Ardarriss sat in front of the nine Tribunal members. All of them stared down at their Judicator, the Judicator that had almost destroyed the Protoss. The Trial was to begin soon. Soon all the Protoss would learn of Ardarriss' betrayal...
* * *
A few hours later, in the fields of a broken down Protoss encampment...
Blue blood was splattered everywhere. The smell of fresh blood filled the air. Zealots and Dark Templar were fighting each other. Carriers flew high above the battle, sending out their interceptors.
The Dark Templar didn't have much of an advantage over the Protoss of Auir. Their Corsairs were going down quickly due to the Scouts and Carriers while their Ground forces were being pummeled by fire from the air.
A small Protoss child ran by the battle, screaming out loud. All the fighters stared at the young child. The fighting stopped... silence filled the once loud air.
They all began running with the child to spread the word...
Ardarriss was under Trial for splitting the Protoss apart.
* * *
Protoss filled the small room as they stared at their "hero" kneeling before the Tribunal.
"Judicator Ardarriss... you tried to split the Protoss apart. Do I speak the truth?" asked one of the elder members of the Tribunal
.
Ardarriss nodded slowly.
"Why Ardarriss? We put all our faith in you and you repay us by trying to destroy us?" asked another member.
Ardarriss looked up and stared at the Tribunal.
"I did nothing wrong! All the Protoss would not have died! Just the pitiful Dark Templar!" Ardarriss shouted.
The Dark Templar that were in the room shouted in disapproval.
"Calm down." a Tribunal member ordered.
"We will see if you are guilty of your crimes Ardarriss. We will meet again in one day. The Trial will begin in the court of Adun. May we meet again there." the eldest of the Tribunal member ordered. The Protoss that had filled the room left.
* * *
Aboard the Black Shadow...
Jasen yawned and leaned back on his chair. He closed his eyes and dozed off. He saw Ardarriss kneeling, his eyes were pure red. He saw Sue walk near Ardarriss. Jasen tried to stop her but couldn't and Ardarriss stabbed her.
"You are next, Terran!" he heard Ardarriss shout.
Jasen's eyes opened wide.
"Sue!"
Sue ran down the hall and looked at Jasen.
"What? What do ye want?" she asked.
Jasen stared at her. "Uh... are you alright?" he asked. Cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
Sue crossed her arms. "Is that it?" she asked.
"Uh.. Yeah that's It." he replied.
Sue turned around to leave but Jasen grabbed her by the wrist.
"Sue... I'm returning to the Koprulu Sector. Something's not right." he continued.
Sue stared at Jasen.
"Fine with me." she replied.
"That's not all. Sue I... I..." Jasen couldn't form the words he wanted into his mouth.
"What?" she asked with agitation in her voice.
"You're not coming with me. I want you to leave. Leave me... alone." Jasen couldn't believe what he had just said.
"No. You said I-"
Jasen cut her off. "I love you Sue. I don't want you to get hurt."
Sue stood stunned. Jasen took this chance to push her into the escape pod and then press the button that released it.
"Good bye Sue... May our paths meet again..." Jasen said while putting on his helmet. He watched the pod head towards a planet then punched in the coordinates to the Koprulu Sector.
His ship's engines flared then the ship moved...
* * *
12 hours before the Trial, on Shakuras...
The aftershocks of the "quake" had stopped. Probes began trying to fix buildings. The warriors however, stared at their viewscreen, waiting for the trial to begin. Zeratul, Artanis, and Mojo however were staring at each other.
"What do you mean you knew of these hybrids?" asked Artanis.
"I saw them on the moon while searching for you Artanis." Zeratul replied.
"You should have told us!" shouted Mojo.
"I didn't wish to startle you. Especially now." Zeratul answered.
Artanis stared at Mojo. "How did you know of these Hybrids?" he asked.
"I saw a ship... I'm not sure what it was. But I think that ship caused the quake. But when I looked down I saw a Zergling... well not exactly a Zergling, it had Protoss features on it." Mojo replied.
A figure walked in, it was Edwarg. He looked angry.
"You talk of Hybrids. And yet you don't tell me? Don't you trust me?" he asked.
The three Protoss stared at Edwarg.
"We do." they replied in unison..
They began explaining what they had seen...
* * *
10 hours before the Trial, on board a UED Super Carrier...
"Ma'am, we're traveling faster than expected." an engineer reported.
"ETA?" Admiral Jane asked.
"...6 hours, Admiral. Much faster than expected, if I may add." he continued.
Admiral Jane raised a brow.
"A bit too fast, don't you think?" she asked.
"It's been nearly a week. I'd say four days is slightly fast." commented General Stryker.
Admiral Jane nodded. "Guess technology is an unknown force..." she mumbled
.
Before the General could ask what she had said, an image filled the viewscreen.
"Ah, Admiral Jane. Am I hearing this right? Arriving in 5 hours and 32 seconds?" Thrawn asked.
Admiral Jane glared at the viewscreen.
"Yes. Are your observing forces ready?" she asked, stressing out the word observing.
"Why of course, we've all been waiting." Thrawn replied coolly with a smile on his face.
"Good. Well until later." Admiral Jane continued. The viewscreen turned black again.
"You there!" shouted General Stryker while pointing at an Engineer. "6 hours? You were wrong by an hour!" he continued.
The engineer hid his face.
"Calm down John... General Stryker. It was an honest mistake." Admiral Jane ordered. "Of course he won't make it again. Right?" she asked, with a tint of anger in her voice.
"Y-yes, Ma'am." the frightened engineer replied
.
Admiral Jane smiled then stared at General Stryker.
"John, you have to calm down. Taking life as seriously as you isn't good." she said quietly.
General Stryker sighed and let out his anger with it. "You are too lenient on your men, Jane." he replied with the same volume.
Admiral Jane's smile faded. "Never call me Jane. It's Admiral Jane to you." she ordered.
The General smiled. "Yes, ma'am."
* * *
On board the UED super carrier, "Titan", in Grand Admiral Thrawn's quarters...
Thrawn stared at his viewscreen. He smiled then inputted a code, which in turn made the viewscreen fill up with a face.
"Admiral Thrawn, what an honor." the man said in a Russian accent.
"Ah, Captain Slajek, is the UPL doing well?" Thrawn asked.
The Russian Captain known as Slajek smiled slightly.
"We don't deserve to use that name right now, sir. Since we have only united some Russian nations, we have decided to name ourselves the United Russian Nations... for now." Slajek replied.
Thrawn leaned back in his chair. "Is your attack fleet still following us?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. We have made sure that no UED vessel can detect us." Slajek replied.
Thrawn saw a red light on the corner of the viewscreen and quickly turned off the viewscreen. Right when the viewscreen went blank, the door opened and one of his officers walked in.
"Sir! We're picking up unauthorized transmissions from this room, sir! We suggest we test the area for bugs, sir!" the officer shouted.
"No need to shout. There are no bugs here, that 'unauthorized' transmission was mine." Thrawn said calmly.
The officer looked dumb founded. Thrawn twirled his chair so that the back was facing the officer. "You may leave." he said.
The officer cleared his throat, turned then left. Thrawn smiled. Soon fools like the officer would be dead...
* * *
7 hours before the Trial, Demeter, Tarsonis.
..
"(Music here) Tonight on United Terran News, the Zerg, brainless, or smarter than us? Is the UED coming back? And also information on the rebel group known as the Last Confederate Army, who are they and why are they here?" A reporter stated on the viewscreen. A small box appeared on the right hand corner of the screen, a small picture filled it, a picture of Mengsk.
"And on main news tonight, Emperor Mengsk has announced a new ship and is starting a full scale attack on the Protoss. Stay tuned for more information." the reporter continued.
A few minutes passed an the reporter showed on the viewscreen again. "We now bring you live coverage from Demeter Street, Emperor Mengsk's speak." the reporter said.
The small picture in the right hand corner grew and filled up the screen. The viewscreen paused for a second then continued.
"People of my dominion. I am proud to announce our newest ship, the TD-500 Centaur. This ship will not be an attack ship, however it will hold up to 40 wraiths and 35 Valkyries. Over the past years, the Protoss have always had a superior air force than us, sneaking by and destroying our Battlecruisers. Any back up would arrive slowly and be destroyed. The TD-500 Centaur is our new back up. Whenever Protoss strike, this incredibly fast ship will arrive and let out it's air force. Any questions?" Emperor Mengsk spoke out loud.
A man in the back quickly rose his hand. "Sir, why do that when you can just add weapons to such a large ship and escort weaker ships?" he asked.
"It would be too slow. For the moment half the ship is basically all engines and the rest is cargo space. Adding weapons and taking off engines would cause the ship to slow down significantly." Emperor Mengsk answered.
A woman raised her hand this time. "Why call it the Centaur? If I remember correctly the Centaur was a magnificent creature, half man, half horse. Strong and aggressive."
Emperor Mengsk smiled a bit. "This was a weird choice to call it. We called it Centaur because of the half, half thing. As I stated before, almost half of the ship is engines and the rest is cargo space, therefore it we called it the Centaur." Before anyone else could ask a question, Mengsk continued with his speech.
"Using these new ships, we will strike at the heart of the Protoss. Vital information from 'sources' have told me that the Protoss are... occupied at the moment."
Many people spoke out. "Who is this source?" "What is the source?"
Mengsk smiled. "That I can't tell you. If you don't mind, I have to leave."
The people groaned. They had yet much to ask.
Mengsk boarded his Battlecruiser, the "Orion". He went straight for his quarters.
"Where are you?" he asked aloud.
A form moved in the shadows. It took shape and turned out to be a Dark Templar.
"Ulz'raja. Why did you send that message?" Mengsk asked.
Ulz'raja stared at Mengsk. "Has my identity been revealed?" he asked.
"No." Mengsk answered.
"Good. I have come to tell you that you have a little less that 7 hours before the Trial. Remember our deal Mengsk. Distract the Protoss while I free Ardarriss." Ulz'raja stated.
Mengsk smiled. "Why save someone that tried to kill you?" he asked.
Ulz'raja began to fade into the shadows. "Kill me? You are very incorrect..." he answered before fading away.
Mengsk shook his head. These Protoss were weird...
* * *
5 hours before the Trial...
The UED fleet exited warp space and ended up in real space. Planets filled the area. The "Titan" had already launched a spy satellite. Wraiths were flying out of the super carriers and scanning the area. Transports filled with troops flew towards the nearest inhabitable planet.
Admiral Jane looked at her soldiers.
"I believe that planet is Joks 3. A hot and humid planet, or should I say sub planet. It's small and has many resources, I suggest we start finding the resources first." she ordered.
The soldiers saluted in unison. They were real soldiers. They had shining armor. They had an emblem of a Golden Hawk on their chest and shoulders with the letters U.E.D. engraved below it. Yes, these were indeed soldiers.
General Stryker came out in his Firebat suit. His helmet had a glass shield in the front, which he left up. The rest of the suit looked like the marines' suits.
"Alright boys. Fill your bullets and get ready to rock!" Styker shouted
.
"Yes sir!" the marines replied in unison.
They all got in a drop ship and departed the main Battlecruiser. More dropships followed and wraiths behind them. Valkyries also followed the large group. Admiral Jane watched them leave then turned in her seat.
"Technician, get me the "New Horizon", I'd like to switch my ship... for now." Admiral Jane ordered.
The Technician did as he was told and soon a new Battlecruisers flew beside the "Leviathan". Admiral Jane ordered her men not to tell anyone of her changing ships. Her soldiers saluted and watched her go...
* * *
3 hours before the Trial...
Jasen stared out of his cockpit. He felt anger pulsing through his cold icy heart. He thought about what he had done... leaving Sue on a desolate planet. He hoped he had done the right thing.
"F**k!" he screamed aloud. He smashed his fist onto his control panel. Why had he taken that stupid job for Ardarriss? He breathed slowly and sighed, letting his anger out with it. He checked his gun to see that it was fully loaded, then pulled on a lever that brought his ship back into real space.
Ardarriss was going to die, it was Jason’s only way of escape. His ship stopped for a second then began moving forward slowly.
"What the hell?"
Before him was a huge fleet of ship, dozens of Battlecruisers, wraiths, and Valkyries. Not to mention some ships he had never seen before.
"Unidentified ship, identify yourself, lower your weapons and shields or be destroyed." a voice boomed out of his com.
"Uh hey. The name's Superman, and you'll rarely see me weaponless." Jasen replied.
"Superman? What?" the other asked.
Jasen didn't reply and cloaked his ship.
"What the? Get some detectors-"
The man was cut off by a scream when his ship was blown to pieces.
"Bastard." Jasen said aloud.
He looked to his left to see wraiths storming out of a huge ship.
"Oh s**t." Jasen cursed. He looked to his right to see a huge science vessel coming his way.
Jasen cursed again and turned his ship ninety degrees. He armed his missiles and lasers and readied himself for the battle. The wraiths came right at him. They shot their missiles and started their maneuvers. Jasen quickly dodged and stared at the wraiths. He'd never seen a maneuver like that before...
He turned his ship to see a wraith. He corkscrewed and shot a missile. The wraith dived straight down and the missile missed him by an inch. Jasen stared at the science vessel. He pulled on a lever that caused his ship to head straight for the science vessel. The vessel slowly moved backward.
"All fighters, do not attack, I repeat do not attack! Any stray missles may hit the science vessel!" the captain of the UED Golden Wraiths shouted. The Wraiths did as told and backed away... just as Jasen expected them to
.
Right before hitting the vessel he pulled outward. Corkscrewing away from the vessel. Before anyone saw where he went, he was gone...
* * *
Beginning of the Trial...
"Ardarriss, son of Judicator Aldaris. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" a Tribunal member asked.
"I hope you all die and burn in the depths of Shakuras!" Ardarriss shouted aloud.
The Tribunal members shook their heads. "For treason against your own brethren, we would sentence you to death, but there is so much more left. We will allow you a chance to be free."
"Then just free me. I did nothing wrong!" Ardarriss shouted at the members.
Before anymore words were said, a huge sound rang out across the fields.
"We are under attack!" a Zealot shouted.
"What?" a Tribunal member asked.
"It's the Terran Dominion! They are launching a full scale assault!" The Zealot replied.
