a mottled green-brown blur as they roar over the battered soil. Feelings of dread and uncertainty fill them as they ponder what will await them when they arrive at their destination. Not a word is spoken among them for those gathered have run out of words to describe what has occurred this day. The soft thrumming of the shuttle’s engines are the only sounds that fill the silent air within the robotic transport. Much has happened to these warriors this day. Only moments ago, they had miraculously achieved a great victory. One that would normally bring forth great elation considering the near impossible task that was to be their undertaking. A planet, their long lost homeworld of Aiur, was just recently liberated from the control of the Zerg. The forces of the Zerg litter the ground around the province of Antioch as decaying matter while those that still live have been scattered before the winds of the Protoss. The commanding cerebrate lies a charred, black-gray mound within the blasted remains of the central hive; it has been a very productive day for these warriors. Unfortunately, victory always tends to come at a costly expense. Many sons and daughters of Aiur have spilled their blood on these ground along with their Zerg foes. The fields around Antioch are littered with the wreckage of the ruined Protoss machines of war. Everywhere he looks, the devastation of warfare scars the ground and he wonders to himself if the price of victory was too high. His thoughts are interrupted as they reach their destination. The shuttle roars into position and quickly descends to land on the barren soil with a light thump. The shuttle’s occupants rapidly file out and begin to survey the surroundings.
“We have arrived Executor at where Praetor Artanis was last seen,” grimly states a guard.
Everywhere the rescue teams looks, the ground is littered with the remains of Artanis’ fighter. Small and large pieces coat the ground but several large sections, including pieces of the forward section, seem to still be relatively intact. A large plot of land has been plowed by the crash of the fighter. Small fires continue to lick at the remains of the blasted scout and fill the air with black rolling smoke as sparks still flare from barely active circuitry.
“Secure the area,” orders Nagol to the accompanying guards. The honor guards move quickly to secure the perimeter and those within. Gesturing to those around him he leads the way through the wreckage field.
“It does not look well Nagol,” states Zeratul as he scans the ground.
“No… it does not. But we must not give up on our fallen comrade. We owe him that much.”
Lapsing back into silence, the search team grimly continues forward. Given the amount of debris that lies around them, they grudgingly begin to question as to whether their comrade and friend may still live.
“The command pod seems to be relatively intact,” states Zeratul as he points toward a distant piece of smoking wreckage.
“Then let us begin there,” says Nagol as he grimly moves forward purposely.
Upon reaching the battered remains of the command pod they come across an astonishing discovery, the still warm and battered remains of Artanis.
“In the name of Adun! He still lives!” cries Nagol. “Quickly! Clear this wreckage and remove him!”
The rescue team hurriedly moves to save their fallen comrade. Large sections of the damaged scout are ripped away as they madly struggle to clear the path to Artanis. The rescuers reach their goal and extinguish the small fires that scorch his body. Artanis is rapidly pulled from the pod and is gently placed on the ground. His saviors survey his battered form and what they see does not bring great hope. His form is covered with numerous burns and severe injuries. Vital life fluid seeps from dozens of wounds and stains the ground; it is fortunate that he is in a state of unconsciousness.
“He must be moved to the base IMMEDIATELY! Secure him on board the shuttle!” orders Nagol.
Artanis is quickly secured into place on the shuttle as the remainder of the rescue teams files in after him. The rear hatch barely closes even as the shuttle rises rapidly and roars off towards the distant Protoss base.
“He is in grave shape my friend,” comments Zeratul as he watches over their friend.
“So long as he still lives there is always hope Zeratul.”
“But what will remain of him afterwards,” asks Zeratul softly.
“We will find out soon enough my friend.”
Both warriors slip back into silence as they maintain their vigil on their wounded comrade. Meanwhile back at the staging area for the Protoss, more forces are channeled through the newly created gateways from Shakuras as they continue to solidify their hold on the planet. The first of many massive Stargates have just been brought online. With intense crackling of raw energy and a brilliant flaring of light, the first Protoss vessel of war emerges from the swirling vortex. A loud cheer erupts from those gathered as the enormous warship slowly lumbers into position with the fighters on patrol in order to cover the passage of those yet to follow. Hundreds of techs labor to erect Psi disrupters as the sphere of influence is extended to cover more of the reclaimed territory.
All around the province of Antioch, the forces of the Protoss continue to clear out the remnants of the surviving Zerg. Although there still exists some pockets of resistance, without a central mind to control them they have been reduced to nothing more than packs of wild animals. Easily dispatched by the ever-increasing forces of the Protoss channeled in from Shakuras. Even now, dozens of hunting parties scour the surrounding terrain to cull the beasts from their sacred soil. Those at work stop briefly as the shuttle of the Executor roars overhead on its way to the medical facilities. A soft humming fills the air as the robotic transport hovers into position, gently flares and then lands on rocky ground.
“Move him to the medical bays immediately,” urges Nagol as several technicians followed by a robotic medical chamber rush up the ramp and prep Artanis for transport. The techs gently place his battered form within it as he is hurried off towards the medical center.
“Now we have but to wait on the revival efforts of our comrades,” states Zeratul.
“Agreed, but unfortunately more pressing matters have to be attended to; the coming of the Zerg.”
“Yes, it is obvious that Kerrigan will most likely be leading them. She has had many years to solidify her control on her swarms. She will be most formidable and that is what worries me, there is no telling how much her powers have grown” says Zeratul with concern.
“How so my friend?”
“When she was incorporated into the Zerg, her mind was still fragile. Remnants of her lost humanity still existed within her. Because of that, her powers were still unlocked as she fought an internal battle with her damaged psyche.”
“I was not aware you knew so much of this creature before her passing into the swarm.”
“Tassadar had told me of her prior history. She was a fellow comrade in arms to the human warrior Raynor,” says Zeratul as they walk around surveying the area defenses.
“He told me of her unselfish and courageous battles against oppression and tyranny only to be rewarded with betrayal at the hands of one she trusted most.”
“The one called Mengsk?”
“Yes,” replies Zeratul as his eyes flare briefly. “I was told a great deal by my friend Raynor of this human. Were it not for him, this ‘Queen of Blades’ would not have existed.”
“Such a loss that a noble warrior would be twisted into the form that she has ultimately become,” states Nagol has he shakes his head slowly.
“Indeed. Raynor still harbors some guilt over what happened to her.”
“In what way,” asks Nagol incredulously. “A noble warrior such as he should not hold himself responsible for the actions of others.”
“He had doubts regarding Kerrigan’s final mission before being taken by the Zerg. Somehow he felt he should have done more to avert it.”
“There are some things that cannot be changed my friend. There will come a time when he must accept it and do what is right for the good of all.”
“When the time is right, I believe he will do what he must,” states Zeratul with conviction in his tone.
“And where is this ally of the Protoss now?”
“I do not know, we have not spoken for some time,” states Zeratul with some regret in his tone.
“Why? Although I have not met this human, from what I have heard of his exploits he appears to have the spirit of a Protoss warrior,” says Nagol with admiration in his tone.
“Indeed he does. Never a more capable ally or friend have I known. Unfortunately, after the prior conflict with Kerrigan’s forces we decided it was best that we continued the fight in our own ways.”
“Then perhaps it is time to seek him out and bring him on our side once more for the coming conflict.”
“I am sure he would welcome the invitation my friend,” states Zeratul as his eyes flash briefly with excitement.
“Good. I will see that scouts are dispatched to locate this ally. Do you have any information as to where we should commence our search?”
“The Terran held sector was where he mentioned he would remain when I last spoke with him. I believe he seeks to continue the fight against that tyrant Mengsk.”
“Then that is where we shall start our efforts. In the meantime, I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“Agreed. Undoubtedly the Zerg left the moment we commenced our assault on the cerebrate here. I would say that they are more than likely in transit now.”
“All the more reason to increase our numbers and fortify our hold on this planet. We still have time before they arrive. Our forces must move quickly to eradicate all the remaining Zerg here. The more we destroy, the less they have to use against us.”
“How soon do you anticipate the first of the Zerg swarm to arrive,” asks Nagol as he turns to view yet another carrier passing through the artificial portal.
“Difficult to say,” says Zeratul thoughtfully as he looks up towards the ever-increasing stars as day turns to night. “Given the distance to their home planet of Char, I would say we still have time.”
“Agreed, but as a precaution I will place observation nets along possible approaches to our homeworld. I suspect that we will need all the early warning that we can afford.”
“A wise precaution my friend. I shall send those scouts out now to locate Raynor; we will need all the allies we can acquire.”
Turning to walk back towards the main entrance to the base, Nagol asks another question into the quiet, chilled air.
“How do you expect her to advance on us? Will she be cautious or will she strike head-on, arrogant and confident in her numbers,” asks Nagol thoughtfully.
“More than likely she will be bold in her approach. She will have the advantage in numbers when she attacks and she knows this fact,” grunts Zeratul.
“That was my thought as well. In her mind, she knows she won the last encounter with our forces and that only serves to drive her.”
“Perhaps then we can use her arrogance as a weapon against her instead,” offers Zeratul.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Show her a weak force, barely capable of fending off her attacks in order to draw her into an ambush while a more capable force waits to strike.”
“A bold plan. But I doubt that she would accept that we have not prepared ourselves properly for her impending arrival. Though we wish it, she is not that foolish.”
“All the more reason to have the illusion as realistic as possible to falsely build her confidence. We have little time to prepare, come let us discuss this inside.”
Both of the warriors walk slowly in silence as they ponder the next move. Though they do not say it, they both understand that when the swarm arrives, their survival as a species will be at stake. It is a thought that they do not wish to entertain. Glancing upwards towards the distant stars, Zeratul wonders what the coming days will hold for them. He can only hope that it will be for the best, not for just his race, but for the entire galaxy. Taking one last glance at the distant burning stars, he turns and resumes his pace towards the base.[an error occurred while processing this directive]oter.shtml"-->
